Duncow

The ruined windmill above the village.

Duncow is a small settlement in the civil parish of Kirkmahoe, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Located in the geographical centre of the parish,[1] Duncow was a village in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries[2] and was formerly its most populous settlement. At the time the First Statistical Account of Scotland was written the village had between 150 and 200 residents.[1] By the time of the Third Statisitical Account there were only five houses in the village.[1] It has had a school since at least the time of the New Statistical Account. The current school was opened in 1878 and has a roll of 24.[3] The village post office closed in 1952.[1]

The name Duncow, recorded as Duncol in 1250,[4] is of Celtic origin, representing either Cumbric dīn + coll[5] or Gaelic dùn-choll,[5] both meaning 'fort of hazels'.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Duncan, Walter (1962). "Chapter 12: The Parish of Kirkmahoe". In Houston, George. The County of Dumfries. The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Glasgow: Collins. p. 142.
  2. ↑ Gifford, John (2002) [1996]. Dumfries and Galloway. Pevsner Architectural Guides: The Buildings of Scotland. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780300096712.
  3. ↑ "Duncow Primary School". Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  4. ↑ Johnson-Ferguson, Edward (1935). The Place-Names of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries: Courier Press. p. 73.
  5. 1 2 James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence (PDF). Volume 2: Guide to the Elements. p. 108,144. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-11.
  6. ↑ Watson, William J. (1925). "The Celts (British and Gael) in Dumfriesshire and Galloway" (PDF). Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Third Series XI: 143. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-31.

Coordinates: 55°08′N 3°37′W / 55.133°N 3.617°W / 55.133; -3.617

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