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Eeformation era, we may yet discern the effigy and cultured face 

 of this once famous John, as drawn from the sculptured stone, and 

 which, as Antiquary Riddell, of Glenriddell, notes as a sketch, was 

 " A drawing of the head of John de Sacro-Bosco, which Mr 

 Cardonel took for me when he discovered it in the parish church of 

 Terregles in 1 788, and which effigy, as having formerly stood in 

 the church of Holywood, the Lord Maxwell had caused to be 

 removed to Terregles Church at the Reformation." We may thus 

 presume that this famous Abbot was buried at his own Abbey of 

 HolyAvood. Concerning the early history of the Abbey of Holy- 

 wood, we have such knowledge as is to be gleaned from occasional 

 notices as fragmentary as they are inconsecutive in point of date. 

 The Lord Maxwell, the Warden-hereditary of the West Marshes 

 of Scotland, we find by early chartered evidences, had been the 

 great chief natural Protector and Guardian Bailie of nearly the 

 whole of the splendid Revival structures and great religious houses 

 of the Lords of Galloway and of the south-west of Scotland in 

 general. Not one of the least worthy of note was this Abbey of 

 Holywood, as lying within the territory of the Lord Maxwell. 

 Also figuring as of the ancient Abbots and Commendators of 

 Holywood, we meet with certain Campbells, called " of Lowden 

 and Mauchline ; " Crichtons of Librie, of the Lord Crichton of 

 Sanquhar's family ; the Lords Maxwell and Nithsdaill ; Johnstones 

 of that ilk, barons of Annandale, who would appear to have been 

 among the last possessors of the wider domain lands and cimrch 

 barony of Sacrinemoris, or otherwise the " Barony of Holywood." 

 Among the few ascertained Abbots of this house we discern a 

 certain fifteenth century "Nicolas Welsh, Lord Abbot of Holywood," 

 who is mentioned, under the year 1480, incidentally in the course 

 of some suit before the Lords at Edinburgh. In the " Taxt Roll 

 of Nithsdale " we find the Baronies of Holywood, of Sanquhar, 

 Glencairne, and of Drumlanrig, each severally taxed at £120 Scots 

 in the year 1554 ; the " Monklands of Melrose, in Nithsdale," in 

 the same roll, being taxed at £40 Scots. We also incidentally 

 ascertain that the tenants of the Abbey of Hcdywood, in the a^es 

 of the old Border raids and wars, had been accustomed to do a 

 good deal of tough fighting, foUowmg their own Lord Abbot and 

 their Guardian, Lord Maxwell, to the field. The baronial lands 

 had been leased out in long tacks, granted by the Lord Abbot, in 

 name of his abbacy, to certain tacksmen, largely of the Maxwell 

 surname, and who you find had oftenest been previously for long 



