Transactions, 47 



In the late Mr M'Dowall's "History of Dumfriesshire," chap, ii., 

 there is an interesting summary of what was known of Dumfriesshire 

 families at an early historical period. I shall present some of this 

 information in a condensed form, and then show how it stands 

 with those surnames at the present day in the Valuation Roll. 

 The present paper shall be for the g-reater part limited to the pro- 

 prietors of the County. In the first place, proprietors are less 

 nomadic than occupiers. They have more ties binding them to 

 the glebe. In the second place, their names are arrang'ed alpha- 

 betically in the roll, and consequently are much more easily picked 

 out by a reader whose time is curtailed by other duties. No 

 doubt even in picking out there may be errors and imperfections, 

 from want of that local knowledge which gives precision, but, on 

 the whole, it is deemed that the conclusions approximate nearly to 

 reality. 



The surname which occurs most frequently as proprietor in 

 Dumfriesshire is that of Johnstone. The first trace we find of this 

 great family is in the reign of Alexander III. Thomas, Walter, 

 Gibert, and John, sons of Hugo de Johnstone, of East Lothian, 

 swore fealty to Edward I., in 1296, the last-mentioned baron 

 being termed " Chevalier of the County of Dumfries." They seem 

 to have been at that time and at an earlier date located in Annan- 

 dale ; but whether they gave to the parish of Johnstone its name, 

 or received their designation from it, is not made out. The name 

 is suggestive of Saxon origin. In Dumfriesshire there are 

 upwards of seventy proprietors of this name at the present day. 

 Johnstones possess nearly the whole of Kirkpatrick-Juxta. A 

 single family of that name holds nearly the whole of the parish of 

 Johnstone. There are two proprietors of that name in Applegarth, 

 seven in Dryfesdale, eight in Lochmaben, three in Hoddam, four 

 in Tundergarth, seven in Middlebie, two in Half-Morton, five in 

 Kirkpatrick-Fleming, seven in Gretna, two in Dornock, two in 

 Cummertrees, ten in the parish of Annan — making upwards of 

 sixty proprietors in Annandale alone. In Eskdale there are six or 

 seven, while in Nithsdale they thin out, turning up, however, to 

 some extent, in the parishes of Dumfries and Holywood. 

 Even in those Annandale parishes, which are nearly entirely 

 held by a single family, or two, at most, if we glance over the 

 names of the occupiers, a very fair sprinkling of Johnstones are 

 among them. Take the parish of Johnstone, mostly held by Mr 



