ESSAY ON BORDER ANTIQUITIES. THE frontier regions of most great kingdoms, while they retain that character, are unavoidably deficient in subjects for the antiquary. The ravages to which they are exposed, and the life to which the inhabitants are condemned by circumstances, are equally unfavourable to the preservation of the monuments of antiquity. Even in military antiquities such countries, though the constant scene of war, do not usually abound. The reason is obvious. The same circumstances of alarm and risk require occupation of the same points of defence, and, as the modes of attack and of fortification change, the ancient bulwarks of cities and castles are destroyed, in order to substitute newer and more approved modes of defence. The case becomes different, however, when, losing by conquest or by union their character as a frontier, scenes once the theatre of constant battle, inroad, defence, and retaliation, have been for two hundred years converted into the abode of peace and tranquillity. Numerous castles left to moulder in massive ruins; fields where the memory of ancient battles still lives among the descendants of those by whom they were fought or witnessed; the very line of demarcation, which, separating the two countries, though no longer hostile, induces the inhabitants of each to cherish their separate traditions,-unite to render these regions interesting to the topographical historian or antiquary. This is peculiarly the case on the border of Scotland and England. The recollection of their former hostility has much of interest and nothing of enmity. The evidences of its existence bear, at the same time, witness to the remoteness of its date; and he who traverses these peaceful glens and hills to find traces of strife, must necessarily refer his researches to a period of considerable antiquity. But it was not always thus; for, since the earliest period of which we have any distinct information, until the union of the crowns, the northern provinces of England, and the southern counties of Scotland, have been the scenes of inveterate hostilities, commenced and maintained with fury, even ( before the names of Scotland and England were acknowledged by history. A. D. Our earliest authentic acquaintance with these transactions is during the Roman period of English history, and commences with the invasion of Agricola, whose efforts carried his invading arms almost to the extremity of Caledonia. At this period the Border counties of England and Scotland were inhabited by three nations. Those Britons lying to the east, and possessing one half of Northumberland, and extending from the northern bank of the South Tyne to the Frith of Forth, were called the Ottadini.* Westward of this powerful nation lay the Gadeni, who held the west part of Northumberland, great part of Roxburghshire, Selkirk and Peebles shires, and extended also to the banks of the Forth, embracing WestLothian. This country being mountainous, and remaining forestground to a late period, the Gadeni were probably a less populous nation than the inhabitants of the more fertile country to the east. Westward of the Gadeni, and extending to the sea-coast of the Atlantic, lay the Selgovæ, having the Solway Frith for their southern limit. These nations Agricola found each occupying a strong country, and animated with the courage necessary to defend it. But their arms and discipline were unable to resist those of the Romans. A brief statement of their means of defence at this remote period naturally commences the Introduction to the Border Antiquities. The towns of the ancient Britons were fortified in the ordinary manner of barbarians, with ditches, single or double, occupying the angles of the eminences, which were naturally selected for their site, and being, of course, irregular in their form. The earth was thrown up so as to form a steep glacis to the outside, and was sometimes faced with stones, in order to add to its height, and increase the acclivity; this formed the rampart of the place, and the gates, generally two or three in number, were placed where access was most convenient. One of the most perfect of these forts is situated in the neighbourhood of the celebrated Catrail, a work of antiquity to be afterwards briefly noticed, just where that limitary fence crosses the farm of Rink, belonging to Mr Pringle of Fairnilee. The fort occupies the crest of an eminence near the junction of the rivers Tweed and Ettrick, which has an extensive prospect in every direction; and, though in the neighbourhood of higher hills, is too distant to be itself commanded by them in a military sense. There are two ramparts, the first of [Mr Chalmers, in his Caledonia, (vol. i., p. 58.) considers Ottadini” as the Roman corruption of a British word signifying "the inhabitants of the country stretching out from the Tyne."] +Chalmers derives the name of the Gadeni from a word signifying groves or forests; and that of the Selgovæ from a term denoting “dividing water.”—Caledonia, vol. i., pp. 59, 60.] [Robert Pringle, Esq. of Clifton and Fairuilee, &c. M. P. for Selkirkshire. 1834.] earth and loose stones, but the interior consisting of immense blocks of stone, disposed so as to form a rude wall, and faced with earth and turf within. The permanence of these massive materials seems to have ensured that of the building, for they defy all ordinary efforts of the agriculturist, too apt to consider such works as cumberers of the ground. The fortress has two gates, one to the east and the other to the west, with something like traverses for protecting and defending the approach. This remarkable fortress is surrounded by others of less consequence, serving as outposts, and has plainly been a hill-fort of great importance belonging to the Gadeni. It is, probably, more ancient than the Catrail itself. There are not to be found, on the Border, any of those vitrified appearances which are to be found in Craig Phactraig, and other Highland fortifications, and which seem to intimate that fire was used in building or in destroying them. We may therefore conclude, that the stones employed in constructing them were less fusible than those found in the shires of Forfar, Kincardine, and Aberdeen. If we can trust a popular tradition, the singular ancient structures called Peghts, or Picts Houses, common in the Highlands, Western Isles, and Orcades, were also to be found in the Border. The inhabitants point out small rings, or elevated circles, where these Duns, as they are called, are said to have stood. In Liddesdale, particularly, more than one of these are shown. But whether, like those of Dun-Dornadilla in Sutherland, and Mousa in Shetland, they were built of stones arranged in the form of a glass-house, and containing a series of concentric galleries within the thickness of the wall, must be left to conjecture. Mr Chalmers seems to have considered them as common hill-forts. These fortresses, so constructed, the natives defended with javelins and bows and arrows, the usual weapons of savages. The arrow-heads, made of flint, are frequently found, and are called, by the vulgar, elf-arrow-heads, from being, as they supposed, formed by the fairies or elves. At a later period, the Britons used copper and brass heads for arrows, javelins, and spears, which are found of various sizes and shapes near their habitations. In like manner, from the specimens found on the Borders, there appears to have been a gradual improvement in the construction of battle-axes and weapons of close fight. The original Celts, or axes, are of polished stone, shaped something like a wedge. These are found of all sizes, some seeming intended for felling trees, and others for warlike purposes; and others again so very small, that they could only be designed for carving or dividing food. When, however, this These are certainly Celtic weapons; yet they cannot be considered as peculiar to that people. They have been found in considerable numbers in the Shetland Isles, 1217 degree of refinement was attained, it was obvious that some improvement in the material of which the implements were formed, could not be far distant. Accordingly, brass Celts, or battle-axes, seem to have been the next step in advance; and these are of various forms, more or less rude, as the knowledge of the art of working in metals began to advance. The first and most rude form of the brass Celt, usually found in the urns under sepulchral cairns, is a sort of brazen wedge, having an edge, however, rounded like that of an axe, about three inches broad in the face. The shape of these weapons points out the probable mode of attaching them to handles, by hollowing out the sides, and leaving deep ledges; so that, if we conceive the abrupt angle at the root of an oak branch to have been divided by fire, the axe might have been inserted between the remaining pieces; and the whole being lashed fast by a thong, for securing which provision is often, though not uniformly, made by a loop in the brazen head, a battle-axe of formidable weight and edge was immediately obtained. The next step of improvement was that of casting the axe hollow instead of solid, so that the crooked part of the handle being inserted into the concave part of the axe as into a sheath, a far more solid and effectual weapon was obtained, and at less expense of metal, than when the handle was weakened by burning, and divided into two portions, which overlapped, as it were, the solid axe. It seems probable that the provincial Britons learned this improvement from their masters; for the hollow axes resemble those of the Romans in shape and size, and are sometimes decorated round the rim, where they join the handle, with a rude attempt at moulding. But the hollow axe was, like the more rude solid implement, secured to the handle by thongs, as the loop or fixed ring left for the purpose usually testifies. The next step taken by the Britons in improving their warlike weapons, seems to have been the fastening the metal with which they were shod to the wooden handles, by means of broad-headed copper or brass nails, secured by similar heads on the opposite side, and thus effectually riveted to the wood. This seems to have been the mode of shafting a weapon, like a very broad-headed javelin or spear, found near Friarshaugh, opposite to Melrose, the seat of John Tod, Esq. This curious weapon is about a palm's-breadth at the which were evidently first settled by the Scandinavians. The natives suppose them to be thunderbolts, and account the possession of one of them a charm. Mr Collector Ross of Lerwick presented the author with six of these weapons found in Shetland. It is said the stone of which they are constructed cannot be found in those islands. The natives preserve them, from a superstitious idea that they are thunderbolts, and preserve houses against the effects of lightning. Presented to the author by Mr Tod. Notwithstanding what is said in the text, it |