held an annual fair, where multitudes o f each fex repaired. TU
unmarried looked out for mates, made their engagement by joiniiJ
hands, or by handfifting, went off in pairs, cohabited till the nesl
annual return of the fair, appeared there again, and then, were jl
liberty to declare their approbation or diflike of each other. li
each party continued conftant, the handfifting was renewed for lifel
but if either party difiented, the engagement was void, and bothl
were at full liberty to make a new. choice ; but with this provifoj
that the inconftant was to take the charge of the offspring of the yeal
of probation. This cuftom feemed to originate from the want oil
clergy in this county in the days o f popery: this trait was the pro-1
perty o f the abby of Melrofs, which through ceconomy difcontinudl
the vicars that were ufed to difcharge here the clerical offices!
inftead, they only made annual, vifitations for the purpofes oil
marrying and baptifing, and the perfon thus fent, was called BoohI
bofom, probably from his carrying, by way of readinefs, the bookil
his breaft ; but even this being omitted, the inhabitants becanl
necefiitated at firft to take this method, which they continued froal
habit to praitife long after the reformation had furniihed them witkl
clergy.
Perfons o f rank, in times long prior tothofe,.took the benefitol
this cuftom ; for Lindefey *, in his reign of James II. fays, ‘ Thill
S James fixth earl of Murray begat upon Jfobel Innes, daughter!
‘ of the laird of Innes, Alexander Dunbar, a man of lingular wit anil
* courage. This Ifabel was but handfijl with him, and deceafed tfrj
* fore the marriage; where-through this Alexander he was worthjl
* P. 26,, folio ed.
9
" o f a greater living, than he might fucceed to by the laws and
<pra£tifes of this realm/ ~ ■
... o f the fports of thefe parts, that o f Curling is a favorite *, and one
unknown in England: it is an amufement o f the winter, and
played on the ice, by Aiding from one mark to another, great
{tones of forty to feventy pounds weight, o f a hemifpherical form,
with an iron or wooden handle at top. The objeit o f the player is
to lay his ftone as near to the mark as poffible, to guard that o f his
partner, which had been well laid before, or to ftrike off that o f his
antagonift.
H Return and pafs the march dike, or the Scotch border, and continue
at Netherby that night.
» Pafs through Longtown, a place remarkable for the great trade
carried on during the feafon of cranberries; when for four or
five markets, from twenty to twenty-five pounds worth, are fold
each day at three pence a quart, and fent in fmall barrels to
London.
I .Crofs the EJk, on a bridge of five arches, a light ftruiture, as
moft of the bridges o f this country are. Go through the lanes
which had been rendered impaffable, at the time of the eruption of
the Solway mofs, which took its courfe this way to the EJk. T h e
road was at this- time quite cleared ; but the fields to the fight were
quite covered with the black flood.
I The fpace between the EJk and the Sark, bounded on the third
fide by. the March dike, which crofles from one river to the other,
-feems properly to belong to Scotland; but having been difputed by
both crowns, was ftyled the deb at cable land. Buf in the reign o f our
James I. Sir Richard Graham obtaining from the Earl of Cumberland
(to
C u r l i n g .
J u n e z .
D e b a t e a e l e
L A N D .