It is impossible to do justice to the History of Galloway and what follows is intended to give visitors to our website something of the flavour of one of Scotland’s less well known areas, but one which is steeped in history. Any web search engine will provide a myriad of references for the History of Galloway for those wishing to explore further, but we hope that what follows may tempt the cyber-tourist to pay a personal visit to one of the most beautiful and tranquil areas of Scotland.

The earliest traces of civilisation in Galloway date back to the end of the last ice age between 8000 and 7000 BC. The effects of the ice age are still visible today, having rounded down some of the most ancient mountains in the world to form the present day Galloway Hills with Merrick being the highest point in Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde Canal at 843 metres. From its summit, on a clear day, it is possible to see the ‘whole of the British Isles’ from the mountains of the Trossachs in the north, to Wales and the Isle of man in the south, the Cumbrian Mountains to the south east and Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic to the west and south west. Whilst not containing any ‘Munros’ (peaks over 3000 feet) the Galloway Hills can provide a challenge to any keen hillwalker. Those wishing a more leisurely stroll may take advantage of sections of the Southern Upland Way, a long distance footpath running 212 miles from Portpatrick in the West to Cockburnspath in Berwickshire, and which runs through Galloway for large sections of its length.

Galloway has been very much a melting pot of civilisation over the years. First populated by tribes of farmers and hunters from Ireland and the North of England as the ice sheets retreated, these Celtic tribesmen remained to the fore until the first century AD when the Roman Emperor Agricola pushed west through Galloway. Roman attempts to ‘civilise’ this area of what was later to become Scotland were mostly successful during their occupation of 350 years or so which lasted until Antonine’s Wall on the Forth and Clyde isthmus was abandoned and the Romans pulled back to Hadrian’s Wall running from Bowness-on-Solway near Carlisle to Wallsend in Tyne and Wear. During this time, despite being regularly harried by the Pictish tribes who remained outwith the protection of the Imperial Army, the Romans integrated with the local communities and many Romans remained behind after the fall of the Empire. The Romans brought with them advances in agricultural techniques and established schools. Perhaps, their greatest influence, however, was the introduction of Christianity to Galloway culminating with Ninian founding the Christian Church in Scotland in Whithorn in Wigtownshire around 396 AD. Today the Whithorn Dig, which is open to the public, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Scotland.

The years between the coming of Christianity to Galloway and what is generally recognised as the first true foundation of the Scottish throne in 1034 were turbulent ones. In 1034, Duncan, King of the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde, brought together that kingdom and the kingdom of Alba to form an entity that would later form what is now known as Scotland. In those days, however, the political unit also included Cumbria (part of Strathclyde) but excluded the outer islands which remained under Norse rule. During the intervening years before the formation of Scotland, Galloway, being ‘between’ Strathclyde and Dalriada to the north and Bernicia (Northumberland) in the southeast, was visited by the Britons of Strathclyde, the Scots (who originated in Ireland) of Dalriada, the Picts of Caledonia, as well as, if not exactly extending a hand of friendship, encountering those from further afield such as the Danes and the Angles. Following the Norsemen, other venturers from beyond the seas arrived, most notably the gall ghaidhil which means ‘foreign Gaels’. The gall ghaidhil, possibly a mix of Scots and Norse from what is now Ireland, raided and settled the area which takes its name from them, what we now call Galloway. The area remained, though, somewhat semi-detached from ancient Strathclyde, with Galloway having its own earls and laws. While most of the central mainland became feudalised, a system which remains as a means of land tenure to this day, and which originally involved grants of land by the monarch to the nobility in exchange for the nobility providing the manpower to raise armies, Galloway remained separatist with its own law, customs and clothing. Galwegians are reputed to have fought in battle ‘half naked’.

What defines Scotland (including Galloway) and England today, can probably be traced to those turbulent years between the arrival of Christianity and the Wars of Independence between Scotland and England that would commence about 250 years later. In 1138, David I King of Scots, attempted to annex Northumberland, but was defeated at the Battle of the Standard. English chroniclers reported many atrocities at the time and Galwegians were often named as the culprits. The bloody Battle of the Standard set the ground for Scots to be seen as foreigners in the north of Anglo-Saxon England. As the kings of each country began to build up separate bodies of laws and different institutions, there began what has become Scots law, one of the factors which continues to define Scotland to this day, although what might pass as a unitary legal code for the whole of Scotland would not come about until the late 14th century.

Galloway, through all this, remained querulous at best and rebellious at worse. In the times of de Brus, which would later become the house of Bruce and whose descendent would play a leading role at the Battle of Bannockburn, Galloway remained separate in that it retained its own Justiciar a high ranking judicial officer.

Even as late as 1230, there existed the possibility that Galloway would conjoin with the Norsemen who still held important seats of power in the islands but a power struggle would lay the foundation to bring Galloway into the Scottish fold although rumblings of discontent with the Scottish Crown would continue for some centuries. Bruce, Lord of Annandale raised an army to press his claim to the Scottish throne in 1290. The throne had lain vacant following the death of the monarch Alexander III and in the meantime Scotland had been ruled by six Guardians appointed by a Council of Earls Barons and Bishops. The Guardians were intended to rule until Margaret, Maid of Norway, who would have succeeded to the throne, came of age. Meanwhile, plans were afoot in England for Edward I to have confirmed and recognised what he regarded as his Overlordship of Scotland, following the proposed marriage of his son to the Maid of Norway. Had the marriage taken place, peace may have broken out between the two countries, but on her arrival at the Orkney Islands, then still belonging to Norway, Margaret died, leaving no obvious successor to the Scottish throne. A Council was convened by Edward I at Berwick Castle to consider claims to the Scottish throne. From thirteen claimants, two leading contenders appeared, one being Robert de Brus of Annandale, the other being John Balliol, whose seat of power was in Galloway at Buittle which lies between Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie. The throne was awarded to John Balliol with Edward reputedly adjudging him a weak character.

Balliol ruled for four years virtually as a puppet of Edward I. Scotland was no more than a Barony under the control of the English Overlord. Unrest and anger grew in Scotland providing the unifying force that was to see all Scots, be they Pict, Scot, Angle, Briton, Norse or Norman (or Galwegian) forge the basis of a unitary state against a common enemy. Unrest culminated when Edward ordered Scotland to provide soldiers to fight France alongside the English. Instead, Scotland joined with France to form the ‘Auld Alliance’. Edward I then invaded Scotland, sacking Berwick on the way. King John Balliol withdrew his homage to the English king but his meagre military resources could not withstand English knights and cavalry and his army was routed at Dunbar. Scottish castles fell one by one until finally Edinburgh surrendered after a month long siege. King John surrendered at Kincardine Castle later being imprisoned in the Tower of London. What followed was the emergence of a people’s leader, William Wallace. Thus, the fabric of a nation was laid, Galloway included.

The author acknowledges the assistance of David Morrison in providing numerous links to web sites on the History of Galloway and Scotland. David’s own web site contains an excellent and much more detailed article on the History of Galloway at www.seanachaidh.org