county town, which was erected into a royal burgh in 1455, contained, in 1851 (including the parish), a population of 3555. It is pleasantly situated on the Dee, and is noted for the information and urbanity of its inhabitants. Societies have been formed here for a purpose rather unusual, namely, the building of houses, not for sale, but for the use of the members who compose them. Every member makes a small monthly payment into a general fund, which is employed in erecting the houses, and these, as they are finished, are assigned to the members by lot, those to whom they fall paying five per cent. on the money which their houses have cost in addition to their monthly payments; and this arrangement continues till all the members are supplied, and the societies dissolved. New Galloway, which was erected into a royal burgh in 1633, is situated at the head of Loch Ken, and contains only about 400 inhabitants. The principal villages are Creetown, at the mouth of the River Cree, on the bay of Wigtown; Gatehouse, 12 miles E. from the former, on the River Fleet; and Castle-Douglas, formerly called Carlinwark, an inland place, about 9 miles N.E. of Kirkcudbright. The others are Dalbeattie, on the River Urr; Keltonhill, noted for its cattle fairs in June and November; and Maxwellton, on the Nith, which, though in this county, belongs by its situation to the town of Dumfries, from which it is separated only by the bridge over that river. By the Reform Act, indeed, it is included within the parliamentary boundaries of that town. Previously to the passing of the Poor-law Act in 1844, the poor were supported solely by church collections, occasionally supplemented by voluntary contributions, chiefly on the part of the heritors. Legal assessments have now been introduced in every parish, except five; and the number of registered poor is 1549; that of casual poor, 712; total, 2261. The total expense for the former is £8228; for the latter £1440; making an aggregate of £9668; a fraction more, both as to number of paupers and amount of assessment, than the general average of Scotland. There is a poorhouse combination, comprising 14 parishes.
The inhabitants of the stewartry have few traits of character peculiar to themselves. Living remote from the capital, or any large town, they are a simple unsophisticated people, feudal and superstitious in their sentiments. A belief in witchcraft, and in the more popular superstitions, obtained till recently. They think no character superior to the minister or the laird. These peculiarities, however, are beginning to give way. Education has attained a most respectable footing; and the collision of sentiment which the people experience by the intercourse now opened up by the facilities of communication with strangers, has had a most salutary and liberalizing influence. They are an enterprising people. They send, on an average of the last ten years, about thirty young men to the university yearly; and the number of those who annually cross over to England to push their fortune, or emigrate either to our own colonies or to foreign states, is extremely great. Of these, not a few, after experiencing success in life, return to their native country with a respectable competency; and thus, by their example, stimulate others to follow their steps. Of the extent to which emigration from this county is carried, a correct estimate may be framed from the fact that, though the number of males born is about five per cent. above that of females, the latter in the stewartry exceed the former by 2674. A great number of Irish, of the lowest grade, are settled here. Education, as mentioned above, is in an efficient state. Some of the schools are excellent; none of them are bad; and when a vacancy now takes place the utmost pains are taken to get the best teacher to fill it. Several sums have been bequeathed by individuals for the support of schools, particularly in the parishes of Balmacellan, Dalry, and Borgue. In addition to the parish schools, there are many voluntary seminaries, about 6½ per cent of the whole population being at school.
The people are distinguished for their religious character. The Reformation began here at a peculiarly early date, namely, the beginning of the fifteenth century (Literary History of Galloway, p. 61), and some of the most eminent reformers and covenanters were connected with this county. The persecution in the times of Charles I. and his son Charles II., raged most hotly here. The graves of martyrs are to be found, not only in almost every churchyard, but even in many of the wildest moors. Presbyterianism still continues predominant. In addition to twenty-eight parish churches, there are three chapels of ease belonging to the establishment; seven churches in connection with the United Presbyterian Synod; thirteen Free Churches; one belonging to the Reformed Presbyterian Synod (Camerons); one Episcopal place of worship, and four Roman Catholic chapels.
The stewartry could boast of a greater number of monasteries than any other county in Scotland. These were Dundrennan, St Mary's Isle, and Tongland, founded in the twelfth century by Fergus, Lord of Galloway; Lincluden, by his son Uchtred; and Sweetheart, or New Abbey, founded in the thirteenth century, by Derorgille, daughter of Alan, last Lord of Galloway, and mother of John Baliol, the competitor for the throne. Of Dundrennan, Lincluden, and New Abbey, the remains are comparatively entire; while the vestiges of the other two have nearly disappeared.
The bishopric of Galloway (Candida Casa), both in Catholic and in Protestant times, comprehended the stewartry and Wigtonshire. It formed the most ancient see in Scotland; and in dignity was inferior only to the archbishopric of St Andrew's and Glasgow, till, in 1633, when Edinburgh was erected into a bishopric, and obtained the preference over Galloway. The bishops of Galloway were ex officio deans of the chapel royal of Stirling.
Some eminent men have been connected with the stewartry, as Thomas Gordon, the translator of Tacitus; Robert Heron, author of a History of Scotland in six vols.; Dr Alexander Murray, the celebrated linguist; and Dr Thomas Brown.
The occupations of the people are mainly agricultural, as there are now, properly speaking, no manufactures; the cotton mills at Gatehouse, though many years in operation, having been discontinued. Exclusive of the landed gentry, there are fully two hundred capitalists not employed in any business. The rest of the population are engaged in such retail trades and handicrafts as are needful to supply the provincial demand. In the beginning of the present century there was only one bank (then recently introduced) in the county. Now there are no fewer than a dozen. At the same date there were only four lawyers: now there are fourteen, and one messenger-at-arms. The harbours in the stewartry belong to the customs ports either of Dumfries or Wigton; and the dues levied last year on ships, or on goods carried in ships, were as follows—Kirkcudbright, £340; Dalbeattie, £28; Barlochar or Palnackie, £25; Gatehouse, £20. It may be remarked, that a considerable portion of the shipping trade of the stewartry (as also of its banking business) centres in Dumfries. The chief exports are grain, black cattle, sheep, and wool; the principal imports are coal, lime, timber, and iron.
It has already been stated, that the mountainous districts of the stewartry are composed of granite. A granite quarry was opened in 1830, on the estate of Cassencarrrie, in the parish of Kirkmabreck, by the Liverpool Dock Company. This is at present the most important work of the kind carried on in Scotland. About 300 workmen are daily employed in it; machinery of a kind previously unknown in Galloway has been introduced; a railway has been constructed, connecting the quarry with Wigton Bay, a distance of about half a mile; and a new harbour has been built at the expense of the company, the vessels belonging to which transport the stone from thence to Liverpool. Besides defraying surface damage for the line of the railway, the company pay to the landlord a sum proportional to the produce of the quarry; and thus a piece of land, which was previously covered with rock or heath, and literally worth nothing, certainly not twenty shillings, now realizes an annual rent of about L400.
### Abstract of the Population at different times.
| Years | Houses | Persons | |-------|--------|---------| | | | | | 1811 | 6223 | 196 | | 1831 | 6441 | 146 | | 1851 | 7009 | 225 |
| Total of Persons | |------------------| | 33,684 | | 49,590 | | 43,121 |
The stewartry sends one member to parliament, the constituency in 1855 amounting to 1277. In the election for the burghs, Kirkcudbright (which contains 99 electors) joins with Dumfries, Sanquhar, Annan, and Lochmaben; and New Galloway (which contains 12 electors) with Wigton, Stranraer, and Whithorn.
the chief town of the shire of that name, a royal and parliamentary burgh of Scotland, on the left bank of the Dee, about 5 miles from its embouchure in the Solway Frith. It is finely situated and well built; and the harbour is excellent, with depth for the largest vessels. Steamers ply regularly to Liverpool, but the trade of the town is small. Kirkcudbright unites with Dumfries, &c., in returning one M.P. Pop. 2778.
KIRKBY, a prefix to the names of several English towns and parishes indicating the site of a church.
KIRKBY-LONSDALE, a market-town of England, county of Westmorland, on the right bank of the Lune, 11 miles S.E. of Kendal. It is well built of freestone, and has a fine church, with a tower and peal of bells, and a free grammar school, with 6 exhibitions to Christ's College, Cambridge. Pop. 1675. The Earl of Lonsdale takes his title from this place.