Gazetteer of Scotland

KIR
KIR
inodation of the courts of justice, and
the public meetings of the stewartry.
It has never been the seat of any con-
siderable trade or manufacture. A-
bout the year 1 793, a manufacture of
cotton was established, which conti-
nues to be carried on, but only to a
small extent. The harbour of Kirk-
cudbright is safe, and well sheltered.
At its mouth is excellent anchorage
from 16 to 18 feet at low water. It
is a port of the customhouse, compre-
hending 3 or 4 small creeks, to which
belong 28 vessels, making together
1053 tons. Kirkcudbright is a very
ancient borough ; but the earliest re-
cords mention it as a borough of re-
gality, held under the superiority of
the Douglasses, as lords of Galloway.
Upon the forfeiture of that family, it
was erected into a royal borough, by
a charter from King James II. dated
Perth, October 26, 1 455 ; which char-
ter was renewed and confirmed by a
writ of novodamus from King Charles
I. dated at Holyroodhouse, 20th July
1 633. By this charter the government
of the town is vested in 1 7 persons,
viz. a provost, 3 bailies, a treasurer,
and 1 1 counsellors, who are to meet
annually, at Michaelmas, vote out 3
of their number, and elect 3 new coun-
sellors in their room. The revenues
of the borough, arising from the fish-
ings on the Dee, and other public
property, amount to nearly 340l./<*r
annum. Kirkcudbright gives title of
Baron to the family of Maclellan ;
and joins with Dumfries, Annan, San-
quhar, and Lochmaben, in sending a
member to parliament. It contains
about 1641 inhabitants. The parish
of Kirkcudbright is of an oblong
square form, extending 7 miles from
N. to S. and from 3 to 4 in breadth.
It is mostly hilly, and has very little
extended plain ; but the hills are of
small elevation, and are either arable
or green to the summits. The soil
is of two kinds, either a clayey loam,
upon a wet and cold till bottom, or a
light blackish earth, upon a dry gra-
vel : though both of these produce
tolerable crops, the fields are very
generally laid out in pasture, as the
grass is particularly adapted for fat-
tening cattle. The parish contains
12,325 Scots acres, of which 9244
are arable ; but of this extent there
are generally 6933 acres laid out
in pasture. The river Dee bounds
the parish on the W. and forms a
peninsula called St. Mary's Isle, once
the site of a priory, founded by Fer-
gus Lord of Galloway in the reign of
David I, but is now ornamented by a
beautiful seat of the Earl of Selkirk.
There is a large artificial lake, called
Loch Fergus, with two small islands,
on both of which are the evident
marks of ancient fortifications ; un-
doubtedly the remains of the seats or
castles of the ancient lords of Gallo-
way. There are many British camps ;
2 Roman ones are distinctly to be
traced ; and several strong castles,
of which the most entire is the castle
of Kirkcudbright, formerly the seat
of the Lords of Kirkcudbright. Po-
pulation of the town and parish in
1801, 2381.
KIRKDEN ; a parish in the coun-
ty of Forfar. It extends about 5 miles
in length, and its greatest breadth is
not more than 2. The soil varies
from a cold clay to a light sand, mix-
ed with small gravel, commonly cal-
led a beachy soil. It is watered by
the Lunan, and one of its tributary
streams, called the Vinny, which con-
tain trout, but by no means in the
abundance which they formerly did.
There is an obelisk of rude sculpture,
supposed to have been erected after
the defeat of the Danes by Malcolm
II. ; and a tumulus, which has been
found to contain urns and ashes.
There are 2 conical mounts on the re-
spective baronies of Gardyne and Id-
vie, called Laws, probably the seats
equally of justice and of punishment
in the feudal times. The castle of
Gardyne was built in 1568 : it is still
entire and habitable, romantically si-
tuated on the verge of a precipice, at
the bottom of which runs a purling
stream through a thriving plantation.
Population in 1801, 674.
KIRKGUNZEON; a parish in
the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, about
5 miles long, and 3 broad. The ge-
neral appearance is hilly, but there is
a good deal of fine flat land. Some
of the hills are covered with heath,
and fit only for pasture ; others are
green, acid many are arable to the
summits. The flat land is fertile, but
in general interrupted with swamps,
and encumbered with stones. There
are 200 horses, 2000 black cattle, and