A short history of Dalry

Dalry is built on the side of a hill, overlooking the River Ken. This photo is taken from the top of  Waterside.

It is the largest of the villages in the Glenkens with a population of about 400 people. The road running up through the village is the A 702 which leads to Moniaive and Thornhill; the A713, which is the main road, passes through the bottom of the village and it is 16 miles north of Castle Douglas and 10 miles south of Carsphairn. Dalry was the ancient capital of the Glenkens. The present village dates from the late 18th century when the Earl of Galloway owned the land and like many ‘improving’ landowners of his time built proper cottages (as opposed to the but ‘n ben type) for trades people and craftsmen. In Dalry weaving was the occupation of many at one time.


In 1629 permission was given to erect a royal burgh in the barony of Earlstoun, and it was intended the this should be Dalry, known at the time as the Old Clachan or Old Galloway, as it was the natural centre for the area, located on the main highway and had the river ford. However there were problems and New Galloway got it in the 1630. Dalry continued to hold a market although this was illegal because only burghs were allowed to do so to protect the prosperity of the merchants trading in them.

In the 1851 census over fifty different occupations are listed for people in Dalry parish. Innkeepers, grocers and other merchants, doctors, nurses, teachers, saddler, blacksmith, baker, butcher, tailor, milliner, seamstress, millers, toll keepers, saddler, castrator, hooper, sheriff and many more, as well as all the different estate and jobs that you would expect in a rural area such as this.

Today there is a primary and secondary school, 2 grocer’s shops, a post office, a library which is open twice a week, a garden centre, 2 hotels a village hall, a community centre, a bowling green, a part time police station, a garage and the church. There are also a number of small businesses in the village. At the foot of the village, by the river there is a 12th century mote, and at the top is a stone known as St John’s Seat.

The present church was built in 1831, replacing one from 1771, which no doubt replaced a much earlier one, (there is a record of a petition to the Pope for a church in 1427 which was in dire need of repair). Within the graveyard there is a tomb of two Covenanters, who were slaughtered during the ‘Killing Times’. Also within the graveyard is the Gordon Aisle which from 1546 was the burial place of the Gordons of Lochinvar whose coffins were set upright.


St John’s Seat or Chair is set in the pavement at the top of the village between the road that leads up the Southern Upland Way and the road up to Moniaive. One local legend said that St John had been chaplain to the Lord’s of Kenmuir and that the he actually used this seat. However, the St John’s part of the name of the village may been from an association with the Knights of St John. The Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem looked after the sick and provided free prescriptions to the poor. The Knights Templar who were committed to protecting pilgrim routes also owned land in the area and are said to have had a base in the village, and Dalry stood on the pilgrim route between Edinburgh and Whithorn. It is possible that the stone seat may have come from that time, however the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland believe it may be a stone font from the old church. There is some confusion about this as a stone font still exists in the churchyard, and another explanation is that it is just a water-worn stone from the river!

There is a story that Joseph Train when visiting the village heard the story of the seat and decided he would take it and present it Sir Walter Scott. He got it and put it on a cart, but was seen, and angry villagers came out and stopped him before he could escape with it.

The village is at the head of the valley of the Ken, with the river running past it at the foot of the hill. There is river and loch fishing close by and many walks in the nearby hills and along the Southern Upland Way which runs through the village.

In the past Dalry was closely associated with the Covenanters and the Pentland Rising in 1666 was a direct result of an attack, by troopers, on an old farmer who had not paid a fine. Recently a memorial to the Covenanters was erected in the car park below the school.

The famous Free Grammar School of Dalry was established in 1668 with a legacy of £2,500 left by a Mr Johnstone of London. There was some argument as to whether the Dalry specified was the one in the Stewartry or the one in Ayrshire, but this one won. Alexander McGowan is supposed to have had the distinction of serving as the first master of the school, but he was born 100 years later. He certainly become a much loved minister of the parish. He was known to be somewhat unconventional in his manner and dress. Over the 40 years of his ministry he cleared the glebe land (11 acres) of rocks by blasting, and succeeded in growing good crops with the help of manure and lime … he was from a farming background. He was minister in the parish at the time when the First Statistical Account of Scotland was being compiled and he made some interesting observations therein. He gives details of farming life and the introduction of lime and manure, including compost, to the land which resulted in much better crops and higher land values. He gives the population of Dalry parish at that time being about 1000. He also states that the village belonged to the Earl of Galloway. He remarks about the high cost of labour and comments that the servants here and some neighbouring parishes do much less work than some in Ayrshire or the Lothians. The cost of labour and merchandise had apparently risen sharply within the previous 10 - 20 years. Peat and especially coal were difficult to get and considered a great obstacle to the establishment of manufacturers in the area. The inhabitants of the parish were said, generally, to be peaceful, obliging and well disposed.