Muckle-mou'd Meg

Gae, gaur the loon marry our muckle-mou'd Meg
Or we'll ne'er get the jaud aff our han
'Od! hear our gudewife, she wad fain save your life;
Wat Scot, will ye marry or hang?

- Sir Walter Scott

I had a day off today and decided to head up the Tweed valley towards Walkerburn where it had been so picturesque yesterday morning. Alas, it was later in the day and the sun was shining on the wrong side of the valley. I went up the hill towards Thornilee forrest and I discovered this wooden sculpture of Muckle-mou'd Meg (or Lady Agnes Murray).

She was the daughter of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank House and found it difficult to attract a suitor on account of her unusually large mouth. When Sir Gideon caught a local lad, William Scott rustling his cattle he imprisoned him and offered him two choices - hang for his crime or marry his daughter. Taking three days to make his decision William finally agreed, on his way to the gallows, to marry her. By all accounts they lived happily ever after and were ancestors of Sir Walter Scott.