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Monreith
Monreith ( / 'mon-REETH'; gd, Am Monadh Rèidh) is a small seaside village in the Machars, in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Scotland. A ruined church near Monreith is called "Kirkmaiden-in-Fernis" and was dedicated to St Medan. The chancel was rebuilt as a mausoleum for the Maxwell family of nearby Monreith House and in which is buried Sir Herbert Maxwell. Within the graveyard is the last resting place of Captain François Thurot, a French privateer captain who lost his life in a sea battle off the Mull of Galloway Above the church on the cliff is the memorial to Gavin Maxwell the naturalist, and author of Ring of Bright Water, an otter, sculpted in bronze by Penny Wheatley in 1978. On visits back to the family seat of Monreith House, Maxwell would exercise his tame otter Mijbil on the beach below See also * Monreith House Monreith House is a category A listed Georgian mansion located east of the village of Port William in Mochrum parish in the historical county ...
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Monreith House
Monreith House is a category A listed Georgian mansion located east of the village of Port William in Mochrum parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The classical-style house was designed by Alexander Stevens in 1791, for Sir William Maxwell, 4th Baronet. The new house replaced the now-ruined Myrton Castle on the estate. The grounds of the house are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens, and are classed as "outstanding" in five out of six categories. History The Maxwell family first acquired Monreith in the 15th century, and built Myrton Castle on the estate. William Maxwell of Monreith was created a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1681. Magdalene Blair, wife of the third baronet, made tapestries of the gardens in the mid 17th century, which remain in the house. Sir William Maxwell, 4th Baronet, inherited the estate in 1771 and commissioned the present Monreit ...
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Sir Herbert Maxwell, 7th Baronet
Sir Herbert Eustace Maxwell, 7th Baronet, (8 January 1845 – 30 October 1937) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, artist, antiquarian, horticulturalist, prominent salmon angler and author of books on angling and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1906. Early life A member of Clan Maxwell descended from the first Lord Maxwell of Caerlaverock Castle, Maxwell was the eldest surviving son of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Maxwell, 6th Baronet and his wife, Helenora Shaw-Stewart, daughter of Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 5th Baronet. He was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. He was a captain in the 4th battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers and a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant for Wigtownshire. Political career Maxwell was elected Member of Parliament for Wigtownshire in the 1880 general election and held the seat until 1906. He served in the Conservative administration of Lord Salisbury as a Junior Lord of the Treasury from 1886 to 1892 ...
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Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell FRSL FZS FRGS (15 July 19147 September 1969) was a British naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book ''Ring of Bright Water'' (1960) about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. The otter was of a previously unknown sub-species which was subsequently named after Maxwell. ''Ring of Bright Water'' sold more than a million copies and was made into a film starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in 1969. Biography Gavin Maxwell was the youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Aymer Maxwell and Lady Mary Percy, fifth daughter of the seventh Duke of Northumberland.''The Rocks Remain'', Gavin Maxwell, Longmans, 1963, ASIN: B0000CLY9N His paternal grandfather, Sir Herbert Maxwell, 7th Baronet, was an archaeologist, politician and natural historian. Maxwell was born at The House of Elrig near the small village of Elrig, near Port William, in Wigtownshire, south-western Scotland. Ma ...
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François Thurot
François Thurot (22 July 1727 at Nuits-Saint-Georges near Dijon in eastern France – 28 February 1760 off the Isle of Man) was a French privateer, merchant naval captain and smuggler who raided British shipping during the Seven Years' War. Early years He may have been the son of the postmaster at Nuits-St-GeorgesThurot family tree by Danièle Calder
accessed 2007-12-04
or his grandfather was Captain O'Farrell from who had served in the Irish Brigade of the French army. As a teenager Thurot rebelled against a

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Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for 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 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 the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. The rest of Galloway remained under the authority of a sheriff, an ...
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Machars
, photo = File:West Coast of the Machars - geograph.org.uk - 3085411.jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Luce Bay coastline of The Machars, south of Auchenmalg , map = UK Scotland , map_width = , map_caption = The Machars in the context of Scotland (map marks its highest point near Mochrum) , map_alt = , relief = 1 , label = , label_position = , mark = , marker_size = , location = Wigtownshire, Dumfries & Galloway , grid_ref = , grid_ref_UK = , grid_ref_Ireland = , coordinates = , coordinates_ref = , range = , part_of = , water_bodies = , elevation_ft = , elevation_ref = , surface_elevation_ft = , surface_elevation_ref = , highest_point = Mochrum Fell , highest_elevation = 197m , highest_coords = 54.82, -4.64 , area = ...
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Dumfries And Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire, the latter two of which are collectively known as Galloway. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, on the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel coast, some to the west of Dumfries. Following the 1975 reorganisation of local government in Scotland, the three counties were joined to form a single regions and districts of Scotland, region of Dumfries and Galloway, with four districts within it. The districts were abolished in 1996, since when Dumfries and Galloway has been a unitary local authority. For lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy purposes, the area is divided into three lieutenancy a ...
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Wigtown
Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) 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 Neol ...
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Dumfries And Galloway (UK Parliament Constituency)
Dumfries and Galloway is a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was first used in the 2005 general election, and replaced Galloway and Upper Nithsdale and part of Dumfries. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Constituency profile This is a large and rural seat with significant farming and forestry sectors, including the Galloway Forest Park. Dumfries is an economic hub for south Scotland and Stranraer was formerly a port for connections to Ireland. Boundaries As created by the Fifth Review of the Boundary Commission for Scotland the constituency is one of six covering the Dumfries and Galloway council area, the Scottish Borders council area and the South Lanarkshire council area. The other five constituencies are: Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, Lanark and Hamilton East and Rutherglen ...
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Galloway And Upper Nithsdale (Scottish Parliament Constituency)
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament ( Holyrood). It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. This constituency was abolished for the 2011 election, with 78.4% of the constituency being incorporated into the new Galloway and West Dumfries (Scottish Parliament constituency), with the rest becoming part of the Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency). Electoral region Constituency boundaries and council area The Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies.Se''The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland'' Member of the Scottish Parliament Alex Fergusson represented the constituency from ...
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Mull Of Galloway
The Mull of Galloway ( gd, Maol nan Gall, ; ) is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, at the end of the Rhins of Galloway peninsula. The Mull has one of the last remaining sections of natural coastal habitat on the Galloway coast and as such supports a wide variety of plant and animal species. It is now a nature reserve managed by the RSPB. Mull means rounded headland or promontory. The Mull of Galloway Trail, one of Scotland's Great Trails, is a long-distance footpath that runs from the Mull of Galloway via Stranraer to Glenapp near Ballantrae, where the trail links with the Ayrshire Coastal Path. Lighthouse An active lighthouse is positioned at the point. Built in 1830 by engineer Robert Stevenson, the white-painted round tower is high. The light is above sea level and has a range of . The lighthouse and lighthouse keepers' houses are designated as a Category A listed building. During World War II, on 8 June 1944 ...
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Ring Of Bright Water
''Ring of Bright Water'' is a book by Gavin Maxwell about his life in a remote house in coastal Scotland where he kept several wild otters as pets. First published in 1960, it became a best seller and is considered a literary masterpiece, eventually selling over two million copies. A fictionalised film of the same name was made from it and released in 1969. Book The book describes how Maxwell brought to England a smooth-coated otter, from the Marshes of Iraq (before Saddam Hussein drained them) Maxwell named the otter Mijbil. He raised Mijbil at Camusfeàrna (the name Maxwell gave his house at Sandaig near Glenelg), on the west coast of Scotland. Maxwell took Mijbil to the London Zoological Society where it was determined that Mijbil belonged to a previously unknown subspecies, subsequently named after Maxwell: ''Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli'' (or colloquially, "Maxwell's otter"). '"Into this bright, watery landscape Mij moved and took possession with a delight that ...
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