130 Transactions. 



Street of the burgli of Dumfries, bounded by the tenement of 

 houses, yeard, and barn formerly belonging to John Crosbie, late 

 Deacon of the Wrights in Dumfi'ies, now to Joseph Johnston, 

 Chyrurgeon there, on the south ; the Trishgate on the west ; the 

 tenement of houses, yeard, and barn pertaining to me on the 

 north ; and the King's High Street on the east parts." Tliis 

 tenement was described as " partly timber and slated " in a policy 

 of fire insurance effected by Mr Sharp with the Sun Fire Office 

 in London on 30th March, 1736, in which it is insured for <£100, 

 and looking to the price paid for it, I have no doubt it was in this 

 position when purchased by Mr Lowthian, and that he immediately 

 afterwards rebuilt it, because we know that in 1745 it was a stone 

 Jiouse pretty much in the same condition as it is at present, with 

 the exception of the two top storeys. As showing tlie improve- 

 ment effected by Mr Lowthian upon this property, I may mention 

 that it was sold in 1800 by his heirs for £1420. If you will 

 allow me to digress for a minute, I would like to add that Mr 

 Sharp's tenement to tlie north of it was known, and is mentioned 

 in several records, as " Hoddom's stone house " — not I think 

 because stone houses were very peculiar in Dumfries at the time 

 but to distinguish it from his house, " partly timber and slated," 

 with which we are dealing. This " stone house " was afterwards 

 known as " The Turnpike house," on account of the various flats 

 being reached by a circular stair in front of the house entering off 

 the street, but whicli I think did not form part of the original 

 structure. Part of this house was let to Sir Robert Grrierson of 

 Lag in 1720, and it was from it that his funeral took place, 

 regarding which there are so many weird but not very authentic 

 stories. Mr Lowthian was, I have said, a man of means, and his 

 new house was in the best style, so that Mr Chambers, in his 

 history, describes it as " the best house in Dumfries " at the time. 

 No doubt there was a pend through the old house giving access 

 from the High Street to the yard beiiind, and the house itself 

 would enter off the pend according to ancient custom. Mr 

 Lowthian did away with this pend, and very probably his new 

 liouse was among the first houses in Dumfries which had a direct 

 entrance of the main street. The entrance was into a fairly wide 

 lobby, off which entered four rooms on the first or ground storey. 

 Of these rooms the two larger were to the front, and thougii they 

 have now only one large window, they probably had originally 

 each two smaller windows exactly under the corresponding 



