gb0551ms-36-2-180

Transcription

[Page 180]
[Continued from page 178]

On his left lies the figure of a lady clad in
a loose robe with puckered sleeves and a
cord around her waist – her hands folded on
her breast – length 5 ft. [feet] 6”. The features of both
effigies are almost entirely worn off and appear
to have been of rude workmanship. They are resting
upon a slab of different stone with a chamfered
edge on which is carved – “Heir lyes ane Ho(nble) [Honourable]
“Squyar Patrik Howme of ye BrumHows
“and his spous dem Elener Wyrdrop of
(yaistir Heuttwn) (The reading of the last
two names is uncertain). At the end of the
inscription is incised the date 1553. The
Tomb is certainly composed of two different
Monuments but it is reasonably probable
that the effigies and the slab beneath them
belong to one another. We were much interfered
with by the anxiety of the hospitable Minister
to get us to lunch and of the Major excitedly
interested in having discovered some of his
ancestors. We lunched at the Manse and
having ordered a trap from Duns as soon as
we could politely escape Mr. Ross & I set off
for the farm of Leetside to inspect a mound
there marked on the O.S. [Ordnance Survey] 6”. as Doons Law.
We easily found it in a grass field.
An oval mound, whether of earth or stone
it is difficult to say, as there were deep rabbit holes
on the top and at the sides where broken it seemed
stoney. Its main axis lies N.W. to S.E. [North West to South East] and measures
83 ft [feet] and the other diameter 65 ft. [feet]. It is maintained
by a stone wall built against it at the
N. [North] side is about 4 ft. [feet] high above the level of the
adjacent field. It is planted with trees.
A pleasant drive, though cold, under a frosty
sky brought us back to Duns where we had
time to get tea before leaving for Edinburgh
at 5.23. And so ends my first experience
as the wandering antiquary of the Ancient
Monuments Commission. I have inspected
over 200 objects in Berwickshire, & written up
notes on them. My bicycle has carried me
almost 300 miles; five times only have I hired
a trap and twice a motor car, the number
of miles I have tramped by moorland & meadow
I have no reckoning of but they are many.
It has never been anything but the most
intense pleasure to me even when I stood
on Raecleugh-head struggling to make my
notes behind an umbrella which every moment
the wind threatened to blow to pieces. The
memory of the bright October days among the
Lammermoors when the birches were spangled
with gold and the brackens a deep russet

[Continued on page 182]

  Transcribers who have contributed to this page.

CorrieBuidhe- Moderator, Jane F Jamieson