The Irvings of Hoddom. 197 



have been very well provided with money, for Sharpe of Hoddom 

 had a good deal of difficulty, according- to a letter from Andrew 

 Macwhinnie, his law agent, in getting paid the " Compositi 

 agreed upon for your charter of the Estate of Knockhill to Mr 

 Lascelles, Being £300 and 2 years feu duty of that Estate to 

 Martinmas last, £2 6s 6d, in all £302 6s 6d. This was paid on 

 6th July, 1804, Lascelles had granted a Bill upon a Brother in 

 England for the Needful, but his legal agent, Mr Young, delayed 

 advancing the money until he got advice that the Bill was paid." 

 Very prudent. 



Andrew Macwhinnie, Hoddom's law agent, in advising the 

 above, said " the matter was now settled and I think much to 

 your advantage, as I believe they were entitled to have deducted 

 a fifth part of the Gross Rental for Teind, in place of £19 19s 6d, 

 the valued Teind." 



Lascelles was not on friendly terms at The Castle. Mr C. 

 K. Sharpe, writing to his sister, hoped he would never b3 allowed 

 to enter Hoddom Castle again, and described him as one of the 

 leading wasps in the hornet's nest of Dumfriesshire. It looks as 

 if there had been some love affair at the bottom of C. K. Sharpe's 

 dislike. 



After holding Knockhill for a few years, Lascelles sold it to 

 Alexander John Scott, who held it until he died on 26th April, 

 ] 834, aged 68 years. He was married to a Miss Helen Curll, 

 and left a son, Alexander, who died in New South Wales, 16th 

 February, 1850, aged 35. Another son, Gideon Andrew Scott, 

 Avas drowned on his passage home from New South Wales, 8th 

 January, 1863, aged 41. I am informed that there is a daughter 

 of Alexander John Scott still living. The Scotts came from the 

 neighbourhood of Langholm. I am indebted to a correspondent 

 for the following interesting communication: — 



'' About the latter end of the 18th century there were some 

 families of the name of Scott in Eskdale, dry stone dykers. A 

 son of one of these Scotts emigrated to the West Indies and was 

 not heard of for many years. In the course of time a letter 

 came from him to all his relations, saying that he was very much 

 in want of money at that time, and that he would be much 

 obliged if they would lend him as much as they could. Only 

 one, Alexander Scott, stone dyker, responded to his appeal by 

 sending him £30, all the money he had. Some years after the 



