Tinwald, a Dumfriesshire parish on the mutual border of Nithsdale and Annandale. It comprehends the ancient parishes of Tinwald and Trailflat, united in 1650; and contains the small post-office village of Amisfield, with a station on the Caledonian railway, 4 miles NNE of the post-town, Dumfries. It is bounded NE by Kirkmichael, E by Lochmaben, S by Torthorwald, SW by Dumfries, and W and NW by Kirkmahoe. Its utmost length, from N by W to S by E, is 55/8miles; its utmost breadth is 4¾ miles; and its area is 10, 391½ acres, of which 109 are water. The Water of AE flows 5 miles east-south-eastward along or close to all the Kirkmichael boundary; Lochar Water or Park Burn, its head-stream, runs 61/8miles south-south-eastward along all the boundary with Kirkmahoe and Dumfries; and several burns rise in the interior, and run to either the Ae or the Iochar. Along the Water of Ae the surface declines to less than 200, along Lochar Water to less than 100, feet above sea-level. The tract adjacent to the latter stream appears to have formed part of an estuary in times subsequent to the human occupation of the surrounding country; comprises a belt about 1 mile long and ¼ mile broad, reclaimed from moss into remarkably fine meadow; and includes a sandy ridge of some 35 acres, called Tinwald Isle, once surrounded with such depth of estuarial water as to have served the purpose of a commodious harbour. About three-fourths of the entire area are occupied by hilly heights, which, rising slowly from the low flat grounds, have diversified shoulders and an undulating tabular summit, are either ploughed or verdant over nearly all their surface, and attain a maximum altitude of 818 feet above sea-level at High Auchnane. They command brilliant views over all the lower basin of the Nith from Queensberry to Criffel, and across the Solway Firth to Skiddaw; and they pass, at the southern boundary, into the continuous but lower heights of Torthorwald and Mouswald. A lake, called Murder Loch, was once of considerable size and great depth, but has been much reduced by draining, and now is nowhere more than 18 feet deep. The predominant rocks are greywacke and greywacke slate. The soil, to some extent, is either reclaimed moss, sandy gravel, or stiff moorish clay; but is mainly a loamy or friable clay, much mixed in places with small stones. Woods cover a considerable area; about 2150 acres are meadow, pasture, or waste; and the rest of the parish is in tillage. Tinwald House, on the western skirt of the hills, 13/8mile SE of Amisfield village, was once a seat of the Marquis of Queensberry, but is now a farm house; and the Queensberry estate in Tinwald and Torthorwald was sold in 1884 to James Jardine, Esq. of Dryfeholm. Mansions, noticed separately, are Amisfield House and Gienae; and the principal antiquities are Amisfield Castle, adj.oining Amisfield House, vestiges of four ancicnt forts at - Amisfield, Shielhill, High Auchnane, and Barrshell Hill, and traces of a Roman road by Trailflat towards Burnswark. William Paterson (1655-1719), the projector of the Darien colony and the Bank of England, was born at Skipmire farm, as also was his grand-nephew, Dr James Mounsay, first physician for many years to the Empress of Russia. Five proprietors hold each an annual value of more, and 5 of-less, than £500. Tinwald is in the presbytery and synod of Dumfries; the living is worth £228. The parish church was built in 1763, and contains 400 sittings. Two public schools, Amisfield and Shieldhill, with respective accommodation for 146 and 49 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 91 and 57, and grants of £71, 10s. and £53, 13s. Valuation (1860) £7795, (1885) £11,190. Pop. (1801) 980, (1831) 1220, (1861) 1079, (1871) 993, (1881) 861.—Ord. Sur., sh. 10, 1864.
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