Kirkpatrick-Fleming, a village and a parish of SE Dumfriesshire. The village, standing near the left bank of Kirtle Water, has a station on the Caledonian railway, 13 miles NW of Carlisle, 3¾ ESE of Kirtlebridge, and 7 ESE of Ecclefechan, under which there is a post office. A combination poorhouse, with accommodation for 120 inmates, was built here in 1852.
The parish, comprising the ancient parishes of Kirkpatrick, Irvine, and Kirkconnel, is bounded N by Middlebie, E by Half-Morton and Gretna, S by Gretna and Dornock, and W by Annan, Dornock (detached), and Middlebie. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 63/8 miles; its breadth, from E to W, varies between 23/8 and 5 miles; and its area is 11,572½ acres, of which 43½ are water. Kirtle Water winds 7 miles along the north-western and western border, and then goes 3½ miles south-eastward through the interior, till it passes off into Gretna on its way to the Sark. Where it quits the parish, the surface declines to 70 feet above sea-level, and thence it rises slowly northward to 225 feet near Hayfield, 349 at Wyseby Hill, and 565 at High Muir-vantage-grounds that command extensive and brilliant views in every direction except to the N. Numerous perennial springs give copious supplies of pure water; and four mineral springs, one of them similar to Moffat Spa, the others to Hartfell Spa, enjoy considerable medicinal repute. The rocks are of the secondary formation, from Devonian upward; and sandstone, limestone, and marble have been worked. The soil of nearly two-thirds of all the parish is humus or decomposed moss, resting upon clay; and that of the rest is generally light and kindly, often a strong red sandy earth, with porous subsoil. About 600 acres are under wood; 850 are unreclaimed moss; 2000 are moorish pasture; and all the rest of the land is regularly or occasionally in tillage. The chief antiquities are Woodhouse Tower, Redhall Tower, Merkland Cross, and Kirkconnel churchyard. James Currie (1756-1805), an eminent physician and Burns's biographer, was a native. Mansions are Springkell, Cove, Kirkpatrick, Langshaw, Mossknow, and Wyseby; and 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 4 of between £100 and £500, 3 of from £50 to £100, and 4 of from £20 to £50. Kirkpatrick-Fleming is in the presbytery of Annan and synod of Dumfries; the living is worth £305. The parish church was partly rebuilt about 1778, and contains 600 sittings. There is also a Free church; and two public schools, Gair and Kirkpatrick-Fleming, with respective accommodation for 101 and 182 children, had (1882) an average attendance of 74 and 111, and grants of £57, 15s. and £104, 2s. 6d. Valuation (1860) £9425, (1883) £12, 565, 3s. 7d. Pop. (1801) 1544, (1831) 1666, (1861) 1925, (1871) 1529, (1881) 1464.—Ord. Sur., shs. 10, 6, 1864-63.
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