102 Notices concerning Oxnam Parish. By J. Hardy. 



" Item, qr Jobne Hall, callit ye Cheiff, in Newbigging, Laucie Hall, 

 thair, ar accusit for airt and pairt of ye thif teous steilling and resetting of 

 sevin nolt, sax of yem perteining to Isaac Patersoune ia Hnronnesclois, 

 four of yem ky, ane ox, and ane stott, and ane uther ox perteining to Jon 

 Meitfurd, thair, furth of ye lands of Heronnescloise, about ye first Ladie- 

 day last. Clenges thame of ye thift, but fyllis tbame upone ye resett of 

 ye said nolt, and being airt and pairt with John Hall of Heviesyde, being 

 ane outlawe and fugitive in selling of thame." (p. 274-5). 



On the 19th April 1623, Johne Hall, callit the Cheiff in Newbigging, 

 Lancie Hall there, Paitt Murray in Swinsyde, and 16 others, were 

 sentenced to be hanged and their lands and goods escheited ; while A.dame 

 Douglas in Swinsyde, Adame Hall in Bus, and other seven were condemned 

 " to be brunt on ye cheik with ye comone birning irne of ye burghe of 

 Jedburgh." (lb. 304). 



MILNHEUGH. 



Pyle or Peel of Milnheugh was the chief of the " Riding" clan of the 

 name, according to a list of the foi-aying surnames on the Borders in 

 Monipenny's Chronicle published in 1597 and 1633, and given in Sir Walter 

 Scott's " Provincial Antiquities of Scotland " (Prose Works, vol. vii. p. 

 352). [This List is omitted in Webster's Edition of Monipennie, Edinr. 

 1818]. Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, in his drama called the Partium, 

 makes Common Thift, a Borderer, when brought to condign punishment, 

 in taking leave of his countrymen and companions in iniquity to enumerate 

 the Pyles and Ainslies as his associates : 



" Adieu, my brother Annan thieves, 



That helpit me in my misohieves, 



Adieu, Crossars, Niksons, and Bells, 



Oft have we fared through the fells, 



Adieu, Robsons, Hanslies, and Pyles, 



That in our craft have mony wiles. 

 # * * * 



With King Correction be ye fangit, 



Believe right sure ye will be hangit." 

 When Robert Constable, after the leaders of the Northern Insurrection 

 against Elizabeth in 1519-70, had taken refuge at Pernieherst and other 

 places of security on the Scottish side of the Borders, proceeded to Scot- 

 land in January, 1570, as a spy " to lerne certenly where the said rebells 

 ehulde be com, and by whom they were recepted, and percase wold worke 

 som feate to betrap some of them in such sorte as they might be appre- 

 hended and delyvered into the Quenes majesties hands," he betook himself 

 first of all to George Pyle's house in Milheuch. Robert Constable in 

 writing to Sir Ralph Sadler, from Newcastle, 12th January, 1570, says: 

 " My humble and bounden dutie considered, may it please your honour to 

 understande upon Thursday last, not taking any servant of my owne with 

 me, I committed my self to the conduction of two outlawes, and came that 

 night to George Pills house of the Myllhewgh in Scotland, near to Jed- 

 worthe, where I was on the TwesJav seven night before, as I showed 



