KIRKPATRICK-DURHAM, a parish, in the stewartry
of Kirkcudbright; containing, with part of
the village of Crocketford, 1484 inhabitants, of whom
500 are in the village of Kirkpatrick-Durham, b^ miles
(N. N. E.) from Castle- Douglas. This place derives its
name from the dedication of its church to St. Patrick:
the adjunct Durham, distinguishing it from other
places of the name of Kirkpatrick, arose from the dry
and barren nature of the district in which the parish is
situated. On account of its secluded position in the
interior of the county, it does not appear to have been
connected with any events of political importance; and
few particulars of its early history are recorded. In
various parts are found remains of circular walls and
mounds, called moats; but from their general character,
they seem to have been intended merely as places of
security for cattle during the frequent ravages of the
border warfare. The parish is bounded on the west
by the river Urr, and is about ten miles in length from
north to south, and nearly four miles in extreme breadth,
comprising 20,000 acres, of which 8000 are arable, 500
woodland and plantations, and the remainder hill pasture,
moorland, and waste. Its surface, though not
mountainous, rises gradually towards the north, and is
diversified with cragged hills of considerable elevation,
mostly covered with heath, and affording pasturage for
sheep and cattle; the moors in this part of the parish
abound with game of every variety, and are much frequented
during the shooting season. In the southern
districts the surface is comparatively level, subsiding
by degrees into gentle declivities, and better adapted
for agricultural purposes. The river Urr has its source
in Loch Urr, on the western confines of the county of
Dumfries, and flowing southward through a romantic
valley, falls into the Solway Firth about ten miles below
the southern extremity of the parish. The salmonfishery
on this river was formerly very considerable;
but from the extensive use of stake-nets near the mouth,
and from various other causes, it has within the last few
years been greatly injured, and very few salmon are now
obtained. The river is much frequented, however, in
the month of August, by the herling, a small fish of the
salmon kind, known in some rivers as the whitling.
There are two or three lochs of inconsiderable size, one
of which abounds with trout; and various small burns
flow through the lauds into the river Urr.
In the lower lands the soil is tolerably good, and,
though thin and sandy, is, under proper management,
rendered productive, yielding favourable crojis of grain:
there are, too, some tracts of old pasture, which, when
brought under cultivation, are luxuriantly fertile. The
system of husbandry has been progressively advancing,
and is at present quite on a par with what is pursued in
the adjacent districts; but upon the whole, the ])arish
is rather of a pastoral than an agricultural character,
and the farmers rely chiefly on the rearing of l)lackcattle
and sheep, of which large numbers are sent to
Dumfries, Castle-Douglas, and Liverpool. There are some
small remains of ancient wood to be seen on the lands
of Kilquhanity and Kirk-le-Bride. The plantations are
tolerably extensive, and consist of the usual hard-wood
trees, largely interspersed with larch-firs to protect
them from the severity of the winds: they are generally
in a thriving state. The annual value of real property
in Kirkpatrick-Durham is returned at £"234.
Handsome mansions are numerous: Brooklands, Chipperkyle,
Croyes, Doonpark, Durhamhill, Kilquhanity,
and Walton Park are all of them good houses, pleasantly
situated in grounds tastefully laid out, and embellished
with plantations. The village of Kirkpatrick-Durham is
about a mile and a half from Bridge-of-Urr. An attempt
was made some years since to establish the cotton and
woollen manufactures on a small scale, and was for a
time attended with success; but they have both been
discontinued, and there is no manufacture of any kind
carried on here at present. Some of the inhabitants
are employed in the usual handicraft trades, and there
are several good shops for the supply of the district.
A post-office, which has a daily delivery, is established
in the village; and a fair is held annually on the Thursday
after the 17th of March (O. S.), chiefly for plants and
garden-seeds; but it is not much frequented. Races
are held at the period of the fair, which were for a time
numerously attended, but are now of little consequence.
Facility of communication is maintained by the road
from the village to Castle-Douglas, by the great road
from Dumfries to Portpatrick, and by others which intersect
the parish: there are good bridges over the river
Urr and its tributaries. About a mile and a half southward
of the village is the pleasingly-rural hamlet called
Bridge-of-Urr, containing about fifty inhabitants. The
village of Crocketford, of which part only is situated
within the parish, is described under its own head.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery and synod of Dumfries. The minister's
stipend is about £270, with a manse, and a glebe valued
at £10. 16. per annum; patron, the Crown. Kirkpatrick
church, erected in 1748, and enlarged by the
addition of an aisle in 1797, is a plain structure near
the southern extremity of the parish, containing 374
sittings. A Free church has been erected. There are
two parochial schools in the parish: the master of the
principal school, in the village, has a salary of £31. 6.,
with a house and garden, to which is added the interest
of a bequest of £270 for the gratuitous instruction of
poor children; and the school fees average about £30
per annum. The master of the other school has a salary
of £16. 10., with fees averaging £10. On the lands of
Doonpark are some slight remains of an ancient moat,
near which were found, a few years since, some fragments
of old armour; and on the lands of Areeming are
the foundations of a church, from which the adjoining
farm received the appellation of Kirk-le-Bride. In various
parts are the remains of other moats or mounds,
of circular form, and apparently constructed for purposes
of defence, or as places of security for cattle.