Glencairn, Dumfries And Galloway on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Glencairn is an ecclesiastical and
James Renwick (15 February 1662 – 17 February 1688) was born in
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...
, Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
Location
According to John Bartholomew's 1887 ''Gazetteer of the British Isles'', the parish in west Dumfriesshire covered . The parish included the village ofMoniaive
Moniaive ( 'monny-IVE'; , ''"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 been named best o ...
, 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 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 ...
, which flows down the Cairn Valley to join the River Nith
The River Nith (; Common Brittonic: ''Nowios'') is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, east of Dalmellington. For the majority of its course it flows ...
just north of Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
.
The small amount of flat land in the council area is vulnerable to flooding.
History
The Cunninghams assumed the title ofEarl of Glencairn
Earl of Glencairn was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. King James III of Scotland, James III created the title in 1488 by royal charter for Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn, Alexander Cunningham, 1st Lord Kilmaurs. He held the e ...
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 (1672 - c1760 ) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Ann ...
, 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.
James Renwick (15 February 1662 – 17 February 1688) was born in Moniaive
Moniaive ( 'monny-IVE'; , ''"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 been named best o ...
, 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
Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
, 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