Elizabeth Cook had a message about Inch Village on 12 April 2002. >From information supplied by the estate office in Stranraer, Elizabeth wrote: "One of the Lord Stairs, returning from a military campaign, found his castle in flames. The servants, having heard of his imminent return, were airing the bedding in front of the fire. This caught fire and the whole castle was burned down. The family eventually raised the money to build another castle, the present Lochinch Castle." I have been researching an ancestor, Thomas Dalrymple bc.1710-1730 (said to be brother of the Earl of Stair) who was an attorney in the King's Bench in Ireland and died there in 1779 and would be pleased if anyone would know of his birth, perhaps in Wigtownshire or Ireland. In the book "Annals and Correspondence of the viscount and the first and second Earls of Stair (vol. I) . John Murray Graham. p.289 "London, March 24 1715. Till by this post it has not been in my power to acquaint you that I have received the king's directions for your commission for Ecklin's regiment" etc. "Your countrymen, and particularly Lord Argyle, are returned so very much dissatisfied with Lord Marischal (George Keith) that I believe they will prevail with the king to take his command from him." "Lord Stair continued colonel of the regiment of Enniskillens for about twenty years (Ireland). According to a custom not uncommon in the army at that time, he provided (by arrangement with Government) winter-quarters and forage for the men and troop-horses, when not on duty, in his grounds of Castle Kennedy in Wigtownshire, (south of Stranraer on Loch Inch and near Culhorn) where fatigue-parties of men were occasionally employed in country labour upon the estate".

I cannot reply to all the questions, but I can tell you that the Lord Stair who returned to find Castle Kennedy in flames was the 2nd Earl of Stair, known as the Field Marshall (1673-1747). He was Colonel of the Scots Gray Dragoons, a unit which did some of the work around Lochinch Castle during available time. A caretaker on the estate reported to one of my family on a visit some years ago that they dredged out the lake on the property. It may have been someone else in the family who was connected with the Enniskillen regiment. The above information re: his life and death and Scots Gray Dragoons is inscribed on the plaque at Kirkliston Parish Church where he and others of the family are entombed. He never married, according to the record and died at Kirkliston. Lochinch Castle was not built until about 1850. The family had another estate in the Edinburgh area, burgh of Kirkliston, and that is where the Dalrymples lived when away from the Castle Kennedy estates. Donald, did you ever find the grave of William Mean (Main) at Inch? I'm assuming you are referring to the old Inch church, now in ruins? If not, the gravestones in that kirkyard were transcribed by Gilbert Dinsmore in spring and early summer of 2002. The records were sent to the Scotland National Trust and compiled into a booklet. It may be available at the Stranraer library by now. Have you inquired there? Regards to all, Carolyn Achata On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 10:32 PM, Shirley Walsh <[email protected]> wrote: > > Elizabeth Cook had a message about Inch Village on 12 April 2002. > >From information supplied by the estate office in Stranraer, Elizabeth wrote: > "One of the Lord Stairs, returning from a military campaign, found his castle in flames.  The servants, having heard of his imminent return, were airing the bedding in front of the fire.  This caught fire and the whole castle was burned down.  The family eventually raised the money to build another castle, the present Lochinch Castle." > > I have been researching an ancestor, Thomas Dalrymple bc.1710-1730 (said to be brother of the Earl of Stair) who was an attorney in the King's Bench in Ireland and died there in 1779 and would be pleased if anyone would know of his birth, perhaps in Wigtownshire or Ireland. > > In the book "Annals and Correspondence of the viscount and the first and second Earls of Stair (vol. I) . John Murray Graham. > p.289 "London, March 24 1715.  Till by this post it has not been in my power to acquaint you that I have received the king's directions for your commission for Ecklin's regiment"  etc. > "Your countrymen, and particularly Lord Argyle, are returned so very much dissatisfied with Lord Marischal (George Keith) that I believe they will prevail with the king to take his command from him." > > "Lord Stair continued colonel of the regiment of Enniskillens for about twenty years (Ireland).  According to a custom not uncommon in the army at that time, he provided (by arrangement with Government) winter-quarters and forage for the men and troop-horses, when not on duty, in his grounds of Castle Kennedy in Wigtownshire, (south of Stranraer on Loch Inch and near Culhorn) where fatigue-parties of men were occasionally employed in country labour upon the estate". > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- Carolyn Achata

Dear Shirley, Your comments on Lord Stair are interesting as I have some connections with the Dalrymples and I would like to quote in part from a letter written on 11th Jan 1904 by John McKelvie (1831-1906) 4th eldest child of William McKelvie (1802-1876) and Isabella Main (1800-1878). The letter was to his first cousin my great grandfather Robert Main, it was concerning the family history in Wigtownshire. This part of the letter is about the first three William Means (read Main) and recounts stories he was told by older family members in the 1850s so I quote; "The first land of the family was a farm or at all events lived at Larg near Stranraer and purchased Barneight from the Curators of John McDowell of Freugh on 21st Oct 1742. He seemed to have lived at Carsbuie adjoining Barneight at the time of his death. He was William Mean of Barneight, Carsbuie and Drummadweegie or Drumatweeidie probably purchased all at the same time but I cannot tell. His son William Mean Jnr was the soldier who fought at Dettingen under Lord Stair whose gravestone Robert M Douglas and I searched for at Inch last Autumn." That is the only part of a long letter that I will quote. Interestingly this William Mean Jnr married Helen McTaggart the daughter of William McTaggart of Carseriggan (a nearby farm) and Jeannie McDowell who in turn was the daughter of John McDowell of Freugh. John McDowell was married to Lady Elisabeth Crichton Dalrymple the daughter of William Dalrymple and Penelope Crichton the Countess of Dumfries hence the Dalymple/Stair connection in the family and presumably William Mean Jnr was in the family regiment? My question for the historians amongst us what was Stair's family regiment? The Enniskillens from Northern Ireland? Why would a Northern Irish regiment winter in Wigtown rather that at home in Enniskillen? Why was William Mean Jnr described as "the soldier" rather than "a soldier" and is there any means of finding out which regiment he was in, for how long and his rank? Was Dettingen in 1742 an important battle? Finally can anyone help me with locating Drummadweegie or Drumadweeidie. John McKelvie's handwriting is difficult to decipher in part and it seems he also had difficulty in the spelling as he provided the two alternatives. For some reason I had always thought the place name was changed to Drumbuie which is shown on the 1947 Bartholomews half inch sheet for Galloway at grid square 11K but on the OS sheet 82 1;50,000 for 1976 gr325630 the name is changed from Drumbuie to Ardochie. >From warm sunny southern Western Australia. Donald Main -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Shirley Walsh Sent: 06 January 2011 11:32 To: [email protected] Subject: [WIG LIST] Lord Stair c.1715, Castle Kennedy Elizabeth Cook had a message about Inch Village on 12 April 2002. >From information supplied by the estate office in Stranraer, Elizabeth wrote: "One of the Lord Stairs, returning from a military campaign, found his castle in flames. The servants, having heard of his imminent return, were airing the bedding in front of the fire. This caught fire and the whole castle was burned down. The family eventually raised the money to build another castle, the present Lochinch Castle." I have been researching an ancestor, Thomas Dalrymple bc.1710-1730 (said to be brother of the Earl of Stair) who was an attorney in the King's Bench in Ireland and died there in 1779 and would be pleased if anyone would know of his birth, perhaps in Wigtownshire or Ireland. In the book "Annals and Correspondence of the viscount and the first and second Earls of Stair (vol. I) . John Murray Graham. p.289 "London, March 24 1715. Till by this post it has not been in my power to acquaint you that I have received the king's directions for your commission for Ecklin's regiment" etc. "Your countrymen, and particularly Lord Argyle, are returned so very much dissatisfied with Lord Marischal (George Keith) that I believe they will prevail with the king to take his command from him." "Lord Stair continued colonel of the regiment of Enniskillens for about twenty years (Ireland). According to a custom not uncommon in the army at that time, he provided (by arrangement with Government) winter-quarters and forage for the men and troop-horses, when not on duty, in his grounds of Castle Kennedy in Wigtownshire, (south of Stranraer on Loch Inch and near Culhorn) where fatigue-parties of men were occasionally employed in country labour upon the estate". ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Shirley, Perhaps below is the answer Sam Heron ` The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into the 5th/6th Dragoons (later the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, then finally the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards) in 1922. Arguably one of the most famous cavalry regiments of all time. One of their most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. They also fought with distinction at the Battle of Waterloo in the Charge of the Union Brigade and again during the Crimean War as part of the successful Charge of the Heavy Brigade against superior numbers at the Battle of Balaklava. 1708 the regiment left Ireland and did not return to its home ground for another one hundred years. 1715 Dalrymple's Dragoons (sometimes called) Stair's Dragoons or The Black Horse. During this time the regiment saw action in Scotland against the rebel highlanders and also helped to put down riots in Manchester. 1734 Cadogan's Dragoons 1743 Dalrymple's Dragoons (sometimes called) Stair's Dragoons. The regiment was sent to Flanders in 1742 and took part in the War of Austrian Succession where the battle honour of Dettingen was authorised to be placed on its standard. 1745 Leslie's Dragoons sometimes called)Rothe's Dragoons. The regiment again distinguished itself in the battles of Fontenoy in 1745, Roucoux in 1746 and at Vall in 1747. Soon afterwards it returned to England. 1750 Cholmondley's Dragoons 1751 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons 1758 6th or Inniskilling Regiment of DragoonsThe regiment saw further service on the European continent in the Seven Years War and fought at Minden and Wetter in 1759 with great distinction. 1815 6th (Enniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons The regiment, as part of the Union Brigade of heavy cavalry, fought alongside their soon-to-be comrades the 5th Dragoon Guards, at Waterloo and during the Crimean war, particularly at the Battle of Balaklava. Succession where the battle honour of Dettingen was authorised to be placed on its standard. >From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_(Inniskilling)_Dragoons Se also about Castle Kennedy: http://www.castlekennedygardens.co.uk/history.asp ` ` ----- Original Message ----- From: "donald main" <[email protected]> To: "'Shirley Walsh'" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 9:07 AM Subject: Re: [WIG LIST] Lord Stair c.1715, Castle Kennedy > Dear Shirley, > > Your comments on Lord Stair are interesting as I have some connections > with > the Dalrymples and I would like to quote in part from a letter written on > 11th Jan 1904 by John McKelvie (1831-1906) 4th eldest child of William > McKelvie (1802-1876) and Isabella Main (1800-1878). The letter was to his > first cousin my great grandfather Robert Main, it was concerning the > family > history in Wigtownshire. > > This part of the letter is about the first three William Means (read Main) > and recounts stories he was told by older family members in the 1850s so I > quote; > > "The first land of the family was a farm or at all events lived at Larg > near > Stranraer and purchased Barneight from the Curators of John McDowell of > Freugh on 21st Oct 1742. He seemed to have lived at Carsbuie adjoining > Barneight at the time of his death. > > He was William Mean of Barneight, Carsbuie and Drummadweegie or > Drumatweeidie probably purchased all at the same time but I cannot tell. > His > son William Mean Jnr was the soldier who fought at Dettingen under Lord > Stair whose gravestone Robert M Douglas and I searched for at Inch last > Autumn." > > That is the only part of a long letter that I will quote. Interestingly > this > William Mean Jnr married Helen McTaggart the daughter of William McTaggart > of Carseriggan (a nearby farm) and Jeannie McDowell who in turn was the > daughter of John McDowell of Freugh. > > John McDowell was married to Lady Elisabeth Crichton Dalrymple the > daughter > of William Dalrymple and Penelope Crichton the Countess of Dumfries hence > the Dalymple/Stair connection in the family and presumably William Mean > Jnr > was in the family regiment? > > My question for the historians amongst us what was Stair's family > regiment? > The Enniskillens from Northern Ireland? Why would a Northern Irish > regiment > winter in Wigtown rather that at home in Enniskillen? > > Why was William Mean Jnr described as "the soldier" rather than "a > soldier" > and is there any means of finding out which regiment he was in, for how > long > and his rank? Was Dettingen in 1742 an important battle? > > Finally can anyone help me with locating Drummadweegie or Drumadweeidie. > John McKelvie's handwriting is difficult to decipher in part and it seems > he > also had difficulty in the spelling as he provided the two alternatives. > For > some reason I had always thought the place name was changed to Drumbuie > which is shown on the 1947 Bartholomews half inch sheet for Galloway at > grid > square 11K but on the OS sheet 82 1;50,000 for 1976 gr325630 the name is > changed from Drumbuie to Ardochie. > >>From warm sunny southern Western Australia. > > Donald Main > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Shirley Walsh > Sent: 06 January 2011 11:32 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [WIG LIST] Lord Stair c.1715, Castle Kennedy > > > Elizabeth Cook had a message about Inch Village on 12 April 2002. >>From information supplied by the estate office in Stranraer, Elizabeth > wrote: > "One of the Lord Stairs, returning from a military campaign, found his > castle in flames. The servants, having heard of his imminent return, were > airing the bedding in front of the fire. This caught fire and the whole > castle was burned down. The family eventually raised the money to build > another castle, the present Lochinch Castle." > > I have been researching an ancestor, Thomas Dalrymple bc.1710-1730 (said > to > be brother of the Earl of Stair) who was an attorney in the King's Bench > in > Ireland and died there in 1779 and would be pleased if anyone would know > of > his birth, perhaps in Wigtownshire or Ireland. > > In the book "Annals and Correspondence of the viscount and the first and > second Earls of Stair (vol. I) . John Murray Graham. > p.289 "London, March 24 1715. Till by this post it has not been in my > power > to acquaint you that I have received the king's directions for your > commission for Ecklin's regiment" etc. > "Your countrymen, and particularly Lord Argyle, are returned so very much > dissatisfied with Lord Marischal (George Keith) that I believe they will > prevail with the king to take his command from him." > > "Lord Stair continued colonel of the regiment of Enniskillens for about > twenty years (Ireland). According to a custom not uncommon in the army at > that time, he provided (by arrangement with Government) winter-quarters > and > forage for the men and troop-horses, when not on duty, in his grounds of > Castle Kennedy in Wigtownshire, (south of Stranraer on Loch Inch and near > Culhorn) where fatigue-parties of men were occasionally employed in > country > labour upon the estate". > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. 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