of Queen Margaret in her jointure of the Lordships of Methven, Stirling, Ettrick, &c. in the year 1503. Thus far authentic records. Mr Douglas in his Peerage adds, and is followed by Mr Wood, that " he (Walter of Buccleuch) accompanied King James IV. to the fatal field of Floudon (1513,) where he remarkably distinguished himself, and, though he had the good fortune to come off the field alive, where he left many of his brave countrymen dead, yet he did not long survive it, but died in 1516." Such is the received history of this nobleman, which, however, rendered the following entry in the records of the High Court of Justiciary (a fertile source of border genealogies) somewhat perplexing. On the 19th November 1510, the Lady of Bukcleuche is summoned before the Court at Jedburgh as lawful surety of Belde Robin Scot, as she received him in indenture from the coroner, and not compearing was fined, and the said Robin denounced a rebel. This looks as if the Lord of Buccleuch had been in abeyance at the time, and the matter is explained by another public record, which certainly covers that sorely twitted class of authors, the peerage writers, with shame and confusion. In the records of the acts and decrees of the Lords of Council and Session, there is this entry, dated 2d May 1509; “anent the term assignit be the Lordis of Counsale till Walter Scot, son and heir of umquhile Walter Scot of Bukcleuch, Walter Scot of Howpaslot, TUTOR to the sade Walter, for the proving of the payment of iclx angell nobill clamit on thaim and umquhile William Douglas of Drumlanris Knt. be Margrete Ker, the relict of umquhile John Huime." &c. Thus it appears that the Walter of Buccleuch, who is supposed to have distinguished himself at Flodden and escaped alive, was dead four years before that sad event, and had left a son, Walter, a mi

nor.

This Walter was served heir to his father 27th October 1517, which may have led to the idea that the previous Sir Walter lived to 1516, in which case of course he had not only escaped the carnage of Flodden, but distinguished himself there.

What is of more consequence, however, to the present considerations, is the evidence afforded by the expressions tutor of Buccleuch. This designation is well known to imply that the party was nearest agnate (kinsman to the pupil on the father's side) of the age of twenty-five years; and Walter of Howpaslot's relationship to Buccleuch can now be distinctly traced. William Scott we have already proved to have been the son of David, and the younger brother of another David of Branxholm and Buccleuch grandfather to this minor. Now, "Walter (of Howpaslot) he was William's son-of the worthy house of Buckcleugh he (William) sprung." Thus it would appear that Walter of Howpaslot was the nearest agnate, and tutor of Buccleuch, because he and the minor's father, Walter, were the respective sons of brothers, who were the sons of David Scott of Branxholm and Buccleuch.*

* Some years ago Mr Riddell communicated to myself the new genealogical fact, that he had discovered in some civil suit relative to the affairs of the young Buccleuch in 1509, that Walter Scott of Howpaslot was designed tutor of Buccleuch. The late William John Lord Napier delighted in his forest lineage; and this information, which tended to establish a lineal male descent from Buccleuch, was very interesting to him. I had merely noted, however, Mr Riddell's verbal communication, which was in the above terms, and the difficulty occurred to his Lordship as well as to myself that (following the peerage account) there was no minor Laird of Buccleuch in 1509. Mr Riddell having lately recalled my attention to the fact, by that solemn and somewhat mysterious appeal which has been quoted, (supra, p. 219.) I was induced to exercise my own ingenuity in discovering

I shall not follow Satchells through the genealogy of the family of Thirlestane, which he addresses to Sir Francis Scott, giving nine generations from Buccleuch, with the marriage of each, including Sir Francis himself, who, he says, " is now married to Ker, daughter to William Earl of Louthian;" and he concludes,

، Of his genealogy I said enough,

His original it is of Buckleugh."*

One of the most distinguished of this race was Robert Scott of Thirlestane, who was warden-depute of the west marches in the reign of James VI. He married Margaret of Buccleuch, whose mother was the Lady Margaret Douglas, eldest daughter of David seventh Earl of Angus, and niece to the Regent Morton. Margaret of Buccleuch was the sister of that noted Sir Walter Scott in whose person the family first became ennobled. The sons of this marriage of Thirlston, Robert, Walter, and William, were joined with their chivalrous uncle in the plot, execution, and consequence of that ever memorable adventure, which places an authenticated feat of border history on a level with the prowess of romance. enchanted note from the castles of knight-errantry ever sounded with such thrilling effect, as did the real, sub

No

the record containing the fact in question. Upon searching the Register House very recently with that view, I discovered it (or a similar entry) in a volume of the Acta Dominorum Concilii et Sessionis, in the words and of the date quoted. The record contains nothing interesting beyond the above extract.

* He married, by contract dated 27th November 1673, Lady Henrietta Kerr, sixth daughter of William third Earl of Lothian, and represented the county of Selkirk in Parliament from 1693 to 1701, both inclusive. Their eldest son, Sir William Scott, married the heiress of Napier, by contract dated 15th December 1699, and their eldest son was Francis fifth Lord Napier, lineal male ancestor of the present Lord.

stantial, forest bugle of Buccleuch, when, in the month of April 1596, from the very walls of her strongest fortress, it challenged the might of England with "oh wha dare meddle wi' me."

A long and minute narrative of this unparalleled rescue is given by Satchells, whose own father must have furnished him with the details, as he was of the select party who were with their chief at the storming of Carlisle. Among the few whom Buccleuch consulted in organizing the expedition was his nephew Sir Robert Scott of Thirlestane, but he refused to include him in the desperate adventure, or any of the heads of families where there were younger sons fitter to be "food for powder." Walter and William, the brothers of Thirlestane, were the two first men selected to compose this apparently forlorn hope. When, however, King James, after the achievement, sent Buccleuch upon an adventure which perhaps tried his nerves more than the former, namely, to make his own peace with the enraged queen of England, the tigress Elizabeth,-Sir Robert Scott was his sole companion. Satchells says that a thousand gentlemen of the name of Scott, Maxwel, Johnston, and Hume, conveyed him over Tweed, and there took leave of him with great lamentations, expecting never to see the bold Buccleuch again. But he adds,

Thirlston, Sir Robert Scot, bore his honour company,
No more there past with his honour along

But three domestic servants, and Sir Robert Scot had one." They travelled on horseback, and the bard narrates the various stages and resting-places of their nine days ride to London. When they arrived,

"Notice came to the Queen that bold Buccleuch was there, Then she left her private chamber and in presence did appear."

"How dared you do it?" said Elizabeth. "May it please

you Madam," answered the border chief, "I know not the thing a man dare not do,"-which reply proved how he could blow in a Queen's ear as well as upon his bugle.

Sir Robert Scott's eldest son was also Robert, who died, as Satchells tells us, before his father without issue. Sir Robert, by a second marriage, had other sons, but they became denuded of their inheritance in favour of the son of Walter, their father's brother. Sir Robert mortgaged the estate to Scott of Harden, and Patrick Scott of Tanlawhill had the fortune to redeem it to himself. Patrick's father was the Walter Scott whose death, in a mortal combat with John Scott of Tushielaw, is celebrated in that beautiful ballad, "The Dowie Dens o' Yarrow." Patrick, his son, was the father of Sir Francis whom Satchells addresses. The late Lord Napier, alluding to the dearth of Thirlestane papers in his own charter-chest, gives the following interesting account of the passing of the succession to his direct ancestor," We are not Scotts of Thirlestane by primogeniture, but by purchase in the younger branch; and although we acquired the estate, it does not follow that the family papers came along with it. When Patrick Scott of Tanlaw hill acquired the lands from Harden, and became Thirlestane, John Scott of Thirlestane, Sir Robert's son by his second wife, retired to Davington with the wreck of his fortunes, and perhaps his papers, among which may have been the original Fala grant of arms. are not possessed of any of the old papers of Thirlestane. The estate was afterwards disputed, and finally settled in favour of Lord Napier about the year 1745. The Davington family fell into decay, and parted with that remnant of their estate I dont know when, but have heard they settled as farmers about Moffat, and what has come of them I know as little. I may add, that, a

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