Kircubbin, sometimes spelled Kirkcubbin.
An early Christian site, Roland Savage leased Kircubbin to Sir James Hamilton
in the early 1600s, and Scottish families such as the Maxwells settled here.
Prior to the 1760s Kircubbin was simply a small hamlet. However, around 1770 a local landlord, James Bailie, encouraged its development by granting leaseson good terms and taking out a patent for four annual fairs and a weekly market.
The origins of Kircubbin Presbyterian Church are interesting. In 1777 the
Presbyterians here requested permission from the Synod of Ulster toestablish
theirown congregation. When permission was refused they looked to Scotland for help and George Brydons was ordained their first minister by the Scottish Presbytery of Lauder in 1778. The Synod of Ulster did not appreciate this interference from Scotland and it was not until 1783 that the congregation of Kircubbin was formally recognised.
On 15 October 1798, Archibald Warwick, a 29-year-old licentiate of the
Presbyterian Church, was executed at Kircubbin for hisinvolvement in the rebellion of that year. The gallows were raised between the church and the manse, in an area which today is a public car park, and thousands gathered to see Warwick die. He was buried in thefamily plot at Movilla Cemetery – the gravecan still beseen there today.
