Port William

**Port William** is a fishin veelage in the pairish o Mochrum, in the historical coonty o Wigtounshire, in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. wi a population o aboot 460.

Port William his a post office an a smaw general store, an cairy-oot, a restaurant, a community chairity shap, and a couple o ither stores. Ayont Port William, the nearest shappin is in Whithorn, while the nearest supermercats is in Newtoun Stewart.

Menreith Hoose, a Category A leetit big hoose is locatit ae mile east o the veelage.

## Location

The veelage is on the coast o Luice Bay in Gallowa an is situatit atween the smaw veelages o Elrig an Mochrum til the north an Menreith til the sooth. It leuks taewart the Mull o Gallowa (the maist soothren pynt o the mainland o Scotland), an on a clear day baith Ireland and The Isle o Man (lyin anely 20 mile til the sooth across the Erse Sea is clear veesible.

Port William lies 63.4 mile wast o Dumfries, 25 mile east o Stranrawer, and 98.6 mile sooth o Glesga.

## History
The oreeginal sattlement wis kent as Killantrae, meanin "The Kirk on the Saunds" in Scots Gaelic, an wis likely foondit no lang efter Saunt Ringan's arrival in nearby Whithorn taewart the end o the 4t century.

Killantrae wis soopit awa follaein the intervention o developer an laird Sir William Maxwell, 5t Baronet, o Menreith Hoose. In the five year until 1776 he built an  enteerly new veelage, complete wi a guid herbour an rename't it Port William. Ane o the earliest biggins staundin yet wis the corn mill, locatit on the side o the Killantrae Burn tae tak advantage o the pouer providit bi its watter. Port William is an exemple o a planned veelage, lyin on the eastren shore o Luice Bay. The herbour, built for the convenience o his tenant fermers, wis ane o the first in wastren Gallowa.

In the 17t an 18t centurys Port William wis kent forsaemuckle the wrangous acteevitys o its smugglers as for the lea'some tred o its port.

## Namely fowk

* Gavin Maxwell (1914-1969) FRSL, FIAL, FZS (Sc.), FRGS- Scots naituralist, author, best kent for his non-fiction writin and his wark wi otters.

## Port William Inshore Rescue Service Action Committee

The veelage formt ane o the firest Community First Response Teams in Scotland an his helpit tae set up ither teams in the aurie. Follaein several incidents involvin boats in difficulties in Luice Bay the RNLI wis speirt tae site a lifeboat at Port William, whan this wis denee'd the veelagers formt a committee kent as the Port William Inshore Rescue Service Action Committee (PIRSAC).

Fonds wis raised tae buy and tae staff an inshore rescue boat, this wis lencht in 1979 an it operates the day, kiverin Luice Bay, Wigtoun Bay, an the inshore watters atween Soothwast Scotland and the Isle o Man.

## The herbour

The herbour wis stendit in 1790 an again in 1848; its commercial importance conteenuin until the end o Warld War I.

Forder wark wis duin tae pertect the herbour in the 1980s bi biggin a fleet-dyke til the wastren side o the herbour.

A statue o a fisher leuks ower the herbour: aince made o concrete, it his been casten in bronze. The statue wis pairt fondit bi the millenium lottery fond. In front o the statue is a plaque wi the first verse o the poem *[[Leisure]]* bi W. H. Davies.

## References