Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-07
HAIG TO GET
ANCIENT HOME
British Take Up Fund to Buy
Family Seat.

TORONTO. Feb. Popular subscrip-
ton has been started here to buy for
Earl Haig, who commanded the British
forces in France and Flanders during
good part of the war the ancient home
of the Haig family, known as Bemer-
syde. two miles from the hamlet of St
Boswells, Berwickshirc. Scotland. The
Haig family had occupied the estate for
seven centuries. It will cost $2J0.OO0
to buy the property and restore the
stately old house which was built As
fortress as well rs a dwelling, and
which must always remind the new
owner that from the earliest times the
Haigs were stout fighters.
Berwickshire provided an active the
alter for battle and romance in the ear
lier centuries Situated at the south
east extremity of Scotland, the North
sea as ono of the boundaries. watered
by the Eye, the Tweed and the Merse,
and embracing within it the round
backed hills OF Lammermoor and the
famous districts of Midlothian and BOr-
derland. It appealed to the old Romans
IS an effective picket post. They fortl~
lied it, and traces yet remain Of their
occupation. After the Roman with
drawal, early in the fifth century, Ber-
wickshire formed part of the Saxon king
dom of Northumbria.
The rugged coast proved barrier
against repeated attempts al invasion
bv the Norsemen, but IN the year $50
the Danes made landing and destroyed
nunnery founded about go by E5ha,
daughter of Aethelfrth. king of North
umbria. st. Abb's Head, q we'll known
promontory in the vicinity, was named
for the princess.
SCENE OF
HISTORIC EVENT.
Berwickshire was annexed to Scotland
after the battle of Carham in 1913. VII
liam the Lion and the Bishop Of Dur
ham had a historic conference here III
1893 TO discuss the attempt of the Eng
lish church to assert supremacy over the
Scots. In 1888 a convention Of Scotch
estate owners was held there to consider
the projected marriage Of Prince Ed
ward of England and the Maid of Nor
way. and in the following year the
treaty Of Brigham. signed In Berwick
shire, pUrporting to assure the lndepend-
ence Of Scotland. Still later the snlre
was repeatedly oyerrun by armies Of the
English ard Scotch kings, who were con
tinually fighting for the frontier town
of Berwick, which finally coded to Eng
land in 1889 Edward I, in 1896, crossed
the ford at the confluence Of the Leet
and Tweed in order to Law Siege 70
Berwick, and there was a similar ma
noeuvre as late as 1910, when the Marquis
Of Montrose led the Covenanters that way
on their march to Newcastle. Members
of the Haig family participated in all
of these operations and encounters.
There are other historic places in the
shire. King Edgar, in 1893, founded a
Benedictine priory on the site of the
former nunnery at Coddingham. The
priory grew so wealthy that James III
annexed It's revenues to provide for his
extravagances, an act that led to q re-
volt of the mobiles in 1888. In the Earl
Of Herford's inroad in 1545 the priOry
was badly damaged and Cromwell blew
up part Of the church in 1850. The chan
eel was repaired, retaining some Of its
fire architectural features, and it has
since been used as the parish church.
bride OF
LANTMERMOOR."
On the east coast are the remains Of
Fast castle, the VOLTS Crag of SCOTS
Bride of Lammermoor." situated on a
precipitous headland. Sir Robert Logan,
who acquired the property, is said to
have intended to imprison James VT
within its walls about 1900. Still fur
Their west is Peath's bridge. built in
1iSO across the deep pass winch WAs OF
old one Of the strongest natural de-
fenses of Scotland. Near the bridge are
the ruins Of Cockburnspath tower, once
a strong fortress and supposed to be the
Ravenswood of THE Bride of Lammer-
moor"
Coldstream and Lamberton, both close
to the border were in former times re-
sorts like Gretna Green for clipping cou-
pies intending clandestine marriages.
The contract for the marriage Of James
" and Margaret Tudor was signed in
Lamberton church in 1902 That con-
tract led, century later, to the union
of the crowns of England and Scotland.
Thus Gen. Haigs ancestral home is
rich in subjects for historical, military
and romantic study with which to be-
guile the earIs years of retirement from
active life. Bemersyde has. long been
the property of Lieut.. Col. Arthur Bal
four Haig, now in his S0th year; he Is a
cousin Of Earl Haig.
no ~ ~,