New-York tribune., 1907-06-26
THE COLSTOUN PEAR.
Ozencrship of Famous Scotch
I'Glisman in Question.

= curious controversy has arisen with regard TO
the so-calied luck" or magic heirloom, of the
B1oUn family, known the Colstoun pear. The
Colstocn property. which for centuries belonged TO
the B-ova family IS or-ned by J. c. a. Baird.
o; the Jockey Club; and when Colstoun House
burned down three weeks ago, graphic descriptions
given OF the fact that &ITS. Baird. before at
tempting save her jewels. devoted all her energy
and attention to fescuing the magic pear in its
silver CaSket. l. is declared. however. that
tie luck IN question has never been in the pos
session oc tho Bairds but that It is in the custody
OF Young Lord Dalhcuse. having into his
family through the marriage of the ninth earl TO
Miss Christian Broun, the only child and sole
heircss Of Charles Broun, of Colstoun House. HAD
dingtonshire. with whom Colstoun House passed
out of the Broun family. The present head OF the
latter is Sir William Broun, who is a native or
are likewise settled. Sir Walter scott IN ms
Diary" writes of having seen the tallsman at
Dalhousie Castle in 1929. and describes 1t as fol-
lows: 1T is certainly a pear. either petrlhed OF
turned wood, with a bit out of one side OF il.
said to have been preserved many hundred years
And u few years afterward the town of Haddng-
ton presented the Lord Dalhousie of his day with
q silver casket for this precious heirloom. Others
again insist that the pear passed at the death of
the tenth Earl of Dalhousie, the famous
Governor General Of India, not to his
cousin and successor but to his eldest
daughter. Lady Susan. who. after divorcing LORI
Connemara, married an army surgeon of the name
of William BrOun, to whom she bequeathed al
her property on her death, in 1898. and who. al
though in way related TO the Brouns OF Cols-
toun. is nevertheless believed TO have the pear
Finally 1t is believed by many that the pear has
reverted the Marquis of Tweeddae and is once
at Yester. The pear originally came thence.
For when, in the thirteenth century, Jean Hay,
daughter of the third Lord Hav married
George Broun of Colstoun. it is said that her god
father. Sir Hugh Clifford. of necromantic celebrity.
plucked 2ear from the orchard at Yester and
gave il to the young couple. with the assurance
that long as IL were kept intact their descend
would prosper. Sir Hugh Clifford is the
dreaded 'Warlcck Of Clifford mentioned by Sir
Walter Scott in his 'Marmion." who dwelt on
the Hester estate. In Charles Is reign one Of the
of Colstoun bit into the pear. with the re-
suit her family got into terrible litigation and
Law expenses. The pear is entirely fossilized.
but. mentioned by Sir Walter Scott, shows the
teeth marks of the lady.
The question remains however, as 10 who really
has the original pear. Mrs. Baird evidently be-
lieves that she has IT. So. too does Colonel Broun
the widower of Lady Susan Broun. Lord Dal-
housie is likewise convinced that he has the Coils
toun pear and Lord and Lady Tweeddale are
equally positive about the matter
GOBLIN HALL AND ITS CURSE
Yester House. which 1 have referred to above
and which is only about hundred and fifty
years old, must not be confounded with Yester
Castle. which. though situated the Yeser estate
Is about mile distant therefrom and partly
ruined. The feature of the latter is the famous
Goblin Hail. which. according to legend Gre
ated by the Sir Hugh Clifford of Colstoun pear
Tradition has likewise invested this Goblin Hall
with a spell placed upon It by its creator to the
effect that any who dared TO interfere with its
symmetry in any way should TO a violent
end. No dared TO tamper with II until the
eldest brother Of the present Marquis OF Tweeddale
ventured TO do So In the lifetime OF his father
and while still known the Earl Of Clifford he.
expressing rdicle for the superstition. cleared
away a number OF !ts STEPS which led down to the
water. Within twelve months afterward he met
with his death IN endee :o-iug 10 the life OF
laboring man who vas about to be crushed by 4
tree which he telling IN the vicinity of the
castle. The man escaped, but the tree killed Lord
Clifford