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Douglas of Brushwood Haugh
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Nothing more is known about the Douglas
family of Brushwood Haugh than is contained in the story of how the
Drysdales got their name.
Drysdale Brothers' Uprising: Defiance and Exile in 1503
The year
1503 witnessed a clash between the Douglas brothers and a powerful
neighbour, John Johnstone of Greenstonhill, in Drysdale, Scotland. The
incident, documented on May 20th of that year, sheds light on land
disputes, the influence of the crown, and the lengths to which families
would go to defend their property rights.
The conflict stemmed
from Johnstone's desire to divert water from a source running through the
Douglas brothers' land to power his mill. The brothers, identified as
Thomas, William, and James, 'sons of the sons of the departed
Thomas Douglas, of Brushwood Haugh, in the parish of Drysdale, and Shire of Dumfries', vehemently opposed this move,
viewing it as an infringement on their inheritance.
On May 16th,
tensions escalated as Johnstone, seemingly emboldened by royal approval,
commenced construction on the watercourse. The Douglas brothers,
unwilling to accept this violation, resorted to force to halt the
project. This act of defiance marked the start of a violent turn of
events.
The
following day, Johnstone returned with a larger contingent of twenty men.
The outnumbered Douglas brothers, accompanied by a small group of loyal
companions, stood their ground. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in the
deaths of fourteen of Johnstone's men and Johnston himself.
News
of the bloody confrontation swiftly reached the King. The Douglas
brothers' actions, while fueled by a desire to protect their birthright,
were deemed unlawful. Facing the wrath of the crown and the threat of
capture, they were forced to abandon their ancestral home.
This
event holds significance for understanding the power dynamics of the
era. It highlights the influence landowners like Johnstone could wield
when backed by the King. Additionally, it showcases the fierce
determination with which families like the Douglases defended their
property, even resorting to violence.
The brothers' flight from
Drysdale marked a turning point in their lives. They are believed to
have adopted the surname "Drysdale," a permanent reminder of their
homeland and the events that forced them into exile. The Drysdale name
serves as a historical echo of this conflict, a testament to the
unwavering spirit of the brothers who stood their ground against
injustice.
Extract from the Dollar Magazine, March 1909,
Volume VIII Number 2; article entitled the Drysdales of Dollar and their
Dumfrieshire origin, by R Paul.
 Page
22: ''' from a courteous correspondent in that town I have received
information which makes it tolerably certain that the sites of Brushwood
Haugh and Greenstone Hill were somewhere on the banks of the Dryfe in
the homeland in the northern part of the parish. This information was
communicated by a Mr Kerr, a native of locality and an official of the
Caledonian Railway Company now resident in Carstairs, whose opinion is
that there were at or near a spot called old walls in the Dryfe valley.
This place is still a farm about two and a quarter miles north of
Lockerbie and a mile above Lockerbie House which before 1881 had long
been the home of the family of Johnstones and later of the Johnstone-Douglasses
of Lockerbie. Old Walls lies on the east side of the river Dryfe, and
about a mile further up on the other side is Lammonbie Mill. Mr Kerrs great great great grandfather was a tenant of Lammonbie Farm
and his great grandfather was a tenant of the farm of Lockerbie Hill.
His grandfather, who was born in 1777, was for fifty years Baron Officer(2)
there to Mister Johnson-Douglas of Lockerbie, and Mr Kerr says that he
had frequently heard the story of the Drysdales from his grandfather who
always affirmed that the seed of the dispute was in the vicinity of what
is now Lammonbie Mill and that the place is named or at least one of
them was situated near Old Walls. This is the more probable as the lower
end of the drift water has long been the home of the Johnsones and the
locus is one of the few places in the parish suitable for a mil.
It has not been possible to find out whether Lamonbie Mill was the
actual mill of the 1503 Douglas Drysdale brothers' story or even whether
this mill was in existence some 500 years ago.
See also:
•
The Drysdales of Dollar, by Rev. Robert Paul
•
Drysdales - a Douglas Sept
Notes:
1. Brushwood Haugh is a small semi-rural suburb of Johannesburg, in
South Africa. Maps of Johannesburg in the 1970s show that all its streets bore Scottish names,
including Montrose, Drysdale, Bruce and Douglas. On modern maps, Bruce Road seems to have disappeared.
2. Neither this person, nor the role of Baron Officer to
the Johnstone-Douglases has been identified.
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Source
Sources for this article include:
The Drysdales of Dollar, by Rev. Robert PaulDollar Magazine, March
1909, Volume VIII Number 2
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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