122 ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS 



few years before the date of the battle of Flodden, in 

 which new towers are recorded at Fowberry, Hezehigg, 

 Hebburn, Bewick, Wooler, and also at Ingram and Scren- 

 wood. An interesting feature of this return is that the 

 size of the garrison which the tower would maintain — or 

 provide — and the distance from Teviotdale and the Merse 

 of Berwick are given. For example, the tower of Barmoor, 

 owned and inhabited by George Muschamps (of ancient 

 descent there) accommodates thirty men, and is said to be 

 six miles from the Tweed, and eight miles from Teviotdale, 

 while to give an instance on the middle March, the tower 

 of Screnwood, owned and occupied by Thomas Horsley, 

 would provide twenty men, and is sixteen miles from the 

 Merse, and six from Teviotdale. It is needless to point 

 out that the computation of the mileage differs from that 

 of the present day. In this list three members of the 

 Colling wood family appear as occupying towers on behalf, 

 or as tenants, of the owners, viz. Eslington, Bewick, and 

 Etal. They probably farmed the adjacent lands ; and in 

 the case of Eslington, the Collingwoods shortly after 

 became the proprietors. The Herons' castle of Ford was 

 occupied by William Selby, probably in a military capacity; 

 the Haggerstones' tower of Hezelrigg, possibly used as a 

 dower house, was inhabited by a widow. 



In the year 1541, the thirty-third year of the reign of 

 Henry VIII. of England, an official survey of the defences 

 of the East and middle Marches of Northumberland was 

 drawn up by Sir Robert Bowes and Sir Ralph EUerker. 

 This survey is frequently referred to by Border writers, 

 and is of incalculable historical value. From it we are 

 able to form an accurate opinion of the state of the 

 Southern border-land after the battle of Flodden, and the 

 subsequent fights and raids which helped to devastate the 

 country still more. So terrible was the state of desolation 

 all along the Northumbrian March and a considerable 

 distance into the county, that the idea is suggested that, 

 had Flodden resulted otherwise than it did, the history 



