Historic county of Scotland
Kirkcudbrightshire
Siorrachd Chill Chuithbeirt / East Galloway
Galloway hills descending through river dales to the Solway.
Kirkcudbrightshire falls southwards from some of the wildest ground in southern Scotland towards a deeply indented Solway coast. Mountain and moor dominate the north and north-west; from them rivers descend through increasingly broad and fertile valleys towards estuary and sea.
That north-to-south movement gives the county a powerful internal rhythm. High Galloway, wooded dale, agricultural lowland and rocky coast are not separate landscapes accidentally enclosed together: the river systems connect them naturally.
- Named for St Cuthbert
- Sheriffdom by 12th century
- Kirkcudbright fishing port
- Stewartry of Kirkcudbright
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 50.5 people per sq mi (19.50 people per km²)
From mountain to Solway
The northern country contains the county’s highest and most remote terrain.
Southwards, the valleys broaden, agriculture becomes increasingly prominent and the landscape opens towards the Solway. The transition is gradual but unmistakable.
Rivers to the sea
Several river systems drain the uplands southwards through long dales.
Their valleys provide the county’s principal natural routes and explain how mountain country and maritime lowland fit together.
East Galloway
Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire together form the wider historic and cultural region of Galloway.
Kirkcudbrightshire is therefore often described as East Galloway, but the terms are not interchangeable: Galloway is the wider region, Kirkcudbrightshire the geographic county.
County questions
Questions about Kirkcudbrightshire
Why is Kirkcudbrightshire called the Stewartry?
The designation developed from the historic Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, administered by a steward rather than through the same institutional form as neighbouring sheriffdoms. “The Stewartry” became deeply embedded in the county’s identity.
Is Kirkcudbrightshire the same thing as Galloway?
No. It forms the eastern part of Galloway; Wigtownshire forms the western part.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Kirkcudbright
- Local name
- Siorrachd Chill Chuithbeirt
- Alternative name
- East Galloway
- Foundation
- Sheriffdom by 12th century
Kirkcudbrightshire, County of Kirkcudbright and the Stewartry are forms associated with the county. Its uplands, river dales and Solway coast give East Galloway a particularly coherent geography.