Clarencefield is a small village in Ruthwell Parish between

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

and Annan in

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

, Scotland. It was once served by

Ruthwell railway station Ruthwell railway station was a railway station in Dumfries and Galloway south of Dumfries, serving the village of Ruthwell with its famous 8th century carved cross; a rural community within the Parish of Ruthwell, lying a half-mile (1 km) ...

History

This typical estate village was built to service nearby

Comlongon Castle Comlongon Castle is a tower house dating from the later 15th century or early 16th century. It is located west of the village of Clarencefield, and south-east of Dumfries, in south west Scotland. The original tower has been extended by the add ...

and to provide accommodation for its employees and their families. The castle was once held by the Earls of Mansfield and is now a hotel. A saw mill was located nearby at Hope Cottages, powered via a mill pond using water from the Brow or Raffles Burn. The McFarlan Memorial Hall provides various facilities for the local community.

Association with Robert Burns

Clarencefield Post Office and The Farmers Inn - geograph

In July 1796, probably suffering from subacute bacterial

endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or the ...

the poet

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

's medical friends Dr William Maxwell and Dr Alexander Brown suggested that he should go to Brow where was prescribed drinking the water of the mineral well, sea bathing, riding and the country air.Mackay, Page 618 He stayed for three weeks, lodging in the inn. John Burney of the inn at Clarencefield was the son-in-law of the landlord at Brow and Burns was advised to make his way to the village to get some port wine that had been prescribed as part of his treatment.Mackay (1988), Page 24 Burns arrived, placed the empty bottle on the counter and ordered the port wine, however he had no money and made to give Burney his personal seal that carried his 'armorial device' that he was so proud of as security until he could pay with coin. He had informed the landlord that ''"the muckle deil had got into his pouch and was its only occupant"''. The landlady encouraged her husband to give Burns the medicinal wine without money or pledge. The inn is said to have been located in the farm on the route from Brow.Dougal, Page 318

References

;Notes ;Sources *Dougall, Charles S. (1911). ''The Burns Country''. London: A & C Black. *MacKay, James A. (1988). ''Burns-Lore of Dumfries and Galloway''. Ayr : Alloway Publishing. . *Mackay, James A. (2004). ''Burns. A Biography of Robert Burns''. Darvel : Alloway Publishing. .

External links

McFarlan Memorial HallGoogle map

Comlongon Castle
{{authority control Villages in Dumfries and Galloway Robert Burns

History

Association with Robert Burns

See also

References

External links