Report of the Meetings for 1892. 67 



ready to do battle. In the morning, however, seeing that their horses had 

 been stampeded off to England, beyond recall, while some had been 

 captured on the way, they shouldered their lances and hastened back 

 again ingloriously on foot in their armour. Thus was the Earl Percy 

 compelled shamefully to take to flight home to England."* One 

 wonders whether the saying " Duns dings a' " took its rise at this 

 period ! 



For more than a century after this occurrence, Duns is scarcely, if 

 ever, mentioned by our annalists, and the gap must be bridged over by a 

 dry abstract of charters in the Register of the Great Seal, relating to the 

 town or to lands near it. 



A.D. 1447. 17th Dec. — James II. grants to Gilbert Hering, son and 

 heir of John Hering of Edmersden, the lands of Edmersden, Grenelaw, 

 Derchester, Lathame, Duns, and Hume, in the county of Rerwick.f 



1452. 13 April. — James II. grants to Thomas Hume the lands of 

 Cadeschele (Kidshiel) with the pasture and " garvage " of Dnnse Park, 

 and the forestry and custody of the Royal Park of Dunse.J 



Blind Harry, who was living at the time this charter was granted, makes 

 a confederate of Wallace keep a look-out in "Duns Forest" for an 

 expected invasion from England. (Book viii., 1. 163.) We may fairly 

 assume that the locality was well-known in his day, but it would require 

 better authority than that of the patriotic old Minstrel to warrant our 

 regarding the incident he mentions as historical. 



1484. 10 January. — James III. grants to John Hume, son and 

 apparent heir of George Hume of Eytoun, " terras cotagias de Duns," 

 which lands reverted to the King on account of the forfeiture of 

 Alexander, formerly Duke of Albany and Earl of March. || 



1484. 2 October. — James III. grants to Alexander Kirkpatrik of 

 Kirkmichell, for services rendered in defending the Western Marches 

 against the same Duke of Albany, James, Earl of Douglas, and other 

 rebels, and the " auld enemies of England," etc., inter alia, the £18 lands 

 of Duns.§ These were probably the lands referred to in a charter granted 

 by James V., on 16th March 1539, confirming a charter by William Kirk- 

 patrick of Kirkmichaell, by which he sold to George Hume of Ayton the 

 lands of Duns-Park and Caldsydeis, in the county of Berwick. 



1489. 17th July. — James IV. gives to John Elleai, and Elizabeth his 

 spouse, the lands of Cherneside, Duns, and Bassindene, which Richard 

 Ellem, brother of the said John, resigned.** 



1488-90. — Michael Ker, Rector de Dunse, attests several charters. 



1490. 23 February. — Charter by James IV. in favour of George Hume 

 of Aytoun, and John Hume, his son and apparent heir, erecting Duns 



* Liber Pluscardensis, Book x.. Chapter ii.. Historians of Scotland, Vol. x. 



t Regist. Mag. Sig., Vol. ii., No. 289. 



X Ibid., No. 541. 



II Ibid., No. 1571. 



§ Ibid., No. 1603. 



**Ibid., No. 1881. 



