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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea297aa --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #56034 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56034) diff --git a/old/56034-8.txt b/old/56034-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a5a2c2a..0000000 --- a/old/56034-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8670 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, by -James M. Mackinlay - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs - -Author: James M. Mackinlay - -Release Date: November 22, 2017 [EBook #56034] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS *** - - - - -Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project -Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS AND SPRINGS. - - BY - - JAMES M. MACKINLAY, M.A., F.S.A.Scot. - - GLASGOW: WILLIAM HODGE & Co. - 1893. - - - - - - - - -PREFATORY NOTE. - - -No work giving a comprehensive account of Well-worship in Scotland -has yet appeared. Mr. R. C. Hope's recent volume, "Holy Wells: Their -Legends and Traditions," discusses the subject in its relation to -England. In the following pages an attempt has been made to illustrate -the more outstanding facts associated with the cult north of the -Tweed. Various holy wells are referred to by name; but the list makes -no claim to be exhaustive. - - -J. M. M. - -4 Westbourne Gardens, -Glasgow, December, 1893. - - - - - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. Worship of Water, 1 - II. How Water became Holy, 24 - III. Saints and Springs, 39 - IV. More Saints and Springs, 56 - V. Stone Blocks and Saints' Springs, 72 - VI. Healing and Holy Wells, 86 - VII. Water-Cures, 108 - VIII. Some Wonderful Wells, 128 - IX. Witness of Water, 140 - X. Water-Spirits, 155 - XI. More Water-Spirits, 171 - XII. Offerings at Lochs and Springs, 188 - XIII. Weather and Wells, 213 - XIV. Trees and Springs, 230 - XV. Charm-Stones in and out of Water, 241 - XVI. Pilgrimages to Wells, 263 - XVII. Sun-Worship and Well-Worship, 280 - XVIII. Wishing-Wells, 314 - XIX. Meaning of Marvels, 324 - - - - - - - - -Among the works consulted are the following, the titles being given -in alphabetical order:-- - - -A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland. By John MacCulloch, -M.D. 1819. - -A Description of the Western Islands. By M. Martin. Circa 1695. - -A Handbook of Weather Folklore. By the Rev. C. Swainson, M.A. - -A Historical Account of the belief in Witchcraft in Scotland. By -Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe. - -A Journey through the Western Counties of Scotland. By Robert -Heron. 1799. - -Ancient Legends: Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland. By -Lady Wilde. - -An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. By John Jamieson, -D.D. - -Annals of Dunfermline and Vicinity. By Ebenezer Henderson, LL.D. - -Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland. By Rev. Charles -Cordiner. 1780. - -Archæological Sketches in Scotland: Districts of Kintyre and -Knapdale. By Captain T. P. White. - -A Tour in Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, MDCCLXXII. By Thomas -Pennant. - -A Tour in Scotland, MDCCLXIX. By Thomas Pennant. - -Britannia; or, A Chorographical Description of the Flourishing Kingdoms -of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Islands adjacent, from the -Earliest Antiquity. By William Camden. Translated from the edition -published by the Author in MDCVII. Enlarged by the latest discoveries -by Richard Gough. The second edition in four volumes. 1806. - -Celtic Heathendom. By Professor John Rhys. - -Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban. By William Forbes Skene. - -Churchlore Gleanings. By T. F. Thiselton Dyer. - -Daemonologie in Forme of a Dialogve. Written by the High and Mightie -Prince James, by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, -and Ireland; Defender of the Faith. 1603. - -Descriptive Notices of some of the Ancient Parochial and Collegiate -Churches of Scotland. By T. S. Muir. - -Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. By -Robert Chambers, LL.D. - -Ecclesiological Notes on some of the Islands of Scotland. By -T. S. Muir. - -English Folklore. By the Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer, M.A. - -Essays in the Study of Folk Songs. By the Countess Evelyn -Martinengo-Cesaresco. - -Ethnology in Folklore. By G. L. Gomme. - -Folklore. - -Folklore Journal. - -Folklore of East Yorkshire. By John Nicholson. - -Folklore of Shakespeare. By Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer, M.A. Oxon. - -Folklore; or, Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within -this Century. By James Napier, F.R.S.E. - -Gairloch in North-west Ross-shire: Its Records, Traditions, -Inhabitants, and Natural History. By John H. Dixon. - -Historical and Statistical Account of Dunfermline. By Rev. Peter -Chalmers, A.M. - -Kalendars of Scottish Saints. By the late Alexander Penrose Forbes, -Bishop of Brechin. - -Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland to his Friend in -London. Burt's Letters. 1754. - -List of Markets and Fairs now and formerly held in Scotland. By Sir -James David Marwick, LL.D. - -Memorabilia Domestica; or, Parish Life in the North of Scotland. By -the late Rev. Donald Sage, A.M., Minister of Resolis. - -New Statistical Account of Scotland. Circa 1845. - -Notes and Queries. - -Notes on the Folklore of the North-east of Scotland. By the Rev. Walter -Gregor. - -Notes on the Folklore of the Northern Counties of England and the -Borders. By William Henderson. - -Observations on Popular Antiquities, including the whole of -Mr. Bourne's Antiquitates Vulgares. By John Brand, A.M. - -Old Glasgow: The Place and the People. By Andrew MacGeorge. - -Old Scottish Customs, Local and General. By E. J. Guthrie. - -Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Edited by Francis H. Groome. - -Peasant Life in Sweden. By L. Lloyd. - -Popular Antiquities of Great Britain. By John Brand, M.A. - -Popular Romances of the West of England. By Robert Hunt, F.R.S. - -Popular Tales of the West Highlands. By J. F. Campbell. - -Pre-historic Annals of Scotland. By Daniel Wilson, LL.D. - -Pre-historic Man. By Daniel Wilson, LL.D. - -Primitive Culture. By Edward B. Tylor, D.C.L. - -Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Old Series, -1851-1878; New Series, 1878-1891. - -Rambles in the Far North. By R. Menzies Fergusson. - -Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland; or, The Traditional -History of Cromarty. By Hugh Miller. - -Scotland in Early Christian Times. By Joseph Anderson, LL.D. - -Scotland in Pagan Times: The Bronze and Iron Ages. By Joseph Anderson, -LL.D. - -Scotland in the Middle Ages. By Professor Cosmo Innes. - -Social Life in Scotland. By Charles Rogers, LL.D. - -Statistical Account of Scotland. By Sir John Sinclair. Circa 1798. - -The Antiquary. - -The Archæological Journal. Published under the direction of The Council -of the Royal Archæological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. - -The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in connection -with the Calendar. Edited by R. Chambers. - -The Darker Superstitions of Scotland. By John Graham Dalyell. 1834. - -The Early Scottish Church: Ecclesiastical History of Scotland from -the First to the Twelfth Centuries. By the Rev. Thomas M'Lauchlan. - -The Every-Day Book. By William Hone. - -The Folklore of Plants. By T. F. Thiselton Dyer. - -The Gentleman's Magazine Library--Manners and Customs. Edited by -G. L. Gomme, F.S.A. - -The Gentleman's Magazine Library--Popular Superstitions. Edited by -G. L. Gomme, F.S.A. - -The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion. By J. G. Frazer, -M.A. - -The History of St. Cuthbert. By Charles, Archbishop of Glasgow. - -The History of St. Kilda. By the Rev. Kenneth Macaulay, minister of -Ardnamurchan. 1769. - -The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England, including Rivers, -Lakes, Fountains, and Springs. By R. C. Hope, F.S.A. - -The Origin of Civilisation. By Sir J. Lubbock, Bart. - -The Past in the Present. By Arthur Mitchell, M.D., LL.D. - -The Popular Rhymes of Scotland. By Robert Chambers. 1826. - -The Popular Superstitions and Festive Amusements of the Highlanders -of Scotland. By William Grant Stewart. - -The Surnames and Placenames of the Isle of Man. By A. W. Moore, M.A. - -Traditions, Superstitions, and Folklore (chiefly Lancashire and the -North of England). By Charles Hardwick. - -Tree and Serpent Worship. By James Fergusson, D.C.L., F.R.S. - -'Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe: The Natural History, Legends, and -Folklore of the West Highlands. By the Rev. Alexander Stewart, LL.D. - -Unique Traditions, chiefly of the West and South of Scotland. By John -Gordon Barbour. - -Wayfaring in France. By E. H. Barker. - -Weather-lore: A Collection of Proverbs, Sayings, and Rules concerning -the Weather. By R. Inwards, F.R.A.S. - -Witch, Warlock, and Magician. By W. H. Davenport Adams. - - - - - - - - -FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS AND SPRINGS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -WORSHIP OF WATER. - - Archaic Nature-worship--Deification of Water Metaphors--Divination - by Water--Persistence of Paganism--Shony--Superstitions of Sailors - and Fishermen--Sea Serpent--Mer-folk--Sea Charms--Taking Animals - into the Sea--Rescuing from Drowning--Ancient Beliefs about - Rivers--Dead and Living Ford--Clay Image--Dunskey--Lakes--Dow - Loch--St. Vigeans--St. Tredwell's Loch--Wells of Spey - and Drachaldy--Survival of Well-worship--Disappearance of - Springs--St. Margaret's Well--Anthropomorphism of Springs--Celtic - Influence--Cream of the Well. - - -In glancing at the superstitions connected with Scottish lochs and -springs, we are called upon to scan a chapter of our social history -not yet closed. A somewhat scanty amount of information is available -to explain the origin and growth of such superstitions, but enough can -be had to connect them with archaic nature-worship. In the dark dawn -of our annals much confusion existed among our ancestors concerning -the outer world, which so strongly appealed to their senses. They -had very vague notions regarding the difference between what we now -call the Natural and the Supernatural. Indeed all nature was to them -supernatural. They looked on sun, moon, and star, on mountain and -forest, on river, lake, and sea as the abodes of divinities, or even -as divinities themselves. These divinities, they thought, could either -help or hurt man, and ought therefore to be propitiated. Hence sprang -certain customs which have survived to our own time. Men knocked at -the gate of Nature, but were not admitted within. From the unknown -recesses there came to them only tones of mystery. - -In ancient times water was deified even by such civilised nations as -the Greeks and Romans, and to-day it is revered as a god by untutored -savages. Sir John Lubbock, in his "Origin of Civilisation," shows, by -reference to the works of travellers, what a hold this cult still has -in regions where the natives have not yet risen above the polytheistic -stage of religious development. Dr. E. B. Tylor forcibly remarks, in -his "Primitive Culture," "What ethnography has to teach of that great -element of the religion of mankind, the worship of well and lake, brook -and river, is simply this--that what is poetry to us was philosophy -to early man; that to his mind water acted not by laws of force, but -by life and will; that the water-spirits of primæval mythology are -as souls which cause the water's rush and rest, its kindness and its -cruelty; that, lastly, man finds in the beings which, with such power, -can work him weal and woe, deities with a wider influence over his -life, deities to be feared and loved, to be prayed to and praised, -and propitiated with sacrificial gifts." - -In speaking of inanimate objects, we often ascribe life to them; -but our words are metaphors, and nothing more. At an earlier time -such phrases expressed real beliefs, and were not simply the outcome -of a poetic imagination. Keats, in one of his Sonnets, speaks of - - - "The moving waters at their priest-like task - Of pure ablution round Earth's human shore." - - -Here he gives us the poetical and not the actual interpretation of -a natural phenomenon. - -We may, if we choose, talk of the worship of water as a creed outworn, -but it is still with us, though under various disguises. Under the form -of rites of divination practised as an amusement by young persons, such -survivals often conceal their real origin. The history of superstition -teaches us with what persistence pagan beliefs hold their ground -in the midst of a Christian civilisation. Martin, who visited the -Western Islands at the close of the seventeenth century, found how -true this was in many details of daily life. A custom connected with -ancient sea-worship had been popular among the inhabitants of Lewis -till about thirty-years before his visit, but had been suppressed -by the Protestant clergy on account of its pagan character. This was -an annual sacrifice at Hallow-tide to a sea god called Shony. Martin -gives the following account of the ceremony:--"The inhabitants round -the island came to the church of St. Mulvay, having each man his -provision along with him; every family furnished a peck of malt, and -this was brewed into ale; one of their number was picked out to wade -into the sea up to the middle, and, carrying a cup of ale in his hand, -standing still in that posture, cried out with a loud voice, saying, -'Shony, I give you this cup of ale, hoping that you'll be so kind as -to send us plenty of sea-ware for enriching our ground the ensuing -year,' and so threw the cup of ale into the sea. This was performed -in the night-time." - -Sailors and fishermen still cherish superstitions of their own. Majesty -is not the only feature of the changeful ocean that strikes them. They -are keenly alive to its mystery and to the possibilities of life -within its depths. Strange creatures have their home there, the mighty -sea serpent and the less formidable mermen and mermaidens. Among -the Shetland islands mer-folk were recognised denizens of the sea, -and were known by the name of Sea-trows. - -These singular beings dwelt in the caves of ocean, and came up -to disport themselves on the shores of the islands. A favourite -haunt of theirs was the Ve Skerries, about seven miles north-west -of Papa-Stour. They usually rose through the water in the shape of -seals, and when they reached the beach they slipped off their skins -and appeared like ordinary mortals, the females being of exceeding -beauty. If the skins could be snatched away on these occasions, their -owners were powerless to escape into the sea again. Sometimes these -creatures were entangled in the nets of fishermen or were caught by -hooks. If they were shot when in seal form, a tempest arose as soon -as their blood was mingled with the water of the sea. A family living -within recent times was believed to be descended from a human father -and a mermaid mother, the man having captured his bride by stealing her -seal's skin. After some years spent on land this sea lady recovered -her skin, and at once returned to her native element. The members of -the family were said to have hands bearing some resemblance to the -forefeet of a seal. - -"Of all the old mythological existences of Scotland," remarks Hugh -Miller, in his "Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland," "there -was none with whom the people of Cromarty were better acquainted than -with the mermaid. Thirty years have not yet gone by since she has -been seen by moonlight sitting on a stone in the sea, a little to the -east of the town; and scarcely a winter passed, forty years earlier, -in which she was not heard singing among the rocks or seen braiding -up her long yellow tresses on the shore." - -The magical power ascribed to the sea is shown in an Orcadian witch -charm used in the seventeenth century. The charm had to do with the -churning of butter. Whoever wished to take advantage of it watched on -the beach till nine waves rolled in. At the reflux of the last the -charmer took three handfuls of water from the sea and carried them -home in a pail. If this water was put into the churn there would be -a plentiful supply of butter. Sea water was also used for curative -purposes, the patient being dipped after sunset. This charm was thought -to savour strongly of the black art. Allusion has been made above to -the rising of a storm in connection with the wounding of a sea-trow -in Shetland. According to an Orcadian superstition, the sea began -to swell whenever anyone with a piece of iron about him stept upon a -certain rock at the Noup Head of Westray. Not till the offending metal -was thrown into the water did the sea become calm again. Wallace, -a minister at Kirkwall towards the end of the seventeenth century, -mentions this belief in his "Description of the Isles of Orkney," -and says that he offered a man a shilling to try the experiment, -but the offer was refused. It does not seem to have occurred to him -to make the experiment himself. - -Among the ancient Romans the bull was sacred to Neptune, the sea -god, and was sacrificed in his honour. In our own country we find a -suggestion of the same rite, though in a modified form, in the custom -prevailing at one time of leading animals into the sea on certain -festivals. In the parish of Clonmany in Ireland it was formerly -customary on St. Columba's Day, the ninth of June, to drive cattle -to the beach and swim them in the sea near to where the water from -the Saint's well flowed in. In Scotland horses seem at one time to -have undergone a similar treatment at Lammas-tide. Dalyell, in his -"Darker Superstitions of Scotland," mentions that "in July, 1647, -the kirk-session of St. Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh, resolved on -intimating publicly 'that non goe to Leith on Lambmes-day, nor tak -their horses to be washed that day in the sea.'" - -A belief at one time existed that it was unlucky to rescue a drowning -man from the grasp of the sea. This superstition is referred to by -Sir Walter Scott in "The Pirate," in the scene where Bryce the pedlar -warns Mordaunt against saving a shipwrecked sailor. "Are you mad," -said the pedlar, "you that have lived sae lang in Zetland, to risk the -saving of a drowning man? Wot ye not, if you bring him to life again, -he will be sure to do you some capital injury?" We discover the key -to this strange superstition in the idea entertained by savages that -the person falling into the water becomes the prey of the monster -or demon inhabiting that element; and, as Dr. Tylor aptly remarks, -"to save a sinking man is to snatch a victim from the very clutches -of the water-spirit--a rash defiance of deity which would hardly -pass unavenged." - -Folklore thus brings us face to face with beliefs which owe their -origin to the primitive worship of the sea. It also allows us to catch -a glimpse of rivers, lakes, and springs as these were regarded by our -distant ancestors. When we remember that, according to a barbaric -notion, the current of a stream flows down along one bank and up -along the other, we need not be surprised that very crude fancies -concerning water at one time flourished in our land. - -Even to us, with nineteenth-century science within reach, how -mysterious a river seems, as, in the quiet gloaming or in the grey -dawn, it glides along beneath overhanging trees, and how full of -life it is when, swollen by rain, it rushes forward in a resistless -flood! How much more awe-inspiring it must have been to men ignorant -of the commonest laws of Nature! Well might its channel be regarded as -the home of a spirit eager to waylay and destroy the too-venturesome -passer-by. Rivers, however, were not always reckoned the enemies of -man, for experience showed that they were helpful, as well as hurtful, -to him. The Tiber, for instance, was regarded with reverence by the -ancient inhabitants of Rome. Who does not remember the scene in one -of Macaulay's Lays, where, after the bridge has been hewn down to -block the passage of Lars Porsena and his host, the valiant Horatius -exclaims-- - - - "O Tiber! father Tiber! - To whom the Romans pray; - A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, - Take thou in charge this day?" - - -Then with his harness on his back he plunges headlong into the flood, -and reaches the other side in safety. - -In Christian art pagan symbolism continued long to flourish. Proof -of this bearing on the present subject is to be found in a mosaic at -Ravenna, of the sixth century, representing the baptism of Christ. The -water flows from an inverted urn, held by a venerable figure typifying -the river god of the Jordan, with reeds growing beside his head, -and snakes coiling around it. - -In our own country healing virtue was attributed to water taken -from what was called a dead and living ford, i.e., a ford where the -dead were carried and the living walked across. The same belief was -entertained with regard to the water of a south-running stream. The -patient had to go to the spot and drink the water and wash himself in -it. Sometimes his shirt was taken by another, and, after being dipped -in the south-running stream, was brought back and put wet upon him. A -wet shirt was also used as a Hallowe'en charm to foretell its owner's -matrimonial future. The left sleeve of the shirt was to be dipped -in a river where "three lairds' lands met." It was then to be hung -up overnight before the fire. If certain rules were attended to, the -figure of the future spouse would appear and turn the sleeve in order -to dry the other side. In the Highlands the water of a stream was used -for purposes of sorcery till quite lately. When any one wished evil to -another he made a clay image of the person to be injured, and placed -it in a stream with the head of the image against the current. It was -believed that, as the clay was dissolved by the water, the health of -the person represented would decline. The spell, however, would be -broken if the image was discovered and removed from the stream. In -the counties of Sutherland and Ross the practice survived till within -the last few years. Near Dunskey, in the parish of Portpatrick, -Wigtownshire, is a stream which, at the end of last century, was much -resorted to by the credulous for its health-giving properties. Visits -were usually paid to it at the change of the moon. It was deemed -specially efficacious in the case of rickety children, whose malady was -then ascribed to witchcraft. The patients were washed in the stream, -and then taken to an adjoining cave, where they were dried. - -In modern poetry a river is frequently alluded to under the name of -its presiding spirit. Thus, in "Comus," Milton introduces Sabrina, -a gentle nymph, - - - "That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn stream," - - -and tells us that - - - "The shepherds at their festivals - Carol her goodness loud in rustic lays, - And throw sweet garland wreaths into her stream - Of pansies, pinks, and gaudy daffodils." - - -Lakes have always held an important place in legendary lore. Lord -Tennyson has made us familiar with the part played by the Lady of the -Lake in Arthurian romance. Readers of the Idylls will recollect it -was she who gave to the king the jewelled sword Excalibur, and who, -on the eve of his passing, received it again. The wounded Arthur thus -addresses Sir Bedivere:-- - - - "Thou rememberest how, - In those old days, one summer morn, an arm - Rose up from out the bosom of the lake - Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful, - Holding the sword--and how I row'd across - And took it, and have worn it, like a king." - - -Scottish lochs form a striking feature in the landscape, and must have -been still more fitted to arrest attention in ancient times when our -land was more densely wooded than it is now. Dr. Hugh Macmillan, -in his "Holidays on High Lands," alludes to the differences in -the appearance of our lochs. "There are moorland tarns," he says, -"sullen and motionless as lakes of the dead, lying deep in sunless -rifts, where the very ravens build no nests, and where no trace of -life or vegetation is seen--associated with many a wild tradition, -accidents of straying feet, the suicide of love, guilt, despair. And -there are lochs beautiful in themselves and gathering around them -a world of beauty; their shores fringed with the tasselled larch; -their shallows tesselated with the broad green leaves and alabaster -chalices of the water-lily, and their placid depths mirroring the -crimson gleam of the heather hills and the golden clouds overhead." - -Near the top of Mealfourvounie, in Inverness-shire, is a small lake -at one time believed to be unfathomable. How this notion arose it -is difficult to say, for when soundings were taken the depth was -found to be inconsiderable. In the parish of Penpont, Dumfriesshire, -about a mile to the south of Drumlanrig, is a small sheet of water -called the Dow, or Dhu Loch, i.e., Black Loch. Till towards the -end of last century the spot was much frequented for its healing -water. A personal visit was not essential. When a deputy was sent -he had to bring a portion of the invalid's clothing and throw it -over his left shoulder into the loch. He then took up some water in a -vessel which he carefully kept from touching the ground. After turning -himself round sun-ways he carried the water home. The charm would be -broken if he looked back or spoke to anyone by the way. Among the -people of the district it was a common saying, when anyone did not -respond to the greeting of a passer-by, that he had been at the Dow -Loch. Pilgrimages to the loch seem to have been specially popular -towards the close of the seventeenth century, for in the year 1695 -the Presbytery of Penpont consulted the Synod of Dumfries about the -superstitious practices then current. The Synod, in response to the -appeal, recommended the clergy of the district to denounce from their -pulpits such observances as heathenish in character. There were persons -still alive in the beginning of the present century who had seen the -offerings, left by the pilgrims, floating on the loch or lying on -its margin. To the passer-by, ignorant of the superstitious custom, -it might seem that a rather untidy family washing was in progress. - -The Church of St. Vigeans, in Forfarshire, is well known to -antiquaries in connection with its interesting sculptured stones. An -old tradition relates that the materials for the building were -carried by a water-kelpie, and that the foundations were laid on -large bars of iron. Underneath the structure was said to be a deep -lake. The tradition further relates that the kelpie prophesied that -an incumbent of the church would commit suicide, and that, on the -occasion of the first communion after, the church would sink into the -lake. At the beginning of the eighteenth century the minister of the -parish did commit suicide, and so strong was the superstition that -the sacramental rite was not observed till 1736. In connection with -the event several hundred people took up a position on a neighbouring -rising ground to watch what would happen. These spectators have passed -away, but the church remains. - -St. Tredwell's Loch in Papa-Westray, Orkney, was at one time very -famous, partly from its habit of turning red whenever anything -striking was about to happen to a member of the Royal Family, and -partly from its power to work cures. On a small headland on the east -of the loch are still to be seen the ruins of St. Tredwell's Chapel, -measuring twenty-nine feet by twenty-two, with walls fully four feet -in thickness. On the floor-level about thirty copper coins were found -some years ago, the majority of them being of the reign of Charles the -Second. At the door of the chapel there was at one time a large heap -of stones, made up of contributions from those who came to pay their -vows there. Mr. R. M. Fergusson, in his "Rambles in the Far North," -gives the following particulars about the loch:--"In olden times the -diseased and infirm people of the North Isles were wont to flock to -this place and get themselves cured by washing in its waters. Many -of them walked round the shore two or three times before entering the -loch itself to perfect by so doing the expected cure. When a person was -engaged in this perambulation nothing would induce him to utter a word, -for, if he spoke, the waters of this holy loch would lave his diseased -body in vain. After the necessary ablutions were performed they never -departed without leaving behind them some piece of cloth or bread as -a gift to the presiding genius of the place. In the beginning of the -eighteenth century popular belief in this water was as strong as ever." - -Superstitions had a vigorous life last century. Pennant, who made -his first tour in Scotland in 1769, mentions that the wells of Spey -and Drachalday, in Moray, were then much visited, coins and rags -being left at them as offerings. Nowadays holy wells are probably -far from the thoughts of persons living amid the stir and bustle -of city life, but in rural districts, where old customs linger, -they are not yet forgotten. In the country, amidst the sights and -sounds of nature, men are prone to cherish the beliefs and ways -of their forefathers. Practices born in days of darkness thus live -on into an era of greater enlightenment. "The adoration of wells," -remarks Sir Arthur Mitchell in his "Past in the Present," "may be -encountered in all parts of Scotland from John o' Groats to the -Mull of Galloway," and he adds, "I have seen at least a dozen wells -in Scotland which have not ceased to be worshipped." "Nowadays," he -continues, "the visitors are comparatively few, and those who go are -generally in earnest. They have a serious object which they desire -to attain. That object is usually the restoration to health of some -poor little child--some 'back-gane bairn.' Indeed the cure of sick -children is a special virtue of many of these wells. Anxious mothers -make long journeys to some well of fame, and early in the morning -of the 1st of May bathe the little invalid in its waters, then drop -an offering into them by the hands of the child--usually a pebble, -but sometimes a coin--and attach a bit of the child's dress to a bush -or tree growing by the side of the well. The rags we see fastened to -such bushes have often manifestly been torn from the dresses of young -children. Part of a bib or little pinafore tells the sad story of a -sorrowing mother and a suffering child, and makes the heart grieve -that nothing better than a visit to one of these wells had been found -to relieve the sorrow and remove the suffering." Mr. Campbell of Islay -bears witness to the same fact. In his "Tales of the West Highlands" -he says, "Holy healing wells are common all over the Highlands, -and people still leave offerings of pins and nails and bits of rag, -though few would confess it. There is a well in Islay where I myself -have, after drinking, deposited copper caps amongst a hoard of pins -and buttons and similar gear placed in chinks in the rocks and trees -at the edge of the 'Witches' well.'" - -A striking testimony to the persistence of faith in such wells -is borne by Mr. J. R. Walker in volume v. (new series) of the -"Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," where he -describes an incident that he himself witnessed about ten years ago -on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Mr. Walker writes, "While walking in -the Queen's Park about sunset, I casually passed St. Anthony's Well, -and had my attention attracted by the number of people about it, -all simply quenching their thirst, some probably with a dim idea -that they would reap some benefit from the draught. Standing a little -apart, however, and evidently patiently waiting a favourable moment -to present itself for their purpose, was a group of four. Feeling -somewhat curious as to their intention I quietly kept myself in the -background, and by-and-by was rewarded. The crowd departed and the -group came forward, consisting of two old women, a younger woman -of about thirty, and a pale sickly-looking girl--a child three or -four years old. Producing cups from their pockets, the old women -dipped them in the pool, filled them, and drank the contents. A -full cup was then presented to the younger woman and another to -the child. Then one of the old women produced a long linen bandage, -dipped it in the water, wrung it, dipped it in again, and then wound -it round the child's head, covering the eyes, the youngest woman, -evidently the mother of the child, carefully observing the operation -and weeping gently all the time. The other old woman not engaged in -this work was carefully filling a clear glass bottle with the water, -evidently for future use. Then, after the principal operators had -looked at each other with an earnest and half solemn sort of look, -the party wended its way carefully down the hill." - -Agricultural improvements, particularly within the present century, -have done much to abolish the adoration of wells. In many cases ancient -springs have ceased to exist through draining operations. In the -parish of Urquhart, Elginshire, a priory was founded in 1125. Towards -the end of last century the site was converted into an arable -field. The name of Abbey Well, given to the spring whence the monks -drew water, long kept alive the memory of the priory; but in recent -times the well itself was filled up. St. Mary's Well, at Whitekirk, -in Haddingtonshire, has also ceased to be, its water having been -drained off. Near Drumakill, in Drymen parish, Dumbartonshire, there -was a famous spring dedicated to St. Vildrin. Close to it was a cross -two feet and a half in height, with the figure of the saint incised -on it. About thirty years ago, however, the relic was broken up and -used in the construction of a farmhouse, and not long after, the -well itself was drained into an adjoining stream. In the middle ages -the spring at Restalrig, near Edinburgh, dedicated to St. Margaret, -the wife of Malcolm Canmore, was a great attraction to pilgrims. The -history of the well is interesting. There is reason to believe that -it was originally sacred to the Holy Rood; and tradition connects it -with the fountain that gushed out at the spot where a certain hart -suddenly vanished from the sight of King David I. Mr. Walker, in the -volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland" -already referred to, throws out the suggestion that the well may have -had its dedication changed in connection with the translation of Queen -Margaret's relics about 1251, on the occasion of her canonization. With -regard to the date of the structure forming the covering of the well, -Mr. Walker, as an architect, is qualified to give an opinion, and -from an examination of the mason marks on it he is inclined to think -that the building was erected about the same time as the west tower of -Holyrood Abbey Church, viz., about 1170. The late Sir Daniel Wilson, -in his "Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time," gives the following -account of the structure, which, however, he by mistake describes -as octagonal instead of hexagonal:--"The building rises internally -to the height of about four and a half feet, of plain ashlar work, -with a stone ledge or seat running round seven of the sides, while the -eighth is occupied by a pointed arch which forms the entrance to the -well. From the centre of the water which fills the whole area of the -building, pure as in the days of the pious queen, a decorated pillar -rises to the same height as the walls, with grotesque gurgoils, from -which the water has originally been made to flow. Above this springs -a beautifully groined roof, presenting, with the ribs that rise from -corresponding corbels at each of the eight angles of the building, -a singularly rich effect when illuminated by the reflected light from -the water below. A few years since, this curious fountain stood by -the side of the ancient and little frequented cross-road leading -from the Abbeyhill to the village of Restalrig. A fine old elder -tree, with its knotted and furrowed branches, spread a luxuriant -covering over its grass-grown top, and a rustic little thatched -cottage stood in front of it, forming altogether a most attractive -object of antiquarian pilgrimage." The spot, however, was invaded by -the North British Railway Company, and a station was planted on the -site of the elder tree and the rustic cottage, the spring and its -Gothic covering being imbedded in the buildings. Some years later -the water disappeared, having found another channel. The structure -was taken down stone by stone and rebuilt above St. David's Spring, -on the north slope of Salisbury Crags, where it still stands. - -In cases like the above, man interfered with nature and caused the -disappearance of venerated springs. But it was not always so. In the -parish of Logierait, in Perthshire, there was a spring that took the -matter into its own hands, and withdrew from public view. This was -the spring called in Gaelic Fuaran Chad, i.e., Chad's Well. An annual -market used to be held close by in honour of the saint, on the 22nd -August. The spring was gratified and bubbled away merrily. The market, -however, was at length discontinued. In consequence Fuaran Chad took -offence, and sent in its resignation. In one instance, at least, the -belief in the efficacy of a spring survived the very existence of the -spring itself. This was so in the case of a healing well near Buckie, -in Banffshire, filled up some years ago by the tenant on whose farm -it was situated. So great was its fame that some women whose infants -were weakly went to the spot and cleared out the rubbish. Water again -filled the old basin, and there the infants were bathed. While being -carried home they fell asleep, and the result was in every way to -the satisfaction of the mothers. - -Certain characteristics of water specially recommended it as an object -of worship in primæval times. Its motion and force suggested that -it had life, and hence a soul. Men therefore imagined that by due -attention to certain rites it would prove a help to them in time of -need. What may be called the anthropomorphism of fountains has left -traces on popular superstitions. The interest taken by St. Tredwell's -Loch in the national events has been already alluded to, and other -examples will be noticed in future chapters. - -One point may be mentioned here, viz., the power possessed by wells -of removing to another place. St. Fillan's Spring, at Comrie, in -Perthshire, once took its rise on the top of the hill Dunfillan, -but tradition says that it quitted its old site for the present one, -at the foot of a rock, a quarter of a mile further south. In the -article on Comrie in the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," -the well is described as "humbled indeed, but not forsaken." A -more striking instance of flitting is mentioned by Martin as having -occurred in the Hebrides. In his account of Islay, he says, "A mile -on the south-west side of the cave Uah Vearnag is the celebrated well -Toubir-in-Knahar, which, in the ancient language, is as much as to say, -'the well has sailed from one place to another'; for it is a received -tradition of the vulgar inhabitants of this isle, and the opposite isle -of Colonsay, that this well was first at Colonsay until an impudent -woman happened to wash her hands in it, and that immediately after, -the well, being thus abused, came in an instant to Islay, where it is -like to continue, and is ever since esteemed a catholicon for diseases -by the natives and adjacent islanders." Perhaps the instance that -puts the greatest strain on credulity is that of the spring dedicated -to St. Fergus on the hill of Knockfergan, in Banffshire. Tradition -reports that this spring came in a miraculous manner from Italy, -though how it travelled to its quiet retreat in Scotland we do not -know. There must have been some special attraction about the well, -for a market known as the Well-Market used to be held beside it every -year. On one occasion a fight took place about a cheese. In consequence -the market was transferred to the neighbouring village of Tomintoul, -where it continues to be held in August, under the same name. - -In his "Romances of the West of England," the late Mr. Robert Hunt -puts in a plea for the preservation of holy wells and other relics -of antiquity, though he allows "that it is a very common notion -amongst the peasantry that a just retribution overtakes those who -wilfully destroy monuments, such as stone circles, crosses, wells, -and the like," and he mentions the case of an old man who altered a -holy well at Boscaswell, in St. Just, and was drowned the following -day within sight of his house. Mr. Hunt is speaking of Cornish wells; -but the same is doubtless true of those north of the Tweed. Springs -that can fly through the air and go through certain other wonderful -performances can surely be trusted to look after themselves. - -In hot Eastern lands, fountains were held in special reverence. This -was to be expected, as their cooling waters were there doubly -welcome. In accounting for the presence of the cult in the temperate -zones of Europe, we do not need to trace it to the East as Lady -Wilde does in her "Ancient Legends of Ireland." "It could not have -originated," she says, "in a humid country ... where wells can be -found at every step, and sky and land are ever heavy and saturated -with moisture. It must have come from an Eastern people, wanderers in -a dry and thirsty land, where the discovery of a well seemed like the -interposition of an angel in man's behalf." In our own land there are -no districts where well-worship has held its ground so firmly as those -occupied by peoples of Celtic blood, such as Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, -the Isle of Man, and the Scottish Highlands. A curious instance of -the survival of water-worship among our Scottish peasantry was seen -in the custom of going at a very early hour on New-Year's morning -to get a pailful of water from a neighbouring spring. The maidens -of the farm had a friendly rivalry as to priority. Whoever secured -the first pailful was said to get the flower of the well, otherwise -known as the ream or cream of the well. On their way to the spring -the maidens commonly chanted the couplet-- - - - "The flower o' the well to our house gaes, - An' I'll the bonniest lad get." - - -This referred to the belief that to be first at the well was a good -omen of the maiden's matrimonial future. It is a far cry from archaic -water-worship to this New-Year's love charm, but we can traverse in -thought the road that lies between. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -HOW WATER BECAME HOLY. - - Change from Paganism to Christianity--Columba--Spirits of - Fountains--Hurtful Wells--Stone Circles--Superstitions - regarding them--Standing Stones and Springs--Innis - Maree--Maelrubha--Influence of early Saints--Names of - Wells--Stone-coverings--Sacred Buildings and Springs--Privilege - of Sanctuary--Some Examples--Freedstoll--Preceptory of Torphichen - and St. John's Well--Cross of Macduff and Nine-wells. - - -We come next to ask how water became holy in the folklore sense of the -word. Fortunately we get a glimpse of springs at the very time when -they passed from pagan to Christian auspices. The change made certain -differences, but did not take away their miraculous powers. We get this -glimpse in the pages of Adamnan, St. Columba's biographer, who narrates -an incident in connection with the saint's missionary work among the -Picts in the latter half of the sixth century. Adamnan tells us of a -certain fountain "famous among the heathen people, which the foolish -men, having their senses blinded by the devil, worshipped as God. For -those, who drank of this fountain, or purposely washed their hands -or feet in it, were allowed by God to be struck by demoniacal art, -and went home either leprous or purblind, or at least suffering from -weakness or other kind of infirmity. By all these things the pagans -were seduced and paid divine honour to the fountain." Columba made use -of the popular belief in the interests of the new faith, and blessed -the fountain in the name of Christ in order to expel the demons. He -then took a draught of the water and washed his hands and feet in it, -to show that it could no longer do harm. According to Adamnan the -demons deserted the fountain, and many cures were afterwards wrought -by it. In Ireland more than a century earlier, St. Patrick visited -the fountain of Findmaige, called Slan. Offerings were wont to be -made to it, and it was worshipped as a god by the Magi of the district. - -It is difficult to determine exactly from what standpoint our pagan -ancestors regarded wells. The nature-spirits inhabiting them, styled -demons by Adamnan, were malignant in disposition, if we judge by the -case he mentions; but we must not therefore conclude that they were so -in every instance. Perhaps it is safe to infer that most of them were -considered favourable to man, or the reverse, according as they were -or were not propitiated by him. Even in modern times, some springs -have been regarded as hurtful. The well of St. Chad, at Lichfield, -for instance, causes ague to anyone drinking its water. Even its -connection with the saint has not removed its hurtful qualities. In -west Highland Folk-Tales allusion is made to poison wells, and such -are even yet regarded with a certain amount of fear. In the article on -the parish of Kilsyth in the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," it -is stated that Kittyfrist Well, beside the road leading over the hill -to Stirling, was believed to be noxious. Successive wayfarers, when -tired and heated by their climb up hill, may have drunk injudiciously -of the cold water, and thus the superstition may have originated. - -Stone circles have given rise to much discussion. They are perhaps -best known by their popular name of Druidical temples. Whatever were -the other purposes served by them, there is hardly any doubt that -they were primarily associated with interments. Dr. Joseph Anderson -has pointed out that a certain archæological succession can be -traced. Thus we find first, burial cairns minus stones round them, -then cairns plus stones, and finally, stones minus cairns. At one -time there was a widely-spread belief that men could be transformed -into standing stones by the aid of magic. This power was attributed -to the Druids. There are also traditions of saints thus settling their -heathen opponents. When speaking of the island of Lewis, Martin says, -"Several other stones are to be seen here in remote places, and some -of them standing on one end. Some of the ignorant vulgar say that they -were men by enchantment turned into stones. Such monoliths are still -known to the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of Lewis as Fir Chreig, i.e., -false men. We learn from the "New Statistical Account of Scotland" -that the two standing stones at West Skeld, in Shetland, were believed -by the islanders to have been originally wizards or giants. Close to -the roadside on Maughold Head, in the Isle of Man, stands an ancient -runic cross. A local tradition states that the cross was once an -old woman, who, when carrying a bundle of wool, cursed the wind for -hindering her on her journey, and was petrified in consequence. - -With superstitions thus clinging to standing-stones it is not to -be wondered that springs in their neighbourhood should have been -regarded with special reverence. In the "Old Statistical Account of -Scotland" allusion is made to Tobir-Chalaich, i.e., Old Wife's Well, -situated near a stone circle in the parish of Keith, Banffshire, -and to another well not far from a second circle in the same -parish. The latter spring ceased to be visited about the middle -of last century. Till then offerings were left at it by persons -seeking its aid. The writer of the article on the island of Barry, -Inverness-shire, in the same work, says, "Here, i.e., at Castle-Bay, -there are several Druidical temples. Near one of these is a well -which must have been once famous for its medicinal quality, as also -for curing and preventing the effects of fascination. It is called -Tobbar-nam-buadh or the Well of Virtues." Under the heading "Beltane," -in "Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary," the following occurs:--"A town -in Perthshire, on the borders of the Highlands, is called Tillie -(or Tullie) Beltane, i.e., the eminence or rising ground of the -fire of Baal. In the neighbourhood is a Druidical temple of eight -upright stones, where it is supposed the fire was kindled. At some -distance from this, is another temple of the same kind, but smaller, -and near it a well still held in great veneration. On Beltane morning, -superstitious people go to this well and drink of it, then they make -a procession round it, as I am informed, nine times; after this, they -in like manner go round the temple." Gallstack Well, at Drumlanrig, -in Dumfriesshire, is near a group of standing stones. From examples -like the above, we may infer that some mysterious connection was -supposed to exist between standing stones and their adjacent wells. In -the Tullie Beltane instance indeed, stones and well were associated -together in the same superstitious rite. - -A striking instance of Christianity borrowing from paganism is to be -seen in the reverence paid to the well of Innis Maree, in Loch Maree, -in Ross-shire. This well has been famous from an unknown past. It -is dedicated to St. Maelrubha, after whom both loch and island are -named. Maelrubha belonged to the monastery of Bangor, in Ireland. In -the year 673, at the age of thirty-one, he settled at Applecrossan, -now Applecross, in Ross-shire, and there founded a church as the -nucleus of a conventual establishment. Over this monastery he -presided for fifty-one years, and died a natural death in 722. A -legend, disregarding historical probabilities, relates that he was -slain by a band of pagan Norse rovers, and that his body was left in -the forest to be devoured by wild beasts. His grave is still pointed -out in Applecross churchyard, the spot being marked by a pillar slab -with an antique cross carved on it. For centuries after his death -he was regarded as the patron saint, not only of Applecross, but of -a wide district around. Pennant, who visited Innis Maree in 1772, -thus describes its appearance: "The shores are neat and gravelly; -the whole surface covered thickly with a beautiful grove of oak, -ash, willow, wicken, birch, fir, hazel, and enormous hollies. In the -midst is a circular dike of stones, with a regular narrow entrance, -the inner part has been used for ages as a burial-place, and is still -in use. I suspect the dyke to have been originally Druidical, and -that the ancient superstition of Paganism had been taken up by the -saint, as the readiest method of making a conquest over the minds of -the inhabitants. A stump of a tree is shown as an altar, probably the -memorial of one of stone; but the curiosity of the place is the well of -the saint; of power unspeakable in cases of lunacy." Whatever Pennant -meant by Druidical, there is reason to believe that the spot was the -scene of pre-Christian rites. In the popular imagination the outlines -of Maelrubha's character seem to have become mixed up with those of -the heathen divinity worshipped in the district. Two circumstances -point to this. Firstly, as Sir Arthur Mitchell remarks in the fourth -volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," -"The people of the place speak often of the God Mourie instead of -St. Mourie, which may have resulted from his having supplanted the -old god." Secondly, as the same writer shows, by reference to old -kirk session records, it was customary in the parish to sacrifice a -bull to St. Mourie. This was done on the saint's day, the 25th of -August. The practice was still in existence in the latter half of -the 17th century, and was then denounced as idolatrous. - -We thus see that the sacredness of springs can be traced back through -Christianity to paganism, though there is no doubt that in some -instances it took its rise from association with early saints. In -deciding the question of origin, however, care must be taken, -for, as already indicated, the reverence anciently paid to wells -led to their selection by the early missionaries. The holy wells -throughout the land keep alive their names. An excellent example -of a saint's influence on a particular district is met with in the -case of St. Angus, at Balquhidder, in Perthshire. In his "Notes in -Balquhidder" in the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland," vol. ix. (new series), Mr. J. Mackintosh Gow remarks, -"Saint Angus, the patron saint of the district, is said to have come -to the glen from the eastward, and to have been so much struck with -its marvellous beauty that he blessed it. The remains of the stone -on which he sat to rest are still visible in the gable of one of the -farm buildings at Easter Auchleskine, and the turn of the road is -yet called 'Beannachadh Aonghais' (Angus's blessing). At this spot -it was the custom in the old days for people going westward to show -their respect for the saint by repeating, 'Beannaich Aonghais ann -san Aoraidh' (Bless Angus in the oratory or chapel), at the same -time reverently taking off their bonnets. The saint, going west, -had settled at a spot below the present kirk, and near to a stone -circle, the remains of which, and of the oratory, persons now living -remember to have seen." After alluding to another stone circle in a -haugh below the parish church manse, Mr. Gow mentions that this haugh -is the stance of the old market of Balquhidder, long a popular one -in the district. It was held on the saint's day in April and named -Feill-Aonghais, after him. In the immediate neighbourhood there is a -knoll called "Tom Aonghais," i.e., Angus's hillock. In the grounds of -Edinchip there is a curing well called in Gaelic, "Fuaran n'druibh -chasad," i.e., the Whooping-cough Well, beside the burn "Alt cean -dhroma." "It is formed of a water-worn pot hole in the limestone -rock which forms the bed of the burn, and is ten or twelve inches in -diameter at the top and six inches deep. There must be a spring running -into the hollow through a fissure, as no sooner is it emptied than -it immediately refills, and contains about two quarts of water. The -well can easily be distinguished by the large moss-covered boulder, -round and flat, like a crushed ball, and about seven feet in diameter, -which overshadows it, and a young ash tree of several stems growing -by its side." This well was famous for the cure of whooping-cough, -and children were brought to it till within recent years. The water -was given in a spoon made from the horn of a living cow. When the -patients could not visit the spring in person, a bottleful of the -healing liquid was taken to their homes, and there administered. The -district round the lower waters of Loch Awe, now comprising the united -parishes of Glenorchy and Inishail was held to be under the patronage -of Connan. There is a well at Dalmally dedicated to him. According -to a local tradition he dwelt beside the well and blessed its water. - -In addition to springs named after particular saints, there are some -bearing the general appellation of Saints' Wells or Holy Wells. There -are Holy Rood and Holy Wood Wells, also Holy Trinity and Chapel -Wells. There are likewise Priors', Monks', Cardinals', Bishops', -Priests', Abbots', and Friars' Wells. Various springs have names -pointing to no ecclesiastical connection whatever. To this class -belong those known as Virtue Wells, and those others named from the -various diseases to be cured by them. On the Rutherford estate, -in the parish of West Linton, Peeblesshire, there is a mineral -spring called Heaven-aqua Well. Considering the name, one might -form great expectations as to its virtues. There is much force in -the remarks of Dr. J. Hill Burton, in his "Book Hunter." He says, -"The unnoticeable smallness of many of these consecrated wells makes -their very reminiscence and still semi-sacred character all the more -remarkable. The stranger in Ireland, or the Highlands of Scotland, -hears rumours of a distinguished well, miles on miles off. He thinks -he will find an ancient edifice over it, or some other conspicuous -adjunct. Nothing of the kind. He has been lured all that distance, -over rock and bog, to see a tiny spring bubbling out of the rock, -such as he may see hundreds of in a tolerable walk any day. Yet, -if he search in old topographical authorities, he will find that the -little well has ever been an important feature of the district; that -century after century it has been unforgotten; and, with diligence he -may perhaps trace it to some incident in the life of the saint, dead -more than 1200 years ago, whose name it bears." There are a few wells -with a more or less ornamental stone covering, such as St. Margaret's -Well, in the Queen's Park, Edinburgh, and St. Michael's Well, at -Linlithgow. St. Ninian's Well, at Stirling, and also at Kilninian, -in Mull; St. Ashig's Well, in Skye; St. Peter's Well, at Houston, -in Renfrewshire; Holy Rood Well, at Stenton, in Haddingtonshire; -and the Well of Spa, at Aberdeen, also belong to this class. - -As already indicated, standing stones and the wells near them were -associated together in the same ritual act. A curious parallelism -can be traced between this practice and one connected with Christian -places of worship. Near the Butt of Lewis are the ruins of a chapel -anciently dedicated to St. Mulvay, and known in the district as -Teampull-mòr. The spot was till quite lately the scene of rites -connected with the cure of insanity. The patient was made to walk -seven times round the ruins, and was then sprinkled with water from -St. Ronan's Well hard by. In Orkney it was believed that invalids -would recover health by walking round the Cross-kirk of Wasbister -and the adjoining loch in silence before sunrise. In some instances -sacred sites were walked round without reference to wells, and, in -others, wells without reference to sacred sites. But when the two were -neighbours they were often included in the same ceremony. In the early -days when Christianity was preached, the structures of the new faith -were occasionally planted close to groups of standing stones, and it -may be assumed that in some instances, at least, the latter served to -supply materials for building the former. Even in our own day it is -not uncommon for Highlanders to speak of going to the clachan, i.e., -the stones, to indicate that they are going to church. The reverence -paid to the pagan sites was thus transferred to the Christian, and -any fountain in the vicinity received a large share of such reverence. - -In former times, both south and north of the Tweed, churches and -churchyards were regarded with special veneration as affording -an asylum to offenders against the law. In England the Right of -Sanctuary was held in great respect during Anglo-Saxon times, and -after the Norman Conquest laws were passed regulating the privileges -of such shelters. When a robber or murderer was pursued, he was free -from capture if he could reach the sacred precincts. But he had to -enter unarmed. His stay there was only temporary. After going through -certain formalities he was allowed to travel, cross in hand, to some -neighbouring seaport to quit his country for ever. In the reign of -Henry VIII., however, a statute was passed forbidding criminals thus -to leave their native land on the ground that they would disclose state -secrets, and teach archery to the enemies of the realm. In the north of -England, Durham and Beverley contained noted sanctuaries. In various -churches there was a stone seat called the Freedstoll or Stool of -Peace, on which the criminal, when seated, was absolutely safe. Such a -seat, dating from the Norman period, is still to be seen in the Priory -Church at Hexham, where the sanctuary was in great request by fugitives -from the debatable land between England and Scotland. The only other -Freedstoll still to be found in England is in Beverley Minster. The -Right of Sanctuary was formally abolished in England in the reign of -James I., but did not cease to be respected till much later. Such being -the regard in the middle ages for churches and their burying-grounds, -it is easy to understand why fountains in their immediate neighbourhood -were also reverenced. Several sanctuaries north of the Tweed were -specially famous. In his "Scotland in the Middle Ages," Professor -Cosmo Innes remarks, "Though all were equally sacred by the canon, -it would seem that the superior sanctity of some churches, from -the relics presented there, or the reverence of their patron saints, -afforded a surer asylum, and thus attracted fugitives to their shrines -rather than to the altars of common parish churches." The churches of -Stow, Innerleithen, and Tyningham were asylums at one time specially -favoured. The church on St. Charmaig's Island, in the Sound of -Jura--styled also Eilean Mòr or the Great Island--was formerly a noted -place of refuge among the Inner Hebrides. So much sanctity attached to -the church of Applecross that the privileged ground around it extended -six miles in every direction. In connection with his visit to Arran, -Martin thus describes what had once been a sanctuary in that island: -"There is an eminence of about a thousand paces in compass on the -sea-coast in Druim-cruey village, and it is fenced about with a stone -wall; of old it was a sanctuary, and whatever number of men or cattle -could get within it were secured from the assaults of their enemies, -the place being privileged by universal consent." The enclosure was -probably an ancient burying-ground. - -The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knights -of Rhodes, and also as the Hospitallers, received recognition in -Scotland as an Order about the middle of the twelfth century. They -had possessions in almost every county, but their chief seat was at -Torphichen, in Linlithgowshire, where the ruins of their preceptory -can still be seen. This preceptory formed the heart of the famous -sanctuary of Torphichen. In the graveyard stands a stone, resembling -an ordinary milestone with a Maltese cross carved on its top. All the -ground enclosed in a circle, having a radius of one mile from this -stone, formed a sanctuary for criminals and debtors. Other four stones -placed at the cardinal points showed the limits of the sanctuary on -their respective sides. At some distance to the east of the preceptory -is St. John's Well, "to which," the writer of the article in the -"New Statistical Account of Scotland" says, "the Knights of St. John -used to go in days of yore for a morning draught;" and he adds, -"whether its virtues were medicinal or of a more hallowed character -tradition can not exactly inform us, but still its waters are thought -to possess peculiar healing powers, if not still rarer qualities which -operate in various cases as a charm." Perhaps no Scottish sanctuary -has been more talked about than the one at Holyrood Abbey, intended -originally for law-breakers in general, but latterly for debtors -only. De Quincey found a temporary home within its precincts. Through -recent legislation, chiefly through the Debtors (Scotland) Act of -1880, the sanctuary has been rendered unnecessary, and its privileges, -though never formally abolished, have accordingly passed away. - -In a pass of the Ochils, near Newburgh, overlooking Strathearn, is a -block of freestone three and a half feet high, four and a half feet -long, and nearly four feet broad at the base. This formed the pedestal -of the celebrated cross of Macduff, and is all that remains of that -ancient monument. The shaft of the cross was destroyed at the time -of the Reformation, in the sixteenth century. In former days the spot -was held to be a privilege and liberty of girth. When anyone claiming -kinship to Macduff, Earl of Fife, within the ninth degree committed -slaughter in hot blood and took refuge at the cross, he could atone -for his crime by the payment of nine cows and a colpindach or year-old -cow. Those who could not make good their kinship were slain on the -spot. Certain ancient burial mounds, at one time to be seen in the -immediate neighbourhood, were popularly believed to be the graves -of those who thus met their death, and a local superstition asserted -that their shrieks could be heard by night. A fountain, known as the -Nine Wells, gushes out not far from the site of the cross, and in -it tradition says that the manslayer who was entitled to claim the -privilege of sanctuary washed his hands, thereby freeing himself from -the stain of blood. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -SAINTS AND SPRINGS. - - Columba's Miracle--His Wells--Deer--Drostan's - Springs--His Relics--His Fairs--His Connection with - Caithness--Urquhart--Adamnan--His Wells--Tom Eunan--Feil - Columcille--Adamnan's Visit to Northumbria--His Church - Dedications--Kieran--His Cave--Campbeltown--Book of - the Gospels--Kieran's Church at Errigall-keroge--His - Wells--Bridget--Her Legend--Bridewell--Bridget's - Wells--Abernethy--Torranain--Ninian--His Influence--His - Cave--Candida Casa--Ninian and Martin--Ninian's - Springs--St. Martin's Well--Martinmas--Martin of Bullion's - Day--Bullion Well--Kentigern--Fergus--Arbores Sancti - Kentigerni--His Wells--Thanet Well--St. Enoch's Well--Cuthbert--His - Wells and Bath--His Career--Palladius--His Miracle--Paldy's - Well and Paldy's Fair--His Chapel--Ternan--His Wells--Church - of Arbuthnot--Brendan--Bute--Kilbrandon Sound--Well at - Barra--Boyndie and Cullen--Machar--His Cathedral and - Well--Tobar-Mhachar--Constantine--Govan--Kilchouslan - Church--St. Cowstan's Well--Serf--Area of his Influence. - - -The annals of hagiology are full of the connection between saints and -springs. On one occasion a child was brought to Columba for baptism, -but there was no water at hand for the performance of the rite. The -saint knelt in prayer opposite a neighbouring rock, and rising, -blessed the face of the rock. Water immediately gushed forth, and with -it the child was baptised. Adamnan, who tells the story, says that -the child was Lugucencalad, whose parents were from Artdaib-muirchol -(Ardnamurchan), where there is seen even to this day a well called by -the name of St. Columba. There are many wells in Scotland named after -him. As might be expected, one of these is in Iona. Almost all are -along the west coast and in the Hebrides. The name of Kirkcolm, in -Wigtownshire, signifies the Church of Columba. The parish contains -a fountain dedicated to him, known as Corswell or Crosswell, -from which the castle headland and lighthouse of Corsewall have -derived their name. A certain amount of sanctity still clings to the -fountain. Macaulay, in his "History of St. Kilda" published in 1764, -describes a spring there called by the inhabitants Toberi-Clerich, -the cleric in question being, according to him, Columba. "This well," -he says, "is below the village, ... and gushes out like a torrent -from the face of a rock. At every full tide the sea overflows it, -but how soon that ebbs away, nothing can be fresher or sweeter than -the water. It was natural enough for the St. Kildians to imagine -that so extraordinary a phenomenon must have been the effect of some -supernatural cause, and one of their teachers would have probably -assured them that Columba, the great saint of their island and -a mighty worker of miracles, had destroyed the influence which, -according to the established laws of nature, the sea should have had -on that water." This spring resembles one in the parish of Tain, in -Ross-shire, known as St. Mary's Well. The latter is covered several -hours each day by the sea, but when the tide retires its fresh, -sweet water gushes forth again. - -According to an old tradition, Drostan, a nephew of Columba, -accompanied the latter when on a journey from Iona to Deer in -Buchan, about the year 580, and was the first abbot of the monastery -established there. The name of the place, according to the "Book -of Deer," was derived from the tears (in Gaelic, der or deur, a -tear), shed by Drostan on the departure of his uncle. In reality, -the name comes from the Gaelic dair, signifying an oak. There are -five springs dedicated to Drostan. They are all in the east country, -between Edzell and New Aberdour. At the latter place his relics were -preserved, and miracles of healing were wrought at his tomb. The -spring near Invermark Castle is popularly known as Droustie's Well. A -market, called St. Drostan's Fair, is still held annually at Old -Deer in December. Insch, in Aberdeenshire, has also a St. Drostan's -Fair. Drostan was reverenced in Caithness, where he was tutelar saint -of the parishes of Halkirk and Canisbay. In "The Early Scottish Church" -the Rev. Dr. M'Lauchlan mentions that Urquhart in Inverness-shire, -was called Urchudain, Maith Dhrostan, i.e., St. Drostan's Urquhart. - -Adamnan, Columba's biographer, became abbot of Iona in 679, and -died there in 704. There are wells to him at Dull, in Perthshire, -and at Forglen in Banffshire. His name occurs in Scottish -topography, but shortened, and under various disguises. In the -form of St. Oyne he has a well in Rathen parish, Aberdeenshire, -where there is a mound--probably an ancient fortified site--also -called St. Oyne's. About six miles north-east of Kingussie, in -Inverness-shire, is the church of the quoad sacra parish of Inch, -on a knoll projecting into the loch of the same name. The knoll is -called Tom Eunan, i.e., the hill of Adamnan, to whom the church -was dedicated. Within the building is still to be seen a fine -specimen of the four-cornered bronze bell used in the early Celtic -church. According to a local tradition it was once carried off, but -kept calling out, "Tom Eunan! Tom Eunan!" till brought back to its -home. We find that Adamnan and Columba were associated together in -the district. An annual gathering, at one time held there in honour -of the latter, was named Feil Columcille, i.e., Columba's Fair, and -was much resorted to. Women usually appeared on the occasion in white -dresses in token of baptism. An old woman, who died in 1882, at the age -of ninety, was in the habit of showing the white dress worn by her in -her young days at the fair. It finally served her as a shroud. Adamnan -visited the Northumbrian court when Egfrid was king. His errand was -one of peace-making; for he went to procure the release of certain -Irish captives who had been made prisoners by Egfrid, During his stay -in Northumbria he became a convert to the Roman view as against the -Celtic in the two burning questions of that age, viz., the time for -holding Easter, and the nature of the tonsure. Though he did not get -his friends in Scotland to see eye to eye with him on these points, -he seems to have been generally popular north of the Tweed. Eight -churches at least were dedicated to him, mainly in the east country -between Forvie, in Aberdeenshire, and Dalmeny, in West Lothian. One of -these dedications was at Aboyne. Skeulan Well there contains Adamnan's -name in a corrupted form. - -Kieran, belonging like Columba to the sixth century, was also like -him from Ireland. He selected a cave some four miles from Campbeltown -as his dwelling-place, and there led the life of an ascetic. He -died in 543 in his thirty-fourth year. Pennant thus describes -the cave:--"It is in the form of a cross, with three fine Gothic -porticoes for entrances, ... had formerly a wall at the entrance, -a second about the middle, and a third far up, forming different -apartments. On the floor is the capital of a cross and a round basin -cut out of the rock, full of fine water, the beverage of the saint -in old times, and of sailors in the present, who often land to dress -their victuals beneath this shelter." This basin is more minutely -described by Captain T. P. White in his "Archæological Sketches in -Scotland." He says, "There is a small basin, nearly oval in shape, -neatly scooped out of a block, two feet long by one and a half wide, -which exactly underlies a drip of water from the roof of the cave. The -water supply is said never to have failed and always to keep the little -basin full. Tradition calls it the saint's font or holy well." Kieran -is commemorated in Kinloch-Kilkerran, the ancient name of the parish of -Campbeltown. The word means literally the head of the loch of Kieran's -cell. On one occasion Kieran dropped his book of the Gospels into a -lake. Sometime after it was recovered in an uninjured state through -the instrumentality of a cow. The cow went into the water to cool -itself, and brought out the volume attached to its hoof. Another bovine -association is connected with the building of St. Kieran's Church on a -hill at Errigall-keroge, in County Tyrone, Ireland. The saint had an ox -which, during the day, drew the materials for the building, and in the -evening was slaughtered to feed the workmen. The bones were thrown each -evening into a well at the foot of the hill, and, morning by morning, -the accommodating animal appeared ready for the day's work. The well -is still held to be miraculous. There is a spring dedicated to Kieran -at Drumlithie, in Glenbervie parish, Kincardineshire, and another -at Stonehaven, in the same county. There is one in Troqueer parish, -Kirkcudbrightshire, locally known as St. Jergon's or St. Querdon's -Well, these names being simply an altered form of Kieran. - -Bridget or Bride, an Irish saint, was popular in Scotland. She -received baptism from Patrick, and died in 525 after a life of great -sanctity. She was celebrated as a worker of miracles. She made a cow -supply an enormous quantity of milk to satisfy the wants of three -thirsty bishops who came to visit her. She also cured diseases. On one -occasion two men suffering from leprosy came to her to be healed. She -made the sign of the cross over water, and told them to wash in -it. One of the two did so and was instantly restored to health; but, -refusing to help the other, he at once became leprous again, while -his companion was as suddenly made whole. On another occasion she -used the sign of the cross to stay a company bent on the capture of -a maiden who had sought refuge in the saint's nunnery. Perhaps her -most wonderful miracle was the hanging of her gown on a sunbeam, -a somewhat unusual cloak-peg, and one that, from the nature of the -case, had not to be sought in a dark press. Her principal monastery -was at Kildare, so named after the oak (dair) under whose shade her -cell was built. Adjoining St. Bride's Churchyard in London is a spring -dedicated to the saint, and popularly styled Bride's Well. The palace -built in the immediate neighbourhood went by the name of Bridewell. It -was handed over by Edward VI. to the city of London as a workhouse -and place of correction. At a later date the name became associated -with other houses used for a similar purpose. "Hence it has arisen," -remarks Chambers in his "Book of Days," "that the pure and innocent -Bridget, the first of Irish nuns, is now inextricably connected in -our ordinary national parlance with a class of beings of the most -opposite description." There are fully a dozen wells in Scotland -bearing her name. These are chiefly to be found in the counties -of Wigtown, Dumfries, Peebles, Lanark, Renfrew, Dumbarton, Perth, -Fife, and Aberdeen. A monastery was founded in Bridget's honour at -Abernethy, in Perthshire, probably in the eighth century, and she -had churches on the mainland and among the Western Islands. A curious -superstition connected with Bridget has survived to the present time, -at least in one of these islands. It has to do with a certain magical -flower styled torranain, that must be plucked during the influx of the -tide, and is of virtue to protect cows from the evil eye, and to make -them give a plentiful supply of milk. The Rev. Dr. Stewart, in his -"'Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe," quotes the incantation associated -with it forwarded to him by a correspondent in Uist. The following -is one of the stanzas:-- - - - "Let me pluck thee, Torranain! - With all thy blessedness and all thy virtue. - The nine blessings came with the nine parts. - By the virtue of the Torranain. - The hand of St. Bride with me - I am now to pluck thee." - - -A saint who could give efficacy to a spell was quite the sort of -person to be entrusted with the custody of springs. - -Ninian, popularly called Ringan, devoted his life mainly to missionary -work among the Picts of Galloway, although he extended his influence as -far north as the Tay. He seems to have been honoured in Aberdeenshire, -if we may judge by a fresco, representing him, discovered about -thirty years ago in the pre-Reformation Church of Turriff, and -regard was had for him as far north as the Shetland Isles. Even the -Scot abroad did not forget him. Chalmers, in his "Caledonia," says -that, "in the church of the Carmelite Friars of Bruges in Flanders, -the Scottish nation founded an altar to St. Ninian, and endowed a -chaplain who officiated at it." A cave by the sea in the parish of -Glasserton, in Wigtownshire, was his favourite retreat. This cave was -explored about ten years ago, and several stones, marked with incised -crosses, were discovered. Ninian brought masons from France, and at -Whithorn built Candida Casa--the first stone church in Scotland. It -was in course of construction in the year 397. Ninian then heard of -the death of Martin of Tours, and to the latter the new church was -dedicated. These two saints are found side by side in the matter of -church dedications. Thus, Martin was patron of Ulbster, in Caithness: -not far off was a church to Ninian. Strathmartin, in Forfarshire, was -united in 1799 to the parish of Mains, the latter claiming Ninian as -its tutelar saint. Sinavey Spring, in Mains parish, near the site of -the ancient Castle of Fintry, is believed to represent St. Ninian's -name in a corrupted form. His springs are numerous, and have a wide -range from the counties of Wigtown and Kirkcudbright to those of Forfar -and Kincardine. There is a well to him near Dunnottar Castle, in the -last-mentioned county. In the island of Sanda, off the Kintyre coast, -is a spring named after him. It had a considerable local celebrity in -former times. St. Ninian's Well in Stirling is a familiar spot in the -district. There is a well sacred to Martin in the Aberdeenshire parish -of Cairnie. Martinmas (November 11th) came long ago into our land as -a church festival. It still remains with us as a familiar term-day. - -An incident in Martin's biography has a bearing on our subject, through -the connection between the name of the festival commemorating it and -certain of our place-names. In Scotland, the fourth of July used to -be known as Martin of Bullion's Day, in honour of the translation of -the saint's body to a shrine in the cathedral of Tours. There is some -uncertainty about the origin of the term Bullion, though, according -to the likeliest etymology, it is derived from the French bouiller, -to boil, in allusion to the heat of the weather at that time of the -year. There is an old proverb that if the deer rise up dry and lie down -dry on Martin of Bullion's Day, there will be a good gose-harvest, -i.e., an early and plentiful one. An annual fair was appointed to -be held at Selkirk and in Dyce parish, Aberdeenshire, in connection -with the festival. There are traces of both Martin and Bullion in -Scottish topography. In Perthshire there is the parish of St. Martin's, -containing the estate of St. Martin's Abbey. Some miles to the east -is Strathmartin in Forfarshire, already alluded to, and not far from -it in the same county we find Bullionfield in the parish of Liff and -Benvie. It is probable that these names are in some way connected -together. In Ecclesmachan parish in Linlithgowshire, there is, as far -as we know, no trace of Martin in any dedication of chapel or spring; -but Bullion is represented. There is a spring of this name issuing -from the trap rocks of the Tor Hill. It is a mineral well. The water -is slightly impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen. In former times -it was much resorted to by health-seekers, but it is now neglected. - -Ninian consecrated a graveyard beside the Molendinar at Cathures, now -Glasgow. About a hundred years later Kentigern, otherwise Mungo, bishop -of the Strathclyde kingdom, brought to this cemetery from Carnock the -body of Fergus, an anchorite, on a cart drawn by two wild bulls. Over -the spot where Fergus was buried was built, at a later date, the crypt -of what was to have been the south transept of the cathedral, had that -portion of the structure ever been reared. The crypt is now popularly -called Blackadder's Aisle, though, as Dr. Andrew MacGeorge points -out in his "Old Glasgow," it ought to be called Fergus' Isle. It was -so named in a minute of the kirk-session in 1648, and an inscription -in long Gothic letters on a stone in the roof of the aisle tells the -same tale. Kentigern took up his abode on the banks of the Molendinar, -and gathered round him a company of monks, each dwelling in a separate -hut. In the twelfth century the spot was surrounded by a dense forest, -and in 1500 the "Arbores sancti Kentigerni" were landmarks in the -district. Kentigern's Well, now in the lower church of the cathedral, -must, from the very fact of its inclusion within the building, have -been deemed sacred before the cathedral was reared. Other examples of -wells within churches are on record, though not in Scotland. There is a -spring in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. The cathedrals of Carlisle, -Winchester, and Canterbury, and the minsters of York and Beverley, -as well as one of two English parish churches, either now have or -once had wells within their walls. The Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer -gives several examples in his "Church Lore Gleanings," and remarks, -"Such wells may have been of special service in Border churches, -which, like the cathedral of Carlisle, served as places of refuge -for the inhabitants in case of sudden alarm or foray." - -Besides his well in the cathedral, Kentigern had another dedicated to -him at Glasgow, close to Little St. Mungo's Church, in the immediate -neighbourhood of the trees already mentioned. There are fully a dozen -wells sacred to him north of the Tweed. As might be expected, these are -almost all to be found in the counties south of the Forth and Clyde, -and particularly in those to the west of that district. There is one -in Kincardineshire, at Kinneff, locally known as Kenty's Well. Under -the name of St. Mongah's Well there is a spring dedicated to him -in Yorkshire at Copgrove Park four miles from Boroughbridge. A -bath close by, supplied with water from this spring, was formerly -much frequented by invalids of all ages, who remained immersed for -a longer or shorter time in its intensely cold water. Other wells -to Kentigern are to be met with in the north of England. The parish -of Crossthwaite in Cumberland has its church dedicated to him. The -spot was the thwaite or clearing in the wood where he set up his -cross. Thanet Well, in Greystoke parish in the same county, is believed -to have derived its name from Tanew or Thenew, Kentigern's mother, -familiar to the citizens of Glasgow as St. Enoch. St. Enoch's Well, -close to St. Enoch's Square in that burgh, used to be a favourite -resort of health-seekers. It has now no existence. - -Cuthbert, besides a well at St. Boswell's, in Roxburghshire, had a bath -in Strath Tay, a rock-hewn hollow full of water where he periodically -passed several hours in devotion. This famous Northumbrian missionary -was born about 635, and spent his early boyhood as a shepherd on the -southern slopes of the Lammermoors. He lived for thirteen years as a -monk in the monastery of Old Melrose, situated two miles east from the -present Melrose on a piece of land almost surrounded by the Tweed. On -the death of Boisil, Cuthbert was appointed prior. He afterwards -became bishop of Lindisfarne. During his stay at Melrose he visited -the land of the Niduarian Picts, in other words the Picts of Galloway, -and left a record of his journey in the name of Kirkcudbright, i.e., -the Church of Cuthbert. Various other churches were dedicated to him -in the south of Scotland and in the north of England. A well-known -Edinburgh parish bears his name. He was honoured as far south as -Cornwall. St. Cuby's Well, locally called St. Kilby's, between Duloe -and Sandplace in that county is believed to have been dedicated to him. - -There is a good deal of uncertainty about the history of Palladius. He -is believed to have been a missionary from Rome to the Irish in the -fifth century, and to have suffered martyrdom for the faith. It is -recorded of him that on one occasion, by removing some turf in the -name of the Holy Spirit, he caused a spring to gush forth to supply -water for baptism. He is popularly associated with Kincardineshire, -though there is reason to believe that he had no personal connection -with the district. A spring in Fordoun parish is locally known as -Paldy's Well, and an annual market goes by the name of Paldy's or -Paddy's Fair. A chapel was dedicated to him there, and received his -relics, brought thither by his disciple Terrananus, whose name is -still preserved in Banchory-Ternan, and who seems to have belonged -to the district. Ternan has a well at Banchory-Devenick, and another -at Kirkton-of-Slains, in Buchan. The old church of Arbuthnot was -dedicated to him. It was for this church that the Missal, Psalter, -and Office of the Virgin, now in the possession of Viscount Arbuthnot, -were written and illuminated towards the end of the fifteenth century, -these being the only complete set of Service-Books of a Scottish -Church that have come down to us from pre-Reformation times. - -Brendan of Clonfert in Ireland, visited several of the Western Isles -during the first half of the sixth century, and various churches were -afterwards dedicated to him there. He is connected also with Bute. The -name Brandanes, applied to its inhabitants, came from him, and he bids -fair to be remembered in the name of Kilbrandon Sound, between Arran -and Kintyre. He was patron of a well in the island of Barra and was -tutelar saint of Boyndie and Cullen in Banffshire; but we are not -aware that any well at either of these places was called after him. - -A curious legend is related to account for the origin of the See -of Aberdeen. According to it Machar or Macarius, along with twelve -companions, received instructions from Columba to wander over Pictland, -and to build his cathedral-church where he found a river making a -bend like a bishop's staff. Such a bend was found in the Don at Old -Aberdeen. St. Machar's Cathedral, built beside it, keeps alive the -saint's memory. In the neighbouring grounds of Seton is St. Machar's -Well. Though now neglected, it was honoured in former times, and -its water was used at baptisms in the cathedral. Under the name of -Mocumma or Mochonna, Macarius appears as one of the followers of -Columba on his memorable voyage from Ireland to Iona. He is said to -have visited Pope Gregory the Great at Rome, and to have been for a -time bishop of Tours. In Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, is a well sacred -to him called Tobar-Mhachar, pronounced in the district Tobar-Vacher. - -Constantine, known also by his other names of Cowstan, Chouslan, -and Cutchou, was a prince of Cornwall in the sixth century, and was -acquainted with Columba and Kentigern. He relinquished his throne -and crossed over to Ireland, where he turned monk. At a later date -he came to the west of Scotland, and founded a monastery at Golvedir, -believed to be Govan, near Glasgow, and, according to Fordun, became -its abbot. Kilchouslan Church, on the north side of Campbeltown Bay, -Kintyre, was built in his honour. In its graveyard there is, or was -till quite lately, a round stone about the size of a grinding stone. In -the centre is a hole large enough to let the hand pass through. There -is a tradition that if a man and woman eloped, and were able to join -hands through this hole before being overtaken by their kinsfolk they -were free from further pursuit. In the spring of 1892 an interesting -find of old coins was made in the same graveyard. These consisted of -groats and half-groats, some of English and some of Scottish coinage, -the earliest belonging to the reign of Edward II. of England. According -to Martin, the well of St. Cowstan at Garrabost, in Lewis, was believed -never to boil any kind of meat, though its water was kept over the fire -for a whole day. This well is on a steep slope at the shore. Not far -off once stood St. Cowstan's Chapel, but its site is now under tillage. - -Serf or Servanus, who flourished during the latter half of the seventh -century, was connected with the district north of the Firth of Forth, -particularly with Culross, and the island named after him in Loch -Leven, where he founded a monastery. At Dysart, Serf had a cave, and -in it tradition says that he held a discussion with the devil. The -name of Dysart indeed, comes from this desertum or retreat. Serf -had a cell at Dunning, in Strathearn, where he died in the odour -of sanctity. He had also some link with the parish of Monzievaird, -where the church was dedicated to him, and where a small loch still -goes by the name of St. Serf's Water. There is a well sacred to him at -Alva. St. Shear's Well, at Dumbarton, retains his name in an altered -form. Early last century this spring was put to a practical purpose, -as arrangements were then made to lead its water across the Leven by -pipes to supply the burgh. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -MORE SAINTS AND SPRINGS. - - Ronan--Dow Well--Influence on Topography--Ronan's - Springs--Pol Ronan and Feill Ronan--Fergus--His Well in - Banffshire--Glamis--His Relics--His Wells at Montrose and - Wick--Helen--St. Helen's Kirk--Her Springs--Her connection - with Britain--Her Wells and Churches in England--Welsh - Traditions--St. Abb's Well--Ebba--Aidan--His Wells--Boisil--His - Springs--St. Boswell's Fair--Bathan--Abbey St. Bathan's--His Well - there--Boniface--His Well and Fair at Rosemarkie--Catherine - of Alexandria--Her Legend--Her Wells--Various other - Dedications--Lawrence--His Wells--St. Lawrence's Fair--His - Church Dedications--Laurencekirk--Margaret--Her connection with - Queensferry and Forfar--Her Wells at Edinburgh--Her Cave and - Spring at Dunfermline--Wells dedicated to various Characters in - Sacred Story. - - -In any notice of early saints Ronan must not be forgotten, especially -when we remember that perhaps no spring, thanks to Sir Walter Scott, -is so familiar to the general reader as St. Ronan's Well. It has -been commonly identified with the mineral well at Innerleithen, in -Peeblesshire for long held in much favour in cases of eye and skin -complaints, and also for the cure of dyspepsia. The spring is situated -a short distance above the town on the skirt of Lee Pen. The writer of -the article on Innerleithen parish in the "New Statistical Account of -Scotland" says that this spring "was formerly called the 'Dow-well' -from the circumstance that, long before the healing virtues of the -water were discovered, pigeons from the neighbouring country resorted -to it." The name, however, is more probably derived from the Gaelic -dhu or dubh, signifying black. This is all the more likely when we -remember that the ground around was wet and miry before the spring -was put into order, and the present pump-room built, in 1826. We -find marks of Ronan in Scottish topography. In Dumbartonshire is -Kilmaronock, meaning, literally, the Church of my little Ronan; -Kilmaronog near Loch Etive has the same signification. Dr. Skene -refers to these two dedications, and adds, "Ronan appears to have -carried his mission to the Isles. He has left his trace in Iona, -where one of the harbours is Port Ronan. The church, afterwards the -parish church, was dedicated to him, and is called Teampull Ronaig, -and its burying-ground, Cladh Ronan. Then we find him at Rona, in the -Sound of Skye, and another Rona, off the coast of Lewis; and, finally, -his death is recorded in 737 as Ronan, abbot of Cinngaradh or Kingarth, -in Bute." Ronan is patron of various springs. There is one sacred to -him near Kilmaronock, another in the Aberdeenshire parish of Strathdon, -and another, already referred to, beside Teampull Mòr, in the Butt -of Lewis. The parish of Strowan, now joined to that of Monzievaird, -has a well to the saint. This was to be expected, since the name of the -parish is merely an altered form of St. Rowan or Ronan. About a hundred -yards above the bridge of Strowan, there is a deep pool in the river -Earn, called Pol-Ronan, and a piece of ground hard by was formerly the -site of the yearly gathering known as Feill-Ronan or St. Ronan's Fair. - -The parish of St. Fergus, in Buchan, known till the year 1616 as -Langley, commemorates an Irish missionary of the eighth century, who -led a roving life, if we can believe the tradition, that he evangelised -Caithness, Buchan, Strathearn, and Forfarshire, as well as attended an -Ecclesiastical Council at Rome. The legend that his well in Kirkmichael -parish, Banffshire, was at one time in Italy may be connected with -his visit to Rome. Concerning this spring, the Rev. Dr. Gregor gives -the following particulars:--"Fergan Well is situated on the south-east -side of Knock-Fergan, a hill of considerable height on the west side -of the river Avon, opposite the manse of Kirkmichael. The first Sunday -of May and Easter Sunday were the principal Sundays for visiting it, -and many from the surrounding parishes, who were affected with skin -diseases or running sores, came to drink of its water, and to wash in -it. The hour of arrival was twelve o'clock at night, and the drinking -of the water and the washing of the diseased part took place before -or at sunrise. A quantity of the water was carried home for future -use. Pilgrimages were made up to the end of September, by which time -the healing virtues of the water had become less. Such after-visits -seem to have begun in later times." Fergus died at Glamis, and his -relics soon began to work cures. His head was carried off to the -monastery of Scone, and was so much esteemed in later times that, -by order of James IV., a silver case was made for it. His cave and -well are to be seen at Glamis. There is a spring dedicated to him -near Montrose, and there is another at Wick. - -Various other saintly personages have left traces of their names -in holy wells. Chalmers, in his "Caledonia," mentions that the -ancient church of Aldcamus, in Cockburnspath parish, Berwickshire, -was dedicated to Helen, mother of Constantine, and that its ruins were -known as St. Helen's Kirk. A portion of the building still stands. To -the north of it is a burying-ground; but, curiously enough, as Mr. Muir -points out in his "Ancient Churches of Scotland," the spot does not -appear ever to have been used for purposes of sepulture. We do not know -surely of any spring to Helen in the immediate neighbourhood, but there -is one at Darnick, near Melrose. Another is in Kirkpatrick-Fleming -parish, Dumfriesshire. Perhaps the best known is St. Helen's Well, -beside the highway from Maybole to Ayr, about two-and-a-half miles -from the former town. It was much resorted to on May Day for the -cure of sickly children. On Timothy Pont's map, of date 1654, there -is a "Helen's Loch" marked a little to the south-west of Camelon, -in Stirlingshire. Some writers have attempted to claim Helen as -a native of Britain, and Colchester and York have, for different -reasons, been fixed on as her birth-place. The circumstance that -Constantine was proclaimed Emperor at the latter town, on the -death there of his father, Constantius Chlorus, probably gave rise -to the tradition. Anyhow, Helen seems to have been held in high -honour in England. In an article in the "Archæological Journal" -for December, 1891, Mr. Edward Peacock mentions that there are at -least fifteen wells named after her south of the Tweed. He adds, -"there are many churches dedicated to the honour of St. Helen in -England, but they are very irregularly distributed. None seems to -occur in Cumberland, Westmoreland, or Essex. The rest of the English -shires, for which we have authentic information, give the following -results:--Devonshire, three; Durham, two; Kent, one; Lincolnshire, -twenty-eight; Northumberland, three; Nottinghamshire, fifteen; -Yorkshire, thirty-two." Helen's name occurs in Welsh legends; but, -as Mr. Peacock observes, "early history is so much distorted in them, -that, if we did not know of her from more authentic sources, we might -well believe Helen to have been a mere creation of the fervid Keltic -imagination." As far as is known there are neither wells nor church -dedications to her in the Principality. - -At Ayton, in Berwickshire, we find St. Abb's Well, recalling Abb or -Æbba, who, in the seventh century, presided over a monastery on the -headland still bearing her name, and in whose honour the priory at -Coldingham was founded by Edgar, son of Malcolm Canmore, some four -centuries and a half later. Her monastery on the headland was founded -by Aidan, who was sent from Iona to the North of England in response -to a request from King Oswald, of Bernicia, for a missionary to preach -Christianity to his pagan subjects. This was about the year 635. Aidan -made the island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland, -his head-quarters. It is still known as Holy Island. Aidan has not -been forgotten in the matter of wells. There are four to him, viz., -at Menmuir and at Fearn, in Forfarshire; at Balmerino, in Fife; and -at Cambusnethan, in Lanarkshire. This last, called St. Iten's Well, -was noted for the cure of asthma and skin-disease. - -Boisil, abbot of the monastery of Old Melrose, about the middle of -the seventh century, still lives in the name of the Roxburghshire -village and parish of St. Boswell's. There is a spring in the parish -bearing the name of The Well-brae Wall. Boswell's own spring is -popularly styled the Hare-well. Not far from both is St. Boswell's -Burn, a tributary of the Tweed. The local fair held on July 18th, in -honour of the saint, used to be a notable one in the border counties, -and was frequented by large numbers of gipsies who set up booths for -the sale of their wares. - -Bathan, who flourished in the early seventh century, had to -do with Shetland, and with the region about the Whittadder, in -Berwickshire. Abbey St. Bathans, in the latter county, is named after -him. His well is on one of the haughs beside the river, not far from -the ruined nunnery. Its water is believed never to freeze. - -Boniface belonged to the same century. He is said to have preached -Christianity at Gowrie, in Pictavia, and afterwards at Rosemarkie, -in the Black Isle, where he died at the age of eighty, and was buried -in the church of St. Peter. A well and a fair at Rosemarkie still -keep alive his memory. - -The fame of Catherine of Alexandria travelled to Scotland at a -comparatively early period. This holy maiden was noted for her -learning. Indeed she was so wise that Maxentius the Emperor called -her a "second Plato." The Emperor's compliments, however, stopped -there, for he ordered her to be executed on account of her contempt -for paganism. The wheel, her usual attribute in art, was not the -instrument of her martyrdom, as it was miraculously destroyed. She -met her death by being beheaded, and, immediately thereafter, her -body was carried by angels to Mount Sinai. These and other legendary -incidents must have conduced to make the saint popular. St. Catherine's -Balm-well, at Liberton, Mid-Lothian, had a high reputation for -curing skin-disease. Martin speaks of a well to St. Catherine on -the south coast of Eigg, reckoned by the islanders a specific in all -kinds of disease. He gives the following account of its dedication -by Father Hugh, a priest, and of the respect paid to the spring in -consequence:--"He (the priest) obliged all the inhabitants to come to -this well, and then employed them to bring together a great heap of -stones at the head of the spring by way of penance. This being done, -he said Mass at the well, and then consecrated it; he gave each of the -inhabitants a piece of wax candle, which they lighted, and all of them -made the Dessil,--of going round the well sun-ways, the priest leading -them; and from that time it was accounted unlawful to boil any meat -with the water of this well." In the south-west of Scotland, Catherine -has, or had, three wells, viz., at Stoneykirk, at Low Drumore, and -at Old Luce, opposite the Abbey. In the north-east there are three, -viz., at Fyvie, Aberdeenshire; and in Alvah parish, Banffshire; and at -Banff itself. At Shotts, in Lanarkshire, the fountain by the roadside -immediately below the parish church is, or at least was, locally known -as Cat's or Kate's Well--a contraction of the Saint's name--reminding -one of the Kate Kennedy celebration at St. Andrews University, which -originated in connection with the gift of a bell by Bishop Kennedy in -honour of the saint. The ruins of Caibeal Cairine, i.e., Catherine's -Chapel, are in Southend parish, Kintyre, and two farms called North -and South Carine are in the immediate neighbourhood. Captain White, -when exploring the district, sought for St. Catherine's Well in the -adjoining glen, but failed to find it. A chapel to the saint once -stood in the quondam town of Kincardine in the Mearns. Its graveyard -alone remains. St. Catherine's Fair, held at Kincardine till the year -1612, was then transferred to the neighbouring Fettercairn. There -is perhaps no place-name more familiar to visitors to Inveraray -than St. Catherine's, on the opposite shore of Loch Fyne. It was in -St. Catherine's Aisle, within the parish church of Linlithgow, that -James IV. saw the mysterious apparition that warned him to beware of -Flodden. At Port-Erin, in the Isle of Man, is a spring close to the -beach, and on a stone beside it in old lettering, can be read the -piece of advice:-- - - - "St. Catherine's Well, - Keep me clean." - - -Lawrence is represented by various springs, viz., by one in -Kirkcudbrightshire, at Fairgirth; by one in Elginshire, at New Duffus; -and by two in Aberdeenshire, at Kinnord; and at Rayne, where a horse -market, called Lawrence Fair, is still held annually in August. Near -the Fairgirth spring stand the ivy-clad ruins of St. Lawrence's Chapel, -at one time surrounded by a graveyard. The parish of Slamannan, in -Stirlingshire, was anciently called St. Lawrence, its pre-Reformation -church having been dedicated to him. An excellent spring, not far -from the parish church, is known as St. Lawrence's Well. There is -reason to believe that all these dedications relate to Lawrence, -who, about the middle of the third century, suffered at Rome, by -being broiled over a slow fire, and in whose honour the Escurial in -Spain was built in the form of a gridiron--the supposed instrument -of his martyrdom. Laurencekirk, in Kincardineshire, anciently called -Conveth, received its name, not from the martyr, but from Lawrence, -archbishop of Canterbury, successor of Augustine, early in the seventh -century. He is said to have visited the Mearns. The church of Conveth -was named in his honour Laurencekirk. As far as we know, however, -there is no spring to him in the district. - -Margaret, queen and saint, wife of Malcolm Canmore, was a light -amid the darkness of the eleventh century. Indeed she was a light -to many later centuries. The secret of her beneficial influence -lay in her personal character, and she undoubtedly did much to -recommend civilisation to a barbarous age. At the same time it -must not be forgotten that through her English training she was -unable to appreciate either the speech or the special religious -institutions of her Scottish subjects, and that, accordingly, the -changes introduced by her were not all reforms. When sketching her -influence on the history of her time, the Rev. Dr. M'Lauchlan, in his -"Early Scottish Church," observes, "She was somewhat unwillingly -hindered from entering a monastery by her marriage with Malcolm, -and the latter repaid the obligation by unbounded devotion to her and -readiness to fall in with all her schemes. She was brought up in the -Anglo-Saxon Church, as that Church was moulded by Augustine and other -emissaries of Rome, and was in consequence naturally opposed to many -of the peculiarities of the Scottish Church, which was still without -diocesan bishops, and had many things in its forms of worship peculiar -to itself." Dunfermline was Malcolm's favourite place of residence, and -many were the journeys made by his wife between it and Edinburgh. The -names of North and South Queensferry, where she crossed the Forth, -tell of these royal expeditions. Malcolm and Margaret were associated -with the town of Forfar. Local topography has still its King's Muir, -and its Queen's Well to testify to the fact; and on the Inch of Forfar -Loch, where Margaret had a residence, an annual celebration was long -held in her honour. She had a spring at Edinburgh Castle, described as -"the fountain which rises near the corner of the King's Garden, on the -road leading to St. Cuthbert's Church." St. Margaret's Well--once at -Restalrig, now in the Queen's Park--has already been referred to. At -Dunfermline there is a spring in a cave where, according to tradition, -she spent many an hour in pious meditation. The cave is about seven -feet in height, fully eight in breadth, and varies in depth from -eight to eleven. "This cave," remarks the Rev. Peter Chalmers in his -"History of Dunfermline," "is situated at a short distance north from -the Tower Hill, and from the mound crossing the ravine on which part -of the town stands. There is at present a small spring well at the -bottom, the water of which rises at times and covers the whole lower -space; but anciently, it is to be presumed, there was none, or at -least it must have been covered, and prevented from overflowing the -floor, which would either have been formed of the rock or have been -paved." A considerable amount of rubbish accumulated in the cave, -but this was removed in 1877. "During the process of clearing out -the cave," remarks Dr. Henderson in his "Annals of Dunfermline," -"two stone seats or benches were discovered along the base of the -north and south sides, but there were no carvings or devices seen on -them. Near the back of the cave a small sunk well was found, but it -is now covered over with a stone flag." - -Several Scripture characters have wells named after -them. St. Matthew has springs at Kirkton, Dumfriesshire, and at -Roslin, Midlothian. St. Andrew's name is attached to wells at -Sandal, in Kintyre; at North Berwick, in East Lothian; at Shadar, -in Lewis; and at Selkirk--this last having been uncovered in 1892, -after remaining closed, it is believed, for fully three hundred -years. A spring at St. Andrews, called Holy Well, is understood to -have been dedicated either to Andrew or to Regulus. St. Paul has -springs at Fyvie and at Linlithgow; St. Philip is patron of one -in Yarrow parish, Selkirkshire; St. James has one at Garvock, in -Aberdeenshire; St. Thomas has three--at Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire; -at Crieff, in Perthshire; and near Stirling; and St. John has a -considerable number of springs. Some of these are to the Evangelist, -and some to the Baptist. It is often difficult to know to which of -the two the patronage of a given well should be ascribed. Of the four -chapels along the east wall of the lower church of Glasgow Cathedral, -the one next to St. Mungo's Well was dedicated in pre-Reformation -times to St. John the Evangelist. It would have been more appropriately -dedicated to the Baptist. St. John's Wells are to be found at Moffat, -in Dumfriesshire; at Logie Coldstone, in Aberdeenshire; near Fochabers, -in Elginshire; at Inverkeithing, Balmerino; and Falkland, in Fife; -at Kinnethmont, and in New Aberdour, in Aberdeenshire; at Marykirk, in -Kincardineshire; at Kirkton of Deskford, at Ordiquhill, and also near -the old church of Gamrie, in Banffshire; at Stranraer, in Wigtownshire; -at Dunrobin, in Sutherland; and elsewhere. There are more than a dozen -wells to St. Peter. These are to be found mainly in counties in the -south-west, and in the north-east. In the latter district there is -a well at Marnoch, in Banffshire, called Petrie's Well. - -St. Anne, the reputed mother of the Virgin, presided over wells at -Ladykirk, in Berwickshire; near the old church of St. Anne, in Dowally -parish, Perthshire; and at Glass, on the Deveron. The Virgin herself -was specially popular as the patroness of fountains. There are over -seventy dedicated to her under a variety of names, such as, St. Mary's -Well, Maria Well, &c. The town of Motherwell, in Lanarkshire, -was so called after a famous well to the Virgin. Tobermory, in -Mull--literally, Well of Mary--was originally a fountain. A village -was built beside it, in 1788, as a fishing centre for the British -Fisheries' Company. A curious legend about the now ivy-clad ruins of -the church of St. Mary in Auchindoir parish, Aberdeenshire, is thus -referred to by Mr. A. Jervise in the "Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. viii. (old series):--"According to -tradition, it was originally proposed to rebuild the church at a place -called Kirkcairns (now Glencairns) to the south of Lumsden village, -and but for the warning voice of the Virgin, who appears to have been a -good judge both of locality and soil, the kirk would have been placed -in an obscure sterile district. Besides being in the neighbourhood -of good land, fine views of the upper part of Strathbogie and of the -surrounding hills are obtained from the present site.... St. Mary's -Well is about a hundred yards to the west." - -If Michael the Archangel did not fold his wings over any Scottish -wells, he at least gave name to several. There is a St. Michael's -Spring in Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, and another at Dallas -in Elginshire. In both cases, the ancient church was dedicated to -him. Culsalmond, in Aberdeenshire, and Applegarth, in Dumfriesshire, -have, and Edinburgh once had, a St. Michael's Well. The best known is -probably the one at Linlithgow, with its quaint inscription--"Saint -Michael is kinde to straingers." Mr. J. R. Walker--to whose list -of Holy Wells in the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland," vol. v. (new series), we have been indebted for various -useful hints--remarks, "The building covering this well dates only -from 1720.... It is conjectured that the statue was taken from the -Cross-well when restored about that date and placed here to represent -St. Michael, who is the patron saint of Linlithgow Church.... With the -exception of the statue, which is undoubtedly of much earlier date -than 1720, the structure shows the utter absence of architectural -knowledge--especially Gothic--characteristic of the last century -in Scotland. Michael was tutelar saint, not only of the church, but -also of the burgh of Linlithgow. In the town Arms he is represented -with outspread wings, standing on a serpent whose head he is piercing -with a spear. He was also the guardian of the burgh of Dumfries. At -Inverlussa, in North Knapdale parish, Argyllshire, may be seen -the ancient chapel and burying-ground of Kilmichael. A well in the -immediate neighbourhood is dedicated, not to the archangel, but to -some local ecclesiastic, whose name is now forgotten. In reference to -this spring, Captain White says, "Trickling out from under a rock, -is the Priest's Well (Tobar-ant-Sagairt), famous, like many another -spring of so-called holy water, for its miraculous healing virtues. I -believe the country people have by no means lost their faith in its -powers." The extent of the archangel's popularity in Scotland is shown -by his impress on topography. Among place-names we find at least -three Kilmichaels, and there are five parishes called Kirkmichael, -respectively in the counties of Dumfries, Ayr, Perth, Ross and -Cromarty, and Banff. A chapel is said to have been dedicated to him at -a very early date on the top of the Castle Rock at Edinburgh. Another -once stood in the demesne of Lovat, where was founded, about 1232, -a Priory for French monks, who were so struck with the beauty of the -spot that they called it Beau-lieu, now Beauly. Far west, in the outer -Hebrides, he had faithful votaries. On the island of Grimisay, close to -North Uist, a chapel styled Teampull Mhicheil was built in his honour -towards the close of the fourteenth century. It was the work of Amie, -otherwise Annie, wife of John of Isla, first Lord of the Isles, and -was used by her as an oratory when prevented by rough weather from -crossing the Minch to visit her friends in Lorne. That the archangel -should have had wells named after him is therefore not surprising. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -STONE BLOCKS AND SAINTS' SPRINGS. - - Stone Beds and Chairs--Cave Life--Dwarfie Stone--Stone - Boats--Balthere--His Corpse--His Well and Cradle--Marnan--His - Influence on Topography--His Head--St. Marnan's - Chair and Well--Muchricha--Cathair Donan--St. Donan's - Well--Patrick--His Wells--St. Patrick's Vat--Quarry at - Portpatrick--Columbanus--Mark of his Hand--Kentigern's - Chair and Bed--His connection with Aberdeenshire--The Lady's - Bed--Thenew--Columba's Bed and Pillow--Holy Island--Traces - of Molio--St. Blane's Chapel--Kilmun--Inan--St. Innian's - Well--Tenant's Day--St. Inan's Chair and Springs--Kevin--Print - of Virgin's Knee--Traces of Columba at Keil--St. Cuthbert's - Stane--St. Madron's Bed--Mean-an-Tol--Morwenna--St. Fillan's - Chair--St. Fillan's Spring--Water for Sore Eyes--The Two - Fillans--Their Dedications--Queen Margaret's Seat--St. Bonnet's - Spring--The Fairies' Cradle--The Pot o' Pittenyoul--Church of - Invergowrie--Greystane--Cadger's Bridge--Wallace's Seat and Well. - - -Beds and Chairs of stone are connected with various early saints, -and as such relics are often associated with holy wells, some notice -of these may not be without interest. We have already seen that cave -life was rather popular among these early missionaries. Anything -of a rocky nature was therefore quite in line with their ascetic -ways. Hoy, one of the Orkney Islands, famous for its wild scenery, -and specially for the pillar of rock popularly styled The Old Man, -contains a curious monument of antiquity in the shape of a large -block of sandstone called The Dwarfie Stone, hollowed out long ago -by some unknown hand. The chamber, thus excavated, contains two beds -hewn out of the stone, one of them having a pillow of the same hard -material. On the floor of the chamber is a hearth where a fire had -evidently burned, and in the roof is a hole for the escape of the -smoke. Legend reports that a giant and his wife abode within; but the -hollow space was more probably the retreat of some hermit--perhaps, -of more than one, seeing there are two couches; though, possibly, -one of the supposed couches may have been a table and the other a -bed. Perhaps the anchorite had his spring whither he wandered daily -to slake his thirst; but, as far as we know, there is no tradition -regarding any holy well in the neighbourhood. - -Martin, in connection with his visit to Orkney, refers to a stone -in the chapel of Ladykirk, in South Ronaldshay, called St. Magnus's -Boat. The stone was four feet in length, and tapered away at both ends; -but its special feature was the print of two human feet on the upper -surface. A local tradition affirmed that when St. Magnus wanted on one -occasion to cross the Pentland Firth to Caithness he used this stone -as his boat, and that he afterwards carried it to Ladykirk. According -to another tradition, the stone served in pre-Reformation times for -the punishment of delinquents, who were obliged to stand barefooted -upon it by way of penance. There is a St. Magnus's Well, not in South -Ronaldshay, however, but at Birsay, in the mainland of Orkney. When -Conval crossed from Ireland to Scotland, in the seventh century, he, -too, made a block of stone do duty as a boat. It found a resting-place -beside the river Cart, near Renfrew, and was known as Currus Sancti -Convalli. By its means miraculous cures were wrought on man and -beast. A rock at the mouth of Aldham Bay, in Haddingtonshire, is known -as St. Baudron's Boat, and tradition says that he crossed on it from -the Bass, where he had a cell. This saint--called also Balthere and -Baldred--founded the monastery of Tyningham, and died early in the -seventh century. He must have been popular in the district, for, if we -can believe an old legend, the parishioners of the churches of Aldham, -Tyningham, and Prestonkirk tried to get possession of his relics. To -satisfy their demands his body was miraculously multiplied by three, -and each church was thus provided with one. Near Tantallon Castle is -St. Baldred's Well, and a fissure in the cliff at Whitberry, not far -from the mouth of the Tyne, is known as St. Baldred's Bed or Cradle. - -Marnan or Marnoch, besides giving name to the town of Kilmarnock, in -Ayrshire, and to the Island of Inchmarnoch, off Bute, is remembered in -the name of the Banffshire parish of Marnoch, where he laboured as a -missionary in the seventh century. His head was kept as a revered relic -in the church of Aberchirder, and solemn oaths were sworn by it. Use -was also made of it for therapeutic purposes. It was periodically -washed, and the water was given to the sick for the restoration of -their health. This was not an isolated case. Bede tells us, that after -Cuthbert's death, some of the water in which his body was washed, -was given to an epileptic boy along with some consecrated earth, -and brought about a cure. A stone, called St. Marnan's Chair, is, -or was till lately, to be seen at Aberchirder; and a spring, near -the parish manse, bears the saint's name. About a mile and a half -from the church of Aboyne, in Aberdeenshire, is St. Muchricha's Well, -and beside it is a stone marked with a cross. At one time, this stone -was removed. According to a local tradition, it was brought back by -Muchricha, the guardian of the well, who seemed unwilling to lose -sight of the lost property. In the parish of Kildonan, Sutherland, two -or three blocks of stone, placed in the form of a seat, went by the -name of Cathair Donan, i.e., Donan's Chair. In his cille or church, -Donan taught the truths of Christianity; and, seated in his cathair, -he administered justice to the people of the district. There is a -St. Donan's Well in Eigg, the island where the saint and his companion -clerics were murdered by the natives early in the seventh century. - -Patrick, the well-known missionary of Ireland, was reverenced also in -Scotland. There is a well dedicated to him in the parish of Muthill, -Perthshire, and close to it once stood a chapel, believed to have borne -his name. From the article on Muthill parish, in the "New Statistical -Account of Scotland," we learn that in former times the inhabitants -of the district held the saint's memory "in such veneration that, on -his day, neither the clap of the mill was heard nor the plough seen -to move in the furrow." There is a well dedicated to him in Dalziel -parish, Lanarkshire. About sixty yards from St. Patrick's temple, in -the island of Tyree, is a rock, with a hollow on the top, two feet -across and four feet deep, known to the islanders as St. Patrick's -Vat. At any rate it was so named at the end of last century. In a -quarry at Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, used in connection with the -harbour works, once flowed a spring dedicated to the saint. On the -rock below were formerly to be seen certain marks, said, by tradition, -to be the impression made by his knees and left hand. - -Columban or Columbanus, belonged, like Columba, to the sixth -century. Ireland was also his native land. When he left it he -travelled, not north like Columba, but south, and sought the sunny -lands of France and Italy. In the latter country he founded the -monastery of Bobbio among the Apennines. A writer in the "Antiquary" -for 1891 remarks, in connection with a recent visit to this monastery, -"I was taken to see a rock on the summit of a mountain called La -Spanna, near the cave to which the saint is said to have retired -for prayer and meditation. The impression of the saint's left hand -is still shown upon the face of this rock. The healing power of the -patron's hand is believed by the peasantry of the surrounding country -to linger still in the hollow marking, and many sufferers, climbing to -this spot, have found relief from laying their hand within its palm." - -In addition to his well beside the Molendinar, at Glasgow, Kentigern -had a chair and bed, both of stone. Concerning the latter, Bishop -Forbes, in his "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," says, "Kentigern's couch -was rather a sepulchre than a bed, and was of rock, with a stone for -a pillow, like Jacob. He rose in the night and sang psalms and hymns -till the second cock-crowing. Then he rushed into the cold stream, and -with eyes fixed on heaven he recited the whole psalter. Then, coming -out of the water he dried his limbs on a stone on the mountain called -Galath, and went forth for his day's work." Kentigern's work took him -beyond the limits of Strathclyde. He seems to have visited the uplands -of Aberdeenshire. The church of Glengairn, a parish now incorporated -with Tullich and Glenmuick, was probably founded by him. At any rate, -it was dedicated to him. A tradition of his untiring zeal survived -in Aberdeenshire down to the beginning of last century. According to -a proverb then current, systematic beneficence was said to be "like -St. Mungo's work, which was never done." The Isle of May, in the -Firth of Forth, has, on one of its rocky sides, a small cave called -The Lady's Bed, containing a pool in its floor. As Mr. Muir points -out in his "Ecclesiological Notes," it is traditionally associated -with Thenew, Kentigern's mother, "who," according to the legend, -"after being cast into the sea at Aberlady, was miraculously floated -to the May, and thence, in the same manner, to Culross, where she -was stranded and gave birth to the saint." Columba, when in Iona, -had a stone slab as a bed, and a block of stone as a pillow. Adamnan -mentions that, after the saint's death, this pillow stone was placed -as a monument over his grave. - -Guarding Lamlash Bay, where Haco gathered his shattered fleet after -the battle of Largs, in 1263, is Holy Island, known to the Norsemen -as Melansay. In this island is a cave, at one time inhabited by -the hermit Molio, and below it, near the beach, is his Holy Well, -for centuries reckoned efficacious in the cure of disease. A large -block of sandstone, flat on the top, with a series of recesses like -seats cut round its margin, constitutes the saint's chair and table -combined. Molio was educated in Bute by his uncle Blane, to whom the -now ruined St. Blane's Chapel was dedicated. He afterwards went to -Ireland, and was placed under Munna, who is still remembered in the -name of Kilmun, on Holy Loch, in the Firth of Clyde. - -Inan, probably the same as Finan, gave name to Inchinnan, in -Renfrewshire, though the ancient church of the parish was dedicated, -not to him, but to Conval. The church at Lamington, in Lanarkshire, -was dedicated to Inan. St. Innian's Well is in the parish. He is the -patron saint of Beith, in Ayrshire. The annual fair held there in -August is popularly called Tenant's Day--Tenant being a corruption of -St. Inan. St. Inan's Well and St. Inan's Chair keep his memory fresh -in the district. Some particulars about them are given by Mr. Robert -Love in the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland", -vol. xi.:--"This chair is in the rocky hill-face at the west end of -the Cuff hills, and from its elevated position a wide tract of country -from south to north is overlooked. At the base of the hill, and distant -from the chair some hundred yards, is a well called St. Inan's Well, -a double spring, which issues from the rock at two points close by each -other, and which is almost unapproachable in respect of its abundance -and purity. This chair is formed in part, possibly by nature, out of -the rock of the hill. Its back and two sides are closed in, while, -in front, to the west, it is open. The seat proper is above the -ground in front about two feet two inches, is two feet four inches -in breadth, and one foot four inches in depth backwards." Visitors -to the seven churches at Glendalough, in county Wicklow, Ireland, -are usually shown St. Kevin's Seat on a block of rock. As a proof of -its genuineness the mark made by the saint's leg and the impression -of his fingers are duly pointed out by the local guide. - -In Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire, the print of the Virgin's knee -was at one time shown on a stone where she knelt in prayer. There was -a chapel dedicated to her in the neighbourhood. In Southend parish, -Kintyre, are the remains of St. Columba's Chapel, standing in the -ancient burying-ground of Keil. In his "Ecclesiological Notes" Mr. Muir -observes, "Under an overhanging rock, close by on the roadside, -is St. Columba's Well, and on the top of a hillock, overlooking the -west end of the burial ground there is a flat rock bearing on its -top the impress of two feet, made, it seems, by those of the saint -whilst he stood marking out and hallowing the spot on which his chapel -should rest." In Bromfield parish, Cumberland, is a piece of granite -rock called St. Cuthbert's Stane, and near it is a copious spring of -remarkably pure water. Brand, in his "Popular Antiquities," says that -"this spring, probably from its having been anciently dedicated to -the same St. Cuthbert, is called Helly Well, i.e., Haly or Holy Well." - -Mr. R. C. Hope, in his "Holy Wells," refers to a block of stone -near St. Madron's Spring, in Cornwall, locally known as St. Madron's -Bed. We are told that "on it impotent folk reclined when they came -to try the cold water cure." In the same parish is a pre-historic -relic in the form of a granite block with a hole in the centre of -it. It is known in Cornish as Mean-an-Tol, i.e., the Stone of the -Hole. Its name in English is The Creeping Stone. Sickly children were -at one time passed through the hole a certain number of times, in the -belief that a cure would follow. This superstitious custom recalls what -was at one time done beside St. Paul's Well, in the parish of Fyvie, -Aberdeenshire. Close to the well were the ruins of an old church. One -of its stones was supported on other two with a space below. It -went by the name of The Shargar Stone--shargar signifying a weakly -child. The stone, in this instance, got its name from the custom in -the district of mothers passing their ailing children through the -space below the stone, in the belief that whatever hindered their -growth would thereby be removed. Mr. Hope recounts a tradition -concerning Morwenstowe, in Devon, and its patron saint, Morwenna, -to the effect that when the parishioners wished to build a church, -Morwenna brought a large stone from the foot of the cliff to form -the font. Feeling fatigued by the climb she laid down the stone to -rest herself, and from the spot a spring gushed forth. - -On the top of green Dunfillan, in the parish of Comrie, is a rocky seat -known in the district as Fillan's Chair. Here, according to tradition, -the saint sat and gave his blessing to the country around. Towards -the end of last century, and doubtless even later, this chair was -associated with a superstitious remedy for rheumatism in the back. The -person to be cured sat in the chair, and then, lying on his back, was -dragged down the hill by the legs. The influence of the saint lingering -about the spot was believed to insure recovery. St. Fillan's Spring, -at the hill-foot, has already been referred to, in connection with its -mysterious change of site. It was much frequented at one time by old -and young, especially on 1st May and 1st August. The health seekers -walked or were carried thrice round the spring from east to west, -following the course of the sun. The next part of the ritual consisted -in the use of the water for drinking and washing, in throwing a white -stone on the saint's cairn, near the spring, and in leaving a rag as -an offering before departing. In 1791 not fewer than seventy persons -visited the spot at the dates mentioned. The writer of the article -on Comrie in the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland" supplies these -particulars, and adds, "At the foot of the hill there is a basin made -by the saint on the top of a large stone, which seldom wants water, -even in the greatest drought, and all who are distressed with sore eyes -must wash them three times with this water." Fillan, to whom Comrie -parish is thus so much indebted, flourished about the sixth century, -and must not be confounded with the other missionary of the same name, -who dwelt more than a century later, in the straths of the Fillan -and the Dochart, between Tyndrum and Killin. Concerning the former, -Dr. Skene writes in his "Celtic Scotland": "Fillan, called Anlobar or -'the leper,' whose day is 20th June, is said in the Irish calendar to -have been of Rath Erenn in Alban, or the fort of the Earn in Scotland, -and St. Fillans, at the east end of Loch Earn, takes its name from him; -while the church of Aberdour, on the northern shore of the Firth of -Forth, is also dedicated to him." The other Fillan had his Chapel -and Holy Pool halfway between Tyndrum and Crianlarich. He is also -connected with Fife. At Pittenweem, in that county, his cave is to be -seen, and in it is his holy well, supplied with water from crevices -in the rock. At the mill of Killin, in Perthshire, once stood a block -of stone, known as St. Fillan's Chair. Close to the spot flows the -Dochart, and some person or persons, whose muscles were stronger than -their antiquarian instincts, sought not unsuccessfully to throw the -relic into the river. The Renfrewshire parish of Killallan, united in -1760 to that of Houston, got its name from Fillan. Its ancient church, -now ruined, was dedicated to him. Near the ruins, are a stone with -a hollow in it and a spring, called respectively St. Fillan's Seat -and St. Fillan's Well. - -About two miles and a half to the south-east of Dunfermline, -is a block of stone, believed to be the last remnant of a group -of pre-historic Standing Stones. According to tradition, it was -used by Queen Margaret, as a seat where she rested, when on her -way to and from the ferry over the Forth. A farm in the immediate -neighbourhood is called St. Margaret's Stone Farm, after the block -in question. In his "Annals of Dunfermline" Dr. Henderson says, -"In 1856 this stone was removed to an adjacent site, by order of the -road surveyor, in order to widen the road which required no widening, -as no additional traffic was likely to ensue, but the reverse; it is -therefore much to be regretted that the old landmark was removed. It -is in contemplation to have the old stone replaced on its old site -(as nearly as possible) and made to rest, with secure fixings, on a -massive base or plinth stone." Not far from the town of Cromarty is -St. Bennet's Spring, beside the ruins of St. Bennet's Chapel. Close to -the spot once stood a stone trough, termed The Fairies' Cradle. Hugh -Miller, in his "Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland," says -that this trough was "famous for virtues derived from the saint, like -those of the well. For, if a child was carried away by the fairies -and some mischievous imp left in its place, the parents had only to -lay the changeling in this trough, and, by some invisible process, -their child would be immediately restored to them. The Fairies' -Cradle came to a sudden end about the year 1745. It was then broken -to pieces by the parish minister, with the assistance of two of his -elders, that it might no longer serve the purposes of superstition." - -The following, from the Rev. Dr. Gregor's "Folklore of the North-East -of Scotland," has certainly nothing to do with a saint, but in other -respects, has a bearing on the subject in hand:--"The Pot o' Pittenyoul -is a small but romantic rock-pool in a little stream called the 'Burn -o' the Riggins,' which flows past the village of Newmills of Keith. On -the edge of the pool are some hollows worn away by the water and the -small stones and sand carried down by the stream. These hollows to a -lively imagination have the shape of a seat, and the story is, that -the devil, at some far-back time, sat down on the edge of the pool and -left his mark." Probably at an equally distant date, the devil made -his presence felt, further south, though in a different way. He had -great objections to a church built at Invergowrie, in Perthshire, and, -in order to knock it down, hurled a huge boulder across the Tay from -the opposite coast of Fife. We are not aware that the stone struck -the church. At any rate it can be seen in the grounds of Greystane, -a property to which, according to local tradition, it gave name. Sir -William Wallace, though never canonized, had certainly more of the -saint about him than the last-mentioned personage. We find various -traditions concerning him in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire. His -connection with Lanark is well known. At Biggar, he is said, by -Blind Harry, to have defeated the English, who greatly outnumbered -his forces. This battle took place on Biggar Moss. A few days before -the fight, he entered the enemy's camp, disguised as a cadger or -pedlar, to discover the strength of the English army. Being pursued, -he turned on his assailants while crossing a bridge over Biggar -Water, a little to the west of the town. A foot-bridge there still -goes by the name of The Cadger's Bridge. A rock with a hollow in it, -lying to the north of Vizzyberry, is locally styled Wallace's Seat, -and a spring near the spot is still known as Wallace's Well. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -HEALING AND HOLY WELLS. - - Healing and Holy--Modern Health-resorts--King's - Ease--Poorhouse of Ayr--Muswell--St. Martin's Chapel--Alum - Wells--Petrifying Springs--Peterhead--Moss of Melshach--Well - of Spa--Chapel Wells at Kirkmaiden--Medan--St. Catherine's - Balm Well--The Sciennes--St. Bernard's Well--Non-mineral - Wells--Early Saints--Water for Discipline--For - Baptism--Burghead--Lough Shanan--Tobar-an-easbuig--Poetry and - Superstition--Heljabrün--Trinity Hospital and Well--St. Mungo's - Well--Fuaran n'Gruarach--Spring in Athole--Fiddler's Well--Water - as a Prophylactic. - - -Healing and holy have an etymological kinship. The one is commonly -associated with matters relating to the body, and the other with -those relating to the soul. If the body is healed, it is said to be -whole and its owner hale; and if the soul is healed, it is said to -be holy. All these words have one idea in common, and hence we need -not wonder that healing wells were, as a rule, reckoned holy wells, -and vice versa. When speaking of the virtues of such wells, Mrs. Stone, -in her "God's Acre," puts the point exactly, if somewhat quaintly, when -she says, "Before chemistry was born, when medical science was little -known, these medical virtues, so plainly and indisputably ostensible, -were attributed to the beneficence of the saint or angel to whom the -spring had been dedicated." Many still go to Moffat, Bridge-of-Allan, -and Strathpeffer to drink the waters, but probably, none of those -health-seekers now rely on magic for a cure. It was quite otherwise -in former times. Cures wrought at Lourdes are still believed, by many, -to be due to the blessing of the water by the Virgin Mary. - -Not far from the highway between Ayr and Prestwick once stood a -lazar-house called King's Ease or King's Case, known in the sixteenth -century as Kilcaiss. Its ruins were to be seen till well on in the -present century. According to tradition, the hospital was founded -for lepers by King Robert Bruce, who was himself afflicted with a -disease believed to be leprosy. This was done as a thank-offering, -for benefit received from the water of a neighbouring well. The spring -was doubtless sacred to some saint, probably to Ninian, to whom the -hospital was dedicated, and we can safely infer that the patron got -the credit of the cure. To maintain the lepers the king gifted various -lands to the hospital, among others, those of Robertlone, in Dundonald -parish, and of Sheles and Spital-Sheles, in Kyle Stewart. The right -of presentation to the hospital was vested in the family of Wallace -of Craigie. At a later date the lands belonging to the charity passed -into other hands. In the third volume of his "Caledonia," published -in 1824, Chalmers remarks, "The only revenue that remained to it was -the feu-duties payable from the lands granted in fee-firm, and these, -amounting to 64 bolls of meal and 8 marks Scots of money, with 16 -threaves of straw for thatching the hospital, are still paid. For more -than two centuries past the diminished revenue has been shared among -eight objects of charity in equal shares of 8 bolls of meal and 1 mark -Scots to each. The leprosy having long disappeared, the persons who are -now admitted to the benefit of this charity are such as labour under -diseases which are considered as incurable, or such as are in indigent -circumstances." In the time of Charles I., the persons enjoying the -benefit of the charity lived in huts or cottages in the vicinity of -the chapel. In 1787 the right of presentation was bought from the -Wallaces by the burgh of Ayr, and the poorhouse there is thus the -lineal descendant of King Robert's hospital. Mr. R. C. Hope, in his -"Holy Wells," alludes to the interesting fact that Bruce had a free -pass from the English king to visit Muswell, near London, close to the -site of the Alexandra Palace. This well, dedicated to St. Lazarus, at -one time belonged to the hospital order of St. John's, Clerkenwell, -and was resorted to in cases of leprosy. Bruce's foundation at -Ayr recalls another at Stony Middleton, in Derbyshire. The latter, -however, was a chapel, and not a hospital. Tradition says that a -crusader, belonging to the district, was cured of leprosy by means -of the mineral water there, and that in gratitude he built a chapel -and dedicated it to his patron saint, Martin. - -In glancing at the history of holy wells, it is not difficult -to understand why certain springs were endowed with mysterious -properties. When there were no chemists to analyse mineral springs, -anyone tasting the water would naturally enough think that there was -something strange about it, a notion that would not vanish with the -first draught. The wonder, too, would grow if the water was found -to put fresh vigour into wearied frames. Alum wells, like the one -in Carnwath parish, Lanarkshire, would, through their astringent -qualities, arrest attention. A well at Halkirk, Caithness, must have -been a cause of wonder, if we judge by the description given of it -in the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," where we read, that -"on its surface lies always a thin beautiful kind of substance, that -varies like the plumage of the peacock displayed in all its glory to -the rays of the sun." - -The petrifying power of certain springs would also tend to bring them -into notice. There is a famous well of this kind near Tarras Water, -in Canonbie parish, Dumfriesshire. In Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire, -is a dropping cave, known as Peter's Paps. In former times it was -resorted to by persons suffering from whooping-cough. The treatment -consisted in standing with upturned face below the drop, and allowing -it to fall into the open mouth. For more than two centuries and -a half, the mineral waters of Peterhead have been famous for both -internal and external use, though their fame is not now so great as -formerly. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, they were spoken -of as one of the six wonders of Buchan. The principal well is situated -to the south of the town, and is popularly called the Wine Well. Its -water is strongly impregnated with carbonic acid, muriate of iron, -muriate of lime, and muriate of soda. The chalybeate spring in the -Moss of Melshach, in Kennethmont parish, had at one time a considerable -local reputation for the cure of man and beast. Clothes of the former -and harness of the latter were left beside the well. Visits were -paid to it in the month of May. Another Aberdeenshire health-resort -formerly attracted many visitors, viz., Pannanich, near Ballater, with -its four chalybeate springs. These are said to have been accidentally -discovered, about the middle of last century, but were then probably -only rediscovered. They were at first found beneficial in the case of -scrofula, and were afterwards deemed infallible in all diseases. In his -"Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland," Cordiner, under -date 1776, writes: "In coming down these hilly regions, stopped the -first night at 'Pananach-lodge:' an extensive building opposite to the -strange rocks and pass of Bolliter. There, a mineral well and baths, -whose virtues have been often experienced, are become much frequented -by the infirm. The lodge, containing a number of bed-chambers, -and a spacious public room, is fitted up for the accommodation of -those who come to take the benefit of the waters. Goat whey is also -there obtained in the greatest perfection." Almost a century later, -another visitor to the spot, viz., Queen Victoria, thus writes, -in her "More Leaves from the Journal of a Life in the Highlands": -"I had driven with Beatrice to Pannanich wells, where I had been -many years ago. Unfortunately, almost all the trees which covered -the hills have been cut down. We got out and tasted the water, which -is strongly impregnated with iron, and looked at the bath and at the -humble, but very clean, accommodation in the curious little old inn, -which used to be very much frequented." The Well of Spa, at Aberdeen, -was more famous in former times than it is now. There are two springs, -both of them chalybeate. The amount of iron in the water, however, -diminished very considerably more than fifty years ago--a change due to -certain digging operations in the neighbourhood. The present structure -connected with the well was renovated in 1851. It was built in 1670 -to replace an earlier one, repaired by George Jamieson, the artist, -but soon afterwards completely demolished by the overflowing of the -adjoining Denburn. The present building, according to Mr. A. Jervise, -in the fourth volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries -of Scotland," "bears representations of the Scottish Thistle, the -Rose of England, and the Fleur-de-lis of France, surmounting this -inscription:-- - - - 'As heaven gives me - So give I thee.' - - -Below these words is a carving of the rising sun, and the following -altered quotation from Horace:-- - - - 'Hoc fonte derivata Salus - In patriam populumque fluat.' - - -"It appears," continues Mr. Jervise, "that the virtues of this Spa were -early known and appreciated, for in 1615 record says that there was -'a long wyde stone which conveyed the waters from the spring, with -the portraicture of six Apostles hewen upon either side thereof.' It -is described as having then been 'verie old and worne.'" - -An unusual kind of holy well, viz., one, in which salt water takes -the place of fresh, is to be found in the case of the Chapel Wells -in Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire, half way between the bays of -Portankill and East Tarbet. About thirty yards to the north-west are -the ruins of St. Medan's Chapel, partly artificial and partly natural, -a cave forming the inner portion. In days gone by, the spot was much -frequented on the first Sunday of May (O.S.), called Co' Sunday, after -this cave or cove. Dr. Robert Trotter, who examined the chapel and -the wells in 1870, gives the results of the observations in the eighth -volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland" -(new series). He says, "These wells--three natural cavities in a -mass of porphyritic trap--are within the tide mark, and are filled -by the sea at high water of ordinary tides. The largest is circular, -five feet in diameter at the top, and four feet at one side, shelving -down to five feet at the other, and is wider inside than at the top, -something like a kailpot in fact, and it is so close to the edge -of the rock that at one place its side is not two inches thick. The -other wells almost touch it, and are about one foot six inches wide -and deep respectively." Sickly children were brought to be bathed, -the time selected being just before sunrise. Dr. Trotter mentions -that children are still brought occasionally, sometimes from long -distances. The ceremony described to him by an eyewitness was as -follows:--"The child was stripped naked, and taken by the spaul--that -is, by one of the legs--and plunged headforemost into the big well till -completely submerged; it was then pulled out, and the part held on by -was dipped in the middle well, and then the whole body was finished -by washing the eyes in the smallest one, altogether very like the -Achilles and Styx business, only much more thorough. An offering was -then left in the old chapel, on a projecting stone inside the cave -behind the west door, and the cure was complete." - -Much uncertainty attaches to Medan or Medana, the tutelar saint of -the spot. One legend makes her a contemporary of Ninian. According to -another, she lived about one hundred years later. Dr. Skene thinks -she is probably the same as Monenna, otherwise Edana, who is said -to have founded churches in Galloway, and at Edinburgh, Stirling -and Longforgan. Kirkmaiden parish, at one time called Kirkmaiden in -Ryndis, is believed to be named after her, like the other parish known -as Kirkmaiden in Farnes, now united to the parish of Glasserton. An -incident in her history has a bearing on the present subject. According -to the Aberdeen Breviary, she fled from her home in Ireland to escape -from the importunities of a certain noble knight who sought to marry -her. Accompanied by two handmaidens, she crossed to Galloway and took -up her abode in the Rhinns. The knight followed her. When Medana saw -him she placed herself along with her maidens on a rock in the sea. By -a miracle, this rock became a boat, and she was conveyed over the water -to Farnes. Again the knight appeared. This time Medana sought refuge -among the branches of a tree, and, from this coign of vantage, asked -her lover what it was that made him pursue her so persistently. "Your -face and eyes," replied the knight. Thereupon Medana plucked out -her eyes and threw them down at the feet of her lover, who was so -filled with grief and penitence that he immediately departed. On the -spot where her eyes fell a spring of water gushed forth, and in it -Medana washed her face, doubtless thereby restoring her sight. There -is much to favour the view taken by Dr. Trotter: that "possibly the -well was the original institution; the cave a shelter or dwelling -for the genius who discovered the miraculous virtues of the water, -and his successors; and the chapel a later edition for the benefit of -the clergy, who supplanted the old religion by grafting Christianity -upon it, St. Medana being a still later institution." - -St. Catherine's Balm Well, at Liberton, near Edinburgh, -is still considered beneficial in the treatment of cutaneous -affections. The spring is situated on a small estate, called after -it, St. Catherine's. Peter Swave, who visited Scotland in 1535, -on a political mission, mentions that near Edinburgh there was a -spot in a monastery where oil flowed out of the ground. This was -his way of describing the Balm Well. Bitumenous particles, produced -by decomposition of coal in seams beneath, intermittently appear on -the surface of the water. This curious phenomenon must have attracted -attention at a very early period, and one can easily understand why the -well was in consequence regarded with superstitious reverence. When -speaking of this well, Brome, who visited Scotland about 1700, -observes, "It is of a marvellous nature, for as the coal whereof it -proceeds is very apt quickly to kindle into a flame, so is the oil -of a sudden operation to heal all scabs and tumours that trouble the -outward skin; and the head and hands are speedily healed by virtue -of this oil, which retains a very sweet smell." According to Boece, -the fountain sprang from a drop of oil, brought to Queen Margaret -of Scotland, from the tomb of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. The same -writer mentions that Queen Margaret built a chapel to St. Catherine, -in the neighbourhood of the spring. In 1504 an offering was made by -James IV. in this chapel, described as "Sanct Kathrine's of the oly, -i.e., oily well." The later history of the spring is thus referred -to by Sir Daniel Wilson, in his "Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden -Time": "When James VI. returned to Scotland, in 1617, he visited the -well, and commanded it to be enclosed with an ornamental building -with a flight of steps to afford ready access to the healing waters; -but this was demolished by the soldiers of Cromwell, and the well now -remains enclosed with plain stone-work, as it was partially repaired -at the Restoration." About three miles to the north of the well, -once stood the Convent of St. Catherine of Sienna--a religious -foundation which gave name to the part of Edinburgh still called -"The Sciennes." What Sir Daniel Wilson describes as "an unpicturesque -fragment of the ruins" served to the middle of the present century, -and perhaps, even later, as a sheep-fold for the flocks pasturing in -the adjoining meadow. Lord Cockburn, in his "Memorials of His Time," -mentions that in his boyhood, about 1785, "a large portion of the -building survived." Before the Reformation the nuns of this convent -walked annually in solemn procession to the Balm Well. The saints to -whom the convent and the spring were respectively dedicated were, of -course, not identical, though bearing the same name. The coincidence -of name, however, evidently led to these yearly visits. As it may be -taken for granted that the two Catherines were on friendly terms, the -pilgrimages doubtless proved a benefit to all who took part in them. At -any rate, it is safe to assume that the health of the pilgrims would be -the better, and not the worse, for their walk in the fresh country air. - -In the valley below the Dean Bridge, Edinburgh, close to the Water of -Leith, is the sulphur spring known as St. Bernard's Well--traditionally -connected with Bernard the Abbot of Clairvaux. In his "Journey -through Scotland," about 1793, Heron remarks: "The citizens of -Edinburgh repaired eagerly to distant watering-places, without -inquiring whether they might find medicinal water at home. But within -these few years, Lord Gardenstone became proprietor of St. Bernard's -Well. His lordship's philanthropy and public spirit suggested to him -the possibility of rendering its waters more useful to the public. He -has, at a very considerable expense, built a handsome Grecian edifice -over the spring, in which the waters are distributed by a proper -person, and at a very trifling price. His lordship's endeavours -have accomplished his purpose. The citizens of Edinburgh are now -persuaded that these waters are salutary in various cases; and have, -particularly, a singular tendency to give a good breakfasting appetite; -in consequence of which, old and young, males and females, have, -for these two or three last summers, crowded to pay their morning -respects to Hygeia in the chapel which Lord Gardenstone has erected -to her." The last allusion is to a statue of Hygeia placed within the -building on its erection, in 1789. The goddess of health, however, -eventually showed signs of decrepitude; and, about a hundred years -later, the original statue was replaced by one in marble through -the liberality of the late Mr. William Nelson, who also restored the -pump-room and made the surroundings more attractive. - -Coming next to consider the case of springs not possessing medicinal -qualities, in other words, such as have no taste save that of -clear and sparkling water, we find here, too, many a trace of -superstition. Springs of this kind were probably holy wells first, -and then healing wells. We have already seen that, in a large number -of instances, fountains became sacred through their connection with -early saints. It usually happened that the Christian missionary took up -his abode near some fountain, or river, whence he could get a supply -of water for his daily needs. In later times the well or stream was -endowed with miraculous properties. Water was also used for purposes -of bodily discipline. It was a practice among some of the early saints -to stand immersed in it while engaged in devotion. The colder the -water, the better was it for the purpose. Special significance, too, -was given to water through its connection with baptism, particularly -when the rite was administered to persons who had only recently -emerged from heathenism. - -At Burghead, in Elginshire, is an interesting rock-cut basin supplied -with water from a spring. Burghead is known to have been the site -of an early Christian church, and Dr. James Macdonald believes that -the basin in question was anciently used as a baptistery. All trace -of it, and well-nigh all memory of it, had vanished till the year -1809. Extensive alterations were then in progress at the harbour, and -a scarcity of water was felt by the workmen. A hazy tradition about -the existence of a well, where the ground sounded hollow when struck, -was revived. Digging operations were begun, and, at a depth of between -twenty and thirty feet below the surface, the basin was discovered. We -quote the following details from Dr. Macdonald's article on the subject -in the "Antiquary" for April, 1892:--"Descending into a hollow by a -flight of twenty well-worn steps, most of them also hewn out of the -solid rock, we come upon the reservoir. The dimensions of the basin or -piscina are as follow--greatest breadth of the four sides, ten feet -eight inches, eleven feet, ten feet ten inches, and ten feet seven -inches respectively; depth, four feet four inches. One part of the -smooth bottom had been dug up at the time of the excavations, either -because it had projected above the rest, as if for some one to stand -upon, or because it was thought that by doing so the capacity of the -well and perhaps the supply of the water would be increased. Between -the basin and the perpendicular sides of the reservoir a small ledge -of sandstone has been left about two feet six inches in breadth. These -sides measure sixteen feet three inches, sixteen feet seven inches, -sixteen feet nine inches, and seventeen feet respectively; and the -height from the ledge upwards is eleven feet nine inches. The angles, -both of the basin and its rock walls, are well rounded. In one corner -the sandstone has been left in the form of a semi-circular pedestal, -measuring two feet nine inches by one foot ten inches, and one foot -two inches in height; whilst in that diagonally opposite there is a -circular hole, five inches in diameter and one foot four inches in -depth. From the ledge, as you enter, two steps of irregular shape -and rude workmanship lead down into the basin. The sides of the -reservoir are fissured and rent by displacement of the strata; and -portions of the rock, that have given way from time to time, have -been replaced by modern masonry. The arched roof is also modern." An -Irish legend accounts for the origin of Lough-shanan, in County Clare, -by connecting it with the baptism of Senanus, from whom it derived -its name. "The saint, while still an infant, was miraculously gifted -with speech and told his mother to pluck three rushes in a valley near -her home. When this was done, a lake appeared, and in it Senanus was -baptised according to a form of words prescribed by himself." - -In the eighth volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries -of Scotland" (new series), Sir Daniel Wilson gives an account of the -ancient burying-ground of Kilbride, some three miles from Oban. "I -had visited the venerable cemetery repeatedly," he tells us, "and -had carefully investigated its monuments, without heeding the sacred -fountain which wells up among the bracken and grass, about a dozen -yards from the gate of the churchyard, and flows in a stream down the -valley. Yet, on inquiry, I learned that it was familiarly known as -Tober-an-easbuig, i.e., The Bishop's Well or The Holy Well. Here, as -we may presume, the primitive missionary and servant of St. Bridget, -by whom Christianity was introduced into the wild district of Lorne, -baptised his first converts; and here, through many succeeding -generations, the neophytes were signed with the sign of the cross, -and taught the mystic significance of the holy rite." - -The thoughts suggested by the sight of a crystal spring are alluded to -by Mr. Hunt in his "Romances of the West of England," where he says, -"The tranquil beauty of the rising waters, whispering the softest -music, like the healthful breathing of a sleeping infant, sends a -feeling of happiness through the soul of the thoughtful observer, -and the inner man is purified by its influence, as the outer man is -cleansed by ablution." This is the poetic view; but the superstitious -view is not far to seek. - -In the "Home of a Naturalist," Mrs. Saxby thus recounts a Shetland -superstition of a gruesome kind:--"There is a fine spring well near -Watlie, called Heljabrün, and the legend of it is this: A wandering -packman (of the Claud Halcro class) was murdered and flung into -Heljabrün. Its water had always been known to possess healing power, -and, after becoming seasoned by the unfortunate pedlar's remains, -the virtue in the water became even more efficacious. People came -from far and near to procure the precious fluid. All who took it away -had to throw three stones or a piece of 'white money' into the well, -and the water never failed to cure disease." - -On Soutra Hill, the most westerly ridge of the Lammermoors, -once stood the hospital built by Malcolm IV., about 1164, for the -reception of wayfarers. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Every -vestige of the building was removed between forty and fifty years -ago except a small aisle, appropriated in the seventeenth century by -the Pringles of Beatman's Acre as a burial vault. A short distance -below the site of the hospital is a spring of pure water, locally -known as Trinity Well. In former times it was much visited for -its healing virtues. A similar reputation was for long enjoyed by -St. Mungo's Well, on the west side of St. Mungo's Hill, in the parish -of Huntly, Aberdeenshire. In Fortingall parish, Perthshire, on the -hillside near the Old Castle of Garth, is a limpid spring called by -the natives Fuaran n' Gruarach, and also Fuaran n' Druibh Chasad, -signifying the Well of the Measles and the Well of the Whooping-Cough -respectively. Mr. James Mackintosh Gow describes the locality in an -article in the eighth volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland" (new series). He says, "It was famous in the -district for the cure of these infantile diseases, and nearly all I -spoke to on the subject had themselves been taken to the well, or had -taken their own children to drink the water; and when an epidemic -of the maladies occurred my informant remarked on the curious and -amusing spectacle the scene presented on a summer morning, when groups -of children, with their mothers, went up the hill in procession. The -last epidemic of whooping-cough occurred in 1882, when all the children -of the neighbourhood were taken to the well." Some forty yards higher -up the slope than the well, is an earth-fast boulder of mica schist, -having on one of its sides two natural cavities. The larger of these -holds about a quart and is usually filled with rain water. "It was the -custom," Mr. Gow tells us, "to carry the water from the well (perhaps -the well was at one time at the foot of the stone) and place it in -the cavity, and then give the patients as much as they could take, -the water being administered with a spoon made from the horn of a -living cow, called a beodhare or living horn; this, it appears, -being essential to effect a cure." On the farm of Balandonich, -in Athole, is a spring famous, till a comparatively recent period, -for the cure of various maladies. A story is told in the district of -a woman, unable to walk through rheumatism, having been brought in a -wheel-barrow from her home four miles away. She bathed her limbs in -the spring, and returned home on foot. - -Hugh Miller, in his "Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland," -recounts a tradition concerning a certain spring near the town of -Cromarty known as Fiddler's Well, from the name of the young man -who discovered its virtues. The water gushes out from the side of -a bank covered with moss and daisies. The tradition, considerably -abbreviated, is as follows:--William Fiddler and a companion were -seized with consumption at the same time. The latter died not long -afterwards, and Fiddler, though wasted to a shadow, was able to follow -his friend's body to the grave. That night, in a dream, he heard the -voice of his dead companion, who told him to meet him at a certain spot -in the neighbourhood of the town. Thither he went, still in his dream, -and seated himself on a bank to await his coming. Then, remembering -that his friend was dead, he burst into tears. "At this moment a -large field-bee came humming from the west and began to fly round his -head.... It hummed ceaselessly round and round him, until at length -its murmurings seemed to be fashioned into words, articulated in the -voice of his deceased companion--'Dig, Willie, and drink!' it said, -'Dig, Willie, and drink!' He accordingly set himself to dig, and no -sooner had he torn a sod out of the bank than a spring of clear water -gushed from the hollow." Next day he took the bee's advice. He found -a spring, drank the water, and regained his health. Hugh Miller adds, -"its virtues are still celebrated, for though the water be only simple -water it must be drunk in the morning, and as it gushes from the bank; -and, with pure air, exercise, and early rising for its auxiliaries, -it continues to work cures." - -We need not multiply examples of non-mineral healing wells. Whatever -benefit may be derived from them cannot be ascribed to any specially -medicinal quality in their waters. The secret of their popularity is -to be sought for in the annals of medical folklore, and not in those -of scientific medicine. - -Certain springs got the credit of warding off disease. On the island -of Gigha, near the west coast of Kintyre, is a farm called Ardachad -or High Field. Tradition says that a plague once visited the island, -but that the people, belonging to the farm, escaped its ravages. This -immunity was ascribed to the good offices of a well, in an adjoining -field. The high situation of the farm and the presence of good water -would tend to prolong health, without the intervention of magic. The -Rev. Dr. Gregor, in his "Folklore of the North-East of Scotland," -alludes to St. Olaus' Well in Cruden parish, Aberdeenshire. Its -virtues are recorded in the couplet-- - - - "St. Olav's Well, low by the sea - Where peat nor plague shall never be." - - -On the top of the Touch Hills, in Stirlingshire, rises St. Corbet's -Spring. The belief formerly prevailed that whoever drank its water -before sunrise on the first Sunday of May would have life prolonged -for another year. As a consequence, crowds flocked to the spot early -on the day in question. In 1840 some old people were still living who, -in their younger days, had taken part in these annual pilgrimages. In -mediæval times, the belief prevailed that no one baptised with the -water of Trinity Gask Well, Perthshire, would be attacked by the -plague. When water for baptism was drawn from some holy well in the -neighbourhood, its use, in most instances, was doubtless due to a -belief in its prophylactic power. As already mentioned, baptisms in -St. Machar's Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, were at one time administered -in water taken from the saint's spring. Before the Reformation the -water used at the chapel of Airth, in Stirlingshire, is believed to -have been procured from a well, dedicated to the Virgin, near Abbeyton -Bridge. We do not know of any spring in Scotland with a reputation -for the prevention of hydrophobia. St. Maelrubha's Well, on Innis -Maree, is said to have lost its efficacy for a time through contact -with a mad dog. What happened, when a mad bull was plunged into the -Holy Pool at Strathfillan, will be alluded to later. In the village -of Les Saintes Maries, in the south of France, is an interesting -twelfth-century church with a well in the crypt. The water, when -drunk, is said to prevent any evil consequences from the bite of -a mad dog. Mr. E. H. Barker gives an account of this well in his -"Wayfaring in France." He says, "The curé told me that about thirty -people, who had been bitten by dogs said to be rabid, came annually -to drink the water; and, he added, 'not one of them has ever gone -mad.' M. Pasteur had become a formidable rival of the well." - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -WATER-CURES. - - Trying different Springs--Curing all Diseases--Fivepennies Well - --Water and Dulse--Special Diseases--Toothache--Sore Eyes-- - Blindness--Headaches and Nervous Disorders--Deafness-- - Whooping-cough--Gout--Sores--Ague--Sterility--Epilepsy-- - Sacrifice of a Cock--St. Tegla's Well--Insanity--Severe Treatment - --Innis-Maree--Struthill--Teampull-Mòr--Hol y Pool--Fillan's - History and Relics--Persistence of Superstition. - - -Some people apply to different doctors in succession, in the hope that -new professional advice may bring the coveted boon of health. For the -same reason visits were paid to different consecrated wells. On the -principle that "far fowls have fair feathers," a more or less remote -spring was resorted to, in the hope that distance might lend special -enchantment to its water. Certain springs had the reputation of healing -every ailment. A spring of this kind is what Martin calls "a catholicon -for all diseases." He so styles various springs in the Western Isles, -and one in the Larger Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde. Fivepennies Well, -in Eigg, had some curious properties. "The natives told me," he says, -"that it never fails to cure any person of their first disease, only -by drinking a quantity of it for the space of two or three days; -and that if a stranger lie at this well in the night-time, it will -procure a deformity in some part of his body, but has no such effect -on a native; and this, they say, hath been frequently experimented." A -noted fountain in the Orkney group was the well of Kildinguie in the -Island of Stronsay. It is situated not far from the beach. To reach -it one has to walk over a long stretch of sand. Its fame at one time -spread over the Scandinavian world, and even Denmark sent candidates -for its help. Besides drinking the water, health-seekers frequently -ate some of the dulse to be found on the shore. A local saying thus -testified to the advantages of the combined treatment: "The well of -Kildinguie and the dulse of Guiyidn can cure all maladies except black -death." In the Island of Skye is a spring called Tobar Tellibreck. The -natives, at one time, held that its water, along with a diet of dulse, -would serve for a considerable time instead of ordinary food. - -Other springs were resorted to for particular complaints. Toothache is -distressingly common, and commonly distressing; but, strange to say, -very few wells are specially identified with the ailment. Indeed, we -know of only three toothache wells in Scotland. One is in Strathspey, -and is known as Fuaran Fiountag, signifying the cool refreshing -spring. The second is in the parish of Kenmore, at the foot of Loch -Tay. The third is in Glentruim, in Inverness-shire. Another well at -Kenmore was resorted to for the cure of sore eyes. In the parish of -Glass, close to the river Deveron, is an ancient church dedicated to -St. Wallach. Some thirty yards below its burying-ground is a well, -now dry, except in very rainy weather. Its water had the power of -healing sore eyes. The water of St. John's Well, at Balmanno, in -the parish of Marykirk, Kincardineshire, was a sovereign remedy for -the same complaint. Beside the road close to the farmhouse of Wester -Auchleskine, at Balquhidder, in Perthshire, once stood a large boulder -containing a natural cavity. The water in this hollow was also noted -for the cure of sore eyes--the boulder being called in consequence -Clach-nan-Sul, i.e., the stone of the eyes. In 1878, by order of the -road trustees, the boulder was blasted, on the ground that it was a -source of danger to vehicles in the dark, and its fragments were used -as road metal. The Dow Well, at Innerleithen, was formerly much visited -for the restoration of weak sight. A well in Cornwall, dedicated to -St. Ludvan, miraculously quickened the sense of sight. In Ireland, -a spring at Gougou Barra, between Glengariff and Cork, is believed -by the peasantry to cure blindness. In 1849, Miss Bessie Gilbert, -a daughter of the late Bishop Gilbert of Chichester, who had lost -her sight when a child, visited the spring along with some of her -relatives. Curiosity, however, was her only motive. Her biographer -relates that "the guide besought Bessie in the most earnest and -pathetic manner to try the water, saying that he was sure it would -restore her sight, and entreating her brothers and sisters to urge -her to make use of it." - -Headaches and nervous disorders were cured by water from -Tobar-nim-buadh or the Well of Virtues in St. Kilda. Deafness was -also cured by it. At the entrance to Munlochy Bay, in the Black Isle -of Cromarty, is a cave known in the neighbourhood as Craig-a-Chow, -i.e., the Rock of Echo. Tradition says that in this cave a giant -once lived. If not the retreat of a giant, it was, at any rate, -of smugglers. What specially concerns us is that it contains a -dripping well, formerly much in request. Its water is particularly -cold. Like the St. Kilda spring, it was believed to remove deafness. Of -Whooping-cough Wells, a noted one was at Straid, in Muthill parish, -Perthshire. Invalids came to it from considerable distances. Early -in the present century a family travelled from Edinburgh to seek its -aid. The water was drunk immediately after sunset or before sunrise, -and a horn from a live ox had to convey it to the patient's lips. This -was not an uncommon practice. Perhaps it may have been due to some -vague notion, that life from the animal, whence the horn came, would -be handed on, via the spoon and the water, to the invalid. The Straid -horn was kept by a woman in the immediate neighbourhood, who acted -as a sort of priestess of the well. A well at the Burn of Oxhill, in -the parish of Rathven, Banffshire, had a local celebrity for the cure -of the same complaint. Sufferers from gout tried the efficacy of a -spring in Eckford parish, Roxburghshire, styled Holy Well or Priest's -Well. A spring in the churchyard of Logiepert parish, Forfarshire, -removed sores, and another in Martin's Den, in the same parish, -was reckoned anti-scorbutic. Another noted Forfarshire spring was in -Kirkden parish, with the reputation of curing swellings of the feet -and legs. Lochinbreck Loch, in Balmaghie parish, Kirkcudbrightshire, -was visited from time immemorial for the cure of ague. Indeed, there -was hardly a bodily ailment that could not be relieved by the water -of some consecrated spring. - -Springs were sometimes believed to cure female barrenness. Wives, -anxious to become mothers, formerly visited such wells as those of -St. Fillan at Comrie, and of St. Mary at Whitekirk, and in the Isle -of May. In this connection, Mr. J. R. Walker, in his article in the -"Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," volume v. (new -series), observes, "Many of the wells dedicated to 'Our Lady,' i.e., -St. Mary (Virgin Mary) and to St. Brigid, the Mary of Ireland, were -famous for the cure of female sterility, which, in the days when a -man's power and influence in the land depended on the number of his -clan or tribe, was looked upon as a token of the divine displeasure, -and was viewed by the unfortunate spouses with anxious apprehension, -dread, doubt, jealousy, and pain. Prayer and supplication were -obviously the methods pursued by the devout for obtaining the coveted -gift of fertility, looked upon, by females especially, as the most -valuable of heavenly dispensations; and making pilgrimages to wells -under the patronage of the Mother of our Lord would naturally be one -of the most common expedients." - -Epilepsy, with its convulsions and cries, seldom fails to arrest -attention and call forth sympathy. In times less enlightened than -our own, the disease was regarded with awe as of supernatural origin; -and remedies, always curious and sometimes revolting, were tried in -order to bring relief. We may assume that the water of consecrated -springs was used for this purpose; but, as far as we know, no Scottish -fountain was systematically visited by epileptic patients. After -enumerating a variety of folk-cures for the disease in question, Sir -Arthur Mitchell, in an article on Highland Superstitions bearing on -Lunacy in the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," -volume iv., remarks, "For the cure of the same disease, there is -still practised in the North of Scotland a formal sacrifice--not -an oblique but a literal and downright sacrifice--to a nameless but -secretly acknowledged power, whose propitiation is desired. On the -spot where the epileptic first falls a black cock is buried alive, -along with a lock of the patient's hair and some parings of his -nails. I have seen at least three epileptic idiots for whom this is -said to have been done." The same writer adds, "Dr. G----, of N----, -informs me that some time ago he was called on to visit a poor man -belonging to the fishing population who had suddenly died, and who had -been subject to epileptic seizures. His friends told the doctor that -at least they had the comfort of knowing that everything had been -done for him which could have been done. On asking what remedies -they had tried, he was told that, among other things, a cock had -been buried alive below his bed, and the spot was pointed out." This -sacrifice of a cock in Scotland is of special significance, for it -formed a distinctive feature of the ritual once in vogue in Wales -at the village of Llandegla, Denbighshire. St. Tegla's Well there, -was believed to possess peculiar virtue in curing epilepsy. Pennant -gives a minute account of the ceremony as practised in his days. The -following is a summary:--"About two hundred yards from the church -rises a small spring. The patient washes his limbs in the well, -makes an offering into it of fourpence, walks round it three times, -and thrice repeats the 'Lord's Prayer.' These ceremonies are never -begun till after sunset. If the afflicted be of the male sex, he makes -an offering of a cock; if of the fair sex, a hen. The fowl is carried -in a basket, first round the well, after that into the churchyard, -when the same orisons and the same circumambulations are performed -round the church. The votary then enters the church, gets under the -communion table, lies down with the Bible under his or her head, -is covered with the carpet or cloth, and rests there till break of -day, departing after offering sixpence, and leaving the fowl in the -church. If the bird dies, the cure is supposed to have been effected, -and the disease transferred to the devoted victim." As regards the -cock or hen, the ceremony in this case was quite as much a sacrifice -as in the Scottish example. St. Tegla merely took the place of the -pagan divinity who had been first in the field, and to whom offerings -had been made. In former times, sacrificing a living animal was -also resorted to occasionally to cure disease in cattle. An ox was -buried alive in a pit, and the pit having been filled with earth, -the other members of the herd were made to walk over the spot. In -1629, Isabel Young, spouse to George Smith, portioner of East Barnes, -Haddingtonshire, was tried for witchcraft. From her indictment we learn -that she was accused, inter alia, of having buried a "quick ox, with -a cat and a quantity of salt," in a pit as a sacrifice to the devil, -the truth being that a live ox had been so treated by her husband -as a charm to cure his cattle, which were diseased. A remarkable -circumstance bearing on this point is alluded to by Mr. A. W. Moore in -his "Surnames and Place-names of the Isle of Man," under the heading -of Cabbal-yn-Oural-Losht, i.e., Chapel of the Burnt Sacrifice. "This -name," he tells us, "records a circumstance which took place in the -nineteenth century, but which, it is to be hoped, was never customary -in the Isle of Man. A farmer, who had lost a number of his sheep and -cattle by murrain, burnt a calf as a propitiatory offering to the -Deity on this spot, where a chapel was afterwards built. Such facts -point to the same notion as that already indicated in connection with -St. Tegla's Well, viz., that disease is due to some malignant being, -whose favour is to be sought by the offering up of a living creature. - -In no department of medical science have methods of treatment changed -more within recent years than in that of insanity. Enlightened views on -the subject now prevail among the educated classes of society; and the -old notion that a maniac can be restored to mental health by treating -him like a criminal, or by administering a few shocks to his already -excited nerves, is fortunately a thing of the past. At least it no -longer holds sway in our lunatic asylums. In the minds of the ignorant -and credulous, however, the old leaven still works. Lady Wilde, in her -"Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of Ireland," alludes to a method -of treatment in fashion till lately among the peasantry there. When -anyone showed signs of insanity 'a witch-doctor' was called in. This -potent individual sprinkled holy water about the room and over the -patient; and after uttering certain incantations--understood by the -by-standers to be 'Latin prayers'--proceeded to beat him with a stout -cudgel. In the end the ravings of the lunatic ceased, or as it was put, -"the devil was driven out of him." In Cornwall, at St. Nun's Well, -the expulsive power of a new terror used to be tried. According to -Carew, the modus operandi was as follows:--"The water running from -St. Nun's Well fell into a square and enclosed walled plat, which might -be filled at what depth they listed. Upon this wall was the frantic -person put to stand, his back towards the pool, and from thence, -with a sudden blow in the breast, tumbled headlong into the pond; -where a strong fellow, provided for the nonce, took him and tossed -him up and down, alongst and athwart the water, till the patient, -by foregoing his strength, had somewhat forgot his fury. Then was -he conveyed to the church, and certain masses said over him, upon -which handling, if his right wits returned, St. Nun had the thanks; -but if there appeared small amendment, he was bowsened again and again, -while there remained in him any hope of life or recovery." North of the -Tweed the treatment was hardly less soothing. When a lunatic was being -rowed over to Innis Maree to drink the water of St. Maelrubha's Well -there, he was jerked out of the boat by the friends who accompanied -him. A rope had previously been tied round his waist, and by this he -was pulled back into the boat; but before he could gather together -his all-too-scattered wits, he was in the water again. As a rule this -was done, not once or twice, but repeatedly, and in the case of both -sexes. Such was the method up to a comparatively recent date. Pennant -thus describes what was done in 1772:--"The patient is brought into -the sacred island; is made to kneel before the altar, viz., the stump -of a tree--where his attendants leave an offering in money; he is -then brought to the well and sips some of the holy water; a second -offering is made; that done, he is thrice dipped in the lake; and -the same operation is repeated every day for some weeks." This towing -after a boat to cure insanity was not an isolated instance. Early in -the present century, the wife of a man living at Stromness in Orkney, -went mad through the incantations of another female believed to be -a witch. The man bethought him of the cure in question, and, out of -love for his afflicted wife, dragged her several times up and down -the harbour behind his boat. Mr. R. M. Fergusson, who mentions this -case in his "Rambles in the Far North," says that the woman "bobbed -about behind the boat like a cork, and remained as mad as ever." - -The well at Struthill, in Muthill parish, Perthshire, once had a -considerable reputation for the cure of insanity. It was customary to -tie patients at night to a stone near the spring, and recovery would -follow if they were found loose in the morning. An adjoining chapel was -ordered to be demolished in 1650 by the Presbytery of Auchterarder, -on the ground of its being the scene of certain superstitious rites, -but the spring continued to be visited till a much later date. At -Teampull-mòr in Lewis, in addition to walking round the ruins, and -being sprinkled with water from St. Ronan's Well, the insane person was -bound and left all night in the chapel on the site of the altar. If he -slept, he would recover; but if he remained awake, there was no hope of -a cure. In the Struthill and Teampull-mòr instances, as well as that -of Strathfillan mentioned below, the binding of the patient was an -essential part of the treatment; and in two at least of the cases the -loosening of the bonds was reckoned an omen of good. The mysterious -loosening of bonds used to be an article of common belief. Dalyell, -in his "Darker Superstitions of Scotland," remarks, "Animals were -sometimes liberated supernaturally. In the Isle of Enhallow, a horse -tied up at sunset would wander about through the night; and while the -kirk session took cognisance of a suspected witch who had exercised -her faculties on a cow, the animal, though firmly secured, was found -to be free, and in their vicinity when the investigation closed." - -The Holy Pool of St. Fillan was famous for the cure of various -diseases, but specially of insanity. It is referred to in "Marmion" as - - - "St. Fillan's blessed well - Whose springs can frenzied dreams dispel - And the craz'd brain restore." - - -It is not, however, a well, but a pool, in the river Fillan, about -two miles lower down than Tyndrum. To correctly estimate the reverence -paid to this sacred pool, we must glance at the influence, exerted by -Fillan on the district during his life-time, and afterwards by means -of his relics. The saint flourished in the early eighth century. He -was born in Ireland. His father was Ferodach, and his mother was -Kentigerna, daughter of a prince of Leinster. She afterwards came to -Scotland and led the life of a recluse, on Inch Cailleach, an island -in Loch Lomond. According to the Aberdeen Breviary, Fillan was born -with a stone in his mouth, and was at once thrown into a lake where -he was ministered to by angels for a year. He was then taken out and -baptised by Bishop Ybarus, and at a later date received the monastic -habit from Muna, otherwise called Mundus. Devoting himself to solitary -meditation he built a cell close to Muna's monastery. On one occasion, -a servant went to call him to supper, and looking through a chink in -the wall, saw the saint busy writing, his uplifted left hand throwing -light over the book in lieu of a candle. Whatever may be thought of -the incident, few will deny its picturesqueness. In competent hands -it might be made the subject of a striking picture. Fillan afterwards -went to Lochalsh, where he dedicated a church to his uncle Congan, -the founder of the monastery of Turriff, in Aberdeenshire. We next -find Fillan in the principal scene of his missionary work, viz., in -Glendochart, in that portion of the glen anciently called Siracht, -and now Strathfillan. This area formed a separate parish till 1617, -but was then united to the parish of Killin. Fillan arrived with seven -serving clerics, and tradition says that he built his church at a spot -miraculously pointed out to him. The neighbourhood was, and is full of -interest. "Glendochart," writes Mr. Charles Stewart in "An Gaidheal," -"is not celebrated for terrific mountain scenery like Glencoe or the -Coolins, but has a grandeur of a different character. Lofty mountains, -clothed, here in heather, there in green; cloudy shadows frequently -flitting across their sides, and serried ridges of multiplied lines -and forms of varied beauty, and along their sides strangely shaped -stones and boulders of rocks deposited by the ancient glaciers. Along -the strath there are stretches of water, its course broken occasionally -by lochs; sometimes wending its way slowly and solemnly through green -meadows, and anon rushing along as at the celebrated bridge of Dochart, -at Killin, with fire and fury." - -The same writer mentions that three spots, where Fillan was wont -to teach the natives of the Strath, are still pointed out, viz., -at the upper end of Glendochart, where the priory was afterwards -built, halfway down the glen at Dun-ribin, and at the lower end at -Cnoc-a-bheannachd, i.e., Hill of the Blessing, near Killin. Fillan -instructed the people in agriculture, and built mills for grinding -corn. Out of compliment to him, the mill at Killin was idle on -his festival, (Jan. 9th), as late as the middle of the present -century. Indeed there was a superstition in the district that it -would not be lucky to have it working on that day. Fillan also -instituted fairs for the sale and barter of local produce. His fair -is still held at Killin in January. The miraculous element in his -history did not end with his life. He seems to have died somewhere -about Lochearn, and his body was brought back to Glendochart, by way -of Glen Ogle. When the bearers reached the point where Glendochart -opens upwards and downwards, a dispute arose as to the destination of -their burden. Some wished the saint's body to be buried at Killin and -others at Strathfillan. Behold a marvel! When they could not agree, -they found that instead of one coffin there were two, and so each -party was satisfied. - -Robert Bruce's fight with the followers of Macdougall of Lorne took -place near St. Fillan's Church, at a spot, afterwards named Dalrigh or -the King's Field. On that occasion, an earnest prayer was addressed -to the saint of the district, and through his intercession victory -came to Bruce. So at least runs the legend. After his success at -Bannockburn, the King in gratitude founded St. Fillan's Priory, -in Strathfillan, and endowed it with the neighbouring lands of -Auchtertyre, and with the sheep-grazing of Bein-mhannach or the -Monk's Mountain, in Glenlyon. Indeed, if tradition speaks truth, -Bruce had a double reason to be grateful to Fillan, for the victory -at Bannockburn, was attributed to the presence in the Scottish camp, -of a relic of the saint, said to be an arm-bone set in silver. The -relic, however, as Dr. John Stuart shows, in the twelfth volume of the -"Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," was probably -his Coig-gerach or pastoral staff, popularly, but erroneously called -his Quigrich. It is said to have been kept at Auchlyne, in a chapel -called Caipal-na-Faraichd, and when the chapel was burnt to have been -rescued by a person, either then, or afterwards, called Doire or Dewar, -whose descendants became its custodiers. The subsequent history of -the relic is curious. In 1782 it was at Killin in the keeping of -Malice Doire. In 1818 it was taken to Canada, where it remained for -some sixty years. Through the patriotic zeal of Sir Daniel Wilson it -was then sent back to Scotland, and now forms one of the treasures -in the National Museum of Antiquities, at Edinburgh. - -The sanctity of Fillan thus distilled like a fertilising dew over -the district of Glendochart. We need not, therefore, be surprised -that, in days darker than our own, a thriving crop of superstitions -was the result. It is certainly a striking testimony to the enduring -influence of the saint, that the pool, believed to have been blessed -by him, retained its fame till within the memory of persons still -living. Possibly the pool was reverenced even before his time. Towards -the end of last century, as many as two hundred persons were brought -annually to the spot. The time selected was usually the first day of -the quarter, (O.S.), and the immersion took place after sunset. The -patients, with a rope tied round their waist, were thrown from the -bank into the river. This was usually done thrice. According to -previous instructions, they picked up nine stones from the bottom -of the stream. After their dip they walked three times round three -cairns in the immediate neighbourhood, and at each turn added a stone -to the cairn. An English antiquary, who visited the spot in 1798, -writes, "If it is for any bodily pain, fractured limb or sore, that -they are bathing, they throw upon one of these cairns that part of -their clothing which covered the part affected; also, if they have at -home any beast that is diseased, they have only to bring some of the -meal which it feeds upon and make it into paste with these waters, -and afterwards give it to him to eat, which will prove an infallible -cure; but they must likewise throw upon the cairn the rope or halter -with which he was led. Consequently the cairns are covered with old -halters, gloves, shoes, bonnets, nightcaps, rags of all sorts, kilts, -petticoats, garters, and smocks. Sometimes they go as far as to throw -away their halfpence." - -After the ceremony at the cairns the patient was led to the ruins -of St. Fillan's Chapel, about half a mile away, and there tied to -a stone with a hollow in it, large enough to receive the body, the -unfortunate person being fastened down to a wooden framework. The -patient was then covered with hay, and left in this condition all -night. As at Struthill, if the bonds were found loose in the morning, -he or she would recover; but if not, the case was counted hopeless, -or at least doubtful. As the writer of the article on the parish, -in the "New Statistical Account of Scotland," shrewdly observes, -"The prospect of the ceremony, especially in a cold winter evening, -might be a good test for persons pretending insanity." At the time -when he wrote, viz., in 1843, the natives of the parish had ceased to -believe in the efficacy of the holy pool, but it was still visited by -invalids from a distance. It was usual, after the fastening process -already described, to place St. Fillan's bell on the head of the -patient by way of helping on the cure. This bell is quadrangular -in shape. Its size and appearance are thus described by Dr. Joseph -Anderson in his "Scotland in Early Christian Times": "It is an elegant -casting of bronze, stands twelve inches high and measures nine by -six inches wide at the mouth. The ends are flat, the sides bulging, -the top rounded. In the middle of the top is the loop-like handle, -terminating where it joins the bell in two dragonesque heads with open -mouths." The bell weighs eight pounds fourteen ounces. In the fifteenth -century the relic seems to have been held in special honour, for it -graced the coronation of James IV. in 1488. After the Reformation, it -was locked up for some time, to prevent its use for the superstitious -purpose alluded to above. But, as a rule, it lay on a tombstone in the -Priory graveyard, protected only by the reverence paid to it in the -district. There was a belief that, if carried off, it would return of -its own accord, ringing all the way. In 1798 this belief was put to a -severe test, for in that year the English antiquary, already quoted, -removed the relic. "In order," he says, "to ascertain the truth or -falsehood of the ridiculous story of St. Fillan's bell, I carried it -off with me, and mean to convey it, if possible, to England. An old -woman, who observed what I was about, asked me what I wanted with -the bell, and I told her that I had an unfortunate relation at home -out of his mind, and that I wanted to have him cured. 'Oh, but,' -says she, 'you must bring him here to be cured, or it will be of no -use.' Upon which I told her he was too ill to be moved, and off I -galloped with the bell back to Tyndrum Inn." The bell was taken to -England. About seventy years later, its whereabouts was discovered, -and it was sent back to Scotland. Like the crozier of the same saint, -it is now in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh. - -If we may believe a local tradition, the Holy Pool lost its -miraculous virtue in the following manner, though, after what the -English antiquary mentioned about its water being mixed with meal, -and given to diseased cattle, we see no reason why it should have -been so particular. A farmer who had a mad bull thought that, if the -sacred water could heal human ills, it would be efficacious also in -the case of the lower animals. So he plunged his infuriated beast into -the stream. What was the effect on the bull we do not know: but since -then the virtue has departed from the water. Except for a pleasure -dip on a hot summer's day, no one need now apply at the Holy Pool. - -The unbroken reputation of such health resorts, for centuries, -is certainly remarkable. Strathfillan kept up its fame for over a -thousand years. At Gheel, in Belgium, for fully twelve hundred years, -successive generations of lunatics sought relief at St. Dympna's -Well. We must not be too hard on the ages before our own; for, -though in some respects dark, in other respects they had a good deal -of light. Nevertheless, severe things might be said about them. From -a present-day point of view, it might be argued that those, who took -their insane friends to get cured in the manner described, required, -like the patients themselves, a little rearrangement of their wits. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -SOME WONDERFUL WELLS. - - Wells Wonderful as to Origin--Tre Fontane--Springs where - Saints were Beheaded--St. Alban's Spring--Covenanter's - Spring--St. Vynning's Spring--Scottish and English - Hagiology--Springs from Graves--Cuthbert--Milburga--Mysterious - Lakes--Hell-Hole at Tunstall--King Henry's Well-- Bringing Sea to - Morpeth--Plymouth Water-supply--Fitz's Well--Good Appetite--Dogs' - Well--Singular Springs in Lewis and Barray--Well in the - Wall--Toubir-ni-Lechkin--Power of Wells over Lower Animals--Black - Mere--Well at Gillsland--Intermittent Springs--Powbate - Well--St. Ludvan's Well--St. Keyne's Well. - - -The epithet wonderful may fitly be applied to whatever springs -are endowed by popular credulity with mysterious properties. Those -already considered have been mainly associated with the removal or -prevention of disease. It is now proposed to glance at certain other -characteristics. - -Some springs are wonderful as to their origin. Who does not know the -legend connected with Tre Fontane, in the vicinity of Rome, where water -bubbled up at the three places touched by St. Paul's severed head? We -do not recollect any Scottish instance of a well coming into being in -this way; but in England we have St. Osyth's Well in Essex, where that -saint was beheaded by the Danes, and in Wales, St. Winifred's Well in -Flintshire. Concerning the latter, Chambers, in his "Book of Days," -thus writes:--"Winifred was a noble British maiden of the seventh -century; a certain Prince Cradocus fell in love with her, and, finding -his rough advances repulsed, cut off the lady's head. Immediately -after doing this, the prince was struck dead, and the earth, opening, -swallowed up his body. Meanwhile, Winifred's head rolled down the -hill; where it stopped, a spring gushed forth--the blood from the head -colouring the pebbles over which it flowed, and rendering fragrant -the moss growing around." Sweden has its St. Eric's Spring at Upsala, -marking the place where Eric, the king, was beheaded about the middle -of the twelfth century. St. Oswald's Well at Winwick, in Lancashire, -is said to indicate the spot where that famous Northumbrian king -received his death-wound when fighting against Penda, the pagan ruler -of Mercia. On a hill in Hertfordshire, a fountain arose to quench -the thirst of Alban, England's proto-martyr, who suffered there -about 300 A.D. According to a Kincardineshire tradition, a spring in -Dunnottar Castle miraculously appeared for behoof of the Covenanters, -who were confined there in 1685. In Holywood parish, Dumfriesshire, -(so called from its oak forest, sacred even in pre-Christian times), -a fountain sprang up at the intercession of Vynning, the patron of -a well at Kilwinning, in Ayrshire. In Scottish hagiology, fountains -usually gush forth to supply water for baptism. In English legends -they spring up as a tribute to spots where the corpses of saintly -persons have rested. Thus, water issued from the graves of Ethelbert at -Marden, in Herefordshire, and of Withburga at East Dereham, in Norfolk, -and also from that of Frideswide at Oxford. St. Frideswide's Fair at -the last-mentioned place was a noted holiday in the middle ages. It -lasted a week, and, during its continuance, the keys of the city were -in the keeping of the prior, having been handed over by the mayor, who -ceased for the time to be responsible for the peace of the burgh. At -Trondhjem, in Norway, a spring arose to mark the spot where King Olaf -was buried, about the middle of the eleventh century. - -Cuthbert was greatly honoured by the gushing forth of springs, both -during his lifetime and after his death. While at Lindisfarne, he was -seized with a desire for still greater retirement, and accordingly -withdrew to Farne Island, one of the Fern group, two miles distant -from Bamborough, and six from Lindisfarne. This island was then -haunted by evil spirits; but these he drove away, as Guthlac did -from the marshes of Crowland, in Lincolnshire. Cuthbert set about -building a cell in Farne Island, and, with the help of angels, the -work was satisfactorily completed. Unfortunately, there was no fresh -water to be had; but the want was soon supplied. In response to the -saint's prayers, a spring arose in the floor of his cell. Bede says, -"This water, by a most remarkable quality, never overflowed its first -limits, so as to flood the floor, nor yet ever failed, however much -of it might be taken out; so that it never exceeded or fell short -of the daily wants of him who used it for his sustenance." The -miracle did not end here. When Eistan of Norway was ravaging the -coast of Northumberland in the twelfth century, he landed on Farne -Island and destroyed the property of the hermits, whose retreat it -then was. The spring, unwilling to give help to the robber bands, -dried up. Thirst, accordingly, compelled them to quit the island. No -sooner had they left than the spring reappeared and gladdened the spot -once more. After Cuthbert's death, his body was carried from place to -place for safety. In his "History of St. Cuthbert," Archbishop Eyre -remarks, "There is a legendary tradition, that when the bearers of -St. Cuthbert's body journeyed northwards from Yorkshire and came to -Butterby, near Croxdale, they set down the coffin on the right bank -before crossing the river, and immediately a saline spring burst out -upon the spot. After fording the river they again rested the coffin, -and a spring of chalybeate water rose up where they had laid down the -body. A third time the weary travellers, struggling up the rugged pass, -were compelled to lay their precious burden on the ground, and a sweet -stream of water gushed out of the rock to refresh them." Prior to this, -Cuthbert's relics had rested a while at Melrose. Tradition says that, -on resuming their wanderings, they floated down the Tweed in a stone -coffin as far as Tillmouth, on the English Border. The fragments of -a sarcophagus, said to be the coffin in question, are still to be -seen there beside the ruins of St. Cuthbert's Chapel. This incident -is thus referred to in "Marmion":-- - - - "Seven years Saint Cuthbert's corpse they bore. - They rested them in fair Melrose: - But though, alive, he loved it well, - Not there his reliques might repose; - For, wondrous tale to tell! - In his stone coffin forth he rides - (A ponderous bark for river tides), - Yet light as gossamer it glides, - Downward to Tillmouth cell." - - -A Shropshire legend narrates that, on one occasion, Milburga, who is -still remembered in the name of Stoke St. Milborough, was riding in -all haste to escape from certain enemies. She fell at length exhausted -from her horse; but, at her command, the animal struck a stone with -his hoof, and water gushed out for her refreshment. In a neighbouring -field some men were sowing grain, and the saint prophesied that in -the evening they would gather the ripe corn. She instructed them to -tell her enemies, on their arrival, that she had passed when the crop -was being sown. The miracle duly happened, and Milburga's foes were -disconcerted in consequence. Shropshire and Yorkshire have strange -traditions about the sudden appearance of lakes, sometimes overwhelming -human dwellings. In the latter case, the tops of houses are said to be -visible through the water. Additional picturesqueness is occasionally -given, by the introduction into the story of vanished bells, sending -forth from the depths their soft cadences. At Tunstall, in Norfolk, -a boggy piece of ground, locally known as Hell-Hole, is marked by -frequently rising bubbles. The devil once carried off the bells of -the church, and, when pursued, plunged into the marsh. The bubbles are -due to the bells sinking lower and lower into the abyss. Such beliefs -about lakes form an interesting supplement to Scottish superstitions. - -When Henry VI. was in hiding in Bolton Hall, in Yorkshire, he wished -to have a bath in the hot summer weather. His host, anxious to supply -what was lacking to the comfort of the royal fugitive, used a hazel -twig in his garden, in the hope of discovering water. The indications -being favourable, a well was dug, and the king was enabled to cool -himself to his heart's content. The spring still bears the king's -name. Michael Scott, who was born in Fife in the thirteenth century, -and was regarded by his contemporaries as a dabbler in the black art, -had a pupil in the north of England who undertook a marvellous feat, -viz., to bring the sea up the Wansbeck river to Morpeth. Certain -incantations were gone through, and the magician started from the -coast, followed by the tide. All went well till within about five -miles from the town, when he became alarmed by the roaring of the -water, and looked back. So the spell was broken, and Morpeth remained -inland. This recalls the story accounting for the introduction of -a good water-supply into Plymouth. When there was a scarcity in -the sixteenth century, Sir Francis Drake, the naval hero, rode up -to Dartmoor, and uttered some magical words over a spring there. He -immediately turned his horse and galloped back to the town, followed -by a copious stream. - -Certain wells could put in a good claim to the title of wonderful -on the ground of the effects they were able to produce. If a spring -could act as a sign-post to guide the wayfarer, who had strayed -from his path, it might surely be classed among marvels! This is -what a certain well on Dartmoor, in Devonshire, could do, at least -in the sixteenth century. A man of the name of Fitz and his wife, -when crossing the moor in the year 1568, lost their way. They lighted -on the well in question, drank its water, and found the lost track -without the least difficulty. In gratitude, Fitz afterwards raised -a memorial of stone over the well "for the benefit of all pixy-led -travellers." In Germany, before a meal, the ceremony of wishing -one's friend a good appetite is still kept up. Such a salutation must -have been unnecessary in the Island of Harris, at least in Martin's -time, for he tells us of a spring, then lately discovered, that -could produce an appetite whenever wanted. "The natives," he says, -"find by experience that it is very effectual for restoring lost -appetite; all that drink of it become very soon hungry though they -have eat plentifully but an hour before." A small quantity of its -water might with advantage be added to the contents of the "loving -cup" at the Lord Mayor's banquets, and on other festive occasions -both in, and out of the Metropolis. Martin speaks of another marvel -in Harris. "A large cave in the face of a hill hath," he says, "two -wells in it, one of which is excluded from dogs, for they say that -if a dog do but taste of the water, the well presently dryeth up; -and for this reason, all such as have occasion to lodge there take -care to tie their dogs that they may not have access to the water. The -other well is called the Dogs' Well, and is only drunk by them." The -student of folklore cannot fail to find Martin a congenial companion, -as he records a variety of quaint Hebridean customs that might have -been passed over in silence by a more matter-of-fact writer. When -in the Island of Lewis, he was told of a fountain at Loch Carloway -"that never whitened linen," though the experiment had been often -tried. In connection with his visit to Barray, he says, "The natives -told me there is a well in the village Tangstill, the water of which, -being boiled, grows thick like puddle. There is another well, not far -from Tangstill, which, the inhabitants say, in a fertile year, throws -up many grains of barley in July and August. And they say that the -well of Kilbar throws up embryos of cockles, but I could not discern -any in the rivulet, the air being at that time foggy." This reminds -one of the Well in the Wall in Checkly parish, Staffordshire, said -to throw out small bones like those of chickens and sparrows all the -year round except in the months of July and August. Toubir-ni-Lechkin, -in Jura, rising on a hill near Tarbert, was a noted fountain. Martin -mentions that its water was counted "lighter by one half" than any -other water in the island, and that a great quantity of it might be -drunk at one time without causing inconvenience. He further says, -"The river Nissa receives all the water that issues from this well, -and this is the reason they give why salmons here are in goodness -and taste far above those of any other river whatever." - -The power of some wells over the lower animals was remarkable. A -spring at Harpham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, dedicated to -St. John of Beverley, was believed to subdue the fiercest animal. A -raging bull, when brought to it, became as gentle as a lamb. A spring -of this kind would indeed be a great boon in the country to timid, -town-bred tourists when crossing fields where there are cattle. To the -margin of such a spring they could retreat and there feel safe. Black -Mere, at Morridge, near Leek, in Staffordshire, was credited with the -power of frightening away animals. Cattle would not drink its water, -and birds would not fly over it. A mermaid was believed to dwell -in its depths. A reminiscence of this belief is to be found in the -name of "The Mermaid," a wayside inn in the neighbourhood frequented -by sportsmen. Some wells keep a sharp look-out on the use made of -their water. A certain spring at Gilsland, in Cumberland, wished -to dispense its favours freely, i.e., without making the public pay -for them. The proprietor of the ground, however, resolved to turn, -what he counted, an honest penny, and built a house over the spring -for the sale of the water. The fountain, much aggrieved at this, -forthwith dried up. The house, not being required, was taken down, -and the benevolent water once more made its appearance. - -Intermittent springs have been observed from an early date, and strange -notions have been formed about them. They are usually associated -in their ebbing and flowing with some particular river. In some -instances such a connection can be only imaginary, notably in the -case of the Keldgate Springs at Cottingham, in Yorkshire, thought -to be influenced by the river Derwent twenty miles away. An ebbing -and flowing well at the foot of Giggleswick Scar, near Settle, in -the same county, was represented by Michael Drayton under the poetic -guise of a nymph flying from the pursuit of an unwelcome lover. Gough, -in his edition of Camden's "Britannia," of date 1806, has the following -about a spring near Paisley:--"Bishop Gibson says that in the lands of -Newyards, near Paisley, is a spring which ebbs and flows with the tide -though far above any ground to which the tide comes. Mr. Crawford, -in his 'History of the Shire of Renfrew,' applies this to a spring -in the lands of Woodside, which is three miles from the Clyde, and -half-a-mile from Paisley bridge, and the ground much higher than the -river." The name of Dozmare Lake, in Cornwall, signifies in Cornish a -drop of the sea, the lake having been so called from a belief that it -was tidal. The absurdity of the belief is proved by the fact that the -sheet of water is eight hundred and ninety feet above the sea. The -lake is said to be unfathomable, and has for a haunting spirit a -giant who is doomed to empty it by means of a limpet shell. - -A singular superstition is, or was till quite lately, cherished in -Peeblesshire, that Powbate Well, close to Eddlestone, completely fills -with its water the high hill on whose top it is situated. Chambers, -in his "Popular Rhymes of Scotland," gives the following particulars -about the spring:--"The mouth, called Powbate E'e, is covered over -by a grate to prevent the sheep from falling into it; and it is -supposed that, if a willow wand is thrown in, it will be found some -time after, peeled at the water-laugh, a small lake at the base of -the hill supposed to communicate with Powbate. Of course the hill -is expected to break some day like a bottle and do a great deal of -mischief. A prophecy, said to be by Thomas the Rhymer, and bearing -evident marks of his style, is cited to support the supposition: - - - 'Powbate, an ye break, - Tak' the Moorfoot in yere gate; - Moorfoot and Mauldslie, - Huntlycote, a' three, - Five kirks and an Abbacie!'" - - -In explanation of this prophecy Chambers remarks: "Moorfoot, Mauldslie, -and Huntlycote are farm-towns in the immediate neighbourhood of -the hill. The kirks are understood to have been those of Temple, -Carrington, Borthwick, Cockpen, and Dalkeith; and the abbacy was that -of Newbottle, the destruction of which, however, has been anticipated -by another enemy." - -The Scottish imagination, in attributing wonderful properties to -springs, has not gone the length of ascribing to any the power -possessed by St. Ludvan's Well in Cornwall. This fountain has been -already referred to as the giver of increased sight. But it had the -still more marvellous power of preventing any one baptised with its -water from being hanged by a hempen rope. Nor have we heard of any -spring north of the Tweed that could be a match for another Cornish -well, viz., that of St. Keyne, familiar to readers of Southey. Whoever, -after marriage, first drank of its water would be the ruler of the -house. On one occasion a bridegroom hurried to make sure of this -right, but was chagrined to find that he had been anticipated: his -bride had taken a bottleful of the water with her to church. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -WITNESS OF WATER. - - Recovery from Illness--Hydromancy--Mirror--Juno's Pool--Prediction - and Cure--Methods of Augury--Portents of Death--Water like - Blood--Springs and National Annals--Heritable Jurisdictions--Water - and Witchcraft--Devil's Mark--Water Ordeal--Abbey of Scone--Elgin - Orderpot--Witch's Stone--Repeal of Penal Statutes--Witchcraft in - the North--Insanity--Wild Murdoch. - - -"Am I likely to recover?" is a question on many a patient's lips. "Ask -your doctor;" and if the case looks serious, "Have a consultation" -is the answer nowadays. Formerly, the answer was "Go to a consecrated -well," or "Get some one else to go in your stead, and you will get -a reply." There is no reason to believe that every sacred spring was -credited with this power; but many undoubtedly were. Hydromancy has -been a favourite mode of divination. "The conscious water" could -predict the future, and questions connected with health were laid -before it for its decision. The Greeks dipped a mirror into a well, -and foretold health or sickness from the appearance of the watery -lines on its surface. A pool in Laconia, sacred to Juno, revealed -approaching good or evil fortune respectively, by the sinking or -floating of wheaten cakes thrown into it, and auguries were also -drawn from the movements of stones when dropt into it. Springs, -therefore, deserved the respect shown to them by the confiding -public. Indeed they not only told of recovery; they supplied the -medicine required to ensure it, and were thus doctors and druggists -combined. Sometimes the omen was unpropitious. In many cases the -prophecy would work out its own fulfilment. There was a well in the -Island of Lewis that caused either instant death or recovery to the -patient who tested its virtues: but a speedy fulfilment like this was -exceptional. St. Andrew's Well at Shadar, in Lewis, was much esteemed -for its power of augury. A tub, containing some of its water, was -taken to the house of the patient, and a small wooden dish was placed -on the surface of the water. If this dish turned sunways, it showed -that the patient would recover; but if in an opposite direction, -that he would die. In reference to this instance, Mr. Gomme, in his -"Ethnology in Folklore," observes, "I am inclined to connect this with -the vessel or cauldron so frequently occurring in Celtic tradition, -and which Mr. Nutt has marked as 'a part of the gear of the oldest -Celtic divinities' perhaps of divinities older than the Celts." On -one occasion two parishioners of Fodderty, in Ross-shire, consulted -Tobar-na-domhnuich in that parish in behalf of a sick friend. When -they placed their pitcher on the surface of the water, the vessel -moved round from south to west, as in the last instance, and they -hastened back to their friend with the good news. This was in the -year 1832. About the same time, a woman brought her sick child to -be bathed in the well, but was surprised and not a little terrified -to see a strange creature, with glaring eyes, leap into it as she -approached. Love for her child made her brave. Overcoming her fear, -she dislodged the creature, and bathed the little invalid. In the end, -however, she must have regarded the appearance of the creature as a -bad omen, for the child did not recover. The usual way of consulting -the spring in question was to draw water from it before sunrise, -and to convey the water to the invalid's house. The patient was then -immersed in it, and if it remained clear the circumstance pointed to -recovery; but if it assumed a brownish colour, the illness would end -in death. In former times a shirt was thrown into St. Oswald's Well, -in Yorkshire, by way of augury. The floating of the shirt foretold -returning health. The sinking foretold death. When a portion of an -invalid's clothing was flung into the Dow Loch, in Dumfriesshire, the -same rule held good. As may be noticed, the augury in these two cases -was the reverse of that in the case of Juno's pool above alluded to. - -There were other ways in which wells acted the prophet. If a certain -worm in a spring on the top of a particular hill in Strathdon was -found alive, the patient would recover. A well at Ardnacloich in Appin -contained a dead worm, if the patient's illness would prove fatal; -but a living one, if otherwise. The Virgin's Well, near the ancient -church of Kilmorie on the shores of Loch Ryan in Wigtownshire, had -an ingenious way of predicting the future. If the patient, on whose -account the water was sought, would recover, the fountain flowed -freely; but if the malady would end in death, the water refused to -gush forth. Montluck Well, in the grounds of Logan in the same county, -got the credit of acting on a similar principle. When speaking of this -spring, Symson says, "it is in the midst of a little bog to which -several persons have recourse to fetch water for such as are sick, -asserting (whether it be truth or falsehood I shall not determine) -that if the sick person shall recover, the water shall so bubble and -mount up when the messenger dips in his vessel, that he will hardly get -out dry shod by reason of the overflowing of the well; but if the sick -person be not to recover, there shall not be any such overflowing in -the least." We find a belief in the south-west of England corresponding -to this in the south-west of Scotland. Gulval Well, in Fosses Moor -there, was resorted to by persons anxious to know the fate of absent -friends. If the person inquired about was dead, the water remained -perfectly still; if sick, it bubbled, though in a muddy fashion; but -if well, it sent out a sparkling gush. Mr. Hunt mentions the case of -a woman, who, with her babe in her arm, consulted the spring about -her absent husband, under the guidance of an aged female who acted -as the guardian of the well. "Obeying the old woman's directions, -she knelt on the mat of bright green grass which grew around, and, -leaning over the well so as to see her face in the water, she repeated -after her instructor: - - - 'Water, water, tell me truly, - Is the man I love truly - On the earth, or under the sod, - Sick or well,--in the name of God?' - - -Some minutes passed in perfect silence, and anxiety was rapidly -turning cheeks and lips pale, when the colour rapidly returned. There -was a gush of clear water from below, bubble rapidly followed bubble -sparkling brightly in the morning sunshine. Full of joy, the young -mother rose from her knees, kissed her child, and exclaimed, 'I am -happy now!'" At Barenton in Brittany is a spring still believed in by -the peasantry. A pin is dropt into the well, and if good fortune is -in store, the water sends up bubbles; but if not, it remains quite -still. The quantity of water in St. Maelrubha's Well on Innis-Maree -varied from time to time. When a patient was brought for treatment -and there was a scanty supply, the omen was considered unfavourable; -but when the water was abundant, the saint was deemed propitious, -and the hope of recovery was consequently great. - -The fly at St. Michael's Well in Banffshire was looked upon as a -prophet. In the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland" we read, that, -"if the sober matron wished to know the issue of her husband's ailment, -or the love-sick nymph that of her languishing swain, they visited -the Well of St. Michael. Every movement of the sympathetic fly was -regarded in silent awe; and as he appeared cheerful or dejected, the -anxious votaries drew their presages." At Little Conan in Cornwall is -a spring, sacred to Our Lady of Nants. It was at one time resorted to -on Palm Sunday by persons anxious to know whether they would outlive -the year. A cross, made of palm, was thrown into the water. If it -floated, the thrower would survive the twelvemonth; but if it sank, -he would die within that time. Maidens used to visit Madron Well -in the same county on May morning to forecast their matrimonial -fate. They took two pieces of straw, about an inch in length, and -placing them crosswise fastened them together with a pin. The cross -was then thrown into the spring. The rising bubbles were carefully -counted, for they corresponded in number with the years that would -elapse before the arrival of the wedding-day. - -Portents of death were sometimes furnished by lochs and springs. At -Harpham in Yorkshire there is a tradition that a drummer lad in the -fourteenth century was accidentally drowned in a certain spring by a -St. Quintin--Lord of the Manor. Ever afterwards the sound of a drum -was heard in the well on the evening before the death of one of the -St. Quintin family. Camden, in his "Britannia," tells of a sheet of -water in Cheshire called Blackmere Lake, lying in the district where -the Brereton family had lands, and records the local belief that, -just before any heir of that house died, trunks of trees were seen -floating on its surface. Water occasionally gave warning by turning -red like blood. A certain fountain, near the Elbe, in Germany, -was at one time believed to do this, in view of an approaching -war. St. Tredwell's Loch, in Papa-Westray, Orkney, has already been -referred to, in connection with its habit of turning red, whenever -anything remarkable was about to happen to a member of the Royal -Family. When the Earl of Derwentwater was beheaded, in 1716, the -news spread that the stream flowing past his estate of Dilston Hall -in Northumberland ran with blood. The same was said of the river at -Bothel, in the parish of Topenhow, in Cumberland, on the occasion of -the execution of Charles I., in 1649. There was at one time a well in -Canterbury Cathedral. After the assassination of Thomas à Becket the -sweepings of his blood and brains from the floor were thrown into it, -and more than once afterwards the water turned red and effected various -miraculous cures. Lady Wilde, in her "Ancient Legends of Ireland," -narrates how one of the holy wells of Erin lost its efficacy for -curing purposes through having been touched by a murderer. The priest -of the district took some of its water and breathed on it thrice in -the name of the Trinity, when, lo! a mysterious change came over it, -and it appeared red like blood! The murderer was captured and handed -over to justice, and the well once more began to work cures. - -Some springs seemed anxious to be behind the scenes (though before -the event) in connection with various incidents in British annals. A -spring at Warlingham, in Surrey, rises before any great event in our -country's history. At any rate it did so before three great events in -the seventeenth century, viz., the Restoration, the Plague, and the -Revolution. The famous Drumming Well at Oundle, in Northamptonshire, -was also specially active in the seventeenth century. By making -a sound like the beating of a drum, it announced the approach of a -Scottish army, and gave warning of the death of Charles II. In the same -century a pool in North Tawton parish, Devonshire, even though dry in -summer, became full of water at the driest season before the death -of a prince, and remained so till the event happened. Two centuries -earlier a certain well at Langley Park, in Kent, had a singular way -of foretelling the future. In view of a battle it became dry, though -rain fell heavily. If there was to be no fighting, it appeared full -of water, even during the greatest drought. A spring at Kilbarry, in -the island of Barra, Outer Hebrides, served the same purpose, but its -mode of augury was different. In this case, as Dalyell records in his -"Darker Superstitions," drops of blood appeared in prospect of war; but -little bits of peat, if peace was to remain unbroken. Walcott mentions, -in his "Scoti-Monasticon," that there was at Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, -"a sacred fountain which flowed in 1184, and at other times, before -a war or trouble, with blood instead of water for eight successive -days and nights." When Marvel-sike Spring, near Brampton Bridge, in -Northamptonshire, overflowed its customary limits, people used to -interpret its conduct as signifying approaching dearth, the death -of some great person, or some national disturbance. In these days, -when so keen an interest is taken in the proceedings of Parliament, -it is a pity that there is no spring in our land capable of announcing -the probable date of a dissolution. Such a spring would relieve the -public mind from much uncertainty, and would benefit the trade and -commerce of the country. - -Heritable jurisdictions were abolished in Scotland soon after the -Stuart rising of 1745. This privilege, enjoyed till then by many -landowners north of the Tweed, was popularly known as the "right of -pit and gallows," the pit being for the drowning of women and the -gallows for the hanging of men. In 1679, a certain woman, Janet -Grant by name, was convicted of theft in the baronial court of -Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstone, held at Drainie, in Elginshire, -and was sentenced to be drowned in Spynie Loch. In this and other -similar cases water was used as a means of execution. In the case of -witchcraft it was called in as a witness in the trial. The criminal -proceedings for the detection and punishment of so-called witches form -a painfully dark chapter in Scottish history. As Mr. W. H. Davenport -Adams pointedly puts it, in his "Witch, Warlock, and Magician," "The -common people for a time might have been divided into two classes, -'witches and witchfinders.'" The same writer observes, "Among the -people of Scotland, a more serious-minded and imaginative race -than the English, the superstition of witchcraft was deeply rooted -at an early period. Its development was encouraged not only by the -idiosyncracies of the national character, but also by the nature of -the country and the climate in which they lived. The lofty mountains, -with their misty summits and shadowy ravines, their deep obscure glens, -were the fitting homes of the wildest fancies, the eeriest legends, -and the storm--crashing through the forests, and the surf beating on -the rocky shore, suggested to the ear of the peasant or fisherman the -voices of unseen creatures--of the dread spirits of the waters and -the air." A favourite method of discovering whether an accused person -was guilty or not, was that technically known as pricking. It was -confidently believed that every witch had the "devil's mark" somewhere -on her person. The existence of this mark could be determined: for if a -pin was thrust into the flesh with the result that neither blood came, -nor pain was felt, the spot so punctured was the mark in question. This -showed, without doubt, that the accused was guilty of the heinous -crime laid to her charge. Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, in his "History -of Witchcraft in Scotland," gives instances of the finding of the -"devil's mark." He mentions the case of Janet Barker, a servant in -Edinburgh, who acknowledged that she possessed this particular mark -between her shoulders. A pin was stuck into the spot and remained -there for an hour without her being aware of its presence. Such, at -least, was the way of stating the case in 1643. With this simple test -at command it is not easy to understand why water should have been -required to give evidence. But so it was. Among various nations the -water-ordeal has been in fashion. It was specially popular in Scotland -a couple of centuries ago. Part of the bay at St. Andrews is still -styled the Witches' Lake, recalling by its name the crude notions and -cruel practices of our ancestors. A pool in the Carron, near Dunnottar -Church in Kincardineshire, at one time served a similar purpose. - -As we have seen, the sinking or the floating of an object thrown into -water in cases of sickness told of death or recovery. In like manner -innocence or guilt could be determined in the case of persons accused -of sorcery. If the person sank, she was innocent; but guilty, if she -floated. King James VI.--a great authority on the subject--explains -why this was so. In his "Daemonologie," he says, "As in a secret -murther, if the dead carcase be at any time thereafter handled by the -murtherer, it will gush out of blood, as if the blood were raging to -the Heaven for revenge of the murtherer (God having appointed that -secret supernatural sign for trial of that secret unnatural crime), -so that it appears that God hath appointed (for a supernatural sign -of the monstrous impiety of witches) that the water shall refuse to -receive them in her bosom that have shaken off them the sacred water -of baptism and wilfully refused the benefit thereof." The Abbey of -Scone, in Perthshire, founded by Alexander I., in 1114, received from -him a charter confirming the right of using the water-ordeal for the -detection of witchcraft. The place of trial was a small island in the -Tay, half-way between the abbey and the bridge of Perth. According -to the practices, common at such trials, the accused was thrown into -the water, wrapped up in a sheet, and having the thumbs and the great -toes fastened together. The chances of life were certainly not great -under the circumstances, for, if the poor creature floated, she had -soon to exchange water for fire. The stake was her goal. If she sank, -the likelihood was that she would be drowned. Bundled up in the manner -described, she was scarcely in a position to rescue herself; and the -bystanders were in no humour to give a helping hand. Close to the town -of Elgin was once a witch-pool, known as the Order Pot, so called from -its having been the place of ordeal. Through time it was filled up, -mainly with rubbish from the ruins of the cathedral, in fulfilment, -it was believed, of the prophecy of Thomas the Rhymer that - - - "The Order Pot and Lossie grey - Shall sweep the Chanonry kirk away." - - -In the seventeenth century a woman who was accused of having brought -disease on a certain man through her sorceries was thrown into the -pool. She sank, and the crowd, who had collected to witness the trial, -exclaimed, "To Satan's kingdom she hath gone." The incident is of -interest since the view of her case, then taken, was contrary to the -one usually held, as explained above. Perhaps the people standing by -thought that the devil was so eager to get his own, that he would -not lose the chance of securing his victim at once. Elginshire has -another memorial of the black art in the form of The Witch's Stone at -Forres. It consists of a boulder about a yard in diameter and probably -marks the spot where unhappy females convicted of witchcraft were -executed. About the year 1790 some one wished to turn the stone to -good account for building purposes and broke it into three pieces. The -breaker, however, was compelled to put it together again, and the iron -then used to clasp it is still in position. Legend accounts for the -breakage in a less prosaic way. When the boulder was being carried -by a witch through the air in her apron, the apron-string broke, -and, as a result, the stone was broken too. The spot was formerly -reckoned ill-omened. It would be too much to say that belief in the -black art has vanished from the Highlands; though, fortunately for -the good sense of our age, as well as for those who live in it, -witch pools are not now in requisition. Pennant bears witness to -the fact that belief in witchcraft ceased in Perthshire soon after -the repeal, in 1736, of the penal statutes against witches. In more -northern districts it continued a vital part of the popular creed -till much later. The Rev. Donald Sage mentions, in his "Memorabilia -Domestica," that the Rev. Mr. Fraser, minister of Killearnan in -Ross-shire, about 1750, was much troubled with somnolency even in -the pulpit. He was in consequence thought to be bewitched--a notion -that he himself shared. Two women were fixed on, as the cause of his -unnatural slumbers. It was believed that they had made a clay image -representing the minister and had stuck pins into it. Certain pains -felt by him were ascribed to this cause. Had it not been for the Act -of 1736, it would doubtless have fared ill with the supposed witches. - -Witches, however, were not alone in their power of floating. According -to a popular belief in the north-west Highlands, insane people -cannot sink in water. Sir Arthur Mitchell, in the "Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," volume iv., refers to the case -of a certain madman--Wild Murdoch by name--concerning whom strange -stories were told. He was born on the small island of Melista, near -the coast of Lewis, used only for occasional habitation in connection -with the pasturing of cattle. Anyone born in the island is believed to -become insane. The superstition about not sinking was certainly put -to a severe test in Wild Murdoch's case. "It is said," remarks Sir -Arthur, "that his friends used to tie a rope round his body, make it -fast to the stern of the boat, and then pull out to sea, taking the -wretched man in tow. The story goes that he was so buoyant that he -could not sink; 'that they tried to press him down into the water;' -that he could swim with a stone fastened to him; that when carried to -the rocky holms of Melista or Greinan, round which the open Atlantic -surges, and left there alone, he took to the water and swam ashore." - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -WATER-SPIRITS. - - Influence of Scenery--Science and Superstition--Loch-nan-Spoiradan - --Lochan-nan-Deaan--Lochan-Wan and its Sacrifice--Jenny Greenteeth - --Poetry and Superstition--Tweed and Till--Dee and Don-- - Folk-practices for Finding a Drowned Body--Deeside Tradition-- - Salt used by Tweed Fishers for Good Luck--Guardian-Spirit of - Conan--Peg Powler--Water-kelpies--Nikr--Halliwell Boggle--Robin - Round Cap--Round Hole, near Flamborough--Aberdeenshire Kelpy - Legends--Some Sutherland Kelpies--Story about an Islay Kelpy-- - Mermaids in the North. - - -"One of the great charms of Highland landscape is the gleam of -still water that so often gives the element of repose in a scene of -broken cliff and tumbled crag, of noisy cascade and driving cloud. No -casual tourist can fail to notice what a wonderful variety of lakes -he meets with in the course of any traverse he may take across the -country. Among the higher mountains there is the little tarn nestling -in a dark sunless corry, and half-encircled with grim snow-rifted -crags. In the glen, there is the occasional broadening of the river -into a lake that narrows again to let the stream rush down a rocky -ravine. In the wider strath there is the broad still expanse of water, -with its fringe of wood and its tree-covered islets. In the gneiss -region of the North-West, there is the little lochan lying in its -basin of bare rock and surrounded with scores of others all equally -treeless and desolate." So writes Professor Sir A. Geikie in his -"Scenery of Scotland." His point of view is that of a scientific -observer, keenly alive to all the varied phenomena of nature. But amid -the scenes described lived men and women who looked at the outer world -through the refracting medium of superstition. They saw the landscape, -but they saw also what their own imagination supplied. In Strathspey, -is a sheet of water bearing the Gaelic name of Loch-nan-Spoiradan or -the Lake of Spirits. What shape these spirits assumed we do not know, -but there was no mistake about the form of the spirit who guarded -Lochan-nan-Deaan, close to the old military road between Corgarff -and Tomintoul. The appearance of this spirit may be gathered from the -Rev. Dr. Gregor's remarks in an article on "Guardian Spirits of Wells -and Lochs" in "Folklore" for March, 1892. After describing the loch, -he says, "It was believed to be bottomless, and to be the abode of a -water-spirit that delighted in human sacrifice. Notwithstanding this -blood-thirsty spirit, the men of Strathdon and Corgarff resolved to -try to draw the water from the loch, in hope of finding the remains -of those that had perished in it. On a fixed day a number of them -met with spades and picks to cut a way for the outflow of the water -through the road. When all were ready to begin work, a terrific yell -came from the loch, and there arose from its waters a diminutive -creature in shape of a man with a red cap on his head. The men fled -in terror, leaving their picks and spades behind them. The spirit -seized them and threw them into the loch. Then, with a gesture of -defiance at the fleeing men, and a roar that shook the hills, he -plunged into the loch and disappeared amidst the water that boiled -and heaved as red as blood." Near the boundary, between the shires -of Aberdeen and Banff, is a small sheet of water called Lochan-wan, -i.e., Lamb's Loch. The district around is now a deer forest, but at -one time it was used for grazing sheep. The tenants around had the -privilege of pasturing a certain number of sheep. Dr. Gregor says, -"Each one that sent sheep to this common had to offer in sacrifice, -to the spirit of the loch, the first lamb of his flock dropped on the -common. The omission of this sacrifice brought disaster; for unless -the sacrifice was made, half of his flock would be drowned before -the end of the grazing season." As in the case of Lochan-nan-Deaan, -an attempt was made to break the spell by draining the loch, but this -attempt, though less tragic in its result, was equally unavailing. On -three successive days a channel was made for the outflow of the water, -but each night the work was undone. A watch was set, and at midnight -of the third day hundreds of small black creatures were seen to rise -from the lake, each with a spade in his hand. They set about filling -up the trench and finished their work in a few minutes. Mr. Charles -Hardwick, in "Traditions, Superstitions, and Folklore," published -in 1872, tells of a folk-belief, prevalent in the North of England, -particularly in Lancashire. "I remember well," he says, "when very -young, being cautioned against approaching to the side of stagnant -pools of water partially covered with vegetation. At the time, I -firmly believed that if I disobeyed this instruction a certain water -'boggart,' named Jenny Greenteeth, would drag me beneath her verdant -screen and subject me to other tortures besides death by drowning." - -Poetry and superstition regard external nature from the same -standpoint, in as much as both think of it as animate. But there is -a difference. The one endows nature with human qualities, and knows -that it does so through the imagination; the other does the same, -and believes that there is no imagination in the matter. The work of -the former is well expressed by Dr. E. B. Tylor, when he observes, -"In all that water does, the poet's fancy can discern its personality -of life. It gives fish to the fisher and crops to the husbandman, it -swells in fury and lays waste the land, it grips the bather with chill -and cramp and holds with inexorable grasp its drowning victim." That -rivers were monsters hungering, or perhaps, one should say, thirsting, -for human victims is a fact borne witness to by poetry as well as -by superstition. An example of this occurs in the following popular -rhyme connected with the Scottish Border:-- - - - "Tweed said to Till, - 'What gars ye rin sae still'? - Till said to Tweed, - 'Though ye rin wi' speed, - An' I rin slaw, - Yet whare ye droon ae man, - I droon twa.'" - - -Some Aberdeenshire lines have the same theme:-- - - - "Bloodthirsty Dee - Each year needs three; - But bonny Don, - She needs none." - - -According to folklore, there is no doubt that rivers are -"uncanny." Beneath their rippling surface dwells a being who keeps -a lookout for the unwary traveller and seeks to draw him into the -dark depths. A belief in such a being is not always explicitly -avowed. But there are certain folk-practices undoubtedly implying -it. When anyone is drowned in a river, the natural way to find the -body is to drag the stream in the neighbourhood of the accident. But -superstition has recourse to another method. A loaf of bread, with or -without quicksilver in it, is placed on the surface of the water and -allowed to drift with the current. The place where the loaf becomes -stationary marks the spot where the body lies concealed. According -to another method, a boat is rowed up and down the stream, and a drum -is beat all the time. When the boat passes over the resting place of -the body the drum will cease to sound. This was done in Derbyshire -no longer ago than 1882, in order to find the corpse of a young woman -who had fallen into the Derwent. In such practices there is a virtual -recognition of a water-spirit who can, by certain rites, be compelled -to give up his prey, or at any rate to disclose the whereabouts of the -victim. A Deeside tradition supplies a good illustration of this. A -man called Farquharson-na-Cat, i.e., Farquharson of the Wand, so -named from his trade of basketmaking, had on one occasion to cross the -river just above the famous linn. It was night. He lost his footing, -was swept down into the linn, and there drowned. Search was made for -his body, but in vain. His wife, taking her husband's plaid, knelt -down on the river's brink, and prayed to the water-spirit to give -her back her dead. She then threw the plaid into the stream. Next -morning her husband's corpse, with the plaid wrapped round it, was -found lying on the edge of the pool. Till quite lately, fishing -on the Tweed was believed to be influenced by the fairies of the -river. Salt was thrown into the water, and sprinkled on the nets to -insure a plentiful catch of fish. This was really the offering of a -sacrifice to the river-spirits. - -Frequently the guardian of the flood appeared in distinctly human -shape. An excellent example of this is to be found in Hugh Miller's -"My Schools and Schoolmasters," where a picturesque description is -given of the spirit haunting the Conan. Hugh Miller was an expert -swimmer, and delighted to bathe in the pools of that Ross-shire -stream. "Its goblin or water-wraith," he tells us, "used to appear -as a tall woman dressed in green, but distinguished chiefly by her -withered, meagre countenance, ever distorted by a malignant scowl. I -knew all the various fords, always dangerous ones, where of old she -used to start, it was said, out of the river before the terrified -traveller to point at him as in derision with her skinny finger, -or to beckon him invitingly on; and I was shown the very tree to -which a poor Highlander had clung when, in crossing the river by -night, he was seized by the goblin, and from which, despite of his -utmost exertions, though assisted by a young lad, his companion, he -was dragged into the middle of the current, where he perished. And -when in swimming at sunset over some dark pool, where the eye failed -to mark, or the foot to sound, the distant bottom, the twig of some -sunken bush or tree has struck against me as I passed, I have felt, -with sudden start, as if touched by the cold, bloodless fingers of -the goblin." At Pierse Bridge, in Durham, the water-spirit of the Tees -went by the name of Peg Powler, and there were stories in the district, -of naughty children having been dragged by her into the river. - -In the Highlands and Lowlands alike, the spirit inhabiting rivers -and lakes was commonly known as the water-kelpy. A south country -ballad says:-- - - - "The side was steep, the bottom deep - Frae bank to bank the water pouring; - And the bonnie lass did quake for fear, - She heard the water-kelpie roaring." - - -Who does not remember Burns's lines in his "Address to the Deil"?-- - - - "When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord, - An' float the jinglin' icy-boord, - Then water-kelpies haunt the foord - By your direction; - An' 'nighted travellers are allur'd - To their destruction. - - An' aft your moss-traversin' spunkies - Decoy the wight that late and drunk is: - The bleezin', curst, mischievous monkeys - Delude his eyes. - Till in some miry slough he sunk is, - Ne'er mair to rise." - - -The kelpy corresponded in attributes with the Icelandic Nikr; -whence has come our term Old Nick, popularly applied to the devil. A -well-known picture by Sir Noel Paton has familiarised the story of -"Nickar, the soulless," who is there represented as a creature with -frog-like feet, but with a certain human look about him, crouching -among sedge by the side of water, and playing his ghittern--an -instrument resembling a guitar. He appears, however, more melancholy -and less mischievous than the other members of his fraternity. A kelpy -that idled away his time with music and made no attempt to drown -anybody, was quite an exceptional being. In Sweden, where Nikr was -regarded with awe, ferry-men at specially dangerous parts of rivers -warned those who were crossing in their boat not even to mention his -name, lest some mishap should follow. In his "Saxons in England," -Mr. J. M. Kemble thus refers to other manifestations of the same -creature:--"The beautiful Nix or Nixie who allures the young fisher -or hunter to seek her embraces in the wave which brings his death; -the Neck who seizes upon and drowns the maidens who sport upon his -banks; the river-spirit who still yearly, in some parts of Germany, -demands tribute of human life, are all forms of the ancient Nicor." The -same writer continues:--"More pleasing is the Swedish Stromkarl, -who, from the jewelled bed of his river, watches with delight the -children gambol in the adjoining meadows, and singing sweetly to them -in the evening, detaches from his hoary hair the sweet blossoms of -the water-lily, which he wafts over the surface to their hands." In -his "Folklore of East Yorkshire," Mr. J. B. Nicholson alludes to a -haunted pool between Bewholme and Atwick, at the foot of the hill -on which Atwick Church stands. This pool is shaded by willows, -and is believed to be haunted by a spirit known in the district -as the Halliwell Boggle. In connection with Robin Round Cap Well, -in the same district, Mr. Nicholson tells a story--found also in -the south of Scotland--of a certain house-spirit or brownie, who -proved so troublesome to the farmer whom he served that his master -resolved to remove to other quarters. The furniture was accordingly -put in carts and a start was made for the new home. On the way, a -friend accosted the farmer and asked if he was flitting. Before he -could reply, a voice came from the churn--"Ay, we're flitting!" and, -behold, there sat Robin Round Cap. The farmer, seeing that he could -not thus rid himself of the spirit, returned to his old home; but, -afterwards, he succeeded in charming the brownie into a well, where he -still remains. The same writer relates a superstition about a certain -round hole near Flamborough where a girl once committed suicide. "It -is believed," he says, "that anyone bold enough to run nine times -round this place will see Jenny's spirit come out, dressed in white; -but no one has yet been bold enough to venture more than eight times, -for then Jenny's spirit called out:-- - - - 'Ah'll tee on my bonnet - An' put on me shoe, - An' if thoo's nut off - Ah'll seean catch thoo!' - - -A farmer, some years ago, galloped round it on horseback, and Jenny -did come out, to the great terror of the farmer, who put spurs to his -horse and galloped off as fast as he could, the spirit after him. Just -on entering the village, the spirit, for some reason unknown, declined -to proceed further, but bit a piece clean out of the horse's flank, -and the old mare had a white patch there to her dying day." - -In the "Folklore Journal" for 1889, Dr. Gregor relates some kelpy -legends collected by him in Aberdeenshire. On one occasion a man had -to cross the Don by the bridge of Luib, Corgarff, to get to his wife -who was then very ill. When he reached the river, he found that the -bridge--a wooden one--had been swept away by a flood. He despaired -of reaching the other bank, when a tall man suddenly appeared and -offered to carry him across. The man was at first doubtful, but ere -long accepted the proffered help. When they reached the middle of -the river, the kelpy, who had hitherto shown himself so obliging, -sought to plunge his burden beneath the water. A struggle ensued. The -man finally found a foothold, and, disengaging himself from the -kelpy, scrambled in all haste up the bank. His would-be destroyer, -disappointed of his victim, hurled a boulder after him. This boulder -came to be known as the Kelpy's Stane. Passers-by threw a stone -beside it till eventually a heap was formed, locally styled the -Kelpy's Cairn. A Braemar kelpy stole a sackful of meal from a mill -to give it to a woman for whom he had taken a fancy. As the thief was -disappearing, the miller caught sight of him and threw a fairy-whorl -at his retreating figure. The whorl broke his leg, and the kelpy fell -into the mill-race and was drowned. Such was the fate of the last kelpy -seen in Braemar. Sutherland, too, abounded in water-spirits. They -used to cross the mouth of the Dornoch Firth in cockle-shells, -but, getting tired of this mode of transit, they resolved to build -a bridge. It was a magnificent structure, the piers being headed -with pure gold. A countryman, happening to pass, saw the bridge, -and invoked a blessing on the workmen and their work. Immediately, -the workmen vanished, and their work sank beneath the waves. Where it -spanned the Firth there is now a sandbar dangerous to mariners. Miss -Dempster, who recounts this legend in the "Folklore Journal" for 1888, -supplies further information about the superstition of the district. A -banshee, adorned with gold ornaments and wearing a silk dress, was -seen hurrying down a hill near the river Shin, and finally plunging -into one of its deep pools. These banshees were commonly web-footed, -and seemed addicted to finery, if we may judge from the instance just -given, and from another mentioned by Mr. Campbell in his "Tales of -the West Highlands." He there speaks of one who frequented a stream -about four miles from Skibo Castle in Dornoch parish. The miller's wife -saw her. "She was sitting on a stone, quiet, and beautifully dressed -in a green silk dress, the sleeves of which were curiously puffed -from the wrists to the shoulder. Her long hair was yellow like ripe -corn, but on nearer view she had no nose." Miss Dempster narrates -the following incident connected with the water-spirit haunting -another Sutherland river:--"One, William Munro, and the grandfather -of the person from whom we have this story, were one night leading -half-a-dozen pack-horses across a ford in the Oikel, on their way to -a mill. When they neared the river bank a horrid scream from the water -struck their ears. 'It is the Vaicgh,' cried the lad, who was leading -the first horse, and, picking up some stones, he sent a shower of them -into the deep pool at his feet. She must have been repeatedly hit, -as she emitted a series of the most piercing shrieks. 'I am afraid,' -said Monro, 'that you have not done that right, and that she will play -us an ugly trick at the ford.' 'Never mind, we will take more stones,' -he answered, arming himself with a few. But the kelpy had had enough -of stones for one night." - -Off the Rhinns of Islay is a small island formerly used for grazing -cattle. A strong tide sweeps past the island, making the crossing -of the Sound dangerous. A story, related by Mr. Campbell, tells -that on a certain boisterous night a woman was left in charge of a -large herd of cattle on the island. She was sitting in her cabin, -when all at once she heard strange noises outside, and, looking up, -saw a pair of large eyes gazing in at her through the window. The door -opened, and a strange creature strode in. He was tall and hairy, with -a livid covering on his face instead of skin. He advanced towards the -woman and asked her name. She replied in Gaelic, "Mise mi Fhin"--"Me -myself." He then seized her. In her terror she threw a ladleful of -boiling water on the intruder. Yelling with pain he bounded out of the -hut. These unearthly voices asked what was the matter, and who had hurt -him? "Mise mi Fhin"--"Me myself," replied the creature. The answer was -received with a shout of laughter from his mysterious companions. The -woman rushed out of the hut, and dislodging one of the cows lay down -on the spot, at the same time making a magical circle round her on -the ground. All night she heard terrible sounds mingling with the -roaring of the wind. In the morning the supernatural manifestations -disappeared, and she felt herself safe. It had not fared, however, -so well with the cow, for, when found, it was dead. - -In Chapter I. reference was made to mermen and mermaids, and little -requires to be added in the present connection. In the south of -Scotland the very names of these sea-spirits have a far-off sound -about them. No one beside the Firths of Forth and Clyde expects -nowadays to catch sight of such strange forms sitting on rocks, -or playing among the breakers; but among our Northern Isles it is -otherwise. Every now and again (at long intervals, perhaps) the -mysterious mermaid makes her appearance, and gives new life to an -old superstition. About three years since, one was seen at Deerness -in Orkney. She reappeared last year, and was then noticed by some -lobstermen who were working their creels. She had a small black head, -white body, and long arms. Somewhat later, a creature, believed to -be this mermaid, was shot not far from the shore, but the body was -not captured. In June of the present year another mermaid was seen by -the Deerness people. At Birsay, recently, a farmer's wife was down at -the sea-shore, and observed a strange creature among the rocks. She -went back for her husband, and the two returned quite in time to -get a good view of the interesting stranger. The woman spoke of the -mermaid as "a good-looking person"; while her husband described her -as "having a covering of brown hair." Curiosity seems to have been -uppermost in the minds of the couple, for they tried to capture the -creature. In the interests of folklore, if not of science, she managed -to escape, and was quickly lost to sight beneath the waves. Perhaps, -as the gurgling waters closed over her, she may have uttered an au -revoir, or whatever corresponds to that phrase in the language of the -sea. The following story about a mermaid, told by Mr. J. H. Dixon in -his "Gairloch," published in 1886, is fully credited in the district -where the incident occurred:--"Roderick Mackenzie, the elderly and -much respected boat-builder at Port Henderson, when a young man, went -one day to a rocky part of the shore there. Whilst gathering bait he -suddenly spied a mermaid asleep among the rocks. Rorie 'went for' -that mermaid, and succeeded in seizing her by the hair. The poor -creature in great embarrassment cried out that if Rorie would let go -she would grant him whatever boon he might ask. He requested a pledge -that no one should ever be drowned from any boat he might build. On -his releasing her the mermaid promised that this should be so. The -promise has been kept throughout Rorie's long business career--his -boats still defy the stormy winds and waves." Mr. Dixon adds, "I am -the happy possessor of an admirable example of Rorie's craft. The -most ingenious framer of trade advertisements might well take a hint -from this veracious anecdote." - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -MORE WATER-SPIRITS. - - Water-horses and Water-bulls--Highland Superstition--Spiritual - Water-demon and Material Water-monster--Water-bulls of Loch - Llundavrà and Loch Achtriachtan--Water-horses of Loch Treig--Kelpy - of Loch Ness--Water-horse Bridles--Pontage Pool--Kelpy's - Footprint--MacCulloch and Sir Walter Scott--Recent Example of - Belief in Water-monster--Tarroo-Ushtey in the Isle of Man--Other - Water-spirits--Dragon--Black-dog--Fly--Fish--De mons--Origin - of Well-worship. - - -So far we have been dealing with water-spirits more or less human in -form. Another class consists of those with the shape and attributes -of horses and bulls. The members of this class are connected specially -with Highland districts. Lonely lochs were their favourite haunts. In -treeless regions, a belief in such creatures would naturally arise. Any -ordinary animal in such an environment would appear of a larger size -than usual, and the eye of the beholder would transmit the error to his -imagination, thereby still further magnifying the creature's bulk. In -some instances, the notion might arise even when there was no animal -on the scene. A piece of rock, or some other physical feature of the -landscape would be enough to excite superstitious fancies. Mr. Campbell -remarks, "In Sutherland and elsewhere, many believe that they have seen -these fancied animals. I have been told of English sportsmen who went -in pursuit of them, so circumstantial were the accounts of those who -believed they had seen them. The witnesses are so numerous, and their -testimony agrees so well, that there must be some old deeply-rooted -Celtic belief which clothes every object with the dreaded form of -the Each Uisge, i.e., Water-horse." When waves appeared on a lake, -and there seemed no wind to account for them, superstitious people -readily grasped at the idea that the phenomenon was due to the action -of some mysterious water-spirit. As Dr. Tylor points out, there seems -to have been a confusion "between the 'spiritual water-demon' and the -'material water-monster.'" Any creature found in or near the water -would naturally be reckoned its guardian spirit. - -The Rev. Dr. Stewart gives the following particulars about water-horses -and water-bulls in his "'Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe." They are -thought of "as, upon the whole, of the same shape and form as the -more kindly quadrupeds after whom they have been named, but larger, -fiercer, and with an amount of 'devilment' and cunning about them, -of which the latter, fortunately, manifest no trace. They are always -fat and sleek, and so full of strength and spirit and life that the -neighing of the one and the bellowing of the other frequently awake -the mountain echoes to their inmost recesses for miles and miles -around.... Calves and foals are the result of occasional intercourse -between these animals and their more civilised domestic congeners, -such calves bearing unmistakable proofs of their mixed descent in the -unusual size and pendulousness of their ears and the wide aquatic -spread of their jet black hoofs; the foals, in their clean limbs, -large flashing eyes, red distended nostrils, and fiery spirit. The -initiated still pretend to point out cattle with more or less of this -questionable blood in them, in almost every drove of pure Highland -cows and heifers you like to bring under their notice." The lochs -of Llundavrà and Achtriachtan, in Glencoe, were at one time famous -for their water-bulls; and Loch Treig for its water-horses, believed -to be the fiercest specimens of that breed in the world. If anyone -suggested to a Lochaber or Rannoch Highlander that the cleverest -horse-tamer could "clap a saddle on one of the demon-steeds of Loch -Treig, as he issues in the grey dawn, snorting, from his crystal-paved -sub-lacustral stalls, he would answer, with a look of mingled horror -and awe, 'Impossible!' The water-horse would tear him into a thousand -pieces with his teeth and trample and pound him into pulp with his -jet-black, iron-hard, though unshod hoofs!" - -A noted demon-steed once inhabited Loch Ness, and was a cause of -terror to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. Like other kelpies, -he was in the habit of browsing along the roadside, all bridled and -saddled, as if waiting for some one to mount him. When any unwary -traveller did so, the kelpy took to his heels, and presently plunged -into deep water with his victim on his back. Mr. W. G. Stewart, in -his "Highland Superstitions and Amusements," tells a story to show -that the kelpy in question did not always have things his own way. A -Highlander of the name of MacGrigor resolved to throw himself in the -way of the water-horse in the hope of getting the better of him. The -meeting took place in the solitary pass of Slochd-Muichd, between -Strathspey and Inverness. The kelpy looked as innocent as usual, and -was considerably startled when MacGrigor, sword in hand, struck him -a blow on the nose. The weapon cut through the bridle, and the bit, -falling to the ground, was instantly picked up by MacGrigor. This was -the turning point of the encounter. The kelpy was powerless without -his bit, and requested to have it restored. Though a horse, the kelpy -had the power of human speech, and conversed, doubtless in excellent -Gaelic, with his victor, using various arguments to bring about the -restoration of his lost property. Finding that these were unavailing, -he prophesied that MacGrigor would never enter his house with the -bit in his possession, and when they arrived at the door he planted -himself in front of it to block the entrance. The Highlander, however, -outwitted the kelpy, for, going round to the back of his house, he -called his wife and flung the bit to her through a window. Returning -to the kelpy, he told him where the bit was, and assured him that he -would never get it back again. As there was a rowan cross above the -door the demon-steed could not enter the house, and presently departed -uttering certain exclamations not intended for benedictions. Those who -doubt the truthfulness of the narrative may have their doubts lessened -when they learn that this was not the only case of a water-horse's -bit becoming the property of a human being. The Rev. Dr. Stewart -narrates an anecdote bearing on this. A drover, whose home was in -Nether Lochaber, was returning from a market at Pitlochry by way of -the Moor of Rannoch. Night came on; but, as the moon was bright, he -continued his journey without difficulty. On reaching Lochanna Cuile, -he sat down to refresh himself with bread, cheese, and milk. While -partaking of this temperate repast he caught sight of something -glittering on the ground, and, picking it up, he found it to be a -horse's bridle. Next morning he was astonished to find that the bit -and buckles were of pure silver and the reins of soft and beautifully -speckled leather. He was still more surprised to find that the bit when -touched was unbearably hot. A wise woman from a neighbouring glen was -called in to solve the mystery. She at once recognised the article to -be a water-horse's bridle, and accounted for the high temperature of -the bit on the ground that the silver still retained the heat that it -possessed when in a molten state below ground. The reins, she said, -were made of the skin of a certain poisonous serpent that inhabited -pools frequented by water-horses. According to her directions, the -bridle was hung on a cromag or crook of rowan wood. Its presence -brought a blessing to the house, and the drover prospered in all -his undertakings. When he died, having no children of his own, he -bequeathed the magical bridle to his grandnephew, who prospered in -his turn. - -A pool in the North Esk, in Forfarshire, called the Ponage or Pontage -Pool, was at one time the home of a water-horse. This creature -was captured by means of a magical bridle, and kept in captivity -for some time. While a prisoner he was employed to carry stones to -Morphie, where a castle was then being built. One day the bridle -was incautiously removed, and the creature vanished, but not before -he exclaimed-- - - - "Sair back an' sair banes, - Carryin' the Laird o' Morphie's stanes; - The Laird o' Morphie canna thrive - As lang's the kelpy is alive." - - -His attempted verse-making seems to have gratified the kelpy, for -when he afterwards showed himself in the pool he was frequently heard -repeating the rhyme. The fate of the castle was disastrous. At a later -date it was entirely demolished, and its site now alone remains. Some -six miles from the Kirkton of Glenelg, in Inverness-shire, is -the small sheet of water known in the district as John MacInnes' -Loch. It was so called from a crofter of that name who was drowned -there. The circumstances are thus narrated by Mr. J. Calder Ross in -"Scottish Notes and Queries" for February, 1893: "John MacInnes found -the labour of his farm sadly burdensome. In the midst of his sighing -an unknown being appeared to him and promised a horse to him under -certain conditions. These conditions John undertook to fulfil. One day, -accordingly, he found a fine horse grazing in one of his fields. He -happened to be ploughing at the time, and at once he yoked the animal -to the plough along with another horse. The stranger worked splendidly, -and he determined to keep it, though he well knew that it was far -from canny. Every night when he stabled it he spread some earth from -a mole's hill over it as a charm; according to another version he -merely blessed the animal. One night he forgot his usual precautions: -perhaps he was beginning to feel safe. The horse noticed the omission, -and seizing poor John in his teeth, galloped off with him. The two -disappeared in the loch." - -Water-horses were not always malignant in disposition. On one occasion -an Aberdeenshire farmer went with his own horse to a mill to fetch -home some sacks of meal. He left the horse at the door of the mill -and went in to bring out the sacks. The beast, finding itself free, -started for home. When the farmer reappeared and found the creature -gone he was much disconcerted, and uttered the wish that he might -get any kind of horse to carry his sacks even though it were a -water-kelpy. To his surprise, a water-horse immediately appeared! It -quietly allowed itself to be loaded with the meal, and accompanied -the farmer to his home. On reaching the house he tied the horse to an -old harrow till he should get the sacks taken into the house. When -he returned to stable the animal that had done him the good turn, -horse and harrow were away, and he heard the beast plunging not far -off in a deep pool in the Don. If anyone refuses to believe in the -existence of water-horses, let him go to the parish of Fearn, in -Forfarshire, and there, near the ruined castle of Vayne, he will see -on a sandstone rock the print of a kelpy's foot. Noran Water flows -below the castle, and the mysterious creature had doubtless its home -in one of its pools. In Shetland, such kelpies were known as Nuggles, -and showed themselves under the form of Shetland ponies. - -MacCulloch, the author of "A Description of the Western Islands of -Scotland," found the belief in the water-bull a living faith among -the people, notably among the dwellers beside Loch Rannoch and Loch -Awe. He tells of a farmer who employed his sons to search a certain -stream for one of these creatures, while the farmer himself carried a -gun loaded with sixpences to be discharged when the monster appeared, -silver alone having any effect on such beasts. The same writer, -when speaking of the grandeur of the scenery about Loch Coruisk, -remarks:--"It is not surprising that Coruisk should be considered by -the natives as the haunt of the water-goblin or of spirits still more -dreadful. A seaman, and a bold one, whom, on one occasion, I had left -in charge of the boat, became so much terrified at finding himself -alone that he ran off to join his comrades, leaving it moored to the -rock, though in danger of being destroyed by the surge. I afterwards -overheard much discussion on the courage of the Southron in making -the circuit of the valley unattended. Not returning till it was -nearly dark, it was concluded that he had fallen into the fangs of -the kelpy." MacCulloch's "Description" consists of a series of letters -to Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter himself has an interesting reference -to the same superstition in his "Journal," under date November 23rd, -1827. After enumerating the company at a certain dinner party at -which he had been present, he continues: "Clanronald told us, as an -instance of Highland credulity, that a set of his kinsmen--Borradale -and others--believing that the fabulous 'water-cow' inhabited a small -lake near his house, resolved to drag the monster into day. With this -view they bivouacked by the side of the lake in which they placed, -by way of night-bait, two small anchors such as belong to boats, -each baited with the carcase of a dog slain for the purpose. They -expected the 'water-cow' would gorge on this bait, and were prepared -to drag her ashore the next morning, when, to their confusion of face, -the baits were found untouched. It is something too late in the day -for setting baits for water-cows." If such conduct seemed wonderful -in 1827, what would the author of "Waverley" have thought had he known -that more than half-a-century later, people in the Highlands retained a -thorough-going belief in such monsters? No longer ago than 1884 rumours -were current in Ross-shire that a water-cow was seen in or near a loch -on the Greenstone Point, in Gairloch parish. Mr. J. H. Dixon, in his -"Gairloch," states that about 1840 a water-cow was believed to inhabit -Loch-na-Beiste, in the same parish, and that a serious attempt was then -made to destroy the creature. The proprietor tried to drain the loch, -which, except at one point, is little more than a fathom in depth; -but when his efforts failed he threw a quantity of quicklime into the -water to poison the monster. It is reasonable to hold that the trout -were the only sufferers. The creature in question was described by -two men who saw it as in appearance like "a good sized boat with the -keel turned up." Belief in the existence of water-cows prevailed in -the south as well as in the north of Scotland. In the Yarrow district -there was one inhabiting St. Mary's Loch. Concerning this water-cow, -Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, writes: "A farmer in Bowerhope once got -a breed of her, which he kept for many years until they multiplied -exceedingly; and he never had any cattle throve so well, until once, -on some outrage or disrespect on the farmer's part towards them, -the old dam came out of the lake one pleasant March evening and gave -such a roar that all the surrounding hills shook again, upon which her -progeny, nineteen in number, followed her all quietly into the loch, -and were never more seen." - -In the Isle of Man the water-bull was, and perhaps still is believed -in by the peasantry. It is called in Manx, tarroo-ushtey. There is -much force in Mr. Campbell's conclusion that the old Celts reverenced -a destroying water-god, to whom the horse was sacred, or who assumed -the form of a horse. A similar notion may have originated the belief -in the water-bull. - -Other creatures, besides those already mentioned, acted in the capacity -of water spirits. In Strathmartin, in Forfarshire, is a spring styled -the Nine Maidens' Well. These maidens were the daughters of a certain -Donewalde or Donald in the eighth century, and led, along with their -father, a saintly life in the glen of Ogilvy in the same county. Their -spring at Strathmartin must have been well looked after, for it had -as its guardian, no less formidable a creature than a dragon. We do -not know whether there was any St. George in the vicinity to dispute -possession with the monster. In Kildonan parish, Sutherland, a stagnant -pool of water, some ten yards long by three broad, was regarded by -the inhabitants with superstitious dread. According to tradition, -a pot of gold lay hidden below; but no one could reach the treasure -as it was guarded by a large black dog with two heads. The Rev. Donald -Sage, when noticing this superstition in his "Memorabilia Domestica," -remarks, "It is said that a tenant once had attempted to drain the -loch and had succeeded, so that the water was all carried off. The only -remuneration the unfortunate agriculturist received was to be aroused -from his midnight slumbers by a visit from the black dog, which set -up such a hideous howl as made the hills reverberate and the poor -man almost die with fright. Furthermore, with this diabolical music, -he was regularly serenaded at the midnight hour till he had filled up -the drain, and the loch had resumed its former dimensions." We do not -know whether any later attempt was made to abolish the stagnant pool; -but at any rate a dread of the black dog kept it from being again -drained till well on in the present century. Sutherland, however, -cannot claim a monopoly in the matter of a guardian spirit in the -shape of a dog. Concerning Hound's Pool in Dean Combe parish, Devon, -the tradition is that it is haunted by a hound doomed to keep guard -till the pool can be emptied by a nutshell with a hole in it. Readers -of "Peveril of the Peak" can hardly fail to remember the Moddey -Dhoo--the black demon-dog--that roamed through Peel Castle, in the -Isle of Man. St. Michael's Well in Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, -had for its guardian spirit a much smaller animal than any of the -above. It showed itself in the form of a fly that kept skimming over -the surface of the water. This fly was believed to be immortal. Towards -the end of last century the spring lost its reputation for its cures, -and the guardian spirit shared in its neglect. The writer of the -article on the parish, in the "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," -mentions having met an old man who greatly deplored the degeneracy of -the times. A glowing picture is given of this old man's desires. "If -the infirmities of years and the distance of his residence did -not prevent him, he would still pay his devotional visits to the -well of St. Michael. He would clear the bed of its ooze, opening a -passage for the streamlet, plant the borders with fragrant flowers, -and once more, as in the days of youth, enjoy the pleasure of seeing -the guardian fly skim in sportive circles over the bubbling waves, -and with its little proboscis imbibe the panacean dews." - -Consecrated fish have been reverenced, from of old, in East and -West alike. In Syria, at the present day, such fish are preserved -in fountains; and anciently certain pools in the stream, flowing -past Ascalon, were the abodes of fish sacred to Derketo, the -Phoenician Venus, who had a temple there. In our own land the same -cult prevailed. A curious Cornish legend tells how St. Neot had his -well stocked with fish by an angel. These fish were always two in -number. Day by day, the saint had one for dinner, and its place was -miraculously supplied to keep up the proper number. One day he fell -sick, and his servant, contrary to all ascetic precedent, cooked both -and set them before his master. The saint was horrified, and had both -the fish--cooked though they were--put back into the spring. He sought -forgiveness for the rash act, and lo! the fish became alive once more; -and as a further sign that the sacrilege was condoned, St. Neot, on -eating his usual daily portion, was at once restored to health. In -Scotland there were various springs containing consecrated fish. Loch -Siant, in the Isle of Skye, described by MacCulloch as "the haunt -of the gentler spirits of air and water," abounded in trout; but, -as Martin informs us, neither the natives nor strangers ever dared -to kill any of them on account of the esteem in which the water was -held. This superstition seems to have been specially cherished in the -island, for Martin further says, "I saw a little well in Kilbride, -in the south of Skie, with one Trout only in it; the natives are very -tender of it, and though they often chance to catch it in their wooden -pales, they are very careful to preserve it from being destroyed; it -has been there for many years." In a well near the church of Kilmore, -in Lorne, were two fishes held in much respect in the seventeenth -century, and called by the people of the district, Easg Seant, i.e., -holie fishes. From Dalyell's "Darker Superstitions of Scotland" we -learn that, like those belonging to St. Neot, they were always two -in number: they never varied in size: in colour they were black, -and according to the testimony of the most aged persons their hue -never altered. In Tober Kieran, near Kells, County Meath, Ireland, -were two miraculous trout which never changed their appearance. A -Strathdon legend, narrated by the Rev. Dr. Gregor, thus accounts -for the appearance of fish in Tobar Vachar, i.e., St. Machar's Well, -at Corgarff, a spring formerly held in high honour on account of its -cures:--"Once there was a famine in the district, and not a few were -dying of hunger. The priest's house stood not far from the well. One -day, during the famine, his housekeeper came to him and told him that -their stock of food was exhausted, and that there was no more to be -got in the district. The priest left the house, went to the well, -and cried to St. Machar for help. On his return he told the servant -to go to the well the next morning at sunrise, walk three times round -it, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, without looking -into it, and draw from it a draught of water for him. She carried out -the request. On stooping down to draw the water, she saw three fine -salmon swimming in the well. They were caught, and served the two -as food, till supply came to the famine-stricken district from other -quarters." According to a Herefordshire tradition, a fish with a golden -chain round it was caught in the river Dore, and was afterwards kept in -the spring whence the river flows. At Peterchurch, in that county, is a -sculptured stone bearing a rude representation of the fish in question. - -Sometimes the guardian spirit of a loch or well was thought of in -the vaguest possible way. In that case the genius loci had neither -name nor shape of any kind, the leaving of an offering being the -only recognition of his existence. Occasionally the presiding -spirit was pictured in the popular imagination in the guise of a -demon, commonly with a hazy personality. Callow Pit, in Norfolk, -was believed to contain a treasure-chest guarded by such a being. On -one occasion an attempt to raise the chest was made, and was on the -verge of being successful, when one of the treasure-hunters defied -the devil to get his own again. Suddenly the chest was snatched down -into the pit, and the ring, attached to the lid, alone remained -to tell its tale. This ring was afterwards fixed to the door of -Southwood Church. At Wavertree, in Lancashire, once stood a monastery -and beside it was a well. When pilgrims arrived, the occupants of -the monastery received their alms. If nothing was given, a demon, -chained to the bottom of the well, was said to laugh. This notion -was either originated or perpetuated by a fifteenth century Latin -inscription to this effect, "Qui non dat quad habet. Daemon infra -ridet." When wells were dedicated to Christian saints, the latter -were usually considered the guardians of the sacred water. This was -natural enough. If, for instance, St. Michael was supposed to watch -over a spring, why should not his aid have been sought in connection -with any wished-for cure? It is interesting, however, to note that -this was not so in every instance. In many cases the favourite, -because favourable time for visiting a sacred spring, was not the -festival of the saint to whom it was dedicated, but, as we shall see -hereafter, a day quite distinct from such festival. Petitions, too, -were frequently addressed not to the saint of the well, but to some -being with a character possessing fewer Christian attributes. All this -points to the fact that the origin of well-worship is to be sought, -not in the legends of mediæval Christianity, but in the crude fancies -of an earlier paganism. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -OFFERINGS AT LOCHS AND SPRINGS. - - Votive Offerings--Gifts usually of Small Value--Toubir-nim-buadh - --Rumbling Well--Heath--Rags--St. Wallach's Bath--Pins at St. - Wallach's Well--Luckiness of Things Crooked--Pins Rising in Wells - --Tobar-na-Glas-a-Coille--Lix Well--Pebbles--Coins--St. Jergon's - Well--Silver Wells--Brass Well--Well at Avoch Castle--Introduction - of Loch Katrine Water into Glasgow--Some Glasgow Springs--St. - Thenew's Well--St. Winifred's Well--Dr. Patrick Anderson--Offerings - in France--Gifts in Consecrated Buildings--Philosophy of Votive - Offerings--Infection in Folklore--Safety of Offerings--Transference - of Disease--Results of Theft of Offerings--Pennies in Holy Loch-- - Money in Clach-nan-Sul--Well-Dressing--Not Found in Scotland-- - Festival at Tissington--Roman and English Fontinalia--Royal Oak-Day - at Endon. - - -Offerings at lochs and springs have been incidentally mentioned more -than once, but the subject is one deserving separate treatment. Wells -were not merely so much water, with stones and turf round them, and -lochs, sheets of water, encompassed by moorland or forest. They were, -as we have seen, the haunts of spirits, propitious if remembered, but -resentful if neglected. Hence no one thought it proper to come to them -empty-handed. The principle was, no gift, no cure. Classical literature -contains allusions to such votive offerings. Numa sacrificed a sheep -to a fountain, and Horace promised to offer to his sweet Bandusian -spring a kid not without flowers. Near Toulouse, in France, was a -sacred lake, into whose water the neighbouring tribes anciently threw -offerings of gold and silver. In our own country, the gifts were, as -a rule, of small intrinsic value. When speaking of Toubir-nim-buadh, -in St. Kilda, Macaulay says:--"Near the fountain stood an altar -on which the distressed votaries laid down their oblations. Before -they could touch the sacred water with any prospect of success, it -was their constant practice to address the genius of the place with -supplication and prayer. No one approached him with empty hands. But -the devotees were abundantly frugal. The offerings, presented by them, -were the poorest acknowledgments that could be made to a superior -being, from whom they had either hopes or fears. Shells and pebbles, -rags of linen, or stuffs worn out, pins, needles, or rusty nails, -were generally all the tribute that was paid; and sometimes, though -rarely enough, copper coins of the smallest value." The appearance -of this well is thus described by the author of "Ecclesiological -Notes":--"A low square-shaped massy stone building with a stone roof, -covers the spring, which, after forming a pool in the floor of the -cell, runs down the russet slope like a thread of silver to join the -stream in the valley." - -The offerings, made by the St. Kildians, were indeed much the same as -those commonly made in other parts of the country. We get a glimpse -of what was done in the south of Scotland from Symson, who, in his -quaint "Description of Galloway," remarks:--"In this parish of Bootle, -about a mile from the kirk, towards the north, is a well called the -Rumbling Well, frequented by a multitude of sick people for all sorts -of diseases the first Sunday of May; lying there the Saturday night, -and then drinking of it early in the morning. There is also another -well, about a quarter of a mile distant from the former, towards the -east. This well is made use of by the country people when their cattle -are troubled with a disease called by them the Connoch. This water they -carry in vessels to many parts and wash their beasts with it, and give -it them to drink. It is, too, remembered that at both the wells they -leave behind them something by way of a thank-offering. At the first, -they leave either money or clothes; at the second, they leave the bands -and shackles wherewith beasts are usually bound." The objects, commonly -left on the cairns beside the Holy Pool in Strathfillan, have already -been enumerated. In addition, bunches of heath, tied with worsted, -were occasionally left. The Cheese Well, on Minchmoor, in Peeblesshire, -was so called from the pieces of cheese thrown into it by passers-by -as offerings to the fairies. Around a certain spring near Newcastle, in -Northumberland, the bushes were so covered with shreds of clothing that -the spring went by the name of the Rag Well. At St. Oswald's Well, near -the foot of Roseberry Topping, in Yorkshire, the pieces of cloth were -so numerous that, as a spectator once remarked, they "might have made -a fair ream in a paper-mill." A contributor to "Notes and Queries," -in 1876, observes:--"The custom of hanging shreds of rags on trees as -votive offerings still obtains in Ireland. I remember as a child to -have been surreptitiously taken by an Irish nurse to St. John's Well, -Aghada, County Cork, on the vigil of the saint's day, to be cured -of whooping-cough by drinking three times of the water of the holy -well. I shall never forget the strange spectacle of men and women, -creeping on their knees in voluntary devotion, or in obedience to -enjoined penance, so many times round the well, which was protected by -a grey stone hood, and had a few white thorn trees growing near it, -on the spines of which fluttered innumerable shreds of frieze and -vary-coloured rags, the votive offerings of devotees and patients." - -In the Isle of Man, also, the custom of hanging up rags was at -one time much in vogue. In Malew parish there is Chibber-Undin, -signifying the Foundation Well, so called from the foundations -of a now almost obliterated chapel hard by. The ritual practised -at the well is thus described by Mr. A. W. Moore in his "Surnames -and Place-names of the Isle of Man":--"The patients who came to it, -took a mouthful of water, retaining it in their mouths till they had -twice walked round the well. They then took a piece of cloth from a -garment which they had worn, wetted it from the water from the well, -and hung it on the hawthorn tree which grew there. When the cloth -had rotted away the cure was supposed to be effected." Evidence from -Wales to the same effect is furnished by Professor Rhys in "Folklore" -for September, 1892. He there gives the following information, lately -sent to him by a friend, about a Glamorganshire holy well situated -between Coychurch and Bredgled:--"It is the custom," he writes, -"for people suffering from any malady to dip a rag in the water, -and bathe the affected part. The rag is then placed on a tree close -to the well. When I passed it, about three years ago, there were -hundreds of these shreds covering the tree, and some had evidently -been placed there very recently." Professor Rhys also refers to other -Glamorganshire springs where rags are to be seen hanging on trees. - -Scottish examples of the same superstition are numerous. At -Montblairie, in Banffshire, pieces of linen and woollen stuffs -were hung on the boughs beside a consecrated well, and farthings and -bodles were thrown into the spring itself. The bushes around a well at -Houston, in Renfrewshire, were at one time the recipients of many a -rag. Hugh Miller, who took so keen an interest in all such relics of -superstition, has not failed to notice the custom as practised near -his native town of Cromarty. In his "Scenes and Legends of the North -of Scotland," he says:--"It is not yet twenty years since a thorn -bush, which formed a little canopy over the spring of St. Bennet, -used to be covered anew every season with little pieces of rag, left -on it as offerings to the saint by sick people who came to drink -of the water." St. Wallach's Bath, in Strathdeveron, was a popular -health-resort till the beginning of the present century. Non-thriving -children were brought to it annually in large numbers. No longer -ago than 1874 an invalid from the seaside sought its aid. The bath--a -cavity in the rock fully a yard in depth--is close to the river, and is -supplied with water from a scanty spring, several yards higher up the -slope. The supply trickles over the edge of the bath into the river, -some four feet below. A bib or other part of the child's clothing was -hung on a neighbouring tree or thrown into the bath. Sometimes when the -Deveron was in flood, it submerged the bath, and swept these offerings -down to the sea. As previously mentioned, St. Wallach's Well, hard by, -was much resorted to for the cure of sore eyes. Pins were the usual -offerings. They were left in a hole in a stone beside the well. May -was the favourite season for visiting the spring, and by the end of -the month the hole was often full of pins. This was the case down to -a comparatively recent date. - -Offerings, such as pins, were often thrown into the well itself instead -of being left beside its margin. Near Wooler, in Northumberland, -on the southern slopes of the Cheviots, is a spring locally -styled the Pin Well. A fairy was believed to make it her home, and -maidens, as they passed, dropped in a crooked pin to gain her good -graces. Crooked pins were rather popular, anything so bent--e.g., -a crooked sixpence--being deemed lucky. In the case of more than -one English spring the notion prevailed that, when a pin was thrown -in, the votary would see the pins already there rise to meet the -newcomer. But faith was essential. Otherwise the mysterious vision -would be withheld. We do not know that a corresponding belief prevailed -north of the Tweed. Between the glens of Corgarff and Glengairn in -Aberdeenshire, is the spring known as Tobar-na-Glas-a-Coille or The -Well in the Grey Wood. A pin or other piece of metal had to be dropped -into it by anyone taking a draught of its water. Whoever neglected this -duty, and at any time afterwards again drew water from the spring, -was doomed to die of thirst. Some of these votive pins were found at -the bottom of the well, no longer ago than the autumn of 1891. - -Probably very few travellers by the Callander and Oban railway are -aware of the existence of an interesting, but now neglected holy -well, only a few yards distant from the line. It is situated at the -entrance of rugged Glen Ogle, and from the spot a fine view can be had -of Ben Lawers, Ben More, and Ben Loy. The well is on Wester Lix farm, -and is locally known as the Lix Well. The spring rises in one of the -many hillocks in the neighbourhood. The top of the hillock had been -levelled. Round the spring is built a wall of stone and turf, about -two feet in height, and shaped like a horse-shoe, the opening being -to the east. The distance across the enclosed space is about fourteen -feet. In the centre is the well, in the form of a parallelogram, two -feet by one and a half, with a long drain leading from it through -the opening of the horse-shoe. This drain was at one time covered -with flagstones. Four shapely lintels of micaceous schist enclose -the well. The spot used to be frequented at the beginning of May, -the wall already referred to forming a convenient resting-place -for visitors. Quartz pebbles were the favourite offerings on these -occasions. Immediately behind the well, quite a small cairn of them can -still be seen. Pebbles were among the cheapest possible offerings, the -only cost being the trouble of picking them up. Coins were rather more -expensive; but, as they were commonly of small value, the outlay was -trifling even in their case. The more fervent the zeal of the votary, -the greater would doubtless be the length he or she would go in the -matter of expense. In the parish of Culsalmond, in Aberdeenshire, -a gold coin of James I. of Scotland was found associated with an -ancient healing-well. Such liberality, however, was rare. After -describing St. Maelrubha's Well on Innis Maree in the "Proceedings -of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," volume iv., Sir Arthur -Mitchell observes, "Near it stands an oak tree, which is studded with -nails. To each of these was originally attached a piece of the clothing -of some patient who had visited the spot. There are hundreds of nails, -and one has still fastened to it a faded ribbon. Two bone buttons and -two buckles we also found nailed to the tree. Countless pennies and -halfpennies are driven edge-ways into the wood--over many the bark -is closing, over many it has already closed." Within recent years, -another visitor from the south examined one of the coins stuck into -the tree. It was ostensibly silver, but proved on examination to -be counterfeit. The pilgrim, who left it as an offering, evidently -thought that the saint could be easily imposed upon. - -As in the case of the pins, the coins, given as offerings were, as -a rule, thrown into the spring itself. As an example, we may cite -the case of St. Jergon's or St. Querdon's Well in Troqueer parish, -Kirkcudbrightshire. In an article in the "Transactions of the Dumfries -and Galloway Natural History Society" for 1870, Mr. Patrick Dudgeon -remarks, "Taking advantage of the very dry summer of last year when -the spring was unusually low, I had the well thoroughly cleaned out -and put in order, it having been almost obliterated by cattle being -allowed to use it as a watering-place. Several hundreds of coins were -found at the bottom--almost all being of the smallest description -of copper coin, dating from the time of Elizabeth to that of George -III.... None were of any particular interest or value; the greatest -number are Scottish, and belong to the time of James VI., Charles -I., and Charles II. The circumstance that no coins were found of -an older date than the reign of Elizabeth is not at all conclusive -that offerings of a similar nature had not been made at much earlier -periods. It will be observed that the oldest coins are the thinnest, -and that, although many are as thin as a sheet of writing paper, the -legend on them is perfectly distinct and legible; this, of course, -would not have been the case had the thinning process been owing to -wear and tear. When first taken out, they were perfectly bright--as -new copper--and had all the appearance of having been subjected -to the action of an acid. Something in the water has acted very -slowly as a solvent on the metal, and, acting quite equally over -the whole surface, has reduced the coins to their present state: -it is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that, owing to the solvent -properties of the water, any coins thrown into the well anterior to the -date of those found may have been completely dissolved." Mr. Dudgeon -mentions having been told by old people in the neighbourhood, that they -remembered the time, when rags and ribbons were hung on the bushes -around the well. It is a remarkable circumstance that even since the -cleaning out of the spring above referred to, coins have been thrown -into it. A recent examination of the spot brought these to light, -and showed the persistence of this curious phase of well-worship. - -What would be styled "a collection in silver" in modern ecclesiastical -language was sometimes regarded with special favour. The name -of the Silver Wells in different parts of the country can thus -be accounted for. There is a Siller Well in Walston parish, -Lanarkshire. Arbroath, in Forfarshire; Alvah, in Banffshire; and -Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire, have each their Silver Well. At Turriff, -in the last-mentioned county, there is a farm on the estate of Gask -called Silver Wells after a local spring. At Trelevean, in Cornwall, -is a spring known as the Brass Well. Its name, however, is derived not -from the nature of the offerings left there, but from the colour of the -scum on its surface. Close to the ruins of Avoch Castle, in the Black -Isle, is a well hollowed out of the conglomerate rock. Tradition says, -that the treasures of the castle were thrown into it about the middle -of the seventeenth century. This was done, not by way of offering a -gift to the presiding spirit of the water, but to prevent the valuables -from falling into the hands of Cromwell's troops. A diamond ring was -dropped, not very long ago, into St. Molio's Well, on Holy Island, -near Lamlash. It fell into the water by accident, and, after remaining -in it for some time, was found and restored to its owner. - -The present ample water-supply of Glasgow from Loch Katrine was -introduced in 1859. For about fifty years before that date, the city -looked mainly to the Clyde for the supply of its daily needs. Still -earlier, it depended entirely on its wells. In 1736 these are believed -to have numbered about thirty in all. Among the best known were the -Deanside or Meadow Well, Bogle's Well, Barrasyett Well near the foot -of Saltmarket, the Priest's or Minister's Well and Lady Well beside -the Molendinar, the Arns Well in the Green--so-called from the alders -on its brink, and St. Thenew's Well, near what is now St. Enoch's -Square. Not far from the well was a chapel dedicated to St. Thenew, -with a graveyard round it. Some remains of the chapel were to be -seen in 1736, when M'Ure wrote his history of the city. Dr. Andrew -MacGeorge, in his "Old Glasgow," when describing St. Thenew's Well, -remarks, "It was shaded by an old tree which drooped over the well, -and which remained till the end of the last century. On this tree, -the devotees, who frequented the well, were accustomed to nail, as -thank-offerings, small bits of tin-iron--probably manufactured for that -purpose by a craftsman in the neighbourhood--representing the parts -of the body supposed to have been cured by the virtues of the sacred -spring, such as eyes, hands, feet, ears, and others." Dr. MacGeorge -further mentions that the well was cleaned out about a hundred years -ago. On that occasion there were "picked out from among the debris at -the bottom several of these old votive offerings which had dropped into -it from the tree, the stump of which was at that time still standing." - -Horace tells of a shipwrecked sailor, hanging up his garments, as -a thank-offering in the temple of the divinity who delivered him -from the angry sea. In like manner, Pennant describes what he saw -at St. Winifred's Well, in North Wales. "All infirmities," he says, -"incident to the human body, met with relief; the votive crutches, -the barrows and other proofs of cures, to this moment remain as -evidence pendent over the well." In his "Spring of Kinghorn Craig," -published in Edinburgh in 1618, Dr. Patrick Anderson has some curious -remarks on the subject of votive offerings. He speaks of wells as -being "all tapestried about with old rags, as certaine signes and -sacraments wherewith they arle the well with ane arls-pennie of -their health." He continues, "So suttle is that false knave making -them believe that it is only the virtue of the water, and no thing -else. Such people cannot say with David, 'The Lord is my helper,' -but the Devill." What can still be seen on the other side of the -English Channel is thus described by the Rev. C. N. Barham, in an -article on Ragged Relics, in "The Antiquary" for January, 1893:--"At -Wierre Effroy, in France, where the water of St. Godeleine's Well is -esteemed efficacious for ague, rheumatism, gout, and all affections -of the limbs, a heterogeneous collection of crutches, bandages, -coils of rags, and other rejected adjuncts of medical treatment, is -to be seen hanging upon the surrounding shrubs. They are intended -as thank-offerings and testimonies of restoration. Other springs, -famous for curing ophthalmia, abound in the same district, and here -too, bandages, shades, guards, and rags innumerable are exhibited." - -The leaving of offerings at wells finds a parallel in the practice, -at one time common, of depositing gifts in consecrated buildings. The -chapel of St. Tears, in the parish of Wick, Caithness, used to be -visited on Childermas (December 28th) by devotees, who left in it -pieces of bread and cheese as offerings to the souls of the Holy -Innocents slain by Herod. This was done till about the beginning of -the present century. Till even a later date it was customary for -the inhabitants of Mirelandorn to go to the Kirk of Moss, in the -same parish, on Christmas before sunrise. They took bread and cheese -as offerings, and placed them along with a silver coin on a certain -stone. The Kirk of Moss was dedicated to Duthac, patron saint of Tain; -and the gifts were doubtless destined for him. On Eilean Mòr is a -chapel said to have been built by Charmaig, the tutelar saint of the -island. In a recess in this building is a stone coffin, anciently used -for the interment of priests. The following statement occurs in the -"Old Statistical Account of Scotland":--"The coffin, also, for ages -back, has served the saint as a treasury; and this, perhaps, might be -the purpose for which it was originally intended. Till of late, not -a stranger set foot on the island who did not conciliate his favour -by dropping a small coin into a chink between its cover and side." - -When we examine the motives prompting to the practice under review, -we can discover the working of a principle, vaguely grasped perhaps, -but sufficiently understood to serve as a guide to action. This crude -philosophy was two-fold. On the one hand, the gift left at a loch -or spring was what has been facetiously styled a "retaining fee." It -secured the goodwill of the genius loci, and thereby guaranteed to a -certain extent the fulfilment of the suppliant's desire. This desire, -as we have seen, was commonly the removal of a definite disease. On -the other hand, the disease to be removed was in some mysterious way -identified with the offering. The latter was the symbol, or rather -the embodiment of the former, and, accordingly, to leave the gift was -to leave the ailment--the patient being thus freed from both. The -corollary to this was, that whoever removed the offering took away -also the disease represented by it. According to a well-established -law of medical science, infection is transferred from one person -to another by clothing, or indeed by whatever comes into contact -with the morbid particles from the patient's body. But infection -in folklore is something different from this. Disease of any kind, -whether usually reckoned infectious or not, passed via the offering to -the person lifting it. Hence such gifts had a charmed existence, and -were as safe as if under the sweep of the "Ancient Monuments Protection -Act." The Rev. Dr. Gregor thus expresses the feeling on this point, -as it prevailed till lately in the north-east of Scotland:--"No one -would have been foolhardy enough to have even touched what had been -left, far less to have carried it off. A child, or one who did not -know, was most carefully instructed why such things were left in and -around the well, and strict charge was laid not to touch or carry -any of them off. Whoever carried off one of such relics contracted -the disease of the one who left it." - -The notion that disease can be transferred lies at the root of various -folk-cures. Dalyell, in his "Darker Superstitions," remarks, "It is -said that, in the Highlands, a cat is washed in the water which has -served for the ablution of an invalid, as if the disease absorbed from -one living creature could be received by another, instead of being let -free." In some parts of the Highlands, a common cure for an ailing cow -was to make the animal swallow a live trout, so that the disease might -pass from the one creature to the other. This was done not long ago, -at a farm near Golspie, in Sutherland. In Norfolk, as a remedy for -whooping-cough, a spider was caught, tied up in a piece of muslin, -and pinned over the mantelpiece. The cough disappeared when the spider -died. In Gloucestershire, ague was cured in the following way:--A -living snail was worn in a bag round the neck for nine days. The -snail was then thrown upon the fire when it was believed to shake as -if with ague, and the patient recovered. Many more illustrations of -this principle might be given, but the above are sufficient to show -how it was applied. - -Symson records an instance in Galloway of swift vengeance following -the theft of certain votive offerings. He says, "Hereabout, i.e., -near Larg, in Minnigaff parish, is a well called the Gout Well of -Larg, of which they tell this story--how that a piper stole away -the offering left at this well, but when he was drinking of ale, -which he intended to pay with the money he had taken away, the gout, -as they say, seized on him, of which he could not be cured, but at -that well, having first restored to it the money he had formerly taken -away." Accident, rather than disease, sometimes resulted from such -sacrilegious acts. The offerings were the property of the guardian -spirit who was quick to resent their removal and to punish the doer of -the deed. In the district of Ardnamurchan is a cave, associated with -Columba, who there baptised some freebooters. The water used for the -purpose lay in a hollow of the rock, and, in after times, votive gifts -were left beside it. On one occasion, a young man stole some of these, -but he did not remain long unpunished, for before reaching home he fell -and broke his leg. Tobar-fuar-Mòrie, i.e., The big cold Well, situated -at the foot of a steep hill in the parish of Corgarff, Aberdeenshire, -consists of three springs about a yard distant from each other. Each -spring formerly cured a separate disease--one, blindness; the other, -deafness; and the third, lameness. The guardian spirit of the springs -lived under a large stone called the kettle stone, because below it -was a kettle where she stored her votive offerings. She was somewhat -exacting in her demands, for no cure could be expected unless gold -was presented. These particulars were obtained in the district by -the Rev. Dr. Gregor, who records them in "Folklore" for March, 1892, -and adds, "If one tried to rob the spirit, death by some terrible -accident soon followed. My informant, more than fifty years ago, -when a lad, resolved to remove the kettle stone from its position, -and so become possessor of the spirit's gold. He accordingly set out -with a few companions all provided with picks and spades, to displace -the stone. After a good deal of hard labour the stone was moved from -its site, but no kettle full of gold was found. An old woman met the -lads on their way to their homes, and when she learnt what they had -been doing, she assured them they would all die within a few weeks, -and that a terrible death would befall the ring-leader." - -That the guardians of springs look well after their possessions in the -new world, as well as in the old, is proved by the following quotation -from Sir J. Lubbock's "Origin of Civilisation":--"In North Mexico," -he says, "Lieutenant Whipple found a sacred spring which, from time -immemorial 'had been held sacred to the rain-god.' No animal may drink -of its waters. It must be annually cleansed with ancient vases, which, -having been transmitted from generation to generation by the caciques, -are then placed upon the walls, never to be removed. The frog, the -tortoise, and the rattlesnake represented upon them, are sacred to -Montezuma, the patron of the place, who would consume by lightning -any sacrilegious hand that should dare to take the relics away." With -the growth of enlightenment men's minds rose above such delusions. Had -it not been so, the Holy Wells in our land would still have presented -the appearance of rag fairs, or served as museums for old coins. Holy -Loch, in Dunnet, Caithness, used to be much resorted to as a place of -healing. The invalids walked or were carried round the lake and threw -a penny into the water. Some of these pennies have been picked up from -time to time by persons who have outgrown the old superstition. The -hollow in the Clach-nan-Sul at Balquhidder, already referred to, -contained small coins placed there by those who sought a cure for -their sore eyes. Mr. J. Mackintosh Gow was told by some one in the -district, that "people, when going to church, having forgotten their -small change, used in passing to put their hands in the well and find -a coin." Mr. Gow's informant mentioned that he had done so himself. - -In the ceremony known as "well-dressing" or "well-flowering," -the offerings took the form of blossoms and green boughs. For -different reasons Scotland has not been abreast of England in floral -matters. Only in the latter country did the practice take root, and -even there only within a somewhat limited area. We must seek for its -home in Derbyshire and the adjacent counties. At some places it has -died out, while at others it still survives, and forms the excuse for a -pleasant holiday. At Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, indeed, St. Boniface's -Well was decorated with wreaths of flowers on the saint's day; but -this was an exceptional instance so far south. Within comparatively -recent years well-flowering has, at one or two places, been either -instituted, as at Belper, in Derbyshire, in 1838, or revived, as -at St. Alkmund's Well in Derby, in 1870. The clergy and choir of -St. Alkmund's Church celebrate the day by meeting at the church and -walking in procession to the well. Writing in the seventeenth century, -Aubrey says, "In Cheshire, when they went in perambulation, they did -bless the springs, i.e., they did read the Gospel at them, and did -believe the water was the better." At Droitwich, in Worcestershire, -a salt spring, dedicated to St. Richard, used to be annually adorned -with flowers. - -A correspondent of the "Gentleman's Magazine" of 1794 remarks, "In -the village of Tissington, in the county of Derby, a place remarkable -for fine springs of water, it has been a custom, time immemorial, -on every Holy Thursday, to decorate the wells with boughs of trees, -garlands of tulips, and other flowers, placed in various fancied -devices, and, after prayers for the day at the church, for the -parson and singers to pray and sing psalms at the wells." In Hone's -"Every Day Book," under date 1826, are the following remarks by a -correspondent:--"Tissington 'well-dressing' is a festivity which not -only claims a high antiquity, but is one of the few country fêtes which -are kept up with anything like the ancient spirit. It is one which is -heartily loved and earnestly anticipated; one which draws the hearts -of those who were brought up there, but whom fortune has cast into -distant places, homewards with an irresistible charm. I have not had -the pleasure of witnessing it, but I have had that of seeing the joy -which sparkled in the eyes of the Tissingtonians as they talked of -its approach and of their projected attendance." The festival is still -held in honour at Tissington, and elaborate preparations continue to -be made for its celebration. Flowers are arranged in patterns to form -mottoes and texts of Scripture, and also devices, such as crosses, -crowns, and triangles, while green boughs are added to complete the -picture. A correspondent of "Notes and Queries" thus describes the -decorations on Ascension Day in 1887: "The name of 'well-dressing' -scarcely gives a proper idea of these beautiful structures. They are -rather fountains or cascades, the water descending from above, and -not rising as in a well. Their height varies from ten to twelve feet, -and the original stone frontage is on this day hidden by a wooden -erection in the form of an arch or some other elegant design. Over -these planks a layer of plaster of Paris is spread, and whilst it is -wet, flowers without leaves are stuck in it, forming a most beautiful -mosaic pattern. On one the large yellow field ranunculus was arranged -in letters, and so a verse of Scripture or of a hymn was recalled to -the spectator's mind. On another a white dove was sculptured in the -plaster and set in a ground-work of the humble violet. The daisy, -which our poet Chaucer would gaze upon for hours together, formed a -diaper-work of red and white; the pale yellow primrose was set off by -the rich red of the 'ribes.' Nor were the coral berries of the holly, -mountain ash, and yew forgotten; they are carefully gathered and -stored in the winter to be ready for the May Day fête. It is scarcely -possible to describe the vivid colouring and beautiful effect of these -favourites of nature arranged in wreaths and garlands and devices -of every hue. And then the pure sparkling water, which pours down -from the midst of them on to the rustic moss-grown stones beneath, -completes the enchantment, and makes this feast of the 'well-flowering' -one of the most beautiful of all the old customs that are left in -Merrie England." Well-flowering also prevails at Buxton, and is a -source of interest to the many visitors to that airy health resort. - -Such floral devices do not now rank as votive gifts. They are merely -decorations. The custom may have originated in the Roman Fontinalia. At -any rate it had at one time a corresponding object. The Fontinalia -formed an annual flower-festival in honour of the nymphs inhabiting -springs. Joyous bands visited the fountains, crowned them with boughs, -and threw nosegays into their sparkling water. The parallelism -between the Roman and the English Fontinalia is too well marked -to be overlooked. In Derbyshire and Staffordshire the ceremony of -well-dressing is usually observed on Ascension Day. In more than one -instance the festival has attracted to itself various old English -sports commonly associated with May Day. Among these may be mentioned -May-pole and Morris-dancing and crowning the May-queen. - -At Endon, in Staffordshire, the festival is celebrated on Royal Oak -Day (May 29th), or on the following day if the 29th is a Sunday. The -following account--somewhat abbreviated--is from the "Staffordshire -Evening Post" of 31st May, 1892, and gives some interesting particulars -about the festival: "The secluded village of Endon yesterday celebrated -the well-dressing feast. This institution, dear to the heart of every -loyal inhabitant, holds foremost rank in the local calends, for it is -not a holiday of ordinary frivolous significance, but a thanksgiving -festival. The proceeds, which generally amount to some hundreds of -pounds, are divided between the poor of the parish and the parochial -schools. There are two wells at Endon. One is very old and almost dry, -and has long since fallen into disuse. The other alone supplies the -village with water. From a very early hour in the morning the whole -village was astir, and those people who were gifted with taste and -a delicate touch busied themselves in bedecking the wells for the -coming ceremony. As the day advanced, crowds of visitors poured in -from all parts of the potteries; and towards evening the village green -probably held no fewer than two thousand people. The proceedings, -which were under the personal guidance of the vicar, commenced a -little before two o'clock. A procession of about a hundred and twenty -Sunday-school children was formed at the new well, with the Brownedge -village brass band at its head. The children carried little flags, -which they vigorously waved in excess of glee. The band struck up -bravely, and the procession marched in good order up the hill to -the old parish church, where a solemn service was conducted. The -villagers attended in overwhelming numbers, and completely thronged the -building. There was a fully surpliced choir, whose singing, coupled -with the music of the organ, greatly added to the impressiveness of -the service. Hymns and psalms, selected by the vicar as applicable to -a thanksgiving service for water, were sung by the congregation in -spirited style. At the conclusion of the service the procession was -reformed, the band leading the way back to the new well. Upon arrival, -the clergy and choir, who had retained their surplices, walked slowly -round the well, singing 'Rock of Ages' and 'A living stream as crystal -clear.' Both wells were very beautifully decorated; but the new well -was a masterpiece of elaborated art. A large wooden framework had been -erected in front of the well, and upon this a smooth surface of soft -clay had been laid. The clay was thickly studded with many thousands -of flower heads in great variety of kind and hue, and in pictorial as -well as geometrical arrangement. There were two very pretty figures of -peacocks in daisies, bluebells, and dahlias, and a resplendent motto, -'O, ye wells! bless ye the Lord!' (from the Benedicite) garnished the -summit. The old well was almost deserted, although its decorations -were well worthy of inspection. Its motto, 'Give me this water' -(from the fourth chapter of St. John) was very finely traced, and -its centre figures--two white doves and a crown--were sufficiently -striking. May-pole dances, including the crowning of the May-queen, -occupied the greater part of the afternoon. In the evening the -band played for dancing, and there was a repetition of the May-pole -dances. After dusk there was a display of fireworks." - -Though, as already stated, well-dressing was unknown north of the -Tweed, any account of votive offerings would be incomplete without -a reference to the picturesque ceremony. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -WEATHER AND WELLS. - - Importance of Weather--Its Place in Folklore--Raising the - Wind--Witches and Wind-charms--Blue-stone in Fladda--Well in - Gigha--Tobernacoragh--Routing-well--Water Cross--Stone in British - Columbia--Other Rain-charms--Survivals in Folk-customs--Sympathetic - Magic--Dulyn--Barenton--Tobar Faolan--St. Fumac's Image at - Botriphnie--Molly Grime. - - -In all ages much attention has been given to the weather, with special -reference to its bearings on human well-being. As Mr. R. Inwards truly -observes, in his "Weather-lore," "From the earliest times hunters, -shepherds, sailors, and tillers of the earth have from sheer necessity -been led to study the teachings of the winds, the waves, the clouds, -and a hundred other objects from which the signs of coming changes in -the state of the air might be foretold. The weather-wise amongst these -primitive people would be naturally the most prosperous, and others -would soon acquire the coveted foresight by a closer observance of the -same objects from which their successful rivals guessed the proper time -to provide against a storm, or reckoned on the prospects of the coming -crops." Hence, naturally enough, the weather has an important place in -folklore. Various prognostications concerning it have been drawn from -sun and moon, from animals and flowers; while certain meteorological -phenomena have, in their turn, been regarded as prophetic of mundane -events. Thus, in the astrological treatise entitled "The Knowledge -of Things Unknown," we read that "Thunder in January signifieth the -same year great winds, plentiful of corn and cattle peradventure; -in February, many rich men shall die in great sickness; in March, -great winds, plenty of corn, and debate amongst people; in April, be -fruitful and merry with the death of wicked men;" and so on through the -other months of the year. One can easily understand why thunder should -be counted peculiarly ominous. The effects produced on the mind by its -mysterious noise, and on the nerves by the electricity in the air, are -apt to lead superstitious people to expect strange events. Particular -notice was taken of the weather on certain ecclesiastical festivals, -and omens were drawn from its condition. Thus, from "The Husbandman's -Practice," we learn that "The wise and cunning masters in astrology -have found that man may see and mark the weather of the holy Christmas -night, how the whole year after shall be in his making and doing, and -they shall speak on this wise. When on the Christmas night and evening -it is very fair and clear weather, and is without wind and without -rain, then it is a token that this year will be plenty of wine and -fruit. But if the contrariwise, foul weather and windy, so shall it -be very scant of wine and fruit. But if the wind arise at the rising -of the sun, then it betokeneth great dearth among beasts and cattle -this year. But if the wind arise at the going down of the same, then -it signifieth death to come among kings and other great lords." We do -not suppose that anyone nowadays attends to such Yule-tide auguries, -but there are not wanting those who have a lingering belief in the -power of Candlemas and St. Swithin's Day to foretell the sort of -weather to be expected in the immediate future. - -Witches were believed to be able to raise the wind at their -pleasure. In a confession made at Auldearn in Nairnshire, in the -year 1662, certain women, accused of sorcery, said, "When we raise -the wind we take a rag of cloth and wet it in water, and we take a -beetle and knock the rag on a stone, and we say thrice over-- - - - 'I knock this rag upon this stane, - To raise the wind in the devil's name. - It shall not lie until I please again!'" - - -When the wind was to be allayed the rag was dried. About 1670 an -attempt was made to drain some two thousand acres of land belonging -to the estate of Dun in Forfarshire. The Dronner's, i.e., Drainer's -Dyke--remains of which are still to be seen behind the Montrose -Infirmary--was built in connection with the scheme. But the work -was destroyed by a terrible storm, caused, it was believed, by a -certain Meggie Cowie--the last to be burned for witchcraft in the -district. About eighty years before, a notable witch-trial in the -time of James VI. had to do with the raising of a storm. A certain -woman, Agnes Sampson, residing in Haddingtonshire, confessed that she -belonged to a company of two hundred witches, and that they were all -in the habit of sailing along the coast in sieves to meet the devil -at the kirk of North Berwick. After one of these interviews the woman -took a cat and christened it, and, after fixing to it parts of a dead -man's body, threw the creature into the sea in presence of the other -witches. The king, who was then returning from Denmark with his bride, -was delayed by contrary winds, and such a tempest arose in the Firth -of Forth that a vessel, containing valuable gifts for the queen on her -arrival, sank between Burntisland and Leith. The Rev. T. F. Thiselton -Dyer makes the suggestion in his "Folklore of Shakespeare," that it -was probably to these contrary winds that the author of "Macbeth" -alludes when he makes the witch say-- - - - "Though his bark cannot be lost, - Yet it shall be tempest-tost." - - -Even down to the end of last century, and probably later, some -well-educated people believed that the devil had the power of raising -the wind. The phrase, the prince of the power of the air, applied -to him in Scripture, was interpreted in a literal way. "The Diary of -the Rev. John Mill," minister in Shetland from 1740 till 1803, bears -witness to such a belief. In his introduction to the work, the editor, -Mr. Gilbert Goudie, tells us: "He (Mill) was often heard talking aloud -with his (to others) unseen foe; but those who heard him declared -that he spoke in an unknown tongue, presumably Hebrew. After one of -these encounters the worthy man was heard muttering, 'Well, let him -do his worst; the wind aye in my face will not hurt me.' This was in -response to a threat of the devil, that wherever he (Mill) went, he -(Satan) should be a-blowing 'wind in his teeth,' in consequence of -which Mill was unable ever after to get passage out of Shetland." On -the 5th of November, 1605, a terrible storm swept over the north of -Scotland and destroyed part of the cathedral at Dornoch. As is well -known, the day in question was selected by Guy Fawkes for blowing up -the Houses of Parliament. In his "Cathedral of Caithness, at Dornoch," -Mr. Hugh F. Campbell tells us: "When the news of the gunpowder plot -reached the north, the co-incidence of time at once impressed the -imagination of a superstitious age. The storm was invested with an -element of the marvellous." Mr. Campbell then quotes the following -curious passage from Sir Robert Gordon, specially referring to Satan's -connection with the tempest:--"The same verie night that this execrable -plott should have been put in execution all the inner stone pillars of -the north syd of the body of the cathedral church at Dornogh--lacking -the rooff before--were blowen from the verie roots and foundation -quyt and clein over the outer walls of the church: such as hath sein -the same. These great winds did even then prognosticate and forshew -some great treason to be at hand; and as the divell was busie then -to trouble the ayre, so wes he bussie by these hiss fyrebrands to -trouble the estate of Great Britane." - -The notion that storms, especially when accompanied by thunder -and lightning, were the work of evil spirits, came out prominently -during the middle ages in connection with bells. The ringing of bells -was believed to drive away the demons, and so allay the tempest. A -singular superstition concerning the causation of storms was brought -to light in Hungary during the autumn of 1892 in connection with -the fear of cholera. At Kidzaes a patient died of what was thought -to be that disease, and a post mortem examination was ordered by -the local authorities. Strenuous opposition, however, was offered -by the villagers on the ground that the act would cause such a -hail-storm as would destroy their crops. Feeling ran so high that -a riot was imminent, and the project had to be abandoned. Eric, the -Swedish king, could control the winds through his enchantments. By -turning his cap he was able to bring a breeze from whatever quarter -he wished. Mr. G. L. Gomme, in his "Ethnology in Folklore," remarks, -"At Kempoch Point, in the Firth of Clyde, is a columnar rock called -the Kempoch Stane, from whence a saint was wont to dispense favourable -winds to those who paid for them, and unfavourable to those who did -not put confidence in his powers--a tradition which seems to have been -carried on by the Innerkip witches who were tried in 1662, and some -portions of which still linger among the sailors of Greenock." The -stone in question consists of a block of grey mica schist six feet in -height and two in diameter. It is locally known as Granny Kempoch. In -former times sailors and fishermen sought to ensure good fortune on -the sea by walking seven times round the stone. While making their -rounds they carried in their hand a basket of sand, and at the same -time uttered an eerie chant. Newly-married couples used also to walk -round the stone by way of luck. - -At the beginning of the present century a certain woman, Bessie Miller -by name, lived in Stromness, in Orkney, and eked out her livelihood by -selling winds to mariners. Her usual charge was sixpence. For this sum, -as Sir W. Scott tells us, "she boiled her kettle, and gave the barque -advantage of her prayers, for she disclaimed all unlawful arts. The -wind, thus petitioned for, was sure to arrive, though sometimes the -mariners had to wait some time for it." Her house was on the brow -of the steep hill above the town, "and for exposure might have been -the abode of Eolus himself." At the time of Sir Walter's visit to -Stromness, Bessie Miller was nearly a hundred years old, and appeared -"withered and dried up like a mummy." We make her acquaintance in -the "Pirate," under the name of Norna of the Fitful Head. In his -"Rambles in the Far North," Mr. R. M. Fergusson tells of another -wind-compelling personage, named Mammie Scott, who also belonged to -Stromness, and practised her arts there, till within a comparatively -recent date. "Many wonderful tales are told of her power and influence -over the weather. Her fame was widely spread as that of Bessie. A -captain called upon Mammie one day to solicit a fair wind. He was -bound for Stornoway, and received from the reputed witch a scarlet -thread upon which were three knots. His instructions were, that if -sufficient wind did not arrive, one of the knots was to be untied; -if that proved insufficient, another knot was to be untied; but he was -on no account to unloose the third knot, else disaster would overtake -his vessel. The mariner set out upon his voyage, and, the wind being -light, untied the first knot. This brought a stronger breeze, but -still not sufficient to satisfy him. The second knot was let down, and -away the vessel sped across the waters, round Cape Wrath. In a short -time the entrance to Stornoway harbour was reached, when it came into -the captain's head to untie the third knot in order to see what might -occur. He was too near the end of his voyage to suffer any damage now; -and so he felt emboldened to make the experiment. No sooner was the -last knot set free than a perfect hurricane set in from a contrary -direction, which drove the vessel right back to Hoy Sound, from which -she had set out, where he had ample time to repent of his folly." - -Within the last half-century there lived in Stonehaven an old -woman, who was regarded with considerable awe by the sea-faring -population. Before a voyage it was usual to propitiate her by the -gift of a bag of coals. On one occasion, two brothers, owners of a -coasting smack, after setting sail, had to return to port through -stress of weather, the storm being due, it was believed, to the -fact that one of the brothers had omitted to secure the woman's good -offices in the usual way. The brother who was captain of the smack -seems to have been a firm believer in wind-charms, for it is related -of him that during a more than usually high wind he was in the habit -of throwing up his cap into the air with the exclamation, "She maun -hae something." She, in this case, was the wind, and not the witch: -and the cap was meant as a gift to propitiate the storm. Dr. Charles -Rogers, in his "Social Life in Scotland," tells us that "the seamen -of Shetland, in tempestuous weather, throw a piece of money into the -window of a ruinous chapel dedicated to St. Ronald in the belief that -the saint will allay the vehemence of the storm." According to the -same writer, "Shetland boatmen still purchase favourable winds from -elderly women, who pretend to rule or to modify the storms." "There are -now in Lerwick," Dr. Rogers continues, "several old women who in this -fashion earn a subsistence. Many of the survivors of the great storm -of the 20th of July, 1881--so fatal on northern coasts--assert that -their preservation was due to warnings which they received through -a supernatural agency." - -Human skulls have their folklore. The lifting of them from their usual -resting-places has, in popular belief, been connected with certain -mysterious occurrences. According to a story told by Mr. Wirt Sikes, -in his "British Goblins," a man who removed a skull from a church -to prove to his companions that he was free from superstition was -overtaken by a terrible whirlwind, the result, it was thought, of his -rash act. In some Highland districts it used to be reckoned unlucky -to allow a corpse to remain unburied. If from any cause, human bones -came to the surface, care was taken to lay them below ground again, -as otherwise disastrous storms would ensue. - -We have a good example of the association of wind-charms with water -in the case of a certain magical stone referred to by Martin as -existing in his day in the island of Fladda, near Skye. There was a -chapel to St. Columba on the island, and on the altar lay the stone -in question. The stone was round, of a blue colour, and was always -moist. "It is an ordinary custom," Martin relates, "when any of -the fishermen are detained in the isle by contrary winds, to wash -the blue stone with water all round, expecting thereby to procure -a favourable wind, which, the credulous tenant, living in the isle, -says never fails, especially if a stranger wash the stone." The power -of the Fladda stone was equalled by a certain well in Gigha, though in -the latter instance a dweller in the island, rather than a stranger, -had power over it. When a foreign boat was wind-bound on the island, -the master of the craft was in the habit of giving some money to -one of the natives, to procure a favourable breeze. This was done in -the following way. A few feet above the well was a heap of stones, -forming a cover to the spring. These were carefully removed, and the -well was cleared out with a wooden dish or clam-shell. The water was -then thrown several times towards the point, from which the needed -wind should blow. Certain words of incantation were used, each time -the water was thrown. After the ceremony, the stones were replaced, -as the district would otherwise have been swept by a hurricane. Pennant -mentions, in connection with his visit to Gigha, that the superstition -had then died out. In this he was in error, for the well continued to -be occasionally consulted to a later date. Even within recent years, -the memory of the practice lingered in the island; but there seemed -some doubt, as to the exact nature of the required ritual. Captain -T. P. White was told by a shepherd, belonging to the island, that, -if a stone was taken out of the well, a storm would arise and prevent -any person crossing over, nor would it abate till the stone was taken -back to the well. - -From the evidence of an Irish example, we find that springs could -allay a storm, as well as produce a favourable breeze. The island -of Innismurray, off the coast of Sligo, has a sacred well called -Tobernacoragh. When a tempest was raging, the natives believed that -by draining the water of this well into the sea, the wrath of the -elements could be calmed. Mr. Gomme, in his "Ethnology in Folklore," -when commenting on the instance, remarks, "In this case the connection -between well-worship and the worship of a rain-god is certain, for -it may be surmised that if the emptying of the well allayed a storm, -some complementary action was practised at one time or other in order -to produce rain, and in districts more subject to a want of rain -than this Atlantic island, that ceremony would be accentuated at the -expense of the storm-allaying ceremony at Innismurray." The Routing -Well, at Monktown, in Inveresk parish, Mid-Lothian, was believed to -give notice of an approaching storm by uttering sounds resembling the -moaning of the wind. As a matter of fact, the noises came from certain -disused coal-workings in the immediate neighbourhood, and were due -to the high wind blowing through them. The sounds thus accompanied -and did not precede the storm. - -To procure rain, recourse was had to various superstitious -practices. Martin tells of a stone, five feet high, in the form of -a cross, opposite St. Mary's Church, in North Uist. "The natives," -he says, "call it the 'Water Cross,' for the ancient inhabitants -had a custom of erecting this sort of cross to procure rain, and -when they had got enough, they laid it flat on the ground, but this -custom is now disused." Among the mountains of British Columbia, is -a certain stone held in much honour by the Indians, for they believe -that it will produce rain when struck. Rain-making is an important -occupation among uncivilised races, and strange rites are sometimes -practised to bring about the desired result. By some savages, human -hair is burned for this end. Mr. J. G. Frazer, in "The Golden Bough," -has some interesting remarks on rain-production. After enumerating -certain rain-charms among heathen nations, he remarks, "Another way of -constraining the rain-god is to disturb him in his haunts. This seems -the reason why rain is supposed to be the consequence of troubling -a sacred spring. The Dards believed that if a cowskin or anything -impure is placed in certain springs storms will follow. Gervasius -mentions a spring, into which, if a stone or a stick were thrown, -rain would at once issue from it and drench the thrower. There was -a fountain in Munster such that if it were touched or even looked -at by a human being it would at once flood the whole province with -rain." Curious survivals of ancient rain-charms are to be found in -modern folk-customs. Thus, in connection with the rejoicings of the -harvest-home in England, when the last load of grain was being carried -on the gaily decorated hock-cart to the farm-yard, it was customary -to throw water on those taking part in the ceremony. This apparently -meaningless frolic was in reality a rain-charm. A Cornish custom, -at one time popular at Padstow on the first of May, can be explained -on the same principle. A hobby-horse was taken to the Traitor's Pool, -a quarter of a mile from the town. The head was dipped in the pool, -and water was sprinkled on the bystanders. - -Such charms depend for their efficacy on what is called "sympathetic -magic." Mimic rain is produced on the earth, in the hope that the same -liquid will be constrained to descend from the heavens, to bring fresh -fertility to the fields. Professor Rhys, in his "Celtic Heathendom," -traces the connection between modern rain-charms and the rites of -ancient paganism. He there quotes the following particulars regarding -Dulyn, in North Wales, from a description of the place published in -1805:--"There lies in Snowdon Mountain a lake called Dulyn, in a -dismal dingle surrounded by high and dangerous rocks; the lake is -exceedingly black, and its fish are loathsome, having large heads -and small bodies. No wild swan or duck or any kind of bird has ever -been seen to light on it, as is their wont on every other Snowdonian -lake. In this same lake there is a row of stepping stones extending -into it; and if any one steps on the stones and throws water so as to -wet the furthest stone of the series, which is called the Red Altar, -it is but a chance that you do not get rain before night, even when -it is hot weather." The spot was, probably in pre-Christian times, -the scene of sacrifices to some local deity. Judging from the dismal -character of the neighbourhood, we may safely infer that fear entered -largely into the worship paid there to the genius loci. The Fountain -of Barenton, in Brittany, was specially celebrated in connection -with rain-making. During the early middle ages, the peasantry of -the neighbourhood resorted to it in days of drought. According to a -time-honoured custom, they took some water from the fountain and threw -it on a slab hard by; rain was the result. Professor Rhys reminds -us that this fountain "still retains its pluvial importance; for, -in seasons of drought, the inhabitants of the surrounding parishes, -we are told go to it in procession, headed by their five great banners -and their priests ringing bells and chanting psalms. On arriving, -the rector of the canton dips the foot of the cross in the water, -and it is sure to rain within a week's time." The Barenton instance is -specially interesting, for part of the ceremony recalls what happened -in connection with a certain Scottish spring, viz., Tobar Faolan at -Struan, in Athole. This spring, as the name implies, was dedicated -to Fillan. In his "Holiday Notes in Athole," in the "Proceedings of -the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," volume xii. (new series), -Mr. J. Mackintosh Gow says, "It is nearly one hundred yards west -from the church, at the foot of the bank, and close to the river -Garry. It is overgrown with grass and weeds, but the water is as clear -and cool as it may have been in the days of the saint. There is no -tradition of its having been a curing or healing well, except that -in pre-Reformation days, when a drought prevailed and rain was much -wanted, an image of the saint, which was kept in the church, used to be -taken in procession to the well, and, in order that rain might come, -the feet of the image were placed in the water; and this, of course, -was generally supposed to have the desired effect." At Botriphnie, -in Banffshire, six miles from Keith, the wooden image of St. Fumac -used to be solemnly washed in his well on the third of May. We may -conclude that the ceremony was intended as a rain-charm. It must have -been successful, on at least one occasion, for the river Isla became -flooded through the abundance of rain. Indeed, the flooding was so -great that the saint's image was swept away by the rushing water. The -image was finally stranded at Banff, where it was burned as a relic -of superstition by order of the parish minister about the beginning -of the present century. In Glentham Church, Lincolnshire, is a tomb, -with a figure locally called "Molly Grime." From "Old English Customs -and Charities," we learn that, till 1832, the figure was washed every -Good Friday with water from Newell Well by seven old maids of Glentham, -who each received a shilling, "in consequence of an old bequest -connected with some property in that district." Perhaps its testator -was not free from a belief in the efficacy of rain-charms. Otherwise, -the ceremony seems meaningless. If the keeping clean of the figure -was the only object, the seven old maids should not have limited -their duties to an annual pilgrimage from the well to the church. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -TREES AND SPRINGS. - - Tree-worship--Ygdrasil--Personality of Plants--Tree-ancestors-- - "Wassailing"--Relics of Tree-worship--Connla's Well--Cutting down - Trees Unlucky--Spring at Monzie--Marriage Well--Pear-Tree Well - --Some Miraculous Trees--External Soul--Its Connection with - Trees, &c.--Arms of Glasgow. - - -Trees were at one time worshipped as well as fountains. Ygdrasil, -the world-tree of Scandinavian mythology, had three roots, -and underneath each, was a fountain of wonderful virtues. This -represents the connection between tree and well in the domain of -mythology. But the same superstition was connected with ordinary -trees and wells. Glancing back over the history of civilisation, -we reach a period, when vegetation was endowed with personality. As -plants manifested the phenomena of life and death like man and the -lower animals, they had a similar kind of existence attributed to -them. Among some savages to-day, the fragrance of a flower is thought -to be its soul. As there was thus no hard and fast line between man -and the vegetable kingdom, the one could be derived from the other; -in other words, men could have trees as their ancestors. Curious -survivals of such a belief lie both revealed and concealed in the -language of to-day. Though we are far separated from such a phase -of archaic religion, we speak of the branches of a family. At one -time such an expression represented a literal fact, and not a mere -metaphor. In like manner, we call a son, who resembles his father, -"a chip of the old block." But how few when using the phrase are alive -to its real force! Mr. Keary, in his "Outlines of Primitive Belief," -observes, "Even when the literal notion of the descent from a tree -had been lost sight of, the close connection between the prosperity -of the tribe and the life of its fetish was often strictly held. The -village tree of the German races was originally a tribal tree with -whose existence the life of the village was involved." - -The picturesque ceremony known as the "Wassailing of Apple-trees," -kept up till lately in Devon and Cornwall, carries our thoughts back -to the time when tree-worship was a thriving cult in our land. It was -celebrated on the evening before Epiphany (January 6th). The farmer, -accompanied by his labourers, carried a pail of cider with roasted -apples in it into the orchard. The pail was placed on the ground, -and each one of the company took from it a cupful of the liquid. They -then stood before the trees and repeated the following lines:-- - - - "Health to thee, good apple tree, - Well to bear pocket-fulls, hat-fulls, - Peck-fulls, bushel bag-fulls." - - -Part of the contents of the cup was then drunk, and the remainder was -thrown at the tree amid shouts from the by-standers. Relics of the -same cult can be traced in the superstitious regard for such trees as -the rowan, the elder, &c., and in the decoration of the May-pole and -the Christmas Tree. According to an ancient Irish legend, a certain -spring in Erin, called Connla's Well, had growing over it nine mystical -hazel trees. Year by year these trees produced their flowers and -fruit simultaneously. The nuts were of a brilliant crimson colour and -contained in some mysterious way the knowledge of all that was best -in poetry and art. Professor O'Curry, in his "Lectures on the Manners -and Customs of the Ancient Irish," refers to this legend, and says, -"No sooner were the beautiful nuts produced on the trees than they -always dropped into the well, raising by their fall a succession of -shining red bubbles. Now, during this time the water was always full of -salmon, and no sooner did the bubbles appear than these salmon darted -to the surface and ate the nuts, after which they made their way to -the river. The eating of the nuts produced brilliant crimson spots on -the bellies of these salmon, and to catch and eat these salmon became -an object of more than mere gastronomic interest among those who were -anxious to become distinguished in the arts and in literature without -being at the pains and delay of long study, for the fish was supposed -to have become filled with the knowledge which was contained in the -nuts, which, it was believed, would be transferred in full to those -who had the good fortune to catch and eat them." - -In many cases it was counted unlucky to cut down trees, since the -spirits, inhabiting them, would resent the injury. In the sixteenth -century the parishioners of Clynnog, in Caernarvonshire, refrained -from destroying the trees growing in the grounds of St. Beyno. Even -though he was their patron saint, he was quite ready to harm anybody -who took liberties with his grove. Loch Siant Well, in Skye, was -noted for its power to cure headaches, stitches, and other ailments, -and was much frequented in consequence. Martin says, "There is a -small coppice near to the well, and there is none of the natives dare -venture to cut the least branch of it for fear of some signal judgment -to follow upon it." Martin also tells us that the same reverence -was for long paid to the peat on the island of Lingay. This island, -he says, "is singular in respect of all the lands of Uist, and the -other islands that surround it, for they are all composed of sand, -and this, on the contrary, is altogether moss covered with heath, -affording five peats in depth, and is very serviceable and useful, -furnishing the island Borera, &c., with plenty of good fuel. This -island was held as consecrated for several ages, insomuch that the -natives would not then presume to cut any fuel in it." - -When trees beside wells had rags hung on them as offerings, -they would naturally be reverenced, as the living altars for the -reception of the gifts. But even when not used for this purpose, -they were sometimes thought to have a mysterious connection with -the springs they overshadowed. In the parish of Monzie, Perthshire, -is a mineral well held in much esteem till about the year 1770. At -that time two trees, till then the guardians of the spring, fell, -and with their fall its virtue departed. On the right bank of the -Clyde, about three-quarters of a mile from Carmyle village, is the -once sylvan district of Kenmuir. There, at the foot of a bank, is a -spring locally known as "The Marriage Well," the name being derived, -it is said, from two curiously united trees beside its margin. These -trees were recently cut down. In former times, it was customary for -marriage parties, the day after their wedding, to visit the spring, -and there pledge the bride and bridegroom in draughts of its sparkling -water. On the banks of the Kelvin, close to the Glasgow Botanic -Gardens, once flowed a spring styled the Pear-Tree, Pea-Tree, or -Three-Tree Well, the last name being probably the original one. In -former times it was a recognised trysting-place for lovers. A tragic -story is told in connection with it by Mr. James Napier in his "Notes -and Reminiscences of Partick." A maiden, named Catherine Clark, -arranged to meet her lover there by night, - - - "nor did she ever dream - But that he was what he did ever seem." - - -She never returned to her home. "A few days after," remarks Mr. Napier, -"her body was found buried near a large tree which stood within a -few yards of the Pea-Tree Well. This tree was afterwards known as -'Catherine Clark's Tree,' and remained for many years an object -of interest to the visitors to this far-famed well, and many a -sympathising lover carved his name in rude letters on its bark. But -the tree was also an object of terror to those who had to pass it in -dark and lonely nights, and many tales were told of people who had -seen a young female form dressed in white, and stained with blood, -standing at the tree foot." The tree was removed many years ago. The -spring too is gone, the recent extension of the Caledonian Railway -to Maryhill having forced it to quit the field. - -Near the moat of Listerling, in county Kilkenny, Ireland, is a -holy well dedicated to St. Mullen, who is said to have lived for -a while in its neighbourhood. A fine hawthorn, overshadowing it, -grew--if we can believe a local legend--from the staff of the saint, -which he there stuck into the ground. This reminds one of the famous -Glastonbury Thorn, produced from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, -who fixed it in the ground one Christmas Day. The staff took root at -once, put forth branches, and next day was covered with milk-white -blossoms. St. Servanus's staff, too, had a miraculous ending. He threw -it across the Firth of Forth, and when it fell on the Fife coast, -it took root and became an apple-tree. A group of thorn-bushes, near -Aghaboe, in Queen's County, Ireland, was dedicated to St. Canice. The -spring, overshadowed by them, was much resorted to for the purposes -of devotion. At Rearymore, in the same county, some hawthorns, -growing beside St. Finyan's spring, were, and doubtless still are, -religiously preserved by the natives. In the Isle of Man is Chibber -Unjin, signifying The Well of the Ash. Beside it grew an ash tree, -formerly decorated with votive offerings. - -What has been called the external soul has an important place in -folklore, and forms the theme of many folk-tales. Primitive man does -not think of the soul as spiritual, but as material--as something -that can be seen and felt. It can take different shapes. It can leave -the body during sleep, and wander about in the guise of an animal, -such as a mouse. Considerable space is devoted to this problem in -Mr. J. G. Frazer's "Golden Bough." Mr. Frazer there remarks, "There -may be circumstances in which, if the life or soul remains in the man, -it stands a greater chance of sustaining injury than if it were stowed -away in some safe and secret place. Accordingly, in such circumstances, -primitive man takes his soul out of his body and deposits it for -security in some safe place, intending to replace it in his body when -the danger is past; or, if he should discover some place of absolute -security, he may be content to leave his soul there permanently. The -advantage of this is, that so long as the soul remains unharmed in the -place where he has deposited it, the man himself is immortal; nothing -can kill his body, since his life is not in it." Sometimes the soul is -believed to be stowed away in a tree, injury to the latter involving -disaster to the former. The custom of planting trees, and calling -them after certain persons may nowadays have nothing to do with this -notion; but, undoubtedly, a real connection was at one time believed -to exist between the partners in the transaction. A certain oak, -with mistletoe growing on it, was mysteriously associated with the -family of Hay. The superstition is explained in the following lines:-- - - - "While the mistletoe bats on Errol's oak - And that oak stands fast, - The Hays shall flourish, and their good grey hawk - Shall not flinch before the blast. - - But when the root of the oak decays - And the mistletoe dwines on its withered breast, - The grass shall grow on the Earl's hearthstone, - And the corbies craw in the falcon's nest." - - -At Finlarig Castle, near Killin, in Perthshire, are several trees, -believed to be linked with the lives of certain individuals, connected -by family ties with the ruined fortress. Aubrey gives an example -of this superstition, as it existed in England in the seventeenth -century. He says, "I cannot omit taking notice of the great misfortune -in the family of the Earl of Winchelsea, who, at Eastwell, in Kent, -felled down a most curious grove of oaks near his own noble seat, and -gave the first blow with his own hands. Shortly after, the countess -died in her bed suddenly, and his eldest son, the Lord Maidstone, -was killed at sea by a cannon bullet." In the grounds of Dalhousie -Castle, about two miles from Dalkeith, on the edge of a fine spring -is the famous Edgewell Oak. Sir Walter Scott, in his "Journal," under -date May 13th, 1829, writes, "Went with the girls to dine at Dalhousie -Castle, where we were very kindly received. I saw the Edgewell Tree, -too fatal, says Allan Ramsay, to the family from which he was himself -descended." According to a belief in the district, a branch fell from -this tree, before the death of a member of the family. The original oak -fell early in last century, but a new one sprang from the old root. An -editorial note to the above entry in the "Journal" gives the following -information:--"The tree is still flourishing (1889), and the belief in -its sympathy with the family is not yet extinct, as an old forester, -on seeing a branch fall from it on a quiet still day in July, 1874, -exclaimed, 'The laird's deed, noo!' and, accordingly, news came soon -after that Fox Maule, eleventh Earl of Dalhousie, had died." - -The external soul was sometimes associated with objects other than -living trees. Dr. Charles Rogers tells us that "a pear, supposed -to have been enchanted by Hugh Gifford, Lord of Yester, a notable -magician in the reign of Alexander III., is preserved in the family -of Brown of Colston, as heirs of Gifford's estate." The prosperity -of the family is believed to be linked with the preservation of the -pear. Even an inanimate object would serve the purpose. The glass -drinking-cup, known as the "Luck of Edenhall," is connected with -the fortunes of the Musgrave family, and great care is taken to -preserve it from injury. Tradition says that a company of fairies -were making merry beside a spring near the mansion-house, but that, -being frightened by some intruder, they vanished, leaving the cup in -question, while one of them exclaimed:-- - - - "If this cup should break or fall, - Farewell the luck of Edenhall." - - -Some living object, however, either vegetable or animal, was the -usual repository of the external soul. A familiar folk-tale tells of a -giant whose heart was in a swan, and who could not be killed while the -swan lived. Hunting was a favourite occupation among the inhabitants -of the Western Isles; but on the mountain Finchra, in Rum, no deer -was killed by any member of the Lachlan family, as it was believed -that the life of that family was in some way linked with the life of -these animals. A curious superstition is mentioned by Camden in his -"Britannia." In a pond near the Abbey of St. Maurice, in Burgundy, -were put as many fish as there were monks. When any monk was taken -ill, one of the fish was seen to float half-dead on the surface of -the pond. If the fish died the monk died too, the death of the former -giving warning of the fate of the latter. In this case the external -soul was thought of as stowed away in a fish. As is well known, -the Arms of the City of Glasgow are a bell, a tree, a fish with -a ring in its mouth, and a bird. The popular explanation of these -emblems connects them with certain miracles, wrought by Kentigern, -the patron saint of the burgh. May we not hold that an explanation -of their symbolism is to be sought in a principle, that formed an -article in the beliefs of men, long before Kentigern was born, as well -as during his time and since? The bell, it is true, had, doubtless, an -ecclesiastical association; but the other three symbols point, perhaps, -to some superstitious notion like the above. In various folk-tales, -as well as in Christian art, the soul is sometimes typified by a -bird. As we have just seen, it has been associated with trees and -fish. We are entitled therefore to ask whether the three symbols -may not express one and the same idea under different forms. It is, -of course, open to anyone to say that there were fish in the river, -on whose banks Kentigern took up his abode, and quite a forest with -birds singing in it around his cell, and that no further explanation -of the symbolism need be sought. All these, it is true, existed -within the saint's environment, but may they not have been regarded -as types of the soul under the guise of objects familiar to all, and -afterwards grouped together in the burgh Arms? On this hypothesis, -the symbols have survived the belief that gave them birth, and serve -to connect the practical life of to-day, with the vague visions and -crude conjectures of the past. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -CHARM-STONES IN AND OUT OF WATER. - - Stone-worship--Mysterious Properties of Stones--Symbolism of Gems - --Gnostics--Abraxas Gems--Gems in Sarcophagi--Life-stones--Use of - Amulets in Scotland--Yellow Stone in Mull--Baul Muluy--Black - Stones of Iona--Stone as Medicine--Declan's Stone--Curing-stones - still used for Cattle--Mary, Queen of Scots--Amulet at Abbotsford - --Highland Reticence--Aberfeldy Curing-stone--Lapis Ceranius and - Lapis Hecticus--Bernera--St. Ronan's Altar--Blue Stone in Fladda - --Baul Muluy again--Columba's White Stone--Loch Manaar--Well near - Loch Torridon--Stones besides Springs--Healing-stones at Killin-- - Their connection with Fillan--Mornish--Altars and Crosses--Iona-- - Clach-a-brath--Cross at Kilberry--Lunar Stone in Harris-- - Perforated Stones--Ivory--Barbeck's Bone--Adder-beads--Sprinkling - Cattle--Elf-bolts--Clach-na-Bratach--Clach Dearg--Lee Penny-- - Lockerbie Penny--Black Penny. - - -We have already seen that in early times water was an object -of worship. Stones also were reverenced as the embodiments of -nature-deities. "In Western Europe during the middle ages," remarks -Sir J. Lubbock in his "Origin of Civilisation," "we meet with -several denunciations of stone-worship, proving its deep hold on -the people. Thus the worship of stones was condemned by Theodoric, -Archbishop of Canterbury, in the seventh century, and is among the -acts of heathenism forbidden by King Edgar in the tenth, and by Cnut -in the eleventh century." Even as late as the seventeenth century, -the Presbytery of Dingwall sought to suppress, among other practices -of heathen origin, that of rendering reverence to stones, the stones -in question having been consulted as to future events. It is not -surprising therefore that stones had certain mysterious properties -ascribed to them. In all ages precious stones have been deservedly -admired for their beauty, but, in addition, they have frequently -been esteemed for their occult qualities. "In my youth," Mr. James -Napier tells us, in his "Folklore in the West of Scotland," "there -was a belief in the virtue of precious stones, which added a value to -them beyond their real value as ornaments.... Each stone had its own -symbolic meaning and its own peculiar influence for imparting good and -protecting from evil and from sickness its fortunate possessor." By the -ancient Jews, the topaz and the amethyst were believed to guard their -wearers respectively against poison and drunkenness; while the diamond -was prized as a protection against Satanic influence. Concerning the -last-mentioned gem, Sir John Mandeville, writing about 1356, says, -"It makes a man stronger and firmer against his enemies, heals him -that is lunatic, and those whom the fiend pursues and torments." By -certain sects of the Gnostics, precious stones were much thought of as -talismans. Among the sect founded by Basilides of Egypt, the famous -Abraxas gems were used as tokens by the initiated. The Gnostics also -placed gems inscribed with mystic mottoes in sarcophagi, to remind the -dead of certain prayers that were thought likely to aid them in the -other world. In Scandinavia, warriors were in the habit of carrying -about with them amulets called life-stones or victory-stones. These -strengthened the hand of the wearer in fight. In our own country, -the use of amulets was not uncommon. A flat oval-shaped pebble, -measuring two and a half inches in greatest diameter, was presented -in 1864 to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. It had been worn -as a charm by a Forfarshire farmer, who died in 1854 at the age -of eighty-four. When in use, it had been kept in a small bag and -suspended by a red string round the wearer's neck. - -Even when stones were not used as amulets, they were sometimes held -in superstitious regard. When in Mull, Martin was told of a yellow -stone, lying at the bottom of a certain spring in the island, its -peculiarity being that it did not get hot, though kept over the fire -for a whole day. The same writer alludes to a certain stone in Arran, -called Baul Muluy, i.e., "Molingus, his Stone Globe." It was green -in colour, and was about the size of a goose's egg. The stone was -used by the islanders, when great oaths had to be sworn. It was also -employed to disperse an enemy. When thrown among the front ranks, the -opposing army would retreat in confusion. In this way the Macdonalds -were said to have gained many a victory. When not in use, the Baul -Muluy was carefully kept wrapped up in cloth. Among oath-stones, -the black stones of Iona were specially famous. These were situated -to the west of St. Martin's Cross, and were called black, not from -their colour--for they were grey--but from the effects of perjury -in the event of a false oath being sworn by them. Macdonald, Lord -of the Isles, knelt on them, and, with uplifted hands, swore that he -would never recall the rights granted by him to his vassals. Such a -hold had these oath-stones taken on the popular imagination, that -when anyone expressed himself certain about a particular thing, -he gave weight to his affirmation, by saying that he was prepared -to "swear upon the black stones." Bishop Pocoke mentions that the -inhabitants of Iona "were in the habit of breaking off pieces from a -certain stone lying in the church," to be used "as medicine for man -or beast in most disorders, and especially the flux." - -Charm-stones were sometimes associated with early saints. The following -particulars about St. Declan's Stone are given by Sir Arthur Mitchell -in the tenth volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries -of Scotland":--"We are told in the life of St. Declan that a small -stone was sent to him from Heaven while he was saying Mass in a church -in Italy. It came through the window and rested on the altar. It was -called Duivhin Deaglain or Duivh-mhion Deaglain, i.e., 'Declan's Black -Relic.' It performed many miracles during his life, being famous for -curing sore eyes, headaches, &c.; and is said to have been found in -his grave sometime, I think, during last century. Its size is two and -a-fourth by one and three-fourth inches, and on one side there is a -Latin cross, incised and looped at the top. At the bottom of the stem -of this cross there is another small Latin cross. On the other side -of the stone there is a circle, one and a-fourth inch in diameter, -and six holes or pits." Curing stones are still used occasionally -in connection with the diseases of cattle, particularly in Highland -districts; but they have ceased to do duty in the treatment of human -ailments. Mary Queen of Scots seems to have been a firm believer in -their efficacy. In a letter to her brother-in-law, Henry the Third -of France, written on the eve of her execution, the Queen says, -"She ventures to send him two rare stones, valuable for the health, -which she hopes will be good, with a happy and long life, asking -him to receive them as the gift of his very affectionate sister-in -law, who is at the point of death, and in token of true love towards -him." In a case of curiosities at Abbotsford, there is an amulet that -belonged to Sir Walter Scott's mother. It somewhat resembles crocodile -skin in colour, and has a setting of silver. The amulet was believed -to prevent children from being bewitched. - -It is nowadays difficult to ascertain the whereabouts of curing-stones -in the Highlands, owing to the reticence of those who still have faith -in their virtues. Till lately there was one in the neighbourhood -of Aberfeldy that had been in use, it is believed, for about three -hundred years. In shape, the charm somewhat resembled a human heart, -and consisted of a water-worn pebble fully three inches in greatest -length. When required for the cure of cattle, it was rubbed over the -affected part or was dipped in water, the water being then given to -the animal to drink. Recently the family who owned it became extinct, -and the charm passed into other hands. Martin gives some curious -information with regard to the employment of charm-stones, among -the inhabitants of the Western Isles. After describing a certain -kind of stone, called lapis ceranius, found in the island of Skye, -he remarks, "These stones are by the natives called 'Cramp-stones,' -because (as they say) they cure the cramp in cows by washing the part -affected with water in which this stone had been steeped for some -hours." He mentions also, that in the same island, the stone called -lapis hecticus was deemed efficacious in curing consumption and other -diseases. It was made red-hot, and then cooled in milk or water, -the liquid being drunk by the patient. On Bernera, the islanders -frequently rub their breasts with a particular stone, by way of -prevention, and say it is a good preservative for health. Martin adds, -"This is all the medicine they use: Providence is very favourable -to them in granting them a good state of health, since they have no -physician among them." In connection with his visit to the island of -Rona, the same writer observes, "There is a chapel here dedicated to -St. Ronan, fenced with a stone wall round; and they take care to keep -it neat and clean, and sweep it every day. There is an altar in it, -on which there lies a big plank of wood, about ten feet in length; -every foot has a hole in it, and in every hole a stone, to which the -natives ascribe several virtues: one of them is singular, as they -say, for promoting speedy delivery to a woman in travail." The blue -stone in Fladda, already referred to in connection with wind-charms, -did duty as an oath-stone, and likewise as a curing-stone, its special -function being to remove stitches in the side. The Baul Muluy in Arran, -alluded to above, also cured stitches in the side. When the patient -would not recover, the stone withdrew from the bed of its own accord. - -A certain white stone, taken by Columba from the river Ness, near -what is now the town of Inverness, had the singular power of becoming -invisible, when the illness of the person requiring it would prove -fatal. The selection of this stone was made in connection with the -saint's visit to the court of Brude, king of the Picts, about the -year 563. Adamnan, who tells the story, thus describes an interview -between Columba and Brochan (the king's chief Druid or Magus), -concerning the liberation of a female slave belonging to the latter: -"The venerable man, from motives of humanity, besought Brochan the -Druid to liberate a certain Irish female captive, a request which -Brochan harshly and obstinately refused to grant. The saint then spoke -to him as follows:--'Know, O Brochan, know, that if you refuse to -set this captive free, as I advise you, you shall die before I return -from this province.' Having said this in presence of Brude the king, -he departed from the royal palace, and proceeded to the river Nesa, -from which he took a white pebble, and, showing it to his companions, -said to them:--'Behold this white pebble, by which God will effect -the cure of many diseases.' Having thus spoken, he added, 'Brochan is -punished grievously at this moment, for an angel sent from heaven, -striking him severely, has broken in pieces the glass cup which he -held in his hands, and from which he was in the act of drinking, -and he himself is left half-dead.'" Messengers were sent by the -king to announce the illness of Brochan, and to ask Columba to cure -him. Adamnan continues:--"Having heard these words of the messengers, -Saint Columba sent two of his companions to the king with the pebble -which he had blessed, and said to them:--'If Brochan shall first -promise to free his captive, immerse this little stone in water, -and let him drink from it; but if he refuse to liberate her, he will -that instant die.' The two persons sent by the saint proceeded to -the palace, and announced the words of the holy man to the king and -to Brochan, an announcement which filled them with such fear that he -immediately liberated the captive and delivered her to the saint's -messengers. The stone was then immersed in water, and, in a wonderful -manner and contrary to the laws of nature, it floated on the water -like a nut or an apple, nor could it be submerged. Brochan drank from -the stone as it floated on the water, and instantly recovered his -perfect health and soundness of body." The wonderful pebble was kept -by King Brude among his treasures. On the day of the king's death, -it remained true to itself, for, when its aid was sought, it could -nowhere be found. - -According to a tradition current in Sutherland, Loch Manaar in -Strathnaver was connected with another white pebble, endowed -with miraculous properties. The tradition, as narrated by -the Rev. Dr. Gregor in the "Folklore Journal" for 1888, is as -follows:--"Once upon a time, in Strathnaver, there lived a woman who -was both poor and old. She was able to do many wonderful things by -the power of a white stone which she possessed, and which had come to -her by inheritance. One of the Gordons of Strathnaver having a thing -to do, wished to have both her white stone and the power of it. When -he saw that she would not lend it, or give it up, he determined to -seize her, and to drown her in a loch. The man and the woman struggled -there for a long time, till he took up a heavy stone with which to -kill her. She plunged into the lake, throwing her magic stone before -her and crying, 'May it do good to all created things save a Gordon -of Strathnaver!' He stoned her to death in the water, she crying, -'Manaar! Manaar!' (Shame! Shame!). And the loch is called the Loch of -Shame to this day." The loch had a more than local fame, for invalids -resorted to it from Orkney in the north and Inverness in the south: -its water was deemed specially efficacious on the first Monday of -February, May, August, and November, (O. S.). The second and third -of these dates were the most popular. The patient was kept bound and -half-starved for about a day previous, and immediately after sunset -on the appointed day, he was taken into the middle of the loch and -there dipped. His wet clothes were then exchanged for dry ones, and -his friends took him home in the full expectation of a cure. Belief -in the loch's powers was acknowledged till recently, and is probably -still secretly cherished in the district. - -In a graveyard beside Loch Torridon, in Ross-shire, is a spring, -formerly believed to work cures. From time immemorial three stones -have been whirling in the well, and it was usual to carry one of -these in a bucket of water to the invalid who simply touched the -stone. When put back into the well, the stone began to move round and -round as before. On one occasion a woman sought to cure her sick goat -in the usual way, but the pebble evidently did not care to minister -to any creature lower than man, for when replaced in the well, it -lay motionless at the bottom ever afterwards. A certain Katherine -Craigie, who was burned as a witch in Orkney in 1643, used pebbles -in connection with the magical cures wrought by her. Her method, -as described by Dr. Rogers in his "Social Life in Scotland," was as -follows:--"Into water wherewith she washed the patient she placed -three small stones; these, being removed from the vessel, were placed -on three corners of the patient's house from morning till night, -when they were deposited at the principal entrance. Next morning -the stones were cast into water with which the sick person was -anointed. The process was repeated every day till a cure was effected." - -At some wells, what the water lacked in the matter of efficacy was -supplied by certain stones lying by their margins. These stones, -in virtue of a real or fancied resemblance to parts of the human -body--such as the eye or arm--were applied to the members corresponding -to them in shape, in the expectation that this would conduce to a -cure. At Killin, in Perthshire, there are several stones dedicated -to Fillan, at one time much used in the way described. These are, -however, not beside a spring, but in the mill referred to in a previous -chapter. They lie in a niche in the inner wall, and have been there -from an unknown past. Whenever a new mill was built to replace the old -one, a niche was made in the wall for their reception. They are some -seven or eight in number. The largest of them weighs eight lbs. ten -oz. Special interest attaches to at least two of them, on account of -certain markings on one side, consisting of shallow rounded hollows -somewhat resembling the cup-marks which have proved such a puzzle -to archæologists. There is reason to believe that the stones in -question were at one time used in connection with milling operations, -the hollows being merely the sockets where the spindle of the upper -millstone revolved. On the saint's day (the ninth of January), it was -customary till not very long ago, for the villagers to assemble at the -mill, and place a layer of straw below the stones. This custom has a -particular interest, for we find a counterpart to it in Scandinavia, -both instances being clearly survivals of stone-worship. "In certain -mountain districts of Norway," Dr. Tylor tells us in his "Primitive -Culture," "up to the end of the last century, the peasants used to -preserve round stones, washed them every Thursday evening (which -seems to show that they represented Thor), smeared them with butter -before the fire, laid them on the seat of honour on fresh straw, and -at certain times of the year steeped them in ale, that they might bring -luck and comfort to the house." The ritual here is more elaborate than -in the case of the Killin stones; but the instances are parallel as -regards the use of straw. Fully a couple of miles from Killin, below -Mornish, close to Loch Tay, is the lonely nettle-covered graveyard -of Cladh Davi, and on a tombstone in its enclosure lie two roundish -stones, believed to belong to the same series as those in the mill, and -marked with similar hollows. These stones were thought to cure pectoral -inflammation, the hollows being filled with water, and applied to the -breasts. The Rev. Dr. Hugh MacMillan, after describing the stones -in the volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland" for 1883-84, mentions that "not long since, a woman, who -was thus afflicted, came a considerable distance, from the head of -Glen Lochay, to make use of this remedy." - -Charm-stones were sometimes kept on the altars of ancient churches, -as in the case of St. Ronan's Chapel, and the church in Iona already -referred to. At other times they were associated with crosses. Sir -Arthur Mitchell tells of an Irish curing-stone in shape like a -dumb-bell, preserved in Killaghtee parish, County Donegal. "There is," -he says, "a fragment of a stone cross on the top of a small cairn. In -a cleft or hollow of this cross is kept a famous healing stone, in -whose virtues there is still a belief. It is frequently removed to -houses in which sickness exists, but it is invariably brought back, -and those living near the cross can always tell where it is to be -found, if it has been so removed." Pennant, in connection with his -visit to Iona, speaks of certain stones lying in the pedestal of -a cross to the north-west of St. Oran's Chapel. "Numbers who visit -this island," he remarks, "think it incumbent on them to turn each -of these thrice round, according to the course of the sun. They -are called Clach-a-brath--for it is thought that the brath, or -'end of the world,' will not arrive till the stone on which they -stand is worn through." Pennant thought that these stones were the -successors of "three noble globes of white marble," which, according -to Sacheverel, at one time lay in three stone basins, and were turned -round in the manner described, but were afterwards thrown into the -sea by the order of the ecclesiastical authorities. MacCulloch says -that, in his day, the superstition connected with the Clach-a-brath -had died out in Iona. We do not think that this was likely. Anyhow -he mentions that "the boys of the village still supply a stone for -every visitor to turn round on its bed; and thus, in the wearing of -this typical globe, to contribute his share to the final dissolution -of all things." MacCulloch alludes to the same superstition as then -existing on one of the Garveloch Isles. Sometimes hollows were made -on the pedestals of crosses, not for the reception of stone-balls, -but to supply occupation to persons undergoing penance. A sculptured -cross at Kilberry, in Argyllshire, has a cavity of this kind in its -pedestal. In connection with his visit to Kilberry, Captain White -was told that "one of the prescribed acts of penance in connection -with many of the ancient Irish crosses required the individual under -discipline, while kneeling before the cross, to scoop out a cavity -in the pedestal, pestle-and-mortar fashion; and that such cavities, -where now to be seen, show in this way, varying stages of the process." - -One of the wonders of Harris, when Martin visited the island, was -a lunar stone lying in a hole in a rock. Like the tides, it felt -the moon's influence, for it advanced and retired according to the -increase or decrease of that luminary. Perforated stones were formerly -much esteemed as amulets. If a stone, with a hole in it, was tied to -the key of a stable-door, it would prevent the witches from stealing -the horses. Pre-historic relics of this kind were much used to ward -off malign influences from cattle, or to cure diseases caused by the -fairies. Ure, in his "History of Rutherglen and Kilbride," refers to a -ring of black schistus found in a cairn in the parish of Inchinnan. It -was believed to work wonderful cures. About a hundred years ago, a -flat reddish stone, having notches and with two holes bored through it, -was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. It came from -Islay, and had been used there as a charm. It belonged to the Stone -Age, and had, doubtless, served its first possessor as a personal -ornament. Ivory had magical properties attributed to it. The famous -"Barbeck's Bone"--once the property of the Campbells of Barbeck, -in Craignish parish, Argyllshire, and now in the National Museum of -Antiquities--is a piece of ivory seven inches long, four broad, and -half an inch thick. At one time it had a great reputation in the West -Highlands for the cure of insanity. It was counted so valuable that, -when it was lent, a deposit of one hundred pounds sterling had to -be made. - -The antiquarian objects, popularly called adder-beads, serpent -stones, or druidical beads, were frequently used for the cure of -cattle. The beads were dipped in water, and the liquid was then -given to the animals to drink. These relics of a long-forgotten past -have been found from time to time in ancient places of sepulture, -and as they usually occur singly, it has been conjectured that they -were placed there as amulets. "Many of them," remarks Sir Daniel -Wilson in his "Pre-historic Annals," "are exceedingly beautiful, -and are characterised by considerable ingenuity in the variations of -style. Among those in the Scottish Museum there is one of red glass -spotted with white; another of dark brown glass streaked with yellow; -others of pale green and blue glass, plain and ribbed; and two of -curiously figured patterns, wrought with various colours interwoven -on their surface." A fine specimen of this species of amulet was -discovered in a grave mound at Eddertoun, in Ross-shire, during the -progress of the railway operations in 1864. The Rev. Dr. Joass, who -interested himself in the antiquarian discoveries then made, thus -describes the find:--"The glass, of which this bead was composed, -was of a dark blue colour, and but partially transparent. It was -ornamented by three volutes, which sufficed to surround it. These -were traced in a yellow pigment (or enamel) as hard as the glass -and seeming to sink slightly below the surface into the body of the -bead, as could be seen where this was flattened, as if by grinding -at the opposite ends of its orifice." These adder-beads seem to have -been common in the seventeenth century. Edward Llwyd, who visited -Scotland in 1699, saw fifty different forms of them between Wales and -the Scottish Highlands. Crystal balls, he tells us, were frequently -put into a tub of water on May Day, the contents of the tub being -sprinkled over cattle to keep them from being bewitched. - -Flint arrow-heads--the weapons of early times--became the amulets of a -later age. In folklore they are known as elf-bolts. Popular credulity -imagined that they were used by the fairies for the destruction of -cattle. When an animal was attacked by some sudden and mysterious -disease, it was believed to be "elf-shot" even though no wound could -be seen on its body. To cure the cow, the usual method was to make it -drink some water in which an elf-bolt had been dipped, on the principle -of taking a hair of the dog that bit you. Elf-arrows were at one time -thought to be serviceable to man also. The custom was not unknown of -sewing one of them in some part of the dress as a charm against the -influence of the evil eye. Occasionally one still sees them doing -duty as brooches, and in that form, if not now prized as amulets, -they are esteemed as ornaments. - -Sir J. Y. Simpson, in his "Archæological Essays," gives some -interesting particulars about two ancient charm-stones, the -property of two Highland families for many generations. Of these, -the Clach-na-Bratach, or Stone of the Standard, belongs to the head -of the Clan Donnachie. It is described as "a transparent, globular -mass of rock crystal of the size of a small apple. Its surface has -been artificially polished." The stone was picked up by the then -chief of the clan shortly before the battle of Bannockburn. It was -found in a clod of earth adhering to the standard when drawn out of -the ground, and on account of its brilliancy the chief foretold a -victory. In later times it was used to predict the fortunes of the -clan. We are told that before the battle of Sheriffmuir, in 1715, -which proved so disastrous to the cause of the Stuarts, as well as -to that of Clan Donnachie, the Clach-na-Bratach was found to have a -flaw, not seen till then. When wanted to impart curative virtue to -water, the Clach-na-Bratach was dipped in it thrice by the hand of -the chief. The other charm-stone alluded to is the Clach Dearg, or -Stone of Ardvoirlich. It resembles the Clach-na-Bratach in appearance, -though it is somewhat smaller in size. It differs from it, moreover, -in being surrounded by four silver bands of eastern workmanship. The -charm has belonged to the family of Ardvoirlich from an unknown past, -but there is no tradition as to its early history. As a healing agent -it has had more than a local fame. When its help was sought certain -rules had to be attended to. The person coming to Ardvoirlich was -required to draw the water himself, and bring it into the house in the -vessel in which the charm was to be dipped. A bottle of this water was -then carried to the invalid's home. If the bearer called at any house -by the way, it was requisite that the bottle should be left outside, -otherwise the water would lose its power. - -In the mansion-house of Lee, some three miles north of Lanark, is kept -the Lee Penny, an amulet of even greater fame than the Clach-na-Bratach -or the Clach Dearg. This charm--the prototype of Sir Walter Scott's -"Talisman"--is a semi-transparent gem of a dark red colour. It is set -in a silver coin, believed to be a groat of Edward the Fourth. In shape -it rudely resembles a heart. This circumstance doubtless strengthened -the original belief in its magical powers, if, indeed, it did not give -rise to it. The tradition is, that Sir Simon Lockhart, an ancestor of -the present owner of the estate, left Scotland along with Sir James -Douglas, in the year 1330, to convey the heart of Robert Bruce to the -Holy Land. Douglas was killed in Spain in a battle with the Moors, and -Sir Simon returned to Scotland, bringing the heart with him. He had -various adventures in connection with this mission. One of these was -the capture of a Saracen prince, who, however, obtained his freedom -for a large sum. While the money was being counted out the amulet -in question accidentally fell into the heap of coin, and was claimed -as part of the ransom. Previous to its appearance in Scotland it had -been much esteemed as a cure for hemorrhage and fever. After it was -brought to our shores its fame increased rather than waned. During -the reign of Charles the First it was taken to Newcastle-on-Tyne to -stay a pestilence raging there, a bond for six thousand pounds being -given as a guarantee of its safe return. The amulet did its work so -well, that to ensure its retention in the town the bond would have -been willingly forfeited. It was reckoned of use in the treatment of -almost any ailment, but specially in cases of hydrophobia. A cure -effected by it at the beginning of last century is on record. Lady -Baird of Saughton Hall, near Edinburgh, showed what were believed to -be symptoms of rabies from the bite of a dog. At her request the Lee -Penny was sent to Saughton Hall. She drank and bathed in water in which -it had been dipped, and restoration was the result. The amulet was -also used for the cure of cattle, and when every other remedy failed -recourse was had to the wonder-working gem. When it was employed -for therapeutic purposes, the following was the modus operandi:--It -was drawn once round the vessel containing the water to be rendered -medicinal, and was then plunged thrice into the liquid; but no words -of incantation were used. For this reason the Reformed Church, when -seeking to abolish certain practices of heathen origin, sanctioned -the continued use of the Lee Penny as a charm. A complaint was made -against the Laird of Lee "anent the superstitious using of ane stane -set in silver for the curing of diseased cattell." The complaint came -before the Assembly which met in Glasgow; but the case was dismissed -on the ground that the rite was performed "wtout using onie words -such as charmers and sorcerers use in their unlawfull practices; and -considering that in nature there are mony things seen to work strange -effects, q.r. of no human wit can give a reason." Nevertheless the -Laird of Lee was admonished "in the useing of the said stane to tak -heed that it be used hereafter w.t. the least scandal that possiblie -may be." Belief in the efficacy of the amulet continued to hold its -ground in the neighbourhood of Lee till towards the middle of the -present century. In 1839 phials of water which had felt its magical -touch were to be seen hanging up in byres to protect the cattle from -evil influences. Some fifteen years earlier a Yorkshire farmer carried -away water from Lee to cure some of his cattle which had been bitten -by a mad dog. Attached to the amulet is a small silver chain which -facilitated its use when its services were required. The charm is -kept in a gold box, presented by the Empress Maria Theresa. - -Another south-country amulet, not, however, so famous as the Lee Penny, -is the piece of silver, known as the Lockerbie Penny. It was, and still -is, we suppose, used to cure madness in cattle. In his "Folklore of -the Northern Counties," Mr. Henderson gives the following particulars -about the charm:--"It is put in a cleft stick and a well is stirred -round with it, after which the water is bottled off and given to any -animal so affected. A few years ago, in a Northumbrian farm, a dog bit -an ass, and the ass bit a cow; the penny was sent for, and a deposit -of fifty pounds sterling actually left till it was restored. The dog -was shot, the cuddy died, but the cow was saved through the miraculous -virtue of the charm." After the death of the farmer who borrowed the -Penny, several bottles of water were found stowed away in a cupboard -labelled "Lockerbie Water." Mr. Henderson also mentions another Border -amulet, known as the Black Penny, for long the property of a family at -Hume-byers. It is larger than an ordinary penny, and is believed to -be a Roman coin or medal. When brought into use it should be dipped -in a well, the water of which runs towards the south. Mr. Henderson -adds:--"Popular belief still upholds the virtue of this remedy; but, -alas! it is lost to the world. A friend of mine informs me that half -a generation back the Hume-byers Penny was borrowed by some persons -residing in the neighbourhood of Morpeth and never returned." - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -PILGRIMAGES TO WELLS. - - Modern and Ancient Pilgrimages--Benefits from Pilgrimages-- - Cuthbert's Shrine at Durham--Cross of Crail--Pilgrims' Well and - St. Martha's Hospital at Aberdour--Ninian's Shrine at Whithorn - and the Holy Wells of Wigtownshire--Kentigern's Shrine and - Spring at Glasgow--Chapel and Well of Grace--Whitekirk--Isle of - May--Witness of Archæology--Marmion--Early Attempts in England - to regulate Pilgrimages to Wells--Attempts in Scotland after - Reformation--Enactments by Church and State--Instances of Visits - to Wells--Changed Point of View--Craigie Well--Downy Well--Sugar - and Water Sunday in Cumberland--Sacred Dramas at Wells-- - Festivities--St. Margaret's Well at Wereham--What happened in - Ireland--Patrons--Shell-mound--Selling Water--Fairs at Springs - --Some Examples--Secrecy of Visits to Wells. - - -Nowadays people put Murray or Black, or some similar volume, into their -portmanteau, and set off by rail on what they call a pilgrimage. In -this case the term is a synonym for sight-seeing, usually accomplished -under fairly comfortable conditions. In ancient times pilgrimages were, -as a rule, serious matters with a serious aim. Shakespeare says, in -"Two Gentlemen of Verona":-- - - - "A true devoted pilgrim is not weary - To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps." - - -The object of such journeys was to benefit either soul or body, or -both. The doing of penance, or the fulfilling of a vow, sent devotees -to certain sacred spots, sometimes in distant lands, sometimes within -our own four seas. Cuthbert's shrine at Durham, where the saint's body -was finally deposited in 1070, after its nearly two hundred years' -wanderings, was a noted resort of pilgrims in the middle ages, and -many cures were wrought at it. Archbishop Eyre, on the authority of -Reginald of Durham, tells of a certain man of noble birth, belonging -to the south of England, who could not find relief for his leprosy. He -was told to light three candles, and to dedicate them respectively -to St. Edmund, St. Etheldrith, and St. Cuthbert, and to visit the -shrine of the saint whose candle first burned out. The candles were -lighted, and the omen indicated the last-mentioned saint. Accordingly, -he travelled to the north country, and, after various religious -exercises, drew near the shrine of Cuthbert, and was cured. The shrine -in question was known even as far off as Norway. On one occasion, -at least, viz., in 1172, its miraculous aid was sought by an invalid -from that country. A young man of Bergen, who was blind, deaf, -and dumb, had sought relief at Scandinavian shrines for six years, -but in vain. The bishop suggested that he should try the virtue -of an English shrine, and recommended that lots should be cast, -to determine whether it was to be that of St. Edmund, St. Thomas, -or St. Cuthbert. The lot fell to St. Cuthbert. The young man passed -through Scotland to Durham, and returned home cured. The miracle, -doubtless, still further increased the sanctity of the saint's tomb. - -The Cross of Crail, in Fife, had the power of working wonderful -cures; and many were the pilgrims who flocked to it. Aberdour, in the -same county, had more than a local fame. The name of The Pilgrims' -Well there tells its own tale. This well is now filled up, but for -centuries it attracted crowds of pilgrims. In the fifteenth century -the spot was so popular that about 1475, at the suggestion of Sir John -Scott, vicar of Aberdour, the Earl of Morton granted a piece of land -for the erection of an hospital to accommodate the pilgrims. This -hospital was named after St. Martha. It is not certain to whom the -Pilgrims' Well was dedicated; but Fillan was probably its patron, -as the Rev. Wm. Ross conjectures, in an article on the subject in -the third volume of the "Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries -of Scotland." The church of Aberdour was dedicated to the saint in -question; and the well was near the old churchyard. - -Ninian's shrine at Whithorn was the scene of various miracles during -the middle ages. In 1425 James the First granted a safe-conduct to all -strangers, coming to Scotland to visit it; and James the Fourth made a -pilgrimage to it once a year, and sometimes oftener. "It is likely," -remarks the Rev. Daniel Conway in an article on consecrated springs -in the south-west of Scotland, "that the spots in Wigtownshire, where -Holy Wells were, marked the route pursued by pilgrims bent on doing -homage to the relics of St. Ninian at Whithorn." Whithorn was not -the only shrine visited by James the Fourth. He went repeatedly on -pilgrimage to St. Andrews, Dunfermline, and Tain, and left offerings -at the shrines of their respective saints. When on pilgrimage the king -was usually accompanied by a large retinue, including a company of -minstrels. He liked to have his dogs and hawks with him too, to have -a little hunting by the way. - -St. Kentigern's Well, in the so-called crypt of Glasgow Cathedral, -has already been mentioned. In the immediate neighbourhood is the -spot believed to mark the last resting place of the saint. Till the -Reformation his shrine attracted crowds of pilgrims. On special -occasions his relics were displayed, including his bones, his -hair shirt, and his scourge, and a red liquor that flowed from his -tomb. These, along with other relics belonging to the cathedral, were -taken to France by Archbishop Beaton in 1560. In the ancient parish -of Dundurcus, Elginshire, not far from the river Spey, once stood the -Chapel of Grace, and close to it was a well of the same name. The place -was a favourite resort of pilgrims. Lady Aboyne went to it once a year, -a distance of over thirty miles, and walked the last two miles of the -way on her bare feet. In 1638 an attempt was made to put a stop to -the pilgrimages, by destroying what then remained of the chapel. The -attempt, however, seems to have been fruitless, for in 1775, Shaw, the -historian of Moray, mentions that to it "multitudes from the western -isles do still resort, and nothing short of violence can restrain their -superstition." In 1435, when Æneas Silvius (afterwards Pope Pius the -Second) was sailing from the low countries to Scotland on a political -mission, he was twice overtaken by a storm, and was in such danger -that he vowed to make a pilgrimage, should he escape drowning. At -length he reached the Haddingtonshire coast in safety, and, to fulfil -his vow, set off barefoot, over ice-covered ground, to Whitekirk, -ten miles away, where there were a chapel and well, dedicated to the -Virgin. The journey left its mark on the pilgrim, for we are told -that he had aches in his joints ever afterwards. St. Adrian's Chapel, -in the Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, had a great reputation -before the Reformation. The island has still its Pilgrims' Haven, -and its Pilgrims' Well close by. - -Archæology bears witness to the popularity of pilgrimages in former -times. Between Moxley Nunnery, in Yorkshire, and St. John's Well, -about a mile away, are the remains of a causeway, laid down for -the convenience of devotees. At Stenton, in Haddingtonshire, near -the road leading to Dunbar, is the well of the Holy Rood, covered -by a small circular building with a conical roof. The well is now -filled up. Its former importance is indicated by the fact that the -pathway between it and the old church, some two hundred yards off, -had a stone pavement, implying considerable traffic to and from the -spring. In the quiet Banffshire parish of Inveraven, is a spring, -at Chapelton of Kilmaichlie, near the site of an ancient chapel. The -spring is now almost forgotten, but its casing of stone shows that, -at one time, it was an object of interest in the neighbourhood. - -The author of "Marmion," when describing the arrival, at Lindisfarne, -of the bark containing St. Hilda's holy maids from Whitby, has the -following picturesque lines:-- - - - "The tide did now its flood-mark gain, - And girdled in the saint's domain: - For, with the flow and ebb, its style - Varies from continent to isle; - Dry-shod, o'er sands, twice every day, - The pilgrims to the shrine find way; - Twice, every day, the waves efface - Of staves and sandalled feet the trace." - - -Towards the end of the same poem, in connection with the Lady -Clare's quest of water for the dying Marmion, we find the following -reference:-- - - - "Where shall she turn?--behold her mark - A little fountain cell, - Where water, clear as diamond-spark, - In a stone basin fell! - Above, some half-worn letters say, - 'Drink . weary . pilgrim . drink . and . pray . - For . the . kind . soul . of . Sybil . Grey . - Who . built . this . cross . and . well.'" - - -In England, during the middle ages, there were various attempts -to regulate the custom of making pilgrimages to wells. A canon of -King Edgar, of date 963, prohibited the superstitious resorting to -fountains, and in 1102, one of the canons of St. Anselm permitted -only such wells to be visited as were approved of by the bishop. In -Scotland, vigorous efforts were made, after the Reformation, to -abolish the practice. Both Church and State combined to bring about -this result. In an Act of Parliament, of date 1581, allusion is made -to the "pervers inclination of mannis ingyne to superstitioun through -which the dregges of idolatrie yit remanis in divers pairtis of the -realme be useing of pilgrimage to sum chappellis, wellis, croces, and -sic other monumentis of idolatrie, as also be observing of the festual -dayis of the santes sumtyme namit their patronis in setting forth of -bain fyres, singing of caroles within and about kirkes at certane -seasones of the yeir." In 1629 the practice was sternly forbidden -by an edict from the Privy Council. In connection with this edict, -Dalyell remarks, "It seems not to have been enough that congregations -were interdicted from the pulpit preceding the wonted period of resort, -or that individuals, humbled on their knees, in public acknowledgment -of their offence, were rebuked or fined for disobedience. Now, it -was declared that, for the purpose of restraining the superstitious -resort, 'in pilgrimages to chappellis and wellis, which is so -frequent and common in this kingdome, to the great offence of God, -scandall of the kirk, and disgrace of his Majesteis government; -that commissioners cause diligent search at all such pairts and -places where this idolatrous superstitioun is used, and to take and -apprehend all suche persons of whatsomever rank and qualitie whom -they sall deprehend going in pilgrimage to chappellis and wellis, -or whome they sall know thameselffes to be guiltie of that cryme, -and to commit thame to waird, until measures should be adopted for -their trial and punishment.'" Prior to the date of the above edict the -Privy Council had not been idle, crowds of people were in the habit -of making a pilgrimage on May Day to Christ's Well, in Menteith, -where they performed certain superstitious rites. Accordingly, in -1624, a Commission was issued to a number of gentlemen belonging -to the district instructing them to station themselves beside the -well, to apprehend the pilgrims and to remove them to the Castle of -Doune. Even such measures did not cause the practice to cease. - -In 1628 several persons were accused before the kirk-session of Falkirk -of going in pilgrimage to the well in question, and being found guilty, -were ordered to appear in church three appointed Sundays, clad in the -garb of penitents. The same year the following warning was issued by -the aforesaid kirk-session:--"It is statute and ordained that if any -person or persons be found superstitiously and idolatrously, after -this, to have passed in pilgrimage to Christ's Well, on the Sundays of -May to seek their health, they shall repent in sacco and linen three -several Sabbaths, and pay twenty lib. (Scots) toties quoties for ilk -fault; and if they cannot pay it the baillies shall be recommended -to put them in ward, and to be fed on bread and water for aught days." - -Scottish ecclesiastical records, indeed, bear ample testimony to the -zeal displayed by the Church in putting a stop to such visits. In his -"Domestic Annals of Scotland," Chambers gives the following picture -of what was done by the kirk-session of Perth. The example shows the -lines usually followed in connection with such prosecutions:--"At -Huntingtower there was a well, the water of which was believed to -have sanative qualities when used under certain circumstances. In May, -1618, two women of humble rank were before the kirk-session of Perth, -'who, being asked if they were at the well in the bank of Huntingtower -the last Sabbath, if they drank thereof, and what they left at it, -answered, that they drank thereof, and that each of them left a prin -(pin) thereat, which was found to be a point of idolatrie in putting -the well in God's room.' They were each fined six shillings, and -compelled to make public avowal of their repentance." In the parish -of Nigg, Kincardineshire, is St. Fittack's or St. Fiacre's Well, -situated close to the sea. It is within easy reach of Aberdeen across -the Dee. Many a visit was paid to it by the inhabitants of that burgh, -from motives of superstition. The Aberdeen kirk-session, however, did -its duty in the matter, and repeatedly forbade such visits. In 1630, -"Margrat Davidson, spous to Andro Adam, was adjudget in ane unlaw of -fyve poundis to be payed to the collector for directing hir nowriss -with hir bairne to Sanct Fiackres Well, and weshing the bairne tharin -for recovirie of hir health; and the said Margrat and hir nowriss -were ordainit to acknowledge thair offence before the Session for -thair fault, and for leaveing ane offering in the well." The saint, -to whom the well was dedicated, is believed to have migrated from -Scotland to France early in the seventh century, and to have been -held in much esteem there. From Butler's "Lives of the Saints" we -get the curious information that "the name fiacre was first given -to hackney coaches, because hired carriages were first made use -of for the convenience of pilgrims who went from Paris to visit -the shrine of this saint." A well at Airth, in Stirlingshire, was -for long a centre of attraction. What was done there may be learned -from some entries in the local kirk-session records quoted in Hone's -"Every-Day Book":--"Feb. 3, 1757. Session convenit. Compeared Bessie -Thomson, who declairit schoe went to the well at Airth, and that -schoe left money thairat and after the can was fillat with water, -they keepit it from touching the ground till they cam hom." "February -24th.--Compeired Robert Fuird, who declared he went to the well of -Airth and spoke nothing als he went, and that Margrat Walker went -with him, and schoe said ye belief about the well, and left money and -ane napkin at the well, and all was done at her injunction." "March -21.--Compeired Robert Ffuird who declairit yat Margrat Walker went to -ye well of Airth to fetch water to Robert Cowie, and when schoe com -thair schoe laid down money in God's name, and ane napkin in Robert -Cowie's name." The session ordered the delinquents to be admonished. - -Years went on, and modes of thought gradually changed. Church and -State alike began to respect the liberty of the subject. Though visits -continued to be paid to holy wells, they ceased to be reckoned as -offences. People might still resort to the spots, so familiar to -their ancestors, and so much revered by them; but they no longer -found themselves shut up in prison, or made to do penance before the -whole congregation. Old customs continued to hold sway, though less -stress was laid on the superstitions, lying behind them. Thus it -came to pass, that pilgrimages to holy wells became more and more -an excuse for mirthful meetings among friends. This was specially -true of Craigie Well, in the parish of Avoch, in the Black Isle of -Cromarty. The time for visiting the spring was early in the morning -of the first Sunday in May. The well was situated near Munlochy Bay, -a few yards above high-water-mark, and gets its name from the crags -around. A correspondent of Chambers's "Book of Days" thus describes -what he saw and heard:--"I arrived about an hour before sunrise, but -long before, crowds of lads and lasses from all quarters were fast -pouring in. Some, indeed, were there at daybreak who had journeyed -more than seven miles. Before the sun made his appearance, the whole -scene looked more like a fair than anything else. Acquaintances -shook hands in true Highland style, brother met brother, and sister -met sister, while laughter and all kinds of country news and gossip -were so freely indulged in, that a person could hardly hear what -he himself said." Amid all the stir and bustle the spring itself -was not neglected, for everyone took care to have a drink. Some used -dishes, while others, on hands and knees, sucked up the water with the -mouth. These latter were now and again ducked over head and ears by -their acquaintances, who much enjoyed the frolic. No one went away -without leaving a thread, or patch of cloth on a large briar bush -near the spring. Besides St. Fittack's Well, there is another in -Nigg parish called Downy Well. It used to be resorted to in May, by -persons who drank the water, and then crossed by a narrow neck of land, -called The Brig of a'e Hair, to Downy Hill--a green headland in the -sea--where they amused themselves by carving their names in the turf. - -Brand, in his "Popular Antiquities," gives the following particulars -about a custom that still prevailed in Cumberland, when he wrote -about forty years ago:--"In some parts of the North of England it -has been a custom from time immemorial for the lads and lasses of -the neighbouring villages to collect together at springs or rivers, -on some Sunday in May, to drink sugar and water, where the lasses gave -the treat: this is called "Sugar and Water Sunday." They afterwards -adjourn to the public-house, and the lads return the compliment in -cakes, ale, punch, &c. A vast concourse of both sexes assemble for -the above purpose at the Giant's Cave, near Eden Hall in Cumberland, -on the third Sunday in May." - -We do not know whether sacred dramas were ever performed beside -Scottish springs; but Stow informs us that the parish clerks of London -made an annual pilgrimage to Clark's Well, near the Metropolis, -"to play some large history of Holy Scripture." He also mentions -that a Miracle Play, lasting eight days, was performed at Skinner's -Well in the time of Henry the Fourth. South of the Tweed, springs -were often the scenes of festivity. Thus, to take only one example, -we find that pilgrims to St. Margaret's Well, at Wereham in Norfolk, -were in the habit, in pre-Reformation days, of regaling themselves with -cakes and ale, and indulging in music and dancing. What occurred in -Ireland down to the beginning of the present century may be gathered -from a passage in Mason's "Statistical Account of Ireland" reprinted -in the "Folklore Journal" for 1888. After referring to religious -assemblies at Holy Wells the writer remarks:--"At these places are -always erected booths or tents as in Fairs for selling whisky, beer, -and ale, at which pipers and fiddlers do not fail to attend, and the -remainder of the day and night (after their religious performances -are over and the priest withdrawn) is spent in singing, dancing, and -drinking to excess.... Such places are frequently chosen for scenes of -pitched battles, fought with cudgels by parties not only of parishes -but of counties, set in formal array against each other to revenge -some real or supposed injury." In Roman Catholic districts of Ireland, -what are called patrons, i.e., gatherings in honour of the patron -saints of the place, are still popular. From an article on "Connemara -Folklore," by G. H. Kinahan, in the "Folklore Journal" for 1884, we -learn that a consecrated spring at Cashla Bay has, beside it, a large -conical mound of sea-shells. These are the remains of the shell-fish -forming the food of the pilgrims during the continuance of the patron, -and cooked by them on the top of the mound. Last century, in Ireland, -the custom of carrying the water of famous wells to distant parts, and -there selling it, was not unknown. A correspondent of the "Gentleman's -Magazine" mentions that about 1750 this was done in connection with a -miraculous spring near Sligo; and that, some years earlier, the water -of Lough Finn was sold in the district, where he lived, at sixpence, -eightpence, and tenpence per quart, according to the different success -of sale the carriers had on the road. A thatched cottage stood close -to the site of St. Margaret's Well at Restalrig, and was inhabited -by a man who carried the water of the spring to Leith for sale. - -Mr. William Andrews, in his "Old Time Punishments," tells of booths -having been set up beside a Lincolnshire gibbet in 1814, to supply -provisions for the crowds who came to see a murderer hanging in -chains there. Less gruesome were the fairs at one time held in the -neighbourhood of springs, though even they had certain unpleasant -concomitants, which led in the end to their discontinuance. In -the united parish of Dunkeld and Dowally is Sancta Crux Well, at -Crueshill. Till towards the middle of the present century, it was such -a popular resort, that tents were set up and refreshments sold to -the pilgrims. Alcohol was so freely partaken of that drunken brawls -often ensued, and right-minded people felt that the gathering would -be more honoured in the breach than in the observance. St. Fillan's -Fair, at Struan, took place on the first Friday after New Year's -Day (O.S.). It was held on a spot close to the church, and not far -from St. Fillan's Well. It is now discontinued, but its stance is -still known as Croft-an-taggart, i.e., The Priest's Croft. The Well -Market, now held at Tomintoul, in Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, but -formerly beside Fergan Well, has already been referred to. Writing -in April, 1892, a correspondent, who has resided in the parish for -nearly half-a-century, mentions the following particulars concerning -the spring:--"The healing virtue of its water is still believed in, -especially on the first Sunday of May, when parties still gather and -watch the arrival of Sunday morning with special care, many of them -remaining there the whole night and part of the Sabbath. Whoever first -washes in the water or drinks of it is cured of any disease or sore -with which they may be troubled." Our correspondent adds:--"The annual -market of the district was held at Fergan Well, and the foundations of -the tents or booths where goods were sold are still visible: and very -probably there was a kind of mountain dew partaken of stronger than -the water that now flows from Fergan Well." We shall have something -more to say about fairs in the next chapter. - -Though modern enlightenment has not entirely abolished the practice -of resorting to consecrated springs, it has, as a rule, produced a -desire for secrecy on the part of the pilgrims. When superstitious -motives are absent, and springs are visited merely from curiosity -or love of frolic, there is no sense of shame, and hence no need for -concealment. But when the pilgrims regard the practice as a magical -rite, they usually prefer to keep the rest of the world in the dark -as to their doings. Sir Arthur Mitchell truly remarks in his "Past in -the Present"--"It is well enough understood that the business is not -a Christian one, and that the engaging in it is not a thing which it -would be easy to justify. There is a consciousness that it has not been -gone about as an empty, meaningless ceremony, but that it has involved -an acknowledgment of a supernatural power controlling human affairs -and influenced by certain rites and offerings--a power different -from that which is acknowledged by Christians. Hence it happens that -there is a difficulty in getting people to confess to these visits, -and, of course, a greater difficulty still in getting them to speak, -freely and frankly, about the feelings and beliefs which led to them." - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -SUN-WORSHIP AND WELL-WORSHIP. - - Fairs--Their Connection with Holy Days--Nature-festivals--Modes - of Marking Time--Ecclesiastical Year and Natural Year--Christmas - --Fire-festivals--Hallow E'en and Mid-summer Fires--Beltane--Its - Connection with Sun-worship--Sun-charms--Carrying Fire--Clavie at - Burghead--Fiery-circle--Traces of Sun-worship in Folk-customs-- - In Architecture--Turning Sunways--Widdershins--When Wells were - Visited--May--Influence of Pagan Rites--Folklore of May Day-- - Sundays in May--Sunday Wells--Sunday, why Chosen--Lammas--Festival - of St. Peter ad Vincula--Gule of August--Sun and Well-worship-- - Time of Day for Using Wells--Fonts of the Cross--Walking Sunways - round Wells--Doing the Reverse--Witch's Well--South-running Water. - - -In his "Scottish Markets and Fairs" Sir J. D. Marwick -observes:--"Simple home needs, such as plain food and clothing, -articles of husbandry, and other indispensable appliances of life gave -rise to markets held at frequent fixed times, at suitable centres. But -as society grew and artificial needs sprung up, these could only be -met by trade; and trade on anything beyond a very limited scale was -only then practicable at fairs. Wherever large numbers of persons -were drawn together, at fixed times, for purposes of business or -religion or pleasure, an inducement was offered to the merchant or -pedlar, as well as to the craftsman, to attend, and to provide by -the diversity and quality of his wares for the requirements of the -persons there congregated." In the last chapter allusion was made -to such gatherings in connection with springs. We shall now look at -the dates when they were held, in order to trace their connection -with nature-festivals. Fairs, as distinguished from markets, were of -comparatively rare occurrence at any given place. In the majority of -instances, they can be traced back to some gathering held in connection -with what were originally holy days, and afterwards holidays. Such -holy days commemorated a local saint, the fame of whose sanctity -was confined to more or less narrow limits, or one whom Christendom -at large delighted to honour; or, again, a leading event in sacred -or legendary history deemed worthy of a place in the ecclesiastical -year. A few dates when fairs are, or were held at various Scottish -centres may be selected from Sir J. Marwick's list. At Abercorn -they were held on Michaelmas and St. Serf's Day; at Aberdeen, -on Whitsunday, Holy Trinity, Michaelmas, and St. Nicholas's Day; -at Charlestown of Aboyne, on Candlemas, Michaelmas, and Hallowmas; -at Annan, on Ascension-day and Michaelmas; at Ayr, on Mid-summer and -Michaelmas; at Biggar, on Candlemas and Mid-summer; at Clackmannan, -on St. Bartholomew's Day; at Cromdale, on St. Luke's Day, St. Peter's -Day, Michaelmas, and St. George's Day; at Culross, on St. Serf's Day, -Martinmas, and St. Matthew's Day; at Dalmellington, on Fastern's -E'en and Hallow E'en; at Dalmeny, on St. John the Baptist's Day and -St. Luke's Day; at Doune, on Martinmas, Yule, Candlemas, Whitsunday, -Lammas, and Michaelmas; at Dumbarton, on Patrickmas, Mid-summer, and -Lammas; at Fraserburgh, on St. John the Baptist's Day and Michaelmas; -at Fyvie, on Fastern's Eve, St. Peter's Day, and St. Magdalene's Day; -at Hamilton, on St. Lawrence's Day and Martinmas; at Inveraray, on -Michaelmas and St. Brandane's Day; at Stranraer, on St. Barnabas' Day -and Lammas. Among the fairs at Auchinblae were Pasch Market in April, -and one called May Day to be held on the 22nd of that month. This -series might be indefinitely enlarged; but as it stands it shows that -the leading nature-festivals, such as Yule, Easter, Whitsuntide, -Mid-summer, Michaelmas, and Hallowmas have a prominent place among -the dates selected. An examination of Sir J. Marwick's list further -shows that the dates of fairs were often fixed, not with reference -to any particular holy day, but to some day of a particular month, -such as the second Tuesday, or the third Thursday. Many of these -occur in May. In ancient documents--in Acts of Parliaments, for -instance--dates were commonly fixed by a reference to holy days. In -Presbyterian Scotland such a method of marking time is not now in -fashion, though some relics of the practice survive. We are still -familiar with Whitsunday and Martinmas as term-days, but how few now -ever think of them as ecclesiastical festivals! - -The meaning of customs associated with the various holy days -has come to be duly recognised by the student of ecclesiastical -antiquities. While the Christian year was being evolved in -the course of centuries, certain festivals were introduced, -as one might say, arbitrarily, i.e., without being linked to any -pre-Christian usages. From the point of view of Church celebrations, -they have not the same significance as those others that received, -as their heritage, certain rights in vogue before the spread of -Christianity. In other words, the leading pagan festivals had a new -meaning put into them, and, when adopted by the Church, were exalted -to a position of honour. In virtue of this, the ecclesiastical year -was correlated to the natural year, with its varying seasons and its -archaic festivals. There is no doubt that in early times the Church -sought to win nations from paganism by admitting as many of the old -customs as were deemed harmless. We have seen how this was effected in -the case of fountains, as shown by Columba's exorcism of the demons -inhabiting springs. The same principle prevailed all round. The old -Saturnalia of the Romans, for instance, became the rejoicings of -Christmas. To the distinctively Christian aspects of the festival we -do not, of course, allude, but to the customs still in vogue at the -Yule season; and these are nothing more than a revised edition of the -old pagan rites. Among other Aryan peoples the winter solstice was -also commemorated by similar merry-makings. Church festivals, such -as Candlemas, Easter, St. John's Day, St. Peter's Day, Michaelmas, -Hallowmas, Christmas, &c., absorbed many distinctive features of the -old pagan fire-festivals, held in connection with the changes of the -seasons. The kindling of fires out of doors, on special occasions, -is familiar to all of us. They may be called modern folk-customs; but -their origin is ancient enough to give them special significance. Even -to the present time, twinkling spots of light may be seen along the -shores of Loch Tay on Hallow E'en, though the mid-summer fires do not -now blaze on our Scottish hills, as they continue to do in Scandinavia -and elsewhere. Among the Bavarian Highlands these mid-summer fires are -popularly known as Sonnenwendfeuer, i.e., solstice-fires. That they -are so called and not St. John's fires (though lighted in connection -with his festival) is significant. In Brittany a belief prevailed -that if a girl danced nine times round one of the St. John's fires -before midnight she would be married within the year. - -The most important fire-festival in Scotland was that of Beltane -at the beginning of May. It was celebrated generally throughout our -land. To the south of the Forth several sites are known to have been -specially associated with Beltane fires. In Lanarkshire two such -sites were, the hills of Tinto and Dechmont. Tinto, indeed, means -the hill of fire. It was used for beacon-fires as well as for those -connected with nature-festivals, and was well adapted for the purpose, -being 2335 feet above the sea, and 1655 feet above the Clyde at its -base. Though not nearly so high, Dechmont hill commands a splendid view -over the neighbouring country. Early in the present century a quantity -of charcoal was discovered near its summit hidden beneath a stratum -of fine loam. The country people around expressed no surprise at the -discovery, as they were familiar with the tradition that the spot had -been used for the kindling of Beltane fires. In Peeblesshire, too, -the Beltane festival long held its ground. In the fifteenth century -the town of Peebles was the scene of joyous May Day gatherings. From -far and near, holiday-makers, dressed in their best, came together -to join in the Beltane amusements. Who has not heard of the poem, -"Peblis to the Play," attributed to King James the First? The play -consisted of a round of rural festivities--archery and horse-racing -being the chief recreations. Pennant gives a minute account of Beltane -rites as practised about 1772. "On the first of May the herdsmen -of every village hold their Bel-tein, a rural sacrifice. They cut a -square trench on the ground, leaving the turf in the middle; on that -they make a fire of wood, on which they dress a large caudle of eggs, -butter, oat-meal, and milk, and bring, besides the ingredients of -the caudle, plenty of beer and whisky; for each of the company must -contribute something. The rites begin with spilling some of the caudle -on the ground by way of libation; on that, every one takes a cake of -oatmeal, upon which are raised nine square knobs, each dedicated to -some particular being, the supposed preserver of their flocks and -herds, or to some particular animal, the real destroyer of them; -each person then turns his face to the fire, breaks off a knob, -and flinging it over his shoulders, says, 'This I give to thee, -preserve thou my horses; this to thee, preserve thou my sheep'; and -so on. After that they use the same ceremony to the noxious animals, -'This I give to thee, O fox! spare thou my lambs; this to thee, O -hooded crow! this to thee, O eagle!' When the ceremony is over they -dine on the caudle; and after the feast is finished, what is left is -hid by two persons deputed for that purpose; but on the next Sunday -they reassemble and finish the reliques of the first entertainment." - -An examination of the dates when fire-festivals were held shows that -they had a distinct connection with the sun's annual cycle. When -several leading Church festivals fell to be observed about the same -time of the year, they had often some features in common. Thus the -pagan mid-summer festival had as its lineal successor, not only -St. John's Day (24th June), but St. Vitus's Day and St. Peter's Day, -respectively the fifteenth and the twenty-ninth of the same month. The -kindling of fires was a feature of all three. Mediæval fire-festivals -were thus the gleanings of rites derived from archaic sun-worship. - -The question arises, what connection was there between the custom and -the cult? Mr. J. G. Frazer, in his "Golden Bough," has collected a -variety of facts which go to show that the lighting of these fires -was primarily intended to ensure the shining of the sun in the -heavens. Mr. Frazer thus sums up the evidence: "The best general -explanation of these European fire-festivals seems to be the one -given by Mannhardt, namely, that they are sun-charms or magical -ceremonies intended to ensure a proper supply of sunshine for men, -animals, and plants. Savages resort to charms for making sunshine, -and we need not wonder that primitive man in Europe has done the -same. Indeed, considering the cold and cloudy climate of Europe -during a considerable part of the year, it is natural that sun-charms -should have played a much more prominent part among the superstitious -practices of European peoples than among those of savages who live -nearer the equator. This view of the festivals in question is supported -by various considerations drawn partly from the rites themselves, -partly from the influence which they are believed to exert upon the -weather and on vegetation." After alluding to certain sun-charms, -Mr. Frazer continues, "In these the magic force is supposed to take -effect through mimicry or sympathy; by imitating the desired result -you actually produce it; by counterfeiting the sun's progress through -the heavens you really help the luminary to pursue his celestial -journey with punctuality and despatch.... The influence which these -bonfires are supposed to exert on the weather and on vegetation goes -to show that they are sun-charms, since the effects ascribed to them -are identical with those of sunshine. Thus, in Sweden, the warmth or -cold of the coming season is inferred from the direction in which the -flames of the bonfire are blown; if they blow to the south it will -be warm, if to the north, cold. No doubt at present the direction of -the flames is regarded merely as an augury of the weather, not as a -mode of influencing it. But we may be pretty sure that this is one -of the cases in which magic has dwindled into divination." Hence a -good supply of light and heat is not only foretold, but guaranteed. - -The view that these fires were reckoned mock-suns is confirmed by -the custom, at one time common, of carrying lighted brands round -the fields to ensure their fertility. Blazing torches were thus -carried in Pennant's time in the middle of June. Martin refers to -the carrying of fire in the Hebrides. "There was an antient custom -in the Island of Lewis to make a fiery circle about the houses, corn, -cattle, &c., belonging to each particular family. An instance of this -round was performed in the village Shadir, in Lewis, about sixteen -years ago (i.e., circa 1680), but it proved fatal to the practiser, -called MacCallum; for, after he had carefully performed this round, -that very night following he and his family were sadly surprised, -and all his houses, corn, cattle, &c., were consumed with fire. This -superstitious custom is quite abolished now, for there has not been -above this one instance of it in forty years past." Till a later -date in Lewis, fire continued to be carried round children before -they were baptised, and round mothers before they were churched, -to prevent evil spirits from doing harm. - -Burghead, in Elginshire, is still the scene of an annual fire-festival, -celebrated on the last day of the year (O.S.). It is locally known as -the burning of the clavie. On the afternoon of the day in question, -careful preparations are made for the ceremony. A tar barrel is sawn -across, and of it the clavie is made. A pole of firwood is stuck -through the barrel, and held in its place by a large nail driven in by -a stone, no hammer being used. The clavie is then filled with tar and -pieces of wood. After dark these combustibles are kindled, according to -ancient practice, by a burning peat from a neighbouring cottage. The -clavie is then lifted by one of the men and carried through the -village amid the applause of the inhabitants. Notwithstanding the -risk from the burning tar, the possession of the clavie, while on its -pilgrimage, is eagerly coveted. In former times, a stumble on the -part of the bearer was counted unlucky for himself personally, and -for the village as a whole. After being borne about for some time, the -still blazing clavie is placed on an adjacent mound called the Doorie, -where a stone column was built some years ago for its accommodation. A -hole in the top of the column receives the pole. There the clavie is -allowed to burn for about half-an-hour, when it is thrown down the -slope of the mound. The burning fragments are eagerly snatched up -and carried away by the spectators. These fragments were formerly -kept as charms to ensure good fortune to their possessors. In the -seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Church discountenanced the -burning of the clavie as idolatrous and sinful, and certain penalties -were threatened against all who took part in it. The antiquity of -the custom may be inferred from the fact, that two hundred years -ago it was called old. At that time lights were carried round the -boats in the harbour, and certain other ceremonies were performed, -all pointing to a pagan origin. Formerly the custom was in vogue, -not only at Burghead, but at most of the fishing villages along the -Morayshire coast. The object in every case was the same, viz., the -blessing of the boats to ensure a good fishing season. - -A singular survival of sun-worship is to be found in the use of a fiery -circle as a curative agent. In the volume of the "Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland" for 1889-90, the Rev. Dr. Stewart -of Nether Lochaber recounts a recent instance of its use in the -Highlands. A dwining child, a year and a half old, was pronounced by a -"wise woman" of the district to be suffering from the effects of an -"evil eye." The rite, called in Gaelic, Beannachd-na-Cuairte, i.e., -"Blessing of the Circle," was accordingly resorted to. A straw rope was -wound round the greater part of an iron hoop, and, oil being applied, -the whole was set on fire. The hoop was then held vertically, and -through the blazing circle the child was passed and repassed eighteen -times to correspond to the months of its life. The blazing hoop was -then extinguished in a neighbouring burn. The result was in every -way to the satisfaction of the child's relatives. In the same article -Dr. Stewart gives an account, sent to him by a friend, of a similar -superstition common in Wigtownshire till about half-a-century ago. In -this case, the healing influence came through the channel of the iron -tire of a new cart wheel. After fire had been applied to it to make -it fit the wheel, the tire was passed over the head of the patient, -who was thus placed in the middle of a glowing circle. - -So much for the traces of sun-worship in rites connected with -fire. There are traces of it also in certain folk-customs, at one -time common, and not yet extinct. Highlanders were formerly in the -habit of taking off their bonnets to the rising sun. Akin to this is -the feeling underlying the Venetian expedition to the Lido, annually -repeated in July, when thousands cross to that island at dawn, and -utter a loud shout when the sun rises above the horizon. In cases -where sun-worship is a national cult we naturally expect it to -have a marked influence on the sacred customs and architecture of -its votaries. One example will suffice. In his "Pre-historic Man," -Sir Daniel Wilson thus describes the great annual festival of the -Peruvians, held at the summer solstice:--"For three days previous, -a general fast prevailed; the fire on the great altar of the sun went -out, and in all the dwellings of the land no hearth was kindled. As -the dawn of the fourth day approached, the Inca, surrounded by his -nobles, who came from all parts of the country to join in the solemn -celebration, assembled in the great square of the capital to greet -the rising sun. The temple of the national deity presented its eastern -portal to the earliest rays, emblazoned with his golden image, thickly -set with precious stones, and as the first beams of the morning were -reflected back from this magnificent emblem of the god of day, songs -of triumph mingled with the jubilant shout of his worshippers. Then, -after various rites of adoration, preparations were made for rekindling -the sacred fire. The rays of the sun, collected into a focus by a -concave mirror of polished metal, were made to inflame a heap of -dried cotton; and a llama was sacrificed as a burnt offering to the -sun." Even after sun-worship has ceased to be a national cult, we -find it continuing to regulate the position of buildings, devoted to -a totally different worship. In this way what is commonly styled the -"orientation" of Christian churches can be accounted for. Indeed, -so much had the sun to do with churches, that when one was built in -honour of a particular saint, it was made to face the point of the -horizon, where the sun rose on the festival of the saint in question. - -In our own land much stress used to be laid on the necessity of -turning according to the course of the sun, i.e., from left to -right. To do so tended to bring prosperity to whatever was being -undertaken at the time. Martin often refers to such a turn under the -title of Dessil, a word of Gaelic origin, in connection with which, -it is interesting to note that in Gaelic Deas signifies both south -and to the right. Martin mentions certain stones, round which the -inhabitants of the Western Isles made what he calls "a religious -turn." In the island of Eigg, he tells us:--"There is a heap of stones -called Martin Dessil, i.e., a place consecrated to the saint of that -name, about which the natives oblige themselves to make a tour round -sunways." It was also customary when anyone wished well to another -to walk round him thrice sunways. The following are some of Martin's -own experiences in the matter of the Dessil:--"Some are very careful, -when they set out to sea, that the boat be first rowed about sunways; -and if this be neglected they are afraid their voyage may prove -unfortunate. I had this ceremony paid me (when in the island of Ila) -by a poor woman after I had given her an alms. I desired her to let -alone that compliment, for I did not care for it; but she insisted to -make these three ordinary turns, and pray'd that God and MacCharmaig, -the patron saint of that island, might bless and prosper me in all my -designs and affairs. I attempted twice to go from Ila to Collonsay, -and at both times they row'd about the boat sunways, tho' I forbid -them to do it; and by a contrary wind the boat and those in it were -forced back. I took boat again a third time from Jura to Collonsay, -and at the same time forbid them to row about their boat, which -they obey'd, and then we landed safely at Collonsay without any ill -adventure, which some of the crew did not believe possible for want of -the round." This superstition lingered long after Martin's time, and -probably still directs the course of many a fishing-boat when being -put to sea. In connection with events of moment--such as baptisms, -bridals, and burials--the necessity for turning sunways was felt to -be specially binding; but even in matters of no particular importance -the rule was held to apply. If movement sunways was lucky, movement -in a contrary direction was the reverse. Such a movement was, and -still is, known as Widdershins or Withershins, the Shetland form being -Witherwise. To go Widdershins was to go against the sun, and was hence -regarded as a violation of the established order of things. In his -"Darker Superstitions" Dalyell remarks:--"The moving widderschynnes, -as if withdrawing from the deified orb of day, inferred a guilty -retreat, and was associated with the premeditated evil of sorcery." - -We have thus glanced at the relations of springs to fairs, of fairs -to Church festivals, of Church festivals to nature festivals, and of -these to sun-worship. We shall now gather together the threads of the -argument, and indicate some of the chief points of connection between -well-worship and sun-worship. To do this, we must inquire when springs -were mainly visited. When a well was under the patronage of a saint, -the festival day of that saint was in some cases the day selected. It -would be natural to regard this as the rule. But, as a matter of fact, -pilgrimages were commonly made on days other than the festival of the -patron saint. As may be remembered, the Holy Pool in Strathfillan -was mainly resorted to on the first day of the quarter (O.S.); -and St. Fillan's Spring at Comrie on 1st May and 1st August. As may -be also remembered, the waters of Loch Manaar, in Sutherland, were -thought to possess special virtue on the first Monday of February, -May, August, and November (O.S.), the second and third of these -dates being specially popular. What the practice was at Mochrum Loch, -in Wigtownshire, is clear from Symson's account in his "Description -of Galloway." "This loch," he says, "is very famous in many writers, -who report that it never freezeth in the greatest frosts.... "Whether -it had any virtue of old I know not, but sure I am it hath it not -now. However, I deny not but the water thereof may be medicinal, -having received several credible informations that several persons, -both old and young, have been cured of continued diseases by washing -therein. Yet still I cannot approve of their washing three times -therein, which they say they must do, neither the frequenting there -of the first Sunday of February, May, August, and November, although -many foolish people affirm that, not only the water of this loch, -but also many other springs and wells, have more virtue on those days -than any other." Close to the Welltrees meadow in Sanquhar parish, -once flowed a spring dedicated to St. Bridget. In his history of the -parish, Mr. James Brown tells us that, according to the testimony -of the old people, it was customary for the maidens of Sanquhar to -resort on May Day to St. Bride's Well, where each presented nine -smooth white stones as an offering to the saint. Till about the -beginning of the present century, a well at Sigget, in Aberdeenshire, -was regularly visited on Pasch Sunday, and the usual offerings were -left by the pilgrims. There is, or was a belief at Chapel-en-le-Frith, -in Derbyshire, that on Easter Eve a mermaid appears in a certain pool; -and at Rostherne, in Cheshire, that another mermaid comes out of the -lake there on Easter Day and rings a bell. Mr. Moore mentions that in -the Isle of Man Ascension Day and the first Sunday of August were the -principal days for visiting consecrated springs. As previously stated, -part of the May Day rites at Tullie-Beltane, in Perthshire, consisted -in drinking water from a spring, and in walking nine times round -it. St. Anthony's Well, near Edinburgh, is not yet forgotten on May -Day by people who like to keep up old customs. There is no doubt that -of all the months of the year May was the one, when Scottish springs -were most visited. The same rule held elsewhere. In his "Romances -of the West of England," Mr. Hunt has the following:--"The practice -of bathing rickety children on the first three Wednesdays in May is -still far from uncommon in the outlying districts of Cornwall. The -parents will walk many miles for the purpose of dipping the little -sufferers in some well from which the healing virtue has not entirely -departed. Among these holy wells, Cubert is far famed. To this well the -peasantry still resort, firm in the faith that there, at this special -season, some mysterious virtue is communicated to its waters. On these -occasions, only a few years since, the crowd assembled was so large -that it assumed the character of a fair." A spring at Glastonbury, -in Somerset, on account of a miraculous cure, believed to have been -wrought by its water, became specially popular about the middle of -last century. In 1751, as many as ten thousand persons are said to -have visited it during the month of May. - -The popularity of May did not depend on the better weather following -the bleakness of winter and spring. At least, if it did so, it was -only in a subordinate degree. To find the main reason, we have to -look to the continued influence of ancient pagan rites. As we have -seen, May in Scotland was ushered in by the Beltane Festival. We have -also seen that its manifestly heathen customs survived till a late -period in the midst of a Christian civilisation. On the hypothesis -of a pagan origin alone, can certain May Day customs and beliefs be -satisfactorily explained. Some Beltane rites still survive in the -Highlands, though fires are no longer kindled. In the neighbourhood of -Kingussie, Inverness-shire, bannocks and hard-boiled eggs continue to -be rolled down the hills on the first of May (O.S.). Till quite lately, -these bannocks were used for purposes of divination. They were marked -on one side with a cross--the sign of life; and on the other with a -circle--the sign of death. Each bannock was rolled down thrice, and -its owner's fate was decided by the sign that was on the upper surface -oftenest when the bannock rested at the foot of the hill. The time was -counted specially suited for love-charms. On May Day, in the north of -England, a gold ring was dropped into a syllabub composed of various -ingredients. Whoever got hold of the ring with a ladle would be the -first among the company to be married. The prophetic powers of May -Day are still believed in, in some parts of the north of Ireland. If -a maiden places a certain plant below her pillow overnight, she will -have a vision of her coming husband. - -On May Day, the supernatural world was revealed, and witches and -other uncanny creatures were abroad. In connection with his visit -to Scotland, Pennant says:--"In some parts of the country is a rural -sacrifice, different from that before mentioned. A cross is cut on some -sticks, which is dipped in pottage, and the Thursday before Easter one -of each placed over the sheep-cot, the stable, or the cow-house. On -the first of May they are carried to the hill, where the rites are -celebrated, all decked with wild flowers, and after the feast is over, -replaced over the spots they were taken from." The cross in this case, -was, doubtless, made from the wood of the rowan or mountain ash. In -the Isle of Man, it was customary, at one time, to gather primroses on -May Eve, and strew them before the door of every house to keep away -witches. Aubrey tells us:--"'Tis commonly said in Germany that the -witches do meet in the night before the first day of May upon an high -mountain called the Blocksberg, where they, together with the devils, -do dance and feast, and the common people do, the night before the -said day, fetch a certain thorn and stick it at their house door, -believing the witches can then do them no harm." In our own country, -too, hawthorn branches were formerly used on May Day as a charm against -witches. The hawthorn had likewise another mystic property attributed -to it. The dew on its branches on the first of May had the power of -giving beauty to the maiden who washed her face with it. May-dew from -the grass was equally efficacious, except when gathered from within a -fairy ring, as the fairies would in that case counteract the influence -of the charm. A curative power was also ascribed to May-dew. Till -quite lately there was a belief in some parts of England that a -weakly child would be made strong by being drawn over dewy grass on -the morning in question. To effect a complete cure, the treatment had -to be repeated on the two following mornings. Dew from the grave of -the last person buried in the parish churchyard was counted specially -remedial if applied to the affected part before sunrise on May-morning. - -The May-sun also got the credit of working cures. In his "Nether -Lochaber" the Rev. Dr. Stewart tells us that "it was an article of -belief in the hygiene code of the old highlanders that the invalid -suffering under any form of internal ailment, upon whom the sun of -May once fairly shed its light, was pretty sure of a renewed lease -of life until at least the next autumnal equinox." The old English -custom, known as "going a-Maying," when old and young flocked into -the woods early on May-morning to gather flowers and green boughs, -was handed on from a time when the worship of trees was an article -of religious faith. - -Another old custom in England, viz., the blowing of horns at an early -hour on the first of May, had probably its origin in pre-Christian -times. It still survives in Oxfordshire and Cornwall. From Hone's -"Every-Day Book" we learn that till the third decade of the present -century, and doubtless later, the poorer classes in Edinburgh poured -forth at daybreak from street and lane to assemble on Arthur's Seat to -see the sun rise on May-morning. Bagpipes and other musical instruments -enlivened the scene, nor were refreshments forgotten. About six o'clock -a crowd of citizens of the wealthier class made their appearance, while -the majority of the first-comers returned to the town. At nine o'clock -the hill was practically deserted. Two centuries earlier an attempt -was made by the kirk-session of Perth to put a stop to an annual -gathering on May Day at a cave in the face of Kinnoul hill adjoining -the town. This cave was called the Dragon Hole, and was the scene of -ancient rites of a superstitious nature. Other illustrations might -be selected from the Folklore of May Day, but those given above show -that the season was held in much superstitious regard. Accordingly, -we need not be surprised that well-worship took its place among the -rites of May Day, and of May Month also, since the whole of May was -deemed a charmed time. - -The Sundays of May--particularly the first--were very frequently -chosen for visits to consecrated springs. The Chapel Wells in -Kirkmaiden parish have already been referred to in connection with -Co' Sunday. The White Loch of Merton, and St. Anthony's Spring at -Maybole, and others that might be named were principally resorted -to on the first Sunday of May. Indeed, wells occasionally got -their name from the fact of their being visited on Sundays. Thus -Tobordmony, near Cushendall, in County Antrim, signifies in Irish -the Sunday Well. There is a farm in Athole called Pit-alt-donich or -Balandonich. The name is derived by Mr. J. Mackintosh Gow from the -Gaelic Pit-alt-didon-ich, and is interpreted by him as meaning "the -hamlet of the Sunday burn." There is a spring on the farm, formerly -much frequented on the first Sunday of May (O.S.). In the Isle of -Man is a spring called Chibber Lansh, consisting of three pools. In -former times it had a considerable reputation for the cure of sore -eyes; but it was thought to exert its power on Sundays alone. Pilgrims -frequently spent Saturday night beside springs in order to begin the -required ritual on the following morning. The question why Sunday was -specially selected is one of interest. Its choice may have been due -in part to the fact, mentioned by Dalyell, that, in ruder society, -the precise course of time requires some specific mark, and in part, -to the notion underlying the popular saying, "the better the day, -the better the deed." But there was undoubtedly another factor in the -selection of the day. We have seen that the chief Church festivals -borrowed certain rites from other festivals earlier in the field. In -like manner, Sunday was the heir of usages quite unconnected with it -in origin; or, to change the metaphor, it was a magnet attracting to -itself various stray particles of paganism that remained after the -break up of the old Nature-worship. Students of English history in -the seventeenth century cannot fail to remember, how strenuously the -Puritans sought to put down Sunday amusements, and how even the edicts -of James the First and Charles the First permitted only certain games -to be played on Sunday, certain others being declared inconsistent -with the aim of that Christian festival. - -Bourne, in his "Popular Antiquities," published in 1725, remarks:--"In -the southern parts of this nation the most of country villages are -wont to observe some Sunday in a more particular manner than the -other common Sundays of the year, viz., the Sunday after the Day of -Dedication, i.e., the Sunday after the Day of the Saint to whom their -church was dedicated. Then the inhabitants deck themselves in their -gaudiest clothes, and have open doors and splendid entertainments for -the reception and treating of their relations and friends who visit -them on that occasion from each neighbouring town. The morning is -spent for the most part at church, the remaining part of the day in -eating and drinking, and so is also a day or two afterwards, together -with all sorts of rural pastimes and exercises, such as dancing on the -green, wrestling, cudgelling, &c. Agreeable to this, we are told that -formerly, on the Sunday after the Encoenia, or Feast of the Dedication -of the Church, it was usual for a great number of the inhabitants of -the village, both grown and young, to meet together at break of day, -and to cry, 'Holy Wakes, Holy Wakes,' and after Matens go to feasting -and sporting, which they continued for two or three days." - -Quoting from the "Presbyterie Buik of Aberdein, 19th June, 1607, -in M.S." Dalyell observes:--"In the North of Scotland, young men -conducted themselves 'pro phanelie on the Sabboathes in drinking, -playing at futteball, dancing, and passing fra paroche to paroche--and -sum passes to St. Phitallis Well to the offence of God and ewill of -mony.'" In connection with this, a remark from Dr. J. A. Hessey's -Bampton Lecture on Sunday may be quoted. When comparing it with the -Holy days instituted in mediæval times, he says, the former perhaps -"was even worse observed than the other days, for in spite of the -Church, men had a vague impression that it was one of specially -allowed intermission of ordinary employments. This they interpreted -to mean of more special permission of dissipation than the other -days noted in the kalendar." After describing the island of Valay, -near North Uist, where there were Chapels to St. Ulton and St. Mary, -Martin says, "Below the Chapel there is a flat thin stone call'd -Brownie's Stone upon which the antient inhabitants offer'd a cow's milk -every Sunday." That this offering of milk, though made on Sundays, -was a pagan and not a Christian rite, can hardly be disputed. At -some places, e.g., at Glasgow, Crail, and Seton, Sunday was at -one time the weekly market day, but by an Act of James the Sixth, -in 1579, the holding of markets on Sunday was prohibited throughout -the realm. The Sundays in May were certainly the most popular for -visits to springs, but these occurring about the time of the other -leading nature-festivals were also in fashion. Sun-worship, as we have -seen, was the back-ground of all such festivals. We need not wonder, -therefore, that consecrated springs were frequented on a day whose -very name suggested a reminiscence of a solar pagan cult. - -We have discussed Beltane, let us now look at one other leading -nature-festival, viz., Lammas, on the first day of August, to discover -what light it throws on our subject. The Church dedicated the opening -day of August to St. Peter ad Vincula. A curious mediæval legend -arose to connect this dedication with another name for the festival, -viz., the Gule of August. At the heart of this legend was the Latin -word Gula, signifying the throat. The daughter of Quirinus, a Roman -tribune, had some disease of the throat which was miraculously cured -through kissing St. Peter's chains, and so the day of the chains was -designated the Gule of August. As a matter of fact, the word is derived -from the Cymric Gwyl, a feast or holiday, and we have confirmation -of the etymology in the circumstance, that in Celtic lands the time -was devoted to games, and other recreations. In Ireland a celebrated -fair, called Lugnasadh, was held at Tailtin (now Teltown), in Meath, -for several days before and after the first of August, and there -was another at Cruachan, now Rath Croghan, in Roscommon. A third was -held at Carman, now Wexford. Its celebration was deemed so important -that, as Professor Rhys tells us, in his "Celtic Heathendom," "among -the blessings promised to the men of Leinster from holding it were, -plenty of corn, fruit, and milk, abundance of fish in their lakes and -rivers, domestic prosperity, and immunity from the yoke of any other -province. On the other hand, the evils to follow from the neglect of -this institution were to be failure and early greyness on them and -their kings." In legendary accounts of Carman, the place has certain -funereal associations. "If we go into the story of the fair of Carman," -Professor Rhys observes, "we are left in no doubt as to the character -of the mythic beings whose power had been brought to an end at the -time dedicated to that fair; they may be said to have represented -the blighting chills and fogs that assert their baneful influence -on the farmer's crops. To overcome these and other hurtful forces of -the same kind, the prolonged presence of the sun-god was essential, -in order to bring the corn to maturity." - -That the Gule of August was a Nature-festival may be further inferred -from the fact that among many Anglo-Saxon peoples it was called -Hlâf-mæsse, i.e., Loaf-mass, eventually shortened into Lammas. Our -English ancestors offered on that day bread made from the early grain, -as the first-fruits of the harvest. In Scotland, the Lammas rites -were handed down from an unknown past and survived till the middle -of last century. They were closely connected with country life, and -were taken part in, mainly by those who had to do with the tending of -cattle. The herds of Mid-Lothian held Lammas in special favour. For -some weeks prior to that date they busied themselves in building what -were called Lammas towers, composed of stones and sods. These towers -were about seven or eight feet high, sometimes more. On the day of -the festival they were surmounted by a flag formed of a table-napkin -decked with ribbons. During the building of the towers attempts were -sometimes made by rival parties to throw them down, and accordingly -they had to be kept constantly watched. On Lenie hill and Clermiston -hill two such towers used to be built, about two miles apart, but -within sight of each other. These were the respective trysting-places -of herds belonging to different portions of Cramond and Corstorphine -parishes. On Lammas morning the herds met at their respective towers, -and, after a breakfast of bread and cheese, marched to meet each other, -blowing horns, and having a piper at their head. Colours were carried -aloft by each party, and the demand to lower them was the signal for -a contest, which sometimes ended in rather a curious manner. Games -for small prizes closed the day's proceedings. - -At one time temporary structures formed of sods and sticks, and -known as Lammas houses, were built in South Wales in connection -with the festival. Inside these a fire was kindled for the -roasting of apples. Anyone, by paying a penny, could enter and -have an apple. Professor Rhys speaks of other Lammas rites in the -Principality. "Gwyl Awst," he observes, "is now a day for fairs -in certain parts of Wales, and it is remembered, in central and -southern Cardiganshire, as one on which the shepherds used, till -comparatively lately, to have a sort of pic-nic on the hills. One -farmer's wife would lend a big kettle for making in it a plentiful -supply of good soup or broth, while, according to another account, -everybody present had to put his share of fuel on the fire with his -own hands. But, in Brecknockshire, the first of August seems to have -given way sometime before Catholicism had lost its sway in Wales, -to the first holiday or feast in August; that is to say, the first -Sunday in that month. For then crowds of people, early in the morning, -make their way up the mountains called the Beacons, both from the -side of Caermarthenshire and Glamorgan; their destination used to be -the neighbourhood of the Little Van Lake, out of whose waters they -expected, in the course of the day, to see the Lady of the Lake make -her momentary appearance." Professor Rhys bears further witness to -the connection of Lammas rites with our present subject when he says, -"A similar shifting from the first of August to the first Sunday -in that month, has, I imagine, taken place in the Isle of Man. For, -though the solstice used to be, in consequence probably of Scandinavian -influence, the day of institutional significance in the Manx summer, -inquiries I have made in different parts of the island, go to show -that middle-aged people, now living, remember that, when they were -children, their parents used to ascend the mountains very early on -the first Sunday in August (O.S.), and that in some districts at -least they were wont to bring home bottles full of water from wells -noted for their healing virtues." Another proof that the ceremonies -of Lammas-tide had some link with those of archaic Water-worship -is to be found in the circumstance mentioned by Dalyell, that, -"in Ireland the inhabitants held it an inviolable custom to drive -their cattle into some pool or river on the first Sunday of August -as essential to the life of the animals during the year." This was -regularly done till towards the end of the seventeenth century. It -may be remembered that in Scotland, during the same century, horses -were washed in the sea at Lammas, doubtless with the same end in view. - -We shall now glance at some traces of Sun-worship in the rites of -Well-worship. In countries where the worship of the sun had an -acknowledged place in the popular religion, the temples to that -luminary were found associated with fountains. In his "Holy Land and -the Bible," the Rev. J. Cunningham Geikie remarks, "The old name -of Bethshemish, which means the house of the sun, is now changed -to Ain Thenis--the fountain of the sun--living water being found -in the valley below. Both point to the Philistine Sun-worship, -and both names are fitting, for every sun-house or temple needed, -like all other ancient sanctuaries, a fountain near it to supply -water for ablutions and libations." When evidence of this kind fails -us, we have another kind within reach, viz., that derived from the -employment of fire to symbolise the sun on the principle already -explained. At St. Bede's Well, near Jarrow, in Durham, it used to -be customary to kindle a bonfire on Mid-summer Eve. In connection -with the same festival a bonfire was lighted at Toddel-Well, near -Kirkhampton in Cumberland, and the lads and lasses, who were present, -were in the habit of leaping through the flames. In a cave at Wemyss, -in Fife, is a well, to which young people at one time carried blazing -torches on the first Monday of January (O.S.). The time of day when -consecrated springs were made use of has a bearing on the point under -review. The water was thought to have a peculiar efficacy either just -after sunset or just before sunrise. The moment when the sun was first -seen above the horizon was also reckoned particularly favourable. To -the same class of superstitions belongs the Scandinavian belief, -referred to by Mr. Lloyd in his "Peasant Life in Sweden," that the -water of certain sacred springs, known as Fonts of the Cross, was -turned into wine at sunrise. - -The survival of rites of archaic Sun-worship in the practice of making -a turn sun-ways has been already referred to. - -In conclusion, we shall glance at the bearings of the practice on -the question of Well-worship. To make a visit to a spring effectual, -when a cure was wanted, the invalid had to pace round it from left -to right, in recognition of the fact that the sun moved in the same -direction. The sun, being the source of vitality, why should not an -imitation of its daily motion tend to produce the same result? When -speaking of Loch Siant Well, in Skye, Martin says:--"Several of the -common people oblige themselves by a vow to come to this well, and make -the ordinary tour about it call'd Dessil. They move thrice round the -well, proceeding sunways from east to west, and so on. This is done -after drinking of the water. Sometimes it was done elsewhere before -drinking of the water." The importance of this motion comes clearly -into view in the case of St. Andrew's Well, at Shadar, in Lewis, -referred to in a previous chapter. When the wooden dish, floating -on the surface of the water, turned round sun-ways, the omen was a -sign that the patient concerned would recover, but a turning in the -opposite direction foreboded ill." In reference to Chapel Uny Well, -in Cornwall, Mr. Hunt says:--"On the first three Wednesdays in May, -children suffering from mesenteric diseases are dipped three times in -this well, against the sun, and dragged three times around the well on -the grass in the same direction." Mr. Lloyd tells us that, in Sweden, -a remedy for whooping-cough is to drink water, "that drops from a -mill-wheel, which revolves ansols, that is, in a contrary direction to -the course of the sun." These two examples, however, are exceptions -to the rule. They may, perhaps, be explained on the principle that -what is in itself evil, because contrary to nature, brings good when -converted into a charm. To walk round a well widdershins was to commit -an act of sorcery. Mr. J. G. Barbour, in his "Unique Traditions of the -West and South of Scotland," recounts the trial and fate of a lonely -old woman, who lived in the Kirkcudbrightshire parish of Irongray, -early in the seventeenth century. She was accused of witchcraft, -and, when convicted of the crime, met her death by being rolled down -hill inside a blazing tar barrel. Various were the charges brought -against her, one of them being that, at certain hours she walked -round the spring near her cottage wuddershins. Mr. Barbour adds, -"The well, from which she drew the water for her domestic use, and -where the young rustic belles washed their faces, still retains the -name of the Witch's Well." Faith in the benefit of turning sun-ways -and faith in the efficacy of south-running water belong to the same -class of superstitions. Both have a direct reference to the sun's -course. The water of a stream flowing to meet the sun, when its -mid-day beams are casting their sweet influences upon the earth, -must absorb and retain a power to bless and heal. So, at least, -men thought, nor were they slow to take advantage of the virtue that -mingled with the water. Bodily ailments were cured by washing in it, -and it was used as one of the many remedies to remove the evil effects -of witchcraft. In this, as in the other rites previously alluded to, -we see the influence of a cult that did not pass away, when the sun -ceased to be worshipped as a divinity. In other words, Well-worship -cannot be adequately understood if we leave out of account archaic -Sun-worship, and its modern survivals. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -WISHING-WELLS. - - Fulfilment of Wishes by Divination--Love Charms--Hallow - E'en Rites, &c.--Wishing Tree--Wishing Holes--St. Govan's - Chapel and Well--Walsingham Wells--Wishing Stone in St. John's - Well--Healing Wells and Wishing Wells--St. David's Well--Bride's - Well--Marriage--Special Times for Wishing--St. Warna and - Wrecks--Wishing Well at West Kilbride--St. Anthony's Spring. - - -To bring about the accomplishment of a cherished desire by means of -certain rites has been a favourite mode of divination. By this method -it was thought that destiny could be coerced, and the wish made the -father of its own fulfilment. The means were various; but, underlying -them all, was the notion that the doing of something, in the present, -guaranteed the happening of something in the future. A mere wish was -not sufficient. A particular spot, hallowed by old associations, had -to be visited, and a time-honoured ceremony observed. But the ritual -might be of the simplest. It was perchance to some rustic gate that -the village maiden stole in the gathering gloaming, and there, with -beating heart, breathed the wish that was to bring a new happiness -into her life. Love charms, indeed, form an important group of wishing -superstitions. To this class belong Hallow E'en rites, such as eating -an apple before a mirror, and sowing hemp seed. These rites gave the -maiden a vision of her destined husband. In the one case, she saw his -face in the glass, and in the other, she saw him in the attitude of -pulling hemp. The dumb-cake divination, on the Eves of St. Mark and -St. John, also belongs to the same class of charms. Not more than -three must take part in the mystical ceremony. Concerning the cake, -an English rule says:-- - - - "Two make it, - Two bake it, - Two break it, - - -and the third must put it under each of their pillows, but not a -word must be spoken all the time." Fasting on St. Agnes's Eve was -requisite on the part of any maiden, who sought on that festival to -have a vision of her bridegroom to be. According to an old Galloway -custom, a maiden pulled a handful of grass when she first saw the -new moon. While she pulled she repeated the rhyme-- - - - "New moon, new moon, tell me if you can, - Gif I have a hair like the hair o' my gudeman." - - -The grass was then taken into the house, and carefully examined. If a -hair was found amongst the grass, it would correspond in colour with -the hair of the coming husband. In connection with all such charms, -it is certainly true what an old song says that "love hath eyes." - -Her Majesty the Queen visited Innis Maree in September, 1877. When -describing her visit, Mr. Dixon, in his "Gairloch," says:--"She fixed -her offering in the wishing tree, a pleasantry which most visitors to -the island repeat, it being common report that a wish silently formed, -when any metal article is attached to the tree, will certainly be -realised. It is said that if anyone removes any offering that has -been fixed on the tree, some misfortune, probably the taking fire -of the house of the desecrator, is sure to follow." On a hill near -Abbotsbury, in Dorset, stands St. Catherine's Chapel. In its south -doorway are wishing holes. The knee is placed in one of the holes, and -the hands in the two above; and in this posture the visitor performs -the wishing ceremony. Half-way down the cliff near Stackpole Head, -in Pembrokeshire, is an ancient structure of rude masonry styled -St. Govan's Chapel, at one time the retreat of some recluse. Professor -Cosmo Innes, in the third volume of the "Proceedings of the Society -of Antiquaries of Scotland," gives an account of a visit to the spot, -and adds:--"The curious part of St. Govan's abode is his bed, or rather -his coffin, for it is a vertical interstice between two immense slabs -of rock, into which a body of common size can be forced with some -difficulty, the prisoner remaining upright. The rock is polished -by the number of visitors fitting themselves into the saint's bed -of penance, and the natives make you feel in the inner surface the -indentures caused by the ribs of the saint!" The polishing is mainly -due to the fact that the space has for long been used for wishing -purposes. Those who desire to test the efficacy of the spell must turn -themselves round within the hollow and think of nothing else during -the process, except what they are wishing for--a rather difficult test -under the circumstances! Close to the chapel is St. Govan's Well, under -a covering of stone-work. The spring had formerly a great reputation -as a health resort. Beside the remains of the once splendid monastic -buildings at Walsingham, in Norfolk, are wishing wells consisting of -two small circular basins of stone. In pre-Reformation times they were -much resorted to for the cure of disease. Being close to St. Mary's -Chapel, they were appropriately dedicated to the Virgin, to whom the -gift of healing was ascribed. Since then they have been popular as -wishing wells. The necessary ritual is thus described by Brand in -his "Popular Antiquities":--"The votary, with a due qualification -of faith and pious awe, must apply the right knee, bare, to a stone -placed for that purpose between the wells. He must then plunge to -the wrist each hand, bare also, into the water of the wells which are -near enough to admit of this immersion. A wish must then be formed, -but not uttered with the lips, either at the time or afterwards, even -in confidential communication to the dearest friend. The hands are -then to be withdrawn, and as much of the water as can be contained -in the hollow of each is to be swallowed. Formerly the object of -desire was most probably expressed in a prayer to the Virgin. It is -now only a silent wish, which will certainly be accomplished within -twelve months, if the efficacy of the solemn rite be not frustrated -by the incredulity or some other fault of the votary." - -Pennant tells of a cistern connected with St. John's Well, near -Moxley Nunnery, at one time much used for bathing. Near these, and -below the surface of the water, was a piece of rock called the Wishing -Stone. Anyone who kissed this stone with firm belief in the efficacy -of the charm would have his desire granted. In this case the power of -securing the fulfilment of wishes went hand in hand with the power -of curing diseases. Generally speaking, however, as in the case of -Walsingham just mentioned, the former power supersedes the latter. In -other words, healing wells are transformed into wishing wells. When -such is the case, they are, as far as folklore is concerned, in -the last stage of their history. In the wood, clothing the steep -hill of Weem, in Perthshire, is St. David's Well, said to be named -after a former laird who turned hermit. The spring has a considerable -local fame, and many have been the wishes silently breathed over its -water. Part of an ancient stone cross lies at its margin, and on it -the visitor kneels while framing his or her wish. Visitors to wishing -wells commonly drop into the water a coin, pin, or pebble, thus keeping -up, usually without being aware of the fact, the custom of offering -a gift to the genius loci. The Rev. Dr. Gregor thus describes what -was dropped into the Bride's Well, in the neighbourhood of Corgarff, -Aberdeenshire:--"This well was at one time the favourite resort of -all brides for miles around. On the evening before the marriage, -the bride, accompanied by her maidens, went 'atween the sun an' the -sky' to it. The maidens bathed her feet and the upper part of her -body with water drawn from it. This bathing ensured a family. The -bride put into the well a few crumbs of bread and cheese, to keep -her children from ever being in want." - -Desires of any kind may be cherished at wishing-wells, but there -is no doubt that matters matrimonial usually give direction to the -thoughts. According to a Yorkshire belief, whoever drops five white -pebbles into the Ouse, near the county town, when the minster clock -strikes one on May morning, will see on the surface of the water -whatever he or she wishes. Near Dale Abbey, in Derbyshire, is a certain -holy well. To get full advantage of its help, one has to go between -the hours of twelve and three on Good Friday, drink the water thrice, -and wish. There is no doubt about the meaning of the following lines -from the Bard of Dimbovitza, a collection of Roumanian Folk-Songs:-- - - - "There, where on Sundays I go alone, - To the old, old well with the milk-white stone, - Where by the fence, in a nook forgot, - Rises a Spring in the daisied grass, - That makes whoso drinks of it love--alas! - My heart's best belovèd, he drinks it not." - - -In Sir Walter Scott's "Pirate" one of the characters expresses the -wish that providence would soon send a wreck to gladden the hearts -of the Shetlanders. At the other extremity of Britain, viz., in the -Scilly Isles, the same hope was at one time cherished. St. Warna, -who had to do with wrecks, was the patron saint of St. Agnes, one -of the islands of the group. She had her holy well, and there the -natives anciently dropped in a crooked pin and invoked the saint to -send them a rich wreck. - -It would be useless to attempt to give a list of Scottish -wishing-wells; but the following may be mentioned. There is one in -West Kilbride parish, Ayrshire, close to a cave at Hunterston. There -is another at Ardmore, in Dumbartonshire. At Rait, in Perthshire, -is St. Peter's Wishing-well. In the united parishes of Kilcalmonell -and Kilberry, in Argyllshire, is the ancient ecclesiastical site of -Kilanaish. "Near the burial-ground," Captain White tells us, "is its -holy well, where it is proper to wish the usual three wishes, which, -on my last visit to the place, our party, including one lady, devoutly -did." The same writer gives the following particulars about another -Argyllshire spring:--"Near the Abbey of Saddell, Kintyre, is a fine -spring of the class known throughout Scotland as Wishing-wells, which -has always borne the name of Holy-well. It had the usual virtues and -wishing powers ascribed to it. A pretty little pillar with cross cut -upon it which has been mistaken for one of ancient date is scooped out -into a small basin to catch the drip of the water. It was erected by a -Bishop Brown, when residing at Saddell, in the beginning of the present -century, to replace another one that had formerly stood there. Beside -it, flows a stream called Alt-nam-Manach (the Monk's Burn), and this, -with the spring, no doubt formed the water supply of the monastery." - -St. Anthony's Well, beside St. Anthony's ruined Chapel, near Edinburgh, -is probably the best known of Scottish wishing-wells. Its sanative -virtues have already been alluded to, but it is nowadays more noted -for its power of securing the fulfilment of wishes than the recovery -of health. A pleasant picture of the romantic spot is given by Sir -Daniel Wilson in his "Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time":--"The -ancient Hermitage and Chapel of St. Anthony, underneath the overhanging -crags of Arthur's Seat, are believed to have formed a dependency of -the preceptory at Leith, and to have been placed there, to catch the -seaman's eye as he entered the Firth, or departed on some long and -perilous voyage; when his vows and offerings would be most freely made -to the patron saint, and the hermit who ministered at his altar. No -record, however, now remains to add to the tradition of its dedication -to St. Anthony; but the silver stream, celebrated in the plaintive -old song, 'O waly, waly up yon bank,' still wells clearly forth -at the foot of the rock, filling the little basin of St. Anthony's -Well, and rippling pleasantly through the long grass into the lower -valley." The song in question gives expression to the grief of Lady -Barbara Erskine, wife of James, Marquis of Douglas, in the time of -Charles II., in connection with her desertion by her husband-- - - - 1. "O waly, waly up the bank - And waly, waly down the brae, - And waly, waly yon burnside, - Where I and my love wont to gae! - I lean'd my back unto an aik, - I thoucht it was a trusty tree; - But first it bow'd, and syne it brak: - Sae my true love did lichtly me. - - 2. O waly, waly, but love be bonnie - A little time while it is new; - But when it's auld, it waxes cauld, - And fades away like morning dew. - O wherefore should I busk my heid, - Or wherefore should I kame my hair? - For my true love has me forsook, - And says he'll never love me mair. - - 3. Now Arthur's Seat shall be my bed, - The sheets shall ne'er be pressed by me. - St. Anton's Well shall be my drink - Since my true love has forsaken me. - Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw, - And shake the green leaves aff the tree? - O gentle death! when wilt thou come? - For of my life I am wearie! - - 4. 'Tis not the frost that freezes fell - Nor blawing snaw's inclemencie; - 'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry, - But my love's heart's grown cauld to me. - When we came in by Glasgow toun - We were a comely sicht to see; - My love was clad in the black velvet, - And I mysel in cramasie. - - 5. But had I wist, before I kissed, - That love had been sae ill to win, - I'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold, - And pinn'd it wi' a siller pin. - O! oh! if my young babe were born, - And set upon the nurse's knee. - And I mysel were dead and gane, - And the green grass growing over me!" - - -Fortunately, the associations of St. Anthony's Well have not all been -so sad as the above. Many a hopeful moment has been passed beside its -margin. A little girl from Aberdeenshire, when on a visit to friends -in Edinburgh, made trial of the sacred spring. She was cautioned not to -tell anyone what her wish was, else the charm would have no effect. On -her return home, however, her eagerness to know whether the wish had, -in the meantime, been fulfilled, quite overcame her ability to keep the -secret. Her first words were, "Has the pony come?" St. Anthony must -have been in good humour with the child, for he provided the pony, -thus evidently condoning the breach of silence in deference to her -youth. Surely there must be something in wishing-wells, after all, -besides water. - - - - - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -MEANING OF MARVELS. - - Mystery of a Spring--Marvel and Magic--Misinterpretation of - Natural Phenomena--Healing Power of Springs--Peterhead--Poetry and - Superstition--MacCulloch--Mistake about a Tree--Strange Appearances - of Nature--Spring at Kintail--Disappearance of Spring near - Perth--Saints and Storms--St. Milburga--Water like Blood--Origin - of Belief in Guardian Spirits--Why Gifts were Offered--Weather - Charms--Coincidences--Prophecy of Water--Philosophy of Wishing - Wells--Worship of Trees and Springs--Charm-Stones--Continued - Reverence for Holy Wells--Conclusion. - - -Mr. J. M. Barrie is a true interpreter of the youthful mind when he -says, in the "Little Minister," "Children like to peer into wells -to see what the world is like at the other side." Grown-up people -are also alive to the mystery of a spring. "Look into its depth," -observes Mr. E. H. Barker in his "Wayfaring in France," "until the -eye, getting reconciled to the darkness, catches the gleam of the -still water far below the ferns that hang from the gaping places in -the mossy wall, and you will find yourself spellbound by the great -enchantress, Nature, while understanding nothing of the mysterious -influence." In days of less enlightenment "the weight of all this -unintelligible world" was even more felt than now, and the minds -of men were ever on the outlook for the marvellous. What is to us -a source of not unpleasing mystery was then a cause of dread. We -marvel and make poetry. Our far-off ancestors trembled and sought -refuge in magical rites. We still speak of the charms of nature, -but the phrase has to us an altered meaning. When we remember how -little science there was at one time, we need not be surprised that -the phenomena of the outer world were misinterpreted, and hence gave -rise to fallacies. This was markedly so in the case of springs. While -quenching thirst--a natural function to perform--they became endowed -with virtues of an exceptional character, and were esteemed as the -givers of health. Even amid the darkness of those distant days we -can detect a glimmering of light, for such ideas were not wholly -false. Erroneous ideas seldom are. Springs have indeed a health-giving -power. Whether or not we accept the full-blown doctrines of modern -hydropathy, we must allow that cold water is an excellent tonic. As an -acute writer has remarked, "Cold braces the nerves and muscles, and, -by strengthening the glands, promotes secretion and circulation, the -two grand ministers of health." Allusion has been made to the mineral -waters of Peterhead. The secret of their power is well described by -Cordiner in his "Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland," -where he says:--"A mineral well in the summer months gives great -gaiety to the place; its salutary virtues have been long, I believe, -justly celebrated. The salt-water baths adjoining are much frequented -in nervous disorders: their effect in strengthening the constitution -is often surprising. Owing to the open peninsulated situation, the air -of this place is esteemed peculiarly pure and healthful; even the fogs -rising from the sea are thought to be medicinal; the town is therefore -much enlivened by the concourse of company who frequent it on these -accounts. Without derogating anything from the merits of the baths and -mineral, one may reasonably conclude that the custom of walking several -hours before breakfast, and meeting the morning breezes from the sea -along these cool and refreshing shores, the probability of meeting -with choice of companions as an inducement to these early rambles, -the perpetual cheerfulness indulged by society entirely disengaged -from business and care, and their various inventions to chase away -languor, probably contribute no less to the health of the company -than the peculiar virtues of the healing spring." - -Truth can commonly be found underlying superstition. The power, -possessed by certain aspects of external nature to soothe the troubles -of the mind, is one of the commonplaces of modern poetry. This thought, -when rendered into folklore, becomes the idea that certain spots -are "places of safety from supernatural visitants." Such was the -belief connected with Our Lady's Well, at Threshfield, near Linton, -in Craven, Yorkshire. Whoever took refuge there was free from the -power of magical spells. When sailing among the sea-lochs of Lewis, -MacCulloch had an experience which he thus describes in his "Western -Islands":--"On one occasion the water was like a mirror, but black -as jet, from its depth and from the shadow of the high cliffs which -overhung it. The tide, flowing with the rapidity of a torrent, glided -past without a ripple to indicate its movement, while the sail aloft -was filled by a breeze that did not reach the surface. There was a -death-like silence while the boat shot along under the dark rocks like -an arrow; to a poetical imagination it might have appeared under a -supernatural influence: like the bark of Dante, angel-borne." If such -were the reflections of an educated man like MacCulloch, what must -have been the thoughts of our ignorant forefathers when confronted -by the ever-recurring marvels of the outer world! Nature is still -misinterpreted by credulous people through a lack of knowledge of her -laws. A good example of this, bearing, not, however, on water, but on -tree-worship, is given by Dr. J. Fergusson, in his "Tree and Serpent -Worship." A god was said to have appeared in a certain date-palm -in a village a few miles from Tessore, and the tree was promptly -adorned by the Brahmins with garlands and offerings. Dr. Fergusson -observes:--"On my inquiring how the god manifested his presence, -I was informed that, soon after the sun rose in the morning, the -tree raised its head to welcome him, and bowed it down again when he -departed. As this was a miracle easily tested, I returned at noon and -found it was so. After a little study and investigation, the mystery -did not seem difficult of explanation. The tree had originally grown -across the principal pathway through the village, but at last hung -so low that, in order to enable people to pass under it, it had been -turned aside and fastened parallel to the road. In the operation the -bundle of fibres which composed the root had become twisted like the -strands of a rope. When the morning sun struck on the upper surface -of them, they contracted in drying, and hence a tendency to untwist, -which raised the head of the tree. With the evening dews they relaxed, -and the head of the tree declined." - -In the chapter on "Some Wonderful Wells," we glanced at the mysterious -origin of certain springs. In ancient times, no less than in the -present, strange sights must have been witnessed. We have not a -monopoly of thunderstorms, earthquakes, landslips, or deluges of -rain. The same phenomena prevailed in early times. The difference is, -that we have science to keep them in their proper place. During the -heavy rains of January 1892, a spring near the house of Rurach, at -Kintail, in Ross-shire, suddenly burst its bounds and became a raging -torrent. Usually the surplus water from the spring flowed away in the -form of a trickling stream, but on the occasion in question it rushed -on with such force and volume that it scooped out a channel twenty -feet deep and forty feet broad. The event not unnaturally caused a -good deal of wonder in the neighbourhood. Had it happened several -centuries earlier, some malignant water-spirit would doubtless have -been reckoned the active agent. During the operations connected -with the formation of the railway tunnel through Moncrieff Hill, -close to Perth, the water of a certain spring in the neighbourhood -suddenly failed. It happened that a clergyman, whose manse stood not -far from the spring, sent, when in the extremity of illness, for a -draught of its water. It was his last draught. He died immediately -after; and at the same time, the spring dried up. The coincidence did -not pass without remark in the district, but whether or not it gave -rise to a superstition we do not know. In the dark ages it certainly -would have done so. In the annals of hagiology, the early saints were -associated in a special way with water. They had, for instance, the -power of allaying storms. St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, -exercised this power more than once. Adamnan records the same miracle -in connection with Columba, abbot of Iona; and Cainneck, abbot of -Aghaboe. According to a Shropshire legend, Milburga, when followed by -a certain prince, was saved from her unwelcome pursuer by the river -Corve rising in flood after she had crossed. - -The superstition that water, under certain circumstances, assumed -the hue of blood, as in the case of St. Tredwell's Loch in Orkney, -&c., claims special attention. We call this belief a superstition, -inasmuch as a special miracle was thought to be involved in the matter; -but we nowadays know, that such appearances show themselves without -any miracle at all, except the constant miracle without which there -would be no natural law. Modern bacteriology has proved the existence -of a certain microscopic plant, technically styled Hæmatococcus -Pluvialis and popularly known in Germany as Blutalge. In "Notes and -Queries" for 12th March, 1892, Dr. G. H. F. Nuttall of Baltimore, -observes:--"In Central Europe it has been found in pools formed -by the rain in rocky hollows and stone troughs, &c. Hæmatococcus -often becomes intimately mixed with the pollen of conifers and -minute particles of plants which are known to be carried hundreds of -miles by occasional currents of air. The rain drops in the heavens -condense about such minute particles, and in falling, carry them -down to the earth's surface, where, under proper conditions, these -little plants multiply with enormous rapidity." Dr. Nuttall adds, -"Besides the Hæmatococcus Pluvialis, we have a Bacterium which -has often deceived people into the belief that they were dealing -with bona-fide blood. This Bacterium is easily cultivated in the -laboratory. It is one of the so-called chromogenic or colour-producing -Bacteria, and bears the name Bacillus Prodigiosus, on account of its -exceedingly rapid growth. This very minute plant has undoubtedly been -the cause of terror among superstitious people. The organism will only -produce its colour in the presence of oxygen, and, as a consequence, -red spots appear only on the surface of the moist nutrient medium on -which it may fall." Undoubtedly some such explanation would account -for certain red spots, alluded to by Mr. Hunt, which appeared from -time to time on the stones in the churchyard of the Cornish parish -of St. Denis. According to the belief of the district, the spots were -marks of blood, and their appearance foretold the occurrence of some -untoward event in English history. - -We have spoken of the guardian spirits of lochs and springs. That such -spirits should have been thought to exist is not surprising. Since -water is one of the necessaries of life for man and beast, animals -had to frequent pools and rivers. What more natural than that, in -days of ignorance, these animals should have been regarded as in some -mysterious way connected with the spots they frequented. In the same -way, fish darting about in the water would be considered its indwelling -spirits. It may not seem to us at all needful, that lochs and springs -should have guardian spirits at all. But man, in a certain stage of -development, thinks of nature, organic and inorganic alike, as having -a life akin to his own, with powers superior to his own. From a belief -in guardian spirits, to a belief in the necessity of offering gifts -to them is an easy transition. A present is sometimes an expression -of good-will, sometimes of a desire to obtain benefits to the -giver. Offerings at lochs and springs were undoubtedly of the latter -class, and were intended either to avert evil or to procure good. - -In ancient times in India, when a dragon presided over a spring, the -people of the district were in the habit of invoking his aid, when -they wanted rain or fine weather. Certain ceremonies were necessary to -procure the boon. "The chief characteristic of the serpents throughout -the East in all ages," remarks Dr. Fergusson, "seems to have been -their power over the wind and the rain, which they exert for either -good or evil as their disposition prompts." As we have seen, certain -wells in our own land could control the weather. This was so, even -when the guardian spirit of the spring assumed no definite shape. The -rites required to obtain the desired object were nothing less than an -acknowledgment of the spirit's existence. The origin of the connection -between weather and wells can only be guessed at. It appears that -the splashing of a spring when an object was thrown into it, or the -sprinkling of the water over the neighbouring ground, was thought -to cause rain, through what may be called a dramatic representation -of a shower. Why this should have been so, cannot be determined -with certainty. Probably accidental acts of the kind described were -followed, in some instances, by a fall of rain, and the belief may -have sprung up that between the two there existed the relation of cause -and effect. There was thus a confusion between what logicians call the -post hoc and the propter hoc. The same explanation may perhaps account -for the belief that a favourable breeze could be obtained, as in the -case of the Gigha Well, by the performance of certain definite rites. - -Few circumstances in life have more power to arrest attention -than coincidences. Two events occur about the same time, and we -exclaim, "What a singular coincidence!" that is, if we are not of -a superstitious temperament. If we are, we talk mysteriously about -omens and such like direful topics. To some minds, an omen has a -peculiar fascination. It lifts them above the level of their ordinary -daily life. The postman rings the bell, and letters are handed in. A -message boy is seen at the door, and a parcel is delivered. These, -and many more such, are incidents of frequent occurrence. They are -reckoned commonplace. We know all about them. But let anything unusual -happen, anything that stirs the sense of awe within us, we, at least -some of us, instantly conclude that there is magic in the matter. An -unprepossessing old woman takes a look at a child when passing. The -child ceases to thrive. There are whispers about "the evil eye." Yes, -there is no doubt about it. The child must have been bewitched. Is -it not probable that the prophetic power ascribed to wells may be -accounted for on this principle? Certain appearances were observed, -and certain events followed. Water gushed freely from a spring, when -drawn for the use of an invalid. The invalid recovered. Of course -he did, for the omen was favourable. As in private, so in public -matters. Pools of water were observed to have something peculiar about -them. Some crisis in the history of our nation soon succeeded. What -sensible person could fail to discern a connection between the two -sets of circumstances? So men, even some wise ones, have argued. - -Wishing-wells, from their very nature, have a special claim on -popular credulity. When a desire is eagerly cherished, we leave no -stone unturned to bring about its fulfilment. There is something, be -it what it may, that we eagerly covet. How are we to get it? In the -stir and pressure of our day's work, we do not see any avenue leading -to the fulfilment of our wish. In the quiet morning or evening, when -the birds are singing overhead, we go alone to some woodland well, -and there, by the margin, gather our thoughts together. One particular -thought lies close to our heart, and on it we fix our attention. In -the still moments, while we listen to the bubbling spring, our mind -lights on a clew, and our thoughts follow it into the future. We -brace ourselves up for following it in reality. We see how our design -may be accomplished. We take the road that has been revealed to our -inward eye, and finally reach the goal of our desire. How does this -come about? We may have stooped over the spring, and with certain -accompanying rites, have breathed our wish. We return to our daily -work with the desire still lying close to our heart. Days, or weeks, -or months pass, and at last, behold, what we were so anxious for, -is ours! The charm has been successful. Of course it has. But what -of the impulse towards definite action that came to us, when we -were free from the touch of our ordinary troubles, and quiet-voiced -Nature was our teacher and our own soul our prophet? At any rate, -we went to the wishing well, and the boon we sought we can now call -our own. The question remains, are all desires granted, either through -visits to wishing-wells or in any other way? The experiences of life -give a definite answer in the negative. How then are believers in -the power of wishing-wells to account for such failures? The rites -were duly attended to, yet there was no result. Why was the charm -not effectual? Any sincere answer to the question ought to be an -acknowledgment of ignorance. - -In thus attempting to explain the philosophy of wishing-wells, we -do not imply that the subjective element is the secret of success -in every case. We are merely pointing out that it may be so in some -cases. In other cases, according to the principle mentioned above, -an explanation will be supplied by the theory of coincidences. When -trees and springs were alike reckoned divinities, it was natural -enough to conclude, that any tree, overshadowing a spring, was somehow -mysteriously connected with it. Belief in such mysterious relations -continued, as we have seen, even after tree-worship ceased as a -popular cult. Certain superstitions, still in vogue in the west, -are undoubtedly relics of tree-worship. In India and some other -Eastern lands, the cult still nourishes vigorously. A writer in the -"Cornhill Magazine" for November, 1872, remarks:--"The contrast between -the acknowledged hatred of trees as a rule by the Bygas (an important -tribe in Central India), and their deep veneration for certain others -in particular, is very curious. I have seen the hillsides swept clear -of forests for miles, with but here and there a solitary tree left -standing. These remain now the objects of the deepest veneration; -so far from being injured, they are carefully preserved, and receive -offerings of food, clothes, and flowers, from the passing Bygas, -who firmly believe that tree to be the home of a spirit." - -We need not linger over the consideration of charm-stones in their -connection with wells. In some instances, like that of the Lee Penny, -they gave efficacy to water as a healing agent; but in others, -as in the case of the Loch Torridon Spring, water gave efficacy to -them. Indeed, they acted and reacted on each other in such a way that, -in some instances, it is difficult to determine whether the talisman -brought healing virtue to the water, or vice versa. To find the -solution of the problem, we should have to carry our thoughts back -to the remote days when stones and wells had a life of their own, -and were thus qualified to act independently. - -One can understand why holy wells retained their popularity. Even -though they did not always effect a cure, people continued to believe -in them and to seek their aid. Consecrated springs might throw cold -water (metaphorically) on many a cherished hope; but, for all that, -they remained, as of old, objects of reverence. The secret of their -power lay in their appeal to the imagination. Understanding might -say, it is absurd to expect that my ailment can be removed in this -way; but imagination protested that there are more things in heaven -and earth than are dreamed of in my philosophy. The rites to be gone -through--the choice of the fitting season, the keeping of silence, the -leaving of a gift--all conduced to throw a halo of romance around the -practice. There was thus an appeal to the unknown and mysterious, that -gave to well-worship a strange charm. It stirred up any latent poetry -in a man's nature, and linked him to something beyond himself. Springs -have a double charm. They are interesting for their own sake, and for -the sake of the folklore that has gathered round them. They are "like -roses, beautiful in themselves, that add to their own perfection the -exquisite loveliness of a mossy dell." In conclusion, take away what is -distinctively mediæval in well-worship, and paganism is left. We find -this paganism entering like a wedge into the substance of a Christian -civilisation. It may have changed its colour, but it is paganism -notwithstanding. Well-worship has a definite value as a survival. It -serves to unite our own age of science with one in the far past, when -laws of nature, as we understand them, were unknown. As a cult it has -forsaken the busy haunts of men, but lingers still in quiet places, -especially among the mountains. Superstitions die hard. The epitaph -of this one has still to be written. Those who are waiting for its -last breath need not be surprised if they have to wait yet a while. - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, by -James M. 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-} -table { -margin-left: auto; -margin-right: auto; -} -.tablecaption { -text-align: center; -}.pagenum, .linenum { -speak: none; -} -</style> - -<style type="text/css"> -/* CSS rules generated from @rend attributes in TEI file */ -.cover-imagewidth { -width:480px; -} -.xd26e107 { -text-align:center; -} -.titlepage-imagewidth { -width:481px; -} -.xd26e637 { -text-indent:2em; -} -.xd26e667 { -text-indent:6em; -} -.xd26e997 { -text-indent:4em; -} -.xd26e1007 { -text-indent:5em; -} -.xd26e2607 { -text-indent:8em; -} -.xd26e18893 { -text-align:center; font-size:small; -} -@media handheld { -} -/* CSS rules copied from @style attributes in TEI file */ -</style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, by -James M. Mackinlay - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs - -Author: James M. Mackinlay - -Release Date: November 22, 2017 [EBook #56034] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS *** - - - - -Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project -Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="front"> -<div class="div1 cover"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first"></p> -<div class="figure cover-imagewidth"><img src="images/new-cover.jpg" -alt="Newly Designed Front Cover." width="480" height="720"></div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="div1 frenchtitle"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first xd26e107">FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS<br> -AND SPRINGS.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="div1 titlepage"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first"></p> -<div class="figure titlepage-imagewidth"><img src= -"images/titlepage.png" alt="Original Title Page." width="481" height= -"720"></div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="titlePage"> -<div class="docTitle"> -<div class="mainTitle">FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS AND SPRINGS.</div> -</div> -<div class="byline">BY<br> -<span class="docAuthor">JAMES M. MACKINLAY</span>, M.A., <span class= -"sc">F.S.A.Scot.</span></div> -<div class="docImprint">GLASGOW: WILLIAM HODGE & Co.<br> -<span class="docDate">1893.</span></div> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd26e137" href="#xd26e137" name= -"xd26e137">v</a>]</span></p> -<div class="div1 preface"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="main">PREFATORY NOTE.</h2> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">No work giving a comprehensive account of Well-worship -in Scotland has yet appeared. Mr. R. C. Hope’s recent volume, -“<i>Holy Wells: Their Legends and Traditions</i>,” -discusses the subject in its relation to England. In the following -pages an attempt has been made to illustrate the more outstanding facts -associated with the cult north of the Tweed. Various holy wells are -referred to by name; but the list makes no claim to be exhaustive.</p> -<p class="signed">J. M. M.</p> -<p class="dateline"><span class="sc">4 Westbourne Gardens,<br> -Glasgow</span>, <i>December, 1893</i>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"xd26e157" href="#xd26e157" name="xd26e157">vii</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="toc" class="div1 contents"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="main">CONTENTS.</h2> -<table class="tocList"> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">CHAP.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"></td> -<td class="tocPageNum">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">I.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch1" id= -"xd26e174" name="xd26e174">Worship of Water</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">II.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch2" id= -"xd26e184" name="xd26e184">How Water became Holy</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">24</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">III.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch3" id= -"xd26e194" name="xd26e194">Saints and Springs</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">39</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">IV.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch4" id= -"xd26e204" name="xd26e204">More Saints and Springs</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">56</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">V.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch5" id= -"xd26e214" name="xd26e214">Stone Blocks and Saints’ -Springs</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">72</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">VI.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch6" id= -"xd26e224" name="xd26e224">Healing and Holy Wells</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">86</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">VII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch7" id= -"xd26e234" name="xd26e234">Water-Cures</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">108</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">VIII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch8" id= -"xd26e244" name="xd26e244">Some Wonderful Wells</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">128</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">IX.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch9" id= -"xd26e254" name="xd26e254">Witness of Water</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">140</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">X.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch10" -id="xd26e264" name="xd26e264">Water-Spirits</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">155</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XI.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch11" -id="xd26e275" name="xd26e275">More Water-Spirits</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">171</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch12" -id="xd26e285" name="xd26e285">Offerings at Lochs and -Springs</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">188</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XIII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch13" -id="xd26e295" name="xd26e295">Weather and Wells</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">213</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XIV.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch14" -id="xd26e305" name="xd26e305">Trees and Springs</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">230</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XV.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch15" -id="xd26e315" name="xd26e315">Charm-Stones in and out of -Water</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">241</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XVI.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch16" -id="xd26e325" name="xd26e325">Pilgrimages to Wells</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">263</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XVII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch17" -id="xd26e335" name="xd26e335">Sun-Worship and -Well-Worship</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">280</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XVIII.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch18" -id="xd26e345" name="xd26e345">Wishing-Wells</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">314</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tocDivNum">XIX.</td> -<td class="tocDivTitle" colspan="7"><span class="sc"><a href="#ch19" -id="xd26e355" name="xd26e355">Meaning of Marvels</a></span>,</td> -<td class="tocPageNum">324</td> -</tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd26e360" href="#xd26e360" name= -"xd26e360">ix</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="div1 bibliography"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Among the works consulted are the following, the -titles being given in alphabetical order:—</p> -<p>A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland. By John -MacCulloch, M.D. 1819.</p> -<p>A Description of the Western Islands. By M. Martin. <i>Circa</i> -1695.</p> -<p>A Handbook of Weather Folklore. By the Rev. C. Swainson, M.A.</p> -<p>A Historical Account of the belief in Witchcraft in Scotland. By -Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe.</p> -<p>A Journey through the Western Counties of Scotland. By Robert Heron. -1799.</p> -<p>Ancient Legends: Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland. By Lady -Wilde.</p> -<p>An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. By John -Jamieson, D.D.</p> -<p>Annals of Dunfermline and Vicinity. By Ebenezer Henderson, LL.D.</p> -<p>Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland. By Rev. Charles -Cordiner. 1780.</p> -<p>Archæological Sketches in Scotland: Districts of Kintyre and -Knapdale. By Captain T. P. White.</p> -<p>A Tour in Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, <span class= -"sc">MDCCLXXII</span>. By Thomas Pennant.</p> -<p>A Tour in Scotland, <span class="sc">MDCCLXIX</span>. By Thomas -Pennant.</p> -<p>Britannia; or, A Chorographical Description of the Flourishing -Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Islands adjacent, -from the Earliest Antiquity. By William Camden. Translated from the -edition published by the Author in <span class="sc">MDCVII</span>. -Enlarged by the latest discoveries by Richard Gough. The second edition -in four volumes. 1806.</p> -<p>Celtic Heathendom. By Professor John Rhys.</p> -<p>Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban. By William Forbes -Skene.</p> -<p>Churchlore Gleanings. By T. F. Thiselton Dyer. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="xd26e409" href="#xd26e409" name= -"xd26e409">x</a>]</span></p> -<p>Daemonologie in Forme of a Dialogve. Written by the High and Mightie -Prince James, by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, -and Ireland; Defender of the Faith. 1603.</p> -<p>Descriptive Notices of some of the Ancient Parochial and Collegiate -Churches of Scotland. By T. S. Muir.</p> -<p>Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. -By Robert Chambers, LL.D.</p> -<p>Ecclesiological Notes on some of the Islands of Scotland. By T. S. -Muir.</p> -<p>English Folklore. By the Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer, M.A.</p> -<p>Essays in the Study of Folk Songs. By the Countess Evelyn -Martinengo-Cesaresco.</p> -<p>Ethnology in Folklore. By G. L. Gomme.</p> -<p>Folklore.</p> -<p>Folklore Journal.</p> -<p>Folklore of East Yorkshire. By John Nicholson.</p> -<p>Folklore of Shakespeare. By Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer, M.A. -Oxon.</p> -<p>Folklore; or, Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within -this Century. By James Napier, F.R.S.E.</p> -<p>Gairloch in North-west Ross-shire: Its Records, Traditions, -Inhabitants, and Natural History. By John H. Dixon.</p> -<p>Historical and Statistical Account of Dunfermline. By Rev. Peter -Chalmers, A.M.</p> -<p>Kalendars of Scottish Saints. By the late Alexander Penrose Forbes, -Bishop of Brechin.</p> -<p>Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland to his Friend in -London. Burt’s Letters. 1754.</p> -<p>List of Markets and Fairs now and formerly held in Scotland. By Sir -James David Marwick, LL.D.</p> -<p>Memorabilia Domestica; or, Parish Life in the North of Scotland. By -the late Rev. Donald Sage, A.M., Minister of Resolis.</p> -<p>New Statistical Account of Scotland. <i>Circa</i> 1845.</p> -<p>Notes and Queries.</p> -<p>Notes on the Folklore of the North-east of Scotland. By the Rev. -Walter Gregor. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd26e457" href="#xd26e457" -name="xd26e457">xi</a>]</span></p> -<p>Notes on the Folklore of the Northern Counties of England and the -Borders. By William Henderson.</p> -<p>Observations on Popular Antiquities, including the whole of Mr. -Bourne’s Antiquitates Vulgares. By John Brand, A.M.</p> -<p>Old Glasgow: The Place and the People. By Andrew MacGeorge.</p> -<p>Old Scottish Customs, Local and General. By E. J. Guthrie.</p> -<p>Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. Edited by Francis H. Groome.</p> -<p>Peasant Life in Sweden. By L. Lloyd.</p> -<p>Popular Antiquities of Great Britain. By John Brand, M.A.</p> -<p>Popular Romances of the West of England. By Robert Hunt, F.R.S.</p> -<p>Popular Tales of the West Highlands. By J. F. Campbell.</p> -<p>Pre-historic Annals of Scotland. By Daniel Wilson, LL.D.</p> -<p>Pre-historic Man. By Daniel Wilson, LL.D.</p> -<p>Primitive Culture<span class="corr" id="xd26e483" title= -"Source: ,">.</span> By Edward B. Tylor, D.C.L.</p> -<p>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Old Series, -1851–1878; New Series, 1878–1891.</p> -<p>Rambles in the Far North. By R. Menzies Fergusson.</p> -<p>Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland; or, The Traditional -History of Cromarty. By Hugh Miller.</p> -<p>Scotland in Early Christian Times. By Joseph Anderson, LL.D.</p> -<p>Scotland in Pagan Times: The Bronze and Iron Ages. By Joseph -Anderson, LL.D.</p> -<p>Scotland in the Middle Ages. By Professor Cosmo Innes.</p> -<p>Social Life in Scotland. By Charles Rogers, LL.D.</p> -<p>Statistical Account of Scotland. By Sir John Sinclair. <i>Circa</i> -1798.</p> -<p>The Antiquary.</p> -<p>The Archæological Journal. Published under the direction of -The Council of the Royal Archæological Institute of Great Britain -and Ireland.</p> -<p>The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in connection -with the Calendar. Edited by R. Chambers.</p> -<p>The Darker Superstitions of Scotland. By John Graham Dalyell. -1834.</p> -<p>The Early Scottish Church: Ecclesiastical History of Scotland from -the First to the Twelfth Centuries. By the Rev. Thomas -M’Lauchlan. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="xd26e516" href= -"#xd26e516" name="xd26e516">xii</a>]</span></p> -<p>The Every-Day Book. By William Hone.</p> -<p>The Folklore of Plants. By T. F. Thiselton Dyer.</p> -<p>The Gentleman’s Magazine Library—Manners and Customs. -Edited by G. L. Gomme, F.S.A.</p> -<p>The Gentleman’s Magazine Library—Popular Superstitions. -Edited by G. L. Gomme, F.S.A.</p> -<p>The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion. By J. G. Frazer, -M.A.</p> -<p>The History of St. Cuthbert. By Charles, Archbishop of Glasgow.</p> -<p>The History of St. Kilda. By the Rev. Kenneth Macaulay, minister of -Ardnamurchan. 1769.</p> -<p>The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England, including Rivers, -Lakes, Fountains, and Springs. By R. C. Hope, F.S.A.</p> -<p>The Origin of Civilisation. By Sir J. Lubbock, Bart.</p> -<p>The Past in the Present. By Arthur Mitchell, M.D., LL.D.</p> -<p>The Popular Rhymes of Scotland. By Robert Chambers. 1826.</p> -<p>The Popular Superstitions and Festive Amusements of the Highlanders -of Scotland. By William Grant Stewart.</p> -<p>The Surnames and Placenames of the Isle of Man. By A. W. Moore, -M.A.</p> -<p>Traditions, Superstitions, and Folklore (chiefly Lancashire and the -North of England). By Charles Hardwick.</p> -<p>Tree and Serpent Worship. By James Fergusson, D.C.L., F.R.S.</p> -<p>’Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe: The Natural History, Legends, -and Folklore of the West Highlands. By the Rev. Alexander Stewart, -LL.D.</p> -<p>Unique Traditions, chiefly of the West and South of Scotland. By -John Gordon Barbour.</p> -<p>Wayfaring in France. By E. H. Barker.</p> -<p>Weather-lore: A Collection of Proverbs, Sayings, and Rules -concerning the Weather. By R. Inwards, F.R.A.S.</p> -<p>Witch, Warlock, and Magician. By W. H. Davenport Adams. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb1" href="#pb1" name= -"pb1">1</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="body"> -<div id="ch1" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e174">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="super">FOLKLORE OF SCOTTISH LOCHS AND SPRINGS.</h2> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER I.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Worship of Water.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Archaic Nature-worship—Deification of Water -Metaphors—Divination by Water—Persistence of -Paganism—Shony—Superstitions of Sailors and -Fishermen—Sea Serpent—Mer-folk—Sea -Charms—Taking Animals into the Sea—Rescuing from -Drowning—Ancient Beliefs about Rivers—Dead and Living -Ford—Clay Image—Dunskey—Lakes—Dow -Loch—St. Vigeans—St. Tredwell’s Loch—Wells of -Spey and Drachaldy—Survival of Well-worship—Disappearance -of Springs—St. Margaret’s Well—Anthropomorphism of -Springs—Celtic Influence—Cream of the Well.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">In glancing at the superstitions connected with -Scottish lochs and springs, we are called upon to scan a chapter of our -social history not yet closed. A somewhat scanty amount of information -is available to explain the origin and growth of such superstitions, -but enough can be had to connect them with archaic nature-worship. In -the dark dawn of our annals <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb2" href= -"#pb2" name="pb2">2</a>]</span>much confusion existed among our -ancestors concerning the outer world, which so strongly appealed to -their senses. They had very vague notions regarding the difference -between what we now call the Natural and the Supernatural. Indeed all -nature was to them supernatural. They looked on sun, moon, and star, on -mountain and forest, on river, lake, and sea as the abodes of -divinities, or even as divinities themselves. These divinities, they -thought, could either help or hurt man, and ought therefore to be -propitiated. Hence sprang certain customs which have survived to our -own time. Men knocked at the gate of Nature, but were not admitted -within. From the unknown recesses there came to them only tones of -mystery.</p> -<p>In ancient times water was deified even by such civilised nations as -the Greeks and Romans, and to-day it is revered as a god by untutored -savages. Sir John Lubbock, in his “<i>Origin of -Civilisation</i>,” shows, by reference to the works of -travellers, what a hold this cult still has in regions where the -natives have not yet risen above the polytheistic stage of religious -development. Dr. E. B. Tylor forcibly remarks, in his -“<i>Primitive Culture</i>,” “What ethnography has to -teach of that great element of the religion of mankind, the worship of -well and lake, brook and river, is simply this—that what is -poetry to us was philosophy to early man; that to his mind water acted -not by laws of force, but by life and will; that the water-spirits of -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb3" href="#pb3" name= -"pb3">3</a>]</span>primæval mythology are as souls which cause -the water’s rush and rest, its kindness and its cruelty; that, -lastly, man finds in the beings which, with such power, can work him -weal and woe, deities with a wider influence over his life, deities to -be feared and loved, to be prayed to and praised, and propitiated with -sacrificial gifts.”</p> -<p>In speaking of inanimate objects, we often ascribe life to them; but -our words are metaphors, and nothing more. At an earlier time such -phrases expressed real beliefs, and were not simply the outcome of a -poetic imagination. Keats, in one of his Sonnets, speaks of</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“The moving waters at their priest-like task</p> -<p class="line">Of pure ablution round Earth’s human -shore.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Here he gives us the poetical and not the actual -interpretation of a natural phenomenon.</p> -<p>We may, if we choose, talk of the worship of water as a creed -outworn, but it is still with us, though under various disguises. Under -the form of rites of divination practised as an amusement by young -persons, such survivals often conceal their real origin. The history of -superstition teaches us with what persistence pagan beliefs hold their -ground in the midst of a Christian civilisation. Martin, who visited -the Western Islands at the close of the seventeenth century, found how -true this was in many details of daily life. A custom connected with -ancient sea-worship had been popular <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb4" -href="#pb4" name="pb4">4</a>]</span>among the inhabitants of Lewis till -about thirty-years before his visit, but had been suppressed by the -Protestant clergy on account of its pagan character. This was an annual -sacrifice at Hallow-tide to a sea god called Shony. Martin gives the -following account of the ceremony:—“The inhabitants round -the island came to the church of St. Mulvay, having each man his -provision along with him; every family furnished a peck of malt, and -this was brewed into ale; one of their number was picked out to wade -into the sea up to the middle, and, carrying a cup of ale in his hand, -standing still in that posture, cried out with a loud voice, saying, -‘Shony, I give you this cup of ale, hoping that you’ll be -so kind as to send us plenty of sea-ware for enriching our ground the -ensuing year,’ and so threw the cup of ale into the sea. This was -performed in the night-time.”</p> -<p>Sailors and fishermen still cherish superstitions of their own. -Majesty is not the only feature of the changeful ocean that strikes -them. They are keenly alive to its mystery and to the possibilities of -life within its depths. Strange creatures have their home there, the -mighty sea serpent and the less formidable mermen and mermaidens. Among -the Shetland islands mer-folk were recognised denizens of the sea, and -were known by the name of Sea-trows.</p> -<p>These singular beings dwelt in the caves of ocean, and came up to -disport themselves on the shores of the islands. A favourite haunt of -theirs was the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb5" href="#pb5" name= -"pb5">5</a>]</span>Ve Skerries, about seven miles north-west of -Papa-Stour. They usually rose through the water in the shape of seals, -and when they reached the beach they slipped off their skins and -appeared like ordinary mortals, the females being of exceeding beauty. -If the skins could be snatched away on these occasions, their owners -were powerless to escape into the sea again. Sometimes these creatures -were entangled in the nets of fishermen or were caught by hooks. If -they were shot when in seal form, a tempest arose as soon as their -blood was mingled with the water of the sea. A family living within -recent times was believed to be descended from a human father and a -mermaid mother, the man having captured his bride by stealing her -seal’s skin. After some years spent on land this sea lady -recovered her skin, and at once returned to her native element. The -members of the family were said to have hands bearing some resemblance -to the forefeet of a seal.</p> -<p>“Of all the old mythological existences of Scotland,” -remarks Hugh Miller, in his “<i>Scenes and Legends of the North -of Scotland</i>,” “there was none with whom the people of -Cromarty were better acquainted than with the mermaid. Thirty years -have not yet gone by since she has been seen by moonlight sitting on a -stone in the sea, a little to the east of the town; and scarcely a -winter passed, forty years earlier, in which she was not heard singing -among the rocks or seen braiding up her long yellow tresses on the -shore.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb6" href="#pb6" name= -"pb6">6</a>]</span></p> -<p>The magical power ascribed to the sea is shown in an Orcadian witch -charm used in the seventeenth century. The charm had to do with the -churning of butter. Whoever wished to take advantage of it watched on -the beach till nine waves rolled in. At the reflux of the last the -charmer took three handfuls of water from the sea and carried them home -in a pail. If this water was put into the churn there would be a -plentiful supply of butter. Sea water was also used for curative -purposes, the patient being dipped after sunset. This charm was thought -to savour strongly of the black art. Allusion has been made above to -the rising of a storm in connection with the wounding of a sea-trow in -Shetland. According to an Orcadian superstition, the sea began to swell -whenever anyone with a piece of iron about him stept upon a certain -rock at the Noup Head of Westray. Not till the offending metal was -thrown into the water did the sea become calm again. Wallace, a -minister at Kirkwall towards the end of the seventeenth century, -mentions this belief in his “<i>Description of the Isles of -Orkney</i>,” and says that he offered a man a shilling to try the -experiment, but the offer was refused. It does not seem to have -occurred to him to make the experiment himself.</p> -<p>Among the ancient Romans the bull was sacred to Neptune, the sea -god, and was sacrificed in his honour. In our own country we find a -suggestion of the same rite, though in a modified form, in the custom -prevailing <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb7" href="#pb7" name= -"pb7">7</a>]</span>at one time of leading animals into the sea on -certain festivals. In the parish of Clonmany in Ireland it was formerly -customary on St. Columba’s Day, the ninth of June, to drive -cattle to the beach and swim them in the sea near to where the water -from the Saint’s well flowed in. In Scotland horses seem at one -time to have undergone a similar treatment at Lammas-tide. Dalyell, in -his “<i>Darker Superstitions of Scotland</i>,” mentions -that “in July, 1647, the kirk-session of St. Cuthbert’s -Church, Edinburgh, resolved on intimating publicly ‘that non goe -to Leith on Lambmes-day, nor tak their horses to be washed that day in -the sea.’ ”</p> -<p>A belief at one time existed that it was unlucky to rescue a -drowning man from the grasp of the sea. This superstition is referred -to by Sir Walter Scott in “<i>The Pirate</i>,” in the scene -where Bryce the pedlar warns Mordaunt against saving a shipwrecked -sailor. “Are you mad,” said the pedlar, “you that -have lived sae lang in Zetland, to risk the saving of a drowning man? -Wot ye not, if you bring him to life again, he will be sure to do you -some capital injury?” We discover the key to this strange -superstition in the idea entertained by savages that the person falling -into the water becomes the prey of the monster or demon inhabiting that -element; and, as Dr. Tylor aptly remarks, “to save a sinking man -is to snatch a victim from the very clutches of the -water-spirit—a rash defiance of deity which would hardly pass -unavenged.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb8" href="#pb8" name= -"pb8">8</a>]</span></p> -<p>Folklore thus brings us face to face with beliefs which owe their -origin to the primitive worship of the sea. It also allows us to catch -a glimpse of rivers, lakes, and springs as these were regarded by our -distant ancestors. When we remember that, according to a barbaric -notion, the current of a stream flows down along one bank and up along -the other, we need not be surprised that very crude fancies concerning -water at one time flourished in our land.</p> -<p>Even to us, with nineteenth-century science within reach, how -mysterious a river seems, as, in the quiet gloaming or in the grey -dawn, it glides along beneath overhanging trees, and how full of life -it is when, swollen by rain, it rushes forward in a resistless flood! -How much more awe-inspiring it must have been to men ignorant of the -commonest laws of Nature! Well might its channel be regarded as the -home of a spirit eager to waylay and destroy the too-venturesome -passer-by. Rivers, however, were not always reckoned the enemies of -man, for experience showed that they were helpful, as well as hurtful, -to him. The Tiber, for instance, was regarded with reverence by the -ancient inhabitants of Rome. Who does not remember the scene in one of -Macaulay’s Lays, where, after the bridge has been hewn down to -block the passage of Lars Porsena and his host, the valiant Horatius -exclaims—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“O Tiber! father Tiber!</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">To whom the Romans pray;</p> -<p class="line">A Roman’s life, a Roman’s arms,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Take thou in charge this day?”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb9" href="#pb9" name= -"pb9">9</a>]</span></p> -<p>Then with his harness on his back he plunges headlong into the -flood, and reaches the other side in safety.</p> -<p>In Christian art pagan symbolism continued long to flourish. Proof -of this bearing on the present subject is to be found in a mosaic at -Ravenna, of the sixth century, representing the baptism of Christ. The -water flows from an inverted urn, held by a venerable figure typifying -the river god of the Jordan, with reeds growing beside his head, and -snakes coiling around it.</p> -<p>In our own country healing virtue was attributed to water taken from -what was called a dead and living ford, <i>i.e.</i>, a ford where the -dead were carried and the living walked across. The same belief was -entertained with regard to the water of a south-running stream. The -patient had to go to the spot and drink the water and wash himself in -it. Sometimes his shirt was taken by another, and, after being dipped -in the south-running stream, was brought back and put wet upon him. A -wet shirt was also used as a Hallowe’en charm to foretell its -owner’s matrimonial future. The left sleeve of the shirt was to -be dipped in a river where “three lairds’ lands met.” -It was then to be hung up overnight before the fire. If certain rules -were attended to, the figure of the future spouse would appear and turn -the sleeve in order to dry the other side. In the Highlands the water -of a stream was used for purposes of sorcery till quite lately. When -any <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb10" href="#pb10" name= -"pb10">10</a>]</span>one wished evil to another he made a clay image of -the person to be injured, and placed it in a stream with the head of -the image against the current. It was believed that, as the clay was -dissolved by the water, the health of the person represented would -decline. The spell, however, would be broken if the image was -discovered and removed from the stream. In the counties of Sutherland -and Ross the practice survived till within the last few years. Near -Dunskey, in the parish of Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, is a stream which, -at the end of last century, was much resorted to by the credulous for -its health-giving properties. Visits were usually paid to it at the -change of the moon. It was deemed specially efficacious in the case of -rickety children, whose malady was then ascribed to witchcraft. The -patients were washed in the stream, and then taken to an adjoining -cave, where they were dried.</p> -<p>In modern poetry a river is frequently alluded to under the name of -its presiding spirit. Thus, in “<i>Comus</i>,” Milton -introduces Sabrina, a gentle nymph,</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn -stream,”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">and tells us that</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line xd26e667">“The shepherds at their festivals</p> -<p class="line">Carol her goodness loud in rustic lays,</p> -<p class="line">And throw sweet garland wreaths into her stream</p> -<p class="line">Of pansies, pinks, and gaudy daffodils.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Lakes have always held an important place in legendary -lore. Lord Tennyson has made us familiar with the part played by the -Lady of the Lake in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb11" href="#pb11" -name="pb11">11</a>]</span>Arthurian romance. Readers of the Idylls will -recollect it was she who gave to the king the jewelled sword Excalibur, -and who, on the eve of his passing, received it again. The wounded -Arthur thus addresses Sir Bedivere:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line xd26e667">“Thou rememberest how,</p> -<p class="line">In those old days, one summer morn, an arm</p> -<p class="line">Rose up from out the bosom of the lake</p> -<p class="line">Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,</p> -<p class="line">Holding the sword—and how I row’d -across</p> -<p class="line">And took it, and have worn it, like a king.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Scottish lochs form a striking feature in the -landscape, and must have been still more fitted to arrest attention in -ancient times when our land was more densely wooded than it is now. Dr. -Hugh Macmillan, in his “<i>Holidays on High Lands</i>,” -alludes to the differences in the appearance of our lochs. “There -are moorland tarns,” he says, “sullen and motionless as -lakes of the dead, lying deep in sunless rifts, where the very ravens -build no nests, and where no trace of life or vegetation is -seen—associated with many a wild tradition, accidents of straying -feet, the suicide of love, guilt, despair. And there are lochs -beautiful in themselves and gathering around them a world of beauty; -their shores fringed with the tasselled larch; their shallows -tesselated with the broad green leaves and alabaster chalices of the -water-lily, and their placid depths mirroring the crimson gleam of the -heather hills and the golden clouds overhead.” <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb12" href="#pb12" name="pb12">12</a>]</span></p> -<p>Near the top of Mealfourvounie, in Inverness-shire, is a small lake -at one time believed to be unfathomable. How this notion arose it is -difficult to say, for when soundings were taken the depth was found to -be inconsiderable. In the parish of Penpont, Dumfriesshire, about a -mile to the south of Drumlanrig, is a small sheet of water called the -Dow, or Dhu Loch, <i>i.e.</i>, Black Loch. Till towards the end of last -century the spot was much frequented for its healing water. A personal -visit was not essential. When a deputy was sent he had to bring a -portion of the invalid’s clothing and throw it over his left -shoulder into the loch. He then took up some water in a vessel which he -carefully kept from touching the ground. After turning himself round -sun-ways he carried the water home. The charm would be broken if he -looked back or spoke to anyone by the way. Among the people of the -district it was a common saying, when anyone did not respond to the -greeting of a passer-by, that he had been at the Dow Loch. Pilgrimages -to the loch seem to have been specially popular towards the close of -the seventeenth century, for in the year 1695 the Presbytery of Penpont -consulted the Synod of Dumfries about the superstitious practices then -current<span class="corr" id="xd26e703" title="Not in source">.</span> -The Synod, in response to the appeal, recommended the clergy of the -district to denounce from their pulpits such observances as heathenish -in character. There were persons still alive in the beginning of the -present century who had seen the offerings, left by the pilgrims, -floating <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb13" href="#pb13" name= -"pb13">13</a>]</span>on the loch or lying on its margin. To the -passer-by, ignorant of the superstitious custom, it might seem that a -rather untidy family washing was in progress.</p> -<p>The Church of St. Vigeans, in Forfarshire, is well known to -antiquaries in connection with its interesting sculptured stones. An -old tradition relates that the materials for the building were carried -by a water-kelpie, and that the foundations were laid on large bars of -iron. Underneath the structure was said to be a deep lake. The -tradition further relates that the kelpie prophesied that an incumbent -of the church would commit suicide, and that, on the occasion of the -first communion after, the church would sink into the lake. At the -beginning of the eighteenth century the minister of the parish did -commit suicide, and so strong was the superstition that the sacramental -rite was not observed till 1736. In connection with the event several -hundred people took up a position on a neighbouring rising ground to -watch what would happen. These spectators have passed away, but the -church remains.</p> -<p>St. Tredwell’s Loch in Papa-Westray, Orkney, was at one time -very famous, partly from its habit of turning red whenever anything -striking was about to happen to a member of the Royal Family, and -partly from its power to work cures. On a small headland on the east of -the loch are still to be seen the ruins of St. Tredwell’s Chapel, -measuring twenty-nine feet by twenty-two, with walls fully four feet in -thickness. On the floor-level about <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb14" -href="#pb14" name="pb14">14</a>]</span>thirty copper coins were found -some years ago, the majority of them being of the reign of Charles the -Second. At the door of the chapel there was at one time a large heap of -stones, made up of contributions from those who came to pay their vows -there. Mr. R. M. Fergusson, in his “<i>Rambles in the Far -North</i>,” gives the following particulars about the -loch:—“In olden times the diseased and infirm people of the -North Isles were wont to flock to this place and get themselves cured -by washing in its waters. Many of them walked round the shore two or -three times before entering the loch itself to perfect by so doing the -expected cure. When a person was engaged in this perambulation nothing -would induce him to utter a word, for, if he spoke, the waters of this -holy loch would lave his diseased body in vain. After the necessary -ablutions were performed they never departed without leaving behind -them some piece of cloth or bread as a gift to the presiding genius of -the place. In the beginning of the eighteenth century popular belief in -this water was as strong as ever.”</p> -<p>Superstitions had a vigorous life last century. Pennant, who made -his first tour in Scotland in 1769, mentions that the wells of Spey and -Drachalday, in Moray, were then much visited, coins and rags being left -at them as offerings. Nowadays holy wells are probably far from the -thoughts of persons living amid the stir and bustle of city life, but -in rural districts, where old customs linger, they are not yet -forgotten. In the country, amidst the sights and <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb15" href="#pb15" name="pb15">15</a>]</span>sounds -of nature, men are prone to cherish the beliefs and ways of their -forefathers. Practices born in days of darkness thus live on into an -era of greater enlightenment. “The adoration of wells,” -remarks Sir Arthur Mitchell in his “<i>Past in the -Present</i>,” “may be encountered in all parts of Scotland -from John o’ Groats to the Mull of Galloway,” and he adds, -“I have seen at least a dozen wells in Scotland which have not -ceased to be worshipped.” “Nowadays,” he continues, -“the visitors are comparatively few, and those who go are -generally in earnest. They have a serious object which they desire to -attain. That object is usually the restoration to health of some poor -little child—some ‘back-gane bairn.’ Indeed the cure -of sick children is a special virtue of many of these wells. Anxious -mothers make long journeys to some well of fame, and early in the -morning of the 1st of May bathe the little invalid in its waters, then -drop an offering into them by the hands of the child—usually a -pebble, but sometimes a coin—and attach a bit of the -child’s dress to a bush or tree growing by the side of the well. -The rags we see fastened to such bushes have often manifestly been torn -from the dresses of young children. Part of a bib or little pinafore -tells the sad story of a sorrowing mother and a suffering child, and -makes the heart grieve that nothing better than a visit to one of these -wells had been found to relieve the sorrow and remove the -suffering.” Mr. Campbell of Islay bears witness to the same fact. -In <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb16" href="#pb16" name= -"pb16">16</a>]</span>his “<i>Tales of the West -Highlands</i>” he says, “Holy healing wells are common all -over the Highlands, and people still leave offerings of pins and nails -and bits of rag, though few would confess it. There is a well in Islay -where I myself have, after drinking, deposited copper caps amongst a -hoard of pins and buttons and similar gear placed in chinks in the -rocks and trees at the edge of the ‘Witches’ -well.’ ”</p> -<p>A striking testimony to the persistence of faith in such wells is -borne by Mr. J. R. Walker in volume v. (new series) of the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” where he describes an incident that he himself -witnessed about ten years ago on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Mr. Walker -writes, “While walking in the Queen’s Park about sunset, I -casually passed St. Anthony’s Well, and had my attention -attracted by the number of people about it, all simply quenching their -thirst, some probably with a dim idea that they would reap some benefit -from the draught. Standing a little apart, however, and evidently -patiently waiting a favourable moment to present itself for their -purpose, was a group of four. Feeling somewhat curious as to their -intention I quietly kept myself in the background, and by-and-by was -rewarded. The crowd departed and the group came forward, consisting of -two old women<span class="corr" id="xd26e735" title= -"Not in source">,</span> a younger woman of about thirty, and a pale -sickly-looking girl—a child three or four years old. Producing -cups from their pockets, the old women dipped them in the pool, filled -them, and drank the contents. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb17" href= -"#pb17" name="pb17">17</a>]</span>A full cup was then presented to the -younger woman and another to the child. Then one of the old women -produced a long linen bandage, dipped it in the water, wrung it, dipped -it in again, and then wound it round the child’s head, covering -the eyes, the youngest woman, evidently the mother of the child, -carefully observing the operation and weeping gently all the time. The -other old woman not engaged in this work was carefully filling a clear -glass bottle with the water, evidently for future use. Then, after the -principal operators had looked at each other with an earnest and half -solemn sort of look, the party wended its way carefully down the -hill.”</p> -<p>Agricultural improvements, particularly within the present century, -have done much to abolish the adoration of wells. In many cases ancient -springs have ceased to exist through draining operations. In the parish -of Urquhart, Elginshire, a priory was founded in 1125. Towards the end -of last century the site was converted into an arable field. The name -of Abbey Well, given to the spring whence the monks drew water, long -kept alive the memory of the priory; but in recent times the well -itself was filled up. St. Mary’s Well, at Whitekirk, in -Haddingtonshire, has also ceased to be, its water having been drained -off. Near Drumakill, in Drymen parish, Dumbartonshire, there was a -famous spring dedicated to St. Vildrin. Close to it was a cross two -feet and a half in height, with the figure of the saint incised on it. -About thirty years ago, however, the relic was broken up <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb18" href="#pb18" name="pb18">18</a>]</span>and used -in the construction of a farmhouse, and not long after, the well itself -was drained into an adjoining stream. In the middle ages the spring at -Restalrig, near Edinburgh, dedicated to St. Margaret, the wife of -Malcolm Canmore, was a great attraction to pilgrims. The history of the -well is interesting. There is reason to believe that it was originally -sacred to the Holy Rood; and tradition connects it with the fountain -that gushed out at the spot where a certain hart suddenly vanished from -the sight of King David I. Mr. Walker, in the volume of the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>” already referred to, throws out the suggestion that -the well may have had its dedication changed in connection with the -translation of Queen Margaret’s relics about 1251, on the -occasion of her canonization. With regard to the date of the structure -forming the covering of the well, Mr. Walker, as an architect, is -qualified to give an opinion, and from an examination of the mason -marks on it he is inclined to think that the building was erected about -the same time as the west tower of Holyrood Abbey Church, viz., about -1170. The late Sir Daniel Wilson, in his “<i>Memorials of -Edinburgh in the Olden Time</i>,” gives the following account of -the structure, which, however, he by mistake describes as octagonal -instead of hexagonal:—“The building rises internally to the -height of about four and a half feet, of plain ashlar work, with a -stone ledge or seat running round seven of the sides, while the eighth -is occupied by a pointed arch <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb19" href= -"#pb19" name="pb19">19</a>]</span>which forms the entrance to the well. -From the centre of the water which fills the whole area of the -building, pure as in the days of the pious queen, a decorated pillar -rises to the same height as the walls, with grotesque gurgoils, from -which the water has originally been made to flow. Above this springs a -beautifully groined roof, presenting, with the ribs that rise from -corresponding corbels at each of the eight angles of the building, a -singularly rich effect when illuminated by the reflected light from the -water below. A few years since, this curious fountain stood by the side -of the ancient and little frequented cross-road leading from the -Abbeyhill to the village of Restalrig. A fine old elder tree, with its -knotted and furrowed branches, spread a luxuriant covering over its -grass-grown top, and a rustic little thatched cottage stood in front of -it, forming altogether a most attractive object of antiquarian -pilgrimage.” The spot, however, was invaded by the North British -Railway Company, and a station was planted on the site of the elder -tree and the rustic cottage, the spring and its Gothic covering being -imbedded in the buildings. Some years later the water disappeared, -having found another channel. The structure was taken down stone by -stone and rebuilt above St. David’s Spring, on the north slope of -Salisbury Crags, where it still stands.</p> -<p>In cases like the above, man interfered with nature and caused the -disappearance of venerated springs. But it was not always so. In the -parish of Logierait, in Perthshire, there was a spring that took the -matter <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb20" href="#pb20" name= -"pb20">20</a>]</span>into its own hands, and withdrew from public view. -This was the spring called in Gaelic Fuaran Chad, <i>i.e.</i>, -Chad’s Well. An annual market used to be held close by in honour -of the saint, on the 22nd August. The spring was gratified and bubbled -away merrily. The market, however, was at length discontinued. In -consequence Fuaran Chad took offence, and sent in its resignation. In -one instance, at least, the belief in the efficacy of a spring survived -the very existence of the spring itself. This was so in the case of a -healing well near Buckie, in Banffshire, filled up some years ago by -the tenant on whose farm it was situated. So great was its fame that -some women whose infants were weakly went to the spot and cleared out -the rubbish. Water again filled the old basin, and there the infants -were bathed. While being carried home they fell asleep, and the result -was in every way to the satisfaction of the mothers.</p> -<p>Certain characteristics of water specially recommended it as an -object of worship in primæval times. Its motion and force -suggested that it had life, and hence a soul. Men therefore imagined -that by due attention to certain rites it would prove a help to them in -time of need. What may be called the anthropomorphism of fountains has -left traces on popular superstitions. The interest taken by St. -Tredwell’s Loch in the national events has been already alluded -to, and other examples will be noticed in future chapters.</p> -<p>One point may be mentioned here, viz., the power <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb21" href="#pb21" name= -"pb21">21</a>]</span>possessed by wells of removing to another place. -St. Fillan’s Spring, at Comrie, in Perthshire, once took its rise -on the top of the hill Dunfillan, but tradition says that it quitted -its old site for the present one, at the foot of a rock, a quarter of a -mile further south. In the article on Comrie in the “<i>Old -Statistical Account of Scotland</i>,” the well is described as -“<i>humbled</i> indeed, but not forsaken.” A more striking -instance of flitting is mentioned by Martin as having occurred in the -Hebrides. In his account of Islay, he says, “A mile on the -south-west side of the cave Uah Vearnag is the celebrated well -Toubir-in-Knahar, which, in the ancient language, is as much as to say, -‘the well has sailed from one place to another’; for it is -a received tradition of the vulgar inhabitants of this isle, and the -opposite isle of Colonsay, that this well was first at Colonsay until -an impudent woman happened to wash her hands in it, and that -immediately after, the well, being thus abused, came in an instant to -Islay, where it is like to continue, and is ever since esteemed a -catholicon for diseases by the natives and adjacent islanders.” -Perhaps the instance that puts the greatest strain on credulity is that -of the spring dedicated to St. Fergus on the hill of Knockfergan, in -Banffshire. Tradition reports that this spring came in a miraculous -manner from Italy, though how it travelled to its quiet retreat in -Scotland we do not know. There must have been some special attraction -about the well, for a market known as the Well-Market used to -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb22" href="#pb22" name= -"pb22">22</a>]</span>be held beside it every year. On one occasion a -fight took place about a cheese. In consequence the market was -transferred to the neighbouring village of Tomintoul, where it -continues to be held in August, under the same name.</p> -<p>In his “<i>Romances of the West of England</i>,” the -late Mr. Robert Hunt puts in a plea for the preservation of holy wells -and other relics of antiquity, though he allows “that it is a -very common notion amongst the peasantry that a just retribution -overtakes those who wilfully destroy monuments, such as stone circles, -crosses, wells, and the like,” and he mentions the case of an old -man who altered a holy well at Boscaswell, in St. Just, and was drowned -the following day within sight of his house. Mr. Hunt is speaking of -Cornish wells; but the same is doubtless true of those north of the -Tweed. Springs that can fly through the air and go through certain -other wonderful performances can surely be trusted to look after -themselves.</p> -<p>In hot Eastern lands, fountains were held in special reverence. This -was to be expected, as their cooling waters were there doubly welcome. -In accounting for the presence of the cult in the temperate zones of -Europe, we do not need to trace it to the East as Lady Wilde does in -her “<i>Ancient Legends of Ireland</i>.” “It could -not have originated,” she says, “in a humid country -… where wells can be found at every step, and sky and land are -ever heavy and saturated with moisture. It must have come from an -Eastern <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb23" href="#pb23" name= -"pb23">23</a>]</span>people, wanderers in a dry and thirsty land, where -the discovery of a well seemed like the interposition of an angel in -man’s behalf.” In our own land there are no districts where -well-worship has held its ground so firmly as those occupied by peoples -of Celtic blood, such as Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and -the Scottish Highlands. A curious instance of the survival of -water-worship among our Scottish peasantry was seen in the custom of -going at a very early hour on New-Year’s morning to get a pailful -of water from a neighbouring spring. The maidens of the farm had a -friendly rivalry as to priority. Whoever secured the first pailful was -said to get <i>the flower</i> of the well, otherwise known as the -<i>ream</i> or <i>cream</i> of the well. On their way to the spring the -maidens commonly chanted the couplet—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“The <i>flower o’ the well</i> to our house -gaes,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">An’ I’ll the bonniest lad -get.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">This referred to the belief that to be first at the -well was a good omen of the maiden’s matrimonial future. It is a -far cry from archaic water-worship to this New-Year’s love charm, -but we can traverse in thought the road that lies between. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb24" href="#pb24" name="pb24">24</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch2" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e184">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER II.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">How Water became Holy.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Change from Paganism to -Christianity—Columba—Spirits of Fountains—Hurtful -Wells—Stone Circles—Superstitions regarding -them—Standing Stones and Springs—Innis -Maree—Maelrubha—Influence of early Saints—Names of -Wells—Stone-coverings—Sacred Buildings and -Springs—Privilege of Sanctuary—Some -Examples—Freedstoll—Preceptory of Torphichen and St. -John’s Well—Cross of Macduff and Nine-wells.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">We come next to ask how water became holy in the -folklore sense of the word. Fortunately we get a glimpse of springs at -the very time when they passed from pagan to Christian auspices. The -change made certain differences, but did not take away their miraculous -powers. We get this glimpse in the pages of Adamnan, St. -Columba’s biographer, who narrates an incident in connection with -the saint’s missionary work among the Picts in the latter half of -the sixth century. Adamnan tells us of a certain fountain “famous -among the heathen people, which the foolish men, having their senses -blinded by the devil, worshipped as God. For those, who drank of this -fountain, or purposely washed their hands or feet in it, were allowed -by God to be struck by <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb25" href="#pb25" -name="pb25">25</a>]</span>demoniacal art, and went home either leprous -or purblind, or at least suffering from weakness or other kind of -infirmity. By all these things the pagans were seduced and paid divine -honour to the fountain.” Columba made use of the popular belief -in the interests of the new faith, and blessed the fountain in the name -of Christ in order to expel the demons. He then took a draught of the -water and washed his hands and feet in it, to show that it could no -longer do harm. According to Adamnan the demons deserted the fountain, -and many cures were afterwards wrought by it. In Ireland more than a -century earlier, St. Patrick visited the fountain of Findmaige, called -Slan. Offerings were wont to be made to it, and it was worshipped as a -god by the Magi of the district.</p> -<p>It is difficult to determine exactly from what standpoint our pagan -ancestors regarded wells. The nature-spirits inhabiting them, styled -<i>demons</i> by Adamnan, were malignant in disposition, if we judge by -the case he mentions; but we must not therefore conclude that they were -so in every instance. Perhaps it is safe to infer that most of them -were considered favourable to man, or the reverse, according as they -were or were not propitiated by him. Even in modern times, some springs -have been regarded as hurtful. The well of St. Chad, at Lichfield, for -instance, causes ague to anyone drinking its water. Even its connection -with the saint has not removed its hurtful qualities. In west Highland -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb26" href="#pb26" name= -"pb26">26</a>]</span>Folk-Tales allusion is made to poison wells, and -such are even yet regarded with a certain amount of fear. In the -article on the parish of Kilsyth in the “<i>Old Statistical -Account of Scotland</i>,” it is stated that Kittyfrist Well, -beside the road leading over the hill to Stirling, was believed to be -noxious. Successive wayfarers, when tired and heated by their climb up -hill, may have drunk injudiciously of the cold water, and thus the -superstition may have originated.</p> -<p>Stone circles have given rise to much discussion. They are perhaps -best known by their popular name of Druidical temples. Whatever were -the other purposes served by them, there is hardly any doubt that they -were primarily associated with interments. Dr. Joseph Anderson has -pointed out that a certain archæological succession can be -traced. Thus we find first, burial cairns <i>minus</i> stones round -them, then cairns <i>plus</i> stones, and finally, stones <i>minus</i> -cairns. At one time there was a widely-spread belief that men could be -transformed into standing stones by the aid of magic. This power was -attributed to the Druids. There are also traditions of saints thus -settling their heathen opponents. When speaking of the island of Lewis, -Martin says, “Several other stones are to be seen here in remote -places, and some of them standing on one end. Some of the ignorant -vulgar say that they were men by enchantment turned into stones. Such -monoliths are still known to the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of Lewis -as Fir Chreig, <i>i.e.</i>, false men. We learn from the “<i>New -Statistical <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb27" href="#pb27" name= -"pb27">27</a>]</span>Account of Scotland</i>” that the two -standing stones at West Skeld, in Shetland, were believed by the -islanders to have been originally wizards or giants. Close to the -roadside on Maughold Head, in the Isle of Man, stands an ancient runic -cross. A local tradition states that the cross was once an old woman, -who, when carrying a bundle of wool, cursed the wind for hindering her -on her journey, and was petrified in consequence.</p> -<p>With superstitions thus clinging to standing-stones it is not to be -wondered that springs in their neighbourhood should have been regarded -with special reverence. In the “<i>Old Statistical Account of -Scotland</i>” allusion is made to Tobir-Chalaich, <i>i.e.</i>, -Old Wife’s Well, situated near a stone circle in the parish of -Keith, Banffshire, and to another well not far from a second circle in -the same parish. The latter spring ceased to be visited about the -middle of last century. Till then offerings were left at it by persons -seeking its aid. The writer of the article on the island of Barry, -Inverness-shire, in the same work, says, “Here, <i>i.e.</i>, at -Castle-Bay, there are several Druidical temples. Near one of these is a -well which must have been once famous for its medicinal quality, as -also for curing and preventing the effects of fascination. It is called -Tobbar-nam-buadh or the Well of Virtues.” Under the heading -“Beltane,” in “<i>Jamieson’s Scottish -Dictionary</i>,” the following occurs:—“A town in -Perthshire, on the borders of the Highlands, is called Tillie (or -Tullie) Beltane, <i>i.e.</i>, the eminence or rising ground -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb28" href="#pb28" name= -"pb28">28</a>]</span>of the fire of Baal. In the neighbourhood is a -Druidical temple of eight upright stones, where it is supposed the fire -was kindled. At some distance from this, is another temple of the same -kind, but smaller, and near it a well still held in great veneration. -On Beltane morning, superstitious people go to this well and drink of -it, then they make a procession round it, as I am informed, nine times; -after this, they in like manner go round the temple.” Gallstack -Well, at Drumlanrig, in Dumfriesshire, is near a group of standing -stones. From examples like the above, we may infer that some mysterious -connection was supposed to exist between standing stones and their -adjacent wells. In the Tullie Beltane instance indeed, stones and well -were associated together in the same superstitious rite.</p> -<p>A striking instance of Christianity borrowing from paganism is to be -seen in the reverence paid to the well of Innis Maree, in Loch Maree, -in Ross-shire. This well has been famous from an unknown past. It is -dedicated to St. Maelrubha, after whom both loch and island are named. -Maelrubha belonged to the monastery of Bangor, in Ireland. In the year -673, at the age of thirty-one, he settled at Applecrossan, now -Applecross, in Ross-shire, and there founded a church as the nucleus of -a conventual establishment. Over this monastery he presided for -fifty-one years, and died a natural death in 722. A legend, -disregarding historical probabilities, relates that he was slain by a -band of pagan Norse rovers, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb29" href= -"#pb29" name="pb29">29</a>]</span>and that his body was left in the -forest to be devoured by wild beasts. His grave is still pointed out in -Applecross churchyard, the spot being marked by a pillar slab with an -antique cross carved on it. For centuries after his death he was -regarded as the patron saint, not only of Applecross, but of a wide -district around. Pennant, who visited Innis Maree in 1772, thus -describes its appearance: “The shores are neat and gravelly; the -whole surface covered thickly with a beautiful grove of oak, ash, -willow, wicken, birch, fir, hazel, and enormous hollies. In the midst -is a circular dike of stones, with a regular narrow entrance, the inner -part has been used for ages as a burial-place, and is still in use. I -suspect the dyke to have been originally Druidical, and that the -ancient superstition of Paganism had been taken up by the saint, as the -readiest method of making a conquest over the minds of the inhabitants. -A stump of a tree is shown as an altar, probably the memorial of one of -stone; but the curiosity of the place is the well of the saint; of -power unspeakable in cases of lunacy.” Whatever Pennant meant by -Druidical, there is reason to believe that the spot was the scene of -pre-Christian rites. In the popular imagination the outlines of -Maelrubha’s character seem to have become mixed up with those of -the heathen divinity worshipped in the district. Two circumstances -point to this. Firstly, as Sir Arthur Mitchell remarks in the fourth -volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb30" href="#pb30" name= -"pb30">30</a>]</span>Antiquaries of Scotland</i>,” “The -people of the place speak often of the God Mourie instead of St. -Mourie, which may have resulted from his having supplanted the old -god.” Secondly, as the same writer shows, by reference to old -kirk session records, it was customary in the parish to sacrifice a -bull to St. Mourie. This was done on the saint’s day, the 25th of -August. The practice was still in existence in the latter half of the -17th century, and was then denounced as idolatrous.</p> -<p>We thus see that the sacredness of springs can be traced back -through Christianity to paganism, though there is no doubt that in some -instances it took its rise from association with early saints. In -deciding the question of origin, however, care must be taken, for, as -already indicated, the reverence anciently paid to wells led to their -selection by the early missionaries. The holy wells throughout the land -keep alive their names. An excellent example of a saint’s -influence on a particular district is met with in the case of St. -Angus, at Balquhidder, in Perthshire. In his “Notes in -Balquhidder” in the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland</i>,” vol. ix. (new series), Mr. J. -Mackintosh Gow remarks, “Saint Angus, the patron saint of the -district, is said to have come to the glen from the eastward, and to -have been so much struck with its marvellous beauty that he blessed it. -The remains of the stone on which he sat to rest are still visible in -the gable of one of the farm buildings <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb31" href="#pb31" name="pb31">31</a>]</span>at Easter Auchleskine, -and the turn of the road is yet called ‘Beannachadh -Aonghais’ (Angus’s blessing). At this spot it was the -custom in the old days for people going westward to show their respect -for the saint by repeating, ‘Beannaich Aonghais ann san -Aoraidh’ (Bless Angus in the oratory or chapel), at the same time -reverently taking off their bonnets. The saint, going west, had settled -at a spot below the present kirk, and near to a stone circle, the -remains of which, and of the oratory, persons now living remember to -have seen.” After alluding to another stone circle in a haugh -below the parish church manse, Mr. Gow mentions that this haugh is the -stance of the old market of Balquhidder, long a popular one in the -district. It was held on the saint’s day in April and named -Feill-Aonghais, after him. In the immediate neighbourhood there is a -knoll called “Tom Aonghais,” <i>i.e.</i>, Angus’s -hillock. In the grounds of Edinchip there is a curing well called in -Gaelic, “Fuaran n’druibh chasad,” i.e., the -Whooping-cough Well, beside the burn “Alt cean dhroma.” -“It is formed of a water-worn pot hole in the limestone rock -which forms the bed of the burn, and is ten or twelve inches in -diameter at the top and six inches deep. There must be a spring running -into the hollow through a fissure, as no sooner is it emptied than it -immediately refills, and contains about two quarts of water. The well -can easily be distinguished by the large moss-covered boulder, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb32" href="#pb32" name= -"pb32">32</a>]</span>round and flat, like a crushed ball, and about -seven feet in diameter, which overshadows it, and a young ash tree of -several stems growing by its side.” This well was famous for the -cure of whooping-cough, and children were brought to it till within -recent years. The water was given in a spoon made from the horn of a -living cow. When the patients could not visit the spring in person, a -bottleful of the healing liquid was taken to their homes, and there -administered. The district round the lower waters of Loch Awe, now -comprising the united parishes of Glenorchy and Inishail was held to be -under the patronage of Connan. There is a well at Dalmally dedicated to -him. According to a local tradition he dwelt beside the well and -blessed its water.</p> -<p>In addition to springs named after particular saints, there are some -bearing the general appellation of Saints’ Wells or Holy Wells. -There are Holy Rood and Holy Wood Wells, also Holy Trinity and Chapel -Wells. There are likewise Priors’, Monks’, -Cardinals’, Bishops’, Priests’, Abbots’, and -Friars’ Wells. Various springs have names pointing to no -ecclesiastical connection whatever. To this class belong those known as -Virtue Wells, and those others named from the various diseases to be -cured by them. On the Rutherford estate, in the parish of West Linton, -Peeblesshire, there is a mineral spring called Heaven-aqua Well. -Considering the name, one might form great expectations as to its -virtues. There is much force in the remarks of Dr. J. Hill Burton, in -his “<i>Book Hunter</i>.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb33" href="#pb33" name="pb33">33</a>]</span>He says, “The -unnoticeable smallness of many of these consecrated wells makes their -very reminiscence and still semi-sacred character all the more -remarkable. The stranger in Ireland, or the Highlands of Scotland, -hears rumours of a distinguished well, miles on miles off. He thinks he -will find an ancient edifice over it, or some other conspicuous -adjunct. Nothing of the kind. He has been lured all that distance, over -rock and bog, to see a tiny spring bubbling out of the rock, such as he -may see hundreds of in a tolerable walk any day. Yet, if he search in -old topographical authorities, he will find that the little well has -ever been an important feature of the district; that century after -century it has been unforgotten; and, with diligence he may perhaps -trace it to some incident in the life of the saint, dead more than 1200 -years ago, whose name it bears.” There are a few wells with a -more or less ornamental stone covering, such as St. Margaret’s -Well, in the Queen’s Park, Edinburgh, and St. Michael’s -Well, at Linlithgow. St. Ninian’s Well, at Stirling, and also at -Kilninian, in Mull; St. Ashig’s Well, in Skye; St. Peter’s -Well, at Houston, in Renfrewshire; Holy Rood Well, at Stenton, in -Haddingtonshire; and the Well of Spa, at Aberdeen, also belong to this -class.</p> -<p>As already indicated, standing stones and the wells near them were -associated together in the same ritual act. A curious parallelism can -be traced between this practice and one connected with Christian places -of worship. Near the Butt of Lewis are the ruins of a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb34" href="#pb34" name="pb34">34</a>]</span>chapel -anciently dedicated to St. Mulvay, and known in the district as -<span class="corr" id="xd26e899" title= -"Source: Teampull-mor">Teampull-mòr</span>. The spot was till -quite lately the scene of rites connected with the cure of insanity. -The patient was made to walk seven times round the ruins, and was then -sprinkled with water from St. Ronan’s Well hard by. In Orkney it -was believed that invalids would recover health by walking round the -Cross-kirk of Wasbister and the adjoining loch in silence before -sunrise. In some instances sacred sites were walked round without -reference to wells, and, in others, wells without reference to sacred -sites. But when the two were neighbours they were often included in the -same ceremony. In the early days when Christianity was preached, the -structures of the new faith were occasionally planted close to groups -of standing stones, and it may be assumed that in some instances, at -least, the latter served to supply materials for building the former. -Even in our own day it is not uncommon for Highlanders to speak of -going to the clachan, <i>i.e.</i>, the stones, to indicate that they -are going to church. The reverence paid to the pagan sites was thus -transferred to the Christian, and any fountain in the vicinity received -a large share of such reverence.</p> -<p>In former times, both south and north of the Tweed, churches and -churchyards were regarded with special veneration as affording an -asylum to offenders against the law. In England the Right of Sanctuary -was held in great respect during Anglo-Saxon times, and after the -Norman Conquest laws were passed <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb35" -href="#pb35" name="pb35">35</a>]</span>regulating the privileges of -such shelters. When a robber or murderer was pursued, he was free from -capture if he could reach the sacred precincts. But he had to enter -unarmed. His stay there was only temporary. After going through certain -formalities he was allowed to travel, cross in hand, to some -neighbouring seaport to quit his country for ever. In the reign of -Henry VIII., however, a statute was passed forbidding criminals thus to -leave their native land on the ground that they would disclose state -secrets, and teach archery to the enemies of the realm. In the north of -England, Durham and Beverley contained noted sanctuaries. In various -churches there was a stone seat called the Freedstoll or Stool of -Peace, on which the criminal, when seated, was absolutely safe. Such a -seat, dating from the Norman period, is still to be seen in the Priory -Church at Hexham, where the sanctuary was in great request by fugitives -from the debatable land between England and Scotland. The only other -Freedstoll still to be found in England is in Beverley Minster. The -Right of Sanctuary was formally abolished in England in the reign of -James I., but did not cease to be respected till much later. Such being -the regard in the middle ages for churches and their burying-grounds, -it is easy to understand why fountains in their immediate neighbourhood -were also reverenced. Several sanctuaries north of the Tweed were -specially famous. In his “<i>Scotland in the Middle -Ages</i>,” Professor Cosmo Innes remarks, <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb36" href="#pb36" name= -"pb36">36</a>]</span>“Though all were equally sacred by the -canon, it would seem that the superior sanctity of some churches, from -the relics presented there, or the reverence of their patron saints, -afforded a surer asylum, and thus attracted fugitives to their shrines -rather than to the altars of common parish churches.” The -churches of Stow, Innerleithen, and Tyningham were asylums at one time -specially favoured. The church on St. Charmaig’s Island, in the -Sound of Jura—styled also <i>Eilean Mòr</i> or the -<i>Great Island</i>—was formerly a noted place of refuge among -the Inner Hebrides. So much sanctity attached to the church of -Applecross that the privileged ground around it extended six miles in -every direction. In connection with his visit to Arran, Martin thus -describes what had once been a sanctuary in that island: “There -is an eminence of about a thousand paces in compass on the sea-coast in -Druim-cruey village, and it is fenced about with a stone wall; of old -it was a sanctuary, and whatever number of men or cattle could get -within it were secured from the assaults of their enemies, the place -being privileged by universal consent.” The enclosure was -probably an ancient burying-ground.</p> -<p>The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knights -of Rhodes, and also as the Hospitallers, received recognition in -Scotland as an Order about the middle of the twelfth century. They had -possessions in almost every county, but their chief seat was at -Torphichen, in Linlithgowshire, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb37" -href="#pb37" name="pb37">37</a>]</span>where the ruins of their -preceptory can still be seen. This preceptory formed the heart of the -famous sanctuary of Torphichen. In the graveyard stands a stone, -resembling an ordinary milestone with a Maltese cross carved on its -top. All the ground enclosed in a circle, having a radius of one mile -from this stone, formed a sanctuary for criminals and debtors. Other -four stones placed at the cardinal points showed the limits of the -sanctuary on their respective sides. At some distance to the east of -the preceptory is St. John’s Well, “to which,” the -writer of the article in the “<i>New Statistical Account of -Scotland</i>” says, “the Knights of St. John used to go in -days of yore for a morning draught;” and he adds, “whether -its virtues were medicinal or of a more hallowed character tradition -can not exactly inform us, but still its waters are thought to possess -peculiar healing powers, if not still rarer qualities which operate in -various cases as a charm.” Perhaps no Scottish sanctuary has been -more talked about than the one at Holyrood Abbey, intended originally -for law-breakers in general, but latterly for debtors only. De Quincey -found a temporary home within its precincts. Through recent -legislation, chiefly through the Debtors (Scotland) Act of 1880, the -sanctuary has been rendered unnecessary, and its privileges, though -never formally abolished, have accordingly passed away.</p> -<p>In a pass of the Ochils, near Newburgh, overlooking Strathearn, is a -block of freestone three <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb38" href= -"#pb38" name="pb38">38</a>]</span>and a half feet high, four and a half -feet long, and nearly four feet broad at the base. This formed the -pedestal of the celebrated cross of Macduff, and is all that remains of -that ancient monument. The shaft of the cross was destroyed at the time -of the Reformation, in the sixteenth century. In former days the spot -was held to be a privilege and liberty of girth. When anyone claiming -kinship to Macduff, Earl of Fife, within the ninth degree committed -slaughter in hot blood and took refuge at the cross, he could atone for -his crime by the payment of nine cows and a colpindach or year-old cow. -Those who could not make good their kinship were slain on the spot. -Certain ancient burial mounds, at one time to be seen in the immediate -neighbourhood, were popularly believed to be the graves of those who -thus met their death, and a local superstition asserted that their -shrieks could be heard by night. A fountain, known as the Nine Wells, -gushes out not far from the site of the cross, and in it tradition says -that the manslayer who was entitled to claim the privilege of sanctuary -washed his hands, thereby freeing himself from the stain of blood. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb39" href="#pb39" name= -"pb39">39</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch3" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e194">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER III.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Saints and Springs.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Columba’s Miracle—His -Wells—Deer—Drostan’s Springs—His -Relics—His Fairs—His Connection with -Caithness—Urquhart—Adamnan—His Wells—Tom -Eunan—Feil Columcille—Adamnan’s Visit to -Northumbria—His Church Dedications—Kieran—His -Cave—Campbeltown—Book of the Gospels—Kieran’s -Church at Errigall-keroge—His Wells—Bridget—Her -Legend—Bridewell—Bridget’s -Wells—Abernethy—Torranain—Ninian—His -Influence—His Cave—Candida Casa—Ninian and -Martin—Ninian’s Springs—St. Martin’s -Well—Martinmas—Martin of Bullion’s Day—Bullion -Well—Kentigern—Fergus—Arbores Sancti -Kentigerni—His Wells—Thanet Well—St. Enoch’s -Well—Cuthbert—His Wells and Bath—His -Career—Palladius—His Miracle—Paldy’s Well and -Paldy’s Fair—His Chapel—Ternan—His -Wells—Church of -Arbuthnot—Brendan—Bute—Kilbrandon Sound—Well at -Barra—Boyndie and Cullen—Machar—His Cathedral and -Well—Tobar-Mhachar—Constantine—Govan—Kilchouslan -Church—St. Cowstan’s Well—Serf—Area of his -Influence.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">The annals of hagiology are full of the connection -between saints and springs. On one occasion a child was brought to -Columba for baptism, but there was no water at hand for the performance -of the rite. The saint knelt in prayer opposite a neighbouring rock, -and rising, blessed the face of the rock. Water immediately gushed -forth, and with it the child was <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb40" -href="#pb40" name="pb40">40</a>]</span>baptised. Adamnan, who tells the -story, says that the child was Lugucencalad, whose parents were from -Artdaib-muirchol (Ardnamurchan), where there is seen even to this day a -well called by the name of St. Columba. There are many wells in -Scotland named after him. As might be expected, one of these is in -Iona. Almost all are along the west coast and in the Hebrides. The name -of Kirkcolm, in Wigtownshire, signifies the Church of Columba. The -parish contains a fountain dedicated to him, known as Corswell or -Crosswell, from which the castle headland and lighthouse of Corsewall -have derived their name. A certain amount of sanctity still clings to -the fountain. Macaulay, in his “<i>History of St. -Kilda</i>” published in 1764, describes a spring there called by -the inhabitants Toberi-Clerich, the cleric in question being, according -to him, Columba. “This well,” he says, “is below the -village, … and gushes out like a torrent from the face of a -rock. At every full tide the sea overflows it, but how soon that ebbs -away, nothing can be fresher or sweeter than the water. It was natural -enough for the St. Kildians to imagine that so extraordinary a -phenomenon must have been the effect of some supernatural cause, and -one of their teachers would have probably assured them that Columba, -the great saint of their island and a mighty worker of miracles, had -destroyed the influence which, according to the established laws of -nature, the sea should have had on that water.” <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb41" href="#pb41" name="pb41">41</a>]</span>This -spring resembles one in the parish of Tain, in Ross-shire, known as St. -Mary’s Well. The latter is covered several hours each day by the -sea, but when the tide retires its fresh, sweet water gushes forth -again.</p> -<p>According to an old tradition, Drostan, a nephew of Columba, -accompanied the latter when on a journey from Iona to Deer in Buchan, -about the year 580, and was the first abbot of the monastery -established there. The name of the place, according to the -“<i>Book of Deer</i>,” was derived from the tears (in -Gaelic, der or deur, a tear), shed by Drostan on the departure of his -uncle. In reality, the name comes from the Gaelic dair, signifying an -oak. There are five springs dedicated to Drostan. They are all in the -east country, between Edzell and New Aberdour. At the latter place his -relics were preserved, and miracles of healing were wrought at his -tomb. The spring near Invermark Castle is popularly known as -Droustie’s Well. A market, called St. Drostan’s Fair, is -still held annually at Old Deer in December. Insch, in Aberdeenshire, -has also a St. Drostan’s Fair. Drostan was reverenced in -Caithness, where he was tutelar saint of the parishes of Halkirk and -Canisbay. In “<i>The Early Scottish Church</i>” the Rev. -Dr. M’Lauchlan mentions that Urquhart in Inverness-shire, was -called Urchudain, Maith Dhrostan, <i>i.e.</i>, St. Drostan’s -Urquhart.</p> -<p>Adamnan, Columba’s biographer, became abbot of Iona in 679, -and died there in 704. There are wells <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb42" href="#pb42" name="pb42">42</a>]</span>to him at Dull, in -Perthshire, and at Forglen in Banffshire. His name occurs in Scottish -topography, but shortened, and under various disguises. In the form of -St. Oyne he has a well in Rathen parish, Aberdeenshire, where there is -a mound—probably an ancient fortified site—also called St. -Oyne’s. About six miles north-east of Kingussie, in -Inverness-shire, is the church of the <i>quoad sacra</i> parish of -Inch, on a knoll projecting into the loch of the same name. The knoll -is called Tom Eunan, <i>i.e.</i>, the hill of Adamnan, to whom the -church was dedicated. Within the building is still to be seen a fine -specimen of the four-cornered bronze bell used in the early Celtic -church. According to a local tradition it was once carried off, but -kept calling out, “Tom Eunan! Tom Eunan!” till brought back -to its home. We find that Adamnan and Columba were associated together -in the district. An annual gathering, at one time held there in honour -of the latter, was named Feil Columcille, <i>i.e.</i>, Columba’s -Fair, and was much resorted to. Women usually appeared on the occasion -in white dresses in token of baptism. An old woman, who died in 1882, -at the age of ninety, was in the habit of showing the white dress worn -by her in her young days at the fair. It finally served her as a -shroud. Adamnan visited the Northumbrian court when Egfrid was king. -His errand was one of peace-making; for he went to procure the release -of certain Irish captives who had been made prisoners by Egfrid, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb43" href="#pb43" name= -"pb43">43</a>]</span>During his stay in Northumbria he became a convert -to the Roman view as against the Celtic in the two burning questions of -that age, viz., the time for holding Easter, and the nature of the -tonsure. Though he did not get his friends in Scotland to see eye to -eye with him on these points, he seems to have been generally popular -north of the Tweed. Eight churches at least were dedicated to him, -mainly in the east country between Forvie, in Aberdeenshire, and -Dalmeny, in West Lothian. One of these dedications was at Aboyne. -Skeulan Well there contains Adamnan’s name in a corrupted -form.</p> -<p>Kieran, belonging like Columba to the sixth century, was also like -him from Ireland. He selected a cave some four miles from Campbeltown -as his dwelling-place, and there led the life of an ascetic. He died in -543 in his thirty-fourth year. Pennant thus describes the -cave:—“It is in the form of a cross, with three fine Gothic -porticoes for entrances, … had formerly a wall at the entrance, -a second about the middle, and a third far up, forming different -apartments. On the floor is the capital of a cross and a round basin -cut out of the rock, full of fine water, the beverage of the saint in -old times, and of sailors in the present, who often land to dress their -victuals beneath this shelter.” This basin is more minutely -described by Captain T. P. White in his “<i>Archæological -Sketches in Scotland</i>.” He says, “There is a small -basin, nearly oval in shape, neatly scooped out of a block, two feet -long by one and a half <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb44" href="#pb44" -name="pb44">44</a>]</span>wide, which exactly underlies a drip of water -from the roof of the cave. The water supply is said never to have -failed and always to keep the little basin full. Tradition calls it the -saint’s font or holy well.” Kieran is commemorated in -Kinloch-Kilkerran, the ancient name of the parish of Campbeltown. The -word means literally the head of the loch of Kieran’s cell. On -one occasion Kieran dropped his book of the Gospels into a lake. -Sometime after it was recovered in an uninjured state through the -instrumentality of a cow. The cow went into the water to cool itself, -and brought out the volume attached to its hoof. Another bovine -association is connected with the building of St. Kieran’s Church -on a hill at Errigall-keroge, in County Tyrone, Ireland. The saint had -an ox which, during the day, drew the materials for the building, and -in the evening was slaughtered to feed the workmen. The bones were -thrown each evening into a well at the foot of the hill, and, morning -by morning, the accommodating animal appeared ready for the day’s -work. The well is still held to be miraculous. There is a spring -dedicated to Kieran at Drumlithie, in Glenbervie parish, -Kincardineshire, and another at Stonehaven, in the same county. There -is one in Troqueer parish, Kirkcudbrightshire, locally known as St. -Jergon’s or St. Querdon’s Well, these names being simply an -altered form of Kieran.</p> -<p>Bridget or Bride, an Irish saint, was popular in Scotland. She -received baptism from Patrick, and <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb45" -href="#pb45" name="pb45">45</a>]</span>died in 525 after a life of -great sanctity. She was celebrated as a worker of miracles. She made a -cow supply an enormous quantity of milk to satisfy the wants of three -thirsty bishops who came to visit her. She also cured diseases. On one -occasion two men suffering from leprosy came to her to be healed. She -made the sign of the cross over water, and told them to wash in it. One -of the two did so and was instantly restored to health; but, refusing -to help the other, he at once became leprous again, while his companion -was as suddenly made whole. On another occasion she used the sign of -the cross to stay a company bent on the capture of a maiden who had -sought refuge in the saint’s nunnery. Perhaps her most wonderful -miracle was the hanging of her gown on a sunbeam, a somewhat unusual -cloak-peg, and one that, from the nature of the case, had not to be -sought in a dark press. Her principal monastery was at Kildare, so -named after the oak (dair) under whose shade her cell was built. -Adjoining St. Bride’s Churchyard in London is a spring dedicated -to the saint, and popularly styled Bride’s Well. The palace built -in the immediate neighbourhood went by the name of Bridewell. It was -handed over by Edward VI. to the city of London as a workhouse and -place of correction. At a later date the name became associated with -other houses used for a similar purpose. “Hence it has -arisen,” remarks Chambers in his “<i>Book of -Days</i>,” “that the pure and innocent Bridget, the first -of Irish nuns, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb46" href="#pb46" name= -"pb46">46</a>]</span>is now inextricably connected in our ordinary -national parlance with a class of beings of the most opposite -description.” There are fully a dozen wells in Scotland bearing -her name. These are chiefly to be found in the counties of Wigtown, -Dumfries, Peebles, Lanark, Renfrew, Dumbarton, Perth, Fife, and -Aberdeen. A monastery was founded in Bridget’s honour at -Abernethy, in Perthshire, probably in the eighth century, and she had -churches on the mainland and among the Western Islands. A curious -superstition connected with Bridget has survived to the present time, -at least in one of these islands. It has to do with a certain magical -flower styled torranain, that must be plucked during the influx of the -tide, and is of virtue to protect cows from the evil eye, and to make -them give a plentiful supply of milk. The Rev. Dr. Stewart, in his -“<i>’Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe</i>,” quotes the -incantation associated with it forwarded to him by a correspondent in -Uist. The following is one of the stanzas:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line xd26e997">“Let me pluck thee, Torranain!</p> -<p class="line">With all thy blessedness and all thy virtue.</p> -<p class="line">The nine blessings came with the nine parts.</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">By the virtue of the Torranain.</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">The hand of St. Bride with me</p> -<p class="line xd26e1007">I am now to pluck thee.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">A saint who could give efficacy to a spell was quite -the sort of person to be entrusted with the custody of springs.</p> -<p>Ninian, popularly called Ringan, devoted his life <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb47" href="#pb47" name="pb47">47</a>]</span>mainly -to missionary work among the Picts of Galloway, although he extended -his influence as far north as the Tay. He seems to have been honoured -in Aberdeenshire, if we may judge by a fresco, representing him, -discovered about thirty years ago in the pre-Reformation Church of -Turriff, and regard was had for him as far north as the Shetland Isles. -Even the Scot abroad did not forget him. Chalmers, in his -“<i>Caledonia</i>,” says that, “in the church of the -Carmelite Friars of Bruges in Flanders, the Scottish nation founded an -altar to St. Ninian, and endowed a chaplain who officiated at -it.” A cave by the sea in the parish of Glasserton, in -Wigtownshire, was his favourite retreat. This cave was explored about -ten years ago, and several stones, marked with incised crosses, were -discovered. Ninian brought masons from France, and at Whithorn built -Candida Casa—the first stone church in Scotland. It was in course -of construction in the year 397. Ninian then heard of the death of -Martin of Tours, and to the latter the new church was dedicated. These -two saints are found side by side in the matter of church dedications. -Thus, Martin was patron of Ulbster, in Caithness: not far off was a -church to Ninian. Strathmartin, in Forfarshire, was united in 1799 to -the parish of Mains, the latter claiming Ninian as its tutelar saint. -Sinavey Spring, in Mains parish, near the site of the ancient Castle of -Fintry, is believed to represent St. Ninian’s name in a corrupted -form. His springs are numerous, and have a wide range from the -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb48" href="#pb48" name= -"pb48">48</a>]</span>counties of Wigtown and Kirkcudbright to those of -Forfar and Kincardine. There is a well to him near Dunnottar Castle, in -the last-mentioned county. In the island of Sanda, off the Kintyre -coast, is a spring named after him. It had a considerable local -celebrity in former times. St. Ninian’s Well in Stirling is a -familiar spot in the district. There is a well sacred to Martin in the -Aberdeenshire parish of Cairnie. Martinmas (November 11th) came long -ago into our land as a church festival. It still remains with us as a -familiar term-day.</p> -<p>An incident in Martin’s biography has a bearing on our -subject, through the connection between the name of the festival -commemorating it and certain of our place-names. In Scotland, the -fourth of July used to be known as Martin of Bullion’s Day, in -honour of the translation of the saint’s body to a shrine in the -cathedral of Tours. There is some uncertainty about the origin of the -term Bullion, though, according to the likeliest etymology, it is -derived from the French bouiller, to boil, in allusion to the heat of -the weather at that time of the year. There is an old proverb that if -the deer rise up dry and lie down dry on Martin of Bullion’s Day, -there will be a good gose-harvest, <i>i.e.</i>, an early and plentiful -one. An annual fair was appointed to be held at Selkirk and in Dyce -parish, Aberdeenshire, in connection with the festival. There are -traces of both Martin and Bullion in Scottish topography. In Perthshire -there is the parish of St. Martin’s, containing the estate of St. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb49" href="#pb49" name= -"pb49">49</a>]</span>Martin’s Abbey. Some miles to the east is -Strathmartin in Forfarshire, already alluded to, and not far from it in -the same county we find Bullionfield in the parish of Liff and Benvie. -It is probable that these names are in some way connected together. In -Ecclesmachan parish in Linlithgowshire, there is, as far as we know, no -trace of Martin in any dedication of chapel or spring; but Bullion is -represented. There is a spring of this name issuing from the trap rocks -of the Tor Hill. It is a mineral well. The water is slightly -impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen. In former times it was much -resorted to by health-seekers, but it is now neglected.</p> -<p>Ninian consecrated a graveyard beside the Molendinar at Cathures, -now Glasgow. About a hundred years later Kentigern, otherwise Mungo, -bishop of the Strathclyde kingdom, brought to this cemetery from -Carnock the body of Fergus, an anchorite, on a cart drawn by two wild -bulls. Over the spot where Fergus was buried was built, at a later -date, the crypt of what was to have been the south transept of the -cathedral, had that portion of the structure ever been reared. The -crypt is now popularly called Blackadder’s Aisle, though, as Dr. -Andrew MacGeorge points out in his “<i>Old Glasgow</i>,” it -ought to be called Fergus’ Isle. It was so named in a minute of -the kirk-session in 1648, and an inscription in long Gothic letters on -a stone in the roof of the aisle tells the same tale. Kentigern took up -his abode on the banks of the Molendinar, and gathered round him a -company <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb50" href="#pb50" name= -"pb50">50</a>]</span>of monks, each dwelling in a separate hut. In the -twelfth century the spot was surrounded by a dense forest, and in 1500 -the “Arbores sancti Kentigerni” were landmarks in the -district. Kentigern’s Well, now in the lower church of the -cathedral, must, from the very fact of its inclusion within the -building, have been deemed sacred before the cathedral was reared. -Other examples of wells within churches are on record, though not in -Scotland. There is a spring in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. -The cathedrals of Carlisle, Winchester, and Canterbury, and the -minsters of York and Beverley, as well as one of two English parish -churches, either now have or once had wells within their walls. The -Rev. T. F. Thiselton Dyer gives several examples in his -“<i>Church Lore Gleanings</i>,” and remarks, “Such -wells may have been of special service in Border churches, which, like -the cathedral of Carlisle, served as places of refuge for the -inhabitants in case of sudden alarm or foray.”</p> -<p>Besides his well in the cathedral, Kentigern had another dedicated -to him at Glasgow, close to Little St. Mungo’s Church, in the -immediate neighbourhood of the trees already mentioned. There are fully -a dozen wells sacred to him north of the Tweed. As might be expected, -these are almost all to be found in the counties south of the Forth and -Clyde, and particularly in those to the west of that district. There is -one in Kincardineshire, at Kinneff, locally known as Kenty’s -Well. Under the name of St. Mongah’s Well there is a spring -dedicated to him in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb51" href="#pb51" -name="pb51">51</a>]</span>Yorkshire at Copgrove Park four miles from -Boroughbridge. A bath close by, supplied with water from this spring, -was formerly much frequented by invalids of all ages, who remained -immersed for a longer or shorter time in its intensely cold water. -Other wells to Kentigern are to be met with in the north of England. -The parish of Crossthwaite in Cumberland has its church dedicated to -him. The spot was the thwaite or clearing in the wood where he set up -his cross. Thanet Well, in Greystoke parish in the same county, is -believed to have derived its name from Tanew or Thenew, -Kentigern’s mother, familiar to the citizens of Glasgow as St. -Enoch. St. Enoch’s Well, close to St. Enoch’s Square in -that burgh, used to be a favourite resort of health-seekers. It has now -no existence.</p> -<p>Cuthbert, besides a well at St. Boswell’s, in Roxburghshire, -had a bath in Strath Tay<span class="corr" id="xd26e1044" title= -"Not in source">,</span> a rock-hewn hollow full of water where he -periodically passed several hours in devotion. This famous Northumbrian -missionary was born about 635, and spent his early boyhood as a -shepherd on the southern slopes of the Lammermoors. He lived for -thirteen years as a monk in the monastery of Old Melrose, situated two -miles east from the present Melrose on a piece of land almost -surrounded by the Tweed. On the death of Boisil, Cuthbert was appointed -prior. He afterwards became bishop of Lindisfarne. During his stay at -Melrose he visited the land of the Niduarian Picts, in other words the -Picts of Galloway, and left a <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb52" href= -"#pb52" name="pb52">52</a>]</span>record of his journey in the name of -Kirkcudbright, <i>i.e.</i>, the Church of Cuthbert. Various other -churches were dedicated to him in the south of Scotland and in the -north of England. A well-known Edinburgh parish bears his name. He was -honoured as far south as Cornwall. St. Cuby’s Well, locally -called St. Kilby’s, between Duloe and Sandplace in that county is -believed to have been dedicated to him.</p> -<p>There is a good deal of uncertainty about the history of Palladius. -He is believed to have been a missionary from Rome to the Irish in the -fifth century, and to have suffered martyrdom for the faith. It is -recorded of him that on one occasion, by removing some turf in the name -of the Holy Spirit, he caused a spring to gush forth to supply water -for baptism. He is popularly associated with Kincardineshire, though -there is reason to believe that he had no personal connection with the -district. A spring in Fordoun parish is locally known as Paldy’s -Well, and an annual market goes by the name of Paldy’s or -Paddy’s Fair. A chapel was dedicated to him there, and received -his relics, brought thither by his disciple Terrananus, whose name is -still preserved in Banchory-Ternan, and who seems to have belonged to -the district. Ternan has a well at Banchory-Devenick, and another at -Kirkton-of-Slains, in Buchan. The old church of Arbuthnot was dedicated -to him. It was for this church that the Missal, Psalter, and Office of -the Virgin, now in the possession of Viscount Arbuthnot, were written -and illuminated towards the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb53" href= -"#pb53" name="pb53">53</a>]</span>end of the fifteenth century, these -being the only <i>complete</i> set of Service-Books of a Scottish -Church that have come down to us from pre-Reformation times.</p> -<p>Brendan of Clonfert in Ireland, visited several of the Western Isles -during the first half of the sixth century, and various churches were -afterwards dedicated to him there. He is connected also with Bute. The -name Brandanes, applied to its inhabitants, came from him, and he bids -fair to be remembered in the name of Kilbrandon Sound, between Arran -and Kintyre. He was patron of a well in the island of Barra and was -tutelar saint of Boyndie and Cullen in Banffshire; but we are not aware -that any well at either of these places was called after him.</p> -<p>A curious legend is related to account for the origin of the See of -Aberdeen. According to it Machar or Macarius, along with twelve -companions, received instructions from Columba to wander over Pictland, -and to build his cathedral-church where he found a river making a bend -like a bishop’s staff. Such a bend was found in the Don at Old -Aberdeen. St. Machar’s Cathedral, built beside it, keeps alive -the saint’s memory. In the neighbouring grounds of Seton is St. -Machar’s Well. Though now neglected, it was honoured in former -times, and its water was used at baptisms in the cathedral. Under the -name of Mocumma or Mochonna, Macarius appears as one of the followers -of Columba on his memorable voyage <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb54" -href="#pb54" name="pb54">54</a>]</span>from Ireland to Iona. He is said -to have visited Pope Gregory the Great at Rome, and to have been for a -time bishop of Tours. In Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, is a well sacred to -him called Tobar-Mhachar, pronounced in the district Tobar-Vacher.</p> -<p>Constantine, known also by his other names of Cowstan, Chouslan, and -Cutchou, was a prince of Cornwall in the sixth century, and was -acquainted with Columba and Kentigern. He relinquished his throne and -crossed over to Ireland, where he turned monk. At a later date he came -to the west of Scotland, and founded a monastery at Golvedir, believed -to be Govan, near Glasgow, and, according to Fordun, became its abbot. -Kilchouslan Church, on the north side of Campbeltown Bay, Kintyre, was -built in his honour. In its graveyard there is, or was till quite -lately, a round stone about the size of a grinding stone. In the centre -is a hole large enough to let the hand pass through. There is a -tradition that if a man and woman eloped, and were able to join hands -through this hole before being overtaken by their kinsfolk they were -free from further pursuit. In the spring of 1892 an interesting find of -old coins was made in the same graveyard. These consisted of groats and -half-groats, some of English and some of Scottish coinage, the earliest -belonging to the reign of Edward II. of England. According to Martin, -the well of St. Cowstan at Garrabost, in Lewis, was believed never to -boil any kind of meat, though its water was kept over the fire for a -whole day. This <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb55" href="#pb55" name= -"pb55">55</a>]</span>well is on a steep slope at the shore. Not far off -once stood St. Cowstan’s Chapel, but its site is now under -tillage.</p> -<p>Serf or Servanus, who flourished during the latter half of the -seventh century, was connected with the district north of the Firth of -Forth, particularly with Culross, and the island named after him in -Loch Leven, where he founded a monastery. At Dysart, Serf had a cave, -and in it tradition says that he held a discussion with the devil. The -name of Dysart indeed, comes from this <i lang="la">desertum</i> or -retreat. Serf had a cell at Dunning, in Strathearn, where he died in -the odour of sanctity. He had also some link with the parish of -Monzievaird, where the church was dedicated to him, and where a small -loch still goes by the name of St. Serf’s Water. There is a well -sacred to him at Alva. St. Shear’s Well, at Dumbarton, retains -his name in an altered form. Early last century this spring was put to -a practical purpose, as arrangements were then made to lead its water -across the Leven by pipes to supply the burgh. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb56" href="#pb56" name="pb56">56</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch4" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e204">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER IV.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">More Saints and Springs.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Ronan—Dow Well—Influence on -Topography—Ronan’s Springs—Pol Ronan and Feill -Ronan—Fergus—His Well in Banffshire—Glamis—His -Relics—His Wells at Montrose and Wick—Helen—St. -Helen’s Kirk—Her Springs—Her connection with -Britain—Her Wells and Churches in England—Welsh -Traditions—St. Abb’s Well—Ebba—Aidan—His -Wells—Boisil—His Springs—St. Boswell’s -Fair—Bathan—Abbey St. Bathan’s—His Well -there—Boniface—His Well and Fair at -Rosemarkie—Catherine of Alexandria—Her Legend—Her -Wells—Various other Dedications—Lawrence—His -Wells—St. Lawrence’s Fair—His Church -Dedications—Laurencekirk—Margaret—Her connection with -Queensferry and Forfar—Her Wells at Edinburgh—Her Cave and -Spring at Dunfermline—Wells dedicated to various Characters in -Sacred Story.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">In any notice of early saints Ronan must not be -forgotten, especially when we remember that perhaps no spring, thanks -to Sir Walter Scott, is so familiar to the general reader as St. -Ronan’s Well. It has been commonly identified with the mineral -well at Innerleithen, in Peeblesshire for long held in much favour in -cases of eye and skin complaints, and also for the cure of dyspepsia. -The spring is situated a short distance above the town on the skirt of -Lee Pen. The writer of the article on Innerleithen <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb57" href="#pb57" name="pb57">57</a>]</span>parish -in the “<i>New Statistical Account of Scotland</i>” says -that this spring “was formerly called the ‘Dow-well’ -from the circumstance that, long before the healing virtues of the -water were discovered, pigeons from the neighbouring country resorted -to it.” The name, however, is more probably derived from the -Gaelic <i>dhu</i> or <i>dubh</i>, signifying <i>black</i>. This is all -the more likely when we remember that the ground around was wet and -miry before the spring was put into order, and the present pump-room -built, in 1826. We find marks of Ronan in Scottish topography. In -Dumbartonshire is Kilmaronock, meaning, literally, the Church of my -little Ronan; Kilmaronog near Loch Etive has the same signification. -Dr. Skene refers to these two dedications, and adds, “Ronan -appears to have carried his mission to the Isles. He has left his trace -in Iona, where one of the harbours is Port Ronan. The church, -afterwards the parish church, was dedicated to him, and is called -Teampull Ronaig, and its burying-ground, Cladh Ronan. Then we find him -at Rona, in the Sound of Skye, and another Rona, off the coast of -Lewis; and, finally, his death is recorded in 737 as Ronan, abbot of -Cinngaradh or Kingarth, in Bute.” Ronan is patron of various -springs. There is one sacred to him near Kilmaronock, another in the -Aberdeenshire parish of Strathdon, and another, already referred to, -beside Teampull Mòr, in the Butt of Lewis. The parish of -Strowan, now joined to that of Monzievaird, has a well to the saint. -This was to <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb58" href="#pb58" name= -"pb58">58</a>]</span>be expected, since the name of the parish is -merely an altered form of St. Rowan or Ronan. About a hundred yards -above the bridge of Strowan, there is a deep pool in the river Earn, -called Pol-Ronan, and a piece of ground hard by was formerly the site -of the yearly gathering known as Feill-Ronan or St. Ronan’s -Fair.</p> -<p>The parish of St. Fergus, in Buchan, known till the year 1616 as -Langley, commemorates an Irish missionary of the eighth century, who -led a roving life, if we can believe the tradition, that he evangelised -Caithness, Buchan, Strathearn, and Forfarshire, as well as attended an -Ecclesiastical Council at Rome. The legend that his well in Kirkmichael -parish, Banffshire, was at one time in Italy may be connected with his -visit to Rome. Concerning this spring, the Rev. Dr. Gregor gives the -following particulars:—“Fergan Well is situated on the -south-east side of Knock-Fergan, a hill of considerable height on the -west side of the river Avon, opposite the manse of Kirkmichael. The -first Sunday of May and Easter Sunday were the principal Sundays for -visiting it, and many from the surrounding parishes, who were affected -with skin diseases or running sores, came to drink of its water, and to -wash in it. The hour of arrival was twelve o’clock at night, and -the drinking of the water and the washing of the diseased part took -place before or at sunrise. A quantity of the water was carried home -for future use. Pilgrimages were made up to the end of September, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb59" href="#pb59" name= -"pb59">59</a>]</span>by which time the healing virtues of the water had -become less. Such after-visits seem to have begun in later -times.” Fergus died at Glamis, and his relics soon began to work -cures. His head was carried off to the monastery of Scone, and was so -much esteemed in later times that, by order of James IV., a silver case -was made for it. His cave and well are to be seen at Glamis. There is a -spring dedicated to him near Montrose, and there is another at -Wick.</p> -<p>Various other saintly personages have left traces of their names in -holy wells. Chalmers, in his “<i>Caledonia</i>,” mentions -that the ancient church of Aldcamus, in Cockburnspath parish, -Berwickshire, was dedicated to Helen, mother of Constantine, and that -its ruins were known as St. Helen’s Kirk. A portion of the -building still stands. To the north of it is a burying-ground; but, -curiously enough, as Mr. Muir points out in his “<i>Ancient -Churches of Scotland</i>,” the spot does not appear ever to have -been used for purposes of sepulture. We do not know surely of any -spring to Helen in the immediate neighbourhood, but there is one at -Darnick, near Melrose. Another is in Kirkpatrick-Fleming parish, -Dumfriesshire. Perhaps the best known is St. Helen’s Well, beside -the highway from Maybole to Ayr, about two-and-a-half miles from the -former town. It was much resorted to on May Day for the cure of sickly -children. On Timothy Pont’s map, of date 1654, there is a -“Helen’s Loch” marked a <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb60" href="#pb60" name="pb60">60</a>]</span>little to the south-west -of Camelon, in Stirlingshire. Some writers have attempted to claim -Helen as a native of Britain, and Colchester and York have, for -different reasons, been fixed on as her birth-place. The circumstance -that Constantine was proclaimed Emperor at the latter town, on the -death there of his father, Constantius Chlorus, probably gave rise to -the tradition. Anyhow, Helen seems to have been held in high honour in -England. In an article in the “<i>Archæological -Journal</i>” for December, 1891, Mr. Edward Peacock mentions that -there are at least fifteen wells named after her south of the Tweed. He -adds, “there are many churches dedicated to the honour of St. -Helen in England, but they are very irregularly distributed. None seems -to occur in Cumberland, Westmoreland, or Essex. The rest of the English -shires, for which we have authentic information, give the following -results:—Devonshire, three; Durham, two; Kent, one; Lincolnshire, -twenty-eight; Northumberland, three; Nottinghamshire, fifteen; -Yorkshire, thirty-two.” Helen’s name occurs in Welsh -legends; but, as Mr. Peacock observes, “early history is so much -distorted in them, that, if we did not know of her from more authentic -sources, we might well believe Helen to have been a mere creation of -the fervid Keltic imagination.” As far as is known there are -neither wells nor church dedications to her in the Principality.</p> -<p>At Ayton, in Berwickshire, we find St. Abb’s Well, recalling -Abb or Æbba, who, in the seventh century, <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb61" href="#pb61" name="pb61">61</a>]</span>presided -over a monastery on the headland still bearing her name, and in whose -honour the priory at Coldingham was founded by Edgar, son of Malcolm -Canmore, some four centuries and a half later. Her monastery on the -headland was founded by Aidan, who was sent from Iona to the North of -England in response to a request from King Oswald, of Bernicia, for a -missionary to preach Christianity to his pagan subjects. This was about -the year 635. Aidan made the island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of -Northumberland, his head-quarters. It is still known as Holy Island. -Aidan has not been forgotten in the matter of wells. There are four to -him, viz., at Menmuir and at Fearn, in Forfarshire; at Balmerino, in -Fife; and at Cambusnethan, in Lanarkshire. This last, called St. -Iten’s Well, was noted for the cure of asthma and -skin-disease.</p> -<p>Boisil, abbot of the monastery of Old Melrose, about the middle of -the seventh century, still lives in the name of the Roxburghshire -village and parish of St. Boswell’s. There is a spring in the -parish bearing the name of The Well-brae Wall. Boswell’s own -spring is popularly styled the Hare-well. Not far from both is St. -Boswell’s Burn, a tributary of the Tweed. The local fair held on -July 18th, in honour of the saint, used to be a notable one in the -border counties, and was frequented by large numbers of gipsies who set -up booths for the sale of their wares.</p> -<p>Bathan, who flourished in the early seventh century, had to do with -Shetland, and with the region about <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb62" -href="#pb62" name="pb62">62</a>]</span>the Whittadder, in Berwickshire. -Abbey St. Bathans, in the latter county, is named after him. His well -is on one of the haughs beside the river, not far from the ruined -nunnery. Its water is believed never to freeze.</p> -<p>Boniface belonged to the same century. He is said to have preached -Christianity at Gowrie, in Pictavia, and afterwards at Rosemarkie, in -the Black Isle, where he died at the age of eighty, and was buried in -the church of St. Peter. A well and a fair at Rosemarkie still keep -alive his memory.</p> -<p>The fame of Catherine of Alexandria travelled to Scotland at a -comparatively early period. This holy maiden was noted for her -learning<span class="corr" id="xd26e1134" title="Source: ,">.</span> -Indeed she was so wise that Maxentius the Emperor called her a -“second Plato.” The Emperor’s compliments, however, -stopped there, for he ordered her to be executed on account of her -contempt for paganism. The wheel, her usual attribute in art, was not -the instrument of her martyrdom, as it was miraculously destroyed. She -met her death by being beheaded, and, immediately thereafter, her body -was carried by angels to Mount Sinai. These and other legendary -incidents must have conduced to make the saint popular. St. -Catherine’s Balm-well, at Liberton, Mid-Lothian, had a high -reputation for curing skin-disease. Martin speaks of a well to St. -Catherine on the south coast of Eigg, reckoned by the islanders a -specific in all kinds of disease. He gives the following account of its -dedication by Father Hugh, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb63" href= -"#pb63" name="pb63">63</a>]</span>a priest, and of the respect paid to -the spring in consequence:—“He (the priest) obliged all the -inhabitants to come to this well, and then employed them to bring -together a great heap of stones at the head of the spring by way of -penance. This being done, he said Mass at the well, and then -consecrated it; he gave each of the inhabitants a piece of wax candle, -which they lighted, and all of them made the Dessil,—of going -round the well sun-ways, the priest leading them; and from that time it -was accounted unlawful to boil any meat with the water of this -well.” In the south-west of Scotland, Catherine has, or had, -three wells, viz., at Stoneykirk, at Low Drumore, and at Old Luce, -opposite the Abbey. In the north-east there are three, viz., at Fyvie, -Aberdeenshire; and in Alvah parish, Banffshire; and at Banff itself. At -Shotts, in Lanarkshire, the fountain by the roadside immediately below -the parish church is, or at least was, locally known as Cat’s or -Kate’s Well—a contraction of the Saint’s -name—reminding one of the Kate Kennedy celebration at St. Andrews -University, which originated in connection with the gift of a bell by -Bishop Kennedy in honour of the saint. The ruins of Caibeal Cairine, -i.e., Catherine’s Chapel, are in Southend parish, Kintyre, and -two farms called North and South Carine are in the immediate -neighbourhood. Captain White, when exploring the district, sought for -St. Catherine’s Well in the adjoining glen, but failed to find -it. A chapel to the saint once stood in the <i>quondam</i> town of -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb64" href="#pb64" name= -"pb64">64</a>]</span>Kincardine in the Mearns. Its graveyard alone -remains. St. Catherine’s Fair, held at Kincardine till the year -1612, was then transferred to the neighbouring Fettercairn. There is -perhaps no place-name more familiar to visitors to Inveraray than St. -Catherine’s, on the opposite shore of Loch Fyne. It was in St. -Catherine’s Aisle, within the parish church of Linlithgow, that -James IV. saw the mysterious <span class="corr" id="xd26e1144" title= -"Source: apparation">apparition</span> that warned him to beware of -Flodden. At Port-Erin, in the Isle of Man, is a spring close to the -beach, and on a stone beside it in old lettering, can be read the piece -of advice:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“St. Catherine’s Well,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Keep me clean.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Lawrence is represented by various springs, viz., by -one in Kirkcudbrightshire, at Fairgirth; by one in Elginshire, at New -Duffus; and by two in Aberdeenshire, at Kinnord; and at Rayne, where a -horse market, called Lawrence Fair, is still held annually in August. -Near the Fairgirth spring stand the ivy-clad ruins of St. -Lawrence’s Chapel, at one time surrounded by a graveyard. The -parish of Slamannan, in Stirlingshire, was anciently called St. -Lawrence, its pre-Reformation church having been dedicated to him. An -excellent spring, not far from the parish church, is known as St. -Lawrence’s Well. There is reason to believe that all these -dedications relate to Lawrence, who, about the middle of the third -century, suffered at Rome, by being broiled over a slow fire, and in -whose honour the Escurial in Spain was built <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb65" href="#pb65" name="pb65">65</a>]</span>in the -form of a gridiron—the supposed instrument of his martyrdom. -Laurencekirk, in Kincardineshire, anciently called Conveth, received -its name, not from the martyr, but from Lawrence, archbishop of -Canterbury, successor of Augustine, early in the seventh century. He is -said to have visited the Mearns. The church of Conveth was named in his -honour Laurencekirk. As far as we know, however, there is no spring to -him in the district.</p> -<p>Margaret, queen and saint, wife of Malcolm Canmore, was a light amid -the darkness of the eleventh century. Indeed she was a light to many -later centuries. The secret of her beneficial influence lay in her -personal character, and she undoubtedly did much to recommend -civilisation to a barbarous age. At the same time it must not be -forgotten that through her English training she was unable to -appreciate either the speech or the special religious institutions of -her Scottish subjects, and that, accordingly, the changes introduced by -her were not all reforms. When sketching her influence on the history -of her time, the Rev. Dr. M’Lauchlan, in his “<i>Early -Scottish Church</i>,” observes, “She was somewhat -unwillingly hindered from entering a monastery by her marriage with -Malcolm, and the latter repaid the obligation by unbounded devotion to -her and readiness to fall in with all her schemes. She was brought up -in the Anglo-Saxon Church, as that Church was moulded by Augustine and -other emissaries of Rome, and was in consequence naturally <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb66" href="#pb66" name="pb66">66</a>]</span>opposed -to many of the peculiarities of the Scottish Church, which was still -without diocesan bishops, and had many things in its forms of worship -peculiar to itself.” Dunfermline was Malcolm’s favourite -place of residence, and many were the journeys made by his wife between -it and Edinburgh. The names of North and South Queensferry, where she -crossed the Forth, tell of these royal expeditions. Malcolm and -Margaret were associated with the town of Forfar. Local topography has -still its King’s Muir, and its Queen’s Well to testify to -the fact; and on the Inch of Forfar Loch, where Margaret had a -residence, an annual celebration was long held in her honour. She had a -spring at Edinburgh Castle, described as “the fountain which -rises near the corner of the King’s Garden, on the road leading -to St. Cuthbert’s Church.” St. Margaret’s -Well—once at Restalrig, now in the Queen’s Park—has -already been referred to. At Dunfermline there is a spring in a cave -where, according to tradition, she spent many an hour in pious -meditation. The cave is about seven feet in height, fully eight in -breadth, and varies in depth from eight to eleven. “This -cave,” remarks the Rev. Peter Chalmers in his “<i>History -of Dunfermline</i>,” “is situated at a short distance north -from the Tower Hill, and from the mound crossing the ravine on which -part of the town stands. There is at present a small spring well at the -bottom, the water of which rises at times and covers the whole lower -space; but anciently, it is to be presumed, there was none, or at -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb67" href="#pb67" name= -"pb67">67</a>]</span>least it must have been covered, and prevented -from overflowing the floor, which would either have been formed of the -rock or have been paved.” A considerable amount of rubbish -accumulated in the cave, but this was removed in 1877. “During -the process of clearing out the cave,” remarks Dr. Henderson in -his “<i>Annals of Dunfermline</i>,” “two stone seats -or benches were discovered along the base of the north and south sides, -but there were no carvings or devices seen on them. Near the back of -the cave a small sunk well was found, but it is now covered over with a -stone flag.”</p> -<p>Several Scripture characters have wells named after them. St. -Matthew has springs at Kirkton, Dumfriesshire, and at Roslin, -Midlothian. St. Andrew’s name is attached to wells at Sandal, in -Kintyre; at North Berwick, in East Lothian; at Shadar, in Lewis; and at -Selkirk—this last having been uncovered in 1892, after remaining -closed, it is believed, for fully three hundred years. A spring at St. -Andrews, called Holy Well, is understood to have been dedicated either -to Andrew or to Regulus. St. Paul has springs at Fyvie and at -Linlithgow; St. Philip is patron of one in Yarrow parish, Selkirkshire; -St. James has one at Garvock, in Aberdeenshire; St. Thomas has -three—at Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire; at Crieff, in Perthshire; and -near Stirling; and St. John has a considerable number of springs. Some -of these are to the Evangelist, and some to the Baptist. It is often -difficult to know to which of the two the patronage of a given well -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb68" href="#pb68" name= -"pb68">68</a>]</span>should be ascribed. Of the four chapels along the -east wall of the <i>lower church</i> of Glasgow Cathedral, the one next -to St. Mungo’s Well was dedicated in pre-Reformation times to St. -John the Evangelist. It would have been more appropriately dedicated to -the Baptist. St. John’s Wells are to be found at Moffat, in -Dumfriesshire; at Logie Coldstone, in Aberdeenshire; near Fochabers, in -Elginshire; at Inverkeithing, Balmerino; and Falkland, in Fife; at -Kinnethmont, and in New Aberdour, in Aberdeenshire; at Marykirk, in -Kincardineshire; at Kirkton of Deskford, at Ordiquhill, and also near -the old church of Gamrie, in Banffshire; at Stranraer, in Wigtownshire; -at Dunrobin, in Sutherland; and elsewhere. There are more than a dozen -wells to St. Peter. These are to be found mainly in counties in the -south-west, and in the north-east. In the latter district there is a -well at Marnoch, in Banffshire, called Petrie’s Well.</p> -<p>St<span class="corr" id="xd26e1181" title="Not in source">.</span> -Anne, the reputed mother of the Virgin, presided over wells at -Ladykirk, in Berwickshire; near the old church of St. Anne, in Dowally -parish, Perthshire; and at Glass, on the Deveron. The Virgin herself -was specially popular as the patroness of fountains. There are <i>over -seventy</i> dedicated to her under a variety of names, such as, St. -Mary’s Well, Maria Well, &c. The town of Motherwell, in -Lanarkshire, was so called after a famous well to the Virgin. -Tobermory, in Mull—literally, Well of Mary—was originally a -fountain. A village was built beside it, in 1788, as a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb69" href="#pb69" name="pb69">69</a>]</span>fishing -centre for the British Fisheries’ Company. A curious legend about -the now ivy-clad ruins of the church of St. Mary in Auchindoir parish, -Aberdeenshire, is thus referred to by Mr. A. Jervise in the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” vol. viii. (old series):—“According to -tradition, it was originally proposed to rebuild the church at a place -called Kirkcairns (now Glencairns) to the south of Lumsden village, and -but for the warning voice of the Virgin, who appears to have been a -good judge both of locality and soil, the kirk would have been placed -in an obscure sterile district. Besides being in the neighbourhood of -good land, fine views of the upper part of Strathbogie and of the -surrounding hills are obtained from the present site …. -St. Mary’s Well is about a hundred yards to the west.”</p> -<p>If Michael the Archangel did not fold his wings over any Scottish -wells, he at least gave name to several. There is a St. Michael’s -Spring in Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, and another at Dallas in -Elginshire. In both cases, the ancient church was dedicated to him. -Culsalmond, in Aberdeenshire, and Applegarth, in Dumfriesshire, have, -and Edinburgh once had, a St. Michael’s Well. The best known is -probably the one at Linlithgow, with its quaint -inscription—“Saint Michael is kinde to straingers.” -Mr. J. R. Walker—to whose list of Holy Wells in the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” vol. v. (new series), we have been indebted for -various <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb70" href="#pb70" name= -"pb70">70</a>]</span>useful hints—remarks, “The building -covering this well dates only from 1720 …. It is -conjectured that the statue was taken from the Cross-well when restored -about that date and placed here to represent St. Michael, who is the -patron saint of Linlithgow Church …. With the exception of -the statue, which is undoubtedly of much earlier date than 1720, the -structure shows the utter absence of architectural -knowledge—especially Gothic—characteristic of the last -century in Scotland. Michael was tutelar saint, not only of the church, -but also of the burgh of Linlithgow. In the town Arms he is represented -with outspread wings, standing on a serpent whose head he is piercing -with a spear. He was also the guardian of the burgh of Dumfries. At -Inverlussa, in North Knapdale parish, Argyllshire, may be seen the -ancient chapel and burying-ground of Kilmichael. A well in the -immediate neighbourhood is dedicated, not to the archangel, but to some -local ecclesiastic, whose name is now forgotten. In reference to this -spring, Captain White says, “Trickling out from under a rock, is -the Priest’s Well (Tobar-ant-Sagairt), famous, like many another -spring of so-called holy water, for its miraculous healing virtues. I -believe the country people have by no means lost their faith in its -powers.” The extent of the archangel’s popularity in -Scotland is shown by his impress on topography. Among place-names we -find <i>at least three</i> Kilmichaels, and there are <i>five</i> -parishes called Kirkmichael, respectively in the counties of Dumfries, -Ayr, Perth, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb71" href="#pb71" name= -"pb71">71</a>]</span>Ross and Cromarty, and Banff. A chapel is said to -have been dedicated to him at a very early date on the top of the -Castle Rock at Edinburgh. Another once stood in the demesne of Lovat, -where was founded, about 1232, a Priory for French monks, who were so -struck with the beauty of the spot that they called it Beau-lieu, now -Beauly. Far west, in the outer Hebrides, he had faithful votaries. On -the island of Grimisay, close to North Uist, a chapel styled Teampull -Mhicheil was built in his honour towards the close of the fourteenth -century. It was the work of Amie, otherwise Annie, wife of John of -Isla, first Lord of the Isles, and was used by her as an oratory when -prevented by rough weather from crossing the Minch to visit her friends -in Lorne. That the archangel should have had wells named after him is -therefore not surprising. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb72" href= -"#pb72" name="pb72">72</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch5" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e214">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER V.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Stone Blocks and Saints’ -Springs.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Stone Beds and Chairs—Cave Life—Dwarfie -Stone—Stone Boats—Balthere—His Corpse—His Well -and Cradle—Marnan—His Influence on Topography—His -Head—St. Marnan’s Chair and -Well—Muchricha—Cathair Donan—St. Donan’s -Well—Patrick—His Wells—St. Patrick’s -Vat—Quarry at Portpatrick—Columbanus—Mark of his -Hand—Kentigern’s Chair and Bed—His connection with -Aberdeenshire—The Lady’s -Bed—Thenew—Columba’s Bed and Pillow—Holy -Island—Traces of Molio—St. Blane’s -Chapel—Kilmun—Inan—St. Innian’s -Well—Tenant’s Day—St. Inan’s Chair and -Springs—Kevin—Print of Virgin’s Knee—Traces of -Columba at Keil—St. Cuthbert’s Stane—St. -Madron’s Bed—Mean-an-Tol—Morwenna—St. -Fillan’s Chair—St. Fillan’s Spring—Water for -Sore Eyes—The Two Fillans—Their Dedications—Queen -Margaret’s Seat—St. Bonnet’s Spring—The -Fairies’ Cradle—The Pot o’ Pittenyoul—Church of -Invergowrie—Greystane—Cadger’s -Bridge—Wallace’s Seat and Well.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Beds and Chairs of stone are connected with various -early saints, and as such relics are often associated with holy wells, -some notice of these may not be without interest. We have already seen -that cave life was rather popular among these early missionaries. -Anything of a rocky nature was therefore quite in line with their -ascetic ways. Hoy, one of the Orkney Islands, famous for its wild -scenery, and specially for the pillar of rock popularly <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb73" href="#pb73" name="pb73">73</a>]</span>styled -The Old Man, contains a curious monument of antiquity in the shape of a -large block of sandstone called The Dwarfie Stone, hollowed out long -ago by some unknown hand. The chamber, thus excavated, contains two -beds hewn out of the stone, one of them having a pillow of the same -hard material. On the floor of the chamber is a hearth where a fire had -evidently burned, and in the roof is a hole for the escape of the -smoke. Legend reports that a giant and his wife abode within; but the -hollow space was more probably the retreat of some -hermit—perhaps, of more than one, seeing there are two couches; -though, possibly, one of the supposed couches may have been a table and -the other a bed. Perhaps the anchorite had his spring whither he -wandered daily to slake his thirst; but, as far as we know, there is no -tradition regarding any holy well in the neighbourhood.</p> -<p>Martin, in connection with his visit to Orkney, refers to a stone in -the chapel of Ladykirk, in South Ronaldshay, called St. Magnus’s -Boat. The stone was four feet in length, and tapered away at both ends; -but its special feature was the print of two human feet on the upper -surface. A local tradition affirmed that when St. Magnus wanted on one -occasion to cross the Pentland Firth to Caithness he used this stone as -his boat, and that he afterwards carried it to Ladykirk. According to -another tradition, the stone served in pre-Reformation times for the -punishment of delinquents, who were obliged to <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb74" href="#pb74" name="pb74">74</a>]</span>stand -barefooted upon it by way of penance. There is a St. Magnus’s -Well, not in South Ronaldshay, however, but at Birsay, in the mainland -of Orkney. When Conval crossed from Ireland to Scotland, in the seventh -century, he, too, made a block of stone do duty as a boat. It found a -resting-place beside the river Cart, near Renfrew, and was known as -<i>Currus Sancti Convalli</i>. By its means miraculous cures were -wrought on man and beast. A rock at the mouth of Aldham Bay, in -Haddingtonshire, is known as St. Baudron’s Boat, and tradition -says that he crossed on it from the Bass, where he had a cell. This -saint—called also Balthere and Baldred—founded the -monastery of Tyningham, and died early in the seventh century. He must -have been popular in the district, for, if we can believe an old -legend, the parishioners of the churches of Aldham, Tyningham, and -Prestonkirk tried to get possession of his relics. To satisfy their -demands his body was miraculously multiplied by three, and each church -was thus provided with one. Near Tantallon Castle is St. -Baldred’s Well, and a fissure in the cliff at Whitberry, not far -from the mouth of the Tyne, is known as St. Baldred’s Bed or -Cradle.</p> -<p>Marnan or Marnoch, besides giving name to the town of Kilmarnock, in -Ayrshire, and to the Island of Inchmarnoch, off Bute, is remembered in -the name of the Banffshire parish of Marnoch, where he laboured as a -missionary in the seventh century. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb75" -href="#pb75" name="pb75">75</a>]</span>His head was kept as a revered -relic in the church of Aberchirder, and solemn oaths were sworn by it. -Use was also made of it for therapeutic purposes. It was periodically -washed, and the water was given to the sick for the restoration of -their health. This was not an isolated case. Bede tells us, that after -Cuthbert’s death, some of the water in which his body was washed, -was given to an epileptic boy along with some consecrated earth, and -brought about a cure. A stone, called St. Marnan’s Chair, is, or -was till lately, to be seen at Aberchirder; and a spring, near the -parish manse, bears the saint’s name. About a mile and a half -from the church of Aboyne, in Aberdeenshire, is St. Muchricha’s -Well, and beside it is a stone marked with a cross. At one time, this -stone was removed. According to a local tradition, it was brought back -by Muchricha, the guardian of the well, who seemed unwilling to lose -sight of the lost property. In the parish of Kildonan, Sutherland, two -or three blocks of stone, placed in the form of a seat, went by the -name of Cathair Donan, <i>i.e.</i>, Donan’s Chair. In his -<i>cille</i> or church, Donan taught the truths of Christianity; and, -seated in his <i>cathair</i>, he administered justice to the people of -the district. There is a St. Donan’s Well in Eigg, the island -where the saint and his companion clerics were murdered by the natives -early in the seventh century.</p> -<p>Patrick, the well-known missionary of Ireland, was reverenced also -in Scotland. There is a well <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb76" href= -"#pb76" name="pb76">76</a>]</span>dedicated to him in the parish of -Muthill, Perthshire, and close to it once stood a chapel, believed to -have borne his name. From the article on Muthill parish, in the -“<i>New Statistical Account of Scotland</i>,” we learn that -in former times the inhabitants of the district held the saint’s -memory “in such veneration that, on his day, neither the clap of -the mill was heard nor the plough seen to move in the furrow.” -There is a well dedicated to him in Dalziel parish, Lanarkshire. About -sixty yards from St. Patrick’s temple, in the island of Tyree, is -a rock, with a hollow on the top, two feet across and four feet deep, -known to the islanders as St. Patrick’s Vat. At any rate it was -so named at the end of last century. In a quarry at Portpatrick, -Wigtownshire, used in connection with the harbour works, once flowed a -spring dedicated to the saint. On the rock below were formerly to be -seen certain marks, said, by tradition, to be the impression made by -his knees and left hand.</p> -<p>Columban or Columbanus, belonged, like Columba, to the sixth -century. Ireland was also his native land. When he left it he -travelled, not north like Columba, but south, and sought the sunny -lands of France and Italy. In the latter country he founded the -monastery of Bobbio among the Apennines. A writer in the -“<i>Antiquary</i>” for 1891 remarks, in connection with a -recent visit to this monastery, “I was taken to see a rock on the -summit of a mountain called La Spanna, near the cave to which the saint -is said to have retired for prayer and meditation. The impression -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb77" href="#pb77" name= -"pb77">77</a>]</span>of the saint’s left hand is still shown upon -the face of this rock. The healing power of the patron’s hand is -believed by the peasantry of the surrounding country to linger still in -the hollow marking, and many sufferers, climbing to this spot, have -found relief from laying their hand within its palm.”</p> -<p>In addition to his well beside the Molendinar, at Glasgow, Kentigern -had a chair and bed, both of stone. Concerning the latter, Bishop -Forbes, in his “<i>Kalendars of Scottish Saints</i>,” says, -“Kentigern’s couch was rather a sepulchre than a bed, and -was of rock, with a stone for a pillow, like Jacob. He rose in the -night and sang psalms and hymns till the second cock-crowing. Then he -rushed into the cold stream, and with eyes fixed on heaven he recited -the whole psalter. Then, coming out of the water he dried his limbs on -a stone on the mountain called Galath, and went forth for his -day’s work.” Kentigern’s work took him beyond the -limits of Strathclyde. He seems to have visited the uplands of -Aberdeenshire. The church of Glengairn, a parish now incorporated with -Tullich and Glenmuick, was probably founded by him. At any rate, it was -dedicated to him. A tradition of his untiring zeal survived in -Aberdeenshire down to the beginning of last century. According to a -proverb then current, systematic beneficence was said to be “like -St. Mungo’s work, which was never done.” The Isle of May, -in the Firth of Forth, has, on one of its rocky sides, a small cave -called The Lady’s Bed, containing a pool in its floor. As Mr. -Muir <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb78" href="#pb78" name= -"pb78">78</a>]</span>points out in his “<i>Ecclesiological -Notes</i>,” it is traditionally associated with Thenew, -Kentigern’s mother, “who,” according to the legend, -“after being cast into the sea at Aberlady, was miraculously -floated to the May, and thence, in the same manner, to Culross, where -she was stranded and gave birth to the saint.” Columba, when in -Iona, had a stone slab as a bed, and a block of stone as a pillow. -Adamnan mentions that, after the saint’s death, this pillow stone -was placed as a monument over his grave.</p> -<p>Guarding Lamlash Bay, where Haco gathered his shattered fleet after -the battle of Largs, in 1263, is Holy Island, known to the Norsemen as -Melansay. In this island is a cave, at one time inhabited by the hermit -Molio, and below it, near the beach, is his Holy Well, for centuries -reckoned efficacious in the cure of disease. A large block of -sandstone, flat on the top, with a series of recesses like seats cut -round its margin, constitutes the saint’s chair and table -combined. Molio was educated in Bute by his uncle Blane, to whom the -now ruined St. Blane’s Chapel was dedicated. He afterwards went -to Ireland, and was placed under Munna, who is still remembered in the -name of Kilmun, on Holy Loch, in the Firth of Clyde.</p> -<p>Inan, probably the same as Finan, gave name to Inchinnan, in -Renfrewshire, though the ancient church of the parish was dedicated, -not to him, but to Conval. The church at Lamington, in Lanarkshire, was -dedicated to Inan. St. Innian’s Well is in the parish. He is the -patron saint of Beith, in Ayrshire. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb79" -href="#pb79" name="pb79">79</a>]</span>The annual fair held there in -August is popularly called Tenant’s Day—Tenant being a -corruption of St. Inan. St. Inan’s Well and St. Inan’s -Chair keep his memory fresh in the district. Some particulars about -them are given by Mr. Robert Love in the “<i>Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland</i><span class="corr" id="xd26e1274" -title="Not in source">”</span>, vol. xi.:—“This chair -is in the rocky hill-face at the west end of the Cuff hills, and from -its elevated position a wide tract of country from south to north is -overlooked. At the base of the hill, and distant from the chair some -hundred yards, is a well called St. Inan’s Well, a double spring, -which issues from the rock at two points close by each other, and which -is almost unapproachable in respect of its abundance and purity. This -chair is formed in part, possibly by nature, out of the rock of the -hill. Its back and two sides are closed in, while, in front, to the -west, it is open. The seat proper is above the ground in front about -two feet two inches, is two feet four inches in breadth, and one foot -four inches in depth backwards.” Visitors to the seven churches -at Glendalough, in county Wicklow, Ireland, are usually shown St. -Kevin’s Seat on a block of rock. As a proof of its genuineness -the mark made by the saint’s leg and the impression of his -fingers are duly pointed out by the local guide.</p> -<p>In Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire, the print of the Virgin’s -knee was at one time shown on a stone where she knelt in prayer. There -was a chapel dedicated to her in the neighbourhood. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb80" href="#pb80" name="pb80">80</a>]</span>In -Southend parish, Kintyre, are the remains of St. Columba’s -Chapel, standing in the ancient burying-ground of Keil. In his -“<i>Ecclesiological Notes</i>” Mr. Muir observes, -“Under an overhanging rock, close by on the roadside, is St. -Columba’s Well, and on the top of a hillock, overlooking the west -end of the burial ground there is a flat rock bearing on its top the -impress of two feet, made, it seems, by those of the saint whilst he -stood marking out and hallowing the spot on which his chapel should -rest.” In Bromfield parish, Cumberland, is a piece of granite -rock called St. Cuthbert’s Stane, and near it is a copious spring -of remarkably pure water. Brand, in his “<i>Popular -Antiquities</i>,” says that “this spring, probably from its -having been anciently dedicated to the same St. Cuthbert, is called -Helly Well, <i>i.e.</i>, Haly or Holy Well.”</p> -<p>Mr. R. C. Hope, in his “<i>Holy Wells</i>,” refers to a -block of stone near St. Madron’s Spring, in Cornwall, locally -known as St. Madron’s Bed. We are told that “on it impotent -folk reclined when they came to try the cold water cure.” In the -same parish is a pre-historic relic in the form of a granite block with -a hole in the centre of it. It is known in Cornish as Mean-an-Tol, -<i>i.e.</i>, the Stone of the Hole. Its name in English is The Creeping -Stone. Sickly children were at one time passed through the hole a -certain number of times, in the belief that a cure would follow. This -superstitious custom recalls what was at one time done beside St. -Paul’s Well, in the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb81" href= -"#pb81" name="pb81">81</a>]</span>parish of Fyvie, Aberdeenshire. Close -to the well were the ruins of an old church. One of its stones was -supported on other two with a space below. It went by the name of The -Shargar Stone—shargar signifying a weakly child. The stone, in -this instance, got its name from the custom in the district of mothers -passing their ailing children through the space below the stone, in the -belief that whatever hindered their growth would thereby be removed. -Mr. Hope recounts a tradition concerning Morwenstowe, in Devon, and its -patron saint, Morwenna, to the effect that when the parishioners wished -to build a church, Morwenna brought a large stone from the foot of the -cliff to form the font. Feeling fatigued by the climb she laid down the -stone to rest herself, and from the spot a spring gushed forth.</p> -<p>On the top of green Dunfillan, in the parish of Comrie, is a rocky -seat known in the district as Fillan’s Chair. Here, according to -tradition, the saint sat and gave his blessing to the country around. -Towards the end of last century, and doubtless even later, this chair -was associated with a superstitious remedy for rheumatism in the back. -The person to be cured sat in the chair, and then, lying on his back, -was dragged down the hill by the legs. The influence of the saint -lingering about the spot was believed to insure recovery. St. -Fillan’s Spring, at the hill-foot, has already been referred to, -in connection with its mysterious change of site. It was much -frequented at one time by old and young, especially on <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb82" href="#pb82" name="pb82">82</a>]</span>1st May -and 1st August. The health seekers walked or were carried thrice round -the spring from east to west, following the course of the sun. The next -part of the ritual consisted in the use of the water for drinking and -washing, in throwing a white stone on the saint’s cairn, near the -spring, and in leaving a rag as an offering before departing. In 1791 -not fewer than seventy persons visited the spot at the dates mentioned. -The writer of the article on Comrie in the “<i>Old Statistical -Account of Scotland</i>” supplies these particulars, and adds, -“At the foot of the hill there is a basin made by the saint on -the top of a large stone, which seldom wants water, even in the -greatest drought, and all who are distressed with sore eyes must wash -them three times with this water.” Fillan, to whom Comrie parish -is thus so much indebted, flourished about the sixth century, and must -not be confounded with the other missionary of the same name, who dwelt -more than a century later, in the straths of the Fillan and the -Dochart, between Tyndrum and Killin. Concerning the former, Dr. Skene -writes in his “<i>Celtic Scotland</i>”: “Fillan, -called Anlobar or ‘the leper,’ whose day is 20th June, is -said in the Irish calendar to have been of <i>Rath Erenn in Alban</i>, -or the fort of the Earn in Scotland, and St. Fillans, at the east end -of Loch Earn, takes its name from him; while the church of Aberdour, on -the northern shore of the Firth of Forth, is also dedicated to -him.” The other Fillan had his Chapel and Holy Pool halfway -between <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb83" href="#pb83" name= -"pb83">83</a>]</span>Tyndrum and Crianlarich. He is also connected with -Fife. At Pittenweem, in that county, his cave is to be seen, and in it -is his holy well, supplied with water from crevices in the rock. At the -mill of Killin, in Perthshire, once stood a block of stone, known as -St. Fillan’s Chair. Close to the spot flows the Dochart, and some -person or persons, whose muscles were stronger than their antiquarian -instincts, sought not unsuccessfully to throw the relic into the river. -The Renfrewshire parish of Killallan, united in 1760 to that of -Houston, got its name from Fillan. Its ancient church, now ruined, was -dedicated to him. Near the ruins, are a stone with a hollow in it and a -spring, called respectively St. Fillan’s Seat and St. -Fillan’s Well.</p> -<p>About two miles and a half to the south-east of Dunfermline, is a -block of stone, believed to be the last remnant of a group of -pre-historic Standing Stones. According to tradition, it was used by -Queen Margaret, as a seat where she rested, when on her way to and from -the ferry over the Forth. A farm in the immediate neighbourhood is -called St. Margaret’s Stone Farm, after the block in question. In -his “<i>Annals of Dunfermline</i>” Dr. Henderson says, -“In 1856 this stone was removed to an adjacent site, by order of -the road surveyor, in order to widen the road which required no -widening, as no additional traffic was likely to ensue, but the -reverse; it is therefore much to be regretted that the old landmark was -removed. It is in contemplation to have the <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb84" href="#pb84" name="pb84">84</a>]</span>old -stone replaced on its old site (as nearly as possible) and made to -rest, with secure fixings, on a massive base or plinth stone.” -Not far from the town of Cromarty is St. Bennet’s Spring, beside -the ruins of St. Bennet’s Chapel. Close to the spot once stood a -stone trough, termed The Fairies’ Cradle. Hugh Miller, in his -“<i>Scenes and Legends of the North of Scotland</i>,” says -that this trough was “famous for virtues derived from the saint, -like those of the well. For, if a child was carried away by the fairies -and some mischievous imp left in its place, the parents had only to lay -the changeling in this trough, and, by some invisible process, their -child would be immediately restored to them. The Fairies’ Cradle -came to a sudden end about the year 1745. It was then broken to pieces -by the parish minister, with the assistance of two of his elders, that -it might no longer serve the purposes of superstition.”</p> -<p>The following, from the Rev. Dr. Gregor’s “<i>Folklore -of the North-East of Scotland</i>,” has certainly nothing to do -with a saint, but in other respects, has a bearing on the subject in -hand:—“The Pot o’ Pittenyoul is a small but romantic -rock-pool in a little stream called the ‘Burn o’ the -Riggins,’ which flows past the village of Newmills of Keith. On -the edge of the pool are some hollows worn away by the water and the -small stones and sand carried down by the stream. These hollows to a -lively imagination have the shape of a seat, and the story <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb85" href="#pb85" name="pb85">85</a>]</span>is, that -the devil, at some far-back time, sat down on the edge of the pool and -left his mark.” Probably at an equally distant date, the devil -made his presence felt, further south, though in a different way. He -had great objections to a church built at Invergowrie, in Perthshire, -and, in order to knock it down, hurled a huge boulder across the Tay -from the opposite coast of Fife. We are not aware that the stone struck -the church. At any rate it can be seen in the grounds of Greystane, a -property to which, according to local tradition, it gave name. Sir -William Wallace, though never canonized, had certainly more of the -saint about him than the last-mentioned personage. We find various -traditions concerning him in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire. His -connection with Lanark is well known. At Biggar, he is said, by Blind -Harry, to have defeated the English, who greatly outnumbered his -forces. This battle took place on Biggar Moss. A few days before the -fight, he entered the enemy’s camp, disguised as a cadger or -pedlar, to discover the strength of the English army. Being pursued, he -turned on his assailants while crossing a bridge over Biggar Water, a -little to the west of the town. A foot-bridge there still goes by the -name of The Cadger’s Bridge. A rock with a hollow in it, lying to -the north of Vizzyberry, is locally styled Wallace’s Seat, and a -spring near the spot is still known as Wallace’s Well. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb86" href="#pb86" name= -"pb86">86</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch6" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e224">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER VI.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Healing and Holy Wells.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Healing and Holy—Modern -Health-resorts—King’s Ease—Poorhouse of -Ayr—Muswell—St. Martin’s Chapel—Alum -Wells—Petrifying Springs—Peterhead—Moss of -Melshach—Well of Spa—Chapel Wells at -Kirkmaiden—Medan—St. Catherine’s Balm Well—The -Sciennes—St. Bernard’s Well—Non-mineral -Wells—Early Saints—Water for Discipline—For -Baptism—Burghead—Lough -Shanan—Tobar-an-easbuig—Poetry and -Superstition—Heljabrün—Trinity Hospital and -Well—St. Mungo’s Well—Fuaran -n’Gruarach—Spring in Athole—Fiddler’s -Well—Water as a Prophylactic.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Healing and holy have an etymological kinship. The one -is commonly associated with matters relating to the body, and the other -with those relating to the soul. If the body is healed, it is said to -be whole and its owner hale; and if the soul is healed, it is said to -be holy. All these words have one idea in common, and hence we need not -wonder that healing wells were, as a rule, reckoned holy wells, and -vice versa. When speaking of the virtues of such wells, Mrs. Stone, in -her “<i>God’s Acre</i>,” puts the point exactly, if -somewhat quaintly, when she says, “Before chemistry was born, -when medical science was little known, these medical virtues, so -plainly and indisputably <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb87" href= -"#pb87" name="pb87">87</a>]</span>ostensible, were attributed to the -beneficence of the saint or angel to whom the spring had been -dedicated.” Many still go to Moffat, Bridge-of-Allan, and -Strathpeffer to drink the waters, but probably, none of those -health-seekers now rely on magic for a cure. It was quite otherwise in -former times. Cures wrought at Lourdes are still believed, by many, to -be due to the blessing of the water by the Virgin Mary.</p> -<p>Not far from the highway between Ayr and Prestwick once stood a -lazar-house called King’s Ease or King’s Case, known in the -sixteenth century as Kilcaiss. Its ruins were to be seen till well on -in the present century. According to tradition, the hospital was -founded for lepers by King Robert Bruce, who was himself afflicted with -a disease believed to be leprosy. This was done as a thank-offering, -for benefit received from the water of a neighbouring well. The spring -was doubtless sacred to some saint, probably to Ninian, to whom the -hospital was dedicated, and we can safely infer that the patron got the -credit of the cure. To maintain the lepers the king gifted various -lands to the hospital, among others, those of Robertlone, in Dundonald -parish, and of Sheles and Spital-Sheles, in Kyle Stewart. The right of -presentation to the hospital was vested in the family of Wallace of -Craigie. At a later date the lands belonging to the charity passed into -other hands. In the third volume of his “<i>Caledonia</i>,” -published in 1824, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb88" href="#pb88" -name="pb88">88</a>]</span>Chalmers remarks, “The only revenue -that remained to it was the feu-duties payable from the lands granted -in fee-firm, and these, amounting to 64 bolls of meal and 8 marks Scots -of money, with 16 threaves of straw for thatching the hospital, are -still paid. For more than two centuries past the diminished revenue has -been shared among eight objects of charity in equal shares of 8 bolls -of meal and 1 mark Scots to each. The leprosy having long disappeared, -the persons who are now admitted to the benefit of this charity are -such as labour under diseases which are considered as incurable, or -such as are in indigent circumstances.” In the time of Charles -I., the persons enjoying the benefit of the charity lived in huts or -cottages in the vicinity of the chapel. In 1787 the right of -presentation was bought from the Wallaces by the burgh of Ayr, and the -poorhouse there is thus the lineal descendant of King Robert’s -hospital. Mr. R. C. Hope, in his “<i>Holy Wells</i>,” -alludes to the interesting fact that Bruce had a free pass from the -English king to visit Muswell, near London, close to the site of the -Alexandra Palace. This well, dedicated to St. Lazarus, at one time -belonged to the hospital order of St. John’s, Clerkenwell, and -was resorted to in cases of leprosy. Bruce’s foundation at Ayr -recalls another at Stony Middleton, in Derbyshire. The latter, however, -was a chapel, and not a hospital. Tradition says that a crusader, -belonging to the district, was cured of leprosy by <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb89" href="#pb89" name="pb89">89</a>]</span>means of -the mineral water there, and that in gratitude he built a chapel and -dedicated it to his patron saint, Martin.</p> -<p>In glancing at the history of holy wells, it is not difficult to -understand why certain springs were endowed with mysterious properties. -When there were no chemists to analyse mineral springs, anyone tasting -the water would naturally enough think that there was something strange -about it, a notion that would not vanish with the first draught. The -wonder, too, would grow if the water was found to put fresh vigour into -wearied frames. Alum wells, like the one in Carnwath parish, -Lanarkshire, would, through their astringent qualities, arrest -attention. A well at Halkirk, Caithness, must have been a cause of -wonder, if we judge by the description given of it in the “<i>Old -Statistical Account of Scotland</i>,” where we read, that -“on its surface lies always a thin beautiful kind of substance, -that varies like the plumage of the peacock displayed in all its glory -to the rays of the sun.”</p> -<p>The petrifying power of certain springs would also tend to bring -them into notice. There is a famous well of this kind near Tarras -Water, in Canonbie parish, Dumfriesshire. In Kirkmaiden parish, -Wigtownshire, is a dropping cave, known as Peter’s Paps. In -former times it was resorted to by persons suffering from -whooping-cough. The treatment consisted in standing with upturned face -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb90" href="#pb90" name= -"pb90">90</a>]</span>below the drop, and allowing it to fall into the -open mouth. For more than two centuries and a half, the mineral waters -of Peterhead have been famous for both internal and external use, -though their fame is not now so great as formerly. Towards the end of -the seventeenth century, they were spoken of as one of the six wonders -of Buchan. The principal well is situated to the south of the town, and -is popularly called the Wine Well. Its water is strongly impregnated -with carbonic acid, muriate of iron, muriate of lime, and muriate of -soda. The chalybeate spring in the Moss of Melshach, in Kennethmont -parish, had at one time a considerable local reputation for the cure of -man and beast. Clothes of the former and harness of the latter were -left beside the well. Visits were paid to it in the month of May. -Another Aberdeenshire health-resort formerly attracted many visitors, -viz., Pannanich, near Ballater, with its four chalybeate springs. These -are said to have been accidentally discovered, about the middle of last -century, but were then probably only rediscovered. They were at first -found beneficial in the case of scrofula, and were afterwards deemed -infallible in all diseases. In his “<i>Antiquities and Scenery of -the North of Scotland</i>,” Cordiner, under date 1776, writes: -“In coming down these hilly regions, stopped the first night at -‘Pananach-lodge:’ an extensive building opposite to the -strange rocks and pass of Bolliter. There, a mineral well and baths, -whose virtues have been often experienced, are become <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb91" href="#pb91" name="pb91">91</a>]</span>much -frequented by the infirm. The lodge, containing a number of -bed-chambers, and a spacious public room, is fitted up for the -accommodation of those who come to take the benefit of the waters. Goat -whey is also there obtained in the greatest perfection.” Almost a -century later, another visitor to the spot, viz., Queen Victoria, thus -writes, in her “<i>More Leaves from the Journal of a Life in the -Highlands</i>”: “I had driven with Beatrice to Pannanich -wells, where I had been many years ago. Unfortunately, almost all the -trees which covered the hills have been cut down. We got out and tasted -the water, which is strongly impregnated with iron, and looked at the -bath and at the humble, but very clean, accommodation in the curious -little old inn, which used to be very much frequented.” The Well -of Spa, at Aberdeen, was more famous in former times than it is now. -There are two springs, both of them chalybeate. The amount of iron in -the water, however, diminished very considerably more than fifty years -ago—a change due to certain digging operations in the -neighbourhood. The present structure connected with the well was -renovated in 1851. It was built in 1670 to replace an earlier one, -repaired by George Jamieson, the artist, but soon afterwards completely -demolished by the overflowing of the adjoining Denburn. The present -building, according to Mr. A. Jervise, in the fourth volume of the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” “bears representations of the Scottish -Thistle, the Rose of England, and the <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb92" href="#pb92" name="pb92">92</a>]</span>Fleur-de-lis of France, -surmounting this inscription:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘As heaven gives me</p> -<p class="line">So give I thee.’</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Below these words is a carving of the rising sun, and -the following altered quotation from Horace:—</p> -<div lang="la" class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘Hoc fonte derivata Salus</p> -<p class="line">In patriam populumque fluat.’</p> -</div> -<p class="first">“It appears,” continues Mr. Jervise, -“that the virtues of this Spa were early known and appreciated, -for in 1615 record says that there was ‘a long wyde stone which -conveyed the waters from the spring, with the portraicture of six -Apostles hewen upon either side thereof.’ It is described as -having then been ‘verie old and worne.’ ”</p> -<p>An unusual kind of holy well, viz., one, in which salt water takes -the place of fresh, is to be found in the case of the Chapel Wells in -Kirkmaiden parish, Wigtownshire, half way between the bays of -Portankill and East Tarbet. About thirty yards to the north-west are -the ruins of St. Medan’s Chapel, partly artificial and partly -natural, a cave forming the inner portion. In days gone by, the spot -was much frequented on the first Sunday of May (O.S.), called Co’ -Sunday, after this cave or cove. Dr. Robert Trotter, who examined the -chapel and the wells in 1870, gives the results of the observations in -the eighth volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland</i>” (new series). He says, “These -wells—three natural cavities in a mass of <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb93" href="#pb93" name= -"pb93">93</a>]</span>porphyritic trap—are within the tide mark, -and are filled by the sea at high water of ordinary tides. The largest -is circular, five feet in diameter at the top, and four feet at one -side, shelving down to five feet at the other, and is wider inside than -at the top, something like a kailpot in fact, and it is so close to the -edge of the rock that at one place its side is not two inches thick. -The other wells almost touch it, and are about one foot six inches wide -and deep respectively.” Sickly children were brought to be -bathed, the time selected being just before sunrise. Dr. Trotter -mentions that children are still brought occasionally, sometimes from -long distances. The ceremony described to him by an eyewitness was as -follows:—“The child was stripped naked, and taken by the -spaul—that is, by one of the legs—and plunged headforemost -into the big well till completely submerged; it was then pulled out, -and the part held on by was dipped in the middle well, and then the -whole body was finished by washing the eyes in the smallest one, -altogether very like the Achilles and Styx business, only much more -thorough. An offering was then left in the old chapel, on a projecting -stone inside the cave behind the west door, and the cure was -complete.”</p> -<p>Much uncertainty attaches to Medan or Medana, the tutelar saint of -the spot. One legend makes her a contemporary of Ninian. According to -another, she lived about one hundred years later. Dr. Skene thinks she -is probably the same as Monenna, otherwise <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb94" href="#pb94" name="pb94">94</a>]</span>Edana, -who is said to have founded churches in Galloway, and at Edinburgh, -Stirling and Longforgan. Kirkmaiden parish, at one time called -Kirkmaiden <i>in Ryndis</i>, is believed to be named after her, like -the other parish known as Kirkmaiden <i>in Farnes</i>, now united to -the parish of Glasserton. An incident in her history has a bearing on -the present subject. According to the Aberdeen Breviary, she fled from -her home in Ireland to escape from the importunities of a certain noble -knight who sought to marry her. Accompanied by two handmaidens, she -crossed to Galloway and took up her abode in the Rhinns. The knight -followed her. When Medana saw him she placed herself along with her -maidens on a rock in the sea. By a miracle, this rock became a boat, -and she was conveyed over the water to Farnes. Again the knight -appeared. This time Medana sought refuge among the branches of a tree, -and, from this coign of vantage, asked her lover what it was that made -him pursue her so persistently. “Your face and eyes,” -replied the knight. Thereupon Medana plucked out her eyes and threw -them down at the feet of her lover, who was so filled with grief and -penitence that he immediately departed. On the spot where her eyes fell -a spring of water gushed forth, and in it Medana washed her face, -doubtless thereby restoring her sight. There is much to favour the view -taken by Dr. Trotter: that “possibly the well was the original -institution; the cave a shelter or dwelling for the genius who -discovered the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb95" href="#pb95" name= -"pb95">95</a>]</span>miraculous virtues of the water, and his -successors; and the chapel a later edition for the benefit of the -clergy, who supplanted the old religion by grafting Christianity upon -it, St. Medana being a still later institution.”</p> -<p>St. Catherine’s Balm Well, at Liberton, near Edinburgh, is -still considered beneficial in the treatment of cutaneous affections. -The spring is situated on a small estate, called after it, St. -Catherine’s. Peter Swave, who visited Scotland in 1535, on a -political mission, mentions that near Edinburgh there was a spot in a -monastery where oil flowed out of the ground. This was his way of -describing the Balm Well. Bitumenous particles, produced by -decomposition of coal in seams beneath, intermittently appear on the -surface of the water. This curious phenomenon must have attracted -attention at a very early period, and one can easily understand why the -well was in consequence regarded with superstitious reverence. When -speaking of this well, Brome, who visited Scotland about 1700, -observes, “It is of a marvellous nature, for as the coal whereof -it proceeds is very apt quickly to kindle into a flame, so is the oil -of a sudden operation to heal all scabs and tumours that trouble the -outward skin; and the head and hands are speedily healed by virtue of -this oil, which retains a very sweet smell.” According to Boece, -the fountain sprang from a drop of oil, brought to Queen Margaret of -Scotland, from the tomb of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai. The same -writer mentions that Queen Margaret built a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb96" href="#pb96" name="pb96">96</a>]</span>chapel -to St. Catherine, in the neighbourhood of the spring. In 1504 an -offering was made by James IV. in this chapel, described as -“Sanct Kathrine’s of the oly, i.e., oily well.” The -later history of the spring is thus referred to by Sir Daniel Wilson, -in his “<i>Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time</i>”: -“When James VI. returned to Scotland, in 1617, he visited the -well, and commanded it to be enclosed with an ornamental building with -a flight of steps to afford ready access to the healing waters; but -this was demolished by the soldiers of Cromwell, and the well now -remains enclosed with plain stone-work, as it was partially repaired at -the Restoration.” About three miles to the north of the well, -once stood the Convent of St. Catherine of Sienna—a religious -foundation which gave name to the part of Edinburgh still called -“The Sciennes.” What Sir Daniel Wilson describes as -“an unpicturesque fragment of the ruins” served to the -middle of the present century, and perhaps, even later, as a sheep-fold -for the flocks pasturing in the adjoining meadow. Lord Cockburn, in his -“<i>Memorials of His Time</i>,” mentions that in his -boyhood, about 1785, “a large portion of the building -survived.” Before the Reformation the nuns of this convent walked -annually in solemn procession to the Balm Well. The saints to whom the -convent and the spring were respectively dedicated were, of course, not -identical, though bearing the same name. The coincidence of name, -however, evidently led to these yearly visits. As it may be taken for -granted <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb97" href="#pb97" name= -"pb97">97</a>]</span>that the two Catherines were on friendly terms, -the pilgrimages doubtless proved a benefit to all who took part in -them. At any rate, it is safe to assume that the health of the pilgrims -would be the better, and not the worse, for their walk in the fresh -country air.</p> -<p>In the valley below the Dean Bridge, Edinburgh, close to the Water -of Leith, is the sulphur spring known as St. Bernard’s -Well—traditionally connected with Bernard the Abbot of Clairvaux. -In his “<i>Journey through Scotland</i>,” about 1793, Heron -remarks: “The citizens of Edinburgh repaired eagerly to distant -watering-places, without inquiring whether they might find medicinal -water at home. But within these few years, Lord Gardenstone became -proprietor of St. Bernard’s Well. His lordship’s -philanthropy and public spirit suggested to him the possibility of -rendering its waters more useful to the public. He has, at a very -considerable expense, built a handsome Grecian edifice over the spring, -in which the waters are distributed by a proper person, and at a very -trifling price. His lordship’s endeavours have accomplished his -purpose. The citizens of Edinburgh are now persuaded that these waters -are salutary in various cases; and have, particularly, a singular -tendency to give a good breakfasting appetite; in consequence of which, -old and young, males and females, have, for these two or three last -summers, crowded to pay their morning respects to Hygeia in the chapel -which Lord Gardenstone <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb98" href="#pb98" -name="pb98">98</a>]</span>has erected to her.” The last allusion -is to a statue of Hygeia placed within the building on its erection, in -1789. The goddess of health, however, eventually showed signs of -decrepitude; and, about a hundred years later, the original statue was -replaced by one in marble through the liberality of the late Mr. -William Nelson, who also restored the pump-room and made the -surroundings more attractive.</p> -<p>Coming next to consider the case of springs not possessing medicinal -qualities, in other words, such as have no taste save that of clear and -sparkling water, we find here, too, many a trace of superstition. -Springs of this kind were probably <i>holy</i> wells first, and then -<i>healing</i> wells. We have already seen that, in a large number of -instances, fountains became sacred through their connection with early -saints. It usually happened that the Christian missionary took up his -abode near some fountain, or river, whence he could get a supply of -water for his daily needs. In later times the well or stream was -endowed with miraculous properties. Water was also used for purposes of -bodily discipline. It was a practice among some of the early saints to -stand immersed in it while engaged in devotion. The colder the water, -the better was it for the purpose. Special significance, too, was given -to water through its connection with baptism, particularly when the -rite was administered to persons who had only recently emerged from -heathenism.</p> -<p>At Burghead, in Elginshire, is an interesting <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb99" href="#pb99" name="pb99">99</a>]</span>rock-cut -basin supplied with water from a spring. Burghead is known to have been -the site of an early Christian church, and Dr. James Macdonald believes -that the basin in question was anciently used as a baptistery. All -trace of it, and well-nigh all memory of it, had vanished till the year -1809. Extensive alterations were then in progress at the harbour, and a -scarcity of water was felt by the workmen. A hazy tradition about the -existence of a well, where the ground sounded hollow when struck, was -revived. Digging operations were begun, and, at a depth of between -twenty and thirty feet below the surface, the basin was discovered. We -quote the following details from Dr. Macdonald’s article on the -subject in the “<i>Antiquary</i>” for April, -1892:—“Descending into a hollow by a flight of twenty -well-worn steps, most of them also hewn out of the solid rock, we come -upon the reservoir. The dimensions of the basin or piscina are as -follow—greatest breadth of the four sides, ten feet eight inches, -eleven feet, ten feet ten inches, and ten feet seven inches -respectively; depth, four feet four inches. One part of the smooth -bottom had been dug up at the time of the excavations, either because -it had projected above the rest, as if for some one to stand upon, or -because it was thought that by doing so the capacity of the well and -perhaps the supply of the water would be increased. Between the basin -and the perpendicular sides of the reservoir a small ledge of sandstone -has been left about two feet six <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb100" -href="#pb100" name="pb100">100</a>]</span>inches in breadth. These -sides measure sixteen feet three inches, sixteen feet seven inches, -sixteen feet nine inches, and seventeen feet respectively; and the -height from the ledge upwards is eleven feet nine inches. The angles, -both of the basin and its rock walls, are well rounded. In one corner -the sandstone has been left in the form of a semi-circular pedestal, -measuring two feet nine inches by one foot ten inches, and one foot two -inches in height; whilst in that diagonally opposite there is a -circular hole, five inches in diameter and one foot four inches in -depth. From the ledge, as you enter, two steps of irregular shape and -rude workmanship lead down into the basin. The sides of the reservoir -are fissured and rent by displacement of the strata; and portions of -the rock, that have given way from time to time, have been replaced by -modern masonry. The arched roof is also modern.” An Irish legend -accounts for the origin of Lough-shanan, in County Clare, by connecting -it with the baptism of Senanus, from whom it derived its name. -“The saint, while still an infant, was miraculously gifted with -speech and told his mother to pluck three rushes in a valley near her -home. When this was done, a lake appeared, and in it Senanus was -baptised according to a form of words prescribed by himself.”</p> -<p>In the eighth volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland</i>” (new series), Sir Daniel Wilson -gives an account of the ancient burying-ground of Kilbride, some three -miles from <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb101" href="#pb101" name= -"pb101">101</a>]</span>Oban. “I had visited the venerable -cemetery repeatedly,” he tells us, “and had carefully -investigated its monuments, without heeding the sacred fountain which -wells up among the bracken and grass, about a dozen yards from the gate -of the churchyard, and flows in a stream down the valley. Yet, on -inquiry, I learned that it was familiarly known as Tober-an-easbuig, -i.e., The Bishop’s Well or The Holy Well. Here, as we may -presume, the primitive missionary and servant of St. Bridget, by whom -Christianity was introduced into the wild district of Lorne, baptised -his first converts; and here, through many succeeding generations, the -neophytes were signed with the sign of the cross, and taught the mystic -significance of the holy rite.”</p> -<p>The thoughts suggested by the sight of a crystal spring are alluded -to by Mr. Hunt in his “<i>Romances of the West of -England</i>,” where he says, “The tranquil beauty of the -rising waters, whispering the softest music, like the healthful -breathing of a sleeping infant, sends a feeling of happiness through -the soul of the thoughtful observer, and the inner man is purified by -its influence, as the outer man is cleansed by ablution.” This is -the poetic view; but the superstitious view is not far to seek.</p> -<p>In the “<i>Home of a Naturalist</i>,” Mrs. Saxby thus -recounts a Shetland superstition of a gruesome kind:—“There -is a fine spring well near Watlie, called Heljabrün, and the -legend of it is this: A wandering packman (of the Claud Halcro class) -was murdered <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb102" href="#pb102" name= -"pb102">102</a>]</span>and flung into Heljabrün. Its water had -always been known to possess healing power, and, after becoming -seasoned by the unfortunate pedlar’s remains, the virtue in the -water became even more efficacious. People came from far and near to -procure the precious fluid. All who took it away had to throw three -stones or a piece of ‘white money’ into the well, and the -water never failed to cure disease.”</p> -<p>On Soutra Hill, the most westerly ridge of the Lammermoors, once -stood the hospital built by Malcolm IV., about 1164, for the reception -of wayfarers. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Every vestige of -the building was removed between forty and fifty years ago except a -small aisle, appropriated in the seventeenth century by the Pringles of -Beatman’s Acre as a burial vault. A short distance below the site -of the hospital is a spring of pure water, locally known as Trinity -Well. In former times it was much visited for its healing virtues. A -similar reputation was for long enjoyed by St. Mungo’s Well, on -the west side of St. Mungo’s Hill, in the parish of Huntly, -Aberdeenshire. In Fortingall parish, Perthshire, on the hillside near -the Old Castle of Garth, is a limpid spring called by the natives -Fuaran n’ Gruarach, and also Fuaran n’ Druibh Chasad, -signifying the Well of the Measles and the Well of the Whooping-Cough -respectively. Mr. James Mackintosh Gow describes the locality in an -article in the eighth volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland</i>” (new series). He says, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb103" href="#pb103" name= -"pb103">103</a>]</span>“It was famous in the district for the -cure of these infantile diseases, and nearly all I spoke to on the -subject had themselves been taken to the well, or had taken their own -children to drink the water; and when an epidemic of the maladies -occurred my informant remarked on the curious and amusing spectacle the -scene presented on a summer morning, when groups of children, with -their mothers, went up the hill in procession. The last epidemic of -whooping-cough occurred in 1882, when all the children of the -neighbourhood were taken to the well.” Some forty yards higher up -the slope than the well, is an earth-fast boulder of mica schist, -having on one of its sides two natural cavities. The larger of these -holds about a quart and is usually filled with rain water. “It -was the custom,” Mr. Gow tells us, “to carry the water from -the well (perhaps the well was at one time at the foot of the stone) -and place it in the cavity, and then give the patients as much as they -could take, the water being administered with a spoon made from the -horn of a living cow, called a <i>beodhare</i> or living horn; this, it -appears, being essential to effect a cure.” On the farm of -Balandonich, in Athole, is a spring famous, till a comparatively recent -period, for the cure of various maladies. A story is told in the -district of a woman, unable to walk through rheumatism, having been -brought in a wheel-barrow from her home four miles away. She bathed her -limbs in the spring, and returned home on foot. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb104" href="#pb104" name="pb104">104</a>]</span></p> -<p>Hugh Miller, in his “<i>Scenes and Legends of the North of -Scotland</i>,” recounts a tradition concerning a certain spring -near the town of Cromarty known as Fiddler’s Well, from the name -of the young man who discovered its virtues. The water gushes out from -the side of a bank covered with moss and daisies. The tradition, -considerably abbreviated, is as follows:—William Fiddler and a -companion were seized with consumption at the same time. The latter -died not long afterwards, and Fiddler, though wasted to a shadow, was -able to follow his friend’s body to the grave. That night, in a -dream, he heard the voice of his dead companion, who told him to meet -him at a certain spot in the neighbourhood of the town. Thither he -went, still in his dream, and seated himself on a bank to await his -coming. Then, remembering that his friend was dead, he burst into -tears. “At this moment a large field-bee came humming from the -west and began to fly round his head …. It hummed -ceaselessly round and round him, until at length its murmurings seemed -to be fashioned into words, articulated in the voice of his deceased -companion—‘Dig, Willie, and drink!’ it said, -‘Dig, Willie, and drink!’ He accordingly set himself to -dig, and no sooner had he torn a sod out of the bank than a spring of -clear water gushed from the hollow.” Next day he took the -bee’s advice. He found a spring, drank the water, and regained -his health. Hugh Miller adds, “its virtues are still celebrated, -for though <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb105" href="#pb105" name= -"pb105">105</a>]</span>the water be only simple water it must be drunk -in the morning, and as it gushes from the bank; and, with pure air, -exercise, and early rising for its auxiliaries, it continues to work -cures.”</p> -<p>We need not multiply examples of non-mineral healing wells. Whatever -benefit may be derived from them cannot be ascribed to any specially -medicinal quality in their waters. The secret of their popularity is to -be sought for in the annals of medical folklore, and not in those of -scientific medicine.</p> -<p>Certain springs got the credit of warding off disease. On the island -of Gigha, near the west coast of Kintyre, is a farm called Ardachad or -High Field. Tradition says that a plague once visited the island, but -that the people, belonging to the farm, escaped its ravages. This -immunity was ascribed to the good offices of a well, in an adjoining -field. The high situation of the farm and the presence of good water -would tend to prolong health, without the intervention of magic. The -Rev. Dr. Gregor, in his “<i>Folklore of the North-East of -Scotland</i>,” alludes to St. Olaus’ Well in Cruden parish, -Aberdeenshire. Its virtues are recorded in the couplet—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“St. Olav’s Well, low by the sea</p> -<p class="line">Where peat nor plague shall never be.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">On the top of the Touch Hills, in Stirlingshire, rises -St. Corbet’s Spring. The belief formerly <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb106" href="#pb106" name= -"pb106">106</a>]</span>prevailed that whoever drank its water before -sunrise on the first Sunday of May would have life prolonged for -another year. As a consequence, crowds flocked to the spot early on the -day in question. In 1840 some old people were still living who, in -their younger days, had taken part in these annual pilgrimages. In -mediæval times, the belief prevailed that no one baptised with -the water of Trinity Gask Well, Perthshire, would be attacked by the -plague. When water for baptism was drawn from some holy well in the -neighbourhood, its use, in most instances, was doubtless due to a -belief in its prophylactic power. As already mentioned, baptisms in St. -Machar’s Cathedral, Old Aberdeen, were at one time administered -in water taken from the saint’s spring. Before the Reformation -the water used at the chapel of Airth, in Stirlingshire, is believed to -have been procured from a well, dedicated to the Virgin, near Abbeyton -Bridge. We do not know of any spring in Scotland with a reputation for -the prevention of hydrophobia. St. Maelrubha’s Well, on Innis -Maree, is said to have lost its efficacy for a time through contact -with a mad dog. What happened, when a mad bull was plunged into the -Holy Pool at Strathfillan, will be alluded to later. In the village of -Les Saintes Maries, in the south of France, is an interesting -twelfth-century church with a well in the crypt. The water, when drunk, -is said to prevent any evil consequences from the bite of a mad dog. -Mr. E. H. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb107" href="#pb107" name= -"pb107">107</a>]</span>Barker gives an account of this well in his -“<i>Wayfaring in France</i>.” He says, “The -curé told me that about thirty people, who had been bitten by -dogs said to be rabid, came annually to drink the water; and, he added, -‘not one of them has ever gone mad.’ M. Pasteur had become -a formidable rival of the well.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb108" href="#pb108" name="pb108">108</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch7" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e234">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER VII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Water-Cures.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Trying different Springs—Curing all -Diseases—Fivepennies Well—Water and Dulse—Special -Diseases—Toothache—Sore -Eyes—Blindness—Headaches and Nervous -Disorders—Deafness—Whooping-cough—Gout—Sores—Ague—Sterility—Epilepsy—Sacrifice -of a Cock—St. Tegla’s Well—Insanity—Severe -Treatment—Innis-Maree—Struthill—Teampull-Mòr—Hol -y Pool—Fillan’s History and Relics—Persistence of -Superstition.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Some people apply to different doctors in succession, -in the hope that new professional advice may bring the coveted boon of -health. For the same reason visits were paid to different consecrated -wells. On the principle that “far fowls have fair -feathers,” a more or less remote spring was resorted to, in the -hope that distance might lend special enchantment to its water. Certain -springs had the reputation of healing every ailment. A spring of this -kind is what Martin calls “a catholicon for all diseases.” -He so styles various springs in the Western Isles, and one in the -Larger Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde. Fivepennies Well, in Eigg, had -some curious properties. “The natives told me,” he says, -“that it never fails to cure any person <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb109" href="#pb109" name="pb109">109</a>]</span>of -their first disease, only by drinking a quantity of it for the space of -two or three days; and that if a stranger lie at this well in the -night-time, it will procure a deformity in some part of his body, but -has no such effect on a native; and this, they say, hath been -frequently experimented.” A noted fountain in the Orkney group -was the well of Kildinguie in the Island of Stronsay. It is situated -not far from the beach. To reach it one has to walk over a long stretch -of sand. Its fame at one time spread over the Scandinavian world, and -even Denmark sent candidates for its help. Besides drinking the water, -health-seekers frequently ate some of the dulse to be found on the -shore. A local saying thus testified to the advantages of the combined -treatment: “The well of Kildinguie and the dulse of Guiyidn can -cure all maladies except black death.” In the Island of Skye is a -spring called Tobar Tellibreck. The natives, at one time, held that its -water, along with a diet of dulse, would serve for a considerable time -instead of ordinary food.</p> -<p>Other springs were resorted to for particular complaints. Toothache -is distressingly common, and commonly distressing; but, strange to say, -very few wells are specially identified with the ailment. Indeed, we -know of only three toothache wells in Scotland. One is in Strathspey, -and is known as Fuaran Fiountag, signifying <i>the cool refreshing -spring</i>. The second is in the parish of Kenmore, at the foot of Loch -Tay. The third is in Glentruim, in Inverness-shire. Another -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb110" href="#pb110" name= -"pb110">110</a>]</span>well at Kenmore was resorted to for the cure of -sore eyes. In the parish of Glass, close to the river Deveron, is an -ancient church dedicated to St. Wallach. Some thirty yards below its -burying-ground is a well, now dry, except in very rainy weather. Its -water had the power of healing sore eyes. The water of St. John’s -Well, at Balmanno, in the parish of Marykirk, Kincardineshire, was a -sovereign remedy for the same complaint. Beside the road close to the -farmhouse of Wester Auchleskine, at Balquhidder, in Perthshire, once -stood a large boulder containing a natural cavity. The water in this -hollow was also noted for the cure of sore eyes—the boulder being -called in consequence Clach-nan-Sul, <i>i.e.</i>, the stone of the -eyes. In 1878, by order of the road trustees, the boulder was blasted, -on the ground that it was a source of danger to vehicles in the dark, -and its fragments were used as road metal. The Dow Well, at -Innerleithen, was formerly much visited for the restoration of weak -sight. A well in Cornwall, dedicated to St. Ludvan, miraculously -quickened the sense of sight. In Ireland, a spring at Gougou Barra, -between Glengariff and Cork, is believed by the peasantry to cure -blindness. In 1849, Miss Bessie Gilbert, a daughter of the late Bishop -Gilbert of Chichester, who had lost her sight when a child, visited the -spring along with some of her relatives. Curiosity, however, was her -only motive. Her biographer relates that “the guide besought -Bessie in the most earnest and pathetic manner to try the water, saying -that he was sure it would restore her <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb111" href="#pb111" name="pb111">111</a>]</span>sight, and entreating -her brothers and sisters to urge her to make use of it.”</p> -<p>Headaches and nervous disorders were cured by water from -Tobar-nim-buadh or the Well of Virtues in St. Kilda. Deafness was also -cured by it. At the entrance to Munlochy Bay, in the Black Isle of -Cromarty, is a cave known in the neighbourhood as Craig-a-Chow, -<i>i.e.</i>, the Rock of Echo. Tradition says that in this cave a giant -once lived. If not the retreat of a giant, it was, at any rate, of -smugglers. What specially concerns us is that it contains a dripping -well, formerly much in request. Its water is particularly cold. Like -the St. Kilda spring, it was believed to remove deafness. Of -Whooping-cough Wells, a noted one was at Straid, in Muthill parish, -Perthshire. Invalids came to it from considerable distances. Early in -the present century a family travelled from Edinburgh to seek its aid. -The water was drunk immediately after sunset or before sunrise, and a -horn from a live ox had to convey it to the patient’s lips. This -was not an uncommon practice. Perhaps it may have been due to some -vague notion, that life from the animal, whence the horn came, would be -handed on, <i>via</i> the spoon and the water, to the invalid. The -Straid horn was kept by a woman in the immediate <span class="corr" id= -"xd26e1548" title="Source: neighburhood">neighbourhood</span>, who -acted as a sort of priestess of the well. A well at the Burn of Oxhill, -in the parish of Rathven, Banffshire, had a local celebrity for the -cure of the same complaint. Sufferers from gout tried the efficacy of a -spring in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb112" href="#pb112" name= -"pb112">112</a>]</span>Eckford parish, Roxburghshire, styled Holy Well -or Priest’s Well. A spring in the churchyard of Logiepert parish, -Forfarshire, removed sores, and another in Martin’s Den, in the -same parish, was reckoned anti-scorbutic. Another noted Forfarshire -spring was in Kirkden parish, with the reputation of curing swellings -of the feet and legs. Lochinbreck Loch, in Balmaghie parish, -Kirkcudbrightshire, was visited from time immemorial for the cure of -ague. Indeed, there was hardly a bodily ailment that could not be -relieved by the water of some consecrated spring.</p> -<p>Springs were sometimes believed to cure female barrenness. Wives, -anxious to become mothers, formerly visited such wells as those of St. -Fillan at Comrie, and of St. Mary at Whitekirk, and in the Isle of May. -In this connection, Mr. J. R. Walker, in his article in the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” volume v. (new series), observes, “Many of -the wells dedicated to ‘Our Lady,’ <i>i.e.</i>, St. Mary -(Virgin Mary) and to St. Brigid, the Mary of Ireland, were famous for -the cure of female sterility, which, in the days when a man’s -power and influence in the land depended on the number of his clan or -tribe, was looked upon as a token of the divine displeasure, and was -viewed by the unfortunate spouses with anxious apprehension, dread, -doubt, jealousy, and pain. Prayer and supplication were obviously the -methods pursued by the devout for obtaining the coveted gift of -fertility, looked upon, by females especially, as the most <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb113" href="#pb113" name= -"pb113">113</a>]</span>valuable of heavenly dispensations; and making -pilgrimages to wells under the patronage of the Mother of our Lord -would naturally be one of the most common expedients.”</p> -<p>Epilepsy, with its convulsions and cries, seldom fails to arrest -attention and call forth sympathy. In times less enlightened than our -own, the disease was regarded with awe as of supernatural origin; and -remedies, always curious and sometimes revolting, were tried in order -to bring relief. We may assume that the water of consecrated springs -was used for this purpose; but, as far as we know, no Scottish fountain -was systematically visited by epileptic patients. After enumerating a -variety of folk-cures for the disease in question, Sir Arthur Mitchell, -in an article on Highland Superstitions bearing on Lunacy in the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” volume iv., remarks, “For the cure of the -same disease, there is still practised in the North of Scotland a -formal sacrifice—not an oblique but a literal and downright -sacrifice—to a nameless but secretly acknowledged power, whose -propitiation is desired. On the spot where the epileptic first falls a -black cock is buried alive, along with a lock of the patient’s -hair and some parings of his nails. I have seen at least three -epileptic idiots for whom this is said to have been done.” The -same writer adds, “Dr. G——, of N——, -informs me that some time ago he was called on to visit a poor man -belonging to the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb114" href="#pb114" -name="pb114">114</a>]</span>fishing population who had suddenly died, -and who had been subject to epileptic seizures. His friends told the -doctor that at least they had the comfort of knowing that everything -had been done for him which could have been done. On asking what -remedies they had tried, he was told that, among other things, a cock -had been buried alive below his bed, and the spot was pointed -out.” This sacrifice of a cock in Scotland is of special -significance, for it formed a distinctive feature of the ritual once in -vogue in Wales at the village of Llandegla, Denbighshire. St. -Tegla’s Well there, was believed to possess peculiar virtue in -curing epilepsy. Pennant gives a minute account of the ceremony as -practised in his days. The following is a summary:—“About -two hundred yards from the church rises a small spring. The patient -washes his limbs in the well, makes an offering into it of fourpence, -walks round it three times, and thrice repeats the ‘Lord’s -Prayer.’ These ceremonies are never begun till after sunset. If -the afflicted be of the male sex, he makes an offering of a cock; if of -the fair sex, a hen. The fowl is carried in a basket, first round the -well, after that into the churchyard, when the same orisons and the -same circumambulations are performed round the church. The votary then -enters the church, gets under the communion table, lies down with the -Bible under his or her head, is covered with the carpet or cloth, and -rests there till break of day, departing after <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb115" href="#pb115" name= -"pb115">115</a>]</span>offering sixpence, and leaving the fowl in the -church. If the bird dies, the cure is supposed to have been effected, -and the disease transferred to the devoted victim.” As regards -the cock or hen, the ceremony in this case was quite as much a -sacrifice as in the Scottish example. St. Tegla merely took the place -of the pagan divinity who had been first in the field, and to whom -offerings had been made. In former times, sacrificing a living animal -was also resorted to occasionally to cure disease in cattle. An ox was -buried alive in a pit, and the pit having been filled with earth, the -other members of the herd were made to walk over the spot. In 1629, -Isabel Young, spouse to George Smith, portioner of East Barnes, -Haddingtonshire, was tried for witchcraft. From her indictment we learn -that she was accused, <i>inter alia</i>, of having buried a -“quick ox, with a cat and a quantity of salt,” in a pit as -a sacrifice to the devil, the truth being that a live ox had been so -treated by her husband as a charm to cure his cattle, which were -diseased. A remarkable circumstance bearing on this point is alluded to -by Mr. A. W. Moore in his “<i>Surnames and Place-names of the -Isle of Man</i>,” under the heading of Cabbal-yn-Oural-Losht, -<i>i.e.</i>, Chapel of the Burnt Sacrifice. “This name,” he -tells us, “records a circumstance which took place in the -nineteenth century, but which, it is to be hoped, was never customary -in the Isle of Man. A farmer, who had lost a number of his <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb116" href="#pb116" name= -"pb116">116</a>]</span>sheep and cattle by murrain, burnt a calf as a -propitiatory offering to the Deity on this spot, where a chapel was -afterwards built. Such facts point to the same notion as that already -indicated in connection with St. Tegla’s Well, viz., that disease -is due to some malignant being, whose favour is to be sought by the -offering up of a living creature.</p> -<p>In no department of medical science have methods of treatment -changed more within recent years than in that of insanity. Enlightened -views on the subject now prevail among the educated classes of society; -and the old notion that a maniac can be restored to mental health by -treating him like a criminal, or by administering a few shocks to his -already excited nerves, is fortunately a thing of the past. At least it -no longer holds sway in our lunatic asylums. In the minds of the -ignorant and credulous, however, the old leaven still works. Lady -Wilde, in her “<i>Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of -Ireland</i>,” alludes to a method of treatment in fashion till -lately among the peasantry there. When anyone showed signs of insanity -‘a witch-doctor’ was called in. This potent individual -sprinkled holy water about the room and over the patient; and after -uttering certain incantations—understood by the by-standers to be -‘Latin prayers’—proceeded to beat him with a stout -cudgel. In the end the ravings of the lunatic ceased, or as it was put, -“the devil was driven out of him.” In Cornwall, at St. -Nun’s Well, the expulsive power of a new terror used to be tried. -According to Carew, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb117" href="#pb117" -name="pb117">117</a>]</span>the <i>modus operandi</i> was as -follows:—“The water running from St. Nun’s Well fell -into a square and enclosed walled plat, which might be filled at what -depth they listed. Upon this wall was the frantic person put to stand, -his back towards the pool, and from thence, with a sudden blow in the -breast, tumbled headlong into the pond; where a strong fellow, provided -for the nonce, took him and tossed him up and down, alongst and athwart -the water, till the patient, by foregoing his strength, had somewhat -forgot his fury. Then was he conveyed to the church, and certain masses -said over him, upon which handling, if his right wits returned, St. Nun -had the thanks; but if there appeared small amendment, he was bowsened -again and again, while there remained in him any hope of life or -recovery.” North of the Tweed the treatment was hardly less -soothing. When a lunatic was being rowed over to Innis Maree to drink -the water of St. Maelrubha’s Well there, he was jerked out of the -boat by the friends who accompanied him. A rope had previously been -tied round his waist, and by this he was pulled back into the boat; but -before he could gather together his all-too-scattered wits, he was in -the water again. As a rule this was done, not once or twice, but -repeatedly, and in the case of both sexes. Such was the method up to a -comparatively recent date. Pennant thus describes what was done in -1772:—“The patient is brought into the sacred island; is -made to kneel before the altar, viz., the stump of a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb118" href="#pb118" name= -"pb118">118</a>]</span>tree—where his attendants leave an -offering in money; he is then brought to the well and sips some of the -holy water; a second offering is made; that done, he is thrice dipped -in the lake; and the same operation is repeated every day for some -weeks.” This towing after a boat to cure insanity was not an -isolated instance. Early in the present century, the wife of a man -living at Stromness in Orkney, went mad through the incantations of -another female believed to be a witch. The man bethought him of the -cure in question, and, out of love for his afflicted wife, dragged her -several times up and down the harbour behind his boat. Mr. R. M. -Fergusson, who mentions this case in his “<i>Rambles in the Far -North</i>,” says that the woman “bobbed about behind the -boat like a cork, and remained as mad as ever.”</p> -<p>The well at Struthill, in Muthill parish, Perthshire, once had a -considerable reputation for the cure of insanity. It was customary to -tie patients at night to a stone near the spring, and recovery would -follow if they were found loose in the morning. An adjoining chapel was -ordered to be demolished in 1650 by the Presbytery of Auchterarder, on -the ground of its being the scene of certain superstitious rites, but -the spring continued to be visited till a much later date. At -Teampull-mòr in Lewis, in addition to walking round the ruins, -and being sprinkled with water from St. Ronan’s Well, the insane -person was bound and left all night in the <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb119" href="#pb119" name= -"pb119">119</a>]</span>chapel on the site of the altar. If he slept, he -would recover; but if he remained awake, there was no hope of a cure. -In the Struthill and Teampull-mòr instances, as well as that of -Strathfillan mentioned below, the binding of the patient was an -essential part of the treatment; and in two at least of the cases the -loosening of the bonds was reckoned an omen of good. The mysterious -loosening of bonds used to be an article of common belief. Dalyell, in -his “<i>Darker Superstitions of Scotland</i>,” remarks, -“Animals were sometimes liberated supernaturally. In the Isle of -Enhallow, a horse tied up at sunset would wander about through the -night; and while the kirk session took cognisance of a suspected witch -who had exercised her faculties on a cow, the animal, though firmly -secured, was found to be free, and in their vicinity when the -investigation closed.”</p> -<p>The Holy Pool of St. Fillan was famous for the cure of various -diseases, but specially of insanity. It is referred to in -“<i>Marmion</i>” as</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line xd26e997">“St. Fillan’s blessed well</p> -<p class="line">Whose springs can frenzied dreams dispel</p> -<p class="line">And the craz’d brain restore.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">It is not, however, a well, but a pool, in the river -Fillan, about two miles lower down than Tyndrum. To correctly estimate -the reverence paid to this sacred pool, we must glance at the -influence, exerted by Fillan on the district during his life-time, and -afterwards by means<a id="xd26e1621" name="xd26e1621"></a> of his -relics. The saint flourished <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb120" href= -"#pb120" name="pb120">120</a>]</span>in the early eighth century. He -was born in Ireland. His father was Ferodach, and his mother was -Kentigerna, daughter of a prince of Leinster. She afterwards came to -Scotland and led the life of a recluse, on Inch Cailleach, an island in -Loch Lomond. According to the Aberdeen Breviary, Fillan was born with a -stone in his mouth, and was at once thrown into a lake where he was -ministered to by angels for a year. He was then taken out and baptised -by Bishop Ybarus, and at a later date received the monastic habit from -Muna, otherwise called Mundus. Devoting himself to solitary meditation -he built a cell close to Muna’s monastery. On one occasion, a -servant went to call him to supper, and looking through a chink in the -wall, saw the saint busy writing, his uplifted left hand throwing light -over the book in lieu of a candle. Whatever may be thought of the -incident, few will deny its picturesqueness. In competent hands it -might be made the subject of a striking picture. Fillan afterwards went -to Lochalsh, where he dedicated a church to his uncle Congan, the -founder of the monastery of Turriff, in Aberdeenshire. We next find -Fillan in the principal scene of his missionary work, viz., in -Glendochart, in that portion of the glen anciently called Siracht, and -now Strathfillan. This area formed a separate parish till 1617, but was -then united to the parish of Killin. Fillan arrived with seven serving -clerics, and tradition says that he built his church at a spot<a id= -"xd26e1625" name="xd26e1625"></a> miraculously pointed out to him. The -neighbourhood was, and is full of <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb121" -href="#pb121" name="pb121">121</a>]</span>interest. -“Glendochart,” writes Mr. Charles Stewart in “<i>An -Gaidheal</i>,” “is not celebrated for terrific mountain -scenery like Glencoe or the Coolins, but has a grandeur of a different -character. Lofty mountains, clothed, here in heather, there in green; -cloudy shadows frequently flitting across their sides, and serried -ridges of multiplied lines and forms of varied beauty, and along their -sides strangely shaped stones and boulders of rocks deposited by the -ancient glaciers. Along the strath there are stretches of water, its -course broken occasionally by lochs; sometimes wending its way slowly -and solemnly through green meadows, and anon rushing along as at the -celebrated bridge of Dochart, at Killin, with fire and fury.”</p> -<p>The same writer mentions that three spots, where Fillan was wont to -teach the natives of the Strath, are still pointed out, viz., at the -upper end of Glendochart, where the priory was afterwards built, -halfway down the glen at Dun-ribin, and at the lower end at -Cnoc-a-bheannachd, <i>i.e.</i>, Hill of the Blessing, near Killin. -Fillan instructed the people in agriculture, and built mills for -grinding corn. Out of compliment to him, the mill at Killin was idle on -his festival, (Jan. 9th), as late as the middle of the present century. -Indeed there was a superstition in the district that it would not be -lucky to have it working on that day. Fillan also instituted fairs for -the sale and barter of local produce. His fair is still held at Killin -in January. The miraculous element in his history did not end -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb122" href="#pb122" name= -"pb122">122</a>]</span>with his life. He seems to have died somewhere -about Lochearn, and his body was brought back to Glendochart, by way of -Glen Ogle. When the bearers reached the point where Glendochart opens -upwards and downwards, a dispute arose as to the destination of their -burden. Some wished the saint’s body to be buried at Killin and -others at Strathfillan. Behold a marvel! When they could not agree, -they found that instead of one coffin there were two, and so each party -was satisfied.</p> -<p>Robert Bruce’s fight with the followers of Macdougall of Lorne -took place near St. Fillan’s Church, at a spot, afterwards named -Dalrigh or the King’s Field. On that occasion, an earnest prayer -was addressed to the saint of the district, and through his -intercession victory came to Bruce. So at least runs the legend. After -his success at Bannockburn, the King in gratitude founded St. -Fillan’s Priory, in Strathfillan, and endowed it with the -neighbouring lands of Auchtertyre, and with the sheep-grazing of -Bein-mhannach or the Monk’s Mountain, in Glenlyon. Indeed, if -tradition speaks truth, Bruce had a double reason to be grateful to -Fillan, for the victory at Bannockburn, was attributed to the presence -in the Scottish camp, of a relic of the saint, said to be an arm-bone -set in silver. The relic, however, as Dr. John Stuart shows, in the -twelfth volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland</i>,” was probably his Coig-gerach or -pastoral staff, popularly, but erroneously called his Quigrich. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb123" href="#pb123" name= -"pb123">123</a>]</span>It is said to have been kept at Auchlyne, in a -chapel called Caipal-na-Faraichd, and when the chapel was burnt to have -been rescued by a person, either then, or afterwards, called Doire or -Dewar, whose descendants became its custodiers. The subsequent history -of the relic is curious. In 1782 it was at Killin in the keeping of -Malice Doire. In 1818 it was taken to Canada, where it remained for -some sixty years. Through the patriotic zeal of Sir Daniel Wilson it -was then sent back to Scotland, and now forms one of the treasures in -the National Museum of Antiquities, at Edinburgh.</p> -<p>The sanctity of Fillan thus distilled like a fertilising dew over -the district of Glendochart. We need not, therefore, be surprised that, -in days darker than our own, a thriving crop of superstitions was the -result. It is certainly a striking testimony to the enduring influence -of the saint, that the pool, believed to have been blessed by him, -retained its fame till within the memory of persons still living. -Possibly the pool was reverenced even before his time. Towards the end -of last century, as many as two hundred persons were brought annually -to the spot. The time selected was usually the first day of the -quarter, (O.S.), and the immersion took place after sunset. The -patients, with a rope tied round their waist, were thrown from the bank -into the river. This was usually done thrice. According to previous -instructions, they picked up nine stones from the bottom of the stream. -After their dip they walked <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb124" href= -"#pb124" name="pb124">124</a>]</span>three times round three cairns in -the immediate neighbourhood, and at each turn added a stone to the -cairn. An English antiquary, who visited the spot in 1798, writes, -“If it is for any bodily pain, fractured limb or sore, that they -are bathing, they throw upon one of these cairns that part of their -clothing which covered the part affected; also, if they have at home -any beast that is diseased, they have only to bring some of the meal -which it feeds upon and make it into paste with these waters, and -afterwards give it to him to eat, which will prove an infallible cure; -but they must likewise throw upon the cairn the rope or halter with -which he was led. Consequently the cairns are covered with old halters, -gloves, shoes, bonnets, nightcaps, rags of all sorts, kilts, -petticoats, garters, and smocks. Sometimes they go as far as to throw -away their halfpence.”</p> -<p>After the ceremony at the cairns the patient was led to the ruins of -St. Fillan’s Chapel, about half a mile away, and there tied to a -stone with a hollow in it, large enough to receive the body, the -unfortunate person being fastened down to a wooden framework. The -patient was then covered with hay, and left in this condition all -night. As at Struthill, if the bonds were found loose in the morning, -he or she would recover; but if not, the case was counted hopeless, or -at least doubtful. As the writer of the article on the parish, in the -“<i>New Statistical Account of Scotland</i>,” shrewdly -observes, “The prospect of the ceremony, especially in a cold -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb125" href="#pb125" name= -"pb125">125</a>]</span>winter evening, might be a good test for persons -pretending insanity.” At the time when he wrote, viz., in 1843, -the natives of the parish had ceased to believe in the efficacy of the -holy pool, but it was still visited by invalids from a distance. It was -usual, after the fastening process already described, to place St. -Fillan’s bell on the head of the patient by way of helping on the -cure. This bell is quadrangular in shape. Its size and appearance are -thus described by Dr. Joseph Anderson in his “<i>Scotland in -Early Christian Times</i>”: “It is an elegant casting of -bronze, stands twelve inches high and measures nine by six inches wide -at the mouth. The ends are flat, the sides bulging, the top rounded. In -the middle of the top is the loop-like handle, terminating where it -joins the bell in two dragonesque heads with open mouths.” The -bell weighs eight pounds fourteen ounces. In the fifteenth century the -relic seems to have been held in special honour, for it graced the -coronation of James IV. in 1488. After the Reformation, it was locked -up for some time, to prevent its use for the superstitious purpose -alluded to above. But, as a rule, it lay on a tombstone in the Priory -graveyard, protected only by the reverence paid to it in the district. -There was a belief that, if carried off, it would return of its own -accord, ringing all the way. In 1798 this belief was put to a severe -test, for in that year the English antiquary, already quoted, removed -the relic. “In order,” he says, “to ascertain the -truth or <span class="corr" id="xd26e1660" title= -"Source: falsehold">falsehood</span> <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb126" href="#pb126" name="pb126">126</a>]</span>of the ridiculous -story of St. Fillan’s bell, I carried it off with me, and mean to -convey it, if possible, to England. An old woman, who observed what I -was about, asked me what I wanted with the bell, and I told her that I -had an unfortunate relation at home out of his mind, and that I wanted -to have him cured. ‘Oh, but,’ says she, ‘you must -bring him here to be cured, or it will be of no use.’ Upon which -I told her he was too ill to be moved, and off I galloped with the bell -back to Tyndrum Inn.” The bell was taken to England. About -seventy years later, its whereabouts was discovered, and it was sent -back to Scotland. Like the crozier of the same saint, it is now in the -Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh.</p> -<p>If we may believe a local tradition, the Holy Pool lost its -miraculous virtue in the following manner, though, after what the -English antiquary mentioned about its water being mixed with meal, and -given to diseased cattle, we see no reason why it should have been so -particular. A farmer who had a mad bull thought that, if the sacred -water could heal human ills, it would be efficacious also in the case -of the lower animals. So he plunged his infuriated beast into the -stream. What was the effect on the bull we do not know: but since then -the virtue has departed from the water. Except for a pleasure dip on a -hot summer’s day, no one need now apply at the Holy Pool.</p> -<p>The unbroken reputation of such health resorts, for centuries, is -certainly remarkable. Strathfillan <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb127" -href="#pb127" name="pb127">127</a>]</span>kept up its fame for over a -thousand years. At Gheel, in Belgium, for fully twelve hundred years, -successive generations of lunatics sought relief at St. Dympna’s -Well. We must not be too hard on the ages before our own; for, though -in some respects dark, in other respects they had a good deal of light. -Nevertheless, severe things might be said about them. From a -present-day point of view, it might be argued that those, who took -their insane friends to get cured in the manner described, required, -like the patients themselves, a little rearrangement of their wits. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb128" href="#pb128" name= -"pb128">128</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch8" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e244">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER VIII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Some Wonderful Wells.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Wells Wonderful as to Origin—Tre -Fontane—Springs where Saints were Beheaded—St. -Alban’s Spring—Covenanter’s Spring—St. -Vynning’s Spring—Scottish and English -Hagiology—Springs from -Graves—Cuthbert—Milburga—Mysterious -Lakes—Hell-Hole at Tunstall—King Henry’s Well— -Bringing Sea to Morpeth—Plymouth Water-supply—Fitz’s -Well—Good Appetite—Dogs’ Well—Singular Springs -in Lewis and Barray—Well in the -Wall—Toubir-ni-Lechkin—Power of Wells over Lower -Animals—Black Mere—Well at Gillsland—Intermittent -Springs—Powbate Well—St. Ludvan’s Well—St. -Keyne’s Well.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">The epithet <i>wonderful</i> may fitly be applied to -whatever springs are endowed by popular credulity with mysterious -properties. Those already considered have been mainly associated with -the removal or prevention of disease. It is now proposed to glance at -certain other characteristics.</p> -<p>Some springs are wonderful as to their origin. Who does not know the -legend connected with Tre Fontane, in the vicinity of Rome, where water -bubbled up at the three places touched by St. Paul’s severed -head? We do not recollect any Scottish instance of a well coming into -being in this way; <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb129" href="#pb129" -name="pb129">129</a>]</span>but in England we have St. Osyth’s -Well in Essex, where that saint was beheaded by the Danes, and in -Wales, St. Winifred’s Well in Flintshire. Concerning the latter, -Chambers, in his “<i>Book of Days</i>,” thus -writes:—“Winifred was a noble British maiden of the seventh -century; a certain Prince Cradocus fell in love with her, and, finding -his rough advances repulsed, cut off the lady’s head. Immediately -after doing this, the prince was struck dead, and the earth, opening, -swallowed up his body. Meanwhile, Winifred’s head rolled down the -hill; where it stopped, a spring gushed forth—the blood from the -head colouring the pebbles over which it flowed, and rendering fragrant -the moss growing around.” Sweden has its St. Eric’s Spring -at Upsala, marking the place where Eric, the king, was beheaded about -the middle of the twelfth century. St. Oswald’s Well at Winwick, -in Lancashire, is said to indicate the spot where that famous -Northumbrian king received his death-wound when fighting against Penda, -the pagan ruler of Mercia. On a hill in Hertfordshire, a fountain arose -to quench the thirst of Alban, England’s proto-martyr, who -suffered there about 300 <span class="sc">A.D.</span> According to a -Kincardineshire tradition, a spring in Dunnottar Castle miraculously -appeared for behoof of the Covenanters, who were confined there in -1685. In Holywood parish, Dumfriesshire, (so called from its oak -forest, sacred even in pre-Christian times), a fountain sprang up at -the intercession of Vynning, the patron of a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb130" href="#pb130" name="pb130">130</a>]</span>well -at Kilwinning, in Ayrshire. In Scottish hagiology, fountains usually -gush forth to supply water for baptism. In English legends they spring -up as a tribute to spots where the corpses of saintly persons have -rested. Thus, water issued from the graves of Ethelbert at Marden, in -Herefordshire, and of Withburga at East Dereham, in Norfolk, and also -from that of Frideswide at Oxford. St. Frideswide’s Fair at the -last-mentioned place was a noted holiday in the middle ages. It lasted -a week, and, during its continuance, the keys of the city were in the -keeping of the prior, having been handed over by the mayor, who ceased -for the time to be responsible for the peace of the burgh. At -Trondhjem, in Norway, a spring arose to mark the spot where King Olaf -was buried, about the middle of the eleventh century.</p> -<p>Cuthbert was greatly honoured by the gushing forth of springs, both -during his lifetime and after his death. While at Lindisfarne, he was -seized with a desire for still greater retirement, and accordingly -withdrew to Farne Island, one of the Fern group, two miles distant from -Bamborough, and six from Lindisfarne. This island was then haunted by -evil spirits; but these he drove away, as Guthlac did from the marshes -of Crowland, in Lincolnshire. Cuthbert set about building a cell in -Farne Island, and, with the help of angels, the work was satisfactorily -completed. Unfortunately, there was no fresh water to be had; but the -want was soon <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb131" href="#pb131" name= -"pb131">131</a>]</span>supplied. In response to the saint’s -prayers, a spring arose in the floor of his cell. Bede says, -“This water, by a most remarkable quality, never overflowed its -first limits, so as to flood the floor, nor yet ever failed, however -much of it might be taken out; so that it never exceeded or fell short -of the daily wants of him who used it for his sustenance.” The -miracle did not end here. When Eistan of Norway was ravaging the coast -of Northumberland in the twelfth century, he landed on Farne Island and -destroyed the property of the hermits, whose retreat it then was. The -spring, unwilling to give help to the robber bands, dried up. Thirst, -accordingly, compelled them to quit the island. No sooner had they left -than the spring reappeared and gladdened the spot once more. After -Cuthbert’s death, his body was carried from place to place for -safety. In his “<i>History of St. Cuthbert</i>,” Archbishop -Eyre remarks, “There is a legendary tradition, that when the -bearers of St. Cuthbert’s body journeyed northwards from -Yorkshire and came to Butterby, near Croxdale, they set down the coffin -on the right bank before crossing the river, and immediately a saline -spring burst out upon the spot. After fording the river they again -rested the coffin, and a spring of chalybeate water rose up where they -had laid down the body. A third time the weary travellers, struggling -up the rugged pass, were compelled to lay their precious burden on the -ground, and a sweet stream of water <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb132" href="#pb132" name="pb132">132</a>]</span>gushed out of the -rock to refresh them.” Prior to this, Cuthbert’s relics had -rested a while at Melrose. Tradition says that, on resuming their -wanderings, they floated down the Tweed in a stone coffin as far as -Tillmouth, on the English Border. The fragments of a sarcophagus, said -to be the coffin in question, are still to be seen there beside the -ruins of St. Cuthbert’s Chapel. This incident is thus referred to -in “<i>Marmion</i>”:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Seven years Saint Cuthbert’s corpse they -bore.</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">They rested them in fair Melrose:</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">But though, alive, he loved it well,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Not there his reliques might repose;</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">For, wondrous tale to tell!</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">In his stone coffin forth he rides</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">(A ponderous bark for river tides),</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Yet light as gossamer it glides,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Downward to Tillmouth cell.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">A Shropshire legend narrates that, on one occasion, -Milburga, who is still remembered in the name of Stoke St. Milborough, -was riding in all haste to escape from certain enemies. She fell at -length exhausted from her horse; but, at her command, the animal struck -a stone with his hoof, and water gushed out for her refreshment. In a -neighbouring field some men were sowing grain, and the saint prophesied -that in the evening they would gather the ripe corn. She instructed -them to tell her enemies, on their arrival, that she had passed when -the crop was being sown. The miracle duly happened, and -Milburga’s foes were disconcerted in consequence. Shropshire and -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb133" href="#pb133" name= -"pb133">133</a>]</span>Yorkshire have strange traditions about the -sudden appearance of lakes, sometimes overwhelming human dwellings. In -the latter case, the tops of houses are said to be visible through the -water. Additional picturesqueness is occasionally given, by the -introduction into the story of vanished bells, sending forth from the -depths their soft cadences. At Tunstall, in Norfolk, a boggy piece of -ground, locally known as Hell-Hole, is marked by frequently rising -bubbles. The devil once carried off the bells of the church, and, when -pursued, plunged into the marsh. The bubbles are due to the bells -sinking lower and lower into the abyss. Such beliefs about lakes form -an interesting supplement to Scottish superstitions.</p> -<p>When Henry VI. was in hiding in Bolton Hall, in Yorkshire, he wished -to have a bath in the hot summer weather. His host, anxious to supply -what was lacking to the comfort of the royal fugitive, used a hazel -twig in his garden, in the hope of discovering water. The indications -being favourable, a well was dug, and the king was enabled to cool -himself to his heart’s content. The spring still bears the -king’s name. Michael Scott, who was born in Fife in the -thirteenth century, and was regarded by his contemporaries as a dabbler -in the black art, had a pupil in the north of England who undertook a -marvellous feat, viz., to bring the sea up the Wansbeck river to -Morpeth. Certain incantations were gone through, and the magician -started from the coast, followed by the tide. All went well till within -about five miles from <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb134" href= -"#pb134" name="pb134">134</a>]</span>the town, when he became alarmed -by the roaring of the water, and looked back. So the spell was broken, -and Morpeth remained inland. This recalls the story accounting for the -introduction of a good water-supply into Plymouth. When there was a -scarcity in the sixteenth century, Sir Francis Drake, the naval hero, -rode up to Dartmoor, and uttered some magical words over a spring -there. He immediately turned his horse and galloped back to the town, -followed by a copious stream.</p> -<p>Certain wells could put in a good claim to the title of -<i>wonderful</i> on the ground of the effects they were able to -produce. If a spring could act as a sign-post to guide the wayfarer, -who had strayed from his path, it might surely be classed among -marvels! This is what a certain well on Dartmoor, in Devonshire, could -do, at least in the sixteenth century. A man of the name of Fitz and -his wife, when crossing the moor in the year 1568, lost their way. They -lighted on the well in question, drank its water, and found the lost -track without the least difficulty. In gratitude, Fitz afterwards -raised a memorial of stone over the well “for the benefit of all -pixy-led travellers.” In Germany, before a meal, the ceremony of -wishing one’s friend a good appetite is still kept up. Such a -salutation must have been unnecessary in the Island of Harris, at least -in Martin’s time, for he tells us of a spring, then lately -discovered, that could produce an appetite whenever wanted. “The -natives,” he says, “find by experience that it is very -effectual for restoring lost appetite; all <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb135" href="#pb135" name="pb135">135</a>]</span>that -drink of it become very soon hungry though they have eat plentifully -but an hour before.” A small quantity of its water might with -advantage be added to the contents of the “loving cup” at -the Lord Mayor’s banquets, and on other festive occasions both -in, and out of the Metropolis. Martin speaks of another marvel in -Harris. “A large cave in the face of a hill hath,” he says, -“two wells in it, one of which is excluded from dogs, for they -say that if a dog do but taste of the water, the well presently dryeth -up; and for this reason, all such as have occasion to lodge there take -care to tie their dogs that they may not have access to the water. The -other well is called the Dogs’ Well, and is only drunk by -them.” The student of folklore cannot fail to find Martin a -congenial companion, as he records a variety of quaint Hebridean -customs that might have been passed over in silence by a more -matter-of-fact writer. When in the Island of Lewis, he was told of a -fountain at Loch Carloway “that never whitened linen,” -though the experiment had been often tried. In connection with his -visit to Barray, he says, “The natives told me there is a well in -the village Tangstill, the water of which, being boiled, grows thick -like puddle. There is another well, not far from Tangstill, which, the -inhabitants say, in a fertile year, throws up many grains of barley in -July and August. And they say that the well of Kilbar throws up embryos -of cockles, but I could not discern any in the rivulet, the air being -at that time foggy.” This reminds one of the <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb136" href="#pb136" name="pb136">136</a>]</span>Well -in the Wall in Checkly parish, Staffordshire, said to throw out small -bones like those of chickens and sparrows all the year round except in -the months of July and August. Toubir-ni-Lechkin, in Jura, rising on a -hill near Tarbert, was a noted fountain. Martin mentions that its water -was counted “lighter by one half” than any other water in -the island, and that a great quantity of it might be drunk at one time -without causing inconvenience. He further says, “The river Nissa -receives all the water that issues from this well, and this is the -reason they give why salmons here are in goodness and taste far above -those of any other river whatever.”</p> -<p>The power of some wells over the lower animals was remarkable. A -spring at Harpham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, dedicated to St. -John of Beverley, was believed to subdue the fiercest animal. A raging -bull, when brought to it, became as gentle as a lamb. A spring of this -kind would indeed be a great boon in the country to timid, town-bred -tourists when crossing fields where there are cattle. To the margin of -such a spring they could retreat and there feel safe. Black Mere, at -Morridge, near Leek, in Staffordshire, was credited with the power of -frightening away animals. Cattle would not drink its water, and birds -would not fly over it. A mermaid was believed to dwell in its depths. A -reminiscence of this belief is to be found in the name of “The -Mermaid,” a wayside inn in the neighbourhood frequented by -sportsmen. Some wells <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb137" href= -"#pb137" name="pb137">137</a>]</span>keep a sharp look-out on the use -made of their water. A certain spring at Gilsland, in Cumberland, -wished to dispense its favours freely, <i>i.e.</i>, without making the -public pay for them. The proprietor of the ground, however, resolved to -turn, what he counted, an honest penny, and built a house over the -spring for the sale of the water. The fountain, much aggrieved at this, -forthwith dried up. The house, not being required, was taken down, and -the benevolent water once more made its appearance.</p> -<p>Intermittent springs have been observed from an early date, and -strange notions have been formed about them. They are usually -associated in their ebbing and flowing with some particular river. In -some instances such a connection can be only imaginary, notably in the -case of the Keldgate Springs at Cottingham, in Yorkshire, thought to be -influenced by the river Derwent twenty miles away. An ebbing and -flowing well at the foot of Giggleswick Scar, near Settle, in the same -county, was represented by Michael Drayton under the poetic guise of a -nymph flying from the pursuit of an unwelcome lover. Gough, in his -edition of Camden’s “<i>Britannia</i>,” of date 1806, -has the following about a spring near Paisley:—“Bishop -Gibson says that in the lands of Newyards, near Paisley, is a spring -which ebbs and flows with the tide though far above any ground to which -the tide comes. Mr. Crawford, in his ‘<i>History of the Shire of -Renfrew</i>,’ applies this to a spring in the lands of Woodside, -which is three <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb138" href="#pb138" name= -"pb138">138</a>]</span>miles from the Clyde, and half-a-mile from -Paisley bridge, and the ground much higher than the river.” The -name of Dozmare Lake, in Cornwall, signifies in Cornish a drop of the -sea, the lake having been so called from a belief that it was tidal. -The absurdity of the belief is proved by the fact that the sheet of -water is eight hundred and ninety feet above the sea. The lake is said -to be unfathomable, and has for a haunting spirit a giant who is doomed -to empty it by means of a limpet shell.</p> -<p>A singular superstition is, or was till quite lately, cherished in -Peeblesshire, that Powbate Well, close to Eddlestone, completely fills -with its water the high hill on whose top it is situated. Chambers, in -his “<i>Popular Rhymes of Scotland</i>,” gives the -following particulars about the spring:—“The mouth, called -Powbate E’e, is covered over by a grate to prevent the sheep from -falling into it; and it is supposed that, if a willow wand is thrown -in, it will be found some time after, peeled at the water-laugh, a -small lake at the base of the hill supposed to communicate with -Powbate. Of course the hill is expected to break some day like a bottle -and do a great deal of mischief. A prophecy, said to be by Thomas the -Rhymer, and bearing evident marks of his style, is cited to support the -supposition:</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘Powbate, an ye break,</p> -<p class="line">Tak’ the Moorfoot in yere gate;</p> -<p class="line">Moorfoot and Mauldslie,</p> -<p class="line">Huntlycote, a’ three,</p> -<p class="line">Five kirks and an Abbacie!’ ”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb139" href="#pb139" name= -"pb139">139</a>]</span></p> -<p>In explanation of this prophecy Chambers remarks: “Moorfoot, -Mauldslie, and Huntlycote are farm-towns in the immediate neighbourhood -of the hill. The kirks are understood to have been those of Temple, -Carrington, Borthwick, Cockpen, and Dalkeith; and the abbacy was that -of Newbottle, the destruction of which, however, has been anticipated -by another enemy.”</p> -<p>The Scottish imagination, in attributing wonderful properties to -springs, has not gone the length of ascribing to any the power -possessed by St. Ludvan’s Well in Cornwall. This fountain has -been already referred to as the giver of increased sight. But it had -the still more marvellous power of preventing any one baptised with its -water from being hanged by a hempen rope. Nor have we heard of any -spring north of the Tweed that could be a match for another Cornish -well, viz., that of St. Keyne, familiar to readers of Southey. Whoever, -after marriage, first drank of its water would be the ruler of the -house. On one occasion a bridegroom hurried to make sure of this right, -but was chagrined to find that he had been anticipated: his bride had -taken a bottleful of the water with her to church. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb140" href="#pb140" name="pb140">140</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch9" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e254">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER IX.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Witness of Water.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Recovery from -Illness—Hydromancy—Mirror—Juno’s -Pool—Prediction and Cure—Methods of Augury—Portents -of Death—Water like Blood—Springs and National -Annals—Heritable Jurisdictions—Water and -Witchcraft—Devil’s Mark—Water Ordeal—Abbey of -Scone—Elgin Orderpot—Witch’s Stone—Repeal of -Penal Statutes—Witchcraft in the North—Insanity—Wild -Murdoch.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">“Am I likely to recover?” is a question on -many a patient’s lips. “Ask your doctor;” and if the -case looks serious, “Have a consultation” is the answer -nowadays. Formerly, the answer was “Go to a consecrated -well,” or “Get some one else to go in your stead, and you -will get a reply.” There is no reason to believe that -<i>every</i> sacred spring was credited with this power; but -<i>many</i> undoubtedly were. Hydromancy has been a favourite mode of -divination. “The conscious water” could predict the future, -and questions connected with health were laid before it for its -decision. The Greeks dipped a mirror into a well, and foretold health -or sickness from the appearance of the watery lines on its surface. A -pool in Laconia, sacred to Juno, revealed approaching good or -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb141" href="#pb141" name= -"pb141">141</a>]</span>evil fortune respectively, by the sinking or -floating of wheaten cakes thrown into it, and auguries were also drawn -from the movements of stones when dropt into it. Springs, therefore, -deserved the respect shown to them by the confiding public. Indeed they -not only told of recovery; they supplied the medicine required to -ensure it, and were thus doctors and druggists combined. Sometimes the -omen was unpropitious. In many cases the prophecy would work out its -own fulfilment. There was a well in the Island of Lewis that caused -either instant death or recovery to the patient who tested its virtues: -but a speedy fulfilment like this was exceptional. St. Andrew’s -Well at Shadar, in Lewis, was much esteemed for its power of augury. A -tub, containing some of its water, was taken to the house of the -patient, and a small wooden dish was placed on the surface of the -water. If this dish turned sunways, it showed that the patient would -recover; but if in an opposite direction, that he would die. In -reference to this instance, Mr. Gomme, in his “<i>Ethnology in -Folklore</i>,” observes, “I am inclined to connect this -with the vessel or cauldron so frequently occurring in Celtic -tradition, and which Mr. Nutt has marked as ‘a part of the gear -of the oldest Celtic divinities’ perhaps of divinities older than -the Celts.” On one occasion two parishioners of Fodderty, in -Ross-shire, consulted Tobar-na-domhnuich in that parish in behalf of a -sick friend. When they placed their pitcher on the surface of the -water, the vessel moved round from south to west, as in the last -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb142" href="#pb142" name= -"pb142">142</a>]</span>instance, and they hastened back to their friend -with the good news. This was in the year 1832. About the same time, a -woman brought her sick child to be bathed in the well, but was -surprised and not a little terrified to see a strange creature, with -glaring eyes, leap into it as she approached. Love for her child made -her brave. Overcoming her fear, she dislodged the creature, and bathed -the little invalid. In the end, however, she must have regarded the -appearance of the creature as a bad omen, for the child did not -recover. The usual way of consulting the spring in question was to draw -water from it before sunrise, and to convey the water to the -invalid’s house. The patient was then immersed in it, and if it -remained clear the circumstance pointed to recovery; but if it assumed -a brownish colour, the illness would end in death. In former times a -shirt was thrown into St. Oswald’s Well, in Yorkshire, by way of -augury. The floating of the shirt foretold returning health. The -sinking foretold death. When a portion of an invalid’s clothing -was flung into the Dow Loch, in Dumfriesshire, the same rule held good. -As may be noticed, the augury in these two cases was the <i>reverse</i> -of that in the case of Juno’s pool above alluded to.</p> -<p>There were other ways in which wells acted the prophet. If a certain -worm in a spring on the top of a particular hill in Strathdon was found -alive, the patient would recover. A well at Ardnacloich in Appin -contained a dead worm, if the patient’s illness would prove -fatal; but a living one, if otherwise. <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb143" href="#pb143" name="pb143">143</a>]</span>The Virgin’s -Well, near the ancient church of Kilmorie on the shores of Loch Ryan in -Wigtownshire, had an ingenious way of predicting the future. If the -patient, on whose account the water was sought, would recover, the -fountain flowed freely; but if the malady would end in death, the water -refused to gush forth. Montluck Well, in the grounds of Logan in the -same county, got the credit of acting on a similar principle. When -speaking of this spring, Symson says, “it is in the midst of a -little bog to which several persons have recourse to fetch water for -such as are sick, asserting (whether it be truth or falsehood I shall -not determine) that if the sick person shall recover, the water shall -so bubble and mount up when the messenger dips in his vessel, that he -will hardly get out dry shod by reason of the overflowing of the well; -but if the sick person be not to recover, there shall not be any such -overflowing in the least.” We find a belief in the south-west of -England corresponding to this in the south-west of Scotland. Gulval -Well, in Fosses Moor there, was resorted to by persons anxious to know -the fate of absent friends. If the person inquired about was dead, the -water remained perfectly still; if sick, it bubbled, though in a muddy -fashion; but if well, it sent out a sparkling gush. Mr. Hunt mentions -the case of a woman, who, with her babe in her arm, consulted the -spring about her absent husband, under the guidance of an aged female -who acted as the guardian of the well. “Obeying the old -woman’s directions, she knelt on the mat of bright <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb144" href="#pb144" name= -"pb144">144</a>]</span>green grass which grew around, and, leaning over -the well so as to see her face in the water, she repeated after her -instructor:</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘Water, water, tell me truly,</p> -<p class="line">Is the man I love truly</p> -<p class="line">On the earth, or under the sod,</p> -<p class="line">Sick or well,—in the name of God?’</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Some minutes passed in perfect silence, and anxiety -was rapidly turning cheeks and lips pale, when the colour rapidly -returned. There was a gush of clear water from below, bubble rapidly -followed bubble sparkling brightly in the morning sunshine. Full of -joy, the young mother rose from her knees, kissed her child, and -exclaimed, ‘I am happy now!’ ” At Barenton in -Brittany is a spring still believed in by the peasantry. A pin is dropt -into the well, and if good fortune is in store, the water sends up -bubbles; but if not, it remains quite still. The quantity of water in -St. Maelrubha’s Well on Innis-Maree varied from time to time. -When a patient was brought for treatment and there was a scanty supply, -the omen was considered unfavourable; but when the water was abundant, -the saint was deemed propitious, and the hope of recovery was -consequently great.</p> -<p>The fly at St. Michael’s Well in Banffshire was looked upon as -a prophet. In the “<i>Old Statistical Account of -Scotland</i>” we read, that, “if the sober matron wished to -know the issue of her husband’s ailment, or the love-sick nymph -that of her languishing swain, they visited the Well of St. Michael. -Every <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb145" href="#pb145" name= -"pb145">145</a>]</span>movement of the sympathetic fly was regarded in -silent awe; and as he appeared cheerful or dejected, the anxious -votaries drew their presages.” At Little Conan in Cornwall is a -spring, sacred to Our Lady of Nants. It was at one time resorted to on -Palm Sunday by persons anxious to know whether they would outlive the -year. A cross, made of palm, was thrown into the water. If it floated, -the thrower would survive the twelvemonth; but if it sank, he would die -within that time. Maidens used to visit Madron Well in the same county -on May morning to forecast their matrimonial fate. They took two pieces -of straw, about an inch in length, and placing them crosswise fastened -them together with a pin. The cross was then thrown into the spring. -The rising bubbles were carefully counted, for they corresponded in -number with the years that would elapse before the arrival of the -wedding-day.</p> -<p>Portents of death were sometimes furnished by lochs and springs. At -Harpham in Yorkshire there is a tradition that a drummer lad in the -fourteenth century was accidentally drowned in a certain spring by a -St. Quintin—Lord of the Manor. Ever afterwards the sound of a -drum was heard in the well on the evening before the death of one of -the St. Quintin family. Camden, in his “<i>Britannia</i>,” -tells of a sheet of water in Cheshire called Blackmere Lake, lying in -the district where the Brereton family had lands, and records the local -belief that, just before any heir of that house died, trunks of trees -were seen floating <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb146" href="#pb146" -name="pb146">146</a>]</span>on its surface. Water occasionally gave -warning by turning red like blood. A certain fountain, near the Elbe, -in Germany, was at one time believed to do this, in view of an -approaching war. St. Tredwell’s Loch, in Papa-Westray, Orkney, -has already been referred to, in connection with its habit of turning -red, whenever anything remarkable was about to happen to a member of -the Royal Family. When the Earl of Derwentwater was beheaded, in 1716, -the news spread that the stream flowing past his estate of Dilston Hall -in Northumberland ran with blood. The same was said of the river at -Bothel, in the parish of Topenhow, in Cumberland, on the occasion of -the execution of Charles I., in 1649. There was at one time a well in -Canterbury Cathedral. After the assassination of Thomas à Becket -the sweepings of his blood and brains from the floor were thrown into -it, and more than once afterwards the water turned red and effected -various miraculous cures. Lady Wilde, in her “<i>Ancient Legends -of Ireland</i>,” narrates how one of the holy wells of Erin lost -its efficacy for curing purposes through having been touched by a -murderer. The priest of the district took some of its water and -breathed on it thrice in the name of the Trinity, when, lo! a -mysterious change came over it, and it appeared red like blood! The -murderer was captured and handed over to justice, and the well once -more began to work cures.</p> -<p>Some springs seemed anxious to be behind the scenes (though before -the event) in connection with <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb147" -href="#pb147" name="pb147">147</a>]</span>various incidents in British -annals. A spring at Warlingham, in Surrey, rises before any great event -in our country’s history. At any rate it did so before three -great events in the seventeenth century, viz., the Restoration, the -Plague, and the Revolution. The famous Drumming Well at Oundle, in -Northamptonshire, was also specially active in the seventeenth century. -By making a sound like the beating of a drum, it announced the approach -of a Scottish army, and gave warning of the death of Charles II. In the -same century a pool in North Tawton parish, Devonshire, even though dry -in summer, became full of water at the driest season before the death -of a prince, and remained so till the event happened. Two centuries -earlier a certain well at Langley Park, in Kent, had a singular way of -foretelling the future. In view of a battle it became dry, though rain -fell heavily. If there was to be no fighting, it appeared full of -water, even during the greatest drought. A spring at Kilbarry, in the -island of Barra, Outer Hebrides, served the same purpose, but its mode -of augury was different. In this case, as Dalyell records in his -“<i>Darker Superstitions</i>,” drops of blood appeared in -prospect of war; but little bits of peat, if peace was to remain -unbroken. Walcott mentions, in his -“<i>Scoti-Monasticon</i>,” that there was at Kilwinning, in -Ayrshire, “a sacred fountain which flowed in 1184, and at other -times, before a war or trouble, with blood instead of water for eight -successive days and nights.” When Marvel-sike <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb148" href="#pb148" name= -"pb148">148</a>]</span>Spring, near Brampton Bridge, in -Northamptonshire, overflowed its customary limits, people used to -interpret its conduct as signifying approaching dearth, the death of -some great person, or some national disturbance. In these days, when so -keen an interest is taken in the proceedings of Parliament, it is a -pity that there is no spring in our land capable of announcing the -probable date of a dissolution. Such a spring would relieve the public -mind from much uncertainty, and would benefit the trade and commerce of -the country.</p> -<p>Heritable jurisdictions were abolished in Scotland soon after the -Stuart rising of 1745. This privilege, enjoyed till then by many -landowners north of the Tweed, was popularly known as the “right -of pit and gallows,” the pit being for the drowning of women and -the gallows for the hanging of men. In 1679, a certain woman, Janet -Grant by name, was convicted of theft in the baronial court of Sir -Robert Gordon of Gordonstone, held at Drainie, in Elginshire, and was -sentenced to be drowned in Spynie Loch. In this and other similar cases -water was used as a means of execution. In the case of witchcraft it -was called in as a witness in the trial. The criminal proceedings for -the detection and punishment of so-called witches form a painfully dark -chapter in Scottish history. As Mr. W. H. Davenport Adams pointedly -puts it, in his “<i>Witch, Warlock, and Magician</i>,” -“The common people for a time might have been divided into two -classes, ‘witches and witchfinders.’ ” The same -writer <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb149" href="#pb149" name= -"pb149">149</a>]</span>observes, “Among the people of Scotland, a -more serious-minded and imaginative race than the English, the -superstition of witchcraft was deeply rooted at an early period. Its -development was encouraged not only by the idiosyncracies of the -national character, but also by the nature of the country and the -climate in which they lived. The lofty mountains, with their misty -summits and shadowy ravines, their deep obscure glens, were the fitting -homes of the wildest fancies, the eeriest legends, and the -storm—crashing through the forests, and the surf beating on the -rocky shore, suggested to the ear of the peasant or fisherman the -voices of unseen creatures—of the dread spirits of the waters and -the air.” A favourite method of discovering whether an accused -person was guilty or not, was that technically known as -<i>pricking</i>. It was confidently believed that every witch had the -“devil’s mark” somewhere on her person. The existence -of this mark could be determined: for if a pin was thrust into the -flesh with the result that neither blood came, nor pain was felt, the -spot so punctured was the mark in question. This showed, without doubt, -that the accused was guilty of the heinous crime laid to her charge. -Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, in his “<i>History of Witchcraft in -Scotland</i>,” gives instances of the finding of the -“devil’s mark.” He mentions the case of Janet Barker, -a servant in Edinburgh, who acknowledged that she possessed this -particular mark between her shoulders. A pin was stuck into -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb150" href="#pb150" name= -"pb150">150</a>]</span>the spot and remained there for an hour without -her being aware of its presence. Such, at least, was the way of stating -the case in 1643. With this simple test at command it is not easy to -understand why water should have been required to give evidence. But so -it was. Among various nations the water-ordeal has been in fashion. It -was specially popular in Scotland a couple of centuries ago. Part of -the bay at St. Andrews is still styled the Witches’ Lake, -recalling by its name the crude notions and cruel practices of our -ancestors. A pool in the Carron, near Dunnottar Church in -Kincardineshire, at one time served a similar purpose.</p> -<p>As we have seen, the sinking or the floating of an object thrown -into water in cases of sickness told of death or recovery. In like -manner innocence or guilt could be determined in the case of persons -accused of sorcery. If the person sank, she was innocent; but guilty, -if she floated. King James VI.—a great authority on the -subject—explains why this was so. In his -“<i>Daemonologie</i>,” he says, “As in a secret -murther, if the dead carcase be at any time thereafter handled by the -murtherer, it will gush out of blood, as if the blood were raging to -the Heaven for revenge of the murtherer (God having appointed that -secret supernatural sign for trial of that secret unnatural crime), so -that it appears that God hath appointed (for a supernatural sign of the -monstrous impiety of witches) that the water shall refuse to receive -them in her bosom <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb151" href="#pb151" -name="pb151">151</a>]</span>that have shaken off them the sacred water -of baptism and wilfully refused the benefit thereof.” The Abbey -of Scone, in Perthshire, founded by Alexander I., in 1114, received -from him a charter confirming the right of using the water-ordeal for -the detection of witchcraft. The place of trial was a small island in -the Tay, half-way between the abbey and the bridge of Perth. According -to the practices, common at such trials, the accused was thrown into -the water, wrapped up in a sheet, and having the thumbs and the great -toes fastened together. The chances of life were certainly not great -under the circumstances, for, if the poor creature floated, she had -soon to exchange water for fire. The stake was her goal. If she sank, -the likelihood was that she would be drowned. Bundled up in the manner -described, she was scarcely in a position to rescue herself; and the -bystanders were in no humour to give a helping hand. Close to the town -of Elgin was once a witch-pool, known as the Order Pot, so called from -its having been the place of ordeal. Through time it was filled up, -mainly with rubbish from the ruins of the cathedral, in fulfilment, it -was believed, of the prophecy of Thomas the Rhymer that</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“The Order Pot and Lossie grey</p> -<p class="line">Shall sweep the Chanonry kirk away.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">In the seventeenth century a woman who was accused of -having brought disease on a certain man through her sorceries was -thrown into the pool. She sank, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb152" -href="#pb152" name="pb152">152</a>]</span>and the crowd, who had -collected to witness the trial, exclaimed, “To Satan’s -kingdom she hath gone.” The incident is of interest since the -view of her case, then taken, was contrary to the one usually held, as -explained above. Perhaps the people standing by thought that the devil -was so eager to get his own, that he would not lose the chance of -securing his victim at once. Elginshire has another memorial of the -black art in the form of The Witch’s Stone at Forres. It consists -of a boulder about a yard in diameter and probably marks the spot where -unhappy females convicted of witchcraft were executed. About the year -1790 some one wished to turn the stone to good account for building -purposes and broke it into three pieces. The breaker, however, was -compelled to put it together again, and the iron then used to clasp it -is still in position. Legend accounts for the breakage in a less -prosaic way. When the boulder was being carried by a witch through the -air in her apron, the apron-string broke, and, as a result, the stone -was broken too. The spot was formerly reckoned ill-omened. It would be -too much to say that belief in the black art has vanished from the -Highlands; though, fortunately for the good sense of our age, as well -as for those who live in it, witch pools are not now in requisition. -Pennant bears witness to the fact that belief in witchcraft ceased in -Perthshire soon after the repeal, in 1736, of the penal statutes -against witches. In more northern districts it continued a vital part -of the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb153" href="#pb153" name= -"pb153">153</a>]</span>popular creed till much later. The Rev. Donald -Sage mentions, in his “<i>Memorabilia Domestica</i>,” that -the Rev. Mr. Fraser, minister of Killearnan in Ross-shire, about 1750, -was much troubled with somnolency even in the pulpit. He was in -consequence thought to be bewitched—a notion that he himself -shared. Two women were fixed on, as the cause of his unnatural -slumbers. It was believed that they had made a clay image representing -the minister and had stuck pins into it. Certain pains felt by him were -ascribed to this cause. Had it not been for the Act of 1736, it would -doubtless have fared ill with the supposed witches.</p> -<p>Witches, however, were not alone in their power of floating. -According to a popular belief in the north-west Highlands, insane -people cannot sink in water. Sir Arthur Mitchell, in the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” volume iv., refers to the case of a certain -madman—Wild Murdoch by name—concerning whom strange stories -were told. He was born on the small island of Melista, near the coast -of Lewis, used only for occasional habitation in connection with the -pasturing of cattle. Anyone born in the island is believed to become -insane. The superstition about not sinking was certainly put to a -severe test in Wild Murdoch’s case. “It is said,” -remarks Sir Arthur, “that his friends used to tie a rope round -his body, make it fast to the stern of the boat, and then pull out to -sea, taking the wretched man in tow. The <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb154" href="#pb154" name="pb154">154</a>]</span>story goes that he -was so buoyant that he could not sink; ‘that they tried to press -him down into the water;’ that he could swim with a stone -fastened to him; that when carried to the rocky holms of Melista or -Greinan, round which the open Atlantic surges, and left there alone, he -took to the water and swam ashore.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb155" href="#pb155" name="pb155">155</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch10" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e264">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER X.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Water-Spirits.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Influence of Scenery—Science and -Superstition—Loch-nan-Spoiradan—<span class="corr" id= -"xd26e1914" title= -"Source: Lochan-nan-Deann">Lochan-nan-Deaan</span>—Lochan-Wan and -its Sacrifice—Jenny Greenteeth—Poetry and -Superstition—Tweed and Till—Dee and -Don—Folk-practices for Finding a Drowned Body—Deeside -Tradition—Salt used by Tweed Fishers for Good -Luck—Guardian-Spirit of Conan—Peg -Powler—Water-kelpies—Nikr—Halliwell -Boggle—Robin Round Cap—Round Hole, near -Flamborough—Aberdeenshire Kelpy Legends—Some Sutherland -Kelpies—Story about an Islay Kelpy—Mermaids in the -North.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">“One of the great charms of Highland landscape -is the gleam of still water that so often gives the element of repose -in a scene of broken cliff and tumbled crag, of noisy cascade and -driving cloud. No casual tourist can fail to notice what a wonderful -variety of lakes he meets with in the course of any traverse he may -take across the country. Among the higher mountains there is the little -tarn nestling in a dark sunless corry, and half-encircled with grim -snow-rifted crags. In the glen, there is the occasional broadening of -the river into a lake that narrows again to let the stream rush down a -rocky ravine. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb156" href="#pb156" name= -"pb156">156</a>]</span>In the wider strath there is the broad still -expanse of water, with its fringe of wood and its tree-covered islets. -In the gneiss region of the North-West, there is the little lochan -lying in its basin of bare rock and surrounded with scores of others -all equally treeless and desolate.” So writes Professor Sir A. -Geikie in his “<i>Scenery of Scotland</i>.” His point of -view is that of a scientific observer, keenly alive to all the varied -phenomena of nature. But amid the scenes described lived men and women -who looked at the outer world through the refracting medium of -superstition. They saw the landscape, but they saw also what their own -imagination supplied. In Strathspey, is a sheet of water bearing the -Gaelic name of Loch-nan-Spoiradan or the Lake of Spirits. What shape -these spirits assumed we do not know, but there was no mistake about -the form of the spirit who guarded Lochan-nan-Deaan, close to the old -military road between Corgarff and Tomintoul. The appearance of this -spirit may be gathered from the Rev. Dr. Gregor’s remarks in an -article on “Guardian Spirits of Wells and Lochs” in -“<i>Folklore</i>” for March, 1892. After describing the -loch, he says, “It was believed to be bottomless, and to be the -abode of a water-spirit that delighted in human sacrifice. -Notwithstanding this blood-thirsty spirit, the men of Strathdon and -Corgarff resolved to try to draw the water from the loch, in hope of -finding the remains of those that had perished in it. On a fixed day a -number of them met with spades and picks to cut a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb157" href="#pb157" name="pb157">157</a>]</span>way -for the outflow of the water through the road. When all were ready to -begin work, a terrific yell came from the loch, and there arose from -its waters a diminutive creature in shape of a man with a red cap on -his head. The men fled in terror, leaving their picks and spades behind -them. The spirit seized them and threw them into the loch. Then, with a -gesture of defiance at the fleeing men, and a roar that shook the -hills, he plunged into the loch and disappeared amidst the water that -boiled and heaved as red as blood.” Near the boundary, between -the shires of Aberdeen and Banff, is a small sheet of water called -Lochan-wan, <i>i.e.</i>, Lamb’s Loch. The district around is now -a deer forest, but at one time it was used for grazing sheep. The -tenants around had the privilege of pasturing a certain number of -sheep. Dr. Gregor says, “Each one that sent sheep to this common -had to offer in sacrifice, to the spirit of the loch, the first lamb of -his flock dropped on the common. The omission of this sacrifice brought -disaster; for unless the sacrifice was made, half of his flock would be -drowned before the end of the grazing season.” As in the case of -Lochan-nan-Deaan, an attempt was made to break the spell by draining -the loch, but this attempt, though less tragic in its result, was -equally unavailing. On three successive days a channel was made for the -outflow of the water, but each night the work was undone. A watch was -set, and at midnight of the third day hundreds of small black creatures -were seen to rise <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb158" href="#pb158" -name="pb158">158</a>]</span>from the lake, each with a spade in his -hand. They set about filling up the trench and finished their work in a -few minutes. Mr. Charles Hardwick, in “<i>Traditions, -Superstitions, and Folklore</i>,” published in 1872, tells of a -folk-belief, prevalent in the North of England, particularly in -Lancashire. “I remember well,” he says, “when very -young, being cautioned against approaching to the side of stagnant -pools of water partially covered with vegetation. At the time, I firmly -believed that if I disobeyed this instruction a certain water -‘boggart,’ named Jenny Greenteeth, would drag me beneath -her verdant screen and subject me to other tortures besides death by -drowning.”</p> -<p>Poetry and superstition regard external nature from the same -standpoint, in as much as both think of it as animate. But there is a -difference. The one endows nature with human qualities, and knows that -it does so through the imagination; the other does the same, and -believes that there is no imagination in the matter. The work of the -former is well expressed by Dr. E. B. Tylor, when he observes, -“In all that water does, the poet’s fancy can discern its -personality of life. It gives fish to the fisher and crops to the -husbandman, it swells in fury and lays waste the land, it grips the -bather with chill and cramp and holds with inexorable grasp its -drowning victim.” That rivers were monsters hungering, or -perhaps, one should say, thirsting, for human victims is a fact borne -witness to by poetry as well as by superstition. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb159" href="#pb159" name="pb159">159</a>]</span>An -example of this occurs in the following popular rhyme connected with -the Scottish Border:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Tweed said to Till,</p> -<p class="line">‘What gars ye rin sae still’?</p> -<p class="line">Till said to Tweed,</p> -<p class="line">‘Though ye rin wi’ speed,</p> -<p class="line">An’ I rin slaw,</p> -<p class="line">Yet whare ye droon ae man,</p> -<p class="line">I droon twa.’ ”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Some Aberdeenshire lines have the same -theme:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Bloodthirsty Dee</p> -<p class="line">Each year needs three;</p> -<p class="line">But bonny Don,</p> -<p class="line">She needs none.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">According to folklore, there is no doubt that rivers -are “uncanny.” Beneath their rippling surface dwells a -being who keeps a lookout for the unwary traveller and seeks to draw -him into the dark depths. A belief in such a being is not always -explicitly avowed. But there are certain folk-practices undoubtedly -implying it. When anyone is drowned in a river, the natural way to find -the body is to drag the stream in the neighbourhood of the accident. -But superstition has recourse to another method. A loaf of bread, with -or without quicksilver in it, is placed on the surface of the water and -allowed to drift with the current. The place where the loaf becomes -stationary marks the spot where the body lies concealed. According to -another method, a boat is rowed up and down the stream, and a drum is -beat all the time. When the boat passes over the resting place of the -body the drum will cease to sound. This was done in Derbyshire -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb160" href="#pb160" name= -"pb160">160</a>]</span>no longer ago than 1882, in order to find the -corpse of a young woman who had fallen into the Derwent. In such -practices there is a virtual recognition of a water-spirit who can, by -certain rites, be compelled to give up his prey, or at any rate to -disclose the whereabouts of the victim. A Deeside tradition supplies a -good illustration of this. A man called Farquharson-na-Cat, -<i>i.e.</i>, Farquharson of the Wand, so named from his trade of -basketmaking, had on one occasion to cross the river just above the -famous linn. It was night. He lost his footing, was swept down into the -linn, and there drowned. Search was made for his body, but in vain. His -wife, taking her husband’s plaid, knelt down on the river’s -brink, and prayed to the water-spirit to give her back her dead. She -then threw the plaid into the stream. Next morning her husband’s -corpse, with the plaid wrapped round it, was found lying on the edge of -the pool. Till quite lately, fishing on the Tweed was believed to be -influenced by the fairies of the river. Salt was thrown into the water, -and sprinkled on the nets to insure a plentiful catch of fish. This was -really the offering of a sacrifice to the river-spirits.</p> -<p>Frequently the guardian of the flood appeared in distinctly human -shape. An excellent example of this is to be found in Hugh -Miller’s “<i>My Schools and Schoolmasters</i>,” where -a picturesque description is given of the spirit haunting the Conan. -Hugh Miller was an expert swimmer, and delighted to bathe in the pools -of that Ross-shire stream. “Its <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb161" href="#pb161" name="pb161">161</a>]</span>goblin or -water-wraith,<span class="corr" id="xd26e1982" title= -"Not in source">”</span> he tells us, “used to appear as a -tall woman dressed in green, but distinguished chiefly by her withered, -meagre countenance, ever distorted by a malignant scowl. I knew all the -various fords, always dangerous ones, where of old she used to start, -it was said, out of the river before the terrified traveller to point -at him as in derision with her skinny finger, or to beckon him -invitingly on; and I was shown the very tree to which a poor Highlander -had clung when, in crossing the river by night, he was seized by the -goblin, and from which, despite of his utmost exertions, though -assisted by a young lad, his companion, he was dragged into the middle -of the current, where he perished. And when in swimming at sunset over -some dark pool, where the eye failed to mark, or the foot to sound, the -distant bottom, the twig of some sunken bush or tree has struck against -me as I passed, I have felt, with sudden start, as if touched by the -cold, bloodless fingers of the goblin.” At Pierse Bridge, in -Durham, the water-spirit of the Tees went by the name of Peg Powler, -and there were stories in the district, of naughty children having been -dragged by her into the river.</p> -<p>In the Highlands and Lowlands alike, the spirit inhabiting rivers -and lakes was commonly known as the water-kelpy. A south country ballad -says:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“The side was steep, the bottom deep</p> -<p class="line">Frae bank to bank the water pouring;</p> -<p class="line">And the bonnie lass did quake for fear,</p> -<p class="line">She heard the water-kelpie roaring.”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb162" href="#pb162" name= -"pb162">162</a>]</span></p> -<p>Who does not remember Burns’s lines in his “<i>Address -to the Deil</i>”?—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line">“When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord,</p> -<p class="line">An’ float the jinglin’ icy-boord,</p> -<p class="line">Then water-kelpies haunt the foord</p> -<p class="line xd26e667">By your direction;</p> -<p class="line">An’ ’nighted travellers are -allur’d</p> -<p class="line xd26e667">To their destruction.</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line">An’ aft your moss-traversin’ spunkies</p> -<p class="line">Decoy the wight that late and drunk is:</p> -<p class="line">The bleezin’, curst, mischievous monkeys</p> -<p class="line xd26e667">Delude his eyes.</p> -<p class="line">Till in some miry slough he sunk is,</p> -<p class="line xd26e667">Ne’er mair to rise.”</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class="first">The kelpy corresponded in attributes with the -Icelandic Nikr; whence has come our term Old Nick, popularly applied to -the devil. A well-known picture by Sir Noel Paton has familiarised the -story of “Nickar, the soulless,” who is there represented -as a creature with frog-like feet, but with a certain human look about -him, crouching among sedge by the side of water, and playing his -ghittern—an instrument resembling a guitar. He appears, however, -more melancholy and less mischievous than the other members of his -fraternity. A kelpy that idled away his time with music and made no -attempt to drown anybody, was quite an exceptional being. In Sweden, -where Nikr was regarded with awe, ferry-men at specially dangerous -parts of rivers warned those who were crossing in their boat not even -to mention his name, lest some mishap should follow. In his -“<i>Saxons in England</i>,” Mr. J. M. Kemble <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb163" href="#pb163" name="pb163">163</a>]</span>thus -refers to other manifestations of the same creature:—“The -beautiful Nix or Nixie who allures the young fisher or hunter to seek -her embraces in the wave which brings his death; the Neck who seizes -upon and drowns the maidens who sport upon his banks; the river-spirit -who still yearly, in some parts of Germany, demands tribute of human -life, are all forms of the ancient Nicor.” The same writer -continues:—“More pleasing is the Swedish Stromkarl, who, -from the jewelled bed of his river, watches with delight the children -gambol in the adjoining meadows, and singing sweetly to them in the -evening, detaches from his hoary hair the sweet blossoms of the -water-lily, which he wafts over the surface to their hands.” In -his “<i>Folklore of East Yorkshire</i>,” Mr. J. B. -Nicholson alludes to a haunted pool between Bewholme and Atwick, at the -foot of the hill on which Atwick Church stands. This pool is shaded by -willows, and is believed to be haunted by a spirit known in the -district as the Halliwell Boggle. In connection with Robin Round Cap -Well, in the same district, Mr. Nicholson tells a story—found -also in the south of Scotland—of a certain house-spirit or -brownie, who proved so troublesome to the farmer whom he served that -his master resolved to remove to other quarters. The furniture was -accordingly put in carts and a start was made for the new home. On the -way, a friend accosted the farmer and asked if he was flitting. Before -he could reply, a voice came from the churn—“Ay, -we’re <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb164" href="#pb164" name= -"pb164">164</a>]</span>flitting!” and, behold, there sat Robin -Round Cap. The farmer, seeing that he could not thus rid himself of the -spirit, returned to his old home; but, afterwards, he succeeded in -charming the brownie into a well, where he still remains. The same -writer relates a superstition about a certain round hole near -Flamborough where a girl once committed suicide. “It is -believed,” he says, “that anyone bold enough to run nine -times round this place will see Jenny’s spirit come out, dressed -in white; but no one has yet been bold enough to venture more than -eight times, for then Jenny’s spirit called out:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘Ah’ll tee on my bonnet</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">An’ put on me shoe,</p> -<p class="line">An’ if thoo’s nut off</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Ah’ll seean catch thoo!’</p> -</div> -<p class="first">A farmer, some years ago, galloped round it on -horseback, and Jenny did come out, to the great terror of the farmer, -who put spurs to his horse and galloped off as fast as he could, the -spirit after him. Just on entering the village, the spirit, for some -reason unknown, declined to proceed further, but bit a piece clean out -of the horse’s flank, and the old mare had a white patch there to -her dying day.”</p> -<p>In the “<i>Folklore Journal</i>” for 1889, Dr. Gregor -relates some kelpy legends collected by him in Aberdeenshire. On one -occasion a man had to cross the Don by the bridge of Luib, Corgarff, to -get to his wife who was then very ill. When he reached the river, he -found that the bridge—a wooden one—<span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb165" href="#pb165" name="pb165">165</a>]</span>had -been swept away by a flood. He despaired of reaching the other bank, -when a tall man suddenly appeared and offered to carry him across. The -man was at first doubtful, but ere long accepted the proffered help. -When they reached the middle of the river, the kelpy, who had hitherto -shown himself so obliging, sought to plunge his burden beneath the -water. A struggle ensued. The man finally found a foothold, and, -disengaging himself from the kelpy, scrambled in all haste up the bank. -His would-be destroyer, disappointed of his victim, hurled a boulder -after him. This boulder came to be known as the Kelpy’s Stane. -Passers-by threw a stone beside it till eventually a heap was formed, -locally styled the Kelpy’s Cairn. A Braemar kelpy stole a sackful -of meal from a mill to give it to a woman for whom he had taken a -fancy. As the thief was disappearing, the miller caught sight of him -and threw a fairy-whorl at his retreating figure. The whorl broke his -leg, and the kelpy fell into the mill-race and was drowned. Such was -the fate of the last kelpy seen in Braemar. Sutherland, too, abounded -in water-spirits. They used to cross the mouth of the Dornoch Firth in -cockle-shells, but, getting tired of this mode of transit, they -resolved to build a bridge. It was a magnificent structure, the piers -being headed with pure gold. A countryman, happening to pass, saw the -bridge, and invoked a blessing on the workmen and their work. -Immediately, the workmen vanished, and their work <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb166" href="#pb166" name="pb166">166</a>]</span>sank -beneath the waves. Where it spanned the Firth there is now a sandbar -dangerous to mariners. Miss Dempster, who recounts this legend in the -“<i>Folklore Journal</i>” for 1888, supplies further -information about the superstition of the district. A banshee, adorned -with gold ornaments and wearing a silk dress, was seen hurrying down a -hill near the river Shin, and finally plunging into one of its deep -pools. These banshees were commonly web-footed, and seemed addicted to -finery, if we may judge from the instance just given, and from another -mentioned by Mr. Campbell in his “<i>Tales of the West -Highlands</i>.” He there speaks of one who frequented a stream -about four miles from Skibo Castle in Dornoch parish. The -miller’s wife saw her. “She was sitting on a stone, quiet, -and beautifully dressed in a green silk dress, the sleeves of which -were curiously puffed from the wrists to the shoulder. Her long hair -was yellow like ripe corn, but on nearer view she had no nose.” -Miss Dempster narrates the following incident connected with the -water-spirit haunting another Sutherland river:—“One, -William Munro, and the grandfather of the person from whom we have this -story, were one night leading half-a-dozen pack-horses across a ford in -the Oikel, on their way to a mill. When they neared the river bank a -horrid scream from the water struck their ears. ‘It is the -Vaicgh,’ cried the lad, who was leading the first horse, and, -picking up some stones, he sent a shower of <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb167" href="#pb167" name="pb167">167</a>]</span>them -into the deep pool at his feet. She must have been repeatedly hit, as -she emitted a series of the most piercing shrieks. ‘I am -afraid,’ said Monro, ‘that you have not done that right, -and that she will play us an ugly trick at the ford.’ -‘Never mind, we will take more stones,’ he answered, arming -himself with a few. But the kelpy had had enough of stones for one -night.”</p> -<p>Off the Rhinns of Islay is a small island formerly used for grazing -cattle. A strong tide sweeps past the island, making the crossing of -the Sound dangerous. A story, related by Mr. Campbell, tells that on a -certain boisterous night a woman was left in charge of a large herd of -cattle on the island. She was sitting in her cabin, when all at once -she heard strange noises outside, and, looking up, saw a pair of large -eyes gazing in at her through the window. The door opened, and a -strange creature strode in. He was tall and hairy, with a livid -covering on his face instead of skin. He advanced towards the woman and -asked her name. She replied in Gaelic, “Mise mi -Fhin”—“Me myself.” He then seized her. In her -terror she threw a ladleful of boiling water on the intruder. Yelling -with pain he bounded out of the hut. These unearthly voices asked what -was the matter, and who had hurt him? “Mise mi -Fhin”—“Me myself,” replied the creature. The -answer was received with a shout of laughter from his mysterious -companions. The woman rushed out of <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb168" href="#pb168" name="pb168">168</a>]</span>the hut, and -dislodging one of the cows lay down on the spot, at the same time -making a magical circle round her on the ground. All night she heard -terrible sounds mingling with the roaring of the wind. In the morning -the supernatural manifestations disappeared, and she felt herself safe. -It had not fared, however, so well with the cow, for, when found, it -was dead.</p> -<p>In Chapter I. reference was made to mermen and mermaids, and little -requires to be added in the present connection. In the south of -Scotland the very names of these sea-spirits have a far-off sound about -them. No one beside the Firths of Forth and Clyde expects nowadays to -catch sight of such strange forms sitting on rocks, or playing among -the breakers; but among our Northern Isles it is otherwise. Every now -and again (at long intervals, perhaps) the mysterious mermaid makes her -appearance, and gives new life to an old superstition. About three -years since, one was seen at Deerness in Orkney. She reappeared last -year, and was then noticed by some lobstermen who were working their -creels. She had a small black head, white body, and long arms. Somewhat -later, a creature, believed to be this mermaid, was shot not far from -the shore, but the body was not captured. In June of the present year -another mermaid was seen by the Deerness people. At Birsay, recently, a -farmer’s wife was down at the sea-shore, and observed a strange -creature among <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb169" href="#pb169" name= -"pb169">169</a>]</span>the rocks. She went back for her husband, and -the two returned quite in time to get a good view of the interesting -stranger. The woman spoke of the mermaid as “a good-looking -person”; while her husband described her as “having a -covering of brown hair.” Curiosity seems to have been uppermost -in the minds of the couple, for they tried to capture the creature. In -the interests of folklore, if not of science, she managed to escape, -and was quickly lost to sight beneath the waves. Perhaps, as the -gurgling waters closed over her, she may have uttered an <i lang= -"fr">au revoir</i>, or whatever corresponds to that phrase in the -language of the sea. The following story about a mermaid, told by Mr. -J. H. Dixon in his “<i>Gairloch</i>,” published in 1886, is -fully credited in the district where the incident -occurred:—“Roderick Mackenzie, the elderly and much -respected boat-builder at Port Henderson, when a young man, went one -day to a rocky part of the shore there. Whilst gathering bait he -suddenly spied a mermaid asleep among the rocks. Rorie ‘went -for’ that mermaid, and succeeded in seizing her by the hair. The -poor creature in great embarrassment cried out that if Rorie would let -go she would grant him whatever boon he might ask. He requested a -pledge that no one should ever be drowned from any boat he might build. -On his releasing her the mermaid promised that this should be so. The -promise has been kept throughout Rorie’s long business -career—his boats still defy <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb170" -href="#pb170" name="pb170">170</a>]</span>the stormy winds and -waves.” Mr. Dixon adds, “I am the happy possessor of an -admirable example of Rorie’s craft. The most ingenious framer of -trade advertisements might well take a hint from this veracious -anecdote.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb171" href="#pb171" -name="pb171">171</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch11" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e275">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XI.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">More Water-Spirits.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Water-horses and Water-bulls—Highland -Superstition—Spiritual Water-demon and Material -Water-monster—Water-bulls of Loch Llundavrà and Loch -Achtriachtan—Water-horses of Loch Treig—Kelpy of Loch -Ness—Water-horse Bridles—Pontage Pool—Kelpy’s -Footprint—MacCulloch and Sir Walter Scott—Recent Example of -Belief in Water-monster—Tarroo-Ushtey in the Isle of -Man—Other -Water-spirits—Dragon—Black-dog—Fly—Fish—De -mons—Origin of Well-worship.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">So far we have been dealing with water-spirits more or -less human in form. Another class consists of those with the shape and -attributes of horses and bulls. The members of this class are connected -specially with Highland districts. Lonely lochs were their favourite -haunts. In treeless regions, a belief in such creatures would naturally -arise. Any ordinary animal in such an environment would appear of a -larger size than usual, and the eye of the beholder would transmit the -error to his imagination, thereby still further magnifying the -creature’s bulk. In some instances, the notion might arise even -when there was no animal on the scene. A piece of rock, or some other -physical feature of the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb172" href= -"#pb172" name="pb172">172</a>]</span>landscape would be enough to -excite superstitious fancies. Mr. Campbell remarks, “In -Sutherland and elsewhere, many believe that they have seen these -fancied animals. I have been told of English sportsmen who went in -pursuit of them, so circumstantial were the accounts of those who -believed they had seen them. The witnesses are so numerous, and their -testimony agrees so well, that there must be some old deeply-rooted -Celtic belief which clothes every object with the dreaded form of the -Each Uisge, <i>i.e.</i>, Water-horse.” When waves appeared on a -lake, and there seemed no wind to account for them, superstitious -people readily grasped at the idea that the phenomenon was due to the -action of some mysterious water-spirit. As Dr. Tylor points out, there -seems to have been a confusion “between the ‘spiritual -water-demon’ and the ‘material -water-monster.’ ” Any creature found in or near the -water would naturally be reckoned its guardian spirit.</p> -<p>The Rev. Dr. Stewart gives the following particulars about -water-horses and water-bulls in his “<i>’Twixt Ben Nevis -and Glencoe</i>.” They are thought of “as, upon the whole, -of the same shape and form as the more kindly quadrupeds after whom -they have been named, but larger, fiercer, and with an amount of -‘devilment’ and cunning about them, of which the latter, -fortunately, manifest no trace. They are always fat and sleek, and so -full of strength and spirit and life that the neighing of the one and -the bellowing of the other frequently awake <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb173" href="#pb173" name="pb173">173</a>]</span>the -mountain echoes to their inmost recesses for miles and miles -around …. Calves and foals are the result of occasional -intercourse between these animals and their more civilised domestic -congeners, such calves bearing unmistakable proofs of their mixed -descent in the unusual size and pendulousness of their ears and the -wide aquatic spread of their jet black hoofs; the foals, in their clean -limbs, large flashing eyes, red distended nostrils, and fiery spirit. -The initiated still pretend to point out cattle with more or less of -this questionable blood in them, in almost every drove of pure Highland -cows and heifers you like to bring under their notice.” The lochs -of Llundavrà and Achtriachtan, in Glencoe, were at one time -famous for their water-bulls; and Loch Treig for its water-horses, -believed to be the fiercest specimens of that breed in the world. If -anyone suggested to a Lochaber or Rannoch Highlander that the cleverest -horse-tamer could “clap a saddle on one of the demon-steeds of -Loch Treig, as he issues in the grey dawn, snorting, from his -crystal-paved sub-lacustral stalls, he would answer, with a look of -mingled horror and awe, ‘Impossible!’ The water-horse would -tear him into a thousand pieces with his teeth and trample and pound -him into pulp with his jet-black, iron-hard, though unshod -hoofs!”</p> -<p>A noted demon-steed once inhabited Loch Ness, and was a cause of -terror to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. Like other kelpies, he -was in the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb174" href="#pb174" name= -"pb174">174</a>]</span>habit of browsing along the roadside, all -bridled and saddled, as if waiting for some one to mount him. When any -unwary traveller did so, the kelpy took to his heels, and presently -plunged into deep water with his victim on his back. Mr. W. G. Stewart, -in his “<i>Highland Superstitions and Amusements</i>,” -tells a story to show that the kelpy in question did not always have -things his own way. A Highlander of the name of MacGrigor resolved to -throw himself in the way of the water-horse in the hope of getting the -better of him. The meeting took place in the solitary pass of -Slochd-Muichd, between Strathspey and Inverness. The kelpy looked as -innocent as usual, and was considerably startled when MacGrigor, sword -in hand, struck him a blow on the nose. The weapon cut through the -bridle, and the bit, falling to the ground, was instantly picked up by -MacGrigor. This was the turning point of the encounter. The kelpy was -powerless without his bit, and requested to have it restored. Though a -horse, the kelpy had the power of human speech, and conversed, -doubtless in excellent Gaelic, with his victor, using various arguments -to bring about the restoration of his lost property. Finding that these -were unavailing, he prophesied that MacGrigor would never enter his -house with the bit in his possession, and when they arrived at the door -he planted himself in front of it to block the entrance. The -Highlander, however, outwitted the kelpy, for, going round to the back -of his house, he called his wife and flung the bit <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb175" href="#pb175" name="pb175">175</a>]</span>to -her through a window. Returning to the kelpy, he told him where the bit -was, and assured him that he would never get it back again. As there -was a rowan cross above the door the demon-steed could not enter the -house, and presently departed uttering certain exclamations not -intended for benedictions. Those who doubt the truthfulness of the -narrative may have their doubts lessened when they learn that this was -not the only case of a water-horse’s bit becoming the property of -a human being. The Rev. Dr. Stewart narrates an anecdote bearing on -this. A drover, whose home was in Nether Lochaber, was returning from a -market at Pitlochry by way of the Moor of Rannoch. Night came on; but, -as the moon was bright, he continued his journey without difficulty. On -reaching Lochanna Cuile, he sat down to refresh himself with bread, -cheese, and milk. While partaking of this temperate repast he caught -sight of something glittering on the ground, and, picking it up, he -found it to be a horse’s bridle. Next morning he was astonished -to find that the bit and buckles were of pure silver and the reins of -soft and beautifully speckled leather. He was still more surprised to -find that the bit when touched was unbearably hot. A wise woman from a -neighbouring glen was called in to solve the mystery. She at once -recognised the article to be a water-horse’s bridle, and -accounted for the high temperature of the bit on the ground that the -silver still retained the heat that it possessed when in a molten state -below ground. The <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb176" href="#pb176" -name="pb176">176</a>]</span>reins, she said, were made of the skin of a -certain poisonous serpent that inhabited pools frequented by -water-horses. According to her directions, the bridle was hung on a -<i>cromag</i> or crook of rowan wood. Its presence brought a blessing -to the house, and the drover prospered in all his undertakings. When he -died, having no children of his own, he bequeathed the magical bridle -to his grandnephew, who prospered in his turn.</p> -<p>A pool in the North Esk, in Forfarshire, called the Ponage or -Pontage Pool, was at one time the home of a water-horse. This creature -was captured by means of a magical bridle, and kept in captivity for -some time. While a prisoner he was employed to carry stones to Morphie, -where a castle was then being built. One day the bridle was -incautiously removed, and the creature vanished, but not before he -exclaimed—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Sair back an’ sair banes,</p> -<p class="line">Carryin’ the Laird o’ Morphie’s -stanes;</p> -<p class="line">The Laird o’ Morphie canna thrive</p> -<p class="line">As lang’s the kelpy is alive.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">His attempted verse-making seems to have gratified the -kelpy, for when he afterwards showed himself in the pool he was -frequently heard repeating the rhyme. The fate of the castle was -disastrous. At a later date it was entirely demolished, and its site -now alone remains. Some six miles from the Kirkton of Glenelg, in -Inverness-shire, is the small sheet of water known in the district as -John MacInnes’ Loch. It was so called from a crofter of that -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb177" href="#pb177" name= -"pb177">177</a>]</span>name who was drowned there. The circumstances -are thus narrated by Mr. J. Calder Ross in “<i>Scottish Notes and -Queries</i>” for February, 1893: “John MacInnes found the -labour of his farm sadly burdensome. In the midst of his sighing an -unknown being appeared to him and promised a horse to him under certain -conditions. These conditions John undertook to fulfil. One day, -accordingly, he found a fine horse grazing in one of his fields. He -happened to be ploughing at the time, and at once he yoked the animal -to the plough along with another horse. The stranger worked splendidly, -and he determined to keep it, though he well knew that it was far from -canny. Every night when he stabled it he spread some earth from a -mole’s hill over it as a charm; according to another version he -merely blessed the animal. One night he forgot his usual precautions: -perhaps he was beginning to feel safe. The horse noticed the omission, -and seizing poor John in his teeth, galloped off with him. The two -disappeared in the loch.”</p> -<p>Water-horses were not always malignant in disposition. On one -occasion an Aberdeenshire farmer went with his own horse to a mill to -fetch home some sacks of meal. He left the horse at the door of the -mill and went in to bring out the sacks. The beast, finding itself -free, started for home. When the farmer reappeared and found the -creature gone he was much disconcerted, and uttered the wish that he -might get any kind of horse to carry <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb178" href="#pb178" name="pb178">178</a>]</span>his sacks even though -it were a water-kelpy. To his surprise, a water-horse immediately -appeared! It quietly allowed itself to be loaded with the meal, and -accompanied the farmer to his home. On reaching the house he tied the -horse to an old harrow till he should get the sacks taken into the -house. When he returned to stable the animal that had done him the good -turn, horse and harrow were away, and he heard the beast plunging not -far off in a deep pool in the Don. If anyone refuses to believe in the -existence of water-horses, let him go to the parish of Fearn, in -Forfarshire, and there, near the ruined castle of Vayne, he will see on -a sandstone rock the print of a kelpy’s foot. Noran Water flows -below the castle, and the mysterious creature had doubtless its home in -one of its pools. In Shetland, such kelpies were known as Nuggles, and -showed themselves under the form of Shetland ponies.</p> -<p>MacCulloch, the author of “<i>A Description of the Western -Islands of Scotland</i>,” found the belief in the water-bull a -living faith among the people, notably among the dwellers beside Loch -Rannoch and Loch Awe. He tells of a farmer who employed his sons to -search a certain stream for one of these creatures, while the farmer -himself carried a gun loaded with sixpences to be discharged when the -monster appeared, silver alone having any effect on such beasts. The -same writer, when speaking of the grandeur of the scenery about Loch -Coruisk, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb179" href="#pb179" name= -"pb179">179</a>]</span>remarks:—“It is not surprising that -Coruisk should be considered by the natives as the haunt of the -water-goblin or of spirits still more dreadful. A seaman, and a bold -one, whom, on one occasion, I had left in charge of the boat, became so -much terrified at finding himself alone that he ran off to join his -comrades, leaving it moored to the rock, though in danger of being -destroyed by the surge. I afterwards overheard much discussion on the -courage of the Southron in making the circuit of the valley unattended. -Not returning till it was nearly dark, it was concluded that he had -fallen into the fangs of the kelpy.” MacCulloch’s -“<i>Description</i>” consists of a series of letters to Sir -Walter Scott. Sir Walter himself has an interesting reference to the -same superstition in his “<i>Journal</i>,” under date -November 23rd, 1827. After enumerating the company at a certain dinner -party at which he had been present, he continues: “Clanronald -told us, as an instance of Highland credulity, that a set of his -kinsmen—Borradale and others—believing that the fabulous -‘water-cow’ inhabited a small lake near his house, resolved -to drag the monster into day. With this view they bivouacked by the -side of the lake in which they placed, by way of night-bait, two small -anchors such as belong to boats, each baited with the carcase of a dog -slain for the purpose. They expected the ‘water-cow’ would -gorge on this bait, and were prepared to drag her ashore the next -morning, when, to their confusion <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb180" -href="#pb180" name="pb180">180</a>]</span>of face, the baits were found -untouched. It is something too late in the day for setting baits for -water-cows.” If such conduct seemed wonderful in 1827, what would -the author of “<i>Waverley</i>” have thought had he known -that more than half-a-century later, people in the Highlands retained a -thorough-going belief in such monsters? No longer ago than 1884 rumours -were current in Ross-shire that a water-cow was seen in or near a loch -on the Greenstone Point, in Gairloch parish. Mr. J. H. Dixon, in his -“<i>Gairloch</i>,” states that about 1840 a water-cow was -believed to inhabit Loch-na-Beiste, in the same parish, and that a -serious attempt was then made to destroy the creature. The proprietor -tried to drain the loch, which, except at one point, is little more -than a fathom in depth; but when his efforts failed he threw a quantity -of quicklime into the water to poison the monster. It is reasonable to -hold that the trout were the only sufferers. The creature in question -was described by two men who saw it as in appearance like “a good -sized boat with the keel turned up.” Belief in the existence of -water-cows prevailed in the south as well as in the north of Scotland. -In the Yarrow district there was one inhabiting St. Mary’s Loch. -Concerning this water-cow, Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, writes: “A -farmer in Bowerhope once got a breed of her, which he kept for many -years until they multiplied exceedingly; and he never had any cattle -throve so well, until once, on some outrage or disrespect on the -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb181" href="#pb181" name= -"pb181">181</a>]</span>farmer’s part towards them, the old dam -came out of the lake one pleasant March evening and gave such a roar -that all the surrounding hills shook again, upon which her progeny, -nineteen in number, followed her all quietly into the loch, and were -never more seen.”</p> -<p>In the Isle of Man the water-bull was, and perhaps still is believed -in by the peasantry. It is called in Manx, tarroo-ushtey. There is much -force in Mr. Campbell’s conclusion that the old Celts reverenced -a destroying water-god, to whom the horse was sacred, or who assumed -the form of a horse. A similar notion may have originated the belief in -the water-bull.</p> -<p>Other creatures, besides those already mentioned, acted in the -capacity of water spirits. In Strathmartin, in Forfarshire, is a spring -styled the Nine Maidens’ Well. These maidens were the daughters -of a certain Donewalde or Donald in the eighth century, and led, along -with their father, a saintly life in the glen of Ogilvy in the same -county. Their spring at Strathmartin must have been well looked after, -for it had as its guardian, no less formidable a creature than a -dragon. We do not know whether there was any St. George in the vicinity -to dispute possession with the monster. In Kildonan parish, Sutherland, -a stagnant pool of water, some ten yards long by three broad, was -regarded by the inhabitants with superstitious dread. According to -tradition, a pot of gold lay hidden below; but no one could reach the -treasure <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb182" href="#pb182" name= -"pb182">182</a>]</span>as it was guarded by a large black dog with two -heads. The Rev. Donald Sage, when noticing this superstition in his -“<i>Memorabilia Domestica</i>,” remarks, “It is said -that a tenant once had attempted to drain the loch and had succeeded, -so that the water was all carried off. The only remuneration the -unfortunate agriculturist received was to be aroused from his midnight -slumbers by a visit from the black dog, which set up such a hideous -howl as made the hills reverberate and the poor man almost die with -fright. Furthermore, with this diabolical music, he was regularly -serenaded at the midnight hour till he had filled up the drain, and the -loch had resumed its former dimensions.” We do not know whether -any later attempt was made to abolish the stagnant pool; but at any -rate a dread of the black dog kept it from being again drained till -well on in the present century. Sutherland, however, cannot claim a -monopoly in the matter of a guardian spirit in the shape of a dog. -Concerning Hound’s Pool in Dean Combe parish, Devon, the -tradition is that it is haunted by a hound doomed to keep guard till -the pool can be emptied by a nutshell with a hole in it. Readers of -“<i>Peveril of the Peak</i>” can hardly fail to remember -the Moddey Dhoo—the black demon-dog—that roamed through -Peel Castle, in the Isle of Man. St. Michael’s Well in -Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, had for its guardian spirit a much -smaller animal than any of the above. It showed itself in the form of a -fly that kept skimming over the surface of the water. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb183" href="#pb183" name="pb183">183</a>]</span>This -fly was believed to be immortal. Towards the end of last century the -spring lost its reputation for its cures, and the guardian spirit -shared in its neglect. The writer of the article on the parish, in the -“<i>Old Statistical Account of Scotland</i>,” mentions -having met an old man who greatly deplored the degeneracy of the times. -A glowing picture is given of this old man’s desires. “If -the infirmities of years and the distance of his residence did not -prevent him, he would still pay his devotional visits to the well of -St. Michael. He would clear the bed of its ooze, opening a passage for -the streamlet, plant the borders with fragrant flowers, and once more, -as in the days of youth, enjoy the pleasure of seeing the guardian fly -skim in sportive circles over the bubbling waves, and with its little -proboscis imbibe the panacean dews.”</p> -<p>Consecrated fish have been reverenced, from of old, in East and West -alike. In Syria, at the present day, such fish are preserved in -fountains; and anciently certain pools in the stream, flowing past -Ascalon, were the abodes of fish sacred to Derketo, the Phœnician -Venus, who had a temple there. In our own land the same cult prevailed. -A curious Cornish legend tells how St. Neot had his well stocked with -fish by an angel. These fish were always two in number. Day by day, the -saint had one for dinner, and its place was miraculously supplied to -keep up the proper number. One day he fell sick, and his servant, -contrary to all ascetic precedent, cooked both and set them before -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb184" href="#pb184" name= -"pb184">184</a>]</span>his master. The saint was horrified, and had -both the fish—cooked though they were—put back into the -spring. He sought forgiveness for the rash act, and lo! the fish became -alive once more; and as a further sign that the sacrilege was condoned, -St. Neot, on eating his usual daily portion, was at once restored to -health. In Scotland there were various springs containing consecrated -fish. Loch Siant, in the Isle of Skye, described by MacCulloch as -“the haunt of the gentler spirits of air and water,” -abounded in trout; but, as Martin informs us, neither the natives nor -strangers ever dared to kill any of them on account of the esteem in -which the water was held. This superstition seems to have been -specially cherished in the island, for Martin further says, “I -saw a little well in Kilbride, in the south of Skie, with one Trout -only in it; the natives are very tender of it, and though they often -chance to catch it in their wooden pales, they are very careful to -preserve it from being destroyed; it has been there for many -years.” In a well near the church of Kilmore, in Lorne, were two -fishes held in much respect in the seventeenth century, and called by -the people of the district, Easg Seant, <i>i.e.</i>, holie fishes. From -Dalyell’s “<i>Darker Superstitions of Scotland</i>” -we learn that, like those belonging to St. Neot, they were always two -in number: they never varied in size: in colour they were black, and -according to the testimony of the most aged persons their hue never -altered. In Tober Kieran, near Kells, County Meath, Ireland, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb185" href="#pb185" name= -"pb185">185</a>]</span>were two miraculous trout which never changed -their appearance. A Strathdon legend, narrated by the Rev. Dr. Gregor, -thus accounts for the appearance of fish in Tobar Vachar, <i>i.e.</i>, -St. Machar’s Well, at Corgarff, a spring formerly held in high -honour on account of its cures:—“Once there was a famine in -the district, and not a few were dying of hunger. The priest’s -house stood not far from the well. One day, during the famine, his -housekeeper came to him and told him that their stock of food was -exhausted, and that there was no more to be got in the district. The -priest left the house, went to the well, and cried to St. Machar for -help. On his return he told the servant to go to the well the next -morning at sunrise, walk three times round it, in the name of the -Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, without looking into it, and draw from it -a draught of water for him. She carried out the request. On stooping -down to draw the water, she saw three fine salmon swimming in the well. -They were caught, and served the two as food, till supply came to the -famine-stricken district from other quarters.” According to a -Herefordshire tradition, a fish with a golden chain round it was caught -in the river Dore, and was afterwards kept in the spring whence the -river flows. At Peterchurch, in that county, is a sculptured stone -bearing a rude representation of the fish in question.</p> -<p>Sometimes the guardian spirit of a loch or well was thought of in -the vaguest possible way. In that case the <i>genius loci</i> had -neither name nor shape of any <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb186" -href="#pb186" name="pb186">186</a>]</span>kind, the leaving of an -offering being the only recognition of his existence. Occasionally the -presiding spirit was pictured in the popular imagination in the guise -of a demon, commonly with a hazy personality. Callow Pit, in Norfolk, -was believed to contain a treasure-chest guarded by such a being. On -one occasion an attempt to raise the chest was made, and was on the -verge of being successful, when one of the treasure-hunters defied the -devil to get his own again. Suddenly the chest was snatched down into -the pit, and the ring, attached to the lid, alone remained to tell its -tale. This ring was afterwards fixed to the door of Southwood Church. -At Wavertree, in Lancashire, once stood a monastery and beside it was a -well. When pilgrims arrived, the occupants of the monastery received -their alms. If nothing was given, a demon, chained to the bottom of the -well, was said to laugh. This notion was either originated or -perpetuated by a fifteenth century Latin inscription to this effect, -“<i>Qui non dat quad habet. Daemon infra ridet.</i>” When -wells were dedicated to Christian saints, the latter were usually -considered the guardians of the sacred water. This was natural enough. -If, for instance, St. Michael was supposed to watch over a spring, why -should not his aid have been sought in connection with any wished-for -cure? It is interesting, however, to note that this was not so in every -instance. In many cases the favourite, because favourable time for -visiting a sacred spring, was not <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb187" -href="#pb187" name="pb187">187</a>]</span>the festival of the saint to -whom it was dedicated, but, as we shall see hereafter, a day quite -distinct from such festival. Petitions, too, were frequently addressed -not to the saint of the well, but to some being with a character -possessing fewer Christian attributes. All this points to the fact that -the origin of well-worship is to be sought, not in the legends of -mediæval Christianity, but in the crude fancies of an earlier -paganism. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb188" href="#pb188" name= -"pb188">188</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch12" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e285">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Offerings at Lochs and -Springs.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Votive Offerings—Gifts usually of Small -Value—Toubir-nim-buadh—Rumbling -Well—Heath—Rags—St. Wallach’s Bath—Pins -at St. Wallach’s Well—Luckiness of Things -Crooked—Pins Rising in -Wells—Tobar-na-Glas-a-Coille—Lix -Well—Pebbles—Coins—St. Jergon’s -Well—Silver Wells—Brass Well—Well at Avoch -Castle—Introduction of Loch Katrine Water into Glasgow—Some -Glasgow Springs—St. Thenew’s Well—St. -Winifred’s Well—Dr. Patrick Anderson—Offerings in -France—Gifts in Consecrated Buildings—Philosophy of Votive -Offerings—Infection in Folklore—Safety of -Offerings—Transference of Disease—Results of Theft of -Offerings—Pennies in Holy Loch—Money in -Clach-nan-Sul—Well-Dressing—Not Found in -Scotland—Festival at Tissington—Roman and English -Fontinalia—Royal Oak-Day at Endon.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Offerings at lochs and springs have been incidentally -mentioned more than once, but the subject is one deserving separate -treatment. Wells were not merely so much water, with stones and turf -round them, and lochs, sheets of water, encompassed by moorland or -forest. They were, as we have seen, the haunts of spirits, propitious -if remembered, but resentful if neglected. Hence no one thought it -proper to come to them empty-handed. The principle was, no gift, no -cure. Classical literature contains allusions to <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb189" href="#pb189" name="pb189">189</a>]</span>such -votive offerings. Numa sacrificed a sheep to a fountain, and Horace -promised to offer to his sweet Bandusian spring a kid not without -flowers. Near Toulouse, in France, was a sacred lake, into whose water -the neighbouring tribes anciently threw offerings of gold and silver. -In our own country, the gifts were, as a rule, of small intrinsic -value. When speaking of Toubir-nim-buadh, in St. Kilda, Macaulay -says:—“Near the fountain stood an altar on which the -distressed votaries laid down their oblations. Before they could touch -the sacred water with any prospect of success, it was their constant -practice to address the genius of the place with supplication and -prayer. No one approached him with empty hands. But the devotees were -abundantly frugal. The offerings, presented by them, were the poorest -acknowledgments that could be made to a superior being, from whom they -had either hopes or fears. Shells and pebbles, rags of linen, or stuffs -worn out, pins, needles, or rusty nails, were generally all the tribute -that was paid; and sometimes, though rarely enough, copper coins of the -smallest value.” The appearance of this well is thus described by -the author of “<i>Ecclesiological -Notes</i>”:—“A low square-shaped massy stone building -with a stone roof, covers the spring, which, after forming a pool in -the floor of the cell, runs down the russet slope like a thread of -silver to join the stream in the valley.”</p> -<p>The offerings, made by the St. Kildians, were indeed much the same -as those commonly made in other <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb190" -href="#pb190" name="pb190">190</a>]</span>parts of the country. We get -a glimpse of what was done in the south of Scotland from Symson, who, -in his quaint “<i>Description of Galloway</i>,” -remarks:—“In this parish of Bootle, about a mile from the -kirk, towards the north, is a well called the Rumbling Well, frequented -by a multitude of sick people for all sorts of diseases the first -Sunday of May; lying there the Saturday night, and then drinking of it -early in the morning. There is also another well, about a quarter of a -mile distant from the former, towards the east. This well is made use -of by the country people when their cattle are troubled with a disease -called by them the Connoch. This water they carry in vessels to many -parts and wash their beasts with it, and give it them to drink. It is, -too, remembered that at both the wells they leave behind them something -by way of a thank-offering. At the first, they leave either money or -clothes; at the second, they leave the bands and shackles wherewith -beasts are usually bound.” The objects, commonly left on the -cairns beside the Holy Pool in Strathfillan, have already been -enumerated. In addition, bunches of heath, tied with worsted, were -occasionally left. The Cheese Well, on Minchmoor, in Peeblesshire, was -so called from the pieces of cheese thrown into it by passers-by as -offerings to the fairies. Around a certain spring near Newcastle, in -Northumberland, the bushes were so covered with shreds of clothing that -the spring went by the name of the Rag Well. At St. Oswald’s -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb191" href="#pb191" name= -"pb191">191</a>]</span>Well, near the foot of Roseberry Topping, in -Yorkshire, the pieces of cloth were so numerous that, as a spectator -once remarked, they “might have made a fair ream in a -paper-mill.” A contributor to “<i>Notes and -Queries</i>,” in 1876, observes:—“The custom of -hanging shreds of rags on trees as votive offerings still obtains in -Ireland. I remember as a child to have been surreptitiously taken by an -Irish nurse to St. John’s Well, Aghada, County Cork, on the vigil -of the saint’s day, to be cured of whooping-cough by drinking -three times of the water of the holy well. I shall never forget the -strange spectacle of men and women, creeping on their knees in -voluntary devotion, or in obedience to enjoined penance, so many times -round the well, which was protected by a grey stone hood, and had a few -white thorn trees growing near it, on the spines of which fluttered -innumerable shreds of frieze and vary-coloured rags, the votive -offerings of devotees and patients.”</p> -<p>In the Isle of Man, also, the custom of hanging up rags was at one -time much in vogue. In Malew parish there is Chibber-Undin, signifying -the Foundation Well, so called from the foundations of a now almost -obliterated chapel hard by. The ritual practised at the well is thus -described by Mr. A. W. Moore in his “<i>Surnames and Place-names -of the Isle of Man</i>”:—“The patients who came to -it, took a mouthful of water, retaining it in their mouths till they -had twice walked round the well. They then took a piece of cloth from a -garment which <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb192" href="#pb192" name= -"pb192">192</a>]</span>they had worn, wetted it from the water from the -well, and hung it on the hawthorn tree which grew there. When the cloth -had rotted away the cure was supposed to be effected.” Evidence -from Wales to the same effect is furnished by Professor Rhys in -“<i>Folklore</i>” for September, 1892. He there gives the -following information, lately sent to him by a friend, about a -Glamorganshire holy well situated between Coychurch and -Bredgled:—“It is the custom,” he writes, “for -people suffering from any malady to dip a rag in the water, and bathe -the affected part. The rag is then placed on a tree close to the well. -When I passed it, about three years ago, there were hundreds of these -shreds covering the tree, and some had evidently been placed there very -recently.” Professor Rhys also refers to other Glamorganshire -springs where rags are to be seen hanging on trees.</p> -<p>Scottish examples of the same superstition are numerous. At -Montblairie, in Banffshire, pieces of linen and woollen stuffs were -hung on the boughs beside a consecrated well, and farthings and bodles -were thrown into the spring itself. The bushes around a well at -Houston, in Renfrewshire, were at one time the recipients of many a -rag. Hugh Miller, who took so keen an interest in all such relics of -superstition, has not failed to notice the custom as practised near his -native town of Cromarty. In his “<i>Scenes and Legends of the -North of Scotland</i>,” he says:—“It is not yet -twenty years since a thorn <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb193" href= -"#pb193" name="pb193">193</a>]</span>bush, which formed a little canopy -over the spring of St. Bennet, used to be covered anew every season -with little pieces of rag, left on it as offerings to the saint by sick -people who came to drink of the water.” St. Wallach’s Bath, -in Strathdeveron, was a popular health-resort till the beginning of the -present century. Non-thriving children were brought to it annually in -large numbers. No longer ago than 1874 an invalid from the seaside -sought its aid. The bath—a cavity in the rock fully a yard in -depth—is close to the river, and is supplied with water from a -scanty spring, several yards higher up the slope. The supply trickles -over the edge of the bath into the river, some four feet below. A bib -or other part of the child’s clothing was hung on a neighbouring -tree or thrown into the bath. Sometimes when the Deveron was in flood, -it submerged the bath, and swept these offerings down to the sea. As -previously mentioned, St. Wallach’s Well, hard by, was much -resorted to for the cure of sore eyes. Pins were the usual offerings. -They were left in a hole in a stone beside the well. May was the -favourite season for visiting the spring, and by the end of the month -the hole was often full of pins. This was the case down to a -comparatively recent date.</p> -<p>Offerings, such as pins, were often thrown into the well itself -instead of being left beside its margin. Near Wooler, in -Northumberland, on the southern slopes of the Cheviots, is a spring -locally styled the Pin Well. A fairy was believed to make it her -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb194" href="#pb194" name= -"pb194">194</a>]</span>home, and maidens, as they passed, dropped in a -crooked pin to gain her good graces. Crooked pins were rather popular, -anything so bent—<i>e.g.</i>, a crooked sixpence—being -deemed lucky. In the case of more than one English spring the notion -prevailed that, when a pin was thrown in, the votary would see the pins -already there rise to meet the newcomer. But faith was essential. -Otherwise the mysterious vision would be withheld. We do not know that -a corresponding belief prevailed north of the Tweed. Between the glens -of Corgarff and Glengairn in Aberdeenshire, is the spring known as -Tobar-na-Glas-a-Coille or The Well in the Grey Wood. A pin or other -piece of metal had to be dropped into it by anyone taking a draught of -its water. Whoever neglected this duty, and at any time afterwards -again drew water from the spring, was doomed to die of thirst. Some of -these votive pins were found at the bottom of the well, no longer ago -than the autumn of 1891.</p> -<p>Probably very few travellers by the Callander and Oban railway are -aware of the existence of an interesting, but now neglected holy well, -only a few yards distant from the line. It is situated at the entrance -of rugged Glen Ogle, and from the spot a fine view can be had of Ben -Lawers, Ben More, and Ben Loy. The well is on Wester Lix farm, and is -locally known as the Lix Well. The spring rises in one of the many -hillocks in the neighbourhood. The top of the hillock had been -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb195" href="#pb195" name= -"pb195">195</a>]</span>levelled. Round the spring is built a wall of -stone and turf, about two feet in height, and shaped like a horse-shoe, -the opening being to the east. The distance across the enclosed space -is about fourteen feet. In the centre is the well, in the form of a -parallelogram, two feet by one and a half, with a long drain leading -from it through the opening of the horse-shoe. This drain was at one -time covered with flagstones. Four shapely lintels of micaceous schist -enclose the well. The spot used to be frequented at the beginning of -May, the wall already referred to forming a convenient resting-place -for visitors. Quartz pebbles were the favourite offerings on these -occasions. Immediately behind the well, quite a small cairn of them can -still be seen. Pebbles were among the cheapest possible offerings, the -only cost being the trouble of picking them up. Coins were rather more -expensive; but, as they were commonly of small value, the outlay was -trifling even in their case. The more fervent the zeal of the votary, -the greater would doubtless be the length he or she would go in the -matter of expense. In the parish of Culsalmond, in Aberdeenshire, a -gold coin of James I. of Scotland was found associated with an ancient -healing-well. Such liberality, however, was rare. After <span class= -"corr" id="xd26e2274" title="Source: desribing">describing</span> St. -Maelrubha’s Well on Innis Maree in the “<i>Proceedings of -the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland</i>,” volume iv., Sir -Arthur Mitchell observes, “Near it stands an oak tree, which is -studded with nails. To each <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb196" href= -"#pb196" name="pb196">196</a>]</span>of these was originally attached a -piece of the clothing of some patient who had visited the spot. There -are hundreds of nails, and one has still fastened to it a faded ribbon. -Two bone buttons and two buckles we also found nailed to the tree. -Countless pennies and halfpennies are driven edge-ways into the -wood—over many the bark is closing, over many it has already -closed.” Within recent years, another visitor from the south -examined one of the coins stuck into the tree. It was ostensibly -silver, but proved on examination to be counterfeit. The pilgrim, who -left it as an offering, evidently thought that the saint could be -easily imposed upon.</p> -<p>As in the case of the pins, the coins, given as offerings were, as a -rule, thrown into the spring itself. As an example, we may cite the -case of St. Jergon’s or St. Querdon’s Well in Troqueer -parish, Kirkcudbrightshire. In an article in the “<i>Transactions -of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History Society</i>” for -1870, Mr. Patrick Dudgeon remarks, “Taking advantage of the very -dry summer of last year when the spring was unusually low, I had the -well thoroughly cleaned out and put in order, it having been almost -obliterated by cattle being allowed to use it as a watering-place. -Several hundreds of coins were found at the bottom—almost all -being of the smallest description of copper coin, dating from the time -of Elizabeth to that of George III …. None were of any -particular interest or value; the greatest number are Scottish, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb197" href="#pb197" name= -"pb197">197</a>]</span>and belong to the time of James VI., Charles I., -and Charles II. The circumstance that no coins were found of an older -date than the reign of Elizabeth is not at all conclusive that -offerings of a similar nature had not been made at much earlier -periods. It will be observed that the oldest coins are the thinnest, -and that, although many are as thin as a sheet of writing paper, the -legend on them is perfectly distinct and legible; this, of course, -would not have been the case had the thinning process been owing to -wear and tear. When first taken out, they were perfectly -bright—as new copper—and had all the appearance of having -been subjected to the action of an acid. Something in the water has -acted very slowly as a solvent on the metal, and, acting quite equally -over the whole surface, has reduced the coins to their present state: -it is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that, owing to the solvent -properties of the water, any coins thrown into the well anterior to the -date of those found may have been completely dissolved.” Mr. -Dudgeon mentions having been told by old people in the neighbourhood, -that they remembered the time, when rags and ribbons were hung on the -bushes around the well. It is a remarkable circumstance that even since -the cleaning out of the spring above referred to, coins have been -thrown into it. A recent examination of the spot brought these to -light, and showed the persistence of this curious phase of -well-worship. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb198" href="#pb198" name= -"pb198">198</a>]</span></p> -<p>What would be styled “a collection in silver” in modern -ecclesiastical language was sometimes regarded with special favour. The -name of the Silver Wells in different parts of the country can thus be -accounted for. There is a <i>Siller</i> Well in Walston parish, -Lanarkshire. Arbroath, in Forfarshire; Alvah, in Banffshire; and -Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire, have each their Silver Well. At Turriff, -in the last-mentioned county, there is a farm on the estate of Gask -called Silver Wells after a local spring. At Trelevean, in Cornwall, is -a spring known as the Brass Well. Its name, however, is derived not -from the nature of the offerings left there, but from the colour of the -scum on its surface. Close to the ruins of Avoch Castle, in the Black -Isle, is a well hollowed out of the conglomerate rock. Tradition says, -that the treasures of the castle were thrown into it about the middle -of the seventeenth century. This was done, not by way of offering a -gift to the presiding spirit of the water, but to prevent the valuables -from falling into the hands of Cromwell’s troops. A diamond ring -was dropped, not very long ago, into St. Molio’s Well, on Holy -Island, near Lamlash. It fell into the water by accident, and, after -remaining in it for some time, was found and restored to its owner.</p> -<p>The present ample water-supply of Glasgow from Loch Katrine was -introduced in 1859. For about fifty years before that date, the city -looked mainly to the Clyde for the supply of its daily needs. Still -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb199" href="#pb199" name= -"pb199">199</a>]</span>earlier, it depended entirely on its wells. In -1736 these are believed to have numbered about thirty in all. Among the -best known were the Deanside or Meadow Well, Bogle’s Well, -Barrasyett Well near the foot of Saltmarket, the Priest’s or -Minister’s Well and Lady Well beside the Molendinar, the Arns -Well in the Green—so-called from the alders on its brink, and St. -Thenew’s Well, near what is now St. Enoch’s Square. Not far -from the well was a chapel dedicated to St. Thenew, with a graveyard -round it. Some remains of the chapel were to be seen in 1736, when -M’Ure wrote his history of the city. Dr. Andrew MacGeorge, in his -“<i>Old Glasgow</i>,” when describing St. Thenew’s -Well, remarks, “It was shaded by an old tree which drooped over -the well, and which remained till the end of the last century. On this -tree, the devotees, who frequented the well, were accustomed to nail, -as thank-offerings, small bits of tin-iron—probably manufactured -for that purpose by a craftsman in the neighbourhood—representing -the parts of the body supposed to have been cured by the virtues of the -sacred spring, such as eyes, hands, feet, ears, and others.” Dr. -MacGeorge further mentions that the well was cleaned out about a -hundred years ago. On that occasion there were “picked out from -among the debris at the bottom several of these old votive offerings -which had dropped into it from the tree, the stump of which was at that -time still standing.”</p> -<p>Horace tells of a shipwrecked sailor, hanging up <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb200" href="#pb200" name="pb200">200</a>]</span>his -garments, as a thank-offering in the temple of the divinity who -delivered him from the angry sea. In like manner, Pennant describes -what he saw at St. Winifred’s Well, in North Wales. “All -infirmities,” he says, “incident to the human body, met -with relief; the votive crutches, the barrows and other proofs of -cures, to this moment remain as evidence pendent over the well.” -In his “<i>Spring of Kinghorn Craig</i>,” published in -Edinburgh in 1618, Dr. Patrick Anderson has some curious remarks on the -subject of votive offerings. He speaks of wells as being “all -tapestried about with old rags, as certaine signes and sacraments -wherewith they arle the well with ane arls-pennie of their -health.” He continues, “So suttle is that false knave -making them believe that it is only the virtue of the water, and no -thing else. Such people cannot say with David, ‘The Lord is my -helper,’ but the Devill.” What can still be seen on the -other side of the English Channel is thus described by the Rev. C. N. -Barham, in an article on Ragged Relics, in “<i>The -Antiquary</i>” for January, 1893:—“At Wierre Effroy, -in France, where the water of St. Godeleine’s Well is esteemed -efficacious for ague, rheumatism, gout, and all affections of the -limbs, a heterogeneous collection of crutches, bandages, coils of rags, -and other rejected adjuncts of medical treatment, is to be seen hanging -upon the surrounding shrubs. They are intended as <span class="corr" -id="xd26e2313" title="Source: thankofferings">thank-offerings</span> -and testimonies of restoration. Other springs, famous for curing -ophthalmia, abound <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb201" href="#pb201" -name="pb201">201</a>]</span>in the same district, and here too, -bandages, shades, guards, and rags innumerable are -exhibited.”</p> -<p>The leaving of offerings at wells finds a parallel in the practice, -at one time common, of depositing gifts in consecrated buildings. The -chapel of St. Tears, in the parish of Wick, Caithness, used to be -visited on Childermas (December 28th) by devotees, who left in it -pieces of bread and cheese as offerings to the souls of the Holy -Innocents slain by Herod. This was done till about the beginning of the -present century. Till even a later date it was customary for the -inhabitants of Mirelandorn to go to the Kirk of Moss, in the same -parish, on Christmas before sunrise. They took bread and cheese as -offerings, and placed them along with a silver coin on a certain stone. -The Kirk of Moss was dedicated to Duthac, patron saint of Tain; and the -gifts were doubtless destined for him. On Eilean Mòr is a chapel -said to have been built by Charmaig, the tutelar saint of the island. -In a recess in this building is a stone coffin, anciently used for the -interment of priests. The following statement occurs in the -“<i>Old Statistical Account of -Scotland</i>”:—“The coffin, also, for ages back, has -served the saint as a treasury; and this, perhaps, might be the purpose -for which it was originally intended. Till of late, not a stranger set -foot on the island who did not conciliate his favour by dropping a -small coin into a chink between its cover and side.”</p> -<p>When we examine the motives prompting to the practice under review, -we can discover the working <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb202" href= -"#pb202" name="pb202">202</a>]</span>of a principle, vaguely grasped -perhaps, but sufficiently understood to serve as a guide to action. -This crude philosophy was two-fold. On the one hand, the gift left at a -loch or spring was what has been facetiously styled a “retaining -fee.” It secured the goodwill of the <i>genius loci</i>, and -thereby guaranteed to a certain extent the fulfilment of the -suppliant’s desire. This desire, as we have seen, was commonly -the removal of a definite disease. On the other hand, the disease to be -removed was in some mysterious way identified with the offering. The -latter was the symbol, or rather the embodiment of the former, and, -accordingly, to leave the gift was to leave the ailment—the -patient being thus freed from both. The corollary to this was, that -whoever removed the offering took away also the disease represented by -it. According to a well-established law of medical science, infection -is transferred from one person to another by clothing, or indeed by -whatever comes into contact with the morbid particles from the -patient’s body. But infection in folklore is something different -from this. Disease of any kind, whether usually reckoned infectious or -not, passed <i>via</i> the offering to the person lifting it. Hence -such gifts had a charmed existence, and were as safe as if under the -sweep of the “Ancient Monuments Protection Act.” The Rev. -Dr. Gregor thus expresses the feeling on this point, as it prevailed -till lately in the north-east of Scotland:—“No one would -have been foolhardy enough to have even touched what had been left, far -less to have carried <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb203" href="#pb203" -name="pb203">203</a>]</span>it off. A child, or one who did not know, -was most carefully instructed why such things were left in and around -the well, and strict charge was laid not to touch or carry any of them -off. Whoever carried off one of such relics contracted the disease of -the one who left it.”</p> -<p>The notion that disease can be transferred lies at the root of -various folk-cures. Dalyell, in his “<i>Darker -Superstitions</i>,” remarks, “It is said that, in the -Highlands, a cat is washed in the water which has served for the -ablution of an invalid, as if the disease absorbed from one living -creature could be received by another, instead of being let -free.” In some parts of the Highlands, a common cure for an -ailing cow was to make the animal swallow a live trout, so that the -disease might pass from the one creature to the other. This was done -not long ago, at a farm near Golspie, in Sutherland. In Norfolk, as a -remedy for whooping-cough, a spider was caught, tied up in a piece of -muslin, and pinned over the mantelpiece. The cough disappeared when the -spider died. In Gloucestershire, ague was cured in the following -way:—A living snail was worn in a bag round the neck for nine -days. The snail was then thrown upon the fire when it was believed to -shake as if with ague, and the patient recovered. Many more -illustrations of this principle might be given, but the above are -sufficient to show how it was applied.</p> -<p>Symson records an instance in Galloway of swift <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb204" href="#pb204" name= -"pb204">204</a>]</span>vengeance following the theft of certain votive -offerings. He says, “Hereabout, <i>i.e.</i>, near Larg, in -Minnigaff parish, is a well called the Gout Well of Larg, of which they -tell this story—how that a piper stole away the offering left at -this well, but when he was drinking of ale, which he intended to pay -with the money he had taken away, the gout, as they say, seized on him, -of which he could not be cured, but at that well, having first restored -to it the money he had formerly taken away.” Accident, rather -than disease, sometimes resulted from such sacrilegious acts. The -offerings were the property of the guardian spirit who was quick to -resent their removal and to punish the doer of the deed. In the -district of Ardnamurchan is a cave, associated with Columba, who there -baptised some freebooters. The water used for the purpose lay in a -hollow of the rock, and, in after times, votive gifts were left beside -it. On one occasion, a young man stole some of these, but he did not -remain long unpunished, for before reaching home he fell and broke his -leg. Tobar-fuar-Mòrie, <i>i.e.</i>, The big cold Well, situated -at the foot of a steep hill in the parish of Corgarff, Aberdeenshire, -consists of three springs about a yard distant from each other. Each -spring formerly cured a separate disease—one, blindness; the -other, deafness; and the third, lameness. The guardian spirit of the -springs lived under a large stone called the kettle stone, because -below it was a kettle where she stored her votive offerings. She was -somewhat <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb205" href="#pb205" name= -"pb205">205</a>]</span>exacting in her demands, for no cure could be -expected unless gold was presented<span class="corr" id="xd26e2352" -title="Source: ,">.</span> These particulars were obtained in the -district by the Rev. Dr. Gregor, who records them in -“<i>Folklore</i>” for March, 1892, and adds, “If one -tried to rob the spirit, death by some terrible accident soon followed. -My informant, more than fifty years ago, when a lad, resolved to remove -the kettle stone from its position, and so become possessor of the -spirit’s gold. He accordingly set out with a few companions all -provided with picks and spades, to displace the stone. After a good -deal of hard labour the stone was moved from its site, but no kettle -full of gold was found. An old woman met the lads on their way to their -homes, and when she learnt what they had been doing, she assured them -they would all die within a few weeks, and that a terrible death would -befall the ring-leader.”</p> -<p>That the guardians of springs look well after their possessions in -the new world, as well as in the old, is proved by the following -quotation from Sir J. Lubbock’s “<i>Origin of -Civilisation</i>”:—“In North Mexico,” he says, -“Lieutenant Whipple found a sacred spring which, from time -immemorial ‘had been held sacred to the rain-god.’ No -animal may drink of its waters. It must be annually cleansed with -ancient vases, which, having been transmitted from generation to -generation by the caciques, are then placed upon the walls, never to be -removed. The frog, the tortoise, and the rattlesnake represented upon -them, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb206" href="#pb206" name= -"pb206">206</a>]</span>are sacred to Montezuma, the patron of the -place, who would consume by lightning any sacrilegious hand that should -dare to take the relics away.” With the growth of enlightenment -men’s minds rose above such delusions. Had it not been so, the -Holy Wells in our land would still have presented the appearance of rag -fairs, or served as museums for old coins. Holy Loch, in Dunnet, -Caithness, used to be much resorted to as a place of healing. The -invalids walked or were carried round the lake and threw a penny into -the water. Some of these pennies have been picked up from time to time -by persons who have outgrown the old superstition. The hollow in the -Clach-nan-Sul at Balquhidder, already referred to, contained small -coins placed there by those who sought a cure for their sore eyes. Mr. -J. Mackintosh Gow was told by some one in the district, that -“people, when going to church, having forgotten their small -change, used in passing to put their hands in the well and find a -coin.” Mr. Gow’s informant mentioned that he had done so -himself.</p> -<p>In the ceremony known as “well-dressing” or -“well-flowering,” the offerings took the form of blossoms -and green boughs. For different reasons Scotland has not been abreast -of England in floral matters. Only in the latter country did the -practice take root, and even there only within a somewhat limited area. -We must seek for its home in Derbyshire and the adjacent counties. At -some places it has died out, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb207" href= -"#pb207" name="pb207">207</a>]</span>while at others it still survives, -and forms the excuse for a pleasant holiday. At Bonchurch, Isle of -Wight, indeed, St. Boniface’s Well was decorated with wreaths of -flowers on the saint’s day; but this was an exceptional instance -so far south. Within comparatively recent years well-flowering has, at -one or two places, been either instituted, as at Belper, in Derbyshire, -in 1838, or revived, as at St. Alkmund’s Well in Derby, in 1870. -The clergy and choir of St. Alkmund’s Church celebrate the day by -meeting at the church and walking in procession to the well. Writing in -the seventeenth century, Aubrey says, “In Cheshire, when they -went in perambulation, they did bless the springs, <i>i.e.</i>, they -did read the Gospel at them, and did believe the water was the -better.” At Droitwich, in Worcestershire, a salt spring, -dedicated to St. Richard, used to be annually adorned with flowers.</p> -<p>A correspondent of the “<i>Gentleman’s -Magazine</i>” of 1794 remarks, “In the village of -Tissington, in the county of Derby, a place remarkable for fine springs -of water, it has been a custom, time immemorial, on every Holy -Thursday, to decorate the wells with boughs of trees, garlands of -tulips, and other flowers, placed in various fancied devices, and, -after prayers for the day at the church, for the parson and singers to -pray and sing psalms at the wells.” In Hone’s -“<i>Every Day Book</i>,” under date 1826, are the following -remarks by a correspondent:—“Tissington -‘well-dressing’ is a <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb208" -href="#pb208" name="pb208">208</a>]</span>festivity which not only -claims a high antiquity, but is one of the few country fêtes -which are kept up with anything like the ancient spirit. It is one -which is heartily loved and earnestly anticipated; one which draws the -hearts of those who were brought up there, but whom fortune has cast -into distant places, homewards with an irresistible charm. I have not -had the pleasure of witnessing it, but I have had that of seeing the -joy which sparkled in the eyes of the Tissingtonians as they talked of -its approach and of their projected attendance.” The festival is -still held in honour at Tissington, and elaborate preparations continue -to be made for its celebration. Flowers are arranged in patterns to -form mottoes and texts of Scripture, and also devices, such as crosses, -crowns, and triangles, while green boughs are added to complete the -picture. A correspondent of “<i>Notes and Queries</i>” thus -describes the decorations on Ascension Day in 1887: “The name of -‘well-dressing’ scarcely gives a proper idea of these -beautiful structures. They are rather fountains or cascades, the water -descending from above, and not rising as in a well. Their height varies -from ten to twelve feet, and the original stone frontage is on this day -hidden by a wooden erection in the form of an arch or some other -elegant design. Over these planks a layer of plaster of Paris is -spread, and whilst it is wet, flowers without leaves are stuck in it, -forming a most beautiful mosaic pattern. On one the large yellow field -ranunculus was arranged in <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb209" href= -"#pb209" name="pb209">209</a>]</span>letters, and so a verse of -Scripture or of a hymn was recalled to the spectator’s mind. On -another a white dove was sculptured in the plaster and set in a -ground-work of the humble violet. The daisy, which our poet Chaucer -would gaze upon for hours together, formed a diaper-work of red and -white; the pale yellow primrose was set off by the rich red of the -‘ribes.’ Nor were the coral berries of the holly, mountain -ash, and yew forgotten; they are carefully gathered and stored in the -winter to be ready for the May Day fête. It is scarcely possible -to describe the vivid colouring and beautiful effect of these -favourites of nature arranged in wreaths and garlands and devices of -every hue. And then the pure sparkling water, which pours down from the -midst of them on to the rustic moss-grown stones beneath, completes the -enchantment, and makes this feast of the ‘well-flowering’ -one of the most beautiful of all the old customs that are left in -Merrie England.” Well-flowering also prevails at Buxton, and is a -source of interest to the many visitors to that airy health resort.</p> -<p>Such floral devices do not now rank as votive gifts. They are merely -decorations. The custom may have originated in the Roman Fontinalia. At -any rate it had at one time a corresponding object. The Fontinalia -formed an annual flower-festival in honour of the nymphs inhabiting -springs. Joyous bands visited the fountains, crowned them with boughs, -and threw nosegays into their sparkling water. The parallelism -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb210" href="#pb210" name= -"pb210">210</a>]</span>between the Roman and the English Fontinalia is -too well marked to be overlooked. In Derbyshire and Staffordshire the -ceremony of well-dressing is usually observed on Ascension Day. In more -than one instance the festival has attracted to itself various old -English sports commonly associated with May Day. Among these may be -mentioned May-pole and Morris-dancing and crowning the May-queen.</p> -<p>At Endon, in Staffordshire, the festival is celebrated on Royal Oak -Day (May 29th), or on the following day if the 29th is a Sunday. The -following account—somewhat abbreviated—is from the -“<i>Staffordshire Evening Post</i>” of 31st May, 1892, and -gives some interesting particulars about the festival: “The -secluded village of Endon yesterday celebrated the well-dressing feast. -This institution, dear to the heart of every loyal inhabitant, holds -foremost rank in the local calends, for it is not a holiday of ordinary -frivolous significance, but a thanksgiving festival. The proceeds, -which generally amount to some hundreds of pounds, are divided between -the poor of the parish and the parochial schools. There are two wells -at Endon. One is very old and almost dry, and has long since fallen -into disuse. The other alone supplies the village with water. From a -very early hour in the morning the whole village was astir, and those -people who were gifted with taste and a delicate touch busied -themselves in bedecking the wells for the coming ceremony. As the day -advanced, crowds of visitors <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb211" href= -"#pb211" name="pb211">211</a>]</span>poured in from all parts of the -potteries; and towards evening the village green probably held no fewer -than two thousand people. The proceedings, which were under the -personal guidance of the vicar, commenced a little before two -o’clock. A procession of about a hundred and twenty Sunday-school -children was formed at the new well, with the Brownedge village brass -band at its head. The children carried little flags, which they -vigorously waved in excess of glee. The band struck up bravely, and the -procession marched in good order up the hill to the old parish church, -where a solemn service was conducted. The villagers attended in -overwhelming numbers, and completely thronged the building. There was a -fully surpliced choir, whose singing, coupled with the music of the -organ, greatly added to the impressiveness of the service. Hymns and -psalms, selected by the vicar as applicable to a thanksgiving service -for water, were sung by the congregation in spirited style. At the -conclusion of the service the procession was reformed, the band leading -the way back to the new well. Upon arrival, the clergy and choir, who -had retained their surplices, walked slowly round the well, singing -‘Rock of Ages’ and ‘A living stream as crystal -clear.’ Both wells were very beautifully decorated; but the new -well was a masterpiece of elaborated art. A large wooden framework had -been erected in front of the well, and upon this a smooth surface of -soft clay had been laid. The clay was <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb212" href="#pb212" name="pb212">212</a>]</span>thickly studded with -many thousands of flower heads in great variety of kind and hue, and in -pictorial as well as geometrical arrangement. There were two very -pretty figures of peacocks in daisies, bluebells, and dahlias, and a -resplendent motto, ‘O, ye wells! bless ye the Lord!’ (from -the Benedicite) garnished the summit. The old well was almost deserted, -although its decorations were well worthy of inspection. Its motto, -‘Give me this water’ (from the fourth chapter of St. John) -was very finely traced, and its centre figures—two white doves -and a crown—were sufficiently striking. May-pole dances, -including the crowning of the May-queen, occupied the greater part of -the afternoon. In the evening the band played for dancing, and there -was a repetition of the May-pole dances. After dusk there was a display -of fireworks.”</p> -<p>Though, as already stated, well-dressing was unknown north of the -Tweed, any account of votive offerings would be incomplete without a -reference to the picturesque ceremony. <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb213" href="#pb213" name="pb213">213</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch13" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e295">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XIII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Weather and Wells.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Importance of Weather—Its Place in -Folklore—Raising the Wind—Witches and -Wind-charms—Blue-stone in Fladda—Well in -Gigha—Tobernacoragh—Routing-well—Water -Cross—Stone in British Columbia—Other -Rain-charms—Survivals in Folk-customs—Sympathetic -Magic—Dulyn—Barenton—Tobar Faolan—St. -Fumac’s Image at Botriphnie—Molly Grime.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">In all ages much attention has been given to the -weather, with special reference to its bearings on human well-being. As -Mr. R. Inwards truly observes, in his -“<i>Weather-lore</i>,” “From the earliest times -hunters, shepherds, sailors, and tillers of the earth have from sheer -necessity been led to study the teachings of the winds, the waves, the -clouds, and a hundred other objects from which the signs of coming -changes in the state of the air might be foretold. The weather-wise -amongst these primitive people would be naturally the most prosperous, -and others would soon acquire the coveted foresight by a closer -observance of the same objects from which their successful rivals -guessed the proper time to provide against a storm, or reckoned on the -prospects of the coming crops.” Hence, naturally enough, the -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb214" href="#pb214" name= -"pb214">214</a>]</span>weather has an important place in folklore. -Various prognostications concerning it have been drawn from sun and -moon, from animals and flowers; while certain meteorological phenomena -have, in their turn, been regarded as prophetic of mundane events. -Thus, in the astrological treatise entitled “<i>The Knowledge of -Things Unknown</i>,” we read that “Thunder in January -signifieth the same year great winds, plentiful of corn and -<span class="corr" id="xd26e2424" title="Source: cattel">cattle</span> -peradventure; in February, many rich men shall die in great sickness; -in March, great winds, plenty of corn, and debate amongst people; in -April, be fruitful and merry with the death of wicked men;” and -so on through the other months of the year. One can easily understand -why thunder should be counted peculiarly ominous. The effects produced -on the mind by its mysterious noise, and on the nerves by the -electricity in the air, are apt to lead superstitious people to expect -strange events. Particular notice was taken of the weather on certain -ecclesiastical festivals, and omens were drawn from its condition. -Thus, from “<i>The Husbandman’s Practice</i>,” we -learn that “The wise and cunning masters in astrology have found -that man may see and mark the weather of the holy Christmas night, how -the whole year after shall be in his making and doing, and they shall -speak on this wise. When on the Christmas night and evening it is very -fair and clear weather, and is without wind and without rain, then it -is a token that <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb215" href="#pb215" -name="pb215">215</a>]</span>this year will be plenty of wine and fruit. -But if the contrariwise, foul weather and windy, so shall it be very -scant of wine and fruit. But if the wind arise at the rising of the -sun, then it betokeneth great dearth among beasts and cattle this year. -But if the wind arise at the going down of the same, then it signifieth -death to come among kings and other great lords.” We do not -suppose that anyone nowadays attends to such Yule-tide auguries, but -there are not wanting those who have a lingering belief in the power of -Candlemas and St. Swithin’s Day to foretell the sort of weather -to be expected in the immediate future.</p> -<p>Witches were believed to be able to raise the wind at their -pleasure. In a confession made at Auldearn in Nairnshire, in the year -1662, certain women, accused of sorcery, said, “When we raise the -wind we take a rag of cloth and wet it in water, and we take a beetle -and knock the rag on a stone, and we say thrice over—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">‘I knock this rag upon this stane,</p> -<p class="line">To raise the wind in the devil’s name.</p> -<p class="line">It shall not lie until I please -again!’ ”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">When the wind was to be allayed the rag was dried. -About 1670 an attempt was made to drain some two thousand acres of land -belonging to the estate of Dun in Forfarshire. The Dronner’s, -<i>i.e.</i>, Drainer’s Dyke—remains of which are still to -be seen behind the Montrose Infirmary—was built in <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb216" href="#pb216" name= -"pb216">216</a>]</span>connection with the scheme. But the work was -destroyed by a terrible storm, caused, it was believed, by a certain -Meggie Cowie—the last to be burned for witchcraft in the -district. About eighty years before, a notable witch-trial in the time -of James VI. had to do with the raising of a storm. A certain woman, -Agnes Sampson, residing in Haddingtonshire, confessed that she belonged -to a company of two hundred witches, and that they were all in the -habit of sailing along the coast in sieves to meet the devil at the -kirk of North Berwick. After one of these interviews the woman took a -cat and christened it, and, after fixing to it parts of a dead -man’s body, threw the creature into the sea in presence of the -other witches. The king, who was then returning from Denmark with his -bride, was delayed by contrary winds, and such a tempest arose in the -Firth of Forth that a vessel, containing valuable gifts for the queen -on her arrival, sank between Burntisland and Leith. The Rev. T. F. -Thiselton Dyer makes the suggestion in his “<i>Folklore of -Shakespeare</i>,” that it was probably to these contrary winds -that the author of “<i>Macbeth</i>” alludes when he makes -the witch say—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Though his bark cannot be lost,</p> -<p class="line">Yet it shall be tempest-tost.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Even down to the end of last century, and probably -later, some well-educated people believed that the devil had the power -of raising the wind. The phrase, the prince of the power of the air, -applied <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb217" href="#pb217" name= -"pb217">217</a>]</span>to him in Scripture, was interpreted in a -literal way. “<i>The Diary of the Rev. John Mill</i>,” -minister in Shetland from 1740 till 1803, bears witness to such a -belief. In his introduction to the work, the editor, Mr. Gilbert -Goudie, tells us: “He (Mill) was often heard talking aloud with -his (to others) unseen foe; but those who heard him declared that he -spoke in an unknown tongue, presumably Hebrew. After one of these -encounters the worthy man was heard muttering, ‘Well, let him do -his worst; the wind aye in my face will not hurt me.’ This was in -response to a threat of the devil, that wherever he (Mill) went, he -(Satan) should be a-blowing ‘wind in his teeth,’ in -consequence of which Mill was unable ever after to get passage out of -Shetland.” On the 5th of November, 1605, a terrible storm swept -over the north of Scotland and destroyed part of the cathedral at -Dornoch. As is well known, the day in question was selected by Guy -Fawkes for blowing up the Houses of Parliament. In his -“<i>Cathedral of Caithness, at Dornoch</i>,” Mr. Hugh F. -Campbell tells us: “When the news of the gunpowder plot reached -the north, the co-incidence of time at once impressed the imagination -of a superstitious age. The storm was invested with an element of the -marvellous.” Mr. Campbell then quotes the following curious -passage from Sir Robert Gordon, specially referring to Satan’s -connection with the tempest:—“The same verie night that -this execrable plott should have been put in execution <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb218" href="#pb218" name="pb218">218</a>]</span>all -the inner stone pillars of the north syd of the body of the cathedral -church at Dornogh—lacking the rooff before—were blowen from -the verie roots and foundation quyt and clein over the outer walls of -the church: such as hath sein the same. These great winds did even then -prognosticate and forshew some great treason to be at hand; and as the -divell was busie then to trouble the ayre, so wes he bussie by these -hiss fyrebrands to trouble the estate of Great Britane.”</p> -<p>The notion that storms, especially when accompanied by thunder and -lightning, were the work of evil spirits, came out prominently during -the middle ages in connection with bells. The ringing of bells was -believed to drive away the demons, and so allay the tempest. A singular -superstition concerning the causation of storms was brought to light in -Hungary during the autumn of 1892 in connection with the fear of -cholera. At Kidzaes a patient died of what was thought to be that -disease, and a <i>post mortem</i> examination was ordered by the local -authorities. Strenuous opposition, however, was offered by the -villagers on the ground that the act would cause such a hail-storm as -would destroy their crops. Feeling ran so high that a riot was -imminent, and the project had to be abandoned. Eric, the Swedish king, -could control the winds through his enchantments. By turning his cap he -was able to bring a breeze from whatever quarter he wished. Mr. G. L. -Gomme, in his “<i>Ethnology in Folklore</i>,” <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb219" href="#pb219" name= -"pb219">219</a>]</span>remarks, “At Kempoch Point, in the Firth -of Clyde, is a columnar rock called the Kempoch Stane, from whence a -saint was wont to dispense favourable winds to those who paid for them, -and unfavourable to those who did not put confidence in his -powers—a tradition which seems to have been carried on by the -Innerkip witches who were tried in 1662, and some portions of which -still linger among the sailors of Greenock.” The stone in -question consists of a block of grey mica schist six feet in height and -two in diameter. It is locally known as Granny Kempoch. In former times -sailors and fishermen sought to ensure good fortune on the sea by -walking seven times round the stone. While making their rounds they -carried in their hand a basket of sand, and at the same time uttered an -eerie chant. Newly-married couples used also to walk round the stone by -way of luck.</p> -<p>At the beginning of the present century a certain woman, Bessie -Miller by name, lived in Stromness, in Orkney, and eked out her -livelihood by selling winds to mariners. Her usual charge was sixpence. -For this sum, as Sir W. Scott tells us, “she boiled her kettle, -and gave the barque advantage of her prayers, for she disclaimed all -unlawful arts. The wind, thus petitioned for, was sure to arrive, -though sometimes the mariners had to wait some time for it.” Her -house was on the brow of the steep hill above the town, “and for -exposure might have been the abode of Eolus himself.” At the time -of Sir Walter’s visit <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb220" href= -"#pb220" name="pb220">220</a>]</span>to Stromness, Bessie Miller was -nearly a hundred years old, and appeared “withered and dried up -like a mummy.” We make her acquaintance in the -“<i>Pirate</i>,” under the name of Norna of the Fitful -Head. In his “<i>Rambles in the Far North</i>,” Mr. R. M. -Fergusson tells of another wind-compelling personage, named Mammie -Scott, who also belonged to Stromness, and practised her arts there, -till within a comparatively recent date. “Many wonderful tales -are told of her power and influence over the weather. Her fame was -widely spread as that of Bessie. A captain called upon Mammie one day -to solicit a fair wind. He was bound for Stornoway, and received from -the reputed witch a scarlet thread upon which were three knots. His -instructions were, that if sufficient wind did not arrive, one of the -knots was to be untied; if that proved insufficient, another knot was -to be untied; but he was on no account to unloose the third knot, else -disaster would overtake his vessel. The mariner set out upon his -voyage, and, the wind being light, untied the first knot. This brought -a stronger breeze, but still not sufficient to satisfy him. The second -knot was let down, and away the vessel sped across the waters, round -Cape Wrath. In a short time the entrance to Stornoway harbour was -reached, when it came into the captain’s head to untie the third -knot in order to see what might occur. He was too near the end of his -voyage to suffer any damage now; and so he felt emboldened <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb221" href="#pb221" name="pb221">221</a>]</span>to -make the experiment. No sooner was the last knot set free than a -perfect hurricane set in from a contrary direction, which drove the -vessel right back to Hoy Sound, from which she had set out, where he -had ample time to repent of his folly.”</p> -<p>Within the last half-century there lived in Stonehaven an old woman, -who was regarded with considerable awe by the sea-faring population. -Before a voyage it was usual to propitiate her by the gift of a bag of -coals. On one occasion, two brothers, owners of a coasting smack, after -setting sail, had to return to port through stress of weather, the -storm being due, it was believed, to the fact that one of the brothers -had omitted to secure the woman’s good offices in the usual way. -The brother who was captain of the smack seems to have been a firm -believer in wind-charms, for it is related of him that during a more -than usually high wind he was in the habit of throwing up his cap into -the air with the exclamation, “She maun hae something.” -<i>She</i>, in this case, was the wind, and not the witch: and the cap -was meant as a gift to propitiate the storm. Dr. Charles Rogers, in his -“<i>Social Life in Scotland</i>,” tells us that “the -seamen of Shetland, in tempestuous weather, throw a piece of money into -the window of a ruinous chapel dedicated to St. Ronald in the belief -that the saint will allay the vehemence of the storm.” According -to the same writer, “Shetland boatmen still purchase favourable -winds from elderly women, who pretend <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb222" href="#pb222" name="pb222">222</a>]</span>to rule or to modify -the storms.” “There are now in Lerwick,” Dr. Rogers -continues, “several old women who in this fashion earn a -subsistence. Many of the survivors of the great storm of the 20th of -July, 1881—so fatal on northern coasts—assert that their -preservation was due to warnings which they received through a -supernatural agency.”</p> -<p>Human skulls have their folklore. The lifting of them from their -usual resting-places has, in popular belief, been connected with -certain mysterious occurrences. According to a story told by Mr. Wirt -Sikes, in his “<i>British Goblins</i>,” a man who removed a -skull from a church to prove to his companions that he was free from -superstition was overtaken by a terrible whirlwind, the result, it was -thought, of his rash act. In some Highland districts it used to be -reckoned unlucky to allow a corpse to remain unburied. If from any -cause, human bones came to the surface, care was taken to lay them -below ground again, as otherwise disastrous storms would ensue.</p> -<p>We have a good example of the association of wind-charms with water -in the case of a certain magical stone referred to by Martin as -existing in his day in the island of Fladda, near Skye. There was a -chapel to St. Columba on the island, and on the altar lay the stone in -question. The stone was round, of a blue colour, and was always moist. -“It is an ordinary custom,” Martin relates, “when any -of the fishermen are detained in the isle <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb223" href="#pb223" name="pb223">223</a>]</span>by contrary winds, to -wash the blue stone with water all round, expecting thereby to procure -a favourable wind, which, the credulous tenant, living in the isle, -says never fails, especially if a stranger wash the stone.” The -power of the Fladda stone was equalled by a certain well in Gigha, -though in the latter instance a dweller in the island, rather than a -stranger, had power over it. When a foreign boat was wind-bound on the -island, the master of the craft was in the habit of giving some money -to one of the natives, to procure a favourable breeze. This was done in -the following way. A few feet above the well was a heap of stones, -forming a cover to the spring. These were carefully removed, and the -well was cleared out with a wooden dish or clam-shell. The water was -then thrown several times towards the point, from which the needed wind -should blow. Certain words of incantation were used, each time the -water was thrown. After the ceremony, the stones were replaced, as the -district would otherwise have been swept by a hurricane. Pennant -mentions, in connection with his visit to Gigha, that the superstition -had then died out. In this he was in error, for the well continued to -be occasionally consulted to a later date. Even within recent years, -the memory of the practice lingered in the island; but there seemed -some doubt, as to the exact nature of the required ritual. Captain T. -P. White was told by a shepherd, belonging to the island, that, if a -stone was taken out of the well, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb224" -href="#pb224" name="pb224">224</a>]</span>a storm would arise and -prevent any person crossing over, nor would it abate till the stone was -taken back to the well.</p> -<p>From the evidence of an Irish example, we find that springs could -allay a storm, as well as produce a favourable breeze. The island of -Innismurray, off the coast of Sligo, has a sacred well called -Tobernacoragh. When a tempest was raging, the natives believed that by -draining the water of this well into the sea, the wrath of the elements -could be calmed. Mr. Gomme, in his “<i>Ethnology in -Folklore</i>,” when commenting on the instance, remarks, -“In this case the connection between well-worship and the worship -of a rain-god is certain, for it may be surmised that if the emptying -of the well allayed a storm, some complementary action was practised at -one time or other in order to produce rain, and in districts more -subject to a want of rain than this Atlantic island, that ceremony -would be accentuated at the expense of the storm-allaying ceremony at -Innismurray.” The Routing Well, at Monktown, in Inveresk parish, -Mid-Lothian, was believed to give notice of an approaching storm by -uttering sounds resembling the moaning of the wind. As a matter of -fact, the noises came from certain disused coal-workings in the -immediate neighbourhood, and were due to the high wind blowing through -them. The sounds thus <i>accompanied</i> and did not <i>precede</i> the -storm.</p> -<p>To procure rain, recourse was had to various <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb225" href="#pb225" name= -"pb225">225</a>]</span>superstitious practices. Martin tells of a -stone, five feet high, in the form of a cross, opposite St. -Mary’s Church, in North Uist. “The natives,” he says, -“call it the ‘Water Cross,’ for the ancient -inhabitants had a custom of erecting this sort of cross to procure -rain, and when they had got enough, they laid it flat on the ground, -but this custom is now disused.” Among the mountains of British -Columbia, is a certain stone held in much honour by the Indians, for -they believe that it will produce rain when struck. Rain-making is an -important occupation among uncivilised races, and strange rites are -sometimes practised to bring about the desired result. By some savages, -human hair is burned for this end. Mr. J. G. Frazer, in “<i>The -Golden Bough</i>,” has some interesting remarks on -rain-production. After enumerating certain rain-charms among heathen -nations, he remarks, “Another way of constraining the rain-god is -to disturb him in his haunts. This seems the reason why rain is -supposed to be the consequence of troubling a sacred spring. The Dards -believed that if a cowskin or anything impure is placed in certain -springs storms will follow. Gervasius mentions a spring, into which, if -a stone or a stick were thrown, rain would at once issue from it and -drench the thrower. There was a fountain in Munster such that if it -were touched or even looked at by a human being it would at once flood -the whole province with rain.” Curious survivals of ancient -rain-charms are to be found in modern folk-customs. Thus, in connection -with the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb226" href="#pb226" name= -"pb226">226</a>]</span>rejoicings of the harvest-home in England, when -the last load of grain was being carried on the gaily decorated -hock-cart to the farm-yard, it was customary to throw water on those -taking part in the ceremony. This apparently meaningless frolic was in -reality a rain-charm. A Cornish custom, at one time popular at Padstow -on the first of May, can be explained on the same principle. A -hobby-horse was taken to the Traitor’s Pool, a quarter of a mile -from the town. The head was dipped in the pool, and water was sprinkled -on the bystanders.</p> -<p>Such charms depend for their efficacy on what is called -“sympathetic magic.” Mimic rain is produced on the earth, -in the hope that the same liquid will be constrained to descend from -the heavens, to bring fresh fertility to the fields. Professor Rhys, in -his “<i>Celtic Heathendom</i>,” traces the connection -between modern rain-charms and the rites of ancient paganism. He there -quotes the following particulars regarding Dulyn, in North Wales, from -a description of the place published in 1805:—“There lies -in Snowdon Mountain a lake called Dulyn, in a dismal dingle surrounded -by high and dangerous rocks; the lake is exceedingly black, and its -fish are loathsome, having large heads and small bodies. No wild swan -or duck or any kind of bird has ever been seen to light on it, as is -their wont on every other Snowdonian lake. In this same lake there is a -row of stepping stones extending into it; and if any one steps on the -stones and throws water so <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb227" href= -"#pb227" name="pb227">227</a>]</span>as to wet the furthest stone of -the series, which is called the <i>Red Altar</i>, it is but a chance -that you do not get rain before night, even when it is hot -weather.” The spot was, probably in pre-Christian times, the -scene of sacrifices to some local deity. Judging from the dismal -character of the neighbourhood, we may safely infer that fear entered -largely into the worship paid there to the <i>genius loci</i>. The -Fountain of Barenton, in Brittany, was specially celebrated in -connection with rain-making. During the early middle ages, the -peasantry of the neighbourhood resorted to it in days of drought. -According to a time-honoured custom, they took some water from the -fountain and threw it on a slab hard by; rain was the result. Professor -Rhys reminds us that this fountain “still retains its pluvial -importance; for, in seasons of drought, the inhabitants of the -surrounding parishes, we are told go to it in procession, headed by -their five great banners and their priests ringing bells and chanting -psalms. On arriving, the rector of the canton dips the foot of the -cross in the water, and it is sure to rain within a week’s -time.” The Barenton instance is specially interesting, for part -of the ceremony recalls what happened in connection with a certain -Scottish spring, viz., Tobar Faolan at Struan, in Athole. This spring, -as the name implies, was dedicated to Fillan. In his “Holiday -Notes in Athole,” in the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland</i>,” volume xii. (new series), Mr. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb228" href="#pb228" name= -"pb228">228</a>]</span>J. Mackintosh Gow says, “It is nearly one -hundred yards west from the church, at the foot of the bank, and close -to the river Garry. It is overgrown with grass and weeds, but the water -is as clear and cool as it may have been in the days of the saint. -There is no tradition of its having been a curing or healing well, -except that in pre-Reformation days, when a drought prevailed and rain -was much wanted, an image of the saint, which was kept in the church, -used to be taken in procession to the well, and, in order that rain -might come, the feet of the image were placed in the water; and this, -of course, was generally supposed to have the desired effect.” At -Botriphnie, in Banffshire, six miles from Keith, the wooden image of -St. Fumac used to be solemnly washed in his well on the third of May. -We may conclude that the ceremony was intended as a rain-charm. It must -have been successful, on at least one occasion, for the river Isla -became flooded through the abundance of rain. Indeed, the flooding was -so great that the saint’s image was swept away by the rushing -water. The image was finally stranded at Banff, where it was burned as -a relic of superstition by order of the parish minister about the -beginning of the present century. In Glentham Church, Lincolnshire, is -a tomb, with a figure locally called “Molly Grime.” From -“<i>Old English Customs and Charities</i>,” we learn that, -till 1832, the figure was washed every Good Friday with water from -Newell Well by <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb229" href="#pb229" name= -"pb229">229</a>]</span>seven old maids of Glentham, who each received a -shilling, “in consequence of an old bequest connected with some -property in that district.” Perhaps its testator was not free -from a belief in the efficacy of rain-charms. Otherwise, the ceremony -seems meaningless. If the keeping clean of the figure was the only -object, the seven old maids should not have limited their duties to an -annual pilgrimage from the well to the church. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb230" href="#pb230" name="pb230">230</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch14" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e305">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XIV.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Trees and Springs.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Tree-worship—Ygdrasil—Personality of -Plants—Tree-ancestors—“Wassailing”—Relics -of Tree-worship—Connla’s Well—Cutting down Trees -Unlucky—Spring at Monzie—Marriage Well—Pear-Tree -Well—Some Miraculous Trees—External Soul—Its -Connection with Trees, &c.—Arms of Glasgow.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Trees were at one time worshipped as well as -fountains. Ygdrasil, the world-tree of Scandinavian mythology, had -three roots, and underneath each, was a fountain of wonderful virtues. -This represents the connection between tree and well in the domain of -mythology. But the same superstition was connected with ordinary trees -and wells. Glancing back over the history of civilisation, we reach a -period, when vegetation was endowed with personality. As plants -manifested the phenomena of life and death like man and the lower -animals, they had a similar kind of existence attributed to them. Among -some savages to-day, the fragrance of a flower is thought to be its -soul. As there was thus no hard and fast line between man and the -vegetable kingdom, the one could be derived from the other; in other -words, men could have trees as their ancestors. Curious <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb231" href="#pb231" name= -"pb231">231</a>]</span>survivals of such a belief lie both revealed and -concealed in the language of to-day. Though we are far separated from -such a phase of archaic religion, we speak of the <i>branches</i> of a -family. At one time such an expression represented a literal fact, and -not a mere metaphor. In like manner, we call a son, who resembles his -father, “a chip of the old block.” But how few when using -the phrase are alive to its real force! Mr. Keary, in his -“<i>Outlines of Primitive Belief</i>,” observes, -“Even when the literal notion of the descent from a tree had been -lost sight of, the close connection between the prosperity of the tribe -and the life of its fetish was often strictly held. The village tree of -the German races was originally a tribal tree with whose existence the -life of the village was involved.”</p> -<p>The picturesque ceremony known as the “Wassailing of -Apple-trees,” kept up till lately in Devon and Cornwall, carries -our thoughts back to the time when tree-worship was a thriving cult in -our land. It was celebrated on the evening before Epiphany (January -6th). The farmer, accompanied by his labourers, carried a pail of cider -with roasted apples in it into the orchard. The pail was placed on the -ground, and each one of the company took from it a cupful of the -liquid. They then stood before the trees and repeated the following -lines:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Health to thee, good apple tree,</p> -<p class="line">Well to bear pocket-fulls, hat-fulls,</p> -<p class="line">Peck-fulls, bushel bag-fulls.”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb232" href="#pb232" name= -"pb232">232</a>]</span></p> -<p>Part of the contents of the cup was then drunk, and the remainder -was thrown at the tree amid shouts from the by-standers. Relics of the -same cult can be traced in the superstitious regard for such trees as -the rowan, the elder, &c., and in the decoration of the May-pole -and the Christmas Tree. According to an ancient Irish legend, a certain -spring in Erin, called Connla’s Well, had growing over it nine -mystical hazel trees. Year by year these trees produced their flowers -and fruit simultaneously. The nuts were of a brilliant crimson colour -and contained in some mysterious way the knowledge of all that was best -in poetry and art. Professor O’Curry, in his “<i>Lectures -on the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish</i>,” refers to -this legend, and says, “No sooner were the beautiful nuts -produced on the trees than they always dropped into the well, raising -by their fall a succession of shining red bubbles. Now, during this -time the water was always full of salmon, and no sooner did the bubbles -appear than these salmon darted to the surface and ate the nuts, after -which they made their way to the river. The eating of the nuts produced -brilliant crimson spots on the bellies of these salmon, and to catch -and eat these salmon became an object of more than mere gastronomic -interest among those who were anxious to become distinguished in the -arts and in literature without being at the pains and delay of long -study, for the fish was supposed to have become filled with the -knowledge which <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb233" href="#pb233" -name="pb233">233</a>]</span>was contained in the nuts, which, it was -believed, would be transferred in full to those who had the good -fortune to catch and eat them.”</p> -<p>In many cases it was counted unlucky to cut down trees, since the -spirits, inhabiting them, would resent the injury. In the sixteenth -century the parishioners of Clynnog, in Caernarvonshire, refrained from -destroying the trees growing in the grounds of St. Beyno. Even though -he was their patron saint, he was quite ready to harm anybody who took -liberties with his grove. Loch Siant Well, in Skye, was noted for its -power to cure headaches, stitches, and other ailments, and was much -frequented in consequence. Martin says, “There is a small coppice -near to the well, and there is none of the natives dare venture to cut -the least branch of it for fear of some signal judgment to follow upon -it.” Martin also tells us that the same reverence was for long -paid to the peat on the island of Lingay. This island, he says, -“is singular in respect of all the lands of Uist, and the other -islands that surround it, for they are all composed of sand, and this, -on the contrary, is altogether moss covered with heath, affording five -peats in depth, and is very serviceable and useful, furnishing the -island Borera, &c., with plenty of good fuel. This island was held -as consecrated for several ages, insomuch that the natives would not -then presume to cut any fuel in it.”</p> -<p>When trees beside wells had rags hung on them as offerings, they -would naturally be reverenced, as <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb234" -href="#pb234" name="pb234">234</a>]</span>the living altars for the -reception of the gifts. But even when not used for this purpose, they -were sometimes thought to have a mysterious connection with the springs -they overshadowed. In the parish of Monzie, Perthshire, is a mineral -well held in much esteem till about the year 1770. At that time two -trees, till then the guardians of the spring, fell, and with their fall -its virtue departed. On the right bank of the Clyde, about -three-quarters of a mile from Carmyle village, is the once sylvan -district of Kenmuir. There, at the foot of a bank, is a spring locally -known as “The Marriage Well,” the name being derived, it is -said, from two curiously united trees beside its margin. These trees -were recently cut down. In former times, it was customary for marriage -parties, the day after their wedding, to visit the spring, and there -pledge the bride and bridegroom in draughts of its sparkling water. On -the banks of the Kelvin, close to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, once -flowed a spring styled the Pear-Tree, Pea-Tree, or Three-Tree Well, the -last name being probably the original one. In former times it was a -recognised trysting-place for lovers. A tragic story is told in -connection with it by Mr. James Napier in his “<i>Notes and -Reminiscences of Partick</i>.” A maiden, named Catherine Clark, -arranged to meet her lover there by night,</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line xd26e2607">“nor did she ever dream</p> -<p class="line">But that he was what he did ever seem.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">She never returned to her home. “A few days -after,” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb235" href="#pb235" name= -"pb235">235</a>]</span>remarks Mr. Napier, “her body was found -buried near a large tree which stood within a few yards of the Pea-Tree -Well. This tree was afterwards known as ‘Catherine Clark’s -Tree,’ and remained for many years an object of interest to the -visitors to this far-famed well, and many a sympathising lover carved -his name in rude letters on its bark. But the tree was also an object -of terror to those who had to pass it in dark and lonely nights, and -many tales were told of people who had seen a young female form dressed -in white, and stained with blood, standing at the tree foot.” The -tree was removed many years ago. The spring too is gone, the recent -extension of the Caledonian Railway to Maryhill having forced it to -quit the field.</p> -<p>Near the moat of Listerling, in county Kilkenny, Ireland, is a holy -well dedicated to St. Mullen, who is said to have lived for a while in -its neighbourhood. A fine hawthorn, overshadowing it, grew—if we -can believe a local legend—from the staff of the saint, which he -there stuck into the ground. This reminds one of the famous Glastonbury -Thorn, produced from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, who fixed it in -the ground one Christmas Day. The staff took root at once, put forth -branches, and next day was covered with milk-white blossoms. St. -Servanus’s staff, too, had a miraculous ending. He threw it -across the Firth of Forth, and when it fell on the Fife coast, it took -root and became an apple-tree. A group of thorn-bushes, near Aghaboe, -in Queen’s County, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb236" href= -"#pb236" name="pb236">236</a>]</span>Ireland, was dedicated to St. -Canice. The spring, overshadowed by them, was much resorted to for the -purposes of devotion. At Rearymore, in the same county, some hawthorns, -growing beside St. Finyan’s spring, were, and doubtless still -are, religiously preserved by the natives. In the Isle of Man is -Chibber Unjin, signifying The Well of the Ash. Beside it grew an ash -tree, formerly decorated with votive offerings.</p> -<p>What has been called the <i>external soul</i> has an important place -in folklore, and forms the theme of many folk-tales. Primitive man does -not think of the soul as spiritual, but as material—as something -that can be seen and felt. It can take different shapes. It can leave -the body during sleep, and wander about in the guise of an animal, such -as a mouse. Considerable space is devoted to this problem in Mr. J. G. -Frazer’s “<i>Golden Bough</i>.” Mr. Frazer there -remarks, “There may be circumstances in which, if the life or -soul remains in the man, it stands a greater chance of sustaining -injury than if it were stowed away in some safe and secret place. -Accordingly, in such circumstances, primitive man takes his soul out of -his body and deposits it for security in some safe place, intending to -replace it in his body when the danger is past; or, if he should -discover some place of absolute security, he may be content to leave -his soul there permanently. The advantage of this is, that so long as -the soul remains unharmed in the place where he has deposited it, the -man himself is immortal; nothing <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb237" -href="#pb237" name="pb237">237</a>]</span>can kill his body, since his -life is not in it.” Sometimes the soul is believed to be stowed -away in a tree, injury to the latter involving disaster to the former. -The custom of planting trees, and calling them after certain persons -may nowadays have nothing to do with this notion; but, undoubtedly, a -real connection was at one time believed to exist between the partners -in the transaction. A certain oak, with mistletoe growing on it, was -mysteriously associated with the family of Hay. The superstition is -explained in the following lines:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line">“While the mistletoe bats on Errol’s -oak</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">And that oak stands fast,</p> -<p class="line">The Hays shall flourish, and their good grey hawk</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Shall not flinch before the blast.</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line">But when the root of the oak decays</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">And the mistletoe dwines on its withered -breast,</p> -<p class="line">The grass shall grow on the Earl’s -hearthstone,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">And the corbies craw in the falcon’s -nest.”</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class="first">At Finlarig Castle, near Killin, in Perthshire, are -several trees, believed to be linked with the lives of certain -individuals, connected by family ties with the ruined fortress. Aubrey -gives an example of this superstition, as it existed in England in the -seventeenth century. He says, “I cannot omit taking notice of the -great misfortune in the family of the Earl of Winchelsea, who, at -Eastwell, in Kent, felled down a most curious grove of oaks near his -own noble seat, and gave the first blow with his own hands. Shortly -after, the countess died in her bed suddenly, and his eldest son, the -Lord Maidstone, was killed at <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb238" -href="#pb238" name="pb238">238</a>]</span>sea by a cannon -bullet.” In the grounds of Dalhousie Castle, about two miles from -Dalkeith, on the edge of a fine spring is the famous Edgewell Oak. Sir -Walter Scott, in his “<i>Journal</i>,” under date May 13th, -1829, writes, “Went with the girls to dine at Dalhousie Castle, -where we were very kindly received. I saw the Edgewell Tree, too fatal, -says Allan Ramsay, to the family from which he was himself -descended.” According to a belief in the district, a branch fell -from this tree, before the death of a member of the family. The -original oak fell early in last century, but a new one sprang from the -old root. An editorial note to the above entry in the -“<i>Journal</i>” gives the following -information:—“The tree is still flourishing (1889), and the -belief in its sympathy with the family is not yet extinct, as an old -forester, on seeing a branch fall from it on a quiet still day in July, -1874, exclaimed, ‘The laird’s deed, noo!’ and, -accordingly, news came soon after that Fox Maule, eleventh Earl of -Dalhousie, had died.”</p> -<p>The <i>external soul</i> was sometimes associated with objects other -than living trees. Dr. Charles Rogers tells us that “a pear, -supposed to have been enchanted by Hugh Gifford, Lord of Yester, a -notable magician in the reign of Alexander III., is preserved in the -family of Brown of Colston, as heirs of Gifford’s estate.” -The prosperity of the family is believed to be linked with the -preservation of the pear. Even an inanimate object would serve the -purpose. The glass drinking-cup, known as the <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb239" href="#pb239" name= -"pb239">239</a>]</span>“Luck of Edenhall,” is connected -with the fortunes of the Musgrave family, and great care is taken to -preserve it from injury. Tradition says that a company of fairies were -making merry beside a spring near the mansion-house, but that, being -frightened by some intruder, they vanished, leaving the cup in -question, while one of them exclaimed:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“If this cup should break or fall,</p> -<p class="line">Farewell the luck of Edenhall.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Some living object, however, either vegetable or -animal, was the usual repository of the <i>external soul</i>. A -familiar folk-tale tells of a giant whose heart was in a swan, and who -could not be killed while the swan lived. Hunting was a favourite -occupation among the inhabitants of the Western Isles; but on the -mountain Finchra, in Rum, no deer was killed by any member of the -Lachlan family, as it was believed that the life of that family was in -some way linked with the life of these animals. A curious superstition -is mentioned by Camden in his “<i>Britannia</i>.” In a pond -near the Abbey of St. Maurice, in Burgundy, were put as many fish as -there were monks. When any monk was taken ill, one of the fish was seen -to float half-dead on the surface of the pond. If the fish died the -monk died too, the death of the former giving warning of the fate of -the latter. In this case the <i>external soul</i> was thought of as -stowed away in a fish. As is well known, the Arms of the City of -Glasgow are a bell, a tree, a <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb240" -href="#pb240" name="pb240">240</a>]</span>fish with a ring in its -mouth, and a bird. The popular explanation of these emblems connects -them with certain miracles, wrought by Kentigern, the patron saint of -the burgh. May we not hold that an explanation of their symbolism is to -be sought in a principle, that formed an article in the beliefs of men, -long before Kentigern was born, as well as during his time and since? -The bell, it is true, had, doubtless, an ecclesiastical association; -but the other three symbols point, perhaps, to some superstitious -notion like the above. In various folk-tales, as well as in Christian -art, the soul is sometimes typified by a bird. As we have just seen, it -has been associated with trees and fish. We are entitled therefore to -ask whether the three symbols may not express one and the same idea -under different forms. It is, of course, open to anyone to say that -there were fish in the river, on whose banks Kentigern took up his -abode, and quite a forest with birds singing in it around his cell, and -that no further explanation of the symbolism need be sought. All these, -it is true, existed within the saint’s environment, but may they -not have been regarded as types of the soul under the guise of objects -familiar to all, and afterwards grouped together in the burgh Arms? On -this hypothesis, the symbols have survived the belief that gave them -birth, and serve to connect the practical life of to-day, with the -vague visions and crude conjectures of the past. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb241" href="#pb241" name="pb241">241</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch15" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e315">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XV.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Charm-Stones in and out of -Water.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Stone-worship—Mysterious Properties of -Stones—Symbolism of Gems—Gnostics—Abraxas -Gems—Gems in Sarcophagi—Life-stones—Use of Amulets in -Scotland—Yellow Stone in Mull—Baul Muluy—Black Stones -of Iona—Stone as Medicine—Declan’s -Stone—Curing-stones still used for Cattle—Mary, Queen of -Scots—Amulet at Abbotsford—Highland -Reticence—Aberfeldy Curing-stone—Lapis Ceranius and Lapis -Hecticus—Bernera—St. Ronan’s Altar—Blue Stone -in Fladda—Baul Muluy again—Columba’s White -Stone—Loch Manaar—Well near Loch Torridon—Stones -besides Springs—Healing-stones at Killin—Their connection -with Fillan—Mornish—Altars and -Crosses—Iona—Clach-a-brath—Cross at -Kilberry—Lunar Stone in Harris—Perforated -Stones—Ivory—Barbeck’s -Bone—Adder-beads—Sprinkling -Cattle—Elf-bolts—Clach-na-Bratach—Clach -Dearg—Lee Penny—Lockerbie Penny—Black Penny.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">We have already seen that in early times water was an -object of worship. Stones also were reverenced as the embodiments of -nature-deities. “In Western Europe during the middle ages,” -remarks Sir J. Lubbock in his “<i>Origin of -Civilisation</i>,” “we meet with several denunciations of -stone-worship, proving its deep hold on the people. Thus the worship of -stones was condemned by Theodoric, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the -seventh century, and is among <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb242" -href="#pb242" name="pb242">242</a>]</span>the acts of heathenism -forbidden by King Edgar in the tenth, and by Cnut in the eleventh -century.” Even as late as the seventeenth century, the Presbytery -of Dingwall sought to suppress, among other practices of heathen -origin, that of rendering reverence to stones, the stones in question -having been consulted as to future events. It is not surprising -therefore that stones had certain mysterious properties ascribed to -them. In all ages precious stones have been deservedly admired for -their beauty, but, in addition, they have frequently been esteemed for -their occult qualities. “In my youth,” Mr. James Napier -tells us, in his “<i>Folklore in the West of Scotland</i>,” -“there was a belief in the virtue of precious stones, which added -a value to them beyond their real value as ornaments …. -Each stone had its own symbolic meaning and its own peculiar influence -for imparting good and protecting from evil and from sickness its -fortunate possessor.” By the ancient Jews, the topaz and the -amethyst were believed to guard their wearers respectively against -poison and drunkenness; while the diamond was prized as a protection -against Satanic influence. Concerning the last-mentioned gem, Sir John -Mandeville, writing about 1356, says, “It makes a man stronger -and firmer against his enemies, heals him that is lunatic, and those -whom the fiend pursues and torments.” By certain sects of the -Gnostics, precious stones were much thought of as talismans. Among the -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb243" href="#pb243" name= -"pb243">243</a>]</span>sect founded by Basilides of Egypt, the famous -Abraxas gems were used as tokens by the initiated. The Gnostics also -placed gems inscribed with mystic mottoes in sarcophagi, to remind the -dead of certain prayers that were thought likely to aid them in the -other world. In Scandinavia, warriors were in the habit of carrying -about with them amulets called life-stones or victory-stones. These -strengthened the hand of the wearer in fight. In our own country, the -use of amulets was not uncommon. A flat oval-shaped pebble, measuring -two and a half inches in greatest diameter, was presented in 1864 to -the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. It had been worn as a charm by -a Forfarshire farmer, who died in 1854 at the age of <span class="corr" -id="xd26e2706" title="Source: eight-four">eighty-four</span>. When in -use, it had been kept in a small bag and suspended by a red string -round the wearer’s neck.</p> -<p>Even when stones were not used as amulets, they were sometimes held -in superstitious regard. When in Mull, Martin was told of a yellow -stone, lying at the bottom of a certain spring in the island, its -peculiarity being that it did not get hot, though kept over the fire -for a whole day. The same writer alludes to a certain stone in Arran, -called Baul Muluy, <i>i.e.</i>, “Molingus, his Stone -Globe.” It was green in colour, and was about the size of a -goose’s egg. The stone was used by the islanders, when great -oaths had to be sworn. It was also employed to disperse an enemy. When -thrown among the front ranks, the opposing army would <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb244" href="#pb244" name= -"pb244">244</a>]</span>retreat in confusion. In this way the Macdonalds -were said to have gained many a victory. When not in use, the Baul -Muluy was carefully kept wrapped up in cloth. Among oath-stones, the -<i>black stones</i> of Iona were specially famous. These were situated -to the west of St. Martin’s Cross, and were called black, not -from their colour—for they were grey—but from the effects -of perjury in the event of a false oath being sworn by them. Macdonald, -Lord of the Isles, knelt on them, and, with uplifted hands, swore that -he would never recall the rights granted by him to his vassals. Such a -hold had these oath-stones taken on the popular imagination, that when -anyone expressed himself certain about a particular thing, he gave -weight to his affirmation, by saying that he was prepared to -“swear upon the black stones.” Bishop Pocoke mentions that -the inhabitants of Iona “were in the habit of breaking off pieces -from a certain stone lying in the church,” to be used “as -medicine for man or beast in most disorders, and especially the -flux.”</p> -<p>Charm-stones were sometimes associated with early saints. The -following particulars about St. Declan’s Stone are given by Sir -Arthur Mitchell in the tenth volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland</i>”:—“We are told -in the life of St. Declan that a small stone was sent to him from -Heaven while he was saying Mass in a church in Italy. It came through -the window and rested on the altar. It was called Duivhin Deaglain or -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb245" href="#pb245" name= -"pb245">245</a>]</span>Duivh-mhion Deaglain, <i>i.e.</i>, -‘Declan’s Black Relic.’ It performed many miracles -during his life, being famous for curing sore eyes, headaches, &c.; -and is said to have been found in his grave sometime, I think, during -last century. Its size is two and a-fourth by one and three-fourth -inches, and on one side there is a Latin cross, incised and looped at -the top. At the bottom of the stem of this cross there is another small -Latin cross. On the other side of the stone there is a circle, one and -a-fourth inch in diameter, and six holes or pits.” Curing stones -are still used occasionally in connection with the diseases of cattle, -particularly in Highland districts; but they have ceased to do duty in -the treatment of human ailments. Mary Queen of Scots seems to have been -a firm believer in their efficacy. In a letter to her brother-in-law, -Henry the Third of France, written on the eve of her execution, the -Queen says, “She ventures to send him two rare stones, valuable -for the health, which she hopes will be good, with a happy and long -life, asking him to receive them as the gift of his very affectionate -sister-in law, who is at the point of death, and in token of true love -towards him.” In a case of curiosities at Abbotsford, there is an -amulet that belonged to Sir Walter Scott’s mother. It somewhat -resembles crocodile skin in colour, and has a setting of silver. The -amulet was believed to prevent children from being bewitched.</p> -<p>It is nowadays difficult to ascertain the whereabouts <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb246" href="#pb246" name="pb246">246</a>]</span>of -curing-stones in the Highlands, owing to the reticence of those who -still have faith in their virtues. Till lately there was one in the -neighbourhood of Aberfeldy that had been in use, it is believed, for -about three hundred years. In shape, the charm somewhat resembled a -human heart, and consisted of a water-worn pebble fully three inches in -greatest length. When required for the cure of cattle, it was rubbed -over the affected part or was dipped in water, the water being then -given to the animal to drink. Recently the family who owned it became -extinct, and the charm passed into other hands. Martin gives some -curious information with regard to the employment of charm-stones, -among the inhabitants of the Western Isles. After describing a certain -kind of stone, called <i>lapis ceranius</i>, found in the island of -Skye, he remarks, “These stones are by the natives called -‘Cramp-stones,’ because (as they say) they cure the cramp -in cows by washing the part affected with water in which this stone had -been steeped for some hours.” He mentions also, that in the same -island, the stone called <i>lapis hecticus</i> was deemed efficacious -in curing consumption and other diseases. It was made red-hot, and then -cooled in milk or water, the liquid being drunk by the patient. On -Bernera, the islanders frequently rub their breasts with a particular -stone, by way of prevention, and say it is a good preservative for -health. Martin adds, “This is all the medicine they use: -Providence is very favourable to them in granting them a good -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb247" href="#pb247" name= -"pb247">247</a>]</span>state of health, since they have no physician -among them.” In connection with his visit to the island of Rona, -the same writer observes, “There is a chapel here dedicated to -St. Ronan, fenced with a stone wall round; and they take care to keep -it neat and clean, and sweep it every day. There is an altar in it, on -which there lies a big plank of wood, about ten feet in length; every -foot has a hole in it, and in every hole a stone, to which the natives -ascribe several virtues: one of them is singular, as they say, for -promoting speedy delivery to a woman in travail.” The blue stone -in Fladda, already referred to in connection with wind-charms, did duty -as an oath-stone, and likewise as a curing-stone, its special function -being to remove stitches in the side. The Baul Muluy in Arran, alluded -to above, also cured stitches in the side. When the patient would not -recover, the stone withdrew from the bed of its own accord.</p> -<p>A certain white stone, taken by Columba from the river Ness, near -what is now the town of Inverness, had the singular power of becoming -invisible, when the illness of the person requiring it would prove -fatal. The selection of this stone was made in connection with the -saint’s visit to the court of Brude, king of the Picts, about the -year 563. Adamnan, who tells the story, thus describes an interview -between Columba and Brochan (the king’s chief Druid or Magus), -concerning the liberation of a female slave belonging to the latter: -“The venerable <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb248" href="#pb248" -name="pb248">248</a>]</span>man, from motives of humanity, besought -Brochan the Druid to liberate a certain Irish female captive, a request -which Brochan harshly and obstinately refused to grant. The saint then -spoke to him as follows:—‘Know, O Brochan, know, that if -you refuse to set this captive free, as I advise you, you shall die -before I return from this province.’ Having said this in presence -of Brude the king, he departed from the royal palace, and proceeded to -the river Nesa, from which he took a white pebble, and, showing it to -his companions, said to them:—‘Behold this white pebble, by -which God will effect the cure of many diseases.’ Having thus -spoken, he added, ‘Brochan is punished grievously at this moment, -for an angel sent from heaven, striking him severely, has broken in -pieces the glass cup which he held in his hands, and from which he was -in the act of drinking, and he himself is left -half-dead.’ ” Messengers were sent by the king to -announce the illness of Brochan, and to ask Columba to cure him. -Adamnan continues:—“Having heard these words of the -messengers, Saint Columba sent two of his companions to the king with -the pebble which he had blessed, and said to them:—‘If -Brochan shall first promise to free his captive, immerse this little -stone in water, and let him drink from it; but if he refuse to liberate -her, he will that instant die.’ The two persons sent by the saint -proceeded to the palace, and announced the words of the holy man to the -king and to Brochan, an announcement which filled them with such fear -that <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb249" href="#pb249" name= -"pb249">249</a>]</span>he immediately liberated the captive and -delivered her to the saint’s messengers. The stone was then -immersed in water, and, in a wonderful manner and contrary to the laws -of nature, it floated on the water like a nut or an apple, nor could it -be submerged. Brochan drank from the stone as it floated on the water, -and instantly recovered his perfect health and soundness of -body.” The wonderful pebble was kept by King Brude among his -treasures. On the day of the king’s death, it remained true to -itself, for, when its aid was sought, it could nowhere be found.</p> -<p>According to a tradition current in Sutherland, Loch Manaar in -Strathnaver was connected with another white pebble, endowed with -miraculous properties. The tradition, as narrated by the Rev. Dr. -Gregor in the “<i>Folklore Journal</i>” for 1888, is as -follows:—“Once upon a time, in Strathnaver, there lived a -woman who was both poor and old. She was able to do many wonderful -things by the power of a white stone which she possessed, and which had -come to her by inheritance. One of the Gordons of Strathnaver having a -thing to do, wished to have both her white stone and the power of it. -When he saw that she would not lend it, or give it up, he determined to -seize her, and to drown her in a loch. The man and the woman struggled -there for a long time, till he took up a heavy stone with which to kill -her. She plunged into the lake, throwing her magic stone before her and -crying, ‘May it do good to all created things save a Gordon of -Strathnaver!’ He <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb250" href= -"#pb250" name="pb250">250</a>]</span>stoned her to death in the water, -she crying, ‘Manaar! Manaar!’ (Shame! Shame!). And the loch -is called the Loch of Shame to this day.” The loch had a more -than local fame, for invalids resorted to it from Orkney in the north -and Inverness in the south: its water was deemed specially efficacious -on the first Monday of February, May, August, and November, (O. S.). -The second and third of these dates were the most popular. The patient -was kept bound and half-starved for about a day previous, and -immediately after sunset on the appointed day, he was taken into the -middle of the loch and there dipped. His wet clothes were then -exchanged for dry ones, and his friends took him home in the full -expectation of a cure. Belief in the loch’s powers was -acknowledged till recently, and is probably still secretly cherished in -the district.</p> -<p>In a graveyard beside Loch Torridon, in Ross-shire, is a spring, -formerly believed to work cures. From time immemorial three stones have -been whirling in the well, and it was usual to carry one of these in a -bucket of water to the invalid who simply touched the stone. When put -back into the well, the stone began to move round and round as before. -On one occasion a woman sought to cure her sick goat in the usual way, -but the pebble evidently did not care to minister to any creature lower -than man, for when replaced in the well, it lay motionless at the -bottom ever afterwards. A certain Katherine Craigie, who was burned as -a witch in Orkney in 1643, used <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb251" -href="#pb251" name="pb251">251</a>]</span>pebbles in connection with -the magical cures wrought by her. Her method, as described by Dr. -Rogers in his “<i>Social Life in Scotland</i>,” was as -follows:—“Into water wherewith she washed the patient she -placed three small stones; these, being removed from the vessel, were -placed on three corners of the patient’s house from morning till -night, when they were deposited at the principal entrance. Next morning -the stones were cast into water with which the sick person was -anointed. The process was repeated every day till a cure was -effected.”</p> -<p>At some wells, what the water lacked in the matter of efficacy was -supplied by certain stones lying by their margins. These stones, in -virtue of a real or fancied resemblance to parts of the human -body—such as the eye or arm—were applied to the members -corresponding to them in shape, in the expectation that this would -conduce to a cure. At Killin, in Perthshire, there are several stones -dedicated to Fillan, at one time much used in the way described. These -are, however, not beside a spring, but in the mill referred to in a -previous chapter. They lie in a niche in the inner wall, and have been -there from an unknown past. Whenever a new mill was built to replace -the old one, a niche was made in the wall for their reception. They are -some seven or eight in number. The largest of them weighs eight lbs. -ten oz. Special interest attaches to at least two of them, on account -of certain markings on one side, consisting <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb252" href="#pb252" name="pb252">252</a>]</span>of -shallow rounded hollows somewhat resembling the cup-marks which have -proved such a puzzle to archæologists. There is reason to believe -that the stones in question were at one time used in connection with -milling operations, the hollows being merely the sockets where the -spindle of the upper millstone revolved. On the saint’s day (the -ninth of January), it was customary till not very long ago, for the -villagers to assemble at the mill, and place a layer of straw below the -stones. This custom has a particular interest, for we find a -counterpart to it in Scandinavia, both instances being clearly -survivals of stone-worship. “In certain mountain districts of -Norway,” Dr. Tylor tells us in his “<i>Primitive -Culture</i>,” “up to the end of the last century, the -peasants used to preserve round stones, washed them every Thursday -evening (which seems to show that they represented Thor), smeared them -with butter before the fire, laid them on the seat of honour on fresh -straw, and at certain times of the year steeped them in ale, that they -might bring luck and comfort to the house.” The ritual here is -more elaborate than in the case of the Killin stones; but the instances -are parallel as regards the use of straw. Fully a couple of miles from -Killin, below Mornish, close to Loch Tay, is the lonely nettle-covered -graveyard of Cladh Davi, and on a tombstone in its enclosure lie two -roundish stones, believed to belong to the same series as those in the -mill, and marked with <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb253" href= -"#pb253" name="pb253">253</a>]</span>similar hollows. These stones were -thought to cure pectoral inflammation, the hollows being filled with -water, and applied to the breasts. The Rev. Dr. Hugh MacMillan, after -describing the stones in the volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the -Society of Antiquaries of Scotland</i>” for 1883–84, -mentions that “not long since, a woman, who was thus afflicted, -came a considerable distance, from the head of Glen Lochay, to make use -of this remedy.”</p> -<p>Charm-stones were sometimes kept on the altars of ancient churches, -as in the case of St. Ronan’s Chapel, and the church in Iona -already referred to. At other times they were associated with crosses. -Sir Arthur Mitchell tells of an Irish curing-stone in shape like a -dumb-bell, preserved in Killaghtee parish, County Donegal. “There -is,” he says, “a fragment of a stone cross on the top of a -small cairn. In a cleft or hollow of this cross is kept a famous -healing stone, in whose virtues there is still a belief. It is -frequently removed to houses in which sickness exists, but it is -invariably brought back, and those living near the cross can always -tell where it is to be found, if it has been so removed.<span class= -"corr" id="xd26e2776" title="Not in source">”</span> Pennant, in -connection with his visit to Iona, speaks of certain stones lying in -the pedestal of a cross to the north-west of St. Oran’s Chapel. -“Numbers who visit this island,” he remarks, “think -it incumbent on them to turn each of these thrice round, according to -the course of the sun. They are <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb254" -href="#pb254" name="pb254">254</a>]</span>called -Clach-a-brath—for it is thought that the brath, or ‘end of -the world,’ will not arrive till the stone on which they stand is -worn through.” Pennant thought that these stones were the -successors of “three noble globes of white marble,” which, -according to Sacheverel, at one time lay in three stone basins, and -were turned round in the manner described, but were afterwards thrown -into the sea by the order of the ecclesiastical authorities. MacCulloch -says that, in his day, the superstition connected with the -Clach-a-brath had died out in Iona. We do not think that this was -likely. Anyhow he mentions that “the boys of the village still -supply a stone for every visitor to turn round on its bed; and thus, in -the wearing of this typical globe, to contribute his share to the final -dissolution of all things.” MacCulloch alludes to the same -superstition as then existing on one of the Garveloch Isles. Sometimes -hollows were made on the pedestals of crosses, not for the reception of -stone-balls, but to supply occupation to persons undergoing penance. A -sculptured cross at Kilberry, in Argyllshire, has a cavity of this kind -in its pedestal. In connection with his visit to Kilberry, Captain -White was told that “one of the prescribed acts of penance in -connection with many of the ancient Irish crosses required the -individual under discipline, while kneeling before the cross, to scoop -out a cavity in the pedestal, pestle-and-mortar fashion; and that such -cavities, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb255" href="#pb255" name= -"pb255">255</a>]</span>where now to be seen, show in this way, varying -stages of the process.”</p> -<p>One of the wonders of Harris, when Martin visited the island, was a -lunar stone lying in a hole in a rock. Like the tides, it felt the -moon’s influence, for it advanced and retired according to the -increase or decrease of that luminary. Perforated stones were formerly -much esteemed as amulets. If a stone, with a hole in it, was tied to -the key of a stable-door, it would prevent the witches from stealing -the horses. Pre-historic relics of this kind were much used to ward off -malign influences from cattle, or to cure diseases caused by the -fairies. Ure, in his “<i>History of Rutherglen and -Kilbride</i>,” refers to a ring of black schistus found in a -cairn in the parish of Inchinnan. It was believed to work wonderful -cures. About a hundred years ago, a flat reddish stone, having notches -and with two holes bored through it, was presented to the Society of -Antiquaries of Scotland. It came from Islay, and had been used there as -a charm. It belonged to the Stone Age, and had, doubtless, served its -first possessor as a personal ornament. Ivory had magical properties -attributed to it. The famous “Barbeck’s -Bone”—once the property of the Campbells of Barbeck, in -Craignish parish, Argyllshire, and now in the National Museum of -Antiquities—is a piece of ivory seven inches long, four broad, -and half an inch thick. At one time it had a great reputation in the -West Highlands for the cure of insanity. It was counted <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb256" href="#pb256" name="pb256">256</a>]</span>so -valuable that, when it was lent, a deposit of one hundred pounds -sterling had to be made.</p> -<p>The antiquarian objects, popularly called <i>adder-beads</i>, -<i>serpent stones</i>, or <i>druidical beads</i>, were frequently used -for the cure of cattle. The beads were dipped in water, and the liquid -was then given to the animals to drink. These relics of a -long-forgotten past have been found from time to time in ancient places -of sepulture, and as they usually occur singly, it has been conjectured -that they were placed there as amulets. “Many of them,” -remarks Sir Daniel Wilson in his “<i>Pre-historic -Annals</i>,” “are exceedingly beautiful, and are -characterised by considerable ingenuity in the variations of style. -Among those in the Scottish Museum there is one of red glass spotted -with white; another of dark brown glass streaked with yellow; others of -pale green and blue glass, plain and ribbed; and two of curiously -figured patterns, wrought with various colours interwoven on their -surface.” A fine specimen of this species of amulet was -discovered in a grave mound at Eddertoun, in Ross-shire, during the -progress of the railway operations in 1864. The Rev. Dr. Joass, who -interested himself in the antiquarian discoveries then made, thus -describes the find:—“The glass, of which this bead was -composed, was of a dark blue colour, and but partially transparent. It -was ornamented by three volutes, which sufficed to surround it. These -were traced in a yellow pigment (or enamel) as hard as the glass -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb257" href="#pb257" name= -"pb257">257</a>]</span>and seeming to sink slightly below the surface -into the body of the bead, as could be seen where this was flattened, -as if by grinding at the opposite ends of its orifice.” These -<i><span class="corr" id="xd26e2808" title= -"Source: adderbeads">adder-beads</span></i> seem to have been common in -the seventeenth century. Edward Llwyd, who visited Scotland in 1699, -saw fifty different forms of them between Wales and the Scottish -Highlands. Crystal balls, he tells us, were frequently put into a tub -of water on May Day, the contents of the tub being sprinkled over -cattle to keep them from being bewitched.</p> -<p>Flint arrow-heads—the weapons of early times—became the -amulets of a later age. In folklore they are known as elf-bolts. -Popular credulity imagined that they were used by the fairies for the -destruction of cattle. When an animal was attacked by some sudden and -mysterious disease, it was believed to be “elf-shot” even -though no wound could be seen on its body. To cure the cow, the usual -method was to make it drink some water in which an elf-bolt had been -dipped, on the principle of taking a hair of the dog that bit you. -Elf-arrows were at one time thought to be serviceable to man also. The -custom was not unknown of sewing one of them in some part of the dress -as a charm against the influence of the evil eye. Occasionally one -still sees them doing duty as brooches, and in that form, if not now -prized as amulets, they are esteemed as ornaments.</p> -<p>Sir J. Y. Simpson, in his “<i>Archæological -Essays</i>,” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb258" href="#pb258" -name="pb258">258</a>]</span>gives some interesting particulars about -two ancient charm-stones, the property of two Highland families for -many generations. Of these, the Clach-na-Bratach, or Stone of the -Standard, belongs to the head of the Clan Donnachie. It is described as -“a transparent, globular mass of rock crystal of the size of a -small apple. Its surface has been artificially polished.” The -stone was picked up by the then chief of the clan shortly before the -battle of Bannockburn. It was found in a clod of earth adhering to the -standard when drawn out of the ground, and on account of its brilliancy -the chief foretold a victory. In later times it was used to predict the -fortunes of the clan. We are told that before the battle of -Sheriffmuir, in 1715, which proved so disastrous to the cause of the -Stuarts, as well as to that of Clan Donnachie, the <span class="corr" -id="xd26e2820" title="Source: Clan-na-Bratach">Clach-na-Bratach</span> -was found to have a flaw, not seen till then. When wanted to impart -curative virtue to water, the Clach-na-Bratach was dipped in it thrice -by the hand of the chief. The other charm-stone alluded to is the Clach -Dearg, or Stone of Ardvoirlich. It resembles the Clach-na-Bratach in -appearance, though it is somewhat smaller in size. It differs from it, -moreover, in being surrounded by four silver bands of eastern -workmanship. The charm has belonged to the family of Ardvoirlich from -an unknown past, but there is no tradition as to its early history. As -a healing agent it has had more than a local fame. When its help was -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb259" href="#pb259" name= -"pb259">259</a>]</span>sought certain rules had to be attended to. The -person coming to Ardvoirlich was required to draw the water himself, -and bring it into the house in the vessel in which the charm was to be -dipped. A bottle of this water was then carried to the invalid’s -home. If the bearer called at any house by the way, it was requisite -that the bottle should be left outside, otherwise the water would lose -its power.</p> -<p>In the mansion-house of Lee, some three miles north of Lanark, is -kept the Lee Penny, an amulet of even greater fame than the -Clach-na-Bratach or the Clach Dearg. This charm—the prototype of -Sir Walter Scott’s “<i>Talisman</i>”—is a -semi-transparent gem of a dark red colour. It is set in a silver coin, -believed to be a groat of Edward the Fourth. In shape it rudely -resembles a heart. This circumstance doubtless strengthened the -original belief in its magical powers, if, indeed, it did not give rise -to it. The tradition is, that Sir Simon Lockhart, an ancestor of the -present owner of the estate, left Scotland along with Sir James -Douglas, in the year 1330, to convey the heart of Robert Bruce to the -Holy Land. Douglas was killed in Spain in a battle with the Moors, and -Sir Simon returned to Scotland, bringing the heart with him. He had -various adventures in connection with this mission. One of these was -the capture of a Saracen prince, who, however, obtained his freedom for -a large sum. While the money was being counted out the <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb260" href="#pb260" name= -"pb260">260</a>]</span>amulet in question accidentally fell into the -heap of coin, and was claimed as part of the ransom. Previous to its -appearance in Scotland it had been much esteemed as a cure for -hemorrhage and fever. After it was brought to our shores its fame -increased rather than waned. During the reign of Charles the First it -was taken to Newcastle-on-Tyne to stay a pestilence raging there, a -bond for six thousand pounds being given as a guarantee of its safe -return. The amulet did its work so well, that to ensure its retention -in the town the bond would have been willingly forfeited. It was -reckoned of use in the treatment of almost any ailment, but specially -in cases of hydrophobia. A cure effected by it at the beginning of last -century is on record. Lady Baird of Saughton Hall, near Edinburgh, -showed what were believed to be symptoms of rabies from the bite of a -dog. At her request the Lee Penny was sent to Saughton Hall. She drank -and bathed in water in which it had been dipped, and restoration was -the result. The amulet was also used for the cure of cattle, and when -every other remedy failed recourse was had to the wonder-working gem. -When it was employed for therapeutic purposes, the following was the -<i lang="la">modus operandi</i>:—It was drawn once round the -vessel containing the water to be rendered medicinal, and was then -plunged thrice into the liquid; but no words of incantation were used. -For this reason the Reformed Church, when seeking <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb261" href="#pb261" name="pb261">261</a>]</span>to -abolish certain practices of heathen origin, sanctioned the continued -use of the Lee Penny as a charm. A complaint was made against the Laird -of Lee “anent the superstitious using of ane stane set in silver -for the curing of diseased cattell.” The complaint came before -the Assembly which met in Glasgow; but the case was dismissed on the -ground that the rite was performed “wtout using onie words such -as charmers and sorcerers use in their unlawfull practices; and -considering that in nature there are mony things seen to work strange -effects, q.<sup>r.</sup> of no human wit can give a reason.” -Nevertheless the Laird of Lee was admonished “in the useing of -the said stane to tak heed that it be used hereafter w.<sup>t.</sup> -the least scandal that possiblie may be.” Belief in the efficacy -of the amulet continued to hold its ground in the neighbourhood of Lee -till towards the middle of the present century. In 1839 phials of water -which had felt its magical touch were to be seen hanging up in byres to -protect the cattle from evil influences. Some fifteen years earlier a -Yorkshire farmer carried away water from Lee to cure some of his cattle -which had been bitten by a mad dog. Attached to the amulet is a small -silver chain which facilitated its use when its services were required. -The charm is kept in a gold box, presented by the Empress Maria -Theresa.</p> -<p>Another south-country amulet, not, however, so famous as the Lee -Penny, is the piece of silver, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb262" -href="#pb262" name="pb262">262</a>]</span>known as the Lockerbie Penny. -It was, and still is, we suppose, used to cure madness in cattle. In -his “<i>Folklore of the Northern Counties</i>,” Mr. -Henderson gives the following particulars about the -charm:—“It is put in a cleft stick and a well is stirred -round with it, after which the water is bottled off and given to any -animal so affected. A few years ago, in a Northumbrian farm, a dog bit -an ass, and the ass bit a cow; the penny was sent for, and a deposit of -fifty pounds sterling actually left till it was restored. The dog was -shot, the cuddy died, but the cow was saved through the miraculous -virtue of the charm.” After the death of the farmer who borrowed -the Penny, several bottles of water were found stowed away in a -cupboard labelled “Lockerbie Water.” Mr. Henderson also -mentions another Border amulet, known as the Black Penny, for long the -property of a family at Hume-byers. It is larger than an ordinary -penny, and is believed to be a Roman coin or medal. When brought into -use it should be dipped in a well, the water of which runs towards the -south. Mr. Henderson adds:—“Popular belief still upholds -the virtue of this remedy; but, alas! it is lost to the world. A friend -of mine informs me that half a generation back the Hume-byers Penny was -borrowed by some persons residing in the neighbourhood of Morpeth and -never returned.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb263" href= -"#pb263" name="pb263">263</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch16" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e325">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XVI.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Pilgrimages to Wells.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Modern and Ancient Pilgrimages—Benefits from -Pilgrimages—Cuthbert’s Shrine at Durham—Cross of -Crail—Pilgrims’ Well and St. Martha’s Hospital at -Aberdour—Ninian’s Shrine at Whithorn and the Holy Wells of -Wigtownshire—Kentigern’s Shrine and Spring at -Glasgow—Chapel and Well of Grace—Whitekirk—Isle of -May—Witness of Archæology—Marmion—Early -Attempts in England to regulate Pilgrimages to Wells—Attempts in -Scotland after Reformation—Enactments by Church and -State—Instances of Visits to Wells—Changed Point of -View—Craigie Well—Downy Well—Sugar and Water Sunday -in Cumberland—Sacred Dramas at Wells—Festivities—St. -Margaret’s Well at Wereham—What happened in -Ireland—Patrons—Shell-mound—Selling Water—Fairs -at Springs—Some Examples—Secrecy of Visits to Wells.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Nowadays people put Murray or Black, or some similar -volume, into their portmanteau, and set off by rail on what they call a -pilgrimage. In this case the term is a synonym for sight-seeing, -usually accomplished under fairly comfortable conditions. In ancient -times pilgrimages were, as a rule, serious matters with a serious aim. -Shakespeare says, in “<i>Two Gentlemen of -Verona</i>”:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“A true devoted pilgrim is not weary</p> -<p class="line">To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps.<span class= -"corr" id="xd26e2871" title="Source: ’">”</span></p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb264" href="#pb264" name= -"pb264">264</a>]</span></p> -<p>The object of such journeys was to benefit either soul or body, or -both. The doing of penance, or the fulfilling of a vow, sent devotees -to certain sacred spots, sometimes in distant lands, sometimes within -our own four seas. Cuthbert’s shrine at Durham, where the -saint’s body was finally deposited in 1070, after its nearly two -hundred years’ wanderings, was a noted resort of pilgrims in the -middle ages, and many cures were wrought at it. Archbishop Eyre, on the -authority of Reginald of Durham, tells of a certain man of noble birth, -belonging to the south of England, who could not find relief for his -leprosy. He was told to light three candles, and to dedicate them -respectively to St. Edmund, St. Etheldrith, and St. Cuthbert, and to -visit the shrine of the saint whose candle first burned out. The -candles were lighted, and the omen indicated the last-mentioned saint. -Accordingly, he travelled to the north country, and, after various -religious exercises, drew near the shrine of Cuthbert, and was cured. -The shrine in question was known even as far off as Norway. On one -occasion, at least, viz., in 1172, its miraculous aid was sought by an -invalid from that country. A young man of Bergen, who was blind, deaf, -and dumb, had sought relief at Scandinavian shrines for six years, but -in vain. The bishop suggested that he should try the virtue of an -English shrine, and recommended that lots should be cast, to determine -whether it was to be that of St. Edmund, St. Thomas, or St. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb265" href="#pb265" name= -"pb265">265</a>]</span>Cuthbert. The lot fell to St. Cuthbert. The -young man passed through Scotland to Durham, and returned home cured. -The miracle, doubtless, still further increased the sanctity of the -saint’s tomb.</p> -<p>The Cross of Crail, in Fife, had the power of working wonderful -cures; and many were the pilgrims who flocked to it. Aberdour, in the -same county, had more than a local fame. The name of The -Pilgrims’ Well there tells its own tale. This well is now filled -up, but for centuries it attracted crowds of pilgrims. In the fifteenth -century the spot was so popular that about 1475, at the suggestion of -Sir John Scott, vicar of Aberdour, the Earl of Morton granted a piece -of land for the erection of an hospital to accommodate the pilgrims. -This hospital was named after St. Martha. It is not certain to whom the -Pilgrims’ Well was dedicated; but Fillan was probably its patron, -as the Rev. Wm. Ross conjectures, in an article on the subject in the -third volume of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries -of Scotland</i>.” The church of Aberdour was dedicated to the -saint in question; and the well was near the old churchyard.</p> -<p>Ninian’s shrine at Whithorn was the scene of various miracles -during the middle ages. In 1425 James the First granted a safe-conduct -to all strangers, coming to Scotland to visit it; and James the Fourth -made a pilgrimage to it once a year, and sometimes oftener. “It -is likely,” remarks the Rev. Daniel Conway in an article on -consecrated <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb266" href="#pb266" name= -"pb266">266</a>]</span>springs in the south-west of Scotland, -“that the spots in Wigtownshire, where Holy Wells were, marked -the route pursued by pilgrims bent on doing homage to the relics of St. -Ninian at Whithorn.” Whithorn was not the only shrine visited by -James the Fourth. He went repeatedly on pilgrimage to St. Andrews, -Dunfermline, and Tain, and left offerings at the shrines of their -respective saints. When on pilgrimage the king was usually accompanied -by a large retinue, including a company of minstrels. He liked to have -his dogs and hawks with him too, to have a little hunting by the -way.</p> -<p>St. Kentigern’s Well, in the so-called crypt of Glasgow -Cathedral, has already been mentioned. In the immediate neighbourhood -is the spot believed to mark the last resting place of the saint. Till -the Reformation his shrine attracted crowds of pilgrims. On special -occasions his relics were displayed, including his bones, his hair -shirt, and his scourge, and a red liquor that flowed from his tomb. -These, along with other relics belonging to the cathedral, were taken -to France by Archbishop Beaton in 1560. In the ancient parish of -Dundurcus, Elginshire, not far from the river Spey, once stood the -Chapel of Grace, and close to it was a well of the same name. The place -was a favourite resort of pilgrims. Lady Aboyne went to it once a year, -a distance of over thirty miles, and walked the last two miles of the -way on her bare feet. In 1638 an attempt was made to put a stop to the -pilgrimages, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb267" href="#pb267" name= -"pb267">267</a>]</span>by destroying what then remained of the chapel. -The attempt, however, seems to have been fruitless, for in 1775, Shaw, -the historian of Moray, mentions that to it “multitudes from the -western isles do still resort, and nothing short of violence can -restrain their superstition.” In 1435, when Æneas Silvius -(afterwards Pope Pius the Second) was sailing from the low countries to -Scotland on a political mission, he was twice overtaken by a storm, and -was in such danger that he vowed to make a pilgrimage, should he escape -drowning. At length he reached the Haddingtonshire coast in safety, -and, to fulfil his vow, set off barefoot, over ice-covered ground, to -Whitekirk, ten miles away, where there were a chapel and well, -dedicated to the Virgin. The journey left its mark on the pilgrim, for -we are told that he had aches in his joints ever afterwards. St. -Adrian’s Chapel, in the Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, had a -great reputation before the Reformation. The island has still its -Pilgrims’ Haven, and its Pilgrims’ Well close by.</p> -<p>Archæology bears witness to the popularity of pilgrimages in -former times. Between Moxley Nunnery, in Yorkshire, and St. -John’s Well, about a mile away, are the remains of a causeway, -laid down for the convenience of devotees. At Stenton, in -Haddingtonshire, near the road leading to Dunbar, is the well of the -Holy Rood, covered by a small circular building with a conical roof. -The well is now filled up. Its former importance is indicated -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb268" href="#pb268" name= -"pb268">268</a>]</span>by the fact that the pathway between it and the -old church, some two hundred yards off, had a stone pavement, implying -considerable traffic to and from the spring. In the quiet Banffshire -parish of Inveraven, is a spring, at Chapelton of Kilmaichlie, near the -site of an ancient chapel. The spring is now almost forgotten, but its -casing of stone shows that, at one time, it was an object of interest -in the neighbourhood.</p> -<p>The author of “<i>Marmion</i>,” when describing the -arrival, at Lindisfarne, of the bark containing St. Hilda’s holy -maids from Whitby, has the following picturesque lines:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“The tide did now its flood-mark gain,</p> -<p class="line">And girdled in the saint’s domain:</p> -<p class="line">For, with the flow and ebb, its style</p> -<p class="line">Varies from continent to isle;</p> -<p class="line">Dry-shod, o’er sands, twice every day,</p> -<p class="line">The pilgrims to the shrine find way;</p> -<p class="line">Twice, every day, the waves efface</p> -<p class="line">Of staves and sandalled feet the trace.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">Towards the end of the same poem, in connection with -the Lady Clare’s quest of water for the dying Marmion, we find -the following reference:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Where shall she turn?—behold her mark</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">A little fountain cell,</p> -<p class="line">Where water, clear as diamond-spark,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">In a stone basin fell!</p> -<p class="line">Above, some half-worn letters say,</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">‘Drink . weary . pilgrim . drink . and . -pray .</p> -<p class="line">For . the . kind . soul . of . Sybil . Grey .</p> -<p class="line xd26e637">Who . built . this . cross . and . -well.’ ”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb269" href="#pb269" name= -"pb269">269</a>]</span></p> -<p>In England, during the middle ages, there were various attempts to -regulate the custom of making pilgrimages to wells. A canon of King -Edgar, of date 963, prohibited the superstitious resorting to -fountains, and in 1102, one of the canons of St. Anselm permitted only -such wells to be visited as were approved of by the bishop. In -Scotland, vigorous efforts were made, after the Reformation, to abolish -the practice. Both Church and State combined to bring about this -result. In an Act of Parliament, of date 1581, allusion is made to the -“pervers inclination of mannis ingyne to superstitioun through -which the dregges of idolatrie yit remanis in divers pairtis of the -realme be useing of pilgrimage to sum chappellis, wellis, croces, and -sic other monumentis of idolatrie, as also be observing of the festual -dayis of the santes sumtyme namit their patronis in setting forth of -bain fyres, singing of caroles within and about kirkes at certane -seasones of the yeir.” In 1629 the practice was sternly forbidden -by an edict from the Privy Council. In connection with this edict, -Dalyell remarks, “It seems not to have been enough that -congregations were interdicted from the pulpit preceding the wonted -period of resort, or that individuals, humbled on their knees, in -public acknowledgment of their offence, were rebuked or fined for -disobedience. Now, it was declared that, for the purpose of restraining -the superstitious resort, ‘in pilgrimages to chappellis and -wellis, which is so frequent and common in <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb270" href="#pb270" name="pb270">270</a>]</span>this -kingdome, to the great offence of God, scandall of the kirk, and -disgrace of his Majesteis government; that commissioners cause diligent -search at all such pairts and places where this idolatrous -superstitioun is used, and to take and apprehend all suche persons of -whatsomever rank and qualitie whom they sall deprehend going in -pilgrimage to chappellis and wellis, or whome they sall know -thameselffes to be guiltie of that cryme, and to commit thame to waird, -until measures should be adopted for their trial and -punishment.’ ” Prior to the date of the above edict -the Privy Council had not been idle, crowds of people were in the habit -of making a pilgrimage on May Day to Christ’s Well, in Menteith, -where they performed certain superstitious rites. Accordingly, in 1624, -a Commission was issued to a number of gentlemen belonging to the -district instructing them to station themselves beside the well, to -apprehend the pilgrims and to remove them to the Castle of Doune. Even -such measures did not cause the practice to cease.</p> -<p>In 1628 several persons were accused before the kirk-session of -Falkirk of going in pilgrimage to the well in question, and being found -guilty, were ordered to appear in church three appointed Sundays, clad -in the garb of penitents. The same year the following warning was -issued by the aforesaid kirk-session:—“It is statute and -ordained that if any person or persons be found superstitiously and -idolatrously, after this, to have passed in pilgrimage <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb271" href="#pb271" name="pb271">271</a>]</span>to -Christ’s Well, on the Sundays of May to seek their health, they -shall repent <i>in sacco</i> and linen three several Sabbaths, and pay -twenty lib. (Scots) <i>toties quoties</i> for ilk fault; and if they -cannot pay it the baillies shall be recommended to put them in ward, -and to be fed on bread and water for aught days.”</p> -<p>Scottish ecclesiastical records, indeed, bear ample testimony to the -zeal displayed by the Church in putting a stop to such visits. In his -“<i>Domestic Annals of Scotland</i>,” Chambers gives the -following picture of what was done by the kirk-session of Perth. The -example shows the lines usually followed in connection with such -prosecutions:—“At Huntingtower there was a well, the water -of which was believed to have sanative qualities when used under -certain circumstances. In May, 1618, two women of humble rank were -before the kirk-session of Perth, ‘who, being asked if they were -at the well in the bank of Huntingtower the last Sabbath, if they drank -thereof, and what they left at it, answered, that they drank thereof, -and that each of them left a prin (pin) thereat, which was found to be -a point of idolatrie in putting the well in God’s room.’ -They were each fined six shillings, and compelled to make public avowal -of their repentance.” In the parish of Nigg, Kincardineshire, is -St. Fittack’s or St. Fiacre’s Well, situated close to the -sea. It is within easy reach of Aberdeen across the Dee. Many a visit -was paid to it by <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb272" href="#pb272" -name="pb272">272</a>]</span>the inhabitants of that burgh, from motives -of superstition. The Aberdeen kirk-session, however, did its duty in -the matter, and repeatedly forbade such visits. In 1630, “Margrat -Davidson, spous to Andro Adam, was adjudget in ane unlaw of fyve -poundis to be payed to the collector for directing hir nowriss with hir -bairne to Sanct Fiackres Well, and weshing the bairne tharin for -recovirie of hir health; and the said Margrat and hir nowriss were -ordainit to acknowledge thair offence before the Session for thair -fault, and for leaveing ane offering in the well.” The saint, to -whom the well was dedicated, is believed to have migrated from Scotland -to France early in the seventh century, and to have been held in much -esteem there. From Butler’s “<i>Lives of the -Saints</i>” we get the curious information that “the name -<i>fiacre</i> was first given to hackney coaches, because hired -carriages were first made use of for the convenience of pilgrims who -went from Paris to visit the shrine of this saint.” A well at -Airth, in Stirlingshire, was for long a centre of attraction. What was -done there may be learned from some entries in the local kirk-session -records quoted in Hone’s “<i>Every-Day -Book</i>”:—“Feb. 3, 1757. Session convenit. Compeared -Bessie Thomson, who declairit schoe went to the well at Airth, and that -schoe left money thairat and after the can was fillat with water, they -keepit it from touching the ground till they cam hom.” -“February 24th.—Compeired Robert Fuird, who declared he -went to the well of <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb273" href="#pb273" -name="pb273">273</a>]</span>Airth and spoke nothing als he went, and -that Margrat Walker went with him, and schoe said ye belief about the -well, and left money and ane napkin at the well, and all was done at -her injunction.” “March 21.—Compeired Robert Ffuird -who declairit yat Margrat Walker went to ye well of Airth to fetch -water to Robert Cowie, and when schoe com thair schoe laid down money -in God’s name, and ane napkin in Robert Cowie’s -name.” The session ordered the delinquents to be admonished.</p> -<p>Years went on, and modes of thought gradually changed. Church and -State alike began to respect the liberty of the subject. Though visits -continued to be paid to holy wells, they ceased to be reckoned as -offences. People might still resort to the spots, so familiar to their -ancestors, and so much revered by them; but they no longer found -themselves shut up in prison, or made to do penance before the whole -congregation. Old customs continued to hold sway, though less stress -was laid on the superstitions, lying behind them. Thus it came to pass, -that pilgrimages to holy wells became more and more an excuse for -mirthful meetings among friends. This was specially true of Craigie -Well, in the parish of Avoch, in the Black Isle of Cromarty. The time -for visiting the spring was early in the morning of the first Sunday in -May. The well was situated near Munlochy Bay, a few yards above -high-water-mark, and gets its name from the crags around. A -correspondent of Chambers’s “<i>Book of Days</i>” -thus describes what he <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb274" href= -"#pb274" name="pb274">274</a>]</span>saw and heard:—“I -arrived about an hour before sunrise, but long before, crowds of lads -and lasses from all quarters were fast pouring in. Some, indeed, were -there at daybreak who had journeyed more than seven miles. Before the -sun made his appearance, the whole scene looked more like a fair than -anything else. Acquaintances shook hands in true Highland style, -brother met brother, and sister met sister, while laughter and all -kinds of country news and gossip were so freely indulged in, that a -person could hardly hear what he himself said.” Amid all the stir -and bustle the spring itself was not neglected, for everyone took care -to have a drink. Some used dishes, while others, on hands and knees, -sucked up the water with the mouth. These latter were now and again -ducked over head and ears by their acquaintances, who much enjoyed the -frolic. No one went away without leaving a thread, or patch of cloth on -a large briar bush near the spring. Besides St. Fittack’s Well, -there is another in Nigg parish called Downy Well. It used to be -resorted to in May, by persons who drank the water, and then crossed by -a narrow neck of land, called The Brig of a’e Hair, to Downy -Hill—a green headland in the sea—where they amused -themselves by carving their names in the turf.</p> -<p>Brand, in his “<i>Popular Antiquities</i>,” gives the -following particulars about a custom that still prevailed in -Cumberland, when he wrote about forty years ago:—“In some -parts of the North of England it has been a custom from time immemorial -for the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb275" href="#pb275" name= -"pb275">275</a>]</span>lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to -collect together at springs or rivers, on some Sunday in May, to drink -sugar and water, where the lasses gave the treat: this is called -“Sugar and Water Sunday.” They afterwards adjourn to the -public-house, and the lads return the compliment in cakes, ale, punch, -&c. A vast concourse of both sexes assemble for the above purpose -at the Giant’s Cave, near Eden Hall in Cumberland, on the third -Sunday in May.”</p> -<p>We do not know whether sacred dramas were ever performed beside -Scottish springs; but Stow informs us that the parish clerks of London -made an annual pilgrimage to Clark’s Well, near the Metropolis, -“to play some large history of Holy Scripture.” He also -mentions that a Miracle Play, lasting eight days, was performed at -Skinner’s Well in the time of Henry the Fourth. South of the -Tweed, springs were often the scenes of festivity. Thus, to take only -one example, we find that pilgrims to St. Margaret’s Well, at -Wereham in Norfolk, were in the habit, in pre-Reformation days, of -regaling themselves with cakes and ale, and indulging in music and -dancing. What occurred in Ireland down to the beginning of the present -century may be gathered from a passage in Mason’s -“<i>Statistical Account of Ireland</i>” reprinted in the -“<i>Folklore Journal</i>” for 1888. After referring to -religious assemblies at Holy Wells the writer remarks:—“At -these places are always erected booths or tents as in Fairs for selling -whisky, beer, and ale, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb276" href= -"#pb276" name="pb276">276</a>]</span>at which pipers and fiddlers do -not fail to attend, and the remainder of the day and night (after their -religious performances are over and the priest withdrawn) is spent in -singing, dancing, and drinking to excess …. Such places -are frequently chosen for scenes of pitched battles, fought with -cudgels by parties not only of parishes but of counties, set in formal -array against each other to revenge some real or supposed -injury.” In Roman Catholic districts of Ireland, what are called -<i>patrons</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, gatherings in honour of the patron saints -of the place, are still popular. From an article on “<i>Connemara -Folklore</i>,” by G. H. Kinahan, in the “<i>Folklore -Journal</i>” for 1884, we learn that a consecrated spring at -Cashla Bay has, beside it, a large conical mound of sea-shells. These -are the remains of the shell-fish forming the food of the pilgrims -during the continuance of the patron, and cooked by them on the top of -the mound. Last century, in Ireland, the custom of carrying the water -of famous wells to distant parts, and there selling it, was not -unknown. A correspondent of the “<i>Gentleman’s -Magazine</i>” mentions that about 1750 this was done in -connection with a miraculous spring near Sligo; and that, some years -earlier, the water of Lough Finn was sold in the district, where he -lived, at sixpence, eightpence, and tenpence per quart, according to -the different success of sale the carriers had on the road. A thatched -cottage stood close to the site of St. Margaret’s Well at -Restalrig, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb277" href="#pb277" name= -"pb277">277</a>]</span>and was inhabited by a man who carried the water -of the spring to Leith for sale.</p> -<p>Mr. William Andrews, in his “<i>Old Time -Punishments</i>,” tells of booths having been set up beside a -Lincolnshire gibbet in 1814, to supply provisions for the crowds who -came to see a murderer hanging in chains there. Less gruesome were the -fairs at one time held in the neighbourhood of springs, though even -they had certain unpleasant concomitants, which led in the end to their -discontinuance. In the united parish of Dunkeld and Dowally is Sancta -Crux Well, at Crueshill. Till towards the middle of the present -century, it was such a popular resort, that tents were set up and -refreshments sold to the pilgrims. Alcohol was so freely partaken of -that drunken brawls often ensued, and right-minded people felt that the -gathering would be more honoured in the breach than in the observance. -St. Fillan’s Fair, at Struan, took place on the first Friday -after New Year’s Day (O.S.). It was held on a spot close to the -church, and not far from St. Fillan’s Well. It is now -discontinued, but its stance is still known as Croft-an-taggart, -<i>i.e</i>., The Priest’s Croft. The Well Market, now held at -Tomintoul, in Kirkmichael parish, Banffshire, but formerly beside -Fergan Well, has already been referred to. Writing in April, 1892, a -correspondent, who has resided in the parish for nearly half-a-century, -mentions the following particulars concerning the -spring:—“The healing virtue of its <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb278" href="#pb278" name= -"pb278">278</a>]</span>water is still believed in, especially on the -first Sunday of May, when parties still gather and watch the arrival of -Sunday morning with special care, many of them remaining there the -whole night and part of the Sabbath. Whoever first washes in the water -or drinks of it is cured of any disease or sore with which they may be -troubled.” Our correspondent adds:—“The annual market -of the district was held at Fergan Well, and the foundations of the -tents or booths where goods were sold are still visible: and very -probably there was a kind of mountain dew partaken of stronger than the -water that now flows from Fergan Well.” We shall have something -more to say about fairs in the next chapter.</p> -<p>Though modern enlightenment has not entirely abolished the practice -of resorting to consecrated springs, it has, as a rule, produced a -desire for secrecy on the part of the pilgrims. When <span class="corr" -id="xd26e3026" title="Source: superstitous">superstitious</span> -motives are absent, and springs are visited merely from curiosity or -love of frolic, there is no sense of shame, and hence no need for -concealment. But when the pilgrims regard the practice as a magical -rite, they usually prefer to keep the rest of the world in the dark as -to their doings. Sir Arthur Mitchell truly remarks in his -“<i>Past in the Present</i>”—“It is well enough -understood that the business is not a Christian one, and that the -engaging in it is not a thing which it would be easy to justify. There -is a consciousness that it has not been gone <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb279" href="#pb279" name= -"pb279">279</a>]</span>about as an empty, meaningless ceremony, but -that it has involved an acknowledgment of a supernatural power -controlling human affairs and influenced by certain rites and -offerings—a power different from that which is acknowledged by -Christians. Hence it happens that there is a difficulty in getting -people to confess to these visits, and, of course, a greater difficulty -still in getting them to speak, freely and frankly, about the feelings -and beliefs which led to them.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb280" href="#pb280" name="pb280">280</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch17" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e335">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XVII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Sun-Worship and -Well-Worship.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Fairs—Their Connection with Holy -Days—Nature-festivals—Modes of Marking -Time—Ecclesiastical Year and Natural -Year—Christmas—Fire-festivals—Hallow E’en and -Mid-summer Fires—Beltane—Its Connection with -Sun-worship—Sun-charms—Carrying Fire—Clavie at -Burghead—Fiery-circle—Traces of Sun-worship in -Folk-customs—In Architecture—Turning -Sunways—Widdershins—When Wells were -Visited—May—Influence of Pagan Rites—Folklore of May -Day—Sundays in May—Sunday Wells—Sunday, why -Chosen—Lammas—Festival of St. Peter ad Vincula—Gule -of August—Sun and Well-worship—Time of Day for Using -Wells—Fonts of the Cross—Walking Sunways round -Wells—Doing the Reverse—Witch’s -Well—South-running Water.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">In his “<i>Scottish Markets and Fairs</i>” -Sir J. D. Marwick observes:—“Simple home needs, such as -plain food and clothing, articles of husbandry, and other indispensable -appliances of life gave rise to markets held at frequent fixed times, -at suitable centres. But as society grew and artificial needs sprung -up, these could only be met by trade; and trade on anything beyond a -very limited scale was only then practicable at fairs. Wherever large -numbers of persons were drawn together, at fixed times, for purposes of -business or religion or pleasure, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb281" -href="#pb281" name="pb281">281</a>]</span>an inducement was offered to -the merchant or pedlar, as well as to the craftsman, to attend, and to -provide by the diversity and quality of his wares for the requirements -of the persons there congregated.” In the last chapter allusion -was made to such gatherings in connection with springs. We shall now -look at the dates when they were held, in order to trace their -connection with nature-festivals. Fairs, as distinguished from markets, -were of comparatively rare occurrence at any given place. In the -majority of instances, they can be traced back to some gathering held -in connection with what were originally holy days, and afterwards -holidays. Such holy days commemorated a local saint, the fame of whose -sanctity was confined to more or less narrow limits, or one whom -Christendom at large delighted to honour; or, again, a leading event in -sacred or legendary history deemed worthy of a place in the -ecclesiastical year. A few dates when fairs are, or were held at -various Scottish centres may be selected from Sir J. Marwick’s -list. At Abercorn they were held on Michaelmas and St. Serf’s -Day; at Aberdeen, on Whitsunday, Holy Trinity, Michaelmas, and St. -Nicholas’s Day; at Charlestown of Aboyne, on Candlemas, -Michaelmas, and Hallowmas; at Annan, on Ascension-day and Michaelmas; -at Ayr, on Mid-summer and Michaelmas; at Biggar, on Candlemas and -Mid-summer; at Clackmannan, on St. Bartholomew’s Day; at -Cromdale, on St. Luke’s Day, St. Peter’s Day, Michaelmas, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb282" href="#pb282" name= -"pb282">282</a>]</span>and St. George’s Day; at Culross, on St. -Serf’s Day, Martinmas, and St. Matthew’s Day; at -Dalmellington, on Fastern’s E’en and Hallow E’en; at -Dalmeny, on St. John the Baptist’s Day and St. Luke’s Day; -at Doune, on Martinmas, Yule, Candlemas, Whitsunday, Lammas, and -Michaelmas; at Dumbarton, on Patrickmas, Mid-summer, and Lammas; at -Fraserburgh, on St. John the Baptist’s Day and Michaelmas; at -Fyvie, on Fastern’s Eve, St. Peter’s Day, and St. -Magdalene’s Day; at Hamilton, on St. Lawrence’s Day and -Martinmas; at Inveraray, on Michaelmas and St. Brandane’s Day; at -Stranraer, on St. Barnabas’ Day and Lammas. Among the fairs at -Auchinblae were Pasch Market in April, and one called May Day to be -held on the 22nd of that month. This series might be indefinitely -enlarged; but as it stands it shows that the leading nature-festivals, -such as Yule, Easter, Whitsuntide, Mid-summer, Michaelmas, and -Hallowmas have a prominent place among the dates selected. An -examination of Sir J. Marwick’s list further shows that the dates -of fairs were often fixed, not with reference to any particular holy -day, but to some day of a particular month, such as the second Tuesday, -or the third Thursday. Many of these occur in May. In ancient -documents—in Acts of Parliaments, for instance—dates were -commonly fixed by a reference to holy days. In Presbyterian Scotland -such a method of marking time is not now in fashion, though some relics -of the practice survive. We are still familiar with Whitsunday -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb283" href="#pb283" name= -"pb283">283</a>]</span>and Martinmas as term-days, but how few now ever -think of them as ecclesiastical festivals!</p> -<p>The meaning of customs associated with the various holy days has -come to be duly recognised by the student of ecclesiastical -antiquities. While the Christian year was being evolved in the course -of centuries, certain festivals were introduced, as one might say, -arbitrarily, <i>i.e.</i>, without being linked to any pre-Christian -usages. From the point of view of Church <span class="corr" id= -"xd26e3060" title="Source: clebrations">celebrations</span>, they have -not the same significance as those others that received, as their -heritage, certain rights in vogue before the spread of Christianity. In -other words, the leading pagan festivals had a new meaning put into -them, and, when adopted by the Church, were exalted to a position of -honour. In virtue of this, the ecclesiastical year was correlated to -the natural year, with its varying seasons and its archaic festivals. -There is no doubt that in early times the Church sought to win nations -from paganism by admitting as many of the old customs as were deemed -harmless. We have seen how this was effected in the case of fountains, -as shown by Columba’s exorcism of the demons inhabiting springs. -The same principle prevailed all round. The old Saturnalia of the -Romans, for instance, became the rejoicings of Christmas. To the -distinctively Christian aspects of the festival we do not, of course, -allude, but to the customs still in vogue at the Yule season; and these -are nothing more than a revised edition of the old pagan rites. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb284" href="#pb284" name= -"pb284">284</a>]</span>Among other Aryan peoples the winter solstice -<span class="corr" id="xd26e3065" title="Source: was was">was</span> -also commemorated by similar merry-makings. Church festivals, such as -Candlemas, Easter, St. John’s Day, St. Peter’s Day, -Michaelmas, Hallowmas, Christmas, &c., absorbed many distinctive -features of the old pagan fire-festivals, held in connection with the -changes of the seasons. The kindling of fires out of doors, on special -occasions, is familiar to all of us. They may be called modern -folk-customs; but their origin is ancient enough to give them special -significance. Even to the present time, twinkling spots of light may be -seen along the shores of Loch Tay on Hallow E’en, though the -mid-summer fires do not now blaze on our Scottish hills, as they -continue to do in Scandinavia and elsewhere. Among the Bavarian -Highlands these mid-summer fires are popularly known as -<i>Sonnenwendfeuer</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, solstice-fires. That they are so -called and not St. John’s fires (though lighted in connection -with his festival) is significant. In Brittany a belief prevailed that -if a girl danced nine times round one of the St. John’s fires -before midnight she would be married within the year.</p> -<p>The most important fire-festival in Scotland was that of Beltane at -the beginning of May. It was celebrated generally throughout our land. -To the south of the Forth several sites are known to have been -specially associated with Beltane fires. In Lanarkshire two such sites -were, the hills of Tinto and Dechmont. Tinto, indeed, means the hill of -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb285" href="#pb285" name= -"pb285">285</a>]</span>fire. It was used for beacon-fires as well as -for those connected with nature-festivals, and was well adapted for the -purpose, being 2335 feet above the sea, and 1655 feet above the Clyde -at its base. Though not nearly so high, Dechmont hill commands a -splendid view over the neighbouring country. Early in the present -century a quantity of charcoal was discovered near its summit hidden -beneath a stratum of fine loam. The country people around expressed no -surprise at the discovery, as they were familiar with the tradition -that the spot had been used for the kindling of Beltane fires. In -Peeblesshire, too, the Beltane festival long held its ground. In the -fifteenth century the town of Peebles was the scene of joyous May Day -gatherings. From far and near, holiday-makers, dressed in their best, -came together to join in the Beltane amusements. Who has not heard of -the poem, “<i>Peblis to the Play</i>,” attributed to King -James the First? The play consisted of a round of rural -festivities—archery and horse-racing being the chief recreations. -Pennant gives a minute account of Beltane rites as practised about -1772. “On the first of May the herdsmen of every village hold -their Bel-tein, a rural sacrifice. They cut a square trench on the -ground, leaving the turf in the middle; on that they make a fire of -wood, on which they dress a large caudle of eggs, butter, oat-meal, and -milk, and bring, besides the ingredients of the caudle, plenty of beer -and whisky; for each <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb286" href="#pb286" -name="pb286">286</a>]</span>of the company must contribute something. -The rites begin with spilling some of the caudle on the ground by way -of libation; on that, every one takes a cake of oatmeal, upon which are -raised nine square knobs, each dedicated to some particular being, the -supposed preserver of their flocks and herds, or to some particular -animal, the real destroyer of them; each person then turns his face to -the fire, breaks off a knob, and flinging it over his shoulders, says, -‘This I give to thee, preserve thou my horses; this to thee, -preserve thou my sheep’; and so on. After that they use the same -ceremony to the noxious animals, ‘This I give to thee, O fox! -spare thou my lambs; this to thee, O hooded crow! this to thee, O -eagle!’ When the ceremony is over they dine on the caudle; and -after the feast is finished, what is left is hid by two persons deputed -for that purpose; but on the next Sunday they reassemble and finish the -reliques of the first entertainment.”</p> -<p>An examination of the dates when fire-festivals were held shows that -they had a distinct connection with the sun’s annual cycle. When -several leading Church festivals fell to be observed about the same -time of the year, they had often some features in common. Thus the -pagan mid-summer festival had as its lineal successor, not only St. -John’s Day (24th June), but St. Vitus’s Day and St. -Peter’s Day, respectively the fifteenth and the twenty-ninth of -the same month. The kindling <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb287" href= -"#pb287" name="pb287">287</a>]</span>of fires was a feature of all -three. Mediæval fire-festivals were thus the gleanings of rites -derived from archaic sun-worship.</p> -<p>The question arises, what connection was there between the custom -and the cult? Mr. J. G. Frazer, in his “<i>Golden -Bough</i>,” has collected a variety of facts which go to show -that the lighting of these fires was primarily intended to ensure the -shining of the sun in the heavens. Mr. Frazer thus sums up the -evidence: “The best general explanation of these European -fire-festivals seems to be the one given by Mannhardt, namely, that -they are sun-charms or magical ceremonies intended to ensure a proper -supply of sunshine for men, animals, and plants. Savages resort to -charms for making sunshine, and we need not wonder that primitive man -in Europe has done the same. Indeed, considering the cold and cloudy -climate of Europe during a considerable part of the year, it is natural -that sun-charms should have played a much more prominent part among the -superstitious practices of European peoples than among those of savages -who live nearer the equator. This view of the festivals in question is -supported by various considerations drawn partly from the rites -themselves, partly from the influence which they are believed to exert -upon the weather and on vegetation.” After alluding to certain -sun-charms, Mr. Frazer continues, “In these the magic force is -supposed to take effect through mimicry <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb288" href="#pb288" name="pb288">288</a>]</span>or sympathy; by -imitating the desired result you actually produce it; by counterfeiting -the sun’s progress through the heavens you really help the -luminary to pursue his celestial journey with punctuality and -despatch …. The influence which these bonfires are -supposed to exert on the weather and on vegetation goes to show that -they are sun-charms, since the effects ascribed to them are identical -with those of sunshine. Thus, in Sweden, the warmth or cold of the -coming season is inferred from the direction in which the flames of the -bonfire are blown; if they blow to the south it will be warm, if to the -north, cold. No doubt at present the direction of the flames is -regarded merely as an augury of the weather, not as a mode of -influencing it. But we may be pretty sure that this is one of the cases -in which magic has dwindled into divination.” Hence a good supply -of light and heat is not only foretold, but guaranteed.</p> -<p>The view that these fires were reckoned mock-suns is confirmed by -the custom, at one time common, of carrying lighted brands round the -fields to ensure their fertility. Blazing torches were thus carried in -Pennant’s time in the middle of June. Martin refers to the -carrying of fire in the Hebrides. “There was an antient custom in -the Island of Lewis to make a fiery circle about the houses, corn, -cattle, &c., belonging to each particular family. An instance of -this round was performed in the village Shadir, in Lewis, about sixteen -years ago <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb289" href="#pb289" name= -"pb289">289</a>]</span>(<i>i.e.</i>, <i>circa</i> 1680), but it proved -fatal to the practiser, called MacCallum; for, after he had carefully -performed this round, that very night following he and his family were -sadly surprised, and all his houses, corn, cattle, &c., were -consumed with fire. This superstitious custom is quite abolished now, -for there has not been above this one instance of it in forty years -past.” Till a later date in Lewis, fire continued to be carried -round children before they were baptised, and round mothers before they -were churched, to prevent evil spirits from doing harm.</p> -<p>Burghead, in Elginshire, is still the scene of an annual -fire-festival, celebrated on the last day of the year (O.S.). It is -locally known as <i>the burning of the clavie</i>. On the afternoon of -the day in question, careful preparations are made for the ceremony. A -tar barrel is sawn across, and of it the clavie is made. A pole of -firwood is stuck through the barrel, and held in its place by a large -nail driven in by a stone, no hammer being used. The clavie is then -filled with tar and pieces of wood. After dark these combustibles are -kindled, according to ancient practice, by a burning peat from a -neighbouring cottage. The clavie is then lifted by one of the men and -carried through the village amid the applause of the inhabitants. -Notwithstanding the risk from the burning tar, the possession of the -clavie, while on its pilgrimage, is eagerly coveted. In former times, a -stumble on the <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb290" href="#pb290" name= -"pb290">290</a>]</span>part of the bearer was counted unlucky for -himself personally, and for the village as a whole. After being borne -about for some time, the still blazing clavie is placed on an adjacent -mound called the Doorie, where a stone column was built some years ago -for its accommodation. A hole in the top of the column receives the -pole. There the clavie is allowed to burn for about half-an-hour, when -it is thrown down the slope of the mound. The burning fragments are -eagerly snatched up and carried away by the spectators. These fragments -were formerly kept as charms to ensure good fortune to their -possessors. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Church -discountenanced the burning of the clavie as idolatrous and sinful, and -certain penalties were threatened against all who took part in it. The -antiquity of the custom may be inferred from the fact, that two hundred -years ago it was called old. At that time lights were carried round the -boats in the harbour, and certain other ceremonies were performed, all -pointing to a pagan origin. Formerly the custom was in vogue, not only -at Burghead, but at most of the fishing villages along the Morayshire -coast. The object in every case was the same, viz., the blessing of the -boats to ensure a good fishing season.</p> -<p>A singular survival of sun-worship is to be found in the use of a -fiery circle as a curative agent. In the volume of the -“<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>” for 1889–90, the Rev. Dr. Stewart -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb291" href="#pb291" name= -"pb291">291</a>]</span>of Nether Lochaber recounts a recent instance of -its use in the Highlands. A dwining child, a year and a half old, was -pronounced by a “wise woman” of the district to be -suffering from the effects of an “evil eye.” The rite, -called in Gaelic, <i>Beannachd-na-Cuairte</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, -“Blessing of the Circle,” was accordingly resorted to. A -straw rope was wound round the greater part of an iron hoop, and, oil -being applied, the whole was set on fire. The hoop was then held -vertically, and through the blazing circle the child was passed and -repassed eighteen times to correspond to the months of its life. The -blazing hoop was then extinguished in a neighbouring burn. The result -was in every way to the satisfaction of the child’s relatives. In -the same article Dr. Stewart gives an account, sent to him by a friend, -of a similar superstition common in Wigtownshire till about -half-a-century ago. In this case, the healing influence came through -the channel of the iron tire of a new cart wheel. After fire had been -applied to it to make it fit the wheel, the tire was passed over the -head of the patient, who was thus placed in the middle of a glowing -circle.</p> -<p>So much for the traces of sun-worship in rites connected with fire. -There are traces of it also in certain folk-customs, at one time -common, and not yet extinct. Highlanders were formerly in the habit of -taking off their bonnets to the rising sun. Akin to this is the feeling -underlying the Venetian expedition to the Lido, annually repeated in -July, when thousands cross to <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb292" -href="#pb292" name="pb292">292</a>]</span>that island at dawn, and -utter a loud shout when the sun rises above the horizon. In cases where -sun-worship is a national cult we naturally expect it to have a marked -influence on the sacred customs and architecture of its votaries. One -example will suffice. In his “<i>Pre-historic Man</i>,” Sir -Daniel Wilson thus describes the great annual festival of the -Peruvians, held at the summer solstice:—“For three days -previous, a general fast prevailed; the fire on the great altar of the -sun went out, and in all the dwellings of the land no hearth was -kindled. As the dawn of the fourth day approached, the Inca, surrounded -by his nobles, who came from all parts of the country to join in the -solemn celebration, assembled in the great square of the capital to -greet the rising sun. The temple of the national deity presented its -eastern portal to the earliest rays, emblazoned with his golden image, -thickly set with precious stones, and as the first beams of the morning -were reflected back from this magnificent emblem of the god of day, -songs of triumph mingled with the jubilant shout of his worshippers. -Then, after various rites of adoration, preparations were made for -rekindling the sacred fire. The rays of the sun, collected into a focus -by a concave mirror of polished metal, were made to inflame a heap of -dried cotton; and a llama was sacrificed as a burnt offering to the -sun.” Even after sun-worship has ceased to be a national cult, we -find it continuing to regulate the position of buildings, devoted to a -totally different worship. In this way what is commonly <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb293" href="#pb293" name= -"pb293">293</a>]</span>styled the “orientation” of -Christian churches can be accounted for. Indeed, so much had the sun to -do with churches, that when one was built in honour of a particular -saint, it was made to face the point of the horizon, where the sun rose -on the festival of the saint in question.</p> -<p>In our own land much stress used to be laid on the necessity of -turning according to the course of the sun, <i>i.e.</i>, from left to -right. To do so tended to bring prosperity to whatever was being -undertaken at the time. Martin often refers to such a turn under the -title of <i>Dessil</i>, a word of Gaelic origin, in connection with -which, it is interesting to note that in Gaelic <i>Deas</i> signifies -both south and to the right. Martin mentions certain stones, round -which the inhabitants of the Western Isles made what he calls “a -religious turn.” In the island of Eigg, he tells -us:—“There is a heap of stones called <i>Martin Dessil</i>, -<i>i.e.</i>, a place consecrated to the saint of that name, about which -the natives oblige themselves to make a tour round sunways.” It -was also customary when anyone wished well to another to walk round him -thrice sunways. The following are some of Martin’s own -experiences in the matter of the Dessil:—“Some are very -careful, when they set out to sea, that the boat be first rowed about -sunways; and if this be neglected they are afraid their voyage may -prove unfortunate. I had this ceremony paid me (when in the island of -Ila) by a poor woman <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb294" href="#pb294" -name="pb294">294</a>]</span>after I had given her an alms. I desired -her to let alone that compliment, for I did not care for it; but she -insisted to make these three ordinary turns, and pray’d that God -and MacCharmaig, the patron saint of that island, might bless and -prosper me in all my designs and affairs. I attempted twice to go from -Ila to Collonsay, and at both times they row’d about the boat -sunways, tho’ I forbid them to do it; and by a contrary wind the -boat and those in it were forced back. I took boat again a third time -from Jura to Collonsay, and at the same time forbid them to row about -their boat, which they obey’d, and then we landed safely at -Collonsay without any ill adventure, which some of the crew did not -believe possible for want of the round.” This superstition -lingered long after Martin’s time, and probably still directs the -course of many a fishing-boat when being put to sea. In connection with -events of moment—such as baptisms, bridals, and burials—the -necessity for turning sunways was felt to be specially binding; but -even in matters of no particular importance the rule was held to apply. -If movement sunways was lucky, movement in a contrary direction was the -reverse. Such a movement was, and still is, known as <i>Widdershins</i> -or <i>Withershins</i>, the Shetland form being <i>Witherwise</i>. To go -Widdershins was to go against the sun, and was hence regarded as a -violation of the established order of things. In his “<i>Darker -Superstitions</i>” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb295" href= -"#pb295" name="pb295">295</a>]</span>Dalyell remarks:—“The -moving widderschynnes, as if withdrawing from the deified orb of day, -inferred a guilty retreat, and was associated with the premeditated -evil of sorcery.”</p> -<p>We have thus glanced at the relations of springs to fairs, of fairs -to Church festivals, of Church festivals to nature festivals, and of -these to sun-worship. We shall now gather together the threads of the -argument, and indicate some of the chief points of connection between -well-worship and sun-worship. To do this, we must inquire when springs -were mainly visited. When a well was under the patronage of a saint, -the festival day of that saint was in some cases the day selected. It -would be natural to regard this as the rule. But, as a matter of fact, -pilgrimages were commonly made on days other than the festival of the -patron saint. As may be remembered, the Holy Pool in Strathfillan was -mainly resorted to on the first day of the quarter (O.S.); and St. -Fillan’s Spring at Comrie on 1st May and 1st August. As may be -also remembered, the waters of Loch Manaar, in Sutherland, were thought -to possess special virtue on the first Monday of February, May, August, -and November (O.S.), the second and third of these dates being -specially popular. What the practice was at Mochrum Loch, in -Wigtownshire, is clear from Symson’s account in his -“<i>Description of Galloway</i>.” “This loch,” -he says, “is very famous in many writers, who report that it -never freezeth in the greatest <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb296" -href="#pb296" name="pb296">296</a>]</span>frosts …. -“Whether it had any virtue of old I know not, but sure I am it -hath it not now. However, I deny not but the water thereof may be -medicinal, having received several credible informations that several -persons, both old and young, have been cured of continued diseases by -washing therein. Yet still I cannot approve of their washing three -times therein, which they say they must do, neither the frequenting -there of the first Sunday of February, May, August, and November, -although many foolish people affirm that, not only the water of this -loch, but also many other springs and wells, have more virtue on those -days than any other.” Close to the Welltrees meadow in Sanquhar -parish, once flowed a spring dedicated to St. Bridget. In his history -of the parish, Mr. James Brown tells us that, according to the -testimony of the old people, it was customary for the maidens of -Sanquhar to resort on May Day to St. Bride’s Well, where each -presented nine smooth white stones as an offering to the saint. Till -about the beginning of the present century, a well at Sigget, in -Aberdeenshire, was regularly visited on Pasch Sunday, and the usual -offerings were left by the pilgrims. There is, or was a belief at -Chapel-en-le-Frith, in Derbyshire, that on Easter Eve a mermaid appears -in a certain pool; and at Rostherne, in Cheshire, that another mermaid -comes out of the lake there on Easter Day and rings a bell. Mr. Moore -mentions that in the Isle of Man Ascension <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb297" href="#pb297" name="pb297">297</a>]</span>Day -and the first Sunday of August were the principal days for visiting -consecrated springs. As previously stated, part of the May Day rites at -Tullie-Beltane, in Perthshire, consisted in drinking water from a -spring, and in walking nine times round it. St. Anthony’s Well, -near Edinburgh, is not yet forgotten on May Day by people who like to -keep up old customs. There is no doubt that of all the months of the -year May was the one, when Scottish springs were most visited. The same -rule held elsewhere. In his “<i>Romances of the West of -England</i>,” Mr. Hunt has the following:—“The -practice of bathing rickety children on the first three Wednesdays in -May is still far from uncommon in the outlying districts of Cornwall. -The parents will walk many miles for the purpose of dipping the little -sufferers in some well from which the healing virtue has not entirely -departed. Among these holy wells, Cubert is far famed. To this well the -peasantry still resort, firm in the faith that there, at this special -season, some mysterious virtue is communicated to its waters. On these -occasions, only a few years since, the crowd assembled was so large -that it assumed the character of a fair.” A spring at -Glastonbury, in Somerset, on account of a miraculous cure, believed to -have been wrought by its water, became specially popular about the -middle of last century. In 1751, as many as ten thousand persons are -said to have visited it during the month of May. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb298" href="#pb298" name="pb298">298</a>]</span></p> -<p>The popularity of May did not depend on the better weather following -the bleakness of winter and spring. At least, if it did so, it was only -in a subordinate degree. To find the main reason, we have to look to -the continued influence of ancient pagan rites. As we have seen, May in -Scotland was ushered in by the Beltane Festival. We have also seen that -its manifestly heathen customs survived till a late period in the midst -of a Christian civilisation. On the hypothesis of a pagan origin alone, -can certain May Day customs and beliefs be satisfactorily explained. -Some Beltane rites still survive in the Highlands, though fires are no -longer kindled. In the neighbourhood of Kingussie, Inverness-shire, -bannocks and hard-boiled eggs continue to be rolled down the hills on -the first of May (O.S.). Till quite lately, these bannocks were used -for purposes of divination. They were marked on one side with a -cross—the sign of life; and on the other with a circle—the -sign of death. Each bannock was rolled down thrice, and its -owner’s fate was decided by the sign that was on the upper -surface oftenest when the bannock rested at the foot of the hill. The -time was counted specially suited for love-charms. On May Day, in the -north of England, a gold ring was dropped into a syllabub composed of -various ingredients. Whoever got hold of the ring with a ladle would be -the first among the company to be married. The prophetic powers of May -Day are still believed <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb299" href= -"#pb299" name="pb299">299</a>]</span>in, in some parts of the north of -Ireland. If a maiden places a certain plant below her pillow overnight, -she will have a vision of her coming husband.</p> -<p>On May Day, the supernatural world was revealed, and witches and -other uncanny creatures were abroad. In connection with his visit to -Scotland, Pennant says:—“In some parts of the country is a -rural sacrifice, different from that before mentioned. A cross is cut -on some sticks, which is dipped in pottage, and the Thursday before -Easter one of each placed over the sheep-cot, the stable, or the -cow-house. On the first of May they are carried to the hill, where the -rites are celebrated, all decked with wild flowers, and after the feast -is over, replaced over the spots they were taken from.” The cross -in this case, was, doubtless, made from the wood of the rowan or -mountain ash. In the Isle of Man, it was customary, at one time, to -gather primroses on May Eve, and strew them before the door of every -house to keep away witches. Aubrey tells -us:—” ’Tis commonly said in Germany that the -witches do meet in the night before the first day of May upon an high -mountain called the Blocksberg, where they, together with the devils, -do dance and feast, and the common people do, the night before the said -day, fetch a certain thorn and stick it at their house door, believing -the witches can then do them no harm.” In our own country, too, -hawthorn branches were formerly used on May Day as a <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb300" href="#pb300" name= -"pb300">300</a>]</span>charm against witches. The hawthorn had likewise -another mystic property attributed to it. The dew on its branches on -the first of May had the power of giving beauty to the maiden who -washed her face with it. May-dew from the grass was equally -efficacious, except when gathered from within a fairy ring, as the -fairies would in that case counteract the influence of the charm. A -curative power was also ascribed to May-dew. Till quite lately there -was a belief in some parts of England that a weakly child would be made -strong by being drawn over dewy grass on the morning in question. To -effect a complete cure, the treatment had to be repeated on the two -following mornings. Dew from the grave of the last person buried in the -parish churchyard was counted specially remedial if applied to the -affected part before sunrise on May-morning.</p> -<p>The May-sun also got the credit of working cures. In his -“<i>Nether Lochaber</i>” the Rev. Dr. Stewart tells us that -“it was an article of belief in the hygiene code of the old -highlanders that the invalid suffering under any form of internal -ailment, upon whom the sun of May once fairly shed its light, was -pretty sure of a renewed lease of life until at least the next autumnal -equinox.” The old English custom, known as “going -a-Maying,” when old and young flocked into the woods early on -May-morning to gather flowers and green boughs, was handed on from a -time when the worship of trees was an article of religious faith. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb301" href="#pb301" name= -"pb301">301</a>]</span></p> -<p>Another old custom in England, viz., the blowing of horns at an -early hour on the first of May, had probably its origin in -pre-Christian times. It still survives in Oxfordshire and Cornwall. -From Hone’s “<i>Every-Day Book</i>” we learn that -till the third decade of the present century, and doubtless later, the -poorer classes in Edinburgh poured forth at daybreak from street and -lane to assemble on Arthur’s Seat to see the sun rise on -May-morning. Bagpipes and other musical instruments enlivened the -scene, nor were refreshments forgotten. About six o’clock a crowd -of citizens of the wealthier class made their appearance, while the -majority of the first-comers returned to the town. At nine -o’clock the hill was practically deserted. Two centuries earlier -an attempt was made by the kirk-session of Perth to put a stop to an -annual gathering on May Day at a cave in the face of Kinnoul hill -adjoining the town. This cave was called the Dragon Hole, and was the -scene of ancient rites of a superstitious nature. Other illustrations -might be selected from the Folklore of May Day, but those given above -show that the season was held in much superstitious regard. -Accordingly, we need not be surprised that well-worship took its place -among the rites of May Day, and of May Month also, since the whole of -May was deemed a charmed time.</p> -<p>The Sundays of May—particularly the first—were very -frequently chosen for visits to consecrated <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb302" href="#pb302" name= -"pb302">302</a>]</span>springs. The Chapel Wells in Kirkmaiden parish -have already been referred to in connection with Co’ Sunday. The -White Loch of Merton, and St. Anthony’s Spring at Maybole, and -others that might be named were principally resorted to on the first -Sunday of May. Indeed, wells occasionally got their name from the fact -of their being visited on Sundays. Thus Tobordmony, near Cushendall, in -County Antrim, signifies in Irish the Sunday Well. There is a farm in -Athole called Pit-alt-donich or Balandonich. The name is derived by Mr. -J. Mackintosh Gow from the Gaelic Pit-alt-didon-ich, and is interpreted -by him as meaning “the hamlet of the Sunday burn.” There is -a spring on the farm, formerly much frequented on the first Sunday of -May (O.S.). In the Isle of Man is a spring called Chibber Lansh, -consisting of three pools. In former times it had a considerable -reputation for the cure of sore eyes; but it was thought to exert its -power on Sundays alone. Pilgrims frequently spent Saturday night beside -springs in order to begin the required ritual on the following morning. -The question why Sunday was specially selected is one of interest. Its -choice may have been due in part to the fact, mentioned by Dalyell, -that, in ruder society, the precise course of time requires some -specific mark, and in part, to the notion underlying the popular -saying, “the better the day, the better the deed.” But -there was undoubtedly another factor in the selection of the day. We -have seen <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb303" href="#pb303" name= -"pb303">303</a>]</span>that the chief Church festivals borrowed certain -rites from other festivals earlier in the field. In like manner, Sunday -was the heir of usages quite unconnected with it in origin; or, to -change the metaphor, it was a magnet attracting to itself various stray -particles of paganism that remained after the break up of the old -Nature-worship. Students of English history in the seventeenth century -cannot fail to remember, how strenuously the Puritans sought to put -down Sunday amusements, and how even the edicts of James the First and -Charles the First permitted only certain games to be played on Sunday, -certain others being declared inconsistent with the aim of that -Christian festival.</p> -<p>Bourne, in his “<i>Popular Antiquities</i>,” published -in 1725, remarks:—“In the southern parts of this nation the -most of country villages are wont to observe some Sunday in a more -particular manner than the other common Sundays of the year, viz., the -Sunday after the Day of Dedication, <i>i.e.</i>, the Sunday after the -Day of the Saint to whom their church was dedicated. Then the -inhabitants deck themselves in their gaudiest clothes, and have open -doors and splendid entertainments for the reception and treating of -their relations and friends who visit them on that occasion from each -neighbouring town. The morning is spent for the most part at church, -the remaining part of the day in eating and drinking, and so is also a -day or two afterwards, together with all sorts of rural pastimes and -exercises, such <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb304" href="#pb304" -name="pb304">304</a>]</span>as dancing on the green, wrestling, -cudgelling, &c. Agreeable to this, we are told that formerly, on -the Sunday after the Encœnia, or Feast of the Dedication of the -Church, it was usual for a great number of the inhabitants of the -village, both grown and young, to meet together at break of day, and to -cry, ‘Holy Wakes, Holy Wakes,’ and after Matens go to -feasting and sporting, which they continued for two or three -days.”</p> -<p>Quoting from the “<i>Presbyterie Buik of Aberdein</i>, 19th -June, 1607, in M.S.” Dalyell observes:—“In the North -of Scotland, young men conducted themselves ‘pro phanelie on the -Sabboathes in drinking, playing at futteball, dancing, and passing fra -paroche to paroche—and sum passes to St. Phitallis Well to the -offence of God and ewill of mony.’ ” In connection -with this, a remark from Dr. J. A. Hessey’s Bampton Lecture on -Sunday may be quoted. When comparing it with the Holy days instituted -in mediæval times, he says, the former perhaps “was even -worse observed than the other days, for in spite of the Church, men had -a vague impression that it was one of specially allowed intermission of -ordinary employments. This they interpreted to mean of more special -permission of dissipation than the other days noted in the -kalendar.” After describing the island of Valay, near North Uist, -where there were Chapels to St. Ulton and St. Mary, Martin says, -“Below the Chapel there is a flat thin stone call’d -Brownie’s <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb305" href="#pb305" -name="pb305">305</a>]</span>Stone upon which the antient inhabitants -offer’d a cow’s milk every Sunday.” That this -offering of milk, though made on Sundays, was a pagan and not a -Christian rite, can hardly be disputed. At some places, <i>e.g.</i>, at -Glasgow, Crail, and Seton, Sunday was at one time the weekly market -day, but by an Act of James the Sixth, in 1579, the holding of markets -on Sunday was prohibited throughout the realm. The Sundays in May were -certainly the most popular for visits to springs, but these occurring -about the time of the other leading nature-festivals were also in -fashion. Sun-worship, as we have seen, was the back-ground of all such -festivals. We need not wonder, therefore, that consecrated springs were -frequented on a day whose very name suggested a reminiscence of a solar -pagan cult.</p> -<p>We have discussed Beltane, let us now look at one other leading -nature-festival, viz., Lammas, on the first day of August, to discover -what light it throws on our subject. The Church dedicated the opening -day of August to St. Peter ad Vincula. A curious mediæval legend -arose to connect this dedication with another name for the festival, -viz., the <i>Gule of August</i>. At the heart of this legend was the -Latin word <i>Gula</i>, signifying the throat. The daughter of -Quirinus, a Roman tribune, had some disease of the throat which was -miraculously cured through kissing St. Peter’s chains, and so the -day of the chains was designated the <i>Gule of August</i>. As a matter -of fact, the word is derived from the Cymric Gwyl, a feast or holiday, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb306" href="#pb306" name= -"pb306">306</a>]</span>and we have confirmation of the etymology in the -circumstance, that in Celtic lands the time was devoted to games, and -other recreations. In Ireland a celebrated fair, called Lugnasadh, was -held at Tailtin (now Teltown), in Meath, for several days before and -after the first of August, and there was another at Cruachan, now Rath -Croghan, in Roscommon. A third was held at Carman, now Wexford. Its -celebration was deemed so important that, as Professor Rhys tells us, -in his “<i>Celtic Heathendom</i>,” “among the -blessings promised to the men of Leinster from holding it were, plenty -of corn, fruit, and milk, abundance of fish in their lakes and rivers, -domestic prosperity, and immunity from the yoke of any other province. -On the other hand, the evils to follow from the neglect of this -institution were to be failure and early greyness on them and their -kings.” In legendary accounts of Carman, the place has certain -funereal associations. “If we go into the story of the fair of -Carman,” Professor Rhys observes, “we are left in no doubt -as to the character of the mythic beings whose power had been brought -to an end at the time dedicated to that fair; they may be said to have -represented the blighting chills and fogs that assert their baneful -influence on the farmer’s crops. To overcome these and other -hurtful forces of the same kind, the prolonged presence of the sun-god -was essential, in order to bring the corn to maturity.”</p> -<p>That the Gule of August was a Nature-festival may <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb307" href="#pb307" name="pb307">307</a>]</span>be -further inferred from the fact that among many Anglo-Saxon peoples it -was called <i>Hlâf-mæsse</i>, <i>i.e.</i>, Loaf-mass, -eventually shortened into Lammas. Our English ancestors offered on that -day bread made from the early grain, as the first-fruits of the -harvest. In Scotland, the Lammas rites were handed down from an unknown -past and survived till the middle of last century. They were closely -connected with country life, and were taken part in, mainly by those -who had to do with the tending of cattle. The herds of Mid-Lothian held -Lammas in special favour. For some weeks prior to that date they busied -themselves in building what were called Lammas towers, composed of -stones and sods. These towers were about seven or eight feet high, -sometimes more. On the day of the festival they were surmounted by a -flag formed of a table-napkin decked with ribbons. During the building -of the towers attempts were sometimes made by rival parties to throw -them down, and accordingly they had to be kept constantly watched. On -Lenie hill and Clermiston hill two such towers used to be built, about -two miles apart, but within sight of each other. These were the -respective trysting-places of herds belonging to different portions of -Cramond and Corstorphine parishes. On Lammas morning the herds met at -their respective towers, and, after a breakfast of bread and cheese, -marched to meet each other, blowing horns, and having a piper at their -head. Colours were carried aloft by each party, and the demand to lower -them was the signal for a contest, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb308" -href="#pb308" name="pb308">308</a>]</span>which sometimes ended in -rather a curious manner. Games for small prizes closed the day’s -proceedings.</p> -<p>At one time temporary structures formed of sods and sticks, and -known as Lammas houses, were built in South Wales in connection with -the festival. Inside these a fire was kindled for the roasting of -apples. Anyone, by paying a penny, could enter and have an apple. -Professor Rhys speaks of other Lammas rites in the Principality. -“Gwyl Awst,” he observes, “is now a day for fairs in -certain parts of Wales, and it is remembered, in central and southern -Cardiganshire, as one on which the shepherds used, till comparatively -lately, to have a sort of pic-nic on the hills. One farmer’s wife -would lend a big kettle for making in it a plentiful supply of good -soup or broth, while, according to another account, everybody present -had to put his share of fuel on the fire with his own hands. But, in -Brecknockshire, the first of August seems to have given way sometime -before Catholicism had lost its sway in Wales, to the first holiday or -feast in August; that is to say, the first Sunday in that month. For -then crowds of people, early in the morning, make their way up the -mountains called the Beacons, both from the side of Caermarthenshire -and Glamorgan; their destination used to be the neighbourhood of the -Little Van Lake, out of whose waters they expected, in the course of -the day, to see the Lady of the Lake make her momentary -appearance.” Professor Rhys bears further witness to the -connection of Lammas rites with our <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb309" href="#pb309" name="pb309">309</a>]</span>present subject when -he says, “A similar shifting from the first of August to the -first Sunday in that month, has, I imagine, taken place in the Isle of -Man. For, though the solstice used to be, in consequence probably of -Scandinavian influence, the day of institutional significance in the -Manx summer, inquiries I have made in different parts of the island, go -to show that middle-aged people, now living, remember that, when they -were children, their parents used to ascend the mountains very early on -the first Sunday in August (O.S.), and that in some districts at least -they were wont to bring home bottles full of water from wells noted for -their healing virtues.” Another proof that the ceremonies of -Lammas-tide had some link with those of archaic Water-worship is to be -found in the circumstance mentioned by Dalyell, that, “in Ireland -the inhabitants held it an inviolable custom to drive their cattle into -some pool or river on the first Sunday of August as essential to the -life of the animals during the year.” This was regularly done -till towards the end of the seventeenth century. It may be remembered -that in Scotland, during the same century, horses were washed in the -sea at Lammas, doubtless with the same end in view.</p> -<p>We shall now glance at some traces of Sun-worship in the rites of -Well-worship. In countries where the worship of the sun had an -acknowledged place in the popular religion, the temples to that -luminary were found associated with fountains. In his “<i>Holy -Land and the Bible</i>,” the Rev. J. Cunningham Geikie -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb310" href="#pb310" name= -"pb310">310</a>]</span>remarks, “The old name of Bethshemish, -which means the house of the sun, is now changed to Ain -Thenis—the fountain of the sun—living water being found in -the valley below. Both point to the Philistine Sun-worship, and both -names are fitting, for every sun-house or temple needed, like all other -ancient sanctuaries, a fountain near it to supply water for ablutions -and libations.” When evidence of this kind fails us, we have -another kind within reach, viz., that derived from the employment of -fire to symbolise the sun on the principle already explained. At St. -Bede’s Well, near Jarrow, in Durham, it used to be customary to -kindle a bonfire on Mid-summer Eve. In connection with the same -festival a bonfire was lighted at Toddel-Well, near Kirkhampton in -Cumberland, and the lads and lasses, who were present, were in the -habit of leaping through the flames. In a cave at Wemyss, in Fife, is a -well, to which young people at one time carried blazing torches on the -first Monday of January (O.S.). The time of day when consecrated -springs were made use of has a bearing on the point under review. The -water was thought to have a peculiar efficacy either just after sunset -or just before sunrise. The moment when the sun was first seen above -the horizon was also reckoned particularly favourable. To the same -class of superstitions belongs the Scandinavian belief, referred to by -Mr. Lloyd in his “<i>Peasant Life in Sweden</i>,” that the -water of certain sacred springs, known as Fonts of the Cross, was -turned into wine at sunrise. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb311" href= -"#pb311" name="pb311">311</a>]</span></p> -<p>The survival of rites of archaic Sun-worship in the practice of -making a turn sun-ways has been already referred to.</p> -<p>In conclusion, we shall glance at the bearings of the practice on -the question of Well-worship. To make a visit to a spring effectual, -when a cure was wanted, the invalid had to pace round it from left to -right, in recognition of the fact that the sun moved in the same -direction. The sun, being the source of vitality, why should not an -imitation of its daily motion tend to produce the same result? When -speaking of Loch Siant Well, in Skye, Martin says:—“Several -of the common people oblige themselves by a vow to come to this well, -and make the ordinary tour about it call’d Dessil. They move -thrice round the well, proceeding sunways from east to west, and so on. -This is done after drinking of the water. Sometimes it was done -elsewhere before drinking of the water.” The importance of this -motion comes clearly into view in the case of St. Andrew’s Well, -at Shadar, in Lewis, referred to in a previous chapter. When the wooden -dish, floating on the surface of the water, turned round sun-ways, the -omen was a sign that the patient concerned would recover, but a turning -in the opposite direction foreboded ill.” In reference to Chapel -Uny Well, in Cornwall, Mr. Hunt says:—“On the first three -Wednesdays in May, children suffering from mesenteric diseases are -dipped three times in this well, against the sun, and dragged three -times around the well on the grass in the same direction.” -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb312" href="#pb312" name= -"pb312">312</a>]</span>Mr. Lloyd tells us that, in Sweden, a remedy for -whooping-cough is to drink water, “that drops from a mill-wheel, -which revolves <i>ansols</i>, that is, in a contrary direction to the -course of the sun.” These two examples, however, are exceptions -to the rule. They may, perhaps, be explained on the principle that what -is in itself evil, because contrary to nature, brings good when -converted into a charm. To walk round a well <i>widdershins</i> was to -commit an act of sorcery. Mr. J. G. Barbour, in his “<i>Unique -Traditions of the West and South of Scotland</i>,” recounts the -trial and fate of a lonely old woman, who lived in the -Kirkcudbrightshire parish of Irongray, early in the seventeenth -century. She was accused of witchcraft, and, when convicted of the -crime, met her death by being rolled down hill inside a blazing tar -barrel. Various were the charges brought against her, one of them being -that, at certain hours she walked round the spring near her cottage -wuddershins. Mr. Barbour adds, “The well, from which she drew the -water for her domestic use, and where the young rustic belles washed -their faces, still retains the name of the Witch’s Well.” -Faith in the benefit of turning sun-ways and faith in the efficacy of -south-running water belong to the same class of superstitions. Both -have a direct reference to the sun’s course. The water of a -stream flowing to meet the sun, when its mid-day beams are casting -their sweet influences upon the earth, must absorb and retain a power -to bless and heal. So, at least, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb313" -href="#pb313" name="pb313">313</a>]</span>men thought, nor were they -slow to take advantage of the virtue that mingled with the water. -Bodily ailments were cured by washing in it, and it was used as one of -the many remedies to remove the evil effects of witchcraft. In this, as -in the other rites previously alluded to, we see the influence of a -cult that did not pass away, when the sun ceased to be worshipped as a -divinity. In other words, Well-worship cannot be adequately understood -if we leave out of account archaic Sun-worship, and its modern -survivals. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb314" href="#pb314" name= -"pb314">314</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch18" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e345">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Wishing-Wells.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Fulfilment of Wishes by Divination—Love -Charms—Hallow E’en Rites, &c.—Wishing -Tree—Wishing Holes—St. Govan’s Chapel and -Well—Walsingham Wells—Wishing Stone in St. John’s -Well—Healing Wells and Wishing Wells—St. David’s -Well—Bride’s Well—Marriage—Special Times for -Wishing—St. Warna and Wrecks—Wishing Well at West -Kilbride—St. Anthony’s Spring.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">To bring about the accomplishment of a cherished -desire by means of certain rites has been a favourite mode of -divination. By this method it was thought that destiny could be -coerced, and the wish made the father of its own fulfilment. The means -were various; but, underlying them all, was the notion that the doing -of something, in the present, guaranteed the happening of something in -the future. A mere wish was not sufficient. A particular spot, hallowed -by old associations, had to be visited, and a time-honoured ceremony -observed. But the ritual might be of the simplest. It was perchance to -some rustic gate that the village maiden stole in the gathering -gloaming, and there, with beating heart, breathed the wish that was to -bring a new happiness into her life. Love charms, indeed, form an -important <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb315" href="#pb315" name= -"pb315">315</a>]</span>group of wishing superstitions. To this class -belong Hallow E’en rites, such as eating an apple before a -mirror, and sowing hemp seed. These rites gave the maiden a vision of -her destined husband. In the one case, she saw his face in the glass, -and in the other, she saw him in the attitude of pulling hemp. The -dumb-cake divination, on the Eves of St. Mark and St. John, also -belongs to the same class of charms. Not more than three must take part -in the mystical ceremony. Concerning the cake, an English rule -says:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“Two make it,</p> -<p class="line">Two bake it,</p> -<p class="line">Two break it,</p> -</div> -<p class="first">and the third must put it under each of their pillows, -but not a word must be spoken all the time.” Fasting on St. -Agnes’s Eve was requisite on the part of any maiden, who sought -on that festival to have a vision of her bridegroom to be. According to -an old Galloway custom, a maiden pulled a handful of grass when she -first saw the new moon. While she pulled she repeated the -rhyme—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“New moon, new moon, tell me if you can,</p> -<p class="line">Gif I have a hair like the hair o’ my -gudeman.”</p> -</div> -<p class="first">The grass was then taken into the house, and carefully -examined. If a hair was found amongst the grass, it would correspond in -colour with the hair of the coming husband. In connection with all such -charms, it is certainly true what an old song says that “love -hath eyes.” <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb316" href="#pb316" -name="pb316">316</a>]</span></p> -<p>Her Majesty the Queen visited Innis Maree in September, 1877. When -describing her visit, Mr. Dixon, in his “<i>Gairloch</i>,” -says:—“She fixed her offering in the wishing tree, a -pleasantry which most visitors to the island repeat, it being common -report that a wish silently formed, when any metal article is attached -to the tree, will certainly be realised. It is said that if anyone -removes any offering that has been fixed on the tree, some misfortune, -probably the taking fire of the house of the desecrator, is sure to -follow.” On a hill near Abbotsbury, in Dorset, stands St. -Catherine’s Chapel. In its south doorway are wishing holes. The -knee is placed in one of the holes, and the hands in the two above; and -in this posture the visitor performs the wishing ceremony. Half-way -down the cliff near Stackpole Head, in Pembrokeshire, is an ancient -structure of rude masonry styled St. Govan’s Chapel, at one time -the retreat of some recluse. Professor Cosmo Innes, in the third volume -of the “<i>Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of -Scotland</i>,” gives an account of a visit to the spot, and -adds:—“The curious part of St. Govan’s abode is his -bed, or rather his coffin, for it is a vertical interstice between two -immense slabs of rock, into which a body of common size can be forced -with some difficulty, the prisoner remaining upright. The rock is -polished by the number of visitors fitting themselves into the -saint’s bed of penance, and the natives make you feel in the -inner surface the indentures caused by <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb317" href="#pb317" name="pb317">317</a>]</span>the ribs of the -saint!” The polishing is mainly due to the fact that the space -has for long been used for wishing purposes. Those who desire to test -the efficacy of the spell must turn themselves round within the hollow -and think of nothing else during the process, except what they are -wishing for—a rather difficult test under the circumstances! -Close to the chapel is St. Govan’s Well, under a covering of -stone-work. The spring had formerly a great reputation as a health -resort. Beside the remains of the once splendid monastic buildings at -Walsingham, in Norfolk, are wishing wells consisting of two small -circular basins of stone. In pre-Reformation times they were much -resorted to for the cure of disease. Being close to St. Mary’s -Chapel, they were appropriately dedicated to the Virgin, to whom the -gift of healing was ascribed. Since then they have been popular as -wishing wells. The necessary ritual is thus described by Brand in his -“<i>Popular Antiquities</i>”:—“The votary, with -a due qualification of faith and pious awe, must apply the right knee, -bare, to a stone placed for that purpose between the wells. He must -then plunge to the wrist each hand, bare also, into the water of the -wells which are near enough to admit of this immersion. A wish must -then be formed, but not uttered with the lips, either at the time or -afterwards, even in confidential communication to the dearest friend. -The hands are then to be withdrawn, and as much of the water as can be -contained in the hollow of each is to be <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb318" href="#pb318" name="pb318">318</a>]</span>swallowed. Formerly -the object of desire was most probably expressed in a prayer to the -Virgin. It is now only a silent wish, which will certainly be -accomplished within twelve months, if the efficacy of the solemn rite -be not frustrated by the incredulity or some other fault of the -votary.”</p> -<p>Pennant tells of a cistern connected with St. John’s Well, -near Moxley Nunnery, at one time much used for bathing. Near these, and -below the surface of the water, was a piece of rock called the Wishing -Stone. Anyone who kissed this stone with firm belief in the efficacy of -the charm would have his desire granted. In this case the power of -securing the fulfilment of wishes went hand in hand with the power of -curing diseases. Generally speaking, however, as in the case of -Walsingham just mentioned, the former power supersedes the latter. In -other words, <i>healing</i> wells are transformed into <i>wishing</i> -wells. When such is the case, they are, as far as folklore <span class= -"corr" id="xd26e3343" title="Source: in">is</span> concerned, in the -last stage of their history. In the wood, clothing the steep hill of -Weem, in Perthshire, is St. David’s Well, said to be named after -a former laird who turned hermit. The spring has a considerable local -fame, and many have been the wishes silently breathed over its water. -Part of an ancient stone cross lies at its margin, and on it the -visitor kneels while framing his or her wish. Visitors to wishing wells -commonly drop into the water a coin, pin, or pebble, thus keeping up, -usually without being aware of the fact, the custom of offering a gift -to <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb319" href="#pb319" name= -"pb319">319</a>]</span>the <i lang="la">genius loci</i>. The Rev. Dr. -Gregor thus describes what was dropped into the Bride’s Well, in -the neighbourhood of Corgarff, Aberdeenshire:—“This well -was at one time the favourite resort of all brides for miles around. On -the evening before the marriage, the bride, accompanied by her maidens, -went ‘atween the sun an’ the sky’ to it. The maidens -bathed her feet and the upper part of her body with water drawn from -it. This bathing ensured a family. The bride put into the well a few -crumbs of bread and cheese, to keep her children from ever being in -want.”</p> -<p>Desires of any kind may be cherished at wishing-wells, but there is -no doubt that matters matrimonial usually give direction to the -thoughts. According to a Yorkshire belief, whoever drops five white -pebbles into the Ouse, near the county town, when the minster clock -strikes one on May morning, will see on the surface of the water -whatever he or she wishes. Near Dale Abbey, in Derbyshire, is a certain -holy well. To get full advantage of its help, one has to go between the -hours of twelve and three on Good Friday, drink the water thrice, and -wish. There is no doubt about the meaning of the following lines from -the Bard of Dimbovitza, a collection of Roumanian -Folk-Songs:—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<p class="line">“There, where on Sundays I go alone,</p> -<p class="line">To the old, old well with the milk-white stone,</p> -<p class="line">Where by the fence, in a nook forgot,</p> -<p class="line">Rises a Spring in the daisied grass,</p> -<p class="line">That makes whoso drinks of it love—alas!</p> -<p class="line">My heart’s best belovèd, he drinks it -not.”</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb320" href="#pb320" name= -"pb320">320</a>]</span></p> -<p>In Sir Walter Scott’s “<i>Pirate</i>” one of the -characters expresses the wish that providence would soon send a wreck -to gladden the hearts of the Shetlanders. At the other extremity of -Britain, viz., in the Scilly Isles, the same hope was at one time -cherished. St. Warna, who had to do with wrecks, was the patron saint -of St. Agnes, one of the islands of the group. She had her holy well, -and there the natives anciently dropped in a crooked pin and invoked -the saint to send them a rich wreck.</p> -<p>It would be useless to attempt to give a list of Scottish -wishing-wells; but the following may be mentioned. There is one in West -Kilbride parish, Ayrshire, close to a cave at Hunterston. There is -another at Ardmore, in Dumbartonshire. At Rait, in Perthshire, is St. -Peter’s Wishing-well. In the united parishes of Kilcalmonell and -Kilberry, in Argyllshire, is the ancient ecclesiastical site of -Kilanaish. “Near the burial-ground,” Captain White tells -us, “is its holy well, where it is proper to wish the usual three -wishes, which, on my last visit to the place, our party, including one -lady, devoutly did.” The same writer gives the following -particulars about another Argyllshire spring:—“Near the -Abbey of Saddell, Kintyre, is a fine spring of the class known -throughout Scotland as Wishing-wells, which has always borne the name -of Holy-well. It had the usual virtues and wishing powers ascribed to -it. A pretty little pillar with cross cut upon it which has been -mistaken for one <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb321" href="#pb321" -name="pb321">321</a>]</span>of ancient date is scooped out into a small -basin to catch the drip of the water. It was erected by a Bishop Brown, -when residing at Saddell, in the beginning of the present century, to -replace another one that had formerly stood there. Beside it, flows a -stream called Alt-nam-Manach (the Monk’s Burn), and this, with -the spring, no doubt formed the water supply of the -monastery.”</p> -<p>St. Anthony’s Well, beside St. Anthony’s ruined Chapel, -near Edinburgh, is probably the best known of Scottish wishing-wells. -Its sanative virtues have already been alluded to, but it is nowadays -more noted for its power of securing the fulfilment of wishes than the -recovery of health. A pleasant picture of the romantic spot is given by -Sir Daniel Wilson in his “<i>Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden -Time</i>”:—“The ancient Hermitage and Chapel of St. -Anthony, underneath the overhanging crags of Arthur’s Seat, are -believed to have formed a dependency of the preceptory at Leith, and to -have been placed there, to catch the seaman’s eye as he entered -the Firth, or departed on some long and perilous voyage; when his vows -and offerings would be most freely made to the patron saint, and the -hermit who ministered at his altar. No record, however, now remains to -add to the tradition of its dedication to St. Anthony; but the silver -stream, celebrated in the plaintive old song, ‘O waly, waly up -yon bank,’ still wells clearly forth at the foot of the rock, -filling the little basin of St. Anthony’s <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb322" href="#pb322" name= -"pb322">322</a>]</span>Well, and rippling pleasantly through the long -grass into the lower valley.” The song in question gives -expression to the grief of Lady Barbara Erskine, wife of James, Marquis -of Douglas, in the time of Charles II., in connection with her -desertion by her husband—</p> -<div class="lgouter"> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line"><span class="lineNum">1.</span> “O waly, waly up -the bank</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And waly, waly down the brae,</p> -<p class="line">And waly, waly yon burnside,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Where I and my love wont to gae!</p> -<p class="line">I lean’d my back unto an aik,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">I thoucht it was a trusty tree;</p> -<p class="line">But first it bow’d, and syne it brak:</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Sae my true love did lichtly me.</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line"><span class="lineNum">2.</span> O waly, waly, but love -be bonnie</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">A little time while it is new;</p> -<p class="line">But when it’s auld, it waxes cauld,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And fades away like morning dew.</p> -<p class="line">O wherefore should I busk my heid,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Or wherefore should I kame my hair?</p> -<p class="line">For my true love has me forsook,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And says he’ll never love me mair.</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line"><span class="lineNum">3.</span> Now Arthur’s Seat -shall be my bed,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">The sheets shall ne’er be pressed by -me.</p> -<p class="line">St. Anton’s Well shall be my drink</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Since my true love has forsaken me.</p> -<p class="line">Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blaw,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And shake the green leaves aff the tree?</p> -<p class="line">O gentle death! when wilt thou come?</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">For of my life I am wearie!</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line"><span class="lineNum">4.</span> ‘Tis not the -frost that freezes fell</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">Nor blawing snaw’s inclemencie;</p> -<p class="line">‘Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">But my love’s heart’s grown cauld -to me. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb323" href="#pb323" name= -"pb323">323</a>]</span></p> -<p class="line">When we came in by Glasgow toun</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">We were a comely sicht to see;</p> -<p class="line">My love was clad in the black velvet,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And I mysel in cramasie.</p> -</div> -<div class="lg"> -<p class="line"><span class="lineNum">5.</span> But had I wist, before -I kissed,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">That love had been sae ill to win,</p> -<p class="line">I’d lock’d my heart in a case of gold,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And pinn’d it wi’ a siller -pin.</p> -<p class="line">O! oh! if my young babe were born,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And set upon the nurse’s knee.</p> -<p class="line">And I mysel were dead and gane,</p> -<p class="line xd26e997">And the green grass growing over -me!”</p> -</div> -</div> -<p class="first">Fortunately, the associations of St. Anthony’s -Well have not all been so sad as the above. Many a hopeful moment has -been passed beside its margin. A little girl from Aberdeenshire, when -on a visit to friends in Edinburgh, made trial of the sacred spring. -She was cautioned not to tell anyone what her wish was, else the charm -would have no effect. On her return home, however, her eagerness to -know whether the wish had, in the meantime, been fulfilled, quite -overcame her ability to keep the secret. Her first words were, -“Has the pony come?” St. Anthony must have been in good -humour with the child, for he provided the pony, thus evidently -condoning the breach of silence in deference to her youth. Surely there -must be something in wishing-wells, after all, besides water. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb324" href="#pb324" name= -"pb324">324</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div id="ch19" class="div1 chapter"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#xd26e355">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="label">CHAPTER XIX.</h2> -<h2 class="main"><span class="sc">Meaning of Marvels.</span></h2> -<div class="argument"> -<p class="first">Mystery of a Spring—Marvel and -Magic—Misinterpretation of Natural Phenomena—Healing Power -of Springs—Peterhead—Poetry and -Superstition—MacCulloch—Mistake about a Tree—Strange -Appearances of Nature—Spring at Kintail—Disappearance of -Spring near Perth—Saints and Storms—St. -Milburga—Water like Blood—Origin of Belief in Guardian -Spirits—Why Gifts were Offered—Weather -Charms—Coincidences—Prophecy of Water—Philosophy of -Wishing Wells—Worship of Trees and -Springs—Charm-Stones—Continued Reverence for Holy -Wells—Conclusion.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Mr. J. M. Barrie is a true interpreter of the youthful -mind when he says, in the “<i>Little Minister</i>,” -“Children like to peer into wells to see what the world is like -at the other side.” Grown-up people are also alive to the mystery -of a spring. “Look into its depth,” observes Mr. E. H. -Barker in his “<i>Wayfaring in France</i>,” “until -the eye, getting reconciled to the darkness, catches the gleam of the -still water far below the ferns that hang from the gaping places in the -mossy wall, and you will find yourself spellbound by the great -enchantress, Nature, while understanding nothing of the mysterious -influence.” In days of less enlightenment <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb325" href="#pb325" name= -"pb325">325</a>]</span>“the weight of all this unintelligible -world” was even more felt than now, and the minds of men were -ever on the outlook for the marvellous. What is to us a source of not -unpleasing mystery was then a cause of dread. We marvel and make -poetry. Our far-off ancestors trembled and sought refuge in magical -rites. We still speak of the charms of nature, but the phrase has to us -an altered meaning. When we remember how little science there was at -one time, we need not be surprised that the phenomena of the outer -world were misinterpreted, and hence gave rise to fallacies. This was -markedly so in the case of springs. While quenching thirst—a -natural function to perform—they became endowed with virtues of -an exceptional character, and were esteemed as the givers of health. -Even amid the darkness of those distant days we can detect a glimmering -of light, for such ideas were not wholly false. Erroneous ideas seldom -are. Springs have indeed a health-giving power. Whether or not we -accept the full-blown doctrines of modern hydropathy, we must allow -that cold water is an excellent tonic. As an acute writer has remarked, -“Cold braces the nerves and muscles, and, by strengthening the -glands, promotes secretion and circulation, the two grand ministers of -health.” Allusion has been made to the mineral waters of -Peterhead. The secret of their power is well described by Cordiner in -his “<i>Antiquities and Scenery of the North of <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb326" href="#pb326" name= -"pb326">326</a>]</span>Scotland</i>,” where he -says:—“A mineral well in the summer months gives great -gaiety to the place; its salutary virtues have been long, I believe, -justly celebrated. The salt-water baths adjoining are much frequented -in nervous disorders: their effect in strengthening the constitution is -often surprising. Owing to the open peninsulated situation, the air of -this place is esteemed peculiarly pure and <span class="corr" id= -"xd26e3508" title="Source: heathful">healthful</span>; even the fogs -rising from the sea are thought to be medicinal; the town is therefore -much enlivened by the concourse of company who frequent it on these -accounts. Without derogating anything from the merits of the baths and -mineral, one may reasonably conclude that the custom of walking several -hours before breakfast, and meeting the morning breezes from the sea -along these cool and refreshing shores, the probability of meeting with -choice of companions as an inducement to these early rambles, the -perpetual cheerfulness indulged by society entirely disengaged from -business and care, and their various inventions to chase away languor, -probably contribute no less to the health of the company than the -peculiar virtues of the healing spring.”</p> -<p>Truth can commonly be found underlying superstition. The power, -possessed by certain aspects of external nature to soothe the troubles -of the mind, is one of the commonplaces of modern poetry. This thought, -when rendered into folklore, becomes the idea that certain spots are -“places of safety from <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb327" href= -"#pb327" name="pb327">327</a>]</span>supernatural visitants.” -Such was the belief connected with Our Lady’s Well, at -Threshfield, near Linton, in Craven, Yorkshire. Whoever took refuge -there was free from the power of magical spells. When sailing among the -sea-lochs of Lewis, MacCulloch had an experience which he thus -describes in his “<i>Western Islands</i>”:—“On -one occasion the water was like a mirror, but black as jet, from its -depth and from the shadow of the high cliffs which overhung it. The -tide, flowing with the rapidity of a torrent, glided past without a -ripple to indicate its movement, while the sail aloft was filled by a -breeze that did not reach the surface. There was a death-like silence -while the boat shot along under the dark rocks like an arrow; to a -poetical imagination it might have appeared under a supernatural -influence: like the bark of Dante, angel-borne.” If such were the -reflections of an educated man like MacCulloch, what must have been the -thoughts of our ignorant forefathers when confronted by the -ever-recurring marvels of the outer world! Nature is still -misinterpreted by credulous people through a lack of knowledge of her -laws. A good example of this, bearing, not, however, on water, but on -tree-worship, is given by Dr. J. Fergusson, in his “<i>Tree and -Serpent Worship</i>.” A god was said to have appeared in a -certain date-palm in a village a few miles from Tessore, and the tree -was promptly adorned by the Brahmins with garlands and offerings. Dr. -Fergusson observes:—“On my inquiring how the god manifested -his presence, I was informed that, <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb328" -href="#pb328" name="pb328">328</a>]</span>soon after the sun rose in -the morning, the tree raised its head to welcome him, and bowed it down -again when he departed. As this was a miracle easily tested, I returned -at noon and found it was so. After a little study and investigation, -the mystery did not seem difficult of explanation. The tree had -originally grown across the principal pathway through the village, but -at last hung so low that, in order to enable people to pass under it, -it had been turned aside and fastened parallel to the road. In the -operation the bundle of fibres which composed the root had become -twisted like the strands of a rope. When the morning sun struck on the -upper surface of them, they contracted in drying, and hence a tendency -to untwist, which raised the head of the tree. With the evening dews -they relaxed, and the head of the tree declined.”</p> -<p>In the chapter on “Some Wonderful Wells,” we glanced at -the mysterious origin of certain springs. In ancient times, no less -than in the present, strange sights must have been witnessed. <i>We</i> -have not a monopoly of thunderstorms, earthquakes, landslips, or -deluges of rain. The same phenomena prevailed in early times. The -difference is, that we have science to keep them in their proper place. -During the heavy rains of January 1892, a spring near the house of -Rurach, at Kintail, in Ross-shire, suddenly burst its bounds and became -a raging torrent. Usually the surplus water from the spring flowed away -in the form of a trickling stream, but on the occasion in <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb329" href="#pb329" name= -"pb329">329</a>]</span>question it rushed on with such force and volume -that it scooped out a channel twenty feet deep and forty feet broad. -The event not unnaturally caused a good deal of wonder in the -neighbourhood. Had it happened several centuries earlier, some -malignant water-spirit would doubtless have been reckoned the active -agent. During the operations connected with the formation of the -railway tunnel through Moncrieff Hill, close to Perth, the water of a -certain spring in the neighbourhood suddenly failed. It happened that a -clergyman, whose manse stood not far from the spring, sent, when in the -extremity of illness, for a draught of its water. It was his last -draught. He died immediately after; and at the same time, the spring -dried up. The coincidence did not pass without remark in the district, -but whether or not it gave rise to a superstition we do not know. In -the dark ages it certainly would have done so. In the annals of -hagiology, the early saints were associated in a special way with -water. They had, for instance, the power of allaying storms. St. -Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, exercised this power more than -once. Adamnan records the same miracle in connection with Columba, -abbot of Iona; and Cainneck, abbot of Aghaboe. According to a -Shropshire legend, Milburga, when followed by a certain prince, was -saved from her unwelcome pursuer by the river Corve rising in flood -after she had crossed.</p> -<p>The superstition that water, under certain circumstances, -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb330" href="#pb330" name= -"pb330">330</a>]</span>assumed the hue of blood, as in the case of St. -Tredwell’s Loch in Orkney, &c., claims special attention. We -call this belief a superstition, inasmuch as a special miracle was -thought to be involved in the matter; but we nowadays know, that such -appearances show themselves without any miracle at all, except the -constant miracle without which there would be no natural law. Modern -bacteriology has proved the existence of a certain microscopic plant, -technically styled <i>Hæmatococcus Pluvialis</i> and popularly -known in Germany as <i>Blutalge</i>. In “<i>Notes and -Queries</i>” for 12th March, 1892, Dr. G. H. F. Nuttall of -Baltimore, observes:—“In Central Europe it has been found -in pools formed by the rain in rocky hollows and stone troughs, &c. -<i>Hæmatococcus</i> often becomes intimately mixed with the -pollen of conifers and minute particles of plants which are known to be -carried hundreds of miles by occasional currents of air. The rain drops -in the heavens condense about such minute particles, and in falling, -carry them down to the earth’s surface, where, under proper -conditions, these little plants multiply with enormous rapidity.” -Dr. Nuttall adds, “Besides the <i>Hæmatococcus -Pluvialis</i>, we have a Bacterium which has often deceived people into -the belief that they were dealing with <i>bona-fide</i> blood. This -Bacterium is easily cultivated in the laboratory. It is one of the -so-called chromogenic or colour-producing Bacteria, and bears the name -<i>Bacillus Prodigiosus</i>, on account of its exceedingly rapid -growth. This very <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb331" href="#pb331" -name="pb331">331</a>]</span>minute plant has undoubtedly been the cause -of terror among superstitious people. The organism will only produce -its colour in the presence of oxygen, and, as a consequence, red spots -appear only on the surface of the moist nutrient medium on which it may -fall.” Undoubtedly some such explanation would account for -certain red spots, alluded to by Mr. Hunt, which appeared from time to -time on the stones in the churchyard of the Cornish parish of St. -Denis. According to the belief of the district, the spots were marks of -blood, and their appearance foretold the occurrence of some untoward -event in English history.</p> -<p>We have spoken of the guardian spirits of lochs and springs. That -such spirits should have been thought to exist is not <span class= -"corr" id="xd26e3560" title="Source: suprising">surprising</span>. -Since water is one of the necessaries of life for man and beast, -animals had to frequent pools and rivers. What more natural than that, -in days of ignorance, these animals should have been regarded as in -some mysterious way connected with the spots they frequented. In the -same way, fish darting about in the water would be considered its -indwelling spirits. It may not seem to us at all needful, that lochs -and springs should have guardian spirits at all. But man, in a certain -stage of development, thinks of nature, organic and inorganic alike, as -having a life akin to his own, with powers superior to his own. From a -belief in guardian spirits, to a belief in the necessity of offering -gifts to them is an easy <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb332" href= -"#pb332" name="pb332">332</a>]</span>transition. A present is sometimes -an expression of good-will, sometimes of a desire to obtain benefits to -the giver. Offerings at lochs and springs were undoubtedly of the -latter class, and were intended either to avert evil or to procure -good.</p> -<p>In ancient times in India, when a dragon presided over a spring, the -people of the district were in the habit of invoking his aid, when they -wanted rain or fine weather. Certain ceremonies were necessary to -procure the boon. “The chief characteristic of the serpents -throughout the East in all ages,” remarks Dr. Fergusson, -“seems to have been their power over the wind and the rain, which -they exert for either good or evil as their disposition prompts.” -As we have seen, certain wells in our own land could control the -weather. This was so, even when the guardian spirit of the spring -assumed no definite shape. The rites required to obtain the desired -object were nothing less than an acknowledgment of the spirit’s -existence. The origin of the connection between weather and wells can -only be guessed at. It appears that the splashing of a spring when an -object was thrown into it, or the sprinkling of the water over the -neighbouring ground, was thought to cause rain, through what may be -called a dramatic representation of a shower. Why this should have been -so, cannot be determined with certainty. Probably accidental acts of -the kind described were followed, in some instances, by a fall of rain, -and the belief may have sprung up <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb333" -href="#pb333" name="pb333">333</a>]</span>that between the two there -existed the relation of cause and effect. There was thus a confusion -between what logicians call the <i lang="la">post hoc</i> and the -<i lang="la">propter hoc</i>. The same explanation may perhaps account -for the belief that a favourable breeze could be obtained, as in the -case of the Gigha Well, by the performance of certain definite -rites.</p> -<p>Few circumstances in life have more power to arrest attention than -coincidences. Two events occur about the same time, and we exclaim, -“What a singular coincidence!” that is, if we are not of a -superstitious temperament. If we are, we talk mysteriously about omens -and such like direful topics. To some minds, an omen has a peculiar -fascination. It lifts them above the level of their ordinary daily -life. The postman rings the bell, and letters are handed in. A message -boy is seen at the door, and a parcel is delivered. These, and many -more such, are incidents of frequent occurrence. They are reckoned -commonplace. We know all about them. But let anything unusual happen, -anything that stirs the sense of awe within us, we, at least some of -us, instantly conclude that there is magic in the matter. An -unprepossessing old woman takes a look at a child when passing. The -child ceases to thrive. There are whispers about “the evil -eye.” Yes, there is no doubt about it. The child must have been -bewitched. Is it not probable that the prophetic power ascribed to -wells may be accounted for on this principle? Certain appearances -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb334" href="#pb334" name= -"pb334">334</a>]</span>were observed, and certain events followed. -Water gushed freely from a spring, when drawn for the use of an -invalid. The invalid recovered. Of course he did, for the omen was -favourable. As in private, so in public matters. Pools of water were -observed to have something peculiar about them. Some crisis in the -history of our nation soon succeeded. What sensible person could fail -to discern a connection between the two sets of circumstances? So men, -even some wise ones, have argued.</p> -<p>Wishing-wells, from their very nature, have a special claim on -popular credulity. When a desire is eagerly cherished, we leave no -stone unturned to bring about its fulfilment. There is something, be it -what it may, that we eagerly covet. How are we to get it? In the stir -and pressure of our day’s work, we do not see any avenue leading -to the fulfilment of our wish. In the quiet morning or evening, when -the birds are singing overhead, we go alone to some woodland well, and -there, by the margin, gather our thoughts together. One particular -thought lies close to our heart, and on it we fix our attention. In the -still moments, while we listen to the bubbling spring, our mind lights -on a clew, and our thoughts follow it into the future. We brace -ourselves up for following it in reality. We see how our design may be -accomplished. We take the road that has been revealed to our inward -eye, and finally reach the goal of our desire. How does this come -about? We may have stooped over the <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb335" href="#pb335" name="pb335">335</a>]</span>spring, and with -certain accompanying rites, have breathed our wish. We return to our -daily work with the desire still lying close to our heart. Days, or -weeks, or months pass, and at last, behold, what we were so anxious -for, is ours! The charm has been successful. Of course it has. But what -of the impulse towards definite action that came to us, when we were -free from the touch of our ordinary troubles, and quiet-voiced Nature -was our teacher and our own soul our prophet? At any rate, we went to -the wishing well, and the boon we sought we can now call our own. The -question remains, are all desires granted, either through visits to -wishing-wells or in any other way? The experiences of life give a -definite answer in the negative. How then are believers in the power of -wishing-wells to account for such failures? The rites were duly -attended to, yet there was no result. Why was the charm not effectual? -Any sincere answer to the question ought to be an acknowledgment of -ignorance.</p> -<p>In thus attempting to explain the philosophy of wishing-wells, we do -not imply that the subjective element is the secret of success in every -case. We are merely pointing out that it may be so in some cases. In -other cases, according to the principle mentioned above, an explanation -will be supplied by the theory of coincidences. When trees and springs -were alike reckoned divinities, it was natural enough to conclude, that -any tree, overshadowing a spring, was somehow <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb336" href="#pb336" name= -"pb336">336</a>]</span>mysteriously connected with it. Belief in such -mysterious relations continued, as we have seen, even after -tree-worship ceased as a popular cult. Certain superstitions, still in -vogue in the west, are undoubtedly relics of tree-worship. In India and -some other Eastern lands, the cult still nourishes vigorously. A writer -in the “<i>Cornhill Magazine</i>” for November, 1872, -remarks:—“The contrast between the acknowledged hatred of -trees as a rule by the Bygas (an important tribe in Central India), and -their deep veneration for certain others in particular, is very -curious. I have seen the hillsides swept clear of forests for miles, -with but here and there a solitary tree left standing. These remain now -the objects of the deepest veneration; so far from being injured, they -are carefully preserved, and receive offerings of food, clothes, and -flowers, from the passing Bygas, who firmly believe that tree to be the -home of a spirit.”</p> -<p>We need not linger over the consideration of charm-stones in their -connection with wells. In some instances, like that of the Lee Penny, -they gave efficacy to water as a healing agent; but in others, as in -the case of the Loch Torridon Spring, water gave efficacy to them. -Indeed, they acted and reacted on each other in such a way that, in -some instances, it is difficult to determine whether the talisman -brought healing virtue to the water, or <i>vice versa</i>. To find the -solution of the problem, we should have to carry our thoughts back to -the remote days when stones <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb337" href= -"#pb337" name="pb337">337</a>]</span>and wells had a life of their own, -and were thus qualified to act independently.</p> -<p>One can understand why holy wells retained their popularity. Even -though they did not always effect a cure, people continued to believe -in them and to seek their aid. Consecrated springs might throw cold -water (metaphorically) on many a cherished hope; but, for all that, -they remained, as of old, objects of reverence. The secret of their -power lay in their appeal to the imagination. Understanding might say, -it is absurd to expect that my ailment can be removed in this way; but -imagination protested that there are more things in heaven and earth -than are dreamed of in my philosophy. The rites to be gone -through—the choice of the fitting season, the keeping of silence, -the leaving of a gift—all conduced to throw a halo of romance -around the practice. There was thus an appeal to the unknown and -mysterious, that gave to well-worship a strange charm. It stirred up -any latent poetry in a man’s nature, and linked him to something -beyond himself. Springs have a double charm. They are interesting for -their own sake, and for the sake of the folklore that has gathered -round them. They are “like roses, beautiful in themselves, that -add to their own perfection the exquisite loveliness of a mossy -dell.” In conclusion, take away what is distinctively -mediæval in well-worship, and paganism is left. We find this -paganism entering like a wedge into the substance of a Christian -civilisation. It may have changed its <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb338" href="#pb338" name="pb338">338</a>]</span>colour, but it is -paganism notwithstanding. Well-worship has a definite value as a -survival. It serves to unite our own age of science with one in the far -past, when laws of nature, as we understand them, were unknown. As a -cult it has forsaken the busy haunts of men, but lingers still in quiet -places, especially among the mountains. Superstitions die hard. The -epitaph of this one has still to be written. Those who are waiting for -its last breath need not be surprised if they have to wait yet a while. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb339" href="#pb339" name= -"pb339">339</a>]</span></p> -</div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="back"> -<div class="div1 index"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divHead"> -<h2 class="main">INDEX.</h2> -</div> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first">Abb, St., or Æbba, <a href="#pb60" class= -"pageref">60</a>;<br> -her monastery on St. Abb’s Head, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>;<br> -her priory at Coldingham, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -her well at Ayton, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Abbey St. Bathans, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Abbey Well at Urquhart, Elginshire, <a href="#pb17" class= -"pageref">17</a>.</p> -<p>Abbotsbury, <a href="#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Abbotsford, Amulet at, <a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>.</p> -<p>Abbots’ Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Aberchirder, Church of, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Abercorn, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Aberdeen, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>;<br> -Breviary of, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href="#pb120" -class="pageref">120</a>;<br> -fairs at, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>;<br> -origin of See of, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>;<br> -<i>Presbyterie Buik of</i>, <a href="#pb304" class= -"pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>—— Old. St. Machar’s Cathedral and Well at, -<a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb54" class= -"pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Aberdour, Church of, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>;<br> -Pilgrims’ Well at, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Aberfeldy, Curing-stone near, <a href="#pb246" class= -"pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Aberlady, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Abernethy, St. Bridget’s Monastery at, <a href="#pb46" class= -"pageref">46</a>.</p> -<p>Aboyne, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>, <a href="#pb75" -class="pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Aboyne Lady, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Adamnan, St., <a href="#pb24" class="pageref">24</a>, <a href= -"#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>, <a href="#pb248" class="pageref">248</a>;<br> -his churches, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>;<br> -his influence on Scottish topography, <a href="#pb43" class= -"pageref">43</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Adams, Mr. W. H. Davenport, <a href="#pb148" class= -"pageref">148</a>, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>.</p> -<p>Adder-beads, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>, <a href= -"#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Adrian’s, St., Chapel in the Isle of May, <a href="#pb267" -class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Aghaboe, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>, <a href="#pb329" -class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Aghada, <a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>.</p> -<p>Agnes’, St., Eve, Fasting on, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>Agricultural improvements, Influence of, on well-worship, <a href= -"#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>.</p> -<p>Ague, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb200" -class="pageref">200</a>, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Aidan, St., <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -his connection with Northumbria, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Airth, Chapel of, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>;<br> -well at, <a href="#pb272" class="pageref">272</a>.</p> -<p>Alban, St., Spring to quench the thirst of, <a href="#pb129" class= -"pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Aldcamus, St. Helen’s Kirk at, <a href="#pb59" class= -"pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Aldham, Bay of, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>; church of, -<a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Alexander I., <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Alexandria, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Alkmund’s, St., Well at Derby, <a href="#pb207" class= -"pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Altars, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb222" -class="pageref">222</a>, <a href="#pb227" class="pageref">227</a>, -<a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, <a href= -"#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Alt-nam-Manach near Saddell Abbey, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>, <a href="#pb321" class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Alum-wells, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Alva, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Alvah, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb198" -class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Amethyst, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Amie, otherwise Annie, wife of John of Isla, <a href="#pb71" class= -"pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Amulets, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>, <a href="#pb260" -class="pageref">260</a>, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Ancient Monuments Protection Act, <a href="#pb202" class= -"pageref">202</a>.</p> -<p>Anderson, Dr. Joseph, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>, -<a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>.</p> -<p>Anderson, Dr. Patrick, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Andrew, St., Wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>;<br> -his well in Lewis, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>, <a href= -"#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Andrews, Mr. Wm., <a href="#pb277" class="pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Angus, St., his connection with Balquhidder, <a href="#pb30" class= -"pageref">30</a>.</p> -<p>Animals, lower, Power of wells over, <a href="#pb136" class= -"pageref">136</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb340" href="#pb340" -name="pb340">340</a>]</span></p> -<p>Annals, national, Connection of springs with, <a href="#pb146" -class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, -<a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>, <a href="#pb334" class="pageref">334</a>.</p> -<p>Annan, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Anne, St., Wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb68" class= -"pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Anselm, St., <a href="#pb269" class="pageref">269</a>.</p> -<p>Ansols, <a href="#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Anthony’s, St., Chapel near Edinburgh, <a href="#pb321" class= -"pageref">321</a>, <a href="#pb322" class="pageref">322</a>, <a href= -"#pb323" class="pageref">323</a>;<br> -his spring near Edinburgh, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>, -<a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>;<br> -his well at Maybole, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Antiquary, English, <a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>, -<a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>.</p> -<p>Antiquary, The, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href= -"#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, <a href="#pb200" class= -"pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Antiquities, National Museum of, at Edinburgh, <a href="#pb123" -class="pageref">123</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>.</p> -<p>Apennines, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Appetite, good, Procuring a, <a href="#pb134" class= -"pageref">134</a>.</p> -<p>Appin, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>.</p> -<p>Applecross, St.<a id="xd26e4118" name="xd26e4118"></a> -Maelrubha’s monastery at, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, -<a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>;<br> -sanctuary at, <a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a>.</p> -<p>Applegarth, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Apples, Roasting of, <a href="#pb308" class="pageref">308</a>;<br> -eating of, before mirror, <a href="#pb315" class="pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>Arbroath, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Arbuthnot, St. Ternan’s Church at, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Arbuthnot, Viscount, Service books belonging to, <a href="#pb52" -class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Ardachad in Gigha, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>.</p> -<p>Ardmore, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Ardnacloich, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>.</p> -<p>Ardnamurchan, St. Columba’s cave at, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>;<br> -St. Columba’s well at, <a href="#pb40" class= -"pageref">40</a>.</p> -<p>Ardvoirlich, Stone of, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>;<br> -family of, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p>Arimathea, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Arns Well at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Arran, Baul Muluy in, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, -<a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>;<br> -sanctuary in, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>.</p> -<p>Arrowheads, Flint, as amulets, <a href="#pb257" class= -"pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Art, Christian, Bird type of soul in, <a href="#pb9" class= -"pageref">9</a>;<br> -pagan symbolism in, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Arthur’s Seat, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>.</p> -<p>Ascalon, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>.</p> -<p>Ascension Day, <a href="#pb208" class="pageref">208</a>, <a href= -"#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>, <a href="#pb281" class= -"pageref">281</a>, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Ashig’s, St., Well in Skye, <a href="#pb33" class= -"pageref">33</a>.</p> -<p>Astrology, Masters of, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Athole, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a>, <a href="#pb302" -class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Atwick, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Aubrey, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>, <a href="#pb237" -class="pageref">237</a>, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>.</p> -<p>Auchinblae, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Auchindoir, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Auchtertyre, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>August, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>;<br> -gule of, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Augustine of Canterbury, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Auldearn, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>.</p> -<p>Avoch, <a href="#pb273" class="pageref">273</a>.</p> -<p>Avoch Castle, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Avon, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Ayr, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Ayton, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Baird, Lady, of Saughton Hall, <a href="#pb260" class= -"pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>Balandonich. <i>See</i> Pitaltdonich.</p> -<p>Baldred, St., otherwise Balthere or Baudron, <a href="#pb74" class= -"pageref">74</a>;<br> -his “boat,” <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -his bed or cradle, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -his cell on the Bass, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -legend about his corpse, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -his well near Tantallon, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Ballater, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Balls, Crystal, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Balmaghie, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Balmanno, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Balmerino, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href="#pb68" -class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Balm Well, St. Catherine’s, at Liberton, <a href="#pb62" -class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>, -<a href="#pb96" class="pageref">96</a>.</p> -<p>Balquhidder, Spots associated with St. Angus at, <a href="#pb30" -class="pageref">30</a>, <a href="#pb31" class="pageref">31</a>, -<a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Bamborough, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Banchory-Devenick, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Banchory-Ternan, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Bandusian Spring, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Banff, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Bannocks for divination, <a href="#pb298" class= -"pageref">298</a>.</p> -<p>Bannockburn, Battle of, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>, -<a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p>Banshee, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Baptism, Water for, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a>, <a href= -"#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, -<a href="#pb98" class="pageref">98</a>, <a href="#pb100" class= -"pageref">100</a>, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href= -"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb129" class= -"pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href= -"#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Barbeck’s Bone, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>. -<i>Bard of Dimbovitza</i>, <a href="#pb319" class= -"pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Barenton, Fountain of, in Brittany, <a href="#pb144" class= -"pageref">144</a>, <a href="#pb227" class="pageref">227</a>.</p> -<p>Barham, Rev. C. N., <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Barker, Mr. E. H., <a href="#pb107" class="pageref">107</a>, -<a href="#pb324" class="pageref">324</a>.</p> -<p>Barnabas’, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Barra, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb147" -class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Barrasyett Well at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class= -"pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Barray, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb341" href="#pb341" name="pb341">341</a>]</span></p> -<p>Barrenness, Female, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Barrie, Mr. J. M., <a href="#pb324" class="pageref">324</a>.</p> -<p>Barrows at St. Winifred’s Well, <a href="#pb200" class= -"pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Bartholomew’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb281" class= -"pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Basilides, Sect founded by, <a href="#pb242" class= -"pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Bass, The, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Bathan, St., his connection with Shetland and Berwickshire, <a href= -"#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -his well at Abbey St. Bathans, <a href="#pb62" class= -"pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Baths, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href="#pb90" -class="pageref">90</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Baul Muluy in Arran, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, -<a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>Bavaria, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Beads, Adder-, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>;<br> -druidical, <a href="#pb276" class="pageref">276</a>;<br> -glass, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>.</p> -<p>Beannachd-na-Cuairte, <a href="#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>.</p> -<p>Beaton, Archbishop, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Beauly, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Beaulieu, Priory of. <i>See</i> Beauly.</p> -<p>Becket, Thomas à, <a href="#pb146" class= -"pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Bed, Stone-. <i>See</i> Stone-Bed.</p> -<p>Bede, St., <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Bede’s, St., Well at Jarrow, <a href="#pb310" class= -"pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Beheading of saints, Springs connected with the, <a href="#pb128" -class="pageref">128</a>, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Bein-mhannach, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Beith, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Belgium, <a href="#pb127" class="pageref">127</a>.</p> -<p>Bell, at “Tom Eunan,” <a href="#pb42" class= -"pageref">42</a>;<br> -St. Catherine’s at St. Andrews, <a href="#pb63" class= -"pageref">63</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s in Strathfillan, <a href="#pb125" class= -"pageref">125</a>;<br> -in Burgh Arms of Glasgow, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>, -<a href="#pb240" class="pageref">240</a>.</p> -<p>Bells, Ringing of, to allay storm, <a href="#pb218" class= -"pageref">218</a>, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>;<br> -under water, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>;<br> -use of, at Fountain of Barenton, <a href="#pb227" class= -"pageref">227</a>.</p> -<p>Belper, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Beltane, <a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb284" -class="pageref">284</a>, <a href="#pb298" class= -"pageref">298</a>–305.</p> -<p>Ben Lawers, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Ben Loy, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Ben More, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Bennett’s, St., Spring and Chapel near Cromarty, <a href= -"#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>, <a href="#pb193" class= -"pageref">193</a>.</p> -<p>Beodhare, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a>.</p> -<p>Bergen, <a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>.</p> -<p>Bernard’s, St., Well at Edinburgh, <a href="#pb97" class= -"pageref">97</a>.</p> -<p>Bernera, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Bernicia, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Bethshemish, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Beverley, Sanctuary at, <a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>;<br> -Well in Minster, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>.</p> -<p>Bewholme, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Beyno, St., <a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Biggar, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>;<br> -water, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Biggar-Moss, Battle of, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Birsay, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb168" -class="pageref">168</a>.</p> -<p>Bishops’ Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Blackadder’s Aisle in Glasgow Cathedral, <a href="#pb49" -class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Black Isle of Cromarty, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, -<a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb198" class= -"pageref">198</a>, <a href="#pb273" class="pageref">273</a>.</p> -<p>Black Mere, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Black Mere Lake, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Black Penny, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Blane, St., <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -his chapel in Bute, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -his connection with St. Munna, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Blind Harry, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Blindness, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href= -"#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Blocksberg, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>.</p> -<p>Blood, Water resembling, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>, -<a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb147" class= -"pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href= -"#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Blossoms and boughs as offerings, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Blutalge, <a href="#pb330" class="pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Boat, rowing of, sunways, <a href="#pb293" class="pageref">293</a>, -<a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>.</p> -<p>Boat, St. Baudron’s, <a href="#pb74" class= -"pageref">74</a>;<br> -Conval’s, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -St. Magnus’s, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>.</p> -<p>Bobbio, Monastery of, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Boece, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p>“Bogle’s Well” at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class= -"pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Boisil, St., gave name to St. Boswell’s, <a href="#pb61" -class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -his spring there styled Harewell, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Bolliter. <i>See</i> Ballater.</p> -<p>Bonchurch, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Bonfires, Kindling of, <a href="#pb286" class="pageref">286</a>, -<a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>, <a href="#pb290" class= -"pageref">290</a>, <a href="#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>.</p> -<p>Boniface, St., his well and fair at Rosemarkie, <a href="#pb62" -class="pageref">62</a>;<br> -his well at Bonchurch, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>;<br> -his work at Gowrie and Rosemarkie, <a href="#pb62" class= -"pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Booths at fairs, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href= -"#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>, <a href="#pb276" class= -"pageref">276</a>, <a href="#pb277" class="pageref">277</a>, <a href= -"#pb278" class="pageref">278</a>;<br> -beside a Lincolnshire gibbet, <a href="#pb277" class= -"pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Bootle, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Border, The, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href= -"#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb161" class= -"pageref">161</a>.</p> -<p>Borera, <a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Boroughbridge, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Borthwick, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Boswell’s, St., Fair, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Bothel, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb342" href="#pb342" name="pb342">342</a>]</span></p> -<p><span class="corr" id="xd26e5155" title= -"Source: Botriphine">Botriphnie</span>, <a href="#pb228" class= -"pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Bourne, <a href="#pb303" class="pageref">303</a>.</p> -<p>Bowerhope, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Boyndie, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>.</p> -<p>Braemar-kelpy, Story of, <a href="#pb165" class= -"pageref">165</a>.</p> -<p>Bramptonbridge, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Brand, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb274" -class="pageref">274</a>, <a href="#pb317" class="pageref">317</a>.</p> -<p>Brandanes, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Brandane’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Brass Well at Trelevean, <a href="#pb198" class= -"pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Bread, Loaf of, for finding drowned body, <a href="#pb159" class= -"pageref">159</a>;<br> -pieces of, and cheese as offerings, <a href="#pb201" class= -"pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Bredgled, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Brendan, St., <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>;<br> -his connection with the Hebrides and Bute, <a href="#pb53" class= -"pageref">53</a>;<br> -his well in Barra, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>;<br> -gave name to Kilbrandon Sound, <a href="#pb53" class= -"pageref">53</a>;<br> -tutelar saint of Boyndie and Cullen, <a href="#pb53" class= -"pageref">53</a>.</p> -<p>Brereton family, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Bride’s Well, The, at Corgarff, <a href="#pb319" class= -"pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Bride’s Well in London, <a href="#pb45" class= -"pageref">45</a>.</p> -<p>Bridewell, <a href="#pb45" class="pageref">45</a>.</p> -<p>Bridge-of-Allan, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Bridget, St., or Bride, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>, -<a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>;<br> -her churches, <a href="#pb45" class="pageref">45</a>;<br> -her connection with an Hebridean incantation, <a href="#pb45" class= -"pageref">45</a>;<br> -her miracles, <a href="#pb45" class="pageref">45</a>;<br> -her monastery at Abernethy, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>;<br> -her monastery at Kildare, <a href="#pb45" class="pageref">45</a>;<br> -her wells, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>, <a href="#pb296" -class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Bridle, Water-horse, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>, -<a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb176" class= -"pageref">176</a>.</p> -<p>Brittany, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Brochan, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, <a href="#pb248" -class="pageref">248</a>.</p> -<p>Brome, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p>Bromfield, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Brooches, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Brown, Bishop, <a href="#pb321" class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Brown, Mr. James, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Brown of Colston, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Brownie, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Brownie’s Stane, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Bruce, King Robert, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href= -"#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>;<br> -his flight at Dalrigh, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>;<br> -his free pass to Muswell, <a href="#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>;<br> -his leprosy, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>;<br> -his reverence for St. Fillan, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Brude, King, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, <a href= -"#pb248" class="pageref">248</a>, <a href="#pb249" class= -"pageref">249</a>.</p> -<p>Bruges, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>.</p> -<p>Buchan, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb90" -class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Buckie, Healing well near, <a href="#pb20" class= -"pageref">20</a>.</p> -<p>Bull, Mad, in Holy Pool, <a href="#pb106" class= -"pageref">106</a>;<br> -raging, at St. John’s Well, Harpham, <a href="#pb136" class= -"pageref">136</a>;<br> -sacred to Neptune, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>;<br> -sacrificed to St. Mourie, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>.</p> -<p>Bullion Field, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Bullion Well, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Burghead, <a href="#pb98" class="pageref">98</a>;<br> -burning the clavie at, <a href="#pb289" class="pageref">289</a>;<br> -rock-cut basin at, <a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>.</p> -<p>Burgundy, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Burial-mounds near Macduff’s Cross, Superstition about, -<a href="#pb38" class="pageref">38</a>.</p> -<p>Burn of Oxhill, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>“Burn o’ the Riggins,” <a href="#pb84" class= -"pageref">84</a>.</p> -<p>Burns, <a href="#pb162" class="pageref">162</a>.</p> -<p>Burntisland, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>Burton, Dr. J. Hill, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Bute, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb57" class= -"pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href= -"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Butler, <a href="#pb272" class="pageref">272</a>.</p> -<p>Butterby, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Buttons as offerings, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>.</p> -<p>Buxton, <a href="#pb209" class="pageref">209</a>.</p> -<p>Bygas, <a href="#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Cabbal-yn-Oural-Losht, <a href="#pb115" class="pageref">115</a>.</p> -<p>Cadger’s Bridge near Biggar, <a href="#pb85" class= -"pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Caibeal Cairine, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Cainnech Abbot, <a href="#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Caipal-na-Faraichd, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>.</p> -<p>Cairine, North, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Cairine, South, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Cairnie, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>Cairns, <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a>, <a href="#pb82" -class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>, -<a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>, <a href="#pb223" class= -"pageref">223</a>;<br> -burial, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Cake, Oatmeal, used at Beltane, <a href="#pb286" class= -"pageref">286</a>.</p> -<p>Cakes, Wheaten, in Juno’s Pool, <a href="#pb140" class= -"pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Callow Pit, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>.</p> -<p>Cambusnethan, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Camden, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>, <a href="#pb239" -class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Camelon, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Campbell, Mr. Hugh F., <a href="#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>.</p> -<p>Campbell, Mr. J. F., of Islay, <a href="#pb15" class= -"pageref">15</a>, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>, <a href= -"#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>, <a href="#pb167" class= -"pageref">167</a>, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>, <a href= -"#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Campbeltown, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb54" -class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Canada, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>.</p> -<p>Candida Casa at Whithorn, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>.</p> -<p>Candlemas, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, <a href= -"#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Canice, <a href="#pb236" class="pageref">236</a>.</p> -<p>Canisbay, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Canmore, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href="#pb65" -class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Canterbury, <a href="#pb241" class="pageref">241</a>;<br> -cathedral of, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>;<br> -well in, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>, <a href="#pb146" -class="pageref">146</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb343" href= -"#pb343" name="pb343">343</a>]</span></p> -<p>Caps, Copper, as offerings, <a href="#pb16" class= -"pageref">16</a>.</p> -<p>Carew, <a href="#pb116" class="pageref">116</a>.</p> -<p>Carlisle Cathedral, Well in, <a href="#pb50" class= -"pageref">50</a>.</p> -<p>Carman, now Wexford, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Carmyle, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Carnock, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Carnwath, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Carrying fire round houses, corn, &c., <a href="#pb288" class= -"pageref">288</a>, <a href="#pb290" class="pageref">290</a>, <a href= -"#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>.</p> -<p>Carrington, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Carron, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>.</p> -<p>Cart, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Cashla Bay, <a href="#pb276" class="pageref">276</a>.</p> -<p>Cathair Donan, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Catherine, St., of Alexandria, <a href="#pb62" class= -"pageref">62</a>;<br> -her chapels, fair, and wells, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, -<a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb316" class= -"pageref">316</a>;<br> -her learning, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>;<br> -her martyrdom, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>;<br> -St. Catherine’s Aisle in Linlithgow Church, <a href="#pb64" -class="pageref">64</a>;<br> -St. Catherine’s Well at Port Erin, <a href="#pb64" class= -"pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Catherine, St., of Sienna, <a href="#pb96" class= -"pageref">96</a>.</p> -<p>Catholicon, <a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>.</p> -<p>Cathures, now Glasgow, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Cat in Sorcery, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>, <a href= -"#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>Cat’s or Kate’s Well at Shotts, <a href="#pb63" class= -"pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Cattle, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>, <a href="#pb172" -class="pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, -<a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>, <a href="#pb245" class= -"pageref">245</a>, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>, <a href= -"#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>, <a href="#pb256" class= -"pageref">256</a>, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>, <a href= -"#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>, <a href="#pb261" class= -"pageref">261</a>, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Cave, at Hunterston in Ayrshire, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>;<br> -at Wemyss, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>;<br> -in Harris, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>;<br> -Craig-a-chow, in Black Isle, <a href="#pb111" class= -"pageref">111</a>;<br> -Lady’s Bed in Isle of May, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>;<br> -Peter’s Paps in Kirkmaiden parish, <a href="#pb89" class= -"pageref">89</a>;<br> -St. Columba’s in Ardnamurchan, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>;<br> -St. Columban’s at La Spanna, <a href="#pb76" class= -"pageref">76</a>;<br> -St. Fergus’s at Glamis, <a href="#pb59" class= -"pageref">59</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s at Pittenweem, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>;<br> -St. Kieran’s near Campbeltown, <a href="#pb43" class= -"pageref">43</a>;<br> -St. Margaret’s at Dunfermline, <a href="#pb66" class= -"pageref">66</a>;<br> -St. Medan’s in Kirkmaiden parish, <a href="#pb92" class= -"pageref">92</a>;<br> -St. Molio’s in Holy Island, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>;<br> -St. Ninian’s near Whithorn, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>;<br> -St. Serf’s at Dysart, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>;<br> -Uah Vearnag in Islay, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>.</p> -<p>Cave-life of early saints, <a href="#pb72" class= -"pageref">72</a>.</p> -<p>Celtic influence on well-worship, <a href="#pb23" class= -"pageref">23</a>.</p> -<p>Celts, Water-divinities among the, <a href="#pb181" class= -"pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Chad’s, St., Well at Lichfield, <a href="#pb25" class= -"pageref">25</a>;<br> -at Logierait, <a href="#pb19" class="pageref">19</a>, <a href="#pb20" -class="pageref">20</a>.</p> -<p>Chair, St. Fillan’s, <a href="#pb81" class= -"pageref">81</a>;<br> -St. Inan’s, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -St. Marnan’s, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Chalmers, George, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href= -"#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Chalmers, Rev. Peter, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Chalybeate springs, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href= -"#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Chambers, Robert, <a href="#pb45" class="pageref">45</a>, <a href= -"#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb138" class= -"pageref">138</a>, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href= -"#pb273" class="pageref">273</a>.</p> -<p>Chanonry Kirk of Elgin, <a href="#pb151" class= -"pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Chapel-en-le-Frith, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Chapel of Grace in Dundurcus parish, <a href="#pb266" class= -"pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Chapelton of Kilmaichlie, <a href="#pb268" class= -"pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>Chapel Uny, <a href="#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Chapel-wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Charles I., <a href="#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb146" -class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb197" class="pageref">197</a>, -<a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>Charles II., <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href= -"#pb197" class="pageref">197</a>, <a href="#pb322" class= -"pageref">322</a>.</p> -<p>Charmaig’s, St., Island, Church on, <a href="#pb36" class= -"pageref">36</a>;<br> -stone coffin in, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Charm-stones, <a href="#pb241" class= -"pageref">241</a>–262;<br> -associated with crosses, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>;<br> -connected with wells, <a href="#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>;<br> -kept on altars, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> Curing-stones.</p> -<p>Chaucer, <a href="#pb209" class="pageref">209</a>.</p> -<p>Cheese as offerings, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, -<a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>, <a href="#pb319" class= -"pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Chibber-Lansh in Isle of Man, <a href="#pb302" class= -"pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Chibber-Undin in Isle of Man, <a href="#pb191" class= -"pageref">191</a>.</p> -<p>Chibber-Unjin in Isle of Man, <a href="#pb236" class= -"pageref">236</a>.</p> -<p>Childermas, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>“Chip of the old block,” <a href="#pb231" class= -"pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Cholera, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Christianity borrowing from paganism, <a href="#pb28" class= -"pageref">28</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p>Christmas, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>, <a href= -"#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>, <a href="#pb284" class= -"pageref">284</a>;<br> -tree, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>;<br> -weather of, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Christ’s Well in Menteith, <a href="#pb270" class= -"pageref">270</a>.</p> -<p>Churches and wells, connection between, <a href="#pb33" class= -"pageref">33</a>.</p> -<p>Churches, Wells in, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>, <a href= -"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Churchyards as places of refuge, <a href="#pb34" class= -"pageref">34</a>.</p> -<p><span class="corr" id="xd26e6318" title= -"Source: Clach-a-Brath">Clach-a-brath</span>, <a href="#pb254" class= -"pageref">254</a>.</p> -<p>Clachan, Going to the, <a href="#pb34" class="pageref">34</a>.</p> -<p>Clach-Dearg, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p><span class="corr" id="xd26e6336" title= -"Source: Clach-na-bratach">Clach-na-Bratach</span>, <a href="#pb258" -class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p>Clach-nan-Sul, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href= -"#pb206" class="pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Clackmannan, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Cladh Davi, <a href="#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>.</p> -<p>Cladh Ronan in Iona, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Clare, The Lady, <a href="#pb268" class="pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>Clark’s Tree, Catherine, <a href="#pb234" class= -"pageref">234</a>, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Clark’s Well near London, <a href="#pb275" class= -"pageref">275</a>. <i>Clavie, Burning of the</i>, <a href="#pb289" -class="pageref">289</a>, <a href="#pb290" class="pageref">290</a>. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb344" href="#pb344" name= -"pb344">344</a>]</span></p> -<p>Clay image in sorcery, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>, -<a href="#pb10" class="pageref">10</a>, <a href="#pb153" class= -"pageref">153</a>.</p> -<p>Clerkenwell, <a href="#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Clermiston, <a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Clonfert, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>.</p> -<p>Clothes as offerings, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, -<a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>, <a href= -"#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Clyde, Firth of, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href= -"#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>, <a href="#pb168" class= -"pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>;<br> -river, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>, <a href="#pb234" -class="pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Clynnog, <a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Cnoc-a-bheannachd, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>.</p> -<p>Cnut, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Cockburnspath parish, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Cock, Burying a live, <a href="#pb114" class="pageref">114</a>;<br> -or hen at Llandegla, <a href="#pb114" class="pageref">114</a>.</p> -<p>Cockle-shells used as boats by water-spirits, <a href="#pb165" -class="pageref">165</a>.</p> -<p>Cockpen, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Coffin stone on Eilean Mòr, <a href="#pb201" class= -"pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Coig-gerach, St. Fillan’s, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Coincidences, <a href="#pb333" class="pageref">333</a>, <a href= -"#pb334" class="pageref">334</a>, <a href="#pb335" class= -"pageref">335</a>.</p> -<p>Colchester, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Coldingham, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Colonsay, <a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>.</p> -<p>Columban or Columbanus, St., <a href="#pb76" class= -"pageref">76</a>;<br> -impress of his hand on rock, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, -<a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Columba, St., <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>, <a href= -"#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, -<a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, <a href= -"#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>;<br> -blesses fountain, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>;<br> -brings water from rock for baptism, <a href="#pb39" class= -"pageref">39</a>;<br> -his chapel on Fladda, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>;<br> -his chapel at Keil, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>;<br> -his stone-bed and pillow, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>, <a href="#pb80" -class="pageref">80</a>;<br> -marks of his feet, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>;<br> -white stone of, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>Columbia, British, <a href="#pb225" class= -"pageref">225</a><span class="corr" id="xd26e6624" title= -"Source: ,">.</span></p> -<p>Company, British Fisheries’, <a href="#pb69" class= -"pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Comrie, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb82" -class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Conan, Water-wraith of the, <a href="#pb160" class= -"pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Congan’s, St. Church at Lochalsh, <a href="#pb120" class= -"pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Connla’s Well in Ireland, <a href="#pb232" class= -"pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Connoch, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Constantine, Emperor, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, -<a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Constantine, St., also called Cowstan, Chouslan, and <span class= -"corr" id="xd26e6674" title="Source: Cutchon">Cutchou</span>, Prince of -Cornwall, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>;<br> -his connection with Ireland and the west of Scotland, <a href="#pb54" -class="pageref">54</a>;<br> -his monastery at Govan, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>;<br> -his well and chapel at Garrabost, <a href="#pb54" class= -"pageref">54</a>;<br> -site of his chapel, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Constantius Chlorus, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Consumption, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Conveth, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Conway, Rev. Daniel, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Coppice at Loch Siant Well not cut, <a href="#pb233" class= -"pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Corbet’s, St., Spring on Touch Hills, <a href="#pb105" class= -"pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Cordiner, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Corgarff, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href="#pb163" -class="pageref">163</a>, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>, -<a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>, <a href="#pb319" class="pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Cork, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Corstorphine, <a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Corsewall, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>.</p> -<p>Corswell or Crosswell, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>.</p> -<p>Corve, <a href="#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Co’ Sunday, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, <a href= -"#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Cottingham, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Couch, Kentigern’s, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Cowie Meggie, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>Coychurch, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Cradocus, Prince, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Craigie, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Craigie, Katherine, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>.</p> -<p>Craigie Well, <a href="#pb273" class="pageref">273</a>.</p> -<p>Craignish, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Crail, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>, <a href="#pb305" -class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Cramond, <a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Cramp-stones, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Crawford, Mr., <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Creeping Stane in Cornwall, <a href="#pb80" class= -"pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Crianlarich, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>Crieff, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Croft-an-taggart, <a href="#pb277" class="pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Cromarty, <a href="#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>, <a href="#pb104" -class="pageref">104</a>, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Cromdale, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Crooked things as offerings, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>;<br> -lucky, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Cross, for keeping curing-stone at Killaghtee, <a href="#pb253" -class="pageref">253</a>;<br> -Latin, <a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>;<br> -of Crail, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>;<br> -of Macduff near Newburgh, <a href="#pb38" class="pageref">38</a>;<br> -part of a, beside St. David’s Well at Weem, <a href="#pb318" -class="pageref">318</a>;<br> -runic, on Maughold Head, <a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>;<br> -St. Vildrin’s, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>;<br> -sculptured, of Kilberry, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Crosses, Hollows in pedestals of, associated with penance, <a href= -"#pb254" class="pageref">254</a>.</p> -<p>Crosskirk and Loch of Wasbister, Walking round, <a href="#pb34" -class="pageref">34</a>.</p> -<p>Crossthwaite, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb345" href="#pb345" name="pb345">345</a>]</span></p> -<p>Crowland, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Croxdale, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Croziers, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb123" -class="pageref">123</a>.</p> -<p>Cruachan, near Wexford, <a href="#pb306" class= -"pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Cruden, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>.</p> -<p>Crueshill, <a href="#pb277" class="pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Crutches, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Cuby’s, St., Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Cuff Hills, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Cullen, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>.</p> -<p>Culross, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href="#pb78" -class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Culsalmond, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb195" -class="pageref">195</a>.</p> -<p>Cumbrae, Larger, <a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>.</p> -<p>Curing-stones, <a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>–254, -<a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>, <a href="#pb257" class= -"pageref">257</a>, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>, <a href= -"#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>;<br> -mysterious disappearance of, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> Charm-stones. <i>Currus Sancti Convalli</i>, <a href="#pb74" -class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Cushendall, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Cuthbert, St., <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href= -"#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, -<a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb131" class= -"pageref">131</a><span class="corr" id="xd26e7101" title= -"Source: .">;</span><br> -Cubert’s Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>;<br> -his birthplace, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>;<br> -his chapel at Tillmouth, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>;<br> -his church-dedications, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, -<a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>;<br> -his church in Edinburgh, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>;<br> -his connection with Old Melrose, Lindisfarne, and Kirkcudbright, -<a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>;<br> -his parish in Edinburgh, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>;<br> -his spring in Bromfield parish, Cumberland, <a href="#pb80" class= -"pageref">80</a>;<br> -his spring on Farne island, <a href="#pb130" class= -"pageref">130</a>;<br> -shrine at Durham, <a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>;<br> -his stane in Bromfield parish, <a href="#pb80" class= -"pageref">80</a>;<br> -his well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>;<br> -his well at St. Boswell’s and Bath at Strath Tay, <a href="#pb51" -class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p><span class="corr" id="xd26e7184" title= -"Source: Dæmonologie">Daemonologie</span>, <a href="#pb150" -class="pageref">150</a>.</p> -<p>Dale Abbey, <a href="#pb319" class="pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Dalhousie, Castle of, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>;<br> -Earl of, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Dalkeith, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, <a href="#pb238" -class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Dallas, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Dalmellington, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Dalmeny, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Dalrigh, Bruce’s fight with the Macdougalls at, <a href= -"#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Dalyell, <a href="#pb119" class="pageref">119</a>, <a href="#pb147" -class="pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>, -<a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>, <a href="#pb295" class= -"pageref">295</a>, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>, <a href= -"#pb309" class="pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Dalziel, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Darnick, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Dartmoor, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>.</p> -<p>David’s, St., Spring at Weem, <a href="#pb318" class= -"pageref">318</a>;<br> -in Queen’s Park, <a href="#pb19" class="pageref">19</a>.</p> -<p>Deafness, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb204" -class="pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Dean Combe, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Deanside Well at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class= -"pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Death, Portents of, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Debtors (Scotland) Act, <a href="#pb37" class="pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>Debtors in Sanctuary of Holyrood Abbey, <a href="#pb37" class= -"pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>Dechmont, <a href="#pb285" class="pageref">285</a>.</p> -<p>Declan’s, St., Stone, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a>.</p> -<p>Dedication, Feast of, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Dee, River, <a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href= -"#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>;<br> -linn of, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>. <i>Deer</i> in -Buchan, Etymology of, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Deerness, <a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>.</p> -<p>Demons in fountains, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>, -<a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb283" class= -"pageref">283</a>;<br> -of storms, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Dempster, Miss, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Denburn, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>.</p> -<p>Denis, St., parish, Red spots on stones in churchyard of, <a href= -"#pb330" class="pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Denmark, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>De Quincey, <a href="#pb37" class="pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>Derby, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Derketo, Fish sacred to, <a href="#pb183" class= -"pageref">183</a>.</p> -<p>Derwent, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>, <a href="#pb160" -class="pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Derwentwater, Earl of, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Deskford, Kirkton of, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>. -<i>Dessil</i>, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb63" -class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb293" class="pageref">293</a>, -<a href="#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Deveron, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb193" -class="pageref">193</a>.</p> -<p>Devil, <a href="#pb115" class="pageref">115</a>, <a href="#pb133" -class="pageref">133</a>, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, -<a href="#pb162" class="pageref">162</a>, <a href="#pb186" class= -"pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>, <a href= -"#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>, <a href="#pb242" class= -"pageref">242</a>;<br> -his attempt to destroy Invergowrie church, <a href="#pb85" class= -"pageref">85</a>;<br> -his connection with tempests, <a href="#pb217" class= -"pageref">217</a>;<br> -his mark, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>, <a href="#pb149" -class="pageref">149</a>;<br> -his seat at the Pot o’ Pittenyoul, <a href="#pb84" class= -"pageref">84</a>;<br> -St. Serf’s discussion with the, <a href="#pb55" class= -"pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Dewar, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>.</p> -<p>Diamond, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Diamond ring in St. Molio’s Well, <a href="#pb198" class= -"pageref">198</a>. <i>Dictionary, Scottish</i>, Jamieson’s, -<a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>.</p> -<p>Dilston Hall, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Dingwall, Presbytery of, <a href="#pb242" class= -"pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Discipline, Water for, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, -<a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb98" class= -"pageref">98</a>.</p> -<p>Disease, Transference of, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Divination by water, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>.</p> -<p>Dixon, Mr. J. H., <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>, <a href= -"#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>, <a href="#pb316" class= -"pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Dochart river, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>;<br> -bridge of, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb346" href="#pb346" name="pb346">346</a>]</span></p> -<p>Dog, black, Legend of the, in Sutherland, <a href="#pb182" class= -"pageref">182</a>;<br> -in Peel Castle, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Dogs’ well in Harris, <a href="#pb135" class= -"pageref">135</a>.</p> -<p>Doire. <i>See</i> Dewar.</p> -<p>Don, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb159" class= -"pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>, <a href= -"#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Donald, otherwise Donewalde, <a href="#pb181" class= -"pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Donan, St., <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>;<br> -his chair, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>;<br> -his well in Eigg, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Donnachie Clan, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p>Dore, Fish with golden chain in the, <a href="#pb185" class= -"pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>Dornoch, Cathedral of, <a href="#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>;<br> -firth of, <a href="#pb165" class="pageref">165</a>;<br> -parish of, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Douglas, Sir James, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Doune, <a href="#pb270" class="pageref">270</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Dowally, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb277" -class="pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Dow Loch in Penpont parish, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, -<a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>.</p> -<p>Downy Well, <a href="#pb274" class="pageref">274</a>.</p> -<p>Dow Well at Innerleithen, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, -<a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Dozmare Lake, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>.</p> -<p>Dragon, <a href="#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Dragonhole in Kinnoul Hill, <a href="#pb301" class= -"pageref">301</a>.</p> -<p>Drainie, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Drake, Sir Francis, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>.</p> -<p>Dramas, Sacred, beside springs, <a href="#pb275" class= -"pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Drayton, Michael, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Droitwich, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Dronner’s or Drainer’s dyke, <a href="#pb215" class= -"pageref">215</a>.</p> -<p>Drostan, St., <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>;<br> -his fairs at Old Deer and Insch, <a href="#pb41" class= -"pageref">41</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Droustie’s Well near Invermark Castle, <a href="#pb41" class= -"pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Drowned bodies, Folk-practices for finding, <a href="#pb159" class= -"pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Drowning, Rescuing from, unlucky, <a href="#pb7" class= -"pageref">7</a>.</p> -<p>Druidical beads, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>;<br> -dyke on Innis Maree, <a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>;<br> -temples, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Drum, Use of, for finding drowned body, <a href="#pb159" class= -"pageref">159</a>.</p> -<p>Drumlithie, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>.</p> -<p>Drumming well at Harpham, <a href="#pb145" class= -"pageref">145</a>;<br> -at Oundle, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Drunkenness, Protection against, <a href="#pb242" class= -"pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Dublin, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>.</p> -<p>Dudgeon, Mr. Patrick, <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>.</p> -<p>Dull, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Dulse, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Dulyn Lake in North Wales, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Dumbarton, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Dumb-cake, <a href="#pb315" class="pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>Dumfries, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>.</p> -<p>Dun, Estate of, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>.</p> -<p>Dunbar, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Dundonald, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Dundurcus, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Dunfermline, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, <a href="#pb83" -class="pageref">83</a>, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Dunfillan, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>.</p> -<p>Dunnet, <a href="#pb206" class="pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Dunning, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Dunnottar Castle, Covenanters’ spring in, <a href="#pb129" -class="pageref">129</a>;<br> -St. Ninian’s spring near, <a href="#pb48" class= -"pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>Dunnottar church, Witches’ pool near, <a href="#pb150" class= -"pageref">150</a>.</p> -<p>Dunribin, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>.</p> -<p>Dunrobin, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Dunskey in Wigtownshire, Stream near, <a href="#pb10" class= -"pageref">10</a>.</p> -<p>Durham, Sanctuary at, <a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>;<br> -Cuthbert’s shrine at, <a href="#pb264" class= -"pageref">264</a>.</p> -<p>Duthac, St., <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Dwarfie Stone in Hoy, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>.</p> -<p>Dyer, Rev. T. F. Thiselton, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>, -<a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>Each Uisge, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>.</p> -<p>Earn, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>;<br> -Fort of, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>.</p> -<p>Easg Seant, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>East Barnes, <a href="#pb115" class="pageref">115</a>,</p> -<p>East Dereham, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Easter, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, -<a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>, <a href="#pb299" class= -"pageref">299</a>.</p> -<p>Eastwell, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>.</p> -<p>Eckford, Holywell or Priest’s well at, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Ecclesiastical records, <a href="#pb271" class= -"pageref">271</a>.</p> -<p>Ecclesmachan, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Edana, St. <i>See</i> Medan, St.</p> -<p>Eddertoun, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>.</p> -<p>Eddlestone, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>.</p> -<p>Edenhall, Luck of, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -Giant’s Cave at, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Edgar, King, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href= -"#pb269" class="pageref">269</a>.</p> -<p>Edgewell, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Edinburgh, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, <a href="#pb69" -class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>, -<a href="#pb96" class="pageref">96</a>, <a href="#pb123" class= -"pageref">123</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, <a href= -"#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>, <a href="#pb301" class= -"pageref">301</a>;<br> -Castle of, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>;<br> -St. Michael’s Chapel on Castle rock of, <a href="#pb71" class= -"pageref">71</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb347" href="#pb347" -name="pb347">347</a>]</span></p> -<p>Edinchip, Healing well in the grounds of, <a href="#pb31" class= -"pageref">31</a>.</p> -<p>Edmund, St., <a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>.</p> -<p>Edward II. of England, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Edward IV., <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Edzell, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Egfrid, king of Northumberland, <a href="#pb42" class= -"pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Eggs, Use of, on May Day, <a href="#pb298" class= -"pageref">298</a>.</p> -<p>Egypt, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Eigg, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb75" class= -"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb108" class="pageref">108</a>.</p> -<p>Eilean Mòr. <i>See</i> Charmaig’s, St., Island.</p> -<p>Eistan, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Elbe, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Elder-tree, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Elf-bolts, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Elgin, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>;<br> -Cathedral of, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Elizabeth, <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>.</p> -<p>Encœnia, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Endon, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>–212.</p> -<p>England, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>, <a href="#pb91" -class="pageref">91</a>, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, -<a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>, <a href= -"#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>, <a href="#pb269" class= -"pageref">269</a>, <a href="#pb331" class="pageref">331</a>;<br> -Rose of, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>.</p> -<p>Enhallow, Isle of, Mysterious loosening of cow on, <a href="#pb119" -class="pageref">119</a>.</p> -<p>Enoch’s, St., Well in Glasgow, <a href="#pb51" class= -"pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Epilepsy, Burying a live cock as cure for, <a href="#pb113" class= -"pageref">113</a>.</p> -<p>Epiphany, <a href="#pb231" class="pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Eric, King, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href= -"#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Errigall-keroge, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>.</p> -<p>Errol’s Oak, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>.</p> -<p>Erskine, Lady Barbara, <a href="#pb322" class="pageref">322</a>.</p> -<p>Escurial, The, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Esk, North, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>.</p> -<p>Ethelbert, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Etheldreth, St., <a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>.</p> -<p>Ettrick Shepherd, The, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Evil-eye, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>, <a href="#pb333" -class="pageref">333</a>.</p> -<p>Eyes, Sore, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb110" -class="pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb206" class="pageref">206</a>, -<a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>, <a href="#pb302" class= -"pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Eyre, Archbishop, <a href="#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>, <a href= -"#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>.</p> -<p>Fairgirth, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Fairies as guardians of wells, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>, <a href= -"#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -diseases caused by, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>, <a href= -"#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Fairies’ Cradle near St. Bennet’s Spring, <a href= -"#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>.</p> -<p>Fairs and Markets, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>, -<a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Falkirk, Kirk-session of, <a href="#pb270" class= -"pageref">270</a>.</p> -<p>Falkland, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Family, Branches of a, <a href="#pb231" class="pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Farne Island, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href= -"#pb131" class="pageref">131</a>.</p> -<p>Farnes, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>;<br> -Kirkmaiden in, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Farquharson-na-Cat, Tradition about, <a href="#pb160" class= -"pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Fascination, Curing and Preventing, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>.</p> -<p>Fastern’s E’en, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Fearn, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href="#pb178" -class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Feil Columcille at Inch, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Feill-Aonghais at Balquhidder, <a href="#pb31" class= -"pageref">31</a>.</p> -<p>Feill-Ronan in Strowan, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Fergan Well, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb277" class="pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Fergus, St., <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>;<br> -his relics, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>;<br> -his wanderings, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>;<br> -his well in Banffshire, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> also Fergan Well.</p> -<p>Fergus’, St., Aisle in Glasgow Cathedral, <a href="#pb49" -class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Fergusson, Dr. J., <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>, -<a href="#pb328" class="pageref">328</a>, <a href="#pb332" class= -"pageref">332</a>.</p> -<p>Fergusson, Mr. R. M., <a href="#pb14" class="pageref">14</a>, -<a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>, <a href="#pb220" class= -"pageref">220</a>.</p> -<p>Fern Islands, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Ferodach, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Festivals, Church, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Fettercairn, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Fiacre’s, St., Well. <i>See</i> Fittack’s, St., -Well.</p> -<p>Fiddler’s Well near Cromarty, <a href="#pb104" class= -"pageref">104</a>.</p> -<p>Fiery circle, Healing power of a, <a href="#pb290" class= -"pageref">290</a>.</p> -<p>Fillan, St., of Rath Erenn, <a href="#pb82" class= -"pageref">82</a>;<br> -his church at Aberdour, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>;<br> -his connection with St. Fillan, <a href="#pb82" class= -"pageref">82</a>;<br> -his spring at Comrie, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href= -"#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>, <a href="#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>;<br> -his stone chair on Dunfillan, <a href="#pb81" class= -"pageref">81</a>;<br> -his well at Aberdour, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> also Pilgrim’s Well at Aberdour.</p> -<p>Fillan, St., of Strathfillan, <a href="#pb81" class= -"pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href= -"#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>, <a href="#pb121" class= -"pageref">121</a>, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>, <a href= -"#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href="#pb124" class= -"pageref">124</a>, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>, <a href= -"#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>;<br> -his bell, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>;<br> -his cave and well at Pittenweem, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>;<br> -his chapel, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>;<br> -his coig-gerach, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>;<br> -his holy pool, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb119" -class="pageref">119</a>, <a href="#pb126" class="pageref">126</a>, -<a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb295" class= -"pageref">295</a>;<br> -miracle of his coffin, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>;<br> -miracle of his shining hand, <a href="#pb120" class= -"pageref">120</a>;<br> -his priory, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>;<br> -his stone chair at Killin, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>;<br> -stones dedicated to, <a href="#pb251" class="pageref">251</a>.</p> -<p>Finan. <i>See</i> Inan, St.</p> -<p>Finchra in Rum, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Findmaige, Fountain of, called Slan, <a href="#pb25" class= -"pageref">25</a>.</p> -<p>Finlarig Castle, Trees at, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb348" href="#pb348" name= -"pb348">348</a>]</span></p> -<p>Fintry, Castle of, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>.</p> -<p>Finyan’s, St., Spring at Rearymore, <a href="#pb306" class= -"pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Fish, Sacred, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>.</p> -<p>Fittack’s, St., Well in Nigg parish, <a href="#pb271" class= -"pageref">271</a>, <a href="#pb274" class="pageref">274</a>.</p> -<p>Fitz’s Well in Dartmoor, <a href="#pb134" class= -"pageref">134</a>.</p> -<p>Fivepennies Well in Eigg, <a href="#pb108" class= -"pageref">108</a>.</p> -<p>Fladda, Blue stone of, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>, -<a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>Flamborough, Round hole near, <a href="#pb164" class= -"pageref">164</a>.</p> -<p>Flint arrowheads, as amulets, <a href="#pb257" class= -"pageref">257</a>;<br> -as brooches, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Flodden, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Floral devices, <a href="#pb209" class="pageref">209</a>.</p> -<p>Flowers as offerings, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>, -<a href="#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Fly at St. Michael’s Well, <a href="#pb144" class= -"pageref">144</a>, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Fochabers, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Fodderty, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>.</p> -<p>Folk-customs, Traces of sun-worship in, <a href="#pb284" class= -"pageref">284</a>, <a href="#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>.</p> -<p>Fontinalia, Roman and English, Parallelism between, <a href="#pb210" -class="pageref">210</a>.</p> -<p>Fonts of the Cross, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Food, Offerings of, <a href="#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Forbes, Bishop A. P., <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Ford, Dead and living, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>.</p> -<p>Fordoun, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Fordun, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Forfar, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>;<br> -Loch, Inch of, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Forglen, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Forres, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>.</p> -<p>Forth, Firth of, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href= -"#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, -<a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb168" class= -"pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>, <a href= -"#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>, <a href="#pb267" class= -"pageref">267</a>, <a href="#pb321" class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Fortingall, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Forvie, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>.</p> -<p>Fosses Moor, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Fountain blessed by St. Columba, <a href="#pb25" class= -"pageref">25</a>.</p> -<p>Fountains, Anthropomorphism of, <a href="#pb20" class= -"pageref">20</a>;<br> -reverence for, in Eastern lands, <a href="#pb22" class= -"pageref">22</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> also Springs and Wells.</p> -<p>France, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb189" -class="pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>, -<a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>, <a href="#pb272" class= -"pageref">272</a>;<br> -Fleur-de-lis of, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>;<br> -Henry Third of, <a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>.</p> -<p>Fraserburgh, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>, <a href= -"#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Frazer, Mr. J. G., <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>, -<a href="#pb236" class="pageref">236</a>, <a href="#pb287" class= -"pageref">287</a>, <a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>. -<i>Freedstoll</i> at Hexham and Beverley, <a href="#pb35" class= -"pageref">35</a>.</p> -<p>Friars’ wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Frideswide’s, St., fair and spring at Oxford, <a href="#pb130" -class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Fuaran Chad at Logierait, <a href="#pb20" class= -"pageref">20</a>.</p> -<p>Fuaran Fiountag in Strathspey, <a href="#pb109" class= -"pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Fuaran n’ druibh chasad at Balquhidder, <a href="#pb31" class= -"pageref">31</a>.</p> -<p>Fuaran n’ druibh chasad in Fortingall parish, <a href="#pb102" -class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Fuaran n’ Gruarach in Fortingall parish, <a href="#pb102" -class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Fumac, St., Image of, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Fyvie, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb81" -class="pageref">81</a>, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Gairloch parish, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Galath, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Galloway, Churches in, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>;<br> -Rhinna of, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>;<br> -Picts of, evangelised by St. Ninian, <a href="#pb46" class= -"pageref">46</a>, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>, <a href= -"#pb315" class="pageref">315</a>;<br> -visited by St. Cuthbert, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Gallstack Well at Drumlanrig, Standing stones near, <a href="#pb28" -class="pageref">28</a>.</p> -<p>Gamrie, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Garrabost, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Garry, R., <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Garth, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Garveloch Isles, <a href="#pb254" class="pageref">254</a>.</p> -<p>Garvock, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Geikie, Professor Sir A., <a href="#pb156" class= -"pageref">156</a>.</p> -<p>Geikie, Rev. J. Cunningham, <a href="#pb309" class= -"pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Gems, Abraxas, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>George’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>George III., <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>.</p> -<p>Germany, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>, <a href="#pb146" -class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Gervasius, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>.</p> -<p>Gheel, St. Dympna’s Well at, <a href="#pb127" class= -"pageref">127</a>.</p> -<p>Giants, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>, <a href="#pb111" -class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>.</p> -<p>Gifford, Hugh, Lord of Yester, <a href="#pb238" class= -"pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Giggleswick Scar, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Gigha, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb223" -class="pageref">223</a>, <a href="#pb333" class="pageref">333</a>.</p> -<p>Gilbert, Miss Bessie, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Gilsland, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Gipsies at St. Boswell’s Fair, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Glamis, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Glasgow, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>;<br> -arms of the city of, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -Botanic Gardens of, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>;<br> -Cathedral of, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>;<br> -Green of, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>;<br> -meeting of Assembly at, <a href="#pb261" class="pageref">261</a>;<br> -Pear-Tree Well, near Botanic Gardens of, <a href="#pb234" class= -"pageref">234</a>;<br> -St. Kentigern’s Well at, <a href="#pb50" class= -"pageref">50</a>;<br> -St. Thenew’s Well at, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, -<a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>;<br> -Saltmarket of, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>;<br> -water supply of, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb349" href="#pb349" name="pb349">349</a>]</span></p> -<p>Glass, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb110" -class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Glasserton, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href="#pb94" -class="pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Glastonbury, Spring at, <a href="#pb297" class= -"pageref">297</a>;<br> -thorn at, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Glencoe, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>.</p> -<p>Glencairns, formerly Kirkcairns, <a href="#pb69" class= -"pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Glendalough, Seven churches of, <a href="#pb79" class= -"pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Glendochart, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>, <a href= -"#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>.</p> -<p>Glenelg, Kirkton of, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>.</p> -<p>Glengairn, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb194" -class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Glengariff, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Glen Lochay, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Glen Lyon, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Glen Muick, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Glen Ogle, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>, <a href= -"#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Glenorchy and Inishail, St. Conan’s Well in parish of, -<a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Glentham, Church of, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Glentruim, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Gnostics, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>, <a href="#pb243" -class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Goat, sick, Cure of, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>.</p> -<p>“Going a-Maying,” <a href="#pb300" class= -"pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>Golspie, <a href="#pb203" class="pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Golvedir, Monastery at, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Gomme, Mr. G. L., <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>, <a href= -"#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>, <a href="#pb224" class= -"pageref">224</a>.</p> -<p>Good Friday, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>, <a href= -"#pb319" class="pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Gordon, Sir Robert, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, -<a href="#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>.</p> -<p>Gordons of Strathnaver, <a href="#pb249" class= -"pageref">249</a>.</p> -<p>Gordonstone, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Gougou Barra, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Goudie, Mr. Gilbert, <a href="#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>.</p> -<p>Gout, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>Govan. <i>See</i> Golvedir.</p> -<p>Govan’s, St., Chapel and Well in Pembrokeshire, <a href= -"#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Gow, Mr. J. Mackintosh, <a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>, -<a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>, <a href= -"#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Gowrie, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Greeks, Divination among, <a href="#pb140" class= -"pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Greenock, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>.</p> -<p>Greenstone Point, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Gregor, Rev. Dr. Walter, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, -<a href="#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>, <a href="#pb105" class= -"pageref">105</a>, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href= -"#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>, <a href="#pb202" class= -"pageref">202</a>, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>, <a href= -"#pb249" class="pageref">249</a>, <a href="#pb319" class= -"pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>Greinan, <a href="#pb154" class="pageref">154</a>.</p> -<p>Greystane, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Grey, Sybil, <a href="#pb268" class="pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>Gridiron, St. Lawrence’s, <a href="#pb65" class= -"pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Grimisay, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Guiyidn, Dulse of, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>. -<i>Gule</i> of August, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>, -<a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Gulval Well, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes’, <a href="#pb217" class= -"pageref">217</a>.</p> -<p>Guthlac, St., <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Gwyl, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Gwyl-Awst, <a href="#pb308" class="pageref">308</a>.</p> -<p>Haco, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Hagiology, Connection of, with springs, <a href="#pb39" class= -"pageref">39</a>, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Halkirk, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>;<br> -well at, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Halliwell Boggle, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Hallow E’en, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, -<a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>Hallowmas, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>, <a href= -"#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class= -"pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Hamilton, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Hardwick, Mr. Charles, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>. -<i>Hare-well</i> at St. Boswell’s, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Harness as offerings, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, -<a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Harpham, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>, <a href="#pb145" -class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Harris, Lunar stone in, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>;<br> -wells in, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>, <a href="#pb135" -class="pageref">135</a>.</p> -<p>Harvest-home in England, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Hawthorn, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>;<br> -branch of, as charm, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>;<br> -dew on, <a href="#pb300" class="pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>Hay, Family of, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>.</p> -<p>Hazel trees, Mystical, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Hazel-twig, Use of, to find water, <a href="#pb133" class= -"pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Headache, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb233" -class="pageref">233</a>, <a href="#pb245" class= -"pageref">245</a><span class="corr" id="xd26e9781" title= -"Not in source">.</span></p> -<p>Healing and Holy, Etymological kinship of, <a href="#pb86" class= -"pageref">86</a>.</p> -<p>Health, Recovery of, indicated by springs, <a href="#pb140" class= -"pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Heath, Bunches of, as offerings, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Heaven-Aqua Well near West Linton, <a href="#pb32" class= -"pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Hebrides, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>, <a href="#pb239" -class="pageref">239</a>, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>, -<a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>, <a href="#pb288" class= -"pageref">288</a>.</p> -<p>Helen, St., <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>;<br> -mother of Constantine, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>;<br> -her kirk at Aldcamus and its burying-ground, <a href="#pb59" class= -"pageref">59</a>;<br> -her place in Welsh legends, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>;<br> -her springs and churches in England, <a href="#pb60" class= -"pageref">60</a>;<br> -her springs in Scotland, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Heljabrün, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href= -"#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Hell-hole, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Hellywell, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Hemorrhage, <a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>Hemp-seed, Sowing of, as a charm, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb350" href="#pb350" -name="pb350">350</a>]</span></p> -<p>Henderson, Dr., <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>, <a href= -"#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>Henderson, Mr. William, <a href="#pb262" class= -"pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Henry IV., <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Henry VI. at Bolton Hall, <a href="#pb133" class= -"pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Heritable jurisdictions, <a href="#pb148" class= -"pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Hessey, Dr. J. A., <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Highlands, <a href="#pb161" class="pageref">161</a>, <a href= -"#pb171" class="pageref">171</a>, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>, <a href= -"#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Hilda’s, St., arrival at Lindisfarne, <a href="#pb268" class= -"pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p><i>Hlâf-mæsse</i>, <a href="#pb307" class= -"pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Hock-cart, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Days, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>, <a href= -"#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb283" class= -"pageref">283</a>, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Holy, How water became, <a href="#pb24" class= -"pageref">24</a>–38.</p> -<p>Holy Island, otherwise Lindisfarne, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>;<br> -off Arran, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb198" -class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Land, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Loch, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb206" -class="pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Pool in Strathfillan. <i>See</i> Fillan, St.</p> -<p>Holyrood Abbey, Sanctuary of, <a href="#pb37" class= -"pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Rood Well at Stenton, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, -<a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Rood Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Thursday, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> Ascension Day.</p> -<p>Holy Trinity, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Trinity Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Wakes, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Holy Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>, <a href="#pb86" -class="pageref">86</a>–107, <a href="#pb89" class= -"pageref">89</a>;<br> -continued reverence for, <a href="#pb337" class="pageref">337</a>;<br> -salt water in, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>.</p> -<p>Holywood parish, St. Vynning’s Spring in, <a href="#pb129" -class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Holywood Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>. <i>Hone</i>, -<a href="#pb272" class="pageref">272</a>, <a href="#pb301" class= -"pageref">301</a>.</p> -<p>Hooping-Cough. <i>See</i> Whooping Cough. <i>Hope, Mr. R. C.</i>, -<a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Horace, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, <a href="#pb189" -class="pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Horns, Blowing of, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>, -<a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Hospitallers, The. <i>See</i> John, St., of Jerusalem, Knights -of.</p> -<p>Hound’s Pool, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Houston, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>, <a href="#pb192" -class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Hoy, Old Man of, <a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a>;<br> -Sound, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Hume-buyers Penny, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Hungary, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Hunt, Mr. Robert, <a href="#pb22" class="pageref">22</a>, <a href= -"#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href="#pb143" class= -"pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>, <a href= -"#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>, <a href="#pb331" class= -"pageref">331</a>.</p> -<p>Hunterston, Wishing well at, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Huntingtower, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>,</p> -<p>Huntly, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Huntlycote, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, <a href= -"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Hurtful, Some springs regarded as, <a href="#pb24" class= -"pageref">24</a>, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>. -<i>Husbandman’s Practice, The</i>, <a href="#pb214" class= -"pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Hydromancy, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Hydrophobia, <a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>Image of St. Fillan as a rain-charm, <a href="#pb227" class= -"pageref">227</a>;<br> -of St. Fumac, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>;<br> -of Molly Grime, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Inan, St., his connection with Inchinnan, Lamington, and Beith, -<a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -his Fair at Beith, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -his stone chair, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Incantation, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>.</p> -<p>Inch, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Inch-Cailleach, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Inchinnan, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb255" -class="pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Inchmarnoch, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>India, <a href="#pb332" class="pageref">332</a>, <a href="#pb336" -class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Infection in folklore, <a href="#pb202" class="pageref">202</a>.</p> -<p>Inflammation, Cure of, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Innerkip, Witches of, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>.</p> -<p>Innerleithen, Sanctuary at, <a href="#pb36" class= -"pageref">36</a>;<br> -well at, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a>.</p> -<p>Innes, Professor Cosmo, <a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>, -<a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>, <a href="#pb316" class= -"pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Innis Maree in Ross-shire, Pennant’s description of, <a href= -"#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>;<br> -well of, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, <a href="#pb117" -class="pageref">117</a>, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>, -<a href="#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Innismurray, off Sligo, <a href="#pb224" class= -"pageref">224</a>.</p> -<p>Insane, The binding of, <a href="#pb119" class="pageref">119</a>, -<a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>;<br> -healing of, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>;<br> -loosening of bonds sign of recovery of, <a href="#pb119" class= -"pageref">119</a>, <a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>;<br> -not sinking in water, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, -<a href="#pb154" class="pageref">154</a>.</p> -<p>Insanity, Cure of, at St. Dympna’s Well at Gheel, <a href= -"#pb127" class="pageref">127</a>;<br> -at St. Maelrubha’s Well, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, -<a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>, <a href="#pb117" class= -"pageref">117</a>;<br> -at St. Nun’s Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb116" class= -"pageref">116</a>, <a href="#pb117" class="pageref">117</a>;<br> -at Struthill, <a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>;<br> -at Teampull-mòr and St. Bonan’s Well in Lewis, <a href= -"#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>, <a href="#pb118" class= -"pageref">118</a>, <a href="#pb119" class="pageref">119</a>;<br> -at the Holy Pool of St. Fillan in Strathfillan, <a href="#pb119" class= -"pageref">119</a>–126;<br> -old and new methods of treatment for, <a href="#pb116" class= -"pageref">116</a>;<br> -towing behind boat as cure for, <a href="#pb117" class= -"pageref">117</a>, <a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>.</p> -<p>Insch, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Inscriptions on wells, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, -<a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb92" class= -"pageref">92</a>, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb351" href="#pb351" name= -"pb351">351</a>]</span></p> -<p>Inwards, Mr. R., <a href="#pb213" class="pageref">213</a>.</p> -<p>Inveraray, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Inveraven, <a href="#pb268" class="pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>Invergowrie, Church of, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Inverkeithing, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Inverlussa, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>.</p> -<p>Inverness, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>, <a href= -"#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, <a href="#pb250" class= -"pageref">250</a>.</p> -<p>Iona, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb57" class= -"pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href= -"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>, <a href= -"#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Ireland, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb74" -class="pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, -<a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href= -"#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>, <a href="#pb116" class="pageref">116</a>, <a href= -"#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>, <a href="#pb146" class= -"pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>, <a href= -"#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb235" class= -"pageref">235</a>, <a href="#pb276" class="pageref">276</a>, <a href= -"#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>;<br> -statistical account of, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Irongray, <a href="#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Iron raising storm, <a href="#pb6" class="pageref">6</a>.</p> -<p>Isla, John of, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Isla River, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Islay, Rhinns of, <a href="#pb167" class="pageref">167</a>.</p> -<p>Isles, Macdonald, Lord of the, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a><span class="corr" id="xd26e10637" title= -"Not in source">.</span></p> -<p>Italy, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, -<a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>.</p> -<p>Iten’s, St., Well at Cambusnethan, <a href="#pb61" class= -"pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Ivory, Magical properties of, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>James I. of Scotland, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>, -<a href="#pb285" class="pageref">285</a>.</p> -<p>James IV., <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb64" -class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb125" class="pageref">125</a>, -<a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>, <a href="#pb266" class= -"pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>James VI., <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href= -"#pb197" class="pageref">197</a>, <a href="#pb216" class= -"pageref">216</a>, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>James, Marquis of Douglas, <a href="#pb322" class= -"pageref">322</a>.</p> -<p>James’s, St., Well at Garvock, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Jamieson, George, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>.</p> -<p>Jarrow, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Jenny Greenteeth, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>.</p> -<p>Jergon’s, St., Well, at Troqueer, <a href="#pb44" class= -"pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>.</p> -<p>Jervise, Mr. Alexander, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, -<a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>, <a href="#pb92" class= -"pageref">92</a>.</p> -<p>Jews, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Joass, Rev. Dr. J. M., <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Chapel in Glasgow Cathedral, <a href="#pb67" -class="pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, -<a href="#pb286" class="pageref">286</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Eve, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Fires, <a href="#pb284" class= -"pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>John, St., of Beverley, <a href="#pb136" class= -"pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>John, St., of Jerusalem, Knights of, <a href="#pb36" class= -"pageref">36</a>;<br> -Hospital Order of, at Clerken-well, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>;<br> -their preceptory and well at Torphichen, <a href="#pb37" class= -"pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Well at Aghada, <a href="#pb191" class= -"pageref">191</a>;<br> -near Mexley, <a href="#pb318" class="pageref">318</a>.</p> -<p>John’s, St., Wells, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>, -<a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb110" class= -"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Joseph of Arimathea, Staff of, <a href="#pb235" class= -"pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Juno’s Pool, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>, -<a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>.</p> -<p>Jura, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Kate Kennedy’s celebration at St. Andrews, <a href="#pb63" -class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Kate’s Well at Shotts. <i>See</i> “Cat’s” -Well.</p> -<p>Keats, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>.</p> -<p>Keary, Mr., <a href="#pb231" class="pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Keil, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Keith, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Kells, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Kelvin, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Kelpy, Water, at building of St. Vigean’s Church, <a href= -"#pb13" class="pageref">13</a>;<br> -in Highlands and Lowlands, <a href="#pb161" class= -"pageref">161</a>–165. <i>Kempoch Stane</i> on Kempoch Point, -<a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>.</p> -<p>Kenmore, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Kenmuir, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Kennedy, Bishop, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Kentigern, St., otherwise Mungo, <a href="#pb49" class= -"pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb240" class="pageref">240</a>;<br> -Arbores Sancti Kentigerni, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>;<br> -his chair and bed, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>;<br> -his connection with Aberdeenshire, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>;<br> -his connection with Crosswaite, <a href="#pb51" class= -"pageref">51</a>;<br> -his connection with Fergus the Anchorite, <a href="#pb49" class= -"pageref">49</a>;<br> -his monastic settlement beside the Molendinar at Cathures now Glasgow, -<a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>;<br> -his other wells, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>, <a href= -"#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href="#pb102" class= -"pageref">102</a>;<br> -his relics, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>;<br> -his well in Lower Church of Cathedral, <a href="#pb50" class= -"pageref">50</a>, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>;<br> -Kenty’s Well at Kineff, <a href="#pb50" class= -"pageref">50</a>;<br> -proverb about his work, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Kentigerna, St.—her life on Inch Cailleach, <a href="#pb120" -class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Keyne’s, St., Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb139" class= -"pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Kidzaes, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Kieran, St., <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>;<br> -building of his church at Errigall-keroge, <a href="#pb44" class= -"pageref">44</a>;<br> -gave name to Kinloch-Kilkerran, <a href="#pb44" class= -"pageref">44</a>;<br> -his Book of the Gospels, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>;<br> -his cave near Campbeltown, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>;<br> -his font, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>, <a href="#pb44" -class="pageref">44</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>.</p> -<p>Kilanaish, Wishing well at, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb352" href="#pb352" -name="pb352">352</a>]</span></p> -<p>Kilbar, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>.</p> -<p>Kilbarray, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Kilberry, <a href="#pb254" class="pageref">254</a> (and -Kilcalmonell), <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Kilbrandon Sound, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>.</p> -<p>Kilbride in south of Skye, <a href="#pb184" class= -"pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Kilbride near Oban, Burying-ground of, <a href="#pb100" class= -"pageref">100</a>.</p> -<p>Kilbride, West, parish, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Kilby’s, St., Well. <i>See</i> Cuby’s, St.</p> -<p>Kilcalmonell. <i>See</i> Kilberry.</p> -<p>Kilchouslan Church, near Campbeltown, <a href="#pb54" class= -"pageref">54</a>;<br> -perforated stone and discovery of coins in graveyard of, <a href= -"#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>.</p> -<p>Kildgate, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Kildinguie, Well of, in Stronsay, <a href="#pb109" class= -"pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Kildonan in Sutherland, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, -<a href="#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Kilearnan, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>.</p> -<p>Kilkenny, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Killaghtee, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Killallan, St. Fillan’s seat and well at, <a href="#pb83" -class="pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>Killin, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb83" -class="pageref">83</a>, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>, -<a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href= -"#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>, <a href="#pb251" class= -"pageref">251</a>, <a href="#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmarnock, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmaronock, Church of, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>;<br> -well near, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmaronog near Loch Etive, <a href="#pb57" class= -"pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmichael at Inverlussa, <a href="#pb70" class= -"pageref">70</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmore in Lorne, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmorie, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Kilmun, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Kilwinning, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href= -"#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Kinahan, Mr. G. H., <a href="#pb276" class="pageref">276</a>.</p> -<p>Kingarth, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Kinghorn Craig, Spring at, <a href="#pb200" class= -"pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>King’s ease or King’s case, formerly Kilcaiss, <a href= -"#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>King’s Muir, Forfar, <a href="#pb66" class= -"pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Kingussie, <a href="#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>.</p> -<p>Kinloch-Kilkerran, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>.</p> -<p>Kinnethmont, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb90" -class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Kinnord, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Kinnoul Hill, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkcairns, now Glencairns, <a href="#pb69" class= -"pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkcolm, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>.</p> -<p>Kirdcudbright, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkden parish, spring for curing swellings in, <a href="#pb112" -class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkhampton, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkmaiden, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -chapel wells in, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, <a href= -"#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>;<br> -Peter’s paps in, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkmichael, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb69" -class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, -<a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>, <a href="#pb183" class= -"pageref">183</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkpatrick-Fleming, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>. -<i>Kirk-session Records</i>, <a href="#pb49" class= -"pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Kirkton in Dumfriesshire, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Kitty-frist well in Kilsyth parish, <a href="#pb26" class= -"pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Knee, Virgin’s, Print of, at Kirkmaiden, <a href="#pb79" -class="pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Knock-Fergan, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>, <a href= -"#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>. <i>Knowledge of Things Unknown, -The</i>, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Kyle-Stewart, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Lachlin family, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Laconia, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Ladykirk in Berwickshire, <a href="#pb68" class= -"pageref">68</a>;<br> -chapel of, in South Ronaldshay, <a href="#pb73" class= -"pageref">73</a>.</p> -<p>Lady’s Bed, The, in the Isle of May, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Ladywell at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Laird of Lee, <a href="#pb261" class="pageref">261</a>.</p> -<p>Lake, Lady of the, <a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a>.</p> -<p>Lakes in legendary lore, <a href="#pb10" class="pageref">10</a>, -<a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Lamb, Sacrifice of a, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>.</p> -<p>Lameness, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Lamington, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Lamlash Bay, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Lammas, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb283" -class="pageref">283</a>, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>, -<a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>;<br> -leading horses into the sea at, <a href="#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, -<a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb309" class= -"pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Lammas-towers, <a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Lammermoors, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href= -"#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Lanark, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Landscape, Highland, Charms of, <a href="#pb155" class= -"pageref">155</a>.</p> -<p>Langley, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Langley Park, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>. <i>Lapis -ceranius</i>, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>. <i>Lapis -hecticus</i>, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Larg, Gout well at, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Largs, Battle of, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>La Spanna, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Laurencekirk, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Lawrence, Archbishop of Canterbury, <a href="#pb65" class= -"pageref">65</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb353" href="#pb353" -name="pb353">353</a>]</span></p> -<p>Lawrence, St., martyr, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>;<br> -his fair at Rayne, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>;<br> -story of his death, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Lawrence’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Lazarus’, St., Well at Muswell, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Leek, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Lee Pen, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a>.</p> -<p>Lee Penny, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>, <a href= -"#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>, <a href="#pb261" class= -"pageref">261</a>.</p> -<p>Legends, English, Origin of springs in, <a href="#pb130" class= -"pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Leith, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>, <a href="#pb321" -class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Lenie Hill, <a href="#pb307" class="pageref">307</a>.</p> -<p>Leprosy, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb88" -class="pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Lerwick, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Lea Saintes Maries, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Lewis, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb135" class= -"pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>, <a href= -"#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb288" class= -"pageref">288</a>, <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>;<br> -Butt of, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Leven, R., <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Liberton, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb95" -class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p>Lido, Pilgrimage to the, <a href="#pb291" class= -"pageref">291</a>.</p> -<p>Life-stones, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Lindisfarne, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>, <a href= -"#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb268" class= -"pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>Lingay, <a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Linlithgow, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb67" -class="pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>;<br> -church of and burgh of, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>.</p> -<p>Linton in Craven, <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>.</p> -<p>Listerling, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Little Conan, Spring to “Our Lady of Nants” at, <a href= -"#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Little Van Lake, <a href="#pb308" class="pageref">308</a>.</p> -<p>Lix Well in Glen Ogle, <a href="#pb194" class="pageref">194</a>, -<a href="#pb195" class="pageref">195</a>.</p> -<p>Llandegla, <a href="#pb114" class="pageref">114</a>.</p> -<p>Lloyd, Mr. L., <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>, <a href= -"#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Llwyd, Edward, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Achtriachtan, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Alsh, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Awe, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Carloway, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Coruisk, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>, <a href= -"#pb179" class="pageref">179</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Earn, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Etive, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Fyne, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Loch, “John Macinnes’,” <a href="#pb176" class= -"pageref">176</a>, <a href="#pb177" class="pageref">177</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Katrine, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Leven, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Lomond, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Loch, Llundavrà, <a href="#pb173" class= -"pageref">173</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Manaar, <a href="#pb249" class="pageref">249</a>, <a href= -"#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, <a href="#pb295" class= -"pageref">295</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Maree, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Ness, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>, <a href= -"#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>.</p> -<p>Loch on Mealfourvounie, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Rannoch, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Ryan, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Siant, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>;<br> -well in Skye, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>, <a href= -"#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>, <a href="#pb311" class= -"pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Tay, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>, <a href="#pb252" -class="pageref">252</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Torridon, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, <a href= -"#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Loch Treig, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>.</p> -<p>Lochaber, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>.</p> -<p>Lochalsh, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Lochanna Cuile, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>.</p> -<p>Lochan-nan-Deaan, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>.</p> -<p>Lochan-Wan, <a href="#pb157" class="pageref">157</a>.</p> -<p>Lochinbreck, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Lochmaben, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Loch-na-Beiste, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Loch-nan-Spoiradan, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>.</p> -<p>Lochs and Scottish scenery, <a href="#pb11" class= -"pageref">11</a>.</p> -<p>Lockerbie Penny, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Lockerbie Water, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Lockhart, Sir Simon, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Logan, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Logie Coldstone, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Logie Pert, Spring for curing sores at, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Longforgan, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Lorne, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href="#pb101" -class="pageref">101</a>, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Lorne, Macdougall of, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Lossie, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Lough-Shanan, <a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a>.</p> -<p>Lourdes, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Lovat, Demesne of, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Love-charms, <a href="#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>, <a href= -"#pb314" class="pageref">314</a>, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>.</p> -<p>Love, Mr. Robert, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Low Dromore, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Lowlands, Kelpies in the, <a href="#pb161" class= -"pageref">161</a>.</p> -<p>Lubbock, Sir John, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>, -<a href="#pb241" class="pageref">241</a>.</p> -<p>Luck of Edenhall, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Ludvan’s, St., Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb139" class= -"pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Lugnasadh, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Luib, Bridge of, <a href="#pb164" class="pageref">164</a>.</p> -<p>Luke’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Lumsden, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Lunar-stone in Harris, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Macaulay, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>, <a href="#pb189" -class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>MacCulloch, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>, <a href= -"#pb179" class="pageref">179</a>, <a href="#pb184" class= -"pageref">184</a>, <a href="#pb254" class="pageref">254</a>, <a href= -"#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>.</p> -<p>MacCharmaig, <a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>.</p> -<p>Macdonald, Dr. James, <a href="#pb99" class="pageref">99</a>, -<a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb354" href="#pb354" name="pb354">354</a>]</span></p> -<p>Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a></p> -<p>Macduff, Earl of Fife, Kinship to, <a href="#pb38" class= -"pageref">38</a>.</p> -<p>MacGeorge, Dr. Andrew, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, -<a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Machar, St., or Macarius, his cathedral and well at Aberdeen, -<a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb106" class= -"pageref">106</a>;<br> -his connection with the See of Aberdeen, <a href="#pb53" class= -"pageref">53</a>;<br> -his well at Corgarff, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>MacMillan, Rev. Dr. Hugh, <a href="#pb11" class="pageref">11</a>, -<a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Madness in lower animals, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, -<a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Madron’s, St., Well, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, -<a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Maelrubha, St., Account of, <a href="#pb40" class= -"pageref">40</a>;<br> -his well on Innis Maree, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, -<a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb117" class= -"pageref">117</a>, <a href="#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>, <a href= -"#pb195" class="pageref">195</a>.</p> -<p>Magdalene’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Magic, Sympathetic, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a>, -<a href="#pb287" class="pageref">287</a>, <a href="#pb288" class= -"pageref">288</a>.</p> -<p>Magic and Marvel, <a href="#pb325" class="pageref">325</a>.</p> -<p>Magnus’s, St., Well at Birsay, <a href="#pb74" class= -"pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Malcolm IV., <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Malew, <a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>. <i>Mammie -Scott</i>, <a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a>.</p> -<p>Mandeville, Sir John, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Man, Isle of, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href= -"#pb115" class="pageref">115</a>, <a href="#pb182" class= -"pageref">182</a>, <a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href= -"#pb236" class="pageref">236</a>, <a href="#pb296" class= -"pageref">296</a>, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>, <a href= -"#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>, <a href="#pb309" class= -"pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Marden, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Margaret, St., wife of Malcolm Canmore, <a href="#pb65" class= -"pageref">65</a>, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, <a href= -"#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>;<br> -her connection with Queensferry and Forfar, <a href="#pb66" class= -"pageref">66</a>;<br> -her limitations, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>;<br> -her seat near Dunfermline, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>;<br> -secret of her power, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>;<br> -her springs, <a href="#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>, <a href="#pb33" -class="pageref">33</a>, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, -<a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Margaret’s, St., Well, formerly at Restalrig, <a href="#pb18" -class="pageref">18</a>, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, -<a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Maria Theresa, Empress, <a href="#pb261" class= -"pageref">261</a>.</p> -<p>Maria Wells, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Markets. <i>See</i> Fairs.</p> -<p>Mark’s, St., Eve, <a href="#pb315" class="pageref">315</a>. -<i>Marmion</i>, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href= -"#pb268" class="pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p><span class="corr" id="xd26e12423" title= -"Source: Marnock">Marnoch</span> or Marnan, St., <a href="#pb68" class= -"pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -his head as a relic, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>;<br> -his influence on topography, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, -<a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>;<br> -his missionary work, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -his well at Aberchider, <a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Marriage Well near Carmyle, <a href="#pb234" class= -"pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Martha’s, St., Hospital at Aberdour, <a href="#pb265" class= -"pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Martin, <a href="#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb31" class= -"pageref">31</a>, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>, <a href= -"#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, -<a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb73" class= -"pageref">73</a>, <a href="#pb134" class="pageref">134</a>, <a href= -"#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb184" class= -"pageref">184</a>, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>, <a href= -"#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>, <a href="#pb233" class= -"pageref">233</a>, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, <a href= -"#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>, <a href= -"#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>, <a href="#pb293" class= -"pageref">293</a>, <a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>, <a href= -"#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>. <i>Martin Dessil</i>, <a href= -"#pb293" class="pageref">293</a>.</p> -<p>Martin, St., of Tours—Candida Casa dedicated to, <a href= -"#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -his chapel at Stony Middleton, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>;<br> -his dedications, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -his connection with St. Ninian, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>;<br> -his cross in Iona, <a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>;<br> -his two festivals, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>;<br> -his well at Cairnie, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>Martinmas, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Martin of Bullion’s Day, <a href="#pb48" class= -"pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>Martin’s Den, Anti-scorbutic spring in, <a href="#pb112" -class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Marvel-sike Spring near Brompton Bridge, <a href="#pb147" class= -"pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Marvels, Meaning of, <a href="#pb324" class= -"pageref">324</a>–338.</p> -<p>Marwick, Sir James David, <a href="#pb280" class="pageref">280</a>, -<a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Maryhill, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Marykirk, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb110" -class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Mary’s, St., Wells, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, -<a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>;<br> -her chapel in Valay, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>;<br> -her chapel at Walsingham, <a href="#pb317" class="pageref">317</a>;<br> -her well and church at Auchindoir, <a href="#pb69" class= -"pageref">69</a>;<br> -her well at Tain, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>;<br> -her well at Whitekirk, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>, <a href= -"#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>;<br> -her well in the Isle of May, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Mason, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Matthew’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Matthew’s, St., Wells, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Mauldslie, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, <a href= -"#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Maurice, St., Abbey in Burgundy, <a href="#pb239" class= -"pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Maxentius, Emperor, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Maybole, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb302" -class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>May Day, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb82" -class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb209" class="pageref">209</a>, -<a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>, <a href= -"#pb270" class="pageref">270</a>, <a href="#pb296" class= -"pageref">296</a>, <a href="#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>, <a href= -"#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>, <a href="#pb300" class= -"pageref">300</a>, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>, <a href= -"#pb319" class="pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>May Dew, <a href="#pb300" class="pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>May Eve, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>.</p> -<p>May Fair at Auchinblae, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>May, Isle of, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>, <a href= -"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb112" class= -"pageref">112</a>, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>May, Month of, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>, <a href= -"#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>, <a href="#pb195" class= -"pageref">195</a>, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a>, <a href= -"#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>, <a href="#pb250" class= -"pageref">250</a>, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href= -"#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href= -"#pb285" class="pageref">285</a>, <a href="#pb296" class= -"pageref">296</a>, <a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>, <a href= -"#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>, <a href="#pb299" class= -"pageref">299</a>, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>, <a href= -"#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>May Pole, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>, <a href="#pb212" -class="pageref">212</a>, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>May Queen, Crowning of, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>, -<a href="#pb212" class="pageref">212</a>.</p> -<p>May Sun, Curative power of, <a href="#pb300" class= -"pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>May, Sundays in, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href= -"#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb106" class= -"pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href= -"#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href="#pb273" class= -"pageref">273</a>, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>, <a href= -"#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>M’Lachlan, Rev. Thomas, <a href="#pb41" class= -"pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb65" class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>M’Ure, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Meadow Well. <i>See</i> Deanside Well.</p> -<p>Mean-an-Tol, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>. <span class= -"pagenum">[<a id="pb355" href="#pb355" name="pb355">355</a>]</span></p> -<p>Mearns, The, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb65" -class="pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Medan, St., or Medana, <a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>, -<a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href="#pb95" class= -"pageref">95</a>;<br> -her chapel and cave, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>, <a href= -"#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>;<br> -her churches, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Melansay, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>Melista, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb154" -class="pageref">154</a>.</p> -<p>Men changed into standing stones by magic, <a href="#pb26" class= -"pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Menmuir, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Menteith, <a href="#pb270" class="pageref">270</a>.</p> -<p>Mermaid at Black Mere, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>;<br> -at Cromarty, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>;<br> -at Rostherne, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>;<br> -in pool at Chapel-en-le-Frith, <a href="#pb296" class= -"pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Mermen and Mermaidens, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, -<a href="#pb168" class="pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb169" class= -"pageref">169</a>.</p> -<p>Merton, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Metaphors, Use of, in connection with natural phenomena, <a href= -"#pb3" class="pageref">3</a>.</p> -<p>Meteorology and Folklore, <a href="#pb214" class= -"pageref">214</a>–216<span class="corr" id="xd26e13027" title= -"Not in source">.</span></p> -<p>Mexico, North, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>.</p> -<p>Michaelmas, <a href="#pb281" class="pageref">281</a>, <a href= -"#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class= -"pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Michael, St., patron of Linlithgow and Dumfries, <a href="#pb69" -class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, -<a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href="#pb182" class= -"pageref">182</a>, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>, <a href= -"#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>;<br> -his church-dedications, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, -<a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb71" class= -"pageref">71</a>;<br> -his influence on Scottish topography, <a href="#pb70" class= -"pageref">70</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb70" -class="pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>;<br> -his well at Linlithgow, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, -<a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>;<br> -his well in Kirkmichael parish, <a href="#pb144" class= -"pageref">144</a>.</p> -<p>Midsummer. <i>See</i> John’s, St., Day.</p> -<p>Midsummer Eve, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Milburga, St., Legend about, <a href="#pb132" class= -"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Mill, Rev. John, Diary of, <a href="#pb217" class= -"pageref">217</a>.</p> -<p>Miller, Bessie, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>.</p> -<p>Miller, Hugh, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>, <a href="#pb84" -class="pageref">84</a>, <a href="#pb104" class="pageref">104</a>, -<a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>, <a href="#pb192" class= -"pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Minch, The, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Mineral springs, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Ministers’ Well at Glasgow. <i>See</i> Priests’ -Wells.</p> -<p>Minnigaff parish, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>. -<i>Miracle Play</i>, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Mirelandorn, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Mirror, Use of, for divination, <a href="#pb140" class= -"pageref">140</a>.</p> -<p>Mitchell, Sir Arthur, <a href="#pb15" class="pageref">15</a>, -<a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>, <a href="#pb113" class= -"pageref">113</a>, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href= -"#pb195" class="pageref">195</a>, <a href="#pb244" class= -"pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Mochrum, Loch, <a href="#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>.</p> -<p>Mocumma or Mochonna. <i>See</i> Machar, St. <i>Moddey-Dhoo</i>, -<a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Moffat, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb87" -class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Molendinar, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb77" -class="pageref">77</a>, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Molio, St., his cave, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -his connection with Holy Island, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>;<br> -his holy well, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb198" -class="pageref">198</a>;<br> -his stone chair and table, <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>.</p> -<p>“<i>Molly Grime</i>,” <a href="#pb228" class= -"pageref">228</a>.</p> -<p>Moncrieff Hill, <a href="#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Monenna, St. <i>See</i> Medan, St.</p> -<p>Money as offerings, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, -<a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb221" class= -"pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Mongah’s, St., Well and Bath at Copgrove Park, <a href="#pb50" -class="pageref">50</a>.</p> -<p>Monktown, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>.</p> -<p>Monks’ Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Montblairie, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>.</p> -<p>Montezuma, <a href="#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>.</p> -<p>Montluck Well, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>.</p> -<p>Montrose, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb215" -class="pageref">215</a>.</p> -<p>Monzie, Tree and well at, <a href="#pb234" class= -"pageref">234</a>.</p> -<p>Monzievaird, Parish of, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, -<a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Moon, Changes of the, indicated by stone in Harris, <a href="#pb255" -class="pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Moore, Mr. A. W., <a href="#pb115" class="pageref">115</a>, <a href= -"#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb296" class= -"pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Moorfoot, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, <a href="#pb139" -class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Moors, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Moray, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Mornish, <a href="#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>.</p> -<p>Morpeth, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>, <a href="#pb134" -class="pageref">134</a>, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Morphie, Castle of, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>.</p> -<p>Morridge, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Morris-dancing, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>.</p> -<p>Morwenna, St., Legend of, <a href="#pb81" class= -"pageref">81</a>.</p> -<p>Morwenstowe, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>.</p> -<p>Moss, Kirk of, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>Moss of Melshach, Spring in, <a href="#pb90" class= -"pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Motherwell, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Moxley Nunnery, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>, <a href= -"#pb318" class="pageref">318</a>.</p> -<p>Muchricha’s, St., Well and Stone at Aboyne, <a href="#pb75" -class="pageref">75</a>.</p> -<p>Muir, Mr. T. S., <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href= -"#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>, -<a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Mull, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb243" -class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Mullen, St., his well at Listerling, <a href="#pb235" class= -"pageref">235</a>;<br> -legend of his staff, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Mulvay, St., Chapel of, called Teampull-mòr, <a href="#pb34" -class="pageref">34</a>;<br> -church of, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>.</p> -<p>Mungo, St. <i>See</i> Kentigern.</p> -<p>Munlochy Bay, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href= -"#pb273" class="pageref">273</a>.</p> -<p>Munna, St., <a href="#pb78" class="pageref">78</a>, <a href="#pb120" -class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Munster, Flooding of, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>.</p> -<p>Museum, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href="#pb255" -class="pageref">255</a>, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>.</p> -<p>Musgrave, Family of, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Muswell near London, <a href="#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Muthill, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb111" -class="pageref">111</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb356" href= -"#pb356" name="pb356">356</a>]</span></p> -<p>Nails as offerings, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>, <a href= -"#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Napier, Mr. James, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>, -<a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Natural and Supernatural, Archaic notions about the, <a href="#pb1" -class="pageref">1</a>, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>.</p> -<p>Nature-festivals, <a href="#pb281" class= -"pageref">281</a>–310. <i>Neck</i>, <a href="#pb163" class= -"pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Needles as offerings, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Neot’s, St., fish, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>, -<a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Nervous disorders, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>Nesa, <a href="#pb248" class="pageref">248</a>.</p> -<p>Ness, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>. <i>Nether -Lochaber</i>, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>, <a href= -"#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>.</p> -<p>Nether Lochaber, <a href="#pb300" class="pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>New Aberdour, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>, <a href= -"#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Newbottle, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>.</p> -<p>Newcastle-on-Tyne, Pestilence at, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>New Duffus, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Newell Well at Glentham, <a href="#pb228" class="pageref">228</a>, -<a href="#pb229" class="pageref">229</a>.</p> -<p>Newmills of Keith, <a href="#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>.</p> -<p>New-Year’s morning, Flower of the well on, <a href="#pb23" -class="pageref">23</a>.</p> -<p>Nicholas, St., <a href="#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>Nicholas’, St., Day, <a href="#pb281" class= -"pageref">281</a>.</p> -<p>Nicholson, Mr. J. B., <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>“<i>Nickar the Soulless</i>,” <a href="#pb162" class= -"pageref">162</a>. <i>Nick, Old</i>, <a href="#pb162" class= -"pageref">162</a>.</p> -<p>Niduarian Picts, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Nigg, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href="#pb274" -class="pageref">274</a>. <i>Nikr</i>, <a href="#pb162" class= -"pageref">162</a>.</p> -<p>Ninian, St., or Ringan, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>, -<a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>;<br> -built Candida Casa at Whithorn, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>;<br> -extent of his influence, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -his cave in Glasserton parish, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>;<br> -his connection with St. Martin in topography and church-dedications, -<a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -his consecration of grave-yard at Cathures, <a href="#pb49" class= -"pageref">49</a>;<br> -his hospital at Ayr, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href= -"#pb88" class="pageref">88</a>;<br> -his shrine at Whithorn, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, <a href="#pb47" -class="pageref">47</a>, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>, -<a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>;<br> -his relics at Whithorn, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Nine maidens well, <a href="#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Nine wells near Macduff’s Cross, <a href="#pb38" class= -"pageref">38</a>.</p> -<p>Nissa, <a href="#pb136" class="pageref">136</a>. <i>Nix</i>, -<a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>. <i>Nixie</i>, <a href= -"#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Non-mineral springs, <a href="#pb98" class= -"pageref">98</a>–105.</p> -<p>Noran Water, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Norna of the Fitful Head, <a href="#pb220" class= -"pageref">220</a>.</p> -<p>North Berwick, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>;<br> -kirk of, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>North Tawton parish, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Norway, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>, <a href="#pb131" -class="pageref">131</a>, <a href="#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>, -<a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>. <i>Notes and Queries</i>, -<a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Noup Head at Westray, superstition about rock at, <a href="#pb6" -class="pageref">6</a>.</p> -<p>Nuggles in Shetland, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Numa, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Nun’s, St., Well in Cornwall, <a href="#pb116" class= -"pageref">116</a>, <a href="#pb117" class="pageref">117</a>.</p> -<p>Nuts, Magical, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Nuttall, Dr. G. H. F., <a href="#pb330" class="pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Oak, Edgewell, at Dalhousie Castle, <a href="#pb238" class= -"pageref">238</a>;<br> -Errol’s, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>;<br> -grove, at Eastwell, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>;<br> -with mistletoe, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>.</p> -<p>Oath stones, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, <a href= -"#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>O’Curry, Professor, <a href="#pb232" class= -"pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Offerings, Votive, at chapel wells in Kirkmaiden, <a href="#pb92" -class="pageref">92</a>;<br> -at Chibber-Unjin in Isle of Man, <a href="#pb236" class= -"pageref">236</a>;<br> -at fountain of Findmaige, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>;<br> -at Holy Pool in Strathfillan, <a href="#pb124" class= -"pageref">124</a>;<br> -at St. Maelrubha’s Well in Innis Maree, <a href="#pb118" class= -"pageref">118</a>;<br> -at spring in Moss of Melshach, <a href="#pb90" class= -"pageref">90</a>;<br> -at spring in parish of Keith, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>;<br> -in well at Islay, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>;<br> -on ‘wishing-tree’ in Innis Maree, <a href="#pb196" class= -"pageref">196</a>;<br> -philosophy of, <a href="#pb202" class="pageref">202</a>;<br> -results of theft of, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>, <a href= -"#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>;<br> -reverence for, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>, <a href= -"#pb205" class="pageref">205</a>;<br> -to propitiate storm-spirit, <a href="#pb221" class= -"pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Oikel, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Olaf’s, King, spring at Trondhjem, <a href="#pb130" class= -"pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Olaus’, St., Well in Cruden parish, <a href="#pb105" class= -"pageref">105</a>.</p> -<p>Old Deer, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Old Luce, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Old Melrose, Monastery of, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, -<a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>Omens, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>–148, <a href= -"#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Ophthalmia, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Oran’s, St., Chapel in Iona, Stones near, <a href="#pb253" -class="pageref">253</a>. <i>Order Pot</i> at Elgin, <a href="#pb151" -class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Ordiquhill, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Orientation of Christian churches, <a href="#pb292" class= -"pageref">292</a>.</p> -<p>Orkney, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb109" -class="pageref">109</a>, <a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>, -<a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href="#pb168" class= -"pageref">168</a>, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>, <a href= -"#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb357" href="#pb357" -name="pb357">357</a>]</span></p> -<p>Oswald, King, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -his well in Lancashire, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>;<br> -his well in Yorkshire, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, -<a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Osyth’s, St., Well, <a href="#pb129" class= -"pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Our Lady’s Well at Threshfield, <a href="#pb327" class= -"pageref">327</a>.</p> -<p>Ouse, The, <a href="#pb319" class="pageref">319</a>.</p> -<p>“<i>O waly, waly up yon bank</i>,” <a href="#pb321" -class="pageref">321</a>, <a href="#pb322" class="pageref">322</a>, -<a href="#pb323" class="pageref">323</a>.</p> -<p>Ox, Burying a live, as a charm, <a href="#pb115" class= -"pageref">115</a>.</p> -<p>Oxford, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Oyne’s, St., Well and Mound in Rathen parish, <a href="#pb42" -class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Padstow, May-Day custom at, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Pagan beliefs and customs, Persistence of, <a href="#pb3" class= -"pageref">3</a>, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, <a href= -"#pb187" class="pageref">187</a>, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>, <a href="#pb283" class="pageref">283</a>, <a href= -"#pb303" class="pageref">303</a>, <a href="#pb305" class= -"pageref">305</a>, <a href="#pb338" class="pageref">338</a>.</p> -<p>Paganism and rain-charms, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Paisley, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>.</p> -<p>Palace, Alexandra, in London, <a href="#pb88" class= -"pageref">88</a>.</p> -<p>Paldy or Paddy’s Fair in Fordoun parish, <a href="#pb52" -class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Paldy’s Well in Fordoun parish, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Palladius, St., his connection with Fordoun, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>;<br> -his history uncertain, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>;<br> -his miracle to procure water for baptism, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>;<br> -his spring and fair there, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Palm-Sunday, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>Pannanich near Ballater, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Papa-Westray, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Paris, <a href="#pb272" class="pageref">272</a>.</p> -<p>Pasch Market, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>;<br> -Sunday, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Paton, Sir Noel, <a href="#pb162" class="pageref">162</a>.</p> -<p>Patrickmas, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Patrick, St., his marks in quarry at Portpatrick, <a href="#pb76" -class="pageref">76</a>;<br> -his vat in Tyree, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>;<br> -his visit to Findmaige, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>;<br> -his well and chapel in Muthill parish, <a href="#pb76" class= -"pageref">76</a>;<br> -his well in Dalziel parish, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Patrick’s, St., Cathedral, Well in, <a href="#pb50" class= -"pageref">50</a>. <i>Patrons</i> in Ireland, <a href="#pb276" class= -"pageref">276</a>.</p> -<p>Paul, St., Wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>;<br> -beheading of, at Tre Fontane, <a href="#pb128" class= -"pageref">128</a>.</p> -<p>Peacock, Mr. Edward, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>Pear, Gifford, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Pear-Tree, Pea-Tree, or Three-Tree Well at Glasgow, <a href="#pb234" -class="pageref">234</a>, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>.</p> -<p>Pebbles as charms, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, -<a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>, <a href="#pb249" class= -"pageref">249</a>, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>;<br> -as offerings, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb102" -class="pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, -<a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>, <a href="#pb195" class= -"pageref">195</a>.</p> -<p>Pectoral inflammation, Cure of, <a href="#pb253" class= -"pageref">253</a>.</p> -<p>Peebles, <a href="#pb285" class="pageref">285</a>.</p> -<p>Peel castle, <a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Peg Powler, <a href="#pb161" class="pageref">161</a>.</p> -<p>Penda, King of Mercia, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Pennant, <a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>, <a href="#pb43" -class="pageref">43</a>, <a href="#pb114" class="pageref">114</a>, -<a href="#pb117" class="pageref">117</a>, <a href="#pb152" class= -"pageref">152</a>, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>, <a href= -"#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>, <a href="#pb285" class= -"pageref">285</a>, <a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>, <a href= -"#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>, <a href="#pb318" class= -"pageref">318</a>.</p> -<p>Pentland Firth, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>.</p> -<p>Perth, <a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>, <a href="#pb329" -class="pageref">329</a>;<br> -kirk-session of, <a href="#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href= -"#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>.</p> -<p>Peruvians, Festival of the summer solstice among the, <a href= -"#pb292" class="pageref">292</a>.</p> -<p>Peter, St., his church at Rosemarkie, <a href="#pb62" class= -"pageref">62</a>;<br> -his well at Houston, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>;<br> -his wishing-well at Rait, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>;<br> -wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Peter ad Vincula, St., <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Peterchurch, <a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>Peterhead, Mineral waters of, <a href="#pb90" class= -"pageref">90</a>, <a href="#pb325" class="pageref">325</a>, <a href= -"#pb326" class="pageref">326</a>;<br> -wine well at, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Peter’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>, -<a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href="#pb286" class= -"pageref">286</a>.</p> -<p>Petrie’s well in Marnoch parish, <a href="#pb68" class= -"pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Petrifying springs, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Phenomena Natural, Misinterpretation of, <a href="#pb324" class= -"pageref">324</a>–331.</p> -<p>Philip’s, St., Well in Yarrow parish, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Phitallis’ St., Well, <a href="#pb304" class= -"pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Pictavia, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Picts, King of the, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>Pierse-bridge, <a href="#pb161" class="pageref">161</a>.</p> -<p>Pilgrimages, <a href="#pb263" class="pageref">263</a>–279.</p> -<p>Pilgrims’ Well at Aberdour, <a href="#pb265" class= -"pageref">265</a>;<br> -well and haven in Isle of May, <a href="#pb267" class= -"pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Pins as offerings, <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>, <a href= -"#pb144" class="pageref">144</a>, <a href="#pb189" class= -"pageref">189</a>, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>, <a href= -"#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Pit-alt-donich or Balandonich, <a href="#pb302" class= -"pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Pit and Gallows, Right of, <a href="#pb148" class= -"pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Pitlochry, <a href="#pb175" class="pageref">175</a>.</p> -<p>Pittenweem, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>Pittenyoul, Pot o’, in the “Burn o’ the -Riggins,” <a href="#pb84" class="pageref">84</a>.</p> -<p>Plants, Personality of, <a href="#pb230" class= -"pageref">230</a>.</p> -<p>Plymouth, Bringing water to, <a href="#pb134" class= -"pageref">134</a>.</p> -<p>Pococke, Bishop, <a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>.</p> -<p>Poetry and Superstition, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, -<a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, <a href="#pb326" class= -"pageref">326</a>, <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>.</p> -<p>Poison, Protection against, <a href="#pb242" class= -"pageref">242</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb358" href="#pb358" -name="pb358">358</a>]</span></p> -<p>Poison-wells in West Highland Folk-tales, <a href="#pb26" class= -"pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Pol-Ronan, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Ponage or Pontage Pool, <a href="#pb176" class= -"pageref">176</a>.</p> -<p>Pont, Timothy, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>.</p> -<p>Pope Pius the Second, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Portankill, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>.</p> -<p>Port Erin, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Port Henderson, <a href="#pb169" class="pageref">169</a>.</p> -<p>Portpatrick, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Port Ronan in Iona, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Powbate Well, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>.</p> -<p>Preservation of holy wells, Plea for the, <a href="#pb22" class= -"pageref">22</a>.</p> -<p>Prestonkirk, Church of, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>. -<i>Pricking</i>, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>.</p> -<p>Priests’ wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>, -<a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Priors’ wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Prophetic power of wells, <a href="#pb140" class= -"pageref">140</a>–148, <a href="#pb333" class= -"pageref">333</a>.</p> -<p>Prophylactic springs, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, -<a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb107" class= -"pageref">107</a>.</p> -<p>Queensferry, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>, <a href="#pb83" -class="pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>Queen’s Well, Forfar, <a href="#pb66" class= -"pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Querdon’s, St., Well at Troqueer. <i>See</i> Jergon’s, -St., Well.</p> -<p>Quigrich. <i>See</i> Coig-gerach.</p> -<p>Quirinus, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Rags as offerings, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href= -"#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>–193, <a href="#pb197" class= -"pageref">197</a>, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>, <a href= -"#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Rag Well at Newcastle, <a href="#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Rainmaking, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>–229.</p> -<p>Ramsay, Allan, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>.</p> -<p>Rannoch, <a href="#pb173" class="pageref">173</a>, <a href="#pb175" -class="pageref">175</a>.</p> -<p>Rath Croghan, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Rath Erenn, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>.</p> -<p>Rathven, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>Ravenna, Mosaic representing baptism of Christ at, <a href="#pb9" -class="pageref">9</a>.</p> -<p>Rayne, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Rearymore, <a href="#pb236" class="pageref">236</a>. <i>Red -Altar</i> at Dulyn, <a href="#pb227" class="pageref">227</a>.</p> -<p>Relics of saints, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>, <a href= -"#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, -<a href="#pb75" class="pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href= -"#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>.</p> -<p>Renfrew, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Restalrig, <a href="#pb66" class="pageref">66</a>.</p> -<p>Rhodes, Knights of. <i>See</i> John, St., of Jerusalem, Knights -of.</p> -<p>Rhys, Professor John, <a href="#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>, -<a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a>, <a href="#pb227" class= -"pageref">227</a>, <a href="#pb308" class="pageref">308</a>, <a href= -"#pb309" class="pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Richard’s, St., Well at Droitwich, <a href="#pb207" class= -"pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Ring, gold, Use of, for divination, <a href="#pb298" class= -"pageref">298</a>.</p> -<p>Rivers, archaic, Notions about, <a href="#pb8" class= -"pageref">8</a>;<br> -guardian spirits of, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href= -"#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>;<br> -mystery of a, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>, <a href="#pb159" -class="pageref">159</a>–162.</p> -<p>Robertlone in Dundonald, Lands of, <a href="#pb87" class= -"pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Robin Round-Cap Well, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Rogers, Dr. Charles, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>, -<a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>, <a href="#pb238" class= -"pageref">238</a>, <a href="#pb251" class="pageref">251</a>.</p> -<p>Rome, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>, <a href="#pb54" class= -"pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href= -"#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb65" class= -"pageref">65</a>.</p> -<p>Rona in Sound of Skye, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, -<a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>;<br> -off Lewis, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Ronald, St., Chapel to, <a href="#pb221" class= -"pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Ronaldshay, South, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>.</p> -<p>Ronan, St., <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>;<br> -his chapel in Rona, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>;<br> -his influence on Scottish topography, <a href="#pb57" class= -"pageref">57</a>;<br> -his springs, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Roseberry Topping, <a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>.</p> -<p>Rosemarkie, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Roslin, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Ross, Mr. J. Calder, <a href="#pb177" class="pageref">177</a>.</p> -<p>Ross, Rev. William, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Rostherne, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Rowan, <a href="#pb176" class="pageref">176</a>, <a href="#pb232" -class="pageref">232</a>;<br> -cross, <a href="#pb299" class="pageref">299</a>.</p> -<p>Royal Oak Day, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>.</p> -<p>Rum, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>.</p> -<p>Rumbling Well at Bootle, <a href="#pb190" class= -"pageref">190</a>.</p> -<p>Rurach in Kintail, Spring at, <a href="#pb328" class= -"pageref">328</a>.</p> -<p>Ryndis, Kirkmaiden in, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Sabrina, <a href="#pb10" class="pageref">10</a>.</p> -<p>Sacheverel, <a href="#pb254" class="pageref">254</a>.</p> -<p>Saddell Abbey, Well near, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>, -<a href="#pb321" class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Sage, Rev. Donald, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, -<a href="#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>.</p> -<p>Sailors and Fishermen, Superstitions of, <a href="#pb4" class= -"pageref">4</a>, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>, <a href= -"#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Saints allaying storms, <a href="#pb329" class= -"pageref">329</a>.</p> -<p>St. Agnes, Island of, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>St. Andrews, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb67" -class="pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, -<a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>St. Boswell’s, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, -<a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>;<br> -Burn, <a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>St. Catherine’s on Loch Fyne, <a href="#pb64" class= -"pageref">64</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb359" href="#pb359" -name="pb359">359</a>]</span></p> -<p>St. Fergus, Parish of, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>St. Fillan’s, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>.</p> -<p>St. George, <a href="#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>St. Kilda, <a href="#pb40" class="pageref">40</a>, <a href="#pb111" -class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>St. Lawrence, Parish of. <i>See</i> Slamannan.</p> -<p>St. Margaret’s Stone Farm, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>.</p> -<p>St. Martin’s Abbey, <a href="#pb49" class= -"pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>St. Mary’s Loch, <a href="#pb180" class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>St. Ninian’s, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>St. Quintin, <a href="#pb145" class="pageref">145</a>.</p> -<p>“<i>St. Ronan’s Well</i>,” <a href="#pb56" class= -"pageref">56</a>.</p> -<p>St. Serf’s Water, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Saints and Springs, <a href="#pb39" class="pageref">39</a>–55, -<a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>, <a href="#pb187" class= -"pageref">187</a>.</p> -<p>Saints’ Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Salmon, <a href="#pb232" class="pageref">232</a>.</p> -<p>Salt as a charm, <a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Sampson, Agnes, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>.</p> -<p>Sancta Crux Well in Crueshill, <a href="#pb277" class= -"pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Sanctuary, Right of, <a href="#pb34" class="pageref">34</a>;<br> -abolished in England by James I., <a href="#pb35" class= -"pageref">35</a>;<br> -laws regarding, <a href="#pb35" class="pageref">35</a>.</p> -<p>Sanda, <a href="#pb48" class="pageref">48</a>.</p> -<p>Sandal, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Sandplace, <a href="#pb52" class="pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Sanquhar, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Saracen Prince, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Sarcophagi, Gems with mystic mottoes in, <a href="#pb243" class= -"pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Satan and Satanic. <i>See</i> Devil.</p> -<p>Saturnalia, Roman, <a href="#pb283" class="pageref">283</a>.</p> -<p>Saughton Hall, <a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>.</p> -<p>Saxby, Mrs. Jessie M. E., <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, -<a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Scandinavia, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, <a href= -"#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>, <a href="#pb264" class= -"pageref">264</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href= -"#pb309" class="pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>Scilly Isles, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>Scone, Monastery of, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, -<a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Scotland, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href="#pb63" -class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, -<a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>, <a href="#pb75" class= -"pageref">75</a>, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>, <a href= -"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb113" class= -"pageref">113</a>, <a href="#pb114" class="pageref">114</a>, <a href= -"#pb117" class="pageref">117</a>, <a href="#pb120" class= -"pageref">120</a>, <a href="#pb139" class="pageref">139</a>, <a href= -"#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href="#pb150" class= -"pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb163" class="pageref">163</a>, <a href= -"#pb192" class="pageref">192</a>, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>, <a href="#pb212" class="pageref">212</a>, <a href= -"#pb217" class="pageref">217</a>, <a href="#pb257" class= -"pageref">257</a>, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>, <a href= -"#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>, <a href="#pb267" class= -"pageref">267</a>, <a href="#pb269" class="pageref">269</a>, <a href= -"#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href= -"#pb298" class="pageref">298</a>, <a href="#pb307" class= -"pageref">307</a>, <a href="#pb309" class="pageref">309</a>.</p> -<p>—— <i>New Statistical Account of</i>, <a href="#pb27" -class="pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb37" class="pageref">37</a>, -<a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb76" class= -"pageref">76</a>, <a href="#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>.</p> -<p>—— <i>Old Statistical Account of</i>, <a href="#pb21" -class="pageref">21</a>, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>, -<a href="#pb27" class="pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb82" class= -"pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href= -"#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>, <a href="#pb201" class= -"pageref">201</a>.</p> -<p>—— <i>Society of Antiquaries of</i>, <a href="#pb243" -class="pageref">243</a>, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>;<br> -<i>Proceedings of the</i>, <a href="#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>, -<a href="#pb30" class="pageref">30</a>, <a href="#pb69" class= -"pageref">69</a>, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>, <a href= -"#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, -<a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a>, <a href="#pb102" class= -"pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>, <a href= -"#pb113" class="pageref">113</a>, <a href="#pb122" class= -"pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>, <a href= -"#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>, <a href="#pb253" class= -"pageref">253</a>, <a href="#pb265" class="pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Scott, Sir John, vicar of Aberdour, <a href="#pb265" class= -"pageref">265</a>.</p> -<p>Scots, Mary Queen of, <a href="#pb245" class="pageref">245</a>.</p> -<p>Scott, Michael, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Scott, Sir Walter, <a href="#pb56" class="pageref">56</a>, <a href= -"#pb119" class="pageref">119</a>, <a href="#pb132" class= -"pageref">132</a>, <a href="#pb179" class="pageref">179</a>, <a href= -"#pb182" class="pageref">182</a>, <a href="#pb219" class= -"pageref">219</a>, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>, <a href= -"#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>, <a href="#pb268" class= -"pageref">268</a>, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>;<br> -his mother’s amulet, <a href="#pb245" class= -"pageref">245</a>.</p> -<p>Scripture characters, Wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb67" class= -"pageref">67</a>–71.</p> -<p>Scrofula, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Sea, leading horses into the, <a href="#pb7" class= -"pageref">7</a>;<br> -magical power ascribed to the, <a href="#pb6" class= -"pageref">6</a>;<br> -water from the, for curative purposes, <a href="#pb6" class= -"pageref">6</a>.</p> -<p>Seal-ancestry in Shetland, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>.</p> -<p>Seals, superstitions about, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>, -<a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>.</p> -<p>Sea-serpents, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>. <i>Sea-trows</i> -in Shetland, <a href="#pb4" class="pageref">4</a>.</p> -<p>Seat, St., Kevin’s, <a href="#pb79" class= -"pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Secrecy of visits to wells, <a href="#pb278" class= -"pageref">278</a>, <a href="#pb279" class="pageref">279</a>.</p> -<p>Selkirk, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Senanus, St., <a href="#pb100" class="pageref">100</a>.</p> -<p>Serf, St., otherwise Servanus, <a href="#pb55" class= -"pageref">55</a>;<br> -his cave at Dysart, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>;<br> -his cell at Dunning, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>;<br> -his connection with district north of the Firth of Forth, <a href= -"#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>;<br> -his link with the Monzievaird parish, <a href="#pb55" class= -"pageref">55</a>;<br> -his staff, <a href="#pb235" class="pageref">235</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>.</p> -<p>Serf’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb282" class= -"pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Seton, <a href="#pb53" class="pageref">53</a>, <a href="#pb305" -class="pageref">305</a>.</p> -<p>Shadar, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb141" -class="pageref">141</a>, <a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>, -<a href="#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Shakespeare, <a href="#pb216" class="pageref">216</a>, <a href= -"#pb263" class="pageref">263</a>.</p> -<p>Shargar stone at Fyvie, <a href="#pb81" class="pageref">81</a>.</p> -<p>Sharpe, Charles Kirkpatrick, <a href="#pb149" class= -"pageref">149</a>.</p> -<p>Shaw, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Shear’s, St., Well at Dumbarton, <a href="#pb55" class= -"pageref">55</a>. <i>Sheles</i> and <i>Spital Sheles</i> in Kyle -Stewart, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Shells as offerings, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Sheriffmuir, <a href="#pb258" class="pageref">258</a>.</p> -<p>Shetland Islands, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href= -"#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href="#pb178" class= -"pageref">178</a>, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Shin, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Shirt, use of, in magic, <a href="#pb9" class="pageref">9</a>. -<i>Shony</i>, sea-god, Sacrifice to, in Lewis, <a href="#pb4" class= -"pageref">4</a>.</p> -<p>Shotts, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Sigget, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Sight, Weakness of, <a href="#pb110" class="pageref">110</a>.</p> -<p>Sikes, Mr. Wirt, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Silence, Necessity of, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, -<a href="#pb34" class="pageref">34</a>, <a href="#pb316" class= -"pageref">316</a>, <a href="#pb317" class="pageref">317</a>, <a href= -"#pb318" class="pageref">318</a>, <a href="#pb323" class= -"pageref">323</a>, <a href="#pb337" class="pageref">337</a>. -<i>Siller</i> or Silver wells, <a href="#pb198" class= -"pageref">198</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb360" href="#pb360" -name="pb360">360</a>]</span></p> -<p>Silver coins as offerings, <a href="#pb196" class="pageref">196</a>, -<a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Silvius, Æneas, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Simpson, Sir J. Y., <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>.</p> -<p>Sinai, Mount, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>, <a href= -"#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p><i>Sinavey</i> spring in Mains parish, <a href="#pb47" class= -"pageref">47</a>.</p> -<p>Sinking or floating, Auguries by, <a href="#pb141" class= -"pageref">141</a>, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, <a href= -"#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb151" class= -"pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Siracht, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Skene, Dr. W., <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, <a href= -"#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb93" class= -"pageref">93</a>.</p> -<p>Skeulan well at Aboyne, <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>.</p> -<p>Skibo Castle, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Skinner’s well, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Skulls, human, Folklore of, <a href="#pb222" class= -"pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Skye, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>, <a href="#pb246" -class="pageref">246</a>.</p> -<p>Slamannan, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>.</p> -<p>Sligo, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>.</p> -<p>Slochd-Muichd, <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>.</p> -<p>Snail in folk-medicine, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Snowdon, <a href="#pb226" class="pageref">226</a>. -<i>Sonnenwendfeuer</i>, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Sorcery, <a href="#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb215" -class="pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>.</p> -<p>Soul, External, in a bird, <a href="#pb240" class= -"pageref">240</a>;<br> -in deer, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -in a fish, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -in Luck of Edenhall, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -in a pear, <a href="#pb238" class="pageref">238</a>;<br> -in a swan, <a href="#pb239" class="pageref">239</a>;<br> -in a tree, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>;<br> -in various animals, <a href="#pb236" class="pageref">236</a>.</p> -<p>Sound of Skye, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Southend, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb80" -class="pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>South-running stream, Efficacy of, <a href="#pb9" class= -"pageref">9</a>, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>.</p> -<p>Southwood church, <a href="#pb186" class="pageref">186</a>.</p> -<p>Soutra hill, <a href="#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Spa, Well of, at Aberdeen, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, -<a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>.</p> -<p>Spain, <a href="#pb64" class="pageref">64</a>, <a href="#pb259" -class="pageref">259</a>.</p> -<p>Special diseases, Cure of, <a href="#pb109" class= -"pageref">109</a>–127.</p> -<p>Spey and Drachaldy, Wells of, <a href="#pb14" class= -"pageref">14</a>.</p> -<p>Spey river, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Spider in folk-medicine, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Spirits, guardians of wells and lochs, <a href="#pb155" class= -"pageref">155</a>–170, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>, -<a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>, <a href="#pb205" class= -"pageref">205</a>;<br> -origin of belief in, <a href="#pb283" class="pageref">283</a>, <a href= -"#pb331" class="pageref">331</a>.</p> -<p>Spirits, Nature-, inhabiting springs, called <i>demons</i> by -Adamnan, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>, <a href="#pb283" -class="pageref">283</a>.</p> -<p>Spoon from horn of living cow, <a href="#pb32" class= -"pageref">32</a>, <a href="#pb103" class="pageref">103</a>, <a href= -"#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>Spring, Mystery of a, <a href="#pb324" class="pageref">324</a>.</p> -<p>Springs associated with early saints, <a href="#pb30" class= -"pageref">30</a>;<br> -double charm of, <a href="#pb337" class="pageref">337</a>;<br> -healing power of, <a href="#pb325" class="pageref">325</a>;<br> -intermittent, <a href="#pb137" class="pageref">137</a>;<br> -issuing from graves, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>;<br> -mysterious connection of springs with trees, <a href="#pb336" class= -"pageref">336</a>;<br> -mysterious <span class="corr" id="xd26e16303" title= -"Source: disappear-">disappearance</span> of, <a href="#pb19" class= -"pageref">19</a>, <a href="#pb20" class="pageref">20</a>;<br> -mysterious origin of, <a href="#pb328" class="pageref">328</a>;<br> -passing from paganism to Christianity, <a href="#pb24" class= -"pageref">24</a>.<br> -<i>See also</i> Fountains and Wells.</p> -<p>Spynie Loch, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>.</p> -<p>Stable door, Perforated stones hung at, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Stackpole Head, St. Govan’s Chapel and Well near, <a href= -"#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Stane, Kelpy’s, at Corgarff, <a href="#pb165" class= -"pageref">165</a>;<br> -St. Cuthbert’s, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>;<br> -<i>The Creeping</i>, <a href="#pb80" class="pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Stenton, <a href="#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>.</p> -<p>Stewart, Rev. Dr. Alexander, <a href="#pb46" class="pageref">46</a>, -<a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb175" class= -"pageref">175</a>, <a href="#pb290" class="pageref">290</a>, <a href= -"#pb300" class="pageref">300</a>.</p> -<p>Stewart, Mr. Charles, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>.</p> -<p>Stewart, Mr. W. G., <a href="#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>.</p> -<p>Stirling, <a href="#pb94" class="pageref">94</a>;<br> -near, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Stitches, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>.</p> -<p>Stoke St. Milborough, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>.</p> -<p>Stone, Blue, of Fladda, as a curing-stone, <a href="#pb247" class= -"pageref">247</a>;<br> -as an oath-stone, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>;<br> -brownie’s, in Valay, <a href="#pb304" class= -"pageref">304</a>;<br> -dwarfie, in Hoy, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>;<br> -in churchyard of St. Denis, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>;<br> -kettle, in Corgarff, <a href="#pb204" class="pageref">204</a>;<br> -lunar, of Harris, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>;<br> -St. Declan’s, <a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>;<br> -serpent, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>;<br> -white, of Loch Manaar, <a href="#pb247" class="pageref">247</a>, -<a href="#pb249" class="pageref">249</a>;<br> -wishing, in St. John’s Well, <a href="#pb318" class= -"pageref">318</a>;<br> -yellow, in Mull, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>.</p> -<p>Stone-bed, St. Baldred’s (or <i>Cradle</i>), at Whitberry, -<a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -St. Columba’s, in Iona, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>;<br> -St. Kentigern’s Couch at Glasgow, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>;<br> -St. Madron’s, in Cornwall, <a href="#pb80" class= -"pageref">80</a>.</p> -<p>Stone-blocks, <a href="#pb72" class="pageref">72</a>–85.</p> -<p>Stone-boat, St. Baudron’s, <a href="#pb74" class= -"pageref">74</a>;<br> -St. Magnus’s, <a href="#pb73" class="pageref">73</a>;<br> -St. Conval’s, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Stone-chair, St. Donan’s, at Kildonan, <a href="#pb75" class= -"pageref">75</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s Seat at Killallan, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s, at Comrie, <a href="#pb81" class= -"pageref">81</a>;<br> -St. Fillan’s, at Killin, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>;<br> -St. Inan’s, in Beith, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -St. Kentigern’s, at Glasgow, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>;<br> -St. Kevin’s Seat at Glendalough, <a href="#pb78" class= -"pageref">78</a>;<br> -St. Margaret’s Seat near Dunfermline, <a href="#pb83" class= -"pageref">83</a>;<br> -St. Marnan’s, at Aberchirder, <a href="#pb75" class= -"pageref">75</a>;<br> -St Molio’s, and <i>Table</i> in Holy Island, <a href="#pb78" -class="pageref">78</a>;<br> -Wallace’s Seat near Vizziberry, <a href="#pb85" class= -"pageref">85</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb361" href="#pb361" -name="pb361">361</a>]</span></p> -<p>Stone, Mrs., <a href="#pb86" class="pageref">86</a>.</p> -<p>Stonehaven, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb221" -class="pageref">221</a>.</p> -<p>Stones as amulets, <a href="#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, -<a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>;<br> -as medicine, <a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>;<br> -as ornaments, <a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>;<br> -as talismans, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>, <a href= -"#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>;<br> -beside wells, <a href="#pb251" class="pageref">251</a>;<br> -<i>black</i>, of Iona, <a href="#pb244" class="pageref">244</a>;<br> -cramp, <a href="#pb246" class="pageref">246</a>;<br> -in Juno’s pool, <a href="#pb140" class="pageref">140</a>;<br> -in mill at Killin, <a href="#pb328" class="pageref">328</a>;<br> -mysterious properties of, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>;<br> -on altars, <a href="#pb253" class="pageref">253</a>;<br> -perforated, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>;<br> -precious, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>;<br> -symbolism of, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Stones, Standing, associated with springs, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, <a href= -"#pb29" class="pageref">29</a>;<br> -called in Lewis <i>Fir chreig</i>, <a href="#pb26" class= -"pageref">26</a>;<br> -Christian churches associated with, <a href="#pb34" class= -"pageref">34</a>, <a href="#pb83" class="pageref">83</a>;<br> -purpose of, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>;<br> -superstitions about, <a href="#pb25" class="pageref">25</a>, <a href= -"#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Stone-worship, Survivals of, <a href="#pb241" class= -"pageref">241</a>.</p> -<p>Stoneykirk, <a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>.</p> -<p>Stony Middleton, St. Martin’s Chapel at, <a href="#pb88" -class="pageref">88</a>, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Storms, Allaying of, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>;<br> -causation of, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>, <a href= -"#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>, <a href="#pb294" class= -"pageref">294</a>;<br> -great storm of July, 1881, <a href="#pb222" class= -"pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Stornoway, <a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a>.</p> -<p>Stow, <a href="#pb275" class="pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Stow, Sanctuary at, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>.</p> -<p>Straid, Whooping-cough Well at, <a href="#pb111" class= -"pageref">111</a>.</p> -<p>Stranraer, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Strathbogie, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>.</p> -<p>Strathclyde, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Strathdeveron, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>.</p> -<p>Strathdon, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, <a href="#pb57" -class="pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb142" class="pageref">142</a>, -<a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href="#pb185" class= -"pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>Strathearn, <a href="#pb55" class="pageref">55</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Strathfillan, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href= -"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb120" class= -"pageref">120</a>, <a href="#pb121" class="pageref">121</a>, <a href= -"#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>, <a href="#pb126" class= -"pageref">126</a>, <a href="#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>;<br> -Priory in, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Strathmartin, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href= -"#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>, <a href="#pb181" class= -"pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Strathnaver, <a href="#pb249" class="pageref">249</a>.</p> -<p>Strathpeffer, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>.</p> -<p>Strathspey, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href= -"#pb174" class="pageref">174</a>.</p> -<p>Strathtay, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Straw, <a href="#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>;<br> -use of, in connection with stones, <a href="#pb252" class= -"pageref">252</a>. <i>Stromkarl</i>, <a href="#pb163" class= -"pageref">163</a>.</p> -<p>Stromness, <a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>, <a href= -"#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>.</p> -<p>Stronsay, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Strowan, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>, <a href="#pb58" -class="pageref">58</a>.</p> -<p>Struthill, <a href="#pb118" class="pageref">118</a>, <a href= -"#pb124" class="pageref">124</a>.</p> -<p>Stuart, Dr. John, <a href="#pb122" class="pageref">122</a>.</p> -<p>Sun-charms, <a href="#pb287" class="pageref">287</a>, <a href= -"#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>.</p> -<p>Sulphur well at Edinburgh. <i>See</i> Bernard’s, St., -Well.</p> -<p>Sunday, <a href="#pb210" class="pageref">210</a>, <a href="#pb286" -class="pageref">286</a>, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>, -<a href="#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>, <a href="#pb301" class= -"pageref">301</a>, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>, <a href= -"#pb303" class="pageref">303</a>, <a href="#pb304" class= -"pageref">304</a>, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>, <a href= -"#pb309" class="pageref">309</a>;<br> -choice of, for visits to wells, <a href="#pb302" class= -"pageref">302</a>;<br> -markets on, <a href="#pb305" class="pageref">305</a>;<br> -<i>Sugar and Water</i>, in Cumberland, <a href="#pb275" class= -"pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Sun-god, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Sunrise, <a href="#pb58" class="pageref">58</a>, <a href="#pb93" -class="pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>, -<a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb142" class= -"pageref">142</a>, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>, <a href= -"#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb300" class= -"pageref">300</a>, <a href="#pb301" class="pageref">301</a>, <a href= -"#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>, <a href="#pb328" class= -"pageref">328</a>.</p> -<p>Sunset, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb114" -class="pageref">114</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, -<a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>, <a href="#pb215" class= -"pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, <a href= -"#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Sunways, Turning, <a href="#pb12" class="pageref">12</a>, <a href= -"#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, -<a href="#pb141" class="pageref">141</a>, <a href="#pb293" class= -"pageref">293</a>, <a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>, <a href= -"#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>, <a href="#pb311" class= -"pageref">311</a>, <a href="#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Sun-worship and well-worship, Connection of, <a href="#pb295" class= -"pageref">295</a>;<br> -survival of, <a href="#pb290" class="pageref">290</a>.</p> -<p>Superstition, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>, <a href= -"#pb113" class="pageref">113</a>, <a href="#pb133" class= -"pageref">133</a>, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, <a href= -"#pb149" class="pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb153" class= -"pageref">153</a>, <a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href= -"#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, <a href="#pb172" class= -"pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb206" class="pageref">206</a>, <a href= -"#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>, <a href="#pb219" class= -"pageref">219</a>, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>, <a href= -"#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>, <a href="#pb223" class= -"pageref">223</a>, <a href="#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>, <a href= -"#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>, <a href="#pb228" class= -"pageref">228</a>, <a href="#pb230" class="pageref">230</a>, <a href= -"#pb231" class="pageref">231</a>, <a href="#pb237" class= -"pageref">237</a>, <a href="#pb240" class="pageref">240</a>, <a href= -"#pb243" class="pageref">243</a>, <a href="#pb254" class= -"pageref">254</a>, <a href="#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>, <a href= -"#pb267" class="pageref">267</a>, <a href="#pb269" class= -"pageref">269</a>, <a href="#pb270" class="pageref">270</a>, <a href= -"#pb272" class="pageref">272</a>, <a href="#pb273" class= -"pageref">273</a>, <a href="#pb287" class="pageref">287</a>, <a href= -"#pb291" class="pageref">291</a>, <a href="#pb294" class= -"pageref">294</a>, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>, <a href= -"#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>, <a href="#pb315" class= -"pageref">315</a>, <a href="#pb326" class="pageref">326</a>, <a href= -"#pb329" class="pageref">329</a>, <a href="#pb330" class= -"pageref">330</a>, <a href="#pb333" class="pageref">333</a>, <a href= -"#pb336" class="pageref">336</a>, <a href="#pb338" class= -"pageref">338</a>.</p> -<p>Sutherland, Water-spirits in, <a href="#pb165" class= -"pageref">165</a>–172.</p> -<p>Swave, Peter, <a href="#pb95" class="pageref">95</a>.</p> -<p>Sweden, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, <a href="#pb162" -class="pageref">162</a>, <a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>.</p> -<p>Swithin’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>. -<i>Symson</i>, <a href="#pb143" class="pageref">143</a>, <a href= -"#pb190" class="pageref">190</a>, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>, <a href="#pb295" class="pageref">295</a>.</p> -<p>Syria, <a href="#pb183" class="pageref">183</a>.</p> -<p>Tailtin, now Teltown, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Tain, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>, <a href="#pb201" -class="pageref">201</a>, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Tanew, St., or Thenew, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>;<br> -her cave in the Isle of May, <a href="#pb77" class= -"pageref">77</a>;<br> -her chapel at Glasgow, <a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>;<br> -her springs, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>, <a href="#pb199" -class="pageref">199</a>.<br> -<i>See</i> Enoch’s, St., Well.</p> -<p>Tangstill, <a href="#pb135" class="pageref">135</a>.</p> -<p>Tantallon castle, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Tarbet, East, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>.</p> -<p>Tarras water in Canonbie parish, <a href="#pb89" class= -"pageref">89</a>.</p> -<p>Tarroo-Ushtey, <a href="#pb181" class="pageref">181</a>.</p> -<p>Tay, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href="#pb151" class= -"pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Teampull-Mhichael in Grimisay, <a href="#pb71" class= -"pageref">71</a>.</p> -<p>Teampull-mòr in Lewis, <a href="#pb57" class= -"pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Teampull Ronaig in Iona, <a href="#pb57" class="pageref">57</a>.</p> -<p>Tear’s, St., chapel, <a href="#pb201" class="pageref">201</a>. -<span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb362" href="#pb362" name= -"pb362">362</a>]</span></p> -<p>Tees, <a href="#pb161" class="pageref">161</a>.</p> -<p>Tegla’s, St., Well at Llandegla, <a href="#pb114" class= -"pageref">114</a>, <a href="#pb116" class="pageref">116</a>;<br> -ritual for curing epilepsy at, <a href="#pb114" class= -"pageref">114</a>.</p> -<p>Temple, St. Patrick’s, in Tyree, stone with hollow near, -<a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Temples, Druidical, <a href="#pb26" class="pageref">26</a>.</p> -<p>Tenant’s day at Beith, <a href="#pb79" class= -"pageref">79</a>.</p> -<p>Tennyson, Lord, <a href="#pb10" class="pageref">10</a>.</p> -<p>Ternan, St., or Terrananus, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>;<br> -his well at Banchory-Devenick, <a href="#pb52" class= -"pageref">52</a>.</p> -<p>Tessore, <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>.</p> -<p>Thanet well, <a href="#pb51" class="pageref">51</a>.</p> -<p>Theodoric, Archbishop of Canterbury, <a href="#pb241" class= -"pageref">241</a>.</p> -<p>Thistle, Scottish, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>.</p> -<p>Three-Tree Well at Glasgow. <i>See</i> Pear-Tree Well.</p> -<p>Thor, <a href="#pb252" class="pageref">252</a>.</p> -<p>Thomas, St., <a href="#pb264" class="pageref">264</a>;<br> -his wells, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>.</p> -<p>Thomas the Rhymer, <a href="#pb138" class="pageref">138</a>, -<a href="#pb151" class="pageref">151</a>.</p> -<p>Thorn. <i>See</i> Hawthorn.</p> -<p>Thunder counted ominous, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>, -<a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>.</p> -<p>Tiber, Deification of, <a href="#pb8" class="pageref">8</a>.</p> -<p>Till, <a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>.</p> -<p>Tillmouth, <a href="#pb132" class="pageref">132</a>.</p> -<p>Tin-iron, Offerings of, <a href="#pb199" class= -"pageref">199</a>.</p> -<p>Tinto, <a href="#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>.</p> -<p>Tissington, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>, <a href= -"#pb208" class="pageref">208</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-an-easbuig at Kilbride, <a href="#pb101" class= -"pageref">101</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-ant-sagairt at Inverlussa, <a href="#pb70" class= -"pageref">70</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-Faolan at Struan in Athole, <a href="#pb227" class= -"pageref">227</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-fuar-mòrie, <a href="#pb204" class= -"pageref">204</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-Mhachar in Strathdon, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, -<a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-na-domhnuich in Fodderty parish, <a href="#pb141" class= -"pageref">141</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar-na-Glas-a-Coile near Corgarff, <a href="#pb194" class= -"pageref">194</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar Tellibreck in Skye, <a href="#pb109" class= -"pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Tobar Vachar at Corgarff, <a href="#pb54" class="pageref">54</a>, -<a href="#pb185" class="pageref">185</a>.</p> -<p>Tobbar-nam-buadh at Castle Bay in Barray, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>.</p> -<p>Tober-Kieran in Meath, <a href="#pb184" class="pageref">184</a>.</p> -<p>Tobermory, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>.</p> -<p>Tober-na-Coragh in Innismurray, <a href="#pb224" class= -"pageref">224</a>.</p> -<p>Toberi-Clerich in St. Kilda, <a href="#pb40" class= -"pageref">40</a>.</p> -<p>Tobir-Chalaich in Keith parish, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>.</p> -<p>Tobordmony in Antrim, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Toddell Well in Cumberland, <a href="#pb310" class= -"pageref">310</a>.</p> -<p>Toubir-in-Knahar in Islay, <a href="#pb21" class= -"pageref">21</a>.</p> -<p>Toubir-ni-Lechkin in Jura, <a href="#pb136" class= -"pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Toubir-nim-buadh in St. Kilda, <a href="#pb111" class= -"pageref">111</a>, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Tom Eunan, <a href="#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Tomintoul, Well-market at, <a href="#pb22" class="pageref">22</a>, -<a href="#pb156" class="pageref">156</a>, <a href="#pb277" class= -"pageref">277</a>.</p> -<p>Toothache, <a href="#pb109" class="pageref">109</a>.</p> -<p>Topaz, <a href="#pb242" class="pageref">242</a>.</p> -<p>Topenhow parish, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Torches, Use of, <a href="#pb288" class="pageref">288</a>.</p> -<p>Tor Hill, <a href="#pb49" class="pageref">49</a>.</p> -<p>Torphichen, Preceptory and St. John’s Well at, <a href="#pb37" -class="pageref">37</a>;<br> -sanctuary at, <a href="#pb37" class="pageref">37</a>.</p> -<p>Torranain, Incantation connected with, <a href="#pb46" class= -"pageref">46</a>.</p> -<p>Touch Hills, <a href="#pb105" class="pageref">105</a>.</p> -<p>Toulouse, <a href="#pb189" class="pageref">189</a>.</p> -<p>Traitor’s Pool at Padstow, <a href="#pb226" class= -"pageref">226</a>.</p> -<p>Tredwell’s, St., Loch turning red, <a href="#pb13" class= -"pageref">13</a>, <a href="#pb146" class="pageref">146</a>, <a href= -"#pb330" class="pageref">330</a>.</p> -<p>Tree-ancestry, <a href="#pb230" class="pageref">230</a>, <a href= -"#pb231" class="pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Tree (Village) of German races, <a href="#pb231" class= -"pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Trees beside wells, <a href="#pb195" class="pageref">195</a>, -<a href="#pb199" class="pageref">199</a>, <a href="#pb232" class= -"pageref">232</a>–238;<br> -cutting down, unlucky, <a href="#pb233" class="pageref">233</a>;<br> -planting and naming of, <a href="#pb237" class="pageref">237</a>;<br> -trunks of, on Black-Mere Lake, <a href="#pb145" class= -"pageref">145</a>;<br> -worship of, <a href="#pb230" class="pageref">230</a>, <a href="#pb232" -class="pageref">232</a>, <a href="#pb300" class="pageref">300</a>, -<a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>, <a href="#pb336" class= -"pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Tre Fontane, <a href="#pb128" class="pageref">128</a>.</p> -<p>Trelevean, <a href="#pb198" class="pageref">198</a>.</p> -<p>Trinity Gask Well, <a href="#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Trinity Hospital and Well on Soutra hill, <a href="#pb102" class= -"pageref">102</a>.</p> -<p>Trondhjem, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Troqueer, <a href="#pb44" class="pageref">44</a>, <a href="#pb196" -class="pageref">196</a>.</p> -<p>Trotter, Dr. Robert, <a href="#pb92" class="pageref">92</a>, -<a href="#pb93" class="pageref">93</a>, <a href="#pb94" class= -"pageref">94</a>.</p> -<p>Trout, live, Transference of disease to a, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Tullich, <a href="#pb77" class="pageref">77</a>.</p> -<p>Tullie-Beltane, Spring and stone-circles at, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>, <a href="#pb28" class="pageref">28</a>, <a href= -"#pb297" class="pageref">297</a>.</p> -<p>Tunstall, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>Turriff, Church of, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -fresco of St. Ninian in, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>;<br> -monastery of, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Tweed, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>, <a href="#pb61" -class="pageref">61</a>, <a href="#pb159" class="pageref">159</a>, -<a href="#pb160" class="pageref">160</a>.</p> -<p>Tylor, Dr. E. B., <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>, <a href= -"#pb7" class="pageref">7</a>, <a href="#pb158" class="pageref">158</a>, -<a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>, <a href="#pb252" class= -"pageref">252</a>. <span class="pagenum">[<a id="pb363" href="#pb363" -name="pb363">363</a>]</span></p> -<p>Tyndrum, <a href="#pb82" class="pageref">82</a>, <a href="#pb126" -class="pageref">126</a>.</p> -<p>Tyne, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>.</p> -<p>Tyningham, Church of, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -monastery of, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a>;<br> -sanctuary at, <a href="#pb36" class="pageref">36</a>.</p> -<p>Tyree, <a href="#pb76" class="pageref">76</a>.</p> -<p>Uah Vearnag, Cave of, in Islay, Well near, <a href="#pb21" class= -"pageref">21</a>.</p> -<p>Uist (North, <a href="#pb71" class="pageref">71</a>, <a href= -"#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>), <a href="#pb233" class= -"pageref">233</a>.</p> -<p>Ulbster, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>.</p> -<p>Ulton’s, St., Chapel, <a href="#pb304" class= -"pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Unburied bones, Superstition about, <a href="#pb222" class= -"pageref">222</a>.</p> -<p>Upsala, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Ure, <a href="#pb255" class="pageref">255</a>.</p> -<p>Urquhart in Elginshire, <a href="#pb17" class="pageref">17</a>;<br> -in Inverness-shire, <a href="#pb41" class="pageref">41</a>.</p> -<p>Valay, <a href="#pb304" class="pageref">304</a>.</p> -<p>Vases, Ancient, used at spring in North Mexico, <a href="#pb205" -class="pageref">205</a>.</p> -<p>Vaugh, <a href="#pb166" class="pageref">166</a>.</p> -<p>Vayne Castle, <a href="#pb178" class="pageref">178</a>.</p> -<p>Ve Skerries in Shetland, <a href="#pb5" class="pageref">5</a>.</p> -<p>Victoria, Queen, <a href="#pb91" class="pageref">91</a>, <a href= -"#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Vigean’s, St., Church of, Superstition about, <a href="#pb13" -class="pageref">13</a>.</p> -<p>Vildrin’s, St., Spring near Drumakill, <a href="#pb17" class= -"pageref">17</a>.</p> -<p>Virgin, The, her chapel and well at Kilmorie, <a href="#pb143" -class="pageref">143</a>;<br> -her chapel at Kirkmaiden, <a href="#pb79" class="pageref">79</a>;<br> -her chapel and well at Whitekirk, <a href="#pb267" class= -"pageref">267</a>;<br> -print of her knee at Kirkmaiden, <a href="#pb79" class= -"pageref">79</a>;<br> -wells dedicated to, <a href="#pb68" class="pageref">68</a>, <a href= -"#pb106" class="pageref">106</a>.</p> -<p>Virtue Wells, <a href="#pb32" class="pageref">32</a>.</p> -<p>Vitus’s, St., Day, <a href="#pb286" class= -"pageref">286</a>.</p> -<p>Vizziberry, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Vynning’s, St., Spring in Holywood parish, <a href="#pb129" -class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Walcott, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Wales, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>, <a href="#pb114" -class="pageref">114</a>, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>, -<a href="#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb200" class= -"pageref">200</a>, <a href="#pb257" class="pageref">257</a>, <a href= -"#pb308" class="pageref">308</a>.</p> -<p>Walker, Mr. J. R., <a href="#pb16" class="pageref">16</a>, <a href= -"#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>, <a href="#pb69" class="pageref">69</a>, -<a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>Walking round wells and other sacred sites, <a href="#pb114" class= -"pageref">114</a>, <a href="#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href= -"#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb206" class= -"pageref">206</a>, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>, <a href= -"#pb284" class="pageref">284</a>, <a href="#pb289" class= -"pageref">289</a>, <a href="#pb293" class="pageref">293</a>, <a href= -"#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>.</p> -<p>Wallace of Craigie, Family of, <a href="#pb87" class= -"pageref">87</a></p> -<p>Wallace, Sir William, <a href="#pb85" class="pageref">85</a>;<br> -his seat and well at Vizziberry, <a href="#pb85" class= -"pageref">85</a>.</p> -<p>Wallach’s, St., bath, <a href="#pb193" class= -"pageref">193</a>;<br> -church and well in Glass parish, <a href="#pb110" class= -"pageref">110</a>, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>.</p> -<p>Walsingham, <a href="#pb318" class="pageref">318</a>.</p> -<p>Wansbeck, <a href="#pb133" class="pageref">133</a>.</p> -<p>War, Portents of, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Warlingham, <a href="#pb147" class="pageref">147</a>.</p> -<p>Warna, St., <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>“Wassailing” of Apple-trees, The, <a href="#pb231" -class="pageref">231</a>.</p> -<p>Water, Certain characteristics of, <a href="#pb20" class= -"pageref">20</a>;<br> -curing by, <a href="#pb87" class="pageref">87</a>, <a href="#pb103" -class="pageref">103</a>, <a href="#pb108" class= -"pageref">108</a>–127, <a href="#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, -<a href="#pb256" class="pageref">256</a>, <a href="#pb257" class= -"pageref">257</a>, <a href="#pb259" class="pageref">259</a>, <a href= -"#pb260" class="pageref">260</a>, <a href="#pb261" class= -"pageref">261</a>, <a href="#pb262" class="pageref">262</a>, <a href= -"#pb271" class="pageref">271</a>;<br> -deification of, <a href="#pb241" class="pageref">241</a>;<br> -by Greeks and Romans, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>;<br> -by savages, <a href="#pb2" class="pageref">2</a>;<br> -selling of, in Ireland, <a href="#pb276" class="pageref">276</a>.<br> -<i>See also</i> Healing and Holy Wells.</p> -<p>Water-bull, <a href="#pb171" class="pageref">171</a>–181;<br> --cow, <a href="#pb179" class="pageref">179</a>, <a href="#pb180" class= -"pageref">180</a>;<br> --cross in North Uist, <a href="#pb225" class="pageref">225</a>;<br> --horse, <a href="#pb172" class="pageref">172</a>;<br> --kelpy (<i>see</i> Kelpy, Water);<br> --ordeal, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>, <a href="#pb151" -class="pageref">151</a>, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>, -<a href="#pb153" class="pageref">153</a>.</p> -<p>Watlie, <a href="#pb101" class="pageref">101</a>.</p> -<p>Wavertree, Monastery and well at, <a href="#pb186" class= -"pageref">186</a>.</p> -<p>Weather, its bearing on daily life, <a href="#pb213" class= -"pageref">213</a>;<br> -its connection with ecclesiastical festivals, <a href="#pb214" class= -"pageref">214</a>;<br> -its connection with wells, <a href="#pb223" class= -"pageref">223</a>–229, <a href="#pb234" class= -"pageref">234</a>;<br> -its place in folklore, <a href="#pb214" class="pageref">214</a>.</p> -<p>Weem, <a href="#pb318" class="pageref">318</a>.</p> -<p>Well, Ream or cream or flower of the, <a href="#pb23" class= -"pageref">23</a>. <i>Well-brae wall</i> at St. Boswell’s, -<a href="#pb61" class="pageref">61</a>.</p> -<p>“Well-dressing” or “well-flowering,” -<a href="#pb206" class="pageref">206</a>.</p> -<p>Well in the wall in Checkly parish, <a href="#pb136" class= -"pageref">136</a>.</p> -<p>Wells as places of safety, Pilgrimages to, <a href="#pb135" class= -"pageref">135</a>, <a href="#pb327" class="pageref">327</a>;<br> -removal of, <a href="#pb21" class="pageref">21</a>;<br> -stone coverings of, <a href="#pb33" class="pageref">33</a>, <a href= -"#pb70" class="pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb191" class= -"pageref">191</a>;<br> -wonderful, <a href="#pb128" class="pageref">128</a>–139.</p> -<p>Welltrees meadow, <a href="#pb296" class="pageref">296</a>.</p> -<p>Well-worship, Connection of, with worship of a rain-god, <a href= -"#pb224" class="pageref">224</a>;<br> -continuance of, <a href="#pb337" class="pageref">337</a>;<br> -in Celtic areas, <a href="#pb23" class="pageref">23</a>;<br> -in rural districts, <a href="#pb15" class="pageref">15</a>;<br> -origin of, <a href="#pb187" class="pageref">187</a>.<br> -<i>See also</i> Fountains and springs. <span class="pagenum">[<a id= -"pb364" href="#pb364" name="pb364">364</a>]</span></p> -<p>Wemyss, Cave at, <a href="#pb310" class="pageref">310</a>, <a href= -"#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Wereham, St. Margaret’s Well at, <a href="#pb275" class= -"pageref">275</a>.</p> -<p>Western Isles. <i>See</i> Hebrides.</p> -<p>West Kilbride parish, <a href="#pb320" class="pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>West Skeld in Shetland, Standing stones at, <a href="#pb27" class= -"pageref">27</a>.</p> -<p>Wexford, <a href="#pb306" class="pageref">306</a>.</p> -<p>Wheel, St. Catherine’s, in art, <a href="#pb62" class= -"pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Whitadder, <a href="#pb62" class="pageref">62</a>.</p> -<p>Whitberry, <a href="#pb74" class="pageref">74</a></p> -<p>Whitby, <a href="#pb268" class="pageref">268</a>.</p> -<p>White, Captain T. P., <a href="#pb43" class="pageref">43</a>, -<a href="#pb63" class="pageref">63</a>, <a href="#pb70" class= -"pageref">70</a>, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>, <a href= -"#pb254" class="pageref">254</a>, <a href="#pb320" class= -"pageref">320</a>.</p> -<p>White dresses worn at Feil Columcille in Inch parish, <a href= -"#pb42" class="pageref">42</a>.</p> -<p>Whitekirk, <a href="#pb112" class="pageref">112</a>.</p> -<p>White Loch of Merton, <a href="#pb302" class="pageref">302</a>.</p> -<p>Whithorn, <a href="#pb47" class="pageref">47</a>, <a href="#pb265" -class="pageref">265</a>, <a href="#pb266" class="pageref">266</a>.</p> -<p>Whitsunday, <a href="#pb282" class="pageref">282</a>.</p> -<p>Whooping-cough, <a href="#pb89" class="pageref">89</a>, <a href= -"#pb102" class="pageref">102</a>, <a href="#pb106" class= -"pageref">106</a>, <a href="#pb111" class="pageref">111</a>, <a href= -"#pb191" class="pageref">191</a>, <a href="#pb203" class= -"pageref">203</a>.</p> -<p>Wick, <a href="#pb59" class="pageref">59</a>, <a href="#pb201" -class="pageref">201</a>. <i>Widdershins</i> or <i>Withershins</i>, -<a href="#pb294" class="pageref">294</a>, <a href="#pb295" class= -"pageref">295</a>, <a href="#pb311" class="pageref">311</a>, <a href= -"#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Wierre Effroy, <a href="#pb200" class="pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Wight, Isle of, <a href="#pb207" class="pageref">207</a>.</p> -<p>Wilde, Lady, <a href="#pb22" class="pageref">22</a>, <a href= -"#pb116" class="pageref">116</a>, <a href="#pb146" class= -"pageref">146</a>.</p> -<p>Wild Murdoch, Story of, <a href="#pb153" class= -"pageref">153</a>.</p> -<p>Wilson, Sir Daniel, <a href="#pb18" class="pageref">18</a>, <a href= -"#pb123" class="pageref">123</a>, <a href="#pb256" class= -"pageref">256</a>, <a href="#pb292" class="pageref">292</a>, <a href= -"#pb321" class="pageref">321</a>.</p> -<p>Winchelsea, Earl of, Family of the, <a href="#pb237" class= -"pageref">237</a>.</p> -<p>Wind, Allaying the, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, -<a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>;<br> -controlling the, <a href="#pb218" class="pageref">218</a>;<br> --charms, <a href="#pb222" class="pageref">222</a>;<br> -favourable and unfavourable, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>, -<a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>;<br> -prophetic character of, <a href="#pb221" class="pageref">221</a>;<br> -raising the, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>;<br> -relation of, to wells, <a href="#pb223" class="pageref">223</a>;<br> -selling the, <a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>. <i>Wine Well</i> -at Peterhead, <a href="#pb90" class="pageref">90</a>.</p> -<p>Winifred’s, St., Well, <a href="#pb200" class= -"pageref">200</a>.</p> -<p>Winwick, <a href="#pb129" class="pageref">129</a>.</p> -<p>Wishes by divination, Fulfilment of, <a href="#pb314" class= -"pageref">314</a>.</p> -<p>Wishing-holes at Abbotsbury, <a href="#pb316" class= -"pageref">316</a>;<br> --stone in St. John’s Well, <a href="#pb318" class= -"pageref">318</a>;<br> --tree on Innis Maree, <a href="#pb316" class="pageref">316</a>.</p> -<p>Wishing Wells, <a href="#pb314" class= -"pageref">314</a>–323;<br> -belief in, accounted for, <a href="#pb334" class="pageref">334</a>, -<a href="#pb335" class="pageref">335</a>, <a href="#pb336" class= -"pageref">336</a>.</p> -<p>Witchcraft. <i>See</i> Witches.</p> -<p>Witchdoctor in Ireland, <a href="#pb116" class= -"pageref">116</a>.</p> -<p>Witches, <a href="#pb148" class="pageref">148</a>, <a href="#pb149" -class="pageref">149</a>, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, -<a href="#pb219" class="pageref">219</a>, <a href="#pb222" class= -"pageref">222</a>, <a href="#pb234" class="pageref">234</a>, <a href= -"#pb250" class="pageref">250</a>, <a href="#pb255" class= -"pageref">255</a>;<br> -Lake at St. Andrews, <a href="#pb150" class="pageref">150</a>;<br> -Pool near Dunnottar church, <a href="#pb150" class= -"pageref">150</a>;<br> -stone at Forres, <a href="#pb152" class="pageref">152</a>;<br> -well in Irongray parish, <a href="#pb312" class="pageref">312</a>.</p> -<p>Withburga, <a href="#pb130" class="pageref">130</a>.</p> -<p>Wooler, <a href="#pb193" class="pageref">193</a>.</p> -<p>Wrath, Cape, <a href="#pb220" class="pageref">220</a>.</p> -<p>Yarrow, <a href="#pb67" class="pageref">67</a>, <a href="#pb180" -class="pageref">180</a>.</p> -<p>Ybarus, Bishop, <a href="#pb120" class="pageref">120</a>.</p> -<p>Year, The Christian, <a href="#pb283" class="pageref">283</a>.</p> -<p>Ygdrasil, <a href="#pb230" class="pageref">230</a>.</p> -<p>York, <a href="#pb60" class="pageref">60</a>.</p> -<p>York Minster, Well in, <a href="#pb50" class="pageref">50</a>.</p> -<p>Yule, <a href="#pb215" class="pageref">215</a>, <a href="#pb282" -class="pageref">282</a>, <a href="#pb283" class="pageref">283</a>.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="div1 imprint"><span class="pagenum">[<a href= -"#toc">Contents</a>]</span> -<div class="divBody"> -<p class="first xd26e18893">PRINTED BY WILLIAM HODGE AND COMPANY, -GLASGOW.</p> -</div> -</div> -<div class="transcribernote"> -<h2 class="main">Colophon</h2> -<h3 class="main">Availability</h3> -<p class="first">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no -cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give -it away or re-use it under the terms of the <a class="seclink xd26e45" -title="External link" href="https://www.gutenberg.org/license" rel= -"license">Project Gutenberg License</a> included with this eBook or -online at <a class="seclink xd26e45" title="External link" href= -"https://www.gutenberg.org/" rel="home">www.gutenberg.org</a>.</p> -<p>This eBook is produced by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at <a class="exlink xd26e45" title="External link" href= -"http://www.pgdp.net/">www.pgdp.net</a>.</p> -<p>Scans for this work are available from the Internet Archive (copy -<a class="seclink xd26e45" title="External link" href= -"https://archive.org/details/folkloreofscotti00mackuoft">1</a>).</p> -<h3 class="main">Metadata</h3> -<table class="colophonMetadata"> -<tr> -<td><b>Title:</b></td> -<td>Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><b>Author:</b></td> -<td>James Murray Mackinlay (–1916)</td> -<td><a href="https://viaf.org/viaf/28695078/" class= -"seclink">Info</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><b>Language:</b></td> -<td>English</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><b>Original publication date:</b></td> -<td>1893</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td><b>Keywords:</b></td> -<td>Folklore -- Scotland.</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td></td> -<td>Holy wells.</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td></td> -<td>Springs -- Folklore.</td> -<td></td> -</tr> -</table> -<h3>Catalog entries</h3> -<table class="catalogEntries"> -<tr> -<td>Related WorldCat catalog page:</td> -<td><a href="https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/464776196" class= -"seclink">464776196</a></td> -</tr> -</table> -<h3 class="main">Revision History</h3> -<ul> -<li>2017-11-15 Started.</li> -</ul> -<h3 class="main">External References</h3> -<p>This Project Gutenberg eBook contains external references. These -links may not work for you.</p> -<h3 class="main">Corrections</h3> -<p>The following corrections have been applied to the text:</p> -<table class="correctiontable" summary= -"Overview of corrections applied to the text."> -<tr> -<th>Page</th> -<th>Source</th> -<th>Correction</th> -<th>Edit distance</th> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e483">xi</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1134">62</a>, <a class="pageref" href= -"#xd26e2352">205</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd26e6624">344</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">,</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">.</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e703">12</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1181">68</a>, <a class="pageref" href= -"#xd26e9781">349</a>, <a class="pageref" href="#xd26e10637">351</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e13027">355</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">.</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e735">16</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1044">51</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">,</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e899">34</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Teampull-mor</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Teampull-mòr</td> -<td class="bottom">1 / 0</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1144">64</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">apparation</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">apparition</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1274">79</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1982">161</a>, <a class="pageref" href= -"#xd26e2776">253</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Not in source</i>]</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">”</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1548">111</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">neighburhood</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">neighbourhood</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1621">119</a>, -<a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1625">120</a>, <a class="pageref" href= -"#xd26e4118">340</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">,</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">[<i>Deleted</i>]</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1660">125</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">falsehold</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">falsehood</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e1914">155</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Lochan-nan-Deann</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Lochan-nan-Deaan</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2274">195</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">desribing</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">describing</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2313">200</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">thankofferings</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">thank-offerings</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2424">214</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">cattel</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">cattle</td> -<td class="bottom">2</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2706">243</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">eight-four</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">eighty-four</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2808">257</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">adderbeads</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">adder-beads</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2820">258</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clan-na-Bratach</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clach-na-Bratach</td> -<td class="bottom">2</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e2871">263</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">’</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">”</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3026">278</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">superstitous</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">superstitious</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3060">283</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">clebrations</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">celebrations</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3065">284</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">was was</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">was</td> -<td class="bottom">4</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3343">318</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">in</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">is</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3508">326</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">heathful</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">healthful</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e3560">331</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">suprising</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">surprising</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e5155">342</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Botriphine</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Botriphnie</td> -<td class="bottom">2</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e6318">343</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clach-a-Brath</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clach-a-brath</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e6336">343</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clach-na-bratach</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Clach-na-Bratach</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e6674">344</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Cutchon</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Cutchou</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e7101">345</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">.</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">;</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e7184">345</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Dæmonologie</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Daemonologie</td> -<td class="bottom">2</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e12423">354</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Marnock</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">Marnoch</td> -<td class="bottom">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="width20"><a class="pageref" href="#xd26e16303">360</a></td> -<td class="width40 bottom">disappear-</td> -<td class="width40 bottom">disappearance</td> -<td class="bottom">4</td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, by -James M. 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