Whithorn

See also:Isle of WhithornandBishop of Whithorn

Whithorn
St Ninians's Priory Church
Whithorn Location withinDumfries and Galloway
Population	750 (2022)
OS grid reference	NX445405
•Edinburgh	97 mi (156 km)
•London	285 mi (459 km)
Council area	Dumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy area	Wigtownshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWTON STEWART
Postcode district	DG8
Dialling code	01988
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish Parliament	Galloway and West Dumfries

Whithorn(Scots pronunciation:[ˈʍɪthorn];Scottish Gaelic:Taigh Mhàrtainn), is aroyal burghin thehistoric countyofWigtownshireinDumfries and Galloway,Scotland,about 10 miles (16 kilometres) south ofWigtown.The town was the location of the first recorded Christianchurchin Scotland,Candida Casa"White/Shining House", built bySaint Ninianabout 397 CE.

Toponymy

Mention of Whithorn (asHwiterne) in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle

There is a tradition thatSt Ninianbuilt a church of stone and lime nearby in the late 4th century; it was calledCandida Casa,'White/Shining House'."Whithorn" is a modern form of the Anglo-Saxon version of this name,Hwit ÆrnorHwiterne,'White House'. InGallovidian Gaelic,it was calledRosnat,orFutarna,the latter a version of the Anglo-Saxon name (Gaelic has no sound corresponding to Englishwh).Ninian dedicated the church to his masterMartin of Tours,and when he died (probably in 432) Ninian was buried in the church.

Early history

A monastery anddiocese of the Anglo-Saxon kingdomofNorthumbriawas founded on the site in the 8th century, possibly originating with a 6th-centuryMagnum Monasterium,or monastery of Rosnat.It was the centre of the revivedSee of Galloway(or Candida Casa) under the patronage ofFergus, Lord of Gallowayand BishopGille Aldanfrom the 12th century. The late-medieval cathedralWhithorn Prioryis ruinous, much of it having disappeared completely apart from the much-altered aislelessnaveand vaults at the former eastern end which once held the shrine ofSt. Ninian,one of medieval Scotland's majorpilgrimagedestinations. Amuseumin the town contains finds from the site, which has been extensively excavated in recent years. A late-medieval gateway with the arms of theKing of Scotsleads into the site of the priory, which contains the 19th-century parish church and a museum of carved stones (Historic Environment Scotland). The collection of early medieval stones is one of the largest in Scotland, and includes the country's earliest surviving Christian memorial, the 5th-century inscribed Latinus Stone. The museum layout and display was revised and greatly improved in 2005.

The crozier

One of the finest artefacts found at the site is the Whithorn Crozier. The gilded and enamelled crozier is an outstanding example ofchamplevéenamels which were being made in England in the second half of the 12th century, and this one dates to around 1175.It is now housed in theNational Museums of Scotland,although it is loaned to the Whithorn Trust Visitor Centre every summer. It is thought that the crozier was buried with the body ofSimon de Wedale,who was one of the Bishops of Whithorn.

Churches

• St Martin and St Ninian Catholic Church, George St, 1959–60. Designed byHarry Stuart Goodhart Rendeland is his only known building in Scotland.The interior was reordered with the altar brought forward from the east wall following the reforms of theSecond Vatican Council.At that time thebaldacchinowas also demolished, and the decorative ironwork at the baptistry and communion rail scrapped. The originalCreetowngranite altar was placed outside against the east elevation. A possible source of inspiration is the church ofSan Julián de los PradosOvieda, Asturias in Spain.The East elevation has a carvedHew Lorimercrucifix mounted to the wall. The crucifix has not fared well after poor cleaning in 1997 led to significant loss of detail. The church including the quadrant walls is listed Category C(S).
• St Ninian's Priory Church, Church of Scotland. Built 1822 using stones from the medieval Whithorn Priory. The tower was added in the mid-19th century. Porch added byPeter MacGregor Chalmersin 1914.

Geography

Whithorn's link to the sea was the port known as theIsle of Whithorn(a separate community from Whithorn itself and actually a peninsula). It was much used in the Middle Ages by pilgrims arriving by boat. The thirteenth-centurySaint Ninian's Chapelmarked the point where pilgrims came ashore (the roofless remains are looked after byHistoric Environment Scotland).

The 1st-century settlement ofRispain Camp,about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Whithorn, is also in the care ofHistoric Scotland.

Railway

Whithorn was once served by arailway stationuntil 1950 when the passenger service was withdrawn and the freight services falling victim to theBeeching axein 1964. The track was lifted in April 1965.

Listed buildings

List of listed buildings in Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway

Gallery

• 
  Seal of the Burgh of Whithorn
• 
  Whithorn Priory
• 
  Remains of the Priory Nave at Whithorn
• 
  The Monreith Cross in the Whithorn Museum
• 
  Whithorn War Memorial
• 
  St Martin and St Ninian Church, George Street

Residents

• Charles Lockhart (1818–1905), petroleum producer and refiner, was born in Cairnhead, Isle of Whithorn. Co-founder in 1874 with John D Rockefeller of the Standard Oil Company (Esso).
• The poet and scholar ofSouth American literatureAlastair Reidwas born in Whithorn on 22 March 1926. He was known for his lighthearted style of poems and for his translations of South American poetsJorge Luis BorgesandPablo Neruda.Although he was known for translations, his own poems had gained notice during his lifetime.In his later years he was a frequent summer visitor, with his wife Leslie staying in a cottage on theGalloway Houseestate.
• George Dickie (1912–1951) was born and grew up in Whithorn. Using thenom de guerreof Jack Brent, he fought in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–38, against the fascist forces ofGeneral Franco.A memorial plaque was unveiled to him in 2006 on the former butcher's shop next to The Pend where he once worked as an assistant. His story is told by his nephew, John Dickie, in the 2012 biographyGeordie's Story: A Life of Jack Brent.
• Jeannie Donnan (1864–1942), "The Galloway Poetess", was born inGatehouse of Fleetin Kirkcudbrightshire and later moved to Whithorn on George Street commemorated by a plaque. She wrote local poetry published asHameland: The Poems of Jeannie Donnan,1907;War Poems,1915;The Hills of Hame,1930, as well as in theGalloway Gazette.

See also

• Whithorn (Parliament of Scotland constituency)
• Isle of Whithorn

Notes and references

• Glenn, V. (2003).Romanesque and Gothic: decorative metalwork and ivory carvings in the Museum of Scotland.Edinburgh: Museum of Scotland.

External links

• Castlewigg Tower plan
• Isle of Whithorn Castle
• The Whithorn Trust
• http://www.whithorn.info/
• http://www.whithornevergreens.co.uk/
• http://aye-whithorn.blogspot.com/2011/01/goodhart-rendels-inspiration.html?m=1