Barburgh

**Barburgh** or **Barburgh Mill** is a clachan makkit up o an auld lint mill, later biggit up as a wull mill, an its associatit biggins that lies north o Auldgirth on the A76 road on the road tae Closeburn in Closeburn Pairish, in the historical coonty o Dumfriesshire in Dumfries an Gallowa, Scotland. Hit’s oreeginal hert wis the auld mill an its linkit biggins, the smiddy, the tow hoose, an the miller's an wirkers' dwallins. The steid his the A76 road that rins bynear, the River Nith, an the Lake Burn that ance pouert the mill by a lade afore jynin the Nith. The airie is kent for its connection wi the Covenanters. A Roman road is thocht tae hae run throu Nithsdale at this bit.

In Breetish uiss Barburgh is technical a clachan raither nor a veelage as hit his aye wantit a formal dedicatit kirk o its ain.

## History

The clachan stans aboot 2.5 mile sooth o Closeburn an is noo aye kent as 'Barburgh' an the burn recordit as the Lake Burn wi its soorce pairtly fae the steid o the auld Closeburn Loch. The clachan his haen mony names recordit, includin Barbauch, Burborough, Burnburgh, Burbrught, Barbaroch, Barbarock, Burbrough, Bird-brugh, Barbouy, an Barbuy. Afore 1606 an for a speal up tae 1697 the clachan lay in the pairish o Dalgarnock.

The Lake Burn rins doon fae the steid o the noo-soukit Closeburn Loch near Closeburn Castle an his its infaw here wi the River Nith at the Lintmill Puil. The airie is kent for its connection wi the Covenanters an the events o the sae-cried "Killin Times" that occurt durin the rings o Charles II, Keeng o Scots (King Charles II o England) an James VII, Keeng o Scots (King James II o England) an hinderly led til the estaiblishment o the Presbyterian Kirk o Scotland.

### Etymology

The name 'Barborough' is said bi the Ordnance Sruvey tae mean 'the whizzin toun', derived fae the bummin soond fae the lint manufacturin process.  The name 'Lintmill Puil' is thocht tae hae come fae an umwhile uiss o the mill for the graithin o lint or linen fae the lint plant, houiver it is notit that the lint wis left in various deep 'lint puils' alang the river as a pairt o the rottin process that cam afore the lint wis taen tae be processed in the mill. Barburg wis recordit an aw as 'Bridburgh' in 1247 an micht derive fae 'Bridda's Fort' or 'Fort o the Birds'.

The first record o the name on Roy's map o 1747-1755 nae clear reads as 'Bolybruchhead' bit nae mill or dounset is merkit an whit is noo Whitespots Hill micht be myntit. It micht shaw a fort linkin tae Watsons confuised details o a 'Bar Brugh', the 'Defence Fort

In 1901 Watson refers til a 'Bar Brugh' or 'Defence Fort' made fae an "*... immense mass of stones contiguous to the farm of Cairn, and situated on a narrow plain bounded on one side by the Bar-Hill and on the other side by the River Nith.*" He states that this circular fort o uncementit stanes gairdit the entry til the pairish fae the sootheast houiver. A sootheast confuision wi the nor'wast micht expleen the reference as nae sic structur or name exists elsewhaur in the pairish. The railwey rins throu this steid an micht hae wrackit ony fort that existit near Cairn Ferm.

The name micht shaw a fort an aw linkin Watson's confuised details o a 'Bar Brugh', the "Defence Fort", a circular fort near Cairns Ferm.

In the 1848-1858 OS Name Beuk the name is gien as 'Burbrough' wi several cots praisent wi gairdens an at that time a pirn mill, makkin the wuiden pirns vital tae spinnin an weavin in whit wis afore a lint or linen mill. The wee Cairns schuil stuid near Cairns Ferm, Blackwuid, an the Railwey Cots in 1899.

## Barburgh Mill, Smiddy, an Burn

The mill's watter supply wisna via the River Nith bit wis insteid fae the watters o the Lake Burn via a lade that ran doun fae Stepends an Whitespots Ferms wi a seestem o slooshes, owerfleets, an mill pownds. This watter supply is pairt o the Garroch Waterpower Scheme that pouert the Park limestane warks, Stepends Ferm thrashin machine, etc. The first record o Barburgh Mill (NX 90116 88316) is tha John Padzean, the Covenanter, wrocht there in 1684, possibly as the miller as Thomas Macmury is notit an aw, bit anely as a residenter.

In the River Nith near Barburgh Mill is OS recordit the place name "Lintmill Pool", likely name't fae the ae-time uiss o the mill for the graithin o lint or linen fae the lint plant. The mill is first shawn on maps in 1804 an is merkit as a lint mill, as it is in 1821 an 1828. The first OS map o 1855 records a 'Bobbin mill' in English (a spellin mistak gies 'Bobbing') houiver by 1899 it is shawn as a ooen mill an it steyed as sick until its feenal closur in the 1960s.

The praisent mill micht hae been built bi Charles Stuart Menteth o the Closeburn Estate aroond 1790-1810 an by 1862 it wis haudit bi the Baird faimily that haed bocht the estate.

Upon his deith in 1867 James Mackie McKerlie o Barburgh wis descrived as a 'manufacturer' withoot forder speceefication, confirmin that the mill wisna a corn or meal mill. Alexander an John Cowan becam tenants an in 1900s entrys John Elliot is recordit as the tenant.

In the early 19t century the twa-story Barburgh Mill, an 'L'-shapit grummel-built structur wis uised as a ooen mill, manufacturin blankes in 1939 an closed syne the 1960s, later pairt uised as store. The owershot wheel wis parrockit within a wheel hoose an the mill sahws various eikins and alterins, sich as the shiftin o the coorse o the lade.

Barburgh Smiddy stuid til the wast o the mill, single-storey an grummle-built wi a brick-built eikin, no dout servin local needs in addeetion tae thaim o the mill. A saw pit wis locatit nearby. Stables micht hae been praisent here as weel as wirkers accommodation.

Barburgh Mill Hoose staunds til the wast o the burn an providit accommodation for the miller in 1854 - the hoose haes a sundial, uisually a heich-status featur.

## Barburgh Mill Roman Fortlet

In 1945 Barburgh Mill Roman Fortlent (NX 9021 8844) wis diskivert close til the mill an in 1971 it wis fully howkit afore the graivel-quarrelin at the location. Quarrel operations haed wrackit aw o the north side o the fortlet an muckle o its soothren side an aw. Aw o the surface hints o the fortlet in the survivin aurie hae noo gane.

The Roman road ran aneath the fortlet's hillock site. Awtho turves wis fund, naething o the rampairts wis fund, an an inby surface aurie o ae fift o ae acre wis calculatit. Twa timmer berricks, ilk wi sax rooms, wis praisent. Durin the first Antonine speal sic a fortlet wad hae providit accommodation for ae century o infantry. The ditch wad have been veesible until at least the 14t century. An annexe micht hae been praisent bit no inby structurs wis fund.

## The Killin Times

On 5 Mey 1864, bi scry, the follaein people fae Closeburn Pairish wis declare't tae be "outlins an fugies":
*Gien unner wir seegnatur, at Edinburgh, the 5t o Mey, ane thoosand sax hunner aichty an fower year, an o wir ring the thirtyt an sax year..*

The Mairtyrs Cross at Dalgarnock Kirk daesna record the deiths o the Covenanters John Padzean or Thomas Macmurdy, suggestin that thay survived the Killin Times.

John Kirkpatrick bade at Barburgh Heid near the mill an haed been responsible as an informer for the captur o the Covenanter John Mathison. John haed been deportit til Americae houiver he wis able tae retour an conteena his wirk. John Kirkpatrick haed taen wee revenge upon the deith o John Mathison bi wrackin his heidstane in a nicht-time act o vandalism, houiver his actions haedna gane unobservit an efter receivin a follaein letter his wis gart tae pey for a replacement:

'“Mr. [John] Kirkpatrick [in Barburgh head],

We have received information from our friends in Nithsdale how you retaining your old malignity and enmity against the people of God have in pursuance there of adventured to run the risque of meddling with the monument of the dead, demolishing and breaking the gravestone of a sufferer for the cause of Christ which is highly criminal in the eyes of the law, and is more than your neck is worth, and deserves just severity as bringing to remembrance your old hatred, and the hand you had in his sufferings. And now ye seem to be longing for a visit for your old murthering actions, which if you would evite, we straitly charge and command you, upon your perill to repair that stone, by laying one upon the grave, fully as good as the former with the same precise motto as well engraven, and that you perform the work with all expedition, and if it be not done against May day first [1714], which is a sufficient time, we promise to pay you a visit, perhaps to your cost, and if you oblige us which to assure yourself that your old deeds will be remembered to purpose which to assure you of we have ordered this to be written in presence of our correspondence at Crawford-John, March 1, 1714, and subscribed in our name by Hu[gh]. Clerk, c[ler]k.*”

==Deith Records for Barburgh==


Thir records is maistly taen fae the inscriptions on the heidstanes at Dalgarnock an shaw a variety o version o the 'Barburgh' placename.

* On 28 Mairch 1872, William Grassie dee'd at *'Barburgh Mill**, aged 40, an wis buirit at the [[Dalgarnock|Dalgarnock Seemetry]] whaur his memorial staunds yet.
* On 16 October 1852, Agnes Maxwell dee'd at **Burbraugh Mill** aged 4 year. Agnes's paurents wis William Maxwell an Elizabeth Bennoch. She wis buirit at the Dalgarnock Seemetry an aw wi her paurents.
* In 1704 John Nivison o **Barbouy** (Barburgh) place't a memorial tae his faither, that haed been the miller at Closeburn, at Dalgarnock Seemetry.
* On 5 Februar 1867 James Mackie McKerlie, manufacturer, aged 24, dee'd at the mill, an his guidwife Mary Ann Mackie dee'd at the mill an aw, aged 51.
* Isabella Love, dochter o John an Henriette McKerlie, dee'd at th mill on 15 Julie 1871 aged 18 month. Johm McKerlie later flittit til the ooen mill at Cample Mill an dee'd aged 60 fae injurs acquire't fae a mishanter at Campleslacks in 1881.
* John Jackson wis praisent at **Barbarock Mill''' aboot 1840-1850.

## Transport

Barburgh lies in Nithsdale, a naitural communication througang that haes upshottit in the main A76 road passin throu it, an the railwey cutthin throu it an aw at a greater hicht. The Dumfries-til-Aur road rins throu on its way tae Thornhill fae Auldgirth. The veelage niver haed a railwey station, the nearest nouadays bein Sanquhar railwey station an afore a station wis praisent at Auldgirth.

As an auld towl road the A76 ance haed a towl hoose, first recordit as Burbrught Toll in 1821 an in 1828 an aw, houiver on the 1843-1882 OS map it is cried 'Stepends Toll' wi a tron an a watter troch nearby. By 899 the towl seestem no langer existit an the site is recordit as "Whitespots Cottages".

## References

## External links
*Roman remeens rekivert at Barburgh Mill Roman Fortlet 
*Video footage o James Harkness's graff an Dalgarnock Seemetry.