Balmaghie ( ), from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

''Baile Mhic Aoidh'', is an ecclesiastical and civil parish in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in

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 no ...

, Scotland and was the seat of the McGhee family. It is bordered by the River Dee to the north and east.

Threave Castle Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, west of Castle Douglas in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. Built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim, it was a stronghold o ...

stands on an island in the river. The River Dee is commonly known as the Black Water of Dee on the northern border, the name changes with the meeting of the

Water of Ken The Water of Ken is a river in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Galloway, south-west Scotland.It rises on Blacklorg Hill, north-east of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn in the Carsphairn hills, and flows south-westward into The Glenkens, ...

to the north west and is then known as

Loch Ken Loch Ken is a long freshwater loch in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the Dee. It continues as the D ...

along the eastern border. Balmaghie parish borders Girthon to the west and

Tongland Tongland, also spelt Tongueland () is a small village about north of Kirkcudbright, in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies on the west bank of the River Dee, Galloway, Dee near its confluence ...

and

Twynholm Twynholm () is a village in Scotland. It is located north-northwest of Kirkcudbright and east of Gatehouse of Fleet on the main A75 trunk road. It is in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire , Dumfries and Galloway.

to the south. The closest market town is

Castle Douglas Castle Douglas () is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the lieutenancy area of Kirkcudbrightshire, in the eastern part of Galloway, between the towns of Dalbeattie and Gatehouse of Fleet. It is in the ecclesiastical paris ...

, about 6 miles from Balmaghie Kirk. The ecclesiastical parish covers the same area as the civil parish and the two are generally not differentiated between. Balmaghie parish is mainly rural and contains only a handful of small settlements: Laurieston, Bridge of Dee, and Glenlochar as well as number of farms and houses scattered throughout the parish. Farming is the major industry of the area, although there is a large area of commercial forestation operated by the

Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...

to the west of Laurieston. Tourists and locals visit the area to watch wild birds at the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

Nature Reserve at Duchrae, the Ken-Dee Marshes. A number of

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other Diurnality, diurnal Bird of prey, raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harrier (bird), harriers. The species currently breeds only i ...

have been re-introduced to the area and can be seen near Laurieston at the Bellymack feeding station. The 2008 horror film '' Outpost'' and its 2012 sequel '' Outpost:Black Sun'' were filmed on the Balmaghie estate. The 2018 mystery novel ''The Shadow of the Black Earl'' by Charles E. McGarry is set in a fictionalised version of Laurieston Hall and surrounding area.

Balmaghie Kirk

The ecclesiastical focus of Balmaghie was Balmaghie Kirk, until its closure in 2015. Plans to sell the church for housing conversion were withdrawn following widespread protests and a petition and it has now been taken over by the Balmaghie Sacred Landscape Trust and the building is now in community use. The church was built in 1794 and set on a small hillock in Balmaghie overlooking Loch Ken and opposite

Crossmichael Crossmichael () is a small village on the east side of Loch Ken in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, about north of Castle Douglas in Scotland. Crossmichael is also the name of the Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Kirkc ...

Kirk on the far bank. Remodelling was carried out by Peddie and Kinnear in 1891–94. The tower was reduced and reroofed in 1893 by William Davidson. Gravestones_at_Balmaghie_Churchyard

The Balmaghie War Memorial was designed by the sculptor

Alexander Carrick Alexander Carrick (20 February 1882 – 26 January 1966) was a Scottish sculptor. He was one of Scotland's leading monumental sculptors of the early part of the 20th century. He was responsible for many architectural and ecclesiastical works ...

in Cullaloe stone and unveiled in 1920.

Estates

* Balmaghie, house of 1874-80 by John Burnet and

John James Burnet Sir John James Burnet (31 May 1857 – 2 July 1938) was a Scotland, Scottish Edwardian architecture, Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow and London. He was the son of the architect John Burnet (arch ...

, now reduced in size. * Hensol or Duchrae, house c1824 designed by

Robert Lugar Robert Lugar (1773 – 23 June 1855), was a British architect and engineer in the Industrial Revolution. Although born in Colchester, England, Lugar carried out much of his most important work in Scotland and Wales, where he was employed by s ...

. * Laurieston Hall, mansion dating from the 17th century with additions in 1893 by architect

Sydney Mitchell Arthur George Sydney Mitchell (7 January 1856 – 13 October 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches, and church halls. His most significant commissions include the housin ...

. * Livingston House, mid-18th-century lairds house. * Netherhall, situated on the river Dee, home of the

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

family. * Slogarie, house of 1886 by Peddie and Kinnear, remodelled after a fire by Antony Curtiss Wolffe 1960s.

People

Archibald the Grim Archibald Douglas, Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Douglas and Bothwell (c. 1330 – c. 24 December 1400), called Archibald the Grim or Black Archibald, was a late medieval Scottish nobleman. Archibald was the illegitimate son o ...

(c. 1330 – c. 24 December 1400),

Lord of Galloway The lords of Galloway consisted of a dynasty of heirs who were lords (or kings) and ladies who ruled over Galloway in southwest Scotland, mainly during the High Middle Ages. Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically h ...

, builder of

John M'Millan John M'Millan was the founding Father of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. He was the first minister of the Cameronians after the Revolution Settlement. He was born at Minnigaff, near Newton Stewart in Kirkcudbrightshire, around 1669, and spen ...

(1669-1753),

Cameronian Cameronian was a name given to a radical faction of Scottish Covenanters who followed the teachings of Richard Cameron, and who were composed principally of those who signed the Sanquhar Declaration in 1680. They were also known as Society M ...

preacher, founder of the

Reformed Presbytery The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland is a small, Scottish, Presbyterian church denomination. Theologically they are similar to many other Presbyterian denominations in that their office-bearers subscribe to the Westminster Confession of F ...

. He preached for the first time in Balmaghie Church on 22 December 1700, apparently as ordinary supply, and on 30 April 1701, was elected to the parish. * John Neilson (1776–1848), born in Dornal, Balmaghie, to William Neilson and Isabel Brown; emigrated to

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

; publisher, bookseller, and leading politician. *Rear Admiral James Murray Gordon (1782–1850), of Balmaghie House, buried in his private chapel-mausoleum on the estate. * Margaret McNaughton (1856–1915), Scottish Canadian author and historian. Born in Balmaghie in 1856 to Thomas Peebles and his wife Jane, emigrated to Canada, where she married Montreal-born Archibald McNaughton. Her account of her husband's experiences travelling across Canada to the Cariboo gold fields was the second non-fiction book published by a woman in British Columbia. *

Samuel Rutherford Crockett Samuel Rutherford Crockett (24 September 1859 – 16 April 1914), who published under the name "S. R. Crockett", was a Scottish novelist. Life and work He was born at Little Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway, on 24 September 1 ...

(1859–1914), novelist of Scottish historical fiction. He was born at Duchrae Farm, Balmaghie, on 24 September 1859, the illegitimate son of dairymaid Annie Crocket. Some of his works are set in the surrounding area. He died in

Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tara ...

in France on 16 April 1914. His remains were buried in the family grave in his home kirkyard at Balmaghie. A memorial to him was erected in Laurieston by public subscription in 1932. *

John McCrae Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing th ...

(1872–1918), wrote "

In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend ...

" died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

near the end of the Great War. His parents farmed at Laurieston and emigrated to Canada. * Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson (1909–1993) and his wife Catherine Maitland, lived at Hensol House, former home of the Cuninghame family, and Helen, Marchioness of Ailsa. *Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Walter Hugh Malcolm Ross, GCVO, OBE, GCStJ (1943–2019) was a member of the Royal Household. Appointed Lord Lieutenant of the Stewartry 2006 and resigned 2018. Lived at Netherhall.

Gallery

File:Laurieston Village - geograph.org.uk - 321989.jpg, Laurieston willage File:Laurie Arms Inn, in Laurieston - geograph.org.uk - 484046.jpg, Laurie Arms Inn, Laurieston File:Kirk Road, Laurieston. - geograph.org.uk - 523617.jpg, Kirk Road to Balmaghie Kirk File:S.R. Crockett Memorial, Laurieston - geograph.org.uk - 886451.jpg, S.R. Crockett memorial, Laurieston File:Bridge of Dee - geograph.org.uk - 679632.jpg, Brig o Dee hamlet File:Bridge of Dee railway station (site), Dumfries & Galloway (geograph 6162047).jpg, the old Bridge of Dee railway station File:Admiral Gordon's Chapel - Glenlochar - geograph.org.uk - 963863.jpg, Admiral Gordon's chapel, Glenlochar File:Glenlochar barrage at end of Loch Ken - geograph.org.uk - 1252140.jpg, Glenlochar Barrage File:Threave Castle - general view from E bank of River Dee.jpg, Threave Castle File:Hensol House - geograph.org.uk - 263579.jpg, Hensol House File:Picture of Little Duchrae.jpg, Little Duchrae, birthplace of S.R. Crockett File:The Ken-Dee Marshes from Balmaghie Churchyard - geograph.org.uk - 321958.jpg, Ken-Dee Marshes from the Balmaghie Kirkyard

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * * * *

External links