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ANNAN, river, town, and parish in Annandale, Dumfriesshire. The river rises among the Hartfell Mountains, runs about 30 miles southward to the upper part of the Solway Firth ; receives Evan, Moffat, Kinnel, Dryfe, Milk, and Mein waters, and is notable for both the kinds and the qualities of its fish. The town stands on the river about a mile from the Solway, and on the Glasgow and South-Western and the Solway Junction Railways, 15J miles south-east of Dumfries; ranks as a royal and parliamentary burgh, covers ground which may have been occupied by a Roman station, was an important post of the Romanized Britons and of their successors till the time of William the Lion, made a great figure in the wars of the Succession and in the Border forays, had a grand strong castle of Robert Bruce and military defences of wall and fosse ; is now a well-built town of modern aspect, has a head post office with all departments, 2 railway stations, 3 banking offices, a chief hotel, a fine town hall of 1878, a new water supply of 1881, a steepled Established church, Free and United Presbyterian churches, Congregational, Episcopalian, and Roman Catholic chapels, 2 large public schools, and a mechanics' institute ; and unites with Dumfries, Lochmaben, Sanquhar, and Kirkcudbright in sending a member to Parliament. Real property in 1880-81, exclusive of railways, 10,805. Pop. of parliamentary burgh, 3368. The parish contains also the village of Annan-Waterfoot, and part of the village of Bridekirk, and is 8 miles long. Acres, 10,915. Real property of landward part in 1880-81, 15,801. Pop., quoad civilia, 5516 ; quoad sacra, 4936. The coast is flat and tame, but the interior is diversified by swells, 3 low parallel ridges, and 3 small hills. The seats are Mount Annan, Warmanbie, and Northfield. The town Sublic schools are the quondam aca-emy and 2 parochial, with about 140 and 29 scholars ; and the landward schools are 2, with accommodation for 302 scholars.
