Brydekirk

Brydekirk
Dumfriesshire
Location
Grid reference:	NY185705
Location:	55°1’20"N, 3°16’35"W
Data
Postcode:	DG12
Local Government
Council:	Dumfries and Galloway

Brydekirk is a village in Dumfriesshire, in Annandale, at a bridge over the River Annan. It is to be found about two and a half miles north of the town of Annan.

History

The village of today was created as a planned, estate village, built by the Dirom family of Mount Annan, and building started about 1822.

The original village was called Bridechapel and was north-west of what is now the main farm, Brydekirk Mains. In 1507, over 500 years ago, it was known as Bridechapel, in 1517 Brydekyrk and in 1660 Brydekirk. It had its own water at St Brydes Well and the spring is still there 500 years later.

Signs of the old village are still visible by the overgrown pond at Brydekirk Mains. It had an ancient chapel known as Brydechaple, dedicated to St Bryde, or St Briget, which chapel had a rough stone wall surrounding it. An excavation in 1983 found coins dating back to 1496 (which are now in the Dumfries Museum).

Brydekirk Mains has been in the Bell family for over 200 years. It has a tower house 50 feet tall.

The village of today was founded in the early nineteenth century by Lieutenant General Alexander Dirom. Dirom was originally from Banff and married Magdalene Paisley the heiress of Mount Annan Estate. Birom determined to build an industrial village by the River Annan to increase the value of his land. He drove new roads to the site and a new bridge of three arches, and a new road from Mount Annan, his home, to Brydekirk one mile with a gate and a porter’s lodge at each end. His plans included a watermill to power industry, for a woollen mill and a bleach field to bleach the cloth. He opened a sandstone quarry at Corsehill and a lime quarry at Brownmoor. In 1791 over 200 years ago he tried to bore for coal but was unsuccessful.

The houses of the new village were to be built by the people themselves and then a set rent paid, all the houses built to his plan with a slated roof and built of limestone from quarries at Brownmoor.

A thriving village grew up, but Dirom never completed his elaborate plan, as his watermill was superseded by steam techniques. Dirom died in October 1830 at Mount Annan aged 74.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Brydekirk)

References

• 'Our Village Brydekirk' - Produced by the children of Brydekirk School in 2014