KIRKBEAN, a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright,
12 miles (S.) from Dumfries; containing,
with the villages of Carsethorn, Preston-Mill, and Saturness,
891 inhabitants, of whom 91 are in the village of
Kirkbean. This parish, the name of which, in the Gaelic
language, is descriptive of the situation of its church at
the foot of a mountain, is bounded on the east and south
by the Solway Firth, and is about six miles in length
and three in average breadth, comprising nearly 11,000
acres, of which 5000 are arable, and the remainder hiU
pasture, plantation, moorland, and waste. Its surface is
mountainous and rugged, especially towards the west,
where are lofty ridges of hills terminating to the north
in the height of CrifTel, which has an elevation of 1900
feet above the sea. From CrifFel the land slopes gradually
towards the shore, is tolerably level, and in a high
state of cultivation. The hill commands from its summit
very extensive and varied prospects, embracing
views of Annan, Carlisle, Dumfries, Castle-Douglas, and
the Isle of Man; and in favourable weather the mountains
of North Wales, and the north coast of Ireland,
may be dimly seen. In general the coast is low and
sandy, but interspersed with rocky precipices of considerable
elevation, in one of which, near Arbigland
House, is a naturally-formed arch of romantic appearance;
the principal bay is that of Carse, and the most
prominent headlands are Borron Point and Saturness.
The SOIL in some parts is light and sandy, in others
of greater depth and fertility; and a considerable tract
of land, recovered from the sea by an embankment constructed
by the Oswald family, has been brought into
profitable cultivation. The crops are oats, barley, wheat,
potatoes, and turnips; the rotation system of husbandry
is practised, and bone-dust and guano have been introduced
as manure. Much improvement has been, and
continues to be, made by draining the lands, which are
also well inclosed; many of the farms arc extensive, and
the farm houses and offices are substantial, and kept in
good repair. The hill pastures support a number of
sheep of the Cheviot breed, and attention is paid to the
rearing of live stock generally; the cattle are of the
native breed, with the exception of the cows on the two
dairy-farms, which are Ayrshire. There is little ancient
wood, and the jjlantations are far from being extensive.
The substrata are chiefly white granite, of which most of
the rocks are composed, limestone, and sandstone of
a very coarse kind: the limestone, though of inferior
quality, is well adapted for building. Indications of coal
have been observed, but not holding out sufliciciit inducement
to operations. The annual value of real property
in the parish is £5758. Arbigland House, the
seat of Mr. Hamilton Craik, is a handsome mansion,
situated near the coast, in a tastefully-embellished demesne:
Cavens is also a handsome residence, belonging
to Mr. Oswald. The village of Kirkbean stands on the
estuary of the Nith, in a beautifully-rural valley, and
consists of pleasing cottages kept in the neatest order,
and surrounded by thriving plantations. At Saturness,
on the coast, are several small cottages, which, during
the season, are inhabited by respectable families for the
purpose of sea-bathing; and at Preston Farm there was
formerly a burgh of regality, of which the ancient cross
is still remaining. At Carsethorn, also a bathing-village,
steam-packets touch twice a week, in their passage from
Dumfries to Whitehaven and Liverpool; and vessels
anchor safely in its bay when they cannot proceed to
Dumfries. Preston-Mill contains a population of 76.
There is a mail-coach daily, except Sunday, to and from
Dumfries; and facility of communication generally is
afforded by the turnpike- road that passes through the
parish to that town.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery and synod of Dumfries. The
minister's stipend averages about £190, with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £18 per annum; patron, the Duke
of Buccleuch and Queensberry. Kirkbean church is a
commodious and handsome structure, erected in the year
1776, with a tower crowned by a dome, erected by subscription
in 1835; it is beautifully situated in the vale,
and is adorned with clumps of plantation on little knolls
surrounding it. The members of the Free Church have
a place of worship on the south-western verge of the
parish. The parochial school affords instruction to about
seventy children; and the master has a salary of two
chalders of meal, with a house and garden, and the interest
of a bequest of £608. 4., producing £24. 6. 6., for
which sum he teaches thirty poor children gratuitously:
the fees average £28 per annum. There is also a school
about three miles distant from the former; the master
receives the interest of a bequest of £400 by Messrs.
Marshall, of Glasgow, to which £100 have been added
by the present minister, the Rev. Thomas Grierson.
The poor have the interest of various bequests amounting
in the aggregate to £350. At Wreaths, and also at
Cavens, are some remains of castellated buildings, of
which the latter was the property, and occasionally the
residence, of the Regent Morton; and at Borron Point
are vestiges of an ancient moat and ditch called Mc Culloch's
Castle, the history of which is unknown. Among
the natives of the parish of Kirkbean have been. Admiral
John Campbell, who accompanied Commodore Anson
in his voyage of circumnavigation, born here in 1719,
while his father was minister of the parish; and the
late Dr. Edward Milligan, distinguished as a lecturer on
medical science in Edinburgh, who died in 1833, at the
age of 47. Dr. Milligan was a striking example of what
can be achieved by a decided determination to literary
and scientific pursuits, in the face of much discouragement
and difficulty. For a considerable time he followed
the humble occupation of shoemaking; but proceeding
to college, his abilities soon appeared, and as a lecturer
he guided the studies of others with the most complete
success, continuing his labours even during the blindness
that preceded his last illness. John Paul, better
known as the notorious Paul Jones, and whose father
was gardener at Arbigland, was also a native.