For years after the burning of the witches, the dreadful sin of having dealings with the Devil was a favourite subject of discussion by the ministers, and one of these divines took a novel way of proving his wicked disposition by an examination of his name. He said: "The word itself means an accuser or enemy; tak awa the d, and you get evil, remove the e, and vil remains, tak the v, and there is il, and if you tak the i, you get the name of the place where he lives. So you see," continued the worthy old pastor, "he is an ill, vile, evil, Devil, and I wad hae naething to dae wi' him.”

After the execution of the witches, Christian Shaw does not seem to have been further tormented, and, about the year 1718, she got married to the Rev. Mr Millar, parish minister of Kilmaurs. On the death of her husband, she returned to Bargarran, where, being exceeding dexterious in spinning yarn, she conceived the idea of making it into thread. Her first attempts were on a very small scale, and she bleached the yarn on a large slate in one of the windows. In this new industry she was very successful, and received the assistance of her sisters and neighbours. Lady Blantyre took a parcel of it to Bath, where she sold it to manufacturers for the making of lace. 'Having got information of the manufacture of thread as carried on in Holland, Christian Shaw, as we shall still name her, improved in the art, and soon a large mill with numbers of workers was the result. Bargarran House was inhabited till 1843, when it was made into a quarry to build a farm steading, and we understand very little of it now remains. In the Museum, there is a cabinet made of the wood of this celebrated house.

THE TOWN OF PAISLEY:

VII.

Towards the close of the seventeenth century, oatmeal and barleymeal were extensively used for bread, and ale was the general beverage. Fruit, such as apples, peas, plums, and gooseberries, were grown in gardens in the district, and bees were kept for their honey. Oranges were also obtainable in the town. In January, 1676, the price of "ane oranger" was 1s 2d Scots. It would seem that gunpowder was not much used, for we find that Cunningham, of Craigens, in 1676, sent to Glasgow for one ounce of powder and one pound of lead (shot); the powder cost 1s Scots, and the lead 3s Scots. On another occasion he sent to Glasgow for a quarter-a-pound of powder. Lint was grown and spun into yarn by the women of all classes, particularly those who were unmarried, and who were therefore called "spinsters, and this yarn was woven into linen cloth by the weavers. Wool was also spun and woven into coarse cloth. In the seventeenth century the only means of travelling to a distance was on horseback. When a lady and gentleman travelled together, the lady sat on a pad behind the gentleman.

"Light to the croup his fair lady he swung,

And light to the saddle before her he sprung." Every country house and inn had its "loupinon-stane. The last "loupin-on-stane in Paisley was at Lonewells, and was removed about the year 1830. It was a built structure, consisting of two or three steps. In the seventeenth century, the whole country was overrun with beggars, thieves, and robbers. At the end of that century, it was understood that there were about 200,000 people in Scotland living by begging, thieving, and robbing. The wandering beggar was the disseminator of news, and, on that cccount, was often welcomed. They had "skill o' cow ills and horse ills, and kenned mair auld sangs and tales than all the barony beside, and garred everybody laugh wherever they cam. The beggar trudged about with

"A bag for his oatmeal,

Another for his salt,
And a pair of crutches
To show he had a halt.

A bag for his corn,

Another for his rye,

A little bottle by his side
To drink when he was dry.

On the 28th November, 1700, James Laird, turner in Gorbals, was hanged on the Gallowgreen, of Paisley, for robbery. He was tried before Robert Semple, of Fullwood, SheriffDepute.

HISTORICAL SKETCH.

Sentences of death were passed at that time for crimes for which, at the present time, a term of imprisonment or fine would suffice. For petty theft, the culprit was often imprisoned for a time, then led through the town, stripped to the waist, with a rope round his neck, and a paper on his breast stating his offence; flogged, at several of the most frequented parts of the town, then taken back to the tolbooth, where he was kept a while, and then expelled the county on pain of receiving the same treatment every time he should return. It was quite a common thing to see culprits chained at the jail door to receive the jeers and insults of the mob. In September, 1700, two men, who had been guilty of petty theft at Kilbarchan, were sentenced to be tied to a post at the jail door of Paisley, and there burned on the face with a hot iron, and receive six lashes each on their naked backs, then to be taken, with drum-beating, to the Townhead, and receive six lashes there, then to the Bridge, and get six lashes there; six in Moss Street; and six at the Cross; six more at the Abbey Gate; then to be marched to Wallneuk, at that time a separate village, and get seven lashes; then expelled the county on pain of death if they returned; and any one harbouring them to be punished.

In 1709, a certain John Deans was brought before the Procurator - Fiscal, charged with 'pickering and thieving by taking away several stobs from timber dykes, and drawing of beans and pea stacks several times within the last three or four years. For this offence Deans was adjudged to go abroad as a recruit in Her Majesty's service under the command of any officer the Sheriff or his Depute might please. Another case of undue punishment took place in the same year, in the case of a poor woman who took some peas, beans, and bowkail. For

this offence she was sentenced to be put in the stocks, and to be fined £100 Scots, with imprisonment till payment, which would be imprisonment as long as the authorities might think fit.

In 1700 the population of the town was 2000. The year 1701 was long remembered as a year of drought. In that year no rain fell from the time the barley was sown till it was ripe. The consequence was that the straw was so short that it was impossible to put it into sheaves. When cut it was put into bags and carried on horseback to the barns. The crop of grain was good. After harvest, plenty of rain fell, and the result was a sufficiency of food for the cattle.

Till November, 1705, the courts were held at Renfrew. At that date a warrant was granted by Alexander, Earl of Eglinton, who was hereditary Sheriff Principal of the county, for their

"

removal to Paisley, which had quite outgrown its Royal neighbour, and, in consequence, was a place of more importance.

From the Sheriff Court Records, before alluded to, it appears that there were several cases of poaching tried in Paisley in 1707. At that time the right to kill game was exclusively granted to those who were heritors of £100 Scots, and their servants. Buyers and sellars of game during close season, were fined £100 Scots. All unqualified parties were prohibited from using sporting dogs or fowling pieces, under pain of their forfeiture and imprisonment of their persons for six weeks; and people were responsible for their servants. At this time the killing of game with hawks was quite out of date.

Never was there a more fortunate occurrence for Paisley than the union of the Parliaments of England and Scotland, which took place in 1707. At this time the manufactures of Paisley were very trifling, consisting only of coarse chequered linen cloth, and imitations of striped muslins, called Bengals. After the union a free trade set in between the two countries, commerce flourished, and Paisley, as we shall presently see, rose to be an important town.

Crawford, the historian, says that "in 1710 the town consisted of only one principal street, about a mile in length, running westward from the river, and having several lanes and wynds branching off in various directions. It was rendered considerable by its trade in linen and muslin, and had a great weekly market, at which those sorts of cloth were sold, the inhabitants chiefly finding occupation in their manufacture." About the same time Hamilton of Wishaw says-"Paisley is a very pleasant and well built little town, plentifully supplied with all sorts of grain, fruits, coal, peats, fishes, and what else is proper for the comfortable use of man, or can be expected in any other place in the kingdom. Crawford, who wrote in 1712, says that at that time, a little above the town, beautiful large pearls were to be found in the river, which might be favourably compared to oriental ones. They were got in large muscles in the sand.

In August, 1715, word of Prince Charles' intention to land in the country, with a large army, reached Paisley. The Council at once met and resolved that the town should at once be put on a war footing, and that a guard of twelve men should be on duty each night. They also ordered all the inhabitants to have their arms ready in case of an attack. They resolved that four flags should be procured, and appointed Bailie Paterson to procure them. In the following September, news reached the town that the Highlanders were up in arms, and the Town Council sent to Glasgow for twenty guns. They

also resolved to pay out of the town's funds 20 men at four shillings per week, to be constantly under arms.

In October, 1715, news reached Paisley that the Macgregors were ravaging the country round Balloch and Bonhill, and had seized several boats. One hundred and twenty volunteers were at once despatched from Paisley to assist in repelling the invaders, They marched to Dumbarton, and were joined by about one hundred men with three long boats, and four pinnaces from war vessels lying there. They were then joined by a large boat with two large screw guns, from Port-Glasgow, and then by three more boats from Dumbarton. All things having been got ready, the boats were drawn up the River Leven by horses. On arrival at the mouth of Loch Lomond, the Paisley men, and as many more as could, got on board, and the boats set sail; those on land marched along the margin of the loch. Both those on board and those on land kept firing their pieces, and the large screw guns were also fired. On arrival

at Inversnaid, the headquarters of the Macgregors, a ball was fired from one of the large guns through the roof of a hut, when an old woman or two came running out and scrambled up the hill. Having thoroughly satisfied themselves that the enemy was not within reach, the Paisley men, and some others, with the greatest sang froid, leaped ashore and got to the top of a hill, where they waited for about a quarter of an hour with drums beating, but the Macgregors had taken themselves off. They then went in search of the boats, which they found, with the oars, ropes, and anchors, hid among bushes a considerable distance from the water. Some of the boats were damaged, and these they destroyed. The others they dragged to the water, and took to Dumbarton, where they anchored them under the guns of the Castle.

In the present time we frequently hear of the hardships to which farmers are made to undergo on account of the game laws; but in olden times these hardships seem to have been much more severe. In 1716, we learn from Mr Hector's Judicial Records, there was a general complaint made against 52 tenant farmers and others for contravention of these laws. No attempt was made to prove the charge, nor was time or place specified. They were brought before Sheriff-Depute Semple and put on oath. Of the 52 accused 42 pled not guilty, and the others were fined £120 Scots. Two more cases were brought before the Sheriff-Depute the same year, in one of which 30 persons were accused. Of these, 24 pled negative, and the others were fined "twenty pounds, to be paid to the Fiscal in terms of law." In the other case, 54 farmera