238 The English Raids on Dumfries in 1570. 



The position of Cunningham's crop and barn is clearly 

 defined in the following sasine. 



" All and haill the zeard and barne lyand in the Touneheid 

 •of Drumfreis, betwixt the zeard and barne pertenying to vmqle 

 Homer Maxwell of Speddoches on the north and the lands of 

 umquhile Robert Cunninghame, noter, on the South, the Lord- 

 burn on the eist and the passage callit the zeardheidis on the west 

 pairtis and siklyke of all and haill sax rudis of land pertenying to 

 the said umquhile Harbert, lyand at the mote of Drumfreis."^ 



The " passage called the Zeardheidis ' ' is now Loreburn 

 Street. The north gate or " Tounheid port" was across 

 Academy Street near Loreburn Street. This was the nearest 

 gate to the Maxwell's Castle, the main defence of the town and 

 principal objective of the English. As we shall see shortly, the 

 English army approached the town \ia Tinwald, there being no 

 easy road over the Lochar Moss. Thus the north gate would 

 be the attacking point on the town, and, even though no defence 

 was offered, the crops and buildings near at hand would be most 

 likely to suffer. 



Incidental mention of another house in the Townhead, which 

 was partly burned, occurs in an agreement by the owner witli 

 Robert Welsh, the occupier, for its rebuilding, " the said Robert 

 havand ane part of the bakland qr he duells brint wt fyre the 

 tyme of the ourr of England be erle of Sussykis."^^ 



On the representation of one of the Maxwells, the Council 

 issued a general order that the tenants were to pay rent up to the 

 25th of August, on which day the properties were, in all pro- 

 bability, destroyed. 



Maxwell. 



The qlk day the provest balleis present in jugement decernis 

 and ordeanis that all tennents qlks occupyit lofts chalmers boythis 

 and vtheris houssis birnt with the fyre and army in august ado 

 Ixxo sail pay male [rent] therof fra vitsonday to xxv of agist 

 forsaid."^^ 



The only tenement owned liy a Maxwell which we have trace 



53. Dumfries Register of Sasines, 21, ix., 1631, to Adam 

 Cunningham. See also Burgh Court Books, 10, xi., 1569. 



54. Burgh Court Books, 8, v., 1571. 



55. Op. cit., 25, X., 1570. 



