1 STONEWALLS REVISITED THE KING ’S CASTLE OF LOCHNAW © Preface: The earliest tangible piece of historical “evidence” which may point to the Agnew family’s past is the “old castle in the loch at Lochnaw. Yet the period, origin and history of this towerhouse is more than confused, it seems a complete mystery. Sir Andrew himself admits at the beginning of the chapter titled, The King’s Castle of Lochnaw 1, he had no idea what route brought the first Agnew to Galloway and, eventually, to Lochnaw. He was further hampered by the loss of documents during rifling of the castle some years later. With the old castle on the isle a solid link to the Agnews in Lochnaw, a fresh examination of the old keep, via the greatly expanded Internet sources, may offer some new light on early Agnew family history. … Supporting Citations from the Hereditary Sheriffs In the first edition of the Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway, discussing “The King’s Castle of Lochnaw” Sir Andrew only cited the Sibbold Manuscrifts which describe the old Lochnaw castle as where “the Kings of old had ane house”. Typically he omitted the fact the author was Andrew Agnew, the 5 th sheriff. His second cite was to a prestigious 16 th century Dutch atlas which contributed nothing beyond identifying the lake as “the White Loch”. Evidently and understandably Sir Andrew’s goal in this chapter was to provide ancillary circumstantial support for the missing charter and to establish the source, date and definition of the first Agnew’s position and responsibilities. In the second edition the same chapter on the “King’s Castle” is supported by a more recent and longer quotation which recounts the earliest elements of the “founding of the fortunes and settlement of the Agnews in Scotland”. Here Sir Andrew repeats the well-known narrative of Norman origin, lands in Larne and the 1 Hereditary Sheriffs, 2 nd Ed. P 214, 1893. King’s Castle of Lochnaw Final 10/22/2013 9:11 PM GMA-M 2 acquisition of position and power in Galloway. Instead of repeating the sparse citations from his first edition, he does this via a lengthy quote from “ Chronicles of Scottish Counties, The Counties of Galloway, Part II, Wigtonshire.” 2 [See Appendix I for the exact text in the Second Edition of The Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway, pp. 213-5.] The title, Chronicles of Scottish Counties, suggests a source that might be of some reliability and, even, antiquity. Instead it proved to be a running series in a hugely popular late Victorian weekly journal, ALL THE YEAR ROUND . This was a mélange of contemporary articles including serialized segments of popular writers’ novels, poetry, miscellanea of interest, etc. It was produced from 1859 -1870 by Charles Dickens and, on his death, by his son, Charles Dickens, Jr. until 1895. Most of the anonymous pieces were written by one of the Dickens, senior or junior. The issue quoted here appeared July, 24, 1886, and the text as it appeared in ALL YEAR ROUND is reproduced in Appendix II. Just as in the case of the Mary Kennedy matter, there has been a judicious omission from the middle of the quote. It reads: “And happily for us, Sir Andrew Agnew has embodied the chronicles of his house and of the neighboring district in a bulky volume, which is a perfect mine of characteristic stories about the old times in Wigtonshire.” Once again Sir Andrew has chosen to “document “important” Agnew family history, not from published work of any recognized authority but, from a widely distributed work of a famous writer best known for fiction, not history. Moreover, Dickens, from the omitted section, appears to have based his Agnew details in the Chronicles of Scottish Counties on the first edition of the Hereditary Sheriffs – and none too accurately either! Sir Andrew then recites Dickens ’Chronicles to support his second, “revised” edition! All of the purported Agnew events may be quite accurate. However, in light of inadequate citations and dubious sources which encourage ongoing challenges and controversies, the time is long overdue to revisit and reassess contemporary sources and respected scholars. 2 Hereditary Sheriffs, Vol I, pg 214-5; Second Ed. 1893. King’s Castle of Lochnaw Final 10/22/2013 9:11 PM GMA-M 3 A Search for Additional Documentation The Status of Galloway and Scotland in the Period of 1300 -1450 It is clear that in 1347 on return from long captivity in England, King David II began a continuing effort to settle the turmoil in his kingdom. After the 1363 treaty with Edward III, he could give specific attention to Galloway which had yet to be incorporated effectively into the Kingdom of Scotland. Prior to 1300, when its reigning house ended without a clear heir, Galloway had been a fully independent jurisdiction outside the kingdom of Scotland with totally different legal and social traditions. With the end of the reigning house, the principality fell into decades of shifting, unsettled subdivisions lacking continuity or organized political structure. All this was aggravated by overlying turmoil of the Scottish wars of independence. Once throne and power were secure, David II set to making hundreds of appointments and issuing charters to put the kingdom in order. Agnew history developed within this national reordering. SECTION I - The Castles of Medieval Scotland If anything visibly reflects the economic status of a country at a given time, it is the extent and size of its public and private building enterprise. In the Thirteenth century Scotland was booming with international trade and expanding prosperity which led to the imposing castles of the period. In Greater Galloway, Lochmaben and Caerlaverock are impressive examples of the style. Certainly, when we examined Scottish gravestones from the churchyard at Caerlaverock parish, some highly unique examples of armorial stone were found. The attached aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle appended here illustrates how equally imposing is the citadel at the site. King’s Castle of Lochnaw Final 10/22/2013 9:11 PM GMA-M 4 Similarly the home site of the powerful Bruce family at Lochmaben commands attention equally as much as the contemporary English and French models. However, with the invasion of Edward I in 1296 and the disturbances, recurring wars for independence and persistent English incursions attempting to convert Scotland into a client state, the prosperity of the country was destroyed. The greatest estates in Scotland were held in large part by AngloNorman nobles and early on they decamped for their English and French estates leaving defense of the country to natives. Scottish nobles were split into contending parties, authority and rule were paralyzed and commerce and business came to a standstill. For over a century not even the highest and most powerful could undertake extensive construction. This led to a great gap in style of building during the 14 th century when the country was in a state of complete exhaustion and unable to engage in massive building projects. Recession Effects in the 14th Century Kings and Peasants Even the kings lived in cramped keeps of the same general style. King Robert II lived and died in Dundonald Castle a tower about 80 feet by 40 feet and five stories high. Moreover, King Robert Bruce was opposed to large castles as, in his experience, they were too easily taken by the English King’s Castle of Lochnaw Final 10/22/2013 9:11 PM GMA-M 5 providing the enemy with strong points from which to control surrounding territory and use as bases for further incursions. Bruce favored a “scorched earth policy” destroying all sustenance and shelter before the enemy could arrive so that they were starved into retreat. That policy proved successful especially as Edward I was succeeded by weaker less detemined men distracted by wars with France. The huts of the peasantry could be replaced easily once the invaders were gone and houses in the towns were largely wooden contruction and could also be rebuilt relatively quickly. The Nobility In contrast the nobility, who represented the core of the defensive forces, were under constant attack from opposing groups and not a few renegade bands of shifting, if any, loyalties. Their manor houses were of necessity of stone. However, under the impoverished condition of the time. Minor barons and small landholders in particular had to make do with the simplest of designs that would provide shelter for family and retainers and protect them from sudden attack. They fell back on the 200-year old designs of the earliest of Norman stone keeps. The Towerhouse These thickwalled “towerhouses” were generally square or oblong, built of ashlar (squared stone blocks) or rubble and defended from the top which was roofed with interlocking stone slabs. A below ground area served for storage and, sometimes, had a prison pit, the first floor had no exterior entrance but was accessed by a trapdoor from the second floor. There the only door stood high above the outside ground. It was accessed by a ladder or moveable wooden stair which could be easily withdrawn or set afire in emergencies. Servants lived and worked on the ground floor, retainers and guests lived and slept on the second floor while the lord’s family occupied the third. Ceilings were high and often incorporated lofts while, contrary to common assumptions, it was not unusual for the upper floors to be divided into rooms. Small recesses in the thick walls could serve as beds or “closets”. In the simplest keeps ladders were used between floors while the somewhat better off had narrow stairways built within walls.