Dumfries Trivia

Devorgilla Bridge, Dumfries, dating from the C5th, is the oldest surviving multiple-arched bridge in Scotland.

The Theatre Royal, Dumfries', is Scotland's oldest working theatre, dating from 1792.

Dumfries was the headquarters of Norwegians in Britain ' during the last war.

The coastline of Dumfries and Galloway stretches for over 200 miles.

Dumfries and Galloway is a mountainous region with many peaks over 2000 ft! "The Merrick" in the west is 2764 ft and "White Coomb" in the east 2696 ft.

Scotland's highest village is Wanlockhead (1409 ft).

Scotland's most southerly point is The Mull of Galloway, further south than Hartlepool. On a clear day, Ireland, The Isle of Man and Cumbria are visible!

The world's first Savings Bank, founded by Rev, Henry Duncan at Ruthwell in 1810 - now a museum.

The world's first steamboat sailed on Dalswinton Loch 1788 and legend has it that Robert Burns, the world famous Scots poet, was a passenger on the one and only voyage.

The world's first pedal cycle Kirkpatrick Macmillan, Keir 1838/40.

Britain's, oldest working post office - Sanquhar 1763.

Scotland's first Christian Church - Candida Casa, Whithorn - was founded around 400 AD. St. Ninian was the first bishop.

Only Buddhist temple in Britain is the Tibetan Samye Ling, at Eskdalemuir, Langholm, established in 1967 and officially opened in 1988.

The first penny newspaper in Scotland, founded in 1843, was the Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser.

The invention of the first successful milking machine with pulsators (now displayed at the South Kensington Science Museum) by Mr. Nicholson, Bombie form, Kirkcudbright, who then went to work for j. R. Wallace & Co., Castle Douglas, where the machine was developed for sale to the public.

Dr. Scott at the original Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, Dumfries carried out the first operation in Europe under anaesthetic on 19th December 1846, Two days earlier than other claims!

The first nursing lectures in Great Britain (possibly in the world!) were given in 1854 at the Crichton Royal, Dumfries, six years before Florence Nightingale!

Dumfries and Galloway was the home of the first ostrich former in Britain!

The first Scottish experiment in artificial insemination took place at Hoddom Castle!

The world's first submarine was made at N. E. 1. Cochrane, Newbie, near Annan,

Patrick Millar, of Dalswinton, designed the "Carronade", an armament which later helped repel the French Navy. He also introduced the threshing mill and drill plough to Scotland and was the first to feed cows on steamed potatoes! Furthermore, the first turnip seeds in Scotland were sent to him as a gift by King Gustav of Sweden - hence the name "swede" for turnips.

James Anderson of Dumfries, born in 1824, was the first man to lay transatlantic cables in 1866.

Thomas Watling, a forger from Dumfries before being deported to Botany Bay, was the first artist to portray Australia's wildlife and make the earliest oil painting of Sydney.

World's most highly valued ram, sold at Newton Stewart.

Britain's narrowest hotel, The Star Hotel, Moffat.

Britain's highest Post Office, Wanlockhead.

Stranraer FC was the last senior football club in Britain to have floodlights installed!

World record sale of a Galloway bull for 22,000 gns, sold in Castle Douglas, February 1989.

Duchess Bridge (C18th), at Mouswald Grange, is the tallest in Scotland at 13.3m.

Orchardton Tower is the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland (C5th).

The earliest Christian monument in Scotland is the Latinus stone (mid C5th) at Whithorn.

The largest diameter stone circle on the Scottish mainland with 11 stones is the "Twelve Apostles Stone Circle", 2000 BC, near Dumfries,

Langholm boasts the oldest brass band in Scotland.

The Motte of Urr (C12th), near Dalbeattie, is the largest and best preserved Norman motte and bailey earthworks in Britain.

Dumfries temperatures soared on 2 July 1908 to record levels! The highest recorded air temperature in Scotland was 91 degrees Fahrenheit!

Dumfries and Galloway was the location of the last witchcraft trial in Scotland. Eispeth Rule was branded and banished in 1701.

Britain's oldest Douglas fir (132 ft) and Britain's largest sycamore are both found at Drumlanrig.

The last man and woman to be publicly executed in Scotland were Robert Smith in 1868 and Mary Timney in 1862, both at Dumfries.

Robert Burns lived in Ellisland Farm from 1788 and at Dumfries from 1789 where he died in 1796, Amongst the works written during this period were:

• The Selkirk Grace (at Kirkcudbright)
• Tom o' Shanter (at Ellisland Farm)
• Scots Wha Hoe (at Gatehouse of Fleet)

He actually wrote more in Dumfries and Galloway than he did in Ayrshire!

Thomas Carlyie (1795-1881), the historian and essayist, was born at Ecclefechan and his `Arched House" is now a museum managed by the National Trust for Scotland.

John Buchan used the Dumfries and Galloway moors at Cairnsmore of Fleet as a setting for the chase of Richard Hannay in "Thirty Nine Steps",

Sir Waiter Scott based many of his characters on local people and set parts of his novels "Guy Mannering" and "Red Gauntlett" in Dumfries and Galloway and "Old Mortality" lies buried at Caerlaverock kirkyard. The prototype for "Red Guantlet was Grierson of Log, the scourge of the covenanters, and his headquarters are now the Rockhall Hotel, Collin.

S. R, Crockett (1859-1914), a distinguished literary figure born at Laurieston whose works include "Raiders", lies buried in Balmaghie Kirkyard, near Castle Douglas.

J, M. Barrie, educated at Dumfries Academy, dreamt up the magical story of Peter Pan inspired by a Dumfries garden!

Gavin Maxwell was born in 1914 at Monreith, Wigtownshire, and is best known for his book "Ring of Bright Water".

Hugh McDiarmid, famous C20th poet, was born Christopher Murray Grieve in Langholm in 1892.

Ruthwell Cross, Ruthwell Church (early C8th), an 18 ft high monument of international reputation has among the carvings a runic text of the earliest known poem in the English language, "The Dream of the Road",

The doctor, turned writer, A. J. Cronin attended St. Joseph's College, Dumfries, and wrote about his experiences there, in his book "The Three Loves". He is also author of "Hatter's Castle", "The Citadel' and is perhaps most famous for "Dr. Finlay's Casebook",

The first mobile library in Scotland toured Stewartry in March 1949!

Robert the Bruce's family owned Lochmaben Castle, and among the crucial events of his life which took place in the region were:

• 1306, the murder of John Comyn, his rival, at Greyfriars monastery in Dumfries, followed by the seizure of Dumfries Castle.
• 1307, the battle of Glentrool when his small band gained a vital early victory over the larger English army by rolling rocks onto them.

Mary Queen of Scots made three documented visits to the region, culminating in her flight into exile from Dundrennan Abbey in 1568. She is said to have been wearing Sanquhar knitted gloves!

Whithorn Priory saw visits from thousands of pilgrims in the mediaeval period, including several monarchs, most notably James IV.

Lady Devorgilla founded sweetheart Abbey in C13th in memory of her husband John Balliol (who founded Balliol College, Oxford),

Bonnie Dundee, the hero of Killiecrankie, was John Graham of Claverhouse known to the South West as "Bloody Clavers" for his ruthless suppression of the Covenanters. He operated from Stranraer Castle.

John Louden MacAdam (1756-1836), whose family stayed for a long time at Waterhead, Carsphairn, narrowly escaped being burnt alive when his home at Lawine mansion burnt down when he was one year old! The family then moved away and he later became the revolutionary inventor of macadam and a great road builder. He is buried in the Old Cemetery at Moffat,

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), the pathfinder of modern science, famous physicist who paved the way for electricity and space travel and the first man to make a colour photograph, lived on the Glenlair Estate from the age of two and is now buried at Old Parton Kirk.

Maxwelton House, Moniaive, 13 miles north west of Dumfries, was the home of Annie Laurie, celebrated in the well-known love song.

The Devil's Beeftub, a deep depression at the head of the Annan Water, was so named because cattle raiders used it to conceal the results of their work! It was also near where Dr. Ruxton disposed of his wife's and maid's dismembered bodies!

The present General of the Cistercian Order of Monks, which built Sweetheart, Dundrennan and

The "Admirable Crichton" was born in Sanquhar in 1572.

The RAF Fighter Commander-in-Chief at the Battle of Britain, Lord Dowding was born in Moffat.

Joseph Thomson, the explorer, was a native of Penpont, Thomson's gazelle and Thomson's Falls in Kenya are named after him.

Hartfell, near Moffat, is thought to be the seat of Merlin the wizard!

Galloway was in a sense the first province of "Scotland" since it was here that the tribes from Ireland known as the Scotiae or Scots first settled in present day Scotland. However, at other times during the Wars of Independent in the C13th and C714th much of the region become a temporary part of England.

Murray's Monument at Tainotry, beside the Queen's Way, commemorates an extremely talented shepherd's son, Alexander Murray, born in 1775, who became a famous linguist and professor of oriental languages at Edinburgh University,

Two famous Covenanting martyrs drowned at the stake in May 1685 are remembered at Wigtown Bay, Margaret McLachlan aged 63, and Margaret Wilson aged 18, were cruelly punished for their religious beliefs despite a reprieve, which mysteriously never reached them in time. Margaret Wilson died praying, refusing the pleas from the crowd to renounce her Covenanting principles.

Natural Environment

Every year around 12,000 Barnacle Geese travel from Spitzbergen north of the Arctic Circle to the shores of the Solway at Caerlaverock for the winter.

A national nature reserve, situated at Caerlaverock, is home to the most northerly ramaining British colony of the rare, protected Natterjack Toads!

At Caerlaverock you might also see pink footed geese from Iceland and Greenland, Greylags and Greenland Whitefronts and occasionally Balkal geese from eastern Russia and Western bean geese; also Bewick's swans from north Russia and Finland and Whooper swans from Iceland. An ornothologist's paradise ...

Among the other unusual and interesting wildlife, which may be seen by the visitor to Dumfries and Galloway, are the wild goats of Talnotry, on the Queen's Way; red deer, otters, peregrines, oyster catchers and golden plovers.

Galloway cattle are the biggest exporting breed in Great Britain and you can find them from Alaska to Australia!

Wigtown Bay is one of only three spawning locations for the Sparling (Osmerus eperlanus),

Dumfries and, Galloway boosts some unique attractions:

Britain's only triangular castle: Caerlaverock Castle dating from the C13th. It was besieged in 1300 by Edward 1 and retaken by Robert the Bruce 13 years later,

Wanlockhead Museum and Scottish Lead Mining with minerals of 200 million years old, open air exhibits and a journey into a lead mine shaft. The museum features a water-powered Beam Engine, the only known one of its kind left in Britain today!

Creetown Gem Rock Museum is one of the most popular of the South West's attractions with exhibits from all over the world.

Shambellie House Museum of Costume, a collection of fashionable dress and accessories from late C18th-early C20th displayed in a Scottish Baronial style building designed by Dovid Bryce (1856),

Dumfries Museum, featuring a Camera Obscura, which is one of three remaining in working order.

Tongland Power Station - tours around the largest station in the Galloway Hydro Electric Power scheme, built 1931-35.

The famous Belted Galloway cattle, fondly known as "Beities" due to a white band around the middle.

New Abbey Corn Mill, C9th water powered mill restored to working order.

Orchardton Tower (C15th), the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland.

The Southern Upland Way. Britain's only West to East, coast-to-coast long distance footpath stretching 212 milesfrom Portpatrick to Berwickshire.

The world famous Gretna Green Blacksmith's shops, where romantic runaway marriages were forged in past times.

World Blacksmith Championships are held at Ed Martin's smithy, Closeburn.

Scottish Alternative Games, featuring the World Gird.and Cleek Championships and many lesser spotted traditional Scots contests take place annually at Parton.

The Whithorn Dig - excavations uncovering the early years of Whithorn and many remnants of past life.

Unusual Associations

John Paul Jones, founder of the US Navy, was born at Kirkbean in 1748 and is buried in the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Neil Armstrong, first man of the moon, visited Langholm in 1972 and was given freedom of the Burgh, marking a return to his roots in the Armstrong clan.

Portpatrick was named after St, Patrick who crossed from Ireland in one single step but was attacked by savages who chopped off his head. He picked up his head and swam back to Ireland!

The founder, in 1888, of Glasgow Celtic Football Club, Brother Walfrid, lies buried in the Marist Brothers' graveyard in the grounds of St. Joseph's College, Dumfries.

Thomas Telford, born at Westerkirk, near Langholm, in 1757, was one of the greatest engineers ever and he started his career as an assitant bridge builder at Langholm.

Churchill and Eisenhower and their chiefs of staff had secret talks during the war at Knockinaam Lodge, Portpatrick.

Murdoch, look-out of the ill-fated Titanic, originated from Dalbeattie,

Davy Crockett's ancestors and Arctic explorer John Ross, who made several voyages to chart the North West Passage, were all from Dumfries and Galloway, John Ross and nephew James Clark Ross also established the true position of the North Magnetic Pole.

Lord Charles Forte, originator of one of the greatest catering chains in Britain, was one of the shortest lived pupils at St. Joseph's College, Dumfries, He stayed as a boarder for one week!