New Luce

New Luce (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Ùr Ghlinn Lus) is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It lies in the traditional county of Wigtownshire, and is about 10 miles (16 km) in length and 5 miles (8.0 km) in breath, being the upper part of the original Glenluce Parish.^[1] New Luce is shown as a civil parish on John Ainslie's county map of 1782.^[2]

New Luce
New Luce Location within Dumfries and Galloway
OS grid reference	NX174647
Council area	Dumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy area	Wigtownshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWTON STEWART
Postcode district	DG8
Dialling code	01581
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish Parliament	Galloway and West Dumfries
List of places UK Scotland 54.944°N 4.852°W / 54.944; -4.852

New Luce is also the principal village within the parish. The coast to coast walk, the Southern Upland Way, passes close to the village.^[3] The Covenanter Alexander Peden spent time preaching in the village.

Places of interest

A viaduct carried the Stranraer-Glasgow railway over the Main Water of Luce. Down the river from the viaduct is a pool called Bloody Wheel where the Hays of Castle of Park, near Glenluce (Old Luce), and the Linns of Larg in the adjoining parish of Inch, were said to have had a violent encounter centuries ago.^[4][5]

Archaeology

The Caves of Kilhern, between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, are in south New Luce.

Cairn na Gath ("cairn of the wild cat"), near Balmurrie, is a chambered long cairn dating to the neolithic (later stone-age). At the south end there are remains of huts or enclosures.^[6] In addition, there are ancient hut circles at Lagafater, around 8 miles to the north of New Luce.^[7]

Cairn Macneilie, 100 metres (330 ft) north-west of Cruise, New Luce, is a Bronze Age round cairn, 56 feet (17 m) in diameter and 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high.^[8][9] There is another Cairn Macneilie at Inch Parks, by Lochinch Castle in Inch Parish. They may have been named after a person who conducted archaeological excavations.

Forts

Rev. George Wilson, in his Archaeological and Historical Collections relating to Ayrshire and Galloway, lists forts in New Luce:^[10]

1. Cruise Back Fell, fort marked on the map as two cairns, 80 ft long, on the Fell of Cruise or High Galdenoch.^[11]
2. Gleniron Several fort with a cluster of green rings, and a large ditch and mote.^[12][13]
3. Mid Gleniron^[14]
4. Mid Gleniron tomb, where the long cairn had enclosed an earlier smaller one.^[15]
5. Garvilland Iron-age hill fort on the Bennan, double at the one end and with hut circles.^[16]
6. Klashherne, two rings, and three more, not on O.S. map.^[17]
7. Balmurrie, ring with two hut circles.

Gallery

• 
  'Caves' of Kilhern: six neolithic chambered cairns, estimated at between 2000 and 3000 years old
• 
  Cairn na Gath, near Balmurrie
• 
  Cairn na Gath. This is a chambered long cairn dating to the neolithic
• 
  Bennan of Garvilland Iron Age hill fort
• 
  Bennan of Garvilland hill fort - entrance
• 
  Bught Fell and Kilhern Moss
• 
  Looking across open moorland to the cairn on Cairn Park, behind Glenchamber
• 
  Southern Upland Way near Cairn Macneilie, Cruise
• 
  A windfarm at Artfield Fell, east of New Luce
• 
  Laggangairn Standing Stones
• 
  Viaduct over Main Water of Luce

See also

• List of listed buildings in New Luce, Dumfries and Galloway

References

1. "Community Councils". Archived from the original on 2 May 2009.
2. "View: A map of the county of Wigton. - Counties of Scotland, 1580-1928 - National Library of Scotland". Maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
3. "Hello Folks, - New Luce | A History".
4. National Archives of Scotland GD72/142(i). 13 May 1662. Bond by Sir Thomas HAY, younger of (Castle of) Park, and William LIN of Large, as cautioners to William GORDON of Craiglaw
5. National Archives of Scotland. GD135/798, 800, 804, 955. c.1687
6. "explorebritain.info -".
7. "Lagafater Lodge". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
8. "Cairn McNeilie". Megalithic Portal.
9. "Cruise, Cairn Macneilie | Canmore".
10. Archaeological and Historical Collections relating to Ayrshire and Galloway. vol.V. pp.63-64 https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092901606#page/n115/mode/2up
11. "Cruise Back Fell | ScotlandsPlaces".
12. "Mid Gleniron | ScotlandsPlaces".
13. "Mid Gleniron I and II (Chambered Tomb) | The Modern Antiquarian | Mid Gleniron I and II (Chambered Tomb)". Archived from the original on 23 January 2005.
14. "Mid Gleniron | ScotlandsPlaces".
15. Discovery and Excavation 1963, 51ff ; Corcoran. 1964 http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/
16. "Mid Gleniron | ScotlandsPlaces".
17. "Bught Fell | Canmore".