Dumfriesshire

The Town of Dumfries

The River Nith rises and falls with the Solway tide and flows through the town of Dumfries, about forty miles east of the Cree.  There are plaques on the sides of St. Michael's Bridge bearing the arms of Dumfries and Maxwelltown.  Dumfries was Robert Burns's home later in his too brief life.  An 18th-century watermill houses a museum dedicated to his last years.  A walk from there to St. Michael's Kirk took us to his home church.

St. Michael's Kirk

Rev. Patrick Linn

The Church

Epitaph

A Christian church has stood on this spot for over 1300 years.  On 12 May 1715, Rev. Patrick Linn was made Minister of Dumfries.  Barely a month passed when 6,000 Jacobites went on the march in northern Scotland and a smaller supporting army appeared not far from Dumfries and stood as though prepared to attack.  The Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfriesshire gave Rev. Linn the responsibility of working with his fellow clergymen to maintain a guard over Dumfries and a neighboring parish.   He not only did so but also took active part in the watch, which continued into October, through pelting rains and piercing cold.  The size of the Jacobite army grew, but Rev. Linn and the men of the parish had built such defenses and displayed so much resolve that the Jacobites finally retreated.  Rev. Linn served as Minister of Dumfries from then until his death in 1731.  When the present church building was erected in 1746, Rev. Linn's tombstone was moved from its original location and placed in an outside wall of the building. It reads in part that he preached “in publick with uncommon eloquence, undaunted courage and impartial freedom to the edification of many” and was “faithfull in every relation, of a truely Christian spirit ...”

The earthly remains of Robert Burns have been moved from their original burial spot to a prominent corner of the kirkyard and placed in a mausoleum, which regrettably we failed to photograph.

From St. Michael's Kirk, we strolled down Burns Street.  My attention was caught by a large white house with the words "Burns House" on its side.  I immediately took a photo.  Turning around, we both noticed an elderly man sitting on a bench across the street, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.  I couldn't imagine what was so amusing.  Then I noticed that on the building I'd just photographed, beneath the words "Burns House," was an arrow pointing across the street.  There was the real home of the Bard, plaques and all.

The Burns House

Robert Burns died in that home on 21 July 1796, a heart ailment claiming his life at the age of thirty-seven.  After a few moments, we left the charming town of Dumfries and drove north through the River Nith valley. A mere seventeen miles brought us to the Queensberry Estate and its famous castle.

Elsewhere in the Shire

Drumlanrig

Aptly described as "the Versailles of Scotland", this castle's name means "fort on the long ridge".  Built between 1679 and 1691 on the site of an earlier Douglas stronghold, its grand architecture and stately grounds put it in league with the famous French palace.  The surrounding 120,000-acre estate includes a country park, Victorian gardens, and tenant farms.

Inside the castle, the emblem of a heart is seen in the structure of a number of rooms, associating the Douglases with Robert the Bruce.  In the 14th century, according to legend, Sir James Douglas honored his dear friend and sovereign's dying request by carrying his embalmed heart in a casket on a crusade to the Holy Land.  Stricken on the way by an enemy's  arrow,  Douglas hurled the casket onto the field ahead of him and shouted, "Forward, brave heart!"     The next four centuries proved the loyalty of the Douglas clan to the Stewart kings until, finally, one room at Drumlanrig became an overnight respite for Prince Charles Edward Stuart.  It was 22 December 1745, and Bonnie Prince Charlie was retreating northward from England with 2,000 of his Highlanders.     One of several Clan Douglas castles, Drumlanrig serves in part as the Dumfriesshire residence of the clan chief - the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry.  For that reason, no photographs of the interior are allowed.  However, the architecture, history, and gardens of Drumlanrig provide a full day of enjoyment.  If you visit, be sure to also enjoy the Tea Room!  We did, and then resumed our travels.  Just a mile or two farther north, we arrived at a grey stone church which seemed picturesque, but we learned it also had a bit of history.  Well, no surprise that.

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