NINIA, or NINIAN, commonly called St Ninian, a holy man among the ancient Britons. He resided at or near a place called by Ptolemy Leucopinib, and by Bede Candida Casa; but the English and Scotch called it Whithorne. We mention him, because he is said to have been the first who converted the Scots and Picts to the Christian faith; which he did during the reign of Theodosius the Younger. Bede informs us, that he built a church dedicated to St Martin, in a style unknown to the Britons of that time; and adds, that during his time the Saxons held this province (Gallovidia, now Galloway), and that, as in consequence of the labours of this saint the converts to Christianity increased, an episcopal see was established there. Dr Henry, considering that "few or none of the writings of the most ancient fathers of the British church are now extant, and since little being said of them by their contemporaries, we can know little of their personal history and of the extent of their erudition," gives a short account of some of them. Of St Ninian he says, "he was a Briton of noble birth and excellent genius. After he had received as good an education at home as his own country could afford, he travelled for his further improvement, and spent several years at Rome, which was then the chief seat of learning as well as of empire. From thence he returned into Britain, and spent his life in preaching the gospel in the most uncultivated parts of it, with equal zeal and success."

There is a small town called St Ninian, about a mile south of Stirling. Its church had been occupied by the rebels in 1745 as a powder magazine; who on their return blew it up in such haste, as to destroy some of their own people and about fifteen spectators.