We made a good start to the millennium with a trip to St Mary's Loch on Sunday 2nd January. The weather was to make the day as it was both warm and sunny at St Mary's Loch which contrasted with last years expedition when it was exceedingly wet.
The 21 members and friends went first to Dryhope Tower. There Ed Archer gave a guided tour of the
tower and surrounding earthworks. There is a connection between Sir Walter Scott and the tower. It
was one of his ancestors, Walter Scott of Harden who married Marion Scott from Dryhope in 1576.
Marion was known as the rose of Yarrow on account of her beauty. She was apparently as
headstrong as her father who was a notorious cattle thief; she rejected proposals from six noble men
in favour a servant lad from Gala. This happened before she married Walter Scott of Harden, another
well know cattle thief. This marriage was the ancient equivalent of a Mafia marriage. The marriage
contract states that Auld Watt, alias Walter Scott, was not allowed to evict his father-in-law for a year,
in return for his father-in-law maintaining him for a year and a day.
Apart from the tower Ed showed the party the remains of an old milling system and several mediaeval earthworks as well as several prehistoric cairns and a hut platform.
Before lunch the party went on to Henderland. Here according to the Border Ballad, "The Lament of the Border Widow", Perys Cockburn was hung over his own gate. It was explained that the Ballad was inaccurate and that it was William Cockburn who was beheaded in Edinburgh on the orders of James V in 1530. He had began attacking his neighbours with English help.
The party had an excellent meal at the Tibbie Shiels Inn. Famous visitors to the Inn included Robert Chambers - famous for his encyclopeida, De Quincy, Wordsworth, Robert Hogg, Robert Louis Stevenson and of course Sir Walter Scott.
After Lunch the party went to Yarrow Kirk and then on to look at the burial place of the sons of
Liberalis. Ed explained that this stone was very important as it was one of several Christian
monuments that were set up about 500AD, by the inhabitants of a small British kingdom that existed in the Peebles/Selkirk area till 650AD.