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"putting Lesmahagow on the Map !"
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]were included with the abbey of Kelso, when that abbey was erected into a temporal lordship for Sir Robert Ker, later Earl of Roxburgh, but the lands of Lesmahagow were transferred to the Marquis of Hamilton in 1623 (Cowan 1976, p. 69). It is not recorded when the priory buildings were finally demolished. The earliest reference to the site and its conjectural lay-out is that by the Rev. White of Liberton in 1773.
Fig 2. Map of Lesmahagow area.
Part I: The Excavations
THE TRENCHES
During the first three months of the excavation programme, seven areas A-F, were investigated (fig. 4). It was assumed that the claustral area of the priory lay to the S of the present church on the evidence of the Rev. White (White 1773). The areas chosen for examination were so positioned that, if any remains of the monastic complex survived, these would be revealed. White had given the dimensions of a quadrangle of buildings forming the complex as 192 ft N-S by 102 ft E-W. There was also a report of excavations having taken place in the first half of the 19th century to the S of the parish church, which had produced evidence of a stairway, a length of wall founda¬tions and several sculptured stones; local tradi-
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