Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 57 
Monday next after the feast of St. Cuthbert the Confessor (24 
March) in the year of the Lord 1292. 
Another acknowledgment for wages paid for the custody of 
these castles at this period, dated 25th June, 1292, runs :—“ To 
all who will see or hear this letter Richard Suard, Knight, 
wishes health in the Lord. Let all know that I at Berwick on 
Wednesday the morrow of the birth of St. John the Baptist in 
the year of the Lord 1292, received from Sir Alexander de 
Balliol chamberlain of the Kingdom of Scotland and Robert 
Heron associated to him by the lord King of England, head 
lord of Scotland, an account of my wages for the custody of 
the Castles of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigton, of the rest 
of my said wages until the feast of the Holy Trinity (1 June) 
£18 13s 4d. In evidence of which thing I have given to the 
same this my letter patent. Given at Berwick the day and year 
- above said.’’ 
Sir Richard continued in office in Edward’s service until the 
18th November. On that day the King by letter from Berwick 
directed him to hand over the Castles to John de Balliol, to whom 
the King had granted seizin of the Kingdom of Scotland. So 
ended the first English occupation, extending over one year and 
four or five months. Balliol was now King of Scotland, but 
Edward, apparently without much regard to the change of 
circumstances, gave instructions for the collection of certain 
arrears of customs in that kingdom. In regard to Dumfries, 
the English King wrote from Roxburgh, 10th December, 1292 :— 
“The King and Superior lord of the Kingdom of Scotland to his 
beloved John de Twynholm farmer of the Burgh of Duntfries, 
health. Know that those 18 pounds in which you are indebted 
to us, for arrears of your account from the farm of the aforesaid 
burgh, we have granted to our beloved Ralph de Handen to be 
received through your hands this year of the Lord 1292, on the 
day which may be arranged between you and him, for the 18 
pounds which he used to receive annually by the grant of 
Alexander of good memory, the last King of Scotland, deceased, 
in return for certain losses which he sustained on the March of 
the Kingdom of England and Scotland, as he says. And there- 
fore we command you to pay the aforesaid 18 pounds to the 
aforesaid in the form aforesaid, and we wish you to allocate 
them in the arrears. Moreover we order our beloved and 
