The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-12
SOME OF THE old
BORDER TOWNS.
Many THAT in Their Haste, The AmGri-
can Travellers Miss.
Scotland Is Richest in These Old Weird
Relics-There Are Some on the English
Side-An American Invention.
Special TO THE SUNDAY CALL

country, with its ancient border towns, in
and around which have been fought more
feroclOus contests than elsewhere in all
England and Scotland These old border
towns have been but little moderated. The
railway stations are about all the structures
in them that have large windows or smell
of paint. They remain chiefly as they
stood when the border raids were ended.
They are gray, battle-scarred, ancient
They were built in fighting times,
and have their records in their h ard
old faces. To wander among them
is like being whisked back four or
five centuries and set down face
20 face with the grimneSs and hardness of
feudal times. Scotland is richest in these
weird old relies. The Scotch crowded close
TO the Border. built huge places OF sally. and
then. being lveliest in their legs, "harried"
the English in such brisk and occupying
way that they had little time on their hands
after chasing the raiders home for building
border towns.
On the English side, in the two great Dor
der shires of Cumberland and Northumber-
land, there are but two border circuits of
note of ancient origin, Newcastle and Car
Isle, unless the little early-day castle-to WINS
of Penrith and Keswick, the latter in the
English lake district, may be included.
But in the three adjoining Scot
fish shires of Berwick, R0xburgh and
Dumfries there are Berwick and Cold
stream, Kelso, Jedburgh. Merose, Ha-
wick, LanghOlm, Ecclefechen. Amman and
Dumfries. 1t would indeed be carrying
Goals to Newcastle to attempt discovering
much If interest in that bordet ETY. beyond
matters connected with manufactures and
coal. At Keswick one is preOccupied with
the noble scenery of Derwent Vale, DOM
mated by huge Skidduw and by the memo
Iles recalled by the lines Of Southey and
Colerldse. that its ancient character and
traditions fade into inSgniicance Little
and quaint old Penrith is place no tourist
ever finds, yet it is certainly one of the odd
est hives of humans in England. Here are
the remains of once huge border castle
built by the Seviles. That is all the canny
Scots could see when they sailed over the
border. but they knew that at its base. in a
little hollow, stood the grotesque town, its
streets the narroweSt, most winding and
may in England, and that its wise old
burgherS had much OF value hid
IN THEIR TINY sTRoNGHoLDs
or houses. It IS at Ptnrith-sacked scores
of times in the English and Scottish wars,
and for several brief periods the residence
OF that merry murderer, King Rich ard III
that you will find one of England's most
curious rude stone monuments, 1t stands in
the little churchyard, and is known as .he
Giants Grave" There are two huge
stone pillars, one each at the head and foot
They tai er from a circumference of
twelve feet at the base TO seven at the
top. Folklore OF the region affirms that
they were erected ages gone by to per-
petuate the memory Of legendary giant
called Owen C8SaTius. They are covered
with Runic carvings. British antiquarians
long since gave them up as dead-age
secret. and Sir Walter Scott nearly went
mad puZzlug his poor knObby head over
them.
But saw the people of Penrith in more
vexed puzzle than this the other day. A
portable engine and thrashing- of
American pattern were being hauled down
hill through its single thOroughfare, which
sharply winds 10 the right and left to
accommodate the entire place. 1t was too
narrow in places to allow their passage.
Presently the two pieces Of machinery were
wedged fast between the opposite houses.
An extraordinary c0mmuttOn followed, as
all the town folk on either side seemed at
once furious to pass 10 the other, and this
slBuUuS street was the only means, without
making a circuit Of half the place. Every
thing from dynamite to a Queens war
rant and the giant shade of Owen Cesarius
was suggested to relieve the city. When |
lett II MODS were struggling on either side
OF the barrier masSed into a writing cone
against aud upon the machinery; while
stentoTlan burgher waved his arms and
shouted to the multitude: "Ees cooms ~
Hamercan inwentonsi They puts willin'
hands in tn workus, an hOwdashusly
stoapS oop our streets. Down wi EN- say
Or And Down wi emf sang they all
as they struggled to "OOp wi 'enl, an
awa!' Perhaps they are at it yet in PEN
nth town.
Ancient Carlisle portion Of whose cas-
tie was built over 1900 years ago, is fine
example of the once almost impregnabe
border town. 1t stands at the edge of the
foothills OF the north English mountains,
on one Of their farthest outjuttings; and
hill, town and castle have a Typographical
look of righteousness as the whole faces
the misty Scottish mountains. Between
THE CITY AND THE BORDER
Stretches a vast fertile plain, once fen
over which Scottish raiders slowly waded
and their delay always gave the Carlisle
warriors time 30 get into good fighting trim.
Indeed the e.. Stronghold was. the chief
weapon of William Rufus to bride and
render insecure the possession OF the Scot
tsh kings in the two northern counties"
Poor Mary Queen of Scots was shut
up here some time after her landing
in England. The east window of the
Carlisle Cathedral is probably the
largest In Britain while within the
same area can nowhere be found so
great number OF ancient castles of resi-
dence and defense. Among these | visited
Rose, Cnrby aud NawOrth castles, the latter
the seat of the Earl Of Carlisle. and have
not come upon such tremendous battle
mented Walls elsewhere in Europe. Even
In Carlisle itself it is not uncommon TO find
ancient houses with walls from four to six
feet In thickness; and splayed windows and
bartlZan towers of feudal times are so
quaint and frequent as to form one Of the
most curious and interesting studies among
the border towns.
Over the Scottish border where the weed.
as 1t leaves region of glorious tradition
and is lost in the tides OF the German ocean,
stands Berwick, looming darkly in high
antiquity. No man can tell its origin or tell
Its early history. 1t comes first authen tically
into view In the early part of the twelfth
century. 1t was then town of mark-the
capital OF Lothian; and it figured for some
time as great seaport, as q place Of rich
churches. monasteries and hospitals, and as
one of the first four royal burghs Of Scot
land. The Scandinavans made descents
upon It. but it as built for such visits, and
they did little harm. The English ACQUIRED
claim upon it in the time of William the
Lion, stormed it during the reign of
Alexander III, and inthralled 1t during
the dispute for the succession of
the crown. 1t thence:orth became an OBJ
5eet Of continual JEALOUSY between the En-
glish and the Scotch, being valuable for its
great wealth, its mighty Notifications and
Its extensive command OF the border dis
tICtss duu IL OlleH suffered the horrors OF
siege and capture. Berwick's ancient mighty
Lamparts, against which the first cannon
fired by the English in warfare were pointed,
have been transformed in beautiful prone
made. A railway station stands on the site
OF its once almost royal castle. But stretch
Ing across the Tweed. the old bridge, built
nearly 800 years ago, still remains, monu-
ment to the spirit of
THOSE TRoUBLoUs TIMES,
And is simply chain of tremendous battle
mented forts on piers. Mnsing upon its mossy
old spans, wandering about the lofty bell
tower where the alarms were rung in time of
olden war or foray, looking from Haddon
Hill where the eye sweeps from far sea
horizon to the very peaks of the mist
swathed Cheyiots, or listening to the soft
notes of the curfew bell at eventide, won
drous and stirring past is blended with the
brightness of to-day in this one old border
town. What host Of mighty men and
women have played some act of their historic
lives in Berwick! The early Morse kings,
the Saxon Thames and Eldormeu, the Nor
man Conqueror. Rufus, the Edwards, Henry
VI and Margaret n Aniou; followed by