Mouswald

Mouswald Scottish Gaelic: Mosailt
Population	284
OS grid reference	NY066727
• Edinburgh	78 mi (126 km)
• London	329 mi (529 km)
Lieutenancy area	Dumfriesshire
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dumfries
Postcode district	DG1 4
Dialling code	01387 830...
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (UK Parliament constituency)
Scottish Parliament	Dumfriesshire (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Website	Council website

Rural landscape at Mouswald

Mouswald Parish Church

Mouswald is a rural village slightly east of Dumfries in south-west Scotland. It lies on the B724 south of the A75. The site views southward over the Solway Firth.

History

A Scandinavian settlement began here in the 9th century and the name Mouswald is said to derive from the Danish mosi vollr, meaning mossy field.

The land belonged to the Clan Carruthers up to the 16th century.

A church existed in the village since at least the 13th century. The current church dates from 1816 but was remodelled by J M Bowie of Dumfries in 1929. It is a category C listed building. The church ceased to be used for worship around 2014 and was subsequently placed on the property market for sale by the Church of Scotland ostensibly for conversion for domestic dwelling. As of 2019, the building remains on the market.

Notable residents

• Very Rev John Gillespie (1834–1912) Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1903.
• Rev Henry Duncan (1774–1846) founder of the Trustee Savings Bank (TSB).
• William Grierson (1792–1847), paternal grandfather of Argentine physician Cecilia Grierson.
• Gwen Kirkwood, prolific author of historic romantic novels.