198 Topography of Dumfries. 



(or Punnershill), which abuts on the Lockerbie Road opposite the 

 Caledonian Goods Station. 



7 The Laripotts extended along the south side of Shakespeare 

 Street and English Street as far east as Leafield Road. They were 

 called the "corn landis of the Laripots " in 1548, and were re- 

 garded as a portion of the Watslacks which adjoined them. The 

 name is probably "clay holes," there being a considerable bed of 

 clay there. 



8 " The Black and the Sand Lochs which are favourite resorts 

 of our curlers during the season of the 'roaring play.'" — New 

 Statistical Account (1841), Dumfriesshire, p. 3. 



9 At Reid's Dub a burn rose and flowed down Bankend Road; 

 turning westward through Maryfield, it entered Castledykes at the 

 stonework which may be seen in the great trench of Edward I. 

 It flows near Castledykes House, and runs into the Nith on the 

 north of Castledykes Pool. 



10 Vide Ordnance Survey Maps, 1855. 



11 As no word appears to exist in English for " filled up places " 

 or "forced ground," I adopt the above. 



12 The course of the Nith at Dumfries has changed consider- 

 ably since the 16th century. At that time it was farther west in 

 the upper reaches and further east in the lower. Behind the 

 Academy ground there was in 1756 a walk twelve feet broad on the 

 river bank (Town Council Minute, 5th April, 1756), and 

 Edgar in his MS. History {circa 1746) says the water 

 had ' ' within these sixty years cut off the bank under the 

 precipice about 12 feet of ground in breadth." Compensation was 

 afforded, however, at the Dock, which, says Edgar, " consists of 

 several aikers of ground [amassed] by devulion off the Banks of 

 Troqueer [and] cast on the east side [of the river] under the yeards 

 of the Inhabitants of the Kirkgate within these 150 years. Some 

 old people, who had seen the River of Nith run under these yeards 

 and observed the increase of this Dock about 50 years ago, related 

 this matter which is confirmed by the Heritors' rights bounding 

 their yeards with the River on the west, and which [River] is now 

 so far restrained by the Rubbish of the Builders that these heritors 

 have got their yeards or gardens drawn out to twelve or fifteen 

 feet more in length." It is certainly the case that in early instru- 

 ments of sasine houses in the Kirkgate (the Corsane's, for 

 example) are bounded by the river. There are also frequent 

 references in Town Council minutes to the damage done by the 

 river in this quarter, one method of meeting it being the blasting 

 out of the rock that ran into the river at Castledykes to allow of 

 freer passage. It may be noted also that a piece of ground on the 

 west side of the river called Powsonce (later Powsands) belonged 

 to the burgh as portion of the lands of Kingholm. It still remains 

 a portion of the County of Dumfries. 



13 "Per semitam inter Kollyn et Dumfreis " (Exch. Bolls, i., 



