Auchencairn

**Auchencairn** () is a veelage in the historical coonty o Kirkcoubrieshire the Dumfries an Gallowa region o Scotland. It is locatit on the coast o the Solway Firth at the heid o Auchencairn Bay an lies on the A711 road atween the toun o Dawbeattie til the east an Kirkcoubrie til the wast. 

## Etymology

The name Auchencairn comes fae the Scots Gaelic *achadh an càirn* or *achadh nan carn* that translates as "the field o the cairn".

## Services

Faceelitys available in Auchencairn includes:

* The Smuggler's Inn, a public hoose noo closed permanent, dating fae the 18t century an kent oreeginal as The Auchencairn Airms, an his been reportit as bein hauntit.

* A veelage store an post officethat wis appent bi the Princess Ryal in Marich 2008

* Auchencairn Garage provides caur-mendin, servicin, an fuel

* Auchencairn Primary Schuil that his aroond 45 scholarts

* St Oswald's Kirk, belangin til the Kirk o Scotland, appent 1855 as a chaipel o ease

* A bus service connects the veelage tae Dawbeattie, Kirkcoubrie, an Castle Douglas

* A hottle an a nummer o bed-an-brakfasts an haliday cots can be fund in the local aurie.

## History

Thare is evidence o human wonin o the aurie syne the Mesolithic speal, bit the first written record o Auchencairn occurs fae 1305 in a chairter o Keeng Edward I o England that 'Aghencarne' is leetit in amang launds belangin tae Dundrennan Aibey. In the early 17t century the veelage growed aroond the corn mill, an mony o the aulder stane biggins in the veelage date fae this time.

Fae 1750 onwart, Auchencairn Bay becam the centre o extensive smugglin acteevity in the aurie, wi mony o the local woners bein insnorlt. This history is reflectit in the name o the veelage tavern, the Smugglers Inn.

The novelle-writer Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) spent a month here in 1851 bidin at Torr House leukin ower the bay.

Robert de Bruce Trotter MB LRCPE LRCPSG (1833-1907) wis a 19t century Scots physeecian myndit as an author an poet. His principal wirks is *Galloway Gossip: Sixty Years Ago (1877)* and *Galloway Gossip: The Southern Albanich Eighty Years Ago (1901)*.

The Wickerman Pop Festival wis haudit here on laund awnt bi local laundawner Jamie Gilroy that dee'd in 2014. The end o ilk fest wad end wi the burnin o a gey muckle wicker-mannie feegur. The fest teuk its name fae the cult pictur *[[The Wicker Man]]* starnin Edward Woodward an Christopher Lee that wis filmt on location in the area in 1972.

### The Rerrick Poletergeist

Accordin til a tract first publisht bi local meenister Alexander Telfair in 1696, a ferm cried The Ring-Croft o Stockin bade in bi the faimily o stanemason Andrew MacKie wis the site o meesterious occurins sic as stanes bein thrawn, cattle bein muived, faimily members being beaten an draigit, an notes fund written in bluid. Telfair wrate that neebours wis hitten bi rocks an beaten bi staves, an that he haed seen an felt a ghaistly airm that quickly vainisht. In the tract, Telfair descrieved things he hid considert "to have been the occasion of the Trouble", includin MacKie jaloused tae takkin an aith tae devote his first child til the Deil, claes left in the hoose bi a "wumman o ill repute", an failin tae burn a tuith unner the doorstane bi a foregane tenant advised bi a spaewife. Accordin til the story, efter Telfair an several ither clergymen said prayers at the ferm, the tribble eventual subsidit.

Telfair's tract, entitle't "A TRUE RELATION OF AN Apparition, Expressions and Actings, OF A SPIRIT, Which Infested the House of Andrew Mackie in Ring-Croft of Stocking, in the Paroch of Rerrick, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Scotland. By Mr. Alexander Telfair, Minister of that Paroch: and Attested by many other Persons, who were also Eye and Ear-Witnesses", wis publisht bi an Edinburgh prenter in 1696 an selt at the shap o George Mosman. Telfair's account ascribit the acteevity til a "noisy violent spirit" an in modren times the maiter his been refert tae as the "Ringcroft Poltergeist", the "Rerrick (or Rerwick) Poltergeist", or the "Mackie Poltergeist".

The 4 October 1890 issue o the Saturday Review newspaper rejectit Telfair's story as fowklair an "a curious mixture of obvious maked imposture", sayin "Five ministers, a few larids, and a nummer of farmers signed this account, in which there is not a single suspicion breathed that the business was merely a practical joke. Mr Telfair recites it as an argument against atheism, and for other reasons of edification.

Sacheverell Sitwell (1897-1988) in his beuk *Poltergeists* (1940) wrate that events descrived in the story wis creautit bi ane o Mackie's childer uisin ventriloquism. Sitwell observes that a vyce waukent MacKie, tellin him he wad "be troubled til Tuesday" an that if Scotland dinna "repent" it wad "trouble every family in the land". Accordin tae Sitwell, "Here, again there can be no doubt whatever that the actual Poltergeis was one of the children in the family. It had, in fact, learnt to ventriloquise. This, though, does not make the myster any less unpleasant". 

Academics, sic as historians Lizanne Henderson an Ole Grell, wrate that Telfair's tract wis intendit tae communicate til a "less sophisticated audience an coonterakt whit was felt amang clergymen o the time tae be the dangerous influences o skepticism, atheism, an deism. Henderson an Grell note Telfair's tract's statit purpose tae redargie "the prevailing Spirit of Atheism and Infidelity in our time, denying both in Opinion and Practice the Existence of Spirits, either of God or Devils; and consequently a Heaven and Hell..."

Ring-Croft of Stocking, descrieved as "a mailin on the tapside o Auchencairn" wis locatit in the pairish o Rerrick. It is said that a deid tree is aw that remeens o the MacKie ferm nouadays.

## Ither locations

Auchencairn is the name an aw o a clachan in the historical coonty o Dumfriesshire that is in the Dumfries an Gallowa region an aw. It is located til the north o Dumfries an sooth o the veelage o Ae.

It is the name o a clachan formin the north pairt o the veelage o Whitin Bay an aw, on the Isle o Arran.

## References