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Report of Meetings for 1885. By Jas. Hardy. 



tradition makes the chair a golden one, and the occupant in state 

 an old chief or prince. It appeared to me that this separate 

 elevation had a rock core. Ground Ivy and Saxifraga granulata 

 were picked behind it, both characteristic of a light soil. Stone 

 and lead bullets have been found in the field opposite the tower 

 to the west ; and a pose of coins, some 40 in the lot, was come 

 upon in one of the neighbouring enclosures. Above this en- 

 closure, a quarter of a mile to the west, on the farm of Miln- 

 heugh, is a green hillock, called " Gallalaw-Know, " now in the 

 end of a plantation, where the Border thieves were hanged. 



Henwood is now restricted to the scantily wooded banks of the 

 Oxnam below and opposite the tower. Beport speaks of its being 

 once greatly more extensive. This, however, is a modern ampli- 

 fication. All that can be relied on is the simple statement of the 

 Bev. John Hunter, in 1791. "Anciently, the opposite bank of 

 Oxman water on the W. was covered with wood, denominated 

 henwood, and is said to have been the rendezvous of the inhabit- 

 ants, to oppose the English freebooters, where the watch-word 

 was a henwoody ." (Stat. Acct. ubi.sup.) The origin of the name 

 has been forgotten ; but it may merely relate to its being fre- 

 quented by the poultry of the village. Most of the place-names 

 in Ken lie in the Lowlands, and refer to a time when domestic 

 poultry was more an object with all classes than it is at present. 

 In Boxburghshire there is Henlawshiel near Denholm ; Henfield 

 near Blenderleith in Oxnam parish. In Berwickshire we have 

 Henhousewalls, and Henlaws ; in Dumfries, Hennielaws ; in 

 Mid Lothian, Hencroft; in Haddington, Hen meadow; in North- 

 umberland, Henlaw, and Henshaw, which is Henwood in another 

 form ; and Henhole in Cheviot, which is fabled to have a snow egg 

 at Midsummer. Henwoodie also occurs in Selkirkshire. 



The carriages were waiting at the Miln-heugh. "We then 

 drove past Cappuch or Capehope in the direction of Crailing 

 Hall, and then took the direction up one of the many steep roads 

 in this vicinity for Jedburgh, Watling Street was crossed near 

 Overwells. The beeches in the hedges were in all different 

 stages of leafage, showing a marked diversity in forwardness, 

 although growing in the same soil. Arriving at Hartrigge 

 estate, (Lord Campbell's), there are on either side some of the 

 tallest and largest Scotch firs in the south of Scotland, in what 

 is called the Delvedeary (Belvidere) or old wood. The under- 

 growth in the woods on both sides, is as it is at Birkenside, a 



