KIRKMAIDEN, a parish, in the county of Wigtown,
16 miles (S. by E.) from Stranraer; containing,
with the villages of Drumore and Port-Logan, 2202 inhabitants,
of whom 1700 are in the rural districts of the
parish. This place, which occupies the southern extremity
of Scotland, derives its name from the dedication
of its ancient church to St. Medan, to whom some other
churches in this part of the country were also dedicated;
and the name, originally Kirk-Medan, after undergoing
various modifications at different periods, has since the
Reformation invariably retained its present form. From
the names of some localities in the parish, it would appear
that other churches were founded here at an early
period; and slight vestiges of the cemeteries may still
be traced. The principal churches on record are those
of Kirkbride, Kilstay, Kildonnan, Kirkleish, and Kirkdrain;
and upon the shore of Maryport bay was an ancient
chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary, the ruins of
which were standing in I68O. The promontory called
the Mull of Galloway, at the southern extremity of the
parish, is said to have been the last retreat of the ancient
Picts, who, no longer able to withstand the assaults
of their victorious enemies, here leaped from the rocks,
and perished in the sea.
The PARISH is bounded on the east by the bay of
Luce, and on the south and west by the Irish Sea. It
is about ten miles in length from north to south, and
varies from a mile and a half to nearly four miles in
breadth, comprising an area of 13,000 acres, of which 4000
are arable, 6000 meadow and pasture, 300 woodland and
plantations, and the remainder moor and waste. The
form is very irregular, and the surface greatly diversified.
In some parts the ground is low and flat, but interspersed
with numerous hills of moderate height, some of
which are clothed with plantations; in other parts the
lands rise into mountainous elevation, and almost in the
centre the parish is intersected by a range of heights
extending from the Irish Sea to Luce bay. Among the
more conspicuous of the hills that diversify the surface,
and some of which are nearly 900 feet above the level of
the sea, are Montlokowre, Dunman, Cairnliill, Cairn of
Dolt, and Grennan Hill, from all of which are obtained
extensive and interesting views. The bold rocky promontory
of tlie Mull of Galloway, a peninsula nearly a
mile and a half in length, and a quarter of a mile in
brcatltii, is connected witli the main land l)y a narrow
isthmus, little more than a quarter of a mile in width,
and on whicli a iightiiouse was erected in 1S30, displaying
an intermitting light, visible at a distance of twenty
three nautical miles. From the balcony of the lighthouse
is an unbounded prospect, embracing the mountains
of Cumberland, the whole of the Isle of Man, the
coast of Ireland from the mountains of Morne to Fairhead,
the heights of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Ayrshire,
and the summits of Mount Jura, in Argyllshire, all
of which are distinctly seen in clear weather. On the
eastern side of the parish the coast is flat, and the shore
gravelly; but on the west, rocky and precipitous, and
worn by the waves into romantic caverns. The principal
headland on the east is Killiness Point; on the west
are Crammag, Gounies, and the Mull of Logan.
Of the numerous bays that indent the coast the most
important are Chapelrossan, Balgown, New England,
Tirally, Grennan, Curghie, Drumore, Culliness or Killiness,
Maryport, and East Tarbet, on the bay of Luce;
and West Tarbet, Barncorkrie, Clanyard, Portnessock,
and Port Gill, on the shore of the Irish Sea. The harbours
are Port-Logan in the bay of Portnessock, and
Drumore. At both of these harbours, commodious
quays have been erected, where vessels of any burthen
may land and take in their cargoes, and find safe anchorage
in the bays; but the former cannot be entered at
low water by vessels of great size. Several of the other
bays, also, are accessible to small vessels in fine weather;
but they are not much frequented. Fish of many kinds
are found in abundance off the coast; the most general
are cod, whiting, mullet, mackerel, skate, turbot, soles,
oysters, lobsters, and crabs, of which two last great
numbers are taken by fishermen from Ireland, for the
supply of the Dublin market. Herrings, after having
for years abandoned this part of the coast, are beginning
to return, and promise to be abundant, in which case
the fisheries, not now conducted upon any regular plan,
may become a source of much profit.
The SOIL, though various, is tolerably fertile, and the
lands are in profitable cultivation; the crops are wheat,
barley, oats, potatoes, and turnips, with the usual grasses.
The system of husbandry is in a great degree advanced,
but is still susceptible of improvement. Thoroughdraining
has been introduced to a moderate extent, with
considerable benefit, and due regard is had to the rotation
of crops; the lands, also, have been mostly inclosed.
In this parish the fences, which are partly of
stone and partly of thorn, are but indifferent; and
though the buildings on some of the larger farms are
substantial, many are still of very inferior order. The
cattle reared are of the Galloway breed, with the exception
of the cows for the dairy, which are of the Ayrshire;
and great attention is paid to their improvement: the
sheep reared in the hill pastures are all of the blackfaced,
while such as are kept on the farms for domestic
use are of the Leicestershire breed. The plantations,
almost confined to the vicinity of Logan House, consist
of ash, mountain-ash, sycamore, elm, beech, birch, and
Huntingdon willow, for all of which the soil is well
adapted; and in places sheltered from the sea, pineaster,
white-spruce, Scotch fir, holly, and yew are in a thriving
state. In general the rocks are composed of greywacke
and argillaceous schist, alternated with portions of granite
and gneiss. Slate of tolerable quality for roofing is
found in abundance, and in some places has been wrought
to a considerable extent; but there are no quarries at
present in operation. The annual value of real property
in the parish is £6396. Logan House, the seat of the
principal landed proprietor, is a handsome modern mansion,
situated in an extensive demesne richly embellished.
No manufactures are carried on; but in the villages of
Drumore and Port-Logan, which are separately described,
a few of the inhabitants are employed in the requisite
handicraft trades. There is a post established under the
post-office of Stranraer, from which town the mail is
conveyed daily to Port-Logan and Drumore, three days
in the week by a gig merely, and on the three other days
by a car carrying passengers. A fair is held near the
church on the Tuesday after the 21st of November; it
was formerly frequented by dealers from various parts of
the country, but has degenerated into a mere pleasure-fair.
Facility of communication is maintained by statute-labour
roads, now much improved, and kept in good repair.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the limits of the
presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway. The
minister's stipend is £150. 16. 5., of which £5. 7. 8. are
paid from the exchequer; with a manse, and a glebe
valued at £8 per annum: patron, the Earl of Stair.
Kirkmaiden church, situated nearly in the centre of the
parish, was erected in 1638; it is a very plain structure
with 275 sittings. The parochial school is attended
by about ninety children; the master has a salary of
£25. 15., with a house and garden, and the fees average
£18. A parochial library, containing a collection of 600
volumes, is supported by subscription. There are slight
vestiges of ancient fortresses on the hills, supposed to
have been of Pictish origin: on the isthmus connecting
the Mull of Galloway with the main land, are some
traces of a double line of fortifications extending from
sea to sea. Upon the coast, near East Tarbet, is a cave
thought to have been the retreat of St. Medan; and
near it, in the adjoining rock, is a cylindrical well about
four feet in diameter and six feet deep, naturally formed,
and supplied with water by the surf breaking over the
rock at spring tides. In the parish are the remains of
the ancient castles of Logan, Clanyard, and Drumore;
and a bell which, according to an inscription, appears to
have been originally cast for the grandfather of the first
Earl of Dalhousie, in 1534, is now used as the churchbell:
it is said to have been at one time the dinner-bell
of Castle-Clanyard, and to have been brought to that
place from Kenraure. Near Logan is a natural cavity
in the rocks, into which the tide enters at every flood,
and which is generally stored with various kinds offish.
Andrew Mc Douall, Lord Bankton, author of Institutes
of Scottish Law; and Robert Mc Douall, admiral both
in the Portuguese and the British service, were natives
of the parish.