Riggs of Crawick Forge
n the 1770s the development of the coalfield around
Sanquhar created a need for shovels and other working gear, and the
lessee, Mr Baker saw the need for a local forge. He encouraged John
Rigg (1750 - 1833) of Dalston in Cumbria to move his business
north. Rigg built Crawick Forge at Crawick Bridge on the very
boundary of Kirkconnel and Sanquhar parish. He intended to use
water power from the Crawick to drive his tilt hammer, so he made a
dam head opposite the village of Crawick Mill, downstream from the
existing one which served the corn and woollen mills
there.
A clever workman and astute businessman he soon built a reputation for his goods, supplying the needs of both the local collieries and farming community. He was elected a Deacon of the Incorporation of Hammermen on nineteen occasions, and was a friend of the poet Robert Burns.
