Troqueer
| Troqueer | |
|---|---|
 Troqueer Parish Church |
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 Troqueer
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| Troqueer shown within Dumfries and Galloway | |
| OS grid reference | NX976762 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUMFRIES |
| Postcode district | DG1/2 |
| Dialling code | 01387 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Troqueer is a former village and a parish in Dumfries and Galloway on the west side of the River Nith. The eastern-side was merged with Dumfries to the east in 1929, and, today, eastern Troqueer is a suburb of Dumfries.
Troqueer lies on the west side of the Nith, and was originally in Kirkcudbrightshire. The parish has an area of 11,675 acres (4,725 ha) including the former burgh of Maxwelltown in the northeastern portion. It is about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) from north to south and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from east to west, and is bordered on the east by the Nith.
An 1846 account said the parish included some woodland and plantations, but was mainly arable, meadow, and pasture. It went on: "The surface is intersected by three nearly equidistant and parallel ranges of heights, the first of which, rising gradually from the river, has been long in a high state of cultivation, and contains several nursery grounds and gardens of great fertility. The valley between it and the second ridge is also fruitful, and is watered by the Cargen, which flows into the Nith. The second ridge, of greater elevation, produces excellent crops of turnips and potatoes, with wheat, barley, and oats; and the interval between it and the third ridge is partly good meadow land, but chiefly moss, which might at a moderate expense be brought into tillage. The third ridge, and the highest, extends through the whole length of the parish; it is arable on the acclivities nearly to the summit, and though less fertile than the others, yields remunerating crops. The Nith, of which the water is beautifully limpid, abounds with salmon, grilse, and herlings, even beyond what is necessary for the supply of the surrounding district. The plantations consist of oak, ash, elm, and other foresttrees, with fir and larch; they are carefully managed, and in a flourishing condition".
The name Troqueer is of Cumbric origin. The first element is treβ 'farmstead'. The second is likely *wejr 'a bend, something curved or twisted', referring to the bend in the Nith, beneath Troqueer Motte.Andrew Breeze proposes the meaning ‘farmstead on the (river-)bend’.
In the 12th century Alan filius Roland, constable of Scotland, built an earthwork motte and bailey fortress, the Mote of Troqueer, against the banks of the Nith. In the early 13th century the fortress was held by Durand filius Christin. Part of the flat-topped motte survives, but some of the motte is now covered by the suburbs, and the position of the bailey has been lost.
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Wikipedia