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Douglas of Mouswald

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The earliest reference to Mouswald yet ascertained takes us back to the time of Alexander II., and is thus cited in the Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland (vol. i. Wo. 1684): "Richard de Bancori quit claims to his lord Robert de Brus and his heirs, the whole land of Loyerwode by these bounds, viz., from Pollnilin as far as Blakebeck, as the half of the moss extends and from said half of the moss as far as the water of Loyer with a certain common pasture in the fee of Comlongan which the said Robert's men of Musfaud were wont to have from the grantor in farm for one mark yearly. Saving to the granter his wood in . . . . .gigo as before the date hereof. Appends his seal. Witnesses Sir Adam de .Carnoto, Sir David.de Parco, Sir Umfridus de Kirkepatric, Sir Roger de Kirkepatric, Sir William de St Michael, Sir Engram de Musseus, James the Clerk, and others."

 

Although not mentioned here, the Carruthers family have had connections with Mouswald from this time.

 

"John of Carruthirs " is mentioned as one of those who in 1398 became responsible for the Earl - of Douglas, as warden of the West Marches. The occasion was that of a meeting of certain Scottish and English commissioners at " Cloekmabane Stano," in the parish of Gretna (Fosdera, vol. viii. p. 58, ed. 1727; and Gal. of Docs, relating to Scotland, vol. iv. No. 512).

Archibald, Earl of Douglas, Lord of Annandale and Galloway, appears to have been in the habit of making considerable grants of land to his esquires, for in the interval between 1409 and 1424 Gilbert Grierson (Greresoun), one of them, -received " Mekildaltoun " and Dorrnont; whilst in the case of Mouswald the feudal ties between the Carruthers family and his own were strengthened by no less than six grants of lands, " containing together the several lands here following, viz., those of Mousewal, Middleby, and Dornock, with the patronage of these three parish churches, and the lands of Hetland-hill, Logan-tenement, Hodholm, Tunyrgarth, Westwood, and Roclef, all held of the granter, and renderingas follows :—for Mousewal, Hetland-hill, and Logan-tenement three silver pennies yearly ' nomine albae firme,' in the parish church of Moussald, and for the rest the services used and wont." Dated at Louchmabene, Dec. 4, 1411 (Original produced in LOG. of Mo/at, 1852).

 

So far as Mouswald itself is concerned, the usually accepted derivation has been Mosswald, or wood on the moss (wald = weald, wood, forest, cf. Bosworth's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary).

The traditions of the neighbourhood still tell of a great oak forest which spread from Mouswald by Torthorwald as far as Tinwald Kirk at least, so dense that it is said a man might have traversed the distance from tree to tree without ever putting foot to ground.

 

The sorry tale of how Mouswald came into the Douglas family is told elsewhere, but in summary, two neighbouring families hoped to obtain of Mouswald Castle on the death in 1548 of Sir Simon Carruthers, 10th Baron of Mouswald. These were the Douglas family of Drumlanrig and the Maxwell family of Caerlaverock Castle. Before his death Sir Simon Carruthers, the Baron of Mouswald Castle had given consent for Sir James Douglas, 8th Laird of Drumlanrig, to marry his daughter Lady Marion. This she refused to do.

 

Nonetheless, Sir James Douglas sued for his 'just' inheritance and won his case.

 

Sir James Douglas, 1st of Mouswald, was succeeded by his son, Sir James, brother to the 1st Earl of Queensberry. The title was conveyed in 1613. This James married twice, his second wife being Helena Grierson, by whom he had James, 3rd of Mouswald.

 

James Douglas, 3rd of Mouswald, married Agnes Rome, daughter of John Rome of Dalswinton-Holm, and they had 10 children, two of whom suceeded to the title.

 

Their eldest son, also James, married in 1654 Janet Laurie, but he died predeceasing his father without children. William, the second son, succeeded in about 1667 as 4rd baron, but he died in 1670, also without children.

 

The title then fell to the 3rd son, John, who became 5th baron of Mouswald. He too died without children. His brothers, Archibald and Robert had presumably died before him, because the title then fell, in 1692, to his neice, Elizabeth, Robert's daughter.

 

Note:  Sir Simon Carruthers, 8th of Mouswald (d 1504) married a daughter of Douglas of Drumlanrig, possibly the 4th Laird.

See also:

• Mouswald Place
• Comlongon Castle
• The Comlongon Tragedy

 

 

 

 

 

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