north entrance to the present Church. Wherever this name appears the building is of one type, viz., the upper part of the Choir; all the building between the piers of the Choir; all the new work in the Virgin's Chapel, &c. Now we have the means of ascertaining almost the precise date when this must have been done. In 1473 the name of the Abbot was Robert, for we find him named as a commissioner, to meet at Alnwick at this time, for taking into consideration the grievances of the inhabitants on both sides of the Border. Two years after, that is in 1478, "John Hall" filled the office of Abbot; and it is highly probable that he did so for twenty-five years. There can be no doubt that the upper stories of the Choir, and the whole of the Tower, the Nave, and Cloisters had nearly all been rebuilt in his time. From what remains of the Cloisters, it is evident that this also must have been rebuilt about the period Hall was Abbot. It is of the same style with the Nave and the higher parts of the Choir. Part of the Cloisters are to be seen in the Manse Garden, forming part of the wall of the Cottages. The Cloisters have been considerably lower than the floor of the Church. This peculiarity is only, it is said, observable in the Abbeys of Teviotdale, Dryburgh, and Jedburgh; but this may have arisen from the sloping nature of the grounds. It is, therefore, clear to me that the building which had been destroyed during the succession wars, had been repaired, indeed nearly rebuilt between the peace of Northampton and 1294-John Hall effecting the most important improvements. That the Cloisters

were not in existence during, and at the time of these wars, is obvious, froin the fact of the Monks being lodged in other religious houses throughout the kingdom; and we may, therefore, with safety conclude, that they returned and rebuilt their dwelling-places under the influence of peace. This, no doubt, detracts from the antiquity of the greater portion of the fabric, but every thing must be sacrificed to truth.

The Monastery was greatly injured by Surrey and Eurie, the English Generals ;-the Reformation came next; but the greatest evil that ever befel the building was its conversion into a modern place of worship.

And here it may not be out of place to advert to the manner in which the family of Lothian became possessors of the Abbey, and the extensive estates pertaining to it, as very erroneous opinions seem to exist on the subject. Morton, in his Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, and a work published by the Bannatyne Club, and edited by Cosmo Innes, following the statements of other writers say, that the property of the Monks was granted to Sir Andrew Kerr, and erected into a temporal lordship, with the title of Lord Jedburgh. Now this is not the fact. The property of the Monks of Jedburgh was granted by King James, in favour of Alexander Lord Hume, in 1606, and this grant was ratified by an Act of Parliament in 1621. The reason of King James conferring the property on the family, is likely to have arisen from the fact of one of the sons of the family of Hume being Abbot at the Reformation. It was the father of this Abbot who swayed the sword of

justice with such severity as to help to render the justice administered at Jedburgh proverbial. But, be this as it may, it is certain that the property went into the family of Hume, whose possessions lay chiefly in Berwickshire-Jedburgh, along with Coldingham, was erected into a lordship for the Earl of Hume, under the title of the lordship of Coldingham-not Jedburgh. In 1610 another charter was granted to the Earl of Hume of Hobkirk, Nisbet, Crailing, Spittal, and Cunzierton. At this time Sir Andrew Kerr, of Ferniehirst, was the proprietor of the estate of Hirsel; and it having occurred to these two Border Chieftains that it would be better to have their property lying together; and it was at last mutually agreed between the two that Sir John Kerr should sell to the Earl the lands of Hirsel, with the teinds and pertinents, and in consideration thereof, the Earl of Hume agreed to convey to Sir John Kerr the whole lands and barony of Jedburgh, or, in other words, the property of the Monastery of Jedburgh. This arrangement was completed by signing a contract of excambion by the two Barons, and the Earl executed an instrument of resignation the same year. Before, however, the transaction was entirely carried through, the Earl of Hume died; and some years after, the Countess of Hume and Sir John entered into a contract, whereby she bound and obliged herself to obtain a gift from the Crown of the benefice and Abbacy of Jedburgh,—the right having fallen by Hume's death-to the effect that his Majesty might erect the same into a temporal lordship for the Earl

of Hume, and enable the family to carry out their arrangements with Sir John Kerr. In the course of a few years, a new dissolution of the Abbacy took place by Act of Parliament, (in 1621), to enable his Majesty to dispone the same to the Earl of Hume, that the estates might be erected into a free barony, to be called the Barony of Jedburgh, and to be holden free blench of the crown. The crown accordingly conveyed it to Hume, and he again, in accordance with the previous contract, made over the Barony of Jedburgh; comprehending the manor place of Jedburgh, cloister-houses, biggings, yards, orchards, and hail bounds, commodities and easements within the precincts of the said place. I observe in the charter, under the Great Seal, certain interesting descriptions and names for instance, I notice part of the possessions described in this way, "the houses and yards lying beside the said Abbey, with ane piece of ground lying beyond the Water of Jed-of old called the Virgine.' It appears to me that the description can only apply to the glebe. Then, again, “The yards of the said Abbey, called the orchard and convent yards; the yards called the foul-brae yards and virgine, with the barn yard thereof; the lands of Spittalstanes, &c.; also the "Abbot's hauche," and many other names-the localities which they describe are lost to us for ever.

It will therefore be seen, that though Jedburgh was at first conferred upon the Earl of Hume, it went from the family at his death, and was afterwards purchased by the family from the Crown, and by them conveyed for full value to Lothian. Indeed, I have

no doubt, there are many at this day who would much rather possess the rich fields of Hirsel, to the hillsides of our own locality, lovely though these be.

In connection with the Abbey and its possessions, I cannot help paying a passing visit to the Capon Tree, and the beautiful scenery surrounding it. All the fine haughland in that locality was the property of the Abbey, and the ground on which the tree is rooted, was in former times called the 'Prior's Haugh,' now corrupted to 'Pearies Haugh,' and the beautiful oak tree with its wide spreading branches, still retains its premitive name, and which proves its great antiquity. It must have derived its name from the Capuchin' friars, sitting under its shade, or it is possible that it obtained its name from its appearance to the hood of the 'Capon Friars,' but I have no doubt the former derivation is the true one. The Haugh was the 'Prior's,' and named after him, and nothing is more likely, than that the tree was named after the order, who delighted to sit beneath its shade. A lovelier situation cannot be conceived, than where the Capon Tree stands. The beautiful meadow in front, on each side the banks covered with wood, while here and there the red freestone of the scaur jutting out from among the hanging woods, and at their feet the waters of the Jed rushing over its rocky channel. The selection of the Monks of this place as a noonday retreat, just proves, what every one will readily admit, that the clergy in every age are excellent judges of locality.

There are no buildings in the Burgh that can date