174 EEPORT OF THE MEETINGS FOR 1897 



the walls below covered with a screen or reredos of carved wood. 

 Thereupon James Lyle, Esq., Waverley House, Edinburgh, a 

 native of the parish, caused the present screen to be erected in 

 memory of his mother, Mrs Agnes Robertson or Lyle. It is of 

 an artistic and appropriate design, stained to a soft greenish shade 

 which blends most harmoniously with the tints in the window 

 above, and which bears suitable inscription on a brass plate. The 

 remains of an older church, the memorial Celtic pillar, and rude 

 Baptismal font in the churchyard, were also visited. Notes on 

 these are recorded in the History as above referred to. As the 

 larger part of our journey had still to be accomplished, but 

 scant justice was given to the examination of some curious and 

 interesting old prints in the manse. 



The drive continued with the addition of Rev. Mr Ritchie, by 

 the west end of the village over the iSouchet Burn into the 

 parish of Whittingehame. Ruchlaw lay to the right, and 

 Deuchrie Dod (968 ft.) with the wooded heights round Press- 

 mennan Loch on the left. As the drive continued by Yarrow 

 and Overfield, the village of Whittingehame and the mansion 

 did not come within our view. The following note by Mr A. 

 J. Balfour explains the introduction of the first ' e ' in the name 

 of his beautiful parish : — 



" The final ' a ' in that name is short. What is more singular 

 is that the ' g ' is soft, as also, I believe, is the ' g ' in a 

 Whittingham which is situated in Northumberland. This 

 clearly points to some historical origin, and, in order to preserve 

 the true pronunciation, I am now introducing an ' e ' after the 

 ' g ' in Whittingehame, which is the only hope I have of 

 keeping intact the true mode of pronouncing the word in 

 these days, when pronunciation shows so strong a tendency 

 to follow spelling." 



A steep decline brought us to the Whittingehame Water 

 (one of the various names given to the stream rising as the 

 Papana, and flowing into the sea as Biel Burn) at the south- 

 west corner of the extensive woods near the farm of Papple, 

 where in Pre- Reformation times a religious house existed. 

 We were now in Garvald parish, and on territory new to the 

 Club. The existing saw-mill here is the successor of a corn 

 and barley mill which declined after the introduction of 

 steam roller mills. Before reaching Tanderlane a detour was 

 made in a south-easterly direction, leaving the Whittingehame 

 and G-ifford road behind towards our right. We were now 



