General Notes

1st (2nd) Laird Mangerton Castle
SOURCES: LDS FHL Ancestal File #     (familysearch.org)
AWTP:
"Wilhoit, Hybarger, Buck, Harshbarger, Armstrong, Cox, Zollinger, Doty" tree, w.zolly1@@worldnet.att.net (this source provides narrative and sources, from which the following excerpts are taken):
"Second Lord of Mangerton Castle. Murdered by William Lord Soulis at a feast in Hermitage Castle, when the black bull's head was placed upon the table. Accross the river, in full view of Maingertoun and facing the north wall of the castle, stands the Milnholm Cross. Upon it's shaft is carved a long two-headed sword pointing downward. An addition bearing a shield with arms has within a recent period been surmounted upon the cross; probably about the same time the upper portion of the face was removed, leaving the letters A A and M A in relief. These replaced the original characters A A II which were visible at the end of the last century (see map of 1812) This monument was erected about 1320. (from Chronicles of the Armstrongs Source-World Family Tree CD by Kitty Beck.)"
"The story told in the first Ballad of "Alexander Murdered by Soulis, a Norman nobleman of ancient lineage who had been appointed overlord of "The Hermitage", a sister castle with extensive living quarters, dungeons and billets for as many an 100 soldiers charged with keeping the peace in Liddesdale. Because the Armstrongs had aided The Bruce when he was on the run and were friendly with him, de Soulis hated and envied them.

On the evening, in 1320, when de Soulis was feeling bored, he rode along the river, where he saw the innocent young daughter of one of the Border families picking flowers, he decided he would have her, though she was only a peasant girl. He snatched her up and was about to return to the Hermitage when her piteous cries brought her father to the scene. Things were going very badly for de Soulis, who had to release the girl to defend himself from her enraged father, and had been knocked off his horse. At this point, Alexander Armstrong, the first Laird of Mangerton appeared, understood immediately what was happening, signalled de Soulis to scramble up behind him and delivered the haughty but shaken nobleman safely to the Hermitage. A couple nights later, the laird of Mangerton was invited to the castle to dine with de Soulis, presumably so de Soulis could properly thank him for saving his life. But in the middle of the meal, the Norman approached Armstrong and instead of clapping him on the shoulder in friendly fashion, he stabbed him to the heart.  Source-"I Remain Unvanquished" p. 34".
"The Armstrong lands of Mangerton passed into the hands of the Buccleuchs. Many members of the once powerful Armstrong Clan were shipped off to Ireland, including Johnnie Armstrong's grandson, William who settled in Fermanagh. Thus, many who had survived found themselves on the Solway shore waiting for emigrant ships to take them from an inhospitable homeland. Homeless, leaderless, and sometimes penniless, they went westward to Ireland and North America, and south to Australia and New Zealand in search of new beginnings. Perhaps the most famous descendent of the Fermanagh Armstrongs was Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut and the first human to set foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969."