Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

xviii JOHN' JoHX.STOXE OF JOIINSTOXK, llal-Ufio.
ineiif, it may be infeiiiAl that lii> liiilli would be in ov about "the yi.\.r 1417.
As tlierc is proof thai he vas living in M93, lie v.ould then liave attained
the age of 76 years at least. Olj these years ncaily forty were occupied by
liirn a5 lieail of llie faiaily of Ji'hDjLoue, and j^ropiiotor of the estate of
Johnstone, lie was a very active cliicflai!), and is frequently njcntioned
as conservator of the truces made in the years 14 57 and 1-159, and also in
several other public documents which will be mentioned. 'Die great object
of his youthful soveieigu, King James the Second, was to break down the
nnprecedeutcd power of the family of Douglas, but in accomplishing that
purpose three mnrders were committed on the Douglases, two by the respon-
sible ministers of the king, and a third by the king himself.
^ These
crimes
cast an indelible slain on the reign of the second James, and led to sanguinarj-
conflicts between the forces of the king on the erne liand and tjiose of the
surviving Douglases on the other, till the latter were finally subdued at the
battle of Lochinabc-n iii the reign of King Janu'S the Tlsird.
During the tinie of this chief three important 'battles were fought, in
all of whicli lie pnibably took an acti^e part on behalf of the ci'own. The
first is known in hi.-,iory as the battle of ,Sark, fought on 23d October lt48
at Lochmabenstane, in the parish of Kedpatrick orGraituey, throngh wliicli
the water of Saik ilovrs, and near which an npright stone, known as "Loch-
mabcn-stane," is the only remnant of a large circle of stones which once
stood there. Tliis was a battle between the Scots and an invading arm}' of
Englishmen, who were severely repulsed. Very little is known of the
details of the battle, as the English chronicles almost entirely ignore it.
Hvigh Douglas, Earl of Ormond, was the commander of the Scottish army.
Among those assisting OrnKnid were "the Lord of Johnstone," as he is
designated, who was then Adam Johnstone, and with him Sir John Wallace
oi Craigie, and others, amounting in all to 4000 jnoi. These were opposed
by the English army, amounting to GOOD men, led by the younger Percy
aud other warlike chieftains of England. As Adam Johnstone bore a con-