Moniaive

History

Moniaive has existed as a village as far back as the 10th century. On 4 July 1636 King Charles I granted a charter in favour of William, Earl of Dumfries, making Moniaive a 'free Burgh of Barony'. With this charter came the rights to set up a market cross and tolbooth, to hold a weekly market on Tuesday and two annual fairs each of three days duration. Midsummer Fair was from 16 June and Michaelmas Fair on the last day of September.

Covenanting

In the 17th century, Moniaive became the refuge for the Covenanters, a group of Presbyterian nonconformists who rebelled at having the Episcopalian religion forced on them by the last three Stuart kings, Charles I, Charles II and James II of England (James VII of Scotland). There is a monument off the Ayr Road to James Renwick, a Covenanter leader born in Moniaive and aged 23 was the last Covenanter to be executed in Edinburgh.

James Paterson

The Scottish artist James Paterson, a founder member of 'The Glasgow Boys', settled in Moniaive in 1884 and stayed for 22 years. He painted many local scenes including "The Last Turning" - a view of a woman approaching the village on the lane on the western side of the old millpond (now drained) in the Dalwhat Valley - now displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. A James Paterson museum existed within the village until 2005 displaying photographs and memorabilia from the collection of his granddaughter, Anne Paterson-Wallace.

Cairn Valley Light Railway

The Cairn Valley Light Railway was opened from Dumfries in 1905 as a subsidiary company of the Glasgow and South Western Railway. Plans initially had involved developing Moniaive into a resort due to the countryside being very scenic and peaceful. Passenger services were suspended as a wartime economy on 3 May 1943 and to all traffic on 4 August 1947.

Local economy

The local economy is dominated by sheep and some cattle farming as well as forestry. The area has a large self-employed community including writers, artists, graphic designers, historical interpretation services, clothing designers, aromatherapists, stained glass workers, a wine importing business, a chocolatier, computer repairs, garden and landscaping services, plant nursery, and child care. There is a large general store including a post office counter, a garage, a cafe, a chocolatier, an Italian restaurant, several artist studios, a primary school, a guest house and two hotels with bars and restaurants, one with accommodation, and two village halls.

The village is currently home to Batman writer Alan Grant and members of the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. Charlie Chaplin's son eloped to and married in Moniaive. Joanna Lumley also has a home near here. The writer Rumer Godden lived in Moniaive.

A bi-monthly newspaper, called the Glencairn Gazette, is produced by volunteers and distributed free to residents.

Festivals

In 2015 Moniaive reinvented itself as Moniaive Festival Village and went on to win a Creative Place Award from Creative Scotland. Festival village information can be found at www.moniaivefestivalvillage.org.uk. The village is home to a number of festivals that are held every year including; the Moniaive Folk Festival, the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival, the Scottish Autoharp Weekend, the Moniaive Horse Show, the Moniaive and District Arts Association annual exhibition, the Glencairn and Tynron Amateur Cottagers and Gardeners Horticultural Society show and the Moniaive Gala. In 2016 the Moniaive Comic Book Festival will be resurrected as part of the Creative Place award programme.

Cairnhead Community Forest and Striding Arches

Cairnhead Community Forest is a Scottish charity formed in 1998 to encourage and enable community participation through a working partnership with its owner Forestry Commission Scotland. There are three arches by artist Andy Goldsworthy around Cairnhead on Bail Hill, Benbrack and Colt Hill. Each arch stands just under four metres high, with a span of about seven metres, and consists of 31 blocks of hand-dressed red sandstone weighing approximately 27 tons.