Penpont is a village about west of Thornhill in Dumfriesshire, in 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 ...

region of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is near the confluence of the

Shinnel Water Shinnel Water, also spelt Shinnell, is a river in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It rises in the Scaur hills of Tynron Parish in the Southern Uplands at an altitude of 460m, and flows 13 miles to join Scaur Water near Penpont, ...

and

Scaur Water Kippford (; otherwise Scaur)
Gazetteer for Scotland is a small village along the Southern Uplands. It has a population of about 400 people.

Archaeology

There are several archaeological sites nearby, including Late Bronze Age hill forts on Tynron Doon and

Grennan Hill Grennan Hill is the site of an Iron Age hill fort outside Penpont in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotlan ...

and a long

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

at Capenoch Loch dating from the 2nd or 3rd century.

History

The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

''Penpont'' means "bridge-head" in the Cumbric language once spoken in the region. The A702 road passes through Penpont. West of Thornhill it crosses the River Nith on a two-arched stone bridge in Penpont parish. It was built in the 1760s after the presbytery of Penpont raised £680 toward the cost. Work started about 1774, but in 1776 the bridge collapsed. The bridge was completed in 1778 and strengthened in 1930–31. It is a Category A listed building. Penpont's

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

is a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

building completed in 1867. It is a

Category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It has an

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

Communion table Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...

made in 1923. Penpont's war memorial was made by Glasgow sculptor

William Kellock Brown William Kellock Brown (15 December 1856 – 20 February 1934) was a Scottish sculptor prominent in late Victorian Glasgow, with many public works. His brother was the landscape artist Alexander Kellock Brown. He exhibited at the Royal Academy a ...

and installed in 1920. It is a bronze statue of an infantryman, with his rifle pointing downwards, his hands resting on the butt and his head slightly bowed.

Notable people

* Sir

Hugh Steuart Gladstone Sir Hugh Steuart Gladstone of Capenoch FRSE FSA FZS MBOU DL LL (1877-1949) was a Scottish ornithologist and landowner. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries 1946 to 1949. Life He was born on 30 April 1877 the son of Samuel Steuart Gladstone ...

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 ...

FZS (1877-1949) civil servant and ornithologist,

Lord Lieutenant of Dumfries This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries. *William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry 17 March 1794 –1797 * Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch 17 November 1797 – 20 April 1819 *Charles Douglas, ...

, lived at Capenoch House in Penpont. *

Joseph Thomson Joseph or Joe Thomson is the name of: *J. J. Thomson (1856–1940), physicist * Joseph Thomson (cricketer) (1877-1953), Australian cricketer *Joseph Thomson (explorer) (1858–1895), African explorer * Joseph Angus Thomson (1856–1943), Australian ...

(1858–95), the

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and explorer after whom Thomson's Gazelle is named, was born in Penpont. * The

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Andy Goldsworthy has lived in the village since 1986 and has a workshop there. Many of his works are in the surrounding countryside, including a pinecone-shaped sculpture at Stepends Farm made to celebrate the year 2000. Each year Penpont holds a week-long festival called the Penpont Gala, beginning in the first week of July. * Kirkpatrick MacMillan, generally credited with the invention of the pedal driven bicycle, was born and died in

Keir Keir or Kier () is a Gaelic name derived from Ciar. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Andrew Keir (1926–1997), Scottish actor *Colin Keir (born 1959), Scottish politician *David Keir (1884–1971), British actor *David ...

, one mile south of Penpont. * Joanna Lumley owns a cottage near the village. * Hugh McMillan (poet) born 1955

References

Bridge over the River Nith (3) - geograph

External links

Penpont Heritage
Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway Villages in Dumfries and Galloway {{DumfriesGalloway-geo-stub

Archaeology

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links