120 Excavations at Kirkcudbright Castle. 



Exchequer Rolls, under date 1288, where the castle and lands 

 ^re described as having belonged to the late King (Alexander 

 JIL, who was killed two years previously at Kinghorn). In 

 my former paper I stated my belief that probably the castle 

 had been founded by Malcolm IV., and that it was dismantled 

 by Robert the Bruce when he finally subjected Galloway. 

 The story of the pottery seems to confirm the latter theory. 

 In the charter by James II., in 1455, there is no mention of 

 the castle or lands. In that by James IV., in 1509, of the 

 lands of Castlemains, again there is no mention of the 

 castle, but the significant phrase, " our lands," is used, 

 proving that the lands which we first meet with in 1288 had 

 remained a Crown possession till they were gifted to the 

 burgh. The present Castle of Kirkcudbright was completed 

 rby Sir Thomas M'Lellan, father of the first Lord 

 Kirkcudbright, in 1582, and it is very significant indeed that, 

 five years previous to this, on 19th March, 1577, Sir Thomas 

 received a grant of the Castledykes from the burgh. There 

 ■can be little doubt that the local tradition that the present 

 castle was partly built from the ruins of the ancient King's 

 Castle is correct, and helps to explain in some measure the 

 different kinds of architecture to be met with in the former 

 building. The burgh must have resumed possession of the 

 lands, and they were not finally alienated till the beginning of 

 the nineteenth century, when the burgh exchanged these 

 lands, reserving a right-of-way through them, for the lands 

 bordering the river to the north of the railway station — 

 Stirling Acres, Milnflats, Milncroft, and Claycroft — belonging 

 to the Earl of Selkirk. Regarding the extent of the castle 

 lands, it is difficult to state what it was, but, roughly speak- 

 ing, it would include the ground between the town and a line 

 drawn from Great Cross to about the head of the Sandside 

 Bay. 



In conclusion, I wish to tender my best thanks to Captain 

 Hope for all his generosity in connection with the excavations. 

 Not only did he give the necessary permission for the ground 

 to be opened up, but he enclosed the site, and provided the 

 workmen for the carrying through of the operations, often at 

 -great inconvenience when there was a press of estate work. 



