Topography of Dumfries. 193 



Burgh at some date prior to M'Brair's infeftment. Can there 

 have been any relationship between the abandonment of the 

 Castle, the building- of the New Wark, and the gift of these 

 lands, or wa's the gift made when the burgh assumed cliarge 

 of the bridge? Robert Edgar gives, quite positi\eIy, a differ- 

 ent origin for the donation, stating that it was made by 

 Robert the Bruce. ''^ Another curious feature is the existence 

 of a private superiority within the Royalty of the burgh. 

 Lord Maxwell, in 1534, received a confirmation charter from 

 the Crown of the ;^r5 lands of Moat, some 260 acres that 

 extended from Moatbrae to Crindau and Marchhill and 

 thence southwards to the Annan Road. May these lands 

 have been granted, as Mr J. C. R. Macdonald suggests, with 

 the consent of the burgh, for the protection which such a 

 powerful family as the Maxwell's could afford?'^'' 



In the two cases above we have curious and, so far, 

 inexplicable examples of exceptional feudal superiority. In 

 the one case the Burgh exercises rights over lands outwith 

 its Royalty ; in the other a private superior holds lands from 

 the Crown within the Royalty. In the case of certain burghal 

 superiorities that exist in Troqueer we have a satisfactory 

 explanation in that the land having belonged to the Grey 

 Friars passed to the town by Royal Charter at the Reforma- 

 tion. 



The Ports. 



Finally, we come to the Ports. The port as a general 

 rule will be found at the narrowest part of each ancient exit 

 from the town. St. Michael Street narrows to the Penthouse 

 End, and we would naturally be tempted to place the port 

 there. But Burns Street would in that event also require a 

 port. Taking our guide from the other ports, we imagine 

 that this back street should be also within the port, and the 

 Nether Port would be about midway between Burns Street and 

 Broom's Road. It was taken down in June 1641 as " now 

 useless to the town and likely to fall down." Several writers 

 have supposed that the popular name for the southern portion 

 of High Street — the Soutargate — meant the road to the south. 

 Edgar (c. 1746) took the name to be the Southward Gate.'^^ 



