Galloway (Scottish Gaelic, Gall-Ghàidhealaibh 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. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 524 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1616 × 1848 pixel, file size: 61 KB, MIME type: image/png) the two counties of Galloway I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Scots (or Lallans, meaning Lowlands), properly Lowland Scots, is used in Lowland Scotland, as well as parts of Northern Ireland and border areas of the Republic of Ireland, where it is known in official circles as Ulster Scots or Ullans but by speakers simply as Scotch or Scots. On the... Wigtownshire is a small traditional county in the south west of Scotland. ... Kirkcudbrightshire (pronounced Kir-COO-bri-shir; Siorrachd Chille Chuithbheirt in Gaelic), is a traditional county and registration county of south-western Scotland, bounded on the north and north-west by Ayrshire, on the west and southwest by Wigtownshire, on the south and southeast by the Irish Sea and the Solway... Dumfries and Galloway (Dùn Phris agus an Gall-Ghaidhealaibh in Gaelic) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. ... The 32 council areas of Scotland form the local government areas of Scotland, all of them unitary authorities. ...

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. There are at least two rivers named Nith: One is in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and passes through the town of Sanquhar. ...

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. For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... The Galloway is one of the worlds longest established breeds of beef cattle, named after the Galloway region of Scotland, where it originated. ... Belted Galloways at a show Belted Galloway is a breed of Galloway cattle. ...

Geography and Landform

Topographical map showing landform and boundaries of Galloway and its two counties

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 is 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 is a great deal of good pasture. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 796 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1479 × 1114 pixel, file size: 909 KB, MIME type: image/png) Created by myself, Topographical Map of the area of SW Scotland traditionally defined as Galloway (the counties of Wigtownshire and The Stewartry). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 796 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1479 × 1114 pixel, file size: 909 KB, MIME type: image/png) Created by myself, Topographical Map of the area of SW Scotland traditionally defined as Galloway (the counties of Wigtownshire and The Stewartry). ... Main European water divides (red lines) separating catchments (gray regions). ... This bridge across the Danube River links Hungary with Slovakia. ... Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley In geology, a valley is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ...

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. Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... A glass of cows milk. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... Timber in storage for later processing at a sawmill Timber is a term used to describe wood, either standing or that has been processed for use—from the time trees are felled, to its end product as a material suitable for industrial use—as structural material for construction or wood... A lobster boat unloading its catch in Ilfracombe harbour, North Devon, England. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... Power station at Tongland Clatteringshaws Dam The Galloway hydro-electric power scheme is a network of dams and hydro-electric power stations in Galloway, south west Scotland. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Electricity generation is the first process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ... Horizontal-axis wind turbine, the Enercon model E-66 wind energy converter, in Germany. ...

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. The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... Corserine and the Rhinns of Kells as seen from Craignaw in winter, Galloway Hills. ...

Name

Some scholars have proposed that the name 'Galloway' derives from The Gallgaidhill. Daphne Brooke, a popular author of the history of the region, believed that the name was derived from 'Caleddon', the Brythonic form of the name written in Latin 'Caledonia'. The mutation would have gone 'Caleddon', 'Callewyddon', 'Callewydd', 'Galloway', a mutation pattern which can be traced in other Brythonic placenames.^{[citation needed]} The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family. ... Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Roman Empire to a northern area of the island of Great Britain. ... Brythonic is one of two major divisions of Insular Celtic languages (the other being Goidelic). ...

Alternatively, the name may be one of a collection of Germanic placenames which begin 'Gal' and mean 'strangers' or 'foreigners'. Wal/Gal Many region names (and some place names) in Europe derive from the original Germanic word for stranger or foreigner, rendered as wal or gal (and variations). ...

Prehistory

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 in Galloway in 397 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. Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Novantae were a Celtic tribe located in Galloway in modern Scotland. ... Saint Ninian (c. ... Events Council of Carthage: Definitive declaration of the biblical canon Candida Casa founded by Saint Ninian. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ...

Rerigonium

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 is possible that it is the modern settlement of Dunragit (Dun Rheged). A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; ca. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... Entrance to the Rheged Discovery Centre Rheged was a Brythonic nation of Sub-Roman Britain, where the natives spoke Cumbric. ... Loch Ryan is a Scottish sea loch that furnishes a natural sheltered anchorage for ships. ... Stranraer (An t-Sròn Reamhar in Gaelic) is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire. ... Dunragit is a village on the A75, between Stranraer and Glenluce in Dumfries and Galloway (previously Wigtownshire) in south-west Scotland. ...

Anglians

Galloway remained a Brythonic-speaking region until the late 7th century when it was taken over by the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. Local historian Daphne Brooke has suggested that the Anglians took over the more fertile land and religious centres like Whithorn, leaving the native inhabitants the less fertile upland areas. White cliffs of Dover in England White cliffs of Rugen down the Baltic coast from Schleswig The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestor of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig, Germany. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ... A historian is an individual who studies history and who writes on history. ... Whithorn is a small burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. ...

The Gallgaidhill

The Annals of Ulster has entries in the years 856, 857 and 859 describing activities of mercenary warbands referred to as 'Gallgaidhill' (literally, 'foreign gaels'). The Gallgaidhill were a group of Norse-Gaels related to the people of Argyll. The Annals of Ulster are a chronicle of medieval Ireland. ... Events Year of the Fire Rat begins in January. ... Events Viking raid of Dorestad. ... Events Battle of Abelda: Asturias beats the Muslims. ... A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national of a Party to the conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a... The Norse-Gaels were a people who dominated much of the Irish Sea region and western Scotland for a large part of the Middle Ages, whose aristocracy were mainly of Scandinavian origin, but as a whole exhibited a great deal of Gaelic and Norse cultural syncretism. ... Argyll, archaically Argyle (Airthir-Ghaidheal in Gaelic, translated as [the] East Gael, or [the] East Irish), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a traditional county of Scotland. ...

Other sourcesOther sources describe these tribes as Picts, but different from other Picts of the North. They spoke a form of Gaelic but not like other Gaels. Because of this they became known as "stranger Gaels" – Gallgaidhel or Galwydel – from which the word "Galloway" is derived. Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). ...

No sooner had the Romans departed than Britons from Strathclyde and Ayrshire swarmed into the area, destroying villages and making off with whatever plunder they could. Only the inhabitants of the more strongly defended hill forts or crannogs were safe from these raids. The Galloway tribal chiefs met to discuss how best to defend themselves from these raids, attack seemed out of the question as they were not strong enough to invade the populous and well guarded lands of Ayrshire. They opted to follow the lead of the departed Romans and build a wall. Even if this was not strong enough to completely repel the invaders it could at the very least buy enough time for reinforcements to be rushed to the point of attack. Strathclyde (Srath Chluaidh in Gaelic) was one of the regional council areas of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. ... Ayrshire (Siorrachd Inbhir Àir in Scottish Gaelic) is a region of south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. ...

The dyke was eight feet broad at the base with a deep ditch on the northern side. Stone was used where it was readily available, otherwise a mixture of earth and stone. At regular intervals in the wall forts or watchtowers were constructed, one of these forts was circular in shape and was 192 yards in diameter. Each tribe was allocated a section of wall for which it was responsible, first in construction and then in defence. When the task was completed Galloway was cut off from the rest of Scotland by this great dyke, some 80 miles in length. The wall began at Loch Ryan on the West Coast and ran to the northern ends of Loch Mayberry and Ochiltree. From there it followed the line of the upper Cree Valley, and ran along the North of Minnigaff parish, passing Talnotrie and Craigencallie to Dalry. It then headed through Moniaive and Penpont, passed over the River Nith, and then continued more or less in a straight line to Lochmaben. Finally it headed South to end at the Solway Firth near Annan, opposite Bowness where Hadrian’s wall commenced. Loch Ryan is a Scottish sea loch that furnishes a natural sheltered anchorage for ships. ... The title Lord Ochiltree was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1543 for Andrew Stewart, a son of the 1st Lord Avandale, a descendant of Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany by the feudal baron of Morphie. ... St. ... Moniaive is a village in the south of Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway, near Thornhill. ... Penpont is a small village in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, two miles west of Thornhill. ... There are at least two rivers named Nith: One is in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and passes through the town of Sanquhar. ... Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, United Kingdom. ... Map of Solway Firth. ... The town of Annan stands on the River Annan in the region of Dumfries and Galloway on the Solway Firth in the south of Scotland. ... See also Windermere, Florida and Windermere, Seattle, Washington. ... // Hadrians Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of modern-day England. ...

It was around this time that the Irish-Scots began to infiltrate Argyll and Galloway, a migration that was to last for many centuries. As they were a Gaelic-speaking people like the Gallovidians, combined with a joint hatred for the Britons of Strathclyde and Ayrshire, probably meant that these were far more welcome visitors.

In 740 AD Alpín mac Echdach, with a large army of northern Picts and Scots from Dál Riata, broke through the great dyke and invaded Galloway. They were defeated by a combined force of Angles and Gallovidians in the valley of the Dee and were forced to retreat westwards. Alpín mac Echdach may refer to two persons, or to one, or to none. ... Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Goidelic kingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland and the northern coasts of Ireland, situated in the traditional Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Argyll, Bute and County Antrim. ... White cliffs of Dover in England White cliffs of Rugen down the Baltic coast from Schleswig The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestor of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig, Germany. ...

Fergus of Galloway

If it had not been for Fergus of Galloway (ruled 1120-1161) who established himself in Galloway, the region would rapidly have been absorbed by Scotland. This did not happen because Fergus, his sons, grandsons and great-grandson Alan, Lord of Galloway shifted their allegiance between Scottish and English kings. Fergus of Galloway was King, or Lord, of Galloway from an unknown date (probably in the 1110s), until his death in 1161. ... Events Welcher of Malvern creates a system of measurement for the earth using degrees, minutes, and seconds of latitude and longitude. ... Events Bartholomew Iscanus becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Alan FitzRoland (c. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II...

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. // Supposedly Mali begins revolt against oppressors. ... Coronation of King Alexander on Moot Hill, Scone. ...

The Community of Galloway was defeated, and Galloway divided up between Alan's daughters, thus bringing Galloway's independent existence to an end.

Medieval History

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 (e.g. Balmaclellan), because Galloway retained a substantial Gaelic speaking population for several centuries more. Dervorguilla of Galloway a. ... John de Balliol (d. ... John Balliol and his wife. ... The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. ... // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Events January 20 - Dante - Quaestio de Aqua et Terra January 20 - Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland April 6 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath. ...

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. Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... Archibald the Grim also known as Blak (Black) Archibald (c. ... The title of Earl of Douglas was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for the senior, or Black line of the great Douglas family. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ...

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. Galwegian Gaelic is an extinct Goidelic dialect formerly spoken in South West Scotland. ... Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... The Scottish Lowlands (a Ghalldachd, meaning roughly the non-Gaelic region, in Gaelic), although not officially a geographical area of the country, in normal usage is generally meant to include those parts of Scotland not referred to as the Highlands (or Gàidhealtachd), that is, everywhere due south and east... Margaret McMurray (??--?1760) appears to have been one of the last native speakers of a Lowland dialect of Scottish Gaelic. ... The ex-comital district of Carrick today forms part of South Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

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. The Union of the Crowns refers to the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of the England in March 1603, thus uniting Scotland and England under one monarch. ... Combatants Scottish Royalists and Irish Catholic Confederate troops Scottish Covenanters Commanders James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll and David Leslie Strength Fluctuating, 2000-4000 troops at any one time over 30,000 troops, but many based in England and Ireland Casualties Total of 28... James VI of Scotland (James I of England) was opposed by the Covenanters in his attempt to bring the Anglican Church into Scotland The Covenanters formed an important movement in the religion and politics of Scotland in the 17th century. ...

In modern times, a major ferry port has been set up at Stranraer, and another at Cairnryan. Stranraer (An t-Sròn Reamhar in Gaelic) is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and in the county of Wigtownshire. ... Cairnryan is a small Scottish village overlooking Loch Ryan and is notable today for its large modern ferry port, operated by P&O, which links Scotland with Larne in Northern Ireland. ...

Galloway in literature

Galloway has been the setting of a number of novels, including Walter Scott's Guy Mannering. Raeburns portrait of Sir Walter Scott in 1822. ... Guy Mannering is a novel by Sir Walter Scott published anonymously in 1815. ...

References

A great deal of the modern work on the early and medieval history of Galloway has been done by Daphne Brooke; her work is published in a number of monographs and in A monograph is a scholarly book or a treatise on a single subject or a group of related subjects. ...

• Brooke, D: Wild Men and Holy Places: Canongate Press, Edinburgh, 1994: ISBN 0-86241-479-2

• Many of her monographs are available online at http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~daphne/

Her unpublished papers and notes are available in Kirkcudbright Museum. Location within the British Isles. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Also, Dr. Richard Oram "The Lordship of Galloway"