Dalton

"DALTON, a parish in the district of Annandale, in the county of Dumfries, Scotland. It contains a village of its own name, and is bounded by Lochmaben Dryfesdale, St. Mungo, Cummertrees, Ruthwell, and Mousewald. Its shape is for the most part that of a parallelogram, stretching 6 miles from N.W. to S.E., with a breadth of about 2½ miles. The surface in the northern portion is hilly, the remainder being flat. The river Annan forms the northern boundary for some 3 miles, and abounds in salmon, and the fish called herling, which is supposed to be peculiar to the rivers which flow into the Solway Firth. On Almagill Hill an eminence in the N. of the parish, rising some 500 feet above the sea-is an old circular camp, from which a good view is obtained of the greater part of the vale of the Annan, which anciently belonged to the royal family of Bruce. The principal mansions are Dormont House on the Annan, and Rammerscales at the north-eastern angle of the parish. The roads from Dumfries and Lochmaben to Annan traverse the parish, and there is besides easy access to the Caledonian and South-Western railways. The village of Dalton is situated 9 miles E. of Dumfries, and 6 N.W. Annan. This parish is in the presbytery of Lochmaben, and synod of Dumfries, and in the patronage of the trustees of Sandeman of Kirkwood. The minister has a stipend of £172. The present parish includes the old parishes of Meikle Dalton and Little Dalton, which were united shortly after the Reformation. Between 1609 and 1633 they were united to Mousewald."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]