Ann Hill Research Committee
In 1984 the late Miss Ann Hill left a substantial bequest to the Society with the specific remit to carry out and publish research into the history and archaeology of Kirkpatrick Fleming parish in Annandale. The Council of the Society formed a committee under the chairmanship of John Gair to formulate recommendations and carry out the necessary research work to satisfy these requirements. As a consequence a very considerable archive of material on the parish has been collected. Some of these materials have been published as articles appearing within the Transactions. Others have been independently published - see list below.
The most significant work of the Committee was the commissioning of an archaeological, paleo-environmental and architectural survey of the parish under the guidance of Mr Roger Mercer, at that time on the staff of Edinburgh University and now Secretary of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The results of the survey were published in 1997 as No.6 of the Ann Hill Research Bequest Publications: 
Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire - An Anatomy of a Parish in South West Scotland.
The main chapters cover the following.-
The Evolution of the Landscape over the last ten millennia based on pollen analysis and radio-carbon dates.
Prehistoric, Roman and later archaeological sites including some unpublished cropmarks seen from the air, monuments and finds (with gazetteer).
Post-mediaeval Settlement and Landscape.

Communications (with gazetteer).

Extractive Industry.
The Buildings of the parish: with plans, photographs and drawings of Kirks, Towers (including those on the west bank of the River Kirtle), Cottages, Public Buildings, Farm Houses and Steadings (some with horsemills), Laird's and Middling Houses and, in detail, the building, growth and fortunes of two 'stately homes' Springkell and Mossknow with full commentary on the effects and cycles of agricultural boom and decline and change in farming practice on the buildings of a rural parish.
These are rounded off with a full discussion and conclusion by Mr Mercer himself.
Research work on the parish continues - the archives are currently being indexed and it is hoped to publish further material as time progresses.

Publications funded by the Ann Hill Research Bequest

The History and Archaeology of Kirkpatrick Fleming Parish

No.1 Ann Hill and her Family. A Memorial, by D. Adamson (1986)

No.2* Kirkpatrick Fleming Poorhouse, by D.Adamson (1986)

No.3* Kirkpatrick Fleming Miscellany

Mossknow Game Register 1875

Diary of J. Gordon Graham 1854

edited by D. Adamson and I.S. MacDonald (1987)

No.4* Middlebie Presbytery Records, by D. Adamson (1988)

No.5* Kirkpatrick Fleming Miscellany

How Sir Patrick Maxwell worsted the Devil

Fergus Graham of Mossknow and the Murder at Kirkpatrick

both by W.F. Cormack (1989)

No.6 Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire - An Anatomy of a Parish in South West Scotland, by Roger Mercer and others (1997)

No.7* The Tower-Houses of Kirtleside, by A.M.T. Maxwell-Irving (1997)

Nos.1 to 5 and No.7 are crown quarto in size with a 2-colour titled card cover. No.6 is A4 hardback with reprint in laminated soft cover. Publications marked * are reprinted from the Transactions

The Records of Kirkpatrick Fleming Parish

No.1 Old Parish Registers of Kirkpatrick Fleming, 1748-1854, indexed and in 5 parts

No.2 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1851

No.3 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1861

No.4 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1871

No.5 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1841

No.6 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1881

No.7 Kirkpatrick Fleming Census 1891

No.8 Kirkpatrick Fleming Graveyard Inscriptions

The Record series is duplicated in A4 size with a titled card cover

For prices of both series and availability of Records apply to
Mr R.H. McEwen, 5 Arthur's Place, Lockerbie DG11 2EB
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Copyright © 2000  Dumfries & Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society		 Last modified:
April 29, 2007