- Kirkcudbright
infobox UK place
country = Scotland
official_name= Kirkcudbright
gaelic_name= Cille Chuithbeirt
population= 3447 (as of 2001)
os_grid_reference= NX685505
latitude=54.832
longitude=-4.048
unitary_scotland=Dumfries and Galloway
lieutenancy_scotland=The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright
constituency_westminster= Dumfries and Galloway
constituency_scottish_parliament= Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
post_town= KIRKCUDBRIGHT
postcode_district = DG6
postcode_area= DG
dial_code= 01557
static_
static_image_caption=KirkcudbrightKirkcudbright, (pronEng|kɚˈkuːbriː ("Kirr Coo Bree")) ( _gd. Cille Chuithbeirt) is a town in the south of
Scotland inDumfries and Galloway .The town lies south of
Castle Douglas andDalbeattie , in the part of Dumfries and Galloway known as theStewartry , situated at the mouth of the River Dee, some six miles from the sea. It was the county town of the former county ofKirkcudbrightshire .History
The early rendition of the name of the town was Kilcudbrit, derived from the
Scottish Gaelic "Cille Chuithbeirt" (Chapel of Cuthbert), the saint whose mortal remains were kept here for seven years between exhumation atLindisfarne and re-interment atChester-le-Street .Spottiswood, in his account of religious houses in Scotland, mentions that the Franciscans or Grey Friars had been established at Kirkcudbright from the 12th century. No traces of the Greyfriars or Franciscan dwellings remain in the parish of Kirkcudbright.
In 1453, Kirkcudbright became a
Royal burgh [ [http://www.old-kirkcudbright.net/index.asp Old Kirkcudbright history] ] , and about a century later the magistrates of the town obtained permission from Queen Mary to use part of the convent and nunnery as a parish church. From around 1570, Sir Thomas Maclellan of Bombie, the chief magistrate, received a charter for the site, its grounds, and gardens. Maclellan dismantled the church in order to obtain material for his proposed castle and proceeded to have a very fine house,MacLellan's Castle , built on the site.After defeat at the
Battle of Towton ,Henry VI of England crossed the Solway in August 1461 to land at Kirkcudbright in support of Queen Margaret at Linlithgow. The town also successfully withstood a siege in 1547 from the English commander Sir Thomas Carleton, but after the surrounding countryside had been overrun was compelled to surrender.The Tolbooth was built between 1625 and 1629 and served not only as the
tollbooth , but also the council offices, the Burgh and Sheriff courts, the criminal prison, and the debtors' prison. One of its most famous prisoners wasJohn Paul Jones , hero of the American navy, who was born in nearby Kirkbean.The Kirkcudbright Railway opened in 1864, but the railway line and station closed in 1965.
Museums
The
Stewartry Museum was founded in 1879 and was at first based in the Town Hall until it became too small. The collection moved to a purpose-built site and contains the local and natural history of the eastern part of Galloway, formerly known asKirkcudbrightshire and now known as the Stewartry.Britain's earliest surviving sporting trophy, the Siller Gun [ [http://www.old-kirkcudbright.net/pages/siller.asp Siller Gun] ] , is part of the collection, as are paintings by many local artists.The Tolbooth building is now used as an Arts Centre. [ [http://www.kirkcudbright.co.uk/oldhighst/tolbooth.htm Tolbooth Arts Centre] ]
Famous residents
Kirkcudbright has had a long association with the Glasgow art movement, which started when a colony of artists, including the Glasgow Boys and the famed
Scottish Colourists , such asSamuel Peploe andF. C. B. Cadell , based themselves in the area over a 30-year period from 1880 to 1910.Many of them moved to the town from Glasgow, including E A Hornel, George Henry, and
Jessie M King , and their presence led to Kirkcudbright becoming known as "the artists’ town", although this moniker may have originated more from tourist board publicity [ [http://www.kirkcudbright.co.uk/ Kirkcudbright: Artists' Town official website] ] rather than local usage.The
whodunit "Five Red Herrings " byDorothy L. Sayers involves the artistic community of Kirkcudbright. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072502/ Five Red Herrings] ] In 1975, the book was made into a film shot in the town, withIan Carmichael playing the lead role ofLord Peter Wimsey .The town also featured in the cult 1973 horror film "The Wicker Man". Several parts of the town can be easily recognised in the film.
References
External links
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/UK/0/Kirkcudbright.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 65m]
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