Arms of the Rovai. Birgh of Sanqlihar. Ho 



mention of spears, although two appear, one on either side 

 of the arms as drawn by the Herald, ant! it has struck me 

 that since the spires are not mentioned in tiie Blazon of our 

 arms they may have been placed there as spears. There is 

 a tradition mentioned by Mr Tom Wilson in Dumfries uih! 

 (rallo7iHiy Xotcs and Queries (paj^e 413) that the smiths of 

 Sanquhar in tlic 15th and i6th centuries were famous as 

 armourers and were particularly skilful in the making of 

 spears. In Colson's History of the Incorporated Trades of 

 Edinburi::}! it is stated that the Lorimers (makers of the metal 

 parts of harness, etc.) usually came from Sanquhar, and 

 that their essay or trial piece when admitted to the Edin- 

 burg-h craft was " ane bit of small ribbit, sword gairds, ane 

 bridle bit, ane pair stirrip irons, and ane pair of spurs, these 

 all to be of the French fashion." In the charter of 1484 

 mention is made of braziers or brass workers as if they formed 

 one of the chief bodies of workmen in the place. It may be 

 therefore that the spires which are now to be seen at the side 

 of the castle had originally some connection with the chief 

 industry of the town. 



The arms of Sanquhar are not recorded in the Lyon 

 Office and in this they are in the same position as those of 

 the most of the other burghs of Scotland. According to the 

 strict letter of Scottish law no one may use arms which have 

 not been so recorded, and quite recently the Treasury, act- 

 ing on the advice of the Lord Advocate, authorised the 

 prosecution of the Magistrates of a Scottish Royal Burgh 

 who were using unrecorded arms. 



The five steps on our castle are said to represent the 

 five Incorporated Trades of the burgh, viz., Hammermen, 

 Squaremen, Weavers, Shoemakers, Tailors, and the fact 

 that these five steps lead up to a closed door of two leaves 

 was to indicate that only through the five trades could any- 

 one obtain the privileges of trading in the burgh. While 

 this may be so there is little doubt in my mind that the 

 burgh liad its arms long before any of the trades were incor- 

 porated. In Xotes and Queries, before referred to (page 15), 

 there is gi\en a transcript of the application for a seal of 

 cause by the hammermen, from which it appears that in 17 14 



