208 



Reports of the Meetings of the Berwickshire Naturalists' 

 Club for 1895. Edited by Dr Hardy. 



Eeston, Btjnkle, and Duns. 



The First Meeting was held on Wednesday, 5th June 

 1895, when the members assembled at two points — those 

 from the east at Reston, and those from the west at Duns. 

 After breakfast, purveyed respectively by Mr French, Reston, 

 and Mr McAlpine, Duns, the parties drove to the place of 

 meeting — Bunkle Castle — where they began operations by 

 inspecting the ruins of this ancient stronghold. The weather 

 was delightful — bright and warm — and woods and fields 

 looked their best. 



BUNKLE CASTLE. 



A goodly company entered the wood which surrounds the 

 remains, now consisting merely of a small portion of one 

 of the walls of the main structure, and what appears to 

 have been a part of the wall enceinte. The former is of 

 enormous thickness, and, before the introduction of artillery, 

 the place must have been very difficult of capture by direct 

 assault. Mr Ferguson, Duns, briefly sketched the history 

 of the Castle, stating that in the 1 1 th and 1 2th centuries 

 Bunkle belonged to a family of that name — Bonkil of 

 Bonkil. In the end of the 13th century, about 1288, Sir 

 John Stewart, son of Alexander, Lord High Steward of 

 Scotland, by marriage with the heiress of Sir Alexander de 

 Bonkil, obtained the barony of Bonkil; and "through their 

 descendants, the Stewart Earls of Angus (1329-77) and the 

 Douglas Earls of Angus (1389-1633), it ultimately came to 

 the Hon. Lucy Montague Douglas (1805-77) whose son, the 

 present Earl of Home, is owner of more than half the 

 parish." The following prophetic rhyme, which in one 

 sense has been fulfilled, has been handed down in the 

 district for many generations: — 



* " Bankle, Billie, and Blanerne, 



Three castles strong as airn, 

 Built when Davie was a bairn ; 

 They'll a' gang doon, 

 Wi' Scotland's crown, 

 An' ilka ane '11 be a cairn." 



