Kirkbride, previously Kilbride[1][2] was an ancient parish close to the village of Enterkinfoot, the lands of which lay on both sides of the River Nith in the old Strathnith area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about 5 miles south of Sanquhar and north of Closeburn.

The advowson or right as the feudal superiors to appoint the minister, lay with the Douglas family of Drumlanrig from the time of James VI until the parish was suppressed by the Lords Commissioners of Tiends in 1732.

The present day ruins at this site are of a rectangular church that was reportedly built in the early 16th century, traditionally orientated east to west with a small sacristy extending from the northern wall.

[7] Kilbride was the first parish in the South-West of Scotland to join the reformed faith and at first the use of the church was denied to the congregation who were forced to meet in the west corner of the churchyard around an ancient thorn tree.

[12] In the north-east angle of the church in 1920 a fragment of a tombstone was recorded bearing the inscription "Orate Propiciet" in Gothic lettering, translating as "Pray for the soul".

[10] It is recorded that an ex-provost of Sanquhar, Abraham Crichton, had the old kirk partly un-roofed in the 1740s as he regarded the congregation as being largely Whigs and therefore with Covenanter and Hanoverian sympathies whilst he was probably a Tory and a Jacobite.

He had stated that he would "Sune ding doon the Whig's sanctuary" however work ceased when a terrible storm arose and he died shortly after from a fall from his horse.

[14] The Category B Listed churchyard contains several 17th and 18th gravestones with an approximately quadrangular graveyard surrounded by a plain rubble-built walls that are quite high in places due to the slope on which the site is located.

[17] In 1732 the parish ceased to exist and the last minister, who had served from 1703,[7] was the Revd Peter Rae who courted controversy amongst his parishioners by running a printing press from around 1712 at Kirkbride and later at Dumfries.

Amongst his other involvements are making an astronomical clock that hung in Drumlanrig Castle, surveying Lochar Moss and acting as an agent for the Wanlockhead lead mines.

This open air preaching was held regularly in secret during the Covenanting times and revived in 1957 by the minister of Durisdeer, late Rev Bill Scott.

[27] The names of the martyr's are listed with the places and dates of death where known and the following death locations relate to this area of Nithsdale: George Allan, Penpont William Brown, Sanquhar Margaret Gracie, Penpont Robert Morris, Sanquhar[28] James Harkness led the famous 'Enterkin Raid' when he led a band of 40 Covenanters who rescued seven out of nine fellow Covenanters who were being taken to Edinburgh via the nearby 'Enterkin Path' to be sold into slavery in America.

His intention was to “sune ding doon the Whig's sanctuary” by removing the roof of the church however divine influence is said to have intervened and a violent storm forced the labourers to abandon their work and they did not return.

[31][32] Shortly after Abraham died from a fall from his horse, taken as a sign of divine retribution and in addition reports began of his ghost haunting the old kirk where he had ironically been buried.

Reports differ on whether his appearances were solely restricted to the cemetery grounds, however he is said to have made a thorough nuisance of himself over a considerable period of time by causing milkmaids to drop their pails of milk and run for safety, terrifying locals miners and generally scaring old and young, men and women, all and sundry.

In this he was successful and Abraham haunts the site no more, however although the minister never revealed his methods he advised that his adversary's tomb should be bound with thick metal chains and weighed down with a large boulder.