[546] Afterwards married to Lord Elphinston.
Halton, as I saw their, carries the griffin bearing a sword, on the point wheirof is a Moors head. The occasion they tell me is that one of the Lairds went with a brother of Robert the Bruce to the Holyland and slew many of the Sarazens their, wheiron he added that to his coat. The motto is, Strike alike. Metellans[547] hes a lion with a star.
[547] Maitlands.
Learned of the old Laird that the Lairds of Calder ware knights of the order of St John of Jerusalem, after knights of the Rhodes, now of Malta, and that by vertue theirof they ware superiors of all the Temple lands (which in Edenburgh may be discerned yet by having Croces on them), as weill in burgh as in landward throwghout Scotland. Heard him speak of that Bond of Assurance betuixt the toune of Edenburgh and the Laird of Halton, the like wheirof few in Scotland hes of the toune of Edenburgh.
This Laird hes bought in a place called the Spittle (proprie the
Hospitall), just over on the other syde of the water, which never
appertained to the Laird of Halton of before. All the ground about it the
Laird is taking just now in to be a park.
In one of the chambers hings King Charles the 2d, King Henry le Grand of
France, fetcht home by the old Laird; the old Earle of Lauderdale with his
ladie, the Lady Reidhouse, now Lady Smeton Richison, the old Laird Mr.
Richard, with some others.
This Laird hes made a verie regular addition to the old dungeon tower. The garden that lies to the west of the dungeon would have bein better placed to the southe of the house wheir the bouling greine is, tho I confesse that by reason of the precipice of the bray hard at hand it would have bein to narrow. Hes its ponds.
Came back the same way we went.
Nixt day went for Eleiston, 7 miles from Edenburgh (Halton is 6). Went by Corstorphin, Gogar toune and Stone; saw Gogar place, then Ingleston, Eistfeild, belonging to James Gray, merchand, then Halzeards, Skein, then Newliston, Auldliston, toune of Kirkliston, Castle of Nidrie, Baruclan, my Lord Balmerinochs, Barnebougall, the Clerk Registers,[548] of old the Moubrayes, Dundas of that Ilk, Leine,[549] Youngs, Craigiehall, bought from my Lord Kingstone by Mr. Jo. Ferolme, 50 chalder of wictuall for a 100,000 merk, who seiking up some monies from some noblemen to pay it with occasioned the making the Act of debitor and creditor; then Kilpont, the Earle of Airths, Mr. Archibald Campbell hes 40,000 merks on it; then Kirkhill, Stewarts, conquised by Sir Lues Stewart the advocat; his daughter (a very good woman) is Ladie Glencairne; then Uphall Kirk, which is Kirkhils parish kirk; then Binnie and Binnie Craigs with Wester Binnie, which belongeth to Mr. Alexander Dicksone, professor in Hebrew. Crosed the Water of Amont at Cliftonhall. Beyond Binnie Craigs stands Dechmond, Hamiltons.
[548] Sir Archibald Primrose, 1616-1679; Clerk Register, 1660; Justice-General, 1676. (See infra, p. 225.) His son Archibald was the first Earl of Rosebery, cr. 1703.