Kirkcudbrightshire
-
▪ former county, Scotland, United Kingdomalso called Kirkcudbright or East Gallowayhistoric county, southwestern Scotland. It lies entirely within Dumfries and Galloway council area. Kirkcudbrightshire forms the eastern portion of the historic province of Galloway. It encompasses the shores of the Solway Firth and Irish Sea between the Rivers Nith and Cree and extends inland across an undulating landscape of hills and valleys, rising in the northwest to the hill of Merrick, with an elevation of 2,765 feet (843 metres).After the departure of the Romans from Great Britain in the 5th century AD, the Celtic Britons of Kirkcudbrightshire faced invasions by Scots, Angles, Norwegians, and Danes. The Norsemen ruled the region for 300 years after they invaded it about AD 800. Unlike the rest of Scotland, Galloway retained its own code of laws until the late 14th century, a circumstance that vested great power in the region's feudal barons. In 1245 John de Balliol (Balliol, John de) became overlord of Kirkcudbrightshire through the inheritance of his wife, Devorgilla, daughter of Alan, lord of Galloway. The Balliols, who owned great estates in England and France, brought the best of Norman civilization to the county. Kirkcudbrightshire also became the home of two large Cistercian abbeys, one at Sweetheart (1273–1605) that was endowed by Devorgilla and one at Dundrennan (1142–1605), both of which are now impressive ruins. Kirkcudbrightshire was the site of bitter religious controversy during the Scottish Reformation in the mid-16th century. The royal burgh and former county town of Kirkcudbright, along the estuary of the River Dee, remains the principal town in the area, along with Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie.
* * *
Universalium. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Kirkcudbrightshire — County (until circa 1890) Country Scotland … Wikipedia
Kirkcudbrightshire — (spr. körkūbrĭ schĭr, auch East Galloway), Grafschaft im südlichen Schottland, wird im SO. von der Küste des Solway Firth, an der sich der isolierte Criffel (549 m) erhebt, im O. von Dumfriesshire, im NW. von Ayrshire, im W. von Wigtownshire… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Kirkcudbrightshire — Lage von Kirkcudbrightshire in Schottland Kirkcudbrightshire ist eine der traditionellen Grafschaften von Schottland, gelegen im Süden Schottlands an der Grenze zu England. Verwaltungssitz und namensgebender Ort war die Stadt Kirkcudbright. Die… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Kirkcudbrightshire — geographical name see Kirkcudbright … New Collegiate Dictionary
kirkcudbrightshire — kirk·cud·bright·shire … English syllables
Kirkcudbrightshire — /kɜˈkubriʃɪə/ (say ker koohbreeshear), / ʃə/ (say shuh) noun a former county of south western Scotland, now part of Dumfries and Galloway. Also, Kirkcudbright … Australian English dictionary
kirkcudbrightshire — … Useful english dictionary
List of Nature Conservation Review sites — The following is a list of sites listed in Derek Ratcliffe s 1979 book A Nature Conservation Review . The headings, subheadings, site codes and site names are the same as those used in the original work.Coastlandsoutheast Englandouth west… … Wikipedia
Earl of Galloway — is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1623 for Alexander Stewart, 1st Lord Garlies, with remainder to his heirs male bearing the name and arms of Stewart. He had already been created Lord Garlies in the Peerage of Scotland in… … Wikipedia
Counties of Scotland — The former County Buildings in Paisley, seat of Renfrewshire county council. The counties of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachdan na h Alba) were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland s current lieutenancy… … Wikipedia
