Hoddom is a small settlement and civil parish 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, dating back to the 8th century.

Location

Hoddom is 13 miles by road East of

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 ...

and 5 miles South of

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 ...

History

The earliest reference to Hoddom is in a copy of an eighth-century letter sent from Alcuin to Wulfhard, 'abbot of Hodda Helm' (''abbatem Hodda Helmi''). The twelfth-century 'Life of St Kentigern' by

Jocelyn of Furness Jocelyn of Furness (fl. 1175–1214) was an English Cistercian hagiographer, known for his Lives of Saint Waltheof, Saint Patrick, Saint Kentigern and Saint Helena of Constantinople. He is probably responsible for the popular legendary associati ...

records that

St Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

established his

see See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

at Hoddom. Other than Jocelyn's work, there is no evidence to support this. However, there is strong material evidence of a Northumbrian monastic site at Hoddom.

Castle

Hoddom Castle, the old Maxwell fortalice, to the south-west of the parish, was once part of the Scottish border defences.

Churches

Fragments remain of the old church built in 1610. A Roman altar stone, taken from the 17th century church is built inside the porch of the present church. The new Hoddom parish church, was built in 1817 and recast in 1914. Trailtrow Chapel once stood on the hill overlooking Hoddom Castle until it was demolished prior to 1565 by Sir John Maxwell of Hoddom. The

Repentance Tower The Repentance Tower is a very rare example of a mid-16th century watch tower standing on Trailtrow Hill, six miles north-west of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway. Built in 1565 by John Maxwell, the tower takes its name from an inscription ''Repen ...

was built on the site, however the Murray Mausoleum and other graves are still located near the tower.

Sport

Hoddom Castle is a par 34, 9 nine hole golf course.

Notable People

Basque born professional footballer,

Ewan Urain Ewan Roy Urain Aird (born 10 March 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for SD Amorebieta, on loan from Bilbao Athletic. Born in Spain, he represented Scotland at under-21 level. Background Urain was born in Durango in the ...

's mother Diane Aird was raised in Hoddom and schooled at

Lockerbie Academy Lockerbie Academy is a mainstream non-denominational secondary school in Lockerbie, Scotland. The head teacher A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title i ...

."Dumfries and Galloway link sees Basque-born striker in Scotland under-21 squad" Daily Record, 28 May 2021
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References

External links

visionofbritain - history of HoddomVideo footage and history of the Repentance Tower
Villages in Dumfries and Galloway Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway {{DumfriesGalloway-geo-stub