Holywood, Dumfries and Galloway

Holywood
Twelve Apostles stone circle
Holywood is located in Dumfries and Galloway
Holywood
Holywood
Location within Dumfries and Galloway
OS grid referenceNX950797
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDUMFRIES
Postcode districtDG2
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°06′36″N 3°39′29″W / 55.110°N 3.658°W / 55.110; -3.658

Holywood is a village and civil parish in the historical county of Dumfriesshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The village of Holywood was developed in the mid twentieth century.[1] In 1949 eighteen houses were built by the county council and followed shortly after by another 38.[2]

Holywood was the site of a Premonstratensian abbey which was established in 1225 and dissolved in 1609.[3][4] The abbey was dismantled and used to build the parish church in 1778.[3] No remains are now visible.[3]

The site of Holywood Abbey was previously called Dercongal, 'Congal's oak-copse'.[5] The name Holywood refers to this oak-copse.[5] The saint commemorated in this name may be Convallus, disciple of Saint Mungo.[5] However, there are a number of other saints to whom the dedication could apply.[6] The surrounding landscape has several prehistoric monuments, including two cursuses and the Twelve Apostles stone circle,[7] which suggests a continuity of sacred or administrative tradition in the area.[8]

The parish previously had three schools: Speddoch, Steilston and Holywood, near the village.[9] The current school building was built in 1967.[1] Its catchment includes the Woodlands area of Dumfries and part of the catchment of Auldgirth Primary School, which closed in 2000.[10]

Holywood railway station opened as Killylung in 1849 but was renamed Holywood within a year and closed in 1949.

  1. ^ a b Gifford, John (2002) [1996]. Dumfries and Galloway. Pevsner Architectural Guides: The Buildings of Scotland. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 348. ISBN 9780300096712.
  2. ^ Duncan, Walter (1962). "Chapter 13: The Parish of Holywood". In Reid, W. Arnold (ed.). The County of Dumfries. The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Vol. 12. Glasgow: Collins. p. 151.
  3. ^ a b c "Canmore: Holywood Abbey". RCAHMS - Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Archived from the original on 2015-05-17. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
  4. ^ Crowe, Chris (2002). "Holywood, an Early Mediaeval Monastery: Problems and Possibilities" (PDF). Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Third Series. LXXVI: 113. ISSN 0141-1292. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02.
  5. ^ a b c Watson, W. J. (1926). The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. p. 169. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ "HOLYWOOD ABBEY, AKA DERCONGAL, HOLYWOOD". Saints in Scottish Place-Names. Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
  7. ^ Burl, Aubrey (2005). A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. p. 124.
  8. ^ Crowe, Chris (2002). "Holywood, an Early Mediaeval Monastery: Problems and Possibilities" (PDF). Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Third Series. LXXVI: 114. ISSN 0141-1292. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02.
  9. ^ Duncan, Walter (1962). "Chapter 13: The Parish of Holywood". In Reid, W. Arnold (ed.). The County of Dumfries. The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Vol. 12. Glasgow: Collins. p. 152.
  10. ^ "Holywood Primary School". Dumfries and Galloway Council. Archived from the original on 2015-05-17. Retrieved 2015-05-17.