New Luce (Scottish Gaelic:Baile Ùr Ghlinn Lus) is acivil parish inDumfries and Galloway, south-westScotland. It lies in the traditional county ofWigtownshire, and is about 10 miles (16 km) in length and 5 miles (8.0 km) in breath, being the upper part of the original Glenluce Parish.[1] New Luce is shown as a civil parish onJohn Ainslie's county map of 1782.[2]
New Luce is also the principal village within the parish. The coast to coast walk, theSouthern Upland Way, passes close to the village.[3] TheCovenanterAlexander Peden spent time preaching in the village.
A viaduct carried the Stranraer-Glasgow railway over the Main Water of Luce. Down the river from the viaduct is a pool called Bloody Wheel where the Hays ofCastle of Park, nearGlenluce (Old Luce), and the Linns of Larg in the adjoining parish ofInch, were said to have had a violent encounter centuries ago.[4][5]
The Caves of Kilhern, between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, are in south New Luce.
Cairn na Gath ("cairn of the wild cat"), near Balmurrie, is a chambered long cairn dating to theNeolithic (laterStone Age). At the south end there are remains of huts or enclosures.[6] In addition, there are ancienthut circles atLagafater, around 8 miles to the north of New Luce.[7]
Cairn Macneilie, 100 metres (330 ft) north-west of Cruise, New Luce, is a Bronze Age round cairn, 56 feet (17 m) in diameter and 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high.[8][9] There is another Cairn Macneilie at Inch Parks, byLochinch Castle in Inch Parish. They may have been named after a person who conducted archaeological excavations.
^National Archives of Scotland GD72/142(i). 13 May 1662. Bond by Sir Thomas HAY, younger of (Castle of) Park, and William LIN of Large, as cautioners to William GORDON of Craiglaw
^National Archives of Scotland. GD135/798, 800, 804, 955. c.1687
