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Lochmaben Five Hundred Years Ago; Or, Selections Historical and Antiquarian, From Papers Collected by J. Parker
Lochmaben Five Hundred Years Ago Or Selections Historical and Antiquarian From Papers Collected by J Parker Author:William Graham General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1865 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER IV. THE CASTLES AND CASTLE LOCH OF LOCHMABEN. " The pride and the safeguard of the Bruces." There have been, in succession, at least two fortresses of great comparative strength and importance. Being near the English border, each was in turn the principal check against inroads through the Western Marches, as well as the military station for keeping order within the district, whether it was in possession, for the time, of the English or the Scotch. The more recent of these two fortresses surpassing in extent and importance all the other castles in the south of Scotland, was also an object of great consequence through the successive civil wars, and in the conflicts between the two kingdoms, so late as the union of the crowns in 1603. Before, however, proceeding with our narrative under this head, we shall here notice an occurrence or two, only briefly spoken of under the preceding section. In the spring of 1297, when the English, under Percy and Clifford, made two successive inroads into Annandale, and 56 WALLACE AND THE GALLANT GKAHAM. took possession of the castle, Sir William Wallace and Sir William Douglas (who had seized the castles of Durrisdeer and Sanquhar) resolved to attempt a recapture from the enemy. Wallace is said to have stationed sixteen men in a small fort in the adjoining parish of Kirkmichael, still known as " Wallace's fort." With this small band of men he sallied forth to annoy the English, and, having taken some of their . horses, was pursued to Tor-head by Sir Hugh de Moreland, who, in the encounter that ensued, was slain, with several of his followers. A large ston...« less