Transactions. 1 29 



Lowthian of Stafford Hall, in C\iniberland, who was then in 

 occupation of it. George Lowthian (Richard's father), who also 

 owned Stafford Hall, removed from it to Leadhills very early in 

 the eighteenth century, and after a residence there of 30 years, 

 he died in Dumfries in 1735. He probably was engaged in the 

 mining industry at Leadhills, and was successful in it, because we 

 find his son Richard a wealthy man, owning considerable property 

 in Dumfrie.s, including the lands of Nunholm. Richard Lowthian 

 went back to his native county for a wife, for he married Sarah 

 Aglionby, a daughter of Henry Aglionby of Nunnery, who was 

 Member of Parliament for Carlisle. Nunnery is within a very 

 short distance of Stafford Hall, and curiously enough the latter 

 property was acquired from ]\Ir Lowthian's representatives by his 

 wife's grand nephew. Major Aglionby, who added it to Nunnery. 

 A new mansion house was sometime ago erected on this conjoined 

 property; it is called " Stafiield Hall," and is at present in 

 possession of Colonel Arthur Aglionby. Richard Lowthian and 

 his father are buried in St. Michael's Churchyard, and the next 

 tomb is that of William Bell, who was provost of the burgh in 

 1745, Provost Crosbie mentioned in Mr Fergusson's letter being 

 really ex-provost. Mr Robert Chambers, in his " History of the 

 Rising," gives the following account of the attitude taken up by 

 Mr Richard Lowthian during the Prince's stay in iiis house. He 

 says that " Though well affected to the Prince's cause, he judged 

 it prudent not to come into his presence, and yet neither did he 

 wish to offend him by the appearance of deliberately going out of 

 his way. The expedient he adopted in this dilemma was one 

 highly characteristic of the time — lie got himself filled so extremely 

 drunk that his being kept 1-ack from the company of his guest 

 was only a matter of decency. His wife, who could not well be 

 taxed with treason, did the honours of the house without scruple." 

 Before leaving, the Prince gave Mrs Lowthian a pair of gloves 

 and his portrait, and these, along with hangings of the bed upon 

 which he slept, are understood to be still in the possession of some 

 of her descendants. With the bed itself I shall deal later. 



I think it desirable to give you .some details of Mr Lowthian's 

 house. He acquired it in 1741 from Mr Matthew Sharp of 

 Hoddom for the sum of £130, and in the disposition granted by 

 Mr Sharp it is described as "All and hail my tenement of hou-se.s, 

 high and laigh, back and fore, with yeard and barn at the foot 

 thereof, adjacent thereto, lying on the we.st side of the High 



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