Trailtrow Burial Ground in Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway

About

Get directions Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Coordinates: 55.03752, -3.32379
Cemetery ID:

Members have Contributed

About these numbers These percentages indicate the number of Find a Grave memorials that have a grave photo or GPS coordinates. We don't know the total number of burials in a cemetery, so we cannot calculate a percentage of those with memorials, photos or GPS coordinates.

Photos

Trailtrow burial ground grew adjacent to Trailtrow Chapel. The Chapel was demolished in the late 1500's but the burial ground continued in use with the last burial taking place in 1941. The oldest surviving headstone records a death in 1670.
Trailtrow Tower (aka Repentance Tower) was erected in 1563 within the walls of the burial ground. This three-storey tower house was erected by Sir John Maxwell of Terregles and formed part of a chain of elevated defence posts which warned against English raiding parties who crossed the border.

In 1548 an English force challenged the Douglases at Durisdeer, who were under the charge of Sir John. The night before the battle, he had been bribed to change sides in exchange for the hand of Agnes Herries and the title Lord Herries. His treachery, however, cost the lives of 12 of his kinsmen, who had been held at Carlisle Castle as hostages, one of which was his 12-year-old nephew. Maxwell was said to have built the tower as a sign of his remorse.

Another version of the tale has it that Repentance Tower was so-called because Lord Herries built nearby Hoddom Castle out of stones from Trailtrow Chapel.
The burial ground has been 100% photographed and transcribed. Several headstones are fallen face-down but all except one were transcribed in 1966 before they toppled.