Recent (Literature & Art)

A recent review of the archive collections held in The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright has brought to light two letters2 written by Joseph Train to his friend John Stobo, a Sergeant in the Ayrshire Militia. Joseph Train (1779-1852) was an Excise officer from 1808, working in various parts of Scotland until his retirement to Castle Douglas. He was one of south west Scotland’s earliest antiquaries and is particularly known as a correspondent of Sir Walter Scott for whom he collected and supplied traditional and historical information from this area3 . This information inspired and provided the historical basis for several of Scott’s poetical and prose works.

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

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,

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland was established by Royal Warrant in February 1908, entrusted with the task of making an inventory of the ancient and historical monuments and constructions connected with or illustra

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

The old ruined church and graveyard at Kirkconnel Lea on the Springkell Estate near Eaglesfield (NGR: NY 250753) is best known for its association with ‘Fair Helen’ Irving or Bell and her betrothed Adam Fleming de Kirkpatrick. This connection dominates th

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.

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

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.

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

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

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society on 18th February 2005.
The project involves the generation of a computer database of Dumfries and Galloway artists throughout time to increase the awareness of art and artists in south-west Scotland and ther

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

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

Summary of a lecture delivered to the Society by Morag Williams at members' Night, 5th March 2004. The term 'Art Therapy' did not come into use as a term in connection with the treatment of mentally ill patients till the 1940s but was effectively introduc

Review of a publication by Dr J B Wilson. This latest volume is based upon a re-examination of the Minutes of Lochmaben Town Council which run from 1612 to 1974. It refers to a recent publication by the Scottish Record Society of a transcription of the ea

Review of a volume detailing two late eighteenth century visitation rolls of the town of Kirkcudbright. Background to the town is provided against collated lists of the inhabitants and their genealogy.

This volume is literally an alphabetic index of almost every aspect of the life, times and especially the people of Kirkcudbright. Although mainly covering the town of Kirkcudbright it also ranges over the countryside between Ross Island and Tongland.

Extracts and commentary from the Journal of David Gibson a baptist lay missionary who worked all over the south-west of Scotland - centred at Auchencairn. The author has used the volume to provide details of the background to the life and times of Gibson.

The distinquished tradition of Scots linguistic scholarship began long before the twentieth century and the advent of modern dialectology and lexicography. By far the greatest reference work on the Scots tongue to appear before this period, namely John Ja

The year 2002 saw the centenary of the death of John Faed the artist. This article, illustrated by extensive genealogical and contemporary detail, shows the Faed family's influence on the development of the Kirkcudbright area as an artists' colony and, ul

Review of aspects of life of the Faeds in Gatehouse of Fleet - it has the specific aim of adding to what is known about the family by drawing largely on the legal papers of R S Glover, the solicitor acting for John Faed (1819-1902) and his sister Susan Be

The important excavations at Whithorn, carried out during the 1880s and 1890s under the patronage of the Third Marquess of Bute, were unpublished at the time of the death, in 1897, of the architect in charge, William Galloway. The only published record of