RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN. 107 
may be given that way promise votes to any person or persons in 
the future elections.’’’ The Marquis of Annandale contributed 
750 merks Scots towards the building, in addition to 400 merks 
Scots previously subscribed by him. On 29th September, 1722, 
the first reference to the town clerk is made, where it is stated 
that Captain John Henderson of Broadholm, who had been 
appointed in 1702 town clerk for life, “ for giving out extracts of 
the Acts of Council to those that had not agreement or interest, 
but only designed to subvert the constitution of the Burgh, and 
to disturb the peace of the burgh by pretended reductions of the 
late elections to the injury of the public good thereof, the said 
Mr Henderson being an abettor and promotor of these disturb- 
ances,’’ the Town Council annulled and made void the Acts of 
Council under which he had been appointed, and dismissed him 
from office, and appointed Captain John Hounslow as town clerk 
in his place. In the minute of 27th August, 1723, it is noted 
that the Bailies and other members of the Town Council appeared 
before two ministers appointed by the Presbytery of Lochmaben, 
and declared a call in favour of the Rev. Edward Banockle as 
minister of Lochmaben. The following entry, on 8th November, 
1728, speaks for itself:—“ The which day the Magistrates and 
Council of the Burgh being assembled in common council, and 
having under their consideration the several and repeated com- 
plaints made to them on account of several of the heritors within 
the burgh setting houses to persons who could not give any 
account of themselves, and wanting certificates of their last abode, 
and also considering a petition given into them this day by the 
minister and elders, complaining that the persons therein men- 
tioned and others now living within the burgh without certificates 
of their former abodes, and recommended to the Magistrates to 
exercise their power against such persons, who cannot give an 
account of themselves, and likewise having under their considera- 
tion that several persons come to reside within the burgh and 
exercise their employments such as merchant traders, sellers of 
all kinds, keepers of public-houses, and others exercising their 
trade as mechanics without so much as acknowledging the 
Magistrates or recognising their freedom to exercise their said 
employments according to the custom and laws of Royal Burghs ; 
therefore the Magistrates and Council, in order to prevent such 
practices, doth enact and hereby enacts that for hereafter no 
