P E E B L E 
on to the Yarrow and the Ettrick, two of the moft cele¬ 
brated rivers in Scottifh fong. 
Peebles-fliire, as the mountainous nature of its furface 
would promife, is fertile in minerals. If credit may be 
given to our ancient hiftorians, Boece and Buchanan, 
gold was formerly found in Glen-Gaber water, which 
traverfes the parifh of Megget. In Lead-Law, a hill above 
Linton, feveral lead-mines were formerly wrought, which 
alfo produced a confiderable fupply of filver. The finks 
of thefe mines are ftill apparent, and are diftinguifhed by 
the appropriate name of Silver-holes. About fixty years 
ago they were again tried, but the attempt proved un- 
fuccefsful ; the quantity of ore obtained being fcarcely 
adequate to defray the expences of the work. In Tra- 
quair parifh feveral attempts have been made to difcover 
lead-veins, and much ore has been found, but not fuffi- 
ciently rich in filver to induce any adventurer to open 
mines. A fpecimen of galena-ore was difcovered, a few 
years ago, in one of the ftreams that fall into the Quair. 
Coal is plentiful, particularly in the north-eaftern diftridt 
of jhe county, where limeftone is alfo equally abundant. 
The prevailing'under-flratum in the'county is whinftone, 
but there are likewife numerous quarries of white and 
red freeftone in different parifhes. The Hate-quarries 
here have long been celebrated. In Tramore hill, with¬ 
in Stobo parifh, are two feams of excellent blue flate, 
which has been manufactured for various purpofes during 
feveral years. In the lands of Lamancha there is a vaft 
variety of clays, and in particular a very thick bed of fire 
clay, like the Stourbridge clay. In the fame lands are 
many veins of iron ore ; one of them is entirely grain ore, 
and the remainder is mixed with the fame ore. Manga- 
nefe is alfo found here, both by itfelf and incorporated 
with the iron ores; and there are likewife here fotne 
maffes or beds of iron-ftone, but there are no iron-works 
yet effablifhed. White marble,according to Pennycuick, 
was formerly dug up at Whitfield, in Linton parifli. 
Several mineral fprings are found within Peebles-fhire, 
but none of them are particularly diftinguifhed. North 
from the village of Linton is a fpring, called “Heaven- 
aqua water,” which bears fome affinity to that at Ton- 
bridge. Another fpring, fimilar to the Harrowgate 
waters, appears in the parifli of Inverleithen. There is 
alfo a copious fulphureous well in the parifh ofKirkurd. 
At Lamancha, in Newland parifli, is a chalybeate fpring, 
called the “ Vertue Weil,” which contains a large quan¬ 
tity of fixed air, that holds the iron in folution. 
Peebles-fliire, like every other county in Scotland, is 
fubjeCfed to the jurifdiftion of a lord lieutenant, and a 
fheriff depute, the latter of whom nominates a fubftitute 
to hold courts in his abfence. When it was firft elevated 
to the rank of a flieriffdom is not precifely fixed by record; 
but we find mention of two ftieriffs in Tweedale, one in 
Traquair, and the other at Peebles, about the year 1184. 
Thefe two fherift'wics merged into one before the clofe of 
the fourteenth century, under the title of the latter, and 
have remained in the fame condition ever fince. The 
earls of March were hereditary ftieriffs of Tweedale, 
which beftows the title of viarquis on a branch of the an¬ 
cient houfe of Hay, earls of Errol, and hereditary high 
conftables of Scotland. In the fliire of Tweedale there 
are many ancient and honourable families of the gentry. 
Among thefe, Douglas of Cavers, who was hereditary 
fheriff of the county, ftill preferves the ftandard and the 
iron mace of the gallant lord Douglas, who fell in the 
battle of Otterburn, juft as his troops had defeated and 
taken Henry Percy, furnamed Hotfpur . 
The parishes within this fliire are fixteen in number; 
and befides the royal burgh of Peebles, there are five very 
confiderable villages that have markets and annual fairs for 
ftieep, horfes, and cows : thefe are, Linton, Eddlefton, 
Skirling, Broughton, and Inverleithen. The improvement 
in roads within the lafl fifty years has been very great in 
this county.. The public roads indeed are excellent. 
One from Edinburgh towards Moffatt traverfes the whole 
S - S H 1 R E. 465 
length of the fliire, from north-eaft to fouth-weft. Ano¬ 
ther traverfes it in like manner from weft to eaft, from 
Biggar, by Peebles and Inverleithen, towards Gallafhiels 
and Kelfo. This road affords the means of conveying 
towards Glafgow all the fuperfluous grain of this diftri£h 
A road alfo runs from Inverleithen towards Middleton, 
which fupplies a great part of Peebles-fliire with coal. 
It was made in 1794, and fliortened the line of commu¬ 
nication no lefs than fourteen miles. 
Tweedale cannot be called a manufacturing county ; 
for, though a confiderable quantity of linen is made by 
the inhabitants, none of it comes to fale, the whole being 
confumed by their own families. Woollen and cotton 
weavers, however, are faid to be increafing about Peebles 
and its vicinity ; where are likewife a few flocking looms. 
A woollen manufactory has been lately eftablifhed at 
Inverleithen, which from its congenial fituation is calcu¬ 
lated to flourifh. It is furprifing that no woollen manu¬ 
factory has hitherto been fixed at Linton, confidering its 
favourable pofition on the turnpike road to Edinburgh, 
and the numerous advantages it poffeffes with refpeCt to 
coal, lime, freeftone, water, and fheep-walks. 
The remains of antiquity in Peebles-fliire are at once 
numerous and various. Traces of the ancient Britons 
can ftill be difcovered here in the names of places; as 
alfo in their religious, fepulchral, and military, monu¬ 
ments. At Hairltanes, in Kirkurd parifh, are the re¬ 
mains of a Druid temple, confiding of a number of large 
ftones ftanding in a circular form. Another curious 
druidical temple is fituated on the remarkable peninfula 
called Sherift'muir. From each of two ftanding ftones 
there run out to the eaft, in a curvature, two rows of 
fmaller ftones, which alfo ftand upright. A third monu¬ 
ment of a fimilar kind is feen near Tweedftnuir church, 
and a fourth, fmaller one, on the borders between Peebles 
and Selkirk. Several tumuli or barrows are fpread over 
Kirkurd, Glenholm, and Linton, parifhes. In a cairn 
upon King’s Muir, in Peebles parifli, were lately difco¬ 
vered an inverted urn, containing the allies of fome Bri- 
tifli warrior, with the blade of his dagger. In Eddlefton 
parifli, near the Ship-Law, there is a barrow called the 
“ Ship-horns,” becaufe refembling the inverted hull of a 
fliip. A number of fepulchral cairns are alfo difcovered 
in the vale of the Tweed, and on Sheriffmuir. Thefe, 
however, all yield in intereft to the grave of Merlin, 
which is pointed out under a thorn-tree, near the influx 
of the Powfail, or Panfel, with the Tweed. In that fa- 
cred fpot, according to tradition, lie the remains of the 
prophet, to whom fo many wonderful feats and predic¬ 
tions are attributed in the writings of the ancient bards. 
There was an old traditional prophecy, that the two 
kingdoms fliould be united when the waters of the Tweed 
and the Panfel fliould meet at his grave. Accordingly, 
the country people obferve that this meeting happened in 
confequence of an inundation at the acceffion of James 
VI. to the crown of England. 
In Peebles-fliire there are many hill-forts, undoubtedly 
of Britifti conftru&ion, and feveral ftanding ftones, fup- 
pofed to be memorials of battles. The forts are gene¬ 
rally of a circular fiiape, but fometimes deviate from that 
figure to fuit the fummit, or the ground whereon they 
are plap.ed. On the hill called Cademuir are four Britifli 
encampments, one of which is furrounded by a rampart 
of ftones without cement. This rampart is in fome 
places double; but in other parts it is Angle, and of pro¬ 
digious thicknefs. Janet’s Bray, in Peebles parifli, is alfo 
diftinguifhed by tvvo entrenchments, which are each fur- 
rounded by a fingle ditch and vallum. In the fame pa- 
rifh are feveral other fimilar works; particularly one on 
the fummit of Meldum, another on the hill above 
Hutchin field, a third near Hayfton Craig, a fourth on 
the hill above Wham, and a fifth on the hill called Ew- 
hill-rig. On a height near Inverleithen, are the remains 
of a Britifli fortrefs, which appears to have had three ram¬ 
parts and ditches. The other principal Britifli military 
works. 
