Laghall Quay | |
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Dumfries, Scotland GB grid reference NX438547 | |
![]() Laghall Quay | |
Coordinates | 55°02′36″N3°36′29″W / 55.043308°N 3.6079775°W |
Laghall Quay (NX973732) is located on the River Nith, once serving the estate of Laghall, later named Mavis Grove and now again called Laghall as well as its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway, previously Kirkcudbrightshire. [1] The ports of Dumfries, Kingholm Quay [2] and Castledykes Quay lay upstream and downstream quays or harbours were located at Kelton, [3] Glencaple, Carsethorn [4] and Kirkconnell Jetty. [5] It lies on the edge of the old Mavisgrove Merse. [6]
The quay lies on the west bank of the River Nith and has a single L-shaped stone built quay. In 1848/58 it was described as a small, but safe harbour with mooring-place for two vessels of about 50 or 60 tons, and imports were mainly coal and timber, whilst the nearby Kingholm Quay [7] had mooring places for about twelve vessels of about 60 or 80 tons and imported coal, bones, Guano, timber, etc. and exported various kinds of farming produce. [8] Available maps do not indicate any buildings on the quay or nearby and no foundations or ruins are present. Some of the moorings are made of granite, but a few are old iron cannon, set muzzle downwards into the ground. Local knowledge indicates that these were made locally for use in the Crimean War and were flawed castings, so they were utilised as mooring bollards. [9]
The name of the quay and the original name of the estate was 'Laghall,' [10] [11] which may derive from the Scots word 'Lag' meaning a place where boats are pulled up. [12] The estate was named 'Mavis Grove' at the time of Colonel De Peyster [13] [14] and later reverted to 'Laghall' as it is known today (datum 2022).
Records of the site as a place where boats could lay up on the shingle and mud banks go back as far as 1694; in 1812 no quay is recorded, [6] however in 1825 the construction of a stone quay at Laghall was completed. [15] The remnants of older quays are apparent a short distance downstream. [15] Two granite moorings bollards are located on the quay itself and one on the shingle bank is made from an old iron cannon, set muzzle downwards into the ground. Local knowledge at Kingholm Quay indicates that these were made locally for use in the Crimean War and any flawed castings were utilised as mooring bollards. [16]
Pousance Island lay upstream of the quay. [6] The name 'Pousance,' a variation on 'Puissance' in Anglo-Norman, means 'Power, might or Authority' and also occurs as a surname or a first name. [17] The trading links with France may provide an explanation. The 'Pousance Island' is still shown on the map in 1845, [11] but no vestige remains today (datum 2022).
The poet Robert Burns lived in Dumfries from 1791 to 1796, working as an Excise Officer or Gauger and may have visited Laghall Quay on official business as well as in his leisure time, as he often visited the then Mavis Grove estate, where his friend Colonel Arent De Peyster (1736-1822) lived. [13] De Peyster became the major-commandant of the Dumfries Volunteers of which Burns was a member. [13] Burns's friend and physician Dr William Maxwell had been brought up at Kirconnell House, also on the west bank of the Nith, with its own private jetty. John McMurdo, another friend of Robert Burns, lived at Mavis Grove towards the end of his life. [13]
At nearby Kingholm Quay the commerce involved the import of tobacco from the North American colonies and the importing of cargoes of lime and coal. Dried fruits, wines, brandy and luxury textiles were imported from Spain and France. [2] The Spring Tide depth is shown as ten feet. [18] The stone quay itself had two sets of moorings bollards, however more were located along the shingle and mud bank upstream showing that boats could safely lie up there as well. [19] It is approached by a lane that branches off from the A710 road from Dumfries. It isn't clear whether Laghall was used by fishing boats at any stage.
Considerable restoration and improvement works have been carried out at nearby Kingholm recently (datum 2022), but not at Laghall. The Port of Dumfries Development Group have construction of a slipway at Kingholm. [20] The River Nith has recently been dredged recently. [20] It is not recorded when Laghall was last used for imports and exports of goods, however the mooring bollard made from an old cannon has had cement applied to strengthen it.
The River Nith is one of only 15 or so rivers in the UK that exhibit tidal surge or aegir, better known as a tidal Bore. The incoming tide is forced by the shape of the land to form a wave of water that travels against the current up this funnel-shaped river. The surging water can often be heard before it is seen. The shallow Nith flows into the wide, flat Solway estuary and when conditions are right, as with high spring tides and with favourable winds, the 'Bore' is created, scouring the river banks in its progress inland and potentially interfering with boats on the river and those that were moored at the time. [21]
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, 25 miles (40 km) from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the historic county of Dumfriesshire.
Dumfries and Galloway is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the north-east; the English ceremonial county of Cumbria, the Solway Firth, and the Irish Sea to the south, and the North Channel to the west. The administrative centre and largest settlement is the town of Dumfries. The second largest town is Stranraer, located 76 miles (122 km) to the west of Dumfries on the North Channel coast.
Kirkcudbrightshire, or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975, the area has formed part of Dumfries and Galloway for local government purposes. Kirkcudbrightshire continues to be used as a registration county for land registration. A lower-tier district called Stewartry covered the majority of the historic county from 1975 to 1996. The area of Stewartry district is still used as a lieutenancy area. Dumfries and Galloway Council also has a Stewartry area committee.
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county.
Nithsdale, also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrative importance to the shires created from the twelfth century, with Nithsdale forming part of Dumfriesshire. A Nithsdale district covering a similar area to the medieval province was created in 1975, based in the area's main town of Dumfries. The district was abolished in 1996, since when the area has been directly administered by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
The River Nith is a river in south-west Scotland. The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 4.4 miles (7.1 km) east of Dalmellington. For the majority of its 70 miles (110 km) course it flows in a south-easterly direction through Dumfries and Galloway and then into the Solway Firth at Airds Point.
Glencaple is a small settlement in the Dumfries and Galloway area of Scotland. Situated on the banks of the River Nith, it once served as a port for nearby Dumfries. Glencaple is a Gaelic name meaning 'horse valley' from the words gleann 'narrow valley' and capall 'horse, mare'.
Troqueer is a former village and a parish in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway on the west side of the River Nith. The eastern-side was merged with Dumfries to the east in 1929, and today eastern Troqueer is a suburb of Dumfries.
Cairn Water is a small river in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The river, formed by the confluence of the Castlefern, Craigdarroch and Dalquhat, flows for 11.5 miles (18.5 km) southeast to the Cluden.
Wigtown Harbour or Wigtown Quay was relocated in 1818 to serve the town of Wigtown and its hinterland in Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, following the silting up of the original natural harbour that was originally located near to St Machute's church. This relocation occurred following centuries of silting and then the alteration of the course of the River Bladnoch that runs into Wigtown Bay where it joins the River Cree.
Dalgarnock, Dalgarno, Dalgarnoc was an ancient parish and a once considerable sized village in the Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries that enclosed the parish of Closeburn but was annexed to Closeburn in 1606 following the Reformation, separated again in 1648 and finally re-united in 1697, as part of the process that established the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It was a burgh of regality bordering the River Nith and Cample Water and held a popular market-tryst or fair from medieval times until 1601 when the Earl of Queensberry had them transferred to Thornhill, commemorated in song by Robert Burns, shortly before its demise and now only a remote churchyard remains at a once busy site.
Enterkinfoot is a small village or hamlet which lies 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Thornhill on the A76 on the route to Sanquhar, in Dumfriesshire, Durisdeer Parish, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Its original nucleus was the old mill with associated buildings, the school and the famous Enterkin Pass and path that followed the course of the Enterkin Glen to Wanlockhead and from there to Edinburgh. The site features the A76 that runs through the centre of Enterkinfoot, the River Nith and the Enterkin Burn that once powered the mill before joining the Nith. The area is famous for its association with the Covenanters.
Barburgh Mill is a hamlet composed of an old lint mill, later extended as a woollen mill and associated buildings which lies north of Auldgirth on the A76 on the route to Closeburn, in Dumfriesshire, Closeburn Parish, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Its original nucleus was the old mill with associated buildings, the smithy, toll house and the miller's and workers dwellings. The site features the A76 that runs nearby, the River Nith and the Lake Burn that once powered the mill via a lade before joining the Nith. The area is famous for its association with the Covenanters. A Roman fortlet stood opposite the mill and a Roman road is thought to have run through Nithsdale at this point.
John McMurdo (1743–1803) was a friend of Robert Burns who became the chamberlain to the Duke of Queensberry at Drumlanrig Castle where the poet was a frequent visitor. His eldest daughter Jean (1777-1839) was also a close friend of Burns, who wrote the song "Bonie Jean" in her honour. As an old Nithsdale family the McMurdos were related to the Sharpes of Hoddam, the Charteris of Amisfield, the Fergussons of Craigdarroch, Dr James Currie and the Duncans of Torthorwald amongst others.
Lochar Water is a small river located in Dumfries and Galloway. It flows for about 10 miles or 16 km, mainly in a southerly direction, roughly parallel to the River Nith to the west and the River Annan to the east. It is formed by the confluence of Park Burn and Amisfield Burn, and skirts the eastern side of the town of Dumfries, and flows through an extensive low-lying area and former raised peat land known as Lochar Moss, before flowing into the Solway Firth. Bankend Bridge, part of the B725 road, crosses Lochar Water on the east side of Bankend village. The tidal limit is about 1 km below that. It shares its name with an electoral ward of the Dumfries and Galloway council
Holm House and the Crawick Glen were originally part of a small estate in the parishes of Kirkconnel and Sanquhar and lay less than a 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream from the small village of Crawick that itself stands close to the A76 near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland.
Kingholm Quay, commonly called the New Quay (NX975735) in the 19th century and its associated village and warehouses is located on the River Nith, once serving the town of Dumfries and its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway. The port of Dumfries lay upstream and downstream quays or harbours were located at Laghall, Kelton, Glencaple, Carsethorn and Kirkconnell Jetty. It is not clear whether Kingholm was home to a fishing fleet of any sort. Mavisgrove Merse lay opposite.
Glencaple Quay (NX994687) is located on the River Nith, it mainly served the town of Dumfries and to some degree the Glencaple area as well as its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway. The quays at Dumfries, Kingholm Quay Laghall, Kelton and Castledykes lay upstream and downstream jettys were located at Kirkconnell and Carsethorn. It lies opposite Kirkconnell Merse.
Kelton Harbour and Village (NX988708) are located on the East side of the River Nith opposite the Kirkconnell Merse, about 3.5 miles (5.6Km) from Dumfries and 1.5 miles (2.4Km) north of Glencaple Quay. The old harbour served the immediate area as well as its hinterland in Dumfries and Galloway. The quays at Dumfries, Kingholm Quay Laghall and Castledykes lay upstream and downstream jettys or quays were located at Glencaple Quay, Kirkconnell and Carsethorn.