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Newton Wamphray is a village in Dumfries and Galloway. Wamphray is the name of the surrounding parish and of the Wamphray river, which flows south-west through the Wamphray Glen to join the River Annan near the small village, or hamlet, of Newton.
Newton Wamphray primary school has been closed for several years, local children generally go to primary school in Lockerbie. The old school building now lies largely abandoned while the nature of its ownership is investigated. The old rectory near the 1834 church has become a hotel; the historic church has been used for regular services over the past few years.
There are various historic and pre-historic sites near Newton Wamphray, including and the remains of a motte-and-bailey. A feud between local Border Reivers families in the 16th century is remembered in the ballad, The Lads of Wamphray.
One of the more prominent local residents was John Brown of Wamphray, or "John Broun of Wamfrey", a Church of Scotland theologian who served as the minister of the local parish during the mid-17th century. He removed to Wamphray to begin serving the parish at an unknown date (estimates vary from 1637 until 1655) and remained in residence until 1662, when he was imprisoned and later exiled to the Netherlands for his public opposition to the royal imposition of bishops on the Church. Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology. Nigel M. de S. Cameron, organizing ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity P, 1993, 98.
Before the 20th century the village was sometimes called Newton, or Newtoun, of Wamphray, and described as being in Annandale. Newton suggests "new village or farmstead", a placename derived from Old English niwe (new) + tun (farm). Scots toun meant a farm settlement before it came to mean a 'town'. The etymology of Wamphray is uncertain; some suggestions link 'Wam' to Gaelic Uamh (cave). Older spellings include Wamfry or Wamfray.
It is part of the South Scotland region in the Scottish Parliament, being in the constituency of Dumfriesshire. Oliver Mundell of the Conservatives is the MSP.
Before Brexit, for the European Parliament its residents voted to elect MEP's for the Scotland constituency.
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