Kirkbean ( gd, Cille Bheathain) is a Scottish village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

on the

Solway Firth The Solway Firth ( gd, Tràchd Romhra) is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria (including the Solway Plain) and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in ...

, in the historic county of

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

and 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 ...

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

History

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

Nithsdale Nithsdale (''Srath Nid'' in Scottish Gaelic), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost th ...

district of

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

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

lieutenancy area Lieutenancy areas are the separate areas of the United Kingdom appointed a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have similar demarcation and naming to, but are not necessarily coterminate with, the co ...

since 1975.

Notable residents

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

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, now a province of Canada. *

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

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

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, while being

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's personal physician and close friend. *

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

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

Arbigland Arbigland in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lies on the coast of the Solway Firth, to the south-east of Kirkbean. It is the birthplace of John Paul Jones, the United States' first well-known naval co ...

estate. There is a memorial font to him in the church by sculptor

George Henry Paulin George Henry Paulin (14 August 1888–1962), often called Harry Paulin, or 'GHP' (his sculpting insignia) was a Scottish sculptor and artist of great note in the early 20th century. Life Born in 1888 in the manse at Muckhart, Clackmannansh ...

, which depicts USS ''Bonhomme Richard''. *

Helen Craik Helen Craik (c. 1751 – 11 June 1825) was a Scottish poet and novelist, and a correspondent of Robert Burns. She praised him for being a "native genius, gay, unique and strong" in an introductory poem to his Glenriddell Manuscripts. Early life ...

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

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

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

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. E ...

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

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

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

Natural heritage

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

River Nith The River Nith ( gd, Abhainn Nid; Common Brittonic: ''Nowios'') is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, east of Dalmellington. For the ma ...

come to watch birds on the Carsethorn foreshore, before continuing to the nature reserves at Southwick and Mersehead. The upper tower of Kirkbean Church was added in 1835. It was refurbished in Victorian style at the end of the 19th century. It was the oldest church in the combined parish of Colvend, Southwick and Kirkbean before it closed for public services in November 2010. It now serves as a private dwelling. The village has an official community website.Parish site. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
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References

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