KELLS, a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright,
14 miles (N. W. by N.) from Castle-Douglas,
and 19 (X. by W.) from Kirkcudbright; containing,
with the burgh of New Galloway, 1121 inhabitants.
This place is supposed by some to derive its name from
its elevated situation, of which, in the Gaelic language,
the word is descriptive. Others deduce the name from
the British Cell, on account of the extensive woods formerly
existing here, and of which considerable remains
are still found embedded in the various mosses. The
parish is one of the largest in the county. It is bounded
on the west and south by the river Dee, which separates
it from the parishes of Minnigaff, Girthon, and Balraaghie;
and on the east by the river Ken, which divides
it from Dairy, Balmaclellan, and Parton parishes. Kells
is about sixteen miles in length and eight miles in extreme
breadth, comprising an area of 47,500 acres, of
which by far the greater part is mountain pasture, and,
with the exception of about 400 acres of woodland and
plantations, the remainder is arable and in good cultivation.
Its surface is irregularly broken, rising towards
the north into a range of lofty mountains, including the
most conspicuous heights of Galloway, some of which
have an elevation of 2*00 feet above the sea. The arable
lands, which are chiefly along the banks of the Ken,
are tolerably level, and interspersed with copses of oak
and birch. The lower grounds are watered by numerous
rivulets, intersecting the parish in various directions,
and forming tributaries to the Dee and to the Ken.
The Ken has its source on the confines of Dumfriesshire,
and after entering the parish on the north-east,
receives the waters of the Deuch, and at the southern
extremity unites with the Dee. There are also many
lakes, of which those of Loch Dungeon and Loch Harrow,
in the north, are of considerable extent, but both
inferior to Loch Ken, on the eastern border of the
parish, which is about five miles in length and threequarters
of a mile in breadth, and by far the most eminent
for the beauty of its scenery. A remarkably large
pike, probably the largest known to have been killed in
Scotland, was caught in this loch with the rod and fly
many years ago; it weighed seventy-two pounds, and
the head is still preserved in Kenmure Castle, bearing
witness to its enormous size. The parish afl'ords an interesting
field for the investigations of the botanist.
The SOIL of the lands along the Ken is a rich clay,
producing good crops of oats, but not in larger quantity
than is suflicicnt for home consumption. The district
is chiefly pastoral, and, under the auspices of the Glenkcns
Society, established in 1830 with the patronage of
Mr. Yorstoun of Garroch, has been greatly improved:
among other changes for the better, the cottages have
in many instances been rendered much more comfortable
and commodious. The progress of a^Tuiillnrdl improvemctit,
however, is retarded by the difliculty of obtaining
lime at any moderate expense; and coiisequcntiy, several
farmH which wotiid otherwise be capable of tillage are
thrown togctlu-r as sheep-walks. The number of sheep
pastured in about 17,500; about 560 head of cattle of
the Highland breed are kept, about 320 Galloways, and
420 cowH and their folhiwcrs. There are also a great
number of pigs kept in the parish. The sheep and cattle
are sent to the markets in the south. In this parish
the hills are chiefly of granite: there are neither mines
nor quarries of any description. The remains of ancient
wood are principally copses of oak and birch, both of
which are indigenous, and appear well adapted to the
soil; the plantations, which are of recent formation,
consist of oak, intermixed with Scotch fir and larch,
and are well managed, and in a flourishing condition.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £5246.
Kenmure Castle, the seat of Lord Viscount Kenmure,
the principal landed proprietor, is a very ancient structure,
seated on a circular mount, at the head of Loch
Ken, within a mile of the town of New Galloway; and
is supposed to have been the residence of John Baliol.
It suSered frequent assaults during the wars with England
in the time of Edward I.; and was burnt in the
reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, and again during the
usurpation of Cromwell. The estate subsequently belonged
to the Gordons of Lochinvar, of whom Sir John
Gordon was created Lord of Lochinvar and Viscount
Kenmure, in 1633; but it became forfeited to the crown
in the time of William, the sixth viscount, who was
attainted for his participation in the rebellion of IflS,
and beheaded on Tower Hill, London, in the following
year. The property was, however, purchased from the
crown by a member of his family; and the title was
restored by act of parliament, in 1824, to his grandson,
the late viscount and proprietor. The grounds are
tastefully embellished with stately timber and thriving
plantations, and the approach to the castle is by a noble
avenue of lime-trees. Glenlee is a handsome mansion,
which has been greatly enlarged, and is finely situated
on the banks of the Ken, in a park embellished with
many oaks of majestic growth. Knocknalling and Ballingear
are also good houses lately erected.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within
the bounds of the presbytery of Kirkcudbright, synod
of Galloway. The minister's stipend is £300, with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum; patron,
the Crown. Kells church, erected in 1822, is a handsome
structure in the early English style of architecture,
with a square embattled tower; it contains 560
sittings, and is capable of being made to hold a greater
number. In the churchyard lie interred the remains of
several generations of the Coultharts of Coulthart, chiefs
of their name, who had a seat in the parish during the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries. The parochial school is
attended by about 100 children; the master has a salary
of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average
£30 per annum. The Glenkens Society annually award
prizes to the most deserving of the scholars. A schoolhouse
has been erected in the northern part of the
parish, by Mr. Kennedy of Knocknalling, who pays the
salary of the master; and there is also a Sabbath school
in the parish, to which is attached a good library. The
poor are partly supported by the interest of £522 be-
(|neathed by various individuals, in the hands of the
Kirk Session. There are several chalybeate springs, one
of which, on Cairn-Edward, about two miles from New
Galloway, was formerly in great repute, and is still used
by the inhabitants iu its neighbourhood. Among the
natives of the parish have been, Ijowc, the author of
Man/s Dream; Heron, author of a history of Scotland;
Gordon, the translator of Tacitus; and the Rev. William
Gillespie, author of the Progress of Rcjincmcnt, of Cuiisolalioii,
and other works.