THE BEST PLACE TO START
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN
LOCAL ANTIQUITIES
IS THE PEEBLES MUSEUM
SITUATED BEHIND THE TOURIST
OFFICE IN THE HIGH STREET.
IRON AGE FORTS
There are several hill forts nearby at Black Meldon,
White Meldon and a large fort at Cademuir Hill.
Cademuir Hill two and a half miles to the south west of Peebles,
consists of two prominent ridges lying at right angles to one another
and linked by a narrow saddle. On the summit of the western ridge the
fort measures 700ft by 400ft within a stone wall 10 ft thick.
Steep slopes afford the site great natural protection on all sides
except the SW. On the SW side the wall has almost entirely vanished
down the face of the hill, but elsewhere it continues as a considerable
band of debris. Within the fort, which is five and a half acres in extent,
the surface traces of at least 35 ring grove houses are visible.
The fort on the other ridge is not so well protected, the approach to the
NE being over level ground. To counteract this the NE is bordered by a gully
100 ft deep and 120 ft wide on the far side of which are the remains of
"chevaux de frise". The position of the obstacle is such that it would be
invisible to an attacking force advancing from the NE until they breasted
the flank of the gully and were among the stones.
ROMAN OCCUPATION
The ROMAN FORT AT LYNE
Four miles west of Peebles situated on a bend in the Lyne Water.
On top of a broad level plateau composed of hard compacted glacial gravel.
It has been carefully conserved and substantial remains of the
defences are still visible on the surface of the ground.
Three other roman works in the vicinity have been completely covered
by cultivation. They were only recently disclosed by crop markings.
ARTHUR & MERLIN
The legendary Arthur died in 537 AD and the first written record of him
was the "History of Britain" written or transcribed from the original welsh
into latin by the roman Nennius in the early ninth century.
In the dark ages there was no writing, Folk law was recorded by
folk singers and story tellers. Who had a long tradition of tales
and songs of Arthur and his magician Merlin.
Nennius records that Arthurs Kingdon was from Cornwall up the
whole east of England and including what today is Southern Scotland
Arthur was reputed to have fought twelve battles and won them all.
The seventh being in the Wood of Caladon, (The Caledonian Forest)
which at that time covered the whole of Scotland.
Locally it is thought that this battle took place in the area
between the Roman Fort at Lyne and the Hill Fort at Cademuir
Both of which would have been occupied by local tribes
after the romans departed
Merlin of Arthurian legend - wizard profit and bard
lived in the mid-fifth century and was known as Merlin
of Uther Pendragon, Pendragon being Arthurs place of birth
and where he spent his childhood.
A second Merlin is recorded in the Four Ancient Books of Wales,
the black book of Carmarthan and he was probably the Merlin
associated with the Stobo Area. He was converted to Christianity
by St Kentigern at the alter-stone a large block of rock opposite
Alterstone Farm in the parish of Stobo. The following day Merlin
met a strange three fold death, as he had already prophesied.
He was stoned by local shepherds, slipped down the banks of the
tweed and impaled himself on stakes used to secure fish traps.
He drowned as the river unexpectantly rose and his head fell
below the water level.
Another strange feature of the Merlin Legend, is that the
supposed location of his prophesied death at Drumelzier is
precisely the site of the later thirteenth century prophecy
by Thomas of Rhymer who like Merlin was able to communicate
with the underworld. He predicted that the Tweed would meet
the Powsail Burn at Merlin's Grave when England and Scotland
had the same King. This was duly achieved in 1603 when the
crowns were united and the Tweed overflowed its bank in an
extraordinary flood and met the Powsail burn at Merlin's Grave.
MERLIN'S GRAVE AND THE ALTER STONE
CAN BE FOUND AT THE TOP OF
THE MANOR VALLEY
STOBO KIRK HAS A STAINED GLASS WINDOW
SHOWING MERLINS CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY
