Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway

Borgue (pronounced /ˈbɔrɡ/) is a village and parish in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies 5 miles south-west of Kirkcudbright and 6 miles south of Gatehouse of Fleet. The name Borgue (recorded as Borg in 1469) is from Old Norse borg 'stronghold'.[1][2]

For the village in the north of Scotland of the same name, see Borgue, Highland.

Borgue

Borgue Village
Borgue
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
OS grid referenceNX629484
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKIRKCUDBRIGHT
Postcode districtDG6
Dialling code01557
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Borgue Parish Church was built in 1814 and designed by architect Walter Newall with alterations dating from 1897-98.[3] Due to a dwindling congregation it closed in August 2018.[4] The churchyard contains the late C19 Gothic mausoleum of the Gordons of Earlston.

According to folk tradition, Borgue was once the home of a boy who could consort with the fairies.[5]

Castle Haven dun
Castle Haven

Within the parish, near Kirkandrews, and due west of the village of Borgue, is Castle Haven, an Iron Age hill fort of uncertain date which is designated a scheduled ancient monument.[6][7]

Only about 10.5m x 18m in size, Castle Haven is of an unusual D-shape with an almost straight west wall running along the edge of a cliff. The fort is now overgrown and difficult to discern in the landscape, but a nearly concentric outer wall remains; the main entrance is in the arch segment to the north, while a smaller access at the south end leads down to the beach. Another peculiar characteristic of this fort is the almost totally hollow construction of the wall, which contains three galleries of different lengths within its thickness; six adits lead to the galleries. Steps lead to the top of the wall.

Artefacts found during restoration - two spiral bronze finger rings and a blue and white glass bead - indicate that its users were relatively prosperous. There were also fragments of an enamelled medieval brooch.

Notable people from Borgue

List of listed buildings in Borgue

List of listed buildings in Borgue, Dumfries and Galloway

References
  1. Nicolaisen, W. F. H. (2001). Scottish Place Names. Edinburgh: John Donald. p. 144.
  2. Grant, Alison Elizabeth (2003). Scandinavian Place-Names in Northern Britain as Evidence for Language Contact and Interaction (PDF). University of Glasgow (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 260. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015.
  3. Gifford, John. (2002). Dumfries and Galloway. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300096712. OCLC 49297770.
  4. Norris, Stephen (29 August 2018). "Final service at Borgue Church". dailyrecord. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  5. "Fairy Boy of Borgue - Mysterious Britain & Ireland". Mysterious Britain & Ireland. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  6. Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Haven,dun,Castle Haven Bay (SM1116)". Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  7. https://canmore.org.uk/site/63623/castle-haven
  8. https://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/news/obituary/15902225.obituary-adam-gray
  9. http://www.borgueprimary.ik.org/p_The_Early_Years_of_Borgue_Academy.ikml
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