Keir Curling Club medal (2)

"Presented by G Hunter Arundell Esqr to the Curling Club of Keir, 1840".   This engraved curling scene is rich in detail, showing the stone and broom of the time.  The curler is wearing crampits over his boots to improve his foot hold.   During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries curling was Scotland's national game.  It was organised on a parish basis because road travel was difficult at the best of times and particularly so during good curling weather. Matches were generally played with neighbouring parishes, although even this could involve the participants walking long distances in hazardous conditions.   By the early 1800s many of the parishes of Dumfries and Galloway had curling clubs, often with their own medals and trophies.