New information boards mark the completion of a four-year project Carsethorn is part of the Nith Estuary National Scenic Area, so it fitting that new interpretation boards have been installed which tell the story of Carsethorn village, it's people, the sea and the local walks which can be enjoyed by visitors to the area. A start on this project was made four years ago when a method of recording the families who had emigrated from Carsethorn during the lowland clearances was produced. An oak log, shaped like the hull of a ship, was placed near the foreshore with the family names and numbers marked with copper nails and an information board was erected for public information. This was followed two years later with the tidying up of the square, hedge and shrub planting, re-seeding, the screening of the recycling bins, resurfacing and the replacing of the corrugated iron bus shelter. The fixing of the interpretation boards in the new bus shelter which is made of larch and doubles as an information point and bird hide with views to the sea for bird watchers, represents the final phase of the renovation of the square where buses to the village turn. Above the information centre is a wind vane with a scaup (the most common sea bird locally) on top with indicators to Liverpool where most of the emigrants made their first port of call en route to Australia and other destinations including distances to places like Newfoundland where other brave soles left Carsethorn, sailing non-stop. The other leg of the weather vane indicates the direction to the top of Criffel, 1,800ft tall, which provides the backdrop to the parish landscape. "The interpretation panels tell the story of Carsethorn village and it's people, the sea and fishing life and the local walks to be enjoyed by all," says Kirkbean Heritage Society Chairman, John McMyn.   "Local bird life is pictured on the fourth panel. "Carsethorn is in the Nith estuary National Scenic Area and this is all part of telling the world what a wonderful place we live in." Click on any of the interpretation board images to enlarge in a new browser window.

The Parish of Kirkbean in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland, is steeped in history, especially maritime. Among its most famous sons was John Paul Jones, the founder of the United States Navy, who was born in Kirkbean on July 6th, 1747. Kirkbean is also the birthplace of another great seafarer, John Campbell, who was born in 1720 and who went on to become a British naval officer, navigational expert and colonial governor of Newfoundland in Canada. The parish was also the departure point for thousands of Scots seeking a better life in the American and Australian colonies during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Convicts were also transported to Australia from here, making the parish a rich source of genealogical history, with many hundreds of thousands of people worldwide having a connection to this beautiful part of Scotland. It is because of this that residents of the Parish recently established the Kirkbean Parish Heritage Society, the aim of which is to  promote and preserve the rich history of Kirkbean Parish. Please check back regularly as new information will be added to this site on an ongoing basis. We also welcome new members to the Society. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to support our aims and objectives, regardless of whether they live in the Parish or not. You don’t even have to live in Scotland, but, through membership, may wish to establish closer links to an area which may well be significant to your family history. Click here for details. Do enjoy your visit to our website and we hope that you may also one day make the journey to this area to discover all that it has to offer. You can be sure of a very warm welcome and genuine hospitality.

Kirkbean village, south-west Scotland Carsthorne, once a busy port Criffel at sunset

Click here to download Kirkbean Parish Heritage Society newsletter, January 2010