STRAY NOTES ON THE " SCALACRONTOA " 111 



of old Sir Thomas, his capture at Bannockhurn ending with a 

 comparatively quiet eleven years as Captain of Norham Castle ; 

 and of young Sir Thomas, our hero and Chronicler, clever 

 and energetic, ready to break a lance with any antagonist, 

 chaunt a rhyme, spin off a romantic tale of love and chivalry, 

 compile as a labour of love in enfoi'ced leisure the most 

 graphic of chronicles, or do his courtly devoir in a fair lady's 

 chamber ! The young knight is not unknown to the pages 

 of our Transactions (vide Vol. xvi., p. 322), where he appears 

 as the captor, for ransom, of the wealthy burgess, John de 

 Raynton, Mayor of Berwick, the founder of the well-knorsvn 

 Merse family of Renton of Lamberton and Billie. 



Sir Walter Scott had evidently the Chronicle off by heart, 

 and its inspiration helped to kindle " Marmion," and echoes 

 of it are noteworthy in other works of our greatest Borderer. 

 The excuse for these stray notes (which are not a review, as 

 reviews ai^e unknown to our Editor's pages, and his permission 

 for this short paper is appreciated) is to i^eproduce a few 

 remarkably interesting local references : — 



(1) Circa A.D. 1295. "About this time the Bridge of Berwick 



across the Tweed fell in a great flood, because the arches 

 were too low, whicli bridge had lasted only nine yejia-s 

 since it was erected." (p. 9.) 



(2) " King Edward of England marched to Scotland with a 



great army and kept the feast of Easter (1295-'?) at 

 Wark, of which castle Robert de Ros was lord, who 

 deserted the service of the said King of England on 

 the third day before the King's coming, left the castle 

 empty and betook himself to Sanquhar (Ryehill), a small 

 castle he had in Scotland, all on account of the love 

 paramours which he bore to Christian de Movxbray, who 

 afterwards would not deign to take him."* (p. 14.) 



(3) We are told that on 28th March 1296 Berwick "was not 



walled but enclosed by a high embankment." (p. 15.) 



* Here we have evidence that Ross of Wark and Ross for some 

 generations iu Nithsdale, were the same family, 



