Balmaghie

Balmaghie Kirk

Balmaghie (/bælməˈɡiː/ bal-mə-GEE),^[1] fae the Scots Gaelic Baile Mhic Aoidh, is an ecclesiastical an ceevil pairish in the historical coonty o Kirkcoubrieshire (the Stewartrie) in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland, an wis the seat o the McGhee familie. It is maircht bi the River Dee til the north an east. Threave Castle staunds on an island in the river. The River Dee is kent common as The Black Watter o Dee on the northren mairch, the name chainges wi the meetin o the Watter o Ken til the northwast, an is kent as Loch Ken alang the eastlin mairch. Balmaghie pairish mairches Girthon til the wast, an Tongland an Twynholm til the sooth. The nearest mercat toon is Castle Douglas (Carlinwark) that is aboot 6 mile (10 km) fae Balmaghie Kirk.

The ecclesiastical pairish kivers the same aurie as the ceevil pairish an the twa is nae conseedert tae be different.

Balmaghie pairish is main landwart an conteens juist a haundfu o wee settlements: Clachanpluck (Laurieston), Brig o Dee, an Glenlochar, as weel as a nummer o ferms an hooses scaitert aboot the pairish. Fermin is the main industry o the aurie, houiver thare is a muckle aurie o commercial forestation operatit bi the Forestry Commission til the wast o Laurieston. Tourists an locals veesit the aurie tae watch wild birds at the RSPB Nature Reserve at Duchrae, the Ken-Dee Merses.^[2] A nummer o gleds hae been reintroduced til the aurie an can be seen near Laurieston at the Bellymack feedin station.^[3]

The 2008 horror pictur Outpost an its 2012 sequel Outpost:Black Sun wis filmt on the Balmaghie estate.[1]

The 2018 meestery novelle The Shadow of the Black Earl bi Charles E McGarry is set in a fictional version o Laurieston Hall an the surroondin area.^[4]

Balmaghie Kirk

The ecclesiastical focus o Balmaghie wis Balmaghie Kirk,^[5] until its shew-up in 2015. Plans tae sell the kirk for hoosin wis resile’t efter braid protests an it haes noo been taen ower bi the Balmaghie Sacred Landscape Trust, an the biggin will be pit tae community uiss.^[6]

The kirk wis biggit in 1794 an is set on a wee hillock in Balmaghie leukin ower Loch Ken, forenent Crossmichel Kirk on the faur baunk.

Balmaghie Kirk, Kirkcudbrightshere, Galloway circa 1890

Remodelin was duin bi Peddie an Kinnear in 1891-4. The tour wis reduce’t an reruift in 1893 bi William Davidson.

The Rev H M B Reid wis minister here fur twenty years, fae 1893 til 1903, afore becoming Professor o Divinity at the University o Glesca. He wrate mony wirks on religious subjects.

The Balmaghie War Memorial wis designt bi the sculptor Alexander Carrick in Cullaloe stane an unveilt in 1920.  

Heidstanes at Balmaghie Kirkyaird

Estates

• Balmaghie, hoose o 1874-80 bi John Burnet an John James Burnet, noo reduce’t in size

• Hensol or Duchrae, hoose o 1820’s an designt bi Robert Lugar

• Laurieston Hall, a big hoose biggit in the 17th century wi addeetions in 1893 bi airchitect Sydney Mitchell

• Livingston House, mid 18th century laird’s hoose

• Netherhall, seetuatit on the River Dee, hame o the Ross familie.

• Slogarie, hoose o 1866 bi Peddie an Kinnear, remodelt efter a fire bi Antony Curtiss Wolffe in the 1960s

Fowk

• Archibald the Grim, o Threave Castle

• Rear Admiral James Murray Gordon (1782-1850) o Balmaghie House, buirit in his preevat chaipel-mausoleum on the estate.^[7]

• Samuel Rutherford Crockett, 1859-1914, novellist o Scottish historical fiction. He wis born at Duchrae Farm, Balmaghie, on 24 September 1859, the luve-bairn son o dairy-maid Annie Crocket. Some o his warks is set in the surroondin aurie. He dee’d in Tarascon in Fraunce on 16 Aprile 1914. His remeens wis buirit in the familie graff in his hame kirkyard at Balmaghie. A memorial tae him wis erectit in Laurieston bi public subscription.

• Margaret McNaughton (1856-1915) wis a Scottish-Canadian author an historian. Her accoont o her guidman’s experiences traivelin endlang Canadae til the Cariboo gowdfields wis the saicont non-fiction beuk publisht bi a wumman in Breetish Columbie. Margaret Peebles wis born in 1856 tae Thomas Peebles an his guidwife Jane Mackenzie Murie in Balmaghie; she gaed tae Breetish Columbye in 1888, and mairriet Montreal-born Archibald McNaughton. She dee’d in 1915.

• Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson (1909-1993) an his guidwife Catherine Maitland, bade at Hensol House, the former hame of the Cuninghame familie, and the Marchioness o Ailsa.

• Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (1872-1919) wrate “In Flanders Field”, dee’d o pneumonie near the end o the Great War. His paurents fermt at Laurieston an emigrated tae Canadae.

• Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Walter Hugh Malcolm Ross, GCVO, OBE, GCStJ, (1943-2019) wis a member o the Ryal Hoosehaud. Appyntit Lord-Lieutenant o the Stewartrie in 2006 an resignt in 2018. Bade at Netherhall.

Leetit biggins in Balmaghie

• Hensol Lodge And Gates

• Glentoo Farmhouse And Horsemill With Steading

• Laurieston, Crockett Memorial

• Laurieston, Windhover And Lilac Grove

• Laurieston Hall Stables

• Laurieston, Chestnut House

• Gordon Chapel, Quarter Mile West Of Glenlochar Bridge

• Laurieston Hall

• Little Duchrae, Cottage And Farm Steading

• Threave Castle

• Hensol House

• Hensol House, The Lainshaw Sundial

• Balmaghie Parish Church And Churchyard, Church Of Scotland

• Livingston

Gailerie

• 
  Laurieston veelage
• 
  Laurie Arms Inn, Laurieston
• 
  Kirk Road tae Balmaghie Kirk
• 
  S.R. Crockett memorial, Laurieston
• 
  Brig o Dee clachan
• 
  the auld Bridge of Dee railwey station
• 
  Admiral Gordon's chaipel, Glenlochar
• 
  Glenlochar Barrage
• 
  Threave Castle
• 
  Hensol Hoose
• 
  Little Duchrae, birthplace o S.R. Crockett
• 
  Ken-Dee Merses fae the Balmaghie Kirkyaird

References

1. G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford UP, 1971), p. 10.
2. Ken-Dee Marshes
3. Bellymack feeding station Archived 2004-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
4. McGarry, Charles E (2018). The Shadow of the Black Earl. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 9781846974236.
5. Reid, H.M.B (1895). The Kirk above Dee Water. Adam Rae: Castle Douglas.
6. "Trust takes on former church". Galloway News. 18 October 2018. p. 9.
7. O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). A Naval Biographical Dictionary.

External links

• Dictionary of Scottish Architects - Balmaghie House
• Dictionary of Scottish Architects - Slogarie House
• Parish of Balmaghie Home Page
• Balmaghie Kirk
• Charles E McGarry Archived 2019-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Dictionary of Scottish Architects - Balmaghie Kirk
• Outpost 2 movie

Wikimedia Commons haes media relatit tae Balmaghie.

Coordinates: 54°58′30″N 3°59′53″W / 54.975°N 3.998°W / 54.975; -3.998