Identifier: baronialecclesia00bill (find matches)
Title: The baronial and ecclesiastical antiquities of Scotland
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Billings, R. W. (Robert William), 1813-1874 Wiston-Glyn, A. W
Subjects: Architecture Church architecture
Publisher: Edinburg T.N. Foulis
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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completed, and fallen afterwards to ruin. It consists oftwo square blocks of building with a cleft between, which bears marks of havingbeen vaulted over—the imposts of the lower arches, however, alone remaining.There are two round towers, at extreme angles of the double square, each with athin curve or some semi-turret, uniting it with the square mass. These roundtowers terminate square, and in a rather peculiar manner. In general, in suchchanges, the wall-plate of the squares coincides with, if it do not project over, thecircumference of the circle, so that the angles are graduated down to it by corbels.But here the square department is incised, so that the angles only reach thecircumference of the circular. The chambers within are all square except thevaults. There is very little decoration throughout the whole of this gloomyedifice ; but the effect of the vast broken mass standing in the lonely glen, amongthe surrounding mountains, is grand and solemn. One of the scanty marks of
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ANTIQUITIES OF SCOTLAND 133 the ornamental chisel is a triangular stone, with the remains of blazoning, inwhich a fetlock is distinctly visible. The crest of the Earls of Morton is Awild boar, proper, striking between two clefts of an oak-tree, a chain and lockholding them together. It is taken for granted by the few writers who havementioned this ruin, that it was erected by the Regent Morton ; and Pennicuik,in his description of Tweeddale, tells that, Upon the front of the south entry ofthis castle was J EO M, James Earl of Mortoun^ in raised letters, with the fetter-lock as Warden of the Borders. We are not aware of any contemporary authoritytor this account of the origin of the edifice, and it is not mentioned by the familyhistorian, Hume of Godscroft, who gives a pretty full memoir of the Regent.Pennicuiks substantial statement, followed by others, is, The Nether Drochilhath been designed more for a palace than castle of defence, and is of mightybulk ; founded, and more than half

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