Whithorn (; ), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, "White/Shining House", built by Saint Ninian around 397 CE.

Toponymy

thumb|left|Mention of Whithorn (as ) in the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]

There is a tradition that Ninian built a church of stone and lime nearby in the late 4th century; it was called , 'White/Shining House'. "Whithorn" is a modern form of the Anglo-Saxon version of this name, or , 'White House'. In Gallovidian Gaelic, it was called , or , the latter a version of the Anglo-Saxon name (Gaelic has no sound corresponding to English wh). Ninian dedicated the church to his master Martin of Tours, and when he died (probably in 432) Ninian was buried in the church. The interior was reordered with the altar brought forward from the east wall following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. At that time the baldacchino was also demolished, and the decorative ironwork at the baptistry and communion rail scrapped. The original Creetown granite altar was placed outside against the east elevation. A possible source of inspiration is the church of San Julián de los Prados Ovieda, Asturias in Spain. The East elevation has a carved Hew Lorimer crucifix 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 by Peter MacGregor Chalmers in 1914.

Geography

Whithorn's link to the sea was the port known as the Isle 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 13th-century Saint Ninian's Chapel marked the point where pilgrims came ashore (the roofless remains are looked after by Historic Environment Scotland).

The 1st-century settlement of Rispain Camp, about west of Whithorn, is also in the care of Historic Scotland.

Railway

Whithorn was once served by a railway station until 1950 when the passenger service was withdrawn and the freight services falling victim to the Beeching axe in 1964. The track was lifted in April 1965.

Listed buildings

List of listed buildings in Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway

<gallery>

File:Burgh.of.Whithorn.Seal.png|Seal of the Burgh of Whithorn

File:Whithorn Priory.jpg|Whithorn Priory

File:St Ninians Chapel.jpg|Remains of the Priory Nave at Whithorn

File:Monreith Cross.JPG|The Monreith Cross in the Whithorn Museum

File:Whithorn War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1456775.jpg|Whithorn War Memorial

File:St Martin and St Ninian Catholic Church Whithorn Wigtownshire consecrated 1960.jpg|St Martin and St Ninian Church, George Street

</gallery>

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 of South American literature Alastair Reid was born in Whithorn on 22 March 1926. He was known for his lighthearted style of poems and for his translations of South American poets Jorge Luis Borges and Pablo 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 the Galloway House estate.
  • George Dickie (1912–1951) was born and grew up in Whithorn. Using the nom de guerre of Jack Brent, he fought in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–38, against the fascist forces of General 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 biography Geordie's Story: A Life of Jack Brent.
  • Jeannie Donnan (1864–1942), "The Galloway Poetess", was born in Gatehouse of Fleet in Kirkcudbrightshire and later moved to Whithorn on George Street commemorated by a plaque. She wrote local poetry published as Hameland: The Poems of Jeannie Donnan, 1907; War Poems, 1915; The Hills of Hame, 1930, as well as in the Galloway Gazette.

See also

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

Notes and references

  • 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