Abermele or Abermilk, an ancient parish in Annandale, Dumfriesshire. It was named from the confluence of the river Mele or Milk with the Annan: and, its church having been dedicated to St Kentigern or Mungo, it has, since the Reformation, been called ST Mungo.
St Mungo, a parish of Annandale, Dumfriesshire, whose church stands near the right bank of the Water of Milk, 3 miles S by E of the post-town, Lockerbie. It is bounded NE by Tundergarth, E by Hoddam, S by Cummertrees, SW by Dalton, and W, NW, and N by Dryfesdale. Its utmost length, from N by E to S by W, is 5¼ miles; its breadth varies between ¼ mile and 31/3 miles; and its area is 4932½ acres, of which 35¾ are water. The river Annan winds 33/8 miles south-eastward along all the Dalton and Cummertrees boundary; and the Water of Milk 6 miles south-by-westward mainly through the interior, but for the first 1¾ mile along the boundary with Tundergarth, and for the last 52/3 furlongs along or near to that with Hoddam-until it falls into the Annan at the SE corner of the parish. Springs of the purest water, welling up from the rocks, and maintaining, in some cases, an equable temperature all the year round, are both many and copious. The general surface is slightly uneven, sinking little below 130, and little exceeding 300, feet above sea-level; but in a wing of the parish to the E of the Caledonian railway it attains near Cowdens a maximum altitude of 603 feet. Seen from distant heights which command a maplike view of it, the parish looks almost flat; but, though not strictly hilly, it has such swells and eminences as, with aid of Brunswark Hill in the neighbouring parish of Hoddam, and the wooded rising grounds of Kirkwood in Dalton, present on nearer inspection a gracefully, varied, and pleasing landscape. Silurian and Devonian rocks predominate; limestone has been quarried on the north-eastern border; sandstone and shale, belonging to the Carboniferous formation, are at the head of the glebe; porphyritic amygdaloid forms the main mass of Nutholm Hill; and galena, jasper, and chalcedony are found in various parts. The soil on about 280 acres of holm-land adjacent to the Annan and the Milk is a rich, deep alluvium, and elsewhere varies considerably. Nearly nine-tenths of the entire area are in tillage; and some 300 acres are under wood. A sepulchral tumulus was removed half a century since from Sorrysikemuir; an ancient Caledonian camp was formerly near the site of that tumulus; and on Cowdens farm is the spot where Ralph Erskine's tent was pitched at the introduction of Secession principles to Annandale. Mansions, noticed separately, are Castlemilk and Murrayfield; and R. Jardine, Esq., M.P., is chief proprietor, 1 other holding an annual value of more than £500, and 8 of between £100 and £500. St Mungo is in the presbytery of Locbmaben and the synod of Dumfries; the living is worth £310, 5s. 5d. The original parish church, which was dedicated to St Mungo or Kentigern, stood on the left bank of the river Annan, 1½ mile SW of the present one, and was a cruciform First Pointed edifice, partly rebuilt in 1754 and 1805. This church was confirmed by Robert de Bruce in 1174 to the episcopate of Glasgow, and became a mensal church of that see till the Reformation. The bishops of Glasgow are conjectured-chiefly from some remains visible at the end of last century of an ancient village, and of an extensive garden with a fish-pond-to have had a residence here. In 1116 the parish bore the name of Abermilk (` confluence of the Milk ')-a name exchanged for Castlemilk by 1170, and afterwards for St Mungo. For a short period succeeding 1609 the parish was annexed to Tundergarth. The present church, on a picturesque site 200 yards to the SE of its predecessor of 1842, is a handsome edifice erected in 1875-77 at a cost of £5000, the whole defrayed by Mr Jardine of Castlemilk. Scottish Gothic in style, from designs by the late David Bryce, R.S.A., it is built of light grey freestone, and has 350 sittings, stained-glass windows, and a massive NE tower, 19 feet square and 70 high. The public school, with accommodation for 115 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 114, and a grant of £109. Valuation (1860) £4699, (1885) £6529, 7s. 4d. Pop. (1801) 644, (1831) 791, (1861) 686, (1871) 658, (1881) 653.—Ord. Sur., sh. 10, 1864.
Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and
optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical
errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from
the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be
different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original
text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity.
This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer
