206 The Kelhead Fossils. 



warfare. The price he had to pay for the a.ssistance of Edward 

 was very heavy, for he was compelled to gi^"e up the counties of 

 Edinburgh, Roxburgh, Peebles, Dumfries, and Kirkcudbright, 

 which, of course, included his own lands of Botle, etc. Parlia- 

 ment made the surrender at Edinburgh in 1334, but Edward 

 allowed him to retain Botle, Kirkandrews, and Kenmure. Balliol 

 came to reside at Botle in 1346, and according to an old charter 

 he was granted the privilege of regality over the lands of Botle in 

 1349. This is proved by a charter which he granted at his Castle 

 of Botle, 29th November, 1352. He also granted Letters Patent 

 at his castle of Botille, 1st December, 1352. 



In 1356 he surrendered his crown and estates to Edward for 

 5000 marks in gold, and a pension of 2000 marks a year. He 

 then left Scotland in disgrace, never to return, and died at 

 Whitley, near Doncaster, 17th March, 1363. In 1372 Botle 

 Castle passed into the hands of Archibald Douglas, afterwards of 

 Threave, and remained his until the fall of the Douglasses in 

 1456, when it reverted to the Crown. M'Kerlie thinks, and 

 history points to the fact, that it must have been given to Queen 

 Margaret by James III. as part of her dowry, because it passed 

 from her to the Maxwells. 



We hear no more of Botle Castle till the feud between the 

 Gordons of Lochinvar and Lord Herries. It is recorded that 

 Herries spulzied the Castle of Buittle in 1595, and was adjudged 

 to pay to Gordon of Lochinvar the sum of £1000. After this, no 

 doubt, it became uninhabitable. For centuries it must have been 

 used as a quarry for building-stones. Grose gives a drawing of 

 the Castle of Buittle as it stood in 1791, but the site and shape of 

 building shows that it was not the old castle, but simply a strong 

 house, probably of the Maxwells. Such is the brief and succinct 

 history of the old Castle of Buittle. 



The Kelhead Fossils and their Significance. By R. 

 Wallace 



In presenting to the Society this list of fossils, which has 

 recently been received from the British Museum, it is fitting that 

 a brief explanation should be given of the value now attached to 

 all such collections. A large number of fossils was collected by 

 William M'Ptierson, F.G.S., from the Carboniferous Limestones 



