About

Kirkcudbright History Society was established in 2001 with the aim of promoting and encouraging interest in the history of the town of Kirkcudbright and its immediate environs, and more generally in the former county of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (Kirkcudbrightshire).

Next season we hope to stream our meetings so that members outwith the area can participate .

If you wish to be put on our mailing list please contact our Secretary khsoffice44@gmail.com

For any genealogy or local history queries please contact our web secretary secretary@kirkcudbrighthistorysociety.org.uk

Aims

  • to encourage and conduct research into local history topics
  • arrange and organise lectures on local history themes
  • organise outings to places of interest
  • publish or assist in the publication of notes, papers, transcripts and web pages (relating to local history)
  • liaise with holders of source material, for mutual benefit
  • arrange local history exhibitions

Committee

The following article describing what the Society does, appeared in the Scottish Local History Society newsletter Clish Clash December 2021

  • Kirkcudbright History Society was established in 2001 following an initiative by local historian Jim Bell, taken forward with local historian David Collin and David Devereux, then Curator of The Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright. A small group of founder members was gathered and a committee appointed and constitution adopted. The main aim of the society is to promote and encourage interest in the history of the town of Kirkcudbright and its immediate environs, and more generally in the former county of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright (Kirkcudbrightshire). Membership grew rapidly leading up to the present membership level of 80+ with another 100 guests attending lectures per annum. Membership is currently £12 per season with guests paying £3 per lecture. The programme comprises six lectures each winter. During lockdown we have managed to hold our meetings by Zoom and make available recordings on YouTube. This has resulted in participants from far and wide including Canada. Some of our talks are based on original research by members and it is our intention to produce a series of publications covering some of these topics. Over the years the Society has financed publications by members, in part or in full.We collaborate with a variety of local community groups including the Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities, the Stewartry U3A, Kirkcudbright Community Council and the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership. Members are encouraged to participate in a variety of local projects, for example the Kirkcudbright group for ScRAP (Scottish Rock Art Project) and the community archaeology project at Tongland Abbey. Guided walks of the town are available and can be organised through the secretary.Over several summers, the Society has offered guided tours of Kirkcudbright’s historic kirkyard – the site of the original St Cuthbert’s kirk which gave the present town its name. Following a case of serious vandalism at the kirkyard, Kirkcudbright Community Council successfully secured Heritage Lottery funding to repair over 40 damaged headstones. A condition of the HLF grant was that the project should also provide better access and interpretation on the site. As well as on-site information panels, the Society’s tours contribute directly to meeting this need and attract totals in excess of 100 visitors for the 6 tours offered each summer. In addition to these tours, this past summer the Society has taken over the operation of the Kirkcudbright Town Walks, previously offered for many years by the Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities Committee. A pool of volunteers from the Society has been trained up to provide this service which contributes to the remarkably wide range of visitor activities offered all year round in the town by the Festivities Committee.The Society’s website and Facebook pages have become even more popular during the recent pandemic. The website is structured to be a repository of digital information, for example collections of local field names, histories of the local shops and firms, some of which are no longer in existence, as well as having a gallery of archive photographs. There is also a section on local buildings where members have contributed their own research, for example on the Combination Poor House and Kirkcudbright Prison. Monthly Newsletters are sent to members and are also posted on the website.Queries come from all over the world asking for help with family history and other aspects of local history, for example the Kirkcudbright Tolbooth Clock. Information is supplied by Society members and relayed back, and these lines of enquiry often lead to articles being published on the website. The Society monitors local planning applications and makes representation to the planning authority where there are issues involving the preservation or recording of our local heritage.Website www.kirkcudbrighthistorysociety.org.uk We are on Facebook