178 Kenmure Castle. 



Owners." M'Kerlie holds that the Gordons did not come into 

 possession of any lands in Galloway till about the year 1380, but 

 in this he is clearly in error. They were in possession of certain 

 lands, viz. — the Barony of Gordownston during the reign of 

 Malcolm III. and Edward I. (the Usurper). (First), I find in 

 the original inventory of the titles to Kenmure estate that there 

 was a charter granted somewhere about the latter part of the 13th 

 century by John de Maxwell, son and heir of Sir Robert de Max- 

 well, to Sir Adam de Gurdon of the half of the lands of Glen- 

 kenn, viz. — Bannaheid, Aikednenothu, Knockneman, Stron- 

 kawane, et Holerduscan. Now, this charter did not include 

 Kenmure Castle or lands, and although it is undated, it was un- 

 doubtedly in existence when the old inventory was made up. In 

 confirmation of this I find (1) that there was a Sir Adam de 

 Gurdon in Galloway during the reign of Malcolm III., that he was 

 a supporter of the Baliols, that he served under Sir William 

 Wallace, and is said to have been present at the siege and capture 

 of Cruggleton Castle, and was appointed custodian ; (2) that 

 along with the other leading Gallovidians he had to surrender 

 and do homage to Edward I., because I find that he signed the 

 "Ragman's Roll " in 1296; (3) that in the first Commission of 

 Peace instituted in the reign of Edward I. he was not only 

 appointed the first Justice of the Peace but was actually desig- 

 nated as " Adam de Gurdon, en Gaway " in the " Ordinatio facta 

 per Dominium Regem super stabilitate terrae Scotiae." Further, 

 I find that he was contemporary with Richard Seyward, who was 

 the first Justice of the Peace for Dumfries. Again in 1308 I 

 find him fighting against Robert the Bruce. He narrowly 

 escaped capture along with Thomas Randolph at the Water of 

 Lyne in 1308. In 1309 he received from Edward I. the manor 

 of Stitchell, in Berwickshire. Thus, we see that the Gordons 

 obtained a settlement in Galloway one hundred years prior to 

 the date given by M'Kerlie, even before they got the lands of 

 Stitchell. Further, .so far as my researches go there seems not 

 to be a shadow of a doubt that they were of Norman extraction. 

 Sir Adam de Gordon died in 1333, and left two sons, Sir Alex- 

 ander, who fell at Durham, and William, who was the ancestor 

 of the Kenmure Gordons, Earlston, etc. 



