Transactions. 47 



the tutor of Bunby (so says Burton, although with us it is written 

 Bomhie), as being tutor or guardian to the young laird of that 

 name, refused to attend the meeting. He was seized, and taken 

 to Thrieve Castle. His friends had good grounds to fear for his 

 life. His uncle, Sir Patrick Grey, captain of the King's Guard, 

 busied himself for the captive's safety, and appeared, provided 

 with warrants, at the gates of Thrieve Castle. Sir Patrick got a 

 courteous reception. The guest must accept of hospitality first, 

 business afterwards. It is believed the poor tutor, who had been 

 torn from his stronghold of Raeberry, was alive in Thrieve when 

 Sir Patrick arrived, and that Douglas, suspecting the object of 

 his visit, whispered to an attendant to have him despatched. 

 When the hospitalities were ended Douglas read the warrant. 

 To its full extent he was not in a condition to comply with it. 

 Sir Patrick, however, should have his nephew, though unfor- 

 tunately he was somewhat changed in condition since his arrival 

 in Douglas Castle — in fact, he was headless ! 



In the long struggle between the Stewart Kings and the 

 Douglases the latter began to go to the wall, and in 1454 or 1455 

 the Galloway possessions of the house of Douglas went to the 

 Crown. A small force sufficed to take the Castle of Thrieve. 

 There is a tradition that Mons Meg, the huge cannon now on view 

 at Edinburgh Castle, shot into it two bullets of granite from 

 Bennan Hill, and that the second bullet penetrating through the 

 wall shot off the hand of Margaret Douglas, the fair maid of 

 Galloway, then engaged at dinner. In the present century, when 

 the Castle was being cleared of rubbish and repaired for the 

 reception of French prisoners, the workmen found a massive gold 

 ring with the inscription " Margt. de Douglas," showing that it 

 belonged to that lady. It is supposed to have been on the hand 

 shot off. 



Douglases. 



A Douglas, descended from a younger branch of this great 

 family, was represented until lately by the Earl of Selkirk, at 

 whose seat, St. Mary's Isle, parish of Kirkcudbright, his sister, 

 married to Hon. Charles Hope, still resides, in possession of the 

 family estates. 



The name of Douglas has been perpetuated by an enterprising 

 merchant whose lineage is unknown, so that Ave have Castle- 

 Douglas, the original name being Causeyend. The change was 



