LOCHES  , a

town in France, capital of an arrondissement in (1901) 1328 . It is delightfully situated, there being eight lakes the department of Indre-et-Loire, 29 M . S.E. of Tours by rail, in the immediate neighbourhood, while the river Annan, and the on the left bank of the Indre . Pop . (1906) 3751 . The town, one Waters of Ae, Kinnel and Dryfe are in the vicinity . The town of the most picturesque in central France, lies at the foot of the hall is a handsome edifice with clock tower . At the south end of rocky eminence on which stands the castle of the Anjou family, Castle Loch, the chief lake, stand the ruins, a mere shell, of surrounded by an outer wall It m. in circumference, and con- Lochmaben Castle, dating from the 13th century, where local sisting of the old collegiate church of St Ours, the royal lodge tradition declares that Robert Bruce was born—an honour which and the donjon . The church of St Ours dates from the loth to is also claimed, however, for Turnberry Castle on the coast of the 12th centuries; among its distinguishing features are the Ayrshire . In the parish church is a bell said to have been pre-huge stone pyramids surmounting the nave and the beautiful sented to King Robert by the pope after reconciliation with him. carving of the west door . The royal lodge, built by Charles VII . A statue of the king stands in front of the town hall .

Whether and used as the subprefecture, contains the

tomb of Agnes Sorel it were his birthplace or not, the associations of Bruce with and the oratory of Anne of Brittany . The donjon includes, Lochmaben were intimate . He exempted his followers in the besides the ruined keep (12th century), the Martelet, celebrated district from feudal service and their descendants—the " kindly as the prison of Lodovico Sforza, duke of Milan, who died there tenants of Lochmaben "—were confirmed in their tenure by the in 15oS, and the Tour Ronde, built by Louis XI. and containing court of session in 1824 . The Castle Loch is the only fresh water the famous iron cages in which state prisoners, including— in Scotland, and possibly in the British Isles, where the vendace according to a story now discredited—their inventor Cardinal (coregonus vandesius) occurs . This fish, which is believed to be Balue, were confined . Loches has an hotel-de-ville and several growing scarcer, is alleged on doubtful authority to have been introduced by Queen Mary . It is captured by the sweep-net in August, and is esteemed as a delicacy . The likes adjoining the town afford the inhabitants exceptional advantages for the game of curling . There was once a team of Lochmaben Curlers entirely composed of shoemakers (souters) who held their own against all corners, and their prowess added the phrase " to souter " to the vocabulary of the sport, the word indicating a match in which the winners scored " game " to their opponents' " love." Lochmaben unites with Annan, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Sanquhar (the Dumfries burghs) in returning one member to parliament .