K 1 R 
mountains which feparnte the northern part of the county 
from Ayrfhire, forming, for f’everal miles of its courfe, the 
boundary of the ftewartry. It feryes as a continuation of 
the navigation of Wigton-bay,. and produces iifh of va¬ 
rious kinds, particularly falmon, in great plenty. 
Few counties can boaft of a greater number of lakes or 
lochs than Kirkcudbright. With the exception, how¬ 
ever, of Loch-ken, or Kenmuir-loch, already mentioned 
as formed by the waters of the Ken and Dee, which is ten 
miles in length, they are, generally fpeaking, of fmall ex¬ 
tent. The parifh of New Abbey, in the eaftern diftrict 
of the ftewartry, contains three lakes, Lochkendan, Loch- 
end, and Craigend, the two laft of which are nearly a mile 
long, and more than one half of a mile broad. Lochrut- 
ton, which gives name to a pari Hi, is of fimilar dimen- 
fions. In the centre of it is an artificial illand, nearly of 
a circular form, and fomewhat more than half a rood in 
circumference. It is compofed, on the furface, of a vaft 
collection of large ftones. In Bahnaclellan parifli there 
are five lakes. One of thefe, though very linall, is fa¬ 
mous for a particular Ipecies of trout, many of which 
weigh ten Englilh pounds each. Carlingvvark-loch, in 
the parifli of Keiton, formerly covered 116 acres; but, fince 
the canal joined it to the Dee, it has been reduced to lei's 
than 80. This loch contains an inexhauftible fund of 
the very belt flieil-marl. Before its extent was contract¬ 
ed, there were two iiles in it, upon which the country- 
people fay two churches or chapels formerly ftood. In¬ 
deed, the tradition in the neighbourhood is, that there had 
been a town in the loch, which was drowned orfwallowed 
up. The difcovery of an iron-forge, on the fouth ifle, 
l'oine years ago, feems to give fome probability to this idea. 
It was furrounded by the remains of a ftone building or 
rampart, and communicated with the oppofite fide of the 
lake by a caufeway or road of ftones, fecured by piles of 
oak-wood, and having an opening in it, fuppol'ed to have 
been for a drawbridge. Several canoes, hollowed by fire, 
after the manner of the American lavages, and a large 
iron mallet, have alfo been found in this loch. Befides 
thole already noticed, there are a number of fmaller lakes 
in different parts of the county. None of them, however, 
deferve to be particularized except Loch Kohn, or Koan, 
which is fituated in the parifli of Croflinichael. . It ex¬ 
tends over forty acres of ground, and is from io to zz fa¬ 
thoms deep. No rivulets or ftreams flow into it, nor in¬ 
deed has it ‘any vifible fonrce of funply excepting the 
clouds. It never freezes but during the rnoft intenfe froft. 
The remains of antiquity in this county are ftill very 
numerous, and many of them in no fmall degree intereft- 
ing. The Abbey of Sweetheart, or New Abbey, in a pa- 
rith of that name, is a beautiful lofty building in the light 
pointed ftyle. It was founded in the 13th century by 
Devongilla, the mother of John Baliol, king of Scotland. 
This firuCture Hands in a fine level field about twenty 
acres in extent, which is enclofed by a ftone wall ten feet 
high, built of granite ftones, fome of which are of im¬ 
mense fize. 
Hiils-caftie, fituated near Lochrutton, and about three 
miles from Dumfries, was one of the many fortified places 
which belonged to the Douglas family as lords of Gal¬ 
loway. Edward I. lodged here, on his way to Kirk¬ 
cudbright, in the year 1300. A tower and a few fmall 
buildings, which furround a fquare court, are all that re¬ 
main of this edifice.—Buittle-caftle, the favourite refi- 
dence of king John Baliol, is ftill to be feen in the parifh 
whence it derives its name. The hand of time, however, 
has nearly levelled it with the ground. An old coin was 
difcovered here fome years ago, bearing the date xzzo. 
This neighbourhood is remarkable for a number of vitri¬ 
fied forts, the nature and, formation of which antiquaries 
have found it difficult to determine; and refpeCting 
which various opinions are entertained. One of thefe 
forts appears alfo on the top of a fmall hill in the parilh 
et Anvvorth, The fummit forms an area of thirty paces 
long and twenty broad, and is nearly furrounded by an 
K I It 763 
irregular ridge of loofe ftones, intermixed with large por¬ 
tions of vitrified matter. Thefe ftones are of the com¬ 
mon blue fchiftus kind.; and, from the manner in which 
they lie lcattered about, it would feem that the fort has 
either been deficient in regularity of firuCture originally, 
or has been intentionally demolilhed. Some coins of Ed¬ 
ward VI. and queen Elizabeth were lately found near this 
fpot.—Thrieff-caftle, which is fituated in an iiland formed 
by the river Dee, is famous for having been the chief re- 
fidence of the Douglafi'es. A great fquare tower is all 
tlpt remains of the once proud and lofty manfion of thefe 
celebrated warriors. 
Lincludden College was founded in the reign of Mal¬ 
colm IV. It u’as originally a benedictine nunnery, but 
afterwards converted into a monaftery, in the chancel of 
which is an elegant monument, ereCted in honour of Mar¬ 
garet, daughter of Robert III. and wife to one of the earls 
of Douglas. The college is fituated upon a fmall ftream 
called Cluden, about two miles from its junction with the 
river Nith, and prefents in its ruins many marks of its 
former magnificence and grandeur.—Dundrennan Abbey, 
which Hands in the parifh of Kerrich, about a mile and a 
half from the Solway frith, is alfo a fine ruin. It was- 
founded in the year 114Z, and has acquired celebrity as 
the afylum of Mary queen of Scots after the battle of 
Langfide.—Befides thefe, the ftewartry contains feveral 
other curious remains of antiquities. The molt remark¬ 
able are the rocking-Jlone, in the parifli of Kells, which is 
fo nicely balanced, that it can be moved by the flighteft 
preffure; the monaftery of Tongland ; the Dun of Bare- 
land ; the Moat of Urr, probably the largeft work of the 
kind in Scotland ; and the caftle of Kenmuir, fituated near 
the lake of that name.—To thefe may be added the tomb 
of king Galdus, called Cairnkoly, faid to have been ereCted 
to commemorate the fall of that prince in a battle be¬ 
tween the Scots and PiCts about the year 8z; or, accord¬ 
ing to another tradition, in memory of bifhop Whitehorn 
and other gentlemen, who were killed in an aCtion with 
the Englilh about the year 1150. Which of thefe ac¬ 
counts is the correct one it is perhaps impofiible to deter¬ 
mine. This, however, is certain, that this ftewartry was 
the fcene of many fanguinary contefts, particularly during 
the invafions of the Romans, and during the contentions 
of Bruce and Baliol. 
A very interefting and well-written account of this dif- 
triCt was publifhed in 1810, entitled “ General View of 
the Agriculture of Galloway; comprehending two coun¬ 
ties, viz. the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, and Wigton- 
fhire,” by the Rev. Samuel Smith, minifter of Borgue. 1 
KIRK'HAM, a fmall town in Lancafhire, twelve miles 
from Garltang, twenty-two from Lancafter, nine from 
Poulton, nine from Prefton, and zi+ from Lyndon. The 
manufactures of this town are for fail-cloth. Here is a 
free-fchool, founded by Mr. Henry Coulborne, formerly 
of the Drapers’ Company, London; about one hundred 
boys are educated ; afterwards there was a fecond endow¬ 
ment, by Mr. Barker, for bringing up boys for the college, 
or apprenticing them out; and for a dinner annually on 
Whit-Monday for the principal inhabitants : this fchool 
has three matters, one of whom is obliged to preach a lec¬ 
ture once a-month in the mother-church, or fome chapel 
in the parifh. There is alfo a charity-fchool for clothing 
and educating forty girls, founded by Mr. John Langton, 
of this town. By the late inland navigation, it has a com¬ 
munication with thq rivers Merfeyf Dee, Ribble, Cufe, 
Trent, Darwent, Severn, Humber, Thames, Avon, See. 
which navigation, including its windings, extends above 
500 miles, in the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, York, 
Weftmoreland, Chefter, Warwick, Leicefter, Oxford, Wor- 
cefter, See. 
Two miles and a half from Kirkham, and the nearefl 
way to Tarleton, is Bunker’s-hill, where there is a guide 
to condudt travellers acrofs the lands and river Ribble. 
The diftance from Bunker’s-hill is about three miles. 
The guide carries the paflengers in a fingle-horfe cart. 
