A Brief History

HISTORY:

Here we look at the history of the Glenkens, ranging from the social and political events such as the Covenanters to historical sites well worth a visit. Please click on the menu bar to the left for individual topics.

The Covenanters:

The book 'Glenkens Gleanings' by Rosaleen Murdoch gives a background to the Covenanting movement of the 17th century, and its importance to the Glenkens:

The web site http://www.theglenkens.org.uk/ has much information researched by the author and site owner Maggi Kaye.

The National Convenant, signed in 1638 (link to http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/scots-national-covenant.htm and http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur023.htm ) by thousands of Scots as a protest against the new form of worship introduced by royal command the previous year, had been a warning shot across the bows of Charles I's church policy.

Unfortunately he merely made a pretence of altering course in his religious tactics for Scotland. The consequence was the much more inexorable Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, which attempted to coerce all Scots to reject the rule of both bishops and King.

In response to this rebellious situation, Charles II simply reversed the Presbyterian policy of religious totalitarianism. Although this time no attempt was made to interfere with the accepted form of worship, the church in Scotland was once again placed under episcopal jurisdiction and harsh fines were imposed for failure to attend the parish church.

Wherever this dictate met with serous resistance, as in south-west Scotland as a whole, soldiers were quartered, and it was their sadistic bullying that drove the independent people of Ayrshire and the Glenkens to insurrection.

After the disastrous Pentland rising (link to http://www.covenanter.org.uk/PentlandRising/) , which originated in Dalry as a protest against the intimidation of an elderly citizen, Earlstoun Castle was taken over as one of the main garrisons.

A vicious circle had begun. Fear of armed rebellion led to the imposition of harsher laws which in 1679, were to be enforced in the south-west by the ‘Highland Host’, an army of ten thousand men, composed mainly of undisciplined highlanders, who were permitted to plun­der and cause trouble wherever they were billeted, their unwilling hosts being paid nothing for their keep—indeed it was required of the house-owner that he pay three shillings a week to every serviceman under his roof.

Reacting normally against such unjust oppression, believers in the covenants took to meeting secretly in barns and fields, some bearing arms in place of bibles.

Today, a sole outpost of the Scottish Episcopal Church persists in the Glenkens, an attractively simple structure, built in 1904 and extended in 1908 and situated at the eastern entrance to New Galloway on the A712 on the road to Kenbridge Hotel on the A713.

Panic at increasing loss of control spurred the government to act with even greater cruelty and organised persecution was stepped up, reaching its climax in the ‘Killing Times’ of James VII & II, when, in 1685, John Graham of Claverhouse (Viscount Dundee) and Sir Robert Grierson of Lag were authorised to harry without mercy all presbyterians of the area.

Both Claverhouse and Grier organised courts to be held in New Galloway and in Dalry, at which all between sixteen and sixty were commanded to attend and to give information about any conventicles held in the area, and concerning those who attended or had children baptised outwith the parish church.

During court sessions held in Dalry, Grierson is said to have stabled his troopers' horses in the Kirk. He himself at one time owned the farm of Garryhorn in Carsphairn parish, and at another period he occupied the mansion of Ballingear (now Garroch) in the parish of Kells. Sad testimony to the bitter work of Claverhouse and Grier lingers in the tombstones of slaughtered covenanters in the churchyards of all four parishes of the Glenkens. Many of these memorials were carved with rudimentary care by Robert Paterson — known locally as ‘Old Mortality’—the itinerant stonemason whose wife meanwhile struggled to support their children by keeping a small school in Balmaclellan. He was the inspiration of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Old Mortality.

See http://www.theglenkens.org.uk/old-mortality-robert-paterson

There are many web sites and books with further and sometimes conflicting information on this subject

Historical sites:

Covenanting Sites:

Whigs’ Hole – this is a hollow on Altry Hill at the head of the river Ken, capable of hiding up to a hundred people. Covenanters gathered here for worship, with lookouts posted around to check for redcoats. The hollow is barely visible when looking at the hill and certainly doesn’t look as if it could hide so many people. If you continue walking up this hill, you will reach Alan’s Cairn, a monument to two people who were shot for attending these illegal conventicles.

The Holy Lynn - at a waterfall on the Garpel Burn, near Balmaclellan, the children of faithful Covenanters were secretly bap­tised.

A statue of Old Mortality, the original of which was carved by John Currie, can be found below the kirk yard in Balmaclellan.

Castles:

There are a variety of castles scattered throughout the Glenkens, some of which are still standing whilst all that is left of others are but a few stones. Some of the information regarding these castles comes from The CatStrand HistoryStop project (link to http://www.catstrand.com/content/view/76/129/)

Kenmure Castle – this is the biggest castle in the Glenkens and was thought to have been originally built sometime in the 11th century. Over the years it has changed hands many times, burned down twice, and had many additions and alterations made to the architecture. Among its claims to fame is a visit by Mary Queen of Scots in 1563 and also Robert Burns in 1793, at both times the castle being inhabited by the Gordon family, viscounts of Kenmure. Unfortunately the roof was taken off the castle in the 1900’s to avoid paying taxes, and the castle’s condition has been deteriorating since. Today it is owned by the Gordon family once more. It is situated outside the village of New Galloway in the Kells parish.

Lochinvar Castle – this castle was submerged when Lochinvar was created as a reservoir for the hydro-electric system. There is a small cairn along the road past Lochinvar heading towards Dalry with a plaque on stating that it was built with stones from the castle.

Shirmers Castle – this stood at the north end of Loch Ken, but there is little left of it except some stones next to the farmhouse now situated there. It is said that the original castle was burned down in 1568 to punish the owner for their support of Mary Queen of Scots, but the ruined building was still standing up until around the 1870’s.

Earlstoun Castle – this is a tower built around the fifteenth or sixteenth century, in the classic L-shape.

Dundeugh Castle – this was an L-shaped tower, like Earlstoun Castle, also built sometime around the sixteenth century. The ruins of the castle can be found on the east bank of the western branch of the Ken river, near where it joins the Polmaddie Burn.

Barscobe Castle – this was built by William Maclellan in 1648, and was originally one of the keeps on the old Edinburth road. It is another L-shaped tower, and has been maintained and modernised and is currently let as a rental property.

Cairns:

There are many cairns to be found on the hilltops of the Glenkens, often marking the highest point or a look-out point. There are some created as Ordnance Survey points, and others are old shepherd’s cairns. Some are more specific in their purpose, such as Alan’s Cairn and Carlin’s Cairn. The term cairn is also used in many local place names, such as Cairnsmore, Carlins Cairn and Cairn Edward.

Alan’s Cairn – this is a monument situated on Altry Hill, at the head of the Water o’ Ken, to two people who were shot during the killing times for attending illegal conventicles.

Carlin’s Cairn – this is a hill to the north of Corserine, the highest point of the Rhinns of Kells.

Murray’s Monument – this is a monument honouring the achievements of Alexander Murray, a shepherd boy from Minnigaff. Murray for a time attended school in New Galloway, later becoming a famous professor of oriental languages in Edinburgh. The monument is on the road from New Galloway to Newton Stewart, by Talnotry and the wild goat park.

War Memorials – there is a war memorial in each Glenkens village to remember those who fought for their country.

General Interest Sites:

There are many historical sites around the Glenkens, from ancient cup and ring marks to old roads and settlements. Some of the information contained in this section has been sourced from The CatStrand HistoryStop project (link to http://www.catstrand.com/content/view/76/129/ )

The Old Edinburgh road – this runs through the Glenkens and can be followed if you can find the route. A map can be found at the The Museum of Scotland or at http://www.oldroadsofscotland.com/stataccstewartry.htm

Ancient sites - cup and ring marks, monastery site

Polmaddie Village (p8 Glenkens Gleanings), Carsphairn Heritage Centre, Robin’s illustrations

http://www.theglenkens.org.uk/the-glenkens-in-scottish-history

The Green Well of Scotland

Mottes (p6 Glenkens Gleanings & p7 locations, History Stop card, p15 Around Dalry) and

http://www.theglenkens.org.uk/motes-and-forts

The lead mines at Carsphairn

Having been settled for more than 5,000 years, the Glenkens is rich in history and the evidence of human settlement and interaction is all around.

At Carsphairn, Bardennoch Hill is an archaeological site with stone crosses and other remains and Cairn Avel (Carnavel Farm) is a Neolithic chambered cairn. There is a cup and ring marked stone close by.

Polmaddy (Polmaddie) Settlement reveals the lives of a farmstead and nearby Stroanfreggan has a Cairn and the remains of a settlement. More information is available from Carsphairn Heritage Centre.

Laurieston has Bargatton Cairn and Disc which is more than 3,000 years old and an ancient track joins the village to Balmaghie via Kirk Road. Balmaghie was a place of major Roman influence in Galloway and the site there has three superimposed forts from the period with at least six other camps identified in the area. A Roman road runs from Glenlochar to Loch Ryan.

At New Galloway, Dalarran Holm is a large standing stone, said to be the burial place of a Danish king and you will find Carlins Cairn at Loch Boon. There is the site of a hill fort at Little Duchrae.

Clatteringshaws is in the Galloway Forest Park and the Visitor Centre has a reconstruction of an Iron Age settlement. A Bronze Age hoard was found at Glen Trool.

Further Information:

To find out more about any of these historical sites, or more about the history of the Glenkens, visit the Carsphairn Heritage Centre (link to http://www.carsphairnheritage.co.uk/) , or stop in at The CatStrand, New Galloway, and take a look at The History Stop (link to http://www.catstrand.com/content/view/76/129 ) and http://www.theglenkens.org.uk/the-glenkens-in-scottish-history

Lordships of Galloway –Hunter-Blairs, Gordons, Maxwells, Agnews, Lord Sinclair, Roper-Caldbeck, Randolph – would have been the Earl of Galloway but he was written-off by the family as mentally ill, parents registered him so he didn’t have to become the inheritor, was for years at Lothlorien; had a lobotomy as a kid, goes with kilt and bicycle, is a painter. Originally Earl of Galloway came from Garlieston from east side of river by Newton Stewart, then he built Galloway House down on the coast when he made lots of money. Earl of Stair – Wigtownshire. Stewartry – mostly family farms, because they were the stewards of Scotland…?

Droving –

Shepherds – Alyne Jones’ exhibition Vanishing Scotland at Thomas Tosh, Thornhill, runs until end July (will come to The CatStrand next year), has section on shepherds.