54 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER U, 1885.

y. EARLY NOTICE E BAS S OWNERSTH SIT F BOCSO D Y AN KB . JOHN J. REID, B.A., F.S.A. SOOT. (PLATE!.)

It is not surprising that the , which from so many points in Lothiane th s form conspicuoua s s objece viewth n i ,t should have been at a very early period selected as an abode by one of the numerous hermits of that Christianity which came to us from the west. It is recorded by Boece (Bellenden's edition, i. 37; cf, also The Breviary of Aberdeen), o wrotwh esixteente earlth n yi h century, tha t BaldreS t d lived a solitary life upon the rock, and died there in 606 A.D., much as St Cuthbert lived and died upon one of the Fame Islands off the Northumbrian coast, some eighty years later, or as St Adrian, who, to quote Wyntoun martyres wa , dhary , upo dby e Ma Isl nf th e o "and upon haly Thurysday Saynt Adrian thai slwe in May." The name " Bass " is known elsewhere in ; thus, "the Bass of Inverury n earthea s "i n mounRivee banke th th f n ro sdo Ury, saiy db traditio coveo nt plague-strickera n alludes propheccastlei a t n I i o .dt y attributed, lik mano s e y others Thomao t , e Rhymersth — "Dee and Don, they shall run on, And Twee Tayd d an shal ;n lru bonne th d y y wateAn Ur f ro Shall bea Base rth s away." t venturno o d e I upo subjece th n f disputeo t d derivation r thfo es name, but the traditional memory of the first inhabitant is still preserved abundantl e nomenclaturth n yi e districtth smala f o er fo l; islann i d Auldhame bay is yet called Baudron's Boat, a sea-worn cavity is St Baldred's Cradle tala d l rocan , namke th goe f Baudron'y eo b s s Statue, beside mainlande sth t Baldred' wellS n o d se rocd an ,th botan k s n ho Whirl, an eddy in the River Tyne. Chalmers asserts that even so e closlatelth f lass eo ya t century e sainstatua s stil,th o liwa f t l e o e churchyare seeth n ni f Prestondo . Beyond the fact of his existence the monkish legends about St

EAELY NOTICES OF THE BASS KOCK AND ITS OWNERS. 55

Baldred are so utterly improbable that I do not refer to them, and accordingl e intervayth l betwee e datnth e assigne s death hi thas d a f o t, firse th t d strictlan y historical e noticBassth f ,o e extend moro st e than 700 years. In 1316, during the reign of , Robert of obtained a charter of one half of the Bass from William de Lamberton, bishop of , a gift confirmed by a charter of John of Forfar, prior of St Andrews, the reddendo being one pound of white wax yearly to be paid at Tynyngham (Illustrations to Slezer's Theatrum Scotiai). Sir Robert of Lauder was in 1329 employed on a mission to doubo n , t diplomati s characterit n i c paymentd an , f o t sou public funds amounting to £60 were made to him for the expense of his journeys to London and York. It has been surmised with every probability that the negotiations in which he was engaged related to the marriage of Prince David, afterwards David II., and Johanna, sister of Edward IIIn I 133 .e possesseh 0 d hereditaril e fishingth y f o s , and was keeper of and Sheriff there. For a short time after David's accession Sir Robert held the high office of Chamberlain of Scotland, for he is so styled in the Chartulary of Aberdeen n i Septembe e followinth r n i 1333 d g an ;Decembe e th r Black Boole f Arbroatho also describe s holdina m hi sg this dignity. These successive notices greae pointh to t position already attainee th y db Lauders; and in 1337, I find an even more direct reference to the con- nectio r RoberSi f no printee t witth Basse n i h th dr Exchequerfo ; Soils there is an entry showing that a sum of 18s. was paid for bringing a boat r RoberSi hire r f Lauderfo do t thiy b ,s time also Justicia f Lothiao r n (justiciarius Laudonie), from the Bass to Aberdeen, " et in una batella locat domino apr o Eobert Lawedre od l Basede s usque Abirden, xvii" s. j The names of other members of the same family occur during the fourteenth century; thus, the Exchequer Rolls have preserved the fact that in 1342 William of Lauder received a fee of £20 out of a certain benefice; and in the following year £10 was paid to "William de Lawedir, senior." Another membee samth f eo r family, "Alae d n Lawedre," is mentioned in the same records as having received . 4d.3s , , "d£6 e precepto domini nostri Regis, 1359n "i . Amongse th t witnesse a charte o t s r grante n y 25t136o d t Ma hEdinburgha 0 y b , 56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1885.

Thomas Stewart, Earl of Angus, to Sir Hugh of Eglyntoun, knight, of e landth f Ormdalo s n Cowali e s "i , Ala e Lawedred n " (Hist. MSS. Commissioners' Report on the Eglinton Charters). So again, in 1360, the accounts bear the name of William of Lauder; whilst in 1369, along with John of Fawside, he accounted as bailie of . I am incline o thint d ke forme th tha f o tr Williamn so a e bailie s th , wa , William " senior," and not improbably a nephew of Sir Kobert Lauder e e isolateBassoth fTh . d situatio f thao n e difficultt th rock d f an ,yo approachin , seeit g o havmt e suggeste vera t da y early perio s suitait d - bility as a place of confinement for State prisoners, who were thus quite secure, and yet not far from the various residences of the Scottish kings on eithe e rForth th sid f o e. Accordingly y nexm , t referenca o t s i e e expensen 1370i th e paymenEar r 5 th f Marfo ,o lf £1 so f , o twhe n " sub arresta Eegis apud le Bass." Alan Lauder, probably the same person already named, Exchequee figureth n i s r n annuitanRolla s a s t from 1371 d froan m, 1374 onward e enjoyeh s sa 0 a salard £1 f yo justice-clerk, be-south Forth—" Ten pounds sterling yearly during the king's pleasure saithe d as ,Allan' s sallar beinyfor g justice-clerk upon the south side of the Water of Forth;" and besides this, he was also constabl f Tantalloo e n Castle, situate e mainlanth n o d d right opposite the Bass. Alan was, I apprehend, a brother of William, who was still alive, and evidently a person of importance. In 1375, I learn from e Exchequeth r Roll custumas s wa tha e h f Edinburghto r , with Walter of Cracbarry, and had been so for at least a year; whilst another reference shows that during his tenure of the same office, he had at one time Adam Foreste s colleaguehi s a r d thaan ,t thebecomd yha e bound for the balance of King David's ransom. William of Lauder died either n 137i r 13765o , probabl lattee th n ryi year arreare , s sincth hi r f esfo o accounts of the year 1375, Alan Lauder became surety along with Forester, the surviving custumar. This alone seems to render it tolerably certain that William and Alan Lauder were relatives; but the Register of the Great Seal points to their having been brothers, for on 4th June 1382 Alan succeeded his brother William in the lands of Boroughmuir. Putting together what information we possess, I think it a safe surmise of the family connections of the Lauders in this century, to regard EARLY NOTICEE BAS TH S OWNERS SIT F O ROCSD AN K . 57

Bruce's companion r e Kohere eldeBassSi th th , s f ra o ,t brothe f o r William Lauder " senior, d "Willia "an brotherso d Alantw m an e th s , a , e eldeth son f ro s William r possiblo , y nephews e referenceTh . o t s Alan Laude Exchequee th n i r r accounts, show that from 1371, whens a , already mentioned a pensio d ha n e h , " decem libra e cofrid e s regid a s tempus vitee," he had at least a good position at Court, then a matter of pecuniar s wel a ys sociaa l l import- ance. Through many accounts from 1375 downwardse b s namy hi , ma e trace s "a d custumariu e Northd s - berwyk," beginnin than i g t year with David Perysoun (Pearson) as his colleague. Alan Lauder probably in herited some means fro s brothemhi r William, at any rate he got Borough- muir ; and if I am right in my belief onls e wa Basythaa cade th e f h ts o t family, the emoluments of his various pensions and offices must have been turne o prudent d t purposese h r fo , saved moneyn 1377i e verd th ,an ,y yea n whici r e constableshith h f o p Fig. 1. The Lauder Arms, on south Tantallon was added to his varied front of Hatton House. source f incomeo s e purchaseh , e th d Hatton estat Mid-Lothiann ei kine th dy permissioB . Findlar M f no y I am enabled to give (fig. 1) a print of the Lauder Arms as still graven ancienonthe t wall Hattosof n House. No doub tsam the thi eis s Alarms de Laweder who about 1379 is found among the witnesses to chartea . Henry b r f Swyntono y , grantin e landth g f Littlso e Swynton to Sir John of Swynton, Knight. Certainly in this year he was still custuma f Norto r h Berwick d witan , h "Davidf Petero n so ", (Perysoun, Pearson), had a fee of £10 assigned to him. In the year 1384 the name of his cousin the Laird of Bass is again 58 PROCEEDING SOCIETYTHE OF S , DECEMBE 188514, R .

given in.a charte y Richarb r d Edga Robero t r t Edga f Wedderlieo r , wher e appearh ea witnes s a s s " Robertus Lawider Domimia l e d s Basse" (Jamieson's Illustrations to Slezer's Theatrum Scotics, p. 123; Nisbet's Heraldry, . witi 344)n ca thah o e s ,tolerabl w t e certainty dis- tinguish betwee e Basth n s famil d tha n e yan designefuturi b t o t e d " of Hatton," although the near connection between the two is further show vera y nb curious document among those containe Norte th n hi d Berwick Chartulary; I allude to the grant by James, Earl of Douglas, of certain subjects in , " dilecto nostro Alano de Lawedyr." Jame s onlwa sy earl from 1381 till 1388s , whewa e h n killed at Otterburn, so that the date within narrow limits is attained; an dI canno t doubt that Robert Laude e Basd thith f san s o r Alan were of the same stock, and that the latter is identical with the first laird of Hatton. In 1397 Robert received an annuity from the customs of Haddingtou, an additional proof of the widespread influence of the Bass family on the southern shores of the of Forth. When in 1405 Prince James, the heir to Scotland's throne, started upo ill-faten na d journe completo yt s educatiohi e Francen ni Base th , s e fortresth Rocs wa ks from t t outwhicthise A .se h htim e Robert Lauder was still laird of the island, and his kinsman Alan still custumar of North Berwick, though perhaps remissgrowind an d , gol -fo n 140i r 3 he was absent from the audit and forfeited his fee, and after that date his name doe t actuallsno y appear I infer,.however; , tha deats hi td hdi not take place until about 20th March 1407whico t p n u h, so tim s hi e Robert account s "a s executo r testamenti quondam Alan e Lawedrd i e patri i nupessu r defuncti." This doubRobero n s youngea t wa t r son, r Alexandename foSi th rf eo r Lauder occur 1408n I si hav d e,an found from an entry in the Chamberlain's Rolls that he was laird of Hatton. He was dead before 1434, and was succeeded in Hatton by William Lauder, eithe s son r morhi o , e probabl brothers yhi . During the Regency of Albany, indeed from 1410 right onwards till. 1426, the custumar of North Berwick was a Lauder, "George of Lawedre" bein designedo s g d beinan , g also describe a brothe s a d f o r r RoberBasse withiSi d th f an ;e o sam t nth e perio I dfinr Rober Si d t Lauder e "Bass,d " receiving payments froe customth m f Norto s h EARLY NOTICES OF THE BASS EOCK AND ITS OWNERS. 59

Berwic 1413n i k , 1414, 1415 1420d an , , thus still marking clearle yth connectio e principath f o n l brance familth f o hy wit e rooko th hN . doubt this Sir Eobert was the son of him named in 1384, and either grandso r possiblo n y great-grandso d beef thar o nRoberha Si nto wh t Chamberlain of Scotland in 1333. When negotiations for the release of James I. were at last fairly sot on foot in 1423, the laird of Bass was selected for the delicate and all- important post of ambassador to the English Court, just as, nearly a century before, his ancestor had been. t lengtA 142n hi 4 King Jame . returnesI d fro lons mhi g captivitn yi England t onca d e an ,consigne a "e e Bass, Castlth o th t o f t s d"o a e prison, , the eldest son of Murdae, Duke of Albany, his cousin. The person who received the payments for the prisoner's r supporEoberSi s twa t Lauder n 142I . 5 John Herrin s constablgwa e of the castle, as I read the entry "prout patet per unam indenturam Johannis Hering, constabularii dicti castri." Herring may not impro- bably have bee fathee th n f thao r t "Thomas Heryng, n 146i o s 2i "wh mentione s "a d Advocatu s Domine Eegine," advocat e Queeth f no e Eegent, Mar f Gueldresyo d prototypan , f mano e a ysubsequen t . Whether this conjectur e welb e l founde t (ane no th d r o d fact of Sir Eobert Lauder's having been justiciar of Scotland certainly doe t weakesno s probability)nit , Hering e constablth , e Basss th wa f , o e t lonno g troubled with the chargs noblhi f eeo prisoner, who, together with his brother Alexander, before the year 1425 was out, had perished e scaffoldth n o . King James I., thoug e visiteh d with vengeance those whoe mh s enemiest unmindfubelievehi no e s s b s friends hi hi o wa ,t d d f o lan , naturally fine and generous impulses seem to have found vent in many ways towards those who had helped to shorten the weary days of his captivity r EoberSi . t Laude f Baso r s shared I judge s a , markn i , f o s royal favour, being at least as early as 1425 made Justiciar of Scotland, with James of Lauder (no doubt a relative), as justice clerk, " ex parte australi aque de Forth." Sir Eobert was also an auditor of Exchequer, and he obtained further from the king, on 14th December 1425, a confirmatio Eobero t s na f Laudeo t Edringtounf o r , justicia f Scotlando r , 0 6 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBER 14, 1885.

of the lands of the Crag and Ballingoune, and one-half of the Bass in the barony of North Berwick and constabulary of Haddington : " Terras de le Crag et de Ballingoune ac dimidiam partem de le Basse in baronia e Nortd h Berwi t constabularie k e Hadingtound a " (Reg. Mag. Sig). The allusion to Edrington, taken with the hereditary possession of e fishingth f o thas t plac a centure y before by another Sir Robert Lauder, sufficiently, I think, identifiee th f so thie r EoberSi on s s a t lind f thol eo e Bass. Accordin o Nisbett g , Laude f Baso r s carried "gules a lion rampant argent within a double tressure flowere d countean d r flowered with Fis 2 Seal of "William flower-de-luses or; crest a solon goose sitting on de Lawedre a rock. , proper; motto b umbrsu , a alarum tuarum. e heraldiTh " c writes r hi cite s a s authorities Font' d Workman'an s s MSS., where e adds h ,e supth , - porters are two lions. With regard to the confirmation of one half of the island, T am incline o e fint explanatiodth d f whao n t otherwise seem a puzzlins g circumstance in the fact, that originally the grant had come to the Lauders, as I have shown, in two portions—one from Eobert the Bruce, e otheth r fro e Bisho mth t Andrews S f po . This charte f confirmatioo r n shows incidentally that the county of Haddington had, as yet, not emerged int oseparata e sheriffdos stil wa s ownl it t onl f bu ,mo ycona - stabulary, forming part of the vicecomitatus or sheriffdom of Edinburgh ; doubo d than ad e t ty b ther thae andivisionn ma th dca tI e Eastf so , Mid Wesd an , t into three distinct counties wer t recogniseeno d until a period considerably later than the days when John Hering was constable of the Bass; for both Linlithgow and Haddington were then, as, curiously enough, they are now again once more, part of the sheriffdom of the . In 1426 Sir Robert Lauder let the fermcs of North Berwick, and I fins brothee dsamhi th thad en ri an yeat George h r e both refuseo t d pay custom (Exch. Rolls, vol e sam. v.)Th e. authority proves thar Si t Rober deas wa td before 1451 alsd oan , that William Laude f Hattono r , EARLY NOTICEE BAS TH S OWNERS SIT F 1 6 ROCO SD AN K,

a kinsman to whom that property had descended, was dead before 1452. William may have been possibly a grandson of Alan, but much more likely a brother, younger than Sir Alexander the heir, who succeeded Alan t oldebu , r than Eobert already metitione e "executorth s a d f o " the first laird of Hatton. The next even I thav recoro et , tha is d145n i t 6 Alexander Ramsay, son and heir of Alexander Eamsay of Dalwolsy, sheriff of Edinburgh, accounted for the blench duty of the Bass, "de ijd albe firme de lo Basse." Possibly this may indicate some interruption in the possession of the island by the Lauders. No doubt Eamsay may have been acting onl sherifs ya f Edinburgho fjudicia a n i d l an ,capacity ; s stili t i l worthy of remark that the Chartulary of JSTorth Berwick gives the name of Mariot Eamsay as prioress of that ancient foundation on 14th October 1463, and dead before 30th April following. The prioress may or may not have been of the same family with the sheriff, but certainly it seems probable that the Eamsays had, about this time, some connection with the Bass Eock. The Lauders, however, were not long deprived of their island, if, indeed, they were so at all. Sir Eobert, the Justiciar, had left a son and succes- sor, Eobert Lauder of Edrington, mentioned as in 1461 keeper of Berwick Castle, agai 146n ni custumars 7a d agai an , n 147i n s receivina 3 s hi g fee as constable. David Lauder, probably another son, owned, in 1460, Popill, whic dea s belonged wa dhha r Eobert e beforSi h t o dt ebu , 1466. By 1478 Eobert Lauder is again designed "of the Bass," in an action raised by him against David Hepburn of "VYachtoun ; and in the same year, as also in 1479, occurs an entry in the Exchequer Eolls "per solucionem factam Eoberto Lawde Base rd plenan si m solucionem pensioni ducene ssu - tarum mercarum pro custodia castri de Berwic." These Hepburns themselves are said for a time to have dispossessed Lauderse th certainld an , y e durinth f o g l fifteente mucal th d f ho an h sixteenth centuries they were peopl f largo e e estate. Som 0 year20 e s after this they lost the fine property then and still known as Gilmerton, whic r delivereFrancis Si hwa o t sp du Kinloc judgmenta t i y ht b pu o t , mildly, very remarkable. Lord Fountainhall says of the decision that strangeness it r t "i fo s surprise l thadal t hear scarcr itf do fo ; e evey an r 2 6 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 188514 R .

who once hear case dth e doubte t wouli t foune dbu db da clea r wadset; and it opened the mouths of all to cry out upon it as a direct and down- right inversion of all our rights and properties." Durin e samth g es litigatio hi yea f o r n with Hepburn, viz., 1478, several notices of Robert Lauder occur (Act. Audit.). On one occasion he was forced to pay 40s. to " Thomas Crag of ye Est Crag," for two horses illegally poinded by him; and decreet arbitral was pro- nounced in another case, where " Robert Lawdare of Bele " and " Robert Lawder of the Bas " had agreed to refer their differences. Very likely at this period the owners of the Bass were neighbours as troublesome as they wer ratey powerfulean t thea t y musbu , t have enjoyee th o dt fullest extent whatever pleasure may be derived from abundant litiga- tion. Hardly were Robert Lauder's disputes with Thomas Crad an g his namesake " of Bele" ended, when he is found taking up the self-defencn i w la cudgele th e f againso s t " John Fentou f thano t Ilk," for recovery of two oxen taken by the latter from his lands (Act. Dom. Cone.); n 28to this h sJunwa e 1480 d withian , na wee hade kh n ,o 4th July 1480, an action against David Hepburn of Wachtoun " for the etin d destroyingan medoa f d gerso g wan s thereof pertainine th o t g y 1489saiMa d h ,Robert. anothe5t n O r" "Robert Laude f Mero r - cleuch," togethen couri e Bass s th t f wa ,o abour witware m th thi h d of the lands of "umquhile Oliver Lauder of that Ilk," and obtained a decisio thein ni r favour against " James Hoppringill (Pringle)." Robert Lauder of the Bass was alive on 5th March 1491. About this tim e Churc Basse th e th f ,h o whos e ruins still exists wa , most probably built, for in connection with it two Papal bulls were issued firse f thesth ;o t dates ei d "quint : MaioId j 1493. thisy B ", com- mission was granted by Alexander VI. to the Prior and Archdeacon of St Andrews to inquire and decide in certain disputes between Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass and the Prioress of North Berwick, who complained tha r RoberSi t beed ha tn makin attempn ga divero t t t certain revenues of the Church of St Andrew at North Berwick, itself a dependenc convente th f yo , " quosdam parrochiano t decimae s s ejusdem ecclesie Sancti Andree applicare nititur, minus juste,e benefith r f "o fo t parisn ow hs churce Basshi th n , ho whic s referrei h s "a quanda o t d m EARLY NOTICEE BAS S TH OWNERSS IT F 3 ROCO S6 D AN K .

parrochialem ecclesiam infra limites parroehialis ecclesie Sancti Andree de Norberuio dicte dioceseos eidem Monasterio canonice unite." The Pope, however, while granting full powers to his Commissioners, pro- vided that the island of the Bass, and the lands attached to it, were not e laib d o t under interdic n speciaow t s unlesl hi mandat y b s thao et t effect, " nisi super hoc a nobis mandatum receperitis speciale." The second bull Registee , th whic n i s rhnevei s Househa t rI believ bu , e been printed, bears date 10th May 1493, the following day, and is addressed to the same persons, granting them authority to inquire into a claim made by Priorese th Nortf so h Berwick against Eobert Laude Basse rectoth y f ,rla o r of the parish church of that island, for certain barrels of the grease of sea fowl. The bull refers to the matter at issue in these terms :—" Alexander Episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilectis filiis Priori et Archidiacono ecclesie Sanctiandree salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Conqueste sunt nobis Priorissa et coiiventus monasterii de Northberuyk per priorissam soliti gubernari, Cisterciensis ordinis, Sanctiandree dioceseos, quod nobilis vir Robertas Lauder, dominus insule de Bas, et modernus rector parochialis ecclesie dicte insvile, noviter erecte, dicte dioceseos, super quibusdam barilibus pinguedinis avium silvestrium, decimis, juri- bus et rebus aliis ad monasterium predictum spectantibus injuriatur eisdem," &c. The Lauders from this appear to have been lay-rectors and patron churce Basse th th f n so ,h o described , moreover "s a ,novite r erecta;" and though this may possibly refer not to the actual building, but to ecclesiastical severance, yet I am disposed to think the fabric was actually built somewhere about this time f I s thitha.wa s t Lauder who bore the significant soubriquet of " Robert with the borit quhyngar, woulde "h doubto n , , disputes provhi n ei s wit Priorese th h s that he was no feeble representative of the Church militant. In 1497 King James IV. of Scotland visited the Bass, and it has been surmised tha s objec sporthi s t mucs wa twhico t , wa he hh addicted . Witnes s expeditioshi n 1488ni , shortly afte e murde s fatherth rhi f o r, Bathgato t pursuin i g bitterns—ef Bo o t seio "t k bwtori Baythcatbog.n si " As to the visit to the Bass, I find in the Lord High Treasurer's Accounts the entry in these words—" Item to the bote men that brocht the king s .....Ba e furtth . paixviif m o h dsu j beinge s,"th , curiously enough, 4 6 PROCEEDING SSOCIETYE OTH F , DECEMBE , 1885R14 .

exactl boahire e a sam yth f th e thas o tr a e frofo t Base m th n 1337si , already mentioned. The same King James IV., on 1st February 1507-8, granted at Edin- burgh a confirmation under the Great Seal to Eobert Lauder of one half Basse oth f , " terras dimedie parti Basse,e sd reddende "th o bein gsilvea r penny—" unum denarium argenti. e reasonTh "I havs e suggested alread y possiblma y y accoun r whafo t t seems like divided ownership, where the circumstances absolutely precluded the possibility of a real division , otheso ; t rbut no f causei tha, e b t s might perhap soughe sb t in the value of the sea-fowl, or in State reasons for not giving the entire control to one family. Tvv'o notices of some interest regarding Sir Robert e JusticiarfounLaudee b th y n di rma y Records e firs thesf th ;o t e (February 25, 1510) narrates how "Thomas Dicsoune at the Monastery of Hethingtoune (Haddington) and others, came in the King's will for oppression don Robero et t Laude f Basso r e coming under silenc nighf eo t e landth f Quhitcastello so t castind an , g dow e housnth e built thery b e the said Robert.'' The offender was fined 15 merks. In the second notice Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass, Knight, is named (on 24th September 1512) among the assize assembled at Edinburgh, in presence Williae kingy otr th f o t , m Dougla f Drumlanrigso e slaughteth r fo , f o r " umquhill Robert Crechtoun f Kirkpatrick.o e " Pitcairn a note n i , conjectures " de [Bass] miles" in 1509, but he is evidently wrong from t.bp.sp. notices of Sir Robert, An Alexander Lauder, however, felt Floddenyeara lw fe s A afte. r thise th I ,fin n i d testamentary inventory of Catherine Lauder, wife-of John Swinton of that Ilk, dated 8th October 1515, a reference to the Laird of Bass, who was evidentl r brotheryhe . Amon lis e "f go tth debit debee aqu t aliis " is included the following item—" Domino de Bas, xx lib." (The Swintons f thaio roce Ilk).Th k itself aptlo s , y describe Alcuiny db — " Es-t locus imdoso circumdatua unclique ponto Eupibus horrendis prasrupto et margine septus "—

was regarded rather as a fortress than as an estate, if we may judge from the description of it by Boece in 1526, as a " Castle in Lothian." e churcBasse th Th n , ho buil t leasa t t fifty years before, accordino gt EARLY NOTICEE BAS TH S OWNERS SIT F 5 EOCO 6 SD AN K .

my vie s alreadwa y explained t lengta s hwa , consecrated h Junoi5t l e 1542, hy "M. Villiem Gybsone byscho Libariensif po suffrageneud san o t s David Beton Cardynal Archebysschod lan Santandros.f po e dedicaTh " - t BaldredS o t s tioe churcth n,wa h being describe pari e "s dth a s kyrk in the craig of the Bass," while it is significant to find amongst those present as " noter public," no doubt one of the Bass family (Hxtracta x (Jronicise Scoticis). e islandTh , however, still maintained s speciait l characte a fortress s n 154a i r r e Bass 8includefo th ; swa d among the " strengthis of Scotland," and Father Dalrymple, in his trans- latio f Bishono p Leslie's History, says :—e Bass"Th e mairouea k si s i r strenth that nathir be force or fraud is it thoct winnable, for the craig imysa l withi e seyd nthath ,an t maist deip round abou a distans t t fronie the land that quha cumis in wt gret diffieultie mon cum : Thair- for with lang towis and Lathiris lattin douue thay are towit vpe quha cumis in; and thair can not be admitted bot be this ingine and helpe of thame that ar within." The sources of information as to the Bass Kock and its early owners arf cours o ea larg o t e extent ecclesiastical a remarkabl s i t i d an e; indicatio e e Lauderpoweth th f f d no o their san r influence fino t , d the name constantly amongst local ecclesiastics about this time. Thus John Lauder n 1540i , s Archdeacowa , f Teviotdaleno , "Archidiaconus Tevi- dalie;" and again on 12th August 1544, in a charter granted by Isabella Hume, prioress of North Berwick, one of the witnesses was " dominus Robert Lauder," notary publi chaplaid an c n " capellanus. e musH " t have bee ecclesiasticn na whice prefif o ,th f xho e indee"dominusus e dth " itself is an indication, for the arrogance of the priesthood at this time had insisted on their right to be thus styled. Of this practice Sir David Lyndsay says pungently— " The pvire Preist thj'nkis he gettis no ryclit Be he nocht stylit lyke ane knycht, And callit Schir afore his name, Schis A r Thoma Schid san r Willyame." Robert Lauder, younger of the Bass, is mentioned on the 29th April 1553; an24tn o d h July 155 6narrativa s "handfasts givei ehi f o n - ing " with Jaae Hepburn, daughter of Patrick, Earl of Both well. VOL. xx. E 66 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1885.

t appearsI , however t Septembe, 1s tha n o t r 1567 Regene ,th t Murray anPrive dth y Council, having ground r mistrustinfo s e Lairdgth , caused lettere senb to t schargin g " Eobert Laude Basf o r deliveo st houe th r s fortalice and He of Bass to the officiaris exeeutionouris heirof within xlviii houris nixt eftie charge.th r " Thihavy ma sef thos o bee e enon occasions when the Bass for a time passed into other hands, and I am incline recene th fin o t dn i t d connection betwee e Laudere th nth d san Earl of Bothwell's house some good reasons for the action of the Eegent. a letter n I , dated from Edinburg n 31s h1568o y writted tMa an , y nb John Willoc r Willia"o t kSi m Cecill," referenc capture mads i eth o et e e Bassoth f . Perhapconveniently ma t i s mentionee yb d here thae th t demolishew towno e n th Laudere hous dn th i "f s e o Byar' swa s Close," openin Hige th f h gof Street , nearly opposit t GileseS ' Cathedral. In one of the last deeds of the expiring convent of North Berwick in 1580e notarth , y r bear Eobere M namth sf o et e Lauderth r fo , had demolished the priestly "dominus"; and a year later e Protestanth t king Jame . visiteVI s e Bass th d appear an , havo t s e been impressed by the vast numbers of curious sea-fowl, and to have resolved upon taking measure r theisfo r protection, sinc e Registereth f o the Privy Council shows that upon 21st January 1583-84, the king and his council understanding tha speciale tth "e b l benefit provisioud an e n of God, solan gees d othean e r profitable fouls frequene th e Hf eth o t Bas," bringing forth their young there in great quantity, " and almaist in na uthir pairt of this cuntrie," greatly to the " commoditic of the haill subjects of this realm dwelland nixt adjacent thairto," granted commissio r G-eorgM o t ne s -anLaudes successorsBa hi d f o r , lairdf so Bas, aided by the bailies of and other judges appointed by the said lairds preveno t , slaughtee th t f theso r thae b wil ty d ma fowl t I . King James was prompted by feelings, partly of friendship for Lauder . gues a d receivet lons ha a e no t Bass go th m f e beforedhi wh , th r fo , t thaa s considerablf gift o timwa e t eon e value; " this foul," says Leslie, "of whom speiko ew e onl yBasse bigith n e i splac y nathion e n witi r h vis is funde excepte in Elissa or Elza a craig in the sey foranent Galloway o speikt , e r thaffartheo us , t e gusey fouw r se s a l,scha s i e rather quhilke Plinius calles ane Picarine commonlie now ane solande guse. In the Basse thay abund maist, in Elissa nocht sa mekle." EAKLY NOTICES OF THE BASS ROCK AND ITS OWNEKS. 67

e actio Th f s Kincouncilo nhi d g an Jame, . s whetheVI wa s t i r conceived in the interests of the geese or of the Lauders, received Parliamentary confirmation, for nine years afterwards, in 1592, an Act was passed creating the Lairds of Bass commissioners to prevent and punish the destruction of these birds ; and in the following year Parliament ratified the island to George Lauder, who was probably the last of that ancient famil n possessioyi e Bassth f ,o n whic h soon after became th e propert r PatricSi f yo k Hepbur f Wachtouneno . Whe deate nth f Queeho n Elizabeth cause e Unioe Crowndth th f no s of Scotland and England in 1603, Calderwood, describing the rejoicings, says quaintly—" Upo e Lordn th y beforsda e (the proclamation) firef o s joy shynned upon the Basse and other eminent parts." After this there is a hiatus in our history until 1645, when the Acts of Parliament narrate how James Ogilvie, on account of the pestilence then raging in Edinburgh, was removed from the Tolbooth to the Bass, showing that the rock was still partly used for the confinement of tho prisonersNovembeh 9t n O . r 1649, John Hepbur f Wachtouneo n n so , and heir of Sir Patrick, was served heir to the Barony of Bass, including " insula in mari vocata Bass tarn boreali quam australi latere ejusdem," appeare h t bu havo t s e dispose f Wachtoundo r AndreSi o t ew Eamsay, " miles baronettus," who also apparently acquired the Bass about the sam es saii time beed t I n ha Episcopatha. a n e h t l minister deposed by the Presbyterians. Two years later, in 1651, for greater security, the public records of the yet youthful were do- posited in the castle of the Bass, whence they too, like Prince James two centuries and a half before, started on an ill-fated voyage to England, destined, however, unlike him, never to return. In the following year, 1652, General Deane announced to the English Parliament the sur- render of the Bass, and thereupon the order was issued to send tho Kirk records to London. As a fortress at this time the Bass cannot have been in any sense important, seeing tha 165n i t garrisoe 7th knows i n havo nt e consisted t eighteeobu f n foot soldiers changeA . , however s soo o wa com,t n e ove e sceneth r . Lauderdal lookins ewa g abousuitabla r fo tsecurd ean e prison for his victims, and he bethought himself of the Bass Kock, where Sir Andrew Eamsa f Abbotshallyo , .Provos f Edinburgho t , had, 8 6 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 188514 R .

accordin e Retoursth o t g , succeede s himselwa s father a e hi df H . trade n Edinburghi r , and, accordin authoritye on o t g n serioui , s pecu- niary straits. But in various ways he had managed to extort gifts from e king th e cit th o y,t amountin £17,000o gt accordingld n i an , s wa e yh high favour with Lauderdale, who purchased the Bass from him for the Crown, in October 1671, at the extravagant price of £4000 sterling; and about the same time made him, though no lawyer, a "Lord of Session, 23rn "o d Novembe forces r wa 1671 de h withi t year;o bu ntw s to resign his chair both in Council and in Court. In a contemporary pamphlet it is recorded of this sale of the Bass, that " My Lord Lauder- dale o gratift , r AndrewSi y , move e kinth s g upo e pretencth n e that placa e Bas s f th strengtho ewa s f ,e moon o castla lik th d o t en i an e, great importance, the only nest of solan geese in these parts, to buy the rock fror Andre mSi e rat f £400th o e t wa 0 sterling thed an ,n obtains the command and profits of it, amounting to more than £100 sterling yearly, to be bestowed upon himself." John, Earl (afterwards Duke) of Lauderdale, very rapidly turned the new possessio e Crowth f gooo no t n d Marcd 3r purpose n ho 167r fo , 1 obtainee h e captaincth d e Bass th 21sn f o ,yo t August followins wa e gh made keeper, and finally he became, on 7th September of the same year, interestine b governoy e castlema th t shof o I gt o r . f wha wo somn i t e measure the noble Duke's perquisites were composed. In 1674 there wer t 111go e 8 solan gccsc, realising .£79 . lOd3s , . sterling, lese th s "foe waige and allowance" of the "climber of the Bass" and other charges, in all amounting to £11, 12s. 2d. sterling. In 1675, 1060 solans brought £75 . lOd. 5s ,frod an mcharg;a f £20eo r Charle,fo s Maitland's going to London " with sollen geese, t "i seem s that they were specially sent s Grace therHi n 1676 I r .efo , £83, 17s pais .116r Idfo dwa . 0 birds; and £71, 16s. 5|d. for 985 in 1677. The geese in 1678 formed the subject of a special contract, dated 10th May at Edinburgh, between Sir William Sharp of Stony hill, who had a "great tack" of nearly all the duke's property, and Charles, son of Robert Maitland, keeper of the Bass, and no doubt a relative of Lauderdale's. The rent was £75 and " two dozen good sollen geese free." Between the year of the purchase and the Revolution of 1688, the prison cell f thio s s lonely rock were often occupie whon me , y persedb - EARLY NOTICES OF THE BASS ROCK AND ITS OWNERS. 69

cuted on account of their religion, have accordingly been styled the " Martyr Bass.e th I f thinso " firs e thesef kth o t , Robert Gillespies ,wa incarcerate Prive n ordeth a f yy o rdb Council , date Aprid 2n d l 1673, and directing that he should " be carried to and kept prisoner in the Isle of the Bass." He was released 8th January 1674. Without enumer- ating names f whico , lise onls hth i tlong o sufficiens i yto t thaty i , sa ,o t t in greater or less number, persons were imprisoned in the castle for conscience' sake from 1673 steadily onwards unti e accessioth l f o n Willia f Orangmo 1688n ei . Parliament, however, even after that happy event stils wa l, exercised e r bactivitJamegarrisoe yth fo th helt o f sn y ou o i dwh VII. n d an , 168 9commissioa gives wa Captaino t n n Archibald Dunba o protect r t Lothiae th n coast from attacks fro s furtheBasse mwa th t i ;r provided that this officer was to have the command given up to him, and an offer of indemnit mads y wa Charle o et s Maitland commandeo wh , garrisone dth , if he would surrender the rock and the prisoners confined there. When this offer failed, a bribe of three months' pay was tried, on condition of a surrende Estatese th t nothin o t rBu . g would mov stoue eth t governor or temp s littl hi ts the e wa ngarrison e formallh d an , y denounces hi r dfo refusa yieldo t l . Probably this governo same th s e Charlerwa s Maitland who, eleven years before, had been quietly bargaining about the solan geese, perhaps little thinkin military an f go y dutie n relatioi se th o nt rock of which his father before him had been keeper and commandant. s evidentlywa e H , however t conten no ,e defensive th o rest n t o t d an , fresh raids were made fro e islanmth d upo e adjoininnth g coasts with such effec same t th tha en i tyea r 1689 appeare e Com orden th a d o -t r missioners for Anstruther, to secure the east coast of against attacks froe Bass mth n 1690I . , however e fortresth ,compelle s wa s suro t d - render, and it was garrisoned for King William III. ; but, according to Hill Burton, four young prisoner 1691n si , taking advantag whole th f eo garrison, to the number of fifty, being engaged in coaling outside the walls, shut the gates upon them, and afterwards aided by reinforcements and provisions from France, succeede holdinn i d t untigou l 1694, whee nth fortress of the Bass Rock surrendered, being the last place in the to yield to the arms of William III. The romantic Grose has it in this wise :—"After the Revolution a desperate crew of people got 70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, DECEMBER 14, 1885.

possession of it; and having a large boat, which they hoisted up on the t dowrockle t r pleasurea no , , committed several piracies, too kgreaa t many vessels, and held out to the last of any place in Great Britain for King James; but their boat being at length seized or lost, andnot receiving their accustomed suppl f provisionyo s from France, they were obligeo t d surrender." e conditio Th e fortificationth f no s between 167 169d 5an 5 seemo t s have calle r varioudfo s repairs, presumably nothing beyon maintene dth - existine ancth f eo g defences n 1701i t , bu ; wit e demolitiohth e th f no castle, I approach the end of my narrative. Beyond an incidental reference in 1704 to certain repairs formerly ordered in the time of Charles II., there is nothing left to record of the Bass, save its final alienation from the Crown, when in 1706 it was granted to Sir Hew Dalrymple of North Berwick, by whose descendant it is still possessed.1 The grant was ratifie Parliameny db n 1707i t , wit reservatioe hth f Lorno d Alexander Hay' se sola righth ne o Queen't t th geese d an ,s righ o fortifyt t . What Lord Alexander Hay's right precisely was ,I hav t beeeno n abl ascero et - l probabilital n i s wa fixeleasya a t r i tain t defo terbu , yearsf mo . Durin elevee gth n centurie whicn si Base hth sindividuan a Eoc d kha l 1 Walker, in his Essays on Natural History, p. 287 (Ediu. 1808), gives the rent of the Bass between 1764 and 1767 thus :— Produce. Rent o proprietort , 0 84 . They take solan geese 36 4 3 1 6 £4 merks . , ' . '. times in the season, and To the climber, 100 merks, 5 11 1^ at a medium 36 each To 7 men employed in time, which t Isa , . 8d. catching the fouls, each sterling each, is . .£118 0 0 £16 . Scots.96 . , 8 Sheep's grass, . . 500 To the carrier, 36 times to Ten Scots gallons of oil Edinburgh, 2s. sterling drawf o t nfa froe mth each time, . . 3 12 0 . sterlin foulse 8d th t a , g each pint, . . . 2 13 0 £65 3 14 Ten stone weight of feathers, at 10s. sterling . pe50 r. stone 0. ,

5 £13 3 1 0 Probabl e presenyth t owner would rejoics rent-rolhi f i e l could giv goos ea n da accoun e Rockth f o t. EARLY NOTICEE BAS S TH OWNEES SIT F 1 KOC7 O SD AN K.

history t figurei , d somewhat eonspicuorisl annale th n yf i Scotland so s A . a hermitagesacres it d d ha period t i , ; a sprisoa a fortres d nan s alter- nately t vindicate,i e law'dth s majesty r affordeo , secura d e bas r semiefo - piratica time lth eforaysl al eve d anont an rye ;t i seem, o havst e been visited for sporting purposes, until at last it obtained special Acts to protect those feathered inhabitants, who, surviving all human occupation, have now for nigh 200 years enjoyed sole possession of the Kock.

MONDAY, IIth January 1886. PROFESSOR NORMAN MACPHEESON, LL.D., Vice-President, in the Chair. BalloA t having besn taken e followinth , g Gentlemen were duly elected Fellows:— Rev. FRANCIS GBBBIE, 4 Clarendon Crescent. GEORG . MELVILLEEF , Sheriff-Substitut e Lotliiansth f o e . JOHN TOSH, Architect, Whitehall Place, London. EOBEET HISLOP, Solicitor, Auchterarder.

e followinTh g Letters froe newlmth y elected Honorary Fellowf o s e Societth y wer e Secretary: th rea y db — WALTON MANOR, OXFOBD, 'Ard December 1885. To the President and Council of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. GENTLEMEN,—Allo y mos o m returt u te sincerm wyo n e thank r thfo ss honou Honorar5 havu 2 yo re e th don f ie nyo m eelectine Memberon e gm f so your famous Society.—I remain, Gentlemen, yours most sincerely, JNO . WESTWOODO . , M.A., Pres. Oxf. Arch, and Hist. Society.

STOCKHOLM, 10th December 1885. SIR,— expreso I t e Societpra u th y yo o st f Antiquarie o y f Scotlano s y m d sincere gratitude because of the great honour shown to me by the election of the 30th November. It will be to me a great pleasure if I can at any time be of some use to your Society, of which I have during several years studied the publications wit highese hth t interest.