TRANSACTIONS of the DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY NATURAL HISTORY and ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY LXXXIX VOLUME 89 2015 TRANSACTIONS of the DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY NATURAL HISTORY and ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY FOUNDED 20 NOVEMBER 1862 THIRD SERIES VOLUME 89 LXXXIX DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF JANE BRANN (1958–2014) and MARION STEWART MBE (1942–2015) Editors: ELAINE KENNEDY JAMES FOSTER ISSN 0141-1292 2015 DUMFRIES Published by the Council of the Society Office-Bearers 2014–2015 and Fellows of the Society President Mr L. Murray Vice-Presidents Mr A. Pallister, Mrs P.G. Williams, Mr D. Rose and Mr R. Copland Fellows of the Society Mr A.D. Anderson, Mr J.H.D. Gair, Dr J.B. Wilson, Mr K.H. Dobie, Mrs E. Toolis, Dr D.F. Devereux, Mrs M. Williams and Dr F. Toolis Mr L.J. Masters and Mr R.H. McEwen — appointed under Rule 10 Hon. Secretary Mr J.L. Williams, Merkland, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries DG1 1SY Hon. Membership Secretary Mr S. McCulloch, 28 Main Street, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8BY Hon. Treasurer Mr M. Cook, Gowanfoot, Robertland, Amisfield, Dumfries DG1 3PB Hon. Librarian Mr R. Coleman, 2 Loreburn Park, Dumfries DG1 1LS Hon. Institutional Subscriptions Secretary Mrs A. Weighill Hon. Editors Mrs E. Kennedy, Nether Carruchan, Troqueer, Dumfries DG2 8LY Dr F. Toolis, 25 Dalbeattie Road, Dumfries DG2 7PF Dr J. Foster (Webmaster), 21 Maxwell Street, Dumfries DG2 7AP Hon. Syllabus Conveners Mrs J. Brann (until December 2014) Miss S. Ratchford, Tadorna, Hollands Farm Road, Caerlaverock, Dumfries DG1 4RS Mrs A. Clarke, 4 Redhall Road, Templand, Lockerbie DG11 1TF (from January 2015) Hon. Curators Mrs J. Turner and Miss S. Ratchford Hon. Outings Organiser Mrs S. Honey (until November 2014) President and Secretary (from January 2015) Ordinary Members Dr Jeanette Brock, Dr Jeremy Brock, Mr D. Scott, Mr J. McKinnell, Mr A. Gair, Mr D. Dutton, Mrs A. Clark CONTENTS The 2015 Dumfriesshire Rookery Census: Including comparisons with the surveys of 1908, 1921, 1963, 1973, 1975, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2010 by L.R. Griffin, D. Skilling, R.T. Smith and J.G. Young ................................................ 9 Iron Age Settlement Patterns in Galloway by Ronan Toolis ................................................. 17 Tongland Fish House and the Tongland Salmon Fishery by David F. Devereux and John Pickin ........................................................................... 35 The Alleged Parish of Irving, Dumfriesshire by James M. Irvine ........................................ 55 Rev. John Semple of Carsphairn by David Bartholomew ..................................................... 69 The Dumfries and Galloway Enlightenment by Edward J. Cowan ...................................... 75 The Lovely Nelly or: The History of St John’s Island Lot 52: 1767–1777 by Frances Wilkins .......................................................................................................... 103 John Heathcoat’s Steam Plough by Martin Allen .................................................................. 123 John Rutherford, Society Member and Photographer of Scenes in Dumfries by Morag Williams .......................................................................................................... 129 A Changing Parish: Kirkpatrick Fleming from the 1930s to 2013 by Alastair B. Duncan ..................................................................................................... 169 Addenda Antiquaria A Real Spy-Hunt in the Galloway Hills by Mike Jacob ....................................................... 199 Reviews Tales from the Baseline, a History of Dumfries Lawn Tennis Club by David Dutton. A.A.Fairn ............................................................................................ 202 The Border Towers of Scotland 2: Their Evolution and Architecture by Alastair M.T. Maxwell-Irving. Morag Williams ........................................................ 203 Ghosts in White Flannels: The History of Dumfries Cricket Club by William Sturgeon. David Dutton. ............................................................................... 204 A Neolithic Ceremonial Complex in Galloway – excavations at Dunragit and Droughduil, 1999–2002 by Julian Thomas. John Pickin ................................................ 206 Notice of Publication ............................................................................................................. 210 Obituaries Sheila Honey (1941–2014) .............................................................................................. 212 Jane Brann (1958–2014).................................................................................................. 212 Marion Stewart (1942–2015) .......................................................................................... 213 Proceedings ............................................................................................................................ 216 EDITORIAL INFORMATION Contributions are invited on the geology, natural history, archaeology and history of South-West Scotland and preference is always given to original work on subjects of local interest. Intending contributors should contact the Editors, giving details of the topic and approximate size of their paper. Much more information about the Transactions, including digitised copies of the entire run from 1862 onwards, with the exception of the most recent five years, is available on the Society’s website,www.dgnhas.org.uk . Each contributor has seen a proof of his or her paper and neither the Editors nor the Society hold themselves responsible for the accuracy of information in it. Contributors are responsible for obtaining permission to use copyright material in their papers and to acknowledge this where relevant. The Hon. Secretary, Mr John L. Williams, Merkland, Kirkmahoe, Dumfries DG1 1SY, Tel: 01387 710274, deals with all matters other than membership and institutional subscriptions which are dealt with by the Hon. Membership Secretary, Mr Stuart McCulloch, The Auld Manse, 28 Main Street, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8BY and the Hon. Institutional Subscriptions Secretary, Mrs A. Weighill, Drungans, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8EB respectively. Payment of membership subscriptions should be made to Mr Stuart McCulloch (see above) who will be pleased to arrange for subscriptions and donations to be treated as Gift Aid. This can increase the income of the Society without, generally, any additional cost to the member. Exchange periodicals should be sent to the Editor, Elaine Kennedy, Nether Carruchan, Troqueer, Dumfries DG2 8LY. Exchange periodicals are deposited with Dumfries Museum and prior contact should be made with museum staff if access is required to consult these. (Telephone 01387 253374). Enquiries regarding back numbers of the Transactions should be made to the Hon. Librarian, Mr R. Coleman, 2 Loreburn Park, Dumfries DG1 1LS, Tel: 01387 247297. A list of publications of the Society is given at the end of this volume. Members can assist the Society by handing in volumes that are no longer required. It follows that volumes marked as out of print may be available from time to time. All payments, other than subscriptions, should be made to the Hon. Treasurer, Mrs A. Weighill, Drungans, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8EB. The Society may make small grants for excavation or research. Applications should be made prior to 28 February in each year to the Hon. Secretary. Researchers are also reminded of the Mouswald Trust, founded by our late President, Dr R.C. Reid, which provides grants for work on certain periods. Enquiries and applications for grants to the Mouswald Trust should be made to Primrose and Gordon, Solicitors, 1 Newall Terrace, Dumfries DG1 1LN. The Society may also be able to assist with applications for funding from other sources. Copyright Requests for permission to reproduce material from the Transactions should be sent to the Editors, as well as to the author, illustrator, photographer or other creator of content. It is permitted to make single copies of articles for research purposes by an individual and for library reserve or short term loan use. Multiple copies of articles may be made for educational purposes by a non-profit-making institution for use within that institution only. Copies made for all other purposes require the prior consent of DGNHAS and the relevant copyright holders. On-line publication The Council of the Society has taken the decision to upload files of the Transactions onto its website when five years have elapsed since their publication. This is to alert copyright holders to our intention to make digital versions of their work available on-line. Anyone with concerns about their copyright material being reproduced in this way should contact the Editors. The illustration on the front cover is of the Wamphray cross-slab from the article ‘The Early Church in Dumfriesshire’ by W.G. Collingwood, in Volume 12 (1926) of these Transactions. THE TRUCKELL PRIZE In 2009, the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society established The Truckell Prize, commemorating the late A.E. Truckell and his outstanding contribution to local studies in Dumfries and Galloway.1 The prize was open to undergraduate or postgraduate students from the Crichton Campus, Dumfries for a research paper on a human or natural history topic relating to the geographical area covered by the three former counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire. In its first five years the prize has been awarded on two occasions. The Society has now revised