68 Report of the Meetings for 1892. 



into a free Bnrgh of Barony. The charter is given at length, with a 

 translation, in Vol. viii. of the Club's Proceedings. In this transcript of 

 the charter the year is given as 1489, which is probably an error of the 

 scribe, as it is called the second year of the King's reign, and James 

 IV. ascended the throne ia June 1488.* 



1492. 10 August. — James IV. confirms a charter by Patrick Knollis of 

 that Ilk, by which he granted to John Hume, son and apparent heir of 

 George Hume of Eytoun, the lands commonly called the Flat, in the 

 town and territory of Dunse. Two fields immediately to the N.W. of 

 Duns Castle are still called " The Flats."! 



1493. 2lst January. — Charter by James IV. in favour of George Lile, 

 son and apparent heir of David Lile of Stanypeth, of, inter alia, the 

 mill of Dnns.J 



1497. In June of this year, a skirmish took place at Duns, in which a 

 marauding party of English seem to have been defeated by the Homes. 

 In the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer, we find that on 8th June " the 

 Maister of Home's man " and " Stevin Nesbit lang Patrik Home's man," 

 each received 42 shillings for bringing tidings to the king of the battle of 

 Duns ; the amount of the reward being, as Dr Dickson remarks, " a sure 

 indication that the issue had been favourable to the Scots." 



1510. 4 February. — James IV. grants to Alexander Lord Home, his 

 High Chamberlain, and Warden of the Eastern and Middle Marches of 

 the kingdom against England, inter alia, two lauds within the territory of 

 Duns called Panlawrig.jl These have not been identified. There are 

 charters relating to- them in the Register of the Great Seal in 1535 and 

 1538, and they are mentioned in the Retours of Berwickshire (Noa. 123, 

 191, and 449.) 



1511. 22 June. — Charter by James IV. to Patrick Dunse, son and 

 apparent heir of Patrick Dunse of Est Borthwick, of the lands of Est 

 Borthwick, with a husbandland in the town and territory of Duns, which 

 the said Patrick senior resigned. In all likelihood these were the 

 lands subsequently known as Borthwick, which were ultimately absorbed 

 into the estate of Langton. The ruins of "Borthwick Castle," where the 

 original owners appear to have resided, and which look as if they had 

 been a small Border laird's house and steading, are still to be seen about 

 half-a-mile to the north-west of Duns Castle. § 



A.I). 1513. — We have now arrived at one of the saddest years in our 

 Scottish annals, when the gloom of " dark Flodden " lay deep and 

 heavy on the land. What share of the grim slaughter fell on the little 

 Border town we cannot tell. No doubt there would be men from Duns, 

 "with Huntley and with Home," in the phalanx of Border spears that 

 broke the Euglish right at the first shock of battle, but failed to play 



* Ibid., No. 1937. 



t Ibid.. No. 2110. 



t Ibid., No. 2126. 



il Ibid., No. 3406. 



§ Ibid., No. 3577. 



