Beeswing, Dumfries and Galloway

Beeswing

Beeswing is a small village in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It was formerly known as Lochend in reference to its position near Loch Arthur, which lies to the east of the village and has been claimed as the setting for the Arthurian story of the Lady of the Lake.[1] The village was renamed to honour the famous racing mare, Beeswing.[2] The village formerly had a church, which has now been converted to a house.

Loch Arthur Community

The Loch Arthur Community at Beeswing, run by the Camphill Village Trust,[3] is a working farm with dairy, gardens and supported accommodation where people with learning disabilities live alongside volunteers in a way that 'recognises the dignity and uniqueness of each human being and does not distinguish between those who are called disabled and those who are not'.[4]

Over water village

There is a site on the western edge of the Loch that once held an "over water" village during the Stone or Bronze Age. The occupants of the village lived in pillar-supported buildings out in the loch, some 70 feet from the bank, allowing for safety and security. The Museum in Dumfries has a coracle which was found near this site in the 1930s.

grid reference NX896694

Coordinates: 55°00′25″N 3°43′40″W / 55.00687°N 3.72772°W

References

  1. ↑ http://www.factfictionandconjecture.ca/files/legend_of_king_arthur.html
  2. ↑ http://www.northeasthistory.co.uk/the_north_east/history/echomemories/teesside/205/250505.html
  3. ↑ http://www.camphillvillage.org/
  4. ↑ http://www.cvt.org.uk/~locharthur

Further reading

Close-Brooks, J. (1974-1975) "An Iron-Age Date for the Loch Lotus Canoe", Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 106, p. 199

Gillespie, J. E. (1874-1876) "Notice of a Canoe Found in Loch Lotus, Parish of New Abbey, Kirkcudbrightshire", Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 11, pp. 21-23

Harper, M. M. (1876) Rambles in Galloway: Topographical, Historical, Traditional,and Biographical, Edinburgh: Edmonston & Douglas, p. 203

Henderson, J.C., Cavers, M. G., and Crone, B. A. (2006) "The South West Crannog Survey: Recent work on the lake dwellings of Dumfries and Galloway", Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 80, pp. 29-52

Henderson, J.C., Crone, B.A., and Cavers, M.G. (2003) "A condition survey of selected crannogs in south west Scotland", Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 77, pp. 79-102

L. (1874) "Arthurian Localities: Scotland", Notes and Queries, s5-II, 36, pp. 181-182

Williams, J. (1971) "A Crannog at Loch Arthur, New Abbey", Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society, 48, p. 122

External links

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