1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Lockerbie

LOCKERBIE, a municipal and police burgh of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in the district of Annandale, 141/2 m. E.N.E. of Dumfries by the Caledonian railway. Pop. (1901) 2358. It has long been famous for its cattle and sheep sales, but more particularly for the great August lamb fair, the largest in Scotland, at which as many as 126,000 lambs have been sold. The town hall and Easton institute are in the Scottish Baronial style. The police station is partly accommodated in an ancient square tower, once the stronghold of the Johnstones, for a long period the ruling family under whose protection the town gradually grew up. At Dryfe Sands, about 2 m. to the W., a bloody encounter took place in 1593 between the Johnstones and Maxwells. The Maxwells were pursued into Lockerbie and almost exterminated; hence “Lockerbie Lick” became a proverbial expression, signifying an overwhelming defeat.