Report of Meetings for 1885. By Jas. Hardy. 15 



The ballad appears to have been written by one who, if he 

 was not personally in the fight, was well acquainted with the 

 scenery of the locality ; its "fells," and "braes," and "heughs," 

 and " knowes," of which we saw so many tokens round about us. 



The soil of the portion of Falla that we saw is mossy, and 

 there is a discouraging yellow clay from underneath, interming- 

 ling with the black soil. Fir and pine trees thrive, and it is 

 well planted, to the advantage of its appearance from a distance. 

 Fallaw is the old name ; possibly from the A.S. fealawe, yellow, 

 tawny ; or /<%, fealh, fealo, fealwe, a pale red, brick, ashy or dun 

 colour; and law, a hill, perhaps from some peculiarity in its 

 aspect to the early Anglo-Saxon settlers. Fealh-law, the dun 

 hill, or hilly ground. The uncultivated portions are still speckled 

 with brown and tawny patches of native heath and grass, like a 

 dappled deer's hide. 



The company then resumed their carriages, and held down- 

 wards past Ladfield ; Newbigging Bush and Newbigging, farm 

 places, being on the right. While Newbigging was a village, it 

 was the crofter or kindly tenandry holding of the Clan Hall and 

 their allies, bold border reivers, whose headsman here was called 

 "Chief." In the baUad of "Archie of Ca'field," rescued from 

 the gaol of Dumfries, the chief actor is "Mettled John Hall," from 

 the "Laigh Teviotdale," conjectured by Sir Walter Scott to be 

 John Hall of Newbigging, mentioned in the List of Border Clans, 

 as one of the chief men of name residing in the Middle Marches 

 in 1597 (Minst. Scot. Bord.) The rescuers swam the Annan 

 water in full flood, carrying with them the prisoner only partially 

 relieved from his manacles, and had barely reached the farther 

 side, when the keeper oH the prison and his soldiery arrived in 

 pursuit. Then a characteristic parley ensues : 



" Throw me my irons," quo' lieutenant Gordon; 



" I Trot they cost me dear enengh." 

 " The shame a ma'," quo' mettled John Ha', 

 " They'll be gude shackles to my pleugh." 



So much for " Mettled John Ha'," who doubtless as the times 

 went, merited the poet's praise : 



" The lave of Teviotdale aye was he." 



At Newbigging at the beginning of this century "five and 

 forty reeks rose." The village was built about 1611, but the 

 portioners were dislodged in 1815 by a decision of the Lord 

 Justice Clerk, and were forced, sore against their wills, to find 



