detached from
the rest of the county by reason of the fact that it lies south of the
range of hills which form the watershed between the Solway and the German
Ocean. This picturesque and interesting district, so famous in Border song
and story, is of a somewhat triangular shape, and at present forms one of
the largest parishes in the south of Scotland, measuring some twenty miles
by fourteen. It is bounded by England on the south, by Dumfriesshire on
the west, and by the parishes of Teviothead, Hobkirk, and Southdean on
the north. The upper, or northern, portion is mountainous and bleak. Some
of the hills along its boundaries are high and precipitous, the lofty
peaks of Millenwood Fell and Windhead attaining an elevation of close on
2000 feet. Tudhope hill, which forms a landmark for ships at sea, is 1830
feet high. The lower end of the district is less mountainous, but the
whole country is wild and bare, except in the valleys, which are clothed
in the richest green, and are sunny and sheltered.

Along the banks of the Hermitage and the Liddle--the latter stream giving
its name to the district--the keeps and peels of the Border reivers were
thickly and picturesquely planted. These towers, many of which have been
happily preserved, form one of the most striking features of the Border
landscape. As a general rule they were built in some situation of great
natural strength, on a precipice, or close to the banks of a stream, or
surrounded by woods and morasses, which made them difficult of access. The
position in which they were generally placed indicated at a glance the
pursuits and apprehensions of their inhabitants. It is said that when
James VI. approached the castle of Lochwood, the ancient seat of the
Johnstones, he exclaimed that "the man who built it must have been a knave
in his heart."

The principal part of these strongholds consisted of a large square tower,
called a "keep," having walls of immense thickness, which could be easily
defended against any sudden or desultory assault. The residencies of the
inferior Chiefs, called "peels" or "bastel-houses," were generally built
on a much smaller scale, and consisted merely of a high square tower,
surrounded by an outer wall, which served as a protection for cattle at
night. In these places the rooms were placed, one above the other, and
connected by a narrow stair, which was easily blocked up or defended, so
that it was possible for the garrison to hold out for a c