Scotland > 1882-1915 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland > 1903, Part 1 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland ... (Royal National Directory of Scotland.) With ... map, etc

DIKECTORY.]
Nelson William, Kildonnan
tParker James, Cairnhill
Paterson Anthony, Neuk
*Preston John, Low Clachanmore
Ralston Robert, North Milmain
*Rodie Patrick M. Logan mills
•Shaw Alex. Port of Ardwell
fSpence Peter, Ringuinea
fSprott Robert, Float
Thornburn John, Port of Spittal
fWhite James, Kirkmabreck
"Wilson John, High Freugh
Wither Thomas, Awhirk
Ardwell.
PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
MacTaggart Stewart Sir Mark John bart.
M.P., Y.D., M.A., D.L., J.P. Ardwell
WIGTOWNSHIRE.
castle ; Carlton & Athenaeum clubs, Lon-
don S W
COMMERCIAL.
Guild William, miller, Ardwell mill
Henry Adam, grocer, boot & shoe & glass
& china dealer & insurance agent
Keanan Robert, blacksmith
McCulloch James, grocer, Clachan moor
M'Garvie William, factor to Sir Mark John
MacTaggart Stewart, bart. M.P. Ardwell
cottage
Paterson John, blacksmith, Clachan moor
Preston John, cartwright & joiner, Clachan
moor
Sandhead.
Brown William & David, Commercial inn
STRANRAER. 1431
Eames Sergt. -Major Timothy R.A. drill
instructor No. 10 Co. 1st Ayrshire &
Galloway R. G. A. (Volunteers)
Ferguson John, cartwright & joiner
Hunter Alexander, blacksmith
McKenzie Alexander, grocer
McTaggart Thomas, boot & shoe maker
Neilson James, stone mason
Shaw Robert, grocer
Smellie Hugh McMinn M.P,., CM. sur-
geon, parochial medical officer, public
vaccinator for Stoneykirk & certifying
factory surgeon, Lake cottage
Smellie Hugh McMinn M.B. Lake cottage
Wigtownshire Creamery Co. butter, cheese
& cream makers
STRANRAER (or Stranrawer) is an ancient
town, a royal and police burgh and the seat
of a presbytery and parish, in Wigtownshire
poor combination. The police burgh com-
prises, in addition to the parish, parts of
the parishes of Inch and Leswalt The
town is seated at the head of Loch Ryan,
a sea loch which extends for 8 miles from
its mouth, and is about 2$ miles wide at
its broadest part; the burgh has two sta-
tions, one in the town and the other at
the harbour, both on the Portpatrick and
Wigtownshire railway. The Glasgow and
South Western and the North British rail-
ways have both running powers into Stran-
raer. The burgh is 81 miles south-south-
west from Glasgow, nearly 10 north-west
from Glenluce, rather more than 8 north-
east from Portpatrick, and 30 west from
Wigtown, and, as a royal burgh, is go-
verned by a provost, two bailies, a dean
of guild and eighteen councillors. A Jus-
tice of the peace court is held on the first
Monday in every month, and a burgh court
on the first Tuesday in each month. The
sheriff of the county holds a court on
Thursdays, and a small debt court is held
fortnightly, on Thursdays, during session.
The bay of Stranraer affords excellent
anchorage, as the motto on the burgh arms
(Tutissima Statio) implies, and the har-
bour is now large and commodious, and
has east and west piers and a breastwork,
affording excellent accommodation to all
classes of vessels ; the east pier is used for
the large cross-channel traffic now passing
by the Stranraer route between Great
Britain and Ireland, and is connected with
the railway by a branch line, conveying
cattle, goods and passengers direct from
the steamers; there is 18 feet of water at
i 11 £5, tlfle at th6 eastl P ier ' and vessels of
1,100 tons burthen can discharge there
The number of British vessels that entered
the port in 1902 from foreign countries
and British possessions was 5 only, of 509
tons. The number in the general' coasting
trade was : entered, 315, of 1!) 276 tons •
cleared 290, of 17,567 tons; in the inter-
course between Great Britain and Ireland
434 entered, of 155,499 tonnage; cleared
436, of 150,051 tonnage. The depth of
water in the loch, which is sheltered from
all winds, is such as to allow ships to
ride at anchor with perfect safety. The
bay at one time afforded a splendid supnlv
of oysters, the right of fishing for which
belongs exclusively, by ancient charter,
to Sir William Wallace, of Loch Rvan, but
the beds have latterly become impover-
ished, and the fishery unprofitable. Several
kinds of white fish, however, are caught,
and herrings are occasionally obtained here
equal in quality to the best caught on any
other part of the Scottish coast. In 1902
the fishing boats registered as belonging
to the port were (included with Ballan-
trae) 9, fishing boats and their imple-
ments to be known by the letters S.R.;
in the same year, under Part I. of the
" Merchant Shipping Act, 1894,'' 9 vessels,
of 1,218 tons, were registered as belong-
ing to the port. The sea bathing is excel-
lent, and the loch is beautifully situated
for villas. There is a coastguard station
here and a custom house. The Established
Church, in Church street, is a handsome
structure in the Pointed style, with a lofty
front surmounted with pinnacles; the in-
terior is surrounded with galleries. The
second church connected with the Estab-
lishment is at the western extremity of
the town, on a lofty eminence, and 'with
its tower is a conspicuous landmark from
the loch. The cemetery, beautifully situ-
ated above the town, presenting a fine
view of the loch, is tastefully laid out, and
contains some monuments. A Eeforma-
STRANRAER.
tory, now under G-overnment control, was
opened in 1855 ; wood turning, book-
binding, and the manufacture of netting,
twine and bee appliances are carried on
in the institution, besides the making of
clothing and shoes for the inmates. The
County Buildings, in Lewis street, opened
in 1874, contain a court house, town hall,
and offices for the procurator fiscal, sheriff
clerk and police. The old Town Hall, in
George street, is now converted into an
AthenaBum, which has over 100 members.
Stranraer has large mills, through which
great quantities of grain pass every year :
it is particularly noticeable for the exten-
sive nurseries on all sides of the town,
which afford employment to many persons.
The district is agricultural, grain, cheese
and all kinds of farm produce and cattle
being conveyed to Glasgow regularly by
railway and twice a week by steamer. The
market is held on Friday. The following
are the annual fairs: — For horses, the first
Monday in January, the Thursday before
the 29th of June and the Monday before
the second Thursday in October; for
cattle, on the third Friday in every
month, commencing in April and ending
in November : other fairs for general
business are also held in May and August-.
The Commercial Bank of Scotland Limited,
the Clydesdale Bank Limited, the British
Linen Company's Bank and the National
Bank of Scotland Limited have branches
in the town. The principal hotels are the
" King's Arms," Meikle's hotel, the
"George," the "Buck's Head," and the
"Royal." In the centre of the town
stands a building* originally a castle, of
considerable antiquity, but the date of
its foundation has not been satisfactorily
ascertained; it is mentioned in a charter
granted by James VI. and is called the
" Tower, forta'.ice and manor place of
Chapell," and was once the residence of
the family nf Kennedy, of Chapel and Chry-
chan : the Tower, or Castle, as it is now
termed, was used by Graham of Claver-
house as his head quarters in the district
during the Covenanting period : in the year
1614 it was inhabited by John Kennedv, of
Grennan, and Elizabeth, his wife, then
Lady Auchtriloor. The lands of Auchtra-
lure are immediately contiguous to the
burgh of Stranraer, and are now the pro-
perty of the Earl of Stair K.T. The area
of the civil parish is 61 acres; rateable
value, £16,173; of the burgh, 380 acres;
valuation of police burgh, £25,917 5s. 6d. •
population in 1891, 3,158, and in 1901,
2,856 ; the population of the police burgh
in 1901 -was: part of Inch, 1,889: part of
Leswalt, 1,291, and Stranraer, 2.S56: total
6,036.
Sheuchan is an ecclesiastical parish taken
from those of Leswalt and Portpatrick; it
comprises part of the burgh of Stranraer.
The population in 1901 was 1,502.
Post, T., M. O., T. M. O., E. D., P. P.,
S. B. & A. & I. O. Princes street;'
William Carmichael, postmaster. De-
liveries, 7 a.m. & 4.10 & 6 p.m.; dis-
patches, 5.25, 6.40, 7.30, 9.20 a.m. & 12
noon & 3.10, 4.55, 5.45 & 8.15 p.m
TOWN COUNCIL.
Provost, "Viscount Dalrymple
Bailies, Andrew Sloss & James Ward
Dean of Guild, John Lithgow
Councillors, Eighteen
Treasurer, William G. Belford
Town Clerk, William Black
Procurator Fiscal of Burgh, Augustus S.
Carnochan
Medical Officer of Health, Thomas Harper
M.B., CM
Inspector of Weights & Measures, Wil-
liam Downie
Billet Master, James Lock
Chamberlain & Collector of Harbour Dues
& Burgh Assessments, John Bradford.
Harbour Master, John Walls
COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE.
Office, Municipal buildings.
President, The Provost, ex-offtcio
Treasurer, William G. Belford
Clerk, William Black
Superintendent, Alexander Ross
Collector of Police Rates, John Bradford
JUSTICE OF PEACE COURT,
Court house.
Clerk of the Peace for Wigtownshire, Johf
M. Adair
SHERIFF COURT ORDINARY,
Court house.
Sheriff, James A. Fleming K.C
Sheriff Substitute, George Watson, advocate
Hon. Sheriffs Substitute, John Cameron &
Allan T. Watson
Clerk Depute & Auditor of Court, Andrew
F. Smith
Procurator Fiscal, John M. Rankin
Sheriff Officer, Patrick Kennedy
PARISH COUNCIL.
Office, unarlotte street.
Chairman, Robert B. Dyer
Medical Officer & Public Vaccinator, Andrew
Cluckie M.D., CM
Clerk, Inspector of Poor & Collector of
Rates, George D. BailUe
Registrar of Births &c. John Hunter
Sanitary Inspector, William Bradford
RHINS OF GALLOWAY POORHOUSE.
Chairman, Viscount Dalrymple
Vice-Chairman, John Whyte
Governor, John B. Ormiston
Matron, Mrs. Ormiston
Chaplain, Rev. W. M. Johnston
Surgeon, John A. Anderson M.D
Clerk & Treasurer, Hugh Herman, Adair
EHINS OF GALLOWAY FACULTY OF
PROCURATORS.
Dean, John M. Rankin
Secretary & Treasurer, William Black
ROAD TRUST.
Clerk, William Black
Collector & Assessor, John Bradford
PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS.
Coastguard Station, Seabank cottage, Harry
Kent, chief boatman
County Buildings, Lewis st. Jas. Lock, kpr
County Police Station, Municipal build-
ings, Lewis street
Custom House, James Terry, principal
customs officer, superintendent of mer-
cantile marine & receiver of wreck
Fire Brigade Station, Lewis street, John
Douglas, captain
Garrick Cottage Hospital, Edinburgh road,
Miss Margaret Cameron, matron
Glasgow & South-Western Railway Com-
pany Inquiry Office, Station street
Queen's Hall, South Strand street
Town Chamberlain's Office, Church street,
John Bradford, collector
Tax Office, Church street, John Hunter,
sub-collector
Slaughter House, James Nish, supt
Weights & Measures Office, George street,
William Downie, inspector
VOLUNTEERS.
1st Ayrshire & Galloway Royal Garrison
Artillery (Volunteers) (No. 5 Garrison
Co.), Armoury & Drill hall, Belle Villa