Kenmure Castle. 187 



Kenmure Castle. As there was no response, he marched to 

 Kenmure Castle the next day, and burned it along with another 

 fortalice, supposed to have been Shirmers, on the other side of 

 the water. 



A Heavy Indictment. 



John died in August, 1604, and was succeeded by his son 

 Robert. He married Isabel, daughter of William, first Earl of 

 Gowrie. She obtained a divorce in 1607. He was a great 

 favourite at Court, and was made a gentleman of the bed- 

 chamber to James VI. He also obtained a great amount of land 

 in the Stewartry, so much .so, that about this time, the Gordons 

 owned about half of the Stewartry. Robert was a veritable fire- 

 brand. During the wars of Lord Scrope, the men of Annandale 

 had plundered Galloway, but Kenmure not only drove them 

 back, but wrecked vengeance by burning the houses of Wamphry, 

 Lockerby, Reidhall, and Lanriggs. For these deeds he had to 

 obtain remissions. I give the remission as it appears in the old 

 Inventory. 13 Dec, 1613. — Remission under the Great Seal in 

 favour of Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, for the slaughter of 

 Richt. Irving and for burning the houses of Gratnayhill, Wam- 

 phry, Lockerby, Reidhall, and Lanriggs, consigning contrary to 

 law, .sundry gentlemen, murder of James Gordon, his servant, 

 adultery with Janet M'Adam, deforcing the King's Messenger, 

 who summoned him for these crimes, and obliging him to eat and 

 swallow his own warrant. 



John Gordon also obtained one of those fictitious titles to 

 land in Nova Scotia. His patent as knight-baronet of Nova 

 Scotia was dated 1st May, 1626. He died in 1627. 



Religious Strife. 



He was succeeded by his son John, who was a Royalist, and 

 a great favourite with Charles I. One of the first things he did 

 after his succession, says M'Kerlie, " was to sell the Barony of 

 Stitchell in Roxburgh, to the Pringles, on the 30th July, 1628, 

 and put the price realised in a purse, which he gave to the Duke 

 of Buckingham, the night before he was stabbed by Felton, to 

 favour his .solicitations for the Earldom of Gowrie, in right of his 

 mother. He lost all. This shows that even Peerages could be 

 bought and sold in the old days as well as at present. However, 



