202 



Lintalee Glen. 



By J. Lindsay Hilson, Kelso. 



The glaiiioui- of romance invests this wooded dell, recalling 

 the name of Douglas and the battle which he fought at this 

 camping ground. We would hark back for a moment on its 

 salient points. King Robert the Bruce had left for Ireland, 

 and on his departure had appointed Sir James Douglas, and 

 Walter, the High Steward, Wardens in his absence. Douglas 

 at that time was Justiciar of Lothian and Warden of Jedburgh. 

 Suspecting that in the absence of his sovereign the English 

 monarch might have an envious longing for the Northern 

 kingdom, Douglas was on the alert and fixed his camp at 

 Lintalee on the banks of the Jed. Here he had many 

 advantages in his favour. On two sides he had a deep ravine, 

 while on the front he constructed a strong rampart ; and to 

 guard against surprise he formed what is termed by Barbour 

 "a fair manor," consisting of three apartments, in a large csLxe 

 on the face of a cliff. This he could use if necessity arose ; 

 and having stocked it with provisions "till mak gud cher 

 till his men," he waited the development of the plans of the 

 English king. These resulted in an order for the English 

 army to mobilize at Newcastle on Tyne in the first week of 

 October 1316. The monarch did not put in an appearance, 

 and disbandment followed. On learning by means of his 

 scouts that Sir Thomas Richmond instead of returning home 

 had crossed the Border with 10,000 men, avowedly to cut 

 down the forest of Jedworth, Douglas, who had been quietly 

 resting at Lintalee, resolved to give him battle. He had only 

 about ^0 men-at-arms and a body of archers, but he disposed 



