Galloway
an extensive district in the S. W. of Scotland, once somewhat larger, but now entirely entirely comprised in the shire of Wigtown and stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It enjoys a remarkably mild climate, and has long been famous as a pastoral country, its breed of small horses and of large hornless black cattle being well known centuries ago; dairy farming is now the most important industry. The province is about 70 miles in length, by 40 at its utmost breadth, and contains the greatest diversity of scenery-mountain, lake, and stream.
There is no mineral wealth and hardly any industry, hence the inhabitants are almost entirely concerned with tilling the soil, sheep and cattle rearing, and fishing.
The province province owes its name to the fact that the natives were called Gall-Gael, or foreign Gaels, at first because of their falling under the foreign rule of the Anglians; but as the Picts of Galloway they continued to be known so late as the Battle of the Standard in 1138. Their geographical position had shut them off from their N. congeners, and they continued under their ancient name a distinct people till the 12th century, and preserved their language-which was substantially identical with Gaelic-till the 16th, when it finally disappeared before the Reformation and the use of Lowland Scotch in the parish churches and schools.