Kirkbean () is a Scottish village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the

Solway Firth The Solway Firth is an inlet on the west coast of Great Britain, forming part of the border between England and Scotland. The firth (a Scottish term for an inlet of the sea) divides Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) from Dumfries and Gallow ...

, in the historic county of

Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ) or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an ...

and council area of

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 ...

. In the 2001 census, the four small villages making up the parish of Kirkbean had a total population of 643. It includes the hamlet of Loaningfoot.

History

The parish was the departure point for thousands of Scots seeking a better life in the American and Australian colonies during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Convicts were also transported to Australia from here. This has made Kirkbean a rich source of genealogical history. Kirkbean was one of five parishes from Kirkcudbrightshire included in the

Nithsdale Nithsdale (), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale (landform), dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrat ...

district of

under the local government reforms of 1975 which abolished Kirkcudbrightshire as an administrative county. The parish has therefore been included in the

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

lieutenancy area Lieutenancy areas (), officially counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, are the separate areas of the United Kingdom that are appointed to a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have s ...

since 1975.

Notable residents

In birth order: * John Campbell (1720–1790), a notable seafarer, was born in the village. He became a British naval officer, a navigation expert, and colonial governor of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, now a province of Canada. *

James Craik James Craik (; 17276 February 1814) was Physician General (precursor of the Surgeon General of the United States Army, Surgeon General) of the United States Army, as well as George Washington's personal physician and close friend. Biography ...

( /kreɪk/; c. 1727–1814) was Physician General (precursor of the

Surgeon General Surgeon general (: surgeons general) is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with p ...

) of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, while being

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

's personal physician and close friend. *

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

(1747–1792), founder of the United States Navy and a rear admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, was born on the

Arbigland Arbigland is a coastal agricultural estate with holiday cottages in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Solway Firth, to the south-east of Kirkbean. It is the birthplace of ...

estate. There is a memorial font to him in the church by sculptor George Henry Paulin, which depicts USS ''Bonhomme Richard''. *

Helen Craik Helen Craik (c. 1751 – 11 June 1825) was a Scottish poet and novelist. She has been known as a correspondent of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, whom she praised for being a "native genius, gay, unique and strong" in an introductory poem she ins ...

(c. 1751–1825), a poet, novelist and correspondent of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

, was born at Arbigland. *Jean Thurot (1755–1833), son of

François Thurot François Thurot (22 July 1727 – 28 February 1760) was a French Navy officer, privateer and sea captain who served in the War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. Early life He may have been the son of the postmaster at Nuits-St ...

, a French naval commodore and privateer, was buried in Kirkbean cemetery. *

William Stewart Ross William Stewart Ross (20 March 1844 – 30 November 1906) was a Scottish writer and publisher. He was a noted secularist thinker and used the pseudonym "Saladin". Between 1888 and 1906 he was the editor of the ''Agnostic Journal'', successor to the ...

(1844–1906), a writer and publisher, was born in Kirkbean. He was a noted secularist thinker, who used the pseudonym Saladin. * Sir James Gunn (1893–1964), artist, lived with his family in Carsethorn during World War II.

Natural heritage

The local beaches and the bird-rich merse (salt marsh), where large numbers of seabirds live or over-winter, are part of the natural heritage of the parish. Visitors to the National Nature Reserve on the far side of the

River Nith The River Nith (; Common Brittonic: ''Nowios'') is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, east of Dalmellington. For the majority of its course it flows ...

come to watch birds on the Carsethorn foreshore, before continuing to the nature reserves at Southwick and Mersehead. The upper tower of Kirkbean Church was added in 1835. It was refurbished in Victorian style at the end of the 19th century. It was the oldest church in the combined parish of Colvend, Southwick and Kirkbean before it closed for public services in November 2010. It now serves as a private dwelling. The village has an official community website.

References

Kirkcudbrightshire Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway {{DumfriesGalloway-geo-stub