Kirkmaiden
Encyclopedia
Kirkmaiden is a civil parish
in the Rinns of Galloway
, the most southerly in Scotland
; the present Church of Scotland
parish has the same name as and is approximately coterminous with the original pre-Reformation
parish.
It is named after the mediaeval St Medan
, whose identity, name, sex and origin are all disputed. The name "Kirkmaiden" itself is thought to be a translation of the original Gaelic "Kilmaiden" by either Scandinavians or Angles.
It is also the area and name of a community council
, which meets generally in Drummore
and occasionally in Port Logan
.
, at a site on the Kirkburn, not far from the Mull of Galloway
; the name of the nearest cove, Portankill, suggests that originally many worshippers attended Mass by boat. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and in a cave on the eastern shore of the parish at some time a hermit lived. On 15 July 1393 Pope Clement VII authorised Finlay, Abbot of Soulseat
, to annex Kirkmaiden parish church in ‘le Rynnis’ to augment the income of the abbey.
In 1638 the parishioners, citing the inconvenience of the journey to church, secured the building of a new church known as Kirk Covenant on Core Hill, about a mile west of Drummore. The patron was the Earl of Stair. The population of the parish was 1,051 in 1755, 1,380 in the 1790s and 1,613 in 1801. In 1790 the Statistical Account reported abundance of fish including oysters and lobsters, corn and cattle; plentiful potatoes and other vegetables; quantities of thriving barley and oats; and flax. Trees, however, did not thrive. The farmers improved their land with lime, which was brought from Whitehaven or Ireland. At that time a number of endowments for the poor of the parish are mentioned, including £100 from Andrew McMurray a merchant in London, £100 from Andrew McDowal (Lord Bankton, one of the judges of the Court of Session: the McDowal family were laird
s of Logan
), and £400 from William Adair of Flixton, all three of whom had been born in the parish. The nearest market was in Stranraer, and there were three schools and three licensed ale-houses.
Following the Disruption of 1843
, a new church was again built, for worshippers in the Free Church of Scotland
, and this time in the village itself, in the street now known as Stair Street. Early in the 20th century the two congregations were reunited. Now worship is habitually at the church within Drummore, with one service each month in the summer being held at Kirk Covenant.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Rinns of Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, the most southerly in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; the present Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
parish has the same name as and is approximately coterminous with the original pre-Reformation
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
parish.
It is named after the mediaeval St Medan
Saint Medan
Saint Medan was a saint, apparently of the early British or Irish period, whose existence and name are inferred from the name Kirkmaiden in Wigtownshire, but who is also associated with Angus and Aberdeenshire.-The occurrence and legend of Medan:...
, whose identity, name, sex and origin are all disputed. The name "Kirkmaiden" itself is thought to be a translation of the original Gaelic "Kilmaiden" by either Scandinavians or Angles.
It is also the area and name of a community council
Community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies...
, which meets generally in Drummore
Drummore
Not to be confused with Drummuir, north east ScotlandDrummore is a village at the southern end of the Rhins of Galloway in Scotland: it has two satellite clachans, called Kirkmaiden and Damnaglaur. The village lies where the Kildonan Burn runs out to the sea, a few miles north of the Mull of...
and occasionally in Port Logan
Port Logan
Port Logan, formerly Port Nessock, is a small village in the parish of Kirkmaiden in the Rhins of Galloway in Wigtownshire.Port Nessock Bay is now all that remains of the western end of a strait that in post-glacial times separated the main part of what is now the Rinns of Galloway from three...
.
Ecclesiastical history
The parish church was originally some five miles south of DrummoreDrummore
Not to be confused with Drummuir, north east ScotlandDrummore is a village at the southern end of the Rhins of Galloway in Scotland: it has two satellite clachans, called Kirkmaiden and Damnaglaur. The village lies where the Kildonan Burn runs out to the sea, a few miles north of the Mull of...
, at a site on the Kirkburn, not far from the Mull of Galloway
Mull of Galloway
The Mull of Galloway is the southernmost point of Scotland. It is situated in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway.A lighthouse is positioned at the point . Built in 1830 by engineer Robert Stevenson, the white-painted round tower is high...
; the name of the nearest cove, Portankill, suggests that originally many worshippers attended Mass by boat. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and in a cave on the eastern shore of the parish at some time a hermit lived. On 15 July 1393 Pope Clement VII authorised Finlay, Abbot of Soulseat
Abbot of Soulseat
The Abbot of Soulseat was the head of the Premonstratensian monastic community of Soulseat Abbey in Galloway. The following is a list of abbots and commendators:-List of Premonstratensian abbots:* Michael of Bangor...
, to annex Kirkmaiden parish church in ‘le Rynnis’ to augment the income of the abbey.
In 1638 the parishioners, citing the inconvenience of the journey to church, secured the building of a new church known as Kirk Covenant on Core Hill, about a mile west of Drummore. The patron was the Earl of Stair. The population of the parish was 1,051 in 1755, 1,380 in the 1790s and 1,613 in 1801. In 1790 the Statistical Account reported abundance of fish including oysters and lobsters, corn and cattle; plentiful potatoes and other vegetables; quantities of thriving barley and oats; and flax. Trees, however, did not thrive. The farmers improved their land with lime, which was brought from Whitehaven or Ireland. At that time a number of endowments for the poor of the parish are mentioned, including £100 from Andrew McMurray a merchant in London, £100 from Andrew McDowal (Lord Bankton, one of the judges of the Court of Session: the McDowal family were laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
s of Logan
Port Logan
Port Logan, formerly Port Nessock, is a small village in the parish of Kirkmaiden in the Rhins of Galloway in Wigtownshire.Port Nessock Bay is now all that remains of the western end of a strait that in post-glacial times separated the main part of what is now the Rinns of Galloway from three...
), and £400 from William Adair of Flixton, all three of whom had been born in the parish. The nearest market was in Stranraer, and there were three schools and three licensed ale-houses.
Following the Disruption of 1843
Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
, a new church was again built, for worshippers in the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
, and this time in the village itself, in the street now known as Stair Street. Early in the 20th century the two congregations were reunited. Now worship is habitually at the church within Drummore, with one service each month in the summer being held at Kirk Covenant.