84 Arms of the Royal Burgh of Sanquhar. 



may be connected with the capture of the castle in olden 

 times. Others again are inclined to think, however, that in 

 our burg"h arms we have an example of what the French 

 Heralds call " Armes Parlantes " whereby a device explains 

 itself. The name Sanquhar is generally derived from the 

 Celtic words Saen Caer, old fort or old castle, and it may be 

 that the castle on the shield has a reference to the name of 

 the burgh. 



As depicted on our burgh seal the castle resolves itself 

 into a gateway with a flight of steps leading thereto. Above 

 the two closed doors of the gateway is an machiolated 

 battlement that again is surmounted by three towers with 

 cupolas or arch roofs, the centre tower being higher than 

 the other two. Flanking the steps are other two towers, 

 one on either side, springing from rocks and having, like 

 the three above the gateway, arch roofs also. Though not 

 mentioned in the blazon there are two slender spires above 

 the gateway, one on either side of the central tower, while 

 another spire appears at the side of each of the flanking 

 towers. The top of the gateway is supported by two doric 

 pillars, symbolical of strength, as are also the rocks on which 

 the castle is placed. 



Above each of the towers is a flag, which points to the 

 dexter side of the shield. In the representation of the arms 

 given in the Marquis of Bute's book the gateway is arched — 

 it is square on all the other representations — there are nine 

 steps while the four spires are awanting. The number of 

 steps according to the Blazon and the oldest impressions of 

 the seal is five, but only four appear on the seal at present 

 in use and on the medal struck to commemorate the riding 

 of the marches in igio. 



The side spires appear as spears on the arms as given 

 in the Book of Public Arms compiled by A. C. Fox Davies 

 and M. E. B. Crookes. I do not know what authority the 

 compilers have for so representing them, but before I con- 

 sulted this work my own opinion was that the spires had 

 been originally spears. Their appearance on the burgh seal 

 gave me that impression. I find that in the Blazon of the 

 arms of Charles II. as matriculated in 1672 there is no 



