Ecclefechan
Ecclefechan
| |
---|---|
Location within Dumfries and Galloway | |
Population | 880 (mid-2020 est.)[1] |
OS grid reference | NY193748 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LOCKERBIE |
Postcode district | DG11 |
Dialling code | 01576 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Ecclefechan (Scottish Gaelic: Eaglais Fheichein) is a small village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland.
The village is famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle.
Ecclefechan lies in the valley of the Mein Water, a tributary of the
The High Street of the village has a burn which runs through a culvert below it. This culvert was constructed in 1875 by Dr George Arnott at his own expense.
Etymology
The name Ecclefechan was recorded as Egilfeichane in 1507,[2] and is of Brittonic origin. The first element is eglẹ:s, meaning "a church" (c.f. Welsh eglwys).[2] The second element is the equivalent of Welsh fechan, meaning "little".[2] Comparable Welsh toponyms include Eglwysfach and Llanfechan.[2]
A lesser likelihood is that the name commemorates Féchín of Fore,[2] a 7th-century Irish saint.
Governance
Ecclefechan is in the
Ecclefechan is part of the
Before Brexit for the European Parliament its residents voted to elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for the Scotland constituency.
For
Places of interest
Ecclefechan lies at the foot of a large
Hoddom Castle is located two miles (three kilometres) from the village centre.
Not far from the village is the Robgill Tower, built by the Clan Irvine. In the 1880s, an adjoining home was built. The tower was one of a number of structures built along the border as protection against incursions by the English.[4]
Notable residents
- political philosopher and historian was born at The Arched House, in Ecclefechan. [5] Carlyle left Ecclefechan at the age of thirteen and walked the 84-mile (135-kilometre) journey to Edinburgh in order to attend university. In 1828 Carlyle moved to Craigenputtockwith his wife Jane. He never forgot his roots and insisted that Ecclefechan should become his final resting place. He was buried in Ecclefechan churchyard on 5 February 1881.
- St Helena, was born in Ecclefechan on 18 April 1772 at Kirconnel Hall. He returned to Ecclefechan in his retirement and he was also buried in the Ecclefechan churchyard.
- William Harkness (1837–1903), an astronomer, was born at Ecclefechan.
- Janet Little (1759-1813), a poet who published The Poetical Works of Janet Little, The Scotch Milkmaid in 1791 was born at Nether Bogside in Ecclefechan parish. She was a contemporary of Robert Burns.
- communistpolitician was born in Ecclefechan in 1869.
Culture
Robert Burns (1759–1796) composed a song entitled The Lass O' Ecclefechan.
Ecclefechan also has links to the Guinness family: the story of the Whistling Ploughboy of Ecclefechan under the title A Guinness With a Difference was written by Derick Bingham and published by TBF Thompson Ministries; it charts the ploughboy's influence under God on the Guinness family.
"Oor Wullie" of The Sunday Post fame once got a day off school for spelling "Ecclefechan" correctly, and the Jocks and the Geordies of The Dandy once reminisced the Great Battle of Ecclefechan.
Local produce
Local produce includes:-
- The Ecclefechan Tart, which gained national prominence in late 2007 when the supermarket Walkers is now nationally available throughout the United Kingdom.
- The Fechan, a blended Scotch whisky, whose label denotes the Arched House.
See also
- Charles Gavan Duffy, Conversations with Carlyle, 1892, p. 16.
- Hoddom Castle
- Siege of Burnswark
References
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781841583235.
- ^ Pringle, Heather (24 May 2017). "Ancient Slingshot Was as Deadly as a .44 Magnum". nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- ^ Border Regions
- ^ Stephen, Leslie (1887). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 09. pp. 111–127.
- PMID 1097047.
- ^ "Scottish tart proves festive hit". BBC News. 26 November 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Ecclefechan tart, for Burns Night". them apples. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2019.