A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
Rerrick or Rerwick, a coast parish of S Kirkcudbrightshire, containing the villages of Dundrennan and Auchencairn, 5 miles ESE and 10 E by N of Kirkcudbright. Its ancient name was Dundrennan; and letters are still received by the minister, addressed Dundrennan, Old Abbey, and Monkland. It is bounded NW and N by Kelton, E by Buittle, SE and S by the Solway Firth, and W by Kirkcudbright. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 7¼ miles; its utmost breadth from E to W, is 6¾ miles; and its area is 21,724¾ acres, of which 1692¾ are foreshore. The coast, extending from Balcary Point, at the western side of the mouth of Auchencairn Bay, 9 miles west-south-westward to the mouth of Dunrod Burn, is mostly bold and iron-bound, and exhibits a series of abrupt headlands, 100 to 352 feet high, slightly intersected by the baylets of Rascarrel, Barlocco, Orroland, Portmary, Burnfoot, and Mullock. It abounds in craigs, fissures, tortuous ravines, and other features of romantic scenery; is believed to have contributed much of its landscape to Sir Walter Scott's descriptions of coast scenery in Guy Mannering; and commands, from nearly all its summits and salient points, very brilliant views, both inland and towards the sea. The Balcary lifeboat was launched, 18 Dec. 1884. The interior is variously champaign, undulated, rolling, and hilly; declines to vale and plain in the E, around and above Auchencairn Bay; contains vales or hollows in the centre, formerly mossy or otherwise waste, but now charmingly luxuriant; and is nearly filled throughout the N, to the extent of about one-fourth of its entire area, by hills that almost attain the dignity of mountains. Chief elevations, from S to N, are Walls Hill (352 feet), Brown Hill (515), a nameless summit to the NE of the parish church (535), the Heughs of Airds (335), Newlaw Hill (595), Suie Hill (790), Bentuther Hill (900), and Bengairn or Bencairn (1280). The drainage, with slight exception, is all carried southward or south-south-eastward by indigenous brooks, chiefly Troudale, Collin, Rascarrel, Henmuir, and Abbey Burns. Granitic rocks prevail in the uplands, and Devonian rocks on the low grounds and the coast. Sandstone, of excellent quality for building, is found on the coast; iron and copper ore have been mined in considerable quantities; barytes mines were worked extensively at Barlocco some years ago; jasper of fine quality occurs in coves of the coast; and rock-crystal, of a pale purple colour and of perfect prismatic form, abounds in a burn on Screel Hill. The soil in most parts is naturally wet and spongy, but has been worked by draining and cultivation into a good fertile mould. Nearly two-thirds of the entire area have been subjected to the plough, about 550 acres are under wood, and the rest of the parish is either pastoral or waste. The chief antiquities are a great barrow on the summit of Bengairn, remains of two Caledonian stone circles, vestiges of twelve camps, variously Roman, Danish, and Saxon, and the ruins of Dundrennan Abbey. Mansions, noticed separately, are Auchencairn House, Balcary, Collin, Hazlefiei.d, Netherlaw, Orchardton, and Portmary; and 8 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 14 of between £100 and £500. In the presbytery of Kirkcudbright and the synod of Galloway, this parish is divided ecclesiastically into Rerrick proper and Auchencairn quoad sacra parish, the former a living worth £434 (22 chalders, with £8, 6s. 8d. for communion elements). Part of the old parish church of Rerrick may still be seen, 9 furlongs SE of Dundrennan village; and a stone of it bears the inscription-'This Church, originally a Chapel, was enlarged in 1743, taken down in 1865.' The present parish church, in the centre of Dundrennan village, is a Gothic edifice of 1865-66, with a beautiful rose window, a tower and spire 68 feet high, and about 400 sittings. Two public schools, Auchencairn and Dundrennan, with respective accommodation for 260 and 190 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 151 and 92, and grants of £158, 19s. 6d. and £95, 7s. Valuation (1860) £12, 603, (1884) £19,230. Pop. (1801) 1166, (1831) 1635, (1861) 1738, (1871) 1911, (1881) 1807, of whom 770 were in Rerrick ecclesiastical parish.—Ord. Sur., sh. 5, 1857.
(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)
| Linked entities: | |
|---|---|
| Feature Description: | "a coast parish" (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions") |
| Administrative units: | Rerrick ScoP Kirkcudbrightshire ScoCnty |
| Place names: | RERRICK | RERRICK OR RERWICK | RERWICK |
| Place: | Rerrick |
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