PENPONT, a parish and village and seat of a
presbytery, in the county of Dumfries, 2 miles (W. S.
yv.) from Thornhill; containing 1266 inhabitants, of
whom 492 are in the village. This parish is supposed to
have derived its name from a very ancient bridge erected
over the Scarr, the abutments of which rested on the
summits of two precipitous rocks on opposite banks of
the river, and which, from the singularity of its appearance,
obtained the appellation of the " Hanging bridge".
It is a place of great antiquity, and appears to have been
a Roman station; vestiges of a causeway may still
be traced along the bank of the Scarr, and through the
parish of Tynron, and there were also several forts, of
which no vestiges now exist. Near the confluence of the
Scarr and the Nith to the south-east of the parish, are
some slight remains of a fortress said to have been
erected, during the occupation of this part of the country
by the Romans, by one of the Roman generals; and
which was called Tiber's Castle in honour of the Emperor
Tiberius. This castle was subsequently held by
a detachment of the English army under Edward I., who
placed in it a garrison to keep the Scots in subjection,
and which committed frequent depredations throughout
the neighbouring districts. To deliver his countrymen
from this tyranny. Sir William Wallace, assuming
the disguise of an itinerant mendicant, ascertained from
the keeper of a kiln near the castle, which prepared the
corn for the garrison, their probable number, and so
far ingratiated himself in the good opinion of the keeper
as to be entrusted with the care of the kiln during his
temporary absence. Taking advantage of the opportunity,
Wallace set fire to the building, and retired.
The garrison, on seeing the flames issuing from the roof,
at once repaired to the spot to save their grain from destruction;
and Wallace, advancing with his party from
his concealment in a thickly-wooded dell, made himself
master of the castle, which he burned to the ground.
The foundation of this castle may still be distinctly
traced; and till the year 1812 a portion of the doorway,
and a winding staircase, were remaining, near which a
labourer, who had been employed to remove part of
the ruins for the sake of the materials, discovered a
number of arrow-heads, fragments of pottery, and the
head of a spear.
The PARISH is bounded on the west for almost five
miles by the river Scarr, and on the north-east for about
three miles by the Nith. It is nearly eighteen miles in
length and five miles in breadth, comprising by computation
20,640 acres, of which by far the greater portion is
grazing land. The surface is hilly and partly mountainous.
The hills mostly vary from 500 to 1000 feet in
height: the bases of many of them are clothed with
copse wood, and the acclivities and summits of these
afford excellent pasturage for numerous flocks of sheep;
while others are rugged and precipitous, resembling
those of the Highlands. Of the latter the most conspicuous
are, the Craig of Glenquhargan, which has
an elevation of 1000 feet, terminating a range of heights
that intersects the parish from north-west to southeast;
and Chanlock, at the extremity of a similar range, of
nearly equal height, formerly planted with trees to its very
summit, and still presenting in the verdure of its aspect
a fine contrast with the barren Craig of Glenquhargan.
Almost in the centre of the parish is a ridge, extending
towards the north, and terminating in Cairnkinnow; it
rises by a gradual ascent to 2080 feet above the level of
the sea, and commands a richly-diversified prospect over
a country abounding with the most interesting features.
By these several ridges the parish is divided into three
deeply-secluded but picturesque and fertile valleys, each
watered by its own peculiar streamlet, and in the highest
state of cultivation, enlivened with verdant pastures and
with plantations. The Scarr has its source in the hills
to the north-west of the parish, and after a course of
ten miles through the interior, forms its western boundary,
as already stated, separating it from the parish of
Tynron. It subsequently flows eastward for nearly three
miles along the southern boundary, and falls into the
Nith. In its course through the district the Scarr receives
numerous tributary streams, of which the principal
are the Glenmanow burn, the Chanlock burn, the
Homer burn, and the Druid Hill burn, all of which have
their respective glens; and in the north-west is the
Mar burn, which runs through the grounds of Drumlaurig
Castle into the Nith river. The only lake is
Dowloch, a sheet of water originally 120 yards in length
and seventy yards in breadth, but now much diminished
by draining: it is situated near the summit of the hilly
ridge to the south of Druralanrig, and in early times was
supposed to possess miraculous efficacy in curing all
kinds of disease.
Little more than one-tenth of the land is arable and
in cultivation; and of the remainder, which consists
chiefly of sheep-walks, but a very inconsiderable portion
is thought to be capable of improvement. The soil of
the arable land is generally fertile, and the system of
husbandry has been gradually advancing. Oats form
the chief crop: barley and wheat are likewise raised;
and the growth of turnips to be eaten off by the sheep,
has been introduced with great advantage. The dairies
are under good management, and the produce forwarded
to the Glasgow and Liverpool markets. The farm
houses and buildings, especially on the lands belonging
to the Duke of Buccleuch, are substantial and commodious;
and under the favourable leases granted, considerable
progress has been made in draining and inclosing.
The wood, which is increasing in extent, consists,
in the highland districts, of natural copse, chiefly
hazel; and in the glens, of oak, for which the soil seems
well adapted, and various other kinds of trees, all in a
thriving state. Sandstone of good quality for building
purposes abounds, and there are two quarries in operation,
one on the lands of the Duke of Buccleuch, and one
on the estate of L. Maitland, Esq. The annual value of
real property in the parish is £9.:i97.
The only mansion is Ecrirs House, the seat of Mr.
Maitland, beautifully situated in a richly-planted demesne
commanding a fine view of the vales of the Nith and the
Scarr for several miles; the grounds arc tastefully laid
out, and near the house are two beech-trees of luxuriant
growth. Part of the pleasure-grounds, and the whole
of the extensive new gardens, of Drumlanri'; Castle, a
seat of the Duke of Buccleuch's situated in the adjoining
parish of Durisdeer, are within the limits of this parish.
The gardens were commenced, and have been
completed, within the last fifteen years, at an expense of
£11,000; and an elegant cottage for the residence of
the gardener has been erected, under the superintendence
of Mr. Burn, architect. The vegetable garden occupies
aD area of four acres within the walls, and abounds with
every variety of produce, of the choicest quality, and ia
the highest perfection. Nearly 1000 square feet of glass
are contained (in the fruit garden) in the forcing-frames
for melons, cucumbers, and similar plants, and in the
vineries, pine-stoves, and peach-houses, in all of which
the requisite degree of heat, for each, is produced by
water raised to different degrees of temperature. In the
conservatories is every species of exotics, in the richest
profusion. All the various departments are contrived
with a due regard to scientific arrangement, and preserved
in the most beautiful order; and by the liberality
of the noble proprietor, the gardens are accessible to the
visits of strangers, who are also permitted to inspect the
flower-gardens in the immediate vicinity of the castle.
The village of Penpont is situated on the turnpikeroad
leading from New Galloway to Edinburgh, and consists
of several clusters of houses, which once formed
the hamlets of Townhead, Brierbush, and Burnhead;
the last is within half a mile of the Nith, and may be
regarded as a suburb. The inhabitants are chiefly employed
in agricultural and pastoral pursuits; but the
smelting of old iron, and the making of spades and
other implements, afford employment to about four or
five persons. There are, also, some inns, and small
shops for the supply of the neighbourhood; and some
of the inhabitants are employed in the usual handicraft
trades. Letters are forwarded from the post-office at
Thornhill; and facihty of communication is maintained
by good turnpike-roads, and bridges over the different
streams: the ancient bridge across the Scarr, from
which the parish is supposed to have taken its name,
has been rebuilt. Ecclesiastically the parish is within
the bounds of the presbytery of Penpont, synod of Dumfries.
The minister's stipend is £236. 6. 9.. with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £30 per annum; patron,
the Duke of Buccleuch. Penpont church, which is situated
at the lower extremity of the parish, about 1,50
yards from the village, was built in 1782, and since substantially
repaired at an expense of £340, including the
session-house; it is a neat plain structure, partly cruciform,
and contains 408 sittings. There are places of
worship for Reformed Presbyterians and members of
the United Presbyterian Church. Two parochial schools
are supported, the masters of which have salaries of
£27. 6. 6. and £24 respectively, with a house each, and
one a small garden, in addition to the fees, which average
£16 and £9: in one of these schools, the Greek and
French languages are added to the usual routine.