Everything about Lochmaben totally explained
Lochmaben (
Gaelic: Loch Mhabain) is a small town in
Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of
Lockerbie, in
Dumfries and Galloway.
Early inhabitants
The name
Loch Mhabain is possibly a corruption of
Loch Mhaol Bheinn ("Lake on the bare mountain"), or may mean "Loch of
Mabon", an ancient
Brythonic god, as the
Roman name of the area was Locus
Maponi, according to the
Ravenna Cosmography. It has been inhabited since earliest times due to its strategic position on the routes from
England to Scotland and
Ireland, to the small lochs surrounding it and to the relatively fertile soil in the area. The first inhabitants may have lived in
crannogs in the lochs.
Lords of Annandale
By 1160, the
Anglo-Norman de Brus (Bruce) family, had become the Lords of Annandale. Robert de Bruce, Lord of Skelton in
Yorkshire (some references say Cleveland), was a notable figure at the court of King
Henry I of England, where he became intimate with Prince David of Scotland, that monarch's brother-in-law. When the Prince became King of Scots, in 1124, Bruce obtained from him the Lordship of Annandale, and great possessions in the south of Scotland. (de Brus was nevertheless buried at Gysburn, the place of his birth).
Castle, and wars
Keep, at Lochmaben, the remains of which now lie under a golf course. It is claimed that King
Robert I of Scotland (Bruce) was born there, which is why the town adopted the motto "From us is born the liberator king" (in
Latin) on its coat of arms. However this claim is relatively late, it can't be ruled out, but his birthplace was more likely
Turnberry Castle. Bruce certainly battled the English over this area during the
Wars of Scottish Independence.
King Edward replaced the castle with a much sturdier structure at the south end of
Castle Loch around 1300 and its remains still show the massive strength of its defences. Archibald Douglas, Lord of
Galloway, with the assistance of the Earls of March and Douglas, after a siege of nine days, took Lochmaben Castle from the English and "razed it to the ground" (probably meaning it was burnt) on the 4th February 1384/5. The castle and barony became a possession of the Earls of March, but when the 10th Earl was forfeited and then reinstated, in 1409, it's noted that it was "with the exception of the castle of Lochmaben and the Lordship of Annandale."
The
Battle of Lochmaben Fair was fought on
22 July,
1484. A force of 500 light horsemen led by
Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany and
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas invaded Scotland, but were defeated.
On the 16 January 1508/9, at Edinburgh, Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass (d.1517/8), knight, was appointed "Captain and Keeper of the King's castle and fort of Lochmaben, with all pertinentes" and other privileges etc., for three years.
Lochmaben remained important and had a turbulent history until after 1600 by which time the castle had seen its last siege and was gradually abandoned.
Town
The town had prospered and become a
Royal Burgh in 1447, and a
Royal Charter in 1579. Its importance waned with the peace that was became the norm, but it had sufficient resources to build a substantial
Tolbooth (later the Town Hall) in 1723. The railway came in 1863, with Lochmaben a stop on the
Dumfries to Lockerbie line, and brought easy communication both north and south. Like many branch lines it succumbed to the “axe” in the 1960s.
Lochmaben Hospital was opened in 1905 as an infectious diseases hospital but, with the virtual demise of these diseases, it's now a modern 16 bed community facility caring for both physical and psychiatric problems. Lochmaben Primary School is one of the largest in Annandale. The school moved to newer more modern premises in 1982. It also has an 18 hole golf course surrounding the kirk loch on the edge of the town. There are 2 convenience stores at each end of the town. Several successful businesses are also in the town and the town is once again thriving with many houses planned to be built over the next ten years. It has a doctors surgery.
The town has suffered genteel poverty in past times but it now prospers on a mix of agriculture, light industry and tourism with significant numbers commuting the short distance to Dumfries. The town is well found with a broad main street and the town is set in rolling countryside. The town’s lochs thrive with both sailing and fishing taking place throughout the year.
Further Information
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