Thank you for inviting me to tell you something of the history of Corsock, I feel that what I know is just the tip of the iceberg and I would like to have more time to delve deeper. I would be grateful to any of you who may have old photographs, or any old papers about the farms or houses in the area who would be willing to lend them to me to have copied. It is from the help of folk knowing that I am interested in the people and the history of Corsock that I have managed to gather some of the information that I have. As they say ‘it’s a’ grist tae the mill.’
Why did I get so engrossed in the history of Corsock and the surrounding area? Well, I have always been interested in history it was my favourite subject at school. So when I came to live here I wanted to know more about my adopted village. Any book on the history of Galloway that I picked up, when I looked up anything relating to Corsock all that was mentioned was the famous Neilson from Corsock Castle who died for his belief in the National Covenant. It is well known that the first conventicle was held in the woods of Corsock. People had gathered in Neilsons house to hear the famous preachers Gabriel Semple and John Welsh. So many people had gathered that they had to move outside and so began the practice of holding conventicles in the open air where it was safer than being raided in houses by the dreaded Grierson of Lag and his soldiers. John Neilson was eventually arrested and thrown into prison in Edinburgh, where he was cruelly tortured and then hanged in December 1666 because he would not recant.
Immediately afterwards whilst his wife Mary was still in Edinburgh their home in Corsock was raided by thirty soldiers who to quote one source “took away everything they could carry from the house and wantonly destroyed everything else. A nurse with a sucking child at her breast and who had been made part of the family was turned out of the house with the rest of the inmates into the fields” They also raided the tenant farms and took cattle and sheep So not only did John Neilson suffer for the Covenanting cause so also did his tenants and employees. The Neilsons owned Corsock estate from 1439 until late 1700s. John Neilsons wife Mary McLellan is buried at Kirkpatrick Durham.
In Ponts map of 1654 the places recorded in this area were, Corsock Castle, Margley, Arkland, Kirklebridge, Drumhumphry, Auchenhay, Darngarroch, Nether Barr, Crogo, Blackhills, Mochrum, Ervie, Marnhoul, Monybui and Drumwhirn.
As I said before the history of the Neilsons and Corsock seemed to be all that was recorded. I felt there must be more going on here than that. Even if it was just in the lives of ordinary people. I wanted to know more. The first thing that got my interest going was Crogo Village. Here had been a village where only 150 years ago 13 or 14 families lived. I wanted to get to know these folk who had set up their first homes there, lived loved and died there.
I think that the area around Corogo was at one time a place of importance. Crogo Tower, the remains of which are on Crogo Mains in a field down near the river must have been the centre of life in Crogo going back to at least 1450. It is easy to see where Crogo Tower was and even to make out the shape of it. An early settlement called the Bents of Crogo lies in another field on Crogo Mains on the side of the hill across the Crogo Burn from Low Arvie. I once took a walk from Bents of Crogo along what at first appears to be a sheep track but I think is really an old footpath, which goes straight through Crogo Mains and down to Crogo Tower. I am sure in the old bad days when there was any threat of invasion by pillaging enemies the people would quickly make their way to Crogo Tower for safety. It is interesting tat the settlements of this kind are on the side of a slope near a burn and with a clear view of anything approaching. In later more settled times I think this settlement would eventually give way to what was to become Crogo Village.
Then of course we have Chapel where one is able to see the foundations of the chapel that gave its name to this house, now a ruin. This chapel may have been a chapel of rest for weary travellers and it is significant that our Chapel is positioned just beside the old drove road which ran from New Galloway to England via Troquhain, Crogo, Knockdrocket, Auchenhay, Lochenkit and so on to Corcketford.
Speaking of Knockdrocket, it’s full name is Gateside of Knockdrocket and it lies across the ford at Crogo Mill just up the field a bit, the ruins can still be seen. It was a smiddy at one time and here was born John Gerrond in 1765. He was a poet and he claimed that, if he had been born before Burns he would have written poems on the subjects Burns had written about and therby would have been as famous as Burns. I think that John Gerrond had a higher opinion of himself than others did. He later followed the blacksmith trade at Clarebrand.
If we now go to the other end of Corsock, we find the Temperance Inn and what we today know as Brighouse. Back in the early days of the 1800 Bridgehouse was a smiddy for Corsock estate. Can you just visualize the biz that would go on there? The Temperance Inn being a Coach house people staying overnight stabling their hoses there to rest themselves and their horses before continuing their journey the net day. The smiddy was handy if they needed the horses shoed and of course all the farmers would use the smiddy for their needs. Think of the crack.