Archaeology Notes

Event ID 729128

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/729128

NX97NE 26.00 96890 76053

NX97NE 26.01 NX 9688 7604 Gateway

NX97NE 26.02 NX 96855 76013 Old Bridge House (Museum)

(NX 9688 7604) Old Bridge (NR)

OS 6" map (1970)

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:

Scottish National Portrait Gallery:

SMT Magazine, May 1951 - article and photograph

Country Life Magazine, August 1st 1947 - article and photograph

National Library:

Earnock MSS. 1. No. 43 - 1 engraving

Country Life Magazine, July 1943 - article and photograph

(Undated) information in NMRS.

A bridge - probably wooden - is said to have been built across the Nith at Dumfries by Devorgilla Balliol some time in the 1260's. A document of 1431/2 refers to 'the bridge which has recently begun' at Dumfries. This structure was swept away by a flood in 1621.

This rebuilt 17th century bridge originally had nine arches, but on the reclamation of the eastern bank of river early in the 19th century the three eastern arches were removed, leaving the remaining six arches spanning a width of 163 ft. A corbel on the N side of the eastmost arch is dated 1610, but this stone was taken from a house being reconstructed late in the 19th century and inserted in the bridge.

The bridge is in good repair, and in use for pedestrian traffic.

SBS Dumfries 1977; G W Shirley 1915; RCAHMS 1920, visited 1912

This bridge is as described and illustrated.

Visited by OS (JLD) 8 December 1960.

(Location cited as NX 969 760). Devorgilla's Bridge, built 1432, east half rebuilt 1620, and 3 spans demolished 1794. A 6-span masonry bridge with dressed-stone arch rings and rubble spandrels. There are prominent triangular cutwaters, the central ones carried up to form pedestrian refuges. The arches are semicircular. The westmost arch is reckoned to be original. Now a footbridge only.

J R Hume 1976.

Old Bridge, from Whitesands to Mill Road. Built c. 1430-2 and reconstructed in 1620 after being wrecked by a flood; shortened from 9 arches to 6 in the early 19th century.

J Gifford 1996.

This bridge carries a footpath across the River Nith to the N of the weir (caul) NX97NE 122, and on the W side of the central area of Dumfries (NX97NE 98). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Troqueer (to the W) and Dumfries (to the E).

The location assigned to this record defines the mispoint of the structure. The available map evidence suggests that it extends from NX c. 96857 76017 to NX c. 96910 76078.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 17 March 2006.