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CJ Max | all galleries >> Galleries >> JOHNSTON Family Album © 2005 > Map - Devils Beef Tub & Poldean
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21-OCT-2009 Cliff. Johnston

Map - Devils Beef Tub & Poldean

This is a part of an ordnance map that shows the relationship of some historical sites for our Johnstons in Poldean family.

Points of interest are Poldean, Moffat, the Devil's Beef Tub, Corehead and Craigieburn. These can be seen in greater detail by scrolling down to the bottom and clicking on "original". This will bring up a larger-sized map on which you can read everything with ease.

My ancestors were "charter" members of the Old Gang of Wamphray. In fact the Old Gang of Wamphray about which Sir Walter Scott (a friend of the family) wrote was basically our Johnston/e family "social club" formed to protect their families, livestock and dwellings from the marauding English who ventured north all too often to steal, plunder and kill between attempts to invade and conquer Scotland. Some of the members of the Old Gang of Wamphray who are recorded as such were: the Johnston/es of Milkymoss, the Johnston/es of Newton, the Johnston/es of Annandholme, the Johnstone/es of Hesilbank, the Johnston/es of Rowantriebrae, Craigieburn, Corehead, etc. - all of the Poldean family.

Thomas Johnston/e (d. 1581) owned Corehead, the land on which the Devil's Beef Tub and several other stone corrals were built. At one time family members owned Moffat, Craigieburn, Corehead (Gilbert, d. 1564) and Poldean (Symon, d. 1545). Recently we discovered that the Auchen Castle was owned by the Johnstones of Corehead at one time.

Chances are good that Moffat was started by Johnstons in the area on the map to the southeast of Moffat highlighted in yellow and marked "Settlement". In olden days the Knights Templar owned Moffatt. Immediately to the west of Moffat are the ruins of a Templar chapel. Later one of our Johnstones owned Moffatt. Did our Johnston ancestors have a connection to this order? The proximity of them makes one wonder...

As I stood on the road side overlooking the deep, steep-sided valley from which a small stream freshened (with the Devil's Beef Tub on the other side of the valley) I felt a strong connection with my ancestors and could imagine them as they herded their booty which they had only recently "liberated" from their English antagonists across the border and driven here to secure. If you listen carefully as you gaze upon the map you too may be able to hear the muffled bleating of sheep, the mooing of the cattle and the sounds of their hooves as they clatter upon the pebbles in the valley below and drink of the clear, cold, refreshing water ;-)

Epson EPSON scanner

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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