The Kirkcudbrightshire Coast. 137 



San.lyhills, I turned again to the right to visit the site of St. 

 Lawrence's Chapel. It is at Fairgirth farmhouse, about a mile 

 up the glen of that name. I had seen no literature on the sub- 

 ject and went to investigate. The farmer's wife kindly shewed 

 me a low garden wall, about three feet thick, saying " That was 

 never made for a garden wall !" She drew back some of the ivy 

 on the surface, and shewed me a dressed and moulded piece of 

 freestone, saying she thought it was the top of a headstone, and 

 that there were one or two more of those stones among the ivy. 

 I observed, however, that the stone was not shaped with the 

 symmetry usual in headstones. I learned also that when the 

 garden was being dug o\er fourteen }ears ago, a large dressed 

 stone had been found in the middle and left in its place, and 

 that when some alterations had been made on the farm offices on 

 the north side of the house human bones had been found. The 

 door of the farmhouse is framed in granite blocks with a single 

 circular moulding. The moulding of the lintel is complete ; but 

 on both the sides it is intermitted with a plain block at the top, 

 mserted to increase the height of the entrance. In the older 

 part of the house there is a granite newel stair of two storeys 

 leadmg to an attic with a built-up window deeply splayed within 

 and having a rounded top. It would be interesting to have an 

 expert architect's opinion on these remains, especially those in 

 the garden. Fairgirth is mentioned in an old Hst of the most 

 important houses in Galloway. When I learned that the Royal 

 Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scot- 

 land was making its present survey of Kirkcudbrightshire, I sent 

 what I had gathered to iMr Curie, the Secretary of the Commis- 

 sion, who replied that the facts were new to him, and would 

 receive attention. We may hope,. therefore, that some light mav 

 be thrown presently on these remains. 



Kippford, or the Scaur, is a village of seamen on the estuary 

 of the Urr. I induced one of them to take me over to Heston 

 island. On ascending to the higher part of the island, I was 

 much impressed by the magnificent panorama of the mainland, 

 a far-extended succe.-sion of broken, rocky hills, sharp peaks 

 and elevated plateaux. Screel and Bengairn were, of course 

 the most prominent features. Seen thus from the south, they 

 resemble closely their aspect from the north, but with an effect 

 of mcreased grandeur. " Rathan " is an old name of the isla-^d 



