Recent (Social)

This paper uses a variety of original sources on planned settlements in South West Scotland and the local industrial archaeology in order to explore the progress of Gatehouse of Fleet from the early 1760s, focusing first on the early feuars in the settlement established by James Murray of Broughton near his new mansion at Cally. The paper tracks attempts to bring industry such as tanning and brewing to Gatehouse. Using legal papers in particular, evidence shows how James Murray, other landowners, his partners in the new businesses and local tradesmen all became caught up in the rapid rise and subsequent failure of the Ayr Bank in 1772. The lasting effects of the bank’s failure on the local economy due to the financial burden on Murray and others is examined and we see how this led to a lack of new building, followed by the emigration of a number of the Gatehouse feuars. Development began to pick up only in 1777 when Murray promoted the settlement in the press and reduced feu duties for all new building. Cotton manufacture came to Gatehouse in 1785 with the signing of a contract between Murray and the Birtwhistle family, which led to the construction of a substantial mill. The rapid but short lived development and subsequent decline of the cotton industry and its effect on Gatehouse is examined in some detail. Finally we see how Gatehouse returned to its earlier role as a supplier of tradesmen to Cally Estate under Alexander Murray of Broughton.

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on 19th November 2004.
Originally a bare tract of crofts and a few trees, dominated by a Tower House, the environment at Culzean changed with the building of the mansion house by Robert Adam and the developme

A presentation which revealed how the Murray family developed their parks and pleasure grounds at Cally, Gatehouse of Fleet. Although the designed landscape is now largely hidden by forestry planting many historical features are still recognisable and hel

Lecture in Kirkcudbright Town Hall The speaker showed how records from some dozen English and Scottish archives had enabled a picture to be built of the lives of three generations of the Birtwhistle family, possibly the greatest drovers and graziers of th

The illustrated talk was a journey from about 1600 to the late 20th century, showing how communion vessels developed in the Church of Scotland. The earlier cups date from 1617 when the Scottish Parliament passed an act that communion should be dispensed

In an illustrated lecture, the retiring President, David Devereux, Museums Curator for the Stewartry in Dumfries and Galloway Museums Service, presented a wide variety of archaeological and local historical artefacts, fine and decorative art, photographs,

Obituary of Frank Stewart a Life Member of the Society - he contributed a numner of articles to the Transactions on the history of the New Abbey area.

Obituary of Duncan Adamson a former President of the Society - he contributed a significant number of articles to the Transactions on various aspects of the history of the Dumfries and Galloway area. He acted as historian to the Anne Hill Committee.

A review article

A review article

A short article describing the finding of a sock in a recess close to the chimney flue at Mull Cottage, Kirkmaiden. The sock was found to be stuffed with thistles and it is suggested that it may be of 18th century date and concealed to trap spitits: it is

This report has arisen from the production of a management plan for Cally designed landscape for the Gatehouse Development Initiative in 2007. That plan is a practical tool to inform management and maintenance of the landscape and interpretation and enjoy

This article explores the distinctive features of the Accounts for the shires of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown and the changes revealed in the lives of the people and their environments between the First and Second and between the Second and Third A

A genealogical and general history introduction to the Hannah family of Kirkmahoe - and their diverse connections.

Detailed lecture into sailing and navigation within the Solway.

Railways in Scotland began with the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway, built by the Duke of Portland and opened in 1812. The first main line in the south west was the Glasgow and South Western Railway. This company came to dominate the south west, although alw

The speaker gave a comprehensive review of all aspects of shipping in Kirkcudbright throughout the period 1300 to 2005. Particular attention has been devoted to identifying the individual vessels and further information will be found in the author's publi

An illustrated talk on the Dumfries Hannahfield estate c.1829-1928 was given by a local military enthusiast who, having discovered by chance two War Department Boundary Stones near the Kingholm completed some months of on site investigations and research

Review article

Review article

This short Addenda contribution provides additional information on church provision at Beeswing and Lochend in the light of Richard Smith's article 'Presbyterian Divisions and Edifice Rivalry in Galloway, 1743-1900' which appeared in volume 80 of these Tr

This paper is based on the script of a lecture entitled ‘E A Hornel Citizen of Kirkcudbright’ presented by the author as a contribution to a study day arranged by the National Trust for Scotland, which took place in Kirkcudbright, on May 13 2006.

In the 1790s Kirkcudbright was developed by an initiative inaugurated and overseen by the
Burgh Council and inspired by a touch of personal design imparted by the interaction of
the Burgh Council and the local lairds, the Dunbar family.(1) Thus there em

Patrick McMaster was born on March 19, 1741, at Currochtrie in Kirkmaiden parish. This article describes the various vissisitudes that befell him while in business in Colonial Boston at the time of the American War of Independence. The article aims to con

The notices and advertisements in this article were taken from The Edinburgh Gazette (1699-1708), The Edinburgh Courant (1705-06) and 1708-10), The Scots Courant (1710-20), The Edinburgh Evening Courant (1718-22), The Caledonian Mercury (1720), and The We

Lecture to the Society, 20th January, 2006. This talk related that Dumfries and Galloway has some of the finest gardens in the country which reflect the climate, topography and history of the area. There is a range of gardens that are right on the sea goi

Summary of a lecture given to the Society, on 18th November, 2005.
The illustrated talk on the Glenkens Schools covered all the recorded schools that were opened in this remote area of the Northern Stewartry starting back in around 1660. The Glenkens co

Summary of a lecture given to the Society on 4th November 2005. The talk unearthed fragments of the rich tradition of publication participation in natural science by re-visiting the enthusiastic and idiosyncratic world of popular natural history in Victor

Review of Ian Devlin's booklet 'We Will Remember Them - Kirkcudbright's Sons 1914-18' produced by the Stewartry Museum.
One of the most spectacular War memorials in Galloway is the memorial in Kirkcudbright. It stands in front of MacLellan’s Castle and

A review of the Stewartry Museum booklet 'Kirkcudbright Pont-Aven: Artists in Search of Inspiration' by David Devereux, John Hudson and Catherine Paget. For those who enjoyed the ‘Kirkcudbright-Pont Aven’ exhibition at the Tolbooth in 2004 this beautifull

An extensive review of the Stewartry Museum publication 'Dorothy L Sayers in Galloway' by Christopher Dean. The reviewer provides additional notes on Sayers, her local connections and explanations of local practices and background.

A seclection of notes on Torthorwald Kirk Session, 1696-1882; the Baronie of Cluden papers, 1712-31 and Dumfries Burgh Treasurer's Accounts for 1708-10. The notes and observations were made during the course of the transciption of these records held on mi

During the course of a Field Study Meeting in Galloway, centred on Newton Stewart, the Institute of Sociology heard a lecture on 9th August, 1939. The talk had been prepared by Alexander S Morton but to his incapacity because of illness the talk was read

Between 1st and 15th August 1939 the Institute of Sociology, Le Play House, 35 Gordon Square, London held a field study meeting in Galloway. Centred on Newton Stewart the group set out to investigate the natural history, history and social science of the

Undeniably, old (parish and other) churches of any given area, particularly a rural region like Galloway, figure prominently in the historic and aesthetic landscape. Yet as ‘active’ components in their communities, for decades they have been facing an ong

The eighteenth century was a period of considerable agricultural, social and economic change across Scotland, the era of Enlightenment. Many changes that took place then, agricultural enclosure, the development of new mansion houses with landscaped pleas

The difficulty of inland communication had long encouraged the proliferation of ports along the Scottish coastline, with little to choose between them before the expansion and reorientation of trade in the decades following the Restoration. In common with

Throughout the latter part of the 19th century, while shooting was widespread, ‘flightnetting’ emerged as an alternative method of obtaining wildfowl and waders for the table, barter or the market. Netting was practised intensively only on the north shore

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society at its meeting of 26th March 2005 at Kirkcudbright.
A planned village was defined as a settlement that was founded or substantially rebuilt in the 18th and early to mid 19th centuries with the support or appr

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on the occasion Members' Night 4th March 2005.
The Dumfriesshire part of the route of the old coach road through Tinwald, Lochmaben, Beattock and Moffat to the county boundary was described in considerable de

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on 18th March 2005.
The factory constructed in Gretna to produce cordite (the Devil’s porridge) needed for the manufacture of munitions for World War I was part of a much larger site extending from Longtown t

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on 4th February 2005.
A study of the Library bequeathed to the Presbytery of Dumfries in 1712 by John Hutton MD MP, to which later gifts and purchases were added. Hutton, a native of Caerlaverock, studied in

Description of recent research on the lives of Helen and Isobell Walker from the parish of Kirkpatrick Irongray: Helen Walker was Sir Walter Scott's prototype for Jeannie Deans in his novel 'The Heart of Midlothian.' The research makes extensive use of o

In 1946 a Miss Helen Selby brought into the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland a collection of artefacts gathered largely from local sources by her father, William McDowall Selby, and grandfather, Robert Bird Selby, who served successively as medi

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on 27th March 2004 by Alastair Dodds of the National Museums of Scotland. The factory was built to a ferro-concrete design similar to that at Heathhall, Dumfries, itself based on Ford factory designs which all

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on Members' Night, 5th March 2004, by Michael Taylor. Postcards soon acquire historical value and this was well exemplified by the range of old and modern postcards used to illustrate this point - many were of