192 Moffat and Upper Annandale. 



& George Tait, surveyors, Lockerbie, for an agreed on sum 

 of one hundred guineas to survey the whole estate of Annan- 

 dale, exclusive of the town of Moffat and the £io land oi 

 Annan, for which they were to be paid separately. The survey 

 was to be completed in two years, and money paid to account 

 as the work proceeded in proportion to the amount done. 



'* Being sensible that the amount agreed on was very low, 

 the Earl resolves, if they execute the work well, that he will 

 give them some gratuity." 



He afterwards made a tour over the whole estate, taking 

 in his company " some of good judgment in these matters," 

 so that " he acquired a much clearer and better notion and 

 idea, not only of the position, nature, and quality of each 

 farm, but also of its value, than he could otherwise have 

 done." 



The spirit of the old Border reivers still survived with 

 some force in the district, for the Earl, on examination of the 

 woods, found them " greatly neglected, and left at the mercy 

 not only of the Marquis's own tenants, but even of the whole 

 countryside, who cut and stole from them at pleasure." Some 

 of the worst offenders were, when their tack expired, excluded 

 from offering for a new tack, as the practice had prevailed to 

 such an extent as made it necessary to make some severe 

 examples on that account. For instance, Robert and Samuel 

 French, who were tenants in Kinnel Hall, were parties who 

 were excluded from offering, not because they had cut timber 

 themselves, but because they had failed to detect " their 

 neighbour, John Mitchell, who had cutt some timber for which 

 he was turned out." Fortunately in Messrs French's case 

 the punishment did not last long, for the same year James 

 Thornburn (Thorburn), a brother of my great-grandfather, 

 who was tenant in Panlands, found it necessary to apply to 

 have the farm taken off his hands. The Frenches applied, 

 offering the same rent. Mr Hoggan, the factor, " recom- 

 mended them as proper tenants." James Thorburn was 

 released and the Frenches reinstated on the estate. In 1759 

 in the arrangements made for the new tacks, it was a condition 

 that all the present tenants who were not in arrears, or who 

 had cleared their arrears, were to have the first offer and be 



