SORBIE, a parish, in the district of Machers,
county of Wigtown, 6 miles (S.) from Wigtown; containing,
with the villages of Garliestown and Sorbie,
1700 inhabitants, of whom 809 are in the rural districts,
and 235 in the village of Sorbie. This place comprehends
the three ancient parishes of Sorbie, Kirkraadrine,
and Cruggleton, which were united about the middle of
the seventeenth century. It is supposed to have derived
its name, originally Sourbij, signifying in the Saxon language
" a gloomy habitation", from the position of its
castle on the confines of a cold and dreary marsh that
has been since drained and brought under cultivation.
Sorbie Castle, of which there are but inconsiderable
remains, belonged in the reign of James IV., with the
lands attached to it, to the family of Hannay, and continued
in their possession till about the commencement
of the present century: the Earl of Galloway is now
the principal landed proprietor. The castle of Cruggleton,
from which that parish took its name, and of which
only some of the foundations of the walls, and part of
an arch, are at present left, was seated on the summit
of a bold promontory near the mouth of Wigtown bay.
It is said to have been the baronial residence of John
Cumyn, Earl of Buchan, in the thirteenth century, as one
of the coheirs of the ancient lords of Galloway. In 1292,
the earl obtained from Edward I. of England licence to
procure lead in the Calf of Man, for the roofing of his
castle of Cruggleton; which, after his subsequent defeat
by Robert Bruce, was, with the neighbouring lands, forfeited
to the crown. Of its subsequent history little is
known; it became a ruin towards the close of the seventeenth
century, and the estate is now the property of Sir
Andrew Agnew, of Lochnaw, Bart.
The parish is bounded on the east by Wigtown bay,
and is about six miles in extreme length, varying from
three miles and a half to nearly six miles in breadth,
and comprising 9000 acres, of which 7700 are arable,
with a moderate proportion of meadow and pasture,
400 woodland and plantations, and the remainder moor
and waste. Its surface is diversified with hills of moderate
elevation, interspersed with fertile valleys, and
commanding from their summits fine views of the bay
of Wigtown, Solway Firth, the Cumberland mountains,
and the Isle of Man. The scenery, enlivened with flourishing
plantations, is agreeably varied, and in some
parts picturesque. There are no rivers of any importance.
On the north-western boundary is Loch Dowalton,
so called from a former proprietor of the lands, a
fine sheet of water more than three miles in circumference,
and varying from six to twenty feet in depth. From
this lake, which abounds with pike, perch, and eels, issues
a small stream which intersects the parish from west to
east, and flows into Garliestown bay. In various parts
of the parish are perennial springs, aflFording an ample
supply of excellent water.
The COAST, including its several windings, is about
twelve miles in extent. It is indented with numerous
bays, the principal of them being those of Garliestown
and Rigg, the latter of which, in compliment to Capt.
Hunter, of the royal navy, who brought his ship to anchor
there, has since been sometimes called Hunter's
bay: on the north is Orchardton bay, which is dry at
low water. The bay of Garliestown is well adapted for
the construction of a spacious harbour, which would
greatly facilitate the trade between the western coast of
England and this country. Innerwell, Allan, and Whapple
are smaller bays. The principal headlands are Eagerness,
Innerwell, and Cruggleton Points, of which
Eagerness Point is the most prominent. The shore on
the north, and at Garliestown and Rigg, is flat and
sandy: at Eagerness it is rocky, but not precipitous;
while from the south-east of Rigg bay to Whithorn it is
bold and precipitous, rising in some places abruptly to
a height of 200 feet above the level of the sea. The
rocks on this part of the coast are perforated with two
nearly contiguous caves, each about 1'20 feet in depth,
and both having arched roofs of great beauty, naturally
formed in the solid rock; one is 100 feet in height and
thirty-six feet in width, and the other forty feet high
and fifteen feet wide. A salmon-fishery is carried on at
Port-Innerwell, which produces an annual rental to the
proprietors of £"200; and herrings, mackerel, cod, and
various other kinds offish, are also taken here in abundance.
Herrings were likewise found some years since
off Garliestown, and many of the inhabitants were engaged
in the fishery; but from recent want of success,
it has been almost discontinued.
In general the soil is light, but fertile, and in a high
state of cultivation; the crops are oats, barley, potatoes,
turnips, and a little wheat, with the usual grasses. Husbandry
has been much improved of late; the farm houses
and offices are mostly substantial and conveniently arranged,
the lands inclosed, and the fences kept in good
order. The greatest encouragement is given by the
proprietors, and the liberal terms on which the leases
are granted afford a powerful stimulus to improvement.
Great attention is paid to live-stock. The sheep are of
the common native breed, with a mixture of others;
many are bought in at the Falkirk trysts, and, when
fattened on turnips, sent to "the Liverpool markets by
steam-boats, for which the parish has every facility. The
cattle are all of the Galloway breed; they are mostly of
a black colour, without horns, and are usually sold when
two or three years old to dealers who send them to
Dumfries, where they are purchased for the supply of
the English markets. The plantations comprise oak,
a.sh, beech, birch, alder, plane, and the various Ivinds of
firs, for all of which the soil appears to be adapted; they
are regularly thinned, and in a thriving state. In the
grounds of CJalloway House are some remarkably fine
specimen.s of laurel, evergreen, Turkey oak, and horsechesnut.
Tlie annual value of real property in the parish
is £8646. Galloway House, the seat of the Earl of Gal-
loway,is a stately mansion erected about the middle of the
eighte»nth century, and beautifully situated on the coast,
between the bays of Garliestown and Rigg, over both of
which it commands an interesting view, with the Cumberland
mountains and the Isle of Man in the distance.
It contains spacious and elegant apartments tastefully
embellished, and a library of many thousand volumes
in the various departments of literature; the grounds
are richly embellislied with ancient timber and thriving
plantations. A large addition has been made to the
mansion within the last few years.
The village of Garliestown is described under its own
head. That of Sorbie was commenced towards the
close of the last century, under the auspices of the Earl
of Galloway: it is situated nearly in the centre of the
parish; the houses are neatly built, and the environs
abound with pleasing scenery. The manufacture of
damask, lately discontinued, was established in the village
about fifty years since, and was brought to great
perfection, both for fineness of texture, and beauty and
variety of pattern; the damask was made from the best
Dutch flax spun by hand, and the articles produced were
in high repute throughout Scotland and England. Some
damask manufactured here in 1800 was sent to Edinburgh,
and submitted for competition at the annual
meeting of the Board of Trustees, where it obtained the
highest premium; and complete suits of table-linen
have been prepared at this place for most of the noble
families in the kingdom. The manufactory afforded
employment to about 100 persons, including both weavers
and spinners. There are rope and sail works at
Garliestown. Letters are delivered daily from the postoffice
of Wigtown; and facility of communication is
maintained by good roads, which intersect the parish in
various directions, and by steam-boats and other vessels,
which frequent Garliestown harbour.
Ecclesiastically this parish is in the presbytery of
Wigtown and synod of Galloway: the minister's stipend
is £'244. 13. *., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15
per annum; patron, the Crown. Sorbie church, situated
in the village, was built in 1750, and repaired in
1826; it is a substantial structure containing 500 sittings.
The members of the Free Church have a place
of worship; and there is a place of worship at Garliestown
for Independents. The parochial school is attended
by about sixty children; the master has a salary of
£33. 3., with a house and garden, and the fees. There
are several other schools, of which two, at Garliestown,
are endowed by the Earl and Countess of Galloway.
Some remains exist of the ancient church of Kirkmadrine,
which appears to have been a very small structure;
its churchyard is still used as a buryiiig-ground by some
families. Patrick Hannay, a poet of some eminence,
was a native of this parish: a volume of his poems,
published in 1662, was recently sold in London for the
sum of £42. 10. 6.