Friar's Carse
Encyclopedia
Friars' Carse is a mansion house and estate situated (NX 926 850) 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southeast of Auldgirth
on the main road (A76) to Dumfries
, Parish of Dunscore
, Scotland. The property is located on the west bank of the River Nith
and is known for its strong associations with Robert Burns
who lived for a while at the nearby Ellisland farm
. The mansion house is unlisted, however the stables and hermitage are Category B listed buildings.
The name Friar's Carse derives from a monastic settlement which was established nearby by the monks of Melrose in the 13th century. The present punctuation convention for Friar's Carse, with or without the apostrophe, is at variance with the older convention of Friars' Carse; the 'Carse of the Friars'.
By the 16th century, there was a tower here, with a cap-house surrounded by a prominent parapet (see engraving). In the 17th and 18th centuries, this was extended to include lodgings with crow-stepped gables, enclosed within a courtyard.
The stables and Beech Cottage
These estate buildings date mostly from the early 19th century, however the principal (south east) range side was re-modelled circa 1873, with a tall 2-stage tower built above. the Stables consist of four single storey ranges built around a quadrangular court. The pend beneath the tower is placed centrally and a gabled dovecot
or doocot is present.
or Riddel, a friend and patron of the poet Robert Burns
(1759–96).
On Robert Riddell's death in 1794, his widow could have allowed the property to go to Walter Riddell, her brother in law, who, under the terms of his brother's will, would then merely have had to pay her an annuity to retain the estate. Robert's widow disliked Walter Riddell to such an extent that she refused to exercise this option and the property was sold, passing out of the family's hands. Walter was wealthy in his own right, having made his fortune overseas and he had married the poetess, Maria Banks Woodley in Antigua
, naming his new estate in her honour.
in the trade with China and had lived at Canton. In 1812 he took up occupancy and changed the name of the property from Glenriddell back to Friar's Carse and died here in 1823. His widow remained at Friar's Carse until her own death in 1862. The Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries
was founded by her with a bequest of £100,000 in her husband's memory, or in other accounts founded by Dr Crichton himself.
Elizabeth Grierson of Lag, Dr Crichton's widow, sold the estate to Mr Thomas Nelson of Carlisle who added very largely to the house, although he preserved the most interesting part of the old building. In 1895, the trustees of the Crichton Royal Institution became proprietors of Friar's Carse, and it became a convalescent home in connection with the treatment of the insane. The Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance were the next owners.
married 'Bonnie' Anna Laurie or Annie Laurie
in 1710, daughter of Sir Robert Laurie
, Bt., of Maxwelton
, the Annie Laurie of the song. Although she lived at Craigdarroch for over 50 years, she died at Friar's Carse on 5 April 1764, aged 81. The whereabouts of her grave is unknown, however she may have been buried at Craigdarroch.
in around 1215. Edgar was a son of Dunevald and grandson of Dunegal of Stranith. Edgar had possessed the lands under William the Lion. A monastic Grange of the Cistercian monks may have existed nearby as indicated by the name 'Grange Mill'. Abbot Andrew feued out the abbey's lands in 1536, granting the £4 lands of Freirkers and its Grange Mill, together with the restricted multures
of the £36 lands of Dalgonar, and other lands to John Kirkpatrick of Ellisland.
At the reformation the commendator granted the property to the Laird of Elliesland or Allisland (sic), a cadet branch of the Kirkpatricks of Closeburn. The Kirkpatricks built a tower house of 'Freerscarss' here as recorded by Timothy Pont
on his map of Nithsdale circa 1595. Francis Grose noted that when demolished in 1773 to make way for the mansion house, the old refectory walls were measured at 8 feet thick and the fireplace 12 feet wide. Near the house was the loch or Lough (sic), the fish-pond of the friars. In the middle of this loch was an artificial island, a crannog
, built from large oak piles and planks; the hiding place of the friar's valuables upon occasions of the not infrequent intrusions by the English into Strathnith. A dugout canoe and other finds were made when the loch was drained.
Friar's Carse passed from the Kirkpatrick's to the Maxwells of Tynwald
in 1634, and from them to a cadet branch of the Lords of Maxwell, the Barncleugh family. The Riddells of Glenriddell obtained the estate from the Barncleughs in 1784.
A ninth or tenth century cross stands on a modern base in the grounds and is the only remaining example surviving from a collection of several stones, put together by Captain Robert Riddell, and once placed along the driveway to the house; one or more may have been at the site originally. Francis Grose recorded that stones from nearby Lag and Morton Castles were in the collection at one time; the Lag stone cut with the letters I. G. and the arms of the Grierson family, namely three cushions, in the centre of a mullet. Robert Riddell went so far as to construct an imitation Bronze Age circle of weathered stones. This bogus stone circle of 38 stones, all standing except three, one of which is in the centre and one just W of the circle; the site was named Templewood.
The lands of Carse once belonged in the 14th century to the Red Comyn and upon his murder eventually passed to King Robert the Bruce.
To the north of Friar's Carse is a site reputed to have been an encampment built by the Roman general Agricola
.
Views at Friar's Carse
from 1788 to 1791. Burns was probably introduced to Captain Robert Riddell and his wife, Elizabeth Kennedy of Manchester, by Patrick Miller of Dalswinton
, his friend and landlord. In September 1788 he composed The Day Returns as a compliment to Riddell and his wife, commenting that At their fire-side I have enjoyed more pleasant evenings than at all the houses of fashionable people in this country put together. Robert had fought in the American War and was an accomplished musical composer and muscician as well as an antiquarian.
In April 1791 Burns completed a collection of his poems for Robert Riddell's library and these have become known as the Glenriddell Manuscripts. These were later returned to Burns.
Burns visited Wanlockhead in January 1792 in order to explore the lead mines. He was accompanied by Maria Riddell, Robert Riddell
's sister. They breakfasted at Sanquhar and then took a poste-chaise
to the mines. They went a considerable distance into the mines, braving the dark, wet and cramped conditions at first, however they had to turn back as Burns found the poor air very distressing. Burns did not record this visit, however Maria included the details in a letter.
Robert Riddell set up the Monkland Friendly Society at Dunscore
together with Robert Burns and helped to organise and censor its library of 150 volumes. Riddell was the President and Burns was the secretary of the society that met on every fourth Saturday. Wanlockhead
and Leadhills
also had libraries at this time, set up and run through the subscriptions of members.
Burns refers to Riddell's coin collecting in the Election Ballad of 1790: -
Robert Riddell discovered a gold ring weighing 1 oz. and set with a pale blue stone near Friar's Carse in May 1791.
In December 1783 Burns's friendship with the Riddells ended following a drunken incident at Friar's Carse known as the Rape of the Sabines; a 'raid' against the ladies which was too realistic and exubarent for good taste. He was ordered off the premises and Elizabeth Riddell never forgave Burns. Robert Riddell died at the age of 39, before any chance of a healing of friendships was possible. Walter and Maria Riddell moved to London upon Robert's death and when she returned, to Tinwald House near Dumfries, she eventually forgave Burns for his indiscretion.
News of this dissolute and dissipated affair seems to have reached the ears of his Excise superiors in Edinburgh and harmed his reputation.
, stayed at the Carse for a few months whilst visiting sites in the area such as Lag Castle for inclusion in his book, The Antiquities of Scotland, published in 1797. Grose struck up a strong friendship with Robert Burns and this artistic collaboration resulted in Burns composing Tam o'Shanter. Fine, fat, fodgel Grose was how Burns described his rotund friend.
The winner was able to consume over eight bottles of claret (others say five or six). Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch was the winner, being able to still stand and blow the whistle; Sir Robert Laurie of Maxwellton collapsed on the floor; and Robert Riddell retired and went to his bed. The Duke of Buccleuch's chamberlain, McMurdo of Drumlanrig was the judge at the event, with two other neighbours acting as witnesses.
Some references say that the ebony whistle had been brought over from Denmark by a courtier in the service of Queen Anne
's husband, Prince George of Denmark. Confusion has arisen as the first drinking contest had been won in a competition by a previous Sir Robert Laurie and the original owner of the whistle, a courtier in the train of Anne of Denmark
, wife of King James IV of Scotland; in a second contest his son, Walter, lost the whistle to Walter Riddell, an ancestor of Robert Riddell.
Groome records that the ebony whistle became the centre of drinking contests through the habit of the original Danish owner, a man of 'gigantic stature' who would challenge all comers, the last person able to blow the ebony whistle being the winner. Sir Robert Laurie took on the massive Scandinavian and in a contest that lasted 'three days and three nights' left the courtier beneath the table, and claimed the whistle.
Allan Cunningham relates that The Bard himself, who drank bottle and bottle about, seemed quite disposed to take up the conqueror when the day dawned.
of Glenriddel had built a small summer house called the 'Hermitage' in a secluded part of the estate (NX 92589 84519), just a few fields away from Ellisland. Burns often used the building in this idyllic setting for writing poetry, having been given the key to the gate set in the Ellisland march-dyke and apparently also enjoying drinking sessions with Robert Riddell.
On Riddell's death at the age of only 39, the Hermitage was allowed to quietly decay; by 1803 it was being used by stray stock and in 1810 it was reported as derelict. It measured 10.5 feet by eight and had a single window and fireplace.
Although the original building no longer exists, Mr Nelson of Friar's Carse built another 'Hermitage', of a different design, on the same site in 1874. The British Listed Building register sees it as a re-surfaced building of circa 1790.Adamson visited it in 1879 and records that it contained the rigid form of a monk, with shaven crown, chipped nose, and folded hands, lying on its back at the entrance. The building otherwise only contained a chair and a small table. The building was recently (2009) restored again and now has interpretation board detailing its history and a trail guide indicates its location.
Burns had written the lines on the Hermitage window to the memory of Robert Riddell:
The original was preserved and is now in the Ellisland Farm museum, having been removed by a new owner of the property and in time coming up for sale at the death of an old lady in 1835 and being purchased for five guineas. The new building's window had the same lines inscribed upon it, however they are now in the mansion house and the Hermitage's windows have no inscription. Friars' Carse at one time held the original Burns manuscripts The Whistle and Lines Written in the Hermitage.
The second window of the 1874 building had the following verse inscribed upon it.
runs close to the Friars Carse mansion house and the fishing beat here consists of 2300 metres of right bank fishing with a mixture of pools providing fishing with fly, spinning or worming for salmon, sea trout and grayling.
The riverbank is lined with woodlands and a particular feature are the ancient and large oaks, mostly pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and associated fungi of ancient oaks, such as the beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica). Some notable old syscamores or celtic maples (Acer pseudoplatanus) are also present.
Auldgirth
Auldgirth is a village on the A76 road in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Auldgirth village features 'The Auldgirth Inn', 'Auldgirth Stores' and the former Auldgirth Primary School. Originally inhabitants of Auldgirth located to the scheme, situated next to the A76, but in recent years this has...
on the main road (A76) to Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Parish of Dunscore
Dunscore
Dunscore is a small village which lies northwest of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It has a population of about 150 people....
, Scotland. The property is located on the west bank of the River Nith
River Nith
The River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...
and is known for its strong associations with Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
who lived for a while at the nearby Ellisland farm
Ellisland Farm, Dumfries
Ellisland Farm and museum lies about 6.5 mi/10.4 km northwest of Dumfries in village of Auldgirth, located in the Parish of Dunscore, Dumfries and Galloway. Robert Burns built, lived and farmed at Ellisland from 1788 to 1791....
. The mansion house is unlisted, however the stables and hermitage are Category B listed buildings.
The house and policies
The present mansion house hotel is of a baronial style in dressed red sandstone, constructed around an earlier house in 1873 by the architects Barbour and Bowie and extended by the same architects 1905 - 09. The principal (southeast) range has a complex wide faced frontage and incorporates a peculiar round tower with a rectangular second stage corbelled out above. An armorial panel dated 1598 was built into the entrance tower range in 1909. The house has a fine panelled entrance hall and snooker room, together with an elegant staircase and 21 en suite bedrooms; it is placed within 18.2 ha (45 acres) of parkland and woodland.The name Friar's Carse derives from a monastic settlement which was established nearby by the monks of Melrose in the 13th century. The present punctuation convention for Friar's Carse, with or without the apostrophe, is at variance with the older convention of Friars' Carse; the 'Carse of the Friars'.
By the 16th century, there was a tower here, with a cap-house surrounded by a prominent parapet (see engraving). In the 17th and 18th centuries, this was extended to include lodgings with crow-stepped gables, enclosed within a courtyard.
The stables and Beech Cottage
These estate buildings date mostly from the early 19th century, however the principal (south east) range side was re-modelled circa 1873, with a tall 2-stage tower built above. the Stables consist of four single storey ranges built around a quadrangular court. The pend beneath the tower is placed centrally and a gabled dovecot
Dovecot
Dovecot may refer to:* Dovecot, Merseyside, an area of the City of Liverpool* Dovecot , an IMAP and POP software package-See also:* Dovecote, a building for pigeons or doves* Dovecote...
or doocot is present.
The Riddells
The older buildings were replaced by a more modest Georgian mansion, known as Glenriddell, built 1771-73 for Robert RiddellRobert Riddell
Captain Robert Riddell , was Laird of Friar's Carse, near Dumfries, Scotland, and a friend of Robert Burns, who made him a collection of his poems which later became famous, and wrote a poem 'Sonnet On The Death Of Robert Riddell' in memory of him when he died.The Glenriddell Manuscripts were...
or Riddel, a friend and patron of the poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
(1759–96).
On Robert Riddell's death in 1794, his widow could have allowed the property to go to Walter Riddell, her brother in law, who, under the terms of his brother's will, would then merely have had to pay her an annuity to retain the estate. Robert's widow disliked Walter Riddell to such an extent that she refused to exercise this option and the property was sold, passing out of the family's hands. Walter was wealthy in his own right, having made his fortune overseas and he had married the poetess, Maria Banks Woodley in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, naming his new estate in her honour.
Dr James Crichton
A Captain Smith was the purchaser of Glenriddell and he in turn sold the estate on to Provost John Crichton of Sanquhar, brother of John Crichton, purchased on his behalf in 1809. The house and estate had therefore been purchased for Dr James Crichton (1765–1823), who had made his fortune with the East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in the trade with China and had lived at Canton. In 1812 he took up occupancy and changed the name of the property from Glenriddell back to Friar's Carse and died here in 1823. His widow remained at Friar's Carse until her own death in 1862. The Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
was founded by her with a bequest of £100,000 in her husband's memory, or in other accounts founded by Dr Crichton himself.
Elizabeth Grierson of Lag, Dr Crichton's widow, sold the estate to Mr Thomas Nelson of Carlisle who added very largely to the house, although he preserved the most interesting part of the old building. In 1895, the trustees of the Crichton Royal Institution became proprietors of Friar's Carse, and it became a convalescent home in connection with the treatment of the insane. The Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance were the next owners.
Annie Laurie
Alexander Fergusson of CraigdarrochCraigdarroch
Craigdarroch is the name of a house near Moniaive, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It was the seat of the Chief of the Dumfriesshire Fergussons for 600 years.Built by William Adam in 1729 over the old house dating from the earliest records ....
married 'Bonnie' Anna Laurie or Annie Laurie
Annie Laurie
Annie Laurie is an old Scottish song based on poem by William Douglas of Dumfries and Galloway. The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Scott in 1834/5. The song is also known as Maxwelton Braes.-William Douglas:...
in 1710, daughter of Sir Robert Laurie
Robert Laurie
Robert Laurie may refer to:* Robert Laurie , Scottish prelate, Bishop of Brechin* Robert Laurie , Australian sportsman* Robert Peter Laurie , Member of Parliament for Canterbury and Bath...
, Bt., of Maxwelton
Maxwelton
Maxwelton, currently a private residence, is a single story Victorian Piano Box House located on Southern Avenue near Buntyn's Station along what was the Memphis and Charleston Railroad....
, the Annie Laurie of the song. Although she lived at Craigdarroch for over 50 years, she died at Friar's Carse on 5 April 1764, aged 81. The whereabouts of her grave is unknown, however she may have been buried at Craigdarroch.
Ancient history
It is recorded that the lands of Carse were given by Affrica, a daughter of Edgar, to Melrose AbbeyMelrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
in around 1215. Edgar was a son of Dunevald and grandson of Dunegal of Stranith. Edgar had possessed the lands under William the Lion. A monastic Grange of the Cistercian monks may have existed nearby as indicated by the name 'Grange Mill'. Abbot Andrew feued out the abbey's lands in 1536, granting the £4 lands of Freirkers and its Grange Mill, together with the restricted multures
Thirlage
Thirlage was the term used for the law in regard of the milling of grain for personal or other uses. Vassals in a feudal barony were thirled to their local mill owned by the feudal superior...
of the £36 lands of Dalgonar, and other lands to John Kirkpatrick of Ellisland.
At the reformation the commendator granted the property to the Laird of Elliesland or Allisland (sic), a cadet branch of the Kirkpatricks of Closeburn. The Kirkpatricks built a tower house of 'Freerscarss' here as recorded by Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
on his map of Nithsdale circa 1595. Francis Grose noted that when demolished in 1773 to make way for the mansion house, the old refectory walls were measured at 8 feet thick and the fireplace 12 feet wide. Near the house was the loch or Lough (sic), the fish-pond of the friars. In the middle of this loch was an artificial island, a crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
, built from large oak piles and planks; the hiding place of the friar's valuables upon occasions of the not infrequent intrusions by the English into Strathnith. A dugout canoe and other finds were made when the loch was drained.
Friar's Carse passed from the Kirkpatrick's to the Maxwells of Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
in 1634, and from them to a cadet branch of the Lords of Maxwell, the Barncleugh family. The Riddells of Glenriddell obtained the estate from the Barncleughs in 1784.
A ninth or tenth century cross stands on a modern base in the grounds and is the only remaining example surviving from a collection of several stones, put together by Captain Robert Riddell, and once placed along the driveway to the house; one or more may have been at the site originally. Francis Grose recorded that stones from nearby Lag and Morton Castles were in the collection at one time; the Lag stone cut with the letters I. G. and the arms of the Grierson family, namely three cushions, in the centre of a mullet. Robert Riddell went so far as to construct an imitation Bronze Age circle of weathered stones. This bogus stone circle of 38 stones, all standing except three, one of which is in the centre and one just W of the circle; the site was named Templewood.
The lands of Carse once belonged in the 14th century to the Red Comyn and upon his murder eventually passed to King Robert the Bruce.
To the north of Friar's Carse is a site reputed to have been an encampment built by the Roman general Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
.
Views at Friar's Carse
Cultural history
Robert Burns lived at the nearby Ellisland FarmEllisland Farm, Dumfries
Ellisland Farm and museum lies about 6.5 mi/10.4 km northwest of Dumfries in village of Auldgirth, located in the Parish of Dunscore, Dumfries and Galloway. Robert Burns built, lived and farmed at Ellisland from 1788 to 1791....
from 1788 to 1791. Burns was probably introduced to Captain Robert Riddell and his wife, Elizabeth Kennedy of Manchester, by Patrick Miller of Dalswinton
Dalswinton
Dalswinton is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland. It is located about 6 miles north-north-west of Dumfries. To the east of the village a wind farm has been built...
, his friend and landlord. In September 1788 he composed The Day Returns as a compliment to Riddell and his wife, commenting that At their fire-side I have enjoyed more pleasant evenings than at all the houses of fashionable people in this country put together. Robert had fought in the American War and was an accomplished musical composer and muscician as well as an antiquarian.
In April 1791 Burns completed a collection of his poems for Robert Riddell's library and these have become known as the Glenriddell Manuscripts. These were later returned to Burns.
Burns visited Wanlockhead in January 1792 in order to explore the lead mines. He was accompanied by Maria Riddell, Robert Riddell
Robert Riddell
Captain Robert Riddell , was Laird of Friar's Carse, near Dumfries, Scotland, and a friend of Robert Burns, who made him a collection of his poems which later became famous, and wrote a poem 'Sonnet On The Death Of Robert Riddell' in memory of him when he died.The Glenriddell Manuscripts were...
's sister. They breakfasted at Sanquhar and then took a poste-chaise
Chaise
A chaise, sometimes called chay or shay, is a light two - or four-wheeled traveling or pleasure carriage, with a folding hood or calash top for one or two people....
to the mines. They went a considerable distance into the mines, braving the dark, wet and cramped conditions at first, however they had to turn back as Burns found the poor air very distressing. Burns did not record this visit, however Maria included the details in a letter.
Robert Riddell set up the Monkland Friendly Society at Dunscore
Dunscore
Dunscore is a small village which lies northwest of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It has a population of about 150 people....
together with Robert Burns and helped to organise and censor its library of 150 volumes. Riddell was the President and Burns was the secretary of the society that met on every fourth Saturday. Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland nestling in the Lowther Hills one mile south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands...
and Leadhills
Leadhills
Leadhills is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5¾ miles WSW of Elvanfoot. Population 835. Originally known as Waterhead, It is the second highest village in Scotland after Wanlockhead, lying 395m above sea-level, near the source of Glengonnar Water, an affluent of the River Clyde...
also had libraries at this time, set up and run through the subscriptions of members.
Burns refers to Riddell's coin collecting in the Election Ballad of 1790: -
Glenriddel, skill'd in rusty coins Blew up each Tory's dark designs, And bared the treason under. |
Robert Riddell discovered a gold ring weighing 1 oz. and set with a pale blue stone near Friar's Carse in May 1791.
In December 1783 Burns's friendship with the Riddells ended following a drunken incident at Friar's Carse known as the Rape of the Sabines; a 'raid' against the ladies which was too realistic and exubarent for good taste. He was ordered off the premises and Elizabeth Riddell never forgave Burns. Robert Riddell died at the age of 39, before any chance of a healing of friendships was possible. Walter and Maria Riddell moved to London upon Robert's death and when she returned, to Tinwald House near Dumfries, she eventually forgave Burns for his indiscretion.
News of this dissolute and dissipated affair seems to have reached the ears of his Excise superiors in Edinburgh and harmed his reputation.
Francis Grose
The well known antiquary, artist and author, Francis GroseFrancis Grose
Francis Grose was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose , and his wife, Anne , daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford in Middlesex...
, stayed at the Carse for a few months whilst visiting sites in the area such as Lag Castle for inclusion in his book, The Antiquities of Scotland, published in 1797. Grose struck up a strong friendship with Robert Burns and this artistic collaboration resulted in Burns composing Tam o'Shanter. Fine, fat, fodgel Grose was how Burns described his rotund friend.
The Whistle and the drinking contest
On Friday, 16 October 1789 (1790) at Friar's Carse, Robert Burns was present at a famous drinking contest where three lairds set out to see who could be the last man able to blow an ebony whistle inherited by Robert Riddell. This was a repeat of previous contests in which the winner was to have the old ebony Whistle as the trophy; the event was immortalised in the poem The Whistle.The winner was able to consume over eight bottles of claret (others say five or six). Alexander Fergusson of Craigdarroch was the winner, being able to still stand and blow the whistle; Sir Robert Laurie of Maxwellton collapsed on the floor; and Robert Riddell retired and went to his bed. The Duke of Buccleuch's chamberlain, McMurdo of Drumlanrig was the judge at the event, with two other neighbours acting as witnesses.
Some references say that the ebony whistle had been brought over from Denmark by a courtier in the service of Queen Anne
Queen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
's husband, Prince George of Denmark. Confusion has arisen as the first drinking contest had been won in a competition by a previous Sir Robert Laurie and the original owner of the whistle, a courtier in the train of Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
, wife of King James IV of Scotland; in a second contest his son, Walter, lost the whistle to Walter Riddell, an ancestor of Robert Riddell.
Groome records that the ebony whistle became the centre of drinking contests through the habit of the original Danish owner, a man of 'gigantic stature' who would challenge all comers, the last person able to blow the ebony whistle being the winner. Sir Robert Laurie took on the massive Scandinavian and in a contest that lasted 'three days and three nights' left the courtier beneath the table, and claimed the whistle.
Allan Cunningham relates that The Bard himself, who drank bottle and bottle about, seemed quite disposed to take up the conqueror when the day dawned.
The Hermitage
Captain Robert RiddellRobert Riddell
Captain Robert Riddell , was Laird of Friar's Carse, near Dumfries, Scotland, and a friend of Robert Burns, who made him a collection of his poems which later became famous, and wrote a poem 'Sonnet On The Death Of Robert Riddell' in memory of him when he died.The Glenriddell Manuscripts were...
of Glenriddel had built a small summer house called the 'Hermitage' in a secluded part of the estate (NX 92589 84519), just a few fields away from Ellisland. Burns often used the building in this idyllic setting for writing poetry, having been given the key to the gate set in the Ellisland march-dyke and apparently also enjoying drinking sessions with Robert Riddell.
On Riddell's death at the age of only 39, the Hermitage was allowed to quietly decay; by 1803 it was being used by stray stock and in 1810 it was reported as derelict. It measured 10.5 feet by eight and had a single window and fireplace.
Although the original building no longer exists, Mr Nelson of Friar's Carse built another 'Hermitage', of a different design, on the same site in 1874. The British Listed Building register sees it as a re-surfaced building of circa 1790.Adamson visited it in 1879 and records that it contained the rigid form of a monk, with shaven crown, chipped nose, and folded hands, lying on its back at the entrance. The building otherwise only contained a chair and a small table. The building was recently (2009) restored again and now has interpretation board detailing its history and a trail guide indicates its location.
Burns had written the lines on the Hermitage window to the memory of Robert Riddell:
Thou whom chance may hither lead, Be thou clad in russet weed, Be thou deckt in silken stole, Grave these counsels on thy soul. Life is but a day at most, Sprung from night - in darkness lost; Hope not sunshine ev'ry hour, Fear not clouds will always lour. |
The original was preserved and is now in the Ellisland Farm museum, having been removed by a new owner of the property and in time coming up for sale at the death of an old lady in 1835 and being purchased for five guineas. The new building's window had the same lines inscribed upon it, however they are now in the mansion house and the Hermitage's windows have no inscription. Friars' Carse at one time held the original Burns manuscripts The Whistle and Lines Written in the Hermitage.
The second window of the 1874 building had the following verse inscribed upon it.
To Riddel, much lamented man, This ivied cot was dear; Reader, dost value matchless worth? This ivied cot revere. |
The River Nith
The course of the River NithRiver Nith
The River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...
runs close to the Friars Carse mansion house and the fishing beat here consists of 2300 metres of right bank fishing with a mixture of pools providing fishing with fly, spinning or worming for salmon, sea trout and grayling.
The riverbank is lined with woodlands and a particular feature are the ancient and large oaks, mostly pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and associated fungi of ancient oaks, such as the beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica). Some notable old syscamores or celtic maples (Acer pseudoplatanus) are also present.