A CovEiNanter's Xakrative. 137 



Dalgoner's efforts to recover this money seem to have 

 been unavailing, for two years later Lady Carse. her sons 

 Herbert and John, and Alexander Hay were summoned 

 before the Committee of War for Dumfries and Kirkcudbright 

 to answer his complaint. He obtained decree; but Lady 

 Carse brought a suspension ; and the last we hear of the 

 matter is that, in 1653, it came before " the Commissioners 

 for the administration of Justice to the people in Scotland," 

 who declined to deal with it. 



By an Act of Parliament, dated 13th February, 1647,^9 

 the Kirk of Dunscore had been transplanted to the lands of 

 Dalgoner, in the middle of the parish. Sundaywell and Dal- 

 goner had been prime movers in the change, which had been 

 vigorously opposed by Lady Carse and her sons, and which 

 had resulted in an expenditure for building church, manse, 

 and churchyard wall amounting to 3190 merks. The heritors 

 did not come forward with the money, and, accordingly, they 

 were charged on 20th April, 1649, '^ make the necessary con- 

 tributions. 20 



We find, to our surprise, that shortly after " the Engage- 

 ment "21 Dalgoner deemed it expedient to purge himself of 

 some suspicion of malignancy; and, accordingly, he applied 

 to the Dumfries Presbytery to give him a certificate of char- 

 acter. The Presbytery acceded to his request, and granted 

 him a document in the following terms : — ^2 



" At Dumfries, the 28th August, 1649, the qlk. day James 

 Greirson of Dalgoner desyreing by his petitione to have the 

 truth of his suffering cleired in opposition to the late unlawful 

 Ingadgment. These are to testifie that the said James Greir- 

 son of Dalgoner hath behaved himself with zeal and courage 



created Earl of Lanark, 31st March, 1639. He succeeded his 

 brother, the first Duke, and died of wounds received at Worcester 

 nine days after the battle, i.e., on 12th September, 1651. 



19 Folio Acts, vi., pt. i., p. 697. 



20 Folio Ads, vi., pt. ii.. pp. 345, 346, 719. 



21 The secret treaty entered into on December 27th, 1647, 

 between the King and three Scottish commissioners, upon whicJi 

 followed Hamilton's disastrous expedition into England (P. Hume 

 Brown, History of Scotland, Cambridge. 1902, ii., pp. 342 ff.). 



22 The Presbytery records are silent on this matter. 



