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Wigtoun (/ˈwɪgtən/ or /ˈwɪgtaʊn/ - baith uised local) (Scots Gaelic: Baile na h-Ùige) is a toun an umwhile ryal burgh in Wigtounshire, in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. It wis the coonty toun o Wigtounshire. It lies east o Stranrawer an sooth o Newton Stewart.[1] It is weel-kent nouadays as "Scotland's National Beuk Toun" wi a heich concentration o seicont-haundit beuk shaps an a annual beuk fest. It his a population o aroond 1,000.
Wigtoun
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Location within Dumfries an Gallowa | |
Population | 987 (2001 Census) |
OS grid reference | NX435555 |
Cooncil area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Kintra | Scotland |
Sovereign state | Unitit Kinrick |
Post toun | NEWTON STEWART |
Postcode destrict | DG8 |
Diallin code | 01988 |
Police | Scots |
Fire | Scots |
Ambulance | Scots |
EU Pairlament | Scotland |
UK Pairlament |
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Scots Pairlament |
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Wigtoun is the weygate tae an the main centre o the Machars peninsula.
Acause o the Gulf Stream the climate is myld an plants for ordinar associatit wi the wairmer climates o lawer latitudes can be growed successfu there.
Nouadays Wigtoun is kent as Scotland's "beuk toun" an is sicweys compare't tae Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Houiver, in contrast tae Hay-on-Wye, Wigtoun's stats as a beuk toun wis planned, sae as tae regenerate a verra doun-castit toun (the main employers, the creamery an the distillery, haein closed in the 1990s), awtho the distillery (Bladnoch) his noo re-appent an is distillin its ain maut whisky. The war a national sairch in Scotland for a candidate toun. The Wigtoun Beuk Fest wis first haudit in 1999[2][3] an his growed tae be the seicont-lairgest beuk fest in Scotland.[4]
Ae 18t century historian o the coonty, Samuel Robinson, notit that "the greatest number of houses were of a homely character, thatched an one storey high. Each house," he conteenaed "had a midden in the front o it." Bishop Pococke in 1760 notit an aw the existance o thackit hooses. Bi the end o the 19t century it wis said that twa hooses in the town wis haurdly the same; some hid gavel ends, ither anes hid lairge fronts broddit bi dou-hole windaes, while ither anes yet hid ootby stairs. Wigtoun wis descrived as the maist auld-farrant coonty toun in Scotland.[5]
Toun Cooncil impruivements in the early 19t century greatly altert the face o Main Street. In 1809 toun bailies resolved tae impruive the main street at a moderate expense bi liftin the pave an makkin a graivel road aroond ilk side o the street, the ooter edge o whit wis tae be 44 fit fae the edge o the hooses. A "plantation" wis tae be leaved in the centre o the througang, that wis later laid oot wi scrogs an haint bi a rail. In 1830, the Wigtoun Boulin Club obteent a fittin in the "plantation" an bi the turn o the 20t century the square wis uised maistly bi boulers an tennis-players. A hantle o the square wis plantit up in the mid 20t century, bit in 2002 it wis restore't til the genteel Georgian appen plan freenged bi trees.
The Newton Stewart tae Whithorn brainch railwey line hid a station at Wigtoun; the first train ran on 2 Mairch 1875. The service cease't in 1950. The closin o the railwey service led direct tae the dwinnlin o the toun's main industry - the Bladnoch Creamery.
Wigtoun's grammar school is the auldest in Wigtounshire. Until 1712 the schuil disna appear to hae been conductit in a biggin set aside for that purpose, bit in that century the cooncil ordert aw residenters awnin hooses tae bring a draucht o timmer fae a nearby wid tae hel in the biggin o a schuilhoose. Near the end o the century the cooncil notit that the schuilhoose wis owercroudit an needit impruivement, bit acause o the puir state o the toun's finances, the bailies coudna dae muckle tae help at the time. The dominie wis promuived tae find mair room in the toun at the expense o the "stranger studentis".
A Roman Catholic primary schuil wis built oanent the schuil bit it closed in 2004.
The pairish kirk o Wigtoun wis dedicatit til an obscure 6t century saunt, Machutus (Malo). On shaw within the modren pairish kirk is a Celtic interlace't cross shaft o the Withorn School datin back to aboot 1000 AD. Preceese hou auld the kirk is remeens a meestery, an awthou at ae time it belangt tae the priory o Withorn, Wigtoun pairish kirk wis efterhaund set up as a free rectory wi the king as the patron. A kirk wis biggit on the site o the medieval pairish kirk in 1730, an awmaist within a century that kirk wis in ruins, and a third pairish kirk wis built nearby in 1850. Pairts o 1730 kirk survive, awtho flinders o this micht be aulder than that date, acause the're a windae on the sooth side aisle buskit wi trefoiled heids an stane mullions wi shields cairved on them. Some residenters o Wigtoun mainteen that the ruins date back til the 13t century.
The Sacred Heart Catholic Churck is a Gothic Early English style cruciform kirk o nave an apse, bi airchitect John Garden Brown, an built in 1879. The fower lancent windaes on the facade uphaud a niche conteenin a statue o Christ.[6] It is a leetit biggin, Categorie C(S). The kirk is ane o anely twa biggins, baith kirks , kent tae hae veen designt bi this airchitect that dee'd aged 27.
Wigtoun Quaker Meetin Hoose is at The Lorry Park, Chapel Court, South Main Street
This kirs is in Southfield Lane.
Wigtoun lies less nor ae mile fae Blaidnoch, a veelage wi a distillery producin maut whisky o the same name. The River Blaidnoch can be fisht for Atlantic saumon an his historical been weel-kent as ane o Scotland's finest rivers producin ware fish. It meets the River Cree in Wigtoun Bay, whimpelin throu a lairge aurie o saut quaw that his been designatit as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR). Wigtoun Bay is a lairgest LRN in Breetain, an is hame tae a fouth o wildlife, in parteecular birds. Some fowk come til admire them fae the comfort o the viewin hides situated near Wigtoun Herbour, ither anes come tae shuit them. The first pair o fish hawks tae retour tae Gallowa in ower 100 year arrived in 2004. A live camera link tae thair nest wis creatit an can be viewed in the Coonty Biggins.
The Wigtown and Bladnoch Golf club has a nine-hole gowf coorse ootby the toun.
Til the east o Wigtoun is The Mairtyr's Stake. a moniment merkin the tradeetional site whaur the twa Margarets wis drount in the 17t century. Thair graffs is in the Pairish Kirk seemetry. The're a smaw cell in the Coonty Biggins that thay wis preesont in afore thair execution. This cell is aw that remeens o a much aulder biggin that wis lairgely malafoustert tae mak wey for the Coonty Biggins (built in 1862). A lairger moniment tae the Covenanters staunds on Windy Hill in the toun.
W. F. H. Nicolaisen offert twa explanations for the placename Wigtoun. Ane theory wis that it meant "dwallin place", fae the Auld English 'wic-ton'; houiver, gin it is the same as Wigton in Cumbria that wis 'Wiggeton' in 1162 an 'Wigeton' in 1262, it micht be 'Wigca's ferm'. Ither soorces hae suggestit a Auld Norse ruit wi 'vik' meanin 'bay', giein the oreegin as a translation o 'the toun on the bay'.
The surroondin aurie (the Machars peninsula) is rich in prehistoric remeens, maist namely the Torhousekie Staundin Stanes, a Neolithic stane circle set on a raised platform o smawer stanes. It conseests o nineteen boolders up tae 5 fit heich rawed til the winter solstice, surroondin a ring cairn on whit the're three lairge stanes (flankers), twa upricht an wan lyin. On a law brae across the road fae the circle the're anither three stanes.
Andrew Symson, a 17t century meenister, suggestit the first sattlement wad hae stuiden on law-lyin saunds atween the praisent-day Wigtoun an Creetoun.[7]
A lairge, braid street wis the focal pynt o sattlement in the medieval toun, bit wis greatly altert at the beginnin o the main street that endit turn aboot in the latter-day Bank Street. High Vennel an Low Vennel is baith early througangs. The burgh appeart brief in the customs report for 1330 an 1331 bit the amoont collectit wis smaw an its heyday as a port wis mainly in the 15t century. Even at the best o times, tred in the soothwast of Scotland wis smaw in quantity.
The ryal burgh wis grantit tae Sir William Fleming, Yerl o Wigtoun bi Keeng David II in 1341. In 1372 Wigtoun passt til the Yerls o Douglas, upon the sale o the yerldom til Archibald the Grim, bit wis restore't tae its umwhile burgage as a ryal burgh as an upshot o the forfeitur o the Douglases in 1455. Its status wis formal acknawledged bi a ryal chairter an fae that time the burgh wis firm siccart bi a feud-chairter at the auld feegur o £20 a year.
Wigtoun wis made a ryal burgh in 1469 awthou a sattlement here existit lang afore this. Wigtoun attendit the Pairlament o Scotland regular fae 1469 and the Convention o Ryal Burghs fae 1575. In 1500-1 anely taw ships came tae Wigtoun and Kirkcoubrie, an at ither times the war no owerseas tred ava.
Wigtoun hid twa ports (gates) that some scrievers hae assertit wis closed at nicht tae form a lairge cattle cruive. Andrew Symon refert til the East port, that stuid near NX 4352 5545 (Ordnance Survey Record Cards, NX 45 NW 18). The West Port stuid anent the mooth o the High Vennel and hints o it wis yet tae be seen in the 1930s. The ports o the toun wis formed bi skoutin hooses streetchin ower the street fae baith sides an a gate bein place't in the centre. In the late 19t century, ane o thir skoutin hooses yet stuid at the site o the West Port, an was "a thing", in his opeenion, "anything but ornamental to the town." The West Port can be seen on the map at the Cross, on the infaw o North and South Mount Streets. (Tae view, houd doun (Shift) key, an muive yer cursor on the map at maps:nls.uk)[8]
In 1742 the're a reference tae diggin a wall ootby the West Port. This wall wad likely hae been the ane kent as the White Pump.
The toun cooncil in 1761 decidit that the ports wis "hurtful to the place" in that thay "greatly incommode the carrying of corps of the deceased through the same". Stane fae the ports, that wis ordert tae be pullt doun tae thair steids, wis ordert tae be store't in a maist siccar mainer, sae that "they might answer the uses of the burgh when they have the occasion".
The burgh is mentiont in an indentur o 1292, and that the office Shirra o Wigtoun wis in existence at the time o the Battle o Largs in 1263 suggests that the burgh micht hae been acknawledged an aw as sic durin the ring o Keeng Alexander III.
Twa walls wis supposed tae hae been respective at the castle an the freery.
Blackfriars, the Dominican freery, wis foondit at "Friarland", north o the mooth of the Blaidnoch, sootheast o the toun o Wigtoun, bi Dervorguilla o Gallowa, the hauf-sister o Thomas McDowell o Garthland, Stoneykirk o Clan MacDowall in 1267. Dervorguilla mairit John I de Balliol an wis mither o King John Balliol. Thomas McDowell claimt the Kingdom o Gallway an micht hae been in custody at "Friarland" in later life.
The freers hid been grantit the fishins on the sooth side o Blaidnoch an in 1526 Keeng James V gied them thae on the north side an aw in a 13-year lease that later becam a propine. On this fishin stuid the toun's mill.
Wigtoun Castle wis in existence bi 1291, on flet laund doun by the River Blaidnoch (ootlines seen clear on an aerial view), while the toun and kirk wis on a ahill, "an inversion of the usual arrangements".[9] Naething remeens o the castle, awtho a strang natural site an a shawin o a lairge enclose't an defendit area seems tae pynt tae a castle of the Edwardian (Keeng Edward I o England) type,[10] datin fae the end o the 13t century. The site o the castle wis howkit efter a fashion about 1830, bi a Captain Robert M'Kerlie an a team o volunteers. The ootlines o a biggin wis clear hintit on that occasion an a ditch that hid been braid, wis clear seen on the north whaur the war a semi-circular rig an aw o conseederable hicht said tae be the remeens o the castle's ooter waw. A wheen o years later, a reporter in the Statistical Accounts of Scotland wrate that "a fosse was quite discernable, awtho the foundations of the walls canot now be traced. Lime an other remains indicative of an ancient building were still to be observed".
The castle's history is virtual unkent, bit it micht hae been uised bi the leaders o Clan MacDowall. The Adair history relates that thair ancestor slaw the commaunder o Wigtoun Castle. Robert the Bruce micht hae issue't the orders for its slichtin. The anely kent hint o its existence efter the speal o the Wars o Scots Unthirldom occurs in a chairter o 1451 that a turris (tour) o Wigtoun is mentiont in. Its convenience as a local quarrel undoutitly accoonts for its hale disappearance.
Amang the five wast coast tredin ports, Kirkcoubrie an Wigtoun wis great rivals. in 1471 Wigtoun exportit £17 10s 0d wirth o guids an Kirkcoubrie £23 15s 0d. A wheen o years later Wigtoun exportit 1,250 hides as opposed tae 1,000 for Kirkcoubrie. Naitural, the kythin o Wigtoun hurtit Kirkcoubrie as a tredin port; houiver, as Kirkcoubrie dwinnle't sae in time did Wigtoun. Pairt o Wigtoun's dwinnlin micht be acause she dinna jyne in the herrin tred that wis the major export for a nummer o wast coast ports sic as Ayr an Irvin in the 15t century. Mairower, Wigtoun wis a conservative merchand community, an its exclusive tredin preevileges grantit tae them bi Keeng James II bec becam increasin threitent bi Whithorn.
The earliest reference tae the mercat cross an tron o Wigtoun occurs in the 1547 chairter. It appears that the mercat cross stuid afore the auld coort hoose an wis remuived for a short time in the 18t century. While the square wis bein biggit, the mercat cross wis stowed in the jyle. A seicont mercat cross wis upsetten in the main street in 1816, an at some pynt the oreeginal wis brung oot o its haudin in an place't til the wast o it. At some time later the aulder mercat cross wis mendit, re-pentit, an re-sitit til the east o the seicont ane.
An early reference til a towebuith in Wigtoun occurs in 1591, an it is like eneuch that this biggin wis blawn up bi gunpouder in the 18t century tae mak wey for the mercat hoose (or coort hoose) mentiont bi Bishop Richard Pococke in 1760 an anither 18t century scriever, Samuel Robinson. This municipal biggin in its shot gied wey til the current coonty biggins that wis biggit in 1862, wi thair unuisual French-style airchitectur. The coonty biggis wis sortit in 2002-3 follaein decades o neglect.
Andrew Symson, a 17t-century meenister o the kirk at Kirkinner, left a descrivin o Wigtoun. Writin in 1684, he descrieved Wigtoun as a indifferent bit weel-biggit toun wi a lairge, braid street. Bi the late 17t an early 18t centurys, Wigtoun Mercat disna appear to hae been raiglar attendit. In 1683 the toun cooncil wis gart tae tak steps tae gie a lift tae attendance at the weekly mercat an tae affroad forestallers an regraters, i.e. thaim that wad sell guids afore the offeecial mercat time, or later resell guids at a profit. The legislation seems tae hae hid no muckle effect, for in the follaein year, Andrew Symson notit that the toun wis "smaw o tredin, thair mercat day is Monanday, bit it isna frequent". The 1692 report til the Convention o Ryal Burghs observed an aw that the toun hid no weekly mercat, bit did mainteen fower yearly fairs. Mercat faceelitys appear an aw tae hae been puir, wi no kivert pairt. In recent years Wigtoun his haudit a mercat in the square on Seturdays durin the simmer an in the coonty biggins in the winter.
Wigtoun's poseetion on the stent rolls shaws a steidy dwinnlin in her economic poseetion durin the 17t century. In 1597, Wigtoun wis set tax at 15 shillins, Dumfries peyed 36 shillins an 8 pennies, Whithorn peyed 5 shillins, an Kirkcoubrie, 18 shillins. In 1649, Dumfries hid shawn a merkit increase, bit the tither anes hid aw dwinnle't. Wigtoun peyed a set rate o 14 shillins in 1649, an the feegur remeent the same in 1670, bit hid fawen tae 6 shillins in 1692. The report til the Convention o Ryal Burghs in that same year reportit black-baised that the war no furrin tred an that the toun awnt no ships o boats. Existin inland tred wis "gey conseederable" an cam in fae Ayr, Glesga, an Dumfries.
Moniments til the Wigtoun Mairtyrs exist in Wigtoun. Durin "The Killin Times" o the Covenanters in the 17t century, Margaret McLachlan, an elderin wumman in her 60s. an Margaret Wilson, a teenager, wis decreetit tae be tied tae stakes in the tidal chainel o the River Blaidnoch near its entry tae Wigtoun Bay tae be drount bi the ingangin tide. The execution date wis 11 Mey 1685. The ploy wis that the younger wumman micht be perswaddit tae chainge her mynd efter watchin the aulder wumman droun. This execution wis cairit oot bi dragoons unner the commaund o Major Windram in the praisence o Sir Robert Grierson o Lag that haudit the King's Comeession tae nither the rebels in the Soothwast. Thair story, as telt in various soorces, tells hou the weemen wis begowkit bi an informer. Efter aboot a month in the preeson thay wis tried as rebels an decreetit tae deith bi drounin. The story o the Wigtoun Mairtyrs wis amang thae anes collectit bi Robert Wodrow an publisht in his History of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland from the Restoration to the Revolution. The Kirk o Scotland synod hid decidit in 1708 tae collect accoonts o persecution unner the Stuart monarchs, and perswaddit Wodrow tae tak on the research. He wrate that Thomas Wilson "lives now in this father's room, and is ready to attest all I am writing."[11]
Ootthrou the 18t century, Wigtoun remeent maistly an agricultural toun, servin an odious landwart aurie. Like ither touns in Gallowa, Wigtoun didna growe tae ony appreciable size. The population o the pairish wis 1,032 in 1755, while in 1739, it stuid at 1,350. The reporter in the Statistical Accounts of Scotland notit the population wis dwinnlin in the landwart pairish an increasin in the toun for twa raisons: first, acause o the eikin o the ferms that gart the servands tae seek employment in the toun, an seicont, acause o the Irish emigrants.
Residenters o Wigtoun an the surroondin aurie wan thair leevin in a variety o weys. An 18t century observer, Samuel Robinson, said that fae its "peculiar position in relation to the sea", the coonty o Wigtoun offert "many singular advantages to the landing of smuggled goods an smugglers were not slow in taking advantage of this". Wigtoun toun cooncil in Julie 1774 acknawledged the "pernicious and fatal consequences" o smugglin aw kinds o proheebitit guids, in particular tea, fae the Isle o Man. The cooncil forder denunce't the drinkin o tea an brandy acause thair purchasin tuimt siller fae the coonty that cad be mair naitural employed in the makin o thair ain oo. In maugre o this pleadin, it wis anely at the end o the century that the toun appears tae hae adoptit industry. The reporter in the Statistical Account notit that in Wigtoun, as in awmaist aw the tither touns in Gallowa, the war a want o industry; houiver, "something of a manufacturing spirit has arisen in this part of the county". Twa smaw oo an cotton warks wis introduce't intil the toun in the early 1790s, an awtho the ooen industry wis muckle mair soond nor the cotton, baith exportit guids tae England.
Ane 18t century historian o the coonty, Samuel Robinson, notit that "the greatest number of houses were of a homely charachter, thatched and one storey hight". "Ilk hoose," he conteenaed, "had a midden in front of it." Bishop Pococke in 1760 notit an aw the existence o thackit hooses. notit that "the greatest number of houses were of a homely character, thatched an one storey high. Each house," he conteenaed "had a midden in the front o it." Bishop Pococke in 1760 notit an aw the existance o thackit hooses. Bi the end o the 19t century it wis said that twa hooses in the town wis haurdly the same; some hid gavel ends, ither anes hid lairge fronts broddit bi dou-hole windaes, while ither anes yet hid ootby stairs.
A Ryal Air Force fleein station, RAF Wigtown, wis biggit ootby the toun an appent in 1941. Unner the control o 29 Group RAF, the station wis hame tae No. 1 Air Observers School, later No. 1 Advanced Flying Unity (Observer), as weel as providin a short-term hame tae several operational RAF squadrons. The station wis closed in 1948. Nouadays it is rairly uised bi licht aircraft, whiles bein refert til as Baldoon Airfield.
This beuk wis publisht in 2012. Her account o follaein her dream an flttin fae Los Angeles an a job at NASA tae help rin a beukshap in Wigtoun and findin luve.
This beuk wis publisht in 2017. It descrives his experiences as the awner o The Bookshop, Scotland's lairgest seicont-handit bookshap.[12][13]
The BBC reportit on 2 October 2018 that the options on baith beuks hid been bocht bi "a Hollywood film compnay" wi the idea o combinin them tae creaut a pictur.
In the Harry Potter universe, the quidditch team Wigtown Wanderers come fae the toun.
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