118 Transactions. 



12th century by a Lord of Kirkconnel ; and there is an engraving 

 of it as it appeared in the middle of the 18th century in Cardonnel's 

 Antiquities of Scotland, small in size, because apparently only the 

 pre-Eeformation Chancel made use of for Presbyterian worship 

 down to 1770, when its stones were built into the present parish 

 Church. It stood on the S.E. corner of the present churchyard, 

 and vestiges of its foundation were to be seen some years ago. 



Its Abbot sat in the great Parliament of 1290 as Abbot de 

 Der-Cougal, or holy-wood, in the diocese of Glasgow, and he swore 

 fealty to Edward 1st at Berwick in 1296. In 1568 its Abbot — 

 Thomas Campbell — assisted Mary Queen of Scots in her flight, and 

 his title was therefore forfeited. In 1587 the Abbey became 

 vested in the King ; and in 1617, by an Act of Parliament, its 

 lands were erected into a free Barony of Holy wood. The Abbot's 

 Seal on a lease, dated 1557, represents a bird sitting on an acorn 

 on the branch of an oak. All the Abbots of this Order met once 

 a year at Premontre. Keith, in his notice of religious houses in 

 Scotland, says — " Johannes de Sacro Bosco, who is famous for his 

 book De Sphoera, is believed to have been a religious of this 

 Abbey." An effigy of this great mathematician was removed from 

 the Church to that of Terregles by Lord Maxwell at the Refor- 

 mation. 



The monks of Holywood possessed much land in Nithsdale 

 and Galloway, and it is said that between the years 1172-80 all 

 the churches in Galloway were granted to it by William the Lion, 

 specially Tongland, Whithorn, and Soul's Seat. Almost all the 

 land in the parish of Dunscore belonged to it, and to a Priory at 

 Friars' Carse. 



As there are no remains in this district of a monastery of 

 this Order, I would recommend the student to visit the Abbeys of 

 Dryburgh, Jedburgh, and Hexham, all within reasonable distance, 

 and of the Augustinian Order. 



Some time in the 13th century various oi'ders of Friars came 

 to this country from Italy, wearing the monastic habits, but not 

 under monastic vows ; and who, instead of loving seclusion and 

 an ascetic life, devoted themselves to active religious duties every- 

 where, in rivalry of the parochial clergy, whom they accused, not 

 without reason, of negligence in their spiritual duties, especially to 

 the poor. Some were famed as preachers, others as confessors 

 and missionaries, and nearly all of them as mendicants. But the 



