Yesterday, as I was heading back to Roberton from Gretna Green, I spotted a church, a tower, and a stately home from the A7, about a mile north of Longtown. At first, we thought the church was locked, but I was sure the door was open.
Kirkandrews is named after its parish church, dedicated to St Andrew. There has been a church on this site since medieval times. The present church was built in 1776, replacing a 1635 building that had replaced the original medieval church.
Both England and Scotland claimed Kirkandrews as part of the Debatable Lands, an area that also included the nearby barony of Canonbie to the north. The Battle of Solway Moss happened in Kirkandrews parish in 1542. Ten years later, the two countries agreed to split the Debatable Lands, with Scotland taking Canonbie and England taking Kirkandrews. Scots' Dike was built to mark the new border.