History

Timeline

  • Bronze and Iron Age from 4000 BC
    Area inhabited during this period. Iron Age fort at Lochbank Farm. Loch dwellers at Castle Loch on Crannogs. Crannog in Castle Loch dated 630 A.D. Artefacts exhibited in Dumfries Museum including Dugout canoes dating from 4000 B.C., plough and Bronze pot. Plough dated to 80 B.C.

    Woody Castle hill fort
    Woody Castle
  • AD 200–400 Roman Era
    Roman road passed through area with artefacts in Museum.
  • Around 900 AD
    Norse invasion
  • 1166
    First recorded document. A charter granted by The Lord of Annandale was signed in Lochmaben Castle
  • 1170 – 1173
    Bruce’s Motte, the Church and the settlement of Lochmaben were recorded in documents on lease agreements.
  • 1300
    Records of Lochmaben Castle at Castle Loch which over the years was occupied by Scots and English garrisons as it occupied a strategic location between the two countries, Galloway and Ireland.

    Lochmaben Castle
    Lochmaben Castle

  • 1447
    Lochmaben became a Royal Burgh.
  • 1579
    James IV granted a Royal Charter to the town at a Cost of £40.
  • 1612
    Charter renewed by James VI.
  • 1723
    The Town Hall (Toll Booth) was built, enlarged in 1869 and still functions as Local Government Administration Office in the Town.

    Lochmaben Town Hall from the church tower
    Lochmaben Town Hall viewed from the Church

  • 1863
    Railway line was opened from Lockerbie to Dumfries. Closed in 1965.
  • 1879
    Bruce’s Statue was erected.

Famous residents of the town

  • Robert the Bruce, born at Carrick, 1274–1329. King Of Scotland from 1306 to 1329

    Statue of Robert the Bruce in front of the Town Hall
    Statue of Robert the Bruce

  • William Paterson 1658–1719, founder of the Bank of England.
  • Dr James Mounsey 1710–1773, surgeon to the Empress of Russia. He retired to his estate At Rammerscales and introduced rhubarb to Scotland from Russia. His obelisk is in the Old Churchyard.
  • Dr William Jardine 1784–1843, founder of the Jardine Mathieson Trading Company in China.
  • Sir William Fergusson (Bart.) 1808–1877, Surgeon to King’s College Hospital.

Old Street Names

In the 19th Century Lochmaben had streets called West Street, East Street and Braegate Street which no longer appear on current maps of the Royal Burgh. West Street was renamed Princes Street, East Street was renamed Queen Street and Braegate Street became Bruce Street. The present day Castle Street was previously known as Middle Street.

 

A Silver Presentation Casket

Silver casketAwarded to Provost and Mrs. Halliday of Lochmaben, Presented 16th March 1906, the hinged cover decorated with a figure representing Industry of a woman seated at a spinning wheel, above the inscribed cartouche – “to Provost and Mrs. Halliday On The Occasion of The Freedom of the Burgh of Lochmaben Being conferred Upon Them By The Town Council 16th March 1906“, flanked by the Burgh seal and lion rampant medallions amongst thistle the front side with three panels of the Town Hall and Bruce statue flanked by the Watson crest to the left and Halliday coat of arms on the right above a foliate meander at each end are figures emblematic of Learning and the Arts, the back shows a view of Esthwaite the residence of Provost and Mrs. Halliday flanked by their monograms, each corner has a square tapering pillar supporting an oil lamp resting on the earth’s globe, maker Kerr and Phillips, Glasgow, 1905, 80 oz, 34.1cm wide, 20.7cm deep, 20.5cm high, together with the two illuminated burgess tickets with embellished lettering, gilt borders and related devices by Messrs. Maxwell & Son, Dumfries. Also newspaper cutting from The Dumfries and Galloway Standard, March 17th, 1906, detailing the event and contained within original case

5 November 2005

Dumfries & Galloway Museums’ Service and the Friends of Annandale and Eskdale Museums jointly purchased the casket at auction in Edinburgh, and it will be based in Annan Museum so that local people may have access to it.

References:

         The Royal Burgh of Lochmaben 1987. Second edition 2001.

         The Castles of Lochmaben 1973.
         The Royal Burgh of Lochmaben 1974.
         The Churches of Lochmaben, Vol 1 1968 and Vol 2 1971.
         Rev William Graham – Lochmaben 500 years ago, 1865.

  • Isabelle Gow's (nee Wilson) publications:
"A Guid Wee Schule"---an account of life as a pupil at Lochmaben Primary School from the 1890s to the present day published in 2005.

"Gaun up Tae the Big Schule"---progressing to Lockerbie Academy, published in 2007