Everything about Galloway totally explained
Galloway (
Gaelic:
Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, or
Gallobha,
Lowland Scots Gallowa) is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of
Wigtown (or historically West Galloway) and
Kirkcudbright (or historically East Galloway). It is part of the
Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland.
Galloway is contained by sea to the west and south, the Galloway Hills to the north, and the
River Nith to the east; the border between Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire is marked by the
River Cree.
The definition has, however, fluctuated greatly in size over history. The name is also given to a hardy breed of black, hornless
beef cattle native to the region (and also to the more distinctive '
Belted Galloway' or 'Beltie'). Galloway has always been slightly isolated due to having 150 miles of rugged coastline and a vast range of largely uninhabited hills to the North.
Geography and Landform
Galloway comprises that part of Scotland southwards from the Southern Upland
watershed and westward from the River Nith. Traditionally it has been described as stretching from "the braes of Glenapp to the Nith". Three main
river valleys, the
Urr, the
Ken/
Dee, and the Cree, all running north-south, provide much of the good arable land, although there's also some arable land on the coast. Generally however the landscape is rugged and much of the
soil is shallow. The generally south slope and southern coast make for mild and wet climate, and there's a great deal of good pasture.
The northern part of Galloway is exceedingly rugged and forms the largest remaining wilderness in
Britain south of the
Highlands. This area is known as the
Galloway Hills.
Galloway landmarks on Ptolemy's map
The second century geographer
Ptolemy produced a map of Britain in his
Geography, in which he describes the landmarks and peoples of the island. The landmarks were identified long ago, and a number of them relate to Galloway:
Ptolemy's map of Britain is famous for showing an easterly "twist" to the
Scottish Lowlands, while the
Scottish Highlands turn sharply eastward. If it's "untwisted", it shows the familiar outline of the island. The reason for this "twist" makes some sense, for reasons that are beyond the scope of this article. It isn't the result of a "terrible blunder", as was once alleged. Galloway is at the very top of the island, with the Firth of Clyde to its right.
Land use
Historically Galloway has been famous both for
horses and for cattle rearing, and
milk and
beef production are both still major industries. There is also substantial
timber production and some
fisheries. The combination of hills and high rainfall make Galloway ideal for
hydroelectric power production, and the
Galloway Hydro Power scheme was begun in
1929. Since then,
electricity generation has been a significant industry. More recently
wind turbines have been installed at a number of locations on the watershed, and a large offshore wind-power plant is planned, increasing Galloway's 'green energy' production.
Name
It is generally agreed that the name 'Galloway' derives from the name
Gall-Gaidel, and indeed the modern and medieval words for Galloway in Gaelic are Gall-Ghàidhealaibh and Gallgaidelaib respectively, "land of the Gaelic-Norse". The term isn't recorded until the 11th century. Daphne Brooke, a popular author of the history of the region, tried to argue for a derivation from the term 'Caleddon', an alleged
Brythonic form of the name written in Latin '
Caledonia'. This etymology is almost universally rejected.
Early Galloway
The
Romans named the inhabitants of Galloway the
Novantae. According to tradition, before the end of Roman rule in Britain,
St. Ninian established a church at
Whithorn which remained an important place of
pilgrimage until the
Reformation. The county is rich in prehistoric monuments and relics, amongst the most notable of which are the Drumtroddan Standing Stones (and cup-and-ring carvings), the Torhousekie Stone Circle, and Cairn Holy (a Neolithic Chambered Cairn). There is also evidence of one of the earliest pit-fall traps in Europe which was discovered near Glenluce.
In the west, the city of Rerigonium (literally 'very royal place'), shown on
Ptolemy's map of the world, later referred to in the
Welsh Triads as 'Penryn Rionyt' and remembered as one of the 'three thrones of Britain' was probably the caput of the post Roman kingdom of
Rheged. Its exact position is uncertain except that it was 'on
Loch Ryan', close to modern day
Stranraer; it's possible that it's the modern settlement of
Dunragit (Dun Rheged).
Middle Ages
Galloway probably remained a Brythonic dominated region until the late 7th century when it was taken over by the
English kingdom of
Bernicia. Local
historian Daphne Brooke has suggested that the English took over the more fertile land and religious centres like Whithorn, leaving the native inhabitants the less fertile upland areas. English dominance seems to have been supplanted by Norse and then Norse-Gaelic (Gall-Gaidel) peoples between the 9th and the 11th century, though the processes by which this took place are unclear.
If it hadn't been for
Fergus of Galloway who established himself in Galloway, the region would rapidly have been absorbed by Scotland. This didn't happen because Fergus, his sons, grandsons and great-grandson
Alan, Lord of Galloway shifted their allegiance between Scottish and
English kings.
Alan died in
1234. He had three daughters and an illegitimate son Thomas. The 'Community of Galloway' wanted Thomas as their 'king'.
Alexander III of Scotland supported the daughters (or rather their husbands) and invaded Galloway. The Community of Galloway was defeated, and Galloway divided up between Alan's daughters, thus bringing Galloway's independent existence to an end.
Alan's eldest daughter,
Derbhorgail, married
John de Balliol, and their son (also
John) became one of the candidates for the Scottish Crown. Consequently, Scotland's
Wars of Independence were disproportionately fought in Galloway.
There were a large number of new
Gaelic placenames being coined post
1320 (for example Balmaclellan), because Galloway retained a substantial Gaelic speaking population for several centuries more. Following the Wars of Independence, Galloway became the
fief of
Archibald the Grim,
Earl of Douglas and his heirs. Whithorn remained an important cult centre, and all the
medieval Kings of Scots made pilgrimage there.
Modern history
Galwegian Gaelic seems to have lasted longer than
Gaelic in other parts of
Lowland Scotland, and
Margaret McMurray (d. 1760) of
Carrick (outside modern Galloway) appears to be the last recorded speaker.
In the years subsequent to the
Union of the Crowns 1603, Galloway underwent radical change, during the
War of the Three Kingdoms and
Covenanter rebellion.
In modern times, a major ferry port has been set up at
Stranraer, and another at
Cairnryan.
Galloway in literature
Galloway has been the setting of a number of novels, including
Walter Scott's
Guy Mannering.
Other novels include the historical fiction trilogy by Liz Curtis Higgs,
Thorn in My Heart,
Fair is the Rose, and
Whence Came a Prince.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Galloway'.
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