Muffat

**Muffat** is an umwhile burgh an pairish in the historical coonty o Dumfriesshire, in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, wi a population o aboot 2,500.  It wis a centre o the oo tred an a spa toun.

Muffat is aboot 59 mile til the sootheast o Glesga, 51 mile til the sooth o Edinburgh, 21 mile til the north o Dumfries, an 44 mile til the north o Cairl.

The Muffat House Hotel, locatit at the northren end o High Street, wis designt bi John Adam. The nearby Star Hotel, juist 20 fit wide, wis leetit in the Guinness Warld Records beuk as the maist nairae hottle in the warld. Muffat wan the Britain in Bloom competeetion in 1996.

Muffat is the hame tae Muffat taffee.

The toun is haudit tae be the ancestral hame o Clan Moffat. The Deevil's Beef Tub near Muffat wis uised bi members o Clan Johnstone tae huird cattle stowen in predatory raids.

## Early tourism as a spa toun

Fae 1633 Muffat begoud tae growe fae a smaw veelage intil a spa toun. The sulfurous an sautie watters o Muffat Spa wis believed tae be healin, speceefic for the skin condeetions, the goot, the rheumatise, an the stamack ailins. In 1730 thir watters wis complementit bi airn wall-ees. Durin the Victorian era the muckle wantin o the watter led tae it bein pipit doun fae the wall til a watter-tank in Tank Wuid an syne on til a speicially built bath-hoose in the toun centre (noo the Toun Hoose).

Luxurious hottles sprang up tae accomodate the increasin nummers o tourists. Ane sic hottle appent durin Muffat's heyday in 1878, Muffat's Hydropathic Hotel, wis malafoustert in a fire in 1921.

The auld wall wis replenisht in the mid 1990s, an is aiccessible yet bi vehicle an bi fit. The watter smells gey strangly o sulfur, wi poses on the waws an the wall itsel. At the grand re-appenin o the wall, people veesitin it wis hertent tae drink a gless o it.

The wall can be reakit bi follaein Haywood Road an climin up Tank Wuid (on the richt at the tap): the paith at the end wis the oreeginal route til the wall. An alternative is tae drive or tae walk up Well Road, an eventual, a body will reak the Well Cot an the caur-pairk for the wall. As statit, whan the watter wis first pipit intil the toun for the baths, it wis pumpit uphill til a tank in the richt-name't Tank Wuid, afore traivelin back dounhill til the bath-hoose.

Larchhill Wall wis a chalybeate (airn-sauts) wall locatit on Old Well Road near Wellwoodhead Cottage. The wall is no langer veesible.

## Oreegin o the name

The name o the toun *Muffat* is an endonym, a Scots Gaelic Angliciziation o *Movvat* that is o Norman oreegin. This quasi-placename his been theorized tae be translatit as "the lang plain" that likely coud be derived fae twa elements: *maigh* ("plain") an *fada* ("long"). The aurie o Muffat disna resemmle a lang plain ava, sae it is thocht that "Muffat" wis the local's attempt at pronooncin "Mowat", as the Mowats, Muffats, an Montaltos aw skare a common forebeir an at ae time buir sel an same airms. Records as faur back as the 1300s shaw a body name't "Monte Alto, pronoonced 'Mowat'." This is an exemple o the Anglicization o a Norman name. A guid exemple o this is Belvoir Castle that is pronoonced "Beaver Castle". This castle in no wey resemmles a furry watter ainimal, bit til the locals it wis easier tae say. Seemilar, the name Monte Alto (pronoonced "Mowat") wis written as Movvat, an fae there "gey easily corruptible tae Muffat". The're no records o the name Muffat appearin afore the Norman Mowat faimily appearin in the aurie. A Norman motte ruin is yet veesible on the nor'east side o the toun near Alton Hoose.

## Governance

Muffat is in UK pairlamentary constituency o Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweedale, an David Mundell is the praisent Scots Conservative Pairty Member o Pairlament.

It is pairt o the Sooth Scotland electoral region in the Scots Pairlament, bein in the constituency o Dumfriesshire. Oliver Mundell o the Scots Conservative Pairty is the MSP.

## Oo tred

Muffat wis a kenspeckle mercat in the oo tred, and this is commemoratit wi a stature o a ram bi William Brodie in the toun's mercatplace. The ram wis propine't til the toun bi William Colvin, a local businessman, in 1875. The ram's lugs is tyne't, as thay hae been syne it wis first propine't.

## Namely fowk

* Danny Bhoy (Danni Chaudhry) (born 1975) - Scots comic
* Sir Thomas Bouch (1822-1880) - ceevil ingineer an designer o the first Tay Brig
* William Carruthers (1830-1922) - botanist
* William Dickson (1751-1823) - secretar til the Governor o Barbados for 13 year. He wis again the sklave tred, an wrate the beuk *Migitgation of Slavery*.
* Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding (1882-1970) - commaunder o RAF Fighter Command durin the Battle o Breetain. The're a memorial tae Dowding in Station Park. It is in a local reid saundstane wi a bronze memorial taiblet on the waw an RAF creest badges on the flankin 'weengs'.
* James Fraser - Scots international fitbawer
* Helen Hyslop (or Ellen Hyslop) (1766-1852) - wis said tae hae hid a dochter, Helen (or Ellen) Armstrong, faithert bi the poet Robert Burns.
* James D. Murray (born 1931) - mathematical biologist
* Jimmy Niven (1861-1933) - Scots international fitbawer
* Ivor Robson, the offeecial stairte for The Apen gowf kemp syne 1975..
* D. E. Stevenson (1892-1973) - author an cuisin tae Robert Louis Stevenson

## Famous an infamous veesitors

* Robert Burns cam for the watters an frequentit the local public hooses.
* William Hare - the infamous murtherer an ledged graff-robber micht hae steyed in the Black Bull Hotel durin his escape til Ireland efter turnin King's Evident again William Burke
* John Loudon McAdam, the Scots ingineer an road-buiider, dee'd in Muffat an is buirit here
* Dr Buck Ruxton - the veectims o this Lancashire murtherer wis fund in a burn near The Deevil's Beef Tub.
* Samuel Wallace VC (1892-1968) - a Victoria Cross recipient that dee'd in Muffat. He wan the medal for his actions durin Warld War I.

## Tourism

This toun attacts mony tourists aw year roond, baith as veesitors til the toun an as walkers in the surroondin hills. Kenspeckle biggs include the Annandale Airms Hotel and Restaurant that haes been awairdit several AA rosettes, Real and Local Food medals, an fower starns fae Food Review Scotland.

Shaps include the Muffat Toffee Shop an the Edinburgh Woolen Mill, while its restaurants iclude The Bombay Cuisine, Claudio's, Arietes, The Rumblin Tum, The Balmoral, an the Buccleuch Arms Hotel and Restaurant. The Buccleuch haes been awairdit Gold in VisitScotland's Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Muffat haes an aw a recreation pairk wi a boatin pownd an a memoral tae Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding.

The're an offeecial Campin an Caravannin Club campsite (for tents, caravans, an motorhames) that is appen aw year as o 13 Mairch 2008. This is situatit neist tae the Hammerlands Centre - a combination o gairden centre, gift shap, restaurant, fish ferm, an childer's play aurie wi fermyaird ainimals.

For walkers the're the Gallow Hill an aw. Muffat is situatit anely a wheen o miles fae the Soothren Upland Wey whaur it passes throu Beattock, and the Sir Walter Scott Wey stairts here.

Nor'east o Muffat is the Gray Meir's Tail watterfaw. This hangin-vale waterfaw is aboot 197 fit heich an lies within a naiture reserve.

## Eddication

Muffat Academy teaches scholarts o Nursery Schuil, Primary Schuil, and Seicontary Schuil age. The're praisently juist ower 250 scholarts taucht at the schuil. It wis in its umwhile location in the north o the toun syne 1834, bit in Februar 2010 the schuil flittit til a new site in the sootheast o the toun on Jeff Brown Drive.

## Sport an Recreation

Muffat RFC caters for aw ages. The First XV plays in the Scots Rugby Union league structur. Thay is kent as "The Rams" efter the statue in the High Street. The grund is haley awnt bi the club an is situatit at The Holm, Selkirk Road.

Muffat's main fitbaw club is Upper Annandale F.C. that represent that toun in the  Sooth o Scotland Fitbaw League.

Muffat Golf Club wis foondit in 1884. In 1904, Ben Sayers o North Berwick wis inveetit tae design the praisent 18-hole gowf course. Located heich on Coats Hill leukin ootower the toun, it is some 670 fit abuin sea level.

A 53-mile lang-range walkin route cried Annandale Wey rinnin throu Annandale (fae the soorce o the River Annan til the sea) wis appent in September 2009. The route passes gey close til the toun o Muffat, an a diversion fae it intil the toun adds gey little in range.

The nearby Muffat Hills offer mony walkin routes, and the toun itsel is closest steid for aiccess til thir hills.

## References

## External links
*Visit Moffat - the offeecial wabsteid for veesitors tae Muffat an the surroonding aurie
*The Muffat Tourist Information Wabsteid
*Video an commentary on The Muffat Mineral Wall