Antiquities. there is scarcely a glen, a hill, or a ford of a river, which is not marked as the scene of some tragical adventure or bloody conflict. Thus in the parish of Maxton, on a rising ground near the Tweed, are the remains of a circular encampment, denominated from its figure Ringlyball. Upon the opposite side of that river is a deep glen called the Scots hole, in which a body of Scots lay while the camp was possessed by the English. They were some days in this situation with the Tweed only between them, when at last the English, being superior in numbers, ventured to ford the Tweed at a place where the village of Rutherford now stands, and the Scots met them on a rising ground on the opposite side, which is still called the Plea-brae. An obstinate battle ensued, in which the English were worsted, many of them slain, and interred in the burying ground at Rutherford. From this battle the place was called Rue-the-ford, on account of the great loss sustained by the English in fording the Tweed to attack the Scots. This account is by tradition. Lilliard Near the border, between the parishes of Maxton and Ancrum, is a bridge called Lilliard Edge, formerly Ancrum Moor. There a battle was fought between the Scots and English soon after the death of King James the Fifth, who died in the year 1542. When the Earl of Arran was regent in Scotland, Sir Ralph Rivers and Sir Bryan Laiton came to Jedburgh with an army of 5000 English to seize Merse and Teviotdale in name of Henry the Eighth, then king of England, who died not long after in the year 1547. The regent and the Earl of Angus came with a small body of men to oppose them. The Earl of Angus was greatly exasperated against the English, because some time before they had defaced the tombs of his ancestors at Melrose, and had done much hurt to the abbey there. The regent and the Earl of Angus, without waiting for the arrival of a greater force, which was ex-Antiquities pected, met the English at Lilliard Edge, where the Scots. obtained a great victory, considering the inequality of their number. A young woman of the name of Lilliard fought along with the Scots with great courage: she fell in the battle, and a tomb-stone was erected upon her grave on the field where it was fought. Some remains of this tomb-stone are still to be seen. It is said to have contained the following inscription. Fair maiden Lilliard lies under this stane; Little was her stature, but great was her fame. On the English lads she laid many thumps, And when her legs were off, she fought on her stumps. A little to the south of Melrose are the three Eilden Camps on the Eilden bills. The base of them may be in compass six or seven hills. miles; the height of two of them to the north, about a mile and a half. On the top of the north-east hill are plain vestiges of a Roman camp, well fortified with two fosses and mounds of earth more than a mile and a half in circuit, with a large plain near the top of the hill, on which may be seen the prætorium, or the general's quarter, surrounded with many huts. It has all the properties of a well-chosen camp, according to the rules of Vegetius. There is a large prospect from it of all the country; it has many springs of good water near it; the sides of the hill have been covered with wood; and the camp is of that extent that neither man, beast, nor baggage, could be straitened for room. On the north side of the middle hill Mr Milne seems to place a second camp, from which, he says, is a large ditch for two miles to the west, reaching to another camp on the top of Caldshail-hill. This camp (probably he means that on the north side of the middle hill) has been strongly fortified with a double trench, and the circumvallations of it continued for a considerable way. Melrose Antiquities. This camp, with that called Castlestead, makes a triangle with the large camp on Eildon hills. On the head of the hill, on the side of which the village of Gallonside is founded, north of the Tweed, there has been a large camp, It has a wall around it of stone about half a mile in compass. About half a mile from this camp to the east, on the top of the hill opposite to Newstead, there has been a large camp with a deep ditch. It seems to have been about three quarters of a mile in circumference, and is called the Chester know or knoll. The eastern Roman military road is visible in many quarters of this country, raised in some places considerably above the adjoining fields, But the most remarkable monument of antiquity to be abbey. found in this quarter, and one of the most distinguished in Scotland, is the abbey of Melrose. Various religious foundations of different dates appear to have existed at this place. The monastery of Old Melrose was probably founded about the end of the sixth century. The venerable Bede, who was born in 673, gives an account of its situation on the bank of the Tweed, and likewise of its abbots. This place was a famous nursery for learned and religious men, and probably continued till the other one at the present Melrose was founded by King David. The convent of Old Melrose was enclosed with a stone wall, reaching from the south corner to the west corner of the Tweed, where the neck of land is narrow; and the foundation of the wall is still to be seen. It is not probable that there has been any great building about it; for, as Bede acquaints us, their churches there were all of oak and covered with reeds. The situation of the place is most pleasant and agreeable, being almost surrounded by Tweed, and having a fine prospect towards Gladswood. About a mile to the west of this, on the Tweed, stands |