ToPOGRAi'Hv OF Dumfries. 169 



beyond these from the Solway to well north of the town was 

 the formidable barrier of the greatest marsh in the south of 

 Scotland — the Lochar Moss. This last remained impassable 

 by any considerable body of men until the i8th century, 

 although there was a track across it from Collin in 126:\J^ 



The Wetslacks. 



VVe need notice here only those marshes nearest to the 

 town. Farthest out were the great arms of the Lochar Moss, 

 the Carnsalloch and Dargavel Mosses. The Gill Loch was 

 probably the deepest part of the considerable marsh known 

 as the Watslacks or Wetslacks. It stretched from the 

 Alderman Hill, on which stands Mount St. Michael's R.C. 

 College, round the base of the Craigs to Milldamhead, and 

 from there, with its adjunct, the Cranberry MosS; lO St. 

 Mary Street and Leafield Road, and to the east of Si. 

 Michael's. The position of the Gill Loch^^ is marked by the 

 names, Lochvale, Lochsidc, Gillfoot, Rashgill, etc. 



The Braidmyre, Loreburn, and Millburn. 



To the north of the Watslacks, and almost adjoining it, 

 was the Braidmyre, which comprised all the low-lying land 

 from the Railway Station to the Edinburgh Road, and east- 

 wards to the Greystaneflat (as the elevated ground about 

 Greystone House was called) and the Poindfield Burn ; this 

 eastern portion being known as the Braidmyreheid, while 

 the north-western end was the Creynlarimoss. Nearer 

 yet to the town was the marsh through which percolated the 

 Loreburn. ^5 This rose in a deep bog at Catherine Street, 

 and flowed southwards parallel with Loreburn Street. It 

 took an eastward direction after crossing English Street, and 

 joined the Millburn on the east of Queen Street. ^^ The point 

 at which the Loreburn crossed English Street has been ob- 

 scured by filling in. When the drains were being made 

 in 1 91 4 for the County Buildings there were found there 

 three distinct superimposed roads. The lowest, seven feet 

 below the surface, was causeyed. The Millburn also ran in 

 swampy ground from Milldamhead through ihc Glasgow and 

 vSouth-Weslern Goods \'ard. It crossed Queen Street and 



