358 Discovery of Ancient Graves. 



an only child, Janet Hardie, born 22nd June 1738, and she 

 was married to John Simson, who was born 1736, and died 

 1812; and Janet took with her to the Simson family the 

 Silver Girdle. There is legal evidence, in the Title Deeds 

 to Blainslie, that the only heir of Thomas Hardie and Agnes 

 Grieve was Janet Hardie, the wife of John Simson ; and 

 surely the Silver Chain, which Janet brought to the Simson 

 family, is a substantial link between her and the heroine 

 to whom it was presented by the Duke of Lauderdale. 



John Simson and Janet Hardie had a family of 13 chil- 

 dren, and their descendants are legion ; and the youngest 

 of the sons of John Simson and Janet Hardie survived until 

 the year 1862, and was well known to many of the present 

 generation ; and was universally called by all, whether 

 relatives or not, *' Uncle George." 



He, "Uncle George," did not die until 124 years after 

 the date of the birth of his mother, Janet Hardie. It is 

 now (1897) 159 years since she was born, and her birth 

 took place only some 66 years after the date on which the 

 Girdle was presented to her ancestress, who was probably 

 her paternal great-grandmother ; and so the pedigree is not 

 very complicated, and there has been no great opportunity 

 for obscuring the tradition. 



Reports on the Discovery of Ancient Graves in Roxburgh- 

 shire and East Lothian. 



1. — D ALCOVE Mains. Contributed by Mr Alexander Porter, 



Chief Constable of Eoxburghshire and Berwickshire. 



Eeport by John Hardie, P.C. 



Constabulary Station, 



St. Boswells, 7th September 1895. 



I BEG to report — as instructed by letter from the Chief 

 Constable — I again visited Dalcove Mains to-day, and exam- 

 ined the Stone Coffin, with human remains, found in the 

 Pea Brae Field there. The depth of the top of the coffin 

 from the surface of the ground, as measured by me, was 



