KIRKMICHAEL, a parish, in the county of Dumfries,
8| miles (N. by E.) from Dumfries j containing
llOS inhabitants. This place derived its name from the
dedication of its church to Michael the Archangel; and
the ancient parish of Garvald, or Garrel, with the exception
of some lands now in the parish of Johnstone, was
united to it about the year I67O. Sir William Wallace,
previously to his assault of the castle of Lochmaben in
I'iQ*, occupied a small fortress in this parish, with a
party of his followers, and made frequent sallies to annoy
the English under Greystock and Sir Hugh Moreland,
in one of which Sir Hugh and several of his men were
killed. Greystock, enraged at this defeat, and strengthened
by fresh supplies from England, advanced with 300
men to give battle to Wallace, who, overpowered by
numbers, retreated to the hills: here, the Scots being
joined by Sir John Graham and a party of his retainers,
a general engagement took place, in which Greystock
fell, and Wallace obtained a complete victory. The parish
is of elliptical form, about nine miles in length and
nearly five in extreme breadth, and comprises an area
of 17,070 acres, whereof 67OO are arable, 300 are woodland
and plantations, and the remainder, part of which
is convertible into meadow, is sheep pasture, moorland,
moss, and waste. Towards the south the surface is
level, with the exception of a few hills of inconsiderable
height. In the northern part it is intersected by two
ranges of mountains extending from north to south.
The western range, at the hill of Holehouse, its northern
extremity, has an elevation of 1500, and at Woodhill,
on the south, of 1250 feet above the level of the sea: the
eastern range rises at Knock-Craig, on the north, to a
height of 1400, and at Kirkmichael fell, the southern
extremity, to a height of 1100 feet. From these ranges
the surface gradually slopes towards the south; so that
at Cumrue, near the southern boundary of the parish,
the lands are comparatively flat, and only 190 feet above
the sea. Of the streams, the river Ae has its source in
the hills of Queensberry, in the adjoining parish of
Closeburn, and after flowing for some distance along the
southern borders of Kirkmichael, bends its course to the
east, and falls into the river Kinnel at Esby, in the parish
of Lochmaben. The Glenkill bum, which rises in
the north of the parish, intersects it from north to south,
and runs into the Ae near the church. The Garrel burn
has its rise in the Garrel Craigs, at the northern extremity
of the parish, and taking a southward course, in
which, flowing with a rapid current, it makes some small
hut very picturesque cascades, joins the river Ae on the
confines of Lochmaben. There arc several smaller
burns and numerous springs, of which latter a few are
slightly chalybeate, but not resorted to for medicinal
use. The parish also contains some lakes, the principal
being Loch Crane and Loch Cumrue; the former is one
acre in extent, and of very great depth. Loch Cumrue,
though now reduced by draining to little more
than four acres, originally comprised an area of about
twelve; it is fourteen feet deep, and abounds with pike and eels.
Along the banks of the Ae and the river Kinnel, and
in the southern and western portions of the parish, the
SOIL is richly fertile, but in tlie more central parts dry
and gravelly; the crops are wheat, oats, barley, potatoes,
and turnips, with the usual grasses. The hills afford
good pasture for sheep and cattle. The system of husbandry
has been greatly improved, especially on the
lands of Ross, the property of the Duke of Buccleuch;
and a due rotation of crops is generally observed: the
lands have been inclosed partly with stone dykes, but
principally with hedges of thorn. Most of the farm
houses and offices are substantial and commodiously
arranged; and many, of more recent erection, are even
of elegant appearance. The cattle, of which about I7OO
head are reared, are all of the Galloway breed: the
sheep, of which nearly 6000 are fed in the pastures, are
chiefly of the Highland and the Cheviot breeds. Much
attention is paid to the improvement of the stock, and
great numbers are sent to the markets of Dumfries,
Lockerbie, and Moffat. The plantations in the parish,
mostly of recent date, consist of larch, Scotch, and spruce
firs, with oak, ash, and elm, all of them well managed
and in a thriving state. There are some considerable
remains of natural wood, consisting principally of oak,
ash, birch, and alder, stately specimens of which adorn
the grounds of Kirkmichael House. The substrata in
the lower part are of the red sandstone formation, and
the hills are composed of transition rock; veins of
ironstone and ochre are found in some places, and an
attempt was made to discover coal, but without success.
The annual value of real property in the parish is
£689-4. Kirkmichael House is an elegant mansion in
the ancient manorial style, erected after a design by Mr.
Burn of Edinburgh, and pleasantly situated in grounds
tastefully laid out. There are no villages ii^the parish,
neither are any manufactures carried on. A post-office,
under that of Dumfries, has been established at a place
called Pleasance; and facility of communication is afforded
by the high road from Dumfries to Edinburgh,
which passes through the parish, and by statute roads
kept in good repair.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Lochmaben and synod of
Dumfries. The minister's stipend is £246. 8. 11., with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £18 per annum; patron,
the Duke of Buccleuch. Kirkmichael church, situated
near the south-western boundary of the parish, is a neat
cruciform structure, erected in 1815, and containing 500
sittings. The parochial school is well conducted, and
attended by about sixty children: the master has a
salary of £34, with a house and garden, and an acre
and a half of land; and the school fees average £20 per
annum. There is also a school at Garrel, to which the
heritors voluntarily contribute a salary of £17; the fees
average about £18. On the bank of the Garrel burn are
the remains of the church of Garvald, which was rebuilt
in 1617, but, after the union of the parishes, was suffered
to fall into decay; the cemetery is still preserved,
surrounded by a stone wall, and embellished with weeping-
birch trees, and others appropriate to the character
of the place. On the farm of Wood are the ruins of the
old tower of (ilenae, which, in I666, gave the title of
baronet to a branch of the family of Dalzel, afterwards
Earls of Carnwath. Part of the ancient Roman road
from Netherby, in Cumberland, to the chain of forts
between the Forth and the Clyde, may still be traced to
its termination at a fort, some remains of which arc distinctly
visible in the gurden of the manse. Near the
line of this road were found, in 17H5, two vases of copper,
the smaller of which stood upon three feet about an
inch and a half high; ami in 1833, a similar vase, with
a handle and a spout, and supported on three feet measuring
two inches and a half in height, was found in a
moss near the Mains of Ross. There are several circular
camps, in some of which have been discovered ashes,
broken querns, and other relics of antiquity, and in one
a brolten sword. Silver coins of Alexander III. and
James I. of Scotland, and Edward I. of England, have
also been found. The lands of Ross give the title of
Viscount to the Duke of Buccleuch.