Dunragit

Dunragit Scots Gaelic: Dùn Reicheit
Dunragit Location within Scotland
OS grid reference	NX149576
Cooncil area	Dumfries an Gallowaa
Lieutenancy area	Wigtoun
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	Dumfries and Galloway
Scots Pairlament	Galloway and West Dumfries
Leet o places UK Scotland 54°52′44″N 4°53′06″W / 54.879°N 4.885°W / 54.879; -4.885Coordinates: 54°52′44″N 4°53′06″W / 54.879°N 4.885°W / 54.879; -4.885

Dunragit (Scots Gaelic: Dùn Reicheit) is a veelage on the A75 road atween Stranrawer and Glenluice in the historical coonty o Wigtounshire in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. Dunragit is within the pairish o Auld Luce. The modren veelage grew up aroond the wast yett o Dunragit Hoose, an 18t century kintra hoose, though thare is evident o Neolithic sattlement in the aurie.

Toponymy

The place-name Dunragit is said tae derive ve Din Rheged meanin "Fort o Rheged", referin til the Brythonic kinrick o Rheged that existit in northren Breetain atweed the 5t an 8t centurys.^[1] It is possible that this wis ane o the ryal sites uised bi the kings o Rheged, an it hs been forder suggestit as the site o Keeng Arthur's northren coort, Pen Rhionydd, recordit in the medieval Welsh Triads.

Dunragit moniment complex

Droughduil Mote, identified as a Neolithic mund

Atween 1999 an 2002, archaeological howkins hae explore't the Dunragit aurie, an a complex o Neolithic moniments hae been unkivert. Naething can noo be seen abuin the grund, bit aerial photography an howkin his kythe't an early Neolithic cursus moniment, an the remeens o three later Neolithic concentric timmer circles, datin til aroond 2500 BC(E), the ootby circle o that wis 980 fit across.^[2] Aroond 1,300 fit sooth o the timmer circles is the Mund o Droughduil, that his been aforehaund identified as a medieval motte.^[3] The location o the mund, in line wi ane o the ingangs til the timmer circles, gart speculation as tae an earlier oreegin, an the 2002 howkin saison focused on this featur. Optically stimulated luminescence datin o howkit material shawed that the mund wis biggit aroond 2500 BC(E), and his been compare't tae Silbury Hill in Wiltshire.^[4]

Round Dounan

Round Dounan, in the grunds o Dunragit Hoose, his been indentified as a motte, shapit fae a naitural mund. It micht hae been a stane-built fort o the 5t or 6t century, and wis identified as the "Fort o Rheged" bi R C Reid in the 1950s.^[5]

Glenwhan Gairden

The 12 acre Glenwhan Gairden his been creatit in Dunragit, syne 1979, oot o a whin an brachen kivert hillside, inspire't bi the nearby Logan Botanic Gairden an bi Tresco on the Isles o Scilly. It is appen til the public.^[6]

Economy

Dunragit Creamery wis operatit bi Nestlé , bit this ane is no langer in uiss.^[7]

Bypass

Plans wis pit forrit in 2006 for a 3.3 mile bypass tae tak the busy A75 road aroond the sooth side o the veelage.^[8] A £17.13 million contract for the wark wis awairdit in Februar 2013.^[9] Durin the biggin wark substantious findins o prehistoric artefacts, Neolithic arrae-heids, Bronze Age urns, an bead carkets includin a 130-piece jet bead carket, the oreegin o that wis trackit back tae Whitby, North Yorkshire.^[10]

Railweys

There is a level crossin locatit on the Glasgow South Western Line on the section atween Stranrawer an Barrhill.

The Beeching cuts gart the closin o the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint Railway an the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, kent thegither as the "Port Road", in 1965.^[11] It served the port in Stranraer an sicweys Lairne as weel as the Port o Belfast an Nortren Ireland in general.

The station is closed alang wi the direct lien fae Stranraer via Dunragit tae Glenluice onwart tae Dumfries and Cairl an the West Coast Main Line tae London Euston. The same jurney tae Dumfries is noo via Ayr an Kilmarnock.

Gailerie

• 
  Dunragit Hoose
• 
  level crossin at Dunragit
• 
  Glenwhan Gairden
• 
  Leukin sooth fae Dunragit

References

1. W.J. Watson (1926). "General Survey of Dumfries and Galloway". History of the Celtic Placenames of Scotland. Archived frae the original on 21 August 2014.
2. "Dunragit Excavations Project 1999-2002". University of Manchester / Historic Scotland. Archived frae the original on 19 Mey 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
3. "Droughdool Mote". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
4. "Research Projects: Dunragit Excavation". University of Manchester. Archived frae the original on 5 Mairch 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
5. "Round Dounan". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Archived frae the original on 2 Apryle 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
6. "Glenwhan Gardens". Retrieved 3 September 2013.
7. "Photo of Nestle's Dunragit Creamery, circa 1960". Retrieved 3 September 2013.
8. "A75 Dunragit Bypass Project". Transport Scotland. Archived frae the original on 15 Mey 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
9. "£36 million green light for road schemes". Transport Scotland. 5 Februar 2013. Archived frae the original on 18 Mey 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
10. "Iron Age village discovered during bypass building project". (14 May 2014) The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
11. Awdry (1990), page 66

External links

• Video footage o the level crossin an signal box at Dunragit