The Raid at Dumfries on Lammas I^ven. s7 



There must have been wild exciteincnl in the Httk- iDun. 

 The horses, arms, and all that the Crirhlons had abandoned 

 in their tlig-ht were seized by the \ ictorious side.^s \\\- have 

 no record of what part the burgers look in the frav. On 

 market days their commands were to be with their " j^evr " 

 upon them and " sullicient wappynis "' in their booths reach- 

 to jjass with the Provost and bailic-s to resist anv parties 

 " doand ony truble wytin the toun. "-'^ W'e mav be certain 

 that the\ were not unarmed on the 31st of Julv, and it would 

 l)e, surely, t(K> threat a strain for the human nature of 1^08 

 to stand idly by while sucli a lighi was in proj^ress. 



Since Robert Pitcairn published liis Criminal Trials in 

 183;, it has been supposed that the slrui;j,'-Ie took place on 

 the Sands beside the Xilh. William M'Dowall added that 

 the Maxwells rode in from the south. There is realh- no 

 tittle of evidence as to whi-re the lij^'ht actuallv raj^ed, l)ul, 

 considering- the procedure in the Tolbooth now brought to 

 lig-ht, it seems likelier to have been in the Hig-h Street about 

 that building-. 



Xews of the fray C|uickly reached the King-, James I\'., 

 who, vig-orous and intrepid, took immediate action. The 

 swiftness with which the riiatter was dealt indicates that the 

 court regarded it as a serious occurrence. Only three days 

 later, on the 3rd of August, James issued letters to Lord 

 Maxwell, Lord Crichton, and the Laird of Johnstone. In 

 the Lord hfii^h Treasurers' Accounts are the entries: — 

 " Item to Johne Beg", messing-er, passand to charg-e Lord 

 Maxwell and the lard of Johnestoun to ward . . . ix s. ; 

 Item to ane othir to pas to Lord Crechtoun of Sanquhar with 

 the King-'s writing- . . . ix s. " The Terreg-les MS. is 

 thus, so far, vindicated. Lord Maxwell was imprisoiicd by 

 the King-. 



W'^hat the contents of the letter to Lord Crichton were 

 must reniain conjectural. It is significant, howexer, that 



takinfj; their }>;oods for " bhulcwittis." (MS. Acta Doin., N'ol. 

 XXII., fob 70.) 



25 Beij. See. Sl,j.. Yo]. I.. Nos. 1745. 1748. 



*6 ride Appendix III. 



