MINNIGAFF, a parish, in the stewartry of KirkCUDBRIGHT;
containing, with the village of Creebridgei
1826 inhabitants, of whom 170 are in the village of
MinnigafF, ^ a mile (N.) from Newton-Stewart. This
place, the name of which is in the Gaelic language minutely
descriptive of its dark mountainous aspect, formed
part of the territories of the ancient Earls of Galloway,
who resided in the baronial castle of Garlics, of which
there are still some remains within a mile and a half of
the village of MinnigafF. During the contest for the
throne between Baliol and Bruce, the latter, aftqr his
defeat by the English at Carrick, retired to this district
with his followers, and encamped in the secluded wilds
at the head of Loch Dee. Bruce lodged at night in the
cottage of a poor widow at Craigencallie; and being discovered
by his hostess, who had three sons by three
different husbands, they all entered into his service, and
remained zealous adherents to his cause. At their suggestion
the followers of Bruce, not more than 300 in
number, and greatly inferior to the English, who had
encamped on the opposite side of the river Dee, collected
all the wild horses and goats they could find in the
neighbourhood; and from the noise thus occasioned,
the English, thinking that Bruce had procured a large
reinforcement, did not venture beyond the precincts of
their camp. In the night Bruce attacked the English,
and obtained an easy victory over his enemies, who,
fancying themselves assailed by a superiority of numbers,
fled with precipitation, many of them being killed in
their retreat. The three sons of the widow, whose names
were Mc Kie, Murdoch, and Mc Lurg, received from
Bruce, after his establishment on the throne, the lands
of Hassock and Cumloden in recompense for their services.
On the death of the descendant of Mc Kie without
male issue, a portion of the lands passed to the
family of Heron, of Heron, by marriage with Margaret,
his only daughter and heiress; this portion is now the
property of Lady Heron Maxwell. Cumloden, which
was the portion of Murdoch, the second son, was sold
by his descendant to the Stewart family in the last century,
and now belongs to the Earl of Galloway.
The parish is bounded on the east by the Dee, which
divides it from the parishes of Kells and Carsphairn;
and on the west by the river Cree. It is nearly twentyfour
miles in length and from eight to twelve miles in
breadth, comprising an area of 86,787 acres, of which
6000 are arable and in cultivation, about 1600 acres
woodland and plantations, and the remainder moorland
pasture and waste. The surface is mountainous, including
a considerable portion of the hilly range extending
from .St. Abb's Head on the eastern coast. The
highest of the hills is the Meyrick, whicli has an elevation
of 2500 from the level of the sea; and that of
Cairnsmuir, though of inferior height, yet, rising from a
less elevated base, appears almost equally lofty. The
summit of the latter hill commands a most extensive
and richly-varied prospect, embracing the valley of the
Palnure, the wooded demesnes of the Cairnsmuir and
Bargally mansions, the river Cree, the town of Newton-
Stewart, parts of AVigtownshire diversified with hill and
dale, the burgh of Kirkcudbright, and other interesting
features, with the Isle of Man ami the mountains of
Ireland and of Cumljcrland in the distance. For several
miles along the banks of the Cree, the ground is level,
forming a fine tract of carse land, but not of any
considerable breadth, in a high state of cultivation. There
are numerous springs; and of several picturesque lakes
the largest are Loth Trool, environed with hills, and
Loch Dee, neither of which, however, exceeds two miles
in length. The streams and lakes abound with trout;
salmon are found in the Cree, and sea-trout in the months
of June and July.
In this parish the soil is various, generally of a dry
gravelly kind, but in some parts a tenacious clay interspersed
with moss, which, however, at a moderate expense,
might be reclaimed and brought into profitable
cultivation. The crops are, grain of all sorts, with potatoes
and turnips, and the different grasses. The system
of agriculture is advanced, and the lands have in several
parts been well drained. Some of the farm- buildings
within the last few years have been rebuilt in a more
substantial and commodious manner, and most of the
recent improvements in implements of husbandry have
been adopted. Many cattle are reared and pastured in
the parish; they are chiefly of the pure native Galloway
breed, and great attention is paid to the bettering of the
stock: there are also about 35,000 sheep, which are of
the black-faced breed with the exception of a few of the
Leicestershire on the lower lands. The substrata are
mainly greywacke and clay-slate; granite occurs in
boulders at various places, and at Craigdhews in large
masses, from which blocks have been cut for building
purposes. Lead-ore is found in the south-western portion
of the parish, and was formerly wrought to a considerable
extent; but having lately become unproductive,
the mines have been discontinued. The annual
value of real property in Minnigaff is £10,976.
The most extensive and important portion remaining
of the ancient forest of the district is the Cree wood, on
the estate of Garlics, the property of the Earl of Galloway;
it extends for nearly three miles along the banks
of the Cree, and consists chiefly of oak, intermixed with
ash, hazel, and birch. Around the castle of Garlics are
also about 500 acres of plantations, the greater portion
of recent date. Kirouchtree, the seat of Lady Heron
Maxwell, is beautifully situated in a well-planted demesne;
and near the house are many trees of venerable
growth. Cumloden Cottage, the summer residence of
the Earl of Galloway, was built by Lieutenant-General Sir
William Stewart, K. C. B., who commanded the troops embarked
with Lord Nelson in the expedition to Copenhagen,
and who served under the Duke of Wellington in Spain
and Portugal: he died at Cumloden Cottage in 1827.
Cairnsmuir and Bargally are both houses well situated.
The village of MinnigafiF, near the confluence of the
rivers Cree and Penkill, though formerly a place of some
extent and importance, has since the erection of Newton-
Stewart in Wigtownshire dwindled into a hamlet. About
a quarter of a mile below it, a street of good houses
called Creebridge has been built near a bridge over the
river, a handsome structure of granite of five arches,
from which the street takes its name, and which leads
into the town of Newton-Stewart. The chief manufacture
is that of cotton, in which sixteen persons are employed,
and at Cumloden the weaving of blankets and
coarse plaids occupies about twelve persons. Facility
of communication is afforded by the road from Portpatrick
to Dumfries, by a turnpike-road to New Galloway,
and by the Ayrshire road via Straiton, which last
passes for many miles through the upper part of the
parish. The Cree is navigable for vessels of forty tons
to Port-Carty, about a mile south of Newton-Stewart;
and at Palnure is a small wharf, where grain and other
agricultural produce are shipped for Liverpool, and coal
and lime imported for the supply of the district.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Wigtown and synod of Galloway.
The minister's stipend is £245. 4. 10., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £25 per annum; patron,
the Crown. The church, erected in 1836 after a design
by Mr. Burn of Edinburgh, at a cost of £1800, is an
elegant structure in the later English style of architecture,
with a square embattled tower, and contains 850
sittings; the interior is well arranged, and the east
window embellished with stained glass. In the churchyard
is a monument to Sir William Stewart, above mentioned.
A church has since been erected at Bargrennan,
in the upper part of the parish, to which a district has
been assigned; there are 207 sittings, and the duty is
performed by a licentiate, who has a stipend of £50 per
annum, towards which the Earl of Galloway contributes
£20, and Colonel Stopford Blair of Penninghame, and
the Rev. Mr. Johnstone, £10 each. In the parish is
also a place of worship for members of the Free Church.
The parochial school is attended by about seventy children;
the master has a salary of £34, with a house and
garden, and the fees, about £30. There is also a school
at Bargrennan, of which the master receives a salary of
£23 per annum from Lord Galloway, Col. Blair, and
others, in addition to the fees. A school in which
twenty-five girls are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic,
and needle-work, is supported by the Countess of
Galloway; and there is a Sabbath school, to which is
attached a library of about 400 volumes. A clothing
club was instituted a few years since by Lady Galloway,
who adds to the weekly deposits one-half of the amount
at the end of the year: a similar institution is under
the patronage of Lady Heron Maxwell.
On the summit of a bank at the junction of the Cree
and the Penkill, is a mound which appears to have been
anciently a seat for administering justice; and there are
various others in the parish. Several tumuli have been
opened, in which were found human bones and military
weapons. On the lands of Kirouchtree, in forming the
plantations, a large mound was opened, covered on the
top with clay, under which were ashes, and, beneath, a
vitrified substance about an inch in thickness, on removing
which a circular wall was discovered, inclosing
an area filled with red ashes to the depth of three feet.
Below these was a flagstone six feet long and three feet
wide, covering a pit, where a human body was found,
which on exposure to the air crumbled into dust. About
a mile from Creebridge, on the Dumfries road, is a tumulus
supposed to cover the remains of the slain in some
battle of the Scots with the Romans or the Picts.