__NOTOC__ Glencairn is an ecclesiastical 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 authorit ...

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 island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Location

According to John Bartholomew's 1887 ''Gazetteer of the British Isles'', the parish in west Dumfriesshire covered . The parish included the village of

Moniaive Moniaive ( 'monny-IVE'; gd, Am Moine Naomh, ''"The Holy Moor"'') is a village in the Parish of Glencairn, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It stands on the Cairn and Dalwhat Waters, north-west of the town of Dumfries. Moniaive has ...

, and lay southwest of Thornhill station. In 1887 the parish had a population of 1,737. As of 2011, the community council, including the villages of Kirkland and Moniaive, had a population of about 945. The community council stretches along the valley formed by Dalwhat Water and then the

Cairn Water Cairn Water is a small river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The river, formed by the confluence of the Castlefern, Craigdarroch and Dalquhat, flows for southeast to the Cluden. The Castlefairn is joined by the Craigdarroch and then by the D ...

. Moniaive is surrounded by hills, and lies at the point where the Dalwhat Water, Craigdarroch Water and Castlefairn Water converge to form the

, which flows down the Cairn Valley to join 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 ...

just north of Dumfries. The small amount of flat land in the council area is vulnerable to flooding.

History

The Cunninghams assumed the title of

Earl of Glencairn Earl of Glencairn was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1488 for Alexander Cunningham, 1st Lord Kilmaurs (created 1450). The name was taken from the parish of Glencairn in Dumfriesshire so named for the Cairn Waters which ru ...

from the parish. Glencairn Castle in Moniaive, now called Maxwelton House, dates back to 1370. First owned by the Dennistouns, it was passed by marriage to Clan Cunningham whose chiefs became the Earls of Glencairn in 1488. In 1611 the castle was sold to the Laurie family.

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...

, subject of an old Scottish poem, was born in the castle in 1682. The original tower house has been much extended and modernized, and is now more of a mansion than a castle. The house has been restored and is now a private residence. Renwick Monument Moniaive with Cairn Valley beyond

Renwick Monument Moniaive with Cairn Valley beyond

James Renwick (15 February 1662 – 17 February 1688) was born in

, son of a weaver. He became a Scottish minister, and was the last of the Covenanter martyrs. After the covenanter John Blackadder had been expelled from his parish at

Troqueer Troqueer is a former village and a parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway on the west side of the River Nith. The eastern-side was merged with Dumfries to the east in 1929, and today eastern Troqueer is a sub ...

, near Dumfries, in 1662 he moved to Caitloch in Glencairn parish, where he sometimes preached to large assemblies. When the authorities heard about his activities, he was forced to move again, and began a wandering life. The Glencairn Parish Church became a Category A listed building on 3 August 1971. The Gothic-style church was built in 1836 to a design by architect William MacCandlish of Dalry. The transept has unusual arrangement of a large arched opening with the north window and 3 doors recessed on the north wall. There is a white marble monument to Walter Ross Munro (d. 1816) on the east wall. The church contains a bronze bust of the Rev Patrick Borrowman by James Paterson (1900).

References

* {{Civil parishes in Dumfries and Galloway Civil parishes of Scotland Parishes in Dumfries and Galloway