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Kirkcowan is an area about 15 miles in length, and from nearly two to nearly seven miles in breadth, comprising 30,580 acres, of which 7000 are arable, 300 woodland and plantations, and the remainder meadow, pasture in
Machars , photo = File:West Coast of the Machars - geograph.org.uk - 3085411.jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Luce Bay coastline of The Machars, south of Auchenmalg , map = UK Scotlan ...
, in the historical county of
Wigtownshire Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...
, in
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 ...
, Scotland, with the village of Kirkcowan, bounded on the east by the river Bladnoch, on the west by the river Tarff, and is 6 miles W. by S.W. from
Newton Stewart Newton Stewart ( Gd: ''Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach'') is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. The town is on the River Cree with most of the town to the west of the river, and ...
. Kirkcowan with its wide moorlands is one of the larger Wigtownshire areas, and a map of the area/parish can be seen at the National Library of Scotland, on the John Ainslie map AD1782. The principal industry has always been agriculture, although in the 19th century two woollen mills were erected on the River Tarff nearby. The
A75 road The A75 is a primary trunk road in Scotland, linking Stranraer and its ferry ports at Cairnryan with the A74(M) at Gretna, close to the border with England and the M6 motorway. Route Heading west along the south coast of Scotland from its ju ...
which goes through Kirkcowan is effectively the London - Belfast road. The road forms part of the international E-road,
European route E18 European route E18 runs from Craigavon in Northern Ireland to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It is about in length. Although the designation implies the possibility of a through jour ...
. There is a Community Council at Kirkcowan. Kirkcowan is on the medieval pilgrim route to
Whithorn Priory Whithorn Priory was a medieval Scottish monastery that also served as a cathedral, located at 6 Bruce Street in Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway (54.7357N, 4.415954W; OS grid reference NX445405). History The priory was founded ab ...
, seat of Christianity in Scotland.


Location

The village of Kirkcowan is on the road to
Wigtown Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. I ...
, and situated between the rivers Tarff and
Bladnoch Bladnoch may refer to: * Bladnoch, Wigtownshire * Bladnoch Distillery, and ''Bladnoch'' whisky * River Bladnoch The Bladnoch is a river in Wigtownshire in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it i ...
. Because the village is situated on the main
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 ...
to
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 ...
bus route, and between the two rivers, it attracts fishermen, hikers and also cyclists since it is on the
Machars , photo = File:West Coast of the Machars - geograph.org.uk - 3085411.jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt = , photo_caption = Luce Bay coastline of The Machars, south of Auchenmalg , map = UK Scotlan ...
Yellow cycle route. The church, erected in 1829, under the patronage of the
Agnew family Agnew may refer to: People * Agnew (surname) * Agnew baronets, a title in Scotland and England * Clan Agnew, a Scottish lowland clan * Jeff Agnew (born 1965), American stock car racing driver * Spiro Agnew (1918–1996), Vice President of the ...
, is a substantial structure with a tower. A congregation of
Seceders The First Secession was an exodus of ministers and members from the Church of Scotland in 1733. Those who took part formed the Associate Presbytery and later the United Secession Church. They were often referred to as seceders. The underlying ...
assembled for public worship in an old barn. Kirkcowan Village has a Post Office; Nursery and Primary School; a village hall, a service station, mechanical garage, pub/hotel (Craighlaw Arms) and a photography studio.


Places of interest

Glendarroch Loch, situated in the vicinity of the village of Kirkcowan and easily accessible from the A75 Euroroute, is one of the region's coarse fishing gems. The loch is a small, gin clear estate loch which holds a large head of roach, rudd and perch. Carp have been stocked in recent years and are regularly caught whilst tench and bream up to 3lb are also present. Loch Maberry Castle Crannog. A fortified island surrounded by the remains of a massive drystone wall, 1.8m to 2.1m thick and about 2.1m high, enclosing an area approx 34.1m by 25.9m which has been subdivided and contains buildings all except the largest being of dry-stone. Entrances on east and west and the island has been connected by causeway to both the loch shore and the island to the north, which shows evidence of having been surrounded at the water's edge by a low wall of large boulders occasionally set on end. A causeway from the south-western end of this island links with that between the southern island and the shore. The
River Bladnoch The Bladnoch is a river in Wigtownshire in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it is given by Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw and Sir David Dunbar in an appendix to Andrew Symson's work "A Large Descript ...
rises at Loch Maberry in the parish of Kirkcowan, through which it runs south to Polbae. On its journey south it is joined by Reoch Burn as it passes through Carseriggan Moor. Continuing its journey it passes Isle-na-Gower and becomes a border between the afforested land at Hopeless Howe and the Ring of Barfad. Shortly after this it is met and joined by Black Burn. At this point the river is bordered on its east side by Barnley Plantation. Crossing the River Bladnoch at the stepping stones is a single-track road which links Mark of Shennanton with Little Eldrig. Shortly after this point the river widens briefly at Broad Wheel. Continuing on its journey southwards it is next forded by Shennanton Bridge where the A75 crosses it. Next we come to Linn Wood and the waterfall at Linn of Barhoise. The word "linn" refers to the pool rather than the waterfall. (see photo) The river then moves on past Barhoise Farm to Barhoise Mill. In 1684, according to Symson, this area had a salmon fishery with nets on both the Bladnoch and the Tarff. At the Mill of Barhoise, the Laird of Craichlaw had fishing rights. Barhoise Mill is a T-shaped two storey construction of granite, whinstone and slate, which is falling into a dilapidated state. The mill was driven by a wheel which was situated at the side of the building. Of this wheel only the wooden axle remains. The datestone above the door reads 1827, but this mill is most certainly a reconstruction of a much earlier one, perhaps connected with the Old Place of Glaisnick, a one-time nearby residence of the powerful Gordon family of Craichlaw. The main road from Kirkcowan to Wigtown and from Kirkcowan to Minnigaff via Glaisnick crossed the river just south of this mill. There are still stepping stones at the fording place east of Ring Farm. Eldrig Fell, Wood Cairn. a large circular cairn 18m. in diameter and 2.2m. high. Near Shennanton there is a cairn marked on OS mapping, shown in the centre of the photo in front of the tall trees (see photo). Boreland Mote or Motte is on OS mapping and sits at the side of the B733. It is about 20 feet high and 100-120feet around the base (see photo). Mindork or Mondork Castle, Wood Hill. Thomas M'Dowall was born c.1500 at Mondork Castle. map c.1782 map Woodhill (Cairn opposite side of road to Mindork Castle ?) archaeological site.


History

William Gordon, had charters of parts of the barony of Craichlaw, in the parish of Kirkcowan and county of Wigtown, 17 September 1500 and 28 January 1506–7; one of the lands of Larglegastell and Markleif, 10 January 1515–16; and another of the lands of Auchingilbert, 4 August 1515. He married Janet Baillie, and was ancestor of the Gordons of Craighlaw. The
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
of the
Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint RailwaysThe final word is in the plural. was a network of railway lines serving sparsely populated areas of south-west Scotland. The title appeared in 1885 when the previously independent Portpatrick Rai ...
closed in 1965. A mill was erected in 1822 for the manufacture of woollen cloths, blankets, plaidings, flannels, and plain and pilot cloths, for the dyeing and dressing of which the soft water of the Tarff was well adapted.


Notable people

* Thomas Hugh Milroy
FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
born here in 1869


Listed Buildings

List of listed buildings in Kirkcowan, Dumfries and Galloway This is a list of listed buildings in the civil parish of Kirkcowan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the is ...


Gallery (click on photos)

Image:Village street, Kirkcowan.jpg, Street scene in Kirkcowan. File:Kirkcowan Church - geograph.org.uk - 902089.jpg, Kirkcowan Church. File:Old church, Kirkcowan - geograph.org.uk - 578150.jpg, Old church, Kirkcowan. File:The Burn at Craighlaw - geograph.org.uk - 1132158.jpg, Craighlaw Castle. File:Bridge to island, Craichlaw Loch - geograph.org.uk - 434610.jpg, Bridge to island, Craichlaw Loch. File:The Linn of Barhoise - geograph.org.uk - 803094.jpg, The Linn of Barhoise Waterfall on the River Bladnoch. File:Wood Cairn - geograph.org.uk - 771789.jpg, Eldrig Fell, large Wood Cairn. File:White Cairn - geograph.org.uk - 447250.jpg, White Cairn. File:Rough pasture near Mindork Farm - geograph.org.uk - 163205.jpg, near Mindork or Mondork Castle ruin. File:Shennanton.jpg, Shennanton. View across open farmland at Shennanton. Cairn in front of tall trees. File:Shennanton, Kirkcowan. Between two cairns on the B735 road.jpg, Shennanton. Between two cairns on the B735 road. File:Boreland Motte.jpg, Boreland Mote or Motte. File:View towards Woodhill, Loch Ronald.jpg, View towards archaeological site on southern shore of Loch Ronald. File:Loch Maberry - geograph.org.uk - 476123.jpg, site of Loch Maberry Castle.


References

{{authority control Villages in Dumfries and Galloway Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway