Everything about Dumfries totally explained
Dumfries, meaning either
fort or
ridge of the thicket, is a former
royal burgh and town within the
Dumfries and Galloway council area of
Scotland. It has a population of around 37,846 and sits close to the
Solway Firth near the mouth of the
River Nith. Dumfries was the
county town of the former county of
Dumfriesshire. It's nickname is
Queen of the South.
History
In 1186, Dumfries was officially given the rights of a royal burgh. Throughout the first 50 years of its foundation the town was at the forefront of the Scottish Borders until the consolidation of Galloway in 1234. A royal castle, which no longer exists, was built in the 13th century on the site of the present Castledykes Park, and before becoming King of Scots,
Robert the Bruce slew the
Red Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in the town in 1306. His uncertainty about the fatality of his stabbing caused one of his followers,
Roger de Kirkpatrick, to utter the famous, "I mak siccar" ("I make sure") and finish the Comyn off.
Governance
Dumfries hosts the headquarters of Dumfries and Galloway Council. The name Dumfries and Galloway is given to one of Scotland's 32
council areas comprising the former (1975-96) districts of
Nithsdale,
Annandale and Eskdale, the
Stewartry of Kirkcudbrightshire, the
Machars and
Wigtownshire. Dumfries also lends its name to the
Lieutenancy Area of Dumfries, which is similar in boundaries to the former Dumfriesshire county.
Dumfries is centre to Scotland’s smallest police force
(External Link
). Despite its size it's credited in its participation of one the largest criminal investigations in modern history when neighbouring town,
Lockerbie, was devastated by the events that took place onboard
Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21st, 1988.
Geography
Southern Uplands.
Although serving a relatively small population, Dumfries is divided into several key districts.
Dumfries High Street hosts many of the historical, social and commercial centres of the town. During the 1990s, these areas enjoyed various aesthetic recognitions from organisations including
Britain in Bloom.
Towards the end of 2005, the Bell Tower of the town's illustrious Midsteeple was dismantled conceding to safety concerns of its structural integrity. This event caused much controversy within the town on the council’s capability to maintain key features. The landmark is now in the final stages of renovation, the costs of which are estimated to be around £1.6m.
(External Link)
Dumfries has several suburbs including
Summerhill, Troqueer, Georgetown, Larchfield, Calside, Lochside, Lincluden, Sandside, Heathhall, Locharbriggs, Noblehill and Marchmount.
Maxwelltown to the west of the river Nith, was formerly a Burgh in its own right within
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (also known as Kirkcudbrightshire) until its incorporation into Dumfries in 1928; Troqueer, a settlement situated to the south west of Dumfries was part of the Burgh of Maxwelltown. Summerhill, Lochside, Lincluden, Sandside are among other suburbs located on the Maxwelltown side of the river.
Palmerston Park, home to the town's senior football team
Queen of the South F.C., is located on Terregles Street, also on the Maxwelltown side of the river.
Economy
Growth
Dumfries has a long history as the county town of a rural backwater. The rich agricultural land between the hills and the sea has for many hundreds of years been carved up into huge estates controlled by hereditary ruling class interests. Since the arrival of the railways a strong middle class has grown in the town and county. The abandonment of the traditional rural economy over the past one hundred years has pulled the very disadvantaged poor from communities scattered across the countryside into local authority and other social housing schemes, and low grade commercial housing, generally in the towns. The displacement of the whole spectrum of the local rural population by the purchasing power of incomers is moving ever faster at the start of the 21st century. The overall effect of this process is to decrease the sustainability of Dumfries as an economic area, and to increase its subsidiary relationship to the north of England and the Scottish central belt.
Decline
In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the strength and vitality of local economy. This decline is closely related to a vast change in regional demographics with a noticeable number of inhabitants, many of a young age, emigrating to other parts of the
United Kingdom to seek professional employment
(External Link) and further education.
Regeneration
In a bid to stimulate a development in Dumfries, both economically and in a social context, several strategies have been proposed by the controlling authorities.
(External Link)
In January 2006, Dumfries & Galloway Council announced plans to build a £16 Million leisure facility, named DG1, situated at Hoods Loaning near the town centre, which is expected to open in March 2008.
(External Link)
Transport
Dumfries is linked to the
A74(M) motorway via the
A75 road.
Dumfries railway station lies on the
Glasgow South Western Line, the train service is operated by private company FirstScotrail which provides somewhat irregular services to Glasgow and Carlisle, and even less frequent services connect Dumfries with
Stranraer.
Education
Dumfries has several primary schools, approximately one per key district, and four main secondary schools. All of these institutions are governed by
Dumfries and Galloway council. The secondary schools are:
Dumfries Academy was a
grammar school until adopting instead a comprehensive format in the Summer of 1983.
In 1999 Scotland's first multi-institutional university campus was established in Dumfries. Located within the 85-acre
Crichton estate, it's host to the
University of Glasgow, the
University of the West of Scotland (UWS)(formerly known as University of Paisley & Bell College), and
Dumfries & Galloway College. Still in its infancy, the campus offers a limited number of degree courses in Liberal Arts, Business Studies, Environmental Sustainability, Computing, Social Work and Nursing.
(External Link) On January 16th 2007, the University of Glasgow announced that it was 'scaling' down its activities at the campus due to money problems, although there's a campaign to retain provision
(External Link).
Sport
Dumfries'
Palmerston Park on
Terregles Street is the home ground of
Scottish First Division team
Queen of the South. This is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith. They reached the
Scottish FA Cup final in May 2008.
The town is also home to
Solway Sharks ice hockey team who play at the Dumfries Ice Bowl.
Dumfries is also home to a number of high quality golf courses. Among these are:
The Pines Golf Centre
The Dumfries and County Golf Club
The Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club
The Crichton Golf Club
Of those is listed only the The Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith. This course is also bisected into 2 halves of 9 holes each by the town's Castle Douglas Road. The club house and holes 1 to 7 and 17 and 18 are on the side nearest to Summerhill. Holes 8 to 16 are on the side nearest to Janefield.
Local journalism
The two local newspapers that specifically cover Dumfries and the surrounding are:-
Dumfries and Galloway Standard (established 1843) publishing on Wednesdays and Fridays
Dumfries Courier publishing on Fridays
Culture
Doonhamers
People from Dumfries are nicknamed Doonhamers. This is because when in towns in Scotland further North (for example most places due to the position of Dumfries on the southern edge of Scotland) they'd refer to Dumfries as 'Doon hame'. 'Doon hame' being Scots for 'Down home'.
The Doonhamers is also the nickname of Queen of the South representing Dumfries and the surrounding area in the Scottish Football League.
A Lore Burne
The crest of Dumfries contains the words, "A Lore Burne". In the history of Dumfries close to the town was the marsh through which ran the Loreburn whose name became the rallying cry of the town in times of attack - A Lore Burne (meaning 'to the muddy stream').
Queen of the South - origins of the name
Dumfries got its nickname 'Queen of the South' from David Dunbar, a local poet, who in 1857 stood for the General Election. In one of his addresses he called Dumfries "Queen of the South" and this became synonymous with the town.
Festivals
There are a number of festivals which take place throughout the year, mostly based on traditional values.
Guid Neighbours
Guid Neighbours (Guid Nychburris in Middle Scots) is the main festival of the year, a ceremony which is largely based on the theme of a positive community spirit.
Scottish communities granted Royal Burgh status by the monarch guarded the honour jealously and with vigour. And Riding the Marches maintains the tradition of an occasion that was, in it's day, of great importance.
Dumfries has been a Royal Burgh since 1186 its charter being granted by King Robert III a move that insured the loyalty of its citizens to the Monarch.
Although far from the centre of power in Scotland, Dumfries had obvious strategic significance sitting as it does on the edge of Galloway and being the centre of control for the south west of Scotland.
With the River Nith on two sides and the Lochar Moss on another, Dumfries was a town with good natural defenses. Consequently it was never completely walled. But, a careful eye still had to be kept on the clearly defined boundaries of the burgh, a task that had to be taken each year by the Provost, Baillies, Burgesses and others within the town.
Neighbouring landowners might easily try to encroach on the town boundaries, or the Marches as they were known, Moving them back 100 yards or so to their own benefit. It had to be made clear to anyone thinking of or trying to encroach that they dare not do so.
Nowadays, of course, all matters relating to land and its ownership are clearly registered, But it was clearly different in days gone by. In return for the Royal statusof the town and the favour of the King, the Provost and his council, along with other worthies of the town had to be diligent in ensuring the boundaries were strictly observed.
Although steeped in history, Scotland's burghs remained the foundation of the country's system of local government for centuries. Burgh status conferred on its citizens the right to elect their own town councils, run their own affairs and raise their own local taxes or rates.
In 1974 the burghs became part of larger districts and regions. Those boundaries, so jealously and vigorousl garded over so many years, lost the significance they were granted by Royal statute. Ancient titles Ancient titles like Provost and Bailie were discarded or retained only for ceremonial purposes. Robes and chains often found their way into museums as a reminder of the past.
Dumfries remains a centre of local government for a much bigger area than just the town itself. But its people, the Doonhamers still retain a pride in their town and distinctive identity. This is never more so than during the week long Guid Nychburris Festival and its highlight the Riding of the Marches which takes place on the third Saturday in June each year.
The ceremony on Guid Nychburris Day, follows a route and sequence of events laid down in the mists of time. Formal proceedings start at 7.30am with the gathering of up to 250 horses waiting for the courier to arrive and announce that the Pursuivant is on his way, and at 8.00am leave the Midsteeple and ride out to meet the Pursuivant. They then proceed to Ride the Marches and Stob and Nog (mark the boundary with posts and flags) before returning to the Midsteeple at 12.15pm to meet the Provost and then the Charter is proclaimed to the towns people of Dumfries. This is then followed by the crowning of the Queen of the South.
More information can be found at www.guidnychburris.co.uk
Notable people
Dumfries was the hometown of Robert Burns from 1791 until his death in 1796. The poet is now buried in St. Michael’s Churchyard in the Burns Mausoleum. Burns was born in Ayrshire and spent many years there before moving to Dumfriesshire.
A number of well-known people were educated at Dumfries Academy, among them Henry Duncan, founder of the world's first commercial savings bank, James Matthew Barrie, author of Peter Pan, John Laurie, actor (Private Fraser in Dad's Army), singer John Hanson, artist Robin Philipson and Jane Haining, missionary. Sir Frank Williams of F1 motor racing fame was educated at St Joseph's College, Dumfries.
Dumfries is also the hometown of former F1 racer Allan McNish. Scotland international rugby union player Nick De Luca was born in Dumfries as was professional golfer Andrew Coltart.
BBC Broadcaster Kirsty Wark was born in the town as was fellow broadcaster Stephen Jardine. Neil Oliver (archaeologist, historian, author and broadcaster), grew up in Ayr and Dumfries.
Ray Wilson, lead singer of Stiltskin and later Genesis was born in Dumfries. Record producer Calvin Harris also hails from Dumfries. While Bill Drummond is from Newton Stewart he's one of the Queen of the South fans included here.
John McFarlane, CEO of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) originates from the town. The architect George Corson who worked mainly in Leeds, England, was born in Dumfries and articled to Walter Newall in the town.
John Richardson, naturalist, explorer and naval surgeon was born in Dumfries as was Malcolm H. Wright, father of Sophie B. Wright – New Orleans' educator and pioneer for women and children's rights.
The best known footballers of their eras to come from Dumfries are probably Dave Halliday, Bobby Ancell, Billy Houliston and Willie McNaught. Halliday and Houliston were both Queen of the South players during their careers. Dominic Matteo was born in Dumfries but moved to England while still a young boy. Barry Nicholson lost 4 - 3 to Queens playing for Aberdeen in the 2008 Scottish Cup semi finals despite scoring. Ancell, Houliston, McNaught and Nicholson have represented Scotland. Matteo gained 6 full caps for Scotland after having represented England at under-21 level. Halliday was consistently overlooked by Scotland in favour of Hughie Gallacher who played for Queens but wasn't from Dumfries.
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