Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, an ...
) is a
historic county and
registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration pur ...
in southern
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. The Dumfries
lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas are the separate areas of the United Kingdom appointed a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have similar demarcation and naming to, but are not necessarily coterminate with, the coun ...
covers a similar area to the historic county.
In terms of historic counties it borders
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...
to the west,
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...
to the north-west,
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
,
Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and ...
and
Selkirkshire to the north, and
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Be ...
to the east. To the south is the coast of the
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth ( gd, Tràchd Romhra) is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven ...
, and the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
county of
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...
.
Dumfriesshire has three traditional subdivisions, based on the three main valleys in the county:
Annandale,
Eskdale and
Nithsdale. These had been independent
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
in medieval times but were gradually superseded as administrative areas by the area controlled by the
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of Dumfries, or Dumfriesshire. A Dumfriesshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975.
Since 1975, the area of the historic county has formed part of the
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkc ...
council area for local government purposes.
Geography
The coastline measures 21 miles (34 km). The county slopes very gradually from the mountainous districts of the
Southern Uplands in the north, down to the sea; lofty hills alternating in parts with stretches of
tableland or rich fertile
holms. At various points within a few miles of the
Solway are tracts of moss land, like
Craigs Moss
Craigs ( ga, Na Creaga, "The Rocks") is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Finvoy Civil Parish situated in the history Barony of Kilconway. It is a relatively large townland at a 4.38 square miles (2,800 acres), m ...
,
Lochar Moss Lochar may refer to:
* Lochar (ward), Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
* Lochar Moss Torc
The Lochar Moss Torc is an Iron Age brass torc or neck-ring found in Lochar Moss, near Dumfries in Scotland. It was found by chance in the early nineteenth ...
and
Longbridge Moor in the west, and
Nutberry Moss in the east, all once under water, but since largely reclaimed.
The principal mountains occur near the northern boundaries, the highest being
White Coomb (),
Hart Fell (),
Saddle Yoke (),
Swatte Fell (),
Lowther Hills (),
Queensbury () and
Ettrick Pen ().
The three longest rivers are the
River Nith, the
River Annan
The River Annan (''Abhainn Anann'' in Gaelic) is a river in south-west Scotland. It rises on Annanhead Hill and flows through the Devil's Beef Tub, Moffat and Lockerbie, reaching the sea at Annan, Dumfries and Galloway after about 40 mile ...
and the
River Esk, the basins of which form the great
dale
Dale or dales may refer to:
Locations
* Dale (landform), an open valley
* Dale (place name element)
Geography
;Australia
* The Dales (Christmas Island), in the Indian Ocean
;Canada
* Dale, Ontario
;Ethiopia
* Dale (woreda), district
;Norway
* ...
s by which the county is cloven from north to south —
Nithsdale,
Annandale and
Eskdale. From the point where it enters Dumfriesshire, from its source near
Enoch Hill in Ayrshire, the course of the Nith is mainly south-easterly until it enters the Solway, a few miles below Dumfries. Its total length is 65 mi., and its chief affluents are, on the right, the
Kello Water
Kello may refer to:
People
* Esther Kello (1571–1624), Scottish miniaturist, calligrapher, writer, and embroider
* Jagama Kello
Jagama Kello ( om, Jaagamaa Keelloo; ; 29 January 1920 - 7 April 2017) was an Ethiopian military officer in the ...
,
Euchan Water,
Scaur Water
Kippford (; otherwise Scaur)
Gazetteer for Scotland is a small village along the Cluden Water
Cluden is an outer southern suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the Cluden had a population of 427 people.
History
The suburb takes its name from a property name used by James Gordon (1822-1904), Sub-C ...
and
River Cargen, Cargen, and — on the left — the
River Crawick,
Carron Water and
River Campie.
The Annan rises near the
Devil's Beef Tub, a remarkable chasm in the far north, and after flowing about 40 mi (65 km), mainly in a southerly course, it enters the Solway at
Barnkirk Headlands and bays. It receives, on the right, the
Kinnel Water (reinforced by the
Water of Ae
The Water of Ae is a tributary of the River Annan into which it flows west of Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway administrative county of South West Scotland in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, c ...
), and — on the left — the
Moffat Water, the
Dryfe Water
Dryfe Water is a river in Scotland about 18 miles in length which flows into the River Annan at , near Lockerbie. It starts at on the southern slopes of Loch Fell, near Moffat, and then flows along a narrow valley to the Annan.
Dryfe Water gives ...
and the
Water of Milk.
From the confluence of the
White Esk (rising near Ettrick Pen) and the
Black Esk (rising near
Jocks Shoulder, ) the Esk flows in a gradually south-easterly direction until it crosses the Border, whence it sweeps to the southwest through the extreme north-western territory of Cumberland and falls into the Solway. Of its total course of 42 mi (78 km), 12 mi (20 km) belong to the White Esk, 20 mi (32 km) are of the Esk proper on Scottish soil and 10 mi (16 km) are of the stream in its English course. On the right the
Wauchope Water is the chief affluent, and on the left it receives the
Meggat Water,
Ewes Water,
Tarras Water
Tarras Water is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
R.H. Traquair named a fossil of an extinct, prehistoric ray-finned fish ''Tarrasius problematicus'' after the Tarras Water. The name has subsequently been applied to the genus Tarrasii ...
,
Liddel Water
Liddel Water is a river running through southern Scotland and northern England, for much of its course forming the border between the two countries, and was formerly one of the boundaries of the Debatable Lands.
Liddel Water's source is beneat ...
and
River Lyne — the last being an English tributary, and the previous forming the border between
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Be ...
and
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...
.
Other rivers are the
Lochar Water (), the
Kirtle Water () and the
River Sark (), all flowing into the Solway. For one mile (1.6 km) of its course the Esk, and for of its course the
River Sark, form the boundaries between Dumfriesshire and Cumberland.
Between the Esk and Sark lies
Scots' Dyke, a man-made
berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a border/ separation ...
that forms the
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands".
The ...
, cutting through the area formerly known as the
Debatable Lands.
[Wickham-Jones, C. R. (2009), ''The Landscape of Scotland''. Stroud : The History Press. . pp. 157 - 158.]
Loch Skeen in the north (1750 ft or 533 m above the sea) and the group of lochs around
Lochmaben, are the principal lakes. There are few
glen
A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...
s so named in the shire, but the passes of Dalveen, Enterkin and Menock, leading up from Nithsdale to the Lowther and other hills, yield to few glens in Scotland in the wild grandeur of their scenery. For part of the way
Enterkin Pass runs between mountains rising sheer from the burn to a height of nearly Loch Skene finds an outlet in
Tail Burn, the water of which at a short distance from the lake leaps from a height of in a fine waterfall, known as the
Grey Mare's Tail. A much smaller but picturesque fall of the same name, also known as
Crichope Linn, occurs on the Crichope near
Thornhill. Mineral waters are found at
Moffat,
Hartfell Spa, some three miles (5 km) farther north, Closeburn and Brow on the Solway.
Geology
The greater portion of the county of Dumfries belongs to the
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleoz ...
tableland of the south of Scotland which contains representatives of all the divisions of that system from the
Arenig to the
Ludlow rocks.
By far the largest area is occupied by strata of Tarannon and Llandovery age which cover a belt of country from across from
Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. It is open to the public at set times.
Con ...
in the north to
Torthorwald in the south. Consisting of massive grits, sometimes conglomeratic,
greywackes, flags and shales, these beds are repeated by innumerable folds frequently inverted, striking northeast and southwest and usually dipping towards the northwest. In the midst of this belt there are lenticular bands of older
strata
In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as e ...
of Arenig, Llandeilo, Caradoc and Llandovery age composed of fine sediments such as cherts, black and grey shales, white clays and flags, which come to the surface along anticlinal folds and yield abundant graptolites characteristic of these divisions.
These black shale bands are typically developed in Moffatdale; indeed the three typical sections chosen by
Charles Lapworth to illustrate his three great groups:
:(1) the Glenkill shales (Upper Llandeilo),
:(2) the Hartfell shales (Caradoc),
:(3) Birkhill shales (Lower Llandovery) occur respectively in the Glenkill Burn north of
Kirkmichael, on Hartfell and in Dobbs Linn near
St Mary's Loch in the basin of the river Annan.
In the extreme northwest of the county between Drumlanrig Castle and Dalveen Pass in the south and the Spango and Kello Waters on the north, there is a broad development of Arenig, Liandeilo and Caradoc strata, represented by
Radiolarian cherts, black shales, grits, conglomerates, greywackes and shales which rise from underneath the central Tarannon belt and are repeated by innumerable folds, in the cores of the arches of Arenig cherts there are diabase lavas, tuffs and agglomerates which are typically represented on Bail Hill east of
Kirkconnel
Kirkconnel ( Gaelic: ''Cille Chonaill'') is a small parish in Dumfries and Galloway, southwestern Scotland. It is located on the A76 near the head of Nithsdale. Principally it has been a sporting community. The name comes from The Church of Sa ...
. Along the southern margin of the Tarannon belt, the
Wenlock and Ludlow rocks follow in normal order, the boundary between the two being defined by a line extending from the head of the
Ewes Water in Eskdale, southwest by
Lockerbie
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town came to international atte ...
to
Mouswald. These consist of greywackes, flags and shales with bands of dark graptolite shales, the finer sediments being often well ground. They are likewise repeated by inverted folds, the axial planes being usually inclined to the southeast. The Silurian tableland in the northwest of the county is pierced by intrusive igneous rocks in the form of dikes and bosses, which are regarded as of Lower
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...
age. Of these, the granite mass of
Spango Water, northeast of Kirkconnel, is an excellent example. Along the northwest margin of the county, on the north side of the fault bounding the Silurian tableland, the Lower Old Red Sandstone occurs, where it consists of sandstones and conglomerates associated with contemporaneous volcanic rocks. The Upper Old Red Sandstone forms a narrow strip on the south side of the Silurian tableland, resting uncomfortably on the Silurian rocks and passing upwards into the Carboniferous formation. It stretches from the county boundary east of the Ewes Water, southwest by
Langholm to
Birrenswark. Along this line these Upper Red sandstones and shales are overlaid by a thin zone of volcanic rocks which point to contemporaneous volcanic action in this region at the beginning of the Carboniferous period. Some of the vents from which these igneous materials may have been discharged are found along the watershed between Liddesdale and Teviotdale in Roxburghshire.
The strata of Carboniferous age are found in three areas:
:(1) between
Sanquhar and Kirkconnel,
:(2) at
Closeburn near Thornhill,
:(3) in the district between Liddesdale and Ruthwell.
In the first two instances (Sanquhar and Thornhill) the Carboniferous sediments lie in hollows worn out of the old Silurian tableland. In the Sanquhar basin the strata belong to the Coal Measures, and include several valuable coal-seams which are probably the southern prolongations of the members of this division in Ayrshire. At the S.E. limit of the Sanquhar Coalfield there are patches of the Carboniferous Limestone series, but towards the N. these are overlapped by the Coal Measures which thus rest directly on the Silurian platform. At Closeburn and
Barjarg there are beds of marine limestone, associated with sandstones and shales which probably represent marine bands in the Carboniferous Limestone series.
The most important development of Carboniferous strata occurs between Liddesdale and Ruthwell. In the valleys of the Liddel and the Esk the following zones are represented, which are given in ascending order:
:(1) The Whita Sandstone,
:(2) the
Cementstone group,
:(3) the
Fell Sandstone,
:(4) the
Glencartholm Volcanic Group,
:(5) Marine
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
group with Coal-seams,
:(6)
Millstone Grit,
:(7) Rowanburn coal group,
:(8) Byreburn coal group,
:(9) Red Sandstones of Canonbie yielding plants characteristic of the Upper Coal Measures.
The coal seams of the Rowanburn field have been chiefly wrought, and in view of their exhaustion bores have been sunk to prove the coals beneath the red sandstone of upper Carboniferous age. From a palaeontological point of view the Glencartholm volcanic zone is of special interest, as the calcareous shale associated with the tuffs has yielded a large number of new species of fishes, decapod crustaceans, phyllopods and scorpions. The Triassic rocks rest uncomfortably on all older formations within the county. In the tract along the Solway Firth they repose on the folded and eroded edges of the Carboniferous strata, and when traced westwards to the Dumfries basin they rest directly on the Silurian platform. They occur in five areas:
:(1) between Annan and the mouth of the Esk (the Scottish portion of the Solway Basin),
:(2) the Dumfries basin (Lower Nithsdale),
:(3) the Thornhill basin (Middle Nithsdale),
:(4) the Lochmaben basin (Middle Annandale),
:(5) Upper Annandale.
The strata consist of breccias, falsebedded sandstones and mans, the sandstones being extensively quarried for building purposes. In the sandstones of Corncockle Moor reptilian footprints have been obtained. In the Thornhill basin there is a thin zone of volcanic rocks at the base of this series which are evidently on-the horizon of the lavas beneath the Mauchline sandstones in Ayrshire. In the Sanquhar basin there are small outliers of lavas probably of this age and several vents filled with agglomerate from which these igneous materials in the Thornhill basin may have been derived. There are several striking examples of basalt dikes of Tertiary age, one having been traced from the Lead Hills south-east by Moffat, across
Eskdalemuir to the English border.
Climate and industries
The climate is mild, with a mean annual temperature of around (January, ; July, ), and the average annual rainfall is 53 in. Towards the middle of the 18th century farmers began to raise stock for the south, and a hundred years later 20,000 head of heavy cattle were sent yearly to the English markets. The
Galloway
Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway.
A native or ...
s, which were the breed in vogue at first, have been to a large extent replaced by shorthorns and
Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...
dairy cattle.
Sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...
breeding, of later origin, has attained to remarkable dimensions, the walks in the higher hilly country being given over to
Cheviots, and the richer pasture of the low-lying farms being reserved for half-bred lambs, a cross of Cheviots and
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
s or other long-woolled rams. Pig-feeding, once important, has declined before the imports of bacon from foreign countries. Horse breeding is pursued on a considerable scale. Grain crops, of which
oats are the principal, show a downward tendency. Arable farms range from to 300 acres (0.4 to 1.2 km
2), and pastoral from 300 to 3000 acres (1.2 to 12 km
2).
In general the industries are only of local importance and mostly confined to Dumfries and a few of the larger towns. Langholm is famous for its
tweeds; breweries and distilleries are found at Annan, Sanquhar and elsewhere; some shipping is carried on at Annan and Dumfries; and the salmon fisheries of the Nith and Annan and the Solway Firth are of value.
Communications
As built, the
Glasgow and South Western Railway
The Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) was a railway company in Scotland. It served a triangular area of south-west Scotland between Glasgow, Stranraer and Carlisle. It was formed on 28 October 1850 by the merger of two earlier railways ...
from
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
to
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
runs through Nithsdale to Dumfries, practically following the course of the River Nith, then on to
Annan and lower Annandale to the English border at
Gretna. A branch was built from
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
to
Moniaive, the
Cairn Valley Light Railway
The Cairn Valley Light Railway was a rural railway line built to connect Moniaive and other communities in the Cairn Valley with the main railway network at Dumfries. It opened in 1905 but usage was disappointing, and declined further when bus c ...
, but this closed in 1949.
The
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...
from
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
runs through Annandale, which threw off at
Beattock
Beattock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, approximately southwest of Moffat and north of Dumfries.
Beattock was historically served by the A74 road and the West Coast Main Line, however the road has since been upgraded to the ...
a small branch to Moffat, now closed. At Lockerbie a cross-country line to Dumfries (now closed), and at
Kirtlebridge a line that ultimately crossed the Solway to
Bowness which is also closed.
From Dumfries westwards there were rail communications on the '
Port Road' to
Castle Douglas,
Newton Stewart,
Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of ...
and
Portpatrick, with branches to
Kirkcudbright and
Wigtown
Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. ...
all closed and lifted.
The
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...
's
Waverley route, to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
from
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
was closed in the 1960s. There are vague plans to reopen this line to
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
as a continuation of the new rail link from
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
to
Tweedbank
Tweedbank is a large village south-east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is part of the county of Roxburghshire. It is an outer suburb or satellite development of Galashiels, on the other (eastern) side of the River Tweed. Th ...
opened in 2015. Until 1967 the
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...
sent a short line to
Langholm (via Canonbie and Gilnockie) from
Riddings Junction in Cumberland, giving access to Carlisle. The last passenger train ran on the Langholm branch on 26 March 1967, the last freight service on 17 September in the same year, and the track was lifted shortly thereafter.
There is also an extensive local bus and coach network throughout the county, centred on
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
.
There are no commercial airports in the county.
Settlements
*
Annan
*
Applegarthtown
Applegarthtown, also known as Applegarth or Applegirth, is a village near Lockerbie in Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Applegarth's Town is situated on the east bank of the River Annan close to its junction with the Nethercleugh Bur ...
*
Arkleton
*
Beattock
Beattock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, approximately southwest of Moffat and north of Dumfries.
Beattock was historically served by the A74 road and the West Coast Main Line, however the road has since been upgraded to the ...
*
Bentpath
Bentpath is a small village between Eskdalemuir and Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the River Esk and has a church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activitie ...
*
Boreland
*
Burnfoot
*
Burnhead
*
Caerlaverock
Caerlaverock (; gd, Cille Bhlàthain) is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
The parish was historically in Dumfriesshire. The area includes:
* Caerlaverock Castle, a 13th-century castle, located south of Dumfries, Scotland
* ...
*
Canonbie
Canonbie ( gd, Canonbaidh) is a small village in Dumfriesshire within the local authority area of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, south of Langholm and north of the Anglo-Scottish border. It is on the A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh, and ...
*
Carronbridge
*
Claygate
Claygate is an affluent suburban village in Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It is the only civil parish in the borough of Elmbridge. Surrounded by green belt, it lies inside the Greater London Built-up Area.
Claygate was once in ...
*
Closeburn
*
Collin
*
Cummertrees
*
Dalton
*
Dornock
*
Dryfesdale
Dryfesdale ( ) is a civil parish of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is part of the county of Dumfriesshire.
Overview
The parish church of Dryfesdale, located in the centre of Lockerbie, was dedicated to St Cuthbert. In ...
*
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
*
Dunscore
Dunscore ( / 'DUN-skur', less commonly / 'DUN-score') is a small village which lies northwest of Dumfries on the B729, in Dumfriesshire, in the District Council Region of Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.
The village consists of about ...
*
Durisdeer
*
Eaglesfield
*
Eastriggs
Eastriggs is a small village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland, the village is located around north of the mud and sandbanks of the channel of the River Eden, which extends west into the Solway Firth.
Travelling by roa ...
*
Ecclefechan
*
Eskdalemuir
*
Glencairn
*
Gretna
*
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was histo ...
*
Half Morton
*
Harelaw
*
Hoddom
*
Holywood
*
Johnstonebridge
*
Keir
*
Kelloholm
Kelloholm is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It has a primary school, a public house and several shops. Kelloholm lies next to Kirkconnel and the two have begun to merge. Kelloholm was originally constructed to serve the many mines ...
*
Kirkconnel
Kirkconnel ( Gaelic: ''Cille Chonaill'') is a small parish in Dumfries and Galloway, southwestern Scotland. It is located on the A76 near the head of Nithsdale. Principally it has been a sporting community. The name comes from The Church of Sa ...
*
Kirkmahoe
Kirkmahoe is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway. The parish contains the settlements Kirkton, where the parish church is located, Dalswinton and Duncow. It is bounded by the parishes of Dumfries to the south, Holywood and Dunscore to the ...
*
Kirkpatrick-Fleming
*
Kirkpatrick Juxta
*
Kirkstyle
*
Kirtlebridge
*
Langholm
*
Locharbriggs
Locharbriggs is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located near the Lochar Water, north-northeast of the town of Dumfries. It was one of several villages that stood on the edge of the Lochar Moss which was largely reclaimed in th ...
*
Lochmaben
*
Lockerbie
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town came to international atte ...
*
Mennock
*
Middlebie
*
Moffat
*
Mouswald
*
Newbie
Newbie, newb, noob, noobie, n00b or nub is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in a profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet ...
*
Newton Wamphray
Newton Wamphray is a village in Dumfries and Galloway. Wamphray is the name of the surrounding parish and of the Wamphray Water, which flows south-west through the Wamphray Glen to join the River Annan near the small village, or hamlet, of Newton. ...
*
Penpont
*
Powfoot
*
Rigg
*
Rowanburn
Rowanburn is a hamlet in Eskdale, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Located near Canonbie, it sits around 5 miles south-east of Langholm and about a mile from the Anglo-Scottish border.
Rowanburn was founded as a coal mining community in the l ...
*
Ruthwell
Ruthwell is a village and parish on the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, gave Ruthwell to his nephew, Sir William Murray, confirmed to Sir John Murray, of Cockpool, in ...
*
Sanquhar
*
Thornhill
*
Tinwald
*
Torthorwald
*
Tundergarth
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town came to international atte ...
*
Tynron
*
Wanlockhead
*
Waterbeck
*
Westerkirk
History
Archaeological remains from the neolithic and Bronze Age include stone circles (as in
Dunscore
Dunscore ( / 'DUN-skur', less commonly / 'DUN-score') is a small village which lies northwest of Dumfries on the B729, in Dumfriesshire, in the District Council Region of Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.
The village consists of about ...
and
Eskdalemuir),
tumuli and
cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehi ...
s (Closeburn), and sculptured stones (Dornock).
A number of bank barrows and cursus have recently been discovered.
The British tribe which inhabited this part of Scotland was called by the Romans ''
Selgovae''. They have left many signs of their presence, such as hill forts and camps (
Dryfesdale
Dryfesdale ( ) is a civil parish of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is part of the county of Dumfriesshire.
Overview
The parish church of Dryfesdale, located in the centre of Lockerbie, was dedicated to St Cuthbert. In ...
). The country around Moffat especially is rich in remains.
There are traces of the Roman roads which ran by
Dalveen Pass into Clydesdale and up the Annan to Tweeddale, and the ruins of
Blatobulgium at Birrens is one of the best-preserved examples of a Roman camp. Roman altars, urns, and coins are found in many places.
After the withdrawal of Roman power from Britain, the situation in Dumfries is not clear. The Selgovae were pressured by the power of Strathclyde, by Scots from Ireland, and the Angles from Northumberland. There is little writing preserved from this time, and that which did is ecclesiastical in nature. Archaeology, although rich on the ground, has rarely been investigated, and place names, used as an indication of influence, are still argued over by academics.
In the parish church of
Ruthwell
Ruthwell is a village and parish on the Solway Firth between Dumfries and Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, gave Ruthwell to his nephew, Sir William Murray, confirmed to Sir John Murray, of Cockpool, in ...
(pron. Rivvel: the rood, or cross, well) is preserved
an ancient Anglo-Saxon cross which tells in
Runic characters the story of the
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...
. The Saxon conquest of Dumfriesshire does not seem to have been thorough in the West, the people of Nithsdale and elsewhere maintaining some Celtic institutions up to the time of
David I David I may refer to:
* David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399
* David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741)
* David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881)
* David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048)
* David I of Scotland ...
, although this is not certain.
Around 50 fragments of
gilt bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...
mounts found in Dumfriesshire and now at the
national museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
were probably originally attached to a portable wooden
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...
, .
As a Border county Dumfriesshire was the scene of stirring deeds at various epochs, especially in the days of
Robert Bruce.
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...
besieged
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of ...
, and the factions of Bruce (who was lord of Annandale),
John Comyn and
John Baliol were at constant feud. The Border
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...
s were always at strife. There is record of a bloody fight in Dryfesdale in 1593, when the Johnstones slew 700 Maxwells, and, overtaking the fugitives at Lockerbie, there massacred most of the remnant. These factions embroiled the dalesmen until the 18th century. The highlands of the shire afforded retreat to the persecuted
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Covena ...
s, who, at Sanquhar, published in 1680 their declaration against the king, anticipating the principles of the
glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
by several years.
Prince Charles Edward’s ambition left the shire comparatively untouched, for the
Jacobite sentiment made little appeal to the people.
Dumfriesshire is inseparably connected with the name of
Robert Burns, who farmed at
Ellisland Farm
Ellisland Farm lies about 6.5 mi/10.4 km northwest of Dumfries near the village of Auldgirth, located in the Parish of Dunscore, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The complex is a museum in the farm Robert Burns built, lived in and ...
on the Nith for three years, and spent the last five years of his life in Dumfries. Thomas Carlyle was born at Ecclefechan, in a house still standing, and was buried beside his parents in the kirkyard of the old Secession church (now the United Free). His farm of
Craigenputtock
Craigenputtock (usually spelled by the Carlyles as Craigenputtoch) is an estate in Scotland where Thomas Carlyle lived from 1828 to 1834. He wrote several of his early works there, including ''Sartor Resartus''.
The estate's name incorporat ...
was left to
Edinburgh University in order to found the
John Welsh bursaries in classics and mathematics.
Folk history suggests that at Holywood, near Dumfries, there stand the relic of the grove of sacred oaks from which the place derived its name, and a stone circle known locally as the
Twelve Apostles
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
.
In 1988 Dumfriesshire was the site of the
Lockerbie bombing, in which a bomb exploded on an aircraft flying over the town of Lockerbie, killing a total of 270 people. It remains the worst single terrorist attack in British history.
Administrative history
The origins of Dumfriesshire as a county or
shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the begin ...
are obscure. There was certainly a shire of Dumfries by 1305, with some suggestion that it had existed from the twelfth century.
Annandale and
Eskdale retained a degree of independence from the sheriff of Dumfries, leaving the sheriff's practical control focussed on the
Nithsdale area until 1747 when the separate jurisdictions of Annandale and Eskdale were ended under the
Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746.
Commissioners of Supply
Commissioners of Supply were local administrative bodies in Scotland from 1667 to 1930. Originally established in each sheriffdom to collect tax, they later took on much of the responsibility for the local government of the counties of Scotland. ...
were created in 1667 for each shire, and formed the main administrative body for the area until county councils were created in 1890 under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries of many of Scotland's counties; in the case of Dumfriesshire the two parishes of
Moffat and
Kirkpatrick-Juxta which had previously both straddled Dumfriesshire and
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
were brought entirely within Dumfriesshire. Dumfriesshire County Council was based at
County Buildings in English Street. In May 1975 the county council was abolished and its functions were transferred to
Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcu ...
under the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975.
The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...
. Two lower-tier district councils were created from parts of Dumfriesshire, being
Annandale and Eskdale
Annandale and Eskdale is a committee area in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It covers the areas of Annandale and Eskdale, the straths of the River Annan and the River Esk respectively. From 1975 until 1996 it was a local government distric ...
covering the east of the county and
Nithsdale covering the west of the county and a small part of neighbouring
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...
.
For
lieutenancy
A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...
purposes, the last
lord-lieutenant
A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibilit ...
of the county of Dumfriesshire was made lord-lieutenant for the combined area of the Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale districts when the reforms came into effect in 1975. The districts were abolished in 1996, with their functions passing to
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirk ...
. The Dumfries lieutenancy area continues to cover the combined area of the pre-1996 Nithsdale and Annandale and Eskdale districts.
Historical population figures
The population in 1891 was 74,245, and in 1901, 72,371, when there were 176 persons who spoke Gaelic and English.
Of the chief towns:
*
Annan (pop. in 1901, 4,309 pop. in 1951 4,631, in 2001 8,389),
*
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...
(pop. in 1901, 14,440, pop. in 1951 26,322, in 2001 37,846),
*
Langholm (pop. in 1901, 3,142, pop. in 1951 2,404, in 2001 2,311),
*
Lockerbie
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town came to international atte ...
(pop. in 1901, 2,358, pop. in 1951 2,621, in 2001 4,009),
*
Moffat (pop. in 1901, 2,530, pop. in 1951 2,114).
Places of interest
*
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of ...
*
Dumfries Museum
Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura, located in Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries & Galloway, is the largest museum in the region. The museum has extensive collections relating to local and history from the pre-historic era. The museum a ...
*
Sweetheart Abbey
Outdoor activities
There are three of the world class
7Stanes mountain biking centres in Dumfriesshire at
Dalbeattie,
Mabie and Ae. The Sustrans Route 7 long-distance cycle route also runs through the Dumfriesshire. There is excellent hill walking in the
Moffat Hills
The Moffat Hills are a range of hills in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. They form a roughly triangular shape with a west facing side, a north facing side, and a south-east facing side. It is 17 kilometres from east to west across this triangle ...
. The
Southern Upland Way coast to coast walk passes through Dumfriesshire and the 53 mile long
Annandale Way
The Annandale Way is a hiking trail in Scotland, which is officially designated by NatureScot as one of Scotland's Great Trails. It follows the valley of the River Annan from its source in the Moffat Hills to the sea in the Solway Firth south ...
travels from the
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth ( gd, Tràchd Romhra) is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven ...
into the Moffat hills near the
Devil's Beef Tub. There is also sailing on Castle Loch at
Lochmaben.
Annandale Sailing Club's website
/ref>
People
Notable people from Dumfriesshire include:
*James Burnie Beck
James Burnie Beck (February 13, 1822May 3, 1890) was a Scottish-American slave owner, white supremacist, and United States Representative and Senator from Kentucky.
Life
Born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Beck immigrated to the United States in ...
, US Representative and US Senator from Kentucky
*
*Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy.
Born in Ecclefechan, ...
, essayist
* Henry Duncan, clergyman
* Andy Goldsworthy, sculptor
* Sir Andrew Halliday, physician, reformer, writer, and civil servant
* William Jardine, Jardine Matheson
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (also known as Jardines) is a Hong Kong-based Bermuda-domiciled British multinational conglomerate. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange and ...
founder
* Kirkpatrick Macmillan, inventor of the bicycle
*James MacMurdo
Captain James MacMurdo was the first political resident of British East India Company to Cutch State. He played important role in bringing kutchh under British suzerainty.
Biography
MacMurdo was born on 30 November 1785 in Dumfriesshire in Scotl ...
, first British political agent to Cutch State in India
*Patrick Miller of Dalswinton
Patrick Miller of Dalswinton, just north of Dumfries (1731–1815) was a Scottish banker, shareholder in the Carron Company engineering works and inventor. Miller is buried in a tomb against the southern wall of Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. ...
, engineer and inventor
* William Paterson, banker
*Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...
, engineer
* Joseph Thomson, geologist and explorer
References
Primary sources
Secondary sources
*
*
Further reading
*W. M'Dowall, ''History of the Burgh of Dumfries'' (Edinburgh, 1887);
*Sir Herbert Maxwell, ''Dumfries and Galloway'' (Edinburgh and London, 1897);
*J. Macdonald and J. Barbour, ''Birrens and its Antiquities'' (Dumfries, 1897);
*Sir William Fraser, ''The Book of Carlaverock'' (Edinburgh, 1873); ''The Douglas Book'' (Edinburgh, 1885);
*''The Annandale Book'' (Edinburgh, 1894);
*G. Neilson, ''Annandale under the Bruces'' (Annan, 1887);
*C. T. Ramage, ''Drumlanrig Castle and the Douglases'' (Dumfries, 1876).
External links
Dalveen Pass
{{coord, 55, 10, N, 3, 30, W, region:GB_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title
Counties of Scotland
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
Counties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)