Penninghame in

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, is a

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 authorit ...

area, 8 miles (N. W.) from

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. ...

. The area is approx 16 miles in length, and from 5 to 6 miles' width, bounded on the north and east by the

River Cree The River Cree is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland which runs through Newton Stewart and into the Solway Firth. It forms part of the boundary between the counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. The tributaries of the Cree are ...

, and on the west by the Bladnoch; comprising nearly 38,000 acres, of which 12,000 were arable, 600 woodland and plantations, 1600 meadow, and the remainder hill pasture, moorland, moss, etc.Parish of Penninghame Map
/ref> The

area of Penninghame is bounded on the south by the civil parish area of

and on the west by

Kirkcowan 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, in the historical ...

on the north by the civil parish area of

Colmonell Colmonell (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic: ''Cill Cholmain Eala)'' (meaning the church of St. Colman of Lainn Eala - in Lynally, County County Offaly, Offaly, Republic of Ireland, Ireland.) is a small village and Civil parishes in Scot ...

and on the east by the civil parish area of

Minnigaff Minnigaff is a village and Civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Lead was discovered there in 1763 and mined about two miles from the village until 1839. Etym ...

. There are numerous nature trails nearby, managed on behalf of the state by

Forest Enterprise Forestry England is a division of the Forestry Commission, responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England. It was formed as Forest Enterprise in 1996, before devolving to Forest Enterprise England on 31 March 2003 and ...

Etymology

Penninghame (spelled ''Peningham'' in 1287 in Bagimonds Roll) has been argued to be one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon place-names in south-west Scotland. Hough has proposed that it is derived either from

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 settlers in the mid-5th c ...

''*pening-hām'' 'farm on which a penny geld was payable' or ''*pen-ingahām'', the second element of which means 'homestead of the followers of...' or 'homestead of the settlers at...'. She argues against a derivation from ''-ingahām ''based on the geographical isolation of Penninghame from the other ''-ingahām ''names in southern Scotland (

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...

, Tynninghame and Whittingeham); the lack of medial in the early spellings of the name; and the obscure first element 'Pen'. James proposes that the first element is Brittonic penn 'head; top, summit, end' incorporated into an Old English ''ing'' + ''ham'' name. It would mean 'landholding named (after) ''*Penn'''. He suggests that ''*Penn'' refers to the end of the ridge on Bar Hill. James notes that Hough's etymology of a name "implying monetary assessment of a landholding" in the 8th century would be exceptional.

The Village of Penninghame

The Clachan (Village) of Penninghame was a township which existed before

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 ...

was built and is therefore of some antiquity as the first few houses in Newton-Stewart were built in 1677 by William Stewart. Newton Stewart was a planned village and eventually it superseded the "Clachan".Caledonia. vol. 3. p.434 by George Chalmers. https://archive.org/stream/caledoniaoraccou03chal#page/434/mode/1up Between 1875 and 1885 the clachan and district were served by a halt named Mains of Penninghame Platform on the line to

Whithorn Whithorn ( �ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christia ...

from

with market day trains only.

Town of Newton Stewart

The Dumfries and Galloway Council Administration Office for 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 Scotla ...

area of

is in the town of

(Gd: Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach) which lies on the southern edge of the

Galloway Forest Park Galloway Forest Park is a forest park operated by Forestry and Land Scotland, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. It is claimed to be the largest forest in the UK. The park was granted Dark Sky Park status ("Galloway Forest ...

in the Civil Parish area of Penninghame.

The Primary School

There has been a school in the Penninghame area for over 100 years. Also, Merton Hall has been considerably extended and altered over the years, previously being occupied as a school.

Penninghame Church

The church of Penninghame belonged of old to the bishops of Galloway, who were the proprietors of Penninghame and had their chief residence at Clary, formerly called Clachary, less than a mile from the church. The recorded history of Penninghame Parish begins with the Medieval Bishops of Galloway. The burial ground was used to 1777 when the church was closed and the new Penninghame Church was built in Newton-Stewart. Penninghame Old Kirk and Manse in ruins at the Clachan of Penninghame are shown on Ainslie's 1782 map.View: A map of the county of Wigton. - Counties of Scotland, 1580-1928 - National Library of Scotland
/ref> The building showing in the back of the photo of the Clachan of Penninghame graveyard is said to be an old Inn. In 1877, a guide reports that the ruins of the Church were barely visible. In the new churchyard a tombstone commemorates the Rev. Robert Rowan, minister of the parish, a friend and correspondent of the historian

Robert Wodrow Robert Wodrow (167921 March 1734) was a Scottish minister and historian, known as a chronicler and defender of the Covenanters. Robert Wodrow was born at Glasgow, where his father, James Wodrow, was a professor of divinity. Robert was educate ...

. Having studied at Glasgow College, he obtained licence to preach in July, 1695, and in the following year was ordained minister of Penningham (ten years after the persecution of Margaret Wilson). Taking deep concern in the affairs of the Church, he communicated to Wodrow minute accounts of the persecutions inflicted on his parishioners and others during the latter Stuart persecutions. He died on 9 August 1714, in his fifty-fifth year, and the eighteenth of his ministry.

Barony of Merton or Myrtoun alias Frethrid

In 1477 James III granted a charter of Merton Hall to John Kennedy of Blairquahan. On 1 March 1504-5 The terras et baroniam de Myretoun, cum turre, fortalicio (etc.) vic. (sheriffidom of) Wigtoun are in Registrum magni sigilli regum Scotorum AD1424-1513 (RMS) Vol. II, deed no.2829 p. 601. Also in the same volume were deeds re the Barony of Myretoun sometimes shown as "Baronium de Frethird or Frethrid, vic. (sheriffdom of) Wigtown", pp. 236–237 no. 1162; pp. 272–3 nos. 1336 & 1337 (10 Dec 1477); and no.1654.

Scottish feudal barony In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the ''caput'' (Latin for "head") or essence of the barony, normal ...

, Scottish feudal lordship On 27 Feb 1506 the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland records a charter p. 624 no.2943, Gawino Kennedy de Blarequhan had terres et Baronium de Frethird. On 20 June 1508, p. 693 no.3245, Joh Kennedy de Blairquhan re Capella S. Ninian in baronia sua de Myrtoun alias Frethrid vic. Wigtoun. This St Ninian's chapel is just to the south of Glenhapple, Penningham, near Cruise of Cree and Penningham House. 10 January 1541 Barony of Martyn-Kennedy alias Frethrid, vic.(sheriffdom of) Wigtoun Gilbert Kennedy and his wife Margaret Cunninghame had these lands, recorded in R.M.S. Vol. III, p. 592 deed 2576. Viscount Boyd of Merton, of Merton-in-Penninghame in the County of Wigtown, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1960 for the Conservative politician and former Secretary of State for the Colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton. As of 2010 the title is held by his eldest son, the second Viscount, who succeeded in 1983. A bronze axe, now in the Stranraer Museum, was found in boggy ground at Merton Hall, about 2 miles west of Newton Stewart. Merton Hall is a category B Listed Building.

History

1 June 1557 - (lands of) Clarie / Clary and Over Bar had previously been leased for 19 years by Bishop Andrew Durie to Walter Stewart of Barcly, as recorded in the book "Wigtownshire Charters" (Scottish Records Society) p. 248 no.347. Also in this book, Penninghame was the usual residence of the Bishops of Galloway, Bishop Alexander Gordon of Clary died here in 1576. The 10 merkland of Grange of Penninghame, 5 merkland of Clarie, 5 merkland of Over Bar, 5 merkland of Barchelauchlyne (Barcly ?, AD1189 there was a Walter de Berchelay, chamberlain ), 5 merkland of Barquharrane, all lying in the Merse of Cree, were granted by bishop Alexander Gordon to Alexander Stewart of Garlies and Katherine Stewart spouses, and the 5 merkland of Carnestik and Polchullie (Polwillie ?) were feued to Mr. John Stewart and Egidia Gordon spouses. Castle Stewart is north of

, Penninghame,

, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Scots Peerage, Vol. IV records that Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies and his 3rd wife, Catherine Stewart (dau of Water Stewart of Barclye / Barcly, see above) had a son, Anthony Stewart who was parson of Penningham and ancestor of Colonel William Stewart who purchased lands of Castle Stewart - formerly styled Kilcreuchie. Colonel William Stewart bought the lands previously known as Calcruchie and built Castle Stewart. See ref. for plan of the Castle in "The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland". by David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, pub. 1892. pp. 246–248. All Saints Episcopal Church, Challoch, built as private chapel for Edward James Stopford-Blair of Penninghame House and consecrated 1872. Designed architects W G Habershon & Pite.

Monument of National Importance, Penninghame

Skaith Mote – the site of a small timber castle of medieval date.Site Record for Skaith Mote Details Details
/ref>

Archaeology

The National Gallery of Scotland – Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, has - Bronze implements, (Sir Herbert Eustace Maxwell, 1885) lists (item 48) 8 × 21-inch and (item 49) 2 × 21-inch bronze axes from Penninghame. There were between 1200 and 1500 ancient English coins found in a field in the Parish of Penningham, showing the heads of King Edward, King Alexander, etc. Some minted in Bristol may have been about AD1280. Some places in north Penninghame which are of interest to archaeologists,The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century
/ref> artists, and walkers on the

Southern Upland Way The Southern Upland Way is a coast-to-coast long-distance footpath in southern Scotland. The route links Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east via the hills of the Southern Uplands. The Way is designated as one of Scotland's ...

are: * Castle Stewart (on lands of Kilcreuchie or Calcruchie) north of Newton Stewart. * Skaithe Motte and Bailey. * Castle Loch (Black Loch which drains into Ochiltree Loch) with Mickle Castle between both Lochs.Site Record for Loch Ochiltree Details Details
/ref> * Ochiltree Loch with Little or Mickle Castle on the north shore * Ochiltree, north of Ochiltree Hill * Loch Maberry with a castle on the eastern shore * The

http://www.whithorn.info/pdf/macharsguide.pdf - United Kingdom

Notable residents

Alexander Gordon Alexander Gordon may refer to: * Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 1470), Scottish magnate * Alexander Gordon (bishop of Aberdeen) (died 1518), Precentor of Moray and Bishop-elect of Aberdeen * Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly (died ...

(c. 1516–1575), Archbishop of Glasgow, Bishop of the Isles and Bishop of Galloway, born in Penninghame * Captain Sir Murray Maxwell (1775–1831), Royal Navy officer who served during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

ary and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, born in Penninghame * Edward Black (minister), Edward Black (1793–1845), minister and teacher in Canada associated with the Church of Scotland, born in Penninghame * James Blair (MP), James Blair (''c.'' 1788–1841), Irish-born slave-owner and Tory MP. Bought the Penninghame estate in 1825.

Gallery

File:St. Ninian's chapel ruin, Penninghame.jpg, St. Ninian's chapel ruin. File:Clachan of Penninghame Cemetery - geograph.org.uk - 852695.jpg, Clachan of Penninghame Cemetery. File:Penninghame Home Farm.jpg, Penninghame Home Farm. View across fields to the south of the farm towards the remains of Castle Stewart File:Glasnick Smithy Croft.jpg, Glasnick Smithy Croft. View from near the croft along the line of the old military road towards Cairn Wood centre of photo and Barskeoch Farm on right. File:Welcome to Dumfries and Galloway.jpg, The B7027 road to Challoch, near Loch Dornal, north Penninghame area. File:Challoch Church in Winter - geograph.org.uk - 663332.jpg, Challoch Church in Winter. File:Road to Skaith - geograph.org.uk - 216321.jpg, near Skaith Motte and Bailey. File:Loch Ochiltree - geograph.org.uk - 633272.jpg, Loch Ochiltree. File:Loch Dornal - geograph.org.uk - 476128.jpg, Loch Dornal. File:Loch Maberry - geograph.org.uk - 476123.jpg, Loch Maberry near Loch Dornal. File:Penninghame Pond.jpg, Penninghame Pond in Cruives Wood.

References

External links

Map of Listed Buildings in Penninghame

Video footage of the kirk and cemetery
{{Civil parishes in Dumfries and Galloway Wigtownshire Civil parishes of Scotland Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway