Galashiels was created into a burgh of barony in 1599.
Its chief and almost only organ, for kingdom and barony alike, was the curia - a court formed of the vassals.
One remarkable discovery, however, of general interest, was the outcome of a long series of delicate weighings and minute experimental care in the determination of the relative density of nitrogen gas - undertaken in order to determine the atomic weight of nitrogen - namely, the discovery of argon, the first of a series of new substances, chemically inert, which occur, some only in excessively minute quantities, as constituents of the 1 The barony was created at George IV.'s coronation in 1821 for the wife of Joseph Holden Strutt, M.P. for Maldon (1790-1826) and Okehampton (1826-1830), who had done great service during the French War as colonel of the Essex militia.
About the year 1070 William Malbedeng or Malbank was created baron of Nantwich, which barony he held of the earl of Chester.
In the 13th century the barony fell to three daughters and co-heiresses, and further subdivisions followed.