Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

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Dunbar — in the neighbourhood of which was her
paternal seat of Tyr.ninghame — who was neither
grave nor solemn, and moreover, much handsomer than
his successful rival. While Lord Cassillis was absent
on some mission from the Scottish pailiament to that
of England, Sir John, with his followers, repaired to
Cassillis, where the young lady then resided, and
persuaded her to elope with him to England. As
ill luck would have it, the Earl returned home before
the lovers could cross the Border, — pursued and over-
took them, — and in the conflict all the masquerade
gypsies were slain save one, and the weeping Coun-
tess brought back to her husband's mansion, where
she remained till a dungeon was prepared for her
near the village of Maybole, wherein she languished
for the short remainder of her life in humble sorrow
and devotion. This is one edition of the story, still
very current in the county where the elopement took
place ; but it is not supported by the tenor of the
ballad, which was composed by the only surviving
ravisher, and is contradicted by a number of those
who still recite the verses. Indeed, a very numerous
jury of matrons, " spinsters and knitters in the sun,"
pronounce the fair Countess guilty of having eloped
with a genuine gypsy, though compelled in some
degree to that low-lived indiscretion by certain
wicked charms and philtres, of which Faa and his
party are said to have possessed the secret. It is
not now possible to fix the precise date of Lady
Cassillis's elopement with 'the Gypsie laddie;' or the
identity of the frail one herself. Lady Jean Hamil-
ton, of the Haddington family, was born in the year
1607, and died in 1G42. Moreover there is a letter
extant from her husband to the Rev. Robert Doug-
lass, written shortly after her death, in which he
expresses a respect and tenderness for his wife's
memory quite inconceivable had she been guilty of
such a misdemeanour as that supposed. It is alleged
that she lived long enough in her confinement at
Maybole to work a piece of tapestry, still preserved
at Colzean House, in which she represented her
unhappy flight, but with circumstances unsuitable
to the details of the ballad, and as if the deceits of
' glamourie ' had still bewildered her memory; for
she is mounted behind her lover, gorgeously attired,
on a superb white courser, and surrounded by a
groupe of persons who bear no resemblance to a
herd of gypsies. *
CASSLEY (The), a small river which rises in
the hills in the north-west extremity of Creich, in
Sutherland, and, taking a course nearly south, falls
into the frith of Tain, about 12 miles from its source.
The salmon of this river are small and white, and
highly esteemed. There is a fine salmon-leap about
a mile above the bridge of Cassley, which is 7 miles
distant from the bridge of Oykell.
< CASTLECARY, a hamlet in the shire of Stir-
ling, and parish of Falkirk ; 8 miles west-south-west
of Falkirk, on the line of the Forth and Clyde canal.
Castlecary, according to General Roy, was one of
the praesidia, or principal stations on the wall of
Antoninus, as is evident from its dimensions, and
the number of antiquities discovered there. A Ro-
man way led out from it towards the south ; and it
seems probable that this place was the Coria Dam-
niorum of Ptolemy, and the same which Nennius
calls Caer Ceri. General Roy has preserved a plan
of the ancient fort, and of the antiquities discovered
* A portrait of the frail countess is shown at Holyrond ; bot
its Authenticity is by no means well-established. Mr. Sharp**,
and many others, regard it as a portrait of I.ady Sunderland,
the Snt'baris.sa of Waller. There is another shown at Cnlzean ;
and of which an engraving is given in Constable's Magazine for
1817. Mr. Sharpe suspects that the tapestry at Colzean is nnly
a fragment representing a man arid woman riding on a white
horse, and a group ot attendants, and •-' rebaptized by house-
keepers, who have heard the old tradition."
here. The fort itself is now nearly effaced by agri-
cultural operations.
CASTLE-DOUGLAS, a thriving little town m
the parish of Kelton, and stewartry of Kirkcudbright;
on the road from Kirkcudbright to Dumfries; 89
miles south-south-west of Edinburgh, 18 west by
south of Dumfries, and 10 north-east of Kirkcud-
bright. Population, in 1833, 1,S85. Its name is
derived from Threave castle, the ruins of which
stronghold stand on the south-west of the town.
Prior to 1792, it was called Carlinwark, from a
lake in the vicinity ; when it was erected into a
burgh-of-barony, under its present title, by royal
charter in 1790. A new and extended chartei
was obtained in 1829. The magistracy and coun-
cil consist of a provost, 2 bailies, 17 councillors,
who are elected triennially on the 1st Y/ednes-
day of September. All persons resident within
the boundaries of the burgh, and having right
by feu to a piece of ground within the same, are
entitled to elect or be elected. The property of
the burgh, in 1833, was £573 15s. lid.; the debts
.£167 10s. 7d. The average annual revenue £20;
expenditure £13 5s. Circuit small debt courts are
held here. It consists of one principal street lying
along the public road, from Dumfries to Port-patrick,
and some back streets laid out in a neat manner.
It has a modern town-house, and some other pubbc
buildings. Its consequence has been increased by
the transfer of Keltonhill annual horse fair to its
bounds. It has a large grain market every Monday.
Carlinwark loch is now connected by a canal with
the river Dee, and since this was done its dimensions
have been much limited. It contains abundance of
perch and pike, and has yielded a considerable quan-
tity of shell-marl. There are two dissenting meet-
ing-houses in the town, besides a parish-school.
The burgh-school is a good one, and is attended on
an average by about 160 scholars. Sir William
Douglas, by deed of mortification in 1831, left a
sum, now producing £41 annually, to the magis-
trates and council of Castle-Douglas, to be divided
among six schools, and the poor of the parish, ac-
cording to a scale of proportion pointed out in the
deed. See Kelton.
CASTLE-DUART. See Duart Castle.
CASTLE-GRANT. See Cromdale.
CASTLEHILL. See Cardross.
CASTLE-HUNTLY. See Long-Forgan.
CASTLE-KENNEDY. See Inch.
CASTLE-KILLCHURN. See Killchurn
Castle.
CASTLE LAW, one of the most northerly
range of the Lammermuir hills, in the parish of
Gilford or Yester, in Haddingtonshire ; rising to the
height of 940 feet above sea-level. On the summit
of this hill there is a circular camp, the circuit of
which contains nearly 4 Scots acres. It measures,
within the ramparts, 370 feet from east to west ;
and 337 feet from south to north. About three
quarters of a mile to the east of this hill, is another
hiU, 860 feet in height, on the top of which also is
an ancient camp called The Castles, of somewhat
smaller dimensions ; and about two furlongs south
of the Castle Law, on a smaller hill called The
Witches' Knowe, is a third camp. See the 3d vol. of
the ' Archreologia Scotica.'
CASTLE-LEOD. See Fodderty.
CASTLE-MENZIES. See Weem.
CASTLEM1LK. See Carmdnnock.
CASTLEPHAIRN. See Glencairn.
CASTLE -SEMPLE LOCH, a fine sheet of
water in the parish of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire,
sometimes called Loch Winnoch. It is chiefly fed
by the waters of the Calder, which, flowing in a