Donald, the Irish regiments may have gone over to Wigtownshire to help build the military roads. re your notes : "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. 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? Some of my notes (my very short extracts) were: In "The Belfast Newsletter" (search on internet) 22 November 1757, 20252 John Dalrymple, Shire Wigton. Country roads, Port Patrick. Battalion forces ordered work roads. etc. 4015. 25 Nov 1757. some of the names were James Murray of Broughton (Whitehorn) and John Agnew of Sheuchan (may be near Dalrymple & McDowell of Freugh) etc. 4009, 22 Nov 1757.