Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway
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Borgue | |
---|---|
Approach to Borgue from the east on the B727 road | |
Location within Dumfries and Galloway | |
OS grid reference | NX629484 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | KIRKCUDBRIGHT |
Postcode district | DG6 4xx |
Dialling code | 01557 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Borgue (pronounced /ˈbɔrɡ/) is a village and parish in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies 5 miles south-west of Kirkcudbright and 6 miles south of Gatehouse of Fleet. The name Borgue (recorded as Borg in 1469) is from Old Norse borg 'stronghold'.[1][2]
According to folk tradition, Borgue was once the home of a boy who could consort with the fairies.[3]
Castle Haven dun
Within the parish, near Kirkandrews, and due west of the village of Borgue, is Castle Haven, an Iron Age hill fort of uncertain date which is deignated a scheduled ancient monument.[4][5]
Only about 10.5m x 18m in size, Castle Haven is of an unusual D-shape with an almost straight west wall running along the edge of a cliff. The fort is now overgrown and difficult to discern in the landscape, but a nearly concentric outer wall remains; the main entrance is in the arch segment to the north, while a smaller access at the south end leads down to the beach. Another peculiar characteristic of this fort is the almost totally hollow construction of the wall, which contains three galleries of different lengths within its thickness; six adits lead to the galleries. Steps lead to the top of the wall.
Artefacts found during restoration - two spiral bronze finger rings and a blue and white glass bead - indicate that its users were relatively prosperous. There were also fragments of an enamelled medieval brooch.
Notable people from Borgue
- The poet William Nicholson, the 'Bard of Galloway'
- Hugh Blair of Borgue, eccentric 18th century noble.
- George Cook, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1876, who was minister of Borgue
- John James Pringle (1855–1922), dermatologist
- Henry, Lord Dalziel (1868–1935), newspaper proprietor and MP
- Sir Robin Gray (1931-), Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1990 to 1993, who was born in Borgue
- Adam Gray, Local historian and author [2][permanent dead link]
- Randolph, Earl of Galloway (1928-), Scottish nobleman and the current earl of Galloway
List of listed buildings in Borgue
List of listed buildings in Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway
References
- ^ Nicolaisen, W. F. H. (2001). Scottish Place Names. Edinburgh: John Donald. p. 144.
- ^ Grant, Alison Elizabeth (2003). Scandinavian Place-Names in Northern Britain as Evidence for Language Contact and Interaction (PDF). University of Glasgow (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 260. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02.
- ^ "Fairy Boy of Borgue - Mysterious Britain & Ireland". Mysterious Britain & Ireland. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ^ "Castle Haven,dun,Castle Haven BaySM1116". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ [1]
- This article is partly based on a translation of de:Castle Haven (Borgue) on German Wikipedia
External links
- Photos of Borgue village
- Borgue Primary School website[permanent dead link]
- Borgue Parish Home Page
- Transcriptions and photographs of Gravestones in Borgue Parish