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Archibald Douglas of New Orchard
(1759-1810) was the youngest son of Archibald Douglas of Morton and Mararetta
Ramsay and a descendant of Patrick Douglas, baillie of Morton Castle.
Portrait
of Archibald Douglas of New
Orchard, Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, Scotland (1759 - 1810)
Advocate of New Orchard, Hoddam, Dumfriesshire
and of Great King St, Edinburgh
Sep 1812 At New Orchard, the Lady of
Archibald Douglas, Esq. advocate, a daughter.
At the farm of New Orchard there is a stone tablet built into the garden
wall about 4 feet high by 3 feet broad. At the top cut iu a scroll is
the date 1772 and the word " sicker " in capital Roman letters, each
about 1 in. long. There is an inscription at the foot of the tablet as
under : "Archibald Douglas, Esquire of Morton, erected this stone 1784."
On the door lintel entering- the garden there is an older stone with the
following initials and date : " I I E 1672." The length of the stone is
3 ft. 9 in., 6 in. deep, and 3 in. broad. It has evidently been part of
some older buildings. In the centre is a small shield about 8 feet broad
at the top. On the left half of the shield are three holly leaves cut in
relief, and on the right half two diagonal cross bars in relief.
On the sides of the shield is the date l6 on the left and 72 on the
right. Near the end of the stone on the left, in a small panel, are two
letters " I I," and in a corresponding panel on the right is the letter
' E.' The letters "II" and the three holly leaves on the shield indicate
that it records some of the Irvings who were owners of New Orchard in
1[G]72, but I cannot make out what the letter ' E ' means.
In the
Valuation Roll of 1823 Archibald Douglas, advocate, is returned of part
of Kirkconnel, called New Orchard, of the annual value of 40 merks.
New Orchard had been acquired by his father. A property of about 140
acres, it was once part of the Kirkconnell estates. It was sold by
Francis Brown Douglas to Dr.
Bell, of Cressfield.
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