03/10/2026
For Scottish Museums Day 2026, museums across the country are celebrating The ABC of Scottish Museums – and here at The Stewartry Museum, we’re taking you to K… for Cabinet K!
You’ll find this fascinating piece of furniture on the mezzanine of the museum. It’s one of our early acquisitions and thanks to a recently uncovered story in 'Dinna Forget', the recently published memoirs of our first curator, John McKie, we now know much more about its past.
Cabinet K was made by John Payne, a local joiner who later became landlord of the Douglas Arms Hotel in Castle Douglas. The Countess of Selkirk commissioned him to make the cabinet to house her collection of shells. Cleverly designed, the divisions could be rearranged into different configurations – perfect for a growing collection!
The Countess was so impressed with Payne’s work that, alongside his payment, she gifted him a set of rare tools. He was understandably very proud of them and loved showing them off. McKie recalled thinking Payne was a lucky man and could not believe it when the Earl of Selkirk offered the cabinet for use in his museum fifty years later.
The cabinet was initially used to store geological specimens, but since its acquisition in 1882, it has been used to house an assortment of objects, including:
👓 Art Deco spectacle case
🤍 Mother-of-pearl buckle
📿 African bead
💉 Syringe and holder
🏅 Baking medal
Cabinet K isn’t our only cabinet labelled with a letter. Next time you’re visiting, see if you can spot any of its alphabetical friends too!
