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Eliock House

Set deep in the heart of Nithsdale off a minor road,  Eliock House (private) was the birthplace in 1560 of James Crichton, better known as the “Admirable Crichton”. He was the son of the then Lord Advocate of Scotland, and was educated at St Andrews University. He travelled extensively in Europe, where he followed careers in soldiering and lecturing at universities. Though a young man, he could speak 12 languages fluently, and was one of the best swordsmen of his day. However, this didn’t prevent him from being killed in Mantua in Italy in 1582 while a lecturer at the university there. The story goes that he was returning from a party one evening when he was set upon by a gang of robbers, and defeated each one in a sword fight. He then realised that one of the robbers was a pupil at the university, Vincentio di Gonzaga, son of the Duke of Mantua, ruler of the city. Realising what he had done, he handed Vincentio his sword and asked forgiveness. Vincentio, however, was a nasty piece of work. He took the sword and stabbed the defenceless James through the heart, killing him outright.