Duncow
| Duncow | |
| Dumfriesshire | |
|---|---|
 The ruined Duncow Windmill | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NX967836 |
| Location: | 55°8’9"N, 3°37’23"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Dumfries |
| Postcode: | DG1 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Dumfries and Galloway |
Duncow is a hamlet in the parish of Kirkmahoe, in Dumfriesshire. It sits on the east side of the dale, off the lane north out of Dumfries towards the bridge at Auldgirth, along which are farms and hamlets and even a Roman fort, south of Duncow.
Name
The name Duncow in appearance is Old English but may instead be Celtic. It is recorded as Duncol in 1250,[1] suggesting an origin in the Cumbric British language, from dīn coll[2] meaning 'fort of hazels', or possibly the later Galloway Gaelic dùn choll,[2] of the same meaning.[3]
About the village
The village is to be found along a lane north of Dumfries, in Nithsdale at the edge of the broad floodplain of the River Nith. It is a place of farms. The Duncow Burn runs down from the hills to the dale, its course marked with planted woodlands, and at the lower part of its course sits Duncow, spreading down to the Dumfries road. Duncow House is to the south of the mainknot of cottages, and Duncow Mill on the burn to the north.
At the time the First Statistical Account of Scotland was written the village had between 150 and 200 residents. By the time of the Third Statisitical Account there were only five houses in the village. 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.[4] The village post office closed in 1952.
Duncow, notwithstanding its diminutive size, has in the Duncow Playing Field (Kirkmahoe) a King George V Playing Field providing a public recreational space, in memorial to King George V.[5]
Outside links
References
- ↑ Johnson-Ferguson, Edward (1935). The Place-Names of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries: Courier Press. pp. 73.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence. Volume 2: Guide to the Elements. p. 108,144. http://www.spns.org.uk/bliton/BLITON2014ii_elements.pdf.
- ↑ Watson, William J. (1925). "The Celts (British and Gael) in Dumfriesshire and Galloway". Transactions and Journal of Proceedings of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Third Series XI: 143. http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/transonline/SerIII-Vol11.pdf#page=147.
- ↑ "Duncow Primary School". http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4224. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
- ↑ Fields in Trust - Duncow Playing Field Kirkmahoe
- Watson, W. J. (1926). The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. pp. 183. http://www.spns.org.uk/watsdg.html.</ref>