Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

CASTLES AND MANSIONS OF THE JOHN STONES
OF JOHNSTONE AND ANNANDALE.
1. LOCHMABEN CASTLE.
Thkee great castles at one period dominated the whole dislviet of Anuandale. These
were Lochiuabeii, Annan, and Auchcncass. Lochmabcu Castle stood ncarl}' iu the
centre of the dale, while the castle of Annan was at the south end, and Anclienoass
was midway between the commencement of the dale on the north and Lochmabon on
the south. These three castles were all stupendous in their structure, and v.-ere more
like the work of communities than of individual owners. They arc now all in ruins,
and hare been so for centuries.^
The earliest mention of Lochmaben occurs in tlie great charter by King William
the Lion to Robert do Briis, the second of Annandale, of all the land which his father
and liimself held in Annandale, as freely and by the same bounds as they were held in
the time of King David, his grandfather, or King Malcolm, his hrotlier. The charter
is dated at Lochmaben, and witnessed by Engclram, Bishop" of Glasgow, and a largo
number of the court. The date is assigned to 11C6.- It is next mentioned iu a
charter by William do Bras to Adam of Carlyle, of the lands of Kinmont, where
Carlyle and his men are granted free passage to the market by the forest at Lokmaban
through Dalton, aud at Dumfries through Bochcl. The holding of a fair shows tliat
Lochmaben at the date of the charter (1194-1214) was a place of some importance.^
After King Robert Bruce relinquished Annandale to his nepliew Randolph, and in
the cour.^e of the .subsequent history of tlie castle of Lochmaben, many of the
sovereigns of Scotland took a deep interest in it from the time of King David Brace.
In the year 1346 Lochmaben was in po.sse.=.sion of the English, having been seized
by King Edward the Third. In that year King David the Second marched through
Annandale and took the castle from Selby, the English governor under Edward, and
occujiied Lnclimaben. lie crossed the border and engaged in tlie fatal battle of
' Mr. Clerk of Eldin made a drawing of the courtesy of llessrs. Nimmo, Hay and
the castle of Loelimaben as it existed between Mitchell, the publishers, it is here rejiro-
thc years 1773 and 1779. The drawing was duccd.
included in the volume of F^Idin Etchings for
the Bannatync Club in 1SG.5. An engraving
was also made for the History of Lochmaben
- Xational MSS. of Scotland, vol. i. No.
xxxix.
l)y the late Uev. William Graham. Through ' Charters of this Work, pp. I, 2.
'
VOL. I.
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