St John's Toun o Dalry

**St John's Toun o Dalry**, uisually referred tae semply as **Dalry**, is a toun in Dumfries an Gallowa, in the historic coonty o Kirkcoubrieshire. It is locatit 16 mile frae Castle Douglas alang the A713 road, an is at the southern stance o the A702 road (tae Edinburgh. It is locatit on an auld pilgrimage route tae Whithorn an St Ninian's Cove an name't efert the Knichts o St John. The toun wis the centre o the 1666 Pentland Risin. The veelage is sitit on a jouk o the Watter o Ken, aboot 3 mile from the northren edge o Loch Ken. about  from the northern edge of Loch Ken.

The pairish kirk (Kirk o Scotland) wis built in 1831 by William McCandlish an is approacht by an inlat o lime trees said tae hiv been plantit in 1828.

Detatcht, at the side o the kirk is the Gordon Aisle o 1546, the buirial place o the Gordons o Lochinvar.

St John's Toun maks a guid steid for explorin the surroondin region, the Southren Upland Wey, an the nearby Gallowa Hills, includin the peaks o Corserine an Cairnsmore o Carsphairn. St John's Toun o Dalry wis recent name't *Bird Toun*, tae celebrate the wark o renount bird airtist an scriever Donald Watson that bade in Dalry for mony years.

## Climate

In common wi the lave o the kintra, Dalry benefits frae a climate clessifeed as Oceanic (Köppen: *Cfb*), encompassin cuil simmers an myld winters with year-roond rainfaw. Temperatur beezers at Glenlee, unner 1 mile til the soothwast, hiv range't frae 31.0&nbsp;°C (87.8&nbsp;°F) durin Julie 2005 tae -18.3&nbsp;°C (-0.9&nbsp;°F) in baith Januar 1940 an December 1995.

## Namely fowk frae Dalry

John Johnston (1791-1880), a fermer born in nearby Knocknalling, is creeditit with introducin agricultural gawin til the Unitit States.

Professor William Young Sellar FRSE, LLD (1825-1890), Classics Professor at Varsity o Edinburgh. He wis the son o Patrick Sellar (1780-1851), Scots lawer, factor, en sheep fermer. William bade an deed at Kenbank, Dalry. He is buirit in Dalry Kirkyaird.

Sir Halliday Macartney (1833-1906). Military surgeon, diplomat in the Chinese government. He bade an deed at Kenbank, Dalry. He is buirit at Dundrennan Aibey.

William Robert Gourlay (1874-1938) MA, ICS, CIE 1917. Indian Ceevil Service, Preevat Secretar tae the Governor o Bengal. He bade in reteeral an deed at Kenbank, Dalry. The leebrary in Dalry wis propine't til the toun by Mrs Gourlay an name't the W. R. Gourlay Memorial Library in honour o her umwhile guidman  that hid been leebrary preses atween 1928 an 1938.

Henry John Dobson ARCA, RSW (1858-1928) Genre penter. He bade and wrocht in Dalry. His studio is noo the public leebrary. He wis the faither o airtists David Cowan Dobson an Henry Raeburn Dobson.

Allan Stewart (1865-1951), airtist. He bade and deed at Rose Cottage, an is buirit in the Dalry Kirkyaird.

Donald Watson (1918-2005) wis a Scots ornithologist, wildlife airtist, an scriever, that bade in Dalry for ower 50 year. He is buirit in Dalry Kirkyaird.

Hugh Foss (1902-1971), cryptographer an Scots kintra-dance deviser. He wrocht on the Enigma machines at Bletchley Park durin Warld War II. He bade at Gleddarroch in the toun frae his reteeral in 1953 until his deith in 1971. He is buirit in Dalry Kirkyaird.

Neil M. Gunn (1891-1973), novellist. He bade at Kenbank frae the age o 12 afore flittin tae Lunnon in 1907 sae as tae enter the Ceevil Service.

Cedric Thorpe Davie, muisic upmakker an teacher, bein professor o muisic at Varsity o Saunt Andras, bocht Rose Cottage firstlins for vacances (o whit he spent as mony as possible wi his faimily), an reteert here in 1977. He deed at Rose Cottage on 18 Januar 1983.

Doctor Joseph Rhymer BA, M Th D, (deed 2009), scriever o 14 beuks on theology includin *The Illustrated Life of Jesus Christ*. He bade at Grayrigg in the toun and is buirit in Dalry Kirkyaird.

Sir Alex Fergusson (1949-2018, Scots Conservative Pairty member o the Scots Pairlament (MSP) and Presidin Officer (2007-2011), bade and fermt near Dalry.

George Thompson (1928-2016), Catholic priest, teacher, MP for Galloway (SNP) 1974-1979. He main mainteent his faimily hame and bade there in his reteeral. He died in 2016 an is buirit in Dalry Kirkyaird.

Coliln Douglas MBE, born 1949, scrieverr o a series o novelles follaein the career o a young Edinburgh medical graduate frae the late 1960s intil the 1970s beginnin wi *The Houseman's Tale*, that wis adaptit for BBC telly in 1986.https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba147560f  He bade in Dalry.

## References

## External links

*St. John's Town of Dalry in the Gazetteer for Scotland
* Information on Hill Walking in the Galloway Hills
* Rock and Ice climbing in the Galloway Hills
*The Glenkens
*Gibson, Jean C. *Around Dalry.* 1974, privately printed.
*https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba147560f