KIRKCUDBRIGHT, a parish and burgh (royal), in the stewartry of KirkcudBriGHT,
of which it is the capital, 28 miles (S.W.by W.) from Dumfries, and 100 (s.
W.) from Edinburgh; containing 3526 inhabitants, of whom 2692 arc in the burgh.
This place is supposed to have derived its name, originally Kirk-Cuthbert, from
the dedication of its ancient church to the Northumbrian saint of that name; and
a cemetery about a quarter of a mile eastward of the
town still retains the appellation of St. Cuthbert's churchyard.
Prior to the time of the Romans, this part of the
country contained a chain of i'orts belonging to the
Selgovae, of which Caerbuntorigum, the principal border
garrison of that people, and situated here, was taken by
Agricola about the year 82. His successors retained
possession of the district for nearly three centuries, and
here formed the Roman station Benutium. During the
minority of Malcolm IV., son of David I., Fergus, lord
of Galloway, whose baronial castle was situated on an
island in Loch Fergus, near the town, threw off his allegiance
to the Scottish crown, and exercised a kind of
sovereignty as an independent prince. Malcolm twice
invaded Galloway with a view to reduce him to obedience,
without success; but having greatly increased his army,
he again attacked him in his dominions, and obtained a
triumphant victory. Fergus resigned the lordship of
Galloway in 11 60, and retiring into the abbey of Holyrood,
upon which he had bestowed the churches and
lands of Dunrod and Galtway, within the present parish
of Kirkcudbright, died in the following year. He had
married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry I. of England,
and was ancestor of the families of Bruce and Baliol.
Fergus was succeeded in the lordship by his two sons,
Uchtred and Gilbert, between whom, according to the
Celtic law, his dominions were equally divided: the
former, who gave the church of Kirk-Cuthbert to the
monksofHolyrood, resided in the castle of Loch Fergus;
but in 1174 he was attacked there, and inhumanly
murdered, by his brother Gilbert. The last of the male
line of the ancient lords was Allan, who died in his
castle of Kirkcudbright, and was interred in the abbey
of Dundrennan, founded by Fergus, his great-grandfather.
During the competition for the crown of Scotland
between Bruce and Baliol, the castle of Kirkcudbright
was delivered, by mandate of Edward I. of England,
who had been appointed umpire, to Baliol, to whom he
awarded the crown. The next event of importance relates
to Wallace, who, subsequently to his defeat at the
battle of Falkirk, sailed from this town for France,
accompanied by Maclellan of Bombie, and fifty of his
adherents; and soon after, Edward, with his queen and
court, remained for ten days in the castle of Kirkcudbright,
whence he shipped large quantities of grain to
England and Ireland, to be ground for the supply of his
army. Some time afterwards, Edward Bruce, having
subdued Galloway for his brother, received the lordship
in acknowledgment of his services, together with the
castle of Kirkcudbright and the whole of Baliol's
forfeited possessions: the lordship passed subsequently by
intermarriage to the family of Douglas. In the reign
of James II., a sanguinary battle took place near the
town, which ended in the total defeat of the retainers of
Sir John Herries, who, assisted by Maclellan of Bombie,
had invaded the territories of Douglas to recover compensation
for robberies committed by the dependents of
that powerful chieftain. Sir John was made prisoner,
and executed; and the conquerors, having obtained admittance
into the castle of Raeberry, the residence of the
Bombie family, seized the chieftain, whom they carried
off to Threave Castle, and beheaded. The king, about
three years after this event, visited Kirkcudbright, while
making preparations for the siege of Threave Castle, the
last stronghold of the Douglases. In this siege he was
assisted by the inhabitants; and for the service so rendered
he conferred upon the town, which had been previously
a burgh of regality, all the privileges of a royal
burgh, by charter dated at Perth the 26th of October,
1455. After the battle of Towton in 1461, the town
afforded an asylum to Henry VI. of England and his
queen, who resided here till their departure for Edinburgh;
and on the l6th April, 146^2, the queen, with a
convoy of four Scottish ships, sailed from this port to
Bretagne, leaving Henry with a small retinue, who returned
to England in 1463.
James IV., in one of his pilgrimages to the shrine of
St. Ninian at "U'liithorn, visited the town, in 1501. In
1507, it was nearly destroyed by the Earl of Derby,
who, at the head of a large body of Manxmen, made a
descent on the shores of Galloway. James again visited
the town in 1508, and was hospitably received by the
burgesses, to whom he granted the castle of Kirlccudbright,
and the lands appertaining to it, which had
reverted to the crown on the forfeiture of the Douglases.
In 1513, many of the inhabitants, under the command
of Sir William Maclellan of Bombie, attended James
to the battle of Flodden, and fell with their leader on
the field. In the year IS'-ZS, the Duke of Albany, Regent
of Scotland, landed here from Brest, and was joyfully
received. During the minority of Mary, Queen of
Scots, the town was summoned by the English forces
who had gained possession of Dumfries to acknowledge
the authority of Edward VI. This summons, hovicver,
the inhabitants refused to obey; and having barred their
gates, and carefully secured their dykes, Maclellan of
Bombie, at the head of a party of his retainers, attacked
the assailants, w ho, having made some unavailing efforts,
retired to Dumfries. After the battle of Langside,
Mary, accompanied by Lord Herries and his followers,
retreated into Galloway, and remained for three days
there, previously to proceeding to England: she does
not appear, however, to have visited the town of Kirkcudbright.
James VI. visited the town while in pursuit
of Lord Maxwell, who had arrived here from Spain to
arm his followers in aid of the Spanish descent j and
the king ])resented to the corporation a miniature silver
musket, to be given as a prize to the most successful
competitor in shooting at the target, in order to induce
improvement in tlie use of fire-arms. Charles I., on his
visit to Scotland, conferred upon Sir Robert Maclellan
of Bombie the title of Lord Kirkcudbright, and granted
to the burgh a new charter, vesting the government in
a provost, two bailies, a treasurer, and thirteen councillors;
which charter is still partially in force.
The TOWN anciently consisted only of one irregular
street leading down to the harbour, and was encompassed
by a wall and fosse, of which there are still some
vestiges remaining. It has been greatly extended and
improved, and, being surrounded by a tract of richlywooded
country, has a pleasing aspect. The place now
consists of several well-formed streets, intersecting each
other at right angles; the principal are High-street,
Castle-street, and St. Cuthbert's and Union streets, the
two former leading to the river Dee, which bounds the
town on the west side. The houses, most of which are
modern, are neatly built; and among them are many
handsome residences of opulent families, contributing
greatly to the appearance of the town. The streets are
lighted with gas, from works established by a company
in 1S3S; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with
excellent water from springs about half a mile distant,
conveyed by pipes laid down in 1/63. A public library,
founded in 1777, is still supported by subscription, containing
a small collection of volumes; and there are two
circulating libraries still remaining, but nearly superseded
by the publication of cheap periodicals. A public reading
and news room, also, is supplied with Scottish and
English newspapers. Although formerly celebrated for
its extensive manufactures of gloves, boots and shoes,
soap, candles, and leather, the town has at present very
little trade; and the only manufactures now carried on
are, that of hosiery, and the weaving of cotton, upon a limited scale.
As a SEA-PORT, the town derives a moderate traffic
from the importation of coal and other commodities for
the supply of the district. There are two harbours, both
commodious and safe. The one at the town, formed by
the river Dee, which is here about 500 feet wide, has a
depth of thirty feet at spring, and of from twenty to
twenty-five feet at neap, tides; and below it is a ford
across the river, which at some particular times has
only a depth of a foot and a half of water. Vessels frequently
deliver their cargoes on the beach, and take in
their lading in a dock which is partly of wood and partly
of stone. The other harbour is at Torr's or Manxman's
lake, about two miles and a half from the mouth of the
river, where almost any number of vessels may ride in
safety: in front of the entrance, however, is a bar, over
which ordinary vessels cannot pass till half-flood, when
there is a depth of ten or twelve feet water on it. A
lighthouse on the island of Little Ross, the lantern of
which exhibits a revolving light visible at a great distance,
forms a guide to the entrance; and by keeping
this and two towers in a right line, strange vessels may
safely enter the haven. The number of vessels registered
as belonging to the port is twenty-six, of the
aggregate burthen of 9'32 tons; and according to the
custom-house returns, fifty-four vessels, of '2069 tons in
the aggregate, entered the harbour, and the creeks of
Kirkcudbright, in a recent year. The chief imports are
coal and lime from Cumberland, and groceries, haberdasliery,
iron, lead, slates and freestone, bone-dust,
guano, and various wares, from Liverjiool and otiier
ports; there is no foreign trade, and seldom more than
one cargo of wood is annually imported. The exports
are corn, meal, jiotatoes, turnips, beans, black-cattle,
sheep, wool, salmon, and grass-seeds; the amount of
wool shipped in 1H4'2 was 7480 stone, and in the same
year w^cre exported 7-1 head of black-cattle and 12,000
sheep. A little above the harbour is a ferry across the
river for horses and carriages, for which a convenient
flat-bottomed boat has been constructed.
The river Dee abounds with e.\cellent salmon, of which
there are three fisheries. One of these, belonging to
Alexander Murray, Esq., produced some short time since
a rental of £700 per annum; another, the property of
the Earl of Selkirk, £ 1 50 a year; and the third, belonging
to the burgh, a rental of £80. Considerable quantities,
also, of cod and other fish are taken off the coasts. A
market is held weekly, on Friday, but it is not much
frequented; and a market for provisions every Tuesday.
Fairs, chiefly for hiring servants, are held on the last
Friday in March and in September; and for general
business on the l^th of August, if on Friday, otherwise
on the Friday following. There are branches of the
Bank of Scotland and the Western Bank established
in the town; also a branch of the National-Security
Savings' Bank. The post-office here has two deliveries
daily. Facility of communication is afforded by roads
kept in excellent order, and there are two bridges over
the Dee between Kirkcudbright and Tongland, one of
them, which is still in good repair, erected about the year
1730 at an expense of about £400, and the other, of one
arch 110 feet in span, erected in 1808 at an expense of
£73.50. In 1847 an act was passed authorizing the construction
of a branch of about twenty-seven miles, to
Kirkcudbright, of the Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle
railway. Two steamers sail weekly to Liverpool in
summer, and every fortnight during the winter.
The BURGH is governed by a provost, two bailies, a
treasurer, and a council of thirteen members, chosen under
the provisions of the Municipal Reform act; and
the municipal and parliamentary boundaries, which
are nearly identical, comprise the whole of the royalty.
There are six incorporated trades, the squaremen, tailors,
clothiers, hammermen and glovers, shoemakers, and weavers; the fees of admission
as members vary from £1 to £1. 10. for sons
and apprentices of freemen, and from £3 to £6 for strangers.
In 1848-9 the revenues of the corporation, arising
from lands, the fishery, ferry, and harbour dues, were
£1249. The magistrates exercise both civil and criminal
jurisdiction; but as the seat of the sheriff's court is
within the burgh, very few cases of the former kind are
brought under their consideration, and the latter kind
of jurisdiction is almost confined to petty cases of misdemeanor.
Kirkcudbright is associated with Dumfries,
Annan, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar, in returning a
member to the imperial parliament. The county-hall
and gaol, erected in 1816, at an expense of £5000, form
a handsome range of building in the castellated style,
with a lofty tower; the hall and court-room are elegantly
decorated, and the gaol is under excellent regulation. On
the opposite side of the High-street are the old gaol and
court-house, a curious building, near which is the ancient
market-cross, with a pair of jougs for the punishment of
delinquents, and the date 1054. The number of the
burgh constituency is about ninety.
The PARISH includes the ancient parishes of Galtway
and Dunrod, which were annexed to the ancient parish
of Kirkcudbright about the latter half of the seventeenth
century. It is bounded on the south by the Solway
Firth, and is about eight miles in length and three and a
half in breadth, comprising an area of 15,000 acres, of
which 3000 are arable, 500 meadow and pasture, 500
woodland and plantations, and the remainder hilly
moor, affording tolerable pasturage for sheep and cattle.
The surface is diversified; on the shores of the Dee it is
tolerably level, but in some other parts rises by continued
undulations to a height of 400 feet above the
level of the sea. The river, after having united with
the streams of the Deugh and the Ken, forms a boundary
of the parish, and joins the Firth at Kirkcudbright
bay; it flows through a romantic tract of country,
between banks of rugged and precipitous rocks clothed
with wood, and makes some picturesque cascades. The
Dee is navigable for ships of any burthen to Kirkcudbright,
and to the lower bridge of Tongland for vessels
of 200 tons. There are several burns in the parish, in
which are found abundance of yellow trout, and, towards
the end of autumn, sea-trout and herling; and near the
farms of Culdoch and Jordieland is a lake abounding
with trout equal to those of Loch Leven.
In this parish the soil is principally a clay loam,
alternated with moss; in some parts of a dry and
gravelly quality, and in others of unrivalled fertility.
The crops are oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and turnips.
The system of agriculture is improved; the lands have
been well drained and inclosed, and the farm-buildings
are in general substantially built. The cattle are mostly
of the Galloway breed, and are reared in considerable
numbers, as are also the sheep, which are generally of
the Leicestershire breed. The substrata of the parish
are chiefly greywacke, porphyry, and trap; and near
the shore are found boulders of granite and greenstone.
There is but little indigenous wood: the plantations are
usually oak, ash, elm, beech, plane, Spanish chesnut,
and larch, spruce, Scotch and silver fir; they are well
managed and in a thriving state, and on some of the
lands are various other varieties, including walnut, birch,
alder, maple, laburnum, poplar, and willow. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £11,541. St.
Mary's Isle, the seat of the Earl of Selkirk, is beautifully
situated a mile southward of the town, on what was
formerly an island, but is now a peninsula projecting
into the bay of Kirkcudbright. It was the site of a
priory founded by Fergus, lord of Galloway, for Augustine
monks, and dedicated to St. Mary. There are still
remaining some portions of the ancient priory, incorporated
in the present noble mansion, which is embosomed
in a demesne enriched with stately timber, and commanding
some highly-interesting and diversified prospects.
The houses of Balmae, Janefield, St. Cuthbert's
Cottage, and Fludha, are handsome residences finely situated.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Kirkcudbright, synod of
Galloway. The minister's stipend is £281. 10., with an
allowance of £50 in lieu of manse, and a glebe valued at
£18 per annum; patron, the Crown. Kirkcudbright
church, which is one of the most elegant ecclesiastical
structures in the country, was erected in 1838, at an
expense of £7000, towards which the Earl of Selkirk
contributed more than £4000; the interior is well arranged,
and contains 1500 sittings. There are places
of worship for members of the Free Church and the
United Presbyterian Church. An academy here is
under three masters, all appointed by the corporation,
who pay to one master a salary of £60, and to each of
the others £50, in addition to the fees. The course
of instruction includes the classics, mathematics, and
the whole routine of a commercial education; and
the average number of scholars is 200. The buildings,
which were erected in 1S15, on a site given by the Earl
of Selkirk, were completed at an expense of £1129, and
contain three large class-rooms, a library, and other
apartments: in front is a piazza, for the use of the
pupils in unfavourable weather. Two parochial schools
are maintained, the masters of which have a salary of
£25. l.S. each, with a house and garden. There are also
a school for females, the mistress of which receives
£20 per annum from the funds of the burgh;. and a
school, the master of which has £10 per annum paid
jointly by the burgh and by the Countess of Selkirk;
with various other schools partly endowed; and a Sabbath
school under the superintendence of the minister,
in which are about 300 children. Loch Fergus has
been drained, and nothing is now left of the original
castle of the lords of Galloway; but there are some
remains of that of Kirkcudbright, also a fortress of the
lords. The castle at Bombie, from which the Maclelians
took their title, is now a heap of ruins: the Maclelians
had a second castle at Raeberry, situated on a precipitous
rock overhanging the Solway Firth, but the site and
fosse alone remain. There are numerous vestiges of
British forts. A Roman vase was lately discovered at
Castledykes; and near Drummore Castle was found,
about the commencement of the last century, a plate of
pure gold, valued at £20.