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DRUMMORE
Drummore
is the largest and most southerly of all the Rhins villages,
as well as having the distinction of being Scotland’s most
southerly village.
The village
is fortunate to have a small supermarket – “Drummore Stores”,
a general/ironmongers store – “Harbour Stores”, the “Ship
Inn” and the “Queens Hotel”. There is also a Post Office,
and you can get fuel and repairs done at “Ward’s Garage”.
Drummore has a Primary School, and you will find local information
available at Kirkmaiden
Information Centre in the main street.
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“Clashwhannan
Caravan Park” – and Pub, greets you as you enter the
village and you will find a caravan site at Maryport
when you leave, towards the south.
Drummore
has a harbour, the pier of which was built at the beginning
of the last century by A. McDowall, corn merchant and
tenant of High Curghie. It is now used by the M.O.D.
in connection with the West Freugh, and local skippers
for sea angling.
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The name
Drummore comes from the Gaelic Druim-mor, “the big
ridge”, although in reality the highest point is only between
250 and 300 feet. A castle once stood where the farm of Low
Drummore now stands, the home of the Adairs of Kinhilt, the
lands having been granted to them in 1602 by King James VI.
High Drummore was the place where the Adairs meted out justice
at the ancient court hill or Mote, and a gold torc was found
there, which is now in the National Museum in Edinburgh.
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overlooking Low Curghie is the Kirk Covenant which was
built in 1638. On display is the old bell, which was made
in 1534 for Nicholas Ramsay, Laird of Dalhousie by one
John Morrison. It previously hung in Kenmure Castle, the
home of the Gordons, and, somehow, made its way to the
Gordons of Clanyard, where it was used as a dinner bell,
later presenting it to the church. In the graveyard are
some interesting stones, dating back hundreds of years,
one in particular having been built in the shape of a
lighthouse. |
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Kirk
Covenant
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At Low
Curghie shortly before 1860, a gravestone was discovered which
appeared to date to the 5th or 6th century, the Latin inscription
was badly weathered, but the name “Ventidius” was legible
along with another word which translated at “sub-deacon”.
The stone was being used as a grave cover and had obviously
been moved from the original grave. The stone has been lost
but has similarities with the Kirkmadrine Stones.
In the
1871 census, Drummore had 1127 males and 1318 females, a total
of 2445. In 1998 a community profile was drawn up to show
that Drummore had a population of 310, with a total of 810
for the 5 villages.
In 1892
a horse drawn coach ran from the “Queens Hotel” to Stranraer
leaving Drummore at 7.30am and 4.50pm, arriving at 10.30am
and 7.25pm respectively, a journey of 3 hours. The motor bus
service began in 1907, leaving at 9.30am, 2.00pm and 6.00pm,
the journey time being cut to one and a half hours. A railway
was considered in 1878 but was opposed by the Earl of Stair
and permission was refused.
 Click
on the picture to view the picture
gallery and see for yourself how little Drummore
has changed over the years.
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