REPORT OF MEETINGS FOR 1901 107 



Spottiswoode House was left by the West Lodge, in a 

 dormer window of which is a carved stone, brought from the 

 Episcopal Palace in Glasgow of Ai'chbishop Spottiswoode. 

 Proceeding by the Raecleugh and Flass road, in a procession 

 now of ten carriages, we saw the monolith erected by 

 Lady John to mark the place where she and her husband 

 plighted their troth. On its face are their monograms and 

 the date 1836. This neighbourhood was in olden times a 

 favourite haunt of fairies. The Brownies of Bruntyburn, Mr 

 Lockie says, were understood to be persecuted Covenanters, 

 who hid in the glens during the day, and were fed by their 

 friends over-night, in return for which they did odd jobs 

 during the night, such as threshing grain with the flail, 

 grinding the meal, and cleaning up the house and baking 

 the scones for the guid wife. On Midsummer Eve and on 

 Halloween "the little folk all in green" used to dance and 

 sing, and in their merry moods would ride on bean stalks 

 and black cats. Old people of the district were wont to declare 

 that in winter, on the meadows near Crummies (Cromwell's) 

 Brig, they traced the prints of their pretty little feet where 

 they had trod the measure of their airy dances amongst the 

 snow. Superstition also averred that often during the vigils 

 of the harvest moon the fairies were heard gleefully singing 

 the refrain of one of their favourite melodies : — 



In the park o' Ely the we mowed oar corn, 



We threshed it up at Brantybnrn ; 



We grand oar meal at Clacharie Mill, 



We carried it up to Boon Hill, 



We baked it in the Fairy Glen, 



An' eattit it up in the jolly Dod Rauchan. 



Conspicuous on the summit of the hill above Flass were 

 seen the Twinlaw Cairns, which are understood to mark the 

 graves of two Edgars — twin brothers — of Wedderlie, who, 

 not knowing their relationship, fought as champions of the 

 Scotch and English respectively, and perished in the combat. 

 After passing this " popping stone," as it is named in the 

 countryside, we saw Westruther nestling among trees a mile 

 and a half away, and we soon reached Wedderlie House. 



