Balmaghie
Encyclopedia
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
Baile Mac Aoidh, is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was the seat of the McGhee family
McGhee Tartan
The McGhee family is an ancient lowland family of Scotland, established as Lords of Balmaghie in Galloway since the 10th century. Both the Clan Donald and the Clan Mackay claim it as a sept. Historically, however, the Mackays are in fact an offshoot of this family rather than vice versa...
. It is bordered by the River Dee
River Dee, Galloway
The River Dee, in south-west Scotland, flows from its source in Loch Dee amongst the Galloway Hills, firstly to Clatteringshaws Loch, then in to Loch Ken, where it joins the Water of Ken. From there, the Dee flows southwards to Kirkcudbright, and into Kirkcudbright Bay to reach the Solway. The...
to the north and east. The River Dee is commonly known as the Black Water of Dee on the northern border, the name changes with the meeting of the Water of Ken
Water of Ken
The Water of Ken is a river in Galloway, south-west Scotland. It rises on Blacklorg Hill, north-east of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn in the Carsphairn hills, and flows south-westward into the Glenkens valley, passing through Carsfad and Earlstoun lochs, both of which are dammed to supply the Galloway...
to the north west and is then known as Loch Ken
Loch Ken
Loch Ken is 9-mile long freshwater loch in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies in the Glenkens, where it is fed from the north by the Water of Ken and from the west by the Dee. It continues as the Dee south from Glenlochar, where the water is held back by the Glenlochar Barrage...
along the eastern border. Balmaghie parish borders Girthon to the west and Tongland
Tongland
Tongland is a small village about 2 miles north of Kirkcudbright, south west Scotland. It lies on the west bank of the Dee near its confluence with the Tarff Water.-History:...
and Twynholm
Twynholm
Twynholm is a small village in Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway. It is located 3km north-north west of Kirkcudbright.Twynholm is the home town of Formula One racing driver David Coulthard. A museum to his career was established in the village and is a popular tourist attraction.The...
to the south. The closest market town is Castle Douglas
Castle Douglas
Castle Douglas , a town in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, lies in the eastern part of Galloway known as the Stewartry, between the towns of Dalbeattie and Gatehouse of Fleet.-History:...
about 6 miles from Balmaghie Kirk.
Balmaghie parish is very rural and contains only a handful of small settlements: Laurieston, Bridge of Dee
Bridge of Dee
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o' Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527, the bridge crosses at what was once the City of Aberdeen's southern boundary...
, Balmaghie and Glenlochar
Glenlochar
Glenlochar is a small hamlet on the western bank of the River Dee in the parish of Balmaghie, Dumfries and Galloway. Glenlochar is located one and a half miles south of Balmaghie Kirk and three miles north of Castle Douglas....
as well as number of farms and houses scattered throughout the parish. Farming is the major industry of the area, although there is large area of commercial forestation operated by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
to the west of Laurieston. A small number of tourists visit the area to watch wild birds at the RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
Nature Reserve at Duchrae, the Ken-Dee Marshes. A number of Red Kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
have been re-introduced to the area and can been seen near Laurieston at the Bellymack feeding station.
The ecclesiastical focus of Balmaghie is Balmaghie Kirk built in 1794 and set on a small hillock in Balmaghie overlooking Loch Ken and opposite Crossmichael
Crossmichael
Crossmichael is a small village on the east side of Loch Ken about north of Castle Douglas in Scotland. Historically in Kirkcudbrightshire, it is now in the Dumfries and Galloway council area....
Kirk on the far bank. The ecclesiastical parish covers the same area as the civil parish and the two are generally not differentiated between.
Samuel Rutherford Crockett
Samuel Rutherford Crockett
Samuel Rutherford Crockett was a Scottish novelist, born at Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, the illegitimate grandson of a farmer....
, a Scottish novelist, was born the son of a farmer at Duchrae. Some of his works are set in the surrounding area. He is buried in Balmaghie churchyard under the family gravestone.