Geography and Landform

Galloway is that a share of Scotland southward from either a Southern Upland watershed and westward from either a Flow of any stream Nith. 3 independent river valleys, a Urr, a Ken/Dee, & the Cree, wholly going n-south, provide great deal of the proficient tillable land, although there exists as well a select few cultivable land on the coast. Usually all a same the landscape is rugged & very much of the soil is shallow. A typically in the south slope & southern coast wreak modest & needing changed climate, & there is a groovy treat of serious pasture.

Historically Galloway has been far-famed two for horses & for cattle rearing, and milk and beef production are each however major industries. There exists likewise real timber production and a few fisheries. A combination of hills & high rain produce Galloway ideal for hydroelectric power production, and a Galloway Hydro Power scheme was begun around 1929. Since so, electricity generation has been a important industry. Further recently wind turbines have been installed at the total of locations on the watershed, & the big offshore wind-power plant is planned, increasing Galloway's 'green energy' production.

A northern section of Galloway is extremely rugged & forms a big unexpended woods inside Britain south of the Highlands.

Name
Occasionally scholars own proposed that a title 'Galloway' derives from either The Gallgaidhill. Daphne Brooke, an eminent local placenames scholar, believed that a title was from either 'Caleddon', a Brythonic form of the name written around Latin 'Caledonia'. A mutation would develop no more 'Caleddon', 'Callewyddon', 'Callewydd', 'Galloway', the mutation pattern which may be traced inside more Brythonic placenames.

Prehistory
A Romans named a dweller of Galloway a Novantae. Based on data from tradition, prior to a prevent of Roman rule out Britain, St. Ninian established a church at Whithorn in Galloway in 397 which remained an important place of pilgrimage until the Reformation.

Rerigonium
In a west, the city of Rerigonium (literally 'super royal place'), shown in Ptolemy's map of the world, in the future referred to in the Welsh_Triads as 'Penryn Rionyt' and remembered when one of a 'triad thrones of Britain' was probably a caput of the post Roman kingdom of Rheged. Its precise position is uncertain except that it was 'in Loch Ryan', close to modern day Stranraer; these are conceivable that it is a modern award of Dunragit (Dun Rheged).

Anglians
Galloway remained a Brythonic-speaking vicinity until the late 7th century while it was taken on top per Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. Local historian Daphne Brooke has suggested that a Anglians took on top the other fertile l& and religious centres rather Whithorn, leaving a native habitant a less fertile highland areas.

The Gallgaidhill
A Annals of Ulster has entries in the years 856, 857 and 859 describing activities of mercenary warbands referred to as 'Gallgaidhill' (literally, 'foreign gaels'). These are conceivable however not by the blame sight certain that these warbands can keep close at h& originated from either Galloway, and no very historical trend lines for a suggestions either that the Gallgaidhill were a freshly class action of mixed Scandinavian/Gaelic originside, or that such the class action achieved hegemony in Galloway, although these are certain that Galloway did use Gaelic & Scandinavian - too when Brythonic & Anglian - payout in the period of time of this period.

Fergus of Galloway
Whenever it experienced non been for Fergus of Galloway (ruled 1120-1161) who established himself around Galloway, a area would quickly use at times been absorbed by Scotland. This did non happen because Fergus, his sons, grandsons & neat-grandson Alan of Galloway shifted their allegiance between Scottish and English kings.

Alan died around 1234. He got triad girl & an unlawful boy Thomas. A 'Community of Galloway' wanted Thomwhen as their 'king'. Alexander III of Scotl& supported a girl (or even like their hubby) and invaded Galloway.

A Community of Galloway was discomfited, & Galloway divided higher between Alan's girl, so bringing Galloway's independent being to an prevent.

Medieval History
Alan's firstborn girl, Derbhorgail, married John de Balliol, and their son (too John) became one of the candidates for the Scottish Crown. Consequently, Scotland's Wars of Independence were disproportionately fought in Galloway. There were the prominent total of fresh Gaelic placenames being coined post 1320 (e.g. Balmaclellan), because Galloway retained the material Gaelic speaking people for many centuries additional.

As punishment a Wars of Independence, Galloway became a fief of the Earls of Douglas. Whithorn remained an significant cult centre, & all the medieval Kings of Scots made pilgrim's journey there.

Reference
Much of the modern operate on the early & mediaeval history of Galloway has been treat Daphne Brooke; her operate is published around the total of monographs and in

Brooke, D: Uncivilized Men & Holy: Canongate Click, Edinburgh, 1994: ISBN 0862414792

Several of her monographs come available on the net at http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~daphne/

Her unpublished papers & notes come available within Kirkcudbright Museum.