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Of darnly these passed to Her Husband and from their union arose the Lennox family, ancestors of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. The other great family of the area in the mediaeval period was the family of Maccus, the Saxon who had property in the Borders called Maccusville (Maxwellton). A member of the family, Aumer de Maccusville, married Mary de Merns. One of their sons, John, received the lands of Nether Pollok and in about 1269 Sir John Maxwell, great grandson of Maccus, became the first knight of Pollok.The coming of Robert de Croc and his successors and, to a lesser extent, the coming of the family of Maccus and his descendants meant a more secure way of life for the peasantry although they were serfs. All traces of the former Celtic inhabitants disappeared with him coming of serfdom. For centuries the area of Darnley had no settled government, no security of life and property, and no law but that of force and neglecting agriculture. Now they had masters who ruled them firmly, imposing law and order and employing them in working the land. Justice of a rough and ready kind was dispensed in the lord's own feudal courts. The whole of the rural area of Darnley centered on Crookston Castle. The hills surrounding Darnley were clothed in woods of oak and beach during this period. On the lower slopes herds of swine were tended by serfs and on the upper slopes herds of deer wandered, although hunting was strictly the preserve of the Norman lord. During the 13th century coal was mined near the Hurlet by monks from Paisley Abbey and during this century the first local surnames appeared- Stewart, Airston, Bain, Locke, Gemmell, Maxwell and Sproull. It is recorded that local men fought against the Vikings at the Battle of Largs in 1261. During the Wars of Independence, however, little is known of events in the Darnley area; perhaps a sign of tranquility during this turbulent period.Black Death - In August 1348, some rats escaped from a ship at port in Dorset. The fleasthat they carried were carriers of bubonic plague. By the summer of 1351, the Black Deathreached Darnley. Many serfs tried to escape the Black Death by running away. Thousands perished - leaving an acute shortage of labour. Gradually, out of this shortage grew proper farms' as we understand them today.The years following the Black Death were ones of poor harvests and social turmoil, resulting in riots. Plague and famine were endemic in the area until well into the 16th century.In 1449, the Stewart family of Darnley built a watch tower at Rais, off Parkhouse Road, a small, permanent garrison and rooms for officials travelling on feudal business. Its also used as a hunting lodge.Local men were called to arms from time to time during this period, notably to help James IV against the English at the disastrous Battle of Flodden in 1513.Be the first person to comment on this entry.