Dr. Wilson on Linton and its Legends. 23 



to have made the fortalice their usual residence till about the 

 year 1320, when Carnwath, a still more ancient possession, be- 

 came their principal seat. Under pretence of forfeiture of the 

 family, who had faithfully preserved their allegiance to the Scot- 

 tish monarch, the lands of Lynton were seized, circiter 1348, by 

 Edward III., and conferred upon Richard of Kirkbride (V. Rot. 

 Scotia). The more supple courtier did not long profit, however, 

 by his subserviency; for the mock forfeiture was annulled by 

 David II., who, on his return from captivity, re-established the 

 Somervilles in their possessions, granting them the necessary 

 confirmation of all previous charters. 



For nearly two and a half centuries, the barons, with rare ex- 

 ceptions, continued to be buried in the choir of Linton Church ; 

 and as late as 1426, Thomas Lord Somerville appears to have 

 "caused repair the church and queirof Lintoune, and the tower 

 of Lintoune." But they were gradually clinging less closely to 

 the domain and burial-place of their fathers : and before the 

 close of the fifteenth century it was wholly alienated from their 

 race, and became the property of the Kers, in the person of 

 James Ker, the second son of Andrew Ker of Auldtonburn and 

 Cessford ; unless, indeed, that the feudal superiority seems still 

 to have been retained, as a sole vestige of the ancient possession. 



Linton continued in the possession of the Kers for about two 

 centuries, during the earlier part of which the events in its 

 history were simply those which related to the position of its 

 owners, as the vassals of a powerful sept, struggling among the 

 most desperate in the marauding contests of the times. In 

 1502, James Ker of Lintoune appears characteristically as a surety 

 for certain border thieves*. On the 20th July, 1522, the tower 

 was burned to the "bare stane walles" by the English, when its 

 garrison of sixteen men was saved by the lucky expedient of 

 placing themselves between the battlements and a stone gable 

 on the roof, which protected them from the flames. In 1523, 

 its destruction was completed by Surrey, who razed it to the 

 ground. In 1528, George Ker of Lyntoune was " amerciated 

 for not appearing to underly the law/' his undignified offence 

 being that of chasing and wounding the " parkit deir" of Cok- 

 burne of Ormistounef. About the termination of the seven- 

 teenth century the barony came, by purchase, into the posses- 

 sion of the Pringles of Clifton, and is now held by Mr. Elliot as 

 heir of entail of that family. Not a stone from the battlements 

 of the fortalice lies now above the surface to give token of its 

 former existence. Its last relic was an iron door, which was dug 

 out, about thirty years ago, from the mound concealing the 

 shattered foundations. The traces of these denote the fabric to 



* Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, vol. i. p. 32. f Ibid- P- 140. 



