Product Description

This text explores the heritage of Dumfries and Galloway, an area where a hospitable coastline has welcomed missionary and smuggler alike. It looks at points of historical interest such as the two often conflicting powers, secular and church, which dominated the Middle Ages; castles such as Caerlavreock and Threave that are matched by abbeys like Sweetheart and Dundrennan; Robert Burn's farm at Ellisland; and the stone circle of Torhousekie. This book is part of a series, telling the story of a part of Scotland, tracing human impressions on the landscape from World War II relics back to the early pioneer days of the settlement.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #649897 in Books
• Published on: 1996-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Inside Flap
Exploring Scotland’s Heritage Series provides an up-to-date and authoritative introduction to the rich archaeological heritage of Scotland. Each book tells the story of one part of Scotland, tracing human impressions on the landscape from World War II relics back to the earliest pioneer days of settlement. The details are filled in by a gazetteer of the most interesting and best preserved monuments and each new edition also features a full-colour Excursions section with easy to follow trips.

Dumfries and Galloway explores the heritage of this peaceful corner of Scotland, where a hospitable coastline has welcomed missionary and smuggler alike. Two often conflicting powers, secular and church, dominated the Middle Ages – mighty castles like Caerlaverock and Threave are matched by abbeys like Sweetheart and Dundrennan. From Robert Burns’ farm at Ellisland to the enigmatic stone circle of Torhousekie, the visitor will find plenty of interest.

About the Author
Geoffrey Stell is Head of Architecture in the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and has made a special study of Dumfries and Galloway.

Excerpted from Dumfries and Galloway (Exploring Scotland's Heritage S.) by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of. Copyright © 1996. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The landscape of Dumfries and Galloway possesses virtually all the scenic qualities that visitors expect to find in Scotland: a rugged mountainous heartland, hills and moorlands typical of the Border country, forests, lochs, glens, salmon rivers, and a long and fertile coastline which is washed by the Solway Firth and North Channel. In the west it also has a gentle undulating pastoral character strongly reminiscent of Ireland, and in the eat the rich, deep farmlands of lower Annandale and Eskdale share the Solway Plain with northern Cumbria. Yet, whilst merging imperceptibly with its neighbours, the land at the heart of this region is subtly different from the rest of Southern Scotland. What man has made of this landscape – and its changes – over the past seven millennia, and how that landscape has conditioned his efforts are major themes running through this guide. It is intended to show how the archaeology and historic architecture of the region share the cultural!
traditions of neighbouring provinces and of Scotland as a whole, and in what respects the are special and distinctive.

The chronology of human settlement broadly follows the general pattern encountered elsewhere in Scotland. The earliest evidence relates to itinerant communities of the remote mesolithic period, here traced back to campsites dating from about 4800 BC. They were succeeded by neolithic peoples (c 4000-2500 BC) whose achievements in this area are as yet measurable mainly by their ritual and burial practices rather than by their houses and farms.

Customer Reviews

Excellent guide
First class introduction to the history of the region; well written, beautifully illustrated. If you are planning a visit or want to get an overview of the history, an excellent guide.