Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former
royal burgh within the
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 ...
council area of
Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the
River Nith into the
Solway Firth about by road from the
Anglo-Scottish border and just away from
Cumbria by air. Dumfries is the
county town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of the
historic county of
Dumfriesshire.
Before becoming
King of Scots,
Robert the Bruce killed his rival the
Red Comyn
John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...
at Greyfriars Kirk in the town on 10 February 1306. The
Young Pretender
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
had his headquarters here during a 3-day sojourn in Dumfries towards the end of 1745. During the
Second World War, the bulk of the
Norwegian Army during their years
in exile In Exile may refer to:
Film and television
* ''In Exile'' (film) or ''Time Runner'', a 1993 science fiction film
* ''In Exile'' (TV series), a 1998 UK sitcom
Literature
* "In Exile" (short story), an 1892 short story by Anton Chekhov
*''In Exile'' ...
in Britain consisted of a
brigade in Dumfries.
Dumfries is nicknamed ''Queen of the South''. This is also the name of the town's
professional football club. People from Dumfries are known colloquially in
Scots language as ''Doonhamers''.
Toponymy
There are a number of theories on the etymology of the name, with an ultimately
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
derivation (either from
Brythonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
,
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
or a mixture of both) considered the most likely.
The first element is derived either from the elements ''drum'' or ''dronn-'',
(meaning "ridge" or "hump", also in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
as ''druim''
), or from ''Dùn'' meaning fort. One of the more commonly given etymologies is that the name ''Dumfries'' originates from the
Scottish Gaelic name ''Dùn Phris'', meaning "Fort of the Thicket".
The second element is less obvious, but may be cognate with the
Cumbric ''prēs'', an element common in the
Brythonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
areas south of the River Forth.
As such, Dumfries has been suggested as a possible location of ''Penprys'', the mysterious capital of a land in
Medieval Welsh literature, most notably mentioned in the
awdl, "''Elegy for Gwallawg''" by
Taliesin.
According to a third theory, the name is a corruption of two
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
or
Old Norse words which mean "the Friars' Hill"; those who favour this idea allege the formation of a religious house near the head of what is now the Friars' Vennel.
If the name were English or Norse, however, the expected form would have the elements in reversed orientation (compare
Clarendon). A Celtic derivation is therefore preferred.
History
Early history
No positive information has been obtained of the era and circumstances in which the town of Dumfries was founded.
Some writers hold that Dumfries flourished as a place of distinction during the
Roman occupation of North Great Britain. The
Selgovae inhabited
Nithsdale at the time and may have raised some military works of a defensive nature on or near the site of Dumfries; and it is more than probable that a castle of some kind formed the nucleus of the town. This is inferred from the etymology of the name, which, according to one theory, is resolvable into two
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
terms signifying a castle or fort in the
copse
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeated ...
or brushwood. Dumfries was once within the borders of the Kingdom of Northumbria. The district around Dumfries was for several centuries ruled over and deemed of much importance by the invading Romans. Many traces of Roman presence in Dumfriesshire are still to be found; coins, weapons, sepulchral remains, military earthworks, and roads being among the relics left by their lengthened sojourn in this part of Scotland. The
Caledonian tribes in the south of Scotland were invested with the same rights by an edict of
Antoninus Pius. The Romanized natives received freedom (the burrows, cairns, and remains of stone temples still to be seen in the district tell of a time when
Druidism was the prevailing religion) as well as civilisation from their conquerors. Late in the fourth century, the Romans bade farewell to the country.
According to another theory, the name is a corruption of two words which mean the Friars' Hill; those who favour this idea allege that
St. Ninian
Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...
, by planting a religious house near the head of what is now the Friars' Vennel, at the close of the fourth century, became the virtual founder of the Burgh; however Ninian, so far as is known, did not originate any monastic establishments anywhere and was simply a missionary. In the list of British towns given by the ancient historian
Nennius
Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...
, the name ''Caer Peris'' occurs, which some modern antiquarians suppose to have been transmuted, by a change of dialect, into Dumfries.
Twelve of
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
's battles were recorded by
Nennius
Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...
in ''
Historia Brittonum''. The Battle of Tribruit (the 10th battle), has been suggested as having possibly been near Dumfries or near the mouth of the
river Avon near
Bo'ness.
After the Roman departure the area around Dumfries had various forms of visit by
Picts,
Anglo-Saxons,
Scots and
Norse culminating in a decisive victory for
Gregory, King of Scots at what is now
Lochmaben over the native
Britons in 890.
Medieval period
When, in 1069,
Malcolm Canmore and
William the Conqueror held a conference regarding the claims of
Edgar Ætheling to the English Crown, they met at Abernithi – a term which in the old British tongue means a port at the mouth of the Nith. It has been argued, the town thus characterised must have been Dumfries; and therefore it must have existed as a port in the Kingdom of Strathclyde, if not in the Roman days. However, against this argument is that the town is situated eight to nine miles (14 km) distant from the sea,
although the
River Nith is tidal and navigable all the way into the town itself.
Although at the time upstream and on the opposite bank of the Nith from Dumfries,
Lincluden Abbey
Lincluden Collegiate Church, known earlier as Lincluden Priory or Lincluden Abbey (the name by which it is still known locally), is a ruined religious house, situated in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire and to the north of the Royal Bu ...
was founded circa 1160. The abbey ruins are on the site of the
bailey of the very early Lincluden Castle, as are those of the later Lincluden Tower. This religious house was used for various purposes, until its abandonment around 1700. Lincluden Abbey and its grounds are now within the Dumfries urban conurbation boundary.
William the Lion granted the charter to raise Dumfries to the rank of a
royal burgh in 1186. Dumfries was very much on the frontier during its first 50 years as a burgh and it grew rapidly as a market town and port.
Alexander III visited Dumfries in 1264 to plan an expedition against the
Isle of Man, previously Scots but for 180 years subjected by the crown of Norway. Identified with the conquest of Man, Dumfries shared in the well-being of Scotland for the next 22 years until Alexander's accidental death brought an Augustan era in the town's history to an abrupt finish.
A royal castle, which no longer exists, was built in the 13th century on the site of the present Castledykes Park. In the latter part of the century
William Wallace chased a fleeing English force southward through the Nith valley. The English fugitives met the gates of
Dumfries Castle that remained firmly closed in their presence. With a body of the town's people joining Wallace and his fellow pursuers when they arrived, the fleeing English met their end at Cockpool on the
Solway Coast. After resting at
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of th ...
a few miles away from the bloodletting, Wallace again passed through Dumfries the day after as he returned north to
Sanquhar Castle.
During the invasion of 1300,
Edward I of England lodged for a few days in June with the Minorite Friars of the Vennel, before he laid siege to Caerlaverock Castle at the head of the then greatest invasion force to attack Scotland. After Caerlaverock eventually succumbed, Edward passed through Dumfries again as he crossed the Nith to take his invasion into
Galloway. With the Scottish nobility having requested
Vatican support for their cause, Edward on his return to Caerlaverock was presented with a missive directed to him by
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani, Caetani family was of b ...
. Edward held court in Dumfries at which he grudgingly agreed to an armistice. On 30 October, the truce solicited by Pope Boniface was signed by Edward at Dumfries. Letters from Edward, dated at Dumfries, were sent to his subordinates throughout Scotland, ordering them to give effect to the treaty. The peace was to last till Whitsunday in the following year.
Before becoming
King of Scots,
Robert the Bruce stabbed his rival the
Red Comyn
John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...
at Greyfriars Kirk in the town on 10 February 1306. His uncertainty about the fatality of his stabbing caused one of his followers,
Roger de Kirkpatrick, to utter the famous, "I mak siccar" ("I make sure") and finish the Comyn off. Bruce was subsequently excommunicated as a result, less for the murder than for its location in a church. Regardless, for Bruce the die was cast at the moment in Greyfriars and so began his campaign by force for the independence of Scotland. Swords were drawn by supporters of both sides, the burial ground of the Monastery becoming the theatre of battle. Bruce and his party then attacked Dumfries Castle. The English garrison surrendered and for the third time in the day Bruce and his supporters were victorious. He was crowned King of Scots barely seven weeks after. Bruce later triumphed at the
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...
and led Scotland to independence.
Once Edward received word of the revolution that had started in Dumfries, he again raised an army and invaded Scotland. Dumfries was again subjected to the control of Bruce's enemies. Sir
Christopher Seton
Sir Christopher Seton (1278–1306), also known as Christopher de Seton, was a 13th-century noble, who held lands in England and Scotland. He was a supporter of Robert the Bruce and obtained Robert's sister's hand in marriage. Present durin ...
(Bruce's brother in law) had been captured at
Loch Doon
Loch Doon ( gd, Loch Dùin, ) is a freshwater loch in Carrick, Scotland. The River Doon issues from its northern end, while the loch itself receives waters from Gala Lane and Loch Enoch (in the Galloway Hills) via Eglin Lane.
History
In the 1 ...
and was hurried to Dumfries to be tried for treason in general and more specifically for being present at Comyn's killing. Still in 1306 and along with two companions, Seton was condemned and executed by
hanging and then
beheading
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
at the site of what is now St Mary's Church.
In 1659 ten women were accused of diverse acts of witchcraft by Dumfries Kirk Session although the Kirk Session minutes itself records nine witches. The Justiciary Court found them guilty of the several articles of witchcraft and on 13 April between 2 pm and 4 pm they were taken to the Whitesands, strangled at stakes and their bodies burnt to ashes.
Eighteenth century
The
Midsteeple in the centre of the High Street was completed in 1707. Opposite the fountain in the High Street, adjacent to the present
Marks & Spencer, was the Commercial and later the County Hotel. Although the latter was demolished in 1984–85, the original facade of the building was retained and incorporated into new retail premises. The building now houses a Waterstones Bookshop. Room No. 6 of the hotel was known as
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
's Room and appropriately carpeted in the
Royal Stewart tartan. The timber panelling of "Prince Charlie's room" was largely reinstated and painted complete with the oil painted landscapes by Robert Norie (1720–1766) in the overmantels at either end of the room and can still be seen as the upstairs showroom of the book shop. The
Young Pretender
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
had his headquarters here during a 3-day sojourn in Dumfries towards the end of 1745. £2,000 was demanded by the Prince, together with 1,000 pairs of brogues for his kilted
Jacobite
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
rebel army, which was camping in a field not one hundred yards distant. A rumour that the
Duke of Cumberland was approaching, made Bonnie Prince Charlie decide to leave with his army, with only £1,000 and 255 pairs of shoes having been handed over.
Robert Burns moved to Dumfriesshire in 1788 and Dumfries itself in 1791, living there until his death on 21 July 1796. Today's Greyfriars Church overlooks the location of a statue of Burns, which was designed by
Amelia Robertson Hill
Amelia Robertson Hill (15 January 1821 – 5 July 1904), birth record Emmilia McDermaid Paton, was a prominent Scottish artist and sculptor throughout the 19th century and one of the few with public commissions. Her most noteworthy works are th ...
, sculpted in
Carrara, Italy in 1882, and was unveiled by future
Prime Minister,
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery on 6 April 1882.
Today, it features on the 2007 series of
£5 notes issued by the Bank of Scotland, alongside the
Brig o' Doon
The Brig o' Doon, sometimes called the Auld Brig or Old Bridge of Doon, is a late medieval bridge in Ayrshire, Scotland, and a Category A structure.
History
The word ''brig'' is Scots for "bridge", hence the ''Brig o' Doon'' is the "Bridge ...
.
After working with
Patrick Miller of Dalswinton
Patrick Miller of Dalswinton, just north of Dumfries (1731–1815) was a Scottish banker, shareholder in the Carron Company engineering works and inventor. Miller is buried in a tomb against the southern wall of Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinbur ...
, inventor
William Symington intended to carry out a trial in order to show than an engine would work on a boat without the boat catching fire. The trial finally took place on Dalswinton Loch near Dumfries on 14 October 1788. The experiment demonstrated that a steam engine would work on a boat. Symington went on to become the builder of the first practical
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
.
20th century and beyond
The first official intimation that
RAF Dumfries was to be built was made in late 1938. The site chosen had accommodated light aircraft since about 1914. Work progressed quickly, and on 17 June 1940, the
18 Maintenance Unit was opened at Dumfries. The role of the base during the war also encompassed training. RAF Dumfries had a moment of danger on 25 March 1943, when a German
Dornier Do 217 aircraft shot up the airfield beacon, but crashed shortly afterwards. The pilot,
Oberleutnant
() is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces.
Austria
Germany
In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...
Martin Piscke was later interred in
Troqueer Cemetery in Dumfries town, with full military honours. On the night of 3/4 August 1943 a
Vickers Wellington bomber with engine problems diverted to but crashed short of the Dumfries runway.
During the
Second World War, the bulk of the
Norwegian Army during their years
in exile In Exile may refer to:
Film and television
* ''In Exile'' (film) or ''Time Runner'', a 1993 science fiction film
* ''In Exile'' (TV series), a 1998 UK sitcom
Literature
* "In Exile" (short story), an 1892 short story by Anton Chekhov
*''In Exile'' ...
in Britain consisted of a
brigade in Dumfries. When the army High Command took over, there were 70 officers and about 760
privates in the camp. The camp was established in June 1940 and named ''Norwegian Reception Camp'', consisting of some 500 men and women, mainly foreign-Norwegian who had volunteered for war duty in Norway during the
Nazi occupation in early 1940. Through the summer the number was built up to around 1,500 under the command of
General Carl Gustav Fleischer. Within a few miles of Dumfries are the villages of
Tinwald,
Torthorwald and
Mouswald all of which were settled by
Vikings.
Dumfries has experienced two
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
earthquakes. These were in 1979 (measuring 4.7 centred near
Longtown) and 2006 (centred in the Dumfries locality measuring 3.6 ). There were no serious consequences of either. There was also an earthquake on 16 February 1984 and a further earthquake on 7 June 2010.
Demographics
The National Records for Scotland mid 2012 estimated population of Dumfries was reported as 33,280.
["Mid-2012 Populations Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, table 3a" National Records for Scotland, access-date = 27 October 2014](_blank)
/ref>
Climate
As with the rest of the British Isles, Dumfries experiences a maritime climate ( Cfb) with cool summers and mild winters. It is one of the less snowy locations in Scotland owing to its sheltered, low lying position in the South West of the country. From 2 July 1908 the town held the record for the highest temperature reading in Scotland, until being surpassed in Greycrook
Greycrook is a village off the A68 and the A699 in the Scottish Borders, approximately south-east of St Boswells, and close to Dryburgh, Dryburgh Abbey, Maxton, Newtown St Boswells, and the River Tweed.
It was here that the highest tempera ...
on 9 August 2003. Its southerly latitude makes little difference to the average annual temperatures compared to more northerly coastal parts of Scotland. This is due to strong maritime influence from the Irish Sea cooling down summers due to frequent cloudy weather and cool water temperatures. There are plenty of higher areas to Dumfries' west, but even so those seldom allow warm air to stay untouched.
Geography
Like the rest of Dumfries and Galloway, of Scotland's three major geographical areas Dumfries lies in the Southern Uplands.
The river Nith runs through Dumfries toward the Solway Firth in a southwards direction splitting the town into East and West. At low tide, the sea recedes to such an extent on the shallow sloping sands of the Solway that the length of the Nith is extended by 13 km to . This makes the Nith Scotland's seventh longest river. There are several bridges across the river within the town. In between the Devorgilla (also known as 'The Old Bridge') and the suspension bridge is a weir colloquially known as 'The Caul'. In wetter months of the year the Nith can flood the surrounding streets.
Dumfries has numerous suburbs including Summerhill Summerhill or Summer Hill may refer to the following places:
Australia
* Summer Hill, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
*Summerhill, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston
* Summerhill (Mount Duneed), a prefabricated iron cottage in Victoria
Canada
* ...
, Summerville, Troqueer, Georgetown, Cresswell, Larchfield, Calside, Lochside, Lincluden, Newbridge Drive
Newbridge Drive is a relatively new suburb in Dumfries. It is situated on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith and is approx 1.8 miles north-west from Dumfries town centre.
Public transport
The area is served by the number 12 Dumfries town cen ...
, Sandside, Heathhall, Locharbriggs
Locharbriggs is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located near the Lochar Water, north-northeast of the town of Dumfries. It was one of several villages that stood on the edge of the Lochar Moss which was largely reclaimed in th ...
, Noblehill and Marchmount. Maxwelltown to the west of the river Nith, was formerly a burgh in its own right within Kirkcudbrightshire until its incorporation into Dumfries in 1929; Summerhill, Troqueer, Lochside, Lincluden, Sandside are among other suburbs located on the Maxwelltown side of the river. Palmerston Park, home to the town's senior football team Queen of the South, is on Terregles Street, also on the Maxwelltown side of the river.
Queensberry Square and High Street are the central focal points of the town and this area hosts many of the historical, social and commercial enterprises and events of Dumfries. During the 1990s, these areas enjoyed various aesthetic recognitions from organisations including Britain in Bloom.
Governance
Scottish communities granted Royal Burgh status by the monarch guarded the honour jealously and with vigour. Riding the Marches maintains the tradition of an occasion that was, in its day, of great importance. Dumfries has been a Royal Burgh since 1186, its charter being granted by King William the Lion in a move that ensured the loyalty of its citizens to the Monarch.
Although far from the centre of power in Scotland, Dumfries had obvious strategic significance sitting as it does on the edge of Galloway and being the centre of control for the south west of Scotland.
With the River Nith on two sides and the Lochar Moss on another, Dumfries was a town with good natural defences. Consequently, it was never completely walled. A careful eye still had to be kept on the clearly defined boundaries of the burgh, a task that had to be taken each year by the Provost, Baillies, Burgesses and others within the town.
Neighbouring landowners might try to encroach on the town boundaries, or the Marches as they were known, moving them back 100 yards or so to their own benefit. It had to be made clear to anyone thinking of or trying to encroach that they dare not do so.
In return for the Royal status of the town and the favour of the King, the Provost and his council, along with other worthies of the town had to be diligent in ensuring the boundaries were strictly observed. Although steeped in history, Scotland's burghs remained the foundation of the country's system of local government for centuries. Burgh status conferred on its citizens the right to elect their own town councils, run their own affairs and raise their own local taxes or rates.
Dumfries also became the administrative centre for the shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
of Dumfries, or Dumfriesshire, which was probably created in the twelfth century and certainly existed by 1305. When elected county councils were created in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, the burgh of Dumfries was deemed capable of running its own affairs and so was excluded from the jurisdiction of the county council.
The burgh of Dumfries was enlarged in 1929 to take in Maxwelltown on the west bank of the Nith, which had previously been a separate burgh in Kirkcudbrightshire. Further local government reform in 1930 brought the burgh of Dumfries within the area controlled by Dumfriesshire County Council, but classed as a large burgh which allowed the town to continue to run many local services itself. The town council was based at Municipal Buildings in Buccleuch Street, built in 1932 on the site of an earlier council building.
In 1975 local government across Scotland was reformed under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that altered local government in Scotland on 16 May 1975.
The Act followed and largely implemented the report of the Royal Commission on Local Gove ...
. The burghs and counties were abolished as administrative areas, replaced with a two-tier system of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Dumfries therefore became part of the Nithsdale district in the region of 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 ...
. Nithsdale District Council took over the Municipal Buildings.[ Ancient titles associated with Dumfries' history as a royal burgh like provost and ]bailie
A bailie or baillie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where bailies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate (see bailiff). Baillies appointed the high constables i ...
were discarded or retained only for ceremonial purposes. Robes and chains often found their way into museums as a reminder of the past. Further local government reform in 1996 abolished Nithsdale district, since when Dumfries has been governed by Dumfries and Galloway Council, which has its headquarters in the town at County Buildings, which had been built in 1914 as the headquarters of Dumfriesshire County Council.
Dumfries remains a centre of local government for a much bigger area than just the town itself. But its people, the Doonhamers still retain a pride in their town and distinctive identity. This is never more so than during the week-long Guid Nychburris Festival and its highlight the Riding of the Marches which takes place on the third Saturday in June each year.
Politics
Dumfries is located in the council area of 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 ...
. It is the seat of the local council, whose headquarters are located on the edge of the town centre. Until 1995 Dumfries was also home to the council for the local district of Nithsdale. Dumfries also lends its name to the lieutenancy area of Dumfries, which is similar in boundaries to the former Dumfriesshire county.
Dumfries is spilt into two UK Parliament constituencies: 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 ...
which is represented by current Secretary of State for Scotland
The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...
, Alister Jack and Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale which is represented by David Mundell, both of the Scottish Conservative Party.
For Scottish Parliament elections, Dumfries is in the South Scotland electoral region and split between two constituencies. The western wards of Abbey and North West Dumfries are in the constituency of Galloway and West Dumfries, while the eastern wards of Nith and Lochar are in the constituency of Dumfriesshire. The respective MSPs are Finlay Carson and Oliver Mundell, both of the Scottish Conservative Party.
In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum
A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side w ...
, Dumfries and Galloway had the country's third heaviest 'No' vote at more than 65% of the ballots cast. That was more than 10 points higher than the national average pro-union vote.
On the Dumfries and Galloway Council, Dumfries is covered by four 4-seat wards: Abbey, Lochar, Nith and North West Dumfries. North West Dumfries is the only ward that solely covers areas within the town itself, with the others incorporating outlying areas. In the 2017 council election, these wards elected 6 Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
, 5 Conservative and 4 SNP councillors.
Economy
Dumfries has a long history as a county town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
, and as the market town of a surrounding rural hinterland.
The North British Rubber Company
Hunter Boot Limited is a British footwear manufacturer that is known for its rubber Wellington boots. Originally established in 1856 as the North British Rubber Company, the firm is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. It also has offices in L ...
started manufacturing in 1946 at Heathhall on the former site of the Arrol-Johnston Motor Company which was said to be the most advanced light engineering factory of its day in Scotland. It became Uniroyal Ltd in the 1960s and was where the Hunter Boot
Hunter Boot Limited is a British footwear manufacturer that is known for its rubber Wellington boots. Originally established in 1856 as the North British Rubber Company, the firm is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. It also has offices in L ...
and Powergrip engine timing belts were manufactured. In 1987 it changed name to the British subsidiary of the Gates Rubber Company
Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to:
People
* Gates (surname), various people with the last name
* Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player
* Gates McFadd ...
and later was known as Interfloor from 2002 until the factory closed in 2013.
Dumfries is a relatively prosperous community but the town centre has been exposed to the centrifugal forces that have seen retail, business, educational, residential and other uses gravitate towards the town's urban fringe. This was started in the 1980s with the building of the Dumfries bypass. The immediate effect of this was as intended the diversion of transiting traffic away from the town centre. This brought with it an accompanying reduction in economic input to the town centre. The second effect of this has been more pronounced. Sites close to the bypass have attracted development to utilise the bypass as a high speed urban highway without the bottlenecks of the town centre and without the constraining limited town centre parking.
In a bid to re-stimulate development in Dumfries town centre, both economically and in a social context, several strategies have been proposed by the controlling authorities.
Culture
Dumfries got its nickname 'Queen of the South' from David Dunbar, a local poet, who in 1857 stood in the general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. In one of his addresses he called Dumfries "Queen of the South" and this became synonymous with the town.[
The term ''doonhamer'' comes from the way that natives of Dumfries over the years have referred to the area when working away from home. The town is often referred to as ''doon hame'' in the Scots language (down home). The term doonhamer followed, to describe those that originate from Dumfries.][
The Doonhamers is also the nickname of Queen of the South who represent Dumfries and the surrounding area in the Scottish Football League.][
The crest of Dumfries contains the words, "A Lore Burne". In the history of Dumfries close to the town was the marsh through which ran the Loreburn whose name became the rallying cry of the town in times of attack – A Lore Burne (meaning 'to the muddy stream').]
In 2017 Dumfries was ranked the happiest place in Scotland by Rightmove
Rightmove plc is a UK-based company which runs rightmove.co.uk, the UK's largest online real estate property portal. Rightmove is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
Rightmove was incorporat ...
.
Museums
Located on top of a small hill, Dumfries Museum
Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura, located in Dumfries in Dumfries & Galloway, is the largest museum in the region. The museum has extensive collections relating to local and history from the pre-historic era. The museum also has the world's old ...
is centred on the 18th-century windmill which stands above the town. Included are fossil footprints left by prehistoric reptiles, the wildlife of the Solway marshes, tools and weapons of the earliest peoples of the region and stone carvings of Scotland's first Christians. On the top floor of the museum is a camera obscura.
Based in the control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
near Tinwald Downs, the aviation museum has an extensive indoor display of memorabilia, much of which has come via various recovery activities. During the second world war, aerial navigation was taught at Dumfries also at Wigtown and nearby Annan was a fighter training unit. RAF Dumfries doubled as an important maintenance unit and aircraft storage unit. The museum is run by the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Group and is the only private aviation museum in Scotland. The restored control tower of the former World War II airfield is now a listed building. The museum is run by volunteers and houses a large and ever expanding aircraft collection, aero engines and a display of artefacts and personal histories relating to aviation, past and present. It is also home to the Loch Doon
Loch Doon ( gd, Loch Dùin, ) is a freshwater loch in Carrick, Scotland. The River Doon issues from its northern end, while the loch itself receives waters from Gala Lane and Loch Enoch (in the Galloway Hills) via Eglin Lane.
History
In the 1 ...
Spitfire. Both civil aviation and military aviation
Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift ( air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war the ...
are represented.
Theatre and cinema
The Theatre Royal, Dumfries
The Theatre Royal in Dumfries, Scotland is the oldest working theatre in Scotland. The Theatre is owned by the Guild of Players who bought it in 1959, thereby saving it from demolition. The Guild's aim is to promote the tradition of live theatre ...
was built in 1792 and is the oldest working theatre in Scotland.
The theatre is owned by the Guild of Players who bought it in 1959, thereby saving it from demolition, and is run on a voluntary basis by the members of the Guild of Players. It is funded entirely by Guild membership subscriptions, and by box office receipts. It does not currently receive any grant aid towards running costs.
In recent years the theatre has been re-roofed and the outside refurbished. It is the venue for the Guild of Players' own productions and for performances from visiting companies. These include: Scottish Opera, TAG, the Borderline and 7:84.
The Robert Burns Centre
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
is an art house cinema in Dumfries. The Odeon Cinema, which showed more mainstream movies, closed its doors in mid-2018 due to the local council refusing to allow Odeon to relocate, forcing them to close.
Concert and event venues
The Loreburn Hall (sometimes known colloquially as The Drill Hall) has hosted concerts by performers such as Black Sabbath, Big Country, The Proclaimers and Scottish Opera. The hall has hosted sporting events such as wrestling. The new DG One sport, fitness and entertainment centre became the principal indoor event venue in Dumfries in 2007, but in October 2014, it closed due to major defects being discovered in the building. However, the refurbished building reopened to the public in the summer of 2019. The Theatre Royal has also reopened following renovation work.
Visual arts
With a collection of over 400 Scottish paintings, Gracefield Arts Centre hosts a changing programme of exhibitions featuring regional, national and international artists and craft-makers.
Dumfries Art Trail brings together artists, makers, galleries and craft shops with venues accessible all year round.
Festivals
There are a number of festivals which take place throughout the year, mostly based on traditional values.
''Guid Nychburris'' ( Middle Scots, meaning Good Neighbours) is the main festival of the year, a ceremony which is largely based on the theme of a positive community spirit.
The ceremony on Guid Nychburris Day, follows a route and sequence of events laid down in the mists of time. Formal proceedings start at 7.30 am with the gathering of up to 250 horses waiting for the courier to arrive and announce that the Pursuivant is on his way, and at 8.00 am leave the Midsteeple and ride out to meet the Pursuivant. They then proceed to Ride the Marches and Stob and Nog (mark the boundary with posts and flags) before returning to the Midsteeple at 12.15 pm to meet the Provost and then the Charter is proclaimed to the towns people of Dumfries. This is then followed by the crowning of the Queen of the South.
Since 2013, Dumfries has seen the annual Nithraid
The Nithraid is an annual sail, row boat race and festival held in the town of Dumfries, Scotland. Competitors race small boats up the River Nith from Carsethorn to Mill Green in the centre of Dumfries on the high tide. There are three bridges alo ...
, a small boat race up the Nith from Carsethorn, celebrating the town's historical relationship with the river.
The region is also home to a number of thriving music festivals such as the Eden Festival (at St Ann's near Moffat), Youthbeatz (Scotland's largest free youth music festival), the Moniaive Folk Festival, Thornhill Music Festival, Big Burns Supper Festival
The Big Burns Supper Festival (Big Burns Supper) is an international Scottish music festival and performing arts festival of music, theatre, comedy and cabaret which takes place annually in Dumfries in south Scotland every January.
The eleven-d ...
and previously Electric Fields at Drumlanrig Castle.
Library
The Ewart Library is a Carnegie library, and was opened in 1904. Carnegie donated £10,000 toward the building of the library, and suggested that it was named after William Ewart, former MP for the area, and who was key in the introduction of acts of Parliament in both England and Scotland related to the creation of public libraries.
Religion
The churches and chapels of the Presbyterian and other communions are, many of them, fine buildings. St Michael’s (1746), a stately pile, was the church which Robert Burns attended, and in its churchyard he was buried, his remains being transferred in 1815 to the magnificent mausoleum erected in the south-east corner, where also lie his wife, Jean Armour, and several members of his family. The Gothic church of Greyfriars (1866–1867) occupies the site partly of a Franciscan monastery and partly of the old castle of the town. On the site of St Mary’s (1837–1839), also Gothic, stood the small chapel raised by Christiana, sister of Robert Bruce, to the memory of her husband, Sir Christopher Seton, who had been executed on the spot by Edward I. St Andrew’s (1811–1813), in the Romanesque style, is a Roman Catholic church, which also serves as the pro-cathedral of the diocese of Galloway. In 1851 Lewis wrote about other churches saying that an episcopal chapel was erected in 1817, at a cost of £'2200 ; and there are places of worship for members of the Free Church, the United Presbyterian Church, Reformed Presbyterians, Independents, and Wesleyans, and a Roman Catholic chapel. Churches have closed and opened since then.
Sport
Queen of the South represent Dumfries and the surrounding area in the second level of the country's professional football system, the Scottish Championship. Palmerston Park on Terregles Street is the home ground of the team. This is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith. They reached the 2008 Scottish Cup Final, losing 3–2 to Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
.[
Dumfries City VFC are a virtual football club from the town.
Dumfries Saints Rugby Club is one of Scotland's oldest rugby clubs having been admitted to the Scottish Rugby Union in 1876–77 as "Dumfries Rangers".
Dumfries is also home to a number of golf courses:
* The Crichton Golf Club
* The Dumfries and County Golf Club
* The Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club
Of those is listed only the Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith. This course is also bisected into 2 halves of 9 holes each by the town's Castle Douglas Road. The club house and holes 1 to 7 and 17 and 18 are on the side nearest to ]Summerhill, Dumfries
Summerhill in Dumfries is a post war residential suburb on the west side of the town. It is located on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith that runs through Dumfries. Summerhill is bounded by Terregles Road to the north, the streets that branch ...
. Holes 8 to 16 are on the side nearest to Janefield.
The opening stage of the 2011 Tour of Britain
The 2011 Tour of Britain was the eighth running of the latest incarnation of the Tour of Britain and the 72nd British tour in total. The race started on 11 September in Peebles, Scotland and finished on 18 September in London, England, with the ...
started in Peebles and finished later in Dumfries. The stage was won by sprint specialist and reigning Tour de France green jersey champion, Mark Cavendish, with his teammate lead out man, Mark Renshaw
Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired Australian racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. His most notable wins are the general classification of the 2011 Tour of Qatar, and the one-d ...
finishing second. Cavendish had been scheduled to be racing in the 2011 Vuelta a España
The 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The bicycle race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 ...
. However Cavendish was one a number of riders to withdraw having suffered in the searing Spanish heat. This allowed Cavendish to be a late addition to the Tour of Britain line up in his preparation for what was to be a successful bid two weeks later in the 2011 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
The Men's Road Race of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships cycling event took place on 25 September 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In a sprint to the finish line, Great Britain's Mark Cavendish became world champion after making his move down th ...
. Cavendish in a smiling post race TV interview in Dumfries described the wet and windy race conditions through the Southern Scottish stage as 'horrible'.
DG One complex includes a national event-sized competition swimming pool.
The David Keswick Athletic Centre is the principal facility in Dumfries for athletics.
Dumfries is home to Nithsdale Amateur Rowing Club. The rowers share their clubhouse with Dumfries Sub-Aqua Club.
The town is also home to Solway Sharks ice hockey team. The team are current Northern Premier League winners. The team's home rink is Dumfries Ice Bowl. Dumfries Ice bowl is also recognised as Scotland's only centre of ice hockey excellence, and trials for the Scottish Jr national team are carried out at this venu.
Dumfries Ice Bowl is also home to two synchronised skating
Synchronized skating is an ice skating sport where between 8 to 16 skaters perform together as a team. They move as a flowing unit at high speed over the ice, while performing elements and footwork.
This complex sport originated in 1956 and was ...
teams, Solway Stars Solway may refer to:
Places Australia
*Solway, a neighbourhood of Ashburton, Victoria. a suburb of Melbourne
New Zealand
* Solway, New Zealand, a suburb of Masterton
United Kingdom
* Solway Firth, the inlet between the north west of England and ...
and Solway Eclipse Solway may refer to:
Places Australia
*Solway, a neighbourhood of Ashburton, Victoria. a suburb of Melbourne
New Zealand
* Solway, New Zealand, a suburb of Masterton
United Kingdom
*Solway Firth, the inlet between the north west of England and s ...
. In addition, Dumfries Ice Bowl is also home to several curling teams, competitions and leagues. Junior curling teams from Dumfries, consisting of curlers under the age of 21, regularly compete in the Dutch Junior Open based in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 a Dumfries-based team have been the winners of the competition's Hogline Trophy.
Dumfries hosts three outdoor bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
clubs:
* Dumfries Bowling Club
* Marchmount Bowling Club
* Maxwelltown Bowling Club
Maxwelltown ( gd, Ceann Drochaid, IPA: kʰʲaun̴̪ˈt̪ɾɔxətʲ was formerly a burgh of barony and police burgh and by the time of the burgh's abolition in 1929 it was the most populous burgh in the county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. ...
Dumfries hosts cycling organisations and cycling holidays.
Education
Dumfries has several primary schools, approximately one per key district, and four main secondary schools. All of these institutions are governed by 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 ...
council. The secondary schools are:
* Dumfries Academy
* Dumfries High School
Dumfries High School is situated in a residential area of Marchmount in Dumfries, Scotland. It has been on this site since 1961, and has been expanded and improved since. It is adjacent to the David Keswick Athletic Centre, which provides s ...
* Maxwelltown High School
Maxwelltown High School was a state funded, six-year comprehensive secondary school in the Lochside area of Dumfries, Scotland. Founded in 1971, Maxwelltown High School was the most recently founded secondary school in Dumfries and Galloway, b ...
* St Joseph's College
Dumfries Academy was a grammar school until adopting a comprehensive format in 1983.
In 2013 plans for a 'super school' were announced. These plans were later dismissed in favour of renovating existing schools.
In 1999 Scotland's first multi-institutional university campus was established in Dumfries, in the Crichton estate. In order of campus presence it is host to the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) (formerly known as University of Paisley & Bell College), Dumfries & Galloway College, and the University of Glasgow. Still in its infancy, the campus offers a range of degree courses in initial teacher education, business, computing, environmental studies, tourism, heritage, social work, health, social studies, nursing, liberal arts and humanities. Despite the short-lived threat of closure to the University of Glasgow part of the campus in 2006, a campaign by students, academics and local supporters ensured that the University of Glasgow remained open in Dumfries. The University of Glasgow, since maintaining its provision in Dumfries, has launched a new undergraduate programme in primary teaching.
Healthcare
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary
Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary is the main hospital in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The hospital is managed by NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
History
The hospital has its origins in a small facility at Mill Hole in Burns Street in cen ...
is the principal secondary care referral centre for Dumfries and Galloway region. It now includes a maternity wing which replaced the old Cresswell Maternity Hospital.
Midpark Hospital, close to the site of the former Crichton Royal Hospital, is part of the Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board and provides a regional psychiatric, psychological and specialist addictions service within Dumfries and Galloway. In 1838 William A. F. Browne
Dr William Alexander Francis Browne (1805–1885) was one of the most significant British asylum doctors of the nineteenth century. At Montrose Asylum (1834–1838) in Angus and at the Crichton Royal in Dumfries (1838–1857), Browne introduc ...
accepted the position of Physician Superintendent at the newly created Crichton. It is at the Crichton where Ursula Fleming
Ursula Fleming (1930 in Liverpool – 1992 in London) was an English psychotherapist, Lay Dominican and author; she was considered an expert in her field of work.
Fleming was educated at Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries in south west S ...
gained much of her education and experience.
Transport
Dumfries is linked to the Northbound A74(M)
The A74(M) and M74 form a major motorway in Scotland, connecting it to England. The routes connect the M8 motorway in central Glasgow to the Scottish-English border at Gretna. In conjunction with their southward continuation, the M6 motorwa ...
motorway at Beattock
Beattock is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, approximately southwest of Moffat and north of Dumfries.
Beattock was historically served by the A74 road and the West Coast Main Line, however the road has since been upgraded to the ...
via the A701 road
The A701 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Dumfries to Edinburgh.
Route
The A701 leaves Dumfries and travels north to meet the A74(M) east of Beattock. It then passes beneath the A74(M) before continuing to the north-east towards ...
. The A75 road eastbound links Dumfries to the southbound A74(M), leading to the M6 motorway and Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
. The A75 road west links Dumfries with the ferry port of Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...
. The A76 road
The A76 is a major trunk road in south west Scotland.
Starting at Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, the A76 goes through or immediately by-passes Hurlford, Mauchline, Auchinleck, Cumnock, Pathhead and New Cumnock before entering Dumfries and Gall ...
connects to Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
in Ayrshire
Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
.
Dumfries railway station lies on the Glasgow South Western Line. It was awarded Best Station Awards by British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
in 1986 and 1987. The train service is now operated by ScotRail
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise a ...
which provides services to Glasgow Central and Carlisle, and less frequent services direct to Newcastle. The nearest station to Dumfries on the West Coast Main Line is east along the A709 road
A7, A.7, A 7, A07 or A-7 may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* A7, the A dominant seventh chord used in many rock songs, see dominant seventh chord
* A (musical note)
* ''A7'' (mixtape), by SCH, 2015
* Avenged Sevenfold, a hard rock/meta ...
at Lockerbie
Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town ...
, and the nearest West Coast Main Line station linking directly to Dumfries by rail is Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
.
Maxwelltown station in the Summerhill district of the town was closed along with the direct line to Stranraer
Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...
via Castle Douglas as part of the Beeching cuts in 1965. Part of the disused railway track in Dumfries was later converted to a cycle path.
Parks
The most significant of the parks in Dumfries are all within walking distance of the town centre:-
* Dock Park – located on the East bank of the Nith just to the South of St Michael's Bridge
* Castledykes Park – as the name suggests on the site of a former castle
* Mill Green (also known as deer park, although the deer formerly accommodated there have since been relocated) – on the West bank of the Nith opposite Whitesands
Broadcasting
Dumfries was formerly home to one of the 11 BBC studios in Scotland.
West Sound FM
Westsound is an Independent Local Radio station based in Glasgow, Scotland, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Greatest Hits Radio Network. It broadcasts to Dumfries and Galloway.
Overview
Westsound in Dumfries and Galloway is one of t ...
, part of Bauer Media Group, broadcasts from Dumfries, and is also the main radio station for the area. Community radio station ''Alive 107.3'' broadcasts on 107.3FM in Dumfries and online.
In 2018, Dumfries got a new radio station, ''Dumfries Community Radio''. Also known as DCR Online, it is not a traditional FM radio station, but an online radio station.
Local journalism
The two local newspapers that specifically cover Dumfries and the surrounding are:-
* '' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'' (established 1843) publishing on Tuesdays and Fridays
* '' Dumfries Courier'' publishing on Fridays
Architectural geology
There are many buildings in Dumfries made from sandstone of the local Locharbriggs quarry.
The quarry is situated off the A701 on the north of Dumfries at Locharbriggs close to the nearby aggregates quarry. This dimension stone quarry is a large quarry. Quarry working at Locharbriggs dates from the 18th century, and the quarry has been worked continuously since 1890.
There are good reserves of stone that can be extracted at several locations. On average the stone is available at depths of 1m on bed although some larger blocks are obtainable. The average length of a block is 1.5m but 2.6m blocks can be obtained.
Locharbriggs is from the New Red Sandstone of the Permian age. It is a medium-grained stone ranging in colour from dull red to pink. It is the sandstone used in the Queen Alexandra Bridge
The Queen Alexandra Bridge is a road traffic, pedestrian and former railway bridge spanning the River Wear in North East England, linking the Deptford and Southwick areas of Sunderland. The steel truss bridge was designed by Charles A. Harriso ...
in Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, the Manchester Central Convention Complex and the base of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
.
File:Dumfries Academy, Minerva Building, Academy St, Dumfries DG1 1DD, Detail.jpg, Minerva building, Dumfries Academy
File:Grayfriars 1.jpg, Detail at Greyfriar's church
File:Grayfriars 4.jpg, Detail at Greyfriars church
File:Midsteeple 7.jpg, Detail at Midsteeple
File:Queensberry Hotel, Dumfries 2.jpg, Detail at Queensberry hotel
File:Queensberry monument dumfries 2.jpg, Ram's head at Queensberry monument
File:Greyfriars Dumfries town centre.jpg, Greyfriars Dumfries town centre
File:Carving of satyr, Dumfries.jpg, Carving of Pan
File:Dumfries Academy 2.jpg, Detail at Dumfries Academy
Surrounding places of interest
As the largest settlement in Southern Scotland, Dumfries is recognised as a centre for visiting surrounding points of interest. The following are all within easy reach:
* Ae village and forest
* Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of th ...
* Criffel – a hill on the Solway Coast popular with hill walkers for its views of the Southern Scottish coastline and across the Solway Firth to the Lake District
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
of Cumbria
* Drumlanrig Castle
* Ecclefechan – Thomas Carlyle's birthplace "The Arched House" is a tourist attraction and has been maintained by the National Trust for Scotland since 1936. Ecclefechan lies at the foot of the large Roman Fort, Burnswark, which dominates the horizon with its flat top.
* Glencaple Quay
Glencaple Quay (NX994687) is located on the River Nith, it mainly served the town of Dumfries and to some degree the Glencaple area as well as its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway. The quays at Dumfries, Kingholm Quay Laghall Quay, Laghall, K ...
- Old harbour, restaurant, shop and views of the River Nith.
* Gretna Green and the Old Blacksmith's Shop famous for runaway marriages.
* John Paul Jones Cottage Museum
The John Paul Jones Cottage Museum is located on the Arbigland Estate near Kirkbean in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The cottage is where John Paul Jones, hero of the American Revolutionary War ...
– The traditional Scottish cottage in which John Paul Jones was born in 1747.
* Kingholm Quay
Kingholm Quay, commonly called the New Quay (NX975735) in the 19th century and its associated village and warehouses is located on the River Nith, once serving the town of Dumfries and its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway. The port of Dumfri ...
- 18th century harbour, on the east side of the River Nith, that once served the town.
* Laghall Quay
Laghall Quay (NX973732) is located on the River Nith, once serving the estate of Laghall, later named Mavis Grove and now again called Laghall as well as its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway, previously Kirkcudbrightshire. The ports of Dumfri ...
- 18th century harbour, on the west side of the River Nith, A pleasant walk to the site and views of the Nith and Kingholm Quay.
* Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre was the first Tibetan Buddhist Centre to have been established in the West. It is a centre within the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is in the village of Eskdalemuir in the Scottish Southern Uplands
* Lochmaben with its lochs popular with boaters and also its history with Robert the Bruce
* Mabie Forest – popular destinations for outdoor recreation such as mountain bike and walking
* Moffat and the views nearby of The Devil's Beef Tub, The Grey Mare's Tail waterfall and the A708 from Moffat past the Grey Mare's Tail to St Mary's Loch.
* Moniaive conservation village
* New Abbey Corn Mill Museum and Sweetheart Abbey
* Solway Coast
* 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 of ...
in Castle Douglas, Built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas. Now a ruin, it was a stronghold of the "Black Douglases", Earls of Douglas and Lords of Galloway, until their fall in 1455.
* Twynholm and the David Coulthard Museum.
* Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, nestling in the Lowther Hills and south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village, at an elevation of ar ...
– Britain's highest village registered at above sea level and the Lead Mining Museum
Notable people
A number of well-known people were educated at Dumfries Academy, among them Henry Duncan, founder of the world's first commercial savings bank, Sir James Anderson
Sir James Anderson (1824–1893) captained SS Great Eastern, SS ''Great Eastern'' on the laying of the Transatlantic telegraph cable in 1865 and 1866.
Anderson was born in Dumfries in south west Scotland and educated at the Dumfries Academy, aca ...
, who captained the SS Great Eastern on the transatlantic telegraph cable laying voyages in 1865 and 1866, James Matthew Barrie, author of '' Peter Pan'', musician John Law Hume of the Titanic orchestra, Jane Haining, international diplomat Alexander Knox Helm, John Laurie, actor (Private Fraser in '' Dad's Army''), artist Christian Jane Fergusson
Christian Jane Fergusson, née Stark, (14 September 1876 – 5 January 1957), was a Scottish painter, who was associated with the Glasgow School and known for her landscape and still life works.
Biography
Fergusson, who sometimes signed her wor ...
, artist Sir Robin Philipson, singer John Hanson, Alex Graham, cartoonist best known for the Fred Basset
''Fred Basset'' is a comic strip about a male basset hound. The cartoon was created by Scottish cartoonist Alex Graham and published first in the ''Daily Mail'' on 8 July 1963.
Fred's cartoon strips are renamed as ''Wurzel'' in Germany, ''Lill ...
series and Jock Wishart
Jock Wishart is a maritime and polar adventurer, sportsman and explorer. Until his successful 2011 Old Pulteney Row to the Pole, he was best known for his circumnavigation of the globe in a powered vessel, setting a new world record in the Cable ...
, who in 1998 set a new world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powered vessel. Roger White, CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of soft drinks group A.G. Barr is a local lad who went to Dumfries Academy. Following William A. F. Browne
Dr William Alexander Francis Browne (1805–1885) was one of the most significant British asylum doctors of the nineteenth century. At Montrose Asylum (1834–1838) in Angus and at the Crichton Royal in Dumfries (1838–1857), Browne introduc ...
's 1838 appointment as Superintendent of the Crichton hospital, his son, James Crichton-Browne, was educated at the Academy.
William Charles Wells, predecessor to Charles Darwin on the theory of natural selection was another schooled in Dumfries. Geologist Robert Harkness
Professor Robert Harkness Royal Society of London, FRS FRSE FGS (28 July 1816 – 4 October 1878), was a British geologist and mineralogist.
Early life
Robert Harkness was born in Ormskirk on 28 July 1816. His family moved to south-west Scotland ...
was schooled in Dumfries and subsequently resided in the town. Sir Frank Williams
Sir Francis Owen Garbett Williams (16 April 1942 – 28 November 2021) was a British businessman, racing car driver, and the founder of the Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Williams Formula One team. He was the team principal from its foundati ...
of F1 motor racing fame was educated at St Joseph's College, Dumfries as was Charles Forte, Baron Forte. St Joseph's was founded by Brother Walfrid
Andrew Kerins ( ga, Aindreas Ó Céirín; 18 May 1840 – 17 April 1915), known by his religious name Brother Walfrid, was an Irish Marist Brother and is best remembered for being the founder of Scottish football club Celtic.
Life
Walfrid was ...
, the founder of Celtic F.C.
International chart-topping record producer Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
is from Dumfries. Dumfries was the hometown of Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
until he left in 2008. Ray Wilson, lead singer of Stiltskin
Stiltskin are a Scottish rock band, who first achieved widespread popularity in the mid-1990s. Stiltskin are led by frontman Ray Wilson, the only constant member throughout the band's history. They are best known for their 1994 UK chart-toppe ...
and later Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
was born in Dumfries as were fellow musicians Geoffrey Kelly and Ian Carr and Emma's Imagination
Emma Gillespie (born in Edinburgh, Scotland), better known by her stage name Emma's Imagination, is a Scottish singer. She came to prominence after winning the Sky 1 TV talent contest '' Must Be the Music''. She was signed to Gary Barlow's musi ...
singer Emma Gillespie is from Dumfries. Opera singer Nicky Spence
Nicky Spence (born 1983) is a Scottish operatic tenor who performs in opera, oratorio and recital in both the UK and internationally.
Life and career
Spence was born and raised in Dumfries. He was educated at Wallace Hall Academy in Thornhi ...
was born in Dumfries as was Britain's Got Talent singer Andrew Johnston. Nigel Sinclair CBE is a Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
film producer. Michael Carter's acting career has seen him appear in a variety or productions ranging from '' Return of the Jedi'' to '' Rebus.''
Dumfries has produced a steady stream of professional footballers
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
and managers. The best known footballers of their eras to come from Dumfries are probably Dave Halliday, Ian Dickson,[ ]Bobby Ancell
Robert Francis Dudgeon Ancell (16 June 1911 – 5 July 1987) was a Scottish football player and manager. He played as a left back for St Mirren, Newcastle United, Dundee and Aberdeen. He won two full caps with the Scotland national footbal ...
, Billy Houliston
William Houliston (4 April 1921 – 10 February 1999) was a Scottish footballer who played for Crichton, Queen of the South, Berwick Rangers, Third Lanark and the Scotland national team.
Early years
Houliston was born in Maxwelltown, at West ...
,[ ]Jimmy McIntosh
James McLaughlin McIntosh (5 April 1918 – 4 April 2000) was a Scottish professional association football, footballer and manager. As a player McIntosh was a fast, strong, stocky forward.[Willie McNaught
William McNaught (9 May 1922 – 12 April 1989) was a Scottish footballer, who was born in Dumfries. McNaught holds the Raith Rovers club record for the number of appearances with the club of 657 between 1941 and 1962. McNaught was club captain ...]
and Ted McMinn.[ Halliday, Dickson, Houliston and McMinn played for home town club, Queen of the South during their careers. ]Dominic Matteo
Dominic Matteo (born 28 April 1974) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder in a 17-year professional career from 1992 to 2009. He made a total of 366 league and cup appearances, of which 276 were i ...
was born in Dumfries but moved to England while still a young boy. Barry Nicholson lost 4–3 to Queens playing for Aberdeen in the 2008 Scottish Cup semi-finals despite scoring against the team he supported as a boy. Ancell, Houliston, McNaught and Nicholson have represented Scotland and were joined in having done so in season 2010/11 by Cammy Bell and Grant Hanley
Grant Campbell Hanley (born 20 November 1991) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Norwich City and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.
Early years ...
. Matteo gained 6 full caps for Scotland after having represented England at under-21 level. Halliday was overlooked by Scotland in favour of Hughie Gallacher.[ Gallacher played for The Queen's but was not from Dumfries. It was as a manager rather than a player that Thomas Mitchell made his name as a multiple FA Cup winner at Blackburn Rovers before joining Woolwich Arsenal as ]Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...
were then named.
Dumfries is also the hometown of three-times 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
winner, Allan McNish, as it was to fellow racing driver David Leslie. Scotland rugby union internationalists Duncan Hodge
Duncan Hodge (born 18 August 1974) is a Scottish former internationalist rugby union player. He gained 26 full caps for Scotland.
Playing career
Hodge was born in Dumfries, Scotland and educated at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. He ...
, Nick De Luca, Craig Hamilton and Alex Dunbar
Alex Dunbar (born 23 April 1990) is a retired Scotland international rugby union player. His regular playing position was Centre.
Rugby Union career Amateur career
Born in Dumfries and a former pupil of Lockerbie Academy, Dunbar graduated in 2 ...
were born in Dumfries as were professional golfers Andrew Coltart and Robert Dinwiddie. Curling world champions David Murdoch, Euan Byers
Euan Byers (born 30 July 1974) is a Scottish curler.
Byers started playing curling in 1983. He plays in first position and is right-handed. Byers is a double world champion and triple European champion.
Teammates
2010 Vancouver Olympic Ga ...
and Craig Wilson were all born in Dumfries. Former darts champion Rab Smith is another ''Doonhamer''.
BBC Broadcaster Kirsty Wark was born in the town as was fellow broadcaster Stephen Jardine. Neil Oliver (archaeologist, historian, author and broadcaster), grew up in Ayr and Dumfries. Author and earth scientist Dougal Dixon
Dougal Dixon (born 1 March 1947) is a Scottish geologist, palaeontologist, educator and author. Dixon has written well over a hundred books on geology and palaeontology, many of them for children, which have been credited with attracting many to ...
is from Dumfries. Hunter Davies (author, journalist and broadcaster) lived in Dumfries for four years as a boy. James Hannay as well as being a novelist and journalist spent the last five years of his life as the British consul in Barcelona. John Mayne
John Mayne (1759–1836) was a Scottish printer, journalist and poet born in Dumfries. In 1780, his poem ''The Siller Gun'' appeared in its original form in ''Ruddiman's Magazine'', published by Walter Ruddiman in Edinburgh. was born in Dumfries in 1759 and contributed in the field of poetry. World War I poet William Hamilton was another born in Dumfries. Archibald Gracie, shipping magnate and business tycoon in USA, was from Dumfries. Banking executive John McFarlane
John McFarlane OBE (born 14 June 1947) is a British businessman. He served as Group Chairman of Barclays from 2015 to 2019.
Early life
He was born in Dumfries and attended Dumfries Academy. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, Cra ...
originates from the town. The architect George Corson
George Corson (1829–1910) was a Scottish architect active in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Background
He was born in Dumfries, where he was articled to Walter Newall before moving to Leeds in 1849 to work with his brother William Reid Cor ...
who worked mainly in Leeds, England, was born in Dumfries and articled to Walter Newall in the town.
Politician David Mundell was born in Dumfries as were William Dickson, William Pattison Telford Sr.
William Pattison Telford (October 11, 1836 – May 4, 1922) was a Canadian banker and politician.
Born in Castleton, Roxburghshire, Scotland, Telford was educated at public schools in Dumfries, Waterloo County, Sydenham, Grey County and a ...
and Ambrose Blacklock
Ambrose Blacklock (May 17, 1784 – October 5, 1866) was a Scottish-born farmer, physician and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was born in Dumfries and studied medicine in Scotland. In 1807, he was commissioned as a surgeon in the Roy ...
all of whom made their mark politically in Canada. Malcolm H. Wright was also born in Dumfries, father of Sophie B. Wright
Sophie Bell Wright (June 5, 1866 – June 10, 1912) was an American educator, and clubwoman from New Orleans, Louisiana. In recent years, Wright's membership in the Daughters of the Confederacy has led to calls for a reconsideration of her le ...
– New Orleans' educator and pioneer for women and children's rights. Suffragette and feminist campaigner Dora Marsden
Dora Marsden (5 March 1882 – 13 December 1960) was an English suffragette, editor of literary journals, and philosopher of language. Beginning her career as an activist in the Women's Social and Political Union, Marsden eventually broke ...
spent the last 25 years of her life being cared for in Dumfries after her psychological breakdown. Dr Ian Gibson is another to leave his mark on politics. James Edward Tait
James Edward Tait (27 May 1888 – 11 August 1918), was a Scottish/Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth force ...
was a Dumfries-born recipient of the Victoria Cross. William Robertson and Edward Spence are other Victoria Cross recipients. Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...
, UK Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827, was quartered in Dumfries in 1796 during his military service.
David Haggart (1801–1821), was a Scottish thief and rogue who in 1820 in his escape from Dumfries Gaol, (site now occupied by Thomson's the Jewellers ), killed the turnkey. He was hanged in Edinburgh in 1821. His dictated memoir published as a chapbook
A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch.
In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...
became the subject of the 1969 John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
film "''Sinful'' ''Davey''" starring John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...
.
A plaque on the wall on the site of the King's Arms Hotel, now Boots the Chemist's, records the presence there in 1829 of William Hare of Burke and Hare notoriety. He was travelling to Ireland after the trial; his visit caused a near riot. John Richardson, naturalist, explorer and naval surgeon was born in Dumfries as was John Craig, mathematician, and polymath James Crichton. Benjamin Bell after being born in Dumfries went on to become considered the first Scottish scientific surgeon. His great grandson was Joseph Bell who Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
has credited Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
as being loosely based on from Bell's observant manner. Doyle's father, artist Charles Altamont Doyle, died in The Crichton Royal Institution and is buried in the High Cemetery in Dumfries.Charles Altamont Doyle
The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia. Retrieved: 25 July 2019.
Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart
Sir Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart (20 June 1856 – 29 February 1920) was a Scottish-born professor of physiology, founder of the medical school at the University of Sydney.J. Atherton Young,Stuart, Sir Thomas Peter Anderson (1856 - 1920), Austra ...
left Dumfries to go on and found the University of Sydney Medical School. John Allan Broun
John Allan Broun FRS (21 September 1817 – 22 November 1879) was a Scottish scientist with interests in magnetism, particularly of the earth, and meteorology. Broun studied in Edinburgh University and worked at the observatory in Makerstoun fro ...
's contribution to science were his discoveries around magnetism
Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...
and meteorology. James Braid, surgeon and pioneer of hypnotism
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
and hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a type of mind–body intervention in which hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention and increased suggestibility in the treatment of a medical or psychological disorder or concern. Popularized by 17th and 18th cen ...
, practised in Dumfries from 1825 to 1828 in partnership with William Maxwell. Ian Callum is eminent in the world of motor engineer. A Church of Scotland minister the Rev. John Ewart of Troqueer in Kirkcudbrightshire produced eleven children of whom some have made a notable mark. Peter Ewart was an engineer who was influential in developing the technologies of turbines and theories of thermodynamics. His brother Joseph Ewart
Joseph Ewart FRSE (30 April 1759 – 27 January 1792) was a Scottish diplomat, mainly based in Berlin in Prussia (now Germany) .
Early life
Ewart was born on 30 April 1759, the eldest son of Mary (née Corrie) and Rev. John Ewart, the minister o ...
became British ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to Prussia. John, a doctor, became Chief Inspector of East India Company hospitals in India. William, father of William Ewart, was business partner of Sir John Gladstones (''sic''), father of four times Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone junior was named after Ewart, his godfather. James Julius Wood was an early minister at St George's and a Free Church
A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions from ...
Moderator.
Places of the same name
Canada
* Dumfries, New Brunswick in Canada
* South Dumfries Township, Ontario, Canada
* North Dumfries, Ontario, Canada
United States
* Dumfries, Virginia in the US was formally established on land at the head of the harbour of Quantico Creek, provided by John Graham. He named the town after his birthplace, Dumfries in Scotland.
* Dumfries, Minnesota
Dumfries is an unincorporated community in Glasgow Township, Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States.
Geography
The community is located between Wabasha and Zumbro Falls along State Highway 60 ( MN 60). Wabasha County Roads 20, 30, and 86 are ...
, USA
* Dumfries, Iowa, USA
Other
* Dumfries, Cat Island, Bahamas
Cat Island is located in central Bahamas, and is one of its districts. Cat Island also has the nation's highest point, Mount Alvernia (formerly known as Como Hill). It rises to and is topped by a monastery called ''The Hermitage''. This asse ...
* Dumfries, on the Grenadine island of Carriacou, Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
Twin towns
– Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, is home to the United States Naval Academy where John Paul Jones lies in the crypt beneath the chapel.
– Gifhorn, Germany
– Cantù
Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza.
History
The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population of I ...
, Italy. Dumfries and Galloway Council has not been involved in any official twinning link between the two towns for some time. The bond has been maintained through the Friends of Cantu and the Nithsdale Twinning Association.
See also
* Abecediary
An abecedarium (also known as an abecedary or ABCs or simply an ABC) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria (or abecedaries) are practice exercises.
Non-Latin alphabe ...
—An example from St Mary Grey Friars church
* List of places in Dumfries and Galloway
References
External links
James Norie senior
Dumfries and Galloway Council Website
www.loreburne.co.uk A Guide to .....Dumfries
Dumfries and Galloway Museums
National Library of Scotland: Scottish Screen Archive
selection of archive films about Dumfries
Dumfries Civil Parish Historical Tax Rolls in Dumfriesshire
Video footage and history of Dumfries railway station
Video and history of the Burns Mausoleum, Dumfries.
Things To See and Do & Attractions in Dumfries
Life of David Haggart who was executed at Edinburgh, 18 July 1821 for the murder of the Dumfries jailor - Murders - Chapbooks printed in Scotland - National Library of Scotland
Charles Altamont Doyle - The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
County Hotel, 79 High Street, Dumfries, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway
{{Authority control
Dumfriesshire
Large burghs
County towns in Scotland
Towns in Dumfries and Galloway
Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway