A village of Eskdale in southeast Dumfries and Galloway, Canonbie lies on the River Esk, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Langholm. In the Middle Ages there was an Augustinian priory in the village and in the 19th and 20th Centuries coal and lime were mined in the neighbourhood. Nearby Holehouse Tower was a stronghold of the Armstrong family and 2 miles (3 km) to the north on a promontory overlooking the Esk once stood Johnnie Armstrong's Tower of Gilnockie.