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Black Cave [Barlocco]

Dundrennan, Barlocco,, Dumfries & Galloway.

Cave.

'A large wild dismal cavern on the Barlocco shore of Rerwick parish, Kirkcudbrightshire.' [Ordnance Gazetteer]

'... in the rocks on the coast, at Barlocco, are two spacious caverns of romantic appearance, called the White and Black Cove. ' [Topographical Dictionary]

'On the Barlocco shore there are two caves, one called the White and the other the Black Cave. The entrance to the first is very high, which is not so with the other.' [McKerlie]

'Further west [of Barlocco Bay], we have the great caves of Barlocco (OS Map ref NX 796 472), the largest on the Galloway coast. The Black Cave entrance is 60 feet [20 m] high; it is 256 feet [84 m] deep and 150 feet [50 m] broad at the extreme end. The White cave is 252 feet deep [83 m].' [Solway Smuggling]

The sea coast in this neighbourhood merits the attention of the mineralogist, the natural philosopher and the painter. Two caverns upon the Barlocco Shore called the White and Black Cave are particularly worthy of notice. The entrance to the former is as lofty as the "mast of some great Ammiral (sic)"' and its vast extent reminds the spectator of the airy and echoing Halls of Fingal in Staffa. The Black Cave is of an opposite and gloomy character, and its dark caverns would form no unfit habitation for the water kelpy or Spirit of the Solway.' [Chalmers]

On the wild wave-beaten coast the remarkable Caves of Barlocco were visited, the party being let down the cliffs by means of ropes and ladders furnished by the tenant of Barlocco, whose sons assisted in the process. The Black Cave, which is 256 feet [84 m] long, 90 feet [30 m] wide, and 40 feet [13.3 m] in height, was first entered. It is a vaulted chamber, floored with shingle, and huge boulders are strewn about it. At the extreme upper end there is a little space above high-water mark whereon numerous rock-pigeons breed. [TDGNHAS]

'The White Cave was next entered. It is perhaps the most wonderful natural formation in Galloway. The "gateway" is a vast gothic arch, through which you pass into a magnificent temple "not made with hands." The flooring of the cave is composed of pieces of granite rounded to pebbles by the attrition of the tides, and the roof which rises gradually, was decorated with the luxurious fronds of Sea Spleenwort. The length of the cave is 252 feet; greatest width, 190 feet; height, 60 feet. Nobody who has not visited these caves can form any idea of their grandeur. They are not inferior to Fingal's in any particular, except that of the regularity of the strata forming the sides of the latter. Along the romantic shore some very fine corallines were observed, and Mr F.W. Grierson captured the rare Oil Beetle (Melve pro Scaraboeus) ... The Hartstongue Fern was discovered, growing in thousands, by Mr J.W. Kerr in a little dell at the top of the cliffs. [TAJOTPOTDAGSNHAAS]

Further west towards the town of Kircudbright, the Barlocco Caves include the vast yet inconspicuous Black Cave that was favoured by the intrepid 'Wild' Wat Neilson. The cave is wide and tall enough to skilfully sail a lugger deep inside on a calm day. A task that Wild Wat was highly adept at. [The Pirates of Kirkcudbright]

To the West, the Barlocco caves include the vast but well-hidden Black Cave and White Cave; the Black Cave was used by an intrepid smuggler called 'Wild' Wat Neilson. The mouth of the cave is vast - a hundred feet wide and fifty high - and though constantly filled by the sea even at low tide, sailing into it is a simple matter only on a calm day.

Watt was renowned for his ability to enter the cave in any weather, but one night even he found his seamanship tested to the limits. Worse than the weather, a revenue cutter was bearing down on the Watt's boat, the Merry Lass. As it drew closer, the smuggling crew saw that the revenue ship was in the charge of Captain Skinner; though Watt had never met Skinner, the captain was the 'maist feared man' in the service of the King.

Wild Watt hatched a plan. He stayed in the small boat, posing as an informer, and sent the Merry Lass around the coast to the Waterfit (sic) at Annan, where the confederates of the smugglers would be waiting to unload the cargo at double-quick pace. Watt's plan worked. He claimed to be the brother of the gauger at Boggle's creek (the gauger himself was being 'entertained' for the duration of the run by the landlord of Fell Croft) and offered to pilot the ship up the Solway in hot pursuit of the Merry Lass. A deal was struck, and the real Watt took the helm. With the sails full, the lugger sped along into an area of the Solway that was unfamiliar to the King's Men; nevertheless, they had the Merry Lass in good sight until a cloud crossed the moon. At that very instant, the smuggling boat rounded the headland, and ...'wi' a' sails brailled she wa cuddlin intae the shadows amang a cluster o' ither boats in the Annan.' When the Merry Lass disappeared, Captain Skinner began to get impatient with his informer. But known only to Wild Watt, things were happening in the shadows of the Annan. Two small boats appeared in the river mouth, and when Skinner hailed them, threatening to pepper them with grapeshot, they quickly surrendered. In the commotion, none of the revenue men noticed the Merry Lass (now unloaded) slipping out to sea, 'ready tae tack and rin wi' the turn o' the tide'. The revenue men had their eyes fixed on the two small boats, apparently laden with rolls of tobacco, sacks of salt, and barrels of brandy. The situation began to change, though, as the outraged boatmen were hauled aboard, hurling abuse at Skinner for interrupting an honest night's work. Far from ferrying contraband, they were simply out rowing provisions to the farms at the head of the Solway: 'As ye kenna reach them when the tide is oot, can ye think o' onything mair sensible than tae gaun when the tide is in, and the folk stervin' for their meal?'. Sure enough, the tubs contained only herrings, the sacks innocent oatmeal, and the 'tobacco' turned out to be dried fish. Wat chuckled at the captain's discomfort as he surreptitiously swung himself over the side and into one of the small boats. The 'wronged' boatmen returned to the oars, and they made haste back to the Merry Lass. The duped revenue men watched helplessly as the smuggling ship hauled an empty half-anker to the mast-head, and swept out of the channel on the tide. [Smuggling on the Solway]

Alternate Names: Barlocco Black Cave, Black Cove

Notes: Some confusion over caves of Barlocco as although two large caves - Black Cave and White Cave - are recorded there are no good descriptions and those which do exist are contradictory. Also according to aerial photography there are actually three large caves at Barlocco. The locations of OS names do not appear to indicate caves which match earlier historical and locally accepted descriptions.

Black Cove - About 1⅛ mile SW [South West] by South of Rascarrel This name applies to a natural Cave under a rocky precipice on the west side of Barlocco bay a short distance south of Black Neuk hence the name. [ScotlandsPlaces]

Hydrographic Feeds: Solway Firth

Hydrographic Resurgences: Solway Firth