ST JOHN’S TOWN OF DALRY:

Dalry is built on the side of a hill, overlooking the river Ken. 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 that  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, a grocer’s shop, 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 is from 1546 and was the burial place of the Gordons of Lochinvar whose coffins were set upright.