Kirkmaiden
| Kirkmaiden | |
|---|---|
 Kirkmaiden
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| Kirkmaiden shown within Dumfries and Galloway | |
| Population | 685 (2001) |
| OS grid reference | NX1236 |
| Civil parish |
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| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stranraer |
| Postcode district | DG9 |
| Dialling code | 01776 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Kirkmaiden is a parish in the Rinns of Galloway, the most southerly in Scotland; the present Church of Scotland parish has the same name as and is approximately coterminous with the original pre-Reformation parish.
It is named after the mediaeval St Medan, whose identity, name, sex and origin are all disputed. The name "Kirkmaiden" itself is thought to be a corruption of a purer Gaelic "Kilmaiden" by either Scandinavians or Angles with a knowledge of Gaelic.
It is also the area and name of a community council, which meets generally in Drummore and occasionally in Port Logan.
There are two main settlements in Kirkmaiden: Drummore and Port Logan.
The parish church was originally some five miles south of Drummore, at a site on the Kirkburn, not far from the Mull of Galloway; the name of the nearest cove, Portankill, suggests that originally many worshippers attended Mass by boat. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and in a cave on the eastern shore of the parish at some time a hermit lived. On 15 July 1393 Pope Clement VII authorised Finlay, Abbot of Soulseat, to annex Kirkmaiden parish church in ‘le Rynnis’ to augment the income of the abbey.
In 1638 the parishioners, citing the inconvenience of the journey to church, secured the building of a new church known as Kirk Covenant on Core Hill, about a mile west of Drummore. The patron was the Earl of Stair.
Following the Disruption of 1843, a new church was again built, for worshippers in the Free Church of Scotland, and this time in the village itself, in the street now known as Stair Street. Early in the 20th century the two congregations were reunited. Now worship is habitually at the church within Drummore, with one service each month in the summer being held at Kirk Covenant.
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Wikipedia