Report of Meetings for 1887. By J. Hardy. 73 



Larch No. 2.— Circumference one foot up 12 ft., five up 9 ft. 2 in., clean 

 bole 60 ft., height 95 ft. Larch No. 3. — Circumference one foot up, 11 ft- 

 5 in., five ft. up, 8 ft. 7 in., clean bole 65 ft., height 100 ft. Rcots Fir.— Cir- 

 cumference five ft. from ground, 12 ft., height 65 ft." 



Measurements of some of the Wells' trees are given at p. 381, B.N.C. 

 Vol. ix. ; apparently a different series. — J. H.] 



Shortly afterwards Bedrule was reached, where the party were 

 again hospitably refreshed by Mr George Simson, and some paint- 

 ings by Miss Simson were much admired. The view from the 

 window of the drawing-room was magnificent. Tn the fore- 

 ground was the finely wooded valley of the Eule, while in the 

 background "dark Kuberslaw " was seen to great advantage. 

 Bedrule is a place of much historic interest. In the 12th century 

 it was owned by Lady Bethoc, who not only gave her name to the 

 parish — Bethocrule being the old name — but gave birth to a long 

 line of heroes and heroines, to Randolph, who supported the 

 Bruce and led the left wing* of the Scottish Army at Bannockburn, 

 and to Black Agnes, who defended the castle of Dunbar. It 

 afterwards passed into the hands of the Cumyns, and on its being 

 forfeited by their treason, the territory was given by the Bruce 

 to the Good Sir James Douglas till 1389. Next century it was 

 the property of the Turnbulls, who for two centuries were among 

 the most noted freebooters in the Borders. In 1510 the king — 

 James TV. — marched to Eule with an army to execute summary 

 justice on them. He was met by two hundred of the clan, each 

 having a halter round his neck and a naked sword in his hand. 

 Some were capitaily punished, others imprisoned, and others 

 dismissed on giving hostages for their good behaviour. " Auld 

 Badrule " was present at the Eaid of the Eedeswire in 1575 " wi' 

 a' the Turnbulls at his back," and gave a good account of himself 

 and his clan. From this clan was descended William Turnbull, 

 Bishop of Glasgow, who was Privy Councillor and Keeper of the 

 Privy Seal, and was also founder of the College of Glasgow. It 

 is said that the Turnbulls were descended from a family of the 

 name of Eoule or Eule, and it is believed that William of Eule, 

 who witnessed a charter to the monks of Kelso, was the first who 

 bore the surname of Turnbull, which he gained on account of 

 having saved the life of King Eobert the Bruce from an attack 

 of a wild bull while hunting in the forest of Callander. The 

 poet Leyden, in his ■' Scenes of Infancy," makes reference to this 

 incident, The site of the old castle at Bedrule was pointed out, 

 hut nothing of it now remains. In 1545, the English burned 

 iv 



