164 TRANSACTIONS. 
buildings of St. Ninian’s day. It was founded in the twelfth 
century —in the reign of David L, the “sair sanct for the Crown” 
—by Fergus, Lord of Galloway, the reputed founder also of 
Dundrennan Abbey, and father of the founder of Lineluden Abbey. 
Almost the only fragment of it still standing above ground is a 
portion of the nave and of the lower walls of the steeple and porch 
at the west end ; but recent excavations have opened up a double 
row of crypts beneath the chancel and transepts, and have revealed 
the foundations of other walls and a piece of causeway near to the 
modern Parish Church, about two feet below the present level of 
the ground. The church and monastic buildings must have 
occupied the whole of the present churchyard, the modern inter- 
ments being made among their foundations, and to some extent in 
the debris which has accumulated around the old walls. This has 
made the work of excavation one of difficulty and delicacy, and has 
very properly prevented it from being pursued to the full extent 
which in other circumstances would have been desirable. The 
Priory enclosure had extended to the main street of the burgh, 
from which a long lane now leads to the churchyard gate. At the 
street end of that lane there remains in position an old arch or 
“pend ” with a lion rampant and unicorn supporters sculptured in 
bold relief over the key-stone. This may either be the royal arms 
or the arms of the province of Galloway. The excavations have 
been conducted at the cost of the Marquis of Bute, with consent of 
the heritors of the parish, and under the direction of Mr Galloway. 
The general result is to show that the church had been in shape 
like a Latin cross, with north and south transepts, and that the 
monastic buildings had been to the north side, a position naturally 
determined by the position of the Kett, a stream which flows at 
the foot of a gentle declivity to the north, and would supply water 
for domestic purposes and also for the mill, which it is understood 
was attached to the Priory. The present church stands on the 
site of part of these structures. The date of its erection was 1822. 
Before that time the remnant of the Priory had been used for 
public worship. The modern edifice is apparently a commodious 
one ; but its design is by no means artistic—a tower dressed with 
red stone projecting like an excrescence from a plain square 
building, whitened with a rough casting of lime. It so offended 
the susceptibilities of John Ruskin when paying a visit to the 
district that he declared he would gladly give £10 to help to 
remove the tower. The most notable feature in the Priory ruins 
