92 Recent Fire in Town Hall, Dumfries. 



Alarm arose for the safety of the adjacent buildings, parti- 

 cularly the tolbooth separated from the burning prison only 

 by a narrow street. It contained the charter chest, and in 

 regard to the chest and town's papers it was deemed necessary 

 to have them removed. By the Provost's orders the chest was 

 carried to Bailie Dickson's shop, where it was deposited for 

 safety, and the other papers were hurriedly thrown into blankets 

 and carried to the same place. It is to be feared that through 

 haste and want of due care some of the papers may have been 

 lost, but there is a check on the contents of the charter chest, 

 proving that the principal papers were safely guarded. 



Earlier this same year, 1742, April 26, William Maitland 

 examined the town's papers for the purpose of writing a history 

 of Scotland, and it is mentioned in the minute that the earliest 

 then extant was the charter of Robert III., of date 28th April, 

 1395. This charter is still in the charter chest. 



The Town Council held an enquiry regarding this fire, and 

 the evidence taken is carefully entered in the minute book. 

 That of one of the men in jail for debt is full and explicit. 

 I do not remember the man's name, but he hailed from Dal- 

 gonar, in the parish of Dunscore ; a fortnight later, being still 

 in prison,, he was sent for by the Council to come to the Council 

 chamber, when he was made a freeman of the burgh. 



The upper storey was rebuilt and arched with brickwork, 

 but the prison had been inherently weak from the first, and 

 prisoners frequently made their escape. An in.stance may be 

 given illustrative of a traffic peculiar to the time. " 8th August, 

 1700. — John Corsane, of Millhole, put a person in jail for debt. 

 The debtor broke prison and got away without leaving anything 

 to meet the debt, except two graves in St. Michael's Church- 

 yard, which he could not conveniently carry with him. Corsane 

 applied to the Kirk-session and got the graves transferred to his 

 name, not necessarily for his own use ; they were marketable, 

 and helped to reduce the debt." Such trafliic was not uncom- 

 mon, and instances are noted of families disposing for a con- 

 sideration of the graves of their parents. 



This old jail was taken down in 1808, when one of the 

 Sharpes of Hoddom, probably the eccentric Charles Kirkpatrick, 

 carried off two stones built into the front wall, which had been 





