Thanks to all those who pointed me in the right direction with Baryerrock. Crawford has suggested that someone may have a copy of McKerlie - if that is the case could I request a look up of Vol 2 p 345 re Baryerrock. Would also be interested in any entry on Kirkland of Longcastle also Kirkinner. Barb Wilson

Dear Barb -- In some countries (but not Australia as I understand it), M'Kerlie's volumes are online via Google books. When I searched for Baryerrock/Baryarroch/Baryerroch in volume 2, I got one hit on page 220. It's part of the quite lengthy section on Barnbarroch, which begins on p. 190: "The farms which comprised the Barnbarroch estate prior to 1873, were Meikle Airies, Barglass, Barnbarroch Mains, Barlas, Barwhanny, Barvernochan, Baryerrock, Bing, Claycross, Drumjargon, Knockan, Knockefferick, Marchfarm, Slochabbert, and East Slochabbert, High and Low Barness, and Clutag (South and Little)." p. 186 "PARISH OF KIRKINNER ... The small parish of Longcastle was annexed to Kirkinner about 1650. The name arose from the ancient castle (the ruins of which may yet exist, as they did a few years ago), at the western end of what was the loch of Longcastle, now drained. The ruins of the small church are west, about a mile distant. It was a rectory belonging, apparently, to the King. The glebe land was obtained by Sir Patrick Vaus. In addition to the ruins of the old kirk on the kirk land at Longcastle, the site of another is at Chapel Hill, north of Longcastle. Much confusion has arisen from the loch, now drained, having at different periods been known as Longcastle, Ravenstone, and Dowaltoun. The patronage of the united parish, that is, Longcastle and Kirkinner, was obtained and held by the Vauses of Barnbarroch." p. 187 "LONGCASTLE We have no means of ascertaining whether this barony was included in the charters granted by King Robert Bruce to his nephew, Alexander Bruce, of the lands of Carnesmole (along with Mughrum, now Mochrum) iu the vicinity of Wigton, as learned from Robertson's Index of Charters. The information gathered first commences with the M'Dowalls. We gave the usual statement in our First Edition that the M'Dowalls had possession in 1330, but we now believe that it was at a later period. With so much on record about them, arising from having been in league with the Kings of England, yet nothing can be found to support the statement. We must refer inquirers to the list of lands obtained by them, which we have given under Garthland, parish of Stoneykirk, and also to our account of the M'Dowalls under Kirkmaiden parish. Gilbert M'Dowall, styled of Ravenstone and Freugh, about 1445, is the first found to have been in possession of Longcastle and Ravenstone, which at one time were one and the same property. The descent of Gilbert M'Dowall we cannot trace, but, as will be found in our history of the M'Dowalls, already mentioned, the Garthland and Logan families repudiated the family who held these lands and Freugh, parish of Stoneykirk, stating that their ancestor was a natural son of Garthland's, which natural son was a notorious thief and robber, who lived at the little townland which obtained its name from him. For further particulars, see the history we have given under Kirkmaiden parish. Another statement is that the M'Dowalls built a castle on an island in the loch, but we could trace nothing. In Blaeu's Atlas from Font's survey, it is called the loch of Boirlant. As we have conveyed elsewhere, crannogs, or artificial land residences, existed in the loch, and probably gave rise to the assertion. As we have mentioned in the account of the parish, the old castle stood at the western end of the loch, and was a structure prior to the appearance of the M'Dowalls as owners. Very little is to be learned of their occupation, which must have been of short duration. We will merely add that, according to Sinclair's account, William M'Dowall of Dowalstoun and Freugh, had a son and heir named John, who married his cousin Margaret (Mary ?), sister and heir of John, and daughter of James M'Dowall of Freuch, by Florence, daughter of John M'Dowall of Garthland. No dates are given. The continuation will be found under Freuch, parish of Stoneykirk. From the M'Dowalls, the lands appear to have passed to the Mures of Craichlaw, for we find a tack, dated 9th January, 1496, by Margaret Keith, lady of Craichlaw and Longcastle, relict of John Mure of Craichlaw, of the lands of Cairnfield, Culgarie, and Culbae, to her carnal son, Adam Mure of Craichlaw. Also, the farm of Boreland, Longcastle, was obtained bv John Dunbar of Mochrum, from Margaret Keith, Lady Craichlaw, etc., in November, 1497, and which was purchased from him in 1498. The next owners were the Vauses of Barnbarroch. Their first connection was ecclesiastical. On the 12th January, 1528, a tack was granted by the priory and convent of Whithorn, to ane venerable father in God, Sir David Vaus, co-adjutor and successor of the abbey of Saulseat, of the parsonage and teind sheaves of the kirk of Longcastle for the space of three (or nine) years, the tack duty being £28 Scots. Again, on the 9th March, 1532, there was another tack granted for nineteen years of the parsonage and teinds of the kirk of Longcastle, for payment of £40 Scots yearly to the priory of Whithorn, "sett by the convent thereof to ane honorable man, John Vaus of Barnbarroch." We may state that Sir David Vaus above mentioned would appear to have been an ecclesiastical knight of the Order of St. John, a description of which will be found under Park, parish of Old Luce. The next notice in connection with the lands is that Edward Mure of Carnyfield granted a charter, dated 7th May, 1546, to John Vaus of Barnbarroch of the four merkland of Culgarie, which was confirmed by a charter under the Great Seal of Queen Mary, dated 25th August, 1546. There was subsequently another charter from Queen Mary, dated 6th September, 1548, in favour of Alexander Vans of Barnbarroch and Janet Kennedy, his spouse, of the six merkland of old extent of Longcastle, with the fortalice, loch, and wood within the same. In 1552, the four merkland each of Campford, Arequessan, with the two merkland of Culbey, belonged to Malcolm M'Kie of Craichlaw. In a contract, dated the last day of August, 1552, betwixt Hugh Kennedy of Barwhannie and Malcolm M'Kie of Craichlaw, the said Malcolm acknowledged to have received complete payment for two reversions on the lands of Campford and Arquessan; and whereas the said reversions were fraudulently taken away from him by the hands of Christian (Margaret ?) Dunbar, his spouse, and put into the hands of John Dunbar of Mochrum, so that he could not deliver them up to be destroyed as soon as they could be got, etc. In May, 1553, there was a letter of reversion by Alexander Baillie of Dunragit, with consent of Margaret, his spouse, in favour of Hugh Kennedy of Barquhanny of the four merkland of Arrichasson, disponed by Hugh Kennedy to Alexander Baillie, to be redeemed for seven score pounds. The next notice is dated the 16th June, 1578, in a suspension to Sir Patrick Vaus of Barnbarroch, of a charge to make payment on his part of the barons' taxation, granted to have a vote in Parliament for his ten merkland of Longcastle and Culgarie, etc. On the 4th January, 1591-2, Sir Patrick Vaus of Barnbarroch, and John, his son, had sasine of the Boreland, etc., of Longcastle, Culgarie, and Arngilshie, etc. In 1598, John Vaus of Longcastle was infeft as male heir. On the 14th December, 1639, (Robert) Vaus of Campford had sasine of the Boreland of Longcastle. Then, on the 4th August, 1642, John M'Dowall of Freuch had sasines of the lands of Dowaltoune. We next find that Sir William Maxwell of Monreith, knight baronet, had sasine, on the 20th December, 1683, of the lands and barony of Longcastle, etc., and again on the 13th September, 1705, with whose descendant the lands remain in possession. The property now consists of the farms Airiehassen, Blairshinnoch, Boreland, Camford, Cairnfield, Culgary, Kirkland, etc. The loch was drained in 1885-6. It was not very deep at any part. Its greatest length was about a mile and a half, and the greatest breadth about three-quarters of a mile. On two sides it had marshy ground and moss. At the south-east end there were four islands (the largest about twenty-three yards across), and nearer the shore on the same side was a group of six smaller islands. All of them were crannogs constructed, more or less, in the usual form found in other lochs in Galloway. The loch marched with the Longcastle and Ravenstone lands." There are numerous other brief mentions of Kirkland and Longcastle. Though I didn't read them in detail, much less copy them into this already lengthy message, they seem largely to repeat what appears beginning on p. 186. If you want to seem them, please contact me privately. Regards, Mary Richardson USA At 01:48 AM 1/14/2011, Barbara Wilson wrote: >Thanks to all those who pointed me in the right direction with Baryerrock. > >Crawford has suggested that someone may have a >copy of McKerlie - if that is the case could I >request a look up of Vol 2 p 345 re >Baryerrock. Would also be interested in any >entry on Kirkland of Longcastle also Kirkinner. > >Barb Wilson