The Wild Scots of Galloway
The Wild Scots o’ Galloway. PDF Print E-mail
Written by Maggi Kaye   
Monday, 15 December 2008 12:15
The men of Galloway were long known for their bravery and fearlessness in battle. Lord Kames (1696–1782) wrote, “That in all the great battles the Scotch had with the English, the Gallwegians led the van, led the brave Caledonians to victory; they were a race of warriors, had no fear either of hunger or death, and were called the Wild Scots o’ Galloway.” It is said that they refused to join the fight unless they were at the front and they sometimes fought naked. However in early times they were not always on the winning side and they did on occasion behave pretty badly, including sacking religious houses and packing up and going home when they had had enough.

Someone many years ago published a rather disparaging piece on the Wild Scots o’ Galloway, and someone else, obviously upset by the slight on the Gallovidian character, wrote a poem in reply, a couple of verses of which are:

Wha’s this, scowling shaws his tusks,
At our famous auld forefathers?
We doubt he is a foolish gow,
And fond o’ talking bethers.
For wha but a gomerall
Wad grasp a rung, and whap and blaw
At our worthy frien’s o’ auld lang syne,
The Wild Scots o’ Gallowa?

For tho’ their pantries were na pang’d
Nor their kytes weel lin’d wi’ belly timmer,
What de’il cared they ‘bout Fortune’s gifts,
They dammed the hizzy for a limmer?
Tame were the ither Scots to them,
The Southron loons they lo’ed to claw,
Sae patriots ever will revere
The Wild Scots o’ Gallowa.

Galloway, made up of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire, is bounded by Ayrshire in the north, Dumfriesshire in the east, the Solway Firth in the south and the Irish Sea in the west. Carrick was also part of Galloway until 1186, and some sources say that at one time part of Nithsdale were also considered part of Galloway. The people of Galloway appear to be descended from a wide range of invaders and settlers, Irish, Britons, Anglian, Northumbrians, Norman, Norse and people from elsewhere in Scotland. In Bede’s time they were referred to as Picts, but there is some debate as to the accuracy of this due to translation problems and the fact that most writers were quoting other sources, now lost. The Romans said that the tribes in the area were the Novantes and Selgovæ and previously the Brigantes were said to hold the region. The antecedents of the original peoples of the area are unknown. Place names vary from Gaelic, Welsh and Norse, to Old, Middle and Modern English and some have been so altered over time that it is difficult now to trace their origins. Galloway was considered to be a good place to settle, with rich alluvial plains, excellent pasture land, abundant forests, and precious metals found in the hills. The sea and rivers were full of fish, and the coasts gave easy access for trading.

At different times Galloway owed allegiance to the English Crown, the Scottish Crown and occasionally themselves, usually when they had fallen out with everyone else. They were probably more or less independent between the 9th and the beginning of the 12th centuries. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Lords of Galloway were, for much of the time very powerful. Sometimes they held high office for the Crown of Scotland, sometimes giving fealty to the English Crown, usually when they were out of favour in Scotland. Subsequently there were a number of powerful leaders in Galloway who tended to do their own thing right up to the 16th century, e.g. the Balliols, the Douglases and the Gordons, and as in previous times loyalties varied depending on the politics of the time.

Due to its isolated geographical position, Galloway tended to come late to reforms and modernising ideas, and was often considered backward, uncivilised and even lawless at times, by more sophisticated visitors. Even in the 18th century Heron comments on the ‘mean and incommodious’ farmhouses, with thatch of broom or ferns, and some with no chimney. Cottages were described as ‘auld clay biggings’ with earthen floors and a fire in the middle with a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. This isolation probably added to the feeling of independence, as few people ventured into the area except to raid. Having said that, even in early times, Galloway people traded widely, not only locally but also to the east coast, England, France and the Mediterranean. Although the roads were almost nonexistent, there were many excellent harbours along the coast. In later times, cattle from this area were walked on drove roads as far as Norfolk and London. Galloway ponies, now extinct, were sold widely, said to be strong, hardy, gentle, well broken and not apt to tire. They were very popular in England and even in Europe. The harbours and sheltered coves were also much used by smugglers, usually evading the excise men.
Last Updated on Monday, 15 December 2008 12:38