CAERLAVEROCK, a parish, in the county of Dumfries,
5 miles (S. S. E.) from Dumfries; containing,
with the villages of Bankhead, Blackshaw, Glencaple-
Quay, Glenhowan, Sherrington, and part of Kelton, 1297
inhabitants. Different opinions exist in regard to the
derivation of the name of this parish, some interpreting
the words of which it is composed, " the castle with the
buttress jutting out ", and others, " the castle close upon
the sea"; referring to the most prominent historical memorial
in the place, the singularly formed and strong
fortress called Caerlaverock Castle. It stands near the
shores of the Solway Firth, and is of triangular figure,
having a double moat, with portcullis after portcullis, to
defend the entrance: there is also a provision for the
discharge of a torrent of molten lead on the heads of
the besiegers. The existing castle is the second building,
the first, which has long been totally destroyed,
having nothing left but the foundations: these are
visible about 300 yards from the more modern structure,
and indicate the old castle to have been somewhat
smaller than the present, but of the same form. The
original castle is said to have been founded in the sixth
century by Llywarch Og, and in the days of King Malcolm
Canmore to have been the chief seat of the ancient
and illustrious family of Maxwell. It was attacked and
taken by King Edward I., who afterwards passed several
days here. The time when the second castle was built
has not been precisely ascertained, but it is known to
have been before the year 1425. In 1570 it was ruined
by the Earl of Sussex, who had been sent with an English
army to support James VI., after the murder of the
regent. It was, however, reinstated in its former strength
by Robert, first Earl of Nithsdale, in 1638; and during
the troubles of Charles I., its owner, who supported the
royal cause with all his energies, was ordered by that
monarch to yield it up, on the best terms he could obtain.
After the siege by Cromwell, it was found to contain
eighty-six beds, forty carpets, and a library worth
£200. Caerlaverock Castle was the place Sir Walter
Scott had in his mind as the chief scene in the novel of
iiuij Mannering: it was here that Dirk Hatteraick was
imprisoned by Gilbert Glossin.
The PARISH is six miles long and about two broad,
containing 5800 acres. It is bounded on the south by
the Solway Firth; on the east, by the Lochar; and on
the west, by the river Nith, which separates it from
the county of Kirkcudbright. In this part the Solway
is about twelve miles wide. The Nith is affected by the
tide as far as Dumfries, but at low water is easily fordable;
it forms about six miles of the boundary line of
the parish. The Lochar, on the other side, flows through
an extensive moss, which prevents all communication
in that quarter, except in the driest months of summer,
and then it is passable only by pedestrians. The soil,
to some extent, is mossy, but its general character is
that of light loam; and in this district the worst soil is
usually in the valleys: 43'23 acres are cultivated, and
produce all kinds of white and green crops; 126 acres are
in wood, 7o acres are moss and river, and 252 marsh.
Lochar Moss is chiefly in the parishes of Dumfries,
Torthorwald, and Mouswald, about a hundred acres
only being in this parish. The cattle are of the Galloway
breed, with a few Ayrshire cows, and the sheep
are the Leicesters. The best system of agriculture is
followed, and the improvements lately made in every
department have been considerable, especially in the
liberal application of bone-dust manure, which has
greatly advanced turnip husbandry. The annual value
of real property in the parish is £4495. The rocks
almost throughout consist of red sandstone, which is
easily wrought, and durable, and is used for many purposes.
At Glencaple-Quay, the chief village, large
vessels bound for Dumfries unload when unable from
their burthen to reach their place of destination. There
is a salmon-fishery connected with the parish, valued at
£100 per annum, and a white-fishing is valued at £40.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Dumfries and synod of Dumfries; patron,
the Marquess of Queensberry. The stipend of the minister
is £177, with a manse, rebuilt in 1S38 by the heritors,
and a glebe of nearly twenty acres, valued at £32 per
annum. The church, built in 1781, contains 470 sittings.
There is a parochial school, in which mathematics, the
classics, and all the usual branches of education are
taught; the master has the maximum salary, with fees,
and a sum from the Hutton bequest. Two other schools
are supported out of bequests, and there is a parochial
library, instituted in 1833. Dr. John Hutton, first
physician to Queen Anne, was born here, and after
realizing a handsome fortune by his profession, became
a munificent benefactor to his native parish. He built
a manse for the minister, and left £1000, the interest
to be bestowed in educational and charitable purposes
by the minister and elders: this money was invested
in land, and now produces a rental of £500 a year.
He also left a valuable library to the presbytery of
Dumfries, comprising the prayer-book used by the unfortunate
King Charles when on the scaffold. This
prayer-book, however, was some time ago abstracted,
and sold at an auction in London for a large sum: it is
supposed to have been originally lent from the presbytery
library, and then passed from friend to friend, the
interesting relic being at length sold bv auction.