Burghs of Annandale. 63 



item in the case for Annan is adduced. It is true we have 

 no fragment of early town records, no trace of a guild of any 

 sort, no charter either by king or baron recognising a cor- 

 poration or conceding corporate privileges ; but the absence 

 of such definite document is by no means final in Scotland. 

 We have the castle, we have a sort of county-town, we have 

 the title of burgh — what element is absent? One only : 

 Annan and its castle are the property of the Brus family; 

 they are not the king's. 



Under BRicii anu his Nephew; and Afterwards. 



Annan never figures as a royal burgh in the thirteenth 

 century. The Exchequer accounts showing the upkeep of 

 the castles of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown, as a 

 royal charge, at the close of the century, are silent concern- 

 ing Annan and Lochmaben. What effect might follow the 

 accession of Robert the Bruce to the Scottish throne, when 

 the baronial demesne became the king's, must form an in- 

 quiry in which speculation is the more complicated because 

 King Robert did not retain permanently in his direct posses- 

 sion the ancient patrimony of his house. The earldom of 

 Carrick he gave to his brother Edward ; the lordship of 

 Annandale was not in his hands for long after 1306, and 

 when he recovered it he bestowed it upon Thomas Randolph, 

 ICarl of Moray, his nephew. The terms of that grant stir 

 anew the vexed debate regarding the legality of King 

 Robert's charters conveying royal burghs to mesne lords. If 

 by or upon the accession of Bruce Annan and Lochmaben did 

 not become burghs royal our question scarcely arises. If 

 I hey did, the constitutional issue is raised — what was their 

 I rue position towards the Crown under the grant in Ran- 

 dolph's favour? 



That grant, I belie\e unprinted^^ — a transcript unfortu- 

 nately not complete in detail of date and witnesses — 

 " Robert, &c. Know that we, &c., have confirmed to our 

 nephew Thomas Randolph, earl of Moray and lord of Man, 



i-J I translate from the Haddington MS.. Advocat&s' Library. 

 No 34. 2. L p. 36b. 



