Transactions. Ill 



gardens in blossom fringins; the ricli agricultural lands which in 

 gentle hill and vallej' trend towards Newabbey. 



Lastly, it was not a village of mushroom growth, but a very 

 ancient one, dating at least from the 14rth century. Here is the 

 translation of an extract from a charter granted by King David 

 2nd, dated a.d. 1365 : — 



To Roger Wodyfeld all those tenements in the burgh of 

 Dumfries, and 20 pounds worth of land (viginti libratum terrce.), 

 with one house in the town of Trogwayre, which Janet, daughter 

 of Walter Moffat, and Richard Duchti, her husband, had mort- 

 gaged to the said Roger. Rob., Index, p. 77. 



Cosmo Innes says : — " The very ancient denominations of land 

 from its value, librata, nummata denariata terrae, point at a 

 valuation for some public purpose." 



Having tlms proved the existence of a very ancient village or 

 small town of Troqueer, we corroborate the learned Chalmers in 

 his derivation of the first syllable of its name. We also see the 

 signiticance in ancient deeds of the Brigand being always called 

 " of Dumfries ;" and in the populous nature of both places we 

 find an explanation for the parish church having from time 

 immemorial been situated at this north-east part of the parish. 



Although this ancient village has disappeared, the locality has 

 in modern times acquired fresh interest in its association with our 

 national poet. Burns, who often traversed the Troqueer road to 

 visit Mr Syme at Ryedale ; Dr Maxwell at Troqueer Holm ; or 

 Mr Lewars, his superior officer in the Excise, who lived and, in 

 1826, died in that quaint small house called Ryedale Cottage. 



It was on IMr Lewars's sister Jessy that Burns composed the 

 beautiful song, " Ob, wert thou in the cauld blast V concerning 

 which Dr Chambers, in his biography of the poet, thus writes : — 

 " Many years after, when Burns had become a star in memory's 

 galaxy, and Jessy Lewars was spending her quiet years of widow- 

 hood in a little parlour in Maxwelltown, the verses attracted the 

 regard of Felix Mendelssohn, wlio married them to an air of 

 exquisite pathos." 



Two other houses Burns visited in the parish were Mavisgrove 

 and Goldielea. 



The minutes of the Kirk-session are extant with a few blank 

 years — from 1698, and give a view of ecclesiastical affairs long 

 fallen into desuetude It used to exercise a very strict super- 

 vision over the congregation. The jurisdiction of tliese tribunals 



