Stobo Castle, Peeblesshire, Scotland, the home of the Montgomerys, built in 1805 —- currently a luxurious health spa. M.E. MacLauchlan coll.

34 at Stanhope; this appears on an early map (1790) as “Stanhope Farm”, which may have been named for Sir James’ 6000-acre farm in Peeblesshire as much as for Stanhope Cove here, already christened by Samuel Holland. Flax and flax seed. in short supply in Scotland, were to be exported to Great Britain, along with fish and timber, using the excellent and least ice-bound harbour at Three Rivers (Georgetown today). Sir James arranged /with David Higgins, an American merchant and ship-master who had been carrying on fishing and trading enter- prises on the Island since 1764, to supply manufactured goods to the Island in exchange for the above exports. Stanhope Farm was to be‘ supervised by an experienced flax farmer, David Lawson, from Perth- shire, and operated by indentured labour from Scotland.

The Contract between Montgomery and the Settlers

We have a copy of a very business-like contract between The Right Honourable James Montgomery, Lord Advocate of Scotland and

David Lawson, Tennant at Miln of Callendar near Crieffl drawn up at Killearn on October 30, 1769 by Ludovick GrantLJunior Writer (to the Signet). The contract binds and obliges the said David Lawson

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