Report of Meetings for 1SS7. By J. Hardy. 57 



place) to the hamlet straggling up the burn side, and the seven 

 miles or so of the valley forming the parish. At an early date 

 the church belonged to St Andrews, and was served by a resident 

 vicar; and this building may have been the dwelling of that 

 functionary. We believe it is matter of history that St Andrews' 

 bishops dated land charters at Stow, but that implies only 

 occasional visits to the place, and it is more likely that the build- 

 ing was erected for a vicar than as an episcopal residence. 



The party then visited the new parish church, situated among 

 artificial terraces, which present a confused combination of right 

 lines and curves so discordant as to be displeasing to the eye. 

 Curves are generally pleasing, and horizontal or other right lines, 

 though stiff, suggest order ; but a pleasing mixture of both is 

 beyond the reach of art. The exterior, and especially the interior, 

 are fine, considering that it is a rural parish church. The cost 

 was about £10,000 and of this the Lord of the Manor, the late 

 Alex. Mitchell, paid two-thirds. In the session-house, the party 

 was shown a portrait of the late Mr Rutherford, minister of 

 Channelkirk. 



Nearly opposite the church and spanning the Gala, is a ruinous 

 stone bridge of three arches, six and a half feet wide between 

 the parapets. It is not older than 1G32, for iu that year the 

 heritors of the parish met to confer on the erection of a bridge 

 over the stream. This was looked at in passing on the way to 

 Torsonce. 



A little farther down the haugh is "Our Lady's Well," a 

 survival of a more superstitious period. We believe this is a 

 genuine relic, as the water is enclosed in great stones. The late 

 proprietor of the grounds, Mr Henry Inglis, put a substantial 

 arch over the well, and enclosed it with a fence. 



Miss Milroy having given the party permission to walk through 

 Torsonce policies and to visit the house, the botanists of the party 

 were for some time engaged with the flora of the locality and 

 garden. Among other articles of interest. shown in the mansion, 

 were a pair of Italian communion cups of silver, set in golden 

 stands, on which is some beautiful floral chasing. They are 

 assumed to be of the 13th or 14th century. The only rare plant 

 picked up was the Asplenium, popularly known as wall-rue. 

 According to the author of "The History of Selkirkshire,'' 

 Torsonce is a notable place. In the 14th century the name of the 

 estate was Hoppringle, and was the cradle of the numerous and 

 I 



