70 Report of the Meetings for 1892. 



which was the first human habitation erected in that neighbourhood. A 

 morass, extending a considerable distance from east to west below the 

 church, was crossed a little to the south by a bridge defended by a 

 barbican tower; — both bridge and tower having left evidences of their 

 existence in the names "Bridge End," and " Earniken," still applied 

 to portions of that part of. the town. 



The contents of the Register of the Great Seal about this period 

 (1545-50) afford ample proof of the thoroughness with which the English 

 leaders executed the commands of their vindictive and tyrannical 

 master. I give a few instances which bear immediately on our subject. 



1547. 15 January. — Mary, Queen of Scots (then only four years old) 

 with consent of the Earl of Arran, her tutor, grants to George Hume of 

 Aytoun, in liferent, and to his son and apparent heir, George Hume, in 

 fee, the lands of Duns, namely the £20 lands of pld extent called 

 Duns-Mains, Cheiklaw, Mekle and Litil Duns Law, Kaitschelis, 

 Kaitscheilbank, Kaitscheilwood, and the 4 merk lands of new extent on 

 the southern part of Kaitcheilwood, the lands called Pntoun, the £12 

 lands of old extent of Coitlandis in the town and territory of Duns, 

 the lands called Knollislands and Nesbittislandis, with their tower, 

 fortalice, mills, etc.* Coitlands and Nesbitslands cannot be indentified. 

 Knollislands were probably the Flats above mentioned. 



This writ proceeds upon the narrative that the charters in the 

 "places" of Ayton and Duns, on the eastern borders of the kingdom, 

 were burned by the English in time of war, and that the lands of the 

 grantees, and their places of habitation and fortalices, were burned, 

 and many of their relatives killed in the defence of the kingdom — 

 an unmistakeable reference to the devastations of Hertford and his 

 subordinates. 



1548. 19 Dec. — The Queen grants to John Duns, son and heir of John 

 Duns, his father, infer alia, 2 husbandlands of the Newtoun of Duns, 

 otherwise called Greweldykeis, of which the charters were burned and 

 destroyed by the English. f 



From this period down to near the close of the century, the history 

 of the Borders is an almost unbroken record of rapine and slaughter. 

 Attempts were made from time to time to check the turbulence of the 

 inhabitants, but with little success. In 1556, a meeting of commissioners 

 from both kingdoms was held at Duns, apparently to settle disputes. 

 No lasting arrangement can have been come to, however, for two j-ears 

 later a detachment from the English Border garrisons, under Sir Henry 

 Percy and Sir George Bowes, made an incursion into the Merse, and 

 burned Duns and Langton. (Ridpath, Border History.) 



1565. 28 April. — The Queen confirms a charter, dated 13 March 1559, 

 by Dame Eliz(abeth) Prioress of Saint Bathans, and the convent thereof, 

 in favour of Robert Sleich, of 2 acres of arable land, with the 

 " outsteidis," in the town and territory of Duns. Alex. Petie, in Duns, is 



* Regist. Mag. Sig., Vol. iv.. No. 48. 

 t Ibid., No. 263. 



