Enterkinfuit

**Enterkinfuit** (English: **Enterkinfoot**) is a clachan that lies 6 mile north o Thornhill on the A76 road on the route tae Sanchar in Dusdeer Pairish, in the historical coonty o Dumfriesshire in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland.

Its oreeginal nucleus wis the auld mill wi its associatit biggins, the schuil, an the famous **Enterkin Pass** an its paith that follaed the coorse o the Enterkin Glen tae Wanlockheid an syne tae Edinburgh. The site featurs the A76 road that rins throu the centre o Enterkinfuit, the River Nith, an the Enterkin Burn that ance pouert the mill afore jynin the Nith. The aurie is famous for its association wi the Covenanters.

## History

The veelage is noo consistent kent as Enterkinfuit an the burn recordit as Enterkin Burn wi its soorce 5 mile awa on the wastren slope of Lowther Hill. The burn haes its infaw here wi the River Nith. The aurie is famous for its association wi the Covenanters an the events o the sae-cried 'Killin Times' that occurt durin the rings o Charles II, Keeng o Scots an James VII, Keeng o Scots an hinderly led til the Presbyterian Kirk o Scotland. A nummer o smaw cots, mony awnt bi the Duke o Buccleuch, made up the oreeginal veelage, some o thaim is occupee'd yet. A public hoose stuid neist til the Enterkin Burn on the soothren side.

Enterkinfoot School an schuilhoose wis situatit near the cots at Auchenbraith. A haly wall is shawn at the 'Holywell Cleuch' abuin Hapland Ferm (wi no recordit history) wi a brainch o the Enterkin Paith rinnin up the glen on the eastren side. A fuird crosst the Nith at Auchenbraith.

### Enterkinfuit Mill an Burn

Timothy Pont's map o circa 1583-96 shaws "Interk? Mill" at the same poseetion (NS 857042) as the later mill. The 1654 Joan Blaeu map records an aw a "Mill o Inter". The burn is recordit as "Interkyn" in 1745. Roy's map records "Entrikin Foot", "Water of Entrican" and the "Entriken Path". In 1776 Entrakinfoot is the spellin uised. Enterkine Foot is merkit on Crawford's 1804 map. By 1898 the mair recent twa-story mill is merkit as a meal mill raither nor a corn mill. The mill no langer survives. The miller's hoose is o a reid saundstane biggin an the lean-tae eikins at ilk gavel end ance hoosed a smiddy an a shop respective. An aulder mill staunds alangside wi various ootbiggins, a causeyed close, a smaw wawed gairden, and an auld puidge. The lade ran doun as a wuiden troch cairyin the watter fae a sloosh near the railwey viaduct, spleetin intil a spillwey an the lade til the wheel on the tither side o the road.

### Coshogle Castle

Coshogle Castle ance leukit ower Enterkinfuit, haudit bi the Clan Douglas, it stuid near Auld Coshogle Ferm houiver naething noo remeens at the site awtho some featurs fae it is incorporatit intae nearby cots, namely a door-chee wi an airch an muildit jams, an seicont a mairiage stane wi twa coat o airms, the date 1576, ineetials RD an NI for Robert Douglas an his guidwife. Sections o the castle waws stuid 6 fit heich and 6 fit thick survived at least until 1825.

### Morton Castle

Morton Castle is first recordit as bein haudit bi Dunegal, Laird o Strathnith (Nithsdale) an syne bi Thomas Randolph, Yerl o Moray. The location o the survivin ruins staund on an hichtit an heich-defensible neep surroondit on three sides bi an airtificial loch, oreeginal a merse. The 1357 Treaty o Berwick require't the Scots tae wrack Morton Castle an thirteen ither castles in Nithsdale. The Yerl o Mairch likely built muckle o the existin castle in the early 15t century, houiver, it wis gien bi King James II o Scotland tae James Douglas o Dalkeith, Yerl o Morton. In 1608 the castle was sellt tae William Douglas o Coshogle, William Douglas o Drumlanright syne buyin it 10 year later. The castle micht hae served as a huntin ludge until aroond 1714. Morton Castle is the haudin yet o the Duke o Buccleuch in the care o Historic Environment Scotland.

### Kirkbride Kirk

The ruins o this kirk an seemetry staund in a hiddly location abuin Enterkinfoot. In the 13t century Holyrood Aibey haudit Kirkbride Kirk. In 1732 the pairish wis dividen an annext til the pairishes o Dusdeer an Sanchar. The remeens o site nouadays date fae the early 16t century an a sacristry ledges fae the north waw. Kirkbride is said tae be the anely the seicont reformit kirk built in Scotland. The kirk bell wis stowen efter its abandonment an wis trackit tae Glesga whaur it haed been idenitfied bi the soond o it whan rung. It wis brocht back an re-hung in the smaw belfry on the gavel end.

### Enoch Castle

Enoch Castle wis the caput o the barony o that name, houiver naething remeens at the site acause o reukin. The lay o the laund shaws it tae hae been a place o conseederable strenth. It wis seized bi the Douglases o Morton Castle an attacht til the clan's laund haudins.

## Transport

Enterkinfuit lies in Nithsdale, a naitural communication througang that haes upshottit in the main A76 road passin throu it and the railwey cuttin throu it at a heicher level with the Drumlanrig Tunnel nearby. The Dumfries-til-Ayr road rins throu on its wey tae Sanchar fae Carronbrig. The Duke o Queensberry biggit aroond 22 mile o new road an in addeetion a road (the B797 road) throu the Minnock Pass til the coonty boond an onwart tae Edinburgh. The veelage niver haed a passenger station, the nearest being Sanchar an afore a station wis praisent at Carronbrig.

## The Enterkin Pass an Paith

The Enterkin Pass wis ane on the auld routes, a bridle-paith, rinnin north fae Nithsdale intae Clydesdale, thegither wi the nearby Minnock, Well, an Dalveen Passes, crossin the Lowthers an then onwart tae Edinburgh or Glesga. Its oreegins micht be a medieval traivelers route, or made in the 16t century tae facilitate the transport o leid fae the mines bi pack horses wi packets tae Dumfries.

In 1726 Daniel Defoe, writin in "*A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain*" (1726) descrived the pass:

"*Enterkin, the frightfullest pass, and most dangerous that I met with, between that and Penmenmuir in North Wales.*"

Another author wrate that:

"*A few steps and you are on its edge, looking down giddy and amazed into its sudden and immense depths. ... but we know nothing more noticeable, more unlike any other place, more impressive, than this short, deep, narrow, and sudden glen.*"

The oreeginal paith an loan ran fae near the schuil an wis cut aff bi the railwey, bit it uised tae direct rin fae Enterkinfuit wi anither route fae the sooth brainchin aff fae the Dalveen Pass road. The praisent-day paith, gaun east fae Wanlockheid passes aroond the wast side o Stake Hill an jynes the road til the radar station, leavin again tae rin sooth til the Enterkin Pass atween Lowther Hill an East Munt Lowther. The paith duin is on the west bank o the Enterkin Burn for awmaist 2 mile until it reaks Glenvalentine fae whaur it ascends in a soothren direction fae the burn til the rig abuin. Descendin sooth fae the rig, thare is views o Enterkin Glen. A metalt road is praisent near Inglestane an a public road rins via Muiryhill, turnin wast til the A76 Nithsdale road an thance tae Enterkinfuit.

### The Rescue o the Covenanters

On 29 Julie 1684, the Enterkin Pass wis the scene o a dramatic rescue, the "Enterkin Raid", bi twal Covenanters, o five o thair colleagues an a meenister that wis unner convoy bi sodgers takkin thaim fae Dumfries tae Thornhill tae Edinburgh. The leaders o the group wis James an Thomas Harkness, an the ambush wis set at Glenvalentine infaw, upshottin in the officer commaundin being shotten throu the heid an the troups firin a single volley afore surrenderin thair preesoners. It is reportit that thare wis casualtys on baith sides. Five o the Covenanters involved, includin Thomas Harkness, wis cotchen suin efter an executit at Edinburgh's Gressmercat, houiver James Harkness escapit til Ulster in Northren Ireland, an his graff an story is seen yet at Dalgarnock near Thornhill, whaur his memorial reads:-

### Drumlanrig Tunnel an reteenin waw

The Duke o Buccleuch insistit that the railwey be hidden fae his seat at Drumlanrig Castle an this necessitatit a 1,397-yaird-lang tunnel built bi a warkforce o 600 an requirin seiven million bricks. The oreeginal contractor fand the project ower difficult. The tunnel appens at the sooth in the vicinty o the auld Carronbridge railwey station at NS880012. The 11-fit-heich Enterkin Viaduct wi its fower airches rins abuin Enterkinfuit an a substantious reteenin waw lies juist til the north.

The stuir-ingineert Enterkinfuit reteenin waw (NS 8527 0482) is said tae be a be a benchmark o its type, built by German ingineers in aboot 1848 for the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway that appent in 1850 an becam the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The design o this muckle wall guarantees the stabeelity o the dooble track railwey abuin an in addeetion it hinders the erosion o the touk.

## Etymology

The Enterkin Burn's name, wi variants sic as "Inter" micht oreeginate in the Scots Gaelic *eanach t'uircein* "merse o the piglets" or *eanach t'aircoin* "merse o the mastiffs".

"Coshochel" is said tae be o Brythonic raither not Gaelic oreegin, translatin as "the reid heicht".

Hapland Ferm micht derive fae the Scots *whaup* (English: curlew *Numenius arquata*).

## References

## External links

*Photaes o the Enterkinfuit aurie
*Video footage an history o Morton Castle
*Video footage of Kirkbide an its naitural history
*Kirkbride an the Ghaist o Abraham Crichton
*Kirkbride, Dusdeer - A Visual Record