The Old House of Blackmyre
The History of Blackmyre finds it origins in Fergus Amuligane, first styled of Blackmyre in 1492. The land of Blackmyre remained the possession of Fergus's descendants for nearly two hundreds, when in 1676, it was sold to the Duke of Queensberry. Blackmyre is located in the civil parish of Penpont near the town of Thornhill, though, the exact whereabouts of the old house of Blackmyre still remains unclear. Two 17th century maps, the Blaeu and Gordon Maps, depict the house in different parts of the parish, yet both, are based on the original field maps of Timothy Pont, Scotland's first real cartographer, compiled toward the end of the 16th century. The National Library of Scotland has produced digital images of the original field maps of Timothy Pont and one of his best-preserved covers the entire district of Nithsdale. A small part of Ponts's map has been reproduced below and clarifies the ambiquity over the location of Blackmyre.
Bleau’s map, which is considered to be more accurate than Gordon’s map, wrongly places the old house of Blackmyre, spelt as "Blakmyir", west of Tibbers Castle. In Timothy Pont's original field map it is located south the castle and is indicated by an arrow pointing to the house situated on the banks of the river Nith near a bend. It is known, that whilst on his travels around Scotland, Pont took care to note the names of those dwelling houses that belonged to amigerous landed families, that is, those able to bear arms. A modern Ordinance Survey map, corresponding roughly to that section on Pont's map shown above has been posted below and it will be noted that the Blackmyre still survives in the name of “Blackmire Scar”, the word Scar being an old Scottish word for a stream or river.
The house depict on Timothy Pont's map was the property of Fergus's grandson, John Amuligane alias Mullikine, servitor to William, Earl of Gowrie. The arms of Mullikine depict in the Workman Manuscript of 1566, evidently belonged to John, third Laird of Blackmyre. It is difficult to gauge exactly where the house of Blackmyre once stood, but the best guess at this time, would place on a mound that can be identified as “Home Plantation”, west of Blackmire Scar. However, there is also potentiality for Blackmyre to have been located at “Whitehill Plantation”, next to Tibbers Farm. Both these properties have long since been absorbed into the Buccleuch Estate still owned by a descendant of the Duke of Queensberry. Which ever location, perhaps in time, we will stumble across some clue that will once and for all confirm the original whereabouts of Blackmyre House.