Dabaittie

**Dabaittie** (, frae Gaelic *Dail bhàite* meanin "droont haugh" or *Dail bheithe* meanin "birk haugh") is a wee toon in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. Dabaittie is in a wuidit dale on the Urr Watter  east o Castle Douglas an  southwast o Dumfries. The toon is famed for its granite industrie an for bein the hame toon o William McMaster Murdoch First Officer o the RMS ''Titanic''.

John Keats, the Inglis makar, an his frien Charles Armitage Brown bade at David Murray's Inn, nou The Maxwell Airms, on thair walkin tour o Scotland in 1818. 

The Dabaittie War Memorial wis designt bi Pilkington Jackson an wis unveilt in 1921.

## Etymologie
Dabaittie is a Gaelic name, recordit in 1469 as *Dalbaty*. The first pairt of the name is Gaelic *dail* meanin 'haugh'. There are twa possible meanins fur the saicant pairt. The maist commonly pit forrit is Gaelic *beithich*, genitive singular o *beitheach* 'tae dae wi birks', derived fae *beith* 'birk'. This wey, Dawbeattie wuid mean 'haugh o the birk'. The saicant wey sees -*beattie* as comin fae *bhàite* (fae *bàite*) 'droont', meanin 'fludit'. W. J. Watson pit forrit this derivation fur Dalbate in Middleby.

Dabaittie is locally thocht tae mean 'birk glen', whilk is seen in the names o local businesses sic as Birch Valley Dental Clinic an Birchvale Theatre. The link wi the first pairt o the name an 'glen' micht be fae confusion wi the Inglis wird *dale*. The link wi the wird 'valley' gans back tae at least 1955, whan the *[[:en:Statistical_Accounts_of_Scotland|Third Statistical Account]]* records that the "accepted derivation" is Celtic, meaning "the valley of the birches".

## History

The're hints frae Court Records that a dounset existit on the site as earlie as 1658 an it is forder mentiont in 1747. The're evidence an aa frae Presbyterie Records that hint the war a dominie in Dabaittie in 1751.

The richt beginins o Dabaittie gan back tae 1781 quhan George Maxwell o Munches an Alexander Copeland o Kingsrange (or Collison) decidit tae gie a lift til the development o the toon bi feuin thair propertie. The Maxwells awnt the laan on the north side o the burn an the Copelands awnt the laan on the south side. Ilka feu conseestit o ane piece o laan, frontin ane gaet, lairge eneuch tae build ane hous an graa vegetables an tae keep chickens an pigs. Ilk feu hid an aa the richt tae cut turfs fae Aucheninnes Moss. This wis important as fuel wis scrimp in Gallowaa, coal wis expensive, and the war nae monie trees. The feu duties brang in ane income for the lairds an gied securitie for the tenants.

The buildin o the brig ower the River Urr at Craignair in 1797 an the swith expansion o the granite industrie in Dabaittie attractit mair fowk tae bide in the toon. Bi 1810 wark in the quarrels wis plentifu, an ower the neist 30 year ane hantle o tredsmen flittit tae an estaiblisht businesses in Dabaittie. Houaniver, the wauxt population brang ither problems, heich incidents o seekness, includin cholera an typhoid, an law-an-order issues.

The day the toon his ane graetlie reduce't industrie, an maist o that folk that byd thar commute til the nearby toon o Dumfries for wirk. The toon is frequent wi visitors as its position is wiel-situatit for aiccess til the Solway coast.

## Namely fowk

* Andrew Carruthers (1770-1852) - priest, horticulturist, builder o St Peter's Kirk. On 29 Juin 2014 the wee kirkie celebratit its 200t anniversary.

* Murray Grierson (born 1948) - rally driver

* Alister Jack (born 1963) - Scots politcian, servin as Secretar o State for Scotland syne 2019. He is kent tae bi a richt aald sair birkie.

* John Keats (poet) an his freend Charles Armitage Brown steyed at an inn here on thair walkin tour o Scotland in 1818.

* John Maxwell (1905-1962) - airtist wis born in Dabaittie

* Jimmy McKinnell (1893-1972) - fitbaaer, played for Queen of the South F.C. an Blackburn Rovers F.C..

* William McMaster Murdoch (1873-1912) - the First Officer o the RMS Titanic

* Ian Simpson (born 1970) - reteert motorcycle racer

* Jim Steel (born 1959) - fitbaaer, played for Oldham Athletic A.F.C., Wigan Athletic F.C., Wrexham A.F.C., Port Vale F.C., an Tranmere Rovers F.C..

* John Mensies Strain (1810-1883) - bade in the toon for 23 year afore becomin the first Airchbishop o St Andrews and Edinburgh in 1878.

* Andrew Swann (born 1878, dee'd unkent) - perfaisional fitbaaer

* George Thompson (1928-2016) - Scots Naitional Pairty politician, Roman Catholic priest and dominies at Annan Academy.

* David Rae (born 1995) - airtist

## Governance

The toon is unner the management o Dumfries an Gallowa Council an is locatit in the Abbey waird. The toon is in the Westminster constituencie o Dumfries and Galloway is in representit bi Alister Jack. In the Scots Pairlament the toon is within the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency an the South o Scotland region, an is presently representit bi Finlay Carson.

## Geographie

Dabaittie is situatit in the Urr dale that maist o the easter side is kivert bi forest. The River Urr flaas frae the north southwarts til the Solway Firth an passes bi the wester side o the toon. The toon has an abundance o grey granite.

## Economie

### Granite quarrelin

Umquhile granite quarrelin wis an important pairt o the Dabaittie economie. The maist kenspeckle o thir is the Craignair quarrel that is clear visible til the wast o the toon. Tha Dabaittie Granite warks wis estaiblisht in 1820 an wis situatit in Craignair Street, follaein ane direct route fae Craignair quarrel. The industrie knurlt local aroun 1883 acause o cheaper imports frae Denmark.

Monie o the warkers lowpit the kintra til ither pairts o the warld sae as tae fun wark, ane nummer lowpit the kintra til the Unitit States tae wark at ane sister quarrel in Westerly, Rhode Island. Granite exportit frae Dabaittie gaed intil the Mersey Docks in Liverpuil, the Thames Embankment in Lunnon, various Britisch lichthouses, even as faar awa as the lichthous at the southren pynt of Ceylon Sri Lanka). Its maist famous uiss wis mebbe the Eddystone Lighthouse in southren England.

### Modren days

The toon his ane saamill, "Howie Forest Products", that employs aroun 120 warkers, an a souvenir factorie.

Maist o the folk that byd thaer commute tae nearby Dumfries for wirk.

## Transport

The toon is aiccessable bi roads fae Dumfries an  Castle Douglas, an is on the Solway Coast road. Ane regular bus service sted in Dumfries traivels thro Dabaittie an Castle Douglas til the wast o the region an back. The toon akts an aa as ane minor hub for bus routes endlang the Solway coast. The toon umquhile hid aiccess til the rail network; houaniver this wis remuived in the 1960s as it wis deemt nae tae be profitable.

## Museums an Gaileries

Dabaittie his ane museum devotit til the historie o the toon an the surroondin aarie. The're ane mikkle airts gailerie an aa, the Nail Factory, that hosts temporar exhibitiouns, uisually o warks bi local airtists.

## References

## External links
*Informatioun about Dabaittie
*A wabsteid about the toon 
*Community wabsteid 
*Dumfries an Gallowa Cooncil wabsteid
*https://heughantrust.com/introduction/early-life/
*https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/2017/07/bbc-scotlands-new-poet-residence-revealed/
*http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/profile-author/108562