The name Drysdale has been prevalent in Dollar, and Clackmannanshire as a whole, for centuries. However, the name was not originally a local one.

On 20th May 1503, Thomas, William and James Douglas, sons of the late Thomas Douglas of Brushwood Haugh in the parish of Drysdale in Dumfries-shire, left their native county and resettled in Dollar. The reason they left was over a water mill.

According to them, they were defending their just and lawful rights against their unreasonable neighbour John Johnston of Greenstonhill.

Johnston wanted to bring water to his mill but would only be able to do so by going through the Douglases’ land, which they objected to. Johnston was a friend of King James IV, and ‘having obtained leave of his friend’ had begun operations on Monday 16th May. The brothers forcefully stopped him.

The following day, Johnston brought 20 of his vassals to carry on the work. Furious, the three Douglases, along with two friends and three servants, attacked Johnston and his men and during the altercation killed 14 men and Johnston himself.

Word soon reached the king about what had happened, and the brothers had to flee the county. They took shelter under the Ochil Hills in a quiet valley by the River Devon.

They stayed there for two years then returned to Dumfries-shire in disguise, only to find that their property was now in the possession of Johnson’s friends and allies. They had also put a price on the head of the Douglases, offering a large reward for their capture.

Having purchased a small plot of land which they named the Haugh of Dollar, they returned to Dollar and changed their names to that of their native parish. They then decided to spend the rest of their days in the area, and hoped the name Drysdale would flourish in the valley.

On 12th June 1506 the king passed through Dollar on his way from Stirling to Falkland, and dined on Haliday’s Green nearby but no-one recognised the wanted brothers.

The story was passed down to the descendants of Thomas, William, and James Douglas, who now went by the name to Drysdale. Several copies of the story were made numerous times by different members of the family.

The first was by Simon Drysdale of the Haugh of Dollar in 1620 and by Robert Drysdale in Tillicoultry in 1708. It was further copied by John Drysdale of Dunfermline in 1835, John Drysdale in Montrose in 1841, by George Drysdale in Aberdeen in 1845, and by David Drysdale in Glasgow in 1857.