The Greyfriars' Convent of Dumfries. 31 



after the Reformation by the Town Council, and it may be sup- 

 posed that the clock was sufficiently elevated to be serviceable to 

 the community. The amplication may have referred to the erec- 

 tion of a tower. 



At the risk of seeming repetition, I submit the following 

 extracts, translated, from the charters relating to the situation of 

 the church and wirious details, in support of the foregoing 

 description. Feu Charter of 10th June, 1558, in favour of John 

 Richardson and his wife. — " All and whole the portion of the 

 lands of our garden lying in the Burgh of Dumfries in the 

 Northern part of the same within the limits of the grounds of our 

 said Friary containing nineteen ells of land in width, and twenty- 

 eight ells in length, with its pertinents, on the East side marching 

 with and bounded by the passage leading from the King's highwav 

 called Friars' Vennel through our garden on the East side of the 

 aisle of St. John the Baptist to the Choir of our Church; by the 

 said Friars' Vennel on the South side; and by a passage along 

 the eastern gable of the newly-built tenement of David M'Ghie 

 to the end of the Friars steps leading to the inner door of our 

 said Friary adjacent to our great dormitory on the West side; 

 and by the Southern wall of our said Friars Church on the North 

 side." Feu Charter of 8th July, 1559, in favour of John 

 Marshall. — " Also a certain portion of the land of our front 

 garden lying in the Burgh of Dumfries next Friai^s' Vennel 

 between our Church choir on the North part, and the tenements 

 formerly of Christopher lowry and Andrew Alathesoun on the 

 East part, the said Friars Vennel on the South part, and the 

 passage leading from the said Friars Vennel to our Choir on the 

 West part, extending in length to twenty-six ells and in width to 

 eleven ells, with their pertinents . . . the said portion of 

 front garden above described being set forth in our rental book 

 and valued at twenty pounds usual money of the Kingdom of 

 Scotland " (Bn'ce). 



So much for the distribution of the Monastery ; the archi- 

 tectural character it exhibits claims brief reference. In the year 

 1866 the walls of the " New Church," built in 1727 on or adjoin- 

 ing the site of the Castle of the Maxwells of Nithsdale, were taken 

 down to make way for the existing Greyfriars' Church, when a 

 number of moulded and enriched .stones were recovered which 

 had evidentlv belonged to some earlier structure. The stones 



