Moniaive
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
, near Thornhill
Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway
Thornhill is a town in the Mid Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries.A monument to the explorer Joseph Thomson , who lived in neighbouring Penpont and Gatelawbridge, can be found close to the school...
, on the A702 road
A702 road
The A702 is a major road in Scotland, that runs from Edinburgh to St. John's Town of Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway. It is the last section of a sometimes recommended route between London and Edinburgh, the English and Scottish capitals, which now follows the M1, M6, A74 and A702 roads, rather than...
and B729 road. Population 520 (2004). The name is from Gaelic
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....
monadh-abh and means "Hill of Streams". It is situated at the northern end of the very scenic and tranquil Cairn Valley. It is within the parish of Glencairn and a bi-monthly newspaper, called the Glencairn Gazette and free for local residents, is produced by volunteers .
History
Covenanters
In the 17th century, Moniaive became the refuge for the CovenanterCovenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
s, a group of Presbyterian nonconformists who rebelled at having the Episcopalian
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
religion forced on them by the last three Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
kings, Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
(James VII of Scotland). There is a monument off the Ayr Road to James Renwick
James Renwick
James Renwick may refer to:*Jim Renwick , Scottish rugby player*Jim Renwick *James Renwick , Scottish Covenanter...
, a Covenanter leader born in Moniaive and later executed in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
The community
The village was planned and built by a local landowner in the 17th century and consists of two parts separated by the Dalwhat Burn, Dunreggan and Moniaive village itself. With a large general store including a post office counter, the village also has a garage, an organic cafe, a chocolatier, several artist' studios, a primary school, a guest house and two hotels with bars and restaurants, one with accommodation, and two village halls. It is a thriving community with a strong community spirit. Every year a number of festivals are held within the parish; Moniaive Horse Show, Gala Day, Arts Association exhibition, Beer and Food festival, Comedy nights, Moniaive Folk Festival,the annual Duck Race, and the Horticultural show, to name but a few. In 2004 The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described the village as one of the 'coolest' in Britain.
James Paterson
The Scottish artist James Paterson,associated with 'The Glasgow Boys' of the Glasgow SchoolGlasgow School
The Glasgow School was a circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to sometime around 1910. Representative groups were: The Four , the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys...
, lived here and painted many local scenes including The Last Turning, one of Scotland's most famous pictures now in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
, which is a view of a woman on the last bend in the road before approaching the village on the other side of Dalwhat Water. Until 2005 there was a Paterson museum within the village but this has now closed and Paterson's photographs and memorabilia are now in the possession of his grand-daughter Anne Paterson-Wallace.
Transport
Cairn Valley Light Railway
The Cairn Valley Light Railway was built under the regulations of the Light Railways Act 1896 and was opened on 1 March 1905. It connected the market town of Dumfries in south-west Scotland to the village of Moniaive in Dumfriesshire at the end of the Cairn Valley.- History :The line was long and...
was opened from Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in 1905 but closed to passengers during World War II and never reopened.
The village is connected to Dumfries and Thornhill by local bus services. There is also a community bus run by volunteers for trips, with a scheduled service to 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:...
.
Local economy
The local economy is dominated by sheep and some cattle farming as well as forestry. It also has a very large self-employed community including writers, artists, graphic designers, historical interpretation services, clothing designers, aromatherapists, stained glass workers, a wine importing business,a chocolatier,computer repairs, garden and landscaping services, plant nursery, child care, etc.Micro-history
The village has its own website and is currently home to both Batman writer Alan Grant and a member of the Scottish band Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
. Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
also has a home near here. The writer Rumer Godden
Rumer Godden
Margaret Rumer Godden OBE was an English author of over 60 fiction and nonfiction books written under the name of Rumer Godden. A few of her works were co-written by her sister, Jon Godden, who wrote several novels on her own...
lived in Moniaive.
Moniaive has won prizes in both Nithsdale in Bloom and Scotland in Bloom competitions.
Four valleys
Four valleys meet at Moniaive.- The Dalwhat Water runs from the centre of the Carsphairn and ScaurCarsphairn and Scaur HillsThe Carsphairn and Scaur hills are the western and eastern hills respectively of a hill range in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Ordnance Survey maps don't have a general name for the hill area as a whole. Also, Ordnance Survey use "Scar" rather than the local spelling of "Scaur" - the word is...
hills south eastward to the village. A road runs up the Dalwhat Glen to Cairnhead where you can find Andy GoldsworthyAndy GoldsworthyAndy Goldsworthy, OBE is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.-Life and career:The son of F...
structures on the surrounding hillsides. - Craigdarroch Water approaches the village from the west and the B729 travels in through this glen from the A713 (Castle Douglas to Dalmellington road) and CarsphairnCarsphairnCarsphairn is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located about half way between Dalmellington and St. John's Town of Dalry, next to the A713 road. Carsphairn annual sheep show is held in the village. Cairnsmore of Carsphairn is to the north east of the village in the Carsphairn...
which is on the A713 some 10 miles from Moniaive and the nearest centre of population in that direction. - Castlefairn Water comes in from the south west and this glen carries the A702 over moorland road from St John's Town of Dalry. Castlefairn water and Craigdarroch water meet just south of the village before they join the Cairn Water.
- Cairn Water originates just to the east of the village and travels eastward down the Cairn Valley before ultimately joining the River NithRiver NithThe River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...
just north of DumfriesDumfriesDumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
.
External links
- Village website
- Moniaive village history
- Moniaive on Undiscovered Scotland
- The Last Turning on Glasgow Museums' website
See also
- List of places in Dumfries and Galloway
- Ley tunnelLey tunnelLey tunnels are a common element of the local folklore tradition in the United Kingdom and they also occur in Europe. In Norwegian a ley tunnel-like passage is called a "lønngang" and in Swedish a "lönngång"...
Covenanter's escape tunnel - William West NeveWilliam West NeveWilliam West Neve was an English architect in the Arts and Crafts style.-Background:Born in Cranbrook, Kent, Neve was the youngest of seven siblings and the only son of solicitor William Tanner Neve and his spouse Maria West.Neve was educated at Cheltenham College, Gloucestershire and began his...
- Architect