Last Ministrel, situated on the retired and romantic stream of Oxnam, which here falls into the Teviot. Descending from this point there is a beautiful and extensive view, comprehending Jedburgh town and Abbey, the River Jed, and surrounding country. A conspicuous object in the distance is "Dark Ruberslaw that lifts its head sublime, LEYDEN. The appearance of this hill is said to have suggested to the Bard of the Seasons the description of the storm collecting on the mountain cliff in the beginning of his "Winter." (114) Crossing the Jed, we enter the town of Jedburgh, [Inns: The Spread Eagle; Commercial. Population 3615.] The county town of Roxburghshire, and the seat of the circuit court of justiciary, is a place of great antiquity; the village of old Jedworth, about four miles above the present town, having been founded by Ecgred, Bishop of Lindisfarn, A. D. 845. St. Kenoch was Abbot of Jedburgh, A. D. 1000, and its royal castle is mentioned in the earliest Scottish annals. It appears to have been a royal burgh even in the time of David I. It was the chief town on the middle marches. Defended by its castle and numerous towers, and surrounded by the fastnesses of its forest, it was frequently the rendezvous of the Scottish armies, and was as frequently assailed, pillaged, and burnt by the English. Its importance declined from the union of the two crowns, and though it has revived in modern times, it has never reached any great extent either in population or trade. Many interesting objects of antiquity were destroyed during the last century, such as St. David's Tower-the gateway of the ancient bridge of the Canongate-and the cross, a venerable structure, on which, according to Bannatyne, the magistrates, having espoused the cause of James VI., compelled the heralds of Mary, after suffering unseemly chastisement, to eat their proclamation. The Abbey is the principal object of attraction. It was enlarged and richly endowed by David I. and other munificent patrons about the year 1118, or 1147. At one period, its powerful abbots disputed, though unsuccessfully, the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Glasgow, who frequently resided at Ancrum in the neighbourhood. It suffered severely in the English wars, especially from the invasions of Edward I. and Edward III, and was for two hours exposed to the artillery of the Earl of Surrey, at the storming of Jedburgh, in the reign of Henry VIII., traces of the flames being still visible on its ruined walls. It suffered subsequent dilapidation from the forces of the Earl of Hertford; and, in common with the other monasteries of Teviotdale, does not appear to have been inhabited at the time of the Reformation. The monks were Canons regular or Augustine friars, brought from Beauvais in France. At the Reformation, the lands of the Abbey were converted into a temporal lordship, with the title of Lord Jedburgh, in favour of Sir Andrew Kerr of Ferniehirst, and they are now possessed by his descendant, the Marquis of Lothian. The principal parts now remaining are-the nave, nearly the whole of the choir, with the south aisle, the centre tower, and the north transept, which is entire, and has long been set apart as a burial-place for the family of the Marquis of Lothian. The Norman door, entering from the cloisters on the south, is of exquisitely delicate and beautiful workmanship. Over the intersection of the nave and transept, rises a massive square tower, with irregular turrets and belfry, to the height of 100 feet. The west end is fitted up as a parish church, in a most barbarous and unseemly style. Considerable sums have been lately expended in repairing the decayed parts of the building, so as to prevent further dilapidation. The best view of the Abbey is obtained from the banks of the river. The Castle of Jedburgh was situated on an eminence at the town head, and was a favourite residence of our early Scottish kings, from the time of David I. to Alexander III. Malcolm the fourth died in it; Alexander III. was married in it with unusual pomp, October 14, 1285, to Jolande, daughter of the Count De Dreux, on which occasion the festivities of the evening are said to have been interrupted by the sudden and ominous appearance of a spectre, which, entering the dance, filled the gay company with consternation. The importance of this castle may be estimated from the circumstance of its always ranking in the treaties with England, along with Roxburgh, Edinburgh, and Stirling, and from the fact, that when the Scottish government determined to destroy it, it was meditated to impose a tax of two pennies on every hearth in Scotland, as the only means of accomplishing so arduous an undertaking. The site of this ancient fortress is now occupied by a new jail, from the top of which there is a view of the town and neighbourhood. In the lower part of the town may be still seen the old mansion occupied by Queen Mary, and where she lay sick for several weeks after her visit to Bothwell, at Hermitage Castle. She rode from Jedburgh to Hermitage, and returned on the same day, a distance of about forty miles; she was in consequence thrown into a violent fever, and her life for some time despaired of. The rich soil and mild climate of Jedburgh render it peculiarly congenial to horticulture; delicate plants and fruits growing in the open air, which in other places require to be placed under glass. Many of the pear trees are of great size and antiquity, and bear immense crops, which are disposed of through an extensive district, The best kinds are French, and may probably have been planted by the monks. The inhabitants of Jedburgh, in ancient times, were a warlike race, and were celebrated for their dexterity in handling a particular sort of partisan, which therefore got the name of the "Jethart Staff." Their timely aid is said to have turned the fortune of the day at the skirmish of Reidswire. Their proud war-cry was, "Jethart's here." Their arms are a mounted trooper advancing to the charge, with the motto, "Strenue et prospere." They have still in preservation some ancient trophies taken from the English, particularly a flag or pennon taken at Bannockburn. The ordinary proverb of "Jethart Justice," where men were said to be hanged first and tried afterwards, appears to have taken its rise from some instances of summary justice executed on the Border marauders.* In the south aisle of the Abbey, then used as the Grammar School, the poet Thomson received the rudiments of his education, and when he attended Edinburgh University, it was as the bursar of the Presbytery of Jedburgh. Samuel Rutherford is also said to have been educated here. Dr. Somerville, historian of William and Anne, was upwards of fifty years minister of Jedburgh, and in the manse was born the amiable and highly gifted Mrs. Somerville. Sir David Brewster also is a native of Jedburgh.t On the banks of the Jed, at Hundalee, Lintalee, and Mossburnford, are caves dug out of the rock, supposed to have been used as hiding-places in ancient warfare. In the neighbourhood are the remains of numerous camps; but the most remarkable is the camp of Lintalee, little more than a mile from the town, where Douglas, as described in Barbour's Bruce, lay for the defence of Scotland, during the absence of the king in Ireland, and where in a desperate personal encounter he slew the English commander, the Earl of Brittany, at the head of his army, and routed the whole with great slaughter—an achievement commemorated in the armorial bearings of the Douglas family. Jed forest was conferred on Douglas by Bruce, the regality of which was sold to the Crown by the Duke of Douglas. There is a similar English proverb concerning Lydford "I oft have heard of Lydford law, Where in the morn men hang and draw, And sit in judgment after." BROWN'S Poems. + For further particulars, see Mr. Jeffrey's interesting account of the History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire. |