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WIGTON, town and parish on east border of Wigtonshire, and bay between that county and Kirkcudbrightshire. The town stands on an eminence about 200 feet high, adjacent to west shore of the bay, 7 miles south-by-east of Newton-Stewart ; commands a fine view over the bay to the hills of Kirkcudbrightshire, Cumberland, and Isle of Man ; includes the site of a monastery of 13th century, and faint vestiges of a strong castle held for some time by Edward I. of England ; is noted for the martyrdom, by drowning, of two female Covenanters in 1685; has an old tomb of these martyrs, a tomb of three other Covenanter martyrs, and the ruins of an ancient church in its public burying-ground ; has also an obeliskal monument to the two female martyrs on the summit of its eminence ; ranks as a royal burgh, a head port, and the capital of Wigtonshire; unites with Whithorn, Stranraer, and New Galloway in sending a member to Parliament; comprises a large central enclosed rectangle, a spacious principal street, and other well-built places ; and has a post office, with money order and telegraph departments, designated of Wigtonshire, a railway station, 3 banking offices, 2 hotels, an elegant market cross, county buildings, Established, Free, United Presbyterian, and Eoman Catholic churches, a handsome academy, a normal school, and a mechanics' institute. A new harbour and breastwork were formed subsequent to 1818. The shipping belonging to the port at end of 1879 consisted of 34 sailing vessels of aggregately 1364 tons. The arrivals in that year were 671 British vessels of 38,176 tons, and 2 foreign vessels of 281 tons ; and the departures were 669 British vessels of 40,836 tons, and 1 foreign vessel of 176 tons. Real property of the burgh in 1880-81, 5787. Pop. 1722. The parish contains also Bladenoch village, measures 5 miles by 4, and comprises 7805 acres. Real property of landward part in 1880-81, 6581. Pop. of the whole, 2198. The north-eastern section is low and level ; the north-western one is roughly tumulated ; the southern one is variously low, broken, and hillocky ; and a considerable aggregate is either moss or moor. A remark-able antiquity is the standing-stones of Torhouse. The bay is the estuary of Cree river, commences If mile north-north-east of the northern boundary of Wigton parish, extends 15 miles south-south-eastward, expands to a middle width of about 4 miles and a terminal one of 12 miles, and at recess of the tide is nearly all bare sand.
