Durisdeer is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...

, south-west Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It lies 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Thornhill

Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway

Thornhill is a town in the Mid Nithsdale area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of Sanquhar and north of Dumfries.A monument to the explorer Joseph Thomson , who lived in neighbouring Penpont and Gatelawbridge, can be found close to the school...

, above the Carron Water, a tributary of the Nith

River Nith

The River Nith is a river in South West Scotland.-Source, flow and mouth:The Nith rises in the Carsphairn hills of East Ayrshire, more precisely between Prickeny Hill and Enoch Hill, 7 km East of Dalmellington...

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A Roman road

Roman road

The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...

 once passed through the site of the village as a direct route fron Nithsdale to Clydesdale, and the remains of a small, but well preserved Roman fort are located about a mile up the Well Path to the north-east; the defensive ditch and rampart are clearly visible.

The parish church, a category A listed building in the village, also serves Drumlanrig Castle

Drumlanrig Castle

Drumlanrig Castle sits on the Queensberry Estate in Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway.The Castle is the Dumfriesshire family home to the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry...

, the 17th-century home of the Duke of Queensberry

Duke of Queensberry

The title Duke of Queensberry was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1684 along with the subsidiary title Marquess of Dumfriesshire for the 1st Marquess of Queensberry...

. Durisdeer Church was rebuilt by the third Duke in the 1720s, to designs by James Smith

James Smith (architect)

James Smith was a Scottish architect, who pioneered the Palladian style in Scotland. He was described by Colen Campbell, in his Vitruvius Britannicus , as "the most experienced architect of that kingdom".-Biography:...

. Adjoining the church is the slightly earlier Queensberry Aisle, burial place of the dukes, also by Smith, with a large marble monument to the second Duke

James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry

James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry and 1st Duke of Dover was a Scottish nobleman.He was the eldest son of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry and his wife Isabel Douglas, daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.Educated at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed a...

 (1662-1711) and Mary, his duchess, carved by Jan van Nost

John Nost

John Nost was a Flemish sculptor, from Mechelen. He was employed by Arnold Quellin, and married his widow. He moved to England at the end of the seventeenth century, and set up business in Haymarket....

. The manse stand nearby, however it is now a private dwelling.

Durisdeer village mill stands on the Carron Water, some distance away. It is a category B listed building.

Durisdeer was included in the 1978 film version of The Thirty Nine Steps, starring Robert Powell

Robert Powell

Robert Powell is an English television and film actor, probably most famous for his title role in Jesus of Nazareth and as the fictional secret agent Richard Hannay...

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External links