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Wigtown
Wigtown ( (both used locally); ) 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. It is known as "Scotland's National Book Town" with a high concentration of second-hand book shops and an annual book festival. Wigtown is part of the Machars peninsula. History Name origins W.F.H. Nicolaisen offered two explanations for the place-name Wigtown. One theory was that it meant 'dwelling place', from the Old English 'wic-ton'; however, if it is the same as Wigton in Cumbria, which was 'Wiggeton' in 1162 and 'Wigeton' in 1262, it may be 'Wigca's farm'. Other sources have suggested a Norse root with 'Vik' meaning 'bay', giving the origin as a translation of 'The town on the bay'. Neolithic Age The surrounding area (the Machars peninsula) is rich in prehistoric remains, most notably the Torhousekie Standing Stones, a Neolithic stone circle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an counties of Scotland, administrative county used for local government in Scotland, local government. Since 1975 the area has formed part of Dumfries and Galloway for local government purposes. Wigtownshire continues to be used as a territory for land registration, being a registration county. The historic county is all within the slightly larger Wigtown Area, which is one of the lieutenancy areas of Scotland and was used in local government as the Wigtown Districts of Scotland, District from 1975 to 1996. Wigtownshire forms the western part of the medieval lordship of Galloway, which retained a degree of autonomy until it was fully absorbed by Scotland in the 13th century. In 1369, the part of Galloway east of the River Cree was placed under the control of a steward and so became known as t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtown County Buildings
Wigtown County Buildings, also known as Wigtown County Buildings and Town Hall, is a municipal building in The Square, Wigtown, Scotland. The structure primarily served as the meeting place and town hall for Wigtown Burgh Council, but was also used for some meetings of Wigtownshire, Wigtownshire County Council. It is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in Wigtown was a tolbooth which was completed in the 16th century. Two covenanters, Margaret Maclauchlan and Margaret Wilson (Scottish martyr), Margaret Wilson, were held in a cell in the tolbooth before being executed by Scottish Scottish Episcopal Church, Episcopalians in 1685 by tying them to stakes on the town's mudflats and allowing them to drown with the rising tide: they are remembered as the Wigtown Martyrs. The tolbooth was replaced by a new town hall which was completed in 1756. In the early 1860s, burgh officials decided to demolish the 18th century town hall and to erect a structure more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtown Book Festival
The Wigtown Book Festival is a ten-day literary festival held each autumn in Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The festival was first held in 1999 and has grown to be the second biggest book festival in Scotland. 2024 Festival In 2024, the festival took place between 27 September - 6 October. The 2024 festival had over 250 planned events, with a focus on discussing the Galloway Coast and climate change. Performers at the 2024 festival included actor Alan Cumming, poet Pam Ayres and writer Irvine Welsh. History The first festival took place in 1999. In 2007, the Wigtown Festival Company became a registered charity. In 2013, there were 7500 visitors to the festival, more than half of which were from outside Dumfries and Galloway. A report commissioned by the Wigtown Festival Company in 2013 estimated that the festival contributed £2 million to the regional economy each year. This was three times higher than that estimated by a similar study in 2008. As a resu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dumfries And Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the north-east; the English county of Cumbria, the Solway Firth, and the Irish Sea to the south, and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel to the west. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, located to the west of Dumfries on the North Channel coast. Dumfries and Galloway corresponds to the counties of Scotland, historic shires of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire, the last two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The three counties were combined in 1975 to form a single regions and districts of Scotland, region, with four districts within it. The districts were abolished in 1996, since when Dumfries and Galloway has been a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries and Galloway's second-largest town, with a population of 10,593. Stranraer is the administrative centre for the Wigtownshire area of Dumfries and Galloway. It was formerly a ferry port, connecting Scotland with Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland; the service was transferred to nearby Cairnryan in 2011. It lies south-west of Glasgow, south-west of Ayr and west of Dumfries. The name comes from Scottish Gaelic, ''Sròn, An t-Sròn Reamhar'', meaning "the broad headland" or "the fat nose". History The Battle of Loch Ryan was fought near Stranraer on 9/10 February 1307 during the Scottish Wars of Independence. King Robert I of Scotland's invasion of his ancestral lands in Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway, Annandale and Carrick, Scotland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machars
The Machars () is a peninsula in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Galloway in the south-west of Scotland. Its name (in Scots and English) is derived from the Gaelic word ''Machair'' meaning low-lying or level land, known as "links" on the east coast of Scotland. Although there are no high peaks in The Machars, it is not flat and would best be described as undulating or rolling. The North Atlantic Drift or Gulf Stream creates a mild climate, and dolphins and basking sharks are frequently seen in the seas. Geography The Machars peninsula is roughly defined by a northern boundary stretching from Newton Stewart to Glenluce, the only other boundary being the sea. The coastline has enormous variety, starting with the mud-flats of Wigtown on the east facing Wigtown Bay, down to the sandy beach at Rigg Bay in Garlieston (where the Mulberry Harbours were developed). The coastline then rises to form dramatic cliffs as it passes the ruins of Cruggleton Castle, dropping a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Bladnoch
The Bladnoch is a river in Wigtownshire in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it is given by Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw and Sir David Dunbar in an appendix to Andrew Symson's work "A Large Description of Galloway" written in the 17th century. In this they state that: Course The river Bladnoch rises at Loch Maberry in the parish of Kirkcowan, through which it runs south to Polbae. On its journey south it is joined by Reoch Burn as it passes through Carseriggan Moor. Continuing its journey it passes Isle-na-Gower and becomes a border between the afforested land at Hopeless Howe and the Ring of Barfad. Shortly after this it is met and joined by Black Burn. At this point the river is bordered on its east side by Barnley Plantation. Crossing the river at the stepping stones is a single-track road which links Mark of Shennanton with Little Eldrig. Shortly after this point the river widens briefly at Broad Wheel. Continuing on its jou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wigtown Castle
Wigtown Castle was a royal castle that was located on the banks of the River Bladnoch, south of Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. A castle was built in the 12th century. Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale captured the castle in 1286. The castle was handed over to King Edward I of England in 1291 by Sir Walter de Corrie, the governor of the castle. Richard Siward became the governor of the castle in 1292, being replaced by Henry de Percy in 1296, and John de Hodleston in 1297. The castle was captured by Sir William Wallace in 1297. Adam Gordon became the governor in 1297. King Robert the Bruce captured the castle after 1313 and it appears to have been demolished. The site became a Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ... in 2004. Citations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart (Scottish Gaelic language, Gd: ''Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach'') is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. The town is on the River Cree with most of the town to the west of the river, and is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to the Galloway Hills". The main local industries are agriculture, forestry and tourism. The town hosts a local market, and a number of services to support the farming industry. There are many mountain biking trails in the area. Newton Stewart lies on the southern edge of the Galloway Forest Park, which supplies many jobs to the town. Newton Stewart is from Scotland's book town Wigtown. History The town was founded in the mid 17th century by William Stewart, fourth and youngest son of the 2nd Earl of Galloway. The "New Town of Stewart" was granted burgh status by charter from King Charles II of England, Charles II, allowing a weekly market and two annual fairs to be he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galloway And West Dumfries (Scottish Parliament Constituency)
Galloway and West Dumfries (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Gall-Ghaidhealaibh agus Dùn Phrìs an Iar'') is a Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions, constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Parliament Building, Holyrood) covering part of the Council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the First past the post, plurality (first past the post) method of election. It is also one of nine constituencies in the South Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region), South Scotland Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions, electoral region, which elects seven additional member system (Scottish Parliament), additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole. Created for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, it comprises areas that were previously part of the old Dumfries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackfriars, Wigtown
The Church of the Friars Preachers of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Wigtown, commonly called Blackfriars, was a mendicant friary of the Dominican Order founded in the 13th century at Wigtown, Galloway, Scotland. The ''Chronica Extracta'' said that it was founded by Dervorguilla of Galloway, who died in 1290. Perhaps because of the remoteness of Wigtown, the history of the house is extremely badly documented and obscure. It appears on 7 March 1297, in receipt of money from the fermes of burghs. One of its priors, Ninian Shanks, appears on record on 10 May 1490. The prior along with four friars grant a charter on 21 December 1560, the year of the Scottish Reformation. It was presumably disbanded in the following decade, its revenues probably being granted to the burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
