77
THE TOPOGRAPHICAL,
STATISTICAL, AND HISTORICAL
GAZETTEER OF
SCOTLAND.
VOLUME FIRST.
A— H.
EDINBURGH; LONDON; AND DUBLIN.
A. EULLAETON AND CO.
1848.
Dfl
t
v/,/
EDINBURGH '.
mi.T.AKTON AND CO., PRINTEliS, LEITH WALK.
ADVERTISEMENT.
T is pretty generally known that the most authentic and valu.
able mass of facts and statistical details ever brought together,
in relation to the Ecclesiastical, Educational, and Municipal
institutions of Scotland, are to be found in the several extensive series of
Reports which have been published, within the last ten years, by the
lifferent Parliamentary and Royal Commissions appointed to inquire into
these matters. An elaborate and careful digest of the information contained
in these Reports forms the principal feature of value in THE TOPO-
JRAPHICAL, STATISTICAL, AND HISTORICAL GAZETTEER OF SCOTLAND,
rhich will be found to contain, in an abstract and condensed yet com-
)rehensive form, not the results only, but also a considerable portion of
e details embraced in the voluminous Reports of which the following
a list :
I. Reports of the Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into the State of the
Universities of Scotland. Published between the years 1830 and 1839, in 5 vols.
folio.
II. Reports upon the Boundaries of the several Cities, Burghs, and Towns in Scot-
land, in respect to the Election of Members to serve in Parliament. Published
in 1832, in folio.
III. Reports of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the State of Municipal
Corporations in Scotland. Published in 1835, in 2 vols. folio.
IV. Abstract of the Answers and Returns on the subject of Education in Scotland,
made pursuant to an Address of the House of Commons dated 9th July, 1834.
Published in 1837, in folio.
V. Reports of the Commissioners of Religious Instruction in Scotland. Published
betwixt the years 1837 and 1839, in 9 vols. folio.
VI. Reports by the Inspectors of Prisons in Scotland. Published betwixt the years
1836 and 1842, in 6 vols. folio.
The Reports now enumerated have furnished the most valuable mate-
ials to the present Work ; and in the existence of such documents as
ADVERTISEMENT.
these, the Compilers of this Gazetteer conceive themselves to have
enjoyed advantages above all their predecessors in the same department
of literature. The following Parliamentary papers have also afforded
much interesting .and valuable matter, viz. :
I. The Reports of the Commissioners on Highland Roads and Bridges.
II. The Reports of the Commissioners under the Act for building additional Places
of Worship in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
III. The Reports of the Commissioners for making and maintaining the Caledonian
Canal.
IV. Reports of the Commissioners on the Herring Fishery.
V. Reports of the Commissioners on Northern Lights.
VI. Returns on the Small Debt Courts, Prisons, Burgh- Revenues, Electoral Inhabi-
tants, Teinds, Crown- Revenues, &c. of Scotland.
The Publishers feel themselves warranted in claiming for their volumes
a superiority over every other existing Gazetteer of Scotland, on the
single ground of its presenting a careful digest of these, and of the Old
as well as the New Statistical Account of Scotland, arranged in alpha-
betical order, and of easy consultation as a book of reference. But
while the compilers have directed their principal attention to the mate-
rials now enumerated, they have not confined themselves to these, nor to
what has hitherto been generally understood to be the strict limits of a
Gazetteer. In the TOPOGRAPHICAL, STATISTICAL, AND HISTORICAL
GAZETTEER OF SCOTLAND — as indeed is implied in the name itself — they
have endeavoured to concentrate a variety of details which it has not
hitherto been customary to introduce into a mere Gazetteer ; nay, they
have not hesitated, wherever they thought such matter would be likely to
interest the general reader, to introduce Legendary, Poetical, Antiqua-
rian, and Artistical notices of different localities.
It has not entered into the plan of the present Work to notice every
hamlet and name that may have a place in the local history and topogra-
phy of Scotland ; but it is hoped that no name will be found to have been
omitted in the following pages which has acquired any importance or
celebrity in the annals of the country ; while a comparison of the number
of names introduced, with those of any other Gazetteer, will satisfy any
one that it has been drawn up on a more comprehensive plan than has
ever before been attempted. An Index has also been supplied to the names
of persons and places incidentally mentioned in the course of the Work.
ADVERTISEMENT.
It is not expected, nor held out to the Public, that in a work of such
minute and multiform details, perfect accuracy has always been attained ;
a pledge for absolute correctness is not given, and were it given would
not be accepted. But it is hoped that the means which have been em-
ployed to guard against error, and above all the high character of the
chief sources of information before enumerated, have conferred a very
reasonable degree of accuracy on the present Work ; and the Publishers
will feel themselves highly favoured by any respectably authenticated infor-
mation which may enable them to increase the accuracy and consequent
utility of their Gazetteer.
The Publishers, in addition to several other spontaneous and highly
gratifying Testimonials to the general accuracy and value of their
Gazetteer of Scotland, have been honoured by the following communica-
tion from ARCHIBALD ALISON, Esq., Sheriff of Lanarkshire, the well-
known Historian of the French Revolution.
" SHERIFF'S OFFICE, GLASGOW,
\Tth September, 1841.
GENTLEMEN,
t" I HAVE received with much pleasure the 10th No. of your new and valuable
istical Work, the GAZETTEER OF SCOTLAND.
I have read all the Numbers of this Work, as they came out, with unmingled plea-
, and think it no more than an act of justice to say, that it is the very best work of
the kind I ever read in any language ; combining, in a degree which I never before
saw equalled, historical and romantic interest with antiquarian details and valuable
statistical information. There are few books comprising a greater variety of local, his-
torical, and valuable details ; and none which I would in preference read, as a source of
amusement or entertainment, to fill up a leisure hour.
" As I think it of the highest importance that such a Work should be as generally
town as its merit deserves, you are at liberty to make any use of this Letter which
may deem of service for your Publication.
" I remain,
" GENTLEMEN,
" Your obedient and faithful Servant,
"A. ALISON."
INTRODUCTION.
CONTENTS.
POSITION AND EXTENT OF SCOTLAND,
COAST,
HEADLANDS,
MARINE WATBBS,
SURFACE,
LAKES, .
ISLANDS,
GEOLOGY AND MINERAL PRODUCTIONS,
CLIMATE,
SOILS AND VEGETABLE PRODUCE,
ANIMALS,
MANUFACTURES,
COMMERCE,
FISHERIES,
PAQE 111
iv
iv
v
vii
xiii
xiv
xiv
xv
. xxi
xxii
xxiv
xxiv
. xxvii
xxviii
SHIPPING, . . PAGE xxviii
BANKS, . . . xxix
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION, . . xxx
PUBLIC REVENUE, . . . xxxi
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS, . . xxxii
CONSTITUTION, . . . xxxiii
CRIMINAL STATISTICS, . . . xxxv
POPULATION,* , . • . . xxxvi
ECCLESIASTICAL STATISTICS, . xxxviii
EDUCATION, . . . xlvii
LITERATURE, .... 1
COINS, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES, . li
ANTIQUITIES, . . . lii
EARLY HISTORY, Ivi
* See also Tables In Appendix.
INTRODUCTION.
A TK
Evei
islan
A VIEW of Scotland, introductory to a copious Gazetteer, must necessarily be very general,
very natural, political, and ecclesiastical division of the country, each great cluster of
lands, every chain of heights and remarkable mountain or hill, each lake and river and
arm of the sea, every city, town, village, and conspicuous mansion, and every interesting
object, be it what it may, a landscape, an antiquity, a natural curiosity, or a work of art,
are so fully noticed in their regular places, that a general article has no scope for de-
scription, and needs not even to be studded with references. Yet such a rapid geogra-
phical outline as shall indicate the mutual relations of the parts, — some details which
refer strictly to the country as a whole, and a few particulars which, while belonging to
only some localities or to classes of objects, could not, without frequent repetition, be
inserted in the body of the work, — will form both suitable and pleasing materials for our
Introduction.
Sec
ocean
POSITION AND EXTENT.
Scotland is bounded on the north by the great North sea ; on the east by the German
ean ; on the south-east by the liberties of Berwick, and by England ; on the south by the
Solway frith, and the Irish sea ; and on the west by the Atlantic ocean. The line of its
boundary on the south-east, from a point 3i miles north of Berwick to the head of the
Solway frith at the embouchure of the Sark, measures, inclusive of sinuosities, about 97
miles. This line has very numerous but not great windings ; and, over great part of its
length, is very capricious, and not physically marked. The curious reader may trace it
by reference to our articles on the counties of BERWICK, ROXBURGH, and DUMFRIES, whose
southern boundary-lines are identical with this. Popular language is utterly at fault in
speaking of Scotland as the part of Britain which lies north of the Tweed ; that river
running in the interior till 18 miles before it reaches the sea, and having on its left bank,
for the last 4 of these miles, the liberties of 'Berwick. Scotland, as to its mainland, lies
between 54° 41' and 58° 41' north latitude, and 1° 43' and 5° 38' west longitude ; and
Qcluding its islands, it extends to 60° 49' north latitude, and 8° 55' west longitude. The
greatest length of the mainland along the meridian, is from the Mull of Galloway, its
most southerly land, or south-west extremity, to Cape-Wrath, and in any possible direc-
tion, is from the same point, to Dunnet-head ; and it measures^ in the former case, 274
miles, — in the latter, 280. Its breadth, from St. Abb's-head in Berwickshire to the
point of Knap in Argyleshire, is 134 miles ; from the mouth of the South Esk in Forfar-
shire to Ardnamurchan-point in Argyleshire, is 137 miles ; and from Buchanness in
Aberdeenshire to the extremity of Applecross in Ross-shire, is 146 miles. North of the
Moray frith, the greatest breadth, from Duncansby-head to Cape- Wrath, is only 70
miles ; and the least, from the Dornoch frith to Loch-Broom, is 36. The whole country
is so penetrated by friths and inlets of the sea, that it constantly and very widely varies
in breadth, and has no spot which is upwards of 40 miles inland. Owing partly to the
great irregularity of outline, both in the mainland and in the islands, and partly to the
want of accurate surveys, hardly any two statements agree as to the extent of Scotland's
area. According to a report made to the Board of Agriculture, — probably the best
authority which can be followed, — its cultivated lands amount to 5,043,450 English
acres, and those uncultivated to 13,900,550 : jointly, 18,944,000 English acres, or
29,600 square miles. Of this area, about 4,000 square miles belong to the islands ; and,
addition to it, 638 square miles are occupied by lakes and rivers.
jv INTRODUCTION,
COAST.
From the liberties of Berwick, the coast extends along Berwickshire and part of Had-
dingtonshire, north-westward to near North Berwick : and there, over a commencing
width of 11 miles, it yields to the long westward indentation of the frith of Forth. Over
the greater part of this distance it is bold and rocky, presenting a firm rampart against
the attacks of the sea, and offering few points where even fishing-boats may approach.
On the north side of the Forth it makes an almost semicircular sweep round the most
easterly land of Fifeshire to St. Andrew's-bay ; it thence trends northward to the north-
east extremity of Fife ; and it there gives place to the indentation of the frith of Tay.
Between the Forth and the Tay, and over a considerable part of Forfarshire to the
north, it is in general low and sandy ; wearing alternately the softest and the tamest
aspects. From Buddonness, on the north side of the entrance of the Tay, all the way
along Forfarshire, Kincardineshire, and part of Aberdeenshire, to Buchanness, its direc-
tion is north-north-eastward, slightly variegated by sinuosities. Over the next 18 miles
it trends northward, and north-north-westward, to Kinnaird-head ; and between that
promontory and Duncansby-head in the extreme north-east, it recedes to the vast extent
of between 70 and 80 miles, and admits a triangular gulf or enormous bay, called the
Moray frith. On the south side of this gulf it stretches almost direct to the west, and
on the other side it extends to the north-east ; but at the inner extremity of the gulf, it
is confusedly and entirely broken by the friths of Beauly, Cromarty, and Dornoch.
From Duncansby-head, it undulates 14 miles in a prevailing direction of north-west by
west to Dunnet-head in the extreme north ; it thence stretches 4 miles south-westward
to the indentation of Thurso-bay ; and from this 'bay to Cape- Wrath, in the extreme
north-west, and in nearly the same longitude as the entrance of the bay, it describes,
over a distance of about 50 miles, a small segment of a circle, the curvature being inland,
but, besides having a rugged outline, is broken in three places by the inroads of respec-
tively Loch-Tongue, Loch-Eribole, and Durness-bay. Over nearly all the north it is
bold and dangerous, abutted with rocky headlands, crowned with frowning cliff's, torn into
fissures, and assailed by very generally a tumbling and chafed sea. From Cape- Wrath
to the Mull of Kintyre, a distance of about 30 miles more than from the meridian of the
liberties of Berwick to that of Duncansby-head, and comprising the whole west boundary
of the mainland, the coast, as to its general direction, diverges very little from the
straight line southward, or from a line a point or two westward of south ; but over nearly
its whole extent, it is so torn and shattered by inroads of the sea, yields to so many large
and variform indentations, and, amidst its curious and ever-recurring recesses, leaps so
mazily over the inner line of the Hebridean rocks and islets and islands, that it defies
description, and bewilders an uninitiated tourist. Its aspect here is throughout wild and
Highland, alternately picturesque, grand, sublime, and savage. At the Mull of Kintyre
the coast becomes narrowed with the continent, or rather with the long peninsula which
projects from it, and runs down to the Mull, into a point or headland ; and there, over a
commencing width of 35 or 40 miles, measured south-eastward to Ayrshire at Ballantrae,
it recedes in the large, many-bayed, and curious gulf, which forms the frith of Clyde.
From Ballantrae to the Mull of Galloway, a distance of 37 miles, it describes the segment
of an ellipsis, the curvature being toward the sea, but is broken a few miles south of
Ballantrae by the entrance of Loch- Ryan. Over this distance it is rocky, beetling, and
inhospitable, but not high, and is curiously perforated with large and numerous caverns.
From the Mull of GaUoway to a point 31 miles north-east by east, it yields successively
to the large ingress of Luce-bay, the considerable one of Wigton-bay, and the smaller
of the estuary of the Dee, and comes down in the mere headlands by which these friths
are separated. After passing the estuary of the Dee, it begins to be confronted with the
coast of England ; and thence onward it is identified with the shore of the Solway frith.
HEADLANDS.
In enumerating the principal capes, promontories, and other headlands, we shall mark
italics those which are the sites of lighthouses, and shall follow the coast-line in the
rm which we have just traced it. St. Abb's-head is in the middle of the coast-
ie of Berwickshire, and forms the most projecting, bold, and conspicuous piece of sea-
INTRODUCTION. V
board between the liberties of Berwick and the frith of Forth. Fast Castle-head is 3i
miles to the north-west. Barness, Whitberry-head, and Gulane-point, are in Hadding-
tonshire, — the last on the coast of the frith of Forth. Fifeness, a low, sandy, naked
headland, is the termination of the peninsula of Fife. Buddonness, similar to the former,
and Red-head, a beetling and bold promontory, are in Forfarshire. Jodhead, Garron-
point, Finnonness, and Girdleness, are in Kincardineshire, — the last at the mouth of the
Dee, and at the end of a range of the Grampians. Buchanness is the most easterly land
in Aberdeenshire, and even in Scotland. Rattray-point, Cairnbulg-head, and Kinnaird-
head, are in the same county, — the two last at the entrance of the Moray frith. Knockie-
head is in Banffshire. Coulard-hill and Burgh-head are in Elginshire. Tarbetness,
the termination of the long narrow peninsula between the Dornoch and the Beauly friths,
belongs to Ross-shire. Ord of Caithness, Clytheness, Noss-head, Duncansby-head,
Dunnet-head, and Holborn-head, are in Caithness, — the three last looking across the
Pentland frith to the Orkney Islands. Strathey-point, Whiten-head, Far-out-head,
Cape- Wrath, and Assynt-point, are in Sutherlandshire, — the last on its west coast, and
the three first on its north. More-head, or Ru-more, is on the west coast of Cromarty.
Udrigal-head, and Rhu-Rea-head, are on the west coast of Ross-shire. Ardnamur-
chan-point, the most westerly ground on the mainland, — the Mull of Kintyre, at the
entrance of the Clyde, and of the Irish channel, — and Lament-point and Toward-point,
the southern terminations on the east and the west of the district of Cowal, on the Clyde,
— are in Argyleshire. Clougli-point, on the Clyde, is in Renfrewshire. Kirkcolm-point,
at the entrance of Loch- Ryan, — Corsewall-point, at the north-west extremity of the
Rhinns of Galloway, — and the Mull of Galloway and Burrow-head, at the southern
extremities of Scotland, — are in Wigtonshire. Ross-head, between Wigton and Kirk-
cudbright bays, — Balcarry-point, at the west side of Auchencairn-bay, — Almerness-
point, between that bay and the estuary of the Urr, — and Southerness-point, at the
treme south-east of Galloway, — are in Kirkcudbrightshire.
MARINE WATERS.
The German ocean, where it washes the mainland of Scotland, is closed up on the
east side by Denmark, the entrance to the Baltic, and Christiansand in Norway. The
North sea and the German ocean, where they girdle the northern and western shores,
are — as we shall afterwards see — thickly occupied by the archipelagoes of Scotland, and
both tamed in the fury of their billows, and to a considerable extent stripped of their
superincumbent vapours, by the numerous and boldly screening islands, before they reach
the main shore ; from just the same circumstance, too, or owing to currents, whirlpools,
shoals, rocks, variable winds, and intricacy of channel, among the girdlings of the islands,
or between them and the mainland, these seas are not a little difficult and dangerous of
navigation ; and, owing to the gullets and narrow sounds, which serve like funnels for the
wind between high grounds, and to the great number and magnitude and power of the
rocky or mountainous obstructions which are presented to the breeze and the tide, and to
the labyrinth of paths, and the positions of successive or alternate propulsion, vexation,
opposition, and becalming which have to be traversed by a current, the seas likewise
exhibit in the frequent storms of winter, or amidst a gale on the longest and far extend-
ing day of the hyperborean summer, scenes of awful sublimity, which would appal almost
any sensitive person except a native of the islands or of the mainland sea-board. The
Irish channel, where it washes the Mull of Kintyre, looks up the frith of Clyde, and
sweeps along the Rhinns of Galloway from Carsewell-point to the Mull of Galloway, is
curtained on its west or south-west side by the county of Antrim, the entrance of Belfast
loch, and the county of Down in Ireland, is 13 miles broad at the Mull of Kintyre, and
21 at Portpatrick, and may be viewed as having an average breadth along Wigtonshire
of 24 or 25 miles. At the point where it expands into the Irish sea, or immediately off
the Mull of Galloway, the tides, which come in one slow and majestic current across the
Atlantic, which encounter the long, vast obstruction of the island of Ireland, and which,
sweeping round the ends of that country, enter the space between Ireland and Great
Britain by the opposite inlets at the Mull of Kintyre, and at St. George 's-ehannel> run
against each other in a tumult of collision, and produce, even in calm weather, a tum-
bling, troughy sea, which no landsman loves to traverse. Resulting from the same
causes, the tidal currents in the adjacent parts of the Irish sea, and above all in the
vi INTRODUCTION.
SOLWAY FRITH [which see], are the most curious in the world. Some miles southward
of the Galloway coast, where the efflux is felt from both the Galloway estuaries, and the
Solway frith, or even some miles southward of the extreme land of the Mull of Gallo-
way where the current is less powerful, a Glasgow and Liverpool steamer of the old
build might, in certain stages of the tide, have paddled away northward for a couple of
hours, and scarcely preserved herself from being swept toward the Isle of Man. The
Irish sea, where it washes Galloway, looks direct southward to the Isle of Man, and the
north coast of North Wales ; and the Solway frith, from the line 22 miles wide where
it commences between Balmae-head at the entrance of Kirkcudbright bay and St. Bees-
head in England, to the narrow point where it terminates at the mouth of the Sark, is
all the way flanked on the English side by Cumberland, and is overlooked at intervals
on its English shore by the towns of Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, and Bowness.
The penetrations which the great encincturing marine waters of Scotland make in the
shape of gulfs, bays, friths, and what are called lochs, are so numerous that a full and
minute list of them would task a reader's powers of endurance quite as severely as the
continuous perusal of three or four pages of a pocket English dictionary. All the im-
portant, and, in any respect interesting ones too, are so fully noticed each in its appro-
priate place in the Gazetteer, that even they can bear enumeration only with the view of
indicating their mutual and relative positions. Belhaven-bay, between Dunbar and Whit-
berry-head in Haddingtonshire, though a comparatively small marine inlet, is the only
noticeable one on the east coast south of the Forth. The frith of Forth divides all Fife-
shire, a detached part of Perthshire, and part of Clackmannanshire on the north, from all
Lothian, East, Mid, and West, and part of Stirlingshire on the south ; and it makes several
interior indentations, the chief of which are Aberlady-bay in East- Lothian, Musselburgh
bay in Mid- Lothian, and Inverkeithing and Largo-bays in Fifeshire. St. Andrew's-bay,
at the mouth of the Eden, cuts Fifeshire into two peninsulse, the larger on the south,
and the smaller on the north. The frith of Tay divides Forfarshire on the north from
Fifeshire on the south, and afterwards penetrates considerably into Perthshire. Lunan-
bay makes but a small and segmentary indentation on the coast of Forfarshire, but is
attractive for its beauty, and valuable as anchoring-ground. Montrose basin is a
curious landlocked lagoon behind the town which gives it name. The Moray frith is
greatly the broadest gulf in Scotland, having part of Aberdeen, all Banff, Elgin, and
Nairn, and part of Inverness on one side, and Cromarty, Ross, Sutherland, and Caith-
ness on the other, and measuring in a line, which may be considered its mouth, from
Kinnaird's-head to Duncansby-head about 76 miles. Spey-bay makes a comparatively
short and slender incision between Banff and Elgin. Burgh-head-bay forms a notice-
able expansion between Elgin and Nairn. The Beauly frith, opening from the inner
extremity or angle of the Moray frith, penetrates, first south-westward and then west-
ward, between Nairn and Inverness on the one side, and Ross and Cromarty on the
other ; and it sends off from its south side, near the town of Inverness, the navigation of
the Caledonian canal. Cromarty frith, opening with a narrow entrance from the Moray
frith a few miles north of the mouth of the Beauly frith, describes a demi-semicircle to
the town of Dingwall, and forms the best harbour on the east coast of Great Britain,
and one of the finest in the world. The Dornoch frith extends westward between Ross
and Sutherland. Wick-bay makes a large semicircular indentation, on the east coast
of Caithness, immediately north of Noss-head. The Pentland frith— strictly a strait or
sound — intervenes between the mainland and the Orkney archipelago, forms the marine
highway, in the extreme north, to vessels going round Scotland ; and, on account of its
powerful tidal currents, and its rugged and broken coasts, is of difficult and very peril-
ous navigation. Thurso-bay broadly indents the middle of the north coast of Caithness.
Lochs Tongue, Eribole, and Durness, make sharp, considerable incisions, at rapid in-
tervals, on the north coast of Sutherland. Lochs Inchard, Laxford, Assynt, Eynard,
Broom, Little Broom, Greinord, Ewe, Gair, Torriden, Kishorn, Carron, Ling, and some
others, curiously cleave into fragments the west coast of Sutherland and Ross. The
Mmch, a broad sound or little sea, intervenes between the mainland at Sutherland and
Ross, and the archipelago of the Long Island; and the Little Minch, a much narrower
sound, intervenes between that archipelago and the group of Skye. The Kyle and the
sound of Sleak— the former a confined and winding strait, and the latter gradually ex-
pansive—separate Skye from the mainland along the coast of Inverness. Lochs Hourn,
Nevish, and Nuagh, opening off from these straits, run eastward into the mainland.
INTRODUCTION. Vll
mi
The sound of Mull, a narrow strait, extends south-eastward between Morvern in Argyle-
shire and the island of Mull. Loch-Linnhe, a large and long sound, stretches north and
south between Lorn in Argyleshire and the island of Mull ; and is thickly sprinkled
with islands and islets belonging to the Mull group of the Hebrides. Lochs Eil, Leven,
Crinan, and Etive branch away from it, and run far into the interior, — the first leading
the way from the west to the navigation of the Caledonian canal. The sound of Jura,
extending north and south, intervenes between the district of Knapdale and the island
of Jura ; and the sound of Isla, extending in the same direction, forms a narrow stripe
between Jura and Isla. The frith of Clyde, previously to its being ramified into a
labyrinth of straits and sound and curiously elongated bays, rolls, in its great gulf of
waters, its little interior sea, between the long peninsula of Kintyre on the west and the
coast of Ayrshire on the east ; and, in its higher waters, it encloses the various parts or
islands of Buteshire, cleaves southern Argyleshire into a series of wildly Highland and
singular peninsulse, makes a considerable cleft in Dumbartonshire, and, as to its main
channel, divides the counties of Argyle and Dumbarton from those of Ayr and Renfrew.
Loch- Ryan and Luce-bay invade Wigtonshire on a line with each other, and on opposite
sides, — make such a mutual advance as to leave a comparatively narrow isthmus between
their inner extremities, — and divide the Rhinns of Galloway from the rest of Wigtonshire.
Wigton-bay makes a long inroad between the two great political divisions of Galloway.
Fleet, Kirkcudbright, and Auchencairn bays, and the estuary of the Urr, indent the
coast of Kirkcudbrightshire. The estuary of the Nith divides, for a considerable dis-
tance, the stewartry of Kirkcudbright from the country of Dumfries.
SURFACE.
Hundreds and even thousands of parishes in England so closely or exactly resemble
one another in all their features of landscape, that a sufficiently graphic description of
one might be superscribed successively with the names of all. But so wondrously diver-
sified is the surface of Scotland, that each of all its parishes, except a few, has some
broad distinctive features of its own, each of the great majority might be the subject of
a picture replete with individuality, and each of very many offers to the painter entire
ups, sometimes multitudinous clusters of scenes which are rich in the peculiarities of
heir respective elements. Any general description of such a country is in the highest
degree susceptible of colouring from the bias of aversion or of favourable predilection.
Scotland has spots as lusciously lovely, or as superbly magnificent as ever poet sang,
.d spots as unutterably dreary or as inhospitably sequestered as ever a dreaming or
isanthropic anchorite conceived ; and, in respect both to scenery and to climate, can
obably exhibit some actual tract of territory to justify, or at least to countenance, on
e one hand, each sneer or sarcasm which has been written against her by illiberal pre-
^udice, and, on the other, each of the most impassioned panegyrics which have been
sung upon her by patriotic and enthusiastic admiration. To be fully understood, the
country must be seen or studied in minute detail : no general description of it can be
made the vehicle of very distinct ideas. Only such readers as acquaint themselves with
it through some such medium as a copious Gazetteer, can be said to comprehend it,
— examining it piece by piece in such large districts as those of counties and grand
divisions, and then looking in detail at its parishes, its principal mountains, its lakes,
its rivers, and all its various interesting objects. Whoever shall peruse the present
ork, first in the great and comprehensive articles, and next, in the multitudinous briefer
icles which exhibit the individual objects, and describe the minute features of the
and picture, must rise, we should hope, from the perusal with conceptions of the sur-
e of Scotland incomparably clearer than if he had read any conceivable amount of con-
cutive description. He will be surprised, perhaps bewildered, by the amount of va-
iety ; he will be delighted, or even thrilled, by the frequency with which scenery occurs,
ver new or peculiar, and addressing itself by turns, or in combinations, to every power
f taste, from the love of the calmly beautiful to the sturdiest and sternest capacity for
,he awfully sublime ; he will wonder to discover many a fairy nook or striking lusus na-
rce in a district which probably rash satire had pronounced repulsive even to a savage ;
and when he reflects how spiritedly and copiously Wordsworth and Scott, and many
other masters of song, have written upon Scottish landscape, he will conjecture how
igbty an impulse they must have felt, and how resistlessly they were hurried along,
yiii INTRODUCTION.
and into what a whirl of poetic excitement they were carried, in the careering of their
descriptive poetry. But he must be aided, in this introductory article, by such a general
view of the surface of the country as, though unneeded and useless for the purposes of
description, will indicate to him the prevailing characteristic, where there is one of each
great district, and assist him to see the mutual connexion of counties, mountain systems,
valleys, and the basins of the great rivers.
Scotland, then, as to its mainland, is naturally and very distinguishably separated
both into two and into three great divisions. The two great divisions are the Highlands
and the Lowlands, so noticed and traced in separate articles in the body of this work,
that they need not be further mentioned. The three great divisions are, the Southern,
lying south of the friths of Forth and Clyde, and of a great valley which connects them,
and now traversed by the Forth and Clyde canal,— the Central, lying north of this
line, and south of the Glenmore-nan-albin, or great Glen of Caledonia, occupied by a
chain of slender lakes, and now traversed from the Beauly frith to Loch-Linnhe by the
Caledonian canal, — and the Northern, lying north and north-west of the Glenmore-
nan-albin.
Though the Southern division is all comprehended in what are called the Lowlands,
and contains much champaign country, or many of the districts which obtain in Scot-
land the name of plains, it contains very little level ground except in the alluvial tracts,
— the luxuriant and the richly screened Scottish ' haughs ' and ' holms, ' — along the
courses of the greater rivers. Its southern extremity, comprising all Wigtonshire ex-
cept a belt on the north, is strictly neither mountainous nor lowland,— a remarkably tu-
mulated expanse, — a sea of hillocks, very thinly crested with wood, and wearing the
changeful hues of constant hesitation between wilderness, green pasture, and arable cul-
tivation. Along the north of Wigtonshire, but chiefly in the adjacent portions of Kirk-
cudbrightshire and Ayrshire, from the head of Wigton-bay on the east, to the sea at Loch-
Ryan, and to the frith of Clyde opposite Ailsa- Craig, commences a very broad and far-
stretching system of mountains which are often called the Scottish Southern Highlands,
and which form the grandest feature of the southern district of the country. This sys-
tem extends in a broad phalanx of spurs and ridges cut by gorges and glens, quite across
the kingdom in the direction of north-east by east, to the Cheviots on the boundary of
Roxburghshire, and there passes on to Northumberland. It attains its highest altitudes
about mid-distance in the country, and thence sends off huge spurs northward to the
great bend of the Clyde round Tinto, north-north-eastward to the abrupt stoop of the
Pentland-hills, a few miles south of Edinburgh, and north-eastward to the termination
of the Moorfoot-hills in the vale of Gala-water. From the western end up to the central
masses, no regular ridge can be traced ; the mountains form an elevated region unmarked
by order, and penetrated in various directions by deep long gorges and vales. East of the
central heights, a distinctly marked but deeply serrated ridge, constituting an uniform
water-shed, and shooting up in a continued series of summits, runs along the northern
boundary of Dumfries-shire and Liddesdale, and afterwards bends north-eastward and
northward along the boundary with England, to the vicinity of Yetholm. The heights,
in a few instances, have sharp and pinnacled outlines, or present a bare and rocky as-
pect ; but, in general, they are soft in feature and in dress, angularities being rounded
away from side and summit, and verdure successfully struggling to maintain ascendency
over heath. On their south side they run far down in lateral ridges, and frequently
subside with comparative suddenness, allowing the parallel narrow valleys to open boldly
and sweepingly out into a great plain. In their main broad line they occupy the north-
ern parts of Kirkcudbrightshire and Dumfries-shire, and the southern parts of the coun-
ties of Ayr, Lanark, Peebles, Selkirk, and Roxburgh. Their altitude in the central
masses, averages nearly 3,000 feet above sea-level, and, in other parts, varies from 700
) feet to a little upwards of 2,000. The great plain, or rather champaign country,
which lies between them and the Solway frith, exhibits on the east a considerable expanse
f level ground,— in the centre, an agreeable variety of flats, and gentle hilly ridges,—
in the west, an irregularly tumulated surface. Greatly the boldest variety in this
quarter is the ridge of the CrifFel-hiUs, which lifts a grand summit in the immediate
the Solway, at the mouth of the estuary of the Nith, and thence runs inland in
a considerable ridge of 10 or 12 miles. The broad spurs toward Edinburgh and Gala-
water fill all Peebles-shire and Selkirkshire ; they are quite as irregular as the great
mam line, not so bold, more softly dressed, and forming over a considerable space a
INTRODUCTION. ix
hugely undulated expanse of verdure. As they become identified with the Moorfoot-
hills in the south of Mid- Lothian, they lose much of both their greenness and their
altitude. After the intervention of the vale of the Gala, they rise suddenly up in a
broad and very moorish ridge, which takes the name of the Lammermoor-hills, occupies
the northern part of Berwickshire, and the southern part of East- Lothian, and extends
in a direction north of east to the German ocean at St. Abb's-head. An irregular
triangle, formed by the east end of the main line of the Southern Highlands, and the
spurs onward to the coast of the Lammermoors, constitutes the basin of the parent-stream
and the affluents of the Tweed. This, over a large part of its extent, is identical with
the dells, and glens, and vales of the mountain-territory ; but in the eastern and south-
ern divisions of Berwickshire, and a small part of the north-eastern division of Rox-
burghshire, it forms the largest plain in Scotland, an expanse of very slightly undulated
ground, closely resembling many districts in England, — the luxuriant, calmly pretty,
garden-looking Merse. Intervening between the South Highlands and the friths of
Forth and Clyde, the great champaign grounds of Lothian and Strathclyde extend from
sea to sea, the former a hanging plain, declining to the north, and picturesquely varie-
gated with hill and rising ground, and the latter a great valley opening broadly out from
among the glens and vales of the Highlands, stretching westward in agreeable undula-
tions, which decline on both sides to a line along the centre, and becoming pent up in
the west between the Lennox-hills and a ridge in Renfrewshire. The water-shed
between these two great champaign districts is everywhere very slightly marked, and
contains less hill, and greatly less boldness and variety, than several ridges or congeries
of heights in the interior of Lothian. An insulated range, vacillating in character
between hill and mountain, commences behind Greenock, at the west end of the valley
of the Clyde, and runs southward near the west coast to the hill of Knockgeorgan, 700
feet high, about 3 miles north of Ardrossan bay. Mistie-Law, near the middle of the
range, rises 1,558 feet above sea-level. From the heights north of Ardrossan, the high
land or water-shed, makes a circular sweep to the south, with the concave side to the
west, enclosing in a sort of amphitheatre the great hanging plain of Ayrshire, frequently,
but very slightly, tumulated, containing much level ground, and, in its southern part,
several bold heights, and having a prevailing declination to the west. This water-shed,
after leaving the insulated chain from Greenock to Ardrossan, is for a long way of very
inconsiderable elevation ; and where it forms the boundary-line between Strathclyde or
the vale of Avon, and the plain of Ayrshire, it is so low as to admit, from some points
on the east bank of the Clyde in the centre of Clydesdale, not more than 120 or 160
feet above sea-level, a view of the heights of Arran, distant 50 miles in the frith of
Clyde ; but over its southern half it becomes identified, for some distance, with the
water-shed of the main line of the Southern Highlands, and then sweeps westward to the
sea, immediately on the left bank of the outlet of Girvan-water. The extreme north of
the southern division of Scotland, or that which forms the middle part of the common
boundary between it and the central division, is a strath or belt of low land, stretching
along the south base of the Lennox-hills, from the head of the estuary of the Forth
between Grangemouth and Stirling, to a point a little above the head of the estuary of
Clyde, between the village of East Kilpatrick and the vicinity of Glasgow. This
ith is identical, at its west end, with the valley of the Clyde ; in the chief of its
ttral part, it forms a detached district of Dumbartonshire ; and in its west end, and
rest of its central part, it constitutes the plain of Stirlingshire. So low and slightly
riegated is its surface, that a glance at its appearance and position brings conviction
of its having once lain under water, and formed a natural sea communication, or con-
tinuous frith, between the eastern and western marine waters of Scotland.
The Lennox-hills, which skirt the central division of the kingdom between the Forth
and the Clyde, extend from Stirling to Dumbuck, immediately above Dumbarton, in the
direction of west-south-west. Along the north side, a moorish descent terminates, over
the western half, in a narrow and richly variegated vale, chiefly traversed by the river
Endrick, and partly declining to Loch-Lomond, and the channel of its superfluent stream
the level, — and over the eastern half, in a flat broad belt of carse-ground, which is very
sinuously watered by the river Forth, and which, after sweeping past a narrowed and
pent-up part at Stirling-castle, becomes identified with the plain of Stirlingshire. The
mountains beyond extend over a vast region ; occupy, with their intervening vales and
lakes, the whole of the middle and western portions of the central division of Scotland ;
INTRODUCTION.
The boundary of the most mountainous part of the region extends south-westward from
this monarch-height to Ben-Cruachan, on the south side of Loch-Etive ; it runs thence
south-eastward to the mountains of Arroquhar on the east side of Loch-Long, one of the
most northerly branches of the frith of Clyde ; it extends thence eastward to Benlomond,
at the sources of the Forth ; it thence passes on in the direction of east-north-east to
Benledi on the west side of the fresh-water lake Loch-Lubnaig ; it thence diverges east-
ward to the enormously-based Beniglo, in latitude 56° 50', and west longitude 3<> 40'; it
runs thence due east to the lofty ridge of Loch an-nagar, nearly in latitude 57°, and west
longitude 3° ; it extends thence northward, to the water-shed between the sources of the
river Deveron and those of the Avon, an affluent of the Spey ; it thence passes on west-
ward to the northern extremity of Loch-Ness ; and it thence extends south-westward
along the flank of the whole of Glenmore-nan-albin to Bennevis. All the country com-
prehended within these boundaries, excepting Strathspey and a few deep glens, lies pro-
bably at a minimum of 1,000 feet above sea-level ; it embosoms multitudinous scenes of
grand and magnificent beauty, and of alternately savage and picturesque sublimity ; it
has many tracts which afford rich pasture, and not a few which are finely and produc-
tively feathered over with forest ; it even contains, in well-sheltered situations, spots,
small individually, but considerable in the aggregate, which are available for agriculture ;
but over by far the greater part of its extent, it either sends up wild and untameable
summits to the clouds, or is an impracticable waste and wilderness region of rocky
steeps, unproductive moors, and extensive bogs. Large tracts of continuous mountains
lie on all sides, except the north-west, immediately beyond the boundaries we have indi-
cated, and form, jointly with the great territory within these boundaries, the upland
district of the central division of Scotland ; but, though equally inhospitable, they are
much inferior in mean height, and, in general, have less boldness, angularity, and rocki-
ness of surface. The greatest range of the whole region cuts it from west to east into
not very unequal parts, forms all the way a water-shed between streams respectively 011
the north and on the south, has a breadth of from 12 to 25 miles, runs at no great dis-
tance south of the 57th parallel, and extends from Bennevis by Loch-Ericht, and along
the northern boundary of the counties of Perth and Forfar, to Mount-Caerloch in Kin-
cardineshire, 18 miles west by north of Stonehaven, and thence sends off two hilly ridges
to the coast, one terminating at Stonehaven, and the other at Girdleness. It thus
bristles up as a stupendous rampart from sea to sea, sends up many summits 3,000 feet
above sea-level, has probably a mean altitude, west of Caerloch, of 2,500 feet, measures
in length from Bennevis to Girdleness about 100 miles, and, besides carrying the great
north mail-road over the east end of its forking hilly ridges, is pierced in three places
with gorges or passes which admit the transit of military roads. Another range com-
mences in the vicinity of Loch-Lydoch, several miles from the south side of the former
range, in west longitude 4<> 35' ; and runs south-westward to Bendoe, and thence south-
ward, by the mountains of Arroquhar, along the west side of Loch- Long and the frith oi
Clyde, to a soft and gentle termination at Toward-point, the eastern peninsular headland
of the district of Cowal. This range is not more than 50 miles in length, and, in Cowal,
not more than 6 in mean breadth, and considerably less than 2,000 feet in the average
height of its summits ; but, north of Arroquhar, it is from 12 to 15 miles broad, sends
up numerous summits to the height of nearly 3,000 feet, and forms a water-shed between
the streams which flow respectively to the German and the Atlantic oceans. The section
of the mountain or Highland district lying east of this range, and south of the great
central range from Bennevis to Caerloch, somewhat nearly resembles in outline the
figure of a quadrant, and contains many elevations, such as Benlomond, Benvenu, Ben-
ledi, Benvoirlich, Benlawers, and Schihallion, which rise about 3,000 feet or upwards,
and in one instance even 4,000 feet, above sea-level. Its mountains are in some cases
isolated ; but, in general, they run in lateral spurs or offshoots eastward from the sout
and north range, and more or less parallel with the great central range. These
short in the southern part of the district, but towards the north they gradually inert
from 10 to 15 or 18, and even to upwards of 20 miles ; they enclose glens which „
deep throughout, and in part high above sea-level, which have a contracted narrownt-
ou the west, akin to that of profound gorges, but usually expand into vales toward th<
INTRODUCTION. XI
east, and which contain aggregately large pendicles of arable land and forest, and em-
bosom a great proportion of the loveliest and far-famed scenery of the Highlands.
Between the most northerly of these flanking screens of the glens, and the great east and
west central mountain-range, extends the vale of Rannoch, traversed along the east by
the tumultuous river Tummel, and occupied on the west by Loch- Rannoch ; and from
the west end of this lake, past the northern termination of the north and south great
range, away south-westward to the spurs of Bencruachan, extends the moor of Rannoch,
an immense level bog lying about 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, a dismal wilder-
ness occupying an area of about 400 square miles. The section of country south and
south-west of this, north of the peninsula of Knapdale and Kintyre, and west of the
north and south mountain-range, measures about 40 miles by 25, and with the exception
of the stupendous mass of Bencruachan and some attendant heights, is a series of table-
lands, elevated from 500 to 700 feet above sea-level, separated by narrow and deep glens
ploughed up by water-courses, and covered partly with heath and grass, and partly with
moorish soil and bog. The glens, though deep, are, in general, open, or expand into
vales, and in common with the banks of far-stretching bays and marine lochs, are subject
to the plough or luxuriant in wood. The long narrow peninsula of Knapdale and Kin-
tyre, extending nearly 50 miles southward, with a mean breadth of about 7 miles, rises
at its southern extremity to an altitude of about 1,000 feet above sea-level, but elsewhere
is very moderately and even gently hilly, has many interspersions of plain and valley,
and wears an arable, sheltered, and softly picturesque appearance. From the north side
of the great central range, at a point north-north-west of Beniglo, a range upwards of
30 miles in length, and about 10 or 11 in mean breadth, goes off in the direction of north
by east, to the stupendous mountain-knot of the Cairngorm heights — according to some
authorities, the loftiest in Britain — and there forks into two branches, the one extending
north-eastward, and lowering in its progress, along the right flank of the upper basin of the
Deveron, and the other, under the name of the Braes of Abernethy, running northward
tween the vale of the Avon and the valley of the Spey, to the terminating and lofty
eights of Cromdale. This range, except near the north end of its divergent branches,
3 unpierced by any road or practicable pass ; and, from the Cairngorm group to its
junction with the great central range, has a mean altitude of probably about 3,000 feet.
In the triangle, the two greater sides of which are formed by the Glenmore-nan-albin,
and the western moiety of the great central range, stretches north-eastward, a range 30
miles in length, and considerable in breadth, called the Monadh-Leadh mountains.
hese heights commence, at their south-west end, in the Corryarrack mountains, 18
iles north-east of Bennevis : they divide in their progress into two branches, which
enclose the upper basin of the river Findhorn, and terminate nearly due south-east, from
the frith of Beauly entrance of the Caledonian canal ; and they possess an extreme alti-
de above sea-level of not much more than 2,000 feet. The south side of the east end
of the great central range from Caerloch to Beniglo, and the ends facing the south-east
and east, of the lateral offshoots of the great range north and south, have a broad fringe
of shelving upland, which, in a general view, may be described as descending in tiers,
or as forming a declination by successive gradients to the Lowlands. This fringe — moun-
tainous on the inner side, and merely hilly in the exterior — varies in breadth from 3 to
8 miles toward the south, and from 6 to 12 miles toward the north ; it is everywhere
chequered or striped with glens and vales, bringing down the roaring and impetuous
streams cradled among the alps to the champaign country below ; it exhibits, as seen
from a distance, a magnificently varied breastwork thrown round the Highlands ; and it
encloses in its glens and vales a surpassing rich assemblage of scenery, a vast aggregate
area of picturesque and romantic forest, and not a small proportion of excellent arable
ground. Along the whole south-east side of this far-stretching and sublime and myriad-
featured declivity, from the Forth, between the vicinity of Stirling to the vicinity of
Aberfoil, to the German ocean at Stonehaven, a distance of about 80 miles, extends the
plain of Strathmore, or the Great Valley, from 1 mile to 16 miles in breadth, over the
most part from 6 to 8, and almost everywhere level, and in fine cultivation. This fine
strath sends off to the German ocean at Montrose, a short one of kindred character, and
farther north it becomes narrowed, and assumes the name of the Howe of Mearns ; and
at the point where it is crossed by the river Tay, it looks down a transverse valley
watered by that stream ; but over nearly all its length it is flanked along its south-east
side by ranges of heights which, in some places, almost vie with the Grampians along the
U&U
Ki
\
xii
INTRODUCTION.
north-west side, and in others wear the aspect of soft and gentle hills. The most consi-
derable range, called the Ochils, extends from a point 2 miles from the river Forth, and
about 4 miles from Stirling, in the direction of east-north-east, to the frith of Taj ; it is
24 miles in length, and has a mean breadth of about 12 miles ; and it is loftiest toward
the Forth, and attains an extreme altitude of 2,300 feet above sea-level. Another range,
called the Sidlaw-hills, is continuous of the Ochils, except for the intervention of the
valley of the Tay ; it rises abruptly up a little below Perth, in a surpassingly picturesque
height of 632 feet above sea-level, and extends to a point some miles south of Montrose,
sending up, over the earlier half of its progress, numerous summits upwards of 1,000 feet
in altitude, and afterwards forming naturally moorish terraces, which now are either
arable, or, for the most part, clothed with wood. South-eastward of the Ochils, all the
way to the German ocean, the surface is singularly rich in the calm and soft beauties of
landscape, and exhibits an interminable blending of valley, slope, and gentle hill ; its
boldest variety being an isolated table-ridge, a few miles from the Ochils, 4 miles in
length, and shooting up at the extremities into beautifully outlined summits, respectively
1,466, and 1,721 feet high. Eastward from the south end of the Sidlaws, and along the
north shore of the frith of Tay to the vicinity of Dundee, stretches the Carse of Gowrie,
a level expanse of wheat-bearing soil, unsurpassed in strength and richness. The surface
elsewhere between the Sidlaws and the sea, is partly diversified with the soft low heights
called Laws, and partly consists of sandy downs, but in general is a waving, well-culti-
vated plain. North of the great central mountain-range from Bennevis to the German
ocean, and east of the strictly Highland region, some high hilly ridges run eastward to
near the sea, and send aloft numerous summits of mountainous aspect and altitude. The
surface of the ridges and the intervening tracts, alternately pleases and tantalizes by
incessant change ; it abounds in rocky ruggedness, and steep declivities, and niggard
moorlands ; and it admits the dominion of the plough only or chiefly on the low grounds
of its glens and valleys. The country lying to the north-east, and terminating in Kin-
naird's-head, at the entrance of the Moray frith, has plains which, in some instances,
run 10 or 12 miles inland from the sea, and swell into hills, most of which are graceful
in outline, and beautifully verdant, while some are ploughed to the summit, and all, with
one exception, rise less than 600 feet above the level of the sea. The country lying
along the Moray frith to the north-east end of the Glenmore-nan-albin, has a breadth
between the Highlands and the sea of only from 12 to 18 miles ; its level ground along
the sea-board runs 9 miles inland in the vicinity of the Spey, but elsewhere is seldom
more than 2 miles broad ; its interior district is traversed seaward by lofty offshoots of
the mountain region beyond ; and its sea-board on the Beauly frith is a barren moor 10
miles by from 2 to 3, — the famous moor of Culloden. The Glenmore-nan-albin extends
north-east and south-west, in a straight line from sea to sea ; it is 60 miles in length from
Loch-Eil to the Beauly frith ; and it is principally occupied by three long stripes of
fresh-water lake, aggregately upwards of 37 miles in length.
The northern or third great division of Scotland, with the exception of two compara-
tively small portions, is all Highland. One of the low tracts consists of the peninsula?
respectively north and south of the Cromarty frith, and of a tract round the head of that
frith from 2 to about 4 miles in breadth, which unites them. The southern peninsula,
seaward from an isthmus which nowhere rises more than 50 feet above sea-level, swells
on its west side into a flat backed height, which, with a mean breadth of 2 miles, extends
northward to the coast. The northern peninsula, though much and roughly variegated
with high moorish grounds, and lifting up in one place a bold rampart on the coast, is
crossed by the fine Plain of Fearn, stretching from Tain to the most northerly bay of
the Cromarty frith. The other level, though somewhat variegated district, comprehends
about four-fifths of the whole of Caithness, and will be quite understood as to both its
character and its relative position, by reference to the article on that county. The
mountain region, while vast in area and multitudinous in feature, exhibits such masses
and congeries of heights, and is so undisposed in ridges or ranges, that only a longer
description than the patience of most readers could endure would serve to depict it. Its
greatest elevation extends across nearly its centre, from Ben- Wyvis on the east, to Loch-
Torridon on the west, and sends aloft its summits from a base lying at probably 1,500
feet above sea-level. On the north side of this line, or toward Cape-Wrath, the eleva-
tion decreases more than on the south, or toward the peninsula of Morvern. On its
west side occur most of those long and narrow indentations of the sea noticed in the
INTRODUCTION. Xlll
sections on the coasts and the marine waters ; remarkable for rendering so desolate a
region inhabitable, and especially for their being of a class which occurs elsewhere only
on the coasts of Norway, Greenland, Iceland, and the hyperborean country around
Hudson's Bay.
RIVERS.
Most of the running waters of Scotland, owing to the prevalence of mountain, and the
frequent penetrations of the sea, have small length of course, and, even in the country
itself, are not designated rivers. Yet though very numerous, and, for the most part,
individually unimportant, they will be found distinctively noticed in the articles on
counties, and fully described in the alphabetical arrangement. We can here, without
useless repetition, only name the principal streams, and state their locality and direction
of course. South of the west end of the Southern Highlands, or in two cases in Wigton-
shire, and in the third between that county and Kirkcudbrightshire, the Luce, the
Bladenoch, and the Cree, run south-eastward to the Irish sea. South of the main range
of the Southern Highlands, the Dee, the Urr, the Nith, the Annan, and the Esk, run
southward to the Solway frith. In the large triangular district, two sides of which are
formed by the main range of the Southern Highlands, and by the long spur to St. Abb's-
head, and whose aggregate basin comprehends about 1,870 square miles, the Tweed,
aided chiefly by the affluents of the Gala, the Teviot, and the Whitadder, runs east-
ward, north-eastward, and northward, to the German ocean. The Lothians and the
plain of Stirlingshire, are drained north-eastward or northward to the frith of Forth,
principally by the Tyne, the Esk, the Leith, the Almond, the Avon, and the Carron.
Ayrshire is drained in a direction more or less westerly to the frith of Clyde, by the
Stinchar, the Girvan, the Doon, the Ayr, the Irvine, and the Garnock. The basin of
the Clyde, comprehending an area of 1,200 square miles, is drained in a direction north
of west to the head of the frith of Clyde, by its cognominal stream, whose chief affluents
are the Douglas, the Avon, the Kelvin, and the Leven. The Forth, drawing greatly
the majority of its head- waters from the central division of Scotland, fed principally by
the Teith, the Allan, and the Devon, and draining an area of 574 square miles, flows
eastward to its frith. The streams which, throughout both the central and the northern
divisions of Scotland, run westward to the Atlantic, are all individually too inconsider-
able to bear separate mention. Those which drain the district east of the Ochil-hills,
are chiefly the Leven and the Eden, — the former eastward to Largo-bay, and the latter
north-eastward to St. Andrew's-bay. A vast territory lying immediately south of the
great central range of mountains, and comprehending large portions of both the High-
lands and the Lowlands, is drained to the extent of 2,396 miles, chiefly eastward, and
partly southward, by the Tay and its tributaries, the principal of which are the Tummel,
the Isla, the Almond, and the Earn. The north-east corner of this territory is drained
eastward to the German ocean, chiefly by the South-Esk and the North-Esk. In the
district immediately north of the central mountain-range, and east of the Cairngorm
mountain-knot, the Dee and the Don run eastward to the sea at Aberdeen. In the dis-
trict lying between this and the eastern half of the Moray frith, the Deveron runs north-
ward to that frith, and the Ythan and the Ugie eastward to the German ocean. The
district enclosed by the great central mountain-range, the north-east branch of the
Cairngorm ramification, the Moray frith, and the Glenmore-nan-albin, is drained to the
extent of 1,300 square miles, north-eastward to the sea by the Spey, to the extent of 500
miles northward to the frith by the Findhorn, and to a less extent for each stream, north-
ward to the frith by the Nairn, and westward to Loch-Lochy, near the west end of the
Glenmore by the Spean. In the great northern division of Scotland, the chief streams
eastward are the Beauly to the head of the Beauly frith, the Conan to the head of the
Cromarty frith, the Oykell to the head of the Dornoch frith, the Brora, the Helmsdale,
the Berriedale, and the Wick ; and the chief streams northward are the Thurso, the
Forss, the Halladale, and the Naver. Of all the rivers, the Clyde alone is navigable by
sea-craft for any considerable distance above the estuary ; and even it possesses this
high property only in consequence of great artificial deepening and embanking, and over
a distance of but about 12 miles.
XIV
INTRODUCTION,
LAKES.
,
The lakes of Scotland are very numerous, and, in many instances, are large, and
singularly rich in scenery. The principal, for extent or scenic attractions, are Ken,
drained by a cognominal stream, the chief affluent of the southern Dee ; Skene, 1,300
feet above sea-level, drained by a remote tributary of the Annan, forming the magnifi-
cent cataract called the Grey- Mare's- Tail ; St. Mary's-Loch, and the Loch of the Lows,
drained by the classic Yarrow, a remote affluent of the Tweed ; Doon, drained by its
cognominal stream ; Lomond, drained by the western Leven, the tributary of the Clyde ;
Leven and Glin, drained by the eastern Leven ; Conn and Ard, drained by the Forth ;
Katrine Achray, Vennachoir, Voil, and Lubnaig, drained by the Teith, the chief afflu-
ent of the Forth ; Tay, Earn, Lydoch, Ericht, Rannoch, Tummel, Garry, Lows, Cluny,
and Quiech, drained by the Tay and its affluents ; Loch-Lee, drained by the North-Esk
Awe, Avick, Shiell, and Eck, south of the central mountain-range, and near the wes
coast ; Laggan, Ouchan, and Treag, drained by the Spean ; Lochie and Archaig, drainec
by the Lochie into Loch-Eil ; Oich and Garry, drained by the Ness into the Beauly
frith ; Duntalliak, drained by the Nairn ; Ruthven and Ashley, drained into Loch-Ness ;
Maree, Fuir, Shallag, Fannich, Rusk, Luichart, Monar, Glas, Moir, and Slin, in Ross-
shire ; and Shin, Naver, Furan, Baden, Loval, and More, in Sutherland. The area in
square miles, of 26 of the principal, is respectively of Lomond, 45 ; Ness, 30 ; Awe, 30 ;
Shin, 25 ; Maree, 24 ; Tay, 20 ; Archaig, 18 ; Shiell, 16 ; Lochy, 15 ; Laggan, 12 ;
Morrer, 12 ; Fannich, 10 ; Ericht, 10 ; Naver, 9 ; Earn, 9 ; Rannoch, 8 ; Stennis, 8 ;
Leven, 7 ; Ken, 6; Lydoch, 6 ; Fuir, 6 ; Loyal, 6 ; Katrine, 5 ; Glas, 5 ; Doon, 4i ;
and Luichart, 3. All are mountain or hill lakes ; and all, with very few exceptions, ar~
embosomed in the Highlands.
ISLANDS.
The islands of Scotland are very numerous, and, in many instances, are large am
important. The greatest archipelago, that of the Hebrides, extends along nearly the
whole west coast of the mainland. It is broadly distinguishable into two divisions, th<
outer and the inner, but is capable of subdivision into five groups. Three of these pres
close upon the coast, the group of Isla and Jura on the south, that of Mull in the centr
and that of Skye on the north, — the last separated from the second by the seas whicl
wash the far-projecting Point of Ardnamurchan on the mainland, and the first and secom
so concatenated as to admit a line of separation chiefly by their geognostic properties
The fourth, largest, most northerly, and far-stretching group, lies quite away from th(
mainland, and even from the group of Skye, separated from the northern part of the
former by the Minch, and from the western skirts of the latter by the Little- Minch. H
consists of about 140 islands and islets, about 140 miles in aggregate length, and lyinj
so compactly as to be popularly viewed as one, and conventionally called the Long- Islam"
The fifth group is very small, lies to the far-west in profound loneliness, amidst a desei
of waters, and draws attention chiefly by the romance of its situation and character,,
consisting only of St. Kilda, itself more an islet than an island, and a tiny sprinkling 01
the bosom of the sea around it of dark, coarse gems, which pendulate between the char-
acter of islets and that of mere rocks. These groups are all fully treated in the article
HEBRIDES. Another archipelago, that of Orkney, is separated at its south end by the
Pentland frith, 6 miles broad from the north coast of Caithness, or extreme north of th(
mainland of Scotland. Its islands and islets lie somewhat compactly ; but are divisible inl
two groups, the larger and more compact on the south, the smaller and more dispersec
on the north-east, — the two separated by a sound which bears on the east side the nam<
of Stronsa frith, and on the west side that of Westra frith. A full general descriptioi
of the whole will be found in the article ORKNEY. An islet called Stroma, lies in th<
Pentland frith, 4 miles north-west of Duncansby-head. A third archipelago, that
Shetland, lies 48 miles north-north-east from Orkney. About two-thirds of their whol
superficies are amassed in a very long island, of surpassingly irregular outline, and ii
several places very nearly dissevered, called the Mainland. Yell sound, a winding straii
separates this island on the south from the other chief island on the north, but is, ii
some places, thickly strewn with islets. One small island, Fowla, lies quite away to tin
INTRODUCTION. XV
it from the main group. Another, called Fair- Island, lies about half-way between
that group and the Orkneys. All the details of a general description are given in the
article SHETLAND. The other principal islands of Scotland are Mugdrum, in the frith of
Tay ; the Isle of May, Inchkeith, Cramond, Inchcolm, Inchgarvey, Inchmickry, Craig-
leith, Lamb, Fidra, and the Bass, in the frith of Forth, — the first and second the sites of
lighthouses ; and Arran, Bute, Great C umbrae, Little Cumbrae, Pladda, Lady- Isle, and
Ailsa-rock, in the frith of Clyde, — Pladda and Little Cumbrae the sites of lighthouses,
and Lady- Isle the site of two beacon-towers. Of seaward rocks and sandbanks, the chief
are Car-rock, a beacon-station, 1£ mile north-east of Fifeness ; Bell-rock, a dangerous
ledge bearing aloft a lighthouse, 12 miles east of Buddonness ; Marr's-bank, a shoal, 30
miles east of the Bell-rock ; Murray-bank, a sandbank 10 miles east of Montrose ; the
Long- Forties, a shoal, extending from the exterior side of Murray-bank, in a line nearly
parallel with the coast, to within 70 miles of Kinnaird-head ; Outer- Montrose-pits, a
shoal, 90 miles east of Montrose ; the Pentland-skerries, the site of a lighthouse, at the
east end of the Pentland frith ; Lappoch-rock, between Lady- Isle and Irvine harbour,
in the frith of Clyde ; and the Big and Little Scaurs, rocks at the middle of the entrance
of Luce-bay.
GEOLOGY AND MINERAL PRODUCTIONS.
Without supplying a geological map, and writing twentyfold more copiously than our
will admit, we could not give an adequate view of the distribution of the rocks of
Scotland, and of the varieties and structure of its minerals. But from ' Malte Brun's
and Balbi's Systems of Geography Abridged : Edinburgh, Adam and Charles Black,
1840,' we shall extract a summary, which will please the scientific by its clearness, and
the popular reader by its wealth of information ; and then we shall exhibit in a brief sum-
mary the names and localities of all the rarer minerals of the country. " In a general
point of view," says the work referred to, " Scotland may be separated, geologically as
well as geographically, into three portions. By passing a line on the map nearly straight,
from Stonehaven, through Dunkeld to the middle of the Isle of Bute, and thence with a
slight curve to the Mull of Cantyre, we shall have traced the southern boundary of the
primary non-fossiliferous system of rocks. Another line, but more irregular than the
former, drawn from St. Abb's-head, passing near Peebles, Abington, Sanquhar, New
Cumnock, to about Girvan, will have a general parallelism with the former line, and will
have the older greywacke, now named the Cumbrian system, lying to the south, and
extending to the borders ; while the land included between the two lines comprehends the
old red sandstone, and great central coal basin of Scotland.
" I. STRATIFIED ROCKS. — We shall first notice the stratified systems of those three
divisions of the country, beginning with the oldest.
" That extensive tract of Scotland which constitutes the northern division, is composed
chiefly of Primary Stratified rocks, namely, gneiss, mica slate, chlorite slate, and clay
slate, with subordinate masses of hornblende slate, talc slate, and primitive limestone.
These, often with granitic centres, rise into magnificent mountains, of which the Gram-
pians form a part. In many of these deposits, particularly in the mica slate, garnets of
a brown colour are very abundant. The mountains of the Trossachs, so effectively
described by Sir Walter Scott, are chiefly composed of mica slate. In these primary
deposits no organic remains have ever been discovered. But these are not the only
stratified formations which constitute this extensive district. The old red sandstone
fringes the extremities of the land, commencing about Fochabers, on the east side of the
Murray frith ; extending on both sides of Loch-Ness within a short distance of Fort-
Augustus, and then proceeding northwards with a variable breadth through Fortrose,
Tain, Dornoch ; expanding the whole breadth of Caithness, and constituting the prin-
cipal formation of the Orkney Isles. On the western side of the mainland, the old red
sandstone is deposited in numerous patches on the gneiss formation, as at Lock Broom,
Gairloch, and Applecross. The newer secondary rocks have been but very sparingly
observed in Scotland ; yet it is rather a curious fact, that the few patches which have
been discovered, are superimposed generally on the old red sandstone, and have not been
seen reposing in their uninterrupted order in the secondary series. Thus, the lias shales,
highly micaceous, and some of the upper beds of the Oolitic system, occur at the mouth
of the Cromarty frith, from Duurobin-castle to the Ord of Caithness ; Applecross and
INTRODUCTION.
other points on the mainland ; and in the Western Isles, on the borders of Mull, the
south and east of Skye, and near the Cock of Arran, on a email coal deposit. The
equivalent of the fresh-water deposits of the Wealds of Sussex, geologically situate above
the oolitic group, and below the chalk, is seen near Elgin in Murray, and Loch- Staffers
in Skye. In the central and southern divisions of Scotland, those newer groups of rocks
have not been detected. In tracing the geological features of the country in the ascend-
ing order of the groups, and confining ourselves to the geographical divisions pointed out,
we next come to the Transition or Greywacke system, now divided into two principal
sections,— the Lower or Cumbrian, and the Upper or Silurian. So far as is hitherto
ascertained, the Silurian division is unknown in Scotland, but the Cumbrian rocks, nearly
destitute of organic remains, cover the principal part of the great area of the south of
Scotland. These greywacke strata stand at high angles of from 60° to 90° from the
horizon, and consist chiefly of coarse slaty strata, seldom divisible into thin roofing slates,
and often alternating with arenaceous and coarse conglomerates. Amongst these strata
limestone is seldom found, and when it is, the quality is inferior. In the division of the
island of which we now treat, coal and its accompaniments are known in very few places.
Coal is, however, worked at Canoby, and on the borders at the Carter-Fell. The only
other rock formation found in connection with the old transition group here (with the
exception of igneous rocks), is a red sandstone, ascertained, in some situations, to be the
old red, but in some other places, considered to be the new red sandstone, particularly
in Dumfries-shire, where the surfaces of the slabs have curious impressions, supposed to
be those of the feet of a species of tortoise.
" The Old Red Sandstone and the Carboniferous System. — In the central division is
placed the great coal basin of Scotland ; but adhering to our rule of marking the succes-
sive formations in the ascending order, we shall first treat of the Old Red Sandstone, the
most ancient rock in this subdivision of the country. This rock abuts against the line of
the primary rocks, and stretches across the whole country, from the German ocean to the
Atlantic, pursuing a south-westerly and north-easterly direction. From the northern
line of division it stretches south to the frith of Tay, bearing through Dunning near
Stirling, Dumbarton, and thence through the Western Isles, Bute and Arran, and is
wrapped nearly round the extremity of the mainland at the Mull of Cantyre. The old
red sandstone thus forms a long, uninterrupted, and extensive fertile valley. In the
north-western part it rises into hills, in the sides of one of which, Uam Vor, are deep
and hideous fissures, the effect of some convulsion. It is more irregularly distributed on
the southern boundary of the middle division, commencing on the east about Dunbar,
and stretching westerly on the line of the transition range of Moorfoot and Lammer-
moor-hills beyond Middleton, where it is interrupted by a range . of trap, but is again
found in the country round Lanark. This formation appears to be of vast thickness,
especially in the northern part of the division, and may, it is supposed from recent
observation, be divided into three portions, the lower, the middle, and the upper beds.
In what is considered the lower strata, the remains of fishes have been found in a high
state of preservation, and also large scales and other remnants of a sauroid character,
such as those of the holoptychus. The well-known Arbroath pavement belongs to the
old red sandstone series. The most important group in the central district is the Coal
Formation, consisting of limestone, ironstone, freestone, coal, and clays. Its extent from
east to west is bounded only by the extremities of the land. To the north it is cut off
from the old red sandstone by a range of trap hills, crossing the country from east to
west. On the south it is bounded by the greywacke and old red sandstone. Its breadth
averages 40 miles, and is in length about 70. The mountain limestone forms generally
the basis of this group, though it is frequently found interstratified with other members
of the series, and abounds with countless numbers of organic remains. Below the moun-
tain limestone, however, but belonging to the same group, a bed of limestone is worked
at Burdiehouse, near Edinburgh, in which the organic remains differ essentially from
those of that just named. These remains consist of many of the plants which distinguish
the coal formation ; but it also includes the teeth, scales, and other bones of fish, which
partake of the reptile character, some of which must have been of gigantic dimensions.
Small fishes (the paleoniscus, &c.) are also found in a fine state of preservation. The
same limestone has been found in other parts of the country, and is of superior quality
to the common limestone for mortar, plaster, and the smelting of iron. The clay iron-
stone is found in beds and nodules, the workable kinds containing from 27 to 45 per cent.
INTRODUCTION. Xvii
of iron. The kind termed black-band is in high request. From this ore a vast quantity
of pig-iron is smelted. The coal is found in beds, varying from a few inches to 40 feet
in thickness ; and one bed in Ayrshire is about 100 feet thick, interrupted only by thin
seams of shale from 1 to 3 inches, and is extracted in great quantity, and used as fuel
for domestic purposes, the burning of lime, smelting of iron, working of steam-engines on
sea and land. One variety, cannel-coal, is of superior quality for the preparation of gas.
From the fire-clay are manufactured fire-brick and gas retorts ; and the sandstone fur-
nishes an inexhaustible store of substantial and beautiful material for building. These
several deposits contain in abundance the impressions of the vegetables which distinguish
the carboniferous period ; and what is remarkable, the remains of animals, the same as
noted as occurring in the Burdiehouse limestone, are found in the shales, and even in
the coal itself. In this district, no strata newer than the carboniferous system is known
to exist ; all is covered over with accumulations of clays, gravels, sands, and soil.
" II. UNSTRATIFIED ROCKS. — Having thus noticed the direction and geographical
position of the several stratified formations of Scotland, we now come to treat briefly of
the Unstratified System ; and in order to bring this department more clearly to the appre-
hension of the general reader, we must remark, that the unstratified rocks are of igneous
origin — they were, in fact, melted volcanic matter, which had burst through the strati-
fied deposits, which were thus elevated into mountain-ranges ; the strata being at the
same time raised on edge to various angles with the horizon. This being the case, we
consequently find that the unstratified follow the same course with the stratified moun-
tains, since the former were the elevating cause of the latter. Now granite, an igneous
rock, is more generally found connected with the primary non-fossiliferous, than with the
succeeding formations, forming centres in gneiss and mica slate, and rising above them
in magnificent pinnacles ; it is therefore in the primary region that granitic mountains
may be expected to predominate ; of this we find an instance in the Grampian chain
which stretches in a north-east and south-west direction, intersecting the country. The
granite is most largely developed on the north-east side of the country ; it there com-
mences about the parallel of Stonehaven, extends northward to Peterhead and Banff ;
and, in a westerly direction, along the courses of the Dee and the Don ; and still con-
tinues along the banks of the Tilt, Loch-Ericht, Loch-Lydoch, and terminates in this
line near Oban and Fort- William ; from the latter rises Ben- Nevis, composed of granitic
sienite. But this is not the only range. Another may be traced commencing in the
north between Thurso and Portskerry, which passes along, at irregular distances, near
Loch-Baden, the neighbourhood of Dornoch, Loch-Oich, on the line of Loch-Ness, and
terminates in a lofty mountain at the head of Loch-Sunart, on the west coast. Granite
is found in several of the Western Isles, as in Rum, and is magnificently displayed in
the Isle of Arran ; — Goatfell and the surrounding peaks are of granite. The granitic
summits of these mountains form the highest land in Britain. Ben- Nevis is 4,373 feet
above the level of the sea, and Ben-Macdui rises about 17 feet higher. Though the
granitic formation covers a greater area, and rises to a greater altitude in the north than
in the south of Scotland, yet the latter is not deficient in this interesting rock. It rises
through the older greywacke (the Cumbrian system) in Dumfries-shire ; occupies a
great space in New Galloway and in Kirkcudbright ; and near Kirkmaiden, in the form
of dykes. In some of those mountains, stones fit for the purposes of the jeweller have
been found. The mountain Cairngorm, in Inverness-shire, has long been celebrated for
its rock crystal, of a smoke-brown colour, and named Cairngorm from its locality, which,
when cut by the lapidary, is highly esteemed for its colour and brilliancy, and is employed
for seals, brooches, and other ornamental purposes. Topazes of a light blue colour,
and sometimes of very large size, have occasionally been found on the same mountain,
and also beryl (aqua marine), more rarely. Unstratified rocks of every other kind also
prevail in Scotland ; including all the varieties of Trap (commonly named whinstone),
basalt, greenstone, compact feltspar, pitchstone, porphyries, and amygdaloids, which in
many parts display ranges of symmetrical columns, sometimes of great extent — as at
Arthur- Seat near Edinburgh, in several parts of the coast of Fife, in the islands of Eigg,
Arran, Lamlash, and in the incomparable Staffa. But we shall attend to the distribution
of these rocks throughout the country. They are connected with the older greywacke and
red sandstones of the south of Scotland. Trap forms a great part of the Cheviots on the
borders, and passes northwards into the districts of Dunse, Coldstream, Kelso, Melrose,
f:irk, and Roxburghshire, rising into beautiful dome-sha'ped hills. Hounam-Law, the
6
ZV111
INTRODUCTION,
Eildons, and Ruberslaw (the last, near 1,500 feet high), may be cited as examples.
But in the great central valley of Scotland, beginning at Montrose on the east coast,
trap hills appear in patches in the old red sandstone, passing in an irregular line to the
frith of Tay, from the south-eastern extremity of which they proceed in a south-westerly
course, without interruption, but varying greatly in breadth, through Dunning, Kinross,
and Stirling, to Dumbarton. Another line, but less continuous, commences about
Cupar, near St. Andrews, along the coasts of Fifeshire, and appears in groups about
Linlithgow, Bathgate, near Glasgow, onwards to Paisley, and thence to Greenock, where
it is greatly expanded, and turns north to the banks of the Clyde, nearly opposite the
Dumbarton range. A third parallel range, also in interrupted masses, commences at
Dunbar, is continued in the Pentlands, Tintoc, and other hills in Lanarkshire, and in
Ayrshire, about Kilmarnock, Ayr, and New Cumnock. In Galloway, trap is in some
parts greatly expanded. A few of those localities may be mentioned, as we are not
aware that any public notice has yet been given of its existence in those parts. A dyke
of greenstone occurs near Kirkcolmpoint in greywacke, at the western extremity of Loch-
Ryan ; Cairn- Pat, between Stranraer and Port- Patrick, is also greenstone ; and thence,
the greywacke of the whole coast to the Mull of Galloway is intersected by dykes and
hills of several varieties of trap. On the northern side of Loch- Ryan, it is seen involved
amongst the roofing slates of the Cairn ; and a range of trap hills extends thence, rising
through the greywacke, flanking the edge of the loch, taking a south-easterly direction,
passing by Castle- Kennedy to the north, and onwards to New- Luce. Here it expands
to an enormous extent in every direction ; to the south it approaches Glenluce-bay. At
Knocky-bay, a short distance north of New- Luce, a lead mine was at one time worked,
but becoming unproductive, was abandoned. It may, however, be observed, that the
greatest development of trap is in the great central coal district, where it has fractured
the strata, and raised the edges of the coal seams to the surface, an important natural
operation, by which coal and its other useful accompaniments, ironstone, limestone, and
building materials, have been made known and accessible. In the trap rocks of Scot-
land many interesting minerals are found. The far-famed Scotch agate or pebble,
abounds in nodules included in trap, near Montrose, Perth, and other places ; and many
of the most beautiful of the zeolites are found among the hills around Dumbarton, the
opposite side of the Clyde, and in many other localities.
" The coal-fields constitute the principal mineral treasures of Scotland. The greal
coal district extends across the island from the eastern corner, or, as the district is termed
in Lowland Scotch, the ' East Neuk ' of Fife, to the mouth of the Clyde in Dumbarton-
shire on the west, and into East- Lothian on the east. It is not, however, continuous
throughout the whole distance, but consists rather of a succession of large detached coal-
fields. Its superficial extent has been estimated at nearly 1,000 square miles ; and il
has also been calculated that, according to the present consumption, it may be worked
with advantage during 3,000 years. The Fife coal-field, north of the Forth, extends
from Stirling to St. Andrews, and is in some places 10 miles broad. The richest portion
of it lies between Dysart and Alloa. The Lothian coal-field, on the south and east oi
Edinburgh, is about 25 miles in length, with a breadth of five or six, and covers an area
of 80 square miles. To the westward of Edinburgh there is no coal for several miles ;
but at Bathgate, workable beds are found, which extend westward, with some interrup-
tions, to the neighbourhood of Glasgow, forming the great coal-field of Lanarkshire.
The Clyde and the Forth form the boundaries of this field ; but beyond Blantyre, the
coal extends on the south side of the Clyde to the Cathkin-hills. After passing Glasgow,
the coal-field stretches westward from the south bank of the Clyde, and occupies the
valley in the line of the Ardrossan canal, extending through Renfrewshire to Dairy in
Ayrshire ; the most southerly point being at Girvan. Several small fields occur at dif-
ferent parts of the south of Scotland, particularly at Sanquhar, in Dumfries-shire, and
Canoby, in the same county, on the borders of England. Coal is found also at Brora in
Sutherlandshire, and Campbelton in Cantyre, but in insignificant quantities. Besides
the fossil fuel yielded by the coal-fields, ironstone of excellent quality abounds in many
of them ; and is smelted to a great amount, and manufactured into articles suited for
«very useful purpose, at the great works of Carron, Shotts, Cleland, Airdrie, Clyde,
Wilsontown, Muirkirk, Glenbuck, and some other places. It is the abundance and
cheapness of coal in its vicinity that has enabled Glasgow to rival Manchester as a manu-
facturing emporium. Neat to coal and ironstone, the most valuable mineral product of
INTRODUCTION. XIX
Scotland is lead, of which there are rich mines at Leadhills and Wanlockhead, in the
Lowther-hills, on the borders of Lanarkshire and Dumfries-shire. Lead is also procured
at Dollar in Clackmannanshire, Strontian in Argyleshire, Belleville in Inverness-shire,
and Leadlaw in Peebles-shire. A considerable quantity of silver is extracted from the
lead. Particles of gold have frequently been found in the small streams among the
Lowther-hills, and also immediately under the vegetable soil which covers the surface of
the latter. Scotland abounds in quarries of the finest building materials, particularly
sandstone, — hence the beauty of the numerous public edifices which adorn its cities and
towns. The principal sandstone quarries are Craigleith, a little to the west of Edin-
burgh ; Binnie, near Uphall, Linlithgowshire ; Humbie, near South Queensferry, also
in Linlithgowshire ; Giffneugh, near Glasgow, Lanarkshire ; Longannet, near Kincardine,
Perthshire ; and Milnefield or Kingoodie, near Longforgan, Perthshire. Roofing-slates,
only inferior to those procured in Wales, are quarried extensively at Ballachulish, and
in the island of Easdale, both in Argyleshire. Granite is brought from Aberdeen to
pave the streets of London ; and the granite of Kirkcudbright has been partly used in
the construction of the Liverpool docks. Variegated or veined marble, of a beautiful
appearance, is found in Sutherlandshire, at Glentilt in Perthshire, at Tyree in Argyle-
shire, at Muriston in West- Lothian, and in other places."
Octohedral alum occurs at Hurlet near Paisley, at Creetown in Galloway, and in the
vicinity of Moffat ; rock-butter, at Hurlet ; compact gypsum, in the Campsie-hills ;
fibrous gypsum, in Dumbartonshire, in the vicinity of Moft'at, and on the banks of the
Whitadder ; foliated fluor, in various situations, but rarely, though abundant in Eng-
land ; conchoidal apatite, or asparagus stone, near Kincardine, in Ross-shire, and in
the Shetland isles ; common arragonite, or prismatic limestone, in the lead mines of
Leadhills, and in secondary trap-rocks, in various situations ; fibrous calc-cinter, the
alabaster of the ancients, in Macallister's-cave in Skye ; slate-spar, imbedded in marble
in Glen-Tilt, and in Assynt ; common compact lucullite, or black marble, forms hills in
Assynt ; stinks tone, or swinestone, occurs in Kirkbean, and the vicinity of North- Ber-
wick ; white domolite occurs in beds containing tremolite, in lona ; brachytypous lime-
stone, or rhomb-spar, near Newton- Stewart, and on the banks of Loch- Lomond ; foliated
brown-spar, in the lead mines of Leadhills and Wanlockhead ; columnar brown-spar, on
the banks of Loch- Lomond, and near Newton- Stewart ; prismatic, or electric calamine,
at Wanlockhead ; pyramido-prismatic baryte, or strontianite, at Strontian in Argyle-
shire ; foliated prismatoidal baryte, or celestine, at Inverness, and in the Calton-hiU of
Edinburgh ; white lead-spar, and black lead-spar, at Leadhills ; indurated, friable, and
green earthy lead-spars, prismatic lead-spar, or sulphate of lead, and radiated prismatic
blue malachite, or blue copper, at Leadhills and Wanlockhead ; — fibrous common mala-
chite, at Sandlodge, in the mainland of Shetland ; — radiated cobalt-mica, or cobalt-
bloom, at Alva in Stirlingshire, and in the limestone of the coal measures in Linlith-
gowshire ; earthy blue iron, on the surface of peat-mosses in Shetland ; scaly graphite,
in Strath-Beauly in Inverness-shire, and in the coal formation near Cumnock ; foliated
chlorite, in Jura ; earthy chlorite, along with common chlorite, at Forneth-cottage in
Perthshire ; other chlorites, variously, and in abundance ; common talc, in Perthshire,
Aberdeenshire, and Banffshire ; indurated talc, or talc-slate, in Perthshire, Banffshire,
and Shetland ; steatite, or soapstone, in the limestone of lona, and the trap-rocks of the
Lothians, Arran, Skye, and some other places ; — diatomous schiller-spar, in the serpen-
tine of Fetlar, and Unst in Shetland, and of Portsoy in Banffshire, in the greenstone of
Fifeshire, in the porphyritic rock of Calton-hill, and in the trap of Craig- Lochart, near
Edinburgh ; hemiprismatic schiller-spar, or bronzite, in Skye, and near Dimnadrochit
in Inverness-shire : prismatoidal schiller-spar, or hypersthene, in Skye and Banffshire ;
kyanite, in primitive rocks at Boharm in Banffshire, and near Banchory in Aberdeen-
shire, and in mica-slate near Sandlodge in the mainland of Shetland ; fibrous prehnite,
in veins and cavities in the trap of Castle-rock, Salisbury-Crag, and Arthur-Seat, Edin-
burgh, of Bishopton and Hartfield in Renfrewshire, of Cockney-burn and Loch-Hum-
phrey in Dumbartonshire, of the vicinity of Beith in Ayrshire, and of Berwickshire,
Mull, and Raasay ; rhomboidal zeolite, or chabasite, in crystals in the vesicular cavities of
the Mull and Skye trap ; mealy zeolite, or mesotype, near Tantallan-castle in Hadding-
tonshire, and in Mull, Skye, and Canna ; pyramidal zeolite, or apophyllite, in the trap-
rocks of Skye ; some other species of zeolite, variously, and in abundance ; adularia, a
~~ sub-species of prismatic felspar, in the granite of Arran ; compact felspar, a more
INTRODUCTION.
common sub-species, in the Pentland and the Ochil hills, in Tmto, and in Papa-Stour m
Shetland ; other sub-species of prismatic felspar, in numerous localities ; sahlite, a sub-
species of pyramido-prismatic augite, in Unst, Tiree, Harris Glentilt, Glenelg and
Rannoch • asbestous tremolite, in Glentilt, Glenelg, lona, Shetland, and other places :
common tremolite, in Glentilt, Glenelg, and Shetland ; rock-cork, a kind of asbestos, m
veins in the serpentine of Portsoy, and in the red sandstone of Kincardinesmre, in small
quantities at Kildrummie in Aberdeenshire, and in plates m the lead veins of Leadhills
and Wanlockhead ; flexible asbestos, or amianthus, in the serpentine of Portsoy, Lewis,
and Harris, of Mainland, Unst and Fetlar in Shetland, and in some other places ; rigid
or common' asbestos, in the serpentine of Shetland, Long-Island, and Portsoy ; epidote,
or pistacite, in the syenite of Arran and the Shetland mainland, in the gneiss of Suther-
land, in the trap of Mull and Skye, in the quartz of lona and Rona, and in the por-
phyry of Glencoe, and other districts ; common zoisite, in Shetland, Glenelg, and the
banks of Loch- Lomond ; common andalusite, in the primitive rocks of Aberdeenshire,
Banffshire, and Shetland ;— saussurite, between Ballantrae and Girvan ; common topaz,
in an alluvium in the granite and gneiss districts of Mar and Cairngorm ; schorlous
topaz, or schorlite, in Mar ; beryl, along with topaz and rock-crystal, in an alluvium
among the Cairngorm range ; common amethyst, in greenstone and amygdaloid, in many
localities ; rock or mountain crystal — a variety of which is the Scottish Cairngorm stone
— in the alluvium of the Cairngorm district, in druse cavities in the granite of Arran,
and in various other geognostic and topographical positions ; rose or milk quartz, in the
primitive rocks of various districts ; conchoidal hornstone, in the Pentland-hills ; com-
mon calcedony, in most of the trap districts ; carnelian, in most of the secondary trap
districts, solitarily, or in agate ; striped jasper, in the clay porphyry of the Pentland-
hills ; porcelain jasper, among pseudo-volcanic rocks in Fifeshire ; agate jasper, in the
agates of central Scotland ; precious and common garnet, variously in primitive rocks ;
prismatic garnet, or cinnamon-stone, in gneiss near Kincardine in Ross-shire ; prisma-
toidal garnet, or grenatite, in Aberdeenshire and Shetland ; common zircon and hyacinth,
in Galloway, Inverness-shire, Sutherland, Shetland, and other districts ; — common
sphene, or prismatic titanium-ore, in the syenite of Inverary and of Criffel, and other
Galloway-hills, and in some other parts of Scotland ; rutile, or prismato-pyramidal
titanium-ore, in the granite of Cairngorm, and the quartz of Killin and Beniglo ; pris-
matic wolfram, in the island of Rona ; iron sand or granular magnetic iron-ore, in the
trap-rocks of various districts ; micaceous specular iron-ore, at Fitful-head in Shetland,
in clay-slate near Dunkeld, and in the mica-slate of Benmore ; red hematite, or fibrous
red iron-ore, in veins in the secondary greenstone of Salisbury-Crags, and in the sand-
stone of Cumber-head in Lanarkshire ; columnar red clay iron-ore, among other pseudo-
volcanic productions in Fifeshire ; pea-ore, or pisiform brown-clay iron-ore, in the secon-
dary rocks of Galston ; bog iron-ore, in various parts of the Highlands and Islands ;
scaly brown manganese-ore, near Sandlodge in Shetland ; grey manganese-ore, near
Aberdeen ; — octahedral copper, in the serpentine of Yell, and the sandstone of Mainland
in Shetland ; — prismatic nickel pyrites, or copper-nickel, at Leadhills and Wanlockhead,
and in the coal-field of Linlithgowshire ; nickel ochre, in the same localities as the last,
and at Alva ; prismatic arsenic pyrites, at Alva ; magnetic, or rhomboidal iron pyrites,
in Criffel, Windyshoulder, and other Galloway hills ; yellow, or pyramidal copper pyrites,
near Tyndrum in Perthshire, and in the Mainland of Shetland ; — grey copper, or tetra-
hedral copper-glance, at Sandlodge in Shetland, at Airth in Stirlingshire, at Fassney
burn in Haddingtonshire, and in the vicinity of Girvan ; vitreous copper, or prismati<
copper-glance, in Ayrshire, at Fassney-burn, and in Fair Isle ; rhomboidal molybdena,
in granite and syenite at Peterhead, in chlorite-slate in Glenelg, and in granite at the
head of Loch-Creran ; molybdena ochre, along with the last, at the head of Loch-Creran ;
grey antimony, or prismatoidal antimony-glance, in greywacke at Jamestown in Dum-
fries-shire, and among primitive rocks, accompanied by green fluor in Banffshire ; —
yellow zinc-blende, at Clifton near Tyndrum ; brown zinc-blende, at Clifton, and in
small veins with galena, in the Mid- Lothian coal-field ; — amber, or yellow mineral resin,
on the sea-beach ; petroleum, or mineral oil, at St. Catherine's well in the parish of
Libertpn, and in Orkney ; asphaltum, or slaggy mineral pitch, in secondary lime-
stone in Fifeshire, and in clay ironstone in Haddingtonshire ; — indurated lithomarge,
in nidular portions, occasionally in secondary trap and porphyry rocks ; mountain
soap, in secondary trap in Skye ; chiastolite, in clay-slate near Balahulish in Argyle-
INTRODUCTION. XXI
shire ; iserine, in the sand of the Don and the Dee ; pinite, in porphyry in Beniglo, and
near Inverary.
CLIMATE.
The climate of the Hebrides, of the Orkneys, and of Shetland, has, in the case of
each, some marked peculiarities, which are noticed in the articles devoted to their
description. Even that of the mainland, owing to the bold and singularly varied contour
of the country, is so singularly various, as to offer matter for distinctive remark in
notices of most counties, and even of not a few parishes. In a general view, the heat,
in consequence of the country's insularity, and of its frequent and long indentations by
the sea, is much higher in winter, and more moderate in summer, than in the same lati-
tudes on the continent. The temperature, except in moorlands in the interior, and the
more mountainous districts, seldom remains long at the freezing-point ; nor, in any part
of the country, does it often rise to what is called Indian heat, or to an intensity which
incommodes the labour of the field. The extremes, so far as they have been observed,
are 92° of Fahrenheit, and 3° below zero ; but, in the case of both, are rarely and very
briefly approached. The ordinary greatest range of the thermometer is between 84° and
8°. The mean annual temperature for the whole country is from 45° to 47° ; and at the
lowest is 41° 11 ,— at the highest 50° 32 . Nor does the average descend as the observer
moves northward, or to the vicinity, or into the interior of the Highlands ; for the mean
temperature of Dumfries, deduced from the observation of 9 years, is 42° 327 ; that of
Glasgow, as determined by Professor Thomson, is 47° 75 ; that of Edinburgh, as deter-
mined by Professor Playfair, is 47° 7 ; that of St. Andrews, deduced from the observa-
tion of 8 years, 48° 01 ; that of Perth, deduced from the observation of 9 years, is
48° 131 ; that of Aberdeen, deduced from the observation of 10 years, 47° 648 ; and
that of Inverness, deduced from the observation of 13 years, 48° 09. The range of the
barometer is often both great and rapid, and averages throughout the mainland, 2 '82
inches, or from 36'92 to 28' 10. Snow is less copious, though probably more frequent,
in its falls than in the south of England ; and rain, on the average, is less than in the
west of England. The joint quantity of the two has an annual mean amount for the
kingdom of from 30 to 31 inches, but differs widely on the east and on the west coast,
—varying, on the former, from 22 to 26 inches, and, on the latter, from 35 to 46 inches.
At Dumfries, the mean annual quantity, as deduced from the observation of 7 years, is
33*54 niches ; at Glasgow, from the observation of 31 years, 22'4 inches ; at Perth, from
the observation of 9 years, 23'01 inches ; at Aberdeen, from the observation of 4 years,
27*37 inches ; and at Inverness, from the observation of 7 years, 26*21. The average
number of days in the year on which rain or snow falls, is variously stated to be, on the
east coast, 135 and about 145, and on the west coast, 205 and 200. The least humid
district in the Lowlands, is East- Lothian ; and the most humid, Ayrshire. Thick fogs,
and small drizzly rains, visit the whole country, chiefly in spring and autumn, and
during the prevalence of easterly winds ; and, in many localities, the fogs lie along a
champaign country like seas of fleecy vapour, with the hills and loftier uplands appear-
ing like islands on their bosom. Snow, except in the milder districts of the Lowlands,
generally begins to fall about the middle of November, and seldom ceases its periodical
visits till March or April. The winds are to a high degree variable, both in force and
direction ; and, in the Highlands and Southern Highlands, produce not a few curious
phenomena in connexion with the peculiar configuration of localities. They often rise
to gale and storm, and in some places even to tempest ; and, about the period of the
equinoxes, are more violent than in England. Those from the west are, in autumn and
the early part of winter, the most prevalent, and, in general, they are the highest ; and
those from the north-east prevail from the beginning of March till May or June, and are
often keen and severe. At St. Andrews, the winds are westerly, except in the spring
and early summer months, when those which are easterly prevail ; at Perth, during 9
years ending with 1833, the winds were from the west and north-west, on 1,197 days,
from the east and south-east, on 996, from the south and south-west, on 957, and from
the north and north-east, on 137 ; and at Inverness, as the result of 13,800 observations,
made during 21 years preceding 1825, the proportions of the winds in parts of 1,000, were
westerly and south-westerly, 478, easterly and north-easterly, 237, northerly and north-
westerly, 205, and southerly and south-easterly, 80. These instances, however, indicate
INTRODUCTION.
in but a general way the comparative prevalence of the different winds throughout Scot-
land, and afford no index whatever to it in peculiar localities. On the whole, the cli-
mate of Scotland, as compared with that of England, is cold, wet, and cloudy, occasions
lateness in harvest to the average amount of at least three weeks, and prevents the
remunerative cultivation of hops, and several other valuable vegetables, yet over by far
the greater part of the area of the country is to the full as healthy.
SOILS AND VEGETABLE PRODUCE.
The soils of Scotland, as might be expected from the peculiarities of its surface and
geology, are often very various in even a single field, and much more in extensive dis-
tricts. Yet they have, in many instances of both the excellent and the inferior, long and
broad expanses of uniformity ; and, while in aggregate character poorer than those of
England, they vie in their rich tracts with the wealthiest in the three kingdoms, and
have prompted and tutored, over their penurious tracts, a keenness of georgic skill, and
a sturdiness in the arts of husbandry, which have made Scottish farmers the boast of
Europe. The carses of Stirling, Falkirk, and Gowrie, most of the three Lothians ; the
Merse, Clydesdale, and Strathearn, large portions of Fifeshire, Strathmore, Annan-
dale, Nithsdale, Kyle, Cunningham, and of the low grounds along the Moray and the
Cromarty friths, and even some straths and very numerous haughs in the mountainous
districts, are highly productive, and can bear comparison with the best tracts of land in
England. According to Sir John Sinclair's digest of the productive soils, or of those on
lands fully or partially cultivated, the loams amount to 1,869,193 English acres, the rich
clays to 987,070, the gravelly soils to 681,862, the cold or inferior clays to 510,265, the
improved mossy soils to 411,096, the alluvial haugh or carse land to 320,193, and the
sandy soils to 263,771,— in all, as we stated at the outset, 5,043,450 English acres.
According to the same authority, the extent of plantations and of natural woods which
existed at the date of the digest, on lands not included in this classification, was, of the
former, 412,226 English acres, of the latter, 501,469,— jointly, 913,695. Plantations,
since that period, have been raised to a vast aggregate amount on the waste lands, and
disposed in innumerable tiny forests, clumps, belts, and rows, among the cultivated
grounds. Pines are the most common trees ; but, in later plantations, the hard woods,
in many instances, prevail. Though agriculture has, in most districts, attained bold
approaches to perfection, the crops, in the aggregate, are inferior in quality to those of
England, and considerably more exposed to risk. Grain of the same weight, raised on
Scottish and on English soils, differs in the proportion of the most valued elements ; and
fruit, according to its species, is richer now in Scotland and now in England, and of the
same species widely varies as raised in the two ends of the island. A fair view of Scot-
tish agriculture in its palmiest state, may be obtained by perusal of the agricultural
section of our article on Haddingtonshire. The grand characteristics of the aggregate
agriculture of the country are, in the words of M'Culloch, " 1st, The nearly universal
prevalence of leases of a reasonable endurance, and containing regulations as to manage-
ment, which, while they do not improperly shackle the tenant, prevent the land from
being exhausted previously to the termination of the lease ; 2d, The absence of tithes,
and in most cases, also, of poor-rates, and of all oppressive public burdens ; 3d, The
prevention of assignment and sub-letting by tenants, and the descent of the lease to the
heir-at-law ; and 4th, The general introduction of thrashing-machines, and the universal
use of the two-horse plough and one-horse cart." The dairy commands attention prin-
cipally in the counties of Ayr, Renfrew, and Dumfries. The annual produce of wheat
is estimated in value at £1,650,000, or 660,000 quarters at 50s. per quarter ; of barley,
at £1,470,000, or 980,000 quarters at 30s. per quarter; of oats, at £7,171,875, or
5,737,000 quarters at 25s. per quarter ; of potatoes and turnips, at £2,250,000 ; of flax,
at £128,000 ; of garden and orchard produce, at £416,000 ; or the total of agricultural
and horticultural produce, exclusive of pulse and the grasses, at £13,355,875. Pasture
on arable lands is averaged at £2 per acre, and estimated in aggregate value at
£4,979,450 ; and upland pasture, together with plantations and waste lands, is averaged
at 3s. per acre, and estimated in aggregate value at £2,100,000. According to these
estimates — which we borrow from Malte Brun and Balbi Abridged, as the most recent
and a very intelligent publication—the total annual value of the land produce of Scotland
amounts to £20,435,325. The gross rental of land, in 1811, was £4,792,243.
INTRODUCTION.
xxiii
It has been estimated by the late Sir John Sinclair, and his calculations were con-
firmed by many of the parochial clergy, that the rental of estates in Scotland increased
at least from two to three fold, from the year 1660 to the year 1750. This increased
rental doubled previous to 1770, and in the next twenty years it again doubled. The
rental had thus increased from eight to ten fold in one hundred and thirty years ; and
again, from 1791 to 1841, it had increased two-and-a-half times on the average of ninety-
nine parishes taken indiscriminately to illustrate this increase, and of which a list is
subjoined ; and as Scotland contains only 919 parishes, it may be taken to have been
general. The land- rental of parishes in Scotland, it would thus appear, has increased
since the Restoration, in 1660, twenty to thirty fold ; or about two thousand per cent. !
County.
irdeen,.
Ayr,
Berwick, ..
imfries,
Edinburgh,
Elgin,
Real Real
Parish. Rental in Rental in
1791-6. 1832-40.
Kineller, £900 £3,000
Dyce, 350 1,140
Udney, 2,000 7,000
New Deer, 3,000 8,940
St. Fergus, 2,838 5,720
Lonmay, 1,465 5,393
King Edward, 2,285 5,770
"Ochiltree, 8,000 8,176
Ardrossan, 2,970 7,800
Dairy, 6,350 17,712
Dalrymple, 1,570 5,192
Dunlop, 3,000 7,864
Monkton and Prest-
wick, 2,000 4,509
Maybole, 346 2,400
West Kilbride, 2,528 9,662
Straiten, 3,000 9,000
Girvan, 3,200 12,000
Ballantrae, 2,000 7,465
Stevenston, 1,170 3,836
Old Cumnock, 3,000 8,000
Kirkmichael, 2,500 9,330
Inveraven, 2,294 5,055
Swinton and Simprin, 4,030 8,000
Merton, 2,400 6,000
Eccles, 11,000 20,000
Longformacus, 1,700 4,000
B uncle and Preston
Ellim, 3,200 8,000
Whitsome and Hilton, 3,080 7,526
Coldstream, 6,000 12,000
Nenthorn, 2,040 4,100
Polwarth, 1,000 1,730
Chirnside, 2,500 8,504
Edrom, 6,493 15,200
Cockburnspath and Old
Cambus, 4,500 8,000
'Wamphray, 1,900 4,000
Applegarth and Sib-
baldine, 2,500 6,680
Tundergarth, 1,800 3,000
St. Mungo, 1,800 4,000
Ruthwell, 1,600 4,527
Cummertrees, 2,800 8,000
Dornock, 1,700 3,300
Kirkpatrick-Fleming, . 2,870 7,369
Hoddam, 2,668 7,000
Glencairn 8,500 11,175
Holywood 3,000 7,436
Libberton, 10,000 28,000
(Knockando, 2,000 3,000
JAlves, 3,000 6,000
Scoonie, 2,000 6,500
County.
Fife,
Forfar,
Had ding-
ton
Kincardine,
Lanark, .... «
Peebles, ...
Perth,
Real Real
Parish. Rental in Rental in
1791-6. 1832-40.
Denino, £1,157 £3,123
Lochlee, 385 984
Craig 4,000 9,500
Logic-Pert, 1,800 5,000
Glammis, 3,000 9,262
Carmylie, 1,000 3,000
"Prestonkirk, 4,700 10,500
Dunbar, 8,000 23,400
Humbie, 2,700 6,300
Tester 2,000 8,000
Dirleton, 6,000 10,227
Innerwick, 4,000 9,500
Bolton, 1,400 2,888
"Garvock, 1,000 3,000
Fordoun, 3,500 11,400
Laurencekirk, 2,000 5,775
Glenbervie, 1,000 4,300
Bothwell, 5,500 10,661
Carstairs, 2,000 5,000
Blantyre 1,400 2,579
Culter, 1,600 5,200
Cadder, 6,000 14,000
7,897
Cambuslang, 2,850
Crawford-John, 2,500 5,925
Dolphinston, 600 1,700
'Peebles, 3,000 7,000
Innerleithen, 3,000 7,298
Manner, 1,685 4,145
Kirkurd, 850 1,900
Newlands, 2,500 6,300
Linton, 2,350 6,560
'Methven, 3,000 11,000
Meigle, 2,100 5,000
Rhynd, 1,600 6,000
Errol, 8,000 24,000
Kenmore, 2,800 9,360
Comrie, 2,600 12,000
Culross, 3,000 6,289
St. Madoes, 900 4,000
Renfrew,... "Neilston, 4,200 16,475
"Roberton, 3,000 6,500
Makerston, 1,800 4,000
Linton 2,113 5,514
Yetholm, 2,104 5,620
Crailing, 2,500 7,000
Hobkirk, 2,830 7,095
Eckford, 3,699 8,676
Ashkirk, 2,000 4,479
("Whithorn, 2,000 9,000
Wigton,....3stonykirk, 3,169 12,000
(Wigton, 2.400 4.500
Total Rental of 99 Parishes,.. ,£287,139 £748,847
Roxburgh,
xxiv
INTRODUCTION.
ANIMALS.
Scotland and England have so freely interchanged their esteemed or approved breeds
of domestic animals, that few varieties exist in either except such as, in order to be dis-
criminated, require the nice distinctions of the natural historian. Scotland's most noted
peculiar breeds, are the Shetland pony, the Clydesdale horse, the Ayrshire, Galloway,
Buchan, and Argyleshire black cattle, the Cheviot and Shetland sheep, and the colley
or shepherd's dog. But even some of these now belong more or less to both divisions of
the island. The wild animals and birds, if Wales be included, are also, with few excep-
tions, the same or similar. Game, owing chiefly to the vastness of the extent of waste
lands, is exceedingly abundant.
MANUFACTURES.
A fair estimate of the manufactures of Scotland, may be formed by reference to our
articles on Glasgow and Dundee. If a view be desired of nearly the whole, reference
needs only to be made further to the articles on Paisley, Kilmarnock, Dunfermline,
Stirling, Hawick, Galashiels, Montrose, Hamilton, Musselburgh, Irvine, Kirkcaldy,
Aberdeen, East Kilpatrick, and Lasswade. Hand-loom weaving — the department most
deeply affecting by far the largest class of the population interested in manufactures —
was made the subject of commission inquiry in 1838, and of reports returned to the
House of Commons in February, 1839. The inquiry was made in twe territorial divi-
sions ; one over all Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde, including Kilsyth and
Campsie on the further side of the connecting canal ; the other, over what the report
calls the east of Scotland, but over, in point of fact, very nearly every site of a loom not
included in the former division. The following table indicates, as exhibited in the
report, the number of separate trades or fabrics in the country south of the Forth and
Clyde, the locality of each fabric, the number of looms employed in each, and the aver-
age rate of nett wages earned in each department, and distributed into two classes, — the
first being the average nett amount earned, by adult skilled artisans, on the finer quali-
ties of the fabric, — the second being the average nett amount earned by the less skilled
and younger artisans, on the coarser qualities of the fabric.
Fabrics.
Districts where woven.
Date
of
Introduction.
Residence
of chief
manufacturers.
Number
of
looms.
Clear Weekly Wages.
1st Class.
2d Class.
Pullicates, ginghams,
stripes, checks, &c.,
Shawls, zebras, &c.,
Plain muslins,
Fancy muslins, silk
gauzes, &c.,
Lanarkshire, especially in Air-
drie, Lanark, and Glasgow;
also at Girvan, and other pla-
ces on the west coast.
Paisley, Glasgow, &c.
Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Irvine,
Hamilton, Eaglesham, &c.
Renfrewshire and Lanark-
shire
1786.
1802 to
1806.
1784.
Silk gauzes
in 1760.
Thibets in
1824.
• ••
Glasgow.
Paisley, Glas-
gow, and Ed-
inburgh.
Glasgow.
Paisley and
Glasgow.
Glasgow and
Hawick.
Carlisle,
jalashiels,
Hawick, and
Jedburgh.
18,-: 20
7,750
10,080
7,860
2,980
1,575
950
865
580
7s. Od.
10s. 6d.
7s. 6d.
9s. 6d.
7s. Od.
7s. 6d.
16s. 6d.
18s. Od.
13s. Od.
4s. 6d.
6s. Od.
4s. 6d.
6s. Od.
5s. 6d.
4s. 6d.
11s. Od.
lls. Od.
10s. Od.
Thibets and tartans,
Carlisle ginghams, ...
Thibets in Lanarkshire ; a few
;artansinDalmellington, Strai-
;on, Sanquhar, and Hawick.
Dumfries- shire*
South-east of Scotland, Gala-
shiels, Hawick, Jedburgh, &c.
Kilmarnock, Glasgow, and
Lasswade.
Port-Glasgow, Leith, and
Musselburgh.
Carpets. .
Sailcloths, coarse lin-
ens, and haircloth,...
Glasgow, and
Lasswade.
Port-Glasgow,
Leith, and
Musselburgh.
Total,...
51,060
INTRODUCTION. XXV
[ore than half of the whole number of weavers are employed on the lowest paid fabrics,
le number of weaving families, being to that of the looms in the proportion of 5 to 9,
icunts to about 28,366 ; and as this number indicates all the adult male weavers,
22,694 looms must be worked by women and children. "Coupling these facts," says
the reporter, " with the great number of old men who come into the class of heads of
families, and are unable to work hard, I am decidedly of opinion that not less than two-
thirds of the whole number of weavers belong to the second class of wages in the above
table ; whilst no less than 30,075, out of the 51,060 looms, are employed on the worst
paid work." The report on the country north of the Forth, the Clyde, and the connect-
ing canal, distributes the fabrics generally into woollen, linen, and cotton. The weavers
are employed on carpets in factories, and on hard and soft tartans, and tartan shawls, in
their own cottages; and "are in a condition similar to that of the other labouring
classes in the country." The manufacture of tartans is seated chiefly at Stirling and its
vicinity, and at Aberdeen, employs probably 2,500 looms, and may be considered as very-
prosperous, and likely to improve. The linen manufacture employs about 26,000 looms ;
and may be distributed into harness work, heavy work, and ordinary work. The harness
work, as damask table-cloths, table-covers, and napkins, is carried on almost exclu-
sively in and near Dunfermline ; has doubled the number of its looms since 1826 ;
employed in 1838 about 3,000 ; exports nearly half of its produce to the United States ;
and yields average weekly wages of about 8s. 6d. The heavy work, as sail-cloth,
broad-sheetings, floor-cloth, and some kinds of bagging, is seated principally in Dundee,
Arbroath, Aberdeen, Montrose, and Kirkcaldy ; employs about 4,000 looms, — all in
factories ; and yields weekly wages, in not rare cases, of 15s., and of not less than 8s. 6d.
average. The ordinary work, as dowlas, common sheetings, and osnaburghs, may be
considered as the staple linen-manufacture of Scotland, is seated principally in Forfar-
shire ; employs from 17,000 looms in summer, to 22,000 or 23,000 in winter, — nearly all
small detached buildings adjacent to the weavers' cottages ; and yields average weekly
wages of from 6s. to 7s. 6d. to the first class, and from 4s. to 5s. 6d. to the second. The
cotton-manufacture employs about 5,000 looms ; and, next to Perth, which is its prin-
cipal seat, is carried on chiefly at Dunblane, Auchterarder, Balfron, and Kinross.
The weavers, except at Perth, and in a few instances at Kirkcaldy and Aberdeen, are
employed wholly by Glasgow manufacturers ; and at Kinross, Dunblane, and Auchter-
arder, earn not more than 4s. of average weekly wages.* From returns made to the
House of Commons, by Mr. James Stuart, factory-inspector, a clear tabular view is
Eed of the statistics of all the factories of Scotland in 1838.
iginally, hand-loom weaving was in the British islands, as it continues to be in general on the con-
)f Europe, a domestic occupation. At first, indeed, the weaver was both capitalist and labourer,
as the linen- weaver is still in many parts of the north of Ireland. He and his family there cultivate the
flax, heckle it, spin it into yarn, weave it, and sell the web in the linen-market. This almost total
absence of the division of labour is, however, confined to the material and the district that we have men-
tioned. In every other branch of weaving, even in Ireland, and in every branch in Great Britain, with the
unimportant exception of a small class of weavers called customer- weavers in the north of England and in
Scotland, the material is supplied by the capitalist or manufacturer (generally called the putter out of
work) to the weaver, and he is paid on returning a given quantity of finished cloth. In most cases the
loom belongs to the weaver, or is hired by him. If he has not a loom, he must work either at a loom
belonging to some other weaver, or at one belonging to a manufacturer. In the former case he is called
a journeyman, and the weaver at whose loom he works a master weaver : the journeyman has no imme-
diate connexion with the manufacturer, and receives from his own immediate employer, the master weaver,
a fixed portion, generally two-thirds, of the price which the former receives from the manufacturer. The
weaver who works on the looms belonging to a manufacturer is called a factory-weaver, or shop-weaver,
a designation arising from the circumstance that the manufacturers' looms are placed in his manufactory,
or as it is usually called, his shop. Neither the factory- weavers, nor the journeymen, form large portions
of the weaving population. The bulk of the hand-loom weavers own or hire their own looms, keep them
in their own cottages, and perform themselves, assisted by their wives and children, both the weaving and
the operations which are subsidiary to it. — Report of the Commissioners on the condition of the Hand-loom
'Veavers, dated February 19, 1841.
ti
XXVI
INTRODUCTION.
No. of Mills.
Moving Power.
Persons Employed.
COUNTIES.
.f
1
Steam.
Water.
Total
Horse
Power.
Actual
Power
employed
o
• fg
$
w
«S2
<*?
J*
o5
fl
Total.
!
|
1
« u
£*
*l
•
1
££
II
COTTON MILLS.
4
5
4
1
4
2
123
1
1
50
2
367
ISO
10
175
30
3,696
16
1,124
48
3
3
2
6
1
2
9
1
14
28
4
250
208
60
242
28
55
450
18
538
797
82
617
338
70
417
58
55
4,146
34
554
1,921
130
497
240
60
222
52
45
3,520
16
460
1,480
95
62
91
14
88
13
9
318
24
210
373
46
775
428
205
541
48
83
7,911
30
680
3,307
245
953
442
236
735
45
82
12,059
46
904
4,171
402
1,790
961
455
1,364
106
174
20,288
100
1,794
7,851
693
Avr .
4
2
4
1
1
107
1
7
58
3
"4
"2
Bute
Kirkcudbright,
Linlithcrow
Perth,
WOOLLEN MILLS.
192
7
6
193
5
6
i'i
5,612
150
94
148
73
6
18
1
19
3
1
2
1
1
3
"i
9
2
17
21
10
1
2,728
142
155$
16
137
60
6
9
4
24
"*8
99
26
242
183
68
12
8,340
292
249A
16
285
60
6
i
4
24
101
8
99
26
310
199
115
12
6,776?
267
173i
16
212
57
6
94
7
4
22
52
6
65
17
279
159
99
11
1,248
75
24
"22
6
8
2
4
1
5
2
"is
57
25
1
14,253
503
220
378
34
20,075
505
186
23
683
38
16
" 2
20
299
f
142
16
358
204
35,576
1,083
430
30
1,083
78
32
17
48
575
9
227
41
640
406
327
39
Avr
18
1
24
3
1
I
1
1
*2
Berwick,
Clackmannan,
Dumfries,
8
8
q
O
1
23
274
Fife
Forfar
Kirkcudbright,
2
3
1
7
2
17
15
7
1
1
"2
"i
"i
1
3
ibi
"68
16
47
Lanark,
Linlithgow,
85
25
269
145
146
13
Perth,
Renfrew
Roxburgh,
Selkirk,
Stirling
156
25
Wigtown,
FLAX MILLS.
Aberdeen,
112
4
3
7
5
4(5)
37
10
3
6
31
103
1
2
1
1
2
624
428
46
176
458
?,072
7
40
16
15
92
116
3
4
34
27
8
"i
12
2
1,,99
200
*68
531
304
531
"ie
223
100
1,823
628
46
244
989
2,376
60i
40
32
238
192
1,462
510
38
184
827
2,250
584.
40"
16
199
110
245
97
18
19
11
60
3
*14
12
2,149
1,346
128
234
1,076
3,953
51
94
19
244
226
2,682
1,495
126
358
1,952
5,375
92
160
(
345
378
5,076
2,938
272
Ayr,
Edinburgh
611
3,039
9,388
146
254
42
601
606
Fife
46
96
8
2
1
13
3
2
Forfar,
Kincardine . .
Lanark .. .
Linlithgow,
Perth,
Renfrew,
SILK MILLS.
Edinburgh,
183
1
3
1
7
160
1
4
1
3,350
12
106
30
91
1,4954
4,845^
12
106
30
«,15J?
12
52
27
234
"45
44
7,372
'
19<
133
10,290
31
171
138
17,897
38
410
315
Lanark,
Renfrew,
Totals
5
...
6
148
...
...
148
91
89
334
340
763
492
18
396
9,734
280
5,422|
15,1561
12,444^| 1,81 6
24,109
33,387
KQ 01 Q
FEMALES EMPLOTED.— Li cotton-nulls, 601 between 9 and 13; 10,052 between 13 and 18; and 13,981
above 18; total, 24,634. In woollen- mills, 119 between 9 and 13; 1,354 between 13 and 18; and 1,055
above 18; total 2,528. In flax-mills, 142 between 9 and 13; 5,105 between 13 and 18; and 7,012 above
18; total, 13,159 In silk-mills, 74 between 9 and 13; 253 between 13 and 18; and 220 above 18;
total, 547. jNo children under 9 were employed in any of the factories.
INTRODUCTION.
The soap-manufacture is of large aggregate, and is carried on at Leith, Prestonpans,
Aberdeen, Montrose, Glasgow, and Paisley. — The manufacture of kelp, once producing
above £200,000 yearly, has nearly ceased since the reduction of the duty on barilla and
salt. — The iron trade — which is great and increasing — belongs principally to Lanark-
shire, Fifeshire, Carron, and Muirkirk, and will be well understood by reference to the
articles on these localities, and to those on Glasgow, and the Monklands. The distilla-
tion of spirits produced, in 1708, 50,844 gallons; in 1791, 1,696,000 gallons; in 1831,
6,021,556 imperial gallons for home consumption, and 149,849 for exportation to Eng-
land ; and in 1838, 6,124,035 imperial gallons for home consumption, 2,215,329 for ex-
portation to England, and 861,069 for exportation to Ireland. The following is a return
of the proof gallons of spirits distilled in each collection of excise, and within the limits
of the head-office of excise in Scotland, in each year, from 10th October 1839 to 10th
October 1841, and showing the total proof gallons for each of these years : —
COLLECTIONS.
Carry up
Years ended Oct. 10,
COLLECTIONS.
4,311,453 4,225,818
Total
Years ended Oct. 10,
Aberdeen . .
Argyle, North .
Argyle, South
1840.
218,946
57,075
904,910
. 474,254
1841.
214,387
58,745
1,024,689
471,418
70,488
87,149
1.339,237
354,656
605,049
Brought up .
Glasgow . . .
Haddington
Inverness . . ,
Linlithgow
1840.
4.311,453
. 2,007,301
416,190
218,7*5
. 586,716
1841.
4,225,818
1,808,8(56
392,931
210,740
600,849
93,316
285,587
992,637
Caithness .
Dumfries .
Edinburgh . .
92,517
80,607
1,581.965
336,162
Montrose
97,557
Stirling
1,068,159
565,017
9,032,353 8,570,744
COMMERCE.
Scotland's exports consist principally of the produce of her cotton and linen manufac-
ires ; and her imports, of the raw materials for her cotton and linen fabrics, and of
articles of colonial and foreign produce, which are demanded by the growing taste and
luxuriousness of her population. To enumerate subordinate articles, or those included
in this general classification, would be to write a list of goods as long, tasteless, and
tiresome, as that of a vender of all wares. Till about the year 1755, when the exports
amounted in value to £535,576, and the imports to £465,411, Scotland's commerce was
almost as unknowing of foreign lands as her own hardy mountaineers, and as cold and
cheerless as their climate and their dress. But from that period, and especially from a
decade before the close of last century, it has progressively, though not uniformly, moved
on to importance. The following is an account of the official and declared value of the
imports into and the exports from the different Scottish ports, from 1824 to the latest
period at which the accounts are made up : —
OFFICIAL
VALUE or
EXPORTS.
OFFICIAL
VALU* OF
EXPORTS.
Year*.
Imports
into
British and
Irish Pro-
Foreign
and Colo-
Total.
Declared
Value of
Tear*.
into
British and
Irish Pro-
Foreign
and Colo-
Total.
Declared
Value of
Scotland.
dace and
uial Mer.
Exports.
Scotland.
duce and
nial Mer-
Exports.
Manufactures.
chand'ne.
Manufactures.
chandise.
1824
£3,145,958
£5,009,324
£159,896
£5,169,220
£2.670,134
1833
£4,638,652
£6,820,381
£130,721
jE7.051.102
£2.636,840
1825
3,719,366
4,937,746
109,811
5,047,557
2,721,186
1834
4,683,985
7,159,102
117,564
7,276.666
2,647,212
1826
3,086,679
4,283,074
147,270
4,430,344
2,167,459
1835
4,659,151
8,372,598
156,735
8529,333
3,272,250
1827
3,948,205
5,932,850
126,745
6,059,595
2,745,965
1836
6,053,611
8,258,673
131,572
8,390,245
3,265,995
1828
4,023,642
6,148,444
185,138
6,333,632
2,897,525
1837
5,130,371
7,250,554
134,332
7,384,886
2,724,476
1829
3,888,994
6,528,587
127,5^0
6,fl56,117
2,787,935
1838
5,878,612
10,012,599
134,790
10,147,389
3,469,051
1830
3,908,714
6,984,392
125,941
7,110,333
2,8-13,143
1839
4,933,611
11,216,504
105.376
11,321,800
3,961,692
1831
4,187,087
7,943,612
111,086
8,054,698
3,189,318
1840
6,614.446
12,956,241
127,440
13,083,684
4,394.874
1832
4,451,351
7,120,595
155,615
7,276,210
2,640,751
1841
6,476,670
12,240,523
132,451
12,372,974
4,124,957
The distribution of the commerce, if simply remembrance be had that Greenock and
Port-Glasgow are dependent on Glasgow, and Leith dependent on Edinburgh, will be
understood from a tabular view of the gross customs, paid during the years 1835, 1840,
and 1841, at each of the Scottish ports : —
PORTS.
Aberdeen . .
Customs,
1835.
£53,835
Customs,
1840.
£80,018
1,827
Customs,
1841.
£78,126
1,463
PORTS.
Irvine
Kirkcaldy ' .
Customs,
1635.
£2,441
5,024
Customs,
1840.
£3,.92
4,207
Customs
1811.
£3,711
4 247
Alloa (from 5th January,
1841)
2,235
Kirkwall ."
369
fi71
*771
Banff .
1,112
1,357
1,698
Leith
. 489,851
602,999
604,098
Borrowstonness .
3,789
4,870
4,073
Lerwick
1,272
707
153
Campbeltown .
381
483
934
Montrose . .
6,827
33,483
31,713
Dumfries .
Dundee
4.261
. 45,609
9,107
63,346
8,766
48,138
Perth (from 5th July, 1840)
Port-Glasgow
. 125,162
10,766
84,369
12,381
100,278
Glasgow
314,701
472,563
526,100
Stornoway .
555
648
349
Orangemonth .
. 21,525
31,216
20,692
Stranraer . .
2*)S
587
653
Greenock
448.M1
841,647
423.535
Wick
1,676
1,140
1,232
Inverness
576
6,171
4,18ti
xx vm
INTRODUCTION,
FISHERIES.
The fisheries of Scotland have long formed a valuable and important branch of indus-
try t The total annual value of the salmon-fisheries has been estimated at £150,000.
The Ayr, Beauty, Clyde, Conon, Dee, Deveron, Don, Earn, Eden, North and South
Esks, Findhorn, Langwell, Moy, Ness, Shin, Spey, Tay, Teith, Tweed, and Ythan
rivers, are all celebrated for their salmon-fishings. — The total quantity of herrings cured
in Scotland within the year ending 5th April, 1840, was 543,945 barrels ; the total
quantity found entitled to the official brand, under the act 1st Will. IV, c. 54, was 152,231
barrels ; and the total quantity exported was 252,522 barrels ; being a decrease of
11,6141 barrels in the quantity cured, of 1,428} in the quantity branded, but an increase
of 12,791} in the quantity exported, as compared with the preceding year. Of cod and
ling, 93,5601 cwts. were cured dried, and 6,053 barrels cured in pickle ; the quantity
found entitled to the official stamp and brand, under the provisions of the said act, was
21,6951 cwts. dried, and 3,205 barrels pickled, and the total quantity exported was
29,6561 cwts. dried, and 24 barrels pickled ; being an increase over the preceding year
of 8,281 cwts. in the quantity cured dried, but a decrease of 3,998} barrels pickled, a
decrease in the quantity punched and branded of 2,2401 cwts. and 1,888 barrels, but an
increase of 2,954} cwts. in the quantity exported. In catching and curing these fish,
11,893 boats, manned by 52,037 fishermen and boys, were employed in the shore-curing
department of the fishery ; the number of curers, coopers, gutters, and labourers
employed, was 36,681 ; and the total number of persons employed was 88,718 ; being
an increase over the preceding year of 536 boats, 1,799 fishermen, and of 3,143 in the
total number of persons employed.
The following is an account of the total number of barrels of white herrings which
have been cured on board vessels cleared out for the fishery, or cured on shore, in the
year ended 5th April, 1840 ; and also of the number of boats and hands which have
been employed in the shore-curing, herring, cod, and ling fisheries.
STATIONS.
rary and Lochgilphead 3,225
i-Broom 1,461
Barrels of
herrings
cured.
Campbeltown and Islay,... 1,511
Dumfries and Stranraer, .. 1,665
Glasgow 8,640
Greenock and Ayr, Irvine
and Saltcoats, 17,418
Inverar
Loch
Loch-Carron and Dunve-
gan, 101
Loch-Shildag, 392
Rothsay, 17,119
Stornoway and Barra, 1>178
Tobermoryand Fort- Wil-
liam, 1,841
Isle of Man, 21,152
Liverpool,
St. Ives,
Anstruther 39542
Whitehaven, 3,008
Banff, 14,057
Burntisland, 13,021
Cromarty, 8,342
Eyemouth, 31,521
Findhorn, 8,713
Fraserburgh, 36,806
Number
of
boats.
505
84
383
454
434
830
179
263
574
549
541
55
404
203
48
86
176
315
163
191
145
Number
of fisher-
men and
boys.
1,599
430
1,110
1,362
1,742
3,320
721
786
3,336
1,590
3,860
271
1,611
963
220
371
489
1,307
741
622
707
STATIONS.
Barrels of
herrings
cured.
Helmsdale, 46,571
Leith, 4,684
Lybster, 39,077
Orkney, North Isles, 6,381
Orkney, South Isles, 13,015
Peterhead, 53,677
Port-Gordon, 729
Shetland, Lerwick 16,000
Shetland, Unst, 5,319
Shetland, Walls, 4,366
Stonehaven, 4,787
Thurso, 6,992
Tongue, 3,169
Wick, 91,465
London, including Dover,
Portsmouth, Gravesend,
and Yarmouth, from
which resident officers
have now been with-
drawn,
North Sunderland, 16,225
Whitby, 774
Number
of
boats.
236
338
264
239
497
146
301
740
139
306
172
102
156
366
893
177
239
Number
of fisher.
men and
boys.
1,180
936
1,156
993
2,219
589
1,505
3,528
651
1,766
888
485
780
1,773
5,095
473
862
Total 543,945 1 1 ,893 52,037
SHIPPING.
The shipping of Scotland, at a comparatively recent period, was inconsiderable ; and
even so late as 1656, comprised only 137 vessels, of from 250 to 300 tons each ; and
aggregately, 5,736 tons. In 1760, the vessels employed in the foreign and coasting trade,
and in fisheries, were 999 in number, and 53,913 in tonnage. In 1800, the number
was 2,415, carrying 171,728 tons, and employing 14,820 seamen. In 1828, the number
INTRODUCTION
XXIX
irrjing more than 100 tons each was 983, the number carrying less than 100 tons each
ras 2,160, and the aggregate tonnage of both classes was 300,836. Of this gross
lount of tonnage, Aberdeen claimed 46,587 tons ; Greenock, 37,786 ; Glasgow,
>,220; Leith, 26,107; Grangemouth, 24,635; Dundee, 24,227; Montrose, 15,778;
[rvine, 14,230 ; Dumfries, 12,283; Kirkcaldy, 11,540; Borrowstounness, 8,740 ; Port-
Uasgow, 7,155; Banff, 6,431; Inverness, 5,092; Anstruther, 4,130; Perth, 4,116;
Lirkwall, 3,247 ; Stornoway, 3,133 ; Campbeltown, 3,088 ; Lerwick, 2,622 ; Thurso,
},241 ; and Stranraer, 1,448. A considerable increase has been made in the aggregate
lount, and a very material change has occurred in the distribution since 1828 ; and
>th will be best seen in a tabular view, of the number of ships belonging to Scottish
>rts on the 31st of December, 1835, and of the amount of tonnage, and number of
ids.
PORTS. Ships. Tons. Men.
Jlasgow, 312 58,478 4,321
)undee and Perth, 387 44,869 3,002
jerdeen, 359 41,743 3,095
treenock, 367 42,722 2,723
jith, 227 23,558 1,786
Jrangemouth, 184 22,887 1,239
lontrose, 181 18,012 1,133
arkcaldy, 179 13,493 1,301
rvine and Ayr, 128 13,393 889
himfries, 192 11,798 779
rrowstounness, 121 8,452 488
PORTS. Ships. Tons. Men
Inverness, 160 7,597 630
Port-Glasgow, 50 7,500 400
Kirkwall, :. 77 4,218 323
Banff, 75 4,218 322
Lerwick, 101 3,967 744
Thurso, 40 2,573 180
Stornoway, 56 2,302 231
Campbeltown, 54 2,251 203
Stranraer, 37 1,789 135
Total, 3,287 ~335,820 23,924
the 31st December, 1840, the number of vessels belonging to Scotland was 3,479, of
aggregate tonnage of 429,204 tons, and manned by 28,428 men. The number of
vessels built in Scotland, in the year ending 5th January, 1841, was 263, of an aggre-
ite tonnage of 42,322 tons. — Steam navigation, which was introduced, or for the first
ne successfully experimented, in 1812, and which, for many years, was comparatively
ly and timid, has, for about 14 years past, received rapid increase, undergone great
iprovements, and singularly enhanced the country's commerce. Steam-vessels of all
ascriptions, from the superb ship of 400 tons or upwards, to the sturdy tug-boat or the
>y-like shallop, almost everywhere smoke along the coast, or athwart the friths, or
;ross the ferries. Their number, in 1838, — their tonnage, exclusive of engine-room, —
id their distribution among the several ports, will be best stated in a table.
Aberdeen,
Alloa,
Ships. Tons.
13 2,630
5 352
Campbeltown,...
Dumfries
3 311
1 160
10 1,773
Glasgow,
53 5,491
Ships. Tons.
Greenock, 2 186
Inverness, 1 18
Irvine, 1 58
Kirkcaldy, 3 286
Leith, 7 1,225
Montrose, 2 469
Ships. Tons.
Perth, 1 19
Port-Glasgow,.... 1 54
Stranraer, 2 221
Wigton 1 146
Total,... 106 13,399
BANKS.
Five of the Scottish banks — the Bank of Scotland, the Royal bank of Scotland, the
Jritish Linen Company, the Commercial bank of Scotland, and the National bank of
Scotland, the first of which was established by Act of Parliament, and the other four
incorporated by Royal charter — do not require, in pursuance of the act 7th Geo. IV.,
cap. 67, to lodge lists of partners. All the others involve the responsibility of each
partner to the full extent of his possessions ; and most are joint-stock establishments,
with large constituencies. Their notes, which are permitted to be for twenty shillings,
but not less, leave scope for an ample silver currency, but almost entirely exclude from
the country coins of gold. Each bank is obliged to have exchequer bills in its possession
equal to the average amount of its issues. A system of mutual exchange and security,
established and worked by the banks themselves, acts as a check upon over-issues ; the
exchange is made in the country weekly, and in Edinburgh twice a-week ; and whatever
surplus remains of one bank's notes over those of another with which the exchange is
made, must be bought up with specie, exchequer bills, or an order on the Bank of Eng-
land. The following table exhibits the names, numbers, dates and statistics, for the
years 1837, 1838, and 1839, of all the public banks.
XXX
INTRODUCTION,
FIRM AND HEAD OFFICE.
Estab.
Branches.
Partners.
lished.
1837.
1838.
1839.
1837.
1838.
1839.
1 Rant nf Scotland ...Edinburgh,...
1695
1727
1746
1810
1825
24
7
38
49
37
7
4
25
7
40
50
35
9
4
29
7
44
51
35
11
6
4
i
3
11
3
5
i'i
1
20
7
21
7
21
1
5
1
123
10
57
79
4
27
'"9
4
185
"*3
470
81
146
483
98
497
469
830
163
11
54
80
6
30
"*9
4
182
" 3
474
83
138
484
104
454
402
833
731
189
11
52
82
*28
""9
1*82
491
80
141
508
97
469
465
1564
818
226
774
785
3 British Linen Company, Edinburgh,...
4! Commercial Bank of Scotland Edinburgh,...
aAhprrippn Bank Aberdeen,....
9r>mi/1pp Union Bank Dundee,
4
1
1
3
12
3
3
5
3
8
1
16
6
12
7
63
4
1
1
3
11
3
3
5
3
10
1
16
6
17
7
15
1
10. Dundee New Bank (dissolved Oct. 10, 1838,)...
11 Glasgow and Ship Bank Glasgow,
12* Greenock Bank (Private Bank,)...
14. Paisley Bank (discontinued Nov. 20, 1833,)
15. Perth Banking Company, Perth
16. Renfrewshire Bank Co.,.: (Private Bank,)...
i" Paisley Union B'ink (Joined to No. 21,)...
1809
1825
1825
1825
1830
1831
1832
1834
1836
1837
1837
1838
1838
18. Aberdeen Town and County Bank, Aberdeen,....
19 Arbroath Bank Arbroath,....
20. Dundee Com. Bank (dissolved Oct. 10, 1838,)...
21. Glasgow Union Banking Co., Glasgow,
22. Ayrshire Banking Co., Ayr
24! Central Bank of Scotland, Perth,
25. North of Scotland Banking Co...... Aberdeen,....
27 Southern Bank of Scotland, Dumfries, ....
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION.
The roads of Scotland, till about the middle of last century, were so few and bad, that
three-fourths of the whole country were inaccessible to a wheeled vehicle. The High-
lands, in particular, could be traversed only by their own chamois-moving mountaineers,
and, even on their least upland grounds, were sublimely uncognizant of both the motion
and the mechanism of a wheel ; and at enormous cost and labour — as will be found de-
tailed in our article on the HIGHLANDS — they were literally revolutionized in political, social,
and agricultural character, simply by their being pierced and traversed with roads, and
brought into acquaintance with the unpoetic cart. Both turnpike and subordinate roads
are now ramified through most districts to an amount so nearly co- extensive with the
wants of the country, that the absence of them in any locality is, in most instances,
evidence of its being a tract of moorish or mountain waste ; and as Sir H. Parnell
remarks, in his Treatise on Roads, " in consequence of the excellent materials which
abound in all parts of Scotland, and of the greater skill and science of Scottish trustees
and surveyors, the turnpike roads in Scotland are superior to those in England." Owing
to almost constant, and generally bold, inequality of surface, Scotland offers few facili-
ties for the construction of canals ; yet it has seven of these works, two of which connect
the eastern and the western seas, while the features of the others combine interest with
utility. The Caledonian canal extends from the vicinity of Inverness on the north-east,
to Corpach, near Fort- William, on the south-west, a distance of 60£ miles, 37i of which
are through Lochs Ness, Oich, and Lochy ; and communicates between the Beauly
frith and the head of Loch-Eil. The Forth and Clyde canal extends from the frith of
Forth, or mouth of the Carron, at Grangemouth, to Bowling-bay on the Clyde, a dis-
tance of 35 miles ; and sends off a small branch to Glasgow, and a smaller one to the
mouth of the Cart, to communicate by that river with Paisley. The Edinburgh and
Glasgow union canal extends from Port-Hopetoun at Edinburgh, to the Forth and Clyde
canal at Port-Downie, near Falkirk, a distance of 31! miles. The Monkland canal
extends from the basin at the north-east extremity of Glasgow, to Woodhall, about 2
miles south-east of Airdrie, a distance of 12 miles ; communicates at its west end by a
cut of a mile in length with the basin of the Glasgow branch of the Forth and Clyde
INTRODUCTION. XXXI
canal ; and, in terms of an act obtained in 1837, may send off a branch to the north side
of Duke-street, Glasgow. The Crinan canal lies across the northern extremity of the
long peninsula of Knapdale and Kintyre, is about 9 miles in length, and connects Loch-
Fyne with the Western ocean. The Aberdeenshire canal extends from the harbour of
Aberdeen, up the valley of the Don, to Port-Elphinstone, near Inverury, a distance of
18J miles. The Glasgow, Paisley, and Ardrossan canal, was projected to extend from
Port-Eglinton, on the south side of Glasgow, to the harbour of Ardrossan, but has been
executed only to Johnstorie, a distance of 11 miles. A railway to continue the commu-
nication of this incompleted work, was projected to extend from Johnstone to Ardrossan,
a distance of 22 i miles, but has been constructed only to Kilwinning, about one-third of
the distance. The Kilmarnock and Troon railway, extending 9i miles between the
places mentioned in its designation, was the earliest public railway, or rather tram-road,
in Scotland. The Monkland and Kirkintilloch railway connects the rich coal districts
}f Old and New Monkland with the Forth and Clyde canal, in the vicinity of Kirkintil-
h, 10 miles from Glasgow. The Ballcchney railway extends from the termination of
Monkland and Kirkintilloch railway in the parish of New Monkland, 4 miles east-
ird ; and there forks into two lines, the one of which traverses the ironstone and coal-
ield lying to the south, and the other that lying to the north, of Airdrie-hill. The
~ishaw and Coltness railway extends about 4 miles southward, from the termination of
le former line, in the parish of Old Monkland, and is projected to be executed further
mthward, to the estates of Wishaw, Coltness, and Allanton. The Glasgow and Garn-
kirk railway extends 8i miles westward from the vicinity of Gartsherrie bridge, where it
joins the western termination of the Ballochney railway, to the junction of the Forth and
Clyde and the Monkland canals at Glasgow ; and was the earliest railway in Scotland
structed with double lines, and for the transit of locomotive engines. The Slamannan
tilway extends from the east end of the Ballochney railway to the Union canal, not far
)m Linlithgow, a distance of about 12 £ miles ; and sends off a branch to Bathgate.
?he Pollock and Govan railway connects the mineral fields on the south-east of Glasgow
ith that city ; and terminates at the harbour, on the level of the quay. The Glasgow,
'aisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr railway, extends from the harbour of Glasgow to that of
iyr, a distance of 40 miles ; joins the Ardrossan railway at Kilwinning, and the Kil-
larnock and Troon railway at Troon ; and will send off from the vicinity of Dairy a
ranch about 11 miles long, to Kilmarnock. The Glasgow and Greenock railway is
common to the former railway to Paisley, and thence extends to the centre of Greenock,
near the harbour, a distance from Glasgow of 22 £ miles. The Paisley and Renfrew
railway extends from the north side of Paisley to the Clyde at Renfrew, a distance of 3i
miles. The Edinburgh and Glasgow railway connects these cities by way of Linlithgow
and Falkirk, is 46 miles in length, and pursues nearly the same course as the Union and
the Forth and Clyde canals. The Edinburgh and Dalkeith railway extends from the
south side of Edinburgh to the South-Esk at Dalhousie- Mains, a distance of 8i miles ;
sends off branches to Leith, Fisherrow, and Dalkeith, which increase its aggregate
length to 15 miles ; and from its south end is continued by private lines to the collieries
of Newbattle and Arniston. The Edinburgh and Newhaven extends about 2£ miles
from the centre of the metropolis to Trinity-pier at Newhaven. The Dundee and New-
tyle railway extends 10 i miles from the north side of Dundee to Newtyle, and sends off
branches to Cupar- Angus and Glammis. The Dundee and Arbroath extends from the
harbour of Dundee to Arbroath, a distance of 16! miles. The Arbroath and Forfar
railway connects these towns, extending 15 J miles from a point of junction with the
Dundee and Arbroath railway. Most of the works thus traced in outline and mutual
relation will be found fully and separately described in the alphabetical arrangement.
The revenue of Scotland, as to both its absolute amount and its relative proportion to
that of England, has to the full kept pace with the increasing prosperity of the country.
It amounted, at the period of the Union, to £110,694 ; in 1788, to £1,099,148 ; and in
1813, to £4,204,097. Its sources, as well as its gross and nett amount, in the years
ending on the 5th of January 1837, 1838, and 1839, will be seen from the following
table.
PUBLIC REVENUE.
xxxn
INTRODUCTION.
Year ending Jan. 5, 1837.
Year ending Jan. 5, 1838.
Year ending Jan. 5, 1839.
Gross
Receipt
Nett
Produce.
Gross
Receipt.
Nett
Produce.
Gross
Receipt.
Nett
Produce.
£
1,587,648
2,656,183
552,686
235,837
219,048
£
1,487,693
2,403,930
538,581
235,367
207,918
£
1,626,291
2,431,963
529,538
227,607
221,059
£
1,511,972
2,201,482
521,556
227,520
209,604
£
1,666,398
2,451,928
549,678
236,380
223,491
£
1,518,981
2,198,355
536,115
236,277
211,543
Excise,
Taxes
Totals,
5,251,402
4,873,489
5,036,458
4,672,134
5,127,875
4,701,271
Another table will show the gross receipts in the years 1837 and 1838, on the chief
articles of the customs, excise, stamps, and taxes.
CUSTOMS AND EXCISE. 1837 1838.
Coffee £24,890 £23,542
Corn, 73,680 19,599
(Foreign, 41,328 42,793
Spirits,-} Rum, 37,719 38,920
(British, 1,452,602 1,437,429
Malt 591,546 583,336
Wines, 114,277 121,004
Sugar, Molasses, 544,039 595,624
Tea, 203,744 238,880
Timber, 123,502 125,013
Tobacco, 317,329 312,136
Auction-duties, 20,661 23,598
Glass, 57,023 65,435
Excise licenses, 103,860 102,392
Paper, 92,244 97,893
Soap 77,488 86,239
Post-horse duty, 18,7 1 8 1 9,666
Other articles, 163,604 184,827
Totals, 4,058,254 4,118,326
STAMPS AND TAXES. 1837. 1838.
Deeds, £112,813 £122,174
Probates, Legacies, 134,895 130,073
Bills of Exchange, 92,660 95,312
Bankers' Notes, 5,765 10,316
Receipts, 15,659 15,841
Marine Insurances, 20,680 23,515
Fire Insurances, 57,200 59,104
Licenses and Certificates,.. 22,522 22,574
Newspapers, 18,671 20,540
Advertisements, 11,438 13,231
Stage Carriages, 32,111 31,626
Land-tax, 38,176 38,817
Tax on Windows, 86,174 88,889
Servants, 14,102 15,055
Private Carriages, 29,875 32,907
Horses, 22,976 23,606
Dogs, 10,974 11,428
Other articles, 30,454 31,050
Totals, 757,145 786,058
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS.
Scotland was anciently divided and subdivided into so many jurisdictions, and under-
went such frequent changes in their limits, that any successful attempt to enumerate
them would be insufferably irksome, and almost wholly uninstructive. The names of
some of the larger jurisdictions continue to be used, and serve aptly to designate sub-
divisions of extensive counties ; and other ancient names are, in several instances, popu-
larly applied to whole counties in preference to the modern and legal designations. The
counties — or, more properly, the sheriffdoms or shires — have, for upwards of half-a-cen-
tury, been 33 in number. But they are excessively, and even ridiculously, various in
extent; and, in many instances, are as grotesquely outlined, and even hewn into
detached pieces, as if sheer merry-andrewism had presided over their distribution. An
enormous addition, too, is made to the puzzle of their intertracery by quoad civilia
parishes — which in all parts of Scotland, except in one shire, constitute the only admin-
istrative subdivision — being, in a large number of instances, made to overleap the
county boundary-line, and to lie, either compactly or detachedly, in two, or even three
shires. Lanarkshire is divided into three wards, — upper, middle, and lower ; and Kirk-
cudbrightshire, while just as legally and practically a shire as any of the other of the
32, is nominally a stewartry, — and wins diminishment or aggrandizement from the name,
exactly as one thinks of the feudal Stewart of a limited jurisdiction, or the princely, the
royal Stewart of broad Scotland. Two of the counties — Bute and Orkney — consist
entirely of islands : the former of those in the frith of Clyde, and the latter of the
Orkney and the Shetland archipelagoes. Three — Argyle, Inverness, and Ross — consist
chiefly of territory on the mainland, and partly of the islands of the Hebrides. Two
counties — Clackmannan and Kinross — comprehend each less than 84 square miles ;
Beven — Linlithgow, Bute, Nairn, Renfrew, Dumbarton, Cromarty, and Selkirk, — com-
prehend less than 266 ; four— Inverness, Argyle, Perth, and Ross, — comprehend more
than 2,590 ; and four — Aberdeen, Sutherland, Dumfries, and Ayr, — comprehend more
INTRODUCTION. XXX111
n 1,040. The following table gives the names of the shires in the order of their size,
beginning with the largest, and states the ancient names, whether of snbdivisional or of
extensive application.
Shires. Ancient Na
;rness, Lochaber, Badenoch, Moidart, Arisaig, Morer, Knoydart, Glenelg, Strathglass, and
parts of Moray, Strathspey, and Ross, besides Skye, and other Hebridean islands,
pie, Cowal, Kintyre, Knapdale, Lorn, including Appin, Kingarloch, Ardnamurchan,
Suinart, Lochiel, Glenorchy, Morvern, and Ardgower, besides Mull, Isla, Jura,
and other Hebridean islands.
Perth, Stormont, Strathearn, Cowrie, Athole, Breadalbane, Monteith, Glenshiel,
Rannoch, Balquidder.
East-Ross, Ard-Ross, Kintail, Lochalsh, Kishorn, Toridon, Gairloch, Lochbroom,
Strathcarron, and Black Isle, besides Lewis, and other Hebridean islands.
jrdeen, Mar, Buchan, Garioch, Formartin, Strathbogie.
Sutherland Sutherland, Strathnaver, Assynt, Edderachylis, and Lord Reay's country.
Dumfries, Nithsdale, Annandale, Eskdale, and Ewisdale.
Ayr, Cunningham, Kyle, and Carrick.
Lanark Clydesdale.
Forfar, Angus, including Glenisla, Glenesk, and Glenprosen.
Orkney, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands.
Kirkcudbright, East-Galloway.
Caithness, Caithness.
Roxburgh, Teviotdale and Liddesdale.
Banff, Strathdeveron, Boyne, Enzie, Balveny, and Strathaveu.
Stirling, Stirling, and part of Lennox.
Fife, Fife and Forthryfe.
Berwick, Merse, Lammermoor, and Lauderdale.
Elgin, Central part of Moray, and part of Strathspey.
Wigton, West Galloway.
Kincardine, Mearns.
Edinburgh, Mid- Lothian.
Peebles, Tweeddale.
Haddington, East-Lothian.
Selkirk, Ettrick Forest.
Cromarty, Ross.
Dumbarton, Lennox.
Renfrew, Strathgryfe, and part of Lennox.
Nairn, Moray, &c.
Bute, Bute, Arran, &c.
Lir.lithgo w, West-Lothian.
Kinross, Part of Forthryfe, > v-f
Clackmannan, Strathdevon, $ *UBl
CONSTITUTION.
Till the reign of James I., all persons who held any portion of ground, however small,
by military service of the Crown, had seats in the Scottish parliament. The small
barons were afterwards excused from attendance, and represented by " two or more wise
men, according to the extent of their county." Parliament appointed the time of its
own meetings and adjournments ; nominated committees to wield its powers during
recesses ; possessed not only a legislative but an executive character ; exercised a
commanding power in all matters of government ; appropriated the public money, and
appointed the treasurers of the exchequer ; levied armies, and nominated commanders ;
sent ambassadors to foreign states, and appointed the judges and courts of judicature ;
and even assumed power to alienate the regal demesne, to restrain grants from the
"Jrown, and to issue pardons to criminals. The king, even so late as in the person of
lines IV., was only the first servant of his people, and had his duty prescribed by par-
iment ; he had no veto in the parliament's proceedings ; nor could he declare war,
make peace, or conduct any important business of either diplomacy or government,
without that assembly's concurrence. The constitution of the country partook much
more the character of an aristocracy than that of a limited monarchy. The nobility —
who were dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons — were hereditary members of
parliament ; but they formed one house with the knights and burgesses, and occupied
common ground with them in all deliberations and decisive Votes. The nobles and other
members of parliament were checked in their turn by the common barons, just as they
checked the king ; and even the common barons, or the landholders, were, to a large
j
XXXIV
INTRODUCTION,
extent, checked in turn by their vassals. A jury of barons, who were not members of
parliament, might sit on a lord's case, of even the gravest character, and might decide it
without being unanimous in their verdict ; and the vassals of a baron so completely in-
volved or concentrated all his available power in their own fidelity and attachment, as
to oblige him, in many respects, to act more in the character of the father of his clan
than in that of a military despot. The king, too, — while denied nearly all strictly royal
prerogatives by the constitution of the country, — was indemnified for most by the acci-
dents of its feudal institutions. He acquired considerable interest among the burgesses
and lower ranks in consequence of the abuse of power by the lords and great landowners ;
and, when he had sufficient address to retain the affections of the people, he was gene-
rally able to humble the most powerful and dominant confederacy of the aristocrats ;
though, when he did not acquire popularity, he might dare to disregard the parliament
only at the hazard of his crown or his life. The kings, — aided by the clergy, whose
revenues were vast, and who were strongly jealous of the power of the nobility, — even-
tually succeeded in greatly diminishing, and, at times, entirely neutralizing, the aristo-
cratical power of parliament. A select body of members was established, from among
the clergy, the nobility, the knights, and the burgesses, and called " the Lords of the
Articles ;" it was produced by the bishops choosing 8 peers, and the peers 8 bishops,
by the 16 who were elected choosing 8 barons or knights of the shires, and 8 commis-
sioners of royal burghs, and by 8 great officers of state being added to the whole, with
the Lord-chancellor as president ; its business was to prepare all questions, bills, and
other matters, to be brought before parliament ; and the clerical part of it being in strict
alliance with the king, while the civilian part was not a little influenced by his great
powers of patronage, it effectually prevented the introduction to parliament of any affair
which was unsuited to his views, and gave him very stringently all the powers of a real
veto. This institution seems to have been introduced by stealth, and never brought to a
regular plan ; and as to its date and early history, it baffles the research, or at least
defies the unanimity, of the best informed law writers. Yet " the Lords of the Articles "
were far from being wholly subservient to the Crown ; for they not only resisted the
efforts of Charles I. to make them mere tools of his despotism, but went freely down the
current which swept that infatuated monarch to his melancholy fate ; and, at the Revo-
lution, they waived all ceremony about getting from the fanatical idiot, James VII., a
formal deed of abdication, and promptly united in a summary declaration that he had
forfeited his crown. Before the Union there were four great officers of state, the Lord
High-chancellor, the High- treasurer, the Privy-seal, and the Secretary, — and four lesser
officers, the Lord Clerk-register, the Lord-advocate, the Treasurer-depute, and the
Justice-clerk, — all of whom sat, ex-officio, in parliament. The officers of state and the
law courts which now exist, will be found noticed in our article on EDINBURGH. The
privy council of Scotland, previous to the Revolution, assumed inquisitorial powers, even
that of torture ; but it is now swamped in the privy council of Great Britain. The
Scottish nobility return from among their own number 16 peers to represent them in the
upper house of the imperial parliament. Between the Union and the date of the Reform
bill, the freeholders of the counties, who amounted even at the last to only 3,211 in
number, returned to the House of Commons 30 members ; the city of Edinburgh
returned 1 ; and the other royal burghs, 65 in number, and classified into districts.
The Parliamentary Reform act in 1832, added, at the first impulse, 29,904 to the
aggregate constituency of the counties ; but it allowed them only the same number of
representatives as before, — erecting Kinross, Clackmannan, and some adjoining portions
of Perth and Stirling, into one electoral district ; conjoining Cromarty with Ross and
Nairn with Elgin, and assigning one member to each of the other counties. The same
act enfranchised various towns, or erected them into parliamentary burghs, increased the
burgh constituency from a pitiful number to upwards of 31,000, and raised the aggregate
number of representatives from 14 to 23. The total constituencies of the counties and
the burghs in each year, from the passing of the Reform act till 1839, are stated in the
following table.
Year.
Counties.
Burghs.
Total.
Year.
Counties.
Burgh a.
Total.
1832,
33,115
31,332
64,447
1836,
43,350
40,905
84,255
1833,
1834,
34,976
36.823
32,750
36,162
67,726
72,985
1837,
1838,
45,083
46,480
37,708
36,381
82,791
82,861
1635,
41,658
39,667
81,325
1839,
47,209
35,312
82,521
INTRODUCTION. XXXV
The constituency of each county and burgh is stated in the article upon it in the alpha-
betical arrangement. Of the burghs, Edinburgh and Glasgow each return two mem-
bers ; and Aberdeen, Dundee, Paisley, Greenock, and Perth, each return one ; while
the remainder are distributed, in the following order, into 14 districts, each of which
returns one, — Ayr, Campbeltown, Inverary, Irvine, and Oban, — Dumfries, Annan,
Kirkcudbright, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar, — Elgin, Banff, Cullen, Inverury, Kintore,
and Peterhead, — Falkirk, Hamilton, Airdrie, Lanark, and Linlithgow, — Haddington,
North Berwick, Dunbar, Jedburgh, and Lauder, — Inverness, Forres, Fortrose, and
Nairn, — Kilmarnock, Port-Glasgow, Dumbarton, Renfrew, and Rutherglen, — Kirk-
caldy, Burntisland, Dysart, and Kinghorn, — Leith, Musselburgh, and Portobello, — St.
Andrews, East-Anstruther, West-Anstruther, Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny, and Pittenweem,
— Montrose, Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar, and Bervie, — Stirling, Culross, Dunfermline,
Inverkeithing, and Queensferry, — Wick, Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Tain, and
Kirkwall, — and Wigton, New Galloway, Stranraer, and Whithorn. Some of the prin-
cipal towns, or towns more populous than many which rank as burghs, share in the fran-
chise only in common with the landward districts, and the villages of the counties in
which they lie. The chief are Dalkeith, Maybole, Hawick, Girvan, Alloa, Kelso, Crieif,
Dunse, Selkirk, Peebles, Bathgate, Tranent, Dunblane, Rothsay, Cupar-Angus, Salt-
coats, Dairy, and Comrie.
CRIME.
The number of public offences in Scotland was, in the year 1834, 2,711 ; in 1836,
2,922 ; in 1837, 3,126 ; in 1838, 3,418; in 1839, 3,409; and in 1840, 3,872. Of those
in the year 1838, 787 were offences against the person, 724 by males, and 63 by females ;
577 were violent offences against property, 432 by males, and 145 by females ; 1,588 were
against property, but without violence, 1,078 by males, and 510 by females ; 57 were ma-
licious offences against property, 51 by males, and 6 by females ; 112 were forgeries and
offences against currency, 81 by males, and 31 by females ; and 297 were miscellaneous
offences, 243 by males, and 54 by females, — aggregately, 2,609 by males, and 809 by
females. Fifty-eight of the male offenders were aged 12 years, and under ; 368 aged
16 or above 12 ; 700 aged 21 or above 16 ; 738 aged 30 or above 21 ; 407 aged 40 or
above 30 ; 144 aged 50 or above 40 ; 59 aged 60 or above 50 ; 8 aged above 60 ; and
117 whose ages could not be ascertained. Of the 809 female offenders, there were 16
aged 12 years and under ; 66 aged 16 and above 12 ; 199 aged 21 and above 16 ; 268
aged 30 and above 21 ; 140 aged 40 and above 30; 67 aged 50 and above 40; 29
jd 60 and above 50 ; 8 aged above 60 ; and 16 whose ages could not be ascertained,
the 2,609 male offenders, 353 could neither read nor write ; 1,529 could read, or
and write imperfectly ; 569 could read and write well ; 91 had received a superior
lucation ; and there were 67 whose education could not be ascertained. Of the 809
lale offenders, 198 could neither read nor write ; 541 could read, or read and write
iperfectly ; 61 could read and write well ; 2 had received a superior education ; and
jre were 7 whose education could not be ascertained. Of the 3,418 offenders, 356
3re discharged by the Lord-advocate and his deputies, 177 were discharged from other
tuses, and there were tried 2,885, namely, by the High-court of Justiciary 309 ; by the
Circuit-court of Justiciary 560 ; by Sheriffs with a jury 733 ; by Sheriffs without a jury
646 ; by burgh-magistrates 558 ; by justices or other court 79. Of the 2,885 persons
tried, 56 were outlawed, 6 were found insane, 38 were found not guilty, 162 not proven,
and there were convicted 2,623, including 578 who were convicted under the aggrava-
tion of previous convictions, and 54 who were convicted of other offences at the same
trial. Of the 2,623 persons convicted, 3 received sentence of death, of whom 1 was
executed, and the punishment of 2 was commuted into transportation for life ; 6 were
sentenced to transportation for life, 83 for 14 years, 379 for 7 years, and 15 for other
jriods ; 75 were sentenced to imprisonment (with, in some cases, whipping, fine, &c.,)
2 years or above 1 year, 245 for 1 year or above 6 months, 1,607 for 6 months or
ider ; 195 were punished by fine ; 3 were discharged on sureties ; 12 received no
mtence. — Of the 3,872 persons committed for trial in 1840, 2,945 were convicted or
itlawed, and of these 4 received sentence of death for murder ; 520 were convicted
assaults ; 296 of theft by housebreaking ; and 1,392 of acts of simple theft. The
XXXVI
INTRODUCTION.
following table shows the distribution and sex of the 3,872 persons committed for trial
in 1840.*
COUNTIES.
Aberdeen,
Argyle
Ayr,
Banff,
Berwick,
Bute,
Caithness
Clackmannan,
Dumbarton,
Dumfries 66
Edinburgh, 405
Elgin and Moray,
Fife
Forfar, 263
Haddington,
Inverness, 60
Kincardine,
Males.
Females.
70
44
85
17
53
8
30
7
17
9
12
3
17
1
31
5
53
31
66
12
405
199
18
6
240
66
263
104
32
12
60
16
16
5
COUNTIES. Males. Females.
Kinross, 8 1
Kirkcudbright, 35 7
Lanark, 365 164
Linlithgow, 55 6
Nairn, 6 6
Orkney and Zetland, 40 6
Peebles, 12
Perth, 133 34
Renfrew, 487 166
Ross and Cromarty, 21 3
Roxburgh 78 13
Selkirk 7 3
Stirling 104 37
Sutherland, 10
Wigton, 37 15
Total 2,866 1,006
POPULATION.
The following table shows, for each of the counties, and for the whole kingdom, the
amount of the population of Scotland in the years 1755, 1791, 1801, 1811, 1821, and
1831, with the increase per cent, during each ten years succeeding 1801.
COUNTIES.
Year 1755.
Year 1-791.
Year 1801.
Year 1811.
i
d.
|
Year 1821.
«
a.
|
Year 1831.
Inc. p. ct.
115,595
60,553
58,519
37,574
24,114
7,125
21,402
8,824
13,311
41,913
90,438
28,687
81,333
68,784
28,697
61,481
24,434
5,944
21,205
81,781
16,438
5,993
38,751
8,847
115,525
26,735
46,798
31,520
4,968
39,761
21,147
16,466
120,870
72,891
74,694
38,671
29,734
11,200
22,976
9,738
18,229
52,466
123,093
27,285
88,013
89,296
29,230
70,559
26,576
6,181
26,793
126,354
17,271
7,692
44,435
8,045
125,149
63,062
54,902
32,713
5,233
47,373
23,187
21,088
123,082
71,859
84,306
35,807
30,621
11,791
22,609
10,858
20,710
54,597
122,954
26,705
93,743
99,127
29,986
74,292
26,349
6,725
29,211
146,699
17,844
8,257
46,824
8,735
126,366
78,056
35,343
33,682
5,070
50,825
23,117
22,918
135,075
85,585
103,954
36,668
30,779
12,033
23,419
12,010
24,189
62,960
148,607
28,108
101,272
107,264
31,164
78,336
27,439
7,245
33,684
191,752
19,451
8,251
46,153
9,935
135,093
92,596
68,853
37,230
5,889
58,174
23,629
26,891
10
19
23
2
1
2
4
11
17
It
tJ
21
K
8
8
4
f
4
8
1 c
31
9
i'i
7
19
10
11
16
14
2
17
155,387
97,316
127,299
43,561
33,385
13,797
30,238
13,263
27,317
70,878
191,514
31,162
114,556
113,430
35,127
90,157
29,118
7,762
38,903
244,387
22,685
9,006
53,124
10,046
139,050
112,175
68,828
40,892
6,637
65,376
23,840
33,240
15
14
22
19
8
15
29
10
13
13
29
11
13
6
16
<J
6
7
15
27
17
9
15
1
3
21
13
10
13
12
23
177,657
100,973
145,055
48,604,
34,048
14,151
34,529
14,729
33,211
73,770
219,345
34,231
128,839
139,606
36,145
94,797
31,431
9,072
40,590
316,819
23,291
9,354
58,239
10,578
142,894
133,443
74,820
43,663
6,833
72,621
25,518
36,258
14
4
14
12
2
Anrvle
Ayr, ..
Banff
Berwick
Bute,
Caithness
14
U
22
4
i e
10
12
23
3
K
8
17
4
30
3
4
10
5
3
19
9
7
2
11
7
9
Clackmannan,
Dumfries
Elein
Fife
Forfar
Haddington,
Inverness . . .
Kinross,
Kirkcudbright,
Lanark,
Linlitbgow
Orkney and Shetland,...
Peebles
Perth
Ross and Cromarty,
Roxburgh,
Selkirk,
Sutherland
Wigton
The Totals,
1,255,663
1,514,999
1,599,068
1,805,688
14
2,093,456
16
2,365,114
13
Another table, and a brief one, gives a summary view of the classes of the populati<
and the number of inhabited houses in 1821 and 1831, and of the value of assessed
perty in 1815.
INTRODUCTION.
XXX VH
Year.
1821,
1831,
Males.
Females.
Total of
Persons.
Families
chiefly
employed in
agriculture.
Families chiefly
employed in
trade, manu-
factures, or
handicraft
All other
families not
comprised in
the two pre-
ceding classes.
Inhabited
Houses.
Annual
value of the
real property,
as assessed
in 1815.
983,552
1,114,816
1,109,904
1,250,298
2,093,456
2,365, 1U
130,699
126,591
190,264
207,259
126,997
168,451
341,474
369,393
£
6,652,655
We have just received a copy of the census of 1841, printed by order of Government,
'he following are the leading results : —
COUNTIES.
PERSONS, 1841.
Population
in
1831.
Increase or Decrease
per cent., 1841.
Males.
Females.
Totals.
Increase.
Decrease.
Abenleen,
89,528
47,654
78,970
23,425
16,527
7,108
16,993
9,331
22,505
34,097
102,709
16,071
65,735
79,234
17,253
45,506
15,804
4,194
18,838
208,369
13,766
4,232
26,843
5,122
65,339
72,725
36,861
21,930
3,972
41,070
11,307
18,258
3,432
102,755
49,486
85,552
26,651
17,900
8,587
19,204
9,785
21,790
38,728
122,914
18,923
74,575
91,166
18,528
52,109
17,248
4,569
22,261
218,744
13,082
4,968
33,953
5,398
72,812
82,030
41,119
24,073
4,017
41,109
13,359
20,921
993
192,283
97,140
164,522
50,076
34,427
15,695
36,197
19,116
44,295
72,825
225,623
34,994
140,310
170,400
35,781
97,615
33,052
8,763
41,099
427,113
26,848
9,218
60,796
10,520
138,151
154,755
78,980
46,003
7,989
82,179
24,666
39,179
4,425
177,657
100,973
145,055
48,604
34,048
14,151
34,529
14,729
33,211
73,770
219,345
34,231
128,839
139,606
36,145
94,797
31,431
9,072
40,590
316,819
23,291
9,354
58,239
10,578
142,894
133,443
74,820
43,663
6,883
72,621
25,518
36,258
8-2
13V4
3-
1-1
10-9
4-8
297
33-3
2:8
2-2
8-9
22-
3-
5-1
i:2
34-8
15-2
4:3
15"-9
55
5-3
169
13-1
8*
3V9
1-3
l"
35
14
5-
3-4
3-4
Ayr
Banff,
Bute,
Caithness,
Elgin (Moray),
Fife
Forfar,
Haddington,
Inverness,
Kirkcudbright, Stewartry of,....
Nairn
Peebles,...
Perth,
Renfrew,
Ross and Cromarty,
Roxburgh
Selkirk,
Stirling,
Sutherland
Wigton,
Total
1,241,276
1,379,334
2,620,610
2,365,114
108
...
Placed in their order, and beginning with those in which there is a decrease, the
unties stand as follows : —
Decrease
Per cent.
le, 3-9
inross, 3'5
Perth 34
Sutherland, 3'4
Nairn, 1-4
Dumfries, 1'3
Haddington, 1*
Peebles '5
Increase
Per cent.
Berwick 1-1
Kirkcudbright 1'2
Elgin 22
Edinburgh, 2-8
Inverness, 3-
Banff, 3-
Orkney,.. 4'3
Caithness 4-8
Increase
Per cent
Kincardine, 5-1
Roxburgh, 5'3
Ross & Cromarty,. 5 -5
Wigton '... 8-
Aberdeen 8-2
Fife 8-9
Bute 10-9
Stirling 13-1
Increase
Per cent
Ayr 13-4
Linlithgovv, 15-2
Renfrew 15'9
Selkirk, )6'9
Forfar 22-
Clackmannan, 297
Dumbarton 33-3
Lanark 34-8
The average increase for all Scotland being ll'l per cent., it appears that the increase
is above the average in 10 counties, and below it in 22, including those in which there
is a positive diminution.
The increase in the population of England and Wales has been greater than in that
of Scotland, at every decennial period since the first census was taken ; but the differ-
ence is greater in the last ten years than in any preceding period. The number of
houses building affords one of the best criterions of a country's progress in wealth and
XXX Vlll
INTRODUCTION.
industry. At the same time it must be kept in mind, that we get merely the number
building in one particular year out of the ten, and not the average number building
yearly. In the first census this element was wanting, in the others it stands thus : —
' Hous«s Building.
1811. 1821. 1831. 1841.
England... 15.189 18,289 23,462 25,882
Wales,.. 1,019 985 1,297 1,769
Scotland,
16,208
2,341
19,274
'2,405
24,759
2,568
27,651
2,760
RELIGION.
The National Established church of Scotland is strictly Presbyterian. Its parochial
divisions, sanctioned by the civil authority, embracing the whole of Scotland, and fur-
nished by law with churches and temporalities, are 919. But included in these, which
bear the distinctive name of quoad civilia parishes, there are territories annexed eccle-
siastically, or by authority of the General Assembly and of presbyteries, to 40 Govern-
ment churches, an account of which is given in our article on the HIGHLANDS, and to
chapels built by voluntary subscription, the number of which amounted, in 1839, to
180 ; and these territories, except in the case of a very few of the chapelries, are called
quoad sacra parishes, and — though destitute both of civil sanction and of temporalities —
are under the same ecclesiastical government, and hold the same relation to the church
courts, as the ecclesiastico-civil divisions. Each parish, whether quoad civilia or quoad
sacra, is governed by a kirk-session, consisting of the minister, and one or more lay
elders. Several parishes send each its minister and a ruling elder to form a presbytery,
and are, on a common footing, under its authority. Several presbyteries contribute or
amass all their members to form a synod, and are individually subject to its review or
revision of their proceedings. All the presbyteries, in concert with the royal burghs,
the four universities, and the Crown, elect representatives, who jointly constitute the
General Assembly. This is the supreme court ; and will be found noticed in our article
on EDINBURGH. The synods, 16 in number, are exceedingly dissimilar in the extent of
their territory, and the amount of their population ; and the presbyteries, 82 in number,
have also a very various extent, and are distributed among the synods in groups of from
2 to 8. — The synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, the first on the list, comprehends all the
counties of Linlithgow, Haddington, and Peebles, all the county of Edinburgh, except
one parish, and small parts of the counties of Stirling and Lanark ; it contained, in 1831,
a population of 313,733 ; and, in 1839, it had 108 quoad civilia parishes, 27 chapelries,
and 143 ministers. Its presbyteries are Edinburgh, comprehending the metropolis and
its vicinity, with 26 quoad civilia, and 17 quoad sacra parishes, and a population, in 1831,
of 180,392 ; Linlithgow, comprehending Linlithgowshire, and a small part of Stirling-
shire, with 19 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 45,452 ;
Biggar, comprising parts of Lanarkshire and Peebles-shire, with 11 quoad civilia parishes,
and a population of 6,862 ; Peebles, comprising most of Peebles-shire, with 12 quoad
civilia parishes, and a population of 9,373; Dalkeith, chiefly in Edinburghshire, and
partly in Haddingtonshire, with 16 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a popu-
lation of 35,133 ; Haddington, comprising the major part of Haddingtonshire, with 15
quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 24,049 ; and Dunbar, com-
prising the south-east of Haddingtonshire, and a parish in Berwickshire, and distributed
into 9 quoad civilia parishes, with a population of 12,472. — The synod of Merse and
Teviotdale comprehends nearly all Berwickshire, and most of Roxburghshire ; contained,
in 1831, a population of 82,366 ; and, in 1839, had 66 parishes, 5 chapelries, and 71
mimsteFS. Its presbyteries are Dunse, in the Merse and Lammermoor, with 10 quoad
civilia parishes, and a population of 9,391 ; Chirnside, in the Merse, with 12 parishes
quoad civilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a population of 14,975 ; Kelso, in the Merse, and
the east of Roxburghshire, with 10 parishes quoad civilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a popu-
lation of 12,264 ; Jedburgh, in Teviotdale, with 14 quoad civilia parishes, 2 subordinate
chapelries, and a population of 20,978 ; Lauder, in Lauderdale, Lammermoor, and the
southern corner of Edinburghshire, with 9 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of
9,964; and Selkirk, in Selkirkshire, and the northern part of Roxburghshire, with 11
quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 14,788.— The synod of Dumfries comprehends
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX
all Dumfries-shire, Liddesdale, and the eastern part of Kirkcudbrightshire ; contained,
in 1831, a population of 91.287 ; and, in 1839, had 55 parishes, 4 chapelries, and 59
ministers. Its presbyteries are Lochmaben, in central and northern Annandale, with 13
quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 16,016 ; Langholm, in Eskdale and Liddes-
dale, with 7 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 10,173 ; Annan, in southern
Annandale, with 8 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 15,672 ;
Dumfries, in southern Nithsdale and eastern Kirkcudbrightshire, with 18 parishes quoad
civilia, and 2 quoad sacra, and a population of 34,862; and Penpont, in central and
northern Nithsdale, with 9 parishes, and a population of 14,564. — The synod of Gallo-
way comprehends all Wigtonshire, all the central and the western divisions of Kirkcud-
brightshire, and southern corner of Ayrshire ; contained, in 1831, a population of 65,276 ;
and, in 1839, had 37 parishes, all quoad civilia, and 37 ministers. Its presbyteries are
Stranraer, in the western half of Wigtonshire, and the southern corner of Ayrshire, with
11 parishes, and a population of 24,164; Wigton, in the eastern half of Wigtonshire,
and a small part of Kirkcudbrightshire, with 10 parishes, and a population of 19,446 ;
and Kirkcudbright, all in Kirkcudbrightshire, with 16 parishes, and a population of
21,666. — The synod of Glasgow and Ayr comprehends all the counties of Renfrew and
Dumbarton, nearly all those of Lanark and Ayr, and a part of that of Stirling ; con-
tained, in 1831, a population of 635,011 ; and, in 1839, had 130 parishes, 72 chapelries,
and 205 ministers. Its presbyteries are Ayr, in Kyle and most part of Carrick, with 28
quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 77,884 ; Irvine, in Cun-
ningham, with 16 quoad civilia, and 4 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 56,226 ;
Paisley in eastern Renfrewshire, with 12 quoad civilia, and 6 quoad sacra parishes, and
a population of 90,721 ; Greenock, in western Renfrewshire, and a small part of Cun-
lingham, and a population of 41,179 ; Hamilton, in central Lanarkshire, with 15 quoad
ivilia, and 8 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 64,745 ; Lanark, in northern
larkshire, with 11 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 29,595 ; Dumbarton, in
ic main body of Dumbartonshire, and part of Stirlingshire, with 17 parishes quoad
ivilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a population of 34,287 ; and Glasgow, in southern Lan-
arkshire, the detached part of Dumbartonshire, and small parts of Stirlingshire and
mfrewshire, with 21 quoad civilia, and 31 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of
!40,374. — The synod of Argyle comprehends Buteshire, and continental and insular
irgyleshire ; contained, in 1831, a population of 109,348 ; and, in 1839, had 39 parishes,
parliament churches, 4 chapelries, and 57 ministers. Its presbyteries are Inverary,
continental Argyleshire, with 8 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 13,335 ;
moon, the eastern part of Argyleshire, and the northern isles of Buteshire, with 8
civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 13,712 ; Kintyre, in Arran,
jntyre and Gigha, with 9 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 26,959 ; Isla and
Jura, in the southern Hebrides, with 4 quoad civilia parishes, and 3 parliamentary
shurches, and a population of 17,197 ; Lorn, partly in the Hebrides, but chiefly in the
western part of continental Argyleshire, with 7 quoad civilia parishes, 2 parliamentary
churches, and 1 chapelry, and a population of 15,348 ; and Mull, chiefly in the Mull
>up of the Hebrides and in Morvern, with 6 parishes and 7 parliamentary churches,
id a population of 22,797. — The synod of Perth and Stirling comprehends nearly all
'erthshire and Clackmannanshire, parts of Stirlingshire and Kinross-shire ; contained,
1831, a population of 178,657 ; and, in 1839, had 80 parishes, 3 parliamentary
churches, 19 chapelries, and 107 ministers. Its presbyteries are Dunkeld, in the north-
east part of Perthshire, with 12 parishes and 1 chapelry, and a population of 22,130 ;
Weem, in the north-east part of Perthshire, with 6 parishes, 3 parliamentary churches,
1 chapelry, and a population of 17,132 ; Perth, in the central part of Perthshire, with
24 quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 45,237 ; Auchterarder,
in the valley and vicinity of Strathearn, and in the western part of Kinross-shire, with 15
quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 25,339 ; Stirling, in Clack-
mannanshire, and part of Stirlingshire, with 13 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes,
and a population of 44,603 ; and Dunblane, in the junction district of the counties of
Perth, Stirling, and Clackmannan, with 12 quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and
a population of 24,213. — The synod of Fife comprehends all Fifeshire, the greater part
of Kinross-shire, and a small part of Perthshire ; contained, in 1831, a population of
f3,124 ; and, in 1839, had 67 quoad civilia, and 10 quoad sacra parishes, and 81 minis-
s. Its presbyteries are Dunfermline, in the south-west of Fifeshire, and in parts of
Xl INTRODUCTION.
Perthshire and Kinross-shire, with 12 parishes quoad civilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a
population of 36,097 ; Kirkcaldj, in the south-east of Fifeshire, and part of Kinross-
shire, with 15 quoad civilia, and 4 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 43,314 ;
Cupar, in the north-west of Fifeshire, with 20 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of
29 832 ; and St. Andrews, in the north-east of Fifeshire, with 20 parishes quoad civilia,
and 1 quoad sacra, and a population of 28,881. — The synod of Angus and Mearns com-
prehends all Forfarshire, the greater part of Kincardineshire, and a small part of Perth-
shire ; contained, in 1831, a population of 164,017 ; and, in 1839, had 80 quoad civilia,
and 17 quoad sacra parishes, and 99 ministers. Its presbyteries are Meigle, in the west
of Forfarshire, and part of Perthshire, with 13 parishes, and a population of 16,345 ;
Forfar, in the central district of Forfarshire, with 11 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra
parishes, and a population of 24,225 ; Dundee, in the southern district of Forfarshire,
and a small part of Perthshire, with 18 quoad civilia, and 6 quoad sacra parishes, and a
population of 60,510 ; Brechin, in the north of Forfarshire, with 14 quoad civilia, and 2
quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 27,057 ; Arbroath, in the east of Forfarshire,
with 11 quoad civilia, and 5 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 23,270 ; and For-
doun, in Kincardineshire, with 13 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 22,601. —
The synod of Aberdeen comprehends nearly all Aberdeenshire, most part of Banffshire,
and a considerable part of Kincardineshire ; contained, in 1831, a population of 206,226 ;
and, in 1839, had 101 quoad civilia, and 17 quoad sacra parishes, and 119 ministers. Its
presbyteries are Aberdeen, in the south-east of Aberdeenshire, and part of Kincardine-
shire, with 20 quoad civilia, and 8 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 75,524 ;
Kincardine-O'Neil, in the south-west of Aberdeenshire, and part of Kincardineshire,
with 14 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 18,426 ; Alford, in the west of Aber-
deenshire, and part of Banffshire, with 13 parishes, and a population of 11,471 ; Garioch,
in the central district of Aberdeenshire, with 15 parishes, and a population of 15,787 ;
Ellon, in the east of Aberdeenshire, with 8 parishes, and a population of 12,831 ; Deer,
in the north-east of Aberdeenshire, with 14 quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and
a population of 32,276 ; Turriff, in the north-west of Aberdeenshire, and the north-east
of Banffshire, with 11 parishes, and a population of 21,775 ; and Fordyce, in the north
of Banffshire, with 7 quoad civilia, and 3 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of
18,136. — The synod of Moray comprehends all Elginshire and Nairnshire, considerable
parts of Inverness-shire and Banffshire, and a small part of Aberdeenshire ; contained,
in 1831, a population of 105,610 ; and, in 1839, had 51 quoad civilia parishes, 2 parlia-
mentary churches, 3 chapelries, and 59 ministers. Its presbyteries are Strathbogie, in
the counties of Elgin, Banff, and Aberdeen, with 12 parishes, and a population of
23,814 ; Abernethy, in the counties of Banff, Elgin, and Inverness, with 6 parishes, and
3 parliamentary churches, and a population of 12,134 ; Aberlour, in Banffshire and
Elginshire, with 5 parishes, and a population of 8,515 ; Forres, in the west of Elgin-
shire, with 6 parishes, and a population of 9,899 ; Elgin, in the north-east of Elginshire,
with 9 parishes, and a population of 15,790 ; Inverness, in the north-east of Inverness-
shire, and the adjacent part of Nairnshire, with 9 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra
parishes, and a population of 25,193 ; and Nairn, in the centre and north of Nairnshire,
and the adjacent part of Inverness-shire, with 6 parishes, and a population of 10,265. —
The synod of Ross comprehends all Cromartyshire, most part of continental Ross-shire,
and small parts of Inverness-shire and Nairnshire ; contained, in 1831, a population of
45,803 ; and, in 1839, had 23 parishes, 3 parliamentary churches, 1 chapelry, and 27
ministers. Its presbyteries are Chanonby, in the peninsula between the Beauly and the
Cromarty friths, with 6 parishes, 1 chapel, and a population of 11,744; Dingwall, in
southern Ross-shire, and parts of Inverness and Nairn, with 8 parishes, 2 parliamentary
churches, and a population of 17,762 ; and Tain, in northern Ross-shire, and part of
Cromarty, with 9 parishes, 1 parliamentary church, and a population of 16,297. — The
synod of Sutherland and Caithness is commensurate with its cognominal counties ; con-
tained, in 1831, a population of 60,057 ; and, in 1839, had 23 parishes, 5 parliamentary
churches, 1 chapelry, and 29 ministers. Its presbyteries are Dornoch, in southern
Sutherlandshire, with 9 parishes, 1 parliamentary church, and a population of 17,284 ;
Tongue, in northern Sutherlandshire, with 4 parishes, 2 parliamentary churches, and a
population of 7,221 ; and Caithness, in the cognominal county, with 10 parishes, 2 par-
liamerttarj churches, 1 chapel, and a population of 35,542. — The synod of Glenelg com-
prehends the Skye and Long Island groups of the Hebrides, and parts of the mainland
INTRODUCTION.
xli
of Ross-shire and Inverness-shire ; contained, in 1831, a population of 91,584 ; and, in
1839, had 29 parishes, 11 parliamentary churches, and 40 ministers. Its presbyteries
are Lochcarron, on the mainland, with 8 parishes, 4 parliamentary churches, and a
population of 21,350 ; Abertarff, in the west of continental Inverness-shire, with 5
parishes, 1 parliamentary church, and a population of 14,402 ; Skye, in the Skye islands,
with 8 parishes, 2 parliamentary churches, and a population of 23,801 ; Uist, in the
southern district of Long Island, with 4 parishes, 2 parliamentary churches, and a popu-
lation of 17,490 ; and Lewis, in the northern district of Long Island, with 4 parishes, 2
parliamentary churches, and a population of 14,541. — The synod of Orkney is commen-
surate with the Orkney Islands ; contained, in 1831, a population of 26,716 ; and, in
1839, had 18 parishes, 2 parliamentary churches, and 21 ministers. Its presbyteries are
Kirkwall, in the south-eastern district of Orkney, with 6 parishes, 1 parliamentary
church, and a population of 8,650 ; Cairston, in the south-western district of Orkney,
with 7 parishes, and a population of 10,149 ; and North Isles, in the northern district
of Orkney, with 6 parishes, 1 parliamentary church, and a population of 7,917.— The
synod of Shetland is commensurate with the Shetland Islands ; contained, in 1831, a
population of 29,392 ; and, in 1839, had 12 parishes, 2 parliamentary churches, and 14
ministers. Its presbyteries are Lerwick, in the south, with 6 parishes, 2 parliamentary
churches, and a population of 16,432 ; and Burravoe, in the north, with 6 parishes, and
a population of 12,960.
The religious body next in bulk to the Established Church, is the church of the
United Secession. Its government is strictly presbyterian ; and its supreme court,
called the United Associate Synod, consists of the minister or ministers and an elder
of each congregation. The presbyteries are constituted in the same way as the synod ;
and, in 1840, they were Aberdeen, with 8 congregations ; Annan and Carlisle, with 14,
7 of which are in England ; Coldstream and Berwick, with 21, only 14 of which are in
Scotland ; Cupar, with 19 ; Dumfries, with 12 ; Dunfermline, with 13 ; Edinburgh,
with 38 ; Elgin, with 15 ; Forfar, with 20 ; Glasgow, with 47, 1 of which is in Liver-
pool ; Kilmarnock, with 24 ; Kirkcaldy, with 8 ; Lanark, with 10 ; Lancashire, London,
and Newcastle, with respectively 6, 5, and 19, all of which are in England ; Orkney,
with 11 ; Perth, with 25 ; Selkirk, with 12 ; Stewartfield, with 11 ; Stirling and Fal-
kirk, with 22 ; and Wigton, with 8. — The Relief synod is constituted similarly to the
United Associate. Its presbyteries, in 1840, were Dumfries, with 8 congregations ;
Dundee, with 6 ; Dysart, with 11 ; Edinburgh, with 13 ; Glasgow, with 20 ; Hamilton,
with 13; Kelso, with 15, 6 of which are out of Scotland; Newton- Stewart, with 4;
Paisley, with 12 ; Perth, with 7 ; and St. Ninians, with 7. — The Reformed Presbyte-
rian church is governed, like each of the two former bodies, by a synod. Its presbyte-
ries, in 1840, were Edinburgh, with 7 congregations ; Glasgow, with 6 ; Kilmarnock,
with 6 ; Dumfries, with 6 ; Newton- Stewart, with 4; and Paisley, with 6. — The Asso-
ciate synod of Original Seceders comprehended, in 1840, the presbyteries of Aberdeen,
with 6 congregations ; Ayr, with 7 ; Edinburgh, with 13 ; and Perth, with 8. — The
Original Burgher Associate Synod, — a majority of which had just joined the Established
church, — comprehended, in 1840, the presbyteries of Edinburgh, with 4 congregations ;
Glasgow, with 5 ; and Perth and Dunfermline, with 2. — The congregations of the Inde-
pendents, understood to be in connexion with the Congregational Union of Scotland, an
association of the Independent churches for purposes of missionary effort and mutual
recognition, amounted, in 1840, to 98 ; of which 7 were in the Orkney and the Shetland
Islands ; 26 in the counties north of the Aberdeen Dee ; 20 in the counties of Kincar-
dine, Forfar, Perth, Fife, Kinross, and Clackmannan ; 12 in the Lothians and Stirling-
shire ; and 33 in the south-western and southern counties. — The Scottish Episcopal
communion comprehended, in 1840, the dioceses of Edinburgh, with 13 congregations ;
Glasgow, with 12 ; Aberdeen, with 20 ; Moray, Ross, and Argyle, with 15 ; Dunkeld,
Dunblane, and Fife, with 9 ; and Brechin, with 9. The number of the clergy, including
the bishops, was 88. — The Roman Catholic clergy in Scotland, in 1840, amounted to 5
bishops and 68 priests, were located in 49 places, and distributed into three districts, —
the eastern, with 2 bishops and 14 priests for its clergy, and Edinburgh for its centre
of influence, — the western, with 2 bishops and 29 priests for its clergy, and Glasgow for
its episcopal seat, — and the northern, with 1 bishop and 25 priests for its clergy, and
Aberdeen as its ecclesiastical metropolis.
The Reports of a Commission, who were appointed to inquire into the opportunities of
xlli INTRODUCTION.
religious worship, the means of religious instruction, and the pastoral superintendem
afforded to the people of Scotland, who made inquiries by correspondence and research
into various matters affecting every parish in the country, and who made personal and
minute investigation in all the parishes in which any deficiency of ecclesiastical appli-
ances was alleged to exist, — the Reports of this Commission, published in 1837 and 1838,
and extending to 9 folio volumes, have enabled us to intersperse through every part of the
alphabetical arrangement important information in ecclesiastical statistics, and now fur-
nish us with materials for a rapid and luminous summary view of the ecclesiastical con-
dition of the country. The parishes personally visited, and specially reported on by the
Commissioners, were 552 in number ; and, except in the broad feature of alleged defi-
ciency in the amount of their moral mechanism, they may be regarded as fairly repre-
senting the whole country. — The first and the second Reports are so almost exclusively
occupied with matter respecting Edinburgh, Leith, and Glasgow, that to borrow iron
them here would only be to repeat what is stated in our articles on these towns.— Th<
fourth Report is devoted to 74 parishes in the Highlands and Islands, 22 of which are ii
the synod of Argyle, 26 in that of Glenelg, 19 in that of Sutherland and Caithness, am
7 in that of Ross. Ecclesiastical surveys of these parishes exhibited their population
be about 180,538, and classified them into about 159,150 churchmen, 14,680 dissentei
and 146 persons not known to belong to any religious denomination. Alleged deficiency
in their means of pastoral instruction was ascribed in most instances to various causes,—
in 10, to excess of population ; in 61, to excess of territory ; in 61, to obstructed access
in 10, to inconvenient distribution of territory ; in 12, to a minister having to oificiat<
in more than one church ; in 5, to the church's occupying an inconvenient site ; in 28,
to its being of incompetent size ; in 5, to its being in a ruinous condition ; in 3, to its
unequal allotment of sittings ; in 4, to the exaction of seat-rents ; and in 3, to the wanl
of endowments. Sittings in the parish churches amounted to 40,672, and in dissenting
churches to 8,078, — in all, 48,750. In some of the parishes, religious instruction, addi-
tional to that connected with the regular ministry, is afforded by means of missionaries
catechists, Sunday schools, and week-day religious schools. — The fifth Report is devote(
to 103 parishes in the northern counties ; 5 of which are in the synod of Glenelg, 29 ii
that of Moray, 55 in that of Aberdeen, and 14 in that of Angus and Mearns. Theii
ecclesiastically stated population consisted of about 210,137 churchmen, about 41,95}
dissenters, and about 6,520 nondescripts, — in all, 284,727 persons. Sittings in th<
Establishment, about 86,304 ; in dissenting churches, about 51,300. Alleged deficiency
was ascribed in 34 instances, to excess of population ; in 44, to excess of territory ; ii
30, to obstructed access ; in 24, to inconvenience in the form of parishes ; in 4, to plu-
rality in the churches of a minister ; in 9, to a church's inconvenience of site ; in 31, tc
its inadequacy of size ; in 23, to its unequal allotment of sittings ; in 6, to the badness
of its condition ; in 24, to the exaction of seat-rents ; and in 24, to the want of endow-
ments.—-The sixth Report treats of 99 parishes, in the counties of Forfar, Perth, Stir-
ling, and Fife ; 27 of which are in the synod of Angus and Mearns, 50 in that of Perth
and Stirling, and 22 in that of Fife. Population, about 306,563 ; consisting of aboul
180,341 churchmen, about 72,297 dissenters, and about 10,936 nondescripts. Sittings
in the Establishment, about 84,679 ; in dissenting churches, about 72,892. Alleged
deficiency was ascribed, in 29 instances, to excess of population ; in 30, to excess oi
parochial territory ; in 20, to obstructed access ; in 24, to inconvenience in the form oi
parishes ; in 5, to plurality of a minister's churches ; in 15, to a church's inconvenience
of site ; in 39, to its inadequacy of accommodation ; in 12, to the unequal allotment oi
its sittings ; in 3, to the badness of its condition ; in 25, to the exaction of seat-rents
and in 26, to the want of endowments.— The seventh Report treats of 99 parishes in the
Lothians, and the southern counties ; 29 of which are in the synod of Lothian ana
Tweeddale, 23 in that of Merse and Teviotdale, 15 in that of Dumfries, 19 in that of
Galloway, and 13 in that of Glasgow and Ayr. Ecclesiastically stated population, about
157,363 churchmen, about 64,066 dissenters, and about 6,738 nondescripts,— in all,
about 255,874. Sittings in the Establishment, about 67,319 ; in dissenting churches,
about 57,812. Alleged deficiency was ascribed, in 32 instances, to excess of population ;
n J4, to largeness of territory ; in 9, to obstructed access ; in 18, to inconvenience in
• form of parishes ; in 2, to a minister's plurality of churches ; in 11, to .a church's
inconvenience of site ; in 61, to its inadequacy of accommodation ; in 55, to the unequal
allotment of its sittings ; in 17, to the badness of its condition ; in 3, to the exaction oi
INTRODUCTION.
seat-rents ; and in 20, to the want of endowments. — The eighth Report is devoted to 10G
parishes, in the counties of Ayr, Lanark, Renfrew, Dumbarton, Argyle, and Orkney ;
65 of which are in the synod of Glasgow and Ayr, 18 in that of Argyle, 11 in that of
Orkney, and 12 in that of Shetland. Population, about 192,864 churchmen, 94,772
dissenters, and 16,459 nondescripts, — in all, about 376,452. Sittings in the Establish-
ment, about 98,746 ; in dissenting churches, about 83,549. Alleged deficiency was
ascribed, in 55 instances, to excess of population ; in 61, to excess of territory ; in 32, to
obstructed access ; in 17, to inconvenience in the form of parishes ; in 27, to a minister's
plurality of churches ; in 10, to a church's inconvenience of site ; in 60, to its inadequacy
of accommodation ; in 19, to the unequal allotment of its sittings ; in 8, to the badness
of its condition ; in 30, to the exaction of seat-rents ; and in 31, to the want of endow-
ments.— The third Report relates wholly to teinds. Scottish teinds are all predial, and
are divided into parsonage or the greater teinds, consisting of the tithe of victual or
grain, and vicarage or the lesser teinds, consisting of the tithe of grass, flax, hemp,
butter, cattle, eggs, and some other articles. The tithes of fish are, in a few places,
exigible ; but, along with all the vicarage teinds, they are so inconsiderable as not to be
included in the Commissioners' arithmetical calculations. The parsonage teinds are
held by the Crown, by universities, by pious foundations, by lay titulars, or by the pro-
prietors of the lands from which they are due ; and, with the limitation that those of one
parish cannot, to any amount, be transferred to another parish, they are, in all cases,
exigible as payment of the stipends which have been provided by law, or which may, in
future, be awarded by the court of teinds. Those now belonging to the Crown are in
value £38,051 Os. 4d., which formerly belonged to the bishops ; £5,323 3s. lid., which
formerly belonged to the chapel royal ; and £2,523 5s. 10d., which formerly belonged to
the abbacy of Dunfermline, — in all, £45,897 10s. Id. Of this sum, £30,155 17s.
8d., are appropriated to ministers' stipends. Of the unappropriated amount, the free
yearly surplus, after necessary deductions, is only £10,182 4s. 8d., and the actual
receipt, in consequence of mismanagement, is a pitiful trifle. Teinds belonging to other
parties than the Crown, amount to £281,384 14s. Of this sum, £146,942, are appro-
priated to ministers' stipends, leaving £138,186 17s. 6d. unappropriated. In 872
parishes, payment of the stipends is made from the teinds ; in each of 196 of these, the
teinds are less in value than £158 6s. 8d. ; and in each of 206, while amounting to
£158. 6s. 8d. and upwards, they are so low as to have been all appropriated. — The ninth
and last Report, relates to revenues and endowments. In those parishes whose teinds
are less in value than £158 6s. 8d., the stipend is raised to that amount or upwards, by
payment from the exchequer. In quoad cimlia burgh parishes, stipend is for the most
part paid from the burgh funds ; and in Edinburgh, and a few other towns, it is paid
from funds specially levied under act of parliament. In quoad sacra parliamentary
parishes, the stipend is a fixed allowance for each of £120 from the exchequer ; and in
other quoad sacra parishes, it is paid chiefly from seat-rents, and, in some instances,
partly from the church-door collections. Except in a few peculiar cases, the ministers
of quoad cimlia parishes, either altogether or partly landward, are entitled to manses and
glebes ; and, in a few instances, they receive a money allowance in lieu of one or both.
In parishes which, while the teinds are low, confer no right to either manse or glebe, an
allowance is made from the exchequer, to raise the stipend to £200 ; and in those which,
in the circumstances, confer a right only to a manse, or to a glebe, but not to both, an
allowance from the same source makes the stipend £180. Ministers of the parliamen-
tary churches are entitled by law each to a house and half-an-acre of garden ground ;
and, in the majority of instances, they have been provided by the heritors with glebes.
In numerous parishes, the ministers have rights of grazing, or cutting turf and peats,
and several other privileges, of aggregately little value. In quoad cimlia country parishes,
the area of the churches belongs to the heritors, and is generally divided by them among
the tenants and cottagers on their estates ; and when a surplus, or disposable number,
of the seats is let, the proceeds are, in some instances, appropriated by the heritors for
their private use, and, in others, given to the poor. In quoad cimlia burgh parishes,
seat-rents are, in general, exacted for all, or nearly all, the pews ; and are either em-
ployed for stipend, or drawn as common burgh revenue. In the parliamentary churches,
^cat-rents were originally designed to be generally exigible, and to be applied in main-
~'ng the repair of the churches and manses ; but they are, in every case, collected
difficulty, and, in some instances, have been entirely abandoned. In other quoad
jjv 1NTEODUCTION.
sacra churches, and in all but a very small number of the churches of the dissenters,
seat-rents are generally, and, for the most part, easily levied, and are employed m pay-
ment of stipend, of the interest and principal of debt, and of other necessary congrega-
tional expenses. Ordinary collections, or those made every Sabbath, at the doors of the
Establishment's places of worship, are, in the case of most of the quoad civilia parishes
wholly applied, after the deduction of certain small parochial charges, to the relief o
the poor ; and! in the case of the quoad sacra parishes, and, by consent of the heritors
in the case of 'a few of the quoad civilia, they are applied in the same manner as the
seat-rents. Extraordinary collections, or those made only at considerable intervals, and
on special occasions, are known but partially in the Establishment, and more generally
among the dissenters ; and are applied, for the most part, to missionary, educational,
and philanthropic, and, in a majority of instances, to ultra-congregational purposes.—
The number of ministers of the Establishment, as exhibited in the Commissioners
Report, excludes all missionaries, and also, with one exception, all assistants, anc
amounts to 1,072. The aggregate amount of their stipends, on an average of 7 yean
preceding 1836, is, from parson teinds, £179,393 10s. 3d.,— from vicarage teinds, so fai
as they are paid in money, or have been valued, £712 19s. 8d., — and from othei
sources, £51,345 5s. Od.,— making a total of £231,451 4s. lid. The aggregate annual
value of glebes, exclusive of a few not valued by the ministers, is £19,168 15s. 3d. The
amount of seat-rents in all the Establishment's places of worship, during the year 1835
was £38,901 9s. 7d. ; and of the ordinary and the extraordinary collections, so far as
ascertained for the same year, respectively £44,394 2s. 3d., and £13,726 8s. 9d.
A satisfactory outline of the ecclesiastical history of Scotland, would occupy twenty 01
fifty times more space than we can spare. Its greatest elements would be critical remarl
on the date of the introduction of Christianity to Scotland ; a view— partly given ir
our article on ICOLMKILL — of the character, discipline, and history of the Culdees ; ar
examination of the rise and expansion of diocesan episcopacy ; an exhibition of th<
inroads, methods of conquest, early condition, successive development, history, institu
tions, and corruptions of Romanism ; a careful tracery of the multitudinous and engross-
ing events and changes of the Reformation, and of the struggles which presbyterianisn
maintained against popery, and especially against protestant prelacy, till the Revolution
and a rapid sketch of the rise and early history of each of the Scottish dissenting sects
Much of the most interesting parts of each of these elements, excepting the first, will be
found interspersed with the body of our work ; and wherever it occurs, will be clearlj
understood without the aid of connecting links of narrative. Very frequently, however
in connexion with the monastic class of the Romish institutions, allusions and name
occur which, as the institutions were in some instances peculiar to Scotland, will not b<
intelligible except with the aid of some explanatory statements. — The conventual orders
or different bodies of the regular clergy of the Romish church in Scotland, were verj
various, and were early introduced. The friars, while they lived in convents, were pro
fessed strolling mendicants ; and, in consequence of their astutely watching every oppor
tunity of visiting the sick in their clerical character, and sedulously improving it, in thei]
mendicant capacity, for drawing largesses and bequests from the wealthy, they amasse(
an incredible amount of property, and eventually made themselves the envy of the nobi
lity, who could not cope with them in opulence and influence, — of the secular or paro
chial clergy, who were ostensibly provided for, and saw the friars superseding them,—
and of the monks, or second great class of the conventual orders, who were forbidden, fr
most of their rules, to go out of their monasteries, and could receive only such donation
as excessive fanatics carried to their cells. Yet all the other great classes — which wer
canons-regular, monks, nuns, and canons-secular, — made acquisitions of property whicl
were exceedingly, and even monstrously great, in their circumstances, and which ap
peared moderate only when compared with those of the friars. — The canons-regular o
St. Augustine had 28 monasteries in Scotland, and were first established at Scone,
the year 1114, by Atewalpus, prior of St. Oswald of Hostel, in Yorkshire, and introduce<
at the desire of Alexander I. — The canons-regular of St. Anthony, wore neither ai
almuce nor a rochet, both of which were used by the other canons-regular, and thej
called their houses hospitals, and their governors preceptors ; but they had in Scotlanc
only one monastery, noticed in our article on LEITH. — The red friars pretended to b<
canons-regular, but were denied the title by many of their adversaries ; and they van
ously bore the names of Matharines, from their house at Paris, which was dedicated t
INTRODUCTION.
St. Matharine, of Trinity friars, and of friars ' De Redemptione Captivorum,' from their
professing to redeem Christian captives from the Turks. Their houses were called hos-
pitals or ministries, and their superiors ' ministri ; ' their mode of living was similar to
that of the canons of St. Victor at Paris ; their habit was white, with a red and blue
cross patee upon their scapular ; and one-third of their revenues was expended in ransom-
ing captives. They were established by St. John of Malta, and Felix de Valois ; their
first Scottish foundation was erected in Aberdeen, by William the Lion ; and they had
in Scotland 6 monasteries in 1209, and 13 at the Reformation. — The Premonstratenses
had their name from their principal monastery, Premon stratum, in the diocese of Laon
in France ; and were also called Candidus Ordo, because their garb was entirely white.
They followed the rule of St. Augustine, a copy of which they fabled to have been
delivered to them in golden letters by himself ; and were founded by St. Norbert, an
archbishop of Magdeburg, who procured for himself, and his successors in the see, the
title of primate of Germany. Their monasteries in Scotland were six. — The Benedic-
tines, or Black monks, had their names respectively from that of their founder, and from
the colour of their habit. St. Benedict, or Bennet, was born at Nirsi, a town of Italy,
about the year 480, and was the first who brought monachism into estimation in the
west. Five orders who followed his rule had monasteries in Scotland. — The Black
monks of Fleury had 3 Scottish monasteries ; and took their name and origin from the
abbacy of Fleury la Riviere, on the river Loire, in France. — The Tyronenses, the second
order of Benedictines, had 6 Scottish monasteries ; and took their name from their first
abbey, Tyronium, or Tyron, in the diocese of Chartres in France, where they were set-
tled in 1109, under the auspices of Retrou, Earl of Perche and Montagne. — The Clu-
niacences, the third order of Benedictines, had 4 monasteries in Scotland, and originated
with Berno, who began to reform the Benedictines, or to frame some new constitutions,
about the year 940, and who built a new abbey near Cluny, or Cluniacum, in Burgundy,
4 leagues from Macon. — The Cistertians, or Bernardines, the fourth order of Benedic-
tines, had their names respectively from their first house and chief monastery at Cister-
tium, in Burgundy, and from St. Bernard, one of their earliest chief abbots, whose zeal
succeeded in founding upwards of 160 monasteries. They originated in 1098, with
Robert, abbot of Molesme, in the diocese of Langres in France ; and were called White
monks, in contradistinction to the other orders of Benedictines, and in consequence of
retaining only the black cowl and scapular of St. Bennet, and having all the rest of their
habit white. Of 30 provinces into which they were divided, Scotland was one, and it
contained 13 of their monasteries. — The monks of Vallis-caulium, Vallis-olerum, or Val-
des-cheux, were established in 1193, by Virard, at the place which gave them name, in
the diocese of Langres, between Dijon and Autun ; they were a professed reform of the
istertians, and very austere ; and they were introduced to Scotland, in 1230, by Mal-
isin, bishop of St. Andrews, and had here 3 monasteries. — The Carthusian monks
re established, in 1086, by Bruno, a doctor of Paris, and a canon of Rheims, in the
d mountains of Grenoble in France ; they originated professedly in miracle, and
,nifestly in excessive superstition, and were characterized by very great austerities ;
they were introduced to England in 1180, but they had in Scotland only one monastery,
founded near Perth, in 1429, by James I., after his captivity in England. — The Gilber-
tines were, in thes first instance, all nuns ; but they afterwards had accessions from the
canons-regular, who were domiciled under the same roofs as the nuns, but in separate
apartments. Gilbert, their founder, was born in the reign of William the Conqueror,
and was the son of a gentleman of Normandy, and lord of Sempringham and Tynrington
in Lincolnshire ; and he is said to have spent all his substance and patrimony in such
acts of charity as were dictated by his diseased religion, and particularly in converting
distressed and poor young women into nuns of his order. The nuns were bound to
observe constant silence in the cloister ; and they were not admitted to their novitiate
till they were 15 years of age, and could not be professed before having fully on their
memory the psalms, hymns, and antiphona used in the Romish ritual. Though the
Gilbertines had 21 houses in England, they had only one in Scotland, situated on the
river Ayr, founded by Walter III., Lord High -steward of Scotland, and supplied with
its nuns and canons from Syxle in Yorkshire. — The Templars, or Red friars, were an
order of religious knights, and followed the rule of St. Augustine, and the constitution
of the canons-regular of Jerusalem. They were established at Jerusalem in 1118, by
Hugo de Paganis, and Gaufridus de Sancto Aldemaro ; they professed to defend the
xjvj INTRODUCTION.
temple and city of Jerusalem, to entertain Christian strangers and pilgrims, and to pro-
tect them while in Palestine ; and they received from Baldwin II., king of Jerusalem,
a residence in the vicinity of the temple, or its site, and thence had their name of Tern-
plars. To a white habit which, in every particular, distinguished their exterior, Pope
Eugenius III. added a red cross of stuff sewed upon their cloaks ; and from this they
were called Red friars. They had enormous possessions, and numbered, throughout
Christendom, upwards of 9,000 houses. In Scotland, they had houses, farms, or lands,
in almost every parish ; and, in particular, they possessed very many buildings in Edin-
burgh and Leith, and had upwards of 8 capital mansions in the country. They are
believed to have been introduced to Scotland by David I. ; those in this country and in
England were under the government of one general prior ; and, in common with all the
other communities of their order, they were, in the year 1312, condemned for certain
great crimes, by a general council held at Vienne in France, and were formally sup-
pressed by Pope Clement V.— The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem closely resembled
the Templars in professed character, and were a sort of noble military monks. Certain
merchants of the city of Melphi, in the kingdom of Naples, who traded to Palestine,
built, under permission of the Caliph of Egypt, a monastery and a church for the recep-
tion of Christian pilgrims, and paid the Caliph tribute for his protection ; and they sub-
sequently added two churches, dedicated respectively to the Virgin Mary and Mary
Magdalene, and used them for the pompously charitable reception, the one of women,
and the other of men. When Jerusalem was taken by Godfrey of Bouillon, Gerard of
Martiques, a native of Provence in France, built, in 1104, a still larger church, and an
hospital for pilgrims and the sick, and dedicated them to St. John. The soldier-monks
of the original erections were put in possession of these buildings, and took from them
the names of Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights- Hospitallers, and Johannites.
After being expelled from Jerusalem by Saladin, they retired to the fortress of Margat
in Phenicia, and subsequently settled, at successive epochs, at Acre or Ptolemais, and
in the islands of Cyprus, Rhodes, and Malta ; and in the last of these they continued,
and from it took the name of the Knights of Malta, till their power was broken, and the
island captured, during the last European war. They were inveterate and sturdy foemen
of the Turks, and figure largely in the military history of the Ottoman empire. Their
members, excepting some illegitimate sons of kings and princes, were all gentlemen, who
proved by charters, or other authentic documents, their nobility of descent by both
father and mother, for four generations. They took the three ordinary monastic vows,
and wore a black habit, with a cross of gold, which had eight points. Their houses
were called preceptories, and the principal officers in them preceptors. On the suppres-
sion of the order of Templars, the Knights of St. John got many of their Scottish lands
and tenements, and, in consequence, are frequently confounded with them in Scottish
history. Their chief dwelling in Scotland was at Torphichen in Linlithgowshire. When
buildings belonging to them were feued out to seculars, they used great care that the
cross of their order should constantly surmount the houses, in evidence that the posses-
sors were subject to them, and were amenable only to their courts. The same practice
was previously observed by the Templars ; and it accounts for the great number of
crosses which, till a late date, might have been seen, and which, in some instances, still
exist, on the tops of old buildings in Edinburgh, Leith, and Linlithgow. — The Domini-
cans, or Black friars, have, for six centuries, been one of the most considerable of the
Romish orders of regular clergy. They are often called Preaching friars, from the cir-
cumstance of their having longer attended to preaching than any of the other orders.
They may preach anywhere without obtaining the permission of the bishops ; they are
allowed to confess all noblemen and ladies without the consent of their curates ; and
they everywhere administer the sacraments, and are exempted from all ecclesiastical
censures. Their habit is a white gown and scapular. Their founder was St. Dominic,
the infamous projector or institutor of the inquisition. This monster devoted himself
and his followers to what he and his fellow- Romanists called the conversion of heretics ;
and he preached and conducted the earliest of the sanguinary crusades against the good
and amiable Waldenses. The order was divided into 45 provinces ; of which Scotland
was the 18th, and contained 15 convents. Though they were professedly mendicants,
they were found, at the breaking up of their Scottish communities, to have amassed in
this country a shameful amount of property. — The Franciscans, or Grey friars, also pro-
fessed mendicants, had their two leading names from their founder, and from the colour
INTRODUCTION. xvii
of their habit ; and affected to assume the title of Friars Minors, or Minorites, as if
deeming themselves the least or meanest of their function. Their founder was St.
Francis of Assize in Italy, a merchant, and a consummately frantic fanatic, who flour-
ished at the commencement of the 13th century ; and their superiors were called Custo-
des or Wardens. They were divided into Conventuals and Observantines ; the latter of
whom were a reform, in 1419, by Bernardine of Sienna, and had their name from pro-
fessing to observe St. Francis' rule more strictly than the Conventuals, by always walk-
ing bare-footed, and not wearing any linen. The Conventuals were introduced to Scot-
land in 1219, and had 8 convents in the country. The Observantines were introduced
by James I., in a colony from their vicar-general at Cologne, and had here 9 convents.
— The Carmelites, or White friars, were the third order of wandering mendicants ; and
absurdly pretend to trace up their origin to the schools of the prophets in the age of
Elijah. They have their second name from the colour of their outer garment ; and their
first from Mount Carmel in Syria, which abounds in dens, caves, and other sorts of
hiding-holes, and was a favourite retreat both of some of the earliest anchorites under
the Christian dispensation, and of numerous pilgrims during the period of the crusades.
St. Louis, king of France, when returning from Palestine, brought some of the Mount
Carmel ascetics to Europe, and gave them an abode in the outskirts of Paris. The Car-
melites were divided into 32 provinces, of which Scotland was the 13th ; and they were
introduced to the country in the reign of Alexander III., and had here 9 convents. — The
nuns of Scotland were few compared either with the Scottish male regulars, or with their
own proportionate numbers in other lands. Those who followed the rule of Augustine
had only two convents in this country, the one of Canonesses, and the other of Domini-
can nuns. The Benedictine, or Black nuns, followed the rule of Benedict, were founded
by his sister St. Scholastica, and had in Scotland 5 convents. The Bernardine, or Cis-
tertian nuns, likewise followed the rule of St. Benedict, and had 13 convents. The nuns
of St. Francis, or Claresses, were founded by Clara, a lady of Assize in Italy, who
received from St. Francis himself a particular modification of his rule, full of rigour and
austerity ; and they had in Scotland only two houses. — The Secular canons, or conven-
tual bodies of the secular clergy, formed communities which were called Prsepositurse,
or Collegiate churches ; and were governed by a dean or provost. Each collegiate
church was instituted for performing religious service, and singing masses for the souls
of the founder and patrons, or their friends ; it was fitted up with several degrees or
stalls which the officiates occupied for an orderly or systematic singing of the canonical
hours ; it had for its chapter, the governing dean or provost, and the other canons who
bore the name of prebendaries ; and, in general, it was erected either by the union and
concentration in it of several parish churches, or by the union and concentration of
several chaplainries instituted under one roof. The number of Collegiate churches in
Scotland was 33. — Hospitals, for receiving strangers and travellers, or maintaining the
poor and the infirm, were the lowest order of ecclesiastical establishments, and had the
accompaniment of a church or chapel. Keith gives a list of 28 which existed in Scot-
land ; but says he is convinced the list might be vastly augmented.
«:
situ
EDUCATION.
The Universities of Scotland are, in most particulars, sufficiently noticed in our arti-
on ST. ANDREWS, GLASGOW, ABERDEEN, and EDINBURGH, the cities in which they are
ituated. All, except that of Edinburgh, existed before the Reformation ; and that of
St. Andrews is illustriously associated with the name of Melville, and makes an honour-
able figure in the history of the revival of literature. A Senatus Academicus, consisting
of the several professors, wields, in each of the Universities, the power of conferring
decrees, of determining or modifying the academical curriculum, of controlling all mat-
ters of academical interest, and of enforcing or correcting the disciplinarian proceedings
of each individual professor. In Edinburgh, the patronage of nearly all the chairs is
vested in the Town-council of the city ; but in the other Universities, it is possessed by
the Senatus Academicus. Power, in general exterior matters, is in Edinburgh wielded
by the Town-council, either in their own name, or in that of a nominal Lord-rector of
the University, who is always ex-officio the Lord-provost of the city ; and, in St. Andrews,
lasgow, and Aberdeen, it is wielded chiefly and substantially by a Lord-rector annually
by the students, and subordinately or in an honorary way, by a chancellor chosen
Xlvill INTRODUCTION.
for life by the Senatus. The professors in all the Universities are required by law to be
members of the Established church, and to subscribe her standards. The students, on
the contrary, are admitted to the classes, carried through the curriculum, and held
eligible for every academical honour, without reference to creeds or sects. Exclu-
sive of some medical and other lectureships, so constituted as to be rather appendages
than integral parts, the number of professorships in all Scotland is 71 ; and, exclusive
of the attendance on the lectureships, the entire number of students may be esti-
mated at about 4,000,— three-sevenths of the whole belonging to Edinburgh, seven-
eighteenths to Glasgow, and the proportion of 23 in 126 jointly to St. Andrews and
Aberdeen. The parochial school system of Scotland theoretically requires that there
should be at least one school in each parish. When, toward the close of the 17th cen-
tury, the system was legislated by act of parliament, it became, except in the remote
Highland parishes, very promptly and generally adopted ; and from its general preva-
lence, and its apparently high adaptation to bring out results in every part of the king-
dom, it long earned for Scotland's population the fame of being the best educated people
in the world. The system, however, was slowly and reluctantly discovered to possess
many defects, both intrinsic and extrinsic ; it has been eked out in the sequestered dis-
tricts by many and vigorous ultraneous appliances, and superseded in the large towns by
burgh-schools and association-academies ; and though continuing to confer important
advantages, has confessedly allowed other and younger countries silently to overtop
Scotland in the laurel of her peculiar boast. At present, considerably the majority of the
quoad civilia parishes have each one parochial school ; some have two ; a few have three ;
and those in the large towns, or in nearly all towns of more than 3,000 or 4,000 popula-
tion, either have none, or impose upon burgh or subscription schools the misnomer of
parochial. The schoolmasters of the bona fide parochial schools are appointed by the
landholders and clergy ; they require to be members of the Established church, and they
are under the superintendence of the presbytery of their bounds. Their remuneration
as a body is shamefully disproportioned to the required amount and value of their quali-
fications, to the high importance of their profession, or to the laboriousness and deeply
influential nature of their duties ; and, in consequence of the illiberality or blundering of
the last act of parliament on the subject, and of the niggard rigidness with which the
act's provisions are for the most part executed, it, in many instances, fails, even with all
aids from fees and from the emoluments of attached or superinduced offices, to raise the
outward condition of a schoolmaster above that of a peasant. Exclusive of assistants,
and of the teachers of all or most of the third, and a considerable proportion of those of
the second schools, in parishes which have more schools than one, the schoolmasters have
each a salary not exceeding £34 4s. 4£d., and not less than between £25 and £26, a
free dwelling-house and a school-room, and fees per quarter which may be stated rather
above than below the average for all Scotland, at from Is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. for English
reading, from 2s. to 3s. 6d. for English reading and writing, from 2s. 6d. to 4s. for Eng-
lish reading, writing, and arithmetic, from 3s. to 10s. 6d. for mathematics, from 2s. to
7s. 6d. for Latin, from 5s. to 10s. 6d. for Latin and Greek, and from 5s. to 10s. 6d. for
French. The average incomes, from salaries, fees, and additional emoluments, exclu-
sive of house and garden, or money in lieu of them, of all the parochial teachers, not
including assistants, was ascertained by a late return to be £52 17s. ; a sum so small as
to bring down the average for at least one-half of their number to probably not more
than £30 or £35. Among the augments to the means of education which have been
made to help out the utter inadequacy of the parochial system, are several classes of
endowed or extraneously supported schools, noticed in our article on the HIGHLANDS, —
the General Assembly's subscription schools, commenced in 1824, and numbering 20 in
the Lowlands, — the high-schools and grammar-schools of the larger burghs, generally
under the patronage of the local magistrates, and, in the majority of instances, well pro-
vided with a plurality of teachers, and not scurvied over with the leprous touch of the
niggard, — some proprietary, or public association-academies, erected in a style of literary
splendour, conducted on expansive, liberal, and reforming principles, and exerting a
powerful influence for the rapid demolition of antiquated mechanician modes of tuition,
— a few schools supported by a munificent bequest of the late Dr. Bell of Madras, — and
many well-appointed, and somewhat fairly supported, congregational schools, connected
with individual congregations among the dissenters. A prodigious amount, however, or
by far the greater part of the non-parochial schools, — an amount considerably greater
ner
I
INTRODUCTION
xlix
than the aggregate one of even the parochial schools themselves, — consists of schools
begun and conducted wholly by the private adventure of their teachers. Many of these
are of highly creditable character, and bring, from mere fees, a much greater revenue
than the average income of the parochial schoolmasters ; many, also, are checked by the
supervision of a competent, though altogether voluntary and conventional sanction ; but
most are altogether pitiful imitations, some of them even hideous or farcical caricatures,
of elementary schools, in all respects irresponsible, in many respects deleterious ; and
while, in a painful mass of instances, the schools are presided over only by pedantic
ignorance, or industrious penury, they yield, often even when merit superintends them,
so very scanty an income, that one wonders how it should tempt the labours of even the
pedant or the enfeebled peasant. Non-parochial schools are to the parochial as 41 to
12 ; and if probably about one-tenth of their whole number be deducted, they almost
certainly — though we have no precise data for a calculation — yield an average income
at least one-third less than that of the parochial schoolmasters. When the exceedingly
motley character, and the disgracefully low revenues of the schools of Scotland are duly
adverted to, the most superficial fair thinker, while aware that multitudes of excellent
or superior scholars must be produced, will be at no loss to see that the Scottish people
as a whole are at the mercy of great blundering and incompetence, and possess in many
instances few, and in some instances none, of the advantages which would result from
some general, well-constructed, competent and liberal system of education. The propor-
tions in which the higher departments of tuition are appreciated and patronized in Scot-
land, may probably be inferred from a return made to the General Assembly of the
results of presbyterial examination of schools in 1839. The schools examined were in
237 instances non-parochial ; and, including these, they were aggregately attended by
152,281 scholars,— of whom 524 were learning Greek, 1,053 French, 3,201 Latin, 2,301
mathematics, and 13,120 geography. The following table shows, from a parliamentary
report published in 1837, and founded on returns made by the parochial clergy, the
number and the county distribution of schools and teachers in Scotland, and the aggre-
gate amount of the parish schoolmaster's salaries.
COUNTIES.
No. of
Parochial
Schools.
No. of
lustruc.
tors.
Salaries.
Total Incomes,
including Salaries,
Fees, and other
Emoluments.
No. of
Schools
Non-paro-
chial.
No. of.
Instruc-
tors.
Aberdeen,
93
96
£2509 17 10
£4,873 14 10}
347
379
Argyle
74
78
1,347 16 1
2,401 6 7
200
207
Ayr,
46
62
1 624 12 lOf
3,485 9 11$
225
241
Banff,
25
29
761 18 6f
1,304 10 7j
125
131
34
40
1 049 16 Of
2,224 14 6$
59
60
Bute,
10
10
181 9 lOf
320 9 lOf
30
34
Caithness
10
11
345 17 3£
639 14 3$
86
86
5
6
159 6 6£
307 10 6*
26
39
Dumbarton,
13
15
412 1 1\
714 8 1U
54
55
65
69
1 641 16 4
2 968 3 1
129
143
32
40
1 183 19 8f
2518 13 8$
460
640
Elgin,...
21
27
688 17 4
1 044 13 5
70
88
Fife
55
61
1 831 18 91
3 576 2 If
223
252
Forfar,
53
60
1 717 18 6}
3,353 16 6£
223
255
Haddington,
30
32
858 5 11
1 ,784 3 3£
51
55
Inverness,
34
34
877 11 3
1,335 15 11
122
127
Kincardine,
22
22
670 16 0
1,168 13 11
85
86
Kinross,
5
7
170 17 1
338 7 1
13
15
Kirkcudbright, .
49
55
1 163 10 5
2 223 14 7f
56
60
72
90
1 611 18 7\
3868 19 2$
352
376
Linlithgow, ..
13
13
426 8 8f
'845 16 If
48
55
Nairn,
4
4
137 17 6£
189 17 6£
14
15
Orkney and Shetland,
Peebles,
28
16
29
17
738 6 2J
494 3 10
928 9 Hi
853 8 8|
113
14
113
17
Perth,
73
75
2 384 15 7
4,011 18 lOf
251
259
Renfrew,
19
22
463 7 4f
897 4 lOf
169
193
Ross and Cromarty
33
33
983 7 4
1 421 5 5£
124
129
Roxburgh,
44
50
1 144 15 2
2 303 3 3£
68
80
Selkirk,
5
g
165 10 11^
351 10 11^
13
14
Stirling
33
3Q
956 14 21
1 675 Q 6^
121
138
Sutherland
13
15
420 6 7f
574 5 lOf
43
45
Wigton,..
18
21
516 18 7f
928 ° 9f
81 '
82
Total
1,047
I 170
£29 642 18 1 1 £
£55 339 17 1 1
3995
4 469
1 INTRODUCTION.
While these pages are passing through the press, an additional document has reached
us, in a thick volume, ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, which contains the
answers made by schoolmasters in Scotland to returns circulated in 1838, by order of
the Select Committee on Education. Of parochial schools, the number which returned
answers is 924 ; and the number which did not return answers is 129 ; being 1,053 in
all. Of the 924 which returned answers, there are 231 privately endowed, and 693
unendowed ; and the average number of scholars stood thus : — In 1836, 36,808 males,
20,524 females ; total, 57,332. In 1837, 39,604 males, 22,317 females ; total, 61,921.
The number of teachers — of whom a few are only occasional assistants — is 1,054 ; and
of these 206 have other occupation or employment. Of the 944 schools, there are 445
in which Greek is taught ; Latin is taught in 664 ; and Mathematics in 689. Of schools
not parochial, 2,329 returned answers, and 1,025 did not ; making altogether 3,354
schools not parochial. Of the number which returned answers, 753 are stated to have
endowments, and 1,318 are supported exclusively by school-fees. The number of
scholars was :— In 1836, 68,771 males, 50,579 females; total, 119,350. In 1837,
78,867 males, 54,451 females ; total, 128,318. Greek is taught in 191 of these schools ;
Latin in 501 ; and Mathematics in 683. The number of teachers is 2,940, of whom 703
are females. There are only 12 of the parochial schools which returned answers in
which Gaelic is taught, but it is taught in 239 of the non-parochial.
The attendance on these schools, exclusive of that on private boarding-schools, and
children under the care of domestic tutors, amounts, at the maximum rate, and on
average for all Scotland, to one-ninth of the population. The greatest number
scholars at the parochial schools, was between the 25th of March and the 29th of S(
tember, and, allowing a proportion for defective returns, was 71,426 ; and the least,
any period of the year, was 50,029. The greatest number at non-parochial schools T
189,427 ; and the least was 139,327. The entire community of parochial and bm
schoolmasters, was established, by act of parliament in 1807, into a sort of corpon
body, and have a fund for the benefit of their widows and children, compulsorily suj
ported by a small annual contribution from each of the members. — Sabbath-schools
Scotland are educational only in the highest or the purely religious sense, and are,
all instances, voluntary, or conducted without any reference to State influence or si
port. In 1825, they amounted throughout the country to 1,577 in number, and w(
attended by 80,190 scholars; and, though their statistics since that period have be<
imperfect and confused, they seem to have everywhere increased at least proportionate
with the population, and to have been introduced or greatly multiplied in Highland
other sequestered districts.
LITERATURE.
The literature of Scotland, as to standard and periodical publication, great or natioi
literary institutions, and even minor appliances of production and diffusion, is, i
unimportant exceptions, concentrated in Edinburgh and Glasgow, particularly
former ; and will be found sufficiently noticed in our accounts of these cities.
Lowland Scotch are eminently a reading people, and, in proportion to their bulk, h;
probably a very considerably larger number of public libraries than any other in
world. Subscription libraries — sometimes two or more in number, and generally lai
select, and comparatively rich in literature — exist in most of the large towns ; parcel
and congregational libraries, for the most part pervaded by religiousness of characi
exist in villages, hamlets, and in rooms attached to the crowded chapel of the city,
the solitary rural church or meeting-house ; private circulating libraries, or libraries
private adventure, for letting out books to promiscuous readers, are usually of a lij
character, and abound in city, town, watering-place, and every locale or resort of 1
intellectually frivolous ; circumambulating libraries, or such as keep detachments oi
very large and excellent library in garrison throughout the country, and periodica
move them from post to post, are in full and benign possession of extensive territory
Sabbath-school, and other juvenile libraries, exist in great numbers, for the use of tl
young ; and a public news-room, for blending literature with commerce, and with ment
recreation, is to be found even in many a village, and in almost everything which cj
fairly be called a town. — The number of stamped newspapers in Scotland, in the ye
ending September, 1836, was 54 ; the number of stamps issued to them, was 2,654,431
INTRODUCTION. li
and the amount of stamp duty received from them was £35,392. In the year ending
15th September, 1837, the newspapers were 65 ; the stamps 4,123,330; and the duty
£17,180. In the year ending 5th January, 1839, the newspapers were 64 ; the stamps
4,228,370 ; and the duty £17,386 Is. 4d. In the half-year ending 30th June, 1839,
the newspapers were 63 ; the stamps 1,908,780 ; and the duty £7,876 5s. 5d. At the
last of these dates, 3 of the newspapers were published in Aberdeen, 2 in Arbroath, 2 in
Ayr, 2 in Berwick, 2 in Cupar-Fife, 3 in Dumfries, 3 in Dundee, 12 in Edinburgh, 1 in
Elgin, 1 in Forres, 12 in Glasgow, 2 in Greenock, 3 in Inverness, 2 in Kelso, 1 in
Kilmarnock, 1 in Leith, 2 in Montrose, 1 in Paisley, 4 in Perth, 2 in Stirling, 1 in
Stranraer, and 1 in Wick. Of the whole 63, no fewer than 46 were weekly ; while 5
were published thrice a-week, and belonged to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Greenock ; and
12 were published twice a-week, and belonged to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, Kelso,
and Leith.
COINS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Scottish coinage cannot be traced higher than the twelfth century. Silver pennies
were coined by William the Lion and his immediate successors ; and this and other
silver coins continued to be the only currency till the reign of David II. During the
whole of the Scoto- Saxon period, Scottish money was of the same fashion, weight, and
fineness, as the English, bore the same denominations, and was, in all respects, coequal
with it in value. David II., amid the feebleness and the wretched circumstances of his
reign, coined groats, half-groats, pennies, and half-pennies, of silver, but so debased the
coinage, that it was, for the first time, prohibited in England, or rated at a depreciated
standard. The amount of deterioration was one-fifth of the whole value ; and was
estimated nearly at that proportion in the calculations of the English. David's succes-
sors not only followed his example, but carried out the principle of it with a boldness
and a rapidity of expansion which excite surprise. Three, two, and one of the English
pennies successively, and in speediness of change, became equal to four of the Scottish.
The money of Scotland was at length carried so far along the career of deterioration, as,
about the year 1600, to become only one-twelfth of the English in value ; and, at this
miserably depreciated rate, it has ever since stood in abstract or comparative reckoning.
Robert II., who ascended the throne in 1371, introduced gold pieces, and coined £17
12s. out of one pound of gold. Mary coined royals of 10, 20, and 30 shillings, generally
mown under the name of Crookston dollars. James VI. coined merks, half merks,
marter merks, and half-quarter merks, and nobles and half nobles. Charles II. coined
)ieces of 4 merks and 2 merks, dollars of 56 shillings each in value, half-dollars, quarter
lollars, half-quarter dollars, and sixteenths of dollars. James VII. coined 40 and 10
.hilling pieces ; and William and Mary pieces of 60, 40, 20, 10, and 5 shillings. At the
jpoch of the Union, nearly £900,000 existed in Scotland in the different coins of various'
lations ; and the whole specie was recoined in uniformity with the English standard,
,nd, with very little addition of paper currency, put into circulation, to the permanent
Delusion of the old and wofully depreciated coins. — Copper money, or billon, generally
:nown by the name of black money, was introduced to Scotland a century and a-half
»efore it appeared in England. The copper coins of James II., III., IV., and V., — the
argest of which is about the size of a modern shilling, but very thin, — were probably
ntended to pass for groats and half-groats. Mary coined placks, or fourpenny pieces ;
rames VI. coined bodies, or twopenny pieces, and hardheads, or threepenny pieces ; and
Charles II., and William and Mary, besides repeating parts of the former coinage,
oined bawbees. — The early weights and measures of Scotland were derived chiefly from
England, during the 12th century ; and, whatever may have been their variety, they
ong continued to serve every practical end among an uncommercial people. The par-
iament, desirous to maintain fairness and uniformity, appointed standards in the several
epartments ; and, probably with a reference to the respective manufactures of the
>urghs, assigned the keeping of the standard ell to Edinburgh, that of the reel to Perth,
hat of the pound to Lanark, that of the firlot to Linlithgow, and that of the jug to
Stirling. Yet these standards seem to have been very carelessly kept, — so much so,
hat one of them was, for a long period, actually lost ; and they did not prevent
he usages of Scotland from becoming discrepant with those of England, or even from
ssuming various and perplexing local peculiarities. An uniformity of weights and
lii
INTRODUCTION.
measures was, from time to time, desiderated and attempted as a great social benefit
it was decreed by the act of Union to extend over both divisions of the United Kingdom
and it was pleaded and abstractly exhibited in numerous elaborate pamphlets whicl
were fruitlessly lauded by the learned, and coolly neglected or stolidly gazed at by th,
ignorant. In spite of both laws and logic, the people remained so wedded to their prac
tices that till the recent introduction of Imperial weights and measures, dissmnlariti<
which arose during the torpidity and ignorance of the feudal times, continued, wil
many of the properties of an intricate puzzle, to perplex our theorists and embarrass
dealers.
ANTIQUITIES.
The number and variety of Druidical remains in Scotland are very great ; and
abound most in the recesses of Perthshire among the spurs of the Grampians, indicatii
these deep seclusions to have been the principal Scottish seat of the aboriginal superstitioi
Druidical altars are of two sorts,— flat stones, which are either upright or recumbent,-
and cromlechs, which consist each of several stones usually placed upon their respective
edges, and always supporting a large broad stone, so as to possess, jointly with it, a rude
resemblance to a massive modern table ; and the altars of both sorts are numerous, anc1
for the most part, are connected with Druidical circles, or other Druidical works,-
though the cromlechs occasionally appear in some deep solitude without any accompani-
ment. Druidical cairns differ from the better known sepulchral cairns, and may be
distinguished from them by their connexion with other Druidical works, by their bein^
usually fenced round the base with a circle of stones, by their being approached alonj
an avenue of upright stones, and by their having each on its summit a large flat stone
on which the Druid fires were lighted. Rocking stones, which are huge blocks so poise<
as to be easily moved, or made to oscillate, and which excite the wonder of the vul^
and have provoked controversies among the learned, are, in some instances, supposee
be natural curiosities, but on the whole are generally allowed — whether of natural or
artificial origin — to have been made the tools of the degenerate Druidical priesthooc
for imposing on the savage and the superstitious ; and though not numerous, they occi;
with sufficient frequency to occupy a commanding place among the country's earlies
antiquities. Druidical circles have, to a very great amount, been removed, since th
epoch of georgical improvement, to make way for the plough ; yet they continue to exi*
in such wondrous plenty, and such great variety, as to render continued notices of thei
in accounts of parishes, monotonous and tiresome. — Sepulchral remains of the earlies
inhabitants of Scotland, though they have to an enormous amount been swept away "
the same cause which has thinned the Druidical circles, are still very numerously in
able in almost every part of both the continent and the islands, and may be considei
under the several distinctions of barrows, cairns, cistvaens, and urns, — the two formt
constituting tumuli, and the two latter their most remarkable contents. The tumuli,
most instances, are circular heaps, resembling flat cones ; and, in many instances,
oblong ridges, resembling the upturned or inverted hull of a ship. Most of them ai
composed of stones ; many of a mixture of stones and earth ; some wholly of earth ;
a few wholly or chiefly of sand. Cairns and barrows are mutually distinguished by
former being of stones and the latter of earth ; and both, when they are conical i
covered with green sward, are vulgarly called hillocks. The tumuli are of unifoi
general character in all parts of Scotland and in England, the cairn prevailing in
northern division of the island, and the barrow in the southern, owing simply, as woul
seem, to the respective abundance on the surface of the countries of lapidose and
earthy substances ; and, in the very numerous instances in which they have been opem
and explored, they have been found to contain the ashes, the hair, or the bones,
human bodies, either nakedly interred, or carefully shut up in ciptvaens and urns. T]
cistvaen, in strict accordance with the meaning of the word in the British language, is
stone chest ; it is very various in size, and even in form ; it contains, for the most pa
ashes and bones, and occasionally an urn ; and it very generally, among both the vul^
and the learned, bears the name of a stone-coffin. Urns are found generally in tumi
unenclosed in cistvaens, but occur also beneath the surface of level ground ; they a
composed usually of pottery, and sometimes of stones ; and they are of different shape
and sizes, and according to the taste of the times or the ability of the parties conc<
icerne
INTRODUCTION. l
with them, are variously ornamented. — An occasional connexion,. dictated apparently by
policy, exists between the sepulchral tumuli and the Druidical circles ; and a connexion,
both more frequent and more natural, exists between these tumuli and the British
strengths. — Akin to the simple and more common and plenteous sepulchral tumuli, are
some large sepulchral cairns, which denote the fields of ancient conflicts. Besides being
of comparatively large bulk, and having a comparative multiplicity of contents, these
cairns are characterized by the vicinity of fragments of swords, of bows, and of flint-
pointed arrows ; they have, on the whole, thrown a faint light on the remote martial
history of Scotland ; and by the plurality of their occurrences among the bases of the
mountain-rampart of the Highlands, they have contributed, along with some cognate an-
tiquities, to evoke much controversy on the questio vexata as to the scene of the celebrated
battle of the Grampians. Some of these cairns, which still remain, are called Cat-stanes ;
and the same name — which seems plainly to be derived from the British Cad, or the
Scoto-Irish Cath, ' a battle' — is applied, in various instances, to single stones. — Numerous
stones of memorial, or rude pillars, apparently very ancient, and raised by the same
people as the Cat-stanes, exist in every district, and, in allusion to their upright position,
are traditionally called standing-stones ; they are in their natural state, without the
mark of any tool, and, of course, are very various in form ; they frequently appear
single, and frequently, also, in groups of two, three, four, and even a greater number ;
and, in general, from their wanting inscriptions and sculpturings, they have failed to
transmit the events which they were reared to commemorate. Another class of standing-
stones are of a later date, and are of two species, — the one triumphal, and set up to
commemorate some happy national event, such as a victory over the Danes ; the other
Romishly monumental, and erected with the double design of noting the scene of a
disaster, and of bespeaking the prayers of passengers for the souls of persons who, in the
course of the disaster, were slain or otherwise perished : both kinds have sculptured on
them the figure of a cross, with various knots of grotesque scroll-work, vulgarly deno-
minated Danish Tangles ; and, in some instances, they are charged with a kind of hiero-
glyphics.— British strengths, consisting of circular and oval hill-forts, and other safe-
guards, are surprisingly numerous. Their situation in reference to the districts they
command, their mutual or relative positions, and the accommodations attached to them,
all indicate that they were constructed rather for the purpose of protection against the
attacks of neighbouring and consanguineous tribes, than for that of repelling or checking
an invading enemy. They occupy eminences in districts which, even in the earliest ages
of Scottish population, must have been the most habitable and fructiferous ; they fre-
puently appear in compact or not far dispersed groups of three, four, and even a larger
number ; and they are so disposed in their groupings, that a view of all is obtained from
the site of each, and that a larger and stronger one commands the rest from the centre,
and seems to have been the distinguished post of the chief. The larger strengths were
in many instances converted, at the Roman invasion, into Roman posts ; and the groups
have often intruded among them Roman camps, which seem to have been constructed in
astute perception of the nature of the ground, with the evident purpose of watching and
overawing them. The forts are exceedingly various in area, strength, and details of
construction ; but, in general, they consist of an interior central building, one, two, or
three concentric ramparts, and one or two exterior ditches. Two ranges of small forts,
each, in general, perched on the summit of a dome-like hill, or conical rising ground,
axtend along the north side of Antoninus' wall, — the one between the friths of Forth and
Clyde, and the other along the face of the country on the north bank of the Forth ;
both, in the case of each of their forts, bear the name of Keir, evidently a corruption of
the British Caer, 'a fort ;' and they appear, from local and comparative circumstances, as
^ell as from an intimation by Tacitus, to have been the only Caledonian posts erected
with the design of opposing the Roman progress. The ramparts of all the British forts
tfere composed of dry stones and earth, without any appearance of mortar or cement ;
ind they varied in outline, from the circular or oval, to the wavingly irregular, accord-
ng to the figure of the hills whose summits they crowned. Connected with some of the
brts, were outworks on the declivity of the hills below, which were probably designed to
shelter the cattle belonging to the defenders of the fort. — Subterranean safeguards, or
riding-holes, have been discovered in many parts of Scotland, and seem, in most instan-
ces, to have been constructed, or improved and adopted, by the pristine people during a
•ude age. A few of them are entirely artificial ; consist of one, two, or three apartments
liv
INTRODUCTION.
of various dimensions, but generally very small ; constructed entirely underground of
large rude stones, without any cement; and containing, in most cases, unequivocal
relics of having been human abodes. Natural caves, which abound on the rocky coasts,
and among the cliffy dells and ravines of Scotland, have very numerously been improved
by artificial means into places of great strength ; and, in some instances, they are of
large capacity, and retain distinct vestiges of enlargement or modelling within, and
especially of fortification by various contrivances without. Other caves, chiefly of small
capacity, and in very sequestered situations, are replete with interest as the known or
reputed hiding-holes of the patriotic Scots during the Baliol usurpation, and especially
of the sturdy and noble Covenanters during the Stuart tyranny and persecution.
Scottish antiquities of Roman origin are so well known and understood, and, in a
their great instances, are so fully described in the body of our work, that they requin
no particular illustration. Any separate and consecutive notice of them which coulc
fling light on their interesting features, would be a sketch — necessarily too expansive fc
our available space — of the history and the scenes of Agricola's campaigns, and of th(
actions of Lucius Urbicus. The chief of them are Antoninus' wall, separately noticec
in the alphabetical arrangement ; roads or causeways, which intersected the whole terri-
tory south of Antoninus' wall, and ran up in decreasing ramifications to the Moraj
frith, and are noticed in our articles on counties and districts ; and quadrangular camps,
fortified stations, bridges, and innumerable minor antiquities, profusely noticed in pro-
bably two-thirds of all the considerable articles in our work. — Pictish antiquities an
curious rather for their obscureness and singularity, than for either their number 01
their imposing character. The most magnificent — if, indeed, they be of Pictish origii
— are vast artificial terraces cut in parallel rows along or around the face of hills, am
literally, with their base and back-ground, resembling stupendous amphitheatres. The^
occur, in instances singular for either boldness or beauty, in Glenroy, Glen-Spean, Glen-
Guy, Markinch in Fifeshire, Glammis in Forfarshire, and various places in Peebles-
shire. In the last of these counties, they are unhesitatingly ascribed to the Picts ; in
the Highland districts, they are traditionally said to have been cut for the accommoda-
tion of royal and baronial hunting parties ; and, as a whole, they have been regarded
some antiquarians as made by the Romans for itinerary encampments. Whoever
constructed them must have been a people of singular laboriousness, skill, and persever-
ance ; and, at the same time, so eccentric in character, or so wasteful in energy, as
effectually to have left their design an enigma to future observers. Pictish houses, as
they are vulgarly called, are antiquities peculiar to Scotland, and not infrequently occui
on the north coast : they are conical towers, all built without cement, open in the centre,
with two or three rows of galleries for lodgings constructed in the body of the walls, and,
in some instances, square repositories for warlike arms. Vitrified forts are also peculiai
to Scotland, and are ascribed to the Picts almost solely for the doubtful reason of theii
having hitherto been discovered chiefly in the north. Vitrification is their distinguishing
and very remarkable feature ; it has clearly been effected by the action of fire upoi
vitrifiable macerials, either accidentally or designedly employed in the construction o
the walls ; and it exists to such a degree, that the numerous ingredential parts of th<
wall are either run or compacted together, or in some places so divested of their lstpidos(
properties, as to appear like vast masses of coarse glass or slugs. Except for theii
vitrification, and that some of their ramparts appear to have had a mixture of earth am
rubbish with the stones, the vitrified forts are, in all respects, or as to at once peculiarity
of site, form, mode of construction, and accompaniments, similar to the hill-forts of tb
Britons. They were introduced to public notice only so late as 1777 ; and have beei
the subject of considerable philosophic controversy as to the cause of their vitrification,
—the discoverer of them and his followers maintaining that they were designedly vitri-
fied by their builders, and display great astuteness in the practice of a remarkably
singular, and, at the same time, puissant, mode of architecture ; while two other classe
—the latter probably with truth— allege respectively that their present form is the effect
of extinct volcanic agency, and that they were vitrified by the accidental effects of arti-
ficial fire upon materials selected without design, and naturally of an easily vitrifiable
character. Another species of building attributed, though doubtfully, to the Picts, it
very common in Ireland, but exhibits only two specimens in Scotland, respectively ai
Abernethy and at Brechm : it is a tall, slender, cylindrical tower, coned at the top, very
curious as a piece of architecture, but the subject of mazy and manifold disputations as
INTRODUCTION.
I its designed use. Inaugural stones are a class of monuments intimately associated
th the most distinguished archaeology of the Scoto-Irish and the Irish, and were used
in the inauguration of the chieftains of the Irish clans. The chief Scottish antiquity of
lis class is the famous coronation-stone, now in Westminster, but anciently located
jcessively at Dunstaffnage and at Scone, and noticed in our article on the former of
jse places. — Earthen works, additional to the barrows of the Britons, are a miscel-
icous class of antiquities, and of various date and origin. Small circular intrench-
its are not infrequent, and are supposed to be Danish forts. Elongated, flattened
mounds, occur in a few instances, bear the name of Bow-butts, and are believed to have
been constructed and used for the exercise of archery. Moats, or large artificial
mouudish hillocks, platformed on the summit, and ascending at a regular gradient on
sides, were places for the administration, over considerable districts, of public justice ;
I court-hills, not very dissimilar to them in appearance, were the sites of the baronial
mrts previous to the demolition of the feudal system. Both are very common in Scot-
land ; and sometimes, or even very generally — according to the belief, at least, of local
antiquaries — the characters and uses of the two are concentrated in one object, — the
same mound being both moat and court-hill. " These moat and court-hills," says
Grose, " serve to explain the use of those high mounts still remaining near our ancient
castles, which were probably judgment-seats, but have been mistaken for military works,
a sort of ancient cavaliers, raised to command the moveable towers, so commonly used
for the attacks of fortresses. I, among others, for want of having seen and considered
these moat and court- hills, was led to adopt that idea." — The ecclesiastical antiquities
of Scotland consist of monasteries, collegiate churches, and a few chapels, parish-
churches, and hospitals ; and appear all to be of not higher date than the 12th century.
The religious buildings of the Culdees seem, for a considerable time, at least, to have
been plain, fragile, and of very primitive workmanship ; and, even toward the close of
the Culdee epoch, they probably were, in no instance, of a kind either to resist the
influences of time by their durability, or to woo the cares of the conservator by their
architectural attractions. Our ecclesiastical antiquities are, in consequence, all Romish ;
and, considered as works of art and magnificence, they are by no means inferior in point
of execution to those of England. The most exquisite specimens are the abbeys of
Melrose, Kelso, and Jedburgh, and the church of Elgin ; specimens of great beauty are
the abbeys of Dunfermline and Paisley ; very handsome specimens are the abbeys of
Dundrennan and Newabbey ; the grandest specimens — those which best combine archi-
tecture with amplitude — are the abbeys of Holyrood and Arbroath ; and the specimens
in the highest state of repair are the cathedral of St. Mungo in Glasgow, the church of
St. Magnus in Kirkwall, and the church of St. Giles and Trinity College church in
Edinburgh. Each of these, as well as of every other, whether extant or extinct, which
presents in landscape or in history any feature of interest, our work fully notices and
describes in its appropriate place. — The ancient border-houses, fortalices, and castles of
Scotland, though small, seem to have been very numerous. Major says there were two
in every league. Most of them are remarkably similar to one another ; and, in general,
each is a high square tower, surmounting a beetling rock or other abrupt eminence, and,
in the case of many, overhanging some stream, or the sea. The towers are, for the most
part, extremely strong, often from 13 to 15 feet thick in the walls ; and they rise in
height to 3 or 4 stories, each story vaulted, and the whole covered with a vaulted roof.
At every angle, re-entering as well as salient, is a turret, supported like the guerites at
the salient angles of modern bastions ; at each end of the tower, adjoining the roof, is
commonly a triangular gable, the sides diminishing by a series of steps called crow
steps ; and near the top of the tower usually runs a cornice of brackets, like those which
support machicollations. At the bottom of most of the towers was the prison or pit, a
deep, dark, noisome dungeon, to which the miserable prisoners were let down by ropes ;
and an iron door to the chief entrance to the tower was also no infrequent means of
security. In some instances, a tower was double, — two being built together at right
angles with each other, constituting a figure somewhat like that of the letter L or T,
and forming a kind of mutual defence or partial flank. As luxury and security increased,
both these towers, and the single or more common one, were enlarged with additional
buildings for lodgings," frequently surrounded by walls, and, in some instances, as in
those of Linlithgow-palace and Loudoim-castle, eventually made the mere nucleus of
modern, magnificent, princely mansions. The old towers were often the abodes of an
INTRODUCTION.
almost incredibly large number of inmates ; and as they were sparingly lighted through
very small windows, they must have been as gloomy as unwholesome. When any of
them were taken by an enemy, they were usually burned ; but as they were little else
than mere masses of stone, they suffered no damage except a little besooting or singeing;
and, immediately afterwards, undergoing repair, and receiving a boastful though rude
emblazonry of their owners' arms, and the date of their own disaster and renovation,
they, in some instances, exhibit to the eye a curious tracery and surprising profusion of
inscriptions, armorial bearings, and miscellaneous devices.
EARLY HISTORY.
The aborigines of Scotland seem, beyond any reasonable doubt, to have been clans of
the same Gaelic origin as those who, in the most early ages, settled in England. Scot-
land, at the epoch of Agricola's invasion, may be viewed as a mirror which reflects back
the condition of England at the earlier era when Julius Csesar introduced the Roman
arms to Britain, and also that of Gaul at the still remoter period when Roman ambition
subdued the common parent of the British nations. Caledonia, in its largest extent,
from the Tweed and the Eden on the south, to Dunnet-head in Caithness on the north,
was distributed among twenty-one tribes of Britons. Those on the east coast, or Low-
lands, owing to the greater fertility of the soil, must have been more numerous and
potent than those of the western or Highland districts ; and all, accordantly with ancient
Celtic usage, were mutually independent, and could be brought into union or co-operation
only by the pressure of danger. The Ottadini — whose name seems to have been derived
from the Tyne or Tina — occupied the whole coast-district between the southern Tyne
and the frith of Forth, comprehending the half of Northumberland, the whole of Ber-
wickshire and East- Lothian, and the eastern part of Roxburghshire ; and had their chief
town at Bremenium, on Reed-water, in Northumberland. The Gadeni — whose name
alludes to the numerous groves which adorned and fortified their territory — inhabited the
interior country immediately west of that of the Ottadini, comprehending the western
part of Northumberland, a small part of Cumberland, the western part of Roxburgh, all
Selkirk and Tweeddale, much of Mid- Lothian, and nearly all West- Lothian ; and they
had Curia, on Gore-water, for their capital. The Selgovse — whose country lay upon
"a dividing water," and who gave name to the Solway — inhabited the whole of Dum-
fries-shire, and the eastern part of Galloway, as far as the Dee ; and had, as their chief
towns, Trimontium at Brunswark-hill in Annandale, Uxellum at Wardlaw-hill in
Caerlaverock, and Caerbantorigum at Drummore, in the parish of Kirkcudbright. The
Novantes — who are supposed to have taken their name from the abundance of streams
in their country — possessed all central and western Galloway, between the Dee and the
Irish sea ; and had, as their principal towns, Lucopibia on the site of the present Whit
horn, and Rerigonium on the north shore of Loch- Ryan. The Damnii inhabited all
the expanse of country from the mountain-ridge which divides Galloway and Ayrshire
on the south, to the river Earn on the north, comprehending all the shires of Ayr, Ren-
frew, and Stirling, all Strathclyde, and a small part of the shires of Dumbarton and
Perth ; and had the towns of Vanduaria on the site of Paisley, Colania in the south-
eastern extremity of Strathclyde, Coria in Carstairs, Alauna on the river Allan, Lindun
near the present Ardoch, and Victoria on Ruchil-water in Comrie. The Horestii inha-
bited the country between the Forth and the Tay, comprehending all Fife, Kinross, and
Clackmannan, the eastern part of Strathearn, and the district west of the upper Tay, as
far as the river Brand. The Venricones possessed the territory between the Tay and
the Kincardineshire Carron, comprehending the Gowrie, Stormont, Strathmore, and
Strathardle, sections of Perthshire, all Forfarshire, and the larger part of Kincardine-
shire ; and had their chief town, Or, or Orrea, on the margin of the Tay. The Taixali
inhabited the northern part of Kincardineshire, and all Aberdeenshire to the Deveron ;
and had Devana, at the present Normandykes on the Dee, for their capital. The
Vacomagi possessed the country between the Deveron and the Beauly, comprehending
Braemar, nearly all Banffshire, the whole of Elginshire and Nairnshire, and the eastern
part of Inverness-shire ; and had the towns of Ptoroton or Alata Castra at the mouth of
the Beauly, Tuessis on the east bank of the Spey, and Tamea and Banatia in the
The Albam— whose name seems to allude to the height and ruggedness of
their mountains, and who, in consequence of their becoming subjugated by the Damnii,
INTRODUCTION. Ivii
afterwards called Damnii-Albani — inhabited the interior districts between the
ithern mountain-screen of the loch and river Tay, and the mountain-chain along the
ithern limit of Inverness-shire, comprehending Breadalbane, Athole, Appin, Glenorchy,
id a small part of Lochaber. The Attacotti possessed the country between Loch-Fyne
id the commencement of the Lennox or Kilpatrick hills, comprehending Cowal and
greater part of Dumbartonshire. The Caledonii Proper inhabited the interior country
jtween the mountain-range along the north of Perthshire, and the range of hills which
>rms the forest of Balnagowan in Ross, comprehending all the middle parts of Ross and
ferness. A vast forest, which extended northward of the Forth and the Clyde, and
lich covered all the territory of this tribe, gave to them their name, originally Celyd-
li and Celyddoniaid, 'the people of the coverts,' and, owing to the greatness of the
2a which it occupied, occasioned its Romanized designation of Caledonia to be after-
wards applied strictly to all the country north of the Forth and the Clyde, and loosely,
but at a later date, to the whole kingdom. The Cantse — so named from the British
Caint, which signifies an open country — possessed Easter Ross and Cromarty, or the
district lying between the Beauly and the Dornoch friths. The Logi— who probably
drew their name from the British Lygi, a word which was naturally applied to the inha-
bitants of a sea-coast — possessed the eastern part of Sutherland, or the country between
the Dornoch frith and the river Helmsdale. The Carnabii, who, like a cognominal tribe
in Cornwall, derived their name from their residence on remarkable promontories, occu-
pied the country north of the Helmsdale, or a small part of Sutherland, and all Caith-
ness, except the north-west corner. The Catini, a small but warlike tribe, from whom
the Gaelic inhabitants of Caithness and Sutherland at the present day are ambitious of
proving their remote descent, inhabited the narrow territory, partly in Caithness and
partly in Sutherland, between the Forse and the Naver. The Mertae possessed the
interior of Sutherland. The Carnonacse possessed the north and west coast of Suther-
land, and the west coast of Cromarty, from the Naver round to Loch-Broom. The
Creones — whose name was expressive of their fierceness— possessed the coast between
Loch-Broom and Loch-Duich. The Cerones inhabited the whole west coast of Inver-
ness, and the Argyleshire districts of Ardnamurchan, Morven, Sunart, and Ardgower,
or the coast between Loch-Duich and Loch-Linnhe. The Epidii — who derived their
appellation from the British Ebyd, 'a peninsula,' and from whom the Mull of Kintyre
anciently had the name of the Epidian promontory — occupied the whole country enclosed
by Loch-Linnhe, the territory of the Albani, Loch-Fyne, the lower frith of Clyde, the
Irish sea, and the Atlantic ocean.
The Caledonian tribes, at the epoch when history introduces them to notice, appear
to have been little raised, in their social connexions, above the condition of rude savages,
who live on the milk of their flocks, or the produce of the chase. According to the
doubtful and darkly-tinted intimations of Dio, indeed, they possessed wives and reared
their children in common, they lived in the most miserable hovels, they chose to live in
a state of almost entire nudity, and they practised, like the heroes of more ancient times,
a system of mutual plunder and professional robbery. Herodian concurs in exhibiting
them in these sombre and repulsive hues at even so late a period as the 3d century.
Yet, according to all testimony, they were brave, alert, and acquainted with various
arts ; they had remarkable capacity for enduring fatigue, cold, and famine : they were
famous alike for speed in conducting an onset, and for firmness in sustaining an attack.
Their vast stone monuments, too, which still remain, their hill-forts of such ingenious
and elaborate construction as could not even now be taken by storm, and the gallant
stand which they systematically opposed to the disciplined valour of the Roman armies,
exhibit them in lights quite incompatible with an alleged state of unmitigated barbarism.
But though advanced in civilization very little beyond the first stage, they had scarcely
any political union. They are said by Dio to have been literal democrats, acting as clans,
and adopting any public measure only by common consent, and an universally and
equally diffused authority ; but they may be allowed, on the one hand, to have rejected
the coercion of any chieftainship, or autocracy, or monarchic power, and, on the other,
to have placed themselves, like the American Indians, under the aristocratic sway of
their old men. Their armouries were generally furnished with helmets, shields, and
chariots, and with spears, daggers, swords, battle-axes, and bows. The chiefs in com-
mand, or in bravery, alone used the helmet and the chariot ; and the common men
fought always on foot, with shields for defence, and with all sorts of the offensive weapons
INTRODUCTION.
for attack. Their chariots were sometimes aggregated for making a vehicular onslaught,
and were drawn by horses which are said to have been small, swift, and spirited. Their
vessels for navigating the inland lakes, and even the seas which surround and so singu-
larly indent the country, consisted only of canoes and currachs. The canoe seems to
have belonged to a period preceding the epoch of record ; it was the stock of a single
tree, hollowed out with fire, and put into motion by a paddle ; and it has frequently
been found in marches and drained lakes, and occasionally of a construction remarkably
skilful and polished. The currach was certainly in use among the Britons of the south,
and very probably was in use also among the Britons of Caledonia, in the days of Julius
Csesar ; and is described by him as having its body of wicker-work covered with leather,
and as 'accommodated with a keel, and with masts of the lightest wood. The currachs
are even called little ships ; they were pushed boldly out into the far-spreading sea ; and
were frequently, or rather currently, employed in invasions from the wooded north or
' the Emerald Isle' upon the shores which became seized and fortified by the Romans.
Adamnan, in his Life of St. Columba, describes the currach which that apostle of
Scotland employed in his voyages, as possessing all the parts of a ship, with sails and
oars, and with a capacity for passengers ; and he adds, that in this roomy, though
seemingly fragile vessel, he sailed into the north sea, and, during fourteen days, remained
there in perfect safety.
In the year 78, Agricola, at the age of 38, commenced his skilful soldierly career in
Britain. His first and second campaigns were employed in subduing and Romanizing
Lancashire, and the territory adjacent to it on the south and the east. His third cam-
paign, conducted in the year 80, carried the Roman arms to the Taw, ' an expanded
water/ 'an estuary,' probably the Solway frith. In his fourth campaign, or that of 81,
he overran all the eastern and central Lowlands, to the Forth and the Clyde. In his
fifth, or in 82, he invaded "that part of Britain which is opposite to Ireland," or lower
Nithsdale and the whole extent of Galloway. In the summer of 83, he crossed the
Forth at what is now called Queensferry, and almost immediately experienced alarms
from learning both that the tribes in his rear had dared to act offensively, by attacking
the strengths he had erected for protecting of his conquests, and that the tribes in his
front menaced him with confederation and a vigorous resistance ; but he pushed forward
among the Horestii, found the clans for the first time in mutual co-operation, was assailed
by them at Loch-Orr in Fife, in the very gates of his camp, repelled and broke them
after a furious engagement, and, without much further trouble, brought all the Horestii
under his yoke. In 84, he passed up Glendevon, through the opening of the Ochil-hills,
and defiling toward " Mons Grampus," or the Grampian-hill, which he saw before him,
he found the Caledonians, to the number of 30,000, confederated, and under the com-
mand of Galgacus, already encamped at its base ; and he there fought with them a
battle so obstinate, that only night forced it to a termination, so discouraging to the
aborigines that they retired to the most distant recesses of their impervious country, and
so curious in archaeology as to have occasioned a thousand disputes, and no small expen-
diture of learning and research, in attempts to fix its precise theatre. The Lowlands
south of the lower Tay, and the Earn, being now all in his possession, and a powerful
body of the tribes of the conquered district enrolled with him as auxiliaries, a voyage of
discovery and of intimidation was ordered by him round the island, and was achieved by
the safe return of the Roman fleet to the Forth. Agricola was now recalled, through
the envy of the Emperor Domitian ; and the silence of history during the 35 years which
followed, at once intimates the absence of any events of interest, and evinces the power
of Agricola's victories as a general, and the wisdom of his measures as a statesman.
In 120, the Emperor Adrian built the celebrated wall between the Tyne and the Sol-
way ; and, though he did not relinquish the conquered territory north of these waters,
he practically acknowledged himself to hold it by a partial and comparatively insecure
tenure. The Ottadini, the Gadeni, the Selgovse, and the Novantes, had neither domes-
tic tumult nor devastation from invaders to engage their attention ; they had learned the
arts of confederation, and were strong in numbers and in union ; they began to feel
neither overawed nor restrained by the Roman stations which were continued in their
territory ; and they broke out into insurrections, and ran southward in ravaging incur-
sions, which the Romans had not leisure to chastise, or even effectually to check. In
139, the year after Antoninus Pius assumed the purple, Lollius Urbicus was deputed as
the Proprietor of Britain, to quell a general revolt, and reduce the inhabitants to
INTRODUCTION.
obedience ; and, in 140, he marched northward to the friths, tranquillized the tribes
beyond them, and even began successfully to bring under the power of his arms the
whole Lowland country northward, as far as the Beauly frith. With the view of over-
awing the tribes to the south, as well as of repelling the wild clans who ranged among the
mountain-fastnesses on the north, he constructed the great work from Garriden on the
Forth, to Dunglass on the Clyde, which is described in our alphabetical arrangement
under the title ANTONINUS' WALL. Iters, or highways, were carried in many ramifica-
tions through the country south of the wall, and in several lines along or athwart the
conquered country to the north ; and stations were established in multitudinous com-
manding positions, for garrisoning the Roman forces, and maintaining the natives under
a continual pressure. Scotland was now divided into three great sections, — the district
south of Antoninus' wall, which was incorporated with the Roman government of South
Britain, — the Lowland country, between Antoninus' wall and the Beauly frith, which is
said to have been now erected into a Roman province, under the name of Vespasiana, —
and nearly all the Highland district, north of Loch-Fyne, or the most northerly inden-
tation of the Clyde, which still retained its pristine state of independence, and began to
wear distinctly the name of Caledonia. The tranquillity of the subjugated tribes till the
death of Antoninus, in 161, about which time probably Lollius Urbicus ceased to be
propraetor, sufficiently indicates the vigour of the administration throughout all the
Roman territory. Disturbances which broke out immediately on the accession of Marcus
Aurelius to the empire, were speedily quelled by Calphurnius Agricola, the successor of
Lollius Urbicus ; yet they were followed by the evacuation, on the part of the Romans,
of the whole province of Vespasiana. The tribes beyond Antoninus' wall, thrown back
into a state of independence, slowly nursed their energies for invasion, — made, in 183,
predatory incursions beyond the wall, — regularly, toward the close of the century, over-
ran the Roman territory, — entered, in 200, into a treaty with the Lieutenant of Severus,
— and, in 207, renewed their hostilities, and provoked the emperor to attempt a re-con-
quest of their country. Early in 209, Severus, after making imposing preparations,
marched at the head of a vast force into North Britain, found no obstruction south of
Antoninus' wall, and even penetrated into the territories of the Caledonians without
encountering much resistance. The tribes, unable to oppose him, sued peace from his
clemency, surrendered some of their arms, and relinquished part of their country. He
is said to have felled woods, drained marshes, constructed roads, and built bridges, in
order to seize them in their fastnesses, — to have lost 50,000 men in destroying forests,
and attempting to subdue the physical difficulties of the country, — to have subjected his
army to such incredible toils as were sufficient to have brought a still greater number of
them to the grave without feeling the stroke of an enemy. Caracalla, his son and
successor, is supposed by some to have faintly, while Severus lived, followed up his
policy, and to have fought with the Caledonians on the banks of the Carron ; but early
in 211, after Severus' decease, he relinquished to them the territories which they had
surrendered to his father, secured to them by treaty independent possession of all the
country beyond the wall, and took hostages from them for their conservation of the
international peace. The Caledonians, henceforth for nearly a century, cease to mingle
in Roman story : they appear not to have interested themselves in the affairs of the
Romanized Britons ; and they were little affected by the elevation of Caesars or the fall
of tyrants, by Carausius' usurpation of Romanic Britain, or by its recovery at his assas-
sination as a province of the empire. But the five Romanized tribes south of the
northern wall, though too inconsiderable to figure as a part of the Roman world, and for
a time too poor and abject to draw the notice of their own quondam brethren, eventually
became sufficiently Romanized, and carried onward in social improvement, and sur-
rounded with the results of incipient civilization and industry, to be objects of envy to
the poorer and more barbarous clans who retained their independence. In 30G, the
earliest date at which the Picts are mentioned, or any native names than those of the
aboriginal British tribes are introduced, " the Caledonians and other Picts," after
appearing to have made frequent predatory irruptions, and to have been menacing the
south with a general invasion, provoked a chastisement from the Roman legionaries, and
were compelled by Constautius, at the head of an army, to burrow anew behind the vast
natural rampart of their Highland territory. In 343, the Picts are said, on doubtful
authority, to have made another inroad, and to have been repelled by a short campaign
of the Emperor Constans. In 364, the Picts, who in that age were divided into two
Jx INTRODUCTION.
tribes by the names of Dicaledones and Vecturiones,-— the Attacotti, who still retained
their ancient British name and position on the shores of Dumbarton,— >and the Scots,
who are first noticed in history in 360, who were a transmarine and erratic people from
Ireland, and who appear to have made frequent predatory invasions of the Roman pro-
vincials from the sea, and to have formed forced settlements on the coast, — all three
simultaneously made an incursion more general and destructive than any which had yet
defied the Roman arms in Britain. Theodosius was sent, in 367, into Britain, to restore
tranquillity, and is said, though erroneously, to have found the Picts and the Scots in
the act of plundering Augusta, the predecessor-city of the modern London. In two
campaigns of 368 and 369, he drove the invaders, wherever he really found them, back
to the northern mountains, repaired the wall of Antoninus, and erected the country lying
between that wall and the southern one into a Roman province, under the name of
Valentia, additional to four which already existed in South Britain. The Picts and the
Scots, forgetting, in the effluxion of a quarter of a century the punishment inflicted on
them, and emboldened by the peril with which the empire was menaced by the conti-
nental hordes, again, in 398, burst forth like a torrent upon Lowland Britain, but, by the
energy of Stilicho, the Roman general, were again stemmed, driven back, and flung
behind another renovation of the great northern wall. But early next century they trod
down every barrier, and began a system of incessant and harassing incursion, which
amounted, on each occasion, to little or nothing less than temporary conquest. In 408,
the British provincials were so awed and alarmed by them, that they assumed a sort of
independence in self-defence, called earnestly to Rome for help, and were told by their
masters to rule and defend themselves ; in 422, aided by a legion which was sent in
compliance with a renewed and wailing cry for assistance, they are said to have repelled
the invaders, to have repaired, for the last time, the fortifications by which the Picts had
been overawed, and to have, in consequence, won a respite of some years from the dis-
asters of invasion ; and, in 446, pressed anew by the Pictish foe, and abjectly acknow-
ledging themselves for the first time to be Roman citizens, they made a vain appeal to
their ruined masters for protection, and were despondingly told that Rome could no
longer claim them as her subjects, or render them assistance as their citizens.
At the period of the Roman abdication, the sixteen tribes who ranged unsubdued
beyond the wall of Antoninus, and then bore the denomination of the Picts, were the
only genuine descendants in North Britain of the Caledonian clans. They acquired,
from their independence, paramount importance, when the country ceased to be overawed
by the Roman power ; and during the four succeeding centuries of the North-British
annals, they figured as the dominating nation. The five Romanized tribes of Valentia,
who had long enjoyed the privilege of Roman citizenship, speedily assumed independence,
and organized for themselves a separate and national government. Early after the
Roman abdication, the Angles, or Anglo-Saxons, on the one hand, settled on the Tweed,
and began gradually to oblige the Ottadini to relinquish for ever their beautiful domains ;
and the Scots from Ireland, on the other, colonized Argyle, commenced to spread them-
selves over all the circumjacent districts, and entered a course of tilting with the Pictish
government, which, after the bloody struggles of 340 years, ended in its destruction.
The history of all these four parties, between the years 446 and 843, belongs to what,
with reference to the power which predominated, may distinctively and appropriately be
called the Pictish period, and is briefly sketched in our article PICTS.
The fate of the eastern ones of the five Romanized tribes of the province of Valentia
after the Roman abdication, differed widely from that of those in the west. The Ottadini
and the Gadeni, left in possession of the country from the Forth to the Tweed, and
between the sea and the midland mountains, seem not to have erected themselves into
an independent and dominant community, but to have resumed the habits and the policy
of the early British clans, and when they saw their country early invaded by the Anglo-
Saxons, more as settlers than as plunderers, they, with some bravery, but with little
skill and less concert, made resistance when attacked, till, through disunion, ebriety,
and unmilitary conduct, they speedily became subdued and utterly dispersed. The
Selgovee, the Novantes, and the Damnii, with the fugitive children of the other two
tribes, erected their paternal territories into a compact and regular dominion, appropri-
ately called Cumbria, or Regnum Cambrensi, or Cumbrensi. This Cumbrian kingdom
extended from the Irthing, the Eden, and the Solway, on the south, to the upper Forth
and Loch- Lomond on the north, and from the Irish sea and the frith of Clyde, eastward
•
INTRODUCTION. Ixi
the limits of the Merse and Lothian ; and, with the usual inaccuracy of the Middle
jes, it was frequently and almost currently made to bear the name of the kingdom of
Jtrathcluyd or Strathclyde. Its metropolis was Akluyd, or Aldclyde, ' the rocky
leight on the Clyde,' to which the Scoto-Irish subsequently gave the name of Dun-
Triton, ' the fortress of the Britons, ' a name easily recognisable in the modernized word
Dumbarton. On the south-east, where the open country of Teviotdale invited easy
jress from the Merse, the kingdom suffered speedy encroachments from the Saxons ,
id, along that quarter, though inland from the original frontier, and screened interiorly
>y a vast natural rampart of mountain- range, an artificial safeguard, called the Catrail,
the partition of defence/ was constructed: see article CATRAIL. From 508 to 542,
Cumbria, or Strathclyde, acknowledged the authority, and exulted in the fame of some
extraordinary original, who figures as the redoubtable King Arthur of romance, who
iposed the name of Castrum Arthuri upon Alcluyd, or Dumbarton, and has bequeathed
tenfold greater number of enduring names to Scottish topographical nomenclature
lan any other ancient prince, and who, whatever may have been the real facts of his
listory, seems to have achieved many feats, to have received a treacherous death-wound
the field of battle, and to have altogether bewildered by his character and fate the
ide and romancing age in which he figured. In 577, Rydderech, another noted king
: Strathclyde, but noted for his munificence, defeated Aidan of Kintyre on the height
)f Arderyth. In years between 584 and 603, the Cumbrians, aided by the confederacy
" the Scoto-Irish, fought four battles against the intrusive and invading Saxons, and
rere twice victorious, and twice and concludingly the vanquished. On many occasions,
they had to fight with the Picts attacking them from the north ; on some, with their
occasional allies, the Scots, attacking them from the west; and, on a few, with the
Cruithne of Ulster, and other Irish tribes, attacking them on the south-west and south,
[n 750, the Northumbrian Eadbert seems to have traversed Nithsdale and seized Kyle ;
and, in 756, that prince, jointly with the Pictish Ungus, seized the metropolis, though
not the castle, of Alcluyd. Yet the descendants of the Romanized Britons were not
conquered. Their reguli, or chiefs, indeed, often ceased from civil broil or foreign con-
lict, to succeed in unbroken series ; but, when the storm of war had passed away, they
ig ceased not to reappear, and wield anew the seemingly extinct power. The Cum-
)rians, though unable to prevent considerable encroachments on all sides within their
icient frontiers, and though slowly diminishing in the bulk and the power of their inde-
mdence, remained a distinct people within their paternal domains long after the Pictish
)vernment had for ever fallen.
A body of Saxons, a people of Gothic origin, the confederates of those Angles who
it set foot on South Britain in 449, debarked on the Ottadinian shore of the Forth
imediately after the Roman abdication. Amid the consternation and the disunitedness
the Ottadini, the new settlers rather overran the country than subdued it ; and, though
icy seem to have directed neither their attacks nor their views northward of the Forth,
ley are said to have formed settlements along the coast of its frith, almost as far as the
st end of Antoninus' wall. In 547, Ida, consanguineous with the new settlers, one of
ic most vigorous children of the fictitious Woden, and the founder of the Northumbrian
lonarchy, landed, without opposition, at Flamborough, and, acting on a previous design,
)inted his keen-edged sword to the north, carried victory with him over all the paternal
lomains of the Ottadini, and paused not in a career of conquest, and of compelling sub-
jugation, till he had established a consolidated monarchy from the Humber to the Forth.
After the defeat of the Cumbrians in 603, Ethelfrid, the second successor of Ida, took
possession of the borders of the Selgovse, and compelled the western Romanized Britons
in general to acknowledge the superior energy and union of the Saxons. Edwin, the
most potent of the Northumbrian kings, assumed the sceptre in 617 ; he acquired a fame
of which tradition has spoken with awe ; he struck respect or awe into the hearts of
Cumbrians, Picts, Scots, and English ; he appears to have, in some points, pushed his
conquests from sea, and to have made large accessions to his kingdom on the south and
west ; and he strengthened or occupied in some new form in the north, that notable
" burgh " or fortification which, as par excellence his, survives in the castle of Edinburgh,
the magnificent metropolis of all modern Caledonia. Edfrid, who was the third in sub-
sequent succession, and ascended the throne in 671, was successful in several enterprises,
particularly in an expedition in 684, against the unoffending Irish ; but at his overthrow
and death in 685, at Dunnichen, by the Picts, he bequeathed destruction to his govern-
Ixii
INTRODUCTION.
ment inward from the Solway, and downward to the south of the Tweed, and effectually
relieved the Scots and the Strathclyde Britons from the terror of the North umbria-
Saxon name. The quondam subjects of the diminished kingdom remained in Lothian
and the Merse, but probably did not distinctly acknowledge any particular sovereign.
The Northumbrian rulers had, for several successions after Egfrid, little connexion with
the territory of modern Scotland ; but, though they never reacquired all the ascendency
which he lost, they began, about the year 725, to be again strong along the Solway and
in Southern Galloway, and, before the close of 756, they had formed settlements in
Kyle and Cunningham, and disputed with the Strathclyde Britons the possession of the
central Clyde. From the moment of the sceptre beginning to possess its ancient bur-
nished brilliance, it was wielded, for several reigns, by feeble and careless hands, and it
speedily became lustreless, rusted, and broken. Sthelred, the last of these dowdy
monarchs, having been slain during an insurrection in 794, Northumbria, during the 33
following years, became the wasted and distracted victim of anarchy, and was thence-
forth governed by earls, under the sovereign authority of the English kings. The
Cruithne of Ulster, who had made frequent incursions on the shores of the lower Clyde,
took advantage of the Northumbrian weakness to form at length a lasting settlement on
the coast of Galloway. The Anglo-Saxons, during the Pictish period, left, in the Gothic
names of some places on the Solway, and of many between the Tweed and the Forth,
indubitable traces of their conquests, their settlements, and their national origin.
The history of the Scots, or Scoto-Irish, from the date of their definitive settlement
in the country of the ancient British Epidii, in 503, to that of their being united to the
Picts, and becoming the ascendant section in North Britain, is more perplexed and
obscure than almost any passage of equal interest in the records of nations. They were
too rude to possess the art of writing, and too restless to endure the repose of study ; and
when they found a bard able and willing to speak of them to posterity, they were per-
mitted by their narrow views of social order to show him only the names and the per-
sonal nobleness of their reguli and chieftains as the elements of their fame. Even
the genealogy and the series of their kings have been flung into nearly inextricable
confusion by the contests of the Scottish and of the Irish antiquaries for pre-eminence
in antiquity. Of their origin, and of their colonizing the ancient Epidia, or the territory
of the present Kintvre and Lorn, as clear an account as can be furnished will be found
in our article DALRIADS. They probably obtained original footing in Argyle from silent
sufferance ; and by natural increase, and frequent accessions of new immigrants from the
Irish Dalriada, they may have become nursed into strength in the strong recesses of the
west, before the Picts were refined enough to suspect any danger from their vicinity. The
vast natural power of all their frontiers, the thinness of the hostile population on the
sides where they were unprotected by the sea, the facility for slow and insensible, but
steady and secure encroachment among the mountain districts on the east and the north,
the great distance of the seat of the Pictish power, and the intervention of the stupen-
dous rampart of the Highland frontier between the operations of that power and the
aggressions of settlement or slow invasion half-way across the continent, — these must
have been the grand causes of the Scots eventually acquiring energy and numbers, and
a theatre of action, great and ample enough to enable them to cope with the dominant
nation of North Britain, and to conduct negociations and achieve enterprises, which
resulted in their own ascendency.
Kenneth, who succeeded to the throne of the Scots in 836, was the grandson by his
mother of the Pictish kings Constantino and Ungus II., who died respectively in 821 and
833. On the death of Uven, the son and the last male heir of Ungus, in 839, Kenneth
claimed the Pictish crown as his by right of inheritance. Two successive and successful
competitors kept it five years from his grasp ; but both wore it amid disturbance and in
misery ; and the last met a violent death at Forteviot, the seat of his power. Kenneth
could dexterously take advantage of such confusions as arose from the loss of a battle
or the death of a king, to achieve an important revolution ; and finding no man bold
enough again to contest his claim, he easily stepped into the vacant throne. In his
person a new dynasty, and a consolidation of popular interests among two great people
who had hitherto been at variance, began. The Scots and the Picts were congenial
races of a common origin, and of cognate tongues ; and they readily coalesced. Their
union augmented the power of both, and, by the ascendency of the Scots, gave at length
their name to all Pictavia and Dalriada, and to the accessions which afterwards were
INTRODUCTION.
made by the two great united territories. The Scottish period, or that of Scottish
ascendency previous to Saxon intermixture, extended from the union of the Scottish and
the Pictish crowns in 843, to the demise of Donald Bane, in 1097. During this period,
the ancient territories of the Selgovse, the Novantes, and the Damnii, became colonized
by successive hordes of immigrants from Ireland, who gave their settlements the name
of Galloway ; and who, by a strange fortune, became known under the appellation of the
ancient Picts. The kingdom of Cumbria, or Strathclyde, was crushed, distorted, and
dismembered, the northern part passing completely under the Scottish dominion, and
the southern part asserting a rude, subordinate independence, and existing as an
appendage of the Scottish crown by the doubtful ties of an obscure title ; and Caledonian
Northumbria, or the beautiful district of Lothian and the Merse, after a series of bloody
struggles for upwards of two centuries and a half, became integrated with Scotland by
the lasting connection of rightful cession and mutual advantage.
The next great period is the Scoto- Saxon, extending from 1097 to 1306. In the
former period, the Gaelic Scots predominated ; in this, the Saxon- English, or Anglo-
Saxon. A new people now came in upon the old ; a new dynasty ascended the throne ;
a new jurisprudence gradually prevailed ; new ecclesiastical establishments were settled ;
and new manners and a new speech overspread the land. Malcolm Camnore, the last
but two of the strictly Scottish kings, married an Anglo-Saxon princess, and became
the father of Edgar, who, by means of an Anglo-Norman army, and after a fierce con-
test, enforced his title to a disputed crown, and commenced the Scoto- Saxon dynasty.
Under Malcolm Canmore, the domestics and relations of his queen aided her powerful
influence round the royal seat in introducing Saxon notions ; some Saxon barons fled,
with their dependants, into Scotland, from the violence of the Norman conquest ;
numerous fugitives were afforded an asylum by the king, from insurrections which he
fomented in the north of England ; vast numbers of young men and women were forcibly
driven northward by him during his incursions into Northumberland and Durham ; and
preliminary movements, to a great aggregate amount, and with a great cumulative
influence, were made toward a moral and social revolution. When Edgar, aided by the
results of these movements, brought in a force from without altogether foreign in speech
and character to the Scots, and entirely competent in power to overawe them, and per-
functorily to settle their disputes by placing their leader on the throne, he rendered the
revolution virtually complete — introducing in a mass a commanding number of foreign
followers to mix with the native population, and treat them as inferiors, and throwing
open a broad ingress for a general Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and Anglo- Belgic
colonization. So great and rapid was the influx of the new people, that, in the reign of
David I., the second in succession after Edgar, men and women of them are said —
somewhat hyperbolically, no doubt — to have been found, not only in every village, but in
every house, of the Scottish, or Scoto- Saxon, dominions. So powerful though peaceful
an invasion, was necessarily a moral conquest, a social subjugation ; and its speedy
aggregate result was to suppress the Celtic tongue and customs, or coop them up within
the fastnesses of the Highlands, — to substitute an Anglo-Norman jurisprudence for the
Keltic modes of government, — and to erect the pompous and flaunting fabrics and ritual
f Roman Catholicity upon the ruins of the simple though eventually vitiated Culdeeism
which had so long been the glory at once of Pict, of Dalriadic Scot, of Romanized
Briton, and of Galloway Cruithne.
At the accession of Edgar, or the commencement of the Scoto- Saxon period, Scotland,
ith the exception of its not claiming the western and the northern islands, possessed
arly its present limits, — the Solway, the Kershope, the Tweed, and the intervening
eights forming the boundary-line with England. Northumberland and Cumberland
re added as conquered territories by David I. ; but they were demanded back, or
ther forcibly resumed, by Henry II., during the minority of Malcolm IV. All Scot-
d may be viewed as temporarily belonging to England, when Henry II. made captive
illiam I., the successor of Malcolm IV., and obliged him to surrender the independ-
ce of his kingdom ; but, in 1189, it was restored to its national status by the genero-
ity of Richard I., and settled within the same limits as previous to William's captivity ;
d throughout the remainder of the Scoto- Saxon period, it retained an undisturbed
undary with England, conducive to the general interests of both kingdoms. Lothian
the east, and Galloway on the south-west, were, at this epoch, regarded by foreign
wers as two considerable integral parts of Scotland ; and though so far consolidated
Ixiv
INTRODUCTION,
with the rest of the country as to afford but slight appearance of having been settled by
dissimilar people and governed by different laws, yet they were so far considered and
treated by the kings as separate territories, th,at they were placed under distinct juris-
dictions. In 1266, the policy of Alexander III. acquired by treaty the kingdom of Man,
and the isles of the Hebridean seas, and permanently annexed the latter to the Scottish
crown. When the great barons were assembled in 1284, dolefully to settle the dubious
succession to the throne, they declared that the territories belonging to Scotland, and
lying beyond the boundaries which existed at the accession of Edgar, were the Isle of
Man, the Hebrides, Tynedale, and Penrith. In 1290, the Isle of Man passed under the
protection of Edward I. Even essential Scotland, the main territory of the kingdom,
was so deeply imperilled at the close of the Anglo-Saxon period, that she could be pre-
served from the usurping and permanent grasp of insidious ambition only by a persever-
ing and intensely patriotic struggle ; and she was at length re-exhibited and settled down
in her independence, and reinstamped, but in brighter hues, with the colourings of
nationality, by the magnanimity and the indomitableness of her people supporting all
the fortune and all the valour of Robert Bruce, the founder of a new dynasty of her
kings, and the introducer of a new epoch in her history. An outline of her annals from
the days of Bruce downward, sufficiently full to be in keeping with that which we have
now sketched of the earlier periods, will be found in the historical section of our article
on EDINBURGH.
" Little more than a century ago," says an elegant writer, " Scotland was considered
by her southern neighbours as only partially civilized : the violence of the early reformers
was still remembered as more allied to savage than to social morality. Latterly, how-
ever, if it has not received adequate respect from others — which we are far from affirm-
ing— it has done ample justice to itself, in the number, merit, and universal influence of
the great characters which it has produced, and is still producing. In this respect —
considering its very limited population — it may freely challenge comparison with any
other nation. Scotchmen — whether invidiously designated as adventurers, or, more
justly, as practical moralists — by their intrepid spirit of adventure — perseverance —
suavity — and inflexible integrity, have extended the influence of civilization and
humanity over the vast empire of Russia — have imparted to the Americans much of
what they possess of moral honesty and civil refinement — and, in almost every country
on earth, given examples of probity, industry, and knowledge ; while their poets, histo-
rians, and philosophers, have amused, instructed, and enlightened the higher ranks in
every civilized nation of Europe." It is pleasing to add to the above high testimony on
the score of moral and chivalrous characteristics, the following elegant tribute from an
English poet :
" Breathe there a race that from the approving hand
Of nature more deserve, or less demand ?
So skilled to wake the lyre or wield the sword —
To achieve great actions, or, achieved, record ?
Victorious in the conflict as the truce,
Triumphant in a BURNS as in a BRUCE !
Where'er the bay — where'er the laurel grows,
Their wild notes warble, and their life-blood flows !
There truth courts access, and would all engage,
Lavish as youth, experienced as age ;
Proud science there, with purest nature twined,
In firmest thraldom holds the freest mind :
While Courage rears his limbs of giant form —
Mocks the rude blast, and strengthens in the storm !
Rome felt — and Freedom to their craggy glen
Transferred that title proud— the Nurse of Men !
By deeds of hazard, high and bold emprise,
Trained, like their native eagle, for the skies !
" Long, Scotia stern ! thy bugle note resume —
Grasp thy claymore — thy plaided bonnet plume 1
From hill and dale — from hamlet, heath, and wood,
Peal the wild pibroch— pour the battle flood !
' In Egypt, India, Belgium, Gaul, and Spain,'
Walls in the trenches — whirlwinds on the plain !
This meed accept from Albion's grateful breath
Brothers in arms — in victory — in death 1"
THE
PARLIAMENTARY GAZETTEER
OF
SCOTLAND.
ABB
ABBEY, a name frequently given in Scottish to-
hy to a village or hamlet which has been
nded upon or near the site of some ancient mon-
c establishment. Thus we have a village called
E ABBEY in the neighbourhood of the abbey of
buskenneth ; and another* of the same name upon
banks of the Tyne, about a mile below the town
Haddington, marking the site of a once flourishing
y, but of which scarcely a trace now remains.
e palace of Holyrood is also known throughout
land, and most significantly in Scottish law, as
ABBEY, par excellence : having been reared
,hin the precincts of a famous monastery, the
rty or sanctuary of which, being recognised by
w, affords a retreat for insolvent debtors within
h they cannot be arrested.
ABBEY PARISH. See PAISLEY.
ABBEY ST BATHAN'S, a parish in the north-
part of Berwickshire ; bounded on the north by
parish of Innerwick in Haddingtonshire, and
Cockhurnspath in Berwickshire; on the east by
that detached portion of Oldhamstocks which lies
in Berwickshire, and by Coldingham; on the south
by Buncle, a detached portion of Longformacus par-
ish, and Dunse ; arid on the west by Longformacus,
and another detached portion of the parish of Old-
hamstocks. It is skirted on the east by the head-
stream of the Eye, and is intersected by the White-
adder, aiid some of its smaller tributaries. It is of a
very irregular outline ; and measures nearly 6 miles
in its greatest length from north-west to south-east ;
and 4 miles in its greatest length from north-east to
south-west. It contains about 5,000 acres, of which
nearly 2,000 are arable; the remainder is covered
with barren heath or the coarse moorland pasture
common to the Lammermoor district within which
this parish lies. The best soil is that of the haugh-
ground stretching along both sides of the Whiteadder,
which flows through the southern part of this parish
from west to east, passing to the north of the kirk-
town, which is about 7 miles north by west of Dunse.
Population, in 1801, 138; in 1831, 122, of whom
nearly all were employed in agriculture. Houses 23.
A. P. £1,238.— This parish is in the presbytery of
Dunse. and synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Stipend*
£155 9s. 3d.; of which £61 12s. lid. from teinds.
Glebe £13. Patron, the Crown. Schoolmaster's sal-
ary £36 8s. Fees £12. The church is a very an-
cient structure. Of the abbey or priory, which stood
between the church and the river, no vestige now
exists. It was founded and dedicated to St Bathan
or Bothan, by ono of the countesses of March, in
ABB
1170, tor nuns of the Cistercian order; and soon ac-
quired large revenues. About two furlongs east
from the church, and on the same side of the river,
in a field called the Chapel-field, were the now ob-
literated remains of a small chapel; and about a mile
to the north-west were the remains, now likewise
obliterated, of the parish-church of Strafontane —
probably a corruption of Trois Fontaines — united at
the Reformation to St Bathan's, and originally an
hospital founded by David I. — A little to the north-
west of Strafontane, near the banks of the Monynut,
a tributary of the Whiteadder, is Gadscroft, once
the demesne of David Hume, the friend of Mel-
ville, who died in 1620.
ABBEY-CRAIG, a hill in the parish of Logic, in
the vicinity of Cambuskenneth abbey, on which the
Scottish army was posted under Wallace, when the
Earl of Surrey and Hugh Cressingham advanced to
the battle of Stirling, on 12th September, 1297-
ABBEY-GREEN, See LESMAHAGO.
ABBOTSRULE, formerly a parish in Roxburgh-
shire, now divided between Hobkirk and Southdean
parishes. It stretched about 3 miles along the east-
ern side of the upper part of the Rule, from Black-
cleugh Mouth to Fultonhaugh. The barony of Ab-
botsrule contains 2,343 English acres.
ABBOTSFORD, the far-famed country-seat of
our great national Novelist. It is situated in the south-
western part of the parish of Melrose, in the county
of Roxbuigh, on the southern bank of the Tweed,
a little above the junction of the Gala Water ; 2
miles south-east of the town of Galashiels, 34£ south
of Edinburgh. The road from Melrose to Selkirk
passes close to it. With the exception of the site
itself, which looks out upon the river flowing imme-
diately beneath, arid a beautiful haugh on the oppo-
site bank backed with the green hills of Ettrick
forest, Abbotsford owes its name and all its attrac-
tions to its late illustrious proprietor. Before his
genius began to transform the place to what it
now is — a fairy scene, ' a romance in stone and lime*
— a mean farm-stead called Cartley-Hole occupied
this spot. Sir Walter, on becoming proprietor of
the demesne, changed its name to Abbotsford, rear-
ed by slow degrees his elegant and picturesque man-
sion upon it, and laid out and planted the surrounding
grounds with singular taste and effect:
" Well might we deem that wizard wand
Had set us down in fairy land."
Descriptions of Abbotsford are so rife that we shall
not add to their number ; but content ourselves with
referring our readers to the pages of the Anniversary
A
ABB
ABB
for 1829, where they will find a most graphic and
interesting description of this hallowed spot, from the
pen of one whose genius enabled him exquisitely to
sympathize with the taste of the gifted owner. The
master-spirit has departed ; but his memory will con-
tinue to cast a consecrating radiance around Abbots-
ford as long as the visions of our fancy shall be peopled
with the creatures of his inexhaustible imagination.
ABBOTSHALL, a parish of Fifeshire, touching
on its south coast; bounded on the north by Auchter-
derran; on the east by Kirkcaldy; on the south by
the frith of Forth, and Kinghorn ; and on the west
by Kinghorn, and Auchtertool. Its greatest length,
measured from Kirkcaldy links to near Shawsmill
in Auchterderran parish, in a line from south-east to
north-west, is nearly 4 miles ; its greatest breadth
about 2| miles. The area is nearly 3,166 Scotch
acres, of which about a sixth part is in wood,
chiefly around the seat of Mr Ferguson of Raith, the
principal proprietor. The soil is light, but fertile
and well-cultivated. The face of the country rises
gradually as we proceed northwards ; but dips again
towards Auchterderran and Auchtertool. The prin-
cipal stream is the Tiel, which rises a little to the
north-west of Auchtertool, and flows in a south-east
direction, forming the boundary between the parishes
of Abbotshall and Kinghorn. Raith loch is an artifi-
cial sheet of water formed by damming up the stream-
let which issues from Camilla loch in Auchtertool ;
it covers about 20 acres, and discharges itself into the
Tiel. The kirk -town may be considered as a pro-
longation to the westwards of the long straggling
town of Kirkcaldy. It is called Linktovvn ; is a
burgh of regality under Ferguson of Raith ; and has
two annual fairs, viz., on the 3d Friday of April, and
of October. A more recently built portion is called
the Newtown. Population of the parish, in 1801,
2,501; in 1831, 4,206. Houses 494. A. P. £65
32s. The population of this parish increased by 939
betwixt the years 1821 and 1831, chiefly in conse-
quence of the introduction of flax-spinners from Ire-
land. About 60 hands are employed in fishing, and
100 in agriculture. There were 709 hand-looms with-
in the parish in 1838 — This parish was disjoined from
Kirkcaldy in 1650. It is in the presbytery of Kirk-
caldy, and synod of Fife. Stipend £199 11s. lid.
Glebe £36. Patron, the laird of Raith. Church
built in 1788. Sittings 825. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4|d., with about £35 fees, and £25 from
other sources : he has also a house and garden. About
140 children attend the parish-school; and about
300 attend other schools. A new church and par-
ish has been recently erected at Invertiel, in the
parish of Kinghorn ; and a portion of Abbotshall, with
a population of nearly 900, annexed to the new quoad
sacra parish. There is a United Secession church at
Bethelfield, which was establirhed 100 years ago. The
present place of worship was built in 1836. Sittings
J ,096. — This parish is said to have derived its name
from an abbot of Dunfermline having built a country
house near the site of the present church. A fine yew-
tree within the gardens of Raith is thought to mark
the locality of the abbot's hall, which was for some
time the property of the Scotts of Balwearie, whose
family, according to Sibbald, had held their paternal
domain within this parish for a period of at least 500
years. This parish has, therefore, the honour of
being the reputed birth-place of that arch-magician,
Sir Michael Scott; yet, strange to say, tradition is
here nearly silent regarding him. The mansion-
bouse of Raith is a handsome edifice, surrounded
by beautifully laid-out grounds. See BALWEARIE.
ABB'S HEAD (Sx), a hold promontory on the
coast of Berwickshire, in N. lat. 55° 56' ;* and W.
long. 1° 56'; 2 miles north -north-east from Colding-
lam, and 4 miles north-west from the port of Ey-
mouth. It consists of a huge isolated mass of trap
rock, opposing a perpendicular front of nearly 300
eet in height to the billows of the German ocean ;
on two other sides the point of the headland is near.
"y equally precipitous; on the fourth it is- divided
rom the mainland by a deep fosse. Tradition re-
ates that, early in the 9th century, Ebba, daughter
of Ethelfred, king of Northumberland, fleeing from
;he amorous suit of Penda, the Pagan king of Mer-
cia, was shipwrecked on this coast, and built a nunnery
on this headland in token of gratitude for her preser-
vation. Of this building no remains are now di*.
cernible; but within the memory of man there were
some relics of the chapel and cemetery attached to it
on an eminence about a mile to the east.
ABDIE, a parish in the north of Fife. It is not
altogether contiguous; but the larger portion is
sounded on the north by part of Newburgh, and the
estuary of the Tay ; on the east by Flisk, Dunbog,
and Monimail ; on tJbe south by Collessie ; and on
the west by Collessie, part of Newburgh, Auchter-
muchty, and Abernethy. Measured from the Tay,
near Lindores abbey, to near Pathcondie in Collessie,
t is 5 miles in length ; measured from its extreme
eastern to its extreme western point, it is about 6 ;
but its outline is very irregular ; one section of it is
separated on the west, by the parish of Dunbog, frc
the main portion ; and another portion is cut off, on
the east, by the intervention of Newburgh paris
The area is nearly 7T624 imperial acres, of whicl
about 6,000 are under cultivation. The finest lam
lies along the Tay ; here it is a rich alluvial deposit ;
but the high grounds inland are to a considerable ex-
tent covered only with furze and heath. The sur-
face of this parish presents a varied succession of hil
and dale. The highest elevation is Norman's Law,
in the eastern isolated portion, which rises to tl
height of 850 feet, with a bold precipitous front, anc
commands a fine view of the frith of Tay, and tl
carse of Gowrie on the opposite shore, and the vt
of the Eden on the south and east. Clatchard Craij
near Newburgh, is also a remarkable basaltic rocl
presenting a precipitous front towards the east. Th«
loch of Lindores, near the centre of the parish, is
beautiful sheet of water nearly a mile in lengtl
covering about 70 acres, fed by a small stream calle
Priest's Burn, and discharging its waters into the Taj
at Lindores. It abounds in perch, pike, eels,
aquatic fowl. At this latter place are the remair
of an old castle, which is noticed in Harry tl
MinistreFs History of Wallace, and near to whit
Balfour relates, a battle was fought in June
between the Scots, under that puissant leader,
the English, in which the latter was routed with
loss of 3,000 slain. This engagement is known as
battle of Blackearnside. The finest mansion in
parish is that of Inchrye, the seat of David Wil
Esq., a little to the west of the loch of Lindorc
The old mansion-house of Lindores, near the "
was the seat of the ancient and noble family of Lt
lie. The most extensive proprietor is D. Maitls
M'Gill, Esq., of Nether Rankeilour and Lindores,
but Lord Dundas, now Earl of Zetland, has tl
highest rental. Population, in 1801, 723 ; in 1831,
870, of which about one-third were employed
agriculture. A. P. £7,904. Houses 169.— T
parish is in the presbytery of Cupar, and synod
Fife. Stipend £233 9s. Glebe £23. Patron, tht
Earl of Mansfield. Church built in 1827. Sitting*
550. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4Ad, withaboui
£17 fees. Average number of scholars 35. Th»
old church was a narrow ill-lighted building; it
ruins on the western shore of the loch of Lin
dores show some vestiges of antiquity, and severs
ABE
ABE
;nts of the family of Balfour of Denmiln, now
resented by Lord Belhaven. — Among the names
eminence connected with this parish is that of Sir
Balfour, Lyon-king-at-arms, under Charles I.,
a well-known writer on antiquities and heraldry,
resided at Kinnaird house; and died in 1657.
ABERBROTHWICK. See ARBROATII.
ABERCORN, a parish of Linlithgowshire,stretch-
4 miles along the south side of the frith of Forth ;
bounded on the east by Dalmeny ; on the south
Kirkliston, a detached portion of Dalmeny, and
clesmachan ; and on the west by Linlithgow, and
riden. Its average breadth is 2 miles. The sur-
is undulating, and finely wooded ; but the only
msiderable elevations are Binns hill in the western,
Priestinch in the south-eastern quarter of the
rish. The principal stream is the Nethermill or
ihope burn which falls into the sea near the kirk,
le Union canal runs about 1£ mile through the
th-west corner of this parish. The principal pro-
rietor is the Earl of Hopetoun, whose seat — a truly
icely mansion, and the last visited by royalty in
)tland — occupies a fine situation on the coast, a
Ltle to the east of the kirk. Population, in 1801,
14 ; in 1831, 1,013. Houses 172. A. P. £7,722.—
lis parish is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, and
,'iiod of Lothian and T weeddale. Stipend .£188 15s.
Glebe £16. Patron, the Earl of Hopetoun.
^hoolmaster's salary £34. School fees £36. There
two or three private schools. Bede notices the
stery of Abercorn as the residence of a bishop,
fo remains of it now exist ; nor of Abercorn castle,
fhich was dismantled in 1455, during the rebellion
* one of the doughty Douglases. The estate of
jrcorn, in this parish, which gives title to the
irquis of Abercorn, belonged to Sir John Graham,
' fidus Achates' of Wallace, who fell in the bat-
of Falkirk, in 1298. Binns was the family-seat
' the bloody Dalzell,' and is still in the possession
' his descendants.
ABERCROMBIE, or ST MONANCE, a small pa-
of Fife, on the northern shore of the frith of
?orth, nearly opposite North Berwick law in East
Lothian. It is bounded on the north by Carnbee ;
on the east by Carnbee, and Pittenweem, from which
it is divided by the Dreel burn ; and on the west by
Elie, and Kilconquhar, from both of which it is divided
L" the Inweary rivulet. It is about 1^ mile in length
north to south, by 1 in breadth". The area is
it 800 acres, of which nearly the whole are arable
and cultivated. The surface is flat. The principal
proprietors are Sir Ralph Abercromby Anstruther,
Bart., of Balcaskie, and Sir Wyndham Carmichael
Anstruther, Bart., of Anstruther. The village of
St Monance is situated close upon the coast, about
£ mile west of Pittenweem. It is a burgh of bar-
held under the laird of Newark. It has a small
rbour, now resorted to only by one or two barks
' small burden and some fishing-boats. Population,
1801, 852 ; in 1831, 1,1 10. A. P. £2,616. Houses
II. In 1831, 69 men belonging to this parish were
iployed in fishing, and 21 in coal-mines ; and 30
lilies in agricultural operations. — This parish is
the presbytery of St Andrews, and synod of Fife,
kipend £162 0. lid., of which £32 19s. 4d. is re-
iived from the Exchequer. Glebe not valued. Pa-
>n, the Crown. Schoolmasters salary £34 4s. 4^d.
Tees £44 10s. Average number of scholars lOO.
'here is a private school with about an equal atten-
mce. The old kirk of Abercromby is in ruins, and
not been used as a place of worship for two ceri-
iries. It is in the northern part of the parish, and
the burying-place of the Balcaskie family. The
liurch now in use is situated at the west end of the
of St Mnnarice, close upon the beach. It is
a Gothic edifice, originally founded in the 14th CCIN
tury, and, till recently renovated, presenting a sin-
gularly antique appearance in its interior furnishings
as well as externally. It is now a very handsome
place of worship, seated for 528, and preserving as
much of its ancient outline as was found consistent
with modern ideas of comfort. It is related that David
II. having been grievously wounded by a barbed
arrow, and miraculously cured at the tomb of St
Monance at Inverray, dedicated this chapel to him,
and granted thereto the lands of Easter Birnie
Keith says : " This chapel, which was a large and
stately building of hewn stone, in form of a cross,
with a steeple in the centre, was given to the Black
friars, by James III., in 1460-80. The wall of the
south and north branches of this monastery" — he
adds — " are still standing, but want the roof; and
the east end and steeple serve for a church to the
parishioners." This parish was known by the name
of Abercrombie so far back as 1174. In 1646 the
lands of Newark constituting the barony of St Mon-
ance were disjoined from Kilconquhar, and annexed
quoad sacra to Abercrombie. The parish thus en-
larged received the designation of Abercrombie with
St Monance. In the course of years, and with the
decline of the village of Abercrombie and rise of that
of Monance, the old title disappeared altogether, and
the parish came to be known as that of St Monance,
as it is still pretty generally designated, although the
old title of Abercrombie has been revived for the
last thirty years at the wish of the principal heritor.
ABERDALGIE, a landward parish of Perthshire,
bounded on the north by Tippermuir; on the east
by Perth, and part of Forteviot; on the south by
Forgandenny and the western detached portion of
Forteviot ; and on the west by Forteviot and Tipper-
muir. Its average length from east to west is 2£ miles ;
its breadth 2 ; area about 2,800 acres. The "surface
rises gradually from the Erne river which runs along
its southern boundary. The soil is in general fertile,
but in some districts very thin. The whole parish
is the property of the Earl of Kinnoul, whose ances-
tors acquired it in 1625 from the Earl of Morton.
Duplin castle, the seat of the Earl, was burnt down
in 1827; but has been rebuilt in a style of great
magnificence. Population, in 1801, 542; in 1831,
434. Houses 68. The decrease in population is
attributable to the enlargement of farms and the
demolition of cottages. A. P. £4,893.— This parish
is in the presbytery of Perth, and synod of Perth and
Stirling. Stipend £157 19s. 4d. Glebe £24. Pa-
tron, the Earl of Kinnoul. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4}d., with about £14 fees. Scholars about
60. The'parish of Duplin was united to this parish
in 1618. The present church was built in 1773.
A vault at the east end is the burying-place of the
Kinnoul family. The battle of Duplin was fought
in this parish, "August 12th, 1332: see DUPLIN.
ABERDEEN, the capital of Aberdeenshire, and
the third town in importance in Scotland, consists,
strictly speaking, of two distinct towns, the Old and
the Ne\v, situated at the distance of about a mile
from each other, in different parishes, and having dis,
tinct charters and privileges, but included within the
same parliamentary boundary, and uniting in return-
ing one member to parliament. The population o(
the united to wns, in 1707, was 6,500: in 1801, 27,608;
in 1831,58,019; in 1841, 63,262.
PARISH OF OLD ABERDEEN. — The parish of Old
Aberdeen, or Old Machar, was originally a deanery*
called the deanery of St. Machar ; and comprehend-
ed the parishes of Old Machar, New Machar, and
Newhills. In ancient times, however, these dis-
tricts do not seem to have been so many separate
parishes, but only chapelries, in each of which di-
ABERDEEN.
vine worship was regularly performed, as the in-
habitants of so extensive a district could not conve-
niently meet in one place for public worship. New
Machar seems to have been erected into a separate
parish about the time of the Reformation ; and New-
hills about the year 1663.
The extent of the parish of Old Aberdeen is 16'6
square miles ; its form is irregular. Its south-east
corner forms the north and west boundaries of New
Aberdeen, or the parish of St. Nicholas. It extends
about 2,i miles up the Dee ; by which river it is
bounded" on the south, and divided from the parish
of Nigg, in the county of Kincardine. The western
boundary stretches in a crooked line from a point 100
yards above the bridge of Dee, to the Scatter-burn,
and thence along its course to its junction with the
Don. By this line it is divided from the parishes
of Banchory-Davenick and Newhills. Joining the
Don, the boundary line follows the course of that
river to a point about 6 miles from its mouth. In
this quarter, the Don divides it from the parishes of
Newhills and Dyce; the northern boundary divides
it from the parishes of New Machar and Belhelvie,
and meets the sea at the Black-dog, a solitary rock
of a black colour, in the sands of Belhelvie, within
high- water mark. On the east, the parish is bounded
by the sea, from the Black-dog to the mouth of the
Dee : the extent of coast being about 6 miles, and in
general flat and sandy. The greatest length of the
parish from north to south may be 7£ miles, and its
greatest breadth 4. It rises in a gentle slope from
the sea, and though there is no eminence in it that
deserves the name of a mountain, yet its surface is
beautifully diversified by rising grounds. The wind-
ings of the Dee and the Don, the number of gentle-
men's seats and villas, together with the varied pros-
pects of the sea, the rivers, the cities of Old and New
Aberdeen, and the villages of Gilcomston and Hard-
gate, give a pleasant variety to the general appear-
ance of this district. The steep and rugged banks of
the Don, from the house of Seaton to below the old
bridge, are truly romantic. On the south side of the
parish, near to Ferryhills, are many curious little
sandhills, lying in all directions, and moulded into
various forms, seemingly by the retiring of some im-
mense quantity of water. The soil is in some places
naturally fertile, but many parts of it have been forced
into fertility by labour and expense. The popula-
tion of the entire district of Old Machar, including
the five quoad sacra parishes, was, in 1821, 18,312;
in 1831, 25,017 ; in 1841, 28,020. Houses in 1841,
3,326. Assessed property, in 1815, £19,125; in
1842-3, as assessed to property and income-tax,
£70,629, whereof £46,310 was on houses, and
£18,730 on lands. The parish of Old Machar, or
Old Aberdeen, or the Old Town parish, is in the
presbytery and synod of Aberdeen. It has been re-
cently divided into four other quoad sacra parishes :
viz., Holburn, Gilcomston, Bon Accord, and Wood-
side.
1st. Old Machar. The quoad sacra parish of Old Machar had
a population in 1841 of 7,570 ; and 1,103 inhabited houses.
About one-third of this population are dissenters. The ca-
thedral of St. Machar, the parish-church, has 1,594 sittings.
The charge is collegiate. Stipend of the 1st minister, £273
., with
thedral of St. Machar, the parish-church, has 1,594 sittings.
Sti
g
9d., with a manse and a glebe of the yearly value of £31 10s.—
Is. 3d.,
out a manse or glebe ; of the 2d minister, £282 19s.
Schoolmaster's salary £30, with £32 fees, and about £30 from
the Dick bequest. There were 62 private schools throughout
the whole parish, attended by 2,160 children, in 1833.
2d. Holhurn. The extent of this quoad saora parish is about
2-5 square miles. It is partly a landward, partly a town-dis-
trict. Population estimated, in 183G-7, at 3,370, of whom 2,658
•were churchmen. The church was built by subscription in
183fi, at a cost of £1,858, and seats 1,332. The sum of £100 is
secured by bond to the incumbent, besides what may be de-
rived from seat-rents after paying the interest on the debt.
Pop. in 1841, 3,757. Houses 527.
3d. OUcomston. This is a compact town-parish. It was for-
merly a chapel-of-ease to Old Machar, ana was erected into a
quoad XKt-a parish in May 1834. Population, in 1836-7, 4/J5U.
of whom about two-thirds belonged to the establishment.
The church was erected by subscription, in 1769-71 ; and en-
larged in 1796. It has 1,522 sittings. Stipend £230, entirely
derived from seat-rents. There is no manse or glebe. The
dissenting congregations in this parish are: 1st, St. John's,
Episcopalian. Established in 1812. Sittings 386. Average
attendance 300. Stipend from £120 to £130. 2d, Original Seced-
ers. Established in 1810. Sittings 500. Average attendance
200. The minister has a house adjoining the chapel. Sti-
pend £115. Pop. in 1841, 5,194. Houses 517.
4th. Bon Accord. This parish is wholly a town-parish. It
was created in 1834. Population, in 1836-7, 4,387, of whom
2,.r>57 belonged to the establishment, and 1,206 to other deno-
minations. Church built in 1823, by Scotch Baptists ; bought
for a chapel-of-ease in 1828. Sittings 840. Stipend £150,
wholly derived from seat-rents. There is a Baptist congre-
gation in this parish, renting a hall with 180 sittings, of which
about one-half are occupied. Pop. in 1841, 5,170. Houses 451.
5th. Woodside. This parish was erected in 1835. It is with-
out the royalty, but within the parliamentary boundary, and
consists of four villages. Population, in 1835, 4,238, chiefly re-
siding in the three contiguous villages of Cotton, Tanfield, and
Woodside. The latter, which is the principal village, is dis-
tant about 1J mile from Old Aberdeen, and 2 miles from New
Aberdeen. Church built in 1829-30, at a cost of £1,890. Sit-
tings 1,420. Stipend £150, without manse or glebe. There are
four Sabbath-schools, but no parochial school. There is an
Independent congregation at Cotton. Established in 1819.
Stipend £50, with a house and garden. Sittings 480. Pop. in
1841, 4,839. Houses 440.
OLD ABERDEEN, a burgh-of-barony, the seat ol
a university, and formerly of a bishop's see, is situ-
ated on the right or south bank of the river Don,
to the north of New Aberdeen, in the parish of
Old Machar. It is a place of great antiquity, and
was of considerable importance towards the end
of the 9th century. David I., in 1154, translated
the episcopal see from Mortlach to this place, and
granted "to God and the blessed Mary, St. Machar,
and Nectarius, bishop of Aberdeen, the haill village
of Old Aberdon." Malcolm IV., William the Lion,
and James IV., successively confirmed and enlarged
the original charter, and conferred extensive grants
of lands and teinds on the bishop of Aberdeen. On
the abolition of Episcopacy, the right of appointing
magistrates fell to the Crown ; and, in 1723, a war-
rant of the Privy-council authorized the magistrates
to elect their successors in office in future. Previous
to the late municipal act, the council, including the
provost, four bailies, and a treasurer, consisted of
19 members. The limits of the burgh are ill-defined.
The revenue of the burgh in 1832, was £43 5s. ; the
expenditure £14 16s. 6d. The burgh has no debts,
and little property ; the latter consisting only of :
right of commonty in a moss, and a freedom-hill
lying north of the Don, the town-house, feu-duties
customs, and a sum of £310. The magistrates ar
trustees of £2,791 13s. 4d., three per cent, consols
being a proportion of a bequest left by Dr. Bell t(
found a school upon the Madras plan ; and also o
Mitchell's hospital, endowed in 1801, for maintaining
five widows and five unmarried daughters of bur-
gesses. There are seven incorporated crafts, but IK
guildry. Old Aberdeen is a place of little trade.
The market is on Thursday ; and there are fairs
the last Thursday of April, and the third Tuesdaj
of October. The town-house is a neat building,
erected towards the close of last century. Tht
trades' hospital, built on the site of the Mathurine
convent, was founded in 1533 by Bishop Dunbar.
There are no remains of the bishop's palace — The
cathedral was originally founded in 1154; but having
become ruinous, it was demolished, and a splendid
new one founded by Bishop Kinnimonth in 1357. It
is said to have been seventy years in progress, but it
does not appear to have ever been completed. The
nave is used as the parish-church. It underwent
some repairs in 1832. It is 135 feet in length, bj
64 in breadth. The western window is a very fiiu
one ; and the ceiling is of oak beautifully carved
Grose has given a view of this building. It is said tc
have contained a valuable library which was destroye(
at the Reformation.
ABERDEEN.
for
Jatr
Elpl
, . ]— The King's college, the chief ornament of
the place, is a large and stately fabric, situated at a little dis-
tance from the town on the east side. It appears that there
existed, so long ago as the reign of Malcolm IV., a " Studnnn
generate in collegia canonicorum Aberdoniensium" which sub-
sisted till the foundation of this college by Bishop Elphin-
stone. In 1494, Pope Alexander VI., by a bull dated February
10th, instituted, in the city of Old Aberdon, or Aberdeen, an
university, or " Stndium generate et Universitas studii rjcneralis,"
for theology, canon and civil law, medicine, the liberal arts,
.nd every lawftd faculty : and privileged to grant degrees.
ames IV. applied for this bull on the supplication of Bishop
_'lphinstone, who is considered as the founder. But though
the bull was granted in 1494, the college was not founded till
the year 1505. It was dedicated to St. Mary ; but, being taken
under the immediate protection of the king, it was denomi-
nated King's college. James IV. and Bishop Elphinstone
endowed it with large revenues ; which were still further in-
creased by James VI. who endowed it with the parsonage and
vicarage of St. Machar, and various other possessions ; and
Charles I. attempted to unite it with Marischal college, and
gifted the bishop's house to the principal. The income of
King's college in 1836, derived from endowments, was £1,215 ;
from Crown grants £1,148. In 1840 this college received the
munificent bequest of £11,000 from the estate of the late Dr.
Simpson of Worcester. Upon the abolition of Episcopacy, the
patronage became vested in the Crown. The building is an-
cient, and contains a chapel, in which the body of the founder
is deposited, a library, museum, common hall, rooms for the
lectures, and a long uniform range of modern houses for the
accommodation of the professors. Considerable additions and
repairs were made on the buildings in 1827. The library con-
tains about 30,000 volumes ; and is entitled to a copy of all the
books entered at Stationers' hall. The chapel is opened dur-
ing the session for the accommodation of the professors and
students. It seats from 300 to 350. Behind is the garden of
ie college, and the principal's house and garden. The ses-
ion lasts twenty-one weeks, beginning in November. The
jfiicers are, a chancellor, who is generally a nobleman, a rec-
tor, a principal, a sub-principal, and a procurator who has
"large of the funds. The Senatus Academicus elect to all the
Bees of the university, with the exception of the professor-
ship of oriental languages appointed by the Crown, and that
of divinity, which is in the patronage of the synod of Aber-
deen. The senate also assumes the power of expulsion. There
are nine professorships — humanity, Greek, mathematics,
r«
Stl
pro
atural philosophy, logic and moral philosophy, oriental lan-
ages. civil law, medicine, and divinity. The number of
I
students, exclusive of medical students, attending King's col-
lege annually, on an average of the last ten years, has been
365. There are 128 bursaries of from £5 to £50 per annum.
The annual amount paid under this head is £1,643. Hector
Boethius was the first principal of this college, and was sent
for from Paris for that purpose, on a salary of 40 merks Scots,
equal to about £2 3s. 4d. In the first report of the University
commissioners, published in 1838, it is recommended that the
two universities of Aberdeen shall be united into one univer-
sity, to be called 'The United University of Aberdeen;' but
that King's college and Marischal college shall continue sepa-
rate as colleges for the administration of their respective pro-
pertv and funds.
NEW ABERDEEN, the capital of Aberdeenshire,
and the third Scottish town in importance, is situ-
ated on a rising ground on the northern bank of the
river Dee, near the mouth of that river, and about
1J mile to the south of the river Don; 108 miles
north-north-east of Edinburgh, 115 south-east of
"nverness, and 425 north by west of London ; in N.
t. 57° 9', and W. long. 2° 6'. Population, in
801, 17,597; in 1821, 26,484; in 1831, 32,912; in
841, 35,260. The number of houses, in 1831, was
2,588. The value of property assessed to income-
tax in 1842-3, as in the parish of St. Nicholas, was
£105,827, whereof £81,162 was on houses, and
£3,380 on fisheries.
The name has assumed various orthographies: we have
Iberdoen, Abyrdeyn, Aberden, and Habyrdine. To the Norse-
311 this town was known by the name Apardion. All
ints agree that Aberdeen was erected into a royal
argh towards the end of the 9th century, but the original
larter-of-erection, and the more ancient title-deeds and re-
Is of the burgh, have perished. The oldest municipal do-
icnt extant is a charter by William the Lion in favour of
lis burgesses of Aberdeen, and others, " ex aquilonali parte de
"<mth manentibus." It is supposed this alludes to the Month, a
gli ridge of hills near Fettercairn in Kincardineshire, through
lich the high road, called the Cairn-of-Month road, passes
)in Brechin towards the Dee. By a second charter the same
march granted to the burgesses of Aberdeen exemption
'om tolls and customs throughout the whole kingdom. King
William's successors frequently resided here, and had a palace
hich stood upon the site of the present Trinity church and
Trades hospital, in the Shiprow. On the 14th of July, 1296,
'I ward I. of England entered Aberdeen, where he remained
" days and received the homage of the bishop and dean,
of the burgesses and community. In the 14th year of his
fcign, King Robert Bruce made a gift and conveyance to the
community of Aberdeen of the royal forest of Stocket. Be-
sides this, he granted various other privileges and immunities
to the citi/ens and burgh of Aberdeen, and in particular the
valuable fishings in the Dee and Don. In 1333, Edward III.
of England having sent a fleet of ships to ravage the east
coast of Scotland, a body of English landed and attacked bv
night the town of Aberdeen, which they burnt and destroyed.
In 1836, Edward having invaded Scotland, and led his army
as far north as Inverness, the citizens of Aberdeen attacked a
party of the English forces which had landed at Dunottar,
and killed their general. In revenge, Edward, on his return
from Inverness, attacked Aberdeen, put the greater part of
the inhabitants to the sword, and again burnt and destroyed
the town. Some years after this, the town was rebuilt, and
considerably enlarged, particularly towards the rising grounds
upon which the principal part of it now stands, viz., tho
Woolman-hill. St. Catharine's-hill, the Port-hill, and the Cas-
tle-hill, the old town having lain more towards the east, along
the Green and Shiprow. In the re-edification of their town,
the citizens were greatly assisted by King David Bruce, in ac-
knowledgment of their steady loyalty and attachment both to
himself and to his father. David II. resided for some time at
Aberdeen, and erected a mint here, as appears from some
coins still extant. It was after being rebuilt that a part of
the town was called the New Town, or New Aberdeen, in con-
tradistinction to the Old which had been burnt down. In
1411, at the battle of Harlaw, the citizens of Aberdeen turned
the fortunes of the day against Donald of the Isles ; and, in
1547, thev fought with equal gallantry but less success at
Pinkie. In the early part of the year loGO, the Reformation
obtained a permanent footing in Aberdeen. Adam Heriott
was the "first minister of the true word of God in Aberdene."
He died in 1574. During the civil wars of the 17th century,
Aberdeen suffered much between the two contending parties ;
whatever party happened to be in possession of the town levied
heavy subsidies from the unfortunate Aberdonians. In Sep-
tember 1644, the Marquis of Montrose, with an army of about
2,000 men, approached Aberdeen, and summoned it to surren-
der ; but the magistrates, after advising with Lord Burley —
who then commanded in the town a force nearly equal' in
number to the assailants— refused to obey the summons ; upon
which a battle ensued within half-a-mile of the town, at a
place called the Crab-stone, near the Justice-mills, in which
Montrose prevailed, and many of the principal inhabitants were
killed. " There was little slaughter in the fight," says Spal-
ding, "but horrible was the slaughter in the flight fleeing back
to the town." " Here it is to be remarked," adds the worthy
Commissary-clerk, "that the night before this field was
foughten, our people saw the moon rise red as blood, two
hours before her time!" Charles II. landed at Speymouth,
July 4, 1650, and visited Aberdeen a few days after. He re-
visited the city in February 1651, after the defeat of his hopes
at Worcester and Dunbar; and in September 1651, General
Monk's army took possession of Aberdeen. On Sept. 20, 1715,
the Chevalier was proclaimed at the cross of Aberdeen ; and
on Sept. 27, 1745, the chamberlain of the ducal family of Gor-
don proclaimed the Pretender on the same spot. Aberdeen
has been repeatedly visited bv the plague. It raged here in
1401, 1498, 1506, 1514, 1530, 153871546, 1549, 1608, and last in 1647,
when it carried off 1,760 of the inhabitants out of a population
of about 9,000. From 1336, when the town was last burnt,
to 1398, it does not appear that any public records were regu-
larly kept here ; but from the last-mentioned period to the
present day, (except for about twelve years in the beginning
of the 15th century,) there is a regular and uninterrupted se-
ries of records in the town's chartulary. The county-records
do not reach a more remote date than 1503.
Aberdeen is a large and handsome city, having
many spacious streets, lined on each side by elegant
houses, generally four floors in height, which are
built of a very fine granite from the neighbouring
quarries. Union-street is upwards of a mile in
length, and of great beauty. It is intersected by a
ravine through which the Den-burn flows, and
across which a beautiful arch is thrown, of 130 feet
span, and only 35 feet of rise. The Market-place,
in the centre of the city, is a large oblong square,
called Castle street, or gate, from a fortress built by
Oliver Cromwell, which formerly occupied a rising
ground on its eastern side. On the north side of it
is the Town-house, and adjoining to it the Court-
houses and Prison, forming a connected range of
buildings, of two wings, with a central tower sur-
mounted by a spire 120 feet high. Opposite to the
Town-house, the Aberdeen Banking company, estab-
lished in 1766, have a handsome office. On the
west side is the Athenaeum or News room, an ele-
gant structure, erected in 1822. Near the western
extremity is the Cross, the most complete structure
perhaps of the kind in the kingdom. It is an hex-
agonal stone building, highly ornamented with 1ms-
relievos of the kings of Scotland, from Jamc* I. to
James VII., with a Corinthian column in the ceiitre,
ABERDEEN.
on the top of which is a unicorn bearing on its breast
a scutcheon charged with the Scottish lion. This
building was originally erected in 1686, on the site
of a more ancient cross ; it was thoroughly repaired
in 1841. Near the middle of this handsome street,
a colossal statue of the late duke of Gordon, after a
model by Campbell of London, has recently been
erected. The figure, hewn from a single block of
granite, measures, including the plinth, 11 feet 3
inches ; and the pedestal, a block of red granite, is
10 feet 3 inches in height. Leading off to the north
from Castlegate is King-street, which is little infe-
rior in splendour to Union-street. It was formed in
1801. It has several handsome public buildings,
among which are the County Record- office, the
Medico -chirurgical Society's hall, St. Andrew's
Episcopal chapel, and the North church. Broad-
street, in which Marischal college— to be afterwards
described is situated, is celebrated as having been
the residence of Lord Byron while under his mo-
ther's care. The finest of the modern public build-
ings is the County-rooms, erected in 1820, at an
expense of £11,500, which was defrayed by the
counties of Aberdeen and Banff. The Infirmary is
a large plain building. It was established in 1742,
and is supported by subscriptions, collections, and
donations; the number of patients annually relieved
is about 900. The Lunatic hospital was built by
subscription in 1800. It is about half-a-mile to the
north-west of the town. The Bridewell, a large
castellated building, was erected at an expense of
£10,000. The Jail was erected in 1828-31. It is
129 feet in length, by 98 in breadth, enclosing a
court divided into six compartments, and having the
turnkey's lodge in the centre. — The new Markets,
opened in April 1842, are 315 feet in length, 106
feet in breadth, and 45 feet high. This immense
hall is divided into three alleys by two ranges of
massive pillars, and at one end is a fountain of pol-
ished granite. A new post-office has been built,
towards the erection of which government has
granted £2,000 The first buildings of Aberdeen
were probably a few rude huts near the spot where
Trinity church now stands. The ground next oc-
cupied was probably in the neighbourhood of the
castle and the green ; and the town gradually ex-
tended in the direction of the Shiprow, the Exche-
quer row, and the south side of Castlegate. In
1545 a stone edifice was considered a mark of great
opulence; and so late as 1741 the houses on the
west side of the Broadgate were constructed of
wood. Westwards of the Gallowgate, there was,
till the latter end of last century, a large fenny
marsh, called the Loch, which must have occupied
a large portion of the north-west quarter of the pre-
sent city. The early site of the fishing- village of
Footdee is now covered with screets and warehouses,
extending along the Waterloo-quay.
In 1281, Henry Cheyne (nephew of John Comyn,
who was killed at Dumfries in 1305) succeeded to
the bishopric of Aberdeen. After Comyn's death,
the bishop was obliged to fly into England ; the
revenues of his bishopric remained unapplied. King
Robert having been afterwards reconciled to Cheyne,
allowed him to return, and possess the see of Aber-
deen as formerly ; whereupon the bishop, with the
concurrence, or more probably by the command of
his sovereign, applied the accumulated rents of his
bishopric towards building a bridge over the Don,
about 1,200 yards from its mouth, upon the great
high road leading northward from Aberdeen. Cheyne
died in 1329 ; the bridge was probably erected about
the year 1320. This is the well-known ' Brig o'
Balgownie ;' and consists pf one large pointed Gothic
arch of 72 feet span. Sir Alexander Hay bequeathed
an annual sum of £2 5s. 8d. to the support of this
bridge, which having accumulated to upwards of
£20,000, the town-council of New Aberdeen, in
1825, obtained an act authorizing them to apply part
of the savings in building a new bridge in a more
convenient situation. The new bridge, 500 feet in
length, was completed in 1830. It is of 5 arches,
and crosses the river at a point 450 yards lower down
than the old bridge — Bishop William Elphingston
left a considerable legacy to build a bridge over the
river Dee, near Aberdeen, but died in 1514, before
any thing was done towards it. Gavin Dunbar, son
of Sir James Dunbar of Cumnock, by Elizabeth,
daughter of the earl of Sutherland, having succeeded
to the bishopric of Aberdeen in 1518, fulfilled his
predecessor's intentions, and erected the greatest
part of the bridge where it now stands, about the
year 1530. This bridge having gone into decay, was
restored out of the funds belonging to itself, be-
tween the years 1720 and 1724; and it was recently
widened from 15 to 26 feet, at an expense of £7,250.
— A new suspension bridge has been thrown across
the Dee 2,600 yards lower down the river. Both
the bridges of Dee and Don are under the sole
management of the magistrates of New Aberdeen.
By act of 3° and 4° William IV., the number of
the council is fixed at 19, including the dean of guild.
The chief magistrates are a provost and four bailies.
Six councillors retire from office annually, and two
are chosen by the electors of each of the three wards
to supply their places. The jurisdiction of the
magistrates extends over the whole city and free-
dom, but they hold no small debt court. The light-
ing and watching of the city are under the charge
commissioners ; and the general police is regulated
by an act passed in 1829. In 1817 the corporation
of Aberdeen became bankrupt, chiefly in conse-
quence of the enormous expenditure incurred in
opening two new streets or approaches to the town,
under the authority of an act of parliament dated
April 5, 1800. The engineer employed had esti-
mated the whole expense at about £42,000, but the
total expenditure, up to Whitsunday 1816, amounted
to £171,280. The parliamentary commissioners
also reported, that while the total average annual
revenue of the city for the five years preceding Mi-
chaelmas 1832, was £15,184, the total average an-
nual expenditure was £17,528; but this excess
arose upon casual expenditure, chiefly in building
churches. The town's affairs are now rapidly re-
trieving under the management of a popularly electee
magistracy. The total property of the city wa
valued in 1832 at £223,979. The taxes levied bj
the magistrates are petty customs on goods brought
into the city, producing about £800 per annum ;
weighhouse dues producing £200; rogue -money,
officer's dues, and king's cess annuity to £256 10s.
annually. There is also a large sum of statute-labour
money levied within the town ; but there is no
sessment for the support of the poor.
The principal manufacture of Aberdeen, prior t<
the year 1745, was knitted stockings, which were
mostly exported to Holland, and thence dispersed
through Germany. The linen manufacture was sub-
sequently introduced, and now employs about 4,000
hands. The articles chiefly manufactured are thread,
sailcloth, Osnaburgs, brown linens, and sacking. The
manufacture of sailcloth only commenced in 1795.
In the beginning of last century, the woollen manu-
factures of Aberdeenshire were chiefly coarse slight
cloths, called plaidens and fingroms, which were sold
from 5d. to 8d. per ell, and stockings from 8d. to 2s.
6d. per pair. These were manufactured by the
farmers and cottagers from the wool of their own
sheep, and by the citizens from wool brought to the
I market from the higher parts of the country. These
foods were mostly exported to Hamburgh. Blan-
kets, serges, stockings, twisted yarns, and carpets,
are now manufactured. There were, in 1838, 1,000
looms employed on linen, of which four-fifths were
in factories; 130 on cotton; and 300 on woollen car-
pets. The number of linen and cotton looms was
diminishing, the manufacturers having generally
turned their attention to power-loom weaving and
spinning; but the woollen or carpet manufacture was
on the increase. A first-class linen weaver made
about 1 Is. per week ; one of the second-class, 8s. 6d. ;
and an old or inferior hand, 4s. 6d. ; working on an
average of about 69 hours a- week. A first-class cotton
I weaver made about 6s. 3d. of weekly wages. Be-
sides small cotton works, three large establishments
— in one of which the moving power is water from
the Don, and in the other steam-engines — are in con-
stant operation, and employ at least 2,000 people.
Some of these companies import their own cotton
from America. There are several breweries; and
:er and ales in considerable quantities are annually
cported to America and the West Indies ; there are
ilso several distilleries, and a tobacco-pipe manufac-
Of late years extensive iron- works have been
iblished, at which steam-engines, anchors, chains,
)les, arid spinning machinery are manufactured ;
" at one of them several steam- vessels of between
and 600 tons per register have been fitted out.
rope manufacture and ship building, the leather
i, the making of paper, and manufacturing of quills,
ip, and candles, are also carried on ; and a large and
creasing trade in the exportation of corn, butter,
and eggs, to London, gives employment to a consi-
derable tonnage. Salmon-fishing is also carried on
to a great extent, and the fish are principally sent to
London packed in ice. Aberdeen salmon appear to
have been exported to England so early as 1281.
Towards the end of the 17th century Aberdeen an-
nually exported 360 barrels of 250 Ibs. each to the
continent. From 1822 to 1828, inclusive, being a
period of seven years, 42,654 boxes of salmon, chiefly
the produce of the Dee and the Don rivers, but in-
cluding some Spey salmon, were shipped at Aber-
deen; and from 1829 to 1835, inclusive, 65,260 boxes.
Whitings, or finriocks, are also taken in the Dee, and
made an article of trade to the London market. See
articles DEE and DON. In 1819 the feu-duties of
the whole fishing amounted to £27 7s. sterling, and
it was stated in the House of Commons committee
that they were then worth £10,000 per annum. The
granite quarries near Aberdeen, which have contri-
buted so much to the decoration of the town, afford
also a staple commodity for exportation. The freight
to London is about 8s. per ton ;* and the vessels in
returning generally bring coals from Sunderland.
The banks in Aberdeen are : the Aberdeen banking
company, already mentioned ; the Aberdeen Town
and County bank, established in 1825 ; and the
North of Scotland banking company, established
in 1836. There are also branches of the Bank of
Scotland, the British Linen company, the Com-
mercial bank of Scotland, and the National bank of
Scotland.
In 1656, when Tucker visited Scotland, there were
9 vessels belonging to Aberdeen of a total burthen of
440 tons. The vessels belonging to the port of Aber-
deen, as distinct from those of Peterhead, Stone-
haven, and Newburgh, amounted, in 1839, to 254,
• The bulk of a ton of granite is about 15 cubit feet. The
prices of Aberdeen granite delivered in London are as follows :
A stone of 15 tons weight, 10s. per cubic foot ; of 12 tons, 9s. ;
of 9 tons, 8s. ; of 6 tons, 6s. ; of 2 tons, 4s. In 1831, 36.352
tons of granite were shipped at Aberdeen. Cubes for paving
are delivered in London at about 20s. per ton. This branch of
trade commenced about the year 1760.
ABERDEEN.
7
of 30,032 tons. The total tonnage within the limits
of the port in 1839, was 43,584; in 1843, 44,550
tons, whereof 3 ,000 tons was steam shipping. The
number of sailing vessels entered and cleared coast-
wise inward, in 1843, was 1,585, of a total tonnage of
144,151 tons; and outwards 941, of a total tonnage
of 82,359. The steam-vessels were 163, of a total
tonnage of 55,233 tons. Besides this, 29 vessels, of
a total tonnage of 8,058 tons, cleared outwards for
the colonies ; and 94 vessels, of a total tonnage of
5,967 tons, for foreign ports. The vessels are em-
ployed principally in the East India, American,
Baltic, Mediterranean, and coasting trades. Some
years ago 14 vessels, averaging 320 tons each, and
navigated by upwards of 500 men, were employed
in the whale-fishing ; but in 1837 there were only
2 vessels employed in this trade. Powerful steam-
vessels sail regularly once a-week between Aber-
deen and London; and steam - vessels sail every
alternate day to Leith during eight months of the
year.
The harbour of Aberdeen was originally nothing
more than an expanse of water communicating with
the sea by a narrow and shallow mouth ; and the
earliest artificial erection within the port was a bul-
wark extending from the Shiprow southward. In
1607 the erection of a pier on the south side of
the channel was begun ; and in 1623 the extension
of the wharf to near the present canal was com-
menced. The Weigh-house was built in 1634 ; and
various additions were made to the quay in the 17th
century. f In 1775 the New pier was begun under
the direction of the celebrated Smeaton. It cost
£18,000; and proved very useful in lowering the
bar at the mouth of the harbour, and preventing
future accumulations of sand and gravel. In 1810
an act was passed authorizing the corporation to
borrow £140,000 for the further improvement of the
harbour. At that time the greatest depth of water
was 19 feet; it is now, at average stream-tides, 21
feet; the extent of wharfage is 5,000 feet in length ;
and the harbour must be regarded as one of the most
commodious in Scotland. This advantage has, how-
ever, been attained at an expenditure of £270,000
within the last 26 years. In 1841 the shore and
harbour dues amounted to £16,318, and the total
income of the harbour to £22, 356, while the expen-
diture amounted to £21 ,843. In 1843, the shore dues
amounted to £23,195; the total income to £28,783;
and the total expenditure to £20,491. These re-
turns are exclusive of the receipts and expenditure
of the annexed harbours and creeks of Boddam,
Catterline, Peterhead, and Stonehaven. The cus-
toms levied here in 1368 amounted to £1,960 Scots;
in 1656 to £82; in 1839, to £71,892 sterling. The
harbour is under the joint management of the magis-
trates and council, and six trustees. There is a
regular ferry from the harbour to the village of
Torrie on the southern shore of the estuary Tlie
Girdleness lighthouse is built on a conspicuous pro-
montory on the larboard hand in entering the port,
in N. lat. 57° 8', and W. long. 2° 3'. It has two
lights — a higher and lower — the former visible at 19,
the latter at 16 miles.
A canal has been made from the harbour into the interior
which joins the river Don, at Inverury, at the distance of 18J
miles north-west from Aberdeen. It was begun in 1795, and
finished in 1807, at an expense of £44,000. It lias an ascent of
168 feet, and 17 locks. Arrangements, we understand, have
t The quay-head was for a long period one of the chief places
of punishment in the burgh. Adultery, incontinence, s wear-
ing, and similar oftences, were expiated by ducking. Here,
likewise, death by drowning was frequently inflicted, in a deep
pool opposite to the Shore-brae, known within the present ecu
turv by the name of the pottie.' Between 1584 and 1587, no
fewer than six criminals suffered in this place. Four ol t.h«-se
WITH females guilty of child-murder ; two were men convicted
of murder.
8
ABERDEEN.
.been completed for the purchase of this canal by the promot-
ers of the Great North of Scotland railway. Tins acquisition
will be of great importance to that undertaking ; while the
district, hitherto accommodated by the canal, will have no
reason to regret the substitution of a railway for all their pre-
sent or prospective wants. This canal was originally pro-
jected by parties connected with the town and county, who
obtained an act for that purpose, the necessary capital being
raised in shares of £50 each. In the course of conducting the
work, the company experienced many difficulties, chiefly owing
to the inadequacy of their original capital ; and they were
obliged to apply, in 1801, for another act to enable them to
raise additionarfunds for carrying on the work. These, how-
ever, still proving insufficient, they had to apply for a supple-
mental act in order to augment their resources. In conse-
anticipal
it has proved of much utility to an extensive rural district,
l>y the facility afforded for transporting lime, manure, coals,
and various descriptions of goods, as well as passengers, at an
easy rate, into the interior of the country.
Three weekly newspapers are published in Aber-
deen. The Journal, which is the oldest, was estab-
lished in 1748. Aberdeen almanacks have long been
celebrated. It appears that these useful manuals
were printed here so early as 1626 — arid probably
some years earlier — by Edward Raban, a printer ori-
ginally from St. Andrews. In 1617 a regular post
was established between Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
So early as 1418 a grammar-school existed here ; and
a school for teaching music, in the 15th century.
Several very ample mortifications and donations for
pious and charitable purposes have been made by
different persons belonging to Aberdeen for the wel-
fare of the community. Robert Gordon, merchant
in Aberdeen, by deed of mortification, of date 13th
December, 1729, and 19th September, 1730, founded
an hospital for the maintenance and education of in-
digent boys, being the sons and grandsons of bur-
gesses of guild of Aberdeen, or the sons and grand-
sons of tradesmen of the said burgh, being freemen
or burgesses thereof; and for the purposes of it he
assigned his whole estate, personal and real, to the
magistrates and the four ministers of Aberdeen,
whom he appointed perpetual patrons and governors
of the hospital. There are at present 112 boys main-
tained and e.ducated in this hospital. The branches
of education taught, are English, grammar, writing,
arithmetic, book-keeping, the elements of geometry,
navigation, geography, French, and church-music.
Boys must not be under 9 years of age when ad-
mitted ; and must leave at 16, when they are put to
proper trades, under the direction of the governors.
The funds have been enlarged by a bequest from a
Mr. Simpson, and amount to about £50,000. A club
for printing the historical and literary remains of the
North-east of Scotland, in imitation of the Banna-
tyne and similar clubs, has been recently formed in
Aberdeen under the title of ' The Spalding club.'
The Marischal college of Aberdeen was founded by George
Keith, fifth Earl-Marischal, in April 1593. According to the
deed of foundation, it was to conrist of a principal, three
teachers denominated regents, six alumni, and two inferior
persons, viz., an economist, and a cook. The principal was
required to be well-instructed in sacred literature, and to be
skilled in Hebrew and Synac ; he was also to be able to give
anatomical and physiological prelections. The first regent
was specially to teach ethics and mathematics ; the second,
logic ; the third, Latin and Greek. The Earl reserved to him-
self and his heirs the nomination to professorships • the ex-
amination and admission of the persons so named being
vested in the chancellor, the rector, the dean of faculty, and
the principal of King's college, the minister of new Aberdeen,
and the ministers of Deer and Fetteresso. The foundation
was confirmed by the General Assembly which met in the same
month in which it was framed ; and a few months after a
confirmation was given by parliament. A charter of confirma-
tion was granted by William, Earl-Marischal, in 1623 ; and a
new confirmation by Charles II. in 1661. In all these charters,
however, it was specially declared that the masters, members!
students and bursars, of the said college, should be subject to
the jurisdiction of the burgh -magistrates. An additional
regent was appointed within a few years after the institution
of the college ; a professorship of divinity was founded in 1616 •
and a mathematical professorship about three years before!
In 1753, the Senutus academicus directed that the students'
after being instructed in classical learning, should be made
acquainted with natural and civil history, geography, chrono-
logy, and the elements of mathematics ; that they should then
proceed to natural philosophy, and terminate their curriculum
by studying moral philosophy. This plan of study, with a few
alterations, has since been continued. The office-bearers in
Marischal college are a chancellor, rector, and dean-of-f acuity.
The chancellor is chosen for life by the senate. The rector is
elected annually by all the students ; as are also his assessors,
four in number. The dean is elected by the senate and the
senior minister of Aberdeen. The Senatus academicus con-
sists of the chancellor, rector, dean, principal, four professors
termed regents, and the professors of divinity, oriental lan-
guages, mathematics, medicine, and chemistry. Besides the
regular professors, there are lecturers on anatomy, physiology,
surgery, materia medica, and Scotch law and conveyancing.
These lecturers derive their appointment from both univer-
sities. The philosophy session commences on the Wednesday
immediately following the lastMondayof October, and ends on
the first Friday of April. The principal was usually, though
not of necessity, professor of divinity. His salary is on an
average £345, exclusive of the emoluments of the divinity
chair, which averages £114. In 1833, a chair of church-history
was founded by the Crown, which is at present held by the
principal, and "the average emoluments of which are £102.
He is appointed by the Crown, in consequence of the forfeiture,
of the Marischal family. The professor of divinity is appointed
by the magistrates and town-council of the burgh. The average
salary of each of the four regents is about £179 ; that of the pro-
fessor of natural history, £330 ; of natural philosophy, £331 ; of
moral philosophy, £310 ; of Greek, £373 ; of mathematics, £336 ;
of oriental languages, £78 ; of medicine, £100 ; of chemistry,
£133. There are 40 foundations for bursaries, for the benefit
of 106 bursars ; 4 of these are of the annual value of £26 ; and
10 of £25 ; but the greater part are from £10 to £5 ; 36 are in
the presentation of the council. The average number of stu-
dents is about 250, exclusive of the divinity and medical stu-
dents who belong to both King's college and Marischal college.
None of the students reside in college. Honorary degrees, in
all the faculties, are occasionally conferred by the university.
The library of Marischal college, in 1827, contained 11,000
volumes ; and the principal and professors had a right, under
a decision of the court of session in 1738, to the use of the books
transmitted from Stationer's hall to the library of King's col-
lege. The only building belonging to the college is the present
fabric, on the site of what was the Franciscan convent. It .was
rebuilt between 1684-1700, and 1739-40 ; and is again rebuild-
ing on an extensive plan, a royal grant of £25,000 having been
made for the purpose. The senate of Marischal college, un-
like that of King's college, are favourable to the leading prin-
ciple of the plan of union of the two universities which has
been recommended by the royal commission. Among the
most eminent alumni of Marischal college were Gilbert Bur-
nett, afterwards bishop of Salisbury, who took his degree of
M. A. here in 1657 ; James Gregory, the inventor of the reflect-
ing telescope ; George Jamesone, the father of painting in
Scotland, and who has been called the Scottish Vandyke ; Dr.
Arbuthnot, the friend 'of Pope ; Colin Maclaurin, the mathe-
matician ; and Dr. Reid, the metaphysician.
Sanitary condition.]— Aberdeen is well situated for effectual
drainage ; but, except in a few of the principal streets built
within the present century, there are no large common sewers.
The lanes, amounting to about 60, are narrow ; and there are
courts or closes to the number of 168, of which the average
breadth is not above 7 feet. The Den-burn is led through the
centre of the town in an open and somewhat ornamental
channel, paved on the bottom and at the sides, and laid out in
cascades ; but this channel is often nearly dry in summer,
while above 45 drains or common sewers discharge themselves
into it within a length of 588 yards. The harbour is a tidal
one, with only a very moderate fall ; and it receives the pol-
luted waters of the Den-burn and of another equally polluted
mill-stream ; and its surface is consequently covered with a
thick fetid mud at low water. There are only two burial-
grounds within the town. Of these St. Nicholas contains 1
acre, 3 roods, 25 poles, divided into 592 graves ; and St. Cle-
ment's 2 roods, 23 poles, divided into 1,055 graves. Both these
burial-places are being forsaken for cemeteries in the suburbs.
The quantity of water supplied to the inhabitants on an aver-
age of one week, is about 570,000 gallons ; but there are a few
public wells. Overcrowded dwelling apartments are very
general. The cholera visited Aberdeen in August 1832. The
number of cases was 260, and chiefiy occurred in Footdee and
the east end of the city. The deaths were 105.
Aberdeen formerly sent one member to parlia-
ment in connection with Montrose, Brechin, Ar-
broath, and Inverbervie. It now returns one for
itself and suburbs, including Old Aberdeen. It has
been represented since 1832 by Alexander Banner-
man, Esq., a gentleman of Whig principles. The
number of voters, in 1835, was 2,166; in 1842-3,
2,582 Aberdeen gives the title of earl to a branch
of the ancient family of Gordon. Sir George Gor-
don of Haddo was executed, in 1644, at Edinburgh,
for his adherence to the cause of Charles I. Sir
John, his eldest son, who was restored to the bar-
onetage and estates after the Restoration, was auc-
ceeded by his brother George, who was created
ABERDEEN.
mncellor of Scotland, and earl of Aberdeen, in
1682. He died in 1720.
Originally, the town of New Aberdeen constituted
IB parish, called the parish of St. Nicholas, which,
in the time of episcopacy, was a rectory and vicar-
It was divided, in 1828, by the authority of
the court of teinds, into six parishes, viz., East
Kirk, West Kirk, North Kirk, South Kirk, Grey-
friar?, and St. Clement's ; all in the presbytery and
synod of Aberdeen : and under the patronage of the
town-council. In 1834, a new arrangement of the
whole into nine q>,.oad sacra parishes was made under
the authority of the General Assembly. Another
quoad sacra parish was created in 1836. The old
parish of St. Nicholas has Nigg on the south, Old
Machar on the west and north, and the sea-coast on
the east ; and extends along the river Dee on the
south about a mile and a half, and nearly the same
distance along the coast side. The shape of the
parish formed by the remaining sides with these is
)retty much that of a quadrangle. The entire par-
sh contains about 1,100 acres, considerably more
than the half of which is occupied by the city of
Aberdeen, the remainder being chiefly taken up by
the links and by garden ground.
The total population of the parish of St. Nicholas,
as shown by the census of 1841, is . . . 36,734
While that ot1 1831 was 32,912
Showing an increase of 3,822
Number of houses is 2,786, giving an average occupation
of nearly 13 persons to each.
The town of Aberdeen from a very early period
possessed four principal churches or chapels. The
most ancient of these was the church dedicated to
Nicholas, who was bishop of Myra in Lycia, and
was chosen patron-saint of the city agreeably to cus-
toms then prevalent. The next churches in date of
jrection were the East church, the church at Futtie,
nd Greyfriars. The present West church stands
on the site of the original church of Saint Nicholas ;
the date of the first erection of which cannot now
ascertained, but it is known to have existed in
the 13th century. In 1732 it became quite ruinous,
and was given up as a place of worship. The East
church occupies the space which was originally used
by the choir of the old church of St. Nicholas. The
building was commenced in 1477, and was conse-
crated by Bishop Elphinston in 1508, having been
upwards of thirty years in building.
: Greyfriars was repaired and fitted up with pews
1617 ; and afterwards, in 1768, was shortened
about 20 feet in length, and was to a considerable ex-
tent renewed, having the aisle on the east side added,
with a new roof. The side walls and south end,
however, are understood to be those of the original
building.
A chapel was founded in 1498, at Futtie, or Foot-
dee, by the magistrates and council, for the benefit
of the fishing population. The first settled chaplain
was in 1510. After the Reformation the place fell
into decay, and remained neglected until 1631, when
it was rebuilt and used as a church in connection
with the Protestant establishment. This building
stood until 1787, when, on the settlement of the
late Dr. Thomson, a new church was erected,
which was taken down in 1828, the present church
being then built at a little distance from the old site.
The total amount of sittings afforded in the twelve
parish churches is 13,592. The stipends and entire
expenses, including the repairs of the churches, de-
frayed from the kirk-fund, under the charge of the
town-council, amounted in 1841 to £1,800, while
there was paid into that fund from teinds and mor-
tifications, £504, and from seat- rents, £1,263, mak-
ng from these two sources, £1,767. The collec-
:
tions from the six civil parishes to the poor's fund
for 1841 amounted to £572 14s. 7fd., besides va-
rious collections to the town's charitable institu-
tions by all the twelve parish churches, amounting
to fully £250. A debt (now amounting to upwards
of £19,000) has been accumulating in the town's
accounts against the kirk-fund, arising principally
from the large sum of £10,500 laid out by the ma-
gistrates in building the North church.
There are sessional schools in the East, North,
Greyfriars, Union, John Knox, Trinity, and Mar-
iners' parishes, affording accommodation sufficient
for about 2,500 scholars. The fees are generally l£d.
and 2d. per week, and gratuitous to poor children.
1st, J<kist Kirk. This parish is in the very centre of the
city, and is composed of portions of Greyfriars, and of the
East, North, an/1 West parishes. Population, in 1835, 4,512, of
whom 2,623 belonged to the establishment. Pop. in 1841,
4,037. The old chiirch was lately taken down, and a new one
opened in May 1837. Sittings 1,705. Cost £5,000. Stipend
£300, paid by the corporation. — The United Secession congre-
gation, in St. Nicholas Lane, was established in 1794. This
church was built in 1801 ; cost £850 ; and accommodates 624.
Stipend £150, and a house.— The United Secession congrega-
tion in George-street has been established about 16 years.
Chapel built in 1821 ; cost £1,170 ; sittings 747. Stipend £150.
— St. Paul's Episcopal chapel was erected in 1722, at an ex-
pense of £1,000 ; number of sittings 900. Stipend £213. It is
not subject to the jurisdiction of any bishop, but is managed
by eleven managers elected tor life by the congregation. — the
Original Burgher congregation, in the Netherkirkgate, was
established in 1757. Church built in 1772, and exteriorly re-
paired in 1827. Sittings 700. Stipend £100, and £20 for a
house. — A congregation calling itself the Holy Catholic Apos-
tolic congregation, established in 1836, meets in St. John-street.
— There is a Unitarian congregation, which was established
in 1836. — A Wesleyan Methodist congregation was established
many years ago. This chapel has 900 sittings. Stipend £115,
and £15 for a house. The minister has two colleagues, with
incomes of about £50 each. — There is no parish-school ; but
there are fifteen private schools within this parish.
2d, West Kirk. This is wholly a town-parish. The popula-
tion of the quoad civilia parish, in 1831, was 8,930 ; in 1841,
10,186 ; of the quoad sacra parish — which is exclusive of the
whole of Spring-Gardens, and portions of the East and South
parishes — in 1836, 2,024, of whom 1,277 belonged to the estab-
lishment ; and in 1841, 2,218. Church built about 1754, and
enlarged in 1836. Sittings 1,454. Stipend £300 ; paid by the
corporation. — An Independent congregation was established
here in 1798. Chapel cost £1,000. Sittings 870. Stipend £150.
— A Relief congregation was formed in 1804. Chapel cost
£1,000. Sittings 900.— Here is a parish-school. Average at-
tendance 80. Salary and school fees £142 ; emoluments £60.
There are eight other schools, attended by about 1,200 pupils.
3d. North Kirk. This is wholly a town-parish. A portion of
St. Clement's was annexed to it, and a portion of it given to
East parish, quoad sacra, in 1834. In 1831 the population of
the quoad civilia parish was 4,616, of whom 2,864 belonged to
the establishment; in 1841, the population was 5,381. The
church was opened in 1831. It is in the Grecian style, and
cost £10,500. Sittings 1,486. Minister's stipend £300 ; paid by
the corporation. — St. Andrew's Episcopal church has existed
here since 1688. The total number of communicants is 1,200,
of whom the greater part reside in Old Machar parish. The
church is a handsome Gothic building, erected in 1817, at an
expense of £8,000. It is 90 feet in length by 65 in breadth ; and
contains a fine statue of Bishop John Skinner by Flaxman.
Sittings 1,100. Stipend of senior minister, in 1836-7, £828 ;
stipend of junior minister £t.'20. — There is an Independent
congregation in Frederick-street, occupying a chapel built in
1807, at an expense of £900. Sittings 580. Stipend £110.— St.
Peter's Roman Catholic chapel was built in 1803-4; cost
£2,500. Sittings 650. Stipend about £90. A handsome school,
erected in 1832, is attached to this chapel, and attended by
about 120 children. — The school founded by that portion of
Dr. Bell of Calcutta's bequest which was assigned to New
Aberdeen, is in this parish. It is attended by 400 boys and
200 girls, under a male and female teacher; the branches taught
are English, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and geography.
There is also an Infant school.
4th, South Kirk. In the quoad satra arrangement of 1834,
the parish of Trinity was disjoined from South parish, and
part of West parish annexed to it. The population of the par-
ish quoad civilia, in 1831, was 4,313, of whom 1,876 belonged to
the establishment ; in 1841, 3,934. Before this parish was first
erected in 1828, the church in it was a chapel-of-ease. The
heads of families in this parish are entitled to recommend
two candidates, one of whom the council is bound to present
to the living. The old chapel was taken down, and the pre-
sent church erected in 1830-1, at an expense of £4,544. Sit-
tings 1,562. Stipend £300.— The United Secession church in
St. Nicholas-street was built in 1779-80, at a cost of about
£1,000. Sittings 808. Stipend of senior minister £100 ; of ju-
nior £100. — The Independent chapel in Blackfriars-street was
erected in 1821, at an expense of £1,276. Sittings 950. Stipend
£100.— In 1834, there were twelve schools in this parish, at-
tended by about 1,100 children.
10
ABERDEENSHIRE.
5th, Grey friars. In the new arrangement of 1834, part of
West parish was annexed to this parish, and the whole of the
parish of John Knox disjoined from it, quoad sacra. The po-
pulation of the quoad cimlia parish, in 1831, was 4,706, of whom
1 661 belonged to the establishment ; in 1841, 5,356. The parish
church is what was formerly called the College church. It is
the oldest parish church now in Aberdeen. Sittings 1,042.
Stipend £250 • paid by the corporation.— The Society of Friends
have a Meeting-house in this parish, with 350 sittings. The
earliest record of the Society in Aberdeen is dated 1762 ; it
consisted of 21 individuals in 1837. This sect was numerous
in Aberdeen between the year 1664 and 1679, when many of
them suffered imprisonment here, and amongst others the fa-
mous Robert Barclay. The parish minister reported that, m
1834 there were six "adventure schools" in this parish, at-
tended by about 200 children ; and that he had established one
"of the nature of a parochial school" attended by 240 chil-
6th, St. Clement's. In the new arrangement of 1834, portions
of this parish were annexed quoad sacra to Union and North
parishes. The population of the quoad cimlia parish, in 1831,
was 6,501, of whom 3,044 belonged to the establishment ; in
1841 the population was 7,092. The parish church, a neat
structure in the Gothic style, was erected in 1828 on the site of
what was once Footdee church, and where a chapel had stood
previous to the Reformation. Cost £2,600 ; sittings 800. Sti-
pend in 1835, £279 11s. lOJd., derived from the half-barony of
Torrie the glebe of Footdee, and seat-rents.— There is no pa-
rochial school, but there are from eight to ten schools not pa-
rochial, attended by about 400 children. One of these is patro-
nized by the magistrates ; and another is an endowed free-
7th, ' Union. This is a quoad sacra parish, disjoined from
East parish and St Clement's in 1834. In 1835-6, the popula-
tion amounted to 3,693, of whom 2,407 belonged to the estab-
lishment. By census of 1841 the population was returned at
2,790 ; houses 226. The church was built in 1822, at a cost of
about £2,600. Sittings 1,238. Stipend £150, paid from the
seat-rents.— A seamen's chapel was erected in this parish in
1822, at an expense of £800. Sittings 570.
8th, Spring-Gardens. This parish was divided from the
West parish, and annexed as a parish quoad sacra to the
Gaelic church in 1834. Its population, in 1835, was 1,486,
chiefly labourers and operatives ; in 1841, 1,887. The church
was built in 1795, at a cost of about £800. Sittings 700. The
service is conducted in Gaelic in the forenoon, and in English
in the afternoon and evening. Stipend £150 ; paid by the con-
gregation.
9th, Trinity. This parish was divided quoad sacra from the
South parish in 1834. The population, in 1835, was 2,252, of
whom 1,425 belonged to the establishment ; in 1841, 2,058. The
church was erected in 1794 as a chapel-of-ease, at a cost of
about £1,700. Sittings 1,247. Stipend £200 ; paid from seat-
rents ; with a manse. — The United Christian congregation
was established in 1779. It assembles in a chapel which is
private property. Sittings 990. Stipend about £115.
10th, John Knox. This parish was disjoined quoad sacra
from Greyfriars parish in 1836. Its population in that year
was estimated at 2,710 ; in 1841 it was 3,477. The church was
erected in 1835, at a cost of about £1,000, and seats 1,054 per-
sons. Stipend £130, derived from seat-rents.
llth, Melville. This quoad sacra parish, formed out of West
parish, had a population, in 1841, of 1,831. Houses 135. Be-
fore the Reformation, there were several chapels within the
burgh and royalty annexed to and dependent upon the par-
ish-church, particularly St. Mary's chapel, under the East
church ; St. Catharine's chapel, founded in 1242, which stood
upon the hill of that name ; St. Ninian's chapel on the Castle-
hill ; and St. Clement's chapel at Footdee. There were like-
wise monasteries of several different orders of friars estab-
lished in Aberdeen. The Black friars had their establishment
on the School-hill, where Gordon's hospital and the Grammar-
school now stand. The Carmelite, or White friars' monastery,
was on the south side of the Green, near Carmelite-street ;
and the Greyfriars in the Broadgate, where the Marischal
college and church are now situated. The Trinity or Matu-
rine friars also had a rich establishrr ent in Aberdeen.
ABERDEENSHIRE, an extensive county on
the north-east coast of Scotland ; bounded on the
north and east by the German ocean ; on the south
by the counties of Kincardine, Forfar, and Perth ;
and on the west by Inverness-shire and Banffshire.
Its outline is very irregular. It extends about 86
miles in length, from Cairneilar, or Scarscoch, the
south-west point of Braemar, where the counties of
Inverness, Perth, and Aberdeen meet; to Cairn-
bulg, a promontory forming the eastern point of the
bay of Fraserburgh on the north-east ; and about
47 miles in breadth, from the mouth of the Dee on
the east, to the head-springs of the Don, on the
skirts of Banffshire, on the west. Aberdeenshire
is the fifth Scottish county in point of area, and
the third as respects population. The extent of
sea-coast is about 70 miles. Its circumference is
about 280 miles ; its extent has been estimated at
1,970 square miles, or 1,260,800 square acres. It
comprehends the districts of ABERDEEN, ALFORD,
the greater part of DEER or BUCHAN, ELLON, GA-
RIOCH, KINCARDINE O'NEIL, STRATHBOGIE, and
TURRIFF : which see. In ancient times its recog-
nised divisions were Buchan on the north ; Mar on
the south-west; and Fromartin, Garioch, and Strath-
bogie in the middle. The Farquhars, Forbeses, and
Gordons, are the principal septs of this district of
country. The Taixai or Taezali were the possessors
of the soil in Roman times.
The south-western parts of this county are ex-
tremely rugged and mountainous ; towards the east
and north-east the country is more level. About
two-thirds of the entire surface are covered with hills,
moors, and mosses. The principal mountains are
Ben-Macdhu, 4,390 feet ; Cairntoul, 4,245 ; Ben-
Aven, 3,967; Loch-nagarr, 3,777; Ben-Uarn,3,589;
Scarscoch, 3,402. Cairngorm is not in Aberdeen-
shire, though frequently described as belonging to
this county The soil is of various qualities. In
the lower parts of the county towards the coast,
clay and sand prevail ; but, in the higher districts,
moor and till are predominant. About one-fifth of
the surface consists of high mountainous tracts ; and
hills, moors, and other waste lands occupy nearly
two-thirds of the area of the county. By far the
greater part of the united parishes of Braemar and
Crathie, containing nearly 200,000 acres, is incap-
able of cultivation. In the adjacent highland parish
of Strathdon, containing 68,000 acres, the arable
land does not exceed 5,000 acres. But in both these
districts agriculture is making steady progress.
Their principal crops are Angus oats and turnips.
Of about 40,000 acres between the Don and Dee,
and midway between the sources and mouths of these
rivers, nearly 16,000 acres are under the plough, arid
the rent of arable land here may be averaged at 16s.
per acre. The land is here cultivated on a rotation
of seven years ; turnips are succeeded by bear or by
oats with grass seeds ; then the land is laid down in
grass for three years, and then two successive crops
of oats are taken. The cattle are chiefly the long-
horned black or brown Aberdeenshire breed. The
arable land of this county lies principally between
the Don and the Ythan, in the districts of Fromartin
and Garioch, in Strathbogie, and between the Ugie
and the sea on the north. About 200,000 acres of
land throughout the county are annually under oats ;
the cultivation of wheat is seldom attempted, and
very little hay is made. Turnips are very exten-
sively grown, and fat cattle are exported in great
numbers to the London market. Sheep-farming is
little followed. In 1811 the sheep-stock did not
exceed 100,000 head, and the number has not
greatly increased since that period. Tenantry-at-
will is now almost entirely unknown in this county:
leases are usually from 19 to 21 years. The ten-
ant's choice in the management of his land was, until
lately, exclusively restricted to the five and seven-
course rotations, which are those most commonly
practised in this county, and he is usually allowed
three years after entering on the farm to determine
which course of cropping is likely to be the most
eligible under the circumstances. The six-course
shift has recently been introduced, and being re-
garded by all intelligent farmers as the best adapted
to the nature of the soil of which this county is
chiefly composed, and most consonant with the prin-
ciples of correct husbandry, bids fair to supersede
the above-named rotations at no distant period.
The general character of this county is bleak
and uninviting, but there are many marked excep-
tions from this prevailing cast of scenery, especially
in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, and the larger
Iwns, and along the courses of the large rivers,
he shores are generally bold and rugged, occasion-
ally rising into lofty precipices, and scooped out into
extensive caverns ; immediately to the north of
Aberdeen, however, there are extensive sand-flats.
Large forests of natural wood occur in some of the
interior districts, especially in Braemar, Glentanner,
and Mortlach. In these regions, "the mountains
seem to be divided by a dark sea of firs, whose uni-
formity of hue arid appearance affords inexpressible
solemnity to the scene, and carries back the mind to
those primeval ages when the axe had not yet in-
vaded the boundless region of the forest." The
Scotch fir is very generally distributed, and reaches
an elevation in this county of 2,000 to 2,300 feet.
At Invercauld there is a tree of this species measur-
ing 23 feet in girth at the soil ; another in Mar for-
est measures 22 feet 4 inches ; and other two in the
same locality 19 feet. The best specimens in the
eyes of a timber merchant occur at Aboyne. The
larch is also a general tree in this county, rising from
sea-level to 1,800 feet. The climate is on the whole
mild, considering its northern situation ; the winters
e not so cold, nor the summers so warm or so long,
in the southern counties. The mean temperature
Aberdeen, from nineteen years' observation by the
ite Mr. Innes, is 47° 1' ; at Buchanness from regis-
»rs for 1834-5-6, 47° 3' ; at Alford, 26 miles inland,
id 420 feet above sea-level, 40° '03. Generally
le mean of the three summer months is about 10°
jber than that of the whole year ; and the mean
winter as much below. — With regard to miner-
logy, this county is not peculiarly rich. The granite
quarries are its most valuable mineral treasures. See
preceding article, NEW ABERDEEN. The ordinary
granite of Aberdeenshire is a small grained stone of
the common ternary compound of quartz, felspar,
mica. Sometimes it passes into greenstone of
trap family, and sometimes into basalt. It
is the great mass of the Grampian chain. All
ie quarries around Aberdeen are of white granite
ith a bluish tint. The granite quarried near Peter-
lead is of a red colour, and of much larger grain
than that of Aberdeen. There are several quar-
ries in the parish of Aberdour which yield excellent
millstones ; a quarry of blue slate is wrought in the
parish of Culsalmond ; and a vein of grey manganese
exists in the neighbourhood of Old Aberdeen. In
the parish of Huntly there are indications of metal-
lic ores ; and plumbago, or black lead, has been
discovered here. Aberdeenshire abounds with lime-
stone; but, owing to the scarcity of coal, it cannot be
wrought to much advantage, except near a seaport.
Some kelp is made on the coast. The mineral waters
of Peterhead in the north, and Pannanich in the south,
are celebrated — About 6,400 acres of the superficial
extent of this county are occupied with lakes. The
rivers of Aberdeenshire are the DEE, the DON, the
YTHAN, the BOGIE, the URIE, the UGIE, and the
CRUDEN : the DEVERON also rises in Aberdeen-
shire, though it has its embouchure in the county of
Banff : See separate articles under these heads.
All these rivers flow into the German ocean ; and
have long been celebrated — especially the first two
— for the excellence of the salmon with which they
abound. Besides the fishings in the rivers, the sea-
coast of Aberdeenshire abounds with excellent fish,
and a number of fishing vessels are fitted out from
the sea-ports of this county, particularly from Peter-
head and Fraserburgh There is one canal, extend-
ing up the valley of the Don from New Aberbeen
harbour to Inverury. It has been described in the
preceding article.
Aberdeenshire has been long noted for its woollen
manufactures, particularly the knitting of stockings
ABERDEENSHIRE.
11
and hose, in which numbers of the common people
are constantly employed. The cotton, linen, and
sail-cloth manufactures have been successfully intro-
duced, particularly in Aberdeen, Peterhead, and
Huntly. In 1831, there were about 1,600 hands
employed in the linen, woollen, and cloth manufac-
tures, in Old and New Aberdeen, and about 700 in
other districts of the county. In 1841 the carpet-
manufactory within this county emp.oycd 186 per-
sons ; cotton manufactures, 1,448; flax and linen,
3,489 ; lint, 233 ; rope, cord, and twine, 224 ;
stockings, 1,330 ; woollen and worsted, 840 ; paper,
173; combs, 220. There were also 384 bakers,
1,289 blacksmiths, 2,033 boot and shoe makers,
227 cabinet-makers, 563 gardeners, 153 iron-found-
ers, 1,299 masons, 155 millwrights, 230 quarriers,
1,278 tailors, and 407 weavers.
Aberdeenshire contains three royal boroughs, viz.
ABERDEEN, KINTORE, and INVERURY ; and several
handsome towns, as PETERHEAD, FRASERBURGH,
HUNTLY, TURRIFF, and OLD MELDRUM : See these
articles. The county-prison and bridewell are in
Aberdeen ; and there are burgh-prisons at Old Aber-
deen, Old Meldrum, Inverury, Kintore, Peterhead,
and Fraserburgh. The chief seats are, Huntly-lodge,
the seat of the Marquis of Huntly ; Slain 's castle,
Earl of Errol ; Keithhall, Earl of Kintore ; Aboyne-
castle, Earl of Aboyne ; Mar-lodge, Earl of Fife ;
Philorth-house, Lord Saltoun ; Putachie, Lord For-
bes ; Fy vie-castle, General Gordon ; and Ellon-cas-
tle, Earl of Aberdeen. Besides these, Monymusk,
Fintry-house, Invercauld, Pitfour, Logic - Elphin-
stone, Leith-hall, Freefield, Abergeldie, Skene-house,
and Cluny, are elegant residences Aberdeenshire
is divided into 90 quoad civilia parishes, 14 quoad
sacra parishes, and one chapelry. The synod of
Aberdeen comprehends eight presbyteries, namely,
Aberdeen, Alford, Deer, Ellon, Fordyce, Garioch,
Kincardine O'Neil, and Ttirriff. The presbytery of
Strathbogie is under the synod of Moray The
county sends one member to parliament. The num-
ber of electors, in 1838, was 3,142; in 1842-3,
3,429. — The valued rent of the whole county in
Scottish money, is £241,931 8s. lid.; the annual
value of the real property as assessed in 1815,
£325,218; as assessed to property and income-tax
in 1842-3, £605,802; whereof £423,388 was on
lands, and £145,365 on houses.
The population, in 1800, was 123,082; in 1811,
135,075; in 1821, 155,387; in 1831, 177,657. The
total number of families, in 1831, was 39,930 ; of
inhabited houses, 29,502. The population in 1841
amounted to 192,387, and the inhabited houses to
32,063, according to the following summary of the
returns from the several districts into which the
county is divided, viz.,
Houses.
Aberdeen
Alford
Deer or Buchan
Ellon
Garioch
Kincardine O'Neil
Strathbogie
Turriff
2,380
7,130
2,828
3,332
3,132
1,983
2,614
32,063
Population.
76,938
12,091
34,^5
14,418
14,987
9,7(i2
12,994
192,387
Of this population, 44,013 were under 20 years of
age; and 166,352 were natives of the county; 21,998
were born in other parts of Scotland; 1,711 were
natives of England ; 1,037 were natives of Ireland ;
22 of the colonies ; and 170 were foreigners ; leav-
ing 1,097 whose places of birth had not been ascer-
tained. The number of persons engaged in com-
merce, trade, and manufactures, in 1841, was
27,937, or 15'5 per cent. ; in agriculture, 25,224, or
13' 1 per cent The number of female servants was
ABE
12
ABE
18 377 ; of male servants, 1,334; of alms-people and
pensioners, 1,947; of the medical profession 341 ;
of the clerical, 220; of the legal, 174; of indepen-
dent means, 6,837. The number of persons com-
mitted for trial, or bailed, during 1841, was 92,
whereof 26 was for offences against the person,
and 52 for offences against property.
The three principal lines of road in this county
are- 1st, from Aberdeen, running west and south-
west by Midmar, Tarland, and Crathie, to Castleton
of Braemar, and then turning south and entering
Perthshire by the Spital. 2d, From Aberdeen
north-west by Old Meldrum, to Banff. 3d, From
Aberdeen north-westwards to Alford, and thence
south, through Strathbogie to Portsoy.
Ri'dwavs.— This county, in common with other districts of
the country, is about to partake of the advantages of railway
communication. By the Aberdeen railway now executing, it will
be placed in connection with Dundee, Perth, Stirling, and the
south. The length of this line, including branches, is 66 miles.
Commencing at the harbour and wet docks in the centre of
Aberdeen, it proceeds by the villages of Cove, Portlethen,
Skateraw, and others, to the county-town of Stonehaven ;
thence through the fertile district of the Mearns, near to the
villages of Drumlithie, Auchinblae, Laurencekirk, Marykirk,
Dubton. and Bridge of Dun, putting off a branch 3 miles
160 yards in length to the docks at Montrose, and another of 3
miles 862 yards to Brechin. It is proposed that the line shall
be continued to Friockheim on the one hand, forming there,
at a point 49 miles 930 yards distant from the Aberdeen ter-
minus, a junction with the railways already finished to Ar-
broath and Dundee, and the Edinburgh and Northern, through
Fife, and having a fork to Guthrie 1 mile 1,547 yards in length ;
and, on the other hand, it may be continued to Forfar, where
it will meet the Northern Junction railway from Perth through
Strathmore, thus connecting it with the Scottish Central line.
This railway is carried by a viaduct, nearly a mile in length,
from the terminus at Ab'erdeen to Devanha, and by another
viaduct over the Dee at Polmuir. By this line the distances
from Aberdeen to the following important places will be as
follows, viz. : —
To Edinburgh, via Arbroath, Dundee, and through
Fife 125 miles.
Ditto via Forfar, Perth, and Stirling, . 157 —
To Glasgow, via Forfar, Perth, and Stirling, . 152 —
Ditto via Dundee, Perth, and Stirling, . 157 —
The capital of the company has been fixed at £830,000 in £50
shares. The estimated revenue is £81,840. It is expected
that the whole line will be opened early in 1848. — It has been
proposed to execute a branch-railway from a point near the
Aberdeen terminus of the line now described, to Banchory.
This line will run along the northern side of the Dee, and be
about 7 miles in length, with a ruling gradient of 1 in 278. Its
expense as a single line will be about £100,000, including the
erection of a bridge over the Dee neai'ly opposite the house of
Durris.
Another projected line, known as the Great North of Scot-
land railway, will commence at the Aberdeen company's sta-
tion, in the centre of Aberdeen, and proceed, by Old Aber-
deen, along the fertile valley of the Don, through the burghs of
Kintore and Inverury, from thence through "insch, Kinneth-
inont, and the towns of Huntly, Keith, Elgin, Forres, and
Nairn, on to Inverness, where a convenient communication can
also be formed with the Caledonian canal. This line passes
through the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Moray, Nairn, and
Inverness ; and it is proposed to form three branch-lines in
connection with the trunk-line : The first to Banff and Port-
soy, leaving the main line at Strathisla. The second to Foch-
abers, leaving the trunk-line near the point where it crosses
the Spey. The third to Lossiemouth, or Burghead, from
Elgin. Its length, as at present projected, will be 108 miles.
The cost of executing the main line and branches, Mr Gibb
estimates at under £1,500,000.
An opposing line to the above, known as the Aberdeen, Banff
and Elgin m«way,has also been projected. The scheme consists
it two parts, in a great measure independent of each other
The principal consists of a main line from Aberdeen to Elgin
by Belhelvie, Foveran, Udny, a portion of the valley of the
Ythan, and by Turriff, &c., along the Deveron, to Banff; thence
skirting the shore westwards, touching at Portsov Cullen
Buckle, &c.( and uniting with the Inverness and Elgin line in
the vicinity of the latter town. The length of this line is
about 76 miles. The other project contemplates the forma-
tion oi a line running almost due north by Ellon to Fraser
burgh, and diverging at two separate points so as to brin»
within its influence the important sea-ports of Peterhead and
Newburgh. The length of this railway, including the two di
verging lines, is about 40 miles. The whole length of the line"
including branches, will be 119 miles. Capital £1,250,000.
ABERDOUR, a parish in the north of Aberdeen-
shire ; bounded on the north by the German ocean,
or Moray frith, along which it extends about 6£
miles; on the east by the parishes of Pitsliiro and
Tyrie ; on the south by Tyrie, New-Deer, and King-
Edward parishes ; and on the west by the latter
parish, and that of Gamrie. This parish takes its
name from a rivulet, about 3 miles in length, which
rises in the high grounds near Glenhouse, and dis-
charges itself into the sea about 200 paces below the
church. The form of the parish is irregular. Its
extent from north-east to south-west is about 11
miles. Its breadth, measuring from the church on
the north coast southward, is 6£ miles; but, on the
south-east, a portion of the parish is detached from
the rest by the parish of Tyrie, which, for about a
mile of breadth, intervenes, and cuts off three farm
towns, extending to about 800 acres. This detach-
ed part of the parish is believed to have been formerly
grazing places attached to the barony of Aberdour.
The face of the country is rugged, and the soil of
very different qualities : on the sea-coast it is partly
clay, or red loam ; in the moors it is black, cold, and
watery. On the west side of the parish are three
deep hollows, or glens, with a rivulet in each, called
the den of Aberdour, the den of Auchmedden, and
the den of Troup. Each of these dens, as they ad-
vance from the sea-coast, branch out on either side
into lesser ones, which lose themselves in mosses
and moors, at a distance of about 3 miles from the
sea. The eastern side of the parish is more level,
and presents corn-fields, interspersed with heaths,
and, near the sea, with large tracts of ground pro-
ducing a coarse kind of grass called reesk. In the
southern part of the parish is the den of Glasby, in
which the northern branch of the Ugie flowing to the
south-east rises. The greater part of this side of
the parish consists of mosses and moors, sprinkled
here and there with corn-fields; the western border
of the parish, along its whole breadth, presents con-
tinued mosses and moors The sea-coast, especially
to the west of the church, is bold and precipitous: so
much so that in the whole length of the parish there
are only three openings where boats can land, — one
in the north-east corner ; one immediately below the
church ; and a third where the burns of Troup and
Auchmedden discharge themselves into the sea, near
the small fishing- village of Pennan, and where, about
a century ago, a small harbour existed, now totally
destroyed. Along the coast are numerous caves,
entering from the, sea. The most remarkable of
these, near the borders of Pitsligo parish, called
Cows-haven, runs up into the country, "nobody
knows how far." About half-a-mile east of the
church, are the remains of the ancient castle of Dun-
dargue, upon a rock of red free-stone which rises to
the height of 64 feet from the beach immediately
below. It is surrounded by the sea when the tide
flows, save where a narrow neck of rock and earth
joins the castle to the main-land. Population, in
1801, 1,304; in 1831, L54S; in 1841, 1,645—
whereof 376 were in the village of New Aberdour,
and 168 in the village of Pennan. Assessed property,
in 1815, £2,839. Houses in 1831, 325; in 1841,
366. In 1831, 28 hands were employed in fishing, and
151 as agricultural labourers This parish is in the
presbytery of Deer, and synod of Aberdeen. Sti-
pend £204 7s. lOd. Glebe £12. Patron, Gordon of
Aberdour. Schoolmaster's salary £32 ; school-fees
£8 5s. 6d. Scholars average 40; about an equal
number are taught at two private schools.
ABERDOUR, a parish on the south coast of
Fife. The name — signifying 'the mouth of the
Dour ' — is taken from a rivulet which empties itself
into the Forth, a little below the village of Aberdour.
It is bounded by Dalgety on the west ; by Auchter-
toul on the north ; by Kinghorn and Burntisland on
the east; and by the frith of Forth on the south. It
is about 3 miles in length from east to west ; and as
ABE
13
ABE
much from north to south. A small part of the parish,
called Kilrie-Yetts, is detached from the rest, by the
intervening parish of Burntisland. The numher of
acres is about 5,000. The northern part is cold, being
considerably above the level of the sea. On the
south of a ridge, which runs across the parish from
east to west, the soil and climate are much more
kindly. The south part is well-cultivated, and in-
closed. The valued rent is £7,015 10s. Scots.
The parish abounds with coal, lime, and free stone.
The limestone on the coast is shipped at a commo-
dious harbour which the Earl of Morton built for
the purpose. The parish stretches along the shore
above two miles. From the eastern boundary at Star-
lyburn, the coast is rugged and steep. On the west
of the town of Aberdour, there is a beautiful white
sandy bay, surrounded with trees. The small harbour
of Aberdour is \vell-sheltered from all winds. The
shipping at present consists of a few small vessels.
There is a steam-boat to Newhaven. The village
is a favourite bathing-resort from Edinburgh during
the summer. It is 2-i miles west of Burntisland ;
and 8 noith by west of Edinburgh. The prospect
across the frith is very beautiful. On the right lies
the island of Inchcolm, with the ruins of its monas-
tery ; on the left appears the town of Burntisland,
which here seems to be seated on the sea. The
islands of Inchkeith, Cramond, Mlckry, and Carcary,
are also seen, and the coast of Lothian is just dis-
tant enough to be seen with advantage. The city
of Edinburgh rises in view, and the Pentland hills
terminate the prospect. The village of Aberdour is
about a quarter of a mile from the sea. It is sur-
rounded by rising grounds, except towards the south.
Between the village and the sea are a number of
line old spreading trees. The venerable old castle
of Aberdour stands on the eastern bank of the rivulet,
•which, taking a winding course below it, falls into
the frith in front. To the north of this ruin stands
the house of Hillside, surrounded with fine shrub-
beries. Between this and the village, the rivulet
runs in the bottom of a little rich strath. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,260; in 1831, 1,751, of whom about
70 were employed in the freestone quarries and
coal pits recently opened, and 63 families in
agriculture. Houses 262. A. P. £3,964. The
parish of Aberdour belonged to the monastery of
Inchcolm, founded, about the beginning of the 12th
century, by Alexander I. Sibbald says, that the
western part of Aberdour was given by one of the
Mortimers to this monastery, for the privilege of
burying in the church. It had come by marriage to
the Mortimers from the Viponts, who held it in the
12th century. This western part of Aberdour, to-
gether with the lands and barony of Beath, is said to
have been acquired from an abbot of Inchcolm, by
James, after wards Sir James Stuart. See INCH-
COLM.— The parish itself was formed by disjunction
from the parishes of Beath and Dalgety about the
year 1640. It is in the presbytery of Dunfermline, and
synod of Fife. Church built in 1790; repaired in
1826 ; sittings 579. The Karl of Morton is patron.
Stipend £207 14s. 6d. ; with glebe of 4^ acres, valued
at .£13. The schoolmaster's salary is £100 Scots,
or £34 4s. 4^d ; his other fees amount to above £50.
The ordinary number of scholars is about 120. There
is a day-school at the collieries in the northern part
of the parish, and a female-school in the village of
Aberdour. There is an hospital in the village for
four widows, founded by Anne, countess of Moray.
The earl of Moray presents three of the inmates, and
the Writers to the signet the fourth. The sisterhood
of the Poor Clares had a nunnery here. — Not far from
the village of Aberdour, on the top of a hill, there
ia one of those cairns or tumuli so frequently met
with in Scotland.— The old ballad of Sir Patrick
Spens represents that gallant seaman as having
perished with his fair charge, Margaret of Norway, —
" Half o\ver, half cnver, to Aberdour ;"
that is, we conceive, midway between Norway and
this little port. Sir Walter Scott, however, prefers
the reading of some copies, —
" O forty miles oft' Aberdeen ;"
remarking that in a voyage from Norway, a shipwreck
on the north coast seems as probable as either in the
frith of Forth or Tuy. But as Aberdour was the
nearest port to Dunfermline, where the royal court
held seat, and as the commissioners, whom graver
though by no means well-accredited history relates
were sent to escort the queen, namely, Wemyss of
Wemyss, and Scott of Balwearie, belonged to this
neighbourhood, we think there is a greater weight of
probability for the common reading:
" Half o\v«»r, half ovver, to Aberdour,
'Tis fifty fathoms deep,
And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens
Wi' the Scotch lords at his feet."
ABERFELDIE, a considerable village in the
parish of Dull, Perthshire, on the southern banks of
the Tay, at the junction of the Glencofield road
from the south, with the great road up the Tay from
Taymouth, from which latter place it is distant about
5 miles. The Tay is crossed by a bridge opposite
Aberfeldie built by General Wade. The Central
bank of Scotland has a branch in this village. The
scenery of this district is among the most interesting
on the whole course of the Tay. — The lowest and
finest fall on the burn of Moness is about 1 mile, and
the upper fall 1£ mile to the south of this village.
The burn of Moness, a little above the village of
Aberfeldie, is " bounded by high impending rocks,
from whose chasms and crevices," says a tasteful ob-
server, " tine trees and matted underwood seem to
start, deepening the gloom below ; while a narrow
and dangerous path at their base leads you, with the
effect of gradual initiatory preparation, to the cas-
cades themselves. These form a retiring succes-
sion (they are three in number) of brilliant gushing
torrents, gradually veiled, as they recede from the eye,
by the thin leafy screen of the over-arching woods,
which render it one of the completest specimens of
the secluded waterfall that I have ever seen."
ABERFOYLE,* a parish in the south-west corner
of Perthshire ; bounded on the north by Loch
Katrine and Loch Achray, which separate it from
Callander parish ; on the east by the parish of Port-
of-Menteith ; on the south and west by Stirlingshire.
Its greatest admeasurement is from the east end of
Loch Arclet, on the north-west, to the bridge across
the Forth, on the road from Gartmore, in the south
eastern extremity, a distance of about 11 miles; its
greatest breadth from north to south is towards the
centre of the parish, and about 6 miles. The general
aspect of this district is extremely picturesque.
It is a narrow tract of country, bounded on every
side by lofty hills and mountains. The bottom of the
valley is occupied by a series of beautiful lakes, skirted
with woods of oak, ash, and birch ; and their banks
are occasionally diversified with scanty portions of cul-
tivated ground, the soil of which has, in the course
of ages, been washed down from the mountains,
and deposited by the streams. The mountains
are in some instances clothed with oak-woods more
than half-way up ; the lower eminences are, for the
most part, covered to their summits ; the higher re-
* This parish derives its name from the term aber, and ;•
email river, called, in Gaelic, the Poll, or 'the stagnating
water,' which falls into the Forth near the kirk-town. " In
that language," says Mr Graham, "poll is in the genitive ease,
and prvuouucvdfoilorfoylej whence AberJ'r/yle."
ABE
14
ABE
gions are overgrown with heath, and sometimes pre-
sent only the bare rugged rock. None of the moun-
tains are of the first class in height. ' Huge Ben-
venue ' and Benchochari are far-overtopped by Ben-
lomond, in the parish of Buchanan, which, with its
pyramidal mass, terminates the prospect to the west.
The rocks are chiefly micaceous granite. Many of
the rarer Alpine plants are to be found upon the
mountains. The black eagle builds in some of the
more inaccessible rocks; but it is now very rare.
The falcon is also found here. The most considerable
lakes are LOCH KATRINE, LOCH ACHRAY, LOCH
CHON, and LOCH ARD : which see. One head-
branch of the river Forth has its rise in the western
extremity of the parish, at the eastern foot of Ben-
Awe. After flowing through Loch Chon, and the
upper and lower Loch Ard, it bursts forth, at the
eastern extremity of the latter ; and, a few hundred
yards to the east of it, flings itself over a rock nearly
30 feet high. After having formed a junction with
the other head-branch of the Forth, called the
Duchray, coming from the south-west, the united
stream receives the name of the Forth, and enters by
a narrow opening — the famous pass of Aberfoyle —
into Strathmore. In winter, the lakes are covered
with water-fowl; among which swans, and some of
the rarer species of divers, are occasionally met with.
The soil is light. It is generally remarked, that
the harvest is earlier in Aberfoyle than any where
in the vicinity towards the south, where the flat
country begins. The air is healthy. When Mr
Graham wrote his excellent account of this parish
for the first edition of the Statistical account of
Scotland, (1796) there were seven or eight persons
above eighty years of age, alive in the district ; one
man had recently died at the age of 97; and the
acting grave-digger v\as 101. — The property of this
parish was anciently vested in the Grahams, Earls of
Menteith ; but, on the failure of heirs-male of that
family, in 1694, their estate came to the family of Mon-
trose ; and the Duke of Montrose is now sole heritor
in this parish, being at the same time patron, pro-
prietor, and superior of the whole, excepting a single
farm (Drumlane) which holds blench of the Duke of
Argyle. Population, in 1801, 711; in 1821, 7^0;
in 1831, 660, in 132 families, of whom only 15 were
employed in agriculture. The decrease in the popu-
lation is attributed to the enlargement of farms, and
the consequent demolition of cottages, in this parish
of late years. — This parish is in the presbytery of
Dunblane, arid synod of Perth and Stirling. Stipend
it' 158 6s. 8d., and a glebe and manse. There is a
parochial school, which is well-attended. The church-
yard of Aberfoyle is the usual burning- place for the
inhabitants of Port-of» Menteith, Drymen, and Bu-
chanan. " In ancient times," says Mr Graham, " the
Gaelic language alone was spoken in this parish ; and,
e\en in the memory of man, it extended many miles
farther down the country than it now does. The limits
of this ancient tongue, however, are daily narrowed
here as everywhere else, by the increasing inter-
course with the low country. At piesent, every
body understands English, though the Gaelic is chief-
ly in use. The service in church is performed in
English in the forenoon, and in Gaelic in the after-
noon."—The village of Aberfoyle is 22 miles distant
from Dumbarton, by Gartmore and Drymen. The
road is wild but interesting. The principal line of
road through the parish follows the vale of the Forth,
or of its fountain-lochs rather, and enters the parish
of Buchanan, between Lochs Arc-let and Katrine, from
which point it passes through a wild moor to Inver-
•naid on the eastern side of Loch Lomond. This is
a road of great beauty and variety of scenery On a
rising ground, in the neighbourhood of the manse,
and facing the south, there is a circle of stones,
which, there is room to believe, may be a relic of
Druidism. It consists of ten large stones placed dr.
cularly, with a larger one in the middle — The scenery
of this parish has been immortalized by Sir Walter
Scott in his poem of The Lady of the Lake, and
his novel of Rob Roy. Perhaps it owes its chief
power and beauty to the mighty minstrel's inspiration.
Nature herself is indeed a poet here, — yet a " some-
thing more exquisite still," — a nameless charm, flung
around us by the hand of one whose genius glorifies
every thing it touches, is everywhere resting on this
elf arid fairy realm. See articles ACHRAY (Locn),
BENVENUE, and FORTH.
ABERLADY, a small parish on the north-west
coast of the county of Haddington ; bounded on the
north by the frith of Forth, which here forms Aber-
lady bay, and by the parish of Dirleton ; on the east
by Dirleton and Haddington parishes; and on the
south by Gladsmuir parish. Its greatest dimension
is about 4 miles, in a line running north-east and
south-west from the Pefferburn, near Saltcoats, to
Coteburn in Gladsmuir ; and its greatest extent from
east to west is nearly the same. The Pefferburn —
supposed to have been once called the Leddie,
whence the name of the parish — rises in the parish of
Athelstaneford, and after a winding course of 7 miles,
falls into Aberlady bay, at Luffness point. From this
point the whole bay between the Aberlady and the
Goolan or Dirleton shore is left dry at low water,
so that it may be crossed by foot-passengers at a
point where the sands are above a mile in breadth.
At spring-tides, vessels of 60 or 70 tons may come
up the channel of the Peffer to within a few hundred
yards of the village of Aberlady. This anchorage-
ground belongs to the town of Haddington, and
forms its port. The sands covered by the tide
abound in cockles, and some other kinds of shell-
fish. Along the shore, from near Gosford house to
the eastern point of the parish, runs a tract of
sandy links, of considerable breadth, abounding with
rabbits, and which is continued and spreads out into
greater breadth along the Goolan shore. From this
flat tract, the ground rises gradually as we proceed
inland, but in no part attains any considerable eleva-
tion. The village of Gosford no longer exists ; but
the Earl of Wemyss has built a splendid mansion
here, close on the links, and commanding a fine view
of the frith towards Edinburgh. His lordship has
here a splendid collection of paintings. The village
of Aberlady, 5 miles north-west of Haddington, con-
sists of one long street of a mean appearance. It is
occasionally resorted to by the inhabitants of Had-
dington as a bathing-place, but the surrounding
country presents little that is attractive to the
stranger. Population, in 1801, 875; in 1831, 973.
Houses 200. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,569.—
This parish is in the presbytery of Haddington, and
synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, the Earl
of Wemyss. Stipend £280 1 Is. 1 Id. ; with a manse
and glebe of the value of £27 10s. Gross amount
of teinds £876 9s. 8d. There is a good parochial
school, and a private school, with two sewing-
schools. Salary of parish-schoolmaster £34 4s. 4^d:
fees £34 ; scholars about 60. The church was built
in 1773. Adjoining to it are two aisles, in one of
which is a monument to the memory of Lady North
and Grey, wife of Patrick, Lord Elibank, with an
inscription composed by his lordship. — A little to
the west of Luffness-house are the remains of a con-
ventual building, once belonging to the Carmelites.
An hospital is said to have been founded at Ballon-
crief in the 12th century. This parish formerly be-
longed, in virtue of a grant from David I., to the
bishop of Durikeld, and was a vicarage in that diocese.
ABE
13
ABE
1
It has been conjectured that the Culdees had a seat
at or near Abei lady, called Kilspindie.
ABERLEMNO, an inland parish in Forfarshire ;
bounded on the north by the parishes of Tannadice
and Caraldston ; on the east by Brechin and Guthrie
parishes ; on the south by Rescobie ; and on the
west by Oathlavv parish. Its extreme length from
south- west to north-east, in the line of the road
from Forfar to Brechin, is 6£ miles; its average
breadth 3%. The surface is gently undulating, with
a general'declination towards the South Esk river,
which runs along the northern boundary of the
parish, and along the course of which the land is so
level as to be occasionally extensively inundated by
that river. The principal stream is the Lemno, which
rises on the south-east side of the Finhaven ridge
of hills in this parish ; passes the kirk-town ; sweeps
in a circuitous direction around the base of the ridge ;
and, entering Oathlaw parish, turns north-eastwards,
and flows into the Esk, in the latter parish, at a
point within one mile of its original source.* There
are two curious stone pillars or obelisks in this parish,
supposed to have been erected in commemoration of a
victory obtained over the Danes. They are covered
with unintelligible hieroglyphics. About a mile to
the north-east of the kirk town are the ruins of
Melgund castle, which was built by Cardinal Beaton
for a natural son, who married a lady of the Panmure
family. Population of the parish in 1801, 945 ; in
1831, 1,079, of whom 100 were labourers employed
in agriculture, and 70 employed as quarriers. Houses
197. Assessed property, £8,407 — This parish is in
the presbytery of Forfar, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Stipend £228 6s. 6d. ; with a glebe valued
at £\5, a manse, and fuel and foggage. Unappro-
priated teirids £469 14s. lid. Salary of school-
master £34 4s. 4£d. ; school-lees and other emolu-
ments about £20; average number of scholars, 70.
There is also a private school. This parish was
formerly a vicarage, with the parish of Auld Barr
united ; and the patrons are, Smyth of Methven in
right of Auld Barr, and the Crown, alternately.
ABERLOUR, a parish on the south-west of
Banffshire; bounded on the north-west and north
by the river Spey, by which it is separated from the
parishes of Knockando and Rothes in Morayshire ;
on the north-east by the Fiddich, which separates it
from Boharm parish ; on the east and south-east by
Mortlach parish, from which it is separated by the
Conval hills, and the Dullan burn ; and on the south
and west by Inveraven parish. It extends along the
southern bank of the Spey, 5 miles in direct distance,
or about 8 miles including the windings. Its great-
est admeasurement is from the point of confluence of
the Fiddich and the Spey, on the north, to the head
of the Dullan on the south, a distance of 9 miles.
The general outline of this parish is triangular ;
about one-half of the surface is under cultivation,
but the whole is hilly, and towards the south and
east completely wild and mountainous. The loftiest
mountain is Benrinnes on the south-west, whose
enormous base lies partly and chiefly in this parish,
but extends also into Inveraven parish. It rises to
the height of 2,747 feet above the sea-level, and
1,876 feet above the adjoining country. From its
summit, the mountains of Caithness on the north are
visible in a clear day ; and the Grampians in the op-
posite direction. The deep pass of Glackharnis
separates this mountain, on the east, from the Con-
• Dr Jamiesnn instances the name of this parish as a case in
which the word awr cannot signify a confluence of waters— as
Chalmers contends it always does ; but must be regarded a.-*
equivalent to the German ober, or uber, signifying upper, or a
higher relative situation : for the name of the parish u uu-
doubiedlv derived from the Leraito.
vals, which arc of much less elevation. Three «nsaU
streams intersect this parish in a north-west direc-
tion, arid discharge themselves into the Spey. The
latter river is here deep and rapid, and, in the great
floods of 1829, rose 19 feet 6 inches above its ordi-
nary level. The main line of road follows its course,
and is carried across the Fiddich by a bridge at a
point near its junction with the Spey. A little
above this confluence, and 12 miles above Fochabers,
there is a fine iron bridge, of 160 feet span, thrown
across the Spey, at a point where, rushing obliquely
against the lofty rock of Craigellachie, it has cut for
itself a deep channel of about 50 yards in breadth.
The scattered birches and firs on the side of the im-
pending mountain, the meadows stretching along the
valley of the Spey, and the western road of access
to the bridge cut deeply into the face of the rock,
combine with the slender appearance of the arch to
render this spot highly interesting. The course of
the river for 4 miles below this bridge is very beau-
tiful. This bridge, known as that of Craigellachie
was erected in 1815, at an expense of £8,200, and
greatly facilitates communication with Elgin and
Garmouth. There is good salmon and trout fishing
in the Spey and the Fiddich ; and the streamlets
also of this parish afford good sport to the angler.
The new village of Aberlour was founded in 1812,
by Grant of Wester Elchies. It now contains 250
inhabitants. It is about 1£ mile above Craigellachie
bridge, and 5 miles west-north-west qf Mortlach.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 815; in 1831,
1,276, of whom 56 were agriculturists employing la-
bourers. Houses 255. Assessed property, £2,210.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Aberlour, and
synod of Moray. Patron, the Earl of Fife, who is
also the principal land-owner. It was formerly a
prebend, with the ancient parish of Skirdustan
united. Stipend £287 8s. 2d., arising from parson-
age teinds ; with a glebe valued at £5, and a manse
and peat-cutting. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4^d., with a house and garden, and £10 12s. of fees.
Scholars average 30. Church erected in 1812 ;
sittings 700. There is a Missionary station and
chapel in Glenrinnes.
ABERLUTHNET. See MARYKIRK.
ABERNETHY, a parish partly and chiefly in
Perthshire, and partly in Fifeshire ; bounded on the
north by the Earn river, which separates it from the
parishes of Dunbarn and Rhynd, and by the estuary
of the Tay ; on the east and south by Fifeshire ; and
on the west by the parishes of Dron and Dunbarn.
This parish is of an irregular figure. It extends
from east to west about 4 miles ; and from north to
south, in some places, nearly 5. The surface is un-
even ; a considerable part is hilly, and belongs to
that ridge of hills called the Ochills. The low
ground, betwixt the rivers Tay and Earn on the
north, and the hills on the south, forms nearly an
oblong square of about 4 miles in length by H in
breadth. About 25 feet below the surface of this
flat, and 4 feet below the highest spring-tide mark
in the Tay and Earn, there is uniformly found a
stratum of moss from 1 to 3 feet thick. This moss
is composed of remains of oak, aller, hazle, birch, &c.
The soil above this bed is composed of strata of
clay and sand. The Earn, by breaking down the
opposing banks in its serpentine turning, has formed
beautiful links or haughs on each side of its stream,
which are secured from being overflowed, by embank-
ments. The Tay, which washes the eastern part or
the northern boundary, is here navigable, and affords
salmon and sea-trout. The proprietor of Carpow has
valuable fishings upon it. In the middle of this river,
opposite to Mugdrum, in the parish of Newburgh,
is an island called Mugdrum island, belonging to this
16
ABERNETHY.
parish. It is nearly 1 mile in length ; its greatest
breadth is 198 yards ; area 31 acres. The Earn,
which bounds the northern part of the parish till it
falls into the Tay, a little below the mansion-house
of Carpow, is navigable for several miles. It also
produces salmon and trout, which are chiefly sent to
Perth, and thence to the English market. There
are two passage-boats on the Earn : one at Gary,
which is seldom employed ; another at Ferryfield,
upon the estate of Carpow, near the junction of the
Earn and the Tay. The Farg, a rivulet rising on
the borders of Kinross-shire and flowing into the Earn
about 1£ mild west from Abernethy, also abounds
with small trout. There is another small rivulet,
the Ballo burn, anciently called the Trent, which
flows through what is called the glen of Abernethy.
Population of the entire parish, in 1801, 1,488 ; in
1831, 1,776. Houses 324. Assessed property,
£7,976. — The population of that portion of the
parish which is in Fifeshire was, in 1801, 133;
and in 1831, 164. Number of houses 28. Assessed
property £'1,496. The valued rent is £884 15s.
Id. Scots. The real rent about £8,000 sterling.
The town of Abernethy is nearly in the centre of
the parish, 3 miles west by south from Newburgh.
It is a burgh of barony under Lord Douglas, coming j
in place of the earls of Angus. It has a charter
from Archibald, Earl of Angus, Lord of Abernethy,
dated August 23, 1476; which was confirmed by
charter of William, Earl of Angus, dated November
29, 1628. There is a cattle fair here on the 12th of
February ; also on the fourth Wednesday in May, and
second Thursday in November. Population, 800. —
This place, though "now a mean village," says Dr
Jamieson, " once boasted high honours, and had very
considerable extent. It would appear that it was a
royal residence in the reign of one of the Pictish princes |
who bore the name of Nethan or Nectan. The Pic- j
tish chronicle has ascribed the foundation of Aber- I
nethy to Nethan I., in the third year of his reign, j
corresponding with A.D. 458. The Register of St
Andrews, with greater probability, gives it to Nethan
II., about the year 600. Fordun and Wyntoun agree
in assigning it to Garnat, or Garnard, the predecessor
of the second Nethan. Abernethy had existed as a
royal seat perhaps before the building of any con-
spicuous place of worship. For we learn, that the
Nethan referred to * sacrificed to God and St Bridget
at Aburnethige ;' and that the same Nethan, ' king
of all the provinces of the Picts, gave as an offering
to St Bridget, Apurnethige, till the day of judgment.'
Forduri expressly asserts, that, when this donation
•was made, Abernethy was ' the chief seat, both re-
gal and pontifical, of the whole kingdom of the
Picts.' He afterwards relates, that, in the year
1072, Malcolm Canmore did homage, in the plnce
called Abernethy, to William the Bastard, for the
lands which he held in England. I have elsewhere
thrown out a conjecture that this place may have
been denominated from the name of Nethan the
founder. It has been said, indeed, that * the name
which Highlanders give to Abernethy, is Obair or
Abair Neachtain, that is, the work of Nechtan.
But it seems preferable to derive it from Nethy, the
name of the brook on which it stands."
This parish is in the presbytery of Perth, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Stipend £256 5s. 7d. ;
M'ith a glebe of the value of £12, and a manse.
Patron, the Earl of Mansfield. There are about
£270 unappropriated teinds. The schoolmaster has
the maximum salary, with the interest of a mortifi-
cation of £190, and some other small fees. There
are two private schools. The church is remarkable
for nothing but its antiquity ; there are no records,
nor so much as a tradition when it was built. The
Secession have a church here. Abernethy was in
ancient times the seat of an episcopal see. When
Kenneth III. had subdued the Picts, he translated
the see to St Andrews ; but long before this Aber-
nethy was known as a principal seat of the Culdees.
While they held it, there was an university here for
the education of youth, as appears from the Priory
book of St Andrews. In the year 1273 — by which
time the Culdees were much discouraged — it was
turned into a priory of canons-regular of St Augus-
tine, who were brought, it is said, from the abbey of
Inchaffray.
In the church-yard stands a tower of an extraor-
dinary construction. South-west from the kirk-
town there is a hill, called Castle-law. Dr Jamie-
son says : " Although the round tower of Abernethy
has attracted the attention of many travellers and
writers, and been the subject of various hypotheses,
no one has ever thought of viewing it as connected
with the royal residence ; as it was undoubtedly
used for some ecclesiastical purpose. That good-
hurnoured old writer, Adamson, assigns a singular
reason for the erection of this building; while he
seems not to have known that there was another
of the same description at Brechin, considerably
higher than this. He pretends that this was built
by the Picts to prevent the Scots from trampling on
the body of their king after his death : —
Passing the rirer Earne, on th' other side, —
Thence to the Fights great Metropolitan,
Where stauds a steeple, the like in all Britaine
Not to be found agame, a work of wonder,
So tall and round in frame, a just cylinder,
Built by the Fights in honour "of their king,
That of the Scots n/me should attempt t,uch thing-,
As over his bellie bi# to walk or ride,
But this strong hold should make him to abide.
MUSK'S THREN.IDIE, p. 17f.
This tower is hollow, but without any staircase.
At the bottom are two rows of stones, projecting as
a sort of pedestal. It is 75 feet in height, and con-
sists of 64 regular courses of hewn stones. At the
base it measures 48 feet in circumference, but di-
minishes somewhat towards the top ; the thickness
of the wall being 3-| feet at the bottom, and 3 at the
top. It has only one door, facing the north ; 8 feet
in height, 3 wide, and arched. Towards the top
are four windows ; they are equidistant ; 5 feet 9
inches in height, and 2 feet 2 inches in breadth;
each being supported by two small pillars. Some
intelligent visitors assert, that, whatever may have
been the original design of this work, it has at one
time been used as a cemetery. Where the earth has
been dug up, to the depth of three feet, a number of
hum-an bones have been found in the exact position
in which they must have been interred ; which, it is
urged, would not have been the case, had they been
thrown in from the adjoining ground. It stands at
the corner of the present churchyard. ' South-west
from the town,' we are told in the ' Statistical Ac-
count,' ' there is a hill, called Castle-law. Tradition
says, that there was a fort upon the top of it.'
* This,' it is subjoined, ' probably served for one of
those watch-towers on which the Picts used to kin-
dle fires, on sudden invasions, insurrections, or the
approach of the enemy.' But if any place bids fair
to have been the site of a royal residence, this seems
to have a principal claim. It follows, however :
' About a mile and a half east from Abernethy, a
little below the mansion-house of Carpow, stood the
ancient castle which belonged to the lords of Aber-
nethy ; part of its foundation may be still seen.'
Now, it might be supposed that here, as in other in-
stances, the person who obtained the grant of royal
domains would prefer the occupation of the ancient
residence to the erection of a new one. The dis-
tance would be no objection. For I have else-
ABERNETHY.
the name Nethy, or Neich, is riot known ; that of
Kincardine, or Kinie-chairdin, is 'the Clan of
Friends.' It is 15 miles in length, measured from
Cromdale on the north to Rothiemurchus on the
south ; and from 10 to 12 in breadth. The surface
is highly diversified with haughs, woods, and moun-
tains. A stretch of about 3 miles of low land and
meadow, along the bank of the Spey, is often over-
flowed by that river, which here runs smooth and
slow. The arable ground bears but a small propor-
tion to the uncultivated. A great proportion of the
surface is covered with woods : on the Grant estate
uione there are 7,000 acres of natural fir- wood.— The
only river of any note, besides the Spey, is the
Nethy, which, rising on the northern side of the hills
to the east of Cairngorm, known as the Braes of
Abernethy, flows in a north-west direction through
the forests, and empties itself into the Spey, 4
miles above Grantown. It is about 12 miles in
length, and is a rapid running stream ; after rains, or
thaws, it ssvells so as to bring down the timber
that has been cut in the forests of Grant to the Spey,
whence it is sent in rafts to Garmouth. There is a
bridge over the Nethy about a mile above its con-
fluence with the Spey, having a water-way of 84
feet. A little to the east of the Nethy is the burn
of Cultmore. The Dualg burn flows into the Spey
about 4 miles above the Nethy. There are several
small lakes in Kincardine, the most considerable of
which is Loch Morlach, in Glenmore ; it is of an oval
form, and nearly two miles in diameter. It is in the
bottom of the glen, and surrounded with aged fir.
woods, which rise gradually towards the mountains.
It discharges itself into the Spey by the Morlach
burn, which is about 4 miles in length. In Glenmore
there is another small loch, in extent about one acre,
which abounds with small fat green trout. At the
foot of Cairngorm, about a mile from its base, is
Loch Avon, whence the river of that name issues.
At one end of this loch is a large natural cave, called
Chlachdhian, or 'the Sheltering stone.' Of the
mountains of this parish, Cairngorm, or ' the Blue
mountain,' is the most remarkable. It commands
an extensive view. The shires of Ross, Suther-
land, and Caithness, are seen from its summit. See
CAIRNGORM — Besides agreat deal of birch and alder,
there are two very large fir forests in this parish.
The fir-wood of Abernethy, now belonging to the
earl of Seafield, is of great extent, and very thriving.
" It is not a very long time back," says the writer of
the old statistical account of this parish, " since the
laird of Grant got only a merk a-year for what a man
choosed to cut and manufacture with his axe ^and
saw; people now alive remember it at Is. 8d. a-year,
afterwards it came to 3s. 4d. and then the laird of
Rothiemurchus, commonly called Maccalphi, brought
it up to 5s. a-year, and 1 Ib. of tobacco. Brigadier
Alexander Grant — who died in 1719 — attempted to
bring some masts from his woods of Abernethy to
London ; but though a man of great enterprize in his
military profession, did not persevere in this, owing
to the many difficulties he had to encounter, such as
the want of roads in the woods, skill in the country -
people, and all kinds of necessary implements.
About the year 1730, a branch of the York-building
company, purchased to the amount of about ^G7,000
of these woods of Abernethy, and continued till
about the year 1737 ; the most profuse and profligate
set that ever were heard of then in this corner. This
was said to be a stock -jobbing business. Their ex-
travagancies of every kind ruined themselves, and
corrupted others. But yet their coming to the country
was beneficial in many respects ; for, besides the know-
ledge and skill which was acquired from them, they
made many useful and lasting improvements ; they
cut roads through the woods ; they erected proper
sa\v-mills ; they invented the construction of the
raft, as it is at present, and cut a passage through a
rock in the Spey, without which, floating to any extent
could never be attempted. Before their time, some
small trifling rafts were sent down Spey in a very
awkward and hazardous manner: 10 or 12 dozen of
deals, huddled together, conducted by a man, sitting
in what was called a currach, made of a hide, in the
shape and about the size of a small brewing-kettle,
broader above than below, with ribs or hoops of
wood in the inside, and a cross-stick for the man to
sit on ; who, with a paddle in his hand, went before
B
ABE
18
ABO
the raft, to which his currach was tied with a rope.
These currachs were so light, that the men^ carried
them on their backs home from Speymouth."* The
duke of Richmond is proprietor of the fir- woods of
Glenmore, in the barony of Kincardine. See GLEN-
MORE. Population, in 1801, 927; in 1831, 2,092, in
445 families, of whom 204 families were employed in
agriculture. Houses 436. The valued rent is £1,553
16s. Scots; the gross land-rent of the two parishes,
exclusive of the woods, is about £2,500 sterling.
This parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presby-
tery of Abernethy, and synod of Moray. Patron, the
Earl of Seafield. Stipend £234 2s. Id., with a glebe
valued at £7, and a manse. Unappropriated teinds
£98. Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 3id., with
about £20 fees; scholars average 75. There is a
small private school. The church of Kincardine is
8 miles distant from the village of Abernethy. The
parish-minister officiates two successive sabbaths in
Abernethy church, and every third sabbath in that
of Kincardine. The latter church has sittings for
600 ; the former, for 1 ,000. Both are well-built. —
There is a large oblong square building near the
church, called Castle-Roy, or the Red castle ; one
side measures 30, the other 20 yards ; the height is
about 10. It never was roofed, had no loop-holes,
and only one entrance to the inside. ^ Neither his-
tory nor tradition give any account of it — The Hon.
John Grant, Chief-justice of Jamaica, was a native
of this parish ; and Francis Grant, Lord Cullen, and
Patrick Grant, Lord Prestongrange, both eminent
jurisconsults, and lords of session, were connected
with this parish. At Knock of Kincardine was
born, in 1700, John Stuart, commonly called John
Roy Stuart. He was a good Gaelic poet.
ABERNYTE, a small parish in Perthshire;
bounded on the north by the parishes of Cargill and
Longforgan ; on the east by Longforgan ; on the
south by Inchture ; and on the west by Kinnaird
and Collace parishes. It is nearly 3 miles in length,
by 2 at its greatest breadth ; area about 2,600 acres,
of which nearly 1,700 are under cultivation. The
kirk-town, near the centre of the parish, is situated
1 1 miles north-east of Perth ; it stands in a fine
valley intersected by a stream flowing south-east
into the estuary of the Tay. The highest point in
the parish is the King's seat, on the northern ex-
tremity, which rises to the height of 1155 feet, and
commands a fine view southwards to the frith of
Forth. The general declination of the country is
towards the south-east. Population, in 1801, 271 ;
in 183 1,254. Houses 46. Assessed property, £2,359.
Old valuation, £1,126 13s. 4d. Scots — This parish,
formerly a vicarage in the deanery of Dunkeld, is in
the presbytery of Dundee, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £159 11s. 3d.
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £14. Church,
rebuilt in 1736. There is a Burgher congregation,
and a parochial school. — Upon the top of a hill called
Glenny-law in this parish, are two cairns supposed
to cover the remains of the slain in a feud between
the Grays of Fowlis, and the Boyds of Pitkindie.
ABERRUTHVEN. See AUCHTERARDER, Perth-
shire.
ABERTARFF. See BOLESKINE.
ABINGTON, a village in the parish of Craw-
ford-John, Lanarkshire, 3 miles north of Crawford,
and at the junction of the road to Leadhills and
Sanquhar, with the post-road from Dumfries, by
Elvanfoot, to Glasgow. Gold is said to have been
obtained from mines wrought in this neighbourhood
during the reign of James V J. See CRAWFORD.
* This description of the Spey rurrarh is exactly that given
by Herodottia of the vessels used by the nativfs in navigating
tin- Euphrates between Armenia and Babylon.
ABOYNE, an extensive parish in Aberdeenshire,
called, since its union with Glentanner, ' the united
Parish of Aboyne.' What formed the old parish of
Aboyne lies principally on the north side of the
Dee, extending from east to west about 7 miles,
between the burn of Dess which separates it from
the parish of Kincardine O'Neil on the east, and
the burn of Dinot which forms the boundary with
the parish of Tullich on the west. The parishes
of Lumphanan, Coull, and Coldstone close in this
part on the north. From the junction of the burn
of Dess with the Dee, this river forms the continua-
tion of the boundary on the north, from west to east
about 3£ miles to near the bridge of Potarch ; it
then extends nearly due west to the junction of tin-
old Dinnie burn with the Dee. From this point
Aboyne extends nearly due south along the course
this burn to near its rise, having Birse on the
till it joins Forfarshire, which, now forms the soui
boundary of Glentanner, along the ridge of tl
Grampians, till it meets the parish of Glenmuu
which closes it in on the west till met by the Dee
Dee-castle, — the Dee forming the north bound*
from this to the entrance of the burn of Dinot, whei
it again joins Aboyne and completes the circuit
the great body of the united parish. A detaclu
part, lying to the south and east of Finzean, in
parish of Birse, is of small extent. — The entire
of the united parish is about 29,000 acres, of whiel
nearly 3,000 acres are arable. By far the greater
of the rest is covered with heath. The extensive fores
of Glentanner, composed of Scotch fir, once the fines
in the county, is now all sold, and nearly all cut ;
and the splendid plantations of the same wood al
Aboyne-castle are also nearly all exposed to
same fate. There is little or any hard wood in tl
parish, and none of great size. About five-sixt1
of the parish are held under entail ; four-fifths
it is the property of the Marquis of Huntly ; an
the rest belongs principally to Mr. Farquharson
Finzean, and the proprietors of Balnacraig,
Aberdeen having only a very small portion.-
The valued rent is £2,005 8s. lOd. Scots, and
real rent about £3,500 — Farms are generally vei
small, the soil light and early, and chiefly adapted fo
turnip husbandry. The principal mansion in the pai
ish is Aboyne-castle, a large massive building whic1
has been enlarged and improved by the Marquis i
Huntly. The site is rather low, but is- finely shel
tered and surrounded by well-laid out and extensh
enclosures. The neat village of Charlestown is pa
tially seen about half-a-mile to the south — About
mile to the south and west the Dee is crossed by
elegant suspension-bridge, from which a good
across the Grampians, in the direction of For
would be of the utmost consequence to this and
great part of the surrounding country, there beir
at present no direct access to the south from this '
by the Firmount or the forest of Birse, but both ro
are at present nearly impassable even for a person
horseback. The Cairn O'mount road is a bad line
and very steep. The turnpike from Aberdeen t<
Braemar runs through part of the parish ; and variou
lines of commutation road also pass through it.—rl
Dee runs about 15 miles through and along the par
ish, and receives in its course a few tributary stream*
the principal of which is the Tanner from the soutl
— The parish is very hilly, particularly in Glejitanne
where some of the hills attain a considerable altitudt
Tumuli abound in various parts in the parish, bi
most in the north part. Some urns with calcine
bones have been dug up in Glentanner, which ind
cate that the Romans had visited this part of Sco
land at some time There are three burying-groum
in the parish, one in Glentanner and two in Aboyn
I
ACH
19
AFT
—Tradition has it that the pest or plague had at one
'ime raged with great violence here ; and that it was
irst observed to abate on the Mondays and Fridays,
ifter which the people should have immediately ab-
stained from breaking ground in the churchyard of
Glentanner on those days of the week, out of grati-
ide for the appearance of deliverance from such an
iwful enemy to the human race. The observance,
n'ch is still most scrupulously adhered to, has more
likely had its origin in the dark days of ignorance and
>pish superstition. The title of Earl of Aboyne
jrged, in 1836, in that of Marquis of Huntly. It
is created by James VI. in 1599. Population, in
1801, 916; in 1831, 1,163. Houses 247. Assessed
operty, £2,069.— This parish is in the presbytery
Kincardine O'Neil, and synod of Aberdeen — The
irquis of Huntly is patron. Stipend £160 15s. Id.,
nth manse and glebe. Schoolmaster's salary £26 ;
chool-fees £12, with share of the Dick bequest.
'he scholars average 60 There is another school
i the parish supported by the Society for propagating
Christian knowledge, with about 50 scholars.
ACHAISTAL. See LATHERON.
ACHALL (LOCH), a finely wooded loch in the
lird of Coigach, parish of Lochbroom, Ross-shire.
ACHANDUIM. See LISMORE.
ACHARAINEY. See HALKIRK.
ACHARN. See KENMORE.
ACHESON'S HAVEN, a small harbour near
*restonpans, in the county of East Lothian. It
constructed by the monks of Newbottle, on
jir grange of Preston. It is often named Morrison's
iven from one of its later proprietors.
ACH1LTY LOCH. See CONTIN.
ACHINDAVY, or AUCHENDAVIE, a hamlet on
Kelvin, in the shire of Dumbarton and parish of
Lirkintilloch ; 2 miles east of Kirkintilloch. This
k'as a Roman station, on Antoninus's wall, vulgarly
ailed Gryme's dyke; and, in May 1771, as the
vorkmeri were carrying on the great Forth arid
Clyde canal near this place, they discovered four
altars, a mutilated bust, and two great iron mallets,
the tract of the canal, about nine feet below the
of the earth ; in a pit which appeared to be
>ut seven feet diameter at the top, and three at
; bottom. The inscriptions upon the altars inform
that they were erected by a centurion of the Se-
cond legion. General Roy has given a plan of this
tion in plate 35 of his ' Military Antiquities,' and
igravings of the several antiquities in plate 38 of
lat work.
ACHNACRAIG, or AUCHNACRAIG, a small har-
)ur on the east coast of the island of Mull, at the
itrance of Loch-Don, in the parish of Torosay ;
miles south-east from Aros; and 132 west by
th from Edinburgh. A post-office is established
re. This is the principal ferry of Mull, first to the
)posite isle of Kerrera, a distance of 7 miles ; and
lence to the main-land near Oban, a distance of 4
liles; and from hence vast numbers of horses and
cattle are annually transported for the lowland
irkets. There is a good road from hence to Aros.
MULL.
ACHRAY (Locn,) a beautiful sheet of water
Perthshire, between Loch-Katrine and Loch-
'ennachar, and at a nearly equal distance from both.
*rith these lakes it is connected by two small
?ams, — one of which flows into its western extre-
lity from Loch- Katrine, while the other, issuing
its eastern end, carries its waters into Loch-
fennachar. The lake receives its name from the
rm of Achray, situated on its south-western shore;
e term in Gaelic signifies ' the level field.' Loch-
Lchray, therefore, means 'the lake of the level
eld.' Com pared with either of its sister-lochs,
Loch- Achray is but of small dimensions ; its utmost
length being about a mile, and its breadth scarcely
half-a-mile ; but the epithet ' lovely' has been, with
peculiar propriety, applied to this lake by Sir Wal-
ter Scott, as it is hardly possible to conceive any
natural scenery more lovely than that presented by
the shores of Loch- Achray. The northern shore is
bold and rocky, but its harsher features are softened
by a rich covering of wood and ' bosky thickets' to
the water's edge, —
" the eopsewood grey,
That waves and weeps on Loch- Achray. "
On the south, the ground rises more gradually from
the lake, but it is mostly clad with heath. This
soft and gentle character, however, can only be ap-
plied to the lake, its bays and shores, and their
immediate vicinity; for beyond this we have lofty
mountains rearing their rugged and often cloud-
capp'd heads in awful majesty, and deep and silent
glens and ravines through which the upland streams
seek their way to the lakes. On the shores of
Loch- Achray we are still within the power of the
magician's spell ; and so thoroughly has he peopled
the visions of our fancy with the creations of his
own imagination that we look for the localities of
his poem, as we did at Loch- Katrine, with as perfect:
a faith, and gaze on them when found with as much
devotion, as we should on the scenes of some of the
most important transactions in our national annals.
Along these shores the messenger of Roderic Dhu
carried the fiery cross, to alarm and call to the ren-
dezvous the sons of Alpine ; and he who, giving him-
self up to the magic influence of the minstrel's
strain, delights to blend together the real truth
and the ideal in his conceptions, will remember how
" Fast as the fatal symbol flies,
In arms the huts and hamlets rise ;
From winding gl«n, from upland brown,
They pour'd eacli hardy tenant down.1'
Near the east end of Loch- Achray, and before the
traveller from Callander approaches it, he passes
over 'the Brigg of Turk,' one of the localities of
the poem. See GLENFINLASS.
ADD (THE), a river in Argyleshire, which has
its source in some marshes in the north-western ex-
tremity of the parish of Kilmichael; and in its
winding course southward, by the junction of several
tributary rivulets, forms a considerable body of
water. It flows through the moss of Crinan, and
falls into the sea at Inner Loch-Crinan, on the west
coast of Argyleshire. There is a salmon-fishery at
its mouth ; and the stream itself abounds with trout.
AD VIE, an ancient vicarage and district, partly
in Elgin, partly in Inverness-shire, now compre-
hended in the parish of Cromdale ; 8 miles north-
east from Granton. This district contains the barony
of Ad vie on the eastern, and the barony of Tulchen on
the western side of the Spey : these baronies, anciently
a part of the estate of the earl of Fife, came to the
family of Ballendalloch in the 15th century, with
whom they continued, until sold to Brigadier Alex-
ander Grant.
AE (THE), or WATER OF AE, a small river in
Dumfries-shire, which has its rise at the southern
foot of Queensberry-hill, runs south for some milea
to Glencross in Kirkmahoe, forming the boundary
between Closeburn and Kirkmichael parishes ; then
bending its course south-eastward, forms a junction
at Esby with the Kinnel, a branch of the Annan. Its
tributaries are the Deer burn, the Branet burn,
Capple water, and Glenkill burn. Its length ot
course, including windings, is about 16 miles.
1EBUD1E, and jEMOD/E. See HEBRIDES.
AFTON, a small river in Ayrshire, a tributary to
•
AIG
AIR
the Nith. It rises in the south -eastern extremity of
New Cumnock parish, and flows north-west through
Glen-Afton, to New Cumnock, a little below which
it falls into the Nith, after a course of 6 miles.
AIGASH, or EALAN-AIGAS, a beautiful island,
5k miles south-west from Beauly, formed by the river
B'eauly, which here divides into two branches. It
is of an oval figure, about U mile in circumference;
and contains about 50 acres." It is principally com-
posed of a mass of pudding-stone rising in an abrupt
manner about 100 feet above the level of the water,
but communicating with the mainland by a bridge,
it is covered with natural wood of birch and oak,
and is much frequented by roes, and occasionally by
red deer. To this island Simon, Lord Lovat, con-
ducted the dowager Lady Lovat, when letters of fire
and sword were issued against him in 1697 ; and here,
in a crow-stepped building in the old Scottish style,
erected by Lord Lovat, reside the only descendants
of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. See KILMORACK.
AILSA CRAIG, sometimes called THE PERCH
OF CLYDE, a stupendous insulated rock, or rather
mountain, in the mouth of the frith of Clyde, be-
tween the coasts ot Ayrshire and Kintyre ; in N. lat.
55° 15' 13" ; W. long. 5° 7', according to Galbraith ,
but according to Norie, in N. lat. 55° 17' 0"; W. long.
5° 8' 0". From the islet of Pladda it is distant 10'
20" direct south. It is a mass of columnar syenetic
trap, shooting up in a conical form, to an altitude of
1,100 feet according to Macculloch, from an elliptical
base of 3,300 feet in the major axis, by 2,200 in the
minor. Its formation is distinctly columnar, espe-
cially on the western side in which the rock rises
quite perpendicularly from the sea. Dr Macculloch
says, that "if a single pillar be examined near at
hand it will be found far less decided in shape than
those of Staffa or Skye, while the whole mass ap-
pears as if blended together, not as if each column
could be separated ; but, when viewed in the mass,
the general effect of a columnar and regular struc-
ture is as perfect as on the north coast of Skye,"
while the diameter of the columns far exceed those
of Skye, ranging from 6 to 9 feet, and, in one place,
attaining an unbroken altitude of nearly 400 feet.*
The only landing-place is on the east side, where
there is a small beach formed by fallen fragments of
the rock. From this, an easy ascent of 200 feet
conducts us to the ruins of a square building of which
nothing is known, though Macculloch conjectures it
may have been an eremitical establishment depen
dent on Lamlash in Arran. Beyond this building
the ascent is extremely laborious, the visitor having
to force his way over fragments of rock, and through
a forest of gigantic nettles. Not far from the sum-
mit are two copious springs; the summit itself is
covered with fine herbage, but affords only a scanty
and somewhat perilous footing. The rock is in-
habited by a few rabbits and goats, and myriads of
solan geese, puffins, cormorants, auks, and gulls. It
is the property of the Earl of Cassillis, who draws an
annual rent of about .£30 for it, and who takes the
title of Marquis from it. The aspect of this vast and
* craggy ocean pyramid' "from any distance, and in
every direction," says Macculloch^ " is very grand,
arid convey? an idea of a mountain of far greater
magnitude ; since, as its beautiful cone rises sudden-
ly out of the sea, there is no object with which it can
be compared. From its solitary and detached posi-
tion also, it frequently anests the flight of the clouds,
hence deriving a misty hue which more than doubles
its altitude to the imagination ; while the cap ol
* If this be correct, they are the largest specimens of colum-
nar basalt yet known. Those of the Fairhead, at the Giant's
causeway, measure only 317 feet in altitude, according to the
Orduauce trigouoiut-tru-'al Survey.
cloud which so often covers its summit, helps to
roduce, by concealing its height, the effect — in.
ariable in such cases — of causing it to appear fai
ligher than it really is ; adding that appearance oi
mystery to which mountains owe so much of their
consequence. What Ailsa promises at a distance, it
" more than performs on an intimate acquaintance.
[f it has not the regularity of Staffa, it exceeds that
sland as much in grandeur and variety as it does in
ibsolute bulk. There is indeed nothing, even in the
columnar scenery of Skye or in the Shiant isles,
superior as these are to Staffa, which exceeds, if it
even equals, that of Ailsa. In paint of colouring,
these cliffs have an infinite advantage ; the sobriety
of their pale grey stone, not only harmonizing with
the subdued tints of green, and with the colours ol
the sea and the sky, but setting off to advantage all
the intricacies of the columnar structure ; while, in
all the Western islands where this kind of scenery
occurs, the blackness of the rocks is, not only often
inharmonious and harsh, but a frequent source of ob-
scurity and confusion. Those who are only de*
sirous of viewing one example of that romantic and
wonderful scenery which forms the chief attraction
of the more distant islands, will be pleased to kno^'
that, within a day's sail of Greenock, and without
trouble, they may see what cannot be eclipsed by
Staffa, or Mull, or Skye, if even it can be equalled by
any of them."
AIRD. See COIGACH.
AIRD (CASTLE OF), an extensive ruin, supposed
to be the remains of a Danish fortification, situated
on a rocky promontory a little to the north of Cara-
dell point, on the eastern side of Kintyre, opposite
Machry bay in the island of Arran.
AIRD (THE), a fertile district of Inverness-shire;
in the vale of the Beauly, chiefly the property ot
different branches of the clan Fraser.
AIRD (THE), a small peninsula on the east coast
of the island of Lewis, with which it is connected
by the isthmus of Stornoway. It measures 5 miles
in extreme length from Tuimpan-head on the north-
east, to Chicken-head on the south-west ; its aver-
age breadth is about 2^ miles. It is in the parish of
Stornoway, to which, in ancient times, it formed a
chapelry called Ui or Uy. The old chapel is in
ruins, but the inhabitants attend a government chapel
at Knock. See articles LEWIS and STORNOWAY.
AIRD OB AIRDSf (THE), a beautiful district of
Appin in Argyleshire, lying between the Linnhe loch
on the west, and Loch Creran on the south and east.
" I do not know a place," says Macculloch, " where
all the elements — often incongruous ones — of mouiu
tains, lakes, wood, rocks, castles, sea, shipping, and
cultivation, are so strangely intermixed, — where
they are so wildly picturesque, — and where they pro-
duce a greater variety of the most singular and un-
expected scenes." The promontory of Ardmuck-
nish, richly clothed with oak-coppice, is a remarkably
fine object here.
AIRDNAMURCHAN. See ARDNAMURCHAN.
AIRD POINT, the north-east extremity of the
isle of Skye, nearly opposite the mouth of the Gair-
loch in Ross-shire.
AIRDLE (THE), a considerable tributary of the
Erroch river, in the north-east quarter of Perthshire.
It is formed by the union of two streams, — one de-
scending from the Grampians, in the East Forest of
Athole, through Glen Fernal, — and the other flowing
from the west through Glen Brerachan. These
t From the instances above enumerated it may be conjectar.
ed that the general signification of this word aird, or ard, in
Gaelic, ia that of a point, or promontory, or rising ground ; and
in this sense it usually occurs in Gaelic and Irish topography.
The form ard is, however, the more common of the two.
AIR
AIR
streams unite at Tulloch, and assume the name of
the Airdle, which flows south-east through Strath-
Airdle in the parish of Kirkmichael, and unites with
the Shee a little below Nether Claquhair. The two
united streams form the ERROCH : which see. The
total course of the Airdle is about 13 miles.
AIRDRIE, a market-town, burgh of barony, and
municipal borough, quoad civilia in the parish of New
Monkland, and county of Lanark ; on the principal
line of road between Glasgow and Edinburgh ; 11
miles east by north from the former, and 32 west by
south from the latter. It occupies a slightly rising
ground sloping westwards, but presenting no marked
or interesting features. A little more than a century
ago, a solitary farm-hamlet occupied the site of this
large, well-built, manufacturing town. It now num-
bers 6,000 inhabitants, 174 of whom, in 1835, rented
property within borough of an yearly rental of .£10,
and 171, property of an yearly rent of £5. The
total rental is about £6,700. Its owes its rapid
>wth chiefly to the extensive and rich beds of
>nstone and coal which surround it, and the con-
.sequent opening of iron-works and collieries in the
neighbourhood ; its proximity to Glasgow has also
.given it a large share in the weaving-orders of the
western manufacturers ; while it enjoys frequent
lily intercourse by coaches, with Edinburgh, and
jy coaches, canal, and railroad with Glasgow. By the
MONKLAND CANAL alone (see that article) upwards
)f 50,000 passengers were conveyed between Airdrie
id Glasgow in the year 1837. See also GLASGOW
id GARNKIRK RAILWAY. The streets are lighted
-fith gas, and well-paved; a market for grain is
icld in the town every Thursday ; and fairs are held
>n the last Tuesday in May and third Tuesday of
November. The National bank, the Bank of Scot-
land, and the Western bank of Scotland, have
branches here. This town was erected into a free
)urgh of barony in 1821, by act of 1° and 2° Geo.
IV. c. 60. Under the late Municipal act the magis-
jy consists of a provost, three baillies, a treasurer,
id seven councillors. The property of the town,
1834, amounted to £1,670; its revenue, in 1833,
was £324, of which £188 consisted of road-money
levied in 1832 and 1833. The magistrates are pa-
trons of the town's school, at which about 120 pupils
in summer, and 80 in winter, attend. A neat town-
house has been recently built. Airdrie unites with
.Lanark, Hamilton, Falkirk, and Linlithgovv, in re-
-turning a member to parliament. There is a mineral
well of a sulphurous quality, called Monkland well,
near Airdrie. — Chalmers is of opinion that Airdrie is
-the Arderyth of the British Triads, on the heights
4>f which Rydderech the Bountiful, king of Strath-
cluyd, in 577, defeated Aidan the Perfidious, king of
•Kintyre, and slew Giveriddolan the patron of Mer-
.lin, who was also engaged in the battle. [See Welsh
Archieol. vol. I. p. 151.] This town has recently
been divided into two quoad sacra parishes, viz. :
. EAST AIRDRIE. — This parish was divided quoad
sacra from the parish of New Monkland, by the
General Assembly, in 1834. — Its population was es-
timated in 1836 at 3,389, of whom 1,496 belonged
to the establishment. Its parish-church is the old
chapel-of-ease which was built in 1797 ; sittings 588.
Stipend £120, derived solely from seat-rents. The
"?iormed Presbyterian church was built in 1795;
sittings 450. Stipend £80, with a manse and garden.
WEST AIRDRIE — This parish was divided quoad
icra, by the presbytery of Hamilton, from the
"ish of New Monkland, in 1835. Population,
n 1836, 3,685, of whom 1,479 belonged to the
tablished church. Church opened in 1835; sit-
tings 1.200; cost £2,370. Stipend £105.— The
'Jnited Secession congregation church was built in
1790 ; sittings 650. Stipend £120, with manse and
garden. — The Original Burgher congregation was
established in 1804. Church cost £500; sittings 504.
Stipend £80, with manse and garden. — An Indepen-
dent chnpel was opened here in August 1839.
AIRDS MOSS, a large tract of elevated muir-
land in the district of Kyle, Ayrshire ; lying between
the water of Ayr on the north, and Lugar water on
the south. The road from Cumnock to Muirkirk i
may be regarded as its extreme eastern boundary, and I
that from Cumnock to Catrine as its extreme west-
ern. It is chiefly in the parish of Auchinleck ; but
the uncultivated tract of moss does not exceed 5
miles in length, by 2 in breadth ; the declination is
towards the south-west. At its head, or eastern
extremity, about half-a-mil' to the west of the road
from Cumnock to Muirkine, is a monument to the
memory of Richard Cameron of famous memory in
the annals of Scottish martyrology, who, with eight
of his adherents, fell here in a skirmish with a de-
tachment of dragoons under Earlshall. The original
monument was a large flat stone simply inscribed
with the name of Cameron and his fellow-martyrs,
and familiarly known as Cameron's stone ; but by
the pious care of a few individuals the present monu-
ment was erected a few years ago. The skirmish in
which these worthies perished took place about 3
or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, on the 20th of July,
1680. Cameron's party — who had been on the moors
all the preceding night — amounted to 23 horsemen,
and 40 foot, all very ill-armed. The king's party
amounted to about 1 12, all well-armed and mounted.
AIRLIE, a parish in Forfarshire ; bounded on the
north by Kingoldrum parish ; on the east by Kirrie-
muir and Glammis ; on the south by Essey parish
and Perthshire ; and on the west by Perthshire,
Ruthven parish, and Lintrathen. Its greatest
length is 6 miles ; greatest breadth 4. The super-
ficial area is about 6,000 acres, of which nearly tive-
sixins are in a state of high cultivation. The gen-
eral declination is towards the Isla river, which
skirts the parish on the western side, and receives
two small tributary streams rising in the parish.
The Dean river, a sluggish stream flowing from the
loch of Forfar, forms its southern boundary. There
are extensive plantations on the northern side ; and
on the western side was an extensive moss, called
Baikie moss, covering 128 acres, now drained and
under cultivation. Of Baikie castle, the property
of the last Viscount Fenton, few traces now exist.
In the north-west point of the parish, where the
river Melgam, flowing south-west through a deep
ravine, joins the Isla river, 5 miles north of Meigle,
stood the ancient castle of Airlie, — ' the bonnie
house of Airlie,' of Scottish song, — once the resi-
dence of the Ogilvies, earls of that name, but de-
stroyed, along with Furtour house, another seat of
the earl's, by the Marquis of Argyle, by order of the
Committee of Estates, in 1640. The place had been
regarded as an almost impregnable strength by na-
ture, and had already, under Lord Ogilvie, who had
been left in command by his father the earl, resisted
a party under Montrose and Kinghorn ; but on
Argyle's approach with 5,000 men, the garrison fled.
The modern house of Airlie is a beautiful mansion,
most picturesquely situated. Population of the
parish in 1801, 1,041 ; in 1831, 1,860. Houses 160.
Assessed property, £5,772. This parish is in the
presbytery of Meigle, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Patron, the Earl of Strathmore. Church
built in 1791 ; sittings 411. Stipend £219 Is. 5d.,
with a glebe valued at £12, and a manse. School-
master's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £13 fees; aver-
age number of pupils 30. There is a private school
with about the same attendance.
AIR
AIRTH, a parish in Stirlingshire ; bounded on
the north and east by the frith of Forth, along
which it extends about 6 miles ; on the south by
Bothkenner and Larbert parishes ; and on the west
by St Ninians. Its greatest breadth is about 3 miles.
The general declination is towards the Forth. A
small stream, which rises near the centre of St
Ninians parish, flows eastwards with a meandering
course through this parish, and discharges itself into
the Forth at Higgin's Neuck. Stream-tides flow
above a mile up this rivulet, which is liable to sud-
den and extensive floods. On the western side of
the parish were formerly two extensive mosses, — one
of nearly 500 acres, called the Moss of Dunmore ;
and the other, to the south of it, called the Moss of
Letham. These — which might be remains of the
great Caledonian forest — have almost disappeared be-
fore the progress of cultivation ; and on the side of
the frith also a considerable quantity of rich land has
been reclaimed from the sea, which in ancient times
certainly covered a great portion of the lowlands in
this parish. The hills of Dunmore and Airth are
very beautiful wooded eminences, towards the centre
of the parish, both commanding a tine view of the
frith. Coal is extensively wrought in their neigh-
bourhood. There are three small harbours on the
coast : viz., Airth, Dunmore, and Newmiln ; and two
ferries across the frith; one at Kersie, where the
frith is about half-a-mile in breadth ; and the other
at Higgin's Neuck, where the breadth is nearly a
mile. The town of Airth is near the coast, about 5
miles direct north of Falkirk ; on the coast-road to
and from Stirling and the East country. The writer
of the first Statistical account of the parish, says :
" The trade in Airth, prior to the year 1745, was
very considerable, but has since been on the decline,
owing to a number of vessels being burnt at that
period. The occasion of this was, that the rebels,
having seized a small vessel at a narrow part of the
river called Fallin, by means of it transported a num-
ber of small brass cannon to the harbours of Airth
and Dunmore, near each of which they erected bat-
teries and placed their cannon. Upon the king's
vessels coming from Leith to dislodge them, a reci-
procal firing took place. The commanders of the
king's vessels, finding their efforts ineffectual, sailed
down the river with the tide, and gave orders to
burn all the vessels lying on the river-side, to pre-
vent them falling into the hands of the rebels, who
might have used them as transports, and harassed
the people on both sides of the river. The loss of
these vessels was severely felt by the trading-people
in Airth, and tiade has since removed to Carronshore
and Grangemouth." Population, in 1801, 1,855 ; in
1831, 1,825, of whom 152 families were chiefly em-
ployed in agriculture, and 110 in trades. Houses
232. Assessed property, .£11,159. Valued Scots
lent, £8,638 — This parish, formerly a vicarage be-
longing to the bishop of Edinburgh, is in the pres-
bytery of Stirling, and synod of Perth and Stirling.
The church is a very handsome Gothic building of
recent erection. Patron, Graham of Airth. Stipend
.t'281 12s., with a glebe valued at £27, and a manse.
Unappropriated teinds £1,489 3s. 2d. School-
master's stipend .£34, with £40 fees ; average num-
ber of scholars 90. There are two private schools.
— There are three ancient castles or towers in this
parish : viz., that of Airth, known as Wallace's cas-
tle, from that hero having surprised and cut off an
English garrison in it, and now forming a part of the
modern building called by the same name ; that of
Dunmore ; and that of Powfouls. The principal
seats are Airth castle, Dunmore house, and Higgin's
Neuck, or according to more modern orthography,
Nook.
AIRTHRIE, a small hamlet of Stirlingshire,
which may now be regarded as forming part of the
picturesque village called the BRIDGE OF ALLAN :
see that article. It is here that the wells resorted
to by the visitors at Bridge of Allan are situated.
The Airthrie mineral spring holds upwards of one-
third more of the mineral salts in solution than the
waters of Dunblane, and one-half more than those
of Pitcaithley. The following is Dr Thomson's
analysis of this spring : —
Common salt,
Muriate of lime,
Sulphate of lime,
10-034,
in one pint.
37-45
134-32
1-91
73'68~
Pitcaithley water, according to Dr Murray's analysis,
contains 34'3 grains salts in one pint; and Dun-
blane water 45'9. The specific gravity of Airthrie
water is 1-00714.
AITHSTING, a parish in the.Mainland of Shet-
land, united with that of Sandsting about the time
of the Reformation. It is a hilly moorland district.
The minister of the united parishes preaches every
third Sunday at the old parish church of Aithsting,
which is still upheld by the people for that purpose.
It is about 2^ rniles distant from the parish-church
of Sandsting, "with a sound intervening. See SAND-
STING. The bay of Aith affords good anchorage.
ALBANY, ALBION, or ALBINN, the ancient
Gaelic name of Scotland, and, until Caesar's time,
the original appellation of the whole island. The
Scottish Celts denominate themselves Gael Albinn
or Albinnich, in distinction from those of Ireland
whom they call Gael Eirinnich ; and the Irish them-
selves call the Scottish Gaels Albannaich ; while
their writers, so late as the 12th century, call the
country of the Scottish Gael Alban. With respect
to the etymology of the name Albinn or Albion, it is
to be observed, in the first place, that it is com-
pounded of two syllables, the last of which, inn,
signifies in Celtic a large island. Thus far the ety-
mology is clear, but the meaning of the adjective
part, alb, is not so apparent. Dr John Macpherson
thinks it folly to search for a Hebrew or Phoenician
etymon of Albion, and he considers the prefix alb as
denoting a high country, the word being, in his
opinion, synonymous with the Celtic vocable alp or
alba, which signifies high. " Of the Alpes Grajae,
Alpes PaBiiinse or Pennine, and the Alpes Bastar-
nicae, every man of letters has read. In the ancient
language of Scotland, alp signifies invariably an emi-
nence. The Albani, near the Caspian sea, the Al-
bani of Macedon, the Albani of Italy, and the Al-
banich of Britain, had all the same right to a name
founded on the same characteristical reason, the
height or roughness of their respective countries.
The same thing may be said of the Gaulish Albici,
near Massilia." Deriving alb from the Latin word
albus, the appellation of Albinn would denote an
island distinguished by some peculiarity either in the
whiteness of its appearance or in the productions ot
its soil, and hence Pliny derives the etymon of Al~
bion from its white rocks washed by the sea, or from
the abundance of white roses which the island pro-
duced. His words are, " Albion insula sic dicta ab
albis rupibus, quas mare alluit, vel ob roses albas
quibus abundat." But although the whitish appear,
ance of the English cliffs, as seen Irom the channel
and the opposite coast of Gaul, certainly appears to
support the supposition of Pliny, yet it is evidently
contrary to philological analogy to seek for the ety-
mon of Albion in the Latin. Amongst the various
opinions given on this subject, that of Dr Macpherson
seems to be the most rational. The term Albany,
ALB
23
ALF
or • Alban. became ultimately the peculiar appellation
of an extensive Highland district comprehending
Breadalbane, Athole, part of Loc-haber, Appiri, and
Glenorchy. The title Duke of Albany was first
rreated for a younger son of Robert II. It became
extinct in his son Murdoch, who was beheaded by
James I. James II. renewed it for his second son
Alexander ; in whose son it again became extinct.
Since the Union it has always been borne by the
king's second son.
ALBION parish. See GLASGOW.
ALDCLUYD. See DUMBARTON.
ALD CAMUS, or OLD CAMBUS, an ancient
vicarage in Berwickshire, annexed at an unknown
but early date to the parish of Cockburnspath. The
church has long been in ruins; but its remains,
known by the name of St Helen's chapel, are still
visible on the summit of a lofty precipice overhang-
ing the sea, 1£ mile south-east of Dunglass. It is
stated in the last Statistical account of Cockburns-
path parish, published in 1835, that a number of
silver coins of Atheist an the Great were recently
found here. See COCKBURNSPATH.
ALDCATHIE, or ALCATHY, an ancient parish
in Linlithgowshire, no.v annexed to DALMENY:
which see.
ALD HAM, an ancient parish on the north-east
coast of the shire of Haddington, now annexed to
the parish of WHITEKIRK : which see. The ruins of
the chapel may still be traced, on the summit of the
lofty sea-beach a little to the eastwards of Tantullon
castle.
ALDIE, an ancient barony in the parish of Fos-
s:i\\ ay, Perthshire, originally belonging to the earls
of Tullibardine, but which came by marriage into the
family of Mercer of Meiklour, and is now the pro-
perty of Lady Keith, Countess Flahault. The ham-
let of Aldie is about 2 miles south by east of the
Crook of Devon. Aldie castle, once the family-seat
of the Mercers, is now in ruins.
ALE (THE), a small stream of Berwickshire,
rhich rises in the north-east of the parish of Cold-
ingham, and runs south-east, skirting the East coast
post-road, till its junction with the Eye, after a
course of about 7 miles, at a point about 1 mile
above Eyemouth.
ALEMOOR LOCH, a small sheet of water in
the parish of Roberton, Selkirkshire, fed by a num-
ber ot streamlets descending from the high grounds
towards the west and south, and discharging its
waters by the Ale, which, emerging from the north-
east point of the loch, flows south-eastwards, and
fulls into the Teviot, a little below ANCRUM : which
see. This lake, Leyden informs us, is regarded with
superstitious horror by the common people, as being
the residence of the water-cow, an imaginary amphi-
bious monster. A tradition also prevails in the dis-
trict that an infant was once seized, while disporting
on the ' willowy shore' of this loch, by an erne, a
species of eagle, which, on being pursued, dropped
its ' hapless prey' into the waters. Leyden has
introduced this incident with thrilling effect in his
Scenes of Infancy,' in the lines commencing
Sad is the wail that floats o'er Alemoor'a lake,
And nightly bids her tfulfs unbottomed quake,
Wlnle moonbeams, sailing o'er the waters blue,
Reveal the frequent tinge of blood-red hue."
ALEXANDRIA, a pleasantly situated village in
the parish of Bonhill, Dumbartonshire ; on the west-
ern bank of the Leven, on the road from Dumbar-
ton to the Balloch ferry ; 3£ miles noith from Dum-
baiton, and a little more than 1 south of the ferry.
The population is considerable, and chiefly engaged
u» the neighbouring cotton-printing works. There
are a handsome extension church, with nbout 1,000
sittings; and a neat Independent chapel here.
ALFORD, a district in the south-west of Aber
deenshire, comprehending the parishes of Alford,
Auchindoir, Clatt, Glenbucket, Keig, Kildrummy,
Kinnethmont, Lochell-cushnie, Rhynie and Essie,
Strathdon, Tullynessle with Forbes, Tough, Towie,
and part of Cabrach, which is mostly in the shire ol
Banff. The entire population of this district, in Ig31j
was 11,923, of whom 1,291 families were engaged in
agriculture. The number of inhabited houses was
2,321. This district is nearly surrounded on every
side by hills and mountains, and there is no entrance
to the greater part of it but by ascending consider-
able heights to gain the passes between them. The
climate is good. Its distance from the ocean occa-
sions more intense frosts and longer lying snows ; but,
on the other hand, the surrounding mountains pro
tect and cover the country from the north-east fogs
and winds which are so unfavourable to vegetation
in less-sheltered situations and places upon the coast.
Besides several inferior streams, Alford is watered
by the Don, which, rushing through a narrow gullet
amongst the mountains on the west, winds its course,
in a direction from west to east, through the whole
length of the district ; and flows out through a
narrow valley encompassed on the north by Benno-
chie, which here rises into high and magnificent Al-
pine tops. See BENNOCHIE.
ALFORD PARISH is in length, from south-west
to north-east, about 7 or 8 miles ; and is from 3 to 5
in breadth. It contains nearly 8,000 Scotch acres ;
of which there were, in 1796, nearly 3,600 arable,
3,700 of hill, muir, moss, and pasture-grounds, and
about 700 of wood. Population, in IbOl, 644; in
1831, 894. Assessed property, £2,616. The soil
on the banks of the Don is generally a good light
loam. In the eastern part of the parish, the soil is
in some places a deep loam ; in others, a strong clay ;
and sometimes a mixture of both. In this quarter,
and the adjoining parish of Tough, there was former-
ly a large marsh, now called the Strath of Tough or
Kincraigie, which was partially drained in the end of
the 17th century. There were anciently weekly
markets held at Meiklendovie in this parish, and
great yearly fairs at that place, and the kirk-town ot
Alford. Those at Meiklendovie have been discon-
tinued for many years ; but there are still monthly
fairs at the kirk-town, for the sale of cattle, horses,
sheep, and small wares. Two roads cross each other,
in this parish, a little to the north-east of the kirk-
town : viz. the Great Northern road, which leads from
Fettercairn, over the Cairn of Month, to Huntly ; and
the road which goes from Aberdeen to Corgarff, a
military station on the sources of Don. On the former
of these lines is the bridge of Alford over the Don,
a little below its junction with the Lochel, built in
1811. It is of 3 arches, having a water-way of 128
feet, and cost £2,000. It is 14 miles distant from the
bridge of Potarch over the Dee, on the same line of
road. — There are two old fortalices in this parish ; one
of them, Astoune, seems to have been a place of some
strength. The river Don here abounds with trout,
and, after high floods, with salmon. Besides the Don,
there are sever*! inferior streams well-stocked with
trout, £c. Upon one of them, the Lochel, a bridge
was built by Mr Mel vine, then clergyman of the
parish, in the end of the 17th century ; and it is still
kept in good repair, by a mortification of 100 merks,
which he left in the charge of the minister and kirk-
session for that purpose. — This parish is in the pres-
bytery of Alford, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
the Croun. iitipend £206 17s. 4d., with a manse,
glebe, and fuel. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4±d.,
with about £10 fees. Average number of scholars
ALI
54. The church is old, and bears date 1603 The
manse was built in 1718.— In this parish, the Marquis
of Montrose, upon the 2d July 1645, signally defeated
Baillie, one of the generals of the Covenant j but his
cause sustained an irreparable loss in the death of
Lord Gordon, eldest son of the Marquis of Huntly,
who fell by a random shot, in the pursuit, near a large
stone which is still pointed out by the country peo-
ple. About 90 years ago, some men, while casting
peats, dug up the body of a man on horseback and
in complete armour, who had probably perished
either in the pursuit or flight from this engagement.
Upon the top of a hill in this parish, there is an im-
mense cairn, 120 yards in circumference, and of a pro-
portionable height. Of this monument, there is no
very distinct tradition, though some legends represent
it as marking the burial-place of a brother of one of
the kings of Scotland. Nor can any more certain ac-
count be given of a large cairn which stood at a place
called Cairnballoch.
ALINE (LocH) a beautiful little arm of the
sound of Mull, connected with the sound by a very
narrow channel, and penetrating about 2 miles into
the most interesting district of Morven. The sides
are steep and woody, and towards the head assume
a rugged and picturesque appearance. Two streams
flow into it at the head, at opposite angles ; the one
descends from Loch -na-Cuirn, through LochTernate,
and falls into the north-east corner of the loch; the
other, and larger stream, flows through Glen-Dow,
skirting the western base of Ben-Mean, receives at
Claggan a tributary from Glen-Gell, on the eastern
side of Ben-Mean, and discharges itself into Loch
Aline on the north-west point. Loch Arienas flows
into the latter stream, by a small rivulet. At the head
of Loch Aline is a tine old square fortalice, picturesque-
ly situated on a bold rock overhanging the loch.
ALLAN (THE), a tributary of the Teviot, rising
on the southern skirts of Cavers parish, and flowing
in a north-east direction, through a lovely pastoral
vale, till its junction with the Teviot at Allamnouth
peel, a mile above Branxhohn.
ALLAN (THE), a river of Perthshire, and tribu-
tary of the Forth, famed for its picturesque scenery,
and giving name to the fertile district of Strathallan.
Its head-springs descend in a south-eastern direction
from the Braes of Ogilvie ; the united stream first
runs west ; and then turns south-west, and enters
the parish of Dunblane. At Stockbrigs it bends
suddenly towards the south-east, till it reaches
Dunblane, whence it assumes a direction nearly
south, till its junction with the Forth, about 2 miles
above Stirling. Its entire course is about 18 miles.
It is a fine trouting-stream, and is a familiar name to
the lovers of Scottish song. It is the opinion of
Chalmers, that the Alauna of Ptolemy, and of
Richard, was situated on tho Allan, about a mile
above its confluence with the Forth.
ALLAN (BRIDGE OF), a beautiful village, on the
banks of the above stream, at the point where the
post-road from Stirling to Callander crosses it ; 3
miles north of Stirling. The beauty and salubrity
of the place, and its proximity to the celebrated
mineral well of AIRTHRIE (which see) have rendered
it a favourite watering-place. Nature assumes a
mild and cheerful aspect here. The banks of the
Allan are clothed with soft green verdure; the cot-
tages are irregularly scattered, as in some villages of
the South, amid
Gardens stored with peas and mint and thyme,
Aud ro^e and lily for the sabbath-morn,"
Despeaking a high degree of comfort arid even of
rural luxury. To the native of England, or of the
Scottish lowlands, returning from the classic regions
t ALL
of Highland chivalry, fatigued and overpowered with
their monotonous immensity, — their unutterable lone-
liness,— their ferocious precipices, — their sun-scorch-
ed rocks, and roads with never a tree to shade them,
the rich and agreeable diversity of sylvan scenery of
the Bridge-of- Allan and its neighbourhood is inex-
pressibly delightful. He here finds himself trans-
ported to a district of fertile arid cultivated beauty, —
a country rich in verdant pastures, sprinkled with
the comfortable habitations of men, and awakening
more of a home-feeling in his bosom than nature in
her free, wild, unadorned loveliness.
ALL AN TON, a village in the parish of Edroni,
Berwickshire, situated at the point of confluence of
the Blackadder and Whitadder, on the road from
Ladykirk to Chirnside, H mile south of Chirnside.
There is a private school in this village ; and a new
bridge is now erecting over the Whitadder.
ALLEN (THE), a small stream in Roxburghshire.
It rises on the north-western boundary of the parish
of Melrose, near Allenshaws ; flows southward,
skirting the western base of Colmslie hill, and pass-
ing the ruins of Hillslap, Colmslie, and Langshaw ;
and falls into the Tweed, about a quarter of a mile
above the bridge near Lord Somerville's hunting-
seat called the Pavilion, after traversing a romantic
ravine called the Fairy dean, or the Nameless dean.
The vale of the Allen is the prototype of the ima-
ginary Glendearg in ' The Monastery ;' although, as
Sir Walter himself informs us, the resemblance of
the real and fanciful scene " is far from being minute,
nor did the author aim at identifying them."
ALLOA, a parish in the shire of Clackmannan,
anciently a chapelry to the vicarage of Tullibody.
Its average length, from east to west, is about 4
miles, and its breadth 2. On the south it is bound-
ed by the Forth, whose course is here so winding
that its banks measure above 5| miles within the
boundaries of the parish. On the north it is bound-
ed by the Devon, which separates it from the parishes
of Alva on the north, and Logic on the west. On
the east it is conterminous with the parishes of
Tillycoultry and Clackmannan. The soil is rich and
fertile along the Devon and the Forth ; betwixt
these rivers, the country rises considerably and is
much less fertile. The parish is intersected by the
road from Clackmannan to Tullibody, and thence
northward to Menstrie. On the coast, after passing
the ferry of Craigward, the river becomes narrower;
and here presents some beautiful islands, or inches,
which, though covered at spring-tides, furnish ex-
cellent pasture for cattle during summer, and are
frequented by quantities of water-fowl. The stormy
petterels, or what the sailors usually call Mother
Gary's chickens, have been occasionally seen here.
Proceeding up the links of the river, we come to the
mansion-house and barony of Tullibody. Behind it,
on the north, there is a wooded bank ; and on either
side, almost at equal distances from the house, are two
prominences, jutting out into the carse, which protect
and shelter the lower grounds. In the front of the
house is the river, with two of the inches formerly
mentioned. Within a mile to the west of the house of
Tullibody, the Devon discharges itself into the Forth ;
and vessels of tolerable burden can load and unload at
a pier built at the mouth of that river; while sloops
and large boats loaded with grain come up near to the
village of Cambus. On the other side of the Devon
there is a rich flat piece of ground, called West Cain-
bus, formerly belonging to Lord Alva. In the north-
east extremity of the parish is Shaw Park, formerly
the seat of Lord Cathcart, now of Lord Mansfield.
From the drawing-room windows, there is in view a
fine reach of the river, with the towers of Alloa and
Clackmannan, and the castle of Stirling, in the dis-
ALLOA.
even the hill of Tinto, in Clydesdale, and
>n-Lomond, are distinctly seen. Upon the eastern
tremity of the parish, there is a large artificial piece
water, made about the beginning of the l~th cen-
for the use of the Alloa coal- works. It is
led Gartmorn dam. When the dam is full, it
vers 160 English acres of ground. There are two
llieries in the barony of Alloa, the oldest of them,
the Alloa pits, is about H mile distant from
shore ; the other is the Colfyland, and is about
ible that distance. There are various seams in
colliery ; some of 3, 4, 5, and 9 feet in thickness,
le pits are free of all noxious damps, and have in
leral a good roof and pavement, although there
iron stone over some of the seams. While the
als of the barony of Alloa were brought to the
re in small carts by the tenants, the quantity was
uncertain, and often not very considerable. In 1768,
a waggon-way was made to the Alloa pits, which
proved to be so great an advantage that it induced
ihe proprietor to extend it to the Collyland, in 1771.
rmerly this parish was famous for manufacturing
acco ; the merchants of Glasgow having ware-
js here for that article and other colonial pro-
which they re-exported to the continent ;
it is long since it lost its reputation for this
mfacture. For a time the camblet branch took
lead in the manufactures of this parish. " It is
the neighbourhood of the wool of the Ochils,"
the Statistical reporter in 1798; "and the
ing people were bred to the employment. Early
ication in this branch gave them superiority ; and
pre-eminence opened up a variety of markets
th at home and abroad. Great quantities were
it to England ; which, after being dressed and
lished-off with a peculiar neatness, were returned
sold in our markets at a very advanced price."
near that period, about 100 looms had been em-
>yed in this manufacture, but it no longer exists.
a;ood deal of cotton and linen, however, is woven,
principal heritor of the parish is the earl of
ir. Next to him, in valuation, is Abercromby of
illibody. The valued rent is £7,492 19s. 2d.
i-h. The real rent is probably about £4,000
Sterling. There are no families of any consequence
ho\v existing, which were originally of this parish,
""he branch of the Abercrombies which settled at
illibody towards the end of the 16th century, were
ed from the family of Birkenboig in Banff-
The Cathcart family only made Shaw Park
the seat of their residence, on parting with the estate
of Auchincruive which they had possessed forages in
Ayrshire. Their possessions in this, and the adjoin-
ing parishes, descended to the late Lord Cathcart from
grandmother Lady Shaw; whose husband had
chased them, in the beginning of the 18th century,
a judicial sale, from the Bruces of Clackmannan,
either can even the Erskines be said to be original-
of this parish, although they got the lands which
ey now possess here, in the reign of King Robert
Bruce. They were originally settled in Renfrew-
shire. They succeeded by a female, in 1457, to
the earldom of Mar ; but it was not until the year
1561 that they got possession of it. It was at that
time declared in parliament, that the earldom of Mar
belonged to John, Lord Erskine, who, in the year
was elected regent of Scotland, on the death
the Earl of Lennox. The title was forfeited by
in, the llth earl, taking part in the rebellion of
but was restored in 1824, in the person of
in Francis, Earl of Mar.
The parish of Alloa is in the presbytery of Stirling,
" synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the Crown.
Upend £299 3s. 2d., with a manse, and a glebe of
annual value of £63. Unappropriated teinds
, £101 9s. 7(1. Church built in 1819, in the Gothic
i style, at a cost of £8,000. It stands on a rising
I ground, and has a steeple, 200 feet high. Sittings
I 1,561. The old church at Tullibody is still in good
j repair, and there is sermon here on Sunday evenings
during summer. The minister has an assistant who
I is nominated by the earl of Mar, and paid partly from
the interest of £800 mortified by Lady Charlotte,
widow of Thomas, Lord Erskine. Population, in
1801, 5,214 ; in 1831, 6,377; beingan increase of 800,
since 1821, which was attributed to the flourishing
state of the trade. Of these 111, labourers were em-
ployed in agriculture, 194 in the collieries, 110 in
distilleries, 55 in breweries, and 25 in brick and tile
works. Houses 976, of which 561, inhabited by
1,128 families, belonged to the town of Alloa.
Assessed property, including that of the town of
Alloa, £11,245. The population of the parish, in
1836, amounted to 6,867, of whom 3,548 belonged
to the establishment, and about 1,800 were inhabi-
tants of the landward part of the parish. — There are
two United Secession congregations: the first of
these was established in 1 746. Church built in 1792 ;
sittings 722. Stipend £160, with manse and garden.
The second was established in 1765, at which time
the church was built, but it was reseated in 1811.
Sittings 640. Stipend £125, besides taxes, manse,
and garden. — There is an Original Burgher congre-
gation, the minister of which has a stipend of £110;
and an Independent congregation. The other re-
ligious bodies in this parish are an Episcopalian
congregation revived in 1837, and for which a new
chapel was consecrated in May, 1840, by Bishop
Russell ; a New Jerusalem congregation established
in 1831 ; and a Methodist Mission congregation
established in 1837. — The parochial schoolmaster
has a salary of £34 4s. 4^d., with £16 in lieu of
a house and garden, £18 10s. school fees, and
about £20 of other annual emoluments. Average
number of scholars 50. The parochial school is that
of the town of Alloa. There are 11 private schools,
attended by about 600 children. — Of the old parish
and church of Tullibody, we have the following no-
tice in the first Statistical account of the parish of
Alloa : " There are the remains of an old church in
Tullibody ; the lands of which, with the inches and
fishings, are narrated in a charter by David I., who
founded the abbey of Cambuskenneth, in the year
1147; and are made over to that abbacy, together
with the church of Tullibody, and its chapel of
Alloa. There are no records of the union of these
two churches of Alloa and Tullibody. It seems
probable, that it was about the beginning of the Re-
formation. It appears from John Knox, that, in
the year 1559, when Monsieur d'Oysel commanded
the French troops on the coast of Fife, they were
alarmed with the arrival of the English fleet, and
thought of nothing but a hasty retreat. It was in
the month of January, and at the breaking up of a
great storm. William Kirkcaldy of Grange, atten-
tive to the circumstances in which the French were
caught, took advantage of their situation, march-
ed with great expedition towards Stirling, and cut
the bridge of Tullibody, which is over the Devon, to
prevent their retreat. The French, finding no other
means of escape, took the roof off the church, and
laid it along the bridge where it was cut, and got
safe to Stirling. It is generally believed, that thia
church remained in the same dismantled state till
some years ago, that George Abercromby, Esq. of
Tullibody, covered it with a new roof, and erected
within it a tomb for his family. There is still a
large burying-ground around this church ; and on
the north side of it, where there had been formerly
an entry, there is a stone coffin, with a niche for the
26
ALLOA.
head, and two for the 'arms, covered with a thick
hollowed lid, like a tureen. The lid is a good deal
broken ; but a curious tradition is preserved of the
coffin, viz. : That a certain young lady of the neigh-
bourhood had declared her affection for the minister,
who, either from his station, or want of inclination,
made no return ; that the lady sickened and died,
but gave orders not to bury her in the ground, but
to put her body in the stone coffin, and place it at
the entry to the church. Thus was the poor vicar
punished ; and the stone retains the name of the
Maiden stone."
ALLOA, a burgh of barony, in the above parish,
and a port on the frith of Forth, is about 27£ miles
higher up the frith than Leith, and 17 below Stir-
ling ; in W. long. 3° 46', N. lat. 56° 7'. The name
has been variously written. In the charter granted by
King Robert, in 1315, to Thomas de Erskyrie, it is
spelled Alway; and, in some subsequent ones, Aul-
\\HV, Auleway, and sometimes Alloway. Camden, in
his ' Britannia,' seems to think it the Alauna of the
Romans. He says, " Ptolemy places Alauna some-
where about Stirling ; and it was either upon Alon,
a little river, that runs here into the Forth, [See
ALLAN,] or at Alway, a seat of the Erskines." The
windings of the Forth between Stirling and Alloa
are very remarkable ; the distance, from the quay of
Alloa to the quay of Stirling, measured in the cen-
tre of the river, is 17 miles, and to the bridge of
Stirling 19^ miles; whereas the distance, by land,
from Alloa "to the bridge of Stirling, does not exceed
7 miles, though the turnings in the road are numerous.
The situation of the town is pleasant. Some strata
of rock run a considerable way between the carse
and the high grounds, and break off about the ferry,
a little above the harbour. On part of this rock is
built the tower and the ancient part of the town of
Alloa. The tower marks the ancient residence of
the family of Mar. It was built prior to the year
1315 ; but the entire building, with the exception of
the square to.vver still standing, was accidentally
burnt to the ground in the year 1800.* The highest
turret is 89 feet ; and the thickness of the walls is 1 1
feet. There is a fine rich prospect from the summit :
no fewer than nine counties can be discerned from
it. The gardens were laid out by John, Earl of
Mar, in 1706, in the old French taste of long aven-
ues and dipt hedges, with statues and ornaments.
The town formerly almost surrounded the tower,
and in rude ages they afforded mutual benefits to
each other. Most of the streets are narrow arid irre-
gular ; there is one, however, on a regular plan, in
a line parallel to the gardens of the tower, called
John's street, which is between 76 and 80 feet broad.
A row of lime-trees, on each side, affords an agree-
able shade in summer, and a comfortable shelter in
winter. At the end of this walk is the harbour of
Alloa, where, at neap-tides, the water rises from 14
to 16 feet, and at spring-tides from 22 to 24 ; yet
it has been ascertained that the bottom of Alloa
harbour is nearly on a level with the top of the pier
of Leith. There is a double tide at each flowing
and ebbing. The quay is built of rough hewn stone,
• Among the valuable relics of antiquity which perished in
this unfortunate conflagration was the only indubitably authen-
tic portrait of Queen Mary, who herself bequeathed it to one of
her personal attendants shortly before her execution1. •« The
paiuter," says Dr Stoddart, who saw this picture a few months
before its destruction, " was no mean artist ; and the piece,
though hard, was highly finished. The features were probably
drawu with accuracy ; but what little character they possessed
was unpleasant, and might better have suited the cold and art-
ful Elizabeth, than the tender, animated Mary. It appeared,
however, to have been painted at an age when she had been
long written ' in sour Misfortune's book ;' and had perhaps
lunt that warmth of feeling which was at once the bane of
her happiness, and the charm vi tier manners."
and forms a pow, or small creek, where the nvul
that runs through the north-east end of the tow
falls into the river. A little above the harbour ther
is a dry dock. Above the dry dock there is a ferrj
sometimes called the Craigward, and sometime
the King's ferry. The breadth of the river he
at high tide, is above half-a-mile ; and there
good piers carried down to low water-mark on eacl
side, and two large steamers are employed ; bt
the rapidity of the tide sometimes renders the
sage tedious. The scheme of building a bridj
across the Forth here has often been talked of. T(
the west of the ferry stands a glass-house, for makir
bottles, which is thought to be the most convenient^
situated of any in Britain. The extent to vvhic
the manufactory of glass has been carried here,
amazing. " It is not half-a-century," says the writ
of the first Statistical account of Alloa, " since or
glass-house at Leith, and one at Glasgow, supplied i
Scotland, while the company wrought the one ha
year at the one place, and the next at the other.'
In 1825 a joint-stock company was formed for cart
ing on these works, but it has not proved a very pre
perous concern. The Glasgow Union bank, and tl
Western bank of Scotland, have branches her
Fairs are held here on the second Wednesday ii
February, May, August, and November ; those
May and November are for cattle. The publ
revenue, and matters of trade, are managed by a ci
torn-house, which was established here a short tir
after the Union. The ships and vessels belonging
this port, in the end of last century, amounted
115 ; of a tonnage of 7,241 tons ; and employing ,
men ; the present tonnage belonging to this port
about 8,000 tons. The greater number of the ve
are employed in the coast- trade. About 50,000 tor
of coal are annually sent from this port to places wit
in the frith of Forth, and to the east and north
Scotland ; the foreign trade is also considerable wit
the ports of Denmark, Norway, Germany, and He
land. Coals are the great article of exportatior
65,000 tons are annually exported. The importatioi
generally consist of flax, lintseed, and other article
from Holland ; and grain, wood of all kinds, and iror
There are several breweries in the town of Alk
which is famed for its excellent strong ale ; and thi
extensive distilleries. There are also two wooll
manufactories ; and a large iron foundery. The L
of the place, and the administration of justice, are
the bands of his majesty's justices of the peace, ar
the sheriff-depute. There is only one sheriff-depul
for this and the neighbouring county of Stirling,
appoints substitutes ; one of whom constantly resic
here, and holds the sheriff-court for Clackmanm
shire. There is a baron-bailie named by Lord Ma
He regulates the stents and cesses ; he has also juris
diction in debts not exceeding 40s., but few or r
actions of debt are ever brought before him. Tl
town obtained a police act in 1803, which was amem
ed and enlarged in 1822. An admiralty court ws
formerly held here, in virtue of a commission from tl
Lord vice-admiral of Scotland. The jurisdiction
this court extended from the bridge of Stirling
Petty-cur near Kinghorn, on the north side of thi
Forth ; and from Stirling bridge to Higgin's Neucl
on the south. The town, as such, has no property o
revenue, and no debts; but under the police-acts ther
is a debt of £5,000. The burgh pays county-burdens
and rates corresponding to a valuation of £601 It
lOd. Scotch ; and, for the privilege of participatin
with the royal burghs in foreign trade, £11 6s. stei
ling as its share of royal burgh cess. Until th
passing of the police act of 1822, Alloa was il
supplied with water, but it has since been brougl
from the river at a considerable expense, and
ALL
27
ALN
jd through an artificial bed of sand. Alloa has
juent communication in the course of each day
Stirling and Edinburgh by means of the steam-
plying betwixt these places. It is 7 miles from
r, 20 from Kinross, and 37 from Perth. Popu-
i, in 1831, 4,417. Assessed property, .£4,662.
WAT, an ancient parish in the district of
le, in Ayrshire, which was united, towards the
of the 17th century, with the parish of Ayr,
which it is divided by Glengaw burn. ' Allo-
ts auld haunted kirk,' — a little roofless ruin, —
v known only as marking the obscure resting-place
the rustic dead, is now an object of veneration,
many an enthusiastic pilgrimage, on account of
having been chosen by Burns as the scene of the
grotesque demon revelry, at once ludicrous and hor-
rible, described with such graphic and tremendous
power in his tale of Tarn o' Shanter; for it would seem
that imagination is not restricted in her flight here by
the actual and real. It is situated on the east bank
of the Doon, a little below the point where the road
from Ayr to Maybole is carried across that river by
the new bridge, and a quarter of a mile from the
cottage on Doon side in which the peasant-bard was
born on the 25th of January, 1759. The poet's
father was interred here at his own request ; and the
bard himself expressed a wish to be laid in the same
grave, which would have been complied with had not
the citizens of Dumfries claimed the honour of the
guardianship of his ashes. It is now — such is the
interest which the genius of the bard has thrown
over the spot — a crowded and fashionable place of
ilture. Betwixt the kirk and the ' Auld brig o'
me,' by \\ hich a road now disused is carried over
)irs cbssic stream,' about 100 yards south-east of
kirk, and on the summit of the eastern bank, which
e rises boldly from the river, stands a splendid
mment to the poet, designed by Hamilton of
inburgh, and consisting of a triangular base, sup-
ting nine Corinthian columns, which are surround-
by a cupola terminating in a gilt tripod. It is
rds of 60 feet in height ; and cost above £2,000.
whole is enclosed, and ornamented with shrub-
; and the clever figures of Tam o* Shanter and
iter Johnny, executed by the ingenious self-taught
sculptor, Tom, are placed in a small building within
the enclosure — A lloway kirk is 36£ miles distant from
Glasgow ; 5f from Maybole ; and 2| from Ayr. Mr.
Cathcart of Blairston, one of the lords of session, on his
promotion to the bench, took the title of Lord Alloway
from this place. He died in 1829, and was interred
'thin the ruins of the kirk. See article, THE DOON.
ALMOND (THE), a river chiefly belonging to
iburghshire. It rises in the muir of Shotts, about
n'le south-east of the kirk of Shotts, near the
it hills ; and flows eastward in a line nearly paral-
with the post-road from Glasgow to Edinburgh,
Whitburn, which crosses it at Blackburn, and re-
2s it again near to Mid-Calder. From a little
fond Mid-Calder, it flows in a north-easterly di-
tion and forms the boundary betwixt the shires
Linlithgow and Edinburgh, passing Ammondell,
»ston, Kirkliston, Carlourie, and Craigiehall, and
ing into the sea at Cramond, where it forms a
estuary navigable by boats for a few hundred
is. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Union canal is
across this rmr near Clifton hall, in the
sh of Kirkliston, by a noble aqueduct. The Edin-
;h and Glasgow railroad is also carried across it
rer down the river near Kirkliston, by an immense
luct of 43 arches of 50 feet span each, and varying
n 60 to 85 feet in height. [See cut, vol. II. p.
7.] — Its principal tributary is the Broxburn, which
wholly a Linlithgowshire stream, and flows into it
the west a little above Kirkliston.
ALMOND (THE), or ALMON, a river of Perth-
shire, rising in the south-east corner of Killin parish,
on the north side of the range of hills at the head of
Glen Lednock, and flowing eastwards to Newtown
in the parish of Monzie, where it turns south-east,
and skirts the road from Amulrie to Buchandy; at
Dallick it again turns eastwards, and flows in that
direction to Logie- Almond ; beyond which it bends
towards the south-east, and finally discharges itself
into the Tay, a little above the town of Perth, and
nearly opposite to Scone, after a course of about 2U
miles. There are numerous remains of Roman and
Caledonian antiquity in Glen Almond, particularly
in the neighbourhood of the bridge of Buchandy, 10
miles from Perth. The glen itselt is dreary, desolate,
and wild. In one part of it, where lofty and impend-
ing cliffs on either hand make a solemn and perpetual
gloom, in the line of the military road from Stirling
to Inverness, is the Clach-na-Ossian, or Stone of
Ossian, supposed to mark the burial-place of the
gifted son of Fingal. About 3 miles from this, in
the Corriviarlich or Glen of Thieves, is a large cave
known by the name of Fian's or Fingal's cave. Sel-
ma in Morven, which is said to have been Fingal'a
chief residence, is about 60 miles distant from Glen
Almond. Newte, who travelled through this district
in 1791, says: " I have learned that when Ossian 's
stone was moved, and the coffin containing his sup-
posed remains discovered, it was intended by the
officer commanding the party of soldiers employed on
the military road, to let the bones remain within the
stone sepulchre, in the same position in which they
were found, until General Wade should come and
see them, or his mind be known on the subject.
But the people of the country, for several miles
around, to the number of three or four score of men,
venerating the memory of the bard, rose with one
consent, and carried away the bones, with bagpipes
playing, and other funereal rites, and deposited them
with much solemnity within a circle of large stones,
on the lofty summit of a rock, sequestered, and of
difficult access, where they might never more be dis-
turbed by mortal feet or hands, in the wild recesses
of the western Glen Almon. One Christie, who is
considered as the Cicerone and antiquarian of Glen
Almon, and many other persons yet alive, attest the
truth of this fact, and point out the second sepulchre
of the son of Fingal." Macculloch, ever at war
with ' old poetic feeling,' discredits the whole story
of Ossian's supposed connexion with this place. With
a better faith has Wordsworth thus expressed himself
on this dim tradition : —
" Does then the B.ird sleep here indeed P
Or is it but a groundless creed ?
What matters it ?— 1 blame them not
Whose fancy in this lonely spot
Was moved ; and in such way expressed
Their notion of its perfect rest.
A convent, even u hermit's cell,
Would break the silence of this dell :
It is not quiet, is not ease,—
But something deeper far than those :
The separation that is here
Is of the grave, — and of austere
Yet happy feelings of the dead :
And, therefore, was it rightly said
That Ossiiui, last of all his race!
Lies buried in this lonely place."
A secluded spot called the Dronach-haugh, on the
banks of this river, and about half-a-mile west ot
Lynedoch, is said to be the burying-place of Bessie
Bell and Mary Gray, famed in pathetic ballad story.
The road through Glen Almond communicates be-
tween Stirling and Dalnacardoch, by Tay bridge,
passing through Amulrie.
ALNESS, a parish, formerly a vicarage, in the
shire and synod of Ross, and presbytery of DingwalL
It is bounded on the south b) 'he frith of Cromarty,
ALS
28
ALT
and on the east by the parish of Rosskeen ; and
stretches 12 miles inland, in a north-west direction,
along the course of the water of Ness and the Alt.
The kirk-town is situated near the coast, at the
junction of the road running along the north siue of
the frith of Cromarty— whose undulating waters al-
most bathe the road — with that running north, by
Altdarg, to the frith of Tain. In the higher part of
the parish, surrounded by wild and uncultivated hills,
are two fine fresh water lochs, Loch Moir, and Loch
Glass, both of which are fed by tributaries descend-
ing from Rama-Cruinach, and the former of which
discharges itself by the water of Ness, and the other
by the Alt burn, both running south-east into the
frith of Cromarty. The former stream is crossed by
the bridge of Alness, and the feiry of Alness is near
its mouth. Navar, the seat of Sir Hector Munro, is
a fine building, 2 miles south-west from the bridge
of Alness. Patron of the parish, the Hon. Wm.
Mackenzie. Stipend £230 19s. lid., with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £10. Schoolmaster's salary
£'2Q, with .£20 fees, and some other small emoluments.
Scholars 60. There are three private schools at-
tended by about 90 scholars. In July 1834, there
were 200 persons in the parish who could not read.
The language generally spoken is an unclassical
dialect of the Gaelic. Population, in. 1801, 1,072 ;
in 1831, 1,437. Houses 309. Assessed property
afc'4,277. Iron and silver ores have been found in
this parish. Miss Spence, while residing at the
manse of Alness, in the month of July, thus describes
the effect of twilight : " You can imagine nothing
half so beautiful as the summer-evenings in Scot-
land. The dark curtain of night is scarcely spread in
this northern hemisphere, before
* Jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain's top.'
The firmament retains a glow of light, often bril-
liantly heightened by the aurora borealis — here called
the merry dancers — which has a grand effect ; and,
when the softer shades of evening prevail, and throw
into partial gloom the sleeping landscape, it is even
at midnight, during the months of May, June, and
July, only like our evening-twilight, when every ob-
ject is indistinctly visible. The grandeur of the
mountains, the pellucid tranquillity of the rivers,
and the deep gloom of the dark fir woods, altogether
form a scene no person who has not beheld it can
picture."
, ALSH (LOCH), a narrow and irregularly-shaped
arm of the sea, stretching between the south-east
point of Skye and the mainland ; and penetrating in-
land into the district of Kintail in Ross-shire by two
arms, — the one running 4 miles north-north-east under
the name of Loch Loung ; and the other one, called
Loch Duich, stretching alout 6 miles south-east.
The entrance to Loch Alsh, from the west, is by the
Kyle Haken, or Kyle Akin ; that from the south, by
the Kyle Rhee, or Kyle Rich. The latter strait is
considerably narrower than the former, and its scenery
is very beautiful. Macculloch thus describes it :
" Profound and shadowy ravines, rude, broken, and
diversified by rocks, mark the passage of waters that
are scarcely seen till they have reached the shore ;
their banks being sprinkled with wood, which, dense
below, gradually diminishes in ascending, till a single
tree is at last seen perched high aloft, the last out-
post of the rude forest. These declivities often ter-
minate in the sea by precipices, in which the oak and
the birch are seen starting from every crevice ;
sometimes nearly trailing their leaves and branches
in the water which they overhang, and almost de-
ceiving us into the feeling that we are navigating a
fresh-water lake, — a deception maintained by the
manner in which the land closes in on all sides."
As the strait narrows, the sides become more rocky
and precipitous, seeming to oppose an impenetrable
barrier to the navigator, while the tide rushes through
it with great rapidity. But, the kyle once cleared, all
tide is at an end for a time, and we instantaneously
find ourselves in the calm wide basin of Loch Alsh.
The Kyle Haken is remarkable for its irregular tides.
At its mouth there is an excellent ferry. A good
road leads to this point from Broadford in the isle of
Skye ; and there is a road leading from the other
side of the ferry, northwards, to the ferry of Strome
on Loch Carron, a distance of 14 miles ; and another
branching off from it, and running eastwards to the
Dornie ferry on Loch Loung. Kyle Haken or Moil
castle is a small ruined fortalice on the shore
Skye, at the eastern end of the kyle. Balm
the seat of the late Sir Hugh Innes, is a tine
sion on the northern shore of Loch Alsh. On
small rocky islet of Donan, at the point of confluer
of Loch Loung and Loch Duich, stands Ellandon
castle, once the manor-place of the ' high chiefs of
Kintail.' It is a magnificent ivy -clad ruin, backf
by a noble range of hills. This castle was original
conferred on Colin Fitzgerald, son to the earl
Desmond, in 1266, by Alexander III. In 1331
was the scene of a severe act of retributive justi
by Randolph, Earl of Murray, then warden of Sco
land, who executed fifty delinquents here, and plac(
their heads on the walls of the castle. In 153
Donald, fifth baron of Slate, lost his life in an attac
on Ellandonan castle, then belonging to John Ma
kenzie, ninth baron of Kin tail, and was buried 1
his followers on the lands of Ardelve, on the westei
side of Loch Loung. William, fifth earl of Seafort
having joined the Stuart cause in 1715, his esta
and honours were forfeited to the Crown, and h
castle burnt. The attack on Ellandonan castle, 1
the baron of Slate, is the subject of a ballad by S
Walter Scott's friend, Colin Mackenzie, Esq.
Portmore, published in the ' Scottish Minstrelq
[Vol. IV. pp. 351 — 361, last edition.] In the intn
duction to this ballad it is erroneously stated th
Haco, king of Norway, after hss defeat at Largs
1263, was overtaken in the narrow passage whic
divides the island of Skye from the coasts of Inve
ness and Ross, and slain, along with many of h
followers, in attempting his escape through the wes
ern kyle; and that these straits bear to this da
appellations commemorating these events; the 01
being called Kyle Rhee, or the King's Kyle, an
the other Kyle Haken. It is matter of fainilu
history, that Haco's fleet, in its flight from tl:
Clyde, succeeded in doubling Cape Wrath, an
reached Orkney on the 29th of October ; and ths
here, Haco, overcome by the feeling of his disgrac
and the incessant fatigues of his unfortunate campaig
fell sick, and died on the 15th of December.*
ALTAVIG, or ALTBHEIG, the southernmost of
group of flat islets — to which it usually gives name-
on the north-east coast of Skye, between the poii
of Aird and Ru-na-braddan. Martin says there is
little old chapel on it dedicated to St Turos; an
that herrings are sometimes so plentiful around
small rock at the north end of the isle, that " tl
fisher-boats are sometimes as it were entanglt
among the shoals of them !"
* Macculloch, who notices this historical error, asserts th
the proper name of the southern kyle is Kyle Rich, that i
•the swift strait;' while the name of the western kyle is fr
quently written Kyle Akin. The orthography, however,
names throughout this district appears very uncertain. The
we have Loch Long, Loch Loung, and Loch. Ling ; Ella
donan, and E/landonnan, and in the journal of a recent ti
veller, Lord Teigumouth, Ennan-dowan; Glen SAte/.aud Gl
Sheal ; Sfeat, and Slate. Native authorities afford us little i
here, each Gaelic writer having an orthography of his owu.
ALT
29
ALV
ALTMORE (THE), a small stream of Banflfshire,
ing betwixt the parishes of Ruthven and Desk-
1, receiving several small tributaries from Altmore
in the former parish, flowing southwards be-
et the parishes of Keith and Grange, and falling
the Isla, about 1 £ mile east of the town of Keith,
a rapid course of 6 miles.
iLTYRE, formerly a distinct parish belonging to
parsonage of Dallas, but annexed to the parish
ifford, in the shire of Elgin, by act of parliament
1661. The walls of the old church remain. The
imings of Logie, and most of the ancient resi-
iters, still continue to bury here. The soil is
?rally thin, but sharp and productive ; the extent
hill and pasturage is very great ; and the peat-
are inexhaustible. See RAFFORD.
L.LVA, anciently ALVATH, or ALVETH, a parish
barony, politically in the county of Stirling, al-
igh disjoined from it : being surrounded by the
of Clackmannan on the east, south, and west ;
ile on the north, it is bounded by Blackford parish
le county of Perth. It is in length, from east to
t, somewhat more than 2^ miles ; and from south
north, 4 miles. The river Devon gently glides
•the southern boundary of the parish, dividing it
the parishes of Alloa and Clackmannan. See
L;le, THE DEVON. The parish of Logie bounds
on the west; that of Tillicoultry on the east,
lis parish extends over a considerable portion of
Ochills ; and over part of the valley — here com-
ily called • the hill-foot' — between these hills and
Devon. The mean breadth, from the banks of
river to the rise of the Ochills, is about two-
Is of a mile. That portion of the Ochills which
igs to this parish, when seen from the south,
the distance of a mile or two, appears to be
continued range, presenting little variation in
"it ; but the range slopes towards the south,
is intersected by deep and narrow glens, through
of which flow streams which discharge them-
re& into the Devon, and by these, the fore-
ind of this part of the Ochills is divided into
ie separate hills, distinguished by the names of
Tood-hill, Middle-hill, and West-hill of Alva. On
the brow of this last hill is a very high perpendicular
rock, called Craig-Leith, long remarkable as the resi-
dence of that species of hawk which is used in hunt-
ing. The house of Alva stands on an eminence pro-
jecting from the base of Wood-hill, near the east end
of the parish. The height of this part of the hill is
about 220 feet above the Devon, which runs in the
valley below ; but immediately behind the house, the
hill rises to the height of 1,400 feet, making the whole
height 1,620 feet. The range continues to rise gra-
dually for about 2 miles farther north, until it reaches
in Ben-Cloch, the highest point of the Alva range, and
the summit of the Ochills ; being, according to Mr
Udney, about 2,420 feet above the level of the Devon.
The view from the top of Ben-Cloch is extensive
and beautiful. The village of Alva is situated near
the foot of the West-hill. A small rivulet, issuing
from the glen which separates the West from the
Middle hill, runs along the east side of the village.
lii the first Statistical report on this parish, it is
stated that woollen manufactures had been carried
in the village of Alva for more than a century,
ey consisted chiefly of Scots blankets and serges,
former were made from 9d.to Is. the Scots yard ;
the latter from lOd. to 15d.,and afesv from 16d.
18d. per yard. " It is more than probable," the i e-
>rteradds, "that this species of manufacture flourish-
ed a great many years ago in the neighbouring village
of Tillicoultry ; as an evidence of this, it is at this day
known among the shopkeepers of the Lawn-market
of Edinburgh, by the name of Tillicoultry serges.
The number of looms constantly employed at present
in this village is 67- The length of each web may
be reckoned at 80 yards, and taking the average
value at lOd. or lid. per yard, the gross produce will
amount to from £7,000 to £8,000 sterling, annually.
The manufacturers make use chiefly of English wool
in their serges and blankets, and this partly short,
and partly combed wool. That which is produced
from the sheep that pasture on the Ochills is com-
monly manufactured by the people of the country
for their own private use. These serges are sold
not only in Edinburgh, but likewise in Stirling,
Glasgow, Greenock, Perth, arid Dundee. The finest
kinds of serges are sometimes dressed and dyed by
the traders in Stirling, and sold as coarse shalloons.
A considerable quantity of the coarser sizes has of
late years been purchased by saddlers as a necessary
article in their business." We have inserted the
notice of this manufacture, though it no longer exists
here, as helping the reader to trace the progress of
Scottish manufactures. A rich vein of silver ore is
said to have been wrought in this parish early in the
beginning of the 17th century. An unsuccessful
attempt was made to renew the workings in the year
1759. Population, in 1801, 787; in 1831, 1,300.
Assessed property £2,445. Inhabited houses 218.
— The parish of Alva was, before the Reformation,
in the diocese of Dunkeld. From the chartulary of
Cambuskenneth it appears that the church of Alva
was a mensal church, as it is called, belonging to
that abbacy ; and that the monks of Cambuskenneth
performed duty here, from the want of a sufficient
fund for the maintenance of a regular clergyman.
By the same chartulary, it appears that Alexander,
styled Dominus de Striveling, Miles, in 1276, made
a grant of one acre of land to the church of St Ser-
vanus de Alveth, describing it particularly as lying
near the well of St Servanus, "et inter ipsum fon-
tem et ecclesiam." This well is still within the
limits of the minister's glebe ; and although its con-
secrated name has been long forgotten, it continues
to send forth a copious stream of the purest and
sweetest water. Until the year 1632, the parish of
Alva appears to have been united with the neigh-
bouring one of Tillicoultry ; the minister of Alva
officiating in both. The fabric of the present church
was built in the year 1631, by Alexander Bruce of
Alva, who procured a disjunction from the parish of
Tillicoultry. It is in the presbytery of Stirling, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, Johnstone of
Alva. Stipend £157 5s. 4d., with a manse, and a glebe
of the annual value of £27. Schoolmaster's salary
£29 18s. lOd., with £28 school-fees. Average num-
ber of scholars 55. There are two private schools
in the parish, attended by about 120 pupils.
ALV AH, a parish in the county of Banff, extend-
ing in length about 6 miles, and at its greatest breadth
to nearly the same measurement, but in other places
to only 2 miles. On the north-west and north it is
bounded by the parish of Banff; on the north-east
and east by the parishes of King- Ed ward and Garnery ;
on the south-east by Turriff; on the south by For-
glen ; and on the south-west by Marnoch. The
Doverori enters the parish about a mile below For-
glen house, which is on its northern baifk, and, after
winding through a fertile valley, leaves it at a point
about 2 miles from the sea. It here abounds with sal-
mon, trout, and eel ; and is frequented by wild ducksj
widgeons, teals, and herons. About half-a-mile be-
low the church, the river is contracted by two steep
and rugged precipices, commonly denominated the
Craigs of Alvah, between which it is about 50 feet
in depth. The scenery, naturally bold and pictur-
esque, has been greatly embellished here by its noble
proprietor, the Earl of Fife, who has thrown a mag-
ALV
30
ALV
nificent arch over the river, which forms an easy
communication between the opposite parts of his
lordship's extensive park. The haughs along the
banks of the river are subject to inundations, es-
pecially in the neighbourhood of the Craigs of Alvah,
which check the rapidity of the stream, and throw
the water backward. As we recede from the Doveron
towards the west, the country becomes more hilly
and barren. In this quarter one of the most con-
spicuous hills is the Hill of Alvah, which rises from
the bed of the river to a great height, and serves as a
landmark to mariners on their approaching the coast.
At the Bog of Mountblairie are the remains of an
old castle, situated in a swamp now overgrown with
alder, and said to have been built by an earl of
lluchan ; and on an eminence above it, are the ruins
of a chapel, adjoining to which is a well, famed of
old for its sovereign charms, but now fallen into dis-
repute. " Within these few years," says the Statis-
tical reporter in 1792, "there was an iron laddie ; and
many still alive remember to have seen the impend-
ing boughs adorned with rags of linen and woollen
garments, and the cistern enriched with farthings and
boddles, the offerings and testimonies of grateful
votaries who came from afar to this fountain of
health. At the foot of the hill of Alvah, towards
the north, is another spring, which passes by the
name of Corn's or Colm's well, in honour, probably,
of the renowned saint of Icolmkil." Population, in
1801, 1,057; in 1831, 1,278. Assessed property
£3,695. Houses 246 This parish is in the pres-
bytery of Turriff, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
the Earl of Fife. Minister's stipend £178 15s. 5d.,
with a manse, and a glebe of the yearly value of
£25, Unappropriated teinds £221 16s. 6d. School-
master's salary £30, with about £10 school-fees.
Average number of scholars 40.
ALVES, a parish in the shire of Elgin ; bounded
on the north by the Moray frith, along which it ex-
tends about one mile ; on the east by the parishes of
Duffus and New Spynie ; on the south by Elgin,
from which it is separated by Pluscardine hill ; and
on the west by Kinloss and Rafford parishes. Its
outline is very irregular ; and its surface varied with
hill arid dale. The soil is in general a deep fat loam
incumbent on clay. There are six land-owners ; the
total rental is about £6,000. At the south-eastern
extremity of the parish is a conical hill called the
Knock of Alves, which yields a good free-stone for
building. The only relic of feudal times is the
castle of Asleisk, on the Earl of Fife's property.
There is no river, or even considerable stream, in
this parish ; but it is conjectured by some that the
river Findhorn may, in remote ages, have winded
among the dales of Alves, and flowed through the lake
of Spynie into the sea. Population, in 1801, 1,049;
in 1831, 945. Houses 196 — This parish is in the
presbytery of Elgin, and synod of Moray. Patron, the
Earl of Moray. Minister's stipend £215 Is. 8d., with
a manse and glebe. Unappropriated teinds £130 13s.
Id. The church was built in 1769; sittings 590.
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4^d., with about £25
of various fees. The parish-school has a small en-
dowment. Average number of scholars 45. There
were three small private schools in this parish in
1835. The turnpike road between Elgin and Forres
passes through the parish.
ALVIE,* in some old charters called Alloway, a
» The writer of the first Statistical account of this parish
conjectures that the name Alvie is probably derived from the
Gaelic Alleibh., i. e. • Cold island,' the place being formed into
a peninsula by a lake; and, though a delightful situation in
hummer, extremely cold in winter. " All the names of places j
here," the same writer adds, «' are Gaelic, and descriptive of
their local situation." This etymology is, however, pronounced
not in the least probable by the writer of the second statistical
parish in the district of Inverness-shire called Bade-
noch. Its form is very irregular. The principal in-
habited division lies along the northern side of the
river Spey, here running from south-west to north-
east ; and is from north -east to south-west about 10
miles long, and from 1 to 2 broad. It is bounded
by the parish of Kingussie on the south-west ; Moy
on the north-west ; and Duthel on the north-east.
On the southern side of the river, Alvie parish ex-
tends, along the course of the Feshie, about 10 milt
by 3 ; and is bounded on the east by Rothiemurchus :
on the south by Blair ; and on the west by Kin
gussie. Its total extent from north to south is ur
wards of 20 miles ; and it has an area of above
square miles. The mountains are in general extreme
ly barren, covered with heath, and frequently rockj
those to the south of the Spey, belonging to tl
Grampian chain, are much higher than those to tl
north ; some points here rising to 4,500 feet abov
the sea-level. The interjacent valleys afford a pi-
tiful and rich pasture in summer, but are for
most part inaccessible in winter. The lower
arable part of the parish, intersected by the Sr, _^
for the space of 2 miles, consists of a light, storij
soil, lying on sandy gravel, and producing hea\
crops of corn in a wet season, but exceedingly pare
ed in dry weather. There are some extensive plant
tions of firs and larches; and natural coppices of birc
alder, and mountain-ash. The first Statistical repoi
er represented that the inferior tenants in this distric
were very poor, owing to their small holdings. " The)
pay," he says, " from £2 to £6 rent, which maj
be from 5s. to 10s. the acre arable, affording a scant)
subsistence to a family. They have no idea of
or manufactures, and consequently no desire to lea\
their native land ; they prefer living on the small
pendicle of land, as tenants, to the best service, am
are extremely averse to the military. They procur
their little necessaries from the market-towns, b\
the sale of small parcels of wood." This state
things, with regard to the holders of small pendicl
seems little changed to the better; but the
tenants have adopted a vigorous and judicious syster
of farming with the appropriate results. The avt
age rent is from 15s. to 20s. per Scotch acre. Tt
nearest market is Inverness, which is 35 miles dis
tant from the northern extremity of the parisl
The last Statistical reporter states that a vill
has been founded, called Lynchat, on the Bellevill
property, near the south- west extremity of the parisi
The valued rent of the parish is £1,394 Scots ; "
real rent is above £2,000 sterling. The river S[
here abounds with salmon, trout, and pike. The
Feshie affords trout and salmon. It rises on
northern side of the Grampian range, in the soutl
extremity of the parish, and flows at first north-east
till it approaches the road from Castleton of Bi
mar, where it bends north-west, and then north,
pursuing the course of the narrow valley througl
which also the only road intersecting the parish is
led, and falling into the Spey, a little above that ei
largement of the river called Loch Insch, and
Invereshie. The only detached loch in the parish is
that of Alvie. It is a beautiful sheet of water, about
a mile long, and half-a-mile broad. It has a com-
munication with the Spey, but it is not supposed
that its trout visit the Spey ; pike are also found in it
of from 1 ft. to 7 ft), weight. An elegant mansion wa*
built here, named Belleville, by the late James Mae-
pherson, Esq., translator of the poems attributed to
Ossian, who was a native of Badenoch, and died hert
account, published in 1836, who says, that " the name is in Oaeiti
pronounced Ealubhi, sounding l>k like v in English; a wort
compounded of eulubht swans, and *', an island, which ,orrectlj
translated signifies ' the Island of Swans.'
I
ALY
31
ALY
the 17th of February, 1796, but was buried, at his
desire, in Westminster abbey. At no great
ince from Loch Alvie is the burial-place of the
lief of the Macphersons. The finest mansion in
parish is Kinrara house, long celebrated in
lionable and literary circles as being the favourite
it of the accomplished duchess of Gordon. The
ey, flowing under a long wall of mountain-crags and
-plantations, embraces in its sweep a verdant plain
ich is close shut in on the opposite side by the hill
' Tor- Alvie ; in this spot, on a knoll commandingthe
lall plain, and itself sheltered by the loftier Tor, is
e far-famed cottage of the duchess. Dr Macculloch
ins describes the scenery of Kinrara : " A succession
' continuous birch -forest, covering its rocky hill and
lower grounds, intermixed with open glades,
regular clumps, and scattered trees, produces a
le at once alpine and dressed, — combining the dis-
lant characters of wild mountain-landscape and
ornamental park-scenery. To this it adds an air
perpetual spring, and a feeling of comfort and of
fusion, which can no where be seen in such per-
:tion : while the range of scenery is, at the same
IB. such as is only found in the most extended do-
If the home-grounds are thus full of beau-
js, not less varied and beautiful is the prospect
mnd : the Spey, here a quick and clear stream,
)eing ornamented by trees in every possible com-
inatiori, and the banks beyond, rising into irregular,
, and wooded hills, every where rich with an
idless profusion of objects, and, as they gradually
jcend, displacing the dark sweeping forests of fir
mt skirt the bases of the farther mountains, which
linate the view by their bold outlines on the
:y." The swan, a variety of fishing-ducks or duck-
3, and the woodcock, live here in winter, but retire
summer. Population, in 1801, 1,058; in 1831,
of whom about two-thirds were engaged in
riculture. — This parish is in the presbytery of
irnethy, and synod of Moray. Patron, the duke
Richmond. Minister's stipend £158 4s. 6d., with
inse and glebe. Church built in 1798, and repair-
in 1831; sittings 500. There is a government-
lurch at Insch, which is within 4 miles of the parish-
lurch, and with which a small quoad sacra parish,
originally part of the old parish of Insch, was connect-
ed in 1828. See INSCH. Schoolmaster's salary £'29
18s. 9d. ; with £18 school-fees, and £4 10s. emolu-
ments. Average number of pupils 70. There are
two private schools in the parish attended by about
70 children.
ALYTH, a parish on the northern side of Strath-
>re, in the counties of Perth and Forfar; but
liefly in the former. It is about 15 miles long, and
broad, at an average ; and stretches from south to
)rth tosvHrds the Grampian mountains. It is bound-
by Kirkmichael and Glen-Isla parishes on the
north ; by Glen-Isla, Lentrathen, Airly, and a de-
tached portion of Ruth veil on the east ; by the Isla
on the south, which separates it from the parishes of
Meigle and Cupar- Angus ; and by detached portions
)f the parishes of Bendochy, Blairgowrie, Kepet,
i ml Rattray, on the west. It is divided into two
'istricts, Loyal and Barry, by the hills of Alyth.
.'he southern district, which lies in the strath, is
)ut 4 miles long, and 3 broad. The lower part
the Isla is extremely fertile, producing ex-
jllent crops of barley, oats, and wheat ; but the
luent inundations of the isla — which sometimes
suddenly in harvest to a great height — is often
ttended with great disappointment and loss to the
sbandman. The village of Alyth is situated in
district. It is 15 miles north of Dundee ; and
12 west of Forfar. Population, in 1774, 555; in
Ib36, 1,700. Its name is of Gaelic extraction, and
is expressive of its situation, being built on a flat
near the foot of a hill. It was made a burgh of
barony bv charter from James III. The situation oi
the village is healthy • it is well -supplied with water ;
a small stream, vvhicu rises near Drumdevich in
the northern part of the parish, runs through the
lower part of the town, and thence north-east to the
Isla. There is a weekly market in the village on
Tuesdays ; and several for black cattle and sheep are
annually held here. The chief articles manufactured
in this district, towards the end of last century, were
yarn and brown linens, of which a great quantity was
spun and wove in the town of Alyth, and the district
around it. The quantity of cloth stamped from the
first November 1787, to the 1st November 1791, at
an average, was 258,639 yards yearly, and the me-
dium price £6,939 10s. 3^d. This branch of manu-
facture still exists, but has not thriven so much as
might have been anticipated. On the northern side
of the hill of Alyth there is an open country of con-
siderable extent, and capable of great improvement.
Beyond the hill of Banff — which is 2 miles north-
west of the village of Alyth— is the forest of Alyth,
a large tract of heathy ground, of more than 6,000
acres, which formerly belonged to four proprietors
who possessed it in common, but it is now divided
among them. The forest, which is skirted on the
west with arable ground, affords pasture for a con-
siderable number of sheep and black cattle ; it
abounds in game, especially muirfowl, and is much
frequented in the shooting-season. At the north-
western extremity of the parish there is a beautiful
little district surrounded with hills, and intersected
by the Ericht, which in summer has a delightful ap-
pearance. That part of it connected with this
parish, called the Blacklunnans, lies in the county of
Angus. Mount Blair, the most considerable hill in
this parish, is a very conspicuous point of land. The
base is not less than five miles in circumference; but
its exact altitude is not ascertained. It affords good
pasture for a great number of sheep, and abounds in
lime-stone. About 3 miles south-west of Mount
Blair, on the west side of the forest of Alyth, is the
King's-seat, rising to the height of 1,179 feet above
the level of the sea. The situation is romantic ; the
water of Ericht runs at its foot on the west, and the
side of the hill for a considerable way up is covered
with a beautiful natural wood. Barry-hill, to the
north-east of Alyth, is about a mile in circumference
at the base, and 676 feet high. On the summit there
is an area about 60 yards long and 24 broad, sur-
rounded with a mound of earth, 7 feet high, and 10
broad at the top. On the west and north borders of
this area are seen the marks of something like huts
built of dry stones, which may have served to shelter
the besieged from the weapons of the assailants, and
the inclemency of the air. The northern and western
sides of the hill are steep and almost inaccessible ;
on the south and east, where the declivity is more
gentle, there is a broad and deep fosse, over which,
at the southern extremity, is a narrow bridge built
of unpolished stones and vitrified. It evidently ap-
pears to have been designed for a temporary retreat
in time of war, and is well-adapted for that purpose.
The traditional account is that Barry-hill was the
place where Queen Guinevra, the wife of the British
king, Arthur, who was taken prisoner in a battle be-
tween the forces of that monarch and those of the
Scots and Picts, was confined by her captors. The
area of the parish is 34,160 acres ; valued rent £8,233
17s. 4d. Scotch. Population, in 1801, 2,536; in 1831,
2,888, chiefly agricultural labourers and weavers ; and
of whom about 2,383 belong to the establishment —
This parish is in the presbytery of Meigle, and synod
of Angus and Mearns. The church is an old Gotiue
AMI
ANC
structure ; it has been frequently re-paired, and is in
tolerable good order. In times of Episcopacy it was
a prebendary belonging to the Bishop of Dunkeld.
Minister's stipend £229 19s. 6d., with a manse, and
a glebe of the annual value of £14. Unappropriated
Crown teinds £134 Is. lid. Patron, the Crown.
Schoolmaster's salary £34, with about £20 of fees
and £24 of emoluments. Pupils about 100. There
are seven private schools, with an average attendance
at each of 45 scholars. The schoolmaster has like-
wise the interest of £40 sterling, bequeathed by the
late Rev. Mr Robertson for the education of a few
children of his name. The north-western district of
the parish is connected with Persie chapel in the
parish of Bendochy. — An Episcopalian congregation
has existed here since the Revolution. — A United
Secession congregation was established in 1781 ; and
an Original Seceder congregation in 1808.
AMISFIELD, a seat of the Earl of Wemyss, in
the parish and shire of Haddington, on the banks of
the Tyne, about 1 mile east of Haddington. It is a
handsome edifice of red-coloured sandstone, situated
in the midst of an extensive park, and fronting to-
wards the river and the great post-road from Dun-
bar to Haddington. It contains some fine paintings.
It was built by the famous Colonel Charteris, who
named it from the ancient seat of his family in Niths-
dale, the subject of the next article. His only
daughter conveyed it by marriage to the noble family
of Wemyss.
AMISFIELD CASTLE, anciently EMSFIELD, an
old, tall, square, stubborn-looking fortalice, 5 miles
north-east of Dumfries, a little to the left of the
post-road to Edinburgh, between the two head-
streams of the Lochar. This was long the family-
seat of the Anglo-Norman family of Charteris, or
Chartres, who migrated northwards during the reign
of David I., but seem to have first settled at
Kinfauns in Perthshire. The apartments are placed
one above another, and communicate by a narrow
stair. There is a curiously carved door on one of
them, of which Mr Chambers, in his ' Picture of
Scotland,' [Vol. I. 228, edition 1824,] has given an
amusing account ; and which door alone, he avers,
" makes Amisfield castle worth going twenty miles
to see."
AMULR1E, or AMULREE, a small village of
Perthshire, on the road from Crieff to Inverness,
11^ miles distant from the former town, and 10^
from Aberfeldy, the next stage. The district o"f
Amulrie is in the parish ot Dull, but is annexed
quoad sacra to the mission of Amulrie. There are
a church and manse here.
ANCRUM, a parish situated nearly in the centre
of the county of Roxburgh ; bounded on the north
by the parishes of St Bos well and Maxtown ; on the
east by those of Maxtown, Roxburgh, Crailing, and
Jedburgh ; on the south by Jedburgh, Bedrule, and
Minto ; and on the west by Minto, Lilliesleaf, and
Bowden. The river Teviot, along which it stretches
5 miles, divides it from the parishes of Jedburgh and
Bedrule. The extreme length of this district is not
less than 6 miles; its breadth does not exceed 4.
Its area is about 8,400 acres. The name of the
village — Alricromb, or Alnecrumb, as it was anciently
written — signifies the crook of the Aln ; and is exact-
ly descriptive of its situation on a rising ground on
the south side of the Ale, where that stream fetches
a ourve before falling into the Teviot. The parish of
Long Newton, forming the north-west and north part
of the parish, was annexed to that of Ancrum in
1684. The Ale rises on the western skirts of Ro-
berton parish, and flowing north-east, passes through
the loch of that name in the county of Selkirk, to
Drydean, where it bends, east to Sinton mill ; it
then intersects Lilliesleaf parish from south-west, to
north east, and after fetching 'many a loop and link'
on the borders of Ancrum parish, flows through it to
the village of Ancrum, where — as already noticed—
it fetches another circuit, and falls into the Teviot,
at the distance of half-a-mile below the village, and
a quarter of a mile above Ancrum bridge on the
great road to Jedburgh. This river abounds with
excellent trout ; and its banks are in many places
finely wooded with tall trees, — in others ' o'erhung
with birk or odorous broom,' or frowning with pre-
cipitous cliffs, — presenting a varied succession of ro-
mantic scenery. The soil, in the lower grounds of
the parish on Teviot side, is rich, consisting of a
mixture of sand and clay, and, in some places, of a
loam. On the higher ground, or ridge which per-
vades the parish from east to west, and, on the de-
clivities exposed to the north, the surface is heath on
a bottom of cold clay ; but the flat ground, on both
the Ancrum and Long Newton side of the Ale, is a
naturally rich though stiff clay. The Statistical
report on this parish, published in 1837, states that
7,496 acres are under cultivation, and above 800 in
wood. There was formerly a greater extent of
wood in this parish ; but none of long-standing re-
mains, except upon the banks of the Ale, near the
village of Ancrum, and in the environs of Ancrurn-
house. The Duke of Roxburgh, the Earl of Minto,
Sir William Scott, Bart., Sir George Douglas, Mr
Ogilvie of Chesters, and Mr Richardson of Kirk-
lands, are considerable heritors. The valued rent of
the united parishes of Ancrum and Long Newton
amounts to £12,332 2s. Scotch ; the real rent was
stated, in 1796, to exceed £4,000 sterling ; and is
now nearly £9,000. Population, in 1801, 1,222; in
1831, 1,454; of whom about 550 belonged to the
village of Ancrum. Houses 245. Assessed property
£9,707. There are several freestone quarries in this
parish. The stone is of two colours, red and white;
it is easily wrought and of a durable quality. The
situation of Ancrum-house, where the village of
Over-Ancrum formerly stood, is picturesque and at-
tractive. Spots of verdant lawn, craggy knolls,
scattered trees, and, on the verge of the river, steep
banks, in some places naked and of broken surface,
and in others clothed with wood, here exhibit a fine
assemblage of romantic objects. The trees surround-
ing Ancrum-house are the oldest and most beautiful
in the district: they consist of oaks, beech, elms,
planes, and limes. The prospect from the house
down the vale of Teviot, of the junction of the Ale
and Teviot, and towards the lofty mountains of
Cheviot, is extensive and striking. Chesters house
is a fine building, picturesquely situated farther up the
Teviot ; and Kirklands, on the Ale, is deservedly ad-
mired both for its architecture and situation. — The
parish of Ancrum is in the presbytery of Jedburgh, and
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Sir William Scott
is patron of the united parishes, and titular of An-
crum. Minister's stipend £223 16s. 6d., with a
manse, and a glebe of the annual value of £30. Un-
appropriated teinds £738 16s. 6d. Church built in
1762 ; sittings 520. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4^d., with £29 fees. Average number of pupils 85.
There are three private schools attended by about
130 children. One of these is endowed with £11 2s.
2£d. annually, having been the parish-school of Long
Newton.
The Roman road from York to the frith of Forth,
after passing through the north-east part of the parish
of Jedburgh, cuts a small part of the north corner of
Ancrum ; and upon the top and declivity of the hill
to the eastward, on the border of Maxtown parish,
vestiges of a Roman camp may still be traced. —
There is a ridge in this parish, over which the road
ANC
AND
Fair maiden Lylliard lies under this stane ;
Little was her stature, but great \vas her fame ;
Upon the English louns she laid inony thumps, [stumps."
And, when her legs were rutted off, she fought upon her
Walter Scott, in a note on the ballad of ' The Eve
St John,' gives the following account of the battle
•Ancrum moor. " In 1545, [1544?] Lord Evers and
toun again entered Scotland, with an army con-
ting of 3,000 mercenaries, 1,500 English borderers,
1 700 assured Scottish-men, chiefly Armstrongs,
irnbulls, and other broken clans. In this second
irsion, the English generals even exceeded their
icr cruelty. Evers burned the tower of Broom-
with its lady, (a noble and aged woman, says
sley,) and her whole family. The English pene-
ted as far as Melrose, which they had destroyed
3t year, and which they now again pillaged. As
jy returned towards Jedburgh, they were followed
Angus, at the head of 1,000 horse, who was
rtly after joined by the famous Norman Lesley,
nth a body of Fife-men. The English, being pro-
)ly unwilling to cross the Teviot, while the Scots
ing upon their rear, halted upon Ancrum moor,
>ve the village of that name ; and the Scottish
leral was deliberating whether to advance or re-
3, when Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch came up
full speed, with a small but chosen body of his
iners, the rest of whom were near at hand. By
advice of this experienced warrior — to whose
induct Pitscottie and Buchanan ascribe the success
:the engagement — Angus withdrew from the height
which he occupied, and drew up his forces behind it,
upon a piece of low flat ground, called Panier-heugh,
Paniel-heugh. The spare horses being sent to an
linence in their rear, appeared to the English to be
main body of the Scots, in the act of flight.
Jnder this persuasion, Evers and Latouri hurried
:ipitately forward, and, having ascended the hill,
lich their foes had abandoned, were no less dis-
»yed than astonished, to find the phalanx of Scot-
spearmen drawn up, in firm array, upon the flat
ml below. The Scots in their turn became the
ilants. A heron, roused from the marshes by the
mlt, soared away betwixt the encountering ar-
' O !' exclaimed Angus, ' that I had here my
yhite goss-hawk, that we might all yoke at once !'
~ jdscroft.'] — The English, breathless and fatigued,
iving the setting sun and wind full in their faces,
e unable to withstand the resolute and desperate
rge of the Scottish lances. No sooner had they
in to waver, than their own allies, the assured
;rers, who had been waiting the event, threw
le their red crosses, and, joining their countrymen,
le a most merciless slaughter among the English
jitives, the pursuers calling upon each other to
icmber Broomhouse !' — [Lesley, p. 478.]" The
nglish had 800 men slain, and 1,000 made prisoners,
this battle. Their leaders, Evre and Latoun,
jre also left on the field,
" where Ancrum moor
Ran red with English blood;
Whrre the Douglas true, and the bold Buccleuch,
'Gainst keen Lord Evers stood."
The most venerable fragment of antiquity in the
parish is the Maltan walls, on a rising ground at the
bottom of the village of Ancrum, close to the side of
the Ale, where it turns its course towards the south-
east. " These walls," says the Statistical reporter
in 1796, " were strongly built of stone and lime, in
the figure of a parallelogram ; and, ascending on one
side from the plain adjacent to the river, were con-
siderably higher than tbe summit of the hill which
they inclose ; but are now levelled with its surface,
and small part of them remains. Vaults or sub-
terraneous arches have been discovered in the neigh-
bouring ground, and underneath the area inclosed by
the building. Human bones are still found by per-
sons ploughing or digging in the plain at the side of
the river, which is an evidence of its having been
formerly occupied as burying-ground. The name,
which these walls still retain, gives the colour of
authenticity to a tradition generally received in this
part of the country, that the building, and surround-
ing fields had been vested in the knights of Malta,
or Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem,
who, upon account of their splendid achievements
and meritorious services in the holy wars, acquired
property even in the most remote kingdoms of
Christendom. — On the banks of the Ale, below the
house of Ancrum, there were several caves or re-
cesses, and not less than fifteen may be still pointed
out. In some of them there are also vestiges of
chimneys or fire-places, and holes for the passage of
smoke from the back part of the cave to the outside
of the bank. From these appearances, it is natural
to conclude, that, though these caves — so frequently
found on the banks of rivers in border-counties — were
originally intended for places of concealment and
shelter, yet, after the happy event which put an end
to interior violence and depredation, they were pro-
bably assumed by the poorer classes for places of
habitation, and improved by such farther accommo-
dations as the rude or simple taste of the times re-
quired."— In the centre of the village.green is an
ancient cross.
ANDERSTON. See GLASGOW.
ST ANDREWS, a parish on the east coast ot
Fifeshire ; bounded on the north by the Eden river,
and its estuary, which separates it from Leuchars
parish ; on the north-east by the German ocean ; on
the south-east by the Kenly burn, which separates
it from Kingsbarn and Denino parishes ; and on the
south and west by the parishes of Denino, Cameron,
Ceres, and Kembuck. Its greatest length is about
10£ miles from north- west to south-east; its average
breadth does not exceed 1| mile; though in the
north-western part it exceeds 4 miles, measuring
from St Andrews links to the western boundary of
the parish at Chalderhills. Its area somewhat ex-
ceeds 17 square miles, and may be stated at 11,000
acres. The ascent of the surface is from the nortbj
to the south arid east. From the Eden to the city
of St Andrews, the coast presents a flat firm sandy
beach, skirted by the links so famous in the annals
of golfing. From the city to the south-eastern ex-
tremity of the parish, the shore outwards from high
water-mark is lined with rough and ragged shelving
rocks covered with sea-weed, while the coast in,
wards is very rocky and bold, in some places pre-
senting perpendicular rocks of the height of 30 or 40
feet, yet the plough here comes to the very brink,
having a sufficiency of soil. The boundaries of the
parish to the south and west terminate in moors
covered with short heath and furze. In common^
with all the eastern part of the island, this district is
well-acquainted with the cold damp easterly winds,
or haars of April and May; the s^outh-west wind,
however, is the prevailing wind. There are no eon-
eiderable lakes or rivers within the parish. In tin*
C
34
ST ANDREWS.
embouchure of the Eden — up which the tide flows 4
miles is a flat sandy bay abounding with large floun-
ders, cockles, and mussels. In the course of the river,
for about a mile from its mouth, salmon are caught,
but in no great quantity. Towards the east end
of the parish are some small creeks among the rocks,
where vessels of inferior size occasionally deliver lime
and coals. St Andrews bay is proverbially dangerous
to navigators. Vessels driven into it by an easterly
wind, being unable to weather the opposite points
of Fifeness and the Redhead, are compelled to run
into the mouth of the Tay, which presents an intri-
cate navigation amid its sand-banks. On the lands of
Brownhills and Kinkell — which form the first rising
ground eastward from St Andrews harbour — there
are a few insulated rocks, from 20 to 40 feet high,
and of nearly equal breadth ; one about hal£-a-mile
from the harbour, is called the Maiden stone; and
about half-a-mile farther, is the Rock and Spindle.
The chief land-marks in this parish are the steeples
of St Andrews, and a small obelisk of stones on the
highest part of the farm of Bahymont, about 2 miles
south-east of the town. The principal hills are the
East and West Bahymonts, which rise to the alti-
tude of about 360 feet above sea-level; arid the hill
of Clatto which has an elevation of 548 feet. On
Strathkinness moor, about 3 miles west from the
town, and on Nydie hill — which is a more elevated
and westerly portion of the same moor — are quarries
of excellent freestone, of which most of the houses
in St Andrews are built. In Denhead moor, in the
south-west corner of the parish, coal exists, but it is
not wrought. About a mile east from the harbour,
there is a natural cave, called Kinkell cave. The
mouth is to the north ; the direction of the cave is
southwards, and it penetrates about 80 feet; the
shelving of the freestone roof presents a triangular
cross section, and there is a continual dropping from
the roof and sides which are covered with hanging
plants. There are no very old or extensive plantations
of wood in this parish. The number of acres under
cultivation is about 10,000; the average rent per
acre did not exceed 25s. in 1794, and does not ex-
ceed 30s. now. The highways through this parish
are such only as diverge from St Andrews as a centre,
viz. to Crail south-east; south to Anstruther; south-
west to Ely; west to Cupar; and north-west to
Dundee. On the road to Dundee, over the Eden, is a
bridge of six arches, called the Gair or Guard-bridge,
originally built at the expense of Bishop Wardlaw,
who died in 1444, and who established a family of
the name of Wan as hereditary keepers of this bridge,
for which they have a perpetual fee of about 10 acres
of Ian d^ adjoining to it. The language of the parish
of St Andrews is the common dialect of the Scotch
Lowlands. The Fifans, it has been alleged, use a
drawling pronunciation, but they have very few pro-
vincial \\ ords ; and if they are at all worthy of so
high a character as the first Statistical reporter on
must be such a very amiable set of people that one
can easily overlook in them so trivial a fault as
that of a drawling speech. " The people of this
parish," says the reporter, "are sober, temperate,
and industrious ; more addicted to the arts of tran-
quil life than to military service; kind and hospi-
table to strangers; benevolent and friendly to one
another; very ready to all the offices and duties
of society; not very forward in making new dis-
coveries, but willing to improve by the experi-
ments elsewhere made; peaceable in their demea-
nour; candid and liberal in their judgments; respect-
ful to their superiors, without servility; compas-
sionate to the distressed, and charitable to the poor ;
contented and thankful in their situation ; attached
to their religion, without bigotry or enthusiasm;
regular in their attendance on Christian institutions,
and pious without ostentation ; loyal to the king ;
obedient to the laws ; enemies to sedition, faction,
or tumult, and deeply sensible of the blessings they
enjoy as British subjects. In no corner of the king-
dom," adds the worthy reporter — and who will gain-
say him if such be the character of one's neighbours
here — " is it more comfortable to live, as neignbours,
magistrates, or ministers." Population, in 1801,
4,203; in 1831, 5,621; of whom 3,767 were inhabit-
ants of the city of St Andrews. Houses 863. As-
sessed property £21,723. The population consists
chiefly of shopkeepers, handicraftsmen, and labourers.
The parish of St Andrews is in the presbytery oi
St Andrews and synod of Fife. It is a collegiate
charge ; the Crown appointing the first minister ;
and the magistrates of St Andrews the second.
Stipend of the first minister £439 9s. 4d., with a
glebe of the annual value of £23; of the second
£161 18s. 2d., with a glebe of the value of £16 5s.
2d. ; both ministers have an additional allowance for
a manse. Unappropriated teinds £791 9s. lOd. The
parish-church, within the city of St Andrews, wi
erected in the 12th century, and thoroughly repaired
in 1798. Sittings 2,128. — There is a chapel at
Strathkinness where public worship is performed
every Sabbath. — An Episcopalian congregation has
existed here since Episcopacy was the established
religion of Scotland. The chapel was erected in
1825; cost £1,400 ; sittings 170. Minister's stipend
£90. — The United Secession congregation was estab-
lished in 1748; chapel built in 1826; cost £940;
sittings 440. Stipend £100, with manse and gar-
den.— An Original Burgher congregation was estab-
lished at Strathkinness in 1823. Stipend £96, with
manse and garden. — The Independent chapel was
built in 1807 ; cost £700 ; sittings 336. Stipend £70.
The parish of ST LEONARD consists of a few
districts in different quarters of the town and sub-
urbs of St Andrews, and three farms in the coun-
try, about 3 miles distant from the town, all origi-
nally belonging to the priory, after wards to the colle
of St Leonard, and now to the United college
St Salvator and St Leonard. Its total extent is
820 acres ; and population 482, of whom 62 reside ii
the country. It is probable that the erection of tbt
parish is of the same date with the foundation o
the college whose name it bears. Although tht
principal of St Leonards did riot always officiate a:
minister of the parish — and in the instance of Mi
George Buchanan, was not even a clergyman — it is
certain, that for some time before the Revolutior
the tvyo offices were held by the same person ;
ever since that period the principal of the collej
has been a clergyman, and:the minister of this parisi
The chapel of St Salvator's college is used as th<
parish-church; the old parish-church having beei
long in ruins ; sittings 312. Minister's stipend £151
Is. 9,d. ; with a glebe of the annual value of £25
There is no parochial school. Population of thi
parish, as distinct from that of St Andrews, in 1801,
363 ; in 1831, 482. Houses 77.
The city of ST ANDREWS is situated in N. lat.
56° 19' 33", and W. long. 2° 50'; 39 miles north-
north-east of Edinburgh, upon a rocky ridge pro-
jecting into the sea, at the bottom of the bay to
which it gives name. This ridge, washed by the
waves on the east and north, and terminating
towards the sea in an abrupt and high precipice-,
gives the city, to a traveller approaching from tht
west, an appearance of elevation and grandeur. Ap-
proaching along the road from Cupar and Dundee
by the Gair-bridge, we have a fine prospect of tbi
city at the distance, of some miles. On the left tht
ST ANDREWS.
35
ranges over the vast sweep of the bay of St
indrews, and the coast of Angus as far as the Red-
ead ; on the right rises the richly wooded bank of
krathtyrum ; while the venerably majestic towers
^ numerous spires of St Andrews, shooting into
air, over the horizon line, directly before us,
ibine to form a finely varied and imposing scene,
:ially at that fair hour
" When morning runs along the sea
In a gold path."
city commands a fine and open prospect of the
•erman ocean towards the north-east; and the view
the opposite quarter is bounded by a curvilineal
of hills running from north to south-east, and
ifivated to their summits. The road from Crail
the coast-road, as it is called — conducts us to
view greatly admired by some, and indeed per-
preferable to any other of St Andrews, for the
;nery is here softened and improved by gardens
fruit-trees, amid which the houses lie half-con-
led, seeming to retire as it were into the shade :
ve have, at the same time, a fine prospect of the
irbour, and of the ruins of the monastery and the
iral. Some, however, prefer the view of St
Lndrews from the side of Mount-Melvil, or the
>uth-west prospect of it, on the road from Anstru-
icr, to either of the two we have just described,
om this point the city appears still more closely
ibosomed in gardens and plantations, above which
mmerous spires and pinnacles shoot up, conferring
MI it "a kind of metropolitan look." The city is
mile in circuit, and contains three principal streets,
-South-street, Market-street, and North-street, —
lich are lighted with gas, and intersected by
of less dimensions. These principal streets
not lie exactly parallel to one another, but
iverge in a westerly direction from the cathedral,
spokes from the centre of a wheel. There was
lerly another street, called Swallow-street, which
farther to the north, now converted into a pub-
walk, and known by the name of the Scores,
'he castle stood on the north of Swallow-street,
yards distant from the cathedral. St Salvator's,
called also the Old or the United college, is on the
northern side of the town, between North-street and
the Scores; St Mary's, or the New college, directly
opposite to it, on the south side of South-street.
The buildings belonging formerly to the third
college, or St Leonard's, are towards the east
near the ruins of the monastery. On the site of
the Blackfriars monastery a splendid range of build-
ings has been erected for the Madras college, to be
afterwards noticed. The population of the city, in
1801, was 3,263; in 1831, 4,462. St Andrews was
created a royal borough in 1 140 ; and a city or arch-
bishop's see in 1471. As a royal borough, it is now
classed with Cupar, Easter and Wester Anstruther,
Crail, Kilrenny, and Pitteriweem, in returning one
member. The parliamentary constituency, in 1837,
250; the municipal, 180. The total parliament-
ry constituency of the St Andrews district of burghs,
1837, was 707. The first member elected under
le Reform act was Andrew Johnston, Esq. of Renny-
who continued to represent the burghs till 1837,
i'hen Edward Ellice, Esq., a well-known reformer,
elected by 290 votes ; his opponent, T. Macgill,
sq., polling 261 votes. The city of St Andrews
governed by a provost, dean of guild, four bailies,
id 23 councillors. The revenue of the borough, in
was £1,030, of which £384 arose from rents,
£210 from feu-duties. The expenditure, in the
year, was £1,021. The amount of debt then
iue by the town was £4,6G2. In 1837-8, the re-
me was £1,466. The magistrates and council
ive the patronage of the second charge in St An-
drews parish-church ; they were also patrons of the
town-schools, but have transferred this right to Bell's
trustees. The number of burgesses, in 1832, was
213, of whom 25 were non-resident. In 1832, there
were 313 houses of £10 and upwards rental in the
burgh. Assessed taxes £824. St Andrews has no
manufactures worth notice with the exception of that
of golf-balls. The bank of Scotland has a branch
here. There is a fair for lintseed and general busi-
ness held here on the 2d Thursday in April; and
for cattle and hiring on the 1st of August, and 30th
of November ; all O. S.
St Andrews was in the meridian of its glory in
the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. Mer-
chant-vessels were then accustomed to resort to it,
not only from the opposite ports of Holland, Flan-
ders, and of France, but from all the other trading-
kingdoms of Europe. At the great annual fair,
called the Senzie market — which was held with-
in the priory in the month of April — no fewer than
from 200 to 300 vessels were generally in the port. In
1656, Tucker describes this town as "a pretty neat
thing, which hath formerly been bigger, and, although
sufficiently humbled in the time of the intestine
troubles, continues still proud in the ruines of her
former magnificence, and in being yett a seate for
the muses." At this period only one vessel of 20
tons burden belonged to the port ; and at present it
possesses only two small vessels. It appears by
the tax-roll of the royal burghs, that in 1556 the
land-tax of St Andrews amounted to £410 ; but in
1695 only to £72. In 1805, it was fixed at £27 6s. ,
at which it still remains. After the Reformation,
this city fell gradually into decay ; and the descrip-
tion given of it by Dr Johnson — in 1773, at the
period perhaps of its greatest depression — is still, we
are sorry to say, but too applicable, although of late
years a considerable number of riewand elegant houses
have been erected. " The city of St Andrews," says
the learned doctor, " when it had lost its archiepis-
copal pre-eminence, gradually decayed: one of its
streets is now lost, and in those that remain, there is
the silence and solitude of inactive indigence and
gloomy depopulation." A recent learned arid noble
traveller, however, assures us that "no one can pre-
tend to have seen Scotland, in the sense in which
the expression is commonly used by travellers, who
has not visited St Andrews. Yet few, of the my-
riads of tourists who flock to that country, have
enjoyed this gratification. The picturesque situa-
tion of the city ; the extent, diversity, and grandeur
of the remains of its ancient secular and ecclesiasti-
cal establishments; the importance of the events
which they attest; the celebrity which it has de-
rived from the records of historians, and the descrip-
tions of topographical writers, in vain allure them
from the more beaten tracks. So rarely are they
seen within the deserted streets of St Andrews, that
no coach runs directly to it; and the only public
accommodation provided for them on their arrival,
is a miserable little inn, or rather pot-house. [This
was written, be it remembered, in 1829.] This
want of curiosity or of good taste is easily explained,
— St Andrews affords no thoroughfare : its inhabi-
tants do not attract strangers by their industry,
wealth, or gaiety : and the monuments of its former
greatness, from which it derives its importance, have
not borrowed adventitious and imaginary interest
from the illusions of genius. Whilst a tale of gra-
mary, or love, will draw thousands to Melrose or
Loch Katrine, few are willing to read the history ot
Popish ascendency, or Protestant reformation, amidst
the ruins of St Andrews. Yet what expectation
can be more unfounded, than that of realizing more
completely a fictitious transaction, by repairing to
ST ANDREWS.
the supposed scene of its occurrence ? A visit, even
by moonlight, to Melrose, instead of bringing more
fully before us the vision which the very mention
of this storied pile suggests to the fancy, dissolves
it at once, by subjecting it to the touchstone of
truth ; while the scene of real events, whether do-
mestic, heroic, or sacred, awakens all the emotions
which belong to it. ' That man is little to be en-
vied whose patriotism would not gain force on the
plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow
warmer amid the ruins of lona.'"* — [See Lord Teign-
mouth's Sketches, Vol. II. pp. 130, 131.]
The original name of this city was Mucross, i. e.
f the Promontory of boars ;' from muc, a sow or boar,
and ross, a point, promontory, or peninsula. f But
St Regulus, or St Rule, a monk of Patras, a city in
Achaia, where the bones of St Andrew were kept,
having been warned in a vision to take some of these
precious relics, and carry them with him to a distant
region in the west, obeyed the command, arid about the
year 365 landed in this neighbourhood, and having
been successful in converting the Picts, Hengustus,
or Hungus, the king of the country, changed the
name of Mucross into that of Kilrymont, i. e.
Cella regis in monte, or 'the Chapel of the King
on the Mount;' having given to Regulus and his
companions a piece of ground adjoining the harbour,
on which he also erected a chapel and tower in hon-
our of the monk, and bearing his name. The exem-
plary virtues of Regulus and his companions — legen-
dary history goes on to say — drew a great resort of
people to his chapel ; and the name of the city was
soon changed from Kilrymont to Kilrule, z. e. 'the
Cell or Church of Regulus,' which name is still re-
tained in Gaelic. Dr Jamieson thinks it highly pro-
bable that such a gift was made by Hungus. " For,"
says he, "it appears indisputable, that, about the
year 825, he founded a church at Kilrymont ; which
henceforth received the name of the apostle to whom
it was dedicated. Sib bald views this gift of the
Pictish king as meant for the benefit of the Culdees.
But we have more direct evidence. For, as Mar-
tine speaks of ' Baronia Caledaiorum infra Cursum
Apri,' or 'the Barony of the Culdees below the
Boar's raik,' the extracts bear, that this was given
by King Hungus to St Rule. Yet we learn, from
the same source of information, that this tract was
afterwards taken from the Culdees ; and given, first
to the bishop, and then to the prior and canons re-
gular of St Andrews : ' so that,' as Sir James Dal-
rymple observes, ' this place appeareth to have been
one of the ancient seats of the Culdees.' In the
tenth century, such was their celebrity at St An-
drews, that King Constantine III. took up his resi-
* His lordship seems here labouring a point to little purpose.
No one will feel disposed to deny that St Andrews is a most
interesting and venerable locality, or envy the man who can
find little pleasure in musing on its past glories and magnifi-
cence,— the story of centuries dead and gone, — though there
may be little in its external scenery, with the exception of its
crumbling ruins, to take a strong hold ot the imagination or
the feelings. But why attempt to decry the charms of other
scenery, founded as well on poetical associations as on the fine
features of Nature,— scenes redolent not merely of grandeur
and beauty, but— thanks to our unmatched minstrel— of deep
thought and rich imagination ? It seems but an ungrateful re-
turn to one who has, in so many instances, rendered every
portion of a glorious landscape douhly glorious and eloquent,—
who has added to the highest poetry of the material world, a
something higher still, in
" the gleam,
The light that never dies on sea or laud,"
t« insinuate that with respect to the scenery of his matchless
poems and romances the real truth and the ideal do not easily
blend together in our conceptions.
t The village of Boarhills, in what was originally called the
Boarchase, a tract of country stretching from Kifeness to the
neighbourhood of St Andrews, retains the original name of the
district, as translated into the dialect of later inhabitants; and
the arms of the city are a boar If aning against a tree.
dence among them, and A. 943, died a member of
their society ; or, as Wyntovvn says, abbot of their
monastery :
Nyne hundyr wyntyr and aucht yhere,
Quhen gayhe all Donaldis dayis were,
Heddis sowne cald Constantine
Kyng wes thretty yhere : and syne
Kyng he sessyd for to be,
And in Sanct Andrewys a Kylde.
And there he lyvyd yheris tyve,
And Abbot mad, eudyd his lyve.
Cronykil, B. vi. c. X.
It is also believed that an Irish king attached him-
self to this religious body. For we learn from the
Ulster Annals, that A. 1033, Hugh Mac Flavertai
O'Nell, king of Ailech, and heir of Ireland, ' post
penitentiam mort. in St Andre wes eccl. ' " [History of
the Culdees, p. 148.] The walls of St Rule's chapel,
and a tower, still remain : though these are not pro-
bably the relics of the original building. The tower
is a square of 20 feet on the side, and about 108 feet
high, without any spire ; the outside, from top to bot-
tom, is of thin ashler work ; the arches of the doors
and windows are semicircular. The tower was cover-
ed with a flat roof and parapet, at the expense of the
Exchequer, towards the end of last century ; and a
turnpike stair reared within leading to the top, from
which there is a fine prospect. The name, Kilrule,
continued in use till the 9th century, when the Picts
were finally vanquished by the Scots, who changed
the name to St Andrews.
The cathedral of St Andrews is supposed to have
been founded in the year 1159; but a period of 160
years elapsed before its completion, in 1318. It was
demolished in June, 1559, by a mob, inflamed by a
sermon of John Knox's, wherein " he did intreet
(treat of) theejectioune of the byers and the sellers
furthe of the temple of Jerusalem, as it is written in
the evangelists Matthew and Johne ; and so applied
the corruptioune that was then to the con uptiourie in
the papistrie; and Christ's fact to the devote (duty)ot
thois to quhome God giveth the power and zeill there-
to, that as weill the magistrates, the proveist and
baillies, as the commonalty, did agree to remove all
monuments of idolatry : quhilk also they did with ex-
peditioune." Such indeed was their expedition, that
this noble edifice, the labour of ages, was demolished
in a single day.J " While entire, the cathedral church,'
says Mr Grierson, " had five pinnacles or towers, and
a great steeple. Of the towers, two stood on the
west gable, two on the east, and one on the south
end of the transept or cross-church. Two of these
towers, with the great steeple over the centre of the
church, have long since disappeared. Three of the
towers yet remain, the two on the east gable, which
is still entire, and one of those on the west. The
other, it is said, fell about two hundred years ago,
immediately after a crowd of people had passed from
under it in returning from an interment. Large
fragments of it still remain, which show the goodness
of the cement with which the stones have been
joined together. The towers are each 100 feet
high from the ground to the summit, and they rcse
considerably above the roof of the church. " The
two eastern ones are joined by an arch or pend,
t Tennant, the author of ' Anster Fair,' in a clever though
less-pleasing and less-successful poem, entitled ' PapL-try
Storm'd,1 [Edin. 1827, 12rao.,]| has sung in quaintest dialect, and
with all the facetious strength, fluency, and vivacity, \\hivli he
attributes to the vernacular idiom of Scotland:
" the steir, strabush, and strife,
Whan, bickerin' frae the towns o' Fife,
Great bangs of bodies, thick and rife,
Gaed to Sanct Androis town,
And, wi' John Calvin i' their heads,
And hammers i' their hands and spades,
Eurag'd at idols, ma>s, and beads,
Dang the Cathedral down.
ST ANDREWS.
37
>rming the great cast light of the church, till they (
above the height of the roof; and it is evident ,
mt the western ones have been in the same state |
en entire. From each of these towers, to within
church, opened three several doors into so many
illeries along the walls ; which galleries were sup-
jrted by pillars, 16 in number on each side, and at
ie distance of 16 feet from the wall. All that now
lains of this once magnificent pile, is the eastern
)le entire, as has been said, half of the western,
ie south side-wall from the western gable till it
>in the transept, a length of 200 feet, and the west
11 of the transept itself on the south side of the
lurch. The rest is entirely gone, * every man,' as
Dr Johnson expresses it, ' having carried away the
stones who imagined he had need of them.' From
ie length of time which elapsed during its erection,
id the varying tastes of the ages in which it was
lilt, we might be led to conclude beforehand that
•re would be found in it different styles of archi-
Lure, and the conjecture is confirmed by the ap-
irance of what remains. For on the east gable
icre is to be seen the Gothic mixed with the Saxon ;
in the part of the south side- wall which still
ibsists, we have ten windows, six of which, name-
those toward the west, are Gothic, and the other
nir Saxon. The Barons of exchequer, in 1826,
lused the interior of the cathedral to be cleared
>ut, and various repairs to be executed with the view
)f preserving this venerable relic of long-past cen-
iries, which
" But for that care, ere this had past away."
Crown lands are now the property of the uni-
irsity, having been very recently purchased by that
>dy from the Crown for ,£2,600, with the view of
rming a botanical garden and observatory, and pre-
rving the venerable ruins from further dilapidation.
In the vicinity of the cathedral stood the priory, or
LUgustine monastery, founded by Bishop Robert
1 1144. John Hepburn, prior of St Andrews, about
ie year 1516, surrounded the monastery on the
north, east, and south sides with a magnificent wall,
which is still pretty entire, and is nearly half-a-mile
in extent. It is about 22 feet high, and 4 feet thick ;
and incloses a space of about 18 acres. But of all
the various buildings which once occupied this sacred
inclosure, only a few vestiges now remain. Near
the present grammar-school stood a monastery,
which Grose, in his Antiquities, assigns to the Do-
minicans ; but Keith informs us that it was a con-
vent of Observaritines. A Dominican convent, we
know, was founded in St Andrews by Bishop Wishart
in i'274, and an Observantine estamishment by Bi-
shop Kennedy, 150 years later. "The only part
which now remains of the buildings of the convent
beside the grammar-school," says Mr Grierson, writ-
ing in 1807, " is a fragment, with an arched roof in
Gothic style, extremely elegant in appearance,
supposed to have been the chapel. It strikes
as decidedly the most beautiful specimen of Go-
lic architecture now to be seen at St Andrews."
'his fragment is now enclosed within the grounds of
Madras college, and its preservation will, we doubt
)t, be an object of solicitude to the trustees of that
loble institution. Besides St Rule's, and the cathe-
iral, Martine, in his ' Rdiquae Divi Amireie,' written
1685, mentions, as having been in some sort dis-
jrnible in his time, fourteen different buildings:
inong which were the prior's house, commonly called
ie Old inn, which stood to the south-east of the
uhedral; the cloisters, which lay west from the
?rior's house, separated from it only by the dormitory
ji this quadrangle was held the great fair called the
Senzie market, which began in the 2d week after
Easter, and continued for 15 days. The refectory
or dining-room, was in length 108 feet, and in breadth
28. It is now a garden ; in Martine's time it was
a bowling-green. Fordun relates, that Edward I.,
in 1304, stripped all the lead off this building to sup-
ply his battering-machines in a projected siege of
Stirling. The New inn, the latest built of all the
edifices in the monastery before the Reformation, is
said to have been erected on the following occasion.
James V. having married the Princess Magdalene,
the only and lovely daughter of Francis I. of France,
n 1537, the young queen, being of a delicate constitu-
tion, was advised by her physicians to reside here for
the benefit of her health. The New inn was, in con-
sequence, built for the purpose of accommodating her
majesty ; and was erected, we are told, with such
rapidity, that it was begun and finished in a single
month! The queen, however, never enjoyed it, for
she died at Holyroodhouse, on the 7th of July, six
weeks after her arrival in Scotland. The New inn
was the residence of the archbishops after the annexa-
tion of the priory to the archbishopric in 1635 — The
Kirkheugh, or St Mary's church, no longer exists.
Martine says, that in his time the manse of the pro-
vost of Kirkheugh was still standing, " on a little
height above the shore of St Andrews, now in no
good repair ;" and that " a little north from it were
to be seen the ruins of old buildings, which were the
chapel itself. " Upon this his editor, in the year 1797,
has the following note : " Very little now remains of
these buildings, viz., a single gable with a door in it.
But whether these are the ruins of the manse or of
other houses cannot now be known."
The castle of St Andrews was founded towards
the conclusion of the 12th century, by Roger, bishop
of the diocese, and son of Robert, third earl of
Leicester. It stood upon a point of land projecting
towards the sea, on the north side of the town, about
250 yards to the north-west of the cathedral. It
was enlarged and repaired betwixt the years 1318
and 1328. In 1336, Edward HI. placed a garrison
in it to command the town and neighbouring country.
On his return into England, however, a few months
after, the regent, Sir Andrew Moray of Both well, in
conjunction with the earls of March and Fife, besieg-
ed this stronghold, reduced it in the space of three
weeks, and entirely demolished it a short time after.
Bishop Trail repaired the castle towards the end of
the 14th century, and died in it in 1401. James III.
was born in the castle, as appears by the golden char-
ter of the see granted to Bishop Kennedy ; and it
continued to be the episcopal palace till the murder
of Beaton in 1545. Detached from the town, and
bounded on two sides by the sea, the ruins of the
castle now serve as a useful land-mark to mariners.
The sea washes the rock on which it is built on the
north and east sides, and has in some places under-
mined its walls, a considerable part of which fell in
consequence of this in December 1801. Martine says,
that in his time there were people living in St An-
drews who remembered to have seen bowls played
on the flat ground to the east and north of the castle ;
the ocean, therefore, must have made great encroach-
ments on this part of the coast. It has recently
swept away the curious cave known as Lady Buchi-
an's cave, on the shore between the harbour and the
castle. Every winter huge masses of the promon
tory are broken down and carried away by the tide.
The University of St. Andrews is the oldest in
Scotland, having been founded in 1411 by Henry
Wardlaw, bishop of the diocese, who obtained the
sanction of papal confirmation from Benedict XIIL,
in 1413. The success of the original institution led
to the foundation of St. Sal vat or 's college, about the
year 1455, by James Kennedy, Bishop of St. An-
38
ST ANDREWS.
dtews ; St Leonard's college, founded by Prior Hep-
burn, 1512 ; and St Mary's, founded by Archbishop
Beaton, in 1537. In each of these colleges were
lecturers in theology, as well as in philosophy, lan-
guages, &c. In the reign of James VI. 1579, under
the direction of George Buchanan, these establish-
ments were new modelled, and St Mary's college
appropriated to the exclusive study oi theology; it
is therefore distinguished by the name of the Divinity
college, or the New college. In 1621, an act was
passed re-establishing, in all their articles, the first
foundations of the colleges, but still assigning to St
Mary's the department of theology. In 1747, on a
petition from the masters of St Salvator's and St
Leonard's, these two colleges were united into one
society, under the designation of the United college.
" The statute ordained, among other things less wor-
thy special notice, that the United college shall consist
of one principal, one professor of Greek ; three pro-
fessors of philosophy ; whereof one is to be professor
of logic, rhetoric, and metaphysics, another to be
professor of ethics and pneumatics, and the third to
be professor of natural and experimental philosophy ;
one professor of humanity ; one professor of civil
history, in place of the suppressed humanity pro-
fessorship of St Salvator's college ; one professor of
mathematics, and a professor of medicine ; 16 bur-
sars on the original foundations ; together with such
as have been since or may hereafter be added, and
the necessary servants : that the whole funds already
or to be appropriated for the payment of he salaries
of the principal and professors (all specially fixed by
the act), shall be joined into one common stock, and
be levied and received for their use, by such factor
or steward as they shall from time to time appoint :
that the patronage of the principalship and of the
professorship of mathematics shall belong to the
Crown; of the professorship of civil history to the
Earl of Cassillis ; of the professorship of humanity
to Scott of Scotstarvet; of the professorship of
medicine to the university, to be exercised as
formerly ; of the remanent professorships to the
principal and professors of the United college, to
be determined by comparative trial, in such form
and manner as was usually observed in former times ;
of the bursaries to the same body, to be bestowed as
before the Union ; the whole being a well-timed and
judicious piece of legislation, which by raising the
condition of the collegiate body, secured to it in some
degree superior qualifications, and which, though be-
stowing, after all, only a very moderate endowment
on the chairs of the seminary, has in fact filled them,
since the date of it, with talents and attainments of
the most respectable order, and the highest useful-
ness." The university commissioners, whose report
we are now quoting, add : " It is pleasant to be en-
abled to state, that the members of the Senatus Aca-
demicus themselves have, on every occasion on which
they could act with effect, manifested the utmost
zeal in the cause of literature and science, and for
the efficericy and fame of their university. In 1811,
their medical chair, which it would appear had never
become effective, engaged their attention ; and in
consequence of authority vested in them by its
munificent founder, the Duke of Chandos, to form
such regulations and statutes as might tend to the
promotion of its object, they resolved that it should
be a chair for instruction in the principles of medi-
cine, anatomy, and chemistry, and that the holder of
it should be an efficient professor, teaching two very
important branches of medical science, chemistry and
chemical pharmacy. They made at the same time
certain arrangements for creating a fund, to meet the
expense of a chemical apparatus and class experi-
ments; and ever siure that time, the prescribed
branches have been taught every session with great
ability, and to a respectable class. About 1818-19,
a class for political economy was opened by the pro-
fessor of moral philosophy, and the lectures on the
subject have been so attended of late, as to show
that the science is growing at St Andrews, as else-
where, into estimation and request. In the session
of 1825-6, the United college originated a lecture-
ship for natural history, and to promote the perma-
nency and success of the measure, they voted 25
guineas from their revenue, as an annual salary to
the lecturer. Some bequests of specimens have
given a beginning to a museum, and the subjects ol
the science, having excited great interest among the
students, there is a fair prospect that the lectureship
will, in the hands of able and zealous lecturers, be-
come a popular and useful institution, and thus exalt
the reputation, and augment the attendance of the
seminary to which it belongs." The revenue of the
university, as distinct from the two colleges, does not
exceed £300, and is chiefly appropriated to the support
of the university library. The income of the United
college, in 1774, was £1,727 ; in 1823, £3,020. The
salary of the principal, in 1824, was £342 ; of each
of the four foundation-professors, £254 ; of each of
the professors of humanity, civil history, and medi-
cine, £140; of mathematics £245. The number of
bursaries belonging to the United college is 55, of
which 7 are between £20 and £25 each, being the
highest in value. The annual amount of grants from
the Crown is £297. The United college holds the
patronage of Denino, Kemback, Kilmeny, and Cults,
and alternately with another patron, Forteviot.
The number of students attending the United col-
lege averages about 200. The buildings of St Sal-
vator's college form a magnificent square, ornament-
ed by a handsome spire 156 feet high. Through
a portal directly under this spire we enter a quad-
rangular court, 230 feet long, and 180 broad, de-
corated by piazzas on the opposite side» On the
right, as we enter, stands the chapel, a handsome
edifice, with a Gothic front. In the chapel is an
elegant tomb, erected by Bishop Kennedy, the
founder, for himself. " It is a piece of exquisite
Gothic workmanship ; and though much injured by
time and accidents, is still sufficiently entire to show
the fine taste of the designer. It stands on the north
side of the church, opposite to where the altar for-
merly stood, and where the pulpit now stands. An
epitaph is easily discernible upon it, consisting of two
lines, but so much defaced as to be altogether illegi-
ble. The top was ornamented by a representation
of our Saviour, with angels around, and the instru-
ments of the passion. The bishop died in 1466, and
was embalmed with spices and buried in this tomb.
Within it, and according to tradition about the year
1683, were discovered six magnificent maces, which
had been concealed there in troublesome times.
Three of these maces are kept in this college, and
shown as curiosities to strangers ; and one was pre-
sented to each of the other three Scottish universi-
ties, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. One of
the maces is very superior in elegance and value to
the rest, and is the original, of which the others are
only copies. It is of beautiful Gothic workmanship.
The bishop seems to have copied it in the architec-
ture of his tomb." The roof of the church, which
was of beautiful Gothic architecture, having become
apparently insufficient, it was judged necessary to
pull it down, and to substitute another in its place.
In doing this, the architect unfortunately suffered
the beautiful tomb of Kennedy to be greatly injured
and defaced.
St Leonard's college obtained its name from its
vicinity to St Leonard's church. " It appears,'
ST ANDREWS.
ivs a modern author, " from the foundation-charter,
"it there had been an hospital in the same place for
reception and entertainment of pilgrims of differ-
it nations, who crowded to St Andrews to pay
ii-ir devotions to the arm of St Andrew which
jght a great many miracles. At length, hovv-
r, the saint's arm being tired with such laborious
rt of work, or thinking he had done enough, the
n'racles and the conflux of pilgrims ceased, and the
spital was deserted. The prior and convent, who
been the founders and were the patrons of the
.)ital, then filled it with old women ; but these
women produced little or no fruit of devotion,
were turned out. The prior and convent, having
epaired the church and hospital of St Leonard, next
jived to convert them into a college, to consist of
master or principal, four chaplains, two of whom
cere to be regents, arid twenty scholars, who were
st to be taught the languages and then the liberal
and sciences ; six of them, who were thought
>t fit, were also to apply, with great ardour and
jhement reading, — 'continue studio et lectura,
jbementi opera,' — to the study of theology under
principal. Such of these scholars as were found
ttest for it, were also to be taught music, both plain
and descant. The foundation-charter to this
irpose, was executed by the archbishop, the prior,
id chapter, at St Andrews, August 20, 1512. By
lother charter, the prior and chapter endowed this
liege with all the houses, lands, and revenues
k-hich had belonged to St Leonard's hospital." Both
charters received the royal confirmation in the
On the union of this college with St Salvator's,
i buildings of it were sold and converted into dwell-
•houses, to which purpose such of them as now
lin are still applied. It stood on the south-east
of the town, adjoining to the monastery. The
lins of the church of St Leonard are accounted a
specimen of Gothic architecture. Into this
irch, it seems, Dr Johnson could obtain no ad-
iion. He was always, he says, prevented by some
ivil excuse or other ; and he loudly complains of
;s having been applied to the profane purpose of a
green-house. It is now entirely unroofed. A little
way to the east of it, and on the right, as we proceed
from the principal gate of the abbey to the shore,
stands an aged sycamore, which, the same traveller
informs us, was the only tree he had been able to
discover in the county "older than himself." It
is now commonly known by the name of Dr John-
son's Tree.
St Mary's college was originally projected by
Archbishop James Beaton, uncle and immediate
predecessor to tiie famous cardinal of that name.
We are informed, that in the year 1537, " he
augmented the seminary called the Pedagogy, by a
variety of endowments, and afterwards converted it
into St Mary's college : that he had determined to
pull down the buildings of the above-mentioned
seminary, which were become old and infirm, and in-
convenient for the studies of the youth, and to erect
from the foundation others in a more magnificent
style, but was prevented by death. He built, how-
ever," says our authority, " several parts, and com-
pleted some that had been begun by others. His
successor and nephew, the cardinal, proposed to fol-
low out his uncle's plans, and had made some pro-
gress in the undertaking when he was assassinated
in the castle. Having demolished a set of old build-
ings, he laid the foundation of what uas intended to
a handsome church, within the college, but this
is never rinished." in 1553, Archbishop Hamilton
ive a new establishment to this college, according
which it was to consist of 36 persons : viz., a pre-
i-t, a licentiate, a bachelor, a canonist, 8 students
of theology, 3 professors of philosophy, 2 of rhetoric
and grammar, 16 philosophy students, a provisor, a
janitor, and a cook. The income of this college on
an average of 7 years preceding 1826, was £ 1,076.
The principal has a salary of £238; the professor »f
divinity, of £231 ; the church-history professor,
£286; and the Hebrew professor, £211. By the
charters of foundation, the right of patronage of the
parishes of Tynningham, Tannadice, Inchbroyack or
Craig, Pert and Laurencekirk, was vested in St
Mary's college. Pert is now united to Logic, and
the crown and college present to that united parish
alternately. The patronage of Tynningham was
sold by the college to the Earl of Haddington, in the
year 1760, but the college is still in possession of the
other patronages. In the year 1803, the college ob-
tained the right of patronage to the church of
T weedsmuir ; and it would appear from the evidence,
that it was granted to the college by the late Mr
Scott, of Dunninald. There are 17 bursaries, the
total annual income of which averages £199. The
average number of students is about 80. The build •
ings of this college stand on the south side of South-
street, forming two sides of a quadrangle. On the
west are the teaching and dining-halls, both upon the
first floor ; and immediately below is the prayer hall,
in which the students used to assemble twice every
day, viz., at nine in the morning, and at eight at
night, for public prayers. The evening-service was
abolished some years ago. The north side of the
quadrangle is formed by the principal's house, and
other buildings formerly laid out in lodging-rooms
for students, with the porter's house over the gate-
way. Contiguous, towards the east, is the Univer-
sity library, containing 35,000 volumes, and forming
in continuation with these buildings, part of the south
side of South-street.
The Madras college was founded by the Rev. Dr
Andrew Bell, one of the prebendaries of Westmin-
ster, and the founder of the Madras s^ stem of tuition,
who died at Cheltenham, in January, 1832. Dr Bell
was a native of St Andrews, and, among other
splendid bequests for the purposes of education in
Scotland, left a sum of £50,000 in trust, for the pur-
pose of lounding a seminary within the city of St
Andrews, with which the English and grammar-
schools are now incorporated. The buildings are in
the Elizabethan style, and form a handsome quad-
rangle, with a court within. In May, 1836, the
number of pupils attending the Madras college was
798. The branches taught are English, Greek, and
Latin, arithmetic, mathematics, geography, writing,
drawing, French, German, and Italian, and church-
music. The trustees are the provost of the city,
the two parish-ministers, and the sheriff-depute of
Fife. The lord-lieutenant of Fife, the lord-justice-
clerk of Scotland, and the episcopal bishop of Edin-
burgh, are patrons and visitors of the college.
St Andrews is a place of great antiquity, and has
been the scene of some of the most memorable events
recorded in Scottish history. We have already no-
ticed several of the most memorable facts in its early
annals; and will now supply a few additional his-
torical notices to complete our sketch of the civil
and the ecclesiastical history of this city. In 1298,
Edward I., after defeating Wallace at Falkirk, sent a
division of his army across the Forth to punish the
men of Fife for the aid they had given Wallace.
They found St Andrews deserted of its inhabitants,
and " wasted it full plaine." In March 1309, Robert
Bruce convened his first parliament here, who re-
cognised his title to the crown, by a solemn declara-
tion. In the 15th and 16th centuries the sanguinary
temper of its ecclesiastics was often fearfully dis-
played. In 1407, John Resby, an Englishman, was
ST ANDREWS.
burnt alive in this "town of monks and bones,"
for disseminating the doctrines of Wickliffe ; and
about twenty-four years afterwards, Paul Craw, a
Bohemian, suffered the same fate, for propagating
the tenets of Jerome and Huss. On March 1st,
1527, Patrick Hamilton, abbot of Feme in Ross-
shire, a young man of great accomplishments, and re-
lated to some powerful families, being the son of
Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil, and Catherine,
daughter of the Duke of Albany, and a nephew of the
Earl of Arran, was burnt before the gate of St Sal-
vator's college. Not many months after, a man of
the name of Forrest was led to the stake for asserting
that Hamilton died a martyr. On the 28th of March,
1545, the sainted Wishart was burnt before the castle,
then the archiepiscopal palace of the ferocious Cardi-
nal Beaton, under circumstances of peculiar barbarity.
The front of the great tower was hung, as for a festi-
val, with rich tapestry ; and cushions of velvet were
laid in the windows for the cardinal and prelates to
repose on, while they feasted their eyes and glutted
their fury with this most inhuman spectacle. The
cardinal was so infuriated against the noble confessor
that he forbade, by proclamation, the inhabitants of
St Andrews to pray for him, under pain of the severest
ecclesiastical censures ; and, in his haste to get his
victim put out of the way, the civil power was not
consulted at the trial. But the avenger of blood was
nigh at hand. By his unbounded ambition, relentless
cruelty, and insupportable arrogance, Beaton had
raised up against himself a host of enemies, who had
even before Wishart's arrest and execution determin-
ed on his destruction. A conspiracy was formed
against his life, at the head of which was Norman
Lesley, Master of Rothes, his uncle John Lesley,
and Kirkaldy of Grange. With fourteen associates,
they assembled in the church-yard, on Saturday the
29th of May 1545, at 3 o'clock in the morning ; and
having gained admittance into the castle — which was
then repairing — by small parties at a time, they turn-
ed the servants out, to the number of 150 ; and then
proceeding to the cardinal's room, forced open the
door, which their wretched victim had barricaded
from the inside, and rushing upon him, stabbed him
repeatedly with their daggers. But Melville, a
milder fanatic, who professed to murder, not irom
passion, but religious duty, reproved their violence :
" This judgment of God," said he, " ought to be exe-
cuted with gravity, although in secret ;" and present-
ing the point of his sword to the bleeding prelate,
he called on him to repent of his wicked courses,
and especially of the death of the holy Wishart, to
avenge whose innocent blood they were now sent
by God. " Remember," said he, " that the mortal
stroke I am now about to deal, is not the mercenary
blow of a hired a-ssassin, but the just vengeance
which hath fallen on an obstinate and cruel enemy
of Christ and the Holy Gospel." On his saying this,
he repeatedly passed his sword through the body of
his unresisting victim, who sunk down from the chair
to which he had retreated, arid instantly expired. The
conspirators then brought the body to the very win-
dow in which Beaton had a little ago sat with so much
unfeeling pride to witness the burning of Wishart,
and exposed it to the view of the people with every
mark of contempt and ignominy. Balfour says, that
the cardinal's corpse, " after he had lyne salted in the
bottom of the sea-tower within the castell, was some
9 months thereafter taken from thence, and obscure-
ly interred in the convent of the Black friars of St
Andrews, in anno 154?." John Knox, after having,
as he expresses himself, " written merrily" upon the
subject, informs us, that " as his funeral could not
be suddenly prepared, it was thought best to keep
him from spoiling, to give him great salt enough, a
cope of lead, and a corner in the sea-tower, (a plar
where many of God's children had been imprisoned
before) to wait what exequies his brethren the
bishops would prepare for him." Language such as
this can hardly fail to inspire disgust ; but the follow-
ing lines of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, express,
perhaps with tolerable accuracy, the sentiments witl
which the most judicious individuals amongst there-
formers at that time regarded the cardinal's murder-
* As for the cardinal, I grant,
He was the man we well might want ;
God will forgiye it soon.
But of a truth, the sooth to say,
Although the loun be well away,
The deed was foully done."
The conspirators were shortly after joined by 12(
of their friends, and held out the castle for more
than a year ; but at last capitulated to Leo Strozzi,
prior of Capua, a knight of Rhodes, who entered the
bay with a squadron of 16 galleons, and speedily
effected a breach in the walls. In April, 1558, Wal-
ter Mylne, priest of Lunan, near Montrose, an infirm
old man, above 80 years of age, was burnt at St An-
drews for the crime of heresy. So strongly was the
resentment of the populace expressed on this occasion,
that he was the last victim of popish cruelty in Scot-
land. It was at St Andrews, in June 1583, that Jarm
VI. found means to make his escape from the state <
captivity into which he had been brought at Ruthven,
and detained for nearly a twelvemonth by the Earls of
Mar, Gowrie, Glencairn, and others. The kinghaving
got permission from these noblemen, who then attend
ed him at Falkland, to pay a visit to his uncle the Earl
of March, who resided in the monastery of St An-
drews, went to view the works of the castle a shod
time after his arrival. He entered the fortress ac-
companied by the governor, to whom he had con-
fided his intentions ; but was no sooner in than "
commanded the gates to be shut, and admission re-
fused to the party who had attended him from Falk-
land. Having thus recovered his liberty, he was
soon joined by the well-affected part of his nobility;
and a proclamation was forthwith issued by him,
" commanding all the lieges to remain quiet, and dis-
charging any nobleman or gentleman from coming to
court accompanied by more than the following num-
ber of attendants : viz. fifteen for an earl, fifteen for
a bishop, ten for a lord, ten for an abbot or prior,
and six for a baron, and these to come peaceably un-
der the highest penalties." In 1609, St Andrews
was the scene of a state-trial : that of Lord Balmeri-
noch, secretary of state to James VI. His crime
was the having surreptitiously procured the king's
signature to a letter addressed to the. pope; and being
found guilty by a jury of fifteen of his peers, he was
sentenced to have his hands and feet cut off, and his
lands and titles forfeited. The first part of the sen-
tence was remitted by the intercession of the queen ;
but he died a short time after, in his own house, of
a broken heart. In 1617, James VI. having, from
what he himself calls " a salmon-like instinct to see
the place of his breeding," paid a visit to Scotland,
and convened an assembly of the clergy, both minis-
ters and bishops, at St Andrews. He addressed
them in a speech of considerable length, in which he
proposed the introduction of episcopacy, and up-
braided them with what he called " having mutinous-
ly assembled themselves, and formed a protestation
to cross his just desires." James was the last mon-
arch who ever honoured St Andrews with his pre-
sence. During the troublesome times which follow-
ed his death in 1625, while his son arid grandsons
successively filled the throne, arid endeavoured to
follow out his plans in the establishment of the epis-
copal religion in Scotland, this city, as being the seat
ST ANDREWS.
41
the chief ecclesiastical power, was frequently in-
lved in trouble. The murder of Archbishop Sharp,
the neighbourhood of St Andrews in 16J9, will
i found detailed in our article, MAGUS MOOR. The
ry of the city of St Andrews since that period
;nts nothing sufficiently remarkable for notice
this brief chronicle. We shall now sketch the
ry of the see.
Kenneth III. translated the metropolitan episcopal
of Scotland from Abernethy to St Andrews,
ilcolm III. styled the bishop of St Andrews ' Epis-
is Maximus,' or Chief Bishop, and assigned to him
oversight of Fife, Lothian, Stirlingshire, the
rse, Angus, and the Mearns. He also conferred
>n him the lordship of Monymusk. Alexander I.
>wed upon the see of St Andrews the famous
ck of land called the Cursus Apri, or Boar's chace,
which it is not now possible for us to assign the
ct limits ; but " so called," says Boece, " from a
ir of uncommon size, which, after having made
iigious havoc of men and cattle, and having been
mently attacked by the huntsmen unsuccessfully,
to the imminent peril of their lives, was at last
upon by the whole country up in arms against
i, and killed while endeavouring to make his
ipe across this track of ground." The historian
ther adds, that there were extant in his time
nifest proofs of the existence of this huge beast ;
i two tusks, each sixteen inches long and four thick,
fixed with iron chains to the great altar of St
Irews. According to the best authorities, there
re thirty-three successive prelates in St Andrews
the see was elevated to the dignity of an
ibishopric, in 1471. Nevill, archbishop of York,
ring revived a claim of superiority over the Scot-
clergy, which had already been productive of
h ill-will betwixt the two countries, the pope,
silence the pretensions of York for ever, granted
>ull erecting the bishopric of St Andrews into an
"ibishopric, and subjecting to it the other dioceses
the church of Scotland. The prelate, in whose
ir this bull was obtained, was Patrick Graham,
lerly bishop of Brechin, and brother, by the mo-
ther's side, to the celebrated James Kennedy his
immediate predecessor. Graham, along with the
primacy, obtained the power of a legate from the
pope, for the reformation of abuses, and correcting
the vices of the clergy. But he does not appear to
have been aware of the difficulties he had to encoun-
ter here, for the clergy, with one consent, set them-
selves in opposition to him, and had influence enough
to destroy his credit even with the pope himself.
They accused him to his holiness of schism, and
other enormous crimes, and prevailed so completely
as to get him degraded from his office. " The no-
bility and courtiers also," says Spottiswood, " became
his most violent opponents, insomuch that he was
suspended by the king, excommunicated by the
pope, expelled from his see, and, at the end of thir-
teen years from the date of his election, died in a
state of imprisonment in the castle of Lochleven."
The dioceses subject to the archbishop of St An-
drews, after the advancement of the see of Glasgow
to the same dignity, were the following nine : Duri-
keld, Dumblane, Brechin, Aberdeen, Moray, Ross,
Caithness, Orkney, and, after its erection in the
reign of Charles I., Edinburgh. The province of
the see of Glasgow included the three dioceses of
Galloway, Argyle, and the Isles. The following is
a list of the successive bishops and archbishops of
St Andrews :
FwiriHti»« 721.
Uadnauas, or Adrian, elected
HU), killed by the Danes 872.
Malisius, or Malve-ius I., died
in 970.
Kellach II. died 996.
Mai more.
Malisius II. died 1031.
AUvinus, from 1031-1034..
Maldvvin, 1034—1061.
Tuthaldus, 1061—1065.
Fothatdus, 1065— 1077.
Gregorius, bishop-elect.
Catharus.
Edmarus.
Godrirus.
Tiirgot, died 1115.
Eadmerus, elected in 1120.
Robert, founder of the priory,
elected in 1122, died in 1 159.
Arnold, founder of the Cathe-
dral, died in 1162.
Richard, chaplain to Malcolm
IV., died in 1177.
John and Hugh, a double elec-
tion.
Roger, who built the castle,
died in 1202.
William Malvoisirie, chancel-
lor of the kingdom, died 1233.
David Bernham.
Abel.
Gameline, chancellor.
William Wishart, died 1'279.
William Fraser, chancellor.
William Lamberton, died 1228.
James Bene, died 1332.
Vacancy of nine years.
William Landal, died in 1385.
Stephen de Pay.
Walter Trail, repaired the
castle, died 1401.
Thomas Stewart.
Henry Wardlaw, founder of
the university, consecrated
in 1403, died 1440.
James Kennedy, founder of
St Salvator's college, died
1466.
Patrick Graham, the first arch-
bishop, died 1478.
William Schives, died 1496.
James Stuart, chancellor, died
in 1503.
Alexander Stuart, chancellor,
killed at Flodden 1513.
Andrew Foreman, died 1522.
James Beaton, chancellor, died
in 1539.
David Beaton, cardinal and
chancellor, assassinated in
1545.
John Hamilton, hanged at
Stirling in 1570.
John Douglas, the first Pro.
testant bishop, consecrated in
1571, died 1576.
Patrick Adamson, died 1591.
Vacancy of fifteen years.
George Gladstanes, died 1615.
John Spottiswood, chancellor,
the historian, died 16o9.
James Sharp, assassinated ia
Magus.muir in 1679.
Alexander Burnet, died in
1684.
Arthur Ross, deprived of his
office at the Revolution in
1688, died in 1704.
It appears that the bishops of St Andrews had
the power of coining money. But "the tradition
goes," says Martine, " that they could not coin above
a groat-piece ; but this," continues he, " may be
allowed to be a mere conjecture, for the German
bishops, who coin, are not so restricted and limited.
For proof that sometimes this privilege has been in
use, I have seen copper coins bearing the same mond,
chapleted about and adorned with a cross on the
top, just in all things like the mond set by Bishop
Kennedy in sundry places of St Salvator's college,
both in stone and timber, and the same way adorned,
with a common St George's cross on the reverse.
The circumscriptions are not legible. And some
think that the magistrates of St Andrews, keeping
in their charter-chest some of these pennies, have
done it in honour of their Overlord, and for an in-
stance and remembrance of his royal privilege, which
no subject in Britain has beside"." As the city of
St Andrews lay wholly within the archbishop's* re-
gality, he was superior of all its property in land.
He was ' Conservator privilegiorum Ecclesiae Scoti-
canse,' guardian of the privileges of the church of
Scotland, and constant chancellor of the university
ex qfficio ; but he was in many cases also promoted
to the dignity of lord-high-chancellor of Scotland i
and it was his privilege, in general, to officiate at the
coronation of the kings. Godricus, bishop of this
place, crowned King Edgar, son of Malcolm Can-
more ; and Charles I. was crowned by Spottiswood
in 1633. The archbishop was, by act of parliament,
in the time of Charles II. constituted perpetual pre-
sident of the general assembly of the church of Scot-
land ; and he sat in parliament as a temporal lord in
all the following capacities: "As Lord- Archbishop
of St Andrews ; Primate of the Kingdom ; first of
both states, Spiritual and Temporal; Lord of the
Lordship and Priory of St Andrews; Lord Keig
and Monymusk ; Lord Byrehills and Polduff ; Lord
Kirkliston, Lord Bishopshire, Lord Muckhartshire,
Lord Scotscraig, Lord Stow, Lord Monymail, Lord
Dairsie, Lord Angus, Lord Tyningham, and Lord
Little Preston;" he also took precedency of all
noblemen vyhatever in the kingdom. When the
privy council, in 1561, passed the famous act enjoin-
ing all beneficed persons to give in an exact account
of the rental of their benefices, Hamilton, archbishop
of St Andrews, gave in the following account of his :
42
ST ANDREWS.
In money
Wheat
Bear
Oats
£2,904 7 2
Boll.
Chald.
30 9
41 10
67 0
Mr Grierson estimates this revenue at £4,784 pre-
sent currency. "And if," he says, "we add to
this sum the value of the priory, and other aliena-
tions which had before this time taken place, we
shall be led to think that the income of the pre-
lates of St Andrews, when in their most flourish-
ing condition, could not be much less in value than
£10,000, that is, than that sum would have been
in 1805. The first great alienation of the revenues
of this see was the foundation of the priory in
1120; the second, the erection of the hospital of
Lochleven, or Scotland Well, in 1230 ; the third,
the foundation and endowment of St Salvator's col-
lege by Bishop Kennedy in 1455 ; the fourth, the
disponing of Muckartshire by Schives to the Earl of
Argyll, to engage that earl to assist him in his dis-
pute with the bishop of Glasgow; the fifth, the
erection of St Mary's college by the archbishops
Stuart and the two Beatons ; and the sixth, the act
of annexation in 1587, by which this see, with all the
other church-benefices in the kingdom, was an-
nexed to the Crown, and the rents and revenues of
it disponed to the Duke of Lennox by James VL,
excepting only a small pittance, reserved as barely
sufficient for the subsistence of Archbishop Adamson.
It is true, this act of annexation was repealed in
1606 ; but in the act repealing it, and restoring the
revenues of the see, there were a number of impor-
tant reservations made which prevented it from at-
taining its former riches. The erection of the
bishopric of Edinburgh, in 1633, was another great
loss; for all the lands and churches, south of the
Forth, belonging to the archbishopric, were now dis-
united from it, and conferred upon the new see.
Yet the loss of these was in some measure compen-
sated by the bounty of Charles I., who having, two
years after, purchased the priory from the Duke of
Lennox, to whom it had been gifted by James VI.,
disponed this benefice to the archbishopric in lieu of
the loss it had sustained. Such, were the most im-
portant changes, losses, and revolutions, which this
see, in the course of five centuries, from time to time
underwent." The number of monks in the priory
at the Reformation was, according to Martine, thirty-
four, besides inferior servants ; and of these thirty-
four, " fourteen," says he, " turned preachers, at
certain kirks of the priory, and some continued about
the monastery till their death." The priories of May,
Pittenweem, Lochleven, and Monymusk — of all
which monasteries the monks were also Augustini-
nians — were dependent on the priory of St Andrews.
The revenues of it in Martine's time, consisted, he
tells us, in " silver, feu-duties, rentalled teirid-bolls,
tack teind-duties, capons, poultry, and small sums
in the name of kain ; the houses and yards within
the precincts of the monastery ; the teinds of the 480
acres of land on the south side of the town, now
called the Prior acres, formerly the convent's glebe ;
and the privilege of having the teind sheaves led into
the priory barn by the heritors and tenants them-
selves. The yearly rent," he continues, " of the
priory is at present as good as that of the archbishop-
ric, if not better ; and within a few years, at the
falling of some tacks, it will be much better." When
the act of council, in 1561, passed for the assumption
of the revenues of all the church-benefices, that a
third part of their value might be applied to the
maintenance of the ministers of religion, and the re-
maining two-thirds to defray the expenses of the
king's household, the rental of the priory of St Ai
drews was found to be as follows :
In money
Wheat
Bear
Meal
Oats
Beans and pease
Chald.
38
132
114
151
5
EolL
£2,237
The following parish churches belonged to the prk
and paid tithes to it : viz., the Trinity church of
Andrews, now the town-church, Leuchars, Fc
Cupar, Dairsie, Lathrisk, Kilgour, Scoonie, Keni
way, Markinch, Eglesgreig, Fordun in the Me
Bourthie, Nigvie and Tarlane, Dull in Athole, Lori£
forgan, Rossie in Gowrie, Inchture, Fowlis, Port
moak, Abercrombie, Linlithgow, Haddington, Bn
ning, and Preston. The vicarage was annexed to
archbishopric in 1606 ; but was assigned aften
by the archbishop to the newly erected parish of <
eron, that parish having been detached from the t(
extensive parish of St Andrews, and having no le§
maintenance belonging to it. — The provostry
Kirkheugh was a convent of seculars, governed by
praefectus, or provost, and unquestionably the me
ancient religious establishment of any in this pi
It is believed by some to have been founded by
Regulus himself, and to be the same with the ii
tution which went by the name of * Ecclesia Sanct
MariaB de rupe,' or St Mary's church on the r<
and of which the chapel stood on a rock now covere
by the sea at high water, and which still goes by tl
name ot the Lady-craig, situated near the extremil
of the present pier. There was also a chapel, call
' Ecclesia Sanctse Mariae,' on the hill above the har
bour — In June, 1841, her Majesty's Attorney-ger
ral, Sir John Campbell, Knt., on succeeding Lor
Plunkett as Lord-chancellor of Ireland, was elevat*
to the dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdor
by the title of Baron Campbell of St. Andrews.
ST ANDREWS. See DEERNESS, DUNDI
DUNFERMLINE, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, GREENOCJ
LHANBRIDE.
ANGUS, the ancient name of FORFARSHIRI
which see. At a very early period the name Angus
given to the district of country lying between tl
North Esk on the north, and the Tay and Isla
the south. It is thought by some antiquaries to ha\
been so called from Angus, a brother of Kennet
II., on whom this district was bestowed by Kennet
after his conquest of the Picts. Others think tl
the hill of Angus, a little to the eastward of Al
lemno church, was, in ancient times, a noted pi
of rendezvous on occasions of great public gathering
and that the name was ultimately extended to
surrounding country. It seems more probable tht
the hill itself .derived its name from the district.-
The How or Hollow of Angus is a finely diversifie
valley in the northern part of Forfarshire, extendii
above 30 miles in length, from the western bount"
of the parish of Kettiris to the mouth of the Nor
Esk ; its breadth varies from 4 to 6 miles. — Tl
earldom of Angus now belongs in title to the Dul
of Hamilton. It was in the line of Douglas previc
to 1329 ; and it has been ascertained by Mr Ridd
that it again came into the old line of Douglas by
natural son of William, first Earl of Douglas. — Th
synod of Angus arid Mearns comprehends the pre
byteries of Meigle, Forfar, Dundee, Brechin, Ar
broath, and Fordoun.
ANN'S (ST). ^ See GLASGOW.
ANNAN, a parish in the district of Annandalt
Dumfries-shire, on the northern shore of the Solwa
frith, along which it extends above 3 miles. It i
about 8 miles in length, and from 1 to 4£ in breadtl
ANN
containing 11,100 imperial acres; bounded on the
north by Hoddam and Middlebie parishes ; on the
east by Kirkpatrick-Fleming, and Dornock ; on the
south by the frith of Solway ; and on the west by
Cummertrees. The surface is comparatively level,
with a declination towards the south. Woodcock-
air is the highest elevation. It is a conical shaped
hill, clothed with wood, and rising to an altitude of
320 feet above sea-level. The shores are flat and
gaudy. The soil is generally a rich clay. There are
extensive tracts of heath-covered moorland towards
the east of the town of Annan. The banks of the
I Annan, and the elevated parts of the parish, are or-
namented with belts of planting. There is a salmon
, fishery at the mouth of the river. The turnpike
roads from Dumfries to Carlisle, and from Annan to
Edinburgh, intersect the parish. Population of the
parish and town, in 1801, 3,341 ; in 1831, 5,033.
By a survey of the parish-minister in 1835, the po-
pulation was then estimated at 5,613, of whom 3,951
belonged to the established church. Houses 808.
Assessed property £12,800. In 1836, a portion of
this parish, comprehending the village of Bridekirk,
and a population of 765 souls, was annexed to the
: new quoad sacra parish of BRIDEKIRK : which see.
! Minister's stipend £279 2s. 4d., with a manse, and a
I glebe of the annual value of £30. Unappropriated
t teinds £191 15s. Church built in 1790, and re-
I cently repaired ; sittings 1,200. Patron, Mr Hope
i Johnstone An United Secession congregation was
' established in Annan in 1805. Church built in 1834-
5 ; sittings 746. Minister's stipend £110, with manse
and garden A Relief congregation was established
in 1833. Church built in 1834^5; sittings 639.
Stipend £100. — A Roman Catholic chapel was
opened in 1839. — There are 3 parochial schools ;
Hid 19 schools not parochial. The master of the
burgh parish-school has a salary of £32 10s. ; with
il)out £40 school-fees, and £12 other emoluments:
the salaries of the other two parish schoolmasters are
£10 each, with about £20 of fees. Annan parish is
iri the presbytery of Annan and synod of Dumfries.
It was formerly a rectory.
ANNAN, a royal burgh in the above parish, and
he capital of Annandale, is 15£ miles east by south of
Dumfries; 8£ west of Gretna-green ; 12 south of
1 Lockerby ; and 79 from Edinburgh. It is situated on
he left bank of the river Annan, near its discharge
nto the frith of Solway. It is one of the most ancient
owns in Scotland, having received its first charter from
Robert Bruce. The subsisting charter was granted by
fames VI., in 1612 ; but it had previously been erected
nto a burgh by James V., in 1538. The houses are
icat and well-built of good freestone, and the town
las been considerably improved of late years ; several
lew streets having been opened, and a number of new
?s built. At the east end of the town is the
i-church; and at the other extremity are the
uhouse and markets. There is a bridge of 3
ics over the river at the west end of the High-
treet ; from this bridge, a street conducts to the New
Jibout 1,000 yards lower down the river. The
ly, erected in 1820, in Ednam-street, is a large
g, with apartments for the rector. Annan
ly carried on a considerable trade in wine, and
ed nearly 15,000 bolls of corn ; ship-building
ed on to a considerable extent; arid there is a
mall cotton-mill and rope-works. A considerable
uantity of coarse ginghams are manufactured for
Carlisle. Hand-loom weavers make about 6s. per
.'eek ; 35 years ago they might make 35s. Bacon
hams are extensively cured here and exported
te \v castle arid London ; and fat cattle are export-
Liverpool. The Commercial bank, the British
n company, and the Southern bank or Scotland,
ANN
have branches in Annan. Hiring-markets are held
on the 1st Thursday in May, and 3d Thursday in
October. The weekly market-day is Thursday.
The mouth of the river forms a good natural har-
bour, having from 12 to 13 feet water in the
lowest tides, and from 18 to 20 in tho low-
est spring-tides. In 1833, there were 33 vessels,
measuring 2,264 tons, belonging to this port. An-
nan is governed by a provost, 3 bailies, a treasurer,
a dean-of-guild, and 15 councillors. It possesses
extensive burgh-roods and commonties, the latter
of which have been divided, and are in a state
of improvement. Its revenue, arising from rents,
fisheries, tolls, and feu-duties, amounted, in 1633, to
£670 ; its debts to £4,500 ; its expenditure iu or-
dinary to £437. In 1837, the corporation revenue
was £644. The real rent of the old royalty was,
in 1833, about £11,861; and of that part of the
burgal property within the parliamentary bounds
£8,000. The ancient royalty comprehends a dis-
trict of above 5 miles in length ; the parliamentary
line has greatly limited the burgh. The magistrates
hold no patronage ; and there is no guild or incorpo-
ration. The parliamentary constituency, in 1832,
consisted of 170. The amount of assessed taxes
payable from the burgh is £381 9s. 6d. Annan
joins with Dumfries, Lochmaben, Sanquhar, and
Kirkcudbright, in sending a member to parliament.
The municipal and the parliamentary constituency,
in 1837-8, was 176. The population of the town is
about 4,500. Annan was the birth-place of the late
Rev. Edward Irving.
ANNAN (THE), a river of Dumfries-shire, flow-
ing through the centre of the county from north to
south. It rises among the high mountains and
fells in which the shires of Dumfries, Lanark, and
Peebles, touch each other ; but its chief feeders flow
from the southern and western base of the mountain
which gives name to the Hartfell group, which is in
the parish of Moffat, on the borders of Peebles-shire,
and has an elevation of 2,635 feet. These feeders
flow south-west, and successively discharge them-
selves into a stream holding a course nearly direct
south from Corehead to Bridgend. At the latter
place, the stream, now of considerable volume, in-
clines a little towards the east, and forming the
boundary betwixt the parishes of Kirkpatrick-Juxta
and Moffat, passes the village of Moffat, below which
it receives in succession, a stream descending from
Snawfell, and the Frenchland burn, both coming
from the north-east ; and about 2£ miles below, is
joined by Moffat water coming "from the north-
eastern, and Evan water descending from the north-
western, extremity of the parish. These two tribu-
taries unite with the Annan on opposite sides, at one
point, at an elevation of about 350 feet above sea-level.
Its next important tributary is Wamphray water, com-
ing from the north-east, soon after receiving which,
its course becomes very meandering, though still bear-
ing southwards. A little below Applegirth kirk it
receives an important tributary from the north-west,
in Kinnel water ; at the southern extremity of Dryfes-
dale parish, of which it forms the western boundary,
it bends eastwards to St Mungo kirk. At the
south-eastern extremity of St Mungo parish, it re
ceives the Milke water, from its junction with which
its course is south-east, to its junction with the Mein
water, in the parish of Hoddam. From this latter
point its course is nearly south to the town of Annan,
whence its estuary sweeps in a south-west and then
south-east direction into the upper part of the Sol-
way frith. Its total length of course is about 30
miles. Its general character, in the lower part ol
its course, is that of a gently flowing pastoral stream,
which is perhaps indicated in its name Amhnnn_ in
ANN
44
ANS
Gaelic, signifying the slow-running water. Allan
Cunningham 'styles it 'the silver Annan.' In the
ballad of ' Annan Water,' [Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border, Vol. III. p. 284, Cadell's edn.] it is styled
•a drumlie river;' but this was during a spate, the
tragical consequences of which are commemorated in
the ballad ; and the editor informs us that when
' Annan water's wading deep,'
that river and the frith into which it falls are the
frequent scenes of tragical accidents.
ANNANDALE, the vale or basin of the above
river, and a stewartry or district of Dumfries-shire.
Professor Jamieson is of opinion that Annandale
must have been, in ancient times, the bed of an inland
lake. It is a fertile tract of country, about 30 miles
long, and from 15 to 18 broad. It is bounded on the
west by Nithsdale ; and on the east by Eskdale, and
includes 20 parishes. From its vicinity to the borders,
and the continual predatory excursions to which it
was exposed, the greater part was long uncultivated
and common ; but it has assumed a very different
appearance since the beginning of last century.
There are several lakes in this district. Coal and
lime are wrought in it. Annandale was anciently a
part of the Roman province of Valentia ; it after-
wards, by a grant from David I., soon after his ac-
cession to the throne, in 1124, to Robert de Brus,
son of one of William the Conqueror's Norman barons,
with whom David had formed a friendship while at
the court of Henry I. of England, became a lordship
under the Bruces, who took their title from it.*
About the year 1371, upon the demise of David II., it
fell into the hands of Randolph, Earl of Moray, re-
gent during the minority of David ; and, with the
hand of his sister Agnes, it went to the Dunbars,
Earls of March. After their forfeiture, it fell to the
Douglasses, who lost it by the same fate. It now
belongs chiefly to the Earl of Hopetoun. It former-
ly gave the title of Marquis to the gallant border-
family of Johnstone. The lineal heirship of this title
became extinct, on the death of George, 3d marquis,
in 1792. There are now several claimants for the
title. Lochmaben castle was the principal fort in this
district ; and was deemed almost impregnable. From
having been a Roman province it abounds with Ro-
man stations and antiquities. Part of Severus's wall,
* Much confusion prevailed among our historical writers as
to the genealogical relations of the family of Bruce, until Chal-
mers, in his « Caledonia,' and Kerr, in his ' History of Scotland
during the reign of Robert I.' pointed out the existing discre-
pancies, aud traced the descent of this illustrious line. Robert
de Brus entered England with William, duke of Normandy, in
1066; his son, of the same name, who is frequently confounded
with him, received a grant of the lordship of Annandale as
above mentioned ; but immediately before the battle of the
Standard, in 1138, he renounced his allegiance to David I., on
finding himself unable to persuade the Scottish king to enter
into terms of peace with England. He died on his paternal
English estate of Gysburn in Yorkshire, in 1141, and was sue-
ceeded in his English estates by his elder son, the ancestor of
the English Bruces of Skeltou. Robert Brus, his younger son,
is said to have received the transfer of Annandale from his
father immediately before the battle of the Standard, and to
have borne arms against the English .n that engagement.
This 3d Robert lived in the reigns of David I., Malcolm IV.,
and William the Lion. His son, the 4th Robert, married
Isabel, a natural daughter of William the Lion. He died in
119 1, and was succeeded in the lordship of Annandale by his
son William, who died in 1215. Robert the 5th of the name,
married Isabel, second daughter of David, Earl of Huntington,
who was the younger brother of William the Lion, thus in-
troducing the legitimate royal blood of Scotland into the family
of Bruce. The 5th Robert Bruce died in 1245, and was succeed-
ed by the 6th of the name, who married a daughter of Gilbert
de Clare, Earl of Gloucester. He opposed the Cuniyn influence
in the affairs of Scotland; and at the age of 81 engaged in the
competition for the Crown of Scotland ; but ultimately resigned
his rights in favour of his son Robert, Earl of Carrick. He
died in 1295. His son accompanied Edward of England to Pa-
lestine in 1269, and soon after his return, married Margaret,
Countess of Carrick in her own right, by whom he had five
6«>ns aim seven daughters. The eldest ton ol this marriage was
I'MK BUICB.
the camps of Birrens and Brunswark, and the rems
of a great military road, are still visible in this di
trict. The ruins of the large quadrangular fortress i
Auchincass, on Evan water, once the seat of the
gent, Randolph, cover an acre of ground, and still
convey an idea of the strength and extent of tl
building. The castles of Hoddam and of Coml
gan are also in tolerable preservation. See Di
FRIES-SHIRE, and LOCHMABEN.
ANNAT (THE), or CAMBUS, a rivulet in
parish of Kilmadock, Perthshire, which rises in
hill in the north-west corner of the parish, and rui
into the Teith about a mile above Doune. It is
markable for numerous cascades.
ANNOCK (THE), a small river in Ayrshii
which rises in the parish of Stewarton, and falls
the Irvine, a little above that town, after a coi
of about 12 miles.
ANSTRUTHER-EASTER, a parish and royi
burgh, in the county and synod of Fife, and presl
tery of St Andrews, on the coast of the frith
Forth, between Kilrenny on the east, and Ansti
ther- Wester — from which it is divided by a sr
rivulet, called the Drill or Dreel burn, descendir
from the high lands of Carnbee — on the west. Tl
three burghs form as it were one narrow to\
stretching along the shore of the frith. Previous
the year 1634, the town and barony of Anstrut
was in the parish of Kilrenny ; but though the chur
was at Kilrenny, the minister resided at Anstrutl
and was styled the minister of that town. In
above-mentioned year, the town of Easter Anstr
ther was erected into a separate charge, and a chi
built, which was thoroughly repaired in 1834. St
pend £131 15s., from the tithes of fish, a grant
part of the bishop's rents, and some money morti
for that purpose, with a manse, and a glebe of
value of <£'25. The manse is a singular old buildii
Sir W. C. Anstruther, Bart., is the patron. There
a Burgher, an Independent, and a Baptist congregati(
in the parish — The parish-school is attended
about 120 children. Master's salary £5 6s. 8d., wit
from £40 to £50 fees. In 1744, the population
1,000; in 1801, 969; in 1831, 1,007- Houses
Assessed property, £2,410. Anstruther-Easter
erected into a royal burgh by James VI., in
but holds feu of the family of Anstruther. It
governed by a council of 19, including 3 bailies,
a treasurer. The revenue, in 1833, was £78;
penditure £93 ; debt £485. The only taxes levi<
are the government cess, and the customs and si
dues. There is a good harbour here, which, by
outlay of £2,000, might be made capable of admit
vessels drawing 16 feet water. In 1710, Anstrutl
which formerly was a creek of Kirkcaldy, was
a port, and a custom-house established here.
1753, a new quay was built; arid, to defray the
pense, an act of parliament was procured laying a
of two pennies Scots upon every pint of ale bre\
or sold in the burgh. In 1768, the tonnage belor
ing to Anstruther-Easter was 80 tons ; in 1793,
was 1,400; in 1837, it was only 964 tons. There
some coasting-trade. The principal articles of
port are grain and potatoes, and salted cod. A we
ly corn-market is held on Saturday. The Nat
bank has a branch here. Anstruther-Easter
Wester join with Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny, Pitt
weem, and St Andrews, in returning a member t
parliament. The parliamentary and the municip:
constituency, in 1837-8, was 48. Aristruther-East<
is the birth-place of the Rev. Dr Chalmers, and <
Professor Tennant of St Andrews, who has sung tl
humours of ' Anster Fair' with excellent jocularit
and a genius worthy of a higher subject.
ANSTRUTHER. WESTER, a *mall parish ai
ANS
45
ANT
from Anstruther- Wester, and 6 miles distant from
it, in the mouth of the frith of Forth, is the isle of
May ; which, after the desolation of the abbey of
Pittenvveem, was generally supposed to belong to
the parish of Anstruther- Wester, and in consequence
was annually visited by the minister of Anstruther-
Wester, while it was inhabited by 14 or 15 families.
But it is also claimed as belonging to Crail parish.
See ISLE OF MAY.
ANTONINUS'S WALL. In the year 78 of the
Christian era, Agricola took the command in Britain,
but he did not enter North Britain till the year 81.
The years 79 and 80 were spent in subduing the
tribes to the south of the Solway frith hitherto un-
conquered, and in the year 81 Agricola entered on
his fourth campaign by marching into North Britain
along the shores of the Solway frith, arid overrunning
the mountainous region which extends from that
estuary to the friths of Clyde and Forth, the Glotta
and Bodotria of Tacitus. He finished this campaign
by raising a line of forts on the narrow isthmus be-
tween these friths, so that, as Tacitus observes, "the
enemies being removed as into another island" the
country to the south might be regarded as a quiet
province. The future operations of this general will
be found detailed in the articles GALLOWAY, CAR-
NOCK, LOCH ORE, and ARDOCH. Little is known
of the history of North Britain from the time of
Agricola's recal till the year 138, when Antoninus
Pius assumed the imperial purple. That good and
sagacious emperor was distinguished by the care
which he took in selecting the fittest officers for the
government of the Roman provinces ; and his choice,
for that of Britain, fell on Lollius Urbicus, a man
who united talents for peace with a genius in war.
After putting down a revolt of the Brigantes in
South Britain in the year 139, this able general
marched northward the following year to the friths,
between which he built a wall of earth on the line
of Agricola's forts. Capitulinus, who flourished
during the third century, is the first writer \\ ho no-
tices this wall, and states that it was built in the
reign of Antoninus Pius, but he gives no exact
description of it. The wall or rampart extended
from Caeridden on the frith of Forth to Dunglass
on the Clyde. Taking the length of this wall from
Old-Kilpatrick, on the Clyde, to Caeridden on the
Forth, its extent would be 39,726 Roman paces,
which agree exactly with the modern measure-
ment of 36 English miles, and 620 yards. This
rampart, which was of earth, and rested on a stone
foundation, was upwards of 20 feet high, and 24 feet
thick. Along the whole extent of the wall there
was a vast ditch or prcctentura on the outward or
north side, which was generally 20 feet deep, and
40 feet wide, and which, there is reason to believe,
might be tilled with water when occasion lequired.
This ditch and rampart were strengthened at both
ends, and throughout its whole extent, by one and
twenty forts, three being at each extremity, and the
remainder placed between, at the distance of 3,554^
yards, or something more than 2 English miles from
one another ; and it has been clearly ascertained that
these stations were designedly placed on the previous
fortifications of Agricola. Its necessary appendage,
a military road, ran behind the rampart from end to
end, for the use of the troops and for keeping up the
usual communication between the stations or forts.
From inscriptions on some or the foundation-stones,
which have been dug up, it appears that the second
legion, with detachments from the sixth and the twen-
tieth legions, and some auxiliaries, executed these
vast military works, equally creditable to their skill
and perseverance. Dunglass near the western ex-
tremity, and Blackness near the eastern extremity of
ANW
APP
the rampart, afforded the Romans commodious har-
bours for their shipping, such as they enjoyed, while
they remained in North Britain, at Cramond. This
wall is called in the popular language of the country
Grime's Dyke, the etymology of which has confound-
ed antiquarians and puzzled philologists. In British
speech and in the Welsh language of the present day
the word grym signifies strength ; but whether the
appellation which the wall now receives is derived
from such a root seems doubtful. Certain it is, that
the absurd fiction of Fordun, Boyce, and Buchanan,
who derive the name from a supposititious person of
the name of Grime and his Scots having broke
through this wall, has long been exploded, with many
other fictions of the same authors.
ANWOTH, a parish in the county and presby-
tery of Kirkcudbright, and synod of Galloway. It
is about 6£ miles long, from north-east to south-
west; and 3^ broad. It is bounded on the north
and east by the parish of Girthon, from which it is
divided by the river Fleet ; and on the west by the
parish of Kirkmabreck. The sea-shore, which
bounds the parish on the south, for about 2£ miles
from the mouth of the Fleet to the confines of the
parish of Kirkmabreck, is generally flat and rocky,
though in one place it is bold and elevated. To-
wards the northern part of the parish, the surface
becomes broken and barren, rising into numerous
hills of small elevation. Along the banks of the
Fleet, and to some distance from it, there is a con-
siderable quantity of natural and planted wood.
The total area is about 9,000 acres, of which about
one-third is arable. The Fleet is navigable for small
vessels as far as Gatehouse : see article FLEET. The
most remarkable hill in this parish is Cairnharrah,
which is situated partly in this parish, and partly in
Kirkmabreck. It is elevated above the sea about
1,100 feet; and is the highest ground in this part of
the country, Cairnsmuir excepted. It commands an
extensive view of the adjacent country, the shire of
Wigton, the Isle of Man, a part of Cumberland, and
even of the high land on the coast of Ireland. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 637; in 1831, 830, of whom about
40 were dissenters. Houses 126. Assessed pro-
perty £4,748. About 450 of the inhabitants live in
the country part of the parish, and the rest in the
village of Anwoth, which is built on the Fleet, op-
posite to Gatehouse, and being connected with it by
a bridge is considered as part of the same village.
Minister's stipend £247 10s. 7d., with a manse, and
a glebe of the value of £10. Unappropriated teinds
£41 18s. Id. Church built in 1826; sittings 400.
Patron, Sir David Maxwell, Bart. Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £20 fees. Average num-
ber of scholars 80. There are two small private
schools — There are two old buildings in the parish,
the tower of Rusco, and cactle of Cardoness. Both
these fortalices stand on the banks of the Fleet; the
former about 2| miles above where the river ceases
to be navigable, and the latter 1 mile below that
point, on a tongue of land, looking . towards the
bay at the mouth of the river The Rev. Samuel
Rutherford, author of a valuable volume of Letters
on Practical religion, and various popular devotional
pieces, was minister of this parish; and a monument,
in the form of an Egyptian obelisk, 55 feet in height,
and wholly composed of granite, is about to be erected
to his memory by his admirers, on a hill a little to the
north-east of the farm-house of Boreland, whence it
will be distinctly seen from the military road betwixt I
Gatehouse and Portpatrick.
APPIN, an extensive district of Argyleshire, above
50 miles in length, and from 10 to 15 broad; com-
prehending the Airds, the strath of Appin, Glen
Duror, Glen Creran, Kingerloch, and Glencoe; ex-
tending along the eastern side of Loch Linnhe, and
belonging ecclesiastically to the parish of Lismore
and Appin. See LISMORE. Appin is one of the
most interesting districts in the Highlands ; preset
ing a deeply indented and finely diversified coa...
sprinkled with islands ; while the interior is inter
sected with deep glens and rushing streams, and ric
in the most magnificent varieties of mountain an
lake scenery. Appin was the country of the Stuart
"the unconquered foes of the Campbell," in feuc
times. The Ettrick Shepherd, in a tine ballad er
titled ' The Stuarts o' Appin,' thus alludes to it
departed glories :
" I sing of a land that was famous of yore,
The laud of Green Appin, the ward of the flood;
Where every grey cairn that broods over the shore,
Marks grave of the royal, the valiant, or good ;
The land where the strains of grey Ossiau were framed, —
The land of fair Selma, and reign of Fingal, —
And late of a race, that with tears must be named,
The Noble Clan Stuart, the bravest of all.
Oh.hon, an Rei ! and the Stuarts of Appin!
The gallant, devoted, old Stuarts of Appiu !
Their glory is o'er,
For the clan is no more,
And the Sassenach sings on the hills of green Appin.'
APPLECROSS,* a very extensive parish in tl
county of Ross, lying between Loch Torriden
Loch Carron. Its outline is irregular, being fr
quently intersected by arms of the sea, the princi[
of which, besides the two lochs already mentic
are Loch Achrakin, Applecross bay, Loch Toski^
and Loch Kishorn. In the centre of one of its
populous districts are a few farms belonging ecclt
siastically to the parish of Loch Carron. The exten
of sea-coast, in a direct line, is upwards of 20 miles
but following the shore in all its curves and windin
it cannot be under 90 miles. Though the coast is ii
some places high arid rocky, yet, in many parts, it
flat and sandy ; and the general character of
whole — as of most districts of old red sandstone fo
mation, which is the prevalent geological character i
the parish — is monotonous and dreary. The com
of the tides is all along from the north. The geners
appearance of the parish is rocky and mountainous :
yet amidst these hills, covered only with wild c<
grasses and heath, and indescribably dreary to
sight, occur valleys, both beautiful and fertile,
in many instances almost inaccessible. When
first Statistical account of this parish was writtei
towards the close of last century, it was stated thz
there was neither public road nor bridge from out
extremity of it to the other ; and that the travellt
was guided by the season of the year, in determiniu
what course to take over the rugged hills,
waters, and deep and marshy moors of this dist
This state of things is now greatly amended.
food and direct road runs between Applecross
hieldag on Loch Torriden, a distance of 13 miles;
and there are also good roads from the village
Loch Carron, at the head of Loch Carron both
Applecross, a distance of 20 miles,, and to Shield*
a distance of 15. Grazing-farms are numerous u
small. The number of acres under cultivation
not exceed 2,000, while nearly 300 square miles
unfit for cultivation. Black cattle is the great articl
from which the farmer principally derives his emolu-
ment and the landlord his rent. Herring shoals occa-
* Applecross is a fanciful designation given to this parish by
the proprietor of the Comaraich estate, at the time of its erec-
tion into a separate charge. In commemoration of this event
nve apple trees were plantf d cross ways in the proprietor's gar.
den ; and they have since been perpetuated by his successor*
The ancient and only name by which this parish is known ii
the language of the country is Comrich, or Comaraich, a Gaeli*
word signifying *a place of protection ;' a designation iraplyiuj
the immunity of the place in ancient times, this having foeei
the seat of a cloister, and, as such, an asylum for all who fat
to it for protection.
APP
47
AHA
lly frequent the hays, creeks, and harbours, of
this district. The rivers, though small, are very
rapid, and abound with trout ; the stream of Firdou,
and the river of Applecross, contain salmon ; there are
tjn-fishings at Torriden and Balgie ; and fishing
ich pursued on the coasts of this parish. Kelp,
to the American war, was extensively manu-
red here, arid sold at .£3 10s. the ton ; the price
afterwards fluctuated between £5 5s. and £4 15s.,
there were about 50 tons annually brought to
rket. This manufacture, however, no longer
ts. In the district of Kishorn there is a copper-
which Williams, in his ' Mineral Kingdom,'
sidered as equally rich with any in Great Britain,
the south side of the bay of Applecross, close by
shore, there is a lime-stone quarry of an excellent
lity. There are some natural woods of fir, birch,
hazel, in different parts of the parish. The
lary fuel is peat. There are three proprietors :
Mackenzie of Applecross, the principal heritor ;
ckenzie of Seaforth, and Sir F. Mackenzie of
rloch, Bart. " Every man," says the Statistical
rter in 1792, " is the architect of his own house ;
though there be a few nominal shoemakers,
?ly a boy of fifteen but makes his own brogues,
icre are several boat-wrights and weavers; the
ier are generally maintained by their employers,
paid by the piece ; the latter make their demand
money, but are paid in meal, at the conversion of
If-a-merk Scotch the peck. There are three
-when no private stipulation takes place — for
farm- work ; they are paid in meal, by an irnme-
ial assessment on the different farms. Anciently
ey had the head of every cow that was slaughtered
the parish, — a privilege they still claim, but it is
complied with." We should suppose this
i is never even advanced now ; but it is a curious
: of days less-acquainted with the marvellous pro-
rties of a circulating medium than our own. The
38 of domestic servants, for the year, at the last
;ntioned period, were from £2 to £3 sterling, for
; and from 10s. to £1 sterling for women ; the
itistical reporter of 1836 states, that they are
usually £8 for ploughmen, and from £2 10s. to £3
for female servants. The population of the parish,
in 1801, was 1,896; in 1831, 2,892. Houses 5*2.
Assessed property £3,050. — The parish is in the
presbytery of Loch Carron, and synod of Glenelg. It
is divided into three districts, each of which is
separated from the others by a ridge of hills. In the
districts of Lochs and Tirdon, the minister officiates
once a quarter; and the minister of Shieldag offi-
ciates in the district of Kishorn once a month. The
parish-church stands in the district of Applecross ; it
was built in 1817; sittings600. Stipend £158 6s. 5d.,
with a manse, and a small glebe. The patronage is in
the Crown. A government-church was erected at
Shieldag in 1827 : the parochial school is fixed at
Applecross. The schoolmaster's salary is £25, with
£4 10s. fees. There are also schools at Shieldag
Torriden, Kishorn, and Badanvougie, each attended
by about 50 scholars. " There are trunks of trees
found at a considerable depth under ground, where
there is no vestige of any kind of wood remaining ;
many of them have visibly suffered by tire, which the
traditional history of the country reports to have been
occasioned by the Danes burning the forests. Close by
the parish-church, are the remains of an old religious
house, where the standard and soles of crucifixes are
still to be seen. It was richly endowed with landed
property, which tradition relates to have been con-
by the last popish missionary in the place —
wn by the designation of the Red Priest of Apple-
88— to his daughter." [Statistical Report, 1792.]
iPPLEGARTH, or APPLEGIRTH, a parish ia
the stewartry of Annandale, Dumfriesshire. The An
nan divides it, on the west, from the parishes of Loch-
maben and Johnston ; on the north it is bounded by
Wamphray ; on the north-east and east by Hutton ;
and on the south by Dryfesdale parish. Its greatest
length, from south to north, is about 6 miles ; its
greatest breadth, from west to east, in the southern
part of the parish, is about 5 miles. The distance
of the kirk-town from Dumfries is about 1 1 , and
from Annan about 12 miles. The great turnpike
road from Carlisle to Glasgow and Edinburgh passes
through the parish, from south to north. Dr. Singer
estimates the superficial area of this parish at 17£
square miles, or 11,500 acres ; of which about 400 are
under wood, and 7,400 are cultivated. The soil in
this parisn, in general, is good, especially upon the
banks of the Annan and the Dryfe. The highest ele-
vation in the parish is Dinwoodie hill, 736 feet above
sea-level. The manse of Applegarth, in the south-
west extremity of the parish, on the east bank of the
Annan, is 180 feet above sea-level. [Statistical re-
port, 1834. ] There are six heritors in the parish.
The valued rent is 6,725 merks ; the real rent was
estimated, at the end of last century, at between
£2,800 and £3,000 sterling. Population, in 1801,
795; in 183 1,999. Houses 151. Assessed property
£8,595 This parish is in the synod of Dumfries,
and presbytery of Lochmaben. Stipend £250 5s. ,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10 10s. Un-
appropriated teinds £244. The manse is an old
house, built upwards of 60 years ago. The church
was built in 1761. It is generally supposed that
there have been two old parishes successively annex-
ed to Applegarth, viz. Sibbaldbie and Dinwoodie, or
Dinwiddie. It is not certain, however, whether
Dinwoodie was ever a distinct parish or not ; it rather
appears to have been a chapelry to Applegarth.
Sibbaldbie was a distinct parish, and was annexed in
1609. There are still some remains of its church.
Sir William Jardine, Bart., and Johnstone of Annan-
dale, are the patrons. There are two parochial
schools, attended by abou1 100 children. Chalmers,
in his Caledonia, informs us that on the 7th July,
1300, Edward I., who was then at Applegarth, on
his way to the siege of Caerlaverock, made an obla-
tion at the altars of St. Nicholas and Thomas a
Becket, in Applegarth church. There are no au-
thentic traces of this church now visible. There is
a noble ash-tree in the church-yard of Applegarth,
upwards of 14 feet in circumference near the root.
ARASAIG, or ARISAIG, a district in the parish
of Ardnamurchan, on the western coast of Inverness-
shire, and the name especially of a promontory in the
district, lying between the two inlets of the sea,
Lochnanuagh on the south, and Lochnagaul on the
north, immediately opposite the southern extremity
of the isle of Eig, from which it is distant 6£ miles.
There is an excellent and beautiful road from the
village of Arasaig, on the northern shore of Lochna-
gaul, to Fort William, passing the head of Loch
Aylort, and Loch Shiel, and running along the nor-
thern shore of Loch Eil, a total distance of 40 miles.
There is a ferry from Arasaig to Skye, which how-
ever is now little used, that of Kyle Rhea being
generally preferred. There is a Roman Catholic
chapel at the village of Arasaig.
ARAY (THE), or ART, in Gaelic AOREIDH, a
small but beautiful stream flowing into Loch Fyne,
between the town of Inverary and the neighbour
ing- hill of Dunyqueaich. It rises near Loch Awe,
and flows south. Its course is about 9 miles in
length, over a rocky bed, and frequently under
rugged cliffs, or between banks finely wooded with
oak and birch. The road from Inverary to Oban
skirts its course, throughout its whole length; and
ARE
48
ARB
the road around the head of Loch Fyne to Cairn-
dow is carried over the stream, at its confluence with
the loch, by a bridge. The first striking scene upon
this stream, tracing its course upwards, is the ro-
mantic fall of Carlonan linn, which occurs at a point
where the river is shut in by thick woods and rocky
banks. About 2£ miles from Inverary is another
considerable fall ; and half-a-mile farther is the finest
cascade in the river, the fall of Lenach-Gluthin,
where the stream rushes, "with many a shock,"
over a broken and precipitous rock. It is supposed
that the Aray takes its name from these falls, Aoreidh,
in Gaelic, signifying ' unsmooth. ' Skrine calls it ' the
furious Aray.' As we ascend the glen of the Aray,
the stream "changes temper" and dwindles into a
burn flowing between bare mountain-ridges. Gilpin,
who passed through Glen Aray in 1776, was greatly
delighted with the forest-scenery here.
ARBIRLOT, in old writings, ABERELLIOT, a
parish in the county of Forfar, presbytery of Ar-
broath, and synod of Angus and Mearns. It is about
4 miles in length, and 3 in breadth ; and is bounded
on the north by the parishes of St. Vigeans and Car-
mylie ; on the east by Arbroath ; on the south by
the sea; and on the west by Panbride parish.
The extent of sea-coast is about 3 miles, for the
most part flat and sandy. The greater part of
this parish is gently undulated ; yet the hills are
neither very high nor rocky, but are in general
green, and capable of cultivation. Estimating the
superficial area of the parish at 5,000 acres, about
one-fifth is uncultivated, and the average rent of
the cultivated land is 18s. per acre. The principal
crops raised in this parish are oats and barley ; but a
considerable quantity of wheat is also grown. In
the year 1790, there were 97 acres of ground within
the bounds of this parish sown with linseed, which
in general succeeded well. This branch of farming
does not now attract much attention. The yearly
wages of men-servants, in the different branches of
husbandry, in the year 1793, were from £7 to .£8;
and of women-servants, from £3 to £4 ; the wages
of a day-labourer were 6d. when the employer fur-
nished him with provisions ; and when he victualled
himself, from Is. to 15d. Farm-servants now obtain
about £20 per annum ; day-labourers Is. 6d. per
day ; and female-labourers 8d. The return to the
inquiry made by Dr. Webster, in 1755, respecting
the population of this parish, was 865. In 1801,
the population was returned at 945; and in 1831, at
1,026. Houses 215. Assessed property £1,092.
The water of Elliot, which runs through this parish,
from north to south, has its source in the parish of
Carmylie, about 3 miles from the town of Arbirlot. It
was once noted for trouts of a peculiar relish. Kelly
castle, which is built upon a rock on the side of this
stream, is seen to great advantage on the road be-
twixt Arbroath and Arbirlot. Neither the period
when the castle of Kelly was built, nor its pro-
prietors, through a long series of ages, can now be
traced ; tradition, however, relates that one Ouch-
terlony, laird of Kelly, was active in demolishing
the abbey at Aberbrothock. The modern house of
Kelly, in the vicinity of the castle, was razed about
seven years ago. The whole parish is the property
of Earl Panmure. The valued rent is £4,266 13s.
4d. Scotch: the real rent is about £15,000 The
stipend of the parish-minister is £184 4s. 5d., with
the addition of a manse, a garden, and a glebe of 4
acres. The Crown is patron. The kirk was rebuilt
in 1832; sittings 639. There are only a few Se-
ceders in the parish. The parochial schoolmaster
has a salary of £34 4s., with £14 fees. In 1628, 8
bolls of meal were mortified by Alexander Irvine of
Drum, then proprietor of Kelly, in favour of the
schoolmaster of Arbirlot. There are two pnvat
schools — About half-a-mile from Arbirlot is a minera
spring, called Wormy-hills well. " It is deservedly
esteemed," says the Statistical reporter of 1791, "
account of its medicinal virtue ; and being withir
200 yards of the sea, persons attending it have th<
benefit of sea-bathing, which, of late years, has
much recommended by our best physicians." It
reported that a road was made through part of this
parish by Hector Boethius, the Scottish historian
which still bears his name, though somewhat cor-
rupted, in the name Heckenbois-path. The turnpike
road from Arbroath to Dundee runs 4 miles througt
this parish.
ARBROATH, or ABERBROTHWICK, a partly lar
ward, partly town-parish, in the county of Forfar ;
being, it is supposed, an erection out of the parish of
St. Vigeans, of the town and royalty of Arbroath,
into a separate parish about the year 1560. In 18t
the Abbey parish of Arbroath was disjoined quocu
sacra from that of Arbroath. In 1838, a similar dis
junction or erection of Ladyloan parish took place.
Both these parishes are almost wholly urban. Tl
old parish is bounded on the north by St. Vigeans
parish ; on the east by the German ocean ; on th<
south and west by Arbirlot parish. The extent
sea-coast is about 1£ mile ; the superficial area
1 ,820 English acres. Average rent of land 55s.
acre. Around the town the soil is rich and fertile
but towards the north-west there is a considerabl
extent of what was formerly moor-ground, the pr
perty of the community, and once covered with fir-
plantations, but which having being fued out is no\
in a state of cultivation, and interspersed with villas
The Brothock, or Brothwick, a small stream rising
in the parish of Kirkden, near the north-west boui
dary of St. Vigeans parish, flowing south-east througl
that parish, and the town of Arbroath, and falling ini
the German ocean after a course of about 6 mil*
gives name to the parish. The water-power fur-
nished by this stream, and its application in creating
steam-power, has led to the establishment of nur
erous manufactures for weaving, spinning, flax-dres
ing, and bleaching. About a mile westward of th<
town is a strong chalybeate spring. Population
the parish, as distinct from the town, in 1801 , 4,943 :
in 1831, 6,943; in 1841, 8,707— The parish of Ar-
broath is in the presbytery of Arbroath, and sync
of Angus and Mearns. Patron, since 1715, th<
Crown. Minister's stipend £219 12s. 6d., with
allowance of £4 8s. lid. for manse and glebe. Un-
appropriated teinds £125 12s. lid. Church enlarged
in 1764 ; sittings 1,390. The minister has an assist-
ant who receives a salary of £75 — The Unitec
Secession congregation was established in 1785
Church built in 1791, and enlarged in 1824 ; sitting
714. Minister's stipend £105, with manse and gar-
den The Independent congregation was established
about the year 1,800; church built in 1816; sittir
500 — A Baptist congregation, established in 1808 ,
meets in the Mechanics' reading-room An Episcc
palian congregation has long existed here ; chapel
built in 1791, and enlarged in 1841; sittings 390;
minister's stipend £122, with a garden and £11 fo
a house.
The parish of ABBEY, erected under the authority
of the General Assembly in February, 1836, has
population of about 1,960. The church was built in
1 796-7, and originally formed a chapel-of-ease within
the town of Arbroath ; sittings 1,281 ; minister's
stipend £100. — The Relief congregation in this
parish, formerly connected with the Relief Metho-
dists, has a place of worship, built in 1826; sittings
572; stipend £120. — The United Secession congre-
gation in this district of the town was formed in 1815;
ARBROATH.
irch erected in 1812 ; sittings 630 — There is a
congregation, originally formed in 1780, in
parish.
The royal borough of ARBROATH is chiefly situated
i the parish of Arbroath, but the town now extends
isiderably beyond the royalty into the parish of
Vigeaiis ; and a part of the parish, on the north
j, termed the Abbey lands, is without the royalty,
le town is 17 miles east by north of Dundee ; 12$
st by south of Montrose ; 15 south-east of Forfar ;
south of Brechin ; and 56 north-north-east of
iburgh. It is on the estuary of the Brothock, in
11 plain surrounded on the west, north, and east
!es by eminences in the form of an amphitheatre,
rich command an extensive prospect of the friths
Tay and Forth, the Lothian hills, and the elevated
of Fifeshire. The town has greatly extended
late years. Formerly it consisted of one street,
ly a mile in length, running north and south
the sea, and another on the west side of smaller
it: both these being intersected by cross streets,
the eastward, and within that part of the parish
the Abbey lands, there are two handsome
its. On the west side of the Brothock, and
illy in the parish of St. Vigeans, there are also
?ral neat streets, forming a suburb of considerable
The town was lighted with gas in 1826. The
i-house, containing a town-hall, town clerk's
register-rooms, &c., is a handsome edifice,
in 1808-9. The academy was built in 1821
a cost of £1,600. A handsome building, to the
stward of the town-house, was erected in 1842 for
and police office. In 1797 a public library
established, which now contains a collection
. nting to above 7,000 volumes. There is a sig-
tower here which communicates with the Bell-
ck lighthouse, at the distance of 12 miles. [See
le BELL-ROCK.] The port of Arbroath is of
antiquity; but its situation was, in ancient
is, more to the eastward than at present. The
of the ancient harbour is still named the Old
>re-head ; and an agreement is extant between the
and burghers, in 1194, concerning the making
of the harbour. Both parties were bound to contri-
bute their proportion ; but the largest fell to the
share of the abbot, for which he was to receive an
annual tax payable out of the borough-roods. A
new harbour was built about the year 1725. It is
small, but can be taken by vessels in a storm, when
they cannot enter any of the neighbouring ports. It
is entirely artificial, but well-sheltered from the sea
by a long pier erected in 1788; the inner harbour is
secured by wooden gates. It admits vessels of 200
tons at spring-tides ; but, at ordinary tides, only
vessels of 100 tons can enter. It was formerly de-
fended by a battery erected in 1783, but the fortifi-
cation is now dilapidated, and the guns have been
removed. A new harbour and breakwater, under the
authority of an act of parliament, 2° Victoria, cap.
16, was commenced in 1841. The administration of
this harbour is vested in commissioners, to whom the
property of the old harbour, arid the shore-dues,
have been transferred on payment to the community
of £10,000 in name of compensation. The works
are expected to be completed in 1843-4, and the ex-
pense is estimated at £40,000. These improvements
will enable vessels of 400 tons to enter the harbour
at spring-tides. The shore-dues for the year 1841,
exceeded £3,300. The tonnage of the vessels be-
longing to the port is now about 9,000 tons; in 1791,
it was 4,000 tons.
The town of Arbroath shared the fate of its abbey I
—as afterwards related — till about 1736, when its j
Commerce began to revive. At that time a few •
gentlemen of property engaged here in the manu- '
facture of osnaburghs and brown linens, which suc-
ceeded well, and is still the principal branch of manu-
facture. There are about 2,000 hand-looms employed
on linen. Canvass weavers earn from 8s. 6d. to lls.
per week. The principal market for these goods is
England. In 1806, there were stamped 1,484,425£
yards of cloth, valued at £83,454 15s. 9d. sterling.
Thsre are now 16 mills for spinning yarn in the town
and suburbs. Arbroath is undoubtedly a royalty
of very ancient erection. It was probably erected
into a royal borough by William the Lion, about
the year 1186; but this cannot exactly be ascei-
tained owing to the loss of the original charter,
which was taken by force out of the abbey — where
it was lodged in the time of the civil wars, during
the minority of James VI — by George, Bishop of
Moray. It was, however, confirmed in its privileges
by a charter of novodamus from James VI. in 1599.
It was formerly governed by a provost, 2 bailies, a
treasurer, and 15 councillors, and has 7 incorporated
trades. The magistrates and council are now elected
according to the provisions of 3° and 4° William IV.
The council consists of 17 members. In 1834, about
6,650 of the population were within the royalty, and
4,587 persons inhabited houses in streets without the
royalty. The property of the town, consisting of
common lands, houses, mills, harbour, feu-duties,
entries, customs, and imposts, was recently valued at
£35,874; but the parliamentary commissioners were
of opinion that this was too high. The revenue, in
1788, was £864; in 1832, £2,922; the average an-
nual expenditure for 20 years preceding 1832, had
been £2,940 ; and the debt was £17,967. The
revenue, in 1837-8, was £3,859; in 1840-41, £2,586;
in 1841-2, £1,692. In 1811, the population, includ-
ing that part of the town situated in the parish of
St. Vigeans, was 9,000 ; in 1831, 13,795; in 1841,
14,576. In 1821, the number of houses within burgh
was 1,739 ; in 1831, 2,360 ; in 1841, 3,380. Assessed
Kroperty, in 1815, £22,858. The government cess,
jvied in 1832, was £105 2s. 6d. Its fairs are on the
31st January, 3d Wednesday of June, and 18th July.
Arbroath unites with the boroughs of Forfar, Mon-
trose, Inverbervie, and Brechin, in sending a repre-
sentative to parliament. The population of this
parliamentary district, in 1841, was 43,172; houses
8,762. The parliamentary constituency of Arbroath,
in 1837, was 452 ; the municipal 245. In 1842, the
parliamentary constituency had decreased to 411;
the municipal was 263.
The glory of Arbroath, in former times, was its
abbey, the venerable ruins of which are still much
admired by travellers. It was founded about 1 178 by
William I., and dedicated to the memory of Thomas-
a-Becket. Its founder was interred within it ; but
there are no authentic remains of his tomb. It is
probable, however, that it was near the great altar,
in a spot now walled in as a private burial-place.
The monastery of Arbroath was one of the richest
in Scotland, and its abbots were frequently the first
churchmen of the kingdom. Cardinal Beaton was
the last abbot of this establishment, at the same time
that he was archbishop of St. Andrews. The monks
were of the Tyronensian order, and were first brought
from Kelso. A charter is still extant from John of
England, under the great seal of that kingdom, by
Avhich the monastery and citizens of Aberbrothock
are exempted " a teloniis et consuetudine," in every
part of England, except London and Oxford. This
abbey was also of considerable note in Scottish his-
tory, particularly as the seat of that parliament which,
during the reign of King Robert Bruce, addressed
the celebrated manifesto to the Pope. After the
death of Beaton, the abbey felt the destructive rage
of the Reformers. The last commendatory abbot of
50
ARBROATH.
Aberbrothock was John Hamilton, second son to the I
duke of Chatelherault, who was afterwards created |
Marquis of Hamilton. The abbey was erected into
a temporal lordship, in favour of James, Marquis of
Hamilton, son to the former, upon the 5th May, 1608.
It afterwards belonged to the Earl of Dysart, from
whom Patrick Matile of Panmure, gentleman of the
bed-chamber to James VI., purchased it. with the j
right of patronage of all the parishes thereto belong- j
ing, thirty-four in number. The abbots of this place
had several special privileges. They were exempted
from assisting at the yearly synods ; and Pope Ben-
net, by his bull, dated at Avignon, grants to John,
Abbot of Arbroath, the privilege of wearing a mitre
and other pontifical ornaments. The ruins of the
abbey are " most deliciously situated," and strikingly
picturesque. Pennant, who visited Arbroath in
1772, thus describes them : " The abbey was once
enclosed with a strong and lofty wall, which sur-
rounded a very considerable tract. On the south-
west corner is a tower, at present the steeple of
the parish- church ; at the south-east corner was
another tower, with a gate beneath, called the Darn-
gate, which, from the word darn, or private, appears
to have been the retired way to the abbey. The
magnificent church stands on the north side of the
square, and was built in the form of a cross. On the
side are three rows of false arches, one above the
other, which have a fine effect, and above them are
very high windows, with a circular one above. In
April last, a part adjoining to the west end fell sudden-
ly down, and destroyed much of the beauty of the
place. The length of the whole church is about 275
feet ; the breadth of the body and side-aisles, from
wall to wall, 67 ; the length of the transept 165 feet,
the breadth 27. It seems as if there had been three
towers ; one in the centre, and two others on each
side of the west end, part of which still remains. On
the south side, adjoining the church, are the ruins of
the chapter-house. The lower part, which is vaulted,
is a spacious room well-lighted with Gothic windows.
Above is another good apartment. The great gate
to the abbey fronts the north. Above the arch had
been a large gallery, with a window at each end.
At the north- west corner of the monastery stand the
walls of the regality prison, of great strength and
thickness. Within are two vaults, and over them
some light apartments. The prison did belong to the
convent, which resigned this part of its jurisdiction
to a layman, whom the religious elected to judge in
criminal affairs. The family of Airly had this office
before the Reformation, and continued possessed of
it till the year 1747, when it was sold and vested in
the Crown with the other heritable jurisdictions. In
the year 1445, the election of this officer proved
fatal to the chieftains of two noble families." The
convent had that year chosen Alexander Lindsay,
eldest son of the Earl of Crawford, arid commonly
known by the appellation of The Tiger, or Earl
Beardy, to be the baillie, or chief-j usticiar of their
regality ; but he proved so expensive by his number
of followers and high way of living, that they were
obliged to remove him, and appoint in his place
Alexander Ogilvie of Innerquharity, nephew to John
Ogilvie of Airly, who had an hereditary claim to the
place. This occasioned a cruel feud between the
families ; each assembled their vassals ; and " there
can be little doubt," says Mr. Fraser Tytler, " that
the Ogilvies must have sunk under this threatened
attack, but accident gave them a powerful ally in
Sir Alexander Seton of Gordon, afterwards Earl of
Huntly, who, as he returned from court, happened
to lodge for the night at the castle of Ogilvie, at the
very moment when this baron was mustering his
forces against the meditated assault of Crawford.
Seton, although in no way personally interested in
the quarrel, found himself, it is said, compelled to
assist the Ogilvies, by a rude but ancient custom,
which bound the guest to take common part with
his host in all dangers which might occur so long
the food eaten under his roof remained in his stomach.
With the small train of attendants and friends wht
accompanied him, he instantly joined the forces of
Innerquharity, and proceeding to the town of Ar-
broath, found the opposite party drawn up in great
strength on the outside of the gates." As the twc
lines approached each other, and spears were placing
in the rest, the Earl of Crawford, anxious to avert it
suddenly appeared on the field, and galloping up
tween the two armies, was accidentally slain by
soldier. The Cravvfords, assisted by a large party of
the vassals of Douglas, and infuriated at the loss
their chief, thereupon attacked the Ogilvies with
desperation which soon broke their ranks, and reducet
them to irreclaimable disorder. Such, however, \va
the gallantry of their resistance, that they were almost
entirely cut to pieces. Nor was the loss which th<
Ogilvies sustained in the field their worst misfortune;
for Lindsay, with his characteristic ferocity, arid pr(
tected by the authority of Douglas, let loose his armj
upon their estates, and the flames of their castles, the
slaughter of their vassals, the plunder of their
perty, and the captivity of their wives and childrer
instructed the remotest adherents of the justicu
of Arbroath, how terrible was the vengeance \vhi(
they had provoked. — The revenues of this abbe>
at the Reformation were as follow : money £2,
14s.; wheat 30 ch. 3 bolls, 3 fir. 2 pecks;
143 ch. 9 bolls, 2 pecks; meal 196 ch. 9 bolls,
fir. ; oats 27 ch. 1 1 bolls ; salmon 37 bar. and
bar. grilses : omitted capons, poultry, grassui
dawikis, and all other services and duties : to this
is also to be added the teinds of the kirks of Aber-
nethy, Tannadice, and Moriifieth. While some work-
men were employed in 1835, in clearing out the
bish from the ruins of the abbey, they came upon
stone coffin containing the skeleton of a female whi<
had been carefully enveloped in a covering of leather.
This must have been some lady of rank in her da)
and the good folks set it down as the remains of 1 "
Queen of William the Lion, who, as well as her bus
band, the founder of the abbey, was interred here.
During the war, in 1781, this coast was annoy*
by a French privateer, named the Fearnought
Dunkirk, commanded by one Fall. On the evening
of the 23d of May, he came to anchor in the bay
Arbroatb, and fired a few shot into the town ; aft
which he sent a flag of truce on shore, v/ith
following letter :
" At sea, May twenty-third.
" Gentlemen, I send these two words to inform you, that
will have you to bring to the French colour, in less than
quarter of an hour, or I set the town on fire directly ; such
the order of my master the king of France I am sent by.
directly the mair and chiefs of the town to make some a
ment with me, or I'll make my duty. It is the will of yours.
" To Monsieurs Mair of the town called")
Arbrought, or in his absence, to the >
chief man after him, in Scotland." J
The worthy magistrates, with a view to gain time
to arm the inhabitants, and send expresses for mili-
tary aid, in the true spirit of subtile diplomacy, gave
an evasive answer to Monsieur Fall's letter, remind-
ing him that he had mentioned no terms of ransom,
and begging he would do no injury to the town till he
should hear from them again. Upon this Fall wrote
a second letter to them in the following terms :
" At sea, eight o'dock in the afternoon.
" Gentlemen, I received just now your answer, by which yoi
say I ask no terms. I thought it was useless, since I asket
you to come aboard for agreement. But here are my terras
I will have £30,000 sterling at least, anji 6 of the chiefs mei
oi the town for utage. Be speedy, or I shoot your town awa
ARE
51
ARB
__tlv. and I sot fire to it. I am, gentlemen, your servant. I
it some Of my crew to you: but if some harm happens to
, you'll be sure will hangup the main-yard all the pre-
_TS MI- have al> >ard.
To Mousieurs the chiefs r-mn of)
Arbrought in Scotland." 3
The magistrates having now got some of the iri-
jitants armed, and their courage further supported
the arrival of some military from Montrose, set
U at defiance, and " ordered him to do his worst,
they would not give him a farthing." Where-
>n, says the worthy historian of this memorable
(action in the annals of Arbroath, terribly en-
1, and no doubt greatly disappointed, he began
jeavy fire upon the town, and continued it for a
ig time; but happily it did no harm, except knock-
down some chimney-tops, and burning the fingers
"those who took up his balls, which were heated.
ARBROATH AND FORFAR RAILWAY.
ris railway commences at the harbour of Arbroath,
passing" through the valley of the Brothock, and
upper part of the valley of the Leman, and skirts
the lochs of Balgavies and Rescobie, terminates
"the Playfield of Forfar. Its length is 15£ miles,
rise of 220 feet. Expense £136,000. It is
. aly a single line, but with frequent passing-places,
le act of parliament for this undertaking, 6° Wil-
IV., cap. 34, was obtained in May 1836. A
ipplementary act was obtained in April 1840, 3°
ictoria, cap. 14. Under these acts the railway
ipany have a fixed capital of £120,000, with
>wer to borrow £40,000 in addition. About five
of the railway were opened for traffic on 3d
itember, 1838 ; and the whole line on the 2d of
luary, 1839. There are six intermediate sta-
between the terminal stations: viz., Colliston,
jysmill, Friockheim, Guthrie, Auldbarr road, and
jcksbriggs. The population of the eight parishes
mgh which the railway passes, including the
of Arbroath and Forfar, is about 35,000. The
on the district of this cheap and speedy means
' communication have been remarkable, and furnish
a striking example of the utility of railways, and the
great comfort and accommodation they afford to the
public. Previous to 1839 there was not a stage-
coach or conveyance of any kind for passengers
between Arbroath and Forfar. The first year
the railway was opened, there were conveyed
it 98,513 passengers; and from the 2d of Jan-
ry, 1839, to the 5th of November, 1842, the num-
conveyed upon it amounted to 376,167. The
goods conveyed during the same period amounted to
207,806 tons. The trains, which are drawn by lo-
comotive engines, make four trips daily in summer,
and three in winter. They are composed of passen-
ger-carriages and waggons with goods. Passengers'
fares, in 1842, were as follows : 1st class, 2s. 3d. ; —
2d class, Is. 9d. ; — 3d class, Is. 3d. The charges
for goods are equally moderate. — There are exten-
-ive stone and pavement quarries on the line, espe-
lly at Leysmill, on the property of William T.
Isay Carnegie, Esq. of Spynie and Boysack, to
lose public spirit and energy of character the es-
tablishment of the Arbroath and Forfar railway in a
great degree owes its existence. There is, also, a
railway from Arbroath to Dundee, 16| miles in
length : see article DUNDEE AND ARBROATH RAIL-
WAY. These railways connect together, and may
be considered as one railway extending from Dundee
to Forfar.
ARBUTHNOT, a parish in the south-east part
of the «:ounty of Kincardine. It is nearly of a trian-
gular form, with the exception of a small district
on the south-west side, which forms a projection
B'ard of the water of Bervie, which, except at
int. divides it from the parishes of Bervie and
Garvock. Upon the west it is bounded by the
parishes of Fordoun and Glenbervie, or the great
hollow of the Mearns, the Bervie and the Forthy
forming the dividing line on this side ; and on the
north-east and east it is bounded by the parishes of
Dunottar and KinnefF. The surface presents two
rising grounds or ridges, with hollows or valleys be-
twixt them and the boundaries of the parish on each
side, where the ground again rises to still greater
height, but in no quarter does the rise much exceed
600 feet. The narrow valley in which the Bervie
runs is highly picturesque and beautiful, containing
the mansions of Arbuthnot and Allardyce, with the
church situated between them. Within this parish
there are several freestone quarries of excellent
quality. In one spot there is a trap-rock full ot
pebbles, with some green jasper of considerable
beauty ; on the south side of the Bervie, nearly
opposite the church, a vein of manganese occurs.
No coal nor limestone have been discovered ; but
some chalybeate springs indicate the presence of
iron. The proprietors are five in number. By a
map of the county, executed in 1774, it appears that
there are in this parish 7,785 Scotch, or 9,893 Eng-
lish acres, of which about two- thirds are cultivated;
and about 300 acres are under wood. The Statis-
tical reporter, in 1838, states that the average rent
of the arable lands is only 18s. per acre ; and that
the real rental is about £6,200. The ordinary wages
of a farm-servant, or ploughman, was, in 1796, from
£8 to £10 per annum; they now receive from £11
to £13. The wages of female farm-servants was,
in 1796, from £3 10s. to £4 ; they are now from
£4 to £5 10s. Tradesmen's wages, such as masons
and carpenters, was, at the former date, Is. 6d. or
Is. 8d. per day ; they now receive 2s. Population,
in 1801, 942; in 1831, 944. Houses 187. Assessed
property, in 1815, £5,772. — This parish is in the
presbytery of Fordoun, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Viscount Arbuthnot is patron. Minister's
stipend £225 Os. 9d. ; with a manse, and a glebe of
the annual value of £9. The church, which is on
the northern bank of the Bervie, about 2 miles
north-east of the town of Bervie, is a very ancient
fabric, but in good repair ; sittings 440. Adjoining
to the church is an aisle of beautiful workmanship,
which was built by Alexander Arbuthnot, designed,
in the appendix to Spottis wood's History, brother
to the baron of Arbuthnot, and parson of Arbuthnot
and Logie-Buchan. He was elected the first Pro-
testant principal of King's college, Aberdeen, in 1569.
The lower part of this aisle was intended and has
been used as a burial-place for the family of Arbuth-
not. In the upper part was a well-finished apart-
ment filled with books chiefly in divinity, bequeathed
by the Rev. John Sibbald, one of the ministers of
Arbuthnot, for the use of his successors, but which
have all disappeared. — The schoolmaster's salary is
£34 4s. 4£d., with about £10 fees ; pupils average
40. There are three small private schools in the
parish The family of Sibbalds of Kair, one of the
most ancient in the county, possessed very extensive
property here. Among the last of this family was
Dr. David Sibbald, who having been preceptor to
the duke of Gloucester, son to Charles I., suffered
much on account of his loyalty in the civil wars,
was imprisoned in London, and had his estate for-
feited. He lived, however, to witness the restora-
tion of Charles II., and died in his own house of
Kair, in 1661. The celebrated Dr. Arbuthnot, phy-
sician to Queen Anne, had his birth and early educa-
tion in this parish. He was son to Alexander
Arbuthnot, minister here, who was deprived for
nonconformity in the year 1689. Dr. Arbuthnot
received the first part of his education at the parish-
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52
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school of Arbuthnot, whence he and his elder bro-
ther Robert, afterwards a banker at Paris, removed
to Marischal college of Aberdeen, about the year
1680. This parish gives the title of viscount to the
ancient family of Arbuthnot. The principal mansions
in the parish are the modern house of Kair in the
south-west corner of the parish ; Arbuthnot house
about 2 miles further down the course of the Bervie ;
and Allardyce house, near the church.
ARCHAIC (LocH), a beautiful sheet of water
in the parish of Kilmallie, Inverness-shire, about 16
or 17 miles in length, and from 1 to 1£ in breadth.
It is only about 2 miles distant from the south-west
extremity of Loch-Lochy, and about 10 miles from
the Neptune inn at the western end of the Caledo-
nian canal. This loch presents one of those many
spots of surpassing beauty which are so numerous
in Scotland, and yet so little known : hundreds of
tourists pass within a very short distance of this
loch evpry season without one paying it a visit ; and if
the masters of the steam-boats which ply on the canal
are aware of its existence at all, they are utterly
ignorant of its picturesque and romantic beauty.
Even Macculloch, indefatigable as he was in his re-
searches, omitted visiting this enchanting spot. " It
is said," he tells us, " that Loch- Arkeg is a pictur-
esque lake, though unknown ; which seems probable
from the forms of the hills, and the nature of the
country. But on this I must confess ignorance, and
plead misfortune, not guilt; the flight of what never
ceases any where to fly — time ; and the fall of what
seldom ceases here to fall — rain." The opening of
the glen of Archaig is divided by a ridge of hills into
two valleys of unequal breadth. This ridge com-
mences near the farm of Clunes, rising in little round
knolls crowned with wood, which gradually increase
in height as they penetrate the glen, till they termi-
nate abruptly in a lofty wooded precipice, the base
of which is washed by the waters of the lake. In
the southern — which is the broadest of these divi-
sions— are situated the pleasure-grounds and house
of Achnacary, the family-mansion of Cameron of
Lochiel. Through the other, which is called Mil-
dubh, or ' the dark mile,' there is a road to the shores
of the lake. The lake may be approached by either
of these openings, but the scenery of the latter is the
most picturesque and romantic. Indeed, we know
of hardly any place which can be put in competition
with the Mil-dubh. It is a narrow, wooded pass,
bounded on the one hand by the ridge already men-
tioned, which separates it from Achnacary ; and on
the other by a lofty barrier of almost perpendicular
rocks. Great masses of these immense rocks have
fallen down in various places, and now form small
hills at the base of the precipices from which they
have been detached. The whole pass is covered
with trees — chiefly pine and birch— from its very
oottom to the top of the mountains on both sides.
Even the perpendicular barrier of rock on the north
is covered with wood to the summit. Every inter-
stice or opening in the rock seems to give root to a
tree; and so much is this the case, that in many
places the rocks are completely hid by the leaty
screen which covers and ornaments them ; yet a
great deal of the wood which once occupied this pass
has been cut down, and it has consequently lost
something of the dark look which it formerly had,
and which gave rise to its name. Indeed, it may be
questioned whether the effect has not been increased
by removing part of the wood. The numerous par-
tial and varied lights which have thus been let in
upon the scene, the exposure of the rocks which has
been made in various places, and the shadowy gloom
preserved on others, give a life and character to the
pass of the Mil-dubh which is inexpressibly enchant-
ing. The glen of Achnacary is also fine, though of
a different style of beauty. The scenery is here of
a more open character, — but still beautifully wooded,
and more cultivated. The tourist will do well to
visit both places, but he should most certainly ap-
proach Loch- Archaig by the pass of the Mil-dubh.
By this road the lake is entirely hid till the traveller
is close upon it. After penetrating through the
pass, and just before entering on the lake, a small
stream, falling over the rocks to the north, forms a
pleasing cascade finely fringed with trees and under-
wood which overhang and almost dip into its waters.
Immediately afterwards the lake begins to appear,
small apparently at first, but gradually enlarging as
we advance. Ascending a small hill a short way up
its northern shore, its whole extent is opened" up,
stretching far to the west, and surrounded with darl
and lofty mountains, — its shores richly wooded, am
indented by winding bays and jutting promontories.
Two or three small islands speck its bosom, and im
mediately opposite, on the southern shore, a darl
forest of natural pine trees of great size frowns ovt
it. Looking to the east, across the lower portion of
the lake, we have the opening of Achnacary, with its
house and pleasure-grounds ; and in the distance, thf
waters of Loch-Lochy, with the mountain-barrier
its opposite shore. Altogether, Loch- Archaig affords
scenery of the finest description, and it is question-
able if it is excelled, or even equalled, by any of oui
Scottish lakes. The shores of this romantic lake
more than once gave shelter to Prince Charles after
his discomfiture at Culloden. A few days after thai
fatal encounter, he lodged at the house of Donah
Cameron of Glenpean, on this lake. After his re-
turn from the islands, he and Donald Cameron slept
for some hours on the top of a mountain called Mam-
nan- Callum, on the shores of this lake, within sight
of the encampment of his pursuers, which was not
above a mile distant. Here they arrived in the
morning, and remained till evening watching the me
tions of their enemies; at night-fall they betool
themselves to Corrie-nan-gaul, in Knoidart, in whic
latter district he wandered for some time. Again,
however, he was hunted by his ruthless pursuers
towards Lochaber ; and again the shores of Loch-
Archaig afforded him shelter. Cameron of Clunes,
the ancestor of the present possessor of that farm,
being himself in peril, had erected a hut on a hill,
called Tor-a-muilt, or ' the Wedder's hill,' at the
bottom of Loch- Archaig. To this place the prince
was taken by Clunes, and here he lurked securely,
though in the immediate neighbourhood of his foes,
for several days. At this period Charles is described
as wearing a shirt extremely soiled, an old tartan
coat, a plaid, and a philabeg. He was bare-footed,
and had a long beard. In his hand he usually carried
a musket, and he had a dirk and pistol by his side.
A few years ago, an ancient claymore, much injured
with rust, was found near the site of this hut, which,
in all probability, had belonged to Charles, or some
of his friends. It was on the shores of Loch- Archaig
that Munro of Culcairn was shot by an exasperated
Highlander, shortly after the suppression of the Re-
bellion ; and it reflects infinite credit on this people,
that notwithstanding all the calamities they suffered,
this is the only instance of assassination which can
be brought against them. Mr. Chambers [History
of the Rebellion in 1745, vol. ii. p. 139.] has erred in
several particulars in his account of this affair. The
perpetrator was not a servant of Glengarry, but one
of the clan Cameron, who resided on Loch- Archaig ;
his name was Dugald Roy Cameron, or, as he is still
styled in tradition, Du Rhu. It is well-known that an
order was issued to the Highlanders to deliver up their
arms after the Rebellion. Dugald willing to make
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53
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peace with the government, sent his son to Fort-
rilliam with his arms, to be delivered up. The
ing man when coming down Loch- Archaig was met
an officer of the name of Grant, who was conduct-
a party of military into Knoidart. This monster
liately seized the young man, and notwith-
liug his statement as to the object of his going
Fort- William, ordered him to be shot on the spot,
father, fired at this savage deed, swore to be
iged, and learning that the officer rode a white
i, watched his return behind a rock, on a height
>ve Loch- Archaig. Major Munro had unfortunate-
borrowed the white horse on which Grant rode,
he met the fate which was intended for another,
ild Roy escaped at the time, and afterwards be-
le a soldier in the British service.
ARCLET (LOCH), a small gloomy-looking sheet
of water in the north-west corner of the parish of
Buchanan in Stirlingshire, and bordering on Aberfoyle
parish. A stream flows out of its western side into
Loch Lomond at Inversnaid ; while the sources of
the Forth are within half-a-mile of it on the south ;
so that it appears to lie on the dividing ridge betwixt
the waters of the two friths. The road from Inver-
snaid to Loch Katerine passes on the southern side
of the loch, which is wholly destitute of picturesque
tures.
ARD (LOCH), a beautiful sheet of water in the
rish of Aberfoyle, at the eastern base of Ben-
mioml. By a mountain-road, which is often tra-
led, it is about 7 miles distant from the Trosachs.
le distance from Glasgow to Aberfoyle is about 30
les, and from the parish-church to the entrance of
lake, a mile. There are in fact two lakes, which
separated from each other by a stream about 200
Is in length ; but the lower lake is of small ex-
it, its length being scarcely a mile, and its breadth
nit half-a-mile. The upper lake is 5 miles in
i, and 2 miles broad. The valley of Aberfoyle,
its varied rocks and precipices, and its river
iding amid pleasant meadows and richly wooded
s, is very beautiful ; but Loch-Ard, with its ad-
ling scenery, is the object of greatest interest in
the district, and yields to none of the Scottish lakes
in picturesque beauty and effect. The traveller,
leaving Aberfoyle, after a walk of about a mile,
arrives at the opening of the lower lake, the view of
which is uncommonly grand. Far in the west Ben-
Lomond raises his huge and lofty form amid the
clouds ; while in nearer prospect are beheld gentle
rising grounds covered to their summits with oak
trees and waving birch. In front, are the smooth
waters of the lower lake; its right banks skirted
with extensive woods which cover the adjoining
mountains up to half their height. Tffls, with the
nearly inaccessible tract which lies to the westward,
is what is called the Pass of Aberfoyle, and ancient-
ly formed one of the barriers between the Highlands
and the Lowlands. This pass has been the scene of
many fierce encounters in former times ; in particu-
lar, one took place here between the Highlanders and
the troops of Cromwell, in which the English sol-
diers were defeated. Advancing up the pass, the
traveller arrives at the upper portion of the lake.
A fine view of it is obtained from a rising ground
near its lower end, where a footpath strikes off the
road into the wood that overhangs the stream, con-
necting the upper with the lower lake; or a still
finer, perhaps, from a height about 2 miles up the
eastern side of the lake, a little way below what
K ailed the Priest's point, or craig. Here the
is seen almost in its whole expanse, — its
es beautifully skirted with woods, and its
lorthern and western extremities finely diversified
>vith meadows, corn fields, and farm-houses. On
the opposite shore, Ben-Lomond towers aloft in
form like a cone, its sides presenting gentle slopes
towards the north-west and south-east. A cluster
of rocky islets, near the opposite shore, lend their aid
in ornamenting the surface of the waters of the lake ;
and numerous rocky promontories and sheltered bays
with their waving woods increase the effect of the
scene. A small wooded island, seen near the oppo-
site shore, on the right side, is Duke Murdoch's isle.
On this islet Murdoch, Duke of Albany, Regent of
Scotland during the captivity of James I. in England,
erected a tower or castle, the ruins of which still re-
main ; and tradition reports, that it was from hence
he was taken previous to his execution at Stirling.
On the shores of Loch-Ard, near a ledge, or rather
wall of rock, about 30 feet in height, there is a sin-
gular echo which repeats a few words twice over.
ARDARGIE, a small village in the shire of Perth,
and parish of Forgandenny, situate upon an eminence
above the river May, among the Ochills.
ARDAVASAR BAY. See SLEAT.
ARDBLAIR, an ancient mansion in the parish of
Blair-Go wrie. It is one of those ancient massive-
looking structures which partake, in a nearly equal
degree, of the gloomy, frowning, suspicious-looking
style of the olden time, and the more open and com-
modious fashion of our own da\s. The castle
is one of the family-seats of Mr. Blair Oliphant of
Gask and Ardblair, but it is now occupied by the
tenant of the adjoining farm. On the south side of
the house lies the moss of Ardblair, a tract of some
20 or 30 acres, covered with reeds and pools.
ARDCHATT AN, a district of Argyle, consisting
quoad civilia of the two united parishes of Ardchattari
arid Muckairn, anciently called Ballebhodan and
Kilespickarrol, — the latter denoting the burial-place
of Bishop Cerylus or Cerullus, and the former sig-
nifying St. Bede's town or place of residence. The
walls of a small church, supposed to have been built
by St. Bede, still remain entire, having withstood
the storms and tempests of several centuries. The
united parish is an immense district extending above
SO miles in length, and being from 15 to 20 in
breadth at an average. It stretches along the southern
shore of Loch Creran, and on both sides of Loch
Etive ; but the parish of Muckairn, on the southern
side of Loch Etive, was again disjoined from it quoad
sacra in 1829. See MDCKAIRN. The surface is for
the most part mountainous, intersected with streams
of water, and highly diversified with heights and
hollows. There are several rivers abounding with
excellent trout in the district ; the most considerable
are the Awe, the Kinloss, and the Etive. Near the
mouth of the former is a valuable salmon-fishing.
The most remarkable hill is Ben-Cruachan, which
is in the centre of the parish, and 13 or 14 miles in
circuit at the base. See article BEN-CRUACHAN. The
district abounds with natural wood ; and there are a
few plantations of pines and Scotch firs. Every
cutting of the woods is supposed to yield the pro,
prietors no less than £15,000 or £16,000 sterling.
They consist of ash, birch, hazel, and alder, but
chiefly oak. Roes and fallow-deer run wild in the
woods ; and there is a forest in Glenetive pretty
well-stocked with red deer. Foxes, hares, wild-cats,
pole-cats, martins, weazels, otters, badgers, black-
cocks, moorfowl, ptarmigans, partridges, plovers,
eagles, and hawks, are found here. The soil is
generally light and dry, and when properly culti-
vated, and allowed time to rest, produces excellent
crops of oats, barley, and potatoes. About 1753, a
company from Lancashire erected a furnace for cast-
ing pig-iron at Lorn-Quarnan in Muckairn, and ob-
tained a long lease of several farms for rearing wood
and grazing their work-horses. In 1831, this com-
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54
ARD
ry employed 68 men in cutting and charring wood
their works. The number of horses, including
breeding-mares, in the district, in 1792, amounted, at
the lowest computation, to 450. Their price, it was
then stated, had advanced considerably within these
few years, as they then cost from £10 to £12. The
number of black cattle in the parish, at the same
date, was from 2,600 to 2,800 ; and they generally
brought from £4 to £6 per head. The sheep
amounted to between 28,000 and 30,000, and sold
from 10s. to 40s. per head. " All kinds of pro-
visions," says the Statistical reporter in 1792, " are
considerably increased in price. As there is no pub-
lic market," every family must provide their own
necessaries. A fat cow for slaughter, which 30
years ago could be bought at £'2 10s., now costs £6 ;
wethers, butter, cheese, geese, and hens, in proportion.
Meal, at an average, is 16s., barley 21s per boll, at
least. The day- wages of men-labourers are Is. with-
out victuals; of masons Is. 6d., and of wrights Is.
6d. Men-servants get from £6 to £8 per annum ;
and female ditto, from £3 to £3 10s." The valued
rent is £587 7s. 4d. Scots. The real rent was sup-
posed, in 1792, to be between £4,000 and £5,000
sterling, exclusive of. the cutting of the woods and
the kelp-shores. The largest estate, that of Bar-
caldine, is about 12 miles north-east from Oban, 28
miles south-west from Fort- William, and the like
distance north-west from Inverary. It is situated on
Loch Creran, and comprehends the whole of the
southern banks of Loch Creran, a stretch of about
12 miles of coast, while at one point on the south it
nearly reaches Loch Etive. This estate contains
10,741 acres Scots, or 13,546 imperial ; but a large ad-
dition may be made on account of the great inequality
of surface throughout, particularly on the hills and
woods, so that the true extent of surface-measure
may fairly be taken at upwards of 15,000 imperial
acres. The rental, including the value of the sheep-
farms and the wood-cuttings, was estimated, in 1835,
at nearly £2,700. According to Dr. Webster, the
number of inhabitants in the united parishes amount-
ed, in 1755, to 2,195 ; in 1801, it was 2,371 ; and in
1831, 2,420, of whom 1 ,650 belonged to Ardchattan,
and 770 to the district of Muckairn. Houses 442,
of which 155 were in Muckairn. Assessed property
£12,593.— The parish of Ardchattan is in the pres-
bytery of Lorn, and synod of Argyle. By decreet of
locality, in 1817, the whole valued teinds of Ard-
chattan and Muckairn were granted to the minister
of Ardchattan. Stipend £283 3s. 2d., with a manse,
and glebe of the annual value of £8. There are
three places of worship, Ardchattan, Muckairn, and
Inverguesechan in Glenetive : at the last place there
is a missionary, who preaches alternately with the
missionary of Glenco and Glencreran. Campbell of
Lochnell is patron. A new and more centrically
situated church was opened in Ardchattan parish, in
July 1836; sittings 450; both the old and new
churches are situated close upon the northern shore
of Loch Etive, the former 10 miles, and the latter 8
trom the western boundary, and 30 and 32 miles
respectively from the north-eastern boundary. There
are two parochial schools, one in Ardchattan and the
other in Muckairn. The salary of the schoolmaster
of Ardchattan is £29 16s. 7£d., with about £11
school-fees. Number of pupils average 40. There
are also two schools in this district supported by the
General Assembly, and attended by about 180 chil-
dren. There are a parish-library, and two itinerating
libraries. A school is established in the lower part
of Ardchattan parish by the society for propagating
Christian knowledge, with a salary of £13 sterling;
and the schoolmaster's wife has from the society £3
sterling, for teaching young girls to spin, and knit
stockings. There are, besides, 3 or 4 private school
in remote parts of this district, supported by tl
neighbouring tenants whose children have not ace
to the public schools. The number of scholars at
all these, at the lowest calculation, amounts to 200 ii
winter. On the north side of Loch Etive, 10 milt
distant from Dunstaffnage, was a priory of the monks
of Valliscaulium, founded in the year 1230, by Dun-
can Mackoul — ancestor to the Macdougals of Lorn.
Some of the walls of the old priory are still standing.
" The proprietor's dwelling-house," we are told,
" was formerly a part of the monastery, and his <
occupy great part of the ground on which it stoc
What now remains of the priory is converted Ini
burying-ground." In the walls are two stone cof
in niches, one of which is ornamented " with a font
arid an inscription in the Runic character." [Statis
tical account, 1792.] We are informed by some
our writers, that Robert Bruce held a parliament
here, when he retired into this district after his dt
feat in the battle of Methven. But, as Pennant h?
remarked, it was "more probably a council," as "1
remained long master of this country, before he
entire possession of Scotland." The common lai
guage is the Celtic : the names of all the farms
derived from it, and are in general descriptive of their
situations. Loch Etive, which divides Ardchattar
from Muckairn and two other parishes, is a navigable
inlet of the sea, 15 miles in length, but of uneqm"
breadth. See article ETIVE (Locn). The vallei
of Eta is famous as having been the residence of Us
nath, father of Nathos, Althos, and Ardan ; the firs
of whom carried off Darthula, wife of Conquht
King of Ulster, which is the subject of a beautift
poem of Ossian. There is a small island, with some
vestiges of a house upon it in Loch Etive, whu
goes by the name of Elain Usnich, or ' the island
Usriath ;' and on the farm of Dulness, in Glenetive,
is a rock rising in the form of a cone, and comman
ing a romantic prospect, which to this day retains
the name of Grianan Dearduil, ' the basking-pls
of Darthula.' . See, in addition to articles above
ferred to, articles BERKGONIUM, and CONNAL.
ARDCLACH, a parish in the county of Nain
bounded by Auldearn, Nairn, Cawdor, Moy, Duthil
and Edinkelly parishes; about 10 or 12 miles lor
and between 7 and 8 broad. It is intersected by tl
Findhorn river, which is here rapid, and frequently
impassable, excepting at the bridges. In 1809 ti
parliamentary commissioners authorized the execi
tion of a road from Relugas, along the eastern sit"
of the Findhorn, to join the old military road froi
Fort George to Edinburgh, through Strathspey ant
Braemar, near Dulsie bridge, and thus connect For-
res with the Aviemore road and the south of
land. A branch-road falls into this at Tominarroc
half-way between the bridge at Relugas and Dulsit
bridge, connecting it with Nairn. The distance of
the kirk of Ardclach from Nairn by this brancb-rt
is about 9 miles. The valley of the Findhorn her
presents very beautiful scenery. " The whole coun
try for several miles eastward is composed of a higl
ly crystalline porphyritic granite, displaying, in som
instances, faces of a hard columnar rock, which confine
the waters of the Findhorn to a deep, narrow, arid ir-
regular channel ; and in other places giving rise — from
a tendency in their masses to exfoliate and decom-
pose— to open holms and smooth grassy banks. All
the varieties of hardwood characteristic of the course
of Scottish rivers are seen in rich profusion on both
sides of the stream ; while the adjoining hills ahx
exhibit a few scattered remnants of the ancient pint
forests which formerly covered the country. To-
wards the east, the eye is attracted by the brigh1
light green masses of the oak arid birchen copses o
ARD
55
ARD
Tarnaway andRelugas, which form the outer fringes
n the more sombre pine woods. About a mile below
)ulsie, a beautiful sequestered holm greets the tra-
veller, encircled with terraced banks and birchen
wers ; and in the centre of which rises a small
lirn, with an ancient sculptured tablet, about eight
jt high, and half as broad, standing at one end of
;, and having a rude cross and many Runic knots
till discernible on its surface. Tradition calls it the
stone of memorial of a Celtic princess, who perished
the adjoining river, while attempting to ford it on
rseback with her lover, a Dane. Immediately
»hind this spot, the high promontory of Farness
rises nearly 200 feet above the river, the direct
>urse of which it has shifted, and confined to a deep
inding chasm of at least 3 miles' circuit." [ Ander-
3ns' Guide, pp. 132, 133: edn. 1834.] See article
JULSIE. This parish is a mountainous district,
:overed with heath, and furnishes little of any other
-ind of pasture. There is a considerable quantity of
food in it, chiefly consisting of firs, birch, alder, hazel,
sh, and some oaks. The woods and hills abound
ith moor-fowl, wood-cocks, partridges, hares, and
>xes, and some deer are found. The otter and
cat are sometimes seen. The Statistical re-
rter of 1792, stated that the method of labouring
irsued here seemed to have undergone " little al-
;ration for centuries back. The farmers usa the
ill Scotch plough drawn by four or six black cat-
le and two small horses, or by four horses and four
lack cattle." This mode of ploughing is now dis-
sed, and the agriculture of the district greatly im-
roved. The rental produced before the court of
jinds, in 1786, was 283 bolls victual, and £543 8s.
in money. Since that period, there has been a
?at increase of rent in the parish. There are about
,000 acres of arable land, and 4,000 acres of moss
nd moor, a very small part of which seems to be
mprovable for corn-lands, in this parish. Popula-
•>n, in 1801, 1,256; in 1831, 1,270. Houses 295.
Lssessed property £2,566 This parish is in the
resbytery of Nairn, and synod of Moray. Patron,
Jrodie of Letham. Stipend £248 Is. Id. The
church is said to have been built in 1626, and was re-
built about 1760. Schoolmaster's salary £36 7s. 2d.,
with £4 10s. fees. Average number of scholars 20.
There are two private schools in the parish attended
by about 30 children each.
ARDEONAIG, or LOCH TAYSIDE, a mission un-
der the Society for propagating Christian knowledge,
which was divided as a separate charge from the
parishes of Killiri and Kenmore, in Perthshire, by
authority of the presbytery of Dunkeld, about 1786,
and consists of portions of these two parishes. Its
greatest length is 7 miles ; greatest breadth, 4.
Population, in 1831, 650. Church built by the
Marquis of Breadalbane, in 1822; sittings 650.
Minister's stipend £60, with a manse, and a glebe of
the value of £12.
ARDERSIER, written ARDNASEER in some char-
ters, a parish of Inverness-shire. According to tra-
dition, it obtained its name from a number of car-
penters having been drowned in the ferry opposite
Ardersier point, in the year in which the cathedral
at Elgin, and that at Fortrose, were built.* The
parish is 2| miles in length, and its breadth is nearly
the same. It is bounded by the parish of Petty on
the west and south ; by the parish of Nairn on the
iiMural to conclude," say& tlie first Statistical reporter, " that
it obtained its name from its hk'h situation, ami that Ard-iia.
is a corruption o» nrd n Fk<to>>huir, which signifies ' the
edge,' or ' height o! the edge,' i. c. of the hill."
east, and by the Moray frith on the north. Popula*
tion, in 1801, 1,041 ; in 1831, 1,268. Houses 271
Assessed property £1,275. The district in general is
very fertile. The shore is sandy and flat, which is
the character of the whole of this side of the Moray
frith from Inverness to Nairn. The rental of the
parish, including the farm sold to government when
the garrison of Fort-George was built, was £365 in
1792 ; the rent of the garrison-farm was £50. At that
period nearly the whole parish was in the possession
of one farmer, but the greater part was subset by him
in small farms of from 20 to 30 acres. There were
scarcely any enclosing- walls known except a few rude-
ly constructed of feal or earth. — This parish is in the
presbytery of Nairn, and synod of Moray. Patron,
the Earl of Cawdor. The church and manse were
represented, in the first Statistical report, as having
been built with clay in 1769. The stipend is £158
6s. 7d. Schoolmaster's salary £36, with £20 fees.
There are two private schools. The Gaelic and
English languages are spoken here equally well.
The roads are exceedingly good. Where this parish
is divided from that of Nairn, there is a stone about
6 feet high, and 3 broad, called the Cabbac stone,
which, tradition says, was erected over a chieftain
who fell in an affray about a cheese, in the town of
Inverness. The whole parish is the property of the
Earl of Cawdor, and was a part of the lands of the
Bishop of Ross, with some temple-lands formerly
belonging to the knights of St. John of Jerusalem.
The territory which constitutes the precinct of the
Fort, was purchased by government about the year
1746. See article FORT-GEORGE. Near to Arder-
sier— which is situate on the southern shore of the
Varar — a very curious Roman sword and the head
of a spear were discovered.
ARDGOUR, or ARDGOWER, a district in the
shires of Argyle and Inverness ; bounded on the
north-west by Loch Shiel, and on the north and
east by Loch Eil. There is an excellent road from
Loch Moidart to the Corran of Ardgour ; and from
the latter place there is a ferry across Loch Eil to
the military road from Fort- William to the Low coun-
try. See articles LOCH SHIEL and LOCH EIL. In
1829 a church was erected here by the parliamentary
commissioners. See article BALLACHULISH.
ARDINTENNY, a pleasant little hamlet, in the
parish of Strachur, Argyleshire, on the west side of
Loch Long, 4 miles from Strone ferry, and about 3
from Loch Eck, to which there is a road by Cuills
and Taynforlin.
ARDLAMONT, a headland of Argyleshire, be-
tween the kyles of Bute and the mouth of Loch
Fyne. It is 6 miles north-east from Skipnish, the
opposite point on the western side of the loch.
ARDMADDY, in Nether Lorn, at the southern
entrance of the singularly intricate and narrow chan-
nel, or kyle, between the island of Seil and the
mainland of Argyleshire. There is a small bay here,
the shores of which are bold, and finely wooded.
Pennant was hospitably received at Ardmaddy house,
and has thrown his reflections on the condition of
the Highland peasantry into the form of a vision with
which he represents himself as having been favoured
here. [See Second Tour, in Kerr's Collection of
Voyages and Travels, vol. iii. pp. 357—360.] A
quarrv of white marble veined with red exists here.
ARDMEANACH, or THE BLACK ISLE, a pen-
insular district of Cromartyshire, bounded on the
north-west and north by the Cromarty frith ; on the
cast by the Moray frith ; on the south by Lock
Beauly ; and on the west by the vale of the Couan.
It comprises 8 parishes; and receives its English
name from its bleak, moorland character. It is now.
however well-intersected bv roads.
ARD
56
ARD
ABDMHERIGIE. See LAGGAN (LOCH).
ARDNAMURCHAN, a bold promontory in the
district of Morvern, Argyleshire ; the most western
point of the mainland of Scotland, in N. lat. 56°
45', W. long. 6° 8' 30". It forms the northern point
of the mouth of Loch Sunart ; and is 10 miles dis-
tant from the north-eastern extremity of the island
of Coll, and 7 from the island of Muck. The shores
here are rugged and uninteresting ; and the interior
from the Point to Strontian, a distance of about 25
miles, mountainous, bare, and wild.
ARDNAMURCHAN, or AIRD-NA-MOR-CHUAN,
i. e. ' The Point of the Great Seas,' a parish partly
in the shire of Argyle, and partly in that of Inver-
ness. It is in the presbytery of Mull, and synod
of Argyle. Patron, the Duke of Argyle. The po-
pulation of this parish, chiefly composed of small
tenants and poor crofters, was as follows :
1801. 1811. 1831.
2661 2827 3311
'2165 2324 2358
That part, which is in the shire of Argyle
That part, which is in the shire of Inverness
4829 5151 5669
The labourers not agricultural are employed in
making kelp, fishing, and in driving black cattle to
the South country markets. Houses in Argyleshire
589 ; in Inverness-shire 397. The headland above
described gives name to the parish. It appears,
that, in the year 1630, the western or peninsular
portion of the district formed a separate parish called
Kill-Choan, from a church of that name dedicated
to St. Coari ; the remaining districts of the present
parish of Ardnamurchan formed a second parish,
under the name of Eileinfinnan or Island Finan, from
a beautiful little island in Loch Sheil, then the resi-
dence of the minister, and site of the principal church.
In still more ancient times, the two most northern
districts probably formed a third parish, named Kill-
Maria, or Kilmarie, after a church — some vestiges of
which still remain at Keppoch in Arisaig — .dedicated to
the Virgin Mary. It has again been divided into three
parishes by the erection of the Government-church
districts of Acharacle and Strontian into quoad sacra
parishes. Within the limits of this extensive parish
are comprehended five several districts, or countries,
as they are here called, viz. : 1st, ARDNAMURCHAN
PROPER, or the parish of Kill-Choan, which is 16
miles in length, and 4^ miles in its mean breadth ; —
2d, SUNART, which is 12 miles by 6; — 3d, Moi-
DART, which is 1.8 miles by 7 ; — 4th, ARISAIG ; —
and, 5th, SOUTH MOR'AR. The two first of these
districts are in the shire of Argyle; they join at
Tarbert in an isthmus of about 2 miles in breadth,
extending from Salen, a creek on the north side of
Loch Sunart, to Kinira bay ; and extend in one range
from east to west. The others are in the shire of In-
verness, and lie parallel to each other and to Sunart,
from which Moidart is separated by Loch Sheil;
the river Sheil being the boundary between the
north-east corner of Ardnamurchan Proper, arid the
south-west of Moidart, for about 3 miles, to its fall
into the sea at Castle Tioram. The greatest length
of the entire parish, calculating by the nearest road,
is not less than 70 miles ; its greatest breadth 40.
It is calculated to contain 273,280 acres of land
and water ; of which, it is believed, about 200,000
acres are land. It consists, principally, of moors,
and mountains, and hills, in general more rugged
and precipitous than of great elevation, the high-
est not exceeding 3,000 feet. There is a con-
siderable extent of oak-coppice 6n the shores
of Loch Sunart. Ardnamurchan and Sunart be-
long to Sir James Milles Riddell, Bart. : _ great
part of Moidart, and all Arisaig, belong to Mac-
donald of Clanranald. Mingary castle, now Castle
Riddell, is ruinous. Castle Tioram was burned in
1715, since which time it has been in ruins. The
houses of Kinloch-Moidart (since rebuilt in an
elegant style by Colonel Donald Macdonald), and
Mor'ar, together with every hut which they could
discover, were burned by the king's troops in 1746,
who a4so destroyed all the stock of cattle. Th«
annual produce of the fisheries on the coast was com-
puted, in 1800, at £240. This huge parish is
now separated into two divisions, — northern and
southern, — by quoad sacra parishes, which interpose
between each division a space of fully 20 miles.
The southern division contains the parish-church,
and is 12 miles long by 6 broad ; the northern, or
Arisaig, is 24 miles by 15, and is chiefly inhabited by
Roman Catholics. See ARISAIG. The present
parish-church was built in 1830 ; sittings 600. Sti-
pend £228 4s. 4d., with a manse and glebe, anc
fuel. The salary of the parochial schoolmaster in
Ardnamurchan is £16 13s. 4d. The Society for
propagating Christian knowledge allow to a school-
master in Sunart £12 10s., and to a sewing-
mistress there £2 ; and also to a schoolmaster in
Arisaig, and South Mor'ar £16 : the perquisites
of the masters are inconsiderable. The lead mines
at Strontian are carried on by an English com
pany, and annually produce about £4,000 : a new
mineral was discovered here, which is distinguishei
by the title of Strontites ; its chemical qualities are
ably described by Mr. Kirwan, in the 5th volume o
the Transactions of The Royal Irish Academy. Ai
excellent road has been made through this extensive
district, from Loch Moidart to the Corrari of Ard
gour, under the auspices of The Parliamentary com
missioners and the several great landed proprietors
but communication is still much impeded by bridge-
less rivers, marshy ground, and want of roads. Fairs
are holden on the 19th of May, and 15th of October
ARDOCH, a village in the parish of Muthill
Perthshire ; 4|- miles south-west of Muthill ; now
more commonly called Braco, from the estate of
which it is feued. Population about 400. A chapel
of-ease was erected here in 1780; and the district
including some portions of the parishes of Dunblane
and Blackford, has been erected into a quoad sacra
parish, with a population of 1,535. There are also
a United Secession church, situated about 1^ mile
south of Ardoch, and two schools, in this district.
Ardoch is celebrated for its Roman camp, which is
regarded by antiquaries as the most perfect specimen
of the kind now extant in Britain. It is situate(
on an eminence close on the north side of — or rather
intersected by — the high road from Crieff or Muthill
to Stirling ; and is thus described in the first Statis-
tical report : " The situation of the camp at Ardoch
gave it many advantages ; being on the north-west
side of a deep moss that runs a long way eastward
On the west side, it is partly defended by the steep
banks of the water of Knaick ; which bank rises
perpendicularly between forty and fifty feet. The
north and east sides were most exposed ; and there
we find very particular care was taken to secure
them. The ground on the east is pretty regular
and descends by a gentle slope from the lines of for-
tification, which, on that side, consist of five rows
of ditches, perfectly entire, and running parallel to
one another. These altogether are about fifty-five
yards in breadth. On the north side, there is an
equal number of lines and ditches, but twenty yards
broader than the former. On the west, besides the
steep precipices above mentioned, it was defended
by at least two ditches. One is still visible ; the
others have probably been filled up, in making the
great military road from Stirling to the North. The
side of the camp, lying to the southward, exhibits to
ARD
5T
ARD
antiquary a less pleasing prospect. Here the
it's rugged hand has laid in ruins a great part
ie lines; so that it maybe with propriety said,
words of a Latin poet, ' Jam seges est, ubi
fuit.' The area of the camp is an oblong
L40 yards, by 125 within the lines. The gen-
quarter rises above the level of the camp,
is not in the centre. It is a regular square,
side being exactly twenty yards. At present
libits evident marks of having been enclosed
a stone wall, and contains the foundation of a
_;e, ten yards by seven. That a place of worship
been erected here, is not improbable, as it has
lined the name of Chapel-hill from time imme-
ial." The reporter goes on to state that there
other two encampments adjoining having a com-
ition with one another and containing above
acres of ground. These, he thinks, were pro-
intended for the cavalry and auxiliaries.
IDROSSAN, a parish in the district of Cun-
lam, on the coast of Ayrshire ; bounded on the
-west by West Kilbride parish ; on the north-
by Dairy; on the east and south-east by Kil-
ig and 'Stevenston ; and on the south-west by
frith of Clyde. Its greatest length is 6 miles;
greatest breadth, 3|. Population, in 1755, 1,297;
801, 1,846; in 1831, 3,494; in 1841, 4,947, where-
,806 belonged to that part of the town of Saltcoats
;h lies within this parish. Houses in 1841, 984,
)f 616 were in the town of Saltcoats. Pro-
assessed to income-tax in 1842-3, £16,744;
)f £5,000 was on railways ; £4,448 on lands ;
£3,499 on houses.
ie extent of sea -coast is aboiit 4 miles. The
i-west quarter of the parish, between Ardrossan
Kilbride, is hilly; the highest hill in this quarter
Inockgeorgan, or Knockgargon, which rises 700
above sea-level. The principal streams are the
mock or'Caddel-burn, which rises in Kilbride,
flows eastward into the Gaaf ; and the Stanley
Monfode burns which flow southwards into the
near Ardrossan. The soil is in general light
fertile. Aiton estimates the area of the parish
i,000 Scots acres, and the real rent, in 1809, at
The Statistical reporter, in 1837, estimates
area at only 5,520 Scots acres; and the real rent
£7,800, being an average of 30s. per acre. — The
parish is intersected by three main lines of road ; two
>f which run between Dairy and Ardrossan, and
Dairy and Saltcoats, while the third, or coast-line,
:onnects Saltcoats and Ardrossan. — A railway from
Ardrossan to Kilwinning was opened in 1832. This
•ailway was executed by the projectors of the Glas-
gow and Ardrossan canal. As originally executed
was a single line worked by horses, extending 5£
with branches of about 6| miles. This line,
jved and doubled, now forms a locomotive engine
; ; and the railway distance from Glasgow to Ar-
Irossan, is 3l£ miles. In 1846, an act was obtained
or making a railway from the Glasgow, Barrhead
md Neilston railway to the town of Kilmarnock, and
hence to Ardrossan harbour. It is understood that
his company — which is in connexion with the Cale-
lonian line — has purchased the Ardrossan railway
md harbour. The distance to Glasgow by this line
vill be about 2^ miles less than by the present Ayr-
liire line. — Saltcoats is the post-town.
The parish of Ardrossan is in the presbytery of Irvine, and
ynoil of (ilasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Earl of Egliuton. It
•> a landward parish, comprising part of the towns of Salt-
mi Ardrossan, and including quoad sacra the estate of
toydstone in Kilbride. By a census, taken in 183G, the popu-
itiun was returned at 3,834, of whom 2,170 belonged to the
itabiished church; 2,330 resided in the town ot Saltcoats,
nd 885 in that of Ardrossan. The parish -church was for-
icrly at Ardrossan, but is now at Saltcoats. It was built
i 1773; sittings 810. Minister's stipend £261 Is. 3d.; with a
and glebe. Unappropriated teiuds £076 lls. lid. A
Gaelic church has been erected at Saltcoats for the benefit of
the Gaelic population of Ardrossan and Stevenston, who*e
number, in 1835, amounted to 748, most of whom were natives
of Arran. This church cost £946, and has 720 sittings.— There
are two Secession churches in the town of Saltcoats, of which
the 2d is in the parish of Ardrossan. There are 9 schools in
the parish, 6 of which are in Saltcoats, 2 in Ardrossan, and
one in the country. The salary of the parish-schoolmaster
is £34 4s. 4jd., with school-fees to the amount of £25, and a
house and garden. Average number of pupils 60 ; at the other
eight schools, about 450.
The town of SALTCOATS — of which, as has been
stated, a part is in this parish — will be described in a
separate article. — The sea -port of Ardrossan was
founded by the late Earl of Eglinton, but a fishing-
village had existed on the spot from time imme-
morial. A circular pier, 900 yards in length, covers
the harbour on the south and west ; while the Horse
isle — a rock presenting about 12 acres of good pas-
ture— shelters it on the north-west ; and the isthmus
of Kintyre, and the island of Arran, protect the chan-
nel from the violence of the Atlantic storms. Ac-
cording to the original plan, the basin or wet dock
was to be of dimensions sufficient to contain from 70
to 100 large vessels, and the pier was to be extended
to the Grinan rock. On the death of the late Earl
the works were suspended, after an expenditure of
above £100,000 on them ; and, in 1815, Messrs. Tel-
ford and Rennie reported that it would require a
further expenditure of £300,000 to complete them.
The position which this harbour occupies is very
favourable, being situated at the mouth of the Clyde,
and, as we have seen, within thirty miles by railway
of Glasgow. The passage from Ardrossan to Belfast
is from six and a-half to seven hours, so that the
whole time required to travel from Glasgow to Bel-
fast need not exceed eight hours. From Ardrossan
to Fleetwood on the Lancashire coast, the voyage is
frequently accomplished by iron steamers of about
700 tons burthen and 350 horse-power in from 12 to
13 hours. Ardrossan is likewise within a few hours'
steam-voyage of the greater part of Argyleshire, and
within a day's voyage of the south-west part of Inver-
ness-shire. There are daily steamers to Glasgow and
the intervening coast-towns, and also to Arran. — The
attractions of Ardrossan as a bathing-place are very
considerable. An elegant crescent has been partially
executed, and several handsome villas have been
erected in front of the bay. The hotel is a handsome
building. The distance of Ardrossan from Glasgow,
by land, is 28 miles. — Fairs are held here on the
Tuesday before Ayr July fair, and on the fourth
Thursday in November, and in 1846, the first of a
projected series of annual sheep, wool, and cattle
trysts, was held here on the 6th and 7th of July.
ARDRISHAIG, a village of Argyleshire, in the
quoad sacra parish of Lochgilphead, at the eastern
entrance of the Crinan canal. It is distant 2 miles
from the village of Lochgilphead and has a popula-
tion of about 300 souls. On Wednesday, August
18th, 1847, the Queen and Prince Albert landed here,
in their voyage from Inverary to Inverness-shire, and
were welcomed by an immense and enthusiastic con-
course of people. From the quay the royal party
proceeded by a road about 200 yards in length,
specially constructed for the occasion, and leading be-
tween a double row of trees, to the canal bank, where
the royal barge was in waiting ; and having arrived
at the western terminus of the canal, immediately
went on board the Victoria and Albert yacht, which
having rounded the Mull of Kintyre, lay at anchor in
Crinan bay.
ARDSHIEL, the seat of a chief cadet of the
Stewarts of Appin, on the southern shore of the
Linnhe-loch, near Kentalen bay, and about 3 miles
from Ballahulish fcriy at the mouth of Loch Leven.
" Stewart of Ardshiel was among the foremost who
espoused the cause of Prince Charles in 1745; and,
ARD
58
ARG
like many of his brother-outlaws, bad to consult his
safety by retiring to a remarkable cave in this neigh-
bourhood. The mouth of the cavern is singularly
protected by a waterfall which descends like a crys-
tal curtain in front of it, but through which no traces
of such tin excavation are perceptible.
ARDSTINCHAR (THE), or STINCHAR, a river
of Ayrshire of considerable size, which takes its rise
in the moorish parts of Carrick, in the parish of
Barr, about 12 miles above Colmonell. It has a
rapid south-west course, through a fine glen, or strath
rather, for 26 or 27 miles, till it falls into the Atlan-
tic, at Ballantrae, near which village and close upon
the river are the remains of the castle of Ard-Stinchar,
once the seat of the Kennedies of that ilk. From its
situation in a narrow pass commanding two entrances
into Carrick, — that along the shore, and that which
this fortalice must have been of considerable impor-
tance in remoter ages. Several streams or rivulets
fall into the Ardstinchar, particular the Ashill, the
Dusk, the Muick, the Fioch, the Tig, and the burn
of Lagan or Aucharran, near Ballantrae.
ARDTORNISH. See ARTORNISH.
ARDVERIKIE, a shooting-lodge, built by the Marquis of
Abercorn, on the banks of Loch-Laggan in Inverness-shire,
which has obtained great and unexpected notoriety from
having been occupied by Her Majesty and suite for a few
weeks in the months of August and September, 1847. It occu-
pies a green flat at the head of a little bay formed by one of
th*! wooded promontories which jut into the loch. It was
erected by the Marquis about 1840 ; and is a plain unostenta-
tious building, rather irregular in its construction,— the win-
dows, roof, and chimney-stalks a good deal in the cottage-
style, and the whole suiting pretty closely one's idea of what
quarters for the accommodation of a large shooting - party
ought to be. The lodge is built close to the loch, the water
flowing up almost to the wails on three sides of the building.
For a shooting-box, as we have before remarked, the house is
remarkably large and commodious. It has the appearance
of being built at different times, as convenience dictated, one
addition succeeding another, until, in the course of time, as
might be supposed, an originally small square cottage had
swelled out and covered the whole promontory. Its narrow
windows— one hundred in number, and each of the front win-
dows surmounted with a deer's head and antlers— add to the
impression that the lodge is an antique structure, but in
reality it is quite modern, and the masonry, though not the
architecture, bears the stamp of yesterday. The gardens
attached to the lodge are extensive and well managed, pro-
ducing all the fruits and flowers of the country, and a fine
lawn, with clumps of trees, gives a baronial aspect to the spot.
A number of marquees were placed on the green, at proper dis-
tances from the lodge, in order to accommodate the servants of
the royal visitors.— The interior of the lodge corresponds pretty
closely with its external appearance, — the rooms being more
comfortable than spacious, and their chief decoration being
the antfers of deer shot in the surrounding forest. On the
bare walls of two of the principal apartments are roughly
sketched, by the masterly hand of Landseer, several of his
best known and finest productions, and among them ' The
Challenge,' and ' The Stag at Bay.' There is a splendid col-
lection of stags' heads in the long corridor from which the
rooms on the ground-floor are approached. Many of these have
thirteen and fourteen points ; the greater number are royal
heads, and to none would the most experienced or successful
deer- stalker take exception. The ornaments of the corridor
are also those of the bed-rooms fbove stairs, in each of which,
placed directly above the chimney-piece, the highly polished
osfrontis of a deer, surmounted by a pair of branching antlers,
invites the wearied sportsman to dream of the adventures
which await him among the corries and passes of the forest
next morning.— The surrounding scenery is quite in keeping
with the style of the lodge and its internal arrangements.
The loch in front is a sheet of water about eight miles in
length, with less than the usual complement ot islands on its
surface, and possessing nothing in its appearance which raises
it above mediocrity among the list of Highland lakes. See
LOCH-LAGGAN. Yet, apart from scenic effect, it is not without
claims to consideration, for it abounds with quantities of the
finest black trout ; and of the three little islands which stud
its surface, the two nearest the lodge have traditional associa-
-,ions which invest them with no common interest. On one of
these, called Eilan - an - Righ— ' the King's Island'— are still
visible from the windows of the lodge some remains of rude
masonry which the country-people say mark the residence of
the ancient kings of Scotland, when they came to hunt in the
adjoining forests ; and quite close to it is Eilan-an-Conn — ' the
Dogs' Island' — which, as the name implies, was used by these
barbaric and sporting monarchs as a kennel. The Gaelic
name of the spot on which the lodge stands connects these
loose traditions with a very ancient and obscure portion of
Scottish history, for Ardverikie means, it is said, ' the residence
of Fergus.' There is, however, very fair ground for believing
that the district of country now occupied by the Marquis of
Abercorn as a deer forest, was in former times a favourite
hunting-ground with the Scottish kings. A mound is pointed
out in the garden round the lodge covered with fox-gloves,
dockens, waving goose-grass, thistles, and a variety of other
weeds, beneath which the dust of Fergus and four other
monarchs is said to repose ; and really the place looks genuine
enough. We prefer, however, relying upon the fact that the
suiTounding country has for time immemorial contained the
most favourite haunts of the red deer, and that in those wild
times when the Majesty of Scotland harboured principally in
Inverness-shire, their hunting propensities would naturally
lead them to the banks of Loch-Laggan. — The scenery about
Ardverikie lodge is almost entirely destitute of those abrupt
and massive features, »nd that bold outline, which give to the
Lochaber hills so noble and prominent a character ; nor has
it the bleak, deserted, solitary appearance of the moors which
occupy the east of Badenoch ; but the land slopes gently up
on each side of the loch, in gradually ascending heights clothed
a good way from the water's edge with birch, hazel, aspen,
and mountain-ash, — the natural growth of the country,— and
opening as it ascends into spacious corries. Smooth summits
of plain unpretending outline terminate the view, which has,
in fact, little except its natural and unadorned character to
recommend it. Her Majesty, however, could see from the
windows of the lodge patches of snow still lingering on Corar-
der ; and the unassuming grace of the woods, the brilliant
verdure in which the bracken clothe the whole scene, the
unsophisticated air of everything around, might not prove
unacceptable after the stately magnificence of Windsor- V ark
and the elaborate agriculture of the Home-Farm. With re-
spect to the forest, it is as yet almost in its infancy, for though
in former times the number of deer on it was very great, the
introduction of sheep into this part of the country about sixtj
years ago drove them off to seek for cleaner pasture and mon
secure resting-places. The ground which the lodge occupies
has been rented from Macpherson of Cluny, the proprietor, b>
the Marquis of Abercorn, on a long lease. Its extent may be esti
mated from the fact that it has a circumference of forty miles
and embraces within its ample space, besides the large graz
ing -farms of Galovy and Camdanoch, Benalder, with it
numerous corries. The Marquis, upon obtaining his least
threw the farms once more into forest, and introduced ne>
herds of deer. It is said that not less than from 9,000 to 10,001
sheep could be kept on this extent of land, which is fam
for the richness of its pasture— has now, after a very
years' preservation, a stock of more than 2,000 red deer—
which, surrounded as it is by the forests of Mar, At
Breadalbane, Gaick, the Monadh-Liadh, and Invereshie, m
rapidly increase its present numbers. — Ardve'rikie is abou
miles from Fort William, 16 from Dulmhenny, the nea
post, and 10 from the parish-church of Laggan. The r
from Fort William to Laggan crosses the mouth of Glennt
and passes the old castle of Inverlochy, still pretty en
Running through Torlundy-moss, at the base of Ben-Ne
it proceeds through a country little cultivated, but appare
susceptible of much improvement. Only here and there
curs a rig of corn or of potatoes, with a straggling cot-ho
nestled in a forest of peat-stacks. At Spean-bridge, 9 mi
on the way, the road enters Glen-Spean. From Spean, as
as Tullisri, the strath is well-cultivated. The Spean w
winds through a rocky channel, occasionally hidden by grc
of birch and oak. Bounded on the north by the hills of I
navitie and Reinamagach, and on the south by the high 1
of Unachan, Lianachan, and Ben-Chinaig, Stratnspean prese
a landscape not often surpassed in beauty. From Tullish
road passes through a district exceedingly barren : grey ro<
and patches of luxuriant heather, thrown about and in
mingled as if from the hand of a sower, form the basewor
the scenery. In a drive of 9 miles some three houses only
to be seen, and two of the three are shepherds' boothies.
mile or two from the west end of Loch-Laggan, the i
enters Badenoch. The drive along the north shore is m
I delightful. The hills slope abruptly down to the lake, and
several hundred yards up, the hill-sides are covered with w
ing birches, fantastically shaped oaks, and mountain-ashe
ARGYLE, or ARGYLL, an extensive shire,
the western coast of Scotland. It comprehei
several large islands, as well as a considerable p
tion of the mainland. The latter part is of a v
irregular figure ; and is bounded on the north by
verness-shire ; on the east by the counties of Pe
and Dumbarton, and the frith of Clyde ; on the SOL
and west by the Irish sea and the Atlantic ocean,
cording to Playfair, it lies between 55° 15' and 56° I
N. latitude; and 4° 32' and 6° 6' W. longitude; a
extends 90 miles from north to south ; and, in soi
places, upwards of 40 miles from west to east,
area, according to the same authority, is about 2,4
square miles, or 1,536,000 English acres, exclusive
its islands. But this county is intersected by
many inlets of the sea, and has as yet been so i
perfectly surveyed, that no correct estimate can
ARGYLE.
59
ied of its extent. Dr. Smith, in his ' Agricultural
y of Argyleshire,' estimates its utmost length,
from Loch Eil to the mull of Kintyre, at 115
; and its breadth from Ardnamurchan to the
irce of the Urchay, or Orchy, at 68 miles. He also
lates the superficial area, exclusive of the islands,
2,735 square miles; while Sir John Sinclair has
sulated it at only 2,260 square miles. The islands
>nging to this shire have a joint superficial area,
>rding to Dr. Smith, of 1,063 square miles ; and,
>rding to Sir John Sinclair, of 929 square miles ;
ting a total area, according to the former, of
: and, according to the latter, of 3,189 square
or 2,002,560 English acres, being one-tenth
le whole surface of Scotland. These admeasure-
nts must be regarded of course as mere approxi-
'ions to the actual area both of mainland and
ids ; nor until the Trigonometrical Survey of
tland is published is it worth while to attempt
ir rectification from existing materials.
?he surface of this highly romantic region con-
alternately of bleak barren moorlands, rugged
tins of mountains, deep glens, winding inlets
the sea, and extensive sheets of inland water,
north-east division is peculiarly bleak, rugged,
mountainous, but interspered with narrow and
Itered glens; the western section is very irre-
ir in its outline, and deeply indented by large
s or lochs. The greater proportion of what may
called arable land is composed of the level tracts
ig the coasts. About one-eighth part of the sur-
is under cultivation — The soil, according to
ivfair, consists of the following vaiieties: " 1.
ivel mixed \\ith vegetable mould, occurring chiefly
"le more lofty mountains, and along the banks of
rivers which have their sources in these moun-
2. Peat-moss, occupying the extensive moors
low grounds, from which the water does not flow
ly. 3. Decayed limestone. 4. Decayed slate mixed
th coarse limestone. Of the two last, the former is
jht soil, the latter more stiff; but both are fertile,
found in tracts not greatly elevated above the
jl of the sea. They form the great mass of the soil
le fertile districts of Mid-Lorn, Nether-Lorn,
nish, &c. 5. A barren sandy soil, originating
freestone, or micaceous schistus, prevalent in
westerly parts of the mainland, and in some of
islands. Besides these, other kind of soil are
id in this county ; and sometimes several species
luate insensibly into one another. In general a
it loam mixed with sand, on a bottom of clay or
ivel, prevails. On the acclivities of the hills, the
common soil is a light gravel on till. In the
grounds, there is sometimes a mixture of clay
moss, and sometimes a coat of black mossy
The soil appropriated to pasture is partly
I, and partly wet and spongy; a considerable pro-
tion of what is either flat or hilly is covered
heath. The summits of the highest hills are
jrally bare and barren rocks." — Lime is found in
ry part of the county. In Lismore, the lime forms
irable cement under water. In Easdale and Bala-
ish are quarries of excellent blue slate. Marble
its in various quarters ; and granite is quarried
near Inverary. Veins of lead are frequent in the
limestone and other strata ; mines of this metal are
wrought at Strontian, at Tyndrum, and in Isla; in
the latter island a vein of copper is also wrought,
and the same mineral has been found at Kilmartin.
There is abundance of plum-pudding stone at Oban,
Dunstaffnage, and northwards along the coast. The
species of earth, called strontites, or strontian, was
first discovered in the district of Ardnamurchan in
1791. Coal is wrought near Campbelton, and :i!.-;.>
in the island of Mull. Granite forms the great moun-
tain-masses in the north-east part of the county ,
but mica-slate predominates in the geological fea-
tures both of the mainland and isles. An extensive
tract of porphyry occurs on the north side of Loch
Fyne; floetz-trap prevails in a few districts.
The principal mountains are Ben-Cruachari, 3,669
feet; Ben-More in Mull, 3,168 feet; Cruach-Lussa,
3,000 feet ; Beden-na-Bean, near Loch Etive, 2,720
feet; the Paps of Jura, 2,580 feet; Buachaille,
2,537: Ben-na-hua, 2,515 feet; Ben- Arthur, or the
Cobbler, 2,389 feet; Ben- More in Rum, 2,310 feet ;
and Ben-Tarn, 2,306 feet. — The principal streams are
the Urchay or Orchy, and the Awe ; the former flow-
ing into, the latter flowing from, Loch Awe. Besides
these, there are a multitude of minor streams, more
distinguished by the romantic beauty of their course,
than the volume of their water or their length. —
Loch Awe is the principal inland lake. See separate
articles AWE (Locn), and ORCHY.' The total area
of the fresh water lakes in Argyleshire is about
52,000 square acres. The extent of marshy and
mossy ground must be very great. Natural woods
and plantations cover about 50,000 acres.
The climate of this district is upon the whole
mild, but excessively humid. In the north-eastera
quarter, where the general elevation is greatest, it is
often very cold. The principal branch of rural indus-
try is that of rearing cattle and sheep. The quantity
of grain produced bears a small proportion to the
area. Oats are the principal grain raised, but a large
import of meal is required for the home-consumption.
Potatoes are very extensively cultivated, the poorest
shieling having uniformly attached to it a small
patch of potatoe-ground. The cattle reared here
are of a small size, but highly esteemed in the mar-
kets of the South, to which they are exported in
immense numbers. The sheep are chiefly of the
Linton or black-faced breed ; and have on the main-
land displaced the horned cattle in most farms. Red
deer are still found in some of the forests ; and grouse
and ptarmigans are plentiful.
The principal lines of road in this county are :
1st, the road from Balahulish to Tyndrum, common-
ly called the Glencoe road, 31 miles in extent ; 2d,
the road from Tyndrum to Inverary, called the Dal-
mally road, 27 miles in extent; and, 3d, the road
from Inverary to Tarbert, or the Glencroe road, 22
miles. — The principal canal, within the county, is
the CRINAN canal : which see.
The manufacturing industry of this county is un-
important. A large quantity of kelp used formerly
to be annually manufactured along the shores, but it
has been driven out of the market by foreign barilla.
The fisheries, however, on the coast, arid particularly
in the lochs, are productive and improving. The two
principal fishing-stations are Inverarv and Campbel-
ton; but considerable quantities of herrings are
caught, which are cured at various stations along the
coasts, and on the shores of the different lochs. Some
leather is manufactured in the county, and coarse
woollen yarns, stuffs, and stockings, are still made to
a considerable extent. The establishment of steam-
packets between various points on the coast of
Argyle and along the shores of its lochs, and the lar-
ger towns on the frith of Clyde up to Glasgow, has
given a great impulse to industry. On this point we
have pleasure in quoting the language of a cotem-
porary : "It is evident, from the peculiar form of
Argyleshire, that it will always owe as much of the
benefit arising from a ready communication between
its near and distant parts, to improvemeirts in water
carriage, as to any extension of that by land. The
difficulty, indeed, of tunning roads in a district so
serrated by the sea, and so blocked up by chains of
hills, is almost insurmountable; hitherto there have
60
ARGYLE.
been only two or three roads in the county, skirting
along the banks of the lochs. The very barrier,
however, which mainly prevented communication in
the days of our fathers, has turned out to be the
highway in our own. By the never-to-be-sufficient-
ly-admired spirit of the city of Glasgow, about 20
fthere are now above 40 steam- vessels are constantly
employed in conveying passengers and goods to and
fro, throughout the country, and in transporting the
country-produce to market at that city. The effect
of this" grand engine, even after so brief a period, is
incalculable. It happens that, notwithstanding the
immense extent of the country, there is not a single
dwelling-place more than ten miles from the sea, nor
a gentleman's seat, (excepting those on the banks of
Loch Awe,) more than ten minutes walk from it.
Every farmer, therefore, every gentleman, finds oc-
casion to employ steam-navigation. When this mode
of conveyance was in its infancy, it was generally
supposed that the little wealth, bold shores, and
scattered population of the county, kept it without
the circle in which its adoption was to become bene-
ficial. It came, however, to be attempted ; and there
is not now a loch, bay, or inlet, but holds a daily, or
at least commands a weekly, communication with the
lowlands and the several districts of the country.
By this means, the farmers — even upon the smallest
scale — are encouraged to fatten stock which they
would never otherwise think of fattening ; the fatten-
ing of stock, again, causes them to improve their
arable land ; the extra-profits enable them to buy
luxuries which, in their turn, communicate senti-
ments of taste, and open the mind to liberal ideas.
The comparative frequency, moreover, of their visits
to the lowlands causes the speedier introduction of
modern and improved systems of agriculture. Steam-
boats are, in short, at once the heralds and the causes
of every kind of improvement in Argyleshire ; it is
no hyperbole to say, that they have in ten years
raised the value of land within the county twenty
per cent. Every thing connected with this inven-
tion, so far as Argyleshire is concerned, bears a de-
gree of romantic wonder strangely in contrast with
its mechanical and common-place character. It ac-
complishes, in this district, transitions and juxta-
positions almost as astonishing as those of an Arabian
tale. The Highlander, for instance, who spends his
general life amidst the wilds of Covval, or upon the
hills of Appin, can descend in the morning from his
lonely home, and setting his foot about breakfast-
time on board a steam -boat at some neighbouring
promontory, suddenly finds himself in company, it
may be, with tourists from all parts of the earth ; he
sits at dinner between a Russian and an American ;
and, in the evening, he who slept last night amidst
the blue mists of Lorn, is traversing the gas-lighted
streets of Glasgow, or may, perhaps, have advanced
to Edinburgh itself, the polished, the enlightened,
the temple of modern intelligence. Reversing this
wonder, he who has all his life trod the beaten ways
of men, and never but in dreams seen that land of
hill and cloud whence of yore the blue-bonneted
Gael wont to descend, to sweep folds or change
dynasties, can stand in the light of dawn amidst the
refined objects of a capital, and when the shades of
night have descended, finds himself in the very coun-
try of Ossian, with the black lake lying in impertur-
bable serenity at his feet, and over his head the grey
hills that have never been touched by human foot.
Steam-boats, it may be said, bring the most dissimilar
ideas into conjunction, — make the rude Gael shake
hands with the most refined Lowlander, — and cause
the nineteenth and the first centuries to meet to-
gether. No such lever was ever introduced to raise
and revolutionize the manners of a people, or the
resources of a country." [Chambers' Gazetteer of
Scotland, 1832.] Previous to the abolition of the
feudal system, in 1745, the obstacles to improvement
either in agriculture or manufactures were quite in-
superable in this district of Scotland. The abolition
of that system, — the conversion of corn rents,
rents in kind and services, into money rents, — tl
suppression of smuggling, — the execution of
Caledonian and Crinan canals, — the formation of ej
cellent lines of road throughout the county und(
the auspices of the parliamentary commissioners,-
the more general diffusion of education, — and the ii
troduction of a system of farming better adapted
the character and capabilities of the soil and cotintr)
— have all contributed to the improvement of
interesting district. But the main impulse has ur
doubtedly been given to industry in this quarter
the country by the introduction of steam-navigatic
and the reciprocal intercourse which has corisequer
ly taken place between all parts of Argyleshire
the manufacturing districts of the west of Scotlan
The average rate of wages is from Is. 6d. to 2s. a-da>
Argyleshire is divided into six districts : viz.
Houses. Population in U
1. ARGYLE PROPER 3,116 17,658
2. COWAL 1,394 7,9i:l
3. 1st AY 3,452 19,780
4. KINTYRB 3,131 20,632
5. LORN 2,809 15.963
6. MULL 3,244 18,997
17,146
100,973
The above population composed 19,252 families,
whom 9,116 were engaged in agriculture ; 3,241
trade, manufactures, and handicraft; and 6,895 we
not comprised in either of the preceding cle
The total population of the islands amounted
35,065 ; that of the mainland to 66,335. In 1801
the total population of this county was 71,859 ;
1811,85,585; in 1821, 97,316. It would thus
pear that the rate of increase of population hi
been falling off since the commencement of this
tury ; and that during the ten years preceding 1831
it amounted to only 4 per cent, while the decenr'
ratio of increase on the population of England
Wales, since the commencement of the century,
been somewhat more than 16 per cent. The slo\
increase of population in this shire may be attribut
partly to the limited nature of its territorial
sources ; partly to the extensive emigration which
taken place from this county chiefly to Canada ;
partly to the system so generally pursued by the "
proprietors of throwing several small farms into tl
hands of one tenant, and discountenancing any
tempt at minute subdivision of the soil.
The number of parishes, in 1831, was 50, besi(
several mission-stations and chapelries. The syn<
of Argyle comprehends the presbyteries of Argyl
Dunoon, Kintyre, Islay, Jura, Lorn, and Mull. Tl
number of parochial schools, in 1834, was 70 ; and
schools not parochial 194. The total number
children at these schools was about 15,000. Tl
Gaelic language still predominates here; but
English is almost universally understood by th
natives.
A number of islands are attached to this county
of which the chief are MUCK, TYREE, COLL, MULL
LISMORE, ISLAY, JURA, COLONSAY, STAFFA, ICOLM
KILL, &c., which will be severally described unde
their respective articles. The principal towns are IN
VERARY, which is the county-town, CAMPBELTON, an
OBAN : See these articles. These three burghs unit
with Ayr arid Irvine, in Ayrshire, in returning on
member to parliament ; the county returns anothei
and has been represented by Campbell of Shaw
field arid Islay since 1835. The parliamentary cor
I
ARI
stituency, in 1838, was 1,589. Argyle gives the title
of Duke and Earl to the chief of the" family of Camp-
bell, one of the most powerful of the Scottish no-
bility. The county is mostly peopled with this clan ;
and its principal proprietors are of it. The valued
rent of the county, in 1674, was £149,595 10s. Scots;
the real rent, as assessed in 1815, £227,493 sterling.
Previous to the late equalization of weights and
measures, the Inverary boll of grain contained 4 fir-
lots 7j per cent, above the standard, or 6 bushels, 1
perk, 9 pints, 10 cubic inches English ; and the boll
of meal, at Inverary, 8 stone; at some other parts 9
stone ; and at Campbelton 10 stone. The Camp-
belton potatoe peck weighed 56 Ibs. avoird., and
measured 9 English wine gallons ; while the Inver-
ary peck measured only 6£ gallons. The customary
pint contained 109'87 cubic inches ; the pound at
Campbelton 16 oz., and at Inverary, 24 ; the stone
of butter, cheese, hay, lint, tallow, and wool, was 24
Ibs. avoird. ; and the barrel of herrings 32 gallons
English.
Argyleshire is said to derive its name from Earra
Ghaidheal, 'the country of the western Gael.' It
was much infested, in ancient times, by predatory in-
truders, arid has been in consequence the scene of
numerous battles and heroic achievements. The
deeds of Fingal and his heroes — if we may repose any
confidence in the voice of Tradition — were mostly
Derformed in this district ; and numerous monuments
)f the remotest antiquity still remain to demonstrate
;he warlike spirit of its former inhabitants. In the
niddle ages the Macdougals of Lorn held sway over
A.rgvle and Mull; while the Macdonalds, Lords of
;he Isles, were supreme in Islay, Kintyre, and the
southern islands. These two chiefs were almost in-
lependent thanes, until their power was broken by
Fames III., and by the transference of Lorn to the
Stuart family by marriage. The erection of the
;arldom of Argyle in favour of Campbell of Loch
Ywe, in 1457, also greatly contributed to check the
iiscords of the petty chieftains throughout this ter-
itory. The dukedom of Argyle was created in 1701.
ARIENAS (LocH), a small inland sheet of water
n the district of Morvern, Argyleshire. See ALINE
0-
LISAIG. See ARASAIG.
iKEG. See ARCHAIC.
LMADALE, a hamlet in the parish of Sleat,
southern shore of the isle of Sky.e, opposite
mouth of Loch Nevis on the mainland. Lord
donald has an unfinished seat here, in the cas-
ated style. It commands a noble view, and is
ounded by thriving plantations. There is a road
n hence to the Point of Sleat.
RMADALE, or ARMIDALE, a village and her-
fishing-station in the parish of Farr, Sutherland-
e. This is one of the safest landing-points on
coast.
RMADALE, a hamlet in the parish of Bath-
Linlithgowshire,2^ miles west of Bathgate, on
road from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
RNGASK, a parish lying in the three counties
'erth, Kinross, and Fife. It is nearly of a circu-
form, and about 4 miles in diameter ; and is
nded by the parishes of Strathmiglo, Abernethv,
ron, Forgandenny, Forteviot, and Orwel. Popu-
tion, in 1801, 564; in 1831, 712.— This parish is
the presbytery of Perth, and synod of Perth and
"ng. Patrons, Mrs. Wardlaw, and the laird of
Us. Minister's stipend £178 19s. 10d., with a
and glebe. Schoolmaster's salary £34, with
£20 fees. There is a private school in the
fish. The church was originally a chapel built
r the accommodation of the family of Balvaird,
d their dependents. It was granted, in 1282, to
1 ARR
the abbey of Cambuskenneth by Gilbert de Frisley
to whom the barony of Arngask, or Forgie, belonged.
Real value, in 1815. of that part of the parish which
is in Perthshire, £1,164; in Fifeshire, £895; in
Kinross-shire, £875. Total, £2,934.
ArlNISDALE. See GLENELG.
ARNTULLY, or ARNTILLY, a little irregularly
built village in the south-western part of the parish
of Kinclaven, 8 miles north of Perth.
AROS, a hamlet in the island of Mull, and parish
of Killninian, at the confluence of the water of Aros
with the sound of Mull, 18 miles north-west of
Achnacraig ferry, and 4 miles from the head of Loch-
na-Keal, to which there is a road from this place.
The massive remains of Aros castle, an ancient
stronghold of the Lords of the Isles, crowns the sum-
mit of a high rocky peninsula here.
ARRAN,* an island in the frith of Clyde, forming
part of the shire of Bute. It lies in the mouth of
the frith, or in the centre of the large bay of the
Northern channel formed by the peninsula of Kin-
tyre on the west, and the Ayrshire coast on the east ;
from the former it is distant about 6 miles, and is
separated by the sound of Kilbrannan ; from the lat-
ter, the average distance is about 13 miles, and the
channel betwixt them is distinguished from the sound
on the west of the island as being the frith of Clyde.
From the island of Bute on the north, the least dis-
tance is 5 miles. Its greatest length, from the Cock
of Arran, on the north, to the Struey rocks on the
south, is about 26 miles ; and the greatest breadth,
from Clachland's point on the east, to Drimodune
point on the west, is 12 miles, f The general outline
is that of an irregular ellipse, little indented by bays
or inlets. The largest indentation is that of Lam-
lash bay betwixt Clachland's point and King's cross
point, on the east coast. Loch Ranza, near the
Cock, or northern extremity of the island, is a very
small inlet. Brodick bay, a little to the north of
Lamlash bay, between Corriegill point on the south,
and Merkland point on the north, affords good an-
chorage in about 5 fathoms water, but little shelter
to vessels, especially in a north-east gale. Including
the islet of Pladda on the south, and Holy isle in the
mouth of Lamlash bay, the area of Arran is about
100,000 Scots acres, of which 11,179 are arable, and
613 are under plantations. There is also a consider-
able extent of natural coppice- wood on the north-
west and north-east coast. The south end of the
island is remarkably destitute of any thing approach-
ing to plantation, and even of copsewood.
The island of Arran is divided into five principal
districts : viz., Brodick, Lamlash, Southend, Shis-
kin, and Loch Ranza.
The Brodick district is that portion of the island
most frequently visited by tourists, and most gen-
erally resorted to for sea-bathing, it lies around the
bay of the same name, and extends northwards to
* Pronounced in Gaelic Arrinn. Dr. Macleod deduces this
name from Ar, ' a land' or 'country,' and ri»», 'sharp points.1
Hence Arrinn will signify 'the Island of sharp pinnacles :" an
etymology far more satisfactory than thac of Ar.fh.in, ' the
Land' or the Field of Fion,' i. e. Fingal ; or from Aran,
• bread,' as denoting extraordinary fertility, which is by no
means a characteristic of this island.
f Headrick estimates the length of this island, measuring
from N. E. to S. W., at 34 or 35 miles ; and its breadth as vary,
irif,' from 15 to 20 miles. Mr. Jardiue states its length to !>e
only 21 miles, and its breadth 9. Professor Jamieson, in his
' Outline of the Mineralogy of Arran,' estimates its length at
32, and breadth at 12 miles. Tne writer of the article Arran,
ill the ' Penny Cyclop-jedia,' vaguely estimates its length from
near Loch Kanza, in the N. N. W., to Kildonan, in the S. S. E.,
at " somewhat more than 20 miles ; and its greatest breadth at
1-2." The Rev. Angus Macmillan, minister of Kilmorie, in his
evidence before the Commissioners of Religious Instruction,
[Report VIII. p. 470.,] states the greatest length of his parish
to be upwards of 30 miles. Tne admeasurements in our text
have been given after a careful examination and comparison of
the best maps and reports on the island.
ARRAN.
South Sannox. Its northern part is composed of
the towering Goatfell, and its brother-mountains;
and the beautiful glens or mountain-ravines called
Glen Rosa or Rossie, Glen Sherrig, Glen Shant, and
Glen Cloy, occur here. The base of the mountains
here approaches close to the sea, so that the full
effect of their altitude — which in Goatfell is 2,865
feet* imposes itself on the eye of the spectator from
the sea or beach, while they are constantly varying
their appearance, as seen from any quarter, under
the accidents of weather, light, and shade. The lower
part of Goatfell is composed of red sandstone ; then
follows mica-slate, which is surmounted by a pyra-
midal mass of granite. The view from the sum-
mit embraces the coast of Ireland from Fairhead to
Belfast loch ; and the mountains of Isla, Jura, and
Mull. The ascent may be accomplished, with the aid
of a guide, in about two hours ; and is best achieved
from the inn at B-rodick. The natives call this moun-
tain Gaodh Bhein, or Ben-Ghaoil, that is 'the
Mountain of Winds.' To the eye of a spectator on
the summit of Goatfell — which is the loftiest peak in
this granitic district — the neighbouring mountains
present a wild assemblage of bare ridges, yawning
chasms, abrupt precipices, and every fantastic form of
outline, while the profound gulfs between them are
darkened by eternal shadow. — On the north side
of Brodick bay, adjoining the village, is the castle
of Brodick, one of the seats of the duke of Ham-
ilton. It is an old irregular pile of building, of
secluded aspect, but in good repair. Mr. Galbraith has
recently ascertained its position to be in N. lat. 55° 35'
45" ; W. long. 5° 10' 42". The grounds around it are
well- wooded ; and the majestic heights of Goatfell,
and Bennish [2.598 feet], rise in the immediate back-
ground. This stronghold was surprised by James
Lord Douglas, Sir Robert Boyd, and other partizans
of Bruce in 1306, demolished in 1456, rebuilt by
James V., and garrisoned by Cromwell. Cromwell's
g irrison, to the number of 80 men, it is traditionally
related, were surprised and cut off by the natives. —
On the opposite side of the bay, and at about one mile's
distance from the sea, in Glen Cloy, is Kilmichael, the
seat of John Fullarton, Esq., whose immediate an-
cestors received this estate, and a farm on the west
side of the island, from Robert Bruce, for services
rendered to him while in concealment in this island.
Martin says : " If tradition be true, this little family
is said to be of seven hundred years standing. The
present possessor obliged me with the sight of his
old and new charters, by which he is one of the
king's coroners within this island, and as such, he
hath a halbert peculiar to his office ; he has his right
of late from the family of Hamilton, wherein his
title and perquisites of coroner are confirmed to him
and his heirs. He is obliged to have three men to
attend him upon all publi: emergencies, and he is
bound by his office to pursue all malefactors, and to
deliver them to the steward, or in his absence to the
next judge. And if any of the inhabitants refuse to
pay their rents at the usual term, the coroner is
bound to take him personally, or to seize his goods.
And if it should happen that the coroner with his
retinue of three men is not sufficient to put his office
in execution, then he summons all the inhabitants to
concur with him ; and immediately they rendezvous
to the place, where he fixes his coroner's staff. The
perquisites due to the coroner are a firlot or bushel
of oats, and a lamb from every village in the isle ; both
which are punctually paid him at the ordinary terms."
[' Description of the Western Islands.'] Fergus Mac-
Louis, or Fullarton 's, charter is dated Nov. 26, 1307.
* This is Dr, Macriilloch's admeasurement Professor Play-
fair estimates its height at '2,945; Mr. Galbraith at 2,863 feet.
A number of cottages and villas are scattered along
Brodick bay, which is becoming a favourite watering-
place during the summer. Dr. Macculloch speaks of
it in terms of unwonted rapture. " Every variety
of landscape," he says, "is united in this extraor-
dinary spot. The rural charms of the ancient English
village, unrestricted in space and profuse of unoccu-
pied land, are joined to the richness of cultivation,
and contrasted with the wildness of moorland and
rocky pasture. On one hand is the wild mountain
torrent, aijd on another, the tranquil river meanders
through the rich plain. Here the sea curls on the
smooth beach, and there it foams against a rocky
shore, or washes the foot of the high and rugged cliffs,
or the skifts of the wooded hill. The white sails of
boats are seen passing and repassing among trees, —
the battlements of the castle, just visible, thro wan air
of ancient grandeur over the woods, and, united to
this variety, is all the sublimity and all the rudeness
of the Alpine landscape which surrounds arid involves
the whole." [' Highlands and Western Isles,' vol.
ii. p. 29.] There is regular steam-communication
between Brodick and the port of Ardrossan in Ayr-
shire daily during summer ; but this route to Glas-
gow is circuitous, and there is a want of direct daily
communication with that city, steamers proceeding
to Arran twice a week. These latter boats general-
ly make Brodick bay in about 6 or 7 hours, and.
after discharging passengers, proceed round to Lam-
lash bay, where they lie during the night, returning
to Brodick for passengers at an early hour nexl
morning.
Lamlash district, to the south of Brodick distri
has but a small extent of plantation within it, a
no hills exceeding 1,200 feet in altitude. The v
lage is in the form of a crescent facing the bay a
the Holy isle, and backed by wooded heights,
yond which the green and rounded summits of t
hills in this district are seen. The church is at t
southern extremity of the village, which is 4^ mi
distant from Brodick, and 4 miles north of Whiti
bay. See article KILBRIDE. — " The bay of Lamlasl
says Headrick, "may be about 3 miles, in. a rig
line, from its northern to its southern entrance ; a
at its centre it forms a sort of semicircle of nearly
miles across, having the Holy isle on one side, a
the vale of Lamlash on the 'other. The northe
wing projects nearly towards north-east, while t
southern projects nearly towards south-east, givi
to the whole a figure approaching to that of a hors
shoe, which prevents the waves of the ocean frc
getting into the interior bay. The two inlets m
be about a quarter of a mile in breadth at th<
mouths, and widen gradually as they approach t
central bay. The southern inlet is preferred
mariners, because here there is no danger but wh
is seen. The northern inlet is equally safe to tho
who know it: but the tails of rocks we have (
scribed as projected from Dun-Fioun, and the grad
decrease of altitude of the rocks on the opposi
point of Holy isle, cause them to extend a consid
able way below the sea, before they sink out of t
reach oif vessels drawing a great depth of watt
But to those who know the channel, there is sut
cient depth, at both entrances, for the largest shij
of the line. Within, there is good holding-groum
sufficient depth for the largest ships ; and roo
enough for the greatest navy to ride at anchor,
fact, this is one of the best harbours in the frith
Clyde, — if not in the world. In front of the villag
dutchess Ann — who seems to have been a woman
superior capacity — caused a harbour to be built
large quadrangular blocks of sandstone. We m
form some idea of the magnitude and solidity of tl
work, when informed that it cost £2,913 10s. 5^
ARRAN.
jrling, at a time when masons' wages are said to
have been 8d., and labourers' wages 4d. per day. It
is a great pity this building was allowed to be de-
molished ; because its ruins render the village of more
difficult access from the sea, than if it had never been
constructed.' [' View,' pp. 88 — 91.] This harbour
has now nearly disappeared ; a great part of the stones
have been carried off to build the new quay a few hun-
dred yards to the north, and the sand has buried a part.
' The Holy isle is interesting," says Macculloch, " as
well for the beauty of its conical form, rising to 1,000*
feet, as for the view from its summit, and the strik-
ing character of its columnar cliffs. The ascent is
rendered peculiarly laborious ; no less from the steep-
ness and irregularity of the ground, than from the
tangled growth of the Arbutus uva ursi by which it
is covered. The whole surface scarcely bears any
other plant than this beautiful trailing shrub ; pe-
culiarly beautiful when its bright scarlet berries are
present to contrast with the rich dark green of its
elegant foliage. The columnar cliffs, which lie on
the east side, though having no pretensions to the
regularity of Staffa, are still picturesque, and are
free from the stiffness too common in this class of
rock ; consisting of various irregular stages piled on
aach other, broken, and intermixed with ruder masses
of irregular rocks, and with verdure and shrubs of
bumble growth. Beneath, a smooth and curved re-
cess in a mass of sandstone, produces that species of
jcho which occurs in the whispering gallery of St.
Paul's, and in other similar situations. There are
no ruins now to be traced in Larnlash ; but Dean
Monro says that it had ' ane monastery of friars,'
founded by John, Lord of the Isles, ' which is de-
jay it.' That was in 1594; and what was then de-
:ayed, has now disappeared. He calls the island
Molass ; and it is pretended that there was a cave,f
or hermitage, inhabited by a Saint Maol Jos, who is
buried at Shiskin, on the south side of Arran. It is
"urther said that there was once a castle here, built
ly Somerlid." — King's Cross, in this district, which
ibrms the dividing headland between Lamlash bay and
Whiting bay, is said by some to have been the point
rom whence Robert Bruce watched for the lighting-
ip of the ' signal-flame ' at Turnberry point, on the
>pposite coast of Ayrshire, which was to intimate to
lim that the way was clear for his making a descent
m the Carrick coast. Other traditions — which are
bllowed by Sir Walter Scott in his ' Lord of the
isles.' [See Canto V. st. 7 and 17-] — represent Bruce
is first hailing the supposed signal, ' so flickering,
ierce, and bright,' from the battlements of Brodick
astle. See TURNBERRY.
Southend district stretching from Largybeg point,
he southern extremity of Whiting bay, to Kilpatrick
m Drimodune bay, is the most valuable district of
he island in agricultural respects. There is here a
>elt of cultivated land, in some places of considerable
ireadth, between the shore and the secondary hills
>f the interior. The scenery is of a milder character
han that of any other quarter of the island ; but there
8 no accommodation for bathers in this direction, the
>nly houses being a few farm .hamlets and scattered
hielings, and the beach being rocky. This district
3 intersected by two main rivulets, viz. the Torlin
T Torrylin, towards the east, and the water of Slid-
ery towards the west. These streams run nearly
arallel to each other, from north-east to south-west,
nd receive numerous tributary streams in their pro-
ress from the secondary mountains towards the sea.
of the other burns which flow into the sea are
r. Burrel's barometrical admeasurement gave only 891
t Headrick affirms the existence of and describes this cave.
ee ' View,1 p. rt().
merely mountain-torrents, the beds of which are
nearly dry except when they are swelled by execs-
sive rains. These burns have cut deep chasms or
ravines itr the strata ; and the main streams have
frequently formed delightful valleys, though some-
times of small extent. Towards the head of Glen
Scordel, from which the main branch of the water of
Sliddery flows, and in several other places, there are
vast veins of whinstone, interspersed with innumer-
able particles of pyrites, which retain their full bril-
liancy, in spite of exposure to air and the astringent
moss- water to the action of which they are subjected.
" These," says Headrick, " the people are confident
in the belief of being gold ; and I confess I was a little
staggered, until my ingenious friend, Dr. Thomson,
by analyzing a specimen, assured me that the gold was
neither more nor less than pyrites of iron!! — The islet
of Pladda lies opposite Kildonan point in this division.
See PLADDA. The ruins of Kildonan castle, a small
square fortalice, surmount the sea- bank here, but
present no historical associations of interest. A large
portion of the walls fell about 10 years ago. — Auch-
inhevv burn, in this quarter, presents, according to
Headrick, in the upper part of its wild ravine course,
a fall or cascade, called Essiemore The Struey
rocks, further to the west, or Bennan head, are pre-
cipitous cliffs of black basalt rising to an altitude of
from 300 to 400 feet above a beach thickly strewn
with their dissevered fragments. A little to the west
of these rocks is a vast cave called the Black cave. —
The kirk and manse of Kilmorie are situated in this
district, on the Torrylin, where its mouth forms a
small harbour for boats. See KILMORIE.
Shiskin district, so called from the little village or
hamlet of Shiskin, or Shedog, is chiefly remarkable
for the extensive natural caves which occur here in
the sandstone rocks close upon the beach. One of
these, called the King's cove, is supposed to have
given shelter to 'the royal Bruce.' It is situated
opposite Portree in Higher Cardel of Kintyre. It is
also universally reputed to have been the occasional
residence of Fioun,£ or Fingal, when he resorted to
Arran for the purpose of hunting. " The old peo-
ple here," says Headrick, "have many ridiculous
stories about Fioun and his heroes, which have been
transmitted, from a remote period, by father to son, —
in their progress becoming more and more extrava-
gant. They believe Fioun and his heroes to have
been giants of extraordinary size. They say that
Fioun made a bridge from Kintyre to this place,
over which he could pass, by a few steps, from the
one land to the other. But, what is esteemed ocular
demonstration of the gigantic size of Fioun, and suffi-
cient to overwhelm the most obstinate scepticism,
the hero is said to have had a son born to him in the
cave ; and a straight groove, cut on the side of the
cave, is shown, which is firmly believed to have been
the exact length of the child's foot the day after he
was born. The groove is more than 2 feet in length ;
and, taking the human foot to be one sixth of a man's
height, it follows, the child must have been more
than 12 feet high the day after he was born ! The
cave is scooped out of fine-grained white sandstone.
A perpendicular vein of the same sandstone has stood
in the centre, from which the strata dip rapidly on
each side, forming the roof into a sort of Gothic
arch, to which the vein above serves the purpose of
a key-stone. At the back part of the cave, this ve:n
comes down to the bottom, and forms a perpendicu-
lar column with a recess on each side. The northern
I Fioun means fair-haired ; Gael was added to denote his
race or nation. Highlanders seldom apply the epithet Gael to
Fioun, unlf.su you express doubts concerning' his extraction.
But they often characterize him by the surname of MacCoul,
the name of his father.— Headrick.
ARRAN.
recess is only a few feet. The southern is of uncer-
tain extent, being gradually contracted in breadth,
arid nearly closed by rounded stones. The length of
this recess is about 30 feet. From the pillar in the
back-ground, to the mouth of the cave, exceeds 100
fret. The greatest breadth may be about 49 feet ;
and the greatest height the same. The mouth has
been defended by a rampart of loose stones ; and
stones are scattered through the cave which seem to
have been used as seats. On the column there is a
figure cut resembling a two-handed sword. Some
think this was an exact representation of the sword
of Fioun ; others of that of Robert Bruce. To me
it appears to be neither one nor other, but a repre-
sentation of the cross. It stands upon a rude outline
representing a mountain, probably Mount Calvary.
On each side there is a figure kneeling and praying
towards the cross. The sides of the cave exhibit
innumerable small figures equally rude, representing
dogs chasing stags, and men shooting arrows at them.
They also represent goats, sheep, cattle, and various
other animals, though the figures are so rude, that it
is seldom possible to ascertain what they represent."
Mr Jamieson, [p. 125,] thinks these scratches were
" made by idle fishermen, or smugglers." Maccul-
loch calls them "casual scratches by idle boys."
North of this cave are several smaller caves, which
communicate with each other. One of these is call-
ed the King's kitchen, another his cellar, his larder,
&c. On the south side there is a cave called the
King's stable, presenting a larger area than the pal-
ace, as the cave of residence is called. The scene
from the mouth of these caves, in a fine summer-day,
is very beautiful. And sweet it were to sit here —
" When still and dim
The beauty-breathing hues of eve expand ;
When day's last roses fade on Ocean's brim,
And Nature veils her brow, and chants her vesper-hymn."
The Black water, a considerable stream, here falls
into Drimodune bay. A small harbour has been con-
structed at its mouth, which is the ferrying. place to
Campbelton, and from which there is a road across
the island, by Shedog, the western side of Craigvore,
Corbie's craig, Glen Ture, and Glen Sherrig, to Bro-
dick — The Mauchry burn is another considerable
stream descending from Glen Ture, and falling into
Mauchry bay to the north of the King's cove. Pen-
nant tells us that this river flows through a rocky
channel, which, in one part has worn through a rock,
and left so contracted a gap at the top as to form a
very easy step across. " Yet not long ago," he adds,
" a poor woman in the attempt, after getting one foot
over, was struck with such horror at the tremendous
torrent beneath, that she remained for some hours in
that attitude, not daring to bring her other foot over,
till some kind passenger luckily came by and assisted
her out of her distress !"
The remaining or northern portion of the island
forms the Loch Ranza district, extending from Auch-
riagallen, a little to the north of the Mauchry burn,
round, by the Co;-k of Arran, to Corrie point on tha
east coast. This is a highly interesting district in
point of scenery. The road by the shore presents a
succession of beautiful views ; and the village or
namlet of Loch Ranza itself is one of the most
picturesque spots any where to be found in the
western islands. It has a safe harbour formed by a
natural inlet of the sea in the mouth of the valley or
glen. Pennant, who crossed over to this bay from
the Argyle coast, says: " The approach was magni-
ficent; a tine bay in front, about a mile deep, having
a ruined castle near the lower end, on a low far pro-
jecting neck of land, that forms another harbour,
with a narrow passage ; but within has three fathom
of water, even at the lowest ebb. Beyond is a little
plain watered by a stream, arid inhabited by the peo-
ple of a small village. The whole is environed with
a theatre of mountains ; and in the back-groud the
serrated crags of Grianan- Athol soar above." — [Tour
to the Western Isles, p. 191-2.] Lord Teignmouth,
who saw Loch Ranza under its winter-aspect, says ;
" In point of gloomy grandeur no British bay sur
passes Loch Ranza. Dark ridges hem it in.""
are quite sure that gloomy grandeur is not the cor
mon impression left by this scene on the eye ar
mind of the visitor. While residing here in summ<
we have often felt the beauty and truth of the sei
timent conveyed in the bard's description of the
proach of Bruce's little armament to this point
* Arran's isle:' —
" The gun, ere yet he sunk behind
B 'ii-Ghoil, « the Mountain of the Wind,'
Gave his grim peaks a greeting kind,
And hade Loch Ranza smile.
Thither their destined course they drew;
It seem'd the isle her monarch knew,
So brilliant was the landward view,
The ocean so serene ;
Each puny wave in diamonds roll'd
O'er the calm deep, where hues of gold
With azure strove and green.
The hill, the vale, the tree, the tower,
G ow'd with the tints of evening's hour ;
The beach was silver sheen }
The wind breathed soft as lover's sigh,
And, oft renew 'd, seem'd oft to die,
With breathless pause between.
O who, with speech of war and woes,
Would wish to break the soft repose
Of such enchanting scene !"
Glen Sannox in this district has been compared
the celebrated Glencoe. " It is," says Maccullot
" the sublime of magnitude, and simplicity, and ol
scurity, and silence. Possessing no water, excq
the mountain torrents, it is far inferior to Coruis
in variety ; equally also falling short of it in gra
deur and diversity of outline. It is inferior too
dimensions, since that part of it which admit
of a comparison, does not much exceed a mile
length. But, to the eye, that difference of dimer
sion is ?carcely sensible : since here, as in that vallej
there is no scale by which the magnitude can be
termined. The effect of vacancy united to vastr
of dimension is the same in both : there is the sar
deception, at first, as to the space ; which is or
rendered sensible by the suddenness with which
lose sight of our companions, arid by the sight
unheard torrents. Perpetual twilight appears
reign here, even at mid-day : a gloomy arid grey '<.
mosphere uniting, into one visible sort of obscurity
the only lights which the objects ever receive,
fleeted from rock to rock, and from the clouds whi<
so often involve the lofty boundaries of this valley.
No one should visit Arran without attempting
make themselves acquainted with the beauty of
coast-scenery from Brodick to Glen Sannox;
if time permits, to travel from Sannox to Loch
za, through Glen Halmidel, the excursion will not 1
regretted — There is a small chapel at Loch Rs
built about 60 years ago at the expense of the dul
of Hamilton, on the boundary between Kilmorie
Kilbride parishes, but within the former parish,
is distant, by the road, about 24 miles from Kilr
church, and about 12 from the boundary of Shiskir
district. The salary of the minister is .£41, securer
by a deed of mortification executed by Ann, Duchess
of Hamilton, bearing date, 1st April, 1710.
The climate of Arran is moist, but is considere(
mild and healthy. Sudden and heavy falls of rain ir
summer and autumn are its greatest disadvantages
Many greenhouse-plants stand the winter in the opei
air at Brodick castle, and at different villas along tru
coast. — There are no foxes, badgers, or weasels, ii
Arran ; but the brown rat is very destructive. Rec
ARR
ARR
exist in the northern part of the island. Black
red grouse are abundant ; and there are a few
isants. Eagles are frequently seen here ; we
ive ourselves in the course of a single day seen no
than four of these noble birds. Trout are
icrous ; and fine sea-trout are occasionally taken
i the Jorsa, and Loch Jorsa. Adders and snakes are
by Headrich to be very numerous, but we have
seen either species of reptile on this island,
botany of Arran is considered rich — The geog-
tic structure of this island has been elaborately
lined by Professor Jamieson, in his * Outline of
Mineralogy of the Shetland islands, and the island
Arran.' The greater portion of the northern part
'the island consists of primitive rocks; floetz rock
stitutes the southern half. The Goatfell group
>f granite. Holy isle consists of a mass of basalt,
rphyritic rocks are found at Lamlash, Drimodune,
some other places; arid pitch-stone frequently
irs both in beds and veins.
The ecclesiastical*" statistics of Arran will be de-
under the articles KILBRIDE and KILMORIE.
lere are six parochial schools in the island. The
sulation, in 1801, was 5,179; in 1821, 6,541; in
"I, 6,427; and in 1841, 6,181. The decrease in
last decennial periods has been chiefly occasioned
the emigration of people, principally from Sannox
trict, to Lower Canada — The proprietors of this
ind are the Duke of Hamilton, the Hon. Mrs. Wes-
i, and Fullarton of Kilmichael and Whitefarlane.
ie duke is by far the greatest proprietor. His
ice's arable land, in 1813, was 10,228 Scots acres;
id his present rental £10,000, arising from 458
~ms or possessions. [See a valuable paper, by Mr.
in Paterson, in the * Prize-essays of the Highland
ociety,' vol. v. pp. 125—154.]
We have already, in the course of this article, had
siori to notice the various traditions which exist
Arran respecting Firigal ; and may now suggest
it some of these may owe their origin to the early
jnce of the Norwegians, called Fiongall, or
L'hite foreigners,' by the Irish annalists. Somerled,
ne of Argyle in the 12th century — whose name
i also occurred in this article — appears to have been
Scoto-Irish descent. His father Gillibrede had
essions on the mainland of Argyle, probably in
district of Morvern. When yet a youth, Somer-
led signally defeated a band of Norse pirates ; and,
having obtained high reputation for his prowess and
skill in arms, was enabled ultimately to assume the
title of Lord or Regulus of Argyle, and to compel
Godred of Norway to cede to him what were then call-
ed the South isles, namely, Bute, Arran, Islay, Jura,
Mull, and the peninsula of Kintyre. On the death
of Somerled, in 1164, Mr. Gregory conjectures that
Arran was probably divided between his sons Regi-
nald and Angus, and may have been the cause of the
deadly feud which existed between them. [' History
of the Western Highlands and Isles,' Edin. 1836.
8vo. p. 17.] Angus, with his sons, fell in an engage-
ment with the men of Skye in 1210; whereupon
Dugall, another son of Somerled, and the ancestor
of the house of Argyle and Lorn, patronymically
called Macdougal, succeeded to his possessions. It
appears, however, that the kings of Norway con-
tinued to be acknowledged as the sovereigns of the
Isles, until their final cession to the Scottish crown
by Magnus of Norway, in July, 1266. Somerled's
cendants now became vassals of the king of Scot-
" for all their possessions ; but the islands of Man,
, and Bute, were annexed to the Crown,
the unfortunate battle of Methven, Robert
ice lay for some time concealed, it is said, in Ar-
i; arid afterwards in the little island of Rachrin
on the northern coast of Ireland, whence he again
passed over to Arran with a fleet of 33 galleys, and
300 men, and joined Sir James Douglas, who, with
a band of Bruce's devoted adherents, had contrived
to maintain themselves in Arran, and to seize the
castle of Brodick, then held by Sir John Hastings,
an English knight;; and here he projected his de-
scent on the Carrick coast. On the marriage of the
Princess Mary, eldest sister of James III., to Sir
Thomas Boyd, eldest son of Lord Boyd, in 1466,
the island of Arran was erected into an earldom in
favour of Boyd; but upon the forfeiture of that
family, the house of Hamilton rose upon its ruins ;
and, a divorce having been obtained, the Countess 01
Arran gave her hand to Lord Hamilton — to whom it
had been promised in 1454 — and conveyed with it
the earldom of Arran. [Tytler's History of Scot-
land, vol. iv. p. 227
ARROQUHAR, more commonly ARROCHAR, a
parish in the north-west corner of Dumbartonshire ;
bounded on the north by Strathfillan in Perthshire ;
on the east by Perthshire and Loch Lomond to
Nether Inveruglass ; on the south by the parish of
Luss, from which it is separated by the Douglas*
burn ; and on the west by the upper part of Loch
Long, and Argyleshire. The extent of the parish is
nearly 15 miles, exclusive of the farms of Ardleish
and Doune, which lie on the east side of Lochlo-
mond, at the northern end of it. The mean breadth
may be computed at 3 miles. Population, in 1801,
470; in 1831, 559. Assessed property, in 1815,
£2,838. Houses 73. The Statistical report of 1839
states the area of the parish at 31,011 acres, of which
scarcely one-fiftieth are arable. A large portion is
covered with oak-coppice. This is a very picturesque
region ; it is mountainous throughout, and presents
some fine lake-scenery. The principal mountain
within the parish is Ben-Voirlich which,' according
to Boue, has an altitude of 3,300 feet ; or, accord-
ing to the writer of the article Dumbartonshire, in
the Penny Cyclopaedia, of 3,330 feet, " that is," the
writer adds, " above 100 feet higher than the adja-
cent Ben-Lomond." But, according to the Ordnance
survey, its altitude is only 3, 180 feet ; while that of
Ben-Lomond is stated at 3,195 feet. It forms a
noble object in the landscape to the tourist ascend-
ing either Loch Lomond or Loch Long. Its position
is about 6 miles to the north of the head of Loch
Long, and 3 west of Ardvoirlich on Loch Lomond.
The principal streams within the parish are the Fal-
loch, descending from Glen Falloch into the head of
Loch Lomond; the Inveruglass from Loch-Sloy;
and the Douglass, which falls into Loch Lomond
opposite Rowardennan. The streams which fall into
Loch Long have a comparatively short course. — The
scenery of the upper part of Loch Lomond, in this
parish, is neither so extensive nor so magnificent as
towards the middle and lower end ; it is, however,
of a wilder and more romantic character. The lake
is here narrow and river-like, as most of the Scottish
lakes are ; and the adjoining hills, broken and rug-
ged in their outlines, rise up at once abruptly and
precipitously from the water. Still, however, the
scenery is such as must afford high gratification to
every lover of the picturesque. The romantic and
varied shores, — the bold projecting headlands and
retiring bays, — the rugged and serrated hills, — and
* Arroquhar is a Celtic word widch signifies a high or hilly
country. It is generally pronounced, in the Gaelic language,
Arrar, which is a contraction of Ardthir, ard signifying high,
i-.iiH uar a country. The name is very descriptive of the place,
which is high and mountainous, having very little flat or arable
ground in it. [Old Statistical Account.]— Arrochar, Chalmers
siiy.s, appears as the name of this district in the charters of the
13th century. It was called the Arachor of Luss, or the Upper
carucate ot Land of Luss. "Arachor" he adds, "seems to
have been a Gaelic term which was apolied to a certain division
of land." [Caledonia, vol. iii. p. 90S.
ARR
ART
the numerous openings of the deep arid lonely glens,—
form together a picture of peculiar and enchanting
interest ; the effect of which is heightened in a sur-
prising degree, when all the magic tints of its varied
surface are awakened by the brightness of a summer's
sun. Then, and then only, can it be seen in its full
effect.— In ancient times, the land forming the western
shore of Loch Lomond, from Tarbet upwards, and
the greater part of this parish, was inhabited by
'The wild Macfarlane't plaided clan.'
From Loch-Sloy, a small lake near the base of Ben-
Voirlich, which formed the gathering-place of the
clan, they took their slughorn or war-cry of ' Loch
Sloy ! Loch Sloy !' Loch Sluai, in Gaelic, signify-
ing ' the Lake of the Host or Army.' Their badge v\ as
a sprig of the Cloudberry bush. The remote ances-
tor of this clan is said to have been Farlan, a son of
one of the early Earls of Lennox ; and from him they
adopted their patronymic of M'Farlane. Though the
M'Gregors appear to have enjoyed a pre-eminence
in disturbing the Lowland districts, the M'Farlanes
were also in the practice of doing so as far as their
more limited numbers allowed. Jn 1587, they were
declared to be one of the clans for whom the chief was
made responsible. [Acta Parl. iii. 467.] In 1594,
they were denounced as being in the habit of com-
mitting theft, robbery, and oppression. [Ibid. iv. 71.]
And, in July, 1624, many of the clan were tried, and
convicted of theft and robbery. Some of them were
punished, some were pardoned, while others were re-
moved to the highlands of Aberdeenshire, and to
Strathaven in Banffshire, where they assumed the
names of Stewart, M'Caudy, Greisock, M'James, and
M'Innes. The lands have now passed entirely from
the chiefs of this clan ; and the house which they at one
fime inhabited, was, for a considerable time, an inn
rented by the Duke of Argyle for the accommodation
of travellers proceeding from Tarbet, by Glencroe,
to Inverary. A new inn has, however, been built a
little further up the loch and the old inn is now, we
believe, a private residence. The inn commands a
fine view of the head of Loch Long which Gilpin
characterises as exhibiting " a simple and very sublime
piece of lake scenery." Immediately opposite rises
Ben Arthur, a huge mountain at the opening of
Glencroe, the naked rocky summit of which being
thought to bear some resemblance to the figure of a
shoemaker seated at work on his stool, has procured
for it the less-dignified appellation of The Cobler.
See GLENCROE. Toward the lower part of the loch,
as seen from this point, the mountains decline in
gentle perspective, and, though riot much varied in
form, are pleasing from their verdant covering and
the coppice which sprinkles their sides. Those por-
tions of the parish which lie along the western bank
of Loch Lomond, from Tarbet inn upwards to the
head, and around the upper part of Loch Long, are
best known to tourists. Arrochar inn is 17£ miles
from Helensburgh ; 22 from Dumbarton by way of
Luss ; 14 from Cairndow ; and 23| from Inverary.
Its distance from Tarbet on Loch Lomond is 2 miles.
The scenery of the road across the isthmus between
the two lochs is very striking and beautiful. See
TARBET. During the summer season there is a
steamer daily from and to Glasgow, both by way of
Loch Lomond and Loch Long. The village is rapid-
ly increasing by the building of bathing- villas, which
are also rising in various directions around the head
of Loch Long. — The parish of Arroquhar is in the
synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and presbytery of Dum-
barton. It was originally an appendage of the parish
of Luss, and was disjoined from it in the year 1658.
The stipend, including the glebe, is £253 19s. 7d.
The church was built in 1733 ; the manse, in 1837.
Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart., is patron, and
almost sole proprietor. There are two schools in
this parish, one parochial, the other endowed by Mr.
M'Murrich of Stuckgown, whose beautiful mansion
graces the banks of Loch Lomond in this parish. —
See articles LOCH LOMOND, and LOCH LONG.
ARTHUR, a name of frequent occurrence in
Scottish as well as Welsh and English topography,
and generally traced by the voice of Tradition to the
far-famed Arthur of romance. " It is amusing to re-
mark," says Chalmers, in his elaborate ' Caledonia,'
[vol. i. p. 244,] " how many notices the North-British
topography furnishes, with regard to Arthur, whose
fame seems to brighten, as inquiry dispels the doubts
of scepticism, and archaiology establishes the certain-
ties of truth — In Clydesdale, within the parish of
Crawford, there is Arthur's fountain : in 1239, there
was a grant of David de Lindsay to the monks of
Newbotle, of the lands of Brotheralwyn, in that dis-
trict, which were bounded, on the west part, ' a fonte
Arthuri usque ad summitate nrontis.' Chart. New-
botle, N. 148 — The Welsh poets assign a palace to
Arthur, among the Northern Britons, at Penryn-
Ryoneth. In Lhuyd's Cornish vocabulary, p. 238,
Penr) n-rioneth is called, the seat of the Prince of
Cumbria : and see also Richard's Welsh Dictionary.
The British Penryn supposes a promontory, with some
circumstance which reduplicates its height ; and tl
intimation points to Alcluyd, the well-known metro-
polis of the Romanized Britons, in Strathclyde. No\
a parliamentary record of the reign of David II.,
1367, giving a curious detail of the king's rents
profits in Dunbartonshire, states the ' redditum
size Castri Arthuri.' MSS. Reg. House ; Paper-
Office. The castle of Dunbarton, therefore, was
Castrum Arthuri, long before the age of David II.
See the site of Dunbarton, in Ainslie's Map of Rer
frewshire. The Point of Cardross was the Rhyn
ryoneth ; the castle of Dunbarton was the Per
rhyn-ryoneth. According to the British Triads, Ker
tigern, the well-known founder of the church of Gl
gow, had his episcopal seat at Pen-rhyn-ryoneth.-
The romantic castle of Stirling was equally supj
ed, during the middle ages, to have been the festive
scene of the round-table of Arthur. ' Rex Arthi
rus,' says William of Worcester, in his Itinerary, E
311. « Custodiebat le round-table in castro de Styr-
lyng, aliter, Snowdon-west-castell.' The name
Snowdon castle is nothing more than the Snua-di
of the Scoto-Irish people, signifying the fort,
fortified hill on the river, as we may learn
O'Brien, arid Shaw ; and the Snua-dun has
converted to Snow-dun, by the Scoto-Saxon people,
from a retrospection to the Snow-don of Wale
which is itself a mere translation from the Welsh.-
In Neilston parish, in Renfrewshire, there still
main Arthur-lee, Low Arthur-lee, and West Arthur-
lee. — Arthur's-oven, on the Carron, was known
that name, as early, if not earlier, than the reign
Alexander III. In 1293, William Gurlay granted
the monks of Newbotle 'firmationem unius st
ad opus molendini sui del Stanhus quod juxta fur-
num Arthuri infra baronium de Dunypas est.' Cl
Newbotle, No. 239 The name of Arthur's-Seat, at
Edinburgh, is said, by a late inquirer, ' to be only
name of yesterday.' Yet, that remarkable hei_"
had that distinguished name before the publication '
Camden's Britannia, in 1585, as we may see in
478 ; and before the publication of Major, in 1521
as appears in fo. 28 ; and even before the end of the
15th century, as Kennedy, in his flyting with Dunbar,
mentions ' Arthur Sate or ony hicher hill.' Ram
say's Evergreen, v. ii. p. 65. — This is not the onlj
hill which bears the celebrated name of Arthur
Not far from the top of Loch-Long, which sej:
;parate
ART
67
ART
yle and Dimbarton, there is a conical hill that is
tiled Arthur's Seat. Guide to Loch Lomond, pi.
A rock, on the north side of the hill of Dun-
rro\v, in Dunnichen parish, Forfarshire, has long
re, in the tradition of the country, the distinguish-
name of Arthur's Seat. Stat. Acco. v. i. p. 419.
-In the parish of Cupar- Angus, in Perthshire, there
a standing stone, called the Stone of Arthur ;
it is a gentleman's seat, called Arthur-stone ;
not far from it is a farm, named Arthur's fold —
it, it is at Meigle, in the same vicinity, that the
lebrity of Arthur, and the evil fame of his queen
lora, are most distinctly remembered. Pennant's
.'our, v. ii. p. 177-8 ; and Stat. Acco. v. i. p. 506 :
above all, see Bellenden's Boece, fo. Ixviii, for
origin of the popular fictions at Meigle, about
thur and Venora. — The Scottish chroniclers, Bar-
ir arid Wyntown, were perfectly acquainted with
Arthur of romance. We may easily infer, from
local facts, that his story must have been equally
wn to Thomas of Ercildun, a century sooner.
1293, the monks of Newbotle knew how to make
mill-dam, with the materials which they found on
banks of the Carron. Sir Michael Bruce of
inhus thought it necessary, in 1743, to pull down
thur's Oon, one of the most curious remains of
tiquity, for the stones which it furnished, for build-
a mill-dam. The enraged antiquaries consigned
Michael to eternal ridicule. See the Antiquary
jpertory, v. iii. p. 74-5. Sir David Lindsay, in
' Complaynt' of the Papingo, makes her take leave
Stirling castle thus : —
Adew fair Snawdoun, with thy towris hie.
Thy chapell royall, park, and tabill round.1
id, in his ' Dreme,' he mentions his having diverted
V., when young, with ' antique storeis and
jidis martiall,
• Of Hector, Arthur, and pentile Julius,
Of Alexander, and worthy Pompeius.'
ils shows that the stories of Arthur were then
iked among those of the most celebrated heroes
' antiquity." See article MEIGLE.
ARTHUR'S SEAT, the most emineiit object,
perhaps, in the above numerous list, is a hill in the
immediate vicinity of Edinburgh, which rises to the
tilt of 822 feet above the level of the sea. It
mands a beautiful prospect on all sides, and forms
incipal and imposing object from every point of
roach to the capital of Scotland. The ascent is
usually made from the precincts of Holyrood, or, on
the opposite side, from Duddingstone village. Tak-
ing the former route, after crossing the boundary
walls of the lower park, we leave the ruins of St.
ithony's chapel a little to the left. " A better
for such a building," says Sir Walter Scott,
could hardly have been selected ; for the chapel,
tuated among the rude and pathless cliffs, lies in a
5sert, even in the immediate vicinity of a rich, po-
ilous, and tumultuous capital ; and the hum of the
ty might mingle with the orisons of the recluses,
iveying as little of worldly interest as if it had
;n the roar of the distant ocean. Beneath the
ascent on which these ruins are still visible,
and perhaps is, still pointed out, the place where
wretch Nicol Muschat had closed a long scene of
lelty towards his unfortunate wife, by murdering
with circumstances of uncommon barbarity. The
Jtion in which the man's crime was held, ex-
ided itself to the place where it was perpetrated,
lich was marked by a small cairn or heap of stones,
iposed of those which each passenger had thrown
ire in testimony of abhorrence, and on the prin-
;, it would seem, of the ancient British maledic-
-' May you have a cairn for your burial-place.' "
[' Heart of Mid-Lothian.'] In Maitland's ' History
of Edinburgh,' [1753,] these ruins are described as
being 43£ feet long, 18 broad, and as many high,
with a tower 19 feet square. — By striking off to the
right, and pursuing an easy ascent over the green
sward, we may gain the summit of the fine bold ba-
saltic range called Salisbury crags, of which, says
our immortal novelist, " If I were to choose a spot
from which the rising or setting sun could be seen
to the greatest possible advantage, it would be that
wild path winding around the foot of the high belt
of semicircular rocks, called Salisbury crags, and
marking the verge of the steep descent which slopes
down into the glen on the south-eastern side of the
city of Edinburgh. The prospect, in its general
outline, commands a close-built, high-piled city,
stretching itself out in a form which, to a romantic
imagination, may be supposed to represent that of a
dragon; now a noble arm of the sea, with its rocks,
isles, distant shores, and boundary of mountains ; and
now a fair and fertile champaign country, varied with
hill, dale, and rock, and skirted by the picturesque
ridge of the Pentland mountains. But as the path
gently circles around the base of the cliffs, the pros-
pect, composed as it is of these enchanting and sub-
lime objects, changes at every step, and presents
them blended with, or divided from, each other in
every possible variety which can gratify the eye and
the imagination. When a piece of scenery so beau-
tiful, yet so varied, — so exciting by its intricacy, and
yet so sublime, — is lighted up by the tints of morn-
ing or of evening, and displays all that variety of
shadowy depth, exchanged with partial brilliancy,
which gives character even to the tamest of land-
scapes, the effect approaches near to enchantment.
This path used to be my favourite evening and morn-
ning resort, when engaged with a favourite author,
or new subject of study." [' Heart of Mid-Lothian.']
— If the visitor's object be to accomplish the ascent
of the Seat, by pursuing the path formerly mentioned,
he will gain the summit of the hill with little diffi-
culty. We have heard of the ascent being accom-
plished from the turnstile in twenty minutes; but
may well presume that few will be disposed to try
whether they can rival such a feat. To depict the scene
from the summit, we must employ the same living
pencil that has traced the landscape from the chapel
and the crags. " A nobler contrast there can hardly
* exist than that of the huge city, dark with the smoke
1 of ages, and groaning with the various sounds of
active industry or idle revel, and the lofty and craggy
hill, silent and solitary as the grave ; one exhibiting
the full tide of existence, pressing and precipitating
itself forward with the force of an inundation ; the
other resembling some time-worn anchorite, whose
life passes as silent and unobserved as the slender
rill which escapes unheard, and scarce seen from the
fountain of his patron-saint. The city resembles the
•busy temple, where the modern Comus and Mam-
mon held their court, and thousands sacrifice ease,
independence, and virtue itself, at their shrine ; the
misty and lonely mountain seems as a throne to the
majestic but terrible genius of feudal times, where
the same divinities dispensed coronets and domains
to those who had heads to devise, and arms to exe-
cute bold enterprises." [' Introduction to the Chro-
nicies of the Canongate.'] — The rocky summit of this
hill is strongly magnetic. Mr. William Galbraith
first called the attention of scientific men to this
fact, in 1831, in a paper communicated by him to
the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal ' [No.
XXII. p. 285.] He found the needle at seme points
completely reversed.
ARTORNISH, a castle, and, in ancient times,
one of the principal strongholds of the Lords of tht
ASH
ASS
Isles, in the district of Morvern, and nearly opposite
the bay of Aros in Mull. The ruins are now incon-
siderable, but the situation is wild and romantic in
the highest degree. From this castle, John de Yle,
designing himself Earl of Ross, and Lord of the Isles,
in 1461, granted, in the style of an independent
sovereign, a commission to certain parties to enter
into a treaty with Edward IV. Sir Walter Scott
has given the articles of this treaty in his Appendix to
* The Lord of the Isles,' [Note A.] — the opening scene
of which poem is laid in " Artornish hall," where
«' the noble and the bold
of Island chivalry"
were assembled to do honour to the nuptials of the
hapless " Maid of Lorn ;" and
'* met from mainland and from isle,
Ross, Arran, Islay, and Argyle,
Each mtnstrel'8 tributary lay
Paid homage to the festal day."
ASHKIRK, a parish in the counties of Roxburgh
and Selkirk; the greater part of it, however, in that
of Roxburgh. It is bounded on the north by Sel-
kirk; on the east by Minto and Lilliesleaf; on the
south by Roberton and Wilton ; and on the west by
Yarrow. It is about 7 miles long, and 3 broad. The
district may be called hilly, but most of the hills are
free from heath. The soil in general is light, and in
several parts spongy. A good deal has been done
here of late years in draining and planting. The
cultivated land amounts to about 2,800 acres; about
400 acres are under wood. The only river in the
parish is the Ale, which runs through it, in a narrow
valley, from west to east. But there are several
small lochs — none of them exceeding a mile in cir-
cumference— which discharge their waters into the
Ale, and contain trout, perch, and pike. See ALE-
MOOR (LocH). Population, in 1801, 574; in 1831,
565, of whom about 100 were dissenters, and 192
were resident in that portion of the parish which is
in Selkirkshire. Houses, 97. Assessed property,
£4,501. The land-rent, in 1796, was about £2,000;
in 1838, £4,479 7s.— This parish is in the presby-
tery of Selkirk, and synod of Merse arid Teviot-
dale. It was formerly a vicarage belonging to the
chapter of Glasgow; and the greater number of the
present proprietors still hold of the college of
Glasgow. The bishop of Glasgow had a palace
here, of which the last relics have disappeared
within the memory of man. The parish itself was
in early times wholly divided amongst the family of
Scot. The church was built in 1791; sittings, 200;
stipend, £205 12s. 9d., with a manse, and a glebe
of the value of £27- Unappropriated teinds, £636
Us. 4d. Patron, the Earl of Minto. The parochial
schoolmaster has a salary of £30, with about £10
of school-fees, and some other emoluments, and a
house and garden. The average attendance on his
tuition is about 40.
ASKAIG (PORT), a small haven on the north-
east coast of Islay, 1 1 miles distant from Bowmore,
and 35 from East Tarbert. There is a good inn
here, and the vicinity is well- wooded. Lead-mines
ivere at one time wrought a little to the north-west
of this place.
ASSYNT, or ASSINT, a very extensive district
and parish in the county of Sutherland, including
the quoad sacra parish of Stoer. The name is a
contraction of agus-int, literally ' in and out ;' and
is supposed to hare been originally applied to it as
descriptive of its extraordinarily rugged surface and
oroken outline. Its area is estimated at 1 00,000 acres ;
and its circumference at 90 miles. On the north it
is bounded by that arm of the sea called the Minch,
and by Loch Assynt, the Kylecuigh or Kyle Skou,
" ecross which a stone may be slung," and its ex-
tremities Loch Dow and Loch Coul. From the
eastern end of Loch Coul, an imaginary line, drawn
in a south-east direction across the summits of the
mountains to Glashben, completes the boundary be-
twixt Assynt and Eddrachillis parish. The boundary
line then turns south-west, for a distance of about 10
miles, dividing Assynt from Creech parish, and from
Ross-shire ; it then assumes a north-west direction,
and passes by Loch Vattie, and Loch Faun or Loch
Fane, to In verkirkaig, where it meets the sea, dividing
Assynt, in this direction, from the shire of Cromarty.
The Kirkaig flows out of Loch Fane, and forms a tine
cascade at a point in its course about 2 miles fror
the sea. The general course of the coast-line, fror
the mouth of the Kirkaig to Ru-Stoer, — a distance
20 miles, is from south-south-east to north-north-
west, and presents " islands, bays, and headlands
without end, but not a feature to distinguish one
from another, nor a cliff nor a promontory to temj
a moment's stay;" all is dreary, desolate, and mow
tainous. Loch Iriver is a fishing-station, and pr<
sents a pretty good harbour. The Inver flows int
its head from Loch Assynt. The point of Stoer,
or the Ru-Stoer, is a remarkable detached mass
sandstone, rising to the height of about 200 fe
A little to the south of the Ru is Soay island, me
suring about 4 furlongs in length, by 3 in breadth.
It is flat, and covered with heather and coarse
About a mile to the south of Soay, is the islet
Klett — The principal island belonging to Assynt is
that of Oldney or Oldernay, at the mouth of
Assynt, which is divided from the mainland by
channel in some parts not exceeding 20 yards ir
width. It is about a mile in length, by 2 furlong
in breadth ; and was inhabited, in 1836, by twelv
families.
The main line of road through this district enter
the parish, from the south, at Aultnacealgeich burn, II
miles from the bridge of Oykell, at the upper end
Loch Boarlan. A little beyond this, a road branches
off to the west towards Crockan, whence there is
road to Ullapool, on Loch Broom, 16 miles distanl
Pursuing the main line, we arrive at Ledbeg, whenc
a detour may be made by the south side of Suilbhei
to Inverkirkaig, provided the traveller dare encour
ter a very rugged journey, presenting only one hat
table shieling in its whole course, namely Brackloc
at the western end of Loch Caum, a very fine fres
water loch. There is another, and a more dangerc
route in winter, between the Suilbhein and its mour
tain-brother Cannishb or Canisp. After leaving Led-
beg we enter the glen of Assynt. This glen is ver
narrow, and has various windings, so that one is quit
near the lake before being aware of it. Immediately
before arriving at it, a very singular ridge of
bounds the glen and the road on the right. This
ridge rises to a perpendicular height of 300 feet : it
is of blue limestone, and its mural surface has beer
worn away in many places in such a manner as t(
present the appearance of the windows, tracery, and
fret -work of an ancient cathedral. Alpine plants
and creeping-shrubs ornament with their graceful
drapery every crevice and opening of these lofty
rocks, and altogether create a scene of most pictur-
esque though fantastic beauty. At length on turn*
ing round the edge of this ridge, the traveller finds
himself at the village of Inch-na-damph, or Innesin-
damff, and the head of Loch Assynt. This lake is
about 16| miles in length, and 1 mile in greatest
breadth. It receives the waters of many mountain-
streams, and empties itself into Loch Inver, an arm
of the sea of which mention has already been made.
On the shores of Loch Assynt, near the village o
Inch-na-damph, there are quarries of white marble,
which were at one time wrought by an Englishman,
ASSYNT.
60
since his death they seem to be entirely neglected
given up. If one may judge from the blocks
fing about, the marble seems to be pure and capa-
le of receiving a high polish ; but, from whatever
mse, it is now only used for building dry stone-dyke
id highland-cottages. "At Leadbeg," says Dr.
mlloch, " I found the cottages built of bright
irhite marble : the walls forming a strange contrast
ith the smoke and dirt inside, the black thatch, the
ibs, the midden, and the peat-stacks. This marble
not succeeded in attaining a higher dignity." We
mention having seen marble cottages at other
besides Ledbeg, presenting the same strange
itrast which the Doctor here points out. Loch-
synt lies in a very pleasing green valley, though
does not — except at its head and beyond the village
" Inch-na-damph — afford much of the picturesque or
romantic. The mountain of Cunaig, however,
the north side of the lake, and Bein-mhor or
jnrnore, with the other mountains which terminate
glen to the east, present scenes of much gran-
;ur and magnificence. — The ancient castle of Ard-
lick, and the ruined house of the Earls of Seaforth,
the village and churchyard at the head of the
s, give an interest to Loch- Assynt not often to
felt among the inland waters of these northern
pons. Pursuing our route along the northern side
the loch, we pass the ruins of Ardvraick castle,
tuated on a rocky peninsula which projects a con-
lerable way into the lake. This castle was long
residence of the Macleods, and in particular that
Donald Bane More ; it was built in the year 1597,
1591, and must have been a place of strength in
" times. When the estate came into the Sea-
rth family, they erected a new mansion near the
of the lake. This mansion is also now in
" It was built," says the first Statistical re-
rter, "in a modern manner, of an elegant figure,
great accommodation. It had fourteen bed-
nbers, with the conveniericy of chimneys or fire-
places." The osprey (Pandion halicetus) frequents
Assynt ; and a pair have long built on the ruins of
Ardvraick castle — Adjoining to the present parish-
church, and within the burying-ground, near the vil-
lage of Inch-na-damph, are the remains of an ancient
Popish chapel, said to be the oldest place of worship
existing in this district. The occasion of its erection
is alleged to have been as follows. One vEneas or
Angus Macleod, an early laird of Assynt, had gone to
Rome, and had had the honour of an interview with
the Pope from whom he received various favours ;
on account of which he vowed that on his return he
would build and endow a chapel. This he did, and
extended his endowment in its favour to the fifth
part of his then yearly rental. At one time this
chapel consisted of two stories ; the ground one being
used for worship, and having an arched or vault-
ed roof. Above was a cell or chamber, which tra-
dition reports was a place set apart for private de-
votion. This upper cell, however, was removed
several years ago ; and the lower repaired for a burial
vault, for which purpose it is still used. It is the
property of Macleod of Geanies, the lineal descendant
of the ancient lairds of Assynt. On the farm of
Clachtoll are the remains of an ancient Druidical
iple. At Ledbeg a pruning-hook was found un-
the moss several years since, the use of which
zled the natives of the place not a little. But
te Earl of Bristol, then Bishop of Derry, happen-
to pass a few days here, pronounced it to be a
ning-hook used by the Druids, with which they
rly cut the sacred misletoe from the oak. This
lie of ancient superstition was presented by
M'Kenzie of Ardloch to his lordship On
ing the northern end of Loch Assynt, one branch
of the road turns westward to Loch Inver, following
the northern bank of the river Inver; while another
branch runs north to Unapool on the Kylecuigh,
beyond which there is a ferry to Grinan, in Eddra-
chillis, whence it proceeds along the coast to Scourie
bay.
In the southern part of Assynt are several detach-
ed mountains of singular form. Dr. Macculloch has
written of them so correctly, and described them so
graphically, that although at some length, we must
furnish the reader with his remarks. In talking of
sandstone mountains, in his Geological work, he says :
" The independence of many of these hills forms
one of the most remarkable parts of the character of
this rock. In many places, they rise suddenly from
a hilly land of moderate elevation composed of
gneiss; attaining at once to an height above it oi
1,000 or 2,000 feet. They are often separated by
miles. In other cases, they are grouped, but still
distinct at their base. Where insulated, they have
a very striking effect, of which examples occur in
Sul-bhein, and Coul-bheg. Similarly powerful effects
result from the suddenness of their rise, — the summit,
with the whole declivity, being visible from the
base." Farther on, in the same work, he says, " It
might be expected that the pinnacled summits and
detached hills had resulted from the waste of the
erect varieties, but in Coul-bheg, Coul-more, Sul-
bhein, &c., they are produced by the wearing down
of strata nearly horizontal ; the harder portions, in
the former case, remaining like pillars of masonry or
artificial cairns. The west side of Sutherland and
Ross consists of a basis of gneiss, forming an irre-
gular and hilly surface, varying, in extreme cases,
from 100 to 1,500 feet in height, but often present-
ing a considerable extent of table -land. On this
base, are placed various mountains, either far de-
tached, or collected in groupes ; and all rising to an
average altitude of about 3,000 feet above the sea.
The stratification of these is horizontal or slightly
inclined. It follows that the whole of this country
has been once covered with a body of sandstone,
equal in thickness — in certain points at least — to
the present remaining portions."
In his letters on the Highlands [Vol. ii. p. 345.]
again, he thus describes Suilbhein. "It loses no
part of its strangely incongruous character on a near
approach. It remains as lofty, as independent, and
as much like a sugar-loaf, (really not metaphorically,)
when at its foot as when far off at sea. In one re-
spect it gains, or rather the spectator does, by a more
intimate acquaintance. It might have been covered
with grass to the imagination ; but the eye sees arid
the hand feels that it is rock above, below, and
round about. The narrow front, that which possesses
the conical outline, has the appearance of a preci-
pice, although not rigidly so; since it consists of a
series of rocky cliffs piled in terraced succession
above each other; the grassy surfaces of which being
invisible from beneath, the whole seems one rude
and broken cliff, rising suddenly and abruptly from
the irregular table-land below to the height of a
thousand feet. The effect of a mountain thus seen,
is always striking; because, towering aloft into the
sky, it fills the eye and the imagination. Here, it is
doubly impressive from the wide and open range
around, in the midst of which this gigantic mass
stands alone and unrivalled, — a solitary and enormous
beacon, rising to the clouds from the far-extended
ocean- like waste of rocks and rudeness. Combining
in some positions, with the distant and elegant forms
of Canasp, Coul-bheg, and Ben-More, it also offers
more variety than could be expected ; while even
the general landscape is varied by the multiplicity
of rocks and small lakes with which the whole country
70
ASSYNT.
is interspersed. The total altitude from the sea line
is probably about 2,500 feet ; the table-land whence
this and most other of the mountains of this coast
rise, appearing to have an extreme elevation of 1,500.
To almost all but the shepherds, Sul-bhein is inac-
cessible : one of our sailors, well- used to climbing,
reached the summit with difficulty, and had much
more in descending. Sheep scramble about it in
search of the grass that grows in the intervals of the
rocks : but so perilous is this trade to them, that
this mountain with its pasture — which, notwithstand-
ing its rocky aspect, is considerable — is a negative
possession ; causing a deduction of fifteen or twenty
pounds a-year from the value of the farm to which
it belongs, instead of adding to its rent." Notwith-
standing the difficulty of climbing Suilbhein which
the Doctor here mentions, we were told, when in
the country, by a highland gentleman residing near
Loch-Inver, that a young lady from Glasgow had as-
cended with him the year previous. We must con-
fess, however, that we should have had some hesita-
tion in making even the attempt. — At page 354 of
the same work, the Doctor gives the following de-
scription of Coul-bheg: " The whole of this coast,
from Coycraig in Assynt, as far as Ben-More at
Loch-Broom, presents a most singular mountain out-
line ; but Coul-bheg is even more remarkable than
Sul-bhein, while its form is more elegant and ver-
satile. In every view, it is as graceful and majestic
as it is singular ; and, like the other mountains of
this extraordinary shore, it has every advantage that
can rise from independence of position ; rising a huge
and solitary cone, from the high land beneath, and
lifting its dark precipice in unattended majesty to
the clouds. The ascent from the shore to the base
of the rocky cone is long and tedious, over a land of
lakes and rocks ; but beyond that there is no access.
All around is barrenness and desertion ; except
where some lake, glittering bright in the sunshine,
gives life, — a still life, — to the scene : and the eye
ranges far and wide over the land, seeing nothing
but the white quartz summits of Canasp, Coycraig,
and Ben- More, — the long streams of stones that de-
scend from their sides, — and the brown waste of heath
around, interspersed with grey protruding rocks
that would elsewhere be hills, and with numerous
lakes that seem but pools amid the spacious desert."
In spite, however, of the many difficulties which must
attend a close examination of this land of moun-
tains and floods, the traveller who chooses to under-
go the fatigue, and to encounter the difficulties of
attempting to penetrate its recesses, will rind much
to please, and still more to astonish him amidst its
gigantic and awful mountains and lonely valleys.
To those
" who love the pathless solitude
Where, in wild grandeur, Nature dwells alone
On the bleak mountain, and the unsculptured stone,
'Mid torrents, and dark range of forests wide,"
the solemn and sublime scenery of Assyrit will afford
moments of exquisite pleasure. One oft feels in
wandering through its superb solitudes as if the next
step would conduct him into the ideal arid superna-
tural. To the geologist, nothing further need be
said, to incite him to investigate this district most
minutely, than a reference to the quotations from Dr.
Macculloch already given.
The population of Assynt, in 1801, was 2,395 ; in
1831, 3,161, of whom 1,401 were resident in the
quoad sacra district of Stoer. Above two-thirds of
the population are resident on the sea-shore. In the
district around Loch Inver there was, in 1831, a po-
pulation of about 659 ; in the Kyleside district 456 ;
in each of the two hamlets of Knockan and Elphine,
250 ; and at IJnapool 8 or 9 families. The number
of houses, in 1831, was 573 ; of families, 575. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £3,859. Real rental, in
1795, £1,000.
This parish is in the presbytery of Dornoch, and
synod of Sutherland and Caithness. Patron, the
Duke of Sutherland. The parish-church was built
about 1770, and repaired in 1816; sittings 240.
There are no dissenting places of worship. Stipend
£158 6s. 7d., with manse, and a glebe of the value
of £27 10s. There is a preaching-station at Loch
Inver, and another at Kyleside, which are supplied
by the parish-minister. — The quoad sacra parish of
STOER is about 11 miles in length by 10 in breadth.
It was divided from Assynt by authority of the
General Assembly, in 1834. A church was built
here by the Parliamentary commissioners in 1828.
The minister's stipend is £120, which is paid by the
Exchequer. A catechist is employed for the whole
civil parish, besides three teachers, by the Society
for propagating Christian knowledge. There are
burial-grounds at the kirktown, at Gedavolich at the
west end of Loch Nedd, at Ardvare, Oldriey isl
Stoer, and Loch Inver.
The district of Assynt is said to have been in early
times a forest belonging to the ancient thanes of
Sutherland, the ancestors of the present Duchess of
Sutherland. In the reign of David II., Torquil
Macleod, chief of the Macleods of Lewis, had a royal
grant of Assynt. In 1506, on the forfeiture of
leod of Lewis, Y Mackay of Strathnaver received
life-rent grant of Assynt. About the year 1660, both
the property and superiority of Assynt passed from
the Macleods to the Earl of Seaforth. He made i
over to one of his younger sons, whose heirs held it
for three or four generations. It was afterwards pur-
chased by Lady Strathnaver, who presented it to her
grandson, the late William Earl of Sutherland; and
it is now the property of his daughter, the present
Duchess of Sutherland. It was in this district that
the great Marquis of Montrose was taken prisoner
and delivered up to the Covenanters. After his de-
feat, and the ruin of all his hopes, at Carbisdale,
" Montrose, accompanied by the earl of Kinnoul,
who had lately succeeded to the title on the death
of his brother, and six or seven companions, having
dismounted from his horse and thrown away his
cloak and sword, and having, by the advice of his
friends, to avoid detection, exchanged his clothes for
the more homely attire of a common highlander
wandered all night and the two following days among
bleak and solitary regions, without knowing when
to proceed, and ready to perish under the accumu
lated distresses of hunger, fatigue, and anxiety r
mind. The Earl of Kinnoul, unable, from exhau
tiori, to follow Montrose any farther, was lett
the mountains, where it is supposed he perished.
When upon the point of starvation, Montrose
fortunate to light upon a small cottage, where h
obtained a supply of milk and bread, on receivin
which he continued his lonely and dangerous course
among the mountains of Sutherland, at the risk of
being seized every hour, and dragged as a felon be-
fore the very man whom, only a few days before, he
had threatened with his vengeance. In the mean-
time, active search was made after Montrose. As it
was conjectured that he might attempt to reach
Caithness, where his natural brother, Henry Graham,
still remained with some troops in possession of the
castle of Dunbeath, and as it appeared probable, from
the direction Montrose was supposed to have taken,
that he meant to go through Assynt, Captain An-
drew Munro sent instructions to Neil Macleod, the
laird of Assynt, his brother-in-law, to apprehend
every stranger that might enter his bounds, in the
hope of catching Montrose, for whose apprehension
ATI!
71
ATH
splendid reward was offered. In consequence of
lese instructions, Macleod sent out various parties
n quest of Montrose, but they could not fall in with
iim. ' At last (says Bishop Wishart) the laird of
issynt being abroad in arms with some of his ten-
its in search of him, lighted on him in a place
rhere he had continued three or four days without
jat or drink, and only one man in his company.'
bishop then states, that ' Assynt had formerly
?n one of Montrose's own followers ; who imme-
itely knowing him, and believing to find friendship
his hands, willingly discovered himself; but As-
?nt not daring to conceal him, and being greedy of
reward which was promised to the person who
should apprehend him by the council of the estates,
immediately seized arid disarmed him.' This account
differs a little from that of the author of the continua-
of Sir Robert Gordon's history, who says, that
was one of Macleod's parties that apprehended
lontrose, but is altogether silent to Assynt's having
jen a follower of Montrose, but both writers inform
that Montrose offered Macleod a large sum of
loney for his liberty, which he refused to grant,
icleod kept Montrose and his companion, Major
Sinclair, an Orkney gentleman, prisoners in the cas-
1 ; of Ardvraick, his principal residence. By order of
slie, Montrose was thence removed to Skibo castle,
/here he was kept two nights, thereafter to the castle
Braan, and thence again to Edinburgh. [Browne's
History of the Highlands,' vol. ii. pp. 35, 36.]
has been attempted to clear the laird of Assynt
>m any participation in the death of this unfortu-
te nobleman. We do not intend to enter into the
mssion, but have only to add that it is still the cur-
nt tradition of the country, and superstition has con-
id the alleged treachery with the ruin of Mac-
and his family. The loss of his property did
llow the seizure and execution of Montrose ; and,
the eyes of the simple inhabitants of this district,
ic former was the just punishment of Heaven for
connexion with the enemies of a favourite hero.
ATHELSTANEFORD, a central parish, in the
lire of Haddington. The parish is denominated
>m the village; and the village — according to
Jucharmn and Camden — owes its name to the fol-
nving incident. In one of his predatory incursions,
Lthelstane, a Danish chief, who had received a grant
of Northumberland from King Alured, arrived in
this part of the country ; and, engaging in battle with
TIungus, king of the Picts, was pulled with violence
orn his horse arid here slain. The rivulet where
le battle was fought is in the immediate neighbour-
od of the village, and is still called Lug Down
irn, supposed to be a corruption of Rug Down.
Buchanan adds, that Hungus was encouraged to
hazard this battle by a vision of St. Andrew the
apostle, who appeared to him the preceding night
and promised him success ; and that the victory was
facilitated by the miraculous appearance of a cross in
the air, in the form of the letter X, over a farm-
hamlet which still retains the name of Martle, a sup-
posed contraction of miracle. Achaius, king of the
Scots, by whose assistance Hungus obtained this
victory, in commemoration of the event is said to
have instituted the order of St. Andrew.* The lands
on which the battle was fought were bestowed on
the Culdee priory of St. Andrews, and are now held
in perpetual lease by Kinloch of Gilmerton. Athel-
staneford is divided from the parish of Haddington
* Thus far tradition. Etymology, however, would give a
•tropler account of the matter. Atk-att means, in Gaelic, 'a
•tone ford;' and there is such a ford, — a narrow, deep, stony
pat 1 1, —across the Lug Down rivulet. Saxon settlers, finding
the Ath.ail already in existence, superadded to it, in their own
language, stone ford. See Chalmers's 'Caledonia,' Vol. II. p.
516.
on the south and south-west by the rivulet formerly
mentioned, the Lug Down burn. This rivulet rises
in the Garleton hills, and falls into the frith of Forth
on the north side of Tynningham bay, after a course
of about 5 miles. On the north this parish is sepa-
rated from that of Dirleton by another small rivulet
called the Peffer. This rivulet rises in the north-east
corner of the parish in two streams, which unite near
their sources. The country is here so level that one
of these streams runs in an easterly direction, and joins
the Lug Down burn, while the other runs due west
into the frith of Forth at Aberlady bay : see article
ABERLADY. The whole strath of the Peffer was in
early times a wild morass covered with wood, and
the abode of wild boars, and other rapacious animals.
The ground rises gradually from this rivulet to the
southern extremity of the parish, where the village
of Athelstaneford and the church stand. The parish
is about 4 miles in length, from west to east j and
between 2 and 3 in breadth, from south to north.
Previous to 1658 it did not contain above 800 or
1,000 acres } and the Earl of Wintoun was the sole
proprietor of all the lands. At that period it was
considerably enlarged by annexations from the par-
ishes of Haddington and Prestonkirk; so that the
whole extent of the parish is now above 4,000 acres,
of which 3,750 are arable. Population, in 1801,
897; in 1831, 971. Houses 200. Assessed property,
in 1815, £9,344. The valued rent of the parish is
£4,154 Is. Scotch. About one-third of this valua-
tion is the property of Sir David Kinloch of Gilrner-
ton, Baronet ; another third belongs to the Earl of
Hopetoun and Sir Alexander Hope ; the remaining
third is divided among the Earl of Wemyss, Sir
Francis W. Drummond, Baronet, Lord Elibank, and
Miss Grant of Congleton. In the Statistical report
of 1794, it is stated that a woollen manufacture of
striped variegated cloth had been carried on in the
village of Athelstaneford for some years past, on a
small scale. The cloth sold from 4s. 6d. to 5s. 6d.
per yard ; was made of the best materials ; esteemed
a light, genteel, and comfortable dress ; and known
in Edinburgh by the name of the Gilmerton livery.
" The demand for it," it is added, " increases, and the
manufacturer has both spirit and stock to carry it on
to greater extent, but finds great difficulty in pro-
curing female hands to prepare the materials. Ac-
customed from their early years to work in the fields
in weeding the corn, hoeing, &c. they prefer what
they call outwork in summer to any domestic em-
ployment." This manufacture no longer exists here.
—This parish is in the presbytery of Haddington,
and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, Sir
David Kinloch, Baronet. Minister's stipend, £262
Os. 7d., with a manse, and a glebe of the value of
£15. Unappropriated teinds, £372 16s. lid. The
church was built in 1780; sittings, 500. The old
church — jof which there are still some remains — was
built by Ada, wife of Henry of Scotland, who an-
nexed it to her abbey in the neighbourhood of Had-
dington. There are three schools in the parish.
The parish-schoolmaster has a salary of £35 10s.,
with £48 school-fees, and other emoluments. Ave-
rage number of scholars 70 The only antiquities
in this parish are the vestiges of a camp, or perhaps
of a Pictish town, concerning which there is no
tradition, and history is silent ; and the remains of a
chapel, in the village of Drem, called St. John's
chapel, which belonged to the Knights Templars.
Thf se are both on the property of the Eai 1 of llope-
toun. The house of Garleton, too, may be men-
tioned under this head. It appears to have once
been a place of magnificence, but is now a complete
ruin. It is beautifully situated at the foot of the
Garleton hills — Towards the end of the 16th, ami
ATH :
beginning of the 17th century, a great part of the
lower lands of East Lothian was possessed by the
Hepbums, collateral branches of the Earls of Both-
well. A gentleman of that name was proprietor of
the lands of Athelstaneford. A second son of his
went into the Swedish service, and afterwards into
the French service, and died a field-marshal of
France. The Rev. Robert Blair, author of a small
poem entitled, ' The Grave,' much admired for its
elegance and poetical merit, was minister of this
parish; and his son Robert, a native of this parish,
rose to the high judicial office of Lord-president of
the court of session. The fine tragedy of Douglas
was written by the celebrated John Home, when
minister of Athelstaneford. Mr. Home was ordained
here, in 1747, and was ten years minister of this
parish. Upon demitting his charge, in June 1757,
he built a villa in the parish, called Kilduff, and laid
out the grounds around it with considerable taste.
" Painting, too, the sister-art of poetry," adds the
Statistical reporter of 1794, " has been cultivated
here with taste and advantage. The son of a re-
spectable farmer in this parish, from his earliest
years, discovered a remarkable genius for drawing
and painting. As he advanced in life, he applied
chiefly to miniatures, in which he excelled. For
these several years past, he has been in Italy ; and
there is good reason to believe that he ranks among
the first artists in that country." The individual
here alluded to was the celebrated Archibald Skir-
ving, who amply redeemed the expectations of his
early friends, and rose to the very first rank as a
portrait-painter. He died in his 70th year, and is
buried in the church-yard of Athelstaneford. His
father was tenant of the farm of Garleton, and the
author of the celebrated ballad upon the battle of
Prestonpans,
The Chevalier, being void of fear,
Did march up Birsley brae, man ;
And through Tranent, &c.
ATHOLE, a mountainous district in the north of
Perthshire ; bounded on the north by Badenoch in
Inverness-shire ; on the north-east by Mar in Aber-
deenshire ; on the east by Forfarshire ; on the south
by the districts of Stormont and Breadalbane in
Perthshire ; and on the west and north-west by
Lochaber in Inverness-shire. Sir John Sinelairfj^sti-
mates its superficial area at 450 square miles. The
face of the country is highly picturesque, everywhere
presenting lofty mountains, extensive lakes, deep
glens, solemn forests, and all the finer features of
Highland scenery : it is, moreover, " a land praised
in song, richly wooded, yet highly cultivated arid
thickly inhabited." The loftiest mountain is Cairn
Gower, one of the Ben-y-Gloe ridge, on the east of
Glen Tilt, which rises to the height of 3,690 feet.
The Scarscock, at the point of junction with Aber-
deenshire, is assigned by some topographers to this
district of Perthshire. Its altitude is stated by some
at 3,402 ; by others at 3,390 feet. The Blair, or
Field of Athole, is an open fertile vale, intersected
by the Garry, and generally presenting only low and
rounded eminences. See article BLAIR- ATHOLE.
The other streams in this district are the Edendon,
the Bruar, and the Tilt, which are all tributaries of
the Garry ; the Airdle, a tributary of the Ericht ;
and the Tumel, into which the Garry flows. All
these streams belong to the basin of "the Tay, and
are described, in this work, in separate articles.
The principal lakes are Loch Ericht, Loch Rannoch,
Loch Tumel, and Loch Garry, to which separate
articles are also devoted. The Forest of Athole,
the property of the Duke of Athole, contains up-
wards of 100,000 acres, stocked with red deer, moor-
game, and ptarmigans, which are also preserved in
I AUC
the adjoining forests of the Earl of Fife, the Marquif
of Huntly, and Farquharson of Invercauld. Athole
gives the title of duke to a branch of the Murray
family. Sir John Murray was created a baron in
1604, and Earl of Tullibardine in 1606. The sixth
earl was created Marquis of Athole in 1676; and
the second marquis, Duke of Athole in 1703. The
Athole-men have always been found, to use the
language of old Froissart, " good chivalry, strong 01
limb and stout of heart, and in great abundance;"
and their feuds with the followers of Argyle form
a bloody chapter in Highland history. Stoddart
says, that many of the Athole-men are good per-
formers on the Great Highland bagpipe. He also
notices the once-famed ' Athole-brose,' a composition
of whiskey, honey, and eggs, as forming " an indis-
pensable dainty in the feast, and no unimportant
addition to the Materia Medica." [Remarks, Vol.
II. p. 182.] This was written in 1800: probably
Athole-brose is now banished from the feast, as it
certainly is from the Materia Medica of all wise
people in Athole. Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee,
ended his fierce career, in the battle of Killiecrarikie,
a celebrated pass in Athole. See articles KILLIE-
CRANKIE and PERTHSHIRE.
AUCHENAIRN, (OLD AND NEW,) a village in
the under ward and shire of Lanark, parish of Cadder ,
3 miles north by east of Glasgow. In 1745, the
Rev. James Warden, a native of this village, an
minister of the parish, bequeathed 1,000 merks to
the session, the interest of which is allotted to tht
support of a school here. In 1764, William Leech-
man, D.D., principal of the university of GlasgoWj
disponed to the session of Cadder about half-an-acre
of ground, for a house arid garden for the benefit oJ
this school, of which the minister and elders are
patrons. A new school-house was erected in 1826,
Population, in 1831, 284.
AUCHENCAIRN, a village in the stewartry of
Kirkcudbright, and parish of Rerrick ; 7 miles east
by south of Kirkcudbright. It is situate at the
north-west extremity of a beautiful bay — to which
it gives name— about 2 miles long, and 1 broad. A
low water this bay presents an uninterrupted bed ol
smooth sand, which is so dry and firm that horse-
races have been holden upon it ; small craft may loac
arid unload in any part of it; and on the west side
is a capacious natural basin, where vessels of bur-
den may lie in safety from every storm.
AUCHINBLAE, a village in the parish of For
douri, Kincardineshire ; 16 miles from Montrose. It
has a flax spinning-mill, erected about 40 years ago,
arid at which about 40 hands are now employed.
Population, in 1791, 100; in 1831, 487. • It is a neat
thriving place, and is governed by a baillie appointed
by the Earl of Kintore. Two fairs are held here,
viz., Pasch market in April, and May-day on 22d May.
There are also hiring-markets held May 26th and
November 22d. In the month of July, a cattle-fair
is held at Paldy moor, about 2 miles north from this
place.
AUCHINDOIR AND KEARN, a mountainous
parish in the western part of Aberdeenshire ; bounded
on the north by the parish of Rh\ nie ; on the easf
by the parish of Tull>nessle ; on the south and west
by Kildrummy and Cabrach parishes. The etymo-
logy of the name, Auchindoir, is uncertain. It is sup-
posed to signify ' The Field of the Chase or Pursuit.'
" Buchanan tells us, that Luthlac, son to the usurper
Macbeth, having been pursued northward by Mal-
colm, was slain ' in the valley of Bogie.' The spot
where he was slain is thought to be about 2 miles
to the north of the church of Auchindoir, but in the
parish of Rhynie, in a place where a large stone
with some warlike figures on it has been set up. It
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it ii not improbable that Luthlac was overtaken
t a mile to the south of the church, in the place
e a number of cairns now are ; that being de-
1, he has been pursued through the valley of
indoir, which lies between the cairns and the
stone ; and that from this pursuit, the parish
uchindoir has taken its name." [Statistical re-
of 1792.] Its greatest length is 9 miles; and
.jest breadth 8. Its outline is very irregular. The
er part of the surface consists of hills and moors.
Some of the mountains attain a great elevation. The
Buck of Cabrach, over which the western boundary
line of the parish runs, has, according to Ainslie, an
altitude of 2,377 feet, or, according to the map of
the Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowledge, of
2,286 feet, above sea-level; and though more than 30
miles distant from the sea, is visible 10 leagues from
. shore. The principal river is the Bogie. It is
formed by two rivulets, the burn of Craig, and the
burn of Corchinnan, both of which, flowing from
the west, meet at the manse. This beautiful little
river, after having run through a rich strath or valley,
to which it gives name, and having supplied the
bleachfields at Huntly with very soft and pure water,
falls into the Deveron a little below that village, and
12 miles from the place where it first took its name,
( j without reckoning the windings of the river. There
II is plenty of fine trout in it; but scarcely any salmon,
[ except in the spawning-season. The Don touches
[| the south-east corner of the parish, and there re-
ceives the Moffat, which divides Auchindoir from
Kildrummy. If we include a part of Kearn and
Kildrummy, the valley of Auchindoir is nearly sur-
rounded by a range of hills. From these, several
less hills shoot forward into this valley ; and the hills
are indented by gullies, and deep narrow hollows,
some of which run a great way back into the moun-
tains ; the whole presenting a prospect, which,
though confined, and in most places bleak, to the
admirers of wild and romantic scenery is by no
means unpleasant. Freestone is quarried here in
great abundance ; and that rare mineral, asbestos,
has been found in the bed of a streamlet flowing
from a hill called Towanreef. It is said that one of
the proprietors of the estate of Craig, on which
Towanreef is situated, had a hat-band made from the
asbestos obtained here. Serpentine of a dull dark
! green colour, and chromate of iron, are also found on
this hill. The valued rent of the parish is £1,322 1 Is.
4d. Scots ; the real rent, in 1792, was about £650 ;
I assessed property, in 1815, £1,345. Population, in
I 1801,739, in 1831, 1,030. Houses'218 This parish
I is in the presbytery of Alford and synod of Aberdeen.
I In 1791, by a decreet of the court of teinds, the parish
of Kearn was disjoined from that of Forbes, and an-
nexed to Auchindoir. Patron, the Earl of Fife. Minis-
ter's stipend £158 Is., with manse and glebe. Church
I built in 181 1 ; sittings 450. A United Secession con-
I negation was formed at Lumsden, in this parish, in
i^'34; chapel built in 1803; sittings 203. The popula-
I tion of the village of Lumsden, in 1836, was 235. The
parish-schoolmaster's salary is £30, with £21 10s. of
I fees, and other emoluments. There are two small pri-
vate schools: — " On a little hill close by the church
there \vas anciently a castle, said to be mentioned by
Uoetius ; but no traces of the walls of it remain. It
;ys been defended on three sides by rocks and pre-
cipices, and on the fourth by a moat or deep excava-
tion, evidently the work of art. There are several
Jther antiquities, such as tumuli, barrows, and some
'ittle hillocks called ' pest-hillocks,' about which last
radition is altogether vague and uncertain. In the
'Outh-east corner of the parish there is a spring
1 'ailed the Nine Maidens' well, near to which, tra-
dition says, nine young women were slain by a boar
that infested the neighbouring country. A stone
with some rude figures on it, marks the spot where
this tragical event is said to have happened. The
boar was slain by a young man of the name of Forbes,
the lover of one of the young women ; and a stone
with a boar's head cut on it was set up to preserve
the remembrance of his gallantry arid courage. The
stone was removed by Lord Forbes to his house of
Putachie ; and it is from this circumstance that a
boar's head is quartered in the arms of that family."
[Statistical report of 1792.]
AUCHINLECK, a parish of Ayrshire ; bounded
on the north by the parishes of Mauchline, Sorn, and
Muirkirk ; on the east by Muirkirk and Crawford-
John ; on the south by Kirkconriel, New Cumnock,
and Old Cumnock ; and on the west by Ochiltree.
It is a narrow strip of country, measuring 16 miles in
length, while it does not exceed 2 in average breadth.
Its area is estimated, in Aiton's ' View,' at 18,000
Scots acres, of which not one-third part is under cul-
tivation. The general appearance of the district is
wild arid bleak ; but the western part of it is more
generally cultivated and enclosed. There are some
coal-works in this parish which afford employment
to about 60 men, and free-stone and limestone
quarries. The value of coal and lime annually
obtained in this parish is estimated, in the Statisti-
cal report of 1838, at £2,990. The rivers Ayr and
Lugar skirt the boundaries of the parish, — the former
on the east, the latter on the south and west. The
principal heritor is Sir James Bos well, Bart., to
whose ancestor the barony of Auchinleck was grant-
ed by James IV. Boswell, the biographer of Dr.
Johnson, was of this family ; and carried his illus-
trious friend hither, while on their tour in Scotland,
to visit his father, Lord Auchinleck, one of the lords
of session. The Doctor appears to have been pleased
with his visit, arid it would appear at one time
entertained the idea of writing an history of the
Boswells of Auchinleck. " Lord Auchinleck," he
writes, " is one of the judges of Scotland, and there-
fore riot wholly at leisure for domestic business or
pleasure, yet has found time to make improvements
in his patrimony. He has built a house of hewn
stone, very stately and durable, and has advanced
the value of his lands with great tenderness to his
tenants. I was, however, less delighted with the
elegance of the modern mansion, than with the sul-
len dignity of the old castle. I clambered with Mr.
Boswell among the ruins, which afford striking
images of ancient life. It is, like other castles, built
upon a point of rock, and was, I believe, anciently
surrounded with a moat. There is another rock
near it, to which the draw-bridge, when it was let
down, is said to have reached. Here, in the ages of
tumult and rapine, the laird was surprised and killed
by the neighbouring chief, who perhaps might have
extinguished the family, had he not in a few days
been seized and hanged, together with his sons, by
Douglas, who came with his forces to the relief of
Auchinleck." Grose has preserved a view of the
old castle. Near it is the old house of Auchinleck.
In the upper part of the parish are the remains of
another old fortalice called Kyle castle. Population,
in 1801, 1,214 ; in 1831, 1,662. Valued rent £3,462
15s. 4d. Scots. Real rent, in 1799, £2,870. The
total yearly value of raw produce raised within this
parish was estimated, in 1837, at £16,035. Houses,
in 1831, 142. The village of Auchinleck is 1£
mile distant from Old Cumnock, and 15 from Ayr.
It contains about 600 inhabitants, and is intersected
by the Glasgow and Dumfries road. Many of the
families here arid throughout the parish are engaged
in flowering muslin by the needle. A lamb fair is held
here on the last Tuesday in August. — This parish is
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in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod of Glasgow arid
Ayr. Patron, Sir James Boswell, Bart. Church
built in 1838; sittings 800. Stipend £161 Is. lid.,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10. There is a
small Antiburgher chapel in the village. The paro-
chial schoolmaster has the maximum salary of £34
4s. 4Ad. There are three other schools in the parish,
which are attended by about 130 children.— The
parish of Auchinleck (generally pronounced Affleck
by the country-people) was the birth-place of William
M'Gavin of pious memory, the author of ' The Pro-
testant ;' and of William Murdoch, whose name is
associated with that of James Watt, in his splendid
career of scientific discovery and mechanical appli-
cation.
AUCHINLECK, a hill in Dumfries-shire, in the
parish of Closeburn, at the head of Nithsdale, rising
1,500 feet above sea-level.
AUCHINLOCH, a township in the under ward
and shire of Lanark, parish of Cadder ; 2 miles south
of Kirkiritillocb. It derives its name from an exten-
sive loch now drained, at the lower extremity of
which it stands. In 1744, Patrick Baird, a na-
tive of this place, bequeathed £325 for erecting a
school here: £15 of the interest to be paid annually
to the master, and £1 5s. to a young man, for
preaching a sermon at Auchinloch at Christmas
(the donor's birth-day), and to buy books and buns
for the scholars. To this donation, John Baird
added a piece of ground for a house and garden.
All the heritors possessed of a plough-gate of land
in the parish are patrons of the school. Population,
in 1831, 89.
AUCHLOSSEN (Locn), a lake in Aberdeen-
shire, in the parish of Lumphanan, about a mile long,
and nearly half-a-mile broad. It abounds with
various kinds of fish, and is frequented by flocks of
aquatic fowls. Pikes have been caught in it mea-
suring 6 feet in length, and weighing 25 Ibs.
AUCHMEDDEN, a small-fishing village on the
Moray frith, in the parish of Aberdour, in Aberdeen-
shire ; 3% miles west-north-west of Aberdour. Here
was formerly a small and convenient harbour, shel-
tered by a pier ; but it is now totally destroyed, and
it is with difficulty that fishing-boats can enter,
especially if there is any great agitation of the sea.
Here is a small school, the master of which, besides
the usual school-fees, has a salary of £2 Is. 8d.,
which is paid out of the interest of money mortified
for that purpose by one of the lairds of Auchmedden,
and his lady's sister, Lady Jean Hay, a daughter of
the Earl of Kinnoul, and of which the church-session
are trustees. In the face of a tremendous precipice
overhanging the sea is a mill-stone quarry of ex-
cellent quality. Auchmedden v\as long the resi-
dence of the very ancient and respectable family of
Baird.
AUCHMITHY, a fishing-village in the parish of
St. Vigean's, upon the German ocean, about 3^ miles
north-east of Arbroath. It is situate on a high
rocky bank, which rises about 120 feet above the
sea, and is irregularly built ; but contains several
good houses, upon feus granted by the Earl of
Northesk. The harbour is only a level beach in an
opening between the high rocks which surround this
part of the coast ; and, after every voyage, the boats
are obliged to be drawn up from the sea, to prevent
their being destroyed by the violence of the waves.
Near the village is The Gaylet pot, a remarkable
cavern into which the sea flows. See St. VIGEANS.
AUCHNACRAIG. See ACHNACRAIG.
AUQHTER ARDER, a parish in Perthshire. Its
name, derived from the principal town in it, signifies
' the Summit of the rising ground ;' which describes
exactly its situation on the ridge of an eminence in
the middle of Strathern, commanding, on the nort
and east, an extensive prospect of the adjacent com
try. The parish has united with it that of Abrutl
ven, which signifies ' the Mouth of the Ruthven,'
small river on which it lies, and which discharg<
itself into the Earn. The annexation of the tw
parishes seems to have taken place some conside
able time before the Revolution. Auchterardt
parish is of an irregular form : its greatest extent fro
east to west is about 3 miles, and from north to sou1
nearly 8 miles. It is bounded on the west by tt
parish of Blackford ; on the north by Trinity-Gask
on the east by Dunning ; and on the south by Glei
devon. The greater part of the parish is a flat ar
level country, lying on the south of the river Earn
it also includes in it some part of the Ochil hil]
particularly Craigrossie, which is one of the highe
of them, having an altitude of 2,359 feet above se
level. These hills are clothed to their summit wi1
grass, and afford good sheep-pasture. The gener
declination is from the base of the Ochils to tl
Earn. Almost the whole of the lower part of tl
parish is arable, and the northern declivity of tl
hills is arable a considerable way upwards. Tl
Earn produces salmon, and the large white ar
yellow trout ; it greatly beautifies the parish as we
as the adjacent country, but is sometimes prejudici
to the neighbouring tenantry, by overflowing i
banks in harvest. The Ruthven, which takes i
rise in the hills, about 3 miles beyond the westei
boundary of the parish, is a beautiful little river, ar
runs with an uniform and constant stream throuj
tke whole length of this parish from south-west
north-east. It passes about 1,200 yards to the soui
of the village of Auchterarder, and joins the Ea
about 4 miles from that village. This stream driv
a number of corn and lint mills. It abounds with
species of trout peculiar to itself, of a small size, b
remarkable for flavour and delicacy. This strea
also is liable to sudden and extensive floods.
1839, in particular, it did extensive damage i-n tt
way. The parish, and particularly the neighbou
hood of the town of Auchterarder, abounds with
hard and durable stone which is very fit both for buil
ing houses and dry-stone fences ; the quarries in t
neighbourhood of the town also afford grey slate
abundance. No coal has yet been found here,
the Statistical report of 1838, the acres under tl
plough in this parish are stated at 7,176; the was
or pasture at, 6,571 acres. There is only a snu
quantity of ground occupied by woods and rivei
and none at all by forests, or marshes ; about 3(
acres are under plantation. There are a couple
hundred acres in common at the west end of t
village of Auchterarder, called the moor of Auc
terarder, to which the inhabitants of Auchterard
send their cows to pasture. In its present state
is of no great value ; but were it improved, the val
of it would be vastly increased. Attempts ha
been repeatedly made to get it enclosed and divide
but hitherto it has been found impossible to settle t
respective claims of the various parties interested
it. The average rent of land, in 1792, was 20s. ;
1838, 30s. Population, in 1801, 2,042; in 183
3,315, of whom 1,981 were resident in the town
Auchterarder, and about 400 in the village
Smithyhaugh. Houses 475. Assessed property,
1815, £6,434.
This parish is in the presbytery of Auchterarde!
and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the Ea
of Kinnoul. Minister's stipend £199 14s. 2d., wit
a manse, and a glebe of the 'value of £17. Unal
propriated teinds £18 15s. lid. Church built i
1784; sittings 909. The old church of Abruthve
is still standing; it is roofless, but the walls ai
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and it has been suggested that it might be
tired and erected into a church for the village and
ict of Smithyhaugh. It is 2£ miles distant from
ihterarder church. A Relief'church was built in
iterarder in 1778 ; sittings 553. Minister's sti-
,£110, with manse and garden. A United
?ssion church was erected in 1813 ; sittings 500.
lister's stipend £100, with manse and garden.
a census taken by the church-elders, in Decem-
1835, it was ascertained that the population of
parish then amounted to 3,315, of whom 2,196
>nged to the establishment, and 1,070 were dis-
senters. There are seven schools in the parish.
The parochial schoolmaster has the maximum salary,
and about £40 of school-fees. Mr. Sheddan of
Lochie, in 1811, built and endowed a school here
with .£1,000, on condition of 12 poor children being
taught in it gratuitously. There is a subscription
school at Smithyhaugh. — This parish will long be
famous, in the ecclesiastical annals of the country,
for the singular struggle connected with the Veto
Act which had its origin here, and of which the
following is a brief but fair summary. The ex-
ercise of patronage was at one time very unpopular
in Scotland. It had been an early principle of
tke Church that clergymen should not be intruded
on parishes contrary to the consent of the parishion-
ers. When a patron presents, it is for the pres-
bytery to say whether the presentee is qualified,
and to refuse collation if he is not. The Church
now considers the presentees' acceptability to the
parishioners a necessary qualification, and in 1834
passed the ' Veto Act,' instructing all presbyteries
to reject presentees to whom a majority of male
heads of families in communion with the Church ob-
jected. In the case of the Auchterarder presenta-
tion, when this was acted on, the presentee brought
an action in the civil courts to declare it an undue
interference with his civil rights. The Church said
—This is a matter purely ecclesiastical. The civil
and the church-courts have their respective jurisdic-
tions. This is ours entirely, and the civil court must
not interfere. The Court of Session said — We care
not what you call it. We are here to protect men's
property. Patronage has been constituted property
:>y Act of Parliament. Whether rightly so or not,
t is a commodity that may be bought and sold.
You have attempted to deprive a proprietor of the
ise of it, under a pretence, and we must stop you.
The Church appealed to the House of Lords. The
judgment of the court below was confirmed ; but the
General Assembly declined to implement the decision
" the civil tribunals, holding itself irresponsible to
Jvil court for its obedience to the laws of Christ.
5 town of Auchterarder was once, perhaps, of
r note. It was a royal burgh, and sent a member
liament; and a great number of the houses hold
*e to this day. How it rame to lose its privi-
leges is not certainly known. It consists of one street
above a mile long. Besides six fairs every year, —
viz. on the last Tuesday of March, the first Thursday
Df May, and in each of the harvest-months, — there has
oeen a yearly tryst held here in the beginning of
October, since the year 1781, at which there has
?n always a great show of black cattle, previous to
tryst at Falkirk. Another fair is held on De-
iber 6th. About 60 years ago, a considerable
mfacture of yarn and narrow linen-cloth was car-
on in Auchterarder. The main business now if
of cotton weaving. There are about 500 looms,
11 ployed by Glasgow houses, in weaving pullicates,
j;hams, and stripes. The average nett weekly earri-
ngs of a cotton- weaver do not at present exceed 4s —
DM the 28th January, 1716, the Earl of Marr burnt
his town on the advance of the royalist troops under
Argyle upon Perth. Argyle arrived on the 30th, and
here passed the night upon the snow, " without any
other covering than the fine canopy of heaven."
[Annals of Geo. I., vol. ii. p. 222.] Auchterarder,
says Newte — who visited this place in 1782 — " seems
to have lain under the curse of God ever since it
was burnt by the army in the year 1715. The dark
heath of the moors of Ochill and Tullibardin, — a
Gothic castle belonging to the Duke of Athol, — the
naked summits of the Grampians seen at a distance, —
and the frequent visitations of the presbytery, who
are eternally recommending fast-days, and destroying
the peace of society by prying into little slips of life,
together with the desolation of the place, render
Auchterarder a melancholy scene, wherever you turn
your eyes, except towards Perth and the lower
Strathern, of which it has a partial prospect." [* Tour
in England and Scotland.' London, 1791. 4to. p. 252.]
When this superficial tourist penned his coarse and
unjust remarks on presbyterial visitations, he pro-
bably knew no more of the matter than he seems to
lave done of what he calls the Antimonian heresies of
the place. — At a little distance from Auchterarder, is a
village called the Borland-Park, built by government
'or the accommodation of the soldiers who were dis-
>anded after the war in 1763. Most of the soldiers
who were planted in it, left it very soon afterwards —
hough the terms of their settlement were very ad-
vantageous— either from dislike to the place, or more
>robably to their new mode of life — On the south
>f Auchterarder, and along the side of the Ruthveri,
s Miltovvn, a small village. — The village of Smithy-
laugh is of very recent origin. It is 2| miles east
of Auchterarder, and chiefly inhabited by cotton-
weavers — In the neighbourhood of Auchterarder,
and on the north side of the town, are the remains of
an old castle said to have been a hunting-seat of
King Malcolm Kenmore ; adjoining to which is a
small copse wood which commonly goes by the name
of the King's wood. — A little to the northward of
the castle, are the remains of a popish place of wor-
ship, commonly known by the name of the Old Kirk,
or St. Mungo's chapel. This was formerly the
jar ish- church ; the church-yard was the burying-
jround of the parish, — many of the inhabitants still
retain burying-places in it. — There are some traces
of encampments on the south-east of the village of
Auchterarder, at the foot of the Ochils. Perhaps
these were out-posts of the Roman camp at Ardoch.
About 60 years ago, there was found in a marl-pit, in
the parish, a pair of large horns, supposed to be those
of the Elk, or Eurus, which were sent to Edinburgh,
and are now in the custody of the Antiquarian so-
ciety. " The alteration in the' dress and manner of
living of the inhabitants, within these 30 or 40 years,
is not a little remarkable. Every body is now de-
cently and comfortably clothed, which perhaps was
not the case then ; and there is now four times the
quantity of butcher-meat used. About 25 or 30
years ago, there were but two sixpenny wheaten
loaves brought from Perth, to two private families,
in the week. There is now a baker in the village,
who sells bread to the amount of £200 a-year, and
about £80 worth is brought every year from Perth."
[Statistical report of 1792.] We have inserted this
statement as marking the progress of social comforts
in this -district. We need scarcely say that Auch-
terarder has been long abundantly supplied with
white bread as well as brown from its own ovens, and
that there is not a cottage in the parish within which
at least a couple of sixpenny wheaten loaves are not
consumed weekly.
AUCHTERDERRAN, a parish in the county of
Fife. It is of an irregular form, about 5 miles long
from north to south, and 3 broad. It is bounded
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by Auchtertool on the south; Abbotshall on the
south-east; Dysart on the east; Kinglassie and
Portmoak on the north ; and Ballingray on the west.
The valley in which this parish lies is surrounded on
the south, east, and west, by rising grounds, which are
of sufficient elevation to exclude the view of the frith
of Forth, although they are cultivated to the top.
The water of Orr flows through the parish from
north-west to south-east. It is a slow running
stream, rising in the north-west corner of the county,
flowing through Loch Fetty, and falling into the
Leven about 3 miles from its mouth. On the south-
ern border of the parish is a sheet of water measur-
ing nearly 3 miles in circumference, called Loch-
gelly, which discharges its waters, by a small rivulet,
into the Orr. Population, in 1801, 1,045 ; in 1831,
1.590, of whom 786 were resident in Lochgelly
village, and 77 were employed in the coal-mines
now opened in this parish. Houses, 331. Assessed
property, £5,669. The land-rent of the parish
in 1792 was .£2,000; it is now nearly £7,000.—
This parish is in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, and
synod of Fife. Patron, Boswell of Balmuto. Sti-
pend, £237 Us. 10d., with manse, and a glebe of
the annual value of £30. Unappropriated teinds,
£824 Os. lid. Church built in 1789. There is
a Secession church at Lochgelly. The parochial
schoolmaster has a salary of £34 4s. 4d., with
£25 school-fees. Average number of pupils, 60.
There are other two schools in the parish attend-
ed by about 150 children. — The venerable incum-
bent of this parish, who has twice drawn up the
Statistical Account of it, concludes his report of
1836 with the following interesting comparative
account of its progress during the last 40 years.
" Drunkenness, formerly rare, is now lamentably
frequent — Forty years ago emigration was thought
of with much reluctance; now the predilection for
the native spot has diminished, and emigration is
more readily embraced Forty years ago we were
accustomed to regard increase of population as in-
crease of national prosperity; now such increase
seems regarded as an obstruction. — Forty years ago
we had no medical gentlemen in the parish ; at pre-
sent two are resident. — Since the draining of our soil
and marshes obtained, the heron has nearly disap-
peared; and since our district became wooded, phea-
sants have reached our latitude. — Forty years ago
servants for husbandry were few in number, at
present they seem redundant. — Formerly coal-hew-
ers were inferior to other classes in morals and re-
spectability, here they are now nearly on a level. —
Forty, nay twenty, years ago, we had not one met-
alled road, now we have several. — Forty years ago
irregularity, multiplicity, and confusion of weights
and measures, pervaded all transactions, now we
have one philosophical and just standard — Forty
years ago the ministers of the Established church
generally delivered all their discourses from the pul-
pit without reading; now they are generally read
Forty years ago land was sold in Fife at 35 years'
purchase of the existing rental ; now it sells at 26
years' purchase of the present rental Forty years
ago rents were all paid here in money ; now they
begin to be paid in grain, at the rate of the county
fiars. — Forty years ago resurrectionists, as they are
called, were unheard of; now even the poor labourer
is under the hardship of providing safes for the graves
of his friends. — Forty years ago thrashing-machines
were unknown to us ; now they are become general,
and so beneficial that it is difficult to believe how
farming could be carried successfully on without
them — Forty years ago the different ranks in society
were distinguished from each other by their dress ; at
present there is little distinction in dress. — Forty-
nine years ago I was the youngest minister of tl
presbytery; now I am the oldest." ['New Statis
tical Account of Scotland, Fifeshire, pp. 173, 174.'"
AUCHTERGAVEN, a parish in the shire
Perth. It is 10 miles in length from east to we
and about 3 in average breadth from north to soutl
Its general surface measures nearly 20,000 acres;
but a great proportion of this consists of hills am
moors, or waste uncultivated ground. A arm*
neighbouring parish, called Logiebride, has been
nexed to Auchtergaven : but no account can be '
of the time when this annexation took place, eitl
from tradition, or from the records of presbytery,
which the parish is always named Oughter, or Aug
tergaven. The people residing in the district
belonged to Logiebride parish, however, still
tinue to bury in the churchyard at Logiebride ;
a part of the church is yet standing, and is used
a burying-ground by the family of Tullybelton.
is distant 2 miles from Auchtergaven church. Thi
parish is bounded on the north by the parish of Litt
Dunkeld ; on the east by Kinclaven parish ; on tl
south by the parishes of Redgorton and Moneydie
and on the west by Redgorton. A lower range
the Grampians skirts it on the north, some points
which exceed 1,000 feet in elevation. From tl
heights a number of streams descend towards
Ordie, a tributary of the Tay, which rising in a sr
lake in the hill of Tullybelton, flows through Strati
ordie in this parish, and unites with the Shochie
Luncarty. At Loak the Ordie receives the Ga
from Glen Garr. The bed of the Tay, near
Stanley, is crossed by a whin-dike, which hei
forms the celebrated Linn of Campsie. At the
of Birnam hill [altitude 1,300 feet,] there is
small secluded sheet of water which is frequente
by the heron. The great bittern (Ardea stellari
L.) has been shot in this neighbourhood. In tl
year 1784 Mr. Dempster of Dunnichen, and
Graham of Fintray, along with several gentlenu
in Perth, feued some ground at Stanley from tl
duke of'Atholl, built a mill for spinning cott
and soon after began to erect a village in it
neighbourhood. At that time only a few familu
dwelt near Stanley; and, except the land within
enclosures around Stanley house, most part of
district was almost in a state of nature. In 1!
there were two cotton-mills here, with a movin
power by water which was equal to 202 horse-po\v<
and employing 887 hands ; and the village contaii
a population of 1,500 souls. — This parish is in
presbytery of Dunkeld, and synod of Perth
Stirling. Patron, the Crown. Minister's stiper
£179 6s. 4d., with a manse and glebe. The chi
of Auchtergaven is finely situated upon the slope
a rising ground, half-a-mile eastward from the mans
and adjoining the public road from Perth to Dunkel
It is distant from Perth 8^ miles, and 6^ from Du
keld. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary
£34 4s. 4id., with about £12 fees. Pupils, '
There is a "private school at the village of Bankfo
within a quarter of a mile of the parish-school ;
another at Stanley, which is attended by about
children, and the master of which has a salary
£20, and a house, besides his fees, from the Ste
cotton-mill company. Besides these, there are otb<
three schools in the parish, — one at Stanley, one
Glack, and one at Nether-Olney Stanley house
beautifully situated upon the Tay, in the eastern p
of this parish. It was built by the late Lord Nairr
The family of Nairne had another elegant house m
Loak, the ruins of which are yet to be seen. It wa
purchased by the Duke of Atholl after the forfeiturt
of Lord Nairne, and thereafter demolished. Thetitl
of Nairne was revived in 1824 in the person of WU
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77
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Lord Nairne, who was succeeded by his son
lliam, 6th Lord Nairne, who died, without issue,
1837. The title is understood to have descended
the Baroness Keith. The Nairne family bury in
south aisle of Auchtergaven church.
UCHTERHOUSE, a parish in the south-west
?orfarshire, bounded on the north by Newtyle
Glammis parishes; on the east by Tealing arid
ithmartine; on the south by the parish of Liff,
the shire of Perth ; and on the west by Lundie
ish. Its greatest length is about 4^ miles, and
itest breadth 3^. About three-fourths of the
are arable. The range of the Sidlaw hills
ter it on the north-west, and in the north-east
! the hills of Auchterhouse and Bockello. Two
is, both rising in the parish of Lundie, flow
ugh the lower part of this parish, and uniting at
village of Dronlaw, form the Dighty water,
ch flows into the frith of Tay, about 4 miles east
Dundee. The turnpike road from Dundee to
" fie passes the kirk-town, which is 7 miles north-
of Dundee, and 100 feet above the sea~level.
Dundee and Newtyle railway passes through
bog of Auchterhouse. Population, in 1801, 653;
1831, 715. Houses, 125. Assessed property in
~ £3,118. Valued rent, £169 14s. 5d. Scots,
rent, in 1792, £2,000.— This parish is in the
sbytery of Dundee, and synod of Angus and
is. Patron, the Earl of Airlie. Minister's
ind, £229 Os. 2d., with a manse, and a glebe
" value of £12. Schoolmaster's salary, £34
. ; school-fees about £20. Church built in
The old church was a large and handsome
lie structure. — In the old Statistical account of
parish there are some curious extracts given
the parish-register, of which we select the fol-
y, the 1st of June, 1645, " there was but anes preach,
because of the eneime lying so neir hand."— On Sunday,
of July, there was no preaching, u because of the ene.
ing so neir the towne."— On the 5th of July, 1646, there
'imation made out of the pulpit, of a fast to be kept on
i of July, " because of the desolate etat and cure of
congregations which have been starved by dry-breasted
ers this long time bygone, and now are wandering like
'but sheepherds, and witnesseth no sense of scant; and
se of the pregnant scandal of witches and charmers within
art of the land."— O.i Sunday, the '27th of September, the
r-Ur read out of the pulpit " the names of those who were
UDunicat bee Mr. Robert Blair in the Kirk of Edinburgh,
the Earl of Airly, Sir Alexander Makdonald, the Lord
— , and some others."— On the 7th of January, 1649,
minister and twa of the elders went through the church
sermon, desiring the people to subscribe the covenant. "
i January, 1650, "the minister desired the session to make
"i every ane in their own quarter gave they knew of any
~ or charmers in the paroch, and delate them to the next
"—On Sunday the 18th of July, 1652, " Janet Fife
her publiek repentance before the pulpit, for learning M.
-toon to charm her child ; and whereas M. Robertson
i have done the like, it pleased the Lord before that time
11 upon her by death."— Nov. — , 1665, •• Mr. William
mer, minister and moderator of the presbyterie of Dun.
having preached, intimat to the congregation, Mr. James
ipble his suspension from serving the calling of the minis,
ne, till the synod assemblie of Dundee, for ane fornication
Committed betwixt him and dam Marjorie Ramsay, Countess
Buchanne; for the qlk, by the said presbyterie's order, he
>egaune his repentance on the pillare, and sat both sermons;
md is exhorted to repentance."— December <24th, " Mr. James
-amphle, for ane fornicati. "
are; up<
Jecembei
ornication co'mmitted with Mr. Ja
•eganne her repentance." — February 52d, 166J, " All kirk
essions are discharged till farder order*."
AUCHTERLESS, a parish in Aberdeenshire ;
>ounded on the north by the parish of Turriff ; on
he east by Fyvie; on the south by Fyvie, Rayne,
md Culsamond; and on the west by Forgue and
nverkeithnie. The Ythan river takes its rise near
ne south-western extremity of this parish, and runs
hrough it in a north-east direction, passing the kirk-
own, which is near the centre of the parish. At
he point where it enters the parish on the south-
eu 10 repentance. "— uecemoer Z4tb, " Mr. James
ipble, for ane fornication forsaid, being thryce in the pil-
i; upon evident signs of his repentance, was absolvit."—
ember 21, "That day the Countess of Buchanne, for ane
west from Forgue, are some traces of ancient en
campments supposed to be Roman. There are also
some Druidical circles within the parish. Population,
in 1801, 1,129; in 1831, 1,701. Houses, 325. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £2,930. Valued rent,
£3,153 7s. Sco'ts. Real rent about £2,000 This
parish is in the presbytery of Turriff, and synod of
Aberdeen. Patron, Duff of Hatton. Stipend,
£191 6s. 5d., with a manse, and a glebe of the
value of £13 13s. Unappropriated teinds, £171
5s. Id. Schoolmaster's salary, £34 4s. 4£d., with
about £21 fees. Average number of pupils 45.
There are other five private schools attended by
about 150 children.
AUCHTERMUCHTY, a small parish in the shire
of Fife, measuring 2^ mile's from east to west, and
about 2 from north to south. It is bounded on the
north by the Perthshire portion of Abernethy parish ;
on the east by Collessie; on the south by the river
Eden, which separates it from Strathmiglo ; and on
the west by Strathmiglo and Abernethy. From
its northern limits, where it rises to a considerable
elevation on the Ochils, the face of the country
slopes gently to the Eden. The soil is fertile and
well-cultivated. Average rent £3 per acre ; valued
rent £5,783 9s. lid. Scots. Assessed property, in
1815, £6,930. The heritors are numerous. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 2,060; in 1831, 3,225. Houses 670.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Cupar, and
synod of Fife. Patron, Bruce of Falkland. Stipend
£253 11s. 2d., with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£20. Unappropriated teinds £77 5s. 8d. Church
built ip 1780; sittings 900. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4£d., with about £15 school fees. Average
number of pupils 60. There are five private schools,
attended by about 240 children. Four of these are
in the town of Auchtermuchty, and one at Dunshelt.
There are four dissenting congregations in the parish,
two of which are in connexion with the United As-
sociate synod ; the third is connected with the Relief
synod ; and the fourth is a Baptist congregation.
Mr. John Glass, the founder of the Glassites, was
born in this parish, October 5, 1691, at which time
his father was minister of the parish.
The royal burgh of AUCHTERMUCHTY is situated
near the middle of the parish, about a mile from the
Eden, on the road from Cupar to Kinross, and from
Kirkaldy to Newburgh. A small burn flows through
it from Lochmill in Abdie parish, and joins the Eden
near Kilwhis. It is an irregularly built town, consist-
ing of three principal streets, and a number of lanes.
The East Lomond hill forms the finest object in the
surrounding landscape. This place was erected into
a royal burgh by a charter of James V., dated May
25, 1517, and confirmed by charter of James VI.,
dated October 28, 1595. It had not, however, exer-
cised its privilege of sending a member to parliament
for a considerable time before the Union. Since the
date of the 1 and 2 William IV., parties qualified in
terms of it, resident within the borough, have voted
in the election of the county-members. Population,
in 1833, 2,400, of whom 76 rented property within
the burgh amounting to £10 per annum and upwards.
The burgh having become bankrupt in 1816, the
whole property of the burgh — except the town-house,
jail, steeple, bell, and customs, which, on appearance
for the magistrates and the Crown, were held to be
extra communitaiem — was sequestrated in June, 1822,
and sold under authority of the court of session in a
process of ranking and sale. The present revenue
is about £30. The affairs of the burgh were for-
merly managed by a council of 15, and 3 baillies ;
the magistrates and council are now elected in terms
of the statute 3 and 4 William IV. There is a
weekly market held on Monday; and three public
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78
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fairs during the year, of which the principal one is
held on the 13th of July. There is a branch of the
Glasgow Union bank here. There are above bUO
looms in the burgh, and above 1,000 within the par-
ish. They are chiefly employed in the manufacture
of linen for Newburgh, cotton cloth for Glasgow and
Aberdeen, and woollen shawls for Tillicoultry. The
average weekly wages of a weaver are at present
about 4s. 6d. There is also a large bleachfield in the
vicinity of the town. — At the south-eastern extremity
of the parish is a large village called Dunshelt. — Im-
mediately to the south of the burgh is the fine old
castle of Myers, the property of Bruce of Falkland,
who purchased it from the Moncrieffs of Reedie.
Every one has heard of the humorous Scottish
poem, ' The Wife of Auchtermuchty,' which has been
ascribed, but most erroneously, to James V. We
shall quote a stanza or two :
In Aurhtermuchty dwelt a man,
An husband, as I heard it tnuld,
Quha well could tipple out a can,
And nowther luvit hungir nor cauld j
Till anes it fell upon a day,
He zokit his ple\vch upon the plain ;
But schort the storm wald let him stay,
Sair blew the day with wind and raiu.
He lowsd the plewch at the land's end,
And draife his owsen hame at erie ;
Quht-n he came in he blinkit ben,
And saw his wyfe baith dry and clene,
Set beikand by a fyre full bauld,
Suppand fat sowp, as I heard say :
The man beine weary, wet and cauld,
Betwein thir twa it was nae play.
Quod he, " Quhair is my horses corn ? »
My owsen has nae hay nor strae ;
Dame, ye maun to the plewch the morn,
I sail be hussy gif I may.
This seid-time it proves cauld and bad,
And r.e sit warm, uae troubles se j
The morn zt> sail gae with the lad,
And syne zeil ken what drinkers drie."
41 Gudeman," quod scho, " content am I,
To tak the plewch my day about,
Sae ye rule weil the kaves and ky,
And all the house baith in and out.
And now sen ze haif made the law,
Then gyde all richt and do not break ;
They sicker raid that neir did faw,
Therefore let naething be neglect"
The bargain proved, as might be anticipated, a
most unfortunate one for the gudeman, whose succes-
sive disasters in 'hussyskep' brought him 'meikle
schame,' fairly sickened him of his new employ-
ments before night-fall, and forced him upon the
sound reflection and wise resolution with which the
ballad closes :
Quod he, " When I forsuke my plewch,
I trow I but forsuke my skill !
Then I will to my plewch again,
For I and this house will nevir do weil."
AITCHTERTOOL, a small parish in Fifeshire,
about 2 miles in length, and one in breadth ; bound-
ed on the north by Auchterderran parish ; on the
east by Abbotshall ; on the south by Kinghorn and
Aberdour ; and on the west by Beath. The surface
is undulating, and rises towards the north. There
is a small village in the parish, and the church is
situated about half-a-mile to the west of it. The
ground about the church and manse is elevated and
commanding, and takes in a fine view of the sea to
the east, as far as the eye can reach, comprehending
in it the isle of May, the Bass, North-Berwick law,
and a point of the Lothian coast which stretches a
considerable way into the sea. There is one small
lake in the parish called Camilla Loch, in which are
dome perch. It takes its name from the old house
of Camilla adjacent to it ; which was so called after
one of the countesses of Moray, a Campbell The
vheri it
said to
ancient name of the house was Hallyards, when
belonged to the family of the Skenes. It is said
have been the rendezvous of the Fife lairds at the
rebellion in 1715. When James V. was on his ro
to the palace of Falkland, after the defeat of his
on the English border, under the command of Oliv
Sinclair, he lodged all night in the house of Hall-
yards, where he was courteously received by the
Lady of Grange, " ane ancient and godlie matrone
as Knox calls her. It seems then to have belonge
to the Kirkcaldies of Grange, a family of conside
able note in the history of Scotland. It is now a rui
Population, in 1801, 396; in 1831, 527. Houses 1 1
Assessed property, in 1815, £2,044. — This parish
in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, and synod of Fif
Patron, the Earl of Moray. Stipend £157 18s. lOd
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £20. Schoo
master's salary £29 18s. 10d., with about £30 fee
Average number of pupils 40. There are two pi
vate schools, attended by about 100 children.
AUGUSTUS (FORT), is situated on a sma
triangular plain, at the western extremity of Loch
Ness, in the parish of Boleskine, Inverness-shire ; 13
miles north of Garviemore-inn; 32£ south-west of
Inverness ; 29 north-east of Fort- William ; 5| miles
from the north-east end of Loch Oich ; and 144 fro
Edinburgh. It was erected on a part of the forfe
ed estate of Lord Lovat in 1729, and is a regul
fortification, with 4 bastions, defended by a ditc
covert-way, and glacis, and barracks capable of a
commodating 300 soldiers. It was until late yes
garrisoned by a company of soldiers, and supplied wi
provisions from Inverness; but the guns have be
removed to Fort-George, and there are only a ft
soldiers stationed here. The fortifications are
good repair ; but as the whole is commanded from t
neighbouring hills on every side, it is by no mea
capable of long resistance. It is a neat-looki
place ; the surrounding plantations, and the riv(
TarfFe and Oich which run by it, give it very mu
the appearance of an English country-seat. " Loo
ing down from the glacis," says Miss Spence, "t
eye commands the whole length of the lake,
miles. On the south side, bordered by lofty a
precipitous rocks as far as the eye reaches, witho
any interruption except the hanging gardens of Git
doe. On the north, a softer and more varied pr<
pect forms a happy contrast to the rude grande
of Suidh Chuiman, arid the dark heights of Strai
erick. Verdant bays retire from the view; wood
heights gently rising, and peopled glens of the m
pastoral description, intervene, — each divided by
blue narrow stream pouring in to augment 1
abundance of the lake. This last, in calm weath
holds a most beautiful and clear mirror to its Ip
and varied borders. In wintry storms its agitati
' resemble Ocean into tempest wrought.' The e
dying winds, which rush with inconceivable fu
down the narrow opening in the hills, make navig
tion dangerous from their violence and uncertain
The east wind — which sometimes prevails in win
for more than a month — raises tremendous wav
yet it is not so dangerous as the impetuous bla
which descend from the apertures between
mountains." ['Letters.' London, 8vo. 1817,
178, 179.] Fort Augustus was taken by the reb
in 1745, who deserted it after demolishing what th
could. The Duke of Cumberland established
head- quarters here after the battle of Culloden. Ir
mediately behind the fort is a small village call*
Killiecuming, or Cill Chuiman. The Caledonis
canal here passes through a series of five lock
There is a small church here, and a missiona
clergyman, who is supported from the Royal bount
S<?e ROLESKINE.
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iTJLD-DAVIE, a rivulet in Aberdeenshire, a
-tributary to the Ythan, into which it falls near
imailen. Near the confluence of the two streams,
le parish of Auchterless, are some relics of Ro-
antiquities, called the Rae or Ri dykes, sup-
by many to point out the Static ad Itunam of
itus. See ' Caledonia,' vol. i. p. 127 ; and Roy's
itary Antiquities,' Plate LI. See AUCHTERLESS.
lULDEARN, a parish in the county of Nairn ;
ided on the north by the Moray frith ; on the east
the parish of Dyke ; on the south by Ardlach ;
I on the west by Nairn. It extends 4 miles along the
; being in length about 6^ miles, and in breadth
it 5£. The ground rises gradually from the
»t to the inland part of the parish, where it be-
38 hilly. The soil is generally light and fertile
^portion to its vicinity to the sea. Near the
is a small lake, called Loch Loy, about 1£ mile
mgth, and a quarter of a mile broad. A fair for
and horses is held here on the 20th of June, if
day fall on a Wednesday or Thursday ; if not,
first Wednesday thereafter ; and another fair
eld on the first Tuesday after Inverness Novem-
fair. Population, in 1801, 1,401 ; in 1831, 1,613,
thorn 1,300 belonged to the established church,
ises 330. Assessed property £3,200. The vil-
of Auldearn, in the above parish, is a burgh
irony. It is 20 miles west of Elgin, and about
south-east of Nairn. Population about 400. —
parish is in the presbytery of Nairn, and synod
loray. Patron, Brodie of Brodie. Stipend £241
4d., \vith a manse, and a glebe valued at £12 10s.
)propriated teinds £360 5s. 3d. Church built
1751 ; repaired in 1816 ; sittings 525. There are
) catechists — A United Secession congregation
;ts at Boghole. Church built about 1780; repaired
317 ; sittings 353. Salary £80, with a manse and
i, and glebe worth £10. — The parochial school-
r has a salary of £37 6s., with £10 school-
average number of pupils 100. There are
private schools in the parish, attended by about
scholars. — It is rather remarkable that a very
portion, it is thought a great majority, of the
ibitants of the town of Nairn (not of the fishing-
s) have their burial places in Auldearn, and that
: they cling with a romantic feeling, the fune-
of the poorest being well-attended all the way.
>ther causes, the supposed greater sacredness of
soil of Auldearn, on account of its having been
icient seat of the deans of Moray, may perhaps
led as a reason for such a resort of funerals
Nairn, as well as many other places.
May, 1645, Montrose, while pursuing General
y in his retreat on Inverness, took up a position
the village of Auldearn, with 1,500 foot, and 250
j, where he was attacked by Hurry, now rein-
" by the clan Fraser, and the Earls of Seaforth
Sunderland. " The village of Auldearn stands
height, behind which, or on the east, is a
y, which is overlooked by a ridge of little emi-
es running in a northerly direction, and which
3t conceals the valley from view. In this hollow
itrose arranged his forces in order of battle,
ing formed them into two divisions, he posted the
L, wing on the north of the village, at a place where
i was a considerable number of dikes and ditches,
body, which consisted of 400 men, chiefly Irish,
placed under the command of Macdonald. On
ig their stations, Montrose gave them strict in-
tions not to leave their position on any account,
'ley were effectually protected by the walls
id them, riot only from the attacks of cavalry
of foot, and could, without much danger to
iselves, keep up a galling find destructive fire
ipou their assailants. In order to attract the best
troops of the enemy to this difficult spot where they
could not act, and to make them believe that Mcn-
trose commanded this wing, he gave the royal stan-
dard to Macdonald, intending, when they should get
entangled among the bushes and dikes with which
the ground to the right was covered, to attack them
himself with his left wing. And to enable him to
dp so the more effectually, he placed the whole of
his horse and the remainder of the foot on the left
wing to the south of the village. The former he
committed to the charge of Lord Gordon, reserving
the command of the latter to himself. After placing
a few chosen foot with some cannon in front of the
village, under cover of some dikes, Montrose firmly
awaited the attack of the enemy. — The arrange-
ments of Hurry were these. He divided his foot
and his horse into two divisions each. On the right
wing of the main body of the foot, which was com-
manded by Campbell of Lawers, Hurry placed the
regular cavalry which he had brought from the south,
and on the left the horse of Moray and the North
under the charge of Captain Drummond. The other
division of foot was placed behind as a reserve and
commanded by Hurry himself. — When Hurry ob-
served the singular position which Montrose had
taken up, he was utterly at a loss to guess his de-
signs ; and though it appeared to him, skilful as he
was in the art of war, a most extraordinary and no-
vel sight, yet, from the well-known character of
Montrose, he was satisfied that Montrose 's arrange-
ments were the result of a deep-laid scheme. But
what especially excited the surprise of Hurry, was
the appearance of the large yellow banner or royal
standard in the midst of a small body of foot station-
ed among hedges and dikes and stones, almost isolated
from the horse and the main body of the foot. To
attack this party, at the head of which he naturally
supposed Montrose was, was his first object. This
was precisely what Montrose had wished by com-
mitting the royal standard to the charge of Mac-
donald, and the snare proved successful. With the
design of overwhelming at once the right wing,
Hurry despatched towards it the best of his horse
and all his veteran troops, who made a furious attack
upon Macdonald's party, who defended themselves
bravely behind the dikes and bushes. The contest
continued for sometime on the right with varied suc-
cess, arid Hurry, who had plenty of men to spare,
relieved those who were engaged by fresh troops.
Montrose, who kept a steady eye upon the motions
of the enemy, and watched a favourable opportunity
for making a grand attack upon them with the left
wing, was just preparing to carry his design into
execution, when a confidential person suddenly rode
up to him and whispered in his ear that the right
wing had been put to flight. This intelligence was
not, however, quite correct. It seems that Mac-
donald— who, says Wishart, ' was a brave enough
man, but rather a better soldier than a general, ex-
tremely violent, and daring even to rashness' — had
been so provoked with the taunts and insults of the
enemy, that in spite of the express orders he had re-
ceived from Montrose on no account to leave his
position, he had unwisely advanced beyond it to at-
tack the enemy, and though he had been several
times repulsed he returned to the charge. But he
was at last borne down by the great numerical su-
periority of the enemy's horse and foot, consisting of
veteran troops, and forced to retire in great disorder
into an adjoining enclosure. Nothing, however,
could exceed the admirable manner in which he
managed this retreat, and the courage he displayed
while leading off his men. Defending bis body with
a large target, he resisted, single-handed, the assaults
of the enemy, and was the last man to leave the
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field. So closely indeed was he pressed by Hurry's
spearmen, that some of them actually came so near
him as to fix their spears in bis target, which he cut
off by threes or fours at a time with his broadsword.
It was during this retreat that Montrose received
the intelligence of the flight of the right wing ; but
he preserved his usual presence of mind, and to en-
courage his men who might get alarmed at hearing
such news, he thus addressed Lord Gordon, loud
enough to be heard by his troops, ' What are we
doing, my lord? Our friend Macdonald has routed
the enemy on the right and is carrying all before
him. Shall we look on, and let him carry off the
whole honour of the day ?' A crisis had arrived,
and not a moment was to be lost. Scarcely, there-
fore, were the words out of Montrose's mouth, when
he ordered his men to charge the enemy. When his
men were advancing to the charge, Captain or Ma-
jor Drummond, who commanded Hurry's horse, made
an awkward movement by wheeling about his men,
and his horse coming in contact with the foot, broke
their ranks and occasioned considerable confusion.
Lord Gordon seeing this, immediately rushed in
upon Drummond's horse with his party, and put them
to flight. Montrose followed hard with the foot,
and attacked the main body of Hurry's army, which
he routed after a powerful resistance. The veterans
in Hurry's army, who had served in Ireland, fought
manfully, and chose rather to be cut down standing
in their ranks than retreat; but the new levies from
Moray, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness, fled in great
consternation. They were pursued for several miles,
and might have been all killed or captured if Lord
Aboyne had not, by an unnecessary display of en*
signs and standards, which he had taken from the
enemy, attracted the notice of the pursuers, who
halted for some time under the impression that a fresh
party of the enemy was coming up to attack them.
In this way, Hurry and some of his troops, who were
the last to leave the field of battle, as well as the
other fugitives, escaped from the impending danger,
and arrived at Inverness the following morning. As
the loss of this battle was mainly owing to Captain
Drummond, he was tried by court-martial at Inver-
ness and condemned to be shot, a sentence which was
carried into immediate execution. He was accused
of having betrayed the army, and it is said that he
admitted that after the battle had commenced he had
spoken with the enemy. The number of killed on
both sides has been variously stated. That on the
side of the covenanters has been reckoned by one
writer at 1,000, by another at 2,000, and by a third at
3,000 men. Montrose, on the other hand, is said
by Gordon of Sallagh to have lost about 200 men ;
while Spalding says, that he had only ' some twentj'-
four gentlemen hurt, and some few Irish kill-
ed ;" and Wishart informs us that Montrose* only
missed one private man on the left, and that the
right wing, commanded by Macdonald, 'lost only
fourteen private men.' This trifling loss on the
part of Montrose will appear almost incredible, and
makes us inclined to think that it must have been
greatly underrated ; for it is impossible to conceive
that the right wing could have maintained the ar-
duous struggle it did without a large sacrifice of life.
The clans who had joined Hurry suffered consider-
ably, particularly the Frazers, who, besides unmar-
ried men, are said to have left dead on the field no
less than eighty-seven married men. Among the
principal covenanting officers who were slain, were
Colonel Campbell of Lawers, and Sir John and Mr.
Gideon Murray, and Colonel James Campbell, with
several other officers of inferior note. The laird of
Lawers' brother, Archibald Campbell, with several
other officers were taken prisoners. Captain Mac-
donald and William Macpherson of Invereschie, we
the only persons of any note killed on Montrc
side. Montrose took several prisoners, whom, wit
the wounded, he treated with great kindness. Sue
of the former as expressed their sorrow for havir
joined the ranks of the covenanters he released-
others who were disposed to join him he receive
into his army, but such as remained obstinate he ir
prisoned. Besides taking sixteen standards from
enemy, Montrose got possession of the whole of th<
baggage, provisions, and ammunition, and a coi
siderable quantity of money and valuable effe
The battle of Auldearn was fought on the 4th
May, according to some writers, and on the
according to others." [Browne's ' History of the Hig
lands,' vol. i. pp. 382— 385.]— The Rev. Mr.
clay, of Auldearn, has shown his good taste in coll
ing and replacing, at considerable personal exp<
and trouble, various ancient monuments which he
long lain scattered about the interesting churchys
of his parish. He has also restored the original ii
scriptions of a tombstone and tablet — the latter
the ancient choir attached to the church — which w€
intended to commemorate the heroes of the Cov
nant who fell at the battle of Auldearn. The toml
stone is inscribed thus : — " Heir lyeth Captaine Bt
nard M'Kenzie, who, in defence of his religion
countrie feighting, died at Aulderne the 8 of
an. 1645." The tablet bears — " This monument
erected be Sir Robert Innes, younger of that ilk,
memorie of Sir Alexander Dromond of Meedhc
Sir Johne Morray, and Maister Gideon Morray,
lies heir intered, who, fighting valiantly in defe
of their religione, king, and native countray, died
Auldearn the 8 May, 1645."
AULDTOWN. See LOUDON.
AULTGRANDE, or ALTGRAD, a river in R<
shire, in the parish of Kiltearn, which rises in
Glass, about 6 miles from the sea, and, after a wii
ing course, falls into the frith of Cromarty, about
mile north of Kiltearn. For a considerable way
runs through a vast chasm, occasioned by a slip
the sandstone strata, called the Craig-grande
Ugly-rock, of which Dr. Robertson, in the first St
tistical report of Kiltearn, gives the following J
scription : — " This is a deep chasm or abyss, fc
by two opposite precipices that rise perpendic
to a great height, through which the Ault£
runs for the space of two miles. It begins at
distance of 4 miles from the sea, by a bold proj(
into the channel of the river, which diminishes
breadth by at least one-half. The river contitu
to run with rapidity for about three quarters
mile, when it is confined by a sudden juttirig-out
the rock. Here the side-view from the summil
very striking. The course of the stream being
impeded, it whirls and foams and beats with violer
against the opposite rock, till, collecting strength,
snoots up perpendicularly with great fury, and, fo
ing its way, darts with the swiftness of an arr
through the winding passage on the other si(
After passing this obstruction, it becomes in ma
places invisible, owing partly to the increasing dep
and narrowness of the chasm, and partly to the vi<
being intercepted by the numerous branches of
which grow out on each side of the precipice. Al
a quarter of a mile farther down, the country
have thrown a slight bridge, composed of trunks <
trees covered with turf, over the rock, where tr.
chasm is about 16 feet broad. Here the observer,
he can look down on the gulf below without an
uneasy sensations, will be gratified with a view equa
ly awful and astonishing. The wildness of the stet
and rugged rocks, — the gloomy horror of the cliffs ar
caverns, where the genial rays of the sun never y<
AUL
81
AVE
•netrated, — the waterfalls, which are heard pouring
nvnin different places of the precipice with sounds
rious in proportion to their distances, — the hoarse
hollow murmuring of the river, which runs at
depth of near 130 feet below the surface of the
th, — the fine groves of pines which majestically
imb the sides of a beautiful eminence that rises im-
jdiately from the brink of the chasm, — all these ob-
;s cannot be contemplated without exciting emo-
is of wonder and admiration in the mind of every
lolder."
AULTMORE, a rivulet in Banffshire, which falls
the Isla, near Auchinhove. It rises in the ridge
Altmore in Ruthven parish, and has a southernly
rse of about 5 miles.
AUSDALE, a small village in the parish of La-
>n, Caithness-shire. It is 4 miles south-west of
jrridale.
AUSKERRY, one of the Orkneys ; constituting
rt of the parish of Stronsay. It is a small, un-
abited island, lying 2£ miles to the south of
ronsay, and is appropriated to the pasturage of
tie arid sheep. Here are the remains of a chapel ;
id also the ruins of a house which retains the appel-
tion of The Monker, or Monk's house. A great
intity of kelp used to be manufactured here.
AUTORSKYLE, or ACH-TA-SKAILT, a hamlet
the shire of Cromarty, though locally situate in
shire of Ross : it is in the parish of Loch Broom,
is situated on the southern shore of Little Loch
at the point where the Little Broom flows
to the head of the loch.
AVEN* (THE), or AVON, a river which issues
>m a small lake of the same name which lies em-
led among the vast mountains of Cairngorm, at
altitude of about 1,800 feet above sea-level. [See
tide AVEN (Locn.)] It flows northwards through
i narrow valley, and being joined by the Li vat and Ter-
at Castle Drummin, tails into the Spey at Ballin-
lloch, on the right bank, after a course of nearly
miles through a wild country. It abounds with
it. " The Aven issues in a large stream from its
ce, and flows with so great pellucidity through its
jep and dark glen, that many accidents have oc-
irred to strangers by its appearing fordable in places
t'hich proved to be of fatal depth. This quality is
rked by an old doggerel proverb,
1 The water of Aven runs so clear,
It would beguile a man of an hundred year.'
it Poll-du-ess, a little way above the first inhabited
called Inchrory, the river is bounded by per-
idicular rocks on each side. There the bed of the
am is 44 feet broad, and the flood (in August,
),) was 23 feet above the usual level. Deep as
ravine was, the river overflowed the top of it.
rom correct measurements taken, the column of
iter that passed here, with intense velocity, ap-
rs to have been about 1,200 square feet in its
» Mr. Thomas Richards, in his « Antiquae Linguae Britanni-
Thesaunis,' under the article Afon, observes : •' Avon is the
>er name of several rivers in England; as Avon, the river
Jrietol ; the Avon in Northamptonshire; another in War-
sshire, where there is a town called Stratford-upon-Avon,
p., for which this reason is to be assigned, viz. that the Eng-
-h, \vtien they drove the Britons out of that part of Great
tain, called Irom them England, took the appellatives of the
inhabitants for proper names; and so, by mistaking Avon,
lich, with us, signifies only a river in general, it came to
rve with them for the proper name of several of their rivers."
Ir. Ireland says that the name Avon, or Evon, is common to
vers whose course is easy and gentle. There are three rivers
i Scotland which bear this name, besides several minor streams.
i term Avon is also prefixed to the names of several Scottish
ns : such as the Avon-Brouchag, and the Avon-Coll, in
.oss-shire; the Avon- Adail, and the Avon-Araig, in Argyle-
lire. Chalmers tays that the terra Amon, is merely a varia-
nt of Aeon; and, in confirmation of this, we may remark
«t the Almond of Perthshire is sometimes called Almon, and
metimes Avon,
transverse section. '' [Sir T. D. Lander's Account
of the Great Floods of August 1829, p. 233.] At
Ballindalloch the rise of the Aven exceeded that in
the flood of 1768 by 6 feet.
AVEN (THE), or AVON, a river which takes its
rise in the parish of Cumbernauld, in Stirlingshire,
from Loch Fanny-side ; and, receiving considerable
additions in passing east, and then north-east through
Slamannari and Linlithgow parishes, falls into the
Forth, about half-way between Grangemouth and
Borrowstonriess. Its estuary, like that of the
Carron water, about 2 miles to the west, is a deep
muddy cut through the wide extent of sands and
sleeches which appear here at low water on the side
of the frith. Its whole course, including windings, is
about 20 miles, throughout 16 of which it forms the
boundary betwixt the shires of Stirling and Linlith-
gow. In the parish of Muiravon the Union canal is
carried across this river by a splendid aqueduct. See
FORTH AND CLYDE UNION CANAL.
AVEN (THE). See AVON.
AVEN (Loon), a small solitary sheet of water,
in the south-west extremity of Banffshire. It is
deeply embosomed amidst huge mountains. On its
western and northern edges, Cairngorm and Ben-
Buinac shoot up perpendicularly ; while the vast limbs
of Ben-Macdhu and Ben-Main overhang its southern
extremity in frightful masses. Professor Wilson
has thus described this lonely mountain-tarn : " You
come upon the sight of it at once, a short way down
from the summit of Cairngorm, and then it is some
two thousand feet below you, itself being as many
above the level of the sea. But to come upon it so
as to feel best its transcendent grandeur, you should
approach it up Glenaven — and from as far down
as Inch-Rouran, which is about half-way between
Loch Aven and Tomantoul. Between Inchrorv and
Tomantoul the glen is wild, but it is inhabited ;
above that house there is but one other; and for
about a dozen miles — we have heard it called far
more — there is utter solitude. But never was there
a solitude at once so wild — so solemn — so serene — so
sweet ! The glen is narrow ; but on one side there
are openings into several wider glens that show you
mighty coves as you pass on ; on the other side the
mountains are without a break, and the only varia-
tion with them is from smooth to shaggy, from dark
to bright ; but their prevailing character is that of
pastoral or of forest peace. The mountains that
show the coves belong to the bases of Ben- Aven and
Ben-y-buird. The heads of those giants are not
seen — but it sublimes the long glen to know that it
belongs to their dominion, and that it is leading us
on to an elevation that ere-long will be on a level
with the roots of their topmost cliffs. The Aven
is so clear — on account of the nature of its channel — .
that you see the fishes hanging in every pool ; and
'tis not possible to imagine how beautiful in such
transparencies are the reflections of its green ferny
banks. For miles they are composed of knolls, sel-
dom interspersed with rocks, and there cease to be
any trees. But ever and anon we walk for a while
on a level floor, and the voice of the stream is mute.
Hitherto sheep have been noticed on the hill, but
not many, and red and black cattle grazing on the
lower pastures ; but they disappear, and we find
ourselves all at once in a desert. So it is felt to be,
coming so suddenly with its black heather on that
greenest grass ; but 'tis such a desert as the red-deer
love. We are now high up on the breast of the
mountain, which appears to be Cairngorm ; but such
heights are deceptive, and it is not till we again see
the bed of the Aven that we are assured we are still
in the glen. Prodigious precipices, belonging to
several different mountains — for between mass and
AVI
82
AVO
mass there is blue sky — suddenly arise, forming them-
selves more and more regularly into circular order,
as we near ; and now we have sight of the whole
magnificence ; yet vast as it is, we know not yet
how vast ; it grows as we gaze, till in a while we
feel that sublimer it may not be ; and then so quiet
in all its horrid grandeur we feel too that it is beau-
tiful, and think of the Maker." [' Remarks on the
Scenery of the Highlands,' pp. 43, 44. J
AVICH (LocH), a fresh water lake in Nether
Lorn, Argyleshire, on the west side of Loch Awe,
from which its north-east extremity is about 2 miles
distant. Its western extremity is about 4 miles dis-
tant from the head of Loch Melfort. It is about 8
miles in circumference, and its appearance is enriched
by some beautiful little islands. It is sometimes
called Loch Luina.
AVIEMORE, a village in the shire of Moray,
and parish of Duthil ; on the western bank of the
Spey ; 13| miles north-east of Pitmain, and 126 miles
north-north-west of Edinburgh. There is a good
inn here at the base of Craigellachie. The scenery
betwixt Grantoun and Aviemore is somewhat tame
and uninteresting; but the view becomes sublime
when, after passing Aviemore inn, we ascend an
eminence which commands the plain of Alvie and
the course of the Spey, bounded by the lofty moun-
tains beyond Pitmain. Near Avielochan, about 2£
miles to the eastward of Aviemore, is Loch-na-
mhoon, a small sheet of water about 90 yards long,
by 50 across, in which there was, previous to the
great floods in 1829, a floating island of about 30
yards diameter. It was composed chiefly of eriophori,
junci, and other aquatic plants, the foots of which
had become matted together to a depth of about 18
inches, and having about 18 inches of soil attached
to them. [Sir T. D. Lauder's Account of the Moray
Floods, pp. 189, 190.] — The elegant plant, Andro-
meda caerulea of LinnaBUS, has been found on the hills
near Aviemore.
AVOCH, in old records, written AVACH or
AUACH, and commonly pronounced Auch, a parish in
Ross-shire, and one of the eight parishes comprehend-
ed within the ancient district of Ardmeanach or the
Black Isle. It extends about 2£ miles from east to
west, arid 4 from south to north ; and is nearly of a
rhomboidal form. It is bounded by the parish of
Rosemarky towards the east ; by the Moray frith
and Munlochy bay on the south-east, south, and
south-west ; by the united parishes of Kilmuir- Wes-
ter and Suddie, on the west ; by Urquhart or Ferrin-
tosh on the north-west ; and by the united parishes
of Cullicudden and Kirkmichael on the north. It
marches with these last on the hill of Mulbuy, or
Maole-buidhe, which attains here an altitude of 800
feet above sea-level, and extends nearly the whole
length of the Black Isle, from Cromarty to Beauley.
This parish consists chiefly of two ridges of hills of
moderate altitude, running nearly parallel to each other
in a direction from east to west, with a gently sloping
vale on the north side of each, and the Mulbuy rising
behind all these towards the north. In Munlochy bay
there is an excellent quarry of hard reddish freestone,
accessible to boats on the water-edge. Out of this
quarry almost the whole of the extensive works of
Fort-George were built. The Moray frith at Avoch
is about 4 miles broad ; and a finer basin is scarcely
to be seen in the North. To an observer on this
shore it has all the appearance of a beautiful lake.
Chanonry point from the north, and that of Arder-
sier from the south-east, appear like projected arms
to clasp each other and break-off its connection with
the sea; while the point of Inverness, and the hills
in that neighbourhood, seem to bound it in like man-
ner in an opposite direction. The town of Inverness,
at the one end, and Fortrose and Fort-George at the
other, add much to the landscape. From a boat in
the middle of the frith, opposite to Culloden-house
and the bay of Avoch, the view is still grander and
more embellished. In the southern vale there is
a fine rivulet, called the burn of Avoch — perhaps
the largest stream in Ardmeanach — which empties
itself into the sea near the church. A small lake,
called Scaddin's loch, near the eastern boundary of
this parish, was drained many years ago. Sir James
W. Mackenzie of Scat well, Bart, is proprietor of two-
thirds of the parish. His seat of Rosehaugh-house
stands on a beautiful bank, about H mile from the
sea, on the north side of the southern vale. The area
of this parish is about 7,000 acres. The total gross
rental, in 1790, was somewhat more than 730 bolls of
victual, and £900 sterling. The valued rent is
£2,531 6s. 4d. Scots. Assessed property, in 1815,
£4,144. Population, in 1801, 1,476 ; in 1831, 1,956.
Houses 389 — This parish is in the presbytery of
Chanonry and synod of Ross. Patron, Sir J. W.
Mackenzie, Bart. Stipend £249 9s. 6d., with
manse, and a glebe of the value of £7 10s. Unai
propriated teinds £74 18s. 5d. Church repaired
1792. Schoolmaster's salary £30, with about £11
fees. There are four private schools. Number
children at school, in 1834, about 240.
In 1793, the Statistical reporter stated :— " The
is not one surgeon, or attorney, or Roman Catholi<
or Jew, or negro, or gypsey, or foreigner ; nor any
tive of England, Ireland, or the British colonies,
siding at present in this parish. About the end of 1?
century, there was only one fishing-boat here, th(
crew of which resided in the country. The village
Seatown, which contains at present .93 families, hi
been mostly if not entirely built since that period ;
and the fishermen there are now equal to any in the
north of Scotland, for hardiness, skill, and industry,
though their distance from the main ocean subjec'
them to many inconveniences. From the beginnii
of October to the middle of March, they common]]
fish for herrings in these upper parts of the frit "
Towards the end of March and in April they
down along the coasts of Moray and Caithness,
cod, skate, and haddocks. In May and June,
of them are engaged by the Northumberland fishii
company to catch lobsters for the London mark*
on the shores of Easter Ross about Tarbet-point
The others, during those months, work at the hi '
dock-fishing, to supply the towns of Inverness
Fortrose, and the western part of the Black Isl
About the middle of July, all the able fisherm<
here go off to Caithness and Loch Broom, for six
eight weeks, when the herring-fishery at those st
tions 19 commonly most favourable ; and in good
years they have been known to bring home from
thence, £8 or £10 sterling each man of nett gain.
They generally return in September to prepare for
the season at home, which, owing to the small depth
and clearness of this frith, begins only about the
autumnal equinox, or a fortnight thereafter. The
same causes oblige the fishermen, for the most part,
to delay their work here till evening or night, as the
herrings are then caught in much greater numbers
than during the day. In good seasons, it is not un-
common for each boat to bring in the quantity o
from 18 to 25 barrels in one night. When the shoa
comes up in the end of June or beginning of July
the herrings prove generally best and most plentiful
In winter 1786-7, besides those used at home, fiv-
er six thousand barrels were cured here for exporta
tion ; and several sloops also were despatched wit
Full cargoes of unpacked herrings for Dunbar an
other towns on the east coast. The fishing-boa!
used here are of a small size ; their keel being onl
AVO
83
AVO
26 or 27 feet in length ; the mouth from 30 to 32 feet
long, arid LO feet wide. The depth is so proportion-
ed to these dimensions as that they may sail well,
and may carry, besides the crew and their fishing
tackle, 3 or 4 tons safely. Six of these boats,
wrought by seven men each for the white fishing,
and two or three smaller ones or yawls occupied by
old men arid boys, belong to the place. During the
herring-season they fit out a good many more: as
tour men, with a boy to steer, serve this purpose,
and they then hire some additional hands from the
country. ^Vhen the season here proves successful,
the fishing-boats of Nairn, Delnies, Campbeltown,
and Petty, join them ; and some likewise from Easter
lloss, Cromarty, Rosemarky, Fortrose, and Kessock ;
so that, even in this upper part of the frith, 60 or
80 herring-boats, containing above 300 men, may be
seen at times plying together on the same stream.
The quantity of canvas carried by the Avoch men,
and some others in this neighbourhood, is very much
disproportioned to the small size and burden of their
boats. The length of the mast is generally above
30 feet. On this they hoist an immense oblong sail,
containing nearly 80 square yards, or 700 square feet
of cloth. And they carry a foresail besides, on a pple
at the boat stem, of the same oblong form, but only
a tenth part of the size of the other. Their skill
and alertness in setting and reefing those sails, ac-
cording to the wind and weather, and the course
they mean to pursue, are wonderful. No less re-
markable are the inhabitants of this thriving village
in general for their industry and diligence. They
manufacture, of the best materials they can procure,
not only all their own fishing-apparatus, but also a
great quantity of herring and salmon nets yearly for
the use of other stations in the North and West
Highlands. From Monday morning to Saturday
afternoon, the men seldom loiter at home 24 hours
at a time, when the weather is at all favourable for
going to sea; and the women and children, besides
the care of their houses, and the common operations
of gathering and affixing bait, and of vending the fish
over all the neighbouring country, do a great deal of
those manufactures. Some of their families also
cultivate from a rood to half-an-acre of potatoes
yearly for their own supply ; and others, whose chil-
dren are more advanced, raise and dress for the her-
ring nets a good quantity of hemp. Even the aged
and infirm employ themselves as busily as they can
at making and baiting hooks, and mending nets : so
that, except for a few days about Christmas, or on
the occasion of a fisher's wedding, there are none but
little children idle in the whole Seatown. And this
their industry turns out to good account ; for they
bring up and provide for their families decently in
eir sphere ; they pay honestly all the debts they
ntract in the country ; and, considering the number
widows, and fatherless, and of infirm and aged
rsons among them, very few of this village, except
cases of great emergency, are found to solicit the
sistance of either public or private charity. The in-
bitaritsof Seatown live more comfortably than those
the country ; and they begin now to build neat
mmodious houses which cost above .£20 sterling,
ch. Among the fishers, it is usual for both sexes
marry at or under 20 years of age ; and o
veral of their families, there are four generations
ow living in the place. Their women are, in gen-
al, hardy and robust, and can bear immense bur-
ens. Some of them will carry a hundred weight o
et fish a good many miles up the country. As the
ay is flat, and no pier has yet been built, so that th
)oats must often take ground a good way off from
he shore, these poissardes hare a peculiar custom o
•arrving out and in their husbands on their b»cks
to keep their men's feet dry,' as they say. They
bring out, in like manner, all the fish and fishing
:ackles ; and at these operations they never repine to
wade, in all weathers, a considerable distance into
;he water. Hard as this usage must appear, yet
.here are few other women so cleanly, healthy, or so
ong livers in the country." The interesting account
icre given of the habits of the fishing-population of
Seatown, or Avoch, as it is now generally called,
may be compared with our notices of the same class
of people under the articles FISHERROW and NEW-
HAVEN. In 1831, the number of families in the
wish of Avoch engaged in the fisheries on the
coast was 84.
AVON (THE), or EVAN, a small tributary of the
Annan, falling from the heights on the borders of
Peebles-shire, and joining the Annan on its west
jank below Moifat. See article, THE ANNAN.
AVON (THE), or AVEN, a beautiful stream in
Lanarkshire, a tributary of the Clyde. It rises on
the south of Distinetthorn hill in Ayrshire, at ati
elevation of about 800 feet above sea-level, and
flows north-east between Carnscoch hill in Ayrshire,
and Gravstone hill in Avondale parish, to Torfoots,
a little below which it is joined by the Glengivel or
Glengeil water, flowing from the south. Two miles
farther on it is joined by Drumclog burn, coming from
Moss Malloch on the north. A mile and a half be-
low this point it receives the Little Cadder from the
north, and soon after Lockart water from the south.
Passing about a mile to the south of the town of
Strathaven, it receives its largest tributary, the Kype,
which flows from the south, and precipitates itself near
its mouth over a cascade of about 50 feet in height.
From this point it pursues a north-east course through
Avondale and Stonehouse parishes, till it touches the
western boundary of Dalserf, where it turns nearly
north, and, after forming the dividing line betwixt
Dalserf and Stonehouse parishes, enters the parish ot
Hamilton, flows through the Duke of Hamilton's
ground, passes to the south of the town of Hamilton,
and falls into the Clyde about a mile to the south-
east of that town, after a course of about 28 miles
including windings. The Lanarkshire Avon is a
beautiful stream, and gives name to the parish ot
Avondale or Strathaven, which it divides into two
nearly equal parts. The upper part of its course is
through a district very destitute of wood ; but in the
lower part it presents much pastoral beauty. The
name of this river is uniformly pronounced Aivonby
the people of the district.
AVONDALE, or AvENDALE,a parish in Lanark-
shire ; bounded on the north by the parishes of Kil-
bride and Glassford ; on the east by Glassford arid
Stonehouse; on the south by Lesmahagow, and
Muirkirk in Ayrshire ; and on the west by Loudon,
Galston, and Sorn parishes in Ayrshire. Its great-
est length, from Avonhead on the south-west, to
Righead on the north-east, is about 14 miles; its
greatest breadth, from Regal hill on the south, to
the boundary of Kilbride parish on the north, is
about 8 miles. The total superficies of this parish
must be nearly 40,000 acres ; and the present rental
about .£20,000. Valued rent £7,650 Scots. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £16,287. Hamilton ot
Wishaw, in his account of the sheriffdom of Lanark,
compiled about the beginning of last century, de-
scribes this " great paroch," as " a plentiful country,
especially in grain, and no want of corns." Its
agricultural reputation is still good ; its dairy hus-
bandry is particularly celebrated ; and in the art of
fattening calves for the butcher, the farmers of Strath-
averi are unrivalled in Scotland. [The agricultural
reader will find the system of calf-rearing as practised
here described in a paper by Mr. Aiton of Hamilton,
AVO
84
AWE
in the ' Quarterly Journal of Agriculture,' vol. x. p.
249.] The upper part of the parish is wholly moor-
land, and presents a succession of hills, mosses, and
moors, on which there is capital grouse-shooting.
The fertility of the soil, and consequent richness of
cultivation and beauty of landscape, increases as we
descend the strath of the Avon, which below Strath-
averi becomes, as Wordsworth has described it in one
of his sonnets, ' a fertile region green with wood.' In
very ancient times the great Caledonian forest extend-
ed up Avondale, by Strathaven, and, passing over the
high ground near Loudon hill, entered Ayrshire.
Trunks of huge oaks, the relics of this forest, have been
discovered near the head of the Avon, and amongst
the mosses that still exist here ; and at Chatleherault,
in the neighbourhood of Hamilton, there still exist
some noble ashes and oaks, the remnants probably of
the ancient forest. [See a paper by Thomas Brown,
Esq., in 'Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal.'
July, 1834.] — The principal river in this parish has
been described in the immediately preceding article ;
and the reader is referred to the separate article
STRATHAVEN, for an account of the principal village.
The Duke of Hamilton is the principal heritor in
Avondale ; but property here is greatly subdivided.
Hamilton of Wishaw states that " this baronie did
anciently belong to the Bairds ; and thereafter came
to Sinclair ; arid from them to the Earle of Douglas,
with whom it continued severall ages ; and after his
fatall forfaulture, in anno 1455, it was given by King
James the Third to Andrew Stewart, whom he
created Lord Avendale ; and it continued with him
and his heires untill 1538, or thereby, that he ex-
changed it with Sir James Hamilton for the baronie
of Ochiltree, in the parliament 1543 [1534 ?]. From
which tyme, it continued with the successors of Sir
James Hamilton untill it was acquyred by James,
first of that name, Marquess of Hamilton ; and con-
tinueth with his successors since. This paroch is
large, and lyeth betwixt the parishes of Killbryde to
the west, Hamilton to the north and north-east, and
Glasfoord, Stonehouse, and some parts of the shire of
Ayre to the south and south-east. There are many
small vassals in this parish, besyde three or four
gentlemen, — Overtoun, Netherfield, Rylandsyde, Le-
them, and Kype ; but all of them hold of the familie
of Hamilton." [Maitland club edn., p. 10.] Popu-
lation, in 1801, 3,623; in 1831, 5,761; of whom
3,597 belonged to the town of Strathaven.— This
parish is in the presbytery of Hamilton, and synod of
Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Duke of Hamilton.
Stipend £305 2s. 6d., with a manse, and a glebe of
the value of £24. Unappropriated teinds £955 18s.
8d. Church built in 1772; sittings 803. The
established minister is assisted by a catechist — A
new chapel, in connection with the Establishment,
has been erected by subscription in the town of
Strathaven; sittings 803 A United Secession con-
gregation was established in Strathaven, in 1764.
Church built in 1820 ; sittings 630. Stipend £120,
with manse and garden. There are two congrega-
tions in connection with the Relief body. Of these
the first was established in 1777, when the church
now occupied by them was built; sittings 1,087.
Stipend £160, with a manse, and glebe of the value
of £30. The West Relief church was built in 1835 ;
cost £1,400; sittings 976. Stipend £120, with a
manse and garden — The parish-schoolmaster has a
salary of £34 4s. 4^d., with about £25 fees. Num-
ber of pupils 60. There are 11 private schools,
which, in 1834, were attended by 453 children. —
According to a census made by the dissenters, in
January, 1836, out of a total population of 6,155,
there wore in connection with the established church
2,536; with the Relief, 2,827; with the United
Secession, 486 ; Roman Catholics, 85 ; and some
others.
The memorable battle of Drumclog, in which
'cruel Claver'se' was signally defeated by a small
body of Covenanters collected together under Ham-
ilton, Burley, Cleland, and Hackston, was fought
on the farm of that name in the upper part of this
parish, about 2 miles to the east of Loudon hill, on
Sabbath, June 1, 1679. The localities of the spot,
as well as the engagement itself, are very accurately
described in ' Old Mortality.' In this affair Claver-
house lost his cornet and about a score of his troopers;
on the side of ' the hillmen' only four were killed.*
A monument has recently been erected at Drumclog
in commemoration of this noble struggle. It is in the
Gothic style, 23 feet high, and does credit to its archi-
tect and sculptor, Mr. Robert Thorn. — At Kype, in
this parish, stood, in ancient times, a chapel dedicated
to St. Bridget, called St. Bride's chapel.
AVONDHU. See FORTH.
AWE (Locn), a beautiful lake in that district of
Argyleshire called Lorn, between Loch-Fyne and
Loch-Etive. From Inverary, by the road througt
* The victors commemorated their triumph in a rude bal
entitled * The Battle of Loudon hill,' which Scott has preserr
in his 'Border Minstrelsy,' [Cadell's edn., vol. ii. pp. 206—225,
though not without a quantity of industriously gleaned in'
ductory matter, well-calculated to throw ridicule on those
thy men
w Who fled to woods, caverns, and jutting rocks,
In deadly scorn of superstitious rites, —
Or what their scruples construed to be such."
With better feeling, though perhaps with more of the imagin
tiveness of the poet than the veracity of the historian, has A
Ian Cunningham indited his Catneronian legends and ballads,
the 7th vol. of Blackwood's Magazine, there is a bundle of v<
spirited Cameronian ballads from Allan's pen, from one
which, on ' The Discomfiture of the Godless at Drumclog,'
shall here quote a couple of stanzas : —
" This morning they came with their brass trumpets braying,
Their gold pennons flaunting, their war-horses neighing ;
They came and they found us— the brand and the spear
Soon emptied their saddles and sobered their cheer;
They came and they sounded— their trumpet and drum
Now give a mute silence, their shouters are dumb-,
The chariot is smote, and the charioteer sleeping,
And Death his dark watch o er their captains is keeping.
Oh ! who wrought this wonder ? — men ask me — this work
Is not of man's hand for the covenant kirk ;
jrew_few— were the saints 'neath their banners arraying,
\Venk, hungry, and faint, nor grown mighty in slaying;
And strong, tierce, and furious, and thirsting and fain
Of our biond— as the dust of the summer tor ram —
Came our foes ; but the firm ground beneath their feet turns
Into tnoss nnd quagmire — above their heads burned
Heaven's hot and swift fires— the sweet wind to day
Had the power for to blast, and to smite, and to slay !"
If we may believe the Nithsdale bard, however, Cameronla
meekness has been proof against all the scorn and misrep
tation which has been heaped upon the party ai:d the ca
for which they struggled so manfully :— " To the mimicries
the graceless and the profane, the poets have added their
casm and their ridicule ; and William Meston— a man of n
wit, but of little feeling for the gentle, and pathetic, and lot
beauties of poetry— has seized upon some of the common infir
mities of human nature, and made them the reproach of th;
respectable race. Having little sympathy in the poetical pa
of their character, he has sought to darken the almost cloudta
day of their history with specks which would not detract much
from the fixed splendours of the established kirk, but which
hang black and ominous amid the purity of Cameronian faith
and practice. Lately, too, the MIGHTY WARLOCK of Caledonia,
has shed a natural and supernatural light round the founders ol
the Cameronian dynasty ; and, as his business was to grapple
with the ruder and fiercer portion of their character, the gen-
tier graces of their nature were not called into action, and th
storm and tempest and thick darkness of John Bidfour of Bur
ley, have darkened the whole breathing congregation of th«
Cameronians, and turned their sunny.hill-aide into a drear)
desert. All the sufferers of England, and of Scotland too, havi
lifted up their voices against this ancient remnant of the Scot
tish covenant, [Is this so ?] and all the backslidings of the mi
merous sectaries of the North have been fairly wrought in
kind of tapeHtry picture, and hung over the honoured grave u
Richard Cameron. All this, which would have provoked th
patience, and obtained the anathemas of other churches, faile.
to discompose the meekness and the sedate serenity ot th
mountaineers ; they read, and they smiled at Meston, and wit
the unrivalled novelist they are charmed and enchanted ; the
would sooner part with the splendour of the victory of Druir
clog, or the dame of Alexander Peden, than pass the Torwoe
cut>e ou the legend of Old Mortality." [' Blackwood's Magi
zin*.,' vol. vii. pp. 482, 483.}
AWE
AWE
Ilen-Aray, it is distant about 12 miles ; the distance
>ra Tyiidrum, through Glen-Orchy, is 16 miles.
'he chief beauty of Loch-Awe is comprised be-
tween its eastern extremity and Port-Son nachan,
>ut 6 miles down its southern shore. Here the
;nery can hardly be equalled in Great Britain ; but
remaining portion of the lake is uninteresting to
traveller, possessing little variety, and neither
mty nor grandeur. At its eastern end, however,
le stranger may spend weeks in examining the
3auty of its wooded and varied shores and islands,
the grandeur of its lofty mountains and deeply
eluded glens. The water of the lake appears a
sin enclosed among mountains of rude and savage
:t, but lofty and grand, — " tilling," says Dr. Mac-
lloch, "at once the eye and the picture, and li-
rallv towering above the clouds." On the north
le, the elevated ridge of Cruachan rises simple and
jestic, throwing its dark shadows on the water,
ch, spacious as we know it to be, seems almost
amid the magnitude of surrounding objects. On
le opposite side, Ben-Laoidh, Ben-a-Chleidh, and
leall-nan-Tighearnan form a striking and magnificent
rmination to the landscape. Among all the moun-
lins, however, which surround Loch- A we, Ben-
ruachan soars pre-eminent. In appioaching Loch-
we through Glen-Aray, the traveller finds little to
ttract his attention after leaving the pleasure
mds around Inverary castle, until he has attained
le head of the glen, and begins to descend towards
?ladich. There, however, Loch-Awe, with its beau
ful expanse of water, its islands, and the magnifi-
;nt screen of mountains which enclose it, bursts at
ice upon his view. Ben-Cruachan is immediately
site to him, its summit enveloped among clouds ;
the dark pass of the river Awe winding along its
To the east is seen the castle of Kilchurn,
openings of Glen-Strae and Glen-Orchy, and the
>fty mountains which enclose them lessening gra-
lally in the distance ; to the west the long and
luous portion of the lake glitters like a silver
ream amid the dark heathy hills and moors which
rm its banks. See articles BEN-CRUACHAN, KIL-
HTRN, and GLENORCHY. Loch-Awe is 30 miles
length, but in the greater part of its extent not
ive a mile in breadth. Its eastern portion,
nvever, is considerably broader ; and at the open-
of the river Awe it is not less than 4 miles
Here its beauty is further increased by a
imber of islands which spot its surface arid give
lief to its expanse. There is one peculiarity in
ch-A\\e which is not to be found in any other
iirhland lake : instead of its being emptied at either
end, the river Awe flows from its northern side,
id pours its waters into Loch-Etive at Bunawe.
)king down upon the loch from Cladich, a long
ithy isle called Innishail, or ' the Fair island,'
2nts itself to the view. In this island, the re-
ins of a small monastery with its chapel are still
be seen ; and its ancient burying -ground is still
times used. It was inhabited by nuns of the
stercian order, memorable, says tradition, for the
ctity of their lives, and the purity of their man-
's. At the Reformation, when the innocent were
wolved equally with the guilty in the sufferings of
times, this house was suppressed, and the tem-
ilities granted to Hay, abbot of InchafFrey, who,
>juring his former tenets of religion, embraced the
ase of the reformers. Inchaffrey was erected into
temporal lordship by King James VI., in favour of
'ie abbot. The old church-yard on this island is
object of peculiar interest, from its ancient tomb-
les, the greater part of which are carved in a
iety of ways. Some appear, from the figures cut
them, to have covered the graves of religious
persons ; others, having the long two-hand sword, or
the claymore, mark the graves of warriors ; on others,
again, mailed figures point out the resting-place of
knights and crusaders ; and, one stone in particular,
from the arms, coronet, and numerous figures it con-
tains, would lead us to suppose that in this lone
spot even the noble had been buried. Among other
families, the M' Arthurs appear to have made this
their place of interment, as numerous stones bear the
name of individuals of that ancient race. This sept
formerly inhabited the shores of Loch- A we, opposite
to this island, as the M'Gregors did the lands at the
upper portion of the lake : both, however, have giren
way before the overpowering influence and good
fortune of t'oe Campbells Beyond Innishail, and
farther up the lake, is Innes Fraoch, or 'the Heather
isle.' Here is an ancient castle, the residence at one
period, of the chief of the MacNaughtans. It is a
small but strongly built fortalice. Its solitary walls
are over-shadowed by chance-planted trees and bush-
es, and are the haunts of sea-birds and large water-
fowl. This island is the subject of a very singular
highland tradition. It was the Hesperides of the
Highlands, and produced, according to Celtic poetry,
the most delicious apples, but which were guarded
by an enormous serpent. Dr. W. Beattie, in his
' Scotland Illustrated,' [vol. ii. pp. 99 — 101.] has
given a very absurd and tasteless amplification of the
simple Gaelic legend connected with this island. It
is singular, thus to find in a remote district of the
Highlands of Scotland, a traditionary fable which is
generally considered as classic.
The shores of Loch Awe, and the recesses of the
surrounding mountains and glens, seem anciently to
have been the retreat of the Campbells in times ot
danger. ' It's a far cry to Lochow !' was the slogan,
or war-cry of the knights of Lochow and their f'ollou -
ers : with it they derided their foes, and indicated the
impossibility of reaching them in their distant fast-
nesses. At a still earlier period, this district form-
ed a portion of the extensive tract of country at one
time possessed by the numerous and powerful Clan-
Gregor; but so early as the 15th century, the Camp-
bells had obtained a footing here. . Not a stone of
the MacGregor's dwelling in Glen-Strae is now re-
maining to mark the spot where his mansion stood ;
but in many a corrie, and many a lonely glen, the
highlander still points out where a fugitive son of
Alpine stood at bay, and fell beneath the extermin-
ating rage of his relentless pursuers. In a wild cor-
rie or hollow of Ben-Cruachan, is pointed out a huge
stone from behind which a MacGregor, no longer
able to continue his flight, shot a blood-hound which
had been set upon his track, and from which he found
it impossible otherwise to make his escape. This
is alleged to have been the last instance in which
any of the outlawed Clan- Alpine were chased as
beasts of prey.
AWE (THE), a rapid and powerful mountain-
stream by which — as noticed in the preceding article
— Loch Awe discharges its waters into Loch Etive.
It issues from the western extremity of an offset of
Loch Awe, projecting in a north-west direction, near
its head ; and flows in a north-west course through
Mid Lorn to Bunawe on Loch Etive, where there is
a ferry across that loch into Upper Lorn. It is about
7 miles in length, and is skirted on the north side by
the road from the head of Loch Awe to Bunawe and
Connel ferries. A considerable portion of the western
base of Cruachan seems to have been torn asunder to
form an opening for the waters of the lake ; and the
river flows through a gulley or hollow of the most
frightful description. " This pass," says Mr. Allan,
" is about 3 miles in length ; its east side is bounded
by the almost inaccessible steeps which form tho bo&e
AWE
86
AYR
of the vast and rugged mountain of Cruachan. The
craigs rise in some places almost perpendicularly from
the water ; and, for their chief extent, show no space
nor level at their feet, but a rough and narrow edge
of stony beach. Upon the whole of these cliffs grew
a thick and interwoven wood of all kinds of trees,
both timber, dwarf, and coppice ; no track existed
through the wilderness, but a winding part which
sometimes crept along the precipitous height, and
sometimes descended in a straight pass along the
margin of the water. Near the extremity of the de-
file, a narrow level opened between the water and
the craig ; but a great part of this, as well as the pre-
ceding steeps, was formerly enveloped in a thicket,
\vhich showed little facility to the feet of any but
the martins and the wild cats. Along the west side
of the pass, lies a wall of sheer and barren craigs :
from behind they rise in rough, uneven, and heathy
declivities, out of the wide muir before mentioned,
between Loch-Etive and Loch- A we; but in front
they terminate abruptly in the most frightful preci-
pices, which form the whole side of the pass, and de-
scend at one fall into the water which fills its trough.
At the north end of this barrier, and at the termina-
tion of the pass, lies that part of the cliff which is
called Craiganuni : at its foot the arm of the lake
gradually contracts its water to a very narrow space,
and at length terminates at two rocks (called the rocks
of Brandir), which form a straight channel, something
resembling the lock of a canal. From this outlet
there is a continual descent toward Loch-Etive, and
from hence the river A\ve pours out its current in a
furious stream, foaming over a bed broken with
holes, and cumbered with masses of granite and
whiristone. If ever there was a bridge near Craig-
anuni in ancient times, it must have been at the rocks
of Brandir. From the days of Wallace to those of
General Wade, there were never passages of this
kind ; but in places of great necessity, too narrow
for a boat, and too wide for a leap, even then they
were but an unsafe footway, formed of the trunks of
trees, placed transversely from rock to rock, un-
stripped of their bark, and destitute of either plank
or rail. For such a structure there is no place in the
neighbourhood of Craiganuni, but at the roeks above-
mentioned. In the lake, and on the river, the water
is far too wide ; but, at the strait, the space is not
greater than might be crossed by a tall mountain
pine, and the rocks on either side are formed by na-
ture like a pier. That this point was always a place
of passage, is rendered probable by its facility, and
the use of recent times. It is not long since it was
the common gate of the country on either side the
river and the pass. The mode of crossing is yet in
the memory of people living, and was performed by
a little currach moored on either side the water, and
a stout cable fixed across the stream from bank to
bank, by which the passengers drew themselves
across, in the manner still practised in places of the
same nature. It is no argument against the existence
of a bridge in former times, that the above method
only existed in ours, rather than a passage of that
kind which might seem the more improved expe-
dient. The contradiction is sufficiently accounted
for, by the decay of timber in the neighbourhood.
Of old, both oaks and firs of an immense size abound-
ed within a very inconsiderable distance ; but it is
now many years since the destruction of the forests
of Glen-Etive and Glen-Urcha has deprived the coun-
try of all the trees of a sufficient size to cross the
strait of Brandir ; and it is probable, that the currach
was not introduced till the want of timber had dis-
enabled the inhabitants of the country from main-
taining a bridge. It only further remains to be
noticed, that, at some distance below the rock of
Brandir there was formerly a ford, which was used
for cattle in the memory of people yet living. From
the narrowness of the passage, the force of the
stream, and the broken bed of the river, it was,
however, a dangerous pass, and could only be at-
tempted with safety at leisure, and by experience."
Mr. Allan has clearly identified the pass of Brandir
with the scene of a memorable exploit of Scotland's
favourite hero, Sir William Wallace. It appears
that Edward of England had given a grant of Argyle
and Lorn to a creature of his own, named M'Fadyan,
who proceeded to take possession of the country
the head of 15,000 Anglo-Irish and renegade Scots.
Before this force Duncan of Lorn retreated towards
Loch Awe, where he was joined by Sir Niel Cam
bell ; but the force of the invader compelled them
throw themselves into a castle which crowned a r
in this formidable pass, called the Crag-an-aradh, or
' Rock of the Ladder.' Wallace, on being appri
of their danger, hastened to their relief, and m
aged to surprise M'Fadyan's army in a situati
where flight was impracticable. " The conflict
tinued for two hours, with unexampled fury on bo
sides. Multitudes of the Irish were forced over th
rocks into the gulf below. Many threw themselve
into the water to escape the swords of the Scots ;
while various bands of highlanders, stationed
the rocks, sent down showers of stones and arrow
where the enemy appeared most obstinate in
strife. Wallace, armed with a steel mace, at th
head of his veterans, now made a charge, which d
tided the fate of the day. Those Scots who h
joined the Irish, threw away their arms, and on thei
knees implored mercy. M'Fadyan, with fifteen ot
his men, having made his way over the rocks, an
attempted to conceal himself in a cave, * wndw
cragmor,' Duncan of Lorn requested permission o
Wallace to follow and punish him for the atrocities
he had committed ; and it was not long before he re-
turned, bringing his head on a spear, which Sir Nie
Campbell caused to be fixed on the top of the rock
in which he had taken shelter. After the defeat of
M'Fadyan, Wallace held a meeting of the chiefs
the West Highlands, in the priory of Ardchattan
and having arranged some important matters respec
ing the future defence of the district, he returned
his duties in the Low Country, having received an ac-
cession to his numbers, which covered any loss he h
sustained in the late engagement. The spoil w
the Scots collected after the battle is said to have bee
very considerable ; any personal share in which o
hero, as usual, refused." [Carrick's Life of Wa
edn. 1840, pp. 45, 46.]— Here too, in 1306, after
fierce struggle at Dalree,'a sharp skirmish took place
between Bruce and Macdougal of Lorn. This chie
had throughout opposed the claims of the Bruce, who,
after gaining the ascendency, determined to punish
him. A detached party of archers having taken
a commanding position on the hills, annoyed the Ar-
gyle men so much that they retreated ; and, having
attempted in vain to break down the bridge across
the Awe, they were defeated with great slaughter ;
Lorn himself escaping by means of his boats on the
lake. This defeat argues little for the military tac-
tics of John and his followers ; as the pass of the
river Awe might easily be defended by a handful of
men against a very superior force ; it is a stronger
position than even Killicrankie. — The bridge of Awe
is also the scene of Sir Walter Scott's beautiful tale
of the Highland Widow and her son, which must
be in the recollection of all our readers. His de-
scription of this wild spot is — like all his other de-
scriptions— not more graphic than correct.
AYR (THE), a river which rises at Glenbuck in
the eastern extremity of the parish of Muirkirk, in
AYR.
87
shire , and, after a course ot about 33 miles near-
'due west, in which it divides the county at its
lest part into two nearly equal portions, falls
the sea at the town of Ayr, where its estuary
is the harbour. It is for some miles of its course
ly a small rivulet, flowing among holms and haughs
rough an open moorland district ; but, being joined
the Greenock, and ' the haunted Garpal,' it be-
les a large body of water. It is augmented by
winding Lugar' at Barskimming, and by 'the
iwling Coil ' at Shaws. " Most of its course for
last 20 miles is bounded by steep rocky banks,
lerally covered with wood, which in several places
highly picturesque. In a few spots the banks
;n, arid some enchanting holms are found between
?m ; but in many places the river is seen for some
'?s together, dashing and foaming in a deep and
)w chasm, rendered dark and gloomy by the
cy foliage of the trees which overhang the stream."
Eton's ' View,' p. 59.] The Ayr is subject to
ivy floods during winter. After continued rains
the upland districts through which it flows, in the
juage of Burns,
" from Glenbuck down to the Ratton-key,
Anld Ayr is just one lengthened tumbling sea."
castle, Ballochmyle, Auchencruive, and Auch-
ick, may be mentioned as worthy of notice for
sir beautiful situation on the banks of this river.
Ayr \\as anciently named Vidogara. The ety-
jlogy of the present name of the river is doubtful,
its bed is procured a species of claystone which is
ill-known to artisans by the name of ' Water-of-
?r stone,' and proves a fine whetstone. Salmon are
ight in the mouth of the river during the summer-
; but the fishing in this river is not nearly so
luctive as that in the Doon.
AYR, anciently ARE, sometimes AIR, a parish in
a-shire, about 5 miles in length, and 3 in breadth.
is bounded on the north by the river just described,
"lich divides it from Newton-upori-Ayr ; on the
by Coylstone ; on the south-east by Dairy m pie;
the south-west by the river Doon, which separates
from Maybole ; and on the west by the sea. The
surface is flat and sandy, but here and there inter-
spersed with beautiful plantations and villas. To-
wards the east the country rises gradually ; in the
immediate neighbourhood of the sea there is a good
deal of light shifting sand, especially in the neigh-
bourhood of Prestwick. Aiton estimates the super-
ficies at 4,000 Scots acres. Real rent, in 1799, £3,700.
Present rental about £10,000. Assessed property,
in 1815, £16,578. There are two small lakes in this
paiish, one toward the south' side named Carleny,
arid the other at the eastern extremity called Loch
Fergus. The latter has a small island in the centre,
but is not above a mile in circumference. There is
plenty of muirstone in this district ; but freestone is
neither abundant nor good ; and coal is not wrought,
although all the neighbouring parishes possess inex-
haustible pits of the finest coal. There is a strong
chalybeate spring on the north side of the river Ayr,
which is famous in scrofulous and scorbutic com-
plaints. Tradition reports an engagement to have
taken place in the valley of Dalrymple, between
lYr^us I., king of Scots, and Coilus, king of the
Unions, in which both leaders lost their lives. The
names of places in the neighbourhood seem derived
from this circumstance ; and a circular mound, mark-
ed by two large upright stones, and long the re-
puted burial-place of ' auld King Coil,' having been
opened in May, 1837, was found to contain four
urns. History has recorded two distinguished char-
acters in literature, natives of this parish: Johannes
Scot us. surnamed Erigena, and the Chevalier Ram-
say, author of Cyrus's Travels, and other works. To
these may be added John L. M'Adam, Esq., of road-
making celebrity, who was born at Ayr in 1756, and
Lord Alloway. Population, in 1801, 5,492 ; in 1831,
7,606 ; by a census in January 1836, 7,475 ; of whom
4,958 belonged to the Established church, and 2,424
to other denominations, chiefly the Relief. Houses
892 This parish is in the presbytery of Ayr, and
synod of Glasgow and Ayr. It consists of the united
parishes of Ayr and Alloway. Patron, the Crown, and
the Magistrates of Ayr and Kirk -session. It was an-
ciently a prebendal benefice of Glasgow.* There are
two parish-churches, both in the town of Ayr. The
old one was built in 1654, on the site of the Grey
Friars convent, in place of St. John the Baptist's
church which Cromwell had converted into an ar-
mory for his citadel in Ayr. It is a massive
cruciform structure, and is surrounded with the
town burying-ground. The new church was built
in 1810, by the town council of Ayr, at an expense of
£5,703. Total sittings in both churches, 1,982. The
charge is collegiate, and the two ministers officiate in-
discriminately in both churches. Stipend of the 1st
charge £178 5s., with a manse and glebe ; of the 2d,
£283 6s. 9d., with allowance for a manse, and a glebe
of the value of £28 6s. 8d. Mr. Ferguson of Doonholm
left the interest of £1,000 to be divided between the
two ministers. — The Relief church was built in 1816,
at an expense of £3,000; sittings 1,182. Stipend
£180.— TheWesleyan Methodist church was built in
1813, at an expense of £1,500; sittings 530. Sti-
pend £86, with a manse. — There are also Indepen-
dent, Roman Catholic, and Episcopalian chapels on
the opposite side of the river The parochial schools
were formed into an academy in 1797, which is con-
ducted by 6 teachers and 2 assistants. The salary
of the rector is £100 per annum ; that of the other
teachers from £15 to £22. There were 460 pupils
in the academy in 1833 ; and above 600 children at-
tended the private schools in the parish, which were
16 in number. Mr. Ferguson of Doonholm bequeath-
ed the annual interest of £1,000 to the public school-
masters of Ayr ; and, in 1825, Captain John Smith
bequeathed a sum for erecting a school for poor chil-
dren here which produces £88 yearly. There is also
a school of industry.
The royal burgh of AYR, the county-town of Ayr-
shire, and the seat of a circuit-court, is of great
antiquity. It is 75 miles south-west of Edinburgh,
34 distant from Glasgow, 12 from Kilmarnock, 11
from Irvine, and 9 from Maybole. It is situated at
the western end of a fertile and beautiful valley,
on the southern bank of the Ayr, at its influx into
the frith of Clyde. The principal or High street
is broad and spacious, with a row of houses on
each side presenting a motley groupe of elegant
structures and mean buildings, in most uncouth
and amorphous combination, with fronts, gables,
and corners projecting to the street as chance or
caprice may have directed ; and having, till within
these few years, the huge mass of the tolbooth and
town-hall in the centre, with a spire 135 feet high.
At the end of this street is * the Auld brig o' Ayr/
consisting of four lofty and strongly framed arches,
said to have been built in the reign of Alexander
III., and connecting the town with Newton-on-Ayr ;
and 150 yards below is ' the New brig,' a fine struc-
ture of five arches, built in 1787-8, from a design by
Robert Adam. At the junction of the High street and
Sandgate are the assembly-rooms, with a spire 228
feet high. The court and record rooms, and county-
hall, are in Wellington square, near the south end of
* The ' Reotona de Ayr* was taxed £2fi 13$. 4d., the tenth
of Us estimated value, in the reign of James V.
88
AYR.
Sandgate. They were designed by Mr. Wallace,
and erected at an expense of £30.000. The streets
are lighted with gas, and well-paved. Ayr was
erected into a royal burgh by William the Lion,
about the year 1202; and the extensive privileges
granted by that charter are still enjoyed by the
town. This charter contains a reference to the
granter's "New castle upon Are" which was built
about five years before, and probably stood at the east-
ern corner of Crom well's fort. Here the heroic exploits
of Sir William Wallace began ; and here Edward
I. fixed one of his most powerful garrisons. Oliver
Cromwell, too, judging it a proper place to build
a fortress, took possession of the old church of St.
John the Baptist, and converted it and the neigh-
bouring ground, to the extent of 10 or 12 acres,
into a regular citadel. On one of the mounts, with-
in the walls of this fortress, stood the old castle of
Ayr, and the old church — the tower of which still
remains — noted for the meeting of the Scottish
parliament on the 26th of April, 1315, when the
succession to the Crown was settled on Edward
Bruce, Earl of Carrick, the king's gallant brother.
In 1830 upwards of £700 were expended in rebuilding
Wallace's tower, in the High street ; the foundation,
however, having given way it was rebuilt, in 1832, at
a further expense of £1,500. The new tower is a
Gothic building 113 feet high, ornamented with a
statue of Sir William Wallace by Thorn. In an-
cient times we find Ayr to have been a place of
considerable trade. Buchanan characterises it as
" emporium non ignobile.' And Defoe remarks of
it : " It is now like an old beauty, and shows the
ruins of a good face, but is still decaying every
day; and from having been the fifth best town in
Scotland, as the townsmen say, it is now the fifth
worst ; which is owing to the decay of its trade. So
true it is that commerce is the life of cities, of na-
tions, and even of kingdoms. What was the reason
of the decay of trade in this place is not easy to de-
termine, the people themselves being either unwilling
or unable to tell." [' Tour through Great Britain,'
edn. 1745, p. 114.] The merchants used to import a
great quantity of wine from France, and export corn,
salmon, and other produce of the country. The rising-
trade of Glasgow proved very injurious to the trade
of this town ; but of late it has somewhat revived.
The opening of the railway from Ayr to Irvine, and
thence to Kil winning, has already added considerably
to the trade of the town ; and now that the entire line
to Glasgow is opened, a large increase of traffic must
necessarily follow from the increased intercourse
with the towns of Dairy, Kilbirnie, Beith, Steven-
ston, Saltcoats, arid Ardrossan. During the first
twelve months after the opening of the line to Irvine,
the number of passengers who travelled between the
two towns was 137, 117. A branch line to Kilmarnock
and an ultimate connexion witn Carlisle by Dumfries,
is contemplated. With Glasgow, Ayr has repeated
intercourse daily by steam-boats plying in the frith.
The sea-shore is flat and shallow, and the entrance
of the river Ayr, which forms the harbour, is subject
to the inconvenience of a bar of sand, which is often
thrown quite across the river, especially by a strong
north-west wind. The water, even at spring-tides,
never rises above 14 feet. The piers extend about
1,100 feet each; and there are two light-houses in
faking the harbour. The position of Ayr north pier
tight, as determined by Mr. Galbraith in 1827, is N.
lat. 55° 28' 53" ; W. long. 4° 36' 21".* There are
* In Node's Navigation, [edition of 1835,] this point of the
Ayrshire coast is stated to be in N. lat. 55<> 28' 30"- and W.
Jorig. 4» 37' 0". In Mackay's Navigation, [edition of 'l80*,] N.
lat. 55- 25' 0"; W. long. 40 26' 0". And in the tables of the Hy-
drograplnc office, Admiralty, N. lat. 55*27'; W. long. 4«- :J8'.
three lights, bearing S. E. by E. £ E. 850 feet. Two
of the lights are bright, and one red. The red and
one bright light are in the same building, and show
all night. In 1792 an act was passed for deepening
and maintaining this harbour, and enlarging and im-
proving the quays- Another act was passed in 1817,
with the same objects. The annual receipts of the
harbour vary from £1,200 to £800. The harbour-
master has a salary of £107 10s. The principal trade
now carried on at this port is the exportation of
coal to Ireland, to the amount of about 50,4
tons annually. The other exports are pig-iron from
Muirkirk and Glenbuck, coal-tar, brown paint,
lamp black, coal-oil, and Water-of- Ayr stone. About
60 vessels, amounting to 5 or 6,000 tons, and em-
ploying 500 seamen, belonged to this port in 1812.
The shipping of Ayr has, however, fallen off sine
that period, and at present consists of 20 vessels.
The imports are hides and tallow from Soutl
America ; beef, butter, barley, yarn, and linen frc
Ireland ; spars and deals from our American col
nies ; hemp and iron from the Baltic ; and gener
cargoes from Glasgow, Greenock, Liverpool, tht
Isle of Man, &c. Shipbuilding is carried on to a con-
siderable extent; and there is a woollen mill em-
ploying, in 1838, 55 hands. Between 200 and
families are employed in flowering muslin. Besides tl
salmon-fisheries in the Ayr and the Doon, the san<
banks off the coast abound with all kinds of whit
fish, and afford employment to 8 or 9 boats of foi
men each. There is an extensive manufacture
leather here, and another of shoes. There are branc
es of the Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank, Glasgo>
Union Bank, and Sir William Forbes' Bank here.
The bank of Hunters and Co., has been long-
Wished, arid has six branches throughout the county.
The Ayrshire banking company, formed in 1831, hi
also six branches. Ayr possesses a good academy,
which notice has been taken in the preceding article.
It was incorporated by royal charter in 1797. All
the branches of education necessary for a commercis
life are here taught by able masters; besides th
Latin, Greek, and modern languages, experiments
philosophy, chemistry, astronomy, &c. A librarj
and museum have recently been formed in connectior
with this institution. The building is plain but chast
and occupies a fine airy situation near the citadel.
Mechanics' institution was formed in 1825. T\
newspapers are published in the town. Ayr is reel
oned a gay and fashionable place. It has a theatr
arid well-attended races, and is sometimes the seat
the Caledonian hunt. The race-course consists
an enclosure of about 90 acres, about a mile to tl
south of the town, the races are generally held
the first week of September. It has markets
Tuesday and Friday ; and four annual fairs ; via
on 1st Tuesday of January, O. S., last Tuesday c
June, O. S., 29th of September, and 3d Tuesdaj
of October. It was governed until the late muni-
cipal act by a provost, 2 bailies, a dean-of-guikl,
treasurer, and 12 councillors. The jurisdiction
the magistrates extended over the conjoined parish
of Ayr and Alloway. The water of Ayr forms the
eastern boundary of the royalty, and separates it
from the populous communities of Nevvton-upon- Ayr,
Wallacetown, and Content, which are, however,
united with Ayr under the Reform act. Tiie juris-
diction of the magistrates of Ayr is at present entirely
confined to their own side of the river, Newton-on-
Ayr having its own magistracy. The revenue of the
burgh, from 1832 to 1833, was £2,057 6s. lid. Or-
dinary expenditure £1,870 12s. 7d. Nett amount of
debt, in October 1833, £18,823 9s. lid., all of which
had been contracted since 1792. The only taxation
is for cess and poor's money. The amount of the
duties
AYRSHIRE.
89
levied, in 1833, was £991 6s. 3d. About ,
£600 is mortified to the poor of the parish. The
magistrates, in conjunction with the Kirk-session,
are patrons of the 2d charge. There are nine in-
corporated trades in Ayr, who all possess funds vary-
ing respectively from £50 to £1,500. Ayr unites
with Irvine, Oban, Inverary, and Campbeltow n, in
sending a member to parliament. The population
exceeds 6,500, and has increased upwards of a third
during this century. See articles ALLOWAY, NEW-
TON-UPON-AYR, and ST. Quivox.
AYR (NEWTON-ON). See NEWTON-ON-AYR.
AYRSHIRE, a large and important county on
the south-west coast of Scotland, which derives its
name from the town just described. It is bounded
by Renfrewshire on the north and north-east; by the
counties of Lanark and Dumfries on the east; by the
stewartry of Kirkcudbright on the south-east; by
Wigtonshire on the south ; and by Loch Ryan, the
North channel, and the frith of Clyde on the west.
The length of Ayrshire, from Galloway burn upon
the north side of Loch Ryan, to Kelly burn which
divides it from Renfrewshire, is, by the public road,
90, and in a direct line 60 miles, the difference
being occasioned by the curvature of the coast ; its
breadth from east to west is in some places 30 miles.
Its average length does not, however, extend to above
80 miles, while in average breauth it may be about
20. It contains, according to Mr. Aiton, whose
admeasurements we are now following, 1,600 square
miles ; but, according to Sir John Sinclair's calcula-
tions founded on Arrow smith's map, only 1,045 square
miles ; u e are inclined to think Mr. Aiton's admea-
surement over-estimated, while Sir John's is probably
greatly under-estimated. " Ayrshire is in nearly the
form of a half-moon, concave towards the sea, and
convex on the land side. A considerable part of
Carrick, and some parts of Kyle and Cunningham
towards the inland verges, are hilly ; and that part
of Ayrshire which borders with the counties of Dum-
fries and Galloway justly merits the name of moun-
tainous. A chain or group of mountains commences
at Saint Abb's head on the verges of the shires of
Berwick and East Lothian; runs westward the
whole breadth of the island, on the boundaries of
the Lothians and the county of Roxburgh, and be-
tween those of Lanark and Ayr on the north, and
Dumfries and Galloway on the south ; and termi-
nates at the rock of Ailsa. Richard, who wrote in
the 12th century, and is the earliest Scots writer
certainly known, denominates this range of moun-
tains the Uxellum Monies. Some of the highest of
the mountains in this chain are situated in the neigh-
bouring counties; but a considerable range of the
south and eastern parts of Carrick is mountainous,
and forms a part of that group of mountains, abound-
ing with lochs, and very barren. A large range of
Ayrshire, from the foot of the water of Doon, to the
north of Ardrossan harbour, is a plain open country,
neither level nor hilly, but rising from the shore in a
gradual easy acclivity, till it terminates in mountains
on the south-east, and moorish hills on the eastern
boundaries. No part of it can be termed level; for
the surface abounds with numerous swells or round-
ish hills which facilitate the escape of moisture,
lote ventilation, and diversify and ornament
face of the country. The prospects from some
these eminences are uncommonly rich and varie-
On ascending any of the little heights, in
jst any part of the county, you have a delightful
jvv of the frith of Clyde, the beautiful hills of
Arran and Ailsa, rising out of the sea, a large tract
of Ayrshire, the Highland hills, and the coast of
Ireland." [Aiton's 'General View of the Agricul-
ture of the County of Ayr.' Glasgow, 1811. 8\O. and Wtbster at 1,950 feet.
pp. 2, 3.] The principal elevations are on the south-
ern boruer of Carrick, in the parish of COLMONELL :
hich see.* On the western skirts of the parish ol
Muirkirk there are some lofty hills, the most con-
spicuous of which is Cairntable, which rises to an
altitude of 1,650 feet above sea-level.
The climate is similar to that of other districts
situated on the western coast of Britain. For more
than two-thirds of the year the wind blows from
the south-west, and the rains are often copious, and
sometimes of long duration. — The principal rivers of
Ayrshire are: the Garnock, a small stream, which
rises on the borders of Renfrewshire, 10 miles above
Kilwinning, flows southward, receives the Lugton,
and falls into the harbour of Irvine ; the Irvine,
which has its source near Loudon hill, on the con-
fines of Lanarkshire, and thence proceeds westward
by Derval, Newnnlls, Galston, Riccarton, &c., uniil
augmented by many rivulets it flows into the sea
at Irvine ; the Ayr, already described, which holds
a western course nearly parallel to the Irvine; and
the Doon, from Loch Doon, on the north border of
Kirkcudbrightshire, which flows north-north-west to
the sea near the mouth of the Ayr. The Girvan
and the Stinchar or Ardstinchar two inconsiderable
streams, issue from small lakes near the border of
Kirkcudbrightshire, and flow south- *vest to the North
channel into which they fall, the former at Girvan,
and the latter at Ballantiae. All these rivers receive
further notice in separate articles. Their course is
short, and, as they all rise on or near the inland
boundaries, indicates the general basin-like outline
of the county. — The principal loch is LOCH DOON :
which see. There are several small lochs in differ-
ent quarters of the county.
Clay or argillaceous earth is the most common
soil in this county, and in different quarters it has
been found from 40 to 200 feet in depth. This
species of soil is naturally so tenacious that it can
only be ploughed when in a state of moisture. By
summer-fallowing, and the application of lime and
other manure, it is, however, convertible into tine
rich loam, and there are thousands of acres in the
county of Ayr, which, by this mode of treatment,
have been changed from sterile clay to the richest
mould. Loam of alluvial formation is found in
holms, on the sides of rivers, and in other low situa-
tions in different parts of the county, but this bears
a small proportion to what has been converted into
loam by human industry. There is a greater pro-
portion of moss and moor ground than any other.
The origin of the extensive mosses in Ayrshire may
be traced to the overthrow of the forests which, we
are informed from the earliest and most authentic
history, at one time covered great tracts of land in
Scotland. Forest-trees are frequently found lying
many feet under ground, in the position in which,
they had been cut down by the earlier inhabitants.
These trees, laid prostrate on the earth, extirpated
all former vegetation, and moss earth has been formed
from the aquatic plants introduced by the stagnation
of water Occasioned by such circumstances. Lochs
of water of moderate depth have also grown into
flow-mosses, by plants striking root in the bottom,
when composed of earth or mud. The most com-
mon of those plants are marsh-fog, gouk-bear, drab-
coloured fog, cotton-beads, and turfy club-rush. The
following is the extent of the different kinds of soil
in the county, according to Mr. Aiton :
* Nothing can be more perplexing than the discrepancies
which prevail amongst topographers as to the altitude ol
mountains. Thus we have Playfair assigning three different
admeasurements to Knockdolion, viz. 2,091, 1,950, and 650 feet j
\vii.i.- Chambers t>tates the altitude ot that lull at £,000 feet;
90
AYRSHIRE
Clay soil,
In the district of Carrick,
In Kyle, . . .
In Cunningham, .
Sand or light soil,
In Carrick,
In Kyle,
In Cunningham,
90,000
41,000
16,000
Acres.
320,600
147,000
Moss and moor ground,
In Carrick,
In Kyle,
In Cunningham,
Chalmers assigns to these different classes of soil the
following proportions: clay soil 261, 960 acres ; sandy
soil 120,110; moor lands 283,530. There are no
extensive natural woods in Ayrshire, but a consider-
able quantity of copse-wood occurs on the banks of
the rivers, and a large extent of ground in the lower
parts of the county is now under rising plantations.
The mineralogy of Ayrshire is highly interesting,
and capable of affording a wide field of study both to
the geologist and agriculturist. The higher parts of
Carrick abound in unmixed granite of a greyish
colour : braccia, whinstone, greenstone, and red sand-
stone, are also found in the same district. Immense
beds of coal have been discovered in different parts
of the county. The coal-district of Scotland, which
intersects the island from the Atlantic to the German
ocean, runs through the centre of Ayrshire, from the
shore to its inland verges. It commences on the
south, in the strath of Girvan in Carrick, about 2
miles from the sea, runs up by Dalmellington and New
Cumnock on the south side of Kyle, by Sanquhar
in Nithsdale, and Douglas and Carnwith in Lanark-
shire, and, being cut off by the heights of Lammer-
moor, terminates near North Berwick : it runs nearly
in a line from the rock of Ailsa to that of the Bass.
Cannel coal, of excellent quality, is found at Bedlar
hill near Kilbirnie, and at Adamel hill, by Tarbolton.
Blind coal — a species principally composed of carbon,
and in which there is only a very small portion of
bituminous matter — is obtained in great quantities,
and many thousand tons of it are yearly exported to
Ireland. It is chiefly used for drying grain or malt.
Copper and lead have both been wrought, — the
latter to some extent at Daleagles in New Cumnock.
Gold is said to have been discovered in Ayrshire,
and dug by an Englishman, named Dodge, about the
year 1700. A few specimens have been found in
the hills of Carrick, of agates, porphyries, and cal-
careous petrifactions. Millstones are quarried near
Kilbride ; and a species of h're-stone near Auchinleck.
Iron-stone is found in different parts of Carrick, and
in the higher parts of Kyle. In the parish of Stair,
antimony and molybdena have been found ; ar\d, in
several parts of the county, that species of whetstone
known by the name of Water-of-Ayr stone. Chaly-
beate springs — some of them strongly impregnated
with sulphur — are found in almost every parish, but
none of them present any thing peculiarly interesting.
There are two springs in the parish of Maybole of
uncommon magnitude.
In favourable seasons, ploughing commences in
this county about the beginning of February. The
rotation of crops differs widely in the different dis-
tricts of Ayrshire. Wheat was seldom to be seen in
this county beyond the limits of a nobleman's farm
previous to the year 1785; but it is now become
common, and seldom fails to yield a valuable return.
Rye is not often sown, except on the sandy ground
near the shores, where small quantities have been
raised. Oats have always been the principal grain
crops of Ayrshire. Peas and beans are also extensively
sown. Turnips were first introduced by the earls of
Eglinton arid Loudon, about the middle of the last
century, and they have subsequently been reared on
almost every description of land ; but, as in all other
places, they grow to the best advantage on light dry
soil. Swedish turnip is extensively cultivated.
Potatoes are reared in great abundance, and to
as good account as in any other county in Scotland.
Clover is abundant. Ryegrass, though a native
plant, remained unnoticed till about the year 1760,
and it did not come into general use till about 1775.
Only a small proportion of the surface of the county
is occupied as meadow-land. The natural pasture —
of which there is a considerable extent in the county
— is devoted to the feeding and rearing of sheep.
Much of the arable land also undergoes an alternation
of crop and pasture ; the greater part of the pasture
is occupied with dairy stock, or other cattle fed in the
district. The gardens arid orchards of this county
have long been objects of general admiration, from
their extent, and the great taste with which they ar
laid out. At Eglinton there is one of the best "'
played policies in Ayrshire. Extensive woods,
copse and plantation, are thickly interspersed throi
many parts of the shire. — It would be a matter
some difficulty to ascertain at what period attenti(
was first given, in this district, to the rearing
cattle. At all events it must have been remote,
the following adage, which was familiar to evt
grey-beard of the 17th century, shows :
" Kyle for a man,
Carrick for a cow,
Cunningham for butter and cheese,
And Galloway for woo!"
The Galloway cattle are well-made and hardy ;
the native dairy cows are now preferred as milker
and are much more profitable to the farmer. Aboi
the year 1750, several cows and a bull — either of tl
Teeswater, or some other English breed — were
to the Earl of Marchmont's estates in Kyle, all
the high brown and white colour now so common
this county. It is probably from these or otl
similar mixtures that the red and white colours
the common stock were first introduced. In 171
or a year or two previous, the opulent farmers in
parishes of Dunlop and Stewarton, made up tl
stocks or this breed; their example was follow*
by others, and the breed was gradually spread o\
Cunningham, Kyle, and Carrick. The size of
Ayrshire improved dairy cows varies from 20 to
stones English, according to the quality or abum
of their food. The most valuable quality which a dair
cow can possess is to yield an abundance of mill
Ten Scots pints per day is not thought uncomnu
for the Ayrshire breed ; some give twelve or thir-
teen ; and fourteen pints have been taken from i
ood cow in one day. The greater portion of th<
milk is manufactured into cheese, of which there an
two kinds, — the common and the Dunlop cheese
The Rev. Mr. Brisbane, in the first Statistical ac-
count of Dunlop parish, says, that a woman of thi
iame of Gilmour, who had fled to Ireland during thi
persecution, discovered, while in that kingdom, thi
method of manufacturing this celebrated kind o
jheese ; and that it was introduced by her into ho
native parish on her return in 1688. It is said, how
ever, to have been known before that period ; fo
ong before the Revolution, the making of cheese c
a superior quality was the chief excellence and part
cular boast of the Cunningham farmers. Sheej
•hiefly of the black-faced kind, are bred in Ayrshir
n considerable numbers. — Labourers' wages averag
n this county from 9s. to 11s. per week.
AYRSHIRE
91
Lyrshire is divided into tnree districts, or baili-
?, which, though constantly occurring in history,
in the language of the country at this day, have
longer a separate legal existence : viz. Cunning-
i, Kyle, and Carrick.
CUNNINGHAM, in general a level and agreeable dis-
of a triangular form and declining gradually
is the sea, is divided from Kyle by the Irvine,
jcted by the Garnock, and watered by several
is of little note. Towards the confines of Ren-
it rises into an assemblage of hills with
rvening valleys. Along the sea-coast, and in the
hern part of the district, there are tracts of toler-
flat and fertile soil. Its western angle, however,
intainous, and the coast is rocky. This dis-
comprehends 260 square miles, [Playfair,] and
inds in manufacturing towns and villages.
LYLE, the middle district, consisting of about 380
ire miles, [Playfair,] lies between the river Dooii
the Irvine, and is traversed from east to west by
Ayr, which divides it into King's Kyle on the
bh, and Kyle Stewart on the north. Toward the
iiines of Lanark and Dumfries-shire, it is elevated,
and covered with heath; but the midland
maritime tracts are agreeably diversified, well-
tivated, and planted with villages and seats. " Kyle,
Coil, having once been a forest, may have taken
name from that circumstance, the Celtic coill
iiifymg ' wood ;' but the natives, misled probably
the old chroniclers, derive it from Coilus, a Bri-
king, who is reported to have fallen in battle
ewhere on the river Coil, and to have been buried
ler at Coylton or at Coilsfield. If such a perscn-
ever existed, this does not appear to have been
scene either of his actions or of his misfortunes,
hill-country, towards the east, is bleak, marshy,
cultivated, and uninteresting; and on that side,
jpt at one or two places, the district was formerly
rvious. In advancing from these heights to the
the symptoms of fertility and the beneficial ef-
5 of cultivation, rapidly multiply; but there is no
?et interchange of hill and valley,' no sprightli-
of transition, no bold and airy touches either
surprise or delight. There is little variety, or
distinctness of outline, except where the ver-
ilations of the river are marked by deep fringes
wood waving over the shelvy banks, or where the
and almost rectilineal summit of the Brown Car-
terminates abruptly in a rugged foreland ; or
jre the multitudinous islands and hills beyond the
exalt their colossal heads above the waves, and
an exterior beauty to that heavy continuity of
2ss, which, from the higher grounds of Kyle,
irs to pervade nearly the whole of its surface,
slope, both here and in Cunningham, is pitted
numberless shallow depressions, which are sur-:
mted by slender prominences, rarely swelling be-
the magnitude of hillocks or knolls. Over this
expanse the hand of art has spread some exqui-
embellishments, which in a great measure atone
1 the native insipidity of the scene, but which might
still farther heightened by covering many of these
:es with additional woods, free from the dismal in-
lixture of Scotch fir, — a tree which predominates
litely too much all over the country, deforming
it is beautiful, and shedding a deeper gloom on
it is already more than sufficiently cheerless." —
''iinburgh Encyclopaedia,' Article AYRSHIRE.]
IRRICK, the southern and most romantic district,
including that portion of Ayrshire which lies to the
south of the river Doon, and consisting of 399 square
miles, [Playfair,] is in general mountainous, with
»ome delightful valleys interspersed, and fertile decli-
vities inclining towards the sea-coast. The two
valleys watered by the Stinchar and the Girvan ex-
hibit a wild and varied scenery which attracts the
notice and excites the admiration of every traveller.
The manufactures of Ayrshire are important. The
census of 1831 returned 8,000 males upwards of
twenty years of age as being engaged throughout
Ayrshire in different branches of manufacture. The
woollen manufacture has long existed in this district,
especially at Kilmarnock, Ayr, Stewarton, and Dairy.
In 1838 there were 18 woollen-mills within the
county, employing 242 hands. — Linen has been more
extensively manufactured in former years in Ayrshire
than it is now. The chief localities of this manu-
facture are Kilbirnie and Beith. The number of
flax-mills, in 1838, was 3, employing 172 hands —
The cotton manufacture has long been increasing,
and is now prosecuted on a large scale. Its chief
localities are Catrine, Kilbirnie, and Patna. The
number of cotton-mills, in 1838, was 4 ; employing
703 hands. A considerable number of women are
employed in embroidery. They make from 3s. 6d.
to 6s. per week. There are extensive iron- works
at Muirkirk and Glenbuck. The manufacture of
wooden snuff-boxes affords occupation to about 120
hands. Trade has been greatly facilitated by the
execution of good roads, and by the formation of
several railroads, — one of which extends from Troon
point to Kilmarnock [see TROON] ; another from
Kilmarnock to Dairy ; and another will unite Ayr,
Irvine, and Dairy. The two latter are branches
of the Glasgow and Ayr railway now executing.
The completion of the line of railway betwixt
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, will doubt-
less develope the resources of this shire, and open up
many sources of additional traffic. Several extensive
coal-fields have been already opened in the immediate
neighbourhood of the line in this county. A company
has been formed to build a steam- vessel to ply be-
tween Troon and Liverpool, as soon as the railway
is opened; it being expected that many passengers
from and to Glasgow will prefer to go on board or
land at Troon or Ardrossan, and thus save the long
arid circuitous route by the river. Proposals have
also been made to sail a steam- vessel between Ar-
drossan and Belfast ; and some influential proprietors
in the Western isles propose to start a steam-vessel
for the purpose of conveying passengers, cattle, and
produce from Skye, Mull, and the opposite mainland,
to Troon or Ardrossan, whence the cattle can be
conveyed by railway to the markets in Glasgow,
and Paisley, and eventually to Edinburgh. The
prospect of an English junction railway being formed
from Kilmarnock to Carlisle is warmly entertained
by the Ayrshire proprietors. See article, GLASGOW,
PAISLEY, KILMARNOCK & AYR RAILWAY — There
are several canals of short length in different places
of the county. A canal of 31 miles from Glasgow
to Ardrossan has been long projected, though only
about one-third of the length,— viz. from Glasgow
to Johnstone — has yet been executed. — Previous to
the late equalization of weights and measures, the
Ayrshire potatoe boll was very arbitrary. The
bushel contained 2 pecks ; the pound of butter, hay,
and meat, 24 oz. avoird. ; and the stimpart, £ peck.
Ayrshire returns one member to parliament. The
parliamentary constituency, in 1839-40, was 4,274.
The two boroughs of Ayr and Irvine are associated
as contributory burghs with three or the Argyleshire
burghs ; while Kilmarnock is a contributory burgh
of the Renfrew district. The principal towns — to
which as separate articles the reader is now generally
referred for further information on various points re-
specting the Arade, manufactures, history, arid anti-
quities of this county — are ARDROSSAN, AYR, BEITH,
GIRVAN, IRVINE, KILVVINNING, LARGS, MAYBOLE,
) NEWTON-ON-AYR, SALTCOATS, and STEWARTON
AYT
9*2
AYT
To Ayrshire belong the island of LITTLE C UMBRAE,
and AILSA CRAIG : which see.
The number of parishes in Ayrshire is 46; of
which 16 are in the presbytery of Irvine ; '28 in that
of Ayr ; and 2 in that of" Stranraer. Ayrshire was
formerly comprehended in the bishopric of Glasgow.
The number of parochial schools in 1834 was 46,
under 62 teachers ; of schools not parochial 225, un-
der 241 teachers. The total number of scholars
14,800 The population of the county, in 1801, was
84,306; in 1831, 145,100, in 30,501 families, of
whom 6,967 families were chiefly employed in agri-
culture, and 15,193 in trades, handicrafts, and manu-
factures. The population was thus distributed :
Cunningham, .... 63,453
Kyle, &rt,0:iG
Carrick, 25,536
The number of inhabited houses, in 1831, was
19,001; of uninhabited, 439. The valued rental,
in 1674, was £191, 605. Assessed property, in 1815,
.£409,983. Sir John Sinclair estimated the real rent,
in 1796. at £112,752. In 1808 it was as follows :
Cunningham, £127,632 4
Kvle 113,46-2 3
Carrirk, 63,724 0
Hoyalty of Ayi, 9,855 0
£314,673 7
Throughout every part of Ayrshire are scattered
the relics of former ages. Cairns, encampments, and
druidical circles are numerous : see articles DUN-
DONALD, GALSTON, and SORN. Of ancient castles the
most celebrated are LOCH DOON, TURNBERRY, POR-
TENCROSS, DUNDONALD, and SORN : see these ar-
ticles. The principal ecclesiastical ruins are those
of the abbeys of CROSSRAGUEL and KIL WINNING :
which also see. The most ancient families of Ayr-
shire are the Auchinlechs, Bos wells, Boyds, Cath-
carts, Crawfords, Cunninghams, Dalrymples, Dun-
lops, Fullartons, Kennedys, Lindsays, Montgomerys,
and Wallaces. Of the titles of nobility connected
with this county, the earldom of Carrick, now merged
in the Crown, is the oldest. The earldom of Glen-
cairn was created in 1488 ; that of Eglinton in 1503 ;
that of Cassillis in 1509 ; those of London and Dum-
fries in 1633; and of Dundonald in 1669.
Ayrshire was inhabited in Roman times by the
Damnii and the Novantes. After the abdication of
the Romans, this district became a part of the Cum-
brian kingdom. During the Saxon heptarchy Kyle
became subject to the kings of Northumbria. The
Saxons maintained themselves in this district for
many centuries, and have left numerous traces of
their presence here. In 1221 the sheriffdom of
Ayr was erected. In the wars of Wallace and
Bruce, Ayrshire was the scene of numerous conflicts
with the English. During the religious persecu-
tions under the last of the Stuarts the men of Ayr-
shire distinguished themselves by their struggles for
the maintenance of the rights of conscience ; and
were punished for their contumacy by having ' the
Highland host' quartered upon them in 16~8. " We
might from these circumstances," says Chalmers,
" suppose that the people of Ayrshire would concur
zealously in the Revolution of 1688. As one of the
western shires, Ayrshire sent its full proportion ol
armed men to Edinburgh to protect the con volition
of Estates. On the 6th of April, 1689, the forces
that had come from the western counties, having
'•eceived thanks from the convention for their sea-
sonable service they immediately departed with theii
iritis to their respective homes. They were offeree
some gratification ; but they would receive none
saying that they came to save and serve their coun
try, but not to enrich themselves at the nation'
expense. It was at the same time ordered, ' tha
he inhabitants of the town of Ayr should be kef
;ogether till further orders.' On the 14th of M
arms were ordered to be given to Lord Bargeny,
Ayrshire baronet. On the 25th of May, in ansvvt
o a letter from the Earl of Eglinton, the convent
>rdered, « that the heritors and fencible men in
shire of Ayr be instantly raised and commanded ii
onformity to the appointment of the Estates.'
of such proofs of the revolutionary principles of Aj
shire enough ! The men of Ayr not only approve
of the Revolution ; but they drew their swords ii
support of its establishment and principles. On ths
memorable occasion the governors were not onl
changed; but new principles were adopted and
ter practices were introduced : and the Ayrshii
jeople were gratified, by the abolition of epis
and by the substitution of presbyterianism in it
room, which brought with it its old maxims of ii
tolerance and its invariable habit of persecution."-
Caledonia, vol. iii. pp. 473, 474.] The singul
assertion with which this extract closes requires
refutation from us. It is but a proof of the amazit
obliquity of perception with which otherwise shre>
minds are sometimes afflicted, even on points wh«
Pacts as well as all history and respectable testii
are against them.
AYTON, a parish on the coast of Berwickshir
which seems to take its name, anciently writtt
Eytun, and Eitun, from the water of Eye. It
hounded by Coldirigham and Eyemouth parishes
the north ; by the German ocean on the east ;
Mordington and Foulden on the south ; and by Chii
side and Coldingham on the west. This parish
about 4£ miles long, measured from north-east
south-west, or from north-west to south-east;
broad, measured from east to west. There
about 2£ miles of sea-coast, which presents a 1m
and rocky shore, celebrated in the annals of smuj
gling. The hills in this parish lie chiefly in
south-western extremity. The whole of the
ish, with the exception of about 800 acres whi<
are in plantations, is under cultivation. The wat
of Eye which intersects the parish contains
trout, but not in any quantity. The Ale si
the northern boundary. This stream unites wit
the Eye at the Kip rock, and the conjunct str
then flows north-east to Eyemouth. Cod, ling,
docks, whitings, flounders, hollyback, turbot,
erel, and other kinds of fish are caught on the
in their seasons ; and lobsters and crabs are plent
fully obtained on the rocky shore. Population,
1801, 1453; in 1831, 1680, of whom 663 resided
the kirk-town of Ay ton. Assessed property in 181
£13,169. In 1741 the village of Ayton seems
have contained about 320 souls, and the country-^
of the parish about the same number. This
lage is situated on the banks of the Eye, n<
the centre of the parish, and on the post-road fr
Berwick to Dunbar. It is 9 miles distant from
wick, and 48 from Edinburgh. A considerable
of it is built upon a pleasant sloping bank frontii
the south. A paper-mill was erected here about
end of last century, arid is still in employmei
Markets for the sale of fat stock are held at Ayt
on the first Thursday of every month. The lar
occurs during the spring; and the buyers are chief
from the neighbourhood of Morpeth. The fishin,
village and harbour of Burnmouth is finely situate
in a deep cove on the coast. The line of the pr<
jected.Newcastle and Edinburgh railway, as survey*
by Mr. George Stephenson, after crossing the Twet
a little above Berwick bridge, runs parallel to ti
coast nearly as fur as Burnmouth, where it bends 1
the west, and pursues the valley of the Eye
Grant's House near its source, which is the sumui
AYT
I whole line, and is about 370 feet above sea-
From this point the line falls towards Dun-
bar.— The following notices from the Statistical
report of 1790 are curious in comparison with the
present pi -ices and rates. " The price of butcher-
ineat is from 3,}d. to 4d. per Ib. English weight;
it has advanced" about Id. per Ib. within these 6
or 8 years. The price of pork is variable. Had-
docks", which sold formerly at 4d. or 6d. per score,
now often bring as much a piece. A goose is
gold here for 2s. ; a pair of ducks for Is. 3d. ; a
pair of hens for Is. 6d. ; a turkey for 2s. 6d. ; but-
ter sells for 7d. and cheese for 4d. per Ib. The
wages of a labourer are Is. a day ; a carpenter's arid
mason's, Is. 4d. ; a tailor's Is. Threshing of corn is
usually paid by what is termed lot, i. e. 1 boll is
allowed for every 25 bolls that are threshed. The
wages of a mason ami his labourer, &c. are generally
settled at so much a rood. A hind receives 2 bolls
of barley, 1 boll of pease, and 10 bolls of oats ; he
has also a cow's grass, a house arid yard, and as
much ground as will serve to plant a firlot of pota-
toes. He is likewise allowed \\hat coals he may
have occasion for in bis family, paying only the prime
cost, which is about 2s. 8d. per cart-load, including
the tolls; the carriage is equal to 4s. per load. The
hind's wife reaps in harvest for the house. He has
also £1 allowed for sheep's grass. A man-servant
receives from £5 to £7, with bed and board ; a maid-
servant from £2 to £4 per annum." The Statistical
reporter, in 1834, states the wages of labourers in
this parish to be Is. 6d. per day; that of artisans
2s. to 2s. 6d. — This parish is in the presbytery
irnside, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale.
3 AYT
It was anciently united to Coldingham ; at the Re-
formation it formed a parish in conjunction with
Lamberton; but in 1650, Lamberton was disjoined
from it. The present church is built upon the site,
and includes part of the walls of the old parish-
church ; sittings 456. Stipend £235 Os. 6d., with a
manse, and a glebe of the value of £24 3s., and cer-
tain teinds of fish. Unappropriated teinds, £364
1 8s. 2d. Patron, the Crown. — There are two United
Secession congregations. Of these, the first was
formed in 1779. Church-sittings 295. Stipend £80.
The second was formed in 1781. Church-sittings
561. Stipend £100, with a manse and garden and
some other allowances. — The parish schoolmaster
has a salary of £34 4s. 4d., with about £80 school-
fees and £40 other emoluments. There were six
private schools within the parish in 1834. — On the
hills on the south side of the parish are the remains
of two camps supposed to be Koman or Saxon.
Urns, and broken pieces of armour, have been found
here. In the low grounds towards the north-west
are the vestiges of three encampments thought to
have been Danish or Pictish. History mentions the
castle of Ayton, founded by the Norman baron De
Vesci, which was taken by the Earl of Surrey in
1498, but no vestiges of it now remain. The mo-
dern house of Ayton which was built upon its site
was unfortunately consumed by fire in 1834. In
1673, there appears to have been 24 heritors, in-
cluding portioners and feuars, in this parish ; in 1790,
there were about 14. At the former period, they
were more distinguished by family and rank. There
were six of the name of Home, each of some dis-
tinction.
BAD
BAL
B
BADCALL (LOCH), or BADCAUL, a small bay
on the western coast of Sutherlandshire, in the par-
ish of Eddrachillis, between Loch Broom on the
south, and Scourie bay on the north. At its mouth
is an archipelago of small islands. See EDDRA-
CHILLIS.
BADENOCH, a district in the south-east of In-
verness-shire, about 35 miles in length, and 28 in
breadth. It is bounded on the north by the Mona-
dhleadh mountains, which form the southern side of
the vale of the Findhorn ; on the east by the Braes of
Abernethy ; on the south by Athole and Lochaber ;
and on the west by the Great Glen of Scotland, or
rather by the Coryaraik mountains which lie farther
to the east. It is a wild and mountainous district,
thinly inhabited, arid poorly cultivated, covered in
many places with natural woods, and in others present-
ing wide stretches of bleak lonely moorland. The
river Spey intersects the district, rising in Loch
Spey, a small mountain tarn at the western extremity
of Badenoch, at an elevation of 1,200 feet above the
sea, and flowing slowly through a gradually widening
valley, first eastwards, and then north-east. See
article SPEY. The most interesting scenery and
localities of Badenoch will be found described in the
articles ALVIE, KINGUSSIE, and LAGGAN This dis-
trict was in ancient times the land of the powerful
family of the Cumyns or Cummins, who came from
Northumberland in the reign of David I. In 1230,
Walter, second son of William Cumyn, Earl of
Buchan, acquired the lordship of Badenoch, by grant
of Alexander II. ['Caledonia.' ii. 563.] In 1291,
John Cumyn, Lord of Badenoch, acknowledged
Edward I. as superior lord of Scotland. His son,
popularly called Red John Cumyn, was slain at
Dumfries by the dagger of Bruce, on the 10th of
February, 1306. Bruce annexed the lordship of
Badenoch to the earldom of Murray ; and the Clan
Chattan appears from about this period to have
settled in Badenoch. [Gregory, p. 77.] Robert II.
granted Badenoch to his son Alexander, Earl of
Buchan, " a species of Celtic Attila, whose common
appellation of ' the Wolf of Badenoch' is sufficiently
characteristic of the dreadful attributes which com-
posed his character." [Tytler, vol. iii. p. 71.] " On
some provocation given him by the Bishop of Moray,
this chief descended from his mountains, and, after
laying waste the country, with a sacrilege which ex-
cited unwonted horror, sacked and plundered the
cathedral of Elgin, carrying jff its rich chalices and
vestments, polluting its holy shrines with blood, and,
finally, setting fire to the noble pile, which, with
the adjoining houses of the canons, and the neigh-
bouring town, were burnt to the ground. This
exploit of the father was only a signal for a more
serious incursion, conducted by his natural son, Dun-
can Stewart, whose manners were worthy of his
descent, and who, at the head of a wild assemblage
of katherans, armed only with the sword and target,
broke with irresistible fury across the range of hills
which divides the county of Aberdeen and Forfar,
and began to destroy the country, and murder the
inhabitants, with reckless and indiscriminate cruelty.
Sir Walter Ogilvy, then sheriff of Angus, along
with Sir Patrick Gray, and Sir David Lindsay of
Gleriesk, instantly collected their power, and, al-
though far inferior in numbers, trusting to the tem-
per of their armour, attacked the mountaineers* at
Gasklune, near the Water of Ila. But they were
almost instantly overwhelmed, the katherans fight-
ing with a ferocity, and a contempt of life, which
seem to have struck a panic into their steel-clad
assailants. Ogilvy, with his brother, Wat of Lich-
toune, Young of Ouchterlony, the Lairds of Cairn-
cross, Forfar, and Guthry, were slain, and sixty mi
at-arms along with them ; while Sir Patrick G
and Sir David Lindsay were grievously wounj
and with difficulty carried off the field. The i
mitable fierceness of the Highlanders is strikin
shown by an anecdote preserved by Winton. Li
say had pierced one of these, a brawny and po
man, through the body with his spear, and
apparently pinioned him to the earth ; but altho
mortally wounded, and in the agonies of death,
writhed himself up by main strength, and with the
weapon in his body, struck Lindsay a desperate blc
with his sword, which cut him through the stirr
arid boot into the bone, after which he instant
sunk down and expired." [Ibid. pp. 74, 75.]
1452, the Crown bestowed Badenoch on the Earl
Huntly, who, at the head of the Clan Chatta
maintained a fierce warfare with the western clar
and his neighbours of Lochaber.
BADENYON, a small property in the parish
Glenbucket, Aberdeenshire, on which are the reli
of an old house, celebrated in the Rev. John Skinrie
excellent song, * John o' Badenyon.'
BAIKIE MOSS. See AIRLIE.
BAINSFORD. See BRAINSFORD.
BALAGEICH. See BALLOCHGEICH.
BALAGICH, a mountain in Renfrewshire, in t
parish of Eaglesham, east of Binnend loch; risi
nearly 1,000 feet above the level of the sea. It i
fords considerable quantities of sulphate of barytt
and is said to contain ores of silver and lead.
BALAHULISH. See BALLACHULISH.
B ALBIRNIE, a village in the parish of Markinc
Fifeshire; 7^ miles north of Kirkcaldy, near £
Leven. The proprietor of Balbirnie estate ha
within these few years, made great alterations on h
property, and nearly removed this village.
BALCARRES, the family-house and estate
a branch of the house of Lindsay, in the parish
Kilconquhar, Fifeshire. Balcarres was erected in
a barony in 1592, in favour of John, second son
David, eighth Earl of Crawford. His son Dav
was created first Lord Balcarres in 1633; and h
grandson, Alexander, first Earl in 1651. It is no
the property of Colonel Lindsay.
BALCHRISTIE, a hamlet in the parish of Nev
burn, Fifeshire ; 1£ mile south-west of Colinsburgi
This is a very ancient place, but contains at presen
only a few houses. David I. granted to the monk
of Dunfermline, " Balchristie cum suis rectis divisii
excepta rectitudine quam Keledei habere debent.
A dispute ensued between the prior and canons <
St. Andrews, and the monks of Dunfermline, aboi
their respective rights to Balchristie. King Williai
determined that the monks should have Balchristi
subject to the rights which the Culdees had in
during the reign of David I. It is now the properi
of James Buchan, Esq.
BALDERNOCK, a small parish in the southei
extremity of Stirlingshire ; bounded on the north 1
the parishes of Strathblane and Campsie ; on the ea
by Campsie and Lanarkshire ; on the south by tl
BAL
95
BAL
river Kelvin, which separates it from Lanarkshire,
and on the west by New Kilpatrick. On the south,
where it is bounded by the Kelvin, there are about TOO
seres of rich flat land. The inundations of the river
having frequently blasted the hopes of the husband-
man by damaging or sweeping away his luxuriant
crops in this quarter, the proprietors, about 70 years
ago, united in raising a bank upon the brink of the
river ; but there are seasons still, when it breaks
over or bursts through its barriers, to resume for a
little its former desolating sway. From south to
north there is a gradual ascent pleasantly diversified
by round swelling hills. On the north side there is
some moorish ground ; but the greater part of the
parish is arable. Towards the south-west lies Bar-
dowie loch, covering about 70 acres. In it are pike
and perch of a good size and quality. The valuation
of the parish is £1,744 Scots. The real rent, in
1794, was supposed to be about .£3,000 sterling; and
arable land was then rented at from 10s. to £2 per
acre. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,043. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 796; in 1831, 805, of whom 50 were
employed in the coal-mines in this parish. Houses
150 — This parish is in the presbytery of Dumbarton,
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend ,£156 19s. Jd., with a manse, and glebe of
the value of £19. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4id., with about £20 fees. Pupils 50.— In the be-
ginning of the reign of Alexander II. the lands of
Cartonbenach were conveyed to Maurice Galbraith
by Malduin, Earl of Lennox. Soon after, in 1238,
we find the same barony granted, under the name of
Bathernock, to Arthur, son of Maurice Galbraith,
with power to seize and condemn malefactors, on
condition that the convicts should be hanged on the
earl's gallows. From the Galbraiths of Bathernock,
chiefs of the name, descended the Galbraiths of Cul-
cruich, Greenock, Killearn, and Balgair. In the
north-west corner of the parish, on an elevated piece
of ground, stands an old ruined tower, being all that
now remains of the mansion-house of the Galbraiths
of Bathernock. It appears to have been a large
building surrounded by a ditch. — Not far from this
to the eastward, are several of those large loose
leaps of stones called cairns, some of them oblong,
md others of a circular shape. One of the circular
:airns is about 80 yards in circumference. Tradition
jays that in this place, called Craigmaddy moor, a
)attle vfas fought with the Danes, in which one of
-heir princes was slain ; and the farm on which these
:airns are is named Blochairn, which may be a cor-
uption of Balcairn, viz., « the town of the cairns.' —
3ut the most curious relic of antiquity in this parish,
s a structure called the Auld wife's lift, situated
tbout a mile to the north of the church, on high
ground, in a little plain of about 250 yards in diame-
\\ hich is surrounded by an ascent of a few yards
-jight, and in the form of an amphitheatre. It
ists of three stones of a greyish grit, two of
:h, of a prismatic shape, are laid along close by
other upon the earth ; and the third — which was
probably a regular parallelepiped, and still, not-
istanding the depredations of time, approaches
figure — is laid above the other two. The up-
ermost stone is 18 feet long, 1 1 broad, and 7 thick,
nearly horizontally with a small dip to the
Its two supporters are about the same size,
in hardly be matter of doubt that this is one of
rude structures erected by the Druids in their
groves. Its situation, in a very sequestered
on an eminence surrounded by a grove of oaks
-the stumps of which trees were still visible in
795 — corresponds exactly with every description we
ave of these places of worship. The tradition is
;at three old women, having wagered which should
carry the greatest vreight, brought hither in their
aprons the three stones of which the lift is con-
structed !
BALERNO, a village in the parish of Currie, in
Mid Lothian. It stands on the water of Leith,
about 6 miles west of Edinburgh. There is a free-
stone quarry here, and a paper-mill.
BALFOUR. See MARKINCH.
BALFRON,* a parish in Stirlingshire, bounded
on the north by Dry men and Kippen parishes ; on
the east by Gargunnock ; on the south by Fintry and
Killearn ; and on the west by Drymen. It is nearly
12 miles in length from west to east, and about 2 in
average breadth. From the river Endrick, which
skirts its southern boundary, the surface rises
gradually towards the north. Population, in 1801,
1,634; in 1831, 2,057, of whom 1,700 resided in the
village of Balfron. Houses 193. Assessed proper-
ty, in 1815, £4,925. Valued rent £2,078 2s. 4d.
S'cots. Real rent, in 1812, £3,480 11s. The po-
pulation is chiefly composed of hand-loom weavers,
cotton-spinners, and a few farmers. The village of
Balfron is 19 miles north of Glasgow, and about the
same distance west-south-west of Stirling. In the
vicinity are the Ballindalloch cotton-mills which,
in 1838, employed 239 hands. The village of Bal-
fron was founded in 1789 by Robert Dunmore, Esq.
of Ballindalloch, who first introduced cotton-weav
ing into the parish. — This parish is in the presby-
tery of Dumbarton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
Patron, the Earl of Kinnoul. Stipend, £157 6s. 4d. ;
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £25. Church
built in 1832 ; sittings 690 — There is a United Se-
cession congregation at Holm -of-Balfron, which has
existed for nearly a century. Church, built about
1790; sittings 500. Stipend £100 — There is also
a congregation in connection with the Relief. Church
built in 1797 ; sittings 320. Stipend £75, with a
house and garden. — There are two parochial schools,
attended by about 76 children. The salary of one
of the masters is £25, with £10 fees; of the other
£10, with £7 10s. fees. There were in 1834, three
private schools within the parish, attended by about
140 children.
B ALGAL VIES (Locn), a small lake, which for-
merly existed in Forfarshire, formed by the waters
of the Lunan in their passage through the parish oi
of Rescobie. It lay to the south-east of the loch ot
Rescobie, and closely adjoining to it. It has been
drained, and affords excellent marl. — [Headrick's
' View of Angus,' p. 85.]
B ALGOLLO, a hill in the parish of Moniefieth, in
Forfarshire, about half a mile from the Tay, on which
are the remains of fortifications erected by the Eng-
lish, in 1548, when in possession of Broughty castle,
which lies at its base.
BALGONIE, a village in Fifeshire, in the parish
of Markinch, 2 miles south of that place. Near it,
on the south bank of the Leven, is Balgonie castle,
one of the seats of the Earl of Leven, created Baron
Balgonie in 1641. It is of great antiquity, and is in
tolerably good repair.
BALGOWNIE. See ABERDEEN. " The brig
of Doon, near the * auld toun' of Aberdeen," writes
Lord Byron in one of his letters, " with its one arch
and its deep black salmon stream below, i? in my
memory as yesterday. I still remember, though per-
haps I may misquote the awful proverb which made
me pause to cross it, and yet lean over it with a
childish delight, being an only son, at least by the
mother's side. The saying as recollected by me wab
* This name is understood by some to be Balfruin, i. e.
1 the Town of Sorrow.' Others derive it from BaUfuar
the Cold town of th« river.'
BAL
96
BAL
this, but I have never heard or seen it since I was
nine years of age : —
Rriff of Balgounie black's your wa1 !
VVi' a wife's ae son, and a mear's ae foal,
Doun ye shall fa'."
BALGRAY, a hamlet, 3 miles north-west of
Glasgow, in the parish of Govan. There is here
an excellent free-stone quarry, about 600 yards from
the Forth and Clyde canal, at which there is a wharf
for shipping the stones.
BALLACHULISH, or BALLAHULISH, or BAL-
CHULLISH,* a quoad sacra parish, divided from the
parish of Kilmalie by authority of the General As-
sembly in May, 1833. It consists of two distinct
districts, separated from each other by the Linnhe
loch, with a church in each district in which wor-
ship is performed alternately once a fortnight. The
district connected with the church at North Balla-
chulish, which lies in Inverness-shire, is 17 miles in
length by 7 in breadth ; that connected with the
church at Ardgour, in Argyleshire, is 14 miles by 6.
The two churches are about 4 miles apart, and were
built in 1829, at an expense of .£1,470 each, under
the provisions of the act 5° Geo. IV. c. 90. The
church at Ballachulish has 300 sittings ; that of
Ardgour, 210. Stipend .£120, with a manse and
glebe. Population of the Ardgour district in De-
cember 1835, 549; of the Ballachulish district, 706.
Total, 1,255, of whom 935 belonged to the Estab-
lished church. This parish is in the presbytery of
Abertarff, and synod of Glenelg. Patron, the Crown.
— There is a large and valuable slate-quarry here, on
the great clay-slate formation which extends from
Easdale on the south to this point northwards.
" The prospect from the inn is, on all hands,
sublime. Beyond the ferry, the hills, covered
with woods and pastures, rise gradually to a con-
siderable height, and decline to the south-west,
where the lochs of Leven and Linnhe unite ; in
that direction, the eye, gliding over a vast ex-
panse of water, is arrested by immense groups of
mountains of different forms and heights in Morven,
which compose an admirable landscape. About 4
miles eastward are the stupendous mountains of
Glenco. Such variety of grand and interesting
scenery is not perhaps to be found in any other part
of Scotland."— [Playfair, Vol. II. p. 15.]— Balla-
chulish ferry is 5 miles from Corran ferry ; 16
miles from King's House ; 14 from Fort- William ;
31 from Tyndrum by the Glenco road; 45 from
Fort- Augustus ; and 61 from Inverary by the mili-
tary road.
BALLINDALLOCH. See articles, AVEN and
INVERAVEN.
BALLANTRAE, a large parish forming the
south-east corner of Ayrshire. It is bounded on the
north and north-east by the parish of Colmonell ; on
the east and south-east by the parish of New Luce
in Wigtonshire; on the south by that of Inch in
Wigtonshire ; on the south-west by Loch Ryan ;
and on the west by the Irish sea. The extent of
sea-coast is about 12 miles. , The shore, excepting
for about 2 miles opposite to the village of Ballan-
trae, is in general high and rocky, having a tremen-
dous surf or swell beating against it when the wind
blows from the west or north-west. Opposite to
this coast the sea appears land-locked : for a most
spacious bay of nearly 25 or 30 leagues diameter is
formed by part of the coast of Galloway, part of the
two counties of Down and Antrim in Ireland, the
east coast of Argyleshire, part of Dumbartonshire,
and the whole stretch of coast along the shire of
•f By Webster, written Ballychelish ; by Playfair, Bailiche.
JMft; by many. Balluchulish; by others, BaVihultth; and by
Macculloch, Bdht/mlish.
it or
1790,
Ayr for about 80 miles. All this vast extent of
coast is easily discernible by the naked eye in a clear
day, together with the islands of Sana, Arran, Bute,
and the two small islands of Cumbrae. The land
rises with a gradual slope from the shore to the tops
of the mountains forming part of that extensive range
of hills which stretches across the south of Scotland,
almost from the Irish sea to the frith of Forth be-
yond Edinburgh. The highest hill is that of Beine-
rard, about 6 miles south-east of Ballantrae, which,
according to Thomson's atlas, has an elevation of
1,430 feet. The surface is much diversified with
heights and hollows, intersected by little streams of
water descending from the hills. All beyond the
mountains towards the east is soft mossy ground
covered with heath and ling. The principal river is
the ARDSTINCHAR : see that article. There is an-
other stream called the App, which flows in a south-
west direction through Glenapp into Loch Ryan.
Mr. Aiton estimated the superficial area of this parish
at 49,000 Scots acres; in the Statistical report of
1838 it is estimated at between 24,000 and 25,1
of which about 7,000 are arable. The valued re
is .£3,551 Is. 6d. Scots; tbe real rental, in M
about £2,000, but, in 1838, nearly £7,500. The
want of roads, complained of in the Statistical report
of 1791, has now been remedied; there is a
turnpike-road from Stranraer to the village of B
trae, a distance of 17 miles, and also from Ballan
to Girvan, a distance of 12£ miles; besides numerous
branch-roads. The village of Ballantrae consis
of about 84 houses, with a population of 456.
now enjoys regular steam-communication with Gil
gow at least three times a- week. Population oft
parish, in 1801, 837; in 1831, 1,506. Houses 2€
Assessed property, in 1815, £4,684 The pari
of Ballantrae is in the presbytery of Stranraer, a
synod of Galloway. Both the parish of Ballantra
and the neighbouring parish of Colmonell, we
originally connected with the presbytery of Ayr, a
synod of Glasgow and Ayr; but were disjoined
1699, on account of their great distance from t
seat of presbytery, and annexed to the presbytery
Stranraer and synod of Galloway. Patroness, t
Duchess De Coigny. Stipend £258 Is. 3d., with
manse, and a glebe of the value of £15 10s. Chur
built in 1819; sittings 600. Parochial schoolmt
ter's salary £34 4s., with £16 school fees, and £
other emoluments. Average number of pupils
There are three private schools in this parish, whi
were attended, in 1834, by about 80 pupils. The
is a chapel and a school in Glenapp. — Chambers say
" The inhabitants of this part of the country wei
till within the last twenty or thirty years, almost
wild and rude as the remote Highlanders of ROJ
shire, though no doubt a great deal wealthier. Ai
what the natural circumstances of the district ga
rise to, was greatly influenced, at one period, by t
lawless state into which much of the population w
thrown by smuggling. It is not yet more than for
years, since the immense bands of people, who,
this district, attend funerals, would fall out on t
road to the parish town, where the church-yard
situated, and without regard to the sober characl
of their duty, set down the corpse and fight out th<
quarrel, with fists, sticks, and such other rus
weapons as they happened to be possessed of, till,
the end, one party had to quit the field discomfiti
leaving the other to finish the business of the fui
ral. Brandy, from the French luggers that w<
perpetually hovering on the coast, was the gn
inspiration in these polymachia, which, it is needl
to say, are totally unknown in our own discree
times. Another fact may be mentioned, as evinc
the state of barbarity from which Ballantrae has
BAL
97
BAL
y emerged, that previous to the end of the eigh
teenth century, there was not a single individual con-
nected with the three learned faculties, not so much
as a justice of the peace, in the whole district, nor
hin twelve miles of it." — The only antiquities
in the parish are the remains of an old church at
north-east extremity of the parish, which seems
have been formerly the parish-church, and to have
been deserted for the present one as being more com-
modious for the inhabitants; and the remains of a
large old castle adjoining the village, and situated
upon a high rock now within the minister's glebe,
which about a century ago belonged to the Lords ol
Bargeny.
"ALLATER, a village in the parish of Glen-
k, Aberdeenshire, on the left bank of the Dee,
mile above Pannanich, and 41£ west of Aberdeen.
iis is a fashionable watering-place. The chaly-
beate wells are at Pannanich, which is always crowd-
ed during the summer-months, but the visitors re-
ride at Ballater. A bridge was built across the Dee
here in 1783, but was destroyed by a river-flood in
1799. A new bridge was finished at the end of the
year 1811, with a water-way of 238 feet, at an expense
of .£4,224. It consisted of five arches, the middle arch
having a span of 60 feet, the extreme arches of 34, and
the intervening arches of 55 feet. This bridge also
was swept away by the great flood in August 1829.
" The view of Ballater from the lower extremity of
the plain," says Sir T. D. Lauder, "is something
quite exquisite. I do not speak of the village itself,
which, at that distance, presents little more than the
indication of a town, with a steeple rising from it ;
but I allude to the grand features of nature by which
;.t is surrounded. The very smallness of the town
idds to the altitude of the mountains ; for, when
icen from the point I mean, it might be a city for
uight the traveller knows to the contrary. It
*tands, half -hidden among trees, in the rich and
Diversified vale. On the north rises the mountain-
ous rock of Craigdarroch, luxuriantly wooded with
jirch, and divided off from the bounding mountains
>f that side of the valley by the wild and anciently
mpregnable Pass of Ballater. Beyond the river,
imidst an infinite variety of slopes and wood, is
;een the tall old hunting-tower of Knock ; and, be-
tind it, distance rises over distance, till the prospect
Eninated by the long and shivered front, and
I saw it on the 15th of October last) the
covered ridge of Loch-na-gar — the nurse of
he sublime genius of Byron, who, in his beautiful
ttle poem, so entitled, still
' Sighs for the valley of dark Loch-na-gar.1 "
BALLERNO, or BALLEDGARNO, a village in the
arish of Inchture, in Perthshire, the property of
<ord Kinnaird. It is 14 miles north-east of Perth,
nd 14 north-west of Inchture.
BA'LLINGRAY, an upland parish in Fifeshire;
ied on the north by Portmoak parish ; on the
by Kinglassie and Auchterderran ; on the south
Luchterderran and Beath ; and on the west by
sh. It is about 3J miles in length, by 1£ in
1th. About one-third of the parish is under
je. Coal is extensively wrought in it. There
until recently a considerable loch in this parish
J Loch Orr, from which the small stream Orr
; but it has been in great part drained. To-
the eastern extremity of this loch was a small
upon which stood the remains of an ancient
supposed to have been founded in the reign of
Jim III. The family of Loch Orr was of con-
)le importance in early times. In the reign of
ier II., Adam De Loch Orr was sheriff of
and the name of Thomas De Loch Orr oc-
curs in the roll of the parliament held at Ayr. The
domain of Loch Orr afterwards passed into the
hands of the Wardlaws of Torry. A little to the
westward of Lock Orr house were the vestiges of
a Roman camp, now levelled and effaced. Some
have conjectured that this was the spot where the
Ninth legion was attacked and nearly cut off by the
Caledonians. Population, in 1801, 277; in 1831,
392. Houses 65. Assessed property £3,014 — This
parish is in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, and synod
of Fife. Patron, Jobson of Lochore. Stipend
£172 8s. 3d., with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£18. Church built in 1831. Schoolmaster's stipend
£34 4s. 4£d., with about £8 10s. of fees and other
emoluments. Pupils, in 1834, 20.
BALLO, one of the Sidlavv range of hills, in the
parish of Longforgan, Perthshire. It attains an alti-
tude of 992 feet above sea-level.
BALLOCH, a ferry in the parish of Bonhill,
Dumbartonshire, a little below the issue of the Leven
from Loch Lomond. Some what to the north-east of
this ferry are the ruins of Balloch castle, an ancient
stronghold of the earls of Lennox.
BALLOCH, a small sheet of water, about half-a-
mile in circumference, at the foot of Torlum, in the
parish of Muthil in Perthshire. It discharges itself
into the Earn by a small stream.
BALLOCHGEICH, a steep narrow ascent lead-
ing to the old postern gate of Stirling castle. That
facetious monarch James V., when rambling through
the country after the fashion of Sultan Alraschid,
was wont to assume the title of ' The gudeman o'
Ballochgeich,' or ' Ballengeich.'
BALLOCHMYLE, a locality in Ayrshire, on
which Burns has conferred celebrity by his fine song
of ' The Bonny Lass o' Ballochmyle.' * The braes o'
Ballochmyle ' are on the northern bank of the Ayr,
between Catrine and Howford bridge, and about 2
miles distant from Mossgiel. " Bending in a con-
cave form," says Chambers in his ' Illustrations of
the Land of Burns,' " a mixture of steep bank and
precipice, clothed with the most luxuriant natural
wood, while a fine river sweeps round beneath them,
they form a scene of bewildering beauty, exactly such
as a poet would love to dream in during a July eve."
BALLOCHNEY RAILWAY. This is an ex-
tension of one of the branches of the Monkland and
Kirkintilloch railway, or rather a prolongation of
that railway, by two arms which run into the interior
of New Monkland parish, so as to embrace the coal
and iron-stone works in the rich mining districts on
both sides of Airdrie. The company of proprietors
was incorporated in 1826 by 7° Geo. IV. c. 48. The
original capital was £18,000, which was increased,
in 1835, to £28,000 ; and by an act passed in July
1839, to £70,000. It commences at Kipps colliery,
about 2 miles west of Airdrie, runs from thence in an
easterly direction, and passing Airdrie about a quarter
of a-mile to the north, terminates at Ballochney col-
liery, about 3 miles to the north-east, sending out in
its course several branches to the town and to the
different collieries. This is but a short railway, not
exceeding 3 miles of length in the main line, and
about as much in the branches ; but it is remarkable
for two beautiful self-acting inclined. planes, whicb
form part of the line, and are the first of the kind
that have been constructed in Scotland on any great
scale. The gravity of the ascending and descending
trains of waggons, are nicely balanced against each
other, and their velocities regulated throughout the
different parts of the line by varying slightly the in-
clination of the plane from top to bottom, by which
means undue acceleration is prevented. The Balloch-
ney lower inclined plane is 1,100 yards in length, and
rises 118 feet perpendicular; the inclination vurie*
G
BAL
98
BAL
from 1 in 22 at the top to 1 in 32 at the bottom ; the
upper inclined, plane is also 1,100 yards in length,
atid rises 94 feet perpendicular, varying in inclination
from 1 in 25 at the top to 1 in 36 at the bottom.
BALLYCHELISH. See BALLACHULISH.
BALMACLELLAN, a parish in Kirkcudbright-
shire ; bounded on the north-west and north by the
parish of Dairy; on the north and north-east by
Dumfries-shire; on the east by Kirkpatrick-Durham
parish ; on the south by Partoun parish ; and on the
south-west by the parish of Kells. Its outline is
very irregular. In its greatest dimensions, from
north-east to south-west, it is about 14 miles. Its
greatest admeasurement from east to west is about
10 miles. Urr water, flowing from Loch Urr, forms
its eastern boundary ; the Ken and Loch Ken skirt
it on the south-west; while the Grapel, flowing
south-west into the Ken, and the head-sources of
the Cairn flowing north-east, separate it from Dairy.
The road from Dumfries to Newton-Stewart, by New
Galloway, intersects the lower or southern half of the
parish, from east to west, passing the kirk-town,
which is 1^ mile north-east of New Galloway. The
surface is in general level, except towards the nor-
thern march, where there is a considerable range of
hills running north-east and south-west. Along the
banks of the Ken, the soil is chiefly dry, light, and
gravelly ; the remainder is also of a light nature, but
sometimes of a deep moss, and covered with heath.
There are five small lakes within the parish, which
are plentifully stocked with fish, especially Loch
Brack, which is remarkabb for excellent trout of a
large size. This parish seems to have derived its
name from its ancient proprietors ; a branch of the
family of Maclellan having possessed lands contiguous
to the church and village for several centuries, and
they are supposed to have transferred their name to
the property. This family was in great authority so
early as the reign of Alexander II. ; in 1217, David
Maclellan is mentioned in a charter of that king;
they were also heritable sheriffs of Galloway till the
time of James II. Its branches were so numerous
and respectable that there were then in Galloway
twelve knights of the name of Maclellan, of whom
Sir Patrick Maclellan, tutor of Bombie, was the
chief. He was the eldest son of Sir Patrick, who
lived about the year 1410, and of a daughter of Sir
Andrew Gray, of Broxmouth and Foulis. But, in
1452, having taken part with Herries, of Tereagles,
against William, Earl Douglas, he was besieged in
his own castle of Raeberry, and after being cast into
close prison in the Earl's castle of Thrieve, was put
to death, and interred in the abbey of Dundrennan.
Whereupon his relations, making great depredations
on Douglas's lands in Galloway, his office of sheriff
was forfeited to the Crown. Sir Robert Maclellan
was made a gentleman of tho bed-chamber by Charles
I., and afterwards, in 1633, created baron Kirkcud-
bright, with limitation to heirs male. The family-
possessions at Kirkcudbright have long since been
alienated ; and the title has been dormant since the
death of the 9th lord in 1832. Population, in 1801,
554; in 1831, 1,013. Houses 205. Assessed pro-
perty £4,953 — This parish, formerly a rectory, is
in the presbytery of Kirkcudbright, and synod of
Galloway. Patron, the Crown. Minister's stipend
£226 19s. 8d., with a manse, and a glebe of the
value of £35. Church built in 1722; enlarged in
1833; sittings 366. Of a population of 1,050 as-
certained by census in 1836, 950 belonged to the
established church, and 100 to the Dissenters. There
were 3 parochial schools in this parish in 1834. The
salary of each of the masters is £17 2s. 2d. ; and the
school-fees of two of them amounted to about £30.
Average number of scholars at the three schools 95.
BALMAGHIE,* a parish in Kircudbright shire;
bounded on the north by the parishes of Kells and
Partoun, from which it is separated by the water of
Dee; on the east by the parishes of Crossmichael
and Tongueland, from which it is separated by the
Dee; on the south by Tongueland and Twirieham
parishes ; and on the west by Girthon, from which it
is separated by Auchencloy burn, which flo\vs north
into the Dee. Its length may be about 8 or 9, and
its breadth from 3 to 6 miles. The general appear-
ance of the surface is far from pleasing to the eye.
A great part of it is covered with heath, rocks, and
morasses. There are a few bleak rugged hills, which
rise to a considerable height, and are incapable of
improvement; but the parish in general cannot be
said to be mountainous. The best cultivated tracts
lie along the eastern and southern skirts. There are
five small lakes in the parish, in which anglers find
abundance of pike, perch, and trout. Of these,
Grannoch, or Woodhall loch, is the largest; it is
about a quarter of a mile broad, and 2^ miles
length. At Lochenbreck, on the estate "of We
hall, is a strong mineral spring, " that for time
memorial," says a writer quoted in the Old Statist!
account, " has been frequented by numbers eve
spring and summer-season, for behoof of their healt
and its good effects have been sanctioned by eve
one of the faculty that knows its virtues. It is
chalybeate water, and perhaps one of the strong
of the kind in North Britain." The valued rent
the parish is £3,651 Scots; its real rent, at the
of last century, was £2,640 sterling. Assessed
perty, in 1815, £7,986. Population, in 1801,
in 1831, 1,416. Houses 228.— This parish is in
presbytery of Kirkcudbright, and synod of Gallov
Patron, Gordon of Balmaghie. Stipend £203
8d., with a manse, and a glebe of the value of £1
10s. Unappropriated teinds £146 Os. Id. Chi
built in 1794 ; sittings 360. The dissenters are ;
150 in number, of whom the greater part are
Catholics, who have their places of worship at D£
beattie and Gatehouse of Fleet. The remainder
Reformed Presbyterians. There are 2 parish-sch(
which were attended by about 200 children in
The salary of one schoolmaster was £12, with
£30 fees ; of the other £17 6s. 6d., with £18 fe
There was also a private school with about 100
pils. — After the Revolution, the Covenanters dissei
ed from the church on account of her Eras'tianism, i
professed to refuse subjection to the state,
the king and parliament had not subscribed the coi
nants. They had no minister for about sixt
years, but they met for worship in societies, in dif
ent parts of the south and west of Scotland, whe
they chiefly resided and were known by the name
' Hill Folk,' ' Society Men,' and ' Cameronian
Their views were favoured by Mr. John Macmil"
minister of the gospel at Balmaghie, who sometimt
dispensed religious ordinances to some of them wb
resided without the bounds of his own parish. F<
this he was deposed from the office of the ministi
about the year 1 704. He submitted for some time tot!
sentence of deposition, but conceiving it to be found<
in error, he afterwards resumed the office of the mi:
istry. After preaching for some time, he received act
from the societies in the year 1706, and continued
be their sole minister till he was joined by Mr. Nair
about the year 1743, and these two were the on
ministerial members who constituted the first E
* " Bal, in the Gaelic language, signifies a township or n
deuce. For about 600 years previous to the year 1786,
family of Maghie of balmaghie possessed extensive estate* >
this part of the country, and here they resided. Hence >
etymology of the name of the parish is obvious. "— OW Statistt »
Account.
BAL
99
BAL
ied Presbytery. — Several persons here suffered
martyrs, during the persecution which prevailed
the 17th century. In the churchyard there are
ive-stones over three of them. One of these has
following epitaph engraven on it : —
Here lyes David Halliday, portioner of Meifield, who was
n»t upon the 2lst of February, 1685, and David Halliday, once
i Glengape, who was likewise shot upon the 1 1th of July, 1685,
their adherence to the principles of Scotland's Covenanted
formation.
Beneath this stone two David Hallidays
Do lie, whose souls now sing their Master's praise.
To know if curious passengers desire,
For what, by whom, and how they did expire j
They did oppose this nation's perjury,
Nor could they join with lordly prelacy.
Indulging1 favours from Christ's enemies,
Queuch'd not their zeal this monument then cries;
These were the causes not to be forgot,
Why they by Lag so wickedly were shot ,
One name, one cause, one grave, one heaven do tie
Their souls to that one God eternally.
BALMANGAN BAY, a small harbour below
Kirkcudbright, at the mouth of the Dee. There are
or 15 feet water here at four hours flood in all
_es.
B ALMERINO, a parish in Fifeshire ; bounded on
north by the frith of Tay ; on the east by the
»h of Forgan ; on the south by Kilmany ; and on
the west by Creigh and Flisk. Its medium length
from east to west is about 3^ miles ; and its greatest
breadth 2£ miles. Two hilly ridges, spurs of the
Ochills, traverse the parish from east to west, leaving
between them a fertile valley inclining towards the
east. The highest point of the southern ridge is
Coultry hill, which exceeds 500 feet, and is wooded
the top. The whole shore is bold and rocky.
p. Leighton states the area of the parish at 3,346
;s, of which 2,700 are in cultivation, and about
under wood. The valued rent is £3,944 9s. 2d.
ts. Real rent £4,800. Assessed property, in
H5, £4,331. Population, in 1801, 786; in 1831,
Houses 212. There are four villages in the
namely, Galdry near the northern boundary ;
Imerino on the coast; Coultry towards the west;
id Kirkton. Balmerino is a nice little fishing vil-
, and a creek of the port of Dundee, with which
communicates by a weekly packet. When the
it Statistical report was written, it was stated that
>ve 7,000 bolls of grain were yearly shipped at this
>rt for Dundee and other markets ; but this trade
longer exists : the farmers find it more con-
lient to send their grain to Cupar, and other
jighbouring towns. Salmon are caught on the
st by means of the toot net, but no longer in such
imbers as formerly; and that delicate little fish,
e spirling, once caught here in immense quantities,
jms to have betaken itself to other haunts. A
isiderable number of the population are employed
weaving for the Dundee manufacturers. Mr.
hton says an expert weaver can earn upon an
rerage 2s. per day of twelve hours. We greatly
this is too high an estimate. At this present
the average of the nett weekly earnings of a
y weaver in Dundee does not exceed 9s. per
;ek The lands of Balmerino, at the beginning of
13th century, were in the possession of Henry
Ruel or Rewel, whose nephew and heir, Richard,
)ld them, in 1225, to Queen Emergarde, the mother
'Alexander II., for 1,000 merks. Emergarde founded
abbey upon her newly acquired possession, which
le dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and to St. Edward
le Confessor ; and, dying in 1233, was buried before
high altar. The last abbot of this well-endowed
was Sir John Hay. After the Reformation,
lands belonging to it were erected into a temporal
ship in favour of Sir James Elphinston, in whose
:ly they continued till the forfeiture of John, 6th
Lord Balmerino, in 1746. They were then purchased
from the Crown by the York Buildings company,
who resold them to the Earl of Moray. The remains
of the abbey are now of trifling extent. An arcade
of pointed arches supported on short thick pillars,
and two vaulted apartments still remain; but the
chapel has entirely disappeared. There are still some
remains of the orchard, and one or two venerable
chestnut trees in the surrounding grounds.* — A little
to the east of the abbey are the ruins of the ancient
castle of Naughton, surmounting an isolated mass of
rock. Sir William Hay of Naughton is noticed by
Winton as
" Ane hanest knycht, and of gud fame,
A travalit knycht lang before than."
And Gawain Douglas places him among the heroes
of romance in his ' Palice of Honour :'
" Then saw I Maitland upon auld beir'd grey,
Robin Hude, and Gilbert with the quhite hand,
How Hay of Nauchton flew in Madin land."
Mr. Leighton conjectures that Naughton was the
site of the battle of Dunnechtan, fought in 685,
wherein the Pictish king, Bredei, defeated and slew
the Saxon king, Egfrid of Northumbria. But Chal-
mers supposes this engagement to have taken place
at Dunnichen in Angus, f There is a field in the
neighbourhood of Nauchton, called Battle-law, where
the Danes, in their flight from the battle of Lun-
carty, made a vigorous stand against the Scots and
Picts under Kenneth III., but were again put to
flight with severe loss, and compelled to take refuge
in their ships which lay in the mouth of the Tay. —
This parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery
of Cupar, and synod of Fife. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £239 9s., with a manse, and a glebe of the
value of £18. Unappropriated teinds £95 4s. 4d.
The abbey-church was used for service till the year
1595, when a new church was erected near the foot
of the Scurr hill, where the burial-ground still re-
mains, although the church now in use, which was
built in 1811, is farther east, or more towards the
centre of the parish. There are about 100 dissen-
ters in the parish, who are mostly connected with the
Secession-church at Rathillet. The parish-school
is at Galdry. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 2d.,
with from £25 to £28 of fees. Average number ot
scholars 80. There is a female school attended by
about 40 children.
BALNAHUAIGH, an islet of about one mile in
circuit, lying midway between Lunga and Eisdale.
It is included in the parish of Jura, and, in 1800, had
a population of 150, who were supported by quarrying
slate, the whole rock being one slate-quarry.
BALNAMOON'S MIRES, a morass formerly of
great extent, but now drained and cultivated, about
5 miles north of Arbroath. The small stream Keiler
takes its rise here.
BALQUHIDDER, a very large parish in the
south-west of Perthshire ; bounded on the west and
north by Killin ; on the east by Comrie ; and on the
south by Callander. Measured from its north-east
to its south-west corner, it is 20 miles in length ; and
from Craig-na-Cailliach on its north-eastern border,
across the country in a north-west direction, it is 10
miles. Its general outline is triangular, and it is
nearly enclosed by ranges of lofty mountains, from
which numerous torrents descend to Loch Voel,
which, with its adjunct Loch Doine, occupies the
* Grose has given a view of these ruins. Another and re-
cent view is given in 'Fife Illustrated,' Glasgow, 1839, 4to.
t Simeon of Durham relates that this battle was fought in
the vicinity of a lake, which he calls Staguum Nechtain ; and
tlie Saxon Chronicle says that the field of battle was "juxta
mare Boreali." It is not easy to reconcile these features with
the present locality.
BAL
100
BAL
centre of the parish. These lochs discharge them-
selves by the Balvaig, into Loch Lubnaig, of which
the northern half is projected into this parish, on the
east of Craig-na-Cailliach. See articles LOCH DOINE,
LOCH LUBNAIG, and LOCH VOEL. After heavy
rains the low grounds around these lochs are widely
iriundated — as might be expected from the form of
the country. According to tradition all the lower
grounds, and the foot of the mountains in this parish,
were formerly covered with wood ; and large trunks
of oak and birch trees are still found occasionally in
the mosses. There is still a considerable quantity
of coppice within this parish. The writer of the first
Statistical account claims the south part of Benmore
as in this parish, and estimates its height at 3,903
feet above sea-level ; also the western side of Ben
Voirlich, to which he assigns an altitude of 3,300
feet. A little to the south of Benmore is Binean,
or ' the Mountain of Birds,' which has a nearly equal
elevation. To the south-west of Binean is Beri-
chroan; and to the south-east of Benchroan are
Stobdune and Benchoan. All these are very lofty
mountains ; but we have not admeasurements of their
respective heights. The principal roads which in-
tersect this parish is that from Callander, by Loch
Lubnaig, to Lochearnhead, and through Glen Ogle
to Tyndrum ; and that from Lochearnhead to Bal-
quhidder. Glen Ogle is a narrow pass hemmed in
for several miles on both sides by very lofty and
precipitous rocks. Glen Ample is a narrow deep
ravine on the eastern skirts of the parish, intersected
by a rapid mountain-torrent called the Ample, which
flows north into Loch Earn. The vale of Bal-
quhidder, and its two fine lochs, presents some very
beautiful scenery, and is rife with traditions of Rob
Roy, many of whose exploits were performed here ;
and whose ashes rest in the little churchyard of
Balquhidder. To the west of the kirk-town are
' The Braes of Balquhidder,' celebrated in Scottish
song. This village is 12 miles distant from Callan-
der. Population of the parish, in 1801, 1,377 ; in
1831, 1, '049. Houses 200. Assessed property £6,794.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Dunblane, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, Sir Evan J.
Macgregor, Bart. Minister's stipend £275 15s. lid.,
with a manse, and a glebe of the value of £20.
Church built in 1631; repaired in 1810; sittings
425. The district of Lochearnhead, called the half-
parish, being part quoad civilia of Comrie parish,
is annexed to Balquhidder quoad sacra. It contains
about 200 individuals. There are about 20 dissen-
ters within the parish.
BALTA, an islet lying to the east of the isle of
Unst, in the Shetland groupe, in N. lat. 60° 41'.
Balta sound, between Balta and Unst, is a bay 2 miles
in length, and about half-a-mile broad, so completely
shut in by the island of Balta that, seen from a dis-
tance, it resembles a lake. Both sides of this bay
are in a state of high cultivation. An excellent
survey of Balta harbour, by Captain Ramage, was
published in 1819.
BALVAIG (THE), a stream which rises in the
western corner of Balquhidder parish in Perthshire,
flows east-north-east into Loch Doine, through which
it flows into Loch Voel, and thence emerging, flows
first east, and then south, to Loch Lubnaig, from the
lower or southern extremity of which it re-issues,
and then flows south-east ^into the Teith, coming
from Loch Venachoir, which it joins at Bochastle,
about half-a-mile above Callander bridge.
BALWEARIE, the ancient seat of the family of
" the wondrous Michael Scott,"
in the parish of Abbotshall, Fifeshire. Sir Michael
flourished during the 13th century, and was born at
Balwearie some time previous to the year 1214.
Filled with the thirst of learning from his youth, he
left his native country, and studied successively at
Oxford — where he had Roger Bacon for a fellow-
student — at Padua, and at Toledo ; and, having ac-
quired a European reputation for learning, was invited
to the court of th'e emperor of Germany, where he
remained some years. On his return to England, he
was honourably received by Edward I., who per-
mitted him to proceed to Scotland, where he arrived
just after the death of Alexander III., rendered an
embassy to Norway expedient, for the purpose of
conveying the princess Margaret, daughter of Eric,
king of Norway, by Margaret, the eldest daughter of
Alexander III., to Scotland, of the crown of which
kingdom she had become, by her grandfather's death,
the direct and lawful inheritrex. To this honourable
embassy, Sir David Scott, and Sir Michael Wemyss,
another Fifeshire gentleman, were appointed by th(
regents of the kingdom. They succeeded so far ii
their mission as to get the young princess intrustec
to their care ; but the royal maiden sickened on hei
passage to Scotland, and died in Orkney. Sir Mi-
chael's name does not again appear in history;
died spori after, having attained an extreme
Tradition varies concerning the place of his burial;
by some accounts he is represented as having beei
buried at Home-Cultram in Cumberland, when
Henry, son of King David of Scotland, had foundec
a Cistercian abbey, of which abbey Lysons says, Mi-
chael Scott was a monk about the year 1190;
others, he is said to have been buried in Meln
abbey. Our great Minstrel has decided in favour
Melrose, and any other belief on this subject is ther
fore most unwarrantable. " It is well known," sayj
Tytler, in his « Lives of Scottish Worthies,' [vol.
p. 121.,] "that many traditions are still prevalent ir
Scotland concerning the extraordinary powers oft!
Wizard ; and if we consider the thick cloud of ign
ranee which overspread the country at the period
his return from the continent, and the very SHU
materials which are required by Superstition as
groundwork for her dark and mysterious stories,
shall not wonder at the result. The Arabic bool
which he brought along with him, the apparatus
his laboratory, his mathematical and astronomical ir
struments, the Oriental costume generally worn bj
the astrologers of the times, and the appearance
the white-haired and venerable sage, as he sat on
roof of his tower of Balwearie, observing the face
the heavens, and conversing with the stars, were
amply sufficient to impress the minds of the vuh
with awe and terror. ' Accordingly,' says Sir Walt
Scott, in his Notes on the Lay of the Last Minstrel
* the memory of Sir Michael Scott survives in manj
a legend, and in the south of Scotland any work
great labour and antiquity is ascribed either to the
agency of Auld Michael, of Sir William Wallace, or
of the Devil.' Some of the most current of these
traditions are so happily described by the above
mentioned writer, that we cannot refrain from quot-
ing the passage. ' Michael was chosen,' it is said.
' to go upon an embassy to obtain from the king o:
France satisfaction for certain piracies committed b.'
his subjects upon those of Scotland. Instead of pre
paring a new equipage and splendid retinue, the am
bassador retreated to his study, and evoked a fiend
in the shape of a huge black horse, mounted upon hi
back, and forced him to fly through the air toward
France. As they crossed the sea, the devil ins:
diously asked his rider what it was the old wome
of Scotland muttered at bed-time. A less experience
might have answered, that it was the Pater Noste
which would have licensed the devil to precipital
him from his back. But Michael sternly replied,
BAL
101
BAN
« What is that to thee ?
Mount, Diabolus, aud flee!'
/lien he arrived at Paris, he tied his horse to the
ite of the palace, entered, and boldly delivered his
jssage. An ambassador with so little of the pomp
i circumstance of diplomacy, was not received
._th much respect, and the king was about to return
contemptuous refusal to his demand, when Michael
sought him to suspend his resolution till he had
;n his horse stamp three times. The first stamp
>ok every steeple in Paris, and caused all the bells
ring ; the second threw down three towers of the
.lace ; and the infernal steed had lifted his foot to
Lve the third stamp, when the king rather choose to
u'ss Michael with the most ample concessions,
in to stand the probable consequences. Another
ie, it is said, when residing at the tower of Oak-
)d, upon the Ettrick, about three miles above
drk, he heard of the fame of a sorceress, called the
itch of Falsehope, on the opposite side of the river,
lael went one morning to put her skill to the
but was disappointed, by her denying positively
knowledge of the necromantic art. In his dis-
irse with her, he laid his wand inadvertently on
table, which the hag observing, suddenly snatch-
it up, and struck him with it. Feeling the force
' the charm, he rushed out of the house ; but as it
conferred on him the external appearance of a
2, his servant, who waited without, halloo'd upon
ie discomfited Wizard his own hounds, and pursued
so close, that in order to obtain a moment's
Bathing to reverse the charm, Michael, after a very
iguing course, was fain to take refuge in his own
v-hole, Anglice, common sewer. In order to re-
:«ge himself of the Witch of Falsehope, Michael,
3 morning in the ensuing harvest, went to the hill
>ve the house with his dogs, and sent down his
rvant to ask a bit of bread from the goodwife for
greyhounds, with instructions what to do if he
' with a denial. Accordingly, when the witch
refused the boon with contumely, the servant,
his master had directed, laid above the door a
?r which he had given, containing, amongst many
cabalistical words, the well-known rhyme,
Immedi
Maister Michael Scott's man
Sought meat, aud gat nane.'
liately the good old woman, instead of pursuing
her domestic occupation, which was baking bread
for the reapers, began to dance round the fire, re-
peating the rhyme, and continued this exercise, till
her husband sent the reapers to the house, one after
another, to see what had delayed their provision, but
the charm caught each as they entered, and, losing
all idea of returning, they joined in the dance and
the chorus. At length the old man himself went to
the house, but as his wife's frolic with Mr. Michael,
whom he had seen on the hill, made him a little
itious, he contented himself with looking in at the
low, and saw the reapers at their involuntary
:ise, dragging his wife, now completely ex-
isted, sometimes round, and sometimes through
the tire, which was, as usual, in the midst of the
ise. Instead of entering, he saddled a horse, and
up the hill, to humble himself before Michael,
beg a cessation of the spell, which the good-
ired warlock immediately granted, directing him
enter the house backwards, and with his left hand
the spell from above the door, which according-
ended the supernatural dance. * * * Michael
)tt,' continues the same author, ' once upon a
time was much embarrassed by a spirit, for whom he
Mag under the necessity of finding constant employ-
ment. He commanded, him to build a cauld, 01 dam-
head, across the Tweed at Kelso; it was accom-
plished in one night, and still does honour to tha
infernal architect. Michael next ordered that Eildon
hill, which was then a uniform cone, should be
divided into the three picturesque peaks which it
now bears. At length the enchanter conquered this
indefatigable demon, by employing him in the hope-
less and endless task of making ropes out of sea-
sand.' " Finlay in his * Scottish Historical and Ro-
mantic Ballads,' [vol. II. p. 55,] conjectures that
Balwearie was the scene of the atrocious Lammikin's
"black revenge," as related in the ballad of that
name, of which one copy commences thus : —
" Lammikin was as glide a mason
As ever hewed a stane ;
He biggit Lord Weire's castle,
But payment gat he nane."
And another copy, —
" When Balwearie and his train
Gaed to hunt the wild boar,
He gar'd bar up his catttle
Behind and before."
In this latter copy, "the wicked Balcanqual" takes
the place of Lammikin, or Lambkin ; but all writers,
Mr. Finlay tells us, agree in considering this not the
name of the hero but merely an epithet.
B ANCHORY-DAVINICK, a parish divided into
two parts by the river Dee, which being the boundary
between the counties of Aberdeen and Kincardine,
that part of the parish which lies on the north side of
the river is in the former county, and that on the
south side in the latter. That part of the parish in
Aberdeenshire, is a strip about one mile in breadth,
and 4 in length, and stretching both farther east and
farther west than the parish does upon the opposite
bank. On the east this part is bounded by the parish
of Old-Machar; on the north by Newhills, and on
the west by Peterculter. The Kincardineshire por-
tion is bounded on the east by the parish of Nigg,
and by the German ocean, for about 3 miles ; on the
south by Fetteresso parish ; and on the west by
Fetteresso and Maryculter. The coast is bold and
rocky, but presents three small fishing-harbours,
Findon, Portlethen, and Downees or Dounies. The
first of these villages had a population, in 1831, of
224 ; the second of 220 ; and the third of about 100.
The general appearance of the country is rugged and
stony. The stone which prevails is blue granite.
The soil is in general light, and either mossy or
sandy, but when properly managed produces good
grain, particularly on the river side, and on some
parts of the coast. The writer of the Statistical
account, in 1792, complains of the high price of
labour operating as a bar to agriculture in this dis-
trict. A day-labourer, if a good hand, then earned
Is. a-day for nine months of the year, and 9d. a-day
the other three ; and the wages of a capable farm-ser-
vant, who had his victuals found, was " seldom under
.£6, and sometimes as high as£9a-year." An anec-
dote related by the same writer curiously illustrates
the change which has taken place in the value of land
here as elsewhere throughout Scotland within the
last hundred years. " Mr. Fordyce of Ardo, one of
those brave men," says the reporter, " who circum-
navigated the globe with Lord Anson, and suffered
so many hardships in the service of their country,
after accomplishing that voyage, returned to Scot-
land in the year 1744, with the well-earned wages of
his toil, and purchased the estate of Ardo in this
parish, where he has resided ever since. When he
took possession of his estate, he found the mansion-
house, such us it was, with the garden, and about 40
acres of land, in the hands of a tenant, who paid
about £3 6s. 8d. sterling annually. Having it in
contemplation at that time to go abroad again, he
asked the man if he would renew his lease, which
BAN
102
BAN
was expired, at the annual rent of £5 sterling, his
answer was, ' Na, by my faith, God has gien me mair
wit !' Mr. Fordyce," adds the reporter, " settled,
and employed himself in improving the land, which
is now in a good state of cultivation, and would rent
at £1 5s. an acre." The river Dee is here about 80
yards broad, but is not navigable. From its long
course, and the mountainous country through which
it runs, it is subject to sudden and high floods. A foot
suspension bridge has been thrown across the Dee in
this parish. Its span between the pillars is 185 feet,
and whole length 305 feet. Population, in 1801,
1,557; in 1831, 2,588, of whom 1,905 resided in the
Kincardineshire portion of the parish. Houses 468,
of which 353 were in Kincardineshire. Assessed
property .£5,3 12 — Although the church stands in
Kincardineshire, the parish is in the presbytery and
synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the Crown. Stipend
£159 2s. 9d., with a manse, and a glebe of the value
of £13 16s. 8d. Church built in 1822 ; sittings 900.
There are about 30 dissenters in the parish. There
is a chapel-of-ease at Portlethen, about 4| miles from
the parish-church, originally an old family-chapel ;
sittings 460. Dr. Morison, incumbent of the parish,
amongst other benefactions has built and endowed a
good school-house at this latter village. The parish-
school is attended by about 40 children. School-
master's salary £30, with about £20 fees and other
emoluments. There are other two private schools. —
There are several very large cairns, both on the north
side of the river, and towards the coast. There is
also on the south side of the parish, a Druidical
temple, situated on an eminence about 1^ mile from
the coast.
BANCHORY-TARNAN,* a parish in Kincar-
dineshire ; bounded on the east, north, and west, by
Aberdeenshire ; and on the south by Durris and
Strachan parishes. It is of very unequal surface;
and the whole is interspersed with muir ground
covered with heath and hills. It contains J 5,040
Scots acres. The rent, in 1792, was about £1,800,
besides £200 arising from the yearly sales of birch
and fir wood.. The valued rent is £3,450 Scots.
Assessed property, in 1815, £4,366. Houses 398.
Population, in 1801, 1,465; in 1831, 1,972. The
river Dee — which intersects the southern and nar-
rower portion of this parish from west to east, and
forms its southern boundary for many miles — is here
in general pretty rapid ; and its banks are adorned
with natural woods and plantations, forming beauti-
ful and picturesque scenery in many places. This is
much heightened at Banchory-Tarnan, by the junc-
tion with the Dee of a small, but impetuous and
often impassable river called the Feugh, a collec-
tion of numerous streams which descend the Gram-
pian hills ; over this river, near a fine cataract and
fall of its waters among rocks, and near its conflux
with Dee, almost opposite to Banchory, the road
from Stonebouse to Deeside is carried on a substan-
tial stone-bridge of four arches. There is a loch,
called the Loch of Drum, between 2 and 3 miles in
circuit, on the north-eastern skirts of the parish ;
and another of the same dimensions, near the middle
of the parish, called the Loch of Leys, " having,"
says the Statistical report of 1792, "an artificial
island on oak piles, with ruins of houses, and of an
oven upon it ; but there is no tradition concerning
the use which may have been made of the. ancient
structure." — This parish is in the presbytery of
* " The last part of the name is that of a saint ; hence one of
two an n mil fairs, held near by, is called St. Tarnan's market,
and a small fountain not far distant is called St. Tarnan's well.
Banchor is said to signify 'fair' or 'goodly choir;' and it is
conjectured, that in home remote period there has been a kind
of seminary of the clergy established at this place, by one of the
above Dame."— Old Statistical Account.
Kincardine O'Neil, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
Sir T. Burnet of Leys, Bart. Stipend £287 10s.
9d., with a glebe of the value of £10. Church built
in 1775. There are 3 parochial schools, attended
by about 200 children. One of these has a small
endowment. There are besides 4* private schools.
BANFF,* a parish in Banffshire; bounded on the
north by the Moray frith; on the east by Gamrie,
and Alvah parishes ; on the south by Marnoch parish ;
and on the west by that of Boyndie. The Deveron
river separates it from Gamrie; and the Boyndie,
from Boyndie parish. The surface is pleasingly
diversified, and is estimated in Robertson's map at
6,312 acres, and in the old Statistical account at
7,680 acres. About 250 acres are under wood. It
is generally supposed that a considerable part of this
parish towards the south-west was, in ancient times,
covered with wood, and belonged to the forest of
Boin. A simple distich, which Tradition has handed
down, confirms this opinion : —
" From Culbirnie to the sea,
You may step from tree to tree."
Culbirnie is a farm-hamlet about 3 miles distant
from the sea. The turnpike road from Aberdeen to
Inverness passes through the northern part of the
parish from east to west. The principal landholders
are, the Earl of Fife, the Earl of Seafield, and Sir
Robert Abercromby of Birkenbog. Duff house, the
mansion of the Earl of Fife, is a noble edifice in the
Roman style ; and contains some fine paintings. See
article DUFF HOUSE. The old castle of Inchdrewer,
about 4 miles south-west of the town, is still entire.
It is only remarkable as having been the scene
Lord Banff's death, under very suspicious circum-
stances, in 1713. Banff castle, in the environs of the
town of Banff, has descended to the Earl of Seafield.
It was the family-seat and birth-place of Jame
Sharp, archbishop of St. Andrews, who was born h
1613. The Bairds of Auchmedden in this parisl
are a very ancient family. Of this family are
scended the Bairds of Newbyth in East Lothian ; and
of the same family it is asserted, in Rose of Mount-
coffer's manuscripts, — but with little probability we
think, — was the celebrated Boyardo, the author of
the ' Orlando Innamorata.' Population, in 1801,
3,572; in 1831, 3,711, of whom 2,935 were in the
town of Banff. Houses 670, of which 498 wert
in the town. Valued rent of the landward part of
the parish £2,313 Scots. Real rental in 1798, in-
cluding the salmon-fishings, and town lands, £4,500.
— The parish of Banff is in the synod of Aber-
deen, and presb>tery of Fordyce. It was unite "
with Inverboyndie till 1634. Patron, the Earl
Seafield. Minister's stipend £245 19s. 9d., with
glebe of the value of £35. Unappropriated teiuc1
£280 3s. 3d. Church built in 1790, at a cost
£1,961 ; sittings 1,300. The upper district of
parish is under the charge of a missionary wt
officiates at Ord chapel, distant about 5 miles froi
Banff. See ORD. The parish-minister reckon
3,050 adherents of the established church in this
parish in 1837, and 610 dissenters. — There are sever
dissenting places of worship in the town of Banff,
but their statistics will be here given. A Scottish
Episcopal church has existed here since the abolition
of Episcopacy in Scotland. Chapel built in 1833-4.
Cost £1,000. Sittings 356. Salary from £110 to
£115. — A United Secession congregation was estab
lished in 1822. Chapel built in 1823, at an expense
of £800. Sittings 490. Stipend £100.— An Inde-
pendent church \\as formed in 1808. Chapel built
in 1834, at an expense of £500. Sittings 400. Sti-
f Always pronounced Batnff.
BANFF.
103
id £60, with a manse and garden. — A Wesleyan
lethodist congregation was formed in 1767, and a
lapel built in 1818. Cost £300; sittings 300.
ilary £50. — There is also a Roman Catholic con-
ition which assembles in the upper story of a
nise in the town, their own property. Sittings 1 10.
"he priest officiates alternately at Portsay and Banff.
-There is no legally established parochial school ;
it the rector of the grammar-school in Banff,
inded in 1786, receives the parochial salary. This
100! was attended by about 180 children in 1834.
ind there were also at that date 15 private schools,
ithin the bounds of the parish, attended by above
~ children.
The royal burgh of BANFF is situated in the north-
it corner of the parish, on the peninsula formed by
ic influx of the Deveron into the Moray frith. It
a part of the ancient thanedom of Boin, whence
le name seems to be derived. In some old charters
is spelled Boineffe and Baineffe. The district of
loin has probably received its name from a con-
)icupus mountain in the neighbourhood of Cullen,
"lea' the Binn. On the south side of this hill, at
irbrich, the forester had his dwelling; and it is
ill known that the forestry and thanedom terri-
ry extended thence to the borough-lands of Banff,
livided only by the water of Boyndie. The town
ccupies a fine declivity opening to the east and
>uth-east, and commanding a charming prospect,
tradition has assigned a very early origin to Banff as
royal burgh. In 1165, William the Lion gave a
)ft and garden in this burgh to the Bishop of Moray ;
id Robert L confirmed its privileges. But the
rliest charter extant is one of Robert II., dated
tober 7, 1372; and the governing charter is one
James VI., dated May 9, 1581, which was re-
jwed when that sovereign attained the age of 25.
?he citadel in ancient times, similar to the castles of
iinburgh and Stirling, occupied a mount originally
the end, though now near the middle of the town,
was a constabulary of the same constitution with
it of Elgin or Nairn : some remains of its ancient
rength, both in the walls and in the moat, may yet
i traced. The lands of Blairshinnoch were bestow-
by David Bruce in 1364, for furnishing a soldier
attend the king in his court apud castrum de
nff'e. Being the seat of justice, it was the resi-
mce of the constable or sheriff, in the absence of the
court. This office, in ancient times hereditary, was
occasionally transferred to different families, and in
1683 was purchased by the family of Findlater, by
whom the castle was transformed into a pleasant
residence, fitted up in the modern style.
The town was formerly governed by a provost, 4
baillies, and 12 councillors. It is now governed by a
provost, 4 magistrates, and 17 councillors. Municipal
constituency, in 1838, 133. The territory over which
the jurisdiction of the burgh is exercised extends from
the burn-mouth of Boyndie, across the Gallowhill,
to the Spittal Myre, and thence to the sea at Palmer
cove. Macduff, a burgh of barony, is situate within
the parliamentary boundaries of Banff; but is al-
together an independent borough. The magistrates
used to claim the right of patronage over the parish
church, but have never shown a title to it. They
nave five mortifications under their management, viz. :
1st, Cassie's bounty, consisting of £10,000, the in-
terest of which is half-yearly distributed among in-
digent persons. 2d, Smith's bounty, which is also
a sum of £10,000, yielding an yearly dividend of
£308 18s. 8d. The objects of this charity are, first,
to pay £25 of additional stipend to the minister of
Fordyce ; and, secondly, to apply the remainder to
the maintenance and education during five years, of
boys of the name of Smith, at an yearly allowance of
£25 for each. The academy for this purpose is at
Fordyce, and the teacher has a salary of £40, with it
free house, a garden, and about 10 acres of ground.
3d, Perrie's free school, being a mortification of
£1,100 for educating poor children, and from which
a salary of £40 is paid to a schoolmaster, who has
also a free house and garden, and from 80 to 90
pupils. 4th, Wilson's charity, consisting of a sum
of between £5,000 and £6,000. 5th, Smith's morti-
fication, being a sum of £1,000 — There are in Banff
six incorporated trades. No one can carry on busi.
ness as a merchant without becoming a guild-brother.
The property of the burgh consists of lands and
houses, salmon-fishings, feu-duties, public buildings,
and markets. The value of the lands, in 1833, was
£2,014 10s. The revenue of the burgh, in 1833,
was £1,304; expenditure £1,336. In 1838-9, the
revenue was £1,172. The total estimated value of
the burgh- property, in 1834, was £22,961. The
total amount of debts, in 1833, was £14,298. In
1763, the debt was only £20 ; although so early as
1470, the burgh was under embarrassments. At that
time it was held by the public functionaries that they
had no power to increase their revenues, except by
leasing their property. The magistrates, therefore,
without fraud, and upon their "great aith, with con-
sent of all and sundry neighbours of Banff," let out
to certain burgesses, for 19 years, the whole salmon
fishings, consisting of 12 nets, for the "infefting and
foundation makkin of a perpetual chaplenary, to sing
in the peil heife* of the burgh, for our sovereign
lord the king and queen, their predecessors and suc-
cessors,— for all Christians soules, — for the theiking
of the kirk with sclate, and the bigging of the tol-
buthe, — and for quhat the burgh has not substance."
It is believed that similar leases were granted until
1581, when there was obtained the charter, formerly re-
ferred to, giving power to feu to the resident burgesses
and their heirs male. In 1595 the provost, bailies,
and certain other persons, were appointed commis-
sioners to carry the power into execution. The in-
structions to them bear that, " because of the warres
and troubles, the darth of the country and scantiness
of victual, with exorbitant stents and taxations for
supporting the warres, the public warkes, and up-
hading of the kirk, tolbuthe, and calsies, &c. ; for
remeid whereof this empowers to set, sell, and few
the common land and salmon fishings of the burgh to
merchant burgers and actual residenters." By virtue
of these powers these commissioners did alienate, for
a small feu-duty, the greater part of the burgal-lands
and salmon-fishings. The limitation in the charter,
that the alienations should be made only to resident
burgesses, and their heirs male, either never had been
in observance, or quickly fell into disuse. Nor does
the forfeiture emerging if a burgess should alienate
to other than to a resident burgess, appear to have
been operative. The greater part ot the property
was acquired by neighbouring proprietors, including
the families of Fife, Findlater, and Banff. The last
alienation of any importance, which has been traced,
was in 1783, when the provost purchased about 20
acres of the burgh-lands, for 20 years' purchase of a
feu-duty of Is. 6d. per acre. It constitutes a whole-
some feature in the municipal arrangements of Banff
that the cess and other public burdens and taxations
are levied annually by a Head court — as it is called —
consisting of all the heritors and burgesses within
burgh. — Banff unites with Elgin, Cullen, Inverury,
Peterhead, Macduff, and Kintore in returning a mem-
ber to parliament. The parliamentary constituency,
in 1839, was 203. The parliamentary borough bouit-
• The Pool. haven, where formerly boats aud small craft wert
moored. It u uuw tli« buryiug.giouwd.
104
BANFF.
daries extend from the Little Tumbler rocks on the
shore to the westward of Banff, and the mineral well
of Tarlair to the eastward of Portsoy, so as to in-
clude the recently erected town of Macduff.
The town ot Banff comprises several well-built
streets. The church, and the town-house, are each
handsome structures ; and there are several very sub-
stantial private houses,— the town being, to a con-
siderable extent, a place of resort for genteel families
of small private fortune, being deemed the most
fashionable town north of Aberdeen. The town is
usually described as consisting of two parts, — the
upper and the lower town, — or the town, and the
sea-town. Between these, on an elevated piece of
ground, stands the castle. The harbour, which lies
to the north of the town, on the west side of the
bay, is neither commodious nor good, owing to the
continual shifting of the banks at the mouth of the
river ; that of Macduff, at the opposite extremity of
the bay, is much the better of the two. In 1816,
about £18,000 were spent in improvements on the
harbour, and a vessel drawing 12 feet can enter the
new basin at ordinary high water. There is little
trade and no manufactures in the town ; there is
an extensive distillery in the neighbourhood; the
fisheries are extensive, and there is a large annual
export of fish from the port of Banff. The Deveron
salmon-fishings are rented at about £ 1,800, and the
fish caught at them are principally sent to the Lon-
don market. In 1831, 1,759 barrels of herrings were
cured here; in 1835, 631 barrels. These are ex-
ported to London, Ireland, and Germany. Live
cattle, and grain, are also exported to London. The
port of Banff includes the creeks of Fraserburgh,
Gardenstown, Macduff, Portsoy, Port-Gordon, and
Garmouth. The registered tonnage and shipping
belonging to the port, in 1834, was 67 vessels of an
aggregate tonnage of 4,301 tons. The amount of
customs' duty collected at the port, in 1835, was
£1,112; in 1837, £1,164. The town was first
lighted with gas in 1831. There is a good suite of
public baths ; and a very commodious market built
in 1830. There are four yearly fairs, of which the
Brandon or Whitsunday lair is the largest. The
others are held on January 7th, the 1st Tuesday in
February, O. S. ; the 1st Friday in August, O. S. ;
and the Friday before the 22d of November. The
Commercial bank of Scotland, and the National Bank,
have branches in this town. A Savings bank was
instituted in 1815.
Banff is 165 miles north-east of Edinburgh ; 80
east of Inverness ; 7 east of Portsoy ; 45£ north-west
of Aberdeen ; and 22 west of Fraserburgh. The road
from Aberdeen approaches the town by a handsome
bridge of 7 arches, which crosses the Deveron about
650 yards above its mouth, and about 2 miles below
the bridge of Alvah; immediately below the fine
policies of Duff house. During the great floods of
1829, these parks were laid under water to the depth
of 14 feet, the whole of the lower streets in the town
completely inundated, and the bridge itself in great
danger of being swept away. The former bridge
was swept away by a flood in 1768. Banff gives the
title of Baron to the Ogilvie family. — We shall bring
this article to a close with a few historical memor-
anda. In 1644, the lairds of Gight, Newton, and
Ardlogie, with a party of 40 horse, and musketeers,
all, in the language of Spalding, " brave gentlemen,"
made a raid upon the good town of Banff, and plun-
dered it of buff-coats, pikes, swords, carabines, pis-
tols, " yea, and money also," grievously amercing the
baillies, and compelling them to subscribe a re-
nunciation of the Covenant. In 1645, Montrose,
following the example so recently set him by his ad-
herents, marched into Banff, plundered the same
" pitifully," carried off all goods and gear on which
he could lay his hands, burnt some worthless houses,
arid left "no man on the street but was stripped
naked to his skin !"— On the 7th of November, 1700,
the famous James Macpherson, with some asso-
ciates, was brought to trial before the sheriff of
Banff, and being found guilty " by ane verdict of
ane assyse, to be knaive, holden and repute, to be
Egiptians and vagabonds, and oppressors of his
majesty's free lieges in ane bangstrie manner," were
condemned to be executed on Friday the 16th of the
same month of November. The sentence was carried
into execution against Macpherson only. He was a
celebrated violin player, and, it is affirmed, performed
at the foot of the gallows, on his favourite instru-
ment, the rant which bears his name, besides reciting
several rude stanzas by way of a last speech and con-
fession.*— On the 10th of November, 1746, the duke
of Cumberland's troops passed through Banff on their
way to Culloden, and signalized themselves by de-
stroying the Episcopal chapel, and hanging a poor
countryman whom they suspected of being a, spy.
In 1759, a French vessel of war appearing off the
coast threw the worthy burghers into no small con-
sternation, arid suggested the expediency of erecting
a battery for the future protection of the harbour.
The following curious comparative notices are from
the Old Statistical account of Banff, [vol. xx. pp.
363—365.] drawn up by the Rev. Abercromby Gor-
don in 1798 : —
1748.
A gown of linsey-woolsey
was the usual dress of a laird's
daughter,
Veil'd in a simple robe, her best at-
tire,
Beyond the pomp of dress.
THOMSON.
Her mother, indeed — who was
dignified with the knightly
title of lady— appeared on
great occasions in a silk gown,
and tine laces, which were con-
sideredas part of the parapher-
nalia destined to the succeed-
ing generation. Ladies sel-
dom wore any other than
coloured stockings. The town
could only boast of one silken
pair, and these were black.
The occupation of milliner was
totally unknown.
1748. A four-wheeled car-
riage was a luxury seldom en-
joyed, unless by the nobility.
A gentleman and his wife
generally rode together on the
same horse. Drawing-rooms
arid dining-parlours were no
less rare Uian carriages. Ma-
hogany was seldom seen, save
in the tea-tray, the round fold-
ing table, and the corner cup.
board.
1748. When wants were
fewer, and easily supplied,
most of the useful articles of
merchandise might be procur-
ed in the same shop. The va-
rious designations of grocer,
iron-monger, and haberdasher,
were little known, and almost
every trader, even although he
did not traffic to foreign coun-
tries, was denominated mer-
chant.
1798.
The decoration of our per.
sons is now become a more
general study among both
sexes, and all ranks. In order
to accommodate their dress to
the capricious rules of fashion,
there is a frequent, and some
times a needless, recourse to
the "foreign aid of ornament.'1
The art millinery affords em.
ployment and profit to many j
and every trading vessel from
London brings a fresh assort,
ment of dresses, adjusted to
the prevailing mode.
1798. Post-chaises are now
in general use. Several pri-
vate gentlemen keep their
carriages. The pad is become
the exclusive property of the
country good- wife. The min-
ister of fiie parish must have
his drawing-room. Mahogany
is a species of timber in geu»
eral use for articles of furni-
ture ; and the corner press is
superseded by the splendid
side- board.
1798. The several distinc-
tions of tradesmen are better
understood. As ministers to
our luxury, we have in the
same street an oil man, who
advertises the sale of Quin
sauce, Genoa capers, and Gor.
gona anchovies, &c. ; a coil,
fectiouer, whose bills contain
the delectable names of non-
pareils, ice-cream, and apricot
jelly, &c. ; and a perfumer,
who deals in such rare articles,
as Neapolitan cream for the
face, Persian dentifrice for the
teeth, aud Asiatic balsam for
the hair.
* The curious reader will find a full notice of this wild out-
law, in Motherwell's Notes to • Macpherson's Farewell,' in the
2d vol. of Burns' Works,' p. 178; and some additional details
n the New Statistical accouut of the pariah of Bautt.
BANFFSHIRE.
105
748. A joyous company,
after dinner, have been seen
quaffing the wine of a dozen
bottles from a single glass.
1748. Agreeable to Queen
Mary's act of parliament, A.D.
1563, all butcher-meat was
carried to market *kin and
Urn, and, agreeable to cus-
tom, was sold amidst abound-
ing filth.
1748. The annual wages of
a great man's butler was about
£8; his valet, £5; and his
other servants £3. The far-
mer had his ploughman for
13s. 4d. in the half-year, with
the allowance of a pair shoes.
The wages of a maid-bervaut,
6s. 8d.
1773. When Dr. Johnson
honoured Banff with a visit,
he was pleased to observe,
that the natives were more
frugal of their glass, (in win-
dows,) than the English.
They will often, says the Doc-
tor, " in houses not otherwise
mean, compose a square of
two pieces, not joining like
.Tacked glass, but with one
edge laid perhaps half an inch
>ver the other. Their win-
lows do not move upon
tinges, but are pushed up and
Irawn down in grooves. He
:hat would have his window
>pen, must hold it with his
land, unless— what may some-
imes be found among good
•ontrivers — there be a nail,
vhich he may stick into a hole,
o keep it from falling."
A sober party somo-
whose libation
1798.
times meet,
consists of a solitary bottle,
with a dozen glasses.
1798. There are convenient
slaughter-houses apart, and
meat is brought to market
seemly and iu good order
1798. The nobleman pays at
least in a quadruple ratio for
his servants. The wages of a
ploughman vary from £10 to
£12, and of a maid-servant
from £3 to £3 10s. per annum.
[These wages were nearly the
same in 1840?]
1798. Many of our windows
are furnished with weights and
pullies. We think of the ne-
cessity of ventilating human
habitations, where we may
enjoy the luxury of fresh air,
without resorting to the con-
trivance of a nail, and with
very little assistance from the
hand.
Comparative Statement of the Prices of Cattle,
Sheep, Provisions, &c., at the above periods, and
1840:
1748.
draught ox, £1
13s. 4d.
sheep, small size,
-f and mutton,
Id. and l£d a
ind.
hen, together
ith A dozen
en eggs, Id.
Goose, 2s. a pair.
Turkey, 3s. ditto.
Pigeons, three half-
pence ditto.
14 Haddocks, three
ence.
sold at Is. a
cfiftsr
bottle.
BANFFS
1798.
£15, £20, and £25.
£12.
Beef and mutton,
5Jd, and fid. per
ID.
Hen.without eggs,
IB. and Is. 3d.
4d. and 6d.
5s. 6d.
7s.
6d.
Is. 6d.
Claret sells in the
tavern at 6s.
1810.
£16 to £18.
£16 to £20.
6d. per Ib
Is.
6d. per doz.
6s. per pair.
7s. per do.
6d.
Is. 3d.
iis art!
s trian
ora T
JANFFSHIRE, one of the north-east counties of
cotland ; bounded on the north by the Moray frith
r the German ocean; on the east and south by
..berdeenshire ; and on the west by the shires of
iverness arid Elgin. This county, according to Mr.
outer in his * Agricultural Survey of Banffshire,'
ublished in 1812 — which we principally follow in
:~ article — might be comprehended in an isosce-
igle, on a base of 30 miles along the coast
Troup-head, on the border of Aberdeen-
lire, to the influx of the Spey, on the confines of
~ iy; its height being 64 miles inland from the
Measured on the latest and most accurate
the distance in a direct line between the two
jme points on the coast, is 34 miles ; and from
ip, in a direct line running south-west to Ben
ihu, or to Cairngorm, both in the south-west
;r of the county, at the head of Glen-Aven, 67
At the average distance of 12 miles from the
ast, however, it is contracted by the county of
berdeen on the east, and by part of Moray on the
•st, in the parish of Keith, to a breadth of only 4
les; so that, in its general form, it has been thought
to bear some resemblance to an hour-glass. Making
the proper deduction on this account, its surface is,
according to Mr. Souter, 622 square miles, or 315,600
acres Scots computation. By another admeasure-
ment its superficies is estimated at 647 square miles,
or 412,800 English acres. The course of the De-
veron, in general, is accounted the boundary of
Banffshire with Aberdeenshire ; yet the parish of
Gamrie, on the shore, and part of the parish of In-
verkeithnie, which is in the interior of the county,
are on the Aberdeenshire side of that river ; while
the greater part of the parishes of Cairney, Glass,
and Cabrach, politically in the county of Aberdeen,
are on the Banffshire side. Kirkmichael, the most
upland district of the county, is bounded by the
mountains which rise on the southern sides of Glen-
bucket and Strathdon. Similar to the Deveron on
the east, the river Spey may, with little impropri-
ety, be deemed the general boundary on the west ;
although the county of Moray also extends in various
places across that river into the parishes of Bellie,
Keith, Boharm, and Inveraven. The principal rivers
are the DEVERON, the SPEY, the AVEN, and the
FIDDICH. See these articles. The principal lochs
are LOCH AVEN and LOCH BDILO: which also see.
The great mountain-knot in the south-west corner
of this county, at the point where the counties of
Inverness, Banff, and Aberdeen meet, and composed
of Cairngorm, Ben Buinac, Ben Macdhu, and Ben
Aven, all surrounding Loch Aven, belongs to the
Northern Grampians, and forms the highest land in
Great Britain. Of these Ben Macdhu, on the south
side of Loch Aven, in N. lat. 57° 6', and W. long.
3° 37', is in Aberdeenshire, and its altitude, accord-
ing to a recent admeasurement, is 4,390 feet, being
17 feet high(p than Ben Nevis. Cairngorm, which
is common to Inverness-shire and Banffshire, has an
elevation of 4,095 feet, and Ben Aven, common to
Aberdeenshire and Banffshire, has an elevation of
3,967 feet. Among the detached summits of the
Grampians which entirely belong to Banffshire, are,
Ben Rinnes, 15 miles S. W. by W. of Keith, 2,747 feet.
Corryhabbies, S. E. of Ben Rinnes, 2,558 —
Knock-hill, 12 miles S. W. of Banff, 2,500 —
This county along the coast has, from remote an-
tiquity, been divided into two districts. Between
the towns of Banff and Cullen, the Boyne is the
general name borne by the district; the tract be-
tween Cullen and the environs of Gordon castle is
distinguished by the appellation of the Enzie.* The
parish of St. Fergus, part of Old Deer, half of Gart-
ly, and the estate of Straloch in New Machar, ap-
pertain to the county of Banff, although in distant
and unconnected quarters of Aberdeenshire. These
detached pertinents, in what relates to civil justice,
are, by a particular provision of the legislature, under
the jurisdiction of the sheriff of Aberdeen.
" From the nature of the soil," says the first agri-
cultural reporter, " as well as from its generally ex-
posed situation, and the great height of many of the
mountains, this district is often subjected to all the
evils of a cold and rainy climate. The harvests,
which are precarious and often interrupted, are rarely
completed before the end of October. The crops,
in the more upland parts of the county, are for the
most part damaged by rains, which about that season
often set in for weeks together, and are frequently
succeeded, without any interval of good weather, by
frosts and deep falls of snow, which often suspend
the operations of husbandry for many of the winter-
months." In the years 1782 and 1787 the harvest
was scarcely completed in less than three months;
« Though the z has always maintained its place in the ortho-
graphy of this word, it has iu the pronunciation obtained tin
sound of ng.— Souter.
106
BANFFSHIRE.
and in some parts of the interior the crop lay uncut
during the whole winter. It is, however, a curious
fact, that in 1782 the parish of Rathven, in the
Enzie, had the good fortune to escape the general
calamity : scarcely had they ever a better crop, or
more grain to spare.
The whole of Banffshire, except the tract along
the sea-shore, may be described as a hilly mountain-
ous country, interspersed with fertile valleys well
adapted to the cultivation of corn and grass. The
hills, either covered with heath or moss, afford little
pasture ; while, from their bleak and barren aspect,
they have a very gloomy and unpleasant appearance.
The arable land — which bears but a small proportion
to the waste — lies on the sides and towards the bot-
toms of the higher hills, or on the sides of those
valleys through which the waters have their courses.
In several of these valleys, where cultivation has
hitherto been found impracticable, there is abundance
of fine healthy pasture, on which young cattle are
raised to great advantage, the grounds being in gen-
eral well-sheltered with natural woods. Taking a
general view of the whole district, the arable soil
may be described as of three qualities. That of the
plains on the banks of the waters, where it has not
been mixed with the sand by the washings of the
streams, is a stiff deep clay ; on the sides of the
valleys it is a deep black loam on a bed of rock,
generally limestone ; on the sides of the hills, and in
the higher parts of the country, where cultivation
has taken place, the soil is either of the same quality
as that last described, or a mixture of moss and
gravel on a red tilly bottom, and — as may be sup-
posed— very retentive of water. Along the whole
coast, consisting of the parishes of Gamrie, Banff,
Boyndie, Fordyce, Cullen, Rathven, -and Bellie,
the soil consists for the greater parrot' sand and
loam, the latter by far the more predominant ; and
in general lies upon a freer bottom. The aggre-
gate rental of the county, presuming that the aver-
age rent of the arable acre did not, on the whole,
exceed £1, limited the number of arable acres, in
1811, to 80,000: thus leaving an amount of unculti-
vated surface equal to 236,000 acres. The quantity
of arable land now, however, greatly exceeds that in
1811. It is probable that at least 120,000 acres are
now under cultivation, and that not above 80,000 are
incapable of cultivation.*
In a general view the county of Banff may be de-
nominated a land of limestone, which, although it is
not found in one continuous bed, over any extensive
tract in the county, yet may be easily traced in almost
every quarter of it. This fossil is extended through
the district of Strathspey, where the counties of In-
verness and Moray meet with Banff; and being also
found in Badenoch, farther up the course of the
Spey, may perhaps extend onwards even to the
western shore. It may be also traced southwards
through the higher district of the county of Aber-
deen, in the adjoining parishes of Cabrach, Glen-
bucket, Auchindoir, and Tullynessle. At Portsoy
it passes into marble, or serpentine, which composes
almost entirely the hill of Durn. Marble is also
found in the parishes of Keith and Mortlach. When
first quarried at Portsoy it was exported to France,
where, for some time, it became fashionable; but
the market being overstocked, a ship-load of it long
lay neglected on the banks of the Seine. It is still
wrought into monuments, chimney-pieces, and toys.
In the Enzie district the calcareous matter, probably
* By another, but evidently most erroneous admeasurement,
Banffshire is represented as " containing 900 square miles, or
458,100 acres; of whicti the arable land in cultivation may be
about 69,000; ditto in ley and summer tallow, 35,000; pasture,
40,000; plantations and natural woods, 15,000; hill, muir, and
uiuss 298,200. "—Webster't Gazetteer.
Vom a tinge of iron-ore, is in the form of stone marl,
of a dark red colour. In the upper extremity of the
county, in the parishes of Kirkmichael and Inver-
aven, there are extensive beds of pure white marl,
tn Kirkmichael it appears in a white cliff, 40 or 50
feet high, on the bank of the Aven. Except the
red stone of the Enzie already mentioned, there is
10 free-stone in this county; but it is in general we
furnished with stone for building. Slate is four
icar Letterfourie, in the parish of Rathven; nee
the Boat-of-Bridge, in the parish of Boharm ;
in several other places. Flints have been foui
along the shore of Boyndie bay. " Some years ag
says Professor Jamieson, " while examining
geognosy of the vicinity of Peterhead, our attentic
was directed to the chalk-flints found in that neigl
bourhood, by previous information. We traced thei
extending over several miles of country, and fr
quently imbedded in a reddish clay, resting on tl
granite of the district. These flints contain sponge
alcyonia, echini, and other fossils of the chalk-flii
thus proving them to belong to the chalk format! (
which itself will probably be found in some of
hollows in this part of Scotland." In the course
the Fiddich a laminated marble is found which
be formed into whetstones and hones. Scotch
pazes, or what are commonly called Cairngor
stones, are found in the mountains in the sout
western extremity of Banffshire, bordering
those in Aberdeen and Inverness-shires; and
on several other adjoining mountains, in the fort
of Mar. The stones are found near the top of the
mountains.*
It does not appear, that previous to the y<
1748, any material improvements in agriculture w<
introduced into this district. In those days tl
mode of management was the same here as
then universally practised over all the north
Scotland. The arable lands on every farm wi
divided into what was called outfield and infield.
the infield — which consisted of that part of the fa
nearest to the farm-houses — the whole manure wi
regularly applied. The only crops cultivated on
infield land were oats, beer, and pease ; the Is
were kept under tillage as long as they would pr
duce two or three returns of the seed sown;
when a field became so reduced and so full of we
as not to yield this return, it was allowed to lie
natural pasture for a few years, after which, it
again brought under cultivation, and treated in
manner before-mentioned. The outfield lands we
wasted by a succession of oats after oats as long
the crops would pay for seed and labour ; they
* " Till within these few years, they were considered of i
trifling value as to be little sought after. The digging for tli
now aftbrds employment for a considerable number of pe
whose families, during' the summer-months, reside day
night in these mountains ; and as all the stones of any VH
that were to be found above ground, or near the surface,
long since picked up, they now dig to the depth of from on<
four feet. In many places several acres are ransacked in qi
of them. In some places they are found growing out ot
rocks, where the access is so difficult that the searchers
only come at them suspended in ropes from the top of
mountains. Sometimes they dig for t>everal days without
in? any; but at other times find an ample recompense for
loss of labour, by finding them to the value of from £iO to £.'
nay, sometimes to the value of £'200 in one day. Last sumiu
it was computed that not less than £2,000 worth had been fou
in these mountains. Some go as far as Edinburgh, and efr
London, to sell them ; and lapidaries from these cities come
the country in summer for the purpose of purchasing, some
whom hire labourers to dig for them at the rate of from 5s.
10s. per day. The stones are all hexagonal. One end is lik
diamond ; the other end is, or has been, fastened to the grau
rock, from which they seem to have been disjoined by so
convulsion in Nature ; as some of them are found broken, '
one half several yards distant from the other, and, what
more remarkable, three or four feet deeper in the rock, }
corresponding so exactly that no doubt can be entertained
their having been united at some former period."— A grit
lurat Report of 1812.
BANFFSHIRE.
107
tben allowed to remain in a state of absolute steril-
ity, producing little else than thistles and other
weeds; till, after having rested in this state for
some years, the farmer thought proper to bring
them again under cultivation, when, from the mode
of management before described, a few scanty crops
were obtained. About this time, it was a common
practice for the farmers to lime their outfield-ground
substantially after this kind of rest, and then to
crop it as long as it would bear, oats after oats,
without any intermission. Only oxen ploughs were
used ; and when the seed-time was over, the cattle
were either sold to dealers, or sent to the high lands,
where they were grazed for three or four months at
the rate of Js. or Is. 6d. each. During this period
,he plough was laid aside, and the farm-servants and
torses were employed in providing the necessary
tock of fuel, and collecting earth to be mixed with
,be dung produced by the cattle during the preceding
winter. About the year 1754, the earl.of Findlater,
,hen Lord Deskford, came to reside in the neighbour-
lood of Banff; and having taken one of his farms into
lis own possession, set about cultivating it in the
most approved manner then known in England; and,
br that purpose, engaged three experienced over-
seers from that kingdom. His lordship also selected
some of the most intelligent, active, and substantial
tenants in the country, to whom he granted leases
on reasonable terms, for two nineteen years, and a
ifetime, of farms formerly occupied by three or four
;enants. By these leases each tenant became bound
;o enclose and subdivide a certain portion of his farm
with stone-fences, or ditch and hedge, during the first
nineteen years of the lease, and, in the course of the
second nineteen years, to enclose the remainder.
They were also bound to summer fallow and sow
grass-seeds on a certain number of acres within the
first five years of the lease. His lordship was also
the first that introduced the turnip-husbandry, arid
by his example, as well as precept, during his fre-
quent excursions among his tenants, was the means
of bringing the cultivation of that crop, as well as
other green crops, by degrees, into general practice.
Agriculture is now conducted on the best principles
in Banffshire. A regular rotation of cropping is
followed; wheat is extensively grown in the lower
districts ; and the cattle and stock are of the most
approved breeds. The average rent of land is 22s
per acre. In 1667, the rent-roll of the county ol
Banff amounted to £80,468 of Scots currency,
equal to £6,705 13s. 4d. sterling. This amount,
upon the average, is now apparently increased aboul
twenty-fold. The value of real property in this
county, as assessed in 1815, was £88,942 ; the pre-
sent rental is about £120,000. The ancient rent-
roll, called 'the valued rent,' was, in 1811, sharec
g 39 proprietors, in the following proportions :
of whom possess from £17,989 2s. 6d. to
£1 1. 565 13s. 4d., amounting to . . £46,15913 1
Wtiicu amount may be at present esti-
mated about . . £46,160 ster.
possess from £3,699 17s. lOd.
to £-4,163 4s. id. amounting to 13,80016 8
Which amount may be at
present estimated about 14,000
possess from £1,700 to £1,060,
amounting to ... 13.5V4 8 4
Which amount may be at
present estimated about 13.400
possess from £800 to &OQ,
amounting to . . . 6/^77 17 1
Which amount may be at
present estimated about 6,200
7 possess from £140 to £61 4s.
6d., amounting to . . 685 5 9
Which amount may be at
present estimated about 700
£80,160 £80,468 0 11
The lowest denomination of land in Banffshire :
fall, consisting of 36 square yards. Previous to
ie late equalization of weights and measures, the
riot contained 31 pints, each 6 per cent above
ie standard. A quarter of grain by the Banffshire
Id wheat-firlot is nearly 3 pecks more than a quar-
r by the Winchester bushel. The boll of barley
as 17 stones, or 17£ stones; and of potatoes, 36
tones. The potato-peck was 32 Ibs. Four gills,
two English pints, make a Banffshire choppin;
nd two Banffshire pints are about one-tenth part
ess than an English gallon. Wool was sold in
market by the Banffshire pound, which was eight
unces more than the English pound. Butter,
heese, and hay, were also sold by the same pound
eight of 24 ounces ; but meal and butcher's meat
were sold by a pound which was only one and a half
unce more than the English pound. In the higher
)art of the district, about Keith, a stone of wool
was two pounds more than about the town of BaniF
md along the coast.
The principal productions of this county are cattle,
*orn, and fish. The cattle are bought up by the
lealers, from the 1st of May to the end of Novem-
>er, and sent off in droves to the southern districts.
The corn and fish are exported by sea. There were
55,000 quarters of grain exported for the London
narket from this county in 1831. There are in this
Bounty ten fishing-towns, which employ from 100 to
.20 boats. The fish which visit the shores are cod,
ing, haddock, skate, whitings, holybut, dog-fish, and
occasionally turbot and mackerel. The herrings
caught on this coast, in 1826, produced about
£100,000. The salmon-fishery on the Spey, for
;he distance of 8 miles from the mouth of the river,
las been acquired by the family of Gordon ; and as
the fishing-quarters are now established on the Banff-
shire side of the river, the whole of the duke of
Gordon's salmon-fishery, now let at the yearly rent
of £8,000, may be stated as among the produce of
this county. The salmon-fishing on the Deveron,
of which the earl of Fife is the principal proprietor,
his right extending from the sea about 3£ miles up
the river, is now let at a yearly rent of about £2,000
sterling. There are from 160 to 190 men usually
employed by the tacksmen of these fishings in the
different departments of the work. The staple
manufactures of this county are those of linen-yarn
and linen-cloth, which at one time were carried oa
to a very considerable extent at Banff, Cullen, Keith,
and Portsoy, and gave employment to a great num-
ber of men and women in the different operations of
heckling, spinning, weaving, and bleaching. There
were likewise at Banff and Portsoy very extensive
manufactures of stocking-threads, which were chiefly
sent to Nottingham and Leicester. There are several
tan-works and some extensive distilleries in the coun-
ty. The principal proprietors are the duke of Gordon,
the earl of Seafield, and the earl of Fife. Tue
population, in 1755, was 37,574; in 1801,35,807;
and in 1831, 48,604. The number of families, in
1831, was 10,855; of inhabited houses, 9,814. Of
families engaged in agriculture, 4,264; of families
engaged in trade, manufactures, handicraft, 2,456.
The number of hands employed in retail trade, or in
handicraft, in 1831, was 2,643; of whom 401 were
shoemakers; 391 carpenters; 320 masons; 197 black-
smiths; 181 tailors; and 131 coopers. The parlia-
mentary constituency, in 1839, was 717. — Banff is
the county-town ; small debt courts, under the new
act, are held at Keith, Cullen, and Dufftown. —
There are 24 parishes in Banffshire. The number
of parochial schools, in 1834, was 25, under 29 in-
structors, and attended by 1,774 pupils. The num-
ber of schools not parochial was 125, under 131 in-
structors, and attended by 3,913 children. James
BAN
108
BAN
Dick, Esq. of London, at his death in 1827, be-
queathed £130,000 to the parochial schoolmasters in
the counties of Banff, Elgin, and Aberdeen. The
interest of this fund, it is expected, will afford an
average of £25 per annum to all the members of
this most useful body in these three counties.
B ANGOUR, an estate in the parish of Uphall, in
Linlithgowshire, which has been for many genera-
tions the residence of the Hamiltons of that Ilk, one
of whom, William, second son of James Hamilton of
Bangour, holds an honourable name in Scottish song.
He was born in 1704. He engaged in the Rebellion
of 1745, and celebrated the victory won by Charles's
arms on the 21st September, 1745, by an ' Ode on
the Battle of Gladsmuir.' After the defeat at Cul-
loden, he escaped to France ; but he was enabled, in
1749, to make his peace with government, and re-
turn to his native country. He again went abroad
on account of his health, and died at Lyons, in 1754.
His poems were collected and published in 1748,
and again in 1760. They are inserted in the 9th
vol. of Anderson's * British Poets,' and in the 15th
of Chalmers's 'English Poets.' An accurate list of
all his pieces, published and unpublished, with an
engraving from an original portrait, is inserted in the
3d vol. of the ' Archaeologia Scotica,' pp. 255—266.
His finest effusion is the exquisite ballad, ' The
Braes of Yarrow,' founded on an ancient ballad called
* The Dowie dens of Yarrow,' and commencing, —
'« Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny bonny bride!
Busk ye, busk ye, my winsome marrow !
Busk ye, busk ye, my bonnie, bonnie bride,
And think nae mair of the Braes of Yarrow !
Where gat ye that bonnie, bonnie bride ?
Where gat ye that winsome marrow ?
I gat her where I daurna weil be seen,
Puing the birks on the Braes of Yarrow."
This ballad first appeared in the * Orpheus Cale-
donius,' in 1725.
BANKTON, the seat of the gallant Colonel
Gardiner, who fell at the battle of Prestonpans — or
Gladsmuir, as it is sometimes called — in 1745, in the
parish of Prestonpans, and shire of Haddington, 1
mile north-west of Tranent. It was afterwards the
seat of Andrew Macdowall, Esq., advocate, who, on
his promotion to the bench, took the title of Lord
Bankton from it.
BANNOCKBURN, a village in the parish of St.
Ninian's, in Stirlingshire, on the road from Stirling
to Falkirk, 2 miles south-east of Stirling, and 9
north-west of Falkirk, between St. Ninian's and
Torvvood. It is intersected by the Bannock, which
divides it into two parts, known as Upper and Lower
Bannockburn, of which that on the eastern side of
the stream is the larger. It is an industrious, thriv-
ing village. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in
the woollen manufacture, e&pecially in that of tar-
tans. The Bannock rises in Loch Coulter, on the
south side of the Gillies hill, and flows in a winding
course, between steep and rugged banks, eastwards
to Milton, passing to the south of Greysteal farm-
house, where the bank has a steep southern declivity,
and to the south of Caldam-hill, between which
eminence and the town are two morasses, one on
each side of the old Kilsyth road. At Milton, or
Milntown, on the road from St. Ninian's to Glasgow,
the Bannock turns towards the north-east, winding
in that direction, through a deep and rugged valley,
to the village of Bannockburn, and, after a course of
a few miles, falls into the Forth at a place called
Manor, opposite Black Grange.
The famous and decisive battle of Bannockburn
was fought in the neighbourhood of this village, on
Monday, June 24th, 1314. The Scottish army under
The Bruce, and mustering 30,000 disciplined men,
and about half that number of disorderly attendants,
first rendezvoused at the Torwood, between Falkirk
and Stirling. The English army, commanded by
Edward II. in person, and reported to have been in
the proportion of at least three to one to that oi
the Scotch, approached from the side of Falkirk,
and encamped on the north of Torwood. The
Scottish army, meanwhile, drew nearer Stirling,
and posted themselves behind the Bannock. They
occupied several small eminences upon the south and
west of the present village of St. Ninian's ; their lii
extending in a north-easterly direction from the brc
of Bannock, on which their right flank rested, to
elevated ground above St. Ninian's, on which tl
extreme left rested. Upon the summit of one
these eminences, now called Brock's brae, is a
granite stone sunk in the earth, with a round h(
about four inches in diameter, and the same in der.
in which, according to tradition, Bruce's standard
fixed, and near it the royal pavilion was erected. Tl
stone is well known in the neighbourhood by the m
of the Bored stone. Thus the two armies lay !
each other, at a mile's distance, with the Bam
running in a narrow valley between them. Stirlii
castle was still in the hands of the English. Ed\
Bruce had, in the preceding spring, besieged it
several months ; but, finding himself unable to redi
it, had abandoned the enterprise. By a treaty, ho>
ever, between Edward and Philip Moubray the go\
nor, it had been agreed, that, if the garrison receu
no relief from England before St. John the Baptis
day, they should then surrender to the Scots. R(
bert was much dissatisfied with his brother's terms
but, to save his honour, confirmed the treaty. Tl
day before the battle, a body of cavalry, to
number of 800, was detached from the English ca
under the conduct of Sir Robert Clifford, to the rel
of the castle. These, having marched through lo\
grounds upon the edge of the carse, had passed tl
Scottish army on their left before they were o\
served. The King himself was among the first
perceive them ; and, desiring his nephew, Randolpl
who commanded the left wing, to turn his eye
towards the quarter where they were making
appearance, in the crofts north of St. Ninian's,
to him, angrily, " Thoughtless man ! you have suffe
ed the enemy to pass. A rose has this day faT
from your chaplet !" Randolph, feeling the repr
severely, instantly pursued them with 500 foot ;
coming up with them in the plain, where the me
village of Newhouse stands, commenced a
action in sight of both armies, and of the
Clifford's squadron wheeling round, and placing tl
spears in rest, charged the Scots at full speed ; 1
Randolph having formed his infantry into a sqm
with their spears protended on every side, and
ing on the ground, successfully repelled the fir
fierce onset, and successive charges equally desperat
Much valour was displayed on both sides ; and
was for some time doubtful who should obtain
victory. Bruce, attended by several of his officer
beheld this rencounter from a rising ground suj
to be the round hill immediately west of St. Ninian's
now called Cockshot hill. Douglas, perceiving th<
jeopardy of his brave friend, asked leave to hastei
with a reinforcement to his support. This the kinj
at first refused ; but, upon his afterwards consenting
Douglas put his soldiers in motion. Perceiving, how
ever, on the way, that Randolph was on the point o
victory, he stopped short, that they who had lon:
fought so hard might enjoy undivided glory. Th
English were entirely defeated with great slaughtei
Among the slain was William Daynecourt, a knigb
and commander of great renown, who had fallen in tb
beginning of the action. The loss of the Scots was ver
BANNOCKBURN.
109
siderable ; some assert that it amounted only to a
le yeoman. Randolph and his company, covered
dust and glory, returned to the camp, amidst
lations of joy. To perpetuate the memory of
victory, two large stones were erected in the
-where they are still to be seen — at the north
of the village of Newhouse, about a quarter of
le from the south port of Stirling. Another in-
it happened, in the same day, which contributed
itly to inspirit the Scots forces. King Robert,
iccording to Barbour, was ill mounted, carrying a
attle-axe, and, on his bassinet-helmet, wearing, for
istinction, a crown. Thus externally distinguished,
e was riding upon a little palfrey, in front of his
oremost line, regulating their order ; when an English
inight, who was ranked amongst the bravest in Ed-
ward's army, Sir Henry de Bohun, came galloping
uriously up to him, to engage him in single combat;
xpecting, by this act of chivalry, to end the contest,
nd gain immortal fame. But the enterprising cham-
ion, having missed his blow, was instantly struck
ead by the king, who raising himself in his stirrups,
is his assailant passed, with one blow of his battle*
ixe cleft his head in two, shivering the handle of his
wn weapon with the violence of the blow. The
Scottish chiefs remonstrated with their king for
aving so rashly exposed his precious life. He felt
lie justice of their censures at so critical a junc-
ure, but playfully evaded further confession by
ffecting to be chiefly concerned for the loss of his
ood battle-axe. The incident is thus recorded by
)ur : —
" And quhen Glosyster and Herfurd war
With ihair bataill, approchand ner,
Befor thaim all thar come rydand,
With helm on heid, and sper in hand
Schyr Henry the Bonne, the worthi,
That wes a wycht knycht, and a hardy ;
And to the Erie off Herfurd cusyue ;
Armyt in arrays gud and fyne ;
Come on a sted, a bow schote ner,
Befor all othyr that thar wer :
And knew the King, for that he saw
Him swa rang his men on raw ;
And by the croune, that wes set
Alsua apon his bassyuet.
And towart him he went in hy.
And [quhen] the King sua apiertly
Saw him cum, forouth all hid feris,
In hy till him the hors he steris.
And quhen Schyr Henry saw the King
Cum on, for owtyn abaysing,
Till him he raid in full gret hy.
He thoucht that he suid weill lychtly
Wyn him, and haf him at his will,
Sen he him horsyt saw sa ill.
Spreut thai samyn in till a ling.
Schyr Henry myssit the noble king.
And he, that in his sterapys stud,
With the ax that wes hard and gud,
With sa gret mayne raucht him a dynt,
That nothyr hat, na helm, mycht styut
The hewy dusche that he him gave,
That uer the heid till the harnys clave.
The hand ax schaft fruschit in twa ;
And he doune to the erd gan ga
All flatlynys, for him faillyt mycht.
This wes the fryst strak off the fycht"
'he heroic achievement performed by their king be-
>re their eyes, raised the spirits of the Scots to the
ighest pitch.
The day was now far spent, and as Edward did
ot seem inclined to press a general engagement, but
ad drawn off to the low grounds to the right and
" of his original position, the Scots army passed
light in arms upon the lield. Next morning, being
ay, the 24th of June, all was early in motion on
sides. Religious sentiments in the Scots were
with military ardour. A solemn mass was
iiinced by Maurice, abbot of Inchaffray ; who also
istered the sacrament to the king, and the great
2rs about him, while inferior priests did the same
ie rest of the army. Then, after a sober repast,
they formed in order of battle, in a tract of ground,
now called Nether Touchadam, which lies along the
declivity of a gently rising hill, about a mile due
south from Stirling castle. This situation had been
previously chosen on account of its advantages.
Upon the right, they had a range of steep rocks,
whither the baggage-men had retired, and which,
from this circumstance, has been called Gillie's or
Servant's hill. In their front were the steep banks
of the rivulet of Bannock. Upon the left lay a
morass, now called Milton bog, from its vicinity to the
small village of that name. Much of this bog is still
undrained ; and part of it is now a mill-pond. As it
was then the middle of summer, it was almost quite
dry; but Robert had recourse to a stratagem, to
prevent any attack from that quarter. He had,
some time before, ordered number of pits to be dug
in the morass and the fields on the left, and covered
with green turf supported by stakes, so as to exhibit
the appearance of firm ground. These pits were a
foot in breadth, and from two to three feet deep,
and placed so close together as to resemble the cells
in a honeycomb. It does not appear, however, that
the English attempted to charge over this dangerous
ground during the conflict, the great struggle being
made considerably to the right of this ground. He
also made calthrops be scattered there ; some of which
have been found in the memory of people yet alive.
By these means, added to the natural strength of the
ground, the Scottish army stood as within an intrench-
ment. Barbour, who lived near those times, mentions
a park with trees, through which the English had to
pass, before they could attack the Scots ; and says,
that Robert chose this situation, that, besides other
advantages, the trees might prove an impediment to
the enemy's cavalry. The improvements of agricul-
ture, and other accidents, have, in the lapse of four
hundred years, much altered the face of this, as well
as other parts of the country : vestiges, however, of
this park still remain, and numerous stumps of trees are
seen all around the field where the battle was fought.
A farm-house, situated almost in the middle, goes by
the name of the Park ; and a mill built upon the
south bank of the rivulet, nearly opposite to where
the centre of Robert's army stood, is known by the
name of Park-mill. The Scottish army was drawn
up in four divisions, and their front extended near
a mile in length. The right wing, which was upon
the highest ground, and was strengthened by a body
of cavalry under Keith, Marschal of Scotland, was
commanded by Edward Bruce, the king's brother.
The left was posted on the low grounds, near the
morass, under the direction of Walter, Lord-High-
Steward, and Sir James Douglas, both of whom had
that morning been knighted by their sovereign. Bruce
himself took the command of the reserve, which was
drawn up immediately behind the centre. Along with
him was a body of 500 cavalry well-armed and mount-
ed ; all the rest of the Scottish army were on foot.
The enemy were fast approaching in three great
bodies, led on by the English monarch in person, and
by the earls of Hereford and Gloucester, who were
ranked among the best generals that England could
then produce. Their centre was formed of infantry,
and the wings of cavalry, many of v\ horn were armed
cap-a-pee. Squadrons of archers were also planted
upon the wings, and at certain distances along the
front. Edward was attended by two knights, Sir
Giles de Argentine, and Sir Aymer de Vallance, who
rode, according to the phrase of these days, at his
bridle. That monarch, who had imagined that the
Scots would never face his formidable host, was
much astonished when he beheld their order and
I determined resolution to give him battle. As he
expressed his surprise, Sir Ingram Umfraville took
110
BANNOCKBURN.
the opportunity of suggesting a plan likely to insure
a cheap and bloodless victory. He counselled him
to make a feint of retreating with the whole army,
till they had got behind their tents; and, as this
would tempt the Scots from their ranks for the sake
of plunder, to turn about suddenly, and fall upon
them. The counsel was rejected. Edward thought
there was no need of stratagem to defeat so small a
handful. Among the other occurrences of this
memorable day, historians mention an incident. As
the two armies were on the point of engaging, the
abbot of InchafFray, barefooted, and with a crucifix
in his hand, walked slowly along the Scottish line ;
when they all fell down upon their knees in the act
of devotion. The enemy, observing them in so un-
common a posture, concluded that they were frighten-
ed into submission, and that, by kneeling, when they
should have been ready to fight, they meant to sur-
render at discretion, and only begged their lives.
"See!" cried Edward, "they are kneeling; they
crave mercy !" " They do, my liege," replied Um-
fraville; "but it is from God, not from us." " To
the charge, then !" replied Edward ; and Gloucester
and Hereford threw themselves impetuously upon
the right wing of the Scots, which received them
firmly; while Randolph pressed forward with the
centre division of the Scotch army upon the main
body of the English. They rushed furiously upon
the enemy, and met with a warm reception. The
ardour of one of the Scottish divisions had carried
them too far, and occasioned their being sorely galled
by a body of 10,000 English archers who attacked
them in flank. These, however, were soon dispersed
by Sir Robert Keith, whom the king had despatched
with the reserve of 500 horse, and who, fetching a
circuit round Milton bog, suddenly charged the left
flank and rear of the English bowmen, who having no
weapons fit to defend themselves against horse, were
instantly thrown into disorder, and chased from the
field:—
•« The Inglis archeris schot sa fast,
That mycht thair schot half ony last,
It had been hard to Scottis men.
Bot King Robert, that wele gau keu
That thair archeris war peralouss,
And thair schot rycht hard and grewouss,
Ordanyt, forouth the assemble,
Hys marschell with a gret menye,
Fyve hundre armyt in to stele,
That on lycht horss war horsyt welle,
For to pryk amang the archeris ;
And swa assaile tliaim with thair speris,
That thai na layser haift'to schute.
This marschell that Ik of mute,
That Schyr Robert of Keyth was cauld,
As Ik befor her has yow tauld,
Quhen he saw the bataillis sua
Assembill, and to gidder ga,
And saw the archeris schoyt stoutly ;
With all thaim off his cumpany,
In hy apon thaim gan he rid ;
And our tuk thaim at a sid ;
And ruschyt amang thaim sa rudly,
Stekand thaim sa dispitously,
And in sic fusoun berand doun,
And slayand thaim, for owtyu ransoun ;
That thai thaim scalyt euirilkane.
And fra that tyme furth thar wes nane
That assembly! schot to ma.
Quhen Scottis archeris saw that thai sua
War rebutyt, thai woux hardy,
And with all thair mycht schot egrely
Amang the horss men, that thar raid :
And woundia wid to thaim thai maid ;
And slew of thairn a full gret dele."
Barbour's Bruce, Book ix., v. 228.
A strong body of the enemy's cavalry charged the
right wing, which Edward Bruce commanded, with
such irresistible fury, that he had been quite over-
powered, had not Randolph, who appears to have been
then unemployed, hastened to his assistance. The
battle was now at the hottest; and it was yet un-
certain how the day should go. Bruce had brought up
his whole reserve ; but the English continued to cuarge
with unabated vigour, while the Scots received them
with an inflexible intrepidity ; each individual fight-
ing as if victory depended on his single arm. An
occurrence — which some represent as an accidental
sally of patriotic enthusiasm, others as a premeditated
stratagem of Robert's — suddenly altered the face of
affairs, and contributed greatly to victory. Above
15,000 servants and attendants of the Scottish army,
had been ordered, before the battle, to retire, with
the baggage, behind the adjoining hill; but having,
during the engagement, arranged themselves in a
martial form, some on foot, and others mounted or
the baggage-horses, they marched to the top, and
displaying, on long poles, white sheets instead o!
banners, descended towards the field with hideous
shouts. The English, taking them for a fresh rein-
forcement of the foe, were seized with so great i
panic that they gave way in much confusion. Bu
chanan says, that the English king was the first tha'
fled ; but in this contradicts all other historians, wh(
affirm, that Edward was among the last in the field
Nay, according to some accounts, he would not b<
persuaded to retire, till Aymer de Vallance, seeing
the day lost, took hold of his bridle, and led him ofl
Sir Giles de Argentine, the other knight who waite<
on Edward, accompanied him a short way off th<
field, till he saw him placed in safety ; he then wheelei
round, and putting himself at the head of a battalia
made a vigorous effort to retrieve the disastr
state of affairs, but was soon overwhelmed and sla
He was a champion of high renown ; and, hav
signalized himself in several battles with the Sai
cens, was reckoned the third knight of his day. 1
Scots pursued, and made great havoc among
enemy, especially in passing the river, where, fr
the irregularity of the ground, they could not p
serve the smallest order. A mile from the tieh
battle, a small bit of ground goes by the name
Bloody fold ; where, according to tradition, a pai
of the English faced about and made a stand, b
after sustaining a dreadful slaughter, were forced
continue their flight. This account corresponds
several histories of the Earl of Gloucester. See
the rout of his countrymen, he made an effort to
new the battle, at the head of his military tenan
and, after having personally done much executi
was, with most of his party, cut to pieces. 1
Scottish writers make the enemy's loss, in the ba
and pursuit, 50,000, and their own 4,000. Am
the latter, Sir William Vipont and Sir Wai
Ross were the only persons of distinction. A p
portion almost incredible. The slain on the Eng
side were all decently interred by Bruce's ord
who, even in the heat of victory, could not refr
from shedding tears over several who had been
intimate friends. The corpse of the Earl of Gl
cester was carried that night to the church of
Ninians, where it lay, till, together with that of
Sir Robert Clifford, it was sent to the English m
arch. Twenty-seven English barons, two hund
knights, and seven hundred esquires, fell in the fie
the number of prisoners also was very great;
amongst them were many of high rank, who w
treated with the utmost civility. The remains
the vanquished were scattered all over the count
Many ran to the castle; and not a few, attempt
the Forth, were drowned. The Earl of Herefoi
the surviving general, retreated with a large bo
towards Both well, and threw himself, with a few
the chief officers, into that castle, which was then g;
risoned by the English. Being hard pressed, he si
rendered ; and was soon exchanged against Bruc
queen and daughter, and some others of his Men
who had been captive eight years in England. Ki
BAN
111
BAR
ird escaped with much difficulty. Retreating
the field of battle, he rode to the castle ; but
told by the governor, that he could not long
safety there, as it could not be defended against
victors. Taking a compass to shun the vigilance
Scots, he made the best of his way homeward,
ipanied by fifteen noblemen, and a body of
cavalry. He was closely pursued above forty
by Sir James Douglas, who, with a party of
horse, kept upon his rear, and was often very
him. How hard he was put to, may be guessed
a vow which he made in his flight, to build and
>vv a religious house in Oxford, should it please
to favour his escape. He was on the point of
made prisoner, when he was received into the
of Dunbar by Gospatrick, Earl of March, who
in the English interest. Douglas waited a few
in the neighbourhood, in expectation of his at-
)ting to go home by land. He escaped, however,
in a fisherman's boat. His stay at Dunbar
been very short. Three days after the battle,
sued a proclamation from Berwick, announcing
loss of his seal, and forbidding all persons to
any order proceeding from it, without some
evidence of that order's being his. " The riches
lined by the plunder of the English," says Mr.
ler, " and the subsequent ransom paid for the
Ititude of the prisoners, must have been very
it. Their exact amount cannot be easily esti-
1, but some idea of its greatness may be formed
the tone of deep lamentation assumed by the
ik of Malmesbury. ' O day of vengeance and of
>rtune !' says he, ' day of disgrace and perdition !
>rthy to be included in the circle of the year,
ch tarnished the fame of England, and enriched
Scots with the plunder of the precious stuffs of
nation, to the extent of two hundred thousand
ids. Alas ! of how many noble barons, arid ac-
)lished knights, and high-spirited young soldiers,
what a store of excellent arms, and golden ves-
and costly vestments, did one short and miser-
day deprive us !' Two hundred thousand pounds
jney in those times, amounts to about six hun-
thousand pounds weight of silver, or nearly
millions of our present money. The loss of
Scots in the battle was incredibly small, and
how effectually the Scottish squares had re-
the English cavalry."
IANTON, a hamlet in the parish of Kilsyth,
lingshire ; li mile north-east of Kilsyth. There
parochial school here, the master of which has a
of £12 6s. 3d., with £31 school-fees, and a
JAR A. See GARVALD.
BAR A. See BARRA.
BARCALDINE. See ARDCHATTEN.
BARDOWIE LOCH. See BALDERNOCK.
BARGARRAN, a village in the parish of Erskine
n Renfrewshire, in which the manufacture of fine
.bread was first established. In the old Statistical
iccount it is stated that " one of the last trials for
•vitchcraft which happened in Scotland, had its origin
n this parish in 1696-7- The person supposed to
iave been bewitched or tormented by the agency of
;vil spirits, or of those who were in compact with
.hem, was Christian Shaw, daughter of John Shaw
»f Bargarran, then about eleven years of age. A
hort account of this trial may be seen in Arnot's
Collection of Criminal Trials.' Three men and
I
(women were condemned to death, as guilty of
jrime of witchcraft, and were executed at Pais-
This may furnish ample matter of speculation
those whose object it is to trace the progress and
variation of manners and opinions among men. The
"*"•• -juent history of this lady is, however, more
Br
interesting to the political inquirer. Having acquired
a remarkable dexterity in spinning fine yarn, she
onceived the idea of manufacturing it into thread.
Her first attempts in this way were necessarily on a
small seale. She executed almost every part of the
process with her own hands, and bleached her mate-
rials on a large slate placed in one of the windows of
the house. She succeeded, however, so well in these
essays as to have sufficient encouragement to go on,
and to take the assistance of her younger sisters and
neighbours. The then Lady Blantyre carried a
parcel of her thread to Bath, and disposed of it ad-
vantageously to some manufacturers of lace, and this
was probably the first thread made in Scotland that
had crossed the Tweed. About this time a person
who was connected with the family happening to be
in Holland, found means to learn the secrets of the
thread manufacture, which was then carried on to
great extent in that country, particularly the art of
sorting or numbering the threads of different sizes,
and packing them up for sale, and the construction
arid management of the twisting and twining ma-
chine. This knowledge he communicated on his
return to his friends in Bargarran, and by means ot
it they were enabled to conduct their manufacture
with more regularity, and to a greater extent. The
young women in the neighbourhood were taught
to spin fine yarn, twining mills were erected, corre-
spondences were established, and a profitable business
was carried on. Bargarran thread became exten.
sively known, and, being ascertained by a stamp,
bore a good price. From the instructions of the
family of Bargarran, a few families in the neighbour-
hood engaged in the same business, and continued it
for a number of years. It was not to be expected,
however, that a manufacture of that kind could be
confined to so small a district, or would be allowed
to remain in so few hands for a great length of time.
The secrets of the business were gradually divulged
by apprentices and assistants. Traders in Paisley
availed themselves of these communications, and
laid the foundation of the well-established and ex-
tensive manufacture of thread, which has ever since
been carried on in that town."
BARNBOUGLE CASTLE, an ancient seat of
the Moubrays, in the parish of Dalmeny, Linlithgow-
shire. In 1620, it passed, by sale, from the Mou-
brays ; and it is how the property of the Earl of Rose-
berry. Its site is close on the frith of Forth ; and
the sea has, in its encroachments here, completely
washed away the lawn before it, so that it was long
since found necessary to erect a bulwark for the
safety of the castle.
BARNS (EAST), a village in the parish of Dun,
bar, Haddingtorishire ; on the great line of road from
Berwick to Edinburgh, and 2£ miles east of Dunbar.
An Antiburgher congregation which used to assem-
ble here, removed their place of meeting to Dunbar
in 1820. There is a parochial school here, endowed
with the 'interest of £150.
BARNS (WEST), a village in the same parish.,
and on the same line of road, 2 miles west of Dun-
bar ; on a small stream called the Biel, which here
flows into Belhaven bay.
BARNS OF AYR, an encampment, or military
building, held by the English forces in the reign of
Edward I., on the south-east side of the town of Ayr,
celebrated in history for the fearful revenge which
Wallace executed upon the garrison then in posses-
sion of the place, for the treacherous seizure and
putting to death of Sir Reginald Crawford, Sir Bryce
Blair, and Sir Hugh Montgomeru1. Dr. Jamieson,
in his notes to ' Wallace,' says : " The story of the
destruction of these buildings, and of the immediate
reason of it, is supported by the universal tradition
BAR
BAR
of the country to this day; and local tradition is
often entitled to more regard than is given to it by
the fastidiousness of the learned. Whatever allow-
ances it may be necessary to make for subsequent
exaggeration, it is not easily conceivable, that an
event should be connected with a particular spot,
during a succession of ages, without some foundation.
Sir D. Dalrymple deems this story ' inconsistent with
probability.' He objects to it, because it is said,
'that Wallace, accompanied by Sir John Graham,
Sir John Menteith, and Alexander Scrymgeour, con-
stable of Dundee, went into the west of Scotland, to
chastise the men of Galloway, who had espoused the
part of the Comyns, and of the English;' and that,
'on the 28th August, 1298, they set fire to some
granaries in the neighbourhood of Ayr, and burned
the English cantoned in them.' — Annals, I. 255, N.
Here he refers to the relations of Arnold Blair and
to Major, and produces three objections to the nar-
rative! One of these is, that ' Corny n, the younger
of Badenoch, was the only man of the name of
Comyn who had any interest in Galloway_; and he
)f Wallace's party."
two are ; that ' Sir John Graham could have no share
was at that time of Wallace's party.' The other
in the enterprise, for he was killed at Falkirk, 22d
July, 1298;' and that 'it is not probable that Wal-
.ace would have undertaken such an enterprise im-
mediately after the discomfeiture at Falkirk.' Al-
though it had been said by mistake, that Graham and
Comyn were present, this could not invalidate the
whole relation, for we often find that leading facts
are faithfully narrated in a history, when there are
considerable mistakes as to the persons said to have
been engaged. But although our annalist refers both
to Major and Blair, it is the latter only who mentions
either the design of. the visit paid to the west of
Scotland, or the persons who are said to have been
associates in it. The whole of Sir David's reasoning
rests on the correctness of a date, and of one given
only in the meagre remains ascribed to Arnold Blair.
If his date be accurate, the transaction at Ayr, what-
ever it was, must have taken place thirty-seven days
afterwards. Had the learned writer exercised his
usual acumen here — had he not been resolved to
throw discredit on this part of the history of Wallace
— it would have been most natural for him to have
supposed, that this event was post-dated by Blair.
It seems, indeed, to have been long before the battle
of Falkirk. Blind Harry narrates the former in his
Seventh, the latter in his Eleventh Book. Sir David
himself, after pushing the argument from the date
given by Blair as far as possible, virtually gives it
up, and makes the acknowledgment which he ought
to have made before. ' I believe,' he says, ' that this
story took its rise from the pillaging of the English
quarters, about the time of the treaty of Irvine, in
1297, which, as being an incident of little conse-
quence, I omitted in the course of this history.'
Here he refers to Hemingford, T. I. p. 123. ' Hem-
ingford says, that ' many of the Scots and men of
Galloway had, in a hostile manner, made prey of
their stores, having slain more than five hundred
men, with women and children." Whether he means
to say that this took place at Ayr, or at Irvine, seems
doubtful. But here, I think, we have the nucleus
of the story. The barns, according to the diction of
Blind Harry, seem to have been merely ' the English
quarters,' erected by order of Edward for the accom-
modation of his troops. Although denominated
barns by the Minstrel, and horreas by Arnold Blair,
both writers seem to have used these terms with
great latitude, as equivalent to what are now called
barracks. It is rather surprising, that our learned
annalist should view the loss of upwards of five
hundred men, besides women and children, with that
of their property, * as an incident of little cons
quence,' in a great national struggle. Major giv<
nearly the same account as Blair. Speaking of Wa
lace, he says, ' Anglorum insignes viros apud hor
Aerie residentes de nocte incendit, et qui a '
flamma evaserunt ejus mucrone occubuerunt.' — Fc
Ixx. There is also far more unquestionable evide
as to the cause of this severe retaliation, than
generally supposed. Lord Hailes has still quot.
Barbour as an historian of undoubted veraciti
Speaking of Crystal of Seton, he says —
It wes gret sorow sekyrly,
That so worthy persoune as he
Suld on sic maner hangyt be.
Thusgate endyt his worthynes.
Arid off Crauford als Schyr Ranald wes,
And Schyr Bryce als the Blar,
Hangyt in till a berue in Ar.'
The Bruce, III. 260 v. &c.
This tallies very well with the account given
the Minstrel.
* Four thousand haill that nycht was in till Ayr.
In gret bernyss, big^yt with out the toun,
The justice lay, with mony bald barroun.'
Wallace, vii. 334.'
Miss Baillie has made good use of this incident
the life of Wallace, in her ' Metrical Legend.'
BARNYARDS. See KILLCONQUHAR.
BARONY PARISH. See GLASGOW.
BARR, a very large parish in the district
Carrick in Ayrshire ; bounded on the north by Dai]
parish; on the east by Straiten; on the south
Kirkcudbrightshire and the parish of Colmonel
and on the west by Colmonell and Girvan parish*
which interpose between it and the Irish cham
Its superficies is estimated by Aiton at 50,000
acres, being 1 ,000 acres more than that of Ballantr
which is the second parish in Ayrshire in point
extent. In the new Statistical account, publisl
in 1837, its area is stated to be about 100 sqi
miles, or 64,000 imperial acres. It is a rude m<
land district, of which not above a fiftieth part is
cultivation, and not as much more cultivable.
Ardstinchar rises in it and flows through it fr
north-east to south-west between two high ranges*
hills. The principal lines of road which intersect
are the old and new roads to Ayr ; the former ri
ning up the dale of the Minnock water from
to north, on the eastern side of the parish ; the latt
branching off in a north-east direction from the fo
at Rowantree. The new Statistical report stai
that some of the mountains on the banks of
Minnock attain an elevation of 2,700 feet. Anot
road branches off from the Ayr road shortly after it
entrance into the parish, and runs north-west to
kirktown of Barr. The third stream in this pari
is the Muck water, which rises among the hills
the south of Barr, and flows in a direction parallel'
the Stinchar, to its confluence with the Dusk in
parish of Colmonell. There are a few small k
and several extensive morasses. The village of Bs
which is situated on the south side of the Stincl
at the confluence of the Gregg water with that rive
has a population of about 250. An annual fair
held in this parish on the last Saturday of May,
Kirk Dominae, a name given to the ruins of an
cient Roman Catholic chapel which still exist he
about a mile to the south-west of the church. Popi
lation, in 1801, 742; in 1831, 941. Houses
Assessed property £5,1 15 — This parish, formerly
vicarage, is in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod o
Glasgow and Ayr. It was disjoined in 1653 from thi
parishes of Girvan and Dailly. Patron, the Crown
Stipend £231 3s. Id., with a manse, and a glebe o
the value of £18. Unappropriated teinds £154
Church built above a century ago, and repaired L
BAR
113
BAR
1834 ; sittings 410. Schoolmaster's salary <€34 4s.
4£d., with .£18 fees, and other emoluments. There
were 3 private schools in 1834.
BARR, a small village in Kintyre, ahout 12 miles
north-west by north of Campbelton, on the coast.
BARRHEAD, a thriving village in the parish of
Neilston, Renfrewshire ; on the road from Glasgow
to Irvine; 3 miles south-east of Paisley; on the
south side of the Levern. There is a Secession chapel
here. A small debt-court is held here every alter-
nate month. The population are chiefly engaged in
iving. The progress of this village within the
forty years has been rapid.
iARRHILL. See COLMONELL.
tARRA, or BARA, or not infrequently BARRAY,
island-parish in the county of Inverness, synod of
^enelg, and presbytery of Uist ; consisting of a
groupe of islands divided, on the north, from South
Uist by a channel of 8 miles ; the island of Tiree, in
the county of Argyle, is the nearest land to it on the
south, and lies at the distance of about 35 miles;
Canna and Rum, in the parish of the Small isles, are
at the distance of about 30 miles ; on the west it is
exposed to the Atlantic ocean. The parish of Barra
consists of the main island of Ban a, and a number
of much smaller islands and islets. The whole,
forming what is called the estate of Barra, as lately
belonging to Colonel Macneil, is reckoned to consist
of 4,000 imperial acres of arable land, and 18,000 of
meadow and hill-pasture, of which the rental, in
1840, was £'2,453 10s. 7d. The main island of
Barra is 8 miles in length, and from 2 to 4 in breadth,
being deeply intersected in different places by arms
of the sea. The island of Vatersa, separated from
the main island by a channel of one mile, is about 3
miles in length, and in some places 1 J mile broad.
Sandera, to the south of Vatersa, and distant 5 miles
from Barra, is 2 miles in length, and 2 in breadth.
Pabbu, at the distance of 8 miles from Barra, is 1£
in length, and 1 in breadth. Mingala, at the distance
of 12 miles, is 2 miles in length, and 2 in breadth.
Bernera — which, from its being called the Bishop's
isle, seems to have once belonged to the Bishop of
the Isles — 16 miles south-south-west of Barra, is 1
wle in length, and £ in breadth. All these islands are
lifficult of access, on account of the strong cur-
•ents running between them. Close by the island
if Mingala is a high rock, with very luxuriant
;rass on the top of it. The inhabitants of this
sland climb to the top at the risk of their lives,
nd by means of a rope hoist up their wedders to
en on the fine herbage. This must be the Scarpa
vecum mentioned by Buchanan. The main island
Barra has a barren rocky appearance, excepting
north end, which is fertile. In the middle and
lie south end are some very high hills, presenting a
ture of green sward, rock, and heath. The soil
general is thin and rocky, excepting at the north
there is also a great deal of sand, which is
wn about with every gale of wind, so that a large
t of the best corn-land has been thus blown away,
covered with sand. According to Dr. Webster's
ort, the number of souls upon these islands in
5, was 1,150. In 1801, it was 1,969; in 1831, it
2,097, of whom 302 families were employed in
iculture, 15 in manufacture and handicraft, and
were not comprised in either of these classes,
e number of houses, in 1831, was 373. In 1821
population was 2,303 ; the decrease, in 1831, was
ributable to extensive emigration from this quarter,
e system of sheep-fanning has also been recently
•oduced into these islands, and will compel many
the inhabitants to seek a home elsewhere. Barra
Id originally of the kings of Scotland, till the
ign of James VI., when an English ship was seized
I.
upon the coast by Roderick Macniel, then laird ot
Barra, surnamed Rory the turbulent. Queen Eliza-
beth complained of this act of piracy committed
upon her subjects; upon which the laird was sum-
moned to appear at Edinburgh, to answer for his un-
justifiable behaviour; but he treated the summons
with contempt. Several attempts were then made
to apprehend hint), all of which proved unsuccessful,
until Mackenzie, tutor of Kintail, undertook to effect
by stratagem what others could not do by more
direct means. Having come, under cover of a friendly
visit, to the castle of Kisimul, where the laird then
resided, he invited him and all his retainers on board
his vessel, where, not suspecting any hostile design,
they suffered themselves to be overpowered with
liquor. In this situation poor Rory's friends were
easily put on shore, leaving their unconscious chief
in the hands of his kidnapper. Kintail hoisted sail
under night, and, the wind proving fair, was soon
out of reach of his pursuers. He at length arrived
with his prisoner in Edinburgh, where Rory was im-
mediately put on his trial. Rory confessed to his mal-
practices, but alleged that he thought himself bound,
by his loyalty, to avenge the unpardonable injury
done by the queen of England to his own sovereign,
and his majesty's mother. By this answer, he ob-
tained his pardon, but forfeited his estate, which was
given to Kintail, who restored it back to the laird,
on condition of his holding of him, and paying him
60 merks Scots as a yearly feu-duty. Some time
after, Sir James Macdonald of Slate married a
daughter of Kintail's, who made over the superiority
to Sir James, in whose family it continues till this
day. The old residence of the feudal lairds of Barra
was a small fortalice in Castlebay, built upon a
rock which must have formerly been almost covered
with the sea. This building is of an hexagonal form ;
the wall is about 30 feet high ; and in one of its
angles is a high square tower, on the top of which,
at the corner immediately above the gate, is a per-
forated stone through which the gockman, or watch-
man, who sat there all night, could let a stone fall
upon any one who might attempt to surprise the gate
by night. Within the wall are several houses, and a
well dug through the middle of the rock. Buchanan
calls it an old castle in his time. " I saw,'' says
Martin, " the officer called the cockman, and an old
cock he is : when I bid him ferry me over the water
to the island, he told me that he was but an inferior
officer, his business being to attend in the tower ;
but if, says he, the constable — who then stood on
the wall — will give you access, I'll ferry you over. I
desired him to procure me the constable's permission,
arid 1 would reward him ; but having waited some
hours for the constable's answer, and riot receiving
any, I was obliged to return without seeing this
famous fort. Macniel and his lady being absent, was
the cause of this difficulty, and of my not seeing
the place. I was told some weeks after, that the
constable was very apprehensive of some design I
might have in viewing the fort, and thereby to ex-
pose it to the conquest of a foreign power ; of which
I supposed there was no great cause of fear." There
are great quantities of cod and ling caught upon the
east coast of Barra. The fishing-banks extend from
the mouth of Loch Boisdale to Barrahead. At the
close of last century from 20 to 30 boats were gene-
rally employed in this business from the latter end
of March, or the beginning of April, to the end of
June ; there were five hands to every boat, and on
an average they killed from 1,000 to 1,500 ling each
boat. In 1829, the number of boats belonging to
this parish employed in the herring, cod, and ling
fisheries was 81, manned by 405 hands. The num-
ber of cod, ling, and hake fish taken was 31,574 ;
BAR
114
BAR
the total quantity cured and dried 1,136 cwt., of
which 291 cwt. were exported to Ireland. It does
not appear that this fishery has made any progress
since the end of last century. Shell fish abound
here, such as limpits, mussels, wilks, clams,
spout-fish or razor-fish, lobsters, arid crabs; but
the most valuable to the inhabitants is the shell
fish called cockle. It is found upon the great sand
at the north end of Barra, in such quantities, that in
times of great scarcity all the families upon the island
nave resorted hither for their subsistence ; and it
uas been computed, that no less than from 100 to 200
norse-loads of cockles have been taken off the sands
at low- water, every day of the springtides, during the
months of May, June, July, and August. Dean
Monroe tells us that, "in the north end of this isle
of Barray, ther is ane rough heigh kno\v, rnayne
grasse and greine round about it to the head, on the
top of quhilk ther is ane spring and fresh water well.
This well truely springs up certaine little round
white things, less nor the quantity of confeit corne,
lykest to the shape and figure of an little cokill, as it
appearit to me. Out of this well runs ther ane little
strype down with to the sea, and quher it enters into
the sea ther is ane myle braid of sands, quhilk ebbs
ane myle, callit the Trayrmore of Kilbaray, that is
the grate sands of Barray. This ile is all full of
grate cokills, and alledgit be the ancient countrymen
that the same cokills comes down out of the foresaid
hill through the said strype, in the first small forme
that we have spoken of, and after ther coming to the
sandis grovvis grate cokills always. Ther is na fairer
and more profitable sands for cokills in all the warld."
Of harbours, the first towards the north is Ottir-
vore, which is more properly a roadsted than a har-
bour ; the entrance to it is from the east between the
islands of Griskay and Gigha. The next farther
south is Flodda sound, which is surrounded by a
number of islands, and opens to the south-east ; here
the largest ships may ride with safety all seasons of
the year. Tirivee, or the inland bay, is so called
from its cutting far into the middle of the country ;
here vessels may ride out the hardest gales ; it opens
also to the south-east. At the south end of Barra is
Kisimul-bay, or Castle-bay, so called from the old
castle formerly mentioned ; it opens to the south.
In the island of Vatersa is a very commodious har-
bour for ships of any burden ; it is accessible from
the south-east between the islands of Sandera and
Muldonich. Ottirvore and Flodda are much fre-
quented by ships to and from the Baltic. There is
a light-house on Barra head, the highest part of Ber-
nera in N. lat. 56° 48', and W. long. 7° 38'. The
light is intermitting every three minutes, being bright
for 2| minutes ; and then suddenly eclipsed for £
a minute. It is 680 feet above high water, and is
seen at the distance of 32 miles in clear weather. It
was erected in 1833. The expense of maintaining
this light, in 1838, was £638 9s. 9d. There are
some fresh water lochs with plenty of trout —
The Protestant religion universally prevailed here
till after the Restoration ; when some Irish priests
crossed over to these islands, and made many con-
verts. Harris and Barra at this time made one
parish; and the minister always resided in Harris.
The number of Protestants has always been so small
that it was thought unnecessary to put the heritor to
the expense of building a church. There are three
places of worship, viz. Kilbar, Borve, and Watersay.
The minister preaches two Sundays at Borve ; the
third Sunday at Kilbar; arid the fourth at Watersay.
The inhabitants of the South isles were stated to be
all Roman Catholics in the old Statistical account.
The gtipend of the parochial minister is £165 10s.
5d., with a manse, and a glebe of the value of £7 10s.
=
In 1834 there was no school in the parish, so that, in
a population of above 2,000 souls, few were able
either to read or write, and the young generation
were growing up in ignorance. A church has been
erected in Bernera by the parliamentary commis-
sioners, at an expense of £ 1,470 — The island ot
Barra, with all the surrounding islands, is the pro-
perty of Macniel of Barra, whose predecessors are
said to have been in possession of those islands be-
fore the Danes, and were the first of that name who
came from Ireland, whence they derive their pedi-
gree ; so that they have always been acknowledged
the chief of the Macniels in Scotland. Martin, in
his 'Description of the Western Islands,' gives some
curious notices of this groupe of islands, and the
manners of these simple inhabitants. He says, " The
church in this island is called Kilbarr, i. e. St. Barr's
church. There is a little chapel by it, in which
Macneil, and those descended of his family, are
usually interred. The natives have St. Barr's
wooden image standing on the altar, covered with
linen in form of a shirt : all their greatest assevera-
tions are by this saint. I came very early in the
morning with an intention to see this image, but
was disappointed ; for the natives prevented me, by
carrying it away, lest I might take occasion to ridi-
cule their superstition, as some Protestants have
done formerly : and when I was gone, it was again
exposed on the altar. They have several traditio
concerning this great saint. There is a chapel
about half a mile on the south side of the hill n
St. Barr's church— where I had occasion to get an
account of a tradition concerning this saint, which
was thus : ' The inhabitants having begun to build
the church, which they dedicated to him, they laid
this wooden image within it, but it was in visit
transported,' as they say, * to the place where t
church now stands, and found there every mornin
This miraculous conveyance is the reason they gi
for desisting to work where they first began. I tc
my informer that this extraordinary motive was si
ficient to determine the case, if true, but asked
pardon to dissent from him, for I had not fai
enough to believe this miracle ; at which he \\
surprised, telling me in the mean time that this ti
dition had been faithfully conveyed bv the pries
and natives successively to this day." " The inha
tants are very hospitable," the same writer infon
us, " and have a custom, that when any strange
from the northern islands resort thither, the native
immediately after their landing, oblige them to ei
even though they should have liberally eat and drui
but an hour before their landing there. And tl
meal they call Bieyta'v ; i. e- Ocean meat ; for thi
presume that the sharp air of the ocean, which i
deed surrounds them, must needs give them a go<
appetite. And whatever number of strangers cor
there, or of whatsoever quality or sex, they are reg
larly lodged according to ancient custom, that is, o
only in a family; by which custom a man cannot lod
with his own wife, while in this island. Mr. Jo
Campbell, the present minister of Harries, told n
that his father being then parson of Harries, a
minister of Barra — for the natives at that time w<
Protestants — carried his wife along with him, $
resided in this island for some time, and they C
posed of him, his wife and servants, in manner abo
mentioned : and suppose Macneil of Barray and
lady should go thither, he would be obliged to «
ply with this ancient custom."
BARRIE, a parish in the south-east of For
shire ; bounded on the west and north by Mon:
parish ; on the north and north-east by Panb)
parish ; on the east by the German ocean ; and
the south by the frith of Tay. The coast is flat
BAR
115
BAS
sandy; but a high verdant hank, which seems once
to have formed the coast-line in this quarter, ex-
tends from north-east to south-west, so as to give
to the northern division of the parish the appearance
of a terrace elevated ahout 50 feet above the south-
ern division. On the extreme south-east point of
the coast, the Buddon-ness, in N. lat. 56° 28', and
W. long. 2° 45', are two light-houses, the one bear-
ing N. N. W. 1,122 feet from the other; the height
of the two lanterns being respectively 85 feet and
65 feet, and both showing a white fixed light, visible
the one at the distance of 9 and the other at the
distance of 12 miles, in clear weather. These two
jhts form the leading lights to vessels entering the
iy, between the Gaa sands and Abertay sands,
e post-road between Dundee and Arbroath inter-
s this parish from south-west to north-east,
mlation, in 1801, 886; in 1831, 1,682. Houses
There are three villages within the parish :
Carnoustie, Gardenbury, and Barry. Of these
loustie is greatly the largest, having a population
1,200. The greater part of the population is
iployed in trade and manufactures, chiefly that of
>wn linen for the Arbroath merchants. Assessed
jperty, in 1815, £2,946 — This parish is in the
sbytery of Arbroath, and synod of Angus and
irns. Patron, the Crown. " Minister's stipend
*143 12s. lid., with a manse, and a glebe of the
value of £5 10s. Unappropriated teinds .£4 3s. 8d.
Church altered and enlarged in 1818; sittings 673.
A chapel-of-ease has been recently erected at Car-
noustie, where there are also two dissenting places
of worship. The United Secession church in this
village was built in 1810; sittings 380. Stipend
.£86, with a manse and glebe. The Original Sece-
der church in this village was also built in 1810;
sittings 250. Stipend £70, with a manse and gar-
den. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of
£29 18s. 9|d., with about £30 school-fees. Pupils
rom 70 to 100. There is also a private school at-
tended by about the same number of children. — In
the neighbourhood of Carnoustie, Malcolm II. sig-
nally defeated a body of marauding Danes under
Camus.
BARVAS, a parish in the island of Lewis, and
county of Ross ; bounded on the north by the At-
lantic ocean ; on the east by the quoad sacra parish
of Cross; on the south by Stornoway parish, and
that of Lochs; and on the west by Lochs. The
extent of sea-coast is about 15 miles ; it is bold and
rugged throughout, having a tremendous surf upon
it when the wind blows from the west or the north-
st. The soil is in general light and stony, or
mossy, and the whole surface is nearly level through-
out. The only arable land is along the coast. There
not a tree, and scarcely a shrub throughout the
hole parish. The principal river is the Barvas,
trich rises in some small lakes on the southern
oundary of the parish, and flows northwards, ex-
anding near its mouth into a small loch. The
reams contain some trout, and occasionally salmon ;
the coast, cod, ling, and haddocks are caught,
'he interior abounds with plovers, snipes, wild-
eese, and ducks. There is a road from the mouth
'the Barvas, southwards along the eastern bank of
lat stream, to Stornoway, a distance of about 18
iles. Population, with that of Cross, in 1801,
233; in 1831, 3,011. Houses 617. Assessed pro-
erty £14. The population of Barvas as distinct
om Cross, was estimated, in 1835, at 1,840, all of
vhom were engaged in agricultural labour, renting
*mall patches of ground at from £ I to £6 per an
•mm. — This parish is in the synod of Glenelg, and
presbytery of Lewis. Patron, the Crown. Minis-
ter's stipend £158 6s. 8d., with a manse, and a
glebe of the value of £20. Church built about
1794; sittings 300. Parochial schoolmaster's sti-
pend £28. Number of pupils from 30 to 40. There
are two itinerating Gaelic schools, which are usually
stationary for two years at a time, and are then re-
moved to some other quarter. In 1834, it was stated
that there were in this parish 390 persons above 15
years of age unable to read — The islands of Ron*
and Sulisker belong to this parish.
BARVIE (THE), a small river which rises in the
parish of Monzie, in Perthshire, and falls into the
Earn near Crieff.
BASS (THE), a stupendous insulated rock, in the
frith of Forth, about 3£ miles east-north-east, from
North Berwick, and 1A north of Canty bay ; in N. lat.
56° 4' 53", and W. long. 2° 37' 57". It is about a
mile in circumference, and shoots up to 420 feet
above the surface of the water. Its loftiest side is
towards the north ; on the south side it assumes a
conical form, sloping rapidly towards the sea. There
are about 7 acres of grassy surface on the rock, pre-
senting a fine clean short bite of pasturage to a few
sheep. The mutton fed here is proverbially deli-
cious. A cavernous passage penetrates through the
rock from north-west to south-east, which has often
been explored, but presents nothing remarkable.
The only landing-place is on the south-east side,
and this was commanded by a small fortalice now
n ruins. Beague thus describes this castle, in the
time of Mary of Guise's regency : " Now, the island
in which the castle stands is itself an impregnable
rock, of a small extent and oval figure, cut out by
the hands of nature; it has only one avenue that
leads to it, and that is towards the castle, but so
very difficult and uneasy, that by reason of the hid-
den sands that surround the rock, nothing can ap-
proach it but one little boat at a time. The island
is so exorbitantly uneven, that till one reach the
wall of the castle, he cannot have sure footing in
any one place ; so that — as I have often observed —
those that enter it must climb up by the help of a
strong cable thrown down for the purpose ; arid when
they have got with much ado to the foot of the wall,
they sit down in a wide basket, and in this posture
are mounted up by strength of hands. There is no
getting into this wonderful fortress by any other
means. Formerly, it had a postern-gate which faci-
litated the entry, but it is now thrown down, and
fortified in such a manner as is incredible." The
story about "the hidden sands" is altogether apo-
cryphal ; the channel all round being not only free
from rocks or sands, but of great depth. This
" island salt and bare,
The haunt of seals and ores and sea-mews' clang,"
is said to have been chosen by St. Baldred, the
apostle of East Lothian, for his residence in the early
part of the 7th century.* In 1405, the Earl of Car-
rick, son of Robert III., and then in his 14th year,
embarked here, along with the Earl of Orkney and
a small suite, in a vessej which was to carry him to
France, where he could pursue his studies in safety
from the intrigues of Albany. There was a truce at this
period between England and Scotland, nevertheless
an armed merchantman belonging to Wye attacked
and captured the prince's vessel off Flamborough
head. In 1671, the Crown acquired this island by
purchase from Sir Andrew Ramsay of Abbotshall
for £4,000. It had previously been for several cen-
turies in the possession of the Lauder family. Under
the reigns of Charles II. and James II. it was used
* Mr. James Miller has collected a variety of curious legend,
ary matter touching the Bass and St. Baldred in the Notes to
his poem entitled ' St. Baldred of the Bass.' Edinburgh, 1825,
8vo.
BAS
116
BAT
as a state-prison, and many of the covenanters were
confined here. Among these sufferers for conscience'
sake was the celebrated Colonel John Blackadder,
who died in confinement here, and whose cell is still
pointed out to the visitor.* At the Revolution, it
held out so stoutly for King James, under Captain
Maitland, with a garrison of 50 men, that the Scot-
tish Privy council were necessitated to enter into
negotiations for the surrender of the place, in which
the garrison were granted honourable terms. f The
fortifications were then demolished, and the island
was gifted by the Crown to Sir James Dalrymple,
Lord-president of the court of session. Immense
quantities of sea-fowl nestle and breed on this rock.
Of these the most remarkable is the solan goose, of
which De Foe has given us the following account :
" They feed on the herrings, and therefore 'tis ob-
served they come just before, or with them, and go
away with them also; though 'tis evident they do
not follow them, but go all away to the north, whi-
ther none knows but themselves, arid he that guides
them. As they live on fish, so they eat like fish,
which, together with their being so exceeding fat,
makes them, in my opinion, a very coarse dish, rank,
and ill-relished, and soon gorging the stomach. But
as they are looked upon there as a dainty, I have no
more to say ; all countries have their several gusts
and particular palates. Onions and garlick were
dainties, it seems, in Egypt, and horse-flesh is so to
this day in Tartary, and much more may a solan-
goose be so in other places. It is a large fowl, rather
bigger than an ordinary goose; 'tis duck-footed, and
swims as a goose ; but the bill is long, thick, and
pointed like a crane or heron, only the neck much
thicker, and not above five inches long. Their lay-
ing but one egg, which sticks to the rock, arid will
not fall off, unless pulled off by force, and then not
to be stuck on again, though we thought them fic-
tions, yet, being there at the season, we found true;
as also their hatching by holding the egg fast in their
foot. What Nature meant by giving these singulari-
ties to a creature that has nothing else in it worth
notice, we cannot determine." The Bass is fre-
quently visited by parties of pleasure. The best
season for visiting it is June or July. Boats are
obtained at the keeper's house in the hamlet of
Canty bay.
BASS OF INVERURY (THE), an earthen
mount on the banks of the Ury in Aberdeenshire,
said by tradition to have been once a castle which
was walled up and covered with earth because the
inhabitants were infected with the plague. It is
defended against the stream by buttresses, which were
built by the inhabitants of Inverury, who were
alarmed by the following prophecy, ascribed to
Thomas the Rhymer,
" Dee and Don, they shall run on,
And Tweed shall run aud Tay^
And the bonny water of Ury"
Shall bear the Bass away."
The inhabitants of Inverury sagaciously concluded
that this prediction could not be accomplished with-
out releasing the imprisoned pestilence, and, to
guard against this fatal event, they raised ramparts
against the encroachments of the stream. The no-
tion of the plague, or pestilence, or black death, or
other fearful epidemic, being buried in certain places,
is one of the most common traditions in Scotland.
" According to some accounts," says Leyden, "gold
seems to have had a kind of chemical attraction for
the matter of infection, and it is frequently repre-
* See Crichton's Memoirs of Blackadder, a very interesting
piece of biography.
t A Narrative of this siege was published in a small tract
about the beginning of the 18th century. This piece is inserted
hi the 3d vol. of tiie « MUcellauea Seotica.' Glasgow 18:20.
sented as concentrating its virulence in a pot of gold.
According to others, it seems to have been regarded
as a kind of spirit or monster, like the cockatrice,
which it was deadly to look on."
BASSENDEAN, or BAS1NGDENE, in the
parish of Westruther, and shire of Berwick, an an-
cient vicarage, which formerly belonged to the nuns
of Coldstream. The church, now in ruins, stood
near the mansion-house, on the south-east ; and the
walls still enclose the burying-place of the Homes of
Bassendean. Soon after the Reformation, Andrew
Currie, vicar of Bassendean, conveyed to William
Home, third son of Sir James Home, of Colden-
knovvs, " terras ecclesiasticas, mansionera, et glebam
vicariae de Bassendene:" whereupon, he obtained
from James VI. a charter for the same, on the llth
of February, 1573-4. This William, who thus built
his house upon church-lands, was the progenitor of
the present family here ; of whom George Home, a
compatriot of the Duke of Argyle, was one of the
most devoted supporters of Presbyterianism against
the inroads of Episcopacy in the 17th century. See
WESTRUTHER.
BATHGATE, a parish in Linlitbgowshire.boun
ed on the north by the parishes of Torpbichen at
Lirilithgow; on the east by Ecclesmachan, Uphal
and Livingston; on the south by Livingston
Whitburn ; on the west by Torphichen and Shotts.
It is about 7| miles in length from east to west, a
2 in average breadth; and has a superficial area
1 1,214 English acres. It is intersected by one of th
great roads leading from Edinburgh to Glasgow,
considerable portion of the south-east, south, an
west of the parish is almost a level; but towards th
north-east it becomes hilly. The soil is exceedingl
variable, some very good, some very indifferent
intermixed with patches of moss and moor ; and th
climate is far from genial; but yet where it is arable,
it is in a good state of cultivation, and yielding
crops of barley, oats, pease, and some beans.
tracts also are covered with thriving plantation
which tend greatly to heighten the beauty of t
landscape and improve the climate. Iron-stone h
been found within this parish, but not much wrought
freestone, coals, and limestone are found in grea
abundance, and wrought to a great extent. S
mines of silver, in the hills to the north of t
town of Bathgate, were formerly wrought by Ge
mans, but the vein has long been lost. This
in ancient timfre was a distinct sheriffdom. O
the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, in 1747
John, Earl of Hopetoun, claimed £2,000 for hi
right of sheriffdom. Population, in 1801, 2,513; i
1831, 3,593; of whom 2,581 reside in the town
Bathgate. Houses 510. Assessed property,
1815, £9,843 — This parish, anciently a vicarage,
is in the presbytery of Lirilithgow, and synod of
Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, the Earl of Hope-
toun. The church of old was of moderate value.
Malcolm IV. granted to the monks of Holyrood the
church of Bathgate, with a portion of land. Robert,
the diocesan, who died about the year 1159, also
granted to it certain privileges, and subsequently the
abbot and monks of Holyrood made a transfer of the
church-property to the abbot and monks of New-
bottle, which arrangement was confirmed in 1327 b)
Bishop Landels. The present parish-church was
built in 1739, and underwent some alterations ii
1780. It is in tolerably good repair, arid capable o
accommodating 719 persons. The stipend is £13:
8s. 4d., with a manse, and a glebe of the value of £12
The salary of the parochial schoolmaster is £34 4s
4|d., and 11s. 6d. of a mortification, with fee
amounting to about £24. There is also a fre
academy here, conducted by four teachers, in whic
BAT
117
BAT
itin, Greek, French, and other branches of edti-
ition are taught. This institution originated in an
iple bequest by Mr. John Newlands of Jamaica, a
itive ot Batbgate ; and occupies a handsome building,
ith connected yards, on a rising ground a little to
le south-east of the town. There is, besides these,
very considerable private school at Arrnadale, two
iles west of Bathgate. — In 1839, the total num-
of children at school in this parish was 590.
'here are several dissenting places of worship in this
rish, within the town of Bathgate. The Relief
mrch was built in 1812; sittings 786. — The United
?ssion church was built in 1807; sittings 400.
in Original Burgher place of worship was built in
sittings 400. Stipend £83. — According to
census made by the parish-minister in August,
there were then 2,159 persons belonging to
Established church in this parish, and 1,378 be-
Miging to other denominations.
The town of Bathgate is pleasantly situated near
centre of the parish, on the middle-line of road
Edinburgh to Glasgow, 18 miles distant from
le former, and 24 from the latter. It lays claim
considerable antiquity, being part of the extensive
sessions given by King Robert Bruce as the
>wry of his daughter, Lady Margery, to Walter,
jh-steward of Scotland, in 1316. Walter himself
here in 1328, at one of his chief residences, the
ite of which may be still seen marked by three
stunted fir-trees. The town consists of two parts,
the old and the ne\v. The old town is built on
a steep ridge, and the streets are narrow and
crooked. The new town is built on a regular
plan, and has a good appearance. Within these
few years the town has been considerably extended;
lere has also been a large increase of population,
fhich is principally supported J)y the weaving of
tton-goods for the Glasgow manufacturers, and by
lime and coal works in the vicinity. In 1824,
ithgate was erected into a burgh of barony by act
parliament. The preamble of this act states,
it the town of Bathgate having increased greatly
late years in extent and population, it is become
jdient that a regular magistracy should be estab-
led, and the town be erected " into a free and
lependent burgh of barony." The municipal body
isists of a provost, three bailies, twelve council-
s, and a treasurer — seventeen persons in all. The
first set of magistrates and councillors were elected
by all the persons, whether within the burgh or not,
who subscribed one pound or more towards the ex-
oense of the act of parliament. But in all future
elections the members of council were to be changed
partially, every year, in the following manner. On
the first Tuesday of September the provost and trea-
surer, with the eldest and third bailies, arid four eldest
councillors, that is, eight members of the seventeen
go out, and their places are filled by the open votes
tthe whole assembled burgesses. But the proprie-
of the lands and barony of Bathgate is entitled
one vote, \\hether a burgess or riot; and he has
ther the privilege of filling up the office of third
bailie, if he choose to exercise it; but he must name
the office a person who has previously officiated
provost, bailie, or treasurer, within the last three
or who has been a councillor within two
rs. The electors consist of all resident persons
have been admitted burgesses, and are at the
time proprietors or feuars, or occupiers of
)uses of «£3 yearly rent or upwards. All who
id £1 towards the expense ot the act, were de-
lared burgesses ipso facto; and all in future renting
or more, who paid the fees of entry fixed by
magistrates and council, which were not to
"•i t;d t\\o guineas. The magistrates must be bur-
gesses, paying £*6 rent or upwards, and resident
within the burgh, except the provost, of whom resi-
dence is not required. But residence, and .£3 of
yearly rent, qualities for a councillor. The office of
procurator -fiscal for the burgh is filled up from a list
of four persons npminated by the baronial proprietor,
which is shortened to two by the provost and magis-
trates, and of these two, the proprietor nominates
one to be fiscal. The act contains also detailed re-
gulations for lighting the burgh with gas, for paving
the streets, an'd for establishing a system of police,
for which there is to be an annual assessment, not
exceeding one shilling in the pound — The town has
a weekly market, which is held on Wednesday,
and which has become important of late as a central
corn-market for West Lothian and the adjoining
counties. It has seven fairs. The 1st, held on
the 2(1 Wednesday of April, is a cattle and hiring-
marketfor farm-servants. The 2d, on the 1st Wed-
nesday after the term, O. S., is also for cattle. The
3d is held on the 4th Wednesday in June; the 4th,
on the 3d Wednesday in July; the 5th, on the 3d
Wednesday in August : all these are cattle-markets.
A 6th is held on the 4th Wednesday in October,
for cattle, and for hiring farm-servants. The 7th
for Winter fair, is held on the Wednesday after
M.irtinmas, O. S. The stock exhibited at any of
these markets seldom exceeds 300 head. A justice
of the peace court sits here once a month, and a small-
debt sheriff-court every quarter. Branches of the
National bank and the Glasgow Union bank have been
established here ; and there is a subscription library.
In the old Statistical account it is stated, that " a
great alteration in the manner of giving has taken
place in this parish within the last 40 years. About
1750, there were not above ten families who used
tea, and now, perhaps, there is not above twice that
DWnberVhp do not use it. Butcher-meat was then
not more used than tea: scarcely any cattle or sheep
were killed, except at Martinmas, when some fami-
lies used to salt a whole, or others only a part of an
ox or cow, to serve for winter-provision ; but now
there is a regular flesh-market twice a- week, and
almost every family, who can afford it, tals flesh
constantly. A much greater quantity of wheaten
bread is now consumed in the parish in a month,
than was in a twelvemonth 40 years ago. The alter-
ation in dress since 1750 is also remarkable. When
the goodman and his sons went to kirk, market,
wedding, or burial, they were clothed in a home-
spun suit of friezed cloth, called kelt, plaiden hose,
with a blue or broun bonnet; and the good wife and
her daughters were dressed in gowns and petticoats
of their own spinning, \\ith a cloth cloak and hood
of the same, or a tartan or red plaid. But now, the
former, when they go abroad, wear suits of English
cloth, good hats, &c. ; and the latter the finest printed
cottons, and sometimes silk gowns, silk caps, and
bonnets, of different shapes, sizes, and colours, white
stockings, cloth shoes," £c.
BATTLEH1LL, in the parish of Annan, Dum
fries-shire, said to have received its name from a
bloody engagement which took place here bet \\ixt
the Scots and English, in \\hich the latter were cue
off to a man. A strong mineral spring was recently
discovered here.
BEALOCH-NAM-BO, a magnificent pass across
the northern shoulder of Ben Venue, leading into
the district on the south side of Loch Katrine. It
appears to have been formed by the partial separa-
tion of this side of the mountain from the rest, and
composes an exceedingly sublime piece of scenery.
BEATH, a small inland parish in Fifeshire;
bounded on the north by Cleish parish, from \\h>ch
it is separated by Orr water; on the east by Balliu-
BE A
118
BEA
gry parish ; on the south bv Auchtertool, Dalgetty,
and Dunferuiline ; and on the west by Dunfermline.
The surface is undulating, and attains its greatest
elevation in the hill of Beath, in the south-west
corner of the parish. On the western boundary of
the parish, lying partly in Dunfermline and partly in
Beath parish, is Loch Petty, a sheet of water about
3 miles in circumference, and containing some pike
and perch. From this loch, a principal tributary of
the water of Orr flows eastwards to the latter
stream, which it joins at Clockret "bridge. The
Great North road from Queensferry to Kinross and
Perth, passes through the parish from south-west to
north-east. The kirk-town of Beath is 18± miles
from Edinburgh, 7 from Kinross, and 25^ from Perth.
Population, in 1801, 613; in 1831, 921. Houses
166. A number of feus have been recently granted
for building in this parish, on the line of the Great
Northern road. Assessed property, in 1815, £2,746.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Dunfermline, and
synod of Fife. Patron, the Earl of Moray. Minis-
ter's stipend £183 17s. 10d., with manse, arid a
glebe of the value of £17. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4^d., with about £30 fees, and a house and
garden. Average number of pupils 100. There is
a small bequest for the education of poor children
in this parish. In the minutes of session of this
parish it is recorded, that ** the first place of meeting
that ever the Protestant lords of Scotland had for
the covenante and reformatione was at the kirk of
Baith." Yet it appears from the same record — of
which a long and curious extract is given in the New
Statistical account — that this kirk was long neglected
after the Reformation, and being unsupplied by any
minister, the parishioners were accustomed to as-
semble "to heere a pyper play upone the Lord's
daye, which was the daye of their profaine mirth,
not being in the workes of their calling."
BEAULY, a village in the parish of Kilmorack,
Inverness-shire, on the north side of the river Beau-
ly, at its confluence with Loch Beauly ; 166 miles
north by west of Edinburgh, and 12J west of Inver-
ness. It was the market-town of the old barons of
Lovat. In the immediate neighbourhood, near the
brink of the river, are the remains of the old priory
of Beauly, which was founded by Bisset of Lovat,
in 1230, for monks of the order of Valliscaulium.
The Erasers, Chisholms, Mackenzies of Gaidoch, and
several other families, have their burial-place here.
— About 2 miles west of Beauly are the celebrated
falls of KILMORACK : which see.
BEAULY (THE), a river of Inverness-shire,
principally formed by the union of the Farrer from
Glen Farrer, and the Glass river which gives name
to the entire strath through which the Beauly flows.
These two streams unite atErchless castle; and the
conjoined streams then flow in a winding course of
about 10 miles in length, and with frequent narrowings
and widenings, north-east, to Loch Beauly. The
road from Inverness to Beauly is carried across this
river by a bridge of 5 arches, with a waterway of
240 feet, known as the Lovat bridge, and built by
the Parliamentary commissioners in 1810. There is
an excellent salmon-fishery at the mouth of the
Beauly. The river is navigable by ships of about
50 tons burden as far as the village of Beauly.
BEAULY (Locn), the upper basin, or inner
division of the Moray frith, into which the Caledo-
nian canal flows. Its northern shores are in Ross-
shire; the southern, in Inverness-shire. From Kes-
sock ferry to the mouth of the Beauly river it is 7
miles in length; its greatest breadth is about 2
miles. The shores are low, and well-cultivated.
BEDRULE, a parish situated in the centre of
Roxburghshire ; in length from north to south, up-
wards of 4 miles, and in breadth from east to webt
between 2 and 3. It is bounded by the parish of
Jedburgh on the east, by Abbotrule — now annexed
to Hobkirk and Southdean — on the south, by Hob-
kirk and Cavers, from which it is, for the most part,
divided by the Rule on the west; and by Minto and
Ancrum on the north-west and north, from which it
is separated by the Teviot. It is somewhat of an
oval figure, and consists of neirly an equal quantity
of arable, pasture, and muir-Lind. There were an-
ciently four villages in this paiish, all which are now
much decayed, viz. Bedrule to the west, Newton to
the north- west, Rewcastle to the north-east, and
Fulton to the south-west, from the centre of the
parish. The chief of the family of Turnbull — a
branch of the very ancient family of Rule — had his
principal residence at Bedrule castle in ancient times.
This stronghold is pleasantly situated behind the
church, on the bank of the river, — a situation from
which are seen distinctly to the north-west, the
most elevated tops of some of the hills near Ettric
and Yarrow, and the Eildons near Melrose abbey
the Reidswyre to the south-east; and south-west
ward, the same frontier tract whence the Liddel
derives it source, which, after uniting with the Ewe
and the Esk, falls into the Solway frith. The view
is more confined towards the east and the west, yet
in this direction are seen the tops of the Dunian ant1
Ruberslaw hills, the former having an elevation
1,031 feet; the latter of 1,419 feet above sea-level.
The castle of Bedrule no longer exists. Newtor
was anciently the property of a family of the sur-
name of Ker, who appear to have been cadets
Fernihirst. There was also a house of strengtl
here, now likewise demolished; but the beautiful
avenues of venerable trees still remaining bespeak
to the passing traveller something of the consequence
and taste of its former inhabitants. Rewcastle,
situated upon a more elevated ground than either
Bedrule or Newton, is considered by some as a place
of great antiquity. Indeed, it is said, that the court
of justice were originally held here, and afterwards
removed to Jedburgh. Of Fulton there are no\
scarcely any vestiges of its ancient consequence left,
except some remains of its tower. There are v<
tiges of a regular encampment, on an elevated groum
almost at an equal distance between Bedrule aiu
Newton; from its figure it appears to have beei
British. There is another, at the distance of aboui
half-a-mile to the eastward, which seems to have
been Roman. There is abundance of freestone in
the parish, of different kinds, red and white, both of
excellent quality. Mainslaws quarry not onlv sup-
plies Jedburgh and the neighbouring country, but
stone from thence is also transported to the town
Hawick, and sometimes a considerable way be \ond
it. A branch of the great road from London t(
Edinburgh passes through the southern part of the
parish ; the great road between Berwick and Car
lisle directs its course through the northern part.
The Dunian, or Hill of John, merits particular no
tice, not so much from its own height or magnitude,
as that from its remarkable situation it is plainly
seen in all directions, particularly over that vast
tract of country comprehending what were formerly
the middle and eastern marches, or frontiers of the
two kingdoms, extending from the western extrem-
ity of the Reidswyre, to the German ocean, and
overlooking, in a singularly commanding prospect,
an immense extent of classical ground, celebrated in
poetry and song, and memorable in the page of mar-
tial history. " Near, and eastward below, the spec-
tator views, as it were in a bason, the town of Jed-
burgh, distinguished by the venerable ruins of its
formerly rich and magnificent abbey. At a greater
BEE
BEI
ince, to the north-west, and on the opposite side
the Teviot, as in an amphitheatre opening to the
mth, the eye is struck with the plain yet elegant
dern house of Minto, distinguished as the birth-
,ce of many eminent patriots, statesmen, and legis-
itors. To the south-east, and at a still farther
istance, appears the house of Edgerston, distin-
lished for the fidelity, prowess, and loyalty of its
"labitants. Westwards are seen the beautiful
windings of the wooded Rule, where it issues in
iree streams from the lofty mountains, the Not o'
Gate, Fana, and Wind burgh, to where its rapidly
ling flood mixes with the Teviot, opposite to the
stle of Fatlips, which is most romantically situated
rth of that river, almost in a line with the course
the Rule, on the summit of the easternmost and
st picturesque of the Minto craigs." Population,
1801, 260; in 1831, 309. Houses 51. Assessed
>rty, in 1815, £2,222. Valued rental £3,475
4d. Scots. — This parish is in the presbytery of
Iburgh, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Pa-
>n, Hume of Newmills. Minister's stipend £148
8d. Schoolmaster's salary £26, with fees. Aver-
number of scholars 28. A sum of 500 merks
mortified to the poor of the barony of Bedrule
1695, by William Ramsay in Bedrule mill, and
rgaret Turnbull, his wife. Mrs. Mary Ann
svenson, relict of the Rev. James Borland, mor-
ied £100 Scots to the poor of this parish.
BEE (LocH), a large irregular inlet of the sea,
the northern part of the island of South Uist. It
is nearly connected with Loch Skiport on the east-
ern side of the island, by a long narrow arm running
* )ng the eastern base of Ben Phorster.
BEEMEN, a rocky islet lying in the middle of
frith of Forth, about a mile to the westwards of
h Garvie.
BEG, a hamlet above Allanton, in the parish of
Iston, Ayrshire, where Sir William Wallace de-
ited and slew Fenwick, the English governor of
Lyr.
B KG LIE ( WICKS OF), a celebrated pass in the
'u'ls, in the parish of Dron, in Perthshire, about
miles to the west of Abernethy, and a little to the
it of the Great road leading from Queensferry to
rth, through Glenfarg. Sir Walter Scott, in the
;ning chapter of ' St. Valentine's Day,' in the
Hid series of the ' Chronicles of the Canongate,'
describes this spot as commanding a matchless view
of "the fair city of Penh," and its beautiful envi-
rons ; but the truth is, that no part of Perth, or its
Inches, nor even the stupendous rock of Kinnoull,
can be seen from the Wicks properly so called,
— the beautiful and picturesque hill of Mpreduri
or Moncrieff, completely intercepting the view of
any of the«e objects. The view from the Wicks,
however, is most magnificent, and well-repays the
labour of the ascent and circuit. Immediately be-
neath is stretched out the delightful vale of Strath-
erne, with the river from which it takes its name
winding along till it loses itself in the Tay ; while
to the right, the whole extent of that garden of Scot-
land, the carse of Gowrie, is in full view, with the
expansive estuary of the Tay even to its confluence
with the ocean, — not to mention the innumerable
objects of minor interest which lie scattered on the
fere-ground, and the magnificent range of the Gram-
pians in the farthest distance. It is not, however,
until the traveller on this line of road arrive at a
place called Cloven Crags, 4 miles nearer Perth, and
immediately adjoining the west end of Moredun,
that the view described in the novel breaks upon his
astonished sight ; or that the scene in the direction
ot Perth, however beautiful, excites the emotion of
wonder, or could have called forth the exclamation
of the Romans. The mistake appears to have arisen
from the author having in his memory combined the
views from both stations; and when we consider that
both possess many points in common, — are both on
the same road, and within a few miles of the other,
— and that Scott's recollections were those of more
than half-a-century's wear and tear, the mistake is
very naturally accounted for.
BEILD, a hamlet, inn, and post-office station in
the parish of Tweedsmuir, shire of Peebles, 35 miles
south -south- west of Edinburgh.
BEIN. See BEN.
BEITH, a parish in the county of Ayr, district
of Cunningham; with the exception of a small por-
tion which belongs to Renfrewshire, on the border
of which it is situated. It extends about 7 miles in
length, from east to west; and its average breadth
is about 4 miles. The land rises by a gradual ascent
from south to north. On the northern boundary there
is a small ridge of hills whose summits are elevated
about 400 feet above the lowest ground in the par-
ish, or 500 feet above the level of the sea. It is
bounded on the north by Kilbirnie and Lochwinnoch
parishes;, on the east by Lochwinnoch and Neilston;
on the south by Dunlop ; and on the west by Dairy.
The superficial area of the parish is 11,000 acrt-s.
The valued rent, of that part of the parish which
lies in Ayrshire, is £6,115 14s. 2d. Scotch; and that
of the portion in Renfrewshire, £163 6s. 8d. The
amount of assessed property, in 1815, was £10,054.
The real rent is believed to be in some places six
times, and perhaps in others — owing to their vicinity
to the town of Beith, the richness of the soil, or the
high cultivation of the lands — even twelve times the
valued rent. The subdivision of property is more
remarkable in this and the neighbouring parishes
than perhaps in any other part of Scotland. The
small landholders generally reside upon their own
property. Rents, in this parish, are paid chiefly from
the dairy. The great road from Glasgow, by Pais-
ley, to Irvine, Ayr, and Fortpatrick, passes through
the town of Beith; and the Ayrshire railway crosses
between Kilbirnie and Lochwinnoch lochs. Great
difficulty was experienced in carrying forward the
line at this point owing to the soft nature of the soil.
It is supported on pile- work. Population, in 1801,
3,103; in 1831, 5,052, besides 65 in that portion of the
parish which is in Renfrewshire. Houses in Ayrshire
605; in Renfrewshire 9. — About the time of the
Revolution, or rather earlier, the kirk-town of Beith
is said to have consisted of only live dwelling-houses
and the minister's manse. In 1759, there were 700
examinable persons in the town of Beith, and upwards
of 800 in the country- part of the parish. In 1788,
the town contained nearly 1,500 examinable persons.
Its present population is nearly 3,000. About the
time of the union of the two kingdoms, a trade in
linen cloth was introduced into this place, which
became so considerable that the Beith markets were
frequented by merchants from the neighbouring
towns every week. About the year 1730, the linen
business, which had greatly declined, was succeeded
by a considerable trade in linen-yarn. The Beith
merchants purchased the yarn made in the country
itround, and sold it to the Paisley and Glasgow manu-
facturers. This trade, when carried to its greatest
extent, about the year 1760, is supposed to have
amounted to £16,000 sterling yearly; and though it
has long been upon the decline, linen yarn is still a
considerable article of merchandise. From 1777 to
1789, the manufacture of silk gauze was carried on
to a great extent in this place. There are three
principal fairs annually, and a weekly market upon
Friday. There is often a fine show of horses in the
Beith markets, especially on St. Termant's day, or
BEL
120
BEL
August 30th, and on several Fridays in the beginning
of spring. This town is 11 miles west of Paisley;
5 east of Dairy; and 4 south of Dunlop — The parish
of Beith, anciently a vicarage, is in the presbytery of
Irvine, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The Earl
of Eglinton is patron. The stipend is .£251 5s. lid.,
with a manse, and a glebe of the annual value of
£130. Unappropriated teinds £447 18s. 9d. The
old glebe — upon which a part of the town now
stands — was exchanged in 1727, by contract between
the Earl of Eglinton, the presbytery of Irvine, and
the incumbent, for a small farm near the town of
Beith, consisting of 31 acres 3 roods. A new and
handsome parish church was built in 1807 ; sittings
1,250. It would appear, that the old church was
built soon after the Reformation. The third minis-
ter of Beith, after the Revolution, was Dr. William
^eechman, principal of the University of Glasgow, in
1736 ; who, in 1744, was succeeded by Dr. John Woth-
erspoon, afterwards president of Princetown college,
New Jersey. According to a survey made in 1835-6,
there were 3,457 persons in this parish belonging
to the Establishment, and 1,520 belonging to other
denominations. — A Relief church was founded here
in 1784; sittings 849. Stipend £120, with manse,
glebe, and some other emoluments — A United Se-
cession congregation was established in 1759. Church
rebuilt in 1816; sittings 498. Stipend £105, vuth
manse and garden. — The parochial schoolmaster has
the minimum salary, with fees ; and about 150
pupils. There are besides 8 private schools within
the parish, attended by about 350 children Before
the Reformation, there were two chapels for public
worship in this parish; one where the present church
now stands, and the other upon the lands of Tree-
horn, one end of which remains entire. This chapel,
\vith two acres of land adjoining to it, belonged to
the monastery of Kil winning, as appears from a char-
ter under the great seal, dated 1594. — Kilbirnie
loch, which lies at the west end of 'this parish, is
something more than a mile long, arid about half-a-
mile broad. It contains trouts, pikes, perches, &c.,
and is frequented in hard winters by aquatic birds
of various kinds. The writer of the first Statistical
account of this parish suggested that a navigable
canal might easily be carried across the country, from
the Clyde below Paisley, to the sea at Irvine or
Saltcoats, a distance of about 20 miles, through a
narrow strath, running in that direction most of the
way. In the middle of this strath stands the loch
of Kilbirnie, about an equal distance from each end
of the proposed canal, and it occupies also nearly the
highest ground between them. A stream runs from
the north end of this loch into the Clyde below
Paisley ; and the water of Garnock, running in an
opposite direction, passes by the other end of it,
and empties itself into the sea at Irvine. The fall,
from the north end of Kilbirnie loch to Clyde, is
calculated to be about 95 feet, and the declivity to-
wards the sea cannot be much more. The whole
of this strath lies between the Kilbirnie hills on the
north, and the rising uplands of Beith and Loch-
\vinnoch parishes on the south ; and is thought to
have been at one time covered with water, forming
an extensive lake, of which Kilbirnie and Lochwin-
noch lochs, at the two extremities, are the remains.
BELHAVEN, a village in the shire of Hadding-
ton, and parish of Dunbar ; within the parliamentary-
boundaries of which burgh it is included, though
distant from it nearly one mile to the west. It is
intersected by the Great post-road from Edinburgh
to Berwick, and is close upon the sea, at the bottom
of a small bay which in ancient times formed the
haven of Dunbar. It gives the title of Lord to a
branch of the family of Hamilton. In 1647, Sir
John Hamilton of Broomhill was created Lord Bel-
haven and Stenton. The title is now borne by a
descendant of Hamilton of Wishaw. A strong sul-
phurous spring has recently been discovered here.
It contains sulphur and hydrogen gas in considerable
quantity; the muriates of lime and soda; and sulphate
and muriate of magnesia both in large quantity.
BELHELVIE, a parish in the shire and district
of Aberdeen; bounded on the north by Foveran;
on the east by the German ocean ; on the south by
Old Machar; and on the west by New Machar. Its
greatest length is 6 miles ; greatest breadth 5. A
great part of this parish formerly belonged to the
Earl of Panmure, on whose forfeiture in 1715, it
was purchased by the York Building company. In
1782, it was again sold, by order of the court of ses-
sion, in sixteen different lots, since which partition
a rapid improvement has taken place on the district.
There is a great deposit of serpentine, or Portsoy
maible, called also Verde d'Ecosse, near Milldens in
this parish, about 6 miles from Aberdeen. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,428; in 1831, 1,615. Houses 350.
Assessed property, in 1815, £3,590. — This parish,
formerly a rectory belonging to the chapter of Aber-
deen, is in the presbytery and synod of Aberdeen.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £179 12s. 10d., with
a manse, and glebe of the value of £10. A part of
the church is very old. An addition was made to
it in 1690; and it was repaired in 1786 and 1790;
sittings 519. — There is a United Secession congre-
gation at Shiels. Church built in 1791 ; sittings
330. Stipend £72, with a house and garden-
Schoolmaster's salary £27 10s., with about £l(
10s. fees, and house and garden. There are als<
three private schools within this parish.
BELL-ROCK, a reef in the German ocean, for
merly called The Scape, and the Inch Cape, situated
in 56° 26' N. lat. ; and 2° 23' W. long. ; about
12 miles south-east of Arbroath, and 30 north-
west of St. Abb's Head ; in the direct track
navigation, to vessels entering either the frith ol
Forth or the frith of Tay, and formerly mucl
dreaded by the mariner as the most dangerous s[
on the eastern coast of Scotland, or perhaps upor
the whole coast of Great Britain. The rock is i
red sandstone apparently of the same formation witl
the Redhead in Forfarshire, from which it is
miles distant. Its angle of inclination with the hori-
zon is about 15°, and it dips towards the south-
The reef is altogether about 2,000 feet in lengtl
of which at spring-tide ebbs a portion of about 42
feet in length, by 230 in breadth, is uncovered to
height of about 4 feet ; but at high water the whol
is covered to the depth of 12 feet. At low watei
of spring-tides, and at the distance of 100 yards
round the rock, there are about 3 fathoms water.
The lower parts of the rock are covered with fuci;
seals frequent it at low water, when it also become
the haunt of gulls, shags, and cormorants. In for-
mer times, mariners were warned of their proximitj
to this perilous reef by the booming of a bell, \\hk~
one of the abbots of Arbroath had caused to be at-
tached to the rock in such a way as to be toll
by the waves when the rock itself was cover
There is a tradition, that the bell was wantonlj
cut adrift by a Dutch pirate, whose vessel soon after-
wards went to pieces on this very reef. Southej
has made a fine ballad of this story, the insert
which will perhaps gratify many readers :
1 No stir on the air— no swell on the sea,
The ship WHS still as she might be ;
The sails from heaven received no motioa ]
The keel was steady in the ocean ;
With neither sign nor sound of shock,
The waves flowed o'er the Inch-Cape rock
BELL-HOCK.
121
80 litt'o they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inch-Cape bell.
The pious abbot of Aberbn.thork
Had placed that bell on the Inch-Cape rock :
On the waves of the storm it floated and swung,
And louder and louder its warning rung .
When the rock was hid by the tempest swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell,
And then they knew the perilous rock.
And blessed the abbot of Aberbrothock.
The sun in heaven shone bright and gay,
All things looked joyful on that day ;
The s^ea-birds screamed as they skimmed around,
And there was pleasure in the sound ;
The float of the Inch-Cape bell was seen,
A darker spot on the ocean green.
Sir Ralph the Rover walked the deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck,
He felt the cheering power of spring, —
It made him whistle — it made him sing:
His heart wa> mirthful to excess,
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness ;
His eye was on the bell and float, —
Quoth he, • My men, put down the boat,
And row me to the Inch-Cape rock,—
I'll plague the priest of Aberbrothock!'
The boat was lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inch.Cape rock they go.
Sir Ralph leant over from the boat,
And cut the bell from off the float.
Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound;
The bubbles rose, and burst around.
Quoth he, ' Who next comes to the rock
Wont bless the priest of Aberbrothock !'
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away;
Hi* scoured the sea for many a day ;
And now grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his way for Scotland's shore.
So thick a haze o'erspread the sky,
They could imt *ee the sun on high ;
The wind had blown a gale xll day ;
At evening it hath died away.
On deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Ouoth he, « It will be brighter soon,
For there's the dawn of the rising moon."
• Canst hear,1 said one, ' the breakers roar ?
For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.
Now, where we are, I cannot tell, —
1 wish we heard the Inch-Cape bell!'
They heard no sound — the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
' Oh heavens! it ia the Inch-Cape rock !'
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair,
A ad cursed himself in his despair.
The waves rush in on every side ;
The ship sinks fast beneath the tide ;—
Down down, they sink in watery graves,
The masts are hid beneath the waves!
Sir Ralph, while waters rush around,
Hears still an awful, dismal sound ;
For even in his dying fear
That dreadful sound assails his ear,
As if below, with the Inch-Cape bell,
The devil rang his funeral knell."
was not until the year 1786, that a lighthouse
1 for Scotland was organized. The chief lights
the Scottish coast at this period were on the isle
lay in the frith of Forth, and on the Little Cum-
isle in the frith of Clyde : at both these stations,
coal-fires, placed in elevated choffers, were ex-
to the mariner. About the year 1800, the
imissioners began to contemplate the erection of
jhthouse on the Bell rock. In 1806, they were
lorized by act of parliament to proceed with the
milding, and operations were commenced in 1807
aider the direction of Mr. Stevenson, whose plans
lad received the approbation of Mr. Rennie the
•elebrated engineer. The execution of the work
iccupied about four years, and the expense was
t'61,331 9s. 2d., toward which Government lent a
um of £30,000. The height of the lantern above
t water is 90 feet; and the light — which is re-
ing, and bright and red alternately — is seen at
distance of 14 miles in clear weather. The
eflectors — which measure 24 inches over the lips —
onsist of copper coated with silver, and formed into
parabolic curve of exquisite mathematical precision.
In erecting this light-house, the first object was
'
to moor a vessel as near the Bell-rock as she could
ride with any degree of safety, to answer the double
purpose of a floating-light, and of a store-ship for
lodging the workmen employed on the rock. This
vessel measured 80 tons. She had three masts, on each
of which a lantern was made to collapse and to tra-
verse, which distinguished this light from the double
and single lights on the coast. Under the deck, she
was entirely fitted up for the accommodation of the
seamen and artificers, with holds for provisions and
necessaries. Thus furnished, she was moored about
2 miles from the rock, in a . north-east direction, in
22 fathoms water, with a very heavy cast-iron an-
chor resembling a mushroom, and a malleable iron
chain, to which the ship was attached by a very
strong cable. In this situation, the floating light
was moored in the month of July, 1807, and remained
during the whole time the house was building, and
until the light was exhibited in February, 1811,
when she was removed. — The bill for the erection
of the lighthouse passed late in the session of 1806,
and during the following winter, the necessary steps
were taken to have every thing in readiness to com-
mence operations at the rock at the proper season. A
work-yard, upon a lease of seven years, was provided
at Arbroath, where shades for hewing the stones, and
barracks for lodging the artificers, when they landed
from the rock, were erected. Vessels for conveying
the stones from the quarries to the work-yard, and
from thence to the rock, were hired or built; and upon
the 17th of August, 1807, the operations at the rock
commenced. But little, however, was got done to-
wards preparing the rock for the site of the building
till the year following: the chief object of this sea-
son's work being to get some temporary erection on
the rock to fly to in case of an accident befalling any
of the attending boats. As the rock was accessible
only at low water of spring-tides, and as three hours
was considered a good tide's work, it became neces-
sary to embrace every opportunity of favourable
weather, both under night by the help of torch-
light, and upon Sundays; for the water had no
sooner begun to cover the rock, than the men were
obliged to collect their tools, and betake them-
selves to the boats, which, when the wind shifted
suddenly, were with great difficulty rowed to the
floating-light. By the latter end of October, the
work for the season was brought to a close, after
erecting a beacon, which consisted of twelve beams
of wood forming a common base of 36 feet, with 50
feet of height; the whole being strongly held to the
rock by batts and chains of iron. The upper or
third compartment of this beacon was used as a bar-
rack for the artificers while the work was in pro-
gress; on the second floor, which was fixed at the
height of 25 feet from the rock, the mortar was pre-
pared, arid a smith's forge erected for sharpening the
tools used in preparing the rock. On several occa-
sions the violence of the sea lifted this floor, but
none of the batts were shaken, and it remained on the
rock till the summer of 1812, when it was removed.
To the erection of this beacon, the rapidity with which
the lighthouse was got up is chiefly to be ascribed.
It is extremely doubtful, indeed, if ever it would have
been accomplished, without some such expedient, —
certainly not without the loss of many lives; for in a
work of this nature, continued for a series of years,
it is wonderful that only one life was lost on the
rock, by a fall from a rope-ladder when the sea ran
high, and another at the mooring-buoys, by the up-
setting of a boat. — The operations of the second
season were begun at as early a period as the wea-
ther would permit. The risk and often excessive
fatigue which occurred every tide, in rowing the
boats to and from the rock to the floating-light,
BEL
1-2-2
BEL
made it necessary to have a vessel which, in blowing
weather, could be loosened from her moorings at
pleasure, and brought to the lee-side of the rock,
where she might take the artificers and attending boats
on board. A new vessel of 80 tons was accordingly
provided, and named The Sir Joseph Banks, in com-
pliment to that worthy baronet, who, ever ready in
the cause of public improvement, had lent his aid in
procuring the loan from government for carrying this
work into execution. Through much perseverance
and hard struggling with the elements, both during
day and night-tides, the site of the lighthouse was
got to a level, and cut sufficiently deep into the
rock. Part of the cast-iron railways for conveying
the stones along the rock was also got ready ; on
the 10th July, 1808, the foundation-stone was laid;
and by the latter end of September, the building-
operations were brought to a conclusion for the sea-
son, the first four courses of the lighthouse having
been completed. A stock of materials being pro-
cured from the granite quarries of Aberdeenshire,
for an out side -casing to the height of 30 feet, and
from the freestone quarries of Mylntield near Dun-
dee, for the inside and upper walls, a number of
masons were kept in the work-yard at Arbroath,
and every preparation made during the winter-
months for the work at the rock against next sea-
son. The stones were wrought with great accuracy,
laid upon a platform course by course, numbered
and marked as they were each to lie in the building,
and then laid aside as ready for shipping, — a part of
the work which was performed with wonderful dex-
terity, for the vessels were generally despatched with
their cargoes on the tide following that of their
arrival — At the commencement of the operations in
April, 1809, the four courses built during the pre-
ceding season were found to be quite entire, not
having sustained the smallest injury from the storms
of winter. In the arrangements for the work, the
first thing to be done was to place the moorings for
the various vessels and boats employed in attending
the rock and landing the materials ; the machinery
for receiving the stones from the praam-boats was
also erected, and cranes for laying the stones in their
places upon the building. With an apparatus thus
appointed, the lighthouse was got to the height of
30 feet by the month of September, 1809, when the
work was again left off during the winter-months.
— Early in the spring of 1810, the building was
resumed, but with very faint hopes of bringing the
whole to a close in the course of that year: however,
not a single stone was lost or damaged, and, by the
month of December every thing was got into its
place; and the interior having been finished, the
light was exhibited, for the first time, on the night
of the 1st of February, 1811.
The foundation-stone of the lighthouse is nearly
on a level with the low water of ordinary spring-tides ;
consequently the lower part of the building is about
15 feet immersed in water when the tide has flowed
to its usual height at new and full moon. But dur-
ing the progress of the work, the sea-spray has been
observed to rise upon the building to the height of
80 feet, and upon one occasion to 90 feet, even in the
month of July. The building is of a circular form,
measuring 42 feet diameter at the base, from which it
diminishes as it rises, so as to measure only 13 feet
at the top where the light-room rests : including
which, its height is altogether 115 feet. To the
height of 30 feet it is entirely solid, excepting a
drop-hole of 10 inches in diameter for the weight of
the machinery which moves the reflectors. The
ascent to the door — which is placed at the top of
the solid — is by a kind of rope-ladder. A narrow
passage leads from the door to the staircase, where
the walls are 7 feet in thickness : at the top of the
staircase, which is 13 feet in height, the walls get
thinner, and diminish gradually to the top. Above
the staircase, the ascent to the different apartments
is by means of wooden-ladders ; and the remaining
57 feet of masonry is divided by five stone floors
into rooms for the light-keepers, and stores for the
light. The three lower apartments have each two
small windows, while the upper rooms have each
four windows; and the whole are provided with
strong shutters to defend the glass against the sea
in storms. The two first courses of the building
are entirely sunk into the rock; the stones of all the
courses are dove-tailed and let into each other, in
such a manner as that each course of the building
forms one connected mass ; and the several courses
are attached to each other by joggels of stone and
oaken trenails, upon the plan of the Eddystone light-
house. The cement used at the Bell-rock was a
mixture of pozzolana earth, sharp sand, and lime;
which last was brought from Aberthavv in Wale
where the lime for the Eddystone lighthouse wi
got. Round the balcony of the light-room, there is
cast-iron rail, curiously wrought like net-work, an
resting on bats of brass. The light-room is 12 fe<
diameter, and 15 feet in height, made chiefly of ca
iron, with a copper roof. The windows are gl
with plates of polished glass, one quarter of an in
thick, and measuring 2 feet 6 inches by 2 feet
inches. The light is from oil, with Argand bun
ers, placed before the reflectors already noticec
That the Bell-rock light may be distinguished frc
all others on the coast, the reflectors are ranged up
a frame which is made to revolve upon a perpem
cular axis once in three minutes. Before some
the reflectors are placed shades of red coloured gh
so that the effect produced in each revolution of
frame with the reflectors, is a light of the natui
appearance, and a light with the rays tinged re
with intervals of darkness between the lights. Di
ing the continuance of thick and foggy weather, t\
large bells are tolled night and day by the
machinery which moves the lights ; and as th<
bells may be heard in moderate weather considerat
beyond the limits of the rock, the mariner may
advertised of his situation in time to put about
vessel before any accident can happen. When tht
works were begun, it was a very common sayin
that although the Bell-rock lighthouse were bin I
(which it never would be,) no one would be foui
hardy enough to live in it. The sequel has, ho\
ever, shown the fallacy of such a supposition;
no sooner was the house ready for possession, tl
numerous applications were made for the situatic
Of these applicants, a principal light-keeper and thr
others were nominated, and they took up their at
in the building at Martinmas, 1810; each, in
turn, gets ashore at the end of every six weeks,
remains a fortnight, when he goes off to the ligh
house again. The pay of the light-keepers is aboi
.£50 per annum, with provisions while they are at tl
lighthouse ; but ashore they provide for themselve
At Arbroath, there are buildings erected in whi<
each keeper has apartments for the accommodate
of his family ; and, connected with this establis
ment, there is a very handsome signal-tower, 50 fe
in height, in which an excellent achromatic telesco
is kept, and signals arranged with the people at t
rock for the attending- vessel: this vessel is abo
50 register tons, and attends also on the isle
May and Inchkeith light-houses.
BELL'S MILLS, a village on the Water
Leith, in the immediate neighbourhood of Ed
burgh, on the Queensferry road. It is a curie
stragglingly built village, but receives its name fr<
'
BEL
123
BEN
very extensive flour mills which have long existet
here.
BELLIE,* a parish partly in Moray, and partly
in Banffshire; extending from south to north nearly
6 miles; and from east to west almost 4. It is
bounded on the north by the Moray frith ; on the
south-east by Rathven and Boharm ; arid on the west
by the Spey. A considerable portion of this area
to about 4 miles from the sea, is contained with-
in the ancient banks of the river Spey, which has
greatly shifted its channels at different periods. At
Gordon castle, which lies between the old and the
ne\v course of the river, these banks are near a mile
distant from each other ; but they gradually widen
in their approach to the sea, and where the river
falls into the frith, are nearly 2 miles asunder. This
district suffered severely during the great floods in
18'2(J. GORDON CASTLE, well known to be one of
the noblest palaces in Britain, and which attracts the
notice of all travellers, will be described in a separ-
ate article in this work. About a mile north of
Gordon castle, and 3 south of the frith, stood the
old parish-church of Bellie, now translated to the
town of FOCHABERS: which see. There is a capita]
salmon-fishery here upon the Spey. It extends,
from Speymouth, about 5 miles. Population, in
1801, of that part of the parish which is in Banff,
1,802; and in 1831, 1,151; of that part in Moray,
in 1831, 1,281. Assessed property of the former
division, in 1815, £8,960; of the latter, £2,282.
House! in Banffshire, 218; in Moray, 273 — This
parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of
Strathbogie, and synod of Moray. Patron, the duke
'"Lichmond. Stipend £173 16s. 2d., with a manse,
a glebe of the value of £33. Schoolmaster's
ry £34 4s. 4£d., with a proportion of Dick's be-
t, and about £20 school-fees. Average number
:holars 45. There were, in 1834, eight private
>ls within this parish, attended by about 300
Jren.
JELMONT, one of the Sidlaw hills, in the district
>trathmore, rising to an altitude of 759 feet above
level.
IELRINNES. See BENRINNES.
JLTON, an ancient rectory, in the shire of
iington, now comprehended in the parish of
ir. It is situated on a small stream, the Biel,
ie distance of 2 miles south-west of the town
in bar.
iNABHRAGIDH, a mountain in the parish of
)ie, Sutherlandshire, in the vicinity of Dunrobin
J, rising to 1,300 feet above sea-level. It is
i posed of red transition sandstone and breccia.
BENACHALLY, a mountain in the parish of
Am\\e, Perthshire, about 5 miles north-east of Bir-
iam, having an altitude of 1,800 feet, and commnrid-
nJT a splendid view of the STORMONT : which see.
~>n its northern side, at an elevation of about 900 feet,
s a lake about a mile in length, and & mile in breadth.
ENACHOLAIS. See JURA.
ENALDER, a mountain on the borders of In-
L-niess and Perthshire, on which the unfortunate
'rince Charles Stuart lay concealed several weeks,
I the arrival of the French frigate which conveyed
im from this country.
§NAN, or BENNAN, a mountain in the parish
•aiton, in Ayrshire, about half-a-mile south of
on village. Altitude 1,150 feet.
1 " Bellie has been imagined by some to be the Gaelic Bellaidh,
[Uirying 'broom;1 but others, more justly, reckon it a com-
>uud from the two Gaelic words beul and uit/t, meaning 'the
mth of the Ford.' This etymology is perfectly natural, as, a
•Us above the church, there was— till the prodigious flood in
$ destroyed it, and opened various channels-one of the finest
Is upon the Spey, over which his majesty's army passed \vith
'fly m I7«>, a few days before the battle of Culloden."— Old
<Jtnt,cal Account.
BENANO1R, one of the peaks of Jura, having
an altitude of 2,420 feet above sea-level, according
to Pennant, or 2,340 according to Dr. Walker. Pen-
nant ascended this mountainf- — which he calls Beinn-
an-6ir, or 'the Mountain of Gold' — and describes
the task as one of much labour and difficulty. The
best ascent to it is from the bay of the Small isles,
passing Corrabhain, the most precipitous but lowest
of the cluster. It is composed, Pennant says, " of
vast stones, slightly covered with mosses near the
base, but all above bare, and unconnected with each
other. The whole seems a cairn, the work of the
sons of Saturn ; arid Ovid might have caught his
idea from this hill, had he seen it.
Affectasse ferunt regniim celeste gigantea,
Altaque congestos struxisse ad sidera monies.
Gain the top, and find our fatigues fully recompensed
by the grandeur of the prospect from this sublime
spot: Jura itself afforded a stupendous scene of rock,
varied with little lakes innumerable. From the west
side of the hill ran a narrow stripe of rock, termi-
nating in the sea, called the slide of the old hag.
Such appearances are very common in this island
and in Jura, and in several parts of North Britain,
and the north of Ireland, and all supposed to be of
volcanic origin, being beds of lava of various breadths,
from three feet to near seventy. Their depth is
unknown ; and as to length, they run for miles to-
gether, cross the sounds, and often appear on the
opposite shores. They frequently appear three or
four feet above the surface of the ground, so that
they are called on that account whin-dikes, forming
natural dikes or boundaries. The fissures were left
empty from earliest times. It is impossible to fix a
period when some tremendous volcanic eruption hap-
pened, like that which of late years infested Iceland
with such fatal effects, and filled every chasm and every
channel with the liquid lava. Such a stream poured
itself into these fissures, and having cooled and con-
solidated, remains evident proofs of the share which
fire had in causing the wondrous appearances we so
frequently meet with and so greatly admire. In a
certain bay in the isle of Mull, there remains a fis-
sure which escaped receiving the fiery stream. The
sides are of granite : the width only nine or ten
feet; the depth not less than a hundred and twenty.
It ranges north by west, and south by east to a vast
extent : and appears against a correspondent fissure
on the opposite shore. In the Phil. Trans. Tab. iv.
is a view of this tremendous gap, together with the
two stories which have accidentally fell, and remained
hitched near the top of the northern extremity.
These, and numbers of other volcanic curiosities in
the Hebrides, are well-described by Abraham Mills,
Esq. of Macclesfield, who in 1788 visited several ot
the islands, and in the Ixxxth vol. of the Phil. Trans,
bas favoured the public with his ingenious remarks.
To the south appeared Hay, extended like a map
beneath us; and beyond that, the north of Ireland ;
to the west, Gigha and Car, Cantyre, and Arran,
and the frith of Clyde bounded by Ayrshire; an
amazing tract of mountains to the north-east as far
as Benlomond ; Skarba finished the northern view;
and over the Western ocean were scattered Colonsay
and Oransay, Mull, lona, and its neighbouring groupie
of isles ; and still farther the long extents of Tirey
and Col just apparent. On the summit are several
Lord Teisrnmouth during his excursion in Scotland in 182(5
lad an interview with the laird of Jura who had accompanied
Pennant on this expedition. " Pennant he assured me." — says
is lordship—" descended much more happily than he ascended
n the strength of a glass of whisky which he had prevailed on
im to drink, a beverage to which the traveller expressed a
islike. Mr. Campbell said of Pennant that he derived his in.
>rmation too much from the lower classes."—' Sketches,' vol,
. pp. 335, o36.
BEN
124
BEN
lofty cairns, not the work of devotion, but idle herds,
or curious travellers. Even this vast heap of stones
was not uninhabited : a hind passed along the sides
full speed, and a brace of ptarmigans often favoured
us with their appearance, even near the summit.
The other paps are seen very distinctly : each infe-
rior in height to this, but of all the same figure,
perfectly niammillary. Mr. Banks and his friends
mounted that to the south, and found the height to be
2,359 feet:* but Beinn-an-oir far over-topped it:
seated on the pinnacle, the depth below was tremen-
dous on every side. The stones of this mountain
are white (a few red), quartzy, and composed of small
grains; but some are brecciated, or tilled with crystal-
line kernels of nn amethystine colour. The other
stones of the island that fell under my observation,
were a cinereous slate veined with red, and used
here as a whetstone ; a micaceous sandstone ; and
between the small isles and Ardefin, abundance of
a quartzy micaceous rockstone."
' BENARTHUR. See ARROQUHAR.
BENAVEN, in the south-west extremity of
Aberdeenshire, one of a noble groupe of mountains
forming the highest of the Grampians. Its altitude
is estimated by Playfair at 3,931 feet; by some
others at 3,967 feet.
BENBECULA, one of the Hebrides, lying be-
tween the islands of North and South Uist, from
the last of which it is separated by a narrow chan-
nel nearly dry at low water. It is a low Hat island,
measuring about 8 or 9 miles each way. The soil
is sandy and unproductive. In the interior are sev-
eral fresh water lakes ; and its shores are indented
with an endless variety of bays, and fringed with
islands. " The sea," says Macculloch, " is here all
islands, and the land all* lakes. That which is not
rock is sand; that which is riot mud is bog; that
which is not bog is lake ; and that which is not lake
is sea; and the whole is a labyrinth of islands, pen-
insulas, promontories, bays, and channels." This
island is an ancient property of the chiefs of Clan-
ranald.
BENCAIRN, a mountain in Kirkcudbrightshire,
in the parish of Rerwick, rising 1,200 feet above
sea-level.
BENCHOCHAN, a mountain in the parish of
Aberfoyle, Perthshire, rising to the height of 3,000
feet above sea-level.
BENCHONZIE, a mountain of Perthshire, in
the northern extremity of the parish of Monivaird,
having an altitude, according to Jameson, of 2,923
feet.
BENCLOCH, or BENCLEUGH, the highest of the
Ochils, in the parish of Tillicoultry, Clackmannan-
shire. It is mostly composed of granite, containing
large crystals of black scheorl. It rises to the height
of 2,420 feet above the level of the Devon, which
runs at its base.
BENCLYBRIC, or BEINCHLIBRIG, the highest
mountain in Sutherlandshire, on the skirts of the
parishes of Lairg and Farr. Its form is conical, and
its altitude about 3,200 feet.
BENCRUACHAN, a magnificent mountain of
Argyleshire, in the district of Lorn, between Loch
Etive and Loch Awe. It has an elevation of 3,393
feet according to Jameson, or 3,390 feet according
to an admeasurement of Colonel Watson ; and its
base is 20 miles in circuit. Its steepest side is to-
wards the north-east ; from the south it rises gently ,
and may be ascended with considerable ease. Mac-
culloch says of it : " Compared to Benlomond it is
a giant ; and its grasp is no less gigantic. From the
bold granite precipices of its sharp and rugged sum-
* This must be Beushianta, or ' the Mountain of Enchant-
ment,' which is about 60 feet lo\ver.
mit — which is literally a point — we look down its red
and furrowed sides into the upper part of Loch Etive
and over this mngnificerit group of mountains, which,
extending northward and eastward, display one of
the finest landscapes of mere mountains in the High-
lands. Its commanding position not only enables
thus to bring under our feet the whole of this grou[
as far as Appin and Glenco, and even to Ben Nevis
but opens a view of the whole of the eastern ores
of mountains, reaching from Rannoch as far as Bei
Lawers and Benlomond, and, beyond them, to Ian
which only cease to be visible because they at lengtl
blend with the sky. So marked also are their cl
acters, so rocky and precipitous their summits,
so varied their forms, that this landscape excels, ii
variety as in picturesque character, all other lan<
scapes of mere mountains, excepting perhaps tl
from Ben Lair in Ross-shire. The view which
yields, of the opener country, is not much inferu
to that from Ben Lawers, if indeed it is inferu
and, in this respect, it can only be compared wit
that mountain and Benlomond. While it loot
down on the long sinuosities of Loch Awe and ovt
the irregular lands of Lorn, bright with its numei
lakes, it displays all the splendid bay of Oban ar
the Linnhe Loch, with Jura, Isla, and all the otbt
islands of this coast : commanding, besides, the ht
zon of the sea, even beyond Tirey and Coll, togetht
with the rude mountains of Mull and the faint an
blue hills of Rum and Sky ; a scene as unusu.il as
is rendered «various by the intermixture of land
water, by the brilliant contrast of these bright
intricate channels with the dark and misty moui
tains and islands by which they are separated,
by the bold arid decided forms of all the elements
this magnificent landscape."
BENDEARG, a mountain in Athole, Perthshir
Altitude 3,5>0 feet. See BLAIR- ATHOLB.
BENDORAN, a mountain in Glenorchy, Argyl
shire, on the western confines of Perthshire, and
little to the eastward of the outlet of the
from Loch Tulla.
BENDOTHY, or BENDOCHY, a parish in Pert!
shire ; bounded on the north by a detached portu
of Blairgowrie parish, and by Alyth; on the east
Aljth and Cupar- Angus, from the latter of which
is separated by the windings of the Isla ; on tl
south by Cupar-Angus; on the west by Blairgowrit
and Rattray. There is a detached portion of tb-
parish, separated from it, on the north-west, by tt
intervention of Alvthand Blairgowrie parishes. PC
pulation.in 1801, 860; in 1631, 780. Assessed pi
perty .£4,863. Houses 136. — This parish, formerly
vicarage, is in the presbytery of Meigle, and synod f
Angus and Mearns. Patron, the Crown. Stiper
.£251 17s. 6d., with a manse, and glebe of the vali
of £14. Church repaired in 1752 and 1803 ; sittii
380. The highland district of this paristi has be
assigned to the chapel at PERSIE • which see. SaU
of parochial schoolmaster £34 4s. 4|d., with aboi
£10 fees. Average number of pupils 50. Thei
were three private schools in this parish in No vein I
1834, each attended upon an average by 76 pupils.
BENGLOE, or BENYGLOE, a mountain, or rathe
ridge of mountains, in Athole, which attains an alti
tude in some points of 3,690, and according to other
of even 3,725 feet. See BLAIR- AT BOLE.
BENHOLME, a parish in Kincardincshire, aboi
3 miles in length, and nearly as much in breadtl
The German ocean bounds it on the south-east
on the south-west it is bounded by St. Cyrut
on the north-west by Garvock ; and on the nortl
east by Bervie. The face of the country is coi
siderably diversified. Close upon the shore li'
a narrow strip of land almost level with the se
I
BEN
125
BEN
Adjoining to this, a bank or rising ground of con-
siderable height extends the whole length of the
parish. Above this ancient boundary of the ocean
— which is steep in some places, and slopes gently
in others — the ground rises by an unequal ascent
towards the north-west. A chain of little hills,
whose summits are covered with heath, run along
the south- west boundary; and a piece of rising
ground, called Gourdon hill, which attains an alti-
tude of about 400 feet, terminates the view on the
north-east. The interior parts of the parish consist
of hill and dale. The coast abounds with fish and
shell-fish of various kinds. The census of 1831 re-
turned 28 men as engaged in fishing in this parish.
Some coarse linen is woven in this parish. In so
little repute was farming in this district, before the
year 1712, that the proprietor of Brotherston found
it necessary to give premiums in order to induce
tenants to rent his farms ! To one he gave a pre-
sent of 500 merks, and farm-stocking to the value
of 2,000 merks, free of interest for three years ; to
another the same sum in a present, and 3,000 merks
value of stock for his farm, free of interest for four
years. '* There is no necessity now," says the writer
the old Statistical account of this parish, *' for
aolding out pecuniary temptations to the farmer:
mice the above-mentioned period, the rents are
ripled, and numbers are still ready to offer a con-
siderable advance when the lease ot a farm expires."
In the New Statistical account it is stated, that the
iverage rent of land here is £1 12s. per acre, and
-hat husbandry " is in a state of high improvement."
3y a survey of the county, taken in 1774, this par-
sh contains 4,721 English acres, of which nearly a
ifth part was uncultivated at the close of last cen-
ury. About the beginning of the 18th century, the
greatest part of the property within this district be-
onged to the Earl Marischal, whose ancient dominion
n these parts can now only be traced from records
.nd monumental inscriptions. Not long after that
teriod, all this parish, except Balaridro, formed the
state of Benholme, and belonged to a proprietor of
he name of Keith, probably a younger branch, or
tear relation of the Marischal family. It was aiter-
vards divided among his heirs into four portions,
vhich now compose different estates of Benholme,
Jrotherston, Nether-Benholme, and Knox. The
•rineipal village is the fishing- village of JOHNSHAVEN :
vhich see. Population, in 1801, 1,412; in 1831,
,441, of whom about 1,020 resided in the village of
ohnshaven. Houses 344. Assessed property £3,957.
-This parish is in the presbytery of Fordun, and
ynod of Angus and Mearns. Patrons, Scott of
lenholme, arid Scott of Brotherston. Stipend £232
s. Id., with a manse, and glebe of the value of £12
Os. Unappropriated teinds £28 4s. 4d. The church
tands nearly in the centre and most agreeable part
f the parish. The old church, an irregular Gothic
uilding, was taken down in 1832, and a new building
rected on its site, capable of accommodating 750
ergons. There is a United Secession church at
inshaven, the origin of which is thus accounted for
he old Statistical report : — " All the inhabitants
this parish, except a few who continued their at-
bment to the Episcopal religion, were regular
endants on public worship as established in the
urch of Scotland, till about the year I7d'3. At
t time, the minister's anxiety to improve the
irch-music, led him to adopt the more .approved
thod of singing without intermission, or reading
line, as it is called. This gave umbrage to many,
ho had been accustomed to hear every line separ-
ely given out by the precentor or clerk, before the
•ngregation joined in the psalm. They were forced
acknowledge that the psalmody would be im-
sroved by singing without interruption ; but they
urged, that many who could not read, would, by
that means, be entirely excluded from joining in this
part of public worship. Whether a regard to the
?ood of others, was the real, or only the ostensible
cause of this opposition ; or whether it proceeded
Prom a dread of innovation, they persisted in it.
They remonstrated again and again; and when their
remonstrances were not attended to, abandoned the
church, built one for themselves in Johnshaven, and
nvited a minister of the Secession to settle among
them." There are a parochial school, the master
of which has the maximum salary, and six unen-
dowed schools in this parish. — Among the few anti-
quities in this parish, may be mentioned a square
tower, the ancient residence of the family of Ben-
holme, and still entire, though not inhabited. From
its peninsular situation, thickness of walls, and bat-
tlements, this building seems to have been originally
intended for a place of strength. — On the summit of
the nearest hill to the sea, except one, bordering
with the parish of Cyrus, and commanding an exten-
sive prospect, stands a rough stone, in the circum-
ference of a stony circle, commonly called the Cloacu
stone. It is more than a foot thick, measures 8
feet along the ground, and rises nearly 6 above its
surface, in an inclined direction towards the north.
Tradition says, a battle was fought near this place,
and the number of flint-heads of arrows, found on
the side of the hill where it stands, affords some
reason to credit this report. Between this and the
coast, a great quantity of human bones has been dug
up, in the course of improving the land, for nearly
the space of a mile along the rising ground above
Johnshaven. The bottom and sides of the graves,
containing these bones, are alsvays lined with rough
stones — On an eminence bordering with Garvock,
called Kinchet, or, more properly, King's Seat hill,
there is a large heap of stones, where, according to
tradition, a king used in ancient times to sit in judg-
ment. Among other complaints here preferred to
him, many were lodged against Melville of Allardice,
at that time sheriff of the county, for his oppression.
The royal judge, either wearied with the complain-
ers, or enraged at the offender, exclaimed, " 1 wish
that sheriff were sodden and supped in brose !" Such
was the savage barbarity of the times, that the ba-
rons, who were little accustomed to the formalities
of a trial, laid hold on these words, and put them
literally in execution. The place where the deed
was perpetrated, at the bottom of the hills, on the
side next Garvock, is not unlike the cavity of a kiln
for drying corn, and still retains the name of the
Sheriff's kettle. The writer of the old Statistical
account thus concludes his notices of this parish.
" About fifty years ago, the excise officer's family
was the only one in Johnshaven that made use of
tea. When the tea-kettle was carried to the well,
to bring in water, numbers both of children and
grown people followed it, expressing their wonder,
and supposing it to be 'a beast with a horn !' In
those days of simplicity, a watch or an eight-day
clock would have created equal surprise. Now the
tea-kettle has lost the power of astonishing, having
become a necessary piece of furniture among the
meanest : and one can scarcely enter a house where
he is not put in mind of the fleeting of time from
some one corner of it."
BENHOPE, a noble mountain of Sutherland-
shire, towering to the height of 3,150 feet above
sea-level. It extends in a south-west direction along
the vale of Strathmore in the parish of Durness. It
may be approached by the road leading from the
head of Loch Eribol to Loch Naver; or from the
head of Loch Hope, which stretches from its west-
BEN
126
BEN
crn base towards Loch Eribol. It is composed of
quartz and grey slate.
BENHORN, a mountain of Sutherlandshire, in
the parish of Golspie. Altitude 1,712 feet.
BENLAWERS, a mountain of Perthshire, in the
parish of Kenmore, on the north-east side of Loch
Tay. Its altitude is stated by some at 3,944 feet;
by others, at 4,015 feet above sea-level. It is easy
of ascent; so much so, that one may, in perfect
safety, ride to the summit. Benlomond alone can,
probably, compete with this mountain for grandeur
of the view to be obtained from it. But a much
greater variety, and a greater range of country can
be seen from Benlawers ; and it has this advantage,
that it towers over all the neighbouring mountains,
by more than 1,000 feet. Words cannot express the
grandeur and variety of the view from Benlawers;
but a faint conception of it may be formed from the
extent of country it embraces. Looking to the south,
the lake with all its ornaments of wood and field,
lies at our feet, terminating towards the west in the
rich valley of Ivillin, and joining eastward with the
splendour of Strath-Tay. Beyond the lake the suc-
cessive ridges of hills embosoming Strath-Earn, lead
the eye to the Ochills and the Campsie fells, and
beyond even to Edinburgh. Dunkeld and its scenery
are also distinctly visible ; and we can make out,
with ease, the bright estuary of the Tay, the long
ridge of the Sidlaw hills, and the plain of Strath-
more. Westward, we trace the hills of Loch Lomond
arid Loch Katrine, and, indeed, every marked moun-
tain as far as Oban. Cruachan and Buachaille-Etive
are particularly conspicuous. To the north, She-
challion and its adjoining mountains, with the valley
of the Tummel and Loch-Rannoch, as far as Loch-
Laggan, which appears like a bright narrow line.
In this direction the eye is carried as far as Glencoe
and Bennevis, on the one hand; while, on the other,
Benygloe lifts its complicated summit above the
head of Ferrogon ; and, beyond this the mountains
of Marr and of Cairngorm, at the head of the Dee,
some of them marked with perpetual snow, are the
last that can be traced. This mountain presents a
most interesting field to the botanist. Amongst
other very rare plants the Gentiana riivalis has been
found upon it.
BENLEDI, a mountain of Perthshire, 2 miles
west of Callander, rising to 3,009 feet, according to
some, but according to others — and more correctly
we believe — to only 2,863 feet above sea-level. It
commands an extensive prospect of Stirlingshire and
the windings of the Forth.
BENLOMOND, a mountain renowned in song
arid story, situated on the eastern bank of Loch-
lomond, in the parish of Buchanan, in Stirling-
shire, at the south-west extremity of the Grampian
chain. Its altitude has been variously estimated at
3,262, 3,175, and 3,091 feet.* We are inclined to
adopt the second of these admeasurements, which is
that of Mr. Galbraith. [See ' Edinburgh New Phi-
losophical Journal,' vol. vi. p. 126.] In every view,
Benlomond is an object of interesting grandeur.
When approaching it, — whether we advance from the
lake, or from its south-eastern base, — it is impossible
to do so without all the higher feelings of our nature
neing excited. The journey to the top is long arid
laborious — from the inn at Rowardennan it is about
6 milesf — but the horizon extends at every step, and
» In the 'Beauties of Scotland* its height is stated to be
3,302 feet; in Black's ' Picturesque Tourist,' 3,242 feet; in the
old Statistical account, and in the • Geography of Great Bri-
tain' published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful
Knowledge, 1,080 yards.
t " The easiest path lies along a green ridge, very conspicu-
ous from below; but any one who has climbed such a moun-
tain, must know how greatly its breaks and chasms deceive the
the labour is richly repaid from the magnificence of
the view which it affords :
It is the land of beauty, and of grandeur,
Where looks the cottage out on a domain
The palace cannot boast of. Seas of lakes,
And hills of forests !— Torrents here
Are bounding floods! and there the tempest roams
At large, in all the terrors of its glory !
The lake, with its numerous islands, are spread out
beneath the feet of the traveller ; the cities of Edin-
burgh and Glasgow are seen sparkling in the sun.
beam ; the whole county of Lanark, and the rich
vale of the Clyde, with all its towns and villages,
the hill of Tintock, and the distant mountains of
Cumberland, attract the eye toward the south. To
the west are seen the counties of Renfrew and Ayr,
the frith of Clyde, with the islands of Arran and
Bute, and beyond this the distant Atlantic and the
coast of Ireland ; on the east, the county of Stirling,
with the windings of the Forth, the fertile plains of
the Lothians, and the castles of Edinburgh and Stir-
ling ; on the north the prospect is awfully sublime,
presenting mountain piled on mountain, — Bencrua-
chan towering above Benvoirlich and all his brethren
in the foreground, — and Bennevis rearing his still
loftier head in the extreme distance, while nearer
hand are seen,
" Crags, knolls, and mounds, confusedly hurled,
The fragments of an earlier world,
And mountains, that like giants stand,
'IK sentinel enchanted land."
None meet the view, from the base ot Benlo
to the Western ocean. The northern side of t
mountain presents an aspect peculiarly terrific. Here
the mighty mass, which hitherto had appeared to
an irregular cone placed on a spreading base, su
denly presents itself as an imperfect crater, with o
side forcibly torn off, leaving a stupendous precipi
of 2,000 feet to the bottom. Standing on the bri
of this tremendous precipice, from which most ti
vellers recoil with terror, the spectator is abo
the region of the clouds, which are seen floating in t
atmosphere beneath, or enveloping the sides of t
mountain. The effect of the rainbow, as seen frc
hence, is " beautiful exceedingly." But when t
forked or sheeted lightning is beheld flashing belo
and the thunder heard, pealing and reverberati
among the mountains, the awful pomp and majes
of the scene is heightened in an immeasurable t
gree; the spectator, overwhelmed with sensations
grandeur and sublimity, feels as if he had shaken >
for a time this mortal coil and all terrestrial impre
sions, and were no longer a denizen of this neth
sphere. " In such a situation," says Dr. Stoddai
" the most sublime sensations cannot be felt, unle
you are alone. A single insulated being, carryii
his view over these vast, inanimate masses, seems
feel himself attached to them, as it were, by a n«
kind of bond; his spirit dilates with the magnitud
and rejoices in the beauty of the terrestrial object;
and,
— ' the near heav'ns their own delights impart.' "
In the summer months, this mountain is visit'
by strangers from every quarter of the island, as vv«
as foreigners, who come to view the romantic scene
of the highlands; the month of September is in ge
eral accounted the best for ascending it, because fr(
eye. That which you look toward, as one unbroken surfa
upon your approach appears divided by impassable valleys ;
unheard rill becomes a roaring torrent; and a gentle slop*
found to be an unscaleable cliff. These circumstances rende:
me unable to reach the top, with the most persevering toil
less than three hours. The higher ridges are remarka
green, and, like most lands in such situations, very wet i
boggy; until you reach the last ascent, which is steep, i
formed mostly by huge fragments of slaty rock, intermi:
with a kind of sparry marble, of very considerable size.
Stoddart's • Remarks,' vol. i. p. 234.
I
BENLOMOND.
1-27
cool temperature of the air, the horizon is then
clouded by vapours than during the more intense
its of summer. Those who wish to visit the
imit, may either take a boat from Luss to Row-
lennen, or cross over from Inveruglas, or be fer-
over from Tarbet. On a pane of glass, in the
indpw of this last-mentioned inn, or rather of the
1 inn of Tarbet, some verses were written by an
jlish gentleman who had ascended Benlomond,
was probably afterwards confined at Turbet by
in. Though these verses have been copied into
lost every guide and tour-book, yet as they contain
ie very good advice and instruction to those who
to ascend the mountain, and at the same time
jss a considerable share of merit, we shall take
liberty of presenting them to our readers.
Stranger ! if o'er this pane of glass perchance
Thy roving eye should cast a casual glance, —
If ta*te for grandeur, Hnd ti,e dread sublime,
Prompt thee Renlomoud's fearful height to climb, —
Hen* stop attentive, nor with scorn refuse
The friendly rhymings of a tavern mute.
For thee the muse this rude inscription planu'd,
Prompted for thee her humble poet's hand.
Hefd thou the poet; he thy steps shut! lead,
Safe o'er yon towering hill's aspiring head.
Attentive then to this informing lay,
Re.id how he dictates, as he points 'the way.
Trust not at first a quick adventurous pace ;
Six miles its top points gradual from the base.
Up the high rise with panting haste I pass'd,
And gain'd the long laborious steep at last.
M«»re prudent thou, when once you pass the deep,
With measnr'd pace and slow ascend the steep
Oft stay thy steps, oft taste the cordial drop,
And rest, oh ! rest, long, long upon the top.
There hail the breezes, nor with toilsome haste.
Down the rough slope thy precious vigour waste;
So shall thy wondering sight at once survey.
Vales, lakes, woods, mountains, islands, rocks, and sea;
Huge hills, that heap'd in crowded order stand,
Stretch'd o'er the northern and the western land ;
Vast lumpy groups! while Ben, who often shrouds
His lofty summit in a veil of clouds,
High o'er the rest displays superior state,
In proud pre-eminence, sublimely great.
One side, all awful, to th' astonished eye
Presents a steep three hundred fathoms high.
The scene tremendous, shocks the startled seiise,
In all the pomp of dread magnificence.
All this, and more shall thou transported see,
And own a faithful monitor in me.
THOMAS RUSSELL, Oct. 3, 1771.
ilomond is chiefly composed of granite, inter-
d with great quantities of quartz. This last
ineral is found near the top, in immense masses,
some of which must weigh several tons ; these ap-
pear like patches of snow upon the mountain, even
when seen from Luss. Considerable quantities of
micaceous schistus are found, even at the top, and
many rocks towards the base of the mountain are
entirely composed of this mineral. Plovers abound
the middle of the mountain, grouse a little
higher, and near the top ptarmigans are occasionally
seen. To the botanist, Benlomond affords a fund
of great amusement ; as we ascend, we find the
plants we had left below assume a very different ap-
pearance, and some very rare and beautiful species
are found in abundance. The Alchemilla alpina, or
cinqueioil ladies mantle, grows upon all the upper
part of the mountain. The Sibbaldia procumbens,
or procumbent silver-weed, distinguished by its tri-
dentate leaves, grows in great quantity, even on the
very summit. The Silene acaulis, or moss catcbfly,
the leaves of which form a beautiful green turf, like
a carpet, which is variegated with a fine purple
flower, grows in large patches. The Rubus chamae-
morus, or cloud-berry, is found in great quantities,
about half-way up the south-east side of the moun-
tain : the blossoms of this plant are of a purplish
white, succeeded by a bunch of red berries, which
are ripe in July, and have a flavour by no means
unpleasant. These berries are much esteemed by
many northern nations, but probably for want of
finer fruits. The Laplanders bury them under the
snow, and thus preserve them fresh from one year
to another. They bruise and eat them with the
milk of the rein-deer. The Azalea procumbens, or
trailing rosebay, the smallest of woody plants, was
first found here by Dr. Stuart, of Luss, but is not
very plentiful. The Trientalis Europaea, or chick-
weed- wintergreen — the only British plant of the
class Heptandria — grows in the woods near the base
of the mountain. The Pinguicula vulgaris, Nar-
thecium ossifragum, and Thymus acinos likewise
abound. Very near the inn of Rowardennen, are to
be found great quantities of the Drosera rotundifolia,
or round-leaved sundew, and Drosera Anglica, or
great sundew. These plants catch flies, by shutting
up their leaves, and crushing them to death ; in this
they resemble the Dionoea muscipula, or American
fly-eater.
At Craigrostan, on the western side of Benlo-
mond, is a cave, to which tradition has assigned the
honour of affording shelter to King Robert Bruce,
and his gallant followers, after his defeat by M'Dou-
gal of Lorn, at Dairy. Here, it is said, the Bruce
passed the night, surrounded by a flock of goats ;
and he was so much pleased with his nocturnal as-
sociates, that he afterwards made a law that all
goats should be exempted from grass mail or rent.
Next day, tradition adds, he came to the Laird or
Buchanan, who conducted him to the Earl of Len-
nox, by whom he was sheltered for some time, till
he got to a place of safety. Craigrostan was in a
later age the property of the celebrated outlaw, Rob
Roy M'Gregor; and north of it is a cave, said to
have been used by him as a place of refuge.
Vitu' from Summit of lien- Lomond. — From a Paintiny by Knox.
BEN
128
BEN
BENLUNDIE, a mountain of Sutherlandshire, in
the parish of Golspie. Altitude 1,464 feet.
BENMACDHU, or BENNAMACDUICH, or BEN-
MACDHUIE, one of the Cairngorm groupe of moun-
tains in the south-west corner of Aherdeenshire,
estimated by Jameson at 4,300 feet in altitude; by
Mr. H. C. Watson at 4,326 feet ; and by others at
4,390 feet. If this latter admeasurement be correct,
this mountain must be higher than Bennevis, hither-
to regarded as the most elevated spot in Great Bri-
tain. The best account we have met with of the
ascent of this mountain, and the prospect from its
summit, is given in ' Chambers's Journal.' [Vol. II.
D. 180.] The writer of the lively article in question,
after informing us that the attempt to ascend a rough
surface, at an angle of about 25°, and to the extent
of some 2,000 or 3.000 feet, is no trifling matter,
goes on to say : " Your eye will teach you at a
glance the most accessible mode of ascent, which
you will find to resemble a great ill-constructed stair
of unhewn blocks of granite, some mile or so in
length. By degrees you are introduced to a different
tract. The heather and long fern no longer impede
your progress ; and you sometimes walk over a deep-
cushioned carpet of alpine mosses, short and stunted,
but rich in variety of colouring, and fresh and moist
from the recently melted snow ; then you pass over
a broad field of snow, hard as ice, and under which,
from a puny archway, trickles some small stream
which feeds the river beneath. In the hottest noon
of a summer-day the summit is cold and wintry ; the
various gentle breezes which fan the sides of the
warm valleys will here be found concentrated into
a swirling blast, cold and piercing as if it had sprung
from the sea on a December morning ; then the snow
appears in large patches wherever you look around
you, and the bare surfaces of the rocks are deserted
even by the alpine moss. We know no mountain so
embedded among others as Benmuichdhui. On all
sides it is surrounded ; and the eye, fatigued with
tracing their distant outlines, feels as if the whole
earth were covered by such vast protuberances. Be-
twixt these hills, and over their summits, you will
see the clouds wandering about like restless beings
who have no fixed habitation. Benmuichdhui,
stretching over a considerable space, has many sum-
mits, and presents a vast variety of aspects; but
there is a certain part towards the north-east where
it turns itself into a basin, joining the contiguous
summits of Benaun and Benabourd, and where it
assumes a form peculiarly striking and grim. Here
one rock distinguishes itself from its brethren by
displaying a pointed needle from a summit of vast
height, which appears considerably off the perpen-
dicular, and hangs its head over the glen below.
Betwixt this wild height and another bolder and
broader, there is a deep fissure, down which tumbles
a considerable stream, which, after forming itself into
Lochaun,* descends to join the Spey." Air. Macpher-
son Grant of Ballindalloch, in a communication to
the editor of the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical
Journal,' gives an interesting account of an atmo-
spheric appearance resembling that of the far-famed
spectre of the Brocken, witnessed by him on this
mountain on the 10th October, 1830, at 3 p. M.
BENMORE, the highest mountain in Mull. It
lies between the head of Loch-na-keal and Loch
Screidan. Macculloch says : " The ascent is neither
very tedious nor difficult. 1 found it to be 3,097
feet high. The view is various and extensive.
Staffa, lona, The Treshinish isles, Coll and Tirey,
with Ulva, Gometra, Colonsa, Eorsa, and other ob-
jects, are seen beautifully diversifying the broad face
* The Loch Aven described in our work.
of the western sea, distinct as in a map ; while, to
the southward, Sc:irba and Jura, with the smaller
isles of the Argyllshire coast, recede gradually in the
distant haze. The rugged surface of Mull itself,
excludes the objects to the eastward ; but Loch
Screidan forms a beautiful picture beneath our feet
its long and bright bay deeply intersecting with its
dazzling surface, the troubled heap of mountains."
BENNEVIS, a mountain in the south-west ex-
tremity of Inverness-shire, in 56° 49' N. lat. and 4°
40' W. lontr., having an altitude, according to Jame-
son, of 4,380 feet. Dr. Macculloch ascended this
mountain from Fort-William, and thus describes it:
" From the rarity of fair weather and a cloudless
sky at Fort- William, and because the distance to
the top of Bennevis is considerable, and the ascent
laborious, it is not often visited. Measuring it as
well as I could by pacing, I found it about eight miles;
the path on the mountain — which is very circuitous
— amounting to about six miles, out of which there
are two of a very steep and laborious ascent. Tl
perpendicular height is more than 4,000 feet ; but
is exceeded, geometrically, by Ben Muic Dhu, ar
I believe, by others of the mountains of Mar. Bi
it must be remembered that Bennevis — the Hill
Heaven — is a much more independent mountaii
and that, on the west side at least, it rises, alnu
immediately, from a plain which is nearly on a le^
with the sea. Hence it is, in reality, still the hi
est mountain in Scotland, though not the m(
elevated ground ; while its effect to the eye is
more striking than that of any other, — all the rn
elevations, either springing from high land, or beii
entangled among other hills so as to lose their
sequence. Its form is, at the same time, heavy
graceless ; particularly from Iriverlochy and
Eil, where the eye takes in the whole. That for
is also very peculiar, as if one mountain had bet
placed on another ; and this effect, as of a cast
and posterior addition, is rendered still more strikir
by the difference in outline and character betwe
| the two portions. This appearance, so remarkal
1 to the ordinary spectator, is easily explained by t
geologist ; who finds that the lower portion is forme
j of granite and schistose rocks, and that the upper
1 a mass of porphyry. Some of the rarer alpine plant
grow on Bennevis ; conveniently situated for
botanist, as they lie chiefly near the sides of
path by which the upper portion is accessible. Bi
the summit itself is utterly bare, and presents
most extraordinary and unexpected sight. If
one is desirous to see how the world looked on
first day of creation, let him come hither. Nor
that nakedness at all hyperbolical; since the surfa
of the stones are not even covered with the comi
crustaceous lichens; two or three only of the shrul
kinds being barely visible. It is an extensive an<
flat plain, strewed with loose rocks, tumbled togethe
in fragments of all sizes, and, generally, covering th
solid foundation to a considerable depth. Whil
these black and dreary ruins mark the power of tb
elements on this stormy and elevated spot, the
excite our surprise at the agencies that could thin
unaided by the usual force of gravity, have ploughe
up and broken into atoms, so wide and so level
surface of the toughest and most tenacious of rock
Certainly Nature did not intend mountains to la
for ever ; when she is so fertile in expedients as i
lay plans for destroying a mountain so apparent
unsusceptible of ruin as Bennevis. Situated in tl
midst of this plain, whence nothing but clouds ai
sky are visible, the sensation is that of being on
rocky shore in the wide ocean; and we almost list
to hear its waves roar, and watch as if for the brea
iiig of the surge, as the driving rack sweeps alo
BEN
BER
its margin. As the clouds began to close in around,
curling and wheeling over head, and hurrying up in
whirlwinds from the deep and dark abysses which
surround it, a poetical imagination might have
imaged itself on the spot where Jupiter overthrew
the Titans; the bulk, the apparent freshness, and
the confusion of the fragments, resembling a shower
of rocks just discharged by a supernatural power
from the passing storm. The wild and strange sub-
limity of this scene is augmented by the depth of the
surrounding precipices, whence the eye looks down
into interminable vacancy, on the mists that are
sailing in mid air, or into the rugged depths of
chasms, black as night, impenetrable to the eye or
to the light of day. The distant view presents no
interest. The whole is a heap of mountains ; but
so remote and so depressed, from the altitude of this
station, that scarcely any marked feature is to be
seen ; and the effect, on the east side in particular,
resembles a congregation of mole-hills."
BENNOCHIE, a mountain in Aberdeenshire,
situated between Alford and Garioch, and stated by
Dr. Keith, in his ' Survey of Aberdeenshire,' to have
an altitude of 1,440 feet. The chief peculiarity of
Bennochie is its bold peaks, which communicate to
it, when viewed from certain points, a remarkably
grand and striking aspect. The mass of the moun-
tain consists of a reddish granite, traversed from
north to south by great dykes of porphyry.
BENREISIPOLL, a mountain in Sunart, Argyle-
ghire, estimated by Sir James Riddell, Bart., at 2,661
3t in elevation.
&ENRINNES. See ABERLOUR.
IENVOIRLICH. See ARROQUHAR.
IENVRACKY, a mountain in Perthshire, which
inates the vale of Athoie on the one hand, and
strath of Garry on the other. The view from
summit is one of the most beautiful and extensive
the Alpine scenery of Scotland. Though this
untain is about 30 miles from Perth, a good eye
discern from it, in a favourable day, not only the
but the steeples, and some of the more pro-
jnt objects in the neighbourhood of that city,
height has been determined to be 2,756 feet above
level of the sea.*
IENWYVIS, or BENWYVES, and sometimes
IUAISH, a mountain in the parish of Kiltearn, in
s, having an elevation of 3,426 feet according to
new Statistical account, but of 3,722 feet ac-
ling to Mr. C. Schmidt's admeasurement. It is
in the shires of Nairn and Banff, and from
Inverness. It is seldom without snow on its summit
:ven in mid-summer ; and, in one of the charters of
flis, the forest of Uaish is held of the Crown on
lition of presenting at court a snow-ball, or, as
ie say, three wain-loads of snow, gathered from
he top of this mountain, on any day in- the year on
ich they may be required. Its outline presents
enormous lateral bulk like a hay-stack ; its sum-
where free from snow is covered with soft green
ard. It has never been entirely free from snow in
memory of man, except in September, 1826.
BERIGONIUM.f a celebrated spot about 4 miles
This is the result of three barometrical calculations, and
nametrical measurement, conducted with every attention
iccuracy, in reference to a point in the parish of Moulin,
r the banks of the Tiimmel, the height of which above the
?1 of the sea was carefully deduced from a series of contem-
ua observations with the barometer made at the point
to, and the manse of Kinfauns. On account of the
deuce of result in all these cases, the height thus obtained
be extremely near the truth.
It is beyond a doubt, that the term Berigonium, also
ten Beregomum, is a misnomer. There is not a vestige,
the language or traditions of the country, that this castle
•er bore a name that had the slightest resemblance of this,
aa been supposed, that Boece, finding Rerigonium mention-
Tom Dunstarfnage, on the opposite side of Conna,
"erry, supposed to be the site of a fortress fabulously
ascribed to Fergus, the first of the name, and the
first in our legendary catalogue of kings. He, it is
aid, " beilditthe castell of Berigone in Lochquhaber,
This castell standis in the west part of Scotland
:ornent the Ilis, quhare he exercit his lawis to that
iyne, that his pepyl micht be drawin the more esaly
for exercitioun of justice." Not to say that the place
•eferred to is only in the vicinity of the district now
callen Lochaber, it would appear that what is here
asserted can be carried no farther back than to Fer-
jus, the second of the name, who came to Argyle
"rom Ireland about the year 503, with his brothers
Angus and Loam; from the latter of whom it is
most probable that the region called Lorn received
ts denomination. The highest honour to which
Berigoriium has a claim, is undoubtedly that of
tiaving been the capital of the ancient Dalriadic
kingdom, extending from Drum-albin, or the moun-
tains of Breadalbane, to the Mull of Cantire. That
this was a place of some consequence in former ages,
is evident from what still remains of it. In the Old
Statistical account, [vol. vi. p. 180,] it is stated that:
As it was situated between two hills, " a street paved
with common stones, running from the foot of the one
hill to the other, is still called Straid-mharagaid, ' the
Market-street,' and another place, at a little distance,
sjoes by the name of Straid-namin, ' the Meal-street.'
About ten or eleven years ago a man, cutting peats
in a moss between two hills, found one of the wooden
pipes that conveyed the water from the one hill to
the other, at the depth of five feet below the surface.
On Dun Macsnichan is a large heap of rubbish and
pumice stones ; but no distinct traces of any building
or fortification can now be seen on either of the hills,
the foundations having been dug up for the purpose
of erecting houses in the neighbourhood. There is
a tradition among the lower class, — that Beregonium
was destroyed by fire from heaven." The following
account of this place has been given by the ingenious
Pennant, in which he views the remains in a light
considerably different. " It was at best such a city
as Caesar found in our island at the time of his inva-
sion ; an oppidum, or fortified town, placed in a thick
wood, surrounded with a rampart or fort, a place of
retreat from invaders. Along the top of the beach
is a raised mound, the defence against a sudden land-
ing. This, from the idea of here having been a city,
is styled Straid-a-mharyai, or Market-street. With-
in this are two rude erect columns, about six feet
high, and nine and a half in girth." The other hill,
which is much higher, is called Dun-bhail-an-righ,
(pronounced Dun-valire), 'the Hill of the King's
town.' It is surrounded by circular trenches. As
this district is filled with memorials of the Fingalian
heroes, tradition pretends to point out this lofty hill
ed by Ptolemy, had not only read it erroneously, but, in con.
sequence of the false position given to our country in the map,
had viewed a town or castle in Galloway as belonging to Argyle.
We learn, however, from Camden, that the oldest edition of
his Geography, printed at Rome A. 1480, gives Berigonium,
which he views as the modern Bargeny in Carrick. The only
Gaelic name, by which the pretended Bengouium is known, is
Dun-Mac-Sniochan, or Dun- Macsnichan. As Sniochan is sup-
posed to be a patronymic, the designation may signify, ' the
fortified hill of the son of Sniochan or Snachau.' It is by no
means improbable that this name had originated in a later era
than that of the erection of the kingdom of the Dalriads ; as it
will be found that, in many instances, the name borrowed from
posterior occupants supersedes that of those who preceded
them. This holds MS to a variety of camps or fortifications, un-
doubtedly Roman or British, which are by the tradition of the
country called Danish ; as having been possessed by these north-
ern invaders in a later period. The name Snioc/ian, or Snachan,
has more appearance of relationship to Norwegian, than to
Celtic nomenclature. For, in the Danish memorials, we meet
with Snig-ur, or as otherwise written finio, in Latin bearing
the form of Snigon-it in the genitive, as the name of u northern
prince.— Dr» Jumieson,
I
BER
130
BER
ai- the site of the royal ' halls of Selma. Pennant —
who has discovered volcanoes where they never
existed — .says of Dun-macsnichan : " The hill is
doubtless the work of a volcano, of which this is not
the only vestige in North Britain." On examining
this hill, Dr. Jamieson saw no reason to entertain a
doubt that it exhibited the remains of an ancient
British fortress : for the scoria found on it exactly
agrees with that which is met with in the many
vitrified forts that are scattered through Scotland.
The beautiful site arid fine plantations of Lochnell,
the seat of General Campbell, add greatly to the
richness of the landscape.
BERNERA, the southmost of a groupe of islands
in the Hebrides, of which some notices have been
already given under the general head BARRA. It is
amass" of gneiss, with the north- western part dipping
into the water, and the south-eastern exhibiting an
abrupt section rising to the height of above 500 feet.
The cliffs on this side are greatly varied in outline,
— inclining, perpendicular, and projecting, — smooth,
largely fissured, or minutely intersected, — here over-
hanging the deep in a jutting mass, — there forming a
retiring cove terminating above in a perpendicular
fissure, and below in a gloomy cavern, the abode of
the dark- winged cormorant. In the summer-months
these cliffs are inhabited by prodigious numbers of
kittiwakes, guillemots, auks, and puffins. The na-
tives of the island derive a plentiful supply of ex-
cellent food from the nests of these birds, first rob-
bing them of the eggs, and afterwards of the young.
They also procure abundance of puffins by dragging
them from the holes in which they breed at the sum-
mits of the cliffs. One who has not seen some of
the great breeding-places of the Hebrides, can hardly
form an idea of the prodigious swarms of birds by
which they are frequented. When the wind blows
strongly from the south or south-east, some of the
birds in flying to the cliffs are frequently carried in-
.and over the summit — which in this island is pretty
even — to a small distance, when they wheel about
and regain their nests. This happens especially to
the puffins, which always nestle near the tops of the
rocks. The natives, aware of this circumstance,
take advantage of it for procuring these birds. A
man lays himself upon his back, close to the edge of
the cliff, with his head to the sea, and having in his
hands a stout fishing-rod, or light spar, which is
directed over his head toward the sea, and projects
in part beyond the edge of the rock. He remains
patiently in this state until a bird, driven over him
by the force of the wind, comes within reach, when
he suddenly raises the rod, and dexterously hits it,
which long practice enables him to do with precision.
The bird of course falls, and is immediately secured.
The man resumes his expectant position, and in this
manner procures a very considerable number of puffins
and auks, when the weather is favourable to the
operation. This method of procuring birds is prac-
tised only in the island of Bernera, none of the
other breeding-places in the Hebrides happening to
be so constructed as to admit of it.
BERNERA, an island in the sound of Harris,
lying between North Uist and Pabbay ; about 1 mile
to the east of the former, and 5 miles south-west ol
the latter.
BERNERA, an island on the west coast of the
isle of Lewis, formed by Loch Bernera, and Loch
Roag, inlets of the sea which indent the mainland ol
Lewis in this quarter. It is about 8 miles in length,
by 2 in breadth ; and is surrounded by an archipelago
of islets, amongst which is one to the west of Ber-
nera, known as Little Bernera. Near the shore ol
the larger Bernera are some interesting monuments
of the kind commonly called Drujdical : the remains
of three stone circles. The principal, and by far the
nost perfect of them — one of the most remarkable in
form and extent in the British isles — stands on the
jrow of a promontory overhanging the bay, striking
the eye at a considerable distance, like a cemetery ot
;hickly-clustered tomb-stones. We are indebted to
Dr. Macculloch for the following description of it.
' The general aspect of this structure is that of a
cross, nearly of the proportions of the Roman crucifix,
with a circle at the intersection. But a nearer in-
spection discovers more than is essential to that
form. The largest line lies in a direction of about
twenty-four degrees west of the true meridian, or
pretty nearly in that of the magnetic variation at
present, which is therefore the general bearing of the
work. Great stones intermixed with some that have
fallen, and with blank spaces whence they may have
been removed, or where more probably they are
covered by the soil, are found along this line for the
space of 588 feet, including the circle; their number
amounting to fourteen, and eleven of them being
still erect. If we were allowed to rill up the blanks
according to the general proportions of the intervals
between those that remain, the number would be
twenty within that distance. But following the
direction of this line further on, there are indications
of other stones, all of them fallen, and nearly covered
by earth and vegetation, that would justify us in
extending it ninety feet, or more, further; thus
making the total length about 680 feet. Parallel to
the long leg of the cross, and to that only, is anoth
line, now far less perfect than the first, since it co
tains only three erect and seven fallen stones, a
reaches, as far as I could discover, only to 480 fei
Thus these two lines may be conceived to form
sort of avenue to the circular enclosure ; its bread
being exactly equal to a semi-diameter of the circ
as the additional line touches the edge of this. T
shorter line of the cross, at right angles to the oth
now measures 204 feet, including the circle : but
it is longer on one side than the other, its origir
length has probably been greater, though I w
unable to detect any traces of fallen stones ; t
progress of some enclosures having here interfer
with the integrity of the work. This line contai
ten erect stones. The diameter of the circle
sixty-three feet from north to south, and sixty-t
from east to west, and it contains fourteen e«
stones in the circumference, with one in the cent
This central stone is twelve feet high ; one near
end of the long line measures thirteen, a few
found reaching to seven or eight, but the height
the greater number does not exceed four. The
tervals between the stones vary from two to t
yards, but the larger ones are probably the con.
quence of the loss of those which once occupi
these places. I ought to add that the total numb
of stones which I could discover, either erect or i
cently fallen, is forty-eight ; and that if the vvh(
rank were complete, as it appears originally to ha
been built, they would amount to sixty-five
sixty-six." " My measurements," says Lord Teij
mouth, " did not entirely coincide with those hi
stated ; but on the whole they are doubtless accura
The recent removal of the peat-moss, in which •
stones are half buried, from the sides of one of thf
exhibits not only the surprising growth of this ve
table production, on a height where it could not
ceive any alluvial contributions, or deposit of exi
neous decayed vegetable matter, but also the met
employed by the rude architects who erected th
to fix them on those bases on which they have
mained unmoved for centuries. The stone is insei
in a hole, filled up with small loose fragments of
same material. The elevation of the stones of
BER
L circle must have amounted to thirty feet
the ground. Where exposed to view, the
substance is as white as a bleached bone, contrasting
singularly with the ' gray' hue produced by the at-
mosphere. The fanciful conjecture of Toland re-
specting this structure, which I have read detailed
in an Encyclopaedia, is ridiculed by Dr. Macculloch.
The circular or oval form of these edifices was se-
lected, no doubt, as best adapted to the purpose for
which they were erected, and not with reference to
the signs of the zodiac, as the number of stones in
the circle varies indefinitely. T'he extensive appen-
dage to the circle at Calernish, which distinguishes
it from other circles, consists of the four avenues of
stones directed towards it, from the four principal
points of the compass, and is also so simply con-
structed that its origin may be accounted for without
mputing to the architect an astronomical design
exhibited in no other structure of the same kind.
The other two circles in the neighbourhood are
composed of much smaller stones : one is incomplete,
he other has a double row still standing, and ar-
anged in an oval form. The people have no tradi-
ion respecting them."
BERRIEDALE, or BERRINDALE, a quoad sacra
>arish in Caithness, divided from Latheron, in 1833,
•y authority of the General Assembly. Its greatest
ength is 20 miles; greatest breadth 12£ miles,
'opulation, in 1836, 1,556, chiefly earning their
ivelihood by fishing. Minister's stipend £120.
Church built in 1826, by Government, at an ex-
enseofjfc'750. Sittings 312. Patron, the Crown.
?he hamlet of Berriedale is 253£ miles north of
Idinburgh, and 9.} north-east of Helmsdale. It gives
he title of Baron to the family of Sinclair, Earl of
laithness. There are here the ruins of the ancient
astle of Berriedale. According to tradition, William
utherland, alias William More Mackehin, that is,
!ig William the son of Hector, was the last in-
abiting proprietor of this castle. Being about to
it out on a warlike expedition to the Orkneys with
ae of the earls of Caithness, and impressed with
le idea that he should never return to his native
juntry, he lay down on the ground above Berriedale
in, contiguous to the small bury ing-ground, and
caused the length of his body to be cut out in
ivvard in the form of a grave, which to this day
is the name of The Long Grave, and measures
9 feet 5 inches. There is a good inn here,
water of Berriedale rises on the borders of
rland, runs eastwards on the northern side of
and the Maiden-Pap, for about 10 miles, and
turns to the south-east, and flows into the small
n which the hamlet is situated, and which also
ives the water of Langwell, an alpine stream
'ise flowing from the west. There is a good
)n-fishery in this bay. The country, included
2n the two rivers, consists of a groupe of huge
mountains. The next stage to Berriedale, pro-
ng by the coast northwards, is Dunbeath, which
miles distant from Berriedale.
iRTHA, a spot of some interest to antiquaries
thers who,
" Such places labour to make known,
As former times have honoured witli renown."
situated at the confluence of the Almond with
about 2 miles above the town of Perth;
according to General Roy, there are still some
vestiges of Old Perth, or Bertha, here. Bu-
relates that an inundation of the Tay, in one
swept the greater part of the town of Bertha
. This happened towards the end of William's
who died in 1214. The king himself escaped
disaster which overwhelmed the place; but his
131
BE 11
inlant-son, with many of the promiscuous multitude,
lost their lives. Though the existing vestiges of
Bertha are extremely slight, yet they serve to show
how, in all probability, the place was situated on a
tongue of land before it was \\ashed away. Here
the Roman road crossed the Tay, and the houses on
the opposite bank are still called Rome. From so
many concurring circumstances, but especially from
the distance between it and Hierna corresponding
so well with that assigned by Richard in his Itinerary,
there seems to be some ground to conclude, that the
ancient Bertha must have been the Orrea of the
Romans. General Roy has preserved a plan of it.
BERVIE, a small parish in Kincardineshire ;
bounded on the north and north-east by the parish
of Arbuthnot ; on the east by Kinneff ; on the south-
east by the German ocean ; on the south and south-
west by Benholme parish; and on the north-west by
Garvock. The superficial area of the parish does
not exceed 2,000 acres, whereof about 300 are under
cultivation. The principal elevation, Bervie hill, is
about 400 feet. The water of Bervie, which gives
name to the parish, rises in the parish of Glenbervie,
and falls into the sea a little to the north of In-
verbervie, after a course of about 14 miles. It is a
good trouting-stream. and forms a small harbour at
its mouth. Population, in 1801, 1,068; in 1831,
11,371. Assessed property, in 1815, £2,467. Houses
208. In 1831, the burgh of Bervie contained 757
inhabitants, and the fishing-village of Gourdon 238.
— This parish, originally a part of KinnetF, is in the
presbytery of Fordoun, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. " Patron, the Crown. Stipend £141 12s.
Id., with a glebe of the value of £18, and manse.
Unappropriated teinds «£1 15s. 5d. Church built in
1836 ; sittings 900 — There is a small Independent
church here. There are six schools within the parish.
The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £29 18s.
9d., with about £20 fees. James Farquhar, Esq. of
Inverbervie, left £500 to the poor of this parish.
The town of INVERBERVIE owes its distinction,
as a royal burgh, to the circumstance of David II.
being shipwrecked on the coast in 1362, and having
been kindly treated by its inhabitants on reaching the
shore. It has no natural advantages of site, and no
manufactures except a little linen- weaving. The pub-
lic funds do not exceed £150 per annum. In 1838-9
the income of the burgh was £118 5s. 7jd. ; the build-
ings are straggling ; and there is little appearance of
any speedy increase of the town. The true harbour ot
the place is at Gourdon, already mentioned; which is
about a mile distant. At this latter place there are
several granaries and warehouses belonging to Alon-
trose merchants. The market-day is Wednesday;
and for six months in the year is a good grain market.
A good cattle-market is held here on the Thursday
before the 19th of May in each year. There is also
another of less importance held on the Thursday be-
fore the 19th of September; and there have recently
been established hiring and cattle-markets on the
Wednesday before November 22d, the Wednesday
before Christmas, O.S., and the Wednesday before
February 13th. The magistracy of Inverbervie
consist of a provost, two baillies, a dean-of-guild, a
treasurer, and 9 councillors. The old council choose
the six magistrates and the remaining 9 councillors.
It unites with the Montrose district of burghs in return-
ing a member to parliament; and the parliamentary
constituency is about 40. A little to the south-east of
the burgh, on a rising-ground near the shore, is the old
castle of Hallgreen, which is about to be thoroughly
repaired by its proprietor James Farquhar, Esq.
BERVIE BROW, or CRAIG DAVID, a bold pro-
montory on the north side of Bervie water, in the
parish of Kinneff. It is a conspicuous land-mark for
132
BERWICKSHIRE.
mariners, and is seen at sea at the distance of 15
leagues.
BERWICKSHIRE. The county of Berwick
forms the south-east extremity of Scotland, and lies
on the coast of the German ocean, and along the
north-east border of England. Its principal division
was anciently called The Merse, or March, a name
which it still retains, and which probably signifies
the Border-district, or frontier-province.* But this
district seems formerly to have included a consider-
able portion of the eastern lowlands of Teviotdale,
as Roxburgh castle was anciently called March-
mount, or the Castle of the March or Merse. This
denomination, the Merse, is still often used, loosely,
for the whole county. The modern name, Berwick-
shire, is derived from the town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, once its chief burgh or county-town ; but
which, after the demise of Elizabeth, and the acces-
sion of James VI. of Scotland to the English throne,
was constituted a peculiar jurisdiction, hypotheti-
cally separate from both kingdoms, and virtually
forming a distinct county.
Berwickshire is bounded on the east by the Ger-
man ocean; along which, from the boundaries of
Berwick township to St. Abb's Head, its coast trends
north-north-west for 8£ miles. The shore then
takes a west-north-west direction, for other 9 miles,
till its junction with East Lothian at Dunglass
bridge; and, by the revenue laws, this latter part
of the coast is considered as being within the limits
of the frith of Forth. Almost the whole of this
coast consists of bold rocky precipices of consider-
able altitude ; arid is nearly inaccessible, except at
Eyemouth and Coldingham bays, and two or three
other places, which are accessible to fishing-boats,
at sandy or gravel beaches at the foot of the rocks.
The whole irregular northern boundary skirts with
East Lothian, along the mountain-range of Lammer-
moor. But, within this line, Berwickshire entirely
surrounds a detached portion of one of the East
Lothian parishes ; while the most northerly part of
this county is situated beyond, or to the north of,
the Lammermoor hills, and is continuous with the
extensive and fertile vale of the Lothians. Clint-
hill, one of the highest of the Lammermoor chain,
in the parish of Channelkirk, at the north-western
extremity of the county, rises 1,544 feet above the
level of the ocean. Lammerlaw, in the parish of
Lauder, has an altitude of 1,500 feet. The general
range of these mountains declines as it approaches
the sea, averaging about 1,000 feet in perpendicular
elevation, and it terminates in three precipitous pro-
montories, at Fast-castle, Ernscleugh, and St. Abb's
Head ; which last is detached from the extremity of
the chain by a deep narrow dell almost level with
high water mark at spring-tides. The western irre-
gular limit of Berwickshire is partly with Mid-Lo-
thian, towards the north, but chiefly with Roxburgh-
shire, from which it is partly divided, on that side,
by the lower and principal stream of the Leader
water, to its junction with the river Tweed near
Melrose.
Excepting a portion of Roxburghshire adjoining
Kelso, and the township of Berwick, both of which
are on the north side of the Tweed, that beautiful
river, in a meandering course of about 40 miles, forms
the southern boundary of this county, dividing it
from Roxburghshire on the west, Northumberland
in the middle, and North Durham on the east, of
this line of division. North Durham is a detached
portion of the English bishopric and county-palatine
of Durham, having the whole extent of Northumber-
land interposed between it and the main body of the
* Chalmers thinks it more probable it was so called from the
Anglo-Saxou merte, a marsh ; or irom mamcujr, a naked plain.
patrimony of St. Cuthbert, which once held exten-
sive possessions in Scotland also. From Berwick
township, Berwickshire is divided by a semilunar
dry march, consisting partly of a ruinous dry stone
wall called the Bound dyke, and partly of a narrow
lane called the Bound road ; this boundary extends
from Marshal-Meadows on the sea-shore on the east,
to the Tweed on the west, crossing the Whitaddei
in its course.
Mr. Blackadder estimates the extreme length of
the countv, from east to west, at 31^ miles, and its
extreme breadth, from north to south, at 19^ miles;
the mean length at 26$ miles, and the mean breadth
at 17 miles; and the total contents at 285,440 acres.
But, Mr. Kerr says, " from a very careful considera-
tion of the map itself, attentively measured by its
own scale, the mean length appears to be 28 miles,
the mean breadth 17 miles, and the consequent con-
tents 304,640 acres." Of the three former reporters
on this county, Mr. Low and Mr. Bruce differ from
Mr. Blackadder, and from each other, in the fore-
going enumerated particulars, probably from having
trusted to some old inaccurate maps, while Mr.
Home adopts the measures of Mr. Blackadder im-
plicitly. A comparative enumeration of the several
measures and computations is here subjoined:
COMPARATIVE TABLE OF ESTIMATED EXTENT.
Particulars. Blackad. Low. Bruce. Home. Kei
Extreme length, 3I| m. 27£ m. Omitted 31$ m. 34 i
Extreme breadth, 19| do. 19£ do. Omitted 17 do. 21
Mean length, 26f do. Omitted 30 m. Omitted 28
Mean breadth, 17 do. Omitted 17 m. Omitted 17
Square miles, Omitted 431. 510. 446. 476.
Statute acres, 285,440. 276,000. 326,400. 285,000. 304,f
Since the dismemberment of Berwick from S(
land, Lauder remains the only royal borough in
county ; and, in conjunction with Jedburgh, Haddir
ton, Dunbar, and North-Berwick, sends one ref
sentative to parliament. Greenlaw, a small vill
37 miles south-east of Edinburgh, in an inconver
situation for the purpose, is the county-town, wl
all public meetings of the freeholders are conv<
where the sheriff and commissary courts and
ter-sessions of the peace are held, and in whicl
the county-jail. Dunse and Coldstream, small to\
are the only places of any size in the county, th<
neither of them are of much importance. But '.
is much better fitted — from being more central
the chief population — than Greenlaw, for being
county-town. Eyemouth, little better than a
ing village, is the only sea-port within the com
Small debt sheriff courts are held thrice a-year
Lauder ; six times a-year at Coldstream ; at Ayl
thrice a-year ; and at Dunse, six times a-year. Ji
tice of peace small debt courts are held monthly
Dunse, Ayton, Coldstream, Greenlaw, Lauder, a
Earlston.
In ancient times, the shire of Berwick seems
have been a separate jurisdiction from the bailli
of Lauderdale, and to have been itself divided i
the Merse and Lammermoor districts. It is
easy to say what had been the exact boundaries i
extent of these three divisions, now almost ol
lete. For the purposes of agricultural inquiry,
whole county may be very conveniently con
ered under two districts, — the Merse and L
mermoor : the former including all the comparat
ly low land along Tweed, Whitadder, Blackad
and Eye ; and the latter comprehending Lauderd
along with the more eastern hilly country peculi
called Lammermoor. According to the general <
sion of the county just pointed out, the Merse
signates the whole lower ground from Twee<
the cultivated slopes of the lower southern ran^
the Lammermoor hills, including the western i
BERWICKSHIRE.
133
of Nenthorn and Merton, and forming the largest
of compact level ground — diversified only by a
gentle undulations — to be found in Scotland. Mr.
kadder estimates this division to contain 100,226
The whole remainder of the county — with
ception to be mentioned in the sequel — is there-
to be considered as forming the Lammermoor
ct; and, according to the same authority, should
n 185,214 acres. But Mr. B. computes that
are 7,280 acres of lowland and arable slopes of
lower hills in Lauderdale, besides a detached
n of lowland containing 2,200 acres, at the
-east corner of the county, in the parish of
burnspath, adjoining the vale of East Lothian,
quently the hill lands of Lammermoor and
erdale are thus reduced to 175,734 acres. Some
r considerable reduction might still be made
this estimate of the hill-lands, as there are
ral narrow tracts of vale land along the sides of
,ms winding deep among the mountains, and
iy arable slopes of the lower interior hills them-
But these are, probably, fully compensated
y hills, and moors, and bogs, within the district
Merse. The township of Berwick, geogra-
lly situated within this county, may probably
n 4,680 acres of land, almost entirely arable,
usive of the site of the town and suburbs. Thus,
rding to the respectable authority of Mr. Black -
r, the whole of this county may be estimated
ind distributed as in the following table :
Acres.
Lowlands of the Merge 100,226
Lowlands in Lauderdale ....
Lowlands of Cockburnspath . . .
•o :_i. township
2,200
4,680
Total arable, improved or improveable
' lands of Lammermoor and Lauderdale
Total extent in statute acres
Or, leaving out Berwick township .
114,386
175,734
290, 1 «)
285,440
spring the prevalent winds are from the eastern
3, arid are attended by much cold raw weather
frequent frosts. This cold ungenial temperature
apt to continue far into the summer, probably
to the neighbourhood of the ocean ; but, from
cause, the winters are seldom of very long
nuance, or peculiar severity ; though certainly
severe than on the west coast in the same lati-
This influence lessens perceptibly in all re-
at 8 or 10 miles from the sea ; and the winters
Lammermoor hills and Lauderdale are severe
mtinued, though not more so than in the hills
forthumberland, or of Yorkshire. In autumn
"vailing winds are from the west, and are often
led with injury to the standing corn by shak-
especially when harvest is protracted much be-
" the equinox. From the best information that
procured, this county, in common with the
eastern lowlands of Britain, appears to enjoy
comparatively dry climate, much more friendly to
he cultivation of grain, and other agricultural pur-
jits, than the lowlands on the western coast. The
illy district of Lammermoor, however, and the
igher parts of the southern slopes of the Lammer-
loor hills, called the moor-edges, are greatly more
able than the lower part of the county to have the
>ring seed-time delayed and interrupted, and the
arvest rendered late, difficult, and precarious. These
isad vantages, however, are by no means greater in
rwifkshire than in other districts of equal eleva-
either in Scotland or England. The Merse, as
ly observed, is skirted on the north by the ele-
range of the .Lammermoor hills, and at some
ice on the south, beyond the Northumberland
of the vale of Tweed, by the more lofty
of the Cheviot mountains; and these two
chains are united, in a great measure, far inland by
intermediate lower hills dividing the eastern from
the western lowlands. Hence the clouds, wafted
by the eastern gales from the British ocean, are at-
tracted from the vale between by these ranges ot
hills, which in spring and autumn are often enveloped
in mist, drenched by rain, or clothed in snow, while
the lower intermediate Merse, and the rest of the
vale of Tweed, are enjoying the most genial seed-
times, and highly propitious harvest weather.
In the llth century, almost the whole of Berwick-
shire was covered with wood, except a portion of the
Merse. During the 12th and 13th centuries, many
persons of consideration settled in it, having re-
ceived from the Crown grants of lands which they
cultivated; but the husbandry of those times con-
sisted more in the feeding of flocks and rearing of
cattle than in the production of corn. Toward the
middle of last century, agriculture began to be
studied as a science, and essential improvements to
be made here by enlightened practical farmers.
About the year 1730, Mr. Swinton of Swinton,
father of the late Lord Swinton, in the course of a
few years, drained and enclosed his whole estate.
Mr. Hume of Eccles, about the same time, began
and carried on his improvements with great ardour
and success. Lord Kames, another of the early
improvers in this county, about the year 1746 in-
troduced the turnip-husbandry which has been car-
ried to perfection in this county. Clover and grasses
were also sown at Kames, and at sundry other places,
towards the year 1750. Soon after this period, the
enclosing and improving of estates became a favour-
ite pursuit with other landed proprietors. Mr. For.
dyce of Ayton profited by all the preceding discoveries
and meliorations. In enclosing his landed property,
he sheltered his fields with belts and clumps of plant-
ing, and added the Scots cabbage to the husbandry
of Berwickshire. Dr. Hutton, the geologist, a con-
siderable proprietor in this county, turned his atten-
tion to practical husbandry, and succeeded in all his
plans. In this way, the fertility and wealth of Ber-
wickshire have been greatly improved, and the land-
rent has been more than quadrupled. The average
size of farms is from 300 to 400 acres; held on leases
of an average duration of 19 years. According to
Mr. Lowe, the Merse district, including the vales
on the Eye and Leader, contained in 1794 :
Acres.
Under tillage, and cultivated grass . 50,000
In pasture, bog, moor, moss, and wood . 75,000
1*5,000
And the Lamraermoor district, including Lauderdale:
Under tillage 25,000
Arable and green pasture . . 75,000
Moor, moss, and wood . . . 51,000
151,000
The whole county, in his opinion, extending to 276,000
In the subsequent report of the county, prepared
and published by Mr. Home in 1798, the soils are
thus arranged and estimated :
Acres.
Deep loam on the principal rivers . . . 25,410
Clay lands in the how of the Merse . . 40,330
Turnip soil in the remainder of the Merse, in Lau.
dordale, Westruther, Merton, Nenthorn, Long,
forinachus, and other arable parts . . 119,780
Meadow,* moss, and inuir of Lammermoor and
Lauderdale, including some arable patches 99,870
Total contents of the county
285,410
* It may be proper to remark that the terra meadow, used
by Mr. Home, is a provincial name for green bog, or marshy
ground, producing' a coarse grass mostly composed of rushei
and other aquatic- plants; and that the word has no reference
whatever to what is called meadow in England, which is here
termed old grass land, aud which is very beldom cut for bay in
Scotland — Kerr's Report.
134
BERWICKSHIRE.
Perhaps, if we were to estimate in round numbers ]
the total extent of cultivated ground at 160,000 ]
acres, the uncultivated at 100,000, and the unprofit-
able at 30,000 acres, we should not be greatly wide
of the truth.
The Merse is comparatively an extensive plain,
yet much diversified by frequent swells, and with
several hills of some elevation interspersed, as at
Lamberton, Dunse, and Home castle. Lammer-
moor and Lauderdale are composed of an extensive
range of lofty, rounded, well-defined hills, dividing
this north-eastern portion of the vale of Tweed from
the expanded vale of Forth. These hills are mostly
flat, or at least very obtuse on their summits, and
not precipitous or rocky on their sides. They are
everywhere intersected by a number of narrow up-
land valleys or dells, through which the numerous
feeders or brooks which combine to form the Leader,
Whitadder, Blackadder, and Eye waters, wind to-
wards the lower vale. The summits, in many places,
extend into considerable flats or elevated table-lands,
which often slope gradually to the lower vales on
the south sides of the hills, the higher parts being
moor, but gradually declining into good land. The
north sides of the Lammermoor hills are more steep,
but, as belonging to the Lothians, require no par-
ticular mention here. This county possesses every
variety of soil, from the most stubborn clay to the
most barren sand or gravel, but none whatever of a
chalky or calcareous nature. Along the banks of
Tweed, Whitadder, and Blackadder there is an ex-
tensive tract of fine deep free loam, often upon a
gravel bottom, sometimes upon a bottom of till or
coarse retentive clay. In this lower vale land there
is likewise a large extent of stiff arid rather coarse
clay soil, usually cut off from the immediate vicinity
of the rivers by the before-mentioned rich loam. A
third species of soil, of a free and dry sandy or
gravelly consistency, occupies most part of the re-
mainder of the Merse, the vale lands of Lammer-
moor and Lauderdale, and the lower slopes of most
of the hills : this is denominated turnip soil, and is
usually incumbent upon a dry bottom of gravel or
sand. In every quarter of the county, — frequently
in the same farm, and sometimes in the same field
these three soils are intermixed in patches, or irre-
gular stripes, of greater or less extent, and all gra
duate into each other, forming intermediate varieties
In many situations, even of the most fertile parts o
the country, marshy places or bogs are found in the
hollows, into which the water of springs or smal
rills are poured from the adjoining slopes. These
are overgrown with rushes or other marsh-plants
and are inundated with water in rainy weather
Some of these larger bogs are of great depth, aru
seem anciently to have been lakes or ponds no\i
filled up with peat moss, owing to the long con
tinued accumulation of decayed aquatic plants
Others seem to have been anciently the sites o
woods, as the remains of trees are still found when
digging for peats in them. Some bogs have little o
no peat-moss in their composition ; and such, i
various instances, have been converted into sount
firm pasture, or good arable land, by judicious drain
ing. Peat-mosses or turf-bogs are found in all th
hilly country, arid in various patches through th
low lands. These are used, in various parts, as sup
plies of fuel ; but the culture of peat has not ye
made its way into this county, so that it canno
hitherto be reckoned one of the Berwickshire soils
Dogden moss, near Polwart, covers about 500 acres
and is in some places 10 feet deep.
Several endeavours have been made to discover
workable seam of coal in Berwickshire. In tl
estate of Lamberton, contiguous to Berwick bounds
the south-east extremity of the county, a stratun
f coal has long been known, which crops out 01
le sea-banks near the fishing-hamlet of Ross. Sonn
oal has also been found in the parishes of Mording
n and Cockburnspath. An attempt was once mad
dig for copper ore, at Ordwell on the Whitadder
ut, either from want of produce in proportion t
xpense, or want of skill in working, it has been Ion
jandoned. More recent attempts to work this min
ral at St. Bathan's, and also near the old church o
Him, in Longformacus parish, have proved equal!
3ortive. No indications of lead, tin, antimony, o
ny other metallic ore — copper and perhaps red iron
re excepted — are known to exist in this count}
ome slight trials were made many years ago of
erruginous clay-stone rock, on the estate of Ayton
s an iron-stone or ore of iron ; but it was found to
oor in metal to defray the expense of transport t
Jarron iron-works. In some inland parts of th
ounty there are a few veins of limestone ; bu
itherto, the county has been mainly dependent o
;s neighbours for the two great articles of domest
omfort and agricultural improvement, — coal an
me. Coals are brought from the south side of th
^weed to all the south and east parts of the count
nd from Mid-Lothian into Lauderdale. The nortl
ast corner is supplied from Dunbar harbour, whith
hey are imported mostly from Fife. Lime follov
early the same roads; except that some of tl
orth and east parts of the county procure it fro
cilns in the vale of East-Lothian. Both coals ar
ime, especially the latter, are imported at Ey
nouth. The coals come from the frith of Fort
nd from Newcastle and Sunderland. Lime
nought from the river Wear, and from Norl
sunderland, near Bambrough castle. Coke,
charred pit coal, for brewers, maltsters, arid co
merchants, is likewise imported at Eyemouth fro
Newcastle. In many parts of the county, sh<
marl has been found in small quantities. Tr
whinstone, and amorphous basalt, interspersed wi
rregularly stratified clay-stone, are almost universi
[n several places, rocks of breccia, or coarse puddin
stone, are found. The most remarkable instance
;his is the rocky promontory which covers Eyemou
jay, on the north-west, in which nodules of wL
and schist, of great variety of size, form, and coloi
are imbedded in a lapidified clay, somewhat li
steatite, of various colours, often greenish, genera
very hard and tough, but soapy to the touch.
durability of this stone is thoroughly ascertained
the outer pier of Eyemouth harbour has been abo
30 years exposed to the fury of the German ocet
without the slightest apparent waste; and it is bu
of this stone without cement of any kind. In ma
places, large beds of silicious sandstone or freesto
occur in regular stratification. Some of these are
a coarse open grain, and serve tolerably well
filtering stones. Many of the quarries are of '
cellent quality ; and perhaps there does not exis
finer specimen of that kind of stone than is exhibi
in the magnificent ruins of Melrose abbey, in
county of Roxburgh, only about 2 miles from 1
western borders of Berwickshire; in which exq
sitely rich and delicate carvings in high relief, wh
have been many centuries exposed to the weath
are still sharp and uninjured. From comparison
grain and colour — the last a pale red or almost pet
bloom — there is every reason to suppose that bei
tiful structure had been supplied with stone fr
Dryburgh upon Tweed within this county. Ale
the shores of Lamberton estate, contiguous to B
wick township, there are extensive strata of f
sandstone.*
» The Berwick hire Naturalists' Club, instituted for the |
BERWICKSHIRE.
135
Excepting the Eye, with its scanty tributaries,
hich tails into Eyernouth bay, and a very small
imber of inconsiderable brooks which run separ-
into the sea, all the streams of Berwickshire
Mttribute to swell the waters of the Tweed. This
river, so celebrated in song and renowned in story,
only navigable for sea-vessels to Berwick bridge,
>ut one mile from its mouth; though the tide flows
Hit 7 miles higher. The other streams in the
>unty are usually denominated waters, — a kind of
ermediate provincial term, between the dignity of
iver, and the insignificancy of a brook, which lat-
is called a burn in Scotland. Still smaller rills,
icially in marshy places, are often called sykes.
?he Leader, or Leeder, with its numerous burns,
rinds through the vale of Lauderdale. It issues
a number of narrow upland dells or valleys,
rig the wild hills of that district, and joins the
'weed at the south-western angle of the county,
lere that river begins to form the south boundary
Berwickshire. The Whitadder and Blackadder
isi White and Black waters, owing to their re-
jctive tinges when in flood — are next to exclu-
rely Berwickshire streams. Dye, one of the main
irces of Whitadder, rises by several brooks or
" jrs, on the ridge of hills which separate Lauder-
from Lammermoor. The Whitadder proper,
sing within East Lothian, at an elevation of 1,150
unites with Dye in a romantic vale of some
ctent, in the bosom of the Larnmermoor hills ; and,
iving received the Blackadder much lower down,
Allanton, in the vale of the Merse, unites with
Tweed within Berwick bounds, about 3 miles
the sea. The Blackadder and its streamlets,
feeders, rise from the southern slopes of the Lam-
jrmoor and Lauderdale hills, at an elevation of
>ut 1,130 feet; and, after winding through the
le of the Merse, joins the Whitadder between
lanbank arid Ninewells. The small stream of the
jn principally belongs to that portion of Rox-
rghshire which indents into this county, on the
side of Tweed, into which that small river
fs a few miles below Kelso. The Leet, another
ill stream, belongs entirely to the how of the
2, and joins Tweed at Coldstream. The small
Eye, with a few feeders — particularly the Ale
Horn — waters a narrow but fertile vale in the
st end of the Merse ; several of its upper stream-
wind among some narrow valleys towards the
Jt end of the Lammermoor hills. Its peculiar
irce is within East Lothian. At one place, — from
Ay ton to near Chirnside, — a narrow winding
2, of very inconsiderable elevation, almost permits
Whitadder and Eye to unite. Midway between,
Billy bog or Billy mire discharges its superfluous
waters into both rivers, — eastwards, by the Horn
burn, into Eye, with just sufficient declivity for its
ready passage ; westwards, by the Billy burn, into
Whitadder. This singular vale is about 5 miles
long, and has a northern brunch, more elevated, from
poses of examining the Natural History and Antiquities of the
county and its adjacent districts, and of affording to such ;is
were interested in tiio^e objects, the opportunity of benefiting
by mutual aid and co-operation, held it.-, first meeting at Bank
House, in the parish of Coldingham, Sept- 22, 1831. The club
hold no property, and exact no fees of admission ; all gentlemen
are eligible, provided J-4ths of the members present when they
are proposed are a.-reeable. The. club, like the British Asso-
ciation, is migratory, by which its value and facilities are en.
hanced. It holds five meetings in the year, the third Wednesday
in September. December, April, June, and July, each of which
is held in a different town from the others. The members as-
semble at some inn, early in the forenoon disperse themselves
to explore and collect the various subjects the district affords,
return to dine, exhibit newly discovered specimens, read com-
munications, and discuss the topics most likely to suggest thcm-
•elves after their excursion. At the last meeting in the year
fldress is delivered by the president, who briefly recnpitu.
the proceedings of the past year.
Achincrow on Billy bog, to Reston on the Eye, en.
closing an isolated hill of considerable extent and
elevation, but altogether arable. The Ale, Wed-
derburn, and many other brooks, are too inconsider.
able to require any special notice. All the rivers,
waters, and brooks in this county abound with trout
of different kinds; some contain a few pike and
perch, and all have plenty of eels. See articles
LEADER, WHITADDER, BLACKADDER, EYE, and
ALE — There are no lakes of any importance in the
county. Coldingham loch — a piece of water covering
about 30 acres — and one or two more, are too insig-
nificant to form exceptions, and do not merit any
particular notice. Dunse spa, once in some little
repute as a mineral spring, has fallen into complete
neglect.
The annual value of assessed property within this
county, in 1815, was .£245,379. There are no very
large estates in Berwickshire, though several have
become of great value, and some are connected with
estates in other counties of very considerable magni-
tude. Towards the end of last century, Mr. Low
estimated that hardly any of the Berwickshire estates
exceeded .£5,000 of yearly rent. " That circum-
stance"— says Mr. Kerr in 1808 — "must now be
very materially altered in consequence of the rapid
rise of rents since he wrote, and the limitation might
probably be now extended to nearly double that
amount, or from £8,000 to £10,000 a-year; but the
reporter has no data on which he can depend for
ascertaining this circumstance, and is not inclined
to hazard assertions on vague information. In the
year 1795, according to the cess-roll or land-tax book
of the county, its lands were then unequally divided
among 294 proprietors, of whom only 14 held under
the limitations of entail. At that period, according
to the report of Mr. John Home, and circumstances
have not since materially altered, the relative valua-
tions of these properties were classed thus :
Valued below £100 Scots
From £100 to £408 Scots
From £400 to £1,000 Scots
Of £1,000 Scots and upwards
Number of Properties
141
66
41
46
Total number of proprietors . 2U4
The ducal family of Gordon derives its name arid
chief titles from the lands of Gordon and Huntly in
this county ; but since acquiring their princely estate
and residence in the north, to which they have trans-
ferred these names, they have given off their ancient
Berwickshire estate in feu, retaining the superiority
only. The dukedom of Roxburgh has a shooting-
lodge, and some sheep-farm lands of small compara-
tive importance, in the bosom of the Lammermoor
hills. The estate and residence of the Earl of Home
is at the Hirsel, near Coldstream. Marchmont house,
the seat of the last earl of that name, is now in the
possession of Sir Hugh Purves Hume Campbell,
Bart. The Earls of Buchan, Lauderdale, Wemyss,
Haddington, Breadalbane, and Roseberry, and Lord
Douglas of Douglas, hare all estates in this county,
but their residences and principal estates are else-
where.
The customary boll of Berwickshire is equal to
1.048 Linlithgow barley bolls, or to 1.529 Liri-
lithgow wheat bolls. It is consequently equal to
.779 parts in the 1000 of the Winchester quarter, or
to 6.237 Winchester bushels. In the western parts
of Berwickshire, adjoining Roxburghshire, the Rox-
burgh customary measures used to be employed;
but in Berwick market — the great mart of Merse
grain — all kinds of corn were sold and delivered by
the customary Berwickshire boll, there called the
old boll ; as another customary measure was used
tarther south, understood to contain two
136
BERWICKSHIRE.
Chester bushels, and called the new boll. Ship-
borne lime, imported only at Eyemouth, is sold mi-
slacked by a customary lime boll, which is under-
stood to be only equal to the East Lothian peas j
boll, or about half a Winchester quarter. Lime arid
coals from Northumberland, or rather North Dur-
ham, are understood to be delivered at the coal-pits
and lime-kilns by the same measure. In Berwick-
shire, potatoes are usually sold by measure. Six
tills of the corn firlot up to the edge of the wood,
or a little higher, or four fills heaped by hand as
high as they can go, were counted as one boll; being
about 9 Winchester bushels, and supposed equal to
476 English pounds. In Berwick township, the uni-
versal custom was to give 560 English pounds as a
boll of potatoes. The Berwickshire ton of potatoes
for the English market was 28 cwt. In Berwick
market, fresh butter was sold by a customary pound
of 18 avoirdupois ounces; while in the country mar-
kets, the tron pound of 22| ounces was used, which
was also the usual pound for cheese, while that for
wool was 24 ounces. The legal firkin of 56 English
pounds was universally used for salt butter, but
usually a pound or two heavier to allow for brine.
Fresh salmon — a principal staple of Berwick, and a
considerable part of which comes from fishings with-
in this county — was sold to the coopers, or salmon-
dealers, by a customary stone of 18| avoirdupois
pounds. The Berwickshire peck is £ of a firlot,
instead of £.
Berwickshire is a strictly pastoral and agricultural
district. The only manufacture of any importance,
within the county," is that of paper, at Broomhouse,
Ay ton, and Allan-bank paper mills. These three
mills in 1808 gave employment to 200 individuals,
and paid above .£4,000 yearly of excise duties.
They might at that period manufacture paper to the
value of above .£25,000 annually, the far greater
part of which was sent to London. The Millbank
paper mills in the parish of Ayton, pay about ^G3,000
a-year of excise duty. The manufacture of woollens
and linens within the county, is so small as riot to
merit consideration ; being confined, in the former,
entirely to coarse goods for ordinary use ; and, in
the latter, to household linens for farmers and la-
bourers' families. The expense of fuel is rather hos-
tile to the introduction of the woollen manufacture,
for which this county affords ample materials ; yet
the example of Gallashiels, a very short distance from
the extreme western part of the county, gives war-
rant for believing that it might succeed here. The
manufacture of ginghams has been recently introduced
with great success at EARLSTON : which see.
The fishery upon the coast is not of very material
importance. It gave employment in 1808 to up-
wards of 100 fishermen, w'th about 20 boats, at
eight small fishing-stations. Fish carriers, called
cadgers, purchase from the fishers, and distribute the
white fish, codlings, haddock, whitings, skate, haly-
but, and flounders, and a few turbot, into the inland
country, and often as far as Edinburgh. The herring
fishery on the coast is exceedingly precarious ; but
during some seasons no less than 10,000 barrels have
been brought into Eyemouth. A few red herring
houses at Eyemouth were once well-employed. Some
boats or small vessels go annually to the herring-
fishery on the coast of Caithness. The salmon
fishery in Tweed is of considerable importance, but
the principal share of it belongs to the township of
Berwick, and the opposite side of the Tweed. From
Berwick bounds, up to where the fishery ceases to
be important, half of the river belongs to England,
and the other half to Scotland; and the 3 lower
miles of the river — by far the most important — be-
long entirely to England and Berwick. Mr. Home,
in 1797, estimated the rental of the salmon-fishings
on the Berwickshire side of the Tweed at £1,500
year. They have of late years greatly fallen off in
productiveness.
The chief line of road running through this county
is the Great post road from Berwick to Edinburgh,
which follows the outline of the coast, generally
at a little distance from the sea. Mr. Blackaddei
estimated the total extent of roads in this countj
at 647 miles ; it must novv considerably exceed this.
At the close of last century, Mr. Home estimated
the inhabitants of the Merse at 20,075 ; and those
Lammermoor and Lauderdale at 9,633 ; making
total of 29,708. He also arranged the whole popi
lation as under, which enumeration is here copied s
not incurious, though, perhaps, not very rigidly pre-
cise in its data : —
1. Class.— Landed Interest.
1. Resident proprietors or heritors, with their fami-
lies and servants 1,470
2. Clergy and schoolmasters of all denominations,
with ditto 460
3. Tenants, with their families and in-door servants 3,240
4. Labourers of the land with their families
5. Agricultural artizans, and their families
260
. ra arza, . .
6. Brewers, and household trades, with their fami-
lies and servants
Total of the landed interest
23,27*
2. Class.— Remaining inhabitant*.
1 Paper makers, and their families .... 22^
8. Weavers, and other manufacturers and artizaus,
not agricultural, with their families . . 900
9. Salmon fishers, and their families . . . £20
10. Salt water fishers, and their families . . 325
11. Inhabitants of towns 4,6<U
12. Sundries nondescript 139
Total of these 6,433
General total . . 29,708
Berwickshire is divided into 31 parishes, of whi(
18 may be considered as in the Merse, and 13 ii
Lammermoor. Those belonging to the Merse dis-
trict are: 1. Whitsom; 2. Chirnside; 3. Fouldean:
4. Eccles ; 5. Coldingham ; 6. Button ; 7. Dunse ;
8. Coldstream ; 9. Langton; 10. Ayton; 11. Edrom;
12. Mordington ; 13. Fogo ; 14. Eyemouth ;
Buncle; 16. Swinton; 17. Nenthorn; 18. Ladykirl
The Lammermoor district contains: 19. Legert
wood; 20. Greenlaw; 21. Cockburnspath;
Merton ; 23. Channelkirk ; 24. Abbey St. Bathans ;
25. Earlston; 26. Westruther; 27. Lauder;
Longformachus ; 29. Polwarth; 30. Gordon; 3]
Cranshaws. To these must be added Home, fo
merly a parish by itself, but now united with
parish of Stichel in the county of Roxburgh. Tl
largest parishes are those of Lauder and Coldir
ham ; the smallest is Eyemouth — -The Berwickshir
parishes are classified under three presbyteries,-
Dunse, Chirnside, and Lauder ; and are all, witl
the exception of Cockburnspath, within the syrio
of Merse and Teviotdale — The number of parochu
schools within the county in 1834 was 34; and
private schools, 59. The total number of schol
was estimated at 4,998.
The population of the countv, as enumerated
the years 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831, is as follows
1801, pop. 30,621; 1811, pop. 30,779; 1821, pop
33,385; 1831, pop. 34,048. In 1821, the number
houses inhabited was 5,803, and in 1831 it was 6,159 j
the number -of families in 1821 was 7,165, and ii
1831 it was 7,385; the number of houses building ir
1821 was 42, and in 1831 it was 13; the number oi
houses uninhabited in 1821 was 276, and in 1831 it
was 267 ; the number of families employed in agri-
culture in 1821 was 3,334, and in 1831 it was 2,921 ;
the number of families employed in trade, manufac-
tures, and handicraft in 1821 was 1,923, and in 1831
it was 1,915; the number of all other families not
BERWICKSHIRE.
137
rised in the t\vo preceding classes in 1821 was
and in 1831 it was 2,549. In 1821 the
iber of males was 15,976, and the number of
;males was 17,409, and in 1831 it was males,
16,239; females, 17,809. Of late years the migra-
tion from Berwickshire has been considerable. The
poor-law commissioners, in a recent report, state
" it in the year 1836-7, in 17 parishes of this
ity, the number of paupers relieved, out of a
>ulation of about 20,000 persons, was 755 ; and
it the amount of allowances granted to them was
£3,441 14s. 6d., to permanent paupers, and .£274
3s. lOd. to temporary paupers, making a total of
£3,716 3s. 4d., independently of expenses incidental
management. Although these amounts are some-
it less than the corresponding particulars of the
HIS in Northumberland, yet if they are compared
the statements relating to the Shropshire
is, and even with the population and expendi-
in some parts of England, in which, previously
the passing of the poor-law amendment act,
iperism was most burdensome, we shall find
the comparison is by no means favourable to
Scotch county, and that the pecuniary burthen
>wn on the occupiers in that district is greater
i is now the case in the English districts adverted
notwithstanding these districts must still be con-
d as in a transition state towards still better
agement.
inciently, the agricultural population of Berwick-
was chiefly collected in farm-towns or villages,
lich ten, twelve, or more small farmers, with their
[-yards, and outhouses and cottagers, were crowd-
ither. These villages are now deserted, so far
farmers and their immediate servants are con-
1, and farm-houses, with their yards, buildings,
-yards, and cottages for married servants, are
placed centrally on every farm. Many of the
farm-towns, — the ancient abodes of idleness,
;rty, and dissipation, — have now become clean
itry-villages, tilled with industrious mechanics of
rinds, shop-keepers and labourers, who work for
surrounding farmers. The circumstances of the
cultural labourers in this county are thus de-
id by an intelligent writer in the ' Quarterly .
lal of Agriculture,' No. 27. " The terms of
engagement of a married ploughman are the
wing : — A house, seldom less than 24 feet
and which is large enough to form, by the
>priate arrangement of the furniture, one large,
one small apartment ; — a garden, containing
ips 10 or 12 perches of land, situated generally
ind the house ; — a cow, kept all summer on grass,
and accommodated in winter in a cow-house, with
straw, and 3 cartloads of turnips in spring, or in lieu of
the turnips, 60 stones of hay; — the produce of 1,000
yards of potatoes, measured along the drills, the
ploughman supplying the seed, and the farmer be-
stowing the dung and the labour ; — 60 bushels of oats,
18 bushels of barley, and 6 bushels of peas, of the best
Duality ; but, should there be none of the best, then
Jf the quality next to the seed corn ; the corn being
jiven about Christmas; — as much ground as would
-ow one peck of linseed, but this allowance is now
•ommuted to the setting of 500 yards more of pota-
oes, linen cloth being bought cheaper than the best
hat can be manufactured by the poor people ; —
brmeriy poultry and sheep were kept for plough-
nen, but now the value of their maintenance is
•ommuted into money, 15s. for the poultry, and £3
or the sheep yearly, and this is all the money the
)loughman receives : — coals are driven to the plough-
nen when required, but this is accomplished at little
•xpense to the farmer, inasmuch as the carts bring
IHIII which would return empty from the delivery
of corn. The value of all these allowances may be
estimated as not exceeding £26 a-year, which makes
the wages of a ploughman 10s. a- week. For all
these considerations, which have evidently been
formed for the comfort of the ploughman, he is
obliged to take charge of, arid work one pair of
horses, in every requisite operation connected with
the farm ; — he must attend the stable every morning,
noon, and night, to give food to the horses; — he
must take his turn with the ploughmen to remain at
home on Sunday to fodder and water the horses ;—
he must work in winter as long as there is day-light,
and in summer ten hours a-day in the fields, and in
seed-time and harvest his hours of labour are unlimit-
ed ; — he must supply a female labourer to work at
farm labour at all seasons, and for the same time as
himself, when required ; and for whose labours he
receives eightpence or tenpence a-day, when she is
employed, according to the rate of wages; this female
must reap corn during harvest, as rent for the house
and garden, for which she receives the oidinary
victuals allowed in harvest ; — his own family must
feed his cow in winter ; — and he must work his gar-
den only at leisure hours. Most farmers erect a pig-
stye, or allow one to be erected in the garden, in
which the ploughman feeds a pig at his own expense,
for his domestic consumption. The manure to the
garden is supplied from the ploughman's own house
and the pig-stye. Should the female worker get
constant employment, the ploughman may just clear
himself with her labour ; if not, he will certainly lose
by her maintenance and wages, which are from £Q
to £8 a-year ; but, should he have a daughter to
supply the place of a hired servant, her labour will
be profitable to him. He generally earns a little
money from his cow, for butter and cheese, provided
she is a good one, and his wife manages his domestic
affairs cleanly and thriftily. He receives a sixpence
for drink-money when he goes from home with the
horses, on the delivery of corn. These terms may
appear complicated to those who are accustomed to
simpler, but in practice they are very easily under-
stood. The farm-steward receives, in addition to
the terms of the ploughman, a little more money,
and sometimes a bushel and a half of light wheat, as
a compensation for his greater responsibility. His
wages are seldom under £30 a-year. His duty is to
give the. corn for the horses every day out of the
horse -corn chest; to order and distribute the labour
of the farm ; to superintend the labour of the women
in the fields in summer, and in the thrashing and
cleaning of the corn in the barn in winter ; to sow
the corn, and to build it into stacks ; and generally
to keep a watchful eye on all things for his master's
interest. He is exempted from staying at home on
Sunday, but he must supply a female to work in the
fields ; and to reap the harvest, as rent for his house
and garden. The shepherd, in addition to the
ploughman's allowance, receives the keep of eight
ewes summer and winter. He must dispose of these
lambs after weaning in July, with the exception ot
two ewe- lambs and two gimmers, which he keeps on
to renew his ewe stock, two of which he must sell
off every autumn before tupping time in October.
His wages seldom amount to less than £35 a-year.
The shepherd is generally the servant on the farm
who receives the highest wages, but his hours ot
labour are unlimited. His duty is very constant and
fatiguing when a large flock and a wide range of pas-
ture occur. He must go through his flock early in
the morning and late at night, and at other times
during the day, and count his flock once a-day; he
must keep them clean from scab, maggots, and other
filth ; he must watch the ewes at the lambing-season
night and day, and castrate the tup lambs ; he must
138
BERWICKSHIRE.
wash the sheep and clip the wool, and bathe them for
turnip-feeding in winter ; he must be able to slaughter
sheep and pigs neatly ; and he must give such general
assistance in harvest as his time permits, such as
taking the reapers' victuals to the harvest-field, arid
binding up loose corn to be led in. He must also
supply a female to work in the field and reap the
harvest, as rent for his house and garden. In regard
to unmarried ploughmen, when they live with their
fathers or friends, who are ploughmen, they receive
the same allowance of corn as they do ; but the keep
of the cow is commuted to them in money, and they
are exempt from supplying a field- worker. When
an unmarried ploughman takes up house, he receives
the same wages as a married one, and is bound to
supply a female worker. When an unmarried plough-
man gets his victuals in the farm-house, as the other
domestic servants, the rest of his wages is given in
money, £5 half-yearly, according to the rate of
wages ; and he sleeps in some apartment in the stead-
ing. Female domestic servants live in the farm-
house and receive £5 or £Q in the summer, and
about £3 in the winter half-year. Their duty is to
milk the cows, feed the calves, perform the dairy
operations of making butter and cheese, do kitchen
work ; and one of them, when not fully occupied in
the house, goes to work in the field or barn. Stable-
boys get their meat in the house, arid receive £2 or
£3 half-yearly. They keep the riding-horses arid
gig, if there is one, attend to visitors' horses, and go
errands. Cottagers or labourers who work with the
spade where they can get work, smiths, and carpen-
ters, take their houses and shops on similar terms.
Each supplies a field worker, who reaps the harvest
as rent for the house and garden ; and each gets 500
yards of potatoes set, and the carriage of two cart-loads
of coals. The smith undertakes to shoe the horses
arid uphold the iron-work of all the implements on
the farm, for £3 a-yt ar and the carriage of one cart-
load of smithy coals, for every pair of horses. The
carpenter upholds all the wood-work of the imple-
ments, and supplies a pair of cart-wheels without
the rings for £3 the pair of horses yearly. The ac-
counts of both are settled half-yearly. The smith
and carpenter, with all their apprentices and journey-
men, generally lend a hand for a day at the building
of the hay-stack, for their meat. A regular hedger
and ditcher, when such is kept on a farm, is regarded
as a hired servant, though his house is let to him on
the same condition as a cottager. He either receives
his wages entirely in money, at so much per week
and settled half-yearly, or in corn like the plough-
man, and the remainder in money. His wages may
amount to £30 a-year. Kis tiuty is to cut, switch,
clean, and repair gaps in the hedges; scour ditches
to prevent the overflow of water; to cut water-
furrows across headlands and in hollow parts of fields
to prevent the accumulation of surface-water. He
assists the -steward to build corn-stacks and sow
corn ; the shepherd to clip wool and wash and bathe
the sheep. Frequently the ploughmen assist him to
cut the long water-furrows in new sown fields, if the
weather appears precarious."
No Druidical monuments have been discovered
within this county ; but in several places cairns of
stones denote the graves of those who had fallen in
battle. In the parish of Eccles, at Crosshall, there
is an upright stone column, with various sculptures;
but there is no inscription, nor is there any tradition
concerning it. On the ridge between Coldingham
and Bunkle there are vestiges of five oval and cir-
cular encampments. Similar remains of antiquity
may also be traced on Cockburn law, on Habchester,
and at Chesters in Foggo parish. Herrit's dyke, a
mile from Greenlaw, is an earthen rnound, with a
ditch on one side of it ; and not many years ago it
could have been traced 14 miles eastward. Edin'
or Wodin's hall, about a mile below the abbey of St
Bathan, on the Whitadder, consists of three concer
trie circles of stone, 7 feet and 10 feet distant froi
one another : the diameter of the innermost circle
about 20 feet. On the south are deep and wit
trenches; and eastward are traces of several camps
There are remains of several religious houses, via
the monastery of Coldingham, the abbey of Dryburgt
St. Bathan's, &c. Many castles and places of strengt
were built in this shire after the llth century. Tl
castle of Berwick was the residence of David
Home castle, in the 12th century, was the seat
the family of Home ; the tower of Cockburnspat
was built, perhaps, by the Earls of Dunbar. Fa
castle, on a rocky cliff overhanging the sea, was loi
ago demolished. Lauder or Thirlstane castle wt
built by Edward I. There were many other castles ii
different parts of the county, viz. Cranshaw, Huntl
in Gordon parish, Edrington in Mordington paris
&c.*
At the period of the Roman invasion, Berwicl
shire was inhabited by the Ottadini. It was afte
wards invaded by bands of Saxons from Germarn
who ingrafted their language and manners on the *
of the original inhabitants. The conquests of the
foreigners extended a considerable way along tt
shores to the east and west, and in course of tir
they gave the land thus secured to themselves tl
title of Lothian. The whole area of Ber \\ickshir
was comprehended in this Saxon territory, whi<
received the name of Saxonia in the Scoto-Iris
Chronicle, but \vas called Bernicia in the age
Bede. Until 1020, this district of country was ii
eluded within the kingdom of Northumberland,
that year it was ceded to Malcolm II. by Cospatri<
Earl of Northumberland, who settling in Scotk
was created Earl of Dunbar. In 1097 Edgar, tl
son of Malcolm, acquired the sovereignty of Be
wickshire, which on his death he bequeathed, alor
with part of Cumberland and Lothian, to his brotl:
David. Under this personage Berwickshire
into consequence, and the town of Berwick came
be a seat of merchandise, and known for the value
its fisheries. About this epoch many Norman
Anglo-Saxon families settled in Berwickshire,
laid the foundation of a number of noble houses st
ranked in the peerage of the country. It app
likewise that the town of Berwick became a setl
ment of Flemish and other foreign tradesmen,
wickshire suffered in the succeeding centuries in
the wars between the two hostile nations, arid
occasionally involved in disputes with its neighbc
the palatine bishop of Durham. Berwick, and
bridge across the Tweed, were in general chief
special objects of dispute between the belligerenl
Henry II. in 1174, wrenched Berwick and its cast
from his captive, William. Richard 1. again rest
them to Scotland. The disputes regarding the si
cession to the crown, after the death of Alexande
HI., involved Berwick in many miseries. In 12£
it was given up to Edward I. A few years afte
wards, Berwick renounced its allegiance, and in 121;
was taken by assault by Edward. After the defei
of the English at Falkirk, they retained Berwick it
• The antiquities of Berwickshire are described in the Bord
history of England and Scotland, by the Rev. Messrs. Phil
and George Kedpath, 4to. 1776. Some conjectures concern)!
ancient camps and cairns on Lammermoor are inserted in t
Scots Mag. 1750. A dissertation on Dunse spa, by Fran<
Home, was published in 1751, 8vo. A map, from an acti
survey, on a scale ol one inch to a mile, constructed by An
strong, was published in 4 sheets, 1771. Mr. Blackadder publu
ed a good two-sheet map of this county in 1797. A large in
from a survey iu 1825-b', was published by Stiarp and C
London.
BER
139
BER
ity years. In 1318 Berwick was once more, and
for the last time, attached to the Scottish monarchy.
During the reign of James III., the crown was covet-
ed by the Duke of Albany, who, to support his pre-
tensions, introduced an English army into North
Britain, under the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards
Richard III. The affair ended in compromise ; but
Gloucester refused to withdraw his forces unless
Berwick was delivered into his hands. After a per-
severing diplomatic struggle, the Scotch were forced
to accede to the dishonourable terms ; and on the
24th of August, 1482, this oft-contested town and
castle were resigned to England. In 1551 it was
made a free town, independent of both England and
Scotland, which it still remains, with many privileges
peculiar to itself and its citizens. It is governed by
English laws, and does not come within the scope of
the present work. After it ceased to be the county-
town, the affairs of the shire were administered at
Dunse or Lander ; but on Greenlaw becoming the
property of Sir George Home of Spot, in 1596, it was
declared the most fit to be the shire-town, and this
arrangement was ratified by parliament in November,
1600. It did not, however, become the head -town
of the county, in every p-irticular, till 1696.
BERWICK (NORTH), a parish and a royal
burgh, in the shire of Haddington, so called to dis-
tinguish it from the town and territory of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, which is sometimes described as South
Berwick. The parish is bounded on the north by
the frith of Forth ; on the east by Whitekirk parish ;
on the south by Whitekirk, Preston, and Dirleton
parishes ; and on the west by Dirleton. The coast
towards the east is bold and rocky ; towards the
west it presents considerable stretches of level sand
and flat grassy downs. Several rocky islets stud the
coast. A range of low but in some parts very
picturesque hills stretches across the southern part
of this parish, from Fenton tower, eastwards to
Whitekirk hill; but the most remarkable hill is
North Berwick law, a very beautiful conical shaped
hill which, rising to the height of about 940 feet
above sea-level from a flat country, is visible from all
sides at a great distance, and forms a well-known
land -mark to mariners. A few small rivulets in-
tersect the parish. The soil is in a high state of
cultivation, arid the annual rental is about .£25,000.
Population, in 1801, 1,583; in 1831, 1,824. Houses
284. Assessed property .£12,976.— This parish is
in the presbytery of Haddington, and synod of Lo-
thian and Tweeddale. Patron, Sir Hew Dalrymple,
Bart. Minister's stipend .£306 2s. 5d., with a glebe
of the annual value of .£35, and 12 solan geese, with
the feathers on, from the Bass. Unappropriated
teimls £434 15s. 6d. Church built in 1670; altered
in 1770; reseated in 1819; sittings 550 A United
Secession congregation was established here in 1769.
Church built in 1832; cost £630; sittings 390.
Stipend £105, with a manse and garden. There are
i parochial and a sub-parochial school, and three
)rivate schools, in this parish; at which about 250
:hildren are educated.
"he most interesting natural object in this parish
Lie BASS rock, which has already been described
ler that head. The most interesting relic of
ages is Tantallon castle, which will also be
ribed in a separate article. About a quarter of
lile west of the town of North Berwick stand
ruins of an abbey, or Cistertiah nunnery, founded
n 1154 by Duncan," Earl of Fife. At the" Reforma-
ion this nunnery contained 11 nuns, and was well-
ndowed. It presents few traces of its former mag-
lih'cence. Views of it are given by Grose Adjoining
lie harbour, on a small sandy knoll, are the slight
emains of what is called the" Auld Kirk, and which
has evidently at one period been surrounded by the
parish burying-ground, now nearly washed away by
the sea.
The royal burgh and sea-port of NORTH BERWICK
is 22 miles north-east by east of Edinburgh; 11
north-west of Dunbar; and 9 north-north-east of
Haddington. It mainly consists of two streets
nearly at right angles to each other ; but the parlia-
mentary boundary extends from the Yellow Craig1
rock on the east, to Point Garry on the west — a
distance of nearly a mile in a direct line, but con-
siderably more by the curvatures of the coast — with
an average breadth betwixt the shore and the south-
ern boundary line of about 360 yards. There are 33
houses of £10 rent and upwards, within these boun-
daries. The municipal constituency, in 1839, was
24. The burgh joins with Haddington, Dunbar,
Jedburgh, and Lauder, in returning a member to
parliament. North Berwick is said to have had the
distinction of being a port from the time of Robert
II., and was created a royal burgh by Robert III.
Its privileges were confirmed by a charter of James
VI., dated 18th September, 1568. It stands in a
rich arid well-cultivated neighbourhood, and has the
character of having once been a place of some trade,
but at what period is nowhere stated. Mr. Tucker,
in his enumeration of the ports of Scotland in 1656,
does not even mention North Berwick, though he
notices Eyemouth and Dunbar, and the minor ports
of the Forth up to Borrowstounness. In the report
of the commissioners appointed by the convention of
royal burghs, in 1691, to visit the different burghs,
and report upon their condition, it is stated " that
there were neither yearly fairs nor weekly markets ;"
and the other observations on its trade are summed
up in these words, " ships they have none, nor ferry
boat, except two fish-boats which pay nothing to the
town." At the present day the harbour is formed
by a tolerably good pier, on which considerable sums
have been laid out ; but it is dry at low water, and
neither very easy of access, nor very well sheltered
when gained. There were in 1834 five vessels be-
longing to the port, amounting in burden to 249 tons.
Ten years before that the tonnage was 299 tons. '
For forty years the trade may be considered to have
been stationary, the letting of the customs and shore-
dues having varied very immaterially during the
greatest part of that time. " There has latterly,"
say the Parliamentary commissioners, " been a great
falling-ofT in the grain arid lime trade, but new ob-
jects of traffic have sprung up in the export of pota-
toes, turnips, and flour ; and within the last ten years
there has been a considerable increase in the impor-
tation of foreign rape cake, and crushed bones for
manure. There are no manufactures, and no trace*
of any such ever having existed in the borough.
There are still no regular markets, and only two
annual fairs, one in the month of June, and the other
in the month of November." A weekly stock grain-
market has recently been established here, with every
prospect of success from the rich agricultural charac-
ter of the surrounding district. It is held on Monday.
The revenue of the burgh, in 1833, was £141 18s.,
of which £85 arose from customs and shore-dues
The expenditure during the same year was £124 5s.
2d. ; and the debt amounted to £794 19s. 8d. The
revenue, in 1838-9, was £142. The municipal
government is vested in 12 councillors, who elect 2
baillies, and a treasurer. The town-clerk is appoint-
ed by the magistrates during pleasure, and has a
salary of £10 10s. There is no regular burgh-court,
but sheriff small-debt courts are held here three or
four times in the year. The burgesses have a right
of commonty on the links on both sides of the town
In 1814. the town sold the island of Craigleith.
BIG
140
BIN
lying off the harbour, to Sir Hew Dalrymple for
.£400. — North Berwick is an excellent bathing-place,
the beach on both sides of the harbour presenting
fine gently sloping sands, and the air being remark-
ably pure and salubrious. The links also afford good
ground for the diversion of golfing, while the neigh-
bourhood presents very pleasing scenery. — The
parish-kirk of North-Berwick is famous in the annals
of witchcraft, as having been a favourite rendezvous
of the Lothian witches and wizards.
BIGG A, one of the Shetland isles, lying in Yell
sound.
BIGG AR, a parish in the upper ward and shire of
Lanark; bounded on the east by Peebles-shire, from
which it is separated by Candy burn, a tributary of
the Biggar ; on the south by Peebles-shire and the
parish of Culter ; on the west by Libberton parish ;
and on the north by Libberton, Walston, and Dol-
phiston. Its superficial area is estimated at 5,852
Scots acres. The surface is diversified, but upon
the whole the district is an upland and hilly one.
The principal stream is the Biggar, which rises on
the southern skirts of Libberton parish, and flows
south towards the town of Biggar, between two
ridges of considerable elevation, — that on the east
attaining, in the Bushy Berry or Bizzy berry,* an
elevation of 1,150 feet, and that on the west rising
to 1,260 feet. After flowing through the town, the
Biggar turns to the south-east, and on the southern
confines of the parish enters a stretch of open level
ground, which here extends bet ween the head-streams
of the Clyde on the west, and of the Tweed on the
east. The descent, however, inclines to the Tweed ;
but so gradually that the Clyde does in fact, when
swollen by heavy rains, discharge a portion of its
waters eastwards into the Biggar, which joins the
Tweed a little below Drummelzier. The elevation
of this rill above sea-level is about 700 feet, and
the descent to the Tweed, in a course of about 7
miles, is 25 feet. The real rental of the parish, in
1791, was about £1,800; in 1834, it was £4,671.
Population of the parish, iti 1801, 1,216; in 1831,
1,915. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,017- Houses
304. — The town of Biggar is a borough of barony.
In 1831, it contained 1,454 inhabitants. It consists
chiefly of one long wide street. The Commercial
bank of Scotland has a branch here ; there is also a
Savings' bank. Three fairs are held here in the
year, viz. at Candlemas, Midsummer, and on the last
Thursday of October, old style, for horses and cattle.
It is 27^ miles south by west of Edinburgh — This
parish is in the synod of Lothian and Tweeddale,
and is the seat of a presbytery. Patron, Admiral
Fleming. Minister's stipend £263 14s. 7d., with a
glebe of the value of £30. Unappropriated teirids
£146 5s. 7d. The collegiate church of Biggar was
founded in 1545, by Malcolm 3d Lord Fleming, lord-
high-chamberlain of Scotland; and largely endowed
by him for the support of a provost, 8 prebendaries,
4 singing boys, and 6 poor men. It is built in the
form of a cross ; the fabric is entire, but the steeple
and spire have never been finished. It has under-
gone some cruel mutilations, even in very recent
times. — A Burgher congregation was formed here in
1760. Minister's stipend £130. Church seated for
450. A Relief congregation was formed in 1780.
Minister's stipend £110. Church seated for 700.
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4^d., with about £75
lees, and other emoluments. Average number of
pupils 150. There is also a private school attended by
about 50 children — At the west end of the town of
Biggar is a tumulus, or moat-hill, which appears never
* la Hamilton of Wisliaw's ' Description of the Shires of
Lanark aud Renfrew,' it is caliod
to have been opened ; and there are vestiges of three
camps, each of a roundish figure, at different places
in the neighbourhood. — " There is tradition of a bat-
tle having been fought at the east end of the town,
between the Scots, under the command of Sir William
Wallace, and the English army, who were said to
be 60,000 strong, wherein a great slaughter
made on both sides, especially among the latter.
[Old Statistical Account.] " It has been alleged,'
says Mr. Carrick, " that, on this memorable occasior
Edward commanded in person ; but such could n<
have been the case, as the English monarch was
in the country at the time. That a considerabl
battle was fought in the neighbourhood, there
reason to believe, as well from current tradition,
from the number of tumuli which are still to be seer
These accounts, however, are decidedly at variam
with truth, both in regard to the amount of tl
English, and the person who commanded. It is mor
probable, that the enemy did not exceed 8,000, or
most 10,000 men, part of which appears to ha
been under the command of Roden, Lord de Which-
enour. On the side of the Scots, Sir Walter New-
bigging headed a body of cavalry. His son Davit
a youth, at that time little more than fifteen years
age, held a command under him, and the well-trit
military talents of the father were not disgraced
the efforts of the young patriot, whose conduct or
this occasion was afterwards rewarded by the honoi
of knighthood, probably conferred by the hand
our hero himself. The family of Newbigging cai
originally from England; and Sir Walter and his
son, on this occasion, found themselves opposed
their near kinsman, the Lord of Whichenour." [' Lif
of Wallace.'] Edward II. spent the first six days
October, 1310, at Biggar. — In 1651, Boghall castle h
this parish, held out for the commonwealth of Eriglar
against General Leslie's army. This strength h
long been dismantled, and has nearly disappeared, but
more in consequence of the ruthless hand of ma
than that of time. Boghall stands upon a flat,
rather a marshy ground, half-a-mile south from th(
town, and is probably so called from its situatu
This castle formerly belonged to the Flemings, Earl
of Wigton, a family of great antiquity. They ac
quired the lands and barony of Biggar by the nu
riage of Sir Patrick Fleming with one of the
daughters and co-heiresses of the brave Sir Simc
Fraser, of Oliver Castle. This Sir Patrick was tl
second son of Sir Robert Fleming, who died in 1314]
and, like him, was a faithful friend to King Rober
Bruce. In 1451, Sir Robert de Fleming obtained
charter from James II., erecting the town of Bi
into a free burgh of barony, and by the same wt
created a lord of parliament, by the title of L(
Fleming, of Cumbernauld : and, on the 15th of June,
1452, Malcolm Fleming, his nephew, procured a
grant under the great seal, of the lands and barony
of Boghall, and some other estates. The mansion
of Boghall continued in the family of the Flemings,
until a few years ago, when Admiral Sir Charles
Elphinstone Fleming, of Cumbernauld, sold his large
estates in this parish. Mr. Grose has preserved a
view of Boghall castle.
BIN OF CULLEN, a remarkable hill in Banff-
shire, about 1^ mile south-west of the tOvvn of Cul-
len, and 2 miles from the sea, elevated 1,050 feet
above sea-level. From its conical shape, it forms a
conspicuous land-mark to mariners.
B1NCHINNIN MOUNTAINS, that portion oi
the Grampians which lies in Forfarshire. " None o
these mountains," says Headrick in his 'Genera
View of the Agriculture of Angus,' " are so abrup'
and majestic as many other alpine districts of S^ot
land, nor are they covered with such valuable herbag<
BIN
141
BIR
as falls to the lot of some. These mountains are
generally rounded and tame, are mostly covered with
a thin coat of moorish soil, and carry stunted heath,
'erhaps the only exception to this observation, are
the mountains at the head of Glen Clova. There
glen divides into two narrow defiles, and the
lley is bounded by a mountain which rises abrupt
id majestic, between the defiles into which the
len divides. This, and the contiguous mountains
chibit bold and terrific precipices; and where there
any soil, it is clothed with green and succulent
•rbage. An observation of the late Dr. Walker,
Vofessor of Natural History, Edinburgh, ' That the
*epest side of mountains, islands, and continents,
chiefly towards the west,' — is in them verified ;
e most abrupt declivity of these mountains being
>wards the west. It is hence, that the streams
rhich arise in the west and north of the county, run
liefly south-east, and receiving in their progress in-
imerable torrents from the mountains, are swelled
ito rivers before they reach the ocean. These
reams have scooped out considerable valleys among
mountains, the principal of which are Glen Isla,
nth its branches, on the west, Glen Prosen, Clova,
thnot, and Glenesk. The Grampian district of
lis county is about 24 miles from west to east, and
9 to 15 miles in the opposite direction."
BINNIE, in the parish of Uphall, Linlithgowshire,
13 miles west of Edinburgh, arid 2 miles from the
Union canal at Broxburn. There is a good sand-
stone quarry here, which is extensively used for build-
" ig in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Binnie craig rises
the height of about 450 feet.
BINNING, in the shire of Linlithgow, an ancient
irish, annexed after the Reformation to the parish
Linlithgow. Thomas Hamilton, who was by
ics VI. made one of the senators in the college of
stice, secretary of state, and lord-advocate and
ister, in 1613, was created Baron Binning and
rl of Melros, which title he afterwards changed
that of Haddington. In 1627, he was constituted
-privy-seal, which office he held for ten years,
title Lord Binning is borne by the eldest son of
Earl of Haddington.
BIRGHAM, formerly BRIGHAM, a village on the
>rthern bank of the Tweed, in the parish of Eccles,
rwickshire, immediately opposite Carham hall in
thumberland. When Henry II. of England, re-
ing on the alleged superiority of his clergy over
of Scotland, sent Hugh, Bishop of Durham,
Scotland, in 1188, to collect funds for carrying
a new crusade, the envoy, it is said, was met at
Jrigham, by William the Lion, and some of his
nobles and prelates, who boldly denied the authority
of the English church over that of Scotland, and
declined to allow the proposed subsidy to be levied
in Scotland. In 1289, a meeting of the Estates of
Scotland was held here to take into consideration
the proposal for a marriage between the Prince of
Wales, and the princess Margaret of Scotland ; and
in July, 1290, the treaty of Brigham — as it is called
— was signed here, by which a lasting peace seemed
to be secured to the two kingdoms, but which was
rendered null by the death of the young princess on
fhom so many fair hopes depended, at Orkney, on
;r voyage to Scotland from Norway, in September,
0. " See ABERDOUR, Fifeshire.
BIRNAM, a mountain in the parish of Little Dun-
keld, Perthshire, rendered classic ground by Shak-
speare. It rises, from the southern bank of the Tay,
to the height of 1,580 feet above sea-level. It is
about 12 miles distant from Dunsinnan hill, and was
in ancient times included within the bounds of a
fil forest. " When Malcolm Canmore came into
tland, supported by English auxiliaries, to recover
his dominions from Macbeth the Giant, as the country
people called him, he marched first towards Dunkeld,
in order to meet with those friends who had promised
to join him from the north. This led him to Birnam
wood, where accidentally they were induced, either
by way of distinction, or from some other motive, to
ornament their bonnets, or to carry about with them
in their hands the branches of trees. The people in
the neighbourhood stated, as the tradition of the
country, that they were distinguished in this situa-
tion by the spy whom Macbeth had stationed to
watch their motions. He then began to despair, in
consequence of the witches' predictions, who had
warned him to beware ' when Birnam wood should
come to Dunsinnan ;' and when Malcolm prepared
to attack the castle, where it was principally defend-
ed by the outer rocks, he immediately deserted it;
and flying ran up the opposite hill, pursued by Macr
duff; but finding it impossible to escape, he threw
himself from the top of the hill, was killed upon the
rocks, and buried at the Lang Man's Grave, as it is
called, which is still extant. Not far from this
grave is the road where, according to tradition,
Banco was murdered. The resemblance between
these traditions and Shakspeare's account of the
same event, in his tragedy of Macbeth, is extremely
remarkable, and suggests the idea that this celebrated
dramatist must have collected the tradition upon the
spot; because, had he taken the subject of his play
from the Scottish history, he must have represented
Macbeth as having perished at a different part of the
country. The only material difference between the
tradition and the tragedy is, that by the former Mac-
beth cast himself from the top of a rock ; whereas
Shakspeare, in consistency with poetical justice, as
well as to give greater interest to the catastrophe,
represents the usurper as falling in single combat
with Macduff, whom he had so deeply injured. In
Guthrie's * History of Scotland,' (vol. viii. p. 358.)
it is stated, that, anno 1599, king James desired
Elizabeth to send him a company of English come-
dians ; with which request she complied ; and James
s*ave them a license to act in his capital, and before
his court. ' I have great reason,' he adds, ' to think
that the immortal Shakspeare was of the number.'
There is no doubt that in 1589 plays were actually
exhibited in Perth, within a few miles of Dunsinnan
or Dunsinain. From the old records kept at Perth
of that year, it appears that on the 3d of June the
kirk-session of Perth authorized this amusement,
after having examined the copy of the play. The
actors were at that time all of them men, no women
having appeared on the stage till the reign of Charles
ihe Second." [' Beauties of Scotland,' vol. iv. pp.
320—322.] See DUNSINNAN.
BIRNIE,* a parish in the shire of Elgin ; bounded
on the west, north, and east, by the parish of Elgin ;
and on the south by Rothes and Dallas. The figure
of the parish is irregular, but comes near to an oval
shape ; the distance from the northern to the south-
ern extremity being about 5 miles, and from the
eastern to the western about 2 miles. The greater
>art of the surface consists of high hills covered with
leath. The cultivated soil, however, in the valleys,
rid on the sides of hills, and the several falls of water
n the rocky channel of the rivulets, have formed
some beautifully diversified scenes. The parish is
ntersected by three rivulets, the Lennock, the Bar-
* "This parish was named Brenuth about the beginning: of
he 13th century : a name probably derived from Brae-nut, that
s, * High land abounding in nuts ;' for many hazel-trees once
Tew upon the Bides of the hills and banks of the rivulets, and
he general appearance of the parish is hilly. The natives pro-
ounce it Burn-nigh, that is, 4 A village near the burn or river.'
'his etymology is descriptive enough of the particular place
o\v called Birnie."— Old Statistical Account.
BIR
142
BIR
den, and the Rushcroock, which flow into the river
Lossie. The Lossie taking its rise in the parish of
Edinkillie, and gliding through the parish of Dallas,
receives the burn of Lennock on the west side of
Birnie parish, then flows through the northern end
of the parish, and, after a course of about 25 miles,
falls into the Moray frith at the harbour of Lossie-
mouth. There are" about 100 acres of deep rich
loam on its banks. This river abounds in burn-
trouts and eels. Salmon and white trouts swim up
the river about Lammas, and afford fine diversion to
the angler. The Lossie is subject to violent floods.
Its most remarkable inundations happened in the
years 1768, 1782, and 1829. The parish contains
5,784 Scots acres, of which 850 were under cultiva-
tion in 1791, and 2,130 in 1829. It is divided into
40 compact farms, varying from 20 to 120 acres, and
held in leases of 19 years. About 450 acres are
under wood. The real rent, in 1791, was £360 ; in
1835, £1,200. Population, in 1801, 366; in 1831,
408. Assessed property, in 1815, £10. Houses 82.
. — This parish is in the presbytery of Elgin, and synod
of Moray. Patron, the Earl of Moray. Stipend
£156 8s. 4d., with a glebe of the value of £17-
The church was repaired in 1734 and 1817, and
seats 253. It is built with hewn freestone, and con-
sists of a nave and choir. The late Mr. Shaw — a
learned and respectable clergyman of this presbytery,
who published the history of Morayshire in 1775 —
says, that it is probable that the bishop's first
cathedral in this diocese was situated in Birnie, and
that Simeon de Tonei, one of the bishops of Moray,
was burred in Birnie in 1184. " It is held in great
veneration by many in this county," says the Statis-
tical reporter in 1791. " They still, in some measure,
entertain a superstitious conceit that prayers there
offered up three several sabbaths will surely be
heard. Insomuch that when a person is indisposed,
or of bad behaviour, this common saying obtains,
* You have need to be prayed for thrice in the church
of Birnie, that you may either end or mend.' "
There are a parochial and a private school in this
parish. Salary of parish schoolmaster £26. — A stone
baptistery, and an old bell made of a mixture of sil-
ver and copper, of an oblong figure, named the coro-
nach, are still kept in the church as relics of antiquity.
Tradition relates that the bell was made at Rome,
and consecrated by the Pope. — The Biblestone,
having the figure of a book engraven upon it, lying
about a mile east from the church, on the side of
the road leading from Birnie to Rothes, has probably
been placed there as a land-mark The cairn of
Killforman, of a conical figure, 300 feet in circum-
ference at the base, has been probably placed over
the remains of a brave man whose exploits are now
forgotten — A cave in the middle of a steep rock,
near the Gedloch, was, according to tradition, haunt-
ed about 150 years ago by a gang of armed ruffians
who had no visible way of obtaining the means of
subsistence but by theft and robbery. Some vestiges
of an encampment can be traced near the burn of
Barden. It commands a prospect of the Moray frith,
from Speymouth to Cromarty bay. Probably the
Danes, after invading this part of the country, had a
camp there. This parish is entirely the property of
the Earl of Seafield, who has done a great deal for
its agricultural improvement, advancing the sum of
£5 to his tenants for every acre of land brought
under cultivation.
B1RSAY AND HARRAY, two united parishes
in the northern part of Pomona or the Mainland of
Orkney. Its general form is an oblong square,
measuring 7| miles by 5 miles ; and, in superficies,
48 square miles, or thereabout. The parish is bound-
ed on the west and north sides by the sea. It is a
hilly but not mountainous district. There are si*
lakes within the parish, which abound with ducks
and other kinds of water-fowl, and with swans in the
spring and fall of the year. There are two or three
small burns containing fine trout, and sometimes
salmon. The extent of sea-coast is about 10 miles ;
the shore is rocky. The flood-tide here sets right
in from the north- west upon the point of the Brough
of Birsay, where it splits, one part flowing east-
wards towards Evie sound, whence it goes away with
a rapid stream towards Kirk wall ; and the other
westwards down the Sandwick shore, till it get in to
the indraught of Hoy sound, where it becomes very
strong. The head-lands are Marwick-head on the
west, the Brough-head on the north-west, and the
North-craig on the north. The hills are covered
with heath, arid what is here called lubba, a sort ot
grass which feeds the cattle in summer time, and
generally consists of different species of carices, bent
and other moor-grasses. The wild quadrupeds of
this parish are, rabbits, the brown or Norwegian rat,
the short tailed field-mouse, common mice, and a
small species of mice called here wights. Seals and
otters are also found here. The return to Dr. Web-
ster in 1755, for Birsay and Harray, was 2,200 souls.
In 1801, the population was 2,176; in 1831, 2,245.
Houses 537. The assessed property, in 1815, was
£202. The valued rent of the parish is £3, 144 1 Is.
Scots This parish is in the presbytery of Cairston,
and synod of Orkney. Stipend £218 6s. 8d., with a
glebe valued at £21. Patron, the Earl of Zetland.
The church was built in 1664; repaired in 1760;
and recently reseated for 565. There are several
standing stones or obelisks in this parish. Remains
of popish chapels are numerous, because every Erys-
land of 18 penny land had one for matins and ves-
pers, but now all are in ruins. There are no towns
in this parish, and only one ancient ruinous building,
which was the palace of the Earls of Orkney. Robert
Stuart, natural brother to Queen Mary, and his son
Patrick, made great additions to this place ; it is now
in ruins,, but has been built upon the model of Holy-
roodhouse, being a square area, with a well in the
middle. Above the gate was the famous inscription,
which, among other points of dittay, cost Earl Patrick
his head. It run as follows : " Dominus Robertus
Stuartus, filius Jacobi quinti Rex Scotorum, hoc opus
instruxit." Above his coat of arms was the follow-
ing motto: " Sic fuit, est, et erit." The parochial
schoolmaster has a salary of 900 merks Scots, be-
sides some perquisites, which are generally paid in
kind. The schoolmaster has likewise the session
clerkship, which yields £20 Scots. Two charity
schools have been established in this parish, by a
mortification left by Nicol Spence, church-agent
Harray is under the same ministry as Birsay, and is
joined with Birsay on the north-west. Towards the
west it touches Sandwick ; on the west, south-west,
and south, it is bounded by a large brackish loch
commonly called the Loch of Harry; and on the
other quarters, by Stenness, a small part of Firth,
and the hills that part it from Randale. A new
church has recently been erected here. The parish-
minister officiates alternately at Harray and at
Birsay ; but he employs an assistant at a salary
of £60 per annum, so as to insure service each
sabbath at each church. — An Original Secession
congregation was established at Birsay in 1801.
Church built in 1829; sittings 470. Stipend £65.
— An Independent church was formed at Harray
about 1818. Stipend £60 — The ancient Norse
language long prevailed in Harray, more so than
in any other part of the country, but is now worn
out : the names of places here are all undoubtedly
Norwegian.
Bill
143
Bill
BIRSE,* a parish in the south of Aberdeenshiro,
1 district of Kincardine O'Neil ; bounded on the
rth by the river Dee ; on the east by Kincardine ;
the south by Forfarshire; and on the west by
jntanar. Its extent from east to-west is about 12
3, and from the Dee on the north to the south-
boundary it is nearly of equal admeasurement.
It m;iy be divided into three large straths or districts.
?he largest, in the south-east part of the parish, is
'led Feughside. It has the Feugh, a tributary of
Dee, running through it ; and is about 3 miles
ig, arid 2 broad. On the banks of the Feugh, and
:ig the Grampian hills is situated the forest or
in of Birse. The middle strath or district is called
the Water Chattie. It is about 4 miles long, and 1
broad. On the south of the burn is Midstrath, and
the north Ballogie. The most northerly district
long the south side of the Dee ; through it runs
burn of Birse. The church and manse are
ited here. This district is about 2^ miles long,
1£ broad. It is vulgarly called the Six Towns,
whole parish is divided into what was called 24
ms; and each town, in 1792, was supposed to
itain from 80 to 85 arable acres. The surface is
•ky and mountainous, but beautifully diversified
.•ith hill and dale, wood and water. The largest
itations, and greatest number of trees of all sorts,
i on the estate of Finzeari ; but among many others
ire two remarkable trees, the one at Midstrath,
the other at Ballogie. The one at Midstrath
was an ash. It was commonly called the Maiden of
Midstrath. We regret to say, this noble tree perish-
ed in one of the destructive gales in 1833. There is
no authentic record of the Maiden's birth ; but tra-
dition, with great probability, refers it to the end of
the 16th century. The following are the dimensions
of this venerable ash-tree, probably one of the most
rkable in the North of Scotland : —
remar
Oil
Uo
Gil
Set
Girth of the trunk at the root . . 21 feet
Do. do. 9 fret from the ground . . 18 feet
Here it divided into four branches.
Girth nf the largest 10 feet
Second 8 feet 10 in.
Third 7 f«et
Fourth 6 feet
Containing 500 cubic feet at the lowest estimate.
The tree at Ballogie is a birch of the weeping sort,
from 70 to 80 feet high. It has a straight stem of
50 feet and upwards, and is 5 feet in circumference
through the whole. Three large ridges of hills run
through this parish in a south-west direction till they
terminate in the Grampians, of which indeed they
are a part. Peter-hill, the White-hill, and Mulbrax",
are in the southern ridge. The Ords, the Shooting-
greens, Tomcairn, Corse-Dardar, Midstrath, Arn-
tilly, Lamachip, and Brackenstaik, are in the middle
ridge. The most northerly ridge takes its rise at
Inchbair, and terminates at Cairnferg. On the west
of the parish are the hills of Birsemore, Deuchry,
and Mount-Ganiach. Mount Battach is also claimed
as belonging to Birse. Its height by Garden's map
of the county of Kincardine, is 1,150 yards above
the level of the sea. Mount Ganiach is conjectured
be about 1,000 yards above sea-level. Peter-hill
" Mulbrax may be rated at 900 yards. Cairnferg,
remarkably conspicuous conical mount, may be
)ut 700 yards. On Mount Ganiach there is a well
lied St. Corn's* well ; but concerning it there is no
lition. The Dee here abounds with excellent
The ancient name of this parish is said to have been Press,
meaning in Gaelic 'a Wood or Thicket.' A great part of the
parish is covered with natural wood, such as fir, birch, ash,
alder, mountain-ash, gean or black cherry, holly, hazel, aspen,
and oak. The name seems to have been writteu 1' reins, then
Breint ,- and this is inscribed on the communion-cups about a
century ago. In some writings it is called Brass, and it now
ubtains the uarae of Birse. — Statistical Account in
salmon, grilse, sea-trout, sterlings, (here called dow-
brecks,) trout, and parr, with some pikes, fresh
water flounders, with finnicks. Feugh is the most
considerable stream within the parish. It rises on.
the western skirts of the parish from Mount Ganiach,
and flows eastwards. It produces salmon, and most
of the sorts of fish above-mentioned, and would
abound with them, were they not stopped by a con-
siderable water-fall near its influx into the Dee,
opposite to Barichory-Tenum, which prevents the
salmon from getting up except when the river is
flooded. The Feugh receives the Aven before it
leaves the parish of Birse, and then flows north-east
into the Dee. The principal roads in the parish, are
the great road from the Cairn O'Mount, which enters
this parish at the bridge of Whitestone, a mile north
of the inn of Cutties-Hillock, and leads northward
to the Dee at Inchbair. Another road passes through
the greater part of the parish, from the ferry over
the Dee at Aboyne, to the bridge of Whitestone.
There is a bridge over the burn of Birse, nigh the
church ; and at Potarch, over the Dee, near Inch-
bair, by which the Great south and north road is
carried across the Dee. This parish is famous for its
honey of great richness and flavour. Two men in
the Six Towns exported 100 pints each, in summer
and autumn 1791. The pint consisted of 5 lb*.
Amsterdam, and sold from 2s. 6d. to 4s. 2J. It
would now bring 10s. or 12s. " The price of la-
bour," says the Statistical reporter in 1792, "is
greatly increased from what it was. There are
living in the parish two old men who, in their
younger days, were servants, the one at 20s. and the
other at 30s. a-year. For young men to do the
same work now, there must be paid from £4 to £5>
and from £o to .£6, with their entertainment, in
which they are most extravagant, often requiring
better entertainment than the tenant can afford to
himself. Women-servants have from £'2 to £'2 10s. ;
and a few house-servants .£3; herd-boys from 12s.
to 20s. for the summer half-year. When the chil-
dren of the tenant grow up, he employs them. This
is his first relief: before, he was much at the mercy
of merciless menials. A day-labourer — of whom we
have few — gets 6d. and victuals; at some work he
requires more ; for in harvest he gets Is. and up-
wards ; a wright, 8d., and lately lOd. ; a tailor, Gd.
and victuals; a mason, from Is. 6d. to Is. 9d. with-
out victuals. The blacksmith works by the piece,
and is very extravagant in his demand. The
weaver asks 2^d. or 3d. for what was formerly
done at Id. the ell. Shoes are at an exorbitant
rate, triple of what they were 30 years ago. The
poorer sort have much ado to purchase that
necessary article. The women of the parish are
chiefly employed in the knitting of stockings, or
spinning of lint- yarn. By the former they earn,
when working on their own account, Is. 8d. or 2s.
the week; by the latter a little more. If working
on account of a master, they often earn less." Wages
are nearly doubled since this report was made ; but
provisions are also doubled in price. During the
years 1790 and 1791, meal sold from 13s. to 17s. the
boll, of 9 stone Amsterdam ; bear from 15s. to 19s.
the boll. Butter sold from 6d. to 8d. the pound, of
28 ounces ; cheese from 5s. to 6s. the stone ; eggs
at 2d. the 12 ; a chicken 2d., arid a hen from 6d. to
8d. ; salmon about 3d. the pound. Illicit distillation
prevailed to a great extent in this district previous
to the late modification of tb? excise duties. Gor-
don of Cluny was once proprietor of upwards of
two-thirds of this parish. The valued rent is £3,139
8s. 4d. Scots. The assessed property, in 1815, was
£2,218. Population, in 1791, 1,253 ; in 1801, 1,266 ;
in 1831, 1,476. Houses, in 1831, 297 This parish ig
BIR
144
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in the presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil, and synod of
Aberdeen. "The Crown is patron. The church,
built in 1779. is a substantial and commodious edifice.
Minister's stipend £158 7s. 4d., with a glebe of the
value of £7. The church-session are proprietors of
a piece of land which yields from £4 to £5 yearly.
Dr. Gilbert Ramsay, of the island of Barbadoes,
mortified, in 1732, for the behoof of the poor, £500.
Robert Farquharson of Finzean, mortified 600 merks;
and £20 were left by Isaac Robertson of Grenada,
in 1789. The parochial schoolmaster has £28 of
salary, with fees. His school is attended by about
60 children ; and there are four private schools, the
joint attendance on which is about 90. Dr. Rarnsay
also mortified £500 for the support of a free school —
one of these four— in the east end of this parish. On
the hill, about a mile north-east of Finzean, bearing
the name of Corse-Dardar, there is a place marked
near the way-side with a long granite-stone, which
is reported to mark the spot where King Dardanus,
the 20th from Fergus I. was put to death.
B1RSELEY, a hamlet and colliery in the parish
of Tranent, and shire of Haddington, about 1£ mile
south of the spot on which the battle of Prestonpans
•was fought in 1745. It was from the rising grounds
here, or ' Birseley brae,' that the chevalier's troops
descended to meet their opponents.
BISHOP'S LOCH, a small piece of water on the
southern skirts of the parish of New Machar, Aber-
deenshire, between Loch hills and Foulin hill.
BISHOP'S LOCH, a narrow strip of water,
about a mile in length, lying between Calder parish,
and Old Monkland, in the shire of Lanark.
B1SHOPTON, a village in the parish of Erskine,
Renfrewshire. Bishopton ridge, which divides the
low land near Paisley from the Clyde, is composed of
solid whiristone rock. The Glasgow, Paisley, and
Greenock railway passes through it for a distance of
2,300 yards. There are two tunnels in the middle
of the ridge, having an open part 100 yards long, and
70 feet deep, between them. These tunnels are 320
and 340 yards long respectively. The depth of the
open cutting at the entrance to each is 70 feet ; and
the length, from the face of the east tunnel is 748
yards, and from the face of the west tunnel 946 yards.
BLACKADDER* (THE), a stream of the Merse
division of Berwickshire, whose head-streams de-
scend from the mountains in the north -west part of
Westruther parish, and from Dirrington law in the
parish of Longformacus, and flowing south-east to-
wards Greenlaw, fetch a circuit to the south of that
town in one conjoined stream. From Greenlaw,
the Blackadder flows north-east through the parishes
of Greenlaw, Fogo, and Edrom, to the Whitadder,
which it joins a little above Allanton. The total
length of this stream is about 20 miles. The height
of its head-springs above sea -level may be 1,130 feet.
It is supposed to derive its name from the prevailing
dark tinge of its waters, occasioned by the nature of
the soil through which it flows.
BLACKBURN, a village in the parish of Living-
stone, 3^ miles west of Livingstone, and 2| east of
Whitbuin. The south road from Edinburgh to
Glasgow passes through it. A cotton mill here em-
ployed 100 hands, in 1838; and a flax mill, 42 bands.
BLACKBURN (THE), a small river of Liddes-
dale, in *,be parish of Castletown, Roxburghshire,
celebrated for the romantic falls and cascades which
are formed by its stream. One of the falls is
feet in height, and 20 in breadth; and another
feet in height, and 36 in breadth. In one part of its
course a natural bridge of stone seemed to be thrown
» Usually pronounced and sometimes written Blackatcr,
which is probably uearer the true etyibolugy of the word, viz.
H lack water.
across the river. It was 55 feet long, 31 in spar
and 10i broad ; and the thickness of the arch was 2
feet of solid stone. The arch was not composed t
an entire rock, but had the appearance of severs
square stones united together in the neatest mannei
The height of the arch from the water was 31 fee
This bridge gave way in April 1810. The Black
burn is a tributary of the Liddel.
BLACKBURN (THE), a small river in the count
of Linlithgovv, which rises on the borders of Lanarl
shire in the parish of Whitburn, and forms the prir
cipal branch of the Almond.
BLACKFORD, a parish in Perthshire, of a ci
cular figure, having a diameter of nearly 6 miles
bounded by Trinity-Gask on the north ; by Aucl
terarder and Glendevon on the east ; by Alva, Till
coultry, and Logic, on the south ; and by Dunblar
and Muthil on the west. A ridge of the Ochils o
cupies the southern part, which, towards the riv<
Devon, is steep and craggy ; but on the north it d
scends gently to the flat part of the parish which
watered by the Allan. The soil is thin, with
gravelly bottom. A great part is marshy ; and
moor of considerable extent, now under plantatio
occupies the northern part of the district. The
vicinity of the Ochils renders the climate moist and
unfavourable to vegetation. There are a few sma
lakes from which the Ruthven and the Allan tak
their rise. Freestone of a very hard quality, excellen
ly adapted for making millstones, is obtained withi
the parish. Population, in 1801, 1,520; in 183
1,918. Assessed property, in 1815, £10,330. Houst
in 1831, 321 — This parish is in the presbytery
Auchterarder, and synod of Perth and Stirling
Patron, Moray of Abercairney. Minister's stipeu
£206 11s., with a glebe of the value of £11
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d., with £22 fee
There were four private schools within the paris
in 1834. Average number of scholars at the fiv
schools, 250.— The village of Blackford is 9£ mil<
north-east of Dunblane. A cattle-fair is held at
on the 3d Wednesday in October. There wei
formerly several chapels in this parish; and, befoi
the year 1745, divine service was occasionally pe
formed in one at the house of Gleneagles, the buria
place of the family of Haldane ; and in another nes
the castle of Tullibardine, in the choir of which ti
dukes of Athol formerly interred. Besides thes
there are the vestiges of two chapels in Mahany, !
one of which is a burying-grourid still in use by tl
inhabitants of the neighbourhood. Upon an em
nence, fronting Gleneagles, are the vestiges of a sma
Roman camp ; there are also several Druidical ci
cles. In this parish, the ancestors of the duke
Montrose had their ordinary residence, at the cast
of Kincardine, which was burned in the time of th
Civil wars, and has never been rebuilt. In Tulli
bardine stand the remains of a castle of that nam(
the seat, in former times, of the earls of Tullibai
dine, who, for a long tiaie after that family came t
the titles of Athole, resided here some part of tb
year. In 1715, it was garrisoned by a party of tb
Earl of Marr's army, and taken by the Duke (
Argyle ; before the year 1745, Lord George Murra
and his family inhabited it ; but since that time
has been suffered to go to ruin. Tullibardine giv<
the title of marquis to the illustrious family of Mu
ray, Duke of Athole.
BLACKFORD HILL, an eminence about 1
mile south of Edinburgh, divided from Braid hill c
the south by a ravine which is intersected by Bra
burn. " It is well worth while to ascend to the top <
Blackford hill, from which a fine prospect of Euii
burgh, the frith of Forth, the coast of Fife, the L<
mond and Ochil hills, even to the Grampian mom
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145
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is commanded. In ascending from the bottom
the valley through which the rivulet winds, we
reach one summit ; and in gaining the next, the
iving into view of the castle, spires, and other
Idings of the city, piled in irregular masses, and
feloped in the sombre obscurity of its smoke, seems
if all were in motion by the power of enchant-
nt. On obtaining the topmost ridge of the hill,
extent of prospect truly sublime and beautiful
Is out before us. Immediately beneatk the north
>w, Blackford mansion-house, half hid among trees,
1 several others near it, of an old construction and
:-tf appear on the plain below. One of these,
jly, Grange-house, was that in which Principal
Robertson breathed his last. Winding by cautious
and slow degrees down the declivity of Blackford
hill, we descend into Egypt; through which, after
crossingthe river [brook] Jordan, we pass into Canaan
and other regions of the Holy Land ; for thus are the
circumjacent fields in the neighbourhood of Braid
denominated. We may take a short cut by the
farm-house of Egypt to the turnpike-road leading
to Edinburgh by Borrough-moor Head, Merchieston-
house, and thence by Bruntsfield links, and the Cage
walk, into the city." [Campbell's 'Journey from
Edinburgh,' vol.ii. pp. 288,289. London, 1802. 4to.]
BLACKHOUSE, an old square tower, on Douglas
burn in Selkirkshire, about 4 miles south of Traquair,
one of the most ancient seats of the puissant family
of Douglas. It now gives name to a sheep-farm of
about 4,000 acres in size, belonging to the Earl of
Traquair. It is said to be mentioned as early as the
reign of Malcolm Canmore. The tower might be
built by William, first Earl of Douglas, when he
succeeded to the Forest: for Robert Bruce had
granted to his favourite warrior, Sir James Douglas,
the forests of Selkirk and Traquair. From the
tower of Blackhouse, according to tradition, Lady
Margaret Douglas was carried off by her lover ; be-
tween whom and her seven brothers a most bloody
scene took place, as they all perished in attempting
to bring her back to her father's house. Her lover
also slain. Seven large stones, on the heights
of Blackhouse, are pointed out as marking the ditfer-
»t spots where the brothers fell. Lady Margaret
d her lover are said to have been buried in St.
ary's chapel, which stood in the neighbourhood.
" Lord William was buried in St. Marie's kirk,
Lady Margaret in Marie's quire ;
Out o' the lady's grave grew a bonnie red roee,
Aud out o' tliu knight's a brier.
And they t\va met, and they tvva plait,
And taiti they wad be near ;
And a' the warld might ken right weel,
They were twa lovers dear.
But bye and rade the black Douglas,
And wow bat he was rot '
For he
And
'f aua raae uie oiacK uougu
wow bat he was rough !
! pull'd up the bonny brier,
nang'd in St. Marie's loch."
Their fate is commemorated in a very beautiful tradi-
ry ballad, of which we have quoted the last three
izas. In a MS. in the possession of Lord Traquair,
1711 — from which the circumstances above-
nentioned are extracted — this is called ' Lord William
md Fair Margaret.' But like most of our popular bal-
ads it has borne different names. It is published, in
:he Minstrelsy of the Border, vol. iii. 243, &c., under
he title of ' The Douglas Tragedy.' This place
s merely mentioned by Chalmers as " Blackhouse
o\\ er, on Douglas burn." Godscroft says, that " the
:ldest sonne" of William, " first created Lord of
Douglas at the parliament of Forfaire," held by
Vialcolm Canmore, " was Sir John of Douglasburn,
vhich is a parcell of ground and mannour lying be-
wixt Ettrick forrest and Peebles." According to
this writer, " he and his brother William were both
knights at the same parliament," in which their
father was nobilitated. It may be added, as a fur-
ther memorial of the connection of this district with
the Crown, that the name of the King's road is stil1
given to a road which runs from Blackhouse to Hen-
derland, on Megget water, where it is said there
was another royal hunting-seat. This place was
held, in a later age, by that famous freebooter Cock •
burn ; and here his tomb-stone is still pointed out.
On the banks of this beautiful stream, it is, indeed,
said, there are the remains of two old towers, which
appear to have been built, partly for accommodating
the kings of Scotland, when on their hunting parties
in the forest ; as well as the traces of three or four
roads in different directions across the hills, sup-
posed to have been cut out for the king and his suite
when they went a-hunting.
BLACKHOUSE HEIGHTS, a ridge of hills in
the county of Selkirk, dividing the upper part of the
vale of Yarrow from Tweeddale. The highest point
of elevation in these hills measures 2,370 feet above
the level of the sea.
BLACK ISLE (THE). See ARDMEANACH.
BLACKNESS, a small port on the frith of Forth,
in the parish of Carriden, Linlithgovvshire, 3£ miles
east of Borrowstounness, and 5 west of Queensferry.
It was in ancient times the port of Linlithgow, from
which it is about 5 miles distant; but trade has
totally left this place, and the village owes its chief
distinction to the old castle of Blackness, which is
generally supposed to mark the eastern extremity of
ANTONINUS'S WALL : See that article. The town
and port of Blackness were anciently of great dis-
tinction, and formed the principal emporium of this
part of Scotland. " There were," says Sir Robert
Sibbald, " many rich men masters of ships lying
there ; and the cities of Glasgow, Stirling, and Lin-
lithgow, had a great trade from thence with Holland,
Bremen, Hamburgh, Queensburgh, and Dantzick,
and furnished all the West country with goods they
imported from these places, and were loaded outwards
with the product of our own country." The attack
of the port of Blackness was usually a principal ob-
ject with the English in their expeditions into the
frith of Forth. In 1481, under the reign of Jamea
III., they burnt the town with a store-ship which
was lying in the harbour. When, in 1487, the nobles,
irritated by the conduct of James, took up arms, in
the course of military operations, they met his troops
near Blackness, and a skirmish ensued, which, ter-
minating to the disadvantage of the king, he con-
cluded with them the pacification of Blackness,
[Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, vol. ii. p. 210]
which, however, did not produce any lasting har
mony. During the victorious expedition of Somer-
set into' Scotland, under the reign of Edward HI. of
England, Blackness was one of the objects of attack.
The result is thus stated by Patten, in his narrative
of this expedition : •« My Lord Clynton, hye Admiral
of this flete, taking with him the galley (whearof one
Broke is Captain) and iiii. or v of our smaller ves-
sels besides, all well appointed with municion and
men, rowed up the frith a ten myle westward, to a
haven town standyng on the south shore called
Blacknestes, whereat, towardes the water syde is a
castel of a pretty strength. As nye whear unto as
the depth of the water thear woold suffer, the
Skots, for savegard, had laied ye Mary Willoughby,
and the Antony of Newcastel, ii tall ships, vvhiche
with extreme injury they had stollen from us before
tyme, whe no war between us ; with these ley thear
also an oother large vessel called (by them) the
Bosse, and a vii mo, whearof part laden with mer-
chandize. My Lord Clynton, and his copenie, wfc
K
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146
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right hardy approche, after a great conflicte betwixt
the castel arid our vessels, by fyne force, wan from
them those iii ships of name, and burnt all ye residue
before their faces as they ley." [Dalziel's ' Fragment
of Scottish History,' p. 80.] Under the reign of
Charles II., Blackness was one of the king's castles,
and the Earl of Livingston was hereditary constable.
In the course of the 16th century Borrowstounness,
being nearer to Linlitbgow, and possessing some
other advantages of situation, rose to a rivalship
with Blackness ; and in 1680, it succeeded, notwith-
standing the opposition of the latter place, in being
declared a port for entry. Blackness thereupon sunk
gradually into total insignificance, and scarcely any
vestiges of the town now remain. The castle, how-
ever, is still kept up, in conformity to an article in
the treaty of Union. It was usually garrisoned by a
governor, lieutenant-governor, 2 gunners, 1 Serjeant,
2 corporals, and 14 or 15 privates.
BLACKSHIELS, a small village, 15 miles south-
east of Edinburgh, on the road to Kelso. The next
stage southwards from this leads across Soutra hill.
BLACKSIDE-END, a mountain on the north-
east boundary of the parish of Lorn in Ayrshire,
having an altitude of above 1,500 feet, and com-
manding a splendid view, embracing parts, it is said,
of no fewer than sixteen different counties. A few
years ago, a curious phenomenon was observed near
this hill after a thunder-storm which occurred about
the middle of March. Near the base of the hill,
something like an open quarry, which had not been
perceptible on the preceding day, attracted the at-
tention of people in the neighbourhood, and on going
to the spot they found, to their astonishment, an ex-
cavation in the ground 60 feet long, 40 broad, and
16 in depth. The earth scooped out was not scat-
tered round the pit, but thrown down at one place
at 120 feet distance from the hole or cavity; and
part remained in lumps of from 3 to 6 feet square,
with many stones of some hundred weight. The
earth on the sides and bottom of the pit remained
firm and solid, without rent or aperture. The soil
was what is called hill-moss or black earth, a few
inches in thickness ; and under the moss was hard
till, some of it of a red colour, and part of it blue,
without any appearance of rock of any kind. The
preceding day had been stormy, with flashes of
lightning, and that this excavation was effected by
the invisible but irresistible element can scarcely ad-
mit of doubt.
BLADENOCH (THE), a river in Galloway. It
rises in the hills which divide Galloway from Car-
rick, and, after a winding course of 24 miles, empties
itself into the bay of Wigton. Several islands, once
famous for the resort of eagles, are formed in its bed.
Good salmon are found in this stream.
BLADENOCH, a village in the parish of Wigton,
Wigtonshire; about a mile south-west of the town
of Wigton, within the parliamentary boundaries of
which it is included. There is a large distillery here.
BLAIR-ATHOLE, an extensive parish in the
district of Athole, in Perthshire, comprising the
united parishes of Blair- A thole and Strowan, which
anciently comprehended the parishes of Blair- Athole,
Strowan, Lude, and Kilmaveonaig.* These united
parishes extend upwards of 30 miles in length; and
* Blair, or blar, properly signifies ' a Plain clear of woods ;'
but the Celtae, of whom the Gael were a branch, in general
choosing such plains for their fields of battle, blar came at
length to signify a battle. Strowan, or struthain, signifies
• Streams ;' and the district is BO called from the confluence of
the Garry and the Erochty at that place. Kilmaveonaig, signifies
•the Place of worship,' or 'the Burial place of St. Eonog,' or
Veonpg, or Veonaig. Lude, orfLe'oid, seems to signify De-
clivities where a plough can bring a furrow only one way
Old Statittical Account.
allowing for the ascents and descents of the hills, 18
in breadth. Their superficial area has been estimated
at 312 square miles. They are bounded on the north
by Inverness-shire ; on the north-east by Aberdeen-
shire ; on the east by Kirkmichael and Moulin
parishes ; on the south by Dull parish ; and on the
west by Rannoch. An extensive well-cultivated
strath or valley lies along the Garry, from the kirk-
town of Strowan, for 6 miles downwards; and
Strath-Tummel runs along the loch of that name,
which is about 2 miles long. Between these two
straths is a stretch of moorland about 4 miles in
breadth. The rest of the parish consists of smal
straths or glens along the rivulets which descen<
from the mountains, of naked rocks, and extensive
moor clad hills. On the summits of the highe
mountains, the weather has left little else than
gravel and stones covered with moss. Farther down
we find heath, uva ursi, and the crawberry plant ; on
boggy places, the cloudberry, and on drier ground
the whortleberry with coarse grass. Still lovve
down, amidst heath and peat-bog, occur small valley
with pretty good pasture, and here and there a green
spot, with huts to which the women, children, am
herds, retire with the cattle for the summer-season
The vestiges of the plough are often seen here mucl
higher up than it goes at present ; probably because
wood then clothed the higher places, and much o
the bottom was a thicket. Every glen and valley is
intersected by its own river, or stream ; and in some
of them there occurs a loch. The most remarkable
mountain is Beinndeirg, or Bendearg, i. e. ' the
Red mountain,' so called from a vein of red stone
said to be a kind of granite, which intersects it. I
rises 3,550 feet above the level of the sea; but is
exceeded by Bengloe, or Benygloe, the highest pin-
nacle of which, Carn-nan-gour, or Carn-nan-Gabhar
. e. 'the Mountain of goats,' rises 3,725 feet above
sea-level. The other summits of this mountain are
Cam Liath, Cam Torkie, and Airgiodbheann. There
are several lochs, and two considerable rivers, the
Tummel and the Garry, in this parish. See articles
TUMMEL and GARRY. The principal streams are
the Erochty or Erickhie, the Bruar, and the Tilt
which are all tributaries of the Garry. See articles
BRUAR and TILT. The Dukes of Athol, and Ro-
bertson of Lude, have planted a greal deal in this
•ish. The prevailing kinds of timber are birch,
alder, ash, oak, poplar, and hazle ; the shrubs art
willow, broom, bog-gall, heath, £c. — The village o
Blair- Athole is situated on the road from Edinburgl
to Fort Augustus. A fair is held at Blair- Atholi
on the 2d of February, and for cattle and horses 01
the 3d Wednesday in May. Bridge-of-Tilt cattl
fairs are held on the 25th of June, and 20th of Au
gust, O. S In 1792, it was conjectured that o
about 130,000 Scots acres, the supposed superficia
area of this parish, not above 4,000 were unde
tillage. The valued rent is £4,204 18s. 8d. Scots
The value of assessed property in 1815 was .£3.720
as returned under assessment to the property tax fc
the year ending April 1843, £11,846. Populatior
n 1801, 2,848; in 1831, 2,384; in 1841, 2,231
Houses, in 1831, 520 ; in 1841, 486.— This paris
s in the presbytery of Dunkeld, and synod of Pert
and Stirling. Patron, the Duke of Athole. Mini
ter's stipend £143 19s. 4d., with three glebes of tl
annual value of £95 10s. Unappropriated teim
£443 Os. 5d. There are two parish-churches, one
Blair, and one at Strowan, about 5 miles dista
from each other. The church of Blair was built
1825, and seats 650 ; that at Strowan, in 1828, a:
seats 460. A portion of the eastern extremity
the parish, with a population of about 200, has i
cently been annexed quoad sacra to the new chur
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parish of TENNANDRY : which see. There is an
liscopalian congregation at Kilmaveonaig, which
existed there about 150 years. Chapel built in
U ; seats 200. Stipend about £78 10s.— A Bap-
congregation was also established at Kilmave-
in 1821. — The parochial schoolmaster has a
ry of .£34 4s. 4d., with about £14 fees; pupils
There were seven private schools within the
rish in 1834, attended by about 200 children.— On
i east bank of the Tilt, south-east of Athole-house,
Magh-ghil-Aindreas, or 'the cemetery of Andrew's
iple.' The Tilt has left only a small portion of this
^ing-plaee. The coffins which are found in it are
illy composed of live flag-stones On the north
of Beinnglo, is Lochainn, i. e. ' the River that
slow like a loch.' It runs from Lochloch, towards
the Tilt. Upon Lochainn are the vestiges of a
dace in which the Earl of Athole entertained James
his mother, and the French ambassador, in a
st sumptuous manner ; and, which was burnt to
; ground, as soon as the king left it To the east
Athole-house there is a deep pool, with a rock
it, whence adulteresses were of old thrown, sewed
in a sack, and drowned. — Blair castle, or Athole
ise, seated on an eminence rising from a plain
jred by the Garry, is of uncertain antiquity,
oldest part is called Cummin's tower, being
>posed to have been built by John, commonly
" jd De Strathbogy, who enjoyed the title of Athole
right of his wife. It became the principal seat of
successors. In 1644 the Marquis of Montrose
sed himself of it, and was here joined by a
body of the Athole Highlanders, to whose
ivery he was indebted for the victory at Tibbir-
In the troubles of 1653, this place was taken
storm by Colonel Daniel, an officer of Cromwell,
>, unable to remove a magazine of provision lodged
re, destroyed it by powder. In 1689, it occasion-
the celebrated battle of Killicrankie. An officer
tiging to Viscount Dundee had flung himself into
and refusing to deliver it to Lord Murray, son to
- Marquis of Athole, was by him threatened with
siege. His lordship, to effect the reduction, as-
sembled a body of forces and marched towards the
place. Dundee knew the importance of preserving
this pass, and his communications with the Highland
clans in whom he had the greatest confidence.
With his usual expedition he joined the garrison ;
and, in a few days, after concluded his life with the
well-known defeat of the royal forces under Mackay,
at Killicrankie. The last siege it experienced was
in March, 1746, when it was gallantly defended by
Sir Andrew Agnew against the rebels, who retired
from before it a few weeks preceding the battle of
Culloden. The reader will find some curious de-
tails of this siege in the • Scots Magazine' for 1808.
As soon as peace was established, a considerable
part of the fortress was reduced in height, and the
inside most magnificently furnished. " The views
in front of the house," says Pennant — who visited
this place in 1772 — " are planted with so much form,
as to be far from pleasing, but the picturesque walks
nong the rocks on the other side cannot tail to at-
ict the admiration of every traveller of taste. The
te noble owner, with great judgment, but with no
ss difficulty, cut, or rather blasted out, walks along
e vast rocks and precipices that bound the rivers
anovy and Tilt. The waters are violent, and
rm in various places cascades of great beauty,
nes and trees of several species wave solemnly
rer the head, and darken the romantic scene. The
ace appeared to great advantage : for the High-
nds, as well as other beauties, have their good and
eir bad days. The glen, that in 1769 1 thought
leiieient in water, now by reason of the rains, looked
to great advantage, and finished finely the rich
scenery of rock and wood."
BLAIR-DRUMMOND, an estate in the parish of
Kincardine, in the Menteith district of Perthshire,
chiefly celebrated for its extensive moss, and the suc-
cessful efforts which have been made to reclaim it.
This moss is a portion of the tract of land known as
the mosses of Kincardine and Flanders, which covered
above 3,000 acres to the depth of from 3 to 14 feet
Lord Kames — into whose possession the estate of
Blair-Drummond came in 1767 — commenced clearing
that part of his estate which lay in the moss; and
with this view invited a number of poor families from
Balquhidder to settle on the waste. Hitherto drain-
ing, trenching, burning, and other methods had failed ;
but the idea which presented itself to his lordship s
mind was that of sweeping away the superincumbent
stratum of moss, after being loosened and divided
into small portions, by means of water. The reader
will find an account of this successful effort, in a
pamphlet of which the 3d edition was published at
Edinburgh in 1798, entitled ' An Account of the
Improvements of Moss, &c., in a Letter to a Friend ;'
also in an article in the 3d vol. of the * Edinburgh
Philosophical Transactions.' Two wooden wheels
of curious and ancient construction were found
in this moss, at the depth of 9 feet, a few years
ago. They were wholly of wood, not even a nail or
any thing of iron being to be found about them.
They consisted of three planks joined together by
two oval pieces of oak passing through the centre
like bolts ; and measured 3 feet in diameter, by 2|
inches thick. The centre, or nave, was 6 inches
thick, apparently turned out of one solid piece, and
bushed with the red wood of oak. The bushing was
composed of small staves set in, like cooper- work,
as exemplified in the form of the Scottish bicker.
Both wheels were discovered in a horizontal position,
arid a layer of fir-trees and brush- wood was imbedded
in the moss about a foot above them ; which seems
to prove that in whatever manner the wheels got
there, they were at least of as ancient a date as the
moss itself.
BLAIR-GOWRIE,* a parish in Perthshire of
considerable extent, but irregular figure, being about
11 miles long from south to north, and, in some
places, not less than 8 miles broad ; but intersected
by the parishes of Kinloch, Bendochy, and Rattray.
The connected part of it is only about 9 miles long,
and from 1 to 2 broad. The parish is divided into
two districts by a branch of the Grampian mountains
forming a part of the northern boundary of the beau-
tiful valley of Strathmore. The southern district,
which lies in this strath, is about 4 miles long, and
from 1 to 2 broad. The northern district — which
includes the detached parts of the parish — is high
ground, and very uneven in the surface. The hills
are mostly covered with heath, and some of them
may be about 600 feet above sea-level. Not above
a third part of the parish consists of arable ground.
The Isla, which skirts the northern part of the
parish, is the most considerable river. As its banks
are here low, it often suddenly overflows them, and
occasions considerable loss to the husbandman. This
was remarkably the case in the harvest of 1789 —
The next river in size is the Ericht, which, from its
• The name of the parish is derived from the village near
which the church stands. In old papers it is sometimes written
Blair-in-Govorie. Various etymologies and interpretations of
it have been suggested. Like many other names of places in
the parish, it is probably Gaelic. In that language Blaar is
said to be descriptive of a place where muir and moss abound.
Thus Ardblair is ' the Height in the muir.' The muir of Blair-
Gowrie is in the near neighbourhood of the village. The Wai.
town of Blair , the Lochend of Blair, Little Blair, and Ardblair.
are names of places on the borders of the muir — Old Statittioal
Account.
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148
BLA
rapidity, has acquired the appellation of " the Ireful
Ericht." It is formed by the junction of the Ardle
and the Black- Water ; and runs along the east side
of the parish for about 9 miles. Its channel in general
is rocky and uneven, arid it often varies in its depth
and breadth. In some places the banks are so low
that it frequently overflows them; in other parts
they rise to a great height, and are often covered
with wood. About 2 miles north of the village of
Blair-Cowrie, they rise at least 200 feet above the
bed of the river ; and on the west side are formed,
for about 700 feet in length, and 220 feet in height,
of perpendicular rock as smooth as if formed by the
tool of the workman. This place is called Craig-
lioch. Two miles farther down is the Keith, a
natural cascade considerably improved by art, and so
constructed that the salmon — which repair in great
numbers to it — cannot get over it unless when the
river is very much swollen.* The parish abounds
with lakes of different sizes, several of which have
been drained, and now supply the neighbourhood
with peats and marl. In those which still exist,
pike and perch are caught. They are also frequented
by wild fowls of different kinds. There is one
chalybeate spring in the Cloves of Mawes, which
was formerly much resorted to by persons in its
neighbourhood, for scorbutic disorders. In 1774, the
muir of Blair-Cowrie — then a common of 500 acres
— was divided, and most of it, in 1775, was planted
with Scotch firs ; the rest of it has been gradually
planted since that time, partly with larch, and partly
with Scotch firs. The principal branches of manu-
facture carried on in this parish are spinning and
weaving. The yarn is either wove in the neigh-
bourhood, or sent to Dundee. Considerable quanti-
ties of household-cloth are woven here; in 1796, about
50,000 yards of yard-wides were made here, part of
which was bleached in the neighbouring parish of
Rattray ; but a greater proportion, sold in the village
of Blair-Cowrie, and sent green to London. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 1,914; in 1831, 2,644. Assessed
property, in 1815, £6,206. Houses, in 1831, 448 —
This parish is in the presbytery of Meigle, and synod
of Angus and Mearns. Patrons, M'Pherson of
Blairgowrie, and Oliphant of Cask. Minister's sti-
pend £222 18s., with a glebe of the value of £20.
Church built in 1824 ; sittings 850. — An Indepen-
dent congregation was formed here in 1802. Chapel
built in 1824 ; sittings 350.— An Original Burgher
congregation exists here, and a small Roman Catholic
congregation. According to a survey made in 1836,
there appeared to be 2,419 persons in this parish
connected with the established church, and 578 with
other denominations The village of Blair-Cowrie
is pleasantly situated on the north side of Strathmore,
close upon the river Ericht. It was made a borough
of barony, by charter from Charles I., in 1634. The
situation of the village is very healthy, and it is well-
supplied with water. There are fairs held in it on
the 3d Wednesday in March, for horses and cattle ;
on the 26th of May, if a Wednesday, or the 1st
Wednesday thereafter, for cattle ; on the 2d Wednes-
day in August ; on the Wednesday before Falkirk
* The manner of fishing here is probably peculiar to this
place. The hshers, during the day, dig considerable quantities
of clay, and wheel it to the river-side immediately above the
fall. About sun-set the clay is converted into mortar, and
hurled into the water. The fishers then ply their nets at differ-
ent stations below, while the water continues muddy. This is
repeated two or three times in the space of a few hours. It is
a kind of pot-net, fastened to a long pole, that is used here.
From the Keith, for about 2 miles down the river, there is the
best rod-fishing to be found in Scotland, especially for salmon.
The fishing with the pot-net is ->onfiued to a small part of the
river near the Keith. When the water is very small— which
is often the case in summer — the fish are caught in great num-
bers, in the different pools, with a common net.— Old Statistical
Account.
tryst in October ; and on the 1st Wednesday in No-
vember. The Bank of Scotland, and the Commer-
cial bank of Scotland, have branches here. The
population, in 1836, was 1,834. The great road,
from Cu par- Angus to Fort-George, passes through
this parish. The great road from Dunkeld to Kir-
riemuir also passes through the parish, and cuts thi
military road at right angles. — Newton- House, 01
the seat of the proprietors of the barony* of Blair-
Cowrie, is an old building, something in the style o!
a castle. This house was rebuilt on the foundati
of the old house said to have been burnt down b
Oliver Cromwell. Several gentlemen were rain
lously saved in a vault of the old house, while i
was burnt down. It stands about the middle of
south slope of the range of high ground which bound:
Strathmore on the north, and has a most commam
ing view, not only of Strathmore, but also of pan
of different counties About half-a-mile fartl
west, lies the mansion-house of the old family
the Blairs of Ardblair. The mansion-house seei:
evidently to have been surrounded with water
three sides.
BLAIRINGONE, i. e. ' The Field of Spears,'
village in the shire of Perth, parish of Fossaway
10 miles north-west of Dunfermline, and 7 west
Kinross. It is a burgh of barony, under the
periority of the Duke of Athole. A market is holdei
here in the month of June. It probably derivi
its name from weappn-shawings having been he!
here ; for the chieftain of the Murrays had a family,
seat at this place ; and the rocky pinnacle, no
called Gibson's craig, is said to be the real G—
whinzian, where the whole clan of the Murrays
sembled to attend their chief.
BLAIR-LOGIE, a village in the parish of Logii
Stirlingshire, at the entrance of Glen Devon. Veil
of copper and barytes exist here. The copper w;
wrought several centuries ago ; and the ore rail
it is said, was carried into England to be smelted.
BLANE (THE), a small stream in the county
Stirling, whence the parish of Strathblane takes n
name. It has its source in the Earl's seat, one
the Lennox hills ; and, after running 3 or 4 miles
the south-west, is precipitated over several high fal
into a romantic hollow, which is filled with a vi
assemblage of gigantic stones piled upon each
and adorned, on the sides, with many alternate si
of various hues. " The stream has already forim
two smaller cascades in sight, before it precipil
itself over a shelf 30 feet high, and descends amoi
the rocky masses which it has loosened from ti
parent-hill. The lowest of the three falls is kno<
as ' the Spout of Ballaggan.' The earls of the oJ
race of Levenax had a castle near and in sight
this romantic scene. Ballaggan, the seat of Ale:
ander Graham, Esq. of Ballaggan, commands a view
of this beautiful and sublime cataract from the win-
dows, and is within hearing of its music even whei
it has not the means of striking a loud note. Ii
flood-time the Spout is stupendous, increasing it)
apparent height by covering the huge masses belov
so as to vie with the sublimity if not the beauty o
Corra-Lin. In drier periods, the visitant can ascend
with more seeming than real hazard, amongst th
scattered fragments of rock, till he have reached th
bottom of the lowest fall." [Additions to Nimmo'
History of Stirlingshire. Edn. 1817, pp. 646, 647.
After a course of 8 miles farther towards the nortt
west, the^Blane joins the Endrick a little abov
where it falls into Loch Lomond. Several specimen
of antimony have been found in its bed; but the rain
from which they have been washed is not yet dis
covered. The boyhood of George Buchanan vvt
spent in the neighbourhood of this stream.
BLA
149
BLA
{LANE'S (ST.) CHAPEL, a small ruin in the
mthern extremity of the isle of Bute, in the parish
Kingarth. This edifice is said to have been reared
the piety of St. Blane or Blain, of whom tradition
1 Catholic legends report as follows : St. Cathan,
Irish bishop, attended by his sister, Ertha, came
his own country to the isle of Bute, with the
jntion of leading the solitary life of an hermit in
ic chosen retirement. Ertha wandering about
•protected, was accidentally met in the field by a
ing man, apparently of superior station, and pos-
of many personal attractions, who, becoming
Ienly enamoured of the lady, forced her to sub-
* his embraces. Ertha, in due course of time,
herself pregnant, and brought forth a son.
barbarous persons into whose hands she had
as a punishment for her involuntary crime,
ist her with her little infant into a boat and com-
them to the mercy of a tempestuous sea.
jr she had struggled long with the horrors of her
Providence intervened ; and the boat was
iven to shore. Congal and Kenneth, two holy
jn, walking on the sands, saw what had happened;
having learned of Ertha the cause of her mis-
rtunes, took compassion upon her, arid received
)th the mother and the son into their immediate
Jtection. They baptized the child, and gave him
name of Blane. He was educated under their
and direction ; and, becoming an adept in theo-
, was sent to Rome, where he took holy orders.
After some years, his learning and piety recom-
mended him so strongly to the Pope that he was
secrated a bishop; and returning to his own court-
presided over a city in Scotland, ever since then
lied Dunblane. Deeply impressed with the his-
ry which his mother had given him of his provi-
^tial escape in infancy, he built the old church of
igarth, as a votive memorial of his gratitude, upon
return from Rome. The situation, which he
for it is deeply retired, and probably, at the
IB ot its foundation was sequestered in a wood,
mt no circumstance of sanctity might be wanting
his pious work, he brought a quantity of conse-
ited earth from Rome, to form the upper stratum
the burying-ground. It happened that some of
women on the coast either refused to assist in
iveying the precious mould from the ship, or pro-
sly negligent let some of it fall by the way, St.
ic therefore decreed that none of the sex should
be interred within the holy cemetery. But an-
ler piece of ground, called the lower church-yard,
is destined for that purpose; and, according to the
int's decree, was exclusively used for the inter-
it of the females; it being then firmly believed,
t, had their bodies been laid in the hallowed earth
Rome,
Their bones, though canonized and hearsed in death,
Had burst their cerements— that the sepulchre
Had ope'd his ponderous and marble jaws
To cast them up again.*
This superstition continued in force till 1661 ; when
ie presbytery going their progress of the parochial
junds, a complaint was made against this practice of
e separate burial of the sexes. The Assembly con-
ited to its abolition ; and, from that time, women as
as men have safely, though promiscuously, been
^posited in the favoured cemetery. Wives have
)t only been quietly inurned in the neighbourhood
their husbands; but have continued quiet ever
nee in the same company. — Not far from St. Blane's
lurch is still shown the Devil's cauldron, which —
"The Saint's order," pays Mr. Blain, "was carefully ob-
"ved, the people entertaining a belief, that should they trans.
- and inter the dead h..dies of females, contrary to hia
"•jus, such bodies would be cast above the earth."
though vulgar tales formerly current of the evil
spirit's purgatorial parboiling of the bodies and souls
of departed sinners are too gross for notice — is known
to have been, in Catholic times, a place of real pen-
ance for living ones. " This cauldron," says Mr.
Blain, " 30 feet in diameter, is formed by a wall of
dry stone, 7 feet, 6 inches high, and 10 feet in thick-
ness, with an entrance from the east. It was a place
of penance, as its name imports, such as Sir James
Ware describes in his antiquities of Ireland. Poor
culprits were sometimes obliged to traverse the top
of the wall on their bare knees, a certain number of
times, according to their demerit ; whilst their path
was covered over with sharp stones. At other
times, a number of these unhappy people were made
to sit, days and nights together, on the floor, within
the inclosure, without food, and necessitated to pre-
vent each other from enjoying the comforts of sleep
for it was inculcated on them by their ghostl,
fathers, as an article of belief, that, if they suffered
any of the company to slumber, before the time ap-
pointed for expiating their guilt was at an end, the
whole virtue of their penance would be lost."
BLANTYRE, a parish, formerly a vicarage, in
the county of Lanark; bounded on the north by the
Clyde, which divides it from Both well ; on the east
by Hamilton ; on the south by Glasford and Kil-
bride ; and on the west by Cambuslang. It is about
6 miles in length, and, on an average, one in breadth.
Its superficial area is about 3,300 Scots acres ; rental
£2,579. Next to the Clyde, the Calder is the prin
cipal river in this parish, which it bounds on the
west. The whole parish forms almost a continuous
plain. The soil is various ; but, though part is clay,
loam, and sand, the whole is very fertile, except
towards the southern extremity where it becomes a
deep peat moss. There are very extensive cotton
spinning and cotton-dyeing works here, founded by
Mr. David Dale in 1785, and now the property ot
Henry Monteith & Co., which give employment to
a number of people. In 1838, 839 hands were em-
ployed in 2 cotton mills here; in 1791, 368 hands
were employed. Ironstone, of excellent quality, is
now wrought to great advantage within the parish.
Limestone is also wrought at Auchentiber arid
Calderside. There is a mineral spring at Park,
strongly impregnated with sulphur dissolved by
means of hydrogen gas, which used to be much re-
sorted to, about the middle of last century, by fami-
lies from Glasgow, and is still famed in scrofulous
and scorbutic cases. Population in 1801, 1,751; in
1831, 3,000. Assessed property in 1815, £4,438.
Houses in 1831, 248. — This parish is in the presby-
tery of Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
Patron, Lord Blantyre. Stipend £196 10s. with a
glebe of the value of £16. Church built in 1793;
sittings 841. There is a chapel at Blantyre works,
built by the proprietors of the works at their own
expense, for the accommodation of their working-
people. Sittings 392. The preacher receives £50
from the proprietors, and £06 from the seat-rents.
The chapel is under a committee of management,
one-half of whom are churchmen, and one -half dis-
senters. The parish-minister reported that about
2,053 of the population in 1831 were in connexion
with the Established church, and about 812 were
dissenters. — The parochial schoolmaster has a salary
of £26 with £19 fees; average number of scholars
45. There are four private schools attended by
above 200 children ; the largest of these is in con-
nexion with the Blantyre works. — The ruins of the
priory of Blantyre, which was founded some time
prior to the year 1296, are finely situated, in a most
retired situation, on the top of a rock which rises
perpendicularly from the Clyde, exactly opposite the
BOD
150
BOL
noble ruins of Both well castle, and commands a very
romantic view. Walter Stewart, first comrnenda-
tor of this priory, and Lord-privy-seal in 1595, was
made a peer by the title of Lord Blantyre, July 10th,
1606. The revenues of the priory were, in 1561,
money £131 6s. 7£d. Hamilton of Wishaw says
in his 'Descriptions' compiled about the beginning
of last century, " the Lord Blantyre heth ane fruit-
ful orchard at the old priorie, where he is some
tymes in use to dwell." There are yet a few relics
of this orchard here; but from the state of the build-
ings it could scarcely have been supposed that they
were in a habitable state at any period within the
18th century. See article BOTH WELL. Urns have
been dug up at different times in several parts of
the parish. — Blantyre village in the above parish,
is about 8 miles south-east of Glasgow, and 3
west of Hamilton. It is inhabited chiefly by people
employed at the cotton works, and contained in
1835, 1,821 inhabitants. The Clyde at the ferry
here is 79 yards broad.
BODDOM, a village on the sea-coast of Buchan,
near Peterhead, inhabited chiefly by fishers. A
small harbour has recently been formed here close
to the Boddom-head — or Buchan ness as it is more
frequently called — for the accommodation of those
engaged in the herring-fishery.
BODOTRIA, the name given in ancient geogra-
phy to the frith of Forth.
BOGHALL. See BIGGAR.
BOGIE (THE). See ACCHINDOIR.
BOG-OF-GIGHT, or BOGEN-GIGHT, the an-
cient designation of the seat of the Dukes of Gordon,
in the parish of Bellie, now called GORDON CASTLE :
which see. Shaw and others derive the name from
Bog-na-Gaoith, that is, ' the Windy bog.' Richard
Franck, who made a journey through Scotland in
1658, describes "Bogageith, the marquess of Huntly's
palace all built with stone facing the ocean ; whose
fair front — set prejudice aside — worthily deserves
an Englishman's applause for her lofty and majestic
rivers and turrets that storm the air, and seemingly
make dints in the very clouds !" The ferry, or more
strictly speaking ferry-boat, across the Spey near
this mansion, for ages known as " the Boat of Bog,"
has been supplanted by a magnificent stone bridge
of four arches, said to have cost £13,000.
BOHARM, a parish in the shires of Banff and
Moray, anciently called Bocharin, that is, ' the Bosv
about the Cairn,' which is sufficiently descriptive of
its situation, the parish surrounding on three sides
the mountain Beneageen or Benegin. Its outline is
irregular; but its average length from east to west
is 9 miles, and average breadth from 2 to 3. It
is bounded by Moray on the north ; Botriphnie par-
ish on the east; Mortlach and Aberlour on the
south; and the Spey on the west. The Fiddich
separates it from Aberlour parish on the south-west.
Population in 1801, 1,161 ; in 1831, 1,385, of whom
758 were in that portion of the parish belonging to
Banf&hire. Houses, in 1831, in Banffshire, 141 ; in
Moray 152. Assessed property in Banffshire, in
1815, £2,014; in Moray, £1,517; valued rent
£2,840. — This parish, formerly a rectory, with the
ancient rectory of Ardintullie annexed, is in the
presbytery of Aberlour, and synod of Moray. Pa-
trons, the Crown, and the Earl of Fife. Stipend
£244 16s. 7d., with a glebe of the value of £22 10s.
By decreet of the court of teinds, in June 1782, a
part of Dundurcus parish was united to it. Church
built in 1795; sittings 575. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 5^1., with £15 fees, and a share of Dick's
bequest. Scholars 50. There are three private
schools attended by about 60 children in all. — The
ruin of the castle of Gall vail is the only relic of an-
tiquity in the parish. It was built fronting the east,
on the north side of the valley towards the western
end of the parish, where a promontory is pushed
forward into the deep defile formed by the course
the Aldermy. It appears to have been a simple
structure of 119 by 24 feet within, divided by an
internal wall so as to form two halls on the ground-
floor, one 65, and the other 54 feet in length. The
windows were only 20 inches wide, though the walls
were 8 feet thick, built up in frames of timber whicl
were employed for keeping in the fluid mortar whicl
was poured into the dry stone-wall when raised to
certain height. The front and corners were finishet
with free-stone from the quarries of Duffus. About
a century ago several silver spoons were fount
among the rubbish, having the handle round am
hollow like a pipe, and the concave part, or moutl
perfectly circular. This bulky fabric, in 1200,
denominated Castellum de Bucharin. It then
longed to the Freskyns of Duffus, by whom it
no doubt built. By assuming the title De Moravii
from their connection with that country, they
came the author of that surname. They were or
possessed of many fair domains in the north : namely,
Duffus, Duldavie, Dalvey, Inverallen, and Kirkdale;
in Moray ; Airndilly, Aikenvvall, Boharm, Botripl
nie then Botruthin, Kinermonie then Cere Kainer-
month, in Banffshire; and Brachlie, Croy, E\van
Lunyn, and Petty, in Nairn or Inverness, as apf
by the charter of Moray from 1100 to 1286. At
this day, they are represented by the Duke
Athole, Sutherland of Duffus, and Murray of Aber-
cairny. It also appears by the charter of Mora}
that, between 1203 and 1222, William, the son
William Freskyn, obtained the consent of Brucius
bishop of Moray, for building a domestic chapel fo
the more commodious performance of the offices
devotion. It stood on its own consecrated buryin
ground — forsaken only in the course of the last cen
tury — about 50 yards from the north end of tht
castle; and, though only 24 by 12 feet within, mus
have been the parent of the parish-church, whh"
with several others, was erected at the private
pense of James VI. for civilizing the north of Scot
land, in the year 1618, at which period Ardintull
or Airndilly may be supposed to have been annexe*
On the annexation of a part of the parish ot Dui
durcus a new parish-church was erected about
miles to the eastward. — James Ferguson, the sel
taught astronomer, received the rudiments of hi
education here, under the patronage of Grant
Airndilly.
BOINDIE. See BOYNDIE.
BOISDALE (LOCH), a deep inlet of the Mim
on the eastern side of South Uist, and to the sout
of Loch Eynort. It is thickly strewn with isl
and has a small half-ruined tower at its entrance.
BOLESKINE and ABERTARFF, two united par
ishes in the county of Inverness. They extend ii
length about 21, arid in average breadth about
miles, on the south side of Loch Ness. The unit
parish is bounded on the north by Urquhart ; on tl
north-east by Dores ; on the east by Daviot ;
the south by Laggan; and on the south-west
Kilmanivaig. There are one or two small detacht
portions of the parish. The district at the western
extremity of Lochness is level ; the eastern is moun-
tainous. The soil is as varied as the surface.
There are a great many sheep fed in the hilly part
of the country. Much natural wood still remains;
and, from the large trunks of oak-trees found in all
the mosses, we may conclude the whole country has
at one period been an extensive oak-forest. FORT-
AUGUSTUS, the centre of communication betwixt
the east and west coasts of the kingdom, is in
BOL
151
BON
district : see that article. The celebrated FALL OF
FOYERS, near the seat of Frazer of Foyers, wtfl be
cribed in a distinct article. The parish abounds
,'ith lakes, which contain a variety of fish ; several
treams also intersect it, of which the principal are
ic Oich, and the Tarff. LOCH NESS forms a sepa-
article in this work. The Caledonian canal
uis through this parish, and the old military road.
Jranite of beautiful appearance is found in the hills;
inexhaustible quarries of limestone are wrought
several parts. There are two small villages in
u's district, Cillchuiman and Balfrishel. The po-
ilation of the former, including the garrison of
•'ort-Augustus, was 216 in 1831 ; of the latter, 159.
Population of the parish in 1801, 1,799; in 1831,
1,829. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,756. The
yerage gross amount of raw produce raised within
ie parish is estimated in the New Statistical ac-
>unt, published in May 1835, at £4,313. Houses,
1831, 360. This parish is in the presbytery of
Lbertarff arid synod of Glenelg. Patron, Fraser of
>vat. Stipend, .£238 2s. 2d. There are two
lurches, — one the parish-church of Boleskine, built
1777; and the other at Fort- Augustus, 11 miles
stant, where a missionary officiates. The mission
rict comprehends the whole original parish of
ibertarfF, comprising a population of 1,201, of whom
were in connexion with the Establishment, and
were dissenters, chiefly Roman Catholics, of
m there is a small congregation here. The mis.
onary has a house in the fort, and a salary of
ihout £80. The Catholic clergyman has about
Parochial schoolmaster's salary £30, with
)ut £20 fees.
BOLFRACKS. See FORTINGAL.
BOLTON, a small parish in the shire of Had-
igton. It is very irregular in its boundaries and
insions; extending from north-east to south-
rest, nearly 6 miles ; and in breadth, at a medium,
above 1£ mile. It is bounded by Haddington
rish on the north ; on the east by that beautiful little
ranch of the Tyne called the Gifford or Coalstone
vater, running north-west from Yester, and which
eparates it from Haddington parish ; on the south
by Yester or GifFord parish ; on the west by Humbie
§Salton. The Boins water, one of the head-
ams of the Tyne, descending from the northern
ts of West hill in the Lammermoor chain, se-
ites Bolton from Humbie parish. The valued
; of the parish is £2,437 12s. 7d. Scots; the
rent, in 1792, was about £1,400. It is now
nearly double that sum. Assessed property, in 1815,
,274. The number of acres is about 2,400, of
iich there are about 300 planted ; most of the
)unds are enclosed with stripes of planting. Po-
ilation, in 1801, 252; in 1831, 332. Houses, in
Jl, 63. This parish is in the presbytery of Had-
mgton, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Patron, Lord Blantyre. Stipend £153 15s. 5d.,
nth a glebe of the value of £18. Schoolmaster's
iry £34, with £40 fees. Average number of
ipils 75. In the little village of Bolton there
till recently, some vestiges of a house, with
park on the west side of it still called the orchard,
\ hich is said to have belonged to John Hepburn, a
iend of Both well's, who fled with him from Dun-
r, vrhen Bothvvell escaped from the battle of Fal-
Chalmers says : — " The manor of Bolton was
rly enjoyed by the St. Hilaries, who were suc-
led by William de Vetereponte, who married
ima de St. Hilary. Notwithstanding the terrible
isters of the succession war, in which, as we learn
Rymer and Prynne, this family was involved,
;t was Bolton, with lands in other districts, en-
by it under Robert I. and David II. In the
reign of James II. it belonged to George, Lord Hali-
burton of Dirleton. It was at length acquired by
Patrick Hepburn, Earl of Both well, after a long suit
in parliament with Marion, the lady of Bolton. In
1526 and 1543, Bolton was in possession of a cadet
of his family, by the name of Hepburn of Bolton.
In January 1568, John Hepburn of Bolton was exe-
cuted, as the associate of the Earl of Both well, his
chief, in the murder of Darnley. The manor of
Bolton, thus forfeited, was given to William Mait-
land, the well-known secretary Lethington. It was
confirmed to the Earl of Lauderdale in 1621.
Richard, Earl of Lauderdale, who died about the
year 1693, sold the barony of Bolton, and even the
ancient inheritance of Lethington, to Sir Thomas
Livingston, who was created Viscount Teviot, in
1696; and Sir Thomas transferred the whole to
Walter, Master of Blantyre, afterwards Lord Blan-
tyre, in 1702, in whose family the property remains."
BON A, in the shire of Inverness, formerly a rec-
tory, united to the ancient rectory of Inverness, arid
now comprehended in that parish. The ruins of its
church still exist on the banks of Loch-Dochfour.
Service is regularly maintained in the school room
lere by the Established ministers of Inverness. It
6 miles south-south-west of Inverness, at the
northern extremity of Loch-Ness, over which there
s a ferry here. The population of the district, in
1831, was 1,363. On the east side of the Ness,
about 600 yards below its efflux from Loch -Ness,
and between it and Loch-Dochfour, there are the re-
mains of a Roman station, which, it is supposed, was
he site of the Banatia Urbs of Richard of Cirencester.
BON- ACCORD. See ABERDEEN.
BONAR, in the shire of Sutherland, and parish
if Criech ; 12 miles west of Dornoch. The com-
missioners for Highland roads and bridges, in April
811, reported, that all the investigations of High
and lines of road north of Inverness, had uniformly
lesignated the head of the Dornoch-frith as a neces-
ary central point; and that the inconvenience and
langer experienced at the Meikle ferry, at the mouth
)f the frith, and the circuitous rout by Portinlech, a
erry at the head of the frith, rendered it very desirable
o ascertain the most convenient place for crossing it
tetween these points. For this purpose, Criech and
Bonar appeared to possess nearly equal pretensions,
— the first being wider but nearer the coast, — the
other, narrower, but not affording so direct a road
towards the north east. In 1811, Mr. Telford re-
sorted to the commissioners as follows : " Having
repeatedly examined this frith, I find that about 12
miles above Dornoch, at Bonar ferry, it is contract-
ed into the breadth of about 70 yards at low water
of a spring-tide; at which time, 20 yards of that
)readth extending from the southern shore, is cover-
ed by water not more than 3 feet in depth ; and as
;he spring-tides rise no more than 8 feet, I conceive
t is practicable to construct a bridge at this place
where the several roads, south and north of it, may
)e made to centre without inconvenience. As con-
siderable quantities of ice float here in winter, and
the tides run with considerable velocity, it is ad-
visable to construct an iron bridge of one arch, 150
'eet span, and 20 feet rise ; and by making the arch
;o spring 3 feet above high water mark, no interrup-
tion can then take place. I accompany this with a
)lan, in which I have endeavoured to improve the
rinciples of constructing iron bridges, and also their
external appearance ; the principal ribs have here
their parts all of equal dimensions, which, by cool-
ng equally, will avoid defects hitherto experienced
n structures of this sort ; the road-way, instead of
)eing supported by circles or perpendicular pillars a»
formerly, u sustained by lozenge forms, which pro-
BON
152
BON
serve straight lines, and keep the points of pressure in
the direction of the radii ; the covering plates, in-
stead of being solid as formerly, are to be made re-
ticulated, something in the way of malt-kiln tiles,
which enables them to be made thicker, and yet so
as to save a very considerable portion of iron, and
consequently weight." Mr. Telford's plan was car-
ried into execution in 1812. The bridge consists of
an iron arch of 150 feet span, and 2 stone arches of
60 and 50 feet respectively, presenting a water-way
of 260 feet. In the year 1814, the iron arch sus-
tained, without damage, a tremendous blow from an
irregular mass of fir-tree logs consolidated by ice ;
and in 1818, a schooner was drifted under the bridge,
and suffered the loss of her 2 masts, the iron arch
remaining uninjured. The total cost of the bridge
Avas .£13,97 1. By means of this bridge and that at
Lovat, the benefit of the Great Highland road, with-
out the intervention of any ferry, was extended to
the northern extremity of Great Britain ; the bridges
of Dunkeld, Lovat, Conan, and Bonar, forming a
connected series of bridges, which for size, solidity,
and utility, are not surpassed any where in the king-
dom.
BO-NESS. See BORROWSTOTJNNESS.
BONH1LL,* a parish in the county of Dumbarton,
bounded on the north by Luss parish, the southern
extremity of Loch Lomond, and the parish of Kil-
maronock; on the east by Kilmaronock and Dum-
barton ; on the south by Dumbarton and Cardross ;
and on the west by Cardross and Luss. It is 5 miles
in length, and about 3£ miles in breadth. The south
end of Loch Lomond, with the Leveri which issues
from it, divide the parish nearly into two equal parts.
The Leven, — whose beauties Smollett has sung
in his well known verses : —
On Leven's banks while free to rove,
And tune the rural pipe to love,
1 envied not the happiest swain
That ever trod th' Arcadian plain, —
is remarkable for the softness of its water, and the
clearness of its stream. Gaelic scholars derive its
name from the words Le, ' smooth' or ' soft,' and
Avon, ' a river.' It issues from Loch Lomond at
Balloch, and falls into the frith of Clyde at Dum-
barton castle. In a straight line from the lake to
the Clyde, it will measure about 5 miles ; but its
course, owing to its windings, is more than 9 miles.
The fall from the lake to the Clyde is 22 feet. The
tide flows up the river more than a third of its
length ; and large vessels come up to the quay of
Dumbarton at high tide, but the navigation is
much impeded by a sand-bar at the mouth of the
river; where the tide fails, the vessels are drawn up
the river by horses. These vessels are constructed
to draw little water. They are chiefly employed in
bringing coals, lime, and other heavy articles, to the
manufacturers and others who reside upon the banks
of the Leveri and the lake ; and in carrying down
wood and bark from the coppices in Loch Lomond,
and slates from the slate-quarries in the parish of
Luss. The Leven produces salmon, parr, and a
variety of trout, and other small fish. The salmon
it produces are reckoned among the best in Scot-
land. The largest salmon ever taken in the Leveri
weighed 45 tbs. troy. The salmon-fishing in that part
ot the Leven which lies in the parish of Bonhill,
rented, about 10 years ago, at 300 merks. The last
lease of the fishings on the Leven, the property of
* " The ancient mode of spelling the name of the parish was
Buneil, which, iu the opinion of some j udges of the Gaelic lan-
guage, means ' a bottom' or ' hollow.' Others imagine that it
signifies ' the Surgeon's residence,' as the ancient family of
Lennox had a mansion-house in the parish, and several places
derive their names from their servants and dependants."— Old
Statistical Account
the town in Dumbarton, was at the rent of .£270.
Some peculiar excellencies in the water of Leven
have encouraged manufacturers to settle in this par-
ish. The softness of its water fits it, in a peculiar
manner, for the purposes of bleaching. It is seldom
or never muddy, as the rivers and burns from the
hills fall first into Loch Lomond, where the mi
they carry along with them subsides. Neither is i
subject to sudden risings and fallings, though at all
times commanding a full supply from its great source.
The first printfield on the Leven was begun about
1768. There are two villages in the parish, besides
several houses built upon feus, or long leases, by tht
manufacturers adjoining the printfields. In the vil-
lage of ALEXANDRIA [which see] the houses art
built upon feus, at the rate of £8 per acre ; in tht
village of Bonhill, upon a lease of 99 years, at tl
rate of £6 per acre. The grounds occupied by tht
printfields and bleachfields are feud at the rate of , "
10s. per acre. The valued rent of the parish is
£2,180 9s. 2d. Scots. The real rent may be £V
Sterling. The value of property, as assessed in 181^
was £5,611. There are about 300 acres plant
with Scotch firs and larix. There is an ash-tree
the churchyard of Bonhill, the trunk of which is
feet in length, the girth, immediately above tht
surface of the ground, 25 feet; about 3 feet above
the surface it measures 19| feet ; and, at the nar-
rowest part, 18 feet. It divides into three great
branches; the girth of the largest of which is I
feet; of the second, 10; and of the third, 9 feet
inches. The branches hang down to within a fev
feet of the ground ; and, from the extremity of tht
branches on the one side, to that of those on tht
other, it measured no less than 94 feet. There
another large ash-tree, the trunk of which was about
1 1 feet in length ; the girth, immediately above
surface of the ground, 33 feet ; and at the narrowt
part it measures 19 feet 10 inches. The propriet(
fitted up a room in the inside of it, with benc
around and three glass windows. The diameter
the room was 8 feet 5 inches, and from 10 to 1]
feet high. Population in 1801, 2,460; in 1831,
3,623. Houses, in 1831, 390. About seven-eighths
of the population inhabit the vale of the Leven, am
are employed at the bleachfields and printtields on th*
river — This parish is in the presbytery of Dumbar-
ton, and synod of Glasgow arid Ayr. Patron,
Campbell of Stonefield; stipend £224 15s. 5d., witt
a glebe of the value of £15. There are two pare
chial schools, attended together by about 100 chil
dren, and 7 private schools attended by about
children. The parochial schoolmasters have a
ary of £21 7s. 8fd. each, with about £15 fees, am
other emoluments. The ancient family of Lennon
had a mansion-house at the south end of Loci
Lomond ; but nothing remains of it but the fosse.
The tradition is, that the materials of the mansion
were carried from this place to one of the islands in
the lake, to build a castle there, as a place of greater
safety, and where a considerable part of the building
still remains, though in ruins. The whole lands in
the parish formerly belonged to the family of Len-
nox ; but in the 15th century, the Darnley family, by
marriage, got one-half of the estate, arid the titles.
The other half went to the Rusky family. Smollett,
the novelist, was born in the old mansion-house ol
Bonhill, and a monument has been erected here tc
his memory.
BONN1NGTON, a small village on the watei
of Leith, about a mile north of Edinburgh, on th<
road to Newhaven. There is a mineral well here.
BONNINGTON, a village in the county of Mid
Lothian, in the parish of Ratho, 1$ mile south-wes
of the village.
BON
153
BOR
BONNY (THE), a river in Stirlingshire, which
ces its rise in the parish of Kilsyth, and, run-
eastward, falls into the Carron, a little below
_..ipace.
BO OS HAL A, or BHUACHILLE, an islet off the
ith coast of Staffa, from which it is separated by
channel about 30 yards wide, through which a
iy surf is constantly rushing. It is of an irregu-
pyramidal form, entirely composed of basaltic
irs inclined in every direction, but principally
iting towards the top of the cone, resembling —
r. Garnett remarks — billets of wood piled up in
to be charred. Many of the columns are
izontal, and some of them bent into segments of
:les.
BORA HOLM, one of the Orkneys; constituting
of the parish of Rendal. It is opposite to the
trance of the harbour called the Millburu, in the
of Gairsa, and is uninhabited.
BORER AY, a small fertile island of the Hebrides,
northward of North Uist. It is about l£ mile
length, and £ mile in breadth. Lochmore, a small
in this island, the bottom of which was only 2^
above low water-mark, was recently drained,
reby, at an expense of only £125, about 47 Scots
of good soil, being a mixture of alluvial earth
sand, were gained.
BORER AY, a small island of the Hebrides, about
ile in circuit, lying 2 miles north of St. Kilda.
BORGUE, a parish in the stewartry of Kirkcud-
ight. Its length is about 10, and its extreme
breadth 7 miles ; but, from its irregularity of out-
, the superficial contents are not more than 40
uare miles. It is bounded throughout nearly one-
f of its circumference by the sea on the east and
th-west; by Girthon on the north-west; and
wynholm on the north-east ; having an extent of
of upwards of 15 miles, indented with several
iys where vessels may anchor with safety. In some
aces, the coast presents a perpendicular cliff 300
high. The surface is very unequal, but there
are no high hills. Though mostly arable, a great
part of the parish is under pasture, and a number of
black cattle and sheep are reared in it. Freestone
whinstone are abundant. There are two tine
ns within the parish, — the tower of Balmangan,
Plunton castle. Population, in 1801, 820; in
1831, 894. Houses 160. Assessed property in 1815,
£11,283. — This parish is in the presbytery of Kirk-
cudbright, and synod of Galloway. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend, £230 16s. 10d., with a glebe of
the value of £29. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d.
with £36 fees, and £50 other emoluments. Pupils
160. There is also a small private school. The old
parish of Sandvvick forms the southern part of the
present parish. The ruins of its church are still
visible on the side of the bay. Tradition relates
that it was sacrilegiously plundered of its plate by
French rovers, some time previous to the Reforma-
tion; but that a storm wrecked the vessel on a
)ck nearly opposite the church, where the pirates
erished. It is called the Frenchman's rock. The
burch of Kirk-Andrew in this parish, originally
elonged to the monks of lona; when the devasta-
ons of the Danish pirates left them without an
stablishment, William the Lion transferred it, along
nth their churches and estates in Galloway, to the
»onks of Holyrood. It afterwards fell into the
ands of the prior and canons of Whithorn. The
uins of this ancient kirk, dedicated to the patroi
writ of Scotland, stand on a creek of the Solway
irhirh from it is called Kirk- Andrew's bay.
BORLAND, or BORELAND, a village in Fifeshire,
n the parish of Dysart, & mile north of that town,
containing, in 1811, 228 inhabitants; in 1831, only
184. They are chiefly colliers. The village belongs
'n property to the Earl of Rosslyn.
BORLAND-PARK. See AUCHTERARDER.
BORLEY (LocH), a small lake in the north of
Sutherlandshire, parish of Durness, containing abun-
dance of a species of trouts called Red bellies, which
are only fished for in October.
BOROUGH-MOOR, a tract of ground, formerly
an open common, in the shire of Edinburgh, and
parish of St. Cuthbert ; adjacent to the city of Edin-
burgh on the south. In the west end of the Borough-
moor, there stood a large chapel dedicated to St.
Roque, and round it there was a cemetery where those
who died of the plague were interred. The town-
council, in 1532, granted four acres of ground in the
Borough-moor to Sir John Young, the chaplain, for
which he was bound to keep the roof and windows
of the chapel in repair ; but at the Reformation the
church and churchyard were converted into private
property. A part of the walls of this chapel are
still standing • Grose has preserved a view of it.
This moor appears, in 1513, to have abounded with
large oak-trees ; and here James IV. reviewed his
army before he marched to the fatal battle of Flod-
den-tield. See Notes to ' The Lay of the Last
Minstrel.'
BORROWSTOUNNESS, or BO'NESS, a parish
in the county of Linlithgow; bounded by Carriden on
the east ; Linlithgow on the south ; Polmont on the
west ; and the frith of Forth on the north. It is
about 4 miles in length, and 2£ in breadth. The
surface declines gradually on the north toward the
Forth, and on the west to the river Avon. The
soil is a deep loam, \yell-cultivated. There are
several excellent coal-pits within the parish ; iron-
stone also abounds ; and there are great beds of lime-
stone, but of bad quality. Quarries of freestone and
whinstone are wrought here. The house of Kinniel,
long inhabited by the venerable and accomplished
metaphysician Dugald Stewart, is a seat of the
Hamilton family, and as such is frequently mentioned
in history. Population of the town and parish in
180 1,2,790; in 1831, 2,809. Houses 323. Assessed
property, in 1815, £9,093 — This parish is in the
presbytery of Linlithgow, and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale. Patron, the Duke of Hamilton. Sti-
pend £272 7s. 7d., with a glebe of the value of
£21, and free coal — There is a United Secession
church within the town. — Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4d., with about £60 fees. Average number of
scholars 100. In 1834, there were eleven private
schools within the parish, attended by about 250
children. — Prior to the middle of the 17th century,
Kinniel was the name of the parish, but the inhabi-
tants of Borrowstounness having built a church for
themselves, the town was created a separate parish.
In 1669, the Duke of Hamilton procured an act of
parliament for uniting the two districts, and since
that time the old landward-church of Kinniel has
been neglected, though the burying-ground remains.
The burgh of BORROWSTOUNNESS in the above
parish is 9 miles west of Queensferry, 8 east ot Fal-
kirk, and 3 north of Linlithgow. It is situated on
a low peninsula washed by the Forth, at the north-
east corner of the parish, only a few feet above high
water-mark. It has two principal streets running
from west to east about 300 yards, which terminate in
one which is 350 yards more. The streets and lanes
are narrow ; the houses in general low and old-fashion-
ed. Borrowstounness is a burgh of barony under the
Duke of Hamilton. Its population, in 1831, was 2, 188,
and there were at that time 65 houses within burgh
of the yearly value of £10 and upwards. The and
nual revenue averages £216, of which about one-
half arises from anchorage and harbour-dues, and
BOR
154
BOR
about £14 from impost on ale. The petty customs
are the property of the superior. There is some
ship-building carried on here ; arid in the immediate
vicinity were extensive salt-works, at which 30,000
bushels used to be manufactured annually. The
harbour is one of the safest and most commodious in
the frith, having a great depth of water. By an act
passed in 1744, an impost of 2d. Scots was laid on
every Scots pint of ale and beer sold within the
town and parish, to be vested in timber for improv-
ing the harbour. In 1816 an act was passed, author-
izing trustees, for a period of 25 years from its date,
to assess and levy a duty not exceeding Is. on the
pound of rent, on all buildings within the town, for
cleaning, paving, and lighting the town, and supply-
ing it with water. The total debt in 1834, was
£'2,030. Two or three Greenlandmeri belong to
this port, and it has some coasting-trade, but its
commerce has greatly declined. Defoe describes this
town as consisting " only of one straggling street,
which is extended along the shore, close to the
water. It has been, and still is, a town of the great-
est trade to Holland and France of any in Scotland,
except Leith ; but it suffers very much of late by
the Dutch trade being carried on so much by way of
England. However," he adds, " if the Glasgow
merchants would settle a trade to Holland and Ham-
burgh in the firth, by bringing their foreign goods by
land to Alloway, and exporting them from thence,
as they proposed some time ago, 'tis very likely the
Borrowstounness men would come into business
again ; for as they have the most shipping, so they
are the best seamen in the firth, and are very good
pilots for the coast of Holland, the Baltic, and the
coast of Norway." It has a custom-house. About
45 years ago a canal was begun to be cut between
this place and Grangemouth, to communicate there
with the Forth and Clyde canal. This canal was
never finished. There is an annual fair held here on
the 16th of November. — In 1774 an embankment,
1£ mile in length, was made westwards from this
port along the north side of the carse of Kinniel,
with the view not of gaining but of saving ground
from the sea. It has answered this purpose very
well, and effectually protects about 450 acres of
curse-land, at present rented at £4 4s. per acre.
BORROWS'JTOWN, a fishing- village on the
north coast of Caithness, parish of Reay, 6 miles
west of Thurso.
BORTHW1CK, a parish in the shire of Edin-
burgh ; bounded on the north by Cockpen, New-
bottle, a detached portion of Temple parish, arid
Cranston parish; on the east by Crichton parish; on
the south by Jrieriot; and on the west by Temple
and Carrington parishes. Measured from the village
of Ford on the north-east, io Castleton hill on the
south-west, it is nearly 6 miles in length ; and from
Annston bridge on the north-west, to Fala hill on
the south-east, it is about 4 miles in breadth. The
general aspect of the parish is hilly, especially when
viewed from the kirk-town, which is near the centre
of the parish. Two streams, known as the South
and North Middleton burns, descend from the Moor-
foot hills on the southern boundary of the parish,
and, after pursuing north-easterly courses, unite a
little above the kirk-town; and then fetching a
circuit round the mole on which Borthwick castle is
built, flow north-west, under the name of the Gore,
to a point a little beyond Arniston bridge, where
they unite with the South Esk. These streams
drain a vast extent of upland surface, and are con-
sequently subject to sudden and extensive floods.
The South Esk divides Boithwick parish from Car-
rington parish; and the Tyne divides it on the
east from Crichton. Many romantic scenes occur i
throughout this district, particularly in the valleys
of the Gore and the Tyne ; and the locality is a fa-
vourite one with botanists. Grahame has described
the sylvan scenery of the district in the folio wirg
lines : —
" What though fair Scotland's valleys rarely vaunt
The oak majestical, whose aged boughs
Darken a rood breadth ! yet nowhere is seen
More beautoously profuse, wild underwood ;
Nowhere 'tis seen more beauteous! y profuse,
Than on thy tangling banks, well-wooded Esk,
And Borthwick, thine, above that fairy nook
Formed by your blending streams.— The hawthorn the*e,
With moss and lichen grey, dies of old age,
No steel profane permitted to intrude :
Up to the topmost branches climbs the rose,
And mingles with the fading flowers of May ;
While round the brier the honeysuckle wreaths
Entwine, and with their sweet perfume embalm
The dying rose,- a never-failing blow
From spring to fall, expands ; the sloethorn white,
As if a flaky shower the leafless sprays
Had hung; the hawthorn, May's fair diadem;
The whin's rich dye ; the bonny broom ; the rasp'
Erect; the rose, red, white, and faintest pink;
And long-extending bramble's flowery shoots."
There are five villages within the parish. Of tl
village of Ford only a few houses belong to Bortl
wick parish. See FORD. Dewarston, on the estat
of Vogrie, a little to the south-west of Ford, is
beautiful little village, of quiet and cleanly aspe(
and inhabited by about 150 souls. Middleton, <
the line of road leading through the centre of tl
parish to Galla water, is pleasantly situated. The
is an inn here, formerly better known as a posting
station, 13 miles from Edinburgh. Newlandrigg
a village of about 100 inhabitants. Stobb's mil
well-known for its gunpowder manufactory, is a vil
lage of about 70 inhabitants. There are large
of limestone within the parish, and lime is exter
sively manufactured tt Hemperston and Middletor
at Vogrie and Arniston. Population of the parish ii
1801, 842; in 1831, 1,473. Assessed property in 1811
£8,955 ; valued rent, £5,600 18s. Scots. Houses, ii
1831, 296 — This parish is in the presbytery of
keith, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. P«J
tron, Dundas of Arniston. Stipend £198 12s. 3d.
with a glebe of the value of £28. Unappropriat
teinds £15 Os. 8d. Schoolmaster's salary £34
4^d., with about £30 fees. Scholars 100. Ther
are two private schools. The old church was acci-
dentally destroyed by fire in May, 1775. The
sent church, about 40 yards from the ruins of
old one, was built in 1778. About a fourth part
the population are dissenters. — This parish evident
derives its name from the ancient and once powerfu
family of Borthwick, concerning whose origin t:
ditional accounts are very various. Some say tl
they were descended from one Andreas, a son of the
lord of Burtick in Livonia, who accompanied Queen
Margaret from Hungary to Scotland, in 1057» and
having got possession of some lands in the west 01
south parts of this country, his posterity, with some
small alteration in the spelling, assumed the surname
of Borthwick, from the place of their progenitor's
birth. Others are of opinion that the name i.(
merely local. Be that as it may, certain it is, thai
during the 15th and following centuries, the lord;
of Borthwick had immense possessions and ven
great influence in this part of the country. Th<
peerage is now dormant ; John, the 9th Lord Borth
wick, having died without issue in 1672. The presen
proprietor, though a branch of the old family, ac
quired the property by purchase, and is now a claim
ant for the titles also of his ancestors. What nov
constitutes this parish formerly belonged to the col
lege-kirk of Crichton, which lies about a mile north
east of this place. In April, 1596, James I. dis-
solved from the said college-kirk the prebendaae
BORTHWICK.
155
of Ardnalestoun (now Arniston), of Middleton first
and second, and of Vogrie, of old called Lochquhar-
ret, or Locherwart, and also two boys or clerks to
assist in the performance of divine service, with
suitable salaries annexed to their office. These
prebendaries, with the haill vicarage of Borthvvick,
Vuits, rents, manse, and glebe thereof, were then,
)y a royal charter, erected into a distinct and sepa-
rate charge, to be in all time coming called the par-
sonage of Borthwick. The year before this, the
)resbytery of Dalkeith had designed a glebe for Mr.
Adam Colt, the then officiating parson ; but this
they seem to have considered only as a measure of
expediency, the parish having been constituted be-
bre the royal charter could be obtained. This deed
must have been regarded at the time as a transaction
of considerable importance; for, in 1606, the erec-
;ion of the parsonage by the said charter was so-
emnly ratified in parliament, and in 1609, confirmed
>y George, archbishop of St. Andrew's, as the pa-
;ron of said prebendaries ; always reserving, how-
ever, the presentation and advocation of all the
Demises, gifts, and benefices, to himself and succes-
sors in office.
About' l^ mile below the kirk-town, there is, on
he lands oT Harvieston, beautifully situated by the
side of the Gore, a ruin, called the old castle of Cat-
cune, which is said to have been the residence of
the family of Borthwick, before they had risen to
such eminence in this country. About the end of
he 14th and beginning of the 15th century, lived a Sir
William Borthwick, who, being a man of great parts,
was employed as an ambassador on several important
negotiations, and concerned in most of the public
ransactions of his time. This William appears
o have been created Lord Borthwick before
430 ; for, in October that year, at the baptism of
;he king's two sons, several knights were created,
and among the rest William, son and heir of Lord
Borthwick. He obtained from James I., of Scotland,
a license to build and fortify a castle on the lands of
Lochwarret, or Locher worth, which he had bought
rorn Sir William Hay : " Ad construendam castrum
n loco illo qui vulgariter dicitur le Mote de Lochor-
wart." This grant was obtained by a charter under
the great seal, June 2d, 1430. A stately and most
magnificent castle was accordingly reared, and after-
ward became the chief seat and title of the family.
This amazing mass of building is yet upon the whole
very entire, and of astonishing strength. There is
ndeed in the middle of the east wall a considerable
jreach ; but whether occasioned by a dash of light-
ling, or by the influence of the weather, or by some
)riginal defect in the building, cannot now with cer-
.ainty be determined. The form of this venerable
structure is nearly square, being 74 by 68 feet with-
>ut the walls, but having on the west side a large
>penirig which seems to have been intended to give
ight to the principal apartments. The walls them-
elves — which are of hewn stone without and within,
tnd most firmly cemented — are 13 feet thick near
he bottom, and towards the top are gradually con-
cted to about 6 feet. Besides the sunk story, they
, from the adjacent area to the battlement, 90
t high ; and if we include the roof, which is arched
I covered with flag-stones, the whole height will be
>ut 1 10 feet. " From the battlements of Borthwick
tie, which command a varied and beautiful view,
top of Crichton castle can be discovered, l)ing
out two miles distant to the eastward. The con-
nience of communicating by signal with a neigh-
uring fortress was an object so much studied in the
ction of Scottish castles, that, in all probability,
his formed one reason of the unusual height to
bich Borthwick castle is raised " — [' Provincial An-
tiquities of Scotland.' Edn. 1834, p. 200.] In one
of the low apartments is an excellent spring-well,
now tilled up with rubbish. On the first story are
state-rooms, which were once accessible by a draw-
bridge. The great hall is 40 feet long, and so high
in the roof that, says Nisbet, " a man on horseback
might turn a spear in it with all the ease imaginable."
The chimney, which is very large, has been carved
and gilded, and in every corner may be traced the
remains of fallen greatness. " On the llth of June,
1567, Morton, Mar, Hume, and Lindsay, with other
inferior barons, and attended by nine hundred or a
thousand horse, on a sudden surrounded the castle
of Borthwick, where Bothwell was in company with
the queen. Bothwell had such early intelligence of
their enterprise, that he had time to ride off with a
very few attendants; and the insurgent nobles, when
they became aware of his escape, retreated to Dal-
keith, and from thence to Edinburgh, where they
had friends who declared for them, in spite of the
efforts of Queen Mary's partisans. The latter, find-
ing themselves the weaker party, retreated to the
castle, while the provost and the armed citizens, to
whom the defence of the town was committed, did
not, indeed, open their gates to the insurgent lords
but saw them forced without offering opposition.
These sad tidings were carried to Mary by Beaton,
the writer of the letter, who found her still at Borth-
wick, ' BO quiet, that there was none with her pass-
ing six or seven persons.' She had probably calcu-
lated on the citizens of Edinburgh defending the
capital against the insurgents ; when this hope failed,
she resolved on flight. ' Her majesty,' says the
letter, 'in men's clothes, booted and spurred, de-
parted that same night from Borthwick to Dunbar:
whereof no man knew, save my lord duke, (i. e.
Bothwell, created Duke of Orkney,) and some of
his servants, who met her majesty a mile from Borth-
wick, and conveyed her to Dunbar.' We may
gather from these particulars, that, although the
confederated lords had declared against Bothwell,
they had not as yet adopted the purpose of imprison-
ing Queen Mary herself. When Both well's escape
was made known, the blockade of Borthwick was
instantly raised, although the place had neither
garrison nor means of defence. The more audacious
enterprise of making the queen prisoner, had not
been adopted by the insurgents until the event of the
incidents at Carberry-hill showed such to have been
the Scottish queen's unpopularity at the time, that
any attempt might be hazarded against her person or
liberty, without the immediate risk of its being re-
sented by her subjects. There seems to have been
an interval of nearly two days betwixt the escape of
Bothwell from Borthwick castle, and the subsequent
flight of the queen in disguise to Dunbar. If, during
that interval, Mary could have determined on separ-
ating her fortunes from those of the deservedly
detested Bothwell, her page in history might have
closed more happily." — [' Provincial Antiquities,' p.
208.] The castle is surrounded on every side but
one by steep ground and water, and at equal dis-
tances from the base are square and round towers.
" Like many other baronial residences in Scotland,
Sir William de Borthwick built this magnificent
pile upon the very verge of his own property. The
usual reason for choosing such a situation was hinted
by a northern baron, to whom a friend objected this
circumstance as a defect, at least an inconvenience :
' We'll brizz yont,' (Anylice, press forward,) was
the baron's answer ; which expressed the policy of
the powerful in settling their residence upon the
extremity of their domains, as giving pretext and
opportunity for making acquisitions at the expense
of their neighbours. William de Hay, from whom
BOR
156
EOT
Sir William Borthwick had acquired a part of Loch-
ervvorth, is said to have looked with envy upon the
splendid castle of his neighbour, and to have vented
his spleen by building a mill upon the lands of Little
Locker worth, immediately beneath the knoll on
which the fortress was situated, declaring that the
Lord of Borthwick, in all his pride, should never be
out of hearing of the clack of his neighbour's mill.
The mill accordingly still exists, as a property inde-
pendent of the castle." — [' Provincial Antiquities/
p. 200.] Strong, however, as this fortress was both
by nature and art, it was not proof against the arms
of Oliver Cromwell. John, 8th Lord Borthwick,
had, during the Civil war, remained firmly attached
to the royal cause, and thus drew upon himself
the vengeance of the Protector, who, by a letter,
dated at Edinburgh, 18th November, 1650, sum-
moned him to surrender in these terms :
" For the Governor of Borthwick Castle, These.
" Sir,— I thought fitt to send this trumpett to you, to lett yon
know that, if you please to walk away witli your company,
and deliver the house to such as I shall send to receive it, you
shall have libertie to carry off your annes and goods, and such
other necessaries as you have. You harboured such parties in
your house as have basely unhutnanely murdered our men; if
you necessitate me to bend my cannon against you, you must
expect what I doubt you will not be pleased with. I expect
your present answer, and rest your servant,
O. CROMWELL."
A surrender was not the immediate consequence
of this peremptory summons, for the castle held out
until artillery were opened upon it; but seeing no
appearance of relief, Lord Borthwick obtained
honourable terms of capitulation, viz., liberty to
march out with his lady and family unmolested, and
fifteen days allowed to remove his effects. Not-
withstanding the waste of time, the grand appearance
of this princely edifice still fills the mind of the be-
holder with veneration.
This parish has produced several eminent men.
Principal Robertson was born in the manse of
Borthwick, and ever cherished an attachment to the
place of his nativity, and the scenes of his youth.
The Dundases of Amiston have made a conspicuous
figure in Scottish history. Two of the heads of that
family were presidents of the highest civil courts in
this country ; and the Right Honourable Henry
Dundas rose to the office of secretary of state.
James Small, an eminent mechanic and agricultural
implement maker, was also a native of this parish.
BORTHWICK (THE), a Roxburghshire stream,
whose head-streams, Craikhope burn, Howpassley
burn, and Brownshope burn descend from the range
of hills on the south-west skirts of the county, where
the shires of Selkirk, Dumfries, and Roxburgh meet.
It flows in a north-east direction and with a rapid
course, through the parish of Roberton ; and joins the
Teviot a little below Branxholm, and about 2 miles
above Ha wick.
BOSWELL'S (ST.), or LESSUDDEN, a parish on
the banks of the Tweed, in Roxburghshire ; bounded
on the north by the parish of Melrose, and the
Tweed which separates it from Berwickshire; on
the east by the Tweed and Maxtovvn parish ; on
the south by Ancrum parish; and on the west by
Bowden parish. It derives its name, St. Boswell,
from St. Boisel a disciple of St. Cuthbert, who is
said to have founded the church of this parish.
Lessudden is the name of the principal village in the
parish, and is supposed to have been originally Lis-
Aidan, that is, ' the Residence of Aidan ;' or perhaps
Lessedwin — as it is in old chartularies — that is, ' the
Manor-place of Edwin.' It was burnt by the Eng-
lish, under Sir Ralph Sadler, in 1544. It is 10 miles
west of Kelso, and 4 east of Melrose. The old vil-
lage of St. Boswell's stood about a mile to the south-
east of Lessudden. St. Boswell's burn, rising ir
Bowden parish, intersects the parish, and falls inU
the Tweed a little above Lessudden. The super-
ficial area of the parish is 2,600 acres, nearly al
arable. The valued rent is £4,330 18s. 2d. Sec
Real rental, in 1792, about £1,600; in 1834, about
£3,000. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,048. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 497; in 1831, 701. Houses 117-
This parish is in the presbytery of Selkirk, am
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Duk<
of Buccleugh. Stipend £211 11s. 7d., with a glet
of the value of £12. Unappropriated teinds £57i
10s. Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s., with about
£40 fees. Average number of pupils 50. There is
a small private school. Robert Scott, Esq. of Pen-
ang, left £100, and a field of 5 acres, for behoof
the poor of this parish.
St. Boswell's fair is held on a large green of the
same name, of about 40 acres in extent, throu^
which passes the turnpike-road from the Lothian
to Jedburgh, &c. It is the greatest in the south o
Scotland. It is held annually on the 18th of July,
or on the Monday following, if the 18th fall on
Sunday. Its happening either on the Monday
Saturday is very justly thought to occasion mm
inattention to the religious observance of the Sal
bath ; and the evil has been often and long since
complained of, but no remedy has yet been applied.
If the day be fine, the concourse of people from al
the surrounding country is immense; and some come
from a very considerable distance. Great flocks
sheep and lambs — the latter chiefly Leicester ai
crosses — are brought hither from all parts of tl
adjacent country, and generally find so ready a mar-
ket as to be disposed of early in the morning, or
latest in the forenoon. The average number shovvi
at this fair, until within these ten or twelve years
was 30,000 ; it does not now exceed 20,000. The
chief purchasers are the Berwickshire and East L(
thian graziers. The show of black cattle is not ven
imposing; but the show of horses has usually
so fine that buyers attend from all parts both
the north of England and south of Scotland. Line
cloth, hardware, toys, crockery, and other miscel
laneous articles, are also exhibited to a considerabl
amount in value, in booths — or, as they are her
called, craims — which are erected in great number
on the green. St. Boswell's is among the last of
wool-fairs, and generally winds up the wool-tr;
for the season. The money turned in the course
the day at this fair used to be from £8,000
£10,000 sterling. The Duke of Buccleugh receive
a certain rate or toll upon sheep, cattle, and all othe
commodities brought into this fair for sale. Ol
sheep pay one merk Scots per score; lambs, one-lu
of that sum ; and so on. This toll is sometime
collected by people appointed for the purpose ; bi
is more commonly let for such a sum of money a;
can be agreed on. The highest at which it eve;
was let was £53, the lowest £33 ; and the averagi
is supposed to be about £38.
BOTHKENNAR, a small parish of Stirlingshire
in the carse of Falkirk; about 1£ mile in length
and nearly of equal breadth. It is bounded on tb
north by the parish of Airth ; on the west by th
parish of Larbert ; on the south by the parishes c
Falkirk and Polmont; and on the east, by the Forth
It seems anciently to have been bounded on th
south by the river Carron, but that river, bavin
changed its course, now intersects both the parishe
of Bothkennar and Falkirk, leaving part of the foi
mer on the south, and a small part of the latter upo
the north side of it. The parish contains 96 02
gangs of land, of 13 acres each, or 1,248 Scots acre
in whole; the old valuation of which is £3,591 12
BOX
EOT
?he real rent of the parish, in 1796, was
ibout £2,808. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,429.
Rs district is almost a continuous flat; there is
:-ely the least rising ground to be observed
ugh the whole of it, and, excepting the roads,
e is not a spot of it uncultivated. Population,
801, 575; in 1831, 905. Houses 150 — This
parish is in the presbytery of Stirling, and synod
of Perth and Stirling. Stipend £201 12s. 10d.,
—:xu _ glebe of the value of £12. Church built in
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4|d., with
10 fees. There is also a private school.
IOTHWELL,* a large parish on the northern
iks of the Clyde, in Lanarkshire. In ancient
Bothwell was a great and noble barony, ex-
ling from Clyde to the boundaries of West Lo-
It is situated in the Lower ward of the
mty of Lanark, and bounded upon the south by
river Clyde, and the South Calder; on the west
north by the North Calder ; and on the east by
)tts. It is of an oval figure, extending from
it to east about 8£ miles in length, and 4 at its
atest breadth. The great flat of the upper part
the parish is, at a medium, 300 feet above the
2! of the sea ; that toward the Clyde is much
The surface rises gradually from the Clyde
the north and north-east. The old valuation of
parish is £7,389 16s. O^d. Scots. In 1650, the
of the parish was £1,950 18s. 5^d. sterling;
1782, £4,431 7s. 4d. sterling. The present rental,
:clusive of the collieries and iron-works, may amount
to between £9,000 and £10,000. The income from
lines and iron- works, it is stated in the New Statis-
Account of this parish, is supposed to exceed
160,000 per annum. The value of assessed property,
1815, was £16,053. The parish abounds in free-
le. The quarries near the Clyde are of a red-
ired stone ; in the upper part of the parish, of a
lutiful white. Coal is extensively wrought, and
;re are large iron- works. Population, in 1801,
)17; in 1831,5,545. Houses in 1831, 1,086. If
parish were divided by a line drawn across the
nvest part, passing a little to the east of the
village of Bellshill, the population of the two dis-
tricts would be nearly equal ; but that of the eastern
district is composed of colliers, iron-smelters, and
others connected with the coal and iron works; while
of the west is chiefly agricultural labourers and
ivers. The village of Bothwell is 36£ miles
Edinburgh; 8 from Glasgow; 27 from Stirling;
17 from Lanark. — This parish is in the pres-
;ry of Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
troii, the Duke of Hamilton. Stipend £282 14s.
with a glebe of the value of £36. Unappro-
Heinds £491 12s. lid. Church built in 1833;
tings 1,150. It is a very handsome Gothic edifice,
a tower 120 feet in height; cost £4,179. A
1 ing-station was opened at Holytown in March,
and a church has since been built a little to
the east of that town, with 830 sittings, at a cost of
£1,152, for the accommodation of parties connected
with the Established church in the eastern district
of the parish. Salary about £60 There is a Relief
igregation at Bellshill. Church built in 1763;
tings 8 12. Stipend £120, with a manse and glebe
the value of £30. — A United Secession congre-
ion was established and a church built in 1802 at
1 The origin of this name is uncertain. Both, in Celtic, Syriac,
' lee, aud Saxon, signifies ' a Habitation or Dwelling.' Hyl or
. in Celtic, is ' a Flood or Water;' and compounded with
«, Bothail or Bothwell may signify « a Habitation beside or
the Waters.' Old Statistical Account.— Chalmers suggests
as gwill, or, in composition, will, means 'a Stranger or
rloper,' Bothwill or Bothvyll may signify « the Habitation
the Stranger.' Caledonia, iii. p. 'TOO— Bullet renders Both.
II, 'a Castle upon an eminence ;' from both, which he inter-
* Eminence,* aud wall, in composition welt, l a Castle.
Newarthill. Sittings 600. Stipend £70, with a
house, and glebe of the value of £14 There are
three parish-schools and ten private schools. The
parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £3* 4s., each
of the other two has a salary of £8 11s. By a
census made by the parish-minister of Bothwell in
1836 it was found that, of a total population of
6,381, there were 3,757 in connexion with the Es-
tablished church, and 2,485 in connexion with other
denominations — For further information regarding
this parish, see articles : CALDEB, CHAPELHALL,
CLYDE, HOLYTOWN, UDDINGSTONE, &c.
The castle of Bothwell, on the north bank of the
Clyde in this parish, is a very ancient and noble
structure. What of it remains occupies a space in
length 234, feet, and in breadth 99 feet over the
walls. The walls are upwards of 15 feet in thick-
ness, and in some places 60 feet high, built of a kind
of red grit or friable sandstone. In the notes to
Wordsworth's poems [Vol. v, p. 379, edn. 1839,]
occurs the following description of this noble relic
of feudal ages : " It was exceedingly delightful to
enter thus unexpectedly upon such a beautiful re-
gion. The castle stands nobly, overlooking the
Clyde. When we came up to it, I was hurt to see
that flower-borders had taken place of the natural
overgrowings of the ruin, the scattered stones and
wild plants. It is a large and grand pile of red free-
stone, harmonizing perfectly with the rocks of the
river, from which, no doubt, it has been hewn.
When I was a little accustomed to the unnatural-
ness of a modern garden, I could not help admiring
the excessive beauty and luxuriance of some of the
plants, particularly the purple-flowered clematis, and
a broad-leafed creeping plant without flowers, which
scrambled up the castle wall, along with the ivy,
and spread its vine-like branches so lavishly that it
seemed to be in its natural situation, and one could
not help thinking that, though not self-planted
among the ruins of this country, it must somewhere
have its native abode in such places. If Bothwell
castle had not been close to the Douglas mansion,
we should have been disgusted with the possessor's
miserable conception of adorning such a venerable
ruin ; but it is so very near to the house, that of
necessity the pleasure-grounds must have extended
beyond it, and perhaps the neatness of a shaven lawn
and the complete desolation natural to a ruin might
have made an unpleasing contrast ; and, besides be-
ing within the precincts of the pleasure-grounds, and
so very near to the dwelling of a noble family, it has
forfeited, in some degree, its independent majesty,
and becomes a tributary, to the mansion ; its solitude
being interrupted, it has no longer the command
over the mind in sending it back into past times, or
excluding the ordinary feelings which we bear about
us in daily life. We had then only to regret that
the castle and the house were so near to each other ;
and it was impossible not to regret it ; for the ruin
presides in state over the river, far from city or
town, as if it might have a peculiar privilege to pre-
serve its memorials of past ages, and maintain its
own character for centuries to come. We sat upon
a bench under the high trees, and had beautiful views
of the different reaches of the river, above and be-
low. On the opposite bank, which is finely wooded
with elms and other trees, are the remains of a pri-
ory built upon a rock; and rock and ruin are so
blended, that it is impossible to separate the one
from the other. Nothing can be more beautiful than
the little remnant of this holy place : elm trees (for
we were near enough to distinguish them by their
branches) grow out of the walls, and overshadow a
small, but very elegant window. It can scarcely be
conceived what a grace the castle and priory impart
158
BOTHWELL.
to each other; and the river Clyde flows on, smooth
and unruffled below, seeming to my thoughts more
in harmony with the sober arid stately images of
former times, than if it had roared over a rocky
channel, forcing its sound upon the ear. It blended
gently with the warbling of the smaller birds, and
the chattering of the larger ones, that had made their
nests in the ruins. In this fortress the chief of the
English nobility were confined after the battle of
Bannockburn. If a man is to be a prisoner, he
scarcely could have a more pleasant place to solace
his captivity ; but I thought that, for close confine-
ment, I should prefer the banks of a lake, or the
sea-side. The greatest charm of a brook or river is
in the liberty to pursue it through its windings; you
can then take it in whatever mood you like ; silent
or noisy, sportive or quiet. The beauties of a brook
or river must be sought, and the pleasure is in going
in search of them; those of a lake or of the sea
come to you of themselves. These rude warriors
cared little, perhaps, about either ; and yet, if one
may judge from the writings of Chaucer, and from
the old romances, more interesting passions were
connected with natural objects in the days of chiv-
alry than now: though going in search of scenery,
as it is called, had not then been thought of. I had
previously heard nothing of Bothwell castle, at least
nothing that I remembered ; therefore, perhaps, my
pleasure was greater, compared with what I received
elsewhere, than others might feel." — The following
is a concise statement of the various lords or masters
this castle has successively received in the vicissi-
tudes of fortune. During the reign of Alexander II.
it belonged to Walter Olifard, justiciary of Lothian,
who died in 1242. It afterwards passed by marriage
to the Morays or Hurrays. In the time of Edward I.
it was given to Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pem-
broke. Upon his forfeiture, it was given by Robert
Bruce to Andrew Murray, Lord Bothwell, who had
married Christian, sister to that king. With his
grand-daughter, it came to Archibald the Grim, Earl
of Douglas, and continued in their family till their
forfeiture under James II. in 1455. After the for-
feiture of the family of Douglas, the bulk of the
lordship of Bothwell was given to Lord Crichton,
son to Chancellor Crichton; and Bothwell forest,
or Bothwell moor, was obtained by Lord Hamilton,
in exchange for the lands of Kings well. Crichton was
forfeited in 1485, for joining with Alexander Duke
of Albany against James III. It was then given by
James III. to Lord Monipenny, but afterwards re-
sumed, as having been gifted by the king in his
minority, and bestowed on John Ramsay, who en-
joyed it till 1488, when the lordship of Crichton
was gifted by James IV. to Adam Hepburn, —
" he who died
On Flodden, by his sovereign's side."
It continued in this line till November, 1567, when
James, Earl of Bothwell, was forfeited for the mur-
der of Darnley. Thereafter it was given to Francis
Stewart, son of John, Abbot of Kelso, who was
natural son to James V. ; and on his forfeiture his
estate was gifted to the lairds of Buccleugh and
Roxburgh, from whom the Marquis of Hamilton ac-
quired all the superiority and patronage of that lord-
ship. The castle of Bothwell, with a third of the
lordship, was disponed by Hepburn, Earl of Both-
well, to the Earl of Angus, in exchange for the lord-
ship of Liddisdale. Angus, arid Archibald his son,
in 1630, feued off their part of the lordship to the
particular tenants and possessors thereof, reserving
the castle and mains of Bothwell. It was given off
as a patrimonial portion with the Earl of Forfar, but
again returned to the family of Douglas on the death
of Archibald Earl of Forfar, who died at Stirling of
wounds received at Sherriffmuir, in 1715. Thf
Douglas family enlarged and improved the castle
and their arms are found in different plares of tr.
wall. It is said that a great part of it was tak
down by the Earl of Forfar, to build a modern hous
out of the materials.
The old church of Bothwell is a structure,
the Gothic style, of excellent workmanship, 70 fe
in length over the walls, and 39 in breadth. Tl
roof is arched and lofty. It was lighted with a tire i
large windows on each side, and a great window
the east end, in the upper part of which the Dougli
arms are cut. At the south corner of the windov
within and without, the same arms are quartered vvil
the royal arms. The Hamilton arms are engra\
in the centre of the arch which supported the o
loft. The arched roof is covered with large
lished flags of stone, somewhat in the form of
tiles. Near the outer base of the spire, the name
the master-mason was written in Saxon charac
" Magister Thomas Tron." In the two es
corners of the church are two sepulchral mom
merits to the Earl of Forfar and his son. Tl
building was used as the parish church till
The collegiate church of Bothwell was found*
October 10, 1398, by Archibald earl of Douglas, fc
a provost and 8 prebendaries ; with a grant of tl
lands of Osberington, or Orbiston, in his barony
Bothwell, and the lands of Netherurd, in the sherii
dom of Peebles. The endowments of this churt
were very great ; for besides these lands, there
given them a right to all the tithes of Bothwell ai
Bertram-Shotts, Avondale, and Stonehouse parish^
and several superiorities. Most of these superic
ties, with part of the property, and the tithes, beloi
now to the Duke of Hamilton, who is both patr
and titular. The noble founder died in 1400 ; am
as tradition has it, was buried with his lady ui
der a large marble stone in the east end of tr.
quire. In the same year David, prince of Scotlam
was married to Marjory Douglas, daughter to Arc!
bald, Earl of Douglas, in the church of Bothwel
The provost of Bothwell had a vicar at St. Catl
erine's chapel, for serving the upper part of
parish now called the Shotts; but after the R(
formation, it was divided into two parishes. A
of the provosts and successive ministers of Bothwe
is given in the Old Statistical Account of this paris
Bothwell bridge was the scene of an engagemer
on the 22d of June, 1679, between the Covenant
and the king's army commanded by the Duke
Monmouth, assisted by Claverhouse and Dalzel
The king's army advanced by the north or Bothwt
side. The Covenanters amounted to 4,000; and tl
bridge was vigorously defended for a time by Hacl
ston of Rathillet; but the main body divided amor
themselves, and madly employing the precious m<
ments while the king's troops were carrying
bridge in cashiering their officers, were soon thro\
into confusion ; 400 were killed, chiefly in the pi
suit, and 1,200 taken prisoners. The aspect o
the bridge and scenery in the immediate vicinit;
has been entirely changed within these few years
Formerly the bridge, about 120 feet in length, ros<
with an acclivity of about 20 feet, and was onl
12 feet in breadth, fortified with a gateway nea
the south-east or Hamilton end. The gatewa
and gate have been long removed ; and in 1826, 2
feet were added to the original breadth of the bridgt
by a supplemental building on the upper side, whil
the hollow on the south bank was filled up. Th
Clyde is here 7 1 yards broad.
Bothwell-haugh, about a mile above the bridg<
was formerly the property of James Hamilton <
Bothwell-haugh, who shot the Earl of Murray, the
BOX
159
BOT
it of Scotland, at Linlithgow, on the 23d of
luary, 1569. " He had been condemned to death
after the battle of Langside, as we have already
ited, and owed his life to the regent's clemency,
it part of his estate had been bestowed upon one
the regent's favourites, who seized his house, and
irned out his wife naked, in a cold night, into the
fields, where, before next morning, she became
riously mad. This injury made a deeper impres-
on him than the benefit he had received, and
that moment he vowed to be revenged of the
snt. Party rage strengthened and inflamed his
ivate resentment. His kinsmen, the Hamiltons,
)lauded the enterprise. The maxims of that age
tified the most desperate course he could take to
in vengeance. He followed the regent for some
j, and watched for an opportunity to strike the
»w. He resolved at last to wait till his enemy
ild arrive at Linlithgow, through which he was
in his way from Stirling to Edinburgh. He
his stand in a wooden gallery, which had a win-
>w towards the street; spread a feather bed on the
>r to hinder the noise of his feet from being heard ;
ig up a black cloth behind him that his shadow
jht not be observed from without ; and, after all
is preparation, calmly expected the regent's ap-
ach, who had lodged, during the night, in a house
far distant. Some indistinct information of the
iger which threatened him had been conveyed to
regent, and he paid so much regard to it, that
resolved to return by the same gate through
which he had entered, and to fetch a compass round
le town. But as the crowd about the gate was
it, and he himself unacquainted with fear, he
jded directly along the street ; and the throng
people obliging him to move very slowly, gave
assassin time to take so true an aim, that he
him with a single bullet through the lower part
' his belly, and killed the horse of a gentleman who
on his other side. His followers instantly en-
ivoured to break into the house whence the blow
had come : but they found the door strongly barri-
cadoed ; and, before it could be forced open, Ham-
ilton had mounted a fleet horse, which stood ready
1 him at a back passage, and was got far beyond
ir reach. The regent died the same night of
wound." — [Robertson's ' History of Scotland,'
)k V.]*
Lbout a quarter of a mile east of this, there is a
over the South Calder which is thought to
Roman construction ; it is a single arch of 20
span, high, narrow, and without parapets. The
lan road called Watling Street — one of the four
Roman roads in Britain — leading to it from the
t, through Dalziel parish, was in a state of con-
siderable preservation towards the end of last cen-
tury, but is now scarce discernible. — A mile above
this, upon the banks of the same water, there is a
quarry of the finest millstones in the west of Scotland.
Three miles higher, upon the north bank of the
Calder, in the middle of the steep rock upon which
the house of Cleland stands, is a large natural cove,
which has been partly improven by art, capable of
holding 40 or 50 men, and of difficult access. The
entry was secured by a door and an iron gate fixed
in the solid rock; the fire-place, and part of the
chimney and floor, still remain. The tradition is,
that it was used as a place of concealment ifi the
troublesome times of the country, as far back as
the garlant patriot Sir William Wallace, — perhaps
py the hero himself, and his trusty band ; also dur-
ing the violent feuds between the house of Cleland
I« See Si,
r
See Sir Walter Soott's magnificent ballad entitled ' Cadynw
tie.' in the 4th vol. of t tin • Border Minstr.'Uv '
in the 4th vol. of the • Border Minstrelsy.
and Lauchope; and especially in the convulsions of
this country under the Charles's.
The house of Laucbope was the seat of a very
ancient family, the mother-family of the Muirheads.
It is an old tower-house, with walls of a prodigious
thickness — Woodhall, near the village of Holy town,
the property of W. F. Campbell, Esq. of Islay, is a
fine mansion — The house of Both well, the resi-
dence of Lord Douglas, a handsome edifice consist-
ing of a centre and two wings, stands a little east
from the old castle, and commands a charming view
of the banks, the river, the ruins of the old castle
of Bothwell, and the adjacent country. The banks
of the river have been improved with pleasure- walks,
rustic huts, and shrubbery. The park is enclosed
with a remarkably good wall.
One of the finest views in Scotland is commanded
from the east brow of the hill, upon which the vil-
lage of Bothwell stands. This seems to be the great
promontory which Nature has erected from which
to contemplate the beauties of the Vale of Clyde,
for that river, after it quits this parish, loses its
noble wooded banks, and generally falls into a flat-
ness on both sides. On the right hand, and on the
south side of the river, the residence of the Duke of
Hamilton, called the Palace, Chatelherault, and the
town of Hamilton, appear just under the eye, amidst
extensive pleasure-grounds. A little above this, the
vale is contracted, and the banks of the river become
wide and deep, with a gradual declivity on both
sides, occupied by gentlemen's seats, and highly cul-
tivated and embellished. Numerous orchards are
here interspersed through the groves, which give a
great part of the vale an Italian aspect, or rather
"The bloom of blowing Eden fair."
In autumn they are richly loaded with fruits, and
this district may be called the Garden of Scotland.
Beautiful meadows covered with flocks, and rich
fields of corn, adorn the holms and plains ; while
villa succeeds villa, as far as the eye can reach, till
the prospect terminates upon Tintock, at the dis-
tance of 24 miles.
The beauties of Bothwell banks were celebrated
in ancient song, of which the following incident is a
striking proof: " So fell it out of late years, that
an English gentleman, travelling in Palestine, not
far from Jerusalem, as he passed through a country
town, he heard by chance a woman sitting at the
door, dandling her child, to sing,
" Bothwell bank, thou blooraest fair."
The gentleman hereat exceedingly wondered, and
forthwith in English saluted the woman, who joy-
fully answered him, and said, She was right glad
there to see a gentleman of our isle ; and told him,
that she was a Scotch woman, and came first from
Scotland to Venice, and from Venice thither; where
her fortune was to be the wife of an officer under
the Turk, who being at that instant absent, and very
soon to return, she entreated the gentleman to stay
there until his return ; the which he did ; and she,
for country sake, to show herself more kind and
bountiful unto him, told her husband at his home-
oming, that the gentleman washer kinsman; where-
upon her husband entertained him very kindly, and
at his departure gave him divers things of good
value." [Verstegan, in his ' Restitution of Decayed
Intelligence,' Antwerp, 1605. Chap. Of the Sirname*
of our Ancient Families.]
BOTR1PHNIE, a parish in Banffshire, about 24
miles west of the county-town; extending from north
to south about 4£, and from east to west about 3
miles. It is bounded on the north by part of Dun
durcas, in Moray ; on the east by Keith and Cairney
BOU
160
BOW
parishes ; on the south by Calrash-Glass and Mort-
lach; and on the west by Mortlach and Bobarm.
The greater part of the parish consists of one beau-
tiful strath, situated between two hills to the north
and south with the small river of Isla, which takes
its rise in the west part of the parish towards Mort-
lach, running through the middle of it. The banks
of this stream are beautifully adorned with aller and
birch trees; several small rills, which fall into it
from the hills on each side, are clothed in the same
manner. The fields on the north side of the parish
have a good exposure, arid are of considerable extent,
stretching from the river to the top of the hill ; for
the whole length of the parish on that side, there is
hardly a break in them, except where they are in-
tersected by a few small rills and clumps of birch
and aller. 'Population, in 1801, 589; in 1831, 721.
Houses, in 1831, 117. Assessed property, in 1815,
£2,683 This parish is in the presbytery of Strath.
bogie, and synod of Moray. Patron, the Earl of
Fife. Stipend £178 15s. 5d., with a glebe of the
value of £8 15s. Unappropriated teinds £254 4s.
2d. Schoolmaster's stipend, £30, with about £7
fees. There were two private schools within this
parish in 1834.
BOURTIE, a parish in the Garioch district of Aber-
deenshire ; bounded on the north by the parish of Old
Meldrum ; on the west by Tarves and Udny ; on
the south by Keithhall; and on the west by Daviot.
Its extent is about 4 miles in length, and 2 in breadth,
arid it contains about 4,000 acres. About the middle
of the parish there are two ranges of green hills,
which seem to have been laboured at some former
period to within 50 yards of the top. In 1744, there
were only two carts within this parish, and only two
houses which had stone chimneys, — the house of
Barra, and the manse. On the summit of the hill
of Barra, there are the distinct remains of a camp of
a circular form, and surrounded with three ditches.
It is called the Cummin's camp. The Cummins
were a bold and numerous race, who are said to have
been proprietors of the greater part of the Buchan
country, and disaffected to King Robert Bruce.
After the battle near Inverury, in which the king's
arms were victorious, he marched his troops hither,
stormed this camp, and put the Cummins who had
rallied here to flight. It is probable, however, that
this camp had been originally formed by the Danes,
and that the Cummins had only taken possession
of it as an advantageous post. In the churchyard
there is a rough stone cut out into a coarse statue
of a man. The traditional report is that it was
executed in memory of the celebrated Thomas de
Longueville, the companion of Wallace, who was
killed in storming the camp, and is buried here.
Population, in 1801, 445 ; in 1831, 472. Houses, in
1831, 84. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,709 —
This parish is in the presbytery of Garioch, and
synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the Crown. Stipend,
£225 15s., with a glebe of the value of £10 — The
parochial school is attended by about 30 children.
Salary of schoolmaster £30, with £8 fees.
BOWDEN,* a parish in Roxburghshire ; bounded
on the north by Melrose parish ; on the east mostly
by St. Boswells, though partly also by Lang-New-
ton, now annexed to Ancrum ; on the south by
Lilliesleaf; on the west by Selkirk; and on the
north-west by Galashiels. Its greatest length from
east to west is 6 miles. Its greatest breadth from
* In a charter granted by David I. to the abbey of Selkirk,
mention is made of Bothenden, which seems to favour the
conjecture of this parish being named after a St. Bothen, or
Bodwin, and the site of his tower is still pointed out near the
village. Yet the name may be derived from a den or dean in
the bow or curve of a small rivulet, where the church is said
to have once stood.-— Old Statistical Account.
south to north is about 4^ miles. The whole su-
perficies is nearly 6,700 acres. The surface is much
varied. One of the Eildon hills, and one-half of
another, are in this parish. These hills preser
three conical summits springing from one brc
and elevated base. Sir John Leslie estimated their
altitude at 1,364 feet above sea-level. Their situs
tion in a flat country, more than their height, g
them an imposing aspect, and they are seen at
great distance. Some parts of them also beii
covered with a kind of red stone, without a pile
grass, present a singular and striking appearam
The rock is chiefly felspar and felspar porphyr^,
The highest peak is thickly covered with a littl
shrubby plant, the vaccinium myrtillus. About thi
fourths of the parish have been at one time
another under the plough ; the other fourth
sists of bog, moss, and plantations of fir and fore
trees. The most extensive plantation occupies i
southern base of the Eildons. The real rent
the parish, in 1794, amounted to £2,300. It is no\
at least double that sum. The valued rent
£8,030 1 Is. Scots ; of which above one-half belpr
to the Duke of Roxburgh. Towards the close of 1
century the wages of a man-servant, in this parisl
were, in addition to his meat, from £7 to £8 ; thej
are now from £9 to £10 10s. Maid-servants
£2 10s. and £2 15s. for the summer, and £1
for the winter half-year ; these wages are now nearlj
doubled. There are two villages in the parish, viz
Bowden, 3 miles from Melrose, and Midlem or Mi<
dleham, 3£ miles from Selkirk. Population, in 1801,
829; in 1831, 1,010. Houses, 191. Assessed pr
perty, in 1815, £5,813.— This parish is in the pr
bytery of Selkirk, and synod of Merse and '
dale. Patron, the Duke of Roxburgh. Stipei
£211 lls. 7d., with a glebe of the value of £li
Unappropriated teinds, £44 4s. 6d — The Associat
Synod of Original Seceders have a chapel at Mi(
lem. — There are two parochial schools, — one
Bowden, the other at Middleham, — attended \>\
about 150 children. The salary of one of the mt
ter's is £30 ; that of the other £21 6s. 6|d. ;
each has about £20 of fees. A vault adjoining
the church is the burying-place of the ducal familj
of Roxburgh. The coffins — 21 in number— i
above ground ; and some of them, by the dat<
upon them, appear to have stood upwards of
years, and are still entire. The remains of a mili-
tary road, with circular stations or camps, supr,__
to be Roman, can be traced running nearly nor
through the centre and broadest part of this parisl
about a mile to the westward of the church, froi
Beaulieu in the parish of Lilliesleaf, to Caldshiel
in the parish of Galashiels. — There was, towards
end of last century, a strong fortification of it
kind, at Holydean, or Haliedean, once a resider
of the family of Roxburgh. The court-yard,
tainhig about three-fourths of an acre, was sur-
rounded by strong stone and lime walls, 4 feet thick,
and 16 feet high, with slanting holes, about 3d
feet from each other, from which an arrow or t
musket could have been pointed in different di
rections. Upon an arched gateway in the fron-
there was a strong iron gate. Within the cour
stood two strong towers, the one of three, thi
other of five stories, and each consisting of eigh
or ten lodgeable rooms, besides porters' lodges
servants' hall, vaulted cellars, bakehouses, &c. Thi
roof and flooring were all of the strongest oak
This building was mostly pulled down, merely fo
the sake of getting the stones in it to bufld
large farm-house and appurtenances at the distanc
of 3 miles, though the difficulty of separating thes
stones from the lime made them a dear purchase
BOW
161
BOW
articles under the name of customs, viz., straw-caz-
zies, which were used as sacks for carrying victual ;
side-ropes, made of hair, for drawing the plough-
halters ; floss or reeds, used for these and similar
purposes; teathers made of heather; stravv for
thatch, &c. They also wintered a beast or more
each, according to the extent of his possession, —
paid vicarage, or small teind, meat lamb, wedder,
hawk, hen, and eggs, out of each house, with poultry,
according to the extent of their farms, meat and
teind geese, meat swine, and mill gault. Besides
these flesh-duties, grass farms in the Highlands paid
veal, kid, butter, and cheese, &c. And tenants on
the sea-coast paid teind and quatel fish, and oil, out
of each boat belonging to them, and carried sea- ware
for manuring the proprietor's farm. Amongst other
articles of rent, the parsonage, or great teind — be-
ing the tenth sheaf of the tenant's produce — was
also till lately drawn in harvest by the proprietor
in some few places in the country. They also,
in general, spun a certain quantity of lint for the
landlady, who likewise had from them a certain
portion of wool annually. All these different pay-
ments obtained generally in the county of Caithness
30 or 40 years ago." — A few years ago there were
found in a moss on the estate of Thura, the bones
of some animals of the ox species, of a size now
unparalleled in this county. The remains were
three feet under the surface, and were in a high
state of preservation. Two heads were found
locked together by the horns, as if the animals
had killed each other. The horns form a graceful
curve, but if distended, measure 5 feet 10 inches,
from tip to tip ; breadth of skull across the eyes, 1
foot 6 inches ; one of the ribs measures 3| inches
at the broadest part, and exceeds 3 feet by little
more than an inch in length; the largest joint of
the leg-bone measures 9 inches in circumference,
but the bone itself is comparatively short — This
parish is in the presbytery of Caithness, and synod
of Sutherland and Caithness. Patron, Sir James
Colquhoun, Baronet. Stipend, £191 4s. 6d., with
a manse and glebe. Unappropriated teinds, £132
2s. Church built about the middle of the 17th
century; sittings, 441. — Schoolmaster's salary, £35
16s. 2£d., with about £14: fees. There are three
private schools. Alexander Miller of Thurso mor-
tified £100 for teaching children in this parish;
and Dr. James Oswald of Glasgow, a like sum
for this and every other parish in Caithness-shire.
BOWLING, a hamlet in the parish of West Kil-
patrick, Dumbartonshire ; at the western extremity
of the Forth and Clyde canal, where it joins the
Clyde. It is prettily situated on a narrow strip of
level ground between the finely- wooded hills of Kil-
patrickand the river, which is here still of contracted
limits, but a few hundred yards farther down, after
turning the rocky point of Dunglass, begins to expand
and assume a frith-like appearance.
BOWMONT (THE), a stream which rises in the
Cocklaw, and flows in an easterly direction through
the parish of Yetholm into Northumberlaridshire,
where it joins the Glen near Kirk-Newton, by which
its waters are conveyed to the Till, a tributary of
the Tweed. The Bovvmont and the Glen afford
fine trouting.
BOWMORE, a port in the island of Islay, in
the parish of Kilarrovv ; on the eastern side ot
Lochindaal, which here forms a spacious but shallow
bay much frequented by shipping. The bay is land
locked, arid affords good anchorage in the deeper
water, but is much exposed to the north-west wind.
Bowmore is a neat little place, containing about
1,500 inhabitants. It was founded in 1768, and ia
well-furnished with shops, and a pier ; but the re-
BOY
162
BRA
cnitly formed villages of Port Charlotte, and Port
Eleanor, on the opposite side of the bay, have some-
what diverted attention from the older port. The par-
ish of Kilarrow is now not unfrequently called Bow-
more, from the circumstance of the old church at
Kilarrow having been demolished, and the present
handsome parish-church erected at the end of one of
the principal streets in the village of Bowmore. It
is 11 mijes south-south-west of Port-Askaig, and 3
south-west of Bridgend.
BOYNDIE, or BOINDIE, a parish in Banffshire,
bounded by the Moray frith on the north and north-
west ; by Banff on the east ; by Ordiequhill on the
south ; and Fordyce on the west. It is 5 miles long,
and from a mile to 1^ mile in breadth. It contains
about 3,000 ,acres, above one half of which are arable.
The rental of the parish was about £1,200 in 1797.
Assessed property, in 1815, £2,903. Population, in
1801, 1,122; in 1831, 1,501. Houses, 238. About
two-fifths of the population are collected in the sea-
town of Whitehill, which is chiefly inhabited by
fishers. The kinds of fish principally caught here are
cod, ling, and haddocks — This parish is in the synod
of Aberdeen, and presbytery of Fordyce. Patron,
the Earl of Seafield. Stipend, £204 19s. 3d., with
a glebe of the value of £7. Unappropriated teinds,
£222 8s. Id. Church built in 1773 ; sittings 600.
This district at one time comprehended the parish of
Banff, but they were disjoined about 1634. A por-
tion of the parish, with a population of 252 souls, is
now under the charge of a missionary officiating at
Ord chapel in the parish of Banff. Schoolmaster's
salary, £25 12s. 4d., with about £23 fees, and in-
terest in Dick's fund. Scholars 30. There are two
private schools attended by about 100 children. —
There is a chalybeate spring, called the Red well,
in this parish, which, with that of Tarlair in the
parish of Gamery, is so highly valued " that the
farm servants, at the distance of from 30 to 40 miles,
make it a part of the agreement with their masters
that they shall be allowed two weeks in the month
of July or August to attend these wells 1" [Sou-
ter's ' View of the Agriculture of Banffshire.' Edin.
1812, p. 66.] — Boyiie castle is romantically situated
on a high perpendicular rock, on the south side of a
deep gloomy ravine through which the river Boyndie
flows : its banks being wooded quite to the water's
edge. This was the baronial castle of the district
called the Boyne, and anciently the residence of the
noble family of Ogilvie, ancestors of the earl of Sea-
field. It was deserted in the reign of Queen Anne,
and is now quite a ruin. Grose has preserved two
views of it.
BRACADALE, a parish in the island of Sky. It
is of an irregular form. The length of the in-
habited part is about 17 computed miles. The
breadth in one part is 7, and in other places about
4 miles. It is intersected by arms of the sea in dif-
ferent directions. The surface, in general, is hilly,
with some level spots adjacent to the sea. The soil
in some parts is fertile. There are no considerable
lakes or rivers, and none that are navigable ; though
there are many rapid waters, which are frequently
attended with inconvenience and even danger to
people travelling from one part of the parish to the
other. The shore is flat in some places, but for the
most part high and rocky. The principal bays, or
harbours are : Loch -Bracadale, a good and safe bar-
Dour ; Loch-Harport, a considerable branch of Loch-
Bracadale, where vessels may ride with safety ; and
Loch-Eynort, 7 miles south of Loch-Bracadale,
where vessels sometimes resort. To the south of
Eynort, at the distance of 3 miles, is Loch-Brettle,
an open bay, and not a safe harbour. The islands
in this parish arc Haversay, Vuiay, Oransa, and Soa.
These islands are not inhabited, but are only pen-
dicles to the different farms on the shore opposite to
them, and afford pasture for cattle during part
the summer and winter seasons. There are no
markable mountains within the parish ; but a
siderable ridge of very high and lofty hills runs b
twixt this parish and the parish of Strath. The
are commonly called the Culinn or Coolin hills,
name conjectured by some to be derived from t
famous Cuchulinn, so often mentioned in Ossian
poems. See article COOLIN. Population, in 180
1,865; in 1831, 1,769. This decrease is attribut
to small lots being thrown into large tacks in t
system of farming now pursued here. Houses, 33!
Value of assessed property, in 1815, £513. — Th
parish is in the presbytery of Skye and synod
Glenelg. Patron, M'Leod of M'Leod. Stipen
£158 6s. 8d., with a glebe of the value of £1
Church built in 1831 ; sittings 516. There is
preaching-station at Minginish, and an itinerati
Gaelic school. Annual emoluments, £60 from
royal bounty, and accommodation from the herit
valued at £20. Salary of the parochial school
ter, £28. Scholars average 30. There were, i
1834, five private schools within this parish, a
tended by about 130 children. — The natives
Skye were celebrated for the second sight ;
Bracadale, of all its wild districts, appears to ha
been that in which the supernatural gift was m
frequent and potent in its manifestations. •' T
traveller," says Lord Teignmouth, " naturally i
quires in Bracadale for traces of the second sigh
and may be disappointed when he is informed he
as in other parts of Scotland, in general te:
qualified not a little when investigated, that all t
ancient superstitions of the country have vanish
Now this statement cannot be admitted. Serio
imaginative, indolent, solitary in the ordinary con
tion of their lot, though social in disposition, fa
liar with nature in all the changing aspects wi
which northern seasons invest it, and with da
by flood or fell, the natives of these regions
peculiarly susceptible of religious impressions. A
unhappily, during many ages, ignorant, or instru
only in error, they blended with the true faith whi
they had received from the missionaries of the g
pel, all the absurd poetical fictions derived from
stock from which they sprang, from Scandinavian
vaders, from monks, or the innumerable horde
impostors, bards, minstrels, seers, and dealers
second sight, who preyed upon their creduli
Among this number must be included the crimin
of all classes and conditions, to be found in
communities, but more especially in those in whi
as in the ancient Highland danish associations,
tain convenient customs had superseded moral an
legal obligation. These persons naturally encoui
aged a popular creed which furnished a ready ej
planation of all the mischief, whether theft, plur
dering of cattle, parentage, or kidnapping of childrei
which was constantly perpetrated, by the suggestio
of demoniacal agency ; in short, by multiplying int
a diversity of mischievous beings, ready to do a
ill-turn to any one, that unknown but right wel
known personage — the No-man of Homer, the N<
body of domestic life. That the supposed prodigii
which render these regions objects of superstitioi
awe, or of timid curiosity, should have been exa:
gerated by those few travellers who penetrated tl
veil of mystery which enwrapped them, may be a
tributed partly to the credulity of the times
which they lived, no less than to that of the natio
from whom they received their information, and
the wilful imposition practised upon them. T
same motive which formerly stimulated the narrati
BRA
163
BRA
tales of wonder, now restrains it, namely, regard
the estimation of strangers. But the creed of
uries is not at once eradicated, and it is impos-
e to converse familiarly with the natives of the
hlands and Islands of Scotland, whether of the
r or lower classes, by their hearths, or by their
nts, on their wild moors, or on their stormy
in the season of peril or of repose, of sorrow or
tivity, without being convinced that they cling,
ite of education and intercourse with strangers,
the superstitious delusions, and even practices, of
r forefathers." ,
RACH (LOCH). See BALMACLELLAN.
RACHLA. See PETTY.
RACKLIN, or BRACKLAND (FALLS OF), a
s of short falls and dark deep linns, formed
the western branch of the Keltic burn in the
h of Callander, Perthshire ; about 1£ mile to
north-east of the village. The Keltic rises at
base of Stuicachroin, flows through a wild glen
ween Brackland and Auchinlaich, and falls into
Teith about 1£ mile below Callander. The falls
viewed to great advantage from a narrow Alpine
which hangs suspended at the height of 50
above the white foaming pool — as Brac-lynn
"ly signifies— into which the Keltie here preci-
es itself, over disjointed masses of rock, with a
ring incessant roar. The tourist should also
here the magnificent view from the corner of
larch wood, east of Callander, which he passes on
way from the village to the falls.
RACO. See ARDOCH.
RAD WOOD, or BRAIDWOOD, a village in the
r ward and shire of Lanark, in the parish of
luke ; 4 miles north-west of Lanark. The great
an road, called Watling Street, passes through
place. The lands of Bradwood belonged to the
nt castle of Hallbar, but have since been feued
by the Earl of Lauderdale, and Lockhart of
wath.
RAE-AM AT, in the shire of Cromarty, though
ally in the shire of Ross ; constituting part of the
'sh of Kincardine. It is on the eastern bank of
river Carron.
RAEMAR, a district of Marr, in the heart of
Grampian chain, in the south-west extremity of
jrdeenshire. It is now parochially united with
i parish of CRATHY : which see. The only part
the forest of Marr which is now used as a red
roe deer preserve is in Braemar, and belongs to
Earl of Fife, and Farquharson of Invercauld.
There is upon the estate of Castleton or Castle-
of Braemar, the ruins of an ancient castle built,
tion reports, by Malcolm Kenmore for a hunt-
t. It is on the top of a rock on the east side
the water of Cluanadh ; and the king having
brown a drawbridge across the river to the rock on
opposite side, the parish of Braemar derived its
jinal name of Ceann-an-drochart — that is, ' the
dge-head ' — from that circumstance. — On a little
unt on the haugh of Castleton stands the castle
Sraemar. It was originally the property of Far-
larson of Invercauld, and given to a second son
that family as his patrimony. About the end of
een Mary's reign, these lands were excambed with
Earl of Marr for the lands of Monaltry ; and,
n after his accession to the estate, he built the
sent house. King William, after the Revolution,
some troops into it to keep the country in
e; but the people sore besieged the garrison,
iged the troops to retire under favour of night,
1, to save themselves from such troublesome
;hbours for the future, burnt the castle. In this
it continued till 1715, when the Marr estates
forfeited. About 1720, Lords Dun and Grange
purchased from government all the lands belonging
to the Erskine family ; and about 1730, John Far
quharson of Invercauld bought the lands of Castle-
ton from Lords Dun and Grange. About 1748, Mr.
Farquharson gave a lease to government of the castle,
and an enclosure of 14 acres of ground, for the space
of 99 years, at £14 of yearly rent; upon which the
house was repaired, .a rampart built round it, and
the place occupied by a party of soldiers On the
lands of Monaltry, on the north bank of the rive.
Dee, in a narrow pass, where there is not above 60
yards of level ground from the river to the foot of a
steep, rocky hill, stands a cairn, known by the name
of Carn-na-cuimhne, or ' the Cairn of remembrance/
The military road is carried along the foot of this
hill, and through this pass. The tradition of the
country is, that, many ages ago, the country being
in danger, the Highland chieftains raised their men,
and marching through this pass, caused each man
lay down a stone in this place. When they returned,
the stones were numbered ; by which simple means
it was known how many men were brought into the
field, and what number had been lost in action.
Carn-na-cuimhne is the watchword of the country-
side here. Every person capable of bearing arms,
was in ancient times obliged to have his weapons, a
bag with some bannocks in it, and a pair of new-
mended shoes always in readiness; and the moment
the alarm was given that danger was apprehended,
a stake of wood, — the one end dipped in blood, and
the other burnt, as an emblem of tire and sword, —
was put into the hands of the person nearest to
where the alarm was given, who immediately bore
it with all speed to his nearest neighbour, whether
man or woman, who, in like manner, and with equal
haste, bore it to the next village, or cottage ; and so
on, till the whole country was raised, and every
man capable of bearing arms had repaired to the
Carn-na-cuimhne. The stake of wood was named
Croishtarich. " At this day," — says the writer of
the Old Statistical Account of this parish, from
whom we borrow these details, — " was a fray or
squabble to happen at a market, or any public meet-
ing, such influence has this word over the minds of
the country people, that the very mention of Carn-
na-cuimhne would, in a moment, collect all the people
in this country, who happened to be at said meeting,
to the assistance of the person assailed." — Dr. Stod-
dart has pleasingly described the scenery of Inver-
cauld and Braemar, which he approached by an un-
wonted route through the glen of Fishie. " After
crossing," says he, " a few slight eminences, among
which were scattered some poor hamlets, we entered
the deep glen of the Fishie, bounded by lofty moun-
tains, whose sides, for a long distance, were clothed
with fir. The last trace of human habitation was a
green, turf-built hut, belonging to the shepherd of
the glen. At the door — for I could not enter on ac-
count of the smoke — I sat to take some refreshment;
and could not but be struck with the mountains,
which, at no great distance to the eastward seem to
bar all further access. Their forms were fantastic ;
and their snowy tops, tinged with crimson by the
rising sun, gave life and beauty to the silent prospect.
On advancing, we found the glen wind to the left,
scarcely affording room to creep along the base of
the rocks, which confined the stream. The moun-
tain masses, though apparently the haunt only of the
eagle, or the roe, had each a peculiar name, many of
which evidently related to a state of manners and
cultivation very different from the present — thus
Stroan-na-Barin, Craig -na-Cailloch, and Craig-na-
Gaur, are the promontory of the queen, the rock of
the old woman, and that of the goats ; but it is long
since goats have occupied any great part in the *y»-
164
BRAEMAR
tern of Highland agriculture : the term Cailloch is
very commonly applied to the nuns, who have been
still longer abolished ; and history can scarcely in-
form us what queen it was, who left her name to
these now deserted wilds. After reaching the
heights, we crossed a dreary moor, surrounded by
the tops of some of the highest mountains in Scot-
land, from Cairngorm, on the left, to Scarscoch,
on the right. In this moor are the streams of the
Fishie and the Giouly, flowing different ways: by
descending the latter, we soon reached the glen of
the Dee. This river, receiving several tributary
brooks, becomes of considerable importance, and is
bordered by the fir plantations of Mar lodge, a hunt-
ing-seat of the Earl of Fife's. The vale now opened
with great majesty, presenting a noble assemblage
of mountain forms, which added to the windings
of the river, formed a succession of the most delight-
ful landscapes, as we passed Mar lodge, the Castle-
towri of Braemar, and at length reached Invercauld,
the seat of Farquharson, Esq., after a continued
walk of twelve hours. No place, that I have seen
in Scotland, is more characteristically adapted to the
residence of a Highland chieftain than Invercauld,
and few are more judiciously preserved in an appro-
priate state of decoration. The house is a large and
irregular building, more suitable to such a situation
than if its architecture were formally scientific. It
stands on a rising ground, not far removed from the
bank of the Dee, which glides silently and majesti-
cally through the valley. All around are vast birch
woods, and firs, which Mr. Farquharson has planted
in incredible numbers. The mountain, which rises
behind the house, is Craig Leik : those which stretch
in front, like a gigantic amphitheatre, are perhaps
among the loftiest in Britain ; for their height has
never been ascertained. The large mass, to the
northward of east, is topped by the peak of Loch-
na-Gar : below these is the opening of Balloch Buy,
an immense fir wood, among whose shades the fall
of Garwal glitters to the sun. Stretching round to
the south are the wild cliffs and precipices of Craig
Cluny, Scailloch-na-Moustard, and Craig Caonich ;
westward, about a mile and a half distant, are the
castle and town of Braemar, backed by Craig Cle-
rich; and further up, the vale is shut in by the vast
mountain screens folding before each other, whilst
above them peer the summits of Ben-y-Bourd, Ben
Vrotachan, &c. Few proprietors have done more,
or with more judgment, toward the improvement of
their estates, both in appearance and in product, than
Mr. Farquharson. Of the ancient royal forest of
Mar he keeps a great proportion in its natural state,
as does the Earl of Fife ; and on both properties the
deer are cherished with great care. There are many
natural woods, but the extent of plantation is still
greater, Mr. Farquharson himself, in the course of a
long possession, having planted no less than sixteen
millions of fir, and two millions of larch. The lat-
ter is newly introduced into the practice of Scotch
plantation, and answers for every purpose, except
fuel, much better than the fir. Firs, however, ap-
pear tolerably congenial to this soil, and there still
remain some very ancient ones, above 100 feet in
straight height. They were much more numerous ;
but having been injudiciously thinned, the wind forced
its way into the plantation, and in one night laid
most of these veterans low. Much has been said in
dispraise of the Scotch fir. I think the natural beauty
of the individual tree has been greatly undervalued ;
but surely when planted on so broad a scale, their
effect is peculiarly adapted to augment the grandeur
and majesty of these vast hollows. At Invercauld,
as in Glenmore, the mountains seem to be divided by
a dark sea of firs, whose uniformity of hue and ap-
pearance affords inexpressible solemnity to the scencj
and carries back the mind to those primeval ages,
when the axe had not yet invaded the boundless re-
gions of the forest. But the most remarkable of
Mr. Farquharson's improvements are the roads,
which he has carried, in a variety of directions,
through his estate, for purposes both of utility and
of pleasure. They are in all considerably more than
twenty miles ; they are excellently constructed, and
their level so well kept, that you reach, by a regular
progress, the very tops of the mountains, ere you are
well aware of having ascended. Before any of th
roads, public or private, were formed, Irivercaul
was much more completely separated from soci
intercourse, than at present. A new road has latel
been made, at a considerable expense, nearly
whole way along the bank of the Dee, to A
deen, which, from the nature of the country, m
afford much fine scenery. This is particularly t
case at the pass of Ballater, near Ballater-hbu
about 15 miles below Invercauld. Approaching fro
Invercauld, the first object which strikes you,
the bridge of Coich, an impetuous stream, whi
forms a cataract, among wild broken rocks, as
hastens to join the Dee. About a mile to
westward stands Mar lodge, a small pile, but re
dered considerable in appearance, by the extensi
of false wings, connecting it with the offices
is seated on a flat, very little above the level
the river, and backed by a steep mountain, pla
nearly to the top with firs. In its front is a s
cious lawn, surrounded with a variety of trees, bir
aller, willow, &c. The Dee is here crossed by
long wooden bridge, with stone arches. About
mile higher up, is another bridge, at the Linn
Dee, where that river forms a fall, after being co
fined for above sixty yards, between two rocks,
very few feet distant from each other. Crossing
river, I ascended Craig Neagh, a rocky emine
where — as in many other commanding spots — L
Fife has built a rude prospect-house. Here you
tain the best view of Mar lodge, with the lo
bridge, and the upper part of the glen, termina
by the summits of Cairn Toul, Glashan Mor, i
Ben-y-Vrotan. Some of these prospect-houses^
decorated with spires, and other ornaments, rat
unsuitable to the magnificence of the natural o
jects by which they are surrounded. They ser
indeed, to diversify the landscape ; but where v
riety is only to be attained by the sacrifice of su
limity, a correct taste will deem the purchase
great. One of the most pleasing scenes belongii
to Mar lodge, is a small hollow, on this side of tl
river, called Corry Mulzie. Wandering some tiim
between lofty, over-arching rocks, which enclos
the course of a brook, you at length reach its fall
The hanging wood, the shrubs and weeds, the na
tural, or apparently natural steps in the rock, th
rude seat from which you view it, and the arc
which supports the road above, all together rende
this a most picturesque retreat. Not far hence
observed a Catholic chapel, to which great numbei
of the neighbouring peasantry were resorting. N(
could a stranger tail to notice the neat cottag<
which Lord Fife has built for his tenants : thus ei
deavouring to effect a salutary change in their habi
of life, by the introduction of cleanliness and dome
tic accommodations. Having resolved to cross 1
Blair in Athol, I was supplied with a guide at M
lodge, arid set off from thence early in the mornin
This road is marked in the maps, as one whit
might easily be travelled by a stranger ; but it is,
fact, very much the reverse, a great part of it lyi)
over mountains entirely pathless. Having ascend'
part of the Giouly, we turned to the left, up a
BRA
165
BRA
other small stream, called the Beinac, until it brought
us to the heights. Here we were unfortunately
enveloped in mist, and I began to be in some appre-
hension of missing my way, until my guide dis-
covered a small stream flowing southward into the
Tilt, When we had once reached Glen Tilt, it was
ipossible to deviate. Its sides are precipitous, and
rcely afford room for a horse-path, along the
im. The whole way is dreary a?id uncultivated :
does any object occur deserving notice — except
romantic fall on the Tarf, near its junction with
Tilt until you reach the Forest Lodge, belong-
ing to his Grace the Duke of Athol. The form and
situation of this building only fit it for a hunting box,
the scenery around is uninteresting. As you
end the glen, it assumes a more cultivated ap-
rance. About two miles from the lodge, several
ttages present themselves, surrounded with birch
Here is a bridge, picturesquely situated : the
cy banks are prominent, the mountains steep and
ty, and marked with silver stripes, by the streams,
lich run down their sides. After some miles of
lilar country, you emerge from this deep glen, and
ic at once upon the rich plain of Athol. My walk
is day was about twenty-six miles." — [' Remarks
Local Scenery and Manners in Scotland.' Lon-
1801. Vol. I. pp. 163—175.]
BRAE-MORAY. See EDENKEILLIE.
BRAHAN CASTLE, the principal seat of Mac-
kenzie of Seaforth, in the parish of Urray in Ross-
shire. It is placed nearly in the centre of a beauti-
ful bank, which extends on the north side of the
Conan river, from Contin to Dingwall, rising in a
series of successive terraces from the river. The
road from Inverness to Dingwall, by the head of
>ch-Beauly, runs a little to the east of it. Miss
?nce visited Brahan castle — or Braan castle as she
?lls it — in 1816, but declares herself to have been
ry ill rewarded for her trouble. She expected, it
?ms, an edifice "possessing somewhat of the mag-
?nce of many of our noble edifices in England,"
stead of which, she says, "I beheld a heavy pile of
lildings, neither modern nor antique, extremely
gloomy, and without the imposing air of gloomy
mdeur which often characterizes ancient fabrics."
Letters,' p. 151.] A more recent lady traveller,
[iss Sinclair, writes in a kindlier spirit of the Mac-
nzie's house and domain, which she pronounces
,-orthy of the ancient Seaforth dynasty, being a
sy old edifice of handsome exterior, though
united to a better-half of very disproportioned age
and unsuitable appearance, — the one being vener-
able with declining years, the other very plain, and
exceedingly juvenile." [* The Western Circuit,'
310.] There are some interesting portraits here,
* a good library.
BRAID HILLS, a range of low cultivated hills,
offset of the Pentland range, lying about 2 miles
ith of Edinburgh, behind Blackford hill. Their
most elevated point is about 700 feet above sea-level.
A stratum of petunse runs through them, continued
from a stratum of the same mineral in the Pent-
land-hills. This mineral is similar to the petunse of
Chinese, and has been employed with success
the manufacture of British porcelain. Besides
lis mineral, petrosilex, terra ponderosa, zeolites,
agates, have been found here in considerable
Several fine specimens of molybdena have
been picked up. According to one traditional
2nd, these hills were the scene of 'Johnie o
IreadisleeV woeful hunting as related in the old
"Had commencing thus : —
olinio rose up in a May morning,
Called for water to wash his hands, hands,
And he is awa to Braidisbanks.
To diiiif the dun deer donn, doun,
To diug the dun deer doun.
BRAINSFORD, BRIANSFORD, or BAINSFORD, a
village in the parish of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, contigu-
ous to Grahamstone, on the banks of the Forth and
Clyde canal. Part of the inhabitants are employed at
the Carron iron-works, which are connected with this
place by a short railway. Pop., in l£31, 791. The
mine is said to have been derived from a knight, named
Brian, who was slain here at the battle of Falkirk.
BRAN (THE), a tributary of the Tay, which
issues from the eastern end of Loch Freuchie in the
parish of Dull, flows north-east past Amulree and
through Strath Bran, or Brand, in the parish of
Little Dunkeld, and falls into the Tay a little above
Dunkeld bridge, after a course of about 14 miles.
" The contrast between the Tay and this river is
very strong. The former is deep, broad, and smooth;
the latter, turbulent and impetuous, and its bed
composed of rocks, or large loose stones. At the
village of Inver, which stands between the Tay and
the Bran, a mill, a woody island, arid a bridge of two
arches over the latter river, form a very picturesque
landscape. Proceeding up the banks of the Bran,
we reach an extensive enclosure, laid out as a gar-
den, with walks that wind through the shrubbery
and wood. One of these leads to a small build-
ing, where the guide introduces us into a circular
vestibule, and suddenly throws open, with a pully,
the door of an elegant inner apartment, the far-
ther end of which is one large bow window.
Through this window, a noble cataract, so close,
that it wets the glass with its spray, and a stretch
of the river, for 200 or 300 yards, tumbling through
a rocky bed, in one continued rapid, burst at once
on the eye ! The window was formerly composed
of different coloured panes, but this childish device
has been corrected. The Bran continues struggling
among rocks, as we quit the enclosure, and a little
above it reach the Rumbling bridge. This is a single
arch, thrown across the mouth of an hideous chasm,
where the rocks almost unite at top, and through
which the river, after being precipitated from an
height nearly level with the bridge, runs at the
depth of 80 or 90 feet. The immense masses of
shapeless rock — one of which lies quite across the
chasm, and conceals the lower part of the fall —
the disorder in which they are grouped, the roar-
ing of the water, and the gloom of the narrow fis-
sure through which it flows, form, all together, a
sublime and terrific scene. In returning from the
Rumbling bridge we may choose various paths ; and
indeed a stranger might employ several days, with
pleasure, in following the different walks among the
hills. Though these are mostly embosomed in wood,
we come every five or ten minutes to some interest-
ing spot. We are either led under lofty projecting
precipices, or to some commanding eminence, or
opening of the trees, which offers the full prospect
or partial glimpses of the valley below. Two
scenes, in the course of the walk, cannot fail to
arrest the particular notice of a stranger. One is
in the gully, or ravine, which divides the t\\o
summits of Craigie Barns. Here vast fragments of
mis-shapen rock, which seem to have been rent
from the cliffs, that shoot to an awful height on the
hill above, are thrown together, in a rude and stu-
pendous confusion. Spots of heath, brush- wood,
and wild plants, are interspersed, to which a few
laurels and flowering shrubs have been added, and
a clear rivulet forms various waterfalls, as it tinkles
through the crevices. At the lower part of thii
singular mass, an irregular cave, formed by one of
BRA
166
BRE
the large blocks lying across several others, has
been converted, with a little aid from art, into a
grotto or hermitage, one fissure serving for a win-
dow, and another for a vent. When here, a stranger
should not omit to follow the path that leads along
the bottom of the cliffs, which, with the screams of
kites and other ravenous birds flying perpetually
across them, are wild and terrific. The other scene
I recommended to notice, is a lake, at the foot of
the same mountain. It is nearly of an oval form,
and so closely and completely sheltered by the hill,
which rises from its margin on one side, and on the
rest, by the thick woods in which it is embosomed,
that its surface is almost always smooth as glass.
On the bank next the mountain are scattered a few
cottages, whose white walls make a fine contrast
with the dark green woods. From the opposite
bank, the view of this scene is highly picturesque.
The still and tranquil lake, the mountain rising over
it, covered with wood and grey precipices of rock,
the white cottages, and the picture repeated in the
water, form a peaceful and pleasing landscape. On
the whole, Dunkeld seems a choice spot for the
painter. The sublimity of the mountains, the ex-
tent of the woods, the "noble size of one river, the
wild romantic appearance of the other, the large
Gothic ruins, and the genial and sheltered beauty
of the low grounds, when taken separately, may,
perhaps, be equalled, but I have never elsewhere
seen them so admirably combined/' [' Stoddart's
Remarks.' Vol. II. pp. 191— 194.]— Mr. Gilpin
speaks of this scene as the most interesting of the
Aind he ever saw. " The whole scene and its ac-
companiments," he observes, "are not only grand,
but picturesquely beautiful in the highest degree.
The composition is perfect, but yet the parts so in-
tricate, so various, and so complicated, that I never
found any piece of nature less obvious to imitation:
it would cost the readiest pencil a summer's day to
bring off a good resemblance."
BRANDANES, a name given by some ancient
writers to the natives of Bute. Thus Wyntoun,
speaking of the disastrous battle of Falkirk, says :
The Scottis thare slayne war in that stoure.
Thare Jhon Stwart a-pon fute,
Wyth hym the Brandanys thare of Bute,
And the gentil-men of Fyf
Wyth Makduff, thare tyrit the lyf.
Cronykil, B. viii. c. 15, v. 44.
This might almost seem a translation of the language
of Arnold Blair, chaplain to William Wallace. " In-
ter quos de numero nobilium valentissimus miles
Dominus Johannes Senescallus, cum suis Brandanis,
et Comes de Fyfe Macduffe, cum ejusdem incolis,
penitus sunt extincti." [Relationes A. Blair, p. 2.]
— " In this unfortunate battle were slain, on the
Scottish side, John Stewart of Bute, with his Bran-
dans; for so they name them that are taken up to
serve in the wars forth of the Stewart's lands."
[Comment, in Relationes, p. 36.] The term has
also been extended to the inhabitants of the isle
of Arran. " Brandani, — ita enim ea aetate incolae
Arain et Boitae insularum vulgo vocabantur."
[Boeth. Hist. Fol. 330.] The term has been un-
derstood as denoting the military tenants holding of
the Great-steward. Of these 1,200 are said to have
followed Sir John Stewart to the battle of Falkirk.
Bowyer denominates the Brandani de Botha, or
Brandanes of Bute, " nativi homines domini sui Ro-
bert! Stewart;" and quotes some monkish Latin
rhymes, composed in honour of these faithful ad-
herents : —
Tales Brandani rex oceli suscipe sanos ;
Ex quibus ornaotur, &c.
"Still we find nothing as to the reason of the name.
The only probable conjecture we have met with is
that of the accurate D. Macphersnn : — " The people
of Bute, and, I believe, also of Arran, perhaps so
called in honour of St. Brendan, who seems to have
given his name to the kyle between Arran and Ken-
tire." This Brandan, or, as the name is more com-
monly written, Brendan, was a companion of St.
Columba, who held him in great veneration for his
piety. He died A. D. 577. The parish of Kilbrandon,
in Lorn, seems to retain his name. It is probable,
that the inhabitants of Bute and Arran might be
thus denominated, from the idea that they were pe-
culiarly under the guardianship of St. Brendan.
Were we assured of the sufficiency of the authority,
on the ground of which the learned Camden has as-
serted that this worthy had his cell in Bute, we
could not well hesitate as to the origin of the ap-
pellation.
BRANDIN (PASS OF). See AWE.
BRANXHOLM, or BRANKSOME, the ancient
seat of the Dukes of Buccleugh, in the parish oi
Hawick and shire of Roxburgh ; about 3 miles from
Hawick, on a steep bank north of the Teviot. The
only relic of the original castle is part of a square
tower which is connected with the present building.
The house, as appears by an inscription, was finished
in 1574, the old castle having been destroyed by
order of Queen Elizabeth, who had been provoked
by the Border forays of the then knight of Buc-
cleugh, and by his unshaken attachment to the cause
of Queen Mary. This place has often been cele-
brated in song. Allan Ramsay has dedicated one of
his best songs to " The bonny lass of Branksome ;"
and Sir Walter Scott has consecrated the name for
ever in his immortal pages. — In the month of Sep.
tember 1839, this place was selected with great taste
and judgment by the tenantry of the Duke of Bi
cleugh for the scene of an entertainment to his Grace.
The pavilion which was erected on the occasion wi
constructed in the form of an ancient baronial hall.
It was 101 feet by 70, and was seated to contain up-
wards of 1,000 persons. It was festooned with scar-
let drapery, and the pillars were made to represent
veined marble. Three large chandeliers hung frc
the roof, and small ones were attached to eacl
pillar ; there being upwards of 500 lights altogethei
in the hall. Over the chair was a buck's hea
with magnificent branching antlers ; above it was
suspended a star illuminated with variegated lamps ;
and above these was painted the ancient war cry
of the clan, ' Bellenderi ;' and above this again, ir
letters of gold, the generous maxim of his Grace';
conduct — " Live and Let live." — The dinner cause
great excitement throughout the whole of his
Grace's extensive estates. Representatives we
there from Dumfries-shire, from Liddesdale, fror
Mid-Lothian — and even the few fishermen of New-
haven, who rent his Grace's fishing-grounds, sent
a deputation to grace the festival. See HAWICK.
BREADALBANE, a very extensive district, on
the north-west side of the county of Perth, being
about 33 miles in length, and 31 miles in breadth.
It is mountainous and rugged, lying among the
Grampians; and is bounded on the north by Loch-
aber and Athole; on the south by Strathearn and
Menteith ; and on the west by Lorn, Knapdale, and
Lochaber. It gives the title of Earl to a branch of
the ancient family of Campbell, Sir John Campbell
was created Earl of Caithness in 1677; but, in 1681,
that title, on a claim and petition, being allowed by
parliament to be vested in George Sinclair, who
was the 6th Earl of Caithness, Campbell was in-
stead thereof created Earl of Breadalbane, with pre-
cedence according to the former patent. The Earl
of Breadalbane is the chief proprietor. His estate
BRE
167
BRE
imenres 2 miles east of Tay bridge, and extends
to Eitsedale, in Argyleshire, a stretch of 100 miles,
varying in breadth from 3 to 15 miles, and inter-
runted only by the property of three or four pro-
prietors who possess one side of a valley or glen,
while Breadalbane has the other. In 1793-4, the
Earl of Breadalbane raised two fencible regiments
amounting together to 2,300 men, of whom 1,600
were obtained from the estate of Breadalbane alone.
In the extreme point of this district lies Loch Lyon,
\vhence the Lyon river flows through a sinuous val-
ley, till it falls into the Tay. In the centre of the
district lies Loch Tay, an inland lake about 16 miles
long, surrounded by splendid natural scenery. See
LOCH LYON and LOCH TAY. The high hills — of which
Benlawers is the chief — are mostly composed of a
§ granite, containing beautiful crystals of scheorl.
re is a copper mine at Aithra, and a lead mine
formerly wrought at Tyndrum. A mountain
near Loch Dochart contains steatites or rock soap.
Peat-moss is found in abundance, arid is the only
fuel of the country. Towards the beginning of last
century, the people of this district were adverse to
industry ; indeed the danger they were constantly
exposed to from the incursions of lawless banditti
was a great obstacle to the improvement either of*
the land or their condition. Breadalbane, and even
the whole county of Perth, so late as the year 1745,
were obliged to submit either to be plundered, or to
pay black mail, as the price of their security. Lord
Breadalbane, who had more spirit than submit to
these conditions, generally kept up a small army of
militia for the defence of the tenants on his estates.
The act of parliament, however, which abolished
hereditary jurisdictions, and vested the power and
punishment in stronger hands, soon put an end to
these depredations ; and since that period the people
have become industrious, and their condition has
much improved. Kenmore, Killin, and Clifton, are
the principal villages. Breadalbane has good roads
and bridges, rendering the communication more easy
than could well be supposed in so mountainous a
country Hugh Cameron, who died in 1817, at the
extraordinary age of 112 years, though an individual
moving in the humblest rank was one of the greatest
benefactors to this district of Perthshire. This
singular character was bred a millwright. After
acquiring a knowledge of his business, he settled at
Shiain of Lawers, where he built the first lint-mill
that ever was erected in the Highlands of Scotland.
Before his time only the distaff and spindle were
used for spinning lint arid wool in this part of the
country ; and he was not only the first who con-
structed spinning-wheels and jack-reels in Breadal-
bane, but likewise the first who taught the people
there how to use them. The number of lint-mills
afterwards erected by him throughout the Highlands
cannot be reckoned at less than a hundred : in short
almost all the lint-mills in the Highlands of Perth-
shire, and many in the counties of Inverness, Caith-
ness, and Sutherland, were of his erecting; he also
constructed the first barley-mill that was built upon
the north side of the Forth, for which he was highly
complimented by Maca Ghlasarich, — Campbell, the
bard, — in a very popular song, called * Moladh di
Eobhan Camashran Muilleir lin,' that is, A song in
praise of Hugh Cameron, the lint-miller. Though
he could only be called a countrv-wright, he was
a man of uncommon genius, of great integrity, and
of a very shrewd and independent mind.
BRECHIN,* a parish in the shire of Forfar;
•«,
* Some imagine this name to be derived from the Gaelic
braechin, which signifies ' fern ;' but this seems not very pro-
bable, as that plant is by no means abundant in the parish.
Others, with more probability, trace its origin to the word
bounded by the parishes of Strickathrow and Men-
muir on the north ; by Dun on the east; by Farnwell
on the south ; by Aberlemno on the south-west ;
and by Caraldstone on the west. It extends about
7i miles from east to west; and, towards the west
side, is nearly as broad from north to south. Its
superficial area is 15,840 acres. It rises gradually
on the north side of the South Esk, and to a greater
height on the south side. The soil is rich and fer-
tile, especially on the north side of the river, and
contiguous to it on the west. The high grounds on
both sides of the river are rocky. The low grounds
are occasionally overflowed by great inundations. —
In the northern part of the parish are the remains of
a Danish camp. — Brechin castle, the seat of Lord
Panmure, is built on the site of the old castle, on a
perpendicular rock overhanging the South Esk, half
a mile south of the town. It sustained a siege of
twenty days in 1303 by the English under Edward
I. ; and, notwithstanding every effort to compel
the besieged to surrender, held out, until the gov-
ernor, Sir Thomas Maule, was killed by a stone
thrown from an engine, when the place was instantly
given up. A descendant of this brave man was, in
1616, created Lord Maule of Brechin and Earl of
Panmure. These titles were forfeited in 1715, but
restored at the coronation of William IV., in the
person of the Hon. William Ramsay Maule, created
Lord Panmure and Navar. — On the 5th of July,
1572, Sir Adam Gordon of Auchindown, who was
of the queen's party, and was besieging the castle
of Glenbervie, hearing that a party of the king's
friends were in Brechin, came upon them by sur-
prise in the morning, and cut off the whole party.
Another battle was fought in this neighbourhood,
between the Earls of Crawford and Huntly, on the
18th May, 1452, when the former was defeated, and
the latter did James II. very essential service. This
battle is called the Battle of Brechiri, though the
spot on which it was fought is not in the parish, but
a little to the north-east of it, on the road leading
to the North Water bridge — Maitland, author of the
histories of London and Edinburgh ; Dr. Gillies, the
historian of Greece; Dr. Tytler, the translator of
Callimachus ; and his brother James Tytler, who
had so large a share in compiling the ' Encyclopaedia
Britannica' and other works, were natives of this
parish. — Population, including that of the burgh, in
1801, 5,466; in 1831, 6,508, of whom 5,060 were in
the burgh. Houses 900. Assessed property, in
1815, £20,062. Real land rental about £14,000
This parish is in the presbytery of Brechin, and
synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the Crown.
It is a collegiate charge. Stipend of 1st minister
£292 5s. Id., with a glebe of the value of £20;
of the 2d minister, £340. Unappropriated teinds
£704 11s. 4d. The parish-church, which is in the
centre of the burgh, was built in 1808; sittings
1,511. A new church was finished in the City
road in June, 1836, at a cost of £1,100; sittings
864. Stipend £160. — An Episcopalian congrega-
tion has existed in the town of Brechin ever since
Episcopacy was established in Scotland. Chapel
built in 1809; repaired in 1830, at an entire expense
of £1,150; sittings 300. Stipend £100. — The
United Secession church has two congregations
within the town. The 1st of these was formed in
1765, in which year their church was built. Sittings
573. Stipend £100. The 2d was established in
1800. Church built in 1802-3; sittings 400. Sti-
pend £90, with manse and garden.— A Relief con-
brae, which signifies, the declivity of a hill, and is indeed very
descriptive of the local situation of the town of Brechin — whence
the name of the parish is derived — on the sloping bank of the
South Esk.
168
BRECHIN.
gregation was established in the town of Brechin in
1830. Stipend .£100 — An Original Seceder con-
gregation was established in 1765. Church built in
1821 ; cost £700 ; sittings 400. Stipend £101. By
a recent census taken by the session-clerk, it was
estimated that in a total population of 6,502, there
were 3,944 in connexion with the Establishment,
and 2,316 belonging to other denominations, within
this parish There are nine schools in the parish,
besides three or four girls' schools. Parochial school-
master's salary £34 4s. 4d., with about £70 fees.
Pupils 180. The other schools were attended in
1834 by about 500 children.
BRECHIN, a royal burgh in the above parish,
anciently an episcopal see, and once the county-
town, is finely situated near the centre of the par-
ish, on the left bank of the Esk, at the distance of
8 miles from where it falls into the sea at Mon-
trose; 12^ miles north-east of Forfar; 25 south-
west of S'tonehaven, 26^ north-east of Dundee, arid
83i from Edinburgh. Population, in 1801, 5,466;
in "1821, 5,906; in 1831, 6,508. The principal
street is about a mile in length, extending southward
to the bridge over the river. Towards the east and
south are the Upper arid Lower Tenements of Cald-
hame, as they are called, which are two streets of
considerable length, but independent of the burgh,
being without the royalty, but within the parlia-
mentary boundary. Some parts of the main streets
are very steep ; yet Brechin, on the whole, is a well-
built town, and contains a considerable number of
good houses. The streets are lighted with gas, and
the town is well-supplied with water. An anony-
mous rhymester tells us:
" The finest view of Brechin ma1
From a soft rising ground beyond the bridge,
Where you may see the county every spot,
And the town rising up a sudden ridge ;
The castle, old cathedral, and what not,
Aud the spire's griffin minish'd to a midge."
It was formerly walled round, and some relics of the
gates were in existence till very recently. It has
been twice devastated by fire, — by the Danes in
1012, and by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645. A
bishopric was founded here, by David I., in 1150,
and liberally endowed. The revenues of this see
were, in 1561, as follows: Money, £410 5s. ; wheat,
11 bolls; bear, 61 ch. 5 bolls; meal, 123 ch. 3 bolls;
horse-corn, 1 ch. 2 bolls; salmon, 3 barrels; capons,
11| doz. ; poultry, 16 doz. and 10; geese, 18. Add
to this money of teinds £241 6s. 8d. " We have
already hinted," says Headrick in his * Agricultural
Report on Forfarshire,' " the strong probability that
the places which were occupied, first by the Culdees,
and afterwards by bishops and mitred abbots, had
previously been consecrated in popular estimation
as the chief seats, or, in more modern language, the
cathedral churches of Druidism. However this may
be, it seems certain that this place was a seat of the
Culdees, who had established schools and seminaries
of such learning as was in fashion in their time, long
before bishops, mitred abbots, or monastic institu-
tions, such as afterwards prevailed, were known in
this country. The first origin of the town seems to
have been houses for religious persons, contiguous
to the cathedral. The revenues of ecclesiastics be-
ing accumulated arid expended here, and the place
being a general resort from religious motives, would
induce tradesmen to settle, with a view to supply
such articles of manufacture or of commerce as
were then in demand." — The Cathedral-church of
St. Ninian, supposed to have been founded by
David I., was a stately Gothic fabric, 166 feet long
and 61 broad, the roof supported by two rows of
pillars and arches. The eastern end was sadly
devastated at the Reformation; but the building in
fact appears never to have been completed. Th«
present parish-church occupies the west end of the
cathedral. At the north-west corner is a square
tower, with a handsome spire 128 feet high. — Ai
the south-west corner is one of those round towers
probably of Pictish origin, of which this and an-
other at Abernethy are all the specimens thai
remain in Scotland. See ABERNETHY. The towei
of Brechin is a circular column of great beauty anc
elegance, 80 feet high, with a kind of spire 01
roof rising 23 feet more, making the whole heighl
103 feet, while the diameter over the walls at the
base is only 16 feet. The building consists of 6(
courses of stone, not very regular, however, some
of them measuring 21, and others only 9 inches in
thickness. The fabric seems to have sustainec
very little injury from the lapse of years. For-
merly, when the bells of the church — now trans-
ferred to the square tower — were fixed in it, there
was a series of platforms erected in it, which were
ascended by ladders. The door of entrance ia
about 6^ feet from the ground, 2 feet wide, anc
6 feet high ; the sides are formed of a block ol
granite ; nearly in the middle of each stands a
human figure on a kind of bracket ; the lintel is a
block of granite cut into a semicircular arch ; over
the centre stands another figure in a different drapery
from the other two. The sole is one block of stone,
on each side of it are the figures of two animals
with long claws and tail ; that on the left hanc
seemingly in the act of devouring something. The
whole entrance is ornamented with a border of dia-
mond figures. A drawing and description of this
singular monument is given in the 2d volume of the
' Archaeologia.'* Tradition ascribes the erection oi
this building to the Picts. It is somewhat off the
plumb-line, and has been observed to vibrate in
high winds. In a lane at the back of the town
are some remains of the ancient chapel of Maison
Dieu, founded by William de Brechin, in 1256, and
confirmed by James III. in 1477. The town-
house is a respectable edifice erected in 1789.
Brechin possesses a dispensary and a savings bank,
— There is an academy in Brechin, the master ol
which is appointed by the magistrates ; he has a
salary of £8 17s. 9d. a-year, and a free house.
Government has also been in the practice of giving
to him the appointment of * Preceptor of Maison
* Pennant says of these singular buildings: "Some think
them Pictish, probably because there is one at Abernethy,
the ancient seat of that nation ; and others call them Danish,
because it was the custom of the Danes to give an alarm
in time of danger from lii_-h places. But the manner and sim-
plicity of building in early times of both these nations was
such as to supersede that notion; besides, there are so many
specimens left of their architecture as tend at once to disprove
any conjecture of that kind. The Hebrides, Caithness, and Ross-
shire, exhibit reliqnes of their buildings totally different. They
could not be designed as belfries, as they are placed near the
steeples of churches infinitely more commodious for that end;
nor places of alarm, as they are often erected in situations unfit
for that purpose. I must therefore fall into the opinion of the
late worthy Peter Collinson, that they were inclusoria, et arctt
inclusorii ergastula, the prisons of narrow enclosures ; that
they were used for the confinement of penitents, some perhaps
constrained, others voluntary ; Dunchad «>' Braoin is said to
have retired to such a prison, where he died A. D. 987. The
penitents were placed in the upper story; after undergoing
their term of probation, they were suffered to descend to the
next — in all I have seen there are inner abutments for such
floors ; after that they took a second step ; till at length, the time
of purification beiog fulfilled, they were released and received
again into the bosom of the church. Mr. Collinson says, that
they were built in the tenth or eleventh century. The re-
ligious were in those early times the best architects, and reli-
gious architecture the best kind. The pious builders either
improved themselves in the art by their pilgrimages, or were
foreign mop' jj, ought over for the purpose. Ireland being the
land of sanft^ — patria sanctorum — the people of that country
mi^ht be the original inventors of these towers of mortification.
They abound there, and in all probability might be brought into
Scotland by some of those holy men who dispersed themselves
to all parts of Christendom to reform mankind."— Second Tovr
in Scotland, in Kerr's edn. p. 435.
BRE
169
BRE
Dieu,' which office is the only remnant of that an-
cient establishment ; and he draws the revenues
attached to it, arising from the rents of certain
houses which are worth about .£37 a-year. The
parish-school within burgh is united with the aca-
demy. The master is paid in the same way as other
parish-schoolmasters ; and the magistrates have a
voice in his election, along with the minister and
heritors of the parish. His salary from the parish is
-£34 4s., arid he receives £10 from the town, in^ieu
of a house and garden. In 1826 and 1827 there \vas
a subscription of about £300, for the purpose of
providing a third or assistant teacher ; and this sum
being given to the town, they pay £25 a-year to a
third teacher who assists the parish-schoolmaster.
The fees are regulated by act of council, passed in
1809, and are very moderate. The average num-
ber of scholars at the academy is stated at 220.
There are several private teachers in town. It ap-
pears that 200 merks yearly were mortified, at a
very remote period, to the rector of the grammar-
school. This sum is under the management of the
magistrates ; and the interest of it forms part of the
salary paid by them to the master of the grammar-
school. The public schools now occupy the lower
floor of an elegant Gothic building of two storeys,
erected in 1838 at the expense of Lord Panmure.
The second floor is devoted to the Mechanics' insti-
tution, which was founded in 1835.
Brechin was formerly governed by a provost, 2
baillies, a dean of guild, treasurer, hospital-mas-
ter, and 7 councillors ; and joined with Aberdeen,
Arbroath, Montrose, and Bervie, in sending a mem-
ber to parliament. It is now governed by a provost
and 13 councillors, and unites with Arbroath, Bervie,
Forfar, and Montrose in returning a member. Small
debt courts are held at Brechin on the 3d Tuesday of
January, March, May, July, September, and Novem-
ber. The value of the burgh-property was, in 1832.
£13,935; the town-house and school might be valued
at about £830 more. The revenue arising from these
subjects was £440, and from customs, dues, &c., £281 ;
making a total of £721 ; while the expenditure was
£709. The town's debts at the same period amounted
to £3,284. In 1838-9, the corporation revenue
amounted to £816. In 1793, the income was £268,
and the debt £614. The burgh was at one time
possessed of about 1768 Scotch acres of land, the
greater part of which was feued out prior to 1770.
There are six incorporated crafts and a guildry.
Total number of burgesses about 300. The parlia-
mentary constituency in 1839 was 232 ; municipal,
191. The trade of the place is chiefly confined to
the manufacture of osnaburghs, sailcloth, and brown
linen, which is carried on to considerable extent.
The number of looms emplojted on linen fabrics in
1838 was 870, having increased about one-third since
1H-24. About a third of the produce is for the
French market. Canvas weavers earn from 9s. 6d.
to 10s. a-vveek; but the average of all the looms
is at present only 5s. 8d. There are three flax
spinning-mills here, extensive bleaching-grounds, a
porter brewery, and two distilleries. The country
iround exports a considerable quantity of grain
through the port of Montrose. The British Linen
Company and Dundee Union bank have branches
iere. There are weekly markets on Tuesday — A
jreat fair for all sorts of bestial is held on the 2d
Wednesday in June, on Trinity or Tarnty muir,
Jeing the name of an extensive tract of waste ground,
ibout a mile to the north of the town, which is
•eserved for holding this fair. Another fair, to-
•vards the end of the same month, is held upon the
Erects of the town, and there are other three rnar-
Icets held on the muir in the months of April,
August, and September. It has often been pro-
posed to open a communication between Brechin
and the sea, by means of a navigable canal. Only
about 4 miles of cutting would be necessary down
to the head of the basin of Montrose, and the lock-
age to raise vessels up to the lower part of the
town would be very inconsiderable. This would
combine the advantages the town derives from being
in the heart of a fertile country, with those arising
from a sea-port.
BRESSAY, or BRESSA, one of the Shetland isles.
It is about 4>£ miles in length, and 3 in breadth ;
and lies to the eastward of the mainland, from
which it is separated by Bressay sound. On the
south-east side of it lies the small island of Noss ;
which see. Until the year 1833, the islands of Bres-
say and Burra, and the district of Quarff, with the
lesser islands of Havera or Hevra, House, and Papa,
constituted a united parish, the population of which,
in 1801, was 1,330; and, in 1839, 1,699. Houses in
1831, 299. Assessed property, in 1815, £15. In
May 1 833, the district of Quarff — which is on the main-
land— with the islands of Burra, House, Papa, and
Havera, having a population, it was calculated in
1837, of 856, were erected into a separate parish.
See QUARFF. The stipend of Bressay is £153 6s.
8d. ; with a glebe of the value of £11. Patron, the
Earl of Zetland Bressay sound is the rendezvous
of the English and Dutch busses employed in the
herring-fishery, and of the whale-ships on their pas-
sage to Greenland and Davis's straits. The sound
has two entries, one from the south and another
from the north. " The south passage," says Ed-
mondston, " is the one at which vessels of a large
draught of water enter, and go out. Nearly at the
middle, where there is a rock, the harbour narrows,
but it widens again into a deep bay. On account of
this rock, vessels almost always moor between the
middle and the south end, where indeed there is
ample accommodation for a great number. The
north passage is very narrow, and a rapid tide runs
through it ; nor are there in it, even at spring-tides,
more than 18 feet of water at its deepest point.
There is no dry harbour at Lerwick, as the water
does not fall above 7 or 8 feet ; but small sloops
unload, during fine weather, at the wharfs. Bressa
sound frequently affords shelter to men-of-war, and,
at a small expense, might be rendered a most useful
station to our North sea cruisers. In 1653 the Eng-
lish fleet, consisting of ninety-four men-of-war, under
the orders of Admirals Deans and Monk, lay some
days in Bressa sound. And in 1665 another fleet,
under the Earl of Sandwich, consisting of ninety-two
sail of men-of-war, spent some time in the same har-
bour." On the outside of the north entry lies a sunk
rock called the Unicorn. When the Earl of Both-
well fled to Shetland, four vessels, under the com-
mand of Grange and Tullibardine, were despatched
in pursuit of him. On the appearance of this squa-
dron, Bothwell's ships, then lying in Bressay sound,
immediately got under weigh, and sailed out at the
north entry, followed hard by their pursuer, whose
flag- vessel, called the Unicorn, struck upon this
rock, which has ever since been called the Unicorn.
— There is a good harbour at Aithova. Lerwick
is supplied with peats from the hills of Bressay,
and the whole of Shetland with slates from its
excellent quarries. The fishing on the coast of
Burra is carried on at a small expense. The fisher-
men set their lines in the evening, and draw them
in the morning. Their winter-fishings have been
sometimes known to exceed their summer's. They
have upon their coast a tine oyster-scalp, from
which they take large rich oysters — There ere sev-
eral ruins of Pictish castles in this ministry. There
BUI
170
BRO
are also several perpendicular stones, about 9 feet
high, erected no doubt for the purpose of comme-
morating some great event, but of which we have
no account. One of them, in the island of Bressay,
makes an excellent land-mark to ships coming into
Bressay sound. There are the remains of several
chapels in Bressay.
BRIARACHAN, or BRERACHAN, a river in
Perthshire, which rises in the parish of Moulin, and,
running through Glen Briarachan, forms the AIRDLE :
which see.
BRIDE-KIRK, or BRYDEKIRK, a village and
quoad sacra parish in the parish of Annan, 4 miles
north of that town, lying on the west bank of the
Annan, on the road from Langholm to Dumfries,
where it crosses the Annan by a bridge of 3 arches.
The population is about 400. A church was erected
here in 1835, arid the district established as a parish
in J836.
BRIDGE-OF-ALLAN. See ALLAN.
BRIDGE-OF-EARN. See EARN.
BRIDGE-END, a large village in the stewartry
of Kirkcudbright, on the right bank of the river
Nith, in the parish of Troqueer, so named from its
local situation, at the west end of the bridge of
Dumfries. It is now better known by the name of
MAXWELLTOWN : which see.
BRIDGE-END, a village in the parish of Mel-
rose, where formerly was a large bridge over the
Tweed, said to have been built by David I. in order
to afford a passage to his abbey of Melrose, which he
had newly translated from its ancient site, and also
to facilitate the journeys of the devout to the four
great pilgrimages of Scotland, viz., Scone, Dundee,
Paisley, and Melrose. Gordon has engraved what
remained of it in his time, in his 64th plate. See
MELROSE.
BRIDGE-END, a village in the island of Islay,
and parish of Kiliarrow; 8£ miles south-west from
Poi t- Askaig. It is situate at the northern extremity
of Loch-in-Daal. There is a good road from Port-
Askaig to this place.
BRIDGE-END. See articles KINNOUL and
PERTH.
BR1DGETON, a small village in the parish of
Kinghorn, in Fifeshire, immediately adjoining Link-
town of Kirkaldy on the west, and within the par-
liamentary boundaries of the burgh of Kirkaldy.
BR1DGETON, a suburb of Glasgow, in the
Barony parish, to the north of Rutherglen bridge.
See GLASGOW.
BR1GHAM. See BIRGHAM.
BRIMS NESS, a headland on the north-western
coast of Caithness, on which is situated Brims castle.
BROAD BAY, or LOCH TUA, a capacious bay
on the west side of Lewis.
BROADFORD, a small village and post-station
et the head of Broadford bay, in the parish of Strath,
Isle of Skye. The mountain Beri-na-Cailliach rises
in the neighbourhood.
BROADLAW, a mountain in Peebles-shire ; in
the northern part of the parish of Tweedsmuir,
rising 2,741 feet above the level of the sea. It is
of easv ascent, and clothed with rich herbage.
BRO AD SEA, a small fishing- village in the dis-
trict of Buchan, Aberdeenshire, a little west of the
town of Frazerburgh.
BRODICK. See ARRAN.
BROLUM (LocH), an inlet of the sea on the
south-east side of Lewis.
BROOM (Locn), a capacious bay, terminating in
a narrow flexuous arm, on the north-western coast of
Ross-shire. At its mouth lie Priest and the Sum-
mer islands ; at its head is situated Martin island ;
about half-way up the northern shore of the narrow
inlet stands the village of ULLAPOOL (which see)
and at the head of this inlet is the small village of
Loch Broom. The country from Loch Broom nor
wards is destitute of trees ; and, in most places, pr
sents only barren moors and naked rocks.
BROOM (LITTLE LOCH), another and a smaller
arm of the sea, immediately south of the above loci
running in a parallel direction inland, and separate(
from it by a narrow ridge.
BRORA (THE), a river of Sutherlandshit
which, with its branches of Strathbeg, and Skins
dale, springs from the south-east sides of Bem-hli-
brick, Benvadon, and Benarmin, in the interior of tl
county, and takes a course in a south-easterly obliqi
direction, until lost in the Murray frith at Brora
The Brora and its branches are narrow and rapu
It runs through a level plain, and forms three lakes
the upper lake about a mile long and half-a-mil
broad, the others of less extent ; the water set
deep and black, from the dark shade reflected on it
from the mountains, and the rock of Carrol, a bol
precipice upon the southern border of the lake,
least 600 feet high. The scenery at Gordon-bush
very romantic and beautiful. From Killend the rive
runs rather rapid over a pebbly bed for 3 milt
through Strathsteven to Brora, whence it is rockj
to the sea. In this river the pearl-mussel is foun
and pearls collected. There is a good bed of
in the strath of the Brora. The village of Brora,
the mouth of the river, has a good harbour, ai
exports salt and coals. It is 4 miles from Golspie.
BROTHER ISLE, a small island of Shetlam
off the south coast of Yell.
BROTHER (LocH), a small lake in Renfrew
shire, in the parish of Mearns, about 3 miles in
cumference.
BROTHOCK (THE), a small river in the countj
of Angus. See ARBROATH.
BROUGH, a fishing- village in Caithness,
Dunnet-head, where there is a safe harbour, thougl
to be one of the best fishing-stations on the coast
Caithness.
BROUGH-HEAD, or BURGH-HEAD, a prc
tory on the coast of the Moray frith, in the parish
Duffus, so named from what was supposed to
a Danish fort or burgh, at one time distinguish;:
on the headland, but which is now generally thougl
to be of Roman * origin, and seems to correspond wit
the Alata Castra of Ptolemy. It consists of a ro i
hill about 50 feet in height ; guarded by high per
pendicular sides to the north and west, and rod
washed by the sea ; while on the south, a trench wi
cut into which the sea flowed. — It gives its name
a sea-port village lying on its south-west side,
miles north-west of Elgin, and 18 east of Cromartj
Population, in 1831, 7f>. This village is laid out .
a regular plan, and the houses are substantially bui
with freestone, and slated. It is the principal her
ring-fishing station in Moray. There is also a gc
salmon-fishery here. The harbour consists of
basin about 200 yards long and 50 yards wide, tl
entrance fronting westwards, or towards Cromarty.
This basin or artificial harbour was completed in
the summer of 1809, and has been found very use-
ful, especially as a station for passage- vessels which
keep up a communication with the Little Ferry in
Sutherland, distant about nine leagues. There is
a chapel-of-ease here in connexion with the Estab-
lishment, and a Secession church. See DUFFUS.
* Within its limits, a Roman bath was discovered ; and, 01
the llth of May, 1809, Mr. Authony Carlisle exhibited to tlu
Society of Antiquaries of London, a drawing of a bull, taker
from a stone found here, obviously of Roman sculpture. Ai
engraving of it is given in the 16th volume of ' Archaeologia,
p. 365. General Roy has preserved a plan and sections of tbii
itation, Plate 33.
BRO
171
BRU
BROITGHTON, GLENHOLM, AND KIL-
BUCHO, a united parish in the shire of Peebles ;
bounded by Kirkurd on the north; on the north-
east and east by Stobo ; on the south-east and
south by Drummelzier ; and on the west and north-
west by Culter and Skirling.. It is about 9£ miles
in length, and 3£ in breadth. Of about 20,000
acres, being the superficial area of this parish, nearly
three-fourths are under pasture. The principal
mountains are Culterfell, Carden, and Chapelgill.
The first of these has an altitude of 2,430 feet.
The Tweed divides the Glenholm division of this
parish from Drummelzier ; and the Biggar water
skirts the Broughton division of the parish on the
south. The village of Broughton has a population
of about 100. It is 5 miles distant from Biggar,
and forms a stage betwixt Edinburgh and Moffat.
A fair is held here on the 3d of October. The po-
ron of the three united districts was as follows :
1801. J831. Howes. Assessed pro.
perty.
Broughton, 214 299 49 £1,599
Glenholm, 242 259 48 £'2,083
iilbucho, 171 182 See article KUBUCHO.
627 740
This parish is in the presbytery of Biggar, and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, Renny of
Danevale. Stipend, £231 Is. 10d., with a glebe
of the annual value of £64 14s. 9d. Unappro-
priated teinds, £249 Us. 3d. The church, built in
1804, is in Kilbucho ; sittings 500 — There are three
parish- schools. The salary of the schoolmaster at
Broughton is £32, with about £20 fees. Pupils
50. The schoolmaster at Glenholm has a salary of
£32, with about £12 fees. Pupils 30. The school-
master at Kilbucho has the same salary, with about
£15 fees. Pupils 40. See articles GLENHOLM and
KILBUCHO.
BROUGHTY FERRY, a handsome village,
chiefly in the parish of Monifieth in Forfarshire, on
the northern shore of the frith of Tay, 4 miles east
of Dundee, and directly opposite Ferry-port-on-
Craig in Fifeshire, with which it has hourly com-
j munication, the frith being little more than a mile
! broad here. In 1834, portions of the adjacent par-
shes of Monifieth and Dundee, comprising this vil-
age, were united into a quoad sacra parish, with a
population which was estimated, in 1837, at 1,998,
md which, during two or three months in summer,
s augmented by 400 or 500 visitors. A church was
milt in 1826; sittings 720. Stipend £140. The
United Secession church have also a congregation
icre, which was established in 1837. This place is
low much resorted to as a sea -bathing residence dur-
ng summer by the citizens of Dundee and Perth.
That part of the village which lies in the parish of
j Dundee, is often called the West ferry ; the other
I md more considerable portion — between which and
he former there is indeed a vacant space of ground
—bears the name of East ferry, as well as that
if Broughty ferry. North and west of the sandy
•lain over which most of the houses are spread, the
round rises with some abruptness. To the east and
outh-east, are uneven links, stretching towards
vlonifieth. South-east of the village, a point of
md stretches southward into the frith, which it
ontracts in width so as to render the ferry across
o Fife shorter than any other between Errol and
he sea. On this point, named Broughty Craig, yet
land considerable remains of a fortress, not undistin-
uished in history. The castle — of which, however,
ot much is left — is a very interesting object, and a
oint towards which the promenaders of Broughty
r*.w j:__-^ 8tepSi The first transaction of
i ften direct
importance connected with it was its occupation by
the English, in 1547, after the battle of Pinkie. The
party of English by whom Broughty castle was gar-
risoned, had scarcely secured themselves within the
fortress, when they were blockaded by Arran ; who
sat down before it on the 1st of October 1547,
but on the 1st of the following January, hastily
raised the siege. Immediately after his departure,
the English fortified the neighbouring hill of Bal-
gillo, and ravaged great part of the county of Angus.
Archibald, 5th earl of Argyle, hearing of this, hastily
collected a party of his clansmen, and led them
against the English at Broughty, where he sustained
a defeat, as not long after did a numerous body of
French and German troops. On the 20th of Feb.
1550, both the castle and fort were taken by Des
Thermes, who brought against the English in this
quarter an army composed of Scots, Germans, and
French. The works at both places were now dis-
mantled ; and although, at least on the castle, re-
pairs were, perhaps more than once, bestowed, yet
we find in the annals of subsequent times little of
consequence recorded concerning them.
BROXBURN, a village in Linlithgowshire, in the
parish of Uphall, near the banks of the Union
canal, on a rivulet of the same name. It is on the
middle road between Edinburgh and Glasgow, 12
miles from the former, and 30 from the latter. A
cattle fair is held here on the Friday after the
Falkirk September tryst.
BROXBURN (THE), a rivulet in Haddington-
shire, which rises in the parish of Spott, and falls
into the sea at Broxmouth about £ mile east of
Dunbar. In the low ground to the westward of
Broxmouth, Cromwell defeated the Scottish army
under Leslie. The duke of Roxburgh has a seat here.
BRUAR (THE), a small stream in Athole, cele-
brated for the romantic beauty of its cascades It
joins the Garry, a short distance below Pitagowan.
Dr. Garnett, who visited the falls in 1798, thus de-
scribes them : — " From Dalnacardoch we proceeded
to Blair- Athol, distant 10£ miles. The first half of
our ride was by no means interesting, being among
lumpish hills covered with heath ; but when we ar-
rived within about 5 miles of Blair, the country
began to assume more the appearance of cultivation,
and we discerned the extensive grounds of the Duke
of Athole covered with wood. About 3£ miles be-
fore we reached Blair we passed the small village
Bruar, which takes its name from a turbulent stream,
called Bruar-water, that rolls along its rocky bed
under a bridge. We went up the left bank of this
river, whose channel is the most rugged that can
be conceived ; the rocks which form it have been
worn into the most grotesque shapes by the fury
of the water. A foot-path has lately been made by
the Duke of Athole, which conducts the stranger in
safety along the side of the chasm, where he has an
opportunity of seeing, in a very short time, several
very fine cascades ; one over which a bridge is
thrown, forms a very picturesque object. This is
called the lower fall of Bruar. The water here
rushes under the bridge, and falls in a full broad
sheet over the rocky steep, and descends impetu-
ously through a natural arch, into a dark black pool,
as if to take breath before it resumes its course
and rushes down to the Garry. Proceeding up the
same side of the river, along the footpath, we came
in sight of another rustic bridge, and a noble cascade,
consisting of three falls or breaks, one immediately
above another ; but the lowest is equal in height to
both the others taken together. Each of the upper
breaks is about 50 feet, the lowest 100 : so that the
whole cascade is not less than 200 feet. This IB
called the upper fall of Bruar. Crossing the bridge
BRU
172
BUG
over this tremendous cataract, with trembling steps,
we walked down the other bank of the river, to a
point from whence we enjoyed the view of this fine
fall to great advantage. The shelving rocks on each
side of the bridge, with the water precipitating it-
self from rock to rock, and at last shooting head-
long, filling with its spray the deep chasm, form a
scene truly sublime ; the nakedness of the hills in-
deed takes away somewhat from its picturesque
beauty. The poet Burns, when he visited these
falls, wrote a beautiful poetical petition from Bruar-
water to the Duke of Athole, praying him to orna-
ment its banks with wood and shade ; the noble pro-
prietor has been pleased to grant the prayer of the
petitioner, and has lately planted the banks of this
river : the plantation is yet very young, but in a few
years will have a very good effect. No person from
the southern parts of the country, coming to Blair,
should omit seeing the falls of Bruar. It must be
confessed that we saw them to great advantage, on
account of the rain which had fallen during the two
or three preceding days ; the grandeur of the scene
may perhaps be diminished after a long fit of dry
weather. Such a drought does not however often
occur in this part of the country." — Miss Spence,
who visited the spot in 1816, says, " By the assist-
ance of art, veiling itself in the modest garb of na-
ture, beauty is now happily blended with that savage
greatness which was the former attribute of the
place. A succession of falls, interrupted by wind-
ings of the waters, projections of the rocks, and re-
cesses where they retire back, leaving fair openings
for the sun and spots of productive soil, give such
constant and fanciful variety to the scene as neither
language nor painting is adequate to convey to the
imagination. The fair creation of the poet's fancy
has, in the meantime, been realized by the noble
proprietor. The shades which he imagined have ac-
tually sprung up, and the melody of his ideal birds
resound from their branches. Flowers, which seem
scattered by the lavish hand of native spring, adorn
every crevice in the rock ; and the vegetable soil on
the brink of this turbulent stream affords room for
a variety of trees and shrubs most judiciously
adapted to the scenery, and which seem to partake of
its wild and unequal character. Nothing can be more
sudden and luxuriant than the growth of the plants
scattered along the abrupt banks of the Bruar. Fed
by a constant though scarce visible shower from the
ascending mist of the successive cascades, — sheltered
from every wind bv the rocky walls that surround
them, — and enjoying by the reflection of the sun from
their flinty bed a degree of heat scarce inferior to
that of a hot-house, — the tenderest plants are here
safe and flourishing. The little pastoral huts, in the
form of highland shealings, which are here and
there erected as resting-places in this enchanting
wilderness, are quite in character with the chaste
simplicity of the other decorations. The whole
scene so much resembles, 'the negligence of Na-
ture, wide and wild,' that in a more genial climate
it might be supposed to be merely the result of
abundant moisture and sunshine."
BRUCEHAVEN, a small village in the parish
of Dunfermline, Fifeshire, adjoining the village of
Limekilns.
BRUIACH (LocH), a lake in Inverness-shire,
in the parish of Kiltarlity ; about 2 miles long, and
1 broad. It abounds with trout and char ; and there
is a small island in the middle of it.
BRUNS WARK, BURNSWARK, or BIRRENSWARK,
a hill in Dumfries-shire, in the north-east corner of
the parish of Hoddam, rising to 740 feet above sea-
level, and famous for two rectangular encampments
— - «till very entire — the formation of which is ascribed
to the Romans. From t\iis hill the great militarj
roads diverge in every direction, through the souf
ern parts of the kingdom. It is 8 miles north- we
of Annan, and commands a fine prospect. On tin
north the view is confined, and the country barren
to the west, all the valley is washed by the Annai
and lies open from Moffat to the Sol way frith ;
the east, you penetrate far into the wilds of Nortl
umberland, about the heads of south Tyne ;
the low country of Cumberland lies full before y<
gradually rising from the frith, till the scene termi
nates in the romantic falls of Keswyck, among whi( "
the lofty Skiddaw, towering pre-eminent, forces it
self on your attention. The lowering Criffel, on tl
Scottish side, shuts up the prospect of the less le^
country about Dumfries. The frith of Sol way adorr
the middle of the plain, and greatly brightens
prospect ; appearing near Langholm as a model
river, it gradually spreads out to your view ; in
places sending its waters far into the country, tl
seem detached like lakes ; proceeding on, it wider
along the plain, and expands to a sea.
BRUNTISLAND. See BURNTISLAND.
BUCCLEUCH, in the shire of Selkirk, an ancie
parish now comprehended in the parish of Ettericl
It is 13 miles west by south of Hawick. Buccleuc
gives the title of Duke to the ancient and illustrioi
family of Scott. In 1663, the Duke of Monmoutl
marrying Anne, Countess of Buccleuch, and assui
ing her name, was created Duke of Buccleuch,
the countess was at the same time created Duel
of Buccleuch.
BUCHAN, a district of Aberdeenshire, extendir
along the coast, from the Ythan nearly to the
veron, a distance of above 40 miles. In length fr(
north to south it is about 27 miles, and from west
east about 28; superficial area 450 square mile
Population, in 1831,43,306. Inhabited houses 8,{
It is divided into 21 parishes, of which 13 are in
district of Buchan Proper, sometimes called Deer;
and 8 are in what is frequently called the Ellon dia
trict. The principal elevation is Mormond hill,
titude 810 feet. The prevailing rock is granit
Peterhead and Fraserburgh are the principal towi
within the district. Buchan once formed a count
of itself, and an earldom which was vested in
chief of the Cummins, until their forfeiture in 1»
— The reader will find a good account of this dit
trict, and its agricultural capabilities, in the 3d
of the Prize Essays of the Highland Society.
BUCHANAN,* a parish in the western extremit
of Stirlingshire ; bounded on the north by Pert!
shire and Loch Katrine ; on the west by Perthshii
and the parish of Drymen ; on the south by Dur
bartonshire, from which it is separated by the Er
drick river; and along the whole of its western si(
by Loch Lomond. The parish of Buchanan has be
reckoned 20 miles long, and 6 in extreme breadt
One head-branch of the Forth has its source in the
upper end of this parish, in a small burn which runs
down Glenguoi into Glendow, and by the addition oi
several burns in the latter glen, is considerably in-
creased. At the lower end of the glen — which be-
* Buchanan was formerly called Inchcailloch, the name of ai
island in Lochlomond, on which the parish-church stood tilltht
year 1621, when a considerable part of the parish of Luss— • a
that time extending on this side of the loch— was annexed t<
the parish of Inchcailloch. Some years after this annexation
the walls of the church in Inchcailloch failing, and the peopl<
likewise finding it by no means convenient, especially ii
stormy weather, to be crossing over to the island every Sab
bath, worship was performed in a church near the house d
Buchanan, which was originally a chnpel-of-ease to the paris!
of Luss. From this chapel — which was called the church o
chapel of Buchanan — the whole united parish came by degree
to be called the parish of Buchanan. Inchcailloch, siguifit
' the Island of the Old Women ;' and was so called because i
former times there was a nunnery upon it.
BUC
I at the root of Benlomond, and extends 5 or
iles east — it is called the water of Dow, and be-
low that the water of Duchray. See ABERFOYLE.
The Endrick, which is the boundary of this parish
on the south, flows in beautiful curves through the
fertile haughs of Buchanan and Kilmaronock, and
falls into the lower part of Loch Lomond. This
river, in the winter-season, when the loch is full,
isionally covers a part of the lower grounds on
sides, in the parishes of Buchanan and Kilmar-
dk. It is stated in the Old Statistical Account,
lat during harvest, in 1782, the haughs of Endrick
were covered with water, and immediately after,
there came snow and intense frost, so that in some
places people walked on the ice above the standing
corn! The Grampian hills run through this parish,
and divide the lower from the higher grounds.
There is one pretty high hill in the lower part of the
parish called the Conic hill ; but the highest eleva-
tion is Benlomond, in the upper end or the parish.
See article BENLOMOND. Though Loch Lomond
cannot be said to belong to any one parish, yet as
the parish of Buchanan extends 16 or 17 miles up
the side of the loch, and several of the islands make
a part of it, the greater share of the loch may be
assigned to the parish of Buchanan. See article
LOCH LOMOND — In the lower end of the parish, on
a small tributary of the Endrick, is the house of
Buchanan. This place, for many centuries, belonged
to Buchanan of that ilk, and was the seat of that
ancient family, but it has been for some time in the
possession of the ducal family of Montrose. At
Inversnaid, in the upper part of the parish, there
was a fort built near midway between Loch Lo-
mond and Loch Katrine; the design of which was
to guard the pass between the two lochs. See IN-
VERSNAID.— In Craigrostan there are several caves
known by the names of the most remarkable per-
sons who used to frequent them. See article BEN-
LOMOND. Population, in 1801, 748; in 1831, 787.
Houses, in 1831, 131. Assessed property, in 1815,
£7,447. — This parish is in the presbytery of Dum-
barton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron,
the Duke of Montrose. Stipend £156 12s. 8d.,
with a glebe of the value of £10. The church is
situated about 3 miles from the south-eastern, arid 18
from the north-western boundary of th*e parish. It
was repaired in 1828; sittings 300. The minister
officiates twice a-year at Rowerdennan, and once a-
year at Inversnaid. In 1837, of 124 families in this
parish, 115 belonged to the Establishment — The
parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £30. There
is another school in the parish, the master of which
is allowed £15 per annum by the Society for propa-
gating Christian knowledge.
"5UC HANDY. See FOWLTS (WESTER).
IUCHAN-NESS. See PETERHEAD.
HJCHLYVIE, a quoad sacra parish, disjoined
n the parishes of Kippen and Drymen, in Stir-
lingshire, by authority of the General Assembly, in
1836. Population of the portion disjoined from
Kippen, 630, of whom 400 was in the village of
Buchlyvie; of the portion disjoined from Drvmeri,
400; total 1,030. Church built in 1836; cost £600;
is vested in the ministers of Kippen and Drymen,
and in certain heritors and managers; sittings 352. —
A United Secession place of worship was built in
the village of Buchlyvie hi 1751 ; sittings 554. Sti-
pend £100, with a manse, garden, and glebe. — The
village of Buchlyvie is 5 miles west of the village of
Kippen, on the road from Stirling to Dumbarton. It
is a burgh of barony, and has five fairs in the year :
viz. on the 2d Tuesday in February; 2d Tuesday in
March, O. S. ; 26th June; last Tuesday in July,
173
BUI
O. S. ; and 18th November. The greater part of
the inhabitants are dissenters.
BUCK OF CABRACH. See ADCHINDOIR.
BUCKHAVEN, a fishing-village in the parish of
Wemyss, in Fife; 2 miles south-west of Leven, and
5£ north-east of Dysart. It consists of a groupe ot
cottages, apparently scattered at random over a steep
ascent from the shore, and thickly interspersed with
boats, oars, nets, anchors, dungsteads, and the other
accompaniments of a fishing- village. With the ex-
ception of a few weavers, the inhabitants are all
engaged in catching or retailing fish, and are pro-
verbially industrious and expert at their calling.
They have not a few peculiar traits of character and
appearance, and it is said that they are descended
from the crew of a Brabant vessel which was
wrecked on this coast in the reign of Philip II.
Defoe describes Buckhaven as "inhabited by fisher-
men, who are employed wholly in catching fresh fish
every day in the firth, and carrying them to Leith
and Edinburgh markets. The buildings are but a
miserable row of cottages; yet there is scarce a poor
man in it; but they are in general so very clownish,
that to be of the college of Buckhaven, is become a
proverb. Here we saw the shore of the sea covered
with shrimps like a thin snow; and as you rode
among them, they would rise like a kind of dust,
and hop like grasshoppers, being scared by the foot-
ing of the horse. The fishermen of this town have
a great many boats of all sizes, which lie upon the
beach unrigged, ready to be fitted out every year for
the herring-season, in which they have a very great
share." The value of the boats and nets, presently
belonging to this industrious colony, is> supposed to
exceed £20,000. — A United Secession congregation
has been in existence here for half-a-century. The
church accommodates 600, and is usually well-at-
tended by the fishermen, excepting about seven
weeks in July and August during the herring-fish-
ery. Salary £110, with a manse and garden. A
new pier and harbour has recently been formed here
under the auspices of the Board of Fisheries.
BUCKIE, a considerable fishing- village, and a
quoad sacra parish, recently disjoined from Rathven
in BanfFshire. It is situated at the mouth of Buckie
burn ; 4 miles east of Speymouth, and 5 west by
south of Cullen. The population of the district, as
ascertained by a census taken by the minister in
1837, was 2,342, of whom 1,926 resided in the vil-
lage of Buckie. A church was built here in 1835,
at a cost of £800 ; sittings 800. Minister's stipend
£80. There is a mineral spring here.
BUDDO ROCK, a dangerous rock off the coast
of Fife, in St. Andrew's bay, about 2 miles from
land.
BUITTLE, a parish on the Solway frith, in the
stewartry of Kirkcudbright; bounded on the north
by Crossmichael ; on the east by the river Urr,
which separates it from Kirkgunzeon and Col vend ;
on the south by the Solway frith; and on the west
by Kelton. Its extent, in length, may be about 8
miles, and 3 in breadth. The surface is unequal, but
the hills are not of great height; they are covered
with verdure, and most of them exhibit marks of
tillage to the very top. The soil is fertile. The
coast abounds with fish of all kinds. Rock crystal,
talc, and spar, are frequently met with in this dis-
trict; and iron-ore is plentiful. — Buittle-castle, on
the west side of the Urr, is a considerable ruin ; the
ditches and vaults which still remain show it to
have been a place of great extent and strength.
When Galloway was an independent state, this was
a considerable fortress ; and it seems to have been
the favourite residence of John Baliol. After be-
BUL
174
BUR
longing to the Baliols, the Cummings, arid the
Douglasses, it appears to have become the property
of the Lennoxes of Caillie. It now belongs to
Murray of Broughton, the representative of the
Caillie family. Grose has preserved a view of it.
There is a vitrified fort on the top of one of the
hills. Population, in 1801, 863; in 1831, 1,000.
Houses, in 1831, 164. Assessed property, in 1815,
£8,554 This parish is in the presbytery of Kirk-
cudbright and synod of Galloway. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £'231 6s. 2d., with a glebe of the
value of £20. Unappropriated teinds £312 2s. 5d.
, There are two parochial schools, the masters of
which have conjointly a salary of £51 6s. 7d., with
about £25 fees. There is also a private school.
BUL AY (The GREATER and the LESSER), two
islets about 2 miles off the southern coast of Skye.
BULLERS OF BUCK AN, a singular groupe of
rocks and sea-caves, in the parish of Cruderi, Aber-
deenshire. " Upon these rocks — those of Dun Buy
— there was nothing that could long detain atten-
tion," says Dr. Johnson, " and we soon turned our
eyes to the Buller, or Bouilloir of Buchan, which no
man can see with indifference who has either sense
of danger or delight in rarity. It is a rock perpen-
dicularly tubulated, united on one side with a high
shore, and on the other rising steep to a great height
above the main sea. The top is open, from which
may be seen a dark gulf of water, which flows into
the cavity through a breach made in the lower part
of the enclosing rock. It has the appearance of a
vast well bordered with a wall. The edge of the
Buller is not wide, and, to those that walk round,
appears very narrow. He that ventures to look
downwards, sees that if his foot should slip, he must
fall from his dreadful elevation upon stones on one
side, or into the water on the other. We, however,
went round, and were glad when the circuit was
completed. When we came down to the sea, we saw
some boats and rowers, and resolved to explore the
Buller at the bottom. We entered the arch which
the water had made, and found ourselves in a place
which — though we could not think ourselves in dan-
ger— we could scarcely survey without some recoil of
the mind. The basin in which we floated was nearly
circular, perhaps 30 yards in diameter. We were
enclosed by a natural wall rising steep on every side
to a height which produced the idea of insurmount-
able confinement. The interception of all lateral
light caused a dismal gloom : round us was a per-
pendicular rock, — above us the distant sky, — and be-
low an unknown profundity of water. If I had any
malice against a walking spirit, instead of laying him
in the Red sea, I would condemn him to reside in
the Buller of Buchan. But terror without danger
is only one of the sports of fancy, — a voluntary agi-
tation of the mind that is permitted no longer than
it pleases. We were soon at leisure to examine the
place with minute inspection, and found many cavi-
ties, which, as the watermen told us, went backward
to a depth which they had never explored. Their
extent we had not time to try ; they are said to
serve different purposes. Ladies come hither some-
times in the summer with collations, and smugglers
make them store-houses for clandestine merchandise.
It is hardly to be doubted but the pirates of ancient
times often used them as magazines of arms or re-
positories of plunder. To the little vessels used by
the Northern rowers, the Buller may have served as
a shelter from storms, and perhaps as a retreat from
enemies ; the entrance might have been stopped, or
guarded with little difficulty, and though the vessels
that were stationed within would have been battered
with stones showered on them from above, yet the
crews would have lain safe in the caverns." In the
neighbourhood is a small fishing-village ; and on
adjacent crag stands Slaine's castle.
BUNAWE, a village in the district of Lorn,
shire of Argyle ; 13 miles from Dalmally, and 113
west by north of Edinburgh. It is situate in the paris
of Muckairn, at the confluence of the river Awe
with Loch Etive. Here the Lorn furnace company,
established in 1753, have erected their extensive ir<
manufactories ; there is also a considerable salmon-
fishing ; and a quay built on a secure and well-shel-
tered bay. See ARDCHATTAN.
BUNKLE, anciently BONKILE or BONKLE, a par-
ish in Berwickshire, comprehending the ancient par-
ish of Preston ; bounded on the north by Abbey St
Bathan's and Coldingham parishes ; on the east by
Coldingham and Chirnside ; on the south by Edroi
and Dunse parishes ; and on the west by Dunse,
detached portion of Longformacus parish, and Ab-
bey St. Bathan's. Measured from near East Brock-
holes to the paper-mill below Chirnside mill, it is
about 5£ miles from north-west to south-east ; and
its greatest admeasurement from east to west is about
5| miles. Its general outline is triangular. Bunkle
Edge, a southern ridge of the Lammermoor rang
runs along the north-western side of the triangl
and rises to the height of about 700 feet in
points. From the south-eastern side of this ridge a
number of small streams descend to Chirnside bun
a tributary of the Whitadder, which latter stream
skirts the parish on the south-west and south. Coj
per has been wrought within this parish, but, as we
understand, only with very partial success. The
superficial area of the parish is 8,900 Scots acres,
of which about 6,600 are arable. The rental is about
£8,000. The value of assessed property, in 1815,
was £7,722. Population, in 1801, 674; in 1831,
748. Houses 132. — This parish is in the presbytery
of Dunse, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale.
tron, Lord Douglas. Stipend, £279 15s. Id. wit
glebe of the value of £20. Schoolmaster's salary,
£34 4s. 4d. with about £26 fees. Pupils, 50.
BURDIEHOUSE, a village .in the parish of Lit
berton, about 3£ miles south of Edinburgh, on the
road to Peebles. Its name is said to be a corruptior
of Bourdeaux. This place is celebrated for its lime-
kilns, which manufacture about 15,000 bolls of lime
annually. There is an immense deposit of lime
stone rock here, which has attracted much attentior
from geologists, on account of the fossil-remains
contained in it. In 1833, a quantity of the bone
teeth, scales, and apparently part of the muscles
what was conjectured to have been a huge species
reptile were discovered here : the scales retaining
their lustre, and the bones their laminated and
rous appearance. These formed the subject of sever
communications to the Royal society of Edinburgh,
by Dr. Hibbert, who, in his earlier papers, describee
them as the remains of reptiles. In 1834, at the
meeting of the British association in Edinburgh,
these fossils — which by this time had excited great
interest amongst naturalists — were shown to M.
Agassiz. This gentleman immediately doubted their
reptilian character, and advanced the opinion that
they belonged to fishes, — to that family of fishes
of Ganoid order which he had denominated Sauroid,
from their numerous affinities to the Saurian rep-
tiles, and which have as their living type or repre-
sentative the Lepidosteus. But of the truth or
fallacy of this opinion no positive evidence could
be adduced, for the scales and the teeth had never
yet been found at Burdiehouse in connexion. A
few days afterwards, M. Agassiz, in company with
Professor Buckland, visited the Leeds museum,
where he found some fine fossils presenting the same
scales arid the same teeth as those of Burdiehouse,
conjoii
longer
BUR
175
BUR
oined in the same individual. It is therefore no
a conjecture that they might belong to the
same animal. And in these self-same specimens we
have the hyoid and branchiostic apparatus of bones
(a series of bones connected with the gills, an in-
dubitable character of fishes); it is therefore 'no
longer a conjecture that the Burdiehouse fossils were
the remains of fishes and not of reptiles. Thus was
dissipated the illusion founded on the Burdiehouse
fossils that Saurian reptiles existed in the carboni-
ferous era. To this animal M. Agassiz assigned the
le of Megalichthys.
BURGH-HEAD.' See BROUGH HEAD.
BURGH-HEAD, or BURROWHEAD, a promon-
in Wigtonshire, in the parish of Whithorn, ter-
iting the peninsula between Luce bay and Wig-
bay.
5URLEIGH CASTLE, an ancient edifice in the
parish of Orwel, county of Kinross ; about half a
mile south-east of Millnathort. It is now incor-
porated with the out-buildings of a farm-stead ; but
a great part of the exterior walls is still entire. It
seems to have originally formed a square, surrounded
by a wall and ditch. The western side of this square,
consisting of two towers, and an intervening curtain
and gateway, still remain. The tower on the north-
west angle is a large square building: that on the
south-west is of a circular form, and seems to be the
most modern structure of the whole. Within these
few \yeeks it appeared to us to be still inhabited,
from its glazed windows and entire roof. The castle
was at one period surrounded with fine old trees,
of which a few still linger in the immediate vicinity
of the ruins, but exhibit the ravages of decay and
age. At the distance of about 20 feet from the
west wall of the north-western tower, there stood
till within these few years, a large hollow ash, in
which Robert, only son of the 4th Lord Burleigh,
found shelter and concealment, in 1707, while an
outlaw for the murder of the schoolmaster of Aber-
deen. After the death of his father, this hot-headed
youth engaged in the rebellion of 1715, and the title
was in consequence attainted. Historical notices
concerning Burleigh are very scanty. Sibbald tells
us that the laird of Burghly was heritable crowner
of Fife under Queen Mary ; and that James
Balfour of Burghly was clerk-register in 1565-6-7,
and president of the session in 1567. Sir James
Balfour informs us that James II., « Anno norio
regni sui,' gave the castle and barony of Burleigh,
'in liberam baroriiam Johanni de Balfour de Bal-
parvie, militi ;' and that James VI. honoured Sir
Michael Balfour of Burleigh, son to Sir James
Balfour of Montquhanny, clerk-register, and to
Margaret Balfour, heiress of Burleigh, by letters
patent, bearing date at Royston, in England, 7th
August, 1606, with the title of Lord Balfour of
Burleigh, he being then his ambassador to the Duke
of Tuscany and the Duke of Lorrain. In 1644,
Lord Burleigh seems to have been president of the
Scottish parliament and a general of the forces. He
was defeated by the Marquis of Montrose, near
Aberdeen, on September 12th, 1644. He was, also,
one of the committee of parliament attached to the
army under General Baillie, which lost the bloody
field of Kilsyth, through the dissensions of it's
leaders. This army was encamped near Burleigh,
some time previous to that disastrous day. [See
Wishart's Wars of Montrose, and Principal Baillie's
interesting Letters and Journals of Affairs, between
637 and 1662.] — About eighty years ago the castle
and lands of Burleigh were purchased by General
Irwin, and afterwards sold to Thomas Graham,
Esq. of Kinross and Burleigh About a mile
north of Lochleven, in this neighbourhood, are sev-
eral remarkable hollows, which, from their shape,
have been denominated The Ships of Burleigh.
One of these is distinguished by the designation
of Lady Burleigh's jointure, and tradition thus re-
lates its story. A Lord Burleigh, it seems, had ob-
tained in marriage a lady less enamoured than pro-
vident. Her applications for an ample settlement
becoming somewhat teasing, his lordship, in rather an
angry mood, desired her to attend him early next
day, when he would take her to a field not half-a-
mile distant from the castle, and there settle upon
her all the lands within her view. Avarice is often
credulous, and it was so in this instance. The lady
walked forth with elated expectations ; but when,
from a level road, descending a gentle slope, she was
told to look round her, she beheld, with disappointed
emotion, only a verdant circle of about 50 yards in
diameter, finely horizoned with a lofty cope of azure.
Additional interest is given to this place by its wholly
consisting of arable and, and by the romantic ap-
pearance of the mountains, as they sink in the dis-
tance, while you descend the sloping sides of the dell.
BURNESS, a parish* in the island of Sanday,
which has been from time immemorial united quoad
sacra with CROSS ; which see. Houses in 1831, 76.
Population, in 1811, 423 ; in 1835, 432. A curious
tumulus was discovered here in 1824 ; a full de-
scription and drawing of it is given in the 1st vol. of
* The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal.' See
also SANDAY.
BURNESWARK. See BRUNSWARK.
BURNTISLAND, a parish in the Kirkaldy dis-
trict of Fifeshire, about 3 miles in length, and nearly
the same in breadth ; bounded on the north by Aber-
dour and Kinghorn ; on the east by Kinghorn ; on
the south by the frith of Forth ; and on the west by
Aberdour. "A plain extends inward from the sea
about half-a-mile, when the ground becomes hilly
and mountainous, and the soil of inferior quality and
value. There are about 3 miles of coast. To the
westward of the town, the shore is rocky ; to the
eastward it is sandy as far as Pettycur. In these
sands are excellent beds of cockles and other shell-
fish. The hills on the north of the town exhibit
marks of volcanic fire. Dunearn is very like an ex-
tinguished volcano, the crater of which has been con-
verted into a small lake. This hill rises to the
height of 695 feet above sea-level. On the north
side of these hills are basaltic columns ; and on their
tops are cairns and tumuli of great size. The coun-
try around Burntisland is chiefly composed of floetz
rocks and alluvial strata. There is a quarry of ex-
cellent freestone ; and the whole parish abounds in
limestone of the very best quality, in which curious
fossils occur resembling those described in our article
BURDIEHOUSE. Starlyburn, on the western boun-
dary, produces beautiful specimens of stalactites,
and incrustations of moss and wood. Population of
the parish and town, in 1801, 1,530; in 1831, 2,356,
of whom 1,873 resided in the burgh, and 190 in the
village of Kirktoun. Assessed property, in 1815,
£6,660. Real rental about £5,000. Houses in
1831, 269. — This parish, formerly a vicarage, is
in the presbytery of Kirkaldy, and synod of Fife.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £185 17s. 4d., with
a glebe of the value of £50. Unappropriated
teinds, £70 19s. 9d. The parish-church is within
the burgh of Burntisland. It was built in 1592;
sittings 900. The original parish-church was at
the village of Kirktoun — There is also a United
Secession church within the burgh. Stipend £100,
with a manse The parochial is also the burgh
school. Salary £26. There are certain lands in the
parish mortified by a Mr. Watson, for behoof of the
schoolmaster and three poor widows, out of which
BUR
176
BUR
the three widows receive 8 bolls of barley, and 2 o
oatmeal, with £4 12s. 6d. each; and 10 bolls o:
barley, and £3 10s. per annum, is paid for teaching
poor children. In 1834, the average attendance at
the burgh school was 140, and there were at the
same time six private schools within the parish.
BURNTISLAND, anciently known as Wester King-
horn, a royal burgh and sea-port in the above parish ;
2£ miles west of Kinghorn, 3 east of Aberdour, and
5i north of Leith, being nearly opposite to the latter
harbour. Population, in 1841, 1,859. Houses 239.
Assessed property of the parish and burgh, in 1815,
£6,660; in 1842-3, £8,846. There is regular
steam-communication with Granton on the southern
side of the frith, at 4| miles distant. The town is
finely situated on a peninsula of the frith of Forth,
surrounded on the north by hills in the form of an
amphitheatre, which shelter the harbour. It con-
sists of two streets running parallel to each other,
and terminated by the harbour on the west, besides
some lanes. On the east are the links, and some
handsome cottages for sea-bathers. The principal
street is broad and spacious, and contains a number
of respectable buildings. It was fortified during the
reign of Charles I., and part of the wall and east
port still remain. At the west end of the town,
surrounded by plantations, and overlooking the har-
bour, is Rossend-castle, built by the Duries of that
ilk, in the 15th century. The municipal constitu-
ency was only 21 in 1839, being just equal to the
number of councillors under the new municipal act ;
in 1844, it was 35. The revenue, in 1811, was
about £300 ; in 1838-9, £364 ; in 1843-4, £375.
The property of the burgh consists of the three
hills, the links, about an acre of arable land, the
schoolhouse, town-house, and flesh-market, with
some houses and fens. The debt, in 1834, was
£4,150. The amount of cess annually raised varies
from £11 to £12 on land, and £4 to £5 on trade.
The burgh joins with Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, and
Dysart, in sending a member to parliament. The
parliamentary constituency, in 1839, was 53 ; in
1844, 44. The town has been well -supplied with
excellent water since 1803. The harbour — anciently
called Portus Gratice — is the best on the frith of
Forth, being large, easily entered, and well -shel-
tered. Connected with the harbour is a large dry
dock, having 16£ feet water at spring-tides, wherein
a Russian ship of 1,000 tons was repaired in 1809,
and also a frigate of 32 guns. Government granted
£1 1,000 towards the improvement of the port,
under the direction of trustees, and for improving
the ferry betwixt this and Leith. The duke of
Buccleugh and Mr. Gladstone of Fasque have re-
cently had an exclusive right of ferry to and from
Burntisland and the southern shore of the frith,
secured to them for a period of twenty-seven years,
on condition of their constructing a good and efficient
low-water pier capable of being used at all times of
the tide by sufficient steam ferry-boats ; and main-
taining three such boats for the purposes of the ferry.
On the eastern pier is a fixed light, which is seen 7
miles in clear weather. The harbour is in N. lat.
56° 4', W. long. 8° 14'. Before the Union, the
commerce of Burntisland was considerable ; and, in
the 17th century, it carried on a considerable traffic
with Holland. Tucker, however, gives a description
of the place and its vicinity, which leads to the con-
clusion that the extent of the trade formerly belong-
ing to it has, in the common accounts, been over-
rated, by attributing to it alone what belonged to
all the little ports on the coast of Fifeshire. "The
trade of these ports inwards," says he, "is from
Norway, the East country, and sometimes from
France with wines ; and outwards with coals and
salt, at all times very small and worth little ; fo
although this be the bounds of one of the best am
richest countyes of Scotland, yet the goodness
riches of the countrey arising more from the go(
ness and fertility of soyle and lands than from
traffique, hath made it the residence arid seate of mz
of the gentry of that nation, who have wholly drivt
out all but theyr tenants and peasants, even to
shoare side." At that period, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldj
Dysart, Wemyss, Leven, Ely, St. Monance, Fitter
weem, Anstruther, Crail, St. Andrews, and Sout
Ferry were all counted as members of the head-p
of Burntisland ; and the tonnage of the whole
estimated at 1,291 tons, divided over 46 vessels
After the Union, the trade of Burntisland fell of
and little business of any kind was done for a k
period ; subsequently, it again increased, but fo
some years back it may be considered as nearly stj
tionary. Fewer vessels than formerly resort to
harbour as a place of shelter, probably owing to
improvement of the other harbours on the
and to the custom of ships running up to the Hop
— a road-stead higher up the frith — in preference t
taking a harbour during a storm, or while othen
detained, to save the harbour-dues. This place
the principal rendezvous for the herring-fishery unt
the northern fishing - stations were opened ; hi
cooperage and curing of herrings is now the chi<
branch of business here, and most of the boats er
ployed belonged to other ports of the frith. In
New Statistical Account it is stated, that, for se
years, there have been annually cured here fr(
16,000 to 18,000 barrels of herrings. There is
very extensive distillery at Grange. A fair is hel
on the 10th of July The Edinburgh and Norther
railway will, in connection with the ferry from Gra
ton, commence at Burntisland, and pass by Kir
horn, Kirkcaldy, Dysart, Markinch, Kettle, an
Newburgh to Perth. From the trunk line, 35 miles
38 chains in length, there will be a branch line
Cupar, diverging from near Kettle, 5 miles in ler
which it is proposed to extend by one sub-branch
Ferry-port-on-Craig opposite Dundee, and by ar
other from Guard-bridge to St. Andrews ; anotht
branch railway, 14£ miles in length, will diverge fr
the trunk line near the village of Thornton,
proceed through a rich coal district to the town
Durifermlirie ; and a third branch, l£ mile in lerigtl
will connect the trunk line with the harbour of No
burgh. A competing project with this trunk line is
a railway from Edinburgh to Perth by Queensferry.
The town of Bertiland, or Bryntiland, belonged a
ciently to the abbey of Dunfermline, and was exchanj
ed by James V., in 1541, for some lands in the neigl
bourhood, that he might erect it into a royal burgl
It was proclaimed as such in 1568 ; but a charter
erection was granted in 1541. In 1587 the different
grants and charters in favour of the burgh were
fied, with consent of parliament. A charter de not
damns was granted by Charles I. in 1632, and ratifit
in 1633. The General Assembly met at Burntiif
in 1601, when James VI. attended, and retook
solemn oath and covenant. In 1715, the Earl
Mar's forces occupied this town. In 1746, a If
body of Hessians were encamped here. Burntislam
gave the title — now extinct — of Baron to the family
of Wemyss.
BURR A, (EAST and WEST,) two small islands
of Shetland, affording excellent pasture. Popula-
tion, in 1841, 568. See article BRESSAY and
QUARFF.
BUR RAY, one of the Orkney islands, about 4
miles long and 1 broad. It is the property of the
Earl of Zetland ; and is separated from South Ron-
Idsay by Water sound, a ferry of a mile in breadth.
BUR
177
BUT
This island is composed of sandstone, sandstone-flag,
and schistose clay. The inhabitants, in 1801, were
'271 ; in 1831, 357 ; whose chief employment is fish-
ing. See SOUTH RONALDSAY.
BURROWMU1R. See BOROUGH-MOOR.
BUTE,* an island in the frith of Clyde, separated
from Cowal, in Argyllshire, by a very narrow chan-
jicl called the KYLES OF BUTE: see that article. It
extends in length about 16 miles, and is from 3 to
5 in breadth. The general direction is from south-
east to north- west. The northern parts of the island
are rocky and barren, but the southern extremity is
fertile, well-cultivated, and enclosed. The coast is
rocky, and indented with bays, several of which form
safe harbours. The bays of Rothesay, Kames, and
Kilchattan, indent its eastern shore ; those of Stra-
vannan, Scalpsie, Ettrick. and Kilmichael, its western.
Stravannan bay, and that of Kilchattan, run so far in
Its to make the south end of Bute an oval peninsula,
in the centre of which rises Mount Blair, a hill whence
a noble prospect may be enjoyed. The intervening
space is a low sandy plain, and there is another low
plain between Kames and Ettrick bay. — Near the
middle of the island are several small sheets of water,
•viz. Lochs Fad, Ascog or Askaig, Quien, and Anch-
enteery. Of these, LOCH FAD is the most extensive
and the most interesting. See that article. Pike,
perch, and trout, are found in most of them. Mount
Stewart, the fine seat of the Marquess of Bute, is
situated on the coast, about 2 miles south-east of
Rothesay. See article MOUNT STEWART — Port
Bannatyne, on the bay of Kames, 3 miles north-east
of Rothesay, is a pleasant village, much frequented
as a bathing-place. See article PORT BANNATYNE.
A little to the north of it is Kames' castle, long a
Beat of the Bannatynes. At Wester Kames stands
another castle, formerly belonging to the Spences.
At Askaig, north of Mount Stewart, was also a
castle, destroyed about the year 1646 by the Mar-
quess of Argyle. The climate, though damp, is mild
and temperate, and the soil is favourable for agricul-
ture. Freestone of a reddish colour abounds in the
island, and limestone is met with in every part of
it. Coal has been discovered near Ascog; but it
has not been thought worth while to work it. — This
island, conjoined with the islands of Arran, the
Greater and Lesser Cumbrae, and Inchmarnock, forms
a county under the name of the shire of Bute. It
has one royal burgh, Rothesay, which is also the
chief town of the shire: see ROTHESAY. The island
af Bute contains two parishes. See KINGARTH
iiul ROTHESAY. There are several remains of an-
tiquity on the island. See articles ST. BLANE'S
CHAPEL, and DUNGYLE. Bute gives the title of
Marquess to a branch of the family of Stuart, who
s proprietor of the greater part of the island. Popu-
ation of the whole island, in 1791, 6,470; in 1801,
P"" ; in 1831, 6,830. Houses, in 1831, 889. As-
property, in 1815, £13,066.— The western
» As the island itself is in Gaelic called Oilean a' Mhoide, or
the Hand where the Court of justice sits,' and the town of
louetay Bailea M/ioide, — one might suppose that this desig-
;Uuin indicated the origin of the name Bute; the word Mhoide
riiitf pronounced, in this connection, as if it were Voide. But
i> evident that it mubt have had a similar name long before
•c can reasonably suppose it to have been the seat of justice,
"r tin- ancient geographer Ptolemy calls it B»T-,f, which, if
H- Greek termination be thrown away, nearly assumes the
•nn of the Gaelic name— which it still bears— Boid. The same
Tin, when not used as a name, signifies a vow or oath. Whe-
IT, in this primary sense, it referred to any religious circuin-
••im-e connected with the history of this island, perhaps in the
>ruidical period, we have no data whence we can form so
'it'll as n conjecture. By Norwegian writers it is written
"<• The learned Catnden hud been misinformed as to the
'•HiiiMtf ,,f the name linthe, or Boot, which, he says, had been
•nominated "from the bin-red cell which Brendan erected
"•re, a cell being thus named iu Scottish." But the Gaelic
'Hi properly signifies a hut or cottage.— See article RomiiSAY.
1.
isles of Scotland, Man, Shetland, and Orkney, ap-
pear to have been frequently infested by armies of
Scandinavians, from the year 738 till about the
year 875, when those islands fell under the dominion
of Norway, to which they in general remained sub-
ject, with little interruption, for many ages. Bute
and its neighbouring islands formed a subject of fre-
quent dispute between the Scots and the Norwegi-
ans, if not during the whole time that the power of
the latter subsisted in thes6 countries, yet for a long
period before the Ebuda? or Western isles were
ceded to the Crown of Scotland. By their situation,
so near the heart of the Scottish kingdom, descents
could be made from these insular stations by the one
power upon the territories of the other. They were,
in this view, more particularly important to the Nor-
wegians ; as they could, from hence, more easily an-
noy the Scots, than from any other place where they
had a regular established footing. Accordingly, it
appears from monuments whereof vestiges can still
be traced out, that great solicitude was shown to
defend the island of Bute. The castle of Rothesay
was a stronghold of such antiquity that neither re-
cord nor tradition seem even to offer a conjecture as
to the time of its original erection. Malcolm II.
made a grant of Bute sometime before the year
1093, to Walter, the first Lord-high-steward, who
gave it to a younger son, with whom and his pos-
terity it remained about a century, when it was re-
annexed to the patrimony of the Lord-high-stew-
ard, by the intermarriage of Alexander Steward
with Jean, daughter and heiress of James, Lord of
Bute. In 1228, Husbec, or Ospac, the feudatory
king of the Isles, laid siege to the castle of Rothesay ;
but, being bravely repulsed, was killed in the course
of the enterprise, and his people were obliged to
retire after suffering a considerable diminution of
their number. Olave, his successor, procured from
the Norwegian monarch a fleet and army, wherewith
he proceeded against Dungad, who had set himself
up as a competitor in the Isles, and having seized
upon his person at Kiarara, near the sound of Mull,
he from thence came to Bute with 80 ships, and laid
siege to Rothesay castle. The garrison defended it
bravely; and, by various methods, destroyed about
300 of the besiegers; but the force of the Norwegians
and islanders was so great, that, after persevering
some time, they took the castle by sapping, and
found in it a rich booty. How long after this Bute
remained subject to the Norwegians is not precisely
known. When Haco of Norway invaded Scotland
in 1263, this and the other islands in the frith of
Clyde were in the hands of the Scots. These isle»
he reduced ; but being defeated at Largs, the whole
Western isles were soon afterwards ceded to Alex-
ander III., king of Scotland. In the fatal battle
fought at Falkirk betwixt the English and Scots, in
1298, the men of Buteshire — known at that time by
the name of the Lord-high-steward's Brandanes —
served under Sir John Stewart, where they were
almost wholly cut off with their valiant leader.
Edward of England having obtained possession of
Bute, kept it until 1312; when Robert Bruce took
the castle of Rothesay, and recovered the island.
Thither Edward Baliol came in person, anno 1334,
took the castle, and strengthened its fortifications.
It was, however, soon retaken by the faithful Bran,
danes of the Lord-high-steward, and this was one of
those occurrences which first gave a favourable turn
to the affairs of King Robert Bruce. Next year the
king of England took an opportunity of repaying
the Brandanes with usury, the ills they had done
him. With a view to the extending and securing
his conquests in Scotland, he fitted out a fleet from
Ireland, consisting of 56 ships. The most signal
BUT
178
BY II
fiervice, however, which they did, was to lay waste
Bute and Arran. On the death of David Bruce, in
February 1371, he was succeeded by his nephew,
Robert,' the Lord-high-steward, afterwards King
Robert II., from whom the noble family of Bute is
lineallv descended. Robert III., son to the former,
fixed his residence in the castle of Rothesay during
the latter part of his life, and died there on the 29th
Of March, 1406. James V. had also resolved to
make this place a residence, and took some steps
towards putting the castle into proper order for his
Accommodation ; but the troubles of his reign, arid
his death, which happened at an early period of
his days, prevented this place from again becoming a
royal 'residence. The island suffered much after-
wards from factions which disturbed the public
peace, or from the inroads of neighbouring clans.
Cromwell in his time garrisoned the castle of Rothe-
say ; and to this island the unfortunate Archibald,
Earl of Argyle, came with his army in May, 1685,
when he had engaged in concert with the Duke of
Monmouth to invade the kingdom. The Earl brought
with him from Holland three small ships laden with
arms for 5,000 men, 500 barrels of gunpowder, a
number of cannon, and other implements of war. He
ordered his ships and military stores to an old castle
which stood on the small rock of Elian- greg, near
the mouth of Loch Riddan, opposite to the north
end of Bute. There he deposited his spare arms
and ammunition under the protection of his ships
and the garrison of 180 men. At this time the inha-
bitants of Bute were plundered of almost their whole
moveable property. After Argyle had been about ten
days in Bute, having received notice that a great
body of forces, with three ships of war and some
frigates, were coming to attack him, he hastily re-
treated. The naval armament arrived, and pro-
ceeded on the 15th of June to Loch Riddan, where
the Earl's frigates immediately struck to them, and
the castle also surrendered. After removing the
arms and stores into the king's ships, the naval com-
mander caused the castle to be blown up. The Earl's
army, after leaving Bute, thought only how to get
to their respective homes. Argyle himself was
taken prisoner at Inchinnan on the 17th of June, and
being conveyed to Edinburgh, was there beheaded.
Soon after, a brother of Argyle's surprised the castle,
and burnt it.
BUTESHIRE, a county composed of the islands
of ARRAN, BUTE, the CUMBRAES, and INCHMAR.
NOCK. See these articles separately described.
There are five parishes and one royal burgh within
this shire. Population, in 1801, 11,791; in 1831,
14,200. Assessed property, in 1815, £22,541.
Houses, in 1831, 2,134. Above 200 males, upwards
of 20 years of age, were employed as weavers in
the county of Bute in 1831. There were also 590
males employed in retail trade or in handicraft. — The
number of parochial schools, in 1834, was 10 ; of
schools not parochial, 30 : total number of scholars,
2,354. The county returns one member to parliament
Parliamentary constituency, in 1839, 380. The
sheriff and small-debt courts are held at Rothesay.
BUTT OF LEWIS, the northern extremity o
The Lewis. It is in N. lat. 58° 35'.
BUTTERDEAN, a village in the shire of Ber
wick, and parish of Oldhamstocks ; 6 miles west by
north of Press.
BUTTERSTONE LOCH, a small lake in the
parish of Cluny, in Perthshire, adjoining to the loci
of the Lows, on the road from Dunkeld to Blair
gowrie, 3 miles north-east of Dunkeld.
BYREBURN-FOOT. See CANOBY.
BYRES, in the shire and parish of Haddington,
barony which belonged for many centuries to th
noble family of Lindsay, ancestors of the preseir
Earl of Crawford, from whom it was acquired abou
the beginning of the 17th century by the Earl o
Haddington. It is now the property of the Earl o
Hopetoun. It is 3 miles north-north-west of Had
dington. The Earl of Haddington is baron of Bin
ning and Byres.
CHURCHYARD OF BALQUHIDDER.
CAA
17J>
CAD
JAAF (THE), an Ayrshire stream, a tributary of
Garnock. It rises on the boundaries of Kilbride
Largs parishes, and flows south-east through
rish and featureless district of country, until
half-a-mile of its junction with the Garnock,
below Dairy, where it rushes through a deep
rocky dell, in a series of rapids, and finally forms
cascade above 20 feet in height.
JABRACH, a parish partly in the district of Al-
Aberdeenshire, and partly in the shire of Banff;
ided by the parishes of Mortlach and Glass on
north ; by Rhyme and Kearn, and Kildrummy
on the east ;' by Glenbucket on the south ; and by
Inveravan and Mortlach on the west. The Black-
water, a head-stream of the Deveron, rises on the
southern skirts of that division of the parish
which is in Banffshire, and flows north-east till its
junction with the Deveron at Dalriach, while the
Deveron itself rises in the southern skirts of the
Aberdeenshire portion, to the west of the Buck of
Cabrach, [see AUCHINDOIR,] and flows north-east
through Strathdeveron. The ridge which separates
the vales of these two streams is about 2 miles in
breadth. The whole surface of the parish is moun-
tainous, and the general character that of a bleak
pastoral district. The extreme length of the parish
is 12 miles ; the extreme breadth 8 ; and the super-
ficies may amount to 80 square miles. Population,
in 1801, 684; in 1831, 978. Houses in 1831, 190.
Assessed property, £600. — This parish, formerly a
vicarage, is in the presbytery of Alford, and synod of
Aberdeen. Patron, the Duke of Richmond. Stipend
£158 6s. 7d., with a glebe of the value of £10.
Church built in 1786; sittings 230. — There is a
United Secession congregation at Altoun. Church
built in 1796 ; sittings 210. It is occupied alter-
nately by a congregation of Independents — School-
master's salary, £29 18s. lOd. Scholars average 40.
There are also three or four private schools taught
•:"hin the parish during the winter-months.
JADDER, a parish in Lanarkshire ; bounded on
north by Campsie and Kirkintilloch parishes ; on
east by New Monkland ; on the south by Old
'dand and the Barony parish of Glasgow; and
e west by New Kilpatrick and Baldernock. It
L3 miles in length from east to west ; and be-
3 arid 4 miles in breadth. The counties of
irk, Dumbarton, and Stirling, all meet at its
bern point. Gartinqueen hill, in this parish, is
to be at an equal distance from Hamilton, Fal-
and Stirling. The river Kelvin, which rises on
east of Kilsyth, runs 6 miles along the northern
lary of the parish. It used to overflow its
cs, in time of rain, and do considerable damage ;
the proprietors on the north side have confined
a great earthen mound. The Forth and Clyde
il runs through the parish for 5 miles in a line
ly parallel with the Kelvin. An extensive loch,
ch occupied the centre of this parish at the be-
ing of last century, was drained by a mine or
driven a full mile in length under a hill, and, in
places, 90 feet below the surface, whereby 120
of fine arable ground were gained. There is
ler lake, partly in this parish, but chiefly in New
dand, called the Bishop's loch, a mile in length,
one-fourth of a mile in breadth, which is at
lit occupied as a reservoir by the Forth and
Clyde canal company. Robroystone loch touches on
the western skirts of the parish. — The post-road,
from Edinburgh to Glasgow, passes 4 miles through
this parish, and crosses the Forth and Clyde canal
about a mile east of Caodei kirk. The Kirkintil-
loch railway runs for about 5 miles through the
eastern part of the parish ; and the Garnkirk and
Glasgow railway runs for an equal distance along
the southern side. There are a number of freestone
quarries in the parish: the stone takes a fine
polish. There are also vast quantities of whin rock,
and an inexhaustible rock of limestone, which has
been wrought to a considerable extent at Garnkirk,
Bedlav, and Robroystone. Some coal is wrought,
but to little advantage. There are extensive beds
of fire-clay. The valuation of the whole parish is
£6,270 Scotch ; and the yearly rent, towards the
end of last century, was about £6,000 sterling. It
is now estimated at about £14,000. The value of
assessed property, in 1815, was £14,439. The whole
face of the district is generally level ; yet there is
considerable variety of soils : such as, light sandy
till, a stiff till, deep black earth, and moss. When
the first Statistical Account of this parish was writ-
ten, it was stated, that " Flax is the most advan-
tageous crop here : 200 acres are sown annually ;
and this year (1792), one farmer has sown 30 acres
with flax seed : 32 stones of good scutched flax have
been raised from one acre, and sold at a guinea the
stone, — a price perhaps equal to the value of the
land on which it grew. Riga flax seed, and the finest
kinds of Dutch seed are mostly sown here ; though
some good crops of flax have been raised from Bos-
ston flax seed. On rich moist soil, the finest flax is
raised from American seed." The cultivation of flax
has declined here, as generally elsewhere : the num-
ber of acres devoted to it does not exceed 80. Oats
are the prevailing crop. Population, in 1801, 2,120 ;
in 1831, 3,048. Houses 416, viz. AUCHENAIRN and
AUCHINLOCH [see these articles] ; Bishop's bridge,
with a population of 175 ; Cadder, with a population
of 64 ; CHRYSTON [which see] ; Mudiesburn, with
a population of 143; MOLLINBURN [which see],
Muirbead, with a population of about 40. — This par-
ish is in the presbytery of Glasgow, and synod of Glas-
gow, and Ayr. Patrons, the heritors and kirk-session.
The whole parish, excepting the barony of Cadder,
and the Midtown of Bedlay, formerly belonged to the
subdeanery of Glasgow. The Bishop's land was
called the Baldermonoch ward, or Monk's town ;
and comprehended ten townships. From this eccle-
siastical tenure are derived the names of several
places in the parish, such as : the Bishop's bridge,
the Bishop's moss, and the Bishop's loch. After the
Reformation, the temporalities of the subdeariry 01
Glasgow — which consisted of the parishes of Cadder
and Monkland — came into the possession of the noble
families of Hamilton and Kilmarnock, and were by
them transferred to the college of Glasgow, for a
considerable sum of money, about the year 1656.
The parish of Cadder, as well as that of Monkland,
availing itself of the act 1690, by paying 600 merka
Scotch to the college of Glasgow, obtained a renun-
ciation of the right of patronage by that body ; in
consequence of which, the heritors and elders of the
parish became the electors of the minister. The
stipend is £280 8s. 5d. ; value of glebe £17 10s
CAE
180
CAE
The church was built in 1829-30. Cost .£2,000;
sittings 740. There is another church at Chryston.
There are three parochial schools, at Cadder, Chrys-
ton, and Aucheriairn ; besides schools at Auchinloch,
Bishop's bridge, Crofthead, and Mollinburn. From
250 to 300 children attended those schools in 1834.
The Roman wall, or Graham's dike, is almost the
only piece of antiquity in this parish. It runs 4
miles through it, and may still be traced in Cadder
wood. At Robroystone, in this parish, Sir William
Wallace was betrayed and apprehended, by Sir John
Menteith. After he was overpowered, and before
his hands were bound, it is said, he threw his sword
into Robroystone loch. The circumstances of his
apprehension are thus related by Mr. Carrick in his
Life of the hero : — " On the night of the 5th of Au-
gust, 1305, Sir William, and his faithful friend,
Kerle, accompanied by the youth before-mentioned,
had betaken themselves to their lonely retreat at
Robroyston; to which place their steps had been
watched by a spy, who, as soon as he had observed
them enter, returned to his employers. At the dead
hour of midnight, while the two friends lay fast
asleep, the youth, whose turn it was to watch, cau-
tiously removed the bugle from the neck of Wallace,
and conveyed it, along with his arms, through an
aperture in the wall; then slowly opening the door,
two men-at-arms silently entered, and, seizing upon
Kerle, hurried him from the apartment, and instantly
put him to death. Wallace, awakened by the noise,
started to his feet, and, missing his weapons, became
sensible of his danger, but grasping a large piece of
oak, which had been used for a seat, he struck two
of his assailants dead on the spot, and drove the rest
headlong before him. Seeing the fury to which he
was roused, and the difficulty they would have in
taking him alive, Menteith now advanced to th^
aperture, and represented to him the folly of resist-
ance, as the English, he said, having heard of his
place of resort, and of the plans he had in contem-
plation, were collected in too large a force to be with-
stood; that if he would accompany him a prisoner
to Dumbarton, he would undertake for the safety of
his person ; — that all the English wished, was to se-
cure the peace of the country, and to be free from
his molestation ; — adding, that if he consented to go
with him, he should live in his own house in the
castle, and he, Menteith, alone should be his keeper ;
—that even now, he would willingly sacrifice his life
in his defence ; but that his attendants were too few,
and too ill-appointed, to have any chance of success
in contending with the English. He concluded by
assuring Wallace, that he had followed in order to
use his influence with his enemies in his behalf, and
that they had listened to hiru on condition of an im-
mediate surrender ; but that if he did not instantly
comply, the house would soon be in flames about
him. These, and other arguments were urged with
all the seeming sincerity of friendship ; and our pa-
tiiot, confiding in early recollections, and the private
understanding that subsisted between them, allowed
himself to be conducted to Dumbarton castle. On
the morrow, however, no Menteith appeared to ex-
ert his influence, in order to prevent the unfortunate
hero from being carried from the fortress ; and
strongly fettered, and guarded by a powerful escort,
under the command of Robert de Clifford and Aymer
de Vallence, he was hurried to the South, by the line
of road least exposed to the chance of a rescue."
CAERKETAN CRAIG, one of the Pentland
hills, in the parish of Colinton, Edinburghshire ; ele-
vated 1,450 feet above the level of the sea.
CAERL ANRIG, a district in the upper part of the
parish of Cavers, Roxburghshire, in winch there has
been a preaching-station in connexion with the par-
ish-church for a couple of centuries. The present
chapel was built about the end of last century.
The minister has a salary of £52, raised by sub-
scription.
CAERL AVEROCK, a parish in the county of
Dumfries ; bounded on the north by Dumfries par-
ish ; on the east by Lochar water, which divides it
from Ruth well; and on the south and west by the
Solway frith and the river Nith. It is a kind of
peninsula, about 6 miles in length, and from half-a-
mile to 2 miles in breadth, formed by the Nith,
Lochar water, and the Solway frith. The middle
and western part is hilly ; but towards the east the
surface becomes low and level. The superficial area
is 4,640 Scotch acres, of which nearly the whole is
arable. The value of assessed property, in 1815,
was £5,580. The high land is generally light, dry,
and fertile; interspersed however with spots of wet,
moorish, and shallow soil. The whole of the parish
lies on a bed of red freestone, which is quarried in
many places. The greater part of the arable groun
is enclosed and well-cultivated. There are two
small harbours in this parish, viz., KELTON and
GLENCAPLE : which see. The Nith and Lochar
here abound with fish, especially excellent salmon.
Lochar moss, which borders with this parish, sup
plies the inhabitants with fuel. Near the mouth
the Nith are to be traced the vestiges of a moated
triangular castle, supposed by Camden to be the
Carbantorigum of Ptolemy ; several moats and Ro-
man encampments may also be traced ; but the most
interesting relic of antiquity, Caerlaverock castle,
belongs to Scottish history, and will be described at
the close of our general observations on the parish.
Dr. John Hutton, first physician to King William
and Queen Mary, was a native of this parish. Po-
pulation, in 1801, 1,014; in 1831, 1,271. Houses,
in 1831, 245 — This parish is in the presbytery and,
synod of Dumfries. Patron, the Marquess of
Queensberrv. Stipend £177 5s. 9d., with a glebe
of the value of £32. Church built in 1781 ; sit-
tings 470. There are three schools in the parish,
attended by about 200 scholars. Parish school-
master's salary £35, with £40 from Dr. Button's
bequest of £900, which appears to have been well-
managed, arid now produces nearly £400 per annum.
CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE lies near the shores of
the Solway, about 9 miles below Dumfries, at the
southern extremity of the parish. " This venerable
ruin," says the writer of a very interesting notice of
the castle in • The Edinburgh Literary Gazette for
1829,' " as to its external aspect, presents much the
same appearance that it did in the days of Pennant
and Grose, both of whom have given a description
of it. It is triangular, or shield-like, and surrounded
by a wet ditch. At two of the corners had been
two round towers; that on the western angle is
called Murdoch's; the other, or eastern, is demo-
lished. The entrance into the castle-yard lies
through a gateway in the northernmost angle, ma-
chicolated, and flanked by two circular towers. Over
the arch of the gate is the crest of the Maxwells,
with the date of the last repairs, and the motto, ' Jl
bid ye fair.' The residence of the family was 01
the east side, which measures 123 feet. It is ele-
gantly built, and has three stories ; the doors am
window-cases are handsomely adorned with sculpture
On the pediments of the lower story are the coat*
of-arms and initials of the Maxwells, with differen
figures and devices ; -on the windows of the secom
story are representations of legendary tales; an<
over the third are fables from Ovid's Metamorphoses
The opposite side of the court-yard is plain. In th
front is a handsome staircase leading to the grea
hall, which is 90 feet by 26. The suiroundin,
CAERLAVEROCK.
181
ery is highly picturesque, and described with
olerable accuracy in Guy Mannering. To the south
'es the Solway, with its waves still * crisping and
rkling to the moon-beams ;' beyond them tower
the lofty mountains of Cumberland in the vicinity of
he lakes. To the east is the desolate expanse of
bar moss ; and to the west the embouchure of
e Nith, forming a magnificent bay, skirted on the
•posite side with the woods of Arbigland, New
Abbey, and Kirkconriell. On the back ground rises
iriffel, the termination of a chain of irregular hills
t enclose the vale of Nith like an amphitheatre,
he ships, with their white sails, passing and repass-
g in the frith, — the monastic ruin of New Abbey,
ith its Waterloo monument, — and the numerous
illages ' peeping from among the trees,' — form alto-
ther a landscape, that for beauty and variety can
rdly be surpassed. To the stranger we would
commend, in visiting this ancient castle, on leav-
Dumfries, to take the road along the east bank
the Nith, as both the shortest and the best, pass-
the village of Kelton, Conheath-house, and
encaple; and on his return to take the eastern
by Bankend." — That the Romans possessed a
ion here is certain, from the remains of a camp
the hill of Wardlaw, a little to the west of the
tie, but who were its masters from the 6th to the
1th century, history makes no mention. Sir Robert
uglas informs us, that Sir John Macuswell ac-
ired the barony of Caerlaverock about the year
220; but from a genealogy of the house of Maxwell
our possession — says the writer already quoted —
bably the same cited by Grose, this castle appears
have been the principal seat of that family as
ly as the time of Malcolm Canmore. Herbert,
e eleventh Lord Maxwell, followed the banner of
ruce, and fell in the immortal field of Bannockburn.
was in his time that the castle of Caerlaverock
as besieged and taken by Edward I. in person; of
hich a singularly curious and minute description
been preserved in a poem written in Norman-
ench, and composed expressly on the occasion,
is not certain how long Caerlaverock castle con-
ued in the hands of the English after its surrender
Edward I. in July, 1300; most probably 12 or 14
rs. Maitland, in his History of Scotland, says it
retaken by the Scots the following year, but
was soon repossessed by the English after a very
long siege. In 1355 this fortress, with the castle of
Dalswinton, was taken from the English by Roger
Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, who remained faithful
amidst the general defection of the nobles, and pre-
served the whole territory of Nithsdale in allegiance
to the Scottish crown. The historian John Major
says he levelled it with the ground. This, how-
ever, could not be literally true, as it continued to
be inhabited by Kirkpatrick till his death in 1357.
In that year the halls of Caerlaverock witnessed one
of the most atrocious deeds to be found in the annals
of feudal strife, — the murder of the brave Kirkpa-
trick by Sir James Lindsay. These two barons were
the sons of the murderers of the Red Cummirig,
whom Bruce had poniarded for his treachery in the
church of the Dominican friars at Dumfries, in 1304.
No known cause of quarrel existed between them,
-•ept that Kirkpatrick, as tradition records, had
rried a beautiful lady to whom Lindsay was greatly
ached. Lindsay expiated his crime with his life,
ing afterwards executed by order of David II.
The castle and baronial lands of Caerlaverock again
reverted to the Maxwells, and we find but little no-
tice of it for more than two centuries. In 1425,
Murdoch, duke of Albany, who was apprehended
for high treason, was sent to Caerlaverock, where
he remained confined in the tower, called Murdoch's
tower, until he was taken back to Stirling, where
he was beheaded. The Lord Maxwell was arrested
with him, but liberated, and was one of the conser-
vators of the truce with England in 1438. Robert,
the next Lord Maxwell, is mentioned as having
' completed the bartyzan of Caerlaverock,' and made
some other repairs. He was slain near Bannockburn
with King James III. in 1488. Several of these
doughty barons made a conspicuous figure in the
raids and truces of the borders. Robert, the fifth
of that name, ' made a road into England, and spoiled
all Cumberland, in 1526.' This celebrated statesman
and warrior was taken prisoner, with his two broth-
ers, at the rout of the Scots at Solway moss, in
November, 1542, and sent to London, but ransomed
next year for 1,000 merks. King James made his
residence at that time in Caerlaverock castle, and
was so mortified at this defeat, that he retired to
Falkland, where he died of grief in about a month
after. Henry VIII. was anxious to get the castles
of Caerlaverock, Lochmaben, and Langholm, at this
time into his possession, and instructions were given
to his envoy. Lord Wharton, to examine them, 'and
knowe their strength and scituations ;' and in case
either of them was tenable, he was * ernestly to
travaile with Robert Maxwell for the delyverie of
the same into his majestie's hands, if with money
and reward, or other large offers, the same may be
obtayned.' Sir John Maxwell, son to the preceding,
is the person known by the title of Lord Herries ;
he was a staunch adherent of Queen Mary, fled with
her from Langside, and is the reputed author of a
history of her reign. He was forfeited in parlia-
ment, but sentence was deferred ; and though he
did not die till 1594, his son John was served heir
to his estates in 1569, and next year the castle of
Caerlaverock again experienced the miseries of war.
The Bail of Sussex, who was sent by Queen Eliza-
beth into Scotland with an army of 15,000 men to
support King James VI. after the death of the Re-
gent Murray, ' took and cast down the castles of
Caerlaverock, Hoddam, Dumfries, Tinwald, Cow-
hill, and sundry other gentlemen's houses, dependers
on the house of Maxwell; and having brunt the
town of Dumfries, they returned with great spoil
into England.' Though dismantled, Caerlaverock
does not appear to have been entirely ruined, as
Cainden, in his Britannia, written about 1607, calls
it a weak house of the barons of Maxwell. Robert,
first Earl of Nithsdale, created in 1G20, once more
repaired the fortifications of Caerlaverock castle in
1638; and during the civil war under Charles I., he
adhered to the royal cause, in which he expended
his whole fortune. In 1640 the castle was attacked
and besieged by the ' covenanted rebells,' under
Lieutenant-colonel Home. The loyal owner reso-
lutely defended the garrison for upwards of thirteen
weeks ; nor did he lay down his arms, till he re-
ceived the king's letters, directing and authorizing
him to deliver up that and the castle of Thrieve
upon the best conditions he could obtain. From
this time Caerlaverock castle ceased to be an object
of contest, or even a place of habitation, as the
Maxwells transferred their residence to the Isle of
Caerlaverock, a small square tower on the margin of
the Lochar, and near the parish church. Here Ro-
bert the second Earl of Nithsdale, commonly called
the Philosopher, died in 1667. On the attainder of
William, fifth Earl of Nithsdale, who joined in the
rebellion of 1715, and made his escape from the
tower of London, through the ingenious heroism of
his wife, the estates were preserved from forfeiture,
being disponed to his son in 1712; and on his dying
without male issue, in 1776, they passed to his
daughter, the late Lady Winifred, who became sole
CAI
182
CAI
heiress to her father's estates. Her . grandson,
William Constable Maxwell of Everingham Park,
Esq., is the present Lord of Caerlaverock.
CAIRN, or CAIRNRYAN, a small village in Wig-
tonshire, in the parish of Inch; 10 miles south of
Ballantrae, and 6£ north of Stranraer, on the coast
of Loch Ryan. Population 300. It has a good
harbour, and a safe bay, where vessels of any burden
may anchor in the greatest safety. The Glasgow
and Belfast steamers regularly call here.
CAIRN (THE), a river which has its source in
the higher parts of Dumfries-shire, and, running
south east, forms the boundary between that shire
and the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It joins the
Glenesland water, and falls into the CLUDEN.
CAIRNAPLE, a mountain in the parish of Tor-
phichen, Linlithgowshire, rising 1,498 feet above the
level of the sea.
CAIRNCHUICHNAIG, a mountain in Ross-
shire, in Kincardine parish, upon which are found
topazes similar to those of the Cairngorm.
CAIRNDOW, a hamlet in Argyllshire, in the
parish of Lochgoilhead, near the northern extremity
of Loch Fyne. It is a stage on the military road,
94 miles from Edinburgh, 36 from Dumbarton, and
10 from Inverary. It is the only stage between
Inverary and Arroquhar by Glencroe. There is
a good inn here, and a steamer from Inverary
crosses every morning in excellent time for breakfast.
CAIRN-EILAR. See ABERDEENSHIRE.
CA1RNEY-HILL, a village in the parish of
Carnock, Fifeshire ; 3 miles west of Dunfermline,
and a mile east of Torryburn. It is situated on the
burn of Pitdennies, on the road leading from Dun-
fermline to Alloa and Stirling, and contains about
600 inhabitants, who are principally employed in the
staple manufacture of Dunfermlirie, viz. table-linen.
There is a Secession church here, built in 1752;
sittings 400. Stipend £98, with manse, garden,
and glebe.
CAIRNGORM, one of the loftiest of the Gram-
pians, situated in the parish of Abernethy, betwixt
the counties of Banff and Moray. Its height, by an
accurate calculation, was found to be 4,095 feet
above the level of the sea. It is of a conical shape ;
the sides and base are clothed with extensive fir-
woods, while its top is covered almost all the year
round with snow. The ascent from the west end
of Glenmore to the top of Cairngorm is easy ; and
the traveller will experience little difficulty" in de-
scending upon LOCH AVEN : see that article. Cairn-
gorm is celebrated tor those beautiful rock-crystals
of various tints, which are called Cairngorms,
though other places in Scotland afford them in great
abundance. They are a species of topaz, much ad-
mired by lapidaries. They were formerly procured
in great quantities ; but of late are more scarce, and
are only found amongst the debris of the mountain,
brought down by the currents after a storm. They
are regular hexagonal crystals, with a pyramidal top ;
the other extremity is rough, and often a part of the
rock to which it has been attached adheres to it.
Some have been found weighing three or four ounces.
[See Note, p. 106.] Besides these stones, fine
specimens of asbestos covered with calcareous crys-
tallizations, talc, zeolite, crystallized quartz, and
spars, are frequently found on this mountain. The
botanical field presented by it is not very rich.
Lichen nivalis, Azalea procumbens, and Polytrichum
septeritrionale, are found upon it. — There is a moun-
tain called the Easter, or Lesser Cairngorm, in
Braemar.
CA1RNGOWER. See ATHOLE.
CAIRNHARRAH. See ANVVOTH.
CA1RNIEMOUNT, CAIRN-O'- MOUNT, or THE
MONTH, one of the Grampian mountains in Kmcar-
dineshire, near the river Dee. Over this mountain
there is an excellent road, opening a communication
between the districts of Angus and Moray. See
article ABERDEEN.
CAIRN-NA-CUIMHNE. See BRAEMAR.
CAIRN OF HEATHER COW. See BOWER.
CAIRNMONEARN, one of the Grampians, in
Aberdeenshire, 1,020 feet above the level of the
sea.
CAIRNPAT, sometimes CAIRNPIOT, a hill in the
south-eastern part of the parish of Portpatriek,
Wigtonshire, elevated 800 feet above the level of
the sea. It bears all the marks of having been a
military station, being surrounded by three stone-
walls and intrenchments, with ample spaces between
them. The summit affords a fine view of the Rhins
of Galloway ; and it is said, that in clear weather,
the coast of Cumberland can be seen from it.
CAIRNSMUIR, a mountain in the parish of Min-
nigaff, Kircudbrightshire, one of the highest in the
south of Scotland. Its elevation has never been
exactly ascertained, and various accounts are given
of its height. Alexander Maclean, Esq., in the old
Statistical Account of Kirkmabreck, says: " It may
probably be between 3,000 and 4,000 feet above the
level of the Cree!" But the Rev. Mr. Maitland, in
the Statistical Account of Minnigaff, says: " Cairns-
muir is 1,737 feet above the level of the sea; and
there are one or two neighbouring mountains which
are 20 or 30 feet higher."
CAIRN IE, a parish chiefly in the county of
Aberdeen, but partly in Banff, which formed part of
the lordship of Strathbogie, granted by Robert
Bruce to Sir Adam Gordon, after the defeat and
attainder of Cumyn, Earl of Badenoch. It extends
along the banks of the Bogie, in the neighbourhood
of the town of Huntly. The surface is hilly, but in
the low grounds the soil is deep and fertile. The
hills were formerly covered with oak-forests, but
now their appearance is bleak and naked. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,561; in 1831, 1,796. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £4,325. Houses 384 — This parish is
in the presbytery of Strathbogie, and synod of Mo-
ray ; and consists of the united parishes of Botary,
Rathven, and part of Drumdelgy. Patron, the Duke
of Richmond. Stipend £210 Os. 3d. Value of glebe
£12 15s. Unappropriated teinds £217 7s. School-
master's salary £18 16s. 7d. in money, 16 bolls meal,
and about £20 fees. Pupils 50. There are two
private schools, attended by above 100 children.
C AIRS TON, in the island of Pomona, and parish
of Stromriess. It possesses a harbour, in which
large vessels that require greater depth of water
and more space than what the harbour of Strom-
ness affords, usually anchor ; but there is a strong
tide here, and it lies more open and exposed than
Stromness harbour. It gives name to a presbytery.
CAITHNESS, the most remote and northern
county on the mainland of Scotland, forming its
north-eastern extremity, is divided from the county
of Sutherland on the south-west and west by a
range of mountains and high moory hills, which ex-
tend from the Ord of Caithness on the south, to the
shores of the North sea at Drumholasten. It is
bounded on the south-east and east by the Murray
frith and the German ocean ; on the north from
Duncansby-head, in 58° 37' N. lat., and 3° W. long.,
to Holburn-head, by the Pentland frith, dividing it
from the Southern isles of Orkney, and containing
the island of Stroma which forms a portion of the
shire; and westwards from Holburn-head it is
bounded by the North sea. Its form is an irregular
triangle, measuring 35 miles from north to
and 22 from east to west. In Captain Henders
CAITHNESS.
183
jjricultural survey of the county, its superficies is
timated at GIG square miles, —
English
Acres
Scotch
Acres
"hich is equal to
D which add the islandofStroma,^ square
iiii ••-. or
S94.240, or 315,932
1,440, or 1,152
al of the county, 6184, square miles, or 395.680 = 316,544
In an agricultural view, Sir John Sinclair, in 1811,
timated the whole to consist of nearly the follow-
di visions: —
Scutch Acres.
Arable land of every description, infield and
outfield, 40,000
Meadow, nr haughs, near rivers, burns, &c., 2,000
Green pasture, commou down, and partly
m..»ry clay, 02,000
Under brushwood, and small plantations, 850
Sand in Dumiet bay, &>-. &r 3,000
Mountains, or hipli moory hills, in the parishes
of Latheron, Cannisbay, Halkirk, and Reay, 71,200
Deep rnossex, or flat moor?, (502 less than the
first account, for the isle <if stroma,) . . 130,261
Fresh- water lakes, 7,680; rivers and burns,
743 acres 6,731
Total, 316,04-2
ir John Sinclair's ' General View of the North-
Counties,' makes the extent of Caithness 61)0
juare miles; English acres, 441,000; or Scotch
351,210, of which—
Arable, .
Pasture,
Moor or moss,
351/210 do.
There are no navigable rivers in this county. The
rincipal river is the water of Thurso, which origi-
ites from springs in the mountains bounding with
utherland, and partly from the Latheron hills;
lence it passes through several lakes and small
chs — 24 of which are in one flat bog in Strathmorc,
the parish of Halkirk, and all send their tributary
•earns to this river — and after traversing a distance
about 30 miles, discharges itself into the Pent-
d frith at Thurso bay. Its ancient name, in the
jlic language, is Avon-Horsa, — that is, ' Horsa's
rer ;' and the town of Thurso is called Bal-inver-
rsa, — that is, * the town of Horsa's harbour.'
the village of Halkirk this river is so rapid that
fall of 14 feet could be commanded for machinery;
t, in general, the Thurso is not rapid enough for
falls, or deep enough for navigation, although with
floods of rain it rises from 5 to 7 feet above its nat-
ural level. — The next river in point of size is the
\\uter of Wick, originating from the lochs of Wat-
ten, Toftingal, Scarmclate or Stempster, and from
various springs in the moors of the parish of Watten,
whence it runs eastward until it falls into the sea
in the sandy bay of Wick. The tide flows up this
small river for 2 miles, but it is of little depth. — The
water of Forss originates from springs in the moun-
tains between Sutherland and Caithness, and coming
through Loch Kehn, Loch Shurary, &c., runs due
north to Cross-Kirk bay, where it enters the North-
ern ocean, dividing the parishes of Reay and Thurso.
lu general, it is rather flat than rapid and shallow
in its meandering course through Strathglaston.
The water of Wester runs through the parish of
Jiuwcr, from lochs and springs eastward to the loch
of Wester, and thence becomes a deep stream for a
short distance to Keiss bay on the German ocean.
There are various burns, or small streams, besides
those above-mentioned, in the northern and eastern
part of this county ; and on the south side of the
county there are the waters of Dunbeath, Berrie-
dale, and Lang well, with a number of small burns
running from springs in the mountains, which have
a rapid, rugged, and shallow course to the Murray
frith. There are salmon -fishings, besides the great
one on the river Thurso, in the waters of Wick,
Dunbeath, and Langwell ; the fish of the latter is
considered the firmest and best in Scotland. The
principal lake is the loch of Calder, in Halkirk par-
ish. It is 2 miles long, and from a mile to a quarter
of a mile broad; in the north end it is about 12
fathoms deep. The second is Loch More, in the
highland part of the same parish ; it is about 1 i
mile long, by about half-a-mile broad, and deep. The
third is the loch of Watten, about U mile long, and
from one-half to a quarter of a mile broad, but in
general rather shallow. Then in order are the lochs
of Hempriggs, Westfield, Stempster-Bower, Ran-
gag, Stempster-Latheron, Alterwall, Harland, Dun-
net, Mey, Duren, Kelm, Shurary, Rheard, Yarrows,
and a groupe of lochlets, noticed above, in the par-
ish of Halkirk. All these lakes, rivers, and burns
abound with trout and eels; and in the loch of Cal-
der there are char about six inches long. The
western part of this county is hilly, and chiefly
adapted for the rearing of cattle and sheep; but
towards the east it is almost a uniform plain.
The Morven, Morbhein, or Berriedale mountains,
run along the Latheron coast, to the boundary of
the parish of Wick. Another range of high hills
stretches from the Morven mountains along the
boundary with Sutherland, through the parishes of
Reay and Halkirk on the west, to the North sea.
The Morven, or Berriedale mountains, are princi-
pally occupied in sheep-pasture. Morven, Scariberi,
and the Maiden-Pap mountains, are very high and
steep; and towards their summit — which is from
1,500 to 3,000 feet above the level of the sea —
there is nothing but bare rock. The other moun-
tains are clothed with heather, ling, and deer-hair.
The ridges of hills, or high ground, in the parishes
of Wick, Bower, Watten, Dunnet, Olrig, Thurso,
Reay, and Halkirk, are principally green pasture,
except the summits of some hills and knolls covered
with stunted heather, which have been, from time
immemorial, used as common pasture for the horses,
cattle, sheep, geese, and swine of the town-lands in
their vicinity. This is the only ground to which
the denomination of downs is applicable in this
county. The extent of deep peat-bogs, including
peat-moors of every description, is very considerable;
amounting to nearly one-half the extent of the
county. Large tracts of this soil, between the base
of hills in the interior of the county, are flat and
level; and in the parish of Canisbay, not far even
from the sea-shore, they are of great depth, and so
swampy that cattle cannot travel over some parts
of them. The only ground known by the name of
forest is the ridge of mountains dividing Caithness
from Sutherland, terminating at the Ord of Caith-
ness, which is a part of the Langwell estate. In
this district red deer and roe, as well as black cattle,
were formerly maintained ; but it is now occupied as
a sheep -farm, and stocked with the Cheviot breed of
sheep. Its extent may be about 15,000 acres of
inountain, covered with heather, heath, ling, deer-
hair, and wild cotton.
In a common near the crown -lands of Scrabster,
in the vicinity of the town of Thurso, some frag-
ments of a coaly nature were discovered; and search
was made in consequence for coal, but without suc-
cess. On the Earl of Caithness's estate, near JJar-
rogil castle, a thin stratum of coaly black stone is
found on a level with the sea, which burns with a
clear flame for some time, but does not consume to
ashes. A seam of coal, resembling small English
coal, was found in the parish of Halkirk. About
7<> \cars ago an English company employed two men
for a season at the hill of Achinnarrass, working pits
184
CAITHNESS.
or shafts for lead-ore. They dug up several tons of
it; but although it was allowed to be of good qua-
lity, the work was discontinued. In the year 1807,
some ditchers, in the employ of Sir John Sinclair,
found pieces of solid lead-ore in the bottom of a
ditch on the east side of the hill of Skinnet. There
is shell-marl in many bogs and lakes in the parishes
of Halkirk, Olrig, Bower, Wick, Watteri, Latheron,
and Reay ; and clay-marl in the parishes of Cannis-
bay, Latheron, and Thurso, of excellent quality.
The greatest quantity of shell-marl, and the most
easy of access, is in the lake or loch of Westfield,
in the parish of Halkirk. Freestone is found in the
greatest perfection and abundance in Caithness. The
soil of the arable land and green pasture, from the
east bank of the water of Forss, on the north coast
to Assery ; thence across by the loch of Calder, and
Halkirk, on the river of Thurso ; thence along that
river to Dale; thence eastward by Achatibster,
Toftingal, Bylbster, Bilbster, Thurster, &c. to the
German ocean at Hempriggs ; thence along the east
coast to the water of Wester, arid along that rivu-
let, by Bower, Alterwall, and Thurdistoft, to the
sea at Castle-hill, on the north coast ; abounds with
day, incumbent on a horizontal rock, in the western
part, and hard till, schistus, or gravel, on the east-
ern part of it. In the parish of Reay, westward
from the banks of the water of Forss, the arable
land and green pasture is in general composed of a
dark earth, mixed with a crystally sand, which may
be denominated a black loam, incumbent, in general,
on a grey freestone, &c., not so tenacious of mois-
ture as the clay district incumbent on a horizontal
rock. This species of soil is productive of corn and
grass, both natural and artificial. The same kind of
soil, namely, a dark loam, abounds in the parishes of
Dunnet and Cannisbay, and a part of the parish of
Wick, to the water or river of Wester on the
east coast. Near the shore it is incumbent on a red
freestone, in many cases with perpendicular seams,
which carry off the moisture ; and at a greater dis-
tance from the shore towards the peat mosses and
moors, the loam is incumbent on a gritty red gravel
or schistus. The soil along the shore is deep, and
caoable of producing good crops. Along the sea-
shore, from Hempriggs to the Ord of Caithness,
comprehending the coast-side of part of the parish
of Wick, and the parish of Latheron, the arable
land and green pasture is chiefly composed of a dark
earth, mixed with gritty sand and fragments of rock:
it may be termed a stony hazel loam, sharp and pro-
ductive, incumbent on a blue whin, or gritty rock of
vertical seams, or seams of considerable declivity,
and dry. Upon the straths or valleys of the remain-
ing district of the county, comprehending the high-
land parts of the parishes of Latheron, Halkirk, and
Watten, the soil is variable; near the banks of rivers
and burns there is some haugh or meadow-ground,
composed of sand and clay, or soil that may be
called alluvial. Farther back the soil is a dark
loam, of peat-earth and gravel, and in some partial
spots consists of clay. — The sea-coast of Caithness,
with the exception of the bays of Sandside, Dunnet,
Duncansby, and Keiss, is a bold rocky shore, from
the Ord all along the coast, till you reach the point
of Drumholasten. Sandside bay is about half-a-
mile broad, with some sandy links a little above
flood-mark, about the kirk of Reay, abounding with
rabbits, and producing excellent pasture. Dunnet
bay is about 3 miles across, from the Castle-lull to
the hill of Dunnet on the east side, and it extends
about a mile of sandy links up the country to Green-
land. This tract may be computed at three square
miles, principally a bare barren sand, which produces
nothing but tufts of bent grass — a plant which
spreads, and thus prevents the usual drifting of the
sand, if it is preserved. Reits, or Keiss bay, is a
low sandy shore for 4 miles from Keiss to Ackergill,
and in some parts the sand has drifted half-a-mile up
the country. There is also a small extent of sandy
links at Freswick bay, and at Duncansby, where
there are great quantities of sea-shells driven in
every stormy tide.
For three-fourths of the year the wind in Caith-
ness blows from the west or north-west; and in the
winter, spring, and autumn, there are frequent hard
gales from that quarter. There being no mountains
or high land on the north side of the county, where
it bounds with the Northern ocean, the inclemencj
of the weather in the winter and spring is felt more
severely here than in the neighbouring counties of
Sutherland and Ross. From the beginning of May
to the middle of June the prevailing wind is usually
from the north-west, with a bleak cloudy sky, whu
checks vegetation much. From the end of June
September the wind is variable from the south-west
to the south-east, and but seldom northerly. Dur-
ing this season vegetation makes, perhaps, a rm
rapid progress than it does in counties enjoying, 01
the whole, a better climate. This, perhaps, may "
partly accounted for by the check given to
tion in May and the beginning of June. It is tl
general opinion that no county in Scotland has more
frequent and heavy rains than the county of Caith-
ness,— the county of Argyle, and the western parts i
Inverness, Ross, and Sutherland excepted. Durin
the months of October, November, and December,
rain is generally frequent and heavy. About the
end of December, and sometimes earlier, snow am
hard frost commence.
Captain Henderson furnishes the following inter-
esting account of the trades and manufacture
which existed in this remote district in the latt
half of the last century : — " Exclusive of the she
makers who resided in the towns of Thurso am
Wick, there were one, two, or more itinerant she
makers in every parish, who went to the farmers'
houses, and made shoes, or rather brogues, for tht
whole family, including the farm-servants, at tht
rate of 2d. per pair ; the shoemaker and his ap-
prentice being fed in the family during the timt
they were so employed. The farmer found tl
leather, hemp, and rosin. The leather being gen-
erally tanned by himself cost him very little ; am
upon the whole, all the family were furnished wit
shoes at from Is. to Is. 6d. per pair. At that timt
the town shoemakers sold what was called dress
or curried leather shoes, at from 2s. to 3s.
pair. Now — 1809 — there are few or none of t
itinerant shoemakers. There are no woods 01
shrubberies in the county to furnish bark for tht
farmer ; taxes are high, and tax-gatherers more vi
gilant. The country people, both tenants and ser-
vants, purchase their shoes — no doubt of a bett
quality than brogues, but not more durable — at frc
7s. 6d. to 10s. per pair, for men's shoes, and 5s.
to 6s. 6d. for women's shoes. Farm-servants pa)
from 20s. to 25s. for a pair of boots to follow
plough, whereas, in 1760, they wore rillins in tt
spring-season. These were made of an oval pie(
of rasv, or uritanned horse or cow-leather, drawn
gether round the foot by thongs of the same mate-
rials, through holes made in the margin of the skin
or piece of hide ; and being thus faced on the upper
part of the foot, with the hair towards the foot,
they were warm and flexible, and they kept the
mould of the ploughed land from annoying the feet.
A pair of these might be valued at 4d., and would
last five or six weeks. Weavers were settled through
the country for weaving the simple fabrics prepared
CAITHNESS.
185
the farmers' wives and servants for their own and
ir husbands' arid children's apparel. Every far-
r, and even cottager, had a small flock of sheep of
native hreed ; these annually supplied a fleece of
" wool, which the gudewife and her family carded
spun into yarn, either for blankets, for scourens
flannel), or black greys (a kind of broad-
cloth), or for Highland tartan, for the wear of the
fludeman, herself, and family, and perhaps some of it
for sale to the servants, in part of their wages, or to
others. The weaver generally charged from 2d. to
per yard for weaving it ; and a peck of oat-meal
given as a bounty, for warping the web, and
iring it for the loom. When the web was re-
led from the weaver, the gudevvife got it washed
irm water, and if it was necessary to full it,
iat operation was thus performed : — The house-
door was taken off the hinges, and laid on the floor ;
the web was then laid on it hot out of the water ;
then three or four women sat down round it, on a
little straw, at equal distances, and all being ready,
bare-legged, by the signal of a song, each applied her
goles to the web ; and they continued pellirig and
tumbling it on the door with their feet until the web
was considered sufficiently fulled ; then it was
stretched out to dry, and was ready for the family-
tailor, or for sale, as the case might be. If the tailor
was wanted, he was sent for, and maintained in the
family until the clothes were made; and for his
trouble, he received annually a quantity of victual,
bear, or oat-meal, as might have previously been
agreed upon. If the cloth was for the market,
blankets sold at lOd. per yard ; scourens at 8d. to
9d. ; cloth at Is. ; and tartan, if the dyes were good,
at Is. to Is. 4d. per yard. The gudevvife was gen-
erally competent to dye the woollen yarn, either of
a blue, red, green, yellow, or black colour, as might
be required. That simplicity of life and industry are
now gone, and instead of these native fabrics, no-
thing will do but broad -cloth from Leeds, and blan-
kets and flannels from the southern markets. In
those days, coopers and tinkers were employed to
make household vessels and spoons ; now these in
most cases are superseded by crockery ware and
metal spoons. It may be proper to add, that in those
iays, linen was little used by the labouring class of
iociety, and hence rheumatism was unknown. In
nodern times, every farm-servant wears linen; and as
the heat of youth declines, rheumatism commences."
Mechanics are now settled throughout the county,
' ~ making farming-utensils, as carts, ploughs, bar-
thrashing-machines, &c., &c., to supply the
jrs. A considerable number of women and girls
iployed in the town of Thurso, plaiting straw
lies' bonnets. A few of them make up bon-
but the greater part of the straw-plait is sent
Ion, whence the prepared straw is imported,
straw-plaiters earn at this employment, from
5s. per week. About sixty years ago, while
/ere at peace with Sweden and Denmark, and
thness victual sold at from 8s. to 13s. 4d. per
>oll of bear or oat-meal, several cargoes of victual
annually exported to Norway, and in return,
timber and iron were imported, at an easy rate.
"•Lit time, Norway fir was retailed in this county
to lOd. per solid foot, and iron at Id. to l£d.
pound. At a more remote period, malt was ex-
ted from the port of Thurso to Norway, and
ber, iron, hemp, and flax, imported in return ;
there are even some traditional accounts that a
ew vessels from the port of Thurso traded to the
'Vest Indies and to the Baltic. The port ot Thurso
- well-calculated for foreign commerce, as it has a
rood and sate roadstead at Scrabster, and the access
o the dry harbour in the river is capable of great
u me nr^
improvement. As soon as a vessel gets under weigh
from this port, the German ocean, or Atlantic, is
open to her, and the Pentland frith is no longer it
terror to seafaring men. From 1780 to 1800, the mer-
chants of Leith, Montrose, and Aberdeen, sent several
cargoes of dressed flnx annually, to agents employed
by them among the Caithness shopkeepers. These
agents gave out the flax to be spun, by the young
women, through the county ; for which they re-
ceived about lOd. per spindle, or 2£d. per hank of
1,200 threads. The agents had Is. per spindle from
their employers ; the difference — being ^d. per hank
— was their commission for risk and trouble. This
flax was commonly spun to 2 or 2£ hank of yarn
from the pound of flax, and the yarn so spun was re-
turned to the merchants of Leith, &c., and there
made into coloured thread for the foreign markets.
The principal branch of commerce which now ex-
ists in this county, is the herring-fishery along the
coast of the parishes of Wick and Latheron, where,
from 150,000 to 200,000 barrels offish, are annually
cured, and exported to the London, Bristol, Liver-
pool, Leith, and Irish markets. The fishing com-
mences in July, and seldom lasts above six weeks ;
the number of boats sometimes amounts to 1,200.
The curing is performed at Wick by women, and af-
fords employment to 5,000. A few red herrings are
also smoked. Great numbers of seals were formerly
killed on the coast, but they are less sought after
now. The cod-fishery has also been for many
years carried on in the havens of this county.
A quantity of kelp used to be made from sea- weed
along the Caithness coast, and sent coastwise to
Leith, Newcastle, &c., for the use of the glass-
houses, soap-makers, &c. There are a few sloops,
of from 40 to 70 tons burden, which sail from the
harbours of Thurso and Wick, to Leith, and occa-
sionally to Sunderland, Newcastle, and London ;
they export fish, kelp, and oats, but more frequently
convey mechanics and labourers, in quest of work,
to the southern counties. By these vessels there
is imported broad-cloth to supply the want of the
cloth formerly manufactured in every family from
the wool of their little flocks; cotton-cloth and
linens from Glasgow ; tea, sugar, snuff, tobacco, and
other articles from the London and Leith markets,
and hardware goods from Sheffield, and Birming-
ham, &c., all which are retailed by the shopkeepers
of the county.
By statutes of David II. the weights and measures
of the county of Caithness were the standards of
Scotland. By the * Regiam Majestatem,' chap. 14.
" It is statute be King David, that ane comon arid
equal weight, quhilk is called the weicht of Caith-
ness— pondus Cathaniae — in buying and selling, sail
be keeped and vsed be all men within this realm ot
Scotland." The circumstance, that the weight of
Caithness should be the general standard, is not at
all to be wondered at, for the town of Thurso, in
Caithness, was formerly the great mart for trade be-
tween Scotland and Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and
the powers of the Baltic, and in consequence thereof,
the weights established in that town, might, with
great propriety, become the standards of the king-
dom. Previous to the late act the tenantry through-
out the county used a vessel — by them called a half-
firlot — containing t\vo pecks, and they gave eight tills
of it for a boll of bear or oats. In measuring corn
with it, the vessel was heaped ; but in measuring
meal, the roller was used to take off all above the
stave. The regular corn-measure of the county
was either by firlots or by half-bolls. The firlot
contained one bushel and a half, arid three quarts,
Winchester measure, that is 7£ per cent, above the
standard. Bear, oats, and malt, were measured by
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186
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this standard ; but the boll of wheat was under-
stood to be only two-thirds of the bear boll ; oat-
meal was sold by the boll of 136 Ibs. Dutch, or
eight stone and a half, arid bear-meal at nine stone
or 144 fts. The Dutch pound was 17^ ounces
avoirdupois. All liquids, the produce of the county,
were measured by the pint of 18 gills, or £ above
the regular standard ; but the pint of spirits was 16
gills. Wool was sold by the stone of 24 Ibs. Dutch.
This county, and the shire of Sutherland, were,
from 1756, until the year 1807, considered as one
sberiffdom; but there is now a sheriff-depute for
each county. Until the passing of the Reform
act, Caithness was coupled with the isle of Bute
on the south-west of Scotland, and each county
returned a representative alternately. This half-
species of franchise was felt to be a grievance that
ought to be remedied. In fact, Bute arid Caith-
ness were so distant from each other "-hat no
common interest could be supposed to exist be-
tween them, more than between Cornwall and
Caithness at the two extremities of the British
isle. The only other instances of such political
representation in Scotland, were, Kinross and Clack-
mannan ; and Nairn and Cromarty ; but these were
contiguous districts, which had a common interest
in everv local political occurrence, and might there-
fore, with much more propriety, be incorporated to-
gether. The towns of Wick, Kirkwall, Dornock,
Dingwall, Tain, and Cromarty, return one member
to parliament. Small debt courts are held at Wick,
Thurso, and Lybster. There were two county news-
papers published till lately in Caithness. The county
of Caithness is divided into ten parishes, forming one
presbytery. The two presbyteries of Caithness and
Sutherland are erected into one synod. In ancient
times the two counties formed one bishopric, known
under the name of the bishopric of Caithness. — Po-
pulation, in 1801,22,609; in 1811, 23,419; in 1821,
30,238; in 1831, 34,500; in 1841, 36,343. Value
of real property as assessed in 1815, £35,469 ; in
1842-3, £65,869. Houses inhabited in 1831, 6,036 ;
in 1841, 6,965. Families employed in agriculture,
in 1831, 3,580; in trade and handicrafts, 1,487; not
comprised in either of these classes, 1,837. Cooper-
age employs the greatest number of the second class.
The number of parochial schools, in 1834, was 10,
attended by 747 ; of schools riot parochial, 86, at-
tended by 3,480; total, 4,227. The number of pau-
pers, in 1836, was 7,614; in 1841, 8,463. The
amount of relief distributed amongst them in 1841,
was £4,797. — The English language has always been
spoken in Caithness, except among the hills on the
borders of Sutherlandshire, where the Gaelic is
used. The names of many localities, however, are
evidently Norwegian. — The most ancient castles in
this county are those of Girnigoe and Sinclair,
erected by the thanes of Caithness, on a bold nar-
row promontory separated from the coast by a chan-
nel of little breadth, on the north side of Noss-head,
near Wick. Ackergill tower, half-a-mile west from
castle Girnigoe, a very strong and ancient fortalice,
was built by the Keiths, Earls Marshal. It is a
square tower of several stories of single apartments
each, with projecting turrets in the angles. There
are also Mowat's castle of Freswick, Castle Sinclair
of Keiss, and the castle of Old Wick, or Oliphant's
castle, 2 miles south from Wick, all ruins on the east
coast of Caithness. Forse castle in ruins, the castle
of Dunbeath still habitable, and Berriedale castle
in ruins, are on the south-east coast. Upon the
north coast are : Barrogill castle, the Earl of Caith-
ness's residence, at a small distance from the shore;
Thurso castle, the seat of Sir John Sinclair, bart.,
built in 1616, and repaired in 1808; the ruins of a
castle at Scrabster, a mile west of Thurso, once th
residence of the bishops of Caithness; a small castle
at Brims, still habitable ; and the ruins of a castle at
Downreay. There are also the ruins of Brawl castle,
and Durlet castle, on the river Thurso, in the interior
of the county. The modern houses of Sandside,
Westfield, Castlehill, Freswick, Keiss, Hempriggs,
Stircock, Lybster, S \vinzie, and Nottingham, along
the coast, or near it, and of Barrock-house, Standstill,
Watten, Bilbster, Hopeville, Stempster, Tister,
Dale, and Calder, in the interior of the county ; are
commodiously built, and in some cases handsomely
finished. Among the antiquities of this county are
to be found a variety of those singular structures
called Picts' houses. They are generally of a cir-
cular form, in the shape of a truncated cone, with
walls of 9 or 10 feet in thickness, and surround
by a deep ditch and a rampart.
CALDER (EAST), or CALDER-CLERE, an
cient rectory in the shire of Edinburgh ; united in
1750 to the parish of KIRK-NEWTON : which see.
The church, which is now demolished, was d
cated to St. Cuthbert. The manor of Calder
by Malcolm IV. granted to Randulph de Cl
and from him it became known by the name
Calder-Clere, to distinguish it from Calder-Comi
the adjoining manor, the property of the Ea&l
Fife. The barony of Calder-Clere was forfeitec
during the succession- war ; and was granted, in 13(
by Robert I. to James Douglas, of Lothian, 1
progenitor of the Earls of Morton. The Earl
Morton takes his title from the lands of Mortou
in this parish. After the Reformation, the Earl
Morton — who was now Baron of Calder-Clere — ,
quired the advowson of the church, and with it
right of the monks of Kelso to the tenth of
multures of the mill of Calder. In 1541, the bare
of Calder-Clere was confirmed by James V. to Jan
Earl of Morton, without the advowson of the chur
In 1564, James, his successor — the well-known M
ton, who fell under the axe of the law in 1581
obtained from the queen a confirmation of all
lands, with the barony of Calder-Clere, and the
vowson of the churches and chapels. — The villi
of East-Calder lies about one mile east of Mid-C
der, the south road from Glasgow to Edinbui
passing through it.
CALDER (MID), a parish in the shire of Ed
burgh. It extends from north to south aboul
miles ; its greatest breadth is nowhere above 3.
is bounded on the north by Kirkliston ; on the e
and south-east by East-Calder and Kirk-Newton ;
the south-west by West-Calder ; and on the w
by Livingston. The surface is generally level
the soil fertile though light and dry. Calder we
still covers a considerable extent of ground, thou
far less than formerly. There are everywhere
dications of coal ; also plenty of freestone ; and,
East-Calder, the Earl of Morton has a quarry
limestone, the stratum of which is 60 feet thi<
Besides these minerals, there is excellent ironsto
in this district. On the estate of Letham is a pow
ful sulphureous spring, similar to that of Harro
gate. To the west of the town, on Muirhouseto
water, stands Calder-house, the seat of Lord T
phichen. A portrait of John Knox — generally I
lieved to be genuine — is bung up in the hall or g
lery of this house, where, it is asserted by some,
dispensed the ordinance of the Lord's supper for t
first time in Scotland after the Reformation.* — T
* On the back of Lord Torphichen's picture there is writt
" Mr. John Knox : The first sacrament of the super given
Scotland, after the Reformation, was dispensed by him in tl
hall." This is not true ; for it is proved that the first time t
sacrament of the supper was dispensed in. the reformed way
Scotland, was in the eustleof St. Andrew's, A. D. 1547, (M'Cr
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187
CAL
se of Green-bank, near the village, is celebrated
as the birth-place of John Spottiswood, archbishop
of St. Andrews, who was born here in 1565. Popu-
lation, in 1801. 1,014: in J831, 1,489. Assessed
property, in 1815, £7,500. Houses in 1831, 2'25
This parish is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, and
synod of Lothian and T weeddale. Patron, Lord
torphichen. Stipend £158 6s. 8d., with glebe of
the value of £64 10s. Schoolmaster's salary £34
48. 4id., with £150 fees; £11 2s. 2£d. yearly for
teaching church-music, and other emoluments; mak-
ing a total of £235 18s. 7d. Pupils 130. There
were 3 private schools within the parish in 1834, at-
tended by about 130 scholars — The village of Mid-
Calder is 11| miles west-south-west of Edinburgh,
Mid 8i east of W'hitburn, on the south road from
w to Edinburgh. It is pleasantly situated on
inence between the water of Linnhouse and
linond. It has two fairs, viz., on the 2d Tues-
iri March, and the 2d Tuesday of October.
ALDER (WEST), a parish in Mid-Lothian, in
h 10, and in average breadth 5 J miles ; bounded
north by Mid-Calder arid Livingston ; on the
by Whitburn ; on the south by Carnwath ; and
e east by Glencross. The southern part,
h borders on Lanarkshire, consists of high and
^ grounds for the most part incapable of cul-
>n. From the general elevation of the ground,
nearly 500 feet above the level of the sea,
cold and moist, exposed to storms of wind
rain from the south and south-west. The
er part of the parish lies upon coal, and there
ity of excellent limestone ; ironstone also is
ht. In the southern extremity stands an old
said to have been fortified by Cromwell ; and
tie-Craig are the remains of a Roman camp,
ation, in 1801, 1,185; in 1813, 1,617. Assessed
y £7,197. Houses 311.— The village of
Calder is 4 miles south-west of Mid-Calder,
north of Wilsontown, on the road from Edin-
to Lanark — This parish is in the presbytery
lithgow, and synod of Lothian and T weeddale.
, John Drysdale, Esq. Stipend £158 6s. 7d.,
glebe of the value of £23. Church built in
sittings 331. — A United Secession church was
in 1795 ; sittings 498. Stipend £100, with a
and glebe. — Schoolmaster's salary £34. —
were 3 private schools within this parish in
; and the total number of children at school
197. — According to Chalmers, the present par-
of Mid-Calder and West-Calder were of old
eherided in the parish and barony of Calder-
:~. West-Calder received this name, as lying
rd of the river Calder; and it was distin-
by the name of Calder-Comitis, as early as
12th century. This extensive manor of Calder-
was possessed by the Earls of Fife as early
3 the reign of Malcolm IV ; and by them it was en-
oyed as low down as the reign of David II. It then
:o Sir William Douglas of Douglas, who gave
in tree marriage, with Eleanor, his sister, to Sir
•ie Sandilands, in 1349. This grant was con-
nn. (I by Duncan, Earl of Fife, and by David II.
rom that marriage sprung the family of Sandilands,
quired the estates of the knights of St. John,
Reformation, with the peerage of Torphichen;
'id who still retain the barony of West-Calder,
ith the advowson of the church. Before the
;ition, there was a chapel in the upper part
* this extensive district, which gave name to
'*', l-tfd.) The account given by Knox, in his History of the
elormation, M-IMMS to imply that lie dispensed this ordinance
tin West country hci'nre h<> did it iu Calder-house. Tin-si*
' a decree of discredit ou the authenticity of the pic.
«. although no douht exists ot th<- intimacy ot Sir James
Clauds, the ancestor of Lord Tornltichcn, with the reformer.
Chnpeltown, about a mile east from West-Calder ;
this chapel remained till the reign of Charles I. In
1637, John, Lord Torphichen, was served heir to his
father in the barony of Calder, arid to the patronage
of the church. In 1646, this large parish was divided
into two districts, which were named Mid-Calder,
and West-Calder. The old church was now appro-
priated to Mid-Calder ; while the new church was
erected in the upper district, which has given rise to
the kirk-town of West-Calder.
CALDER, or CAWDOR, a parish situated chiefly
in the county of Nairn, but of which a small part
lies in that of Inverness. Its figure is irregular; but
its greatest length is 16 miles, and greatest breadth
6£. From a survey made in 1782, it contains 26;000
acres, of which 18,000 at least were moor and moss.
Its superficial area has recently been estimated at
35,313 acres. The soil of the arable part is thin
and sharp, but fertile. The low lands are liable to
be overflowed by the rivulet of Calder and the wa-
ter of Nairn. The Findhorn, abounding with sal-
mon, runs through the upper part of the parish. A
considerable part of the district is covered with
natural forests of oak, ash, alder, and other trees.
Population, in 1801, 1,179; in 1831, 1,184-. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £4,975. Houses, in 1831,
266, whereof 226 were in Nairnshire — The village
of Calder is 5£ miles south-west of Nairn. A fair
is held here on the 2d Tuesday in March. — This
parish is in the presbytery of Nairn, arid synod of
Moray. Stipend £156 Os. 8d., with glebe of the
value of £7. Unappropriated teinds £15 5s. 6d.
Patron, the Earl of Cawdor. Church built in 1619;
altered in 1830; sittings 681. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4^d. There are two private schools.
At a short distance to the eastward of the church
is the house of Calder, a seat of Lord Cawdor. The
Thanes of Calder, as constables of the king's house,
resided in the castle of Nairn, and had a country-
seat at what is now called Old Calder, half-a-mile
north of the present seat, vestiges whereof still re-
main. But by a royal license, dated 6th of August,
1454, they built the present tower of Calder — no\v
Cawdor — which gives the title of Baron to a branch
of the ancient and noble family of Argyle.* It
has formerly been a place of great strength. The
walls of the tower are of great thickness, arched at the
top, and surrounded with battlements. The rest of
the house is of later erection, though far from modern.
Mr. Fraser Tytler thus describes this interesting
relic of feudal ages: " The whole of Cawdor castle
is peculiarly calculated to impress the mind with a
retrospect of past ages, feudal customs, and deeds of
darkness. Its iron-grated doors, its ancient tapestry,
hanging loosely over secret doors and hidden pas-
sages, its winding staircases, its rattling drawbridge,
all conspire to excite the most gloomy imagery in the
mind. It was indeed a fertile spot for the writers of
our modern romances. The mysteries of Udolpho
would vanish in contemplation of the less perspicu-
ous intricacies in the castle of Cawdor. Among
these must be mentioned the secret apartment which
so effectually concealed Lord Lovat from the sight
of his pursuers. Never was any thing so artfully
contrived. It is impossible for the most discerning
eye, without previous information, to discover the
place of his retreat. And even after being told that
a place of this nature existed in the castle, I doubt
whether it could be discovered. It is placed imme-
diately beneath the rafters in one part of the roof of
the castle. By means of a ladder you are conducted
» In 1510, Mnriella Calder, the heiress of this castle and
estate, xvas carried offhy the Campbells, and married — without
much deference probably to her own thbte— to the second son
of the Earl of Argyle.
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188
CAL
by the sida of one part of a sloping roof into a kind
of channel between two, such as frequently serves
to convey rain- water into pipes for a reservoir ; by
proceeding along this channel, you arrive at the foot
of a stone-staircase, which leads up one side of the
roof to the right, and is so artfully contrived as to
appear a part of the ornaments of the building
when beheld at a distance. At the end of this
staircase is a room with a single window near the
floor. It is said Lord Lovat used to be conducted
to this place when his pursuers approached, the lad-
der being removed as soon as he ascended. When
the search was over, and the inquirers gone, the
ladder was replaced, by which means he lived com-
fortably with the family, and might long have re-
mained secure, if he had not quitted the place of his
retreat. A remarkable tradition respecting the
foundation of this castle is worth notice, because
circumstances still remain which plead strongly for
its truth. It is said the original proprietor was di-
rected by a dream to load an ass with gold, turn it
loose, and, following its footsteps, build a castle
wherever the ass rested. In an age when dreams
were considered as the immediate oracles of heaven,
arid their suggestions implicitly attended to, it is
natural to suppose the ass — as tradition relates — re-
ceived its burden and its liberty. After strolling
about from one thistle to another, it arrived at last
beneath the branches of a hawthorn tree, where,
fatigued with the weight upon its back, it knelt
down to rest. The space round the tree was im-
mediately cleared for building, the foundation laid,
and a tower erected : but the tree was preserved,
and remains at this moment a singular memorial of
superstition attended by advantage. The situation
of the castle accidentally proved the most favourable
that could be chosen ; the country round it is fertile,
productive of trees, in a wholesome spot; and a
river, with a clear and rapid current, flows beneath
its walls. The trunk of the tree, with the knotty
protuberances of its branches, is still shown in a
vaulted apartment at the bottom, of the principal
tower. Its roots branch out beneath the floor, and
its top penetrates through the vaulted arch of stone
above, in such a manner as to make it appear, be-
yond dispute, that the tree stood, as it now does,
before the tower was erected. For ages it has been
a custom for guests in the family to assemble round
it, and drink, ' Success to the hawthorn ;' that is to
say, in other words, * Prosperity to the house of
Cawdor!'" King Duncan's chain armour is pre-
served here ; but it is by no means established be-
yond controversy that it was here that monarch was
murdered. There are in fact four different localities
fixed on by different antiquarians and topographers
as the scene of that bloody deed: viz., Glammis
castle, a hut near Forres, Inverness castle, and
Cawdor castle.
CALDER (THE), a small river in Renfrewshire,
which has its rise in the moorlands on the borders of
Ayrshire, and running an easterly course of some
miles, intersects the parish of Lochwinnoch, and falls
into the loch of that name, about a mile below the
village.
CALDER (THE SOUTH), a small river in Lan-
arkshire, which rises in Elrig muir in the parish of
Kilbride, and running a north-east course, falls into
the Clyde, on the south bank, near Daldowie. It is
in the first part of its course called Park burn ; and
the Rotten Calder on being joined by the Rotten
burn. There are several falls or cascades in its course,
and its b&nks are finely wooded. Mr. Montgomery,
in a paper in the Prize Essays of the Highland So-
ciety, [vol. vi. p. 434,] says: "Greenstone dykes, in
passing through the porphyry of this elevated arid
hilly district, give rise to many waterfalls. Th<
porphyry decomposes more readily than the green,
stone ; and the streams, crossing the course of th<
dykes, carry away the porphyry on their lower side
whilst the greenstone much longer resists the actioi
of the water, and protects the porphyry above, li
some places the streams run parallel to the dykes
A beautiful instance of this may be seen at Reekinj
Linn, a very wild and romantic fall in the Calder
The Calder here runs for several hundred ya
parallel to a dyke of very fine-grained greenstoi
then, suddenly bending, crosses it, and forms
linn or spout. The banks of the stream are hij
and overhung by wood." The Wishaw and Coltn
railway is conducted over the valley of the Cald
at the height of 120 feet above the surface of 1
river, by a magnificent viaduct nearly two furlor
in length, composed of stone piers and abutmen
and timber beams on frame work secured in me
sockets. It was designed by Mr. Macneil of Lond
and executed at an expense under .£13,000.
CALDER (THE NORTH), another rivulet in Lz
arkshire, which issues from Black Loch in the par
of East Monkland, and falls into the Clyde, on the rioi
bank, a little below the mouth of the South Caldc
CALDER (LOCH). See CAITHNESS.
CALDER. See CADDER.
CALDRON LINN. See THE DEVON.
CALEDONIANS, an ancient designation of t
natives of the northern part of the island of Brita
The Celtic origin of the aborigines of North Brit
is admitted even by Pirikerton; but he contends tl
the Caledonians of Tacitus were not descendai
of this race, but Goths from Scandinavia, who setti
in Scotland about 200 B. c. He allows the id
tity of the Caledonians and Picts, though he had
before he completely examined the subject — held t
opinion that the Picts were a new race who h
come in upon the Caledonians in the third centu
and expelled them, and that the Caledonians wi
Cumric Britons; but finding Tacitus, Eurnerii
Ammianus Marcellinus, and Bede, opposed, as
imagines, to this idea, he was induced to alter
opinion, and to adopt the theory that the Picts
Caledonians were of Gothic origin. This hypoti
sis, however, will not bear the test of examinatie
It is true that Tacitus alludes to the large limbs a
the red hair of the Caledonians as indications
their German origin ; but such marks of resemblan
are not sufficient of themselves to establish t
point. The decisive evidence of speech — by whi
the affinity of nations can alone be clearly asc<
tuined — is here wanting; arid as Tacitus, who oft
refers to the difference of language when treating
the Germans, is silent respecting any similarity b
tvveen the language of the Caledonians and Gt
mans, it must be presumed that no such resemblan'
existed, and consequently that the Caledonians we
not of German or Gothic origin. The folio nil
account of the Caledonians, and of their southe
neighbours the Maeatse, from a fragment of Dio pr
served by Xiphilin, certainly coincides better wi
the descriptions of the Britons of the south, foui
in the pages of Caesar and Tacitus, than with tbo
given by the same writers of the Germans. '
the (northern) Britons there are two great natio
called Caledonii and Maeatae ; for the rest are gem
ally referred to these. The Maeatae dwell near tr
wall which divides the island into two parts. T
Caledonians inhabit beyond them. They both p<
sess rugged and dry mountains, and desert plains t
of marshes. They have neither castles nor towr
nor do they cultivate the ground, but live on th
flocks and hunting, and the fruits of some trees; i
eating fist, though extremely plenteous. They li
Ints naked, and without buskins. Wives the.
in common, and breed up their children in com
mon. The general form of government is democra
tic. They are addicted to robbery, fight in cars
have small and swift horses. Their infantry art
remarkable for speed in running, and for firmness in
standing. Their armour consists of a shield and a
short spear, in the lower end of which is a brazen
apple, whose sound, when struck, may terrify th
enemy. They have also daggers. Famine, cold
and all sorts of labour they can bear, for they wil
even stand in their marshes for many days to th<
neck in water, and in the woods will live on the
bark and roots of trees. They prepare a certain
kind of food on all occasions, of which taking only
a bit the size of a bean, they feel neither hunger no
thirst. Such is Britain, (he had, in a previous pan
of his work, given a description of the island,) ant
such are the inhabitants of that part which wars
against the Romans." [Apud Pinkerton's Enquiry,
vol. i. Appendix, No. IV.] — With regard to the tra-
dition referred to by Bede, as current in his time,
that the Caledonians or Picts came from the north
Jermany, it cannot, even if well-founded, prove
Gothic origin ; for, as Father Innes observes, —
ugh we should suppose that the Caledonians or
Picts had their origin from the northern parts of the
European continent, as Tacitus seems to conjecture,
uui, as it was reported to Bede, that would not
under the Caledonians from having originally had
,he same language as the Britons ; since it appears
hat the Celtic language — whereof the British is a
iialect — was in use in ancient times in the furthest
rxtremities of the north ; at least the Celts or Celto-
kyths were extended to these parts; for Strabo
ells us that the ancient Greek writers called all
he northern nations Celto-Scyths, or Scyths; and
Tacitus assures us, that in his time the Gallic
ongue was in use among some of these northern
icople, such as the Gothini ; and the British tongue
raong others, as the ^Estii." [Critical Essay, vol. i.
•. 72. J— Mr. Pinkerton himself admits that the Celts
/eje the ancient inhabitants of Europe, of which
hey appear, he says, to have held the most before
heir expulsion by the other nations of Asia ; and in
roof of the great extent of their possessions in the
orth, he refers to the Promontorium Celticae of
'liny, Mhich, from the situation he gives it, and the
ames around, he conjectures must have been near
loscow. The appellation of Picti, by which the
:aledonians to the north of the Clyde and the Forth
line to be distinguished by the Romans in the 3d
^ntury,made Stiliingfleetand other writers suppose
jat the Picts were a distinct people, who had then
.•cently arrived in Scotland; but this mistake has
een so fully exposed by Innes, Chalmers, Pinkerton,
id others, that it is quite unnecessary to do more
mn barely to allude to it. The names of Caledo-
laus and Picts, as well as the appellation of Scots,
y which another portion of the inhabitants of the
jrth of Scotland came also to be distinguished, were
'. all times, as Mr. Grant observes, unknown to the
•iginal inhabitants as national appellations, and
ieir descendants remain ignorant of them to this
iy. He thinks that the term Caledonii — the name
. which the people living northward of the friths of
lyde and Forth were called by the Romans — was
>t invented by Agricola, the first Roman general
ho penetrated into North Britain, but was an ap-
•llation taken from the words Na Caoillaoin, signi-
ing ' the Men of the Woods,' — a name which he
obably found given by the inhabitants of the
•untry upon the southern sides of the Glotta and
odotria, to the people living beyond these arms of
sea, on account of the woody nature of the
CALEDONIANS.
189
country which they possessed. [Thoughts on the
Gael, p. 271.] — The Latinized term Caledonii was
first used by Tacitus, and — with the exception of
Herodian, who, in his account of the expedition of
Severus, calls these Caledonii of Tacitus, Britons
is the appellation by which the inhabitants north-
ward of the friths are distinguished by all the Ro-
man writers down to the orator Eumenius, who, for
the first time, in an oration which he delivered be-
fore the Emperor Constantine, in the year 297, calls
the Caledonians Picti. Eumenius appears, however,
to have used this term in a limited sense, as from
another oration which he delivered in presence of the
same emperor 11 years thereafter, he alludes to the
' Caledones aliique Picti ;' but although it is clear
from this expression that the terms Caledonii and
Picti were used to denote the same people, the
cause of this nominal distinction between the extra-
provincial Britons is not so apparent.
The next allusion to the Picts is by Ausonius, a
poet of the fourth century, and preceptor of Gratian:
" Viridem distinguit glarea museum
Tola Caledoniis talis pictura Britaunis."
Claudian, who lived about the beginning of the
5th century, also mentions the Picts.
" Ferroque notatas,
Perlegin examines Ficto muriente figures."
And in another place, where he gives an account of
the victories of Theodosius, he says,
" Hie leves Maurous, nee falso nomine Pictos
Edomuit."
About the end of the 4th, or beginning of the 5th
century, the Caledonians, or Picts, were divided by
Ammianus Marcellinus, the historian, into the Deu-
caledones, and Vecturiones, a division which seems
to account for the distinction of Eumenius before
observed. The etyma of these two terms has been
attempted by different writers, but without success,
as Mr. Grant thinks. The term Deucaledones he
lowever thinks, is attended with no difficulty.
' Duchaoilldoin signifies in the Gaelic language,
the real or genuine inhabitants of the woods.' Du,
)ronounced short, signifies ' black ;' but pronounced
ong, signifies ' real, genuine,' and in this acceptation
;he word is in common use: Du Erinnach, 'a
jenuine Irishman ;' Du Albinnach, • a genuine
Scotchman.' The appellation of Deucaledones
served to distinguish the inhabitants of the woody
lleys of Albinn, or Scotland, from those of the
cleared country on the east coast of Albinn, along
ts whole extent, to certain distances westward to-
vards the mountains in the interior parts of the
lountry. These last were denominated, according
o Latin pronunciation, Vecturiones ; but in the
mouths of the Gael, or native inhabitants, the ap-
pellation was pronounced Uachtarich. It may be
)bserved, that the western division of Albinn, from
he friths northwards along the range of mountains,
which was anciently called Drumalbinn, consists of
leep narrow valleys, which were in former times
ompletely covered with closely growing woods, and
vhich exhibited a different aspect of country from a
reat portion of that which falls from Drumalbinn in
11 directions towards the east coast of the country,
vhich spreads out in larger tracts of level surface,
nd is generally of higher elevation than the bottoms
f the deep valleys which chiefly form what is called
he Highlands of Scotland at this day. The Vec-
uriones appeared to possess the more level surface
f the country, while the Deucaledones inhabited
be narrow deep valleys which were universally
ompletely covered with thickly growing woods.
That a portion of the country was known in ancieut
190
CALEDONIAN CANAL.
times by Uachtar, is evinced by the well known
range of hills called Druim-Uac'htar, from which
the country descends in every direction towards the
inhabited regions on all sides of that mountainous
range." [Thoughts on the Origin and Descent of
the Gael, pp. 276, 277.]
t CALEDONIAN CANAL, a magnificent line of
inland navigation, 60| miles in length, running
through the Great Glen of Caledonia, which extends
due south-west and north-east, from the island of
Lismore in Loch Linnhe, in 56° 30' N. lat., and 5°
33' "VV. long., to the Suters of Cromarty on the Mo-
ray frith, in 57° 40' N. lat., and nearly 4° W. long.
The general history of this canal, with its objects,
difficulties, and defects, are ably stated in Mr. George
May's report, addressed to the secretary of the Canal
commissioners, under date November 1st, 1837, of
which report chiefly the following is an abstract : —
The Caledonian canal was undertaken as one of a
series of improvements which had reference to the
peculiar situation of this country, and the condition
of its inhabitants at the time ; and which were
pressed on the attention of Government by an accu-
mulation of evidence tending to show the necessity
of adopting some means of checking the tide of
emigration which then threatened to depopulate the
Highlands. By the gradual conversion of the whole
country into extensive sheep-walks, a large propor-
tion of the native inhabitants had been deprived of the
means of subsistence; and it became an object of
immediate urgency to afford employment to such of
their number as might at least preserve the rem-
nant of a population, on which, in times of need,
such large and serviceable draughts had so often
been made for the support of our armies and navies.
It could not but happen, moreover, that, by the
adoption of the proposed measures, habits of indus-
try would be introduced among the people, which,
it was expected, would have a permanent effect in
ameliorating the condition of the inhabitants, and
improving the face of the country, to both of which
facility of intercommunication is the first and most es-
sential requisite. And that those measures, as a
whole, have been productive of such results, is now
placed beyond the possibility of reasonable doubt.
Of this it is unnecessary to refer to any other evi-
dence than the rapidly increased value of property
throughout the Highlands generally of late years ;
and although it cannot be said that in any case
the outlays of Government on the public works
have been, or are likely to be, refunded by the di-
rect revenues arising from themselves, yet there is
still less reason to doubt that a more than adequate
return has in reality accrued from the vastly in-
creased produce and consumption which they have
been the most important instruments of bringing
about. The peculiar formation of the great Cale-
donian valley, — long, deep, and comparatively very
narrow, — and occupied for much the grea-ter portion
of its length by a regular chain of inland lakes and
extensive arms of the sea, — had long suggested the
idea of a canal, which by connecting the whole might
afford the means of a navigable communication be-
tween the opposite sides of the island. Indeed so
marked were its features in this respect, that it must
have been difficult to escape the conclusion that
Nature had irresistibly invited the hand of man to
the completion of such an undertaking. That it
should have been selected, therefore, as the most
prominent of those measures which had for their
leading object the improvement of the Highlands,
and the training of the inhabitants to useful habits
of industry, is by no means surprising ; and the only
doubt that appeared to exist was as to th« scale
on which the proposed navigation should be con-
structed, so as not merely to answer the immediate
purposes alluded to, but ultimately to afford tl
greatest prospect of advantage in a national ar
commercial point of view.
In addition to the ordinary class of coasting-ve
sels, there was every prospect of this canal beii
resorted to by many of the Baltic and West Indi
traders, both in their homeward and outward-bom
passages to and from the opposite sides of the kin
dom, and particularly to Ireland at certain seasor
of the year. This consideration, when coupled wit
the natural facilities that appeared to present thei
selves in the physical condition of the valley
its extensive lakes, suggested the probable advt
tage of constructing it on a larger scale than
which had previously been attempted in this d(
partment. By adopting the proposed route, it
calculated that a dangerous and tedious tract
navigation, extending nearly 300 miles around
north-western coast and islands of Scotland, w(
be saved to all vessels having occasion to trade
this direction to the opposite sides of the kingdc
and it was considered an important addition to
saving of ordinary sea-risk, that, during a peri<
of war, vessels might avoid the danger and loss
which they would otherwise be exposed along alii
of coast peculiarly liable to be infested in the ever
of hostilities with America or any of the northe
states of Europe. It was therefore proposed by .
Telford* that the intended canal should be formed
a size to admit the largest class of Baltic and Aim
can traders, or such as to pass on occasions of enu
gency a 32-gun frigate fully equipped, for which
was estimated that a uniform depth of 20 feet ws
would be necessary, with locks measuring 170
long by 40 feet in width. The original estimate
Mr. Telford for executing the work on this
amounted to no more than £350,000; and the
riod of its completion was computed at seven y<
There was nothing to prevent the possibility of
fulfilment within the specified period, provided
sufficient number of workmen had been employe
and the necessary funds afforded for overcor
every natural obstacle that occurred. It was
doubt partly, however, with a view to the saving
expense that the works were, in reality, protrac
so much beyond the period calculated upon ; for
order to have the advantage of canal-conveys
for the requisite materials, the buildings in tl
middle districts were not commenced until tl
eastern and western portions of the line had been :
far completed at least as to be conveniently na\
gable. Besides, during the progress of the late
the rise which took place in the prices of all desc
tions of commodities, as well as of food, and
sequently of labour and workmanship, was unpr
dentedly rapid ; so much so, that from the year li
when the canal works were commenced, to the yeai
1812 and 1813, the difference in many articles ha
increased to 50, 70, and even 100 per cent. Anoth<
source of unlooked-for expenditure is to be attr
buted to the great extent of dredging, a process h
therto untried upon anything like so large a scab
It was on the Caledonian canal that steam-pow<
was first applied to this operation ; and although
was latterly brought to a much more effective degr<
of performance, yet it may easily be conceived thi
in its earlier stages it was attended with greater di
ficulties and consequent expense than the project
of a work, to which its use and application were ei
tirely subordinate, could reasonably be expected 1
* In 1774 the celebrated James Watt surveyed this line, ai
gave an exceedingly accurate detail of it. He proposed tl
execution of a smaller canal, with locks 25 feet wide a'.id
feet deep.
CALEDONIAN CANAL.
191
calculated upon. Many unforeseen difficulties
irred to prevent the canal being opened until sev-
eral years alter the period originally contemplated.
Year after year, during the whole progress of the
work, the inaccuracy of the original estimate be-
comiii
55
furthi
ing more evident, a strong feeling was at length
• advances of public money,
ifested against further ad
lewing the annual application to parliament for
her grants : and under these circumstances the
commissioners were led, in the year 1822, to open
canal when only partially completed. In that
ished state, fit only for very limited use, the
has ever since continued. This premature
ing of the canal occasioned numerous accidents
e works, and entire failures of certain portions
em, the repairing of which has been the source
ntinual expense, and has frequently caused the
tion to be interrupted. The total cost of the
up to the period of its being opened, amounted
sum of £905,258; arid the outlay, to the
period to which the accounts have been made
is £1,023,628 19s. 6d.. This sum is composed
following items :
lyments for land and damages
»ytnents for management and law
lyments for timber and iron-work
iyments for quarries and masonry
lyments for labour
£48,000
43,500
205,000
200,000
494,000
lipping, houses, roads, and incidental expenses,
including interest on money borrowed (about) 3,128
£1,023,6*8
of the most difficult operations that occurred
formation of the canal. was the construction of
north-east entrance or sea-lock, at Clachnaharry,
~ e Beauly frith. Here, on account of the flatness
beach, it was necessary to throw out artificial
ds for about 400 yards into the sea, to attain
required depth of water ; and the bottom was
to consist of a kind of soft mud or silt, which
quite unfit to bear the weight of a solid struc-
of masonry. The entrance to the sea-lock here,
ver, was effectually deepened by a steam dredg-
essel in the early part of 1838 ; and the whole
•y, and gates of this lock are at present in good
From the Muirtown locks — a series of four,
t a mile distant from the stone bridge of Inver-
the canal extends in a level reach for about 5
to the regulating lock at Dochgarroch, at
there is no rise, its purpose being merely to
the \vinter-floods of Loch Ness, whenever they
,ld rise above the standard-level of the navi-
The distance from Loch Beauly to the
loch of Docbfour, at -the north-east end of
Ness, is 6 miles 35 chains — The navigable
nel through the shallows in Loch Dochfour and
Loch Ness was dredged to the full depth, but
sufficiently wide for the commodious passage of
vessels. Great inconvenience is also felt from
want of a regular towing-path along the north-
side of Loch Dochfour ; for vessels can only
•arkrd along the shore at present when the lake
a low state, and much difficulty and delay are
experienced in warping against contrary winds
her cases. In proceeding westwards, there is
ise a considerable current to contend with,
Loch Ness is much flooded. The length of the
ble channel through Loch Ness is 23 miles 56
The difficulties encountered in effecting the
site entrance from the upper end of Loch Ness,
ugh of a very different kind, were not less for-
>le than those experienced in connecting the
with the tideway at Clachnaharry. With the
terveution of a short space of deep cutting, to form
entrance channel, there are five united locks at
Augustus. — From Fort Augustus to the north-
east end of Loch Oich is a distance of 5 miles 3i»
chains, in which the Kytra and Aberchalder locks
occur. The ordinary summer-level of Loch Oich,
in its natural state, was that calculated on for the
eventual purposes of the canal ; and the Aberchalder
regulating lock was so adapted to it as to afford a
depth of 20 feet over its upper gate-sills. The lake
being in many places quite shallow, it was proposed
to excavate the navigable channel by dredging to a
corresponding depth ; but this proved to be a far more
arduous and expensive operation than was at first
expected. This lake, in very dry weather, occasion-
ally sinks much below the level required for the
purposes of the navigation. It has been seen as low
as 18 feet on the upper Aberchalder lock-gate : thus
reducing the available depth on the shallows of Loch
Oich, in extreme cases, to 12 feet, — which however
only takes place after a long tract of dry weather.
At other times the lake rises considerably above the
present standard-level of the navigation. On the
occasion of the great flood in November 1834, the
water rose to a height of 27 feet 3 inches over the
upper gate-sills of Aberchalder lock. This shows an
extreme variation in the level of Loch Oich of up-
wards of 9 feet, which is far too much for the
commodious working of the navigation, and indee*d
is such as to render it utterly impracticable in cases
of very high flood. The chief inconvenience at pre-
sent experienced in Loch Oich, however, is from the
scarcity of water ; for there are few summers in
which it does not fall more or less below the stand-
ard top-level. In extreme cases, recourse has been
had to supplies from Loch Quoich, in Glengarry,
across the outlet of which a sluice-gate was con-
structed for the purpose of retaining the water and
allowing it to fall into Loch Oich; but generally
before it became needful to adopt such means, the
water in Loch Quoich itself was so much reduced
by evaporation, or had otherwise escaped in various
ways, that this source of supply has not proved of
any great importance. Approaching the south-west-
ern end of Loch Oich, the level of which is car-
ried through the deep cutting along the summit-
land at Laggan, there are portions of the navigable
channel which have not been fully deepened, even
to the extent of 15 feet below the present top-level,
and other portions which, having been so deepened,
appear to be in the act of gradually filling up by
a species of soft mud or quicksand. The Itngtb,
of the navigation through Loch Oich is 3 miles 56
chains. — At the south-west termination of the sum-
mit-level are situated the two Laggan locks, de-
scending to the level of Loch Lochy ; the first
operating merely as a regulating lock to meet the
occasional flooding of Loch Oich ; and the other
having a fall of 9 feet 6 inches, to suit the differ-
ence of level between the two lakes. The length
of canal-cutting between the south-west end of
Loch Oich and the north-east of Loch Locby is 1
mile 65 chains. Through the narrows at the north-
eastern end of Loch Lochy, the navigable channel
requires to be deepened for some hundred yards by
dredging. In several places at present it wants at
least 5 feet of the full complement of water ; and
there are portions which are liable to be filled up
by the storms of the lake, as well as by the gradual
accumulations caused by the streams which fall down
the sides of the adjacent mountains. There is
nearly a similar deficiency at the south-western end
of the lake. The surface of Loch Lochy extends
about 1 1 miles in length, and may be reckoned to
have a mile and a half of average width. Its area is
about 6,000 acres. It was part of the original de-
sign that this great sheet of water should be raised
for the purposes of the navigation about 12 feet
192
CALEDONIAN CANAL.
above its natural level ; and this was actually ef-
fected by dosing up the former egress by the river
Lochy— the site of which is now occupied by the
canal — and formi-ng a new outlet through the lands
of Mucomer at a proportionally higher level ; so that
the waters of the lake are now discharged into the
river Spean, which formerly joined the river Lochy
about half-a-mile below. Across the new outlet a
permanent wear is partly constructed of masonry,
and partly excavated from the solid rock, over which
the water falls into the river Spean. The object of
this wear was of course to preserve and regulate
the requisite level of the lake ; but it would appear
that the portion of the overfall which is cut out of
the rock has been made somewhat too low, for in
periods of extreme drought it is found to allow the
surface of Loch Lochy to fall about a foot below
the line of top-water, or 20 feet, as indicated upon
the upper gates of the Gairlochy regulating lock.
There is also a considerable discrepancy between the
level of the upper gate-sills of Gairlochy lock and
the lower gate-sills of the Laggan lock; and the
discrepancy in question is either aggravated or dimi-
nished according to the state of the winds, which,
when blowing anywise fresh, are found to have a
very sensible effect in accumulating the waters of all
the lakes towards the end to which the wind hap-
pens for the time to be directed. When Loch Lochy
is in a state of calm, while there is a depth of 20
feet upon the upper gate-sills of Gairlochy lock,
there is somewhat less than 19 feet upon the lower
gate-sills of Laggan lock. Consequently, when the
surface of the lake falls a foot below top-water at
Gairlochy by reason of the deficient height of the
overfall at Mucomer, there would barely be 18 feet
over the entrance of the lower Laggan lock, which
is at least 2 feet below the minimum level required
for the indispensable purposes of the navigation. A
far more serious evil, however, than the deficiency
of water in Loch Lochy, arises from an opposite
cause, namely, the excessive height to which the lake
in its present state is liable to rise on occasions of
very heavy floods. On the 24th November, 1834,
the water rose to the height of 29 feet 3 inches,
with reference to the scale which applies to the up-
per lock-gates at Gairlochy. — The canal-reach from
Gairlochy to the head of Bannavie locks extends
about 6 miles in length ; and along this part of the
line the water cannot at present be conveniently or
safely maintained at a greater depth than 15 or 16
feet. At a part of this reach the navigation is like-
wise subject to a very troublesome and injurious ob-
struction, arising from the burn of Moy, which emp-
ties into the canal, and brings down during sudden
floods immense quantities of gravel and rubbish,
which are deposited in it — At Bannavie there is a
connected chain of eight locks, which is the greatest
number united together along the line, there being
only five so united at Fort Augustus, and four at
Muirtown. To pass sailing-vessels through the
whole series of these locks generally occupies from
three to four hours, particularly if there is any wind,
and even steam-boats take upwards of two hours
and a half. When several vessels are proceeding in
opposite directions, therefore, it is impossible to pass
more than three or four sets in the course of a long
day ; and it is only on the supposition that all the
vessels are proceeding in the same direction that a
greater number could be accommodated. — The canal
reach between Bannavie and Corpach is in a toler-
ably complete state, but the banks have subsided
somewhat below top-level, and would require to be
raised to admit the full complement of 20 feet water.
The sea-lock at Corpach, although constructed of
rubble work, is a sound, substantial piece of masonry.
The lock-gates consist entirely of oak-framing and
planking, and were the earliest constructed of any
on the line of the canal. Mr. May states, as an ad-
ditional remark which is applicable generally to the
whole line of the canal, that the banks, even although
they had been finished in all places to their proper
height and breadth, are not, according to their pre-
sent construction, at all adapted to the wants of the
navigation in respect to its being now used by
steam-boats. In the event of an increased resort of
steam-boats to any considerable extent, whether for
the purpose of towing or for the conveyance of pas-
sengers and goods, the banks would be found unfit
to withstand the violent action of the water ; and
indeed they have already been a good deal cut
from this cause, and the materials of the top ban
forced down upon the side-slopes arid bottom of 1"
canal.
One of the most serious accidents to which can
are liable arises from the very possible circu
stance of vessels, either by dint of tempestuc
weather or casual mismanagement of the persons
charge of them, coming into such violent collisi
with any of the lock-gates as to carry them awa
This danger is, moreover, enhanced very much in t
case of the Caledonian canal by the peculiar arran^
ment of the locks, which — instead of being separatee
from one another by intermediate basins as in oth
navigations — are in several instances clustered tog
ther in a way which, however well-calculated
save expense in the original construction of t
canal, is attended with certain disadvantages in
practical working, of which that under immedu
consideration is none of the slightest. " In order
illustrate these positions," says Mr. May, " we sh
suppose a particular case, and examine its bearin
upon the present question. At Bannavie, for i
stance, there are eight united locks, and nine pair
gates in successive descent, each having, when in
state of inaction, its regular head of seven or eig
feet of water. Now, let us imagine a heavy vesse
approaching the top of these locks after nightfa
with a strong breeze of favourable wind, and tha
sufficient attention not being paid to checking
course in proper time, it comes against the upp
pair of gates with such force as — aided by the pre
sure of water already upon them — to bear the
down before it. The vessel is, of course, preci]
tated into the first lock with all the effect due to t
sudden rush of a head of seven or eight feet of wat
into it ; and the inevitable consequence is, that
strikes violently against the second pair of gate
which having now a head of 15 or 16 feet of vvat<
upon them, are easily broken down. In like manner tt
vessel is precipitated with accumulated force throug
all the successive locks until it falls into the reac
below; thus involving the total destruction of nir
pair of gates, all consequent upon the incident
failure of the upper pair. Reckoning, then, the e:
pense of each pair of gates at the moderate cor
putation of £ 1,000, we have, in the first instance, J
aggregate loss of .£9,000 as the immediate effect
a casualty which is liable to occur at any momen
and I do not at all exaggerate when I say that sor
years would necessarily elapse before the gates cou
be reconstructed, and the canal restored to its fc
mer state of operation. But the damage continge
upon the supposed accident would by no means e
here. The instant effect of the destruction of t
Bannavie lock-gates would be to empty the wh(
reach between that place and Gairlochy lock, t
gates of which being then deprived of their prest
counteracting support would almost to an absoh
certainty yield to the pressure of the water abo\
arid if we supposed Loch Lochy to be in a flooc
:
I at the time, the whole waters of that lake, to
lepth of from 20 to 30 feet, would be suddenly
discharged into the valley below, involving not mere-
ly the utter annihilation of the canal-works, but the
most extensive ravages of life and property through-
out the whole district between Loch Lochy and the
sea. It will no doubt appear somewhat strange to
you, but it is assuredly the fact that all these ap-
palling consequences would almost inevitably ensue
from the incidental failure of a single pair of gates,
either at the Banna vie or Gairlochy locks. It is al-
most needless for me to say that effects of a pre-
cis ly similar kind, though proportionally of less
extent, would follow from any accident to the lock-
gatt-s at Fort-Augustus, where there are five united
locks and six successive pair of gates ; or at Muir-
town, where there are four united locks and five
pair of gates ; and indeed there is not a situation on
the line where such an occurrence could take place
without necessarily involving the total interruption
of the navigation from sea to sea for greater or less
periods, and expenses to a very serious amount, set-
ting aside entirely the contingent damages to which
it might in all probability lead."
The rate hitherto charged has been an uniform
one for all classes of vessels that use the navigation
of the Caledonian canal, and is charged upon the
registered tonnage of the vessel according to the
distance passed, without reference to the cargoes
carried or to goods loaded or shipped at any part of
the line. This was the mode of charging dues ori-
ginally fixed on by the commissioners, and the pre-
sent rate is one farthing per ton per mile, according
to the registered tonnage of the vessel; but the
Canal acts authorize a charge of 2d. per ton per
mile, without specifying whether it should be cal-
culated on the registered tonnage, the actual tonnage
carried, or at various rates according to the descrip-
tion of goods. The following is a statement of the
lumber of vessels passing through the canal, from
'828 to 1839:—
CALEDONIAN CANAL.
Prom From
Wett to East to
2£ast sea. West sea.
year ending 1st May. 1828
Do. 18*9
Do. 1830
Do. 1831
Do. l&S
Do. 1833
Do. 1834
Do. 1835
Do. 1836
Do. 1837
Do. 1838
Do. 1839
110
160
163
152
143
155
131
128
189
216
176
130
166
202
171
182
179
197
160
238
249
245
has to be observed that interruptions, occasioned
repairs of the works and otherwise, occurred
some of the above years, which, of course,
the number of vessels that would have
during those years ; but none of these inter-
uptions were nearly of such duration as that during
he winter of 1837-38, when the navigation was
impracticable for about a month by a failure
works at Fort Augustus, arid two months
by the unprecedented frost that soon after set
The following table shows the number of ves-
which have navigated the Caledonian canal in
year since it was opened to the public in Oc-
Pasiagcs Passages Passages
Oct., 1822; to 1st May, 1823
year ending 1st May, 18^4
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
1827
IH.'S
1829
from
Sea to
Sea.
37
278
476
338
281
240
316
by
part* of Stean
566
517
488
4)9
483
463
134
149
118
66
159
Do.
Do.
Do.
)).,.
D...
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
1830
1831
1832
18j3
1834
1835
1S36
18S7
365
3-^:5
325
334
328
9S8
4*7
465
421
554
41 r,
531
778
586
486
494
502
578
576
193
821
207
14 {
162
1«G
248
235
199
159
175
One of the temptations to make a canal at all,
and particularly of this great size, from Loch Eil to
the Beauly frith, was the apparent facility afforded
by the three lakes which lie in almost a continuous
line, and are for the most part of ample width and
depth: viz. Loch Lochy, 10 miles; Loch Oich, 4
miles; and Loch Ness, 23£ miles; together 37$
miles; thus leaving of the whole length of 60£ miles,
only 23 miles of canal to make. That the cost of
making the canal has been much reduced, probably
more than half, by the lakes, cannot be doubted;
but it is equally apparent, Mr. Walker states, that
they are now great hinderances to the passage of
vessels. From lying in the trough or hollow be-
tween two ranges of mountains, the wind blows
always parallel to the line of the canal, so as neces-
sarily to be a foul wind in one direction. From the
rocky nature of the banks, and their crooked irregu-
lar shape, tracking through the lakes is impossible.
The width of Loch Lochy and Loch Ness is suffi-
cient for vessels of about 100 tons to work when
once fairly in the lakes ; but there is a great diffi-
culty in warping against a strong head- wind to reach
this, and great danger also from the rocky shores in
case of a vessel missing stays. Therefore, working
or tacking through the lakes is seldom attempted ;
and the consequence is, that the passage of 60 miles,
which, were tracking practicable for the whole
length, might be accomplished generally in three to
four days, often takes as many weeks, even a month
is not unusual, and cases of five weeks have been
known. The evil is increased by the westerly
winds which prevail for eight or nine months of the
year, and are opposed to the passage of vessels pro-
ceeding from the east to the west end, which is the
direction of what ought to be the greatest trade on
the canal. To prevent the delay — sometimes three
or four months — of going through the Pentland frith
and round Cape Wrath during westerly winds, was
one of the principal objects of the canal, which is
thus in a great measure defeated. A very few hours
of a steam-tug would have set the whole at liberty.
The approaches to the canal from the estuaries at
each end are subject to the same inconvenience.
The want of depth in the canal and portions of the
locks is another great drawback upon the use of the
canal. This arises partly from the excavation of
the canal never having been completed, partly from
the wears at the ends of the locks not being suffi-
cient to support the depth of water, and partly from
the great leakage in parts of the canal. The aver-
age of tonnage passing through the canal, exclusive
of steam-boats and local traffic, has been about
25,000 tons per annum, without much increase or
diminution, during the last ten years. It would
appear that the present traffic on the canal is not
probably 2£ per cent, of the whole trade going
through the Pentland frith; and, from what has
been seen, the canal is not capable, in its present
state, of receiving vessels of any considerable ton-
nage, which, indeed, never attempt it. During the
last seven years, only one vessel of 240 tons has
made the passage. The gross receipts of the canal
have not exceeded £2,500 since the rates were re-
duced from a halfpenny to a farthing per ton per
mile; the expense of repairs, working and superin-
tendence, have exceeded £3,000, — an amount which
CAL
194
CAL
is considerable for the trade done ; but the expense
is increased by the bad repair and unfinished state of
the works, the canal works are made for a trade of
much larger vessels, and the expense of them is
almost the same as if such vessels, to ten times the
present number, were to pass. If the works were
finished and put into good repair, the expense would
undoubtedly be lessened. The expense of the re-
pairs and finishing necessary, Mr. Walker estimated
at £129,317. But to complete the establishment,
three steam vessels should be calculated on for the
canal : namely, one for Loch Lochy of 40 horses
power, one for Loch Oich of 40 horses power, and
one for Loch Ness of 50 horses power. To do full
justice to the navigation, and add to the certainty of
despatch, there ought also to be a steamer in the
Murray frith, to bring vessels from Fort George to
the eastern entrance, and from Corran ferry, or even
the sound of Mull, to the western entrance. The
amount for steam tug-boats, with 10 per cent, for
contingencies, added to the repairs and improve-
ments before stated, make a gross amount of
£143,837, or, in round numbers, £150,000 for put-
ting the canal in complete repair, making it proper
for all vessels of 38 feet beam, and 17 feet draught.
In addition to Mr. Walker's report, the commis-
sioners also received a report from Sir W. E. Parry
on the navigation of the canal. Taking into con-
sideration both these reports, the committee recom-
mended that Mr. Walker's report of 1839 should
be immediately acted upon, by the establishment of
steam-tugs, and other measures therein suggested.
They agreed with Sir E. Parry that such would
be the saving to vessels using the canal in prefer-
ence to the north about passage, that the dues may
safely be doubled. The debt due from the com-
missioners of the canal is £51,568. If the canal
were to be abandoned, it would cost at the lowest
estimate £40,000 to restore the waters of Loch
Lochy to their original level. But they did not
think it would be expedient to sacrifice the £91,561,
when a small sum — comparatively — would effect its
efficient repair. These recommendations are now
being carried into effect, and a contract has been
entered into for the execution of the engineering
works, amounting to £136,000, which will occupy
a period of three years from their commencement in
Oct. 1843.
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY. This railway is to commence at
the city of Carlisle, in connection with the existing lines there,
communicating with Liverpool, Manchester, and the other
manufacturing districts of Lancashire and of Yorkshire, and
with the South of England. It proceeds north from Carlisle,
skirting the Solway firth, and onwards in a direct course north
till it approaches the town of Dumfries, to which it throws off
a proposed branch, 13 miles 44 chains in length from near
Gretna. It then proceeds north, with a westerly inclination,
by Ecclefechan, Lockerby, Dinvoodie, Moffat, Crawford, Lam-
ington, and Corrington, till it comes near the town of Lanark,
when it forks off north-east, by Carnwath, to Edinburgh on
the one hand, and north-west, by Carluke, to Glasgow on the
other. From Carlisle to this point of separation, the length
will be 72 miles and 55 chains. The Edinburgh branch will
be from 27 to 28 miles long. The other, after proceeding
some distance from Lanark, subdivides itself into two other
branches ; one of these passes over about 4 miles of the
Wishaw and Coltness railway, from Overton, and thence on the
proposed Clydesdale Junction line, by means of which and the
Polloc and Goyan railway— a portion of the Clydesdale scheme
— the Caledonian line of communication will be extended to the
Gorbals of Glasgow on the south side of the river Clyde ; and
will be connected with the Glasgow and Ayr and Greenock
lines, carrying out this great line of communication with the
ports of Greenock and Port-Glasgow, and the coast and other
districts of the important county of Ayr. The second em-
branchment of the Glasgow fork starts off at Motherwell, on
the Wishaw and Coltness line, and proceeds thence by the
Monkland and Kirkintilloch, and Glasgow and Garnkirk lines,
keeping up an unbroken line of communication, by means of
existing lines, with Glasgow on the north side of the Clyde.
The distance by the Glasgow fork will be much the same as
the other. To effect the important end of carrying out this
great line of communication to the north of Scotland, by means
of the Scottish Central, and the other schemes in connection
therewith, a branch is proposed from the Caledonian line,
from a point on the Glasgow and Garnkirk line running north-
east to Castlecary on the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway,
the initiatory point of the Scottish Central. The length of this
branch will be about 10 miles.
The whole Caledonian scheme, therefore, will consist of the
following parts :
I. New railway to be made —
Miles. Chains.
Caledonian trunk line from Carlisle to point oi
divergence at Carnwath . . . 72 55
Point of divergence to Edinburgh . . 27 40
Ditto to Wishaw and Coltness railway . 12 10
Castlecary branch . . . .10 3
Dumfries branch . . . 13 44
Minor Junctions, «fec. . . . 0 66
Total of Caledonian
Clydesdale Junction
136
10
147
II. Existing railway, forming part of the system-
Miles. Chain
Wishaw and Coltness line, and portion of Monk-
land and Kirkintilloch . . 11 0
Garnkirk and Glasgow . . . . 8 20
Polloc and Govan (forming part of Clydes-
dale line) ..... 2 62
Total of Existing railway 22 2
Total of Caledonian system . 169 35
As regards England, the line, at its southern terminus,
be in connection with the Lancaster and Carlisle, the Ma
port and Carlisle, and the Newcastle and Carlisle raito
and, of course, in communication with the other dist
the kingdom. The cost of the whole works is estimated
£2,100,000. The engineering features of the line are excel
— there are no tunnels, and the gradients are generally fat
able. One portion, however, presents an exception, m
from Beattock to the summit of the Clyde pass, where
gradients are difficult. Between these points, on an ascent
13 miles 77 chains, the rise is no less than 760 feet.
A projected rival line to the Caledonian is that of the
gow, Dumfries, and Carlisle: see article DOMFEIES-SHIRE.
CALF A, a small island of the Hebrides, near Tir
CALLADER (Locn), a small lake in the
trict of Carthy, Aberdeenshire. It discharges
waters into the Clune, a tributary of the Dee.
CALLANDER, a parish in the district of
teith, Perthshire ; bounded by Balquhidder
Comrie on the north ; Kilmadock on the east ;
Port-Menteith and Aberfoyle on the south ; and
Buchanan on the west. From the banks of
Teith, the parish extends amongst the Grami
hills, about 18 miles in length ; its greatest bre
is about 6. The appearance of the country tows
the west and north is mountainous, and
from the extent of black heath. The ni{
grounds are here and there clad with oak-w(
and thriving plantations ; and a bold stupendc
rock called the Crags of Callander diversifies
scene, and forms a striking contrast to the vail
and the meanderings of the rivulets below. Th
branch of the Teith which issues from Loch Lu
naig, unites, a few hundred yards above the villag
with the branch issuing from Loch Vennacha
and forms a fine peninsula. The soil is a rich loa
in some places capable of high cultivation ; but
general it is a light gravel. The arable land is mos
enclosed either with stone-dikes or hedge-ro\
Callander is remarkable for the wild and roman
scenery of its prospects. Above the Trosacl
Benledi, Benvenue, and other lofty mountains, ra
their rocky heads ; while the valleys everywhi
exhibit beautiful expanses of water formed by '
Teith, which is immediately after poured over p
pendicular precipices. Near Loch Lubnaig-
which one-half lies in this parish — the scenery
very grand, and finely ornamented by the wo
and pleasure-grounds of Kinnaird, once the seal
Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller. There is a qua
of limestone, or rather marble, on the estate
Leny, the ground of which is a deep blue, v
streaks of white. Slate is wrought in many pla<
In Benledi, a vein of lead ore was wrought ;
the expense was found to be greater than the j
CAL
and it was given up. There are several remains of
supposed fortifications on the hills ; and near the
manse are some relics of a castle, which was built
or repaired, in 1596, by the Earl of Linlithgow, but
mostly taken down in 1737. Population of the par-
ish and villages, in 1801, 2,282; in 1831, 1,909.
Houses, in 1831, 316. Assessed property, in 1815,
£7,208.— The parish of Callander, formerly a cha-
pelry dependent on Inchmahome, is in the presby-
tery of Dunblane and synod of Perth and Stirling.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £197 Us. lid., with
a glebe of the value of £20. Church built in 1773 ;
sittings 638. — There is an Independent chapel in the
village ; sittings 140 Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4^d., with about £40 fees. There are two
schools, not parochial, supported by the society for
propagating Christian knowledge The village of
Callander, 51 £ miles west-north- v/est of Edinburgh,
16£ north-west 'of Stirling, and 14 south of Loch-
earnhead, is beautifully situated on both sides of the
Teith, over which there is here a bridge of three
I arches, which connects the old and new part of the
village. It is built on a regular plan, and the houses
are -jood and slated. The surrounding scenery is
remarkably beautiful. A settlement for the soldiers
discharged after the German war was established
here by Government in 1763; arid since that time
Callander has been gradually increasing. The in-
troduction of the cotton-manufacture also gave it a
new impetus : in the weaving of muslin, about 100
I looms used to be employed in Callander and the ad-
j joining village of Kilmahog. There is a large and
J excellent inn in the village. The church stands on
1 one side of a sort of square : it has a pavilion-roof,
I with a spire over the pediment. The village con-
I tained, in 1836, 1,100 inhabitants. Thursday is
narket-day. It has five annual fairs : viz., 10th
March O. S., or 21st N. S. for black cattle; 1st
Thursday in May O. S. ; and 15th N. S. ; 1st
Thursday in August O. S. ; and 9th October. There
j s a branch of the Bank of Scotland here Two
niles west of the village is the celebrated PASS OF
| JENY : which see. The bridge and falls of Brack-
in the immediate neighbourhood, also deserve to
"sited by the tourist: see article/ BRACKLIN.
distance from Callander to the first opening of
Trosachs is about 10 miles: see article THE
SACHS.
.LLEND AR, an estate and seat in the shire of
ig and parish of Falkirk. The house is £ mile
i-east of Falkirk. The estate having been con-
immediately after the rebellion in 1715, was
about the year 1720; and such tithes as were
iveyed with it, were disposed of by the com-
ioners and trustees of the forfeited estates in
to Hamilton of Dichmond, under the ex-
stipulation that they should be subject to the
of a minister for the new parish of Polmont.
mansion is a fine old building with walls of
thickness. It is surrounded by a park of about
acres in extent, containing some fine wood,
ig these, the Dool tree, on which the old bar-
7 Callendar caused delinquents to be hanged,
in front of the mansion-house ; until, owing
total decay of its roots, it fell in 1826. It
a huge ash, and at least four centuries old.
idar formerly gave the title of Earl to the
ly of Livingstone, attainted in the person of
fifth Earl of Linlithgow, and fourth of Cal-
in 1715. On the forfeiture of that family,
ites were purchased by the York Buildings
iy, whose estates were afterwards sold for the
it of their creditors. Callendar and Almond
bought, in 1783, by William Forbes, Esq., the
of the present proprietor. During the time
195
CAM
that Lord Errol held the lease of Callendar estate,
nearly 500 acres were totally covered with furze
and broom. His Lordship offered a long lease oi
this land to a smith in Falkirk at 2s. 6d. per acre,
on condition that he would clear it from all encum-
brance, and render it arable ; but the offer was re-
jected from a conviction that it would be a losing
concern ! The land now lets at from £3 to £5 per
acre. About 50 years ago, Lord Errol paid a rent
of about £780 for the whole estate of Callendar,'
with power to cut down and sell as much timber as
he pleased ; at the present day, this estate draws at
least £20,000 yearly. — Callendar-house has been the
scene of important events; it was frequently visited
by Queen Mary ; and was stormed and taken by
Cromwell, on his march to the Tor-wood to give
battle to Charles II Nearly opposite to the house
an earthen wall, of considerable height and thick-
ness, branches-off from Graham's dike, towards the
old castle of Almond. From thence towards the
east, there are few or no certain traces of it to be
seen ; but it may be presumed that it was extended
to Linlithgow, where a Roman camp existed on the
spot on which the palace was afterwards built. It
has no fosse ; and being broad at the top, was pro-
bably intended to be a road, as well as a line of
defence : see article FALKIRK.
CALLIGRAY, or KILLIGRAY, one of the West-
ern isles, in the district of Harris. It is situated
about 1$ league east of Bernera, and is about two
miles long, and one broad. The southern end is a
deep moss, almost entirely uncultivated ; the northern
is an early soil, which is cultivated with care. The
inhabitants are chiefly supported by fishing. In the
north end of the island are faint traces of a very
ancient building, called Teampull na h' Annait, ' the
Temple of Annat,' — a goddess of the Saxon mytho-
logy who presided over young maidens.
C ALT ON, a suburb of Glasgow. See GLASGOW.
CALTON, a suburb of Edinburgh. See EDIN-
BURGH.
CALTON-HILL, a rounded eminence in Edin-
burgh, rising abruptly from the southern termina-
tion of the ridge on which Prince's-street is built,
and forming, on the south-western side, the continua-
tion of the northern side of the valley by which the
ridge of the High-street is separated from that of the
New town. Between it and the' Prince's-street
ridge, a deep and narrow hollow is formed, which
winds eastwards round the base of the hill, and is
lost in the plain that extends to Leith. From the
summit, it slopes gently toward the south-east. To
the north-west it exhibits an abrupt and rounded
face, in the same manner as the Castle-rock. Its
elevation above sea-level at Leith is 344 feet. Its
great mass is composed of claystone-porphyry and
trap-tufa. With its fissured, cracked, and crumbled
appearance, the Calton-hill \vould present an em-
blem of instability and desolation, were it not partly
covered with buildings, and placed in the midst of a
city unrivalled .or its beauty. According to Pro-
fessor He^jderson, the latitude of the Calton-hill
observatory is 55° 57' 33" North ; but in the CaU
ton-hill Observations [Vol. I. Introd. p. xxxviii] it
is stated at 55° 57' 23r2 North. The latitude of
Greenwich observatory is, according to Mr. Airy,
51° 28' 38" North.
CAMBRAY. See CUMBRAY.
CAMBUS, a small village in the parish of Alloa,
Clackmannan ; 2 miles west of Alloa, and 1 south
of Tullibody ; at the confluence of the Devon with
the Forth. There is here an extensive distillery.
CAMBUS-BARRON, a village in Stirlingshire,
2 miles west of St. Ninians. There are woollen
and waulk mills here.
CAM
196
CAM
CAMBUSKENNETH, an abbey founded by
David L, in 1147, on a sort of peninsula formed by
the Forth, about a mile to the north-east of Stir-
ling. The adjacent fields are supposed to have been
the scene of some transaction in which one of those
Scottish monarchs who bore the name of Kenneth
was concerned; and hence the place received the
name of Camus-kennetb, which signifies ' the Field
or Creek of Kenneth.' The situation was both
pleasant and convenient, in the midst of a fertile
country, where the community could be supplied
with all sorts of provisions, and plenty of fish from
the neighbouring river. As soon as the house was
fit to receive inhabitants, it was planted with a com-
pany of monks of St. Augustine, or Canons-regular,
who were translated from Aroise, near Arras, in the
province of Artois in France : an order afterwards so
numerous in Scotland as to possess no less than
twenty-eight monasteries in the kingdom. This
abbey was sometimes called the Monastery of Stir-
ling, from its vicinity to that town ; and the abbots
are often designed, in the subscriptions of old char-
ters, "abbates de Striveling." The church which
belonged to it was dedicated to St. Mary. Hence a
lane leading from the High street in Stirling to the
monastery still goes by the name of St. Mary's wynd.
The first abbot of Cambuskenneth was called Al-
fridus ; but of him and his successors, for 3 centuries,
\ve have nothing memorable on record. In 1326,
the clergy, earls, and barons, with a great number of
an inferior rank, having convened in this abbey,
swore fealty to David Bruce, as heir apparent to the
crown, in presence of Robert his father; as also to
Robert Stewart, grandson of the king, as the next
heir, in the event of David's death without issue.
A marriage was, at the same time, solemnized be-
tween Andrew Murray of Bothwell, and Christian
Bruce, sister of King Robert. During the wars
with England, in the reign of David Bruce, the
monastery was pillaged of all its most valuable fur-
niture. The books, vestments, cups, and ornaments
of the altar, were carried off. In order to the re-
paration of this loss, William Delandel, bishop of
St. Andrews, made a grant to the community of the
vicarage of Clackmannan. From the beginning
of the 15th century, we find the abbots of this
place frequently employed in important national
transactions, or advanced to the highest civil of-
fices. Henry, abbot of Cambuskenneth, after hav-
ing given proofs of his political abilities in an em-
bassy to England, was, in 1493, raised to the office
of high-treasurer of Scotland, which he held only a
short time. He died in 1502, having held the abbot-
ship above thirty years. He was succeeded by
David Arnot, formerly archdeacon of Lothian ; who,
after having been six years at the head of this abbey,
was, in 1509, preferred to the bishopric of Galloway,
to which the deanery of the chapel-royal of Stirling
was annexed. The next abbot was Patrick Panther
or Putter, who was reckoned one of the most ac-
complished scholars of that age, as well as an able
statesman. He was secretary to James IV., who
also raised him to the dignity of a privy-councillor.
To his pen, the Latin epistles of that monarch
were indebted for that purity and elegance of style
which distinguished them from the barbarous com-
positions of the foreign princes with whom he cor-
responded. He was also appointed preceptor to the
King's natural son, Alexander Stewart, afterwards
archbishop of St. Andrew's, whose uncommon pro-
gress in literature is so much celebrated by Erasmus,
under whose tuition he sometime was. David
Panther— said to have been a nephew or some other
near relation of the above Patrick — was commendator
of this abbey in the latter end of the reign of James
V. and the minority of Queen Mary. His first office
in the church was that of vicar of Carstairs, near
Lanark ; he was afterwards prior of St. Mary's isle
in Galloway ; next, commendator of Cambusken-
neth ; and, last of all, he was raised to the see of
Ross in 1552. He was an accomplished scholar, and
admirably skilled in the Latin language. — In 1559,
the monastery was spoiled, and a great part of it cast
down by the reformers, who, however laudable th
intentions were, proceeded, in some instances,
the execution of them in a tumultuary man
Several of the monks embraced the Reformation
and, on that account, had their portions withdra
by the Queen -regent. David Panther was the I
ecclesiastic who possessed the lucrative abbotship
of Cambuskenneth. John Earl of Marr, afterwan
Regent, had the disposal of the revenues of Cambu
kenneth. He had, during the reign of James V
been appointed commendator of Inchmahome. Aft
the Reformation had taken place, one of his nephew
Adam Erskine, was commendator of Cambusk
neth. In 1562, by virtue of an order from Qu<
Mary, and the privy-council, an account was
of all the revenues belonging to cathedrals, abbey
priories, and other religious houses, that stipem
might be modified to the reformed clergy, who we
to have a third of the benefices. According to th
account, the revenues of Cambuskenneth wer
£930 13s. 4£d. Scots money; 11 chalders, 11 boll
2 firlots of wheat; 28 chalders, 12 bolls, 3 firlots,
pecks, 2 lippies of bear; 31 chalders, 6 bolls, 3 f
lots, 3 pecks, 2 lippies of meal ; 19 chalders,
bolls, 3 firlots, 3 pecks, 2 lippies of oats. In who
91 chalders, 15 bolls, 1 firlot, 2 pecks, 2 lippi<
The barony of Cambuskenneth, in which the mo
astery stood, was settled by the Earl of Marr upo
Alexander Erskine of Alva, whose posterity co
tinued in possession of it till the year 1709, when
was purchased by the town-council of Stirling 1
the benefit of Cowan's hospital, to which it still b
longs. The fabric of the abbey was once large
extensive ; but nothing of it now exists, except
few broken walls, and a tower which was the belfr
Some remains of the garden are to be seen ; and tl
burial-place, where James III. and his Queen
interred. There is no vestige of the church. Tr
dition reports that one of the bells was for some tin
in the town of Stirling, but that the finest was lo
in its passage across the river.
CAMBUSLANG, a parish in Lanarkshire, ontl
south bank of the Clyde; and bounded by 0
Monkland parish on the north ; Blantyre on t
east ; by Kilbride on the south ; and by Ruthergl
on the west. The surface is beautifully diversifi
with hill and dale. A ridge of about half-a-m
broad is formed by the Dichmount and Turn)
hills, extending nearly 2 miles from east to we
From this central ridge the ground declines in
gradual manner to the Clyde on the north, and
the water of Calder on the south. The Clyde
from 200 to 250 feet broad at this place, and gen<
ally overflows part of the low grounds three or f<
times a-year. It has been known to rise here
feet above its mean level. The Kirk burn i
Newton burn are small tributaries of the Cly
in this parish. Coal abounds in the district, vvh
it has been wrought for upwards of 300 yes
The present output is about 30,000 tons per aniii
In 1750, a cart of coals of 9 cwt. cost 9d. ; on
coalhill in this parish the same quantity at pres
costs 2s. lid. Vast beds of excellent freest
are also found in every part of the parish, the sti
of which, as well as of the coal, dip towards
river ; it is singular that, on the north side of
Clyde, the dip is also towards the river. A •
CAMBUSLANG.
107
turn of limestone, usually called Cambuslang marble,
is found in some of the coal-pits at the depth of
200 feet ; it is of a beautiful dark grey or dark
brown colour, with whitish streaks and spots, and
receives a very high polish — Dechmont-hill seems
to have been anciently a place of strength, and
must have been well-adapted for a watch-tower.
Rising from a comparatively level country, to an
altitude of 600 feet, it commands an extensive and
varied prospect — the beauties of which have been
recently celebrated in a descriptive poem, entitled
' Dychmont,' by John Struthers, the author of ' The
Poor Man's Sabbath,' and other pieces of much
poetical merit. Upon the summit of Dechmont are
some traces of ancient buildings. — About a mile east
of the church is the castle of Drumsargard, to which an
extensive barony was at one time annexed. This was
the property successively of several families of great
name, the Oliphants, the Murrays.the Douglases, and
the Hamiltons ; and it at present makes a part of the
entailed estate of Hamilton. — On the south side of
Dechmont, stands Latrick, which, about the be-
ginning of the 17th century, was the seat of a Sir
John Hamilton, whose family is extinct. On the
north side of the same hill, stands the turreted
house of Gilbertfield, long the residence of a family
of the name of Cunningham : about the beginning
of the 18th century, this estate was purchased by
the laird of West-Burn. Lieutenant William Ha-
milton, the friend and poetical correspondent of
Allan Ramsay, lived many years, first at Gilbert-
field, and then at Latrick, where he died on the
24th of May, 1751, at an advanced age — Upon the
banks of the Kirk burn, about a quarter of a mile
below the church, there was a chapel, founded in
1379, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to which
belonged 4 acres of land which still retain the
name of Chapel-land : there was also an hospital
2 miles east from the church, to which about 130
icres, called Spital and Spital hill, seem to have
been annexed : but the persons by whom, and the
time when, these religious houses were founded,
ire equally unknown. — Population, in 1801, 1,558;
1831, £697. Of this population about 500 find
loyment in weaving. Assessed property in 1815,
578. Land rental about £6,000. Houses 369.
village of Cambuslang is about 5 miles from
>w. — This parish is in the presbytery of
lilton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron,
Duke of Hamilton. Stipend £281 lls. lid.;
a glebe of the value of £10. Unappropriated
19s. 5d. Church built in 1743 ; sittings
An Independent chapel was built at Cambus-
in 1801 ; sittings 200.— The parochial school-
has a salary of £34 4s. 4$d., with about
fees. Pupils 100. There are four private
)ls within the parish.
imbuslang possesses a peculiar interest in the
of the religious public, as having been the scene
very remarkable revival in 1742. The following
of these transactions is given in the ' New
stical Account :' — '* The religious phenomena,
ily called ' the Cambuslang work,' seems to
originated in circumstances apparently acciden-
The kirk of Cambuslang being too small and
of repair — as is too often the case in the present
— the minister in favourable weather frequently
lucted the public devotional services of the par-
in the open fields. The place chosen was pecu-
ly well adapted for the purpose. It is a green
on the east side of a deep ravine near the
i, scooped out by nature in the form of an am-
icatre. At present it is sprinkled over with
n, furze, and sloe-bushes, and two aged thorns
twin embrace are scon growing side by side near
the borders of the meandering rivulet which mur-
murs below. In this retired and romantic spot Mr.
M'Culloch, for about a year before the ' work' be-
?an, preached to crowded congregations, and on the
Sabbath evenings after sermon, detailed to the lis-
tening multitudes, the astonishing effects produced
by the ministrations of Mr. Whitefield in England
and America, and urged with great energy the doc,
trines of regeneration and newness of life. The
effects of his zeal soon began to evidence themselves
in H striking manner among the multitudes who
waited on his ministry. Towards the end of January,
1742, two persons, Ingram More, a shoemaker, and
Robert Bowman, a \u-aver, went through the parish,
and got about ninety heads of families to subscribe
a petition, which was presented to the minister,
desiring that he would give them a weekly lecture.
This request was immediately complied with, and
Thursday was fixed upon as the most convenient
day of the week for that purpose. These meetings
were crowded with multitudes of hearers, and at
length from weekly were extended to daily ex-
hortations, which were carried on without interrup-
tion for seven or eight months. Many people came
to the minister's house under strong convictions
of sin, calling themselves ' enemies to God, despisers
of precious Christ,' and saying ' what shall we do to
be saved V The first prominent symptoms of the
extraordinary effects produced by these multiplied
services were on the 8th February. Soon after, the
sacrament was given twice in the space of five
weeks; on llth July and on 15th August. Mr.
Whitefield had arrived from England in June, and
many of the most popular preachers of the day ha*,
tened to join him at Cambuslang, such as Messrs.
Willispn of Dundee, Webster of Edinburgh,
M'Knight of Irvine, M'Laurin of Glasgow, Currie
of Kinglassie, Bonner of Torphichen, Robe of Kil-
syth, &c. The sacrament on the 15th August was
very numerously attended. One tent was placed at
the lower extremity of the amphitheatre above al-
luded to, near the joining of the two rivulets ; and
here the sacrament was administered. A second tent
was erected in the churchyard, and a third in a green
field a little to the west of the first tent. Each of
these was attended with great congregations, and it
has been estimated that not less than 30,000 people
attended on that occasion. Four ministers preached
on the fast day, 4 on Saturday, 14 or 15 on Sunday,
and 5 on Monday. There were 25 tables, about 120
at each, in all 3,000 communicants. Many of these
came from Glasgow, about 200 from Edinburgh, as
many from Kilmarnock, and from Irvine and
Stewarton, and also some from England and Ireland.
The Cambuglang work continued for six months,
from 8th February to 15th August, 1742. The num-
ber of persons converted at this period cannot be
ascertained. Mr. M'Culloch, in a letter to Mr.
Robe, dated 30th April 1751, rates them at 400, of
which number 70 were inhabitants of Cambuslang.
The 18th of February, the day on which this extra-
ordinary work began, was, long after, observed in
the paiish partly as a day of humiliation and fasting
for misimprovement of mercies, and partly as a day
of thanksgiving for the season of grace to many in
the British colonies, and particularly in this small
corner in 1741 and 1742." The judicious writer of
these remarks adds, " When the present venerable
and learned incumbent of Cambuslang entered on
the charge of the parish, a number of the converts
of 1742 still lived, and gave evidence, by the piety
and consistency of their conduct, of the reality of
the saving change that had been wrought on their
hearts. So late as July, 1818, the writer of this note
heard an aged clergyman of a neighbouring parish
CAM
198
CAM
allude in the church of Cambuslang, on a Monday
After a communion, to the revival in the following
terms : He had been speaking of the time and place
in which God had been pleased to afford extraordi-
nary manifestations of his power and grace in the
conversion of sinners, and in comforting and strength-
ening his people, and he added, ' Such was Bethel
to the Patriarch Jacob, Tabor to the three disciples,
and such was this place about seventy-six years ago,
of whom I am told some witnesses remain to this
present hour, but the greater part are fallen asleep.'
If any one is still so bold as to allege that the work
at Cambuslang was ' a work of the devil,' he will
find no countenance from the serious part of the in-
habitants of the district in which it took place. No
one ever attempted to justify every thing that was
said or done at that memorable period ; but, on the
other hand, it is hoped that the warmth of party
spirit will no longer prevent good men from admit-
ting what even the correspondent of Mr. Wishart of
Edinburgh was constrained to acknowledge in re-
gard to the revival in New England at that time,
'that an appearance so much out of the ordinary
way, and so unaccountable to persons not acquainted
with the history of the world, was the means of
awakening the attention of many, and that a good
number settled into a truly Christian temper.' "
CAMBUSMICHAEL. See ST. MARTINS.
CAMBUSNETHAN, a parish in the middle ward
of Lanarkshire ; bounded on the north by Shotts
parish ; on the east bv Whitbum and West Calder
in Linlithgowshire ; on the south by Carnwath, Car-
stairs, Carluke, and Dalserf parishes ; and on the
west by Dalserf, Hamilton, and Dalziel. It extends
in a north-east direction from the Clyde on the west,
nearly 12 miles in length ; and is on an average
about 3 miles in breadth. Its superficies is about
26,000 acres, of which nearly one-third is cultivated ;
and about 160 acres are laid out as orchard-grounds.
The haughs on the Clyde are extensive and beauti-
ful. On the bank, which rises above the haugh-
grounds, the soil is clay, covered with extensive
orchards, which are well-sheltered from the north
and east winds by coppice- woods, and regular planta-
tions. Farther up the soil becomes mossy, or mixed
with a black sand peculiarly unfavourable for vege-
tation. The highest grounds are on the eastern side
of the parish, where they attain an elevation of
about 900 feet. The South Calder skirts the whole
northern boundary of this parish ; which is also di-
vided from Carluke by Garrion burn, a beautiful
little tributary of the Clyde. The banks of the
South Calder, for a considerable way above its
junction with the Clyde, are very finely wooded.
There is abundance of excellent coal wrought here ;
also ironstone and freestone. The Shotts iron com-
pany have two blast-furnaces at Stone or Stain, in
the east end of the parish. There are extensive tile-
works at Wishaw and at Coltness. One, near
Castlehill, turns out 8,000 tiles daily, or 2,504,000
in the year. The village of Cambusnethan or
Wishawtown, is 15 miles east of Glasgow, and
4£ west of Carluke, on the road from Glasgow
to Lanark. The inhabitants — 1,700 in number —
are chiefly weavers employed by the Glasgow manu-
facturers. There is an extensive distillery here.
The village of Stain has a population of about 600 ;
and Bonkle 200. The mansion-houses of Cambus-
nethan, Wishaw, Coltness, Allanton, and Muirhouse
within this parish, are all very handsome structures.
Population of the parish in 1801, 1,972; in 1831,
3,824.. Assessed property £9,271. Houses in 1831,
701. — This parish is in the presbytery of Hamilton
and synod of Glasgow arid Ayr. Patron, Lockhart of
Castlehill. Stipend £278 15s. 8d. Unappropriated
teinds £469 19s. 5d. A new parish-church is no
building ; the old church, built in 1650, seated
A United Secession congregation was establish .
at Danes Dikes in 1738. Church first built in 1740
rebuilt in 1780 ; and the present one in 1818,
Bonkle, 2 miles westward of the original site,
£800; sittings 560. Stipend £120, with a man
and glebe. — A Relief congregation was establis'
at Wishawtown in 1822. Church built in 1822
seats 740. Stipend £110, with manse and gle
— A Reformed Presbyterian congregation assembl
in Wishawtown. Church seats 350. Stipend £7
with a manse and glebe. — Schoolmaster's salary £
4s. 4|d. In 1838 there were 9 schools in the pari
attended by 476 scholars.
C AMBUS VIC-HUSTAN, a small but safe h
hour, in the shire of Sutherland and parish of Assyn
CAMBUS VIC-KER-CHIR, a safe and we
sheltered harbour, except from the north-east
in the parish of Assynt, in Sutherland.
CAMBUS-WALLACE, in the shire of Pe
and parish of Killmadock ; 1 mile north-west
Doune. Some years ago, several ancient grav
were discovered at Rosshall near this place; a
tradition relates that a battle was once fought n
this spot between the families of Rosshall
Craigton.
CAMELON, a village in the shire of Stirling a
parish of Falkifk ; at the distance of 1£ mile nort
west from Falkirk ; on the line of the Forth ar
Clyde canal. A handsome extension church w
built here in 1839, at a cost of £1,000 ; sittin
660. The population exceeds 1,000; nail-maki
is the chief employment. Old Camelon, situ
about 5 furlongs without the gate where the
man road issued from the wall of Antoninus, abo
half-a-mile to the north-west, was a Roman town, a
a sea-port ; and an anchor was dug up here in 171
There are many circumstances which authorize us
conclude, not only that the river Carron has "
navigable farther up than the site of Old Camel
but also, that the sea at one time came very near
Falkirk, and covered the whole of that distri
which is now called The Carse. General Roy
given a plan of Old Camelon in the 29th plate ofh
' Military Antiquities ;' he supposes it to be the
man station Ad Vallum. Boece, and some oth
strangely confound this place with the Camelodunu
of Tacitus, now known to be St. Maldew in Esse:
CAMERON, a parish in the county of Fife
bounded by St. Andrews on the north ; by Denim
on the east; by Carnbee arid Kilconquhar on th<
south ; and by Ceres on the west, It extends abou
5 miles in length, by 4 in breadth ; and has a super
ficial area of about 7,300 Scotch acres, of whicl
nearly 4,700 are under tillage. Coal and limestom
abound. At Priorletham is a remarkably fine syca
more plane, supposed to be 450 years old. The vil
lage lies about 4 miles south-west of St. Andrews
Population, in 1801, 1,095; in 1831, 1,207- As
sessed property, in 1815, £8,349. Land rental, ii
1838, £8,600. Houses, in 1831, 238.— This paris!
is in the presbytery of St. Andrews and synod o
Fife. It was separated from St. Andrews in 1645
Church built in 1808; sittings 495. Stipend £19
12s. 8d., with a glebe of the value of £10. Unap
propriated teinds £149 13s. 10d._ There is a Secet
sion church at Lathones. — Parochial schoolmaster
salary £34 4s. 4id., with about £10 fees. Ther
are two private schools, — one at Lawhead, the oth«
at Denhead.
CAMERON-BRIDGE, a hamlet in .the parish <
Libberton; 1£ mile south of Edinburgh, on the roa
to Dalkeith. — There is also a village of this nanr
n the parish of Markinch in Fifeshire.
CAM
199
CAM
CAMILLA (LOCH). See ADCHTERTOOL.
CAMISENDUN. See DURNESS.
CAML ACHIE, a suburb of Glasgow, in the Ba-
parish of Glasgow; about 1£ mile east of the
5S, on the middle road to Edinburgh. Popula-
i 1,685, chiefly weavers.
CAMPBELL (CASTLE), a noble relic of feudal
in the parish of Dollar, and in the neighbour-
of the village of Dollar, Clackmannanshire.
i a bridge over a small brook which runs through
village of Dollar, there is a fine view of the ruins
Castle Campbell, situated on the top of a round
ilated mound, which seems to have been partly
led by the hand of Nature, and partly finished
art. On each side is a deep ravine or glen,
led in thick wood, and down which run streams
unite immediately below the castle and form
msiderable brook. The mound on which the
stands is nearly perpendicular on the side next
jliar, and was formerly disjoined from the sur-
iding hills by a ditch shelving down to the bot-
of the glen on each side, which rendered the
inaccessible except by means of a draw"-
; so that it was a place of very great strength.
>ugh the castle stands upon an eminence, it is
)unded on all sides by higher hills, many of
lich are wooded to their summits, which gives to
whole scenery a very picturesque, but, in certain
«s of the weather and sky, a somewhat gloomy
The buildings still existing form a quad-
rle. It is not known when or by whom this
arable pile of building was erected. It was for-
rly called the Gloume, or the Castle of Gloom,
the Celtic names of the two brooks which en-
it are supposed by some to signify the burns
Care and of Sorrow. About the year 1493 —
;n it probably first came into the possession of
noble family of Argyle, whose property, how-
r, it no longer is — it was called Castle Campbell,
which name it has ever since been known. This
le, with the whole territory belonging to the
tily of Argyle, suffered by the calamities of civil
in 1645; for the Marquis of Montrose, the
and rival of the house of Argyle — or rather
fierce allies the Macleans and Ogilvies — carried
and sword through the whole estate. During
commotion the castle was destroyed, and its
lificent ruins only now remain a sad monument
ic miseries of civil war.
3AMPBELLTON, a parish in Argyleshire, form-
with the parish of Southend, the southern ex-
lity of the peninsula of Kintyre. Its length is
iputed at 13 miles, and its breadth varies from
12 miles. Its superficial area is about 43,750
It is narrowed in the middle by the bay of
irihanish, or Machirhanish on one side, and the
of Kilkerran, or harbour of Campbellton, on
the other. This bay runs inland a considerable way,
leaving between the two oceans on the east and west
;i large plain of 4 miles in length, by 3 in breadth, and
not 40 feet above the level of the sea. From this
plain both ends of the parish gradually rise into hills,
wlii.-h attain the height of 1,200 feet. Bear, bar-
ley, and potatoes, are the principal crops. There is
abundance of coal at Dalvaddy, a village at the dis-
tance of 3 miles from the town of Campbellton, on
the road to Machrihanish bay ; and a canal has
been cut to convey it to the town ; but it, is of an
inferior quality, and the common fuel of the poorer
is still peat or turf. Porphyry, and fuller's
or soap-rock, exist in this parish. Popula-
in 1801, 7,003; in 1831, 9,472. Assessed
. ?rty of parish and burgh, in 1815, £2,800.
-This parish is in the presbytery of Kintyre, and
mod or Argyle. It consists of four original par-
ishes united: viz., Kilkerran, Kilkivan, Kilchonrhan,
and Kilmichael. The charge is collegiate ; and there
are two parish-churches both situated in the town
of Campbellton ; in one of which, accommodating
1,528 persons, Gaelic is always preached; and in the
other, seating 1,083, English. The two ministers
officiate in the two churches, taking the forenoon
and afternoon alternately. The Duke of Argyle is
patron of both livings. The stipend of each minis-
ter is £146 15s. lid. ; but the annual value of the
glebe, belonging to the 1st charge, is £89; that of
the second £26 10s._ A United Secession church
was opened in the town of Campbellton in 1833,
sittings 630. Stipend £100. — An Independent
chapel, seating 300, was opened in 1829. Stipend
about £50. — A Relief congregation was established
in 1767. In 1835 this congregation split into two;
and a lawsuit as to the occupancy of the church
— which is a large and handsome one, seating 1,500
— was begun, which terminated in favour of the
party adhering to the Relief body. The stipend
of the minister, previous to the disunion, was
£180. — There is a small Roman Catholic congre-
gation; also a Baptist and a Methodist congrega-
tion.— The salary of the burgh and parochial school-
master is £34 4s. 4id., with about £140 fees, and
a house, and garden valued at £20. The aver-
age number of his pupils is 110. He is elected by
the magistrates and town-council of the burgh of
Campbellton. In 1834 there were 22 private schools
within the parish, of which 13 were in the burgh
and suburbs. — The chapels of St. Chouslan and St.
Caomhghin, though in ruins, are in tolerable pre-
servation, and the ground about them is still sacred
to sepulture ; but the chapel of St. Michael is com-
pletely demolished. Along the coast are the re-
mains of a number of forts, supposed to be Danish.
The royal burgh of CAMPBELLTON, in the above
parish, was originally a small fishing- village ; but
through the interest of the Duke of Argyle — the
principal proprietor of the town and surrounding
country — was erected into a royal burgh in 1700.
The charter recites the statute 15° James VI., c.
267, by which it was statute and ordained, "for the
better entertaining and continuing of civility and
policy within the Hielandes and lies," " that there be
erected and builded within the bounds thereof, three
burghes and burrowe-towns, in the maist conuenient
and commodious partes meet for the samen ; to wit,
ane in Kintyre, another in Lochaber, and the third
in the Lewis;" — and gives as reasons for the erec-
tion that Inverary, distant about 60 miles, was then
the only royal burgh in Argyleshire ; that the burgh
of Campbellton was a very fit and convenient place
to be erected into a royal burgh ; and that the Earl
of Argyle, to whom the same belonged in fee, was
anxious for the erection. The boundaries of the
burgh, under said charter, are the loch of Campbell-
ton, formerly called the loch of Kilkerran, on the
east; the lands of Kilkerran and Corshill on the
south ; the lands of Moy on the west ; and the lands
of Ballingregan and Drumore on the north. The
royalty of the burgh lies within the above bounds,
and still belongs wholly in property to the Duke of
Argyle, with the exception of certain feus held
under him, and granted previous to the charter. It is
stated that there have been no feus granted since the
date of the charter. The late Duke and his predeces-
sors were formerly in the practice of granting build-
ing leases to the inhabitants for the term of three or
four nineteen years; but latterly it has been con.
sidered that such leases are precluded by the terms
of the Argyle entail. Accordingly, since 1828, no
leases have been granted for a longer period than
nineteen years; and it is stated, that even when
CAM
200
CAM
existing leases, originally for a longer endurance,
fall in, no renewal is now granted for more than
nineteen years. No part of the territory within
burgh is held in burgage. The parliamentary bound-
aries of the burgh, for the election of a member of
parliament, extend considerably beyond the royalty,
and include the adjoining lands of Dallintober, Loch-
end, and Dallaruin. The proprietors of these lands
are in nowise fettered, and are in the practice of
selling and feuing portions of their lands. The
consequence is, that the town of Campbellton is
extending beyond the royalty in the direction of
these lands. A considerable number of houses have
been erected, and there is now a population of from
1,400 to 1,500 inhabitants on the lands of Dallinto-
ber and Dallaruin. The burgh of Campbellton was
formerly governed by a provost, two or three bail-
ies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and 12 councillors.
Under the new Municipal act it has 17 or 18 coun-
cillors. It has no incorporated trades with exclusive
privileges. Population, in 1831, 4,869; but of the
parliamentary burgh, in 1836, 6,558. Municipal con-
stituency, in 1839, 215. Corporation revenue, in
1833, £668, of which £282 were from ladle and
causeway customs, and £120 from anchorage and
shore dues. The debts were under £500 ; and the
annual revenue exceeded the expenditure, so as gen-
erally to leave a balance for public improvements. Its
revenue, in 1838-9, was £820 3s. lid. It joins with
Ayr, Irvine, Inverary, and Oban, in sending a mem-
ber to parliament. Parliamentary constituency, in
1839, 280. It received its present name at the time
of its erection into a burgh ; before which period it
went by the name of Ceann-Loch, — that is, * the
Head,' or ' the End of the loch,' — which it still re-
tains in the language of the country : but its oldest
name is Dalruadhain, from having been the capital
of the ancient Scottish or Dalreudinian kingdom.
It is now a large and flourishing town, extending in
a semicircular form around the head of the bay, and
having a number of villas scattered at either end
along the declivities. The harbour is about 2 miles
long and 1 broad, in the form of a crescent ; with
from 5 to 13 fathoms water, and excellent anchor-
age. It is surrounded by high hills on each side;
and an island called Davar — which may be reached at
low water, dry-shod, from the south shore — shelters
the entrance. It was formerly the rendezvous of the
busses employed in the herring-fishery, for which it
is admirably situated. In 1744, it possessed only
two or three small vessels. The number of regis-
tered vessels belonging to the port, in 1835, was
54; total tonnage 2,251. Custom's revenue, in
1 836, £389. Besides the fisheries — which, however,
have greatly declined of late years — there is a con-
siderable trade in the distillation of whisky, and the
export of potatoes. Of the latter article about
30,000 tons are annually exported. In 1834, the
export of whisky to Glasgow exceeded 300,000 gal-
lons ; and, in 1835, the duties paid here on malt and
spirits, amounted to £104,455. Barley or bear has
in consequence of the immense demand for it, become
the staple produce of Kintyre. The Commercial
bank and British Linen company have branches here.
Six fairs are held during the year: viz., on the
1st Thursday in February; the 3d Thursday in May;
the 2d Thursday in August; the 3d Tuesday in Sep-
tember ; the Friday before Kilmichael fair in October ;
and the 3d Thursday in November. A regatta is
held in September. — In the centre of the main street
is a very handsome granite cross, richly ornamented
with sculptures in relief. It bears on one side this in-
scription in Saxon letters: — " Haec: est: crux: Do-
mini: Yvari. M: K: Eachyrna: quondam: Rectoris:
de Kyregan: et Domini : Andre: nati: ejus: Rec-
:
toris : de Kilcoman : qui hanc crucem fieri faciebat.
That is, " This is the cross of Mr. Ivar M'Eachran.
formerly Rector of Kyregan, and of Mr. Andrew^
his son, Rector of Kilcoman, who caused this cross
to be erected." Gordon — by report only — mentions
this as a Danish obelisk, but does not venture its
description, as he never saw it. The tradition of
the town, however, is, that it was brought from
lona, or from Oronsay ; although it has been stated
in a lately published work, that the cross had pro-
bably not been removed far from where it was origi-
nally placed. A well of pure spring- water issues from
a fountain in the cross ; and around it, in general, the
fish market is held. The Kintyre club has adopted
the figure of this cross as one of its distinguishing
badges. On the opposite side of the bay is a thriv
ing suburb, called Dallintober The voyage from
Campbellton to Glasgow by steam is usually made
in from 9 to 12 hours ; it used frequently to occupy
sailing vessels as many days. The steamers betwixt
Glasgow and the North of Ireland also generally
touch here Lord Teignmouth, in his ' Sketches ol
the Coasts and Islands of Scotland,' [vol. ii. pp. 380-
382] gives us the following amusing piece of gossip
relative to this thriving town: "The trees which
adorn the shore of the bay were planted about 150
years ago by a Duchess of Argyle, who was ex-
tremely partial to Cantyre, fixed her residence chiefly
at Campbellton, and inhabited a house on a site now
occupied by a small farm-house, to which, however,
it was much inferior. This lady was mother of the
great Duke John ; and she is said to have adopted
the following singular method of acquiring, for the
Duke, possession of the estates of the different pro-
prietors, Campbells, to whom Argyle, after his con-
quest of Cantyre, had granted them : — On pretence
of revising, as the story goes, she got into her hands
and destroyed the charters of these unsuspecting
people. Thus the Argyle family revoked their ori-
ginal grants. Campbell of Kildalloig, ancestor oi
the present proprietor of this estate, pleasantly situ
ated on the outside of the bay, owed the preserva-
tion of it to the shrewdness of a servant, who,
suspecting the intentions of the Duchess, ran off,
carrying away his master's charter, and restored il
not to him, till the fraud became apparent. The
family of this man were, till within few years, em-
ployed, in grateful recollection of his services, by
the family at Kildalloig. The Duchess is said to
have associated with herself, in her retreat, several
young ladies of rank, whom she watched with Ar-
gus-eyed vigilance, lest they should stoop to alli-
ance with the lairds of Cantyre. Impatient of re-
straint, they eluded her observation, and are said to
have preferred humble freedom to splendid chains."
CAMPBELTON, a village in the parishes of Ar-
dersier and Petty, and county of Inverness, situated
about li mile from Fort-George, on the coast of a
picturesque bay, and containing upwards of 800 in-
habitants. It possesses a strong chalybeate spring,
and is much frequented as a bathing- quarter. A
colony of fishermen occupies the west-end. From
Cromwell's mount, behind the village, the view is
very extensive, embracing parts of 8 or 9 counties.
CAMPLE (THE), a stream in the county oi
Dumfries, which has its rise in Wedder law, in the
parish of Morton, and, running a south-west course
of about 8 miles, falls into the Nith at Kirkbog.
CAMPSIE, a parish in the county of Stirling,
about 8 miles in length, and 5 in breadth ; contain-
ing about 35 square miles ; and bounded on the north-
west by Killearn ; on the north-east by Fintry ; or
the east by Kilsyth ; on the south by Kirkintilloch
and on the west by Strathblane. It consists of tw<
ridges of hills, with a considerable valley betweei
CAM
201
CAN
them ; the south ridge being a continuation of the
Braes of Kilpatrick, and the north being known by
the name of Campsie Fells. Some of the hills are
covered with natural wood of great age and size,
and others afford pasture to sheep and black cat-
tle. The road from Kippen to Glasgow passes
through the parish. Two extensive printfields for
calico-printing exist here, several cotton factories,
and extensive alum works, at which also prussiate
of potash, and Prussian blue, are manufactured.
There is an extensive distillery at Milton, Near the
Lennox-mill printfield is the large village of Len-
nox-town. The clachan or village of Campsie, 1}
mile west of Lennox-town, and 3£ east of Strath-
blane, is beautifully situated at the foot of the Fells,
near the Glassert, which falls into the Kelvin oppo-
site Kirkintilloch. The other villages are Birdston,
Milton, Kincaidfield, and Torrance. See TORRANCE.
The glen of the Glassert, above Campsie, is much
ad.nired for its romantic scenery, and is often visited
during summer by parties from Glasgow. Popu-
lation in 1801, 2,906; in 1831, 5,109; in 1836,
according to a survey by the session, 5,615, of whom
3,727 belonged to the established church ; and about
500 were Irish Catholics, chiefly labourers, calico-
printers, and others. Assessed property in 1815,
£13,909. — The parish of Campsie is in the presby-
tery and synod of Glasgow. Stipend £285 3s. 7d.
with a glebe of the value of .£13 15s. Unappropri-
ated teinds £720 18s. 2d. Patron, the Crown. The
church is a handsome Gothic structure built in 1828;
sittings 1,550. — There is a Relief church in Lennox-
town. It was built in 1784; sittings 593. Stipend
£106, with a manse and glebe. Here is also a Roman
Catholic congregation, established in 1836, but which
formerly met at Torrance. There were 3 parish-
schools, and 5 private schools in this parish, attended
by 275 children, in 1834 Campsie was formerly a
rectory, the parson of which was the sacristan of
the cathedral of Glasgow, and one of the residen-
tiary canons there ; the cure at Campsie being served
by a vicar. Previous to its disjunction in 1649, by
the lords-commissioners for valuation of teinds, it
made a particular district of country by itself, not a
little marked by peculiar manners and customs.
Situate in the Lennox, it formerly made the eastern
division of that ancient territorial thaneship ; and so
late as the year 1744, the payment of Black mail
j was here made to Macgregor of Glengyle, for pro-
j tection against the depredations of the Highland
freebooters. The last instance in this district of a
baron of regality exercising the jurisdiction of pit
and gallows over his dependents, is said to have
been exerted by the Viscount of Kilsyth, in the
j year 1743; when one of his own servants was hanged
I for stealing silver-plate from the house of Bancloich,
upon a hill on the barony of Bancloich styled the
1 -allow hill. Mr. Bell of Antermony, well-known
j by his Travels in China and Persia, was a native of
this parish ; where he inherited a considerable pater
ial estate, and died in 1780, at the venerable age of
39. Mr. James Bell, a man of very considerable
uerary attainments, and well-known for his exten-
•ive and profound knowledge of ancient arid modern
Asiatic geography, spent the latter years of a retired
( ui<l unostentatious life in a small cottage in this par-
j sh ; and his ashes now rest in the beautifully seques-
j :ered burying-ground at the clachan of Campsie. —
flcre are traces of two ancient Caledonian forts, called
The Meikle Reive, and The Maiden Castle, both of
bum placed directly opposite to the Roman wall
"tiled Graham's Dyke, near which several urns con-
aininir ashes and burnt bones have been discovered.
CAMPSIE FKLLS, a range of hills forming the
; outnern boundary of Strathmore, and running in a
bold ridge along the whole length of the strath of
Campsie. Their general direction is from east-north-
east to west-south-west, between the Forth at Stir-
ling, and the Clyde at Dumbarton. Their extreme
length may be about 25 miles ; their average breadth
8 miles. The face of these hills is broken with
crags and glens ; and on the summit and back part
is a deep moor-ground interspersed with moss. The
bills have the appearance of volcanic or igneous
origin; and in many parts rude basaltic pillars are
seen, particularly on the road which crosses the
hill above the village of Campsie, and near to the
village of Fintry. In many places these hills ap-
pear stratified ; but the strata dip much, and are
sometimes nearly perpendicular to the horizon. The
secondary, or stratified mountains, abound with coal,
limestone, freestone, ironstone, indurated clay, and
marl. In one place a dozen or more strata of iron-
stone, with alternate layers of argillaceous schistus,
may easily be counted. In several places there arc
appearances of copper and of lead. The highest
ridge of the Campsie Fells occurs between the sources
of the Carron and the Endrick, where they are ele-
vated 1,200 feet from its base, the elevation of which
is about 300 feet above the level of the sea, making
the height in all 1,500 feet.
CAMPSIE LINN. See CARGILL.
CAMPS. See CARNOCK.
CAMSTRADDEN. See Luss.
CAMUS-TOWN, a village in the shire of Forfar,
and parish of Monikie, about a quarter of a mile
south of the church. Camus Cross, a large upright
stone, is said to point out the place where Camus, a
Danish general, was slain and buried after the battle
of Barrie, in 1010. See BARRIB.
CANAL. See articles ABERDEEN, ARDROSSAN,
CALEDONIAN CANAL, CRINAN CANAL, FORTH AND
CLYDE CANAL, MONKLAND CANAL, and UNION
CANAL.
CANISBAY,* a parish in Caithness, bounded en
the north by the Pentland frith ; on the east by the
German ocean ; on the south by Wick parish ; and
on the west by Bower and Dunnet parishes. The
coast-line is about 18 miles in extent. To the south
of DUNCANSBY HEAD, [see that article,] for about
5 miles, the Wart or Warth hill extends its base to
the sea brink. The coast is in this quarter exceed-
ingly bold, and the wild and varied magnificence of
the rocks is peculiarly striking to the eye of a stran-
ger. Beyond this, for about a mile, the coast sub-
sides into a beautiful sandy beach winding around
the bay till it reaches the mansion-house of Freswick,
where it resumes its rocky and picturesque boldness,
which continues with little variation till it reaches
the confines of the parish. The lands adjacent to
the shore, for the last 3 miles, are all under cultiva-
tion, and the soil is luxuriant and productive. The
northern coast has little of that stupendous boldness,
for which the eastern one is so remarkable. West-
wards from the Head, for 2 miles, the walk is ex-
tremely pleasant, and great luxuriancy of growth
prevails, from the shore to about a mile inland. The
beach itself consists wholly of shells and shell sand
of the purest white. In the middle of this delightful
walk, you approach the celebrated residence of John
O'Groat [see article JOHN O'GROAT'S HOUSE] ;
* " Canisbay has been supposed by some to have been origi-
nally written Cunonsbay ,• others conjecture it to have some
rmnMCtloo with the Latin vocable Cunis. It is, however, more
probable, that Canute'*. Kay was it* first appellation, in honour
of the arrival of MIMIC Norwegian chief ot the name of Canute.
There is indeed no account of the descent of such a chii-l upon
the coast, nor is there any bay in the parish now denominated
Caiii-tniy ; hut as all the placet* of the least note in the parish
are clearly of Norwegian derivation, it ivuinot lie sii|ipo-fd tli;it
the name of the district itM-lf should lie an exception."— -OW
Statiitical Account.
202
CANISBAY.
but, although his name be still illustrious here, and
has been bequeathed to certain shells, called Johnny
Groat's buckies, with which the beach is here strewn,
the spot is scarcely distinguishable where he dwelt.
Westwards from the burn of Duncansby to Houna,
moss prevails to the sea brink ; but from Houna to
Gills is one of the most fertile districts in the parish.
The parish-church is situated in the middle of this
latter district, on a green rising ground within 200
yards of the shore, the manse being about a quarter
of a mile inland from the church. Mey, part of the
property of the Earl of Caithness, terminates the
parish on the west. This is a populous and fertile
district. In 1836, its population was estimated at
576. The bays upon the coast are those of Gills,
Duncansby or Dungisbay, and Freswick; in all of
which, if the weather be moderate, vessels can lie
in safety and take in their cargoes, but none of
them are eligible stations in rough weather. Gills
bay is preferable to the rest. A celebrated tide runs
near Barrogill castle, called ' The Merry men of
Mey,' very noisy and obstreperous indeed, but no
subject of merriment to vessels, as they have to go
off their track many leagues sometimes to avoid the
vortex, and, when caught, are swept back on a
stream, like the rapids of a rapid river. This is
said to have been the scene of Grey's ' Fatal Sisters,'
translated from the Norse tongue.
Now the storm begins to lower,
(Haste, Mie loom of hell prepare!)
Iron sleet of arrowy shower
Hurtles in the darken'd air.
The greatest length of this parish is 8 miles ; great-
est breadth 6. The whole surface may be computed
at about 44 square miles or upwards. It is a level
district. The Warth hill, on the eastern coast, is
of considerable height and magnitude, but is the only
one in the parish deserving the name. The loch of
Mey, in the north-west corner of the parish, is about
2 miles in circumference. There is no river, and
only a few rivulets, in the whole parish ; but there
are chalybeate mineral and fresh water springs in
abundance. The valued rent of the parish amounts
to £3,855 3s. 6d. Scotch. The real rent at the
beginning of the present century was computed at
about £1,300 sterling. The value of assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £4,264. The Earl of Caithness,
Sinclair of Freswick, and the family of Brabster, are
the only proprietors in the parish. Brabster is an
inland property ; all the other cultivated lands stretch
along the coast, extending, at an average, about
half a mile from the shore. There is only one
farm, excepting such as are in the hands of the pro-
prietors, which lets for more than £50 per annum.
There are three popish chapels mouldering into de-
solation in the parish, one at Freswick, another at
Brabster, and a third at St. John's Head. Some
superstitious rites, now in total disuse, were wont
to be performed by the ignorant vulgar, on particular
days, at these sanctified ruins. St. John's Head,
upon the north coast, is one of the pleasantest spots in
the whole parish. It affords evident tokens of hav-
ing been, in former ages, a residence of respectability ;
from a burying-ground, and the vestiges of an old
chapel in the neighbourhood — now in total ruins —
as well as from the name it bears, it would seem to
have been consecrated to religious purposes. The
vestiges of a ditch and drawbridge defending it on
the land side, show it to have been occupied as a
place of strength and security. Betwixt Brabster
and Freswick there is a deep hollow, called, in the
dialect of the parish, the Wolf's geo, which must
have derived its name from being the haunt of
wolves in former times. There arc other circum-
| stances handed down by tradition, which tend
prove, that this ravenous animal was once an
habitant of Canisbay. — Barrogill castle, belonging
the Earl of Caithness, is an old aristocratic pil
It has, says Miss Sinclair, "all the internal elegant
of a house in London, and all the exterior dignii
of an ancient Highland residence. Some admirabl
improvements have been recently made by Burn
and the staircase, which was formerly outside,
high as the drawing-room floor, is now thrown in
the house, while several windows have been thro1
out, which were greatly wanted. In those peacefi
times, when there is no longer any necessity for
castle to be fortified, it is pleasing to see the glooi
strength of former days exchanged for a more si
aspect; and here we found some first-rate picti
by the best masters, a haunted apartment, abuni
of interesting family portraits, and a forest of
very best trees that Caithness can produce." [' T
Northern Circuit,' p. 66.] — The ruins of three
cient towers or castles are still to be seen ; one
Mey, another south of the present mansion-houi
of Freswick, and a third on the west side of
island of Stroma : they are all built upon rocks risi
out of the sea, and have been occupied as places
defence. The principal public roads in the
,ish are those leading from Houna southwards
Wick, and westwards to Thurso. The dii
from Wick to Houna is 16^ miles ; and from H<
to Thurso 18 miles. From Houna the ferry-1
crosses with the mails for Orkney every Tuesda
Thursday, and Saturday. From Burwick in Soul
Ronaldshay, the Orkney mails in like manner ci
to Houna. The distance — being the shortest
twixt Caithness and Orkney — is reckoned 12
If a passenger goes along with the mails, the
is Is. ; but if he hires the ferry-boat for himsel
is 10s. Although the Pentland frith is deservei
accounted the most tempestuous piece of sea aroi
Britain, it is remarkable how few accidents hap
in crossing it. The danger it threatens suggests t]
means of preventing it. The time of tide is
served to a minute in putting out to sea ; the
are strong and of good construction ; and the
men perfect masters of their business, and acquaim
from their infancy with every circumstance respei
ing the variation of the tides they have to
through. Sometimes, however, the communicati
even with the adjacent island of Stroma, is suspei
for weeks. In the summer-season there is almost
continued communication betwixt Caithness
Orkney in the traffic of horses. Colts from the
highlands of Caithness, from Sutherland and Strath-
naver, are sold to Orkney ; and these very colts,
when past their prime, are again brought from Ork-
ney, and re-imported into Caithness. By far the
greater number of these cross to and from the shores
of Canisbay, on account of the shortness of the pas-
sage. Population, in 1801, 1,986; in 1831, 2,364
Houses 475. — This parish is in the presbytery o
Caithness, and synod of Sutherland and Caithness
Stipend £205 10s. Id., with a glebe of the value o
£6. Unappropriated teinds £151 7s. 2d. Patron
Sinclair of Freswick. A part of the parish contain
ing, in 1831, a population of 1,801, was annexed, ii
1833, to the quoad sacra parish of Keiss. Churcl
repaired in 1832; sittings 512. — There is a smal
Baptist church at the Mill of Mey; and the Inde
pendents have a place of meeting at Freswick.—
Salary of parish schoolmaster £34 4s. 4|d. In 18&
there were 6 private schools within this parish, at
tended by about 150 children. The island of Stro
ma, in the Pentland frith, about 3 miles from th
shore of Canisbay, with a population, in 1836, of 24C
belongs to this parish. See article STROMA.
CAN
KANNA, one of the four islands of the Hebrides
:h form the parish of Small Isles in Argyle. It is
3 miles north-west of Rum, and 12 south-west from
the nearest point of Skye. It is about 4^ miles long
and 1 broad : containing, with the contiguous island
of Sanday, 429 arable acres, and 1,794 acres of green
pasture. The gross rental in 1826 was £540 12s.
lOd. Its surface is partly high and rocky, but in no
place rising more than 800 feet above sea level;* and
Ctly low, and tolerably fertile. The land is higher
srards the west end ; about the middle it subsides
into a flattish neck, from which it rises again towards
the east. The horned cattle of Canna grow to a
larger size than any in the neighbouring islands,
owing to the fineness of the grass; there is little
heath. Potatoes chiefly are cultivated. Cod and
ling abound on the coast, and the harbours are
conveniently situated for the fishing-grounds. On
the south-east side of Canna lies Sanda, or San-
day, separated by a channel which is dry at low
water. See SANDAY. Between this island and
Canna lies the well-known and much frequented
harbour of Canna, 30 miles distant from that of Eigg.
A great many basaltic pillars are to be seen in Canna,
particularly on the southern side, where the basaltic
structure appears in different ranges rising in a suc-
cession of terraces. One of the hills to the north-
west of the harbour, called the Compass hill, is re-
markable for its effects on the magnetic needle.
Canna contained 304 inhabitants in 1796; and only
264 in 1831. The population are all Catholics. See
SMALL ISLES. Houses, in 1831, 45. — When Dean
Monroe wrote, Canna belonged to the abbot of Icolm-
kill. It is now the property of Mr. Macneill, who
203
CAN
has done much for the amelioration of its
5 populati
bletting, i
ation,
by encouraging emigration, preventing subletting, and
not allowing any public-house upon it.
CANNOR (LocH), a small lake in Aberdeen-
shire, in the parish of Glenmuick, about 3 miles in
circumference, and containing several small islands ;
on the largest of which — about an acre in extent —
there formerly stood a small fortress occasionally oc-
cupied as a hunting-seat by Malcolm Canmore.
CANOBY, or CANNOBIE,! a parish in the county
of Dumfries; bounded on the north by Langholm;
on the east by Castletown ; on the south by Cum-
berland, from which it is divided by the Liddel ; and
on the west by Half-Morton. It is about 9 miles in
length, and 6 in breadth; containing 23,000 impe-
rial acres. It may be considered as the low lands of
Eskdale ; for its highest grounds — which rise gradu-
ally to the east and north-east — as contrasted with the
elevated peaks in the conterminous parishes, cannot
be called mountains ; at the same time the surface is
very uneven, and diversified by ridges and flats, ex-
cepting the haughs on the banks of the Esk. The cen-
tral part is intersected by the Esk; and the great
road from Edinburgh to Carlisle runs through this
listrict in the same direction, amidst beautifully pic-
turesque scenery. The soil is a light loam, shel-
tered by a profusion of wood in every part. Besides
he ESK, this parish is watered by the LIDDEL, which
livides it from England, and the T ARRAS, remarkable
or its rugged channel and, romantic scenery, which
livides it from Langholm: see these articles. The
• Macculloch, in his Letters on the « Highlands and Western
sles,' [vol. iv. p. 31,] supposes some points of Canna to attain
'> Uevation of 800 or even 1,000 feet. We are certain that the
itter admeasurement is erroneous. Indeed the same author,
i his ' Western Islands,' [vol. i. p. 443,] adopts the former of
iese two admeasurements, which we think is still consider-
'<ly above the truth.
t We find this name also written Cannoby, and Canonbie.
nalmen considers the name to signify ' the Canon's residence :'
'•aiionry having been founded here, in the lath century, t-y
urRot de Rwnedal, who <ave it to the monks of Jedburgh.
I e« ' Caledonia,' vol. iii. p. 202.
Archerbeck and Rowanburn are tributaries of the
Liddel. The number of acres occupied by wood
cannot be less than 1,500, of which oak is the chief.
A number of orchards were formed here about 45
years ago by the Duke of Buccleuch, and have all
succeeded well. Freestone, limestone, and coal, are
abundant. At Rowanburn an excellent seam of coal,
9 feet thick, is wrought ; and another seam of 7 feet
has recently been discovered. There are extensive
lime- works at Harelawhill and Halhouse. There is a
strong chalybeate spring at Heathet, on the Cumber-
land side of the Liddel, and a spring on the banks of the
Tarras which has a petrifying quality. Population
in 1801, 2,580; in 1831, 2,997; in 1836, 3,108, of
whom 2,797 belonged to the Established church.
This parish is in the presbytery of Langholm, and
synod of Dumfries. Stipend £236 I2s. 6d., with a
glebe of the value of £20. Unappropriated Crown
teinds £1,063 7s. 6d. Patron, the Duke of Buc-
cleuch. Church built in 1821-22; sittings 1,000.
—Schoolmaster's salary £31 6s. 6d., with about
£35 fees. There were also 5 private schools with-
in this parish in 1834 Some ruins of a convent
or priory, built before the year 1165, are still to
be seen at Halgreen — or, perhaps, rather Haly or
Holy-green — about half-a-mile to the east of the
church. The church and convent are said to have
been demolished by the English, after the battle
of Solway Moss ; which is not improbable, as the
reason assigned in King Henry's manifesto for com-
mitting hostilities upon the Scottish borders, not
long before that event, was a pretended claim to the
parish of Canoby, as part of the English territory.
Part of the old wall of the church still remains, to
which the modern building is united ; and in which
is preserved a small arch that probably marks the
place of sepulchre of some prior, or person of dis-
tinction. On the suppression of the parish of Mor-
ton, in 1703, one-half of it was added to the parish
of Canoby.
This parish, being exposed to the incursions of the
English borderers, presents many vestiges of strong-
holds ; although there is only one whose walls are
yet entire, namely, the tower of Hollows, once the
residence of the famous Border chieftain, Johnnie
Armstrong, in the reign of James V. It is a roofless
strength, built of red sandstone, in the form of an
oblong square, about 60 feet by 46. " Amongst the
clans on the Scottish side, the Armstrongs were for-
merly one of the most numerous and potent. They
possessed the greater part of Liddesdale and of the
debateable land. All along the banks of the Liddal,
the ruins of their ancient fortresses may still be
traced. The habitual depredations of this border-
race had rendered them so active and daring, and at
the same time so cautious and circumspect, that they
seldom failed either in their attacks or in securing
tneir prey. Jwen wnen assailed by superior num-
ber^ they baffled every assault, by abandoning their
dwellings, and retiring with their families into thick
woods and deep morasses, accessible by paths only
known to themselves. One of their most noted
places of refuge was the Terras-moss, a frightful and
desolate marsh, so deep that two spears tied together
could not reach the bottom. Although several of
the Scottish monarchs had attempted to break the
chain which united these powerful and turbulent chief-
tains, none ever had greater occasion to lower their
power, and lessen their influence, than James V. Dur-
ing his minority, the kingdom was torn by their dissen-
sions, the laws were disregarded, and even the rights of
the sovereign were deeply infringed. But no sooner
did this gallant young prince free himself from the
vassalage in which he had been held by Douglas earl
of Angus, and his brother, than he began to reform
CAN
204
the abuses in his kingdom with such spirit and zeal,
as manifested a determined resolution to suppress
them. After banishing the Douglasses, and restor-
ing order and tranquillity to the interior, he next
directed his attention to the due administration of
justice on the Border. He accordingly raised a
powerful army, chiefly composed of cavalry, ' to
danton the thieves of Tiviotdale, Annandale, Lid-
desdale, and other parts of the country.' Aware,
however, that these depredators could never be
effectually crushed, unless the chieftains who pro-
tected them were properly secured, he took the
necessary precaution of forfeiting, or committing the
whole of them to ward, with the exception of Cock-
burn of Henderland, and Scott of Tushielaw, com-
monly called the King of the Border, who were
publicly executed. About the beginning of June,
1529, the king departed from Edinburgh at the head
of his army, and marched rapidly through Ettrick
Forest, and Ewsdale. During this expedition, John
Armstrong of Gilnockie, the hero of the ballad, pre-
sented himself before the king with thirty-six of his
followers, in expectation of obtaining pardon. This
Armstrong, as we are told by Pitscottie, ' was the
most redoubted chieftain that had been for a long
time on the borders either of Scotland or England.
He ever rode with twenty-four able gentlemen, well-
horsed; yet he never molested any Scottish man.'
It is said that, from the borders to Newcastle, every
Englishman, of whatever state, paid him tribute.
Glenockie came before the king with his foresaid
number, (thirty-six,) richly apparelled, trusting that,
in respect of this free offer of his person, he should
obtain the king's favour. But the king, seeing him
and his men so gorgeous in their apparel, frowardly
turned himself about, and bade them take the tyrant
out of his sight, saying, ' What wants that knave
that a king should have ?' John Armstrong made
great offers to the king, that he should sustain him-
self with forty gentlemen, ever ready at his service,
on their own cost, without wronging any Scottish
man. Secondly, that there was not a subject in
England, duke, earl, or baron, but, within a certain
day, he should bring him to his majesty, either quick
or dead. At length he, seeing no hope of favour,
said very proudly, ' It is folly to seek grace at a
graceless face : but, had I known this, I should have
lived on the borders in despite of King Henry and
you both ; for I know that King Harry would down-
weigh my best horse with gold to know that I were
condemned to die this day.' Lindsay of Pitscottie's
History, p. 145 This execution is also noticed by
Hollinshead, who says, that, « In the month of June,
1529, the king, with an army, went to the borders,
to set order there for better rule to be kept, and to
punish such as were known to be most culpable.
And hereupon, he caused forty-eight of the most
notable thieves, with their captain, John Armestrang,
to be apprehended ; the which, being convicted of
murder, theft, and treason, were all hanged on grow-
ing trees, to the example of others. There was one
cruel thief among the rest, who had burned a house
with a woman and her children within it; he was
burned to death. George Armestrang, brother to
John, was pardoned, to the end he should impeach
the residue, which he did; so they were apprehended
by the king's commandment, and punished for their
misdoings, according as they had deserved.' Hol-
Hnshead's ' Scottish Chronicle,' vol. ii. p. 182.
This historian appears, however, to have confounded
John Armstrong and his party, with the whole other
depredators who were executed during the march.
The place where John Armstrong and his followers
suffered, was at Carlenrig chapel, about 10 miles
above Hawick, on the high road to Langholm.
They were buried in a desert churchyard, wl
their graves are still pointed out. The peasantry ii
these districts hold the memory of John Armstrc
in high estimation, and scruple not to affirm, the
the growing trees mentioned by the historians witt-
ered away as a manifest sign of the injustice of th<
execution. They likewise assert, that one of
strong's attendants, by the strength and swiftness
his horse, forced his way through the ranks of the
surrounding hast, and carried the tidings of th(
melancholy fate of his master and companions
Gilnockie castle. Although George Armstrong
Mangerton had received a pardon from the
sovereign, the death of his brother John was
ther to be soon forgotten, nor the descendants of 1
sufferers easily to be pacified. Indeed, the host
and turbulent spirit of the Armstrongs was nevt
broken or suppressed, until the reign of James VI
when their leaders were brought to the scaffc
their strongholds razed to the ground, and the
estates forfeited and transferred to strangers,
that, throughout the extensive districts formerly
sessed by this once powerful and ancient clan, £
is scarcely left, at this day, a single landholder
the name. The death of this redoubted border ht
is noticed by Buchanan. It is likewise frequenl
alluded to by the writers of that age. Sir Da\
Lindsay of the Mount, in his ' Satyre of the Tl
Estates,' introduces a pardoner, or knavish dealer u
reliques, who, in enumerating his halie wares,
made to say,
Here is ane coird baith grit and lang,
Quilk hangit John the Armestrang,
Of {jude hemp soft and sound ;
Glide hailie peopill, I stand ford,
Quha ever beis hangit with this coird,
Neids never to be dround !
In the * Complaynt of Scotland,' John Armestrang
dance is also mentioned as a popular tune. Tl
celebrated ballad of ' Johnie Armestrang,' was fir
published by Allan Ramsay, in his ' Evergreen,'
1 724, who tells us, that he copied it from the moi
of a gentleman of the name of Armstrong, who
the sixth generation from the above John."* [St
house's Notes to the 'Musical Museum,' vol. iv. p{
328 — 332.] — Near Penton Linns, a romantic spot
the Liddel, was another Border stronghold,
Harelaw tower, once the residence of Hector Ar
strong, who betrayed his guest, the Earl of Northi
berland, to the regent Murray.
CANONGATE, a parish and suburb of Edin
burgh, occupying the eastern district of that citj
and comprehending the Canongate Proper, the Plea
sance, North Leith, Coal hill, and the chapel an<
palace of Holyrood-house, and the adjacent parks
It is a burgh-of-barony, under the superiority o
Edinburgh, since the year 1630; and is governed b;
a baron-bailie, nominated by the corporation c
Edinburgh, and two resident bailies appointed by th
inhabitants. Population in 1831, 10,175. Revenu
about .£400, arising chiefly from petty customs levie
at the Watergate. While Edinburgh was the sea
of royalty, the Canongate was the place of residenc
of most of the noble families who attended the court
and there are several old houses which retain th
names of the noble owners ; such as Milton houst
Queensberry house, &c. ; but it is now chiefly ir
* It was a lineal descendant of this celebrated freebooter, win
in the reign of Charles I. kidnapped the person of Lord Dun
the president of the court of session, and kept him upwards <
three months in secret confinement in an old castle in Annai
dale, called Graham's tower. The motive for this extraord
nnry and daring stratagem was to promote the interests
Lord Traquair, who had B lawsuit of importance before tl
court, in which there was resaon to believe that the judgmei
would hi> unfavourable, and decided by the casting-vote of tl
preaidf nt.
CAN
205
CAR
habited by trades-people, and those of the lower
order. See articles EDINBURGH and HOLYROOD.
CANONMILLS, a village, or rather a suburb,
a little to the north of the new town of Edinburgh,
on the water of Leith, where there are extensive
flour-mills and a distillery. The Newhaven railway
here enters the tunnel by which it is carried under the
New town to the east end of Princes-street gardens.
CANTYRE. See KINTYRE.
CAOLISPORT, a district in the shire of Argyle,
and parish of South Knapdale. It comprises the
point of Knap, and a fine loch on the Atlantic ocean,
which abounds with fish of various kinds. It has
also a commodious harbour.
CAPELAW, one of the Pentland hills, in the
parish of Collington, Edinburghshire, having an alti-
tude of 1,550 feet above sea level.
CAPE WRATH, a celebrated head-land, in the
parish of Durness in Sutherlandshire, forming the
north-west point of Scotland, in 58° 37' N. lat.,
and 5° W. long. It is a fine promontory of granitic
gneiss, towering up in a pyramidal form to the height
of 300 feet, and standing boldly out into the waves.
*' Nothing," says Macculloch, " can exceed the ele-
gance and majesty of its form, declining towards the
sea in a second and much lower pyramidal rock; the
whole forming an outline as graceful as it is unex-
pected, and as grand as it is appropriate. No ves-
sels approach this shore, as the rapidity and turbu-
lence of the tide are extreme ; and as this is esteemed
both a difficult and a dangerous point to double.
The captain therefore thought fit to haul off and
•tand further out to sea ; when, perceiving an aper-
ture through the pyramid, by means of the spying
glass, I proposed to the men to take the boat and
•tand in shore, to examine it more nearly. As we
approached the cape, an arched passage appeared
through each pyramid ; the largest being in the high-
est rock, and appearing to be about seventy or eighty
feet high. Nothing could now be more magnificent ;
the lofty cliffs on our right hand being broken into
a thousand rude forms, and the cape itself, with its
double pyramid, towering above them and projecting
far out from the land, like a gigantic wall, — a tri-
umphal arch worthy of Neptune. The green sea
was foaming all round the foot of the rocks ; and, as
we drew nearer, the low sullen roar increased, add-
ing awfulness to a scene already terrific. We were
soon sensible that we had been fast falling into the
most rapid stream of the tide ; and could now per-
ceive that it was running with the velocity of a tor-
rent, through both the passages and round the point.
The men held their oars in the water, for they were
now useless, and there was a dead silence. I saw
that they were alarmed, and uncertain what to do ;
but it was plain, in less than a minute, that retreat
was out of the question, and that if we attempted to
weather the point, we might probably fail, and be
lost upon it. I proposed to the boatswain to go
through the arch ; since a minute's hesitation would
have carried us into the breakers, and left the his-
tory of Cape Wrath untold. To propose a choice
where there was none, was mere matter of policy ;
but it served its purpose. Not a word was answered ;
and as the helm in my hand was now useless, all the
»rs were kept in the water, to steady and steer by
through the boiling current; when, almost before
we luul time to think what was to follow, we were
u'rled through, I know not how, and, in an in-
found ourselves lodged in an eddy in a deep
of the cliff; the first, assuredly, who had ever
this feat. Here, with the flood, there is
ne smooth water ; out of which it is just possible
ttnmble up, on a ledge of rocks within, a deep
»ure, and thus to study the scene at leisure. This
situation too is very fine ; the green waves surging
with a hollow noise into this recess, which is only
illuminated partially from without, and extends per-
pendicularly upwards the whole height of the cliffs,
to an altitude of five or six hundred feet; just afford-
ing a glimpse of the sky. The aspect of the cape is
here tremendously striking; as, from its proximity,
it now towers over head, to an imaginary and un-
limited height; while the turbulence and roar of the
stream of tide through the arches, and the foaming
of the sea against the cliffs, added indescribably to
the effect. Nor was it a small addition, that this
situation was attended with some anxiety, if not
danger ; as the rising of the wind, or the shifting of
the tide from the flood to the ebb, might have ren-
dered it impossible to get off again." [' Highlands
and Western Isles,' pp. 361—363.] In 1828, a
lighthouse was erected here at an expense of £14,000.
It shows a white revolving light, which is elevated
400 feet above high water, and is seen at the dis-
tance of 24 miles in clear weather. In 1838, the
expense of maintaining this light was £604 16s. l£d.
The Butt of Lewis on the south-west, and the Hoy-
head of Orkney towards the noi;th-east, can be
seen in clear weather from the top of this light-
house. See DURNESS.
CAPUTH, a parish in the district of Perthshire
called Stormont, bounded by Dowlay and Blairgow-
rie on the north ; Cluny and Lethendy on the east ;
Kinclaven and Auchteravan on the south ; and Little
Dunkeld on the west. It comprehends an extensive
portion of Strathmore, stretching in length nearly 13
miles, and varying in breadth from 1 to 6. Its super-
ficies is estimated at 16,000 imperial acres. There
are several detached portions belonging to this par-
ish : viz. Batholmie, locally situated in the parish of
Cargill; West and Middle Gormack, in Kinloch;
East and West Logie, Raemore, Cairns, Chapelton,
Meadows and Crofty, in Clunie ; and Craigtown of
Dalrulzeon, in Kirk-Michael; all in the shire of
Perth. And, South Bandirran, in Collace ; Bal-
beuchly, in Aughterhouse ; Broughty castle and
fishings, and a small piece of ground at Mylnfield,
near Dundee ; and Fofarty in Kinnettles, where
there is a field of about 4 acres, called, from time
immemorial, the Minister of Caputh's glebe, and
believed to belong to him, though not hitherto oc-
cupied; all in the shire of Forfar. These remote
portions — with the exception of Dalrulzeon and Rae-
more— are now considered as belonging, quoad sacra,
to the parishes in which they are respectively situ-
ated. The district of Dalrulzeon, containing a
population of from 70 to 80, and which is 15 milea
distant from the parish- church, has been annexed to
the chapelry of Persie in Bendochy. The Tay, the
Isla, and the Lunan, water this parish. The Lunau
in its course here forms a succession of smad but
beautiful lakes, and at last falls into the Isla, The
surface of this district is mountainous; the soil of
the arable part is mostly a deep clay, except on the
banks of the Tay and Isla, where it is a light loam.
There are five or six small villages in the parish.
The hills afford very fine blue slate. There are
several antiquities, as druidical circles, cairns, &c. :
of the last, one called Cairnmuir is esteemed the
largest of the country. Population, in 1801, 2,097 ;
in 1831, 2,303. Houses, in 1831, 467. Assessed
property, in 1815, £8,881. — This parish is in the
presbytery of Dunkeld, and synod of Perth and Stir-
ling. Stipend £232 15s. lid., with a glebe of the
value of £22 10s. Patron, the Crown. Church built
in 1798; sittings 800.— Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4d., with about £30 fees. There were 6 private
schools in 1834.
CARA, a small island in Argyleshire ; 3$ miles
CAR
206
CAR
west cf Kintyre, and about a mile south of Gigha,
to which it is attached parochially. It is about a
mile in length, and half-a-mile in breadth. The
shore is high and rocky, except at the north-east
end, where there is a landing-place. The south end,
called the Mull of Cara, which is the highest part of
the island, is a perpendicular rock 117 feet in height.
From the shore to the foot of this precipice there is
a steep ascent, equal to 50 feet perpendicular, which
makes the whole 167 feet. This rock contains a
great deal of iron-ore, and in one place — which was
struck with lightning about the year 1756 — large
pieces of metallic-ore were thrown down, which
seemed to be a mixture of copper and iron. Close
by this part of the rock is a cave 40 feet long, 5
high, and 5 broad, which communicates with another
37 feet in length, 9 in breadth, and 9 in height. The
north-east part of the island abounds with rabbits.
Adjoining to the house of the farmer is an old cha-
pel, 26 feet long, and 12 broad, with a Gothic arched
door. See GIGHA.
CARALDSTON, or CARESTON, a parish in For-
farshire ; about 3 miles in length, and 1 in breadth ;
bounded by Menmuir on the north ; Brechin on the
east ; Aberlemno on the south ; and Tannadice and
Fearn on the west. The surface is well-cultivated,
with a gentle slope from north to south. The soil
is deep and fertile ; and the banks of the South Esk
and Norin, which unite in this parish, are beautifully
ornamented with plantations. Population, in 1801,
229; in 1831, 252. Assessed property, in 1815,
.£3,280. Houses, in 1831, 55.— This parish is in
the presbytery of Brechin, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Stipend £158 7s. 6d., with a glebe of the
value of £8. Patron, the Earl of Fife. School-
master's salary, £34 4s. 4d. with about £12 fees.
There is a small private school.
CARBERRY HILL, a gently rising ground, in
the parish of Inveresk, in Mid-Lothian; 2 miles
south-east of Musselburgh, and 7 from Edinburgh.
Here Queen Mary surrendered herself to the con-
federated lords, June 15, 1567, prior to her impri-
sonment in Lochleven castle. The transaction is
thus related by Bell: "It was now between seven
and eight in the evening, and a battle must have
ensued, either that night or next morning, had not
an unexpected step been taken by the queen. With-
out betraying Bothwell, she formed a resolution to
rid herself from the bondage in which he kept her.
She sent to desire that Kircaldy of Grange should
come to speak with her, and she intimated to him
her willingness to part from Bothwell as was de-
manded, if Morton and the other lords would under-
take to conduct her safely into Edinburgh, and there
return to their allegiance. This overture, on being
reported by Grange, was at once accepted, provided
Mary agreed to dismiss Bothwell on the field. It
may be easily conceived, that, to Bothwell himself,
such an arrangement was not particularly agree-
able, and could never have entered the imagination,
much less have been the deliberate proposal, of a
loving and obedient wife. Historians, we think,
have not sufficiently insisted on the strong presump-
tion in Mary's favour, afforded by her conduct at
Carberry Hill. It is true that there might have
been an understanding between her and Bothwell,
that as soon as she was reinstated in her power, she
would recall him to a share of her throne and bed.
But even supposing that, notwithstanding the alleged
violence of her love, she had been willing to consent
to a temporary separation, both she and Bothwell
knew the spirit of the men they had to deal with
too well to trust to the chance of outwitting them,
after yielding to their demands. Mary must have
been aware, that if she parted with Bothwell at all.
she, in all probability, parted with him for ever.
Had she truly loved him, she would rather hav«
braved all risks (as she did with Darnley when Mur-
ray rebelled) than have abandoned him just at the
crisis of his fortune. But she had at no period fell
more than the commonest friendship for Bothwell ;
and since she had been seized by him at the Brie
of Almond, she had absolutely hated him. Melvil
accordingly, expresses himself regarding this trail
action in. these term: 'Albeit her majesty was
Carberry Hill, I cannot name it to be her army ;
many of them that were with her, were of opinic
that she had intelligence with the lords ; chiefly su<
as understood of the Earl Bothwell's mishandling
her, and many indignities that he had both said am
done unto her since their marriage. He was
beastly and suspicious, that he suffered her not
pass a day in patience, or without giving her
to shed abundance of salt tears. Thus, part of
own company detested him ; and the other part
lieved that her majesty would fain have been quit
of him, but thought shame to be the doer theree
directly herself.' Melville adds, that, so determine
was Bothwell not to leave the field if he could avoie
it, he ordered a soldier to shoot Grange when
overheard the arrangement which he and the que
were making. It was ' not without great difficulty,
says another contemporary writer, that Mary pi
vailed upon Bothwell to mount his horse, and
away with a few followers back to Dunbar. Th(
difficulty there would be in bringing about this
summation cannot be doubted; but that a wife
one month's standing, who is said for his sake
have murdered her former husband, should permil
nay beseech him, thus to sneak off a field he rnigl
have won, had she allowed him to fight, is
more legitimate cause of wonder. When Bothwel
left Carberry Hill, he turned his back upon a quee
and a throne ; — he left hope behind, and must have
seen only ruin before. As soon as her husband he
departed, Mary desired Grange to lead her to tl
lords. Morton and the rest came forward to
her, and received her with all due respect. '
queen was on horseback, and Grange himself wall
at her bridle. On riding up to the associated noble
she said to them, — ' My Lords, I am come to yoi
not out of any fear I had of my life, nor yet doul
of the victory, if matters had gone to the worst ;
I abhor the shedding of Christian blood, especially
of those that are my own subjects ; and therefore
yield to you, and will be ruled hereafter by
counsels, trusting you will respect me as your
princess and queen.' " ['Life of Mary, Queen
Scots,' edn. 1840, pp. 101, 102.]
CARDEN, a hill in the south-west of the Ki,-
bucho district of Broughton parish, Peebles-shire ;
elevated about 1,400 feet above the level of the
Tweed.
CARDROSS, a parish in the county of Dumbar-
ton; about 8 miles in length, and from 2 to 4 in
breadth; bounded on the north by Luss; on the
east by the river Leven, which divides it from Bon-
hill and Dumbarton; on the south by the frith of
Clyde ; and on the west by the parish of Row. The
superficial extent of the parish is about 13,000 acres,
of which one-half are under tillage. Assessed pro-
perty in 1815, £6,390. The bed of the Clyde is
here from 1 to 2 miles in width, but a considerable
tract of land might be redeemed by embanking, the
river itself having evidently contracted its limits ir
this quarter. The gains on salmon-fishings in the
Clyde in this parish, were very valuable in formei
ages, but are now of little value. The fishings ii
the Leven belong to the corporation of Dumbarton
The surface rises, with a gradual ascent, from
CAR
207
CAR
shore for upwards of 2 miles, till it terminates in a
ridge which separates it from the lands in the neigh-
bourhood of the Leven and Loch Lomond. On the
shore, the soil is gravelly and thinly covered witli
mould; at a short distance, it becomes clay; the
lands adjacent to the Leven are of the nature of
carse. The natural wood and plantations cover
about 300 acres. The printfields and bleaching-
fields in this parish employ a number of hands ; and
the village of Renton, founded in 1782, is rapidly
•easing. See RENTON. The village of Bridgend
ed in 1831 a population of 635. It is properly
iburb of Dumbarton Near Renton, in the old
sion-house of Dalquhurn or Bonhill, was born To-
bias Smollett, the well-known author of ' Roderick
Random.' After a chequered life of 51 years, he died
at Leghorn, whither he had gone for the recovery of
his health, in 1771. Adjacent to the place of his
nativity, Smollett of Bonhill, his cousin, erected a
lofty Tuscan column to his memory, with a Latin
inscription. — A little west of the Leven, upon a
small wooded eminence called Castlehill, at the first
milestone from Dumbarton, stood a residence of
King Robert Bruce. In this castle — of which no
vestige is now discernible — that favourite prince, as
history and tradition inform us, breathed his last on
June 7, 1329, at the age of 55.— Population, in 1801,
2,549; in 1831, 3,596. Houses 374 The village
of Cardross lies on the shores of the frith, is 3£ miles
west of Dumbarton, and 4£ east of Helensburgh.
Ferry-boats formerly used to ply regularly between
this place and Port-Glasgow, on the opposite coast.
It appears from a register of the weather kept at
Keppoch, in this parish, from 1826 to 1832, that
the average highest range of the barometer during
these seven years was 30-j^, and the lowest 28,^ ;
while the highest range of the thermometer was
84°, and the average 78°. There is preserved at
Keppoch an original portrait of Principal Carstairs.
—This parish is in the presbytery of Dumbarton,
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Stipend £155 8s.
9d., with a glebe of the value of £25. Patron, the
Crown. Church built in 1826; sittings 800. There
are a United Secession church, and a chapel-of-ease or
missionary station, in the village of Renton ; and a
Relief congregation in Bridgend. Schoolmaster's
salary £34, with about £60 fees. In 1834, there
were 7 private schools in the parish attended by
about 300 scholars. A considerable portion of the
parochial schoolmaster's emoluments arise from a
notification in land and money, by Napier of Kil-
malow, in the 17th century. In 1690, Mrs. Jane
Moore bequeathed £500 for behoof of the poor in this
wish. From this bequest the ?«nds of Balleme-
«och, now yielding a yearly rent of above £200,
•vere purchased, besides £1,000 invested in the 3
>er cents, under trust of the minister, heritors, and
->ion.
CARESTON. See CARALDSTON.
CARFRAE MILL, a well-known stage on the
oad from Edinburgh to Kelso, by Lauder ; 21 miles
roiii Edinburgh, 20| from Kelso, and 5A from
^auder. It is pleasantly situated near the Leader,
11 tin- parish of Channelkirk.
CARGILL, a parish of Perthshire, in Strath-
; bounded by Lethendy and that part of Cupar-
which belongs to Perthshire, on the north ;
upar-Angus in Forfar, and by Colace, on the
ast; by St. Martins on the south; and by Kin-
laven on the west. It is about 6 miles in length,
nd from 4 to 5 in breadth. The surface is finely
iversificd with wood and water, and variegated by
i entle ascents and declivities. Rising gradually for
bout a mile from the Tay, which bounds it on the
'< 'eat, it then forms a plain of near 2 miles in breadth,
extending to the Sidlaw hills, which form the south
boundary. The soil, on the banks of the river, is a
deep rich clay ; towards the middle it is loamy ; at
the foot of the hills it becomes gravelly and unpro-
ductive. Near the west end of the parish, the Tay
forms what is called the Linn of Campsie, by falling
over a rugged basaltic dyke which crosses the bed
of the river at this place, and extends in a right line
many miles to the north and south of it. The most
romantic and magnificent views on the Tay are in
this parish. The Isla runs into the Tay about half-
a-mile above the village of Cargill. The salmon-
fisheries on both these rivers are of considerable
value. In former times this parish abounded with
wood : at present, there are only about 100 acres of
natural coppice, and 400 of plantation. Several free-
stone quarries of excellent quality and colour have
been wrought here to a considerable extent. Lime-
stone also is found, and might be wrought to good
account : there is also abundance of rock marl. Near
the confluence of the Tay and Isla are vestiges of a
Roman encampment : the fossa are yet distinct, and
the aqueduct by which they were filled from a neigh-
bouring river is in a state of high preservation. A
Roman road, about 20 feet broad, composed of rough
round stones rudely laid together, passes along the
high grounds — Stobhall, formerly a seat of the Perth
family, now belonging to Lord Willoughby D'Eresby,
is an old fabric fancifully situated on a narrow penin-
sula on the banks of the Tay. It came into the
possession of the family of Perth, in 1 360, when Sir
John Drummond, by marrying Lady Mary, the eldest
daughter and co-heiress of Sir William de Montifex,
justiciar of Scotland, and chief of a most ancient
family, obtained with her the lands of Cargill and
Stobhall, which then became promiscuously the de-
signation of the family — Upon a romantic rock,
which rises perpendicularly over the Linn of Camp-
sie, are the ruins of an ancient religious house, said
to have been dependent on the abbey of Cupar : next
to the kings of Scotland, the Hays of Errol were the
principal benefactors to this monastery. The abbey
of Cupar was suppb'ed with fuel from the wood of
Campsie ; and the road which the abbots and monks
made use of to convey it thither, is still called the
Abbey road. A considerable manufacture of linen
is carried on in this parish, and there are some bleach-
fields. There are three villages in the parish ; one of
which, named Strelitz, in honour of her late majesty,
was erected in 1763, as a place of residence for the
discharged soldiery, at the conclusion of the German
war. Population, in 1801, 1,585; in 1831, 1,628.
Houses 310. Assessed property in 1815, £7,620.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Dunkeld, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Stipend £224 16s. 9d.,
with a glebe of the value of £14. Unappropriated
teinds £4 16s. 6d. Patron, the Crown. There is
an extension church at the village of Burrelton
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4id., with about £15
fees. There are 3 private schools. This parish was
formerly called the West parish, and is said to have
been only a part of the parish of Cupar- Angus ; but
it was considered a distinct parochial district as far
back as 1514.
CARINGTON. See CARRINGTON.
CARITY, a small river, which has its source in
the parish of Lintrathen, Forfarshire, and, after a
course of 5 miles, falls into the South Esk, at the
village of Invercarity.
CARLETON HILL, a hill in the parish of Col-
monell, in Ayrshire, which rises with a steep ascent
to an elevation of about 520 feet* above the level of the
* The admeasurement given in the Old Statistical Account,
vol. ii. p. 60,] is 1,554 feet! The writer surely meant to lay
is feet, instead of as many yards. S«e our note p. 8UL
CAR
208
CAR
sea. It is situated so near the sea, at the bottom
of a bay of the same name, that at full tide there is
little more than room for the traveller to pass with-
out danger.
CARLIN SKERRY, an insulated rock, m Ork-
ney, about 2| miles south of Pomona island, well-
known to seamen by the name of the Barrel of
Butter.
CARLINWARK. See CASTLE-DOUGLAS.
CARLOPS, a pleasant village in the parish of
Linton in Peebles-shire ; 14 miles from Edinburgh,
on the road to Dumfries. It was founded in 1784;
and now contains a population of nearly 200, chiefly
cotton-spinners. The scenery of ' The Gentle Shep-
herd' is generally supposed to be in this vicinity.
In the neighbourhood, on the south side of the Esk,
is a lonely glen in which the covenanters are said
to have found a temporary refuge after the defeat at
Rullion-Green on the Pentlands, in November 1666.
On the north side of this glen are some precipitous
rocks — probably the " craggy beild" of Allan's drama
—from one of which, called the Harbour Craig, the
covenanting preachers are said to have addressed their
adherents. Farther up the glen, at a place called
the Howe, is a beautiful little linn, [See HABBIE'S
HOWE,] which seems to furnish further proof that
these are the very scenes
" that taught the Doric muse
Her sweetest song, — the hills, the woods, the streams,
Where beauteous Pe?gy stray'd, list'ning th« while
Her gentle shepherd's tender tale of lore."
James Forrest, the author of some pleasing poems
in the Scottish dialect, died at Carlops in 1818,
aged 43. He was a weaver by trade.
CARLUKE, a parish in the upper ward of the
county of Lanark; about 8 miles in length, from the
Clyde to its boundary on the north, and fully 4£
miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north by
Cambusnethan parish; on the east by Carnwath,
Carstairs, and Lanark ; on the south by the Clyde,
which separates it from Lesmahagow; and on the
west by Cambusnethan, from which it is separated
by Garrion gill. In the New Statistical Account
its superficies is estimated at 15,360 imperial acres,
of which nearly the whole are under cultivation.
The assessed property, in 1815, was £8,553. The
present rental is nearly £30,000, exclusive of the
mineral produce, which may amount to £20,000.
The surface rises to a considerable height on the
eastern border, where it terminates in a moorish
tract of land : it has in consequence a great declivity,
but almost the whole is arable. The soil, on the
banks of the Clyde, is light and fertile ; farther up
it becomes a rich mellow clay excellently adapted
for trees and generally covered with woods and
orchards. In the more distant fields, the soil is in
general shallow, poor, and unproductive. The banks
of the Clyde, which are here low and sheltered, are
famous for fruit ; and in this parish, apples and pears
are produced in more abundance than perhaps in any
other district in Scotland. The orchards extend in
length 5 miles, and are supposed to comprehenc
nearly 130 acres. In 1822 they produced £3,043;
in 1838, only £444. The principal proprietor is Sir
Norman Macdonald Lockhart of Lee and Carnwath,
Baronet. There are several little hills or laws, o:
which the loftiest is Kilcadzow law, which has an
elevation of nearly 900 feet. Coal abounds every-
where : the strata are minutely described in the New
Statistical Account. Freestone, lime, and ironstone
are also abundant ; and metallic calces, and calcareous
petrifactions, are sometimes met with. Mauldslie
castle, built in 1792-3, the elegant seat of the late
Earl of Hyndford, is situated near the village o:
Carluke. Milton-Lockhart is a fine building in the
nanorial style, very beautifully situated. Hallbar,
in ancient square tower in this parish, beautifullj
ituated in a romantic dell, in a deed dated 1685, i:
;alled the ' Tower and Fortalice of Braid wood.' Ha'-
lill, or Haugh-hill — an elevated mound near Mauk
>lie castle — rises to the height of between 60 and 7(
eet, and contains the remains of the last two Earl
f Hyndford. Various remains of antiquity ha\
)een dug up in the neighbourhood. This parish gave
>irth, in 1726, to Major-general Roy, whose abilitie
as a mathematician and antiquarian are well-kno)
Population, in 1801, 1,756; in 1831, 3,288. Hoi
630. There are three villages in the parish : namely
Sraidwood, Kilcadzow, and Yieldshields — This pz
ish — anciently called Kirk-Forest, probably from
situation in Mauldslie forest — is in the presbytery
Lanark, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Stipe
£231 19s; 6d., with a glebe valued at £30. Um
propriated teinds £429 16s. lid. Patron, Sir N<
man Macdonald Lockhart, Bart. Church built
1799; sittings 1,000. The manse is beautifu
situated. — Schoolmaster's salary £34, with al
£55 of fees. There are 6 unendowed schools.
1814, Mr. Reid of NeMeld bequeathed £2,000
this parish, to be expended in annuities to 12
sons in decayed circumstances. — Robert Forrest,
self-taught sculptor, is a native of this parish.
The burgh of CARLUKE, in the above parish,
5 miles west of Lanark, on the road leading
Glasgow, from which it is distant 18 miles,
has increased rapidly since the introduction of
cotton manufacture. The neighbouring scenery
much admired. Population, in 1838, 2,366. Mi
cipal constituency in 1839, 36. The Relief
have a handsome church here, erected in 1833,
seating 770; and there is also a church belonging
the Associate synod, erected in 1797, and seat
470. The stipend of the Relief minister is £11(
of the Old Light or Associate synod minister £12
with a house and garden. The Glasgow arid Wislu
railway might be easily prolonged to Carluke. Th<
are 2 fairs held here : on May 21st and October 31s
CARMICHAEL, a parish about 6 miles in len£
and from 3 to 4 in breadth, situated on the banks
the Clyde, in the upper ward of Lanarkshire ;
on the north by Lanark and Pettinain ; on the
by Covington ; on the south by Wiston ; and on
west by Douglas and Lesmahagow. The superfi
area is about 11,500 acres, of which more than
third part is arable. The value of assessed prc
in this parish, in 1815, was £4,326 ; the real
is about £4,600. The surface is very unequal :
are several hills of considerable height, covered
the most part with short heath. The famous Tii
is partly in this parish : see article TINTO. The
towards the Clyde is thin and gravelly, in the
parts it is clayey and wet. Coal and limestone,
cellent quality, are found here. The greater part •
the parish rests on old red sandstone. The late Ea
of Hyndford, who was the chief proprietor, enclose
and planted a great part of this parish. Upon his deat;
in 1817, his estates here reverted to Sir John Ca
michael Anstruther of Elie, Baronet.— The celebrat<
John, 3d Earl of Hyndford, who was born in 1701, ai
died in 1 767, was a great benefactor to this parish. T!
period of his lordship's political life was during tl
troublous days of Scotland, when the last of the e
iled house of Stuart made an unsuccessful strugg
to regain the British throne, which convulsed t
kingdom for several years. Devotedly attached
the house of Brunswick, the Earl was always high
favour with his Majesty, George II., by whom
was appointed envoy-extraordinary to the court
Russia, upon a special mission ; and upon the ac«
CAR
209
CAR
gion of George III., he was nominated Vice-admiral
of Scotland. Some idea may be formed of his lord-
ship's assiduity, from the fact that, in the library in
Westraw, there are 23 manuscript volumes of his
political life, in his own hand- writing. Besides, dur-
ing the whole of his stay abroad, he kept up a regu-
lar correspondence with his factor at Carmichael,
in which he evinces an accurate knowledge of archi-
tecture, agriculture, and rural affairs in general. A
few years before his death, he granted leases of 57
years' duration, in order to improve his lands ; and
even at that early period — when the rudest agricul-
tural practices were transmitted from sire to son, and
the most slovenly habits, both in the field and in the
dairy, were in general use — the Earl introduced clauses
into the new leases which have since been adopted as
the most approved mode of farming. The greater
part of the beautiful plantations which adorn the now
deserted family- mansion of Carmichael house, and
which are excelled by none in Scotland, were reared
from seeds which the ambassador selected when |
abroad, but particularly from Russia. His remains
rest in the family burying-ground in this parish — Car-
michael gave the title of Baron to the ancient and
noble family of Carmichael. James Carmichael, the
first Lord Carmichael, was created a Baronet by
Charles I. He was also, by that monarch, promoted
to be justice-clerk, deputy-treasurer, and one of the
judges in the court of session ; and, in the time of
the civil war, having lent His Majesty considerable
sums of money, he was created Baron Carmichael,
in 1647. His grandson was created Earl of Hynd-
ford in 1701. Population, in 1801,832; in 1831,
956. Houses 183 This parish is in the presby-
tery of Lanark, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
Stipend £225 2s. 7d., with a glebe of the value
of £20. Patrons, Sir W. C. Anstruther, Bart., and
Sir N. M'D. Lockhart, Bart. Church built in 1750;
sittings about 450. Schoolmaster's salary £32, with
about £30 fees. There is one private school.
CARMUNNOCK, or CARMANNOCK, a parish in
the under ward of Lanarkshire, extending, from east
to west, about 4 miles in length, and 2£ in breadth
from north to south. It is bounded on the north by
Cathcart ; on the east by Cambuslang ; on the south
by Kilbride; and on the west by Eaglesham and
Mearns. The greater part is elevated, and com-
an extensive prospect, particularly from the
mmmit of Cathkin braes, about 500 feet above sea-
evel; from which, in a clear day, Arthur's seat in
he neighbourhood of Edinburgh, Benledi in Perth-
hire, and the peaks of Arran, are all discernible,
soil is partly a light mould, and partly a strong
i clay, which, when properly drained and manured,
luces excellent crops. Of the whole extent,
ch is about 2,800 Scotch acres, nearly 2,400 are
d and cultivated. The White Cart runs along
western boundary. Its banks are here high, and
lost parts covered with wood, which, together
its rneanderings and the rapidity of its current,
the scenery very picturesque and romantic,
road from Glasgow to Muirkirk passes through
eastern part of this district. In many places
are coal, ironstone, and limestone, none of
i, however, has been here wrought to any ex-
There is also freestone. The village of Carmun-
has a population of about 400. It is 3 A miles
it from Rutherglen. The large village of Busby,
e Cart, belongs partly, quoad sacra, to this parish.
MEARNS. Many tumuli, or sepulchral cairns, are
met with here, which, when opened, have always
found to contain human bones and instruments
war. On the estate of Castlemilk are the remains
a Roman military road, near which have been
und various Roman antiquities. In the house of
Castlemilk — which is noted for its fine situation-
Mary Queen of Scots is said to have lodged the night
before the battle of Langside. Population, in 1801,
700; in 1831, 692. Houses 102. Assessed property,
in 1815, £6,002 This parish, formerly a vicarage,
is in the presbytery of Glasgow, and synod of Glas-
gow and Ayr. Stipend £152 17s. 6d., with a glebe
of the value of £19. Patron, Stirling of Castlemilk.
— Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4Ad., with about
£32 fees.
CARMYLE, a village in Old Monkland parish, in
Lanarkshire. It is noted for the beauty of its situa-
tion, having a fine southern exposure, watered by
the Clyde. This village originated in a muslin manu-
factory, erected about 1741, by a Glasgow merchant.
CARMYLIE, a parish in Forfarshire; extending
in length about 4 miles, and about 3 in breadth;
bounded on the north by Kirkden and part of Dun-
nichen parish ; on the east by Inverkeilor, Arbirlot.
and St. Vigeans; on the south by Arbirlot, Pan-
bride, and Moncrieff ; and on the west by Monikie,
Guthrie, and Dunnichen. It is a hilly tract of coun-
try, in the range of the Sidlaws ; but the hills are
capable of cultivation to their summits. Almost the
whole district shows a cold wet soil, on a till or
gravelly bottom. There are several moors and
marshes. A part of Dilty-moss lies on the western
skirts of this parish. There are inexhaustible quar-
ries of grey slate and pavement stones, which have
been wrought for centuries, and supply the neigh-
bourhood, besides being exported to Perthshire, Fife,
Leith, London, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. These quar-
ries are the property of Lord Panmure. The stone lies
in level beds, which are about 18 inches in thickness,
and are found close to the surface. The principal
mansion-house is that of Guynd. The small river
Elliot, or Elot, or its head-stream the Black burn,
which takes its rise in the east end of Dilty moss,
runs through the parish from north-west to south-
east. See ARBIRLOT. Population, in 1801, 892;
in 1831, 1,153. Houses 247. Assessed property, in
1815, £2,226. Rental, in 1808, £2,074. This par-
ish, erected in 1609, is in the presbytery of Arbroath,
and synod of Angus and Mearns. Stipend £151 8s.
3d., with glebe valued at £30. Patron, the Crown.
—Schoolmaster's salary £34, with about £20 fees.
There is a private school.
CARNACH, a quoad sacra parish, in the shire of
Ross, disjoined from the parishes of Contin, Fod-
derty, and Urray, by authority of the General As-
sembly. Its greatest length is 17 miles, and greatest
breadth 10 ; but the inhabited part of the parish is
a narrow valley about 14 miles long by one-sixth of
a mile broad. In 1830, the population was 1,056;
in 1836, only 711, — a decrease attributed to the in-
troduction of sheep-farming. The population ii
composed of small tenants of from £5 to £10 a-year,
and shepherds. Church built in 1830, chiefly at the
expense of Government ; sittings 320. Stipend
£120, with a manse and glebe, and grass for two
cows and a horse.
CARNBEE, a parish in Fifeshire; bounded by
Cameron on the north ; by Denino, Crail, and Kil-
renny on the east ; by Anstruther, Pittenweem, and
St. Monance on the south ; and by Kilconquhar on
the west. It is about 4 miles in extent from north
to south, and the same from east to west. A ridge of
hills runs east and west through the middle of the par-
ish, which, in different places, rises into fine green hills
of a conical outline, one of which, Kellie Law, rises
to the height of 810 feet above sea-level, and com-
mands a fine view. On the south side of these high
grounds, all the way down to the coast of the frith
of Forth, is an extent of rich fertile soil ; north of
the hills the ground is much more adapted for pas-
CAR
210
CAR
ture, though, in dry seasons, even there the crops
are abundant. Nearly two-thirds are subdivided and
enclosed. Kelliecastle, formerly the seat of the Earl
of Kellie, now belonging to the Earl of Mar, was
a large building, with stately apartments, and plea-
sure-grounds laid out with great taste, but is now
used as a farm-house. Balcaskie, the seat of Sir R.
A. Anstruther, Bart., is a fine old building. Pit-
corthie, the seat of James Simpson, Esq., is a mag-
nificent modern house. There are some excellent
lime and freestone quarries, and coal is extensively
wrought. Population, in 1801, 1,083; in 1831, 1,379.
Houses, in 1831, 233. Assessed property, in 1815,
£1*1,502 This parish is in the presbytery of St.
Andrews, and synod of Fife. Patron, Sir R. A.
Anstruther, Baronet. Stipend £238 17s. 8d., with
a glebe of the value of £30. Unappropriated teinds
£236 13s. 8d.— Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d.,
with about £25 fees. There is one private school
in the parish.
CARNIBURG, OR CAIRNBURG (GREATER
and LESSER), two of the Treshinish isles, lying west
of Mull. There are some remains of a fort on Cairn-
burg More, said to have been constructed by a party
of Macleans, who here held out for some time against
a detachment of Cromwell's forces.
CARN-NA-CUIMHNE. See BRAEMAR.
CARN-NAN-GOUR. See BLAIR- ATHOLE.
CARNOCK, a parish in the western extremity of
the county of Fife ; in the Dunfermline district. It
is bounded by Saline on the north ; Dunfermline on
the east; Torryburn on the south; and Torryburn
and part of Perthshire on the west. Superficial area
2,160 acres. The surface is level towards the east,
but has a gentle declivity towards the south and west,
and rises on the north and north-east into the hills
of Craigluscar. The soil is partly a black loam, and
partly clay or till, having in several places a mixture
of gravel. The rivulets of Carnock and Pitdennies
have their banks covered with plantations of fir,
larix, and ash ; and present very pleasing scenery in
several parts, particularly at Luscar-den near Car-
nock. The principal villages are Carnock and Cair-
neyhill, both pleasantly situated, the former upon
the Carnock, the latter about 2 miles to the south,
upon the road leading from Dunfermline to Stirling.
The population of Carnock village, in 1837, was 178.
There are several excellent coal-mines in this dis-
trict ; ironstone and freestone are also found. From
the Ink-craig of Carnock there continually drops a
fluid resembling ink, which was analyzed by Dr.
Black, and found to contain coal, silex, and pure
clay. John Erskine, of Carnock, professor of Scots
law in the University of Edinburgh, and author of
the well-known Vade mecum of young lawyers, the
' Institutes of the Law of Scotland,' was born in
Newbigging house, in this parish. The famous Tho-
mas Gillespie, the father of the Relief body in Scot-
land, was minister of this parish, but was deposed
by the General Assembly in 1752, for refusing to
preside at the induction of a minister who was ob-
noxious to the people. Population, in 1801, 860 ; in
1831, 1,202. Houses, in 1831, 226. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £3,226.— This parish is in the pres-
bytery of Dunfermline and synod uf Fife. Stipend
£155 7s. 7d., with a glebe of tile value of £24.
Patron, Erskine of Carnock. There is a Secession
congregation at CAIRNEYHILL : which see. The old
parish-church at Carnock was built in 1602. It is
a very small building, seating only 240; but it is in-
teresting as the church in which Row the his-
torian, son of the Reformer, ministered. His tomb,
with a Latin inscription and a Hebrew title, adjoins.
It is interesting also as the church in which, at
an after-day, Mr. Hog, and Mr. Gillespie, whose
deposition — as already noticed — was the origin of the
Relief, both successively laboured. A handsome
new church, in the Saxon style, has recently been
built. — Salary of schoolmaster £34 4s. 4gd., with
about £16 fees. There are 3 private schools in the
parish, one of them a boarding-school for girls.
CARNOUSTIE, a village in the parish of Barrie,
in Forfarshire. It is at the east end of the parish,
about 1£ mile from the kirk-town. Population, ii
1835, 1,200. There is an extension church here
an original Secession church, and a United Seces
church. See article BARRIE.
CARNWATH, an extensive parish in the upj
ward of the county of Lanark, forming an obloi
square, measuring 12 miles long from north to soutl
and 8 in breadth. It is bounded by West Calder
the north ; by Dunsyre on the east ; by Pettii
and Libberton on the south ; and by Carstairs on
west. The Clyde flows along its southern boundary :
and when highly flooded is here forded by a float ri
ning upon a chain. Superficial area 25, 193 Scots am
of which one-half is uncultivated. The
property, in 1815, was £10,384; the rental, inl*
£14,000. The soil is very various in different [
of the parish ; the holms or meadows on the Clyc
being of a deep clay, while on the Medwins it is
clined to sand. There is a great extent of me
land, of which the soil is a cold stiff clay mixed wit
moss. The general elevation of the parish is
feet above sea-level; but it rises in some parts
1,200 feet.* The north and the south Medwin,
the Dippool, tributaries of the Clyde in this paris
contain trout and pike. There is a small lake, caLU
the White loch, about a mile west from the vil
of Carnwath, near a mile in circuit, containing perc
and well-known to curlers as the frequent scene
their manly and invigorating pastime. Two
of the name of Wilson, merchants in London, in II 't
erected an extensive iron-foundry here, and built
village called Wilsonton — now containing a popi "
tion of about 400— for the accommodation of
workmen and their families. These works wt
peculiarly happy in their situation, as irons
coal, limestone, and clay, are found in the gres
abundance in the immediate neighbourhood; bi
the failure of their projectors, in 1812, was a sevt
blow to the prosperity of the district. In 1821, '
works were purchased by Mr. Dickson of the
der iron- works. The other villages are Carnwath
Forth, with a population of about 300, Newbiggm
with about 200, and Braehead with about 120.— Th
ruins of the ancient castle of Cowthally, or Cow
* The following table is curious, and will interest not a fe1
of our agricultural readers :—
Seed-time commenced on the
•north banks of the Clyde, at
Carnwafh, at the following
dates, for 21 years :
1796, March 1st,
1797, February 27th,
1798, March 29th,
1799, March 13th,
1800, March 21st,
1801, March 9tli,
1802, March 17th,
1803, March 22d,
1804, March 12th,
1805, March 19th,
1806, March '24th,
1807, March 26th,
1808, March 7th,
1809, March 9th,
1810, March 27th,
1811, March 18th,
1812, April 3d,
1813, March 18th,
1*14, March 28th,
1815, March 21st,
} HI 6, March 26th,
1817, March 18th,
Harvest commenced for eat
of these years on the sail
farm as follows :
September 12th,
September 16th,
August 16th,
September 26th,
September 1st,
August 24th,
September loth,
August 31st,
September llth,
September 5th,
September 6i.li,
September 7lh,
August 22d,
September 13th,
September 12th,
September 10th,
September 25th,
September 4th,
September 6th,
September 12th,
September 14th,
CAR
211
CAR
dailly, a seat of the noble family of Somerville, about
a mile to the north-west of Carnwath, on the edge
of the moor, show it to have been of great extent
and strength.* The Somervilles settled here about
the middle of the 12th century. Sir John Somer-
ville of Carnwath and Lint on was the steady ad-
herent of The Bruce. In 1603, the family of Mar
purchased the barony of Carnwath, but sold it in
1634 to Robert Lord Dalziel, created Earl of Carn-
wath in 1639. The title was attainted in 1715, but
restored, in 1826, in the person of General Dalziel.
Population of the parish, in 1801 , 2,680 ; in 1831 ,3,505.
Houses 707 The village of CARNWATH is 25 miles
south- west of Edinburgh, 6 east of Lanark, and 7 north-
west of Biggar. It consists chiefly of one street, nearly
half-a-mile in length, in which a number of new houses
have been built within these few years, and to which
a parallel street has been added. Population, in
1831, about 800, chiefly weavers. The high road
from Edinburgh to Lanark passes through it. Five
fairs are held in this village annually. On the day
after the lamb fair in August there is a foot-race run
for a pair of red hose, given by the Lockhart family,
and a variety of games are practised. — This parish is
in the presbytery of Lanark, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Stipend £250 7s. 6d., with glebe of the
value of £20. Uappropriated teinds £140 17s.
8d. Patron, Sir Norman MacDonald Lockhart,
Baronet. Church built in 1798, repaired in 1833;
sittings 1,021. It is built contiguous to a part of the
ancient church which was founded in 1424, and was,
previous to the Reformation, a provostry with six
prebendaries. The aisle of the old building has
been successively the burying-place of the Sommer-
villes, the Dalziels, and the Lockharts. — There is a
United Secession congregation at Braehead. Church
built in 1798; sittings 500. Stipend £70, with
manse and glebe. — There is another Secession church
it Carnwath ; and a chapel in connexion with the
Establishment at Wilsonton — Parochial schoolmas-
salary £34 4s. 4£d., with about £34 fees.
Pupils 100. There were 8 private schools in 1834.
CARR ROCK (THE), the outer extremity of a
eef of sunken rocks, which extend, in an almost
ontinuous ridge, for about a mile and three quarters
rom Fifeness, on the northern side of the entrance
•f the frith of Forth. It is in lat. 56° 17', .and
2° 35' west of London ; bearing by compass
>. VY*. by W. from the Bell-rock, distant 11 miles;
nd from the Isle of May lighthouse N. N. E.
E. distant 6 miles. From a calculation made in
809, it appeared that, from 1802 to that period, no
than 16 vessels had been lost or stranded on
dangerous reef, which forms a turning-point in
irse of all northern bound ships to or from the
i of Forth. An old fisherman, who had been resi-
at Fifeness for above sixty years, stated that
had been, within his recollection, at least 60
lost upon the Carr : " For, if she missed her
: one year, she was sure to hit twice the year
Howing. ' Under these circumstances, the corn-
oners of the northern lighthouses were induced
rect a beacon of masonry on this rock. The
Jig of this was a business of great difficulty,
the smallness of the foundation afforded by the
and the agitation of the waves on all halt-tide
. The length of the beacon rock, from south
' The Memorie of the Somerville.s' — a curious book, pub-
in 1816 from the original MS. which was written by James
rvillc, who died in 1090, and \yho is styled in the title-
James Kleventh Lord Somerville— many curious notices
Ten of the royal visits to Cowthally ; and especially of
irtations of James V. with " Mistress Katherine Car-
tell, the captain of Crawhiird's daughter, a young lady
about sexteinth years of age, admired for her beiiutie,
oinenes of persone, and vivacity of spirit."
to north, is onlv 72 feet ; but its greatest breadth,
at low water o^ spring-tides, is only 23 feet ; and it
was found impracticable to obtain a base for a founda-
tion-course of greater diameter than 18 feet ; whence
the impossibility of erecting any building of sufficient
height to be above the reach of very weighty seas,
which would at once be fatal to the effect and ap-
paratus of a lighthouse. From the necessity of hav-
ing to cut down the rock under tide-mark, a move-
able cofferdam had to be used, out of which the
water was pumped every tide. The building of the
base of masonry alone occupied three years, so difficult
was the undertaking : the operation being conducted
only in good weather, and at the return of spring-
tides. A year's work in such circumstances did not
exceed 130 hours' working. It was eventually com-
pleted in 1818, after six years' labour. The lower
part is a circular building of masonry, 18 feet in
diameter, from the top of which spring six pillars of
cast-iron, terminating in a point, with a hollow ball
of that metal, which measures 3 feet across, and is
elevated 25 feet above the medium level of the sea.
The works cost altogether about £5,000.
CARRICK, the southern district of Ayrshire. It
is bounded on the north by Kyle, or Ayr proper ; on
the east by Dumfries-shire and the stewartry of
Kirkcudbright ; on the south by Wigton ; and on the
west by the Atlantic ocean. It comprehends the
parishes of Ballantrae, Barr, Colmonell, Dailly, Gir-
van, Kirkmichael, Kirkoswald, Maybole, and Straiten.
Its extent is about 32 miles in length, by 20 in breadth ;
its superficial area may be estimated in round num-
bers at 300,000 acres. Population, in 1831, 25,538.
Inhabited houses 3,845. Its surface is hilly ; and the
name may have originated in the Gaelic carraig, * a
rock.' The mountains, especially on the north-west,
seem to be a continuation of that great ridge which
extending from the confines of England, through the
counties of Selkirk, Peebles, Lanark, and Dumfries,
meets the Western ocean between the districts of
Carrick and Kyle. In the valleys between the hills,
and along the sea-shore, are many stripes- of level
ground of a fine clay or loamy soil. The chief rivers
are the Girvan and the Stinchar ; the Doon forms its
eastern boundary. There are several lakes, and a
great part of the country is still covered with natu-
ral wood Our old historian, Boece, with his usual
fertility of imagination, has discovered, in this dis-
trict, a large city totally unknown to every other
historian. Bellenden thus abridges his account of it :
" In Carrick wes sum time ane riche ciete vnder the
same name, quhais ruynus wallis schawis the gret
magnificence thairof." Boece calls this city Caret-
tonium ; but acknowledges his hesitation whether
this was the origin of the name Carrick or not.
In a manuscript quoted by Dr. Jamieson, we have
the following curious statement: — " No monu-
ments of batells to be seen in this countrey, ex-
cept nerr the villidge of ancient Turneburrey,
alonge the coste, betwixt a litell promontorey
and the sea. Ther is 3 werey grate heapes of
stonnes, callid wulgarley the Kernes of Blackinney,
being the name of the village and ground. At the
suthermost of thir 3 Cairnes ar ther 13 gret tale
[tall] stonnes, standing vpright in a perfyte circkle,
aboute some 3 ells ane distaunt from ane other, with
a grate heighe stonne in the midle, wich (sic) is
werily esteemid be the most learned inhabitants to
be the bvriall place of King Caractacus ; being most
probable, in so far as Hector Boetius sayes, that the
kin^ wes interrid in Carricke, quherein he remained
during the most pairt of his rainge [reign] ; and that
from him this countrey wes named Carricke; and
that thir stonnes, his monument, are as yet standing
IK-IT the tounc of Turnberrcy, wich wes questionles
CAR
212
CAR
the ancient Carrictonium. This same conjecture is so
muche the more probable in that, that King Galdus,
that succeedit him, (I meane Carractake,) his buriall
place is yet knawin, within 3 mylles to the toune of
Vigtoune, in Galloway, which is after the same forme,
being 19 stonnes in compas, and 3 in the midle,
wich then hes beine the most honorable forme of
buriall, befor churches and church yairds were
designed places of sepulture. Ther is found and
obserued this yeir 1632, within a myle to the castle
of Turnburrey, some sandey landes, newly discouered,
wich formerly had beine ouerblouen. Yet the new
discouery reaches, in the ancient ground, dounwards
above ane elle and a halffe, as the ther standinge
knowes cleirly demonstrate, exposing to the beholders
numbers of coffins neatly hewin of five stonnes, with
oute couer or bottome, beinge 7. foote longe, and 3.
vyde, all laying east and weste, with an equall propor-
tione of distance ane from ane vther . ' ' Carrick fell into
the hands of the father of Robert Bruce, by his mar-
riage with Margaret, Countess of Carrick, daughter of
Neill, the Earl of Carrick. See article TURNBBRRY.
King Robert granted the earldom to his brother Da-
vid. It afterwards reverted to the Crown ; and the
title is still retained in the royal family, the Prince
of Wales, as prince and steward of Scotland, being
born Earl of Carrick. John Steward is not only de-
signed 'Comes de Carryk,' but the first-born of
King Robert II. This can be no other than that
prince who, on his accesion, changed his name to
Robert, and thence obtained the ludicrous soubriquet
of John Fairnyear, i. e. ' John of the last year,'
or 'formerly John.' David, the first-born of this
King Robert, is designed 'Comes de Carrie,' A.D.
1397, when, with some others, nominated for settling
disputes about the marches with Richard, " our ad-
versary of England." This was that unfortunate
prince who was afterwards starved to death by his
inhuman uncle, who is named, in the same deed, as
one of his associates, under the designation of ' Ro-
bertus Comes de Fyf, Frere du Roy.' The "lands
and barony of Turneberrie" are mentioned as part of
the hereditary property of the Earl of Cassillis, A. D.
1616. The Duke of Argyle is hereditary keeper of
the palace of Carrick, as well as of those of Dun-
stafFnage and Dunoon. It may be viewed as a ves-
tige of the ancient honours of this palace, although
now in ruins, that one of the pursuivants (siyniferi)
employed in making royal proclamations, and in sum-
moning those accused of treason, bears the name of
Carrick. Among the original Melrose charters are
several of the old earls of Carrick. Their seals bear
a winged griffin, but no armorial charge. There is
an interesting one, by ' Margeria, Comitissa de Kar-
rick,' and her husband, ' R. de Brus, Comes de
Karri ck.' Both seals are entire, and identical, — only
the countess's is a great deal larger than her lord's.
This Bruce's father, the competitor, bore the arms of
Annandale, a saltier, with a chief, plain. Marjory
and her husband bear the saltier and chief; but the
latter charged with what might perhaps be consi-
dered as the Carrick griffin, though its wings are
rather scanty, — and it is very like a lion passant.
CARRICK CASTLE. See Locn-GoiL.
CARRICK PALACE. See TURNBERRT.
CARRIDEN, a parish in the county of Linlith-
gow, bounded by the frith of Forth on the north ; by
Abercorn parish on the east; Linlithgow on the
south ; and Borrowstounness on the west. It is
about 2| miles in length, and 1 £ in breadth. The
soil is light and early, producing plentiful crops, and
the whole surface is arable and enclosed. There are
four villages in the parish : viz., Grangepans, Carri-
den, Brigness or Bridgeness, and Blackness, the two
last of which have tolerable harbours. There is
plenty of excellent freestone, and the whole parish
lies on coal of the best quality. A considerable
manufacture of salt used to be carried on here. Col-
onel James Gardiner, who was killed at the battle i
Prestonpans, in 1745, was a native of this paris
Population, in 1801, 1,493; in 1831, 1,261. Hoi
184. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,430.—
parish is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, and sj .
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Stipend £249 17s. wii
glebe of the value of £25, and a vicarage teind
48 threaves of straw. Unappropriated teinds
17s. 5d. Patron, the Duke of Hamilton Sch<
master's salary £34 5s. There are 3 private schc
The wall of Antoninus is supposed to have had it
termination in this parish. See article BLACKNESS
Several years ago, when digging stones to build
park- wall, a number of axes, pots, and vases,
dently of Roman workmanship, were discovered at i
place called Walltoun, and sent to the Adv(
library in Edinburgh. In the reign of William
Lion, .Carriden was the property of William de Ve
tereponte, with baronial rights. David II. convej
this barony to Alexander de Cockburn; becai
John de Vetereponte had alienated his rights, wit
out the King's license first obtained.
CARRINGTON, a parish in the shire of
burgh, about 3J miles in length, measured
north-east to south-west, by about 2 in breadt
It is bounded by the parishes of Lasswade and C(
pen on the north ; by Borthwick parish on the eg
by Temple and Pennicuik on the south ; and
Lasswade on the west. The South Esk sepj
it from Temple and Borthwick parishes. The
trict is hilly, and the soil generally moorish,
village of Carrington, or Primrose, is about 10
south-east of Edinburgh. The Earl of Rosebei
has a seat near this village ; and a splendid mar
is now erecting by R. W. B. Ramsay, Esq.,
Whitehall in this parish. Population, in 1801,
in 1831, 561. Houses, in 1831, 107. Assessed
perty £4,474 This parish is in the presbytery
Dalkeith, and synod of Lothian and Tweedf "
Stipend £158 7s. 5d., with glebe valued at
Patron, the Earl of Roseberry — Schoolmaster's
lary £34 4s. 4|d. with about £10 fees.
CARRON, a village in the parish of ]
Stirlingshire ; on the northern bank of the ^^,
about 3 miles from its entrance into the Forth,
2 miles north of the town of Falkirk. It is cele
brated as the most extensive iron-foundry in Europe
though, of late years, a greater quantity of pig-iroi
has been manufactured at some other works. Thes
works employ about 2,000 workmen. There are .
blast or smelting furnaces, 4 cupola-furnaces, and 2
air-furnaces ; with mills for grinding fire-clay, borin
cylinders, and grinding and polishing cast metal ; an
besides the machinery which is driven by water, ther
is a steam-engine of 90 horses power, which is use
entirely in the production of blast. All kinds <
cast-iron goods are manufactured here ; not only ir
struments of war, such as cannon, mortars ar
carronades, shot and shells, but implements of agr
culture, of the arts, and for domestic use, pipe
boilers, ovens, vats, pots, grates, and smith and m;
chinery of all kinds. To a stranger, the approat
to the works is very curious and striking, especial
if made under the shade of night. The perpetual i
lumination of the atmosphere, — the roaring of t
immense bellows, — the rushing of water, — and t)
noise of the weighty hammers striking upon resoun
ing anvils, — suggest to the imagination the idea
Vulcan and his Cyclops occupied in preparing thu
der-bolts. Two kinds of ore are employed in tht
works together, in regular proportions. The first
a species of decomposed haematites brought
CAR
213
CAR
Cumberland, which stains the hand of a blood-red
colour ; the second is the common argillaceous iron-
stone, of a yellowish brown colour, and of a rocky
hardness. From the proper proportions of these
an iron is procured, equal, if not superior, to
sable iron imported from Russia. The Carron-
rks were first projected by Dr. Roebuck of Shef-
in 1760; are carried on by a chartered com-
with a capital of .£150,000 sterling, divided
600 shares, which are now in a few hands. The
ipany hold and work for themselves extensive
of iron, coal, and lime, besides possessing an
;nse stock of all materials requisite for carrying
the establishment. There are two large collieries
liately adjoining the works. The company
?e about 20 vessels for exporting their manufac-
to London, and other ports, and for conveying
istone and limestone to their works.
CARRON (THE), a small but remarkable river in
Stirlingshire. It rises in or near the Carron bog, and
falls into the Forth at Grangemouth, about 3 miles
north-east of Falkirk, after a course of 14 miles. The
Carron bog is a meadow of about 360 acres, partly
in the parishes of St. Ninian and Kilsyth, but chiefly
in Fintry. Its length is about 3 miles, and medium
breadth 400 yards. Considerably elevated above the
ocean, it occupies part of the table-land between the
east and west coasts. The Carron, passing through
the eastern end, flows into the frith of Forth ; while
a stream tributary to the Endrick, issuing from the
west, has its waters conveyed by the last-mentioned
river to Lochlomond, which discharges itself into
the frith of Clyde. The bog has, probably, been a
lake at no very distant period, and gradually filled by
the brooks washing down earth from the hills. Part,
indeed, is a swamp, hardly passable in summer ; and
the whole is nearly inundated by every heavy rain.
[See article FINTRY.] The Carron, after it leaves its
source, flows for one-half of its course amongst bleak
hills and rocks. After emerging from the Carron bog,
it rushes over the Auchinlilly linn spout. From this
it continues its course eastward, giving motion to
several paper-mills above Denny, and watering some
large printfields below it, and then winding through
"the bonny banks of Carron water," long since
famed in song, it passes near the hill of Dunipace,
and the site of the ancient Roman structure called
Arthur's Oven: see article ARTHUR. At Larbert a
dam is built across the river, which, with the lead,
supplies the great reservoir at the Carron works ;
into this reservoir almost the whole water of the
river goes in summer. The Carron is a small stream,
yet there is no river in Scotland, and few in Britain,
whose, banks have been the scene of so many mem-
orable transactions. When the Roman empire was
in its glory, this river — according to some antiquaries
-—formed the boundary of its conquests in Britain;
or the wall of Antoninus runs parallel to it for
everal miles. Hence Buchanan in his ' Epithala-
: Gentesque alias cum pHleret armia
Sfdibus, aut victa.s vilem servaret in usum
Servitii, hie con ten ta BUOS defendcre fines
Roma securigeris pnetendit maeniu Scotis :
Hie, spe progressus posita, Carronis ad undaro,
Terminus Ausonii signal uivortia regni."
tius derives the name of this river from Carau-
who is commonly styled the usurper. The
translator of Ossian's poems informs us, that it is
|»t ( Jiielic origin, and that Caraon signifies 'the Wind-
ing river.' This fully expresses one quality of its
^tiviim, which, in former times, before it had forced
i new channel to itself in some places, and been
straightened by human industry in others, fetched
nany serpentine sweeps in its passage through the
carses. Nevertheless, if we say that the original
name was Caeravon, that is, ' the River upon the
Caers, or Castles,' alluding to the Roman fortifi-
cations upon its banks, we shall perhaps give an
etymology just as probable, though equally uncertain.
Historians notice a bloody battle fought near this
river between the Romans and the confederate army
of the Scots and Picts, about the beginning of the
5th century. About half-a-mile from the river, and
the same distance from Falkirk, lies the field where
a battle was fought between Sir William Wallace
and the English, under Edward I., in 1298. Not
far distant from the same spot, the second battle of
Falkirk was fought in 1 745, betwixt Prince Charles
Edward and the troops of the family of Hanover, in
which the latter were defeated. [See FALKIRK.]
The Carron is famed in ancient Celtic song. Dyer
alludes to this circumstance in the following lines :
" Where is the kin* of songs ? He sleeps in death f
No more around him press the warrior-throng;
He rolls no more the death-denouncing song ;
Calmed is the storm of war, and hushed the poet's breath.
Yes ! Anderson, he sleeps ; but Carron's stream
Still seems responsive to his awful lyre."
Hector Macneil, a native poet of Stirlingshire, hai
thus expressed himself in the Doric strain :
" Round Carun's stream, O classic name I
Whar Fingal fought, and ay ow'rrame;
Whar Ossian wak'd, \vi' kindling flame,
His heaven-taught lays,
And sang his Oscar's deathless fame
At Duin-na-bais."
The river Carron, though it has ceased to roll its
stream amidst the din of arms, yet preserves its fame
by lending its aid to trade and manufactures. [See
CARRON.] The great canal enters from the Forth
at this river, which is navigable for a few miles near
its mouth During the heavy rains in September
1839, the Carron suddenly rose 12 feet above its
usual level ; and scaling its shelving banks, converted
into a watery plain the circumjacent pasturage. At
Dorrator, the Carron is bounded by eminences on its
eastern bank, which it is impossible to overtop; but
taking here a circling course, a great expanse lying
between, made a double stream ; a rising ground in
the distance curving with the river on the same side,
obstructed the gush, and joining with the waters on
the opposite side, formed a beautiful bay.
CARRON (THE), a fine rivulet in Nithsdale. It
rises at the foot of the Lowther hills, and, after a
course of about 9 miles through the parish of Duris-
deer, falls into the Nith at Carronfoot, near Carron-
bridge, on the road from Thornhill to Sanquhar.
CARRON (THE), a small river in Ross-shire,
which flows in a south-west direction through a chain
of small lakes, and falls into Loch-Carron. It used
to abound with salmon ; but they are now scarce in
it. See article LOCH-CARRON.
CARRON (THE), a rivulet in Kincardineshire,
which rises in Glenbervie, and falls into the sea at
the town of Stonehaven, forming a fine natural har-
bour.
CARRONSHORE, a village lying partly in the
parish of Larbert, and partly in that of Bothkennar,
2 miles below Carron- works. Here the Carron com-
pany had wharfs, and a dry dock for repairing their
vessels : but Grangemouth is now the company's
port. There is a school here for the benefit of the
children of the workmen at Carron.
CARRUTHERS. See MIDDLEBIE.
CARSE OF FALKIRK (THE), a tract of land
lying along the south shore of the frith of Forth,
from Bo'-ness westwards as far as Airth. It is wa-
tered by the Carron, and comprehends a great part
of the parishes of Polmont, Falkirk, and Bothkenuw,
CAR
214
CAR
and is mostly a fine rich clay soil, producing abun-
dant crops. See STIRLINGSHIRE.
CARSE OF GOWRIE (THE), a district of
Perthshire, extending 15 miles in length, and from
2 to 4 in breadth, between the north bank of the
Tay, and the foot of the Sidlaw hills. This tract of
land^ which is a rich plain, cultivated like a garden,
seems to have been at one period covered with wa-
ter ; nay, in the remembrance of several people still
alive, many parts were a morass which at this day
are extensive fields of arable ground. The Tay is
supposed to have formed a circuit round the carse,
washing the foot of the Sidlaw hills, and entering its
present channel at Invergowrie. Staples for holding
cables have been found at the foot of the Sidlaw hills,
to the north of the flat land ; and the parish of St.
Madois, now in the earse of Gowrie, is said to have
been once on the southern side of the river. Such
parts of the carse as are called inches, are elevated
above the flat ground which has been covered with
ivater, The soil of these eminences is very different
from that of the low ground; that of the former be-
ing a red till, approaching to the nature of loam ;
while that of the latter, like all land which has been
immersed under water, is a blue clay of a very rich
quality. Previous to 1760, the carse was disfigured
with many large pools of water ; but these have been
all drained. Lying on the banks of the Tay, the
carse of Gowrie possesses a few tolerable harbours,
the chief of which is at Errol, nearly in the centre of
the district.
CARSE OF STIRLING (THE), that tract of
low ground, extending from the moss of Kincardine
to the mouth of the Devon, on both sides of the
Forth ; or as viewed by some, from Bucklyvie, along
the banks of the Forth^ to the eastern extremity of
Stirlingshire, — a tract about 28 miles in length, by 2
in average breadth, and comprehending 30,000 acres.
The soil is everywhere a fine clay, and reaches to a
depth of 30 feet in some places. The highest eleva-
tion of the surface is about 25 feet above high water.
" If," says Dr. Graham, " all the carse lands, which
skirt the Forth on both sides, be taken into the ac-
count, it may be computed at the average length of
34 miles, by 6 in breadth ; amounting to 204 square
miles, or 103,800 Scots acres nearly, and unquestion-
ably constituting the richest and most important dis-
trict of Scotland, in an agricultural point of view.
This soil is evidently alluvial ; and the substances
which are found in it, as well as the aspect of the
higher grounds by which it is bounded, indicate that,
at some former period, it was covered by the sea.
The soil itself consists of the finest particles of earth,
without the smallest stone or pebble except what
may have been accidentally carried thither. The soil
of the best quality, when first taken up from its bed,
is of a bluish colour, and of a soapy or mucilaginous
consistence. That which has been long exposed to
the sun, and to the elements, by cultivation, assumes
a darker hue, or hazle colour ; and, in point of fria-
bility, approaches to the character of loam. Beds
of shells, particularly oysters, and others which are
usually found in the frith, occur from time to time,
from a few inches to four feet in thickness. Through-
out the whole of these carses, patches of till occur,
especially in the district to the westward of Stirling.
Indeed, as we ascend the Forth towards the west,
this soil becomes gradually of inferior quality. These
carses are elevated from 12 to 20 or 25 feet above the
level of the sea at high- water. At the same time it
is evideTit that this soil is alluvial, there seems to be
room to question whether this deep and extensive
tract of clay, stretching along both sides of the Forth,
is to be attributed solely to the deposit of that river
through the course of ages. The cause appears to
be altogether inadequate to such a prodigious effect.
The Clyde, which runs through a course at least
long, and carries an equal body of water to the sea,
has formed no alluvial land at its embouchure ; an(
it will probably be found that no river that rui
westward has, by its alluvion, formed any consider-
able deposit of soil. The quantity of earthy particle
that are carried down by rivers and streams from
mountains is much less than has been generally i
gined. It would seem, that at some distant period,
the waters of the German ocean had regurgitated
the westward, and covered, for a considerable time,
those plains, depositing there the rich particles
soil with which they were, in consequence of some
revolution of nature, copiously impregnated. If anj
stress could be laid on the universal tradition of the
country, it would lead to the belief that this whole
plain, as far west as Gartmore, was formerly cove
by the sea." [' View of the Agriculture of Stirling.'
Edin. 1812. 8vo. pp. 33—35.]
CARSPHAIRN, or CARSEFERN, a large parisl
in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright ; bounded on
north by Ayrshire; on the east by Dairy; on
south by Dairy and Kells ; and on the west by Ayr-
shire, from which it is in part separated by LOCH
DOON : which see. Measured from the Gallowrigg,
on the north-east, to the head streams of Dee wat
on the south-west, it is upwards of 20 miles in ex-
tent; and its average breadth is about 10 mile
The Deugh water intersects it from north-west
south-east, and after receiving numerous tributaries
joins the Ken — which separates Carsphairn frt
Dairy — at the south-east extremity of the parish.
The surface is mountainous, with the exception
a small plain towards the centre, on which the churc
is situated, and a few spots on the sides of the rivi
lets. The hills are in general green, inters]:
with moss. Formerly there were extensive forest
of natural wood, and iron mines are said to
been wrought in this district. About two ye
ago, the Hon. Colonel Macadam Cathcart began
work a lead-mine at Woodhead or Craigengillan,
this parish. The daily produce, at an early st
the workings, was estimated at 30 bars of fused
each bar weighing 10 stones. The ores are said
contain a considerable admixture of silver. Many
the springs contain iron dissolved by means of ca
bonic acid, and are esteemed for their tonic quality.
Population, in 1801, 496; in 1831, 542. Houses
89. Assessed property in 1815, £4,201 This par-
ish is in the presbytery of Kirkcudbright, and synod
of Galloway. Stipend £182 10s., with glebe of the
value of £27. Unappropriated teinds £94 7s. 7d.
The sum of £9 19s. 6d. of the Crown lands of this
parish is paid to the minister of Kells, out of which
parish Carsphairn was formed. Patrons, the Crown,
and Forbes of Callender. — Schoolmaster's salarj
£34 4s. 4|d., with about £14 fees.— The celebrate*
Mr. Macadam, engineer and road-constructor, was
born at Waterhead in Carsphairn. His father shortly
afterwards sold the greater part of his estate, an<
went to live at Lagwine, a few miles farther dowi
the river Deugh. His residence there was unfortu
nately consumed by fire, and he ieft Scotland at th
time his son was about six years old, for America
where he embarked in mercantile speculations. H
was succeeded in his business by his son. On wha
account he returned to Britain we are not informed
but, in consequence of some chemical discoveries, h
made an advantageous government contract, whic
ultimately led him. — perhaps accidentally — to sugges
the improvements upon the roads to which he
principally indebted for celebrity.
CARSTAIRS, anciently CASTLETERRES, a pa
ish in the upper ward of the county of Lanark. Tl
CAR
I of this parish from north to south is 6 miles ;
,s breadth from east to west about 3. It is
hounded on the north by Carluke and Cambusne-
tlian ; on the east by Carnwath ; on the south by
the Clyde, which separates it from Pettinain; and
on the west by Lanark. Superficial area about
12,000 acres ; of which about 10,000 are under cul-
tivation. It is divided into two districts by a ridge
of rising ground so uniform that it appears from the
Lanark road to have been artificially formed. The
higher ground is a mixture of clay and mossy earth,
and the lower a sharp sandy soil : both divisions are
of good quality, and capable of producing excellent
crops. The Mouse traverses the centre of the par-
ish. Near the village is the magnificent mansion of
stairs, the seat of Henry Monteath, Esq., the
icipal heritor. There is a Roman camp on a
• ground near the Clyde, at Corbiehall, of which
lotwithstanding the depredations of the plough —
praetorium and walls of circumvallation are still
visible. Several Roman antiquities, as coins,
truments of war, and culinary utensils, have been
up here. Population, in 1801, 899; in 1831,
I. Houses, in 1831, 183. Assessed property, in
), £4,022 — The village of Carstairs is 3 miles
st of Carnwath, and 3 east of Lanark, on the road
the latter to Edinburgh. Population 420. It
been greatly improved in aspect of late years.
parish-church is in the centre of the village
>ut 1 mile to the west is the village of Ravens-
Population 120 — This parish is in the
sbytery of Lanark, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
id £233 18s. 7d., with glebe of the value of
Unappropriated teinds £305 7s. 4d. Patron,
iteath of Carstairs — Schoolmaster's salary £32,
above £30 fees.
CART (THE BLACK), a river in Renfrewshire,
ch taking its rise in Castle- Semple loch, may be
sidered as a continuation of the Ayrshire Calder.
issuing from the loch it runs eastward, giving
to the cotton-mills at Johnston and Linwood.
s joined by the Gryfe at Walkinshaw, and by the
lite Cart at Inchinnan bridge, about half-a-mile
the confluence of the united streams with the
, 7 miles below Glasgow.
CART (THE WHITE), a river in Renfrewshire,
which takes its rise in the moors in the parish of
Eaglcsham, and, after a circuitous course of about
20 miles, joins the Black Cart at Inchinnan bridge,
which consists properly of two bridges, the one
thrown across the Gryfe, and the other across the
White Cart. In its course it gives motion to a vast
quantity of machinery, and waters the populous vil-
la^!- of Pollokshaws, and the town of Paisley, where
it is navigable for vessels of 80 tons burden; the
navigable communication with the Clyde being com-
pleted by a canal, by which the shallows at Inchin-
nan bridge are avoided. On the 29th of May, 1840,
a branch canal from the Forth and Clyde canal, to
§ Clyde opposite the mouth of the Cart, was opened
er the name of the Cart and Forth Junction canal.
3 about three-fourths of a mile in length The
'ern joins the Cart near Crookston castle.
CARTERHAUGH, a fine green holm lying in
"~ angle formed by the junction of the Ettrick and
)w, the scene of the fairy ballad of ' Tamlane.'
CARTLAND CRAGS, a vast chasm in the
Istone rocks forming the bed of the Mouse, im-
iiately above Lanark ; formed by the lower part
projecting shoulder of a great mountain-mass, de-
tached from the body or upper part, and extending
more than three quarters of a mile in a curved line
hum south-west to north-east, with a depth of
several hundred feet. To ascertain how thi* iMior-
s and striking fissure has been produced is a
215
CAR
! mous ai
curious geological problem ; the more interesting, as
the phenomena of Cartland crags are such as to fur-
nish a remarkable test for trying the merits of the two
theories which divide the geological world. Accord-
ing to the principles of the igneous theory, a vein of
trap, which traverses the strata in a direction almost
perpendicular to the course of the chasm near its
centre, renders it an example on a great scale of dis-
ruption and dislocation by explosion from below.
On the other hand, Cartland crags evidently pos-
sess all the data requisite to form a case of what
is called in the aqueous theory, subsidence ; an ex-
planation which Dr. Macknight is inclined to prefer,
because the trap, from the smallness of its mass,
seems totally inadequate, as a mechanical power, to
the effect produced. The direction of the rent, in-
stead of following the course of the vein — which it
must have done had it owed its existence to this
cause — is very nearly at right angles to that course ;
and it appears that the trap itself had been originally
a part of the formation or mountain-mass, previous
to the time when the rent took place. The Cart-
land sandstone belongs to the oldest of the floetz
rocks. In the under part of this formation, it alter-
nates with grey wacke, and contains lime in calc-
spar veins. Some varieties are good specimens of
what Mr. Jameson considers as chemical depositions.
The trap consists of compact greenstone ; basalt in-
eluding olivin and augit ; and a substance interme-
diate between basalt and clinkstone. At the lowei
part of the ravine, the road from Glasgow to Lanark
is carried across on a bridge of three arches. A few
yards above this bridge is Wallace's cave, whose
name is attached to various localities here ; and a
little below, there is an old bridge of one arch, sup-
posed to be of Roman construction.
CARTSDIKE, or CRAWFURDSDIKE, a village in
Renfrewshire, adjoining to the town of Greenock ;
from which it is separated by the Cart's burn ; erected
a free burgh of barony in 1633, by charter from
Charles I. It has a small quay, but is now quite a
suburb of Greenock, and included within the parlia-
mentary boundaries of that burgh. See GREENOCK.
CASSILLIS CASTLE, a noble old mansion,
the property of the Marquess of Ailsa,*on the left
bank of the Doon, about a mile from the village of
Dalrymple, in Ayrshire. David, 3d Lord Kennedy,
was created Earl of Cassillis in 1510, and this castle
was the principal residence of the family till the ex-
tinction of the male-line in 1759. — About a quarter
of a mile to the south of the castle are three or four
small green hills, known as Cassillis Dounans, and
long regarded as the frequent scene of fairy revelry.
— There is a well-known ballad* of which the first
stanzas run thus :
"The gypsies they came to my Lord Caaillis' yett,
And O I but they sang honnie ;
They Mini? sae sweet, and eae complete,
That doun cam our fair lady.
She ram tripping doun the stairs,
Wi' a her maids before her ;
AH soon as they saw her weel-far'd face.
They coost their glauiourie owre her."
Of the transactions sung in this ballad the following
account is usually given. John, 6th Earl of Cassillis,
commonly termed " the grave and solemn Earl,"
married as his first wife, Lady Jean Hamilton, daugh-
ter of Thomas, 1st Earl of Haddington. It is said,
that this match took place contrary to the inclina-
tions of the young lady, whose affections had been
previously engaged by a certain Sir John Faa of
* FirSt printed iu the 4th vol. of the « Tea-table Miscellany,'
which was published about the year 1733; and piven in Finlay's
collection, under the title of « The (Jypsie Laddie.' [Ballads.
vol. ii. p. .7.).]-See also ChainbfiVs Ballads, p. 113i and Cou-
stable'b Maguiiiiv, vol. i.
CAS
216
CAS
Dunbar — in the neighbourhood of which was her
paternal seat of Tyrminghame — who was neither
grave nor solemn, and moreover, much handsomer than
his successful rival. While Lord Cassillis was absent
on some mission from the Scottish parliament to that
of England, Sir John, with his followers, repaired to
Cassillis, where the young lady then resided, and
persuaded her to elope with him to England. As
ill luck would have it, the Earl returned home before
the lovers could cross the Border, — pursued and over-
took them, — and in the conflict all the masquerade
gypsies were slain save one, and the weeping Coun-
tess brought back to her husband's mansion, where
she remained till a dungeon was prepared for her
near the village of Maybole, wherein she languished
for the short remainder of her life in humble sorrow
and devotion. This is one edition of the story, still
very current in the county where the elopement took
place ; but it is not supported by the tenor of the
ballad, which was composed by the only surviving
ravisher, and is contradicted by a number of those
who still recite the verses. Indeed, a very numerous
jury of matrons, " spinsters and knitters in the sun,"
pronounce the fair Countess guilty of having eloped
with a genuine gypsy, though compelled in some
degree to that low-lived indiscretion by certain
wicked charms and philtres, of which Faa and his
party are said to have possessed the secret. It is
not now possible to fix the precise date of Lady
Cassillis's elopement with 'the Gypsie laddie;' or the
identity of the frail one herself. Lady Jean Hamil-
ton, of the Haddington family, was born in the year
1607, and died in 1642. Moreover there is a letter
extant from her husband to the Rev. Robert Doug-
lass, written shortly after her death, in which he
expresses a respect and tenderness for his wife's
memory quite inconceivable had she been guilty of
such a misdemeanour as that supposed. It is alleged
that she lived long enough in her confinement at
Maybole to work a piece of tapestry, still preserved
at Colzean House, in which she represented her
unhappy flight, but with circumstances unsuitable
to the details of the ballad, and as if the deceits of
'glamourie' had still bewildered her memory; for
she is mounted behind her lover, gorgeously attired,
on a superb white courser, and surrounded by a
groupe of persons who bear no resemblance to a
herd of gypsies. *
CASSLEY (THE), a small river which rises in
the hills in the north-west extremity of Creich, in
Sutherland, and, taking a course nearly south, falls
into the frith of Tain, about 12 miles from its source.
The salmon of this river are small and white, and
highly esteemed. There is a fine salmon-leap about
a mile above the bridge of Cassley, which is 7 miles
distant from the bridge of Oykell.
CASTLECARY, a hamlet in the shire of Stir-
ling, and parish of Falkirk; 8 miles west-south-west
of Falkirk, on the line of the Forth and Clyde canal.
Castlecary, according to General Roy, was one of
the praesidia, or principal stations on the wall of
Antoninus, as is evident from its dimensions, and
the number of antiquities discovered there. A Ro-
man way led out from it towards the south; and it
seems probable that this place was the Coria Dam-
niorum of Ptolemy, and the same which Nennius
calls Caer Ceri. General Roy has preserved a plan
of the ancient fort, and of the antiquities discovered
* A portrait of the frail countess is shown at Holyrood ; but
its authenticity is by no means well-established. Mr. Sharps,
and many others, regard it as a portrait of Lady Sunderland,
the Sacharissa of Waller. There is another shown at Colzean ;
and of which an engraving is given in Constable's Magazine for
1817. Mr. Sharpe suspects that the tapestry at Colzean is only
a fragment representing a man and woman riding on a white
horse, and a group of attendants, and " robaptized by house-
keepers who have heard the old tradition."
here. The fort itself' is now nearly effaced by agri-
cultural operations.
CASTLE-DOUGLAS, a thriving little town in
the parish of Kelton, and stewartry of Kirkcudbright;
on the road from Kirkcudbright to Dumfries; 89
miles south-south-west of Edinburgh, 18 west by
south of Dumfries, and 10 north-east of Kirkcud-
bright. Population, in 1833, 1,885. Its name is
derived from Threave castle, the ruins of which
stronghold stand on the south-west of the town.
Prior to 1792, it was called Carlinwark, from a
lake in the vicinity; when it was erected into a
burgh-of-barony, under its present title, by royal
charter in 1790. A new and extended charter
was obtained in 1829. The magistracy and coun-
cil consist of a provost, 2 bailies, 17 councillors,
who are elected triennially on the 1st Wednes-
day of September. All persons resident within
the boundaries of the burgh, and having right
by feu to a piece of ground within the same, are
entitled to elect or be elected. The property of
the burgh, in 1833, was £573 15s. lid. ; the debts
£167 10s. 7d. The average annual revenue £20;
expenditure £13 5s. Circuit small debt courts are
held here. It consists of one principal street lying
along the public road, from Dumfries to Port-patrick,
and some back streets laid out in a neat manner.
It has a modern town-house, and some other public
buildings. Its consequence has been increased by
the transfer of Keltonhill annual horse fair to its
bounds. It has a large grain market every Monday.
Carlinwark loch is now connected by a canal with
the river Dee, and since this was done its dimensions
have been much limited. It contains abundance of
perch and pike, and has yielded a considerable quan-
tity of shell-marl. There are two dissenting meet-
ing-houses in the town, besides a parish-school.
The burgh-school is a good one, and is attended on
an average by about 160 scholars. Sir William
Douglas, by deed of mortification in 1831, left a
sum, now producing £41 annually, to the magis-
trates and council of Castle-Douglas, to be divided
among six schools, and the poor of the parish, ac-
cording to a scale of proportion pointed out in the
deed. See KELTON.
CASTLE-DUART. See DUART CASTLE.
CASTLE-GRANT. See CROMDALE.
CASTLEHILL. See CARDROSS.
CASTLE-HUNTLY. See LONG-FORGAN.
CASTLE-KENNEDY. See INCH.
CASTLE-KILLCHURN. See KILLCHURW
CASTLE.
CASTLE LAW, one of the most northerly
range of the Lammermuir hills, in the parish of
Gifford or Yester, in Haddingtonshire ; rising to the
height of 940 feet above sea-level. On the summit
of this hill there is a circular camp, the circuit ot
which contains nearly 4 Scots acres. It measures,
within the ramparts, 370 feet from east to west;
and 337 feet from south to north. About three
quarters of a mile to the east of this hill, is another
hill, 860 feet in height, on the top of which also is
an ancient camp called The Castles, of somewhat
smaller dimensions; and about two furlongs south
of the Castle Law, on a smaller hill called The
Witches' Knowe, is a third camp. See the 3d vc "
the ' Archseologia Scotica.'
CASTLE-LEOD. See FODDERTY.
CASTLE-MENZIES. See WEEM.
CASTLEMILK. See CARMUNNOCK.
CASTLEPHAIRN. See GLENCAIRN.
CASTLE -SEMPLE LOCH, a fine sheet
water in the parish of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshir
sometimes called Loch Winnoch. It is chiefly fed
by the waters of the Calder, which, flowing in a
I
CAS
south-east direction from the borders of Ayrshire
and fetching a circuit round the village of Lochwin
noch, turns east and falls into this loch on the wes-
tern side. The Dubbs connects it with Kilbirnie
loch. Castle- Semple loch was originally between
4 and 5 miles in length, and rather more than 1 ir
breadth; but it has been considerably lessened by
draining. It would appear, from the description o
Hamilton of Wishaw, that Lord Semple, then pro-
prietor of this lake and the adjoining lands, com-
menced to drain it in 1680, or 1700. The estate
was sold by Hew, Lord Semple, in 1727, to Colonel
M'Dowall, a younger son of M'Dowall of Garthland,
who continued the plan of draining the lake, and, in
1735, had made great progress in doing so. Sub-
sequent proprietors have directed their attention to
the same object; and the effect has been the re-
covery of a great extent of fine rich meadow land.
In 1773, and in 1774, a canal was constructed of
nearly 2 miles in length, at an expense of £2,000,
by which above 400 acres of a very deep rich soil
was recovered. The loch still covers about 200
acres ; but considerably extends itself when flooded,
and during winter. The family of Semple was very
early in possession of the lands around this loch.
Robert Sympil was vassal in Elziotstoun on the south
side of the lake, under the high-steward of Scotland,
about 1220; and previous to 1309, Robert Sympil
of Elziotstoun was seneschal of Strathgrife. In 1474,
Sir William Sympil, Lord of Elziotstoun, obtained
a charter of the baronies of Elziotstoun and Castle-
toun — now Castle-Semple — from James III. Sir
John Sympil was raised to the dignity of the peer-
age, with the title of Lord Sympil, by James IV.,
in J488. Elliotston and Castle-Semple continued
in possession of this ancient family till sold, as above-
mentioned, in 1727, after having been their property
tnr about 500 years. In 1813, William M'Dowall
of Garthland and Castle-Semple, sold his estate of
-Semple to John Harvey, Esquire, of Jamaica.
Eastward of the lake, and on the south side, are the
remains of the old tower of Elliotston, the residence
of the Semple family previous to 1550. Its length
is 4-2 feet, and its breadth 33 feet over the walls.
Between 1547 and 1572, Robert, commonly called
the great Lord Semple, built a tower, called the
1 Peel — the ruins of which still exist — on a small
-hind on the lake, now forming part of the main-
tinl. This tower was in the form of an irregular
K'ntagon, having a sharp end towards the head of
lie loch. " It was built," says Dr. Caldwell, " over
-trong arch, with bulwarks, gun-ports, &c., and is
nvironed with an immense cairn of stones round all
tfl foundations, to a considerable height above high
The castle at Castletoun, or Castle-
•emple, near the eastern end of the lake, was erected
r more probably rebuilt by the first Lord.Semple,
• ho died in 1513. He changed its name from Castle-
)iin to Castle-Semple. In Bleau's Atlas, published
j » 1654, this castle is represented by a mark denot-
>g the largest size of castles. Crawford — who
•Hid
217
CAS
in 1710 — says, " Upon the brink of the loch
.nds the castle of Sempill, the principal messuage
a lair lordship of the same denomination, which
>iisists of a large court, part of which seems to be
very ancient building, adorned with pleasant orch-
fc and gardens." In 1735 this ancient house was
tuolished by Colonel M'Dowall, who erected an
I egant modern house on its site. Some workmen
pairing drains in 1830 found part of the foundations
the castle still existing below ground. In 1504,
* A very fine copper cannon, having the arms of Scotland,
( <• J. R. S. engraved on it, wan found in the loch near the
This relique is preserved at raitle-Semple. Tradition
'"ftathat other six guns were lost at the place where thia
John Lord Semple founded a collegiate church near the
lake, having a provost, six chaplains or prebendaries,
two boys, and a sacristan. A stone in the outer wall
bears the letters R. L. S., and the arms of Sempill
and Montgomery. It was found, about 25 years ago,
near the site of the castle of Semple, and was placed
in its present situation by the late Mr. Harvey.
The church is 71 feet. 6 inches in length; 24 feet
3 inches in breadth ; and 15 feet 6 inches in height.
A portion at the east end, separated from the rest,
was used as a place of burial by the Semple family,
as it now is by Colonel Harvey the present pro-
prietor. Dr. Caldwell describes its walls as being
covered with ivy, and surrounded by a fine tall horn-
bean hedge. The roof was taken off about forty
years ago, and the ivy has penetrated into the inte-
rior. In ancient times there appears to have been a
village at this place, and a chapel in its neighbour-
hood dedicated to St. Bride. A small burn, which
here falls into the lake, is still named St. Bride's
burn ; and the residence of Colonel Harvey's factor,
St. Bride's mill. On the hill of Kenmure, which is
of secondary trap rock, there is an imitation of a
Chinese temple, from which a very fine view of the
lake and surrounding scenery can be obtained. It ia
supposed to have been erected about the middle of
last century by one of the family of M'Dowall who
succeeded the Semples. — The Glasgow and Ayr
railway passes through the estate of Castle-Semple,
and in the immediate neighbourhood of the loch.
CASTLE-SPYNIE. See SPYNIE.
CASTLE-TIORAM. See ARDNAMURCHAN.
CASTLETON, or CASTLETOWN, a village
in the parish of Olrick in Caithness, at the head of
Dunnet bay, 5 miles east of Thurso, on the post-
road to Houna. There are extensive quarries of flag
or paving-stone here. Population, in 1836, 311.
CASTLETON OF BRAEMAR, a small village
in the district of Braemar, parish of Crathy, Aberdeen-
shire, on the eastern bank of the rapid Clunie, a little
above its junction with the Dee ; 57 miles west of Aber-
deen, and 15 from the Spittal of Glenshee, on the road
to Perth. There are two excellent inns here ; and the
place is well-known to tourists as forming convenient
head-quarters while visiting the Cairngorm moun-
tains, the Linn of Dee, Mar forest, or Strath Dee.
See articles BRAEMAR, and CRATHIE.
CASTLETOWN, a parish forming the southern
extremity of the shire of Roxburgh, having the form
of an irregular triangle, and including a more extensive
area than any other parish in the south of Scotland.
It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Cavers,
Hobkirk, and Southdean ; on the east and south by
Northumberland and Cumberland ; and on the west
by Dumfries-shire. Its greatest length, from Fanna
trill, or from Needs Law, on the north-east, to its
southern extremity at the confluence of Mare burn with
Kershope water is 1 7£ miles ; and its greatest breadth
Tom Peel fell on the east to Tudhope hill on the west,
.s 14 miles. In history and poetry, and very frequently
still in conversation, its name is Liddesdale, from the
river Liddel, which runs through it from east to
south. f The upper or northern partis mountainous
and bleak ; but is generally dry, and affords good
sheep-pasturage. Some of the mountains both here,
,nd along the western and eastern boundaries, are
•ery high and precipitous. Millenwood Fell, and
Windhead, are each nearly 2,000 feet in height ; and
f In the old histories, and geographical descriptions of Scot-
and, it is called ' The County of Lidisdale ;' and, in old write,
t is styled ' The Lordship1 of that name. In December 1540,
he land*
and l
f Pa
n of I.idisdale appear to have been granted to Francis,
Karl of liiiccleurh
s sye e orsp o a name. n ecemer ,
land* and lordship of the forest of Jedburgh, with the lands
lordship of Lidisdale, were annexed to the Crown, by Act
arliament. And, on the '2d of January, 1648, the lands and
218
CASTLETOWN.
Tudhope hill is 1,830, and, being seen from a great
distance at sea, serves as a landmark for ships. The
lower extremity of the parish, and all parts of it
distant from the streams, are wild and bleak. Along
the banks of the Hermitage and the Liddel, however,
it is luxuriant, full of rural beauty, and occasionally
picturesque. The valley of the Hermitage, stretch-
ing from the rugged mountains on the north-west,
10 miles eastward till the junction of the stream with
the Liddel, is tufted with natural wood, and abounds
in the rich scenes of pastoral life. Near the head of
the parish on the east, the rivers Tyne and Liddel
take their rise in the midst of a vast bog, which, on
account of its stagnant appearance, is called Dead
Water. For 10 miles, the" banks of the Liddel are
entirely naked ; but on its junction with the Her-
mitage, it is fringed with plantation, and, throughout
the rest of its course, it flows through a valley opu-
lent in the beauties of landscape. Its tributaries,
besides the Hermitage, are the Tweeden, the Tinnis,
the Blackburn, and the Kershope, the last of which
forms the boundary with England. All these streams
abound in trout ; on some of them are fine cascades;
and all, through the Liddel, send their waters — in a
direction different from all the other streams of Rox-
burghshire— toward the Solway frith. Limestone is
abundant in this district ; coal is obtained to some
extent on the estate of Liddel bank : and excellent
freestone is everywhere found, except at the head
of the Hermitage. Mineral springs, possessing me-
dicinal properties, and in considerable repute for
their virtues, exist at Thorneshope, in the morass
called the Dead Water, — at Lawston, — at Flat, —
and on the Tweeden, — the last of these is petrifac-
tive, and exhibits, in an interesting manner, the vari-
ous stages of the petrifying process, — fog or moss,
at the edge of the spring, about 8 inches high,
soft and flourishing at the top, half-petrified at the
middle, and converted into solid stone at the root.
The climate, owing to the attraction of the moun-
tains and the coldness of the soil, is very moist ; yet,
compared with that of many other districts, it is
exceedingly salubrious. Toward the close of last
century, one native attained, in the full possession
of all her faculties, the advanced age of 113. The
soil of the holm land is occasionally of a light but
often of a very deep and fine loam, and, when ju-
diciously cultivated, bears luxuriant crops. Land
under tillage, however, is found chiefly on the banks
of the rivers ; many hundred acres which were for-
merly subjected to the plough, having been thrown
into pasture in consequence of the high price of
sheep and wool. Even mossy ground, though ap-
parently useless, affords considerable nourishment
for both black cattle and sheep. Different species
of grass rise in constant succession in their respec-
tive seasons ; and the particular plant called ' the
moss,' which springs before any other at the close of
winter, is carefully sought after by the flocks. — This
secluded district was, at a former period, inhabited
by tribes of freebooters, the chief of whom were the
Elliotts and the Armstrongs, who acknowledged the
civil authority of neither Scotland nor England, and
maintained a precarious but very abundant subsistence
by predatory excursions upon all the districts around.
Their castles, or peel-houses, where they stored their
booty and rallied at a moment of danger, still, in
some quarters, lift their ruined heights before the
eyes of a traveller as memorials of a lawless age.*
* There is a minute inserted in the session-records, of date
17th January H5-19, which mentions that "the English army,
commanded by Colonels Bright and Tilde, and under the con-
duct of General Cromwell, on their return to England, did lie
at the kirk of Castletown several nights, in which time they
brake down and burnt the communion-tables, and the seats of
the kirk ; and at their removing, carried away the minister's
Castletown derives its name from a village- -no longer
in existence, though some of its hearth-stones were
at a recent date dug up — which was built under the
shelter of one of these strongholds. This castle,
which stood on the summit of a precipice 100 feet
in height, on the east bank of the river Liddel, and
the rampart and force of which still remain entire,
is said to have been founded by Ranulph de Soulis
in the reign of David I. In the village of Castle-
town, stood a church which was dedicated to St.
Martin, and was a vicarage of the priory of Jedburgh.
Besides this, there were in the district, two other
churches, three chapels, and a monastery : the men
lawlessness and general plunder, attempting, in tl
superstitious spirit of their times, to atone for the i
juries which they pertinaciously inflicted on the
fellow-men, by liberally building, endowing, or suj
porting sacred edifices. Ruins of the religious str
tures may still be seen in sequestered spots wl
now the human foot rarely treads, and where undis
turbed repose invites the solitary sheep to luxuriat
on the wild pasturage. One of the churches wa
called the Wheel church ; because it stood in th(
vicinity of the Roman causeway leading from St
more across the north-east corner of the district inl
Liddesdale, and constituting the only path in
part of Scotland which admitted the passage
wheeled carriages. — The most celebrated antiquitj
of Liddesdale is Hermitage castle, which consists
a tall, massive, gloomy-looking double tower,
tected by a ditch and strong rampart, and nsmj
aloft from the centre of an extensive waste,
looking the limpid, murmuring waters of the Her
mitage river, amid a scene of barrenness and
lation. This fortress was one of the largest
strongest on the border ; and, remaining entire
its walls, was lately put into a state of nearly com-
plete repair. Within a few yards of it, are the ruins
of the baronial chapel, surrounded by a buryinj
ground still partially in use. The castle was buil
in the 13th century, by Comyn, Earl of Menteith. It
afterwards became the property of the once potent
family of Soulis ; it next, by forfeiture, went into tl
possession of the Douglasses ; it was then made ovt
by Archibald, the sixth Earl of Angus, and the
presentative of the Douglasses, to Hepburn, Earl <
Bothwell, in exchange for the castle and lordship
Bothwell in Clydesdale; and, the possessions am
title of the Hepburns having become the property
Francis Stewart, it passed, on the forfeiture of
latter, into the hands of the Buccleuch family, wl
still possess it. When Hermitage castle was in ""
possession of the Douglasses, the brave Sir Alex
der Ramsay of Dalhousie was starved to death withir
its walls ; and, when in the possession of the storied
Earl of Bothwell — who had been severely wounded in
an attempt to seize Elliot of the Parke, a desperate
freebooter — it was visited by Queen Mary. In order
to attain her purpose, she penetrated the mountainous
and almost trackless region which lies bet ween Teviot-
dale and Liddesdale, attended by only a few followers
returning on the same day to Jedburgh whence she
started, and performing a journey of upwards of 4
miles through almost all conceivable varieties of dif-
ficulty and obstruction. Other antiquities besides
Hermitage castle consist chiefly of cairns, Picts
works, and camps. The most remarkable is a camp
entirely circular, about 100 feet diameter, and con-
sisting of a series of concentric walls, all penetrate(
by a door or opening toward the east : this camp oc
cupies the whole summit of Carby hill, which stand
hooks to the value of 1,000 marks and above, and also th
books-of-session— with which they lighted their tobaceo-pipes-
the baptism, marriage, and examination-rolls, from O<
1612 to September 1C.18, all which were lost and destroyed.
detach
extens
holi
;:
CAT
219
CAT
ed from other elevations, and commands an
sive view of part of Cumberland — At Miln-
holm there is an ancient cross of one stone, 8 feet
inches high. A sword 4 feet long is cut out on the
th side of the cross, and immediately above seve-
letters. The tradition concerning it is this : — One
of the governors of Hermitage castle — some say Lord
Soulis, others Lord Douglas — having entertained a
passion for a young woman then residing in the lower
part of the parish, went to her house, and was met
by her father, who, wishing to conceal his daughter,
was killed by the governor. The murderer was pur-
sued, and took refuge with Armstrong of Mangerton,
who had influence enough to prevail on the people to
desist from the pursuit, and by this means saved his
Seemingly with a view to make a return for
favour, but secretly jealous of the power and in-
ce of Armstrong, the ungrateful wretch invited
to Hermitage castle, where he was basely mur-
d. The governor himself, in his turn, was killed
Jock of the Side, of famous memory, brother to
istrong. The cross was erected in memory of
transaction, near to Ettleton churchyard, where
was buried, and almost opposite to Mangerton. Lid-
ie has been much improved by its intersection
th new roads. In the centre of its more arable part,
ahaugh on the right bank of the Liddel, stands the
modern village of New Castletown. It owes
origin to Henry, Duke of Buccleuch, and has en-
ly superseded the ancient Castletown, situated a
le farther up the river. It consists of two long
of new, tidy houses, — every house having at-
hed to it a plot of ground ; but, though it has a
kly market and three annual fairs or hiring-days,
enjoys little trade, no manufacturing pursuit, and
a modicum of general prosperity. It stands on
road which wends along the banks of the Liddel ;
is 5 miles east from Cannoby, 20 south from
wick, and 26 from Jedburgh. In addition to the
sh-church, it is the site of a meeting-house, be-
ging to the United Secession ; and it is enriched
;h two subscription libraries and a friendly society,
mlation. in 1801, 1,109; in 1821, 2,038; in
1, 2,227. Houses 305. Assessed property
3,217 This parish is in the presbytery of Lang-
and synod of Dumfries. Patron, the Duke of
iccleuch. Stipend £249 19s. lid.; value of
glebe £20. Unappropriated teinds £150 8s. lid
There are four parochial schools. The salary of the
four schools amounts to £51 6s. 6fd., of which the
principal teacher has £30, and the remaining sum is
equally divided among the other three. The fees of
the four schools amount to £72 annually. There
are two private schools.. — This parish gave birth to
the celebrated John Armstrong, M. D., whose father
1 brother were ministers of it; and who has sung
beauties of his native vale, in his highly finished
on Health, Book III:
Such the stream,
On whose Arcadian banks J first drew air.
I.iddal, till now — except in Doric- lays,
TiinM to her murmurs by her love-sick swains—
Unknown in son-,' ; though not a purer stream
Through meads nmre flow'ry, — more romantic proves,
Rolls toward the western main. Hail, sacred flood !
May still thy hospitable swains be blest
In rural innocence ; thy mountains still
Teem \\ith the fleecy race; thy tuneful woods
Forever flourish, and thy vales look gay,
With painted meadows, and the golden grain !
CATERLINE, an ancient parish, now compre-
sd in the parish of KinnelF, Kincardine. The
lijgf of the same name is 5 miles north-north-r;^ -t
'Hi-rvie, on the German <>ce;m. A convenient and
harbour for coasting- vessels of light burden
jht be niaik1 here at small expense.
CATERTHUN, a hill in the parish of Menmnir,
in Forfarshire, 5 miles north of Brechin ; so called
from the British coder, 'a fortress;' and dun, 'a
hill.' It is remarkable for a strong fortification on
its summit. This building consists of an immense
quantity of loose stores ranged around the summit
in an oval form. Round the external base is- a deep
ditch ; and 100 yards below are the vestiges of another
surrounding the hill. The area within the first or
highest mound is flat ; the length of the oval is 43(i
feet, and the transverse diameter 200. This area is
covered with a fine soft grass, while, without the
ring, the surface of the hill is covered with heath
and moss. Within the area is a spring of the coldest
water ; and near the east side are the remains of a
rectangular building, of which the dyke and ditch
are yet to be easily traced. The ascent of the hill
is very steep, and the summit can only be ap-
proached in one direction. There is another for-
tification of inferior strength in the neighbourhood,
on a lower hill, to the northward, called Brown
Caterthun, from the colour of its ramparts which
are composed of earth : that previously described be-
ing known as White Caterthun. It is of a circular
figure, and consists of several concentric circles. As
White Caterthun at a distance has a resemblance to
the frustrum of a cone, from the heap of stones at
its summit, it has been considered by some to have
been a volcano, the crater of which is extinct. But
there neither is the appearance of lava, nor of any
other volcanic matter, in the neighbourhood; and
there is evidently a systematic arrangement of the
stones which compose its fortification. Pennant
thinks that these hill-forts may have been occupied
by the Caledonians, previous to their engagement at
the foot of the Grampians with Agricola.*
CATHCART,f a parish partly in the county of
Lanark, but chiefly in that of Renfrew ; bounded on
the north by Govan, a part of the Gorbals parish, and
Rutherglen ; on the east by Rutherglen and Car-
munnock ; on the south by Carmunnock and Mearns ;
and on the west by Eastwood. Its extent, from
north to south, may be estimated at 6 miles; its
mean breadth at 2|; and its superficies at 3,000
Scots acres. Assessed property, in 1815, £10,638.
The surface is very agreeably diversified with hill
and dale, presenting to the eye those alternate ris-
ings and falls which constitute picturesque beauty.
Many of the hills bear the marks of the plough to
the very summit, and none are so steep as to prevent
cultivation. Through these hills the White Cart
winds its romantic course. Towards the southern
part of the parish, the country is more bleak and
barren, and the hills of greater height. Mr. Ram-
say says: " Sluggish and unadorned though the river
White Cart be in the lower part of its course, it
exhibits much beauty in its progress through the
parish of Cathcart, the banks being frequently ele-
vated and clothed with a rich drapery of wood.
Such is the warmth and shelter in some of the
sequestered spots on its banks, that an almost per-
petual verdure is to be found. In the midst of this
scenery ' the Bard of Hope,' and the amiable authoi
of ' The Sabbath,' were, in their childhood, accus-
tomed to pass the summer-months and feed their
young fancies, removed from the smoke and noise
of their native city. The latter, in his 'Birds of
Scotland,' says :
* In King's 4 Munimenta Antiqua' [Vol. i. PI. I. and II. J
there are accurate drawings of White Caterthun. Pennant
has also given a view of White Caterthun.
t Tlir etymology of this mime usually adopted is Caer-cart,
'the C'iistle on the Cart.' Mr. Ramsay, in his very accurate
sketches «>f Renfrewshire [Kdin. IH:{<), Ito. p. 7ft.] prefers the
etymology Cueth-curt, Mhe Strait ol Cait,' the rher here run-
iiui;; in a narrow channel.
CAT
220
CAT
'Forth from my low-roofed home I wandered blithe
Down to thy side, sweet Cart! where, cross the stream,
A rfltige of stones, below a shallow ford,
Stood in the place of the now spanning arch.
And Campbell, in his ' Lines on revisiting Cathcart,'
thus tenderly apostrophizes the pleasant fields which
fee had so often traversed ' in life's morning march,
when his bosom was young :'
4 Oh! scenes of my childhood, and dear to my heart,
Ye green waving woods on the margin of Cart,
How blest in the morning of life I have stray'd
By the stream of the vale and the grass-covered glade !' '»
There are five villages in the parish : viz. the two
Cathcarts, Langside, Clarkston Toll, and Westfield.
The parish gives name, and the title of Earl, to the
ancient family of Cathcart, whose hereditary estates
here were alienated by Alan, 3d Lord Cathcart, in
1546. The family within the present century, re-
purchased the lands on which the castle of Cathcart
stands, and another portion named Symshill. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 1,059, of whom only 55 resided in
Lanarkshire; in 1831, 2,228. Houses, in 1831, 284,
of which 31 were in Lanarkshire — This parish is
in the presbytery of Glasgow, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Stipend £274 4s. Id. ; glebe £16. Un-
appropriated teinds £15 19s. 5d. Patron, Gordon
of Aikenhead. Church built in 1832 ; sittings 750.
— Schoolmaster's salary £30, with about £15 fees.
There were 3 private schools in 1834.— The field of
Langside, remarkable as the scene, on the 13th of
May, 1568, of the last fruitless effort of the unfor-
tunate Mary to regain her crown, is in this parish.
An eminence is yet pointed out, near the old castle
of Cathcart, called the Court knowe, where the
queen stood during the engagement; and a hawthorn
bush — commonly known by the name of ' Queen
Mary's Thorn ' — marks the spot. The castle of
Cathcart, 1£ mile south-east of Langside, has been
a very strong building. " The time when the castle
of Cathcart was reared," says Mr. Ramsay, " is un-
known. From the remains it appears to have been
a place of great strength. Two of its sides are com-
pletely defended by the river, to which there is an
almost perpendicular descent of tremendous height.
The access on the other side — except by a narrow
entry wluch might have been secured by a ditch and
drawbridge — is pretty steep and difficult, so that, in
times when the art of attack was not so well under-
stood, it might have made a considerable defence.
The original edifice consisted of a square tower, ' to
which,' says Hamilton of Wishaw, writing about the
year 1710, ' severall new buildings have been added.'
This more modern portion was ' completely re-
moved ' by the end of that century. From Wishaw
we also learn that the castle ' had fruitfull gardens
about it.' This edifice was inhabited till about the
year 1750, when it was given up for demolition by
the proprietor of that day, Maxwell of William wood,
upon his removing to another dwelling. The mate-
rials were sold to a tradesman in Glasgow, who, hav-
ing taken off the roof, was proceeding to demolish
the rest of the building, when he found himself
obliged to stop by the resistance he met with from
the strength and thickness of the walls. Since that
time the edifice has remained in a dismantled state,
without, however, suffering much farther injury
from the influence of the weather. Upon the bank
of the river, and adjacent to the castle, stands Cart-
side cottage, the modern mansion of the family.
Upwards of twenty years ago there was built into
the front wall of this house a stone, on which are
sculptured the arms, of Carthcart, quartered with
those of Stair, indicating the connection of these
families through the; marriage of Alan, 7th Lord
Cathcart, to a daughter of Viscount Stair, the emi-
nent lawyer."
CATHERINE (Locn). See KATRINE.
CATHERINE'S (ST.), a ferry on Loch Fyne,
opposite to Inverary, and equidistaint from the nor-
thern terminations of the Strachur and Ardnoe roads
There is a small pier here, 90 yards in length.
CATHKIN. See CARMUNNOCK.
C ATL AW, one of the Grampians, in the northt
part of the parish of Kingoldrum, in the county
Angus ; the elevation of which by barometrical me
suration has been found to be 2,264 feet above
level of the sea. [Old Statistical Account, vol. b
p. 131.] At the base, towards the north-east, is
chalybeate spring. See KINGOLDRUM.
CATRAIL (THE), a remarkable trenched fo
fication which may be traced from near the junctic
of the Gala and Tweed to the mountains of Cumber-
land. Its general breadth is from 20 to 24 feet, ai
it is supported by hill-forts scattered in the line
its course. " It is known in the country," saj
Chalmers in his ' Caledonia,' [vol. i. pp. 239-242,]
"by the several names of the Catrail, and of
Pictsworkditch. The Catrail is the British
of ancient times ; and signifies, in the British
guage — what distinctly intimates the purposes
which it was made — 'the Dividing fence,' or '
Partition of Defence.' The name of the Pictswork-
ditch was applied to this remarkable fence, in
modern times, by the same people who called S<
verus's wall the Pictswall, and other objects by
same well-known name. The Catrail, consisting
a fosse, and a double rampart, runs through
shires of Selkirk and Roxburgh, from Galashiels
the north, to the Peel-fell, at the eastern extremit
of Lidsdale, on the south. The Pictsworkditch
appears, on the north, at a farm called Mosalee,
mile westward from Galashiels, near the obvi<
remain of a British fort. From Mosalee, it n
southward, by the west side of Boghall ; and, at
end of 2 miles, arrives at the Rink-hill, on the
mit of which, there are the remains — as the
implies — of a British hill-fort, that is of an elliptic
form, and defended by two ditches, and two
parts of earth and stone. From the Rink-hill,
Pictsworkditch proceeds, in a south-west directie
across the Tweed, near the influx of the Howden-
pot-burn ; and continues its course to a British fort
on the west side of this stream. From this fort, the
Pictsworkditch passes Cribshill ; and is again dis-
covered several miles, westward, passing along the
south-east declivity of Minchmoor, whence it passes
Henhillhope, where it is distinctly seen, in its ob-
vious course, for a quarter of a mile. It afterwards
clearly appears as it ascends the Swinebraehill above
Yarrow kirk; and passing the Yarrow river, near
Redhawse, it is again observable several miles south-
ward, near Delorain burn, on the south side of
Ettrick river. From this position, it has been
traced across Coplaw ; and thence, southward, by
the base of Stanhopelaw, where its singular remains
are pretty distinct. For some distance, southward,
of Stanhopelaw, it cannot now be traced, owing tc
the swampiness of the country ; but the Pictswork-
ditch again appears on Hendwoody common ; whence
it proceeds, in a south-west direction, across Borth-
wick water, past a farmstead called Broadlee, whert
the remains of it become very distinct for the course
of a mile-and-a-half, till it reaches Slatehillmoss.
From this position, it proceeds forwards, in a south-
east direction, across Teviot river, through the farrr
of North-house to Dockcleugh-hill, where its re-
mains are very distinct: from Dockcleugh-hill ii
continues a south-east course, in a slanting form
across Allan water, to a place named Dod, passing
two hill-forts on the left. From Dod, where ife
remains are distinct, the Pictsworkditch proceed
CAT
221
CEL
eastward, past another British fort called White-
billbrae; and it there ascends the Carriage-hill, on
•which its remains are very perfect. From Carriage-
hill it proceeds across a rivulet, called Langside
burn ; and here, says Gordon, the tourist, ' it he-
comes the landmark betwixt the Duke of Buccleuch's
estate, and Sir Gilbert Elliot of Stobs.' From Lang-
side burn its remains appear very distinct, as they
pass along the northern base of the Maiden Paps to
the Leapsteel; and thence passing Robertslin, it
traverses a tract of boggy ground called Cockspart.
Crossing the hills into the upper parts of Lidsdale,
the remains of it again appear on Dawstane-burn ;
and thence passing the abbey, it goes on to Daw-
stane-rig. From this position, faint vestiges of it
were traced nearly to the Peel-fell, which is one of
the chain of mountains that forms a natural barrier
between Northumberland, on the south, and Teviot-
dale, and Lidsdale, on the north. Gordon — who has
the merit of having first brought this curious remain
into notice — absurdly supposes it to have been a
limes, or houndary, which the Caledonians estab-
lished after their peace with the Emperor Severus.
He ought to have recollected that this work is in
the country of the Romanized Britons of Valentia,
and lies far from the land of the Maeatae and Cale-
donians. Maitland, with equal absurdity, has con-
verted the Catrail into a Roman road. If he had
only examined it, he would have seen that it is as
different from a Roman road as a crooked is from a
straight line, or as a concave work is from a convex.
The able and disquisitive Whitaker was the first
who applied the Catrail to its real purpose, by refer-
ring it to its proper period. There can hardly be a
doubt whether the Catrail was once a dividing fence,
between the Romanized Britons of the Cumbrian
kingdom, and their Saxon invaders on the east. It
cannot, indeed, be fitly referred to any other histori-
cal period of the country, which is dignified by the
rite of this interesting antiquity. The Britons and
the Saxons were the only hostile people whose coun-
tries were separated by this warlike fence, which
seems to have been exactly calculated to overawe
the encroaching spirit of the Saxon people."
CATRINE, a village beautifully situated on the
north side of the river Ayr, in the western extremity
of the parish of Sorn, 15 miles east of the town of
Ayr, and 2 east by south of Mauchline. It is of a
regular form, having in the middle a square of 300
feet, with streets leading from it on the east, south,
and west; these are intersected with other cross
streets at right angles. In 1787, Claude Alexander,
Esq. of Ballochmyle, the proprietor, in partnership
with the well-known Mr. David Dale of Glasgow,
established extensive spinning machinery here, and
built this village for the accommodation of their
work-people ; since which time it has increased
greatly, and in 1836 contained 2,645 inhabitants.
In 1838, the 2 cotton-mills here employed 750 hands,
and 290 horse power. A chapel-of-ease was built
here by Mr. Alexander, in 1792, which was pur-
rhsni'd in 1829 by the feuars of Catrine for £400;
Mttings 754. The feuars of Catrine are bound by
their feus to maintain this chapel and a burying-
i^round; but the obligation does not extend to the
payment of the stipend. — A United Secession church
has recently been erected here ; sittings 580.
CAVA, a small island of Orkney, 2 miles south
>f Pomona, and belonging to the parish of Orphir.
It is about a mile long, and a quarter of a mile
•road; and in 1796 was inhabited by 3 families.
There is a ruinous chapel on the island.
HAVERS, a parish of very irregular figure and
riderable extent, in the county of Roxburgh. It
iists of two detached portions, both lying on the
southern side of the Teviot. The upper and larger
portion is separated from that lying lower down the
river by the intervention of Ha wick and Kirkton
parishes ; and is bounded on the north by these
last-mentioned parishes ; on the east by Hobkirk ;
on the south by Castletown parish, and Dum-
fries-shire ; and on the west and north-west by
Hawick. The western part of this division is hilly
and rugged; but towards the east it becomes flat,
with a rich fertile soil. It is watered by the Teviot,
Allan water, and the Slitrige, with their tributaries.
These all rise on the northern side of the mountain-
ous range, from the southern slopes of which the
Hermitage and the Liddel descend in an opposite
direction. The loftiest mountain is the Wisp, to
the west of Mosspaul inn, which has an altitude of
1,830 feet, and commands a noble prospect, embracing
both the eastern and western seas. Tudhope, or
Tutop, to the east of Mosspaul, belongs partly to this
parish, and partly to CASTLETOWN : see the latter
article. On advancing northwards we meet with a
number of detached conical hills, amongst which are
the Maiden paps, at the head of the Slitrige ; Shelf-
hill pen, near the head of the Allan ; and Pencrest
pen to the north of both these The northern or
lower division of the parish is bounded on the north
by Minto and Bedrule parishes; on the east by
Bedrule and Hobkirk ; on the south by Kirkton and
Hawick; and on the west by Wilton and MintO.
The Rule separates it from Bedrule. In this division
is a village called Denholm, on the estate of Mr. Dou-
glas of Cavers. See DENHOLM. Population, in 1835,
500. Denholm was the birth-place, in 1 775, of John
Leyden. Here is an Independent chapel. Cavers,
the residence of James Douglas, Esq., is the only
mansion of note in the parish. Population, in 1801,
1,382; in 1831, 1,625. Houses, in 1831, 262. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £11,503.— This parish is
in the presbytery of Jedburgh, and synod of Merse
and Teviotdale. Stipend £250 6s. Unappropriated
teinds £1,134 12s. 7d. Patron, Douglas of Cavers.
Church built in 1822 ; sittings 500. It is in the lower
division of the parish ; the upper division has a chapel
at Carlenrig. — There is one principal parish-school,
and two side-schools, in this parish. Salary of prin-
cipal master £30; 2<1 master £15 13s. IJd. ; 3d,
£12. There is also a private girls' school.
CAVER TON, a village in the parish of Eckford,
Roxburghshire ; 4£ miles south of Kelso, near which
is an extensive moor, called Caverton Edge, on which
the Kelso races were formerly held. It was burnt
by the English in 1544, and again in 1553. The
vicinity of Moss tower, an important border-strong-
hold, about a furlong to the north-east, seems to
have drawn upon it these visitations. The barony
of Caverton belonged to the Lord Soulis, who, ac-
cording to tradition, was boiled alive at the Nine-
stane rigg in the parish of Castletown, near his castle
of Hermitage.
CAWDOR. See CALDER.
CAYLE (THE). See KALE.
CELLARDYKES, a village in Fifeshire, in the
parish of Kilrenny, so called from the fishers of
Kilrenny having here cellars or storehouses for lodg-
ing their fish. It is immediately adjoining Anstru-
ther-Easter, but is united as a burgh with Kilrenny f
situated about half-a-mile inland. See KILKENNY.*
Municipal and parliamentary constituency, in 1839,
48. Revenue £40 The principal trade is fishing
for the Edinburgh market; and the Cellardykes
fishermen are proverbial for their dexterity and
hardihood. The take of herrings by the fishermen
of this place, in 1839, was 5*5,000 barrels. The
number of boats was 80, of an average burden of
16 tons each. Cod and haddocks are also exten-
CER
222
CHA
sively exported from this place in a fresh, dried,
and pickled state. There are two boys' schools
here, a female school, and an infant school. Popu-
lation, in 1811, 805; in 1836, 1,800, of whom 300
were fishermen.
CERES, a parish in the county of Fife, extending
in length about 7£ miles, and in breadth from 1 to 4
miles; bounded by St. Andrews, Kemback, and
Cupar on the north ; by St. Andrews, Kemback, and
Cameron on the east; by Cameron, Kilconquhar,
and Largo on the south ; and by Cults, Kettle, and
Scoonie, on the west. This parish forms a beautiful
valley, lying to the south of Tarvet hill. Its super-
ficial area amounts to about 8,000 acres, of which
four-tenths are in tillage, five-tenths in pasture, and
one-tenth is planted as muirland. The average rent
is £1 10s. per acre. Valued rental £8,248 Is. Id.
Scots. Assessed property, in 1815, £12,753. There
are about 500 looms within this parish employed in
the manufacture of linen ; and there are 3 spinning-
mills for the manufacture of linen yarn, which, Mr.
Leighton states, produce 119,600 spyndles yearly.
Limestone is abundant, and extensively wrought;
coal and freestone are also found here. The parish
contains 4 other villages besides that of Ceres. The
second village in point of extent is Craigrothie ; the
others are Chance-Inn, Pitscottie, and Coaltown.
The Eden and Ceres, with two or three smaller
rivulets, water this parish. The Ceres is formed by
the union of five streams near the village of Ceres.
It flows through the beautiful den of Dura, and joins
the Eden near Kemback. — The ruins of Craighall
house, built by the celebrated Scottish jurisconsult
Sir Thomas Hope, are situated about a mile to the
south-east of the village of Ceres ; and to the south-
west are the ruins of Struthers' house, now the pro-
perty of the Earl of Glasgow. Upon the estate of
Scotstarvet, is a beautiful tower of jointed freestone,
24 feet square, and about 50 feet high. The walls
are very thick, and the windows small; the whole
is surmounted by a battlement. Magus muir, the
scene of Archbishop Sharp's murder, is partly in this
parish, partly in that of St. Andrews. Lindsay of
Pitscottie, author of a well-known history of Scot-
land, was a native of this parish : see PITSCOTTIE.
Population, in 1801, 2,352; in 1831, 2,740. Houses
423. — This parish is in the presbytery of Cupar, and
synod of Fife. Stipend £229 13s. 4d. Unappro-
priated teinds £5 9s. 4d. Church built in 1806;
sittings 1,100. Patron, the Earl of Glasgow. School-
master's salary £34 4s. 4^d. with about £40 fees.
Prior to the Reformation,~there was a chapel in this
parish dedicated to St. Ninian ; and the schoolmaster
of Ceres receives a presentation to be chaplain of the
chapel of St. Ninian, within the church of Ceres,
and to be reader of that parish : a small salary of £3
Scots was formerly payable to the chaplain, from
certain houses in Cupar, but these houses cannot
now be discovered, and the chaplainry has become
a title without a benefice. The parish school-house
is a handsome building. There are also schools at
Craigrothie and Baldinny The village of Ceres is
situated 2£ miles south of Cupar-Fife. It contains
several streets, and some good houses. It carries
on a considerable trade in brown linen. It has 2
fairs annually, viz. on the 24th of June, and 20th of
October. Besides the parish-church, there are here
a Relief church built in 1798, and a Secession meet-
ing-house built in 1744. The old feus in this village
are held of the proprietors of Craighall. In the
churchyard is the tombstone of John, 5th Lord
Lindsay.
CESSFORD, a small village in the parish of
Eckford, Roxburghshire; 6^ miles north-east of
Jedburgh. There is a school here. Near it, on the
south, is the ancient castle of Cessford, which gives
the title of Baron to the Duke of Roxburgh. The
first proprietor of this castle, mentioned in history,
was Andrew Ker of Attonburn, who obtained the
title of Baron Cessford, and got a charter of confir-
mation from Archibald, Earl Douglas, dated 1446.
In 1570 the laird of Cessford was made warden of
the Scottish middle marches. Cessford castle, being
only 4 or 5 miles from the English confines, was
necessarily rendered a place of security ; and accord-
ing to tradition, there was a subterraneous vault for
concealing both persons and goods within its walls
to which access was only got by one aperture which
was opened or shut by a large stone with an iron
ring in it. " This stone and ring," says the writer
of the Old Statistical Account, " have been seen by
some persons still alive; but the entrance to the
peel or dungeon is now choked up with rubbish."
In the recent Statistical Account it is stated that
this vault is about 17 feet long, 10 broad, and 9
deep. No date is discernible to fix the period of the
erection of this castle ; but from those parts of the
walls yet entire, it appears to have been a place of
considerable strength, both from the thickness of the
walls, which are 12 feet at an average, — the vestiges
of the battlements on the top, — the embrasures on
the sides, — and the remains of a surrounding moat
which was probably furnished with water from a
spring above the present farm-house, about 2 fur-
longs distant. The roof is entirely gone. The area
within the walls is 39 feet in length, and 20 in
breadth. See ECKFORD.
CESSNOCK. See GALSTON.
CHANCE INN, See INVERKEILOR ; also CERES.
CHANNELKIRK,* a parish in Berwickshire,
nearly of a circular form, having a diameter of 5|
miles ; bounded by Fala and Humbie on the north ;
Lauder on the east and south ; and Stow on the
west. It is a pastoral district, situated amongst the
Lammermoor hills, where they border with the
counties of East and Mid-Lothian. The principal
village is that of Oxton, with a population of 220.
On the banks of the streamlets, which united form
the Leader, are about 3,000 acres in tillage, having
a light thin soil on a bed of sandy gravel. The hills
are mostly bleak, and covered with heath. A great
many Pictish or Scottish military encampments are
to be seen in this neighbourhood. They are called
rings by the common people. General Roy has
preserved a plan of a Roman camp here. About a
quarter of a mile west of the kirk is a fine spring
called ' The Well of the Holy Water cleugh.' The
Girthgate, or road by which the monks travelled
from Melro^se to Edinburgh, passes through the wes-
tern boundary of the parish ; and on this road, a few
miles due west of the church, are the ruins of an old
building commonly called Restlaw Ha', at which,
tradition says, the monks and pilgrims used to stop
for refreshment. Population, in 1801, 640; in 1831,
841. Houses 148. Assessed property, in 1815,
£5,827. Real rental £5,400 This parish, for-
merly a rectory, with the chapels of Glengelt and
Carfrae annexed, is in the presbytery of Lauder, and
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Stipend £190 5s.
6d. ; glebe £15. Patron, Sir H. P. H. Campbell,
Baronet. Church built in 1817; sittings 300
Schoolmaster's salary £30. The school is attended
by about 100 children.
CHANONRY, a village in the county of Ross,
about a mile from the burgh of Rosemarkie, to which
it was united by a charter granted by James II.,
* The ancient name of this parish was Childer-kirk, or Chil.
dren'e kirk, the church having been dedicated to the Innocenta
In old records it is written Jingle-kirk, and is usually pro-
nounced co at this day.
CHA
CHI
u/ider the common name of Fortrose. It was called
Chanonry, from being the canonry of Ross, and
the residence of the bishop ; it is now the seat of a
n, I'sbytery. See FORTROSE and ROSEMARKIE.
( 1 1" APEL-HILL. See TRINITY-GASK.
CHAPEL OF GARIOCH, a parish in the dis-
trict of Garioch, Aberdeenshire; bounded by the
parishes of Rayne and Daviot on the north ; by Da-
viot, Inverury, and Kemnay on the east ; by Kem-
nay and Monymusk on the south ; and by* Mony-
nmsk, Oyne, and Rayne on the west. Its greatest
length is 11 miles; greatest breadth 5. The river
Don runs on the southern boundary, dividing it from
Ki'imiay ; the Urie intersects the northern and broad-
est part of the parish, and divides it from Inverury.
There is a considerable extent of plantations. In
several parts are indications of limestone, but none
has yet been discovered. Near the old castle of
Balquhain, on a small branch of the Urie, is aDruid-
ical temple ; a remarkably fine echo is observable
here. About half-a-mile west of the church is a
large upright stone, 10 feet high, 4 broad, and 1 foot
thick, called the Maiden stone. Pennant has given
an engraving of the hieroglyphics cut upon it. Near
the kirk-town, in 1411, was fought the battle of
Harlaw, between Alexander, Earl of Mar, and Don-
ald, Lord of the Isles. See HARLAW. Population,
in 1801, 1,224; in 1831, 1,873; in 1836, 1,928, of
whom 1,793 belonged to the Established church.
Houses 380. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,313.
— This parish is in the synod of Aberdeen, and Ga-
is the seat of a presbytery. It was formerly
Logie-Durno, but about the beginning of the
century was united to the parsonage of Fetter-
r, and erected into the present parish. The lands
Lethinty are annexed quoad sacra to Daviot.
;r's stipend £217 11s. 8d; glebe £22 10s.
>propriated teinds £173 19s. 9d. Patron, Sir R.
H. Elphinstone, Baronet. Church built in 1813;
722. — Salary of parish schoolmaster £27,
dve of the Dick bequest, with about £20 fees.
are 3 private schools in the parish.
CHARLESTON, a village in the parish of Dun-
iline, Fifeshire ; 3£ miles south of that place,
the same distance west of Inverkeithing ; plea-
santly situated on the north coast of the frith of
Forth. It was founded by the Earl of Elgin in
1778, for the accommodation of the workmen at
;he extensive lime-works on his estate. It is in
;he form of a square, enclosing an area contairi-
Meaching-green. It has a tolerable harbour.
The number of vessels belonging to Limekilns and
Charleston, in 1828, was 75, averaging 80 tons bur-
den. Coal is conveyed to the works from the Earl
of Elgin's collieries by a railroad about 6 miles in
length. There are 9 drawkilns here. In 1811 there
were sold at these works 1 32,563 bolls of lime, 2,400
slacked, 77,200 tons limestone, and 600
tons of ironstone. The present export is about
400,000 bushels of shells, and about 15,000 tons of
raw stone. The working of ironstone has been dis-
continued of late years ; but the export of coals is
mense. Adjoining to Charleston, on the east, is
populous village of LIMEKILNS : which see.
e Earl of Elgin's mansion of Broomhall is in the
Jnity. Charleston contained, in 1831, 891 in-
bitants.
CHARLESTON OF ABERLOUR. See ABER-
UR
CHARLESTON OF AB OYNE, a pleasant little
mi, on the north bank of the Dee, in the parish
Aboyne, Aberdeenshire ; SOi miles west of Aber-
en, and 26 east of Castleton of Braemar. The
e is here crossed by a suspension-bridge. In the
eighbourhood is Aboyue castle, the seat of the
Marquess of Huntly. The surrounding scenery \a
/cry magnificent. It is a burgh-of-barony. It has
six fairs in the year; viz. on the 3d Wednesday in
February; 2d Wednesday in April; 3d Wednesday
n June; Friday of Paldy fair week; 1st Tuesday in
October, O. S. ; and 2d "Wednesday in November.
CHARLOTTE (FORT), a small fortification
near the north end of the town of Lerwick, in Shet-
land, said to have been built in the days of Oliver
Cromwell. It commands the entrance to Bressay
sound, and was repaired in 1781.
CHATELHERAULT. See HAMILTON.
CHARTERS-HALL, or CHATORS HALL, a
hamlet in the shire of Stirling, and parish of St.
Ninian's ; near the southern bank of the Bannock,
3J miles south from Stirling.
CHEVIOT HILLS (THE), a range of moun-
tains in the south of Scotland; separating, through-
out a considerable portion of its extent, the kingdoms
of Scotland and England. Some regard this chain
as commencing at Loch Ryan on the west, and ex-
tending, with occasional interruptions, to the head of
the Northumberland Beaumont ; but the Cheviots,
commonly so called, lie on the borders of Roxburgh
and Northumberland, and may be regarded as com-
mencing, on the east, with Cheviot hill, in N. lat.
55° 29', 19 miles from Sunderland Point. This hill,
the highest in the range, has an altitude of 2,684 feet,
according to Sir Thomas Brisbane.* From this point,
the Cheviots run in a south-west direction, by Carter
fell, altitude 2,020 feet, to Peel fell, in N. lat. 55°
17' and W. long. 2° 35'. The principal pass in the
range is that known by the name of Carter bar, by
which the road from Jedburgh to Newcastle enters
England.
CHIRNSIDE,f a parish in the county of Ber-
wick, district of the Merse. It is bounded by Cold-
ingham on the north ; by Ayton and Foulden on the
east ; by Hutton and Edrom on the south ; and by
Buncle on the west. The Whitadder separates it
from Edrom and Hutton parishes ; and a deep ditch
which has been executed for the purpose of draining
the Billymire morass, separates it from Buncle and
Coldingham. The extent of this parish is about 3£
by 3 miles ; superficial area, upwards of 5,000 acres.
Assessed property, in 1815, £9,667. Among the
several eminences which project from the Lammer-
moor hills into the low country of Berwickshire,
Chirnside hill is a remarkable one. It is distinguished
by its elevation and semicircular aspect to the south,
joined with the great expansion of its summit, and
its gradual declination to the Whitadder. It com-
mands the view of a country, the richest perhaps in
soil — with the exception of the Carses — of any in
Scotland. The landscape is that of a plain, waved
with long ridges, running chiefly in one direction,
and of more than 25 miles extent, from the bay of
Berwick to the Teviotdale hills, on the west; while
directly south, and at almost the same distance, the
famed hills and chaces of Cheviot form a very strik-
ing boundary. " About 60 or 70 years ago," says
the writer of the Old Statistical Account, in 1 794,
" this prospect, although striking and noble, was a
naked one, and had little or nothing of the beauty
arising from extensive agriculture, enclosed fields, or
plantations. If some groves or strips of trees marked,
here and there, the seats of the gentry or nobles,
* Another barometric measurement, by Messrs. Adie & GaU
braith, gave 5>,fi<J5 feet. See • Edinburgh New Philosophical
Journal,' vol. xiv. p. 72. Mr. C. Smith estimated ita height at
2,657 feet.
f In discussing the etymology of this name, the writer of the
Old Statistical Account — who derives it from chern, 'a cairn,'
with the Saxon adjunct tide — says that the common people of
the district universally pronounce ch as •/*. Thus they pro-
nounce Chiruside, Shirnside.
CHR
224
CLA
besides these, and a few enclosures joined with
them, hardly any thing but waste land, or the poor-
est culture, was discoverable. Nature, indeed, wore
a robe that indicated a deep soil. The uncultivated
grounds produced immense tracks of heath, over-
spread with thick furze, or tall whins, and, in some
drier places, with broom ; which, in the spring, and
through the summer, shed the golden gleam of their
flowers, and their fragrance, all around. The eye
of a spectator, on Chirnside hill, now has in prospect
a country, of the extent described, all of it in re-
markable cultivation; the corn-fields and pasture-
lands, almost everywhere, enclosed and divided by
hedges and ditches. Large plantations not only ap-
pear around the gentlemen's seats, but reach, in
several places, to the extremities of their lands ; so
that they seem to be conjoined to each other." The
progress of agriculture has added greatly to this
richness of prospect since the commencement of the
present century. The writer of the Old Statistical
Account justly thought that a rise from 3s. to 12s.
per acre in the rent of some lands within the parish,
and from 5s. to 20s. of others, within a period of 45
years, indicated a vast improvement ; but these rents
have within the like space of the last 45 years, been
again trebled, and, in some instances, quadrupled.
Population, in 1801, 1,147; in 1831, 1..248; in 1835,
1,200; of whom 800 belonged to the Established
church, and 380 to other denominations. Houses,
in 1831, 219 The village of Chirnside is 9 miles
north-west of Berwick, and 6 east of Dunse ; on the
road from Dunse to Ayton. It consists of two
streets nearly in the form of the letter T ; the longer
of which runs from west to east, about three quar-
ters of a mile. At the junction of the two streets
is an open space, called the Cross-hill, where a fair
is held, chiefly for the sale of sack-cloth and linen
yarn, on the last Thursday of November. It con-
tains upwards of 600 inhabitants This parish is in
the presbytery of Chirnside, and synod of Merse and
Teviotdale. Stipend £247 8s. 6d. ; glebe £29 8s.
Unappropriated teinds £509 2s. 3d. Patron, Sir
John Hall, Baronet. The church is a very old
building ; sittings 359 — There is a Reformed Pres-
byterian congregation. Church built in 1781 ; sit-
tings 500. Minister's stipend £105, with a manse
and a garden. — A United Secession church was re-
cently built in the village. — Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4£d., with £30 fees. There are 2 private
schools. — The Rev. Henry Erskine, father of the
well-known founders of the Secession, was the
first minister of this parish after the Revolution.
He died in 1696. In 1586, the Earl of Dunbar and
March, along with Lord Douglas, met the English
warden of the marches, Lord Neville, at Billymire,
for the purpose of concluding a truce. The fact, as re-
corded in Border history, " gives occasion to observe
why the place of a bog was appointed for such a meet-
ing. It is accounted for, by considering the violent and
particular animosity with which the parties at war in
the borders were inflamed against each other. Their
constant arid mutual defiances and incursions kept up
resentment ; so that when the wardens were to meet
for negotiating a truce, infraction of it among their
armed trains was always to be apprehended. To pre-
vent their coming to blows or scuffles, they were kept
at some distance from each other by a slough or inter-
section of the ground chosen for their meeting, until at
least all the preliminaries were settled between the
wardens. Hence, Hauden-stank and the Bounden-
road are often mentioned as the places of conventions
for treaties ; and yet, even those precautions did not
always insure their peaceable termination."
CHRIST'S KIRK, an ancient parish, nowannexed
to the parish of Kinnethmont, in the shire of Aber-
deen. The church is in ruins, but the burial-ground
is still in use. It is 4 miles east of Clatt. A fair
was formerly kept here on the Green, in the month
of May, and in the night ; from which circumstam
it was commonly called Sleepy market. Sever
years ago, the proprietor, General Hay of Ramies
changed it from night to day ; but so strong was
prepossession of the people in favour of the old cus
torn, that rather than comply with the alterati(
they chose to neglect it altogether. The scene
the celebrated poem of ' Chryst's-Kirk on the Grene,'
commonly ascribed to James I., is supposed by
antiquaries to have been here.
CHRYSTON, a quoad sacra parish in Lanarl
shire, divided from Cadder by authority of the As
sembly, in 1834. It is 4£ miles in length by 3j ii
breadth, and contains about 1 1 square miles. Popi
lation, in 1836, 1,782, chiefly located in the villf ^
of Chryston, Mollingburn, Moodiesburn, and Auchli
loch. Church built in 1780; sittings 564. Stipem
^670, with a manse and garden valued at £10.
minister of Cadder used to officiate every third Sui
day here ; but in 1780 the Chryston end of the
ish was made a distinct chapelry. See CADDER.
CILLCHUIMAN. See BOLESKINE.
CILLIECHRIST, or KILCHRIST, an am
chapelry in the parish of Urray in Ross, the scene
one of the bloodiest acts of Highland ferocity am
revenge that history has recorded, commonly kno\
as the Raid of Cilliechrist. In the early part of tl
17th century, a party of Glengarry's men surprised .
numerous body of the Mackenzies, while assemblec
at prayer within the walls of Cilliechrist chapel, o
a Sunday morning ; shut them up within the buil(
ing, and then set fire to it ; whilst the piper of tl
Macdonalds marched round the church, playing
pibroch, until the shrieks of the miserable victin
were hushed in death. The Macdonalds retunu
home in two bands, one of which was overtaken
the Mackenzies near the burn of Altsay, and nearlj
extirpated; while a still more severe retribution over-
took the other party, who, having fled by Inverm
were overtaken near Torbreck, and shut up in a put
lie-house in which they had been refreshing themselv
which was set fire to, and the whole party, 37
number, perished by the same death they had in-
licted on the hapless Mackenzies. The solitary and
)eautiful burying-ground of the chapelry is still in use.
CLACHNAHARRY, a fishing- village in the par-
ish of Inverness, at the mouth of the Caledonian
canal, about a mile to the west of the town of
Inverness, so called from the vicinity of a rock — in
GaelicClach-na-herry, that is, ' the Watchman's stone '
— on which sentinels used to be placed to give notice
to the burghers of Inverness of the approach of any
body of marauders. It has a population of about
300. In 1333, according to Sir Robert Gordon, but
according to Shaw in 1454, and according to Ander«
son in 1378, John Monroe, the tutor of Foulis, in
travelling homeward, on his journey from Edinburgh
x) Ross, stopped on a meadow in Stratherdale thai
le and his servants might get some repose. While
;hey were asleep, the owner of the meadow cut ofl
;he tails of their horses. Being resolved to wipe ofi
;his insult, he, immediately on his return home tc
rloss, summoned his whole kinsmen and followers,
and, after informing them how he had been used
craved their aid to revenge the injury. The clan
)f course, complied ; and, having selected 350 of th(
jest and ablest men among them, he returned t<
Stratherdale, which he wasted and spoiled; killec
ome of the inhabitants, and carried off their cattle
n passing by the isle of Moy, on his return home
Mackintosh, the chief of the clan Chattan, beinj
urged by some person who bore Monroe a grudg*
CLACKMANNANSHIRE.
225
*ent a message to him demanding a share of the
spoil. This was customary among the Highlanders
when a party drove cattle which had been so taken
through a gentleman's land, and the part so exacted
was called a Staoig rathaid, or Staoig creic/i, that
is, 'a Road collop.' Monroe, not being disposed to
quarrel, offered Mackintosh a reasonable share, but
this he was advised not to accept, and demanded the
half of the booty. Monroe refused to comply with
such an unreasonable demand, and proceeded on his
journey. Mackintosh, determined to enforce compli-
ance, immediately collected his clansmen, and went
in pursuit of Monroe, whom he overtook in the
vicinity of Clach-na- Harry. As soon as Monroe saw
Mackintosh approaching, he sent home five of his
men to Ferrindonald with the cattle, and prepared
for action. But Mackintosh paid dearly for his rapa-
city and rashness, for he and the greater part of his
men were killed in the conflict. Several of the
Monroes also were slain, and John Monroe himself
was left for dead in the field of battle, and might
have died if the predecessor of Lord Lovat had not
carried him to his house in the neighbourhood, where
he was cured of his wounds. One of his hands was
so mutilated, that he lost the use of it the remainder
of his life, on which account he was afterwards called
John Bac-laimh, or Ciotach. The Monroes had
great advantage of the ground by taking up a posi-
tion among rocks, from which they annoyed the
ckintoshes with their arrows.
CLACKMANNANSHIRE, a county forming
of a territory anciently denominated Ross,
tract was bounded on the south by the frith
Forth ; on the east by the German ocean ; by the
of Tay on the north ; and on the north-west
the Montes Ocellani, or Ochil hills, sweeping in
lorth-eastern direction from the neighbourhood of
rling to the mouth of the Tay. The principal
t of it was in Fife ; Kinross and Clackmannan
were formed out of the north-western part.
narrow part of Perthshire crosses the hills be-
i these two small counties, and encroaches
this district.* Clackmannanshire is bounded
the south and west by the frith of Forth, which
33 it from Stirlingshire; and on the north and
east by Perthshire, excepting at one point, where in
joins the county of Fife. This county contains only
4 parishes. Along the Ochil hills lie Tillicoultry
and Dollar; Alloa and Clackmannan stretch along
the shores of the Forth. Alva, although belonging
to Stirlingshire, is remarkably cooped up in this
county. Part of the parish of Logie, too, h'es in
Clackmannanshire. The only towns are ALLOA and
CLACKMANNAN : which see. The county contains
about 30,720 English acres, of which 22,000 are cul-
tivated, 5,000 uncultivated, and 3,720 nearly unpro-
fitable. Assessed property, in 1815, £37,978. Po-
pulation, in 1801, 10,858; in 1831, 14,729. Inhabited
houses, in 1831, 2,391. Population, in 1841, 19,116,
being an increase of 29.7 per cent, on that of 1831.
Inhabited houses, in 1841, 3,593. Parliamentary
constituency, in 1839, 812. It is conjoined with the
shire of Kinross, and the two parishes of Tulliallan
and Cuiross, in returning a member to parliament. The
sheriff and small debt courts are held at Alloa. Stirling
the common gaol of the county of Clackmannan ;
t there is a lock-up house at Alloa. — In 1834, there
ere 5 parochial, and 26 not parochial schools in this
In this part of Scotland the local intermixture of the
il divisions is very inconvenient. For example: before a
tness residing in any of the detached portions of Perthshire,
uated within a few miles of Kinross or Alloa, can be effec-
ally cited to appear at the courts held in these towns, the
irrnnt must be indorsed by the sheriff-clerk of Perthshire ;
d the same occurs with regard to the detached portions of
irlinKshire.
county ; superintended by 45 instructors, and at-
tended by about 1,800 children.
The surface rises gradually from the shores of the
frith to the Ochil hills, the highest of which, Ben-
cloch, is in the parish of Tillicoultry ; see BENCLOCH.
On the banks of the Forth the country is flat and
rich ; and the Ochils afford pasturage for sheep not
to be surpassed in Scotland. The Forth upon the
south, and the Ochil hills upon the north, run in a
direction diverging from each other. To the south-
ward of the mountains lies the beautiful vale ot
Devon, through the middle of which flows the sweetly
winding stream of that name. Betwixt this vale
and the foot of the mountains, the soil is in general
light and of a fine quality, but not very deep, being
of a gravelly bottom. The haughs of the Devon are
rich and fertile ; of a deep soil, but with a mixture
of sand. South from the Devon the country begins
to rise, and the soil is less valuable, as it possesses
much of that clay scarcely penetrable by water
which is so generally found in districts containing
coal and freestone. The country descends gradually
from this to the shores of the Forth, along the whole
of which is a most enchanting level tract, consisting
of rich carse lands of the finest sort of alluvial soil,
being a part of the carse of Stirling. These lands
form the most beautiful part of the foreground in
the extensive view from Stirling castle towards the
east. The climate of this district is various. Snow
seldom lies on the low grounds of Logie, or in the
vale of Devon ; although the case is very different
upon the hills. There is a remarkable spot in the
Ochils, above the house of Alva, so much shaded
that snow sometimes lies on it until the month of
June. The rain that falls is seldom copious, and,
on account of the gravelly bottom in the parishes of
Tillicoultry and Dollar, does little hurt. The cli-
mate of the high lands is considerably colder and
wetter than that of the valleys ; and the moisture
is likewise more severely felt, a«i the bottom is a
retentive till. In the parishes of Alloa and Clack-
mannan, the climate is pleasant and dry, as well a*
warm.
Every modern improvement in agriculture has
been adopted here ; and the high state of cultivation
over the whole face of the country is a proof of the
skill and industry of the farmers. Beans are much
cultivated, and are generally planted in drills; some-
times they are sown broad cast, with a mixture of
pease. In this district and its neighbourhood are a
considerable number of small feus held in perpetuity.
About the time of the reformation from popery, it
became, in many parts of the country, a sort of
fashion for great proprietors to grant feus of con-
siderable portions of their estates. Some proprietors
did this to conciliate the attachment of their vassals ;
others, from generosity, were willing to deprive their
successors of the power to expel from around them
the faithful adherents to the fortunes of their family ;
while a third class were tempted by a considerable
pecuniary payment which the vassals had found
means to accumulate. The family of Argyle, in par-
ticular, possessed property in this neighbourhood,
and made perpetual grants to their vassals in the
manner alluded to. One feu in the parish of Dollar,
extending to no less than 200 Scottish acres, is held
under this condition, that the feuar or tenant shall
be bound to slaughter all the cattle that may be
wanted for the use of the family of Argyle in their
residence of Castle-Campbell. About the end of
the 16th, or beginning of the 17th century, Lord
Colvil, then proprietor of the estate of Tillicoultry,
divided about four-fifths of the arable land into 40
feus, each of which contained, on an average, about
30 Scotch acres. Most of these tenures were con-
CLA
226
CLA
verted into feus in the year 1605. What was called
the Mains of Dollar was divided into 8 oxengates
each of which contained from 30 to 45 Scotch acr s
In the carse, the farms are not large, containing only
about 80 or 100 acres each.
There is no county in Scotland better supplied
with Water than Clackmannan. The Devon, from
its source in the parish of Blackford in Perthshire,
to where it falls into the Forth, at the village oi
Cambus, presents a succession of delightful scenery.
After running a course of more than 26 miles, it
mingles its pure and limpid waters with the Forth,
not more than 6 miles in a straight line from its
source. See article THE DEVON. In the lower
part of the county is another river called the South
Devon, and sometimes the Black Devon, from the
gloomy density of its waters. This stream rises in
the hills of Saline, in the county of Fife, and flowing
westward, in a direction nearly parallel to the Devon,
falls into the Forth in the parish of Clackmannan
There is a small stream which runs into the Devon,
called Gloommgside burn, in which no trouts have
ever been discovered, although it has fine streams
and pools. Live trouts have been put into it ; but
it does not appear that they were capable of living
there — There is rather a deficiency of wood in the
county. The ancient forest of Clackmannan has
long since disappeared. About sixty years ago, at-
tempts to cover the hills to a considerable height
were made, which, in time, may probably succeed,
and prove a great ornament to the country; but, on
account of its elevated situation, the progress of
vegetation is here remarkably slow. Clackmannan-
shire abounds with coal in every part ; freestone and
granite are also abundant. In the Ochils have been
wrought at various times valuable ores of silver,
lead, copper, cobalt, ironstone, and antimony. Many
rich specimens of septaria have also been found. Coal
is very extensively wrought. Pebbles, agates, and
a few topazes, are sometimes discovered amongst the
rubbish which is washed from the hills The prin-
cipal seats in this district are Tullibody, Kennet or
Clackmannan, Shaw-park, and Alloa. The principal
feudal remains are Castle- Campbell, Alloa tower,
and Clackmannan tower In this county the weights
and measures are the same as those of Stirling,
shire.
CLACKMANNAN, a parish in the above county ;
extending in length about 6, and in breadth 4 miles ;
bounded on the north by Tillicoultry and Dollar;
on the east by Tulliallan; on the south by the Forth;
and on the west by Alloa. The superficial area is
about 7,000 acres; the whole is arable; the greater
part carse ground, and highly productive. Assessed
property, in 1815, £14,026. It is watered by the
two Devons. The Black Devon rose to an immense
height in this quarter during the rains in September
1839, and choked one of the Devon company's pits.
The Devon Iron company have extensive furnaces and
machinery here ; and near to their works the thriving
village of Newtonshaw has been built. Coal and
limestone abound; and there is plenty of freestone
fit for building. Near the town stands the beautiful
modern mansion of Bruce of Kennet. Population
of the town and parish in 1801, 2,961 ; in 1831,
4,266; in 1836, 4,485; of whom 3,109 belonged to
the Established church, and 1,342 were dissenters.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Stirling, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the Earl of
Zetland. Stipend £284 Os. 9d,; glebe £16. Un-
appropriated teinds £241 16s. 3d. Church built in
1815; sittings 1,250 — A Relief church was built in
the town of Clackmannan in 1790; sittings 450.
Stipend £75 — There is also a Dissenting chapel at
Sauchie — Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4±d., with
£11 fees. In 1834 there were 8 private schools
within this parish. '
CLACKMANNAN, a town in the above parish,
formerly the county-town ; 2 miles east of Alloa,
and 3i west of Kincardine. It is situated on an
eminence gently rising out of a plain to the heigh t
of 190 feet above the level of the Forth. On each
side of the town the ground has a gradual descent;
but, towards the west where the old tower of Clack-
mannan is placed, it is bold and rocky. The sur-
rounding scenery, as beheld from this tower, is ex-
ceedingly picturesque and beautiful. To the west is
seen Alloa, Stirling, St. Ninians, and all the country
as far as Ben Lomond ; on the north the prospect is
bounded by the Ochils ; on the south and east are
the fertile fields of Stirlingshire, and the towns of
Falkirk, Linlithgow, and Kincardine ; while the fore-
ground is filled by the Forth, here a mile in breadth,
and 3 miles farther down expanding into a wide sheet
of water resembling a large inland lake. The tower
or keep — now the property of the Earl of Zetland —
is all that now remains of the castle or palace of
Robert Bruce, in which that monarch is said to have
resided sometime previous to the battle of Bannock-
burn. Grose has preserved a view of it. It has been
surrounded by a strong wall, and by a fosse on the side!
next the town. Till very lately the sword and helmet
of the illustrious Bruce were kept here ; they are now
in the possession of the Earl of Elgin, at Broomhall,
in Fifeshire, to whom the widow of Henry Bruce,
Esq. bequeathed them.* The principal street of the
town is broad and spacious ; but many of the houses
are mean. In the middle of the street stands a ruin
which was once the prison and town-house. The
harbour, or Clackmannan pow, is formed by the con-
fluence of the South Devon with the Forth. ltd
mean depth of water,is 10 feet, at the usual shipping-
place, and 20 feet at the mouth of the harbour. It
was much improved, in 1772, by Sir Lawrence Dun-
das. The town is situated on the estate of Clack-
mannan, and pays feu-duty to the proprietor of that
estate. It has two fairs annually, in June and Sep-
tember. Population 1,300.
CLASHMORE, a hamlet in the parish of Dor-
noch, in Sutherlandshire. It is the nearest point
to the Mickle ferry, which, before the existence of
Bonar bridge, was the only practicable mode of
reaching Sutherland and Caithness from the south-
The mail-coach here leaves the Skibo road for Dor-
noch. There is a good inn here.
CLATT, a parish in the western part of the dis-
trict of Garioch, Aberdeenshire ; bounded by the
parish of Kinnethmont on the north ; by Leslie on
the east; Tuilynestle on the south; and Auchindore
and Rhynie parishes on the west. It is a rugged
district, and the climate is severe and unfavourable
to agriculture, although the soil is in general good.
Granite and marble occur here. A small stream,
called the Gaudie, rises in the western extremity of
the parish, flows nearly due east, dividing the parish
into two nearly equal parts, and falls into the Urie.
The village of Clatt is 10 miles south of Huntly.
It was erected into a burgh-of-barony by James IV.
in 1501. Population, in 1801, 433; in 1831, 535.
Houses 100. Assessed property, in 1815, £866
This parish — formerly a rectory, and a prebend be-
longing to the chapter of Aberdeen — is in the pres-
bytery of Alford, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
the Crown. Stipend £134 16s. 6d.; glebe £9.
Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 4d.
CLAYHOLE, a village in Wigtonshire in the
* This venerable lady died at the age of 95, in 1796. Her
husband, who died in 1772, was generally considered the chief
>f the Unices. The estate of Clackmannan had remained in
he direct iiiie from the days of David II. till that yeav.
parish
CLE
227
CLO
ing*
The
thoi
of Leswalt, ?o near Stranraer as to be a suburb
of that to\vn, and included within its parliamentary
boundary.
CLEISH, a parish in Kinross-shire ; bounded on
the north by Perthshire, and by Fossaway and Kin-
ross parishes ; on the east by the parishes of Port-
moak and Ballingry ; on the south by the parishes
of Death and Dunfermline } and on the west by the
parish of Saline. It is of an oblong form, stretching
nearly due west from the low heights on the east
which divide Kinross-shire from Fifeshire; and is 6i
miles in length, by about 1 in average breadth ; and
contains about 7J square miles. A range of green
but moorish hills, bearing the name of the parish,
and of considerable elevation, divide it from Dun-
fermline. Dumglow, the highest, is 1,215 feet above
the level of the sea, and commands a very extensive
and beautiful prospect ; and three others, called the
Ingans, are respectively 1,060, 1,048, and 1,030.
he higher lands are in pasturage ; and the lower,
ugh of only middle-rate soil, and from 380 to 500
above the level of the sea, are in tillage. Springs
and rills are abundant and good, pouring their grate-
ful treasures past the door of nearly every dwelling.
Four lakes, the largest about 1$ mile in circum-
ference, enrich the hill-country with a store of
perches, pikes, and eels, and with a few trouts.
The Gairney carries the waters of these lakes to
Loch Leven. It flows along the northern boundary
of the parish for about 2£ miles, separating it from
Fossaway and Kinross. Excellent freestone exists
in great plenty ; and affords material for the best
houses and bridges in Kinross-shire and its coter-
inous districts. Limestone also is found ; but
at Scarhill, on the estate of Cleish, it lies at
great a depth as not to be an object of importance,
al was formerly wrought to a considerable extent
the estate of Blair- Adam; but for many years
has been neglected. On the top of Dumglow,
of other hills, are traces of ancient forts or
ips, which are supposed to have been part of a
tin of posts for defending the Roman conquests ;
' near these fortifications have been found several
containing human bones and pieces of charcoal.
A short distance from the parish-church stands a
rock called ' The Lecture stane,' which was used, in
the (lays of popery, as a support for the coffin during
the reading of the burial-service at funerals. At the
east end of the parish, a stone, inserted in a bridge,
bears an inscription indicating the road beneath it
to have been that by which Queen Mary fled from
Lochleven castle. Formerly, on what is now the
farm-stead of Gairney-bridge, stood the school-house
in which Michael BVuce, the Kirke White of Scot-
, taught a school ; and within a few yards of the
le spot stood the public-house in which the fathers
' the Secession held their first meeting. The great
" from Queensferry to Perth passes through nearly
centre of the parish, in a direction from south to
Population, in 1801, 625; in 1831, 681.
Houses 138. Assessed property, in 1815, £3,063.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Dunfermline,
and synod of Fife. Patron, Young of Cleish. Sti-
pend £156 16s. 4d. ; glebe £14. Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4d. The church was built in 1832,
and is remarkably neat, and in a beautiful situation,
ibosomed in plantations at the base of the southern
and looking down over sylvan slopes upon the
le of Kinross.
CLIFTON, a village in Breadalbane, near Tyn-
im. There is a lead mine here, on the top of a
\\liich was wrought several years ago but after-
rds abandoned. The workings have, however,
subsequently renewed by direction of the Mar-
i|iiefes of Breadalbane, and, iu 1839, above 100 men
were engaged in the works here, under the guidance
of a few German miners.
CLIFTON, a decayed village, formerly a chapelry.
in the parish of Morebattle in Roxburghshire; 10
miles south-east of Kelso. Clifton hill is a beautiful
eminence on the east side of the Beaumont.
CLISHEIM, a mountain in the northern division
of the isle of Harris, the loftiest in the Outer He-
brides. Dr. Macculloch calls it Clisseval, and esti-
mates its height at 2,700 feet, which is certainly too
low, if his estimate of the altitude of Langa, in its
neighbourhood, at 2,407 feet, be correct ; for Clish-
eim is, apparently at least, 800 feet higher.
CLOCH, or CLOUGH POINT, a point of land on
the south shore of the frith of Clyde, in the county
of Renfrew, about 5 miles below the port of Green-
ock ; in N. lat. 55° 58', and W. long. 4° 52'. There
is a light-house here. The light exhibited is white
and stationary. It is elevated 76 feet above high
water, and seen at the distance of 12 miles in clear
weather. It was erected in 1797.
CLOSEBURN,* a parish in Nithsdale, Dumfries-
shire ; 10 miles in extreme length, and nearly 8 in
breadth ; bounded on the north by the parishes of
Morton and Crawford in Lanarkshire ; on the east
by Kirkpatrick-juxta and Kirkmichael; on the south
by Kirkmahoe ; and on the west by Keir and Mor-
ton. It contains 20,745^ Scots acres according to
Webster's gazetteer ; but, according to the Old Sta-
tistical Account, 28,000 acres, 1,900 of which were
under cultivation in 1793; and according to the
New Statistical Account 23,006 acres in pasture;
5,683 in tillage; and 1,500 under plantation. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £9,220. The rental of
the parish has nearly quadrupled since the end of
last century. The river Nith forms the western
boundary, along which the soil is a fine rich loam ;
to the eastward the ground rises a little, and the
soil becomes light, dry, and sandy, until it merges
into extensive moors, unfit for tillage but affording
good pasture for sheep. The principal hills are those
of Queensberry, Carrick, and Auchinleck. The first
of these rises 2,140 feet above the level of the sea.
See QUEENSBERRY Besides the Nith, the Crichup,
a small stream noted for its romantic beauties, runs
through this parish. The Crichup takes its rise in
a moss near the northern extremity of the parish.
Not far from its source, it forms a very beautiful
cascade, called 'the Gray Mare's tail,' by falling over
a precipice of about 80 or 90 feet in height, and
almost perpendicular. About half-a-mile below this,
the water has, in the course of ages, hollowed out
to itself a strait passage through a mass of red free-
stone, forming a peculiarly romantic linn. This
linn, from top to bottom, is upwards of 100 feet;
and though 20 deep, it is yet so strait at the top,
that one might easily leap across it, were it not for
the tremendous prospect below, and the noise of the
water running its dark course, and by its deep mur-
murings affrighting the imagination. " Inaccessible
in a great measure to real beings, this linn was con-
sidered as the habitation of imaginary ones ; and at
the entrance into it, there was a curious cell or cave,
called the Elf s kirk, where, according to the super-
stition of the times, the imaginary inhabitants ot the
linn were supposed to hold their meetings. This
cave proving a good freestone-quarry, has lately
been demolished, for the purpose of building houses,
and from being the abode of elves, has been eon-
verted into habitations for men. In the times of
» " The original name of the parish was Kilo&hnrn, or, an it
is spelled in a very old deed, Kelosbern, from L'dln Otlmrm.
It was at tir>t but of small extent, an<l tli«> church seem* to
have been intended chiefly for the accommodation of the family
of L'lobcburu and its dependents."— Old Stitiitical Account.
CLO
228
CLU
persecution, the religious flying from their persecu-
tors, found an excellent hiding-place in Crichup linn ;
and there is a seat, in form of a chair, cut out by
nature in the rock, which having been^the retreat of
a shoemaker in those times, has ever since borne the
name of ' the Sutor's seat.' Nothing can be more
striking than the appearance of this linn from its
bottom. The darkness of the place, upon which the
sun never shines, — the ragged rocks, rising over one's
head, and seeming to meet at the top, with here and
there a blasted tree, bursting from the crevices, —
the rumbling of the water falling from rock to rock,
and forming deep pools, — together with some degree
of danger to the spectator, whilst he surveys the
striking objects that present themselves to his view,
— all naturally tend to work upon the imagination.
Hence many fabulous stories are told, and perhaps
were once believed, concerning this curious linn."
[Old Statistical Account, vol. xiii. p. 245.] Sir
Walter Scott has taken this place for the prototype
of the haunts of Balfour of Burley while under hid-
ing.— The limeworks of Closeburn, begun by Sir
James Kilpatrick, in 1772, and prosecuted with vigour
by the present proprietors, are extensive, and have
proved most beneficial to the district, although the
nearest coal-pits are at Sanquhar, 14 miles distant.
The castle of Closeburn, formerly belonging to the
family of Kirkpatrick, but which passed from them
in 1783, when the estate was purchased by Mr.
Menteath, is an ancient building, surrounded by a
fosse which formerly communicated with a small
lake now drained. This very ancient fortalice is a
square tower about 50 feet high, consisting of a
ground-floor, and three series of vaulted apartments.
It is still inhabited. Grose has given a drawing of
it. Near this castle is a mineral well which has
been of service in scrofulous cases. It is impreg-
nated with sulphur. Upon the farm of Kirkpatrick
were the remains of an old chapel and burying-
ground. There is also near the village of Closeburn
a chalybeate spring of considerable strength. The vil-
lage of Closeburn is 2J miles south-east of Thornhill.
Closeburn hall is a fine modern building in the Grecian
style. Population, in 1801, 1,679; in 1831, 1,680.
Houses, in 1831, 392 This parish, with which that
of Dalgarno was incorporated in 1697, is in the pres-
bytery of Penpont, and synod of Dumfries. Patron,
Sir C. Menteath, Baronet. Stipend £234 19s. 3d. ;
glebe .£19. There are 5 schools, though no pro-
perly parochial school, in this parish. The principal
school of the parish is that which, in honour of its
founder, is called the school of Wallacehall. John
Wallace, merchant in Glasgow, a native of Close-
burn, in the year 1723, mortified £1,600 for the
purpose of erecting this school. The presbytery of'
Penpont were appointed trustees for the manage-
ment of the fund, judging of the qualifications of the
teachers, and watching over the interests of the
school ; but in the management the laird of Close-
burn was to be consulted. Five patrons were ap-
pointed to nominate the rector of the school, viz.
John Wallace of Elderslie, Thomas Wallace of Cairn-
hill, and Michael Wallace, merchant in Glasgow,
three brothers, the minister of Closeburn, and the
town- clerk of Glasgow, for the time being. In the
election of a rector, it is recommended to the patrons
to give a preference to one of the name of Wallace,
if equally qualified. Of the money mortified by Mr.
Wallace, £200 was laid out in building a school-
house and dwelling-house for the rector, and in pur-
chasing 5 acres of ground contiguous to the school,
for the rector's use; £1,145 was kid out in pur-
chasing lands at some distance ; and the remainder
was applied towards enclosing the land and enlarging
the rector's house. The branches of education which
the deed of mortification requires to be taught nt
this school are, English, writing, arithmetic, book-
keeping, Latin and Greek. But besides these, French,
geography, and mathematics are also taught. The
rector is likewise obliged to pay £5 a-year to a per-
son named by the minister, to teach English in a
remote part of the parish. These schools are free
to the children of the parish — This parish is cele-
brated in the annals of curling.
CLOVA, an ancient parish, now annexed to the
parish of Cortachy in Forfapshire. The church wag
rebuilt in 1730, and is about 9 miles distant from
the church of Cortachy. The inhabited part of
Clova is about 4 miles in length, and its greatest
breadth is little more than a mile. It is surrounded
on three sides by the Binchinnan branch of the
Grampian mountains, which are here of great height,
and exhibit a scene of much beauty and grandeur,
especially when contrasted with the delightful valley
at their base. Loch Brandy is about 1£ mile in cir-
cumference, and abounds with pike and trout. On
a little eminence near the church are the remains of
an ancient castle, formerly the residence of a family
of the name of Ogilvy. See CORTACHY.
CLU ANY (LocH), a featureless sheet of water
in Inverness-shire, on the road from Invermoriston
to Kyle-Rhee, about 25 miles from the former
place, and 23 from the latter. There is a small
inn here.
CLUDEN, a small village in the parish of Holy-
wood, Dumfries-shire, 3 miles from Dumfries. There
are large flour-mills here.
CLUDEN (THE), or CLOUDEN, a river in Dum-
fries-shire, formed by the confluence of the Cairn
and Glenesland, which, after a south-east course of
nearly 14 miles, falls into the Nith, a little below
the old college of LINCLUDEN: which see. It
abounds with trout and salmon, especially in the
upper parts of the stream ; herlings, and a few pike,
are also found in it.
CLUNIE,* a parish in the district of Stormont,
Perthshire ; bounded on the north by Kirkmichael ;
on the east by Blairgowrie and Kinloch ; on the
south-east by Lethendy and Caputh; and on the
west and north-west by Caputh and Dunkeld. It-
extends in length about 9 miles from the summit of
a low range of the Grampians, towards the valley of
Strathmore; its breadth nowhere exceeds 4 miles.
Its superficial area is estimated at 8,000 acres, of
which 2,555 were under cultivation in 1791. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £2,414. The surface is
mountainous; the lower parts being about 150,
while the highest are not less than 1,800 feet above
the level of the sea.f The soil is various ; in the
* Clunie, which has time immemorial been the name of this
parish, is the modern orthography of the old Celtic word
Cluaine, which signifies 'a Green pasture between Woods.'
Such a level green pasture, called the Meadow, lies a little to
the north of the church ; on the north side of this plain there
is still natural wood growing, and on the south side we find
vestiges of old trees in a small moss which makes a part of the
glebe Old Statistical Account.
f The following table of the weather, as registered at Clu-
nie manse from 1825 to 1832, was published, with some other
Meteorological tables, in the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical
Journal,' vol. xiv. p. 309 :—
• Years. Fair Days. Foul Days. Sunshine
1825 219 146 206
1826 222 143 226
1827 172 193 189
1828 192 174 166
1829 196 169 172
1830 !<><> liW 135
1831 1..3 212 129
1832 l«l 205 144
"
Yearly ~l
185|
180J
170*
average _,
N. B. — The Fair days include the Sunshine days; and by the
Foul days is meant, that, in each, more or less rain, hail, or
snow fell.
CLU
229
CLU
leys, however, it is pood, and yields tolerable
>ps. Benachally is the highest mountain. See
3NACHALLY. The Craig of Clunie is a trap-rock,
it 600 feet in altitude There are no rivers in
parish, but some considerable burns or brooks,
the Lornty, the Droothy, the Buckny, and the
man. The Lornty flows from the loch of Bena-
lly ; runs about 6 miles east-south-east through
hilly parts of the parishes of Clunie, Kinloch,
Blairgowrie ; and falls into the river Ericht above
Caith, a curious fall of the river, a little above
village of Blairgowrie. — The burn of Droothy
from the moss of Benachally, separates the ba-
of Laighwood from the forest of Clunie and
barony of Forneth, and, after a rapid course of
Hit 3 miles to the south-east, empties itself into
Lunan. — The Buckny takes its rise from Loch-
-cliat, ;md falling to the south-east between the
itains of Benachally and Deuchara, forms the
loch ; thence, increased by the springs of the
loch, it thunders down a deep, narrow, rocky
covered with wild wood, called the Den of
lip, and separating the p Irishes of Caputh and
lie, enters the latter in the park of Laighwood,
lere it unites with the Lunan. — The Lunan is by
the most considerable streamln the parish. Col-
from different sources in the Grampians, a
le to the north of Dunkeld, it proceeds eastward,
forms the lochs of Craiglash, of Lows, of But-
^ne, of Clunie, and of Drumelly. From this
it directs its course to the south-east, and
*sing by the Roman encampment near Meiklour,
joins the river Isla, at a point about 2 miles
"i-east of the junction of the Isla and the Tay.
course of the Lunan is about 12 miles, and
;what resembles a bended bow. The trouts of
Lunan are excellent ; in point of size, form, and
>ur, they are much superior to those of the hill-
described above : this is doubtless owing to
waters being deeper, warmer, and better shel-
and to its passing over rich, clayey, and
rly bottoms. It is difficult, however, to angle
>n the Lunan in many places, particularly above
loch of Clunie, on account of the natural wood
overhanging the stream.* The district is well-
adapted to the researches of the botanist, as in it
many rare plants are to be found. The natural for-
ests are extensive. There are two mineral springs, —
one at Milton of Clunie, and the other a little to the
east of Bogmile, — valued for their antiscorbutic quali-
The minerals already known are quartz, whin-
stone, granite, freestone, and barytes ; limestone is
found in one place, but the want of fuel prevents its
bein<: quarried. There is a vein of fine blue slate
interspersed with large quantities of copper pyrites;
and a deep peat-moss on the very summit of Bena-
rlially — There are vestiges of 5 religious houses,
and of several military stations and fortified places,
and a number of cairns and tumuli, which are said
to mark the places where the Romans under Agri-
n>la and the Caledonians engaged, as described by
Tacitus — Forneth, on the north-west side of the
loch of Clunie, and Gourdie, about 1£ mile south-
east of Clunie castle, are elegant seats. The rich
and well-cultivated estate of Dclvin, with its mag-
nificent mansion, adds much to the beauty of this
E'sh. Population, in 1801, 913; in 1831, 944.
At pome of the falls of the Lunan are placed arks, or per-
ed chests, for the purpose of catching eels. These fish run
down from loch to loch in vast numbers, — especially with a
westerly wind, in the dark nights of October, — and are then
taken by hundreds in these arks. The eels are best in that
•eason of the year, and their skins are then valuable to the
farmer for making whangs or bindings to his flails. Some of
tlie common people here, on t-praining an ankle or a wrist, ap-
ply to the wound the skin of an eel, to which they ascribe a
peculiar YirtiM?.— Old Statistical Account.
Houses 184. — This parish, formerly a vicarage, an/1
to which certain portions of Caputh parish were
annexed, quoad sacra, in 1728, is In the presbytery of
Dunkeld, and svnod of Perth and Stirling. Patrons,
the Duke of Athole and the Earl of Airlie. Stipend
.£173 Os. 2d. ; glebe £6.— Schoolmaster's salary £34
12s. 4id., with about £12 fees.
CLUNIE (Locn), a lake in the above parish,
about 4 miles south-east of the small loch on the
northern side of Benachally, and 700 feet lower
in elevation. It is 2£ miles in circumference, and
84 feet in depth. About 200 yards from its west-
ern shore is a beautiful little island on which is an
old castle, formerly the residence of the Earls of
Airlie, built by George Brown, Bishop of Dunkeld,
in the 16th century. The walls are 9 feet thick;
and around the verge of this island are sprinkled a
few old ash-trees and planes, which have withstood the
storms of some hundred years, yet still continue to
vegetate. These trees have something venerably
grotesque in their appearance. The trunk of some
of the planes separates and unites again ; as do also
some of the larger branches. The trees in some
places diverge considerably from the land, leaning
across the water, over which their aged arms em-
brace ; and the roots of the planes are incorporated
with those of the ashes, as if they were determined
to stand and fall together. In the sultry heats of
summer these trees throw a cool refreshing umbrage
over the island. The island itself is a plain carpet
of green, interspersed with a few flowering shrubs^
where the fairies, in the times of superstition, were
thought to hold their moonlight assemblies. In the
loch there is plenty of pike, perch, trout, and eeL
The eels caught here are of a considerable size. In
bright sunny days, when they come out near the
shore, and are distinctly seen at the bottom of the
shallow water, they are sometimes struck with the
eel-spear. The trouts grow from 4 Ibs. to 12 Ibs.
weight, but are seldom taken except on the set
line, or in the net. The perches are numerous, but
generally small ; they are caught in the usual man*
ner with the rod. They take very well here in
June, July, and August. The pike-fishing begins
about the end of March. Pikes have been killed in
this loch of from 12 to 24, or even 30 Ibs. weight;
but the ordinary size is from 2 Ibs. to 6 Ibs. Clunie
castle contends with that of Elliock, in Dumfries-
shire, for the honour of having given birth to the
calebrated James Crichton, better known by the
epithet of 'The Admirable,' who died in 1581. The
island itself is mostly artificial, if not altogether so.
It must have been formed with great labour, and in
some very distant period, as there is neither record
nor tradition with respect to its formation. In pa-
pers dated 360 years ago, it is termed ' The Island
of the loch of Clunie.' The people in the neigh-
bourhood affirm that it was once joined on the south-
east side to the mainland ; but this is not at all pro-
bable, as the land there lies at a very considerable
distance, with deep water intervening. Its surface
is a circular plain, of about half-an-acre, raised a few
feet above the ordinary level of the loch, and sur-
rounded with a strong barrier of stones thrown
carelessly together, and sloping into deep water all
around, like the frustum of a cone. That this
island has been formed principally by human art
seems demonstrable from this, that the ground of
which it is composed is evidently factitious ; and in
digging to the depth of 7 feet, near the centre ol
the island, nothing like a natural stratum of earth
appeared. The foundation of the castle- wall is
several feet below the surface of the water, and in
all likelihood rests on piles of oak. On the west-
ern shore of the loch stands the old castle-hill, — a
CLU
230
CLY
large green mound, partly natural and partly artifi-
cial', on the top of which are the ruins of a very
old building. " Some aged persons still alive re-
member to have seen a small aperture, now invisible,
at the edge of one of the fragments of the ruins,
where, if a stone was thrown in, it was heard for
some time, as if rolling down a stair-case. From
this it seems probable, that were a section of the
hill to be made, some curious discoveries might be
lie consequence. The castle-hill is of an elliptical
form, extending in length from north to south about
190 yards at its base, and rising about 50 feet above
the level of the loch. A green terrace surrounds
the hill; and on the north side one terrace rises
above another. The area of the summit approaches
to an elliptical plain, a little inclined towards the
east ; of this plain, the longitudinal diameter, from
north to south, is about 90 yards, and the transverse
about 40. The old castle has stood on the south
end of the summit, commanding a distinct view of
the neighbourhood, so as not to have been easily
taken by surprise. Some vestiges of it still remain ;
but neither its form nor dimensions can be traced
with any degree of precision. The principal fortifi-
cations seem to have run along the land side, arid
the loch and the declivity of the hill appear to have
defended it on the east, where it is probable there
has been an easy communication with the island by
means of boats ; so that, in case of the castle being
taken, the island might afford a refuge to the be-
sieged. Concerning this piece of antiquity no writ-
ten record can be found. According to the tradi-
tion of the neighbourhood, it was a summer-palace
or hunting-seat of Kenneth Macalpin, who conquered
the Picts, and united the Scottish and Pictish king-
doms ; and if we suppose this tradition to be well-
founded, it is not unlikely that it was he who first
formed the island in the loch, as a place of retreat
in time of danger." [Old Statistical Account, vol.
ix. pp. 263—266.]
CLUNIE (THE), or CLUANADH, a stream in the
parish of Crathie, Aberdeenshire, which, rising in
several head-streams in the mountains which sepa-
rate Braemar from Perthshire, flows northwards
through Glen Clunie, and falls into the Dee at
Castleton of Braemar. About 4 miles above its
confluence with the Dee, it receives its chief tribu-
tary, Calater or Calader burn, flowing from Loch
Calater.
CLUNY, a parish in the district of Kincardine
O'Neil, Aberdeenshire; bounded on the north by
Monymusk and Kemnay parishes; on the east by
Skene ; on the south by Echt, Midmar, and Kincar-
dine O'Neil ; and on the west by Kincardine O'Neil
and Tough. It is of very irregular outline, and
contains about 7,000 acres, of which four-fifths are
under cultivation, and is intersected by the burn of
Torr, flowing northwards to the Don. Assessed
property, in 1815, .£1,741. The principal residences
in this parish are Cluny castle, a large edifice founded
in the 15th century by Sir Alexander Gordon, and
Castle-Fraser, an edifice of the same date. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 821 ; in 1831, 959. Houses 181.
, — This parish is in the presbytery of Kincardine
O'Neil, and synod of Aberdeen. Patrons, the
Crown, and Gordon of Cluny, and Fraser of Castle-
Fraser, alternately. Stipend £173 16s. 7d. ; glebe
£20. Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 4d., with
£14 fees.
CLUNY, a hamlet in the parish of Laggan, and
shire of Inverness, 8£ miles south of Pittmain.
Here is the seat of the chief of the Macphersons.
C'J YDE (THE), a noble river traversing a large
part of the western lowlands of Scotland, the third
Scottish stream in point of magnitude, the first in
ral
commercial importance, and not the least in natural
beauty. Popular opinion represents it as rising ...
the same hill whence flow the Tweed and the An-
nan, and indulges the fancy of the three rivers di-
verging away in nearly regular radii over the face oi
the lowlands. The Clyde, however. — like most large
streams whose first waters are gathered amidst the
inequalities of a rolling mountain region — may truly
be said to have numerous sources. A range ol
mountains, consisting of the Lowthers, the Lead-
hills, Queensberry hill, and the heights which con-
nect the last with Hart-Fell, bends elliptically round
the southern part of Lanarkshire, and divides it from
Dumfries-shire. At short intervals, round all the
southern part of this range, arise rills and streamlets
which flow onward to various meeting-points to form
the Clyde, and almost each of which might advance
pretensions to be the parent-river. The original
Clyde, of popular opinion and poetic allusion, rises
at an elevation of 1,400 feet above sea-level, be-
tween four hills, nearly 2 miles south-east of Rodger-
Law, and about 4 or 5 miles east of the village
of Elvanfoot. But this streamlet is both tiny in
bulk, and of brief length, compared to the Daer or
Dear, with which, after a course of only 4 miles
westward, it mingles its waters, — or to the Powtrail
Which, 1| mile to the south, had previously flowed
into the Daer. Before the confluence of the reputed
Clyde and the Daer, the latter flows over a distance
of 14 or 15 miles, taking its rise on the borders of
the parish of Closeburn in Dumfries-shire, and flow-
ing generally in a direction due north ; while the
Powtrail, previous to its confluence with the Daer,
traverses a distance of about 9 miles, taking its rise
on the border of the parish of Durrisdeer, and flowing
toward the east of north. The mountain-district
which pours forth these streams and their numer-
ous little tributaries, is lofty, raising various of its
summits nearly or quite 3,000 feet above the level
of the sea, and nowhere, till the accumulated wa-
ters have become a considerable river, shaking off a
dress of highland wildness, or wearing a smile of
pastoral beauty. All the early waters of the Clyde,
or the incipient rivulets which roll themselves toge-
ther to form it into a river, are, in consequence,
simple mountain-streams, — noisy, rapid, and marked
occasionally with a dash of the romantic. See article
CRAWFORD.
At Elvanfoot the Clyde, having first flowed due
west, and afterwards bent round on its confluence
with the Daer, and flowed nearly northward, receives
the waters of the Elvan, — a stream 8 or 9 miles
in length, which rises on the Green-Lowther moun-
tain on the western verge of the parish of Crawford,
and flows, during about half its course, in a norther-
ly direction, and afterwards sweeps round toward
east, preserving throughout the wild and noisy cha-
racter of its kindred streams. After passing Elvan-
foot, the Clyde makes a semi-circular sweep east-
ward, rolling past the base of several picturesque
hills, washing the walls of the sequestered village
and ancient little church of Crawford, receiving from
the east the tribute of Camps water, and resuming,
at the distance of about 4£ miles, its general north-
erly direction. It now passes a somewhat roman-
tically situated Roman camp, and, nearly a mile on-
ward, is joined from the west by Glengorinar water,
which here, — as the Clyde itself afterwards does for
about 1£ mile,. — separates the parishes of Crawford
and Crawfordjohn. For a brief way after its re-
ception of the Glengonnar, the Clyde flows between
somewhat sylvan banks,. — a scene so different from
the rugged and savage character of the mountain-
region around, as to refresh the eye, and to invite
the tourist to pause ; but it soon pours do\vn an
.niong
CLYDE.
hollows of heathy uplands, only a degree less
>ary than the mountain-land of its origin. Over a
*tance of 1$ mile' ^ now separates the parishes of
rawfordjohn and Lamington, and then bends away
a direction to the east of north, and pursues it dur-
g a course of 1 1 miles. While following this course,
divides the parishes of Wiston and Roberton, and
" Symington on the north, from those of Lamington
* Culter on the south; and receives from the
the waters of Roberton burn and Garf water,
from the east, those of Wandel burn, Heart-
burn, Lamington burn, and Culter water. At
confluence with Roberton burn, it passes the
lage of Roberton ; and from this point onward till
approaches its magnificent falls, it shapes its course
r the configuration of the far- vie wing range of the
into mountains, and receives from the west and
L the rills and streams which they pour down
the plains. Before it leaves Culter parish, it
rels for some way through fine lands and pleas-
pastoral scenes, and begins to assume its cha-
jristic garb of beautiful and picturesque at-
ion. At a point about 2 miles west from Big-
r, it sweeps somewhat suddenly round from its
rth-east course, and over a distance of about 4£
?, flows toward the west, and then, during 5£
more — where it forms a confluence with Med-
water flows toward the west of north. Dur-
the early part of this course, it is sweeping
md the eastern spurs of the Tinto mountains,
1 is slow and almost stagnant in its progress, [see
icle BIGGAB] passing through a morass where,
ording to a tradition firmly believed by many of
peasantry, Sir Michael Scott, in order to find em-
rnient for three familiar spirits who constantly ha-
jd him, except when he enslaved them with labour,
lavoured to change its course, and draw it into the
reed. From the point of its leaving Culter parish,
it mixes with the Medwin, it touches an angle of
ir parish on the east ; divides the parishes of Co-
ton and Pettinain on the west from that of
-ibberton on the east ; and receives various tiny
tributaries, the chief of which is Glade burn. Here
its basin, though generally upland and heathy, pre-
sents some pleasing pictures to the eye, and em-
bosoms some luxuriant haughs. Coming sluggishly
into collision with the Medwin, it is pushed suddenly
round from the direction which it had for some time
been pursuing, and, over a distance of about 9 miles,
flo\vs, with the exception of some brief windings, in
a south-westerly direction, — separating the parishes
of Pettinain and Carmichael on the south from those
of Carstairs and Lanark on the north, and pouring its
liquid opulence, or its desolating floods, for the most
part, through fine and valuable holm-lands, — at one
time impoverishing the farmer, by bursting its banks
and washing away soil and produce, and at another
enriching him by making luxuriant deposits of slimy
mud. In this section of its progress, particularly
where it bounds the parish of Carstairs, it has left
marked traces of having frequently, at periods more
or levs remote, changed its channel. One of its de-
vious beds, of somewhat ancient date, has the ap-
pearance of an annular lake, or watery garland,
circling to the south on the property of Westbank;
and is, in sonic places, so matted over with reeds and
marshy p-ass as to have become a sward, capable —
when the mower is shod with flat-boards after the
fashion of the snow-shoes of Greenland — of being
shaven with the scythe ; while, in other places, it
coat' i) ties deep and pellucid, forming pools for the
pike, and offering a home to the wild-duck. Leaving
rs, and touching the parish of Lanark, it lir>t,
flows sluggishly through a tract of holm-land; then i
with accelerated motion, over an uneven '
!-'.veeps, with
and rocky channel, and, after again subsiding into
quietness, advances, amid scenery of growing interest,
to its point of junction with Douglas water. From
Roberton to this point, the Clyde traverses a dis-
tance of at least 20 miles ; yet it moves so cireuit-
onsly that these two points are geographically asun-
der not more than 7£ miles. Douglas water comes
down upon it from "the south, nearly doubles its
bulk, gives increased rapidity to its motion, and sud-
denly turns it from a southerly direction which it
had for about 1£ mile been assuming, away round to
the north-west ; and this new direction the Clyde,
with partial and unimportant exceptions, maintains
till, having expanded into an estuary, it debouches,
about 1 i mile past Greenock, suddenly to the south.
See article DOUGLAS.
Over a distance of 7£ miles after receiving the
Douglas, it passes along the margin of the parish oi
Lanark, separating it from the parish of Lesmaha-
gow, and presenting, in its celebrated falls and the
scenery of its banks and basin, views of beauty and
picturesqueness and grandeur which arouse the sen-
sibilities of even the laggard in sentiment. " The
Clyde," says Mr. Robert Chambers, in his 'Picture
of Scotland,' [Edn. 1840, pp. 194, 195,] "is here a
large and beautiful river. Before arriving at the up-
permost fall, about two miles and a half from Lanark,
it flows for several miles through a level tract of
country with slow and scarcely perceptible motion.
It then enters by the Bonnington fall a deep chasm,
from which it only escapes about two miles below,
after having been forced over two other cascades
Four or five miles of an ordinary channel bring it to
the last fall, that of Stonebyres, below which it en-
ters that series of fine alluvial plains formerly alluded
to, which terminate at Bothwell bridge. The way
to the upper falls from Lanark is through the beauti-
ful grounds of Bonnington, which, by the liberality
of the proprietor, are open to the public at all ti mes
except on Sunday. At the uppermost fall, called the
Bonnington linn or fall, the river pours, in a divided
stream, over a ledge of rocks 30 feet in height.
It is considered the least beautiful of the falls, on ac-
count of its smaller height, and the bareness of the
southern bank above it. Still, from the point at
which it first bursts upon the view, it is very im-
posing ; and the present proprietor, Lady Mary Ross,
by means of a bridge thrown across the north branch
of the stream immediately above the precipice, and
points of observation happily selected, has secured
some charming coups d'oeil to the admirers of nature.
The channel of the river, for about half a mile below
this fall, is formed of a range of perpendicular and
equidistant rocks on either side, which are from 70
to 100 feet high, and which Mr. Pennant has
well characterised as stupendous natural masonry —
At Corehouse, the river encounters another fall,
84 feet in height, denominated Corra linn, generally
allowed to be the finest of the whole. Until a few
years ago, this splendid cascade could only be seen
from above. But fine although it must ever be,
whencesoever contemplated, all former views of it
were greatly inferior to one which Lady Mary Ross
has opened up. A flight of steps has been formed
along the face of the opposite rock. By this the tra-
veller descends into a deep and capacious amphi-
theatre, where he finds himself exactly in front and
on a level with the bottom of the fall. The foaming
waters, as they are projected in a double leap OV«-T
the precipice, the black and weltering pool below,
the magnificent range of dark perpendicular rocks
120 feet in height, which sweeps round him on the
left, the. romantic Ircinks on the opposite side, the
river calmly pursuing its onward course, and the rich
garniture of wood with which the whole is
232
CLYDE.
combine to form a spectacle with which the most
celebrated cataracts in Switzerland and Sweden will
scarcely stand a comparison. On a rock above Corra
linn, on the south side of the river, is perched the
ruined castle of Corehouse, formerly the property oi
an old race named Bannatyne. That any one should
have thought it necessary, for the sake of security,
to live in such a situation, shaken by the dash of the
cascade, and damped by its spray, presents a striking
idea of the circumstances of our forefathers. In
later age, the old castle seems to have been deserted
for a comparatively large house, situated at a little
distance from the edge of the precipice, which also
has been of late years allowed to go into ruin. The
present mansion-house is a very handsome one, in
the old English style, the property of Mr. Cranstoun
of Corehouse, [lately] a judge of the Court of Session.
• — About £ of a mile farther down, the river encoun-
ters a third but smaller cascade, called Dundaf linn,
where the banks assume a less bold character. After a
quiet and gentle run of 3 or 4 miles, the river pours
over a precipice 80 feet in height, constituting the
Stonebyres fall, so named from the adjacent estate
of Stonebyres belonging to the ancient family of
Vere. This fall bears a general resemblance to that of
Corra, but is generally allowed to be of a less strik-
ing character. According to the minister of Lanark,
in the New Statistical Account of Lanark, * The
breadth and depth of the river vary at different
places. At the broadest, a stone may be thrown
across ; and there is a spot between the Bonnington
and Corra falls, where the whole volume of its wa-
ters is so confined between two rocks that an ad-
venturous leaper has been known to clear it at a
bound. There are fords which children can wade
across, and pools which have never been fathomed.'"
We must here allow ourselves the pleasure of quot-
ing Dr. Bowring's lines on the Falls of Clyde : —
O ! I have seen the Falls of Clyde,
And never can forget them ;
For Memory, in her hours of pride,
'Midst gems of thought will set tliem,
With every living thing allied : —
I will not now regret them !
And I have stood by Bonniton,
And vvatch'd the sparkling current
Come, like a smiling wood-nymph, on-
Arid then a mighty torrent!
With power to rend the cliffs anon ;
Had they not been before rent.
And I have been in Balfour's cave ;
But why hath chisel wrought it,
Since he, the brutal— but the brave,
In sore constraining sought it ?
Dark days ! when savage fought with slave, —
Heroically fought it.
And I have hung o'er Burley's leap,
And watched the streams all blending,
As down that chasm so d^rk and ateep,
The torrents were descending;
How awful is that chaos deep—
Those rocks so high impending !
And I have worshipped Corra Linn,
Clyde's most majestic daughter;
And those eternal rainbows seen,
That arch the foaming water ;
And I have owned that lovely Queen
And cheerful fealty brought her
And I have wandered in the glen,
Where Stonebyres rolls so proudly ;
And watched, and mused, and watched again,
Where cliff, and chasm, and cloud lie,
Listening, while Nature's denizen
Talks to the woods so loudly.
Yes ! I have seen the Falls of Clyde,
And never can forget them ;
For Memory, in her hours of pride,
'Midst gems of thought will set them,
With life's most lovely scenes allied : —
I will not now regret them !
Wordsworth too, — a mightier name in English
poesy, — has had his muse fired by the beauties of
this portion of the Clyde ; and it would almost be
doing injustice to the reader to withhold his verses :—
(Written insight of Wallace's Cave, at Corra Linn.)
LORD of the Vale ! astounding flood !
The dullest leaf, in this thick wood,
Quakes — conscious of thy power ;
The caves reply with hollow moan ;
And vibrates, to its central stone,
Yon time-cemented tower!,
And yet how fair the rural scene !
For thou, O Clyde, hast ever been
Beneficent as strong;
Pleased in refreshing dews to steep
The little trembling flowers that peep
Thy shelving rocks among.
Hence all who love their country, love
To look on thee— delight to rove
Where they thy voice can hear;
And, to the patriot warrior's shade,
Lord of the Vale ! to heroes laid
In dust, that voice is. dear I
Along thy banks, at dead of night,
Sweeps visibly the Wallace wight;;
Or stands, in warlike vest,
Aloft, beneath the moon's pale beam,
A champion worthy of the stream,
Yon grey tower's living crest !
But clouds and envious darkness hide
A form not doubtfully described :
Their transient mission o'er,
O say to what blind regions flee
These shapes of awful phantasy ?
To what untrodden bhore ?.
Less than divine command they spurn ;
But this we from the mountains learn, —
And this the valleys show, —
That never will they deign to hold
Communion where the heart is cold
To human weal and woe.
The man of abject soul in vain
Shall walk the Marathonian plain ;
Or thrid the shadowy gloom,
That still invests the guardian pass,
Where stood sublime Leonidas,
Devoted to the tomb.
Nor deem that it can aught avail
For such to glide with oar or sail
Beneath the piny wood,
Where Tell once drew, by Uri's lake,
His vengeful shafts— prepared to slake
Their thirst in tyrant's blood 1
During its progress over the falls, aud tna
neighbouring rapids, the Clyde is believed to de-
scend about 230 feet, — its bed, before it approaches
the falls, being about 400 feet above the level of
the sea. Hitherto ^basaltic rocks have appeared in
the course of the river ; but the geological features
have now changed, and, with the falls, sandstone in
horizontal strata begins to show itself. Leaving the
parish of Lanark, the river loses its character of
romance, and assumes an appearance of simple but
variegated beauty, relieved at intervals by the marks
of ministration to manufacturing industry. It widens
its breadth of waters, — is looked down upon by a
more sloping and a wider expanse of country, — and
ploughs its way through alternations of valley and
of rolling bank, rich in the loveliness of agricultural
cultivation and the shadings of orchard and forest-
scenery. [See article CLYDESDALE.] Over a dis-
tance of 1 1 miles, it divides the parishes of Carluke,
Cambusnethan, and Dalzell on the north, from those
of Lesmahagow, Dalserf, and Hamilton on the south;
and, intersecting a wing of the last of these parishes
over the beautiful grounds of the ducal demesne,
t retouches the parish of Dalzell, and passes on to
Bothwell. Over the space of a mile, it separates
Bothwell from the parish of Hamilton, and, for 4
miles further, separates it from the parish of Blan-
tyre ; and here it moves gracefully under the bold-
ness of its banks, and wears a plentiful tufting of
:brest ornament. [See articles BOTHWELL and BLAN-
TYRE.] Continuing to present the mingled attract-
ions of a cultivated basin, and the activities of busy
enterprise, it flows between the parishes of OJil
CLYDE.
233
ikland and the Barony of Glasgow on the right
ik, and those of Cambuslang and Rutherglen on
the left, till, in the course of 4 miles, it glides into
Jlasgow.
Hitherto the rich and very various scenery of the
lyde has been foiled, or rather heightened, and occa-
lly touched with foreign associations, by the pre-
chiefly of smiling villages, suggesting ideas of
ral enjoyment, — gentlemen's seats, and luxurious
demesnes, picturing the delights of opulent seclusion
from the world, — and yawning ruins of massive
castles and the strongholds of monkish despotism
in the days of popery, calling up, by contrast,
1 ights of the liberty and intelligence of modern
;s. ' But at Glasgow, the Clyde — though after-
resuming its green and its golden dresses of
plvan beauty and mountain grandeur — puts on its
of prime importance to the plodding and
sy population of Scotland, by becoming a naviga-
river, and bearing on its bosom swarms of every
ription of craft, laden with stores of merchan-
and in communication with every nook or
ilet along the shores around its embouchure, or
th places trodden only by the savage or the eo-
list at the ends of the earth. From Glasgow, till
begins to expand into an estuary, it is artificially
" and pent up within embankments of stone ;*
* Considerable difference of opinion exists among scientific
i as to the best means of preserving and improving the na-
ion of this noble river. In September, 1824, Mr. Whidley,
engineer employed in the construction of the Plymouth
Etk water, reported to the Clyde trustees that the operations
o pursued with the view of improving the navigation of
river, had, in fact, greatly injured it; and would, if perse-
;d in, ultimately ruin the river for commercial purposes,
contracting, as had been done, the width of the river from
10 feet, in some places, to 400 feet, Mr. Whidley was of
lion that the scouring effect of the tide would be greatly di-
shed ; and banks and bars would be formed in the channel
the river, even below Port- Glasgow : — " For it stands to
>on that if a large body of water is allowed to flow up a
r, its body and weight are forced against the river-stream,
that stream is kept higher up in the country, and more
pr finds its way up; and when it ebbs the greater is the
•uring effect, which will be the means of keeping the river
pp, and prevent shoals and banks forming. But if the river
contracted, and the tide prevented from flowing into its an-
cient recesses, the ebb-tide .must be reduced in quantity, and be
less capable of producing these effects; for all rivers bring
down from the country a great quantity of rubble, mud, &c. ;
and if there is not a sufficient body of back-water to carry the
same into deep water, banks and bars will form and destroy the
navigation." In Mr. Whidley's opinion, there never ought
to have been more done to the Clyde than paring away the
points, and filling the deep indents of the shores, so as to "have
allowed the tide to have flowed along the land without inter-
ruption. He also recommended that the dams at the bridges
or wears should be removed, and dug down to the lowest ebbs
along the Broomielaw, so as to allow the tide to flow as far
above the town as the level of the land above would allow it.
This being done, the sand and mud, he thought, should be dug
out between the bridges, and also some distance above them,
so that the tide might flow freely up, which would produce a
large body of back-water, and assist in scouring out the river
below. In July 1839, Mr. William Bald gave it as his opinion
that " if the natural breadth of a river be narrowed, it will ac-
quire in depth what has been taken from it in width ; taking
into account the nature of the soil at the bottom and on the
•Ides of the river, and the velocity of the water-current"
Among other modes of improving the river any plan that
should increase the volume of water into the upper reaches of
the Clyde above the city of Glasgow, Mr. Bald thought would
be attended with the most beneficial results. "The tide water
in the harbour will be increased ; the time of high-water will
be more early, thereby enabling ships, outward and inward
bound, to reach the port sooner, and depart from it earlier.
The velocity of the tide of flood and ebb would be increased,
not only through the harbour, but also through the whole na-
vigable channel of the Clyde ; and even for some distance this
scouring power would be felt above Hutchesons' bridge, by
which the whole impurities of the sewerage of the city would
be washed away downwards by the ebbing tidal current, and
which would render Glasgow more healthy, and the water in
the harbour more pure. By the removal of the wear at the
New bridge, the Clyde could be deepened upwards in such a
manner as to allow a volume of water each tide to ascend the
Clyde towards Dalmarnock ford, of about 13,200,000 cubic feet,
equal to 367,242 tons. The removal of the wear would give a
volume of water each tide, into the upper reaches of the Clyde,
to the end of the tidal flow above the Glasgow Works, of
80,4<)0,0(H) cubic feet of water, equal t<> .r>r>7,.'>S7 tons. This i*
nearly equal to a river Hue of 4 miles long, 4 feet dec j>, and 212
and, over the whole of this distance, it fluctuates under
the flow and ebb of the tide, and, as well as at
Port-Glasgow and Greenock, is everywhere over-
looked at intervals by the rising hulls or the finished
decks of steam-boats and other craft preparing for
the launch. Compared with the bulk of its waters,
and the breadth of its stream, t it is probably unsur-
passed in the world for the quantity and stir of its
navigation ; not only bearing along ships of heavy
burden and deep draught of water, and plentifully
dotted with yawls and wherries, but kept in con-
stant foaming agitation by large steam-ships bear-
ing heavy cargoes from the shores of England and
Ireland, by numerous coasting steam- vessels career-
ing over its surface with live freights of human
beings, and by steam-tug-boats dragging behind them
trains of sailing-craft too unwieldy to pilot their own
way within its narrow channel. First in the practi-
cal working of steam-ship-architecture and steam-
navigation, it still retains its eminence above every
other river in the world.
Leaving Glasgow, the Clyde intersects the parish
and sweeps past the village of Govan, receives from
the north the waters of the Kelvin, and about 1|
mile lower down, leaves Lanarkshire, through which
it had hitherto flowed ; and henceforth, till it rolls
into the ocean, it divides Dumbartonshire and Argyle-
shire on the right, from Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and
Wigtonshire, on the left. Four miles below Glas-
gow, it is adorned, on its northern bank, by the
neat demesne and mansion of Scotstown; and a mile
further, on the south bank, it passes, at 200 yards
distance, the ancient burgh of Renfrew, and is
overlooked by the bustling terminus of the Ren-
frew and Paisley railway ; three-quarters of a mile
further, still on the same side, it receives the wa-
ters of the Cart, and looks up, at three miles dis-
tance, through a richly varied vista, to the spires
and loftier buildings of Paisley; and on to Er-
skine ferry, 9 miles from Glasgow, it flows through
cultivated plains, with a pleasing back-ground of
mountain-soenery in the north. At Erskine ferry
it passes, on its right bank, the cheerful village
of Kilpatrick, and a little further down on its
left, the well- wooded demesne of Lord Blantyre;
and here begins to be closed in for several miles on
feet wide. This immense volume of water ascending and de-
scending each tide, would eminently tend to carry away all im-
purities which are discharged into the Clyde at Glasgow; in-
deed, the effects of this scouring power would be felt towards
the lower extremities of the river Clyde, as far a* the banks
opposite Port-Glasgow and Greenock. The removal of the
weir would at once open an extent of river, between the New
bridge and Hutchesons' bridge, of nearly 23 acres, equal in ex.
tent to the whole of the lower harbour; and a deepening of 3
or 4 feet would enable all the smaller craft in the lower har.
hour to ascend into the very centre of the city, which would he
a great relief to the lower port, where the large ships lie. But
this upper harbour of 23 acres is quite capable of being so im-
proved, that ships of the largest class might lie in it, and Glas-
gow would then indeed have the aspect of a great maritime
port. To those, Mr. Bald adds, who have visited some of the
continental harbours and cities— such, for example, as Amster-
dam and Rotterdam— nothing can appear more natural and
simple, than to convert the whole of the Clyde, between the
New bridge and Hutchesons' bridge, into a large floating har-
bour. Its position, iu the very middle of the city, would con-
fer many advantages on the merchant and trader.
t The following calculation is taken from Dr. Thomson's vo.
lume on Heat and Electricity [p. 268]. " The breadth of the
Clyde, at the new bridge, Gla>gow, is 410 feet, and its mean
depth 3J feet. The velocity of the water at the surface is 1 23
inch, and the mean velocity of the whole water is 0.558.132
inch per second. From these data it may be inferred that the
quantity of water discharged per second is '65 cubic feet. This
amounts to 2.417,760,000 cubic feet, or 473,017,448 imperial gal-
lons, or 1,877,O.VJ tons. The river Clyde drains about one-
thirtieth of Scotland, or about one eighty-third part of Great
Britain. Hence, if the water discharged into the sea by the
Clyde afforded a fair average of the whole island, the total
amount of tin- water discharged annually by all the rivers in
Great Britain would be only 155,795,35)9 tons, which does not
amount to 100th part of the excess of the rain above tlw
evaporation."
'2:34
CLYDE.
the north by the spurs of the Campsie mountains, '
descending with a rapid swoop almost to its verge, j
and presenting mingled views of precipice and ver- j
dant slope, tuftings of plantation and surfaces of rock !
and heath. Just where these heights close in, or U
mile below Erskine ferry, it passes Bowling-bay, the
entrance of the Forth and Clyde canal, which is gen-
erally dotted over by two or more vessels entering or
leaving the river. [See article FORTH and CLYDE
CANAL.] A mile below Bowling-bay, it passes
on the north the neat hamlet of Dunglass, and is
overlooked from a rock on its verge by an obelisk
recently erected to the memory of Henry Bell ; and 2
miles farther on, it leaves its stone-embankments,
rolls past the base of Dumbarton castle, receives the
waters of the Leven, and progressively bursts from
the limits, and throws off the character of a mere
river, or fresh- water stream. Here the scenery be-
held from its channel begins to be surpassingly va-
ried, rarely sinking beneath the beautiful, and at in-
tervals rising into the magnificent. Behind Dum-
barton castle, which mounts precipitously up from
its confluence with the Leven in the form of a huge
cleft cone, are seen the town of Dumbarton on
the fore-ground, the rich undulating vale of the
Leven in the centre, the towering summit of Ben-
lomond, on the back-ground, relieved to the view by
a diversity all round of mountainous horizon. In
front, the Clyde, through a distance of 9 miles,
widens from 6 furlongs to 4 miles; and on both
banks or shores, but especially in front, before it
makes its sudden debouch to the south, it surpris-
ingly combines the attractions of lowland and of
highland scenery, mingling the softness and sylvan
beauty of the one, with the grandeur, and at times,
the savageness of the other. Port-Glasgow, with
its neat appearance and romantic situation, — and
-Greenock, with its finely-blended character of gor-
geous surrounding landscape, and commercial and
nautical stir, — these on the south ; and the smiling
village of Helensburgh, with the diversified slopes
and eminences, and tufts of plantation, on the north ;
and the embowered castle and wooded shores of
Roseneath, backed by the savage outlines of the
Argyleshire mountains on the west; and the con-
stant movement of ship, and steam-boat, and wher-
ry, on the waters between ; and the ever-changing
and generally fascinating or brilliant appearance of
the drapery of clouds all around; — these form a
picture on which the eye of even an ennuyee might
hundreds of times gaze, and never become drowsy
or tired.
Two miles west of the longitude of Greenock, the
Clyde forks round the peninsula of Roseneath, send-
ing up an elongated bay, the Gareloch, about 8 miles
to the north-west, and bending round its own chan-
nel, now narrowed to less than 2 miles, in a direction
due south. Just after having made this debouch, it
looks backward to the rear of Roseneath, and sends
away nearly due north the mountain-edged stripe of
waters, Loch-Long ; which, in its turn, sends off to
the north-west, a few miles from its embouchure,
the stripe forming Loch-Goil. Three miles below
Greenock the Clyde opens on the left into the
small bay of Gourock, fringed with the graceful
swoop of buildings forming the village ; and a little
to the south, on the opposite shore, it opens, under
the overhanging acclivity of the Kilmun hills, into
the larger and somewhat romantic bay of Holy-Loch,
the quarantine station of its ports. It now, with
the straggling, sequestered, and neatly edificed vil-
lage of Dunoon, overlooking it for 1| mile from the
southern headland of Holy-Loch, passes along under
the steep, heathy acclivity of the Cowal hills on
the west, and rich svlvan slopes, with here and
there a tufted ravine on the east, till, 6 miles l;e»
low Dunoon, it sends off, round Toward-Point,
that magnificent belt of waters, the Kyles of Bute,
which opens with the demesne and splendid mansion
of Toward castle, looking down upon it from the right,
and the semicircular town of Rothsay, in its holiday*,
dress of back-ground scenery, smiling upon it on the
left, — and then sweeps away round the island of
Bute, forming a causeway of waters between ita
gentle beauties, and the rough, coarse, mountain-
land of Argyleshire, and sending off at two points
to the northward elongated bays to cleave asunder
the Argyleshire mountains. Minuter descriptions of
the various branches of the frith will be found under
the heads, GARELOCH, HOLY-LOCH, LOCH-FYNE,
LocH-GoiL, LOCH-LONG, and KYLES-OF-BUTE.
At the southern point of the entrance to the Kyles,
the Clyde has expanded into the width of 5 miles; and
it maintains this width over a distance of 3 miles,
when it runs abreast of the Cumbrae islands, and
separates into two channels, — the narrower about a
mile in breadth, sweeping round between the Cum-
braes and Ayrshire, and the broader averaging nearly
3 miles, flowing direct onward between the Cumbraes
and Bute, and forming the marine highway from the
west of Scotland to the Irish channel and the At-
lantic. The narrower channel, just when leaving
the main body of the estuary, sweeps past the town
of Largs ; 3£ miles onwards, it breaks through ber
tween the Greater and the Lesser Cumbrae, passing
the fine village of Millport on the former, and open-
ing a communication with the main channel on the
west ; while, at the 'same time, it passes by its di-
rect branch along the eastern shore of the Little
Cumbrae, and having rounded the point or headland
whence the far-spreading bay of Ayr begins to bend
away inland, it looks right forward toward Ailsa
Craig, and points the way athwart the centre of the
expanse which stretches between Ayrshire and Arran.
The broader or main channel of the Clyde past the
Cumbraes, after contracting between the Lesser
Cumbrae and the southern point of Bute, into a
strait, less than 2 miles in breadth, suddenly expands
into a frith, averaging about 32 miles in width, and
at the distance of 45 or 48 miles, becomes identified
with the north or Irish channel, and turning westward
round the Mull of Cantire, is lost in the Atlantic.
In the northern part of the frith, 4 miles at the
nearest point distant from Bute, rises the large,
mountainous island of Arran; and north from the
most northerly point of this island, the frith sends
off the picturesque and magnificent stripe of waters
which, flaunting far away to the north, and laving
at length the exquisite scenery of Inverary, rejoices
justly in the name of Loch-Fyne. All the frith, ex-
cept the belt which goes round the northern half of
Arran, is overlooked by Ailsa Craig, [see AILSA
CRAIG,] which rises like a wizard from the centre
of its waters, and, as if wielding a spell over every
thing which moves on their surface, attracts the
prolonged and wearying gaze of the nautical tourist,
till he almost forgets to feast himself on the wide
range of varied and magnificent scenery within his
view. Altogether, from its sources to its embou-
chure, the Clyde is probably more opulent in ever"
thing truly interesting than any other river, no
ter how boasted, of the British Isles.
Majestic Clntha! as a. princess moving,
From the pavilion of thy morning rest,
To where the Atlantic sits, with smile approving,
And folds his daughter to his ample breast,
Throned in the sunset, monarch of the west :—
On thee he pours the treasures of his reign.
And wreathes Columbia's riches round tliy crest
The Indies love thy name,— and the long train
Of myriad goldeu isles, that gem the azure main.
CLYDESDALE.
235
CLYDESDALE, or STRATHCLYDE, the vale —
a« the name implies — through which the river just
described Hows. Its topographical features have
been sketched in the preceding article ; and the reader
is referred to our general article on LANARKSHIRE
for further information on the agriculture and statis-
tics of the district. In the present article, however,
we shall give a brief account of the far-famed Clydes-
orchards. These lie mostly between the bot-
of the lowest fall of the river, and the mouth of
South-Calder ; or perhaps, from the foot of the
ise water to Both well castle, a distance of 16
les. At the upper end of this district, the bed of
river is about 200 feet above sea-level ; at the
per end it does not exceed 50. This region
well-protected against the cold easterly haars,
lich are so injurious to vegetation ; and hoar-
or mildews are seldom felt here. The orch-
are chiefly of apple-trees, with a mixture of pears
plums. Cherries are more rarely cultivated,
ng so much subject to the depredations of birds,
jw of the orchards are large : many of them are
;re cottage-orchards. They were stated in the
Lgricultural Report' of 1793, to amount to 200
; and in that of 1806, to be upwards of 250 acres ;
ile the total extent of orchards in the county
ceeded 340 acres. At present they amount to
acres, including in this estimate the small
i-dens and cottage-orchards in and around Hainil-
. The produce is very precarious, the fruit be-
frequently destroyed in the blossom by spring-
sts and caterpillars. In some years, such as 1818,
whole value of the orchards betwixt Lanark and
lilton has amounted to upwards of .£6,000. Even
the years 1801 and 1804, the value of the fruit from
different orchards exceeded £5,000 each year ;
it this was not so much owing to an increase of
lit from orchards lately planted — few of them hav-
arrived at any perfection of fruit-bearing — as to
gradual rise in the price of fruit, and both those
being very productive ones. A remarkable
ice is mentioned of the fruit produced on half-
an-acre of ground, in the former year, bringing
£150 to the dealer who carried it to market. The
value of the fruit is not always in proportion to the
number and size of the trees. Those who cultivate
the ground around the trees, taking care not to in-
jure the roots, and giving manure from time to time,
have finer fruit, and a much greater quantity in pro-
portion, than those who do not. Much also depends
on adapting the trees to the soil and exposure.
Though the different kinds of apples, &c. are gener-
ally engrafted on the same kinds of stocks, each as-
sumes the habits peculiar to the scion. Those who
have been attentive in observing this, and choosing
the kinds best adapted to their situation, have found
their account in it. But it ought not to be under-
stood that the choice of the stock is of no import-
ance. Native crabs are the hardiest, and prove the
most durable trees. Codling stocks, and those
raised from the seeds of good fruit, generally pro-
duce also finer fruit; but the trees seem to be more
suSjectto disease. The causes which produce the phe-
nomena occurring in the orchard are so intricate and
Emprehensible, that the most attentive and acute
ivator can neither avert the injuries and maladies
fhich the trees are liable, nor cure those that are
diseased. There is, indeed, no general principle to
direct the cultivator of the orchard ; all must de-
pend on a long course of topical experience, by
which the kinds of fruit-trees which have been
found to thrive and bear best in any particular spot
may be known and selected. The Clydesdale or-
chards are mostly planted on steep hanging-banks;
ou such they have been found to succeed better than
on plains. The abrupt banks of the Clyde, espe-
cially on the north side, are ill-adapted for any other
agricultural purpose, as the expense of labour and
manure would hardly be repaid by the crop. On the
other hand, the excellent exposure, and general sharp-
ness of the soil, render these banks an object of im-
portance in the eye of the cultivator of fruit. Most
of the orchards are on cohesive soils, and on such the
trees have been supposed to be surer bearers than
on open sandy soils ; yet there are instances of very
productive orchards on friable and gravelly soils.
The apple-tree in general succeeds on a pretty hard
soil, provided the bottom be dry ; but when the roots
penetrate a subsoil holding stagnant water, or greatly
charged with the oxide of iron, the tree fails. The
pear-tree requires a soil of greater depth, and more
soft and moist ; and will thrive in a subsoil where
the apple fails. It also yields fruit earlier, lives to a
greater age, and arrives at a greater size and more
towering height than the apple-tree. A single pear-
tree has been known to yield 60 sleeks of fruit, at
50 Ibs. per sleek ;* and there is a Longueville pear-
tree at Milton- Lockh art, said to be 300 years old.
The plum-tree does not succeed in the very stiff
cohesive soils; it requires a considerable depth of
dry friable mould. Its district extends to about 3
miles on either side of Dalserf. All the fruit-
trees which have been engrafted are more delicate
than those in a natural state, and require a more
attentive culture. Plum-trees are generally planted
round the verge of the orchard, and are profit-
able, not only for the fruit they bear, but from
the shelter they afford the other trees. All fruit-
trees require shelter, and do best when they are
embosomed in woods. " Considerable diversity
of opinion," says a writer in the * Journal of Agri-
culture,' [vol. iv. p. 826,] "prevails in Lanark-
shire as to how far the fruit-trees should stand
from each other ; and errors have been run into both
in planting too near and too sparse. In the Dalziel
orchards, and some others, the rows of trees are 22
feet apart, and 11 feet distance in the rows. The
trees in the orchard at West-Brownlee are closer.
In the new orchard on the estate of Wishaw, the
rows are at 30 feet distance, and the trees 15 feet
from each other in the rows. On the Coltness
estate the rows are 27 feet, and the trees 10£ feet
from one another in the rows. Some, however, are
sparser ; and in some of the oldest orchards the trees
are irregularly planted. In general, however, they
are planted closer than is usually done in the English
orchards. It is a common practice in the Clydes-
dale orchards to plant an early bearer alternately
with other trees in the rows ; and some plant goose-
berry and currant bushes between the trees ; while
others raise only potatoes, oats," &c. Upon the
whole, though the produce of the orchard is preca-
rious, when the original insignificance of the grounds
on which fruit-trees succeed is considered, and the
ready sale and high price which the manufacturing
towns afford for fruit, an orchard planted with judg-
ment and carefully cultivated is certainly a profitable
possession. On the other hand, the depredations
committed on the orchards have become more fre-
quent and daring as the manufactures and population
of the county have increased, and are a great dis-
couragement to this species of cultivation, particu-
larly that of small orchards, which cannot defray the
expense of watching during the night. Besides tin-
larger fruit, great quantities of gooseberries and cur-
rants are here cultivated, and, when well-managed,
are said to pay very well. The gooseberry and cur-
* A sleek of plums weighs 60 Ibs. ; and of apples, 40 H>*.
Tin- fruit boll contains 20 sleeks. Tlie present average market
pru-e of Clydesdale fruit is 50s. P-.T bull.
CLY
236
coc
rant trees are dug around annually, kept on a single
stem, and dunged every second year. Many new
varieties of small fruit have been introduced ; and
vast quantities are every year brought to market,
in Glasgow, Paisley, Hamilton, and Lanark, to the
value, it is supposed, of one-third of the large fruit.
The principal orchards are in the possession of their
respective proprietors. The Cambusnethan priory
orchard extends to 26 acres, and generally fetches
on an average .£300 per annum. In some years, be-
fore the reduction in the prices of fruit, it has brought
£ 1,000. Mauldslie castle orchard, extending to 8
acres, averages £150; in 1822 it brought £500; in
1838 only £38. One of the Brownlee orchards, of
12 acres, has sometimes yielded fruit to the value of
£600, and in other years has brought only £10.
The glebe of Dalziel has sometimes yielded £250.
The importation of fruit from Ireland has tended
greatly to reduce the prices of the Clydesdale fruit ;
but some proprietors have recently established cyder-
presses, which may improve the prices. Orchard
ground lets at from £6 to £10 per acre.
Clydesdale is also famous for its breed of horses.
The superlative animal known all over the Lowlands
of Scotland under the appellation of Clydesdale
horse, is not of a pure breed, but is of a kind im-
proved by crossing. This improvement, Mr. Wal-
lace of Kelly says, can readily be traced to the im-
portation of black mares from Flanders, which were
much in fashion, and put to very frequent use in the
coaches of the gentry of Scotland, soon after the use
of such carriages became pretty general. There is
little doubt of this having been extensively practised
in Lanarkshire, and that breeding from black Flan-
ders mares was paid great attention to in that district
about 100 years ago. Mr. Wallace thinks that the
breed of draught-horses in general, over the West
of Scotland, has degenerated ; and that due care and
attention, in respect of the qualities of the mares
bred from, is the main cause of this. " Of late
years," he says, " the breeding of draught-horses
has greatly extended over the West of Scotland, in-
cluding portions of the counties bordering on or in
the Highlands, where very useful but small-sized
mares have been bred from; and to this inferior
crossing, may not only fairly be in part attributed
the colour complained of, but that want of bone and
strength, and of fine broad shape, which any accu-
rate observer will but too generally discover at our
horse-markets."
The Duke of Hamilton was created Marquess of
Clydesdale in 1643. His eldest son bears the title
of Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale.
CLYNE, a parish on the eastern coast of Suther-
land, of which the inhabited part extends in length
about 24, and in breadth from 8 to 4 miles. It is
bounded on the north by Tongue ; on the east by
Kildonan ; on the south-east by Loth ; on the south
by the German ocean ; and on the west by Golspie.
Loch-Brora is a beautiful sheet of water, which dis-
charges itself into the sea by the river of that name,
at the entrance of which there is a tolerable harbour.
See article THE BRORA. The inhabitants on the
coast are mostly fishermen. There is plenty of ex-
cellent freestone and limestone, and coal has been
formerly wrought in this parish. Assessed property,
in 1815, £1,900. There are several Pictish anti-
quities ; in particular, a strongly fortified hill on the
south side of Loch-Brora, called Craigbar. Upon
a rock in the Black water of Strath-Beg, about l£
mile north from the junction of that water with
the Brora, stand the ruins of COLES CASTLE:
which see. Population, in 1801, 1,643; in 1831,
1,711. Houses 410 — This parish, formerly a vicar-
age is in the presbytery of Dornoch, and synod of
Sutherland and Caithness. Patron, the Duke of
Sutherland. Stipend £144 15s. 7d. ; glebe £12.
There is a preaching station at Aschorle on Loch
Brora Schoolmaster's salary £36 ; fees £15. There
is one private school in the parish.
CLYTHE-NESS, a promontory of Caithness, in
the parish of Latheron, in 58° 21' N. lat., and 3° 18'
W. long. The castle of Easter Clyth, which was
formerly of great strength, is situated upon a rock
overhanging the sea near this point. It is commonly
called Cruner Gunn's castle. Gunn was Coronator,
or Justiciary of Caithness, and was basely murdered,
with several gentlemen of the same name, in the
kirk of St. Teay near Castle- Sinclair, by Keith,
Earl Marischal, in 1478. At the hamlet of Clyth is
a neat little inn.
CO ALSTON, an ancient seat of the family of
Brown — now represented by the Countess of Dal-
housie — in the parish and shire of Haddington ; about
2 miles south of Haddington. There is a singular
story connected with the family of Coalston, one of
the ancestors of which married the daughter of his
neighbour, the famous warlock of Gifford, described
in Marmion. As they were proceeding to the church
— so runs the tale — the wizard-lord stopped the
bridal procession beneath a pear-tree, and plucking
one of the pears, he gave it to his daughter, telling
her that he had no dowry to give her, but that as
long as she kept that gift, good fortune would never
desert her or her descendants. This must have oc-
curred before 1267, in which year, according to Sir
David Dalrymple, Hugh Gifford de Yester died ; and
the pear is still preserved in a silver box. About
two centuries ago, a maiden lady of the family chose
to try her teeth upon it, and very soon after two of
the best farms of the estate were lost in some liti-
gation: the only misfortune that has befallen the
inheritance of the Coalstons in six centuries — thanks,
perhaps, to the Warlock pear.
COALTOWNS (EAST and WEST), two adja-
cent villages in Fifeshire, in the parish of Wemyss,
containing about 400 inhabitants ; 4 miles north-east
of Kirkaldy, and 1 north of West Wemyss.
COATBRIDGE, a village in the parish of Old
Monkland, 2£ miles west of Airdrie, on the Monkland
canal. Population, in 1831, 741. Inhabited houses
107 The following statement serves to show the
astonishing increase in the price of landed property,
in the vicinity of Coatbridge, which is mainly to be
attributed to the extension of the iron trade in that
flourishing neighbourhood. Some years ago, the
father of Mr. R. C. Buchanan, the present proprietor
of Drumpeller estate, purchased the lands of Dun-
dy van, of some 50 acres in extent, for about £3,500.
In the year 1833, the Dundyvan Iron company feud
part of them from Mr. Buchanan, for which they
pay upwards of £200 yearly feu-duty ; and Mr. John
Wilson, now sole proprietor of Dundyvan Iron works,
has purchased another part of them, for which he
pays £14,000. In addition to this, the Monkland
Canal company feued part of the property, which,
taken in connection with other feus to smaller hold-
ers, has raised the value of the whole to somewhere
about £22,000.
COCKBURN-LAW, a mountain in the pariah
of Dunse, Berwickshire. It rises from a base of at
least 6 miles in circumference, to a conical top,
which is elevated about 912 feet above the level of
the sea. It is encircled by the Whitadder on three
sides. On the north side, a little below the middle
of the hill, are the ruins of a very old building, called
Woden's or Edwin's hall, or Edinshall. It consists
of two concentric circles : the diameter of the inner-
most being 40 feet ; the thickness of the walls 7
feet; and the spaces between the walls 7 and
COCKBURNSPATH.
237
feet. The spaces have been arched over, and divided
into cells of 12, Hi, and 20 feet. The stones are
not cemented by any kind of mortar ; they are chiefly
whinstone, and made to lock into one another with
grooves and projections. It is supposed to have
been a building similar to Coles castle, and Dun-
Dornadilla in the county of Sutherland. The prin-
cipal rocks composing this hill are porphyry and
granite.
COCKBURNSPATH,* a parish on the sea-coast
in the shire of Berwick. It presents angles to the
cardinal points of the compass ; and is bounded on
the north-east by the German ocean ; on the south-
east by the parish of Coldingham, and part of Old-
hamstocks ; on the south-west by Abbey St. Bathan's
parish ; and on the north-west by the shire of Had-
dington. Its greatest length, from its eastern angle
Redheugh shore, to its western angle near the
ce of Eye water, is 7£ miles ; and its greatest
th, from its northern angle at Dunglass bridge,
its southern angle at the point where Eye water
es to bound it, is 4| miles. At a former period,
•as a small parish, but was afterwards — though
what particular date cannot be ascertained — in-
rated with the parish of Auldcambus. Cock-
ipath consists of two sections ; the one bleak
mountainous, and the other cultivated and com-
tively low and level. The higher or southern
is a continuation of the elevated region of
Lammermoor hills, which, sweeping down upon
parish from the north-east, passes away to meet
sea, a little beyond its boundaries, in the bold
ontory of St. Abb's. This elevated tract is,
neral, soft in its features ; the hills being almost
rounded and broad, and never rising higher than
or 600 feet. Between these hills, and onward
s the ocean, are various ravines or narrow
eys, threaded with mountain-streams, and wear-
in many places — from the mingling of rock and
* and mimic cascade — an aspect highly pictur-
The lower or northern section of the parish,
for the most part, well-cultivated; and, inter-
sected with the cleaving and sylvan-fringed stream-
lets from the south, rises slowly and wavingly toward
the hills. The coast is uniformly, but especially
loward the east, of a rocky, bold, precipitous char-
acter ; and presents some striking scenes. A beau-
tiful insulated cliff, bored through by the billows,
and a towering and magnificent rock, presenting an
outline closely similar to that of a cathedral or ancient
tower, are a tine foil to the general view ; and the
vast expanse of ocean beyond, the various forms of
the bold headlands in the distance, and the dottings
of the waters with vessels of every form and size
leaving or entering the frith of Forth, present a
general picture of no ordinary attraction — Of the
several narrow valleys of the parish the most remark-
able, jointly for its picturesqueness and its other
attractions, is Pease dean. Over the stream which
flows through it, called the Pease burn, is a remark-
able bridge, reckoned a masterpiece of architecture,
which carries the public road, high aloft in the air,
onward from the north-east toward Berwick-on-
Tweed. This bridge was built in 1786: it is 300
feet in length, 15 feet between the parapet walls, and
120 feet above the stream which flows beneath; and
it consists of four arches, two of which both rest
their inner limbs upon a tall, slender pier, rising
from the bottom of the deep ravine. The bridge is
visited by many a tourist, and often examined with
a carious eye, — the fame attaching to it, of its being
the most elevated bridge in the world The Cove
about 1^ mile from Dunglass-bridge at the
Formerly the name was" Colbrandspath ; bat it is now cor-
*'"1 1 iu vulgar con vernation, into Copporbinitl).
north-eastern limit of the parish, is another object
of unusual interest. This is a little bay, surrounded
by precipices upwards of 100 feet high, and looking
out upon the cliff and cathedral-like rock and ex-
tended sea-view which constitute the chief attrac-
tions of the coast-scenery. At one part of this
romantic bay, the coast is accessible only by a sloping
tunnel, hewn out of the soft rock, passing under
ground for the space of 60 or 70 yards, and merely
wide enough to admit a horse and cart ; and here, at
the termination of this remarkable approach to the
sea, a pier has been erected for the accommodation
of fishing-boats — At Redheugh, somewhat less than
a mile from the south-eastern angle of the parish, a
spot called Siccar-point also possesses unusual at-
tractions. Celebrated for geological phenomena, it
is, at the same time, rich in natural beauty. Scram-
bling down a lofty headland, which juts suddenly
into the sea, or descending a winding footpath which
has been erected for his accommodation down the
slopes of the precipitous sea-bank, the tourist arrives
at a cavern of considerable capaciousness as to both
height and area, walks beneath a fretted roof of
glittering and variform calcareous stalactitic incrus-
tations, and sees himself guarded in by ranges of
cliffs and isolated rocks which so vex and tumultuate
and dash into spray the rolling billows as to manu-..
facture a watery veil of no common beauty, sus-
pended over an expanded and interesting sea- view.
At the eastern extremity of the Lammermoois, in the
high valleys through which the road passes to Ayton,
Dr. Buckland discovered, in 1839, traces of moraines
disposed in terraces at various elevations. The only
stream, except the rills which rise in its own heights,
is Eye water, which rises about a mile to the east of
it, in Haddingtonshire, and forms its boundary on
the south-west as long as it is coterminous with
the parish of the Abbey of St. Bathan. During the
whole of this part of its course, the river's banks are
bare and unattractive. There are several planta-
tions,— patches of forest on the sides of the narrow
valleys, the wooded portion of the demense of Dun-
glass, and Pemeshiel wood, which covers about 100
acres — Remains of military forts and encampments
are numerous in the district, — particularly in the
vicinity of the ravines, which, in the unsettled times
of early history and of the Border raids, were for-
midable passes. Several of the fortifications are of
British origin, — particularly a very interesting one
on the summit of Ewieside hill ; and others, if not
erected by the Romans, are in the vicinity of some
traces of their presence, — many urns and other ar-
ticles obviously of Roman workmanship, having, in
various localities, been unearthed by the plough.
In addition to these military vestiges of an early
period, this parish contains not a few interesting
relics of more recent feudal times, —
•' the mouldering halls of barons bold."
Dunglass castle, near the northern angle and north-
eastern limit of the parish, and the seat of Sir James
Hall, Baronet, was originally a fastness of the Earls
of Home. See article DUNGLASS — A more interest-
ing place is Cockburnspath tower, which stands on
the edge of a strong pass or ravine nearly in the
centre of the parish, nodding, in venerable ruin,
over the great road from Berwick to Edinburgh.
Though never, apparently, a place of great extent,
this tower, owing to its commanding position, was
esteemed one of the keys of the kingdom of Scot-
land; and possessed so early as 1073 by the Earls of
Dimbar and March, it figured prominently in the
tumultuous scenes of the international wars On
the coast, about 2 miles from the eastern angle of
the parish, stand the ruins of the old church of the
coc
238
COL
incorporated parish of Auldcambus ; surmounting a
high, overhanging precipice, and commanding an
extensive and fascinating view. The building is a
specimen of simple Saxon architecture ; is supposed
to have been erected so early as the seventh cen-
tury ; and was dedicated to St. Helena, the mother
of Constantine the Great. Near this ruin there
were found, a few years ago, an ancient rosary and
numerous coins, — some of the coins comparatively
little defaced, and of the reign of Athelstan or Edel-
stan the Great, grandson of Alfred the Great. —
About f of a mile from the north-eastern limit of
the parish, on the great road north and south, stands
the small village of Cockburnspath, 7^ miles from
Dunbar, and 20 miles from Berwick-on-Tweed, pos-
sessing a population of about 230, and having an
annual fair on the 2d Tuesday of August. Popula-
tion of the parish, in 1801, 930; in 1831, 1,143.
Assessed property, in 1815, 8,281. Houses 213.—
The parish of Cockburnspath is in the presbytery
of Dunbar, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £245 13s. 3d. ; glebe
£27. Unappropriated teinds £76 11s. 5d There
is a United Secession church at the village of Stock-
bridge Schoolmaster's salary £30. There are
other two schools, besides the parish-school, — one
supported by subscription in the village of Cock-
burnspath, and the other an endowed one in the
district of Auldcambus. The parish-church is a
very ancient structure, dating as far back at least as
1163; but it has recently had repairs, and contains
sittings for about 400 persons. Auldcambus or Old
Cambus anciently belonged to the monastery of
Coldingham, as a cell of Durham ; the Scottish
Edgar having granted to St. Cuthbert's monks of
Durham its manor, with the appertaining lands, tolls,
shipwrecks, and other customary dues.
COCKENZIE, a village and small sea-port in the
parish of Tranent, Haddingtonshire. It lies on the
shore of the frith of Forth, on the coast-road from
Edinburgh to Aberlady and North Berwick, in the
immediate vicinity of the village of Portseaton, and
about a mile east of Prestonpans. It consists chiefly
of works for the manufacture of salt, and the houses
of workmen and fishermen. A railroad from the coal-
pits near Tranent leads to the harbour. For the
accommodation of the inhabitants, a church was built
here, by private enterprise, in 1838. The popula-
tion of the village, with Portseaton, is about 750.
COCKPEN, a parish in the shire of Edinburgh,
lying in a south-easterly direction from the metro-
polis. It has somewhat of an hour-glass outline ;
and is bounded on the north by the parish of Lass-
wade ; on the east by the parish of Newbattle ; on
the south by the parish of Carrington; and on the
west by the parish of Lasswade. Its extreme mea-
surement from north-east to south-west, is about 3|
miles ; and from north to south nearly 3 miles ; but
its area is only between 3 and 4 square miles. The
South Esk enters the parish from the south, inter-
sects it for nearly 1£ mile, and afterwards forms its
boundary with the parish of Newbattle. The banks
of this river are here steep, bold, and beautifully
fringed with natural wood. The surface of th« par-
ish is somewhat uneven; but the soil is a strong
clay, and is highly cultivated, abundantly luxuriant,
and everywhere shaded by enclosures and planta-
tions. Coal is plentiful, and successfully worked;
good freestone abounds ; and a sort of moss is found
whence copperas has been obtained. The parish
has consisted, since the 12th century, of the barony
of Dalhousie, originally written Dalwolsie. On the
imposing edifice, of a square form and turreted ; and,
encompassed by a strong wall, as well as supplied
with other means of defence, was a place of very great
strength. Latterly it has been denuded of its forti-
fied dress, and, with some traces of antique appear,
ance, has assumed a modern garb. The ancient
family of Ramsay, possessing since 1633 the title of
Earls of Dalhousie, have for ages been its proprie-
tors. Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie, who
lived in the 14th century, is celebrated as one of the
bravest warriors of that age. His gallant behaviour
at the battle of Otterburn is recorded by Froissart.
He was appointed by his sovereign warder of the
borders ; and, out of envy, was treacherously mur-
dered by Douglas of Liddesdale. See CASTLETOWN.
The mansion of Cockpen belongs also to the noble
family of Ramsay ; and is situated among fascinating
and romantic scenery. The parish is intersected,
as far as Dalhousie Mains, by a branch of the Edin-
burgh and Dalkeith railway ; and contains the exten-
sive gunpowder manufactory of Stobbs. Population,
in 1801, 1,681 ; in 1831, 2,025. Houses 326. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £6,543. Of the population,
1,140 reside in the villages of Prestonholm, Bonny-
rig, and Westmill of Lasswade, the last of which
lies so near the church of the coterminous parish of
Lasswade that the inhabitants generally prefer it to
their own. There are 5 other villages ; the popu-
lation of each of which, however, is under 100 —
The parish of Cockpen is in the presbytery of Dal-
keith, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron,
the Earl of Dalhousie. Stipend £157 5s. 3d. ; glebe
£21. Unappropriated teinds £133 Os. 5d. School-
master's salary between £34 and £35. There are
two other schools. Church built in 1820: sittings
625. For several years religious services have been'
conducted on Sabbath evenings, about once a month,
by various dissenters in the village of Bonnyrig, in
a schoolhouse capable of containing about 250.
During the Scoto- Saxon period Cockpen was a rec-
tory, the patronage of which belonged, as at present,
to "the Ramsays of Dalwolsie. " In 1296 Malcolm
de Ramsay, the" rector, swore fealty to Edward I.,
who commanded the sheriff of Edinburgh to restore
him to his rights. The church of Cockpen seems to
have afterwards been granted to a fraternity of Cis-
tertian monks, who held it till the overthrow
popery at the Reformation.
COE (THE). See GLENCOE.
COICH (THE), or QUOICH, a tributary rivulet
of the Dee, in the parish of Crathie, Aberdeenshire.
It descends from the southern and western slopes of
Bennabuird, and pursues a south-easterly course,
through the forest of Braemar, till its junction with
the Dee, between Mar lodge and Allanmore.
COIGACH (THE AIRD OF), a district in the
shire of Cromarty, though locally situated in the
shire of Ross. It stretches along the eastern coast
of Loch-Broom into the Western ocean, and is com-
prehended in the parish of Loch-Broom. It contains
the beautiful vales of Strathceannard and Ridorch.
The population of the district was 1,975, in 1834.
COILTIE (THE), a rivulet flowing along the
southern margin of the vale of Urquhart into the
west side of Loch-Ness. It is a rapid running
stream. Its tributary, the Divach, when in full
supply of water, is said to display "a waterfall as
high and picturesque as that of Foyers."
COINISH (THE), a streamlet in Argyleshire,
falling into the upper part of Loch Linrihe.
COLDINGHAM, a parish on the coast of Ber-
wickshire, of irregular figure and considerable ex-
left bank of the South Esk, near the point where j tent. Except a detached portion, about 5 furlongs
that river is crossed by a fine bridge, stood the old long and 3£ broad, which is imbosomed to the east
baronial castle of Dalhousie. This was anciently ai» in the parish of Eyemouth, it is bounded on the
COLDINGIIAM.
239
h by the German ocean ; on the cast by the
German ocean and the parishes of Eyemouth and
Ay ton ; on the south by the parishes of Chirnside
and Buncle; and on the west by the parishes of
the Abbey of St. Bathans, Oldbamstocks, and Cock-
lunispath. Its extreme measurement, from east
to west, is about 8£ miles, and, from north to
south, about 8 miles ; and, including its detached
section, it embraces an area of about 57,600 im-
perial acres. Before the Reformation, it compre-
hended most of the parishes by which it is now
bounded, and was called, in its charters, Colding-
hamshire. Its surface is, for the most part, very
uneven. Several ranges of hills, constituting part
the Lammermoor chain, run through it in pa-
si lines from west to east, and file off to the
to form the celebrated headland called ST.
j's HEAD : which see. The hills, however, are
inconsiderable elevation, the highest, Wardlaw
ik, being only 640 feet above the level of the sea ;
they are cloven into ridges by intervening val-
of considerable extent, watered by the Eye,
Ale, their respective tributaries, and five minor
3, which all, with two unimportant exceptions,
rerse the parish from west to east, and generally,
their embouchure, turn northward to fall into
ocean. Most of the flat lands are enclosed and
i>le ; but upwards of 5,000 acres, which form what
lied Coldingham common, are moorland, and in a
of sterility. A mile south-west of St. Abb's
is Coldingham loch, 30 acres in superficial
and 300 feet above the level of the sea, though
about 300 yards distant from the shore, and so
tly situated that an attempt to tuft its sloping
iks with plantation has proved abortive. This
is of a triangular form, pellucid in its waters,
fathoms in depth, and, though neither fed
any rill, nor discharging itself by any outlet, is not
xved to be subject to fluctuation. The extent
-coast in the parish is 6£ miles in a direct line ;
along its wide and numerous windings, is 8£ or
I miles. A considerable part of the shore, particularly
at Coldingham sands, and the farm of Northfield, is
smooth and of easy access, and, though nowhere em-
bosoming a harbour, is rife with fishing-boats. But,
ancient building called Edgar's walls,— some frag-
ments of what were known as ' the King's stables,
and a fountain, called St. Andrew's well, which
supplied the priory with water; in various places
in the vicinity formerly stood stone crosses, the sites
of which are still known by the names Cairneross,
Friarscross, Crosslaw, Whitecross, and Applincross.
The priory of Coldingham was founded in the year
1098 by Edgar, king of Scotland, who, aided by
William Rufus to regain his kingdom, and fighting
under the banner of St. Cuthbert, gifted to him
by the monks of Durham, believed himself indebted
more to the saint's influence than to the swords of
Rufus' soldiers, and knew not how munificently to
express his gratitude by the donation of lands and
the erection of religious houses. In the fervour of
his superstitious piety, he built the church of St.
Mary of Coldingham, gave possession of it to a
colony of monks from Durham, attended in person
the ceremony of its dedication, and opulently en-
dowed it with mulcts upon the villagers of Swinton,
with the lands of Fishwick and Horndean, and with
the lands, the waters, and " the men" of Paxton.
Malcolm IV., William the Lion, and Alexander II.,
severally confirmed the privileges bestowed by Ed-
gar, and added others. In 1 127 Robert, Archbishop
of St. Andrews, within whose diocese the priory was
situated, importuned by David I., and probably in-
fluenced by Archbishop Thurston, and other dignities
of the English and the Scottish churches, granted to
this priory exemption from the exactions and inter-
ference of the ministers of prelatic authority ; and
this privilege, as powerfully perhaps as opulence and
greatness of monastic influence, contributed, in the
circumstances of the period, to exalt the inmates of
the priory to a high place among the agents who
moulded the interests of the nation. Subsequent
diocesans, however, abridged or attempted to revoke
the exemption, and made demands or inroads upon
the priory, which frequently placed the monks in
ambiguous and embarrassing positions, and occasioned
disastrous appeals to the popes and to conciliar in-
terference. The priory was enthralled, too, by its
colonial connexion with the monks of Durham ; the
latter wielding the power of electing its prior, and
in the neighbourhood of St. Abb's Head, the coast is exercising a right concurrent with that of its own in-
rocky and dangerous, abounding in caves and fis- mates over its possessions. So arrayed in the trap-
sures, once the retreat of smugglers, which are in- pings of worldly glory was the office of its prior, that,
accessible by land, and can be approached by sea unlike any other ecclesiastic in the kingdom, he
only at low water, and in the calmest weather. I maintained a retinue of seventy functionaries, who
On the hills to the west and south of it, about a I bore titles, sustained appointments, and shared a cu-
mile distant, are remains of ancient camps ; two of ' rious division of labour more befitting the magniti-
tln se are of British origin, — the one on Ernsheuch, I ficence of a princely court than the mortified retire-
surrounded on three sides by lofty precipices, — and j ment of a cloister. The priors of Coldingham mingled
the other on Wardlaw bank, encompassed with four | much in the political intrigues of their country, and
trenches. Three miles to the west of St. Abb's i figure somewhat flauntingly on some pages of its his-
Head, on a peninsular rock, stand the ruins of FAST i tory; yet, they could not prevent the rebound upon
CASTLE : which see. At Renton, at Houndwood, | themselves of detrimental and even devastating in-
at We>t Preston, and at East Preston, were for- I terferences from at once freebooters, nobles, kir.f.s,
talices or castles, belonging to Logan of Fast castle, and popes. Their priory, on account of its patron
all of which were demolished during the last cen- saint, being venerated highly and alike on both siiks
t, to afford building materials for other purposes. | of the Border, suffered less from the raids of its
bout 2^ or 3 miles from St. Abb's Head, on | vicinity than other establishments of its class in a
south side of the town of Coldingham, are similar position. But it was devoted to plunder by
e remains of the celebrated priory of Colding- King John, as unappeased by slaughter and unsa-
ham. A few years ago, the ruins were very ex- tiated with prey, he retired from Lothian in 1216 ;
tensive; but they were rapidly dilapidated by the ! and in 1305, it was handed over, as to all its
peasantry carrying away the stones for the erection I revenues and immunities, by Pope Benedict XL, to
of their cottages. Only those parts of it now remain Hugh, bishop of Biblis, who had been expelled by
which form the north wall and east gable of the pre- ' the Saracens from the Holy Land. Escaping, through
fent parish-church ; and these are remarkable for the interference arid protection of the English crown,
chasteness of design, and impart a flattering idea of the strangely intended infliction of the Pope, the
the style of architecture during the transition from priory, during the regency, of the Duke of Albany, in
the Norman to the early English period. At a short the feeble reign of Robert III., passed, by the act of
its own inmates, under the surveillance of Ale;
distance from the vestiges of the south wall are an
;xundcr,
240
COLDINGHAM.
the laird of Home, as underkeeper of it for the
powerful family of Douglas ; and it, in consequence,
soon became limited in its resources and shorn of its
authority,* and eventually acknowledged the family
of Home as the lords of all its possessions. James
III. attempted to suppress the priory, and to annex
its property to a chapel at Stirling ; and he not only
obtained his parliament's sanction to the project, but,
with their concurrence, sent envoys to Rome to pro-
cure the assent of the Pope. But the Homes, en-
raged at the attempt, conspired with the Hepburns,
under the auspices of the Earl of Angus, to dethrone
the king, and eventually, on the llth of June, 1488,
achieved his death in a fray near Stirling During
the reign of James IV. the priory continued to be
oppressed or rather appropriated by the Homes. In
1509 it was, by the pope's authority, detached from
the superiority of the monks of Durham, and placed
under the abbey of Dunfermline; but it was now
lorded over, first by Alexander Stewart, the king's
natural son, who already held the archbishopric of
St. Andrews and the abbacy of Dunfermline, and
who soon after fell in Flodden, fighting by the side
of his father, — next by David Home, Lord Home's
seventh brother, who continued to be prior till he
was assassinated by James Hepburn of Hailes, — next
by Robert Blackadder, who, with six domestics, was
assassinated by Sir David Home, — next by William
Douglas, Lord Angus' brother, who seized the office
by mere intrusion, and successfully resisted all efforts
to expel him^— next by Adam, who, in 1541, was
removed to Dundrinnan, to make way for John
Stewart, the infant and illegitimate son of James V.
During John Stewart's infancy, the king enjoyed the
revenues ; but found his possession of them less undis-
puted and luxurious than any of his ecclesiastical pre-
decessdrs. In November, 1 544, the church and tower,
after being seized by the English, were successfully
fortified against the Regent, Arran ; and in Septem-
ber, 1545, the abbey, during the devastating incur-
sion of the Earl of Hertford, was burnt to the ground.
After the death of John Stewart, who now in his
maturity drew the revenues, John Maitland was
appointed to the commendatorship, and retained its
rich endowment till 1568, when he was created a
senator of the College of Justice. James VI. then
bestowed it on Francis Stewart, the eldest brother
of the former commendator, and, with his usual im-
prudence, afterwards created him earl of Bothwell,
abbot of Kelso, constable of Haddington, sheriff of
Berwick, bailie of Lauderdale, and high-admiral of
Scotland, giving him at the same time vast estates,
and receiving in return no expression of feeling but
accumulated vexations and treasons, which at last,
in 1595, occasioned the turbulent ingrate to be ex-
pelled the country. The possessions of the priory
were now bestowed first on the Earl of Home, and
next — after the former's death in 1619— on John,
the banished Earl of Bothwell's second son, who
was the last commendator of Coldingham. Tradition
says that when the abbey was destroyed, the sono-
rous bell of the church was carried to Lincoln, and
that it still loads the breezes around that city with its
powerful tones.
The village of Coldingham is 2 miles from Press
inn; 11 from Berwick; arid 18 from Dunbar. It is a
burgh-of-barony under the Earl of Home. It stands
in a valley, having a small rivulet of excellent water
running upon each side of it, and is about a mile
distant from the sea. It is surrounded with rising
fields of gentle ascent ; but there are no prospects
from the village beyond half-a-mile's distance. It
appears from old writings, and by parts of the foun-
dations of old buildings, that several of the crofts
about the town, now arable, had been anciently the
sites of houses and gardens: it must, therefore, have
been much more populous than it is at present
The other villages are West Reston about 2£ miles
from the south-eastern extremity of the parish, with
a population of 222; and Auchincraw, H mile to
the south-west, with a population of 161. Popula-
tion of the parish, in 1801, 2,391 ; in 1831, 2,668.
Houses 532. Assessed property, in 1815, .£18,729.
— Coldingham is in the presbytery of Chirnside, and
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £267 2s. lid.; glebe £25. Unappropri-
ated teinds £492 15s. 5d. Two parochial school,
masters have each £25 salary, and about £20 school-
fees; and one has about £60 or £70 from endowed
sources. There are 10 schools, wholly supported
by school-fees. The parish-church is supposed to
have been built about the 12th century, and has been
frequently repaired, but never enlarged; sittings 827.
It is situated in Coldingham village, 1 mile from the
nearest boundary of the parish, and 7 miles from the
most remote. But a large part of the parish was,
in October, 1836, erected into a parish quoad sacra,
and has its own place of worship. See HOUND-
WOOD. In the village of Coldingham, also, is a
place of worship, and a congregation of considerable
standing, connected with the United Secession synod.
Sittings 609. Minister's stipend £129, with £20
for house-rent — According to a survey, in 1837, by
the parochial minister, there were, in this parish,
belonging to the Established church, 1,657 persons,
and belonging to other denominations 1,162.
COLDS TONE. See LOGIE-COLDSTONE.
COLDSTREAM,* a parish in the county of Ber-
wick ; bounded by Ladykirk on the east ; by Sim-
priri, now united to Swinton, on the north; by
Eccles on the west ; and by the Tweed, which sepa-
rates it from England, on the south. Placing the
foot of a compass at Lennel church, and taking 4
miles for a radius, a semicircle described on the north
of the Tweed will give a general idea of the extent
and form of the parish. The length from east to
west is from 7 to 8 miles; the average breadth 4
miles. The general appearance of the country is
flat. The soil for the most part is rich and fertile ;
near the Tweed it is light; but it inclines to clay
as it falls back from the river. A broad slip of bar-
ren land — called the Moorland — runs through the
parish from east to west. Coldstream is situated at
nearly equal distance from the Cheviot and Lammer-
moor hills ; and when the weather is showery, espe-
cially if the wind be. westerly, the clouds usually
take the direction of one or other of these ranges of
hills, pour down their contents upon them, and leave
this district untouched. Much more rain falls at
Dunse and Wooler than at Coldstream. The ele-
vation of Coldstream bridge is 61 feet above Berwick
pier. The river Tweed here produces trouts, whit-
* The ancient name of the parish was Lennel or Leinhall ;
and the ruins of Lennel church stood on the north bank of
the Tweed, lj mile distant from Coldstream. Eastward from
this church, there was formerly a village called Lennel, which
was so entirely destroyed in the Border wars, that the site of
it is not now known. According to Chalmers, the parish of
Leinhall appears in charters as early as the year 1147. When
Cospatrick, Earl of Dunbar, founded the Cistertian nunnery
at Coldstream, he gave it the church of Layn-el, with half-a-
carucate of land at Layn-el, and another half-carucate at
Birgham. And Derder, his countess, granted to the same
nunnery the church of Hirsel, and a carucate of land, which
the Earl confirmed. In this manner were the churches of
Leinhall and Hirsel invested in the same religious house ; bu*
the church of Hirsel came afterwards to be considered only
as a chapel, subordinate to the church of Leinhall. The
church of Hirsel stood on the lands of Hirsel, which form the
south-western part of the parish. The church of Leinhall
continued in the possession of the prioress of Coldstream, till
the Reformation ; and it preserved its ancient name for a cen-
tury and a half after that epoch. In 1716 a new parish-church
was built at the village of Coldstream, and the designation o!
the parish was afterwards taken from the kirk-town.
COL
241
COL
ings, grilse, salmon, and all other kinds of fish com-
mon to the rivers in the south of Scotland. Its
tributaries in this parish are Graden burn, and the
Shiells burn. The Leet flows for a part of its course
through the parish. The gross rent of the parish,
in the end of last century, was about £6,000 sterling.
The rent of the fishings, £93. The value of as-
sessed property, in 1815, was £14,592. According
to the New Statistical Account, the present rental
of the parish is about £12,000. Population, in 1801,
2.269 ; in 1831, 2,897. Houses 471. The language
spoken here is distinguishable from that spoken on
the other side of Tweed, by the soft sound of the
letter R. From that river to a considerable distance
southward, the people universally annex a guttural
sound to the letter R, which in some places goes by
the name of ' the Berwick burrh.' — " The town of
Coldstream," says an old writer, " hath given title
to a small company of men, whom God made the
instruments of great things ; and, though poor, yet
honest as ever corrupt nature produced into the
world by the no-dishonourable name of Coldstream-
ers." They were formed by Monk from the two
regiments of Fenwicke and Hesilrige, when, in 1650,
the conquering armies of the Parliament were led
by Cromwell against the Northern Presbyterians.
They were chiefly Borderers : tried and hardy men,
who cared little for the cause of either King or
Commons, but loved their leader, and followed him
with blind and obstinate obedience through all his
changes of opinion and fortune. It was, however,
the fashion of the soldiers of the Commonwealth to
be austere and addicted to praying and preaching, and
this the men of the Coldstream corps, it appears,
were not backward, for we have the undeniable tes-
timony of Bishop Bu,rnet in their favour. " I re-:
member well," said he, "these regiments coming to
Aberdeen ; there was an order, and discipline, and
a face of gravity and piety amongst them, that amazed
ill people." At the head of these soldiers Monk
went up one side of Scotland and down another;
storming castle after castle, town after town, dis-
comfiting and dispersing all enemies of the Common-
wealth, from Berwick to Dundee, and from Dundee
to Dumfries, The Coldstream guards remained, on
the whole, ten years in Scotland: during that period
they were recruited chiefly by Scottish republicans.
When confusion ensued on the death of Cromwell,
Monk marched at their head, dispersed the army of
Lambert, entered London, dissolved the Common.
wealth, and restored King Charles. Macpherson re-
lates, that Monk reviewed his men on the arrival of
the King ; desired them to ground their arms, and
consider themselves disbanded ; then he commanded
them to take them up and consider themselves no
lunger the soldiers of the Commonwealth, but of the
Crown. The history of the Coldstream Guards has
been recorded in a recent publication by Colonel j
Mackinnon This parish is in the presbytery of
Chirnside, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale.
Patron, the Earl of Haddington. Stipend £233 7s.
2(1.; glebe £40. Church built in 1795; sittings
1,100. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d., with
£75 fees, and £30 10s. other emoluments. There
were 5 private and 2 boarding-schools in this parish
in 1834 — There is a United Associate synod church,
and a Relief church in the town of Coldstream,
Stipend of the Secession minister £150 with manse
and garden; of the Relief minister £115.— The
principal villas in this parish are Lennel house, a
seat of the Earl of IladdiiiKton; Lees, near the June- I
tion of the Leet and Tweed ; and Ilirsel, a scut of
Earl of Home.
COLDSTRKAM, a town in the above parish, upon
north bank of the Tweed, within the baronies
1.
of Coldstream and Hirsel, having the Leet flowing
past it on its western quarter. It is 9| miles east of
Kelso ; 10J south-west of Dunse; and 14^ west of
Berwick, The road from Edinburgh to Wooler, by
Cornhill, crosses the Tweed at Coldstream by a
bridge of 5 arches. Cornhill is 1 mile, Wooler 15$,
and Newcastle-on-Tyne 61 miles distant from Cold-
stream. There are two roads from Coldstream to
Berwick, one on either side of the Tweed. The
town formerly derived consequence from a ford over
the Tweed, the first of any importance which occurs
in following the stream upwards from Berwick. By
this passage, Edward I. entered Scotland in 1296*;
and many other, both Scottish and English armies,
before the union of the crowns, have made their
way by this passage, to ravage the country of their
respective enemies. It was last used by a Scottish
army, as an entrance into England, in 1640. The
bridge of Coldstream is a furlong from the east end
of the town, and commands a tine view up and down
the woody banks of the river. On the last Thurs-
day of every month, there is a cattle-market held
here, which is chiefly resorted to by dealers from
the north of England. From December till May,
between 600 and 700 cattle are shown at this fair,
and from 500 to 600 sheep, principally Leicesters and
half-breds. There is also a corn-mark'et every Thurs-
day. Coldstream is a burgh-of-barony. The two
superiors, the Earl of Haddington and the Earl ot
Home, appoint the bailie, who has a salary of £21
from his superiors. Coldstream, like Gretna-Green,
enjoys an infamous celebrity for its irregular mar-
riages. Previous to the Reformation this place could
boast of a rich priory of Cistertian nuns, founded by
Cospatrick, Earl of March ; but of this building not
a fragment now remains. Population, in 1834, 2,081 .
Houses worth £10 and upwards, 106 ; worth from
£5 to £10, 72. The town is lighted with gas.
COLE'S CASTLE, an ancient and remarkable
fortification upon a rock in the Blackwater of Strath-
beg, about 1£ mile north from the junction of that
river with the water of Brora. It is a circular build-
ing, 54 yards in circumference round the base on the
outside, or 18 in diameter; 27 yards in circumfer-
ence, and 9 yards diameter within ; the walls are 4J
yards, or 13£ feet thick in the base, built of large
stones, well-connected, without any cement. The
building has a batter or inclination inwards of 9
inches in every 3 feet in height. The door on the
south-east side is 3£ feet high, and 2£ feet broad.
In the middle of the wall, on each side of the passage
by the door to the interior, is a small apartment,
about 6 feet square and 5 feet high, as if intended
for a guard to watch the entry. It has been greatly
injured by the wantonness of cow-herds throwing
the materials off the walls into the river. Beyond
this building, and 6 feet from the wall, are the re-
mains of an outer wall which surrounded the castle,
and an oblong garden of 27 yards long and 18 yards
broad. This wall seems to have been joined by
large flags to the wall of the castle, leaving a passage
of 6 feet broad by 7 feet high between the two walls,
where it is said the inhabitants kept their cattle in
the night time. In the face of the rock is an oblong
seat, where tradition says, Cole used to rest himself,
fronting the meridian sun, and that there he was slain
with an arrow from the bow of an assassin. When
Cole felt the wound, he struck his hand upon the
rock, which made such an impression that it re-
mains there to this day. A ditch appears to have
earned the water of the river round to the land side,
which is now filled up with rubbish.
COLINSBURGH, a thriving village in the par-
ish of Kilconquhar, Fifeshire ; 4 miles east of Kirk-
town of Largo; 2 north of Ely; 4 west of Pitten-
Q
:OL
weem; and 10 south of Cupar. The Commercial
bank has an agency here; arid justice-of- peace and
circuit small debt courts are held here five times in
the year. It has a weekly corn-market on Wednes-
day, and two annual fairs, on the 2d Friday in June
and October. The road to Anstruther and Crail
passes through it. It contains about 570 inhabitants.
This place is a burgh-of-barony under the Balcarres
family, and received its name from Colin, 3d Earl of
Balcarres. Balcarres house is in the vicinity ; near
it rises Balcarres craig, a rock of 200 feet altitude.
There is a Relief meeting-house in the village.
Colinsburgh is a remarkably healthy place. Not
long ago there were 18 individuals in its small popu-
lation whose united ages amounted to 1,552 years.
COLINTON, or COLLINGTON,* a parish south-
west of Edinburgh, at the base of the Peiitland hills,
in Mid Lothian. It is bounded on the north by the
parishes of Corstorphine and St. Cuthberts ; on the
east by the parishes of Libberton and Lass wade ; on
the south by the parishes of Lasswade, Glencorse,
and Pennicuick ; and on the west by the parishes of
Carrie and Corstorphine. Its greatest length from
north to south is about 4 miles; and its greatest
breadth from east to west about 3| miles. The sur-
face is beautifully varied, descending from the north-
ern range of the northern Pentlands towards the
plain of Corstorphine in diversified and occasionally-
bold undulations. Along its southern limit the
Pentlands rise in the different summits 1,450, 1,550,
and 1,700 feet, above the level of the sea; and toward
the north-east are the picturesque heights of the Fir
hill and Craig- Lockhart hill. Over a distance of 3
miles the parish is intersected by the water of Leith,
ploughing its way through well- wooded and romantic
banks, and turning the wheels of numerous water-
mills. Three rivulets or rills also enrich it with
their waters, — Murray-burn, Braid-burn, and Bur-
diehouse-burn. In the 17th century this parish ap-
pears to have oeen a wild and uncultivated tract ;
and so late as 1709, it contained only 318 examin-
able persons. Now, however, it is in general in a
state of high cultivation, its lands beautifully en-
closed with hedge-rows, and tufted with plantation ;
and even on the acclivity of the Pentlands, at an ele-
vation of 700 feet above the level of the sea, some
lands have recently been rendered arable. The ele-
gant, mansion of Lord Dunfermline is the principal
seat. The Roman road from York to Carriden, near
Abercorn, passed along a section of the parish. In
1666 the Covenanters, marching from the west, spent
the night of the 27th November in the village of
Colinton ; and next day marched toward the Pent-
l»nds, and fought in the skirmish of Rullion-Green.
The village of Colinton is situated on the water
of Leith, near the centre of the parish ; and is the
site of several extensive paper-manufactories, and of
the parish-church. Population of the parish, in 1801,
1,397; in 1831, 2,232. Houses 396. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £13,886 Colinton is in the pres-
bytery of Edinburgh, and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale. Patron, Dunlop of Brookloch. Stipend
.£207 11s. 3d.; glebe £40; unappropriated teinds
£207 11s. 3d. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4id.,
with about £25 or £30 of other emoluments. There
are, besides the parish school, four schools atteiided
by about 130 children. The parish-church was built
in 1771, repaired in 1817, and enlarged in 1837. It
is situated about a mile from the nearest, and up-
wards of 2.^ from the remotest limit of the parish ;
and it is now comfortable and commodious, contain-
ing sittings for about 660 persons. In the small
* TliP ancient »;une \vsis Hnilse, from the plural of n CVItic
won! whifh signifies a mound or lnlincU. A gentleman's resi-
de IK i- on ttie siu> of tlu- old rhurrh retains the name.
village of Slateford, on the verge of the parish, at
its northern angle, is a United Secession place of
worship, erected in 1 784, containing sittings for 520,
•and noted as the scene of the early pastoral labours
of the late Dr. John Dick. See SLATEFORD.
COLL, one of the western isles annexed to Ar
gyleshire, arid making part of the parish of Tiree.
It lies off the western coast of Mull, and is divided
from Tiree by a narrow sound. It is about 14 miles
in length, and 2g in breadth, on an average ; con-
taining 9,999 acres Assessed property, in 1815,
£7,068. Two-thirds of this extent are hills, rocks,
shifting-sands, lakes, and morasses ; the other third
is pasture, meadow, or corn land. Its surface is
diversified with eminences, and covered with a very
thin stratum of earth, which in many places is want-
ing, so that a grey, stony surface, without herbage
of any kind, presents itself to the eye ; but in other
quarters the sandy soil is covered during spring and
summer with an enamelled carpet of brilliant and
odorous plants. Coll abounds with shallow lakes,
of which several contain trouts and eels. Rabbits
are very numerous. There are a great many black
cattle fed on the island, 200 head of which are
annually exported. The inhabitants employ them-
selves chiefly in fishing and agriculture. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,162; in 1834, 1,450. Houses, in
1831, 236 A district church was built here about
37 years ago; sittings 250. Service is here per-
formed in Gaelic by the assistant-minister, who is
appointed by the minister of the parish, with con-
sent of the proprietor of Coll. Stipend £62 2s.
There is also a catechist officiating in the island.
The Gaelic society have an itinerating school here, and
the General Assembly and Society for propagating
Christian knowledge, have each also schools here. —
Dr. Johnson visited Coll during his tour in Scotland,
and seems to have been much satisfied with his en-
tertainment. This account of the island is curious,
and is here quoted as illustrative, when compared
with the memoranda of more recent tourists, of the
progress of the western isles : — " We were at Coll,"
says he, " under the protection of the young laird,
without any of the distresses which Mr. Pennant, in a
fit of simple credulity, seems to think almost worthy
of an elegy by Ossian. Wherever we roved, we were
pleased to see the reverence with which his subjects
regarded him. He did not endeavour to dazzle them
by any magnificence of dress ; his only distinction was
a feather in his bonnet; but, as soon as he appeared,
they forsook their work, and clustered about him ;
he took them by the hand, and they seemed mutually
delighted. He has the proper disposition of a chief-
tain, and seems desirous to continue the customs of
his house. The bagpiper played regularly when
dinner was served, whose person and dress made a
good appearance, and he brought no disgrace upon
the family of Rankin, which has long supplied the
lairds of Coll with hereditary music. Lite is here,
in some respects, improved beyond the condition of
some other islands. In Skye, what is wanted can
only be bought, as the arrival of some wandering
pedler may afford an opportunity; but in Coll there
is a standing shop, and in Mull there are two. A
shop in the islands, as in other places of little fre-
quentation, is a repository of every thing requisite
for common use. Mr. Boswell's journal was filled,
and he bought some paper in Coll. To a man that
ranges the streets of London, where he is tempted
to contrive wants for the pleasure of supplying them,
a shop affords no image worthy of attention ; but in
an island it turns the balance of existence between
good and evil. To live in perpetual want of little
things, is a state not indeed of torture, but of con-
stant vexation. I have in Skye had some difficulty
COL
243
COL
find ink for a letter ; and if a woman breaks her
leedle, the work is at a stop. As it is, the islanders
re obliged to content themselves with succedaneous
leans for many common purposes. I have seen the
chief man of a very wide district riding with a halter
a bridle, and governing his hobby with a wooden
rb. The people of Coll, however, do not want
?xterity to supply some of their necessities. Sev-
il arts which make trades, and demand apprentice-
lips in great cities, are here the practices of daily
momy. In every house candles are made, both
loulded and dipped : their wicks are small shreds of
inen-cloth. They all know how to extract from the
iddy-fish oil for their lamps. They all tan skins
id make brogues. Of taxes here is no reason for
miplaining; they are paid by a very easy composi-
m. The malt-tax for Coll is 20s. ; whisky is very
jlentiful ; there are several stills in the island, and
lore is made than the inhabitants consume. The
reat business of insular policy is now to keep the
>ple in their own country. As the world has
•n let in upon them, they have heard of happier
limates and less arbitrary government ; and if they
re disgusted, have emissaries among them ready to
fer them land and houses as a reward for deserting
leir chief and clan. Many have departed both from
main of Scotland and from the islands ; and all
nit go may be . considered as subjects lost to the
Jritish crown ; for a nation scattered in the bound-
•ss regions of America resembles rays diverging
a focus ; all the rays remain, but the heat is
me ; their power consisted in their concentration ;
,rhen they are dispersed they have no effect. The
[habitants of Coll have not yet learned to be weary
' their heath and rocks, but attend their agriculture
ml their dairies without listening to American se-
iucements. The disposition to pompous and ex-
)ensive funerals — which has at one time or other
prevailed in most parts of the civilized workl — is not
yet suppressed in the islands, though some of the
ancient solemnities are worn away, and singers are
no longer hired to attend the procession. Nineteen
y.-ars ago, at the burial of the laird of Coll, were
killed 30 cows, and about 50 sheep. Mr. Maclean
informed us of an old game, of which he did not
tell the original, but which may perhaps be used in
other places where the reason of it is not yet forgot.
At New-year's eve, in the hall or castle of the laird,
where, at festal seasons, there may be supposed a
very numerous company, one man dresses himself in
H cow's hide, upon which other men beat with sticks.
II.' runs with all this noise round the house, which
all the company quit in a counterfeited fright ; the
door is then shut. At New- Year's eve there is no
great pleasure to'be had out of doors in the Hebrides.
They are sure soon to recover from their terror
enough to solicit for re-admission ; which, for the
honour of poetry, is not to be obtained but by re-
peating a verse, with which those that are knowing
and provident take care to be furnished. — Very near
the house of Maclean stands the castle of Coll, 'which
was the mansion of the laird till the house was built.
It is built upon a rock, as Mr. Boswell remarked,
i at it might not be mined. It is very strong, and
been not long uninhabited, is yet in repair.
)n the wall was, not long ago, a stone with an in-
cription, importing, ' That it' any man of the elan
.Maclonich ">hall appear before this castle, though
come at midnight with a man's head in h:< hand,
;.' >hall there find safety and protection again>t all
)iil the king.' This is an old Highland treats made
ton a very memoraitK' occasion. Maclean, the son
John vi!erves, who recovered i'r>\\, and conquered
iirra, h,i:i ol, ;;,]):••;!. it i- said, i'ro;n .lames 11., a
rant of the hr.r.ls of Loeliiel, furivitci', 1 su, ,
by some offence against tho sint-\ Forfeited rp
were not in those days quietly resigned : Maclean,
therefore, went with an armed force to seize his new
possessions, and, I know not for what reason, took
his wife with him. The Camerons rose in defence
of their chief, and a battle was fought at the head
of Loch Ness, near the place where Fort- Augustus
now stands, in which Lochiel obtained the victory,
and Maclean, with his followers, was defeated and
destroyed. The lady fell into the hands of the
conquerors, and being found pregnant, was placeij
in the custody of Maclonich, one of a tribe or family
branched from Cameron, with orders, if she brought
a boy, to destroy him, if a girl, to spare her. Mac-
lonich's wife, who was with child likewise, had a
girl about the same time at which Lady Maclean
brought a boy; and Maclonich, with more generosity
to his captive than fidelity to his trust, contrived
that the children should be changed. Maclean being
thus preserved from death, in time recovered his
original patrimony ; and, in gratitude to his friend,
made his castle a place of refuge to any of the clan
that should think himself in danger ; and, as a proof
of reciprocal confidence, Maclean took upon himself
and his posterity the -care of educating the heir of
Maclonich. This story, like all other traditions of
the Highlands, is variously related ; but, though
some circumstances are uncertain, the principal fact
is true. Maclean undoubtedly owed his preserva-
tion to Maclonich ; for the treaty between the two
families has been strictly observed ; it did not sink
into disuse and oblivion, but continued in its full
force while the chieftains retained their power. The
power of protection subsists no longer; but what
the law permits is yet continued, and Maclean of
Coll now educates the heir of Maclonich. There still
remains in the islands, though it is passing fast away,
the custom of fosterage. He who lives in Coll, and
finds himself condemned to solitary meals and in-
communicable reflection, will find the usefulness o(
that middle order of tacksmen, which some, who
applaud their own wisdom, are wishing to destroy.
Without intelligence man is not social, he is only
gregarious ; and little intelligence will there be,
where all are constrained to daily labour, and every
mind must wait upon the hand." From hence thj
travellers were conducted by the young laird of Co! I
to Mull, Ulva, and Sir Allan Maclean's at Inch-
Kenneth. Dr. Johnson adds: "We now parted
from the young laird of Coll, who had treated us
with so much kindness, and concluded his favours
by consigning us to Sir Allan. Here we had the
last embrace of this amiable man, who, while these
pages were preparing to aitor his virtues, perished
in the passage between I'lva. and Inch- Kenneth."
COLLAGE, a parish in Cowrie, on the north of
the Sidlaw hills, in the shire of Perth. It is hounded
on the north by the parish of ('argill; on the east
by the parishes of Cargill and Abernyte; on the
south by the parish of Kinnaird, and an isolated por-
tion of the shire of Angus; and on the west by the
parish of St. Martin's. It is somewhat upwards of
'2 miles in length, and about the same in breadth ;
and contains an area of nearly 5 square miles. The
northern division is flat, and consists, ;n -orne p::;-t.>,
of a light black loam, and in others, ol sa;.
mossy tracts. The southern di vis'on i* a r; .
clivity, and ri>es into a section of the Sidbiw hii:s
I of Considerable elevation. These hills, \\itli :. '
i exception of Dunsinnan, are covered v.ith hoiith:
vet, in their northern declivity, thev, in >nmv places,
a,v under culture, and in others, ati'ord tolerable pas-
tunifre. All the ground in the lowlands of the pai-
Uh is in a stave of the highest cultivation.
..NNAN.] In the parish arc the. vii!
COL
244
COL
Oollace and Kinrossie. Two considerable mar-
kets were formerly held in the latter of these ;
hut the village is now nearly abandoned by trade,
and is tenanted chiefly by weavers, and retains only
its ancient market-cross to tell of its departed im-
portance. Population of the parish, in 1801, 562;
in 1831, 730. Houses 141. Assessed property, in
1815, £2,306 Collace is in the presbytery of Perth,
and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £155 15s. Id.; glebe £15. Unap-
propriated teinds £68 1 1 s. 5d. Schoolmaster's sal-
ary £34 4s. 4.1 d-» with about £30 10s. of other
emoluments. Collace was formerly a rectory. The
present church is a fine Gothic structure, erected in
1813, standing on an elevated spot, surrounded with
plantation, and containing sittings for upwards of
400 persons.
COLLESSIE,* a parish on the north side of 'the
Howe' or vale in the centre of Fifeshire. It is
bounded on the north by a detached part of the par-
ish of Newburgh, and by the parishes of Abdie and
Monimail ; on the east by the parishes of Monimail
and Cult ; on the south by the parish of Kettle ; and
on the west by the parishes of Falkland and Auch-
termuchty, and a detached part of the parish of
Abernethy. Its extreme measurement is 8 miles in
length, and about 5 miles in breadth. The southern
division is remarkably flat, very various in soil, and
entirely free from stones, great or small. The north-
ern and north-western divisions slope upwards to-
wards a range of heights which form the boundary,
and having a fine southern exposure and a good
deep soil upon a whinstone bottom, are in a state of
high cultivation, and extremely fertile. The central
division is in general light and sandy, and is covered
to the expanse of several square miles with fir-plant-
ations ; and though, on account of its timber, far
from being valueless, has resisted assiduous attempts
to bring it into an improved state. In 1740, Rossie
loch, a sheet of water covering upwards of 300 acres,
was drained ; and its bed is now excellent meadow-
land and pasturage. The river Eden runs for about
3 miles along the margin of the parish, flowing from
west to east, and dividing it from the parishes of
Falkland, Kettle, and Cults. It abounds with fine
trout, but is never here more than 25 feet broad.
Both here and farther on its course, it gives name to
the strath which forms its basin, and glides noise-
lessly along through 'the Howe of Fife/ Formerly,
in spring and autumn, it used to overflow its banks,
and do considerable damage ; but about 1 787 it was
diverted along into a straight channel, so as to offer
no repetition of injury to the adjacent property.
Excellent whinstone is found in the parish, and ex-
tensively used in building; sandstone, though found,
is not worked ; and marl, both shell and clay, is
abundant. The climate is remarkably salubrious.
Not far from the village, on the west, are the re-
mains of two castles, supposed to have been erected
for securing the pass from Newburgh to central
Fit eshh e. Near the eastern one, which was ancient-
ly encompassed by a ditch, have been found coins of
Edward I. of England, struck in mints at London,
Canterbury, and York, as well as an urn containing
human bones, and various relics of antiquity. Among
the eminent men connected with Collessie, were Sir
James Melville, who figured as a courtier in the
reign of Mary, and was the proprietor of an estate
in this parish, — and Dr. Hugh Blair, who commenced
his ministry here, and was inducted to it in Septem-
ber, 1742. The village of Collessie is situated about
* The ancient as well as the modern name, so f«r ;is can be
ascertained, is Colle-sie, ;imi Hppears to have been derived
from the Gaelic; (,V. in that laiu-uaye, M^oilyinjr it bottom,
and lexxie, a den, nr hollow, and the village of Cuitotfte bi-i. g
situated at the bottom ol a glen.
a mile south of the northern angle of the parish, a
little northward of the road from Auchterrnuchty to
Cupar. It is a confused agglomeration of thatched
houses, and a place of small importance. About a
mile to the west of it is the modern hamlet of Tra-
falgar inn. Population of the parish, in 1801 , 930 ;
in 1831, 1,162. Houses 242. Assessed property, in
1815, £6,490. — Collessie is in the presbytery of
Cupar and synod of Fife. Patron, Johnston of
Lathrisk. Stipend £223 4s. 9d. ; glebe £15. Un-
appropriated teinds £367 18s. 4:1. Schoolmaster's
salary £35 12s. lO^d., with about £30 of other
emoluments. There" are three schools besides the
parish school. Collessie was formerly a vicarage.
The parochial church is a very old building.
COLLISTOWN and OLD-CASTLE, two adjacent
fishing-villages in Aberdeenshire, in the parish of
Slains, containing together about 430 inhabitants.
COLMONELL, a parish in the district of Car-
rick, Ayrshire ; bounded on the north by the frith of
Clyde; on the east by Girvan and Bar: on the
south by Minnigaff, Penningham, and Kirkcowan ;
and on the west by Ballantrae. It is 19| miles in
length, and on average 6 in breadth. From the sea,
for 4 miles inland, the surface is hilly ; the rest of
the parish, though elevated, is pretty level. The
soil is thin and light; on the banks of the Stinchar,
and some of its tributary streams, it is loamy and
fertile. Assessed property, in 1815, £9,029. There
are several small lakes. One of the hills, called
Knockdolian, rising in a conical shape to a consider-
able height, is a conspicuous landmark to vessels
when they enter the frith of Clyde. A great part
of the parish is enclosed, and 'agriculture is now
much attended to. The village of Colmonell is a
neat thriving place, with four annual fairs. Popu-
lation 300. It is on the north bank of the Stinchar ;
5 miles above Ballantrae Craigneil is a tine ruined
fortalice of the 13th century. There are a number
of ancient forts and cairns, concerning the erection
of which tradition itself does not even hazard a con-
jecture.—Population, in 1801, 1,306; in 1831, 2,213;
of whom 1,619 belonged to the Establishment. Houses
in 1831, 402.— This parish is in the presbytery of
Stranraer, and synod of Galloway. Patron, the
Duchess de Ovigny. Stipend £256 18s. 9d. ; glebe
£15. Unappropriated teinds £260 16s. lid. Church
built in 1772; sittings 500. — There is a Reformed
Presbyterian congregation in the village ; and a cha-
pel in connexion with the Establishment at the vil-
lage of Barrhill, which is nearly in the centre of the
parish, with a population of 100; also an Original
Seceder congregation, established about 1760; church
built in 1800. Stipend £50, with a manse and gar-
den.— Schoolmaster's salary £34 12s, 4^d., with
about £20 fees. There are 5 private schools.
COLONSAY, one of the Hebrides, belonging to
Argyleshire. As it is separated from Oronsay only
by a narrow sound, which is dry at low water, we
may almost consider these two as one island. They
lie nearly 9 miles north by west of the northern ex-
tremity of Islay ; and from the south end of Oronsay to
the north end of Colonsay, are 12 miles long, and from
1 to 3 broad. The surface is unequal, having a con-
siderable number of rugged hills covered with heath;
but none of the eminences deserve the name of moun-
tains. They contain about 9,000 acres, of which
3,000 are arable. The soil is light, and along tht
shore it inclines to sand, producing early and toler-
able crops. " The first sight of Colonsay is ver>
unpromising, atid would not lead a traveller to ex-
pect the fertile and pretty extensive valleys whicf
he meets with in traversing the island. Althougl
there are no hills of any consequence, or which ex-
ceed an elevation of 800 feet above the level of tb<
COL
245
COL
»a, yet their tops are bare and weather-beaten, and
ivey the idea of hopeless barrenness and desola-
These hills are scattered irregularly over the
j and, in fact, it is from the decomposition of
icir materials that the soil of the valleys is formed,
id it is their shelter which affords warmth and fer-
tility to the cultivated grounds. The soil is various.
" i some parts, especially at the two extremities, and
some bays on the west side, it is light and sandy ;
en alternates with moorish or mossy ground, clay,
ivel, loam, or till; but, as Dean Monroe says, it
ane fertile isle ' upon the whole, and has of late
irs by good management made a conspicuous figure
ig the improved Hebrides. Black talc — the
ica lamellata, Martialis nigra of Cronsted — is found
3, both in large detached flakes, and immersed in
idurated clay; also rockstone formed of glimmer
id quartz ; and an imperfect granite is not unfre-
uent. The dip of the rocks is from south-west to
th-east, as is very often the case in the adjacent
[Macdonald's ' General View of the He-
rides.' London, 1811, 8vo., p. 640.] The breed
cattle is excellent. Near the centre of Colonsay
a fresh water loch called Loch Fad. The remains
several Romish chapels are to be seen in Colon-
f, where was also a monastery of canons regular
St. Augustine, founded by the Lord of the Isles,
10 brought the monks from Holyroodhouse. The
ains of the abbey were taken down some years
in erecting a farm-house. The priory of this
masteiy, the walls of which — about 60 feet by 18
are still standing, is in Oronsay; and, next to
)lmkill, is esteemed the finest reb'c of religious
itiquity in the Hebrides. The remains of these
lins are very interesting, but no accounts are re-
lining of their revenues or establishments. Martin
iys: " There is an altar in this church, and there
been a modern crucifix on it, in which several
recious stones were fixed ; the most valuable of
these is now in the custody of Mac-Duffie, in Black
Haimused village, and it is used as a catholicon for
diseases. There are several burying-places here,
and the tombstones, for the most part, have a two-
handed sword engraven on them. On the south
side of the church within, lie the tombs of Mac-
Ihillie, and of the cadets of his family; there is a
ship under sail, and a two-handed sword engraven
on the principal tombstone, and this inscription,
'Hie jacit Malcolumbus Mac-Duffie de Collonsay:'
his coat-of-arms and colour-staff is fixed in a stone,
through which a hole is made to hold it. There is
a cross at the east and west sides of this church,
which are now broken; their height was about 12
feet each : there is a large cross on the west side of
the church, of an entire stone, very hard ; there is
a pedestal of three steps, by which they ascend to
it; it is 16 feet high, and a foot-and-a-half broad.
There is a large crucifix on the west side of this
cross; it has an inscription underneath, but not legi-
ble, being almost worn off by the injury of time;
the other side has a tree engraven on it. About a
quarter of a mile on the south side of the church
there is a cairn, in which there is a stone cross fixed,
called Mac-Duffle's cross; for when any of the heads
of this family were to be interred, their corpses were
laid on this cross for some moments, in their way
toward the church. The natives of Collonsay arc-
accustomed, after their arrival in Oronsay isle, to
make a tour sunways about the church, before they
enter upon any kind of business. My landlord hav-
ing one of his family sick of a fever, asked my book,
as a singular favour, for a tew moments. 1 was not
a little surprised at the honest man's request, he
being illiterate: and when he told me the reason of
it, 1 wjw no less amazed, for it was to fan the patient's
face with the leaves of the book: and this he did at
night. He sought the book next morning, and again
in the evening, and then thanked me for so great a
favour : and told me, the sick person was much bet-
ter by it; and thus I understood that they had an
ancient custom of fanning the face of the sick with
the leaves of the Bible." Population, in 1801, 805;
in 1831, 893 These islands are parochially con-
nected with Jura, and are under the charge of an
assistant-minister in Colonsay. Church built in
1802; sittings 400. Stipend £50. There is a
school of the society for propagating Christian know*
ledge, attended by about 50 children.
COLONSAY (LITTLE), a small island of the
Hebrides, situated betwixt Staffa and Gometra. It
in many places exhibits specimens of basaltic pillars
similar to those of Staffa, and is inhabited by one
family, who look after a few sheep.
COLVEND,* a parish on the coast of Kirkcud-
brightshire. It is of an irregular elliptical figure ;
and forms on the south a sort of peninsula, protrud-
ing, from the boundary waters of the Urr and the
South wick, onward into the sea. It is bounded on
the north, by the parishes of Kirkgunzeon and New-
abbey ; on the east by the parish of Kirkbean ; on
the south-east, south, and south-west, by the sea;
and on the west by the estuary and the parish of
Urr, and the parish of Kirkgunzeon.' Its greatest
length, from Thorter-Fell on the north to Castle-
Hill Old Fort on the south, is nearly 9 miles ; and
its greatest breadth, from Torrorie meeting-house on
the east to the confluence of Shennan creek and
Urr water on the west, is 7£ miles. The surface is
extremely rough and irregular; and is in general
wild, hilly, and merely pastoral. Much labour has
been employed to overcome the obstacles of heath
and rock ; and, meeting occasionally with a good
substratum of soil, it has been rewarded in the sub-
jugation of valuable patches to the plough. But a
constant undulation of rugged hills seems to forbid
extensive improvement. Along the northern verge
the heights are considerably elevated, and form sum-
mits of the range which terminates in the far-seeing
mountain of Criffel, at the northern limit of the con-
terminous parish of Kirkbean. The sea-coast is
extremely bold and rocky, rising up in almost per-
pendicular precipices, and presenting a variety of
grand and magnificent views. The sea or Solway
frith, which intervenes between it and Cumberland,
is here 9 or 10 miles wide. When the tide ebbs,
it leaves dry a large tract of flat sand, from which
may be viewed, along the coast, high and pointed
spires, perforated at the base with natural tunnels :
there may also be seen spacious amphitheatres, and
entrances to caverns so spacious as to have been
hitherto unexplored. Toward the east, however,
approaching the mouth of Southwick water, the
coast becomes entirely flat. Urr water, so far as it
bounds the parish, is an estuary ; being 3 furlongs
broad where it comes in contact with it, and 2 miles
where it leaves it for the sea. See URR. Shennan
creek rises within the limits of the parish, and, near
its source, begins to form the boundary line, for one
mile, till its confluence with the Urr. Southwick
water, receiving a number of tributaries which flow
from the northern heights of the parish, and traverse
its central district, forms, for a considerable way, its
boundary on the east. Other streams, of small size
and local origin, intersect the district from north to
south, and How into the sea. There are, in the
\\e>tern division, 5 lakes, 3 of which are severally
• The Hiirirnt mime appear! to have been Cnlwen, — derived
from Joanna de Culvven, the Miir«Mur of the family of Curueu
in ( mnherlaiid, who married a daughter of the Stuart*, Lord*
of (. allow ay.
COM
about tialf-a-mile in length. Col vend, according to
tradition, was once a continuous forest; and it is
still tufted, in some spots, with natural wood, as
well as with recent plantation. At Fairgarth, near
the centre of the parish, is a copious spring of excel-
lent water, arched over, and called St. Laurence
well; and near it are the vestiges of a chapel, sur-
rounded by a burying-ground, now occupied as a
barn-yard. At the south-west corner of the parish,
on a lofty promontory, are traces of what appears to
have been a Danish fort, the fosse of which is still
very apparent. Population, in 1801, 1,106; in 1831,
1,358. Houses 262. Assessed property, in 1815,
jt'5,600. Col vend is one of 10 parishes which,
though within the shire of Kirkcudbright, are in
the presbytery, synod, and commissariat of Dumfries.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £234 14s. 6d. ; glebe
£20. Unappropriated teinds £234 14s. 6d. There
are 2 parochial, and 2 private schools. The first
parochial schoolmaster's salary is £31 6s. 6|d., with
about £30 fees; and that of the second, £20, with
about £17 or £18 additional emoluments. The
suppressed parish of Southwick is incorporated with
Colvend, and sometimes occasions the united parishes
to be designated Colvend and Southwick. It formed
the eastern division of the district. Though the
ruins of its church still exist in a very romantic small
strath about a mile north-west of the embouchure
of Southwick water, not a tradition remained, even
before the close of last century, of any circumstance
relating to it as a separate charge. The present
parochial church is situated about a mile from the
south-west limit of the parish, and is large and com-
modious. Colvend was formerly a vicarage; but
Southwick church belonged to the Benedictine nun-
nery of Lincluden.
COLZEAN CASTLE — sometimes written Cul-
zean or Cullean — a noble mansion in the parish of
Kirkoswald, the seat of the Marquess of Ailsa,
founded by David, 10th Earl of Cassillis, in 1777.
This noble castellated edifice is situated upon a
basaltic cliff projecting into the sea, of about 100
feet in height, and almost perpendicular. The plan
and design were by Robert Adam; and such is the
style of the architecture, the execution of the work,
and the beauty of the stone, that, more than any
other building in Ayrshire, it impresses the mind
with ideas of elegance, order, and magnificence. At
a short distance from the castle stancl the stables
and farm-houses, planned by the same architect, and
executed upon the same scale. The entire build-
ings, with the bridge of approach to the castle, cover
four acres of ground. The castle commands, from
the principal apartments, a delightful prospect of the
whole frith of Clyde, with a full view of the rock of
Ailsa. On the land side, and immediately below
the castle, are the tine gardens belonging to the old
house of Colzean, formed in three terraces, and long
celebrated for their beauty and productiveness. The
remainder of the old gardens has been formed into
pleasure-grounds and gravel walks, which are kept
with great care. Round the castle, and the adjoin-
ing buildings, lies an extensive policy of about 700
acres, interspersed with ancient trees and thriving
plantations. Near to the castle, and immediately
under some of the buildings, are the Coves of Col-
zean. These coves or caves are six in number. Of
the three towards the west, the largest has its entry
as low as high water mark ; the roof is about 50
feet high, and has the appearance as if two large
rocks had fallen together, forming an irregular Gothic
arch. It extends inwards about 200 feet, and varies
in breadth. It communicates with the other two,
which are both considerably less, but of the same
irregular form. Towards the east are .the other
three coves, which likewise communicate with each
other. They are nearly of the same height and
figure with the former. It has been matter of dis-
pute whether these coves are natural or artificial.
The largest of the three westmost coves has a door,
or entry, built of freestone, with a window three
feet above the door, of the same kind of work; and
above both these, there is an apartment, from which
stones and other missiles might be hurled on the
assailants of the door. This last circumstance seems
to indicate that at least this part of the coves has
been at one period or another the abode of man.
COMR1E, a large parish in the county of Perth,
bounded by Killin, a detached part of Weem, and
Kenmore on the north ; by Monzie, Monievaird,
Strowan, and Muthil, on the east ; by Muthil, part
of Strowan, and Callander on the south ; and by
Balquhidder and Killin on the west. It is about 16
miles long and 12 broad. It consists of the strath
at the head of Strathearn, and of four glens, with
rivulets which pour their waters into the Earn.
The soil in the low grounds is in general light
arid gravelly; but in some parts, especially in the
glens, it is deeper, and swampy. On the sides of
the strath, to the east of Lochearn, and even along
the loch itself, is a continued ridge of hills, some
of them elevated to. a great height. The principal
rivers are the EARN, and the LEDNOCK : which see.
LOCH EARN lies wholly within this parish : see also
that article. The hilly part is covered with flocks
of sheep. Few districts afford more variety of wild
Highland scenery than Comrie. There is a good
slate-quarry near the forest of Glenartney ; and an
excellent limestone quarry at the west end of Loch-
earn. There are the remains of three Druidical
temples, and the distinct profile of a Roman camp,
occupying 16 acres, in the plain of Dalginross, in
the neighbourhood of Comrie.* Near Lochearn, on
the north side of the river, is Duneira, an elegant
hunting-seat of Viscount Melville. Population, in
1801, 2,458; in 1831, 2,622. Houses 438. Be-
sides the village of Comrie, there are the adjacent
villages of Dalginross, with a population, in 1834,
of 337; and Ross, with a population of 154; and
the village of ST. FILLAN'S : which see.
COMRIE is delightfully situated on the left or
north bank of the Earn, near the junction of the
Lednock, over which is a substantial stone bridge
at this place. It is 6| miles west of Crieff; 12 /, east
of Lochearnhead; and 11 north-east of Callander by
Glenartney. It is a thriving place, and consists of a
street about two-thirds of a mile in length, a large
distillery, and a woollen manufactory; and carries
on a considerable trade in cotton weaving. The
* This is supposed by some antiquaries — amongst whom
is Gordon— to mark the site of the battle f.tught betwixt Ami.
roU and Gaigacus. " An old translator of Rapin's History of
Eny land, says in his notes, that UIH battle was fought within
a mile of the church of Comrie. Mr. Alexander Gordon, ai?
intelligent antiquarian, who examined all the north ol Scot-
land, published his researches in 1"2G. In this work, he endea-
vours to prove, that Di'lginross-moor was the n-al field o.
battle. In plate 5, we have a distinct draught of both can ps.
especially of the largest. How much the inundations of the
Hi. chill have diminished the other, cannot now be fully asrer-
t;«ined; but nearly one-half se.-ms to have been taken away.
No place in the Highlands of Scotland could be more tit tor n
great and general engagement, than that extensive plain,
which tradition still points out as the scene of a bloody battle.
Tacitus says, that Agricola placed the legions before the
trenches, thinking it would mightily add to his glory, if he
could gain a victory without the effusion <if Roman blood.
Gordon thinks that 8,000 foot, and 3,001) horse, were encamped
in Daiginross ; and he declares, that the two camps would ex-
actly contain that number. The same historian as-erb-, that
10,000 fell nn each side ; that Agricola retired with his army to
Angus (Fife). But, under whatever circumstances, it i-, cer-
tain no Roman general or army ever vi;ited the moor of Dal-
ginross a second time." [Fiom Sketches in MS. by the Ime
Hev. Mr. M'Diarmid of Comrie.] Pennant also has given n
plan and description of this camp.
COM U IE.
247
m-li-chmvh is a large and handsome building,
,'ith a lofty spire. Population, in 1834, 978. There
•e here a savings bank and subscription library. It
is. live annual fairs, viz. on 3d Wednesday in March,
Wednesday in May and July, 8th November, and
Wednesday in December. There is a fine granite
ibelisk, 72 feet in height, erected to the memory of
1 ' late Lord Melville on Dunmore, in the neigh-
irhood of this village. — This parish is in the
sbytery of Auchterarder, and synod of Perth,
comprises the old parishes of Comrie and Dun-
irn, the greater part of Tulliekettle, together with
>rtions of Muthil, Monievaird, and Strowan, which
ivre annexed in 1702 by the commission of teinds.
Lt the same time a portion of the parish was an-
;xed, quoad sacra, to Balquhidder. Patron, the
rown. Stipend £250 9s. Id.; glebe £15 10s.
lurch built in 1804; sittings 1,026. There is a
?l-of-ease at Dundurn, which was rebuilt in
1770, and renovated in 1834 ; sittings 400. It is 7
liles distant from the manse. The minister has a
ry of «£60. English is the language most gen-
lly understood in this parish ; but there are
Jaelic services at both the church and chapel
'here is a United Secession church at Comrie,
ith sittings for 500. Minister's stipend £90, with
inse and garden. Schoolmaster's salary £34 12s.
with about £45 fees. There were 8 private
;hools in 1834.
The village of Comrie enjoys the unenviable dis-
iction of being more frequently visited by earth-
ikes, and subterranean noises and convulsions,
in any other spot in the British isles. The great-
shock ever experienced here occurred on the
rening of October 23d, 1839, about 14 minutes past
" o'clock. It was felt over a great part of the island,
it nowhere so violently as at Comrie and the adja-
;nt districts. A reporter at Monzie — a gentleman's
it a few miles from Comrie — thus describes what
experienced at that place and its neighbour-
" : — " At thirteen minutes past ten in the even-
we heard a sound like that of a numerous body
cavalry approaching at full gallop along a grassy
ird. When this had continued a few seconds,
we felt two or more abrupt concussions, as if a
solid mass of earth had struck against a body more
ponderous than itself, and rebounded. The rattling
of furniture combined with the subterranean thun-
der, and the reeling of what we had hitherto deemed
terra fiima, communicated at this moment a feeling
of the terrific that must have made the stoutest
heart quail. The sound passed olf as before, far
to the east, carrying fear into other districts. In
a number of houses the bells rang; one house of
three stories, situated in Crielf, has been rent from
the chimney-top half-way down the gable ; and we
have heard that a number of corn-stacks have been
thrown down. At Comrie the consternation was
such that the people ran out of their houses, and,
Lite as was the hour, many assembled for prayer in
the Secession meeting-house, where religious exer-
cises were continued until 3 in the morning. There
was a second shock at 20 minutes to 1 1 o'clock ; and
a third somewhat later, but both inferior to the first."
Mr. David Mylne, in a paper read before the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, states that this shock was
perceived in all the central and southern parts of
Scotland, and extended to the north, as far as Ding-
wall on the ea>t <-oa.-.t, and Appin on the west ; and
that it, as well as several preceding shocks, emanated
from one central point situated about 2 miles north-
\\v-t of Comrie. There appeared to have been pro-
bably two undulations, ami certainly one consisting
of an interior swell and a posterior hollow, which
wsed houses situated on su1-t or hollow ground to
cuused house
! rock like boats on the swell of the sea. The velo-
city of the undulation must have been immense, as
it occurred throughout the whole country to which
it reached at one and the same instant. Houses
situated on rock were not so sensibly affected, and
the shocks were in all cases felt more in the upper
than in the lower flats. The shocks were trans-
mitted to greater distances in the direction of ea-t-
north-east from Comrie than in other directions.
Mr. Mylne is of opinion that these phenomena are
caused by fractures or ruptures in the earth's crust
at a great depth. He considers that the phenomena
can be better explained on this assumption, than by
supposing — as many philosophers do — that the earth's
crust is floating on molten lava. The vibrations
caused by those subterranean ruptures, would rise
vertically as well as obliquely upwards, and create
at some places the sensation of the shock coming
directly from below, and at others of its moving for-
ward along the surface. As to the cause of these rup-
tures, and their frequent occurrence near Comrie,
Mr. Mylne is of opinion that the earth's crust is
there intersected by great lines of fractures ; that
these lines are nearly parallel east-north-east ; and
that there have been frequent outbursts of igneous
rocks in them. It appeared that for a month before
the commencement of the earthquakes, and for some-
time after they were perceived, an almost unprece-
dented quantity of rain had fallen in Perthshire,
notwithstanding which it was observed of the Earn,
the Airdle, and other streams near Strathearn, that
they were not flooded as might have been expected.
The fact of these earthquakes being in some way
connected with the rain is rendered probable by the
fact that, in former years, they have been almost
always preceded by rainy weather, and it is known
that if water has percolated to the depth of one mile-
and-a-half into the earth's crust, it will, in conse-
quence of the subterranean heat, generate steam
which might cause ruptures. It was further shown,
that for a month before the commencement of the.
earthquakes, the atmospherical pressure was less
than it had been for several years ; whereby any
volcanic forces beneath would be enabled to press or
push towards the earth's crust with unusual effect,
and thus facilitate the percolation oi water in its
fissures Another but apparently less tenable theory
of these phenomena has been propounded by an in-
genious resident in Comrie, Mr. James Druinmond.
He is of opinion that the central point from winch
the various shocks have hitherto appeared to pro-
ceed is on the banks of the Lednock, a little to
the north of Comrie, at a place where consi-
derable excavations have been made, and from
which a quantity of the stones — with which the
village of Comrie is built — have been taken. Ac-
cording to Mr. Druinmond, the earthquakes are in-
timately connected with the overflowing of the Led-
nock, and, in particular, are dependent on the cir-
cumstance of the spot which he considers the centre
of the shocks being laid under water. He states
that the commencement of the earthquakes towards
the end of last century corresponds with the time at
which the excavations on the spot in question had
been brought to a level with the stream, and were
| immediately preceded by a considerable flood. So
far as he has been able to learn, every earthquake
which has taken place here has been preceded by Hoods.
This was the case as to the earthquakes of 1839.
It was the case in those which took place about 12
1 years ago ; and it was also the case in the first earth-
! quakes with which the village was visited. His idea
is, that the power which occasions the earthquake is
of the nature of galvanism; and in order to prove
his point, he states that the rocks at the point
CON
'248
CON
where the excavations already referred to, have been
made, are composed of large blocks of granite,
separated by a sandy porous substance, and are
placed over each other exactly after the manner of a
galvanic pile. The only way, therefore, in which the
water of the flood can produce the extraordinary
effects which have been lately experienced, Mr.
Drummond maintains, is by supposing that the
water, after sinking into the porous veins, converts
the entire mass of the rock into one immense gal-
vanic battery, which, by and by, becoming fully
charged, gives forth shocks powerful enough to
shake the whole country around.
CON (Loon), or CHON, a lake in the parish of
Aberfoyle, forming one of the series of lochlets, in the
vale of Aberfoyle, which discharge their waters into
Loch Ard. It is about 2 miles to the west of Upper
Loch Ard. Its length is somewhat more than 2 miles ;
and its breadth about 1 . It is bounded on the south
by a precipitous mountain, finely fringed towards the
west with aged birches, and on the north with
woods of ash and oak. There is a heronry on a
small island in this lake.
CONAN (THE), a river in Ross-shire, which
rises in a small lake called Loch Chroisk or Chroisg,
in the parish of Contin, about 35 miles north-west of
its mouth. It flows eastwards from its source
through Strathbran ; and after receiving the Gradie
from Loch Fannich, flows into Loch Luichart or
Lichart; issuing thence, it is precipitated over a
ledge of rock, and flows in a south-east direction,
and receives the Meig or Meag flowing from Loch
Benachan north-eastwards through Strathcoran ; 5
miles below this it receives, on the north side, the
Garve, which rises on the confines of Lochcross, and
flows east-south-east ; 2^ miles east of its junction
with the Garve, while sweeping in a semicircular
form round the finely-wooded grounds of Castle-
Brachan, it receives the Orrin from the south-west ;
and then turning north, at Conan house, flows into
the western extremity of the frith of Oomarty. Its
breadth at its mouth is about 50 yards, but it is
comparatively shallow here, although throughout
much of its course it is a deep dark-coloured stream.
The Conan is a fine trouting-stream, and there are
valuable salmon-fisheries upon it. All the Strath-
bran lakes — which are very numerous — are cele-
brated for the sport which they afford to anglers.
In the Conan is found the river-mussel, the Mya
margaritifera of Linnaeus ; and fine pearls have oc-
casionally been obtained from them.
CONAN (BRIDGE OF), a village 2£ miles south
of Dingwall : so named from a stone bridge of five
arches, with a water-way of 265 feet, which was here
erected over the Conan by the parliamentary com-
missioners in 1809, at an expanse of £6,854 ; and
over which the road from Beauly to Dingwall is
carried.
CONNAL FERRY, a narrow channel of Loch-
Etive; 3 miles from Dunstaffnage. A ridge of
rugged and uneven rocks here runs across two-thirds
of the channel, and occasions, at certain periods of
the ebbing or flowing tide, such a rapid current
that no vessel even with a fresh breeze can stem it.
In the beginning of the flood, the tide runs up with
great rapidity, and Loch-Etive being at once swelled
with the spring-tide from the ocean, and the water
of Loch- Awe, as soon as the former begins to ebb,
discharges itself with a violence and noise unequalled
by the loudest cataract, and which may be heard at
the distance of many miles. This celebrated fall of
salt water seems to be alluded to by Ossian : —
"These are not thy mountains, O Nathos !
Nor is that the roar of thy climbing waves.
The ferry of Connal, though in appearance very
formidable, is safe, owing to the skill of the boat-
men.
CONNICAVEL. See EDENKEILLIE.
CONTIN,* a parish in the centre of Ross-shire.
It is bounded on the north by Lochbroom ; on the
east by Urray and Fodderty ; on the south by Kil-
morack and Urray ; and on the west by Gairloch and
Lochcarron. It measures, along the parliamentary
road which passes through it, 33 miles ; and it is
supposed to be little less in breadth ; so that, as to
extent of area, it is one of the largest parishes in
Scotland. It is, in general, mountainous and bar-
ren; yet imbosoms numerous glens and valleys,
which are well-watered, and, though of light and
shallow soil, are in good cultivation. The principal
streams are the Conan, the Meig, and the Rasay,
which rise near the western or north-western verge
of the parish, and all traverse it eastward, to make
a junction, and fall, under the name of the Conan,
into Cromarty frith, a few miles from the town of
Dingwall : See CONAN. Perennial springs are abun-
dant; and several are strongly impregnated with
iron. Lakes are numerous, — most of them mossy in
their waters, but all abounding with fish. Loch
Fannich is 12 miles long, and 1 broad ; Loch Chroisg,
5 miles long, and 1 broad ; Loch Luichart, 6 miles
long, and $ m&e broad. Loch Achilty is about 2
miles in circumference, pure in its waters, very deep,
and discharging its surplus contents by a subterra-
nean canal into the river Rasay, about a mile to the
north-east. In this lake is an artificial island, ac-
cessible by a drawbridge, and formerly the site of a
house and garden, which were used as a retreat from
danger. Loch Kinellan has also an artificial or float-
ing island, buoyant on a timber base, where formerly
the family of Seaforth had a fortified residence ; and
it contrasts the green cultivated field on one of its
sides very picturesquely with the wild upland
scenery on the other. At one period, natural planta-
tion appears to have covered the greater part of this
parish ; and even yet it exists in considerable patches.
All the straths are subject to wasteful inundations;
and the climate, though generally mild and dry, is
insalubrious. On the eastern bank of Loch Achilty
is a Druidical temple, or circle of stones ; and a
quarter of a mile to the east of Loch Kinellan is a
place called Blar' nan Ceann, or 'the field of heads.'
where there was a fierce conflict between the Mac-
kenzies of Seaforth, and the Macdonnells of Glen-
garry,— the Macdonnells having made an inroad to
revenge some old quarrel, and being routed and
pursued with great slaughter by the Mackenzies,
and eventually driven headlong into the water and
drowned at the confluence of the Conan and the
Rasay. On the farm of Kinellan is an echo which
repeats distinctly an entire sentence, and is believed
to be unequalled, except by an echo in \\ ales, and
another in Staffa : see STAFFA. At Coul, in the
eastern section of the parish, is an elegant mansion,
the seat of Sir George Mackenzie, Bart., built in
1821, and surrounded by a beautiful well- wooded
demesne. At Contin inn, on the Rasay, fairs are
held on 13th January, O. S. ; on 23d May, O. S.;.
and on 23d August, if a Wednesday, if not, on the
Wednesday after ; and here there is a ferry across
the river ; and about 3 miles to the west, at a place
called Little Seatwell, is a ferry across the Conan.
—Population, in 1801, 1,944; in 1831, 2,023.
Houses 430. Assessed property, in 1815, .£3,481.—
* The name is supposed to be derived from the Gaelic Con.
Itt.iint, signifying 'the Meeting of the water?,' and alluding to
the forkings of the river Rasay which here form a small island
immemorially the possession and residence of the
minister*
"
CON
•249
COR
itin, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of
•ingwall, and synod of Ross. Patron, the Crown.
' md £265 6s. 7d. ; glebe £16. Schoolmaster's
iry £30, with about £10 fees. Besides the
tern verge of the parish, is an antiquated, com-
tless structure, repeatedly repaired, but continuing
be incommodious. Two parliamentary churches
in the parish, — one at Ceanloch-Luichart,
in 1825, — and the other in Strathconnon.
CONVETH. See KILTARLITY.
COP AY, one of the Hebrides, in the shire of In-
rness. It constitutes part of the parish of Harris,
is situated in the sound. It is uninhabited.
COPENSAY, or COPINSHA, one of the Orkneys,
part of the parish of Deerness. This island is
mt a mile long, and half-a-mile broad. In the
ner-months, its lofty rocks are covered with
fowl of various kinds, which, with their eggs
feathers, constitute the principal article of its
ic. Copensay is in N. lat. 58° 55', and W. long.
26'. Population, in 1821, 10; in 1831, 7.
COQUET (THE), a river, whose sources, course,
embouchure, are all in England, but which
is, for about a mile, the south-east boundary
of the parish of Oxnam in Roxburghshire. It
»s a little to the south of this parish, in the heights
lich divide Scotland from England, and afterwards
ies along the margin of its southern wing ; but it
bends away eastward into Northumberland,
after traversing that county and receiving nu-
rous tributaries, falls into the sea at Alnwick.
COREHOUSE. See THE CLYDE.
CORGARF, or CURGARF, a wild mountainous
trict in the upper part of the parish of Strathden,
it 8 or 9 miles in length, and well-known to
len for its excellent shootings. There is a
sionary stationed here, who has under his charge
)ut 690 people ; a considerable proportion of the
ihabitants of the district are Roman Catholics.
Church built in 1836 ; sittings 350. The mission is
supported by Royal bounty Corgarf castle, sup-
posed to have been originally built by one of the
Earls of Mar, is a military station on the road from
Edinburgh to Fort-George ; 21 i miles distant from
Castleton of Braemar. The present erection is a
small oblong building of four stories, with wings,
and surrounded by a wall. It was purchased by
Government from Forbes of Skellater, in 1 746. The
old castle of Corgarf, which stood on the same site,
was burnt by Sir Adam Gordon in 1551, when 27
persons, among whom were the wife and children
of Alexander Forbes, perished in the flames : — " Sub-
sequent to this tragical affair, a meeting for recon-
ciliation took place between a select number of the
heads of the two houses, in the hall of an old castle
in these parts, probably Drimminor. After much
argument, the difference being at length made up,
and a reconciliation effected, both parties sat down
to a feast in the hall, provided by the Forbes's chief.
The eating was ended, and the parties were at their
drink — the clansmen being of equal numbers, and so
mixed, as had been arranged, that, every Forbes had
H Gordon seated at his right hand. ' Now,' said
Gordon of Huntly to his neighbour chief, ' as this
business has been so satisfactorily settled, tell me if
it had not been so, what it was your intention to
have done.' ' There would have been bloody work
— bloody work,' said Lord Forbes — ' and we would
have had the best of it. I will tell you : see, we
are mixed one and one, Forbeses and Gordons. I
had only to give a sign by the stroking down of my
beard, thus, and every Forbes was to have drawn
the skein from under his left arm, and stabbed to the
heart his right hand man;' and as bespoke, he suit eil
the sign to the word, and stroked down his flowing
beard. ' God Almighty !' exclaimed Huntly, ' what
is this?' — for in a moment a score of skeins were out,
and flashing in the light of the pine-torches held be-
hind the guests. In another moment they were
buried in as many hearts ; for the Forbeses, whose
eyes constantly watched their chief, mistaking this
involuntary motion in the telling of his story, for the
agreed sign of death, struck their weapons into the
bodies of the unsuspecting Gordons. The chiefs
looked at each other in silent consternation. At
length Forbes said, ' This is a sad tragedy we little
expected — but what is done, cannot be undone, and
the blood that now flows on the floor of Drimminor
will just help to sloaken the auld fire of Corgarf! ' "
— Picken's « Traditionary Stories of Old Families.'
CORKIND ALE-LAW, a hill, or range of hills
rather, in the parish of Neilston, Renfrewshire,
which rises to about 850 feet above sea level, and
commands a fine view of the dale and the frith of
Clyde.
CORNCAIRN, a village, and burgh-of-barony,
in the parish of Ordiquhill, Banffshire. The Corn-
hill markets are held in the neighbourhood of this
village.
CORPACH, a village in the parish ot Kilmalie,
Inverness-shire ; 2^ miles north of Fort- William ;
at the southern extremity of the Caledonian canal.
The parish-church is situated here; and there is a
school supported by the General Assembly.
CORRA-LINN. See THE CLYDE.
CORRAN-ARDGOUR, a ferry across the mouth
of Loch Eil, where it branches off from the Linne
loch. There is a strong current here.
CORRIE,* an ancient parish, now comprehended
in the parish of Hutton, Dumfries-shire. There are
now no traces of a place of worship at Corrie, except
the burying-ground. In 1727 the sum of £280 was
bequeathed to Corrie by Edward Moffat of Exeter,
a native of this parish, as a salary for a schoolmaster
here. To this bequest another sum of £20 per
annum was added in 1820, by a grand-nephew of the
original endower, and the heritors also have added a
sum of £8 6s. 8d. annually The ancient tower of
Lun, situated on the water of Milk at Corrie-mains,
was formerly a place of great strength ; but has pro-
bably been little inhabited since the family of John-
stone acquired the estate of Corrie, by marriage with
the daughter of Sir Thomas Corrie. There are still
some remains of a deer-park on the farms of Penlaw,
and Parkcleugh-foot. See HUTTON.
CORRIEVREKIN, or CORYBRECHTAN, a dan-
gerous whirlpool between the islands of Jura and
Scarba, occasioned, it is supposed, by the tide-stream
being opposed, in its passage to and from the sound
of Jura, by a pyramidal rock which shoots up to with-
in 15 fathoms of the surface from a depth of about
100 fathoms. The vicinity of this rock is carefully
shunned by small craft; but it is only during high and
strong tides, or violent gales, that it is at all formi-
dable to large vessels. The name, we are informed
by Campbell in his notes to ' Gertrude of Wyoming,'
signifies ' the whirlpool of the Prince of Denmark.'
And there is a tradition that a Danish prince once
undertook for a wager to cast anchor in it. He is
said to have used woollen instead of hempen ropes
for greater strength, but perished in the attempt.
" On the shores of Argyleshire," the poet adds, " I
have often listened with great delight to the sound
ot this vortex, at the distance ot many leagues.
\Vhen the weather is calm, and the adjacent sea
» The word come Minifies, in frantic, 'a narrow glen;1 aud
ib of in ijin'ia occurrence in <>adic topography.
COR
250
COR
scarcely heard on these picturesque shores, its sound I
— which is like the sound of innumerable chariots — ,
creates a magnificent and fine effect." The lines in
Campbell's noble poem in which allusion is made to
this whirlpool are as follows :
But who is he, that yet a dearer land
Remembers, over hills and far away?
Green Albyn ! What though he no more survey
Thy ships at anchor on the quiet shore ;
Thy pi-llochs rolling from the mountain- bay;
Thy lone sepulchral cairn upon the moor ;
And distant isles that hear the loud Corbrechtan roar!
The superstition of the islanders has tenanted the
shelves and eddies of this whirlpool with all the
fabulous monsters and demons of the ocean. Among
these, according to a universal tradition, the mer-
maid is the most remarkable, and there is a Gaelic
legend — versified by Leyden, in the ' Border Min-
strelsy'— which relates how Macphail of Colonsay,
while passing the Corrievrekin, was carried off by
one of these sea-maidens, and detained for several
years in a pleasant kind of captivity, in a grotto
beneath the sea. Therefore, mariners,
" A.s you pass through Jura's sound
Bend your course by Scarba's shore,
Shun, O shun ! the irulf profound
Where Corrievrekin's surges roar."
So sings the poet ; couching his advice, however, in
somewhat ambiguous language, for the sea gener-
ally exhibits a state of greater turbulence on the
Scarba than on the Jura side of the gulf.
CORRISKIN (Loon), a deep, dark, lonely sheet
of water imbosomed in the Coolin or Cuchullin moun-
tains, on the western coast of Skye, which discharges
itself by a rapid stream into a bay of Loch Slavig.
It is about 2 miles in length, and half-a-mile broad,
and is said to be of profound depth. Sir Walter
Scott has described it in both prose and poetry in
' The Lord of the Isles.' We shall present our
readers with the poetical description, of which the
accomplished artist, Mr. J. W. Turner, whose pencil
has been employed in delineating the scene for the
last edition of Sir Walter's works, declares, " No
words could have given a truer picture of this, one
of the wildest of Nature's landscapes.''
A while their route they silent made,
As men who stalk for mountain-deer,
Till the good Bruce to Ronald said,
••St. Mary! what a scene is here
I've traversed many a mountain-strand,
Abroad and in my native land.
And it has been my lot to tread
Where safety more than pleasure led ;
Thus, many a waste I've wauder'd o'er,
Clomhe many a crag, cross'd many a moor.
But, by my halidome !
A scene so rude, so wild as this,
Yet so sublime in barrenness,
Ne'er did my wandering footsteps press,
Where'er I happ'd to roam."
No marvel thus the monarch spake ;
For rarely human eye has known
A scene so stern as that dread lake,
With its dark ledge of barren stone.
Seems that primeval earthquake's s\vay
Hath rent a strange and shatter'd way
Through the rude bosom of the hill,
And that each naked precipice,
Sable ravine, and dark abyss,
Tells of the outrage still.
The wildest tjlen, but this, can show
Some touch of Nature's genial glow ;
On high Benmore green mosses grow,
And heath-bi'lls bud in deep Glencroe
And copse on Cruclian.Ben ;
But here,— above, around, below,
On mountain or in 14 ten,
Nor tree, nor sdrub, nor plant, nor flower,
Nor aught of vegetative power,
The weary eye may ken.
For all is rocks at random thrown, —
Black waves, bare cratrs, and banks of stone
As if were here denied
The summer sun, the spring's sweet dew,
That clothe i.vith many a varied hue
The bleakest mountain-Mile.
And wilder, forward as thev wound.
Were the proud cliffs and lake profound.
Hoge terraces of granite black
Afforded rude and cumber'd track ;
For from the mountain hoar,
Hurl'd headlong in some night of fear,
When yell'd the wolf and fled the deer.
Loose crags had toppled o'er;
And some, chance-poised and balanced, lay,
So that a stripling arm might sway
A mass no host could raise,
In Nature'-, ragn at random thrown,
Yet trembling like the Druid's stone
On its precarious base.
The evening mists, with ceaseless change,
Now clothed the mountains' lofty range,
Now left their foreheads bare.
And round the skirts their mantle furl'd,
Or on the sable waters curl'd,
Or on the eddying breezes whirl'd,
Dispersed in mid'lle air.
And oft, condensed, at once they lower,
When, brief and fierce, the mountain-shower
Pop's like a torrent down,
And when return the sun's glad beams,
Whiten M with foam a thousand streams
Leap from the mountain's crown.
" This lake," said Bruce, " whose barriers drear
Are precipices sharp and sheer,
Yielding no track for goat or deer,
Save the black shelves we tread,
How term you its dark waves? and how
Yon northern mountain's pathless brow,
A Fid yonder peak of dread,
Th»t to the evening sun uplifts
The gr iesly gulfs and slaty rifts,
Which seiira its shiver'd head ?"—
«' Corriskin call the dark lake's name;
Coolin the ridge, as bards proclaim,
From old Cuchullin, chief of fame."
This hike is perhaps more generally described under
the name Loch Coruisk. Macculloch, in the 1st
vol. of his 'Description of his Western Islands, [pp.
282 — 284,] has described it with great beauty :
" Passing the river which runs foaming over a sheet
of smooth rock into the sea, a long valley suddenly
opens on the view, enclosing the beautiful lake Co-
ruisk, on the black surface of which a few islands
covered with grass appear with the vividness of
emeralds amid the total absence of vegetable green.
On every side the bare rocky acclivities of the moun-
tain rise around, their serrated edges darkly pro-
jected on the blue sky or entangled in the clouds
which so often hover over this region of silence and
repose. At all seasons and at all times of the day
darkness seems to rest on its further extremity : a
gloom in which the eye, discerning but obscurely
the forms of objects, pictures to itself imaginary
recesses and a distance still unterminated. A re-
markable contrast is hence produced in viewing alter-
nately the two extremities from any central point.
The entrance, less obstructed by mountains, presents
the eiFect of morning rising to illuminate the depths
of the opposite extremity, which appears as if per-
petually involved in the shadows of night. Silence
and solitude seem for ever to reign amid the fearful
stillness arid the absolute vacuity around : at every
moment the spectator is inclined to hush his foot-
steps and suspend his breath to listen for some sound
which may recall the idea of life or of motion. If
the fall of a cascade is by chance heard, it but serves
by its faint and interrupted noise to remind him of
its distance, and of the magnitude of the mountain
boundary ; which, though comprehended by a glance
of the eye, and as if within reach of the hand, is
everywhere too remote to betray the course of the
torrent. The effect of simplicity and proportion in
diminishing the magnitude of objects is here dis-
tinctly felt, as it is in the greater efforts of archi-
tecture : those who have seen the interior of York
Cathedral will understand the allusion. The length
of the valley is nearly four miles, and its breadth
about one ; while the mountains that enclose it rise
with an acclivity so great, that the spectator situnted
COR
251
COR
their base views all their summits around him ;
ting his eye over the continuous plane of their
;s, as they extend upwards in solid beds of rock
nearly a mile, and present a barrier over which
is no egress. Yet on entering it he will pro-
ly imagine it a mile in length, and fancy the lake,
lich occupies nearly the whole, reduced to the
lension of a few hundred yards. It is not till he
advanced for a mile or more, and finds the boun-
still retiring before him unchanged, and his dis-
companions becoming invisible, that he discovers
error, and the whole force and effect of the scene
mes impressed on his mind. He who would
it Coruisk must combine with the powers of the
ipe-painter those of the poet: it is to the
jination, riot to the eye, that his efforts must be
ted."
>RRY, a village in the district of Mull, and
of Morvern; 8 miles south-west of Inver-
; at the western extremity of a lake to which
ives names.
CORRYARRICK, a mountain in the parish of
i, Inverness-shire, along which the old military
from Fort- Augustus to Garviemore is carried,
extremely steep on the south side, and appears
a distance to rise almost as perpendicular as a
The ascent to the summit ot this mountain
the south side, is by a road of seventeen traverses ;
" on the north side, the long descent to the level
ind is carried on by traverses, resembling, in
respects, those on the south side. As there
several gullies and brooks on the south side,
have been thrown across, over- which the
is carried. These tortuosities, rendered abso-
ly necessary from the nature of the ground, greatly
the real distance, which, from base to base,
not exceed 5 miles. Skrine thus describes the
ires and perils of the road through this, the
lest pass in Great Britain : " Our road soon
nving inexpressibly arduous, wound round the
cy hills overhanging Fort-Augustus and Loch-
; and elevated us to a height truly terrific, —
ringing sometimes from point to point over Alpine
bridges, — and at others pursuing narrow ridges of
rock, frightfully impending over tremendous preci-
pices. With a perpetual succession of these labo-
rious inequalities and their corresponding scenery,
we passed the mountain Coryuragan, crossed the
two sources of the Tarff, and began to ascend the
mightier base of Coriaraich. The wildest and most
dreary solitude of Siberia cannot display a scene
more desolate than that which extended round us,
as tin- as the eye could reach on either side ; no ves-
<•{' living creatures or their habitations enliven-
ing the desert, and nothing appearing but disjointed
rocks, broken torrents, and the tops of more distant
mountains. The road alone bore the form of being
a human work ; and as it began to ascend the fur-
rowed side of the Coriaraich, high stakes placed at
t-qual distances marked its progress, to prevent the
inevitable destruction which must await those hardy
travellers, who venturing over this pass in times of
snow, might deviate from the regular track. The
unusual display of their high points, bleached with
perpetual storms, sometimes extending in a long line
of ascent athwart the mountain, and at others rising
in a zigzag direction over terraces almost parallel,
could not fail to astonish and confound a stranger,
with the height before him to be surmounted. The
road grew more laborious, and the precipice more
tremendous, as we approached the summit, broad
patches of snow filling the clefts and hollows around
us on each side: the weather also, which had gradu-
ally declined from its morning splendour, assumed
ow a tempestuous aspect; the rain beat furiou-ly
now a te
against u<>, with terrific gusts of wind ; and a thick
fotr, still more alarming, whirling round the summit
of the mountain, frequently enveloped us in a tem-
porary obscurity. Drenched with the wet, as we
did not dare to continue in our carriages, at length
we reached a circular spot, traced out on the highest
point of the mountain, and immediately began to
descend, by a dangerous and rapid zigzag, from
terrace to terrace, with incessant turnings, so short
and so narrow as to require the utmost circumspec-
tion in compassing them. It may easily be imagined
how wonderfully precipitate this singular descent is,
when I add, that in the progress of little more than
2 painful miles, we unravelled the whole laby-
rinth of that eminence, which it cost us so much
labour, and 9 miles of tedious ascent to attain. At
the bottom, however, we rested a while from our
labours; and the fog in some measure dispersing,
though the rain was unabated, we were able to sur-
vey the country into which we were translated as it
were from the clouds. Behind us the great moun-
tain from which we had escaped rose like a perpen-
dicular bulwark, on which we were unable to trace
the angular course by which we had worked our
passage ; and the only track we could distinguish on
its front was the chain of cataracts, tumbling in suc-
cessive falls, which forms the source of the great
river Spey. Other mountains, capped with eternal
snows, and inferior only in height to that which we
had passed, frowned over us on each side ; while a
long channel appeared worked by the impetuous
stream between their bases, through a hollow valley,
over which the road hung suspended on a narrow
shelf. A broader glen succeeded to this, and the tor-
rent became a rivulet, which after a variety of stages
increasing in magnitude, swelled at length into a
river, ravaging the little plain it formed, and fretting
with furious impetuosity over the numberless asperi-
ties with which the feet of the precipices were
strewed. With such violent convulsions was the
birth of this mighty river attended amidst its native
mountains, whose impetuous stream emerging from
the chaos it has created, desolates a vast tract of
country in its descent to the sea, which it falls into
near Fochabers, where we first crossed it. Relieved
from many of the horrors which attended the former
part of our course, we pursued the declivity on a
road rendered inexpressibly rough by the broken
fragments of rock with which it was strewed, till
crossing the Spey, we arrived at the solitary inn of
Garvamore, after traversing a desert of 18 long miles,
which it cost us eight hours to surmount. During
this whole course our eyes had not encountered a
single human being, or even the vestiges of an ani-
mal ; those quadrupeds which are the natural inhabi-
tants of mountains shunning these barren deserts,
where there is nothing to sustain them ; and no
birds, except the eagle, being hardy enough to fre-
quent their cliffs." [' Three Successive Tours.'
London, 4to., 1795, pp. 141— 144.]— When General
Cope marched north from Stirling to meet the ad-
vancing forces of Prince Charles, in the latter end
of August, 1745, he hesitated to atterrpt the passage
of Corryarrick in the face of the Highland forces,
then 3,000 strong, whom he understood to be in
possession of the summit. As the mountain was
peculiarly fitted for the operations of Highlanders, it
is evident that in attempting to cross Corryarrick,
Cope, if attacked, would labour under every disad-
vantage ; for while his men could not leave the road
in pursuit of their assailants, the latter could keep a
running fire from numerous positions, from which it
would be impossible to dislodge them. Cope was
warned liy President Forbes of the (lungers he would
run; and his tears were not a little increased by a
COR
252
COR
report that, on arriving at the bridge of Snugborough,
a dangerous pass on the north side of the mountain,
he was to be opposed by a body of Highlanders;
and that, while this party kept him employed, he
was to be attacked in his rear by another body,
which was to be sent round the west end of the
hill. Alarmed at the intelligence he had received, —
distracted by a variety of reports as to the strength
of the enemy, and disgusted with the apathy of those
on whose support he had relied, — Cope called a
council of war at Dalwhinnie, on the morning of the
27th of August, to which he summoned every field-
officer, and the commanders of the different corps of
his little army. He would have acted more judi-
ciously had he convened a council at Dalnacardoch,
when he first received intelligence of the advance of
the Highlanders. At this meeting, Cope laid before
his officers the orders he had received from the secre-
tary-of-state to march to the north, which were too
positive to be departed from without the most urgent
necessity. After some deliberation, the council were
unanimously of opinion, that the original design of
the general of marching to Fort- Augustus over Cor-
ryarrick, was, under existing circumstances, quite
impracticable. Having abandoned the design of
crossing Corryarrick, the council next considered
what other course should be adopted. The wisest
course certainly, if practicable, would have been to
have marched back to Stirling, and to have guarded
the passes of the Forth ; but against this proposal it
was urged, that the rebels, by marching down the
side of Loch Rannoch, would be able to reach Stir-
ling before the king's troops, and that, by breaking
down the bridges, they would intercept them in
their retreat. As it was impossible to remain at
Dalwhinnie, no other course therefore remained, in
the opinion of the council, but to march to Inverness.
This opinion, which was reduced to writing, and
signed by all the members of council, was delivered
to Sir John Cope, who, acquiescing in its propriety,
immediately issued an order to march.
CORRYVREKAN. See CORRIEVREKIN.
CORSE WALL POINT, a headland on the north-
west coast of Wigtonshire, near the entrance of Loch-
Ryan; in N. lat. 55° 1' and W. long. 5° 10'. A
lighthouse was erected upon this point in 1817. It
shows a bright and red light alternately every two
minutes, which is seen in clear weather at the dis-
tance of 15 miles. The building is 92 feet in
height; and the lantern is elevated 112 feet above
high-water.
CORSKIE. See GARTLY.
CORSOCK, a small village in the parish of Par-
ton, Kirkcudbrightshire ; near the water of Urr.
An extension church was opened here in October,
1839.
CORSTORPHINE,* anciently CROSTORFYN, a
parish in the shire of Edinburgh ; 4 miles in length,
by about 2 in breadth ; bounded on the north by
Cramond parish ; on the east by St. Cuthbert's ; on
the south by Colinton, Currie, and Ratho ; and on
the west by Kirkliston. The surface is in general
level, arid, over a great part of its extent, spreads
* This parish, it is thought by some, obtained its name from
the circnm>tance of a golden cross— Croix d'or tin— having been
presented to the church by some French nobleman : hence.
Corctorphine; and there is some obscure tradition of this kind.
According to others, the name signifies 'the Milk-house under
the hill.' 'others derive it from corrie, 'a large hollow,' or
• round glen;' stair, ' steps through a wet place j' and either
fionn, ' white,' or Fein, ' the Finuobans ' The name might thus
Kignify ' the Hollow with the white cteps,' or • the Glen of the
Fingoban steps.' Or perhaps the termination Jin, may have
«-ome trumfionsi, 'wells' or ' fountains.' Other antiquaries
have supposed that Corstoiphine was by the Romans called
Curia Storphinornm, from a band of soldiers of the name of
Storphini having bren stationed there •. while Chalmers consi-
d«:rb the name to menu ' the Cross of Torphiu,'
into a smooth plain. The grounds of greatest eleva-
tion are those which go by the name of Corstor
phine-hill, — an appellation they hardly could have
gained unless from being in a manner insulated in
the midst of rich valleys. This hill, or rather
ridge, on the south and west sides, rises from the
plain to the height of 474 feet above sea-level, by an
easy ascent ; on the east side, it is more precipitate,
and runs north, in an indented cristated form, into the
boundaries of the parish of Cramond. There are
no metals or mineials dug in this parish; but there
are very fine quarries of freestone, which was for-
merly much in request for buildings in Edinburgh.
There are also, on the lands of Clermiston, inex
haustible quarries of trap or blue whinstone. This
parish is watered by the Gogar, a branch of the A 1-
mond, and by the water of Leith. There is a sul-
phureous mineral spring near Corstorphine, which
once conferred on that village considerable celebrity.
When it was in repute, about the middle of last
century, Corstorphine was a place of fashionabl
resort for the citizens of Edinburgh, and had its
balls and other amusements common to watering-
places. — The village of Corstorphine is about 4
miles west of Edinburgh, on the road from Edin-
burgh to Glasgow. It is a pleasant, well-sheltered
village, but somewhat in its decadence, the sites
numerous houses which once stood here being now
converted into gardens ; and its attractions as a
summer-residence for the citizens of Edinburgh hav-
ing dwindled before those of Newhaven and other
coast-localities. We believe it has also lost its re-
putation for a once-celebrated delicacy called ' Cor-
storphine cream.' The mystery of its preparation
is thus described in the Old Statistical Account : —
" They put the milk, when fresh drawn, into a
barrel, or wooden vessel, which is submitted to a
certain degree of heat, generally by immersion in
warm water : this accelerates the stage of fermenta-
tion. The serous is separated from the other parts
of the milk, the oleaginous and coagulable ; the
serum is drawn-off by a hole in the lower part of
the vessel; what remains is put into the plunge-
churn, and, after being agitated for some time, is
sent to market as Corstorphine cream." There is
growing near the village a sycamore-tree, one of the
largest in Scotland, which, in the end of May and
beginning of June, exhibits an appearance of the
most striking beauty. That side which is exposed
to the sun is of the richest vivid yellow hue ; hence
this tree is easily distinguished at a great disl.ince.
A few slips which have been taken from it, are thriv-
ing very well in other parts of the country. The
population of this parish, in 1801, was 840; in 1831,
1,461. Houses 248. Assessed property, in 1815,
£13,165. — This parish is in the synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale, and presbytery of Edinburgh. It
includes part of the ancient parish of Gogar, and also
a part of St. Cuthbert's united to it in 1633. Pa-
tron, Sir Robert Keith Dick, Baronet. Stipend
£242 8s. 5d. ; glebe £30. The church is an ancient
building, of Gothic architecture, in the form of a
Jerusalem cross. The present church was founded
near the parish-church of this place, by Sir John
Forester of Corstorphine, Lord-high-chamberlain of
Scotland, in 1429, and dedicated to St. John the
Baptist, for a provost, 5 prebendaries, and 2 singing-
boys. It was a collegiate church, to which belonged
those of Corstorphine, Dalmahoy, Hatton, Cramond,
Collington, &c. The teinds of Ratho, half of the
teinds of Adderton, and of Upper-Gogar, were ap-
propriated to the revenues of this college. The
first provost was Nicholas Bannatyne, who died in
1470, and was buried in the church, where his epi-
taph still remains. The coat-of-anns of the family
COR
COV
Forester is everywhere dispersed over the huild-
; and within the church, in niches, are several
lumental remains of this family, with effigies cut
stone, as large as life. The male figures are
?red with complete armour, and the female ap-
richly ornamented according to the fashion and
of the times. The roof is supported by strong
les, and formed by large stone flags. The whole
Iding seems to have suffered little by the waste
The stipend of the parish-schoolmaster is
with about £20 fees. He has amongst other
jluments, a small piece of ground or glebe, near
extent of an acre, contiguous to the village ; and
les this, an acre of ground upon the side of the
tr of Leith, near Coltbridge, which is called the
ip-acre ; its proceeds having been destined for
lying the expenses of a lamp which hung in the
»t end of the church of Corstorphine. There are
ious conjectures concerning the use this lamp was
ided to serve. Some say that it was in honour
the Virgin, before whose statue it was lighted up ;
?rs, and with more probability, think, that it
red as a beacon to direct travellers from Edin-
, along a road which, in those times, was both
ipy, difficult, and dangerous — There is in this
aaiother place of worship, but which appears
to have been used for that purpose since the
wmation. It is a small chapel at Gogar, now
jxed to Corstorphine : there is a burying-ground
ind it, which is. still used for this purpose,
icre are also a few acres of ground there which
ig to the minister of Corstorphine.
CORTACHY AND CLOVA, two united parishes
lich occupy a very extensive portion of the north-
part of the county of Forfar. Cortachy is about
miles in length, and varies from 2 to 8 miles in
1th. Clova is nearly 10 miles in length by 7 in
th. The two districts are bounded by Aber-
shire, and the parish of Lochlee on the north ;
Lethnot and Tannadice on the east ; by Kirrie-
ir on the south ; and by Glen-Isla on the west.
South Esk rises in a multitude of small streams
i the north-west part of the district of Clova ; flows
i-east through that district, and enters Cortachy
about 1 i mile below the kirk-town of Clova; receives
numerous tributaries, chiefly on the northern side,
while flowing through Cortachy ; and from Cross Bog
till its junction with the Prosen water, divides Cor-
tachy from Tannadice : see article SOUTH ESK. The
soil is in general poor, with a wet and cold bottom.
A part, however, of the haugh-ground on the banks of
the Ksk, is a light early soil, interspersed with fre-
quent patches of moss. The united parishes in-
i-lude a part of the Grampians, and from this cir-
cuni.xtance are calculated principally for pasture.
Soiin- of the mountains, especially those in the dis- i
trict of Clovii, are of great height, and many places ;
nre beautifully romantic and picturesque. There j
are three small likes in the district, which abound
with trout and pike. Whinstone is found in great
quantity ; l>ut no freestone or any valuable mineral
ha.-, been yet discovered. The bridge of Cortachy,
at the issue of the South Ksk from the Grampians,
is founded on mica-schistose rock, exhibiting masses
ot jasper varying in colour from a bright yellow to
a deep red, and susceptible of a tine polish. Be-
1 the bridge, a remarkable vein of indurated
hind
elaystone is seen to intersect the schistose rocks. It
is generally of a white or greyish colour, and contains
thin scales of lime spar. Cortach\ castle, the pro-
perty of Lord Airlie, and ('lova-hon>e, are the only
seat>. Population, in 1801, 0(Mi; in 18:51, 012.
s ITS. Assessed property, in 181.5, Jt';j,():Jl). —
parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the piv-l>v-
of Forfar, and synod of Angus and Mearns.
Patron, the Earl of Airlie. Stipend £172 19s.;
glebe .£15. Unappropriated teinds .£184 8s. 2d.
There is a missionary stationed at Clova. School-
master's salary £34 4s. 6d. There are 3 private
schools. See article CLOVA.
CORUISK. See CORRISKIX.
COTTS LOCH. See URQUHART.
COULL, a parish in the district of Kincardine
O'Neil, Aberdeenshire ; at the head of Strathcro
mar ; bounded on the north by Farlaiid and Leochel ;
on the east by Lumphanan ; on the south by Aboyne ;
and on the west by Logie-Coldstone. Its shape is
somewhat triangular ; the longest side measuring
about 5 miles, and the others about 3£. Coull, and
the rest of the strath of Cromar, is flat, but shel-
tered by high hills on each side. None of the hills
rise to a great height. A considerable bog, which
lies to the west of the Mouse, is, in rainy seasons,
converted into a lake, which is often covered with
aquatic fowls. Several old Scottish silver coins have
been dug up amongst the ruins of the castle of Coull,
an ancient edifice of vast dimensions. Population,
in 1801, 679; in 1831, 767. Houses 161. Assessed
property, in 1815, £1,284.— This parish is in the
presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil, and synod of Aber-
deen. Patron, Sir John Forbes, Baronet. Stipend
£161 5s. 7d. ; glebe £7 Schoolmaster's salary
£26 ; with £8 fees, and the Dick bequest, which,
in 1832, amounted to £29 3s.
COULTER (LocH), a small lake in the parish
of St. Ninian's, Stirlingshire, about 2 miles in cir-
cumference, which discharges its water into the
Bannockburn. During the great earthquake at
Lisbon, in 1756, the waters of this loch were vio-
lently agitated, and sunk to a lower level, by about
10 or 12 feet, which left dry great quantities of shell
marl, particularly at the west end of the loch.
COUPAR-ANGUS. See CUPAR.ANGUS.
COUSLAND, a village in the shire of Edinburgh
and parish of Cranston ; 3i miles east of Dalkeith.
The manor and chapelry ot Cousland were annexed
to the parish of Cranston about the time of the
Reformation. The chapel stood on the south side
of the village of Cousland, where its remains may
still be traced, with its almost forgotten cemetery;
it was probably dedicated to St. Bartholomew. In
1547, Cousland was burned by the Duke of Somer-
set, when he invaded Scotland with a powerful army
to enforce the marriage of the Princess Mary with
Edward, King of England.
COVE, a fishing-village to the south of Nigg bay,
in the shire of Kincardine and parish of Nigg ; 5 miles
south-south-east of Aberdeen. There is a natural
harbour or cove here. Here is a school for the ac-
commodation of the more distant part of the par-
ishioners, the master of which has a small gratuity,
and a house and garden.
COVE (THE). See COCKBCRNSPATH.
COVE-A-CHIARAN, a cave on the coast of
Kintyre, about 4 miles from Campbelton, in which
St. Chiaran, the apostle of Kintyre, is said to have
taken up his abode. It is only approachable at half-
tide. In the middle is a circular basin which is
always full of pellucid water, supplied by the con-
tinua'l dropping from the roof of the cave. There
is a rudely sculptured cross on a stone in the cave.
COVIXGTON AND THANKERTON, a parish in
the county of Lanark ; about 3 miles in length,
and rather more than 2 in breadth ; bounded on
the east by Lil.berton ; on the south by Symington
and Wiaton; on the west by Carmichael ; and on
the north by IVtt vnain. The surliice is partlvmea-
do\v-ground on the hanks of the Clyde, and partly
mountainous. Tinto is [tartly in tiiis parish : see
article TINTO. The hilly part of the parish in
cow
L>54
CRA
covered withlieath, but the rest of the soil is fertile
and well-cultivated. There is a small village, called
Thankerton, beautifully situated on the Clyde, over
which there is a bridge at this place. Within this
small district numerous relics of antiquity are to be
met with, particularly four circular camps. There is
also a fine ruin of a fortification, built by Lindsay of
Covington, in 1442. Population, in 1801,456; in
1831, 521. Houses 114. Assessed property .£1,720.
This parish is in the presbytery of Biggar, and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patrons, Sir N. M.
Lockhart, and Sir W. C. Anstruther. Stipend
•£238 13s. 7d. ; glebe £17 10s. — Schoolmaster's
salary £28, with about £16 fees.
COWAL, a district of Argyleshire, forming a
peninsula or point of land stretching north-east and
south-west, between the frith of Clyde and Loch
Fyne ; and comprehending the parishes of Dunoon,
Inverchaolain, Kilfinan, Kilmodan, Kilmorich, Loch-
goilhead, Strachur, and Strathlachlan. The north-
east part of the district, which borders with
Perthshire, presents a rugged and broken sur-
face. The mountains become gradually lower and
the surface less rugged, as you advance to the
south-west; and towards the extremity, compara-
tively speaking, the land is low and level. The
hills afford excellent pasture for sheep and black
cattle. This district is intersected by three arms
of the sea, Loch-Ridden, Loch-Streven, and Loch-
Eck, and is watered by the rivers Cur arid
Eachaig. The coast is partly flat, and partly bold
and rocky, presenting numerous creeks and small
harbours. Here are the ruins of the royal castles of
Dunoon and Carrick. Campbell of Strachur, Camp-
bell of South-hall, and Lament of Lament, have ex-
tensive estates in this district. Population, in 1831,
7,943; inhabited houses 1,394. Families 1,475.
CO WC ADDENS, a suburb of Glasgow ; in the
Barony parish.
COWDENKNOWS, an estate and barony on the
east bank of the river Leader, in the parishes of
Ear 1st on and Melrose ; 32 miles from Edinburgh ;
1 2 from Kelso ; 3 from Melrose ; and 1 from Earlston.
Every one has heard of
"the broom, the b"Tiny, bonny broom,
The broom o' the Cowdenkuows."
But the broom-sprinkled braes and haughs of Cow-
denknows have been sadly stripped of their golden
adornments of late years by the progress of the tur-
nip husbandry ; and of the song to which the ancient
and beautiful little air of one strain, known as ' The
Broom of Cowdenknows,' was here united, only four
lines of the chorus remain ; but the air itself is for-
tunately still preserved an object of less poetical
associations. The ancient * Hanging tree' of Cow-
denknows is also to be numbered now only amongst
the things that were. This venerable relic of an-
cient days and vanished customs, whose dark and
knotted trunk, and fantastically twisted boughs,
threw a gloomy kind of feeling over every spectator
who knew its history in the days of feudal barbarism,
has been cut down. It had been called, time out of
mind, * the Hanging tree;' and the local tradition —
without any probability of right foundation — is, that
it was employed, in the " persecuting times," to
hang the covenanters in the days of Charles and
James. The persecution was not very fierce over
the Merse, and little more than fines were inflicted
upon the convejiticlt-rs. There may be less doubt,
however, of its being employed by the older Border-
chief to assert his authority over his vassals, or to
intlict his vengeance upon his enemies. In all the
oH feudal charters there was grunted the power of
tJia 'pit and gallows" (fossa etji/rca}, as irrespon-
sible judges. It cannot have been less than from
200 to 300 years since it bore such ghastly fruits on
its doddered boughs ; and probably its age must have
been much more, as it appeared far the most anciem
of all its brethren of every species. When it was
sawed across, however, a little above the root, the
concentric layers, carefully counted, did not amoum
to more than 140. Outside of that there was a con-
siderable thickness of whitish wood, in which the rings
were altogether indistinguishable. The tree was o
the elm-species; and this fact may indicate a peculi-
arity in the character of that species, which does nol
belong to others, in which these layers, to the num.
ber of three or four or more hundreds, are often dis-
tinguishable. There can be no doubt of its having
braved the storms of 400 or 500 winters.
COWIE (THE), a small river in the county o
Kincardine, which rises on the eastern skirts of th
Wedder hill, in the parish of Fetteresso, and afte
running a south-east course of 9 or 10 miles, ii
which it passes the villages of Ury and Cowie, falls
into Stonehaven bay.
COWTHALLY. See CARNWATH.
COYLTON, or COYLSTON, a parish in the dis
trict of Kyle, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the nortl
by the parish of Ayr; on the east by Ochil ; on th
south by Dalrymple ; and on the west by Dalrympli
and Ayr. It stretches from the Doon to Ayr water
and is 7 miles in length, and about 2 in average
breadth. Its surface is in general flat ; though, a
one point toward the south, it rises to a gentle ele
vation. The holms near the rivers Ayr and Coy
are fertile and dry, and most other parts of the par
ish have a clayey and productive soil. Coal, lime
and marl are abundant. Coyl water traverses th<
district from south-east to north-west, and falls int<
the Ayr. There are three lakes, the largest o
which, Martnahaim, is a mile in length. The parish
and the stream which intersects it, are said, by tra-
dition, to derive their name from a fabulous king
called Coilus, or Coil, who is reported to have beei
slain in battle, at Coylesfield, 5 miles south of Coyl
ston, and buried at the parish-church. A large ston<
is still regarded as monumental of ' Auld King Coil.
There are, in this parish, several small villages, — tin
chief of which, Coylston, stands on Coyl water
Population, in 1801, 848; in 1831, 1,389. Housei
222. Assessed property, in 1815, £7,144 Th
parish, formerly a prebend, is in the presbytery o
Ayr, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £254 8s. 4d. ; glebe £12. School
master's salary £30, with about £30 additiona
emoluments. There are 3 other schools.
CRAGGIE (Locn), a fresh water loch in th
parish of Tongue, in Sutherlandshire, lying imme-
diately to the north of Loch Loyal, which discharges
its waters into it, while itself flows into Loch Slam,
whence the Borgie conveys the united waters of the
three lochs to Torrisdale bay. All these lochs
abound in trout, pike, and char.
CRAIG,* a parish on the coast of Forfarshire.
It is bounded on the north by Montrose basin ; on
the east by the sea; on the south by the sea, a de-
tached portion of Maryton parish, and the parish oi
Lunan; and on the west by the parishes of Kinnell,
Farnwell, and Maryton. Its eastern division forms
a peninsula between Montrose basin and the sea.
The extreme length of the parish, from the gtiiird-
house on the north-east to its south-west anglt
near West Coteton, is nearly 6 miles; and its ex-
treme breadth, from Baldovie on the north-west, tt
* The undent name was Inch Enoch, a name still retainer
by an islet heloniniur to tin- parish, and meaning-, in Gaelic, ' thf
I>!and of Troots.' T\vo-iliird- ol' the rich tintiing-ground alone
the <-oa*t i>i the pnt ibh is known by the kindred name of th;
Trout-t.luit.
CRA
255
CRA
of a triangular figure , and is bounded on the north
by the parishes of Dundonald and Riccarton ; on the
east by the parishes of Galston and Mauchline ; on
the south-east by the parish of Tarbolton ; and on
west by the parishes of Monkton and Symington.
Its extreme length is 7 miles, and its average breadth
l.{ mile. Most of the surface is level, arable, fertile,
and well-enclosed. The eminences are not high,
and afford fine pasturage. From a hill 500 ftvt
above the level of the sea, a spectator looks round
on a richly cultivated beautiful expanse of 100 »(\n\n <>
miles, and sees Benlomond, and several of the Gram-
pians, raising their lofty summits toward the north,
and the ridges of Jura serrating the horizon on the
west, and the hills of Ireland dimly merging from
the sea on the south. Coal is worked, and limestone
abounds. Much attention is paid to the dairy. The
chief antiquity is the ruins of the old castle of Craigie.
Population, in 181)1, 786; in 1831, 824. Houses
123. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,511. — Craigk-,
formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Ayr, and
synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, Campbell of
Craigie. Stipend £247 7s. lOd. Unappropriated
teinds £360 4s. Id. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4^(1., with £18 school-fees. There is a school not
parochial. Craigie includes part of the suppressed
parish of Barn well.
CRAIGIE, a village half-a-mile to the south ot
Perth, occupying the site of the old castle of Craigie,
and containing about 250 inhabitants. It is divided
into Upper and Lower Craigie.
CRAIGIE-BARNS, a hill in Perthshire, near
Dunkeld, rising to about 1,000 feet above the level
of the sea. The top of this hill commands a pros-
pect extremely rich and diversified. To the south
is the vale of the Tay as far as the Ochils, with the
hill of Birnam in the foreground ; on the left hand,
to the eastward, is the valley of Stormont, with a
beautiful chain of lochs, six in number. To the
west and north is seen the Tay flowing in majestic
grandeur through a narrow vale, with the high moun-
tains of Athol, Sechallion, and Bengloe, on the
north.
CRAIGIEVAR, an old square fortalice, with
projecting turrets, in the parish of Leochel, Aber-
deenshire.
CRAIG-LEITH, a small island in the frith of
Forth, about a mile north of North Berwick, to
which it belongs. It supports a few rabbits.
CRAIGLEITH, the largest freestone quarry in
Scotland. It is the property of Ramsay of Barnton,
and is situated about 2 miles north-west of the .New
town of Edinburgh, on the Queensferry road. AN lien
first opened, it was rented at about £50 per annum;
during the great building years in Edinburgh, from
1820 to 1826, it yielded £5,500 a-year. A cubic
foot of Craigleith stone weighs 148 Ibs. It is of
two kinds; one of a fine cream colour, called liver-
rock, of which the south front of the Register office
in Edinburgh is built ; the other, of a greyish white,
called ' feak-rock.' Stones are raised from the
strata in this quarry chiefly by means of wedges.
The monolithic columns in front of the College in
Edinburgh, each 23 feet high, and 3 in diameter,
were obtained from this quarry.
CRAIGLIOCH. See BLAIROOWRIE.
CRA1G-LOCKHART, a hill in the parish of
Colinton, about 2 miles south-west of Edinburgh.
It is beautifully wooded. Towards the north-\v< >t
the rock exhibits lofty basaltic columns; and on the
south-east side another range appears in which the
columns are still more <n>iuiet than in the former,
but of smaller diameter. The summit/of the bill is
elevated 540 feet above sea-level.
CRAIG-LOGAN, a promontory of Wigtownshire,
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256
CRA
on the north-west extremity of Loch-Ryan, 10 miles
north-north-west of Stranraer.
CRAIGLUSH (LocH), a lake in the district of
Stormont, in Perthshire, from which the Lunan
takes its rise.
CRATGMILLAR CASTLE, a fine old ruin in \
the parish of Libberton, about 3 miles south of Edin- |
burgh, crowning a gentle eminence on the left of the |
road from Edinburgh to Dalkeith, and commanding I
a noble view of the south side of the city, the frith i
and opposite coast, and Aberlady bay. It consists
of a square keep, or tower, several stories high, en-
compassed by a square embattled wall, which has
had circular towers at each angle, and the whole
surrounded by another rampart-wall, and in some
places with a deep moat. On the principal gate is
the date 1427. Whether this is meant to record the
time that part was built, or an after-repair, is uncer-
tain. There are a great variety of apartments ; the
great hall is large, and well-lighted, considering the
mode of ancient times ; it has a semicircular ceiling,
and measures in length 36 feet, in breadth 22 ; and,
at the east end, has a chimney 11 feet wide. The
ascent of the keep is by an easy flight of broad stone
stairs. On the east side of the outer walls are the
arms of Cockburne of Ormiston, Congalton of that
ilk, Moubray of Barnbougle, and Otterburn of Red-
ford, with whom the Prestons of Craigmillar were
nearly connected. Over a small gate, under three
unicorns' heads couped, is a wine press and a tun, a
rebus for the word Preston. There are a variety of
armorial bearings all over the outside of this build-
ing. The apartment shown as Queen Mary's, is in
one of the upper turrets ; it measures only 5 feet in
breadth, and 7 in length : but has, nevertheless, two
windows, and a fire-place. The name of this place
occurs pretty early in the national records, in a char-
ter of mortification, in Haddington's collections,
granted in the reign of Alexander II. A. D. 1212, by
William, son of Henry de Craigmillar; by which
he gives, in pure and perpetual alms, to the church
and monastery of Dunferrnline, a certain toft of land
in Craigmillar, in the southern part, which leads
from the town of Nidreif to the church of Libberton,
which Henry de Edmonton holds of him. Craig-
millar afterwards became the property of John de
Capella, from whom it was purchased by Sir Simon
Preston in 1 374. William, a successor to Sir Simon,
was a member of the parliament which met at Edin-
burgh June 1, 1478. He had the title of Domine
de Craig-Miller. This castle continued in the pos-
session of the Prestons almost three hundred years ;
during which time that family held the highest offices
in the magistracy of Edinburgh. In 1477, the Earl
of Mar, younger brother to King James III., was
confined here a considerable time. It was also the
residence of King James V. during his minority,
when he left Edinburgh castle on account of the
plague : and here the queen-dowager, by the favour
of the Lord Erskine, his constant attendant and
guardian, had frequent interviews with the young
monarch, whilst the Duke of Albany, the governor,
was in France. A. D. 1554, this castle, with that
of Roslin, and the town of Leith, were burned and
plundered by the English. Probably most of the
present buildings were erected since that time ; at
least, their style of architecture does not seem much
older than that period. Queen Mary, after her re-
turn in 1561, made this castle her residence. Her
French retinue were lodged at a small village in the
neighbourhood, which, from that circumstance, still
retains the appellation of Petit France. In the
month of November, 1566, Queen Mary was residing
here when the celebrated ' Conference of Craigmil-
lar' was held, in which a divorce between her and
Darnley was projected by the ambitious and darii ^
Both well. About the time of the Restoration, this
castle came into possession of Sir John Gilmour,
lord-president of the court of session, who mad<
some additions to it, and whose descendants are stil
in possession of it. Grose has preserved two vie\
of it, taken in 1788.
CRAIG NEIL. See COLMONELL.
CRAIGNETHAN CASTLE, the archetype
Sir Walter Scott's castle of Tullietudlem, a magni-
ficent ruin in the parish of Lesmahagow, surmounting
a steep promontory, encircled by the Nethan on tht
east, and on the west by a craggy turbulent torrent.
Tradition relates that it was built by one of tht
early forefathers of the present family of Hamilton,
but the strength of the fortifications having awak-
ened the suspicions of the Scottish king, the buildei
was apprehended, and, according to the summary
proceedings of ancient times, immediately executed,
upon suspicion of meditated rebellion. The site
naturally very strong, and before the invention
artillery, the bulwarks must have been almost ir
pregnable. A high and solid wall of hewn stone
great part of which is still standing, flanked wit'
massy towers, and perforated with loop-holes poii
ing in all directions, surrounded the principal buil
ing, enclosing within its ample compass a court-ys
intersected with a deep moat faced on each side wil
hewn stone, over which was thrown a drawbridgi
defended by two parallel vaults, which are still ac-
cessible, though deeply buried in the rubbish wher
with the moat is filled. The buildings are mucl
dilapidated, great part of the wall being entirely
swept away, having been used as a quarry for tl
neighbouring farm-houses, The two towers whicl
remain are crowned with a thick coppice of rowan
tree, bourtree, hazel, ash, briers and hawthorn;
—what will tend to convey some idea of the extr
ordinary massiness of the structures — several bushes
of sauch flourish in great luxuriance on the top
the walls, and are cut every third or fourth year
the coopers, as excellent hoops. A large vault
hall is still shown, called the queen's room, whereir
it is said the ill-used Mary lodged a few nights, about
the period of the disastrous battle of Langside ; and ii
a subterraneous vault, there is a circular well, '
tifully built of polished stone, which one traditi<
reports to have descended to a level with the bed
Nethan, and communicating with that rivulet,
have supplied the garrison with water during a siege ;
while, according to another, it formed the entrance
of a tier of lower vaults, in which those wretches
who incurred the displeasure of their feudal tyrant
were hopelessly confined. Be these accounts as
they may, the well is now almost choked up, several
of the large stones of its mouth have been thrown
in, while every visitor to the castle takes the liberty
of throwing down the well a blazing bunch of broom,
or some other combustible substance, that he may
see the depth and construction of this curious rem-
nant of antiquity. Over the entrance to the prin-
cipal building is seen a much effaced escutcheon, in
which it is still possible to trace the armorial sup-
porters of Hamilton ; and the arms of the Hays, and
of some other families which formerly had possession
of this castle, are yet to be seen on various place? ol
the walls. The Nethan, after leaving the castle,
forces its way through a deep ravine, on one side
clothed with hanging wood, and, on the other side,
presenting wavy broom-clad slopes.
CRAIGN1SH, a parish on the coast of Argyle
shire, opposite the island of Scarba, and the gulf o;
Corrievrekin ; measuring 7 miles in length by aboul
2 in breadth. Part of it is peninsular, stretching
southward between Loch Craignish and the sea, ant
CRA
257
CRA
inating in Craignish point. Around it, or im-
mied in the arm of the sea which indents it, and
its name, are upwards of 20 islands, and numer-
is rocks and islets, serried round with romantic
liffs, washed with the sprav and tinctured with the
IPS of the vexed waters in their narrow channels,
iring aloft picturesquely .situated trees, and com-
landing, as well as contributing to form, brilliant
diversified expanses of scenery. I» the channel
the west the tide, pouring along from the sound
'Jura, and obstructed by the peninsula of Craignish
its neighbouring islands, dashes itself into im,
.•tuosity and foaming violence, and, even in the
timest weather, makes chase upon the life of any
lerman or tourist who has been tardy to anticipate
approach. The surface of the parish is, in gen-
ii, flat; but though the soil consists of a mould
which clay predominates, and which promises
mdance to the cultivator, it is bleak, subject to
structive storms, and, on the whole, unproductive.
rortiried eminences, rude in construction, and sup-
sed to be of Danish origin, are numerous ; and
\ro farms bear evidently Danish names. The strath
this parish is traditionally reported to have been
ic scene of an engagement between the Danes and
natives, in which Olau?, a royal prince of Den-
rk, was slain; and it contains, among numerous
lirns and other artless monumental records of for-
times, a mound or tumulus, now modernized
a burying-ground, which is still called Ihman
iila, or the Little mount of Glaus. Population,
1801, 904 j in 1831, 892. Houses 179. Assessed
rty, in 1815, £1,359 Craignish, formerly a
irage, is in the presbytery of Inverary and synod
Argyle. Stipend .£169 'lOs.; glebe' £18. *Un-
>priated teinds £90 17s. 8d. Schoolmaster's
lary .£'25 13s., with £22 10s. other emoluments,
lere is a school not parochial.
CRAIG.OWL, one of the Sidlaw hills, in the
li of Tealing, Forfarshire. It rises to 1,600
above sea-level, and is the highest summit in
le range
CKAiG.PHADRIC, a steep but finely-wooded
11 in the neighbourhood of Inverness; rising 420
>t above the level of the Ness, which flows at its
It is noted for the remains of one of those
fortifications, which, from the vitrilied appearance
of the stones, and the marks of fusion which they
exhibit, have received the name of vitrified forts.
That on Craig-Phadric is by far the most complete
and extensive one in Britain. The summit of this
hill is llat, and has been surrounded by a wall in the
form of a parallelogram, the length of which is about
80 yards, and the breadth 30 within the wall. The
les are all firmly connected together by a kind
vitrified matter resembling lava, or the scoria? or
of an iron-foundry; and the stones themselves
many places seem to have been softened and vitri-
ol. The greater part of the rampart is now covered
ith turf, so that it has the appearance of an earthen
md ; but, on removing the earth, the vitrified
itter is everywhere visible, and would seem to
ive been in some places of great height. On the
itside there is the appearance of a second rampart,
it not so regular as the first. Considerable n
vitrified matter are also found in this second struc-
under which is the natural rock, chiefly a line
>nite, with some breccia or pttddmg-rtone, in a
lent of argillaceous and quarfoze matter. Within
«irea is a hollow, with a small spring of water.
ruins of similar vitrified forts are to be seen <v\
summits of other hills in the Highlands. On
ckfarrel and Ca.^tle-Finlay, in Koss-Miire ; on
inevau in Nairnshire ; and there is another, near
south-west extremity of the island of Bute.
I.
Opinions concerning these ruins are very conflicting.
Some maintain that the vitrification is "the effect of
a volcano; others, the work of art; Mr. Fraser
Tytler, in the second volume of the ' Transactions
of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,' endeavours to
show that this vitrification is the result of accident,
— the ruins of ancient forts destroyed by fire. For
a more particular account of this remarkable appear-
ance, we refer the reader to a work by Mr. Williams,
entitled * An account of some remarkable ancient
ruins lately discovered in the Highlands of Scotland;'
! and to the ' Philosophical Transactions' for 1777.
CRAIGROSTAN. See BEN-LOMOND.
CRA1L, a parish in the south-east angle of
j Fifeshire, commonly called 'the East Nook o' Fife.'
It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Dci.iiio
and Kingsbarns; on the east by the sea; ,on the
south by the sea and the parish of Kilrenny ; and on
the west by the parishes of Kilrenny and Carnbee.
It is of very irregular outline, varying in breadth
from 2 furlongs to 2$ miles, mid stretching westward
from Fifeness to a length of 6£ miles. The surface,
is, in general, flat, naked, and uninteresting : it rises
abruptly at the coast to an elevation of from 20 to
80 feet; and it thence swells gently to the west,
with hardly a hedge to frill its thin dress, and with-
out an acclivity or a lake or stream to relieve the
monotony of its aspect. Coal-mines, which formerly
enriched the country, have long been exhausted.
Limestone is abundant, but lies too deep to be pro-
ductively worked. Population, in 1801, 1,652; in
1831, 1,824. Houses 3-44. Assessed property, in
1815, in the burgh, £1,391 ; in the parish, £7/234.
— Crail is in the presbytery of St. Andrews, and
synod of Fife. Patron, the Earl of Glasgow. Sti-
pend £280 lls.; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds
£624 3s. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with
upwards of £30 sohool-fees. When the scholars
exceed 90, an usher is employed, who receives £12
from the burgh, and from one-fourth to one-third of
all the fees. Two schools, not parochial, are par-
tially endowed or encouraged by the town-coui.cil.
This parish claims Kingsmuir and the island of May ;
the former as bearing its proportion of parochial bur-
dens, and the latter a» sharing its ecclesiastical privi-
leges.
CRATL, a royal burgh of great antiquity in the
above parish ; 4 miles east of Anstruther ; 2 west of
Fifeness; 10 south-east of St. Andrews; 19 from
Cupar ; and 29 north-east of Kinghorn. It was an-
ciently called Caryle or Carraile, and is mentioned
by old historians as a town of considerable note, as
early as the middle of the 9th century. Ada, mother
of Malcolm IV., gave to the monks of Drvburgh a
toft of houses in her burgh of (.'rail. The church,
an ancient fabric, still entire, is a fine specimen of
pointed architecture, It consists of a central nave,
with aisles, divided by two rows of p! liars, one on
each side. This church belonged to the Cistertian
nunnery of Haddington, and was made collegiate, it:
1517, at the desire of the prioress of Haddington. tor
a provost, a sacrist, and 10 prebendaries John
Knox preached here on Sunday the 19th May, 15.3'),
and next day marched off with a mob at his heels, N>
destroy the monuments of idolatry at St. Andrew.
The celebrated James Sharp, archbishop of St. Ai -
drews, \\as on-.-e minister of this church. The
some vestiges of a chapel which was dedicated to St.
Rut'us. There is a small I'nited Ser.-s>io!i church
within the burgh ; and t\\<> schools,— a parish and :i
bmx'li M'hool. A little to the eu-t ot'the harbour, on
the top of the clilF are some traces of an old castle
in which David I. occasionally resided. The town
consists of two streets, and two or three small lanes.
The northmost street is broad and xpaciou*, ami COM*
CRA
258
CIIA
tains some good houses of a massive and antique de-
scription, but the whole place bears evident marks of
having " seen better days." The harbour is small and
incommodious.* Crail used formerly to be a great
rendezvous for boats employed in the herring-fishery,
and immense quantities of herrings were then cured
here ; but scarcely any have been caught here of la'te
years ; even the white fishing is now neglected.
Formerly they used to cure haddocks in a peculiar
way, without splitting them, which went by the
name of ' Crail capons,' but this mode is now almost
given up. This burgh received its charter from Ro-
bert Bruce, in 1306, which was successively con-
firmed, with new grants, by Robert II. in 1371,
Mary, in 1553, James VI., and Charles I. and II.
It was formerly governed by 3 bailies, a treasurer,
and from 11 to 15 councillors. It is now governed
by a chief magistrate, 2 bailies, a treasurer, and 17
councillors. It joins with Cupar-Fife, St. Andrews,
Kilrenny, East and West Anstruther, and Pitten-
weem, in returning a member to parliament. Its
parliamentary and municipal constituents were 54
in 1839. Corporation revenue .£228. A fair was
at one time held here annually in the month of
March, but it has fallen into desuetude. About
1810, the magistrates feued to the late Earl of Kellie,
the out-teinds and customs, anchorages, and shore
dues of Fifeness, Cambo sands, and Kingsbarns, for
£5 of yearly rent, which was afterwards reduced to
i'2. Crail once possessed an extensive common,
part of which has been feued-off, so that the revenue
of the town is inconsiderable. There is a golfing-
club in this town, who find scope for their manly
game in the adjacent links. Crail, and 'the East
Neuk o' Fife,' figure conspicuously in Drummond's
." Polemidinia." — Balcomie castle, a little to the east
of Crail, now the property of Sir David Erskine, was
the ancient residence of the Balcomies of that Ilk.
During the reign of James IV. it was acquired by the
Lairmonths of Dairsie. In 1705, the estate was
purchased by Sir William Hope ; and it is now, by
purchase, the property of the Earl of Kellie. It has
at one period been an extensive and massive build-
ing. A great part of it was taken down by the late
Earl of Kellie ; but a lofty tower still remains, and
forms a well-known sea-mark. — Below Balcomie is
a small cave, where, tradition says, King Constan-
tine was beheaded by the Danes in 874. There is a
curious dike, or perhaps natural ridge of stones,
about half-a-mile in length, and stretching from the
frith of Forth on the south-west, to the German
ocean on the north-east, so as to enclose a trian-
gular space of ground forming the Ness. Tradition
attributes this work to the Danes. A few years
ago several rude stone coffins were discovered on
the farm of East Wormiston, within view of the
place where the skirmish between the Scots and
Danes took place in 874 ; and, from its being with-
out ' the Danes' dyke,' it is supposed these coffins
may have contained the relics of the Scottish war-
riors who fell in this engagement. They were 25
in number, and were arranged side by side, the
skeletons being divided by only a single stone, which
thus formed the side of two coffins.
* A creek, a quarter of a mile eastward of the present bar.
bour, railed the harbour of Hoome, could, at a comparatively
small expense, be converted into an excellent harbour capable
of containing 200 sail of vessels ; having, in ordinary tides, from
20 to 22 feet water, and at high spring-tides 29 feet; which
would admit ships of war. This harbour is sheltered Irom all
winds but the south ; and may be entered, with the wind at any
point, at 1J hours flood, by vet-sels drawing 10 feet water. It
would also be of the most essential service to the trade in the
trith, and the whole eastern ami northern coast <>f England and
Scotland, as, from its central situation, it would always be a
p-ace of safety during storms from the north and en>t j ai.d in
case of strong westerly wind«, vessels might run iu here so as
to avui'i bciD;,' bluwu out of the frith.
CRAILING, a parish in Roxburghshire, of a
somewhat circular form, lying on both sides of the
Teviot. It is bounded on the north by Roxburgh
parish ; on the east by Eckford ; on the south by Jed-
burgh ; and on the west by Ancrum and Roxburgh.
Its extreme measurement, from north to south, is
4 miles ; and. from east to west, 3;|. The Teviot
divides it into two nearly equal parts, flowing in
beautiful windings from west to east, and impressing
upon the district the general feature of a rich basi",
deeply stained with green, and ornamented with most
of the softer forms of beauty. Oxnam water again
divides its southern section into two not very un-
equal parts, flowing down upon it from the acclivity
of the border-mountains, and threading its way
through verdure and plantation till it falls into the
Teviot. Another streamlet, after sweeping round
from the east upon its south-eastern extremity,
turns northward on its touching the parish, and
forms, till its confluence with the Teviot, the boun-
dary between Crailing and Eckford. Nearly the
whole of the land is arable, rich, and well-culti-
vated, consisting generally of a light loam ; and with
the interspersion of 300 acres of plantation, the
shadowing on the west of three isolated and con-
siderable hills, and the brilliant movements and
opulent dress of the intersecting Teviot, it presents
to the lover of landscape pictures delightfully attrac-
tive. On the central one of the three hills, that
called Piniel-heugh, there rises to the height of 150
feet, a fine cylindrical column, which commands a
view of nearly all the richly picturesque valley of
the Teviot, and overlooks some of the most golden
scenes on the Tweed, and lifts the eye upward
among the grand acclivities and varied outlines of
the Cheviots, and away north-eastward over all
Berwickshire to the German ocean. This column
is ascended by a spiral staircase, and was built by
the sixth Marquis of Lothian, in commemoration of
the battle of Waterloo.f On the summit of Piniel-
heugh are also vestiges of two encampents which are
conjectured to have belonged to the Romans.
Through the west of the parish formerly passed a
Roman road or causeway, the course of which can
still be traced. The great road through Teviot-
dale traverses the southern section of Crailing, at
about mid-distance between the Teviot and the
boundary of the parish, passing all the way along
under a delightful shading of beech, ash, and elm.
The northern section — all the property of the Mar-
quis of Lothian — is presided over by the plain but
Jient mansion of Mounteviot, now in the course
being superseded by an erection in the form of
three parallelograms, romantically situated on the
banks of the Teviot, at the base of Piniel-heugh.
The southern section formerly constituted the estate
of Crailing, long the property of the noble family of
Cranstoun ; but it is now chiefly the property of
Paxton of Crailing, whose mansion stands on a gentle
eminence, overlooking the meanderings and the syl-
van-sloping banks of the Oxnam. Crailing is the
lowest, warmest, and most fertile portion of Teviot-
dale, and is remarkably salubrious. Half-a-century
ago, an inhabitant attained the age of 106 years, and
left behind him several healthy survivors upwards of
80. There are three small villages, Nisbet, Upper
Nisbet, and Crailing. The last of these was at one
time considerable, but has latterly been falling into
decay. It is situated o^ the Oxnam, at the point
where it is crossed by the Carlisle and Berwick
road ; and here an elegant bridge was erected in the
t It is stronely constructed of whinstnne quarried on the
spot, and bears this inscription : "To the Duke uf Wellington
and the British Army, William Ker, VI. Marquis of Lothian,
uud hia tenantry, dedicate this mouuucut, oOtii June, 1815."
CRA
259
CUA
increased, and the amount is dedicated to the pay-
ment of animal sums of about £H cadi to a miml>er
of poor old men and women in the city of Edinburgh.
The mansion of Craigcrook has been long known to
the literary world as the residence of the aristarch of
critics, Francis Jeffrey. Among other fine villas art;
Barnton, Granton, Cramond house, and Caroline
park, formerly called Royston. — The parish of Cr».
mond has given birth to several men who have be-
come eminent by their talents or their virtues. Of
these may be mentioned, John, second Lord Bal-
merinoch, noted for his spirited opposition to Charles
I., and for being the best friend of the Covenanters,
having spent the greatest part of his fortune in sup-
port of that cause ; — Sir Thomas Hope of Granton,
a celebrated lawyer at the Scottish bar ; — Sir George
Mackenzie, first Earl of Cromarty, well-known as
an able writer, and a great persecutor; — Dr. Cleg-
horn, professor of anatomy in the university of Dub-
lin, who may be considered as the founder of the
school-of-medicine in that university. To these may
be added John Law of Lauriston, one of the most
remarkable characters this or any other country has
ever produced. He was born at Lauriston in the
year 1671. Disgusted with some treatment he had
received in this country, he went over to France,
where he was raised, in 1 720, to the high rank of
comptroller-general of the finances of France ; and
obtained liberty to erect a national bank, which was
attended with the most beneficial effects. He after-
wards planned the Mississippi scheme, which proved
to France — what the South Sea company afterwards
was to Britain — only a bubble, threatening to in-
volve the nation in ruin. Law ended his chequered
life in 1729, in Italy, in a state of indigence, after
having astonished all Europe with his abilities, his
projects, his success, and his ruin. Population, in
1801, 1,411; in 1831, 1,984. Houses, in Edinburgh-
shire, 256 ; in Linlithgowshire, 18. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £16,491. Besides the village of
Cramond, there are, in this parish, the village
of Davidson's Mains, or Muttonhole, and several
minor hamlets This parish, formerly a vicarage, is
in the presbytery of Edinburgh, and synod of Lo-
thian and Tweeddale. Patron, Ramsay of Barnton.
Stipend £271 2s. 8d. ; glebe £20. Unappropriated
teinds £237 13s. lOd. — Schoolmaster's stipend £34
4s. 4$d. There were, in 1834, 5 private schools with-
in this parish. — The village of Cramond is 5^ miles
west of Edinburgh, and 1 north of Cramond bridge.
It is situated on the eastern side of the Almond,
where it discharges itself into the frith of Forth,
opposite Dalmeny park. It contains upwards of
340 inhabitants, who are mostly employed in the
ironworks carried on in the neighbourhood, which
were established in 1771. The Almond is navigable
for small vessels nearly a quarter of a mile from
the Forth, forming a safe and commodious harbour
— specified in the records of the Exchequer as a
creek belonging to the port of Leith. To this har-
bour belong 8 or 10 sloops, employed by the Cra-
mond Iron company. This village was an impor-
tant Roman station. According to Boece, and Sir
the roast, and there are numerous seams of coal ; I John Skene, Constantino IV. was slain in battle
but, though pits have been frequently sunk, they I here by Kenneth, son of Malcolm I. The bishops
have been given up on account of the badness of the
coal. There is a mineral spring on the lands of
Marchfield, called the well of Spa, containing a suf-
ficient quantity of sulphate of magnesia to render it
highly purgative. John St radian, Esq. of Craig-
crook, in this parish, about the year 1720, mortified
(ate, of above £300 per annum, to certain
managers, to be applied by them in relieving the
of Dunkeld, to whom Robert Avenel transferred
one-half of the manor of Cramond, occasionally re-
sided here. In the month of May, 1543, the expedi-
tion under the Karl of Hertford landed at Caroline
park in this parish, near the spot where the Duke of
Hucdeudi has recently built Granton pier.
CRANSHA\VS, or CHAN-SHAW, a parish at the
middle of the northern verge of Berwickshire : but
necessities of "poor old men, women, and orphans." j consisting of two parts, the larger lying south of the
The annual produce of this mortification hub greatly | siruller at the average distance of 1 j mile. The
CRA
260
CRA
northern part is bounded on the north and west by
East Lothian, and on the east and south by the par-
ish of Longformacus ; and is of nearly a square figure,
measuring from angle to angle, both southward and
westward, about 2^ miles. On the north and east,
round nearly one-Half of its limits, this section has
for its boundary line Whitadder water. The south-
ern section is bounded on the north and east by
Longformacus, on the south by Westruther, and on
the west by Lander and Longformacus ; and is of an
oblong form, measuring 4£ miles in extreme length,
and 2£ in extreme breadth. This section has for its
boundary line on the north and partly on the east
Dye water ; and it is traversed from west to east by
Watch water ; which, just when leaving it, falls into
the Dye. The whole parish is a sea of hills, forming
part of the Lammermoor range, and is wild and pas-
toral. The greatest elevation is Man-slaughter-
Law, situated in the northern section, which is tra-
ditionally reported to have received its name from its
having been the scene of a sanguinary onslaught, and
on whose summit is a mound or tumulus apparently
commemorative of the event. The climate is cold,
sharp, and extremely foggy ; yet decidedly salubri-
ous. Near the centre of the northern section stands
the castle of Cwshaws, now used as a shooting-box
by Mr. Watsou of Saughton, but formerly a fastness
of a kinsman of the Douglasses ; and it seems to
have been the original of Sir Walter Scott's pic-
tured Ravenswood castle, in his graphically tragic
story of ' The Bride of Lammermoor.' Population,
in 1801, 166; in 1831, 136. Houses 24. Assessed
property, in 1815, £783 Cranshaws, formerly a
rectory, is in the presbytery of Dunse, and synod of
Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, Watson of Saugh-
ton. Stipend .£158 6s. 7d. ; glebe £17 10s. Un-
appropriated teinds .£36 19s. 5d. The church stands
at the eastern verge of the northern section, in the
vale or basin of the Whitadder. It was built in
1739, and contains 120 sittings. — Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4.id., with £12 other emoluments,
CRANS TON," a parish on the eastern verge of
Edinburghshire ; bounded on the north by Inveresk
and Haddingtonshire ; on the east by Haddington-
shire ; on the south by Crichton, Borthwick, and
Newbattle ; and on the west by Newbattle and Dal-
keith. It is of very irregular outline, measuring
about 5 miles in extreme length, and about 3 miles
in extreme breadth, though over half its length it is
hardly 1 mile broad ; and it embraces an area of
nearly 7^ square miles. The river Tyne — here only
a rivulet — intersect sit from south to north, meander-
ing its way amid groves and picturesque declivities,
and overlooked by handsome and noble seats, par-
ticularly the magnificent structures of Oxenfbrd
castle and Prestonhall. The surface is undulating,
cultivated, \yell-enclosed, and full of beauty; and,
from some of its higher grounds, commands prospects
both rich and extensive. Coal, limestone, and sand-
stone are abundant. At Crighton-Dean kilns 24.000
bolls of lime are annual] v sold ; at Cousland quarrv,
16,000 bolls. A small section of the parish lies apart
from the main body, imbosomed in the parish of
Crichton. In this section is Cakeinuir tower, square
in form, four stories in height, and winged with pro-
jecting battlements, in which is ' Queen Mary's
room,' an apartment said to have been occupied by
her when escaping, in male apparel, from the invest-
ment of Borthwick castle by Lord Home. The
villages are Cousland, Chesterhill, and Preston. Sec
COUSLAND. Near Prestonhall stood the old manse,
which is said to have been a resting-place for the
religious on their way to Melrose, and over one of
the windows of which was the inscription, " Diver-
sorium infra, Ilabitaculum supra." Population, in
1801, 895; in 1831, 1,030. Houses 221. Assessed
property, in 1815, £8,531 — Cranston, formerly a
vicarage, is in the presbytery of Dalkeith and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, Sir J. H. Dal-
rymple of Cousland, Bart. Stipend £260 6s. 6d. .
glebe £27. Unappropriated teinds £260 6s. 6d!
The parish church is an elegant Gothic edifice. It
was built in 1826 ; sittings 375 — There are 2 schools.
Parochial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d., with
about £21 10s. school-fees.— Cranston, in the 12th
century, was written Cranestone, — signifying the
territory or resort of the crane ; and it was then
divided into the two manors of Upper Cranston
and Nether Cranston, afterwards denominated New
Cranston and Cranston-Ridel. The latter manor
obtained its cognomen from Hugh Ridel, who
received it as a grant from Earl Henry, and who
bestowed upon the monks of Kelso the church
and ecclesiastical property of Cranston, as the pur-
chase of their prayers for the souls of Earl Henry
and David I. Cranston-Ridel passed, in the reign
of David II., through the Murray s to the Macgills,
who were raised to the peerage under the title of
Viscounts Oxenford and Lords Macgill of Cous-
land. Cranston gives title, from their ancient pos-
sessions in the parish, to the noble family whose an-
cestor, Sir William Cranston, captain of King James
VI. 's guards, was raised to the peerage in 1609.
CRATHY and BRAEMAR, an extensive united
parish, situated in that district of Aberdeenshire
called Marr, and supposed to be more elevated above
the level of the sea, and farther removed in every
direction from the coast, than any other parochial
district in Scotland. The length of the inhabited
part is about 30 miles ; the breadth varies from 8 to
10; but, taking in the mountainous and waste dis-
trict, the whole district is upwards of 40 miles in
length, and 20 in breadth. The principal features of
the district have been already described under the
article BRAEMAR. In the low grounds the soil is
various, but in a favourable season it produces good
crops. By far the greater part is covered with
mountains, — some of which are the highest in Scot-
land, with the exception of Bennevis: the highest are
LOCH-NA-GAR, MUCKLE GLASHAULT, BENNABUIKD,
and BENMACDHU. See these articles. Nearly the
whole of Crathy and Braemar has been originally
covered with wood, which was called the forest of
Marr; and, with those of the Duke of Athol in
Perthshire, and the Duke of Gordon in Badenoch
and Glenaven, constituted the principal part of the
Great Caledonian forest. In the deepest mosses
within this immense range of forests, there are still
found large logs and roots of trees. In Braemar, a
great part of the wood still remains. Besides the
natural wood, there are very extensive plantations of
fir and larch. The Dee takes its rise in the forest
of Braemar, and runs through the whole extent of
this district. The principal lakes are Loch Callader
and Loch Brotachan, which contain trout, salmon, and
eels. Glen Callader is interesting to geologists from
its numerous displays of the association of granite
with slaty primitive rocks. The great military road
from Blairgowrie to Fort-George passes through the
whole extent of the district. The village of CASTLK-
TON OF BRAKMAR is situated on this line of r
see that article. Population of the united parish
in 1801, 1,876; in 1831, 1,808. Houses 424.
sessed property £4,646.. — This parish is in the synod
of Aberdeen, and presbytery of Kincardine O'Nei
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £233 10s. 8d. ; glebe £'
Unappropriated teinds £172 19s. — Schoolmaster'
lary £26, with £8 fees, and house and garden. There
are 3 schools within this district supported by the
Society for propagating Christian knowledge.
oad.
•ft
icd
eil.
*
e
I
en A
•2GI
GRA
appropriated chiefly to the purposes of pasture. They
are divided into large farms ; the rents of which — al-
though at a very trifling rate for the acre — are, how-
ever, commonly from £200 to £300 for each farm.
A considerable part of the stock of every farmer in
these parts, formerly consisted in black cattle. But
these have, by degrees, given place to sheep. Sheep
are now the favourite stock of the farmers of Craw-
fbrd-muir : and I have reason to believe that they
are the most skilful and successful shepherds in Scot-
land. The sheep which they are accustomed to
rear, are those commonly named among them ' short
sheep,' having black faces and black feet. [These
are still retained in the higher districts ; but Cheviots,
and crosses with Cheviots, are bred more common in
the lower districts.] The value of a sheep's grass,
for a-year, is estimated at 2s. [It is now 4s. 3d.]
The best of these are sold at 12s. or 15s. a-head.
Their wool is coarse, and brings only from 5s. to
7s. a-stone. Sheep of a different breed, and bear-
ing finer and more valuable wool, have been lately
recommended to the shepherds through Scotland,
by a society formed for the improvement of British
wool. The sheep fed on the Cheviot hills in
Northumberland are of this breed. Their wool
brings from 12s. to 15?. a-stone. But, of this wool
a greater number of fleeces arc required to make
up the stone ; and at all the English markets, the
short sheep are purchased in preference to these
last, because their flesh is confessedly more delicate,
and of a better flavour. Conversing with one far-
mer in these parts — who was avowedly an advocate
for the Cheviot breed — he could not avoid acknow-
ledging the inferiority of the flesh of these, but in-
sisted, that to his own taste, it was but very slight.
The turn of the fanners of these parts to the rear-
ing and management of sheep has contributed, in a
considerable degree, to the depopulation ot the coun-
try. The population of the parish of Crawford is
rted to be one- half less than it was forty \ears
1 l-.it name is supposed to be a corruption of two Celtic
*, crodh and jthott, pronounced cto-fortt, and xignifvmtf
tuelteriug-plHce tor cattle.'
ago ; an assertion which confirms the inference I
have deduced from the number of the ruinous and
<ie<olatv cottages bv which I had occasion to pass.
The price of labour has risen greatly in this neigh-
bourhood, within these last thirty years. A maid-
servant has now £2 for the wages of her labour
in the summer half-year, who at the distance of
thirty years backwards would hardly have obtained
£1. [They have now from £4 toi'8.] A plough-
man living in his master's house, has from «£6 to
£8 of yearly wages. [At present their wages vary
from £6 to .€12.] A shepherd living in his own
cottage, and tending his master's flock, gets from
£10 to £12 in the year. [Shepherds are now paid
in this district by being allowed to keep what is
called a pack of ewes — generally from 40 to 50—-
with their lambs ; they have also a cow's keep, anu
from 40 to 50 stones of oatmeal.] In this country of
sheep and shepherds, dogs are the favourite domestic
animals, and are highly useful by their services.
They are trained by their masters to the exercise of
surprising sagacity. Each shepherd is attended by
his dog. Remaining himself in the vale, he sends
his dog up the hill, to gather in or drive forward his
sheep. The dog having executed his commission,
returns for new orders from the master. They con-
verse in a set of vocal signs ; and the dog has intel-
ligence to comprehend and submission to obey very
complicated commands. This country is well-known
to have been within the limits of the Roman province
of Valentia. — Within this district are yet to be seen
the remains of two Roman roads ; and the sites of
three camps, supposed to be Roman, but so entirely
effaced, that this cannot be with certainty deter-
mined. I had an opportunity of surveying the castle
of Crawford, now desolate and ruinous, situate close
upon the river, opposite to the village of Crawford.
Its walls still stand. It is surrounded with trees ;
and by the structure, appears to have been intended
not less for protection, than for accommodation.
Tower-Lindsay, a more ancient edifice, built on the
same site, was famous in the days of our renowned
Wallace. Being occupied by an English garrison,
that hero took it by storm ; killing fifty of the gar-
rison in the assault. For security, the farm-houses
on Crawford-muir were anciently stone-vaults : and
of these some still remain. In these strongholds,
the inhabitants lurked, when invaded by the plunder-
ing rapacity of the Douglasses from Clydesdale, and
the Jardines and Johnstones from Annandale. Va-
rious hills within this neighbourhood still retain the
name of Wratches, having been anciently the stations
of scouts, who watched the approach of enemies, and
in case of danger, lighted lires to spread the alarm
through the country It was in the minority of
James VI. that a German mineralogist visited these
hills in search of ores. Among the sands of the rivers
of El van and Glengonar — both rising from those hills
in the bowels of which veins of lead ore have since
been opened — he gathered some small quantities of
gold dust. A place where he washed this gold, still
retains the name of Gold-scour, derived itom that
circumstance. Verses are still repeated among the
neighbouring inhabitants, which import, that this
mineralogist, by his successful searches, accumulated
a large fortune. An account of his labours and dis-
coveries, written bv himself, is \et preserved in the
Advocate-' library. The attempt to gather gold ou
thesf hills, was, not very many years Miice, renewed
by the order of the late Earl of Hopetoun ; but be-
ing found less profitable than common labour, was,
very wisely, soon discontinued. It is still occasion-
ally found on the tops of the rocks, in smu1! particles,
seldom exceeding in size the point of a small pin."
[ ' Ol)Mji vations made in a .Journey,' &e. vol. ii. pp
CRA
262
CRA
40 — 45.] — The district is very rich in minerals. At
Leadhills, in this parish, are the most extensive mines
in the kingdom : see LEADHILLS. The DAER, the
CLYDE, the ELVAN, and GLENGONAR, intersect this
parish : see these articles. The great road from Glas-
gow to Carlisle runs through the middle of the parish.
Population, in 1801, including Leadhills, 1,671; in
1831, 1,840. Houses 384. Assessed property
.£16,016 The village of Crawford is 18 miles south
of Lesmahago, and 3 north of Elvanfoot inn. Po-
pulation, in 1831, 150. It is of considerable anti-
quity, and consists of freedoms granted to the feuars
by the neighbouring proprietors. Each freedom con-
sists of 6 acres of croft-land, and enjoys the privilege
of feeding a certain number of horses, cows, or sheep,
on the hill or common. The houses are at such a
distance from each other that they have the appear-
ance of being dropped on the road. There is a
chain-bridge of 75 feet span over the Clyde at this
village. On the opposite side of the Clyde, are the
ruins of Crawford- Lindsay castle, the ancient seat of
the Earls of Crawford. A portion of this parish, on
the north-west, was held, during the reign of Mal-
colm IV. by John, step-son of Baldwin de Bigger ;
from him it was called Crawford-John, and after-
wards formed the parish of that name. The more
extensive part, forming the parish of Crawford, was
held by William de Lindsay and his successois for
several centuries, from which circumstance it came
to be called Crawford- Lindsay. The family of Lind-
say was ennobled in 1399, under the title of Earls of
Crawford. David de Lindsay, the 4th Earl, having
been a supporter of James III., lost this property in
1488, when it was bestowed on Archibald, Earl of
Angus, and came to be called Crawford-Douglas.
Prior to the Reformation, the monks of Newbottle,
by grants from the Lindsays, possessed considerable
privileges in the parish of Crawford This parish,
formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Lanark,
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £233 13s. 7d. ; glebe .£12 10s. Unappro-
priated teinds .£623 9s. lid. Church repaired in
1835 ; sittings 320. There is a chapel at Leadhills.
Two farms in this parish are annexed, quoad sacra,
to Moffat parish Schoolmaster's salary £34: 6s.
4£d., with about £16 fees. There are 2 private
schools.
CRAWFORD-JOHN, a parish in Lanarkshire,
of an irregular figure, extending 12 miles in length,
and generally to about 6 in breadth ; bounded on the
north by Douglas parish ; on the east by Wiston and
Lamington ; on the south by Crawford ; and on the
west by Dumfries and Ayr shires. Superficial area
21,123 Scots acres. The surface of this district is
hilly, and adapted for sheep-pasture, with a few
patches of arable land in the valleys between the hills.
There are limestone, white freestone, and an appear-
ance of coal in this parish ; and a lead mine is now
working at Snar. In other parts of the parish are
the marks of former mines, which, report says, were
wrought in search of gold. Cairntable, the north-
west corner of this parish, is 1,650 feet above sea-
. level. On the top of Netherton hill, opposite to the
house of Gilkerscleugh, are the vestiges of an exten-
sive encampment; and at Mosscastle, Glendorch, and
Snar, are the ruins of two ancient castles. A small
river, named Duneaton water, takes its rise at the
foot of Cairntable, on the borders of Ayrshire, and
runs through the whole extent of the parish from west
to east ; besides which, there are several smaller rivu-
lets. Population, in 1801, 712; in 1831, 991, of whom
316 belong to the three small villages of Abington,
Crawford-John, and Netherton. Houses 169. As-
sessed property, in 1815, .£5,014. — This parish, for-
merly a rectory, is i" the presbytery of Lanark, and
synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £233 13s. 7d. ; glebe £16. Unappropriated
teinds £167 5s. Church enlarged in 1817 ; sittings
209 — Schoolmaster's salary «£32 10s., with about
£26 fees. There is a private school at Abington.
CRAWFURDSDIKE. See CARTSDIKE.
CRA WICK (THE), a beautiful stream in Dum-
fries-shire, which rises within the boundaries of La-
narkshire, and dividing the parish of Sanquhar from
Kirkconnel, after a south-west course of about 8
miles, falls into the Nith near Sanquhar manse.
This river, near its head, receives two more streams
more copious than itself: viz., the Wanlock from
the south-east, and the Spango from the north-west.
It winds between pleasant green hills, till the scenery
gradually changes to finely-wooded banks and culti-
vated lawns.
CRAWICK-MILL, a village in the parish
Sanquhar, on the above stream, about half-a-mil
north-west of the town of Sanquhar. It has a popu-
lation of about 124 inhabitants, who are chiefly em-
ployed in a large carpet and tartan cloth manufactory.
CREACHBEN, a mountain in Argyleshire, in the
parish of Ardnamurchan, which attains an altitude
of 2,439 feet above the level of the sea.
CREANMULL ISLES, two small islets, whit
constitute part of the parish of Barra, but are
inhabited.
CREE (THE), a river which rises on the south-
east skirts of Carrick, in two streams ; the one issuing
from Loch Dprnal, and known as the Cree proper;
the other rising on the southern skirts of Eld rick
hill, receiving an augmentation from Loch Moan,
and flowing south, under the name of the Minnock
water, till its junction with the Cree, where it ex-
pands into Loch Cree, about 1£ mile below the
Bridge of Cree. From the High or Upper Bridge
of Cree, till it falls into Wigton bay by a consider-
able estuary, the Cree divides Wigtonshire from
Kirkcudbright. In the upper part of its course i
runs through a bleak and dreary country, but is
considerably increased by several streams, and, in
stead of holding its course through rocks and mui
glides slowly and beautifully for some miles thro
a rich valley abruptly bounded on each side by ban
covered with wood. It is navigable for several mi"
up, and has been the chief source of all the agricul
tural improvements which have been made in th'
part of the country. It produces excellent fish
different kinds ; salmon in considerable quarititi
The smelt, or sparling, a very rare fish, is also fo
in the Cree. It is found only in one other river
Scotland, viz. the Forth at Stirling. The sparlin
make their appearance in the Cree only during a
few days in March, at which time they are often
caught in great quantities. They taste and smell
strongly of rushes ; but this flavour is to most people
agreeable.
CREETOWN, or FERRYTOWN OF CREE, a vil-
lage in the parish of Kirkmabreck, stewartry
Kirkcudbright ; 7£ miles south-east of New
Stewart, and 11 west of Gatehouse. It is beauti
fully situated near the mouth of the Cree, on t
east side of its estuary. It has a good anchorage,
and is chiefly supported by its coasting-trade ;
few vessels belong to the place. Creetowri w
erected into a burgh-of-barony by the proprietor and
superior. The parish-church is situated here. It
contains upwards of 400 inhabitants.
CREGGAN-FERRY, a point of transit ac
Loch Fine at Strachur. In the summer of
Mr. D. Napier started a steam-carriage for the con-
veyance of passengers from Loch Eck to this ferry,
a distance of 5 miles. It had four wheels, hav"-
the body in front, and two boiK-rs, witli two engi
wig
uu»
CRE
263
CRI
four horses' power each, placed behind. The cis-
(1 in
" That rattle rises on the steep
Of the «reen vale of Ty ne :
And far beneath, where Mow they creep,
From pool to eddy, dark and deep,—
Where alders moist, and willows weep,—
You hear her streams repine.
The towers in d ftVrent ages ro-e;
Their varimis an-hitecture shows
The tmildiT~' various hands ;
A mighty mans, that could oppose,
When deadliest hatred fired its foes,
The vengeful Doiigla* hairds.
Crichton! though now thy miry court
But pens the la/y steer and Mieep ;
Thy turrets rude, and totter'.! ke«p,
Hare been the minstrel's loved resort.
Oft have I traced within thy fort.
Of mouldering shields the mystic sense,—
Scutcheons of honour, or pretence,
Quarter'd in old armorial sort,
Remains of rude magnificence.
Nor wholly yet has time defaced
Thy lordly gallery fair;
Nor yet the stony cord unbraced
Whose twisted knots, with roses laced,
Adorn thy ruiu'd stair.
Still rises unimpaired helow
The court-yard's graceful portico
Above its cornice, row and row
Of fair hewn facets richly show
Their pointed diamond form ;
Though there hut houseless cattle go
To Miield them from the storm ;
And, shuddering, still may we explore.
Where oft whilom were captives pent,
The darkness of thy Massy-more ;
Or from thy gniss-grown battlement.
May trace, in undulating line,
The sluggish mazes of the Tyne."
Population, in 1801, 923; in 1831, 1,325. Houses
300. Assessed property £6,702 This parish, for-
merly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Dalkeith,
and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron,
Burn Callender, Esq. Stipend £264 Os. Id. ; glebe
£15. Unappropriated teinds £43 18s. 6d. The
church, which is a venerable building in the form ot
a cross, the western end having been left unfinished,
was made collegiate on the 26th of December, 1449
by Sir William Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland,
with consent of James Crichton of Frendraught,
Knight, his son and heir, for a provost, 8 prebenda-
ries, and 2 singing-boys, out of the rents of Crichton
and Locherworth, and a mensal church, belonging
to the archbishop of St. Andrews; reserving to the
bishop the patronage of the prebends of Vogrie,
Arniston, Middleton, and Locherworth. After the
Reformation, the church-lands of Crichton, and the
parsonage-tythes which belonged of old to the rec-
tory of Crichton, were acquired by Sir Gideon Mur-
ray, the last provost of the collegiate church, who
obtained a grant converting those collegiate lands
into temporal estates. Sir Gideon was treasurer-
depute to James VI., and died in 1621, leaving those
estates to his son, Patrick, who was created Lord
Elibank in 1643. The church has been thoroughly
repaired, and seats about 600. A considerable num-
ber of the parishioners are dissenters, and attend ;i
Secession church in Pathheud. — Schoolmaster's sal-
ary £34 4s. 4Jd. with about £30 fees. Then- is
an infant-school in Pathhead.
CRICHUP (THE). See CLOSEBURN.
CRIECH, or CREICH, a parish in the north-fast
of Fifeshire, extending in length about 3, and in
greatest breadth about 2 miles ; bounded on the
north by Flisk; on the east by Kilmany and Moon-
zie; on the south by Monimail ; and on the wot liy
Dunbog and part of Abdie. The surface rises to-
wards the north, but on the south is nearly level ;
the soil is sandy and thin. The superficial area i*
2,314 imperial acres. There are two villages in tin-
parish, Luthrie near the centre, and Brunton towanl*
the north. The estate and castle of Criech, on the
north end of this parish, anciently belonged to tlu
Bethunes, of which family was Janet Buthunu, U>«
GUI
2(14
CRI
Lady Buccleuch celebrated in ' the Lay of the Last
Minstrel,' and Mary Bethune, one of " the Queen's
four Maries." The Rev. Alexander Henderson, cele-
brated for his stanch opposition to episcopacy, and
vho has found an able biographer in the Rev. Mr.
Aiton of Dolphinton, was born in this parish in
1583. The Rev. John Sage, the first of the post-
revolution bishops, was also a native of this parish.
On a little eminence near the church are the vestiges
of a Roman camp, with two lines of circumvallation.
There is another of the same kind on a higher hill,
to the west of tho former. Both are about a mile
distant from the Tay. Population, in 1801, 405; in
1831, 419. Houses 74. Assessed property £2,534.
— This parish, anciently a vicarage, is in the presby-
tery of Cupar-Fife, and synod of Fife. Patron,
Grant of Congelton. Stipend £227 14s. Id.; glebe
£7. Unappropriated teinds £18 17s. 5d. The
church, which is at Luthrie, was built in 1830-2.
It is a handsome structure in the pointed style.
The ruins of the old church near the northern ex-
tremity of the parish, indicate considerable antiquity.
— Schoolmaster's salary £34, with about £16 fees.
CRIECH, an extensive parish in the county of
Sutherland. It stretches from within 4 miles of
Dornoch on the east coast, to Assynt on the west
coast, a distance of at least 40 miles. It is bounded
by Rogart and Dornoch parishes on the east ; by the
Dornoch frith, and the Oykel river, which separate
it from Ross-shire, on the south ; by Assynt on the
west; and by Lairg on the north. The length of
the inhabited part of the district is reckoned at about
24 miles , the breadth is unequal, varying from 2 to
10 miles. About one- thirtieth part of the district
only is cultivated ; the rest being hilly, and covered
with moory ground. A vast number of sheep and
black cattle are reared on the heathy grounds. The
arable soil is light and thin, except at the east end,
where there is a deep loam. There are some mea-
dows on the banks of the Oykel, and the rivulets
which run into it. The two rivers Shin and Cassly
run through the parish, into the Oykel. There are
also several lakes abounding with trout, of which
the largest are Loch Migdall and Loch Ailsh. A
ridge of hills runs parallel to the frith, the highest
of which, in the north-western extremity, is called
Benmore Assynt. There is a great deal of natural
wood, principally of oak and birch; and there are
several plantations of fir. At Invershin, near the j
confluence of the Shin with the Oykel, is a fine
cataract. An excellent iron bridge of one arch,
spanning 150 feet, has been erected at Bonar, under
the auspices of the parliamentary commissioners:
who have also made a capital line of road from the
ferry here over the Dornoch frith, passing by Skibo
to Golspie, a distance of upwards of 16 miles; to-
gether with another road from hence, through the
middle of Sutherland, to Tongue on the north coast,
a distance of 50± miles. The Criech ferry is about
150 yards wide at low water, and twice as much at
high water; and the communication is nearly as safe
and easy as by a bridge. That kind of apparatus is I
adopted which is in use upon the Clyde at Renfrew ; '
where the ferry-boat is furnished with falling ends
for the admission of horses and carriages, and a chain
fixed to each bank is passed along "the side of the
boat on pulleys, whereby the boat is easily moved
across the river. Near the church is an obeb'sk, 8
feet long and 4 broad, said to have been erected in
memory of a Danish chief who was interred here.
On the top of the Dun of Criech is a fortification, |
which is said to have been erected about the begin- '
ning of the 12th century by an ancestor of the Earl I
of Ross. Population, in 1801, 1,974; in 1831, 2,562. i
Houses 519. Assessed property £4, 106.— -This par- j
ish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Dor-
noch, and synod of Sutherland. Patrons, the Crown,
and the Duke of Sutherland. Stipend £208 18s.
9d. , glebe £5. Unappropriated teinds £86 1 7s. 9d.
Schoolmaster's salary £31 ; pupils about 40. In
1834 there were 7 private schools in this parish, but
the greatest number of pupils in attendance at these
was 73, and the minister reported that there were
406 children of both sexes in the parish who could
not read, being resident at great distance from any
school.
CRIEFF, a small central parish of Perthshire, in
the district of Strathearn ; of which the principal
division is bounded by Monzie on the north-west
and north; by Foulis- Wester, and Madderty, on
the east ; by the Earn, which divides it from
Muthill, on the south; and by Monivaird, from
which it is divided by the Turrit, on the west.
This parish is divided by the intersection of the
parish of Monzie, into two districts of naturally dif-
ferent features, — highland and lowland ; of which
the latter division — of which the boundaries have
now been given — is the larger. The highland divi-
sion consists chiefly of the strath of Glenalmond,
with a population of 230 ; and is ecclesiastically at-
tached to Monzie. It abounds with game. The
soil of the lowland division, extending to 3,800
acres, is chiefly light and gravelly ; in the vicinity of
the town of Crieff it is loam. There is a good
bridge of 4 arches over the Earn at the town ; at
the other end of which the thriving village of
Bridgend has been built. Population of the town
and parish, in 1801, 2,876; in 1831, 4,786. Houses
649. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,605.— This
parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery
of Auchterarder, and synod of Perth and Stirling.
Patroness, Lady Willoughby D'Eresby. Stipend
£182 14s.; glebe £10. Church built in 1786; re-
paired in 1827 ; sittings 966. A handsome extension
church was founded in 1837; sittings 1,000. There
are also a United Secession congregation, which was
established in 1765; church rebuilt in 1837 at an
expense of £600; sittings 533; a Relief church; an
Original Secession church ; and a small body of Ro-
man Catholics. About one-fourth of the parishion-
ers are dissenters. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4£d. There were 11 private schools in 1834. Mr.
Thomas Morrison, builder in Edinburgh, has be-
queathed a sum now amounting, it is thought, to
£20,000, for erecting and endowing an academy,
which it was at one time thought would be estab-
lished in Crieff, but the trustees have not yet decide
on its site.
The town of CriefF is 56 miles north-west
Edinburgh ; 17 west of Perth; 21 north of Stirling
10 south of Amulrie ; and 6£ east of Comrie. It is
built on a gently rising ground, crowned with firs,
half-a-mile north of the Earn, and near the foot of
the Grampians. It has a fine southern exposure,
and a delightful prospect of hills, woods, valleys,
and rivers, to the west. Cnoc Mary, Turlum, To-
machaistal the Cnoc of Crieff, and Glowero'erhim,
isolated hills in this quarter, are leading features in
the landscape. Crieff is the second town in Perth-
shire, and is much resorted to in the summer-months
by invalids, being considered the Montpelier of Scot-
land. It has a small jail and town-house, a decent
spire containing a clock; also a large and elegant
assembly-room. There are a subscription and a cir-
culating library in the town ; a subscription reading-
room ; a handsome masonic lodge ; and a branch of
the Commercial bank. It has no regular government,
but the funds are administered by the bailie of Lord
Willoughby, and a committee of the inhabitants named
by his lordship. The superiors of the town are Lord
CRI
•205
CRI
rilloughby D'Ercsby, Murray of Crieff, and M'Lau-
of Broich, who appoint baron-bailies. The chief
uifacture is making a kind of thin linen called
sias, and weaving cotton goods for the Glasgow
lufacturers. There are about 500 weavers' looms
the parish. A woollen manufactory has recently
jn established here. There are also several dis-
and tanneries and extensive flour-mills,
ibundant supply of water is conveyed from Cold-
ills spring into St. James's square in the centre of
town, whence it is distributed from a reservoir
the other quarters of the town. The town has
itly increased of late; a number of new houses
re been built on the south and west sides. As Crieff
on the line of the great military road, it is much
mented by travellers and Highland drovers. Until
establishment of the Falkirk trysts in 1770,
?ff was the great Scottish market for the sale of
cattle. Nine annual fairs are now held at
jff. During the civil wars Crieff was the head-
rters of Montrose. It was burnt in 1715 by the
ilanders, and narrowly escaped the same fate in
i; the Highlanders, it appears, bearing an old and
erate grudge to "the kind gallows o' Crieff,"
which so many of their marauding forefathers
been suspended by the stewards of Strathearn,
i held their courts here. There is a curious old
3s about 50 yards east of the town-house. Fern-
•fer, about a mile distant from Crieff, and Monzie-
ise, about 3 miles distant, are handsome and in-
teresting edifices. The town of Crieff contained, in j
1776, 1,532; in 1811, 3,000; and in 1835, 3,835 j
inhabitants A railway between Perth and Crieff
has been talked of.
CRIFFEL, or CRIFFLE, a ridge of mountains in
ifrics and Galloway shires, the highest of which j
Hevated 1,895 feet above the level of the sea.
Criffle district of granite and syenite, exhibits
jy interesting appearances of apparent fragments j
cotemporaneous veins and transitions into por- i
ry. The rocks which rest immediately on the |
ite, or syenite, are fine granular compact gneiss, I
syenite, hornblende rock, and compact felspar !
These rocks alternate with each other, and
letimes even with the syenite or granite ; and
iporaneous veins of granite are to be observed
from the granite into the adjacent stratified
master's salary .£,15, with about £12 fees. There
are 5 private schools.
CRINAMIL. See CREANMULL.
CRINAN CANAL, a work at the head of the
peninsula of Kintyre in Argyle, intended to afford a
communication between Loch Gilp, or Loch Fyne,
and the Western ocean, so as to avoid the difficult
and circuitous passage of 70 miles round the Mull of
Kintyre. This canal was undertaken in the year
1793, by subscription of shareholders, under an act
of parliament; and was opened on July 18, 1801.
The original estimate by the late Mr. Rennie was
.£63,678, and the sum subscribed by the proprietors,
and first expended upon it, amounted to upwards of
£108,000. This sum, however, proving to be totally
insufficient for its completion — chiefly in consequence
of the intersection of the line by whinstone rock and
peat-moss — subsequent advances were made by Gov-
ernment, at different periods, under the authority of
Parliament, to the extent of nearly £75,000; to
secure which sum, the canal was transferred on
mortgage to the barons of exchequer in Scotland,
and their functions have since devolved on the lords
of the treasury. The latest advance was made in
1817, and the act which authorized it, provided that
it should be expended under the superintendence of
the commissioners for the Caledonian canal, who, at
the desire of the treasury, undertook to continue the
management of the canal after the expenditure of the
grant; and, under their direction, it has subsequently
remained. The canal is about 9 miles long; con-
tains 15 locks; 13 of which are 96 feet long, 24 feet
wide, and about 12 feet deep; and 2 are 108 feet
long, and 27 wide. It is navigable by vessels of 200
tons burden. Of the locks, 8 are used in ascending
from Loch Gilp or Ardrisshaig, at the east end ;
and 7 in descending to Crinan at the west end. It is
chiefly used by small coasting and fishing- vessels,
and by the steam-boats which ply between Inverness
and the Clyde, which are made inconveniently narrow
to pass through it. Since this canal was first opened
to the public, the revenues arising from the tolls
have, on an average, been scarcely sufficient to
cover the annual expenses of the establishment and
of the repairs ; and no dividend or interest has ever
been paid, either to the original proprietors, or to
government. The revenue of this canal during 1838
is stated to have been £1,903, the expenditure
£1,671, leaving a surplus of £232. As respects bal-
ance, this is a favourable statement compared with
former years, in which, on an average, the expendi-
ture and receipts were nearly equal. In 1839, the
dues received amounted to £1,950, of which £322
arose from steam-boats ; the expenditure during the
same year was £1,833. The trade during the last
fifteen years has increased, but not above £200
or £300 on an average of several years ; so that
in the financial view, the Crinan and Caledonian
canal are much upon a par. The dilapidated state
of the works, — the frequent insufficiency of the
depth of water, — the difficult nature of some parts
of the navigation, — and the absence of many facilities
which migUt be afforded, have been mentioned as
the principal causes of the canal not being mucii
frequented. Mr. Walker, in his report, and Mr.
Thomson, the resident engineer, in his evidence,
have suggested various alterations, estimated to cost
about £9,000, which would materially tend to im-
prove the present line. A committee of the house
of commons re-ported in 1839 that, "from the best
information they could obtain, it appeared that it is
to the originally defective construction and insuffi-
cient dimensions of the canal, that its failure must
mainly be attributed. Your committee have not
been ible to obtain any correct estimate of the *uu»
266
CRINAN CANAL.
that would be necessary to reduce the summit-level
and to deepen and widen the canal, so as to render
it navigable by the same class of vessels which fre-
quent the Caledonian canal; your committee, how-
ever, entertain great doubts whether any great fur-
ther outlay on this canal would be advisable, and
they are strongly of opinion that it would not be so,
unless the Caledonian canal were first placed in a
state of efficiency. To the north-western coast of
Scotland, and especially to the districts in its im-
mediate neighbourhood, the benefits arising from
the Crinan canal are very considerable; but so long
as the present system of management is maintained,
and the government lien is continued, no improve-
ment can be expected to arise from the exertions of
those resident parties who ought naturally to be
most interested in its prosperity. On the one hand,
the shareholders, by reason of the government mort-
gage, are deprived of all control in the management
of the canal, and will, obviously, make no advance
for further improvements; on the other hand, the
commissioners under whose direction the canal no-
minally rests, take very little, if any, charge of it;
and the whole management, during nearly 20 years,
has devolved, apparently, upon the resident engi-
neer, almost without check or control. This want
of attention to the affairs of the canal is stated to
have arisen from an expectation which has prevailed
that other arrangements would be made for the
management, either by Government taking it into
their own hands, or by the proprietors resuming
possession, on the Government abandoning their
mortgage. In the opinion of your committee, no-
thing can be more objectionable than the position in
which the affairs of the canal at present stand, and
they see no prospect of the Government obtaining
any return of their advances; neither is there any
ground for expecting that the traffic on the canal
will increase under the present management, or that
its revenues will become sufficient to meet those
improvements which are the most obviously requi-
site to advance the prosperity of the undertaking.
Your committee therefore recommend, that any
doubts which may exist of the right of the Govern-
ment to foreclose their mortgage, should be removed
by a declaratory act, authorizing the Treasury to
take such steps for the future support and manage-
ment of the canal as they may deem advisable, either
by postponing the Government security now held, so
as to induce private enterprise to embark in its im-
provement, or by foreclosing the mortgage, and ab-
solutely disposing of the property." The idea of a
railway by the side of the canal has been suggested ;
by this — even if worked by horses — passengers might
be conveyed in an hour with greater certainty than
they now are in four.* A steamer of proper dimen-
sions for passengers would work from Glasgow, &c.,
to Ardrisshaig, and from Crinan to Inverness. For
cheap passengers and heavy goods, the present steam-
boats going less frequently than at present would
suffice. That this would increase the despatch and
character, and therefore the extent of communica-
tion, cannot be doubted ; but the increase must be
great to warrant such an establishment of steam-
packets, which would of course be a private concern.
Mr. John Gibb of Aberdeen reports, with reference
to this canal, under date January 20, 1838, that
" until lately, Inverness, as well as the north-west-
ern districts of this county, together with Ross-
shire, were supplied with groceries, and almost every
other description of merchandise, by communication
* A large proportion of the steerage pnssengers landing at
Ardrisshaig' and Crinati, prefer, from motives of economy, to
walk the length of the canal, which they can easily do at'pre
sent in much less time than the bouts take to pass through.
with the eastern coast; but since the extension of
steam-navigation, and that by other traders, through
these canals, the connection has been gradually
changing; and the beneficial improvements which
have been effected on the river Clyde, enabling
vessels of every class to get up to the Brpomielaw
quays at Glasgow, with the rapidly increasing popu-
lation and trade of this great city, as also the numer-,
ous towns of growing importance in the vicinity of
the Clyde, create an additional demand, not only
for the produce of the Highlands, but also of Baltic
produce, for which the proper channel for economical
conveyance is through these canals. Therefore the
reciprocal exchange of merchandise bv those formerly
depending and subjected to the various delays con-
sequent on navigating along the rugged shores of
the German ocean, by the eastern coast, is now ex-
tending its connection by the western coast; and
from merchants from Inverness, Dingwall and the
northern ports now receive their supplies from Glas-
gow, which by steam-navigation through the Cale-
donian and Crinan canals would arrive almost with
the certainty of a mail-coach, at a comparatively
small expense and at little risk, were these canals,
maintained in a perfect working order. Another
important feature in this conveyance is the cheap-
ness to passengers by it; a cabin-passenger paying
only 30s., and a steerage passenger only 15s., from
Glasgow to Inverness. A merchant therefore from
any of the towns on the route can, with little time
lost or expense incurred, make the selection of goo;]s
for himself; and thus the revenue must be greatly
increased at Glasgow, with a comparatively small
capital from the dealer. These vessels, it is true,
require three days in passing from Inverness to Glas-
gow; but this is partly occasioned by what may be
called a trading voyage, and partly by the restriction
generally imposed at the Crinan canal, of not allow-
ing vessels to pass during the night. It is custo-
mary, during favourable weather, after leaving In-
verness, to reach Corpach, the western entrance to
the Caledonian canal, in one day, when the business
of that district, and that of Fort- William, is trans-
acted. The second day, after calling at Cornm
ferry, and the thriving town of Oban, they reach
the Crinan canal, landing and receiving on board
goods and passengers. After leaving Ardrisshaig,
the eastern entrance of the Crinan canal, they call
at West-Tarbet, Rothsay, Gourock. Greenock, and
Port-Glasgow, reaching Glasgow the evening of the
third day after leaving Inverness. These boats gen-
erally remain at Glasgow about three days; allowing,
therefore, sufficient time for discharging and loading
cargoes, and for the various dealers who accompany
them to transact their business, and return again by
the same conveyance. It will be obvious, that in
the foregoing description, reference is made chiefly
to the traffic carried on by the regular traders ; but
it ought to be mentioned, that there are, especially
during the summer-season, occasionally other steam-
ers which prosecute the same voyage, but these are
more for the purpose of pleasure-parties, besides
those which carry on regular business, independent
of the other trade. It should likewise be^ noticed,
that in addition to the towns already mentioned,
these boats receive goods and passengers from nu-
merous other places, especially amongst the islands
which lie between the Crinan canal and Corpach,
the western entrance of the Caledonian canal, which,
before this passage was established, could only hold
any communication with the towns in the south by
the most tedious route ; whereas, by the trade now
opened and which it is to be hoped will gradually
increase — an interchange will take place whi::h must
ia time prove of the greatest advantage to all
con-
CRI
267
CRO
eerned. But this change cannot be expected to go
on with that degree of rapidity with which it would
do in the midst of a populous and manufacturing
community. The inhabitants of the Islands and the
Highlands, like those of every other district, can
only purchase in exchange for what they sell ; and
this having been hitherto in a great measure con-
fined to their wool and loan cattle, enabled them to
do so in a very limited degree. But now that they
can send fresh fish, fat cattle, pigs, sheep, and poul-
to market, fit for immediate use, it will have
effect of very much improving their condition,
last, however, be kept in view, that unless this
jss is managed in the outset with fostering
and without being subjected to heavy imposts,
ler by trafficking on the canals or roads, it could
not rise to that importance which it is to be hoped
it would otherwise do. The advantages which have
already been secured to the islands by the roads
executed under the direction of the Parliamentary
commissioners, are so well-known that they need
hardly be noticed here, were it not to show the
importance of their connection with the canals, as
affording the means of conveying the various pro-
ducts of the country to the shipping-places. In
short, it has been truly said, " that the works con-
ducted by the Parliamentary commissioners since
1803, have done more for the civilization of the
Highlands than all other attempts for that purpose
during the preceding century." In conjunction with
the communication with the Clyde by the Caledo-
nian and Crinan canals, it is necessary to consider
the state of the harbours, especially of Ardrisshaig,
at the eastern entrance of the Crinan canal, from
Loch Gilp, where, independent of vessels* intend-
ing to pass through the canal, besides occasional
traders, at least one steam-boat arrives, and another
departs, every day, with goods, passengers, cattle,
sheep, pigs, poultry, &c. ; and during the herring-
fishing season about 100 large boats are engaged in
the herring-fishery, which dispose of their tish to the
buyers and curers, who were waiting them for that
purpose."
Comparative Annual Statement of the Number of Passengers
conveyed throuidi tin- Crinan canal by ateam-hoats, and of the
revenue derived from them, from 1818 to 1838, inclusive :—
Yean. Pasatngert. Revenue.
18*1,
185T7,
18*8,
18-*),
I8.-M,
185,
|H:«;,
1S.-I7,
I83S,
2,400
3.441
6.IW
»i !)3'J
9.61)4
14,7^7
8416
12,43.1
6,571
y.ft!>4
12,777
I8.U72
II,. S4 1
l7,8T>-2
21,400
11,506
£ t. d,
187*9 7|
269 13 8
«8G 18 7*
215 II 6
45ft 7 4J
:-Kfj 10 o
541 1 0
338 1 0
369 3 0
464 10 3
318 19 6
360 18 9
478 0 0
546 4 2
405 2 8
500 14 9
5ti7 5 3
343 4 0
11
CRINAN (LOCH), an arm of the sea, which gives
lame to the above canal, opening from the sound of
'lira, and running in a south-east direction into
North Knapdale. The scenery at the entrance is
ild and beautiful; but greatly inferior to that of
neighbouring loch, on the north, Loch Craig-
ROE, a district in the parish of Kintail, ROSS-
IS watered by the Croe, and separated from
ilenelchaig by the Boar hill. The Croe rises in a
lumber of small streams in the mountains, and falls
uto the eastern extremity of Lochduich. It at one
time abounded in salmon, but that fish is not now so
plentiful here.
CROMAR, a division of the district of Marr, in
Aberdeenshire, comprehending the parishes of Coul,
Tarland, Migvy, Logie-Coldstone, and part of
Tulloch.
C ROM ARTY, a very small county, washed on
three sides by the friths of Cromarty and Moray, and
bounded on the west by the county of Ross. Its
extreme length is about 16 miles; and it is, on an
average, about 6£ or 7 miles in breadth ; but it is
intersected by a large tract of common called the
Mulbuie, or Mulbuy, which belongs to Ross-shire,
and by the district of Ferintosh, which is in the
county of Nairn. The whole peninsula has the name
of Ardmeanach, or the Black Isle ; and the Cro-
marty part is called 'the old shire of Cromarty.'
This district was in very early times a sheriffdom,
hereditary in the family of Urquhart of Cromarty.
It comprehended, 1st, The whole parish of Cromarty.
2d, The parish of Kirkmichael, with the exception
of the farm of Easter Balblair, and perhaps Kirk-
michael— which form a tract of nearly one mile in
length, and half-a-mile in breadth, situated on the
point of land at Invergordon ferry, and which is
considered as a part of Ross-shire : And 3d, The
farm of Easter St. Martjn's, in the parish of Culli-
cuden. Thus, the old shire was a tract, whose
rtest length was 10 miles, and average breadth
The area, therefore, was only 17£ square miles
T^o the south of this district, and in the middle o.
the peninsula, lies the extensive common moor,
named the Mulbuie, in which the county of Cro-
marty has an undoubted share ; but, until a division
be made, it is impossible to ascertain any boundary
in it. Beginning on the shore of the Moray frith, at
the burn of Eathie or Craighouse, about 3 miles
south of Cromarty, the boundaries of the old shire
follow this burn to its source, and then run west-
ward, in the same direction, to the Fortrose road to
Invergordon ferry ; by this road they run so as to
include the White bog, or Glen Urquhart, till we
arrive at the turn towards Cromarty, and the burn
of Killean or the Black stank, where we meet the
Mulbuie moor, in which the boundary is uncertain.
On the north of this moor, we may proceed from the
junction of the Fort-George and Kessock roads to
Invergordon, directly west, between Brea and Easter
St. Martin's, to the bridge across the burn of New-
hall, between East and West St. Martin's, then
northwards, between the farms of Cullicuden and
Resolis, until we arrive at the frith of Cromarty,
about 1J mile west of the ferry of Alness. We mu>t
again cut off that piece of the ferry point of Inver-
gordon, called Easter Balblair, as being in Ross-
shire. It is nearly triangular, extending on the
north-west shore about half-a-mile, and on the east
about one mile from the point. " How this b'ttle
patch came to be excluded from the shire of Cro-
marty," says Sir George Mackenzie in his 'Genera.
Survey of Ross and Cromarty,' [London. 1810. 8vo.
pp. 12, 13.] "I cannot explain. It is alluded to
in the old valuation-roll of the county, taken in
1698, in these words ; — ' Sir Alexander Gordon, in
vice of St. Martins, for all the lands he bought of
St. Martins, except Wester St. Martins, Kirk-
michael, and Easter Balblair, which is in Ross, .£894
Os. Od.' From this, I am inclined to think, we should
also include the farm of Kirkmichael in Ross, Wester
St. Martin and Easter Balblair being confessedly so,
and accordingly are so valued in the cess-books. We
would thus bring the boundary of this part of Ross-
shire down to the mouth of the burn of Xewhall.
But I believe Kirkmiehael is reckoned as part of
Cromarty. Had the word 'is,' in the above entry.
CRO
2(>8
CRO
been 'are,* we might have supposed it decisive."
The rest of this county consists of nine detached
portions scattered up and down in various parts of
Ross-shire, containing in all about 344 square
miles, or 220,586 acres. George, Viscount Tarbat,
afterwards Earl of Cromarty, who was secretary of
state, and clerk to the parliament of Scotland, in the
reign of James II., William and Mary, &c. procured
an act, in 1685, annexing several lands to the shire
of Cromarty. This act being afterwards repealed,
another was procured in 1698— of which an extract
is here inserted in a Note — annexing some part of
his lands to the shire of Cromarty.* By this extra-
ordinary annexation, the shire of Cromarty has now
a territory fifteen times its former extent ; and its
valued rent has been increased threefold. But these
annexations consist of so many detached parts, that
a description of their boundaries would be exceed-
ingly irksome. It has been found necessary, in all
bills relating to roads, bridges, &c., to include the
whole of these annexations in Ross-shire ; although,
from their being thus kept in the back-ground, very
great inconvenience has been often felt, both by the
counties of Ross and of Cromarty. A great part of
this shire now belongs to the Andersons of Udal,
and the family of Ross of Cromarty. The face of
the country is pleasant. -A long ridge of hills ex-
tends the whole length, in the middle of the county,
having a fine declivity on either side towards the
shores of the friths. The higher grounds are mostly
i-overed with heath ; but towards the shores the soil
is light and early. Cromarty contains only one town
— from which the county takes its name — which was
formerly a royal burgh, and 5 parishes. The language
spoken is generally Gaelic; but many speak that
broad Scottish which is commonly called the Buchan
or Aberdeenshire dialect. Freestone, granite, and
reddish-coloured porphyry, are almost the only min-
erals, if we except topazes similar to those of Cairn-
gorm, which are found in the parish of Kincardine.
Fisheries are very successfully carried on, and pearls
of considerable value are sometimes found in the
frith of Cromarty, where the river Conal falls into
that bay. The district is comprehended in the she-
riffdom of Ross-shire ; and a sheriff-substitute holds
courts every alternate Friday at the town of Cro-
marty. It now joins with the county of Ross in re-
turning a member to parliament. Constituency in
1839, 103. Cromarty gave the title of Earl to a
branch of the Mackenzies of Seaforth. The family
came into favour in the reign of James VI., and hav-
ing been raised to a baronetcy, was, in the reign of
James II., elevated to the viscountcy of Tarbet.
Lord Tarbet was created Earl of Cromarty in 1702;
but the title was attainted in the person of George,
the 3d Earl, on account of his having engaged in the
rebellion of 1745. He was surprised and defeated by
* " Considering that, by art of parliament lf>85, the barony of
Tar-hat and several other lands in Ross-shire were dissolved
troni it, ami annexed to the shire of Cmmarty, but. in IGSfi,
this said act of annexation was rescinded, on pretence that it
included land? not belonging to the Viscount Tarbat, in whose
favour the said annexation to Cromarty was made, and now,
the said Viscount df siring that only the said barony of Tarbat,
and other lands in Ross-shire, which belong to him in pro.
pcrty, and are presently possessed by him, or by his brother,
or mother-in-law, in lift-rent, and by some wadsetters of his
property, should be annexed to the shire of Cromarty : their
Majesties. in favour of the said Viscount and his successors,
did, with consent, &c., rescind the said act 1686, and, of new,
annexed the said barony of Tarbat, and all other lands in Ross.
cliire, belonging in property to the said Viscount, and pos-
sessed, as said is, to the shire of Cromarty in all time coining,
and to all effects ; and as to any other lands contained in that
not being of the barony of Tarbat, and not being his
other proper lands, and possessed in manner foresaid, they arc
to remain in the shire of Ross as formerly, notwithstanding of
this or the other act passed in the year 1685 ; but prejudice of
the said Visa unt, his other jurisdictions in these lands, as ac-
ewrdt," &e.
the Earl of Sutherland's militia, near Duni
castle, on the day before the battle of Culloden ; an
being sent to London, was tried, and condemned
be executed, but by great intercession his life
spared, though his estate and honours were forfeitt
His son entered the Swedish service. He was
monly known as Count-Cromarty, and died in 1
At present the peerage is claimed by Sir AlexaruU
Mackenzie of Tarbet, Bart. The valued rent
Cromarty shire is .£12,897 Scots ; the real land r«
may be estimated at .£7,000 sterling. Populntic
in 1801, 3,052; in 1811, 5,481. In all the more
cent returns this shire is included with that of '.
which see.
CROMARTY, a parish in the above countj
about 7 miles in length, and from 1 to 4 in breadtl
bounded by the frith of Cromarty on the nortl
by the Moray frith and the parish of Rosemarkie
the east and south ; and by Resolis on the wes
The burn of Ethie defines the southern limits
this parish. It flows in some places through a dc
picturesque ravine. On the banks of the frith tl
surface is level ; but a ridge about 2 miles from tl
coast, extends the whole length of the parish, abo\
which the ground is covered with heath and
The soil is wet and moorish, which makes tl
seasons late, and the crop uncertain. The coast
wards the east is bold and rocky: some of the elil
being nearly 250 feet perpendicular towards the
the rest is flat and sandy. Population of the parisl
in 1801, 2,413; in 1831, 2,901. Houses 518.
sessed property, in 1815, .£3,569. Estimated rent
£3,300.— This parish is in the presbytery of Chi
nonry, and synod of Ross. Patron, the Crow
Stipend £251* 12s. 6d. ; glebe £15. Unappropriatt
teinds £395 18s. 5d. There is a Gaelic church, tl
minister of which has a stipend of £50 from Goven
ment.
CROMARTY, a neat and clean, but irregui
built, town in the above parish; 19^ miles nortl
east of Inverness ; 1 1 south of Tain ; 10^ north-
of Rosemarkie ; 21 east of Ding wall ; and 175 1101
by west of Edinburgh. It is situated upon a '
point of land which stretches out into the sea in
picturesque manner. The sea has made consh"
able encroachments on the east end of the town,
was formerly a royal burgh, but was disfranchised
an act of the privy-council of Scotland, in conse
quence of a petition by Sir John Urquhart, proprieto
of the estate of Cromarty. The harbour of Cromarty
inferior perhaps to mwie in Britain for safety, and
commodious quay, were built at the joint expense c
Government and the proprietor of the estate c
Cromarty, in 1 785. Vessels of 350 or 400 tons ma
lie in it in perfect security. A considerable trade i
sack cloth has been long established in Cromarty an
the neighbourhood. In 1807, this town sent to Lor
don goods to the amount of £25,000. In the sam
year Cromarty exported 112 tons of pickled por
and hams, and 60 tons of dried cod fish. Its stap'
trade was, until lately, the catching and curing <
herrings. The town has a weekly market on Fr
days, and an annual fair. Here is a branch of tl
Commercial bank. A large rocky cavern under tl
South Sutor, called Macfarquhar's Bed, and a ca\
which contains a petrifying well, are amongst tl
natural curiosities. The hill of Cromarty is eel
brated for the grandeur and extent of the prospe
from it. Population of the town, in 1801, 1,99;
in 1831, 2,215. Cromarty unites with Wick, Din;
wall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, and Tain, in returning
member to parliament. It is governed by a proves
2 bailies, and 7 councillors. Parliamentary at
municipal constituency in 1839, 49. A steam-to
from Leith touches here once a-werk.
CRO
IOMAR'TY FRITH (THE), called by Bu-
n the Portus sain tin, is one of the finest bays
iat Britain. It is divided from the Moray frith
j county of Cromarty, and washes the southern
shore of the county of Ross. It is about 17 miles in
and from 3 to .5 in breadth. Its average
;h is from 9 to 12 fathoms. The entrance is be-
two twin promontories or headlands called the
of Cromartv, two bluff wooded hills, which
about 1£ mile distant from each other; above
:h the frith expands into a beautiful bay of about
liles in length and in breadth. There is fine an-
•ing-ground, after passing the Sutors, for several
up the bay, with deep water on both sides
close to the shore, forming, in the language
Id Stowe, " an exceeding quiet and safe haven."
•ry-boat is established across the bay from the
to the Cromarty side.
!ROMBIE, an ancient parish now comprehended
thut of Torryburn, Fifeshire. Crornbie-Point, in
is district, about 6£ miles north-west of North
lensferry, and 3 miles east of the village of
ryburn, is a calling-place of the Newhaven and
ling steamers. See TORRYBURN.
ROMDALE, a parish composed of the three
it but now united parishes of Cromdale, Inver-
and Advie ; situated in the counties of Inver-
and Elgin ; bounded by Knockando on the north ;
iveraven and Kirkmichael on the cast ; by Aber-
:hy on the south ; and by Duthil on the west. Its
extent is considerable, being in length 1 7 miles ;
while, in some places, the breadth is 10 miles. It is
intersected throughout its whole length by the river
r. The soil is in general dry and thin, with the
ption of the haughs on the banks of the Spey,
:h, in point of fertility, are equal to any in the
^hbourhood. The hills and level grounds are
generally covered with heath. Granton, a village
civet ed about 70 years ago, is in this parish, on the
western side of the Spey, in the shire of Elgin. See
GRANTON. At Lochindorb, a thick wall of mason-
work, 20 feet high, surrounds an acre of land within
the lake, with strong watch-towers at every corner.
The entrance is by a magnificent gate of freestone ;
and the foundations of houses are to be distinctly
traced within the walls. Population, in 1801,2,187;
in 1831, 3,234. Houses in Inverness-shire, in 1831,
484; in Elgin 117. Assessed property in Inverness-
diire .£3,975; in Elgin £686.— This parish, formerly
a rectory, with the ancient vicarage of Inverallan and
Advie united, is in the presbytery of Abernethy and
synod of Moray. Patron, the Earl of Seafield.
Stipend £249 4s. 7d. ; glebe £22. Unappropriated
£315 4s. 9d. Church built in 1812; sittings
900. There is a mission at Granton embracing the
old parish of Inverallan, established in 1835. Salary
£W i. There is also a small Baptist congregation at
Granton. The low grounds on the south banks of
the Spey have been rendered famous by a song, —
' The Huughs of Cromdale' — composed, in conse-
quence of a skirmish which took place here, in 1690,
Betwixt the adherents of King William, under the
command of Sir Thomas Livingston, and the sup-
porters of the house of Stuart, under Major-General
Buelmn, in which the latter were defeated. Liv-
inpsto;i was, at the end of April, lying within 8
mih's of Strathspey, on the grounds of the laird of
Grant, where he received notice from a captain in
GrantV regiment, wl.o, with a company of men, held
--ion for the iroverniueirt of Balloch — now Grant
,1-tlf — in the vicinity of Cromdale, that Buchan was
marching down Strathspey. Desirous of attacking
him before he should have an opportunity of being
iiied by the country people, Livingston marched off
Spey, ii. the afternoon, and continued
269
CRO
his march till he arrived within 2 miles of Balloch
castle. As it was already dark, and the night fa.
advanced, and as a difficult pass lay between him and
the castle, Livingston proposed to encamp during
the night; but not finding a convenient place, he, by
the persuasion of one of his officers who was ac-
quainted with the pass, and who undertook to con-
duct him safely through it, renewed his march, and
arrived at the Dairirade or top of the hill above the
castle at two o'clock in the morning. Buchan's men
were then reposing in fancied security near Let hindie,
on the adjoining plain of Cromdale, and the fires of
their camp — which were pointed out by the captain
of the castle to Livingston — showed him that he was
much nearer the enemy than he had any idea of.
Mackay says, that had Livingston been aware that
the Highlanders were encamped so near the pass,
he would not have ventured through it during
the night, having little confidence in the country
people ; nor would the enemy, had they suspecteil
Livingston's march, left their former station and en-
camped upon an open plain, a considerable distance
from any secure position, 'just as if they had been
led thither by the hand as an ox to the slaughter.'
As several gentlemen of the adjoining country had
sought an asylum in the castle on hearing of Buchan 'A
advance, the commander, in order to prevent any
knowledge of Livingston's approach toeing commu-
nicated to the Highlanders, had taken the precaution
to shut the gates of the castle, and to prohibit all
egress ; so that the Highlanders were as ignorant of
Livingston's arrival as he had previously been ot
their encampment at Cromdale. Such being the
case, the commander of the castle advised him to
attack the Highlanders without delay, and he him-
self offered to conduct the troops into the plain.
Livingston's men were greatly fatigued with their
march; but, as the opportunity of surprising the
enemy should not, he thought, be slighted, he called
his officers together, and, after stating his opinion,
requested each of them to visit their detachments
and propose an attack to them. The proposition
having been acceded to, the troops were allowed
half-an-hour to refresh themselves, after which they
inarched down through the valley of Auchinarrow,
to the river. Finding a ford below Dellachaple,
which he approached, guarded by a hundred High-
landers, Livingston left a detachment of foot and a
few dragoons to amuse them, while, with his main
body, led. by some gentlemen of the name of Grant
on hors-eback, he inarched to another ford, through a
covered way a mile farther down the river, which
he crossed at the head of three troops of dragoons,
and a troop of horse, a company of his Highlanders
forming the advanced guard. After he reached the
opposite bank of the Spey, he perceived the High-
landers, who had received notice of his approach
from their advanced guards at the upper ford, in
great confusion, and in motion towards the hillH.
He thereupon sent orders to a part of his regiment,
and another troop of horse to cross the river and
join him ; but, without waiting for them, he galloped
off at full speed towards the hills, so as to get be-
tween the fugitives — the greater part of whom were
almost naked — and the hills, and intercept them in
their retreat. The cavalry were accompanied by
the company of Highlanders which had crossed the
river, and who are said to have outrun their mounted
companions, — a circumstance which induced the dy-
ing Highlanders, on arriving at the foot of the hill
of Cromdale, to make a stand; but, on the approach
of Livingston and the remainder of his dragoons and
horse, they again took to their heels. They turned,
however, frequently round upon their pursuers, and
defended themselves with their swords and target*
CRO
270
CRO
with great bravery. A thick fog, which, coming
down the side of the mountain, enveloped the fugi.
tives, compelled Livingston to discontinue the pur-
suit, and even to beat a retreat. According to
Mackay, the Highlanders had 400 men killed and
taken prisoners, while Livingston did not lose a
single man, and only seven or eight horses; but
Balcarras states his loss at about 100 killed, and
several prisoners ; and the author of the ' Memoirs
of Dundee ' says, that many of Livingston's dragoons
fell. A party of the Camerons and Macleans, who
had in the flight separated from their companions in
arms, crossed the Spey the following day ; but, being
pursued by some of Livingston's men, were over-
taken and dispersed on the moor of Granish near
Aviemore, where some of them were killed. The
rest took shelter in .Craigellachie, and, being joined
by Keppoch and his Highlanders, made an attempt
to seize the castle of Lochinclan in Rothiemurcus,
but were repulsed with loss by the proprietor and
his tenants.
CROOK (THE), a small inn, 34£ miles from
Edinburgh, and 15k from Moffat, on the post-road
from Edinburgh to Dumfries, by way of Moffat.
This is a favourite haunt of anglers ; the head-
streams of the Tweed affording fine tr outing in the
neighbourhood.
CROOK-OF-DEVON, a small village in Perth-
shire, in the parish of Fossaway, on the river Devon ;
18 miles east of Stirling, and 6 west of Kinross. It-
is a burgh-of-barony ; and has a fair in May, and
another in October. The village takes its name
from a sudden turn or crook which the river Devon
takes at this place : see article THE DEVON.
CROOKSTON CASTLE, an interesting relic
of feudal times, crowning the summit of a wooded
slope overhanging the southern bank of the White
Cart, in Renfrewshire ; about 3 miles south-east of
Paisley. When Crawford wrote, this building con-
sisted of a large quarter, and two lofty towers,
with battlemented wings. Much of it has since
crumbled into further ruin ; but a portion of the
walls, about 30 feet in height, yet remains, and the
moat and rampart may be still distinctly traced.
The surrounding scenery is pleasingly broken in its
outline, and the view from it is very commanding.
John Wilson, the author of a poem entitled ' Clyde,'
which Leyden has thought worthy of a place in his
collection of 'Descriptive Poems,' has these lines: —
" Here, rained upon n verdant mount cublime,
rl'n Heaven complaining of the wrongs of tune.
And ruthless force of sacrilegious hands,
Crookston, an ancient seat, in ruins stands ;
Nor Clyde's whole course an ampler prospect yields,
Of spacious plains, and well-improven fields ;
Whiclt, here, the gently-swelling hills surround,
And, there, the cloud-supporting mountains hound ;
Now fields with stately dwellings thronger charged.
And populous cities, by their trade enlarged."
An anonymous poet has much more beautifully apos-
trophized Crookston castle in the foil j wing lines:—:
Thou proud memorial of a former age,
Time-ruined Crookston ; not in all our land
Romantic with a noble heritage
Of feudal halls, in ruin sternly grand,
More beautiful doth tower or castle stand
Than Ihou I as oft the lingering traveller tells.
And none more varied sympathies command;
Though win-re the warrior dwelt, the raven d\ve''«,
With tenderness thy tale the rudest bosom swells.
Along the soul that pleasing sadness steals
Which trembles from a wild harp's dying fall,
When Fancy's recreative eye reveals
To him, lone-musing by thy mouldering wall,
What warriors thronged, what joy run* through thy hall,
When royal Mary— yet unstained by crime,
And with love's golden sceptre ruling nil-
Made thee her bridal home. There seems to shine
Still o'er thee splendour shed at that high gorgeous time.'
How dark a moral shades and chills the heart
When gazing oa thy dreary deep decay !
Robert Croc, a gentleman of Norman extraction,
held the barony of Crookston in the 12th century,
and in 1180, founded here an hospital for infirm men,
and a chapel. In the 13th century, this barony was
carried by a female heiress into the illustrious family
of Stewart, whose regality now comprehended
Crookston, Darnley, Neilston, Inchinnan, and Tar-
bolton. In 1565, Henry, Lord Darnley, eldest son
of Matthew, Earl of Lennox, became the husband of
Mary, Queen of Scots ; and some traditions say that
it was at Crookston that ill-fated betrothment was
arranged. " Another traditionary report," says Mr.
Ramsay, in his interesting Descriptive Notices of
Renfrewshire, " represents Crookston as the place
from which Mary beheld the rout of her last army
at Langside. This report, and a kindred supersti-
tion which still lingers among the peasantry, have
been finely embodied in the following lines by Wil-
son : —
" But dark Langside, from Crookston viewed afar,
Still seems to range in pomp the rebel war.
Here, when the moon rides dimly through the sky,
The peasant sees broad dancing standards fly;
And one bright female form, with sword and crown,
Still grieves to view her banners beaten down."
The same report having been adopted by Sir Walter
Scott, not only in a historical romance, [' The Ab
hot,] but even in the sober pages of history itself
[History of Scotland, Vol. II. p. 131.] it has at
tained a currency almost universal. Now Crookstor
castle lies 4 miles west from the field of battle, am
the swelling grounds which intervene prevent th<
one place from being seen from the other. A par
from this consideration altogether, it is quite incre
dible that the Queen could be at Crookston castl<
on the occasion in question. It will be recollected
that she had just escaped from Loch Leven, and flee
to Hamilton, from whence she was proceeding, undei
the protection of an army, towards the castle o
Dumbarton as a temporary place of safety, wher
her troops were confronted and utterly defeated b]
the Regent Murray, at Langside, which is about i
miles south of Glasgow, and nearly parallel with that
city. The belief that the Queen was at Crookstor
during the battle necessarily infers the supposition
that she had needlessly endangered her persona
safety, by proceeding 4 miles in advance of the troops,
which were expressly called together for her protec-
tion. As has been mentioned in a previous notice,
it was from an eminence in the neighbourhood o
Cathcart castle, and rather in the rear of her army,
that Mary beheld the decisive struggle ; and as on
its termination she fled to the south, it is evident that
on that disastrous day she could not be any nearer tc
the castle of Crookston. Sir Walter Scott having
been informed of the error into which he had beer
led, he at once admitted it in a note to the revisec
edition of * The Abbot;' expressing, at the same
time, his unwillingness to make the fiction give way
to the fact, in this particular instance, from a per
suasion that the representing Mary as beholding the
battle from Crookston tended greatly to increase the
interest of the scene in the romance.* Unfortunately,
the error has hitherto been allowed to pass uncor-
rected in his popular History of Scotland. On the
whole, having searched in vain for any contemporary
authority on the subject, we are constrained to rest
satisfied with the only probable form of the tradition,
that, namely, which bears in general terms, that the
Queen and Darnley passed some days at the castle of
Crookston soon after their nuptials. This has been
* The Abbot, edition 1831, Vol. II. p 3X9. The render who
is unacquainted "ith the locality will be embarrassed by Sir
WalU'r'> having inadvertently said, in the note here rcl.-rred
to, (p. 310,) ihat hehnd "taken a liberty in removing the actual
field of Battle somewhat to the eastward," whereas the removal
made by him was to Ihc westward.— Nute t>y Mr.
CRO
271
CUO
incidentally stated by Sir Walter Scott in his histo- !
rical work ; and akin to it is the statement which he
represents the good Lady Fleming as making in the ;
romance, that here the Queen held her first court j
after the marriage. — On a small mount, close to the
past side of the castle, there stood a stately yew,
called, ' The Crookston Tree,' the situation of |
which was such that it forages formed a conspicuous
object for many miles round. Under the ill-omened
branches of this funereal tree, Mary and Darnley
were accustomed to sit during the brief period of
sunshine which they enjoyed. In 1710, Crawford
•spoke of it as a 'noble monument,' of a large trunk,
and 'well spread in its branches;' and so it con-
tinued to be within the recollection of some persons
yet living. In 1782, the trunk, to the height of 7
feet from the ground, measured 10 feet in circum-
ference. Shortly before that time, the tree was un-
fortunately pruned, by way of experiment, in conse-
quence of which the growth upon the top was re-
tarded, and the tree itself gradually withered and
died. Blasted and leafless, it formed a dismal, and
therefore not unmeet, memorial of the unhappy pair
with whose melancholy story it was connected. Its
extinction was accelerated by relic-collectors, who,
undisturbed by conscientious qualms,' cut down
and carried away large portions. At length, the
worthy proprietor, Sir John Maxwell, in order that
he might secure his right to what was left, found it
necessary to root out the stump, and take it into his
own immediate possession. This he did in the year
1817. The greater part of the wood having remained
sound, fragments of this celebrated tree are to be
found dispersed over the country, some as female
ornaments, and others in less appropriate forms, such
as snuff-boxes and drinking-cups. Connected with
the old tree there is a popular error, which some
writers of good repute have followed. In the reign
it Mary, there was struck a silver coinage of three
sixes, bearing on the reverse the figure of a tree,
crowned, with the motto, 'Dat Gloria Vires.' It
is generally believed that this tree represents the
Crookston yew, and that it was put upon the coin
in order to commemorate the meeting of Mary and
Darnley under its branches : accordingly, the coin of
the largest size goes under the name of ' The Crook-
ston dollar.' Now, to show the groundlessness of
this story, it is only necessary to refer to the order
of the Privy council for the formation of the coin-
age in question, dated 22d December, 1565. By that
order, it is expressly enjoined, that the coinage shall
' on the arie side, one palm-tree, crownit ;'
in conformity to this, the tree upon the coin is
to resemble a palm and not a yew." — After
death of Darnley, the estates and honours of
lox were conferred upon Charles Stewart, 2d
or Matthew, Earl of Lennox, on whose death
without issue, they passed to Robert Stewart,
iop of Caithness, who resigned them to the
m on succeeding to the Earldom of March.
James then conferred them on Esme Stewart,
D'Aubigny, created Duke of Lennox in 1581.
ring once more fallen to the Crown, the Lennox
and estate were conferred by Charles II. on
ttural son Charles, Duke of Lennox and Rich-
el, who afterwards sold his Scottish estates to
Duke of Montrose. In 1757, the castle and
Is of Crookston were bought from William, 2d
ce of Montrose, by Sir John Maxwell of Nether-
•k, in whose family they have since continued.
'IIOSHY, an ancient chapelry in the parish of
'oirnld, Ayrshire. There are the remains of a
of worship here ; the burial-place surround-
wlu'cli is still used by the inhabitants of Troon.
situation is very retired :uul beautiful.
CROSS, a parish in the island of Sanday, Orkney;
to which is annexed, quoad sacra, the parish of Bur-
ness. Population, exclusive of Burness, in 1811,
423; in 1831, 541. Houses, in 1831, 76 This
united parish — with which North Ronaldsay was
also united until 1831 — is in the presbytery of North
Isles, and synod of Orkney, Patron, the Earl of
Zetland. Stipend £210; glebe £19. Unappro-
priated teinds £27 Os. 4d. Worship is performed
alternately at Cross and at Burness Schoolmaster's
salary £46, with £10 fees. See articles BURNESS
and SANDAY.
CROSS-BASKET. See EAST KILBRIDE.
CROSSFORD, a village in Fifeshire ; 1£ mile
west of Dunfermline ; on the road to Culross and
Alloa. It is chiefly inhabited by table-linen weavers.
CROSSGATES, a village in Fifeshire; 3^ miles
east of Dunfermline; 10 south of Kinross; and 5
north from Queensferry — The roads from Perth to
Edinburgh, and from Kirkcaldy to Dunfermline, in-
tersect each other here. There is a Secession meet-
ing-house, built in 1801-2; sittings 531. Several
fairs are held here, and there is an annual exhibi-
tion of cattle and horses. Population, in 1836, 420.
CROSS ISLE, one of the Shetland isles, consti-
tuting part of the parish of Dunross-Ness.
CROSSHILL. See KIRKMICHAEL.
CROSSMICHAEL, a parish in the centre of the
stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It is of a rectangular
form, extending in length about 5, and in breadth
about 4 miles. Superficial area 7,696 acres. It is
bounded on the east by the Urr, which divides it
from the parishes of Kirkpatrick-Durham and Urr;
and on the west by the Dee, which divides it from
Balmagie ; on the north-west it has Parton parish ;
and on the south-east Buittle and Kelton. From
the two rivers, the ground rises into a fertile ridge,
beautifully diversified with gentle eminences. To-
wards the northern border, there is a small part
covered with heath ; along the rivers are extensive
meadows. There are two lakes in the parish, called
Engrogo and Rohn, abounding with pike and perch.
There are two ferries over the Dee in this parish,
which is here from 700 to 2,200 feet in width ; and
the great military road to Portpatrick passes through
it. There are several Pictish monuments of anti-
quity, and the remains of ancient fortifications. Near
the kirk of Crossmichael, at a place called Crofts, is
a very beautiful oval camp, occupying the summit of
a hill, and commanding the river immediately below.
The village of Crossmichael is a pleasing little place,
with a population of 229. Here stood, in ancient
times, a cross dedicated to St. Michael, around which
the peasantry of the neighbourhood were wont to
assemble at Michaelmas to a fair. The cross has
disappeared, but the fair is still held. Population,
in 1801, 1,084; in 1831, 1,325. Houses 242. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £10,429.— This parish,
formerly a prebend of Sweetheart abbey, is in the
presbytery of Kirkcudbright, and synod of Gallowav.
Patroness, Mrs. Gauld. Stipend £269 15s. H )<!.';
glebe £24. Church built in 1751 ; enlarged in 1S±>;
sittings 596. — There are two parochial schools.
Salary of the first master £31 6s. 6j|d., with about
£30 fees; of the second £20, with £11 11s. ;id.
from a fund mortified in 1735, by William Gordon,
merchant in Bristol, in consequence of which he ;s
not entitled to school-fees. There are also 2 pri-
vate schools.
CROSSRAGTEL, or CROSSRECAL,* a celebrated
Cluniac abbey, now in ruins, in the parish of Kiik-
oswald in Ayrshire, '2 miles south-west of Maybole.
It is situated on a broad ridge of ground which rises
* Writtc'n also Crn^r i^-url, Crossregal, Crosragmol, Cross-
recall, C'robtreguil, and CruB;ra«\vcll.
272
CROSSRAGUEL.
considerably above sea-level, but on a part of the
ridge which sinks somewl at under the level of the
immediate environs, and amidst marshy ground.
The walls have greatly crumbled down, and it has
long been unroofed, but it still presents an imposing
front to the passer-by on the highway towards the
east, and is one of the most entire ecclesiastical
edifices of the period. This abbey was founded by
Duncan, Earl of Carrick, about the year 1240. The
last abbot was the celebrated Quentin Kennedy, who
died in 1564. Grose has given three views of the
ruins, and a minute description of them as they
existed in 1796, — supplied by a gentleman resident
in the neighbourhood, — of which the following is an
extract. " Entering the precincts from the north,
where the principal gate stood, you have in front what
I shall call the cathedral of the abbey, which stands
clue east and west; the walls are almost entire,
about 164 feet long, and 22 feet high; the architec-
ture in the same Gothic taste which is common in
structures of the same period ; the stones in general
not very large. There is but one door in all this
north side and front of the cathedral, which is near
the west end of it, considerably ornamented, of a
conic shape, 9 feet high, and at the bottom 5 feet
broad. The ground along the whole of the building,
for about twenty paces from the wall, is enclosed
with a bad stone dyke, and set apart for a burying-
place; but is now seldom used — Leaving the above-
mentioned door, you turn to the west end of the
cathedral, and go about thirty paces south-west,
which brings you to what is called the Abbot's new
house. It is an oblong tower about 30 feet high ;
below it there is a large arch, through which you pass
before you get to the door of the house, which is
immediately on the south-east side of the arch ; this
door leads you up a winding narrow stair built to
the tower, and consisting of three nights of steps ;
the first flight brings you to a room 13 feet by 11,
lighted by two windows, 3 feet high, and 2£ feet
broad, the one looking to the south, the other to
the north. The second flight brings you to another
room of exactly the same dimensions and lighted in
the same manner. The third brings you to the top
of the tower, which is surrounded by a parapet wall.
On the top of the staircase is a small building, higher
than the tower, which is said to have been a bell-
house — From the west side of this tower, and at
right angles with it, there has been a row of build-
ings, which are now a heap of ruins. At the south
end a dovecot of a very singular construction is still
extant ; the shaft of it is circular, and surrounds a
well of excellent water ; above 5 feet from the
ground it begins to swell, and continues for 6 or
7 feet, then contracts as it rises, till it comes to a
point at the top ; in shape therefore it resembles a
pear, hanging from the tree, or rather an egg stand-
ing on the thickest end. You enter it by a small
door on the north, about 5 feet from the" ground ;
the floor is of stone, and serves also as a covering to
the well beneath; the sides within are full of square
holes for pigeons; it is lighted from the top by a
small circular opening, and is still perfectly entire,
ecty
st 8
16 feet perpendicular, and where widest 8 feet in
diameter. —Returning to the door of the Abbot's
house, you go about ten paces due east, along the
inside of an high wall, which joins to the other
buildings of the abbey; here has been a gate, now
in ruins; entering by the place where the gate stood, j
you find nothing but a strong wall, till you come to
the north-west corner, where is a small arched door,
the sides of which are much broken down ; this door
leads into a kind of gallery, 18 feet broad, and 72
feet long; lighted only by three narrow slips to the
west Turning from this door, you walk 72 feet
along the south wall of the cathedral, which form
the north side of the court; in this you find thre
doors, one almost at the north-west corner of th
court, and two near the north-east. These door
are nearly of the same dimensions, 9 feet high, ,
feet broad at the bottom, and semicircular at th
top. The door at the north-west corner of th
court is almost opposite the door in the front o
north wall of the cathedral, which we have ahead
mentioned, and leads into the choir. This form
the west part of the cathedral, is of an oblong figure
88 feet long, anc} 25 feet broad within the walls
lighted by five windows, with pointed arches,
feet high, and 3 feet broad at the bottom ; there i
but one small window to the south, at the head o
the wall, which has received the light over th
covering of the court ; on the north wall and nea
the north-east corner of the choir, is a niche in th
wall, semicircular at the top, 8 feet broad, and
feet high, where it is probable the image of th
patron-saint formerly stood — The partition wind
divides the choir from the church, or east part of th
cathedral, is pretty entire, and has been furnishei
with a pair of bells. Precisely in the middle of th
partition is a door, with a pointed arch, 9 feet high
and 5 feet broad at the bottom, which leads into th
church; this still retains something of its ancien
magnificence, is of the same breadth with the choir
but only 76 feet long; the east end of it is semi
circular, or rather triagonal, adorned with three larp
windows, with pointed arches, 11 feet high and
feet broad at the bottom. There are six other win
dows to the north, and one to the south, of the sain
shape and height, but only six feet broad. Imme
diately below the south window, and near the south
east corner of the church, stands the altar, whic
has been greatly ornamented, but is now defaced
no vestiges of any inscription remain here, or in an
part of the abbey. The altar is 7 feet broad, an<
4 feet high, square, but fretted at the top a little ti
the left from it. Below the most southerly of th
largest windows, there is a niche in the wall 4 fee
high and 2 broad, concave at the top, but almos
without ornament. In the bottom are two hollow
made in the stone, like the bottom of a plate ; thi
is supposed to have been a private altar, perhaps tha
of the family of Cassilis. A little to the right of th<
principal altar is a small door leading to a ruinou
stair which we shall have occasion to mention im
mediately. Still farther to the right of the altar
on the same wall, is a larger door, 7 feet high and I
broad, with a pointed arch, which leads into a high
arched room, with a pillar in the middle, and a stone
bench round the sides, 20 feet long and 15 broad,
said to be the place where the consistorial court was
held. It is lighted only by one window from the
east ; on the left hand, as you enter the room from
the church, there is a door which opens on the ruin-
ous stair already mentioned. This stair has led into
a room immediately above the consistory, precisely
of the same length and breadth, but now level witb
the iioor. From this room you descend a few steps
into the Abbot's hall, which is 20 feet square, lightec
you find yourself on the south-west corner of a court I by two small windows to the east, and one to the
west looking in the court __ Returning from th«
feet square. Round this court there has been a
covered way ; vestiges of the arches by which the
covering was supported are still visible: in the midst
of the court^was a well, which is now filled up with
rubbish. Walking along the west side of tho court,
Abbot's hall into the church, by the same door, wt
find the door in the south-west corner of the church.
the dimensions of which have been already given.
Going out rt this door we find ourselves in tb«
nortl
from
CRO
273
CUL
rth-east comer of the court; walking five paces
this we come to a door, semicircular at the
top. 8 feet high and 5 broad, which opens into a
room arched in the roof, immediately below the
Abbot's hall, of the same breadth and length, and
lighted from the east by two small windows. Pro-
ding from this room to the south-east corner of
court, you find a ruinous arch, about 24 feet
g, 10 feet high, and 9 broad, with a stone bench
both sides ; this seems to have led to a number
cells, which are now a heap of ruins. Turning
m this arch you walk along the south side of the
, where there is nothing observable but several
all doors, leading into ruinous cells ; what number
these there may altogether have been, it is now
possible to determine, as the greatest part of them
buried under the rubbish of their own walls.
he Abbot's old house, as it is called, is the only
'Iding of the abbey we have not hitherto men-
ed. This stands immediately to the south-east
the ruinous cells above described. It has been
oblong tower; but the east side, in which the
ir has been built, is now fallen down, which pre-
ts its dimensions from being accurately taken;
iey seem, however, to have been nearly the same
ith the dimensions of the Abbot's new house."
CROULIN ISLES, a groupe off the coast of
-shire, near the entrance of Loch Carron. The
jst is about a mile in length.
IROVIE, a small fishing- village on the Moray
rith ; in the parish of Gamrie, Banffshire ; 6 miles
it by north of Aberdour.
CROY, a parish partly in the county of Nairn,
id partly in that of Inverness. The extreme length
about 21 miles; it is so intersected by the par-
ies of Petty, Daviot, and In verness, that its breadth
nnot be exactly ascertained, but it reaches in some
jirits to 9 miles". The river Nairn runs through the
rish for 8 miles, and its strath, with the seats of Kil-
ivock, Holme, and Cantray, forms a scene of true
iral amenity and beauty ; the remainder including
lulloden moor, [see CULLODEN,] is indifferently
cultivated, and has a bleak and naked appearance.
There is one small loch, called the Loch of the
Clans. Valued rental £2,961 16s. 4d. Scots. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £4,500. Population, in
1801, 1,601 ; in 1831, 1,604. Houses in Nairnshire,
in 1831, 140; in Inverness-shire, 206.— This parish,
formerly a rectory with the vicarage of Dalcross an-
nexed, is in the presbytery of Nairn, and synod of
Moray. Stipend £23<) 3s. lOd. ; glebe £11. Un-
appropriated teinds £240 4s. lOd. Patrons, the
Earl of Cawdor, and Rose of Kilravock. Church
built in 1757 ; repaired in 1829; sittings 527. There
is a cateehist in the parish.
CRUACHAN, See BEN-CRUACHAN.
CRUACH-LUSSA, or CRUACH LUSACH, that
is, ' the Mountain of plants,' a mountain in the dis-
trict of Knapdale, Argyleshire, It stretches over a
2at extent of country, being about 8 miles broad
the base. It has never been exactly measured,
thought to exceed 3,000 feet above the level
t the sea. From its summit, in a clear day, a fine
nv may be obtained of Islay, Jura, and other
Wids of the Hebrides, and of the island of Rathlin
'the Irish coast.
CRUDEN, a parish situated in that district of
tberdeenshire called Buchan; bounded by Long-
ide and Peterhead parishes on the north; by the
forth sea on the east; by Slaines and Logie-Buchan
the south ; and by Ellon on the west. It extends
~ it 8 or 9 miles along the coast, and about 7 or
ill's inland. An immense quantity of peat-moss
tretches along the northern boundary. There are
fishing- villages in the parish, at one of which,
Ward, a tolerable harbour might be made. Slaines
castle, the seat of the Earl of Errol, is in this par-
ish. " We came in the afternoon to Slanes castle,"
says Dr. Johnson, "built upon the margin of the
sea, so that the walls of one of the towers seem only
a continuation of a perpendicular rock, the foot of
which is beaten by the waves. To walk round the
house seemed impracticable. From the windows,
the eye wanders over the sea that separates Scot-
land from Norway; and when the winds beat with
violence, must enjoy all the terrific grandeur of the
tempestuous ocean. I would not, for my amuse-
ment, wish for a storm; but, as storms, whether
wished or not, will sometimes happen, I may say,
without violation of humanity, that I should will-
ingly look out upon them from Slanes castle." — The
Bullers of Buchan, and other stupendous rocks and
precipices on this coast, are much admired for the
awful grandeur they exhibit. See BULLERS OF
BUCHAN About a mile west of the church are the
remains of a druidical temple. — In this parish was
fought, in the beginning of the llth century, a battle
between Malcolm II. and Canute, son of Sueno,
afterwards king of England and Denmark. The site
of the field of battle, about a mile west of Slanes
castle, has been ascertained by the discovery of human
bones left exposed by the shifting or blowing of the
sand. From the circumstance of a chapel having
been erected in this neighbourhood dedicated to St.
Olaus — the site of which has become invisible, by
being covered with sand — the assertion of some
writers that a treaty was entered into with the
Danes — who were then Christians — by which it was
stipulated, that the field of battle should be conse-
crated by a bishop as a burying-place for the Danes
who had fallen in battle, and that a church should
be then built and priests appointed in all time coming
to say masses for the souls of the slain, seems very
probable. Another stipulation it is said was made,
by which the Danes agreed to evacuate the Burgh-
head of Moray, and finally to leave every part of the
kingdom, which they accordingly did in the year
1014. Population, in 1801, 1,934; in 1831, 2,120.
Houses 479. Assessed property £4,034 — This par-
ish, formerly a rectory belonging to the chapter of
Aberdeen, is in the presbytery of Ellon, and synod
of Aberdeen. Patron, the Earl of Errol. Stipend
£204 7s. 9d, Unappropriated teinds £651 16s.
lOd — There is a neat Episcopal chapel at the vil-
lage of Cruden Schoolmaster's salary £26, with
£18 fees,
CRUGLETON. See SORBIE.
CRYSTON. See CHUYSTON.
CUCHULLIN MOUNTAINS. See SKYE.
CUILINTRIVE FERRY. See KILLMODAN.
CULAG, a rivulet in Assynt, Sutherland, which
rises in a series of small lochs to the north-west of
Canisp, and runs into the sea at Loch-Inver, where
there is an excellent fishing-station, and a small vil-
lage of the same name.
CULHORN CASTLE. See STRANRAER.
CULLEAN CASTLE. See COLXEAN.
CULLEN, a parish in Banifshire, lying between
the districts of the Boyne nnd the Enzie, and con-
sisting of Cullen-Proper, with an annexation, <///t»W
sacra, from the parish of Hath veil. It is bounded
on the north — about a mile in extent — by Culleii
bay, in the Moray frith ; on the cast by Fordyrc ;
on the south by Deskford ; and on the west t>v
Rathven parishes. From tli;: sea. southwards, Cul-
len-Proper, intersected by the Cullen burn, extends,
inland, about 2 miles; and from east to west, I
mile. The annexation from Rathven extends about
3 miles in length and 2 in breadth ; and the whole
parish is in the form of a quadrant, having straight
274
CULLEN.
lines on the north and east, and on the west and
south a segment of a circle. Assessed property of
parish and burgh, in 1815, £1,312. In 1801, the
population was 1,076; in 1831, 1,593. Houses, in
1831, 340. T*he soil of this parish, near the shore,
is sand with gravel; elsewhere, a few fields are
strong clay ; others, light loam upon a tilly bottom ;
but in general the soil is a fine rich loam upon a
bottom of soft clay. It is well-drained and culti-
vated, and is suitable to the production of any kind of
crop, except perhaps flax, which, though grown here,
has always been a precarious crop on the east coast of
Scotland. This parisu is, on the whole, so dry, and
the hills in the adjoining parishes of Rathven and
Deskford so steadily attract the clouds and vapours
from the sea, that the air of Cullen is pure, and ex-
tremely salubrious. The fields in general have a gentle
slope towards the north and east; but only one emi-
nence, the BIN OF CULLEN, [which see,] merits the
name of hill or mountain. Previous to 1744, Bin-
hill was covered with heath, but it was then richly
planted to the very summit by the Earl of Findlater
and Seafield, chief proprietor of the domain, whose
seat, named Cullen-house — an ancient but princely
mansion, rich in valuable paintings — stands in the
low grounds, behind the town of Cullen, having a
beautiful prospect to the south, and a fine view of
the Moray frith to the north. It is picturesquely
elevated on a perpendicular rock, along the southern
base of which, the Cullen burn, which animates the
beautiful landscape, passes here within a hollow
rocky channel 64 feet deep beneath the mansion
walls. Over this brook an excellent single-arched
stone-bridge of 82 feet span, connects the woods,
parks, gardens, and pleasure-grounds, with the man-
sion. The plantations, within the umbrageous re-
cesses of which the mansion is embowered, consist
of lofty ash, and a great variety of other valuable
wood, beneath the shady foliage of which a good
bridle-road, besides many delightful serpentine foot-
•walks, wind, by the easiest acclivities, to the sum-
mit of the Bin, whence the surrounding country
may be viewed, to a wide extent. Great additional
improvements have been made on these beautiful
policies since their first formatipn ; and in particular
the gardens and parks have been extended by the
literal removal of the old town of Cullen, which has
been rebuilt in a regular form at some distance. Cul-
len-house now belongs to the family of Grant, Lord
Seafield. — Not far from Cullen-house is the vestige of
a building in which Elizabeth, queen of Robert the
Bruce, is said to have died Near the town of Cullen,
and overhanging the sea, is an eminence called the
Castlehill, where are the remains of an ancient fort
— without historical record — whence numerous vitri-
fied stones have been extracted. In this quarter of
the parish there are three remarkable masses of flinty
rock, lofty and spiring, named ' the Three Kings of
Cullen.' — The parish is in the presbytery of Fordyce
and synod of Aberdeen. Stipend £156 5s. 8d. ;
glebe £27. Patron, the Earl of Seafield. There
were originally two churches or chapels here : those
of St. Mary and St. Anne. The latter was a pre-
bend. The present church is compounded of the
two former. It is a fabric of respectable antiquity,
having been built previous to the Reformation, and
enlarged about 60 years ago ; but its exterior appear-
ance and situation impress the idea of its being but
a part of the offices of Cullen-house. Sittings 800.
The population of the quoad sacra parish, as ascer-
tained in 1835, was 2,562, of whom 1,500 resided in
the burgh of Cullen, and 750 in the village of Port-
knockie. Schoolmaster's salary £36; fees £15,
with a share of the Dick bequest.
The royal burgh of CULLEN, in the above par-
ish, is the second in importance in Banflfsnire. It
stands on the post-road from Fochabers to Banff,
near Cullen-bay, and east by south of Cullen-
burn, over which the road is carried by a bridge
at the western end of the town. It is 6 miles
west of Portsoy; 12^ east of Fochabers; 14 west
by north of Banff; and 58£ north- west of Aberdeen.
From its situation at the mouth of the Cullen or
Culan burn, it was anciently called Inverculan
That part of the town nearest to the mouth of the
burn, however, is at present called Fishertown.
The main part, called the old town, stood more in-
land: it was meanly built, and of little comparative
value or importance, and some years ago was utterly
demolished, in order to make way for the improve-
ments of Cullen-house. The new town, by which
it was replaced, stands nearer than the old did to
Fishertown, being close to its eastern extremity.
It is a very neat little town. The houses are good,
and the streets laid out on a regular and tasteful
plan, according to the design of which but a moiety
is yet erected. The Boundary commissioners ob-
serve, however, that, " being favourably situated
for fishing, and in a well-cultivated district, it may
be expected to increase." In the middle of Seafield-
street, and apparently intended as the centre of the
future town, is an open market place. Upper Castle-
street, running south-west, parallel to Seafield-street,
and at right angles with the street leading through
the market to the burying-place, at the north-east-
ern extremity of the ground-plan of the town, is
another principal street. The length of Seafield-
street is about 400 yards, and of Upper Castle-street
300 yards : the street running to the burying-ground,
though as yet only built for half its length, extends
to between 500 and 600 yards, according to tht
plan. The Banff and Fochabers post-road branches
off through the two first streets, forming between
them, at their south-eastern extremities, near Cul-
len-house, an angular area of ornamental ground af
the entrance to the town. The symmetrical form 01
the new town — which enjoys a circle of genteel so-
ciety, consisting of persons of moderate incomes — pre-
sents a curious contrast to the contiguous unusually
' awkward squad ' of fishermen's houses constituting
Fishertown, and which display a total independence
even of anything like partial subordination to the
'rank and file' of streets. A natural local dis-
advantage of Cullen is the want of a plentiful supply
of good water. There is but one good spring ; ana
to the Cullen burn there is considerable difficulty or
access, from the steepness of its banks. The town,
however, has been supplied through pipes from the
Euoad sacra annexation from Rathven parish. There
5 a harbour placed in a convenient position, and
belonging to the Seafield family, now the chief
proprietors of the whole domain; but it is said to
be of no great use. There is little trade, except
in fish, such as cod, skate, ling, and haddocks, with
which not only the town and district are plentifully
supplied, but a considerable quantity is cured and
dried, for sale at Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, and
Leith, to which they are carried in the Cullen fish-
ing boats. There is at present no manufacture of
any consequence, although a late Earl of Findlater,
about the year 1748, introduced the linen and da-
mask manufacture, which flourished to a considerable
extent, and is still carried on, together with the
bleaching of linen goods. Besides coal, which may
be imported at the harbour, the inhabitants are
abundantly supplied with moss and peat, obtained in
the vicinity, and from Deskford parish. The town
has fairs on the 3d Friday in May and the last Tues-
day of September, for cattle and horses.
Though Cullen is now principally a modern to>
CUL
275
CUL
it is a burgh of considerable antiquity, as is proved
by a charter of James I., dated 6th March, 1455;
ratifying another of Robert I., by which were granted
to this burgh the usual liberties, privileges, and ad-
vantages. Similar to Banff, it was at one time a
constabulary, of which the Earl of Findlater was
hereditary constable, by virtue of an ancient right.
He ultimately became hereditary chief-magistrate,
without either the Scotch title of provost or the
English dignity of lord-mayor, but merely under that
preses. Thus far the old constitution of this
iyal burgh was peculiar. The acting magistracy
isted of 3 bailies, a dean-of-guild, a treasurer,
21 councillors; in all 26; the jurisdiction ex-
ding over a district of about 2 miles from east to
and 2 from north to south ; but for many years
burgh-courts were held. There have been here
corporations; every one being entitled to buy,
1, and manufacture as he chose. Burgess-ship
constituted simply by giving a * Burgess act.'
chant-councillors were chosen from the sellers
goods, trades' councillors from handicraftsmen,
e burgh is now governed by a provost, and 19
incillors. Municipal constituency, in 1839, 30.
he territory over which the jurisdiction of the
rgh is now exercised extends from the burn-mouth
Cullen, along the bay, to Maiden-paps; thence
south to the Loggie road; thence, in straight
to the point at which the Deskford and the
nff roads meet ; thence to the point at which the
Id and the Slacks roads meet ; and thence to
e bridge over the Cullen-burn, the boundary ter-
ing at the burn-mouth. Though the sheriff-
be within a few miles, and town-courts at the
r, the amity and good feeling of the inhabitants
stated, in the old Statistical report, to have been
great, that " hardly such a thing as a lawsuit is
of among them." . The only place of confine-
t is a lock-up house, erected about 18 yeans ago
the short imprisonment of petty delinquents,
in case of need, for the safe custody of prisoners
on their way to the county-jail at Banff. This
lock-up house consists of 3 cells, vaulted, paved,
ind light, but without fire-place or airing-ground.
The property of this burgh was in ancient times
considerable ; but it was alienated to the Seafield
family. There had been no alienations during 40
years previous to 1833. The property recently con-
sisted of feu-duties, houses, and money. The value
of the feu-duties, in 1833, was nearly .£411 3s. 4d.,
and the sums of money amounted to £325 10s., of
which £250 were lent to the curator of the Earl of
Seafield. The revenue of the burgh, in 1833, was
£73 Os. l^d. ; expenditure £42 3s. lid. There
\vre no debts. In 1838-9 the revenue was £67
9<1. The appointment, during pleasure, of the
pan-of-guild, procurator fiscal, treasurer, town-
lerk, and town-officer, with almost nominal sala-
ies, constitutes all the offices under the patronage
>f the burgh ; but there are two mortifications said
o be under the management of the magistrates and
urk-session— these are Lorrimer's and Latta's bur-
aries; the first for educating a student at the uni-
•rrsity of Aberdeen; the second for educating a boy
the school of Cullen. The permanent assess-
ncut s ;ire land-tax, stent, burgh-mail, and cess and
and cess. Cullen unites with Elgin, Banff, Kin-
ore, IVterhead, MardufF, and Inverury, in return-
member to parliament. The parliamentary
•onstitiieniry, in 1839, was 30. The parliamentary
Mirough-boundaries are not nearly so extensive as
tiie m\altv.
CULLICUDDEN, an ancient rectory, belonging
to the Chapter of Ross, now comprehended in the
jKinsh of KiKK-MicuAEL : which see. The church
is demolished, but the churchyard is still in use. Tt
is 10i miles west-south-west of Cromarty. The
Gaelic name of this parish is Coitill-Chutiyin, i.e.
* The Creek of Cuddies,' — a small, delicate species
of fish well-known on all the coasts of Scotland,
and which, during summer and the beginning ot
harvest, are caught in great numbers along the frith
of Cromarty. and particularly in a small creek a little
above the old kirk here.
CULLODEN, a large moory ridge in the parish
of Croy", from 3 to 5 miles east of Inverness, memor-
able for the total defeat of Prince Charles's army, on
the 16th April, 1746, by the King's troops under the
Duke of Cumberland. It is sometimes called Drum-
mossie moor. The spot selected by Charles for the
engagement was about 1 i mile to the south of Cul-
loden house, on a ridge of the moor declining to-
wards the river Nairn on the south. Immediately
to the south of his position was a square enclosure
of stone which extended to the banks of the Nairn,
and the northern wall of which covered his right
flank. In his front the moor was marshy and soft ;
and on the left, though at a considerable distance,
were the woods of Culloden house.
The Highland army was drawn up by Sullivan in
three lines. The first, or front line, consisted of the
Athole brigade, which had the right, the Camerons,
Stewarts of Appin, John Roy Stewart's regiment,
Erasers, Mackintoshes, Farquharsons, Maclachlans,
and Macleans, united into one regiment ; the Mac-
leods, Chisholms, Macdonalds of Clanranald, Kep-
poch, and Glengary. The three Macdonald regiments
formed the left. Lord George Murray commanded
on the right, Lord John Drummond in the centre,
and the Duke of Perth on the left, of the first
line. There had been, a day or two before, a
violent contention among the chiefs about pre-
cedency of rank. The Macdonalds claimed the
right as their due, in support of which claim they
stated, that, as a reward for the fidelity of Angus
Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, in protecting Robert
the Bruce for upwards of nine months in his do-
minions, that prince, at the battle of Bannockburn,
conferred the post of honour, the right, upon the
Macdonalds, — that this post had ever since been en-
joyed by them, unless when yielded from courtesy
upon particular occasions, as was done to the chief
of the Macleans at the battle of Harlaw, Lord
George Murray, however, maintained that, under
the Marquis olf Montrose, the right had been as-
signed to the Athole men, and he insisted that that
post should be now conferred upon them, in the con-
test with the Duke of Cumberland's army. In this
unseasonable demand, Lord George is said to have
been supported by Lochiel and his friends. Charles
refused to decide a question with the merits of which
he was imperfectly acquainted ; but, as it was ne-
cessary to adjust the difference immediately, he pre-
vailed upon the commanders of the Macdonald regi-
ments to waive their pretensions in the present
instance. The Macdonalds in general were far from
being satisfied with the complaisance of their com-
manders, and, as they had occupied the post of
honour at Gladsmuir and Falkirk, they considered
their deprivation of it, on the present occasion, as
ominous. The Duke of Perth, while he stood at
the head of the Glengary regiment, hearing the mur-
murs of the Macdonalds, said, that if they behaved
with their usual valour, they would make a right of
| the left, and that he would change his name to Mac-
donald ; but these proud clansmen lent a deaf ear to
him. — The second line of the Highland army consisted
of the Gordons under Lord Lewis Gordon, formed in
column on the right, the French Royal Scots, the
Irish piquets or brigade, Lord Kihmirnock's loot
276
CULLODEN.
guards, Lord John Drummond's regiment, and Glen-
bucket's regiment in column on the left, Hanked on
the right by Fitz-James's dragoons, and Lord Elcho's
horse-guards, and on the left by the Perth squadron,
under Lords Strathallan and Pitsligo, and the Prince's
body-guards unde Lord Balmerino. General Staple-
ton had the command of this line — The third line,
or reserve, consisted of the Duke of Perth's and
Lord Ogilvy's regiments, under the last-mentioned
nobleman. The Prince himself, surrounded by a
troop of Fitz-James's horse, took his station on a
very small eminence behind the centre of the first
line, from which he had a complete view of the
whole field of battle. The extremities of the frort
line and the centre were each protected by foar
pieces of cannon The English army continued
steadily to advance till within a mile of the position
occupied by the Highland army, when the Duke of
Cumberland ordered a halt, and, after reconnoitring
the position of the Highlanders, again formed his
army for battle in three lines, and in the following
order : — The first line consisted of six regiments,
viz., the Royals, (the 1st,) Cholmondley's, (the
34tlO Price's, (the 14th,) the Scots Fusileers, (the
21st,) Monro's, (the 37th,) and Barrel's (the 4th).
The Earl of Albemarle had the command of this
line. In the intermediate spaces between each of
these regiments were placed two pieces of cannon,
making ten in whole. The second line, which con-
sisted of five regiments, comprised those of Pul-
teney, (the 13th,) Bligh, (the 20th,) Sempil, (the
25th,) Ligonier, (the 48th,) and Wolfe's, (the 8th,)
and was under the command of General Huske.
Three pieces of cannon were placed between the
exterior regiments of this line and those next them.
The third line, or corps de reserve, under Brigadier
Mordaunt, consisted of four regiments, viz., Bat-
tereau's, (the 62d,) Howard's, (the 3d,) Fleming's,
(the 36th.) and Blakeney's, (the 27th,) flanked by
Kingston's dragoons (the 3d). The order in which
the regiments of the different lines are enumerated,
is that in which they stood from right to left. The
flanks of the front line were protected on the left
by Kerr's dragoons, (the llth,) consisting of three
squadrons, commanded by Lord Ancrum, and on the
right by Cobham's dragoons, (the 10th,) consisting
also of three squadrons, under General Bland, with
the additional security of a rnorass, extending to-
wards the sea ; but thinking himself quite sate on
the right, the Duke afterwards ordered these last
to the left, to aid in an intended attack upon the
right flank of the Highlanders. The Argyle men,
with the exception of 140, who were upon the left
of the reserve, were left in charge of the baggage.
The dispositions of both armies are considered to
have been well-arranged ; but both were better cal-
culated for defence than for attack. The arrange-
ment of the English army is generally considered
to have been superior to that of the Highlanders;
as, from the regiments in the second and third lines
being placed directly behind the vacant spaces be-
tween the regiments in the lines respectively be-
fore them, the Duke of Cumberland, in the event
of one regiment in the front line being broken,
could immediately bring up two to supply its place.
But this opinion is questionable, as the Highlanders
had a column on the flanks of the second line, which
might have been used either for extension or eschellon
movement towards any point to the centre, to sup-
port either the first or second line. In the disposi-
tions described, and about the distance of a mile from
each other, did the two armies stand for some time
gazing at one another, each expecting that the other
would advance and give battle. Whatever may have
been the feelings of Prince Charles on this occasion,
| those of the Duke of Cumberland appear to have
been far from enviable. The thoughts of Preston
and Falkirk could not fail to excite in him the most
direful apprehensions for the result of a combat
affecting the very existence of his father's crown ;
and that he placed but a doubtful reliance upon hig
troops, is evident from a speech which he now made
to his army. He began by informing them, that
they were about to fight in defence of their king,
their religion, their liberties, and property, and that
if they only stood firm he had no doubt he would
lead them on to certain victory ; but as he would
much rather, he said, be at the head of one thousand
brave and resolute men than of ten thousand if mixed
with cowards, he added, that if there were any
amongst them, who, through timidity, were diffident
of their courage, or others, who, from conscience or
inclination, felt a repugnance to perform their duty
he requested them to retire immediately, and he pro-
mised them his free pardon for doing so, as by re-
maining they might dispirit or disorder the other
troops, and bring dishonour and disgrace on the army
under his command. As the Highlanders remained
in their position, the Duke of Cumberland again put
his army in marching order, and, after it had ad-
vanced,'with fixed bayonets, within half-a-mile of
the front line of the Highlanders, it again formed
as before. In this last movement the English army
had to pass a piece of hollow ground, which was so
soft and swampy, that the horses which drew the
cannon sunk ; and some of the soldiers, after sling-
ing their firelocks and unyoking the horses, had to
drag the cannon across the bog. As by this last
movement the army advanced beyond the morass
which protected the right flank, the Duke imme-
diately ordered up Kingston's horse from the reserve
and a small squadron of Cobham's dragoons, which
had been patrolling, to cover it ; and to extend his
line, and prevent his being outflanked on the right, he
also at the same time ordered up Pulteney's regiment,
(the 13th,) from the second line to the right^of the
royals ; and Fleming's, (the 36th,) Howard's, (the
3d,) and Battereau's, (the 62d,) to the right of
Bligh 's, (the 20th,) in the second line, leaving
Blakeney's, (the 27th,) as a reserve. During an
interval of about half an hour which elapsed before
the action commenced, some manoeuvring took place
in attempts by both armies to outflank one another.
While these manoeuvres were making, a heavy
shower of sleet came on, which, though discounag-
ing to the Duke's army, from the recollection of the
untoward occurrence at Falkirk, was not considered
very dangerous, as they had now the wind in their
backs. To encourage his men, the Duke of Cum-
berland rode along the lines addressing himself hur-
riedly to every regiment as he passed. He exhorted
his men to rely chiefly upon their bayonets, and to
allow the Highlanders to mingle with them that they
might make them " know the men they had to deal
with." After the changes mentioned had been exe-
cuted, his royal highness took his station behind the
royals, between the first and secoivd line, and almost
in front of the left of Howard's regiment, waiting
for the expected attack. Meanwhile, a singular oc-
currence took place, characteristic of the self-devo-
tion which the Highlanders were ready on all
occasions to manifest towards the Prince and hii
cause. Conceiving that by assassinating the Duke
of Cumberland he would confer an essential service
to the Prince, a Highlander resolved, at the certain
sacrifice of his own life, to make the attempt. With
this intention, he entered the English lines as a de-
serter, and being granted quarter, was allowed to go
through the ranks. He wandered about »vith ap-
parent indifference, eyeing the different officers as r-
CULLODEN.
277
passed along, and it was not long till an opportunity
occurred, as he conceived, for executing his fell pur-
pose. The Duke having ordered Lori! Bury, one of
his aides-de-camp, to reconnoitre, his Lordship
crossed the path of the Highlander, who, mistaking
him, from his dress, for the Duke, (the regimentals
of both being similar,) instantly seized a musket
which lay on the ground, and discharged it at his
Lordship. Fortunately he missed his aim, and a
soldier who was standing by immediately shot him
dead upon the spot. In expectation of a battle the
previous day, Charles had animated his troops by an
appeal to their feelings, and on the present occasion
he rode from rank to rank encouraging his men, and
exhorting them to act as they had done at Preston-
pans and at Falkirk.
The .advance of Lord Bury, who went forward
within a nundred yards of the insurgents to recon-
noitre, appears to have been considered by the High-
landers as the proper occasion for beginning the
battle. Taking off their bonnets, the Highlanders
set up a loud shout, which being answered by the
royal troops with an huzza, the Highlanders about
one o'clock commenced a cannonade on the right,
which was followed by the cannon on the left ;
but the fire from the last, owing to the want of
cannoneers, was after the first round discontinued.
The first volley from the right seemed to create
some confusion on the left of the royal army, but
so badly were the cannon served and pointed, that
though the cannonade was continued upwards of
half an hour, only one man in Bligh's regiment,
who had a leg carried off by a cannon-ball, received
any injury. After the Highlanders had continued
finng for a short time, Colonel Belford, who di-
rected the cannon of the Duke's army, opened a
fire from the cannon in the front line, which was
at first chiefly aimed at the horse, probably either
because they, from their conspicuous situation, were
a better mark than the infantry, or because it was
supposed that Charles was among them. Such was
the accuracy of the aim taken by the royal artillery,
that several balls entered the ground among the
horses' legs, and bespattered the Prince with the
mud which they raised ; and one of them struck
the horse on which he rode two inches above the
knee. The anitnal became so unmanageable, that
Charles was obliged to change him for another. One
of his servants, who stood behind with a led horse
in his hand, was killed on the spot. Observing
that the wall on the right flank of the Highland
army prevented him from attacking it on that point,
the Duke ordered Colonel Belford to continue the
cannonade, with the view of provoking the High-
landers and inducing them to advance to the attack.
These, on the other hand, endeavoured to draw the
royal army forward by sending down several parties
by way of defiance. Some of these approached three
several times within a hundred yards of the right
of the royal army, firing their pistols and brandish-
ing their swords ; but with the exception of the
small squadron of horse on the right, which ad-
vanced a little, the line remained immoveable.
Meanwhile, Lord George Murray, observing that a
squadron of the English dragoons and a party of
foot, consisting of two companies of the Argyle-
shiremen, and one of Lord Loudon's Highlanders,
had detached themselves from the left of the royal
army, and were marching down towards the river
Nairn, and conceiving that it was their intention
to Hank the Highlanders, or to come upon their
rear when engaged in front, he directed Gordon of
Avochy to advance with his battalion, and prevent
the foot from entering the enclosure; but before
Uiia battalion could reach them, they broke into
the enclosure, and throwing down part of the east
wall, and afterwards a piece of the west wall in
the rear of the second line, made a free passage for
the dragoons, who formed in the rear of the Prince's
army. Upon this, Lord George ordered the guards
and Fitz-James's horse to form opposite to the dra-
goons to keep them in check. Each party stood
upon the opposite sides of a ravine, the ascent to
which was so steep, that neither could venture
across in presence of the other with safety. The
foot remained within the enclosure, and Avochy's
battalion was ordered to watch their motions. This
movement took place about the time the Highlanders
were moving forward to the attack.
It was now high time for the Highlanders to come
to a close engagement. Lord George had sent
Colonel Kerr to the Prince, to know if he should
begin the attack, which the Prince accordingly
ordered ; but his Lordship, for some reason or other,
delayed advancing. It is probable he expected that
the Duke would come forward, and that by doing so,
and retaining the wall and a small farm-house on his
right, he would not run the risk of being flanked.
Perhaps he waited for the advance of the left wing,
which, being not so far forward as the right, was
directed to begin the attack, and orders had been
sent to the Duke of Perth to that effect ; but the
left remained motionless. Anxious for the attack,
Charles sent an order by an aid-de-camp to Lord
George Murray to advance, but his Lordship never
received it, as the bearer was killed by a cannon-ball
while on his way to the right. He sent a message
about the same time to Lochiel, desiring him to urge
upon Lord George the necessity of an immediate
attack. Galled beyond endurance by the fire of the
English, which carried destruction among the clans,
the Highlanders became quite clamorous, and called
aloud to be led forward without further delay. Un-
able any longer to restrain their impatience, Lord
George had just resolved upon an immediate advance,
but before he had time to issue the order along the
line, the Mackintoshes, with a heroism worthy of
that brave clan, rushed forward enveloped in the
smoke of the enemy's cannon. The fire of the
centre field-pieces, and a discharge of musquetry
from the Scotch Fusileers, forced them to incline
a little to the right ; but all the regiments to their
right, led on by Lord George Murray in person,
and the united regiment of the Maclauchlans and
Macleans on their left, coming down close after
them, the whole moved forward together at a pretty
quick pace. When within pistol-shot of the Eng-
lish line, they received a murderous fire, not only
in front from some field-pieces, which for the first
time were now loaded with grape-shot, but in flank
from a side-battery supported by the Campbells,
and Lord Loudon's Highlanders. Whole ranks were
literally swept away by the terrible fire of the Eng-
lish. Yet, notwithstanding the dreadful carnage iu
their ranks, the Highlanders continued to advance,
and, after giving their fire close to the English line,
which, from the density of the smoke, was scarcely
perceptible even within pistol-shot, the right wing,
consisting of the Athole Highlanders and the Came-
rons, rushed in sword in hand, and broke through
Barrel's and Monroe's regiments, which stood on
the left of the first line. These regiments bravely
defended themselves with their spontoons and bay-
onets, but such was the impetuosity of the onset,
that they would entirely have been cut to pieces
had they not been immediately supported by two
regiments from the second line, on the approach of
which they retired behind the regiments on their
right, after sustaining a loss in killed and wounded
of upwards of two hundred men. After breaking
278
CULLODEN
through these two regiments, the Highlanders, pass-
ing by the two field-pieces which had annoyed them
in front, hurried forward to attack the left of the
second line. They were met by a tremendous fire
of grape-shot from the three field-pieces on the left
of the second line, and by a discharge of musquetry
from Bligh's and Sempill's regiments, which carried
havock through their ranks, and made them at first
recoil ; but, maddened by despair, and utterly re-
gardless of their lives, they rushed upon an enemy
whom they felt but could not see, amid the cloud
of smoke in which the assailants were buried. The
same kind of charge was made by the Stewarts of
Appin, the Frasers, Mackintoshes, and the other
centre regiments upon the regiments in their front,
which they drove back upon the second line, which
they also attempted to break; but finding them-
selves unable they gave up the contest, but not until
numbers had been cut down at the mouths of the
cannon. While advancing towards the second line,
Lord George Murray, in attempting to dismount
from his horse, which had become unmanageable,
was thrown ; but, recovering himself, he ran to the
rear and brought up two or three regiments from
the second line to support the first ; but although
they gave their fire, nothing could be done, — all was
lost. Unable to break the second line, and being
greatly cut up by the fire of Wolfe's regiment, and
by Cobham's and Kerr's dragoons, who had formed
en potence on their right flank, the right wing also
gave up the contest, and turning about, cut their
way back, sword in hand, through those who had
advanced and formed on the ground they had passed
over in charging to their front. In consequence of
the unwillingness of the left to advance first as di-
rected, Lord George Murray had sent the order to
attack from right to left ; but, hurried by the im-
petuosity of the Mackintoshes, the right and centre
did not wait till the order, which required some
minutes in the delivery, had been communicated
along the line. Thus the right and centre had the
start considerably, and quickening their pace as they
went along, had closed with the front line of the
English army before the left had got half way over
the ground that separated the two armies. The
difference between the right and centre and the left
was rendered still more considerable from the cir-
cumstance, as noted by an eye-witness, that the two
armies were not exactly parallel to one another, the
right of the Prince's army being nearer the Duke's
army than the left. Nothing could be more unfor-
tunate for the Prince than this isolated attack, as it
was only by a general shock of the whole of the
English line that he had any chance of a victory.
The clan regiments on the left cf the line, apprehen-
sive that they would be flanked by Pulteney's regi-
ment and the horse which had been brought up from
the corps de reserve, did not advance sword in hand.
After receiving the fire of the regiments opposite to
them, they answered it by a general discharge, and
drew their swords for the attack ; but observing that
the right and centre had given way, they turned
their backs and fled without striking a blow. Stung
to the quick by the misconduct of the Maedonalds,
the brave Keppoch seeing himself abandoned by his
clan, advanced with his drawn sword in one hand,
and his pistol in the other ; but he had not proceeded
far, when he was brought down to the ground by a
musket-shot. He was followed by Donald Roy
Macdonald, formerly a lieutenant in his own regi-
ment, and now a captain in Clanranald's regiment,
who, on his falling, entreated him not to throw away
his life, assuring him that his wound was not mortal,
and that he might easily join his regiment in the re-
treat ; but Keppoch refused to listen to the solicita-
tions of his clansman, and, after recommending him
to take care of himself, the wounded chief received
another shot, and fell to rise no more.
Fortunately for the Highlanders the English army
did not follow up the advantages it had gained by an
immediate pursuit. Kingston's horse at first followed
the Maedonalds, some of whom were almost sur-
rounded by them, but the horse were kept in check
by the French piquets, who brought them off. The
dragoons on the left of the English line were in like
manner kept at bay by Ogilvy's regiment, which
faced about upon them several times. After these
neffectual attempts, the English cavalry on the right
and left met in the centre, and the front line having
dressed its ranks, orders were issued for the whole
to advance in pursuit of the Highlanders. Charles,
who, from the small eminence on which he stood,
had observed with the deepest concern the defeat
and flight of the clan regiments, was about proceed-
ing forward to rally them contrary to the earnest
entreaties of Sir Thomas Sheridan and others, who
assured him that he would not succeed. All their
expostulations would, it is said, have been vain, had
not General O'Sullivan laid hold of the bridle of
Charles's horse, and led him off the field. It was,
indeed, full time to retire, as the whole army was
now in full retreat, and was followed by the whole
of Cumberland's forces. To protect the Prince, and
secure his retreat, most of his horse assembled about
his person ; but there was little danger, as the vie-
tors advanced very leisurely, and confined themselves
to cutting down some defenceless stragglers who fell
in their way. After leaving the field, Charles put
himself at the head of the right wing, which retired
in such order, that the cavalry sent to pursue upon
it could make no impression.
" The battle was fought on a ridge of the moor
just where its general surface begins to incline to-
wards the river Nairn. A new carriage road from
Inverness has recently been made through it, which
touches the principal line of graves at their northern
extremity- Before reaching them, the castle of
Dalcross, which had been seen raising its square mas-
sive form a little to the left of a wood which ter-
minates the moor on the east, disappears from the
view, and shortly afterwards, in the very opposite
direction, the pine-clad conoidal summit of Dun
Daviot comes in sight, closing in the vista on the
south-west. Then, where a considerable portion of
the road before the passenger — about 5 of a mile
length — leads the eye directly to the top of a tabu
rocky hill bearing south-east, at the distance of 5
6 miles, it will be found that a straight line drawn
from Dun Daviot, just mentioned, to Fort-George,
which is seen rising at the termination of a long
peninsula jutting out into the Moray Frith, will cut
across the public road just at the collection of grav
sought for. They consist of two or three gras
covered mounds, rising slightly above the adjoini ^
heath, at the distance of about 200 or 300 yards from
a small patch of corn-land and a cluster of cottages,
between which and them a marshy hollow also in-
tervenes. On all sides the prospect is here bleak
and dreary ; while the general smoothness of the
ground points it out as favourable for the move-
ments of cavalry and artillery, but proportionably
ill adapted for the protection or defence of the foot
soldier. Such is the nature of the ground on which
Prince Charles Edward ventured to peril his cause
against the disciplined troops of England. His army
was drawn up a little to the west of the graves, in a
line right across the moor inclining towards the parka
of Culloden house." [Anderson's ' Guide to the
Highlands.' London: 1834. pp. 107, 108.]— We
close this article on a locality most deeply interesting
UUb
r
ling
rom
CUL
279
CUL
every Scotsman by quoting two stanza* from an
on Culloden, by the late John Grieve, first pub-
-A in Hogg's Jacobite Relics : —
'• Culloden, on thy swarthy brow
Spring no wild flowers or verdure fair;
Thou feel'bt not summer's genial glow,
More than the free/ing wintry air !
For once tliou drankM the hero's hi I,
And war's unhallowed footsteps bore :
The deeds unholy Nature viewed,
Then fled and cursed thee evermore!
1 Shades of the mighty and the brave.
Who, faithful to your Stuart, fell ;
NO trophies mark your common grave,
Nor dirges to your memory swell!
But cvnerotis hearts will weep your fa»e,
When far has rolled the tide of time ;
And bards unborn shall renovate
Your fading fame in loftiest rhyme ! "
CULLODEN HOUSE, in the parish of Inver-
4 miles north-east by east of Inverness, the
it of the ancient and respectable family of Forbes,
ice Charles lodged here the night before the me-
>rable battle, on the 16th of April, 1746. By a
)us coincidence, the important and decisive battle
Culloden was fought on the moor of the paternal
ite of that great and good man, Lord-president
rbes, whose influence in the Highlands, and un-
ried perseverance during the two preceding years,
ie the suppression of a very alarming insurrec-
i comparatively easy to Government. The man-
i-house of Culloden has been renewed since 1745.
stands on the verge of the moor, surrounded by
tions, and commanding a noble view of the
ay frithj and of the mountains on the opposite
of the Nairn. Captain Burt, in his well-known
tters from a Gentleman in the North of Scot-
id' — which were written, from personal observa-
i, about the year 1730 — describes the old house of
illoden as being "a pretty large fabric, built with
», and divided into rooms, among which the hall
very spacious. There are good gardens belonging
it, and a noble-planted avenue, of great length,
that leads to the house, and a plantation of trees
about it. This house — or castle — was besieged, in
the year 1715, by a body of the rebels ; and the laird
being absent in parliament, his lady baffled all their
attempts with extraordinary courage and presence of
mind. Nearly adjoining are the parks — that is, one
large tract of ground, surrounded with a low wall of
loose stones, and divided into several parts by parti-
tions of the same. The surface of the ground is all
over heath, or, as they call it, heather, without any
trees ; but some of it has been lately sown with the
seed of firs, which are now grown about a foot and
a half high, but are hardly to be seen for the heath.
An English captain, the afternoon of the day fol-
lowing his arrival here from London, desired me to
ride out with him, and show him the parks of Cul-
loden, without telling me the reason of his curiosity.
Accordingly we set out, and when we were pretty
near the place, he asked me, — ' Where are these
parks? For,' says he, * there is nothing near in view
but heath, and, at a distance, rocks and mountains.'
I pointed to the enclosure ; and, being a little way
before him, heard him cursing in soliloquy, which
occasioned my making a halt, and asking if any thing
had displeased him. Then lie t<>l<l me, that, at a
cotFee-liouse in London, he was one day commend-
ing the park of Studley, in Yorkshire, and those of
several other gentlemen in other parts of England,
when a Scots captain, who was by, cried out — ' Ah,
sir ! but if you were to see the parks at Culloden,
in Scotland ! ' This rny companion repeated several
times with different modulations of voice ; and, then,
' i an angry manner, swore, it he had known how gross-
in an anj.
ly he had been imposed on, he could not have put up
with so great an affront. But I should have told
you, that every one of the small divisions above-
mentioned is called a separate park, and that the
reason for making some of the inner walls has been
to prevent the hares, with which, as I said before,
the country abounds, from cropping the tender tops
of these young firs." The Culloden estates were
for upwards of thirty years under trust management.
Some curious particulars respecting this trust are
given in ' Tait's Magazine' for May 1840. On the
6th of April, 1841, they came into the free possession
of Arthur Forbes, Esq. of Culloden.
CULROSS,* a parish belonging to Perthshire,
though locally disjoined from it by the intervention
of Clackmannanshire, and politically conjoined with
the shires of Clackmannan and Kinross. It forms
nearly a square of 4 miles, containing 8,145 Scots
acres; and is bounded on the west by Tulliallan;
on the north-west by Clackmannan ; on the north
| by Saline ; on the east by Torryburn ; and on the
south by the frith of Forth. The barony of Kin-
cardine was disjoined from this parish in 1672, and
united to Tulliallan. The surface is level, if we
except the abrupt ascent from the shore. The north-
ern part of the parish consists of a large moor which
is planted with wood; the southern is fertile, and
particularly that part of it which is intersected by
the Bluther, which, uniting with another streamlet
called the1 Grange, falls into the sea at Newmill
bridge, where it forms the eastern- boundary of the
parish. It abounds with freestone, ironstone, ochre,
and a species of clay highly valued by potters and
by glass-manufacturers. Coal, the chief mineral
product, was wrought here at a very remote period
by the monks of Culross abbey, to whom it belonged.
Colville, commendator of the abbey in 1575, let the
coal to Sir George Bruce of Blairhall, who resumed
the working of it, and was the first in the island
who drained coal-pits by means of machinery. Be-
low the house of Castlehill, about a quarter of a
mile west of Culross, are still some remains of the
masonry employed in the erection of an Egyptian
wheel — commonly called a chain and bucket — for
draining the pits. Sir George carried on these coal-
works with great spirit. A pit was sunk here,
which entering from the land, was carried nearly a
mile out into the sea: the coal being shipped by a
moat within sea-mark, which had a subterranean
communication with the pit. This pit was reckoned
one of the greatest wonders in the island, by Taylor,
an English traveller, who saw it in the beginning of
the 17th century. There is a tradition, that James
VI., revisiting his native country after his accession
to the English crown, made an excursion into Fife;
and, resolving to take the diversion of hunting in
the neighbourhood of Dunfermline, invited the com-
pany then attending him to dine along with him at
" a collier's house," meaning the Abbey-house of
Culross, then belonging to Sir George Bruce. Being
conducted, by his own desire, to see the works be-
low ground, he was led insensibly by his host and
guide to the moat above-mentioned, it being then
high water; and, having ascended from the pit, and
seeing himself, without any previous intimation,
surrounded by the sea, he was seized with an im-
mediate apprehension of some plot against his liberty
or life, and hastily called out, " Treason! Treason 1"
But his faithful guide quickly dispelled his fears, by
• The name Culross is evidently of Gaelic origin, and is
compounded of nil and nut* ; the first, signifying 'back,' or,
more properly, what i- expressed by dunii in Latin ; and rott,
' a peninsula.' The peninsula here referred to being the wlioln
district between the friths of Tav and Forth, and which for-
me? ly went under the general name of Koss.— Old Stutittical
Account.— T ue uame is pronounced Ccoroit
280
CULROSS.
assuring him that he was in perfect safety ; and,
pointing to an elegant pinnace that was made fast to
the moat, desired to know whether it was most
agreeable to his majesty to be carried ashore in it,
or to return by the same way he came ; upon which
the king, preferring the shortest way back, was car-
ried directly ashore, expressing much satisfaction at
what he had seen. It is certain, that at that time
the king was sumptuously entertained at the Abbey-
house. Some" of the glasses then made use of in the
dessert are still preserved in the family; and the
room where his majesty was entertained retains the
name of 'the King's room.' The great coal-pit of Cul-
ross was destroyed by a violent storm, which, in the
month of March, 1625, washed away the stone bul-
wark, and drowned the coal. From this catastrophe
the Culross collieries never recovered ; and the stones
of the rampart were afterwards sold to the magis-
trates of Edinburgh, who employed them in repairing
the pier of Leith. — Valleyfield house, in the eastern
part of the parish, is a splendid mansion ; as is also
the house of Blair. The house of Castlehill is built
on the site of an ancient castle of the Macduffs, called
Dunnemarle, where it is said Macbeth murdered the
wife and two children of that nobleman. There are
also the vestiges of two Danish camps in this parish.
Population, in 1801, 1,502; in 1831, 1,488. Houses,
in 1831, 263. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,497.
Besides the burgh of Culross, the parish contains
the villages of Valleyfield and Blairburn — This par-
ish is in the presbytery of Dunfermline, and synod of
Fife. The charge is collegiate. Both charges are
at present in the patronage of Lady Keith and Lady
Baird alternately. Stipend of 1st charge, £156 6s.
10d., with glebe of the value of «£20; of the 2d,
£116 9s. 2d., with glebe of the value of £25
Salary of parish-schoolmaster £34 4s. 4|d., with
£28 10s. fees. There are two private" schools.
Besides what are properly called the parish-funds,
there are the following hospitals and charitable foun-
dations belonging to Culross, or in which it has an
interest. In 1637, Thomas, Earl of Elgin, son of
Lord Bruce of Kinloss, founded and endowed an
hospital in the east part of the town of Culross, for
the maintenance of 12 aged persons of the borough
and parish of Culross, to be presented by him and
his successors, and commissioners appointed for that
effect, reserving power to him and his heirs to nomi-
nate others, though not of the parish of Culross.
In 1639, George Bruce of Carnock founded and
endowed an hospital in the west part of the town,
for the maintenance of 6 decayed poor and aged
women, widows of colliers or salters, some time
workers in Culross or Kincardine ; and, if these be
deficient, to other decayed poor and aged widow-
women in the parish of Culross. They had a house
and garden for their accommodation, and 24 bolls of
meal for their support. — Robert Bill, M.D., who
was born at Culross, and died in London in 1738,
mortified the sum of £600 sterling ; the interest to
be applied to the relief of 4 decayed tradesmen, and
2 decayed tradesmen's widows; the education and
putting to apprenticeship young persons of the bo-
rough of Culross ; and the maintenance of a bursar
at the university. The trustees are, the ministers,
magistrates, dean-of-guild, and schoolmaster.
CULROSS, a royal burgh in the above parish, 4
miles east of Kincardine, 6 west of Dunfermline,
and 22 west by north of Edinburgh, is a place of
considerable antiquity. It was erected into a royal
burgh by James VI. in 1588; and was governed by
3 bailies, a dean-of-guild, a treasurer, and 15 coun-
cillors; and is now governed by a chief-magistrate
and 19 councillors. The revenue, in 1832, amounted
to £118 11s. 5id., chiefly arising from feu-duties
and shore-dues; the expenditure was £93 9s.
Revenue, in 1838-9, £52 13s. About 80 acres of the
common. rnuir are feued to Sir James Gibson Craig,
and upwards of 500 to the Dundonald family. The
amount of cess annually raised is £7 5s. 2£d. The
burgh joins with Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, South
Queensferry, and Stirling, in returning a member to
parliament. Parliamentary constituency, in 1839,
22. The town is built on the face of a brae ; the
principal street running north-east from the shore,
and the other buildings being irregularly scattered
along the shore. It presents a pleasing appearance
from the sea; but the houses, with a few exceptions,
are of a mean appearance, though some of them
appear to be of great antiquity. It formerly carried
on a great trade in salt and co'al; at present thia
trade is wholly annihilated. At one period there
were above 50 salt-pans here, which made about
100 tons of salt weekly; and before the Union, there
have been 170 foreign vessels in the roads at a time,
loading coal and salt. About 60 years ago, the Earl
of Dundonald erected very extensive works here for
the extraction of tar, naphtha, and volatile salt, from
coal; but, being an unproductive concern, it was
given up, and the works are now in ruins. The
remains of an old pier are visible; but the harbour
would never have been a good one, and now a land-
ing can only be effected here at high- water. The
fishing on the coast has been nearly destroyed by
the floating down of peat-moss. Culross, by virtue
of two royal grants from James IV. and Charles II.,
enjoyed the exclusive privilege of making girdles, a
kitchen utensil well-known in Scotland for baking
cakes ; but in 1727 the court of session found that
no monopolies of this kind could be granted in pre-
judice of any other royal borough, and before this
decision, and the more general use of ovens, besides
the cheaper mode of casting girdles, the manufacture
has long since ceased to be of any value.* The chief
occupation of the inhabitants now is the weaving of
linen for the Dunfermline manufacturers, and of
muslins for the Glasgow merchants. The popula-
tion of the burgh is about 700. — At the north end
of the town, on the Kincardine road, is the parish-
church, which was formerly the chapel of the mon-
astery. The chancel and tower are still entire, but
the transept and body of the church are in ruins.
Adjoining to th,e north wall of the church is an aisle,
the burial-place of the Bruce family, in which is a
fine white marble monument of Sir George Bruce,
his lady, and several children. In this aisle was
found enclosed in a silver box, the heart of Lord
Kinloss, who was killed in a duel in Flanders by
Sir Edward Sackville, as related in the Guardian,
No. 133. — At a small distance to the eastward of
the church stands the Abbey-house, built by Ed-
ward, Lord Kinloss, in 1590, and so called, perhaps,
from its being built in the vicinity and of the mate-
rials of the ancient abbey. It is a very large build-
ing, in a delightful situation, and commanding an
extensive prospect of the frith of Forth, Stirling-
shire, and the Lothians. This house was nearly
demolished after it became the property of Sir Ro-
bert Preston, but was afterwards rebuilt by him.
— The abbey of Culross was founded in 1217, by
Malcolm, Thane of Fife, and dedicated to the Virgin
Mary and St. Serf. It lies at the head of the town,
on a rising ground commanding a beautiful and ex-
tensive prospect of the frith. Considerable remains
of it are yet to be seen. On the north side was the
• The burgh of Culroas had the custody of the coal-measures
of Scotland, by act 1663, Charles II. c. 17. The chalder was »t
two kinds : the great chalder, which contained, as near &* can
be computed, 405 stone Dutch, aud the small, which contained
162 stone, or two-fifths of the great chalder.
CUL
281
CUL
[>bey church, which had a tower or steeple in the
iddle, still entire, as is also a part of the church
now made use of — as already noticed — for the parish-
church. Grose has preserved a view of it. At the
"formation, the rental of this abbey amounted to
*768 16s. 7d. Scotch, in money ; 3 chalders, 3 bolls
rheat; 14 chalders, 10 bolls, 2 firlots barley; 13
ilders, 12 bolls, 3 firlots, 3.i pecks oats ; 1 chalder,
bolls salt ; 10 wedders, 22 lambs, 7 dozen of
>ns, 28} dozen poultry, "\ stone of butter ; 79}
es of cheese, and 8 "trusses of straw. At that
le, there were nine monks of the Cistertian order
the convent. — At the east end of the town, on the
-coast, the high road only intervening, are the re-
lins of a chapel called St. Mungo's chapel, of which
lition relates, that it was erected on or near the
where St. Mungo, or Kentigern, was born,
is said to have been the son of Eugenius III.,
of the Scots, by a daughter of Lothus, King
'the Picts. His mother Tharnetis finding herself
th child, in apprehension of her father's wrath,
)le privately away; and, entering into a vessel
'rich she found on the nearest coast, was, by the
ids and waves, cast on land at the spot where the
>wn of Culross is now situated, and there was de-
rered of a son. Leaving the child with a nurse,
returned home ; and his parents being unknown,
boy was brought to St. Servanus, who baptized
brought him up. This Servanus, or St. Serf,
at that time in an hermitage where the
lastery was afterwards built. After various
rinations, he departed this life at Culross, of
rich town he became the tutelar saint ; and, in
>ur of him, an annual feast was formerly solem-
by the people here. This was attended with a
riety of ceremonies, particularly parading the
eets and environs of the town early in the morn-
with large branches of birch and other trees,
ipanied with drums and different musical in-
ruments, and adorning the cross, and another public
called the Tron, with a profusion of flowers
led into different devices. The last abbot of
this place was Alexander, son of Sir James Colville I
of Ochiltree. Sir James, brother to the said Alex- \
under, was raised to the dignity of Lord Colville of ]
Culross in 1604, at which time the king made him
a grant of this dissolved abbey.
CULS ALMOND,* a parish in the county of Aber-
deen, about 3} miles in length, and 3 in breadth ;
bounded on the north by Forgue and Auchterless ;
on the east by Rayne ; on the south by Oyne ; and
on the west by Insch. The surface is level, with
the exception "of Corsdow and Culsalmond, — two
small hills about the middle of the parish. The soil
is deep and fertile, especially on the banks of the
Urie, the only river in the parish. The only fuel is
peat and turf, of which there is great abundance.
There are some quarries of a fine blue slate within
this district. Newton-house is the principal resi-
dence in the parish. Population, in 1801, 730; in
1H31, 1,138. Assessed property, in 1815, £2,242.
Houses, in 1831, 210.— This parish is in the presby-
tery of Garioch, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
Sir John Forbes, Bart. Stipend £166 2s. Id. ;
gli-be £10. — Schoolmaster's salary £30, with share
or the Dick bequest, and £21 fee*.
CULTER, a parish chiefly in the county of Lanark,
but partly in Peebles-shire ; about 8 miles in length,
and, on an average, 4 in breadth. It is bounded
on the north by Symington and Biggar parishes ; on
the east by Kilbucho and Glenholm parishes; on the
• Pronounced Cultamon. Huddlestone, in his erudite notes
mi ' Tolaud's HUtory of the Druid*,' [Edit. 1814. p. 276.] says
this lump "is merely a corruption «.t tlie Gaelic Ctlt-iaman,
' ies * the Temple of the Sun.' "
south by Crawford ; and on the west by Crawfor d,
Lamington, and Symington parishes. The Clyde
skirts the north-western boundary of the parish.
Along its banks a fine fertile plain extends for 2
miles to the foot of the hills which occupy the
southern part of the parish, and rise into high moun-
tains, the loftiest of which is Culterfell, or The Fell,
having an altitude of 2,430 feet.f Culter water, a
tributary of the Clyde, flows through the whole
length of the parish from south to north. The hilly
district is partly covered with a rich verdure well-
adapted for sheep-pasture, and partly by a forest of
natural wood. There are the remains of several
circular encampments, and of an artificial mound of
earth on the banks of the Clyde. Ironstone of ex-
cellent quality abounds here ; and most of the springs
are impregnated with that mineral. Population, in
1801, 369; in 1831, 497. Assessed property, in
1815, £2,769. Houses, in 1831, 97 This parish,
formerly a rectory, is in the presbytery of Biggar,
and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patrons,
Baillie of Lamington, and Dickson of Kilbucho.
Stipend £217 3s. 9d. ; glebe £30 12s School-
master's salary £34, with £20 fees.
CULTER (THE), a stream in Aberdeenshire,
which takes its rise from a lake in the parish of
Skene, and, after receiving several smaller streams,
falls into the Dee, about 6 miles above Aberdeen,
near the church of Peterculter.
CULTER. See PETERCULTER.
CULTS, a parish in the centre of tiie county of
Fife ; in ancient writings called Quilts or Quilques ;
extending in length about 2j, and in breadth 1}
miles; bounded on the north-west by the Eden,
which divides it from Collessie and Monimail ; on
the east by Cupar and Ceres ; and on the south and
west by Kettle. Its general surface is flat, declining
from the south — where there are a few hills — to the
Eden. The eastern part is well wooded. The soil
is light, and in some places — particularly on the banks
of the Eden — gravelly ; but towards the south it is a
strong clay. The superficial area is about 2, 100 Scots
acres, of which about 1 ,800 are under cultivation. A
number of hands are here employed in weaving coarse
linens. There are numerous freestone and limestone
quarries of excellent quality ; there is also plenty of
coal. There are remains of a Roman encampment
upon Walton hill in this district. The celebrated
Sir David Wilkie, the painter, was a native of this
parish, of which his father was minister. Population,
in 1801, 699 ; in 1831, 903. Houses 174. Assessed
property £3,567. — This parish, formerly a vicarage,
is in the presbytery of Cupar, and synod of Fife.
Patron, the United College of St. Andrews. Stipend
£162 5s. 7d. ; glebe £11. Church built in 1793;
sittings 490 There is a Secession church at the
village of Pitlessie, which contains above 500 inha-
bitants. See PITLESSIE Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4d., with £25 fees. There are 2 private schools.
Besides the village of Pitlessie, there are the hamlets
of Crossgates, Walton, Cults mill, and Hospital mill
in this parish. Near the north-east extremity of the
parish, on the site of an old house, Lady Mary
Lindsay Crawford, sister and heiress of George, 20th
Earl of Crawford, erected a splendid mansion in 1813,
called Crawford castle and priory. The Fifeshire
property of this family was obtained from the Keiths,
in exchange for Dunottar castle, in the 14th century,
by Sir William of the Byres, younger brother of the
ancestor of the first fourteen Eurls of Crawford, of
whom the Earl of Balcarres, chief of the name, is
heir-male and representative. Lady Mary died in
f The height Of Culterfell in utated at 1,700 feet according to
.-nine authorities; at 2440 feet wrordiutf to i'Uyiair ; aud
*,:UU fevt ai-curdiug to others
CUM
282
CUM
NoVember, 1833. She was the last of a direct line
which for nearly five centuries had flourished in Fife-
shire, and whose deeds, for good or for evil, have
been enrolled on many pages of the chronicles of
Scotland. Her remains repose in a mausoleum on
Walton hill, where also rest the ashes of her brother.
The Earldom of Lindsay will belong to the person
who can prove himself heir-male-general of George,
the last Earl. The Earldom of Crawford is claimed
by the Earl of Balcarres.
CUMBERNAULD, a parish in the county of
Dumbarton, though locally in that of Lanark ; ex-
tending about 7 miles in length, and 4 in breadth ;
and curland mane, like feirs lionis, and thoucht th;iy
sernit meek and tame in the remanent figure of thair
bodyis thay wer mair wild than ony uthir beiztis,
and had sich hatrent aganis the societe and cumpany
of men, that they come nevir in the wodis nor lesuria
quhair thay fand ony feit or haind thairof, and moy
dayis eftir, thay eit nocht of the herbis that wer
twichit or handillitt be men. Their bullis were sa
wild that thay wer nevir tane but slight and crafty
laubour, and sa impacient that, eftir thair taking,
thay deit for importable doloure. Als sone as ony
man invadit thir bullis, thay ruschit with so terrible
preis on him, that thay dang him to the eord, takand
bounded on the north by Stirlingshire ; on the east \ na feir of houndis, scharp lancis, nor uthir niaist
by Stirling and Lanark shires ; on the south by Lan- ' -
arkshire ; and on the west by Kirkintilloch parish.
Area 17,260 English acres. The surface is beauti-
fully diversified with small hills and fertile dales.
The highest part is called Fannyside moor, producing
nothing but heath and furze. On the south east side
of this moor are two lochlets, each about a mile long,
and one quarter of a mile broad. The remainder
of the parish is mostly arable, with a deep clay soil,
and tolerably fertile. Lime, coal, and freestone,
abound. Considerable remains of Antoninus's wall
are to be seen here, on the northern skirts of the
parish, nearly in the course of the Great canal
which connects the Clyde and the Forth The
village and burgh-of-barony of Cumbernauld is 13
miles east of Glasgow; 9 west of Falkirk; and 13
south of Stirling. It is pleasantly situated in a
valley almost surrounded with the pleasure-grounds
of Cumbernauld-house, the estate of Lord Elphin-
stone. The new road from Glasgow to Falkirk
passes close to the village, near which is built a
large and commodious inn. The inhabitants are
chiefly employed in weaving for the Glasgow manu-
facturers. It has an annual fair on the 2d Thurs-
day in May. Population of the parish and village
in 1801, 1,795; in 1831, 3,080. Houses in 1801,
393. Assessed property, in 1815, .£6,144 This
parish, formerly a vicarage, and which, prior to 1649,
formed part of Kirkintilloch, is in the presbytery of
Glasgow and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron,
Lord Elphinstone. Stipend £264 3s. 2d. ; glebe
£17 10s. Unappropriated teinds £694 11s. lOd.
Church repaired in 1810; sittings 660 There is
an original Burgher congregation. Chapel built in
1743; rebuilt, in 1825, at the cost of about £1,000;
sittings 576. Stipend £100, with manse and garden.
—There is also a United Secession church, which
was early established here. Stipend £70, with
manse and garden — An extension church and quoad
sacra parish have recently been formed here..
Schoolmaster's salary £25, with £26 fees. There is
a school at the village of Cor.dorat, and another at
Garbethill — Professor Low, in his ' Illustrations of
the Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British
Islands/ [London: 1840. fol.] says, "John Les-
lie, bishop of Ross, who wrote in 1598, states
that the wild ox — Bos sylvestris — was found in
the woods of Scotland ; that it was of a white co-
lour, had a thick mane resembling a lion's, that it
was wild and savage, and, when irritated, rushed
upon the hunters, overthrew the horses, and dis-
persed the attacks of the fiercest dogs. He says that
it had formerly abounded in the Sylva Caledonia, but
was then only to be found at Stirling, Cumbernauld,
periitrive wapintris. And thoucht thir bullis wer
bred in sindry boundis of the Caledon wod, now, lie
continewal hunting and lust of insolent men, thay
ar destroyit in all party of Scotland and nane ot
thaim left bot allanerlie in Cumarnald.'" Here,
however, they were also subjected to persecution;
and " in a remarkable document written in 1570-71,
the writer, describing the aggressions of the king's
party, complains of the destruction of the deer in the
forest of Cumbernauld, ' and the quhit ky and bullis
of the said forrest, to thegryt destructione of polecie,
and hinder of the commonweil. For that kynd of
ky and bullis hes bein keipit thir money zeiris in
the said forest; and the like was not mantenit in
ony uther partis of the He of Albion.' " Mr. Low
then adduces various arguments to prove, that nei-
ther as respects their white colour, nor their pecu-
liar habits, are these wild cattle to be regarded as a
species distinct from the domesticated oxen.
CUMBRAYS* (THE), two islets in the frith of
Clyde, distinguished as the Greater and the Less,
or the Big and the Little Cumbray. They belong
to the county of Bute, arid lie between the island ot
Bute and the coast of Ayrshire. The Greater or
Big Cumbray is 4 miles east of the south-east part
of Bute, and 2 miles west of Largs in Ayrshire.
The Little Cumbray lies to the south of it, being
separated from it by a channel of about three-quar-
ters of a mile in breadth. The two Cumbrays are
a link in the geological chain which connects Bute
with the adjoining mainland.
The larger of the two Cumbrays corresponds in geo-
logical structure with the middle — old red sandstone
— district of. Bute, and is chiefly interesting, in a
scientific point of view, from the enormous trap-
dykes with which it is traversed. The New Statis-
tical Account mentions that the more remarkable of
these " are two on the east side of the island, run-
ning nearly parallel, and from five to six hundred
yards distant from each other. The one to the
north-east measures upwards of 40 feet in height,
nearly 100 in length, and in mean thickness from
ten to twelve feet. The one to the southward is
upwards of 200 feet in length, from 12 to 15 in
thickness, and from 70 to 80 feet in height; and
when viewed in a certain direction, exhibits the dis-
tant resemblance of a lion couching, hence it is some-
times called The Lion." These dykes are of a
highly crystalline structure, and have withstood the
effects of the atmosphere and of the sea; whilst the
red sandstone on both sides of the dyke, being more
easily decomposed, has been wasted away. The local
name of these dykes is Rippel walls. They re-appear
in Ayrshire, and traverse that and the whole of the
and Kincardine. Hector Bruce, in his History and j neighbouring county of Galloway. The zoology
Chronicles of Scotland, bears testimony to the like ! and botany of this small island are abundant and
effect:—' At this toun—namely Stirling— began the , interesting. It is 3£ miles in length from north-east
gret wod of Caledon. This wod of Caledon ran fra to south-west, and about 2 miles in breadth. Super-
Stnveling throw Menteith and Stratherne to Atholl
and Lpchquabir, as Ptolpme writtis in his first table. * Thenamp Cu
In this wod wes sum time quhit bullis, with crisp
bray, Cumbrdy, Chnbray, or Cimbraes, is said
ruin the Gaelic, and to imply 'a Place of shelter,*
CUM
283
CUM
ficial area 5,100 square acres, of which about 150
are under wood, and about 3,000 are arable. As-
se<snl property, in 1815, £1,509. Valued rent,
£'1,087 8s. 2d. Scots. It is intersected by a rango
of hills called the Sheughends, or Shotighends,
which run from north to south, and attain near
tin- centre of the island a height of nearly 450 feet.
There are two lochlets near this highest point,
from which a small stream issues. About two-thirds
of the island are the property of the Earl of Glas-
gow; the other third belongs to the Marquess of
Bute. The population, in 1750, was 200; in 1801,
506; in 1831, 912; in 1839, according to the New
Statistical Account, 1,075, of whom 932 resided in
the thriving village of MILLPORT : which see. The
her of houses on the island, in 1831, was 134;
1839, 169.— This island, with that of the
Cumbray, forms a distinct parish in the pres-
y of Greenock, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
'atron, the Earl of Glasgow. Stipend £159 4s. 8d. ;
ulebe £8 10s. The old church, built in 1612, was re-
huilt in 1802, at Kirktown, a place about half-a-mile
distant from Millport. In 1837, a new and handsome
parish-church was erected at Millport It would
appear from the following curious extract from the
minutes of the Privy-council of Scotland, that this
island was at one time famous for its breed of hawks :
-February 2d, 1609,— Sir \Villiam Stewart, capt.
>( Dumbartane castle, complains ' That Robert Hun-
lar of Huntarston, and Thomas Boyd, provest of
Iru-yn, had gone to the Isle of Comra, with convo-
lution of the leidges, and tane away all the hawks
hereon.' The lords of secret council declare, * That
ill the hanks quhilk bred on ye said ile do propirly
to the king, and ocht to be furth cumand to
jeste, and that the capitane of Dumbartane
intromet tharewith yeirlie, and deliver the
to his majeste, and discharges the said Robert
, and all vtheris, from middling tharewith.' "
ut the beginning of last century, according to
idition of the island, there was a family of the
of Montgomery, who then possessed the greater
>art of the land now belonging to Lord Glasgow,
ml had a mansion-house at Billikellet. Among the
ast of this family was Dame Margaret Montgomery,
oint-patroness of the kirk, who, being on horseback
t the green of the Largs, is said to have been
brown-off amidst a crowd1 of people; but, being a
voman of high spirit, she pursued the horse, and
eceived a stroke of his foot, which proved instantly
ital. '• The arms of this family" — it is stated in
lu- Did Statistical Account — "are upon the end of
he kirk, and were lately to be seen on a part of the
urns of Billikellet. About a quarter of a mile from
llikellet, there is a large stone set up on end :
bout 6 feet of it is above the ground. It appears
3 have been the rude monument of some ancient
There is also a place which the inhabitants
uint out as having been a Danish camp, though no
of it now remain."
Tin- Lesser Cumbray is about a mile in length,
id half-a-mile in breadth; and is separated from |
Iie mainland of Ayrshire by a sound of about 3 miles I
i breadth. It lies, like the larger island, in the i
irallel direction to Bute, from south-west to north-
The strata of the rock of which it is com-
ire distinctly marked by nature. When
'c-uvd at a distance, they seem to lie nearly hori-
•iifal ; but, upon a nearer approach, they appear to
''line to an angle of some elevation. They begin
'Mn the water's edge, receding backwards from, and
sing one above another to the height of 650 feet, like
| ie steps of stairs. Upon the south side are a few
Ci, and an old square tower, which is
y opposite to another of the same
kind upon the mainland. Concerning the antiqnit v
of this castle, nothing can now be learned ; and n o
date or inscription, from which it might be ascer-
tained, has ever been discovered. It seems to have
been a place of some strength, and is surrounded by
a rampart and a fosse, over which there has been a
drawbridge : it was surprised and burned by the
troops of Oliver Cromwell. The island was then
in the possession of the family of Eglinton, in which
it has continued ever since. There are still the
ruins of a very ancient chapel here, which is said to
have been dedicated to St. Vey, who lies interred
near it: and which was probably a dependency ot
the celebrated monastery of Icolmkill. — Upon the
highest part of this island, a lighthouse was erected,
about the year 1750, which proved of great benefit
to the trade; but, from its too lofty situation, it
was often so involved in clouds as not to be per-
ceptible, or but seen very dimly. The commission-
ers therefore judged it necessary to erect another, in
1757, upon a lower station, with a redecting lamp,
which is not liable to the inconvenience attending
the former, and affords a more certain direction to
vessels navigating the frith in the night time. This
lighthouse is in N. lat. 55° 43[, and W. long. 4° ,55'.
The height of the building is 28 feet, and of the
lantern 106 feet above high water. It shows a
fixed light, to the distance of 15 miles in clear wea-
ther The population of this island, in 1831, WHS' 17.
CUMBRIA, an ancient British principality which
existed till the beginning of the 10th century, and
comprehended Strathclyde, the province of Gallo-
way, Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham, besides the
large archbishopric of Glasgow, which extended
through the greater part of Cumberland. It was at
last partly subdued by the English, who, in order to
attach the Scottish king to their interest, made a pre-
sent of it to Malcolm, prince of Scotland, to be held
as a fief depending on the crown of England, and iu
975 the Scots subdued the remaining parts of this
province. The name of the people is still preserved
not only in Cumberland, but in the islands of Cum-
brays and in many places of Clydesdale.
CUMINESTOWN, a village in Aberdeenshire,
in Monquhitter parish, founded in 1760 by Cumine
of Auchry, and containing about 600 inhabitants.
There is a small Scotch Episcopal congregation here.
Stipend £53 10s.
CUMMERTREES,* a parish in the district of An-
nandale, Dumfries-shire, situated on the coast, at
nearly equal distances from the mouths of the Mth
and the Sark. It is bounded on the north by St.
Mungo and Hoddam ; on the east by the parish of
Annan ; on the south by the Solway frith ;' and on
the west by Ruthwell and Dalton. With the excep-
tion of two considerable protuberances on the eust,
and three or four inconsiderable ones on the west, it has
nearly the form of a regular parallelogram : its length
being from north to south, and its breadth from ea.»t
to west. It measures diagonally about 54 or nearly 6
miles, lengthways 5 miles, and at one point, from
Flosh on the west to an angle eastward of Spittle-
ridding-hill, 4j miles in breadth. Its area contain*
upwards of 8,000 Scotch acres. Its surface is, tor
the most part, nearly Hat, rising with a slight in-
* Chalmerf, in his Caledonia, derives the name fr..m three
Briti>h words, Cum-hfr-ti en, which mirmfy 'the Hamlet at
the short alley.' The name probably referred to H village m.\v
extinct; hut still, as to it* vt'Mii/es, remembered by some of the
older inhabitants, and situated at the end of a chort valley
formed l>v the ronTergiiig streams of one of the local rills
and the Tow. "From the name of Hie parish," too, «ayn the
writer in Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account, "there ia
little donlit of it [the parish] having been former ly covered
with timbi-r. Considerable tracts ot natural wood sii.l remain,
besides the Mibteranneaii forests of oak, fir, and birch, wit1!
which the nios*es are everywhere replenished."
284
CUMMERTREES.
clination from the Solway towards the north. The
highest elevation is a hill, on which stands the Tower
of Repentance, about £ of a mile from its northern
boundary, and scarcely 200 feet above sea-level.
From this hill, the ground slopes rapidly toward the
river Annan, by which the northern boundary of the
parish is traced. The soil, towards the north, is a
loam above freestone ; in some of the central parts,
is a loam above limestone, remarkably rich and fer-
tile ; along the coast, is sandy ; in many parts, is a
thin wet clay over hard till, requiring much manuring
and cultivation ; and in some is an improved and
meadowy bog, formerly flowrnoss, but recently re-
claimed at great expense and with much labour. Its
coast-line is flat, and uninteresting, and indented
only with a small bay called Queensberry, in which
vessels of light burden can take shelter from north
and north-west winds. Into this bay, overlooked
by the small village and sea-bathing quarters of
Queensberry, and situated a little to the eastward
of the middle of the southern boundary line, and
about 3 miles westward of the embouchure of the
river Annan, a small stream, called the Pow [see
Pow], or the Cummertrees Pow, debouches, after
traversing the parish south-eastward from Flosh.
Over a distance of 2£ miles, the Annan washes
the limits of the parish, dividing them from those
of St. Mungo and Hoddam, and here produces sal-
mon, salmon-trouts, and a species of small fish
called hirlings. The last of these are about the
size of good burn-trout, are of two kinds, red and
white, are sometimes caught in large quantities, and
are believed to be peculiar to the rivers which dis-
charge themselves into the Solway frith. Three rills
rise in the parish, two of them running southward
into the Pow, and the third flowing south-eastward
into a small lake of about f of a mile in circumfer-
ence, which is situated on the eastern boundary.
The Solway frith suddenly widens, on the Cumber-
land side, opposite the south-east angle of Cummer-
trees, and becomes 7 miles broad ; but, at low water,
or during the hours of its recess, [see SOLWAY
FRITH,] forms one Sahara-like waste of level and
naked sand, intersected by forking branches — known
as the Scotch and the English channels — of the united
streams of the Annan, the Sark, the Esk, and the
Eden. Here the Solway tide rolls impetuously for-
ward with its celebrated breast or wall of waters, —
tumbling headlong at the speed of 8 or 10 miles in the
hour, — hoarsely roaring with a voice which is heard
over all the parish, and, at times, 12 or 15 miles
farther to the north, — and whirling aloft a warlike
banner of spray which glitters and undulates in the
breeze to announce the march of the careering and
invincible invasion of waters. But the Solway is
enriching to the inhabitants, both by its raising the
temperature higher than in the parishes inland, and
by it? furnishing large supplies of flounders and cod,
and occasional takes of soles and turbot. A mineral
spring near Cummertrees-mill, at the north-west angle
of the parish, is sometimes, for its medicinal proper-
ties, recommended by physicians. Nearly 1,300 acres
of the parish, or about one-fifth of its area, is
covered with plantation. The climate, though hu-
mid and changeable, is remarkably salubrious, and
seems to have the property of nearly exempting the
population from epidemics. Limestone is abundant,
about 30 feet in thickness, and is so unusually rich
as to yield 96 per cent, of carbonate of lime. Sand-
stone also is plentiful : in the southern district, it is
soft, and lies under sand, gravel, or moss, — but, in
the northern, it occasionally looks out from the sur-
face, and is nearly as hard as some primitive rocks.
The proprietor of five-sixths of the soil is the Mar-
quis of Queensberry, who possesses here a beautiful
seat, called Kinmount-house, built at the expense
£40,000 There are three small villages or hamle
Cummertrees, Queensberry, and Kilhead. The
of these is one of the most beautiful in Dumfries-shi
The parish is, at its middle, intersected, from n
west to south-east, by the great line of road from
Dumfries to Carlisle; from west to east, near the
shore, by the south road from Dumfries to Annan;
from north to south, through its middle, by a line
of road from Cummertrees-mill to Powfoot or the
village of Queensberry ; and transversely, in various
directions, by no fewer than 5 or 6 connecting lin
of road — Hoddam castle, situated nearly half-w
between the river Annan and the Tower of Repen
ance, was built in the 15th century by Lord Herric
from the stones of an ancient chapel ; and stands
a site commanding one of the most beautiful vie
in Annandale. It is remarkable chiefly for its thic
ness of wall, and consequent strength ; and, great
improved with repairs and with additional building
is maintained in as comely a state as any edifice
its class in Scotland. The old castle is said
have been inhabited about the beginning of the 14
century by a branch of the family of Robert Bruc
and to have been demolished some time after by
border-law. The family of Herries was very powe
ful, and possessed a vast extent of country. Abo
the year 1627, the barony of Hoddam was acquin
from the last Lord Herries, by Sir Richard Murra
of Cockpool ; which family being afterwards creat<
Earls of Annandale, the estate stood vested in Joh
Earl of Annandale, in 1637. By the Earl of Anna
dale the estate was conveyed to David, Earl
Southesk, about the year 1653; and, in 1690, Charle
Earl of Southesk, sold the barony and castle to Jol
Sharpe, Esq., in whose family it has continued ev
since. Grose has preserved two views of this cast)
In the walls about it are divers Roman altars ai
inscriptions which were discovered at the station
Birrens, in the parish of Middlebie. On the hill fo
merly mentioned, and south of Hoddam castle, stan
the erection — remarkable alike in name, in structur
and in situation — called the Tower of Repentanc
This building is square, 25 feet high, extraordinari
thick in its walls, and commands a view, on all side
over a distance of at least 30 miles. On its top is t
arena where, evidently, watch-fires formerly burne
announcing to the inhabitants of the far-stretchii
plain which it overlooks any menacing movemen
which, previous to the union of the crowns of Sco
land and England, occurred on the English side <
the border. Various traditions are afloat respectir
the origin of its name, and the motives for erectii
it ; the chief of which is, that Lord Herries, returi
ing from a murderous foray in Cumberland, and, aft
having massacred a numerous body of prisoners, ai
thrown them into the sea, built it, to appease h
conscience, and conciliate his diocesan superior, tl
bishop of Glasgow. — On the farm of Hurkledale,
this parish, there was discovered, in 1833, a numb
of ancient silver coins, much decayed, but supposi
to be of Alexander III. of Scotland", and Edward I.
England Population of the parish, in 1801, 1,63.
in 1831, 1,407. Houses 238. Assessed propert
in 1815, £7,459 — Cummertrees is in the presb
tery of Annan, and synod of Dumfries. Patron, t
Crown. In its present form, it comprehends,
addition to the original parish, the chaplaiitry
Trailtrow, which was annexed to it in 1609.
parochial church is one of those which Robert
Bruce, in the 1 2th century, when, in an age of sup(
stitious liberality and popish ostentation, he wish
to display his munificence, conferred on the moii
of Giseburn; and after, upon the abolition of ep
copacv, it ceased to be controlled by the bishop
CUMNOCK.
285
it reverted, as to its patronage, to the
The chapel of Trailtrow stood upon the
nee which is now surmounted by Repentance
; and is commemorated by a burying-ground,
1 in use, within which the tower is situated.
Minister's stipend £158 6*. 7d.; glebe £18. There
are two parochial schools, and one nonparochial.
Salary of the first parochial schoolmaster £30, with
"7 other emoluments; of the second £8 11s., with
-fees amounting to about £15.
JMNOCK,* (OLD CUMNOCK,) a parish in the
rn section of the district of Kyle in Ayrshire.
bounded on the north by Auchinleck and Muir-
; on the east by Dumfries-shire ; on the south
New Cumnock r«nd on the west by Ochiltree
Auchinleck. It is of an oblong figure, and about
iles in extreme length, by about 2 in aver-
breadth: stretching, as to its length, from east
The surface is in part flat, and in part
The soil in general is clay upon a strong till ;
in some places is bog, and in the holms is a light
and dry mixture of sand and gravel. The river
Lugar intersects the parish from east to west, drink-
ing up several rivulets in its course, and eventually
emptying itself, near Barakimming, into Ayr water;
and it abounds in trout, and furnishes an occasional
banquet of eels. On the southern confines of the
parish are three lakes which jointly have an area of
about 100 acres, and which, though communicating
with one another, discharge their waters south-east-
though the rivulet Aith into the Nith, and
h.westward, through another rivulet, into the
The uplands — hilly but not mountainous,
though partly covered with heath — are in general
verdant, abound in a coarse grass called sprit, and
exhibit some volcanic appearances intermixed with
basalt. In the beds of the rivulets, petrifactions of
s and fish are thrown up from the strata. In
tensive lime-quarry belonging to the Marquis
ute, are beds abounding with a species of coral,
limestone in this quarry is, in some places,
with shells and spar, takes a beautiful polish,
is capable of being dressed into a pleasing bluish
le. A vein of lead-ore likewise runs through
it, and was found, on trial at the lead-mines of
Wanlockhead, to yield 65 pounds per cwt. Free-
stone abounds, is of easy access, and has contributed
largely to the walls of neat and comfortable dwell-
ings. Coal is supposed, with a covering or crumb-
cloth of strata, to carpet the parish ; but has been
worked chietiy in subordination to the burning of
lime. Very recently a bed of what is called black
ironstone, 2£ feet thick, has been discovered here.
Hugh Logan, Esq., 'the Laird of Logan,' and cele-
brated wit of Ay/shire, was a native of this parish.
Here also, within the precincts of the burying-
ground, are the remains of the famous Alexander
Peden, of covenanting, and, as the vulgar say, ot
prophesying memory, — remains which were originally
interred in the aisle of Lord Auchinleck, — which, after
forty days, were exhumed by a body of dragoons,
who intended to hang them up on a gallows, — and
which, in yieldarice with the entreaties of the Countess
«»f Dumfries and other influential personages, were
eventually allowed to rest along with the remains of
oilier martyrs, at the Gallowstbot of Cumnock.
Around the dust of Peden, as well as on the estate
of I^ogan, and on the moor which forms the south-
* " The name of Opnn«<ck." cay* the author of • Caledon
"i* derived from the British cym, a hollow or valley, and /•/;•/».•.
a hill, which was 11-11 illy pronounced • Cumnock.' '1 he Hi it.-li
cyt*, in the prefix <>l the name, applies exactly to the hollow
or ralley in which iln- church and village ol Old (.'nun. nek
xtand, on the hank .-f (ilaMioek rivulet, which fall* into Lug-ar
Water ; hut whether the rune, in the termination of the mime,
>lie- to the binali hili at the village, or to home other hill ill
vicinity, is not quite certain."
west boundary of the parish, is the dust of martyrs,
who, in popular phrase, sacrificed themselves to the
covenant of Scotland, but who may be allowed to
ve surrendered their lives in the cause of heaven.
The principal proprietor is the Marquis of Bute and
Earl of Dumfries, who acquires from the parish his
title of Baron. Dumfries-house, the seat of the
Marquis, is situated in the north-west part of the
parish, near the banks of the Lugar, and is sur-
rounded with a fine demesne which, extending on
both sides of the river, is connected by an elegant
new bridge at the most accessible point from the
mansion. The other mansions in the parish are
Garallan, Logan, and Glasnock, the last of which,
situated on the stream whence it derives its name
is a recent and elegant edifice, built of white free,
stone. Within the demesne of Dumfries-house stand
the ruins of Terringzoan castle, whence the present
Countess of Dumfries — Countess in her own right,
though Marchioness of Bute by matrimonial alliance —
still derives the title of Baroness. Some traces, in
the southern division of the parish, exist of an old
keep called Boreland castle, and also of a Catholic
chapel, which gives to the farm on which it stands
the name of Chapel-house. This parish is traversed,
south-eastward, by the great line of road from Glas-
gow to Dumfries, and, in various directions, by minor
lines ; and it boasts no fewer than 1 6 bridges. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 1,991 ; in 1831, 2,763. Houses 454.
Assessed property, in 1815, £7,287. — The parish
is in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Patron, the Marquis of Bute. Stipend
£218 Os. 7d. ; glebe £20._There are 3 schools, one
parochial and 2 nonparochial. Salary of the parish
schoolmaster £34 4s. 4£d., with £45 other emolu-
ments. The parish-church, built in 1/54, and situ-
ated in the village, at a distance of 5J miles from
the most remote limit of the parish, has" from GOO to
700 sittings. A United Secession meeting-house,
also situated in the village, has 900 sittings. More
than one-third of the parishioners are dissenters.
Cumnock was dislocated, early last century, into its
present form, and that of the parish of New Cum-
nock. Originally it was a rectory; but in the 15th
century it became a prebend of the cathedral ot
Glasgow, and afterwards a vicarage.
CUMNOCK, a village in the parish just described,
situated in a deep sheltered hollow, at the confluence
of the Lugar and theGlisnock, lOi miles south-west
of Muirkirk, 6£ south-east of Mauchlin, and 16 east
of Ayr, on the main road from Glasgow to Dumfries.
It was, in the year 1509, made a burgh-of-barony by
James IV., and consists principally of a sort of square,
or rather triangle, which occupied the area of what
was anciently the burying-ground. A remarkable
circumstance is that, situated in a sort of mimic
basin, it can, from any point of the compass, be
entered only by a declivity. Its subsistence is weav-
ing, which, when trade is good, keeps 120 looms at
work ; hand-sewing, which is a common employment
with both adult and young females; the manufacture
of thrashing-mills, which are in high esteem through-
out the west of Scotland, and are, in considerable
numbers, exported to Ireland ; a pottery, which,
from clay of the best quality found in the parish, pro-
duces a superior brown- ware; and the manufacture
of wooden snuff-boxes, which, throughout Scotland,
have, for their inimitable beauty, rendered — among
snuff-takers, at least — the village surpassingly cele-
brious. In the last of these sources of support, Cum-
nock is competed with only by Laurencekirk and
Montrose. An ingenious mechanician of the name
of Crawford, sei/ed — from a box which had been
made at Laurencekirk, and which was sent to him
to be repaired — the first idea of the cel«briou» Cum-
CUM
286
CUN
nock manufacture. Improving upon the pattern '
which was produced by previous inventors, he, or
his successors, contrived to execute so delicately the
hinge of the snuff-box, as to make the name of Cum-
nock essential to the vest-pocket's storehouse of most
in Scotland who are politely "led by the nose." "A
few years ago," says a writer in the New Statisti-
cal Account of Scotland, " a solid foot of wood, that
cost only 3s., could be manufactured into boxes worth
.£100 sterling, and then the workmanship increased
the original value of the wood nearly 700 times ; but
at present a solid foot of wood, will only yield, in
finished boxes, about £9 sterling." The great fall-
ing-off is to be accounted for chiefly by the satiating
of the passion for novelty, — snuff- takers being as
curious in the recherche of their box, as antiquarians
are in the high date and freshness of their discoveries ;
and, in a degree, by the sharpness of competition
from the quarters whence the idea of the ' Cumnock
snuff-box' was originally obtained. In addition to
the area already mentioned, Cumnock consists of
very narrow lanes ; and, on the whole, it is irre-
gularly built. Yet it occupies a picturesque site, is
clean and healthful, overlooks some beautiful wood-
lands in the parish, is romantically interspersed with
fine old trees, and altogether presents a picture on
which the eye of the traveller may delight to rest.
The village contains good shops in all departments,
a gas- work, and branch-offices of two banking com-
panies ; and, owing to its advantageous position in
relation to the surrounding country, transacts much
retail business. Of the 16 bridges in the parish, 3
are in the village. Four annual fairs are held here,
respectively in February, in May, in July, and in
October, O.S. Here, also, are 2 public libraries, 3
friendly societies, and a savings-bank. Population
of the village in 1801, apart from the parish, 1,798.
CUMNOCK (NEW), a parish, in the district of
Kyle, forming the south-eastern limb of Ayrshire.
It is bounded on the north by Auchinleck, Old
Cumnock, and Ochiltree ; on the east by Dumfries-
shire; on the south by Galloway; and on the west
by Dalmellington. It has an outline of very nearly
an oblong square ; is 12 miles in length from east
to west, somewhat more than 8 in breadth, and con-
tains an area of upwards of 100 square miles, or about
30,000 acres. Jts surface is dotted with hills, and,
in its southern division, is warted with mountains.
Its highest elevations are Black-craig, about £ a mile
from its eastern boundary, rising 1,600 feet above
the valley of Nith, and Black- Larg-hill, on its south-
ern boundary, which rises 2,890 feet above sea-level;
but these elevations are excelled in interest by the
Knipe, to the south, 1,260, and especially by the
Corsancone, 872, which, owing to its position, com-
mands a beautiful and extensive view. Indeed the
whole southern division of the parish is lifted up-
wards by elevations, Craigdarroch, Saddlehagg,
Coptaw-Cairn, Benly-Cowan-hill, Chang-hill, High-
Chang-hill, Enoch-hill, Blackstone-hill, Craig-hill,
and several other heights. The lowest ground is
the valley of the Nith, — a river which, rising in the
south-west extremity of the parish, intersects it
from west to east, flows here about 500 feet above
sja-level, and, on leaving the parish to irrigate Dum-
fries-shire, begins to form, in that county, the dis-
trict of Nithsdale. The Nith is here shallow and
sluggish, highly tinctured with moss, and about 15
feet broad. Flowing northwards, of local origin,
and falling into the Nith, the small stream called the
Afton, forms a beautiful valley, and is overlooked
by richly sylvan banks. There are, on the northern
confines of the parish, 3 small lakes, averaging about
£ a mile in circumference; but abounding in perch,
p.ke, and water-fowl. Carboniferous limestone oc-
curs in abundance, lies in beds 12 feet thick, and is
wrought, at Benstone, Mansfield, and Polquhortor.
Improved limekilns have been erected by the enter-
prising and judicious Monteith of Closeburn, Dum-
fries-shire. Freestone, for the most part of a dingy
white colour, and coarse in the grain, is plenteous.
Ironstone is found in bands and balls, but has nev
been wrought. Alternate seams of smith's coal an
cannel coal appear to pavement the eastern distric
and are in considerable request ; the former for mal
ing gas in Dumfries and Catrine, and the latter, f(
less chemical purposes, in Ayr, Kilmarnock, ar
other places. Plumbago, or black-lead, is found
the coal-formation, and has, for a considerable perio
been wrought. It is, however, of very inferior quali
to that of Borrodale in Cumberland. There are,
the parish, 3 villages, or hamlets, Path-head, Afto
Bridge-end, and New Cumnock ; which had, in 183
a population, — the first, 361; the second, 242; ai
the third, 161. Two great roads traverse the distric
both through New Cumnock, the one from nori
to south, along the valley of the Afton ; and tl
other, the great road from Glasgow to Dumfries,
short way due south, and then from east to wes
making an extraordinary debouche in consequence
the hilly configuration of the surface. Population,
1801, 1,381 ; in 1831, 2,184. Houses, 4,54. A
sessed property, in 1815, £8,538. — New Cumno(
is in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod of Glasgo
and Ayr. Patron, the Marquis of Bute. Stipen
.£194 11s. 8d. ; glebe, £24. This parish was orig
nally a section of that of Cumnock, or Old Cumnoc
and shared in its ecclesiastical history. Its presei
church is of recent structure, and accommodat
1,000 sitters Connected with the Reformed Pre
byterians, there are here about 120 individual
who have a local place of worship. There are al
nearly 200 members or hearers of the United Sece
sion, who attend their place of worship in the villaj
of Old Cumnoek Schoolmaster's salary, £32, wi
school-fees of from 2s. to 3s. per quarter, and oth
emoluments, £4 10s. There are 2 schools noi
parochial.
CUNNINGHAM, the northern district of Ay
shire ; bounded on the east by Renfrewshire ; on tl
north and west by the frith of Clyde ; and, on tl
south, separated from Kyle by the river Irvine,
length from north to south may be about 18 miles
its breadth from east to west 12 miles. It includ<
the following parishes : — Ardrossan, Beith, Dalr_
Dreghorn, part of Dunlop, Fenwick, Irvine, Ki
birnie, West Kilbride, Kilmarnock, Kilmaur
Kil winning, Largs, Loudoun, Stevenston,
Stewarton. I1 he total number of inhabited hous<
in the district in 1831, was 7,602; of families 13,04
Of these, 2,212 families were employed in agricu
ture, and 7,457, in trade, manufactures, and hand
crafts. The total population was 63,453. Cunning
ham is pleasantly diversified with hill and dale ; hi
cannot be said to have any mountains. It is watere
by numerous streams, the chief of which are the AM
NOCK, CAAF, GARNOCK, IRVINE, and RYE : whicl
see. In it are several populous towns and village*
as ARDROSSAN, BEITH, DALRY, IRVINE, KILWIN
NING, LARGS, SALTCOATS, STEWARTON, &c. : whicl
see. The whole district abounds with coal, limestone
and freestone. It is, however, mostly in the hands o
great proprietors, and is, of consequence, ornamente1
with few seats. EGLINTON CASTLE and KELBUBN;
are the chief: which see This district is celebrate
for its dairy husbandry, which has reached greate
perfection here than in any other quarter of Scat
land. Full milk cheese was first begun to be mad
in the parishes of Beith, Dunlop, Stewartoi., HI
others, soon after the middle of last century. It vva
CUN
2S7
CUP
made in tlie parish of Kilmarnock about the year ] 7.:;fi ,
and became common in Cunningham by about 1770.
Some traditional accounts, however, represent it as
of much earlier introduction into the dairies of this
district. [See article DUNLOP.] The question of
the origin of this famous kind of cheese is still matter
of keen dispute. About the year 1760, the cows in
the district of Cunningham were not superior to those
now in Bute, Arran, or Kintyre. They were poor
ill-shaped starvelings, which, when fattened, did not
weigh more than from 13 to 15 stones, county weight.
But, about 17.50, the Earl of Marchmont purchased
from the Bishop of Durham, six cows and a bull of the
Teeswater breed,— all of them flecked brown and
wli i t e, and considerably heavier than the Ayrshire cows
jrt that period. Bruce Campbell, Esq., of Milnriggs —
who was then factor on his Lordship's estate in Ayr-
shire — brought some of that breed to his byres at Sorn-
beg, and from these many calves were reared in that
part of Ayrshire. John Dunlop, Esq., about the same
time, brought some cows of an improved breed to his
estate of Dunlop ; and the Earls of London and Eglin-
ton, Mr. Orr of Barrowfield, and others, all procured
such cows, and placed them on their estates in Cun-
ningham. These were at that time called Dutch cows,
»nd they were of the same colour as those brought
to Sornbeg. The dairy-breed on the Clyde have the
colour, and partly the shape of the Ayrshire breed,
and are upon the whole a handsome species of stock ;
but they are too round in the chest, too heavy in the
fore-quarters, and far less capacious in their hinder
parts, than the improved Ayrshire breed. They are
well-fitted for the grazier, but inferior to the Cun-
ningham breed for milkers The district of Cun-
ningham was, until the abolition of feudal jurisdic-
tion, a bailiewick under the Earl of Eglinton. Many
of its leading families, — such as those of Eglinton,
Glencairn, and Loudon, — took a leading part in the
affairs of the kingdom during its most agitated times.
The ancient family of De Morville, the constables of
Scotland, were at one time proprietors of almost all
rhe district. It was to Hugh de Morville the church
nved the celebrated abbey of Kilwinning, which was
Eed so amply by him and others of his family
lave a yearly revenue equal to £20,000 of our
t money. Yet it is singular that there is no
ity as to their place of residence in this district.
Mr. George Robertson, in his ' Genealogical Account
if the Principal Families in Ayrshire, more particularly
n Cunningham,' [Irvine: 2 vols.] gives the names
>f two places supposed to have been their residence,
-Glengarnock castle, in the parish of Kilbirnie, and
touthannan in Largs, — now in Kilbride. Glengar-
ioek appears to have been one of the most ancient
uildings in the district, and its ruins show that it
a> been one of the most extensive, and far beyond
•hat the
ock won
1 proprietor of the small barony of Glengar-
uld have reared for himself. "When
f< Th«> castle-paten were barr'd.
And oYr (in- gloomy portal arch,
Tiinint; In* footsteps to a march,
The warder kept his guard,"
could see from the tower the greater part of
nninghain lying below him, and would have a
ew of the frith of Clyde, thus overlooking the
ments of foreign as well as internal enemies.
tact, however, cannot be ascertained with cer-
inty, and we may place it along with that assertion
hich makes Glengarnock the residence of Hardy-
ite.
JUNNINGSBURGH, or KING'S-BURGH, on the
nland, and in the shire of Orkney and Shetland;
nerly a vicarage, now constituting part of the
i of Dunross-Ni'ss : see DUNRO88-NE88.
^PAR-ANGUS, or COUPAR-ANCUS, a parish
I
I ^1
uiiii
iew
i!
CUPA]
partly in Perthshire, partly in Forfarshire ; extend-
ing about 5 miles in length from south-west to north-
ea.-t ; and from 1 to U mile in breadth. It is
bounded by Bendochy and Meigle on the north ; by
Kettins on the east ; by Cargill on the south ; anil
Blairgowrie and Bendochy on the west. A consi-
derable extent of haugh-ground lies on the banks of
the Isla, which skirts its western side, and is here
frequently greatly swollen by rains. The soil in
general is a clay loam ; but, wherever the ground
rises into eminences, a gravelly soil makes its ap-
pearance. Besides the town of Cupar-Angus, there
are the villages of Balbrogie, Caldham or Cadam,
and Well ton, of which the largest contains about
100 inhabitants — There are still visible near the
town of Cupar-Angus the vestiges of a Roman
camp said to have been formed by Agricola in his
7th expedition. On the centre of this camp Mal-
colm IV. in 1164, founded and richly endowed an
abbey for Cistertian monks. Its ruins show that it
must have been a house of considerable magnitude.
In 1561, the revenues of this house were: Money
£1,238 14s. 9d.; wheat 7 ch. 13 bolls 1 fir.; bear
75 ch. 10 bolls 3 fir. 4 peck; meal 73 ch. 4 bolls
3 fir. 3} pecks ; oats 25 ch. 4 bolls 2 fir. 2 pecks.
The Hays of Errol, next to the Scottish kings, were
the principal benefactors to this monastery. Its
last abbot was Donald Campbell of the Argyle fa-
mily. Upon the distribution made by James VI.
of the lands which came to the Crown on the disso-
lution of the religious houses, his majesty erected
this abbey into a civil lordship, in favour of James
Elphinston, 2d son of James, Lord Balmerino, in
1606; but he dying without issue, in 1669, the
honour descended to the Lord Balmerino who was
attainted in 1745 Very recently there was dis-
covered in a field on the estate of Mungo Murray,
Esq. of Lintrose, near Cupar-Angus, a cave of about
27 feet in length, 7 feet broad, and 5 feet high,
strongly but rudely built of stone and lime. In
the cave are two small fire-places, in which were
found various pieces of charcoal, and in the bottom
of the cave a parcel of human bones. There seems
little doubt that this cave had been one of the hid-
ing-places of the Covenanters of this district, in
the days of * the bloody Claverhouse;' and it would
appear that it had become the resting-place of some
of those persecuted men of old. " Not above 40
years ago" — says the writer of the Old Statistical
Account of this parish, written at the close of last
century — "the broad blue bonnet, with a coat of
home-manufacture, was universally worn by the
men ; the tartan plaid, applied closely over a head-
dress of linen, was in use among the women. At
present, few servant-lads are to be seen at church
without their coats of English cloth, hats on their
heads, and watches in their pockets. At the period
just referred to, a watch, an eight-day clock, or a
tea-kettle, were scarcely to be met with. At pre-
sent, there are few houses without one or other ot
these articles ; perhaps one-half of the families in
the parish are possessed of all of them." Population,
in I N)l, including the town of Cupar, 2,416; in 1831,
2,615. Houses, in 1831, 383. Assessed property,
in 1815, £10,325 — This parish, formerly a vicarage,
is in the presbytery of Meigle, and synod of Angus
and Mearns. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £239
4s. 4(1.; glebe £'25. Unappropriated teinds ±139
4s. Church rebuilt in 1780; enlarged in 1830; sit-
tings 850. It Mauds on the Angus side of the town
of Cupar-Angus. — There is a United Secession
church, which was built in 1 7P/0 ; sittings 522;
stipend £120, with a manse and garden. — There tire
also a Relief congregation ; church built in 1789;
sittings 700; stipend £100; with manse and garden; —
288
CUPAR FIFE.
a small Episcopalian congregation established in 1824 ;
stipend i'45 ; — and an original Secession congrega-
tion ; church built in 1826 ; sittings 400 ; stipend
£80, with a manse — Estimating the population of
the parish at 2,600, the parish-minister calculates
that 1,550 belong to the Established church, and
1,000 to other denominations. — Parochial school-
master's salary £34 4s. 4}d., with fees, and emolu-
ments averaging £20 annually. There are 3 private
schools.
CUPAR-ANGUS, a neat and considerable town in
the above parish ; 15 miles north-west of Dundee ;
12£ east by north of Perth; and 5 south of Blair-
gowrie. Though designated of Angus, by far the
greater part of this town is in the county of Perth.
It is situated near the Isla, and is divided by a rivulet
into two parts ; that part which lies south of this
rivulet is all that belongs to the county of Angus.
The streets are well-paved and lighted, and the
town has much improved of late years. There is
a steeple which serves as a town- house and prison,
on the spot where the prison of the court-of-re-
gality stood. Small debt, and circuit small debt,
courts are held here. The linen manufacture is carried
on here to a considerable extent. There is also a con-
siderable tannery ; and in the immediate neighbour-
hood a large bleachtield. Cu par- Angus gave the
title of Baron Coupar to James Elphinston, created
Lord Coupar in 1609. The title merged in that of
Balmerino, and suffered extinction with it. The
number of inhabitants in 1793 amounted to 1604;
they are now about 2,200.
CUPAR- FIFE,* a central parish of Fifeshire,
about 9 miles distant from the sea-coast on the
three sides of the peninsula of Fife ; of a very ir-
regular form, but measuring 44- miles in its greatest
length from north to south, and 3 miles in its great-
est breadth from east to west. It is bounded on the
north by the parishes of Kilmany and Dairsie ; on
the east by Kemback ; on the south by Ceres and
Cults ; and on the west by Moninmil and Moonzie.
The surface is finely undulated, arid well-wooded.
The river Eden flows slowly through the parish
from south-west to north-east, between green and
fertile banks of varied beauty.f The town of Cu-
par, and about two-thirds of the parish, are on the
northern side of the Eden. The Lady-burn, or St.
Mary's burn, a small tributary, flowing from the
north-west, after fetching a circuit through the north-
ern suburbs of the burgh of Cupar, joins the Eden
to the east of the town. The soil to the north and
east of the burgh is a friable loam on a gravelly
subsoil ; to the south and west the soil is more in-
clined to sand. The average rent of land is about
* So called to distinguish it f.om Cnpar. Angus; but most
rommonly designated l>y ilic single term Cup</r. which appears
in ancient writings under the several form* of Cupir, Cu/pyre,
Cyprc, Cyprum, Cowpiir, and Coupar. The etymology of the
ii.tine 18 uncertain, but the word is apparently Celtic; as (be
name* of various other place.-* in the parish certainly are : mirh
as Pittencrieff that is, Pitnan-craobh, 'the Dale :*' Kilmaron,
that in, CHUtnhit.min, 'the Cell of St. Ron.'
f It was suggested, many years ago, that a navigable canal
might be formed, nearly in the course of the Eden, as high as
Cnpar. That river fulls into the sea about 9 miles I.elow the
town ; and the tide rise* a* high as Lydox mill, little more than
3 miles from Cnpar. The fall from the town is very gradual ;
to the place t" which the tide rises not more than i!4 feet. It
has lately been proposed to carry a railroad through Fifeshire,
commencing at BurntiMnnd or Kinghorn, and pacing Kirk-
i-Hldy and Cnpar to Newport, with a branch to Newbnrgh.
The placid stnam of the Eden, and the scenery which diverci-
fiHS and adorns i s banks, long since touched the imagination of
the poet Johnstone. and found a place in his bong:
" Arva inter nemorisqne umbra", et pa«cna laeta
Lene flueua, vitreis, labitur Eden, bquis."
Attracted by the pleasant and healthful situation of the vale in
which the town *tands, onr kings, says tradition, when they
lived in the neighbouring palace of Falkland, placed the
faraily-uureery ut Cupar.
45s. per acre. Assessed property of the parish,
1815, £7,503; of the burgh £6,553. Total real renl
of the parish, in 1829, £9,977 lls. 9d There a
3 mills for spinning yarn within the parish ; viz.,
Russell mill, with 600 spindles, on the Eden, 3 milei
west of Cupar; Cupar flax-mills, with 336 spindles;
and a mill at Lebanon for twisting thread as well i
spinning yarn. The principal kind of cloth mam
factured is dowlas; sheetings and Osnaburghs ai
also largely made; and there are now above
looms in the parish. In 1796, the number of Ic
was 223. There are also extensive flour, corn,
barley mills, several quarries, and a snuff mill.-
Besides the county-town, this parish contains tl
village of SPRINGFIELD at the western end, and tl
of GLAIDNEY, an extension of Ceres village, at
southern end : see these articles Kilmaron castl
1£ mile north- west of Cupar, the seat of J.
Cheyne, Esq., is the finest mansion in the paris
It is in the castellated style, from a plan by Gillesj
— To the south of Kilmaron, and about a mile sou
west of Cupar, is the ancient house of Carslogie, fo
many generations the family-seat of the Clephane
This family, in times of feudal strife, were le
with the neighbouring ancient family of the
of Scotstarvet, who inhabited a strong tower — whic
is still entire — situated on a lower ridge of Tan
hill, about 2 miles south from Carslogie. On
appearance of an enemy, tradition relates, horns
the battlements of the castle from which the hostil
force was first descried, announced the approach
danger, and the quarter from whence it was adva
cing; and both families, with their dependents, we
instantly under arms for mutual protection. Tl
family have been in possession, from time immem<
rial, of a hand made in exact imitation of that of
man, and curiously formed of steel. This is said
have been conferred by one of the kings of Scotlam
along with other more valuable marks of his favc
on a laird or baron of Carslogie, who had lost
hand in the service of his country. When
Campbell wrote the account of this parish in tl
Old Statistical Account, in 1796, there still exist*
in a field adjoining to the house of Carslogie,
near to the public road which leads from Cupar
the west, the stately and venerable remains of
ash which for several centuries had retained the m
of the Jug tree. The iron jugs, in which the offem
ers on the domains of Carslogie suffered punishment
fell from the hollow body of this tree, in which the
had been infixed, only in 1793. The ancient tre
itself was blown down some years ago. — A moun
of earth, rising considerably above the adjoinin,
grounds, and extending a great length on the nort
side of Cupar, is called the Mote, or, as some writ
it, the Moat-hill. They who use the latter orthogn
phy contend that this rampart is formed of artiiicii
earth; and that it originally extended as far as th
castle, and was constructed to defend the town froi
any sudden attack from the north, as the river, i
some measure, secured it on the south. There
no doubt, however, that it ought to be styled tl
Mote-hill, as it was probably the place where, i
early times, the justiciary of Fife held his court
and published his enactments for the regulation «
the country. The Latin name, by which this hi
is sometimes mentioned, seems to decide the coi
troversy, * Mons plnciti,' which may be translat<
' Statute-hill.' — " The parish of Cupar and the si
rounding district," says Mr. Leighton, in bis ' ]
Illustrated,' " is rich in localities connected vvi
events, circumstances, or individuals never to 1
forgotten, and affording subjects of thought and r
flection to even the most ordinary minds. From tl
top of Tarvit hill, or, as it is now called, Wemys
CUPAR-FIFE.
289
ill, these objects attract our attention in every
ion. In the distant west, at the bottom of the
Lomond hills, we see all that remains of the royal
palace of Falkland, where so many of Scotland's
sovereigns of the Stewart race sought pleasant re-
tirement from the cares of governing a turbulent
kingdom, or of attempting to reconcile the differ-
ences of a still more turbulent nobility. How often
have these grey walls resounded with music and
dancing ! How often been the scene of hospitable
feast, and long protracted, yet merry wassail! Over
these fields which skirt the Eden — then a royal for-
r ancient kings followed the chase with hound
rn, or flew the hawk at its winged prey. At
me the only sound heard throughout these for-
•lades was the wild buck's bell, or the call of the
various birds which then frequented them to their
mates ; at another they were the scene of mirth and
sport. There the proudest names in Scotland's his-
tory followed their prince in peaceful and animating
; sport. There beauty took the field, hawk on arm,
and knightly valour bowed subservient to its influ-
j ence. But, alas! Falkland palace was not always a
of joy; we think on James IV., James V., and
the beautiful Mary; and we think of crime, of folly,
of misery, captivity, and early death ! Nearer us, in
• the same direction, appears the manse of Cults.
There the great painter of our age, the poetic yet
1 graphic Wilkie, was born and spent his early years.
Amid these gently sloping hills and sweet valleys,
he studied nature, and imbibed that love of truth
and simplicity which he has since, so beautifully in
some instances and so grandly in others, developed.
Still nearer us in the same direction is the ancient
tower of Scotstarvet. There resided Sir John Scott
of Scotstarvet, one of the directors of the Chancery
in the reign of Charles I., ' who was,' says Nisbet,
*a bountiful patron of men of learning, who came to
him from all quarters, so that his house became a
Kind of college.' Among others, he encouraged
Pont in his survey of the whole kingdom, gave him
literary assistance, and was at the expense of
iblication; and in yonder old tower he wrote
1 1 Sous work, — ' Sir John Scott of Scotstarvet's
ring State of Scots Statesmen.' Along the
! slope of this hill, under the duke of Chatelherault
I arid M. D'Oysel, lay at one time the army which
was intended by Mary of Guise to crush the efforts
>t the reformers. On the opposite bank were sta-
tioned those who had determined to die rather than
I that popery should longer lord it over the con-
sciences of men ; and on this hill, where we now
. the treaty was subscribed, which, though soon
Token through by the queen-regent, gave time to
formers, and ultimately led to the establishment
>t the Presbyterian religion in Scotland. To the
| lorth rises the Mount, the patrimonial possession of
>ir David Lindsay of the Mount, Lord Lyon, king-
I it-arms,' during the reign of James V. ; and there
I le wrote those bitter biting satires which delighted
he people, and paved the way for the Reformation.
riie house in which he lived has now disappeared,
nit the place is still interesting, and the hill is now
•rouiied \\ith a monument erected to the memory of
he late Karl of IJopetoun, one of the deliverers of
•in ope from the all-grasping power of the late em-
teror of the French. Almost immediately below
I is is the school-hill of Cupar, a portion of which
"fined the play- field of the burgh, and there the
I Iramas of Sir David Lindsay were exhibited so early
15. At a far earlier period, however, when
he castle of Cupar was the residence of MacdufF,
iic lord or Maormore of Fife, it was the scene of
hat horrid tragedy, the murder of his wife and chil-
j ren by Macbeth, which led to the inveterate hatred
of MacdufF, and finally to the establishment of Mal-
colm Ceanmore on the throne ; and of which the
poet has made such a beautiful use in his play of
Macbeth. To the east upon the sea-coast is the
venerable city of St. Andrews, the seat of an ancient
bishopric, and the earliest seat of learning in Scot-
land. With how many great names of Scotland are
these hallowed ruins associated ! and how intimately
connected is its history with the early civilization
and improvement of our country ! To the south
beyond the vale of Ceres is Craighall, the seat ot
Sir Thomas Hope, king's advocate to Charles I.,
and one of the greatest lawyers of his time. In
Ceres churchyard repose in peaceful silence many of
the proud race of Lindsay of the Byres, and some of
the kindred race of Crawford. There is the grave —
although the spot is now unmarked — where rests
that rude lord, who, when the unfortunate Mary
hesitated to sign her abdication, did not scruple to
crush her gentle hand with his iron glove, nor to
force her by rude speech and still ruder threats, un-
willingly to execute the deed which deprived her of
a crown, and consigned her for the rest of her life
to a prison ; and a little to the east in the same val-
ley lies Pitscottie, the residence of Lindsay the
homely yet picturesque relater of a portion of Scot-
land's history. In a word, we know no place more
capable of calling up more varied recollections, or of
elevating the mind and exciting the fancy, than the
top of Tarvit hill." [Vol. ii. pp. 4, 5.]
This parish is in the synod of Fife, and the seat of
a presbytery. The district of Cupar formed a parish
in early times, when the great parochial divisions of
Crail, Kilrenny, Kilconquhar, St. Andrews, Leuch-
ars, and a few others, comprehended all the eastern
part of the county of Fife. The small parish of St.
Michael's of Tarvet, lying on the south of the Eden,
was joined to that of Cupar in 1617. The church
belonging to St. Michael's parish stood on that
beautiful spot now known by the name of St. Mi-
chael's hill. Human bones are still occasionally dis-
covered here when the operations of husbandry are
going forward The ruins of a small chapel, situ-
ated near the eastern boundary of the lands of Kil-
maron, were to be seen near the close of last cen-
tury.— The parochial church of Cupar, in early times,
stood at a considerable distance from the town to-
wards the north, on a rising ground, now known by
the name of the Old Kirk-yard. The foundations of
this ancient building were removed in 1759; and
many human bones, turned up in the adjoining field
by the plough, were then collected and buried in the
earth. In 1415 this structure had become ruinous,,
or incapable of accommodating the numbers who
resorted to it. In the course of that year the prior
of St. Andrews, for the better accommodation of the
inhabitants of the town of Cupar, and that the rites
of religion might be celebrated with a pomp gratify-
ing to the taste of the age, erected within the ro\ alty
a spacious and magnificent church. This church wa*
built in the best style of the times, of polished free-
stone, in length 133 feet, by 54 in breadth. The
roof was supported by two rows of arches extending
the whole length of the church. The oak couples
were of a circular form, lined with wood, and painted
in the taste of the times. In 1785, this extensive
building being found to be in a state of total neca\,
the heritors of the parish resolved to pull down the
old fabric, and to erect on the same site a church on
a more convenient plan. This they carried into
execution at a considerable expense, in 17^-5. It i*
to be regretted that the new building was not joined
to the spire of the old church which still stands.
The vestry or session-house, by intervening between
the church and s-.re, gives a detached appearance to
1
290
CUPAR-FIFE.
both. The spire has always been considered hand-
some, and appears light and elegant when viewed
from the east or west. It was built by the prior of
St. Andrews in 1415, only up to the battlement: all
above that was added in the beginning of the 17th
century, by Mr. William Scot,* who was for many
years minister of Cupar. The church accommodates
1,300. Within it, in a niche in the west wall, is a
monument erected to Sir John Arnot of Fernie, who
fell in the last crusade. It presents the recumbent
figure of a knight in armour. In the same circle
there is a marble tablet to the memory of the late
Dr. Campbell, one of the ministers of the parish, and
father of the present attorney-general of England.
In the churchyard is a plain upright stone, bearing
the following inscription : " Here lies interred the
heads of Laur. Hay, and Andrew Pitulloch, who
suffered martyrdom at Edinburgh, July 13th, 1681,
for adhering to the Word of God, and Scotland's
covenanted work of reformation ; and also one of
the hands of David Hackston of Rathillet, who was
most cruelly murdered at Edinburgh, July 30th,
1680, for the same cause." On the other side are
the following rude lines : —
« 1680.
" Our persecutors filled with rage,
Their brutish fury to aswage,
Took heads arid hands of martyrs off.
That they might be the people's scoff;
They Hackston's body cut asunder,
And set it up a world's wonder
In several places, to proclaim.
These monsters gloried in their shame!"
The charge is collegiate. The stipend of each
charge is £259 7s. 9d. ; but the 1st minister has a
glebe of the value of £21, while the second has
neither a manse nor a glebe. Unappropriated teinds
.£1,016 7s. Both livings are in the patronage of
the Crown A new church, called St. Michael's,
was erected in the burgh of Cupar in 1837, at an
expense of about £ 1,800, raised by subscription
shares. It accommodates 810 ; and public worship
is performed in it by the parish-ministers alternately.
< — There are two Relief congregations within this
parish. The first was established in 1776, in which
year their church was built, which accommodates 750.
The minister's stipend is £100, with a manse arid
garden. The church of the 2d Relief congregation
was opened in 1830. It cost £1,000; and has 454
sittings. Stipend £130 — A United Secession church
was built in 1796, at a cost of £1,100, and enlarged
in 1830, at a further cost of £250 ; sittings 480.
Stipend £120 — A Free communion Baptist congre-
gation was established in 1815 ; and a place of wor-
ship for their use was built in 1821, at a cost of
£40; sittings 370. Stipend £50 An Original
Burgher congregation was established in 1817. Their
place of worship cost £900, and accommodates 540.
Stipend £100. — An Episcopalian congregation has
existed here since 1688. Chapel built in 1820, at a
cost of £3,000. Sittings 152. Stipend £100, with
interest of a bequest by Dr. Bell of £450. — There
are also small Glassite and Independent churches
There is no parochial school strictly speaking; there
were, however, two burgh-schools so early as the
reigri of Charles I., which were, about 1822, merged
into the Cupar academy, conducted by four teachers,
with which the Madras academy, founded by the late
Dr. Bell, was joined in 1834. The united academy
has 7 teachers; three of whom have a salary of £40
* This gentleman was of the ancient family of Balwearie,
possessed of a considerable estate, Hint H great favourite with
Archbishop Spottiswood, with whom he passed much of his
time in the neighbouring retreat of Dairsie. He died in 1642,
in his 85th year ; and his remains were interred in ;\ handsome
tomb at the west end of the churchyard, the inscription on which
is no longer legible.
each ; two others have £25 ; another, £30 ; and a
female teacher £15 per annum. f The patronage of
the academy is vested in the magistrates, and in sub-
scribers to the amount of £10, besides certain pa-
trons ex officio ; and the whole management and
direction is centred in the general body of the pa-
trons and their committee of directors. The school-
rooms are provided and half of the schoolmasters'
salaries are paid by the town ; the other half of the
salaries and all incidental expenses, out of the general
subscription fund. The school-furniture and a che-
mical apparatus, purchased at considerable expense,
belong to the subscribers. The teachers have beer
appointed by the general body of management. The
regulations made for the academy at its institutior
by the patrons and a committee of directors, have
been, from time to time, altered and improved
cording to circumstances. No matriculation book
kept ; but the number of scholars attending the
demy varies from 150 to 200 annually. No fiuu
mortified for the purpose of education are under the
control of the council alone. — The late Dr. Gray
Paddington, in the county of Middlesex, left £L
the interest of which he directed to be applied
payment of a salary to a female teacher in Cupar,
and the management is vested in the provost, clergy-
men, and schoolmaster of the parish for the time
being — Dr. Bell conveyed his estate of Egmore
trustees, consisting of the lord-lieutenant of tl
county, the lord-justice-clerk, the sheriff of the
county, the provost, the dean-of-guild, and the t\
established clergymen of Cupar, for the purpose
founding an establishment for tuition on the Madr
system. There are two female boarding-schools;
one of which is on the foundation of Dr. Gray.
There are also a female school of industry, an ii
school, and 8 other private schools.
The royal burgh of CUPAR is pleasantly siti
on the north bank of the Eden, nearly in the cer
of the parish, on the great road from Edinburgh
Dundee; 10 miles west of St. Andrews; 22 mite
north-east of Kinghorn ; and 31 miles from Edin-
burgh by Kirkcaldy. It is a place of some antiquity,
but contains many new houses, and presents the
pearance of a thriving modern town, well-built, am
cleanly kept. It contains three principal streets
viz., the Bonnygate, running east and west; the
Crossgate, running north and south, in a directie
nearly parallel with the Eden; and St. Catherii
street, which is a continuation of the Bonnygat
Several lanes and alleys branch-off in various dire
tions from these main lines ; and there is a large in
gular suburb on the north side of St. Mary's burn
besides a considerable line of houses on the Edin-
burgh road, on the east side of the Eden. All these
suburbs are included within the parliamentary boun-
daries of the burgh. The parish-church stands in
i Kirkgate-street, at the entrance of the North road
' from Ferry bank. St. Michael's church is at the
I west end of the Bonnygate. The Episcopal chapel
! is near, or upon, the site of the ancient monastery.
I The town-house stands at the junction of St. Ca-
I therine-street and Crossgate. It is a plain neat
t The following are the quarterly fees which the teachers
receive in addition to their salaries: —
Latin, £07
Latin and Greek 0 10 6
French, 07
French, when Latin or Greek fee is paid,
Writing, . . . . . 0 3 t
Writing and arithmetic, . ' . 050
Mathematics, . . . . . 0 10
Geography, junior class,
Geography, senior class, . . .050
English, 0 4 0
English grammar, . . '
English, including grammar and the principles of
composition, . . • .
060
„.,
CUPAR-FIFE.
291
tiding, surmounted by a cupola and belfry. The
county-buildings in St. Catherine-street, present a
neat though plain facade. They contain the county-
hall, sheriff-court room, and offices for the public
clerks. In the county-hall there is a fine portrait of
the late John, Earl of Hopetoun, by Sir Henry Rad-
win ; and another of Thomas, Earl of Kellie, by Sir
David Wilkie. The jail is a neat building on the
left hand of the middle bridge crossing the Eden,
and on the south side of the river. But it has been
reported as totally unfit for its original purpose, and
as " having more the appearance of a gentleman's
t than of a receptacle for persons who have in-
d society."
The earliest charter of the burgh of Cupar of
"l is granted by David II., in 1363, conferring
privileges of trade upon the burgesses, in like
iner as upon the inhabitants of burghs gene-
rally. These privileges were confirmed, and various
grants of lands conferred upon them, by a charter
granted by Robert II., dated Dunfermline, 28th
June, 1381 ; by a charter of James I., dated at
th, 28th February, 1428-9 ; by another of the
e reign, dated 30th October, 1436; by a charter
King James V., dated 13th March, 1518 ; by an
and warrant of James VI., dated at Holyrood
1573, and by a charter of feu-farm by King
James VI., dated Edinburgh, 4th June, 1595. The
old sett of the burgh consisted of a provost, 3 bailies,
lean-of-guild, a treasurer, 13 merchant-councillors,
ivener, and 7 deacons of trades : in all 27. It
now governed by a provost, 3 bailies, and 24 coun-
"lors. The municipal constituency, in 1839, was
The revenue, in 1832, was £554 13s.
which £321 arose from land-rental, and £120
feu-duties. The expenditure in that year was
751 12s. 9d., of which £223 was interest of money
wed. The debt of the burgh at the same pe-
was as follows : —
itably secured
nney borrowed on personal
security .
£ * d.
4,022 10 0
2.944 2 I
ints unpaid
alue of the annuities at present £32 13s.
1/alue of the bursaries per annum £30
6,966 12
474 14
130 12
. 600 0
8,171 18
13,528 8
rhole property of the town is valued at
ree value of property £57336 10 1
revenue, in 1838-9, was £221 4s. 11 id. The
property of the town consists of lands, feu-duties,
customs, and market-dues. The property in land
was at one time very extensive, stretching 3 miles to
westward, and extending perhaps to 1,000 acres,
^ared with this its present extent is very limited,
i lands seem to have been chiefly feued out about
ntury ago, at a time when they were in a state
^nature and at very low feu-duties, the highest is
" ;ved to be Is. per acre, and without any pur-
s-money. Although the great part of the landed
property seems to have been alienated more than a
(<«-nt ury ago, there have been very considerable aliena-
tions of the town's property within the last 50 years.
"* local tax is levied in Cupar except the petty cus-
". The cess, or burgh land-tax, is levied upon
_ irty and the profits of trade within the royalty
)f the burgh. It is allocated by stent-masters chosen
horn among the merchants of the burgh by the coun-
c;l, by whom the collector is also annually appointed.
The jurisdiction of the magistrates is confined to the
togh and burgh-acres. The royalty of Cupar is
very narrow towards the north, being bounded on
it side by the Lady burn. Immediately to !hc
- of this burn, and within the parliamentary
boundary, there have arisen of late years several
villages where there is no police-establishment of
any kiml, and which are beyond the jurisdiction of
the magistrates. These villages are called Braehead
and Newtown — both on the lands of Pittencrieff
— and Burnside, Lebanon, and Bank street. Even
more directly within the precincts of the town, and
in the principal street, called St. Catherine-street,
there are houses which are not within the royalty,
although completely surrounded by it. In the street
called the Millgate, the west side of the street holds
burgage, and is within the royalty, and the east side
is beyond it and holds of the Earl of Rothes. Burgh-
courts are held on stated days for the despatch of
business; but as the sheriff-courts, both ordinary
and under the small debt act, are held within the
burgh, little business is brought before the burgh-
court. The cases disposed of before the magistrates
have generally been petty assaults and other breaches
of the peace, which are decided in a summary way.
Cases of a graver nature are either reported to the
Crown-officers or taken up by the sheriff of the
county. — Cupar is conjoined, in the election of a
member of parliament, with St. Andrews, Crail,
Kilkenny, East and West Anstruther, and Pitten-
weem. Previous to the Reform bill, it was rather
anomalously associated with Perth, Dundee, Forfar,
and St. Andrews. Parliamentary constituency in
1839, 333. In an ancient document, styled « A Brief
View of Scotland in the Sixteenth Century,' printed
by Pinkerton, in his ' History of Scotland,' [Vol. II.
p. 501.] from a MS. in the Cottonian library, it is
said, " Most borrows are at the devotion of some
noblemen, as Cowper in Fiffe managed by the Earl
of Rothes." Among those who represented Cupar
in the Scottish parliament, appears Sir David Lind-
say of the Mount. He repeatedly was commissioner
for the burgh.
Being the county-town, Cupar is principally in-
habited by practitioners in the legal courts, members
of banking-establishments, and persons connected
with the agricultural interest. It is chiefly distin-
guished for its trade in corn, and the mills, brewing,
and such establishments dependent on that species of
market. There are, however, several extensive spin-
ning-mills in the neighbourhood ; and there is a consi-
derable trade in the weaving of coarse linens, and in
home-manufactures, such as leather, candlea,and snuff.
Its printing-establishments, too, have been justly
celebrated for the production of some beautiful spe-
cimens of excellent typography, and the publication
of many useful works. Cupar has been long known
as a leading and important market-town. There is
a weekly corn-market, which is held on Thursday,
and is well-attended. Besides these there are ten
general fairs or markets for the sale of grain an; I
farm-stock, held at different fixed periods throughout
the year. At these, domestic utensils, agricultural
implements, and various other articles are exposed
to sale. Cupar is also a post-town ; and has two
sub-offices under it, those of Osnaburjih, ami
Leuchars. The mail from the south was formerly
carried round by Perth and Dundee ; but by a rer.-,.c
arrangement, a mail-coach carrying the bags for the
towns north of the Tay, now passes through
and brings with it the letters for Cupar direct. Tlic
coach also carries passengers between Edinburgh,
Dundee, and Cupar. Two stage-coaches pass through
the town every lawful day, between Edinburgh and
Dundee, affording with the mail every facility for
intercourse with these important towns. Another
coach leaves Cupar for Dundee, every market-day ;
and one between Cupar and St. Andrews twice ;i-
During the summer months a coach runs to
Largo, between .which place and JNewhavcn n sic am-
CUPAR-F1FE.
boat regularly plies. Carriers' carts leave Cupar re-
gularly for the conveyance of heavy goods to and
from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and all inter-
mediate towns and villages. Cupar contains a public
library, instituted in 1797, which now contains con-
siderably above 6,000 volumes. It is supported by
the annual subscriptions of the proprietors, and of
occasional monthly or yearly readers. Many scarce
and curious books were bequeathed to this library,
by the late Dr. Gray of Paddington Green, London.
The lawyers of Cupar have begun recently to form a
law-library, which it is expected will soon become
valuable to that body. There is also a circulating
library. There is a public news-room, supported by
yearly subscription, where a well-selected supply of
the leading London and provincial journals is re-
ceived, besides a few monthly publications. A
mechanics' reading-room has also been recently insti-
tuted, in which the working classes are accommo-
dated with newspapers at a very cheap rate. Two
newspapers are published in the town. — A branch
of the bank of Scotland was opened here in 1787 ;
and in 1792 the British Linen company also
established a branch. In 1802, the Cupar bank
was formed, which gave up business in 1814; an-
other bank, which also began business here in 1802
under the name of the Fife bank, continued in opera-
tion till 1825. In 1812, the Commercial bank opened
a branch here. The banks now in operation in Cupar
are the British Linen company's branch, and the Com-
mercial bank branch. There is a savings bank.
Cupar, as already stated, is a place of considerable
antiquity. At an early period the Macduffs, thanes
of Fife, had a castle here, in the midst of the marshy
grounds which bordered the Eden and St. Mary's burn.
It continued the seat of the court of the stewardry of
Fife, until the forfeiture of Albany, Earl of Fife, in
the reign of James I., when that court was removed
to Falkland. During the darker ages, theatrical re-
presentations, called Mysteries or Moralities, were fre-
quently exhibited here. The place where these enter-
tainments were presented, was called the Playfield.
" Few towns of note," says Arnot, in his ' History
of Edinburgh,' "were without one. That of Edin-
burgh was at the Greenside-well ; that of Cupar in
Fife was on their Castle-hill." The pieces presented
in the Playfield of Cupar, however, seem not, at the
era of the Reformation, to have had any connection
with religious subjects, but were calculated to in-
terest and amuse, by exhibiting every variety of
character and every species of humour. To illus-
trate the manners which prevailed in Scotland in the
16th century, and as a specimen of the dramatic
compositions which pleased our fathers, Arnot, in
the appendix to his History, gives a curious excerpt j
from a manuscript comedy, which bears to have been
exhibited in the Playfield at Cupar, and which had
oeen in the possession of the late Mr. Garrick. That
part of the excerpt only, which relates to the place
where the play was presented, is here transcribed :
" Here begins the proclamation of the play, made hy DAVID
J.INDSAY Of the Mount, knisrht, in the Playfield, in the mouth
, the year of God 1555 years."
" Proclamation made in Cupar of Fife.
" Our purpose is on the seventh day of June,
If weather serve, and we have rest and peace
We shall be seen into our playing place,
In good array about the hour of seven.
Of thriftiness that day, I pray you cease ;
But ordain us good drink against alleviu.
Fail not to be upon the Castlehill,
Kesidf the place where we purpose to play
With gude stark wine your flagons see you fill.
And had yourselves the merriest that you may."
" Cottager. I ^hall be there, with God's grnce,
TJio* there were never M. great a price,
And foremost in the fair ;
And drink a quart in Cupar town,
With my gossip John Williamson,
Tho' all the nolt should rair !" &c.
During the residence of our kings in Scotland, Cupar
often received visits from royalty. Almost all the
Jameses, and the unfortunate Mary, repeatedly visited
it, and were entertained within the town. The last
royal visit was made by Charles II. on the 6th of
July, 1650, when on his way from St. Andrews to
Falkland. He was entertained at dinner by the
magistrates in the town-hall ; then forming part of
the tolbooth or gaol. " He came to Cowper," says
Lament, " where he gatt some desert to his foure
houres : the place where he satte doune to eate was
the tolbooth. The towne had appointed Mr. Andro
Andersone, scholemaester ther for the tyme, to give
him a musicke songe or two, while he was at table.
Mr. David Douglysse had a speech to him at his entrie
to the towne. After this he went to Falklande all night.
All this tyme the most part of the gentelmen of the
shyre did goe alonge with him." From an ancient
plan of the town, 1642 — lately engraved from the
original in the Advocates' library, by the Abbotsford
club — it appears that Cupar had anciently gates or
ports. One of these stood at the west end of the
Bonnygate, called the West port ; one at the middle
of the Lady wynd, called the Lady port; one below
the castle, called the East port ; one at the bridge,
called the Bridge port ; one at the Millgate, called
the Millgate port ; and another at the end of the
Kirkgate, called the Kirkgate port. It is curious to
observe, from this plan, how little alteration has
since taken place in the streets of the town ; and that
the names of both streets and lanes are still the same
they then were. The principal alteration — with the
exception of buildings in the suburbs — is the taking
down of the old jail and town-house at the Cross,
and opening up St. Catherine-street. Where the
markets are still held, opposite the town-house, at
the junction of Crossgate and Bonnygate, the ancient
cross of Cupar once stood. It was an octagonal build-
ing, with a round pillar rising from it, surmounted by
a unicorn, the supporter of the royal arms of Scot-
land. When the jail was taken down, this structure
was also removed, and at the request of Colonel
Wemyss, the pillar was presented to him, when he
caused it to be re-erected on the top of Wemyss hall-
"hill, where it still remains marking the spot on which
the famous treaty between Mary of Guise and the
Lords of the Congregation was subscribed.
CUPAR-GRANGE, a village in the shire of
Perth, and parish of Bendothy; 2 miles north-east
of Cupar- Angus. It is famous for a particular kind
of seed-oats. Here is a ferry over the Eroch for
foot-passengers. Near this village was discovered
a repository of the ashes of sacrifices which our an-
cestors were wont to offer up in honour of their
deities. " It is," says Pennant in his Second Tour,
"a large space of a circular form, fenced with a wall
on either side, and paved at bottom with flags. The
walls are about 5 feet in height, and built with
coarse stone. They form an outer and an inner
circle, distant from each other 9 feet. The diameter
of the inner circle is 60 feet, and the area of it is of
a piece with the circumjacent soil; but the space
between the walls is filled with ashes of wood, par-
ticularly oak, and with the bones of various species
of animals. I could plainly distinguish the extremi-
ties of several bones of sheep ; and was informed that
teeth of oxen and sheep had been found. The top
of the walls and ashes is near 2 feet below the sur-
face of the field. The entry is from the north-west,
and about 10 or 12 feet in breadth. From it a path-
way, 6 feet broad, and paved with small stones,
leads eastward to a laige free-stone, standing e;
CUP
293
(JUT
ON
:
Ai
ween the walls, and reaching 5 feet above the
pavement, supported by other stones at bottom. It
is flat on the upper part, and 2 feet square. Another
repository of the same kind and dimensions was dis-
covered at the distance of 300 paces from the former.
From the numbers of oak-trees that have been digged
out of the neighbouring grounds, it would appear that
is was anciently a grove."
CUPINSHAY. See COPENSAY.
CUR (THE), a river in the district of Cowal,
rgyleshire. It takes its rise in the mountains
which border on Lochgoilhead, between Glaslet hill
Benulei. Its course for 2 miles is rough and
, forming, as it descends from the mountains, sev-
fine cascades ; but when it has reached the plains
Strachur it runs smoothly, making a number of
tiful turns. The banks are generally of a deep
partly of loam and clay ; but the crops are fre-
ntly much damaged by the sudden rising of its
rs. After a course of about 9 or 10 miles, it falls
the head of Loch Eck.
URGARF. See CORGARF.
CURGIE, a small port and village in the parish of
kmaiden, on the western side of the bay of Luce ;
iles north of the Mull of Galloway.
URRIE,* a parish in Mid Lothian, about 6 miles
-west of Edinburgh. Its extent is about 5 or 6
in every direction; but in one quarter it measures
east to west 9 miles. The situation is very
ted ; Ravelrig, about the middle of the parish,
feet above the level of the sea. The soil is
jgh clay, which requires much dressing ; about
-third of the whole is hill and moss. The river
takes its rise in the western extremity of the
>h, at a place called Leith-head, from three
fs, which receive various additions in their pro-
particularly at the village of Balerno where
are joined by Bavelaw burn. Limestone is
jndant, but is not wrought, as there is no coal at
neaier distance than 8 or 9 miles. Freestone
ids, a quarry of which has been wrought for build-
many of the houses in the New Town of Edin-
There is plenty of iron-stone, and a rich
vein of copper. The Edinburgh and Glasgow rail-
way intersects the parish On an elevated situation,
above the bank of the water of Leith, is an old
castle called Lennox tower, said to have belonged to
the family of Lennox, and to have been occasionally
the residence of Queen Mary in her youth, —
" When love was young, and Darnley kind."
It became afterwards, according to the same tradi-
tion, a seat of the Regent Morton. It stands on a
very elevated situation above the bank of the river,
— commands a beautiful prospect of the frith of
Forth, — and must have been a place of very consider-
able strength, being inaccessible on all sides. It had
a subterraneous passage to the river. The extent of
the rampart, which goes round the brow of the hill,
i- about 1,212 feet — Not far from this castle, on the
opposite side of the river, are the ruins of another
ancient edifice, the mansion of the Skenes of Currie-
hill, the date of whose creation, as Baronets of Scot-
land, is unknown; but they possessed very extensive
* From its name— anciently Koria, or Coria— it seems to Imve
ivtMi one of those di-tricts which still retain their ancient Kit-
man appellation. This conjecture is supported by the following
Minors, who give an account of the ancient and modern names
<>f pluces in Scotland : I. Johnston, in hi* • Antiqiiitates Celto.
>«'>rmanni8e,' for the Koria of Ptolemy, places Currie. 2. Dr.
Stukely, in his account of Richard of Cirencester's map and
Itinerary, for the Coria of Richard, fixes Corstanlaw in the
neighbourhood of Currie. 3. Sir Robert Sibbald, in his Roman
Antiquities <>t Scotland, conceives it to have been in the plain
"far the manor of Inhesion, from a pillar diiir up there, which
place is likewise in the vicinity of Currie. These circumstances
nd to prove that it must have originally been a Itoinnn t-ta-
tion, —traces of which have lately been found in the ueighbour-
; hM4_OU Statistical Account.
property in this parish. The family of Balmerinc,
originally, had here also a considerable domain On
the top of Ravelrig-hill, there are to be seen the
remains of a Roman station, or exploratory camp,
which affords a farther confirmation of the name of
this parish having been originally derived from the
Latin. It is on the summit of a high bank, inacces-
sible on three sides, defended by two ditches, and
faced with stone, with openings for a gate. It is
named by the country people Castle-bank. Farther
east are the appearances of another station or post,
which commands an extensive view of the strath
towards Edinburgh, and is styled the General's
Watch. They are both very distinctly marked, in
an old plan of the Ravelrig estate, but are now much
defaced ; former proprietors having carried off the
greater part of the stones to build fences. Popula-
tion of the village and parish, in 1801, 1,112; in 1831,
1,883. Houses, in 1831, 322. Assessed property,
in 1815, £12,884.— The village of Currie is 6 miles
south-west of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the
water of Leith. The road to Lanark passes through
it The parish seems originally to have belonged to
the collegiate church of Corstorphine, and to have
been a benefice of the archdeacon of Lothian. Even
so late as the reign of Charles I. it does not appear
to have been a separate parish, for no mention of it
is made in the royal decree of the erection of the see
of Edinburgh, though all the adjoining parishes are
noticed. That Currie, however, though not perhaps
a separate parish, had very anciently been a place of
religious worship, the writer of the Old Statistical
Account thinks " is clear from this proof, that in
digging for the foundation of the present church, on
the site of the old one, there was discovered a round
hollow piece of silver, having the remains of gilding
on it, and which seems evidently either a part of the
stalk of a crucifix, or of an altar-candlestick. It has
a screw at each end. Its length is 7f inches, and its
diameter 1£ inch. In a spiral scroll from top to
bottom, there is the following inscription : — ' Jesu
Fili Dei miserere mei.' The letters— which are
Saxon — are very well engraved, and each -| of an
inch large. It is at present in the museum of the
Society of Antiquaries in Edinburgh."— This parish
is in the presbytery of Edinburgh and synod of Lo-
thian and Tweeddale. Patrons, the Town-council
of Edinburgh. Stipend £264 9s. 10d.; glebe £16.
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d. ; fees £32.
There are 3 private schools.
CUSHNIE, a small parish, formerly a vicarage, in
Aberdeenshire, which, in 1798, was annexed to the
neighbouring one of Leochel, so that they now form
one parochial charge. See LEOCHEL-CUSHNIE.
CUTHBERT'S (ST.), or WEST CHURCH, a par-
ish of Mid-Lothian, lying on the north and west
sides of the metropolis, and comprehending a large
tract of valuable land in the immediate vicinity of
Edinburgh. This parish — which anciently contained
the city of Edinburgh, the burgh of Canongate, and
the parishes of Corstorphine and Libberton — must
be considered as, quoad civilia, partly a town and
partly a country-parish. The suburbs of Portsbo-
rough, Potter-row, and the Pleasants, with the other
streets and squares on the south side of the town,
compose the former. The latter — which at present
is very extensive — was anciently 'much more so; it
contains above 9,000 acres, and is contiguous to the
city of Edinburgh on the north, west, and south
sides. A great part of the New Town is within
this district — which also contains the suburbs of
Broughton, and Water of Leith, the Borough-
Moor, and Watson's hospital; also the Charity
workhouse. The greatest length of the parish
quoad civilia is 5 miles • greatest breadth 3 miles.
CUT
294
CYR
Quoad sacra it is now divided into 9 parishes: viz.,
St. Cuthbert's, St. Bernard's, Buccleuch, St. David's,
Dean, Morning-side, St. Paul's, Roxburgh, and New-
ington. In 1831, the population of the whole dis-
trict was 70,887. See article EDINBURGH.
CUTTLE, a hamlet in Haddingtonshire, adjoin-
ing to Prestonpans, where an extensive pottery,
saltwork, and magnesia manufactory, were formerly
carried on.
CYRUS (ST.), or ECCLESCRAIG, a parish, form-
ing the southern extremity of Kincardineshire ;
bounded by Marykirk, Garvock, and Benholm on the
north; by the German ocean on the east; and by
the North Esk river, which separates it from Forfar-
shire, on the south and south-west. It is 5 miles in
length, by 3 in breadth. There are two villages in
the parish: viz., Milton on the coast, and St. Cyrus
to the south-west of Milton. The latter is 5j miles
north by east of Montrose. The modern and fami-
liar name of this parish is St. Cyrus ; but in former
civil and ecclesiastical records, Ecclescraig, or Eccles-
greig, is the name generally used. The surface is
uneven, and is intersected with several dens and
rivulets; upwards of three-fourths of the whole are
arable and well-cultivated ; the remainder being
moor or moss. The soil is in general a deep clay.
In the river North Esk are several valuable salmon-
fishings. The burn of Den-Fenel forms here a grand
and beautiful cascade, especially when increased by
rain falling over a perpendicular rock 63 feet in
height. There are several good stone and lime
quarries in the parish. Population, in 1801, 1,622;
in 1831, 1,598. Assessed property, in 1815, £10,039.
Houses, in 1831, 352 This parish is in the presby-
tery of Fordoun, and synod of Angus and Mearns.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £247 17s. ; glebe £11.
Unappropriated teinds £56 Is. 9d Schoolmaster's
salary £33 ; fees £33. There were 4 private schools
in 1834. Several years ago, the church of Eccles-
greig stood below the heughs of St. Cyrus on the
shore, near the mouth of the North Esk ; and the
churchyard still continues there. In 1832, this very
incommodious situation of the church was changed,
and a new one built on an eminence a little above
the heughs, more convenient to the parish, from its
easy access and central situation.
CAPE WRATH.
DAB
295
DAI
D
DAB AY, a small island of the Hebrides, annexed
the county of Inverness. It is about a mile long,
" half-a-mile broad ; fertile in corn and grass, but
i>le to be blasted by the south-west winds.
DAER, or DEAR, a stream in the upper ward of
irkshire, taking its rise in the mountains border-
on Dumfries-shire. It has been contended by
iy — and not without show of reason — that the
jr is the origin of the Clyde, in so far as the
reamlet which bears the latter name is insignificant
size as compared with the former at the point at
rich the confluence of their waters takes place,
affords the title of Lord Daer to the eldest son of
Earl of Selkirk, the residence of which noble
lily is at St. Mary's Isle, in the stewartry of Kirk-
Ibright, and their principal possessions are also
ated in that neighbourhood.
DAFF, a village in Renfrewshire, in the parish
" Innerkip, about 3 miles west of Greenock.
DAILLY,* a parish in the centre of the district
"Carrick, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the north
Kirkoswald; on the east by Kirkmichael and
iton ; on the south by Barr and Girvan ; and on
west by Girvan. It is of an irregular oblong
ire, stretching from north-east to south-west ;
measures, in extreme length, nearly 7 miles, and
breadth from 4 to 6. Its area probably contains
)wards of 17,000 acres. The parish is intersected,
its extreme length, and along its central division,
Girvan water ; which, all the way, is a beautiful
5toral stream, and here receives, on both banks,
feral rills of local origin. The surface, at first,
sing gently and variedly from the banks of the
iver, and, afterwards soaring into hills of consider-
ble height, is a basin abounding in the beauties of
iscape. The lowlands are fertile, well-cultivated,
id richly wooded; and the uplands, though natu-
"ly heathy and bleak, are partly reclaimed; and
rly all afford good pasturage. The beds of the
ligenous rills are, for the most part, deep, well-
wooded, picturesque glens. The soil, in the holms
and meadows along the banks of the Girvan, is light
but very productive ; on the south side, is light and
dry, resting on a bed of gravel; on the north side,
is clayey and retentive ; and, on the hills, is thin,
wet, and spungy, consisting in many places of moss.
Coal, limestone, and freestone abound. The coal-
bed is believed to be a wing of the great coal-field
which stretches from the vicinity of Edinburgh into
Ayrshire, and is here worked in 5 seams, of from 4
to 14 feet in thickness. Limestone is worked at
Blah-hill, near the south-eastern extremity of the
parish, and at Craighead, near the north-western
extremity. Argillaceous marl is found in most parts,
and has been successfully employed as manure. Nu-
merous small chalybeate springs welling up in dif-
ferent parts of the parish, seem to indicate the exig-
ence of strata of ironstone. The climate, in the
valley, is generally dry and mild, but on the high
grounds is moist and chilly ; and though everywhere
Kect to heavy showers during westerly winds, is
ly loaded with fogs. The parish is divided among
— -mlowners, 5 of whom have mansions within its
limits. At Kilkerran and Penkill are ruins of forti-
fied castles. Near the lower extremity of a wild and
* The name is prohably dp.scriptive of the centra! stripe, or
•a'e. «>f the parish. The Hiinent name was Dahnaolkeran, sir-
ing the • Dale of St. Koran.1
«o/«. of t
Ui.yi,,r. ,
romantic glen once stood a chapel dedicated to the
Virgin Mary, whence the locality is still called Lady-
glen. At a place called Machry-kill are vestiges of
a small church or chapel, probably dedicated to St.
Macarius. At the southern termination of the west-
ern heights is an oval and doubly enclosed encamp-
ment, 100 yards by 65, commanding an extensive
and uncommonly brilliant view, and probably raised
during the wars of Robert Bruce. There is only
one village, that of New Dailly, situated on the
Girvan, substantially and singularly built, and, of late
years, greatly improved. There are here a library,
a friendly society, and a savings bank. Across the
Girvan are 4 bridges, 3 public and one private. Popu-
lation of the parish, in 1801, 1,756; in 1831, 2,074.
Houses 314. Assessed property, in 1815, £7,887 —
Dailly is in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod of Glas-
gow and Ayr. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £348
7s. 9d. ; glebe .£15 10s. The old church which
stood at Old Dailly, about 3 miles from the present
church and village, was granted by Duncan, the first
earl of Carrick, to the monks of Paisley ; but was
afterwards transferred by Robert I. to the monks of
Crossraguel, and remained with them till the Refor-
mation. In 1653, an extensive tract of the original
parish of Dailly, lying on the south-east among the
upper branches of the Stinchar, was detached in
order to form the modern parish of Barr. Dailly,
however, received, at the same time, a small addition
on the north-east from Kirkoswald. Though no-
where touching the sea-coast, the parish includes also
the romantic rock of Ailsa, in the centre of the fritli
of Clyde. See AILSA CRAIG. The present church
was built in 1766, and cost £600. Sittings 650.
There are 4 schools, 3 of them nonparochial. Par-
ish schoolmaster's salary £30, with £30 other emolu-
ments.
DAIRSIE, a parish in Fifeshire; bounded on the
north by Kilmany, Logie, and Leuchars parishes;
on the east by Leuchars; on the south by Kern-
back, from which it is divided by the Eden ; and on
the west by Cupar. It is of an irregular form, ex-
tending from south-east to north-west 2£ miles; and
from south-west to north-east 2 miles. Superficial
area 2,306 acres, of which only 15 are waste land.
Its general appearance is that of a gently rising
ground: the inclination being towards the south and
south-east. There are in it two hills of a moderate
height, from which are very extensive prospects.
The one is called Foodie, the other Craigfoodie, and
both of them are remarkable for bearing crops nearly
to their summit. The soil is for the most part fer-
tile, and in many places rich and deep. Tin
road from St. Andrews to Cupar passes through tin-
southern part of tlic parish. Tin- church, a hand-
some building, and the bridge of 3 arches across the
Eden here, were built by Archbishop Spottiswood,
when proprietor of Dairsie. In an old castle, near
the church, he is said to have compiled his Church
history. This castle was once a place of consider-
able strength, and a parliament was held in it in
1355. It is now greatly dilapidated; but a vi«w
of it is given in the edition of Sir Robert Sil>-
liald's History of Fife, published at Cupar in 1803.
The principal village is that of Darsiemuir, some^
times called Osnuburg, which is of recent erection.
There is a spinning mill at Newmiln, and another at
Lydiamiln, both on the Eden, A part oi the popu-
DAL
296
DAL
lation is employed in weaving linens for the Cupar
manufacturers. Population, in 1801, 550; in 1831,
60.5. Houses 133. Assessed property, in 1815,
£4,827 This parish is in the synod of Fife, and
presbytery of Cupar. Patron, Innes of Sandside.
Stipend .£250 19s. 5d. ; glebe £11. Unappropriated
teinds £101 13s. 3d. Church seated for 319
Schoolmaster's salary £34 12s. 4 Jd. The parish-
school is near Middlefoodie. There is a female
school at Osnaburg, and a small school at Foodieash.
DALAROSSIE, or DALFERGUSSIE, that is, 'Fer-
gus's valley,' a district in the shire of Inverness,
formerly a vicarage, now united to the parish of
Moy. Church rebuilt in 1790. See DYKE and MOY.
DALAVICH, in the district of Lorn, and shire
of Argyle, an ancient parish now united to the par-
ish of Killchrenan. It is 17 miles south-west of
Dalmally. The population, in 1801, was 486; and, in
1811, was 426. Near Loch Avich, in this district,
lay the scene of an ancient Celtic poem, translated
by Dr. Smith, called 'Cath-Luina,' or ' The Conflict
of Luina;' in the lake, is an island, the scene of
another poem, called ' Laoi Fraoich,' or ' The Death
of Fraoich ; ' and many places in this neighbourhood
are still denominated from Ossian's heroes. See
article AVICH (Loch).
DALE EAT TIE, a village in the parish of Urr
and stewartry of Kirkcudbright. It is situated on
Dalbeattie burn, 3 or 4 furlongs above its confluence
with Urr water. The village was commenced about
the year 1780, and advanced rapidly in prosperity.
It is built of a lively-coloured granite, and offers
high advantages, as to both garden-grounds and the
right of cutting peats, to feuars ; but is surrounded
with a country bleak, barren, and, in many respects,
unpropitious to manufacture or commerce. Though
vessels of small burden can come up from the sea,
Dalbeattie is not likely to become ever of commer-
*-'ial importance.
DALCROSS. See CROY.
DALGAIN, the ancient name of the parish and
village of Sorn, in the district of Kyle, Ayrshire,
and still occasionally applied to the village. An
estate in the parish also retains the name. The vil-
lage, consisting of one row of houses, is situated on
the north side of the road from Ayr to Muirkirk, in
a beautiful holm, having the river Ayr in front, and
overhung from behind by a winding bank covered
with natural wood. It has annual fairs on the second
Tuesday of March, O. S., and on the first Monday
of November, N. S. Its inhabitants are chiefly agri-
cultural labourers, colliers, and quarriers. Popula-
tion about 300.
DALGARNOCK, a suppressed parish in Dum-
fries-shire, incorporated with CLOSEBURN: which
see. The old parish nearly surrounded Closeburn,
and was annexed to it in the 17th century. There
was here, in former times, a considerable village,
the burgh of the barony. Though not a single house
of it remains, a fair or tryst seems still to be held on
its site. Says Burns,
" I gaed to the tryst of Dalgarnock,
And wha but my fine fickle lover was there?"
DALGETY, a parish in the county of Fife;
bounded by the parish of Aberdour on the east and
north ; by Inverkeithing on the west ; and by a
small part of the parish of Dunfermline on the north-
west. On the south it is bounded by the frith of
Forth, along which it extends in a straight line about
3 miles; but as the coast in this place runs into
numerous small bays, its circuitous extent is con-
siderably more. It is of an irregular form, but ap-
proaches nearest to the triangular ; being about 4
miles long from south to north ; its breadth gradually
diminishing towards the north, until in some places
it scarcely exceeds half-a-mile. The soil in some
quarters is a light dry loam ; but the greater part of
the parish consists of a deep strong loam. The
ground, in most places, rises considerably above the
level of the coast; the few hills in the parish are
neither high nor rocky. The highest ground in the
parish is about 450 feet above sea-level. There is
a small loch at Otterston, about a mile from the
coast, which is much admired. It is not quite a
mile in length, nor above a quarter of a mile in
breadth, but its banks are finely wooded. Near
it, on the grounds of Fordel, is a fine waterfall.
The house of Donibristle — a seat of the Earl of
Moray — was formerly the residence of the abbot
of St. Combe, but it has since been greatly en-
larged and improved. Donibristle was, in 1592, the
scene of the cruel murder of ' the bonny,' or the
handsome Earl, whose personal attractions and ac-
complishments, it is alleged by some historians, had
impressed the heart of Anne of Denmark, and ex-
cited the jealousy of her royal spouse. This at
least was the popular notion of the time :
" He was a braw gallant,
And he play'd at the gluve ;
And the boniiy Earl of Murray,
Oh ! he was the queenes love."
Political reasons, according to Bishop Percy, were
given for his arrest ; but more than arrest seems to
have been intended, for the commission was intrusted
to his inveterate enemy Huntly, who, with a number
of armed men, surrounding the house in a dark
night, set it on fire, on Murray's refusal to surrender.
He escaped the flames, but was unfortunately dis-
covered by a spark which fell on his helmet, and was
slain, telling Gordon of Buckie, who had wounded
him in the face, " You have spilt a better face than
your awin !"* " Hard by it," says Sibbald, " is Dal-
gatie, the dwelling of the Lord Yester ; it was re-
paired and beautifyed with gardens by Chancellor
Seaton, Earl of Dunfermling, who lyes interred in the
church there." Little of it now remains. Opposite to
the eastern extremity of the parish, and within a mile
of the shore, is the island of St. Combe : see INCH-
COLM. The church itself is a very ancient building.
The exact period of its erection cannot be ascer-
tained; but there are documents which show that a
grant of the ground on which it stands, was made to
the abbot of St. Combe as far back as the 14th cen-
* Various accounts of this transaction are given by Balfour,
Spottiswood, Moyse, Caldervvood, Wodrow, and Gordon. Bal-
four says in his ' Annales of Scotland,' " The 7 of Februarij this
zeire, 15(J2, the Earle of Murray was cruelly murthered by the
Earle of Huntly, at his house in Dunibrissell, in Fiffeshire, and
with him Dumbar, Shriffe of Murray ; it [was] given out, and
publicly talked that the Earle of Huntley was only the instru-
ment of perpetratting this fade, to satisffie the Kinges jelosie
of Murray, quhom the Queine, more rashlie than xvyslie, some
few dayes before had commendit in the Kinges heiringe, with
too many epithetts of a proper and gallant man. The ressons
of these surmiases proceidit from proclamations of the Kinges
the 18 of Marche following, inhibitting the yoiinge Earle of
Murray to perse w the Earle of Huntley for his father's slaugh-
ter, in respeete he being vvardit in the castell of Blacknesse for
the same tnurther, was willing to abyde his tryell; averring th;it
he had done nothing, bot by the King's matie« commissione; and
so was neither airt nor pairt of the tnurther." In Wodrow'a
• Analecta,' preserved in the Advocates' library, [vol. iv. p.
117,] is the following passage: "The horrible murder of the
Earl of Murray, and burning the house of Dunibrizzel, is no
ticed by our historians. It was generally charged on the
House of Huntley. After King Charles' accession to the
throne, the Scots nobility come up to London to wait on him,
and Gordon of Huntley among others. Qn the King heard
of Huntley, he refused peremptorily to see him, and said his
concern in the matter of Dunibrizzel was so villanouse that he
could not allow him to come to his presence. Qn this was
told to Huntley he pressed the more to be admitted, and said he
was able presently to satisfy his majesty in yt matter. Wtmuch
difficulty he was at lenth admitted. When he came in the King
reproached him for yt barbarous act. Ye Earle kneeling drew
out of his bosom K. Ja : ye 6the originall warrand for qt he had
done to the Earle and his house, and presented it to the king.
The king looked on it, and after reading it, said, ' M> lord, th»
was wrong given, and worse executed.1 " *
DAL
If. Additions, however, have been made to it,
ch bear marks of a later date. There is no par-
ticular branch of trade in this parish, except what
arises from the coal and salt-works here, carried on
to a considerable extent on the estate of Fordel.
The greatest part of the coal and salt is exported
from St. David's, a harbour at the western extremity
or the parish, in Inverkeithing bay, where vessels of
burthen not exceeding 500 tons cun load in safety,
distance from the pits to the shore is 4 miles,
which the coals are carried on a railway. The
mal export is about 70,000 tons ; and the coal is
"koned of a very superior quality. The salt is
ifly made at St. David's, a village of 150 inhabi-
its. The village of Crossgate in this parish has a
mlation of 180. The valued rent, according to
old valuation, is .£5,394 Scots. Assessed pro-
ty, in 1815, £4,203. In the New Statistical Ac-
int the total value of the yearly produce of this
"sh is estimated at £38,000, of which £28,000 is
coal, and £1,600 from salt. Population, in
I, 890; in 1831, 1,300. Houses 212 This par-
i, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Dun-
line, and synod of Fife. Patron, the Earl of
ly. Stipend £227 7s. Id. ; glebe £20 There
2 schools in the parish. Salary of parochial
)lmaster £34 4s. 4£d. Fees £18.
DALGINROSS. See COMRIE.
DALHOTJSIE. See COCKPEN.
DAL KEITH,* a small parish in the county of
i-Lothian, being only about 2 miles square,
on the banks of the North and South Esk
fers ; bounded on the north by Newton and In-
sk parishes ; on the east by Inveresk and Cran-
on the south and west by Newbottle and Lass-
ie ; and on the west by Lasswade and Newton,
greatest length is 3£ miles ; greatest breadth 2|
The surface is gently undulated, but in no
jr rises into hills ; indeed the whole might be
isidered a plain, did not the steep banks of the
rers give it an uneven and broken appearance,
soil is light on the lower grounds, and, on a
jp clay, well-adapted for raising either fruit or
rest-trees, which arrive here at great perfection.
—Adjoining to the town is Dalkeith park, of 800
Scots acres, within which, about half-a-mile from
the town, is Dalkeith house, the seat of the Duke
of Buccleuch, erected about the beginning of the
la«t century, on the site of the old castle of Dal-
keith. In ancient times, Dalkeith castle appears to
have been a place of considerable strength, and to
have stood some sieges. It was situated on a per-
pendicular rock of great height, and inaccessible on
all sides, except on the east, where it was defended
by a fosse, through which the river is said to have
formerly run. It was, for some centuries, the prin-
cipal residence of the noble family of Morton ; and
history records, that James, last Earl of Douglas,
exasperated against John Douglas, Lord of Dalkeith,
for espousing the cause of James II., who had basely
-rdered William, Earl of Douglas, at Stirling, laid
to the castle of Dalkeith, binding himself by a
iron oath not to desist till he had made himself
ister of it. It was, however, so gallantly defended
Patrick Cocklmni and Clerkington, that the Earl
Douglas, and his followers, found themselves un-
to reduce it, and were obliged to raise the siege,
the defeat of the Scotch army at Pinkie, in 1547,
) y tied to the castle of Dalkeith for refuge, among
lorn was James, Earl of Morton, afterwards regent
' Scotland, and Sir David Hume of Wedderburn.
Dal-caa'h, or kaith, that is, ' the Narrow dale,' according
> Chalmers. Some suppose keith equivalent to cath, sifjnify-
' Battle ;'iu which case Datkeith would mean 'the Field
Utle.'
297
DAL
It was besieged by the English, and defended for
some time ; but as it contained not a sufficient store
of provisions for such a number of men as had fled to
it, and as the besieged had no hopes of succour against
the victorious army, it was obliged to surrender ; in
consequence of which, the Earl and Sir David were
made prisoners. " Morton's character," says Gilpin,
" is marked in history with those vices which un-
bounded ambition commonly ingrafts upon the fiercer
passions, cruelty and revenge ; to which we may add
an insatiable avarice. Popular odium at length over-
powered him, and he found it necessary to retire
from public life. This castle was the scene of his
retreat ; where he wished the world to believe he
was sequestered from all earthly concerns. But the
terror he had impressed through the country during
his power was such, that the common people still
dreaded him even in retirement. In passing towards
Dalkeith, they generally made a circuit round the
castle, which they durst not approach, calling it, the
lion's den. While he was thus supposed to be em-
ployed in making his parterres, and forming his ter-
races, he was planning a scheme for the revival of
his power. It suddenly took effect, to the astonish-
ment of all Scotland. But it was of short continu-
ance. In little more than two years, he was obliged
to retreat again from public affairs ; and ended his
life on a scaffold." When Morton was executed, the
barony of Dalkeith was included in his attainder,
and although the estate was finally restored to the
Earl of Morton, yet the castle seems long to have
been considered as public property, and to have been
used as such. It was General Monk's residence
while in Scotland. In the year 1642, the estate of
Dalkeith came into the possession of the family of
Buccleuch by purchase from the Earl of Morton.
According to Chalmers, the Douglases of Lothian
obtained in early times a baronial jurisdiction over
many lands, in several shires, which was called the
Regality of Dalkeith. In 1541, James, 3d Earl of
Morton, obtained a charter from James V., con-
firming this regality. In January 1682, George, Earl
of Dalhousie, was appointed bailie of the regality of
Dalkeith. After the death of the Duke of Mon-
mouth, James, his son, was created Earl of Dalkeith.
His mother, Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch and Mon-
mouth died, in 1732, aged 81, when she was suc-
ceeded by Francis, her grandson. On the abolition
of hereditary jurisdictions, in 1747, the Duke claimed
£4,000 for the regality of Dalkeith ; but was al-
lowed only £3,400. The beauty of the situation is
greatly heightened by the serpentine windings of the
two Esks, which unite in the park about half-a-mile
below the house, and the fine woods with which it is
surrounded. " It stands on a knoll," says Gilpin,
" overlooking a small river. The knoll is probably
in part artificial ; for an awkward square hollow hard
by, indicates that the knoll has been dug out of it.
Beyond the river are woods ; and a picturesque view
of the town and church of Dalkeith. But the house
fronts the other way, where it is not only confined,
but the ground rises from it. It might have stood
with great advantage, if it had been carried two or
three hundred yards farther from the river ; and its
front turned towards it. A fine lawn would then
have descended from it, bounded by the river, and
the woods. We often see a bad situation chosen :
but we seldom see a good one so narrowly missed.
There are several pleasing pictures in Dalktith
house ; one of the most striking, is a landscape by
Vernet, in Salvator's style. It is a rocky scene
through which a torrent rushes : the foaming vio-
lence of the water is well expressed. I have not
often met with a picture of this fashionable master
which I liked better. And yet it is not entirely free
298
DALKEITH.
from the flutter of a French artist."* Stoddart
says of Dalkeith house, in his ' Remarks on Local
Scenery and Manners in Scotland,' [Vol. i. pp.
123 125.] : " The front view is by no means
rd, as the ground, rising from it, is soon bounded
the trees. The architecture is of the Corin-
thian order, and has the formal grandeur of the pe-
riod when it was built, — the latter part of the seven-
teenth century. On the opposite side, it appears
much more picturesquely seated, on an almost
perpendicular bank, overhanging the river. It is
said, that the castle was originally a place of great
strength, inaccessible on all sides, except the east,
where it was defended by a fosse, now filled up.
The rock too has been partly covered with earth,
gently sloped down to the river, and decorated with
shrubberies ; yet this part of the improvements has
not been executed with much taste : there is a for-
mality, both in the disposition of the ground, and in
the planting, which but badly suits the rapid Esk,
and the wild wood on the opposite side. To the
north of the house is a stone bridge, of a single arch,
70 feet wide, and 45 high, exceedingly heavy in its
effect. At its first erection, two stags — the sup-
porters of the Buccleuch arms — were placed on it, as
ornaments; but they frighted the horses which
passed them so much, that it was found necessary
to remove them. From this bridge the house would
appear to advantage, if the shrubberies, above which
it rises, were in better taste. The park is a noble
piece of ground, containing about 8,000 Scotch acres,
planted with a number of fine old oaks, and other
venerable trees, and watered by the two Esks, the
North and South, whose streams unite about half-a-
mile below the house. The South Esk has a pleas-
ing wildness, being almost entirely overshadowed by
the dark hangings of the ancient wood : the North
Esk comes into more open day ; but has several very
pleasing walks on its banks, with views of the town
and church of Dalkeith, &c. In this park were
formerly kept some of the native wild cattle of Scot-
land described by Pliny, [see article CUMBERNAULD] ;
but the Duke and his son having experienced a dan-
gerous attack from them, they were destroyed."
The park is well-stocked with deer. — Population
of the parish, in 1801, 3,906; in 1831, 5,586.
Houses, in 1831, 567. The two villages of Lug-
ton and Bridgend had a population, in 1838, of
284. Assessed property, in 1815, £11,911 This
parish, to which the barony of Lugton was annexed
in 1633, is in the synod of Lothian and Tweeddale,
and is the seat of a presbytery. Patron, the Duke
of Buccleuch. Stipend £316 9s. 2d. ; glebe £40.
Unappropriated teinds £610 11s. lid. The old
church accommodates 1,130. An additional church
has been built by the Duke of Buccleuch at the west
end of the town ; sittings 1,000. — There are two
United Secession congregations. The 1st of these
was established in 1 744 ; church built in 1812; sit-
tings 880. Stipend £100, with manse and garden.
The 2d was established, and the church built in 1 749 ;
sittings 436. Stipend £100, with a manse A Re-
lief congregation was established here in 1768.
Church seats 685. Stipend £139, with manse. —
An Independent church was formed here in 1804.
» The same tourist adds : " Here, and in almost all the great
houses of Scotland, we have pictures of Queen Mary ; but their
authenticity is often doubted from the circumstance of her hair.
In one it is auburn, in another black, and in another yellow.
Notwithstanding, however, this difference, it is very possible
that all these pictures may be genuine. We have a letter pre-
served, from Mr. White, a servant of Queen Elizabeth, to Sir
William Cecil, in which he mentions his having seen Queen
Mary at Tutbnry castle. ' She is a goodly personage,' says he,
'hath an alluring grace, a pretty Scottish speech, a searching
wit, and great mildness. H«r hair of itself is black ; but Mr.
Knolls told me, that she wears hair of sundry colours.' "
Chapel accommodates 300. Stipend £85 A Wes-
leyan Methodist chapel was built in 1789; sittings
240 Parochial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d.
a house and garden, &c., with an average fee of 15s.
for each pupil ; average number of pupils 100. There
are 10 private schools in this parish.
DALKEITH, a town in the above parish, 6£ miles
south-east of Edinburgh, and 18^ north-west of
Lander, on the Great south road From Edinburgh.
Population, in 1838, 4,642. It is situated on a nar-
row stripe of land between the two Esks, the banks
of which are here beautifully fringed with wood.
The principal street is broad and spacious, contain-
ing a number of elegant houses, and the whole town
may be considered as well-built. One of the greatest
markets in Scotland for grain is held here every
Thursday. It is the most extensive ready-money
corn-market in Scotland. The quantities of the
different kinds of grain exposed for sale in the mar-
ket-place of Dalkeith in the year ending on the 1st
July, 1839, were as follows :— Wheat, 10,220^ qrs. ;
barley, 15,803 qrs. ; oats, 43,630£ qrs. ; pease and
beans, 1,821^ qrs. : — in all 71,475^ quarters ; while
the aggregate quantity sold in Haddington market —
supposed to be next in magnitude — during the same
period was 42,361 qrs. It is to be observed, how-
ever, that 1838-9, being a year of comparative scar-
city, neither of these returns can be taken as a fair
representation of the quantity brought to market in
ordinary seasons, which in the case of Dalkeith, it is
thought, may be moderately stated at 100,000 qrs —
There is another market of considerable extent held
every Monday for the sale of meal, flour, and pot-
barley, a considerable portion of the supplies brought
to which come from the more southern parts of the
county, and from the neighbouring counties of Rox-
burgh, Berwick, Peebles, and Selkirk.* Dalkeith
is also remarkable for the number of its shops and
the extent of business done in them. Favoured by
its extensive markets and convenient situation, the
shopkeepers of this place contend successfully with
those of the neighbouring metropolis in supplying
with their peculiar commodities the inhabitants of the
south and western parts of the country, and they
have thus contributed in no slight degree to the pre-
sent comfort and respectability of the place. Though
well-adapted for the prosecution of manufactures,
* In the OW Statistical Account of the parish of Dalkeith,
published in 1794, it is stated that "The village is abundantly
supplied with excellent butcher-meat, which may be had in
great perfection on the Thursdays and Saturdays. The butchers
here contribute considerably to the supply of the Edinburgh
market, and some of them sell there the whole of what they
kill. During the season of winter and spring, the price of beef
is 4d. the Ib. avoirdupois ; veal, 5d. ; mutton 5d. ; and pork, 4d.
From the month of September till about the middle of January,
the price of beef and mutton is 3d. or 3£d. the pound ; but dur-
ing the rest of the year it is not lower than what has been
mentioned above. In the summer season, chickens sell at about
3d. the pair, and hens from 16d. to 18d. In summer, the price
of butter is lOd. the Ib. Butter is sold here by tron weight
22 07. to the Ib. ; in winter it rises sometimes to Is. or Is. Id.
The wagf-s of labourers in husbandry, during the summer-sea-
son, are from Is. to Is. 3d. the day. Mowers receive from Is.
8d. to 2s. Gardeners from Is. 2d. to Is. 6d. In winter, common
labourers receive from 8d. to 10d., and gardeners Is. The wages
of domestic female-servants, a- year, are from £2 10s. to £4."
The reader will be interested in comparing these prices and
wages with those now current in Dalkeith. Very little butcher,
meat is now sent from Dalkeith to the Edinburgh market : the
London mart is the great object of attention. In the winter of
1838, Mr. Plurnmer of Dalkeith sent butcher-meat of different
kinds to London to the value of £10,000 ; and, on an avernge,
the amount sent from Dalkeith to London may be £15,000 per
annum. Ewe mutton now averages, from October to January,
about 5d. per Ib. ; and from January to October, 6d. Wedder
mutton fetches about Id. per Ib. more. Beef sells at the same
price as mutton. Veal fetches 7d. per Ib. from October to
January ; and 9d. from January to October. The price of poul-
try is nearly the same as in 1793. The price of butter varit-8
greatly from year to year. Perhaps lOd. per Ib. for Scottish
salt-butter has been the average price for a series of years.
Male agricultural labourers get from 10s. to Js>s. per wee* Ml
the year round ; female labourers, about 5s. per week.
DALKEITH.
299
the opposition of the extensive landed proprietors
in the neighbourhood has hitherto — except in one in-
stance— prevented their introduction into the parish.
Extensive corn and flour mills have been erected by
[is Grace the Duke of Buccleuch on the North Esk, —
id on the South Esk there is a smaller erection of
same kind, belonging to the Marquis of Lothian,
few manufactures have been introduced ; but
lese have not been carried to any considerable ex-
it.— A gas light company was formed in 1827.
'here are here branches of the Royal bank, the Na-
lal bank, the Commercial bank, the Edinburgh
id Leith bank, and the Leith bank — Fairs are held
! on the 1st Thursday after Rutherglen May fair,
the 3d Tuesday of October In July 1640, a
National security savings bank was established by
[ desire of the Scientific association, for the benefit
the working-classes, and there is every prospect
present of the institution being, ultimately, suc-
ssful. In 1835, an association was formed to pro-
ride for the delivery of popular lectures on the more
iteresting branches of physical and economical
lience. The subjects which it has succeeded in
inging before the inhabitants are chemistry, natu-
philosophy, geology, zoology, botany, and po-
tical economy. In 1837, a library of scientific
rks was begun in connexion with the association,
iringthe summer-season, Dalkeith is much resorted
i by parties of pleasure from Edinburgh. The church
a Gothic fabric, founded by James Douglas, Earl
Morton, in the reign of James V. The town is
)verned by a baron-bailie under the Duke of Buc-
juch. Originally the baronial right belonged to the
lily of Graham, and subsequently to that of
las. In 1642, it was acquired by the family of
luccleuch. Previous to 1 759, Dalkeith, like other
irghs of barony, was entirely regulated by the su-
'or and his bailies ; but, in that year, a statute
obtained appointing certain trustees to superin-
the paving, cleaning, and lighting of the streets,
id to supply the inhabitants with water ; and pro-
riding a revenue for these purposes by imposing a
11 tax on the ale, porter, and beer consumed in
parish. The powers conferred by this act have
continued and extended by subsequent statutes,
rhich acknowledge — and, to some extent, preserve
" influence of the feudal superior, by investing
the baron-bailie, for the time being, with the powers
of a trustee. The direct and proper jurisdiction of
the baron-bailie is very limited, extending only in
criminal affairs to the imposition of small fines, or
to imprisonment for one night ; and, in civil mat-
ters, to granting warrants at the instance of land-
lords for the sale of their tenants' furniture in order
to recovery of rent. More serious cases are referred
to the sheriff of the county, and all matters of local
police regulation are taken up by the trustees. Va-
cancies occurring in the office of trustee are filled up
by the surviving members, who are understood to
select for this distinction individuals who have been
nominated by, or are believed to be agreeable to the
bailie. Being self-elected, and holding the office
during life, the trustees are obviously in the utmost
degree independent of the inhabitants over whose
affairs they preside, and, in times of political excite-
ment, the appointments to this office have generally
been found to assume an anti-popular complexion ;
yet it must be stated to the honour of the trustees,
that, sis a body, they have never interfered with po-
litics, and that the prudence and attention with
which they have discharged their gratuitous duties
eould scarcely have been increased by any amount of
popular control. Indeed, it may be truly allinned
that Dalkeith is one of the cheapest and hc>t go-
rerned towns in the country. The customs are
Cd
leased from the superior by trustees under local acts,
at a rent of £100. Their produce is about £250.
The trustees administer a revenue of about £600.
Few things have contributed more to the health
and enjoyment of the inhabitants of Dalkeith than
the formation of the railway between that place and
the metropolis. This undertaking was commenced
in 1827, and opened for the conveyance of passengers
to Edinburgh and Fisherro w in 1831 . Leith was con-
nected with the main line by a branch, in 1835 ; and,
in the end of 1838, another branch was carried for-
ward from the south line near Newbattle to the town
of Dalkeith, by the Duke of Buccleuch. The views
of the company were originally limited to the con-
veyance of coal, and other mineral produce, and
manure, &c., between the mines of Mid-Lothian, and
Edinburgh, Dalkeith, Leith, and Fisherrow. Pas-
sengers were not thought of in the original estimates
of the railway, although they have become the chief
source of profit. Their number averages now about
300,000 per annum, and the tonnage about 120,000
per annum. The main line and the Fisherrow branch
are the property of the original subscribers. The
Leith branch is a separate concern, belonging to a
different set of subscribers ; and the Dalkeith branch
is the exclusive property of the Duke of Buccleuch.
These railways are worked by horses, which are
considered the most economical power for short
distances in a populous country where stoppages
are very frequent. There have been run upon this
railway about 12,000,000 of miles, and carried
about 2,000,000 of passengers, from its opening
in July, 1831, up to October, 1840, that is, 9£
years, without one fatal accident, and none others
of a serious nature Amongst the many useful
and enterprising works commenced by the pre-
sent Duke of Buccleuch, there are few more mag-
nificent in point of pictorial effect than the bridge
now in progress over the Esk, on the south-
east of Dalkeith. The arches are 5 in number,
of 120 feet span each, constructed of built beams
of timber abutted upon stone piers of tasteful archi-
tecture, and thrown across one of the most beautiful
turns of this beautiful stream. The appearance of
the bridge is light, airy, and exceedingly elegant,
while the different views through the arches into the
fine grounds of Woodburn, and up the valley of the
Esk, are of the most picturesque description. This
bridge is to connect an extensive coal-field on the
property of the Duke at Cowden with the Dalkeith
railway ; but it rarely happens that beauty and use-
fulness are -so felicitously blended as in the present
instance. When finished, this bridge will be an ob-
ject of great attraction to all who visit the romantic
scenery of the Esk. It is within ten minutes' walk
of the Dalkeith railway station.
DALLAS, or DOLLAS, a parish in the centre or
the shire of Elgin ; bounded on the north and north-
east by the parish of Elgin ; on the east and south-
east by the parishes of Rothes and Birnie ; on the
south and south-west by those of Knockando and
Crorndale ; and on the west and north-west by Bas-
sord and Edenkillie. It extends about 12 miles from
east to west, and 9 from north to south ; but its
mean breadth, taken across from the southern side
of the hill of Melundy, measures only about 6 miles.
It is surrounded by hills so as to form a valley or
strath, almost equally divided from south-west to
north-east by the small river Lossie, which issues from
a small loch in the south-western extremity of the
parish, due south of the manse. Several burns or
rivulets, rushing down from the hills on both sides,
join tlu> Lossie nearly ;it right angles to its course.
A part of Dallas— the est:;le of < Vak'inill— lies in
the southern end of the v;illey of Rafford parish.
DAL
300
DAL
Through this estate the stream of the Lochty, — a
tributary to the Lossie, — runs eastward through a
narrow cut in the rocky hill, to loiter in the vale of
Pluscarden. This cut appears as if made merely for
the passage of the Lochty, and it would be easy to
turn it northward by Rafford church, if that was not
its original course. The greater part of Dallas parish,
however, lies on the south side of the hill of Melun-
dy, which is stretched between the courses of the
Lochty and the Lossie. A great part of the plain
on the south side of the hill of Melundy must have
been a lake, when the Lossie occupied a channel
about 3 feet higher than the bottom of its present
bed ; and, except a pool still covering a few acres,
the whole of this plain is now a deep extensive bed
of pure peat earth : thence probably arose the Gaelic
name Dale-Uisk, 'the Water- valley.' The live
produce is generally sent to market for sale at Elgin,
Forres, &c., to which towns, also excellent peats are
sent from the inexhaustible mosses in this parish.
There are considerable plantations of fir, oak, &c.,
here, and excellent quarries of freestone, with great
abundance of grey slate. There are some chalybeate
springs. During summer there is good fishing in the
Lossie for fine small trout ; and, in September and
October, for finnac or white trout, and a few small
salmon. During the risings of this river, almost a
third of the population were at times impeded in
their attendance at the church, till a wooden sus-
pension bridge was erected. Population, in 1801,
818; in 1831, 1,153. Houses 240 This parish is
in the presbytery of Forres, and synod of Moray.
Upon the annexation of Altyre to the parish of Raf-
ford — and which formerly belonged to Dallas — Killes,
and part of the parish of Elgin, was annexed to Dal-
las. This took place in 1657. Patron, Gumming of
Altyre. Stipend £158 6s. 8d.; glebe £11. Previ-
ous to 1794, when the present church was built, —
the church-service was performed in a very ancient
fabric, thatched with heath, and without windows,
save two or three narrow slits which yawned to a
very undue width within; the effigy of St. Michael,
the patron, stood weather-beaten in a niche near the
top of the eastern gable without. In the churchyard
a neatly cut stone column, 12 feet high, terminated
by a well-formed fleur-de-lis for its capital, was then
used, and afterwards remained in use as the market-
cross, for the sale of bankrupts' effects, cattle, &c.
The present church and manse are commodious
buildings, though, being near the Lossie, both are
in some danger of being swept away. Sittings in
the church 404. Schoolmaster's salary £34 14s. 4|d.,
with from £10 to £12 fees, and a share of the D"ick
bequest. There were 3 private schools in 1834, one
of which, at the east end of the parish, was built by
the Earl of Fife for the education of his tenants'
children.
DALLINTOBER. See CAMPBELLTON.
DALMAHOY. See RATHO.
DALMALLY, a small village in the parish of
Glenorchy, Argyleshire, situated at the head of Loch
Awe; 16 miles north-east of Inverary, and 12| west
of Tyndrum. Heron, who visited this place in 1792,
writes: " Among other spots to which the landlord
of the inn at Dalmally conducted me in the morning,
was a height called Barhassland, the residence of Mr.
M'Nab, the representative of a family of blacksmiths,
who have occupied this station since the middle of
the 14th century. The progenitor was, at that time,
invited hither by Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow, to
fabricate the iron-work necessary in the construction
of the neighbouring castle of Kilchurn, and to work
as smith to the family and to the tenants upon the
estate. A line of his posterity have ever since con-
tinued to practise his craft on the spot where he was
settled. The present representative of this ancient
family of blacksmiths is a very decent, intelligent
man. He received us kindly, — carried us round hi?
little demesne, — talked with a degree of modest pride
of the antiquity of his family, and of the ancient
respectability of the blacksmiths in this country,—
and at last carried us into his house, where his wife,
with true Gaelic hospitality, entertained us with the
most delicious milk I have ever drunk. He care-
fully pointed out to my observation the remains of
some rude fortification which had once stood on this
height. Much of it has been demolished, and the
materials removed. The earth has risen over some
other parts ; but the line of the walls may still be
traced, and the lowest layers of its stones have not
been altogether carried away. Those stones are
vast masses, worn smooth by the action of the air
and rain, and partly covered over with moss. They
seem to have been joined by no cement. The for-
tress has been round, and of considerable extent.
This was indeed a natural enough situation for a
fortress, — in the pass between Glenurquhie and
Lochow. In the days of civil disorder, when every
petty chieftain was a sovereign ; and when the mul-
titude of separate interests, and the ferocious man-
ners of the times, kept up a perpetual warfare in the
land, it was absolutely necessary to bar up such
passes as this against hostile invasion. This old
fortress seems to be of earlier foundation than the
settlement of the family of Macnabs here. Mr.
Macnab and his neighbours wished to persuade me
that it was Pictish. But, as it is not probable that
the Picts ever occupied Argyleshire, I was not in-
clined to adopt their idea. I saw here, also, another
monument of ancient manners : a coat of mail, with
two head-pieces of different fashions, which have
been long preserved by this family as specimens of
the workmanship of their ancestors. Where every
Highlander was a soldier, and wore arms, a black-
smith was necessarily a man of high consequence.
In the simple state of all the mechanic arts among
this people, that of the blacksmith who could forge
armour, was by far the most complex, and the most
highly improved. The demand for his productions
was universal. They were employed, too, for the
most honourable of all purposes. When all the most
honourable persons in the society were soldiers, he
who furnished the soldier with his weapons for war
could not be a mean or despised man." [' Observa-
tions,' vol. i. pp. 293—295.]
DALMELLINGTON, or DAMELINGTOUN,* a
parish at the southern angle of the district of Kyle,
Ayrshire. It is bounded on the north by Ochiltree ;
on the east by New-Cumnock; on the south-east by
Kirkcudbrightshire ; on the south-west by Loch
Doon and Doon water, which divide it from Strait-
on ; and on the west by Dalrymple. It has nearly H
triangular figure, the longest side being from north-
west to south-east along the Doon; and it measures,
in extreme length, 10 miles, in average breadth about
3. Along the Doon, over a distance of 3 miles, a
plain or very gentle slope stretches inward, of nearly
the figure of a crescent, narrowed to a point at both
extremities, and measuring about a mile at its cen-
tral or greatest width. Behind this plain the whole
parish rises upward in continuous eminences or
mountain ridges. The ridge nearest the Doon closes
that river closely in at the north-western angle of
* The writer in the Old Statistical Account says : " The true
orthography of Damelingtoun is said to be ' Dame Helen s
Town ' after a ladv of rank and fortune, of the name of H(
who huilt a castle 'near this place." Chalmers, in his Galedo,
nia, however, derives the name from two Gaelic words, dal,
a valley: muilan, a mill, and the common Saxon terminal!
toun, or ton,-&ad thus makes it mean 4 the Town of the Vail,
of the mill.'
DAL
301
DAL
the parish, extends away eastward, limiting the low- ,
and abruptly terminates to the north-east of
village, in a splendid colonnade of basalt, 300
t in height, and 600 in length. Two other ridges
south-eastward and southward, and are connected (
the north end by a ridge coming dowr. upon them }
tward from the parish of New-Cumnock. Though i
hills are in general easy of ascent, and in only
places are, for a short way, precipitous, yet
form gorges and mountain- passes of fascinating
rest, and, in one or two instances, of peculiar
deur. Along the road from the village of Dal-
ington to Carsphairn in Kirkcudbrightshire, two
s approach for upwards of a mile, so nearly to
embrace as to leave at their bases barely suffi-
t space for the public road and the bed of a moun-
-rill. At the extremity of the range, also, where
river Doon issues from its picturesque mountain-
led lake, [see DOON, LOCH,] rocky, perpendicular
vations, whose summits rise 300 feet above the
el of the river, are, for about a mile, so brief a
asunder, as to seem cloven by some powerful
ncy from above, or torn apart by some convulsive
ve beneath their base. The narrow, stupendously
ed pass between is called the glen of Ness, and
s, at its north-western extremity, into the low-
, or crescent-figured plain, of the parish. The
Doon escapes from the loch by two narrow
nels in the naked rock, dashes impetuously along
glen of Ness, and afterwards moves slowly for-
•d among meadowy banks, receiving, in its pro-
the waters of several rills, or occasionally
len and inundating torrents, from the inland
' ts. The springs of the parish are pure and
id, and flow, for the most part, from beds of
and gravel. Nearly a mile from the south-east-
boundary, and surrounded by heathy moorland,
a small lake of about 25 or 30 acres in area, the
rs of which are dark, and very deep, and abound
black trout. The soil, on the plain along the
n, is a strong, rich, clayey loam; around the
B, is dry and gravelly ; and behind the Doon, or
rer range of hills, is moss or moorland. About I
a mile below the village is a morass of about
1 acres, resting on a spongy bed, and imbosoming
le oaks of considerable size. Coal — the most [
southerly of the Ayrshire field, but prime in qua-
lity— is worked from deep seams, and affords a sup-
ply to places in Galloway even 30 miles distant.
Sandstone abounds; and lime and ironstone are not
infrequent in occurrence. The parish is traversed
by two great lines of road parallel to the Doon. one
of them the coach-road from Ayr to Dumfries ; and
by a line of road north-eastward, leading from the
village of Dalmellington to that of New-Cumnock;
and it is abundantly accommodated with bridges for
thc-e and for by-roads, there being 6 across the
Doon, and 9 or 10 across the smaller streams. A
"Id house in the village, bearing the inscription
is called Castle-house, owing, as is supposed,
its having been built of materials taken from an
castle in the vicinity, called Dame Helen's
Between the village and the site of that
is a beautiful moat, surrounded with a deep,
fosse. On a precipitous cliff in a deep glen, pro-
ted on three sides by the perpendicular rock, and
the fourth by a fosse, stood formerly a fastness,
which, from some storied connection with Alpine,
kini: of Scotland, gives to its site the name of Lacht
Alpine. In the uplands were, at one time, three very
large cairns, one of them upwards of 100 yards in
circumference, and all covering vast masses of human
bones. A Roman road, coming up from Dumfries-
shire and Kirkcudbrightshire, and measuring 10 or
11 feet broad, formerly traversed the parish from
south-east to north-west, and passed from it into
Dalrymple. Dalmellington figured largely in the
affecting scenes of the persecution under the Stuarts,
and abounds in traditions respecting the sufferings of
the Covenanters. Wodrow represents it as having
been watched and oppressed with such large bodies
of troops, that, at one period, they must have been
more numerous than the inhabitants; and, while
giving detailed accounts of the heavy and multiform
local grievances which they inflicted, he says, " Had
materials come to my hand as distinctly from the
rest of the country as from this parish, what a black
view we might have had 1" — The village of Dalmel-
lington is snugly situated, on the road from Ayr tc
Dumfries, in a recess of the plain of the parish,
sheltered by the hills, and about | of a mile north-
eastward of the Doon, or of a stripe of waters £ of
a mile broad, and called Bogton loch, into which
the Doon, during about a mile of its progress, ex-
pands. It is a neat, thriving place, — and has two
woollen mills, a carpet manufactory, and a consider-
able number of private looms. Here are a subscrip-
tion library, a reading-room, a savings bank, 7 inns,
3 schools, and the parish-church. Belonging to the
village are 2 commons, which afford pasturage to
from 50 to 60 cows. Annual fairs are held on Fas-
tern's E'en, Halloween, and the first Friday after
Whitsunday, all old style. The village is a burgh-of-
barony. Population of the parish, in 1801, 787 ; in
1831, 1,056. Houses 189. Assessed property, in
1815, £2,566.— Dalmellington parish, formerly a vic-
arage of chapel-royal of Stirling, is in the presbytery
of Ayr, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £20.— The
parish-church was built in 1766; sittings 400. Par-
ish-schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4Jd., with £10 fees.
There are two schools non-parochial.
DALMENNOCK BAY. See LOCH RYAN.
DALMENY,* a parish in the north-east of Lin-
lithgowshire, consisting of a main body and a de-
tached portion, The former is bounded on the north
and north-east by the frith of Forth ; on the east
by Cramond; on the south by Edinburghshire and
Kirkliston ; and on the west by Abercorn. It has
a figure somewhat resembling the outline of a violin ;
and measures, in extreme length, from Cramond
bridge on the east to an angle near Tottling Well
on the west 5£ miles ; and in extreme breadth, from
Mound Point on the north to a bend in the Almond
near Wheatlands, 3£ miles. The detached portion
lies a mile south-west of the main body ; is bounded
on the north by Abercorn, on the east by Kirkliston,
and on the south and west by Ecclesmachan ; and is,
in its greatest length, 1| mile, and in its greatest
breadth 1. The surface is high in the central dis-
trict, declines somewhat to the west, has a very con-
siderable declivity to the south, and slopes still more
rapidly to the north, where it terminates in a bold
bank upon the Forth. Toward the east are three
rocky ridges or hills, covered with wood, called
Mons, Dundas, and Craigie. The summits of all
these, but especially that of Mons-hill, place an ob-
server in the midst of a vast and most beautiful and
varied panorama, bounded only by the limits of vision
or the hazily seen summits of the great mountain
ranges of Scotland. The Forth, with its thousand
attractions, glitters in nearly all its length before the
view; the Lothians and the most cultivated districts
of conterminous counties, are spread out with the dis-
tinctness of a map; and the spectator, delightfully
* Dalmeny or Dalmenie, is a corruption of Dumanie. In
.indent charters, the name is written in the Latin form, Dnm.
anyn. Dumanie is said to mean, in Gaelic, • a Black heath ;'
and may probably be descriptive of the origual appearance of
a large portion of the parish.
DAL
302
DAL
perplexed with the irnportunings of competing beau-
ties which everywhere crowdedly demand his notice,
finds no repose to his eye till it rests on the heights
of Lammermoor or the far-seen cap of Ben-Lomond.
Immediately beneath him, in the parish itself, is a
landscape of no common beauty. The plantations of
the Earl of Roseberry, his antiquated but picturesque
castle, situated within sea-mark, and his charming
park of Barnbougle, with its bold undulations of
height and lawn, constitute, 'with the other attrac-
tions of the district, a truly fascinating picture.
Nearly the whole parish is well-cultivated, well-en-
closed, sheltered and beautified with plantation, and
cheeringly productive ; and it is adorned, not only
by the mansion and grounds of Lord Roseberry, but
by those of Craigie hall, of Dundas castle, and of
Duddingstone. The soil of the higher grounds, and
of the detached portion of the parish, is, in general,
a shallow clay on a cold bottom ; on the declivities
and the low grounds, it is a rich loam ; and, in a few
spots, it is what has been termed perpetual soil, re-
quiring little manure, and exceedingly fertile. On
the coast is a vast bed of prime freestone, which has
been extensively worked to supply places far distant
with materials for ornamental building. Limestone
and ironstone also are found. At the west end of
Queensferry, close by the shore, are vestiges of a
monastery, founded about the year 1330, by one of
the lairds of Dundas, for Carmelite friars. Farther
west, upbn a high sea-bank, there were 90 years ago,
interesting ruins, consisting of a large carved window,
a square pillar, and a considerable quantity of hewn
stones, probably the remains of a Roman specula-
torium. Here were found silver medals of Marcus
Antoninus, with a Victory on the reverse. But
greatly the most interesting antiquity is the parish
church ; which, from the Saxon, or mixedly Greek
and Gothic style of its architecture, seems to be 700
or 800 years old. The church of Warthwick, in
England, near Carlisle, built before the times of
William the Conquerer, strikingly resembles it, but
is greatly inferior in richness and elaboration of em-
bellishment. William Wilkie, D.D., the author of
' The Epigoniad,' and professor of natural philosophy
at St. Andrews, was a native of Dalmeny. Popula-
tion of the parish, in 1801, 765; in 1831, 1,291.
Houses 217. Assessed property, in 1815, £13,745.—
• Dalmeny is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patrons, the Earl of
Roseberry and the Earl of Hopetoun. Stipend,
£264 2s. Id.; glebe, 5£ acres. Unappropriated
teinds, £45 10s. lid. Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4£d., with about £65 other emoluments. There
are 2 schools nonparochial, — one of them a board-
ing-school, kept by the minister of Queensferry.
The church of Dalmeny was formerly a vicarage of
the monks of Jedburgh ; and had several altars with
distinct and appropriate revenues. The detached
portion of the parish is called Auldcathie, and, pre-
vious to the Reformation, was a separate parish.
Its church was of small value, and has entirely dis-
appeared. In 1636, the territory co-extensive with
the burghal limits of South Queensferry, was de-
tached from Dalmeny, and constituted a separate
parish. An ancient chapel stood in this territory,
built by Dundas of Dundas, the ruins of which might
recently have been traced by antiquarian search.
DALMULLIN, in the district of Kyle, Ayrshire.
Here was a monastery of Gilbertines, founded by
Walter, Lord-high-steward of Scotland ; but the air
of the country not agreeing with the monks and nuns
— who had been brought from Sixhill, in the county
of Lincoln — they returned into England, whereupon
all their rents were disponed by the said Walter to
the monastery of Paisley, and the buildings went to
decay. Walter also founded here a convent of Black
or Benedictine nuns.
DALNACARDOCH, a stage inn in the parish of
Blair- Athole, Perthshire, on the Great Highland
road from Edinburgh to Inverness, 86 miles from
Edinburgh, and 70 from Inverness.
DALNOTTER. See KILPATRICK.
DALPATRICK. See DALSERF.
DALQUHARRAN. See THE GIRVAN.
DALQUHURN. See CARDROSS.
DALRIADS, a name given to the Scoto-Irish, a
branch of the great Celtic family, who are generally
supposed to have found their way into Ireland from
the western shores of North Britain, and to have
established themselves at a very early period in the
Irish Ulladh, the Ulster of modern times. They
appear to have been divided into two tribes or clans,
the most powerful of which was called Cruithne or
Cruithnich ; a term said to mean eaters of corn or
wheat, from the tribe being addicted to agricultural
pursuits. The quarrels between these two rival
tribes were frequent, and grew to such a height of
violence, about the middle of the third century, as to
call for the interference of Cormac, who then ruled
as king of Ireland ; and it is said that Cairbre-Riada,
the general and cousin of king Cormac, conquered a
territory in the north-east corner of Ireland, of about
thirty miles in extent, possessed by the Cruithne.
This tract was granted by the king to his general,
and was denominated Dal-Riada, or 'the Portion of
Riada,' over which Cairbre and his posterity reigned
for several ages, under the protection of their rela-
tions, the sovereigns of Ireland. [See O'Flaherty's
Ogygia; Ogygia vindicated, pp. 163, 4 and 5. and
O'Connor's Dissertation, pp. 196, 7.] The Cruithne
of Ireland and the Picts of North Britain being of
the same lineage and language, kept up, according
to O'Connor, a constant communication with each
other ; and it seems to be satisfactorily established
that a colony of the Dalriads or Cruithne of Ireland,
had settled at a very early period in Argyle, from
which they were ultimately expelled and driven back
to Ireland about the period of the abdication by the
Romans, of the government of North Britain, in the
year 446. In the year 503, a new colony of the Dal-
riads or Dalriadini, under the direction of three bro-
thers, named Lorn, Fergus, and Angus, the sons of
Ere, the descendant of Cairbre-Riada, settled in the
country of the British Epidii, near the Epidian pro-
montory of Richard and Ptolemy, named afterwards
by the colonists Ceantir or ' Head-land,' now known
by the name of Cantyre or Kintyre. History has
thrown but little light on the causes which led to
this settlement, afterwards so important in the an-
nals of Scotland; and a question has even been raised
whether it was obtained by force or favour. In
proof of the first supposition it has been observed,
[Chalmers' Caledonia, Vol. i. p. 275,] that the head-
land of Kintyre, which forms a very narrow penin-
sula and runs far into the Deucaledonian sea, towards
the nearest coast of Ireland, being separated by lofty
mountains from the Caledonian continent, was in that
age very thinly peopled by the Cambro-Britons ; that
these descendants of the Epidii were little connected
with the central clans, and still less considered by
the Pictish government, which, perhaps, was not yet
sufficiently refined to be very jealous of its rights, or
to be promptly resentful of its wrongs; and that
Drest- Gurthinmoch then reigned over the Picts, and
certainly resided at a great distance beyond Drum-
Albin. It is also to be observed, in further corro-
boration of this view, that Lorn, Fergus, and Angus,
brought few followers with them ; and though they
were doubtless joined by subsequent colonists, they
were, for some time, occupied with the
necessary
DAL
303
DAL
but uninteresting labours of settlement within their
appropriate districts. Ceantir was the portion of
Fergus, Lorn possessed Lorn to which he gave his
, and Angus is supposed to have colonized Ila,
>r it was enjoyed bv Muredach, the son of Angus,
his decease. Thus these three princes or chiefs
each his own tribe and territory, according to the
justomed usage of the Celts ; a system which in-
jlved them frequently in the miseries of civil war,
in questions of disputed succession. There is no
)rtion of history so obscure or so perplexed as that
' the Scoto-Irish kings and their tribes, from their
st settlement, in the year 503, to their accession to
Pictish throne in 843. Unfortunately no contem-
>raneous written records appear ever to have exist-
of that dark period of our annals, and the efforts
the Scotch and Irish antiquaries have made to
ctricate the truth from the mass of contradictions
which it lies buried, have rather been displays of
tional prejudice than calm researches by reason-
lie inquirers. The annals, however, of Tigernach
of Ulster, and the useful observations of O'Fla-
;rty and O'Connor, along with the brief chronicles
historical documents, first brought to light by
industrious limes, in his ' Critical Essay ' — a
praised even by Pinkerton — have thrown some
ipses of light on a subject which had long re-
iined in almost total darkness, and been rendered
more obscure by the fables of our older histo-
Some of the causes which have rendered this
of our history so perplexed are thus stated by
jrs in his Caledonia. " The errors and confu-
which have been introduced into the series, and
history, of the Scottish kings, have chiefly origi-
from the following causes: — 1st. The sove-
pty was not transmitted by the strict line of he-
iry descent. There were, as we shall see, three
families, who, as they sprung from the royal
c, occasionally grew up into the royal stem ; two
' these were descended from Fergus I. by his grand-
is, Comgal and Gauran ; the third was descended
Lorn, the brother of Fergus. This circum-
ice naturally produced frequent contests and civil
for the sovereignty, which, from those causes,
sometimes split ; and the representatives of
and Lorn reigned independently over their
separate territories at the same time. The confusion
which all this had produced can only be cleared up
by tracing, as far as possible, the history of these
different families, and developing the civil contests
which existed among them. 2d. Much perplexity
has been produced by the mistakes and omissions of
the Gaelic bard, who composed the Albanic Duan,
particularly in the latter part of the series, where
he has, erroneously, introduced several supposititious
kings, from the Pictish catalogue. These mistakes
having been adopted by those writers, whose object
was rather to support a system, than to unravel the
history of the Scottish monarchs, have increased,
rather than diminished the confusion." Although
the Dalriads had embraced Christianity before their
arrival in Argyle, they do not appear to have been
anxious to introduce it among the Caledonians or
Picts. Their patron-saint was Ciaran, the son of a
carpenter. He was a prelate of great fame, and
several churches in Argyle and Ayrshire were dedi-
cated to him. The ruins of Kil-keran, a church de-
dicated to Ciaran, may still be seen near Cainpbellton
in ivintyre. At Kil-kiaran iu IHy, Kil-kiaran in
Lisrnore, and Kil-keran in Carrick, there were cha-
pels dedicated, as the names indicate, to Ciaran.
Whatever were the causes which prevented the Dal-
riads from attempting the conversion of their neigh-
bours, they were destined at no distant period from
the era of the Dalriadic settlement, to receive the
blessings of the true religion, from the teaching of
St. Columba, a monk of high family descent, and
cousin of Scoto-Irish kings. See ICOLMKILL.
DALRIE. See KILLIN.
DALRUADHAIN. See CAMPBELLTON.
DALRULZEON. See CAPUTH.
DALRY,* a parish near the centre of the district
of Cunningham, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the
north and north-east by Kilbirnie; on the east by
Beith; on the south by Kil winning; on the south-
west by Ardrossan ; on the west by West Kilbride ;
and on the north-west by Largs. Its extreme length,
from north to south, is about 10 miles; and its
breadth varies from 1$ to 9. It is narrowest in the
middle ; is nearly dissevered toward the north by the
parish of Largs ; sends out an arm 3 miles northward
from its main body; and is, in consequence, of ex-
tremely irregular outline. The surface consists prin-
cipally of four vales, with their intervening and over-
shadowing uplands. The principal vale stretches
south-westward along its eastern division, and varies
from a mile to £ a mile in breadth. This vale is
watered by the meanderings of the river Garnock,
and abounds in fertility and the beauties of agricul-
tural landscape. The other parts of the parish,
though well-watered with the Rye, the Gaaf, and
other streams flowing south-eastward and falling
into the Garnock, are in general hilly, and in some
parts, especially toward the north, almost mountain-
ous. Bedland-hill, between the Gaaf and the Rye,
rises 946 feet; and Car winning-hill, to the eastward
of the Rye, rises 634 above the level of the sea. At
Auchinskich, 2 miles from the village, in a romantic
and sylvan dell, is a natural cave, 183 feet in length,
and from 5 to 12 in breadth and height, stretching
away into the bowels of a precipitous limestone crag,
and ceiled and panelled with calcareous incrusta-
tions which give it the appearance of Gothic arched
work. Coal, at a comparatively inconsiderable depth,
is, in three places, worked from seams of from 2J to 5
feet thick. Limestone abounds in strata of unusual
thickness, and in general imbosoms numerous petri-
factions. Iron-stone frequently occurs. Agates
have been found in the Rye. In the holm-lands of
the parish the soil is a deep alluvial loam ; along thti
base of the hills it is light and dry ; in some districts
the soil is clayey and retentive ; and in others it is
reclaimed and cultivated moss. The parish is inter-
sected by the Glasgow and Ayr railway, and is in other
respects well-provided with means of communica-
tion. On the summit of Carwinning-hill are vestiges
of an ancient fortification, two acres in area, and
formed of three concentric circular walls. Near the
end of the village is a mound called Courthill, — one
of those moats, so common in Scotland, on which
justice was administered. Urns and other antiqui-
ties have, in various localities, been dug up. In
this parish the insurrection of 1666 broke put against
the Privy council's measures for the erection of epis-
copacy. Dairy was the birth-place of Sir Bryce
Blair, who resisted the usurpation of Edward 1.,
and the home of Captain Thomas Crawford, who
captured Dumbarton castle in the reign of Mary —
The village of Dairy is beautifully situated on a
rising ground on the right bank of the Garnock, im-
mediately below the confluence of the Rye with that
river, and not far above the confluence of the Gaaf.
It commands an extensive view to the south and the
* Chalmers derives this name— which was formerly written
Dalrye— from ih<> Gaelic Dnl, 'a valley,' and Rye, the name of
i.i:t- <>t the streams by which the parish is intersected. But the
writer in the New Statistical Account prefers a derivation from
Dnl and High, 'a king,' making the name mean ' the King's val-
ley ;' and he observes that a part of the site of the village i*
still called Croitanry, wh ch he supposes to be a corruption. of
Croft an High, ' the Croft of the king.'
304
DALRY.
north-east ; and, owing to the peculiar nature of its
site, and the liability to inundation of the mountain
streams by which its environs on three sides are
washed, it has sometimes the appearance of lifting its
head from a lake, and being seated on an island. It is
16 miles from Paisley, 14 from Kilmarnock, 5 from
Beith, and 9 from Saltcoats. Of no higher origin
than the beginning of the 17th century, and long
existing as a mere hamlet, it has eventually attained
considerable prosperity, and at present contains a pop-
ulation of upwards of 2,000. There are five streets
three of which converge, and form a sort of square or
open area near the centre of the town. The streets
indicate the want of police, yet enjoy the luxury of
being lighted up at night with gas. The principal
manufacture is weaving, which employs about 500
individuals. Nearly 50 persons are employed also in
a woollen carding and spinning-mill. Here are the
parish-church, two dissenting churches, three schools,
and a number of inns and other appurtenances of
village importance. There are 6 annual fairs, the
chief of which is held on the last day of July. The
town as well as its vicinity will probably now rise
rapidly in prosperity, from its being touched by the
Glasgow and Ayr railway. Population of the town
and parish, in 1801, 2,815; in 1831, 3,739. Houses
503. Assessed property, in 1815, £13,141 Dairy
is in the presbytery of Irvine, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Patron, Blair of Blair. Stipend £231
10s. 6d. ; glebe £24. Unappropriated teinds £575
9s. lOd. The parish-church was built in 1771. Sit-
tings 941. Before the Reformation the church be-
longed to the monastery of Kilwinning, and was
served by a vicar. On a rising ground to the east
of the Garnock, about a mile from the present vil-
lage, formerly stood a chapel, vestiges of which have
not long ago disappeared. At a greater distance
from the village are still some ruins of another an-
cient chapel One of the meeting-houses in the
village belongs to the United Secession, and the
other to the body of Original Burghers, part of whom
recently became reunited to the Established church.
Sittings in the former 508; in the latter 282. Sti-
pend of the former £110; of the latter £70. Ac-
cording to a survey made in 1835, there were 2,762
in connection with the Establishment, and 927 dis-
senters within the parish. — There are in the parish
4 schools, 3 of which are nonparochial. Parish-
schoolmaster's salary £32 15s. 9d., with £65 school-
fees.
DALRY, a parish in the north-east verge of
Kirkcudbrightshire ; bounded on the north by Ayr-
shire and Dumfries-shire ; on the east by Dumfries-
shire; on the south-east by Balmaclellan ; on the
south-west and west by Kelk; and on the north-
west by Carsphairn. It is of the form of a triangle,
having a small parallelogram resting on its northern
angle, and presenting its apex, or greatest angle, to
the east. Its greatest length, from the confluence
of Grapel burn with Ken water on the south, to a
point north-eastward of Black-Larg-hill on the north,
is 14 miles ; and its greatest breadth, from the con-
fluence of Deugh water and Ken water on the west,
to the point where Cairn water leaves it on the east,
is 7^ miles. Over a distance of 15 miles, following
the sinuosities of the stream, Ken water forms its
north-western, western, and south-western boun-
dary; and over the southern half of that distance it
flows through a fine vale, richly tufted with natural
woods. But even behind this vale, as well as through
all the other districts, the parish is almost entirely
pastoral and hilly.. Toward the north, and along
the eastern boundary, it is very mountainous; and
it terminates northward in he towering eminence of
Black Larg, which rises 2, B90 feet above the level
of the sea. Grapel burn, which flows south-west-
ward into Ken water, and Cairn water, which flows
north-eastward into Dumfries-shire, along with an
intermediate boundary-line of only about a mile,
divide the parish from Balmaclellan, or form one of
the sides of its triangle. Numerous mountain-brooks
rise in the interior ; a few of which flow southward
into Capel burn, and the most westward into Ken
water. Lochinvar, near the centre of the southern
division, is a sheet of water little less than 3 miles
in'circumference ; and, as well as the smaller lakes,
Boston, Knocksting, and Knockman, contains ex-
cellent trout, and is much frequented by fishers.
Pike, trout, and salmon abound in the Ken. The
salmon, however, except in high floods, cannot ascend
higher than to a linn or cascade at Earlston, and they
there often excite observation by repeated and ex-
hausting, though generally vain leaps, to surmount
the water-spouts which repel their further progress
The parish is traversed by only three roads ; one along
its western limit, down the vale of the Ken ; another,
along its south-western limit, chiefly on the banks
of the Capel and the Cairn; and one, among the
mountain-gorges from east to west, about midway
between the northern and the southern extremities.
In Lochinvar are the remains of an ancient fortified
castle which belonged to the Gordons, formerly
knights of Lochinvar, and recently viscounts of Ken-
mure. There are several moats, cairns, and curious
places of defence. In the farm of Altrye, near the
top of a hill, whence a distant view is commanded
through the mountain-passes, is an artificial trench
capable of accommodating 100 persons, reported to
have been a hiding-place of the persecuted Cove-
nanters, and — in derivation from the epithet by which
that suffering people were most commonly known — ,
bearing the designation of the Whighole. Dairy, in
common with the contiguous mountain-districts, was
the scene of not a few eventful occurrences under
the persecutions of the Stuarts. In the churchyard
of Dairy one gravestone covers the dust of Major
Stewart, of Ardoch, and of John Grierson, who
were shot in 1684, by Graham of Claverhouse, and
after being buried in the family-cemetery belonging
to Ardoch, were dug up, by Graham's orders, and
finally reinterred in the north-west corner of the
churchyard of Dairy The village of Dairy is beau-
tifully situated on a bend of the Ken, near the
southern angle of the parish. The houses, though
irregularly scattered over a considerable space of
ground, produce a fine effect to the eye. The little
crofts lying around them are all carefully cultivated ;
and the gardens are neatly surrounded with hedges,
and sheltered by rows of trees. Here are the parish-
church, and an United Secession meeting-hou»e.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 832; in 1*
1,246. Houses 211. Assessed property, in 1815,
£5,889. — Dairy is in the presbytery of Kirkcud-
bright, and synod of Galloway. Patron, Forbes of
Callander. Stipend £217 12s. 2d. ; glebe £20.
Unappropriated teinds £180 4s. 6d. The church
having formerly been dedicated to St. John the Bap-
tist, the village, till recently, was called St. John's
clachan, and a large stone, shown to strangers as an
object of curiosity, is called St. John's chair. Before
the establishment of Carsphairn parish in 1640, Dairy
comprehended the mountainous and extensive tract
between the Ken and the Deugh, and it anciently
had several chapels, all subordinate to the mother or
parochial church. During episcopal times the par-
son was a member of the chapter of Galloway. The
present church was built in 1832; sittings 700
The United Secession church was built in 182
sittings 200. Stipend £70. There are 3 schools;
1 parochial, 1 endowed, and 1 supported wholly b
DAL
305
DAL
the parishioners. Parochial schoolmaster's salary
.£25 13s. 3 Ad., with school-fees. The endowed
school has 2 masters, whose combined salaries amount
to £15. There is a mortified fund of £ 1,000 for a
tree-school.
DALRY (WESTER), a hamlet, once a populous
village, about a mile west from Edinburgh, on the
Lanark road. The hamlet of Easter Dairy is now
diminished to two or three cottages.
DALRYMPL.E,* a parish along the southern
verge of the district of Kyle, Ayrshire. It is
bounded on the north by Ayr and Coylton ; on the
cast by Dalmellington ; on the south by Straiton
and Kirkmichael; and on the west by Maybole. It
is of an oblong figure ; measuring from east to west
7 miles ; having an average breadth of 2 miles, and
containing an area of about 12 square miles. Nearly
its whole surface rolls or undulates in numerous
cultivated knolls, or little moundish hills, around
most of which is hung out the extensive, varied, and
enchanting panorama of the frith of Clyde and the
lowlands, south of Benlpmond and the Grampians,
ne of the elevations commands a view of even the
ist- vailed coast of Ireland. Along the whole
uthern and western boundary the Doon moves
midst alternations of bold sylvan banks and rich
tile haughs, dividing the parish from Carrick, and
inging its verge in the softest forms of beauty.
Four Likes — Martinham, Kerse, Snipe, and Linds-
on — enrich the soil and the scenery, and abound in
ike, perch, eel, and waterfowls. Martinham, the
j only protrudes into the northern division of
e parish, and belongs mainly to Coylston : it is
t H mile in length, and a furlong in breadth,
ul h;is its surplus waters carried off south- west-
ard by a rivulet to the Doon. The soil is, on a
\v of the eminences, a barren clay ; on others, a
ny clay; and around the beds of "the streams and
kes, a sandy, gravelly, or alluvial loam, Plantar
ons of almost all varieties cultivated in Scotland
utify hill and vale. At Skeldon, on the Doon,
are six oaks believed to be 30Q years old. The qn-,
cient Roman road, connecting the friths, of Solway
am! Clyde, traversed Dalrymple from east to west,
n a rising ground at the western boundary are ves-
F three small circular British forts. In various
lities ancient coins and memorials of Ronmn
ivilizaytion have been found. More than half of the
parish belongs to the Marquis of Ailsa. The barony
of Dijlrympie, however, was held in ancient times
by a family to whom it gave name. During the
reign of David II. it was divided between two Dal-
rymples, who probably were the descendants of a
common progenitor, in the reign of Robert II, the
whole barony was acquired by John Kennedy of
Dnnnre; and it continued to belong to his dr<ivmi-
'ill the reign of Charles II. The Dairy m pies,
01 ancient proprietors and their offshoots, figure
'• in history as lawyers, as statesmen, and as
v. u- 1 !(;;>.. The village of Dalrymple is beautifully
> '.t'-i .tied in a vale on |he Doon, and ha^ a ne.it am!
.suihitg appearance which attracts arid pleases a
tourer. In 1811 it contained a population of up-
wards-of '200. Population of the parish, in 1801,
514; in 1831, 933. Houses 101. Assessed pro-
ty, in 181.5, £5,343.— Dalrymple is in the pres-
tery of Ayr, and svnod of Glasgow and A\>-.
''•trim, the Crown. Stibend .fJ-JO 17s. iid. ; glebe
I- 10s. 4d. The parish-church, situated near ti-
llage, at th.e south-west, an^lc of the parish, was
uilt in 1764. A short period before i'ir Retonim-
on the parish was attached as u prebend to the
* TJi? M:HIIH is drriviMl from Cyclic words whirl. signify ' t .•
fn\v of tin- i-rookt-d pool,' and it exactly describes tk« biU' of the
fil.ag*.
chapel-royal of Stirling, and was served by a curate.
Parish schoolmaster's salary .€30, with £29 other
emoluments. There is a school not parochial.
DALSERF, a parish on the west bank of the
Clyde, in the middle ward of Lanarkshire. It is
bounded on the north and north-west by the parish
of Hamilton: on the west and south-west by the
Avon and the Calder, which separate it from the
parish of Stonehouse ; on the south and south-east
by Lesmahagow ; and on the north and north-east
by the river Clyde, by which it is divided from the
parishes of Carluke and Cambusnethan. Its greatest
length is about 6.^ miles, and its greatest breadth 4£;
but in certain parts of the parish the breadth does
not exceed 2 or 3 miles. It contains upwards of
,5.72.5 Scots acres, or about 7,219 imperial acres.
The parish is intersected by three great lines of
roatl : viz., the road from Glasgow to Carlisle, the
road from Glasgow to Lanark by the Clyde, and
the new road from Edinburgh to Ayr, which
crosses the river at Garion bridge. The soil of
the parish is generally fertile and well-cultivated.
There are valleys of different breadths between the
Clyde, and the banks on each side of the river, and
from these narrow plains the banks rise often witli
a bold and abrupt ascent, and occasionally precipi-
tous hollows are to be met with not devoid of a ro-
mantic character. The village of Dalserf is con-
sidered to be situated 120 feet above the level of
the sea ; and the highest land in the parish has been
computed at 400 feet in elevation. Fruit cultivation
is of great antiquity in the district of which Dalserf
forms a part, and it lies almost in the very centre of
the luxuriant range of the Clydesdale orchards.
From failing crons, however, ami the facilities now
afforded for the importation of fruit from England,
Ireland, and the continents of Europe and America,
the local cultivation has not been so remunerative as
it used to be, and orchard-planting is not, therefore,
on the increase. See CLYDESDALK. Coal abounds
in every part of the parish ; and there are numerous
collieries in full operation, the produce of which is
disposed of on moderate terms to the adjoining dis-
tricts. Ironstone is known to abound on the Avon,
but it has not yet been worked; and freestone
quarries are in full activity on the Clyde, from which
excellent blocks may be cut of any size. There are
several villages in the parish: viz. LARKHALL [wirdi
see,] Pleasance, MiUheugh, Rosebank, and Dalserf.
The majority of the population is employed in \\eav-
inir, or mining and quarrying. Population, in 1801,
1,060; in 1831, 2,680; but of later years it has
greatly increased. Houses, in 1831, 423. Assessed
property, in 1815, .£5,355 — This parish is in the
preshyterv of Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow SUM!
Ayr. " Patrotl, the Duke of Hamilton. Stipend .t'li'.'-l
12s. 6d. ; glebe £37 10s. Unappropriated teimls .£63
12s. 4d. The parish-church was built in 1655, but
has been three times repaired since, and now afford*
accommodation for 550 sitters. A new church has
been built sit Larkhall, to which a parish, f/noaii s<t<-ra,
has been allocated .There is also at Larkhall a ile-
lief church, with 400 sittings, and an Independent
congregation. — There are two parochial schools, one
principal and a district one; the salary of the princi-
pal master is .£34 4s. 4^-d., with £12 of school-fees,
and £'25 of other emoluments. The other parochial
schoolmaster has a salary of .£5, with a house, school-
room, and garden. There are various private schools
in the parish. — Dalserf purish was in early times A
chapelry, which belonged to the ancient parish of
'. 'ad/ow (now Hamilton). It was designated the
chapelry of Madia:!, and the district was called Ma-
chanshire. I'pun the accession of Robert the Bruce
tu the throne of Scotland, the territory of Maeluui
U
DAL
306
DAL
was forfeited by Sir John Cumyn, and was granted
by Bruce to Walter, the son of Gilbert, the prede-
cessor of the Hamilton family. It was made a ba-
rony in the 14th century ; and was afterwards called
the barony of Machan. The church of Cadzow with
its chapel of Machan was constituted a prebend of
the cathedral church of Glasgow, and formed the
benefice of the dean. The chapelry of Machan was
subsequently established as a separate parish ; but
the precise time when this took place has not been
ascertained. A parish-church having been built at
the village of Dalserf, the same name was given to
the parish, probably about the period of the Refor-
mation. For a lengthened series of years, from the
time of Robert the Bruce downward, the most of the
property in this parish belonged to the Hamiltons,
and its major part still belongs to the ducal house or
cadets from it. The ancient residences of the Ham-
iltons of Dalserf, the Hamiltons of Raplock, and the
Hamiltons of Broomholm, have now almost, or alto-
gether, disappeared. As vassals of the Hamilton
family, many of the gentlemen of this parish were
deeply involved in the troublous scenes which alike
distinguished and disturbed Scotland, previous to the
junction of the crowns under James VI. Gavin
Hamilton of Raplock, and commendator of Kilwin-
ning, was present at the battle of Langside, in the
army of the Queen ; he was also one of Mary's
commissioners at York in 1570, and was included
in the treaty of Perth of 1572. John Hamilton of
Broomhill was wounded, and taken prisoner in the
same battle ; and about two years afterwards, his
house of Broomholm was burned down by Sir
"William Drury, the governor of Berwick.
DALSWINTON, a village in the parish ot
Kirkmahoe ; 4£ miles north of Dumfries. The
ancient castle of Dalswinton, which was long the
chief seat of the family of dimming, having fallen
to decay, an elegant and commodious mansion was
erected on its site by Patrick Miller, Esq., the well-
known steam-boat projector.
DALTON,* a parish in the southern part of the
district of Annandale, Dumfries-shire. It is bounded
on the north by Lochmaben and Dryfesdale ; on the
east by St. Mungo and Cumrnertrees ; on the south
by Ruth well; and on the west by Mousewald and
Lochmaben. It is, on the whole, a parallelogram,
stretching from north-west to south-east ; but has a
deep, though narrow indentation near the middle of
its northern side, and thence, to its north-eastern
angle, considerably protrudes. Its greatest length
is nearly 6 miles, and its average breadth about 2£ ;
and it contains an area of nearly 11 square mile's.
The surface in the north-western division is slightly
hilly, and has two elevations, — Holmains and Alma-
gill, rising 500 feet above sea-level ; but in the other
parts of the parish it is flat. The Pow, or Cummer-
trees Pow, rises in the uplands, and traverses the par-
ish in a direction east of south, leaving it near Gilbrae.
The northern boundary is formed for about 3 miles
by the river Annan, which here abounds in salmon,
grilse, sea-trout, and the fish — believed to be peculiar
to the Solway rivers — called herling. The Annan is
supposed, at a remote period, to have flowed through
this parish, entering it at Dormont, where it at pre-
sent begins to form its boundary, and pursuing its
way past Dalton church, till it fell into what is now
the channel or bed of the Pow. Along this course
are extensive alluvial deposits, and ridges of sand
and gravel, which appear to have been thrown out
by a flood of waters. During a swell the Annan still
* Da/.tun, in the Anglo-Saxon language, means ' tin- dwelling
in the Dale ;' and seems as a name to have been applied to the
two villages around the ancient parish-churches, from their
topographical situation.
breaks over its bank at Dormont, lays all the flat
grounds along its supposed ancient road under inun-
dation, and opens a communication with the Pow.
In the uplands the soil is sand and gravel; along the
banks of the Annan it is a light alluvial loam ; along
the ancient course of that river it is chiefly meadow
or reclaimed bog ; and, in some parts of the interior,
it is a cold clay on a till bottom. On Almagill hi!1
is a fine old circular camp, commanding a view along
nearly the whole vale of the Annan, the ancient pos-
session of the royal family of Bruce. Dormont-
house, on the Annan, and Rammerscales near the
north-east angle of the parish, are fine modern man-
sions. The village or hamlet of Dalton, situated near
the centre of the parish, is rural and unimportant.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 691 ; in 1831, 730.
Houses 123. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,438
Dalton is in the presbytery of Lochmaben, and synod
of Dumfries. Patron, Macrae of Holmains. Stipend
£171 12s. lid.; glebe £10. Unappropriated teinds
£59 Is. lOd. The parish-church xvas built in 1704
Sittings about 300. The present parish comprehends
the old parishes of Meikle Dalton and Little Dalton,
which were united immediately after the Reforma-
tion. In 1609 they were both united to Monsewald;
but in 1633 were disjoined from it, and erected into
their present form. The church of Little Dalton
was demolished, and that of Mickle Dalton made the
united parochial church. Mickle Dalton, the prede-
cessor of the modern hamlet, was of old the seat of
the baronial courts. There are two schools, one of
them not parochial. Parish-schoolmaster's salary'
£34 4s. 4d., with £20 school-fees.
DALVADDY. See CAMPBELL-TON.
DAL WHAT WATER, a small stream in the
north-west of Dumfries-shire. It rises between
Black hill and Bunbrack hill, in the boundary moun-
tain ridge of the county, and flows in a south-easterly
direction along the parish of Glencairn, forming, in
the lower part of its course, a beautiful, well-wooded
dale, amidst general scenery, upland, heathy, and
bleak. Having flowed f of a mile past Minnyhive,
it forms a confluence with the recently united waters
of Castlefairn and Craigdarroch, and along with them
forms, or is thence called, the Cairn. Its entire course
is about 9 miles.
DALWHINNIE, a stage-inn in Badenoch, Inver-
ness-shire, on the Great Highland road to Inverness ;
99£ miles from Edinburgh, and 56^ from Inverness.
It was built by Government.
DALZIEL, a parish in the middle ward of Lan-
arkshire. It is bounded on the east by the parish of
Cambusnethan ; on the west by the parish of Hamil-
ton and the river Calder ; on the south by the parish
of Hamilton and the river Clyde ; and on the north
by the river Calder and the parish of Hamilton. It
is about 4 miles in length and 3 in breadth, arid con-
tains 2,283 Scotch acres. The figure of the parish
is extremely irregular, in consequence of a part of it
lying on the south of the Clyde, and two parts of the
parish of Hamilton being indented into the territory
of Dalziel. In the old Statistical Account it is stated,
" There is a tradition that this part was disjoined
from the parish of Dalziel on account of the misde-
meanors of a curate, who was then the incumbent.
Why it was not restored to his successor is not
known. It would have been convenient that it had
been so; for the living is very small." The land of
the parish is low, and the surface even and regular,
excepting in the few parts where it is slightly varied
by rising grounds. It rises very gently from the
Clyde and Calder, and there is little of it more than
150 feet above the level of the sea. The soil of the
parish -is mostly a heavy clay, which is under
usual rotation of cropping. There are many thrivii
DAM
307
DAN
plantations in the district, and no inconsiderable
portion of it on the banks of Clyde, is formed into
orchard-grounds, the produce of which in point o
quality has not been surpassed by that of any of .the
adjacent fruit-growing parishes. See CLYDESDALE.
Coal abounds in the parish, but it is not extensively
worked. There is also clay-slate, and some excel-
lent flag-stone ; the latter is principally worked a1
""Yaigneuk quarry, and is frequently carried for use
a considerable distance. Hamilton is the nearest
>wn, and is situated about a mile distant. The
d from Glasgow to Lanark by Carluke passes
irough the parish for about 4 miles, and that from
familton to Edinburgh about 1. The Wishaw and
iltness railway — which will extend from the sta-
tion of the Monkland and Kirkintilloch railway, in
'e parish of Old Monkland, to the estates of
Vishaw, Coltness, and Allanton, which are sup-
osed to contain some of the most valuable coal-
ields in Scotland — will, when completed, pass
"irough the parish of Dalziel for a considerable
stance — There are three villages in the parish,
i/.. Motherwell — which contains about the half
the population — Windmill-hill, and Craigneuk :
j MOTHERWELL. The parish of Dalziel is un-
Tstood to have received its name from the title
the old parish-church, which stood near the
lyde; but the ancient orthography is Dalyell, and
all probability the z has crept in as a corruption
the letter y in the old Scottish writings. Popu-
in 1801, 611; in 1831, 1,180. Houses 200.
Lssessed property £2,751 This parish is in the
sbytery of Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow and
Patron, Hamilton of Dalziel. Stipend £155
Is. tttl. ; glebe £60. The church is a substantial
lilding in a convenient part of the parish, erected
1798. There is no dissenting place of worship
the parish, although a large number of Dissenters
ide in it. The salary of the parochial school-
ster is £34 4s. 4id. per annum, with £18 of
lool-fees, and £4 15s. of other annual emolu-
its. The church of Dalziel, with its tithes,
granted to the monks and abbots of Paisley
the 12th century, and it was afterwards con-
to the dean and chapter of Glasgow, whose
nion property it continued till the Reformation.
Subsequent to this event the patronage and tithes
ot the parish were given by Queen Mary to the
college of Glasgow, and they remained in their pos-
session in 1702, when Hamilton of Wishaw wrote
his account of Lanarkshire, but afterwards they came
into the family of Hamilton of Dalziel, by whom
they are now retained — The most ancient family
connected with tin's parish were the Dalziels, who
afterwards became Earls of Carnwath ; but after
various transferences, though principally to members
of the same family, the larger portion of the Dalziel
tare was sold in ](>47 by the Earl of Carnwath
Hamilton of Boggs, whose descendant is still in
"ii. When the lands of Bothwell-haugh
ire sold by General Hamilton — the grandfather of
->-nt proprietor of Dalziel — to the Duke of
unilton, he presented his Grace with the gun
itli which James Hamilton of Bothwell-haugh shot
••lit Murray in Linlithgow, and in whose fa-
ly it had been retained as a relic of antiquity.
;is parish wa< celebrated as having been intersected
ea-t to west by tin- principal branch of the
it western Roman road, or \Vatling-st reel . as it
been called. The present road from Glasgow
Lanark by Carluke, ha* been for a considerable
iy formed upon it, and the march of recent im-
Jvement lias almost entirely effaced every trace
this great pathway of the Romans, although but
few y«.-ars Inve pa--ed away since it WH- plainly
I discernible, and even the cinders of the Roman forges
remained untouched. At the north-west boundary
of the parish there is a bridge of a single span over
the Calder, evidently of great antiquity, and which
is usually understood to have been constructed by
the Romans at the time they possessed this part of
the country. Upon a steep bank of the Calder, near
this bridge, there were formerly situated the remains
of a pretorium or Roman encampment, but here also
the hand of improvement has been busy in obli-
terating those landmarks which for more than .1
thousand years had existed to mark the early location
of the conquerors of the world. In another part,
near the centre of the parish, and upon a bank over-
looking the Clyde, was situated a second Roman
encampment, or outpost. To mark the spot, one
of the predecessors of the present proprietor built a
little temple or summer-house, cut terrace-walk?
along the bank, and planted fruit and forest trees in
tasteful positions, — altogether rendering it a fairy
spot, which embraces one of the sweetest views in
Clydesdale. The mansion-house of Dalziel is situ-
ated upon the burn or brook of that name, and in
one of the most beautiful parts of the glen through
which it meanders. It was built by Mr. Hamilton
of Boggs in 1649, two years after the estate came
into his possession, and it is in verity a beautiful
specimen of an old baronial residence. Hamilton
of Wishaw calls it "a great and substantial house."
Attached to it is an old tower or peel-house, the
age of which is not known, but it is evidently of
great antiquity. It is 50 feet in height, and the walls
are 8 feet in thickness, having recesses which were
wont to be used as sleeping-places. It is of limited
extent. In an apartment used as a kitchen in this
peel is suspended from the roof a lusjre composed
of large stag horns, connected with iron, with metal
sockets for the candles.
DAMSA, or DAMSAY, one of the Orkneys,
constituting part of the parish of Firth. This is a
beautiful little island, scarcely a mile in circumfer-
ence, in the bosom of the bay of Firth. From the
singular beauty of its appearance, it has sometimes
been styled the Tempe of the islands. It formerly
contained a castle reputed to be of great strength.
There was also a church here, said to have been de-
dicated to the Virgin Mary, by whose influence— ac-
cording to the credulity of ancient times — many
wonders were here performed. This fabric, with
all its miracles, has almost sunk into oblivion ; and
the island is now applied to the pasturing of a few
hundreds of sheep.
DANESHALT — corrupted Dunshelt — a small
village in the parish of Auchtermuchty, Fifeshire ;
about a mile south of Auchtermuchty, and 2^ north
of Falkland. The road to Falkland, Kirkaldy, and
Kinghorn, lies through this village, which is sup-
posed to be the place where the Danes tirst halted
after their discomfiture on Falkland moor.
DANIEL-TOWN, a village in the parish of Mel.
rose. See MELROSE.
DAN^KINE, an inn in the parish of Garvald; 5*
mile- south-east by south of Haddington, on the road
•o Dunse. There is a small loch here.
DARNAWAY CASTLE, in the parish of Dyke in
Elginshire, the ancient seat of the Earls of Moray. —
A modern mansion was built here about T>0 years ago.
It is nobly elevated, with great range Hiul variety of
prospect; and adjoining to it is retained, of the old
castle, a princely hall, built by Karl Randolph, Regent
of Scotland during the minority of David Iknce. Its
length is N!) feet, and its breadth .T> feet ; the arched
oaken roof is superb, and somewhat resembles that of
the Parliament-Louse of Edinburgh. Mary, Queen
of Scots, held her court hen: in 1504. Among the
BAR
308
DEA
pictures is one of ' The Fair,' or ' Bonny Earl of
Murray,' as lie is commonly called, who was mur-
dered at Donibristle. See DALGETY. There is also a
portrait of Queen Mary, disguised, by way of a frolic,
in boy's clothes, — in long scarlet stockings, black
velvet coat, black kilt, white sleeves, and a huge ruif.
DARNICK. See DERNOCK.
DARNLEY. See EASTWOOD.
DARUEL (THE), a stream in the district of
Cowal, Argyleshire, which has its rise at the hill of
Barnish, and, after a course of some miles through
Glendaruel, falls into the head of Loch Striven, op-
posite the north end of Bute.
DARVAL. See DERVAL.
DAVAR ISLE. See CAMPBELLTON.
DA YEN (LocH), a small sheet of water in the
parish of Logie-Coldstone in Aberdeenshire. It is
situated on the south- western border of the parish,
and is about 2i miles in circumference. It is formed
by three rivulets, two of which partly bound the
parish, and a third, from its north-western extremity
passes through it to the north-east of Broom-hill,
where it forms another still smaller loch than the
Daven, before falling into the latter. It abounds
with pike, some of them of a very large size.
DAVID'S (St.), a village in the parish of Dalgety,
on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, 2 miles easf
of Inverkeithing, and the same distance west of Aber-
dour. It carries on a considerable manufacture ot
salt, and exports an immense quantity of coal. See
DALGETY.
DAVIOT — commonly pronounced DAVID — a
parish in the district of Garioch, Aberdeenshire, 19
miles north-west from Aberdeen. It is bounded on
the north by Fyvie parish; on the east by Fyvie, Old
Meldrum, ai^d Bourtrie parishes; on the south and
south-east by part of Chapel of Garioch parish ; and
on the north-east by Ryne parish. Its boundaries
are principally natural, being defined by the courses
of rivulets, the largest one of which, on the eastern
side, is joined by various tributaries from the neigh-
bouring parishes, and runs southwards to the river
Urie, which is divided from Daviot by its north-
eastern bank in Chapel of Garioch. The form of
Daviot is irregular,— it tapers to a point both to-
wards the north and south. It extends to about 3£
miles in length and 2 in breadth, exclusive of its
quoad sacra limits. Assessed property, in 1815,
.£1,974. The soil is various, consisting partly oi
strong clay, partly of rich loam, but in general fer-
tile. Its exposure is chiefly to the south and south-
east, and the land is undulating with few hilLs,
About 500 acres were first enclosed in 1792, and a
considerable portion of the whole is now enclosed
and well-cultivated. A distillery has long existed in
the parish. The principal fuel is peat from the
moss and turf from the rnuir. The village of Daviot
stands nearly in the centre of the parish. Fingask
and Mounie stand on the eastern side, Glack on the
western, and Lethenty at the southern extremity.
Population, in 1801, 1,974; in 1831, 691. Houses,
in 1831, 131. There are two Druidical temples
here, one of which makes part of the churchyard. —
This parish was formerly a parsonage in the diocese
of Aberdeen, to the bishop of which it was given as
au alms-gift by Malcolm Canmore. It is now in the
presbytery of Garioch, and synod of Aberdeen.
Several lands in the narishes of Chapel and Fyvie
were, towards the end of last century, annexed to it,
quoad sacra, by act of Assembly ; so that the whole
under the minister's charge is nearly 5 miles in length
and 4 in breadth. Stipend -t'159 Os. 9d. ; glebe £ 12.
Patron, the Crown. The church is situated at the
village of Daviot. Schoolmaster's salaf v .£30, with
£20 of fees.
DAVIOT, a parish chiefly in the county of Inver-
ness, but partly in that of Nairn. It was, in 1618,
united to Dunlichty, and forms a parochial district of
freat extent, being about 23 miles in length on both
sides of the Nairn, its breadth varying from 2 to 4
miles. It lies nearly due east and west ; and ia
bounded on the north by Croy; on the east by Moy;
on the south by Kingussie: and on the west by Dur-
ris. The appearance of the district is wild and ro-
mantic in the highest degree. In the low grounds
there are large tracts of peat-moss, incapable of cul-
tivation, but which seem, in general, well-calculated
for the growth of forest-trees. Among the moun-
tains are several lakes, of which Loch Ruthven,
Loch Clachan, and Loch Dundelchack are the chief,
—all abounding with trout of a delicious flavour.
Limestone has been observed on the banks of the
Nairn ; the vein contains numerous cubical crystal-
lizations, which, when analyzed, have been found to
contain lead. Assessed property, in 1815, .£2,604.
Under the auspices of the parliamentary commis-
sioners, an excellent line of road has been made
from near the kirk of Daviot, on the Moy road, H
little south of the water of Nairn, through Strath-
nairn to the bridge of Inverfarikag and Loch Ness,
with a small branch westward near Toredaroch, — a
distance of 19| miles. At the south end this road
extends about half-a-mile from the bridge of Inver-
farikag to Loch Ness side, where a small natural
cove in the rock is improved by a pier for landing
manure and shipping the produce of the country ;
thus furnishing a ready communication with the
Caledonian canal. At the Mains of Daviot were,
some years ago, the ruins of a castle built by the
Earl of Crawford in the beginning of the 15th cen-
tury. It was of great extent, but the stones have
been taken away to build a modern house near its
site. Population, in 1801, 1,818; in 1831, 1,738.
Houses in Inverness-shire 352 ; in Nairnshire 37 -
This parish, formerly a rectory, is in the presbytery
of Inverness, and synod of Moray. Patrons, the
Crown, and the Earl of Cawdor. Stipend £183
14s. 2d.; glebe £10. The churches of Daviot and
Dunlichty are 7 miles distant. Service is performed
alternately in them every Sunday.
DAW1CK, a suppressed parish in Peebleshire.
Before the Reformation it was a vicarage of the rec-
tory of Stobo. It lay chiefly on the right bank of
the Tweed; but partly also on the left bank. la
1742, its larger section was incorporated with Druin-
melzier, and its smaller with Stobo. In the siortii-
east of the present parish of Druminelzier, are still
places called East Dawick and West Da wick, which
occupy the sites of ancient hamlets. The ruins of
Dawick church stood on Scrape Burn, about 4 oi a
mile south of New Posso.
DEAD RIGGS. See ECCLES.
DEAD WATER. See CASTLETOWN.
DEAL. See HALKIRX.
DEAN (THE), formerly a hamlet on the water
of Leith, now a suburb of Edinburgh, remarkable
for its romantic appearance, and its exquisitely beau-
tiful bridge of 4 arches, each 96 feefc in span, by
which the road to Queensferry is carried across ti^
deep ravine through which the water of Leith here
flows, at a height of 106 feet above the rocky bed of
the stream. The total length of this bridge — which
was erected chiefly by the enterprise of one individual
— is 447 feet; breadth between the parapets 39 feet.
DEAN (THE), a deep running river in the county
of Foriiir. It takes its rise from the lake of Fori;i: ,
runs south-west, and, receiving the water of Gaine,
near Glammis castle, falls into the Isla about a ir.iltJ
north of. Meigle, after a course of about 12 miles
In its course through the parishes oi" Kiuaettles a id
DEA
309
DEE
7
Glammis. it runs nearly in the line of the Xewtyle
and Fortar railway.
DKAN CASTLE. See KILMARNOCK.
DEANSTON. See KILMADOGK.
DEE (THE), a large river in Aberdeenshire, which
takes its rise in Braemar, in the bosom of the Cairn-
gorm groupe, chiefly from two sources, — the north-
ern of which rises between the ridge of Braeriach on
the west, and Loch A ven on the east, and, running a
coiirs.- nearly due south through Glen-garrochory for
4 miles, is there joined by another small stream
called the Guisachan, flowing from the west, when
it assumes the name of the Dee. Flowing on in the
same direction through a deep glen for G miles fur-
er, it receives the Geauly or Giouly, its southern
head-branch, at Dubrach. The Geauly has its
source from the base of Cairneilar, whence also issues
the Tarf, a branch of the Tilt, which flows south-
ward to the Tay, and the Feshie, which running
orthward, falls into the Spey. After the junction
of the two waters, the Dee becomes a considerable
ream, and bends its course, through a rocky chan-
nel, east-north-east, shortly after which it forms a
cascade, or a series of four small falls, known as the
Linn of Dee, where it flows through a deep chasm
in mica slate rocks, over which an Alpine wooden
idge is thrown. A writer in ' Chambers's Journal'
[Vol. ii. pp. 163, 164.] has given a very lively and in-
resting description of this linn, and the course of the
Dee from this point to its well-head, with the inser-
tion of which our readers will be gratified. " The
Linn of Dee you will hardly find to be what you
probably expected — a lofty waterfall. The fall is in-
deed very insignificant, and it is over a sloping bank,
from which there is no leap; but in no waterfall, not
even in the princely Foyers, do we behold such a
terrible specimen of the imprisoned power of the
watery element. Here it has got itself entangled in
a complete nest of impenetrable granite rocks, which
alternately confine and enlarge the noble stream,
sometimes allowing its waters to sweep indignantly
round and round some large black basin, then again
compelling them to exhaust their rage in cleaving
ir way betwixt two ledges, so near each other,
lat it is very easy — and a very common practice
with those who have sound cloar heads — to step
arrows. Here the dead white of the foam contrasts
strongly with the blackness of the turbulent caul-
drons, and the still blacker recesses of the caverns
under the rocks, which an occasional commotion of
the surface more violent than usual sometimes exhi-
bits. It is said by the people in the neighbourhood,
that the body of any living being which finds its way
into the linn, can never be recovered, and — making
allowance for generalities — we can easily imagine that
in most cases they find their way into these abhorred
caverns. We recollect, in the time of a flood, thinking
the Linn of Dee would be a fine sight: we went, and
were rather disappointed. The water had risen above
the narrow broken part of the rocks, and its surface
had a wider channel: it darted betwixt the banks
with the velocity of the lightning, smooth and un-
ruffled. But of what description must have been
the working beneath! Come along, you will gaze
into those black surgy depths till your eyes are fas-
cinated and your head giddy : yon* will have oppor-
tunity for the exercise of fortitude elsewhere, for we
are just entering the desert. There are two strange-
looking hovel-, u mile or so beyond the linn, with
each its piece of cultivated land* about it, to supply
the necessaries of life, unfenced, and unprovided with
toy thing to distinguish it from the uncultivated hills
but the freshness of its colour. Gradually what \\ as
•omething like a road, dies away ; and you are now
compelled to pick your way among the' stones, and
through the long heather, occasionally meeting with
one of the small trucks worn by the deer, a.id used
in such scanty travellers as may pass through that
savage wilderness. There is a peculiar effect of lone-
liness you may never perhaps have experienced be-
fore, on entering this wilderness. The hills are at
first distant, and the glen wide and hollow ; but a
dead stillness reigns on every thing, except on the
clattering river, which still flows on in no unstately
bulk. Wandering on, mile after mile, the glen gra-
dually narrows, and gets more savage in its aspect ;
great black rocks, which look like the stone walls of
some antediluvian city of the giants, begin to run
themselves up on each side ; they approach more and
more towards each other ; and at last the solitary
spectator feels as if they impeded his breath, although
they are some miles, perhaps, from each other. It is
time we should tell him exactly where he is. Yonder
singular looking peak, with shaggy precipitous sides,
towards the west, is Cairntoul ; proceeding from its
side — as a wall seems to proceed from the angle of a
turret — is a vast black mass of perpendicular rock ;
that is the ridge of Braeriach, said, by an eminent
calculator of altitudes, to have 2,000 feet of sheer
precipice ; that 2,000 feet of precipice is the object
which it now almost aches your eyes to look upon —
a flat black mass, streaked with snow, and sometimes
intruded on by a cloud, which divides the upper re-
gions from the lower. It is probable that now, in
mid-day, a hot sun gilds its black front, and mocks
its streaks of snow, while a dead unearthly silence
pervades the mass. It is not so at all times ; for
here is the workshop of storms — here the elements,
when they prepare themselves to come down with
destruction on the fruitful valleys below, exercise
their strength and do no harm ; then the scene is
different from the stillness of the present ; but with
your leave, reader, it is a change we do not wish
to witness. Returning to the description of our
glen : right a head, and almost protruding into it, is
the well-known Cairngorm ; and towards the east,
stretched the loftier Benmuichdhui, now admitted to
be the highest hill in Britain. Now, after having
heard the names of these mighty objects, let us re-
quest you to indulge yourself in the feeling of strik-
ing loneliness and disconnection with the world
which every thing you view seems to impose on you ;
and if you may not have perceived it before, you
will now feel the full expressiveness of the terms in
those lines by Hogg, where he says,
Beyond the grizzly cliffs whirh guard
The infant-hills of Highland Dee,
Where hunter's horn was never heard,
Nor bugle of the forest-bee ;
Mid wastes that dern and dreary lie.
One mountain rears its mighty form,
Disturbs the luoou in passing by,
And smiles above the thunder storm.
(ineen't Wake, 95, 6.
" The Dee is still a respectable stream, but we are
gradually running it to earth. Ascending its brawl-
ing course, where it toils over large stones, and winds
round the bases of rocks, we suddenly reach a mound
of great round stones, from which it issues, gurgling
and boiling at several outlets, seeming with dirhYuliy
to force itself through. Ascending the mound of
stones, where we hear a deep hollow gurgling beneath
our feet, we find on its summit a small, round, deep
green lake, whose pure cold surface is here and there
slightly disturbed by the bubbling up from the bot-
tom of numherlos springs. The water is of a beau-
tiful pale green, — so clear that you can see the sand
and stones at the bottom, almost as distinctly as
through the air, where the water must be some fa-
thoms deep. This pool of water, then, reader, so
singularly placed in the midst of the wilderness, i»
DEE
310
DEE
the source of that Dee which carries civilization,
fruitfulness, and commerce, through a great district
of Scotland, waters many a broad acre of wood and
corn, and harbours the shipping of a great commer-
cial city."
About U mile below the linn, at the farm of
Dallavorar,~some signs of cultivation begin to ap-
pear on the banks of the Dee ; but it soon after
enters Mar forest, through which it flows to CASTLE-
TON OF BRAEMAR, [see that article,] a distance
of 11 miles, receiving in its course the Luiand the
QUOICH, from the north; and the INVEREY and
the CLUNIE or CLUANADH, from the south, [see these
articles,] and passing Mar lodge on its northern bank.
From Castleton the Dee pursues its course through
the Mar and Invercauld forests to the bridge of Bal-
later. About 1£ mile above which it is joined by a
large affluent, the water of GAIRDEN, from the north,
and the MUICK from the south : See articles BAL-
LATER, GAIRDEN, and GLENMUICK. The scenery
of the Dee, in the Braemar forests, has been de-
scribed in our article BRAEMAR. Passing Pannanich
and Dee castle, the Dee flows eastwards through a
gradually widening, though still narrow valley, re-
ceiving numerous small tributaries on both banks,
and forcing its way through an alluvium composed of
rolled masses of coarse and fine granular, grey and
red granite, gneiss, porphyry, primitive greenstone,
and hornblende. About 1£ mile below Kincardine
O'Neil, where Potarch bridge crosses the Dee, there
is a magnificent vein of red felspar porphyry, tra-
versing gneiss, and varying in breadth from 6 to 20
feet. Below Potarch, the Dee enters Kincardine-
shire, through which it flows eastward for about
12 miles, receiving in this part of its course the
Aven, sometimes called the Feugh : See article
BIRSE. From the point where it touches on the
south-west corner of Drumoak parish in Aberdeen-
shire, till its confluence with the sea at Aberdeen,
it forms the dividing line betwixt Aberdeenshire
and Kincardineshire. Its banks, throughout this
distance, are rather tame and unpicturesque, — the
hills lumpish and heath-covered, and presenting few
cliffs, and the haughs narrow, except for the last 5
or 6 miles of its course. Its total length of course
is about 96 miles ; and its tributaries drain nearly
1 ,000 square miles of country. Its mouth forms the
entrance to the harbour of ABERDEEN, [see that
article,] which is an artificial basin between New
Aberdeen and the suburb of Footdee, on the north,
and the river Dee on the south. It abounds with
salmon ; and the most valuable fishings in Scotland
— the Tay and the Spey excepted — are on this river,
the yearly produce of the Dee being estimated at
nearly £{^,000 sterling: See article ABERDEEN.
The Midchingle fishery, from 1815 to 1821, aver-
aged 1 1 6£ barrels of salmon and grilse in the year ;
but from 1829 to 1834, only 50 barrels. The Cul-
ter fishery averaged, from 1815 to 1821, 23f barrels;
from 1829 to 1835, only 8^. The Raik fishery,
which is held of the town of Aberdeen under a
charter from the Crown, is the most valuable fishery
on the Dee. It extends from the upper end of Aber-
deen a mile to the northward, and not quite a mile
to the south of the breakwater. It is both a coast
and river fishery. In 1782, there were but 1 barrel
of grilse, and 301 of salmon killed on it; in 1832,
there were 398 barrels of grilse, and 217 of salmon.
In 1835, the total take was 19,194 fish; or 253
barrels; but the average from 1829 to 1835 was 427
barrels.* All the upper fishings on this river have
« A barrel is 400 Ibs. Dutch or -Ui Ibe. imperial English. The
expense of taking a band of .salmon at the Raik, in I Hi I, was
£.S 36. lid ; and. if conveying it to the London market, includ-
ing ice and boxes, £1 14s.
greatly decreased ; but there has been an increase
from the beach-fisheries. The alteration on the
harbour has injured the fishings greatly, by render-
ing the water at the mouth of the river compara-
tively stagnant, and by the consequent accumulation
of silt and gas-refuse. The greater part of the sal-
mon shipped at Aberdeen are the produce of the Dee
and Don; but fish from the Spey and the Findhom,
and some other rivers, are also shipped here. The
river Dee and adjacent sea-coast is fished by net and
coble, by stake-nets, and bag-nets. It may be fished
by net and coble from top to bottom. There are no
mill-dams upon it. The Dee has much decreased in
size within the last twenty years, owing, doubtless,
in great measure, to the improvement and drainage
of the country. In making a comparison of the soil
on the banks of the Dee and Don, the latter has
manifestly the advantage, lience the old rhyme :
" A rood o' Don's worth twa o' Dee ;
Unless it be lor fish and tree."
DEE (THE), a river in Kirkcudbrightshire, tra-
versing the whole length of the stewartry, and di-
viding it into two nearly equal parts. Its sources
are about a dozen rills, some pursuing an indepen-
dent course, and some passing through Long Loch
or Loch Dee, and all arising in the broad mountain-
range which separates Kircudbrightshire from Car-
rick. The highest, and strictly the parent- stream,
rises about a mile from the boundary, and before
receiving the surplus waters of Loch Dee, flows
circuitously about 6 miles, under the names of Sauch
burn and Cooran lane. Assuming now the name
of the Dee, it flows 17 miles north-eastward, receiv-
ing numerous rills from the uplands in its course,
and dividing the parishes of MinigafT, Girthon, and
Balmaghie on the south, from that of Kells on the
north. Over the whole of this distance it is a petty
stream, winding its way among broad flats of heath,
or hills destitute both of verdant beauty and of
grandeur. But at the point of leaving Kells its
character is entirely changed. Falling there into
Loch Ken, it usurps the titles and the tributes of
the larger and beautiful river by which that Like is
formed ; and thence it rolls proudly along to the sea,
rich in the wealth of waters, and gay in the dress of
its surrounding scenery. Over a distance of 9 or JO
miles it describes the arc of a circle, bending round
from the direction of south-east to that of south-
west; and the latter direction it maintains over 13
miles, till it falls into the sea. During this part of
its progress, it divides the parishes of Balmaghie,
Tongueland, Twineham, and Borgue on the west,
from those of Dairy, Crossmichael, Kelton, and
Kirkcudbright, on the east. After falling into Loch
Ken, it expands over a distance of 5 miles into three
successive elongated lakes, of about | of a mile of
average breadth. Its course is afterwards rapid,
chiefly over a rocky bottom, and beneath steep
rugged banks adorned with copsewood and plant
tioiu Opposite the church of 1 ongueland it tumbl
over a declivity of rocks, and forms a series of foai
ing and impetuous cataracts. A little below, it
spanned by a magnificent bridge of one arch oi
feet, whence a fine view is obtained of the falls.
This bridge is constructed of huge blocks of frt
stone from the island of Arran, and was built
the gentlemen of the stewartry at an expense
about £7,000. Three quarters of a mile fartht
down, the Dee receives the waters of the Tarff, ai
becomes considerably widened. Two miles furth<
it sweeps past the burgh of Kirkcudbright; an<
thence over a distance of 5 miles, till it loses itself ii
the Solway frith, forms an estuary at first f of a mile,
and alter wards U mile, of average breadth. ltd
ipid,
si
bles
tarn-
it is
110
DEE
311
DEE
course, from the origin of Sauch burn till the
embouchure of the river, is about 46 miles. In
floods, the Dee sometimes rises 8 feet above its or-
dinary level. As the grounds around its sources
abound in mosses, its waters are of so dark a hue
H- to render it difficult — in places where there is not
a considerable current — to distinguish between a pool
and a shallow. Its salmon, too, are of a darker
colour, and much tatter than those of most rivers
in the south of Scotland. The Dee is navigable to
Tonguelaml, or al»out 7 miles from the Solway; and
but for its cataracts, or with the aid of a canal to
enable vessels to surmount them, might be the me-
dium of an inland navigation to the very centre of
ie stewartry.
)EER, or OLD DEER, a parish partly in Aber-
shire, partly in Banff, situated almost in the
re of Buchan; extending in length 12 miles from
th to south, and in mean breadth 5^ miles. It is
led by Strichen parish on the north ; by Long-
on the east; by Cruden and Ellon on the south;
by New Deer on the west. The high road from
jrdeen to Frazerburgh cuts it longitudinally ; and
is intersected by the road from Banff and Old
Irum to Peterhead. It is watered by two rivu-
, — the Deer and the Strichen, — which afterwards
the Ugie. The surface consists of irregular
of rising ground, running in various directions,
forming a number of valleys of unequal extent.
; tops of some of these ridges are covered with
th, some with plantations, and many of them are
ivated. Round the village is a plain of consid-
sle extent, ornamented with the woods and plea-
-grounds of Pitfour. A considerable quantity of
le-grown flax, spun into fine yarn, is annually
and a large bleachfield with extensive
linery exists here in the neighbourhood of
jwartfield. Besides the village of Old Deer, there
i also other two populous villages : STEWARTFIELD
FETTERANGUS: which see. There are large
i of excellent limestone, of which nearly 20,000
ills are annually sold. On the south-west of the par-
ish is great abundance of quartz or feld-spar, and pieces
of the purest rock-crystal are met with occasionally.
A fine dark blue, and a very white granite, are used
for building. There are several Druidical circles,
and the ruins of a small irregular village, supposed
to have been inhabited by the Druids. Population,
in 1801, 3,552; in 1831, including that part of the
parish which is in Banffshire, 4,110. Houses, in
1831, in Aberdeenshire, 863; in Banffshire, 124.
Assessed property in Aberdeenshire, £5,866; in
Banffshire, £977.— The village of Deer is pleasantly
situated on the north bank of the Deer ; 10.V miles west
of Peterhead, 4 south of New Deer, and "26 north of
Aberdeen. Not far from this village stand the re-
mains of the abbey of Deer, built in the beginning
of the 13th century by Cummyn, Earl of Buchan,
for some monks of the Cistertian order. It has been
un extensive building, but is now very much in ruins.
The revenues of this place at the Reformation were
in money £80.5 8s. Gd. ; wheat 14 bolls; bear 13
chaldrons, 10 bolls; meal 65 chaldrons, 7 bolls, 1
firlot, 3 pecks. Ii 1587, the lands belonging to it
erected into a temporal lordship in favour of
Robert, son of William, 6th Earl Marischal, by the
ttyle and title of Lord Altrie.— This parish, for-
merly a prebend of Aberdeen, is in the presbytery
of Deer, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the
Crown. Church built in 1789; sittings 1,150. Sti-
pend .£219 2s. 8d. ; glebe 2!).i acres of good land.
Unappropriated teinds .t'<>7 Us. A portion of the
jM'-Mi of St. Fergus was annexed to it in 1618. —
Th ere is an Episcopalian congregation at Old Deer,
which has existed since before the Revolution. Cha-
pel built in 1766; sittings 500. Stipend .£82, wi'.h
a manse There is also an Independent church at
Old Deer, established in 1801. Chapel built in
1801; seats 300. Stipend £68, with manse and
garden At Clola there is an Original Seceder con-
gregation, established in 1769; church built in 1784;
sittings 392. Stipend £70, with manse and glebe.
— At Stewartfield there is a United Secession con-
gregation, established in 1821 ; church erected in
1822; sittings 440. Stipend £90, with manse and
glebe According to a census taken by the parish-
minister in 1835-6, the population amounted to 4,488,
of whom 1,731 were in communion with the Estab-
lishment, and 642 with other denominations. — There
are 3 parochial schools. The 1st master has a sa-
lary of £31 6s. 7$d., with £24 10s. fees; each of
the others has £10, with about £20 fees.
DEER (NEW), an extensive parish in the north-
east of Aberdeenshire. It is of an oblong form, ex-
tending from north to south 14 miles, and, at a me-
dium, 6 miles from east to west. The surface is
flat, there being scarcely a hill or even a spot that
may be called an eminence. Towards the north-east
and south-east the appearance, for 7 or 8 miles, is
almost one continued corn-field, interspersed with
pieces of sown grass and turnip, and terminated by
a gently rising ground in the form of an amphithe-
atre ; towards the west the soil is shallow, and the
surface covered with heath. The public road from
Aberdeen, by Udny and Tarves, divides the parish
from south-east to north-west. Limestone abounds.
About 2 miles from the church stands an old castle
called Fedderatt, which appears to have been a place
of considerable strength. It is surrounded partly by
a morass, and partly by a fosse ; and has been acces-
sible by a drawbridge, part of which still remains.
Water has been conveyed to it by means of pipes,
pieces of which have, at different times, been torn
up by the plough. There are a few remains of
Druidical temples : and several tumuli, which have
been opened and found to contain urns enclosed in
stone-coffins. On a field called Aiky or Oaky-brae,
Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert Bruce, de-
feated the Cummyns, Earls of Badenoch, in the year
1308. Aiky market, which is held on the 2d Tues-
day, Wednesday, and Thursday, in July, O. S., is
said to have been established in commemoration of
this battle, and to be held on the spot where it was
fought. Population, in 1801, 2,984; in 1831, 3,525.
About 313 of the population are in the village <>f
New Deer. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,719.
Houses, in 1831, 765.— This parish, anciently called
Auchreddy, was disjoined from Old Deer in the be-
ginning of the 17th century. It is in the presbytery
of Deer, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £219 2s. 8d. ; glebe £20. Unap-
propriated teinds £737 17s. 6d. By a census ma^e
by the parish-elders in the end of 1835, the popula-
tion was estimated at 3,622, of whom 3,008 were in
connexion with the Establishment, and 614 with
other denominations. A census b\ the Dissenters
returned the population at 3,712. Old parish-church
built in 1622; sittings 900 A chapel was erected
at Savock, in the south part of the parish, and 6
miles from New Deer, with sittings for 658, in 1834.
— There is a United Secession congregation at New
Deer, and another at Savock. The former had a
church built in 1828; sittings 310; the church be-
longing to the latter was built in 1S04; sittings 380
The stipend of the former is £7.>, with a manse and
glebe. There is also a I'nited Secession congrega-
tion at Whitehill; sittings 450. Stipend £90, with
a manse. — There are 3 parochial schools ; salary ol
each master £21 7s. 9d. ; school-fees collectively £62
10s. There were also, in 1834, 8 private school*.
DEE
312
DEN
DEER (THE), a river in Aberdeenshire, which
takes its rise in the parish of New Deer, and, after
a course of about 16 miles, unites with the water of
Strichen, a tributary of the UGIE : which see.
DEER ISLAND, or MULDONICH, one of the
Hebrides, a little to the south of the island of Barra.
DEERNESS AND ST. ANDREWS, a parish in
the island of Pomona, and shire of Orkney and Shet-
land. The united parish had a population of 1,548
in 1821 ; and 1,550 in 1831. Houses 323. Assessed
property, in 1815, .£268 It is in the presbytery of
Kirkwall, and synod of Orkney. Patron, the Earl
ot Zetland. Stipend .£208 6s. 8d. ; glebe £6. Un-
appropriated teinds £47 10s. 6d — Schoolmaster's
salary £26. There were 3 private schools in 1834.
The district of Deerness forms a peninsula, which,
from the Mullhead to the isthmus that divides it
from the district of St. Andrews, is in length up-
wards of 4 miles, and varies in breadth from 1 to 3,
as the large and beautifully winding harbour of Deer
sound enlarges or contracts. This harbour runs
nearly in the direction of north-east and south- west;
it is 4 miles long, and from 1 to 2.\ miles broad. Its
entrance is from the north ; and as it is surrounded with
land on every side, and has a bottom of clay mixed
with sand, and a sufficient depth of water, it consti-
tutes an excellent harbour. The population of Deer-
ness, in 1801, was 660; in 1831, 661. Houses, in
1831, 141. Assessed property £63. Around the
shores the soil is mostly sandy ; higher up, it is loam
and clay; the middle of the parish is extremely boggy
and wet. Here are several tumuli, and near the end
of the isthmus which unites St. Andrews to Deer-
ness, are the remains of a very large Pict's house,
commonly called Dingy's howe, or Duncan's height.
Deerness is very conveniently situated for a fishing
station. On the sand and shores are seen myriads of
plovers, curlews, sea-larks, sea-pies, and a large grey
bird with a hoarse cry, called by the inhabitants the
Horra goose. This district is connected with the
mainland only by a narrow and sandy isthmus. Here
very strong ropes, calculated for different purposes
in husbandry, are made of the shoots of the crow-
berry heath, or Empetrum nigrum. The ropes for
hanging the caseys, or baskets, over the horses' backs,
are made of the fibrous roots of the sea-reed, or
Arundo arenaria. Tethers and bridle-reins are made
of long meadow-grasses, such as Holcus lanatus,
which here receive the name of pounce, or puns.
— There is a parliamentary church here. Stipend
£120; glebe £1.
DEER'S CASTLE. See DDRISDEER.
DELNABO. See KIRKMICHAEL, BanfFshire.
DELORAINE, certain lands in the shire of Sel-
kirk, and parish of Etterick; 17 miles south-west of
Selkirk. In 1706, Henry Scott, 2d son of the Duke
of Monmouth, and Countess of Buccleugh, was cre-
ated Earl of Deloraine. In 1807 this title, became
extinct.
DELTING, a parish in Shetland, on the north
coast of the mainland ; bounded on the north by Yell
sound; on the east by Nesting and Lunnasting; on
the south by Weesdale and Saridsting ; and on the
f west by Sulemvoe and St. Magnus bay. It is so
intersected by arms of the sea, that no accurate idea
ran be given of its extent. In the report of the
parliamentary commissioners, it is stated to be 14
miles in length, by about 4 in average breadth ; by
Edmonston it is said to be about 10 miles long and
8 miles broad. The surface is hilly, bleak, and bar-
ren ; but the small part on the coast which is under
culture produces tolerable crops of oats and barley.
Fishing is the principal support of the inhabitants.
The chief harbours are St. Magnus bay, Altha firth,
Bustavoe, South Yoeter, and Sulemvoe. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,449; in 1831, 2,070. By census in
1837, 2,200. Houses, in 1831, 375. Assessed pro-
perty £929. — This parish is in the presbytery of
Shetland, and synod of Orkney. Patron, the Earl
of Zetland. Stipend £151 Is. 6d. ; glebe £10.
There are two parish-churches. That of the south
district, or Olna frith kirk, was built in 1714; that
of the north district in 1811. Number of sittings in
both churches 1,130. — Schoolmaster's salary £25
13s. 3|d. There are 2 private schools supported by
the General Assembly — The two inhabited islands
of Muckle Roe and Little Roe belong to this par-
ish; the former containing 210 persons, and separated
from the mainland by a very narrow sound dry at
low water; the latter containing 12 persons, and
about a mile from the mainland. There are also
the three islets of Brother Isle, Fishholm, and Bigga.
DEMYAT. See DUNMYAT.
' DENHOLM, a village beautifully situated on the
right bank of the Teviot, in the parish of Cavers,
Roxburghshire. The body of it is a square, com-
pactly built on the four sides with neat houses, the
central space, including about 9 acres, being, with
the exception of the site of the parish school-house,
enclosed and laid out in pasture. From the angles,
roads or openings branch off, those on one side being
on the main road through the village, and those on
the other leading through brief streets or alleys, to
a suspension-bridge for the accommodation of foot-
passengers across the Teviot. The village has re-
cently, at considerable expense, been much improved,
as to the neatness of its appearance and the comfort
of its inhabitants, by James Douglas, Esq. of Ca-
vers. It is 5 miles from Hawick, and the same dis-
tance from Jedburgh, and stands on the great road
between Berwick and Carlisle. It is inhabited prin-
cipally by stocking- weavers. Here are an Indepen-
dent chapel, having nearly 300 sittings, arid a well-
selected and well-plied public library. Denholm
was the birth-place of Dr. John Leyden. Popula-
tion 500. See CAVERS.
DENINO. See DUNINO.
DENNY, a parish in the shire of Stirling, formerly
a vicarage of the parish of Falkirk, from which it
was separated in 1618. Its greatest length is com-
puted at about 6 miles, its breadth at about 4 ; and
it is supposed to contain 6,016 acres. It is bounded
on the north by the Carron, which separates it from
the parishes of St. Ninian's and Dunipace ; on the
south by the parish of Kilsyth, by that of Cumber-
nauld in Dumbartonshire, and by Falkirk, — Bonny
water flowing between it and the two latter parishes;
on the west by the parish of Kilsyth ; and on the
east by Dunipace and Falkirk. Besides the village
of Denny, it contains those of Haggs, Denny-Loan-
head, and Bankier. The north road from Edinburgh
to Glasgow — which passes through Falkirk — runs
along the southern part of the parish. The surface
of this parish, like that of most of the districts in
the eastern part of Stirlingshire, is gently undulating.
The most prominent feature is Larritch hill, or the
Hill of Oaks, near the north-western extremity. The
stone-fences, which nearly universally prevail here,
and the almost entire want of trees and hedgerows,
give the landscape an unusually bleak and uninter-
esting aspect. The northern and western parts,
which are more elevated than the southern, are prin
cipally occupied as sheep-pastures. The soil in the
northern part belongs to the class known by the
name of dryfield, and is light, sandy, and not very
fertile. The cultivation, however, has, within the
last few years, been greatly improved, and by the
extensive application of draining and other improved
methods of agriculture, very fair crops are now raist d.
Some of the land in the north-eastern part of the par-
DENNY.
313
is of greatly superior quality, and lets — we have ,
icrstood — at as high a rate as the best earse-lam! '
the country. Coals are found here in abundance,
from the colliery of Banknoek a considerable
itity is exported by the Forth and Clyde canal
Glasgow. Ironstone is also. found to some ex-
it. The numerous falls of the Carron in this par-
have furnished excellent situations for mills of
>us kinds. On the banks of that rivulet there-
re formerly not less than nine grain mills. There
now, however, only three, of which two are meal
' barley mills, and the other for the grinding of
•. In addition to these, there are two char mills,
mill for chipping dye-woods, and the preparation
other dye-stuffs, — two large paper-mills, in one
which n'ne white paper, und in the other coarse
steboard is manufactured. In a paper-mill in this
rish, a large quantity of the cartridge-paper used
the army during the late war was manufactured.
'iere are "three wool-spinning mills. Besides these,
may mention a large bleachtield and a printfteld,
i of which, though in the adjoining parish of
ripace, yet from their immediate vicinity to the
of Denny, may more appropriately be viewed
inection with the subject of the present article,
is a distillery in the town of Denny, — a meal
barley mill on Bonny water, in the south-eastern
of the parish, — and two chip-mills for drysalt-
operations on Browster water.* The Forth
Clyde canal, and the line of the Edinburgh and
>w railway now executing, pass through the
es of Falkirk and Cumbernauld, close by the
utherii confines of the parish of Denny. This parish
'ike a few others in Stirlingshire — is remarkable for
number of small properties which it contains, oc-
", by vassals, or port loners as they are here called,
ding of a subject superior. This peculiarity is said
ive arisen from the alarm of an Earl of Wigton at
time of the Union in 1705, who, from a belief that
that event would prove fatal to the prosperity of his
country, disposed of the whole of his large estates
in this and the neighbouring parishes of Cumbernauld
and Kirkintilloch to his own tenants, on condition
of their paying for ever the rents of that time. The
number of" heritors is about 150, the principal being
William Forbes, Esq. of Callentfar. There are no
families of any distinction in the parish. A consid-
erable tract of land, known by the name of Temple
Denny, is supposed to have belonged in former times
to the Knights Templars. The assessed property, in
§5, was £6,631. Population, in 1801, 2,033; in
1, 3,843 The village of Denny is situated in
north-eastern part of the parish, within a few
hundred yards of the boundary between this and the
parish of Dunipace. It is 7J miles north-east from
Stirling, and the high road from that town to Glas-
gow passes through it. Two branch-banks have
•!y been established here, — one in connection
with the Commercial bank of Scotland, and the other
with the Clydesdale bank in Glasgow. Fairs for
;ire held on the Wednesday before the 12th
of May, O. S., and on the Wednesday after the
1 1 th of November. — There are scarcely any remains
of antiquity connected with this parish. A stone-
coHin was found many years ago at Woodyett, on
the iiorth-ea-iern extremity. It is said to have borne
«(!ate of 1301, and contained human bones. —
ere was ;i very old bridge over the Carron near
nny. The ancient and principal arch of this
» For The Mipply of the iriils on the Carron, v. larur reservoir
ist.-il far some tin o mi the Marls linni, in the p:iri-h «( St.
IMII tii's having heeu almost completely destroyed iu
tl;e (fleet-, us was supposed, of '.lie e'.i ti.<ju,ike no-
r HI tide I'oMKIK — It U till' intention <>l lllo-e r. i.. li. rt-'d
hit the nil.- to apply to parliament fur leave to construct a
reservoir mi the E.u.i burn, and a UiiMi-hcad on the Can on.
old bridge was built in the form of four arched rings
or couples, upon which the whole superstructure
appears to rest. There is only one bridge in this
neighbourhood, built in a similar way ; namely, that
unique looking bridge over the Devon, near Tulli-
body, the two original arches of which are built with
rings or couples; but in this case the arches are
pointed like the Gothic windows in some of our
churches, whereas in Denny bridge the arches were
semicircular or Saxon. This bridge was about 12
feet wide, and very high ; a new one 32 feet wide,
and 10 feet lower, has been recently substituted for it.
The parish of Denny, including the new quoad
sacra parish of Haggs, is in the presbytery of Stir-
ling, and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £250 3s. 3;i. ; glebe £9 13s. 4d.
Unappropriated teinds £449 Os. 10d. The stipend
has, in 1840, been raised to 19 chalders. The church,
which is situated in the town of Denny, was built in
181 3 ; sittings 768. A new church — modelled on that
of Camelon — has recently been erected at the village
of Haggs, containing 600 sittings. There are also two
United Secession congregations in this parish. The
one at the village of Denny was established in 1797
The church was purchased in 1796, and was greatly
enlarged in 1817; sittings 554. Stipend £100~ The
minister has also a house and garden of about £16
annual value, and a small park worth about £3. The
other Secession congregation is at Denny-Loanhead.
It was established in 1738; and its history is closely
connected with the rise of the Secession.! Church
built in 1815; cost £1,400; sittings 731. Stipend
£168, with manse and garden — The parochial school-
master has a salary of £34 4s. 4£d., with about £24
school-fees. Average number of scholars 49. There
are 7 other schools, with an average attendance of
about 408. The population of the parish, by a more
recent census, was 4,027, of which 2,290 belonged to
the Establishment, and 1,678 to other denominations.
f This parish was the scene of a famous non. intrusion contest
upwards of a century ago; of which the following brief but
impartial outline maybe instructive in these times: — In 173 >,
the parish of Denny having become vacant hy the death of their
pastor, a presentation was given to Mr. James Sailing; and the
laird of Herbertshire — who appears to have acted as patron oa
behalf of the Crown — caused intimation to be made to the mo.
derator of the presbyierv of Stirling, that a presentation had
been given and accepted, and requested that the presbytery
would take the presentee on trials for ordination. The par-
ishioners opposed this summary mode of proceeding, and peti-
tioned that a moderation might be granted tor the people at
large, without any reference to the presentation given. From
the presbytery the matter was carried to the synod of 1'ei tli
and Stirling, who found that the presentation was null and void,
on account of its not having been pre.-ented to any juuicatory
in due time, by any person having a commission hum hi- Ma.
jesty for that purpose ; and it was finally at reed, among all th«
p irt.es concerned, that the presentation being laid aside, :>. rail
should be moderated iu the kirk of Denny. On the day of mo-
deration, the former presentee was proposed on the part of the
patron, and another candidate was proposed ou the part ot' the
people; and the roll of voters being called, tew or none ol the
heads of families voted for the patron's candidate. Ol the hei i .
tors, .V2 gave him their support, and of these the greater part
were either non-ri'sidenters, or not in the communion ol the
church ; while for the popular candidate there were 74 heritors,
the whole of the sesMou, and 138 heads of lami!;es. Thonj.li
the voice of the pari.-.h was thus most unequivocally exprt^sed
against the presentee, and though the call given to the nominee
of the people was — with the exception of the heritors men-
tioned— almost unanimous, yet the two ministers who con.
ducted the moderation, refused to attest the call ; they refer red
it to the presbytery ; and Hie presbytery, without judging in it,
referred it to the synod. The synod, alter heating ail tin- pai-
tie-, gave a lieci ion, by a large majority, in favour ol the par.
ishioners. and ordered the pre^ytery t" proceed with tne M-t-
tlement of the person whom they had cailed. Against tins
derision the friends of the presentee protested, ;.nd carr.cd the
cause by appeal beiore the supreme court. The assembly re.
nutted the settlement of it to their cominis-ion. The ronum*.
t-ion delayed the consideration of the Denny case till the next
meeting ol 'assembly ; aini the as-emhly at .eng'h gave the case
a hearing, but again remitted it to the commission. The com.
mission, after making several un-necc--lul attrmj ts to i tied u
reronc.liatioii betwixt the parties, thought proper— at the do e
of one of their meetings, when tl.e greater part ol their iue:i'.
berj had gone aw iy, and when there was scarcely aqiiurum of
DER
814
DES
DERNOCK, orDARNOCK, orDARNWicK, a small
stirring village in Roxburghshire, near the south
bank of the Tweed, about a mile above Melrose.
It stands on the road from Edinburgh to Carlisle by
way of Jedburgh, and on that between Melrose and
Selkirk. Its appearance is smiling and comfortable,
and indicates prosperity and content. It was one of
the villages of the halidom of Melrose abbey, and
still retains some ruinous towers which must have
been occupied by rich vassals of the abbot.
DERVAL, or DERVILLE, a regularly built, pros-
perous, manufacturing village, on Irvine water, at
Hie southern verge of the parish of London, Ayr-
shire. It is 9 miles east of Kilmarnock, on the
road between that town and Strathaven. In 1811,
it contained about 400 inhabitants ; in 1836, 150
houses, and 1,160 inhabitants. The lands of Der-
val anciently belonged to the Knights Templars,
and were independent of tenure, not even holding of
the Crown.
DESKFORD, a parish in Banffshire, bounded on
the north by Cullen ; on the north-east and east by
Fordyce ; on the south by Grange ; and on the west
tlii'ir number present— to reverse the sentence of the synod,
and order the settlement of the presentee to take place. Against
this sentence the people, of course, reclaimed, and once more
appeared at the bar of the assembly. But the sentence of the
commission was affirmed; and the presbytery of Stirling en-
joined to fake the necessary steps for ordaining- the intruder.
i«'t the same assembly, on the following day, agreed to an act,
In which they declared, " that it is, and has been since the Re-
formation, the principle of this church, that no minister shall
be intruded into any parish contrary to the will of the congre-
gation." The business, however, did not stop here. The pres-
bytery refused to execute the sentence of their own church.
T'lU refusal, on the part of the presbytery, occasioned another
complaint to be made to the assembly by the presentee's friends.
Whereupon the venerable court appointed a committee of 21
members to prepare an overture on the whole affair ; and at a
subsequent sederunt, an overture was brought in, ;uH approved
r, dec aring the dissatisfaction of the assembly with the con-
duct of the presbytery, i" nesrlrcting or refusing to fulfil the
iippnintment of the assembly [173(>3 ; and enjoining the presby.
tery to proceed immediately n ith the trials of Mr. Stirling, and
to have the whole finished before the 1st of Septe.nber next.
And, lest the presbytery should still prove contumacious, the
svtiod of Perth and Stirling were ordered to take him upon
trials, and to proceed, so as to have the settlement completed
before the 1st of March. It was further declared, that any 1U
or more of them might proceed to ordain Mr. Stirling, even
though all the rest ot their brethren should be opposed to the
execution of the act; and that "in case the synod, or such
number of them as above-mentioned, shall not, before the 1-t
of November next, enter upon triuls the said Mr. Stirling, or
before the 1st of March next finish the same, the assembly em-
power u special commission of this general assembly, to con-
vene at Kd.nburgh, in the Old kirk aisle, on the third Wednes-
day ot November or March respectively, with power to adjourn
themselves as they shall think tit, in order to take ttials, and
ordain Mr. Stirling as minister of Denny." In the meantime,
Mr. S u-liiig, the presentee, died before his trials for ordination
could be completed. Upon an application made to the presby-
tery, a new moderation was xp;/ointed to take place among
them. One Candida!-* was proposed on behalf of the few who
had hitherto supported the claims of the patron, — and another
on behalf of the congregation; but when tlie votes were about
t • be taken, none of the eld.-rs were permitted to vote on the
ground that they were not qualified to the present civil gov-
ernment; the heads of families were denied the same privilege,
inasmuch as it was alleged that they had no right to it, by the
laws either of the church or of the state ; and the votes also of
heritors were refused, unless they we.e infetted in their pos-
sessions, and unless they paid cess. Notwithstanding the-e
arl.itr,iry measures, a c.,tll to the popular candidate was sub-
scribed by a large majority of the congregation, and presented
to the presbytery at their first meeting, by whom it WHS re-
je.-ied, while the call of their opponents was sustained, and their
candidate ordered to be taken on triuls for ordination. Against
fins decision tne people protested, but did not think proper to
appeal to any higher court. They, however, were resolved
that they would not tamely submit to the intruder. On the
day set. apart for the ordination, 1 17 heritors, elders, and heads
«.i families, went publicly to the kirk of Denny, and after ser-
mon, immediately before the imposition of hands, entered a
doleinn protest against the proceedings of the presbytery, de-
c.aring that the per.-on whom they were now pretending to
set ip in to the office of the ministry, being intruded upon the
parish contrary to the laws of Christ, was not, nor could be,
regarded as lawful minister of the congregation, to whom they
could submit in the Lord. Having made this declaration, and
having taken instruments in the hand of a notary-public, they
withdrew, and soou after connected themselves iu a body with
the then infant Secession church.
by Rathven, parishes. From the last it is separated
by the Altmore and Darbriech burns. It is nearly
in the form of a parallelogram, and is about 5 miles
in length from north to south, and 2 to 3 in breadth
from east to west. It consists of a valley running
from south-west to north-east, between two ranges
of hills, whence numerous rivulets descend through
small ravines or glens which are beautifully fringed
with hazel and birch. These rivulets from both
sides unite in the valley with the burn of Deskford,
whose primary source is at the head of the valley, in
the adjoining southern parish of Grange. It runs
north-east through the Cullen burn to the sea. As
the banks of the Deskford burn are also finely bor-
dered with natural wood, the parish altogether con-
stitutes " one of the most beautiful little straths in
the whole country." There are cascades in many
of the rivulets which, in the summer-floods and win-
ter-thaws, descend with great impetuosity through
the trees, and exhibit many romantic and picturesque
scenes. The Linn is the most remarkable cascade
in the parish. It has a very fine fall of almost 30
feet. The soil of the lower land in the valley is
loam resting on strong deep clay; but towards the
hills it is a light black mossy soil upon clay arid
gravel. It is stated in the New Statistical Account
that, of land, either cultivated or occasionally in
tillage, there are 2,800 imperial acres ; — waste or in
pasture 5,100; — of which 250 might be profitably
cultivated: — under- wood 600:— average rent of
arable land 17s. 6d. per acre. The average gross
amount of raw produce raised in the parish, as nearly
as can be ascertained, is stated to be .£6,062 8s.
In 1752, the then Lord Deskford— afterwards Earl
of Findlater and Seafield — established a bleachfield
in the north end of the parish, where about 1,500
pieces of cloth and 1,700 spyndles of thread yarn were
annually whitened ; but a few years since, from the
decay of the linen manufacture, and household spin-
ning here, the bleaching also fell off, and was given up.
There is no market-town in this parish. Cullen, 4
miles distant, is the nearest. A very excellent turn-
pike road has been recently made from Cullen to
Keith. — Near the centre of the parish was formerly
the tower of Deskford, an ancient castle, said to
have been built by the Sinclairs, the immediate pre-
decessors of the Ogilvies, in the property of the
lordship of Deskford. Its remains were a few years
ago pulled down ; but Cordiner has preserved a view
of it. In the same vicinity also is the castle of
Skuth, which has now also become ruinous. It is a
striking object to passengers. In the institution at
Banff is a curious antiquity consisting of a brazen
swine's head, with a wooden tongue moved by
springs. It was found about 25 years ago in a mossy
knoll at Liechestown, near the farm of Inalterie,
which is supposed to mean the place of the altar,
and where there are remains of a very old and mas-
sive but anomalous structure, in one part of which
there is a deep circular hole enclosed by a wall rising
to a considerable height in the interior of the build-
ing. Close to it is a vault with a stair descending
into it. In the immediate vicinity, also, there stood
till recently an artificial conical eminence named the
Law-hillock — said to have been the ancient seat of
justice. Another artificial hillock stands within
view of this on the other side of Deskford burn.
There is no modern or other edifice of any note in
this parish. The assessed property, in J815, was
£ 1,882. Houses, in 1831, 189. Population, in
1801, 610; in 1831, 828.— This parish is in the
presbytery of Fordyce, and synod of Aberdeen. It
was originally part of Fordyce, and was afterwards
included in Cullen. Patron, the Earl of Seatield,
Stipend £193 12s. 10d.; glebe £8. Unappropriated
DES
315
DEV
teinds £74 16s. Id. The church adjoins the site of
Peskford tower. There is no date on the church,
but one pew bears the date 1627, another 1630.
Schoolmaster's salary .£34 4s. 4£d., with .£12 fees.
There is one private school.
DESKRY (THE), a tributary to the river Don.
Tliis rivulet rises to the south of the Don, and runs
north w.irds through a glen of 2 miles in length and
about ^ a mile in breadth, in the parishes of Towie
and Migvy, till it falls into the Don at the north-
west ern extremity of the glen, where the parish of
Mi^vy lies on both sides of the water. There is a
stone bridge of one arch across it at Rippachy, on
the highway from Strathdon to Aberdeen. The
trout of Deskry water are small but excellent.
DKIICALEDONES. See CALEDONIANS.
DEUCALEDONIAN SEA, the name given by
Ptolemy, and the ancient geographers, to the ocean
which washes the western coasts and isles of Scot-
DETGH (THE). See CARSPHAIRN.
IH'.VERON (THE), or DOVERAN, a river which
main head-stream in the parish of Cabrach, in
Aherdeenshire, and after a course of about 60 miles
through fertile and highly cultivated plains, falls into
tlu- ocvan at Banff. It forms the boundary betwixt
Aberdeenshire and Banff for many miles, and in its
receives many rivulets, particularly the Bogie,
which falls into it at the town of Huntly [see
\IVHINDOIR] and the Isla a little above Rothiemay:
MV article ISLA. Upon its banks are found frequent
specimens of plumbago, and symptoms of lead-ore
mve been observed. It is well-stored with trout
UK! salmon. There is a shifting bar at the mouth j
>f the river which varies with gales of wind. In j
x.'M the mouth was entirely shut up by it, but broke ,
mt 600 yards further to the eastward. Hence arise j
K'lnient disputes amongst the cruive owners as to
he line of the bed of the river. The produce both
>f the upper and lower fisheries of the Deveron has
•ready decreased of late years.
DEVON (THE), a small river which rises in the
i part of the Ochils, a little to the east of
•herilFmuir, and in the parish of Blackford, Perth-
iiire. Its course is at first in an easterly direction,
liter flowing for about 2 miles through the par-
•h of Blackford, and immediately on being joined by
mther streamlet from the south, it forms the boun-
iry between the List-named parish and those of
'illicoultry and Glendevon. It then enters the
of Glendevon, near Cleugh burn, and continues
u-ard course till it arrives at the small village
iltown at the eastern extremity of Glendevon.
le below Miltown it makes a decided bend
the south-east, forming the boundary of the
of Glendevon and Muckhart on the west,
e parish of Fossaway and the shire of Knnross
ea<t, till it reaches the village known by the
of Crook of Devon, where, turning abruptly
south-west, it Mows onward in this direction,
the parishes of Muckhart and Fossaway,
h those or Dollar and Tillicoultry, along the
rn boundary of Alloa, and finally entering
parish, and making a sharp turn to the south,
into the Forth a little above the town of
after a course of fully 30 miles in length,
von has been celebrated by Burns, and from
inantic scenery which adorns its hanks, it is
well-worthy of being honoured in the poet's
Its waters are beautifully pure, and the scenery
Rumbling bridge and the Caldron linn, near
of D.-von, where several remarkable cata-
•ts are formed, is of the most sublime and extra-
r" 'iind. — Passing through the village called
of Devon, we keep the river on our right
for about a mile, and then descend along its rocky bed,
when we soon approach the Falls of the Devon, — the
first of which, called the Devil's mill,* is heard, but not
seen. This forms the least considerable of the falls.
The Devon here falls into an excavation in the solid
rock with a noise resembling that of water falling
on a mill-wheel. Near this spot is a cavern named
the Pigeon's cave. About 350 yards lower down the
Devon, is a small arch, spanning a deep and gloomy
chasm, called the Rumbling bridge. It is so named from
the hollow brawling of the water while forcing its way
among huge fragments of impending rocks; and as
it hurries along, boiling and foaming in wildest
tumult, the whole scenery adjacent is characteristic
of that fantastic rudeness which Nature delights in
exhibiting amid the roar of cascades and the thunder
of cataracts. On looking down the Devon from the
bridge, — a giddy height, — the prospect beneath the eye
is truly sublime. The high, projecting, and impend-
ing precipices on either hand are wooded in all the
capricious varieties of form and ramification of hazel,
willow, birch, and mountain-ash; from among which,
midway among the craggy steeps, daws, kites, and
other birds that delight in solitude, are seen sailing
in security and freedom. The southern bank of the
Devon forms the middle ground, and a peep of the
Saline hills closes in the distance. The whole is
exceedingly picturesque and magnificent. In order
to command a view of the wooded cliffs over which
the Rumbling bridge is thrown, it is necessary to
come round by the south bank of the river. The
best station is about a gunshot from the brink of the
water, on a gentle eminence immediately opposite
the bridge. Here the deep and gloomy chasm through
which the Devon forces its way is seen in one vast
cleft, torn as it were asunder by some terrible con-
vulsicn of nature. The small arch, half-seen through
the hanging branches which wave wildly over the face
of the rugged steeps, gives an air of grandeur suit-
able to the solemn dignity of the scene. The whole
is striking and impressive.! From the Rumbling
bridge to the Caldron linn, or linns, the Devon glides
gently along; until, about a mile below the former,
the bed of the river suddenly contracts its channel,
and as we approach the falls, the distant roar of the
waters becomes imposing and awful. The upper fall
is inconsiderable, yet sufficient to arrest the atten-
tion. Soon after comes into view the chasm through
which the river boils and foams from caldron to
caldron, — for such are the circular excavations called
which the incessant workings of the waters in the
course of ages have caused. In the upper caldron,
the water has so much the appearance of boiling,
that it is difficult to divest one's self of the idea that
it is really in a state of violent ebullition. From this
caldron the water finds its way into a circular cavity.
in which it is carried round and round, though with
much less violent agitation: this second caldron is
always covered with a foam or froth. From this
» "The country people," says Garnett, "rail it the Devil's
mill, because it pays no regard to Sunday, and works every day
alike." The none it makes is supposed to he occasioned by tiin
water falling over a «mall cascade into a deep cavity in the rock
below. The water tossed round with great violence, and coiu
stantly healing on the sides of the rock, causes a Hacking noi.se,
similar to that of a mill at work, which is very distinctly heard
when the water bus force enough, by its quantity, to beat on
the rock with violence, and when it is not so Irgh a* entirely to
cover the cavity.
t NVhe »• the old nrch is thrown across, the hanks are 86 feet
av>ove tin- water. The span of the arch is •£•> feet, and its wi.ltli
Itf fc.-t. It was built in the year 171^, by William Gray, a
native of tUe parish of Saline. Having no parapet defence.-, it
required some fortitude to walk across this bridge even m the
day-time; \et it was used, fur upward- of a hundred year-, by
l>. r-oiis both on foot and horseback, by highland by 'day. Ill
1816 a substantial modem bridije was built over the old arch —
which still rem .ins— the height of which from the water is \2Q
feet. Tnere U an excellent inu in the immediate viciuity of toe
Bridge
DEV
31 G
DIN
boiler the water runs into another, larger than either [
of the other two, the diameter of it being 22 feet. I
The water in this cavity is not agitated like the j
others, but calm and placid. When the river is low, |
these caldrons communicate with each other, not by j
the water running over at their mouths, but by aper- j
tures made, by the force of the waters, in the course
of time, through the rocks which separate them at,
perhaps, the*middle depth of the caldrons. From the
lower caldron, the whole body of the stream rushes
perpendicularly over a rock into a deep and romantic j
glen, forming a line cascade, particularly when viewed j
from the bottom of the glen, to which there is access j
by a zigzag path. This cascade is 84 feet below the
first fall above the caldrons, and is 44 feet in height.
The rocks which compose the linn are about twice
as high ; so that it appears as if the water had worn
its way from the top to its present situation, which
most probably has been the case. It falls in one
unbroken sheet, without touching the rock, and the
whiteness of the dashing water is finely opposed to
the almost black colour of the rocks, which are
formed of coarse grained basaltes. " While we were
contemplating this beautiful scene," says Dr. Garnett,
"the sun happened to shine upon it, and the spray,
which arises from it to a considerable height, by re-
fracting the rays of light, exhibited the appearance
of a luminous vapour, in which the different prisma-
tic colours were easily discernible." Having come
round by the foot of the south bank of the river,
and crossed it in fr-ont of the precipice over which
the water rushes, we command a complete view of
the great fall of the Devon. A stupendous pile of
solid rocks, over which in one full, rapid, and power-
ful torrent, the river precipitates itself, presents its
rugged front ; while fragments of rock which from
time to time have been torn from the face of the
craggy steep lie scattered around in every direc-.
tion, and in fine harmony with the rude and fan-
tastic forms of the deep and wooded dell through
which the Devon, as if tired of exertion, seeks silence
and repose in its route to gain the windings of the
Forth near Stirling.* The Devon is of no great
breadth, and is not navigable, although Mr. James
Watt, who made a survey of it in 1766, reported
that it was quite capable of being made so for several
miles above its confluence with the Forth, at an
expense of about .£2,000.
DEVON (THE SOUTH or BLACK). See CLACK-
MA NNANSHIRE.
DEWAR, a hamlet in the shire of Edinburgh, and
parish of Heriot ; 6^ miles south of Middleton. On
the march between the parishes of Heriot and Inver-
lethen, on the farm of Dewar, there is a grave called
the Piper's grave, of which tradition reports that it
covers the remains of a whilom piper of Peebles;
who having engaged for a certain wager, to blow
from Peebles to Lauder, failed in the attempt, died
here, and was buried on the spot. On Dewar hill,
not far from this grave, there is a remarkable large
stone called Lot's wife; but the reason of its title
* There is another Rumbling- bridge on the BHAN : see that
article. About 40 y.-ar.s ago, the late James Harroxver, Ksq. of
In/ievar, had a mo-t extraordinary escape at the Caldron Imn.
Where the river falls down into the first cavity, there is an up-
right rock, in the middle of the current, by which persons have
sometimes passed from the one side of the stream to the oilier.
In endeavouring1 to spring on to this, Mr. Harrower's feet
slipped on the slimy top of the rock, and lie was precipitated
h-adlong into the upper caldron. He had presence of mind to
cling firmly to some protuberances on the sides of the rock,
until his companions procured ropes fnim a neighbouring farm-
house, by means of which he was extricated from his awful
situation. Some years previous to this incident a pack of
h >und-. eagerly pursuing a fox, xvere led by reynard along the
banks of the Devon till he came to the linn, where lie crossed ;
but in attempting to follow him, not being so well-acquainted
with the passage, the dogs fell one after another into the cal-
dron and perished.
is unknown. At a little distance from hence is the
Wolf clench, of which traditional story asserts that
this clench was once inhabited by a wolf which laic
waste the country around for a series of years, until
a person of the name of Dewar having encounter "
the animal, killed it, and received for his reward
gift of the adjoining lands.
DICHMOUNT. See CAMBUSLANG.
DICHMOUNT LAW, a hill in the parish of St
Vigeans, and about 3 miles from the coast, in For-
farshire. It rises about 670 feet above the level
the sea, and has on its summit a large cairn, hollowe
in the middle, and now covered with grass, wl
anciently certain barons held their courts.
DICHTY (THE), a small river in the south
Forfar shire, of about 15 miles in course. It rises ii
four head-streams, three of them from small lake
among the Sidlaw hills in the west of the parish
Lundie. Flowing — with the exception of brief sim
osities — nearly due east, it traverses the parishes
Auchterhouse, Strath martine, and Mains, interse
the eastern wing of Dundee, where it receives tl
tribute of Fishy water, and after advancing half-\
through Monifeith, debouches suddenly to the soi
and falls into the frith of Tay 2 miles east
Broughty ferry. During its course it drives sever
mills, and it contains trout and a few salmon.
DILTY-MOSS, a morass in the parishes of
mylie and Guthrie, Forfarshire, about 2 miles k
and 1 £ broad. It is remarkable for giving rise
two streams which, though both eventually findii
their way into the German ocean, traverse Forfarshir
from near its centre in opposite directions. At it
north-east end rises the Elliot, which pursues a coui
to the south of east, and falls into the sea in
parish of Arbirlot; and at its south-west end rises
rivulet which flows to the north of west till it full
into the Dean, and then, as identified with tl
stream, flows westward till its leaves the count)
See CARMYIJE.
DINART (THE), a river in Sutherlandshir
which takes its origin from Loch Dowl, a small lal
in the Dire More, or 'Great forest;' and after
northerly course of 15 miles, along the base of
Conval and Tonvarn mountains, falls into Durnc
bay between Farout-head and Cape Wrath. It
duces plenty of salmon.
DlNGWALL,f a parish in the county of Ross,
the west end of the frith of Cromarty. It is bourn'
on the east by the parish of Kiltearn ; on the nc
by the vast mass of Benwy vis ; and on the west
south by the parish of Fodderty. That part of tt
parish of Urquhart, called Ferintosh, lies on the skin
to the south-east ; but from it Ding wall parish ii
divided by the river Conan, which, at high water, is
widened to about half-a-mile by the influx of the sea
Excluding a small district, peopled by few inhabi
tants, and divided from the rest by a high hill, thi
parish forms an oblong peninsula of 1^ by 2 miles. I
consists partly of a pretty extensive valley, and parti;
of the sloping sides of hills a great portion of whicl
is in a high state of cultivation. The waste groum
is not very considerable, and there are no common
in the parish ; the great bulk of the land is in cul
ture ; and the whole forms a beautiful interchange t
hill and valley, wood and water, corn-fields and rnea
dows. The soil over the whole parish is abundantl
fertile, and the greater part uncommonly rich. Ther
are some rivulets in the parish, but no river excep
the CONAN : which see. About 2 miles to the south
f The name was formerly Dingnarnl or Di'jntrfalHs, ar
took its origin from the richness and fertility of the M>il <>f tl
lower grounds which form a considerable part of the paris
[Old Statistical Account.]— Others consider the name t-> be .
Scandinavian origin. The Gaels call it Innerfeot 'in, markin
its situation at the nioutb of the 1'etfer.
DINGWALL
317
of the town is a small lake, called Ousie. The
at high water, washes a considerable part of the
i on the south-east, running in apparent canals
the side of the town, and forming a beautiful
iety of islets and peninsulas ; but, even at high tide,
very shallow for several mile* down the frith ;
at low water, it recedes to the distance of nearly
iles, leaving nothing but a slimy strand. It is
ight that about 21)0 acres of ground might easily
laimed in this quarter. About 1,400 acres are
wood, and 2,400 are in tillage. The land rent
irish, at the close of last century, was about
The value of assessed property, in 1815,
£3,967, exclusive of the burgh-property. In
New Statistical Account, the average gross
writ of raw produce is estimated at £15,854.
mlation, in 1801, 1,418; in 1831,2,124. Houses,
Is", I, :J.35. Gaelic is still the language of the
orders here This parish is in the presbytery
)ingwall, and synod of Ross. Patron, the Crown,
iron built in 1801 ; sittings 800. Stipend £244
lid.; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds £54
10(1 — There is a small Episcopalian chapel
jlma-,ter's salary £34 4s. 4^d. ; with £25 4s.
There were 4 private schools in 1834.
>INGWALL, a royal burgh in the above parish, is
mtly situated at the mouth of the fertile val-
of Strath peffer, at the head of the Cromarty
frith, and on the Great north road; 19 miles north
iverness by Beauly; 13^ by Kessack; 26 south-
of Tain; 7 east of Contin; and 174V miles
-north-west of Edinburgh. It chiefly consists
main street running east and west on the old
;hpeffer road. At the west end of this street,
ill street runs north towards the Peffer; and at
east end, a large street, called Castle-street, ex-
from Castle hill, or from the canal afterwards
on the north, to the school-house on the
th. The town stands on a piece of level ground,
ily 4 feet above high flood-mark. It was erected
a royal burgh by Alexander II. in 1227, and
privileges were further confirmed by a charter
granted in the reign of James IV., and confirmed by
James VI. in 1587. It was entitled by these char-
M) all the privileges, liberties, and immunities
-ed by the burgh of Inverness." It was and
is still governed by a provost, 2 bailies, a dean-of-
giuhi, treasurer, and 10 councillors, and joins with
Tain, Dornoch, Wick, and Kirkwall, in sending a
member to parliament. Municipal electors 87. Par-
itary constituency 87. Revenue, in 1838-9,
Is. 8d. " Dingwall had at one time a con-
jr,ii)!j extent of landed property, which does not,
»v..'ver, appear to have been turned to much account
ile in the possession of the burgh, nor to have
!u'-i:d any considerable revenue. The town pro-
ty beg;m to be t'eiiad out, and far the greater part
so alienated, more than forty years ago. In
the grants were made to persons con-
ted with or influential in the burgh, and without
competition or publication. But although, in
ciicumstances, the interests of the community
meti'iies sacriliced, on other occasions the
ienation of a large tract affording only pasture wa-
illicietitly compensate:! by a very small permanent
:venue, joined to the advantage arising from the
(tensive plantations or agricultural improvements
: the vassals. Within the last, forty year- the man-
:einent of the town-property has been comparatively
ire; and latterly, alienations have taken place only
tor public advertisement, and by public sale, except
i a vrry fvw inst ,:nces, where small plots of' -round,
wr erecting warehouses, or other such purposes, have
.••!tc<l on the petition of individuals, for an
;Utiv fully ei'iiul to the value of the land.
The burgh now retains only seven or eight acres in
property, which, with the superiority of certain land*
held feu of the burgh, and fishings in the river Conan
and the Dingwall frith, produce altogether an average
rental of £273 7s. 2d. sterling." [Parliamentary Re-
port on Municipal Corporations in Scotland. Part I. p.
189.] The annual expenditure of the burgh amounted,
in 1832, to £181 14s. lOd. The debts of the burgh
amounted, in 1832, to £2,367 10s. The lands with-
in the royalty are stated at a supposed rental of 338
bolls, 2 firlots; and according to the proportion held
by each proprietor, he is stented for payment of the
cess or land-tax now levied, and a sum of £45 yearly
in commutation of the statute-labour, under the acts
G° Geo. IV. c. 90, and 9° Geo. IV. c. 102. These
are the only local taxes now levied. The jurisdic-
tion of the magistrates, which extends over the roy-
alty, is in practice confined to the trial of assaults
and other petty crimes, and to the decision of actions
of debt, processes of removing, sequestration, en-
croachment, and other civil causes to a very limited
extent. Their whole functions as judges are rapidly-
passing into the hands of the sheriff, who has a resi-
dent substitute holding regular courts at Dingwall.
The magistrates and council have no patronage ex-
cept the appointment of the town-clerk, at a salary
of 10 guineas; two burgh-officers, at £5 each; the
keeper of the town-clock, at £5 ; and a kirk-officer,
at a salary of 5s. annually. There are no incorpo-
rated trades claiming exclusive privileges within this
burgh. Persons carrying on merchandise within the
burgh must, however, take out their freedom as
burgesses, the expense of which varies from 5 to 15
guineas, according to the nature and probable extent
of the trade to be carried on; or they may obtain a
temporary licence from the magistrate s to open shop
at the rate of 5s. a-day or less. From many circum-
stances, it would appear, that anciently this town
was much greater than at present. Causeways and
foundations of houses have been found some hundred
yards from where the town now stands. It i.s how-
ever much improved of late. Above the town, the
Peffer used to spread itself into a small morass, which
has been successfully drained. A mile below the
bridge and town, coasting- vessels used to be loaded
and unloaded on the mud at low- water, their cargoes
being carried on a bad road to and from the cast end
of the town. This inconvenience has been remedied
by shaping the lower end of the Peffer into a regular
canal 2,000 yards in length, with two wharfs at
which vessels of 9 feet draft of water find accom-
modation. The expense of these improvements —
which were executed in 1815-17 — amounted to
£4,365, of which £1,786 were furnished by the
Highland road commissioners, and £600 by the
convention of burghs. The average income of the
harbour is £137. As the centre of an agricultural
district, and the point of union of the Highlands of
Wester Ross with the more fertile country on its
eastern sea-coast, this buigh is of some consequrmv.
It is also well-situated for trade, but as yet no par-
ticular branch of •manufacture has IKVII introduced.
The burgh of Dingwall contains nearly 1,800 inhabi-
tants Near the town is a vestige of the ancient
roideii'-e of the Marls of Ross. It was built close
to the shore, and wa.s at one time almost surrounded
by the Peffer, into which the tide flowed at high
water. What was not surrounded by the sea had
a deep ditch and a regular glacis. The site, of
this castle i> now occupied by a modern mansion.
: The Karl- of Ross were the mo.*t powerful of the
northern barons, and many of the ancient families in
lire held thfir estates by charters from them,
; dated, "sipud cast rum nostrum de Dingwall." — Near
the church is an obvlisk, 57 feet high, though oi>ly
DIN
318
DTK
6 feet square at the base. It was erected by George,
1 st Earl of Cromarty , and was intended to distinguish
the bury ing- place of the family — About a mile to
the north of the town is the finely-wooded hill of
Tulloch, rising to the height of 800 feet; and be-
tween it and the town is Tulloch castle with its
pleasure-grounds.
DINLABYRE, an ancient chapelry in the parish
of Castletown, Roxburghshire. The chapel is de-
molished, but many grave-stones remain near its site.
It is on the eastern side of the Liddel.
DINWOODIE. See APPLEGARTH.
DIPPEN. See KILLMORY.
pulation of 92 families. — The next village in point
importance is Gulane, or Golyn, which gave name
the parish until 1612. It lies about 2 miles to the
west of Dirleton, and is nearly surrounded with
sandy links. It is well-known to gentlemen of the
turf for its training establishments for race-horses.
— The other hamlets are Fenton, Kingston, anc
Congleton — In the 12th century, the Anglo-Nor-
man family of De Vallibus or De Vaux, obtained a
grant of the manors of Golyn and Dirleton, with
part of Fenton. During the reign of William the
Lion, William de Vaux bestowed the church 01
Golyn — rated at 80 marks in the Taxatio — on tht
DIPPLE, an ancient rectory, now comprehended | monks of Dryburgh. In the same reign there was
in the parish of Speymouth ; !-£ mile west of Focha-
bers. The church, which is now demolished, was
dedicated to the Holy Ghost ; but the churchyard is
still in use. At the stile of the churchyard, there
formerly stood a small house commonly called ' The
House of the Holy Ghost ;' around which, following
the course of the sun, the people usually made a
tour with the corpse at burials, nor could they be re-
strained from this superstition, until the walls of this
edifice were quite destroyed. The parson of Dipple
was titular of Rathven in the district of Strathbogie.
Here is a mortification of £666 13s. 4d. to the poor;
and of .£333 6s. 8d. to the school, together with 2
bolls of meal annually, by the late William Duff, Esq.
DIRLET CASTLE. See HALKIRK.
DIRLETON, a parish in East Lothian, on the,
south coast of the frith of Forth, measuring from the
mouth of the Peffer burn, at the head of Aberlady
bay, its extreme western point, to its junction with
North Berwick parish, at a point of the coast oppo-
site Lamb islet, its extreme eastern point, 5.^ miles
in a direct line. Its coast-line, however, is much
greater, owing to its sinuosities. Its greatest breadth
from north to south is 44 miles. It is bounded on
the north by the frith of Forth ; on the east by the
parishes of North Berwick and Preston ; on the
south by Athelstaiieford and Aberlady ; and on the
west by Aberlady bay, and the frith. Along the
coast, and within a short distance of the shore, are
three little rocky islets, viz., Fiddrie or Fetteray,
Eyebrocky, and the Lamb. The coast presents a
broad strip of flat sandy holms or links, edged on the
landward side by richly-cultivated fields, and to sea-
ward by a fine sandy beach. Dirleton common, which
lies between the village and the sea, is perhaps the
finest coursing-field in Scotland. The soil is a dry
sand, covered with a smooth short sward, without
any admixture of stones. It is likewise free of fences.
The greyhounds of this parish, and the neighbouring
one of North Berwick, are highly esteemed by sports-
men. Towards Gulane point, the coast is rocky ;
and considerable encroachments have been made
upon the arable land in this quarter by the blowing
of the sand. The total superficial extent of the par-
ish is 7,500 Scots acres, of which about 5,300 are
arable, and nearly 2,000 are occupied with links and
sandy hillocks. The valued rent is ,£10,262-Scots.
The real rent, towards the end of last century, was
£6,000. It is now nearly double of that sum.* As-
sessed property, in 1815, £16,768 The village of
Dirleton, situated near the centre of the parish, on
the road from Edinburgh to North Berwick, is one
of the most beautiful in Scotland. Mrs. Hamilton
Nisbet Ferguson, the principal proprietor in the par-
ish, has rebuilt the greater number of the houses
here in the cottage ornee style. Each cottage is
surrounded with its own plot of flowers and shrubs ;
and the whole are scattered along two sides of the
village green, of which a third side is occupied with
ILe magnificent remains of Dirleton castle, and its
fants garden and bowling-green. Dirleton has a po-
a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas on Fiddrie isle in
this parish. In 1298, De Vaux's castle at Dirleton
was besieged by Antony Beck, the martial bishop o1
Durham, in behalf of Edward I., to whom it surren-
dered after a desperate defence. During the reign oi
Alexander III., a chapel was founded at Dirleton by
Alexander de Vallibus; and, in 1444, a collegiate
church was founded at Dirleton by Sir Walter Haly.
burton, who, in 1392, had succeeded his father in the
estate of Dirleton, which had passed into the family
by a female heiress during the reign of David II. Sir
Walter married the daughter of the regent Albany
and, in 1440, was created Lord Dirleton. The eldes.
daughter of Patrick, 6th Lord Dirleton, who died in
1506, carried the title and estate into the family ol
Ruthven. The castle and estate, says Sir Walter
Scott, in his 'Border Antiquities,' " was the bribe
which the last unhappy Earl of Gowrie held out to
the cupidity of Logan, his associate in the memorable
conspiracy. It seems to have been coveted by that
person in the highest degree. ' I care not,' says
Logan in his correspondence, ' for all the other land
I have in the kingdom, if I may grip of Dirleton, for
I esteem it the pleasant est dwelling in Scotland.'
But Dirleton, included in Ruthven's forfeiture,
passed to other hands, and was bestowed on Sir
Thomas Erskine, who had lent the King active as-
sistance against the efforts of the conspirators. He
was created Viscount Fenton and Baron Dirletcn. In
the civil wars, Dirleton was for a time occupied by a
party of the Scottish guerilla, called then moss-
troopers. Monk marched against them with four pieces
of ordnance and a mortar ; he was joined by Lam-
bert, and besieged the place, which having surren-
dered at discretion, the captain of the moss-troopers —
one Waite — and two of his followers, were executed
by martial law. This was in the year 1650. Dirle-
ton castle, became, after the Restoration, the pro-
perty of Sir John Nisbet, king's advocate. His male
line having become extinct in the person of the late
Mr. Nisbet of Dirleton, the property descended to his
daughter, the present Mrs. Ferguson of Raith." Its
massive structure, and the peculiar and praiseworthy
care taken to preserve it from rude encroachment,
by the tasteful proprietor, are likely to preserve this
noble and graceful relic of feudal ages to many future
generations. The whole has been enclosed with a
handsome wall, which includes within its circuit, not
only the whole of the ruins, but also a fine bowling-
green, and a handsome flower-garden, to all of which
access is readily granted to visiters of respectable ap-
pearance and deportment. Grose has given a poor
view of Dirleton castle. It has had more justice done
it in the ' Border Antiquities.' We know not a love-
lier scene than is presented by this village, — with
its fine green, its noble pile of ivy-clad ruins, and the
distant rock-gemmed frith, — especially in a summer
eve, or when the light —
" The silver light, which, hallowing tree and bower,
Sheds beauty and deep softness on the whole,"—
is resting upon' the fading landscape. The casti
DIV
319
DOL
might be aptly enough apostrophized in the words of
on anonymous poet : —
" The prandenr of the olden time
Mantled thy towers with pride sublime,
Enlivening all who near'd them ;
From HipporiMs and Sherris sack,
Palmer, or pilgrim, turn'd not back.
Before thy cellars cheer'd them.
Since thine unbroken early day,
How many a race hath passed away,
In charnel-vaiilt to moulder ! —
Yet Nature round thee breathes an air
Serenely bright and softly fair,
To shame the awed beholder.
The past is but a gorgeous dream,
And time glides by us like a stream,
While musing on thy story ;
A»d sorrow prompts a deep alas!
That like a pageant thou should pa<*s
To wreck all human glory !"
'his parish is in the presbytery of Haddington, and
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patroness, Mrs.
_ ison. Stipend £293 18s. Id. ; glebe 10 acres,
ippropriated teinds £335 2s. 4d. Schoolmaster's
ry £34 4s. 4d., with £33 fees. There are 2
ite schools.
HVIE (THE), a small river in the county of
ay. Its principal branch rises on the borders of
ithspey. After a rapid course, it falls into the
Ihorn river. " The scenery of the Divie," says
Anderson, " from the spot where it leaps into
len, in a wild waterfall, to its junction with the
Ihorn, is exquisitely beautiful."
>OCHART (LocH), a lake in Perthshire, in the
jh of Killin. It is about 3 miles in length from
to west, and contains a floating islet, 51 feet
f, and 29 broad. It appears to have been gradually
led — like others of the same kind — by the natu-
itertexture of the roots and stems of some wa-
jlants. It moves before the wind, and may be
about with poles. Cattle going unsuspect-
to feed upon it are liable to be carried on a
round the lake. On another, but stationary
stand the ruins of a castle, the ancient resi-
i of the Campbells of Loch Awe. It is embowered
wood, and has a very romantic appearance,
river Fillan runs into the west end of the loch,
river Dochart issues from the east end of the
i, and running east about 8 miles through Glen-
irt, joins the Lochy at Killin, when both fall
into Loch Tay.
DOLLAR, a parish in the shire of Clackmannan ;
bounded on the north by the parish of Glendevon ;
on the east by Muckhart and Fossaway parishes ; on
•st by the parish of Tillicoultry ; and on the
south by the parish of Clackmannan. Its length
from north to south is about 3 miles, and its greatest
i'ivu:lth about 1£ mile. Its general aspect is that of
i beautiful plain or valley, having the Ochils for its
northern boundary, and a gently rising ground con-
•ininir it on the south. The river Devon runs through
t in a meandering course from east to west. The
E' 'al part of the parish, in which the town is situ-
forms a somewhat large and slightly sloping
, with a southern exposure, and beautifully in-
••rspiTsed with hamlets, farm-houses, and enclosures.
The soil of that portion of the parish which extends
the hills to near the Devon is light and gravelly ;
le banks of the river the land is more moist and
The Ochils afford excellent pasture for
and the mutton and wool produced here are
superior quality. The parish abounds in excel-
coal, which is worked in several places and ex-
ed in large quantities to considerable <!ist;m<vs
\Tthshire. Iron also abounds, and veins of cop-
er and lead were formerly wrought in the Ochil
ills a little way above the town of Dollar. Tiir
ores are said to have been exported to some extent
to Holland. Silver has likewise been found in a
glen to the west of Castle-Campbell, and pebbles of
some value are occasionally picked up on the top of
a hill called the White Wisp. A large bleachrield
on the banks of the Devon has existed since 1787.
Fairs are held at Dollar on the 2d Monday of May,
the 3d Thursday of June, the 2d Monday of August,
and the 3d Monday of October. The greater part
of the parish formerly belonged to the Argyle family,
but in 1605 the whole property was feued out with
the exception of Castle-Campbell and two neighbour-
ing farms. Two ancient sepulchral tumuli are situat-
ed at a short distance from the town of Dollar. One
of them, on being opened about fifty years ago, was
found to contain two urns filled with human bones.
The most interesting remain of antiquity, however,
is CASTLE-CAMPBELL: which see. — The town of
Dollar is pleasantly situated on a rising ground in the
eastern part of the parish, and is 12 miles north-east
from Stirling, and about the same distance north-
west from Dunfermline, and south-west from Kin-
ross. The road from Stirling to the latter town
passes through it. Population of the parish in 1801,
693; in 1831, 1,447. Assessed property £1,629,
The population is not increasing. By a census taken
in 1836 it had fallen to 1,367, of which 1,036 belong-
ed to the Establishment and 274 to other denomina-
tions.— The parish of Dollar is in the presbytery of
Stirling, and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron,
Tait of Harvieston. Stipend, £158 10s. 7d. ; glebe
£18. Church built in 1775; sittings 340. — An
Original Seceder congregation was established here
in 1827. Church built in 1829 at a cost of about
£400 ; sittings 264. Stipend, £80, without manse
or glebe. — The parochial schoolmaster has a salary
of £25 17s. 9£d., with £12 school-fees, and £6 14s.
of other emoluments. Average attendance 35. — The
principal educational institution in the parish, how-
ever,, is the Dollar academy, which was established
in 1819, by a fund amounting, it is said, to nearly
£80,000, left by Captain John M'Nabb of Mile-end,
Stepney, in the county of Middlesex. The academy
is an elegant building. It is conducted by seven
teachers and three assistants, and the branches
taught are English, writing, arithmetic, Latin, Greek,
modern languages, mathematics, drawing, and sewing.
The number of scholars attending the academy in
1834 was 212. The management of the academy in
vested in the minister and kirk-session of Dollar.*
* The parish of Dollar is distinguished as having been (he
scene of the labours of one of the enrly BeuttUi m,ut)i>.
Thomas Forrest, who suffered death on (In* Castle-lull in Kdm-
burgh, in 1538, was vicar of Dollar. The following account of
this interesting person is given »y Dr. M Cree : "The other
person who suffered at that time was Tliomas Forrest, com.
mouly called the vicar of Dollar. I bhall add some pai (icniars
concerning this excellent man, which are not to be found in n.e
common ln.-ti.rie-. He was of the hon.-e of J-onet, or Foie.-c,
in Fife, and his father had been master-stabler to James IV.
Alter acquiring the rudiments of grammar in Scotland, he was
sent abroad by the kindness ot a noble wou.an, and prosecuted
his education at Cologne. Returning to his native country,
he was admitted a canon regular of Si. Colme's Inch. It hap-
pened that a dispute arose between the abbot and the canon»,
respecting the allowance due to them, and the latter got ti.e
book of foundation to examine into their rights. With the
view of inducing them to part with it, the abbot gave tbem a
volume of Augustine's works which was in the monastery.
4 On happy and blessed was that book to me,' did Fonest of en
say, ' by which I came to the knowledge of the truth !' Having
applied hnn-ell to the reading of tlie scriptures, he was the
means of converting a number of the young canons ; 'butn.e
old bottles,' he u-e<i to say, ' w-.uld not receive the hew M me.'
The ii'.b.ii frequently advised him to keep bis mind to h instil,
••i.-i- he would incur punishment. ' 1 thank you, my lord,1 \\ a»
his answer, -ye are a friend to my body, but not to my sou. '
ll>> u is .Jterwardh admitted to the vicarage ot Dollar, in winch
situation he rendered himself obnoxious to his brethren, by hi,
diligence in instructing his parish, and his benevolence in tree,
ing tbem from oppressive exaction.*. When the agents of the
pope came into his bounds to sell indulgences, he said, ' Parish.
iuii'-r- , 1 rim bound to speak the truth to you. There in uo
DOL
320
DON
DOLLAR-LAW, a mountain on the boundary,
line of Drummelzier and Manor parishes in Peebles-
shire. It rises 2,840 feet above the level of the sea,
find commands an extensive view over the Lothians,
Berwickshire, and Northumberland.
DOLL AS. See DALLAS.
DOLPHIXSTON, a hamlet in the shire of Had-
dington, and parish of Prestonpans ; 2 miles west of
Tranent; on the high road from Edinburgh to Had-
dington. Here are the ruins of a family-seat of the
Earls of Hyndford.
DOLPHINTON, a parish situated in the eastern
part of the upper ward of Lanarkshire. It is bounded
on the north by the parish of Dunsyre ; on the west
by Walston; and on the south and south-east by
Lintori and Kirkurd in Peebles-shire. It is a small
parish, extending three miles in length, from east to
west, by 2i in breadth, and contains 2,926 statute
acres. It is in a high-lying district, and contains a
mountain named Dolphinton-hill, which is computed
to rise 1,550 feet above the level of the sea; and
which may be considered to form one of the links of
the great mountain-chain which binds the island
from St. Abb's Head to Ailsa Craig. With the ex-
ception of a conical mount named Keir-hill, and
Dolphinton above named, the most of the parish is
arable, although the most of it lies at the elevation
of from 700 to 800 feet above the level of the sea.
The soil is generally of a dry friable earth or sandy
loam. It is intersected by the road from Biggar
to Edinburgh, and by the road to Peebles by Lin-
ton. Formerly, a weekly market and two annual
fairs were held at Dolphinton; but these have long
since fallen into desuetude; the corn, lint, waulk-
mills, &c., which once existed in the parish, have
also passed away ; and, altogether, by comparing
the present reality with charters still in existence,
it would appear that the parish is now a place of
much less consequence than it was in the olden time.
Population, in 1801, 231 ; in 1831, 305.— DolpHinton
is in the presbytery of Biggar, and synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale. Stipend £158 6s. 7d. ; glebe £27
I0o. The church is a very old building; sittings 140.
Patron, Lord. Douglas. The salary of the parochial
schoolmaster is £28 per annum, with £12 of school-
fees — Dolphinton is understood to have received its
name from the acquirement of the property by Dol-
fme, the eldest brother of Cospatrick, 1st Earl of
D unbar, sometime in the reign of Alexander I. How
long it remained in the possession of Dolfine's descend-
ants is not known, but it is certain that at an early
period the manor and patronage of the church be-
came a pertinent of the baronial territory of Both well.
After remaining for a time in the possession of the
house of Douglas, Dolphinton reverted to the Crown.
In 1483, James III. presented it to Sir James Ram^
say, one of the most accomplished of his favourites.
After the assassination of James, Ramsay was denuded
of the property, and James IV. conferred it, in 1488,
on the master of his household, Patrick Hepburn,
Lord Hales. In 1492, Hepburn exchanged Dolphin-
ton and other lands, with the Earl of Angus, for cer-
t tin territories in Liddesdale, including the important
castle of Hermitage; but the superiority was still
retained by the Hepburns till 1567, when it was for-
pard'Ui for our ,-ins that can corne to us, either from the pope or
any other, but only by the blood of Christ..' He composed a
short catechism. It was his custom to rise at six o'clock in the
morning and study tit mid-day. He committed three chapters
of the Bible to memory every day, and made his servant henr
him repent them at night. He was often summoned before the
bishops of Dtinkeld and St. Andrews. Thfse facts wen- com-
municated by his servant, Andrew Kirkie, in a It-tter to John
Davidson, who inserted them in 1m account of Scottish martyrs.
An amusing account of the vicar's examination before "the
bishop of Dunkeld may he seen in Fox ; and nn interesting ac.
••onnt of his trial in Pitscottie."— Life of John Knox, p. 388i last
edition.
feited along with the other domains of the ambiti
and unprincipled Earl of Both well. It after ware
passed into the hands of Francis Stewart, Earl
Bothwell, but again reverted to the Crown upon
attainder in 1593. Soon after this the ancestors
the present house of Douglas became proprietors, of tl
manor. During a long series of years subsequent!]
however, and up till the middle of the 18th century
the most of the parish was owned by a family of th
name of Brown, who were succeeded by marriage, ii
1755, by Mr. Kenneth M'Kerizie. It is worthy
notice that Major Learmont, one of the pious ar
devoted soldiers of the covenant, possessed the prc
perty of Newholm, in the parish of Dolphinton, ar
was an elder in the congregation. After the batt
of Pentlarid Hills — in which he commanded the
and only escaped after feats of the most desperat
valour — his property was forfeited, but it was bougl
back by his relative, the laird of Wishaw, for beh<
of his family. Notwithstanding that Learmont
one of those who were " hunted like partridges uj
the hills," it was his lot eventually to escape
enemies, and he died peacefully in his 88th year
1693. His remains rest in Dolphinton churchyard/
DOLPHtSTON, a small village in the shire
Roxburgh, parish of Oxnam. It is on the banks
the Jed, at the distance of 5J miles south-south -
bf Jedburgh. Here is an ancient tower said to ha\
been built by one Dolphus, from whom it took it
name. The walls are from 8 to 10 feet thick, buil
of hewn stone, and so closely cemented with lir
that it is found more difficult to obtain stories fror
it for building than from a quarry. It has been
tensive, and divided into small apartments by stc
partitions. Several vaulted apertures are in tl
middle of the walls, large enough for a small
and some of them so long as to be used by the tenant
for holding their ladders. On a rising ground,
little to the south, there is an area of a chain squan
which is said to have been a watch-tower or light
house, and seems to imply that Dolphiston
had been used as a fort or place of refuge.
DON (THE), a river in Aberdeenshire, next
the Dee in note and magnitude; though, like it als
of little commercial importance. It rises on the skir
of Ben Aven, 6 miles west of Curgarff, amonj
the mountains which bound Aberdeenshire on
south-west, at the head of Strath-Don, and whi(
divide it from the head of Strath-Deveron in Ban!
shire. Its source is considerably lower than that
the Dee: the altitude is 1,640 feet above sea-leve
Its course to a great distance, though not far fron
that of the Dee, is more towards the north when
the country is more level : hence it assumes a char
acter in almost every respect the reverse of the Dee
Running eastward in a very sinuous and by no mean
rapid course, through the whole breadth ot tin
country, it flows into the German ocean on the nortl
* Regarding the perils and adventures of this pious soldiei
the following facts are related : "For sixtet-n years every en
deavour was made to secure the major's person, tint he hi
v^tult dug under ground which long proved the means <>f satet
to him. It entered from a small dark cellar, which WHS used a
a pantry, at the foot of the inside stnir of the old mansion hous«
descended below the foundation of the building, and issued f
an abrupt bank of the Medwm, 4(5 yards di-xtant from the housi
where a feat-dike screened it from view. When the noise c
the cavalry reached the major's attentive ear, the blade m
tongs was applied to a sm;ill aperture fitted for the purpose <
raising a flat stone, which neatly covered the entrance to tr
vault; and before a door was opened the covenanter was s»l
Tradition says that the man-servant was three times ltd 01
blindfolded to be shot, because he would not betray the secre
Learmont having again taken the field atBnthwell brig, expos<
himself anew to the fury of the persecutors. By the treaclief
of a maidservant he was at last apprehended, «nd ordered
execution; but the sentence of death was commuted for imp'
soument on the Bass." [Note to New Statistical Account.]
The stones of this vault were long afterwards taken to bailc
garden wall, and no trace of it was of course found when Nev
holm-house was last rebuilt.
DON
321
DOG
side of Aberdeen. Its whole course is about (>2
miles ; though, in a direct line from its source to its
termination, the distance is only 41 miles. In its
originative course through the parish of Strathdon,
which it nearly divides into two equal parts, it is
joined, from both sides, by 7 or 8 minor rivers or
hums, separated from each other by considerable
bills, and most of them running through deep hol-
lows and glens. The principal of these are the
Earnon and the Nochtie. All these burns abound
with excellent trout ; and salmon is even here very
frequently found in the Don, at least towards the
lower end of this parish. Turning northwards, and
dividing for a short distance the parish of Glenbucket
from part of Migvie, it receives from the latter the
Deskry, and from the former the Bucket. Then
again flowing eastwards, it passes through the par-
ish of Towie ; and winding northwards, reinforced
by other tributaries, round Gorieshill, it at once be-
nes remarkably enlarged near Westside, after
ich it resumes its eastern route, dividing various
ishes, particularly Forbes and Alford, from the
ber of which, on the south, it derives the waters
the LOCHEL, the most considerable tributary it has
received ; see that article. In passing hitherto
through the high parts of the district of Alford, the
flows through a narrow gullet amongst the west-
mountains, while its banks are now partly wooded,
petually changing its course to the north and even
west, to the east and then through Monymusk
ish to the south, the next considerable tributary
ioh there enlarges it is the Ton burn from the
th, when immediately it turns to the north again
tween Kemnay and part of Chapel-Garioch par-
, and arrives at a point a little to the south of
-. royal burgh of Inverury, where, on its northern
ik, stands the Roman Catholic college of Aquhor-
a beautiful and delightfully situated edifice,
is point is about 16 miles from the mouth of the
', and its vicinity constitutes, perhaps, the most
resting as well as important part of its whole
rse. Here, at the Bass, a conical mount of
siderable elevation standing in the midst of the
confluence, it is joined by its principal tributary the
riyer Urie, from the district of Strathbogie. See
articles BASS OF INVERURY and THE URIE.
The Don, here very much increased by the water
the Urie, notwithstanding the previous diversion
large portion of its waters into the Inverury
j flows southward from the Bass, between
parish and the Ipvy lands of Kintore on the
th, and the mountainous part of Keithhall with
inkeU on the north. It divides, for a short dis-
ce, into two branches, which reunite, enclosing a
er-jsland to the north of the royal burgh of Kinr
Between Fintry and Dyce it is bprdered by
untains on both sides, with valuable plantations
the northern or Fintry side. It then runs south-
ds, still dividing the parishes on its line, to old
har parish in the freedom of the city of Aber-
n, whence it turns to the east, by the city or old
m, to its confluence with the sea, little more than
ile to the northward of the Dee, where it forms
ind of harbour, into which small craft may enter
safety, but where no trade of any importance can
carried on.*
As this river runs with considerable rapidity du,r
the last 8 miles of its course, and as the rocks at
inouth confine it to a narrow channel, and give it
About a century ȣ<>," cays Mr. Kennedy in his ' Annnls
lerdeen,' "the channel of the Don near the town WHS al-
, and the stream diverted straight into the sea nhout nniile
tr northward than its ancient ertiux." In a note, he adds,
I'rohubly at some very remote period, Don had continued its
rmer course still further southward down the hollow of the
<», till it united with Dee in the hurbour, and both together I distinguished solely by the
here n gloomy aspect, the idea of its flowing rapidly
through a rugged and mountainous country, where
10 space is left for forming even a commodious
road along its banks, is at first induced ; but after
passing upwards for about a mile beyond the rocky
chasm where was built the spacious, stately, and
attractive Gothic arch, constituting the celebrated
BRIG o' BALGOWNIE [which see] and up to whose
locality alone the Don is navigable even for small
craft, the hills recede so far from the river as to
form spacious haughs or level valleys on either side,
through which it winds in a slow majestic course for
many miles. Nor is the prospect here uniform, but
agreeably diversified ; the hills above Inverury ap-
proach close to the river, which seems to have forced
its way with difficulty through them, but all at once
it opens into another spacious plain, from which the
hills recede on either hand to a great distance, and
then close again ; and, after another temporary con-
finement among rocks and hills and woods, the river
once more waters another plain of great extent.
Such is the general character of the Don, — nowhere
rapid, but in general flowing through level fields so
little elevated above its usual surface, that, when
violent rain falls, it bursts its bounds at once, and
covers a great extent of country, which then appears
to be an immense body of water interspersed with
islands, houses, trees, and other rural objects. Too
often on these occasions it commits extensive and
calamitous depredations, — sweeping off whole fields
of corn, and leaving nothing behind but want and
desolation. The havoc it occasioned in August,
1829, will not be soon forgotten. Yet still its vales
are so fertile, and the crops they yield so early and
so excellent, since *a rood o' Don' — as our readers
have already been informed — is ' worth twa o' Dee,'
— that the husbandman is again and again tempted to
risk his all on these precarious fields.
The Don has some valuable salmon-fishings,
though by no means so valuable as those of the Dee.
A statement of the actual quantity caught in either
river, apart from the produce of the sea in this
vicinity, cannot however be given, as the Don fish-
ings are held by individuals who have also other fish-
ings, and are without any particular motive for dis-
tinguishing the portion contributed by each. The
fishing of a small space of the Don's banks, however,
not more than 300 or 400 yards in length, was not
long ago rented at £2,000. The coast of Don river
is fished by cruives, hang-nets, net and coble, stake-
nets, and bag-nets. The average produce of the
salmon a,nd grilse fisheries on this river, for seven
years previous to 1828, was 299 barrels; but the
average for the seven subsequent years rose to 419
barrels. Between the years 1790 and 1800, the
yearly average number of salmon and grilse, caught
in the Don, amounted to 43,240 ; while 36,240 was
the average number caught in the Dee during the
same period. But between 1813 and 1824, while the
average number of fish caught in the Don was 40 67 7,
the average of the Dee fishings was 51,862.
DONAN CASTLE. See KINTAIL.
DOON (THE), a river which traverses Ayrshire,
and, during the whole of its course in that county,
forms the boundary-line between the districts of
Carrick and Kyle. It is popularly said to originate
in Loch Doon, but really rises in two mountain-
streams from which that lake receives its principal
surplus waters. One of these streams, called Gal-
would form one stream into the ocean. Such eonjectnre is in
some measure confirmed hy the works of Ptolemy and Kichard
of Cirencester, there being no such river as Don delineated in
their maps, or even mentioned in their tables, while Diva (Dee)
and Itunii (Ythan) in the district of ilie Taixali, are particularly
Mtieed. lu the earlier records o! the burgh, the river Don U
name of Auua Borualith."
DOO
322
DOO
low-lane, wells up among the broad boundary moun-
tain-ridge of Kirkcudbrightshire, within half-a-mile of
the remote source of the Galloway Dee ; the other,
called Eagton-lane, issues from Loch Enoch, at the
boundary between Kirkcudbrightshire and Ayrshire ;
and both pursue a northerly course of about 7 miles,
till, at its southern extremity, they fall into Loch
Doon. At the northern extremity, whence the
united streams now called the Doon emerge, two
tunnels, cut out of the solid rock, receive the river,
[see next article,] and pour it impetuously down
into a deep gorge 300 feet deep, only about 30 feet
vvuie, arid a mile in length. For 2 miles from the
loch, the river flows due north ; and it then bends
gradually round, and, for about 7 miles, flows to the
north- west. Over all this distance, with the excep-
tion of the fine vale of Dalrnellington on its north-
ern bank, the grounds which press upon its verge
are, for the most part, heathy or unwooded knolls
and hills of chilly and uninviting aspect. About 2
miles below Patna it again bends, and, over a dis-
tance of 5 miles, flows westward ; and then, a little
below Cassilis-house, flows northward and to the
north of west, till it falls, 3 miles south of Ayr, into
the frith of Clyde. But, over its whole course from
below Patna to its embouchure, it describes numer-
ous -curvatures, sinuously wending round many a syl-
van knoll, and rioting at will among the beauties of
a delly and undulating landscape. Here its channel
is, for the most part, ploughed into a huge furrow
from 10 to 200 feet, and, at the top, from 30 to 150
yards wide, the sides of which are richly clothed in
natural wood and plantation. Such especially is its
appearance both above and below the point where
the river is spanned by ' the Auld Brig o' Doon,' and
flows past ' the haunted kirk of Alloway,' and over
all the space which was most familiar to the eye of
the Ayrshire bard.
DOON (Locn), a lake in Ayrshire, about 22
miles from the town of Ayr, and 4 miles from the
village of Dalmellington. It discharges its waters by
that romantic stream, the water of Doon, whose ' banks
and braes' have been rendered classic by the poetic
pen of our Scottish bard ; and near the margin of
which his countrymen have reared a monument to
his memory worthy of one of Scotland's greatest
sons. Loch Doon is about 8 miles in length, and
from half-a-mile to three quarters in breadth. Its
form is nearly that of the letter L ; the head of the
lake corresponding with the top of the letter, and
its lower extremity — where it discharges its waters
• — with the end of the horizontal line at the bottom.
The shores of this lake are wild and solitary, and
almost entirely devoted to sheep-pasture. The
mountains which enclose it are in many places of
considerable height, especially at the top of the lake
where they may be said to be lofty, and where their
outline is varied and beautiful. These are the Star
mountains, on the borders of the stewartry of Kirk-
cudbright, and from the base of which on this side,
the Doon may be said to take its rise ; \vhile the
Dee, which flows into the Solway frith, takes its
rise on the opposite side.* The level of the waters
of this lake has been considerably lowered from what
it formerly was by the operations of the proprietors,
and a portion of its bed laid dry. This — as in the
rase of Loch Leven in Kinross-shire — has lessened
unquestionably the beauty of the scenery, by the
exposure of tracts of barren sand and gravel, for-
merly covered with water ; and — like the operations
in Kinross-shire — has afforded no very useful result,
* There is a singular roinridenre between the names of the«e
two rivers, the Doon and the Dee, which thus have their ori-
gin an near, and th'»se of the Don aud the Dee, neighbour
stJ-' ains iu Abeidceushire.
so far as the ground on the shores of the lake \»
concerned. But, unlike those of Loch Leven, tl»e
operations on Loch Doon were not for the purpose of
receiving ground ; they had a more useful object in
view, and have been attended with more beneficial
results. Along the banks of the river Doon there
are some very extensive tracts of meadow-ground,
which were, after heavy rains, liable to be overflowed
by the accumulated waters from the lake. By per-
forating a bed of rock over which the lake used to
discharge itself, and forming tunnels, the usual level
of its waters has been lowered ; and, by erecting
sluices, the proprietors are enabled to regulate the
quantity of water which flows into the river, and
thus to prevent the damage to the grounds upon its
banks which used formerly to occur. These opera-
tions were executed by the Earl of Cassillis, and the
late Mr. M'Adarn of Craigengillan, the proprietors
of the lands on either side of the lake On a small
island at the head of Loch Doon are the ruins of an
ancient castle : it is constructed of large square stones,
and appears to have been a lofty tower of an octangu-
lar form. Of the history of this structure, or its
origin, we have not been able to obtain any satisfac-
tory account. The island, however, which is near-
est to the Carrick side of the lake, now belongs to
the Earl of Cassilis. In the early part of the 13th
century, the lands of Straiten — which are bounded
by a part of the lake — were held by John de Carrick,
a son of Duncan, Earl of Carrick. This baron was
engaged, in 1235, in a rebellion of the Galloway-
men, and committed injuries on several churches
within the diocese of Glasgow, which subsequently
cost him a grant of part of his lands, and the patron-
age of the church of Straiton ; but whether he or
his successors had any connection with the castle on
the island, we have been unable to ascertain. In
1823, several boats or canoes of great antiquity were
found sunk in the lake near this island. They were
all formed entirely from a single oak-tree hollowed
out; and were shaped somewhat like a fishing-cob-
ble. Three of them were raised, and two of them
are still preserved here ; and for that purpose have
been sunk in a pool of water, a short way from the
margin of the lake. One of these measured 20 feet
in length, by 3 feet 3 inches broad; the second, 16}
feet, by 2 feet 16 inches; the third, 22 feet, by 3
feet 10 inches. They are supposed to have lain in
the water between 800 and 900 years. These hav-
ing been found near the castle, would lead us to
suppose that they had been in some way connected
with it ; but their construction is certainly to be at-
tributed to an earlier people than those by whom the
castle was built. After leaving the lake, the water
of Doon flows for about a mile through a narrow
gulley or ravine, the scenery of which is very re-
markable. A lofty ridge of hills seems here to have
been rent asunder to afford an exit to the waters of
the lake ; and the rocky walls, which enclose this
singular hollow, yet exhibit marks on either side of
their former proximity. A walk has been con-
structed along the edge of the river, throughout the
whole length of this ravine, by which an easy op-
portunity is given to strangers of viewing its roman-
tic and picturesque scenery. On either hand, the
rocks rise to a great height, almost perpendicular, but
rugged and broken, and having their sides and their
summits magnificently festooned and ornamented
with a great variety of copse and trees. The scen-
ery is all of a close* character, but varied and inter-
esting, changing with every turn of the walk; now
presenting a rude vista of rock and wood, and again
a mural precipice which seems to bar farther progress;
while the effect of the whole is heightened by the
music of the river rushing along its broken channel,
bou
323
DOR
ami the winds among the branches of the trees,
which, " in the leafy month of June," almost ex-
clude a sight of the sky.
DORARY, a piece of hilly ground in the shire of
Caithness, though locally situated in the shire of
Sutherland. It belongs to the parish of Thurso, al-
though it is not within 4 miles of any part of that
parish. It is a part of the bishop's lands, and was a
shieling belonging to the bishops of Caithness. The
walls of the old chapel, called Gavin's Kirk, or
I Temple-Gavin, are still standing. The view from
its summit is very grand, and extensive.
DORE HOLM, one of the Shetland isles ; con-
stituting part of the parish of Northmaven. It is
situated in a spacious bay to the southward ; and
derives its name from a remarkable arch which passes
through its centre, which is so lofty and capacious as
to admit the boatmen to fish under it, and is lighted
by an opening at the top.
DORES, a parish in Inverness-shire, on the banks
of Loch Ness, which bounds it on the west side. On
the north it has Inverness ; on the east Daviot ; and
Boleskine on the south. It extends 25 miles in length,
and about 3 in average breadth. A district of the
parish, containing about 20 inhabitants, lies terri-
torially within the parish of Boleskine. The sur-
face is mountainous, having a narrow valley running
nearly the whole length of the parish. The soil is
light. The proportion of arable land is very small,
by far the greater part being fit only for sheep-pas-
ture. Besides LOCH NESS, [see that article,] which
with its environs furnishes a beautiful landscape,
there are two or three smaller lakes in the district
which abound with trout. At the distance of 3 miles
from Loch Ness are the vestiges of a fort called
Dun-Richuan, or 'the Castle of the King of the
Ocean,' a name which it is supposed to have re-
ceived at a period when the king of Norway and
Denmark was master of the sea. A little to the east
of this fort there are several cairns, and one almost
equal in size to all the rest : Tradition says, that
Fingal here engaged in battle Ashi, the son of the
king of Norway, and killed him, which gave the
name of Drum- Ashi, or ' Ashi's hill,' to the scene
where this event happened. About 9 miles distant,
there is another fort called Dun-Dardell, which is
said to have been one of the many forts in the great
valley, extending from the German ocean at Inver-
ness, to the Atlantic at Fort- William, that were in-
tended for making signals, by fire, of the enemy's
approach, during the times of the Danish and Nor-
wegian incursions. The rocky ground under this
fort is particularly grand. Population, in 1801,
1,313; in 1831, 1,736. Assessed property, in 1815,
£3,264. Houses 365.— This parish is in the presby-
tery of Inverness and synod of Moray. Patron, the
Karl of Cawdor. Stipend £141 2s. 8d. ; glebe £8
3s. 4d. Unappropriated teinds £18 17s. 9d. Church
built in 1827-28 ; sittings 500. There is a preach-
ing-station at Torness, in the district of Stratherrick,
in the south-western extremity of the parish —
Schoolmaster's salary £30, with £10 fees. Tlu-re
are 2 private schools.
DORLIN FERRY. See MORVERN.
DORNIE. See KINTAIL.
DORNOCH,* a parish in the county of Suther-
* " The town and parish of Dornoch derive their name from
the Gaelic words Dorn-Eich, which signifies 'a horse's foot' or.
'iHM.f;' concerning which the current tradition in as follow*.
About the year |vft!>, the Danes and Norwegians, having made
H descent on this coast, were attacked by William, Thane or
Karl .it .Sutherland, a quarter of a mile to the eastward of tins
town. Here the Danish general was slain, and his army
beaten, and forced to retire to their ship*, which were not far
distant The 1 bane greatly »ifflMilE#d himself upon tlii* occa-
unu; and appears l>y liis personal valour and exertion, to have
contributed very much lo determine Mie fate of the day
land, extending 9 miles along the frith of Dornoch,
and from north- west to south-east about 15 miles.
It is bounded on the north by Rogart, and by the
Loch of Fleet, which separates it from Golspie ; on
the south-east and south by the Dornoch frith ; and on
the west by Criech. The district of Kainauld and Rhi-
musaig is isolated from the rest of the parish by the
Fleet, and surrounded by the parishes of Golspie and
Rogart. The shores are flat and sandy, but the sur-
face gradually rises as it approaches the hilly districts
towards the north and west. The soil is sandy, ap-
proaching to loam as it recedes from the coast. The
small river Evlix or Evelicks, which rises in Strath
Achvaich, arid falls into the frith near the Meikle-
ferry, after a course of 9 miles, affords a few salmon
and trout. In the hilly district there are three or
four small lakes, the largest of which is about a mile
in length. There are several quarries of whinstone,
and one of excellent freestone near the town of Dor-
noch. Upon an eminence not far from the Little
ferry, is the old castle of Skelbo. Not far from
the Earl's cross, mentioned in a previous note,
is the spot where an unhappy creature was burned
in 1722, for the imaginary crime of witchcraft, in
transforming her daughter into a pony, and getting
her shod by the Devil ! This was the last instance
of these frantic executions in the North of Scotland ;
as that, in the South, was at Paisley, in 1697.f
Population of the town and parish in 1801,2,362;
in 1831, 3,380. Houses, in 1831, 628. Assessed
property £3,484. Besides the town of Dornoch, there
are two villages within the parish, — the fishing vil-
lage of Embo, with a population of about 200, and
the inland village of Clashmore, which is not so large.
— This parish is in the presbytery of Dornoch and
synod of Sutherland and Caithness. Patron, the
Duke of Sutherland. Stipend £266 15s. 4d. ; glebe
£10. The parish-church is the renewed cathedral
church of Dornoch described in the following article.
Sittings 900.— Schoolmaster's stipend £3t> 6s. There
are 6 private schools.
DORNOCH, a royal burgh in the above parish, is
situated on the north coast of the frith of Dornoch,
nearly opposite to the burgh of Tain, which lies on
the south side of the frith. It is 201 miles north by
west of Edinburgh ; and 12 south-west of Golspie.
The population, in 1831, was 504; the number of
houses 109; and the assessed property, in 1815,
£3,180. Although within a mile of the Great North
road, the municipal commissioners report that " there
appears to be no inducement for so altering the line
as to make that road pass through the town." It is
While he singled out the Danish general, and gallantly fought
hi* way onward, the Thane being by some accident disarmed,
seized the leg of a h»r-e which lay on the ground, and with that
despatched his adversary. In honour of this exploit, and of the
weapon with which it was achieved, this place received the.
name of Dorneich, or Dornoch, a- it is now called. This tra-
dition is countenanced hy the li»rse.«lme, which is still retained
in tlu> ;irm> of the Imrgh. In memory of the same event, a
stone pillar was erected on the spot, xupporting at the top a
cross encompassed hy a circle, which went under the name of
the Earl's cross. Standing on a sandy hillock, it was gradually
undermined by the wind-.; several years ago it tumbled down,
and was broke to p'eces ; at present, only scaitered 1 momenta
of it remain." [Old Statistical Account. j— This cross has re.
cently been repaired und re-erected.
f Neither England nor Ireland was much in advance of
Scotland in respect of this miserable super>tilinii. la 169-1, H
girl, nineteen years of age, in the town of Antrim, having
eaten a loaf of sorrel which she got from a woman reputed to
be a witch, fell into convulsion* and vomiting. Site is said to
have vomited horse-dung, needles, pins, feathers, bottoms of
thread, pieces of glass, nails, an iron knile above a span in
length, egg-shells, &c. The accused was immediately com.
mitted to tiie county-prison, and at the assi/.es held soon after,
was hanged and burned! In 1716, Mrs. Hicks and her daugh-
ter, only nine years of age! were hanged at Huntingdon, tor
selling their souls to the Devil, and tormenting und destroying
tn.-ir neighbours, by making them vomit pins, nnd raising
a storm I The act a:rninst witchcraft. WHS repealed in England
and Scotland about 1700, but not in Ireland until 18^1 .'
DOR
324
DOR
literally a village, consisting of a church, a gaol, and
a very few houses ; and has been decreasing for se-
veral years, although it is the county-town, and the
seat of the sheriff-depute. By charter of Charles II,,
dated July 14th, 1628, Dornoch was erected into a
royal burgh, with the ordinary privileges, but a re-
servation in favour of the Earl of Sutherland's here-
ditary rights. The town-clerk reports that, " the
family of Sutherland have, and especially of late have
claimed, as interjected superiors, a right to certain
feus within what is termed the royalty of the burgh
of Dornoch, but the declarant has no access to know
on what written title this right is founded ; and it
consists with his knowledge that there are various
tenements within the burgh who still hold by writ-
ten titles, in burgage of and under the magistrates as
superiors, and infeft by hasp and staple." The
revenue of the burgh is £3 15s, To manage this
large income, there are 14 councillors, over whom
the Duke of Sutherland, the wealthiest nobleman in
Britain, is provost ! It was formerly governed by a
provost, 4 bailies, a dean-of-guild, treasurer, and 12
councillors. Along with Tain, Dingwall, Wick, Cro-
marty, and Kirkwall, it unites in sending a member
to parliament. Its parliamentary constituency, in
1839, was 22. The property of the burgh consists
of the links in the neighbourhood, which, for the
year 1832-3, were let by public roup, for the sum of
£2 Is. A right to a salmon-fishing appears also to
have been claimed, but never to have been rendered
effectual. The rest of the annual income is derived
from custom and market-dues. Small, however, as
the revenue is, no debts are owing by this burgh ;
and no taxes or assessment are imposed. A claim is
made for a very extensive and apparently undefined
royalty, greatly exceeding the parliamentary boun-
daries ; but the territory over which jurisdiction has
been exercised is understood to be limited to what
may be called the burgh proper. The magistrates
appoint the town-officers and gaolers. The salaries
are, town-clerk, £5 3s. 4d. ; head-gaoler, £20 ; and
under-gaoler, £15. These salaries are paid out of
the common good, as far as it will go ; but, it being
inadequate, the difference has for many years been
made up by the Duke of Sutherland. The burgh
has no church or school patronage. There being
no privilege attached to burgess-ship, there are no
burgesses. — Dornoch was formerly the seajt of the
bishop of Caithness. The precise time of the erec-
tion of the see is not ascertained, Andrew, bishop
of Caithness, is witness to a donation by David I. to
the monastery of Dtmfermline. He was bishop here
in 1150, and is probably the first of whom there is
any authentic account. In 1222 Gilbert Murray was
consecrated bishop here. While yet a young man,
and a canon of the church of Moray, Murray greajtly
distinguished himself in behalf of *the independence
of the Scottish church. Attempts had been made
to bring the clergy of that church under the juris-
diction of the Archbishop of York, The project
was not only patronized by the King of England,
but favoured by the Pope's legate, who held a con-
vention on the subject at Northampton, in presence
of the Kings of England and Scotland, in 1176,
Murray was one of the inferior clergy, who attended
the Scottish bishops cited by the legate on this oc-
casion. After the legate had addressed a speech to
the convention, warmly recommending the measure
in contemplation, a long silence ensued, — the bishops
of Scotland being intimidated by the legate's pres-
ence and authority. At length, Murray arose, and
asserted the independence of his church, in terms of
such manly determination and vigorous eloquence as
at once revived the courage of his associates, and ex-
torted the applause of his adversaries ; whereupon
, the legate, apprehending that he had spoken the pre-
vailing sentiments of his country, broke up the as-
sembly. The young orator was, on his return home,
[ universally caressed, and afterwards promoted to the
| see of Caithness. He built the cathedral of Dornoch ;
I and died at Scrabster, in Caithness — where the bishops
j had also a residence — in 1245. A statue of him is
still shown in the church here, under the name of
St. Gilbert ; but it is not entire. The last bishop,
Andrew Wood, was translated here from the Isles,
in 1680, and remained till the Revolution — Some
writers tell us, that Dornoch was also the seat of
one of the monasteries of the Trinity, or Red Friars,
otherwise called Mathurines, — from their house at
Paris dedicated to St. Mathurine, The great pro-
fessed object of the institution of this order appears
to have been the redemption of Christian captives;
to which purpose a third part of their revenue is said
to have been destined. " Tertio vero pars," says
their constitution, " reseryetur ad redemptionem
captivorum, qui sunt incarcerati, pro fide Christi, a
Paganis." Of 13 of these monasteries, which are
said to have subsisted in Scotland at the Reforma-
tion, one was at Dornoch, founded in 1271 by Sir
Patrick Murray. Not the smallest vestige of the
building, however, can now. be traced ; the very site
of it is unknown at this day. The lands belonging
to the ministry of Berwick were given to this place,
after that city had fallen into the hands of the
English — Here stand the ruins of the bishop's castle,
which appears to have been a stately and sumptu-
ous edifice. The two upper stories of an old tower,
formerly a part of the palace, have been converted
into a county-gaol About the year 1567, George,
Earl of Caithness, who claimed the wardship of Alex-
ander, Earl of Sutherland, then a minor, had got the
person of the latter into his possession. A tribe cf
Murrays, inhabiting this part of the country, who
were firmly attached to the noble family of Suther-
| land, and beheld the conduct of Caithness with a
jealous eye, contrived to get the minor conveyed
from Caithness, and put under the protection ol the
Earl of Huntly. Caithness in revenge invaded this
country, by his son John, who invested the town
and castle of Dornoch, of which the Murrays had
possessed themselves. Several skirmishes took place
with various success. The Murrays, no longer a" "
to maintain the ground they had occupied, reti
to the castle. Upon this the master of Caithi
burnt the town and cathedral ; but the besieged
fended themselves in the castle for a month long
At length, however, they were obliged to capitulate
having undertaken to depart out of Sutherland wit" '
two months, and delivered three hostages into
hands of the conquerors. The Murrays fulfill
their engagement; yet the hostages were treach
ously murdered The fine church of Dornoch stan
in the centre of the little town. It is as iiearl
as possible a fac simile of the old cathedral, t
proportions and elaborate decorations having
carefully copied. It cost ^-C.OOO, which was solel
defrayed by the Duchess-countess of Sutherland.
Unfortunately, it has so loud an echo inside, tha
the minister's voice is nearly unintelligible to a
of the congregation.
DORNOCH FRITH (THE), sometimes call
the frith of Tain, is that arm of the sea which
vides the southern parts of Sutherland from the
county of Ross. The entrance of this frith i»
nearly 15 miles wide, but gradually becomes nar-
rower, till, about 3 miles west of the town of Dor-
noch, its breadth is not more than 2 miles. Here
is a ferry called the Meikle-ferry. After this it
becomes much wider, forming an inner harbour uf
bay where another ferry is established, called *Jie
aaiu.
that
part
iled
cli-
DOR
3-25
DOU
I.ii tie-ferry. At this ferry is an excellent roadstead,
where vessels of considerable burden can lie at
anchor ; but a bar runs across the entrance. On
the Sutherland coast, too, in calm weather, vessels
of small burden may lie in safety ; but a formidable
bar extends from this coast almost to the south
side of the frith, called, from the incessant noise,
the Gizzing Briggs. The banks, however, forming
this bar, are not so closely connected but that ves-
sels may enter with safety under the direction of a
pilot. The shores produce shell-fish, and the banks
abound with cod and haddocks ; but no vigorous
exertion has been made to render these fisheries an
object of importance.
DORNOCK,* a parish on the Solway frith, in the
district of Annandale, Dumfries-shire. A small part
of it, in the form of a pentagon, and containing an
area of about a square mile, is detached from the
main body, and lies about i a mile to the north,
bounded on the west by Annan, and on the other three
sides by Kilpatrick-Fleming. The main-body, which
also is pentagonal, is bounded on the north-east by
Kirkpatrick-Flerning ; on the east, by Gretna; on
the south by the Solway frith ; and on the west
and north-west by Annan. The extreme length of
the parish, including both parts, but not the inter-
mediate space, is 4 miles ; its extreme breadth 2£
miles ; and its area 3,880 acres. Nearly the whole
surface is cultivated, and well-enclosed. The soil,
in general, is loam on brick earth ; and, though ra-
ther damp in winter, is productive of luxuriant
crops. Neither coal nor limestone has been found ;
but freestone is plentiful. A brook rises in Robgill-
moss, a small bog in the northern or detached part,
and traverses the main-body through nearly its centre.
Perennial springs of the purest water abound. Kirtle
water washes the north-east boundary, and contains
a few trouts, eels, pike, and perch. The coast is about
2>i miles in extent, and is low and sandy. The Sol-
way frith is here 2 miles wide, and fordable during
the recess of the tide. Fearful accidents, however,
are liable to assail any passenger not intimately ac-
quainted with the peculiarities of the path. The
tide flows with the rapidity of a race-horse, and comes
careering along with a breast of waters 4 or 5 feet
high. Great quantities of salmon, grilse, and floun-
ders, are here caught, chiefly by means of trap-stake-
nets, and sent off to the market of Carlisle. The
parish is traversed from east to west by the great
road from Carlisle to Port-Patrick ; and is other-
wise well-provided with means of communication.
As to antiquities, there are remains of a Roman mi-
litary road, a druidical temple, and a strong square
tower, — the last is on the estate of the Marquis of
Annandale. Various and remarkable tomb-stones,
one or two of considerable antiquity, are to be seen
in the burying-ground. On what was anciently a
moor in the parish, a battle is traditionally said to
have been fought between the Scotch and English,
the former commanded by Sir William Brown of
Coalston, and the latter by Sir Marmaduke Lang-
dale and Lord Crosby. The English, it is said,
were defeated, and both of their commanders slain,
nnd afterwards interred in Dornock churchyard.
Two stones, each 6£ feet long, 2 broad, and raised
:n the middle like a coHin, mark the place of the re-
rorted interment. On the sides of these tombs are
"ut hieroglyphics, like the broad leaves of plants,
wul other antique figures quite unintelligible. A
rpring-urell on the spot where the battle was fought,
IM still called Sword-well, and probably acquired the
* The name is derived either from the Gaelic Durnochd,
Vhi.-li utilities 'the bare or nakt-d water;' or from Tor or Dor,
' «n oak,' mid n»,-k, ' a knoll or lull,' biguifyiiig jointly, 'an
e-m-cuvered eminence*1
v-u(-cuveri
name from some swords of the defeated having been
found in its vicinity. The village, or hamlet of
Dornock, a poor and unimportant place, stands on
the great highway, 3 of a mile from the shore. Po-
pulation of the parish, in 1801, 788; in 1831, 752.
Houses 148. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,135.
— Dornock, formerly a rectory, is in the presbytery
of Annan, and synod of Dumfries. Patron, the Duke
of Buccleuch. Stipend £208 3s. 6d. ; glebe -t25.
Church built in 1793 ; sittings 300.— Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s., with £24 other emoluments. There
are 2 schools non- parochial.
DOUGLAS, a large parish in the upper ward ot
Lanarkshire ; bounded by the parish of Lesmahagow
on the north and north-west ; Carmichael and Wistou
on the east; Roberton and Crawfordjohn on the
south-east and south; and Muirkirk in Ayrshire on
the west. In length it extends upwards of 12 miles,
and varies from 4 to 7 in breadth. According to the
New Statistical Account, its superficial area contains
about 28,004 Scots acres, of which 3,816 are arable,
22,376 pasture, 1,492 wood, and 320 flow-moss. It
is watered by the Douglas, which rises in Cairntable,
and after a course of about 16 miles, falls into the
Clyde, and greatly swells the volume of its waters.
The Douglas water in its course receives several
streamlets, which lend beauty if not fertility to the
parish ; the names of which are the Peniel, Monks,
Podowrin, Kinnox, Glespin, Parkburn, and Craig--
burn. The aspect of the parish is one which pos-
sesses in a considerable degree the elements of rural
loveliness, presenting as it does all the pleasing-
alternations of hill and dale, woodland and streamlet .
Cairntable rises to the height of more than 1,600
feet above the level of the sea, and generally the
parish is high-lying, none of it being at a lower ele-
vation than 650 feet above the sea-level, and nearly
40 miles distant from the coast in every direction.
As has been stated, by far the larger portion of the
superficies of the parish is laid out for pasture, and
the stock of sheep which it maintains is estimated at
nearly 16,000 head. " The winds generally blow
impetuously about the time of the equinox, and fre-
quently in autumn shake a deal of corn. They blow
mostly from the south-west, which being the direc-
tion of the river, and the banks high on each side,
what would be accounted a moderate breeze in other
places, is here often a kind of hurricane." [Statis-
tical Account of 1792.]— But although this is a dis-
trict of which it may be occasionally said, that
" Winter lingering chills the lap of May,"
it is an extremely healthy one, and instances of
longevity among the inhabitants are frequent. The
parish is rich in mineral wealth, and such is the
thickness and abundance of the seams of coal, that
the supply, it has been stated, will be exhaustless for
centuries. Much of it is sold out of the parish to
a considerable distance. Limestone and freestone
are worked, and the presence of ironstone has been
ascertained. In the year 1 792 a small cotton spinning
and weaving factory was established at Douglas vil-
lage, by a Glasgow company. After having been in
existence for a few years, it was discontinued; but a
manufacturing connexion having been then formed
with Glasgow, it is still kept up, and the greater
portion of the inhabitants of the village of Douglas
are employed in the trade of handloom weaving. In
early times the village of Douglas, in addition to
being a burgh-of-barony, was a place of considerable
importance, and its magistrates possessed the power
of life and death over culprits; but, like many other
towns in Scotland which basked in the sunshine of a
feudal chief, it has survived its pristine dignity. The
post roud from Edinburgh to Ayr by Carnwath,
326
DOUGLAS.
Muirkirk, and Cumnock, passes through the parish
from east to west ; arid the Great London road
from Glasgow to Carlisle runs through it for 7
miles from north-west to south-east. The most pro-
minent feature in the parish is Douglas castle, the
princely residence of Lord Douglas. It was built by
the last Duke of Douglas, shortly after the conflagra-
tion of the former castle, in 1760. At the time of
his lordship's death only one wing had been com-
pleted ; but even in this state the building is a stately
one, and has a noble appearance. Independently of
the intense historical interest which must ever at-
tach to the residence of "the Douglas," there is
a melancholy association connected with Douglas
castle, as being the scene of " Castle Dangerous," the
last novel of Sir Walter Scott, and the last place to
which he made a pilgrimage in Scotland. The pre-
face to this work was transmitted by Sir Walter from
Naples in 1832, and contains the following passage : —
" The author, before he had made much progress in
this, probably the last of his novels, undertook a
journey to Douglasdale, for the purpose of examin-
ing the remains of the famous castle, the kirk of St.
Bride of Douglas, the -patron-saint of that great
family, and the various localities alluded to by Gods-
croft, in his account of the early adventures of Good
Sir James ; but though he was fortunate enough to
find a zealous and well-informed cicerone in Mr.
Thomas Haddovv, and had every assistance from the
kindness of Mr. Alexander Finlay, the resident
chamberlain of his friend Lord Douglas, the state of
his health at the time was so feeble that he found
himself incapable of pursuing his researches, as in
better days he would have delighted to do, and was
obliged to be contented with such a cursory view of
scenes, in themselves most interesting, as could be
snatched in a single morning, when any bodily exer-
tion was painful. Mr. Haddow was attentive enough
to forward subsequently some notes on the points
which the author had seemed desirous of investigat-
ing ; but these did not reach him until, being obliged
to prepare matters for a foreign excursion in quest of
health and strength, he had been compelled to bring
his work, such as it is, to a conclusion. The re-
mains of the old castle of Douglas are inconsiderable.
They consist, indeed, of but one ruined tower, stand-
ing at a short distance from the modern mansion,
which itself is only a fragment of the design on which
the Duke of Douglas meant to reconstruct the edifice,
after its last accidental destruction by fire. His
Grace had kept in view the ancient prophecy, that,
as often as Douglas castle might be destroyed it
fehould rise again in enlarged dimensions and improv-
ed splendour, and projected a pile of building, which,
if it had been completed, would have much exceeded
a;iy nobleman's residence then existing in Scotland ;
as, indeed, what has been finished, amounting to
ubout one-eighth* of the plan, is sufficiently exten-
si ve for the accommodation of a large establishment,
and contains some apartments the extent of which
are magnificent. The situation is commanding ; and
though the Duke's successors have allow i-ii the man-
sion to continue as he left it, great expense has
been lavished on the environs, which now present a
vast sweep of richly undulated woodland, stretching
to the borders of the Cairntable mountains, repeat-
edly mentioned as the favourite retreat of the great
ancestor of the family in the days of his hardships and
persecution. There remains at the head of the ad-
joining ixtury, the choir of the ancient church of St.
Bride, having beneath it the vault which was used,
was
the
till lately, as the burial-place of this princely
and only abandoned when their stone and "leaden
coffins had accumulated, in the course of five or six
hundred years, in such a way that it could accommo-
date no more. Here a silver case, containing the
dust of what was once the brave heart of Good Sir
James, is still pointed out ; and in the dilapidated
choir above appears, though in a sorely ruinous state,
the once magnificent tomb of the warrior himself." .
The old church of Douglas was called St. Bride,
from being dedicated to St. Bridget or St. Bride.
It is a place of great antiquity, and the spire, and
aisle which was used as the burying-place of the
family of Douglas, are still preserved. The new bury,
ing-place is beneath the present church, arid contains
the coffins of the last Duke and Duchess of Douglas,
the late Lord Douglas, and others of his kindred.
The monuments in the old kirk of St. Bride's are
said to have been wantonly mutilated by a party of
Cromwell's troopers, who made the edifice u stable
for their horses, and at a still later period by the mis-
chievous propensity of the boys of the place, who for
a length of time had free access to the aisle. Even
in their mutilated state some of the monuments are
exquisitely beautiful, and Sir Walter Scott says of
the tomb of the Good Sir James, that "the momi- '
merit, in its original state, must have been not in-
ferior in any respect to the best of the same period
in Westminster abbey." The parish of Douglas is
celebrated in another respect than from its associa-
tion with the noble family of that i.ame; for it
upon Auchinsaugh hill, \v'tl?in its bouvn1*, that
covenanters met, on the 26th of July, 1712, and en-
gaged in a formal renewal of the solemn league and
covenant. It was in this place, too, that the Canu--
roriian regiment — now the 26th of the line — \\^*
imbodied in defence of the Protestant government of
the Prince of Orange. They were mustered on a
field near the town of Douglas, in April, 1689, under
the command of Lord Angus, eldest son of the Mar-
quis of Douglas. — Douglas forms part of the presby-
tery of Lanark, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
According to the curliest record, this parish belonged
to the monks of Kelso, from whom it passed into tin
hands of the Douglas family, and the patronage hi
been retained by them from the 12th century to tin
present time, — Lord Douglas being proprietor
nine-tenths of the parish. The rectory of the pari
was established as a prebend of the cathedral chui
of Glasgow, previous to 1500, and at the Reform*
tion was held by Archibald Douglas, at which tii
the benefice was valued at .£200 yearly. This per
son was actively concerned in the murder of Davi<
Rizzio, and afterwards obtained a pardon for hi
crime. In 1568 he was appointed a lord of sesi
by the Regent Murray, in the room of Leslie, Bish
of Ross, who was dismissed. Population, in I8l
1,730; in 1831, 2,549, of whom about one-half i
side in the village. The valued rental is .£3,989
6d. ; the real rental nearly £8,450. It is made
as follows: .£3,816 from arable land; £4, 134 from
pasture ; and about £500 from minerals. Stipend
£250 7s. 6d. Unappropriated teinds £135 11s. 2d.
Patron, Lord Douglas. The manse was built in
1828. There is a Secession church, and a Camer-
onian meeting-house in the parish. The salary
of the parochial teacher is £34 4s. with school-
tees. There are 3 other schools, riot parochial, in
the parish.
The whole family of Douglas, " whose coronet so
often counterpoised the crown," and which has so
' closely linked the district of Douglasdale to Scottish
j closely iinKea tne district or uougiasaaie to acottisn
* it is possible that in thi< statement Sir Walter may have story, is said to have been founded by Theobald, a
*,.. mfstaKe,, ,,r m,«i,,.onn,d, f»r in tiu- N,w statistical AC- j Fleming> who acquired these lands at a very early
j period. The first great man of the house, however,
count, the minister of the p»rush stntes the portion erected Com-
prises two-fifths of ttie original plau.
DOUGLAS.
3-27
"the Good Sir James," who was the friend and
i pan ion of Robert the Bruce in his valorous
to achieve the independence of Scotland,
own castle of Douglas had been taken and gar-
ned by the troops of Edward I., and he resolved
take it, and at the same time inflict signal chas-
iinent on the intruders. History tells us that a
iutiful English maiden, named the Lady Augusta
Berkely, had replied to her numerous suitors that
hand should be given to him who should have
courage and the ability to hold the perilous castle
Douglas for a year and a day ; and Sir John de
Iton, anxious to win by his valour such a lovely
.-, undertook the keeping of the castle by consent j
Edward. For several months he discharged his I
tv with honour and bravery, and the lady now
ling his probation accomplished, and not unwill-
perhaps to unite her fortunes to one who had
>ved himself a true and valiant knight, wrote him
epistle recalling him. By this time, however, he
received a defiance from Douglas, who declared
it despite all his bravery and vigilance, the castle
ild be his own by Palm Sunday ; and De Walton
led it a point of honour to keep possession till
threatened day should pass over. On the day
led Douglas having assembled his followers, as-
led the English as they retired from the church,
" having overpowered them took the castle. Sir
m de Walton was slain in the conflict, and the
jr of his lady-love being found in his pocket,
ed the generous and good Sir James " full
jly." The account of this taking of the Castle
of Douglas, given in ' the History of the Houses of
Douglas and Angus, by Master David Hume of Gods-
ft,' is somewhat different from the above, and
that Sir James had drawn Sir John de Walton,
an ambuscade, out from the castle into the open
intry, where he fell on his band, killed their leader,
took the castle. The stronghold was more than
taken, retaken, burnt, and rebuilt, during the
life of the Good Sir James, and the account of one of
these successful assaults upon it, given by the same
veracious chronicler — David Hume — is as follows :
" The manner of his taking it is said to have beene
thus — Sir James taking with him only two of his
servants, went to Thomas Dickson of whom he was
received with tears, after he had revealed himself to
him, for the good old man knew him not at first,
being in mean and homely apparel. There he kept
him secretly in a quiet chamber, and brought unto
him such as had been trusty servants to his father,
iiot all at once, but apart by one and one, for fear of
discoverie. Their advice was, that on Palm Sunday,
when the English would come forth to the church,
and his partners were conveened, that then he should
tthe word, and cry 'the Douglas slogan,' and
ently set upon them that should happen to be
e, who being despatched the castle might be
taken easily. This being concluded, and they come,
so soon as the English were entred into the church
with palms in their hands, (according to the custom
of that day,) little suspecting or fearing any such
ig, Sir James, according to their appointment,
.«•,; too soon, (a Douglas, a Doughs!) which being
••"•1 in the church, (this was St. Bride's church of
;l;ts, ) Thomas Dickson, supposing he had beene
rd at hand, drew out his sword and Fan upon them,
iving none to second him but another man, so that,
•M'pivssed by the number of his enemies, he was
beaten downe and slaine. In the meantime, Sir
James being come, tin: English that were in the
chancel kept off the Scots, and having the advantage
ot the strait and narrow entrie, defended themselves
manfully. But Sir James, encouraging his men, not
*o much by words as by deeds and good example,
and having slam the boldest resisters, prevailed at
last, and entring the place, slew some twenty-six of
their number, and tooke the rest, about ten or twelve
persons, intending by them to get the castle upon
composition, or to enter with them when the g«tei
should be opened to let them in; but it needed not,
for they of the castle were so secure that there was
none left to keep it, save the porter and the cooke,,
who knowing nothing of what had hapned at the
church, which stood a large quarter of a mile from
thence, had left the gate wide open, the porter stand-,
ing without, and the cooke dressing the dinner with-
in. They entred without resistance, and meat being
ready, and the cloth laid, they shut the gates and
took their refection at good leasure. Now that he
had gotten the castle into his hands, considering with
himself (as he was a man no lesse advised than
valiant) that it was hard for him to keep it, the
English being as yet the stronger in that countrey,
who if they should besiege him, he knewe of no re-
liefe, he thought it better to carry away such things
as be most easily transported, gold, silver, and appa-
rell, with ammunition and armour, whereof he had
greatest use and need, and to destroy the rest of the
provision, together with the castle itselfe, than to
dimiziish the number of his followers there where it
could do no good. And so he caused carry the meale
and meat, and other conies and grain into the cellar,
and laid all together in one heape : then he took the
prisoners and slew them, to revenge the death of his
trustie and valiant servant, Thomas Dickson, mingling
the victuals with their bloud, and burying their car-
kasses in the heap of come : after that he struck out
the heads of the barrells, and puncheons, and let the
drink runn through all; and then he cast the car-
kasses of dead horses and other carrion amongst it,
throwing the salt above all, so to make all together
unuseful to the enemie ; and this cellar is called yet
the Douglas lairder. Last of all he set the house on
fire, and burnt all the timber, and what else the fire
could overcome, leaving nothing but the scorched
walls behind him." — In 1312-13, Sir James took the
castle of Roxburgh, and the following year com-
manded the centre of the Scottish army at the battle
of Bannockburn. In 1317, the English were de-
feated by him, under the Earl of Arundel. In 1319,
Sir James, in conjunction with Randolph, Earl of
Murray, entered England by the west marches with
1,500 men, routed the English under the archbishop
of York, eluded Edward II., and returned with hon-
our to Scotland. When Robert the Bruce was on
his deathbed, in 1329, he sent for his true friend and
companion in arms the Good Sir James, and requested
him, that so soon as his spirit had departed to Him
who gave it, he should proceed with his heart and
deposit it with humility and reverence, at the sepul-
chre of our Lord at Jerusalem. Douglas resolved to
carry the request of the eying king into execution,
and it appears that for this purpose he received a
passport from Ed ward III., dated September 1, 1329.
He set sail in the following year with the heart of
his honoured master, accompanied by a splendid re-
tinue. Having anchored off Sluys, he was informed
that Alphonso XL, the king of Leon and Castile,
was engaged in hostilities in Grenada with the Moor-
ish commander Osmyn; and this determined him to
pass into Spain, and assist the Christians to combat
the Saracens, preparatory to completing his journey
to Jerusalem. Douglas and his friends were warmly
received by Alphonso, and having encountered the
Saracens at Theba, on the frontiers oi Andalusia, on
August 25, 1330, they were routed. I >ou^las eagerly
followed in the pursuit, and taking the casket which
continued the heart of JJruce, he threw it before him,
exclaiming, " Onward, brave heart, that never failed.
328
DOUGLAS.
and Douglas will follow thee or die !" The Saracens
rallied, however, and the Good Sir James was slain.
His companions found his body upon the field along
with the casket, and mournfully conveyed them to
Scotland. The heart of the Bruce was deposited at
Melrose, although his body was interred in the royal
tomb at Dunfermline. The remains of Sir James
were buried at Douglas, and a monument erected to
him by his brother Archibald. The old poet Bar-
bour, after reciting the circumstances of Sir James'
fall in Spain, tells us — ,
" Quhen his men lang had mad miirnyn,
Thai debowlyt him, ami syne
Gert scher him swa, that mycht be tarie
The tiexch all haly fra the bane,
And the oarioune thar in haly place
Erdyt, with rycht gret worschip, wan.
"The haiiys have thai with them tam>;
And syne ar to thair srhippis gane ;
.syne towart Scotland held thair way,
And thar ar cumin yn in full gret hy.
And the banys honorabilly
In till the kirk oil Douglas war
Erdyt, with dull nnd mekill car.
Schyr Archibald has smie gert syn
Off alabastre, baith fair and fyne,
Or save a tumbu sa richly
As it behowyt to swa worthy."
The family was raised to an earldom in 1357 by
David II. ; and during this reign and the two which
succeeded, the house of Douglas rose to a degree of
power scarcely inferior to that of royalty itself; and,
as has been remarked by an old historian, it became
a saying that "nae man was safe in the country,
unless he were either a Douglas or a Douglas man."
The Earl went abroad with a train of 2,000 men,
kept a sort of court, and even created knights. In
1424, Archibald, the 5th Earl, became possessed of
the duchy of Touraine in France, for services which
he had rendered to Charles VII. the French king.
William, the 6th Earl, raised the family power to a
most formidable height ; their estates in Galloway —
where they possessed the stronghold of Thrieve
Annandale, and Douglas, afforded them an amount
of revenue and enabled them to raise an army not
inferior to that of their sovereign. It was at this
time, however, the policy of Crichton — one of the
ablest of those who had the direction of affairs during
the minority of James II to humble the overgrown
power of the nobles, and accordingly Earl William,
having been decoyed into the castle of Edinburgh,
was subjected to a mock trial for treason, and be-
headed, Nov. 24, 1440, along with his brother David,
and a faithful follower named Malcolm Fleming.
The duchy of Touraine now reverted to the French
king. After a brief period of depressed fortune, the
family rose to a still greater degree of power than
ever, in the person of William, the 8th Earl. He
was at first a favourite of James II., but having fallen
into partial disgrace he went abroad, and his castle
of Douglas was demolished during his absence by
orders of the king, on account of the insolence of his
dependents. Upon the return of the Earl he came
under obedience to the king, but this was not meant
to be sincere. He attempted to assassinate Crichton
the chancellor, and executed John Herries in despite
of the king's mandate to the contrary. " By forming
a league with the Earl of Crawford and other barons,
he united against his sovereign almost one-half of his
kingdom. But his credulity led him into the same
*nare which had been fatal to the former earl. Rely-
ing on the king's promises, who had now attained to
the years of manhood, and having obtained a safe-
conduct under the great seal, he ventured to meet
him in Stirling castle. James urged him to dissolve
that dangerous confederacy into which he had en-
tered ; the Earl obstinately refused : — ' If you will
not.' said the enraged monarch, drawing his dagger,
* this shall!' and stabbed him to the heart. An ac-
tion so unworthy of a king filled the nation with
astonishment and with horror. The earl's vassals
ran to arms with the utmost fury, and dragging the
safe-conduct, which the king had granted and vio-
lated, at a horse's tail, they marched towards Stir-
ling, burnt the town, and threatened to besiege the
castle. An accommodation, however, ensued ; on
what terms is not known. But the king's jealousy,
arid the new earl's power and resentment, prevented
it from being of long continuance. Both took the
field at the head of their armies, and met near Aber-
corn. That of the earl, composed chiefly of bor-
derers, was far superior to the king's both in number
and in valour; and a single battle must in all proba-
bility have decided whether the house of Stewart or
the house of Douglas was henceforth to possess the
throne of Scotland. But while his troops impatiently
expected the signal to engage, the earl ordered them
to retire to their camp; and Sir Jarnes Hamilton of
Cadzow, the person in whom he placed the greatest
confidence, convinced of his want of genius to im-
prove an opportunity, or of his want of courage to
seize a crown, deserted him that very night. This
example was followed by many, and the earl, de-
spised or forsaken by all, was soon driven out of the
kingdom, and obliged to depend for his subsistence
on the king of England." [Robertson's History of
Scotland.] — The overgrown strength of this family
was destroyed in the year 1455, and the earl, after
enduring many vicissitudes, retired in his old age to
Lindores abbey in Fife, and died there in 1488.
The title of Earl of Douglas, of this the first branch
of the family, existed for 98 years, giving an average
of 1 1 years to each possessor. The lands of the
family reverted to the Crown; but they were shortly
afterwards bestowed on the Earl of Angus, the head
of a junior branch of the old family, and descended
from George Douglas, the only son of William 1st
Earl of Douglas by his third wife, Margaret countess
of Angus, who, upon his mother's resignation of her
right, received her title. This family assisted in the
destruction of the parent-house, and it became a
saying, in allusion to the complexion of the two
races, that the red Douglas had put down the black.
This family produced some men who have occupied
a prominent position in Scottish story, such as Archi-
bald, the 5th Earl, who was known by the soubriquet
of Bell-the-cat; and Archibald, the '6th Earl, who,
marrying Margaret of England, widow of James IV.,
who fell at Flodden, was the grandfather of the un-
fortunate Henry Lord Darnley, the husband of Queen
Mary, and father of James VI. This Archibald, dur-
ing the minority of his step-son James V., had all
the authority of a regent. From the accession of
the second Douglas line, after the forfeiture of the
first, the possessions of the house were held by the
family in uninterrupted succession till the death of
the Duke of Douglas in 1761. William, the llth
Earl of Angus, was raised to the marquisate of
Douglas, in 1633, by Charles I. This nobleman
was a Catholic and a royalist, and inclined to hold
out his castle against the covenanters, in favour or
the king; but he was surprised by them, and the
castle taken. He was one of the best of the family,
and kept up to its fullest extent the olden princely
Scottish hospitality. The king constituted him hi*
lieutenant on the borders, and he joined Montrose
after his victory at Kilsyth, escaped from the rout
at the battle of Philliphaugh, and soon after made
terms with the powers that be. The first Marquis
of Douglas was the father of three peers of different
titles, viz. Archibald, his eldest son, who succeeded
him as second Marquis; William, his eldest son by
a second marriage, who became 3d Duke of Ham-
Iton; and George, his second son by the same
DOD
329
DOU
?, who was created Earl of Dumbarton. Archi-
Id, the 3d Marquis, succeeded to the peerage
1700, and was created Duke of Douglas in 1703.
the rebellion of 1715 he adhered to the ruling
lily of Hanover, and fought as a volunteer in the
tie of Sheriff-muir. He died childless at Queens-
ry-house, Edinburgh, in 176J, when the ducal
le became extinct. The Marquisate of Douglas
solved, through heirs-male, to the Duke of Hamil-
on account of his descent from the 1st Marquis;
the title of Marquis of Doi^las and Clydesdale,
low conceded by courtesy to the eldest son of that
il house. The real and personal estate of the
ike of Douglas was inherited by his nephew,
ribald Stewart, Esq., who was served his nearest
heir, September 3, 1761. This gentleman
imed the surname of Douglas, and was created
ron Douglas by George III. in 1796, and his titles
estates are now enjoyed by his sou the present
The death of the Duke of Douglas, and consequent assutnp-
of the estates by his nephew, Archibald Stewart, mentioned
• context, led to one of the most extraordinary lawsuits
known in the kingdom, and which has been termed unr
Hence, the * Great Douglas Cause.' Lady Jane Douglas,
• to Archibald Duke of Douglas, was one of the handsomest
most accomplished women of her age; but her fortunes were
' 'd in early life by the interruption of a nuptial agreement
was all but concluded between her and the Earl of Dal.
i, afterwards Duke of Buccleuch. In August 1746, being
48 years of age, she was secretly married to Mr. Stewart,
wards Sir John Stewart of Grantully. They resided abroad,
ipally in France, from 174(5 till the end of December 1749.
: the latter date they returned to this country, and took up
residence in London, bringing with them two male chil-
, of which they gave out that Lady Jane had been delivered
Pans, at a twin-birth, in the month of July 174S. The
ngest of the twins, who was named Sholto Thomas Stewart,
' on the 14th May, 1753; and, in November following, the
irtunate mother died at Edinburgh, after having repeatedly
in vain sought a reconciliation with her bio her. In the
1759, Mr. Stewart, succeeding by the death of his brother
> the estate and title of Grantully, executed, as the first net of
i administration, a bond of provision in favour of the surviv.
f twin, Archibald, lor upwards of £2,500, wherein he designed
him as his son by I.ady Jane Douglas. Meanwhile, the Duke
of Douglas continued obstinate in his refusal to acknowledge
him as his nephew ; and in the year 1753, he entered into mar.
riage-ties. On the llth of July, 1761, the Duke, on his death-
bed, executed an entail of his whole estate in favour of the heirs
of the body of his father James Marquis of Douglas, with re.
mainder to Lord Douglas Hamilton, brother to the Duke of
Hamilton, &c. &c. And of the same date, he also executed an-
other deed, setting forth, that as, in the event of his death with
out heirs of his body, Archibald Douglas, alias Stewart, a mi.
nor, and son of the deceased Lady Jane Douglas, his sister,
would succeed to him in his dukedom of Douglas ; he therefore,
by that deed, appointed the Duchess of Douglas, the Duke of
Queensberry, and several other noble and honourable persons,
to be his tutors and guardians. The youth's guardians pro-
ceeded, immediately after the duke's death, to have him put in
possession of the estate of Douglas. He was served heir Kef.. re
a jury to the late duke, after the examination of a great body
of evidence, the examination or inquest having been attended
by counsel on the part of the Duke of Hamilton, who claimed
the Douglas estate as heir-male. The guardians of the Duke of
Hamilton, however, were not convinced of the legitimacy of
Douglas, and, with the view of explicating the truth, despatched
Mr. Andrew Stuart, one of their number, to Paris. Mr. Slu.
art's discoveries, in his own opinion, and that of his colleague*,
amounted to no less than a demonstration that the whole story
of the pretended delivery of Lady June while in Paris, as set
forth in the service of Mr. Douglas, was a fiction. In these
circumstances, three actions of reduction of that tervice were
respectively raised at the instance of the Duke of Hamilton's
guardians— Lord Douglas Hamilton and Sir Hew Dalrymple of
North Het wick— which actions were afterwards conjoined by
the Court of Session. The effect of the conjoined action, if suc-
ce.-sful, would have been to declare that Mr. Douglas was not
the son of Lady Jane, and, consequently, to set h.m abide from
the estate.
The proofs adduced for Mr. Douglas consisted of :— 1st, The
depo-itions of -everal witnesses, that Lady Jane appeared to
tliem to be with child while at Aix.la-Chapelle, and other
places.— 2dly, the direct and positive testimony of Mrs. Hewit,
who Hcc,.ni|.anied Lady Jane to I'aris, to the actual delivery at
Paris upon the loth July, I74S. — :ldly, The depositions of other
witnesses with regard to the claimant's being owned and ac-
knowledged by Lady Jane and Sir John Stewart to he their
child, and the habit and repute of the country. — ithly, A variety
of letters which bad pasbed betwixt Sir John Stewart, Lady
Jane Douglas Mrs. Hewit, nnd others, respecting the claim,
ant's birth.— 5thly, Four letters said to have been written by
" rre la Marre, who, according to the defendant's uccouut,
Dul/GLAS (THE), a river which takes its rise
at the foot of Cairntable ; 9 miles above the village
of Douglas; flows from west to north-east, and,
receiving the waters of several small rivulets in its
course, falls into the Clyde, about 7 miles below
Douglas. See above article.
DOUGLAS (THE), a small stream in Selkirk-
shire, which falls into the Yarrow near a rocky crag,
called Douglas craig.
DOUGLASDALE, a name of the middle ward of
Lanarkshire. Formerly it was almost entirely the
property of the Earls of Douglas; and Lord Douglas,
the representative of that family, is still the princi-
pal proprietor.
DOl.'NE, a small village in the parish of Kilma-
dock, Perthshire. It is beautifully situated on the
banks of the Teith, 8 miles north-west from Stirling.
It consists of one large street, and two smaller ones
branching off from it. Doune was formerly distin-
guished for its manufacture of Highland pistols. Its
inhabitants have, however, during the last 40 years,
been occupied with pursuits of a more pacific ten-
was the accourheur to the delivery of Lady Jane, nnd which
were presented as so many ttue and genuine letters. Add to
these, that a few days before his death, which happened in
June, 1764, Sir John Stewart emitted a solemn declaration in
presence of two ministers and one jnstice-of-the peace, declaring
and asserting, a* stepping into eternity, that the defendant and
his deceased twin-brother were both born of the body of Lady
Jane Douglas, his lawful spouse, in the year 1748. Mrs. Hewit,
who was charged with being an accomplice in the fraud, died
during the law-plea of a lingering illness, but to the last
persisted that all she had sworn about the birth of the de-
fendant was truth, excepting some mistakes and errors as to
names and dates, which she corrected in a letter to a reve.
rend gentleman of the Episcopal communion. The pursuers
maintained : 1st, That Lady Jane was not delivered upou
the 10th of July, 1748, by the evidence of various letters
written by Sir John Stewart and Mrs. Hewit upon the loth,
llth, and 22d July, I7-IS. — vMly, That Lady Jane Douglas
was not delivered in the house of a Madame la Brune, nor in
the presence of a Madame la Brune and her daughter ; undei
which head they brought various circumstances to show thar
no such persons as the Madame la Brune in question, or her
daughter, ever existed. — :i«lly, That Lady Jane Douglas could
not have been delivered either upon the 10th of July, or in the
house of a Madame la Brune, because, upon that date, and dur-
ing several days preceding and subsequent to the I0th of July,
Lady Jane Douglas, with her husband and Mrs. Hewit, re.
sided at the Hotel de Chalons, kept by Mons. Godofroi, where
it is acknowledged she was not delivered ; and this alibi the
plain tills asserted to be clearly proved by the testimony of Mons.
and Madame Godofroi, as well as by certain books kept by them.
— ithly, The falsehood of the delivery in the house of a Madame
la Brune upon the 10th July, the pursuers argued might be
proved by Lady Jane's situation, upon her arrival at the house
of Madame Michelle, and by incidents which happened during
her continuance there.— 5thly, They argued for the evidence of
imposture in the studied concealment and mystery at Paris iu
July, 1748, when Sir John and Lady Jane, with their cnntidantu
Mr,. Hewit, carried with them from Paris to Rheims one
child ; and from their repetition of the same concealment and
myctery, upon their return to Paris in November, 1740, when
the same three persons brought from Paris to Kheims a second
child.— Lastly, the plaintiffs brought proof, that at I'aris, in the
month of July, 174S, a male child, recently born, was carried
off from his parents of the name of Mignion ; that, in tint
month of November, 171!), another male child, born in the year
1748, was carried off from his parents, of the name of Saury:
that both these children were under false pretences carried OB
from their parents by certain persons theu in I'aris, — and that
these British persons were Sir John Stewart, Lady Jane Doug.
las, and Mm. Hewit.
To these arguments were added a mo-t critical examination
of the defendant's proof of Lady Jane's pregnancy, and a con.
trary proof brought to redargue it; and a proof of the non-
existence of the Pierre la Marre, whom the defendant affirmed
to have been the accoucheur, with a proof of the forgery of the
letters attributed to In in.
On the 7th July, I7<>7. the case came on for judgment in the
Court of Session, and so important was the cause deemed, that
the fifteen judges took no lesn than eight days to deliver their
opinions. The result was, that seven of the judges voted to
sustain the reasons of reduction, arid other seven toasfoilziethn
defender ; the Lord-president— who has no vote but in smh a
dilemma— voted for the reduetii n, by which Douglas, alias
Stewart, lost both name and estate. An appeal from this de.
cision having been taken to the Hous>e of Peers, the judgment
of the Court of Sesaioii was reversed in the year I7t&; and
Archibald Douglas declared to be the son of Lady Jane, and
heir of Uie Duke of Douglas. Archibald Douglas was created
Lord DougUs by George III. in )7v('.. His son is the present
peer of that name, uud uow enjoys, the princely I uimly -states.
DOU
330
DRA
dency,— the large cotton-works at the neighbouring
manufactory of Deanston giving employment to a
great part of the population. [See KILMADOCK.]
Large cattle-fairs are held here on the 2d Wednesday
of February, the 2d Wednesday of May, the last
Wednesday of July, the 1st Tuesday, 1st Wednes- ,
day and Thursday, and 4th Wednesday of November, !
and the last Wednesday of December — The only I
object of much interest here is the ancient castle of
Doune, which is situated close by the village, on a
mound apparently artificial, and surrounded by beau-
tiful wooded banks. The Teith flows immediately
under its walls, and is joined a little below the
castle by the water of Ardoch. The period of its
erection has not been ascertained. Tradition as-
cribes its foundation to Murdoch, Duke of Albany,
who, along with his two sons, fell beneath the axe
of the executioner at Stirling in 1425, during the
glorious but iron reign of James I. This account,
however, is obviously quite false, for although it
was undoubtedly possessed by Albany, it had been
for nearly a century before his time the seat of the
Earls of Menteith. The custody of Doune castle
was granted by James V. to James Stewart, ancestor
of the Moray family. It afterwards fell into the
full possession of his son, who was created Lord
Doune in 1581, and since that period it has contin-
ued in the possession of the Earls of Moray. This
ancient stronghold is of prodigious size and strength.
It forms a square pile, the sides of which are 96 feet
in length, the walls being 40 feet high, and 10 in
thickness. Considering its immense age, it presents
wonderfully few marks of the injuries of time. The
tower, which stands at the north-east corner, is mas-
sive and lofty, being 80 feet high. The great hall
is 63 feet long, arid 25 wide. There are several
other spacious apartments in that portion of the
building which appears to have constituted the family-
residence, and the whole of them exhibit striking
proofs of former grandeur. From the south-east
corner of what seems to have been the dining-room,
a narrow stair descends into a subterranean passage
which leads into a small dark cell, obviously intended
for the purposes of a dungeon. Its roof is vaulted,
and contains a small hole, — probably for lowering
scanty pittances of food to the unhappy captive.
There are other vaults and prisons on the ground
floor on each side of the entry, all of them of the
same frightful description. The building has for-
merly been covered with stones or slates ; but no
part of the roof now remains. Doune castle was
occupied for the last time as a place of defence in
1745, by the adherents of Prince Charles, who
planted a twelve-pounder in one of the windows,
and several swivels on the parapets. John Home,
the author of ' Douglas,' and Di. Witherspoon, after-
wards distinguished as a pres'oyterian divine, were
confined along with other prisoners taken by the
Pretender's forces. Many of our readers will remem-
ber the graphic account of their escape, given by
Home in his ' History of the Rebellion.' Grose has
given a view of Doune castle. Several modern views
of it have been painted by Stevenson and others.
DOUNIES. See B ANCHOR Y-DAVINICK.
DOW ALLY, formerly a chapelry in the parish of
Caputh in Perthshire, but disjoined from it in 1500,
and now annexed to the parish of Dunkeld, the
minister of which preaches here one diet in the after-
noon of every second Sabbath in summer, and every
third Sabbath in winter. The old church of Dow-
ally — which was built by Bishop Brown in 1500 was
a long, narrow, inelegant structure. A new church
was built in 1820 ; sittings 210. The population of
this district, in 1801, was 672; in 1831, 596. It is
5 miles north by west of Dunkeld, and contains
about 1 1 ,580 acres, stretching along the eastern
of the Tay. At the upper extremity, the barony of
Dalcapon," which extends along the north bank of
the Turnmel — here crossed by a ferry — for three-
quarters of a mile, is separated from it by an inter-
vening part of the parish of Logierait. The hills
afford pasture to numerous flocks of sheep ; some of
them are covered with natural forests, well-stocked
with red and roe deer, and game of various kinds.
The rocky hills of CRAIGIE BARNS [which see] and
Craigiebenean. on the lower boundary of Dowally,
present a very precipitous and picturesque appearance
towards the east. The King's pass, between Craigir
Barns, and a large rocky, wooded hill, called the
King's Seat, derives its name from the circumstance
of its having been the place where the Scottish mo-
narchs placed themselves, in orjler to direct their
shafts with advantage at the flying deer, when driven
that way for their amusement ; and, according to a
story told by William Barclay in his treatise ' Contra
Monarchomachos,' a chase of this kind had very
nearly prevented the future miseries of the unhappy
Mary Stuart. The road, which passes through Dow-
ally to Athole, has been cut with great labour and
expense along the bottom of the King's Seat, which
overhangs the river so closely, and at such a height,
that the timid traveller, who looks over the wall
that has been built to support it, is little disposed to
linger on his way. The Gaelic language is com-
monly spoken here, though all the inhabitants under-
stand the English more or less perfectly ; and it is
curious, that the hills of King's Seat and Craigie
Barns, have been for centuries the separating barrier
of these languages. In the first house below them,
the English language is, and has been long spoken ;
while the Gaelic invariably prevails in the first house
above them, and at riot more than a mile distant.
See DUNKELD.
DOWALTON (Locn), a fine fresh-water lake
on the north-west boundary of the parish of Sorbie,
Wigtonshire. It has its name from the family of
M 'Do wall, the proprietor of the lands in which it
is imbosomed ; but is also sometimes called Long-
castle Loch. On the north, it sends out a stream
which, flowing eastward over a course of 4£ miles,
and intersecting the parish of Sorbie, falls into the
sea at Garlieston. The lake is about 3 miles in
circumference, send from 5 to 20 feet deep. On its
western side it has an island of about 80 acres in
area, on which are traces of an old building called
Longcastle.
DOWNE-HILL, in the parish of Edenkillie, in
Morayshire, an apparently artificial elevation which
appears to have been a fortress of great antiquity.
It is of a conical shape, round a considerable part of
which runs the rapid Divie, in a deep rocky channel ;
and, where not defended by the river, it is encircled
by a deep ditch with a strong rampart, the stones of
which bear marks of fusion.
DRAINY, a parish in Elginshire, bounded on the
north by the Moray frith ; on the east by the river
Lossie, which divides it from the parishes of St.
Andrews and Urquhart; on the south by the site of
the once beautiful loch of Spynie, which divides it from
the parish of Spynie, though it is now drained into a
stagnant morass ; and on the west by the parish of
DutFus. Before Loch Spynie was drained, this parish
consisted of a peninsula formed by it, the Lossie, and
the Moray frith, stretching east and west, about 4
miles in length along the coast, and 2 to 3 in breadth.
The name of the parish is supposed to have origi-
nated from the draining of swamps and marshes in
the vicinity. This part of the country, in general,
is low and flat. There are only two small eminences,
meriting the name of hills. The soil is partly a neii
DUE
331
DRO
loftiH or clay, and partly a light black sandy mould, — I
very fertile and well-cultivated. On the moor lands <
there is good pasturage. The soil of the old bed of
Spynie loch, which partly belongs to this parish —
and from the draining of which, about the year 1807,
at an expense of £10,800, great profit was antici-
pated has not yet been found to be of much value.
It is deefly impregnated with sulphur and iron, and
only affords some coarse pasturage, neither whole-
Mine nor nutritious, and possessing, it is affirmed, the
property of converting the colour of the black cattle
which prevail here into grey! The draining, how-
ever, has redeemed some rich and valuable clay lands
near its margin. This loch discharged itself into the
. about a mile from the sea. A canal now
i little from the north of Spynie castle, on the
. Spynie loch, through X)rainy parish to the
. a little above Lossiemouth. Through the
low plains, on each side of the Lossie, as it runs from
Elgin along the eastern border of this parish to the
.;-ge embankments of earth have been raised at
xpense, in order to prevent a recurrence of
the calamitous inundation which happened in 1829,
of which a very interesting description is given in
Sir Thomas Dick Lauder's * Account of the Great
Floods in Morayshire.' The two small eminences or
lulls in this parish abound with white and yellow
freestone, which is in great request for building
over all this quarter of the country. In the Coulart
hill, between Lossiemouth and Stotfield, there are
ippearances of lead ; but an English adventure en-
tered into shortly previous to the publication of the
Old Statistical Account, at an expense of £500, en-
:irely failed. The hill of Causea, or Cave-sea, con-
of one continuous mass of freestone, upwards of
in length, and forming a bold shore, cut and
by the surge into curious arches, caves,
ids. The scenery here is grand and pic-
[ue. At Lossiemouth, also, a natural cave,
10 feet square, called St. Gerardine's cave, was
uiorned with a handsome Gothic door and windows,
tid a medicinal spring issuing from the rock above
he hermitage: but in the course of working the
lurries, it has been totally destroyed. — Lossiemouth,
; the efflux of the Lossie, is the principal village. It
- situated near the point of Stotfield-head, in the
•Tth-east corner of the parish, and is a port for small
i.ipping. It stands 5 miles north-east of the royal
urgh of Elgin. There are fishing hamlets at Causea
nd Stotfield. — Population of Lossiemouth, in 1831,
tt ; of Stotfield, 168: of the parish, in 1801, 1,057 ;
i 1831, 1,296. Houses 272. Assessed property,
i 1815, £7,832 This parish is in the synod of
foray, and presbytery of Elgin. It consists of the
•>vo ancient parishes of Kinnedder and Ogstown,
Inch were united soon after the Restoration, and
ved the name of Drainy from the erection of a
central church on its lands at the annexation.
>tipend £242 7s. 5d. Patron, Gumming
t Altyre. Church built about the end of the 17th
•ntury — Salary of parochial schoolmaster £36 7s.
'<!., with about £7 fees, &c. There are 4 private
the parish.
M:<;i!ORN,* a parish in the southern part of
rict of Cunningham, Ayrshire. It is an irre-
stripe, about 8 miles long, and from jj- of a mile
miles broad, stretching from south-west to
"at. On three sides its boundary is marked
on the east by Garrier or Gawrier burn,
divides it from Kilmaurs ; on the south by
water, which divides it from Dundonald ; and
west and north-west by Annock water, which
i early Hmrttrs. the nam»' was written Dregern; mid it
abiy derived from the British Tre-guern, whirh Mgnifiea
"ii or habitation by the swamp, or by the alder-trees.
divides it from Irvine and Stewarton ; and on the
north-east the parish is bounded by Fen wick. At
the south-west end — which is distant only a mile
from the coast — the surface is a dead flat very slightly
above sea-level ; but it thence rises, in gentle undu-
lations, toward the east and north-east, and both in
the interior, and especially along the banks of the
Annock, wears a pleasing appearance. In the flat
grounds, the soil is sandy and gravelly; but in the
other districts, it is a fine deep loam, remarkably
fertile. The whole parish, except a few acres of
meadow-land, is under cultivation, well-enclosed,
and judiciously interspersed with plantation. Co;il
and limestone are worked ; and freestone is found.
The parish is intersected eastward by the road from
Irvine to Kilmarnock, and north-eastward by the
road from Irvine, through Stewarton to Glasgow ;
and is provided with numerous cross or subordinate
roads. The village of Dreghorn is situated in the south-
west district of the parish, on the first gentle acclivity
above the flat grounds, and commands a fine view of the
frith of Clyde, and the coast of Ayrshire. The houses
stand in irregular lines, and, being interspersed with
trees, and whitewashed, make a tine rural grouping
to the eye. The village is 2 miles from Irvine, on
the highway between that town and Kilmarnock ;
and has about 300 inhabitants. Population of the
parish, in 1801, 797; in 1831, 888. Houses 149.
Assessed property, in 1815, £11,895 — Dreghorn
is in the presbytery of Irvine, and synod of Glas-
gow and Ayr. Patron, the Earl of Eglintoa.
Stipend £176 13s. lOd. ; glebe £3. Unappro-
priated teinds £826 14s. 10d. The church was
built in 1780, and is situated in the village. Sittings
427. From a fourth to a third of the parishioners are
Dissenters, most of whom are connected with con-
gregations in Irvine — Schoolmaster's salary £29 18s.
10£d., with £60 other emoluments. There are 2
schools nonparochial. — Dreghorn, in its present
form, comprehends the ancient parishes of Dreghorn
and Pierce-town, which were united in 1668. The
churches of both parishes anciently belonged to the
monks of Kilvvinning, and were served by vicars. In
1603, the patronage of the church of Pierce-town,
with the tithes and church-lands, were granted to
Hugh, the Earl of Eglinton.
DREINICH, a small island in Loch Linnhe, near
the island of Lismore.
DREM, a small farm- village, 4 miles north of Had-
dington, in the parish of ATHELSTANEFORD : which
see. On the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions,
John Hamilton was paid £500 for the regality of
Drem.
DRHUIM (THE), an exquisitely beautiful por-
tion of the strath oi the Beauly, on the grounds of
Lord Lovat.
DRIMMITORMENT. See DUNNICHEN.
DRIMODUNE. See ARRAN.
DRON, a parish in the south-eastern part of
Perthshire. It is bounded on the north by the
parish of Dunbarnie ; on the south by the parishes of
Forgandenny and Arngask, and the water of Farg,
which separates it from Fifeshire ; on the west by
Dunbarnie and Forgandenny ; and on the east by
the parish of Abernethy, from which it is partly se-
parated by Farg water. It is 3£ miles in length,
from east to west, and about 3 miles in breadth, be-
ing one of the smallest and most thinly peopled par-
ishes in the county of Perth. The high road from
Queensferry to Perth passes through the eastern part
of the parish. The southern part of the parish u
occupied by the Ochils, and from these eminrm-es
to near its northern boundary the parish forms a sort
of sloping plain. The northern part of the parish
forms a ridge of small elevation running from west
DRO
332
DRU
to east. The soil in the low grounds is principally
of clay, till, and loam. The Old Statistical Ac-
count gives the following account of an extraordi-
nary occurrence which took place in this parish
about the end of last century: "In that part of
the Ochils which fronts the house of Ecclesiam-
agirdle, a very singular phenomenon took place
about 7 years ago. After a long series of rainy
weather, the hill, about 100 paces from the summit,
burst open with a loud explosion like thunder,
which was heard at the distance of two miles across
the valley. A violent and rapid torrent, mixed with
earth and stone and broken rock, issued from the
opening, and rushed down with an impetuosity which
swept all before it. The inhabitants of some houses
which stood immediately below, alarmed at once
with the noise and torrent, which directed its course
full towards them, were preparing to flee for their
safety, when happily the torrent deviated into a dif-
ferent tract, and after continuing to flow for 10 or
12 hours, it ceased, without having done any material
injury, and has remained quiet ever since." — A por-
tion of this parish, known by the name of Eccle-
siarnagirdle, is isolated from the rest, being sur-
rounded by the parish of Dunbarnie on the north
and east, and the parish of Forgandenny on the south
and west. The etymology of the name has defied
the ingenuity of antiquaries, but it probably bore
some reference to a small chapel which formerly
stood in this part of the parish, and of which some
ruins, along with a burial-ground, still remain. The
only other relic of antiquity in the parish is a re-
markable rocking stone which stands on the south
descent of the hill opposite to the church and manse
of Dron. " It is," says the author of the Old Sta-
tistical Account, " a large mass of whinstone, of an
irregular figure, about 10 feet in length, and 7
in breadth, and stands in a sloping direction. On
gently pressing the higher end with the finger, it has
a perceptible motion, vibrating in an arch of between
one and two inches, and the vibration continues for
some time after the pressure is removed." — Popula-
tion, in 1801, 428; in 1831,464. Assessed property
.£3,862.— The parish of Dron is in the presbytery of
Perth, and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £166 19s. 6d.; glebe £9, with
£4 10s. per annum in lieu of coals. The parochial
school is the only place of elementary instruction in
the parish. The salary of the master is £34. Aver-
age attendance, in 1836, 18.
DRON, a hill in the parish of Longforgan, Perth-
shire, elevated to the height of 667 feet above the
level of the sea.
DRONGS, a stupendous rock near Hillswick in
Northmaven. It is cleft in three places nearly to
the bottom, and when seei. obscurely through a fog,
conveys the idea of a huge ship under sail.
DRONLAW. See AUCHTERHOUSE.
DROOTHY (THE). See THE CLUNIE.
DRUM (LocH). See B ANCHOR Y-TARNAN.
DRUMALBINN. See CALEDONIANS.
DRUMBLADE, a parish in the north-western
part of Aberdeenshire. On the north and east it is
bounded by the parish of Forgue ; on the south and
south-west by Insch, and part of Gartly parishes ;
and on the east and north-east by Huntly parish. It
is principally divided from the surrounding parishes
by rivulets. Its length, from north to south, is from
6 to 6, and its breadth, from east to west, 4 to 5
miles : its circumference is about 18 miles. Super-
ficial area about 5,000 acres. Its form is triangular.
According to the Old Statistical Account, it " some-
what resembles the body of a fiddle." Its ancient
name was Drumblait, wh'ch signifies, in Gaelic,
• Hills covered with corn.' The surface is composed
of small hills and valleys. The soil of the latter is
deep loam ; that of the higher ground is thin and
gravelly, but fertile. Some of the hills are covered
with firs, but most are arable. The valleys produce
excellent crops. There is abundance of a very fine
yellow-brown clay here, called clay-marl, and used
as a compost for manure : very little sand appears in
it. The district possesses large quantities of coarse
limestone, freestone — here called paisy-whin — and
moor-stone, with some slate. The fuel commonly
used is peat, turf, heath, &c. English coal is procured
from Banff or Portsoy. Population, in 1801, 821 ; in
1831, 978. Houses 169. Assessed property, in 1815,
.£3,058 The principal seat or residence in the par-
ish is Lessendrum. There are three tumuli here ;
at the largest of which, called Meet-hillock, neai
Slioch, Bruce encamped, after having defeated Cu
myn at Inverury. A small hill above this tumulus
called Robin's height, and had on the top large ston
with inscriptions on them — Drumblade is in i
synod of Aberdeen, and presbytery of Turriff. ]
tron, the Earl of Kintore. Stipend .£159 9s. 7d
glebe .£16. Church built in 1778, and since enlarg
chiefly subsequent to 1829-30; sittings 500. Scho
master's salary .£30 per annum, with about .£26 1
fees, &c., exclusive of the bequest left to the pa
chial master of Aberdeen, Banff and Elgin shires,
pected, in 1834, to amount to between .£20 and £J
DRUMCLOG. See AVONDALE.
DRUMDERFIT, or DRUIMNADEUR, that is.
Ridge of Tears,' a rising ground in the parish
Wester Kilmuir, or Knockbain, in Ross-shire,
which are a great number of cairns, which are sa
to indicate the spot of an extraordinary massacre
the Isles men, about the year 1400.
DRUMGLOW. See CLEISH.
DRUMLANRIG CASTLE, a magnificent se
of the Duke of Buccleuch, in the parish of Dur
deer, Dumfries-shire. It stands on a knoll or r
ing-ground, on the rh'.ht bank of the Nith, about
miles north-west of Dumfries, and 3£ north-norl
west of Thornhill ; and, for several miles, forms
arresting feature in a rich and remarkably vari
landscape, to the eye of a traveller passing along t
highway which traverses the picturesque vale oft
Nith. The castle is a hollow square, four stories hig
surmounted with turrets at the angles, and preser
such an array of windows, that the peasantry oft
vale fondly report them to be as numerous as tl
days of the year. From the inner court, staircas
ascend at the angles in semicircular towers. On tl
architraves of the windows and doors is a profu
adorning of hearts and stars, the arms of the Dou
lasses. The castle fronts to the north, and has al
a noble appearance on the east, combining, on ea
side, the aspects of strength and beauty, — the line
ments of a fortress and a mansion ; and it is eve
night secured, not only by a thick door of oak, h
by a ponderous gate of iron. Though more Gotl
than Grecian, and marked with considerable arc!
tectural defects, it is a noble and imposing edific
and suggests ideas of a princely chieftain holding 1
court among dependents and vassals. This gr<
pile occupied ten years in building, and was finish
in 1689, the year after the Revolution. Willia
first Duke of Queensberry— celebrated in civil b
tory as a statesman, and in the annals of the Co'
nanters as an abettor of persecution — planned a
completed it ; and he expended upon it such en
mous sums of money, and during the only night
his residing within its walls, was so exacerbated
the inaccessibility of medical advice to relieve 1 i
from a temporary fit of illness, that he abandone< -
in disgust, and afterwards, in the unpolished 1
guage of the period, wrote upon the artificers' b j
I
DRU
333
DUU
for erecting it, — " The deil pike out his eon that
look' herein!" A portrait in the gallery — that of
William III is, in its wounds and defacement, a
memorial of the Highlanders having occupied the
ca-tle on their march in 1745. Drumlanrig was the
priiK-i|>:)l residence of the family of Queensberry.
But on the death of Charles, the third Duke, in
1777. without male issue, it passed, along with the
Qiuvioborry titles, to William, Earl of March ; and
upon the death of the latter in 1810, it went by en-
tail to the Duke of Buccleuch. During both these
periods, and for years afterwards, it was little occu-
pied, greatly neglected, and defaced. But the pre-
sent noble proprietor has, since his majority in 1M27,
adopted it as his favourite residence, and has brought
house itself, and the beautiful grounds around it,
i a smiling and polished condition. Pennant says:
beauties of Drumlanrig are not confined to
lighest part of the grounds ; the walks, for a
considerable way by the sides of the Nith,
with most picturesque and various scenery.
Below the bridge the sides are prettily wooded, but
iot remarkably lofty; above, the views become
vvildly magnificent. The river runs through a deep
ind rocky channel, bounded by vast wooded cliffs,
hat rise suddenly from its margin ; and the prospect
lovvn from the summit is of a terrific depth, increased
•y the rolling of the black waters beneath. Two
.•ie\vs are particularly fine : one of quick repeated
mt extensive meanders amidst broken sharp^pointed
neks, which often divide the river into several chan-
icls, interrupted by short and foaming rapids col-
nired with a moory taint; — the other is of a long
tmit, narrowed by the sides, precipitous and wood-
•d, approaching each other equidistant, horrible from
he blackness and fury of the river, and the fiery red
ml black colours of the rocks, that have all the ap-
ice of having sustained a change by the rage of
nother element." Till a few years ago, there was
terser yed in the park of Drumlanrig a remnant of the
boriginal wild cattle of Scotland. [See article
YMHKRNAULD.] " These animals," says Mr. Gil-
>in, who saw the objects he describes, " are milk-
vhite, except their noses, ears, and orbits of their
yes, which are of a dark-brown, approaching to
'lark. They are described by old writers as having
mines; but these have none. They resemble the
D\V in many respects ; but their form is more ele-
ini, with a spirited wildness in their looks; and
v hen they run, instead of the clumsy cow-gallop,
•icy bound like deer," Pennant, who also saw
I liese animals while here in June, 1772, has this
lemorandum : " In my walks about the park see the
iliite breed of wild cattle, derived from the native
iee of the country, and still retain the primeval
avageness and ferocity of their ancestors; were more
I hy than any deer ; ran away on the appearance of
j ny of the human species, and even set off at full
lilop on the least noise; so that I was under the
ecessity of going very softly under the shelter of
r«ea or billies to get a near view of them. During
iniiuer they keep apart from all other cattle, but in
evere weather hunger will compel them to visit the
ut-hoijjcs in search of food. The keepers are
'"liged to shoot them if any are wanted. If the
j ea»t is not killed on the spot, it runs at the person
'ho gave the wound, and who is forced, in order to
ive himself, to Hy for safety to the intervention of
•me tree. These cattle are of a middle size, have
i > long legs, and the cows are fine horned. The
rbiU of the eyes and the tips of the noses are black;
nt the bnlls have lost the manes attributed to them
y Boethius."
D&UMLITHIE, a considerable manufacturing
illage in the parish of Glenbervie, on the line of
road from Lanrencekirk to Stonchaven ; distant from
the former 7£ miles, and 6 from the latter.
DRUMMELZIER,* a parish in Peebleshire ;
bounded on the north-west by Stobo; on the north
l>y Manor; on the east by Manor and Lyne; on the
south by Tweedsmuir ; and on the west by Lanark-
shire and Glenholm. It is of a remarkable figure,
not unlike the outline of a decapitated human body,
in a sitting posture, the neck a little elongated. At
one point, from Glenkerierig-hill on the west, to
Black Dody hill on the east, it is 5 miles in breadth ;
but during one-fourth of its length, it is only 2£ miles
broad, and during one-half of it, no more than from
J to 13. Yet, in extreme length, it extends from
Catlercleugh on the south-west, to Mounthill on
the north-east, 13| miles. It stretches from the
mountain-ridge or water-line, which divides Peebles-
shire from Lanark, away north-eastward into the
centre of the county. Kingledoors burn rises in the
heights which divide the two counties, and intersects
a limb of the parish over a distance of 4$ miles.
There the Tweed, having entered the parish from
the south, flows directly across, receiving the waters
of this burn on its way ; and it thence forms the
north-western boundary-line over a distance of 9
miles. On the other hand, the eastern or south-
eastern boundary-line is formed by a ridge of heights
which separate thvi local waters of Drummelzier from
those of Manor. The body of the parish is thus a
slope or acclivity of hills looking down upon the
Tweed, and terminating in the vale upon its banks.
Its indigenous brooks, 7 in number, all rise toward
the east, and run down westward or north-westward
to pour their waters into the Tweed. But though
a hilly district, and forming a part of the southern
high-lands, the parish contains much arable land, and
is finely variegated with plantations and cultivated
fields. The vale along the river is in general narrow;
yet, in some places, it expands into beautiful haughs ;
and, where the rivulets break down from the heights,
it opens into fine cleughs or glens. This vale is the
chief scene of culture, and the principal seat of the
population. The soil in the haughs is rich alluvial
loam ; but elsewhere is, in general, sharp and very
stony. Limestone and slate are found, but are not
worked. Drummelzier castle — formerly a seat of the
Tweedie family, and a link in a chain of fortresses,
now all in ruin, along the banks of the Tweed —
overlooks the river from a beautiful site environed
with plantation. There are, in the parish, vestiges
of a Roman road, and of two old castles, — one of the
latter 6 feet thick in the walls, and held together by
a cement as hard as stone, yet so old, that no tradi-
tion remains of even the period of its destruction.
Upon a spot near the junction of the Powsail rivu-
let with the Tweed, is a tumulus, reported to be the
grave of the famous wizard, Merlin. It is said that
Merlin predicted the union between the two king-
doms, and the prophetic couplet was thought to have
been of some use in conciliating the prejudices of the
people. It runs nearly as follows : —
•• When Tweed and I'oii-ail meet at Merlin'* grave,
Scotland and England one king shah have."
Except a road along the Tweed, which, during more
than half the distance, traverses the western side of
the river, and does not strictly belong to the parish,
Drummelzier is quite unprovided with facilities of
communication ; and throughout its south-western
l) — which, though narrow, is long — it has no proper
road whatever. The village of Drummelzier is
beautifully situated on the Powsail, one- fourth of a
* The name is popularly pronounced, and occasionally writ,
ten, Drummellier. "The whole word." says the authn- of
Caledonia, "is probably the British Drym-meiliaur, signifying
' the Dwelling ou or at the riilge,' "
DRU
334
DRY
mile above its confluence with the Tweed, and con-
tains something less than 100 inhabitant?. Popula-
tion of the parish, in 1801, 278; in 1831, 223. Houses
42. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,668.— Drum-
melzier, formerly a vicarage of the rectory of Stobo,
is in the presbytery of Peebles, and synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale. Patron, Trotter of Ballendean.
Stipend £192 5s. 7d. ; glebe .£10. Schoolmaster's
salary £32, with £11 8s. Ud. of other emoluments.
The present parish consists of the original Drummel-
zier, and the southern and larger part of the old parish
of Dawick. [See DAWICK.] At Kingledoors, in the
south-eastern part of Drummelzier, formerly was a
chapel, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, the early evan-
gelist of Tweedside ; and, along with its appurte-
nances, and the lands of Hopcarshire, it was granted
to the monks of Melrose.
DRUMMOND, a village in the parish of Kilt-
earn, near the river Skiack, on the post-road from
Dingwall to Novar inn. It has two well-attended
fairs, — one in June, and the other in December.
The parish-school is here.
DRUMMOND CASTLE, in the parish of Mu-
thil, 2 miles south of Crieff, was for many genera-
tions the residence of the noble family of Perth, and
is now a seat of Lord and Lady Gwydyr. Behind
the present castle are the ruins of one still more an-
cient, but of its history few authentic facts remain.
Drummond castle, as it now appears, has undergone
little or no exterior alteration for nearly a century.
It forms two sides of a quadrangle, facing north
and west. The front walls are ornamented with
creeping woodbine, and a variety of evergreens.
To the south of the castle, and in its immediate
vicinity, under a steep bank, is an extensive flower-
garden, laid out in the Dutch taste. Near a mile to
the east is the fish-pond, — a large sheet of water,
forming an agreeable feature in the landscape. At
the termination of the last struggle for the Stuarts,
— in which cause, James, Duke of Perth, acted
* conspicuous part, — Government erected on the
ppot now covered by this lake, a kind of fortified
village, which was occupied for some time after by
the royal troops, as a post of observation, this being
the centre of Strathearn, and the principal pass or
key to the North Highlands. Not a vestige now
remains of this once formidable military encampment.
The family of Drummond was always ranked among
the most ancient and illustrious names of the Scot-
tish nation, and was distinguished by a long train of
worthy ancestors not less remarkable for the noble
alliances they made, and the dignities conferred on
them, than for personal merit. Sir Malcolm Drum-
mond flourished in the middle of the 12th century.
From him descended Sir John Drummond of Stob-
hall, who made a great figure in the reigns of James
III. and IV., and was concerned in most of the pub-
lic transactions of the time. He was raised to the
peerage by the title of Lord Drummond, January 14, |
1487. His grandson James, 4th peer, was created |
Earl of Perth, March 4, 1605. His great nephew, j
James, 4th Earl, was successively Lord-justice-gen- |
eral, and Lord-chancellor of Scotland. On the ac- !
cession of James II. of England, he was in great
favour with that monarch, and attempted to follow !
him abroad after his abdication, but was taken, and
suffered four years' imprisonment. On his liberation \
he followed his master, who created him Duke of :
Perth, first lord of the bedchamber, knight of the :
garter, &c. He died at St. Germains in May, 1716, ;
and was interred in the chapel of the Scottish col-
Ifye at Paris. His eldest son James — by Lady
,J<me Douglas — attached himself firmly to the House
of Stuart. He opposed the Union, and was very
acuv*. in the insurrection of 1715 His son J.iint'S,
called Duke of Perth, imbibed all the principles of
his family, and joined the standard of the young
Pretender. At the battle of Preston he acted as
lieutenant-general ; " and in spite of a very delicate
constitution," says Douglas, "he underwent t
greatest fatigues, and was the first on every occasi<
of duty, where his head or his hands could be of us
bold as a lion in the field, but ever merciful in t
hour of victory." After the battle of Culloden h
extirpated the hopes of the house of Stuart, he er
barked for France, but died on the passage, May 1
1 746. Having died before the limited time appoint
by parliament for the surrendering, he escaped t
attainder, but it fell on his brother and heir Joh
who was embarked in the same cause, and who
estate and title were forfeited to the Crown.
DRUMOAK, sometimes called DALMAIK, a pa
ish partly in Aberdeenshire, partly in Kincardine ;
extent about 4 miles long and 2 broad. It is bound
on the north by Echt and Peterculter parishes ;
the east and south by Maryculter ; on the south
Maryculter and Durris ; and on the west by Banchor
Tarnan. The surface is hilly, a great part bei
only fit for sheep-pasture. The tower of Drum,
this parish, is a very ancient edifice. Population,
1801, 648; in 1831, 804. Houses, in 1831, in Abe
deenshire, 128; in Kincardineshire, 35. Assess
property, in 1815, £1,405. — This parish, formerly
vicarage, is in the presbytery and synod of Aberdee
Patron, Irvine of Drum. "Stipend £157 14s. Ic
glebe £21 16s. 8d Schoolmaster's salary £30, wi
£22 fees.
DRUMSTURDY-MUIR, a straggling hamlet
the parish of Monifieth, on the old road from Du
dee to Arbroath, Forfarshire. Rising immediate
on the south of it is the far-seeing Laws-hill, on t
summit of which is a vitrified fort.
DRYBURGH ABBEY, a noble edifice, now
ruins, situated about 4 miles from Melrose, on t
north bank of the Tweed, in the most delightful pa
of the vale of that river, famed as it is for beau
along its whole extent. The abbey, overgrov
with ivy, and adorned with flowers, stands aniic
the gloom of wood, on a verdant level, above hij
banks of red earth which confine the course
the river, whose rapid stream here makes a ho
sweep around the park and mains-farm of L>r
burgh, in its passage onwards. Mr. George Smit
architect, states that the ruins are so overgrov
with the luxuriant foliage, that he found gre
difficulty in taking accurate measurements of then
" Everywhere you behold the usurpation of natui
over art. In one roofless apartment a fine sprw
and holly are to be seen flourishing in the rubbish
in others, the walls are completely covered with ivj
and, even on the top of some of the arches, tre<
have sprung up to a considerable growth, and thes<
clustering with the aspiring pinnacles, add charactt
to the Gothic pile. These aged trees en the stimni
of the walls are the surest records we have of tl
antiquity of its destruction." The structure w
originally cruciform, divided in the breadth im
three parts by two colonnaded arcades. The cross i
transepts and choir have all been short; apart
the north transept which is still standing, called !
Mary's aisle, is a beautiful specimen of early Gotb
work. Perhaps the most striking feature in the r
mains is a fine Norman arch, which was originally tl
western doorway. Its enrichments are in the sty
of the 12th century, arid little affected by time,
monastery is a complete ruin. Nothing is entire bi
the chapter-house, St. Modan's chapel, and the a<
joining passages. The chapter-house is 47 feet lori
23 broad, and 20 in height. At the east end the
are five pointed windows; the western extrenn
I
DRYBURGH ABBEY.
335
contains a circular-headed centre-window, with a
Her one on either side. The hall is adorned
th a row of intersected arches. Mr. Smith con-
ies his description with the following remarks : —
nn a minute inspection of the ruins we are led
believe that there are portions of the work of a
ich earlier date. The arch was the distinctive
ture of all structures of the middle ages, as the
lumn was of those of classic antiquity; and among
se ruins we observed no fewer than four distinct
ties of arches, — namely, the massive Roman arch
its square sides ; the imposing deep-splayed
con; the pillared and intersected Norman; and
the early English pointed arch. These differ
only in design, but in the quality of the materials
in the execution. The chapter-house and abbot's
rlour, with the contiguous domestic dwellings of
monks, we consider of much greater antiquity
the church." [Monastic Annals of Teviotdale,
323.] — These structures were built of a hard
ikish-coloured sandstone, and exhibit a remarkable
iiversity in their levels. Near the ruins still tiour-
a fine tree which there is good reason to sup-
was planted seven centuries ago. The late
rl of Buchan was devotedly attached to this place,
t a short distance from the abbey he constructed
elegant wire suspension-bridge over the Tweed,
"" feet in length, and 4 feet 7 inches between the
which was very recently blown down. His
Iship also erected on his grounds here an Ionic
iple, with a statue of Apollo in the inside, and
ist of the bard of 'The Seasons' surmounting
dome. He also raised a colossal statue of
William Wallace, on the summit of a steep and
ckly planted hill; which was placed on its pe-
September 22, 1814, the anniversary of the
ry at Stirling bridge, in 1297. "It occupies
eminent a situation," says Mr. Chambers, "that
llace frowning towards England, is visible even
Berwick, a distance of more than 30 miles."
statue is 21 1 feet high, and is formed of red
Istone, painted white. It was designed by Mr.
John Smith, sculptor, from a supposed authentic
portrait, which was purchased in France by the
father of the late Sir Philip Ainslie of Pilton. The
hero is represented in the ancient Scottish dress and
armour, with a shield hanging from his left hand, and
leaning lightly on his spear with his right. Upon
a tablet below there is an appropriate inscription.
Sir Walter Scott, in the ' Minstrelsy of the Scot-
tish Border,' gives an interesting account of the Nun
of Dryburgh, — an unfortunate female wanderer, who
took up her abode, about eighty years ago, in a vault
amongst the ruins of this abbey, which during the
day she never quitted. It was supposed from an
account she gave of a spirit who used to arrange
her habitation, at night, during her absence in search
of food or charity at the residences of gentlemen in
the neighbourhood, that the vault was haunted; and
ill, on this account, regarded with terror by
many among the lower orders. She never could be
prevailed upon to relate to her friends the reason
why >he adopted so singular a course of life ; "but
it \\ is believed," says Sir Walter, "that it was oc-
fned by a vow that (hiring the absence of a man
hom she was attached, she would never look
the sun. Her lover never returned. He fell
ig the civil war of 174o-G, and she never more
eld the light of day." Allan Cunningham tells
us that the lute Karl ot 'Buchan waited upon Lady
in 1819, when the illustrious author of Waver-
ley was brought nigh to the grave by a grievous ill-
;tnd begged her to intercede with her husband
to do him the honour of being buried in Dryburgh.
'he place,' saul the Karl, 'is very beautiful, — just
such a place a? the poet loves, and as he has a fine
taste that way, he is sure of being gratified with my
offer.' Scott, it is reported, good-humouredly pro-
mised to give Lord Buchan the refusal, since he
seemed so solicitous ; but the peer himself had made
his tomb in these ruins before the illustrious bard.
The last resting-place of Sir Walter Scott, is a small
spot of ground in an area formed by four pillars, in
one of the ruined isles which belonged to his family.
The ground originally belonged to the Halyburtons
of Merton, — an ancient and respectable baronial fa-
mily, of which Sir Walter's paternal grandmother was
a member, and of which Sir Walter himself was the
lineal representative. On a side- wall is the flowing
inscription : — " Sub hoc tumulo jacet Joannes Hali-
burtonus, Barro de Mertoun, vir religione et virtute
clams, qui obirt 17 die Augusti, 1640." Below this
there is a coat-of-arms. On the back- wall the latter
history of the spot is expressed on a small tablet, as
follows: — " Hunc locum sepulturae D. Seneschallus,
Buchani comes, Gualtero, Thomae et Roberto Scott,
nepotibus Haliburtoni, concessit, 1791 ;" — that is to
say, the Earl of Buchan granted this place of sepul-
ture in 1791, to Walter, Thomas, and Robert Scott,
descendants of the Laird of Halyburton. The per-
sons indicated were the father and uncles of Sir
Walter Scott; but, though all are dead, no other
member of the family lies there, except his uncle
Robert, and his deceased lady. " From the limited
dimensions of the place," says Mr. Chambers, " the
body of the author of Waverley has been placed in a
direction north and south, instead of the usual fa-
shion ; and thus, in death at least, he has resembled
the Cameronians, of whose character he was suppos-
ed to have given such an unfavourable picture in one
of his tales." May no unhallowed hand ever violate
the sepulchre, wherein — to use the language of la-
ment which he himself penned over a brother-bard
— " that mighty genius, which walked amongst men
as something superior to ordinary mortality, is laid
as soundly to rest as the poor peasant whose ideas
never went beyond his daily task."
" He's gone ! the glorious spirit's fled!
The Minstrel'* strains are huah'd aud o'er ;
And lowly lies the mighty dead.
« * * *
Still as the harp o'er Babel's streams,
For ever hangs his tuneful lyre ;
And he, with all his glowing dreams,
Quench 'd like a meteor's tire !
So sleeps the great, the young, the brave.
Of all beneath the circling sun :
A muffled shroud — a dungeon grave-
To him— the Bard, remain alone !
So. Genius ends thy blazing reign I
So mute the music of the tonxue,
Which pour'd but late the loltit-.-t ttrain
That ever mortal sunij .'"
It has been conjectured, that the name Dryburgh
takes its derivation from the Celtic Darach-ttrutich,
— ' the Bank of the grove of oaks.' Some vestiges
of Pagan worship have been found on the Bass hill,
— an eminence in its vicinity, — among which was an
instrument used for killing the victims in sacrifice.
In the early part of the 6th century a monastery was
founded here by St. Modan ; but it is supposed that
after his death the community was transferred to
Melrose. Mr. Morton observes, that it " was pro-
bably destroyed by the ferocious Saxon invaders
under Ida, the flame-bearer, who landed on the coast
of Yorkshire, in 547, and after subduing Northum-
berland, added this part of Scotland to his dominions
by his victory over the Scoto-Britons at Cattraeth."
Part of the original monastery is supposed to remain
in the sub-structure of the existing ruins. The pre-
sent structure was founded by Hugh de Morville,
Lord of Lauderdale, and Constable of Scotland,
DRY
336
DRY
about 1 150. According to the Chronicle of Melros,
Beatrix de Beauchamp, wife of De Morville, ob-
tained a charter of confirmation for the new founda-
tion, from David I. ; and the cemetery was conse-
crated on St. Martin's day, 1150, "that no demons
might haunt it;" but the community did not come
to reside here until the 13th of December, 1152.
The monks were Premonstratensians, from Alnwick.
Tradition says, that the English, under Edward IT.,
in their retreat in 1322, provoked by the imprudent
triumph of the monks in ringing the church-bells at
their departure, returned and burnt the abbey in re-
venge. King Robert the Bruce contributed liberally
towards its repair, but it has been doubted whether
it ever was fully restored to its original magnificence.
Certain flagrant disorders, which occurred here in
the 14th century, drew down the severe censure of
Pope Gregory XI. upon the inmates. Many of the
abbots of Dryburgh were persons of high rank and
consequence. James Stewart, who was abbot in
1545, occasionally exchanged the cowl for the hel-
met. Having united his retainers with, those of
some neighbouring nobles, they boldly determined
on making a raid on the English border, and cross-
ing the Tweed, burned the village of Horncliffe in
Northumberland ; but the garrisons of Norham and
Berwick attacked and drove them across the border
with considerable loss, before they could effect much
more damage. In the same year Dryburgh abbey
was destined again to be laid in ruins ; being plun-
dered and burnt by an English force under the Earl
of Hertford. The market-town of Dryburgh had
been previously destroyed by the troops of Sir George
Bowes. The last head of this house — the lands and
revenues of which were annexed to the Crown in 1587
— was David Erskine, natural son of Lord Erskine,
who is described as " ane exceeding modest, honest,
and shamefast man." The abbey and its demesnes
were granted by James VI. of Scotland to Henry
Erskine, Lord Cardross ; second son of John, Earl of
Mar, the Lord-treasurer, and Mary, daughter of Esme
Stewart, Duke of Lennox, — the direct ancestor of
David Stewart Erskine, Earl of Buchan. The estate
of Dryburgh-proper lies in the parish of Mertoun, in
Berwickshire. A. small property called the Holmes,
in the parishes of St. Bos well's and Melrose, in
Roxburghshire, was added to it by the late earl.
The yearly rental of the whole, in 1840, was £800,
exclusive of the policy extending to 52 acres.
DRYFE (THE), a river in Annandale, Dumfries-
shire. It rises at the base of Loch Fell, on the
northern point of the parish of Hutton and Corrie ;
flows due south down the centre of that parish for
nearly 6 miles ; then bends suddenly round and flows
for about a mile eastward ; and again debouching,
takes permanently a south-western direction, over a
distance of 9 miles, through the lower part of Hut-
ton, the eastern wing of Applegarth, and the north-
western wing of Dryfesdale, when it falls into the
Annan. The stream has thus a course of about 16
miles. In the early part of its course it flows
through a hilly country clothed with verdure and
adorned with plantation ; but afterwards it traverses
a champaign country almost all under a rotation of
crops. In fair weather the stream is a mere rivulet,
clear and pure in its waters, and stored in its pools with
abundance of trout and a few salmon ; but in humid
weather, it is subject to sudden and impetuous floods,
which come furiously down from the uplands, lay
waste cultivated fields, sweep away produce and
stock, and occasionally plough up, over rich and
loamy soil, a new channel for the river. The Dryfe's
impetuosity, or its property of 'driving 'all before
it, is supposed to be alluded to in its name.
DRYFESDALE — popularly pronounced Drys-
dale* — a parish in the district of Annandale, Dumfries-
shire, occupying the centre of the large and beauti-
ful valley called the How of Annandale. It ig
bounded on the north by Applegarth ; on the east by
Hutton, Tundergarth, and St. Mungo ; on the south
by Dalton ; and on the west by Lochmaben. It has,
in some degree, the figure of the outline of a sports-
man's powder-horn, the neck lying to the south.
It measures in extreme length, from a bend of the
Annan, opposite Dormount, on the south, to the
point where it is first touched by Corrielaw burn,
on the north,east, ?i miles ; and, in extreme breadth,
from a bend of the Annan, opposite Halleaths on
the west, to the confluence of Corrie water with
Milk water on the east, 5 miles. Its area is upw
of 11,000 acres. The north-eastern division is an
agglomeration of verdant hills, partly cultivated and
partly in pasturage. The highest elevation is White
Woollen or White Wooen, so called from its havi
formerly fed with its fine pasturage large flocks
white sheep. Though rising 1,500 feet above the
level of the sea, and somewhat acclivitous in ascent,
it now nearly all luxuriates beneath dresses of grain,
and presents to the eye of a lover of scenic beauty
connected with agricultural improvement, a picture
which will live long in his remembrance; and, in
its turn, it commands from its summit a view
other objects so beautiful, so various, so farr,spread-
ing before the eye, stretching away in 3 complete
panorama of the picturesque, that the tourist
feel attracted to it as a kind pf temple of taste.
Standing on this hill, a spectator sees spread at his
feet the richly-tinted carpeting of the How of An-
nandale ; he looks across upon the brilliant land-
scape of Lower Nithsdale, foiled by the looming
hills of Galloway ; he admires the serried horizon,
though limited view, toward the north ; he sees
along the diversified scenery, now frowning and
highland, and now smiling and lowland, of Eskdale
and the English border ; and he looks away over the
sandy waste, pr the tumultuous and careering waters
of the Solway frith, to the Isle of Man and the Irish
sea. Many views are more magnificent and thrilling,
but few live more soothingly and fondly in the ima-
gination. The other hills of Dryfesdale*, for the most
part, are, like the chief one we have mentioned, cul-
tivated and under a rotation of crops. The western
and southern parts of the parish are in general flat
and in a state of high cultivation. Along the banks
of the Dryfe and the Annan, are tracts of rich holm-
land, the depositions of the streams from time imme-
morial, consisting of deep loam, easy of culture, and
luxuriantly fertile. The other flat grounds are, in
general, light and dry, lying on a slaty and ragged
rock or gravel, and, when properly cultivated, are
abundantly productive. The Annan forms the boun-
dary-line for about 6£ miles on the west and south ;
the Milk, for about 2 miles on the south-east ; and
the Corrie, for about 1^ mile on the east; — and they
all diversify and enrich the landscape, and posses*
considerable attractions to the angler. The Dryfe—
which was described in the preceding article — here
terminates its course, after traversing the parish over
a distance of 2£ miles. The depositions which it
makes, and the stretch of level land which it occa-
sionally desolates with its floods before entering the
Annan, are called Dryfe-sands. This locality is
memorable as the scene of a sanguinary contest, on
7th December, 1593, between the Maxwells and the
Johnstories. The former, though much superior hi
numbers, were routed and pursued ; and lost, on th
field and in the retreat, about 700 men, including
» The name is derived from the river Dryfe, and wan an-
ciently applied to the eutire district through which that st
flows.
DRY
337
DRY
Lord Maxwell, their commander. Many of those
who perished or were wounded in the retreat, were
cut down in the streets of Loc.kerby ; and hence the
phrase, currently used in Annandale to denote a se-
vere wound, — " A Lockerby lick." On Dryfe-sands,
or the holm of Dryf'e, about $ a mile below the old
churchyard, are two very aged thorn-trees, called
" Maxwell's Thorns," with a tumulus at their base,
which mark the scene of the slaughterous onset. In
5 localities are vestiges of strong towers ; and in 8
places — chiefly eminences — are remains of camps or
forts, some square or Roman, and others circular or
British. The British camp most in preservation is
at Dryfesdale gate, and occupies about 2 acres of
ground, and commands an extensive view. The
counterpart of this, is a Roman one about £ a mile to
the east, where, about the end of the first century,
the army of Julius Agricola, and the forces of Cor-
bredus Galdus, king of the Scots, met in warlike en-
counter. There are plain traces of the great Roman
road which traversed Dryfesdale, and which here
branched-off into two great lines. [See DUMFRIES-
SHIRE.] The parish is intersected from north to
south by the mail-road between Glasgow and Lon-
and is traversed, at short intervals, and in
•ious directions, by minor roads. Though there are
;ral hamlets, Lockerby, a stirring and attractive
i, centrally situated, absorbs all the local trade :
LOCKERBY. Population of the parish, in 1801,
; in 1831, 2,283. Houses 409. Assessed
property, in 1815, £8,285. — Dryfesdale is in the
•sliytery of Lochmaben, and synod of Dumfries,
the Crown. Stipend £105 10s. 9d.; glebe
Unappropriated teinds i'53 18s. 7d. The
•ish-church, situated in Lockt-rby, was built in
)7. Sittings 750. In Lockerby is also a place
worship belonging to the United Secession,
are 7 schools, 6 of them unendowed. Par-
schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £37
emoluments. In Lockerby, are a subscrip-
library, a circulating library, and a public
reading-room. The church of Dryfesdale was an-
ciently dedicated to St. Cuthbert, and belonged, as
a mensal church, to the occupant of the see of Glas-
gow. The upper part of the parish — then called
Little Hutton, to distinguish it from the contermi-
nous parish of Hutton on the north — was a chapelry,
having its own place of worship at an extinct hamlet
calK-d" Little Hutton. There were also 2 other
chapels, — one at Becktoun, and the other at Quaas.
The former belonged to the Knights Templars, and
may still be traced in the vestiges of ancient tombs
in what formed its burying-ground. Quaus chapel
likewise has left local memorials ; and has likewise
contributed its font to serve as the market-cross of
Lockerby. The ancient parochial church of Dryfes-
tood on Kirkhill, on the south-east of the
Drvle. In 1670, both it and part of the cemetery
around it, were swept away, and their site converted
into a sand-bed, by one of the Dryfe's impetuous in-
undations. Next year, a new church was built near
the former site, on what was thought a more secure
spot; yet even this was, in a few years, so menaced
by the encroachments of the river, which tore away
piece alter piece of the cemetery, that, along with
its site, it was finally abandoned. These disasters
were regarded as the verification of an old saying of
the Rhymer, which a less astute observer of
furiously devastating power of the Dryfe than he
'it very safely have uttered . —
" Let spadt's arid shonls do what they may,
Dryfe will have Drysdale kirk away." "
church of 1670, and even greater part of the
letery, have now wholly disappeared. A story
I.
has long been current in Annandale exhibiting an
instance of the washing away of the bodies of the
dead, — that a widower, after mourning for a reason-
able time the spouse whom he had interred in Dryfes-
dale, wedded, on a wet and stormy day, a second
helpmate, and crossing the bridge at the head of the
bridal party, on their way homeward from the mar-
riage-ceremony, saw the coffin of his deceased wife
falling from "the scaur" into the torrent, and glid-
ing toward the spot on which he stood. In what
remains of the old cemetery, are two conspicuous
tombs or enclosed burying-plots, — one of them that
of the Johnstones, with their coat-of-arms sculptured
over the entrance.
DRYHOPE, a fortalice in the parish of Yarrow,
Selkirkshire; 15 miles west by south of Selkirk,
near the lower extremity of St. Mary's lake. The
celebrated Mary Scott, " the flower of Yarrow," was
born here. She married Walter Scott, the laird of
Harden, a freebooter as renowned for his roving pro-
pensities as his wife for her beauty.
DRYMEN, an extensive parish in the western
district of Stirlingshire. Its form is nearly triangu-
lar. Its greatest length from north to south is about
14 miles, and its greatest breadth about 10. It is
bounded on the north by Perthshire, from which it
is separated at various points, by the waters of
Duchray, Kelty, and Forth; on the south by the
parish of Killearn and the shire of Dumbarton ; on
the west by the parish of Buchanan and by the
Catter burn and the Endrick, which separate it from
Dumbartonshire; and on the east by the parishes of
Kippen, Balfron, and Killearn. The greater portion
of this parish is composed of mountain and moor,
and in no part is it distinguished for fertility. A
large hilly tract in the north-western part of tie
parish is almost entirely covered with heath, and an
immense moss occupies the north-eastern angle.
Between these and also along the western part of
the parish is a narrow stripe of light, dry, gravelly
soil, being almost the only portion fit for the plough.
The extensive mosses in this parish, which bear very
unequivocal marks of a ligneous origin, seem to prove
that this part of Stirlingshire was formerly almost
entirely covered with wood. In 1795 an alder tre.i
in this parish measured 19^ feet round the trunk, anJ
an ash tree of immense age in the churchyard of Dry-
men measured, a few years ago, 15 feet. The greater
part of the uncultivated grounds afford pasture to
sheep and black cattle. By a return made in l.S> 1
to Dr. Graham of Aberfoyle, the author of the Agri-
cultural Report on Stirlingshire, there were 2,093
black cattle, and 3,700 sheep in the parish of Dry-
men. Fairs are held at Drymen on the 1st 1 1
of January, O. S. ; the 3d Tuesday of February, O.S.';
the 3d Wednesday of April, O. S.; the 10th of May,
O. S. ; the 9th of June, O. S. ; the 3d Wednesday or
July, O. S. ; the 23d of August, O. S. ; and the 1st
Friday of November, N. S — Sheriffs small debt
circuit courts are held at Drymen on the 2d Tuesdays
of January, April, July, and October. The parlia-
mentary registration-court is also held at Drymen once
a-year Population, in 1801, 1,607; in 1831, 1,690.
Houses 283. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,399 — .
The parish of Drymen is in the presbytery of Dum-
barton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the
Crown. The parish-school was attended, in 1833, bv
154 children. Salary of the master £:5I ; school-ices
£25. There are also two other schools, which were
attended at the same period by 58 children. There
is a large sepulchral cairn, in the interior of which
several stone-coffins have been found, on the farm o;
Finriich- Tenant in this parish; and near the hill o:'
Gartmore, in the north-eastern part of the parish, is
a Roman castellum in a fine stat^ oi' preservation.
Y
DUA
338
DUD
It measures 50 paces square within the trenches.
The noble family of Drummond derives its name
from this parish, having, it is said, obtained a grant
of lands here so early as the time of Malcolm Canmore,
and made Drymen their principal residence for 200
years before the time of David II., when they re-
moved to Perthshire. A tradition exists that John
Napier, the inventor of the logarithms, was born at
the farm-house of Drumbeg in this parish. Of the
truth of this there is some doubt. Part, however,
of his patrimonial inheritance lay here, and the house
of Gartness on the Endrick was a favourite residence
of this illustrious person, and the scene of many of
his profound investigations. This parish, like others
in the western part of Stirlingshire, was down to a
late period subject to the exaction of black-mail by
the Macgregors of Glengyle. Sir Walter Scott men-
tions that on one occasion Rob Roy Macgregor sum-
moned all the heritors and farmers of this part of the
county to meet him at the kirk of Drymen to pay
this tribute. Only one gentleman ventured to de-
cline compliance, whose lands the freebooter and his
ketterans instantly swept of all they could drive
away.
DUART CASTLE, an ancient building, once
the castle of the chief of the Macleans, occupying the
brink of a high cliff which shoots out from the coast
of Mull into the sound opposite Oban. It is 4.^
miles from the ferry of Achnacraig, and consists
chiefly of a large square tower, with walls of an im-
mense thickness. Two additional buildings of more
recent construction — one of which was occupied by
a garrison towards the end of last century — connected
by a high wall, form with the tower an oblong square
of about 120 by 72 feet.
DUBBIESIDE, a village in the parish of Mark-
inch, Fifeshire, at the mouth and on the south bank
of the Leven. Its inhabitants are chiefly employed in
the manufacture of coarse linen. It is 7J miles north-
east of Dysart.
DUCHRAY (THE), a small river in the west of
Stirlingshire. It rises on the northern declivity of
Benlomond, and flowing eastward forms for several
miles the boundary between the shires of Stirling
and Perth. At Blairvach, in the midst of wild and
singular scenery, it forms a fine cascade of 30 feet.
It falls into the Forth a little below the lake of
Menteith. On its banks, near the clachan of Aber-
foyle, is Duchray castle, formerly the seat of one of
the Graham family. It has been fitted up as a hunt-
ing-lodge.
DUDDINGSTON, a parish oi\ the coast of Edin-
burghshire; bounded on the north by the parish of
South Leith; on the south-east by the frith of
Forth; on the east by Inveresk; on the south by
Libberton; and on the west by St. Cuthbert's and
Canongate. It is of very irregular outline; and
might have been nearly a rectangle, but for a tri-
angular elongation on its eastern side, and the at-
tachment of a westward stripe to its south-west
angle. On the north, from the east base of Arthur's
seat to the sea, it is only 1| mile long; but on the
south, from Salisbury-green on the west to Magda-
lene-bridge on the shore, it is 3f miles. In its cen-
tral part, over half its length, it is nearly 1^ mile in
breadth; but in. the western stripe it is only ^ of a
mile, and in the eastern angle diminishes from l£
mile to a point. Nearly the whole of the parish is
dressed in the richest garb of cultivation. A fertile
soil, well-enclosed fields, a varied surface, the beau-
tiful demesne of the Marquis of Abercorn, and a
delightful intermixture of lawn and tillage, of water-
scenery, rows of plantation, and fences of shrubbery,
render it an attractive environ of the proud metro-
polis of Scotland. Pow burn and Braid burn enter
it on the south-west, and, after forming a confluence,
diagonally intersect it, and diffuse in their progress
many beauties of mimic landscape. The united
stream is conducted through the pleasure-grounds of
the Marquis of Abercorn in an artificial canal, and
afterwards traverses a romantic little dell, and passes
on to pay its tiny tribute to the sea. Duddingston
loch, spread out at the south-east base of Arthur's
seat, and measuring about 1£ mile in circumference,
smiles joyously amid the opulent scenery around it,
and in winter allures crowds of skaters from the
neighbouring city to its glassy bosom. On the north-
eastern bank of the lake rises the fine Grecian form
of Duddingston-house, surrounded by gardens, planta-
tions, mimic temples, and various adornings indicating
united opulence and taste. A little eminence, sur-
mounted by the venerable-looking parish-church,
under the south cope of Arthur's seat and overlook-
ing the lake, commands a wide expanse of beautiful
and picturesque scenery. Overshadowed by the bold
precipices of the neighbouring mountain, and shut
out by it from every view of the magnificent and
crowded city at its further base, a spectator feels
himself sequestered from the busy scenes which he
knows to be in his vicinity, or he hears their distant
hum dying away on the breeze, and disposing him to
enjoy the delights of solitude ; and he looks south-
east and north over a gorgeous panorama of elegant
villas, towering castles, rich valleys, undulating hil-
locks, groves, ruins, and a plenteous variety of scenic
tints and shading, till his vision is pent up by the
Pentlands and Lammermoor, or glides away with the
sinking sea into the distant horizon. Many of the
scenes and objects within his view — such as Craig-
millar castle — crowd his mind with historical recol-
lections ; and others — such as the peopled shores and
the laden waters of the frith — portray to him the
enterprise and refinements of a modern age. Whether
in the seclusion and loveliness of its own immediate
attractions, or in the exhibition it gives of the wide
landscape around it, softened and ruralized by the
intervention of the mountain-screen of Arthur's seat
hiding Edinburgh from the view, the little eminence
of Duddingston is captivating in its attractions, and
draws to its soothing retirement many a tasteful or
studious citizen of the metropolis to luxuriate in its
pleasures. The pedestrian approach to it from the
city possesses allurements of its own, to heighten the
attractions of the resort ; leading by a pleasant path
through the king's park, and under the basaltic co-
lumns of Samson's ribs, overhanging the tunnel of
the Edinburgh and Dalkeith railway. Though the
parish, in its present state, is not excelled in the
loveliness and exuberance of cultivation by any dis-
trict in Scotland, and may compete with the finest
spots in the rich champaign of England, it was, so
late as 150 years ago, an unreclaimed moor, covered
with sand, and variegated only by the rankest and
most stunted shrubbery and weeds. About the year
1688, the proprietor of the estate of Prestonfield was
Lord-provost of Edinburgh; and, better acquainted
than his contemporaries with the value and fertilizing
powers of city manure, he availed himself of read
and thankful permission, to carpet and enrich tl
sterile soil of his property with the accumulations of
the yards and streets of the metropolis. So success-
ful was his astute policy that, arid and worthless as
his lands had been, they speedily became the iii
which were enclosed in the vicinity of Edinburgh,
and are still esteemed the best grass pastures about
the city, or perhaps any where else in Scotland.
About the year 1751, the Earl of Abercorn, proprie-
tor of the estate of Duddingston, compensated in
vigour what had been lost by delay, in imitating tl
successful movements on the conterminous property ;
> t
VJ I
DUD
DUF
having subdivided his estate into commodious
*, and enclosed and beautified it with hedgerows
clumps of plantation, expended £30,000 in rear-
tbe architectural pile, and spreading out the array
water-embellishments and landscape decorations,
lich preside in its centre. Coal of excellent quality
inds in the parish, and finds a ready market in
metropolis. The strata of limestone and iron-
ic which run north-eastward through Edinburgh-
;, traverse the parish, and dip into the sea near
eastern extremity, and are said to look up again
the surface on the opposite coast of Fife. Clay
so pure a kind has been found as to be material
)r stoneware, and for crucibles capable of sustaining
ithout injury a very high degree of heat. On the
ist, in the interstices of rocks and stones, have
;n found curious and rare vegetable petrifactions;
of them resembling the finest Marseilles quilt-
*, and others formed of reeds and shrubs known to
indigenous only in tropical countries. Small
of chalcedony and porphyry, and large masses
' agate, have been picked up on the beach ; but may
f, it is presumed, be vainly sought for, after the
ing searches of numerous virtuosos of a former
leration. Marl of different kinds, of great rich-
and in much plenty, has been found in Dudding-
loch. Indigenous plants of upwards of 400
nes, and exhibiting a curious and interesting vari-
, allure the botanist to gratify bis taste, and ad-
ire the interminable displays of creative skill and
cence, round the banks of the loch, arid along
roots and skirts of Arthur's seat. The Fishwives'
iseway, forming the north-east boundary of the
rish, and once a part of the great post-road to
idon, bears marks of considerable antiquity, and
supposed to be a remnant of those regular roads,
i verging to Holy rood-house, which Mary, of de-
" memory, patronized as a means of soothing or
benefiting her turbulent subjects. At the mouth
Duddingston burn, have been found, buried in a
stratum of clay, and from bark to core as black
ebony, the trunks of large oak trees, — remnants,
supposed, of the King's forest, in which the in-
e< of the monastery of the Holy Cross had the
privilege of nourishing their hogs. The Figgetwhins,
formerly a forest, stretching over a considerable ter-
ritory-—sold in 1762 or 1763 for only £1,500— and
now in part the opulent and beautiful tract around
Portobello, and in part the site of that extensive and
smiling suburb of the metropolis, are said to have
been a place of shelter and of rendezvous to Sir Wil-
liam Wallace and his copatriots, when they were
preparing to attack Berwick. Monteath, the secre-
tary of Cardinal Richelieu of France, David Malcolm,
-ay ist, a celebrated linguist, and a member of
the Antiquarian society about 1739, and Pollock, pro-
les-or of divinity in Aberdeen, were all ministers of
Duddingston. The parish is cut, through its western
wing or stripe, by the Edinburgh and Dalkeith rail-
md is intersected from west to east near the
shore by the Leith branch. It is traversed also by
the great turnpike from Edinburgh to London, by
way of Berwick. Population, in 1801, 1,003; in
H31, 3,862. Houses 633. Assessed property, in
1815, 14,194.
Duddingston contains the parliamentary burgh of
Portobello, [See PORTOBELLO,] the villages of Joppa |
and Easter and Wester Duddingston, and the ham-
Ifts of Duddingston-mill and Duddingston Salt-pans.
Joppa is a suburb of Portobello, with 389 inhabitants
in 1(S31 — Easter Duddingston is situated in the east-
em angle of the parish, on a rising ground near the
«-;i. and ron-i-i- (>t' a few plain cottages inhabited by i
abourers. Population, in 1831, 171 Wester Dud- i
, situated on the north side of the loch, was i
once populous, and contained 30 looms; but now
though neat in appearance, and beautiful in situation,
surrounded by gardens and plantations, and so attrac-
tive as to draw to its villa-like cottages summer-
residents from Edinburgh, is very small, and contained
only 225 permanent inhabitants in 1831 . At the east
end of it a house still stands in which Prince Charles
slept on the night before the action at Preston pans.*
Duddingston-mill is a joyous little hamlet, containing
the parochial school, and delightfully situated near the
centre of the parish, about £ a mile east from Wester
Duddingston. Near it is Cauvin's hospital, an edifice
resembling a large elegant villa, built in 1833, and
maintained, for the board and liberal education of 20
boys, by a munificent bequest of Louis Cauvin, a
Duddingston farmer Duddingston Salt-pans con-
sist of some straggling houses on the coast to the
eastward of Joppa.
The parish of Duddingston is in the presbytery of
Edinburgh, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Patron, the Marquis of Abercorn. Stipend £248
19s. 5d. ; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds £118
4s. lid. The parish-church is a building of con-
siderable antiquity, and, from the structure of the
arches and the peculiar character of the ornaments,
has been supposed by some to have been of Saxon
erection. A very beautiful semicircular arch divides
the choir from the chancel. In the churchyard is an
elegant marble obelisk, to the memory of Patrick
Haldane, Esq. of Gleneagles. During the reign of
William the Lion the monks of Kelso acquired the
church and lands of Duddingston; and these being
at an inconvenient distance from their abbey, they
appointed baron-bailies, and on advantageous terms
to tenants let the lands. In 1630, the estate of
Prestonfield was disjoined from the parish of St.
Cuthbert. In 1834, a district more than a mile in
length, and nearly half-a-mile in its greatest breadth,
was disjoined from Duddingston, and erected into the
quoad sacra parish of Portobello. Parochial school-
master's salary £34, with about £12 fees. There
are 1 0 non-parochial schools attended by about 300
scholars.
DUFF HOUSE, a seat of the Earl of Fife, in the
immediate neighbourhood of Banff, surrounded by a
noble park, said to be 14 miles in circumference. It
is a large quadrangular edifice, of massive proportions,
decorated with Corinthian pillars in front, and a
handsome balustrade on the top, terminated at each
corner by a square turret. Externally it is sprinkled
over with vases and statues ; internally — to borrow
a new-coined expression from a late lively tourist — it
is perfectly Louvrized with pictures, — chiefly por-
traits. There are the two mistresses of Louis XIV.,
Madame de Montaspar, and the Duchess de Valliere,
with the grand monarch himself; also Lady Castle-
main, and Lady Carlisle, Jane Shore, and Nell Gwyn,
with some others equally respectable, and forming
* At the east end of Welter Duddingstnn, and nearly opposite
Lord Abercorn's Rate, stood a memorable thorn-tree, known as
Queen Mary's tree, perhaps one «>f the oldest thorn-trees in
!M-otland, and of the greatest dimensions, being about 9 feet in
circumference. It formerly stood within the park, but on widen
ing the carriage-road, it win brought outside, and then several
fissures appeared in the trunk, through which the elements of
air and water were fast consuming the venerable tree. The
road-trustees had these fissures filled up with stone und lime,
and liRd it otherwise protected, but the vioteuce of the gale on
the 25th of MHV, 1340, pulled it up by the roots, laying it xlong
a shattered and withered trunk. A well-known and justly re.
puted artist, who resides in the neighbour hood, has ascertained
that the Duddingbton thorn existed M> t,ir back us the reim of
Alexander the Fieri e (1107), w hen it was one ol the landmarks
of the property on which it >;rew. It if mentioned in the title,
deeds of the Ahercnrii property, and In nee the desire on the
part «f hit) lordship's doers to preserve a precise knowledge of
the spot mi \vlurli it stood. The principal part of the wood WHS
removed to a wood-yard in the neighbourhood, for the purpose.
ut being made up iuto various fancy articles, furniture, rustic
chairs, &C.
DUF
340
DUF
" a pretty set " in every sense of that equivocal term ;
also Queen Elizabeth and her beautiful victim Queen
Mary, and the youthful and accomplished [ ady Jane
Grey ; the Duchess of Richmond by Vandyke ; Mrs.
Abingdon by Sir Joshua Reynolds ; the late Duchess
of Gordon, " looking like majesty personified ;" Sir
Francis Knollys by Sir Godfrey Kneller ; the Admir-
able Crichton; the Chevalier St, George when a
boy ; Colonel Gardiner ; and a whole host beside
of beauties, warriors, statesmen, nobles, and au-
thors.— This splendid mansion is placed near the
middle of an extensive plain, spreading on one side
to the edge of the Doveron, which here fills its chan-
nel without cutting, and but rarely overflowing, its
banks. The wall of the park, upon its north-east
side, sweeps along the town of Banff; and the great
gate, at the distance of about half-a-mile from the
house, opens into the street. From the windows of
two sides, the house commands an approach from
another quarter, where the river quits the park, at
the distance of half-a-mile from the house. This
approach opens straight along a magnificent bridge of
seven arches, upon the highway to Aberdeen ; the
road into the town making an easy sweep to the
other hand, and passing by the gate which leads from
the end of the bridge to the house. The town of
Banff, with the shipping in its port, and a wide
prospect of the ocean, form the verge of the land-
scape on the one side ; upon the other are the wind-
ing river, the broad extended green vale, diversified
by a variety of trees and shrubs in serpentine stripes,
or grouped together in spreading groves ; while the
distant acclivities, on either side, are enriched to a
great extent by cultivated fields and sheltering plan-
tations. Where the river enters the park on the
south side, it is contracted to the breadth of a brook
between hanging rocks, over which is thrown a pri-
vate bridge of one stately and elegantly formed arch,
having in one of the abutments a chamber which
commands a striking and romantic view to either
hand. A large enclosure, stocked with a numerous
herd of fallow-deer, is contained in a recess of the
park. On that quarter of the park which divides it
from the town of Banff, there is a considerable ex-
tent of garden, enclosed by a wall, well-covered
with fruit-trees, and a long range of hot-houses,*
DUFF US, a parish in Morayshire; bounded on
the north by the Moray frith ; on the east by Drainy
and Spynie parishes ; on the south by Alves parish ;
and on the west by the Moray frith. It extends 5
miles in length from east to west along the south
coast of the frith, and averages 3 in breadth. Its
form is nearly that of a parallelogram. Except where
* In the acre, it is supposed, of Alexander III., a convent of
Carmelite friars had obtained pci
fertile vale in which Duft-house
Robt-rt Bruce, dated at Scone, August 1st, 1324, conrinns this
possession of nearly 500 acres, for procuring bread, wine, nod
wax, for the exercises of divine worship. The same charter
bestows a " chapel of the Virgin Mary near the town of Banff,"
ihe situation, it is believed, of the former church— where they
had also several cells—" with the benefice thereto appertaining
for building a chapel and the other houses of their order." The
ruins of this establishn ent have been entirely removed. In
forming the modern arrangement of the ground sahout Duff-
house, a very large urn of stone, on a suituble pedestal, deco-
rates a hillock in the park, and preserves ail the hones which
were turned up in the cemetery of these monks. The situation
also of their chapel is now occupied by the vault' d sepulchre of
the family of Fit'e, on a green mount overhanging' the meadow
upon the bank of the river. A, plain undecorated fabric rises
over the vault, which contains the monuments of the ancestors
of the family ; and considerable ingenuity has been exerted,
and proportional cost expended, in providing for its long dura,
tion. The roof — into which, on this account, no timber lias
been admitted— is not lofty, and forms outwardly two sides of
a prism. It is framed into an arch of cut stone, so closely
jointed by the }>ccurate smoothing of the chisel, as to ward off
the pelting of the heaviest storm from another solid circular
arch underneath, which is raised over the walls of the dome,
and forms the ceiling of this simple though costly sepulchre.
ssio.i of the beautiful and
H now placed. A grant by
its tameness is varied by plantations, and relieved by
the hill of Rose-isle, a small eminence in the middle
of the parish, and by an artificial mount on which
the ruins of Duffus castle stand, the country is a
continued plain, everywhere arable. Along the
coast extends a level tract of land, about £ mile in
breadth, which was at one time richly cultivated, but
for many years it was covered with sand from the
western shore. The sand at length ceased to be
blown thither, and the land has been almost all re-
stored to its former condition. The soil in the east-
ern quarter of the parish is a deep rich clay, capable
of producing any sort of crop. It resembles the
carse of Gowrie. The western consists of a rich
black earth, mixed here and there with sand, but in
general so excellent that the crops for quality and
increase cannot be surpassed in Scotland. The plain
of Duffus, together with the adjoining land, has been
called, perhaps more from richness than from situa-
tion, ' The Heart of Morayshire.' The mildness and
geniality of the climate is well-known ; but in so
northern a latitude is very surprising. There is little
rain; and as there may be said to be no hills, neither
are there rivulets or rivers in the parish. The loch
of Spynie, which, when full, extended into it for
upwards of a mile, has been drained out of the
bounds of this parish altogether ; and though the
benefits anticipated from this expensive work [see
DRAINY] have not in general been realized, yet, so
far as Duffus is concerned, the project has been suc-
cessful.— Duffus castle stood on the north-west shore
of this lake. A deep moat surrounded it with a
parapet- wall and drawbridge ; and from the low-lying
marshy state of the ground and the vicinity of Loch
Spynie, it must have been almost encompassed with
water. This castle must have been of great anti-
quity. The walls are formed of rude workmanship,
being composed of rough stones run together with
lime, the whole forming a mass 5 feet thick. The
ruin, as it now appears, surrounded with its clumps
of aged trees, and standing in the midst of a pleasant
plain, presents, at every point of view, a picturesque
and interesting landscape. In the distance from the
castle is the palace of Spynie, now also dilapidated.
Formerly the walls of both these places must even
have been washed by the waters of the loch ; but
now, since these have been drained away, corn-fields
and green pastures intervene, The old castle is
thought to have formed a place of strength for the
protection of the palace. One of its earliest pos-
sessors, and perhaps its founder, was Freskinus de
Moravia, whose family became conspicuous in Mo-
ray in the reign of David I. It is riot certain when
this castle was dilapidated. — The coast of Duffus at
the eastern end is rather bold, rocky, and cavernous..
There are freestone quarries on the coast; while, in-
land, there is limestone which is now burnt for man-
ure, &c. At the western end, the land is only ele-
vated about 4 feet above sea-level. At this extremity
a small but rather conspicuous promontory runs into
the sea, forming the north-western extremity of
Brough-head bay. Here stands the thriving sea-port
and fishing- village of BROUGH-HEAB ; which see.f
f Notwithstanding the general opinion there given as to the
ancient fortifications xt Brough-head, it is observed by M
Rhind, in his elegant and illustrated ' Sketches of the Past a
Present State of Moray,' published in 1839, that " it does n
appear at all probable that the Romans ever had any permaneu
footing in Moray. Scverus, it is true, penetrated into so:
parts of the north ; but after the loss of a great part o
men from cold, fatigue, arid famine, he wan soon compelled t<i
retreat. Agricola saih d round the island on a voyage of dis-
covery ; but certainly did not stop at any one place a snfficifn
time to build a forr, or construct a well.
It wa-> from thw v
,
age that Ptolemy the geographer drew his materials for his rud<
map of the country. The Ptoroton of Ptolemy appears to coi
.
respond to Burgh-head, at that time probably nothing more
DUI
341
DUL
Near a place called Kaim, at this end of the parish,
stood an obelisk, conjectured to have been that
erected near the village of Camus, in commemora-
of the victory obtained by Malcolm in Moray,
rer the Danes, under their memorable leader Camus.
It the picturesque village of Duffus there is a
juare, in the centre of which the church is placed,
is surrounded by four streets regularly paved, the
)rkmanship, it is said, of Oliver Cromwell's sol-
The villagers were noted for their devotion
the house of Stuart. Port-Camming and Hope-
i, where there is a harbour, are the other principal
llages in the parish. Population, in 1801, 1,339-
,623; in 1831, 2,308. Houses 480. Assessed pro-
ty, in 1815, £5,611. — This parish is in the synod
Moray, and presbytery of Elgin. Patron, Sir
chibald Dunbar, Bart. Stipend £232 8s. lOd. ;
lebe £18. Unappropriated teinds £245 15s. lid.
1823 a portion of the parish, including the three
llages, — Brough-head, Cummingstoun, and Hope-
in, — was attached to the chapel-of-ease at Brough-
by authority of the presbytery ; and in 1833,
country district, called Rose-isle, was also added,
'he financial affairs of the chapel-congregation are
ider the control of certain managers and a commit-
of presbytery. Chapel built in 1832 ; cost £300.
-There is a United Secession congregation at
{rough-head. Chapel built in 1821 ; cost £367 9s.
I l|d. — At Kaim there is a small Episcopalian chapel.
)lmaster's salary £36 per annum ; fees, &c. £15,
sides a portion of* the Dick bequest. There are
private schools. »
DUILLISH, a place on the cattle-road from Caith-
and Strathnaver, in the parish of Kildonan,
itherlandshire. A fair is held here on the 14th of
lUgust, and another on the 12th of September, both
connexion with the Kyle and the Falkirk markets.
DUIRNISH, or DURINISH, a parish in Inverness-
ire, in the isle of Skye ; about 19 miles long, and
broad ; containing from 50,000 to 55,000 Scottish
:res. The extent of sea-coast is about 80 miles,
'he ground about the lochs, or arms of the sea —
"lich run far into the country — descends in some
23 with a quick, and in others with an easy slope
jrds the shore. The promontories or headlands
are usually rocks of immense height, with a great
depth of water near them. The moors are, in most
places, deep and wet ; the soil is partly a light black
loam, and partly of a reddish gravelly appearance ;
and, though mostly thin and stony, it is on the whole
fertile and productive. The most remarkable moun-
tains are the two Halli vails. The ruins of several
Danish forts are yet traceable in this district. Some
indications of coal have been discovered. In the
churchyard, according to Boswell, is a pyramid of
freestone, about 30 feet high, with a pompous inl
scription to the memory of Thomas, Lord Lovat,
by his son, Lord Simon, who suffered on Tower-
hill. Population, in 1801, 3,327; in 1831, 4,765.
Houses 790 — This parish is in the presbytery of
Skye, and synod of Glenelg. Patron, M'Leod of
M'Leod. Stipend £158 6s. 7d. ; glebe £22 10s.
The Varan is the river Beaulyj Strathfarar being
f the Aird. Varris
a headland.
ill the Gaelic name for the valley \ve»t
*y have been Torres, — Tue^is the Spey. Not only from these
•rumstances, but also from the simple and rude construction
tlie well itself, the probability is, that the Picts were the
of the fort and the artificer* of the well. Nor on thin
it is it the le^s interesting as a relic of ancient art. We
ye abundant examples of the Roman :irt in oilier situations;
: very few specimens, indeed, of the ingenuity "f the Scan-
'I h it the Picts, in times subsequent to the Roman
it to Scotland, held this stronghold of Burgh. head, there can
no doubt. The. very name, and the traditions of battles
ich t'icy fought in the vicinity, indicate this. In cleaning
it the well, a number of Spanish "coins were found amongst the
i, and a slab with a bull rudely carved on it. Perhaps
Bnceaueen may have paid the place a visit in more modern
Church built in 1823-4 ; sittings 550. This parish
may be considered as divided into three districts:
1st, Glendale, extending westwards from Skinnie-
den, near the head of Dunvegan loch. Population,
in 1831, 1,538. There is a preaching-station here.
— 2d, Kilmuir, being the district in which the parish-
church is situated, including the country bet WITH
Dunvegan loch and Loch Bay. extending southward.
Population, in 1831, 1,489.— 3d, Arnizort, extend-
ing to the eastward of Kilmuir, and to the boundaries
of the parishes of Halen, Snizort, and Bracadale.
Population, in 1831, 929. There is a preaching-
station here, and an itinerating Gaelic school —
Schoolmaster's salary £30, with £5 fees. There
were 5 non parochial schools in 1834.
DULL, an extensive parish in Perthshire. It is
about 20 miles in length from north to south, and
12 miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north
by the parish of Blair- Athole ; on the south by
the parish of Kenmore, an isolated portion of that
of Fortingall, and the parishes of Weem, Logierait,
and Little Dunkeld; on the east by the parishes
of Moulin and Logierait ; and on the west by the
parishes of Fortingall and Kenmore. The parish
of Dull is divided into five districts ; — the district
of Appin, in which the parish-church stands; the
district of Grandtully, a peninsulated portion in
the south-east; the district of Amulrie, which is
situated south from the rest of the parish, and is
completely isolated from it, being bounded on the
north by Weem and Logierait, on the west by Logie-
rait, part of Fortingall, Kenmore, and Comrie, oa
the south by Monzie, and on the east by Little Dun-
keld and Weem ; the district of Foss in the north-
western part of the parish ; and the district of Fin-
castle in the north-eastern : See articles GRAND-
TULLY, AMULRIE, Foss, and TENNANDRY. The
boundaries, however, of the parish of Dull quoad
sacra and quoad £ivilia are not the same; the district
of Amulrie is annexed quoad sacra to the mission of
Amulrie; the district of Grandtully is annexed to
the mission of Grandtully ; the district of Fincastle
has now been annexed to the new parish of Tennan-
dry; and the district of Foss to the government
church of Foss. A large portion of this parish is
wild and mountainous. The soil is very various.
" The division of Appin," says the Old Statistical
Account, " is flat ; part of the soil is thick, but by
much the greater part is thin and gravelly. It seems
that the river Tay had occasionally altered its bed,
and consequently carried away the earth and left
much sand and gravel. There is a great deal of hill,
but the greater part of the parish is a corn coun-
try. In the higher tracts the arable ground is ex .
ceedingly good, and yields great crops, although they
are seldom fertile, being very late in ripening. In
the district of Appin the grain is of an excellent
quality ; and, in general, the harvest is as early as
it is in Mid-Lothian." In 1792 there were 1,500
horses, 5,000 cows, and 24,000 sheep, in this parish
The Tay and the Tummel are the only considerable
rivers in the parish, but it is intersected by numerous
smaller streams. There are not less than 15 lakes,
most of which afford excellent fishing. Population,
in 1801, 4,055; in 1831, 4,590. Houses 843. The
population is principally scattered over the parish ;
and only in a few instances collected into small vil-
lages. Fincastle and the places adjacent to it have
a population of 221. The lands of Clunie and Der-
culich are inhabited by 302 persons. The village of
Aberfeldie and its neighbourhood have a population
of 800, and Croftmoraig and Tullychuil of 70. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £3,980. The valued rent
is £4,898 3s. Scots. — The parish of Dull is in the
presbytery of Weem, and synod of Stirling and Perth.
DUL
342
DUM
It is said to have been at some former period united
to the parish of Pitcairn or Grandtully. Patron the
Crown. Stipend £257 18s. lOd. Unappropriated
tends £70 18s. The minister, besides a manse
of £40. Number of scholars, in 1834, 198. Popula-
DUMBARTON,* a royal burgh and the capital
of Dumbartonshire, is situated on a low flat piece of
and glebe, has also a privilege of casting peats, of! ground on the coast of the frith of Clyde, at the mouth
feal and divot, and of foggage for 12 soums of j of the small river Leven; 15 miles north- west of Glas-
gow, and 57 west of Edinburgh ; in N. lat. 55° 57',
and W. long. 4° 35'. The original name of Dumbar-
ton appears to have been Alcluid or Alcluyth, that is,
'the Rock upon the Clyde;' and under this appella-
tion it was in the time of the Venerable Becle the
capital of the kingdom of Strathclyde. Before this
soums
cattle on the hill The "church — the period of
the erection of which is not known, — was re-
paired about 18 years ago. Sittings 650 An
Independent congregation has been established for
nearly 43 years at Aberfeldie. The chapel and a
house for the minister were built in 1817 at an ex-
pense of £650. Sittings 500. Stipend £40 from
time, however, the site was occupied as a Roman
the congregation, and £10 from the general funds of j naval station, under the name of Theodosia ; and it
the Congregational Union of Scotland : See ABER- i appears not improbable that the rock was occupied
FELJH-E. Salary of the parish-schoolmaster £34 4s.
4^d., with £14 school-fees and £7 of other emolu-
ments. The instruction given consists of English
and Gaelic reading, writing, and arithmetic ; with
Latin and Greek occasionally. Average attendance
75. There are 10 private schools in the parish, the
average attendance at which is 480. Three of the
latter schools are supported by charitable societies.
DULNAN (THE), a river on the east side of In-
verness-shire, rising in the heights of Badenoch, and
joining the Spey below Tullochgorum, nearly oppo-
site Abernethy church.
DULSIE BRIDGE, a romantic bridge spanning
a narrow chasm through which the Findhorn rushes,
in an arch of 46 feet, with a smaller subsidiary one,
at a point of the river 12 miles from Freeburn, and 2
from Furness inn. It is on the line of the old Mili-
tary road from Fort-George, through Strathspey and
Braemar. See ARDCLACH.
DUMBARNIE. See DTJNBARNIE.
DUMBARTON, a parish and roval burgh in Dum-
bartonshire; bounded on the north by the parishes
of Bonhill and Kilmaronock in Dumbartonshire, and
those of Drymen and Killearn in Stirlingshire; on
the south by the parish of West Kilpatrick and the
frith of Clyde ; on the west by the Leven, which
separates it from the parish of Cardross, and by the
parish of Bonhill ; and on the east by the parish of
West Kilpatriek and the shire of Stirling. The
southern part of the parish near the Clyde is — with
the exception of the singular rock on which the castle
stands — nearly a dead level ; but as we recede from
the coast it becomes quickly more hilly, and towards
the northern extremity it is almost entirely composed
of hill and moor, with scarcely any inhabitants. It
is about 7^ miles in length, and about 3| in breadth;
and its superficial extent, according to a survey made
in 1818, is 6,522 Scots, or 8,155 English acres. The
soil near the banks of the Clyde is principally a rich
black loam of great fertility ; but the northern, and
by much the larger part of the parish, is almost en-
tirely moorland and incapable of cultivation. Lime-
stone is found at Murroch glen, between 2 and 3
miles to the north-east of the town of Dumbarton ;
arid a red sandstone on the northern slope of Dum-
barton moor. There are several printfields and
bleachfields on the banks of the Leven, and in the
town of DUMBARTON: which see. Glass-making,
tanning, and ship-building are carried on to some ex-
tent— The parish of Dumbarton is in the presbytery
of Dumbarton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. It is
in the patronage of the town-council of Dumbarton.
Stipend £233 6s. 2d., with 6 stone of salmon.
Church built in 1810; sittings 1,265 There is a
United Secession church, built in 1826 ; sittings 489.
Stipend £130. — A handsome Roman Catholic chapel
was erected in 1830, at an expense of £1,400; sit-
tings 218. Stipend £90 — There is also a small
Baptist congregation in the town The parochial
school has two teachers, each of whom has a salary
by a Roman fort, and that the wall of Antoninus
terminated at this point. Dumbarton was at a much
later period the chief town of the Earldom of Len-
nox. About the beginning of the 13th century, it was
resigned by Earl Maldwyn into the hands of Alex-
ander II., who, in 1222, erected it into a free royal
burgh with extensive privileges. Additional charters
were granted by succeeding monarchs, all of which
were confirmed by James VI., in 1609, and ratified
by parliament in 1612. This charter grants or con-
firms to the burgh considerable property in land and
extensive fishings in the Leven and Clyde. It gives
the town right to a free port, in the same manner as
Edinburgh has in Leith; and conveys a right to levy
customs and dues on all ships navigating the Clyde
between the mouth of the Kelvin water, 3 miles
below Glasgow, and the head of Loch Long. The
rights and privileges of the burgh were ratified by
subsequent acts of parliament, in 1641 and 1661.
The right granted by the charter of King James to
levy customs and duties in the Clyde appears to have
been of the most valuable kind. According to a
statement published by a committee of the burgesses of
Dumbarton, in 1829, although the space limited ex-
cluded Glasgow, it comprehended Greenock, and the
ground in the vicinity of Greenock on which the
town and harbour of Port-Glasgow were subse-
quently formed. The valuable privilege thus con-
ferred on Dumbarton by this charter was, that every
vessel, whether foreign or belonging to native born
subjects, coming within these limits, was bound to
go to, pay duties at, and take clearances from Dum-
barton; and that no merchants could carry their
effects to any other harbour — either then existing or
to be afterwards made within these limits — in defraud
or evasion of the lucrative right thus vested in the
burgh of Dumbarton. Besides, the clause by which
all vessels were bound to break bulk and make mar-
ket with free burgesses, gave rise to a claim of the
greatest value to Dumbarton. This was styled the
"offers dues," and was levied without opposition
from all foreign vessels coming into Clyde. It is
described in a contract entered into between Glas-
gow and Dumbarton, in 1700, " as obliging strangers
to make the first offer of the goods and merchandize
imported by them into the Clyde, to the burghs of
Glasgow and Dumbarton, at such expense and rate
as the strangers, offerers, shall not have power or
liberty to undersell the same to others." These ex-
tensive privileges, which were respectively claimed
by Dumbarton and Glasgow, produced perpetual
* The origin of the name is involved in some uncertainty,
partly, perhaps, in consequence of the various etymologies
which it has assumed. Dunharton, according- to Chalmers,
signifies ' the town of the Castle' on the summit ; but it
happens that the more common orthography of the name at aa
early period seems to have been Dunbriton, whieh would sig-
nify ' the fort or castle of the Britons.' Both names are cor-
rectly descriptive, the one of the physical features, the other of
the historical character of the place. In writing Dumbarton,
we have given way to the prevailing though probably incorrect
orthography.
DUMBARTON.
343
disputes between the two burghs during the 17th
;ntury. These were finally terminated in 1 700 by
contract, by which the town-council of Dum-
irton sold and disposed to the town-council and
)inm unity of Glasgow, the dues payable to the
irgh of Dumbarton by all ships coming into the
lyde, of which the freemen of Dumbarton were not
,rners ; and also their share of the "offers dues."
•"or these rights the town of Glasgow paid to Dum-
>n the sum of 4,500 merks, (about £260 ster-
and the burghs mutually agreed that the ves-
1s belonging to the burgesses, inhabitants of Glas-
nv and Port-Glasgow, should not pay duties in
harbour of Dumbarton ; and, on the other hand,
vessels of Dumbarton burgesses should be ex-
ipted from duties in the harbours of Glasgow and
'ort-Glasgow. This contract was ratified by the
ivention of burghs and the Scottish parliament,
in 1701.* Though the castle of Dumbarton — to
whi'-h we shall immediately allude — has borne its
share in the vicissitudes of the Scottish story, we do
not find that the town itself occupies any consider-
able place in history. It has undoubtedly existed
from a very remote period ; but its inconsiderable
size and importance, and its position being some-
what removed from the castle-rock, have probably
saved it in a great measure from those disasters of
siege and stratagem and arms, of which its near
neighbour has often borne the brunt. It was, how-
ever, several times burnt during the sieges which
the castle underwent. In the time of James IV.
and James V., Dumbarton was made a naval station;
and the former monarch made several of his expedi-
tions from this port to Tarbert in Kintyre, to the
Western islands, and elsewhere. From Dumbarton
also, without doubt, the small Scottish navy sailed —
under the wretched conduct of the Earl of Arran —
against England, shortly before the battle of Flodden.
The town of Dumbarton is built principally on a
sort of peninsula, or promontory, on the east bank
of the river Leven, a little above the point where
the latter joins the Clyde. The principal street,
called Main-street, forms a kind of semicircle, nearly
concentric with the course of the river, and situated
at a short distance from the water edge. This street
is intersected by the Cross-vennel and various other
smaller streets. A suburb, called Renton, is situated
on the west side of the river, being united with the
town by a good stone bridge of live arches, built
about the middle of last century. The church and
public offices are situated in the outer part of the
town, near the suburb of Bridgend, toward the Glas-
gow road. The principal manufacture in Dumbarton
is that of glass, which, however, has considerably fallen
off within the last few years, though it is understood
to be again reviving. This manufacture commenced
about 17 76, and the Old Statistical Account men-
tions that, in 1792, it employed 130 hands, and that
the manufacturers paid £3,800 of duties. At a later
period the business of the company was greatly ex-
tended. Not less than 300 people were employed at it,
* The navigation of the Clyde having since, by various acts
of parliament, been put under the management of trustees, the
rights thus transferred to Glasgow are no\v vested in this par-
liamentary trust. These trustees made an attempt, in 1825, to
abrogate the right of exemption from river-dues belonging to
Dumbarton— AH exemption which had no\v become of e.,n-i.:er-
»ble value, owing to the high rates levied by the- trustee--, and
the improvement in the navigation of tiie river. They were,
however, defeated in parliament, and the rights of Dumbarton
formally recognised, under a blight modification intended merely
to guard against frauds. A similar attempt was again made in
1H,,0, hut a committee of appeal threw the bill out, as in breach
of a solemn bargain between the parties. The trustees proposed
in i-jminittee to give a sum of £I(>,(X)0 to Dumbarton as the
prire of its exemption, besides saving the rii?ht-, f..r their own
lives of persons then burgesses of Dumbarton. There seems
to be no doubt, however, that the exemption is worth a con-
siderably larger sum.
and upwards of 16,000 tons of coal were consumed an-
nually. The New Statistical Account states that, in
1818, the duties paid to government amounted to the
enormous sum of .£119,000 a-year. The other
branches of industry carried on in the town lire rope-
making, tanning, and ship-building: the last, in par-
; ticular, is carried on to a very considerable extent. The
fishings on the Leven and Clyde produce a revenue of
about £385 a-year to the town. The trade of Dum-
barton, however, is very inconsiderable. The ship-
ping belonging to the port does not exceed 40 vessels
with about 1,212 tons burden; and the harbour-dues
have produced, on an average of the last five years,
only about £70 per annum. By act 3° and 4° Wil-
liam IV., the number of the council is fixed at 15,
and consists of a provost, 2 bailies, a treasurer, and
1 1 councillors. The magistrates exercise the usual
civil and criminal jurisdiction belonging to royal
burghs. The town-clerk acts as their assessor.
Two burgh-courts are held weekly. The magis-
trates take cognizance of certain triding cases fami-
liarly known in the burgh by the name of " Cause-
way complaints." There is also a dean-of-guild
court, which exercises the usual jurisdiction ot
such courts, such as lining marches, judging of the
sufficiency of buildings, and checking weights and
measures. The magistrates and council appoint the
town-clerk, collector of town's revenues, collector
of assessed taxes, master of public works, gaoler,
town-officer, and town-drummer. The magistrates
alone appoint the burgh-fiscal. The old corporations
were six in number, — the guild y, the hammermen,
shoemakers, tailors, coopers, and weavers. There
is no distinct police-establishment in the town. It
is not watched. The cleansing and lighting of the
streets, and supplying water, are under the direction
of the magistrates. Before the passing of the Muni-
cipal reform act, the abuses arising from the mis-
management of the burgh-funds were very con-
siderable. The debt of the town amounted to
£19,108 10s. l^d. The total property of the burgh
was stated, in 1832, at £17,910; but this was sus-
pected to be an over-estimate, as, in 1819, it hud
been valued at only £10,658. This property con-
sists principally of the town's muir, the waulk-mill
lands, the broad meadow, the Leven and Clyde fish-
ings, and the harbour. The moor consists of about
4,000 acres, upon which all the burgesses have the tree
right of pasture. Its possession has been the source
ot a tedious litigation for about fifty years between
the town and some neighbouring proprietors. The
lawsuit was only terminated within the last few
months in favour of the burgh, and it is supposed
that the law-proceedings will cost about the entire
price of the land, or £10,0001 Dumbarton formerly
joined with Glasgow, Renfrew, and Rutherglen in
sending a member to parliament. It now joins with
Kilmarnock, Port-Glasgow, Renfrew, and Ruther-
glen. The parliamentary constituency is 170.
The castle of Dumbarton is situated to the south
of the town, from which it is separated by a bend of the
Leven, at the point of junction between that river
and the Clyde. The rock on which the old fortress
stands projects considerably into the channel of the
Clyde, and is a prominent as well as a picturesque
object in the beautiful scenery of that river. U
shoots up abruptly from a fiat level, and stands com-
pletely isolated from any other elevatioiis. Its form
is somewhat like that of a mitre, the rock dividing
about the middle, and forming two summits, on which
the batteries and other parts of the castle are erected.
1 The entrance to the castle is by a gate at the foot of
I the rock, and fronting the south-east. It is defended
by u rampart, immediately wilhin which the ^u.mi-
j house and apartments for the officers are situated.
344
DUMBARTON.
A flight of stone steps conducts to the point at which
the rock is parted, where there is a well, together
with barracks and a battery. The other batteries are
situated on the two summits of the rock, and afford
an extensive and delightful prospect, — of which the
vale of the Leven, the immense form of Benlomond,
the hills of Arrochar, and the expanse of the Clyde,
are the most attractive objects. The geological
character of the rock is basaltic ; and it is remark-
able for possessing, in particular parts, a strong
magnetic property. Dumbarton rock — as we have
already mentioned — was, in all probability, occu-
pied as a stronghold in the time of the Romans,
and was, at all events, chosen for the site of a
fortress by the aboriginal inhabitants of Scotland,
shortly after those invaders had evacuated the
country. It is particularly mentioned by Bede,
at the beginning of the 8th century, as one of
the strongest fortifications possessed by the Bri-
tons. Hoveden refers to it as having been reduced
by famine by Egbert, King of Northumberland, in
756, but Chalmers is disposed to doubt the accuracy
of this statement. Its importance as a fortress has
all along been considered so great that it has — from
the time of Bede at least, clown to the present
hour — been zealously retained by the Crown as one
of the royal castles. When Maldwyn obtained the
Earldom of Lennox from Alexander II., the castle
of Dumbarton, and a portion of the land in its
neighbourhood, was specially excepted from the
grant. Along with the other royal fortresses of
Scotland, it was delivered up to Edward I. dur-
ing the competition between Bruce and Baliol for
the Crown ; and was afterwards made over to Baliol
in 1292, when the dispute was settled in his favour.
In 1296, it again fell into the hands of the English,
and Alexander de Ledes was appointed governor of
the castle by Edward. From 1305 to 1309, it was
held for the same monarch by Sir John Menteith,
the betrayer of Wallace. After the fatal battle
of Halidon hill, in 1333, Sir Malcolm Fleming of
Cumbernauld secured Dumbarton castle for the King.
Towards the end of the same century it was held
first by Sir Robert Erskine, and afterwards by Sir
llobert Danielston. After the death of the latter,
in 1399, Walter Danielston, parson of Kincardine
O'Neil, forcibly took possession of it, and held it
till 1402, when he surrendered it to the Crown. In
1425, James Stewart, son of the Regent Albany,
assaulted and burnt the town of Dumbarton, and
murdered Sir John Stewart, the King's uncle, who
held the castle with 32 men. Dumbarton was be-
sieged in 1481 by the fleet of Edward IV., and was
bravely and successfully defended by Andrew Wood
of Largs. In 1489, the Earl of Lennox, keeper of
the castle, having engaged in an insurrection against
the government of James IV., Dumbarton was be-
sieged— thoygh without success — by the Earl of Ar-
gyle. Shortly after, however, the king himself ap-
peared before the castle, and compelled the sons of
Lennox, who then held it, to surrender, after a
siege of six weeks. In 1514, the Earls of Lennox
and Glen cairn, during a tempestuous night, broke
open the lower gate of the castle ; and, having thus
obtained access, turned out the governor, Lord
Erskine. Lennox appears to have retained posses-
sion till 1516, when he was compelled to deliver it
up to Allan Stewart. Shortly after the battle of
Pinkie, Queen Mary took up her residence in the
castle of Dumbarton ; and, on leaving it, embarked
for France, at this place, in 1548. Queen Mary
again visited the castle, in 1563, when on a progress
into Argyle ; and during the troubles which followed
on her dethronement, this fortress was held for her
by Lord Fleming. This lord appears to have kept
possession of it till May 1571, when it was taKen
by stratagem, under the conduct of Captain Tho-
mas Crawford, who scaled the rock during the night,*
and made prisoners of the garrison, and of several
persons of consideration— among the rest Archbishop
Hamilton of St. Andrews — who had taken refuge
here. The governor, however, succeeded in making
his escape in a boat to Argyleshire. During the civ
wars of Charles the First's time, the castle changed
hands on several occasions, and continued through
out the whole of that period to be regarded as an
object of great importance by the contending parties.
It is unnecessary to follow out the history of this
fortress during later times; suffice it to mention
that, about the beginning of the 18th century, the
* " This exploit has been graphically described by Mr. Tytler,
['History of Scotland,' Vol. VII. p. 350 ] "The rapture of
Dumbarton castle by the Regent," says Mr. T. " which occur-
red at this time, gave a severe shock to the fortunes of tho
Queen's friends. This exploit, for its extraordinary gallantry
and success, deserves notice. The castle, as is well known, is
strongly situated on a precipitous rock, which rises abruptly
from the Clyde, at the confluence of the little river Leven with
this noble estuary. It was commanded by Lord Fleming, who,
from the beginning of the war, had kept it for the Queen, and
its importance was great, not only from its strength, whicli
made many pronounce it impregnable, but because its situation
on the Clyde rendered it at all times accessible to foreign ships,
which brought supplies. Captain Crawford of Jordanhill, to
whom the attack was intrusted, had been long attached to the
house of Lennox. He was the same person whose evidence
was so important regarding the death of Darnley, and who af-
terwards accused Lethington of participation in the murder,
since which time he appears to have followed the profession of
arms. In the enterprise he was assisted by Cunningham, com.
monly called the Laird of Drurawhassel, one of the bravest and
most skilful officers of his time, and he had been fortunate in
securing the assistance of a man named Robertson, who, having
once been warden in the castle, knew every step upon the rock
familiarly, and for a bribe consented to betray it. With this
man Crawford and his company marched from Glasgow after
sunset. He h;id sent before him a few light horse, who pre-
vented intelligence by stopping all passengers, and arrived
about midnight at Dumbich [Dumbuck], within a mile of the
castle, where he was joined by Drutnwhasael and Captaiu
Hume, with a hundred men. Here he explained to the soldiers
the hazardous service on which they were to be employed, pro-
vided them with ropes and scaling ladders, and advancing with
silence and celerity, reached the rock, the summit of which was
fortunately involved in a heavy fog, whilst the bottom was
clear. But, on the first attempt, all was likely to be lost. Tn«
ladders lost their hold while the soldiers were upon them ; nnd
had the garrison been on the alert, the noise mus't inevitably
have betrayed them. They listened, however, and all was still j
again their ladders were fixed, and their steel hooks this tim«
catching firmly in the crevices, they gained a snaail jutting-out
ledge, where an ash tree had struck its roots, which assisted
them, as they fixed their ropes to its branches, and thus speedi-
ly towed up both the ladders and the rest of their companions.
They were still, however, far fr.un their object. They had
reached but the middle of the rock, day was breaking, and
when, for the second time, they placed their ladders, an extra-
ordinary impediment occurred. One of the soldiers in ascend-
ing was seized with a fit, in which he convulsively grasped the
steps so firmly, that no one could either pass him, or unloose
his hold. But Crawford's presence of mind suggested a ready
expedient; he tied him to the ladder, turned it, and easily
ascended with the rest of his men. They were now at the
bottom of the wall, where the footing was narrow and precari-
ous, but once more fixing their ladders in the copestone, Alex-
ander Ramsay, Crawford's ensign, with two other soldiers, stole
up, and though instantly discovered on the summit by the sen.
tinel who gave the alarm, leapt down and slew him, sustaining
the attack of three of the guard till he was joined by Crawford
and his soldiers. Their weight and struggles to surmount
it, now brought down the old wall and afforded an open bread),
through which they rushed in shouting, " a Darnley, a Darn-
ley!" Crawford's watchword, given evidently from affection to
his unfortunate master, the late king. Tue garrison were
panic-struck, and did not attempt resistance, Fleming, the
governor, from long familiarity with the place, managed to
escape down the face of an almost perpendicular cleft or gully
in the rock, and passing through a postern which opened upon
the Clyde, threw himself into a fishing-boat, and passed over to
Argylt-shire. In this exploit tlie assailants did not lose a man,
and of the garrison only four soldiers were slain. In the castle
were taken prisoners, Hamilton the Bishop of St. Andrews,
who was found with his mail shirt and steel tap on ; Verac, the
French ambassador, Fleming of Boghall, and John Hall, ati
English gentleman, who had fled to Scotland after DacreV re
bellion. Lady Fleming, the wife of the governor, was also
taken, and treated by the Regent with great courtesy, per-
mitted to go free, and to carry off with her her plate and furni-
ture ; but Hamilton, the primate, was instantly brought, to
trial for the murder of the King, and the late Regent, con-
demned, hanged, and quartered without delay."
DUMBARTONSHIRE.
315
of hereditary keeper and constable of the castle
iving fallen into the hands of the Marquis of Mon-
ose, the government of Queen Anne insisted on
is resigning these offices into the hands of the
?rown, which he accordingly did, and the castle has
:ordingly, ever since, remained a royal fortress,
d been occupied by a small garrison.
DUMBARTONSHIRE— or more properly Dun-
rtonshire — a small county in the west of Scot-
id ; forming what was anciently known as the
,ennox. It is bounded on the west by Loch Long
id Argyleshire ; on the north by Perthshire ; on the
st by Stirlingshire and Lanark ; and by the river
lyde on the south. The length of the shire, from
Lelvin river on the south-east, to Aldernan rivulet
Arrochar on the north, is about 36 miles ; its
1th varies from 2 to 13 miles. Its general out-
le is that of a crescent ; the convex line being deter-
n'ned by the eastern coast of Loch Long, and the
rthern coast of the frith of Clyde, from the junc-
m of Loch Long, up to within a few miles of Glas-
)w. The greatest breadth of the shire is between
; junction of Loch Long with the frith, or the
ith-west point of the peninsula of Roseneath, and
centre of the broadest part of Loch Lomond,
i'hese boundaries and admeasurements, however, are
cclusive of a detached portion of the shire, on the
ith-east, consisting of the parishes of Cumber-
ild and Kirkintilloch, which detached portion is
rly 12 miles long, and from 2 to 4& broad. The
lire contains in whole, according to one admeasure-
lent, 147,300, and, according to another, about
167,040 English acres, of which about a third part is
ider cultivation. About 20,000 acres are occupied
ith lakes Population, in 1801, 20,710; in 1831,
,200. Houses, in 1831, 3,785. Population, in
1841, 44,295; being an increase of 33.3 per cent, on
tliat of 1831; and the largest increase, within the
?riod, of any county in Scotland, with the excep-
of Lanarkshire, which amounted to 34.8 per
jnt. Houses, m 1841, 7,986 Assessed property
'1,587. Valued rent £35,382 7s. 8d. Scots. Sup-
«ed rental, in 1820, £56,000.
For beautiful and varied scenery, this county is
:ely surpassed in Scotland. It is, indeed, moun-
tainous and uneven, but enriched with many fruitful
viillcys, and watered by numerous streams, among
which the LEVEN glides calmly along until it falls into
the Clyde at Dumbarton : see that article. The other
streams are the Falloch, the water of Luss, the Fin-
lass, and the Fruin, all flowing into Loch Lomond,
with numerous smaller rivulets. The Endrick
skirts the northern borders of Kilmaronock parish;
and the Kelvin runs along the eastern boundary of
East Kilpatrick. The three large lochs, LOCH
LONG, the GAIRLOCH, and LOCH LOMOND, are de-
scribed under their respective heads. The lofty
mountain of Benvoirlich [see ARROQUHAR] is in
this shire. The climate has a considerable share
ot moisture.* The prevalent winds blow from the
* The following is a register of rain.^aiisrea kept at four
diff«rerit places in this county in thf yt-ar KJ:}. The gauges
were all constructed on Mr. Thom of KotliesHv's model :—
Ardincuple. Bellretiro.
January
February...
April I'.'.'.'.'.
Keppocfi. Camit-Exb
0.4 0.50
fi« 7
l.« 1.80
•2 2 2 -20
26 2.50
52 5.
1.8 250
1 5 1.50
375 455
3fi 4.
4 f> 5 '20
J»..'J 8.75
June
July... .
September"!
October
43.15
45.50
0.80
6 ff!
|M
310
30
ftr>«
2f>0
i.G5
5 15
435
588
II.
60.57
09
74
12
34
9.9
ft a
24
2.2
4-2
4.7
6.8
115
52.5
west and south-west, — if we except the months of
March, April, and May, at which period of the year
the cold east wind is a too frequent visitant. Be-
fore its influence the spring — a season in which con-
geniality would at all times be preferred — often
partakes more of the bitterness of winter than even
winter itself.
The soil and surface of Dumbartonshire may be
classified as follows: — Deep black loam, clay on a
subsoil of till ; gravel or gravelly loam ; green hill-
pasture ; mountain, moor, and bog. In the parishes
of Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld, till soil pre-
dominates. A very large portion of the shire is
comprehended in Loch Lomond, and the many islands
interspersed on its expansive and varied surface.
Throughout the whole of Dumbartonshire, there are
very few extensive estates — a circumstance in a great
measure favourable to their improvement, as a sti-
mulus is thus given here to proprietors themselves to
engage with more spirit in advancing the general in-
terests of agriculture. A great deal has been done
of late years, and is still doing, to enhance the value
of land. Draining — one of the most important items
of modern improvement — has been practised success-
fully and to much advantage, and attention has also
been given to the proper management of fences. For
many years the operation of ploughing was per-
formed— according to ancient Highland usage — with
four horses abreast ; the driver marching in front of
his teem, with a long stick in his hand, attached
to which were the halters of each horse. This
method, which required the close attendance of two
persons, was superseded in time by the use of three
horses; but since the introduction of the Lanark-
shire breed of horses, the modern system of plough-
ing by two horses has been in almost universal use.
Lime is the manure in most general use, and large
quantities of it are imported from the north of Ire-
land and the island of Arran, independently of what
is manufactured in the county. There is also a
considerable mart for common manure supplied from
Glasgow, Greenock, and other adjacent towns. Sea-
weed, gathered on the southern and western coast,
is convertible into the same commodity, but this de-
scription of manure is here accounted very inferior.
Marl can be obtained, though not in great quanti-
ties, and it is scarcely ever made use ot.
Oats are raised in greater quantities than any
other species of grain, and also a considerable
quantity of wheat, which has, of late years, been
much increased ; barley has, however, decreased in
proportion. Pease are little sown ; but the cul-
ture of beans is becoming more general, and in stiff
clayey soils they are found to be an excellent pre-
parative for wheat. Turnips, as in Renfrewshire,
are not raised to any extent. Potatoes are cultivated
in great quantities ; their quality is excellent, and in
Glasgow and the surrounding towns there is always
a ready market for them. In the detached parishes
of Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld, a good deal ot
flax is grown. Copsewood is at once highly orna-
mental, and a considerable branch of revenue here ; and
no small degree of care is taken in its management.
The land on which it is produced is unfit either for
cultivation or pasture ; the gain derivable from the
wood, therefore, may be considered, after the deduc-
tion of labour, as almost altogether gratuitous ; yet
from pretty accurate calculation, it was, in 1821, little
short of that produced from the whole arable and
pasture land of the county. Since the breeding of
sheep became more common, it has been found ne-
cessary to resort to the practice of muir-burning, so
A rniiufrauge, on the same model, at Garnethill, Glasgow, gave
32.00, during the same year, and another at Edgecuiube cot-
tage, in Devonshire, 35.27
BUM
346
BUM
that the upland division of the shire — which could
once boast of little else than heath and moor — is now
covered with verdure, and has, on the whole, a
widely different, though much more agreeable aspect
from what it presented at the close of last century.
The native horses are very inferior, and, with very
few exceptions, are scarcely ever used in field-labour.
The farmers generally supply themselves at the Lan-
arkshire markets, with the celebrated breed of that
county. Most of the black cattle with which the
farms are stocked are brought from the West High-
lands ; very few are bred in the county. A number
of the principal farmers have furnished themselves
with milk-cows from Ayrshire, and the concerns of
the dairy are daily rising in importance. The sheep
fed in the county yield annually from £5,000 to
«£6,000. The breed is said to have been first intro-
duced from Moffat-dale, and the higher districts of
Dumfries-shire and Lanarkshire. Their wool is
coarse, but their natural hardiness well- qualifies them
for enduring exposure. Swine are kept by almost
every farmer, mostly for domestic use. On Inchmur-
rin and Inchlonaig, two islands of Loch Lomond, there
are extensive herds of fallow-deer. Red deer — once
plenteous in the mountainous districts of the county
— have long since been extirpated, and but very few
roes remain among the rugged and woody spots on
the banks of Loch Lomond and Loch Long. In
consequence of the practice of burning the heath,
already alluded to, the hum of the bee is seldom
heard in this district now ; and honey — once pro-
duced in considerable quantities — is now scarcely to
be obtained in the moory districts.
Dumbartonshire now possesses excellent means of
land-communication. Of this, in former times, there
was a great deficiency. Previous to the year 1790,
the only turnpike road was that from Dumbarton to
Glasgow, while the country roads were also few, and
of the very worst description. The improvements
in roads and bridges which has taken place since
the above date has been almost incalculable, and
has proved of the utmost advantage to the agricul-
ture and local commerce of the shire. From the
number of rivers and small streams, it was found
essential to have proper bridges constructed. The
largest of those bridges was built, at the expense of
Government, across the Leven, at Dumbarton, about
70 years ago, and cost .£2,500. It is upwards of
300 feet in length, and consists of 5 arches, the
largest of which is 62 feet in span. The Forth and
Clyde canal was begun in 1768, and finished in 1790;
and it has, as a water-communication, been of the
greatest service to the commercial and manufactur-
ing interests of Dumbartonshire. By the improve-
ments of the Clyde, about 600 acres of rich land
have been added to this county, in consequence of
the space formed between the jetties, to confine the
current of the river, having been gradually filled up
with mud and silt, the surface of which has become
covered with a sward of fine pasture grass, a great
portion of which has recently been cultivated. The
vicinity of Glasgow has created a considerable extent
of manufacturing industry in this county. The banks
of the Leven, in particular, are covered with nu-
merous bleachfields, printfields, and cotton-works,
giving employment to thousands. Among the vari-
ous manufactures of the county, the printing of cot-
tons is still the most important. Next to this is cot-
ton-spinning. There are several paper-mills, a large
iron-work, two or three chemical works, two or
three distilleries, and an extensive glass-work. The
salmon-fisheries are at present worth about .£800 per
annum. The herring-fishery produces about £ 4,000.
In the western division of the county are extensive
coal-pits.
The county is ecclesiastically divided into 12 par-
ishes : and contains one royal burgh, four burghs-of-
barony, and four villages. The number of parochial
schools, in 1834, was 13, attended by 895 scholars ;
of non-parochial schools, 54, attended by 2,994 scho-
lars. Justice-of-peace courts are held at Drumfork
and at the Baths inn, both near Helensburgh; at Old
and New Kilpatrick ; at Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch,
and Cumbernauld. Sheriff circuit-courts are held at
Kirkintilloch and at Helensburgh ; the general small
debt court is held at Dumbarton, the county-town.
The county sends one representative to parliament.
Parliamentary constituency, in 1839, 1,218.
The weights of this county, previous to the equal-
ization act, were: Avoirdupois for English goods and
groceries ; Dutch for meal ; and Tron of 23 ounces
avoirdupois, for butter, cheese, butcher-rneat, fish,
and home flax. The Dumbarton pint is 2'9 cubic
inches less than the standard pint. For wheat, pease,
and beans, the firlot contained 2562'75 cubic inches,
and is 1 firlot, 3 pints, 1 chopin, 3^ cubic inches
of the old standard-measure. For oats, barley, and
malt, the firlot contained 3,417 cubic inches, which
is 1 firlot, 2 pints, 4*668 cubic inches standard-mea-
sure, or 6'597 per cent, above the Linlithgow measure.
The water-peck of potatoes is nearly 42 Ibs. The
chalder of lime is 64 bushels ; of lime-shells, 32
bushels. The rood of land is 6 yards square. The
score of sheep sometimes 21 j and the stone of wool
sometimes 17 Ibs.
DUMFRIES,* a parish in the south of Nithsdale,
at the middle of the south-west border of Dumfries-
shire. Having the outline of a cone, with its apex
toward the north, it is bounded on the north-west
by Kirkmahoe; on the north-east by Tinwald ; on
the east by Torthorwald ; on the south by Caerlave-
rock; and on the west by the river Nith, which di-
vides it from Kirkcudbrightshire and the parish of
Holywood. It is 8 miles in extreme length, and
about 2£ in average breadth ; and contains an area
of 15 square miles. About 8 miles north of the
burgh, or of the centre of the parish, a range of hills
is cloven by the Nith, and they thence diverge and
sweep down, in a well-wooded and picturesque am-
phitheatre, toward the Solway frith, terminating, on
the* east side, in the heights of Mousewald, and, on
the west, in the towering summit of Criffel, and
enclosing, in their progress, a beautiful and nearly
level plain, of almost a regular oval figure. The
centre of this plain, at the place where it is broadest,
and where the two lines of hill are from 6 to 8 miles
asunder, constitutes the parish of Dumfries. Its
surface, for the most part, is a perfect level. But it
rises in a brief but beautiful acclivity, from the edge
of the Nith a little to the northward of the burgii,
undulates along the arena occupied by the streets,
and then rises into a low ridge of hills, which inter-
sect the southern division of the parish, stretching
away at half-a-mile's distance from the river toward
Caerlaverock. On their north-west face, where they
look down upon the Nith, these hills are sloping, and
wear the gentlest forms of beauty; but on the north-
east they break down in abrupt declivities, and have
a bold front and commanding outline. In one place,
about 1^ mile from the burgh, they present a preci-
pitous front, and rise to a considerable height in two
perpendicular rocks, known as the ' Maiden Bower
craigs,' one of which has near its summit a remark-
able cavity, said to have been the scene of Druidical
The original name was Dunfres, and is supposed to have
been derived from the Gaelic Dun and p/ireus, signifying ' a
Mound covered with brushwood,' or ' a Castle among shrubs.
The lightness of the soil, which was unlikely, iu the forest pe-
riod of Scotland, to bear indigenous trees of a size greaU-r tliau
•onsewood, j-eems to indicate that the appellation was appro.
jriale.
DUMFRIES.
347
riles for the testing of virginity. About 2 miles to
the north-east of the burgh, is also a picturesque
height, called Clumpton, which, at an early period,
was, most probably, a mountain-grove and a haunt
of the Druids, and, in a later age, was used as a
beacon-post for commanding the considerable ex-
panse of country which it overlooks. A beautiful
eminence, called Corbelly hill, though not in the
parish, but rising from the opposite bank of the Nith
in the suburb of Maxwelltown, bears aloft an ob-
servatory, and mingles with the grouping of heights
and lawns and groves on the Dumfries side, to form,
if not a brilliant, at least an exquisitely fascinating
landscape. Along the whole western border, the
Nith sweeps gracefully under wooded and richly
variegated banks ; and along the eastern border the
sluggish and almost stagnant Lochar flows listlessly on
through the brown wastes of Lochar moss. All the
eastern section or stripe of the parish forms part of
this remarkable morass [see LOCHAR Moss] ; but
is, to a considerable extent, reclaimed, and, in some
spots, even smiles in beauty. The north and north-
western sections are a reddish earth upon a freestone
bottom ; and the south- western is a strong clay, and,
in the flat lands, a clay upon gravel. Plantations of
oak, elm, and other trees, are of frequent occurrence.
Around the town, in every direction, are enclosures
surrounded with trees, gardens, and nursery-grounds,
neat lawns and pleasant mansions, which impress a
stranger with ideas of refined and opulent comfort.
Several small lakes, particularly the Black and the
Sand lochs, enrich the scenery of the parish, and,
when pavemented with ice, are trodden by numerous
groupes of curlers. In Lochar moss is Ferguson's
well, a mineral spring strongly impregnated with
steel ; and on the farm of Fountainbleau is a power-
ful chalybeate spring, which is numerously visited by
invalids, and held in much repute for its medicinal
properties Antiquities within the limits of the
burgh will occur to be noticed in the next article ;
but a few exist in other parts of the parish. A short
way south of the town, on a romantic spot called
Castledykes, overlooking a beautiful bend of the
Nith, stood formerly the fortified residence of the
Comyns. Near Castledykes is a field called King-
holm, which either may have received its present
name from Bruce, in connexion with his having
slaughtered Comyn, or may have originally been
called Comyngs-holm, contracted gradually into
Kingholm. At the opposite end of the town, and
upon the banks of the river, is another field still
called Nunholm, which lies adjacent to the site of a
nunnery formerly established at Lincluden. Toward
the south end of the parish is an eminence called
Trohoughton, which has been noticed by Pennant as
a Roman station. In the eastern part of the parish,
an antique, supposed to be a Roman sandal, was,
many years ago, found ; and in the Nith, nearly op-
posite to the town-mills, was found, about half a
century ago, a small gold coin, thinner than a six-
pence, but as broad as a half-crown, bearing, round
the impression of a Roman head, Ihe inscription
* Augustus.' There are in the parish several small
villages, but all of inconsiderable importance. Dr.
Wight, professor of divinity in Glasgow, Dr. Eben-
ezer Gilchrist, and Mr. Andrew Crossbie, advocate,
were natives of Dumfries ; and the Rev. William
Veitch — of whose life Dr. M'Crie has given an ac-
count— was, for some time afler the Revolution, its
minister. Population of the parish, including the
burgh, in 1801, 7,288; in 1831, 11,606. Houses
1,509. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,086.
Dumfries gives name to a presbytery and a synod,
and is within the jurisdiction of both. At the Re-
formation it was bereft of several chapels which for-
merly belonged to it, and of endowments connected
with particular altars, and left in possession of only
its principal church, dedicated to St. Michael. In
1658, a second minister was appointed; and in 1727
a second church, called the New church, was built.
In 1745, the old church of St. Michael was pulled
down, and the existing structure erected. The pa-
tron of both this church and the New is the Crown.
In 1838, a third church was built, and called St.
Mary's. All the places of worship in the parish,
both established and dissenting, are situated in the
burgh. Sittings in St. Michael's 1,250; in the New
church 1,185; in St. Mary's 1,034. Stipend of the
minister of St. Michael's .£332 Is. lid., with a glebe
of about £'26 annual value; of the minister of the
New church £231 1 3s. 4d The Episcopalian con-
gregation dates at least from January 1 762. The
present chapel was built in 1817, and cost £2,200.
Sittings 300. Stipend, on the average, £250. — The
First United Secession congregation was established
about 1760. The present church was built in 1829,
and cost upwards of £900. Stipend, in 1836, £ 1 20 ;
but the charge has since then become collegiate. —
The Second United Secession congregation was
established in 1807. The church was built in 1809,
and cost £1,350. Stipend £164 4s., including an
allowance of £20 for a house — The Roman Catholic
congregation is local to one-third of its amount; and,
as to the remaining two-thirds, is scattered through
the conterminous parish of Maxwelltown, and over
the whole of Dumfries-shire and Kirkcudbrightshire.
Previous to the erection of their chapel in 1813, they
met in a private house in the burgh, and in the do-
mestic chapel of Terregles-house. The chapel cost
£2,659 4s. 9d., and has 750 sittings. Stipend of
the minister and his assistant variable, and in 1836,
£121 Is. l£d. The minister has also a house, rated
at £15. — The Relief congregation was established
in 1788. Sittings in the church 812. Stipend from
£60 to £120, with a manse valued at £12. In July
1835, the Rev. Andrew Fyfe, who had been 27 years
minister, left the Relief body and joined the Estab-
lishment, and was followed, in his movement, by
about three-fourths of the congregation. A litigation
as to the right to the property of the chapel and
manse terminated in favour of the adherents to the
Relief body — The chapel of the Wesleyan Metho-
dist congregation was built in 1 782, and cost £500.
Sittings 300. Stipend £81, with a house valued at
£8 — The Independent congregation was established
in 1801. Their present chapel was built in 1835,
and cost about £700. Sittings 300. Stipend £80.
— The Reformed Presbyterian congregation are of
more recent establishment than any other of the
dissenting congregations, and they have a commo-
dious chapel. — According to a survey made by the
elders of the parish, in 1835 there were belonging to
the Establishment 5, 1 18, belonging to other denomi-
nations 2,042, not known to belong to any religious
denomination 3,886. Of the last class — so dispro-
portionately and startlingly numerous — only 1,285
were above 12 years of age, all persons having been
included who were too young to attend public wor-
ship. There are 3 parochial schools recently erected,
and 36 non-parochial, most for the ordinary branch-
es, and some for the higher and most polite de-
partments of education. Probably in no place in
Scotland aie there greater or more numerous facili-
ties for informing and polishing the minds of the
young. Dumfries academy, the chief of the schools,
has four masters; the salary of the classical master,
the interest of £660 6s. 3d., with fees from each
scholar of 7s. 6d. per quarter; and the salary of each
of the other masters, the interest of £204 8s. 10d.,
with fees from each scholar of 5s. per quarter.
348
DUMFRIES.
DUMFRIES, a royal burgh, the county-town of Dum-
fries-shire, the seat of a circuit-court, and of a pres-
bytery and a synod, and the metropolis of the south-
west quarter of Scotland, is a place of elegance,
importance, and great antiquity. It is situated in
N. lat. 55° 2' 45", and W. long' from Greenwich 3°
06', on a slight undulating elevation on the east bank
of the Nith, about 9 miles above the entrance of that
river into the Sol way frith. It stands 72 miles south
from Edinburgh ; 74 miles to the east of south from
Glasgow; 60 miles south-east from Ayr; 30 miles
to the south of west from Langholm ; 8 miles south-
west from Lochmaben ; 33 miles round the eastern
extremity of the Solway frith from Carlisle ; and 341
miles by way of Manchester from London. Dum-
fries exults in the elegancies and attractions of a
minor capital, in the snugness and pomp of a numer-
ously opulent and aristocratical population, and in
the bustle and productiveness of a crowded agricul-
tural market. As a town, it is, as to both situation
and structure, one of the most beautiful in Scotland.
Built of a dark-coloured freestone, it, in some spots,
has the sombre aspect of a town of brick; but many
of its edifices being gauzed in a white paint, and
others so decorated with the brush as to resemble
structures of Portland stone, it presents a tout-
ensemble of variegated tints and mingled gaiety and
sadness which suggests ideas of the picturesque.
Entering the town from the north, a stranger passes
along a street of the beautiful and populous suburb
of Maxwelltown ; then turning round a right angle,
he crosses the Nith on a handsome bridge, erected
in 1794, whence he commands a view of the burgh
and its suburb, stretching partly to the northward
but chiefly to the southward, along the sloping banks
of the river; he now traverses Buccleuch-street,
light and airy in the aspect of its buildings, and the
site of the county-buildings and two elegant places
of worship ; he here passes to the right a street which
intersects the lower part of the town in a line paral-
lel to the river, and, at the top of Buccleuch-street,
he glances, through an opening on the left, on a
cluster of new streets which reminds him of some snug
but airy nook in the new town of Edinburgh ; he
next wends round an irregular but wide opening on
the left, and finds himself in a spacious area, whence
narrow but romantic-looking streets diverge, the
one parallel to Buccleuch-street away to the Nith,
and the other in the opposite direction curving round
northward to meet the river above a graceful bend
which it makes before approaching the bridge; and
standing in the centre of the area, with his face to
the south, he is overshadowed from behind with the
facade and spire of the New church, and looks down
the broad far-stretching High-street, sweeping away
southward parallel to the Nith. This street is nearly
a mile in length, but, like a brook in a romantic glen,
it deviates so from the straight line as, while dis-
closing part of its beauties, to allure a spectator on-
ward to behold more ; and it is of very unequal width,
averaging probably about 60 feet, but expanding at
three points into at least 100. At several places in
its progress it sends off branch-streets at right angles
toward the Nith; about half-way along it is joined
from the south-east, at an angle of 50 or 60 degrees,
by English street, the spacious thoroughfare to the
south ; and all along the east it is winged by lanes
and clusters of buildings which, together with the
streets lying between it and the Nith, make the
average breadth of the town J- of a mile. All the
streets are well-paved, clean, and lighted up at night
with gas; some of the smaller ones are remarkably
elegant ; and the great thoroughfares present an array
of large and brilliant shops which may almost bear
comparison with those of the proud metropolis. The
Nith adds much both to the beauty and salubrity of
the town, approaching it under an acclivity richly
covered with wood, — breaking over a caul built dia-
gonally across it for the supplying of a cluster of
grain-mills with water, — alternately leaping along in
a shallow current, and swelling backward upon the
caul by the pressure of the flowing tide, — and both
above and below the town, diffusing verdure and
beauty over banks which are rich in promenading
retreats for the citizens. Dumfries still wants a
luxury for a long time desiderated, and the absence
of which excited surprise in a stranger, — a supply,
by means of pipes, of good spring water.
A little below the bridge which communicates
with Buccleuch-street, is the old bridge, built in the
13th century. This was originally a structure of 13
arches, and was esteemed the best bridge in Great
Britain next to that of London; but it now consists
of only 6 arches, and is mounted by a rapid ascent
on the Dumfries side to what was formerly its centre,
and affords accommodation only to foot-passengers.
On the south side of Buccleuch-street are the county
jail and bridewell, the latter originally used as the
court-house, and both built in 1807. They are sur-
rounded by a high wall, bridewell in front and the
jail in the rear; but are heavy-looking buildings, and
inconvenient places of confinement. Directly oppo-
site, on the north side of Buccleuch-street, and com-
municating with the jail by a vaulted subterranean
passage, is the county court-house. This was origi-
nally the spacious chapel, or " tabernacle," erected
by the Haldanes during the briefly triumphant march
of their missionary operations in Scotland ; and, after
having for years stood unoccupied, it was converted
into a court-room and other judiciary offices, and
architecturally renovated and adorned, so as to conu
bine interior commodiousness with exterior elegance
of appearance. In the middle of the High-street,
cleaving it, for a brief space, into two narrow tho-
roughfares, is a cluster of buildings surmounted by
the Mid steeple, and including the chambers in which
the meetings of the town-council are held. Opposite
to it, in the eastern thoroughfare, is the Trades'
hall, erected in 1804, for the meetings of the seven
incorporated trades. Overshadowed by the Mid
steeple is a sudden expansion of the High-street
called Queensberry square, the centre of traffic for
the south-west of Scotland, and, in common with all
the adjacent thoroughfares and opens, the theatre of
dense crowds of actors on the day of the weekly
market ; and in this square a Doric column of hand-
some architecture, erected in 1 780 by the gentlemen
of the county, in memory of Charles, Duke of Queens-
berry, rears aloft its fine pinnacle, and superintends
the busy scenes around. In George-street, the as-
sembly-rooms, pf recent erection, display much
beauty of architectural design. At the townhead.
or on the elevated bank of the Nith, before it sweeps
round toward the New bridge, stands, in a spacious
area, and commanding a fascinating view, the High
school or academy. This institution has a rector
and four masters, and has, for a quarter of a century,
been celebrated as a place of liberal education. The
buildings are elegant, the class-rooms capacious, and
the masters well-qualified for their duties. The
Crichton Royal institution was originally designed
to be an university, but is a large and handsome
asylum provided by the bequest of upwards of
£100,000 by the late Dr. Crichton of Friars carse.
At the south-east extremity of the town is the Dum-
fries and Galloway Royal infirmary, founded in 1 776,
and maintained chiefly by legacies, private contribu-
tions, parochial allowances, and annual grants from
the counties of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigton.
It is commodiously fitted up in the interior, but ia a
DUMFRIES.
349
large and somewhat gloomy building, suggesting, by its
appearance, sympathy for its suffering inmates. This
a-year from their donations. The New church— as ifc
is still called — looks down the High-street from its
north-west end, and is a tine edifice, surmounted by
a spire. It was built partly of materials from the
dilapidated old castle of Dumfries, on the site of
which it stands ; and was first opened for public
worship in 1727. The parish-church of St. Mary's,
an erection of 1838, looks down English-street, the
/.Teat thoroughfare to England ; and is a conspicuous
and arresting object to strangers entering the town
from the south. It was built according to a design
furnished by John Henderson, Esq. of Edinburgh ;
and is a beautiful light Gothic structure, with an
ornamental spire supported by flying buttresses.
The Episcopalian chapel, and the Second United
Secession meeting-house, are both — especially the
former — neat and agreeable edifices, and contribute,
with the county-buildings, to present an attractive
picture to a traveller entering the town from the
north. The Roman Catholic, the Independent, and
the Reformed Presbyterian chapels all likewise do
credit to the ecclesiastical architecture of the burgh.
Dumfries is rich in its religious, educational, lit-
erary, and social institutions. It has Bible and mis-
sionary societies, both general and congregational,
for aiding the diffusion of Christianity ; a Liberian
society for assisting the free negroes on the African
coast ; a Samaritan society for watching over the well-
being of the poor ; a friendly society for the support of
widows ; an association for resisting the encroachments
of infidelity ; 4 endowed, and upwards of 80 unendowed
schools ; an astronomical association ; a horticultural
society ; a mechanics' institution ; an annual exhibi-
tion of works of art ; four public reading-rooms ; a
public library, established in 1792; a society library,
established at an earlier period ; two other public
libraries, and three circulating libraries maintained
by the trade speculation of booksellers ; and three
weekly newspapers, the Courier, the Herald, and
the Times, — the first long known beyond the usual
limits of provincial newspaper circulation, for the
high literary character impressed upon it by its editor
Mr. M'Diarmid. Dumfries has altogether an in-
tellectual and polished tone, which invests it with
an importance far paramount to the bulkmess of its
population. In keeping, also, with the aristocratic
character of a portion of its inhabitants, it has a cha-
racter— an evangelical moralist would say, not an
enviable one — for gaiety and fashionable dissipation.
Besides its successful demand for select and cele-
brated actors in its theatre, it has a regatta club, a
share in the meetings of the royal Caledonian hunt,
and annual races in autumn on the crowded racing-
ground of Tinwald downs. It was, till very recent-
ly, remarkable likewise for its frequent public pro-
cessions, and its periodical shooting, in the field
called Kingholm, for 'the siller gun,' — a bauble
presented to the town by James VI., when return-
ing from his visit to Scotland, as an expression ot
his satisfaction with the loyalty of the burghers.
The navigation of the Nith has at a great expense
been materially improved. Embankments have been
thrown up, and various devices practised to counter-
act the devastating effect of the deep and impetuous
tide which rushes up from the Solway; so that many
vessels, which were formerly obliged to unload at
Glencaple or Kelton, can approach close to the
burgh. Quays also are provided against whatever
emergencies may occur, or for the accommodation of
vessels of larger size, at brief intervals along the
river. Besides those at the town and at Glencaple
and Kelton, there is one, called the new quay, at the
bend of the Nith near Castledyke ; so that there are
altogether 4 quays within a distance of 5 miles. In
the year 1811, the harbour stood greatly in need ol
350
DUMFRIES.
repair, and an act of parliament was obtained for the
purposes of repairing it, and of improving the navi-
gation of the river Nith. Obstructions had been
formed in the channel, and it was necessary for the
purposes of trade to cleanse, deepen, and straighten
it. By this act commissioners were appointed for
these purposes, with ample powers to carry them
into execution. Under this act £18,930 9s. lid.
had been expended up to 1834 in attempting to im-
prove the channel of the river, and in repairing the
liarbour. From the varying currents, the naviga-
tion is still very dangerous ; but a rock which ran
across the bed of the river, visible at low water, and
prevented large vessels from passing Glencaple, has
recently been cut away. The amount of the debt
affecting the harbour in 1834, was as follows : —
£ s. d.
On bond, 5,000 0 0
Balance due the treasurer, on last settlement
of his account, at '28th September, 1833, - 909 7 3
£5,909 7 3
The debt is yearly decreasing, in consequence of
£250 yearly being provided for its liquidation.
The duties leviable from vessels arriving at the
port are the following : From coasting vessels 2d. per
ton register ; from foreign vessels 6d. ; from goods
£d. ; from coal 6d. ; from lime 6d. And from out-
ward-bound vessels: coasting vessels 2d. ; goods ^d.
These dues are moderate, and the revenue arising from
them during the five years from 1828 to 1832 averaged
£ 1,083 5s. per annum. A part of the expenditure
incurred has arisen from improvements upon the
light-house at Southerness, and upon the landing-
places at the mouth of the river. From 12 to 14
foreign vessels belong to the Nith, and trade chiefly
with America. But the port is regarded as extend-
ing from the creek of Annan, or the head of the Sol-
way frith to Glenluce bay on the coast of Galloway ;
and, in 1835, it claimed 192 registered vessels,
11,798 tonnage; and in 1836 yielded £4,218 of re-
venue to the custom-house. The number of vessels
belonging properly to Dumfries is about 80. A
steam- vessel also plies weekly between it and White-
haven, holding communication thence with Liver-
pool, and conveys a large quantity of goods and live
stock, especially sheep, to the English market. The
principal imports are timber, slate, iron, coal, wine,
hemp, and tallow ; and the principal exports wheat,
barley, oats, potatoes, wool, freestone, and live stock.
Dumfries, however, figures more as a mart than as a
port. Its markets have long been famous for the
transfer of stock from Scottish to English dealers,
and for their bulky, unfluctuating importance. On
every Saturday is a market of little value ; and on
every Wednesday is a great market, more resembling
an annual fair than a matter of hebdomadal occur-
rence. On the sands, an open space along the side
of the river, the cattle-dealers dispose weekly of an
immense number of cattle and pigs ; and, from the
end of December till the beginning of May, they there
dispose of many thousand carcases of pork, usually
selling upwards of 700 in one day, and sometimes, in
a few hours pocketing £4,000 or £5,000. There are
also great annual fairs at Whitsunday and Martin-
mas for black cattle, and, in October and February,
for horses. But the chief market is an annual fair in
September, when about 6,000 head of cattle are ex-
posed for sale. During the droving season, too,
a vast number of transactions are effected privately
throughout the surrounding country ; no fewer than
20,000 head of cattle, which had not been exposed
in market, having been known, in a period of ten
days, to pass the toll on the thoroughfare to England.
So many pass through Dumfries, that the custom
levied at the bridge has frequently amounted to £700
a-year. At each of the horse fairs about 500 hor?es
are disposed of; and at that in February an immense
number of hare-skins are sold, probably not fewer
than 30,000 or 35,000. Manufactures are consider-
able in hats, which employ 200 workmen ; in ho-
siery, principally of lamb's wool, which engage nearly
300 stocking-frames; and in shoes and clogs, or
wooden-soled shoes, which employ upwards of 300
individuals. There are also several breweries, sev-
eral tanneries, and an extensive basket-making estab-
lishment.
The municipal government of Dumfries is vested
in a provost, 3 bailies, a dean-of-guild, a treasurer,
and 19 merchant-councillors, constituted according to
the Reform act ; and the town is divided into four
wards, who elect the council and the commissioners
of police. The report of the convention of royal
burghs in 1709 stated the sett of Dumfries, or the
constitution of its council, to be what it still is under
the act of municipal reform. The 7 incorporated
trades of the town are hammermen, squaremen, wea-
vers, tailors, shoemakers, skinners, and butchers ;
and these formerly wielded a paramount influence in
the council. Dumfries unites with Annan, Loehma-
ben, Sanquhar, and Kirkcudbright in sending a mem-
ber to parliament, Parliamentary constituency, in
1839, 592; municipal, 485. A large part of the
heritable property formerly belonging to the town
has been sold during the present century. The
debts with which the town was burdened, as well
as the extensive improvements which have been
carried into effect during that period, are assigned as
the cause of these sales. All of these alienations are
stated to have been made by " public roup for full
value," and no undue preference appears to have
been shown to existing councillors. The propei tv,
thus disposed of, amounted to £15,305 Is. 7d.
Corporation revenue, in 1838-9, £1,596 6s. lid.
The present property of the town consists princi-
pally of mills and granaries, which, in the year end-
ing 15th October, 1833, yielded a rental of £357 19s-
8d. sterling. The burgh is also possessed of some
shops and houses in the suburbs, with small portions
of land attached to them, which yielded a rental last
year of £179 10s. ; and it has feu-duties, which yield
annually £114 4s. 5d. This was stated to compre-
hend the whole of the real property of the burgh,
with the exception of a sum of £1,125 9s. 9d. of
arrears, which have accumulated since 1815, and a
great part of which is represented as desperate.
Ordinary Revenue.
The revenue of the burgh for the year ending 15th October,
18i>3, stood as under :
£ s. d.
\. Feu-duties 144 4 5
2. Rents of Lands, - . - - 179 10 0
3. Rents of mills and granaries, ... 357 19 8
4. Customs, 589 17 10
5. Teiuds - 81 1 6
fi. Impost on ale, . - . - 66 15 0
7. Rents of churrh seats, - . - - 236 18 8
8. Burgess composition, - - - 24 4 0
Casual Revenue.
Miscellaneous articles,
£1,650 11 1
. 0 16 0
£1,651 7 1
The expenditure of the burgh for the year, from 1832 to
stood thus;
Ordinary Expenditure.
1. Interest on debts, - ... 276 8* ()'
2. Repairs on public buildings, &c. , - - 310 3 10
3. Public burdens, . . 69 1 3
4. Entertainments, . 45 7 0
5. Snlaries, - - . - . 440 13 5
6. Miscellaneous articles, . . . 50 14 1
Casual Expenditure.
1. Miscellaneous articles (subscription and
advances on occasion of cholera, and
aliment of prisoners), ... 386 16 8
DUMFRIES
351
2. Law expenses (partly to account of old
balances), .....
6 3
£1,743 11 0
During this year the maeifitrates paid off
debts to the extent of ... 800 0 0
And contracted debts to the extent of - - 5*5 14 1
Difference,
274 5 11
'he burgh, from time immemorial, has possessed a
ight to levy tolls and customs for cattle and various
'escriptions of commodities passing across the river
[ith. At what time this right was first constituted
uncertain ; but the burgh is in possession of docu-
lents showing that this tax was levied in 1425. In
1681 this right was confirmed by an act of the Scot-
tish parliament ; and it was then declared that the
irgh should possess, in all time coming, a right to
iry customs from " Portractford exclusive, down-
yards to the mouth of the water of Nith," for the
irpose of upholding the bridge of Dumfries. The
nount of the dues leviable is not defined under the
act, but they were fixed by a minute of council in
1772. The burgh has also the right to levy sundry
small customs within burgh, and these, together with
the bridge-custom, in the year ending 15th October,
1833, yielded £589 17s. lOd. The amount of police
jssment for 1832 was £815 6s. 9d., and the an-
lual revenue was further increased by a sum of £212
7s. 2d., arising from the sale of manure, and police
ics. This sum is amply sufficient to defray all
ordinary charges. The parliamentary boundaries
Dumfries, under the reform act, include Maxwell-
>wn and its suburbs on the west side of the Nith.
iing the metropolis of an important county, it has
large number of resident lawyers ; and, in addition
) its quarter-sessions, it has twice-a-year the cir-
iit justiciary court for the southern districts of
wetland, and the sheriff and small debt courts.
Its ancient arms was a chevron and three fleurs de
but that used for many years past is a figure of
Michael, winged, trampling on a serpent, and
•ing a pastoral staff. The motto is " Alorburn,"
word which, during many centuries of warfare when
burgh was constantly exposed to danger, was
used as a war-cry to assemble the townsmen. The
side toward the English border being that whence
danger usually approached, a place of rendezvous
was appointed to the east, an area intersected by a
rill called the Lowerburn or Lorburn; and when the
townsmen were summoned to the gathering, the
cry was raised, " All at the Lowerburn," — a phrase
which was rapidly elided into the word " Alorburn."
A street in the vicinity of the original course of
Lowerburn, bears the name of Lorburn-street. The
populous suburb of Maxwelltown, formerly called
Bridgend, agglomerates with Dumfries, and properly
forms part of the town; but it is under separate
jurisdiction, both civil and ecclesiastical, and will be
noticed in a separate article. See MAXWELLTOWN.
In consequence of a considerable part of it being
colonized with Irish, and in other respects out of
keeping with the flaunting character of the aristo-
cratic burgh, it is treated with some contempt by
the Dumfriesians, and, though contributing some
fine features to the scenic grouping of their town,
figures in their conversation chiefly as an object or'
sport. Including this suburb, the population of
Dumfries amounted, in 1831, to 16,271.
Dumfries appears to have originally grown up
round a strong castle or border-fortress, which \\ ;is
" great importance during the 12th century, and —
specially in the times of Wallace and Bruce — was
in a subject of contention between the Scotch and
uglish. So early as the reign of William I., who
lied in 1214, it was of such importance as to be the
seat of the judges of Galloway; and it appears to
have received its charter either immediately after the
accession of that monarch, or during the preceding
reign, that of David I. From several remains of
antiquity, it even appears to have been a place of
some consequence before the end of the 8th century.
So great and almost paramount a public work as the
old bridge could have been thought of only in con-
nection with a town and thoroughfare quite as im-
portant to Scotland, in the middle ages, as modern
Dumfries is to the country at present; and this erec-
tion was constructed before the middle of the 13th
century, by the Lady Devorgilla, third daughter of
Allen, Earl of Galloway, and mother of King John
Baliol. The same lady founded at Dumfries a mo-
nastery of Grey Friars. This edifice stood on a
mound at the margin of the Nith, and, though long
since untraceable, continues to give name to Friars
Vennel, one of the considerable streets of the town.
In 1305, Robert Bruce had, in the chapel of this
monastery, an angry altercation with the Red Comyn,
a relation of its foundress. Hesitating about assert-
ing his title to the crown, and irritated by opposi-
tion from Comyn, he poniarded the latter before the
altar, and, rushing out to his friends who waited at
the gate, hurriedly expressed a doubt that he had
slain him. " You doubt !" cried one of his friends ;
"I mak siccar;" and he immediately ran to the
wounded rival of his master, and despatched him.
Bruce, by this event, was committed to open war-
fare ; and, unfurling his standard against the oppo-
nents of his claims, he led them on to Bannockburn,
and there trod over their bodie? to the throne.
After the assassination of Comyn, the frequenters of
the Grey Friars' chapel deserted it, and began to re-
sort to the chapel of St. Michael, which stood on
the site of the present St. Michael's church. Ed-
ward I. of England, in the course of his inroads into
Scotland, occasionally halted at Dumfries ; and here
he ignominiously put to death the brave patriot and
brother-in-law of Robert Bruce, Christopher Seton.
The scene of Seton's execution was a mound or
slight eminence to the east of the town, at the en-
trance of the town, then and previously the gallows-
hill or common place of public execution, but now
known as Kirsty's (Christopher's) mount. Christian
Bruce, the widow of Seton, erected on the spot a
chapel to his memory; and her brother, King Robert,
granted, in 1324, a hundred shillings yearly out of
the barony of Caerlaverock, for the support of a
chaplain who should offer masses for the soul of
the deceased. All vestiges of the building, which
was called St. Christopher's chapel, have disap-
peared.
Dumfries castle was seized and garrisoned by Ed-
ward I., after he had dethroned John Baliol; but
was retaken by Bruce after he had slain Comyn ; and
beforeN13l2, it was once more seized by the English,
and was again, in that year, retaken by Bruce, la
1307 Edward II. marched upon Dumfries, and re-
ceived the homage of several Scottish nobles. In
1396 the burgh obtained some important immunities
from Robert III. ; in 1485 it received from James 11.
a charter, confirming its privileges and possessions ;
and in 1469 it obtained from the Crown all the houses,
gardens, revenues, and other possessions, which had
been the property of the Grey Friars.* During the
* Infeftment was recently given on a royal charter in favour
of the magistrates of Dumfries, confirmatory of ail their for-
ine.r rights, privileges, and corporate immunities, the record* of
many of which had been lost or destroyed in 1715 and 1715, and
01 her troublesome times. This new grant also confer* on the
town a right of guildry, of which it WHS not formerly possessed.
James VI. had granted to the corporation a signature to that
effect, about the year 1(521 ; yet it did not appear thatinfeftment
hail CV.T passed upon it. This document was only lately, aud
by accident, brought to light.
352
DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
troubles which so long harassed and devastated the
borders, Dumfries was frequently, in spite of the
brave resistance of its citizens, plundered and burned.
In 1536, one such disaster was signally retaliated by
Lord Maxwell, who made an incursion into England,
and reduced Penrith to ashes ; and about the same
period, either that nobleman, or some member of his
family, built a strong castle for the defence of the
town". In 1565, this castle was surrendered to
Queen Mary, when, at the head of a portion of her
troops, she visited the town to reduce and castigate
some of her disaffected nobility. In April, 1570,
Lord Scroop, acting under the Earl of Essex, made
a devastating inroad upon Dumfries-shire, and, in
spite of a brave resistance on the part of the towns-
men of the burgh, who marched under the leading of
Lord Maxwell to oppose him, he took and plundered
the recently erected castle, and set tire to the town.
The citizens, harassed by frequent and heavy calam-
ity from invasion and rapine, felt aroused to attempt
the rearing of some strong rampart for their protec-
tion. In 1583, they erected a strong building called
the New Wark, which served the double purpose of
a fortress, and of a retreat for the people, and a re-
pository for their goods when they were beaten back
by invaders. No vestiges, however, either of this
erection, or of the old castle, or of the castle built
by the Maxwell family, can now be traced. About
the time, too, when the New Wark was erected, or
possibly at an earlier period, a rude fortification or
extended rampart, called the Warder's Dike, was
thrown up on the south-east side of the town, be-
tween the Nith and Lochar moss.
Dumfries was visited in 1617 by James VI., when
he was on his return to England; audit then re-
ceived from him ' the siller gun,' to be shot for every
seventh year by the incorporated trades. During
the reign of Charles I. it shared largely in the disas-
ters which overspread the country; and it shared
still more largely in those of the dark reign of
Charles II. On the 20th of November, 1706, 200
Cameronians entered the burgh, published a mani-
festo against the impending union of the two king-
doms, and burnt the articles of union at the cross.
The Covenanters were indignant that the articles of
union made no recognition of their solemn league
and covenant, and that they, on the other hand, re-
cognised the constitution of the church of England,
which they had sworn to overthrow and exterminate ;
but notwithstanding the intemperance and tumultu-
ousness of their well-meant proceedings, they hap-
pily did not succeed in precipitating the town into
any serious disaster. During the insurrection of
1715, when Viscount Kenmure encamped on the
heights of Tinwald, and menaced the burgh with his
army, the war-cry of ' Loreburn ' arose for the last
time in the streets of Dumfries ; and so loud was its
sound, and startling its reverberations, that the Vis-
count, without attempting to execute his menaces,
broke up his camp, and marched away to Annan.
During the insurrection of 1745, a part of the citi-
zens cut off at Lockerby a detachment of the High-
landers' baggage, arid, in consequence, drew upon
their town a severer treatment from the Pretender
than was inflicted on any other burgh of the size.
Prince Charles, on his return from England, let loose
his mountaineers to live at free quarters in Dumfries;
and he levied the excise of the town, and demanded
of the citizens a contribution of 1,000 pairs of shoes,
and .£'2,000 sterling. An alarm having reached him
that the Duke of Cumberland had expelled his par-
tizans from Carlisle, and was marching rapidly on
Dumfries, he hastily broke away northward, accept-
ing for the present .£J,100 of his required exaction,
and carrying with him Provost Crosby, and Mr.
Riddell of Glenriddell, as hostages for the payment
of the remainder. The town suffered considerably
from the plunderings of his troops •, and is supposed,
to have sustained, by his visit, damage to the amount
of .£4,000 sterling. The king — to whom, in oppo-
sition to the Stuarts, the town was steadfastly at-
tached— afterwards granted, from the forfeited estate
of Lord Elcho, the sum of £2,800, to compensate
in part for the losses of the citizens, and express his
approbation of their loyalty. Since 1 746, the burgh
has plenteously participated in the blessings of peace
and increasing enlightenment, and though moving more
slowly than some other towns in the race of aggran-
dizement, has been excelled by none in the graceful-
ness of its progress, and the steadiness and substan-
tial character of its improvement.
Dumfries gives the title of Earl in the Scottish
peerage, to the ancient family of Crichton of San-
quhar. In 1633, William, 7th Lord Crichton, was
created Earl of Dumfries, enjoying, at the same time,
the titles of Viscount of Ayr, Lord Crichton of San-
quhar and Cumnock, and other honorary distinctions.
In 1696 the earldom, owing to a want of male heirs,
passed to a female branch of the Crichton family,
who married a member of the family of Dalrymple,
and son of the 1st Earl of Stair. William Dal-
rymple, her eldest son, and 4th Earl of Dumfries,
afterwards succeeded to the Stair peerage. On his
death the earldoms were again separated, — that of
Dumfries passing to his nephew, Patrick Macdowall
of Feugh. This last Earl's heir or inheritrix was
a daughter, who married John Stuart, eldest son of
the Marquis of Bute. By a royal licence the Bute
family, the present proprietors of the earldom, have
assumed the name of Crichton.
DUMFRIES-SHIRE, a large, important, and
beautiful county in the south of Scotland, deriving
its name from the town just described. It is bounded
on the north by the counties of Lanark, Peebles,
Selkirk, and Roxburgh ; on the east by Cumberland ;
on the south by the Solway frith; on the south-west
by Kirkcudbrightshire ; on the west by Kirkcud-
brightshire and Ayrshire ; and on the north-west by
Ayrshire. In latitude it extends from 55° 2', to 55°
31*' ; and in longitude from 2° 39', to 3° 53', west
from London. Its figure is irregularly ellipsoidal:
the greater diameter from the mountain of Corson-
cone on the border of Ayrshire, to Liddel mount on
the border of Roxburghshire, in a direction nearly
south-east by east, measures about 50 miles; and the
lesser diameter, from Loch Craig on the confines of
Peebleshire, to the Solway frith at Caerlaverock-
castle, in a direction west of south, measures about
32 miles. Its ellipsoidal form, besides undulating in
every part of the circumference, is indented to the
depth of 10 miles by the southern point of Lanark-
shire, to the depth of 5 miles by Ettrick Head in
Selkirkshire, and to the depth of 3 miles by the point
of Kirkcudbrightshire, which forms the parish of
Terregles. Its circumference, drawing the line
across the waters at the mouth of the estuaries of
Nith and Annan, is about 1 74 miles, extending round
a mountain-line of 120 miles, a champaign line on
the east of 18, a line of sea-shore from the Sark to
the Nith of 21, and a champaign line along the Nith
and the Cluden on the south-west of 15. The sur-
face of the county contains an area of 1,006 square
miles, or 644,385 English acres. These are the
measurements of Dr. Singer, in his General View of
the Agriculture of Dumfries-shire, derived, at a large
cost to the landholders, from the labours of a ten
years' survey. Other measurements, however, assign
to the county 1,228 square miles, or 785,920 acre*,
and 1,800 square miles, or 1,820,000 acres. Dr.
Singer's measurements are probably within the truth,
DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
353
yet spcm to have been made with caution. For ; Eeelefechnn, Craigshnw*, Solway bank, and Broom-
several miles on the south-wot, the county is divided
from Kirkcudbrightshire by Cairn water. From the
point where that stream ceases to touch it, all the
way round its western, northern, north-eastern, and
eastern border, it is — with the deduction of Liddes-
dale, or the parish of Castletown, which, though
sloping toward the south, is included in Roxburgh-
shire— marked off by the highest elevations of the
mountain-range which breaks away westward from
Cumberland and traverses the south of Scotland.
Falling in now with Liddel water, the boundary-
line follows that stream till its confluence with the
holm to Moorburnhead, is comparatively low and
flat, being only occasionally marked by low hills,
either round-backed or obtusely conical. At this
line, the basins of the Annan and the Esk cea>e to
be valleys, and are spread out or flattened into plains.
The valley of the Kith, too, for 10 miles before it
touches the Solway, is in all respects a plain, with
the exception of a short range of low hills in the
parish of Dumfries, a few unimportant isolated emi-
nences, and an amphitheatre of beautiful but not
high hills, one side of which divides the plain from
the basin of the Annan, while the other trends
Esk ; it thence, for about a mile, follows the united j away into Galloway. A section of this plain of the
rivers, and then, for upwards of 3 miles, breaks due ! Nith is the dead level of Lochar moss. Dumfries-
we^tward through an open country, till it strikes the I shire, sloping down from the alpine heights of its
Sark; and, following that stream to the sea, it after- j cincturing boundary, and subsiding eventually into a
wards runs along the margin of the Solway frith and < plain, is Lombardy in miniature, — differing from its
the estuary of the Nith. The county is thus, with beautiful Italian type, chiefly in having a larger pro-
some unimportant exceptions, shut in by natural geo- I portion of upland compared to its champaign country,
graphical limits. From the configuration of the county, no streams
All the northern part of Dumfries-shire is very I might be expected to flow into it from adjacent dis-
mountainous, not only the summits of the water- \ triets, and none to flow out except to the sea. The
dividing line which bounds it, but the elevations of! original waters of the Nith, however, as well as one
the spurs which that range sends down toward its or two of the unimportant arid remote tributaries of
lowlands, rising, in many instances, to a great height , that river, pass into the county through gorges or
above the level of the sea. Along the boundary from openings on the west. All other waters, which
I west to cast are Black Larg, 2,890 feet above sea- any where traverse it, well up within its own limits,
level; Lowther, 3,130; Queensberry, 2,140; Hart- ! and expend all their resources in enriching its own
fell, 3,300, the highest mountain in the south of soil. The Nith, from the very point of entering it,
Scotland ; "Whitecoomb, nearly of equal altitude ; ; and the Annan and the Esk, from a short distance
Ettrick Pen, 2,220; Wisp-hill, 1,836'; and Tinnis- j south of their source, begin to draw toward them
hill, 1,846. Radiating from the boundary mountain j nearly all the other streams, so as to form the county
range are spurs, which, in some instances, run far j into three great valleys or basins. All these three
down the county, decreasing, in their progress, into • rivers pursue a course to the eastward of south, the
hills, but which, in most instances, are short, and j Nith on the west, the Annan in the middle, and the
allow the multitudinous head-waters, or mountain, j Esk on the east; and, with the exception of some
rivulets of the border, to find confluences with one j small curvings, they flow parallel to one another, at
or other of three rivers which traverse the lowlands | an average distance of about 12 miles, imposing upon
*of the county. Of the interior mountains, the most j their own and their tributaries' basins the names re-
remarkable are Cairnkinna and Glenquhargen in Pen- ' spectively of Nithsdale, Annandale, and Eskdale.
pont, the former 2,080, and the latter 1,000 feet | The streams which flow into them, though very
above sea-level ; Langholm-hill, between the Esk numerous, are, for the most part, of short course, of
and the Tarras, 1,204; and Brunswark-hill, in the small body of water, and remarkable only for the
parish of Hoddam, 740. [See separate articles in ' beauty or pieturesqueness of the ravines or dells
the present work on most of these mountains.} ; through which they pass. The chief of those which
Almost all the mountains, whether on the boun- '• enter the Nith are, from the west, the Kello, the
P<
1
i
i
1
•
dary or in the interior, have an inconsiderable
a rapid acclivity, and summits, in some in-
stances, round-backed or flattened; in others, co-
nical; and, in a few, tabular or flat. The peak-
ed and towering summits, or summits of rugged
and craggy outline, so common in the Highland
counties, are here unknown. Yet the Dumfries
alps are scarcely less grand or picturesque, and at
intervals but a degree less savage than those of Ar-
iryle or Perth; and they abound in sylvan ravines,
and fairy nooks, and retreats of scenic beauty to
which the Highland alps are strangers. The central
Euchan, the Scaur, the Cavern, and the Cluden ;
and, from the east, the Crawick, the Minnick, the
Enterkin, the Carron, the Cample, and the Duncow.
The chief which enter the Annan are, from the west,
the Evan, and the Ae; and, from the east, the Mot-
fat, the Wamphray, the Dryfe, and the Milk. The
chief which enter the Esk are, on the west, the Black
Esk; and, on the east, the Stennis, the Ewis, the
Tarras, and the Liddel. In addition to these streams
— which are all described in separate articles in our
work — and multitudinous smaller ones, but inde-
pendent of the three great rivers of the county, four
or midland part of the county is exquisitely diversi- rivulets, each K) miles or more in length, flow south-
fied in scenery, and exhibits an attractive blending of ward, and fall into the Solway, — the Lochar and the
hill and valley, — the elevations possessing every va- j Pow in the space between the Nith and the Annan,
riety of character, and often rising to considerable i and the Kirtle and the Sark in the s»pace between
altitude, and the lower grounds consisting of slope, ! the Annan and the Esk. Several of the upland and
undulation, moorland, dell, and holm; so that a tributary streams, like the parent rivers to whose
tourist traversing the district, no matter in what embrace they run, form, for a brief way, considerable
direction, is continually stimulated by novelty of basins of their own, and impose upon them their
vii-w, and rapidly surveys the most heterogeneous names. Ancient documents, and even the rustic na-
clas-fc> of attraction in landscape. Down to the tives of the present day, talk frequently of -\iofiat-
iilhern line of the midland district, the county, dale, Dryfesdale, Ewisdale, and 'the lads of Ac.' —
lr,-r iva.Miig near the boundary to be sectioned off" Dumfries-shire possesses very few lakes, and the>o
ito fragments by mountain-spurs, is divided into of but small extent. The most remarkable are those
;it valley or basins, traversed by the rivers
Mill, Ann, in, and K.-k. But that. p;wt of the county
-I. li,
south of a line drawn from Wbinnjfrif by
in the vicinity of Lochmaben, nine in number, the
laigi^t fully 3 miles in circumference. Loch Skene,
too, at the source of MorFat water, is notable in cou-
Z
354
DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
nection with its furnishing the stream which forms
the magnificent cataract called the ' Grey Mare's Tail.'
Salmon, herlings, parr or samlet, and sea-trout, are
found in the larger rivers ; and pike, perch, trout,
and eels, in the smaller. Fish in great abundance,
and, in one instance, of a strictly peculiar species, are
found also in the lakes. In the Nith and the Annan,
fishing for salmon, grilse, and whiting or herling,
commences on the 10th of March, and closes on the
25th of September; but as to the period both of
commencing and of closing, is generally considered
to be a month too early. The fisheries of all the
rivers are greatly injured by the killing of salmon in
the spawning season, and by the use of stake-nets in
the Solway Springs of the purest water exist in
great numbers in the gravel beds and fissured rocks
of the mountain district of Dumfries-shire. Of min-
eral waters in the county, the chalybeate are most
frequent, and are always discovered by the oxide of
iron which they deposit round their bed. The most
celebrated are a chalybeate near Annan ; another at
the Brow, in the parish of Ruthwell ; a sulphur-
spring at Closeburn-house ; a chalybeate in a ravine
of Hartfell mountain ; and particularly the two
springs, one sulphureous, and the other chalybeate,
near the village of Mofifat.
Most of Dumfries-shire basks, with a southern
exposure, under the genial rays of the meridian sun.
The high mountain-range which, over so consider-
able a distance, environs it, softens the acerbity of
blasts from the north-west, north, and north-east.
Its southern or perfectly lowland division, is warmed
by the vicinity of the Solway, and hardly ever, in
any spot or in any intensity of frost, retains snow
for a week. Most of the rain which falls in the
county is accompanied with mild winds from the
south or west, and differs widely from the chilling
distillations which annoy the eastern coasts of the
kingdom. Snow, though capping the alpine sum-
mits on the boundary, does not remain very long on
even the mountain faces of Dumfries-shire. Mois-
ture, however, is somewhat abundant, coming more
freely from the Atlantic than, on the eastern coast,
it does from the German ocean. Rains prevail most
towards the beginning of August and the end of
September, and are then well-known under the
names of the Lammas and Ihe equinoctial floods;
and they also, riot infrequently, fall long and heavily
during the months of winter. The prevailing winds
blow, in summer and autumn, from the west and
the south; and, in spring and winter, from the east
and the north. The heat often rises, in summer,
above 70° Fahrenheit, and has been known to raise
the thermometer to 92° in the shade; but in the
average of the year, it is believed to be about 45°.
The climate, as regards salubrity, is in general
thought good.
Hares, in many districts, are very abundant. Rab-
bits also are found ; but they are few in number, and
have not any regular warren. Foxes have here re-
treats, whence they occasionally sally to plunder the
poultry-yard; and they afford considerable employ-
ment to hounds, and sport to huntsmen. The red
deer arid the capercailie, which formerly were met
with in Dumfries-shire, are now extinct. Two or
three forest-deer were recently discovered at Rae-
hills, and have been protected and propagated ; but
they are believed to have strayed from the hills of
Lanarkshire. At a former period, indeed, the forest-
deer, though for a time extinct, was very abundant;
and it is frequently found inhumed in the morasses.
Pheasants, grouse, black game, partridges, and other
game birds, and also the woodcock, the cm lev, the
plover, the snipe, and the lapwing, are very plentiful. ;
A brown or reddish coloured sandstone, dipping
generally toward the Solway, and supposed to be a
continuation of the red marl formation of Cumber-
land, stretches athwart the southern part of Dum-
fries-shire; and proceeding northward, merges in a
reddish coloured limestone, succeeded first by blue
limestone and coarse white sandstone, and next by
mandlestone rock and primitive formations contain-
ing metallic ores. Near Dumfries and Lochmaben
the sandstone is red ; near Langholm and Sanquhar.
it is grey; and at Cove, near Kirtle water, it is of
light colour and solid texture, affording a fine mate-
rial for pillars. The sandstone, where it crops out,
is frequently incohesive, and is called tillband ; but
by being followed in its dip, it is usually found suffi-
ciently compact to be used for ridge-stones. In
each of the three great divisions of the county, lime-
stone is worked in large quantities for sale. In
Annandale the quarries are most numerous, but are
each greatly inferior to the quarry of Closeburn in
Nithsdale. At Kelhead the lime rock, which is of
the first quality, is from 12 to 24 feet thick, and is
said to yield 95 parts out of 100 of carbonate of lime.
Ironstone has been found in spheroidal masses, asso-
ciated with limestone, and exists also in detached
masses in wet bogs; but it has not hitherto been
worked. Marble has been worked at Springkell,
Kelhead, and other places, and employed for some
useful and ornamental purposes. Veins of slate are
found in Evandale and the parish of Moffat; but, in
the former case, are too schistous, and in the latter
too inconveniently situated to be of practical value.
Coal, though supposed, in continuation of the coal-
field of Cumberland, to stretch at a great depth under
the red strata of the shores and valleys of Nithsdale
and Annandale, and though seemingly, in some parts,
forced up near the surface, and often laboriously
searched for by boring, is found in a workable state
only in the parishes of Sanquhar and Canobie, at the
extremities of the county. The coal of Sanquhar is
probably connected with the coal-field of Ayrshire ;
that of Cannobie affords a supply of about 25,000 tons
per annum ; yet Dumfries-shire is, for the most part,
obliged to supply itself with coal from Cumberland, of
to find a succedaneum for it in the produce of Lochar
moss and other bogs. Extensive lead-mines, the
most productive in Britain, are worked at Wanlock-
head on the north-east boundary of the parish of
Sanquhar. The galena or ore yields from 74 to 80
per cent. ; is contained in veins" of from a few inches
to 15 feet thick; and, during a period of 50 years,
yielded 47,420 tons. Silver is extracted from this
ore in the proportion of from 6 to 12 ounce^ in the
ton. Lead ore has been found also, but not worked,
in the parishes of Penpont, Johnstone, St. Mungo,
and Langholm. Gold occurs in the mountains around
Wanlockhead, either in veins of quartz, or in the
sand washed down by the rivn'ets. In the reign of
James V. 300 men are said to have been employed
there during several summers, and to have collected
gold to the value of £100,000 sterling; and either
they or subsequent searchers have left monuments
of their diligence, in the artificial mounds of sand
which overlook the gold-bearing streams. The largest
piece of gold ever found at \\ anlockhead, is in the
British museum, and weighs 4 or 5 ounces. Very
recently two pieces were picked up which weighed
respectively 60 and 90 grains. An antimony mine,
the only one in Great Britain, was discovered in
1760 at Glendinning, in the parish of Westkirk;
and, from 1793 till 1798, produced 100 tons of the
regulus of antimony, worth £8,400 sterling. The
ore is a sulphuret, and yields about 50 per cent. ,
and forms a vein seldom exceeding 20 inches in thick*
ness, and combining blende, calcareous spar, and
quartz. Copper-ore is said to have been found, but
DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
355
I
not in considerable quantity, in the toadstone in the
parish of Middlebie. Manganese occurs in small
quantities in nests or heaps. Gypsum is found in
thin veins. Loose blocks of sienite are found all i
over the low part of the county. Greenstone, grey j
wat-ke, and greywacke slate, compose the rocks of j
many of the hills. Floetz-trap is found, generally j
in the shape of mountain-caps, on the summits of
the mountains. Basaltic or whinstone rocks occur j
in various localities, and exhibit some fine specimens
in the mountains near Molfat.
The soil, in the lower parts of Dumfries-shire, is '
in general light, and underlaid with rock, gravel, or j
sand. In some places, where it has a subsoil reten- •
tive of water, it is cold, and occasions rankness of
vegetation. In Nithsdale and Annandale it is fof
the most part dry, but in Eskdale it is in general
wet. A gravelly or sandy soil prevails on the ridges
or knolls of the valleys and even of the bogs. Muir
soil abounds in the mountain- districts, and wherever
there is white-stone land; but when its subsoil is
dry, it is capable of gradual transmutation into loam.
A loamy soil, rich in vegetable mould, covers con-
siderable tracts in the lower southern district, and
is interspersed with other soils on the gentle slopes
of the midland district. Alluvial soils — called in other
parts of Scotland haugh-land, but here called holm-
and — abound along the margins of the streams; and
in general are shallow and poor in the upland dells,
and deep and rich in the lowlands. Clay, as a soil,
seldom occurs, except as mixed with other sub-
stances; but, as a subsoil, is extensively found,
cither white, blue, or red, under the green sward of
ridges, and beneath soft bogs. Peat-moss exists, in
great fields, both on the hills and in the vales; and,
wherever drainage can be practised, is such as may
be converted into soil. Sleech, or the saline and
muddy deposition of the waters of the Solway,
spreads extensively out from the estuary of the
Lochar, and is not only productive in itself, but
affords an effective top-dressing for the adjacent
peat-moss.
Estates are held either of the Crown, or of a sub-
ject superior, who may or may not have property in
the county; and, in either case, they may be laid
under entail for an unlimited period, and m favour
of heirs yet unborn. Kindly tenures, or possessions
of land as the king's kindly tenants, subject to the
annual payment of a small fixed sum to an officer of
royal appointment, exist in the vicinity of the castle
of Lochmaben, and present an anomaly any resem-
blance to which in Scotland is found only in Orkney.
Feu-holding, which involves perpetuity of right and
full power of alienation, but is subject to an annual
payment quite or nearly equal to the fair rent of the
soil, is confined chiefly to the burghs. Burgage-
holding extends over considerable tracts of land
around Dumfries, Annan, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar.
Long leases of small portions or plots of land — pro-
vincially but inaccurately called feus — are every-
where common ; and, being granted with a view to
building, imbody in a degree the idea of property.
Farms of arable land are generally let on leases of
15, 19, or 21 years; and those of sheep-pasture, on
leases of 9 or 13. A stipulation is made, in most
instances, that not more than one-third of "the arable
land shall, at one period, be under white crops; and,
in other instances, that the four-field or six-field
course of husbandry shall be practised. But leases
are of various forms, and riot very rigidly observed
in their conditions. Pasture-farms are usually en-
tered at Whitsunday, and arable-farms in autumn
after the removal of the crop. Rents are paid, one-
halt' at Whitsunday, and the other at Martinma>.
Sheep-farms vary in size from 300 to 3,000 acres,
and pay, on the average, about 4s. per acre of rent
Arable farms vary from 50 to 600 acres, a lar^e pro-
portion of them being from 100 to 150; and they
pay from £1 to .€5 per acre, — the average for good
land being about £3 10s. Some farms — though
only an inconsiderable proportion, and chiefly in the
midland district — are both pastoral and arable, and
are regarded as particularly convenient and remuner-
ating.
The agricultural capacities of Dumfries-shire were
long under-estimated and neglected, and did not
begin to be fairly developed till the year 1760.
Charles, Duke of Queensberry, who died in 1778,
greatly improved his property in Nithsdale and An-
nandale,— the largest property in the county. The
Earl of Hopetoun laid the basis of extensive pros-
perity in the pastoral uplands of Annandale ; and by
abolishing thirlage to his mills, and giving advan-
tageous leases to the farmers, spread a new and rich
carpeting over the lowlands of his property. The
Duke of Buccleuch, grandfather to the present duke,
succeeded, by skill arid liberality, and by bearing the
chief expense of the great road leading from England
along the Esk, in diffusing agricultural energy over
his extensive possessions in Eskdale. Sir John
Heron Maxwell and Mr. Pulteney Malcolm intro-
duced new and effective methods of husbandry into
considerable districts on the southern plain. J. J.
Hope Johnstone of Annandale, Esq., drew excited
and profitable attention to improvements in the breed
of cattle, and set a high example to landlords in a
liberal treatment of his tenants. Menteath of Close-
burn, however, on an estate of 10 miles by 8, achieved
improvements which have provoked the emulation
and aroused the energies of the whole county. By
drainage, by the free but judicious use of lime, by
irrigation, and by a wise and handsome treatment of
servants, he has converted mimic wildernesses into
gardens, and raised the value of some land from 5
shillings to j£4 10s., and £5.
Crops are cultivated of various kinds, and in vari-
ous orders of rotation. In the uplands, and recently
reclaimed grounds, wheat is not an object of atten-
tion. Farmers, in the best districts, differ consider-
ably in their modes of culture; some skilfully en-
deavouring to suit a permanent course of cropping
and of management to the peculiarities of the soil ;
and others labouring, by ingenious or experimental
changes in the genera of the crops, and in the order
of their rotation, to extract from the soil, its maxi-
mum of productiveness, without, at the same time,
doing damage to its energies. A rotation of frequent
occurrence is, first, oats, — next, potatoes or turnips,
the latter fed off by sheep, — next, wheat or barley,
sown with grass-seeds, — next, hay, — and finally, for
three years, pasture. Both for home-consumption
and for exportation, oats and potatoes are more plen-
tifully cultivated than any other crop. The culture
both of potatoes and of turnips — particularly the
latter — has of late years very greatly increased, and
is found to be a valuable improvement. Potatoes
are in much request for the fattening of pigs and
cattle. On ground of difficult access, and generally
on upland farms, bone-dust is advantageously used
in enriching the soil; and in fact this manure has
throughout entire districts come into general use,
and is an object of considerable mercantile or pro-
ductive speculation. Implements of husbandry, and
all the appliances of the farm-yard, are the same as
those in other agricultural counties. The Dumfries-
shire farmers, however, have very generally thrown
away the sickle, in the reaping of their crops, and
adopted in its stead a small scythe. Most of the
farm-houses, including all of recent erection, are
built of stone and lime, roofed over with slate, and
356
DUMFRIES SHIRE.
are commodious and well-arranged, Plantations and
pleasure-grounds abound in the lower parts of the
county, and are everywhere remarkable for their
beauty and opulence.
The mountainous division of Dumfries-shire is
employed in pasturage; and is stocked, partly with
black cattle, but principally with sheep. The cattle
of Eskdale are, in general, larger than any others in
the county. All farmers, however, who purchase
cattle for breeding, endeavour to introduce the beau-
tiful and mucluvalued form of the true Galloway
cattle. Their prevailing colour is black, and their
weight from 32 to 55 stone. The mountain-flocks
of sheep consist either of Cheyiots, or of black faces
with short wool. But most of the sheep are of
mixed breed,-^-the Cheviots having been crossed with
the Leicester sheep, the South Downs, and the Ne-
gretto and Paular breeds of Spain — A peculiarity in
the store»farming of Dumfries-shire, is its rearing an
enormous number of pigs. Jn the year 1770 not
more than £500 value was received in the produce
of pork; but so far back as 1812 it had risen to about
£50,000 a-year; and since then, it has very greatly
increased. The pork is excellently cured, and sent
off in bacon to most of the leading markets of Eng-
land.
Duinfriesrshire, though conducting an extensive
export trade in oxen, sheep, pigs, corn, wool, and
skins, is riot strictly a commercial, much less a manu-
facturing county. Its sea?ports are the scenes of a
sea-ward traffic exceedingly small in proportion to
its intrinsic importance and productive capacities; See
articles ANNAN and DUMFRIES. Woollen and linen
manufactures, though frequently tried in the county,
have but recently been naturalized, and are still very
limitedly successful. At Sanquhar, and the vicin-
ity, ginghams, Thibets, and tartans are woven. At
Dumfries and at Annan, coarse ginghams are largely
manufactured, chiefly for the Carlisle market. Wages
have greatly declined for the last two or three years.
The average amount of a weaver's work, per week,
will not exceed one out, or 60 yards of coarse ging-
ham, for which he only receives 6s. 6d,, with Is.
extra, if approved, making 7s. 6d. But out of this
he has to pay 2d. per shilling for winding, and at
least Is, for loom-rent, wear and tear, fire and light,
&c., leaving nqt above 5s. 3d. clear, on 6 days' work
of 11 hours per day. Females employed in hand-
sewing muslin collars, and seaming stockings, earn
about 2s. per week; and in winding, from Is. 6d. to
2s. About 35 years ago, weavers in this county
might have made 35s. per week; though they in fact
— such were their habits of dissipation — seldom made
above 10s, Such energies as in other localities would
be directed to manufacturing and mercantile enter-
prise, are here almost all employed in subordination
to the direct and accessory pursuits of agriculture;
but great improvements, from a concurrence of agen-
cies, and a co-operation of favourable influences, have
taken place, since the commencement of the present
century, upon the condition and habits of the popu-
lation. Smiling cottages, neater and cleaner than
anywhere else in Scotland, — moorlands, richly cul-
tivated to the base, and even up the acclivities, of
mountains, — a soil, arrayed in the gayest dress, and
laden with luxuriance,-— - roads, churches, school-
houses, fences, rural clothing and popular manners,
convenient, beautiful or refined in character, — all
attest the high though tranquil prosperity which
Dumfries-shire has attained,
The county is intersected in every direction «with
excellent roads. The two Carlisle and Glasgow
turnpikes traverse it from Sarkbridge respectively
through Annan, Dumfries, Thornhill, and Sanquhar,
— ~and through Ecclefechan, Lockerby, Dinwoodie-
Greeri, and Beatock; the Dumfries and Edinburgh
turnpike, northward by way of Moffat; the Carlisle
and Edinburgh turnpike, along the vales of the Es-k
arid the Ewes; and the Dumfries arid Ayr turnpike,
north-westward through Dunscore and Glencairn.
Cross-roads wend along every valley, or stretch out-
ward on the straight line, from village to village;
and. in general, they have been much improved, and
are kept in good repair. Safe arid easy communica-
tions have been opened also through several parts of
the alpine districts. — Two distinct lines of railway
from the great line along the west of England have
been projected, and either doubtless, if executed,
would add incalculably to the facilities of communica-
tion, and the relative value of produce in this county.*
Besides the fa;rs and cattle-markets of the town
of Dumfries, [see DUMFRIES,] there are fairs for
lambs, at Langholm, 26th July; and at Lockerby,
16th August and 16th October, excepting when the
date falls on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, arid then
on the Tuesday following; — for sheep, at Langholm,
18th September; — for tups, sheep, lambs, and wool,
at Sanquhar, 17th July, if Friday, and if not, on
Friday following; — for tups, at Moffat, in the latter
end of June; at Annan, in May and October; at
MofFat, in March and October; and at Lockerbv. in
April,
* Of these two projected lines, that called the Nithsdale line
commences at the Carlisle terminus of the Newcastle and Car-
lisle railway. After crossing the Eden, it takes H northerly
direction tuwnrds the Esk, which it crosses lielow the iron
bridge; it then bends round to the westward, keeping parallel
to the Solway frith, and passes Annan water a little to the
south of the present bridyej thence, it approaches Comlangen
castle, and, skirting the north side of Lochar mo-s, reaches
Dumfries. In this distance the gradients are of a very easy
character. From Dumfries the line keeps the valley of tli«
Nith up to New-l umnock. Shortly after leaving Dumfries it
crosses the river, which it recrossei at Aldgirth bridge; it then
skirts the north side of the village of Thornhill, and keeps along
the east side of the Nith to half-way between that place and
Sanquhar, where the ravine widens, and it will become neces-
sary to cross the river in two or three places. From Sanquhar
to Kirkcomiel the line still keeps on the east side of the Nith ;
but, a little beyond the latter town, it may be again requisite
twice to cross" the river. "The line is on the east side of the
stream iip to New-Cumnoek, where it leaves the valley of the
Nith. Between Qld and New.Cumnock it keeps parallel to
the turnpike-road, and here crosses the summit of the pass
through this part of the country. At the village of Aiichinleck,
a little beyond Oid,Cmnnoi-k, the line crosses the turnpike,
rond, which it reerf»sses near Bnrgonr, and it then keep- on the
east side till it intersects Cessnock water. The Hue passes the
Irvine water a little below Hurleford bridge; is afterwards
curried over the turnpike-road ; and enters 'he northern sub.
urh of Kilmarnock, crossing, l>y a viaduct, Kilmarnock water.
It here curves to the west to join the intended Kilmarnock
branch of the Glasgow and Ayr railway. Hence the line passes
by Dairy, Beith, Lochwinn»ch, Johnstone and Paisley to t<las-
gow. To the distance of Q> miles \S chains, are to be acided 10
miles 18 chains of the Kilmarnock branch, not yet begun, nnd
•22 miles 53 chains of the Ayrshire railway; making the total
distance from Carlisle to Glasgow 125 miles 9 chains, and to
Edinburgh 171 miles $ chains ; xyhereas by the Clydesdale line
the latter distance is only 97 miles 44 chains, atui the founer
only 100 miles 74 chains. This latter line enters Duufne-.
shire near the pass of the Clyde's Nap, where a cnttinir <>t 2
miles 56 chains in. length, and 50 feet in, depth, will be required.
From hence the line keeps on the south side of the turnpike,
road and on th.e right bank of F.lvau water, which runs into
the Annan to the southward of BeRtock bridge. At Middle.
Gill a viaduct will be required of 30 chains in length and 110
feet in extren e height. The line passes withiu about a mile
of Moffat, and to the west side of Beatock-bridge inn> crossing
tne Dumfries and Edinburgh road near Kirk pat rick manse ; it
continues nearly in the same direct course and approaches the
Annan, which, as well as the turnpike-road from Glasgow to
Carlisle, it crosses near Johnstone bridge. From this point the
line towards Lochmaben and Annan, as projected by Mr,
L/»e.ke, commences, but a shorter line preferred liy the parlia-
mentary commissioners, takes a course towards Lockerby,
crossing the turnpike-road twice, and tlve Dryfe water. From
Lockerby the line proceeds to Gretna bv EccU-fechau, thr>c»»
crossing the turnpike-road, and the Milk, the Mein, and the
Kirt'e. It then proceeds by the we-t side of Greuia. and jn>t
alter cros-.ing the Srtrk joins the Lochmaben and Annan rout* ,
an.t passing Mo.ss-bank, crosses the river Esk by a t.ridge ..t 17
feet in height and 132 yarns in length. From hence Mie l.iie
proceeds direct towards the eastern side of Ca'dew i hurch,
where it takes a :-liort curve to the eastward, iiiid joins Hie
Carlisle arid Newcastle railway, cro-.sin< in its course liie river
Eden by a bridge 38 feel high ;'u\d K;0 yards- in length.
DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
357
rk at Borrowslacks, advanced to the westward of
runswark-hill, crossed the river Milk at the drove
1, between Scroggs and the bridge, proceeded by
)ckerby and Torwood-muir, across the Dryfe a
ttle \vay above its confluence with the Annan, and
re divided into two branches, the one stretching
thward through Annandale, and the other west-
into Nithsdale. Of these two branches, the
ler, or the main line, wended along the east side
the Annan, passed Dinwoodie green and Girth-
crossed the Wamphray water, and northward
Burnfoot, crossed the Annan to the Roman in-
indunents at Tassie's holm ; it then crossed the
ran, advanced by the farm of Dyke, ascended the
of Loch-house, and passed on to the top of
rrickstane-brae, advancing to Newton in Lanark-
ire. The second or westward line of the main
id, proceeded, from the point of its divergence in
ryfesdale across the Annan, by Amisfield house,
meow, and Dalswinton, advanced up the east side
the Nith by Thornhill, crossed Carron water,
jrned then away northward, entered and traversed
defile called the Wellpath, in the mountains
>ve Durris«!eer, and there passed into the basin or
of the Powtrail in Lanarkshire, afterwards to
in at Crawford castle, the line which had tra-
Annandale. Some inferior side-branches
ick off from these central lines. One diverged
the westward branch, through Kirkmichael, to
it is now the glebe of that parish, and where
jre seems to have been a Roman station ; and an-
ler turned off to the west from the Nithsdale road,
the Kith, and passed through Tynron by
uir water. The most remarkable stations con-
with the roads, are those of Brunswark,
stle O'er, and Raeburnfoot, together with Agrico-
I's camp on Torwood-moor near Lockerby. In many
places are Roman encampments, circular and square
fortifications, cairns or burians, vestiges of towers,
and moats or artificial mounts, which are supposed
to have been the seats of popular judicial assemblies.
The most remarkable towers are at Amisfield, Lag,
Achincass, Robgill, and Lochwood ; and the largest
and most beautiful moat is at Rockhall, near Loch-
maben. Remains or vi-stiges of druidical temples
exist in the parishes of Gretna, Esdalemuir, Holy-
wood, Wamphray, and Moffat. A remarkable an-
tiquity, supposed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, is
the cross of Markland, found in the churchyard of
Ruth well. The principal ancient castles, are those
of Caerlaverock, Tortherwald, Closeburn, Morton,
and Sauquhar, in Nithsdale; Achincass, Hoddam,
Comlongan, and Lochwood, in Annandale ; and
Wauchope and Langholm, in Eskdale. In various
pia-.-.".. art- vestiges of ancient monasteries. Through-
out the country, vast quantities of ancient coins and
medals and pieces of armour have been found.
Dumfries-shire originally comprehended, in addi-
tion to its own ample territory, the stewartry of
Kirkcudbright; and. in the reign of William I., was
placed under a sheriff. But, during a considerable
p-'riod, its sheriffs had only a nominal authority be-
yond the limits of Nithsdale. From the reign of
David I. till that of Robert Bruce, both Annandale
and Eskdale were under independent baronial juris-
diction,— the latter on the part of various proprie-
tors, and the former on the part of Robert Bruce's
aiu-i>tors. The county consisted then strictly of
ih? SshcrifFship of Nithsdale, the stewartry of Annan-
dfcl* and the regality of Eskdale ; and was parti-
tioned off very nearly, according to the water-lines
of the three principal rivers by which it is traversed.
Bruce, on receiving the Scottish crown, rr.ade great
alterations in the civil polity of his kingdom, and paved
the way for hereditary sheriffships and local jurisdic-
tions. By an act passed 20th of George II., Dum-
fries-shire assumed the status and the jurisdiction
which it has since maintained This county sends
one member to parliament: constituency, in 1839,
1,927. Its four royal burghs, Dumfries, Annan,
Lochmaben, and Sanquhar, also unite with Kirkcud-
bright to send a member. The county contains six
burghs-of-barony, Moffat, Lockerby, Langholm, Ec-
clefechan, Thornhill, and Minnyhive; the villages of
Springfield or Gretna green, Glencaple, Tortherwald,
Tinwald, Penpont, and Kirkconnel; and a swarm of
hamlets. The county and burgh prison is in the
town of Dumfries It was built about ttO years ago,
and contains 52 ill-arranged apartments for criminals,
and 2 for civil prisoners. It is in contemplation
[1842] to erect a new prison Population, in 1801,
54,597; in 1831, 73,770. Houses, in 1831, 12,365.
Population, in 1841, 72,825; being a decrease of 1.3
percent, within ten years. Houses, in 1841, 14,375.
Assessed property, in 1815, £295,621. The valued
rental, in 1808, was £219,037 10s, 8d.; or nearly
sixteen. fold that of the land-rent in 1656.
Till the epoch of the Reformation, Dumfries-shire
formed part of the extensive diocese of Glasgow, and
was divided into the two deaneries of Nithsdale and
Annandale. The synod of Dumfries not only em-
braces the whole county, but extends its jurisdiction
considerably into coterminous districts; and consists
of five presbyteries, Dumfries, Lochmaben, Annan,
Penpont, and Langholm. The presbytery of Annan
has 8 parishes, and that of Penpont 9, all within the
county; the presbytery of Langholm, 6, one of which
is in Roxburghshire ; the presbytery of Lochmaben,
13, small parts of two of which are in Lanarkshire;
and the presbytery of Dumfries, 17, ten of which are
in Kirkcudbrightshire. The total number of parishes
n Dumfries-shire is thus 42. — The number of paro-
chial schools, in 1834, was 65, under 69 teachers; of
schools not parochial 129, under 143 teachers. The
total number of scholars 11,437. — The total number
of convicted criminal offenders, in 1841, was 63: of
these, 22 were for assaults, and 28 for simple thefts.
Dumfries-shire, in common with a large part of
Galloway, was, at the period of the Roman invasion,
A. D. 80, inhabited by the tribe called the Selgovae.
The Romans included it in what they termed the pro-
vince of Valentia. After they withdrew, it remained
for a season, in a state of independence ; but subse-
quently was overrun by Ida and the Angles; and, dur-
ng two centuries, formed a part of the new kingdom
which they founded. Vast multitudes of immigrants
poured into it, in the meantime, from among the Cru-
ithne of Ireland and the Scoto-Irish of Kintyre, and
raised up with the natives the mongrel breed of Picts.
This hardy, though heterogeneous race, burst the
yoke of foreign domination, and restored the dis-
trict to a condition of rude independence. Edgar,
after his accession, in 1097, abolished the system of
local governments, and established the Anglo-Nor-
man dynasty, dividing Scotland into lordships. At
his death, Dumfries-shire, in common with Cambria,
in which it had become included, passed, by his be-
quest, to his youngest brother, David. Having be-
come the adopted home of many opulent Anglo-Nor-
man barons, whom David invited hither as settlers,
Cambria was now partitioned into extensive baronies,
and enjoyed the luxury of an apparently fair ad-
ministration of justice. Nithsdale was possessed
by a powerful chief, called Donegal, of Celtic an-
cestry, whose descendants assumed the name of
DUM
358
DUN
Edgar ; Eskdale was subdivided among Asenals, !
Sonlises, Rossedalls, and others, who figured briefly
and obscurely in their country's annals ; and An-
nandale was possessed by Robert de Bruce, a chief
of skill and valour, whose descendants afterwards
wore the Scottish crown. The Bruces had many
lands and castles in the county; but during the
12th and 13th centuries, resided chiefly in the castle
of Lochmaben. Lesser proprietors in Anivindale
held of the Bruces as retainers, such as the Kirk-
patricks of Kirkpatrick, the Johnstons of Johnston,
the Carlyles of Torthenvald, and the Carnocs of
Trailflat and Drumgrey. But, independently of any
of the great barons, the ancestors of the present
house of Maxwell held the castle and lands of Caer-
laverock ; and, in the same way, Sir John Comyn
held lands which, including the estate of Duncow,
stretched round Dumfries to the south-east till they
touched the Nith at Castled vkes. In 1264, Alex-
ander III. advanced to Dumfries with a large army,
and thence despatched John Comyn and Alexander
Stewart to the isle of Man to subjugate it to Scot-
land. In the wars of Bruce and Baliol, Dumfries-
shire was placed between two fires; or, to use a
different figure, it nursed at its breasts both of the
competitors for royalty; and from the nature of its
position, bearing aloft the Bruce in its right arm
and the Comyn in its left, it was peculiarly exposed
to suffering. Located as the baronial possessions of
Bruce were in Annandale, and those of Baliol in
Nithsdale, Dumfries-shire was necessarily the scene,
if not of the most decisive, at least of the earliest
and the most harassing struggles of the belligerents.
Bruce, after the victory of Bannockburn had put
him into undisputed possession of the kingdom,
gave the Comyns' manor of Duncow to Robert
Boyd, and their manor of Dalswinton to Walter
Stewart ; he bestowed on Sir Thomas Randolph,
his own lordship of Annandale and castle of Loch-
maben, and created him Earl of Moray ; and he con-
ferred on Sir James Douglas, in addition to the
gift of all Douglasdale, the greater part of Eskdale
and other extensive possessions in Dumfries-shire.
In the troubles and warfare which occurred under
David II., between the Brucians and the Baliols,
this county was again the chief seat of strife and dis-
aster. Nor did it suffer less in degree, while it suf-
fered longer in duration under the proceedings of the
rebellious Douglasses, who, after being introduced to
it by Robert Bruce, grew, by various ramifications of
descent and acquisition, to be its most potent barons.
On the attainder of this family in 1455, their au-
thority and possessions reverted to the Crown, and
were in part bestowed on the Earl of March. In
1484, the county was invaded by the exiled Earl of
Douglas and the Duke of Albany ; and thence, dur-
ing a century and a half, it appears never to have
enjoyed a few years of continuous repose. So late
as 1607, the private forces of Lord Maxwell and
the Earl of Morton were led out to battle on its
soil, and were with difficulty prevented from track-
ing it with blood. During, in fact, the entire period
from its assuming an organized form till the union of
the Scottish and the English crowns, Dumfries-shire,
irom being situated on the border, was peculiarly
exposed to hostile incursions and predatory warfare.
Some of its children distinguished themselves by
deeds of patriotic bravery; and others, for many
generations, subsisted entirely on spoil and pillage.
Under James VI., the county sat down in quietude,
and began to wear a dress of social comeliness ; but
again, during the reign of the Charleses, was agi-
tated with broils and insurrections. In the rebel-
lions of 1715 and ] 745— especially in the latter — it
was the scene of numerous disasters, — disquiet and
consternation spreading here, more perhaps than in
any other district of Scotland, among the middle and
lower classes of the population. Of the aristocrats,
a large proportion were imbued with the spirit, and
a considerable number shared the ruin, of Jacobitisrn.
The Maxwells, in particular, were utterly destroyed
by the attainder of the Earl of Nithsdale in 1715;
and, at the eras of both rebellions, several other
families of note became, as to their possessions and
influences, extinct. In more recent times, the
Douglasses of Queensberry, and the Johnstons of
Annandale, have merged into other families. At
present, the noble house of Buccleuch is by far the
ascendant family of the county, and possesses pro-
perty, ecclesiastical patronage, and other appurten-
ances of rank and social grandeur, almost too great
to be employed, except in very judicious hands, be-
nignly for the well-being of the community.
The principal seats in the county are, Drumlanrig
castle, Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry ; Ken-
mount, Marquis of Queensberry ; Comlongan castle,
Earl of Mansfield ; Rachill's, Hope Johnstone of
Annandale ; Springkell, Sir Patrick Maxwell ; Jar-
dinehall, Sir William Jardine ; Maxwelltown, Admi-
ral Sir Robert Lawrie, Bart. ; Amish'eld, Charteris,
Esq. ; Closeburn hall, C. G. S. Menteath, Esq. ;
Craigdarroch, R. Cutlar Fergusson, Esq., M. P. ;
Westerhall, Johnston, Bart. ; Drumcrieff, Rogerson,
Esq. ; Hoddam castle, General Sharpe ; Dalswinton,
M' Alpine Leny, Esq., formerly the seat of the cele-
brated Mr. Miller; Murraythwaite, Murray; Bar-
jarg tower, Hunter ; Blackwood-house, Copland of
Collieston ; Langholm lodge, a hunting-seat of the
Duke of Buccleuch ; Broomholm, Maxwell ; Ter-
regles-house, Maxwell of Nithsdale; Mossknow,
Graham.
DUMGLOW. See CLEISH.
DUN,* a parish in the north-east of Forfarshire ;
bounded on the north by Strickathrow and Logie-
port ; on the east by the parish of Montrose, and
Montrose basin; on the south by the river South
Esk, which divides it from Mary town and Faruell ;
and on the west by Brechin. It is of nearly a square
figure, with points running off at two of its angles;
and measures in extreme length and breadth about 4
miles, and in superficial area about 12 square miles.
Along the banks of the South Esk and the shore of
Montrose basin the surface is low, flat, protected by
embankments, and of a clayey fertile loam. A little
northward, and up to the centre of the parish, the
surface gently and gradually rises, carpeted with a
fine productive soil of blackish mould. From the
centre to the northern boundary the surface ceases
to rise, and, excepting a considerable tract which is
covered with plantation, is, in general, wet and miry.
Two brooks of local origin flow eastward respectively
to the Esk and the basin. A third is collected into
an artificial lake on the west, called Dun's dish,
covering about 40 acres, and used to drive a mill.
The bed of Montrose basin along the base of the
parish, has a black, slimy, and very dreary appearance
at low water; and is then frequented by considerable
numbers of athletic females, from the neighbouring
fishing- village of Ferryden, searching for bait. Over
the South Esk is a finely ornamented bridge of 3
arches, built in 1787. The river abounds with sal-
mon, sea-trout, a fish called the finneck, which ap-
pears only during August and September, and several
other trouts of passage. Dun, at the Reformation,
was the property of a gentleman of the name of Er-
skine, who figures in a manner most patriotic and re-
ligious in the history of the period. The parish ii
traversed, at its greatest breadth, by the high
• The name is Gaelic, and signifies a hill, or rising ground.
:
DUN
359
DUN
between Montrose and Brechin, and is abundantly
intersected by minor roads. Population, in 1801,
680; in 1831, 514. Houses 114. Assessed property,
in 1815, £5,735 Dun is in the presbytery of Bre-
chin, and synod of Angus and Mcarns. Patroness,
the Marchioness of Ailsa. Stipend £159 3s. 2d. ;
plehe £15. A new church has recently been built.
Schoo.rnaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £19 19s.
of other emoluments. There is an unendowed
echool.
DUNAVERTY CASTLE, a stronghold — of
which scarcely a vestige now remains — on the
summit of a rock considered to be the point in
Kintyre nearest to the Irish coast. In 1647 this
castle sustained a severe siege by General Leslie
with a body of 3,000 men. The garrison consisted
of about 300 Irish and Highlanders, under the
command of a brother of Sir Alexander M'Donald.
They were " put to the sword every mother's son,
except one young man," says Sir James Turner.
D UNBAR,* a parish in Haddingtonshire, at the
ith of the frith of Forth, along which its coast
extends, in a very sinuous line, upwards of 10 miles;
but in a direct line somewhat less than 8 miles. Its
average breadth is 2 miles. It is bounded by the
frith of Forth on the north; by Innerwick parish,
from which it is separated by Dryburn water, on the
east and south; by Innerwick, Spott, and Stenton
parishes on the south ; and by Prestonkirk and
"NVhitekirk parishes on the west. A detached por-
tion of the portion — called Dunbar outer common —
isisting of about 7 square miles, is separated from
the parish by the intervention of the parishes of Spott
and Stenton, being bounded by these parishes on the
north; by Spott and Innerwick on the east; by two
detached portions of Spott and Stenton parishes on
the south; and by Whittingham parish on the south
and west. This detached portion is quite a moor-
land district, lying upon the Lammermoors, and
having its waters flowing to the south-east and
irained by the Berwickshire Whitadder. Of the
main part of the parish, amounting to 87J- plough-
ites, or nearly 7,200 acres, all arable, the general
appearance is gently undulating and pleasing. The
western part of the coast, including Tynningham and
Belhaven bays, presents a fine clean sandy beach; on
approaching Dunbar, from the west, the coast be-
comes bold and rocky; to the eastward of Dunbar
it presents a series of low rocky ledges, generally of
red sandstone formation, and dipping gently to the
south-east. As we advance towards the east, how-
ever, these rocks assume a more vertical slope, and
here and there shoot up in sharp peaks. The red
i sandstone is succeeded by a grayish sandstone, further
to the east. Limestone rocks prevail in the eastern
district of the parish. The rocks in the immediate
neighbourhood of the port of Dunbar are of a reddish-
colonred trap-tufa, and exhibit in many places a very
regular columnar structure. The highest ground is
Brunthill, which forms the extreme south-east point
of this part of the parish, and rises to an altitude of
about 700 feet above sea-level. A little to the north
of it, on the march with Spott parish, is Doon hill or
Down hill, which is about 120 feet lower. The only
K* The parish of Dnnhnr, Rays Chalmers in his « Caledonia,'
v..l. li. p. 5'(8 and 4d(>,] took its (Yltir name Horn the lovvn ;
mi the town obtained r -. df situation fr<>m tin- fortlet on the
rm-k, ivliirh at thio plure pnje. ^ into the bea. Dun-bur, in the
British, and the (Jut-In-, .-ignities 'the Fort on the height,' or
• Strength upon tliH Mm, mil;' i,ut might not to be rendered— as
Lord H*ile* has done— into the Kinrli-h ' lop-H.lf.' lim-ltaiian
and Boe<v inform ti> tliHt Kenneth I. hit ring defeated the Pii-ts
i ii pill-bed battle at S<-« , runlet Ted the fm tre.-s here upon one
•if hi- tnovt valiant ttoldierx, who.-e name was liar; and henre
tin- name DiintMr, or 'the castle of liar.' In %l we rind the
»••(, ,,, Lothian, under two leaders of the name of Dunbar and
MnNBC, Uoing tattle against the Danish iuvadvrs at Culien.
streams in this parish are the water of Beil and the
water of Spott — two rivulets more remarkable tor
the beautiful scenery through which they glide, than
for their volume of water or length of course. The
soil is partly a rich loam, partly clay, and partly a
light mould well-adapted for the production of grain
arid green crops of every description. Both the old
and the new Statistical reporters on this parish claim
for it the high pre-eminence of being the most fertile
tract of the most fertile district of Scotland. "When
the Old Statistical Report was written [1792] the
rental of the parish was £8,000; lands near the town
yielding a rent of from £4 to £5 5s. per acre ; and
several considerable farms, from 30s. to 42s. In
1823 the rental was £23,405; the highest rent bei'.g
£6 per imperial acre ; and the average rent £3 10s.
per Scots acre. The valued rent is £16,953. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £24,570. Houses, in
1831, 698. Population, in 1801, 3,951 ; in 1831,
4,735. In 1821 it was 5,272, an increase to be
accounted for chiefly from the establishment, in
1815, of a large cotton manufactory at Belhaven,
with which above 500 people were connected, but
which stopped working in 1823. — The principal
villages in the parish are BELHAVEN and \YEST
BARNS, both which are situated on the great
post-road from Edinburgh to Berwick, which runs
through the whole length of this parish: See these
articles. East Barns, now little more than a farm-
village, is celebrated in the annals of necromancy
as having been the residence of a very famous
witch, Isabel Young, who was convicted and burnt
in 1629. The ancient villages of Belton, Hether-
wick, and Pinkerton, with their respective chapels,
have long since disappeared. The principal seats
are Belton, Lochend, and Broxmouth. There is
good fishing of white-fish, lobsters, and herrings off
the coast This parish is the seat of a presbytery,
in the synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron,
the Duke of Roxburghe. A Secession church was
estah'.-shed here in 1766; church built in 1814;
sittihgs 700. — In 1820, an Antiburgher Secession
congregation, which had been established at East
Barns in 1763, transferred their place of meeting to
Dunbar. — A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was Luiit
here so early as 1764 The principal schools in the
parish are the two burgh-schools, — the grammar and
the mathematical school. The master of the first
has a salary of £42 ; of the second, £36. There are
2 parochial schools; the salary of the 1st master be-
ing £34 4s. 4|d. ; of the other, the interest of ?
mortification of £150, and half-a-chalder. Besides
these there are 2 private schools within the burgh,
and a Mechanics' institution.
The royal burgh and seaport of DUNBAR, in the
above parish, is situated at the mouth of the frith of
Forth, on the great post-road from Edinburgh to
Berwick; 28 miles from Edinburgh, 11 from Had-
dington, arid 30 from Berwick. It chiefly COIIMSIS
of one spacious street called the High-street, of
which Dunbar-house, the residence of the Earl of
Lauderdale, forms the northern termination. Par-
allel to this street, and between it and the shore,
run two smaller streets ; while the harbour projects
a little into the bay, on the south-east ; and the bold
rocks which are crowned by the ruins of its far-fnmeil
cattle rise directly north o'f Dunbar-house, and \\nii-
in 300 yards of it. The houses are mostly modern.
The most ancient part of the town is in the vicinity
of the harbour and the castle. The town-house 1's
an old edifice. In \^'1'1 handsome assembly-rooms
were built by subscription. There are a lew neat
villas in the neighbourhood. The church, a very
handsome edifice — to be afterwards noticed — is on
the south-east outskirts of the town.
300
DUNBAR.
The harbour is small, and incapable of receiv-
ing ships of above 300 tons burthen. " In the
earlier periods of the history of Scotland, the collec-
tion of the customs or duties upon merchandise due
to the Crown was generally intrusted to the royal
burghs, who enjoyed the exclusive privilege of foreign
trade: Through the distance of Haddington from
the English border, the collection of the king's cus-
toms seems to have been neglected in the Merse dur-
ing the reign of David II., and an opportunity af- !
forded to the English when in possession of Berwick |
and Roxburgh, to purchase and carry off from that I
district wool, hides, and other merchandise, without j
paying custom. To remedy the evil, that monarch, I
by a charter dated the 40th year of his reign (1369), {
granted to the Earl of March the right of having a j
free burgh at Dunbar, and free burgesses dwelling in
the same, who should have the privilege of buying
and selling skins, wool, hides, and other merchan- j
dise, together with a free port at Belhaven, and all j
the liberties and advantages which belonged to a free j
burgh and harbour. The burgesses of Dunbar were
also appointed collectors of the king's customs within
the bounds of the burgh and harbour; and the boun-
dary of the burgh was declared to be the same as the
earldom of March. It was further declared by this
charter that the burgesses of Haddington should have
the privilege of trading within the burgh of Dunbar;
but that they should pay the customs due upon the
artides of their trade there to the collector of Dun-
bar ; and that the burgesses of Dunbar should have
the privilege of trading within the bounds of the
burgh of Haddington, but should pay the custom due
upon the trade there to the collector of Haddington.
We have not ascertained when Dunbar was first
erected into a royal burgh. In the year 1469 a com-
missioner from Dunbar tirst appears in the rolls of
parliament ; but the liability of the burgh to general
taxations, in consequence of its admission to the
privileges of trade under the charter above referred
to, had probably entitled them to be represented in
parliament at a much earlier period. By a charter
of confirmation and de novo damns, granted to the
town by James VI., dated 23d October, 1618, it is
declared ' That the ancient old bounds of the said
burgh have been, now are, and in all time coming
shall be the haill earldom of March and lordship of
Dunbar ; as also the bounds of the baronies of Cold-
ingham, Mordingtown, Buncle, Langtown, Inner-
wick, and Stenton; together with all and sundry
tolls, customs, impositions, anchorages, or other du-
ties, casualties, liberties, rents, commodities, privi-
leges, and just pertinents whatsoever due, used, and
wont, as well by sea as by land, and in the peaceable
possession of which they have been for these sundry
years bypast, and at present are.' No part of these
lands, however, appear to be conveyed to the burgh,
and the boundary here described must be that of their
exclusive privilege to trade." [Parliamentary Report
on Municipal Corporations.] — In 1577, Dunbar was
the rendezvous of the Dutch as well as of the Scottish
fishery. Tucker, in his Report, of November, 1656,
says : " The towne of Dunbarre, or village rather, is
a fisher towne, famous for the herring-fishing, who
are caught thereabout, and brought thither, and
afterwards made, cured, and barrelled up either for
merchandise, or sold and vended to the country-
people, who come thither farre and nearre at that
season, which is frome about the middle of August
to the latter end of September, and buy great quan-
tities of fish, which they carry away, and either spend
them presently, or else salt and lay up for the winter
provision of their families. The trade here is little
except salt, which is brought hither and laid up, and
after sold for the fishing; the people of thise parts,
which are not fishermen, employing themselves in
tillage and in affairs of husbandry." In 1661 Ray
observes in his ' Itinerary :' " There is a great con-
fluence of people at Dunbar to the herring-fishery ;
and they told us, sometimes to the number of 20,000
persons." * About the period of Tucker's visit, the
port of Dunbar was greatly damaged by a violent
storm, and during the Protectorate, £300 were
granted towards defraying the expense of erecting
a new pier towards the east. In 1 7 74 the harbour was
enlarged and improved; and in 1785, a new pier was
built, and various improvements executed upon the
harbour. In 1710, a custom-house was established
here, which has jurisdiction from Berwick bounds to
Gulane point. In 1752, a whale-fishery company
was established at Dunbar, which, not succeeding,
was dissolved in 1804. In 1792, there were 16 ves-
sels belonging to the port, of a total burthen of 1 ,505
tons, arid "2 Greenland ships of 675 tons. In 1830,
there were 6 vessels belonging to Dunbar engaged
in the wood and grain trade with the Baltic, and
39 in the coasting-trade. The registered vessels be-
longing to this port, in 1839, was 30, of 1,495 tons
burden in whole. Ship-building, the manufacture
of sail-cloth and cordage, and the curing of herrings
both by salt and smoke, afford employment to a con-
siderable number of hands. There are also a soap-
work, an iron-foundry, a steam-engine manufactory,
and several breweries and distilleries, in the neigh-
bourhood. A weekly corn-market is held here on
Tuesday; and fairs, chiefly for hiring single farm
and domestic servants, immediately after the terms
of Whitsunday and Martinmas. The stoppage of
the East Lothian Dank in 1822, proved a heavy dis-
couragement to trade in this quarter; but the en-
gagements of the company have been all honourably
liquidated. The first printing-press in the county of
East Lothian was set up at Dunbar by Mr. G. Miller,
in 1795; and we believe that the Dunbar press has
the high merit of having been the first in Scotland,
from which issued a cheap periodical miscellany, in
which the instruction and entertainment of the lower
classes was professedly the principal object aimed at.f
* "The herring-fishery in the Forth commences annually
about the beginning of August, and continues nearly two
months. About the beginning of tin- present century the her-
rings were taken in such plenty, that they were sold at a half-
penny per dozen ; and as there was a greater quantity caught
than could be immediately cured, the refuse was jib-.-lutely
driven to manure the fields. In 1819, there were employed at
Dunbur alone, about 280 boats, and in them nearly 2,000 men.
The following year the fishery, though not so well-attended,
e,mp!t»ed upwards of VOO l.oat>, which brought daily from 30
to 60 crans each.— price iroin 4s. to hs. per cran. It is computed
that nearly ii5,000 barrels •>( herrings were cured here in a cea.
son. The manner in which this ti hery was carried on, is simU
lar to the plan of the old Dutch n?he.iy, which renders it ex-
tremely henrficial to the cwiinlry. The boats belong partly to
fishermen, who employ the rest of the year in catching white
fi-ib, and partly to landsmen, who build and equip them in the
way of adventurers. An adventnie ..f this kind is called a
di'dve, and is thus managvd : — i wo or three fishermen associate
with five or 'six landsmen, -for there are commonly eight or
nine men to a boat. £ach lisln-i ni.ui has at least two nets of
iiis own; one is appointed a-* skipper, who lays in provisions
and other necessaries, and receiv. s the money lor what is sold.
When the season terminates, the accounts are made up, and
after discharging the expens.s, what remains is divided into
eight or nine shares, or as (hey call them, deals. The proprie-
tor of the boat draws one deal, every fisherman half-a-deal, every
two nets half-a-deal, every landsman, who is capable ot work,
ing two nets, half-a-deal. Thus nil parties are iuteresied in
profit and lo*s. In ancient times a certain quantity of herring*
were taken for the king's kitchen, which was afterwards com-
muted into a tax of 10s. upon every sizeable, boat. There w a.i
also a duty paid to the hiKh-adiniral's deputy, who presided over
the fishery. This has fallen into desuetude; but the town ex-
acts the 1.15th fish as vicarage teind. The li.-hers still appoint
one of their number, whom they style auirural, to arrange the
order of sailing, &c.. and two chancellors, to whom all disputes
are .elerred."— Millers ' History of Dunbar,' 1S30, I2mo.
f Mr. Robert Chambers, in his ' Ga/etteer of Scotland,' pub-
lished in 1830, notices the Dunbar cheap miscellany in these
terms: " One of them was a periodical styled 'The Cheap Ma-
gazine,' which, though conducted on an unambitious plan, WHS
certainly au undertaking in some respects iu advance ol the
DUNBAR.
861
The municipal council of Dunbar consists of 20
ibers, including a provost, 3 bailies, and a trea-
rer. Prior to the 3° and 4° William IV., thema-
trates and old council, out of a leet of 8 made by
sinselves. chose 4 new councillors ; the old and
council chose the 5 magistrates out of leets
by themselves; and then the old and new ma-
rates put off such 4 of the old councillors as they
proper. There was no provision for any
nge in the council, except the 4 annually put off;
a majority of the council continued without elec-
i, and there was no restriction upon re-election,
i jurisdiction of the magistrates extends over the
jle royalty, which is ill defined. There is no
n-of-guild in Dunbar. The magistrates discharge
duties incumbent on that officer in other burghs,
e magistrates and council have the appointment of
town-clerk, chamberlain, superintendent of po-
;, procurator-fiscal, burgh-schoolmasters, clerk to
corn-market, and burgh-officers. They have no
ler patronage. There is no guildry, and there are
incorporated crafts possessing exclusive privileges,
le number of municipal electors, in 1839, was 130
ic property of the burgh consists of the town's
.MI, upon which the burgesses have a right of
sturage, arid from which no revenue is derived; of
ids, mills, and houses, fishing, sea-ware, teinds of
church-seat rents, and stone-quarries. The
lue put upon this property, including £5,000 on
common, is £14,500. The debt due by the town
£8,376 4s. 4d. at Michaelmas, 1832, and it re-
i;ns about that amount still. The whole revenue
the town, of every kind, including arrears recov-
1, received during the year ending at Michaelmas,
r was £1,293 14s. 6d. ; but it appears that this
included the assessment for the poor and the
ig's cess, neither of which form any part of the
•venue of the burgh; these together amount to
19 19s. 44d., leaving the revenue of the burgh
:i,173 15s. Ifd. The income of the burgh for the
1788, as appears from returns made to parlia-
ment, was £668 17s. The total expenditure for the
year 1831-2 was £1,385 2s. 6/.d. ; but this includes
£132 3s. 7d. paid for poor-rates and land-tax, a very
small part of which can have been paid on account
of the common property. This sum may therefore
be deducted from the total of £1,385 2s. 6id., which
will leave the expenditure of the year about £1,253.
Tl.e revenue, in 1838-9, was £1,282 1 Is. 7d. The
burgh of Dunbar joins with those of Haddington,
North Berwick, Lander, and Jedburgh, in returning
a member to parliament. The boundaries of the
parliamentary borough include the village of Bel-
liaven. The population, within the parliamentary
boundaries, in 1841, was 2,987; inhabited houses 7 19.
Parliamentary electors, in 1839, 131; in 1841, 149.
The church of Dunbar is noticed in the ' Taxatio'
of Lothian in 1176, wherein, with the chapel of
Whittingham, it is assessed in 180 merks. It was
not a collegiate charge originally, but was converted
into a collegiate form in 1342, by Patrick, 10th Karl
of Dunbar, tor a dean, an arch-priest, and 18 canons.
For their support were assigned, together with the
revenues of the church at Dunbar, those of the cha-
Cof Whittingham, Spot, St. 'in on, Penshii-1, and
herwick; and in addition to these, were annexed
It appeared in the \e,ir 1814: afforded a considerable mass
. iiiu paper and print," once a-month, at fourpence ; and was
filieii with matter calculated in general to instruct (as well as
amuse) the two great classes who mo-tly require in-tructi»n, —
the >ouiigand the poi.r. .Such a work, as it was rather like a
design ot tin- present tune than ot that when it appeared, might
burely be tried auain, with b.-tter hopes ot success than at 11: st
ihe work ut present e \ isting. which approaches nearest to it
iii character, is the 'Gaelic Messenger' ot I)r Maciend." Mr.
I liamtinrs, it seems not mi'air to conclude from the evidence
Ui.is before us, was indebted to Mr. Miller's miscellany for the
w«a ot hi* own very excellent and luetul weekly sheet.
the chapels of Linton in East Lothian, and Dunsa
and Chirnside in Berwickshire : the founder reserv-
ing to himself and his heirs the patronage of the
whole. In 1492, the chapels of Dunbar, Pinkerton.
Spot, Belton, Pitcox, Linton, Dunse, and Chirn-
side, were appointed as prebends to the collegiate
church. Soon after this arrangement, the chapels of
Spot, Stenton, and Hetherwick, were converted into
parish-churches, yet still remained dependant as pre-
bends of the college. On the forfeiture of the earl-
dom of March in 1434-5, the patronage of the church
fell to the Crown. During the reign of James III.
it was enjoyed with the earldom of Dunbar, by the
Duke of Albany. It again reverted to the king, on
the forfeiture of his traitorous brother, in 1483, and
now belongs to the Duke of Roxburghe, as principal
heritor of the parish. The church of Dunbar ceased
to be collegiate at the Reformation in 1560. This
venerable fabric was built in the form of a cross,
measuring 123 feet in length, while it was only from
20 to 25 feet broad. The transept or cross aisle
measured 83 feet. The west end of the church, be-
yond the transept, was probably the ancient chapel
of Dunbar. The entry lay through a Saxon arch, —
" On ponderous column-, short and low,
Built ere the art WHS known,
By pointed ai-le and shalted stalk,
The arcades of an alley'd walk,
To emulate in stone ;"
while the east end of the church, including the south
aisle of the transept, was a species of the Norman or
Gothic style. In 1779, the old church underwent a
thorough repair. It was ceiled in the roof, new
floored, part of the long body cut-off by a partition,
and regularly seated. The foundation-stone of a
new church, occupying the site of the old one, was
laid on the 17th April, 1819. The work was con-
tracted for at £4,990; but it cost about £1,000 more
before the burial-vaults and other additions were
completed. One-fifth of the expense was paid by
the town of Dunbar, and the rest by the heritors.
It is a handsome building in the Gothic style, built
with a red stone brought from a quarry near Bower-
houses, and is capable of containing 1,800 hearers.
From the steeple, which is about 90 feet high, five
counties may be distinguished. The first object
which arrests the stranger's attention on entering
Dunbar church, is a superb monument immediately
behind the pulpit, erected to the memory of George
Home, Earl of Dunbar, 3d son of Alexander Home
of Manderston. This nobleman was in great favour
with James VI., and successively held the offices ot
high-treasurer of Scotland, and chancellor of the ex-
chequer in England ; and, while in the latter capa-
city, he was created a peer of his native land. It
was on him that ' the British Solomon ' chiefly de-
pended for the restoration of prelacy in Scotland ;
and at the parliament held at Perth in 1606, he had
the skill to carry through the act for the restoration
of the estate of bishops. His death took place sud-
denly at Whitehall, on the 29th January, 1611, when
he was about to solemnize his daughter's marriage
with Lord Walden in a magnificent manner. A
writer in the ' Biographia Scoticana, or Scots Worth-
ies,' imputes this circumstance to the judgment of
heaven, while Sir John Scott, in his political epitome
of slander, ascribes it to some poisoned sugar tablets
which were given him by Secretary Cecil for expell-
ing the cold. " His body," says Crawfurd, "• hemg
embalmed, and put into a coffin of lead, was sent
down to Scotland, and with j>reat solemnity interred
in the collegiate church of Dunbar, where his exe.
cutors erected a very noble and magnificent monu-
ment of various coloured marble, with a statue as
large as life." The monument is \W2 feet broad at the
36*2
DUNBAR.
bnse, and 26 feet in height. Above the pedestal,
Lord Dunbar is represented, kneeling on a cushion,
in the attitude of prayer, with a Bible open before
him. He is clad in armour, which is seen under his
knight's robes, and on his left arm is the badge of
the order of the garter. Two knights in armour
stand on each side as supporters. AVove the knights
in armour are t\vo female figures, — the one represent-
ing Justice, and the other Wisdom. Betwixt these
figures, and immediately above the cupola, Fame
sounds her trumpet; while, on the opposite side,
Peace, with her olive wand, sheds a laurel wreath on
his lordship. Immediately beneath the monument is
the vault, wherein the body is deposited in a leaden
coffin.
The great object of attraction to tourists in this
neighbourhood is the magnificent ruin of Dunbar
castle, of which the following description is abridged
from Mr. Miller's carefully compiled ' History:' — It is
founded upon a reef of trap rocks, which project into
the sea, and, in many places, rise like bastions thrown
up by nature to guard these stern remains of feudal
grandeur against the power of the waves, which yet
force their way through rugged caverns and fissures
in the stone, and, with a thundering noise, wash its
dark foundations. These rocks are in some places
composed of red basaltic greenstone, and in others
of tufa; and in some places masses of indurated
gandstone appear entangled in the trap rock. [See
Cunningham's 'Geology of the Lothians,' page 97.]
The body of the buildings measures about 165
feet from east to west; and, in some places, 207
feet from north to south. The south battery —
which Grose supposes to have been the citadel or
keep— is situated on a detached perpendicular rock,
accessible only on one side, 72 feet high, and is
connected to the main part of the castle by a passage
of masonry measuring 69 feet. The interior of the
citadel measures 54 feet by 60, within the walls. Its
shape is octagonal. Five of the gun-ports remain,
which are called 'the arrow-holes.' They measure
4 feet at the mouth, and only 16 inches at the other
end. The buildings are arched, and extend 8 feet
from the outer walls, and look into an open court,
whence they derive their light. About the middle
of the fortress part of a wall remains, through which
there is a gateway surmounted with armorial bear-
ings. This gate seems to have led to the principal
apartments. In the centre are the arms of George,
llth Earl of Dunbar, who succeeded his father in
1369; and who, besides the earldom of Dunbar and
March, inherited the lordship of Annandale and the
isle of Man from his heroic mother. The towers
had communication with the sea, and dip low in
many places. North-east from the front of the
castle is a large natural cavern of black stone, sup-
posed to have formed part of the dungeon,* which,
Pennant observes, " the assistance of a little art had
rendered a secure but infernal prison." But as it has
a communication M'ith a rocky inlet from the sea on
the west, it is more likely that it is the dark postern
through which Sir Alexander Ramsay and his brave
followers entered with a supply of provisions to the
* Gavin Douglas, Bishop i.f Dunkeld. probably conceived his
itfiHTiptlua of the allegorical poem of King Halt's Castle, \\lu-n
a prisoner in this dreary place in 1515; —
• • So strong this king him thocht his castel stude,
With mony ton re and turrat crmmit hie;
About the wall there ran ane water vond,
Hlak, stinkatid, sour, and salt as is the .sev •
That on the ivallis wiskir, gre by gre,
Holding to rvis the castell to confound :
B«>t thai within maid sagnt melodie,
That for thiiir reird tliai inidit not h.-ir the sound."
Note by Mr. Mdler.
Mr. J. Mason has lately published a very exact plan of Duiibar
castle and the rucks in the bay.
besieged in 1338. It was a place also well suited for
securing the boats belonging to the garrison. The
castle Js built with a red stone similar to what is
found in the quarries of the neighbourhood. Part
of the foundation of a fort, which was begun in
1559, for the purpose of accommodating a French
garrison, may be traced, extending 136 feet in front
of the castle. This building was, however, inter-
rupted in its -progress, and demolished by act of par-
liament. In the north-west part of the ruins is an
apartment about 12 feet square, and nearly inacces-
sible, which tradition denominates the apartment of
Queen Mary.
The time of the erection of Dunbar castle cannot
be precisely ascertained, but it was evidently built at
a very early period of the Christian era. Cospatrick,
the father of the noble family of Dunbar, was the
son of Maldred, the son of Crinan by Algatha,
daughter and heiress of Uthred. prince of Northum-
berland. After the conquest of England by William
the Norman in 1066, Cospatrick and Merleswain,
with other nobles of the north of England, fled to
Scotland, carrying with them Edgar Atheling, the
heir of the Saxon line, and his mother Algatha, with
his sisters Margaret and Christina. Malcolm Can-
more, who married the Princess Margaret [see ar-
ticle DUNFERMLINE], bestowed on Cospatrick the
manor of Dunbar, and many fair lands in the Merse
and Lothian. Cospatrick having signalized himself
in an expedition against a formidable banditti which
infested the south-east borders of Scotland, was cre-
ated Earl of the Merse, or March ; and the lands of
Cockburnspath were bestowed on him by the singu-
lar tenure of clearing East Lothian and the Merse of
robbers — Cospatrick, 2d son to the foregoing, suc-
ceeded his father in his Scottish property, and died
in 1147, leaving four sons Cospatrick, 3d Eaii of
Dunbar, had two sons, — Waldeve, his successor, and
Patrick, who inherited the manor of Greenlaw, and
was ancestor of the Earls of Home Waldeve, 4th
Earl of Dunbar, succeeded his father in 1166, and
died in 1182 — To him succeeded Patrick, 5th Earl
of Dunbar, on whom William I., in 1184, bestowed
Ada, one of his natural daughters, in marriage.
About the end of the 12th century, he held the of-
fices of justiciary of Lothian and keeper of Berwick.
In 1214, to retaliate the inroads made by Alexander
into England, Henry III. invaded Scotland with a
powerful army, and took the town and castle of Ber-
wick. His next attempt was on the fortress of Dun-
bar ; but finding it impregnable, he laid waste the
country to the walls of Haddington, and returned
homewards. In 1218, Earl Patrick founded a monas-
tery of Red Friars in Dunbar. In 1231, when this
munificent nobleman was stricken in years, with a
view to part with the world in good fellowship, he
invited his children, relations, and neighbours, to
spend the festivities of Christmas at his castle of
Dunbar. On the expiry of four days, he sent for his
relation the abbot of Melrose ; and, having bade his
guests and the world a last adieu, received extreme
unction agreeably to the forms of the Romis'.i church,
after which he assumed the monastic h?.'ut. This
venerable person died in 1232, and was buried in the
convent church of Eccles, which his grandfather had
founded Patrick, 6th Earl of Dunbar, succeeded
his father at the age of 46. In 1242, at a royal tour-
nament held at Haddington, the young Earl of Athol
overthrew Walter, the chief of the family of the
Bissets. To revenge this affront, the lodgings of
the Earl were set on fire the same night, and Athol,
with several of his friends, was either slain or burnt
to death. The king endeavoured in vain to bring
the perpetrators of this atrocious assault to trial
but the combination of the Cummyns and other
nobles against the Bissets was so strong that th
latter were obliged to abandon their country. O
this occasion, the Earl of Dunbar — whom Lor
Hailes calls the most powerful baron of the souther
stricts — put himself at the head of the nobles wh
landed retribution. The Earl of Dunbar hel
first rank among the 24 barons who guarantee<
ie treaty of peace with England in 1244. He die(
1248, at the siege of Damiettain Egypt Patrick
7th Earl of Dunbar, during the turbulent minority
Alexander III., was one of the chiefs of the Eng
faction. Thomas Lermont of Ersildoun, com
ily called the Rhymer, visited Dunbar in 1285
foretold to the Earl the sudden death of Alex
ider III., who was killed by a fall from his horse
the sands of Kinghorn. We are circumstantially
formed by Bower — who was born at Haddington
years after — that, on the night preceding th
death, Thomas, having arrived at the castle
unbar, was interrogated by the Earl, in the
ilar manner he was wont to assume with th(
>phet, if to-morrow should produce any remark
i event; to which the bard replied, in the mystica
iguage of prophecy : " Alas for to-morrow, a day o:
lamity and misery ! Before the 12th hour, shal
heard a blast so vehement that it shall exceet
of every former period, — a blast which shal
rike the nations with amazement, — shall humble
rhat is proud, and what is fierce shall level with
ground ! The sorest wind and tempest that ever
heard of in Scotland !" After this prediction,
n'ch was left to be fulfilled either by accident or
weather, Thomas retired. Next day, the Earl
id his companions having continued in watch till
ninth hour, without discovering any unusual
in the elements, began to doubt the pre-
it powers of the soothsayer, to whom " the sun-
of life had given mystical lore," and having or-
him into their presence, upbraided him as an
stor, and hastened to enjoy their wonted repast,
it his lordship had scarcely placed himself at table,
~; the shadow of the dial fallen on the hour of noon,
jn an express, covered with foam, appeared at the
stle-gate, demanding an audience. On being in-
terrogated, he exclaimed : " I do indeed bring news,
but of a lamentable kind, to be deplored by the whole
realm of Scotland ! Alas, our renowned king has
ended his fair life at Kinghorn!" " This," cried the
prophet, gathering himself up in the spirit of con-
scious veracity, " this is the scaithful wind and dread-
ful tempest which shall blow such a calamity and
trouble to the whole state of the whole realm of
Scotland !"
Patrick, 8th Earl of Dunbar and March — sur-
named Black Beard — succeeded to the honours and
possessions of his father in 1289. He appeared at
the parliament at Brigham in 1289, where he is
called Comes de Marchia, being the first of the Earls
of Dunbar designated by that title. When, in 1296,
Edward, with a powerful army, entered Scotland, the
Earl of Dunbar, with the Bruces and their adher-
ents, took part against their country ; but Dunbar 's
heroic Countess got possession of the castle of Dunbar,
and delivered it to the leaders of the Scottish army.
Edward despatched the Earl of Warren ne with
12,000 men to lay siege to Dunbar, which was de-
fended by the flower of the Scottish nobility. The
Scots, sensible of the importance of this fortress,
which, if taken, laid their country open to the
enemy, hastened with their main army of 40,000
men, under the command of the Earls of Buchan,
Lennox, and Mar, to its relief. Warrenne, un-
daunted by the superior numbers of the Scots, left
part of his army to blockade the castle, while he
advanced to meet them. The English had to de-
DUNBAR.
363
scend into a valley — probably Oswaldean, a glen near
Spot — before they could reach the Scots; and as
they descended, the Scots observing or imagining they
saw some confusion in their ranks, set up a loud shout
of exultation, and causing their horns to be sounded,
rushed down from their well-chosen position. But
when Warrenne emerged from the glen, and advanced
undismayed against their formidable front, the undis-
ciplined troops, after a very brief resistance, fled be-
fore him, and were pursued with great slaughter aa
far as Selkirk forest. Next day, Edward, with the
main body of the English army, reached Dunbar, and
compelled the garrison to surrender. When the he-
roic Wallace first undertook to deliver his country
from her abject bondage, the Earl of Dunbar refused
to attend a meeting of the estates at St. Johnston :
" Lichtly lie lench, in scorn as it had been,
And *aid he had sic message seldom seen,
That Wallace now as governor sail ryng,
Here is gret fmite of a «ude prince or king
That king of Kyll I can nocht understand,
Of him 1 held never a fur of land ;
That Bachiller Tn.wis, for fortonn schawis her qiihell.
Tharwith to lest, it sail noclit \niig be weill :
But to you lords, and ye will undemand,
I make you wyss, I aw to mak na band,
Als Mv, I am in this regioun to ryng
Lord of mine awne, as ever wag prince or kir.g;
In Ingland als gret part of land 1 haif,
Ma rent thairof thair will no man me craif,
What will you mair, I warn you I am free,
For your suramuuuds ye g»-t na mair of me ."
Henry't Wallace, Book VII.
The patriot-hero, with 200 men, went in pursuit
of the haughty baron. Wallace was joined by Ko-
bert Lauder at Musselburgh, and afterwards bv
Crystal of Seton. They were met at Linton by
Squire Lyle, who informed them that the Earl had
made his gathering at Cockburnspath, arid was on
his march to Dunbar. Lauder upon this would have
pressed forward ; but Wallace is represented by the
old ' Makhar,' already quoted, as calmly replying to
the remonstrances of his comrade,
" We may at hyxar ride,
With yone power lie thinkis bargane to bide:
And of a thinir ye sail weill under tand
A hardier lord is nocht into Scotland ;
Miclit he be made tre\v stedfrt-t till a king,
Bt* wit and force he can do meikill thing j
Bot wilfully he likis to tyne himseil."
Wallace encountered Patrick in a field near Inner wick,
where the latter had assembled 900 of his vassals, and
with half that number compelled the Earl, after a ter-
rible conflict, to retreat to Cockburnspath, while he fell
back on Dunbar; but finding the castle without pro-
visions, and the garrison wede away with their lord,
he gave it in charge to Crystal of Seton. In the
meantime the Earl of Dunbar had gone to Northum-
berland to solicit the aid of the bishop of Durham ;
but his ostensible reason, says ' The Minstrel,' was
'to bring the Bruce free till his land." Vessels
were immediately sent from the Northumbrian Tyne
o blockade Dunbar, and cut off supplies, while the
Earl, with 20,000 men, hastened to retake his for-
;ress. In the interim the champion of Scotland had
repaired to the west in quest of succour, and return-
ng by Yester, was joined by Hay and a chosen body
of cavalry. With 5,000 men he marched to the sup-
>ort of Seton, while the Bishop of Durham, who had
emained at Norhiun with Bruce, came to the assist-
mce of Dunbar, and riding through Lammermoor,
hrew himself into an ambush near Spott-moor.
3y this unexpected movement, Wallace was com-
letely hemmed in, when Seton fortunately came to
is relief. The two armies closed in mortal strife.
The Scots pushed on so furiously against the South-
ons, that they were just about to fly, but Patrick was
" S* cruell of intent,
That all his host tuk of him hardiment;
Throui-h his awne hand he put inony to paiu."
364
DUNBAR.
The desperate valour of the Wallaces, the Ramsays,
diid the Grahams, was of little avail against the su-
perior force of the English ; so that when the am-
buscade of Bishop Beck appeared, they were on the
point of retiring. 1) unbar singled out Wallace amidst
the throng, and
" Hereat the plait with his scharp eroundyn elaiff
Throuch all the stuff, and woundit him sum deill."
The hero returning the blow with sevenfold ven-
geance, clove down Maitlarid, who had thrown him-
self betwixt the two adversaries. Wallace's horse
was killed beneath him, and he was now on foot
dealing destruction to his enemies, when
" Erie Patrick than, that had gret craft in \var,
With spears ordmd guid Wallace doun to bear;"
but 500 resolute warriors rescued their champion,
and the war-worn armies were glad to retire. The
same night Wallace traversed Lammermoor in quest
of the retreating host, while Bishop Beck, Earl Pat-
rick, arid Bruce, fled to Norham. On his return, the
champion, still mindful of the odium attached to his
name by the Earl of Dunbar, —
•' Passit, with tnony awfull men,
On Patrickis land, and waistit wonder fast,
Tnk out guid-j, and places doun thai ra-r ;
His steads, sevin, that Mete Hamys was call'd,
Wallace gent break tlie burly bUginfl bauld,
Baitii in the Merse, and als in Lothiane,
Except Dunbar, stand and he leavit nane."
In 1309 this wavering Earl died, leaving by his wife,
Marjory Cumyn, daughter of Alexander, Earl of
Buchan, one son. Edward, after seeing his army
annihilated at Bannockburn, fled with a body of horse
towards Berwick ; but Sir James Douglas^ with 80
chosen horsemen, so pressed on the royal fugitive,
that he was glad to shelter himself in the castle of
Dunbar. Here he was received by Patrick, 9th Earl,
* full gently ;' after which, by means of a fishing-boat,
he coasted along the shore till he reached the towers
of Bambrough. " This was honourable," observes a
distinguished writer, " because Patrick must have
had in his thoughts at that time the making his peace
with his native monarch, and gould not be ignorant
how easily and advantageously he might have done
so, by detaining in custody the person of the King
of England." After this, the Earl of Dunbar made
peace with his cousin, Robert I., and was present
at Ayr on the 26th April, 1315, when the succession
to the Crown of Scotland was settled on Bruce.
After the defeat at Halidon-hill, however, and before
Edward left Berwick, he received the fealty of the
Earl of Dunbar with several others of the nobility ;
and the castle of Dunbar, which had been dismantled
and razed to the ground on the approach of the Eng-
lish, was now rebuilt at the Bail's own expense, for
the purpose of maintaining an English garrison. The
Earl attended the parliament held at Edinburgh in
February, 1334, when Baliol ceded Berwick, Dun-
bar, Roxburgh, and Edinburgh, and all the south-
east counties of Scotland, to be annexed for ever to
the English domains ; but thereafter retired into the
Highlands to join the friends of Bruce. In January,
1337, William Montague, Earl of Salisbury, together
with the Earl of Arundel, to whom the King had
left the chief command of the forces in Scotland,
attempted to take the castle of Dunbar with a large
army. At this important crisis the Earl was in the
North ; so that the defence of his stronghold de-
volved upon his Countess, a lady who, from the
darkness of her complexion, was commonly called
Black Agnes. She was daughter to the celebrated
Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. During the
siege, Agnes performed all the duties of a bold and
vigilant commander. When the battering engines
of the English hurled stones or leaden balls against
the battlements, she, in scorn, ordered one of her
maids to wipe off with a clean white handkerchief
the marks of the stroke; and when the Earl of Sal-
isbury, with vast labour, brought his sow close to
the walls, the Countess exclaimed:
" Beware. Montaerow,
For farrow shall thy sow!"
Whereupon a large fragment of the rock was hurled
from the battlements, and crushed the sow to pieces,
with all the poor little pigs- — as Major calls them—
who were lurking under it. We shall here present
our readers with Winton's rhyming account of this
memorable siege : —
Of the nssipge of Dunbcre,
Where the Counters was wise and ware,
Schyre William Montague, that sua
Had tane the siege, in hy gret ma
A mekil and richt stalwart engine.
And up smertly pert dress it; syne
They warpit at the wall great stanes
Baitii hard and heavy for the nanys,
But that nane merrying to them made,
And alsua when they castyne had,
With a towel, a damiselle
Arrayed jollily and well,
Wippit the wall, that they micht see
To gere them inair annoyed he ;
There at the siege well lang they lay,
But there little vantage got they ;
For when they bykkyne wald, or assail,
They tint the maist of their travaile.
And as they bykeryd there a' day,
Of a great shot I shall you say,
For that they had of it ferly.
It here to yon rehearse will I.
William ofSpens perrit a Blasowne,
And thro' three fanlds of Awbyrchowoe,
And the Actowne throueii the third ply
And the arrow in the b.-die,
While of that dynt there dead he lay;
Ami then the Montagu gansay;
" This is a»e of my Lady's pinnis,
Her amouris thus, till my heart rinnls."
While that the siege was there on this \vis*
Men sayis there fell sair jnperdyis.
For Lawrewe of Prestonn, that then
Haldin ane of the wichtest men,
That was in all Scotland that tide,
A rout of Inglismen saw ride,
That seemed giule men and worthy,
And were arrayed right richly;
He, with als few folk, as they were.
On them assembled he there j
But at the assembling, he was there
Intil the mouth stricken with a spear,
While it up in the harnys ran j
Till a dike he withdrew him than,
And died , for nae inair live he might.
His men his death perceived noucht;
And with their faes faucht stoutly,
While they them vanquished utterly.
Thus was this guid man brought till end.
That was richt greatly to commend.
Of gret wirschipe ana gret bovvnte
His saul be aye in eattie.
Sir William als of Oalstown
Of Keith, that was of gude renown,
Met Kir hard Talbot by the way-
Arid set him to sa hard assay,
That to a kirk he gert him gae,
And close there defence to ma;
But he assailed there sa fast,
That him be-hov'd treat at the last,
Ami twa thousand pound to pay,
And leit hostage and went his way.
The Montagu was yet lyand,
Sieging Dunbare with stalwart hand ;
And twa gallies of Genoa had he,
For till assiege it by the sea.
And as he thus assiegend lay,
He was set intil hard assay;
For he had purchased him covyn
Of ane of them, that were therein,
That he should leave open the yete,
And certain term till him tnen set
To come; but they therein halily
Were warnit of it privily.
He came, and the yete open fand,
Arid wald have gane in toot steppand j
But John of Cowpland, that was then
But a right poor simple man,
Shut him off back, and in is gane,
The portcullis came down on ane j
And spared Montagu, thereout
They cryed with a sturdy shout,
" A Morrtftga for ever inair!"
with the folk that he had there.
DUXBAR.
365
HP turned to hit Herl.TY.
A»d let him japyt fiillyly".
Syne Alexander, the K:urnay,
That trowed and thought, that they
'J'hat were assieged in Ditnhir,
At urre;it di-tress or miM'hief were ;
That in MII evening frae the Ba>-s,
\Vith a tew folk, tli*t with him was.
Toward Dmihar, intil a boat.
He held «ll privily his pate;
And by the gallies nil slyly
He gat with his company ;
The lady, and all, that were there,
Ol his rinnmif wll coinl'oi t wre,
He i-Mied in I tie miirninvr MI hy,
And with tlie wai-Mi, sturdily,"
Made ane apart and stout melle,
AM. I hut tvn-.-i entere.l he.
While Moi.lnini \v:i-< ther- lyanrt,
The Kin* Kd.vard of Kn^laM'
Purchased him help and alya <ns
For he \val<l arnnwe were in Fr inoe ;
An>i for the Montagu he *end* ;
Kur he cowth nap thing till tm<l
For owtyn him, for thai time he
\V*s mai-t <>f his <• .iniM-i privie
When he had heard the knur's Lidd'ng
He removed, but mair dwelling,
When he, I trow, had lying there
A quarter of a year *n<i mair.
Of this as.iege in their hethyn?
The English <>y id to make karpinif
»' I v.«\v to God, »he makes gret «ter«
'I he Scottish wen.-he ph.ddere,
('nine I aire. rome 1 late,
I laud Aii"ot at the vate."
, WVNTOWXIS Cfto.NYKlui., Bonk rill, cup. 33.
Amongst the nobles who fell in the field of Durham,
1346, was Thomas, Earl of Moray, brother to the
ic Countess of Dunbar. As he had no male issue,
es became sole possessor of his vast estates;
d her husband assumed the additional title of Earl
Moray. Besides the earldom of Moray, the Earl
Dunbar and his Countess obtained the isl« of
n, the lordship of Annandale, the baronies of
rton and Tibbers in Nithsdale, of Morthingtoun
Longformacus, and the manor of Dunse in Ber-
ckshire ; with Mochrum. in Galloway, Cumnock
Ayrshire, and Blantyre in Clydesdale George,
1st of that name, and 10th Earl of Dunbar and
arch, succeeded his father in 1369. From the vast
sessions he inherited, he became one of the most
werful nobles of Southern Scotland, and the rival
the Douglasses. His daughter, Elisabeth, was
rothed to David, son and heir to Robert HI., and
the faith of the prince, who had given a bond to per-
form the espousals, the earl had advanced a consider-
able portion of his daughter's matrimonial settle-
ment ; but Archibald, Earl of Douglas — surnamed
the Grim—jealous of the advantages which this mar-
riage promised to bestow on a family whose pre-
eminence in the state already rivalled his own, pro-
tested against the alliance, and by his intrigues at
court, through the influence of the Duke of Albany,
had the contract between the Duke of Rothesay and
Lady Elizabeth Dunbar cancelled, and his own
daughter substituted in her place. Stung by this
gross insult, Earl George retired into England, where
Henry IV. granted him a pension of .£'400 during the
mtimjance of the war with Scotland, on condition
iat he provided 12 men-at-arms, and 20 archers
'ith horses, to serve against Robert. Iril398, in
imj unction with Hotspur, and Lord Talbot, March
itered Scotland and fearfully devastated the lands,
Inch he could no longer call his own, as fur ;i>
hiles castle on the Tyne. After the battle ot
lalidou in 1402, Henry addressed eongratulary let-
ers to the Earl of Dunbar, the Percies, and others.
U last, tli rough the mediation of Walter Halybur-
<m of Dirleton, a reconciliation with the Douglasses
i-as effected in 1408; Douglas consenting to Dun-
ar's restoration, on condition that he obtained the
c.i-tlr of Lochmabcn, and the lordship of Annandale,
iu lieu of the castle of Dunbar and earldom of March,
which he then possessed. A contagious fever closed
the life of George, Earl of Dunbar, at the advanced
age of 82. By Christian, daughter of Sir William
Seton of Seton, he had six sons and two daughters.
George, llth Earl of Dunbar and March, succeeded
his father, at the mature age of 50. In J435, the Earl,
and his son Patrick, visited England. The motive ot
this visit to the English court is not known ; but the
slumbering jealousies of James I. — who had already
struck a blow at the power of the barons — were
easily awakened ; and he formed the bold plan ot
seizing the estates and fortresses of a family which
for ages had been the most powerful and opulent
on the Scottish borders. The Earl of Dunbar wa»
arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Edinburgh,
while the Earl of Angus, Chancellor Crichton, and
Adam Hepburn of Hailes, were despatched with
letters to the keeper of the castle of Dunbar, who
immediately surrendered it to the King's authority,
and Hepburn was left constable of this important
fortress. In a parliament assembled at Perth, on
the 10th January, 1434-5, George was accused of
holding his earldom and estates, which had been
forfeited by his father's tergiversation. " In vain
did he plead," says Robert Douglas, "that his fa-
ther had been pardoned and restored by Albany;"
it was answered, " that a forfeiture incurred for trea-
son could not be pardoned by a regent ;" and the
parliament, in compliance with this reasoning, having
heard Sir George Dunbar, on his part, adjudged,
" that, in consequence of the attainder of George de
Dunbar, formerly Earl of March and Lord of Dun-
b;ir, every right both of property and possession in
all and each of those estates in the earldom of
March and lordship of Dunbar, and all other lands
which he held of our said lord the King, with all
and each of their appurtenances, did and does ex-
clusively belong and appertain to our lord the King."
Thus the earldom and estates of Dunbar were vested
in the Crown. The lordship of Dunbar was be-
stowed by James II. on his 2d son, Alexander,
Duke of Albany, then in his infancy. «• Against this
measure," says Mr. Tytler, "whic;i in a moment re-
duced one of the most powerful subjects in the realm
to the condition of a landless dependent upon the
charity of the Crown, it does not appear that the
Earl, or his friends, dared to offer any remonstrance
or resistance. They probably knew it would be in-
effectual, and might bring upon them still more fatal
conse-quences ; and James proceeded to complete his
plan for the security of the kingdom, by taking pos-
session of the forfeited estate, and delivering the
keeping of the castle of Dunbar, which he had seized
in the preceding year, to Sir Walter Halliburton ot
Dirlton. He then, to soften in some degree the
severity of his conduct, conferred upon March the
title of Earl of Buchan, and assigned to him, out of
the revenues of that northern principality, an annu;;l
pension of four hundred marks. That noble person,
however, full of resentment for the cruelty with
winch he had been treated, disdained t'o assume a
title which he regarded as only a mark of his dcgra-
gation, and almost immediately after the judgment
bade adieu to his country, and, in company with his
eldest son, retired to England. Although this ex-
traordinary proceeding appears not to have occasioned
any open symptoms of dissatisfaction at the moment,
it is impossible to conceive that it should not ha\v
roused the jealousy and alarmed the minds of the
great body of the feudal nobility. It cannot perhaps
be pronounced strictly unju>t, yet there wasaharsli-
ness, it may almost be said, a tyranny, in the manner
in which such princely estates were torn from the
family, after they had been po-scs--! for twenty- six
years, without challenge or remonstrance."
366
DUNBAR.
In 1484, the castle of Dunbar was in the hands of I taineth to the Earl of Both well, but kept as then
the English. On the marriage of Margaret of England
with the King of Scotland in 1502, the earldom of
Dunbar and lordship of Cockburnspath, with their de-
pendencies, were assigned as the jointure of the
young Queen ; but the castle of Dunbar is expressly
mentioned as being reserved by the King to himself.
In 1515, Dunbar was garrisoned with French sol-
diers. In December 1527, when James V. laid siege
to the neighbouring castle of Tantallon, then the
stronghold of Douglas, he " gart send to the castle
of Dunbar," says Lindsay of Pitscottie, "to Cap-
tain Morrice, to borrow some artillery, and laid great
pledges for the same ; because the castle was then in
the Duke of Albany's hand, and the artillery thereof
his own." The English, in the inroad under the
Earl of Hertford, in 1544, after their return from the
siege of Leith, and after burning Haddington, en-
camped the second night — 26th May — -near Dunbar.
" The same day," says Patten, " we burnt a fine town
of the Earl Both well's, called Haddington, with a great
nunnery and a house of friars. The next night after,
we encamped besides Dunbar ; and there the Scots
gave a small alarm to our camp. But our watches were
in such readiness that they had no vantage there, but
were fain to recoil without doing of any harm. That
night they looked for us to have burnt the town of
Dunbar, which we deferred till the morning at the
dislodging of our camp, which we executed by V. C.
of our hakbutters, being backed with V. C. horse-
men. And by reason we took them in the morning,
who having watched all night for our coming, and
perceiving our army to dislodge and depart, thought
themselves safe of us, were newly gone to their
beds ; and in their first sleeps closed in with fire,
men, women, and children, were suffocated and
burnt. That morning being very misty and foggy,
we had perfect knowledge by our espials, that the
Scots had assembled a great power at a strait called
the Pease." [Expedicion under the Erie of Hert-
ford.]— In 1547, the Duke of Somerset invaded Scot-
land with an army of 14,000 men : and, having
crossed the pass of Pease, with " puffying arid
payne," as Patten says, demolished the castles of
Dunglass, Inner wick, and Thornton. " This done,
about noon, we marched on, passing soon after with-
in the gunshot of Dunbar, a town standing longwise
upon the sea-side, whereat is a castle — which the
Scots count very strong — that sent us divers shots
as we passed, but all in vain : their horsemen shewed
themselves in their fields beside us, towards whom
Bartevil with his viii. [c.] men, all hakbutters on
horseback — whom he had right well appointed — and
John de Rybaud, with divers others, did make ; but
no hurt on either side, saving that a man of Bartevile's
slew one of them with his piece, the skirmish was
soon ended. We went a iiii. mile farther, and hav-
ing travelled that day a x. mile, we camped nigh
Tentallon, and had at night a blind alarm. Here
had we first advertisement certain, that the Scots
were assembled in camp at the place where we
I by the governor's appointment, who held the Earl
j in prison." — After the defeat at Pinkey in 1548,
j Dunbar was burnt by the German mercenaries under
the Earl of Shrewsbury, on his return to England
from the attack on Haddington.
On the assassination of Rizzio, Mary left Edin-
burgh, at midnight, in company with Darnley, and
proceeded to the palace of Seton, whence she pur-
sued her journey to the safer retreat of the castle of
Dunbar. Having thus seduced the king to abandon
his party, the queen's next step was to avenge the
murder of her favourite. A proclamation was accord-
ingly issued from Dunbar, on the 16th March, 1565,
calling on the inhabitants of the sheriffdom of Edin-
burgh in the constabulary of Haddington, Linlith-
gow, Stirling, Lanark, Roxburgh, Selkirk, Peebles,
Berwick, Lauder, &c. to meet her at Haddington,
on Sunday the 17th current, with eight days provi-
sions. Sir James Melville, one of the gentlemen
of her chamber at Haddington, says that she com-
plained bitterly of Darnley's conduct in the late as-
sassination; and from that day forward never met
him with a smile. " On the 19th of April, in par-
liament, the queen taking regard and consideration
of the great and manifold good service done and per-
formed, not only t to her Highness's honour, weill,
and estimation, but also to the commonweill of her
realm and lieges thereof, by James, Earl Both well;
and that, through his great service foresaid, he not
only frequently put his person in peril and danger of
his life, but also super-expended himself, alienated
and mortgaged his livings, lands, and heritage, in
exorbitant sums, whereof he is not hastily able to
recover the same, and that he, his friends and kins-
men, for the most part, dwell next adjacent to her
Highness's castle of Dunbar, and that he is most
habile to have the captaincy and keeping thereof, and
that it is necessarily required that the same should
be well entertained, maintained, and furnished, which
cannot be done without some yearly rent, and profit
given to him for that effect, and also for reward of
his said service: Therefore, her Majesty infefted
him and his heirs-male in the office of the captaincy
keeping of the castle of Dunbar, and also in the
crown lands of Easter and Wester Barns, the lands
of Newtonleyes, Waldane^ Rig, and Fluris, Myre
side, with the links and coning-yairs, (warrens,) &c.
the mill, called Brand's-smyth, West Barnes mill,
with their lands, and .£10 of annual rent from the
lands of Lochend, with all the lands, privileges, and
fees belonging to the government of the castle, lying
in the constabulary of Haddington, and sheriffdom
of Edinburgh, holding of her Highness and her suc-
cessors." On the 21st April, Mary went to Stir-
ling, to visit her son ; and, on her return on the
24th, Bothwell, with an armed party of 800 men,
met her at Cramond bridge, and taking her horse by
the bridle, he conveyed her "full gently" to the
castle of Dunbar. The Earl of Huntly, Secretary
Maitland, and Sir James Melville, were taken cap-
found them. Marching this morning a ii. mile, we tives with the queen, while the rest of her servants
carne to a fair river called Lyn, (Tyne,) running all j were allowed to depart. Sir James Melville informs
straight eastward toward the sea; over this river is I us, that next day, when in Dunbar, he obtained per-
there a stone bridge that they name Linton bridge, mission to go home. " There," continues he, "the
of a town thereby on our right hand, and eastward
as we went, that stands upon the same river. Our
horsemen and carriages passed through the water —
for it was not very deep — our footmen over the
bridge. The passage was very strait for an army,
and therefore the longer in setting over. Beyond
this bridge about a mile westward — for so methought
as then we turned — upon the same
southside, stands a proper house,
river on the
and of some
Earl of Bothwell boasted he would marry the queen
who would or who would not; yea, whether she
would herself or not." Captain Blackater, who had
taken him, alleged, that it was with the queen's own
consent. Crawford justly observes: " The friendly
love was so highly contrasted betwixt this great
princess and her enormous subject, that there \vai
no end thereof, so that she suffered patiently to be
made obi-
led where the lover list, and neither made obstacle,
strength, belike, they call it Hayles castle, arid per- ' impediment, clamour, or resistance, as in such
DUNBAR.
367
dent used to be, which she might have done by her
princely authority." " They had scarcely remained
ten days in the castle of Dunbar," says Buchanan,
" with no great distance between the queen's cham-
ber and Bothwell's, when they thought it expedient
to return to the castle of Edinburgh."
The nuptials of Mary and Bothwell, which were
lebrated on the loth of May, 1567, excited the
idignation both of the nation and of foreign courts,
and a confederacy of nobles met at Stirling, levied
troops, and prepared to march against the murderer
of their king. The regicide fled with Mary to Borth-
wick castle, and when Lord Home environed the
stle, effected his escape, while the queen, disguised
page, followed him to Dunbar. [See article
RTH WICK.] In a few days after the queen's arrival
Dunbar, 4,000 men had flocked to her standard,
itiding in her numbers, Mary left Dunbar with
>th\vell on the 14th June, with 200 hakbutters,
the flower of her forces, and some field-pieces from
the castle; and lodged the first night at Seton. This
news having reached the associated lords, they left
Edinburgh early next morning, (Sunday,) and met
the queen's forces at Carberry-hill, near Mussel-
burgh. Here Bothwell a second time threw the
gauntlet down to his accusers; but after the chal-
lenge had been for the second time accepted, he re-
fused to fight. The confederates " conquered, ere
a sword was drawn;" and the poor queen surren-
dered herself to the laird of Grange, whilst the guilty
Bothwell retraced his steps to Dunbar, On the
26th June, the lords of council ordained " letters to
be directed in the queen's name, to heralds, &c. to
pass and charge the keeper of the castle of Dunbar,
to surrender the same to the executor of the said
letters in six hours; because the Earl of Bothwell
was reset and received within the said castle. Both-
well, afraid that he might be environed in Dunbar,
fled by sea to Orkney. On the 2 1st September,
1567, four companies of soldiers, under Captains
Cunyngham, Murry, Melvil, and Haliburton, were
sent to take Dunbar, which surrendered to the re-
gent on the 1st of October. On the meeting of
parliament, December 1567, the castle of Dunbar,
which had been so often the asylum of the unfortu-
nate and the guilty, was ordered to be destroyed.
In act 35. parl. 1. James VI. we find the following
item: " Forsamekle as thair hes bene of befoir divers
large and sumpteous expensis maid be our soverane
lordis predecessouris and himself, in keiping, fortify-
ing, and reparatioun of the castell of Dunbar and
forth of Inchekeith, qubilkis ar baith unprofitabill
to the realme, and not abill to defend the enemeis
thairof, in cais the samin were assaultit: and now
seeing that the said castell and forth ar baith be-
niinin sa ruinous, that the samin sail allutterlie
decay, except thair be sic expensis maid thairupon
as is unhabill to be performit without greit inconve-
niencis; and alswa havand consideration of ane act
of parliament maid in umquhile our soverane lordis
grandschiris tyme, King James the Feird, of maist
\vorthie memorie, ordinand the said castell of Dun-
bar to be demolischit and cassin downe, as in the
art maid thairupon at mair lenth is contenit, quhilk
act as zit is not abrogat. Therefore our soverane
lord, with avise and consent of my lord regent, and
the estatis of this present parliament, hes ordainit,
HM<I ordainis, That the castell of Dunbar and forth
«>l Inrhekeith be dernolisHiit and cassin down utter-
lie to the ground, and distroyit in sic wyse that na !
foimdrnent thairof be occusioun to big thairupon in |
tyme dimming." In 1581, among several grants j
excepted by James VI. from the general revocation
'»» hia deeds of gift made through importunity, men-
tion is made of the "forthe of Dunbar granted to
William Boncle, burgess of Dunbar." Thi?, proba-
bly, referred to the site of the fortress, and perhapt
some ground adjacent.
In 1650, Cromwell, at the head of 16,000 men,
entered Scotland ; and, after some marching and
countermarching, engaged the Scotch army under
General Leslie, in the neighbourhood of Dunbar.
Leslie's position on Doon-hill was admirable, and his
force was nearly double that of his opponent ; but
rashly quitting his position, and descending into the
plain, they exposed themselves to a fatal charge from
Cromwell's van-brigade, which threw them into
confusion, and decided the fortune of the day in a
brief space. There is extant a letter from Cromwell
himself to Lenthal, the speaker, giving a very fair
though enthusiastic account of this memorable en-
gagement. He says : " We having tryed what we
could to engage the enemy 3 or 4 miles west of
Edinburgh ; that proving ineffectual, and our victual
failing, we marched towards our ships for a recruit
of our wants. The enemy did not at all trouble us
in our rear, but marched the direct way towards
Edinburgh, and partly in the night and morning, slips
through his whole army, and quarters himself in a
posture easie to enterpose between us and our
victual; but the Lord made him lose the oppor-
tunity; and the morning proving exceeding wet
and dark, we recovered, by that time it was light,
into a ground wliere they could not hinder us from
our victual ; which was a high act of the Lord's
providence to us. We being come into the said
ground, the enemy marched into the ground we
were last upon ; having no mind either to strive
or to interpose between us and our victual, or to
fight ; being indeed upon this lock, hoping that the
sickness of your army would render their work
more easie by the gaining of time ; whereupon we
marched to Muscleburgh to victual and to ship
away our sick men, where we sent aboard near 500
sick and wounded soldiers : and upon serious consi-
deration, finding our weakness so to increase, and
the enemy lying upon his advantages, at a general
councel it was thought fit to march to Dunbar, and
there to fortine the town, which, we thought, if any
thing, would provoke them to engage ; as also, the
having a garrison there, would furnish us with ac-
commodation for our sick men ; would be a place for
a good magazin, (which we exceedingly wanted),
being put to depend upon the uncertainty of wea-
ther for landing provisions, which many times can-
not be done, though the being of the whole army
lay upon it ; all the coasts from Leith to Berwick
not having one good harbour; as also to lie more
conveniently to receive our recruits of horse and
foot from Berwick. Having these considerations,
upon Saturday, the 30th of August, we marched
from Muscleburgh to Haddington, where, by that
time, we had got the van-brigade of our horse,
and our foot and train, into their quarters ; the
enemy was marched with that exceeding expedi-
tion, that they fell upon the rear-forlorn of our
horse, and put it in some disorder ; and indeed had
like to have engaged our rear-brigade of horse with
their whole army, had not the Lord, by his provi-
dence, put a cloud over the moon, thereby giving
us opportunity to draw off those horse to the rest
of the army, which accordingly was done without
any loss, save of three or four of our afore-men-
tioned forlorn, wherein the enemy — as we believe —
received more loss. The army being put into a
reasonable secure posture, towards midnight the
enemy attempt ,-d our quarters on the west end of
Heddington, hut — through the goodness of God — we
repulsed them. The next morning we drew into an
open field, on the south side of Heddington ; we not
368
DUNBAR.
judging it safe for us to draw to the enemy upon his
own ground, he being prepossessed thereof, but
rather drew back to give him way to come to us,
if he had so thought n't ; and having waited about
the space of four or live hours, to see if he would
come to us, and not finding any inclination of the
enemy so to do, we resolved to go, according to our
first intemlment, to Dunbar. By that time we had
marched three or four miles, we saw some bodies of
of the enemies horse draw out of their quarters ; and
by that time our carriages were gotten neer Dunbar,
their whole army was upon their march after us :
and. indeed, our drawing back in this maner, wit!
the addition of three new regiments added to them,
did much highten their confidence, if not presumptioi;
and arrogancy. The enemy that night, we perceived,
gathered towards the hills, laboring to make a per-
fect interposition between us and Berwick ; anc
having, in this posture, a great advantage, through
his better knowledg of the country, which he ef-
fected, bv sending a considerable party to the strail
pass at Copperspeth, [Cockburnspath] where ten
men to hinder, are better than forty to make their
way : and truly this was an exigent to us ; where-
with the enemy reproached us with that condition
the parliament's army was in, when it made its hard
conditions with the king in Cornwal. By some re-
ports that have come to us, they had disposed of us,
and of their business, in sufficient "revenge and wrath
towards our persons, and had swallowed up the poor
interest of England, believing that their army and
their king would have marched to London without
any interruption ; it being told us, we know not how
truly, by a prisoner we took the night betore the
fight, that their king was very suddenly to come
amongst them with those English they allowed to be
about him ; but in what they were thus lifted up,
the Lord was above them. The enemy lying in
the posture before-mentioned, having those advan-
tages, we lay very neer him, being sensible of our
disadvantage, having some weakness of flesh, but yet
consolation and support from the Lord himself, to
our weak faith, wherein, I believe, not a few amongst
us shared, that, because of their numbers, because of
their advantages, because of their confidence, because
of our weakness, because of our strait, we were in
the mount, and in the mount the Lord would be
seen, and that he would finde out a way of deliver-
ance and salvation for us ; and indeed we had our
consolations and our hopes. Upon Monday evening,
the enemy, whose numbers were very great, as we
heard, about 6,000 horse, and 16,000 foot, at least, ours
drawn down, as to sound men, to about 7,500 foot,
and 3,500 horse ; the enemy drew down to their right
wing about two-thirds of their left wing of horse, to
the right wing shogging also their foot and train
much to the right, causing their right wing of horse
to edge down towards the sea. We could not well
imagine, but that the enemy intended to attempt
upon us, or to place themselves into a more exact
position of interposition. Major-general and myself
coming to the Earl of Roxburgh's house, [Brox-
mouth] and observing this posture, I told him, I
thought it did give us an opportunity and advantage
to attempt upon the enemy ; to which he imme-
diately replyed, that he had thought to have said the
same thing to me: so that it pleased the Lord to set
this apprehension upon both of our hearts at the
same instant. We called for Colonel Monk, and
shewed him the thing; and coming to our quarter at
night, and demonstrating our apprehensions to some
of the colonels, they also chearfully concurred; we
resolved, therefore, to put our business into this
posture, that six regiments of horse, and three regi-
ments and a half of foot should march in the van ;
and that the major-general, the lieutenant-general
the horse, and the commissary-general, and 'Colom
Monk, to command the brigade of foot, should let
on the business ; and that Colonel Pride's brigade
Colonel Overtoil's brigade, and the remaining tw<
regiments of horse, should bring up the cannon ant
rere ; the time of falling on to be by break of day
but, through some delays, it proved not to be
till six o'clock in the morning : The enemies wor
was ' The Covenant;' which it had been for divei
days; ours, ' The Lord of Hosts.' The major-gc
neral, lieutenant-general Fleet wood, and commis
sary-general "Whaley, and Colonel Twisletons, gave
the onset ; the enemy being in very good posture
receive them, having the advantage of their canw
and foot against our horse. Before our foot coul
come up, the enemy made a gallant resistance,
there was a very hot dispute at swords point
tween our horse and theirs. Our first foot, aftt
they had discharged their duty, being over-powert
with the enemy, received some repulse, which the
soon recovered; but my own regiment, under tl
command of lieutenant-colonel Golf, and my maj(
White, did come seasonably in ; and at the push
pike, did repel the stoutest regiment the enemy h*
there, meerly with the courage the Lord was pleas
to give ; which proved a great amazement to th
residue of their foot. This being the first action
tween the foot, the horse in the meantime, did, witl
a great deal of courage and spirit, beat back all opp(
sition, charging through the bodies of the enemi(
horse and their foot, who were, after the first
pulse, given, made, by the Lord of Hosts, as stubbl
to their swords. Indeed, 1 believe, I may speak it
without partiality, both your chief commanders, ant
others, in their several places, and soldiers ah
were acted with as much courage as ever hath
seen in any action since this war. I know they lool
on to be named ; and therefore I forbear partici
lars. The best of the enemies horse and foot beh)
broken through and through in less than an hour's
dispute, their whole army being put into confusion
it became a total rout ; our men having the chas
and execution of them near eight miles. We belie vt
that upon the place and near about it, were about
three thousand slain. Prisoners taken of their oi-
ficers, you have this en closed list; of private soldiers,
near 10.000. The whole baggage and train taken ;
wherein was good store of match, powder, and bul-
let ; all their artillery, great and small, thirty guns.
We are confident they have left behind them not less
than fifteen thousand arms. I have already brought
into me near two hundred colours, which 1 herewith
send you. What officers of quality of theirs are
killed, we yet cannot learn ; but yet surely divers
are, and many men of quality are mortally wounded,
as Colonel Lumsdel, the Lord Liberton, and others:
and that, which is no small addition, I do not believe
we have lost 20 men ; not one commissioned ofh'cer
lain that I hear of, save one coronet, and Major
Rooksby, since dead of his wounds ; and not many
mortally wounded. Coloney Whaley only cut in tlit
band-wrist, and his horse twice shot and killed under
, but he well, recovered another horse, and went
on in the chase. Thus jou have the prospect o!
one of the most signal mercies God hath cone foi
England and his people this war." The subsequent
.listory of Dunbar presents nothing very memorable,
It partook of the alarm and contusion consequent ci
he approach of the Highland army in 1745. Jn 1770
Paul -Jones's squadron hovered a brief space in fron
of the town; and, in 1781, Captain Fall, anothe
maritime adventurer, threatened a descent, bu
sheered off on perceiving preparations making lo
jiving him a warm reception.
DUN
369
DUN
DUNBARNIE, a parish in the south-east of
Perthshire, about 4 miles in length, and 3 in breadth.
It is bounded on the north by the Earn, which se-
parates it from Forteviot, and by the parishes of
JVrth and lihynd; on the south by the parishes of
Dron and Abernethy ; on the west by the parish of
ForiNindenny ; and on the east by the parishes of
Rliynd and Abernethy. It is intersected by the
gently flowing Earn, and its scenery is of very un-
common beauty. The " softly swelling" Ochil hills
approach its southern border, and appear almost to
enclose it; the west is occupied by gentle rising
grounds adorned with plantations, avenues, and
hedgerows; on the north is the beautiful Hill of
Moncrieir, the view from which, Pennant called " the
glory of Scotland," and the description of which in
'The Fair Maid of Perth,' cannot fail to be in the
Election of most of our readers. The soil of the
consists principally of clay, till, and loam,
has been cultivated with great success. Several
mineral springs occur in this district, of which those
of PITCAITHLY are much celebrated : see that article.
The principal village in the parish is the BRIDGE-
OF-EARN [which see], in the immediate vicinity of
which the church and manse are situated. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,066; in 1831, 1,162. Houses 190.
-ed property £8,182 The parish of Dunbar-
iie is in the presbytery of Perth, and synod of Stir-
Lug and Perth. Patron, Sir Thomas Moncrieffe,
Hart. Stipend £178 17s. 7d. ; glebe £29 8s. The
•hurch and manse were originally in the western
extremity of the parish, but were removed to their
>resent situation in 1689. There was also, anciently,
chapel at MoncriefF, and a church at Kirkpottie,
>oth appendages of the church at Dunbarnie. The
brmer of these still continues to be the burying-
>!ace of the family of Moncrieffe, the latter has been
ong in ruins — Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d.,
with an average of from £20 to £25 school-fees,
with about £8 of other emoluments. Average num-
jer of pupils, ~<>. There is also a private school,
the average attendance at which is 78.
DUNBEATH, an ancient parish now compre-
lended in the parish of Latheron, Caithness. The
village is 7£ miles north of Berriedale, on the banks
>t the river Dunbeath, which here discharges itself
nto the German ocean. It is an excellent fishing-
cation. The " bluff old castle" of Dunbeath, on a
mrrow neck of land, impending on one side over the
>-ea, and on the other over a deep chasm into which
the tide flows, was taken and garrisoned by the Mar-
jui> of Montrose, in 1650. See LATHERON.
DUNBLANE, a parish in the south of Perthshire,
•omprehending the principal part of Strathallan. It
•< bounded on the north by the parishes of Mutbill
ind Blackford, being separated partly from the for-
ner, and entirely from the latter, by the river Allan ;
m the south by the parishes of Lecropt and Logie,
the latter of which it is separated partly by
" ich rises
i Allan, and partly by a small burn which rises in
Uairdevon-hill and falls into the Allan a little below
house of Kippenross ; on the east by the parish
Uatkford ; and on the west by Kilmadock and Le-
pt. It- ligure is nearly triangular, and it is about 9
es in length and (5 in breadth. The most interest-
pfcyucal feature of the parish is (he Water-of- Allan,
ich, below the town of Dunblane, flows through a
p and finely wooded glen, and is in man v places over-
ig by considerable precipices. Its channel is rocky,
the stream rapid and turbulent but beautifully
tr. The walk along the eastern bank, from the
(!ge-of-Allan to Dunblane, is delightfully seijne-,-
•il, winding, with alternate a-cent and descent,
rough a thickly- wooded dell, full of sweet glimpses.
u at part of the parish which lies on the eastern bank
of the Allan forms the western terminating declivity
of the Ochil range. The surface of the parish to-
wards the north-west rises to a considerable height,
forming the commencement of a dark heathy ridge
which runs in a north-westerly direction, and makes
a conspicuous object in the scenery of this part of
thfi country. Its general aspect to the north of the
town of Dunblane is bleak and dreary ; and towards the
east and north-west, it is composed of heaths, moors,
and swamps. The hills afford good pasture to sheep
and black cattle. The soil, where at all capable of
cultivation, is light and sandy. Good crops, how-
ever, are grown, especially to the south of the town
of Dunblane. There are three large wool mills in
this parish, upon the Allan; one at Kimback, about
3 miles above Dunblane ; another, on the open
haugh-ground, a little above the bridge of Dun-
blane; and the other below the town, on the western
bank of the Allan, and nearly opposite the house of
Kippenross. The value of assessed property, in
1815, was £14,423. Population, in 1801, 2,619; in
1831, 3,228. Houses 504.— Dunblane is the seat of
a presbytery. It is in the synod of Perth and Stir-
ling. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £289 Is. 9d.
Unappropriated teinds £44 13s. 6d — There are two
United Secession congregations in the town of Dun-
blane. One of these occupies a very handsome cha-
pel, in the vicinity of the Cathedral, built in 1835.
Another United Secession congregation has existed
for about 70 years at Greenloaning, a hamlet, and
stage on the Perth road, in this parish. The church
at this place has 200 sittings. Minister's stipeii-d
£60, with a manse, erected in 1826 at an expense
of £200, and a piece of ground worth about x2 6s.
per annum — The parochial schoolmaster has a salary
of £34 3s., with £10 10s. additional from an en-
dowment. The school-fees produce about £45;
other emoluments, £4 lls. 9d. The average number
of scholars is about 100. There are 9 other schools
in the parish, total average attendance 230.
DUNBLANE, the chief town in the above parish,
having formerly been the seat of a bishopric, some-
times lays claim to the designation of city. Its ex-
ternal appearance, however, is very far indeed from
supporting its right to any such title. Richard
Franck, who travelled in Scotland about 1658, calls
it " dirty Duihblane," and adds, " Let us pass by
it, and not cumber our discourse with so inconsider-
able a corporation." Dunblane has in all probability
considerably improved in appearance since it was
visited by the old English tourist, but we are con-
strained to confess that its aspect still in some degree
proves the justice of his alliterative reproach. The
principal street is narrow and inconvenient; many
of the houses are old and mean; and the use of
thatch as a covering is more frequent than in any
other town of the size which we remember. Its
situation, however, is pleasing, a great part of it
being built on the sloping banks of the Allan, and
close by the side of the river; while the venerable
Cathedral, with its high square tower, and its long
line of arched windows, relieves at least, if not re-
deems, the paltriness and poverty which surround
it. The town is built principally on the left or
(.•astern bank of the river, though a few straggling
houses occupy the opposite side, and in one quarter
arrange themselves into the form of a village-Creel,
on the sides of the high road from Bridge-of- Allan,
which, sweeping down between them, ero.->es the
Allan and enters the town by an old narrow briiige
of a single arch, built about the beginning of the- J.Jth
century by Finlay Dermock, Bishop of Dunblane.
The principal street — the direction ot which is nearly
parallel to the Cream — ascends from the bridge up
towards the Cathedral, which is almost screened
•2 A
870
DUNBLANE.
from the view, however, by some old buildings at
the entrance to the grave-yard. The Cathedral is
said though apparently with little evidence — to
nave been founded by David I., in 1142. It is cer-
tain, however, that it was restored or rather rebuilt
by Clemens, Bishop of Dunblane, about 1 240. The
greater part of it has been unroofed, and is otherwise
in a ruinous state ; the choir, however, is still used
ks the parish -church, and is tolerably entire. The
eastern window, and a few of the entrances, have
been partially renewed, and this part of the building
is kept in a good state of repair. Some of the cho-
risters' seats, and those of the bishop and deah, all
of them of oak quaintly carved, still remain; and
two ancient sarcophagi, and the monument of a war-
rior and his lady, are preserved in this part of the
1 uilding. There are also here three blue marble
grave-stones which cover the bones of Lady Mar-
garet Drummond, mistress of James IV., and her
sisters Euphemia and Sybilla, who were poisoned at
Drummond-castle in 1502. In the nave, most of
the prebendal stalls are entire ; and the entrance and
the fine west window have suffered little injury, but
the roof has fallen in, and the building is other-
wise much decayed. In 1840 workmen were em-
ployed in securing it against further dilapidation.
New mortar has been carefully applied to all the
interstices, and cramp-irons have been introduced
where necessary. The length of the Cathedral is
216 feet, its breadth 56, and the height of the wall to
the battlements 50 feet. The tower is placed along-
side the building. Its height to the top of the little
wooden spire, is 128 feet. The Bishop's Palace
stood to the south of the Cathedral, on the edge of
the declivity toward the river, and a few vestiges of
its lower apartments and retaining wall may yet be
traced.
Dunblane is a burgh-of-barony. It is situated
within the barony of Cromlix, the superior of which
Lord Kinnoul, formerly named a bailie who had a
court-house within the town. The court-house is
now occupied by the sheriff-substitute of this district
of Perthshire, who resides and holds his court at
Dunblane. Both the sheriff-court and the commis-
sary-court are held here every Wednesday during
session. A new gaol was built in 1842, on the site
of an old mansion known as Strathallan-house or
castle. The town has no charter nor constitution
of any kind, nor any property or common good. A
market is held on Thursdays ; and fairs, principally
for cattle, on the 1st Wednesday of March, O. S. ;
Tuesday after the 26th of May, the 10th of August,
O. S. ; and the 1st Tuesday of November, O. S. The
Commercial bank of Scotland, and the Glasgow Union
bank, have branches here. The town was lighted
with gas in 1841. Dunblane contains about 1,800
inhabitants At Cromlix, the property of the Earl
of Kinnoul, l£ mile north of Dunblane, and 7 from
Stirling, are two mineral springs which came into
notice about 34 years ago, and of which the fol-
lowing is an analysis by Dr. Murray. In a pint of
the water of
a see has not been ascertained, but the first Bishop
s said to have been appointed by David I. The see
comprehended portions of Perth and Stirling shires.
Maurice, who was appointed Bishop by Robert
Bruce in 1319, had, while abbot of Inchaffray, dis-
tinguished himself on the field of Bannockburn. At
a later period the see was held by a man eminent in
a far other field, Robert Leighton, afterwards Arch-
bishop of Glasgow. This gentle and heavenly-minded
man of genius was Bishop of Dunblane from 1662 to
1670, when he was raised to the dignity of Arch-
bishop."' He was long remembered in Dunblane by
the name of "the Good bishop;" and a retired,
shady path near the river, which he used to fre-
quent, is to this day fondly pointed out as " the
Bishop's walk." His library, which he bequeathed
for the use of the clergy of this diocese, is still pre-
served in a small building erected for the purpose
in the main street, near the Cathedral. A marble
stone with the Bishop's arms, arid the inscription
' Bibliotheca Leightoniana,' tastefully carved upon
it, is inserted in the wall on the outside. The lib-
rary consisted originally of about 1,400 volumes, but
has since received considerable additions — The only
historical event of importance with which Dunblane
is connected is the battle of Sheriff-muir, or, as it is
sometimes called, of Dunblane, in 1715. SheriiF-
muir lies a little to the north-east of the town. It
y, uncultivated tract, on the lower part of
Muriate of soda,
Muriate of limp,
Snlphatf of lime,
Carbonate of lime,
Oxide of iron,
North Spring.
24 grains.
3' 5
0.5
o.n
46.17
South Spring.
22.5
10.
0.15
41.25
These springs are still visited, but their popularity
has waned before that of the Airthrie wells at the
Bridge-of- Allan, which are at once more powerful,
and much more pleasantly situated.
Dunblane is supposed to have been originally a
cell of the Culdees. The period of its erection into
the declivity of the Ochils, and is entirely in the
parish of Dunblane. This battle was fought on the
same day on which the Pretender's forces surren-
dered at Preston in England. The commander of
the king's troops was the Duke of Argyle ; those of
the Pretender were led by the Earl of Mar. The
latter had just taken up his quarters at Perth when
he was informed that the Duke had returned from
Lothian to Stirling; and having been joined by the
northern clans under the Earl of Seaforth, and those
of the west under General Gordon, he conceived
himself in a condition to force the passage of the
Forth, and to form a junction with the Pretender's
friends in the south, and thus advance along with
them in one body into England. He commenced
his march on the llth of November, and proceeded
on that day as far as Auchterarder, where he re-
viewed his troops, and allowed them to rest over
the night. Argyle having been informed of these
movements of the enemy, immediately determined
to give battle. He accordingly passed the Forth
at Stirling on the 12th, and encamped in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of Dunblane : his left being
posted close by the village, and his right toward
Sheriff-muir. The Earl of Mar having arrived to-
wards the evening of the same day within 2 miles
of the royal camp, remained all night under arms
and in order of battle. His troops amounted to
about 9,000, while the royal army did not exceed
3,500. In the morning, the Duke drew up his forces
on the rising ground of Sheriff-muir. He himself
commanded the right, and General Whetham the
left. Glengary and Clanronald, who commanded
the centre unrl right wing of the rebel army, com-
menced tl '-ioim attack n»- Orem!
Whetham.
and came u; , -. ^ -j ^^ ine ^
wing of the ., * troops immediately gave way,
and a complete rout and prodigious slaughter took
place. General Whetham fled at full gallop to Stir-
ling, and there declared that the royal army was totally
defeated. While this was going" on on the left, the
Duke of Argyle, at the head of a party of dragoons
attacked the other flank of the enemy, whom h'
drove back as far as to the Allan, about 2 miles
behind them. In that space, however, they had at-
1
DUN
371
DUN
?mpted to rally no less than ten times, so that he
compelled to press them hard in order to pre-
ent them from recovering their ranks. Brigadier
Wightman, with 3 battalions of infantry, was in tin:
t of advancing to support him, when the right
ing of the rebel army suddenly returning from the
ursuit of Whetham, hastily formed in the rear of the
ting's troops, and prepared to renew the attack with
ibout 5,000 men. Argyle and Wightman then faced
>ut and drew up behind some enclosures. Nei-
ler party, however, seemed disposed to renew the
agement, and after remaining in this position till
evening, Argyle quietly retired to Dunblane,
nd the Earl of Mar to the village of Ardoch. Next
ay the Duke, after removing the wounded from the
eld, and carrying off some pieces of artillery which
ad been left" by the enemy, retreated to Stirling,
'he number of slain is supposed to have amounted
ibout 500 on each side. Both armies laid claim
to the victory — The following verse from the well-
noxvn ballad on the fight at Sheriff-muir, though
ciently rough, appears to be truly descriptive :
" There1* some say that we wan,
And Mime say that they wan,
And some sny that nane wan at a', man ;
lint ae thing I'm sure,
That at? Sheriff muir
A I'jtttle (here was that I saw, man
And we ran and they ran, and they ran and we ran,
And we ran and they ran a\va, man !"
DTNBOG, a small and entirely agricultural par-
in Fifeshire; bounded on the north by the Tay;
the east by the parishes of Flisk, a detached por-
n of Abdie, and Criech ; on the south by Mone-
il; and on the west by Abdie. Superficial area
)out 1,900 acres, of which about 300 are waste
nd. The whole is divided at present into five
irms. Assessed property, in 1815, £2,957; pre-
?nt real rental about jfc'3,000. The principal man-
n the parish is Dunbog, a seat of the Earl of
id. To the south-east of it is Collairnie, which
five centuries was the seat of a family of the
ime of Barclay — This parish is in the presbytery
Cupar and synod of Fife. Patron, the Crown,
stipend £204 4s. 8d. ; glebe £8 15s. Unappro-
priated telnds £160 5s. Id. Church built in 1803;
sittings 200 Salary of parochial schoolmaster £34.
DUNCANSBY, or DUNCANS-BAY, a promontory
in the shire of Caithness, and parish of CANISBAY
[which see] in N. lat. 58° 38'; and W. long. 3° ?/.
This beautiful promontory is of a circular shape, and
about 2 miles in circumference. The Head is cov-
ered with green sward to the very brink of the sur-
rounding rock, with an intermixture of short heath.
Towards the sea — which encompasses two-thirds of
the Head — it is one continued precipice; and, dur-
ing the season of incubation, is frequented by innu-
merable flocks of sea-fowls. Near the top of the
rock, and on that side which faces the Orkneys, is a
avcrn called by the neighbouring inhabitants,
the Glupe. On the highest part of the Head are
the remains of an ancient watch-tower. The pros-
pect from hence is the most noble and extensive that
can be imagined.
DUNCOW, a small village 5 miles north of Dum-
fries, in the parish of Kirkmahoe, Dumfriesshire. It
stands on Duncow-burn, a rivulet which rises in the
south of Closeburn, traverses Kirkmahoe from noith
to south, dividing it into two nearly equal parts, and,
«-i little below Kirkmahoe village, falls into tin- Nith.
The course of this stream is about 7 miles. At the
village of Duncow is a round hill or doon, whence
il derives its name, and which formerly gave name
to the barony of the Coinyris, the opponent > of
Kohert Bruce. In this village James V. lelt his at-
tendants before he paid his angry visit to Sir Join.
Charteris of Amisfield. Till recently a large stone
marked the site of the cottage in which the king slept
DUNDALAV, a rude fortress on the summit of a
hill in the farm of Dalchully in Badenoch, Inverness-
shire. The hill is conical, and has an elevation of
about 600 feet above the contiguous ground. The
ascent is uncommonly steep and rocky, precluding
all access except on the south side, where a narrow
path seems to have been cleared for a road. The top
is a beautiful horizontal plot of ground, commanding
a very extensive prospect of the valley in all direc-
tions. Around this green there has been built a
very strong wall of flat stones or flags, without mor-
tar of any kind, whose thickness is 18 feet, and cir-
cumference 1,500; the height 8 feet perpendicular
where it is most entire. Upon the north-east side
there has been a turret, or citadel, constructed with
the same materials, whose wall is also circular, and
contains a reservoir for holding water. The wall of
the citadel seems to have been extremely massy,
from the quantity of stones that have fallen from it,
which is much greater than from any other part of
the building. The labour of collecting and carrying
up-hill such an immense heap of stones as these
buildings required, must have been great beyond
conception, when we reflect, that very likely it was
performed by mere bodily strength, without the aid
of any mechanical powers On both sides of this
hill there are two other rocky eminences, but much
inferior in size and altitude, which might, however,
have been the cause of the name given to the princi-
pal one, Dun-da-lav, that is, 'the Two-handed hill.'
At the distance of a few miles down the valley of
Badenoch, there is another fortress, similar to this
one, at Dalchully, but not so entire, which pro-
bably communicated with Craig-ellachie, still farther
down. See DUN-DORNADIL.
DUNDAS. See DALMENY.
DUNDEE,* a parish in the south of Forfarshire,
having the main body lying along the Tay, and a de-
tached portion to the north-east. The principal part
is bounded on the north by Liff, Mains, and Murroes ;
on the east by Monifieth ; on the south by the frith
of Tay ; and on the west by Liff. It is of an elon-
gated form, stretching from east to west, broadest at
the east end, and narrowest at the middle ; and it
measures diagonally, from Ninewells on the south-
west to Saltside on the north-east, 6£ miles, and has
an average breadth of 1£ to 1^. The detached part
is bounded on the west by Tealing, and on all other
sides by Murroes, and has nearly the figure of a
square, li mile deep. The whole parish is supposed
to contain 3,700 Scotch acres. The surface rises
with an easy ascent from the Tay ; behind the burgh
it swells somewhat suddenly up, and forms the con-
spicuous hill called Dundee Law, whose summit is
525 feet above the level of the Tay ; and toward the
west it again swells considerably and forms the lesser
* The name, in former times, was generally Kpelt Dnndf or
Donrtif: ; Hiui in Queen Mary's charter Dondei ,- in law.L'-tm it
is> Deidunum ; ami it ha> Wen i.llirincd by vari.tu- HigbUuUvrx,
that they consider it a* signifying, what tun L;iMi impoit», • th«
gift,' or otherwise, • the hill of (Jnd.' 1 hese eirnNMtaiimn JCVH
probability to the tradition, that it obtained the name, utn.nt
the middle of the 12th century, from David K.rl of HuutinfrioD,
who landing here, alter a dreadful --torn) in his return fr<>ni tb«*
holy wars, designed by it to express his gratitude f,,r hi- iie-
liveraniv; and, in consequence of a vow, huiit the present
parish-church. Had the Mgnification been the hill of Tay, u.i
Taodunum, according to Uurhanan, it would in <iaelic have
been pronounced Duntmo. The ancient nam« WHS Alec, in
Knece's Latin, Akctum, and by this it is ritatiOfoMMd in tlu«
H'glilnnd*. The wgnitication of Alec is said to be, • pleasant' or
• beautiful.' The language spoken by the inhabitants, ha.«, Irom
time immemorial, been the broad Scotch; that is-, Kngli-h <>r
Saxon with a peculiar provincial accent. The num. « of places
in the parish are partly in this language, and partly Gaelic. Of
the former kind are Blackness. Coldsiile, Uepmgton, and Clay,
pots Halgay, Dndhope, Drurngeith, Dunttuuu, BaUlovie, ;»u4
various others arc example* of the latter.
372
DUNDEE.
elevation- of Balgay-hill. The appearance of the
whole slope toward the Tay, as seen from the river
or the opposite shore, is beautiful. Balgay-hill, in
addition to its own tine form, possesses the attraction
of a sylvan dress; and Dundee-law is cultivated up
its whole ascent, till it shoots into a round, green, and
unusually pleasing summit. Most of the parish is in
a state of good cultivation, and is sufficiently planted
to be adorned without being incumbered. The soil,
to the west of the town, is thin and dry ; in the
north-west of the parish, and behind Dundee-law,
is poor, upon a bottom of till; and, in the eastern
division, in general, good, being partly alluvial and
partly mixed with clay. A part of the eastern
division is intersected by the Dichty and the Filthy,
which form a confluence just before leaving it. The
united streams form the southern boundary of the
parish for about 600 yards. Tods-burn and Wallacer
burn will be afterwards noticed. The Tay, along
the parish, varies in width from 1 mile to 2£ ; and is
marred by a shifting sand-bank, upwards of a mile in
length, parallel with the channel of the river. On
the lands of Balgay are large rocks of porphyry; and
the greater part of the parish is incumbent on rocks
of igneous origin. The detached portion of the par-
ish abounds with excellent freestone ; at one quarry
it is extensively wrought, and pavement and slate are
also raised in small quantity. The town is chiefly
supplied with building-stone from Lochee, Kingoodie,
and by railway from the parishes of Strath martine and
Auchterhouse. The supply of pavement, often ex-
ported, and of slate, now little used, is chiefly from
the immediate neighbourhood of the Sidlaw ridge.
Of late years the true sandstone of the carboniferous
group has been brought from Fifeshire, and used in
some of the principal buildings. In the sulphureous
atmosphere of Dundee it soon acquires a bloated and
unseemly appearance, and it is presumed that its
future use is proscribed in any work of consequence.
— Along the coast stretches the great northern rail-
road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen by way of Perth;
and, at remarkably brief intervals, roads intersect one
another, both westward and northward. A railway,
recently completed, leaves Dundee on the north, passes
through a side of the law, in a tunnel 340 yards in
length, and stretches away toward Newtyle, opening
a communication between Strathmore and the navi-
gation of the Tay. On the summit of Dundee-law
are vestiges of a fortification, traditionally ascribed
to Edward I. According to tradition, a Pictish force
having encamped on Tothel-brow in the parish of
Strathmartine, the Scottish army, under Alpine, oc-
cupied the law, rushed to battle on the intervening
plain, and having been defeated, suffered the morti-
fication of seeing their king captured and beheaded.
This event occurred in 834. Assessed property, in
1*15, £27,288. Of this, £22,878 was within the
burgh — Dundee gives name to a presbytery, and is
in the synod of Angus and Mearns. By act of As-
sembly the parish has been constituted, quoad sacra,
into 8 separate parishes, These shall be described
in the article on the burgh,
DUNDEE, a royal burgh, an extensive sea-port, j
the fifth town of Scotland in point of population, !
and the first in the rapidity of recent increase in |
prosperity, is pleasantly situated on the north side
of the estuary of the Tay, about 10 miles above Bud-
donness at the embouchure of the river. It stands
in 56° 27' 33'' north latitude, and 3° 2' 55" longitude
west from the meridian of Greenwich, and is distant
22 miles east from Perth, 14 south from Forfar, 17
south-west from Arbroath, and 42 miles, by way of
Cupar, from Edinburgh. It occupies chiefly a stripe
of ground along the base of an acclivity, and seems
pent up by Dundee-law and BalgRT-hiil as if they
were a pursuing foe urging it into the sea ; but though
it has at both ends crept along the Tay and sought
to escape the pressure from behind, it has also begun
to tread, in spacious streets, upon the lower acclivi-
ties in its rear. — The population, within the royalty,
in 184), was 59,135; inhabited bouses 13,204. With-
in the parliamentary boundaries, the population was
63,825; houses 14,078.
Till recently the royalty was confined within narrow
limits. From the south side of Balgay-hill a rill called
Tod's-burn flows eastward, and, having been joined
by another on the west side of the law, pursues a
south-east course, till, after intersecting the modem
town nearly in the middle, it falls into the Tay.
These two streams are, perhaps, the most valuable
in Scotland in proportion to their volume of water.
They supply the greater part of the steam-engines
in the town ; and from their upper sources water is
carted to town, and sold at the rate of 6 gallons a
penny. Little of the united stream now appears
above ground. Another rill, called Wallace-burn.
rises on the north of the law, runs first eastward and
next southward, and then falls into the Tay £ of a
mile east of the mouth of the former. Between these
rills, on low flat ground along the shore, stood an-
cient Dundee ; consisting of only two principal streets,
— the Seagate next the Tay, and the Cowgate on a
somewhat parallel line to tlie north. West from the
mouth of the first stream, rocks of from 50 to 90 feet
above the level of the Tay swell up from the low
grounds; and these, before being assailed by the
levelling operations of modern improvement, were of
considerably greater elevation, and must have formed
a fine feature of the burghal landscape. On these
rocks, at the point where they were highest, stood
for centuries the ancient castle of Dundee. This
important stronghold probably resembled, in its ar-
chitectural features, the fortified edifices of the lllh
century; but has .long since disappeared.
The modern town of Dundee has bounded far be-
yond the limits of the ancient burgh. In one great
line of street— somewhat sinuous, but over most of
the distance not much off the straight line — it
stretches from west to east, near and along the shore,
under the names of Perth.road, Nethergate, High-
street, Seagate, and the Crofts, nearly If mile. In
another great line, first north-west, next north, and
again north-west, it stretches from the shore, through
Castle-street, Murray-gate, Wellgate, and Bonnet-
hill, upwards of | of a mile; and even there straggles
onward through the incipient appearances of farther
extension. A third line of street, — commencing
on the east at the same point as Perth-road, but
diverging from it till it is nearly | of a mile dis-
tant, and called over this space Huwkhill ; then,
under the name of Overgate, converging toward
it, till both merge into the High-street ; then at
the latter street diverging northward through that
part of the second line which consists of Murray-
gate, and at the end of that street, debouching
away eastward, under the name of the Cowgate,
nearly parallel to Seagate,— extends about 1^ mile.
But while thus covering an extensive area, Dun-
dee possesses little regularity of plan. Excepting
the numerous new, but in general short streets,
, on the north, and most of the brief commumea-
i tions between the two great lines along the low
1 ground, not even the trivial grace of straight-
! ness of street-line is displayed. Most of the old
streets, too, are of irregular and varying width ; and
many of the alleys, are inconveniently and orientally
narrow. Yet the town makes up by a dash of the
picturesque, by its displays of opulence, and by U,e
romance of its crowded quays, full apparently ot
plots which, issue in the startling but delightful de-
DUNDEE.
373
ment, what it want.- in the neat forms and ele-
gant attractions of simple beauty. Its exterior, also,
and its general grouping, and its richness of situation
in the core of a brilliant landscape, eminently render
>een from the Fife side of the Tay, or from
roughty ferry-road, the justly lauded "Bonny
undee" of song, and Ail-lee, "the pleasant" or
the beautiful" of Highland predilection. In a
ilitary point of view it is accessible on all sides,
and is" entirely commanded by the neighbouring
" ights, so as to be quite indefensible ; but as iv-
•ds commerce, comfort, and beauty, it is enriched
its singularly advantageous position on the Tay,
d sheltered and adorned by the eminences among
liich it is cradled.
The most bustling and important part of the town
the High-street, called also the market-place, and
Cross. This is an oblong square, or rectangle,
feet long, and 100 feet broad, wearing much of
opulent and commercially great and dignified ap-
ance which characterises the Trongate or Ar-
e-street of Glasgow, or even the less crowded
ts of the great thoroughfares of London. The
uses are of freestone, four stories high, rich and
dy in their shops, and generally regular and ma-
tt in their structure, though in two or three -in-
nces, surmounted on the front by the gable-end
construction. On the south side, projecting several
feet from the line of the other buildings, stands the
own hall. This is a fine Roman structure, erected
1734; but, being built of a mouldering, dark-
)ured stone, it has a dingy and somewhat de-
ed appearance. Beneath, it lies open in piazzas,
i above, it towers up in a spire of about 140 feet in
ight. At each end of the High-street, is a build-
ing which closes up the wide and stirring area of
the rectangle, but allows, on both sides, sufficient
space for thoroughfares into the adjoining streets.
That which occupies the east end, is the Trades'
hall, dividing the commencement of the Seagate
from that of Murray-gate. It is a neat though
plain building, adorned in the front with Ionic pil-
lars, and surmounted by an elegant cupola. The
Seagate, one of the streets of the ancient town,
and formerly the abode of the Guthries, the Afflecks,
tlie Brigtons, the Burnsides, and other principal fa-
milies, is a long, sinuous, and very narrow street, ex-
tending away to Wallace burn. The line of street
is then continued to the eastward, through tne
Crofts and Carolina port, till it merges in the road
to Broughty ferry. South of the Seagate are the
Cas works, and the East and the Tay foundries.
Murray-gate, opening on the northern end of the
nudes hall, is narrow and incommodious at its en-
trance, but soon expands in width, and assumes a
pleasing appearance of well-built and somewhat re-
gular linos of house's. In this street are banking-
nouses and several other public offices, and also the
quarters of the carriers to the east and the north.
At Wellgate-port, the eastern termination of Mur-
ray-gate, the street forks into two, — the Cowgate,
which runs eastward, and the Wellgate, which runs
northward, forming a straight line with Bonnet hill.
The Cowgate, more remarkably for business than
any of the other thoroughfares, and virtually the
exchange of the town, has some handsome buildings,
most of which are devoted to commerce, and is
adorned at its ea>t end with a venerable archway,
originally one of the town gates, where the reformer
Wishart preached during the prevalence of the plague
in 1544, the archway or gate serving to keep the
infected and the uninfected in separate crowds.
From the Cowgate, Queen's-street, St. Roque's-
lane, and the Sugar-house wynd, lead off to the
Seagate. King-street subdivides and contracts the
Cowgate, and breaks OiT at an acute angle from its
north side, running north-eastward to Wallace burn,
and there merges in the great north road, by way of
Arbroath and Montrose, to Aberdeen. In King-
street stands the royal infirmary, built in 1 798, on
an elevated situation sloping to the south, well-
detached from other buildings, and having a prome-
nade for convalescents. The Wellgate rises gently
from the Murray-gate, and, on market-days, is a
scene of bustling and tumultuous business. At the
head of the Wellgate is the Lady well, whence the
street has its name, and which draws ample supplies
of excellent water from various springs on the high
grounds. From this point Buckle-maker wynd —
formerly the seat of a craft whence it derived its
name, but which is now extinct — goes off at right
angles and extends to Wallace burn. An extensive
rising ground lying northward of this wynd, and
called Forebank, is adorned with numerous elegant
villas and gardens. On a line with Wellgate, and
mounting up the ascent, Bonnet hill rejoices in the
additional names of the Rottenrow and the Hill-
town of Dundee, and stretches away over the accli-
vity on to the lands of Clepington; but it has a
motley and grotesque appearance, and, though the
seat of very extensive manufactures, consists gener-
ally of ill-built houses, confusedly interspersed with
cloth factories. Maxwelltown, a suburb of recent
origin, occupies the grounds which lie between Hill-
town arid the villa of Hillbank, to the northward of
Forebank. Opposite to Buckle-maker wynd, Dud-
hope wynd, which forms the northern boundary of
the Chapelshade, breaks off to the west, and runs
along nearly half-a-mile, terminating at the bar-
racks.
From the High-street, to which we now return,
Castle-street goes off at right angles with the com-
mencemert of the Seagate, and leads down to the
harbour. This street contains several fine build-
ings ; and is the site of the theatre and an Episco-
palian chapel, the lower part of the latter edifice
containing the office of the Dundee bank. At the
south-east corner of Castle-street stands the ex-
change coffee-room, — a commodious and beautiful
building, having a spacious opening to the west, and
erected by a body of subscribers at an expense of
it'9,000. Its western front, on the basement story,
has Doric pillars, boldly relieved by deep recesses of
the doors and windows; and, on the second story,
is in a style of the Ionic order, more ornate than
what usually occurs. The reading-room is 73 feet
by 38, and is 30 feet in height. From the south-
west corner of the High-street, and parallel with
Castle-street, Crichton-street leads down to the
green-market, and on to Earl Grey's dock. Oppo-
site to the town-hall, and in a direction the reverse
of Castle and Crichton streets, a splendid street has
recently been built, combining uniformity with ele-
gance, and rivalling, in the beauty of its buildings,
some of the admired parts of the Scottish metropo-
lis. The splen'dour of Reform-street — the name
imposed on this public-spirited and tasteful addition
to the thoroughfares of the burgh — is greatly en-
hanced by the magnificent appearance of the new
public seminaries, which close it up on the north,
and look down along its area. This edifice is in the
Doric style of architecture, and has its portico or
central part copied from the exquisite model of the
Parthenon of Athens. A double-columned gateway,
rlo.-ed in by an iron-palisadoed wall which encircles
a beautiful shrubbery, leads to the principal entrance.
The building contains a room 42 feet by 40 for
-t inlying the higher departments of science,
another of the sinne dimensions fitted up as a mu-
seum, one 37 feet by 30 for the junior classes, a*
374
DUNDEE.
well as a large provision of other apartments ; and it j
was erected at an expense of about £ 10,000.
At the west end of the High-street, closing up
the area, is an ancient building, long called the
Luckenbooths, on the corner of which is still a tur-
ret indicative of its former character. This vener-
able pile was the adopted residence of General Monk,
when he entered Dundee and consigned it to the
pillage of his soldiery ; and it was the birthplace of
the celebrated Anne" Scott, daughter of the Earl of
Buccleuch, and afterwards Duchess of Monmouth,
whose parents had sought a refuge in the town from
the effects of Groin well's usurpation ; and it was
also, in 1715, the adopted home of the Pretender,
during the period of his stay in Dundee. The lower
part of the building was originally divided into arched
sections; but is now modernized. An edifice con-
nected with the Luckenbooths, and originally called
the tolbooth, is also very ancient, and had before it,
in old times, the Tron in which the public weights
were kept. In its vicinity is an alley still called
Old Tolbooth lane. Within St. Margaret's close,
at the High-street, were formerly a royal residence
and a mint. The palace, after ceasing to be a home
or a possession of royalty, was inhabited by the Earls
of Angus, by the Scrymseours of Dudhope, and after-
wards by John Graname of Claverhouse, Viscount
Dundee. Robert III. was the first sovereign who
struck coin in the mint. An alley leading from the
High-street is still called Mint-close.
Passing out of the High-street, on the north side
of the Luckenbooths, the Overgate runs away west-
ward for upwards of ^ of a mile to the West-port,
and there forks into lines of street called Hawkhill
and Scouringburn, which pass on to the limits of the
town. The Overgate was originally called Argyle-
gate, from the connexion it had with the family of
Argyle; and, opposite the Windmill, it still has a
house to which tradition points as that family's quon-
dam property. As the street proceeds, it sends off
several branch-streets to the north which run up
toward the base of the Law. This district, though
containing many good houses, exhibits utter reck-
lessness of architectural taste or uniformity, and is
the site of the larger portion of the great manufac-
tories. But Tay-street, the principal communication
with the lower part of the town, is elegant and pos-
sesses a beautiful square. The streets, or rather
alleys, parallel with it, breaking off on the south
side of Overgate and Hawkhill — Tally-street, Thor-
ter-row, School- wynd, Long-wynd, and Small's-
\vynd — are narrow and cheerless communications.
From the west end of. Overgate, but chiefly from
Scouringburn or Witch-know, Lindsay-street, lead-
ing to the new jail and bridewell, Barrack-street and
other openings break off northward, and present fine
lines of new and pleasingly constructed buildings.
The barracks occupy a commanding eminence at the
foot of the Law, and enclose the remains of Dud-
hope castle, formerly the residence of the constables
of Dundee; and, tor advantageous and healthful
situation, they excel all other buildings of their class
in the north of Scotland.
Returning again to the High-street, we find a wide
opening from its western end, on the south side of
the Luckenbooths. Most of this opening is closed
up, at the distance of a few yards, by an Episcopalian
chapel, of very neat appearance, which has its lower
story fitted up arid occupied as shops. On the south
side of this chapel, leading out from the High-street,
and forming the main line of communication with
Perth and Glasgow, opens the Nethergate, which
stretches away, through the direct continuation of
Perth-road, into the carse of Gowrie, and, through
a forking continuation sea- ward, into the delightful
promenade of Magdalene-yard. The Nethergate is
a well-built and somewhat spacious street of nearly
| a mile in length ; and leaves behind the bustle and
confusion of the business parts of the town, and puts
on appearances of architectural neatness and modern
improvement. As it advances westward, it becomes
the site of the elegant or the flaunting homes of the
elite of the town ; and, along with its branch-streets,
has quite as aristocratic an air as comports with its
propinquity to manufacture and commercial stir
The houses, instead of forming continuous lines,
now stand apart, environed with lawn and flower-
plots; and eventually they announce their inmates
to be parties who know quite as well to luxuriate
in the results which affluence produces, as to ply the
arts by which it is obtained. To render the Nether-
gate somewhat straight, and achieve a considerable
degree of order and neatness in the collocation of
modern buildings, many edifices of antique character
and historical interest, shared a common demolition
with the gaunt and ungainly houses which at one
time jostled one another along the line. Among
others, a short way after the debouch of the street
from the cross, stood Whitehall, the residence, at
various periods, of the kings of Scotland, the scene
of frequent conventions of estates and burghs, and
the meeting-place of several general assemblies of the
Church of Scotland. A memorial of the building
still exists in the name of an alley, called Whitehall
close, which leads down to the shore; in a sculpture
of the royal arms of Charles I. over the entrance to
this alley, with the inscription in decayed letters,
" God save the King, C. R. 1660;" arid in the in-
sertion of some sculptured stones which belonged to
it in several of the buildings which stand on or near
its site. All that remains of it is a portion of the
west wall. On the lintel of a door, leading to three
low vaults, which communicate with one another,
and are hemmed in by an outer wall of great strength,
is inscribed, " Tendit acerrirna virtus." Opposite
this lintel is a niche with several ornamental figures;
two of which, though much decayed, appear to have
been statues. Whitehall was the home of Charles
immediately before his ill-fated expedition to Wor-
cester; and it seems to have been strictly a court-
residence, surrounded by numerous houses belonging
to the nobility. A little to the westward of White-
hall close stood one of the most ancient and spacious
mansions in Dundee, the town-residence of the
powerful Earls of Crawford, said to have been built
in the 13th century, and, along with its grounds,
stretching downward from the Nethergate quite to
the river. Sixty or seventy years ago, vestiges of
the mansion were still in existence, having the word
" Lindsay " embossed in a sort of battlement. The
lords of Crawford resided here in feudal splendour ;
and, in the beginning of the 15th century, Archibald,
sixth Earl of Angus and Lord of Liddesdale, com-
monly called Bell-the-Cat, visited the mansion, and
was married within its walls, amid a pomp and mag-
nificence of ceremony which were remarkable even
in those days of excessive pageantry, to Maud Lind-
say, daughter of the contemporaneous Earl of Craw-
ford.
Passing off from the Nethergate, near the site of
the mansion of the Crawfords, Union-street leads
down to the shore. This is a spacious and beauti-
ful thoroughfare, traced along the sites of many un-
seemly and frail houses which formerly disfigured arid
menaced the locality. From its west side branches
Yeaman shore, having in its southern line of build-
ings a plain and indifferently situated public edifice,
the Sailors' hall. Merging from Union-street on the
south we find ourselves rear the western point of
the quays and docks of Dundee. Hence to the Trades"
DUNDEE.
375
c. Dork -street, consisting of new and elegant erec-
n*, runs parallel to the Tay, and forms a line
ckground to its series of docks, with their marine
est of masts. Going off from an open area at the
foot of Castle-street is Exchange-street, running
nearly parallel with Dock-street; and crossing the
further end of this at right angles, and coming down
Dock-street, from the Seagate near the High-
is Commercial-street. Both of these are new j
oroughfares, and in keeping with the neatness and j
te of the modern improvement-spirit of the town.
Green-market square, foot of Crichton-street,
the old custom-house, one of the most antiquated
ildings in Dundee. The lower part was formerly
" ed, and seems also to have been surrounded
ith a kind of piazza, now converted into shops
cellars. At the top it originally terminated
fine circular turrets ; in each story it has cir-
cular turreted rooms, as well as other apartments
bearing vestiges of ancient comfort and magnifi-
cence ; and altogether it appears to have been one
th ope baronial residences which, in feudal times,
ounded in the town, and which either have be-
ueathed their names to streets or left some scanty
lysical memorials to stimulate the curiosity of the
tiquarian. The old Fish-rnarket beside this edifice
now abandoned ; a clean area, well-supplied with
ater, and placed under suitable regulations, having
n provided between the end of Castle-street and
e Green-market. At the extreme west of the
rbour, and nearly opposite Union-street, is Craig-
er, exclusively used by the large steam- vessels
hich ply at brief intervals on the ferry to the Fife
t, and constitute nearly a complete succedaneum
a bridge across the estuary. From this pier on
e west, to the ship-building-yards opposite Trades'
ane on the east, stretch the proud and opulent
ries of docks which are at once the boast of Dun-
e, the chief means of its wealth, and the best evi-
nce of its enterprise and taste. Previous to 1815
when commissioners were appointed by act of par-
iament to extend and improve the harbour — the only
accommodations for shipping were a small pier and a
few ill-constructed erections which could not be
readied by vessels of any considerable draught of
water. But between 18*15 and 1830, a wet-dock,
with a graving-dock attached to it, was constructed,
—the tide-harbour deepened and extended, — sea-
walls and additional quays built, — and various other
improvements made, at the munificent cost of
£162,800. The wet-dock, then constructed, and
called William the Fourth's, covers an area of nearly 8
acres, and has its adjoininggraving-dock in correspond-
ing proportion. Since 1830 a large part of the tide-
harbour has been converted into another wet-dock,
called Earl Grey's dock. Still further improvements,
on a magnificent scale, have been made or are in
progress ; and include an extent of space eastward
• •qual to nearly double the area of the docks and
harbours which have been noticed. All of these
improvements are considerably within the range of
high-water mark, leaving an important space of
ground skirting along the town to be occupied as the
site of buildings, and the area of a continuation of
Dock-street ; and part of the improvements are also
within low- water mark, leaving, even there, between
the new wet-docks and the sen, a space to be occu-
pied by warehouse! and building-yards. Two ad-
ditional wet-docks, a tide-harbour with a very deep
water draught and greatly improved accommodation
for shipping, are the principal elements. The great
outer sea-wall is extended considerably to the east-
ward, and does great credit to Mr. Leslie the engi-
neer, for the skill and science he has displayed. When
the improvements are completed, they will render the
harbour of Dundee one of the finest, safest, and most
convenient in Britain. One valuable advantage is
that, like the harbours of Liverpool and ofGreenock,
it is situated almost all within the line of low- water
mark, and offers commodious ingress in very reduced
states of the tide. The estuary of the Tay, where it
washes the town, is about 2 miles broad, and is pent
up by banks which, in general, have a sufficiently
rapid declination to leave little of the beach bare at
low water. Most vessels, especially steam-boats,
can, in consequence, enter the harbour at even the
unfavourable epochs of the tide. Various sand-banks,
indeed, at the mouth of the estuary, opposite the
town, offer obstructions to the navigation ; but they
are now, by the appliances of lighthouses, beacons,
and accurate charts, rendered nearly harmless, and
fail to impede the rapidly increasing progress of the
commerce of the river. Mr. Leslie has erected on
the quay of Earl Grey's dock a stupendous crane, l.y
which eight men easily lift a weight of 30 tons. The
height of the sheave above the level of the quay is
40 feet; the total weight of the castings, bars, chain,
and brasses, 59 tons.
Several public buildings and places of interest re-
quire more detailed mention than could be made of
them in a general sketch of the town ; and others —
including all the ecclesiastical edifices — remain yet to
be noticed. The Trades' hall was built by the mne
incorporated trades, and was originally fitted up
with separate apartments for their respective use.
Besides being a considerable ornament to the High-
street, it occasioned the removal of shambles for-
merly on its site, which, were a great public nuisance.
The ground-floor is fitted up in commodious and ele-
gant shops ; and the second floor contains an elegant
hall, 50 feet long, 30 broad, and 25 high, which, pre-
vious to the erection of the theatre, was occasionally
used for histrionic exhibitions, and is now occupied
by the Eastern bank of Scotland. The Town-hall
was built on the site of St. Clement's church, from
a design of the celebrated William Adam. The
ground-floor, behind the piazzas, is fitted up in
apartments for business, — the west end being a
long-established apothecary's shop, and the east end
affording accommodation for the town-chamberlain
and the treasurer of police. The west end of the
second floor contains a very handsome hall, pro-
fusely embellished, in which the town-council hold
their sederunts ; and the east end contains a hall
equally spacious, though less ornate, in which the
guildry incorporation and the sheriff and justices hold
their courts. On the same floor are four rooms with
strongly arched roofs, for the use of the town clerks
and the conservation of the public records; and
though threatening, from their peculiar structure, to
wear a heavy appearance, are airy, well-lighted, and
cheerful. The third floor — in ludicrous inconsis-
tency with the importance and public-spirit of the
town, and in painful incongruousness with the suit-
able lodgment or the effective moral reclamation of
the miserable inmates — continued, in 1836, to be the
jail, ill-aired, wretchedly planned, and utterly too
limited. The apartments are five, three of which,
in the front, are lighted by small oval windows, and
were appropriated to debtors; while the two in the
rear were strong rooms for male felons. Ot the attic
rooms, part was occupied by the turnkey, and part
by female prisoners, debtors, and felons, without
classification. Even the tower of the spire sur-
mounting the town-hall was partly fitted up and
used as a prison. New public buildings, however
creditable to the character of the burgh, adapt eMo
the multiplied exigencies of its social condition, and
consisting of jail, bridewell, and police-office, have
recently been completed, at the south-west corner of
376
DUNDEE.
the town's gardens, from a design of Mr. Angus, and
at a cost of £26,000. The first jail in Dundee stood
in the Seagate ; and near its site is still pointed out a
spot where a woman, named GrizeUeffrey, was igno-
miniously burned to death under an imputation of
witchcraft. — The lunatic asylum was opened for pa-
tients in 1820, and is a well-arranged edifice, anc
well-conducted institution ; situated about £ a mil
north of the town, upon an inclined plane consider-
ably higher than the vale of the burgh, commanding
a fine view of the Tay and the country along its
shores, and encircled with spacious airing-grounds
and delightful garden-walks — The theatre — it may
be remarked, as an instance additional to severa'
which have occurred, of an economical dispositioi
of public buildings, peculiarly characteristic oJ
Dundee — has its ground-floor fitted up and oc-
cupied as shops The Watt institution is an ele-
gant Grecian structure, consisting of a front build-
ing and an attached back-building of two floors, anc
commodiously distributed in the interior, into a lib-
rary 29 feet by 21, on the ground-floor, a labora-
tory, 21 feet by 144, and an apparatus-room 21 feet
by 14; on the second-floor, into a lecture-hall 5C
feet by 35 ; and in the back-building, into a museum,
lighted below by 10 windows, and above by 2 cupolas.
— At the head of a lane, between Castle-street and
the old fish-market, is the hall of the Caledonian lodge
of free-masons At the part of the Nethergate, op-
posite the foot of T ay-street, stand the dilapitated
remains of the hospital. The date of its foundation
is unknown. On the 15th of April, 1567, Queen
Mary granted to the magistrates, council, and com-
munity of Dundee, for behoof of the ministry and
hospital, all lands, &c. which had belonged to any
chaplainries, altars, or prebendaries, within the liberty
of the town, with the lands which belonged to the
Dominican and Franciscan friars, and the Grey sisters,
which were incorporated into one estate, to be called
the foundation of the ministry and hospital of Dun-
dee. This charter was confirmed by James VI., in
1601. The property of the hospital, though under
charge, nominally, of an hospital master, is, in fact,
under the administration of the magistrates of Dun-
dee. The house has been allowed to fall down, and
the funds belonging to it are now applied to the
aid of poor burgesses. — The Howff, or burying-
ground of the town and parish, is situated in Bar-
rack-street, formerly called Burial-wynd. It has
been greatly improved in appearance of late. But
a new cemetery has been laid out on ground slop-
ing gently to the south, in the lower Chapelshade
gardens, and is so decorated in incipient imitation of
the celebrated Pere la Chaise of Paris as to have
become a favourite promenade of the burghers
The new bleaching-green, lying north of the new
cemetery, is an oblong of nearly 4 acres in area, sur-
rounded with wall and hedge, and tastefully inter-
sected with decorated paths.
The most prominent object in Dundee — that
which most visibly connects it with antiquity, and
bulks most largely among its public edifices, and con-
stitutes the most distinctive feature in its burghal
landscape — is the agglomeration of buildings called
the churches and the tower. Whether looking up
from the area before the Trades' hall, or peering
through any vista or opening among the sinuous
streets, the tower looms largely in the view, and
looks like the impersonation of fleeting Time casting
a dark shadow upon the bustling scenes of the hour;
and, look upon Dundee from what point or visible
distance we may, whether from the east or from the
west or from the south, the tower lifts its gaunt
length high above the undulating surface of a sea of
roofs, and suggests thoughts of many generations
who have fluttered away their ephemeral life, and
passed to their long home, beneath its shadow. The
churches are situated west of the Luckenbooths, be-
tween the Overgate and the Nethergate. A chapel,
it is supposed, originally occupied that part of their
' site on which now stands the East church, and was
founded by Prince David, Earl of Huntingdon.
Around this as a nucleus, other portions of the struc-
ture were raised to complete the form of a cathedral ;
and the whole must, for a considerable period, have
been a church in the fields, the town having its
boundary at the west end of the High-street. The
edifice, in its present form, is irregularly cruciform,
and is divided into 4 sections, called the West 01
Steeple church, the South or New church, the North
or Cross church, and the East or Old church. The
choir is 95 feet long, 54 high, and 29 broad ; and has
2 aisles, each 14i feet broad. The cross part has no
aisles ; and is 1~74 feet long, and 44 broad. The
roofs of the four sections were originally of one
height, and presented an uniform appearance ot
architectural beauty. But the West or Steeple
church having been destroyed by the English be-
fore the national union, a new one was erected in
1789, of such niggard and inharmonious proportions,
as utterly to mar the symmetry of the interesting
pile. In fact, so many additions and vast altera-
tions have, in the course of ages, been made, that,
with the exception of the tower, probably no part
whatever of the strictly original structure remains.
The tower stands at the extreme west of the
churches, and is most advantageously seen, with its
elegant gable windows, from an alley leading out
opposite to it from the Nethergate. Its height is 156
feet. At the corners, it is adorned with lofty abut-
ments, terminating in carved pinnacles ; half-way
up, it has a bartizan or gallery ; and, at the top,
which is flat, and apparently unfinished, it is battle-
mented with a stone rail, and surmounted by a cape-
house resembling a cottage with a double slanting
roof. The cape-house, in the estimation of com-
petent judges, is much more modern than the tower,
and probably was erected as a watch-post to ac-
commodate a warder in the age of forays and pre-
datory incursions ; it could never, at all events, ex-
cept by the most grotesque of blunderers, have been
constructed with a view to architectural decoration ;
for it sits, in vile deformity, as a disfiguring excres-
cence upon the fine, care-worn brow of architec-
tural beauty which it surmounts. The tower, so
far from having had destined for it so tiny and un-
seemly a termination, appears, from the abrupt flat
?ormation of its second bartizan, to have had de-
signated for its summit, either a tapering spire, or
more probably an imperial crown, similar to what
adorns the towers of St. Giles' of Edinburgh, and
the Cross or the tolbooth of Glasgow.*
All the other ancient ecclesiastical edifices of
Dundee — which were numerous, well-endowed, and
quite in keeping with the spirit of ostentatious dis-
lay and prodigal expenditure which characterized
be bastard and superstitious spirit of the dark ages
— have disappeared. The oldest, St. Paul's, was
ituated between Murray gate and Seagate. St.
Elements occupied the site of the present Towi
mil. A mile-and-a-half west of the town, a burj
rig-ground, still in use, marks the site of
* Since the first edition of this Work issued from the pr
few weeks ago, Dundee has been nearly despoiled of her
enerable groupe of ecclesiastical edifices by a tire which broke
nit in the pile of buildings above described enrly on the morn-
ng of Sunday the 3d of January, 1841, and by which the South
nd Cross churches have been entirely gutted, and the Oid
hurch, with us fine Gothic arches, nearly reduced to a ruiu.
The total damage sustained cannot be under £15,000, and it is
at present questionable whether any attempt should be made
to repair the old structures.
DUNDEE.
377
architecture seen eastward from the High-street.
St. David's church, in North T ay-street, though a
plain edifice, is spacious, and of pleasing exterior.
Two United Secession chapels, respectively in
School-wynd and Tay-square ; the Gaelic church,
in South Tay-street ; the parish-churches of St.
Peter, and Chapelshade ; an Independent chapel in
Princes-street; an Independent Methodist diapel,
in Lindsay-street ; an Original Burgher chapel, now
called Willison church, the minister and congregation
having joined the Establishment; a United Christian
chapel, arid other places of worship belonging to various
denominations, are elegant or comfortable erections.
Dundee is rich in charitable, literary, and public
institutions. Besides the royal infirmary, the royal
lunatic asylum, and the ancient hospital fund, it has
a medical and surgical dispensary and vaccine insti-
tution,— a royal orphan institution, — an indigent sick
society, — a clothing society, — a medical institution
for the lame, — an eye institution, — 18 endowments
for various philanthropic purposes, — the charitable
funds of the guildry, the nine trades, the seamen
fraternity, and numerous voluntary associations, —
funds for the poor, raised partly from collections at
church doors, and partly by assessments on the in-
habitants in the burgh ; — a seaman's friend society,
— a florist's and horticultural society,— the Watt
institution, — a mechanics' institution, — a phreno-
logical society, — a Highland society, — numerous
public libraries, — and religious and school so-
cieties, general and congregational, for promoting
almost every variety of enlightening and Chris-
tianizing effort at home and abroad — The banks
in Dundee are, — the Dundee banking company,
established in 1763, and located in Castle-street,
— the Dundee Union bank, established in 1809,
and located in Murraygate, — the Eastern bank
of Scotland, established 'in 1838, and located in Sea-
gate,— the National Security savings bank, establish-
ed in 1838, and located in Reform-street ; and branch
offices of the bank of Scotland, in High-street,— of the
royal bank of Scotland, in Seagate, — of the British
Linen company, in Murraygate, — and of the National
bank of Scotland, in Cowgate. — Dundee has 3 news-
papers : — the Advertiser, the Courier, and the
Chronicle.* Oftener than once, periodicals of a liter-
ary character have been commenced ; but uniformly,
after a brief and hopeless career, they have been dis-
continued.
Dundee is remarkable for failure, perseverance,
and eventual success in attempts at manufacture.
Coarse woollens, under the name of ' plaiding,' dyed
in Holland, and exported throughout Europe, — bon-
nets, so extensively manufactured as to employ a
large proportion of the population, — coloured sew-
ing thread, made by seven different companies, main-
taining 66 twisting-mills, and employing 1,340 spin-
ners,— the tanning of leather, in at least 9 tan-yards,
and to the annual value of £14,200, — glass in two fac-
tories, one for window and the other for bottle- gls:»,
— the spinning of cotton undertaken, and, for a
time, spiritedly conducted by 7 different companies ;
these, and the making of buckles and other minor
manufactures, all flourished for a season, and, in t he-
end, went utterly to ruin ; bequeathing, in some in-
• Tn October 1R40. the 'Dundee Chronicle,1 which had, for
some time, heeti under the innnmrement of tru«tees, wa« e*.
posed for sale in the office of Me<*r«. Shiell and Small. Tl>e
N.m-intrnsionists had uivenont tlmt they Intended to pnrrhanw
the copyright, hut on tlu> d:iv <>f sHle they did not make th-ir
appearance: ami the only bidder was Mr Peter Hrown. f<;r
the ChsirtUU. The paper and nrintinff materials in the print-
in-'-offiCM were put up at £700, and, after a spirited com.
petition, were knocked down to Mr. Brown at £HOk The
N,.ti-intrn-ioniat8 have since started a journal for the adv...
racy of their views in Dundee, under the name of 'The
Warder.'
378
DUNDEE.
stances, their names to streets, and in others the ves-
tiges of their factory walls to the inspection of the
commercial antiquary, as memorials of the instability
of trade. The making of soap, the brewing of ale,
and the manufacture of cordage, are ancient, but the
first is extinct, and the second in a declining state,
while the third is in an increasingly prosperous condi-
tion. Linen of various kinds is at present the most
extensive and prosperous manufacture, and gives an
impulse to all other departments of trade. Brown
linen, since the period, considerably remote, when
the manufacture was introduced, has always been
the largest article ; and while of various sorts, con-
sists largely of Osnaburghs, for clothing to the West
Indian negroes. Bleached linen, in imitation of the
sheeting and duck of Russia, and made from yarn
which is bleached by a skilful chemical process be-
fore being woven, is also a large article. Another
fabric is sailcloth, exported in considerable quantity
to America and the East Indies. Another is bag-
ging for packing cotton, made indifferently of hemp
or of flax, and sent to the West Indies and America.
Coarse linens for household purposes, though for-
merly manufactured, are now nearly superseded by
the cheaper linens of Ireland. All these goods, till
a recent date, were manufactured by the hand, and
employed vast numbers of persons in the towns and
villages of Forfarshire. Machinery, however, has
been introduced to a vast extent, and has not only
increased to a prodigious extent the quantity of the
manufacture, but so considerably improved its qua-
lity, and lessened the cost of its production, as to
enable it successfully to hold its way in the face of
the menacing competition of Germany and Russia.
In the town and its immediate vicinity, there
were, in 1832, 36 flax spinning-mills, employing a
steam-power equal to that of COO horses, and an-
nually consuming ] 5,600 tons of flax, and producing
7,488,000 spindles of yarn. The mills are in gen-
eral large buildings, from 4 to 6 stories high, having
on each flat a vast number of spindles or carding
machines, and attended by about 3,000 individuals,
considerably the larger proportion of whom are chil-
dren and youths. According to the census of 1831,
the number of linen manufacturers wag 363; and the
number of persons employed in the linen manufac-
ture, 6,828.* So greatly has this manufacture in-
creased, that while Dundee imported, in 1745, only
74 tons of flax, it imported, in 1791, 2,444 tons of
flax, and 299 of hemp; and in 1833, 15,010 tons of
flax, and 3,082 of hemp ; and exported proportion-
ally of manufactured fabrics. Causes of its pros-
perity are found in the advantageous position of the
port, with reference to the Baltic, whence the raw
material is obtained, — in its being the grand empo-
rium of Forfarshire, the Carse of Gowrie, and the
northern parts of Fifeshire, which all depend upon it
for the supply of their material and the sale of their
productions, — and in a bounty granted by Govern-
ment on all home-linen exported, and the impost of
* " The number of weavers in Dundee," says the Report of
the Assistant Hand-Loom Weavers1 Commissioner, d.tted 527th
March. IS:}!), " is from 4,000 to 5,000, all engaged on linen fab-
rics. This was ascertained about the year 1831, from the nurn-
b-r of signatures attached to a petition in favour of payment
l»y the y;ird. The number that signed this petition was 4,1)73,
about 700 of whom resided in Lochee. The account which the
witnesses pave," respecting thn amount of wages, " rather
varied ; bur, they agreed .that the average was about 8-. per
week, clear of deductions, which might amount to about Is. l|d.
per week to those working in factories, and Is. 8|d. to those
working- in their own premi-es. The dilti-rence of wages made
at different fabrics was from Is. to 2s. per week. Mr Ea-sou
stated, that, taking the average <>f 10 m»n's work (1C.O pieces)
for eight weeks in May and June, I8'J7, and deducting the
charge tor windintr the 'weft, the average to ench per week
was 8s. Ifd. F..r February and March, 18:18 (-'02 piece-), the
average wa< <>•>. :i|d. ThU he considered a fair avi age of ihe
earnings of the factory weavers."
! a heavy duty on all foreign linen imported. But
1 flourishing as the linen manufacture of Dundee haa
been, dark clouds have passed over it, and let down
drenching rains upon not a few houses connected
with it during four years preceding October, 1840;
and at that date continued still to have such a
lowering aspect, as to occasion doubt whether a
return of sunshine were near.
An interesting view of the commercial condition of
the town will be afforded by an extract from * An Ac-
count of the Trade of the Port of Dundee, during the
three years ended 31 st May, 1838. By John Sturrock,
Esq., Banker and Convener of the Finance Committee
of the Harbour Trustees, Dundee :' — " The commer-
cial crisis, which commenced in October, 1836, and
which extended over Great Britain, Ireland, and the
continents of Europe and America, was severely felt
in Dundee. Its injurious effects were aggravated by
the circumstance, that during the year from 1st June,
1836, to 31st May. 1837, an excessive importation of
flax and flax codilla, the raw materials from which
the greater part of our exports is manufactured, took
place. The flax imported in that year was 22,461
tons, while the average of the four preceding years
ended 31st May, 1836, was 15,726 tons, showing an
excess of 6,735 tons. In the same manner, the im-
portation of flax codilla being 8,279 tons, exceeded
by 3,405 tons the average of the four preceding
years, which was 4,874 tons. The consequence was
— a great part being held by persons who were de-
pendent upon credit — that the prices fell in a double
ratio : first, from the check given to credit, — and,
secondly, from the importations being greater than
the trade of the place required. Hence D. C. flax —
of which a greater quantity is consumed than any
other — which in June, 1836, was worth .£'42 15s.,
had fallen to .£33 in July, 1837; and flax codilla fell,
during the same period, from .£21 15s., to £17 per
ton. Therefore, although the average quantity of
flax imported during the three years ended 31st May,
1838, only exceeds the average of the four ye«rs
ended 31st May, 1836, by 1,845 tons; the former
being 17,571, the latter 15,726; and the average of
the flax codilla, for the same period, only exceeds by
944 tons, the average for the three years being 5,818,
and of the four years, 4,874 tons ; yet we see the
injurious results arising from the excessive importa-
tions from the 1st June, 1836, to 31st May, 1837,
amounting to 30,740 tons; the price of the whole
being affected according as the excess bears a greater
or less ratio to the actual quantities required for
consumption.
" On an inspection of the exports, the most gra-
tifying conclusions are to be drawn from the returns
of the sheetings, dowlas, sacking, and sailcloth ex-
ported. The quantities of the three first-mentioned
articles have regularly increase*! ; and though the
last year of the latter article falls short of the first
year by 4,492 pieces, yet it exceeds the year J83b'
by 21,199 pieces. The most important and valuable
article of our trade are sheetings. Their value, (lur-
ing the three years, amounts to a third of the whole
exports ; and, as half of the quantity is said to be
used in home consumption, the trade is of the best
and surest kind, arid the most likely to continue to
increase. The next is dowlas, of which 3-4ths are
reported to be exported ; then follows sailcloth, half
of which is exported ; and thereafter sacking, of
which 2-3ds are supposed to be used for home con-
sumption. The article of Osnaburghs forms a con-
siderable part of our exports, but seems liable to
great fluctuations, as the average number of pieces
I exported during the last three years is only 81,9(i7;
i while that of the three years ended 31st May, 183/7,
1 was 120,784. This probably arises from 9-JOths of
DUNDEE.
379
the article being exported, and, from the difficulties
which the exporters experience, from imperfect in-
formation, in regulating the supply to the demand.
Whether the great change which has taken place in
our colonies by the complete emancipation of the
negroes, whose clothing was generally made of this
article, will influence this manufacture, can only be
ascertained by time. Conjecturing that free labour
will not only improve the state of the proprietors
but of the labourer, we may anticipate an increase.
Yearly
lay 31, IS 27
I8>8
1829
1830
IH31
)s:rt
1833
1831
1835
I8'<6
1837
183S
PlITPS.
44,7:71
63.S65 }•
59,!Jfl!»3
6 UH3 7
f;5,5i>2 £
49.0363
27, 1 7!)
10.. W I
80.15S
1 594sU7
79,'i4S» >
23,2103
108 (111
178,011
137,8.->8
26->,359
of the
3 Years.
56,203
59,337
45,952
87,453
Total, 746,839 746,83-) 62,236
" The value of cotton-bagging, of which 19-20ths
are reckoned to be exported, exceeds that of several
of the articles enumerated ; but the remarkable cir-
cumstances attending the exportation of this com-
modity during the last 12 years, require to be par-
ticularly considered. On reference to the return of
cotton-bagging, it will be found that the number of
pieces exported in the 12 years from 1st June, 1826,
to 31st Majr, 1838, is 746,839, making an annual
average of 62,236. The average of the three years
ended the 31st May, 1829, is 56,203; of the three
years ended the 31st May, 1832, is 59,337; of the
three years ended the 31st May, 1835, is 45,952;
and of the three years ended the 31st May, 1838, is
87,453. During the first six years of this period,
the difference of the annual number of pieces ex-
ported was not very great, and the profits of the
trade were fair. During the next three years the
exportation, as a whole, was moderate, particularly
in the two first years, when great profits were real-
ized. This led to an excessive and foolish exporta-
tion in the year ended 31st>May, 1836, when no less
than 159,494 pieces were sent from this port, exceed-
ing the exportation of the whole three years, ended
31st May, 1835, by no less than 21,636 pieces. The
crop of American cotton this year, one of the great-
est they have ever had, is estimated at 1,700,000
bales, which, allowing a piece of bagging to pack 11
bales, will consume 154,500 pieces. As the Ameri-
cans themselves furnish one-half of this quantity, the
exportation of 1836 was equal to two years' con-
sumption. Hence, although a part of that year's
exportation may have been sold at a profit, its ulti-
mate effects, followed by the commercial crisis which
took place in the same year, were to depress the
prices, and to render the speculations ruinous. The
same results which followed the excessive importa-
tion of flax have therefore taken place, and before
the trade will furnish profits, it will be necessary
that more attention be paid to ptoportion the supply
to the demand.
" On taking a general view of the trade during
the three years ended 31st May, 1838, it appears that
the value of the articles imported, and principally
used in our manufactures, amounts to £3,284,585,
and that the value of the articles exported in the
l>eriod is £4,108,970. This leaves a surplus
of £824,385, being a little more than 'JO per rent.
on the imported value. But as, taking one manu-
e with another, the expense of the labour added
to the value of the raw material maybe 30 per cent.,
it follows, that during these three years, the loss
sustained by the community, on the whole trade,
has been nearly 5 per cent. If each particular year
be examined, we find that the value of the imports,
in the year ended 31st May, 1836, is £l,253,29b.
The value of the exports is £1,651,439, being a sur-
plus of about 32 per cent, to meet the 30 per tvnt.
paid for labour, added to the prime cost of the raw
material. In the year ended 31st May, 1837, the
cost of the imports amounts to £1,248,776, whilst
the exports are only valued at £1,284,862, showing
a surplus of nearly 3 per cent, to meet 30 per ce;it.,
the cost of the labour of converting the raw mate-
rial into manuiacrihvd articles. In the year ended
31st May, 1838, the value of the imports amounts
to £782,513, while the amount of the exports
reaches £1,172,669, showing an increase of nearly
50 per cent, to meet the additional cost of labour of
about 30 per cent., added to the value of the raw
materials of which the manufactured articles are
composed. This would leave a profit of 20 per cent."
During the year eiiciing April, 1840, the export of
manufactured goods was as under : —
18^9.
Piece.'.
6,3 5
17.U(>2
4,313
1810.
Piece*.
0,1)49
16,116
Osnaburglis,
Sli.'eting6,
Cotton Bagging, •*,.>!.. * oca
Canvas, l2,5f>5 12,103
Dowlas, 5,275 ti,8(>8
S.irking, 7,4*0 8,(>I3
Sundries Bagging, 1,520 1,273
Sundries, 2,285 2 533
Total,
2,285
56,785
58,343
Inc.
1'ifcei.
515
K593
*V48
1,558
Dec.
PICCJI
S)46
4'J
2t
Other manufactures than those already men-
tioned, are the making of ' Dundee kid gloves,'
famed over the whole country, chiefly on account
of the superior manner in which they are sewed,
and made of a fine leather principally imported
from England; — sugar-refining, conducted in one
sugar-house, — the making of candles and snuff, —
the working of iron, — the constructing of machin-
ery,— and the making of hand-cards, and curds lor
cotton, wool, silk, and tow.
In 1731, the entire shipping belonging to Dundee,
Perth, Broughty-ferry, Ferry-Port-on-Craig, and St.
Andrews, amounted to 70 vessels, 2,300 tonnage.
In 1792, the number of vessels belonging to Dundee
alone was 116; tonnage, 8,550. In 1815, a grand
impulse began to be given to commerce by the vast
improvements »vhich were commenced upon the har-
bour. In the years 1824, 1829, 1833, 1836, and 1840,
th*e vessels and tonnage were as follows : —
In I £24, 1«5
In 1S33J 284
In 1840, 324
17,945 tonnage.
27,l.>0 toniih^e.
3.'>,473 tonnage.
3:1,531 tonnage.
51,135 toniuige.
Several of the larger vessels belonging to companies
are employed in whale-fishing. The amount of pro-
duce brought home by these vessels in 1833, \\as
2,020 tons of oil, and 100 tons of whalebone; jointly
about £54,000 in value. The vessels next in size
trade to the Baltic, the West Indies, North and
South America, and other foreign markets, for the
manufactures of the town. Many vessels are em-
ployed by various shipping companies, in maintain-
ing regular and frequent communieation with Lon-
don, Hull, Newcastle, Leith, Aberdeen, and Glas-
gow. Numerous small vessi-ls also are employed in
the edasting trade, carrying lime and coals, and other
bulky cargoes. But the most brilliant and stirring
movements in the port are those of steam navigation.
With tin- coast of Fife a communication is maintained
hourly during a large portion of tho day. The vc»-
380
DUNDEE.
sel employed on this ferry performs the trip in 20
minutes, allowing 10 minutes at each side for dis-
embarkation and embarkation. The length on the
deck is 92 feet, and the breadth about 34. One
end, for 32 feet, is 2 feet lower than the rest of the
deck, and railed in for carriages and cattle, and has
its side doors fitted with a drawbridge by which
easy egress is afforded to the quay. The vessel
consists of 2 hulls, with a canal between, and is
worked by 2 engines of 15 horse-power each, driv-
ing a paddle in the intervening canal. The machin-
ery is so constructed that either end may be the
stern ; allowing the vessel to land and start again
without turning. About 100,000 persons are annu-
ally conveyed across the estuary by it, besides car-
riages, horses, and vast numbers of cattle. Steam-
boat communication is maintained daily with New-
burgh and Perth ; and in summer this communica-
tion is extended to Broughty-ferry, and Ferry-Port-
on- Craig. An excellent steam navigation is main-
tained between Dundee and Leith ; and three splen-
did steam-ships maintain communication with Lon-
don. The actual and comparative prosperity of the
port from the commencement of the improvements
on the harbour in 1815, till May 1828, will be shown
table of the nett amount of harbour-
by the following
revenue derived
from the shore-dues : —
From July, 1815, to July, 1816,
From May, 1820, to May, 1821,
From May, 1825, to May, 1826,
From May, 1827, to May, 1828,
£1,096
5,910
8,055
9,236
The amount of customs duties received at the
port in 1833, were £48,608; in 1838, £78,028; in
1840, £63,346; arid in 1843, £40,471. The num-
ber of sailing vessels under 50 tons, registered at the
port on 31st Dec., 1841, was 64; above 50 tons,
273 ; total tonnage, 50,666 tons. The aggregate
tonnage of sailing vessels as on 31st Dec., 1843,
was 48,920 tons. The number of steam-vessels in
1843, was 1 of 23 tons ; and 8 of the aggregate bur-
then of 1,727 tons.
Two railways leading from Dundee have been
constructed respectively to Newtyle, and to Ar-
broath and Forfar. — The Newtyle railway — for
•which the first act passed in May 1826, and which
was opened in 1831 — opens a communication with
Strathmore, and was projected under an appre-
hension that the commerce of that far -extend-
ing and populous arid fertile valley, as well as that
of Perth, might be diverted to Arbroath. This
railroad is a single truck line, 1 1 miles in length ;
runs for two-thirds of its length through the lands
of Lord Airlie and Lord Wharncliffe ; and cost up-
wards of £100,000. Starting from the north side of
Dundee, it ascends an inclined plain over a distance
of 800 yards, rising 1 yard in 10; it then, proceeding
in a northerly course, passes through a shoulder
of Dundee-law, in a tunnel of 340 yards in length ;
and it afterwards passes along two other inclined
planes before reaching Newtyle. The waggons
employed to carry goods on this line are assisted up
five inclined planes by stationary steam-engines.
This railway has literally perforated the obstruction
which the heights behind the town placed in the
way of communication with Strathmore, and has
already prodigiously increased the traffic between
that district and the town. The number of passen-
gers by this line during the year ending April 30,
1840, was 71,004; amount of goods carried 43,192
tons ; revenue £8,260. There are branch lines from
Newtyle to Cupar- Angus, 5| miles in length ; and
to Glammis, 7£ miles in length.
Dundee is connected with Arbroath and Forfar by-
two distinct lines, the Dundee and Arbroath, and the
Arbroath and Forfar line. The former of these lines
is described in a subsequent article : see DUNDEE and
ARBROATH RAILWAY. The distance from Dundee
harbour to Arbroath is 16| miles, and is nearly level
throughout ; from Arbroath to Forfar the distance
is 15^ miles, with a rise of 220 feet. This line will
probably continue to be the most advantageous line
of communication between Dundee and Forfar,
though it is twice the length of the turnpike road
between these towns. This is owing to the diffi-
culty of crossing the Sidlaw-hills, which intersect
the direct line nearly at right angles, the undula-
tions of the intermediate country being also in a great
measure parallel to their direction. The summit-
level of the Dundee and Newtyle railway, is 544
feet above the level of the sea, though it crosses the
Sidlaw ridge at the lowest point to be found for 10
miles eastward ; whereas the summit-level of the
Arbroath and Forfar railway is 280 feet lower, and
this height is attained without expense and delay of
stationary engines. The total expenditure on the
Arbroath and Forfar line up to April 1844, was
£140,782. The receipts for the year ending April
15, 1844, were £8,360, of which £2,945 were for
passengers, and £4,858 for goods.
In addition to these actually executed lines, an
extensive series of projected railways are connected
with this important town. Among these the Scot-
tish Midland Junction line, running from Perth to
Forfar, with a total length of 38 miles, 22 chains
through the vale of Strathmore, along the right
bank of the Tay, and the left bank of the Islay, it
is proposed will employ about 4 miles of the present
Cupar- Angus branch of the Newtyle railway ; and
after a short deviation, about 4£ miles of the branch
to Glammis; and at Forfar will effect a junction
with the Dundee, Arbroath, and Forfar lines. From
this line before it reaches Cupar-Angus, the pro-
jected and competing Perth and Inverness, the Direct
Northern, and the Great Northern lines all branch off;
while from the line betwixt Arbroath and Forfar,
the Aberdeen coast-line will branch off at Friock-
heim. The length of the line from Friockheim to
Aberdeen will be 49 miles 930 yards. — Another
approved line of railway, known as the Dundee
and Perth, runs direct from Perth to Dundee, by
the valley of the Tay, or the Carse of Gowrie, a
distance of 23| miles, joining the terminus of the
Dundee and Arbroath railway at the docks of Dun-
dee ; and besides these lines, it is proposed to con-
nect Dundee with the Edinburgh and Northern line
running from Burntisland, through Fife, to Perth,
by a branch from Cupar, by Guard-bridge, to Ferry-
Port-on-Craig opposite to Dundee.
Dundee is excellently accommodated with flesh
and fish markets. Its fuel consists of coal, brought
chiefly from England. The town, in its streets,
shops, and public buildings, is lighted with .gas.
Altogether, Dundee is behind no ttnvn of Scotland
in the race of social and civic improvement ; and,
for a considerable series of years, it has outstripped
most in the careerings of commercial enterprise. " In
population," — says the writer in the New Statistical
Account of Scotland, under date December 1833, —
" In population, manufactures, and trade, in the
luxury and comfort which prevail, Dundee has per-
haps advanced faster than any similar town in the
kingdom. There are men alive in it who remember
when its population was only one-fifth of what it is
now, — when its harbour was a crooked wall, often
enclosing but a few fishing or smuggling craft, —
when its spinning-mills were unknown and unthought
of, and its trade hardly worthy of the name. And
curious would it be could we anticipate the future*
and tell what will be its state when another genera-
tion shall have passed away, and other hands shall
DUNDEE.
381
rhaps be called to prepare a record of its progress
decline." We were much amused with the fol-
ing account of Dundee, written in 1678, and now
jsent it to our readers as a curiosity in its way.
is taken from a Description of the County of
igus, originally written in Latin, by Robert Ed-
d, minister of Murroes, and published in the year
along with a pretty large map of the county,
juted by the same hand. A copy of this " De-
iption " was found among some loose papers in the
se of Panmure about 60 years ago, and being the
copy that could be traced, a translation was
5 from it and published in 1793, inscribed to the
lourable William Ramsay Maule, now Lord Pan-
After stating that there are five royal burghs
Angus, and specifying four of them, viz., Forfar,
•echin, Montrose, and Arbroath, the following de-
ription is given of Dundee, as the fifth : — " But at
mdee, the harbour, by great labour and expense,
been rendered a very safe and agreeable station
vessels ; and from this circumstance the town has
le the chief emporium, not only of Angus, but
Perthshire. The citizens here (whose houses re-
ible palaces) are so eminent in regard to their
and industry, that they have got more rivals
equals in the kingdom. The town is divided
four principal streets, which we may suppose to
snt a human body, stretched on its back, with
arms towards the west, and its thighs and legs
yards the east. The steeple represents the head,
an enormous neck, rising upwards of eighteen
js into the clouds, and surrounded with two
ttlements or galleries, one in the middle, and
ther at the top, like a crown adorning the head,
lose loud-sounding tongue daily calls the people to
>rship. The right hand is stretched forth to the
>r, for there is a large and well-furnished hospital
that side; but the left hand, because nearer the
rt, is more elevated towards heaven than the
it, indicating a devout mind panting after celestial
joyments. In the inmost recesses of the breast
the sacred temples of God. So remarkable
the people of this place for their adherence to
ic religion, that, at the Reformation, it was hon-
oured with the appellation of a second Geneva, On
the left breast is a Christian burying-place, richly
and piously ornamented, that the pious dead may be
long held in veneration and esteem. In the belly is
the market-place, at the middle of which is the cross,
like the navel in the body. Below the loins stand
the shambles, which, as they are in a proper place,
so are they very neat and convenient, having a hid-
den stream of fresh water, which, after wandering
through the pleasant meadows on the left, runs under
them ; and having thus, as it were, scoured the veins
and intestines of the town, is afterwards discharged
•into the river. Here the thighs and legs are separ,
ated. The sea approaching the right invites to the
trade and commerce of foreign countries ; and the left
limb, separated tor the right a full step, points to
home trade in the northern parts of the county."
Such is the account given of Dundee in 1678; and
it the writer of the above were now to view the hu-
man body which he so minutely describes, we doubt
not that, owing to the huge corpulency and great
stature it has attained in the course of eigbtseore
he would be much puzzled to trace out the
features of the child in the full-grown man.
By act of 3° and 4° William IV. the town-council
of Dundee is fixed at '20, exclusive of the dean-of-
guild, who has a seat ex otlicio. All the councillors
retire in a cycle of 3 years, 6 the first year, and 7
the second and the third; and, the burgh being
divided into 3 districts, 2 are returned each year by
each district, and 3 the second and the third year by
the first district. The magistrates are a provost
and four bailies, — the provost being chief magis
trate. They exercise jurisdiction over the whole
ancient and extended royalty, including all the sub-
urbs and urban population. They try questions of
debt to any amount ; and all criminal cases within
burgh. There is a sheriff-substitute in Dundee, whose
jurisdiction is cumulative with that of the magistrates
within the royalty, and at the same time extends
over a portion of the county of Forfar, forming the
parishes of Dundee. The magistrates have the
appointment of the town-clerks, procurator-fiscal,
chamberlain, collector of cess, jailer, and other city-
officers. The town-clerk and procurator-fiscal are
appointed ad vitam out cnl[>am; the other officers
hold their appointments during the pleasure of the
council. There are five churches of the Establish-
ment within the burgh of Dundee, of which the
magistrates and council are patrons. The guild-bur-
gesses— about 750 in number — enjoy the exclusive
privilege of carrying on trade within the burgh ; and
are possessed of funds, secured upon heritable bonds,
amounting at Michaelmas, 1832, to about £2,000.
There are nine incorporated trades and three united
trades of Dundee, all enjoying the exclusive privilege
[of exercising their crafts within the burgh, and pos-
sessing funds which are employed chiefly in giving
assistance to decayed members and widows. The
police of Dundee is now regulated by statute passed
in 1837 [7° Will. IV. c. 109], by which the town is
divided into eleven wards, and the provost, four
bailies, dean-of-guild, the sheriff of the county, and
his substitute for the Dundee district, together with
two general commissioners for each ward, are ap-
pointed general commissioners for the purposes of
the act. There are also two resident commissioners
chosen for each ward ; both the general and resident
commissioners are chosen by the persons occupying
houses or other premises within their respective
wards, valued at £2 and upwards of yearly rent.
The general commissioners for each ward are head
constables The public property of the town con-
sists of lands, houses, churches, and salmon-fishings ;
and in 1833, was estimated at £123,447 10s. 10(1.
The revenue of the burgh in 1692, was .£279 4s.
6d. In 1788, it was £2,820 8s. 8^d. The pre-
sent ordinary revenue, arising from lands, houses,
fishings, &c., feu-duties, ground annuals, vicarage-
duties, nnilture-malt, interest of money from petty
customs, burgesses' entries, duty of 2d. Scots on the
pint of ale, rent of shops, rent of kirk-roods, and
duty on coals paid to kirk-fund, and church seat-
rents, is £7,011 Us. 3i£d. There was also a ca-
nal revenue, in 1833, of £528 4s. lid., making the
total revenue of the year £7,539 16s. 2[.}d.* The
revenue, in 1838-9, was £7,935 7s. 7d.
* At a meeting of the Town-council held at the ciose of Ift'tt,
Mr. Moyea produced :nui read HII ah tract of the income and
expenditure of the town 1mm *2(>tii September, Ih.TI, to tfth No-
vember. ls.i7. He then read the following resolutions, and
moved tin1 r adoption.
"I. 'Hint from an abstract of the revenue and expenditure
of the burKli from 5>(>ili *eptember, )S3|, to riOth Septemt>er,
1840, made up by the Tmvn-clmiiiberlain, it appears, that, dur-
ing the six years ending fith November, 1807, the expenditure
of the Min.'li exceeded the income to the extent of £12,840 Us.
(id., or £2,140 Os. Id. per annum.
" 2. That, notwithstanding thix great and continued deficiency
in the revenue, the Town-council, in the year 18:14, engaged in
attempt* to introduce water into the town by menu* ..I com.
l»u:-or\ as-e-Miient, (oiitrary to the wishes of a lar«e numr.er
of their constituents, a* well as of the owners of properly in
Dundee; xnd during that and the three following year* detita
were incurred, or are alleged to have been incurred, relative
to the m,.tfer of the water, to the extent of flft.101 ?.*. ll«d.
44 3. That it thus appears, that from September, IStl. to No-
vember, |S<7, the expenditure of the burgh exceeded the in-
come to I he extent of £'/7,h7l 3*. 5«d.
•' 4. Tint by the ac.1 3 George IV., cap 91, $ 11, it i« enacted,
'that it diall not be lawful lor the magistrates or the Town-
council of any burgh to contract any debt, grant any obligation.
382
DUNDEE.
Dundee formerly united with Perth, Cupar-Fife,
St. Andrews, and Forfar, in sending one member
to parliament; but under the reform act it returns a
member for itself and suburb?. In 1839, the parlia-
mentary constituency was 2, 740; the municipal 2,693.
Pop. of burgh and parish, in 1801, 26,(>H4; in 1831,
45.355; in 1841, 63,825. Houses, in 1841, 14,078.
Previous to the act of assembly in 1834, the whole
burgh of Dundee, with a considerable landward ter-
ritory, formed only one parish. This, for convenience, j
was divided into several districts, over each of which I
a minister and his elders presided. Since then the j
original parish has been divided quoad sacra into J2 ;
separate parishes.
1st, ST. MARY'S, comprehends the rural district
of the original parish, together with a portion of the
suburbs of the town. Population, in 1837, 5,305;
of whom 3,384 belonged to the Establishment. Two
places of worship, the Old church, with 1,094 sit- '
tings, and the South, with 1,354, both supposed to
have been built in the 10th or llth century, and of
late thoroughly repaired, were used, previous to the
make any agreement, or enter into any engagement, which shall
have the effect of binding them or their successors in office, un- !
l«*x* an act of council shall have been previously made in that
behalf.' And as a doubt has recently been btarted whether the
predecessors in office of tlrs council did, by art or acts of conn.
HI, authorize the various accounts as to the water bills (pay- j
metit of which in now Bought from the council) to be incurred,
so an t-> render it incumbent on this or any succeeding council
to discharge them, the council now recommends to their suc-
cessors in office to m;ike irquirv liow far the provisions of the |
forenaid act in relation to the several water account* were com.
plied with, and thereafter to proceed as they shah be advised.
'•5. That, from the abstract of the income and expenditure
before referred to, it appears that the expenditure of the burgh
during the period from 7th November, 1837, to 30th September, :
1840, exceeded the income by £7,187 13s. 1 4* l*d. or £•:, ,95 17».
tf*d per annum.
"6. That the additional interest chargeable against the bunjh,
in co. sequence of the extra expenditure during tlie six years ',
eudmg 7th November, 1837, exceeds £l,(i'Kj per annum.
"7. That, besides thin yearly interest, the loresaid sum of ;
£7.18* iin-liidefi &V.) 4-j. 3d. paid to the managers of the burgh,
and other accounts, amounting to £U44 II-. I(X>J — all which
MUDS were incurred previous to November, 1837; and deducting
them and the said interest (in ail £5,143 i(>-. Id.) from the total
x-tra expenditure for the three yea™ s.nce November, I8.,7, the
.tctual extra expenditure beyond the ii.come from that time to
30th September last, amounts to £.2,043 160. 11»OJ., or £681 5s.
7d. per annum.
•'8. That, under all the^e circumstances it is the opinion of
this council that the re-olutinn of the Committee on the Funds
of the Town, dated 13th October current, and approved of by
the council, should !>-• Ktrictly adhered to for the future."
Mr. ha*son then seconded the re-olutioiiii, which were adopted
— the dean-nf.i/uild dissenting. Very lii tie discussion took place
on these resolutions; but Mr. Moyes read the following abstract
of the ohambrrtata'i report: —
Income and Expenditure of the Town, from 2C>th September,
1831, totith November, 1837,— abridged by .Mr. Muyc».
Yearly Expenditme l>fi-
and li.c .me. cieiicy.
Ordinary expenditure for the above
period £13,760 £8.126
Ordinary income for the same period, 15,0 15 7,5u7
£619
Extraordinary expenditure,
Extraordinary income,
£3,717
JEI.W4
uta
£»a,140
Pram November 6lh, 1837, to September 30/A, 1840.
Ordinary expenditure, . £25,684 £8.561
Oidinary income, . . . 23,917 7 V72
£589
£l.7'i7
Extraordinary expenditure, . £5.455 £1,818
Extraordinary income, . ;J5 n £1,806
Deficiency on ordinary expenditure
from 18.ll to !So7, . . . £;;.7i7
Do. Kxtraordii.ary, do. do. !). \»i
Do. on Ordinary dr». from 18^7 to 1H4(I, l,7(>7
Do. Extraordinary do. do. 5,4z()
£7,187
Paid on account of Water Bills,
Churned aa due for Water Bills,
£ll,97fi
15,03/
late tire, in common by the congregation of St»
Mary's, and by those of the second and the t'.ird
parishes. Stipend £286 10s. 7d. ; glebe £25. Un-
appropriated teinds £48 13s. lid.
2d, ST. PAUL'S. This is wholly a town-parish,
about 4 a-mile square. Population, in 1837, 3,969
of whom 2,335 belonged to the Establishment,
Stipend of the minister £274 17s. 2d. ; of the as-
sistant and successor, who is also parochial mission-
ary, £95 — The fourth United Secession congrega-
tion was established in February 1837. The church
is rented for £44 a-year, and has 420 sittings Thu
Oriirinal Seceder congregation was established in
1818. The church was purchased from a Relief
congregation for £650, and repaired at an expense
of £100. Sittings 900. Stipend £120 The Bap-
tist conirregation of the Meadows was established in
1810. The chapel is the upper Hat of an ec'.ifire,
built in 1835, at a cost of £1,400. Sittings 300.
No stipend — The Society of Friends' congregation
was organized about 1833, and meets in a dwelling-
bouse. No stipend — The Paedobaptist Berean con-
gregation was established about 1778, and assembles
in a school-room rented at £5. Sittings 12-5. .No
stipend — The Baptist Berean congregation, formerly
one with the preceding, meets in the Wrights' hall,
Nethergate, rented at £5. Sittings 125. No sti-
pend.— The congregation in Ranken's close has no
particular denomination, was established in 1832,
and meets in a large flat rented at £9. Sittings 80.
No stipend.
3d, GREYFRIARS. This parish includes about
one-eighth of the town and suburbs. Population,
in 1837, 4,991 ; of whom 3,398 belonged to the Es-
tablishment. Stipend £275 Is. 8d The Estab-
lished church Gaelic chapel had not, in 1837, anv
parish attached to it ; but was designed for the whole
Gaelic population, estimated at from 600 to 700.
Sittings 391. Stipend about £110. — The first
United Secession congregation was established in
1745. The church, situated in School- wyrid, wa»
built in 1825, and cost upwards of £2,000. Sittings
1,010. Stipend £200, with an allowance of £20
for sacramental expenses — The second United S
cession congregation was established in 1 747. The
church used in 1837 was built in 1764, and had 750
sittings. But a new and very commodious church
was opened in Constitution-street in 1840. Stipend
of senior minister £120, with a house; of junior
minister £120 — The Original Burgher congregation
is supposed to have been established about the year
1745. The church, situated in Barrack-street, was
built in 1814, and subsequently enlarged, at an entire
expense of £1,769 16s. 4d. Sittings 756. Stipend
£175 — The Congregational church assembling in
Constitution-street was established in 1800. The
chapel was built in 1833, and cost £3,000. Sitting!
1,250. Stipend £300. -The Old Scotch Indepen-
dent congregation was established in 1771, and meeta
in the upper flat of an edifice, built in 1826, and
fitted up as a chapel. Sittings 160. No stipend. —
The New Jerusalem congregation was established
in 181 7, and assembles in a hall rented at £4. Sit-
tings 250. No stipend — The Wesleyan Methodist
congregation was established in 1764. The chapel
was purchased in 1788 for £300. Sittings 522.
Stipend £120 — The United Methodist congregation
was established in 1835. The chapel, situated in
Lindsay-street, was built in 1838, and cost about
£2,000. Sittings 1,035. Stipend £104. — The
United Christian congregation was established in
1830, and, in 1837, assembled in the Scotch Episco-
pal chapel, rented at £7, arid containing 600 sittinpj.
But a new and commodious chapel has since 1-etn
built at a cost of about £1,800. Sittings 1,150
DUNDEE.
tiperul £100. — The congregation of the Holy Apos-
»lic Catholic church was established in 18.%, ;md
;mbles in a hall rented at .£35. Stipend variable.
-The Unitarian congregation was established in 1834.
ittings mi Salary £74.
4th, ST. JOHN'S. The greatest length of this
sh is about half-a-mile. Population, in 1837,
nvards of 5,000. The parish-church, usually called
Cross church, has been used as a place of wor-
> during the last 100 years, and was altered and
irged in 1830. Sittings 1,037. Stipend .£275.
third United Secession congregation was
•lislu-d in 1832. The church was built in 1834,
cost £2,300. Sittings 1,014. Stipend £200
Relief congregation was established in 1820.
chapel, built in 1792, was purchased in 1833
£1,000. Sittings 870. Stipend £100 The
Catholic congregation was established about
The chapel was built in 1836, and cost about
: 6,000. Sittings 1,182.
h, ST. CLEMENT'S. This is wholly a town-par-
f of a mile in extreme length, and ^ of a mile
extreme breadth. Population, in 1837, 6,446 ; of
vhom 3,917 belonged to the Establishment. The
rish-church, usually called the Steeple-church, was
lilt about 1782. Sittings 1,463. Stipend £300.
Episcopalian congregation of St. Paul's was
lished at a remote period. The church was
in 1812, and cost £3,686 14s. Sittings 504.
ipend £200 — The Baptist congregation, north
of Seagate, was organized in 1769. The chapel
built in 1789, and cost £420. Sittings 300.
tipend £20 — The Baptist congregation, south side
Seagate, was established about 1790. The chapel
upwards of £500. Sittings 250. No stipend,
he Reformed Presbyterian congregation was or-
lized in 1831. The chapel was built in 1838, and
st about A 800. Sittings 650. Stipend £100.
i, ST. ANDREWS. This parish is partly land-
but chiefly town. It measures in extreme
b, 1 mile ; in extreme breadth, £ of a mile,
mlation, in 1837, including that of Hillton parish
below], 8,723; of whom 4,360 belonged to the
rtablisbment. The church was built in 1774, and
ro-t £3,000. Sittings 1,486. Stipend of the fncum-
€70; of the assistant and successor £100
Tin: Primitive Methodist congregation was estab-
lished in 1835; and meets in a building fitted up as
a chapel, rented at £15. Sittings 170. Stipend £44.
— The Glassite chapel was built in 1732.
7th, ST. DAVID'S. This parish is chiefly town,
includes a small landward district, and also com-
ics a small part of the quoad cimlia parish of LifF.
greatest length is about 2 miles; greatest breadth
)ut $ of a mile. Population, in 1837, including
it of Dudhope [see below], 8,384. The parish.
h was built in 1800 by the Haldanites; and, in
was bought and fitted up by the town-council
at an expense of £2,221 6s. Sittings 1,608. Sti-
pend .£275.
8tb, CHAPELSHADE. This parish is partly land-
van! and partly town: greatest length, Ij mile;
-t breadth 1 mile. Population, in 1837, 7,320;
of whom 3,538 belonged to the Establishment. The
'lurch was built as a Relief chapel in 1 78!), and was
"ited to tin- Establishment as a chapel-of-e;iM- in
In 1KW) it was enlarged to the extent of 500
ditional sittings, at a cost of £880. Sittings 1,280.
'
ST. I'KTKK'S. Tliis is a suburban parish,
.•liding about a mile into the country. It mea-
ires, i,, extreme length, 1 \ mile; "in extreme
!th, about i of a mile; and in area, about 240
Population, in 1KJ7, estimated at 4,0<M).
ipend £220, with £12 for comnimr:.
i 10th, HILLTON. This is a newly erected quoad
sacra parish, having been cut off from St. Andrews
parish in 1838. It includes nearly all the suburban
and all the landward part of that parish. The po-
I pulation is about 4,000. The stipend averages £170.
There are a private school, and an infant school, in
i this parish, and a commodious parish-school is about
to be erected beside the church.
llth, DUDHOPE. This qimad sacra parish is
; chiefly composed of the western portion of the for-
mer parish of St. David's. Its population is about
2,200. The church is elegant and commodious, and
contains about 1,050 sittings. Stipend £150.
12th, WALLACETOWN. This quoad sacra parish
embraces a suburban district of about half-a-mile in
length, and a quarter-of-a-mile in breadth, containing
a population of about 3,000. Its church cost £2,700,
and seats 1,075. Stipend £150. There are a school
attached to the church, and an efficient infant-school,
and school-of-industry, in this parish.
The parliamentary documents on the state of edu-
cation in Dundee, follow the ecclesiastical division
which existed in 1834, and exhibit the town and
original parish, not in 12 districts, but in 7 — 1st,
Cowgate district. There were 9 schools, all non
parochial, and attended by an average of 435 scho-
lars, being fewer than 1 in 19 of the population —
2d, Chapelshade district. There were 7 schools, all
non-parochial, attended by 503.— 3d, St. Clement's
parish. There were 5 schools, all non-parochial,
attended by 645 4th, Greyfriars* parish. There
were 5 schools, all non- parochial 5th, Hawk hi 11
district. There were 10 schools, all non-parochial,
attended by 900. — 6th, St. Mary's parish. There
were 5 schools, all non-parochial, but free, attended
by 1,065 scholars 7th, St. Paul's parish. There
were 13 schools, all non-parochial. Seven were en-
dowed. One of these is an academy, one a gram-
mar-school, and one a sessional school, attended by
500 children.
Among many celebrated natives and citizens of
Dundee, may be mentioned, Alexander Scrymseour,
one of the heroic companions of Wallace, and the first
of Dundee's hereditary constables; — Sir John Scrym-
seour, one of the former's descendants, who became
Viscount of Dudhope, and adhering to Churles I.,
fell in the battle of Marston-muir ;— Hector Boethius,
i the Scottish historian, in 1470, the Principal of
! King's college, Aberdeen, and one of the revivers of
I elegant literature ; — Robert Pittilock, now called
• Patullo, who, as first Captain of the Scottish guard,
1 in the service of France, acquired distinguished mili-
i tary honours under Charles VII.; — James Hallibur-
| ton, one of the earliest and ablest of the Scottish re-
I formers, through whose influence Dundee became the
i first town of Scotland in which the reformed religion
was openly professed ; — George Mackenzie, Lord-ad-
vocate of Scotland, author ot the 4 Institutes of the
Scots Law,' and founder of the Advocates' library of
Edinburgh ; — .John Mar, the constructor, in the 17th
century, of a curious chart of the Is'orth sea and the
frith of Tay, which cannot, even at the present day,
be excelled in correct illustration ; — George Yeamen
of .Miirit', the representative of the town in the la.-t,
j Scottish or Union parliament, and one of the ablest
and most patriotic legislators of his country ; —
! Dr. John \\ illison, the well-known and cherished
j author of * The Afflicted Man's Companion ;' — Ro-
j bert Fergusson the poet, and Hobert Stewart, ;i
friend of his, and an eminently literary man; — James
U'cir and James Ivory, teacher.- in th" Dm, (ice se-
minary, and profound mathematicians; — Admiral
Duncan, the hero of < 'ampcrdown, and of many
Other naval tight-* ;— Dr. Robert Small, the author
of a luminous view of the astronomical discoveries
384
DUNDEE AND ARBROATH RAILWAY.
of Kepler, and of many valuable papers in the Trans-
actions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh — To these
might be added Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of
Rosslyn ; and Charles Middleton, 1st Lord Barham.
Dundee has even claimed Sir William Wallace as a
native.
Dundee was formerly fortified with walls, begun
by the English, and completed, in 1547, by the
French. The existence and even the position of its
gates are commemorated in the names of its streets,
Nethergate, Overgate, Seagate, and Murraygate, —
the first formerly called Fluckergate, and the second
Argylegate. The town was at an early period a
royal burgh. In the 12th century David, prince of
Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon, the hero of Sir Walter
Scott's graphic and exciting story of the Talisman,
landed at Dundee on his return from the crusades;
and, in fulfilment of some vows which he had made in
the spirit of the period, he built a gorgeous church,
and surmounted it with the magnificent tower which
still forms the most striking feature in a scenic pic-
ture of the burgh. Dundee was twice taken by
Edward I., pillaged of its records, robbed of its pro-
perty, defaced in its churches, and even burned to
the ground; and, though burned a third time during
the inroad made to Scotland, in 1385, by the Duke
of Lancaster, it speedily towered to an eminence of
prosperity greater than it had ever attained previous
to its disasters. At the period of the Reformation
it was the first town in Scotland which publicly re-
nounced popery ; and it became so noted for the
energetic and uncompromising spirit of its protestant-
ism as to acquire the title of the " Second Geneva."
General Monk encountered a stubborn, prolonged,
and sanguinary resistance beneath the walls of Dun-
dee; and when, at length, he took the town by as-
sault, he repaid the bravery of its burghers and of
numerous strangers who had fled to it for refuge, by
abandoning it to pillage. So great was the spoil,
that each soldier in Monk's army received for his
share nearly .£60 sterling, — a sum, in the com-
parative value of money at the period, truly won-
derful. Once more, however, the town speedily
emerged, in a degree, though not fully, from its
calamities; and thenceforth ceased to be the theatre
of any such events as ensanguine the pages of its
previous annals.
Dundee has at two periods given noble titles. Sir
John Scrymseour, of the family who were long con-
stables of the town and standard-bearers to the King
of Scotland, was created Viscount Dundee, in 1641 ;
and his second successor, the third Viscount, was
created Earl of Dundee in 1661. On the latter's
death, without immediate heirs, the Scrymseours of
Birkhill, now Wedderburn of Wedderburn, were de-
frauded of their inheritance. In 1686 the estates —
after having been for a time in the possession of Mait-
land of Hatton — were bestowed by James VII. on
Captain John Graham of Claverhouse. This man,
of infamous memory in the history of the persecu-
tion of Scotland's Worthies, was, in 1688, created
Viscount. Dundee. On his death, a few months
afterwards, at the battle of Killiecrankie, the estates
were finally conferred by King William on the family
of Douglas.
DUNDEE AND ARBROATH RAILWAY
An act for incorporating this company received the
royal assent on the 6th May, 1836," (6th William
IV., cap. 32,) and passed through both houses of
parliament with little or no opposition. The com-
pany broke ground in August, 1836; and the whole
line was completed in less than three years. This
line was constructed for the purpose of uniting the
towns of Dundee and Arbroath, between which there
is a considerable trade carried on. It commences
at Trades'-lane, Dundee, and takes an easterly direc-
tion, running parallel with Dock-street on the north,
and the proposed New Wet Docks on the south; it
then continues through an arm of the Tay for about
a mile, when it enters a very deep rock cutting on
the Craigie estate. Proceeding still eastward, it
crosses at two different points the road between
Dundee and Broughty-ferry. Broughty-ferry is dis-
tant from Dundee by railway, 3£ miles, and the de-
pot at this favourite bathing- village is very handsome
and commodious. Here the company's workshops
for repairing their engines, carriages, &c., are situ-
ated, and they are very commodious. On leaving
Broughty-ferry it takes its course along Broughty-
ferry links, and proceeds through barren sands, of
little or no value, until it reaches the thriving village
of Carnoustie, between Broughty-ferry and Carnous-
tie. There is a small station at Monifieth, but at this
place there is little business done. From Carnoustie
to Arbroath, a distance of 6|- miles, there is little to
interest the traveller. On approaching Arbroath
the line takes a very sharp curve of ^ mile radius.
Were this curve in the centre of the line, or where
the trains went at high velocities, it might be con-
sidered dangerous; but as it is placed close upon the
Arbroath depot, it is rather an advantage in bringing
up the speed of the trains than otherwise. At Ar-
broath the station is most commodious, and the
accommodation for passengers excellent. There is
a branch from this station to the harbour of Ar-
broatb, where it joins the Arbroath and Forfar rail-
way. Close upon the depot stands the Bell-rock
signal -tower, from whence a communication is kept
up with the men stationed upon the Bell-rock light-
house. This line, from the favourable gradients,
easily obtained, (the ruling one being 1 in 1,200,)
and the little value of the land through which it
goes, has been constructed at a much less cost than
any other railway in Great Britain, viz., £6,460 per
mile: and this too with a double line of rails. The
rails are 56 Ibs. to the yard, arid the bearings are
three yards apart; it is principally laid upon stone-
blocks, and the gauge, or width of rails, is 5 feet 6
inches. This is rather an uncommon gauge, arid it
is much to be regretted that it has not been more
generally adopted, as it admits of more room for the
complex machinery of the locomotive engine, and
gives greater steadiness to the carriages when in mo-
tion. The length of the line from Dundee to Ar-
broath is 16| miles; and it passes through the parishes
of Monifieth, Barry, Panbride, St. Vigeans, and Ar-
birlot. There are a number of beautifullv executed
bridges both under and over this line; and the bul-
wark, or sea-wall, which runs from Dundee to the
deep cutting at Craigie, is a work of great magni-
tude, showing, in an eminent degree, the skill and
ingenuity of the company's engineer, Mr. Miller, of
Grainger and Miller, Edinburgh, under whose direc-
tion the whole line was planned and executed. It
was first partially opened for passengers, from Craigie
to Arbroath, on the 6th October, 1838; to the Rood
yards of Dundee, on the 3d June, 1839; and the
whole line, from Trades'-lane, Dundee, to Arbroath,
was opened on the 1st April, 1840. The. capital
of the company is £100,000, in 4,000 shares of £25
each, with power to borrow an additional sum of
£40,000 in security of the works. But this has been
found barely sufficient to complete the line, and fur-
nish a sufficient supply of " plant'' or stock of work-
ing materials; arid an act has been obtained lately,
authorizing the creation of additional stock to the
amount of .£50,000. The fares between Dundee and
Arbroath, are — First class, 2s. 6d. ; Second do., 2s. ;
Third do., Is. 6d.; and the distance is performed in
55 minutes.
DUN
385
DUN
l.vtl
£
DUXDELCHACK (Locn), a lake in the parish ;
of Daviot, Inverness-shire. It is about 6 miles long, '
and 1£ broad. It never freezes in winter, but very ,
readily in spring, by one night's frost, in calm weather, j
tt pours its waters, by a small stream, into the Nairn, !
forming in its course several beautiful lochlets.
DUNDONALD,* a parish in the north-west of;
Kyle, on the coast of Ayrshire. It is bounded on i
the north by Irvine water, which separates it from !
Irvine, Dreghorn, and Kilmaurs ; on the east by •
Hiccarton and Craigie; on the south-east by Syming-
ton and Monkton ; and on the south-west and west
bv the frith of Clyde. From a bend in Irvine water,
fore that stream enters Irvine harbour, the parish
nds southward along the coast 7£ miles ; in its
atest breadth it extends between 6 and 7 miles;
and it contains an area of about 17 square miles. It
is divided from south to north into two nearly equal
parts, by the low range called the Claven hills, and
afterwards by Shewalton moss. The upper or east-
ern section is a rolling surface of gentle eminences,
adorned with clumps and belts of plantation ; and
consists, in general, of a fertile, loamy clay. The
lower or western section is nearly a dead Hat ; im-
iately on the coast, except around Troon, and in
e other spots, it is sandy and barren ; and from
f-a-mile inland, it has an excellent soil, and is in
state of fine cultivation. The promontory of
..., protruding 1£ mile into the sea, and not £
of average breadth, forms a fine feature in the
scape of the Ayrshire coast, as seen from the
inences south-eastward of Ayr. The Claven hills
ige south-eastward about 3 miles, and south- west-
~ about 1 £ mile, and are all either under culture,
pasturage, or covered with plantation. They are
low as not to bear comparison with the other hills
the county, yet have long been distinguished by
ticular names. One of the largest is called War-
hill, — probably a corruption of 'warlike;' and
on its summits the vestiges of two encamp-
ts. The Norwegians who landed near Ayr, and
afterwards defeated at Largs, it is thought, for-
ed this hill ; and they here were not only on a
it of great security from the hostile warlike ap-
pliances of their period, but enjoyed a delightful and
extensive view over the rich amphitheatre of Cun-
nin^lmrn and Kyle, and the picturesque attractions
or the frith of Clyde. On a rising ground, near the
village of Dundonald, stands the ruin of Dundonald
cast lr, described below. Westward of the castle is
a very beautiful sylvan bank,, nearly a mile in length,
and, in most places, upwards of 100 feet in height.
In a grand curvature of this bank, and on a gentle
eminence, stands the house of Auchans, for a long
period the residence of the Wallaces of Dundonald ;
afterwards, about 1640, the property of Sir William
Coehrane of London, who was created Earl of Dun-
donald; and subsequently the possession of the Earls
of Kiflinton. At the Auchans are the remains of a
all orchard, which was once in high reputation.
he pear, well-known in Scotland by the name of
urhans, derived that name from this place. The
came originally from France, was planted in this
hard, grew to a great height, and was, not long
, blown down by a storm. It appears that the
allaees had preceded the noble family of Dundon-
in the pos<e»>ion of this property, as well as that
Auchans: for Douglas mentions .lohn Wallace of
ndonald and Auchans, as having married a dangh-
ot David Stuart of Castlemilk, some time pos-
ior to the year 1570. Both father and -on, of the
ic name, are mentioned as proprietors of Dundon-
* The nun* me;.in ' Donald'* hill.' or « fort,' and rnti.-t have
i derived Irotn an e.ninenre within its limits surmounted by
ttthmghold.
1.
aid, A. D. 1572. Plantations, especially around
Auchans, are large. Shewalton moss, nearly 4 miles
in circumference, affords an inexhaustible supply of
peat. Coal abounds, and is worked in large quanti-
ties for exportation. The parish is traversed south-
westward by the railway from Kilmarnock to Troon,
and southward along the coast by the great railway
between Glasgow and Ayr ; it is intersected, in va-
rious directions, by 7 or 8 lines of road, and it ha.s
harbours at Troon, Halfway or Irvine. Its villages
are Troon [See TROON], Dundonald, Fairlie, Shew-
alton, Loans, and Halfway. The last is a suburb
of Irvine, In 1836, Troon had a population of 1,088;
Fairlie and Shewalton, of 505, chiefly colliers; Dun-
donald and Loans, of 505, consisting principally of
handloom weavers and handicraftsmen ; and Halfway,
2,571, consisting chiefly of seamen, ship-carpenters,
and persons employed about the harbour. Popula-
tion of the parish, in 1801, 1,240; in 1831, 5,579.*
Houses 685. Assessed property, in 1815, ±'14,385 __
Dundonald is in the presbytery of Ayr, and synod of
Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Earl of Eglinton.
Stipend £256 2s. 1 1,1. ; glebe .£8. Unappropriated
teinds £647 Is. 5d __ The parish-church was built
in 1803, and repaired in 1835; sittings 61 1. In 1836
an additional church was erected at Troon, having
900 sittings ; and another was about to be erected at
Halfway, with from 800 to 1,000 sittings. Both
were intended to be made parish-churches, quoad
sacra __ The United Secession built at Troon a cha-
pel in 1822 or 1823, with 289 sittings ; and though
they for a time abandoned it, they have recently had
their people there recongregated. — In 1830. accord-
ing to the report of the religious instruction com-
mission, there were in the parish persons belonging
to the Established church, 3,960; belonging to other
denominations, 1,878; not known to belong to any
denomination, 29 : total, 5,867. Parish schoolmas-
ter's salary £29 18s. 9d., with about £50 of other
emoluments. There are 10 schools not parochial, —
3 of them exclusively for females. — The parish of
Dundonald anciently comprehended, on the east, the
chapelry of Riccarton, which was erected into a
separate parish long before the Reformation ; and,
on the south, the chapelry of Crossby, now included
in the united parishes of Monktou and Prestwick.
The church, along with its two chapels, belonged to
the monks of Paisley, and was served by a vicar.
Dundonald castle has never made any conspicuous
appearance in our national history; but it claims
attention as having been the residence of some of
our princes of the house of Stuart. It is situated
on the coast of the frith of Clyde, in the above par-
ish. This castle gives name to the earldom in the
family of Cochrane ; but the rising ground on which
the castle stands, with 5 roods of land adjoining, is
all the property in this parish which now pertains to
that family. No authentic record can be produced
as to the time when the castle was built, or when it
was spoiled of its roof, and rendered desolate. A
large pile still remains. The walls are very thick,
and built of whinstone, which abounds in the vicin-
ity. The corners are of a freestone superior in
quality to any now found in the parish. The Stuart
arm:- are engrossed in different parts of the building,
and the whole has much the form of those ca>tli-s
which were raised in many places of Britain during
the 12th and 13th centuries. •• The inanorii.nl JMI-
• Tlie viist d rterewe octxvceii the population in ivOI
and 1831, is not till un-rea.se. 1 or since i»*l. ilie vtli. ;_•.•- of
1 roon, Hallway, mid Mierralton, were deta«-he.i In-m tin- [<M-
i-li ol Irvine, and annexed to that ot Dundonald. In |s.;i,
III--..' alone contained 2,5lf> ••( the population ; and. in tl.e reii-
>n> ot IN<)1, they of course do not appear, or appear only in the
parish uf Irvine.
2B
DUN
386
DUN
iftli of Dundonald belonged to Walter, the son of
Alan, the hVtt Stewart, who held the whole of the
northern half of Kyle, in the beginning of the reign
of William the Lion; and it might have been granted
to him by David I., or his successor Malcolm IV.
Perhaps the castle of Dundonald was built by the
first Walter, who had no appropriate house or castle
when he settled in Scotland. It seems to have been
the only castle which the Stewarts had in their ex-
tensive barony of Kyle Stewart; but several of their
vassals had small castles in that district." [' Cale-
donia,' vol. iii. p. 508.] — Some writers have asserted
— although perhaps rather on doubtful authority —
that Walter, the lirst of this name, and son of Fle-
ance, received from Malcolm Canmore the baronies
of Strathgrief, or Renfrew, and Kyle, in lieu of his
pretensions to Lochaber. We do not know that the
name of this place occurs before the mention that is
made of it in the designation of Walter, the third of
this Christian name, who is designed ' of Dundonald.'
He was made Justiciary of Scotland by Alexander
II., in 1230. It was his son Alexander who behaved
so gallantly in the battle of Largs, against the Nor-
wegians. " The castle of Dundonald," says Chal-
mers, "became the retreat of Robert II., after his
retirement from government, upon the death of
James, Earl of Douglas, at Otterburn, in 1388." He
must, however, before this date, have occasionally
made this the place of his residence : for Sir John
Kennedy, of Dunure, having endowed a chapel ad-
joining to the burial-place of the parish-church of
Maybole, this grant is confirmed by Robert II. at
Domdouenald, 4th December, 1371.** Robert II.,
after he ascended the throne, lived much in Dun-
donald castle, wherein he died in 1390. This event
is particularly commemorated by the good prior of
St. Serf's Inch in Lochlevin :
The sccownd Robert of Scotland Kyug,
AH God pnnvaid, maid endyng
At D'lwnduwnald in his mntre.
Of a srlio; t seknes thare deyd he.
WYNTOUN, B. ix. c. 10, v. 3.
In the same fortress, his mild, but unfortunate, son
arid successor, Robert III. occasionally resided. f
We need scarcely remind the reader, that this prince
had been baptized by the name of John ; but that
this being deemed an unlucky name — as exemplified
in the history of King John of England, of John
Baliol, and of John, king of France — it was, at his
accession, judged expedient that he should assume
that of Robert. Hence, in the language of the vul-
gar, he was commonly known by the sobriquet of
John Fernyeir, equivalent to " John of the last year,"
or " he who was formerly called John." His first
title of honour seems to nave been Lord of Kyle ;
afterwards he was Earl of Carrick ; as- we learn trom
Wyntoun : — .
Syne eftyrwartip all a qwhile
Wyth a gret folk Hie Lord of Kyle,
That syne w«u* Krle of Karryke,
And alsiia Pryiu-e of our kynryk,
* Wood's Don*. PeerHtfe. i. 325. Ketf. Map:. Siir. p. 83, No.
2S-2. The -orthography appears more correct in Robertson'*
Index, p. 93, No. 2$2, where it is Doundoneiiuld.
t This, it would st-em, may be (airly assumed from the Mip.
plies provided for the royal family here. A* Irvine vv;is the
nearest sea-p.irt to Dundonald, and only a few miles distant
from it, there is extant a Cotrpotum of 1396,— in which it is
stated, that there was paid to the bureresses of Irvine, in dif. '
ferent instalment-, for the Use of the house of «' our Lord the
Kintr." for goods in vessels and other uftMisils, ordered by
tlie "Kind's letters under his own >eal, £13 3*. 4d. ; at.d to the
officers of the king's- h«>u-e, for their cervices for that year, £23
18i. 8d. [Kotul. Com pot. it. 345.] There is another, of tlie
baiiiea of trwyn, A. i>. )3!»S. f .r rm.uey paid for the pmper use
of "<>ur Lord the Kins?." From the -inrne source, we learn that
herrings had formed no inconsiderable part of the provision
made for the royal family. Fur a charge is stated "for the
purchase of six thou-and itx»y.se of herrings for the use of the
King," A. n. 1102. This Compotum, however, apparently re.
f«rs to Perth.
Made in Annandirdale. a rnde.
And s;i laug tyjne tiiare-in lie l.ade,
l>whill all the folk of ih ,t cuture
Consentyt Scottis men to he.
CRONVKIL, B. viii. c. 42, v. 197.
It would appear, that the title above referred to was
not, like that of Earl of Carrick, connected with the
dignity of heir apparent, but had been givea to him,
as a younger son, from the patrimonial inheritance of
the Stewarts. This good prince terminated his un-
happy reign, April 4th, 1406. According to Pinki-r-
ton, this event took place at the castle of Roths-ay
in Bute. This corresponds with the account given
by the continuator of Fordun, and by Skene in Ins
' Table of all the Kinges of Scotland.' But Riuiui-
rnan, David Macpherson, and others, give the pre-
ference to Wyntoun's testimony, who says that he
died at Dundonald : —
A thousand and foure hnndyr yere
To tha tue sext all reknyt elere,—
Robert the tiirid, our« Lord the Kyng1,
Maid at Dundownald his endyng.
CRONVKIL, ii. ix. c. 26", v. I.
Not far from this royal seat, the remains of an ancient
ecclesiastical foundation are still to be seen, popu-
larly denominated, 'Our Lady Kirk of Kyle:' but
the time of its ejection is quite unknown. This
chapel was called Capella de la Grace, as appears
from a charter of James IV., A.D. 1490. From its
vicinity to Dundonald, it seems to have, at least
occasionally received some special tokens of roy
favour. For the same prince, we are told, neve
passed through that part of the country without
making an offering at ' Our Lady's Kirk of Kyle.
It appears that belonging to this establishment,
there was a very useful minister of the church of
Rome, who was commonly known as " Our Laciy
of Kyle's Pardoner," and who seems, like others
of the same order, to have perambulated the country
for the purpose of vending her acts of grace.J
DUN-DORNADIL, or DORNADILLA'S TOWER,
or DUNHARDUIL, an ancient hill-fort on the east
side of Loch Ness, in the parish of Durness. It
stands upon a high hill, of a circular, or rather coni-
cal shape, the summit of which is only accessible, on
the south-east, by a narrow ridge which connects the
mount with a hilly chain that runs up to Stratheriie.
On every other quarter the ascent is almost perpen-
dicular ; and a rapid river winds round the circum-
ference of the base. The summit is surrounded by
a very strong wall of dry stones, which was once of
great" height and thickness. The enclosed area is an
oblong square of 25 yards long, and 15 yards broad ;
it is level and clear of stones, and has on it the re-
mains of a well. Upon a shoulder of this hill, about
50 feet below the summit, there is a druidical temple,
consisting of a circle of large stones firmly fixeu in
the ground, with a double row of stones extending
from one side as an avenue or entry to the circle.
There is another fortress of this kind, which com-
mands an extensive view of the lower parts cf
Breadalbane. On the summit of Dun-Evan in Nairn-
shire, there is also a similar fortress, consisting of
two ramparts, which surround a level space of the
same oblong form with that of Craig-Phatiric, though
not quite so large. Within the area of Dun-Evan,
there are the traces of a well, and the remains of a
large mass of building which once furnished shelter to
the defenders of the fort. A similar fort exists in
Glenelg, and a stone rampart surrounds the top of
t James IV. being at Edinburgh, December 8th. loll, gave
a gratuity of three ^liiLngs to "Our Lady of Kyle's Par-
douer." "Various instances of his liberaiily have a prior date.
July 6th, I41)~, he gave an ofteiing of Ms. in "Our Lady's Kirk
of Kyle." in September of tlie same yi-wr, when he was at
"Our Lady Kirk of K>le," he, by hi-, treasurer, paid £5 tin
five trentales of masses to be theie said for him.—' Caledonia,
iii. 497, 49b. /
DUN
887
DUN
the hill, and in the area there is the vestige of a rir-
ctiiar building for the use of the ancient inhabitants.
From the situation of these hill-forts, as they are
called, their relative positions to one another, and
the accommodations attached to them, it has been
interred with great plausibility that they were rather
<• < :-micted for the purpose of protecting the tribes
fro in the attacks of one another, than with the de-
sign of defending themselves from an invading enemy.
As a corroboration of this view it is observed, that
these fortresses are placed upon eminences in those
parts of the country which in the early ages must
have been the most habitable and furnished the
greatest quantity of subsistence. They frequently
appear in groups of three, four, or more, in the vi-
ity of each other ; and they are so disposed, upon
tops of heights, that sometimes a considerable
iber may be seen at the same time : one of them
ig always much larger and stronger than the
ers, placed in the most commanding situation,
no donbt intended as the post of the chief.
HJNDRENNAN, the ancient name of the parish
Rerwick, Kirkcudbrightshire, and now associated
3y with the ruins of a celebrated abbey in that
rish, situated in a long narrow valley on the west
of the Abbey burn, about l£ mile from the Sol-
bet ween the Urr and the Dee. The ruins,
>ugh now miserably dilapidated, evince it to
have been a beautiful and extensive pile. The
irch was in the form of a cross, surmounted by a
200 feet high. The body was 120 feet long,
divided into 3 aisles by clustered columns span-
with arches, — the side-aisles each 15 feet broad,
the middle aisle 25. The transept measured,
north to south, 120 feet, and from east to west
feet. On the south side of the church were the
sters, enclosing a square area of 94 feet, with a
3s plot in the centre. East and west but chiefly
th of these, were the lodgings and different of-
of the monastery, occupying a space of nearly
square feet. This abbey was founded, in 1142,
• Fergus, Lord of Galloway. Its first monks
were brought from the Cistertian abbey of Rievall,
in Yorkshire ; and its first abbot was Sylvanus, who
died in 1189. A subsequent abbot sat in the great
parliament, at Brigham, in 1290, for settling the'
-ion of the Crown. Walter — either the same
abbot or his successor — swore fealty to Edward I.
in 12%; and received, in return, a precept to the
Ps of Berwick and of Cumberland for the re-
striction of the property of his house. Robert I.
>vid II. granted to the monks considerable
•rial possessions. In the beginning of the 15th
ivntiiry, Thomas, the abbot, sat in the celebrated
tern-nil councils of Constance and Basil. Edward
Maxwell, of the noble family of that name, was
abbot in the time of Mary; and afforded her an
asylum here upon her flight from the disastrous
battle of Langside. Dundrennari was one of those
whose functionaries were appointed by the King,
independently of the Pope. In 1587, "all its pro-
perty devolved to the Crown by the act of annexa-
tion. In 1605, it was made over to Gavin Hamil-
ton, who had been consecrated bishop of Galloway.
A considerable part of the useful Chronicle of Mel-
\as compiled by a monk of Dundremian, —
most probably by Abbot Thomas. " Dundreiinan
abbey," says Mr. M'Diarmid, "like most religious
- built by the Catholics in the olden time, is
beautifully situated in a valley of the same name;
wlu'ther the surrounding limited district gave to or
received from the monastery iis present appellation,
is a point we pause not to <!i-eu->---but mo>t proba-
bly the former. The site of the edifice is merely
="<>i>'.ng, and hardly deserves the name of an emi-
nence ; but a brawling burn passes hard by; — liiLs
of various forms appear at a little distance; — of
grown timber there is no great breadth, but the braes
which form the fore-ground, are in many places en-
gagingly covered with copse ; the Solway, a well-
known arm of the sea, comes rippling to the land,
at less than 2 miles to the south ; and there are emi-
nences plentifully scattered around that command
delightful marine views over, a long line of frith,
including Skiddaw and his congeners, the isle of
Man, and, looming far a-head, the singularly peaked
mountains of Morn in Ireland. When the mona—
tery was inhabited, all these and other objects must
have been distinctly visible from the turret and
tower ; and, as regards vast amplitude of scenery,
resting on the placid, running into the picturesque,
and intermingling the sublime, there could be few
retreats of the same order more highly favoured
than Dundrennan abbey. The name of Queen Mary
lends a charm to Dundrennan which bids fair to
defy disassociation so long as one stone of the
building remains upon another. After the disastrous
battle of Langside, her course seems to have lain
by the romantic Glenkens; and, in wending her way
through its wildest recesses, she drew rein for a
brief space at Queenshill, — a property situated near
the head of the vale of Tarf, the name of which was
changed in honour of the above memorable event.
At Tongland she is said to have crossed the Dee,
— not of course, by the splendid bridge erected by
Telford, but a frail wooden erection, which her at-
tendants destroyed as one means of retarding the
movements of the enemy. While this work pro- '
ceeded, the beleagured Queen sought temporary
shelter and refreshment in the cottage of a widow,
who cheerfully gave of her little all, and was re-
warded, scanty as ways and means may have been,
to the extent of her ambition as proprietrix of a
humble domicile and adjoining field. Still it is not
easy to map the exact route of the persecuted and
beautiful Mary during her flight to the coast. That
she paused and breakfasted at the castle of Lord
Herries, in the parish of Kirkgunzeon, is considered
certain ; and equally so that she visited the hospi-
table mansion of Lord Nithsdale — Terregles— where t
specimens of her needle- work, and the bed in which
she slept are still shown ; and it is natural to sup-
pose that both hurried visits must have been paid
after her crossing the Dee at Tongland. It was
evening when the Queen reached Dundrennan ; and
the impression has long been erroneously cherished
that her last sad sojourn on the shores of a country
which she never revisited except in dreams, was
passed under the roof of this abbey. The monks,
no doubt, bore her true fealty, but they perhaps
dreaded the vengeance of her pursuers in the shape
of line or confiscation; and, from whatever motive,
a lodging was provided in a private house, which, at
the period alluded to, was occupied by the ancotora
of the late Mrs. Anderson of Stioquhan. The
monks, however, attended her to the water's edge,
— a>si<tv'd in seating her in an open boat, — and after
waving many an affectionate adieu, slowly bent their
steps homeward, pausing at intervals to mark how
the frail bark progressed towards its destination.
The elements, according to tradition, wereauspici(;u>,
and the Solway on the day of expatriation* presented
none of the terrors of a Highland loch —
' The blackening wave u edgeil wiili \\ Uite,
Tempt not tlie gloomy Firth tn- Iwy.'
Tort- Mary is simply a creek surrounded by high
roik-, which received its name from the rir-nm-
recorded, as did Maryport on the opposite
side, the point or debarkation."
DUtt
388
DUN
BTJNDROICH, or « the Druids' hill,' a mountain
on the boundary line between Peebles-shire and
Edinburgh shire, but chiefly within the limits of the
parish of Eddlestone in the former county. It rises
2,100 feet above the level of the sea, and commands
a view, on one side, of Lanarkshire ; on another, of
Annandale ; on a third, of Teviotdale ; and on a
fourth, of the three Lothians and Fifeshire. ,
DUNDURN, a solitary little chapel in the parish
of Comrie, at which service is occasionally performed
for the benefit of those parishioners residing in that
extremity of the parish which extends towards
Lochearnhead.
DCJNEARN. See BURNTISLAND.
DUNFERMLINE,* a parish, the largest in Fife.
Its extreme length from north to south is about 8
miles ; its breadth towards the south end about 4f
miles, but towards the north only 3 miles. It is
bounded on the south partly by the frith of Forth,
and partly by Inverkeithing ; on the east by Inver-
keithing, Aberdour, and Beath; on the north by the
parish of Cleish ; and on the west by Saline, Car-
nock, and Torry-burn parishes. The greater portion
of the parish has a southern aspect, the ground rising
gradually from the sea towards the north. South of
the town of Dunfermline, it is well-cultivated and
enclosed ; arid the number of gentlemen's seats, with
their wooded grounds, gives much beauty to the
scenery. Towards the north, the soil is not so good;
and although much has been done in the way of im-
provement, the general appearance of that part of
the parish is not so interesting as it is to the south.
The Lyne is the only brook deserving attention in
the parish. Its source is near the eastern extremity
of it. Having received various accessions, it becomes
considerable below the town, frequently overflows
its banks, and lays the rich fields of PittencriefF,
Loggie, Cavil, and Pitliver under water. After
running towards the western extremity of the parish,
it unites with another small brook, and takes a
southern direction towards the frith of Forth. There
are several lakes of considerable depth and extent,
in which perch, pike, and eel are found. Besides
the town of Dunfermline, there are 7 villages in the
parish, viz. : — LIMEKILNS, CHARLESTON, CROSS-
FORD, PATIEMOOR, MASTERTOWN, CROSSGATES,
and HALBEATH : see these articles -In the imme-
diate neighbourhood of the town, towards the south-
west, is PittencriefF, the property and residence of
James ^ Hunt, Esq. "The moment you leave the
street," says Mercer, "you enter a private gate,
and are on the verge of a deep glen filled with fine
old trees, that wave their foliage over the ruins of
the ancient palace. A little farther on is the pen-
insular mount, on which Malcolm Ceanmore re-
sided in his stronghold,— the original germ of Dun-
fermline. Round the base of the mount winds a
rivulet, over which is a bridge leading to the man.
sion-house, situate on the farther bank, in a spaci-
ous park well-wooded, adorned with shrubberies,
and having a splendid prospect to the south. The
ground, too, is classical; for amidst this scenery,
three centuries ago, when it was even more romantic
than it is at present, must often have wandered the
poet Henryson, holding sweet dalliance with the
muses. There can be no doubt that here was the
* The name of this parish is derived from the Celtic Dun-fittr.
llyn, signifying 'the Fortified hill by the. Cr.mked stream.' The
hill-fort here referred to, from which the parish has taken its
name, was most probably that, a minute fragment of the ruins
of which stiil appears on a small peninsolar'mou. t in Pitten-
crieff trlen, and which is called Malcolm Canmore's tower.
The arms of the town are H t-»wer, supported by two lions,
with the motto Esto rupes inaccexnu, — 'Be tlwu an inaccessible
rock,' alluding to the rocky height on which the tower was
built
very ' wod ' he so beautifully describes in the
troduction to one of his fables : —
In myddis of June, that jolly swept sessonn,
Qiih.Mi that fair Phebus, with his beamis brycht,
Had dryit up the dew fra dsiill and doim,
And all the land maid with his leinys lycht j
In H morning bt-tweue mid.day and nycht,
I raiss and put all sluith and sleep on sydej
Ontill a wod I went allone, but gyd.
Sueit was the smell of flouris quhyt and reid
The noyis of birdis rycht delitious ;
The bewis hrod blwinyt abone my heid;
The grund growand with grassis gratious.
Of all pleasans that place was plenteous,
With sueit odours and bird's armonie ;
The mornyng mild my mirth was rnair forthy.
The rosei^ reid arrayit rone and rys«,
The primrose and the purpure viola :
To heir it was a poynt of paradyss,
Sic mvrth the mavysx and the' merle cowth ma :
The blossoms blyth brak up on bank and bra •
Tne smell of lierbis, and of foulis the cry,
Contending quha suld have the victory.'
In the 13th century this property belonged to Wil-
liam de Oberwell, who, in 1291, granted a right to
the monastery of working coal for their own use in
his lands. In 1632 Thomas, 3d Lord Bruce of Kin-
loss, afterwards Earl of Elgin, had a charter of the
barony of PittencriefF; and Sibbald informs us that
in his time it was the property of a Mr. Forbes.
About the middle of the last century it belonged to
George Chalmers, Esq. It was afterwards pur-
chased by the father of the present proprietor .
The mansion-house and finely-wooded grounds of
Pitferrane, the seat of Sir John Halket, baronet,
have been held by this family since the end of
the 14th century, having been acquired from the
Scotts of Balvvearie, the previous proprietors,
about 1399. Fro.n a remote period this family had
the right of exporting coals from their lands to
foreign countries free of duty. In 1 707 the privilege
was purchased by government for .€40,000 sterling.
— Near the sea-coast, is Broomhall, the elegant man-
sion of the Earl of Elgin arid Kincardine, situated
on an elevated lawn overlooking the village of Lime-
kilns.— East of Broomhall is Pitreavie, in the 17th
century the property of a family of the name of
Wardlaw. Sir Henry Wardlaw of Pitreavie founded
an hospital at Mastertown. His lady, Elizabeth
Halket, of the family of Pitferrane, is now admitted
to have been the authoress of the fine ballad of
Hardyknute, which so long puzzled the antiquaries
of the day, and to which Pinkerton wrote a second
part, which gave rise also to much controversy.
She is buried in a vault on the outside of the church
of Dunfermline. The Scottish troops were defeated
here by a detachment of Cromwell's forces under
Colonel Overton, on the 20th of July, 1651, when
3,000 fell, and 1,200 were taken prisoners.
The coal- works in this parish are very extensive ;
and an able account has been given of them by the
Rev. Peter Chalmers, in the ' Quarterly Journal of
Agriculture,' from which we have condensed the
following abstract: — The largest colliery is the
Elgin colliery, belonging to the Earl of Elgin. The
whole area of the coal-field belonging to him, wrought
and un wrought, may be stated at from 2,600 to 2,700
acres. About 800 or 900 of these, which are the
most southern, are nearly exhausted. A large por-
tion of this extensive coal-field Lord Elgin holds on
a lease of 999 years, from the Pitferrane family.
Almost all the coal partakes more or less of the
caking quality and soft texture of the Newcastle coal
— A new pit has lately been opened near the West
Baldridge farm-house, named the \\allsend pit, which
is the deepest coal-shaft in Scotland, and probably
one of the most valuable. It is in depth 105 fathoms,
1 foot. There are 19 beds of coal, containing
DUXFERMLINE.
389
ther 49 feet, 8 inches of coal, which can be worked
13 separate divisions, by this pit. — Immediately
the east of the Elgin is the Well wood colliery
is situated about a mile north of Dunfermline
ie coal from this work is extensively used in the
of Dunfermline and neighbourhood, and a large
itity of it is also exported, principally to France,
i steam-boats plying between Paris and Rouen
almost entirely supplied with it. The quantity
coals raised at this work, in 1839, was about
.(X)D tons. The number of persons employed at
work is 252. — To the east of this colliery are
Townhill and Appin collieries. — The next large
old colliery, still farther to the east, and 2 A
les from the town of Dunfermline, is that of Hall-
ith. The output at this work, in 1837, was
,437 tons, a great proportion of which was ex-
rted. The coals exported are shipped at Inver
idling, whither they are carried by a railroad —
little way to the east a small colliery has been
sly begun at Nether-beath, called the Cuttle-
colliery. About 2,000 tons have been sold an-
illy since the coal- work began; but they are
jcted to increase. — Limestone is found and
night for sale on the lands of Broomhall, Rosco-
Lathalmond, and Dunduff. Those at CHARLES-
on Broomland lands, are the most extensive:
that article. There are several whinstone and
>ne quarries in the parish. Iron-stone pervades
whole coal-field of the Earl of Elgin, in thin
Is and balls, and was once wrought to the extent
4,000 to 5,000 tons per annum. Copper pyrites,
small quantities, is found imbedded in the clay
i-stone, with carbonate of lime, at the Elgin col-
Lmong the most eminent Scotsmen of the 15th
century was ' Maister Robert Henryson, scholmais-
ter of Dunfermling.' He was a poet of consider-
able fancy, and successfully attempted various styles
of composition. His longest poem, — ' The Testa-
ment of the Fair Cresseide,' — " contains," says Dr.
Irving, " many strokes of poetical description, which
a writer of more than ordinary genius could only
have produced." He wrote a number of fables in
verse, which convey useful lessons, but are rather
prolix. Of these, probably the best is • The Bor-
rowstoun Mous, and the Land wart Mous.' His pas-
toral ' Robin and Makyne' displays a love of nature
and great sweetness of versification ; and his ' Abbey
Walk' is full of serious reflections. The learned
civilian, Edward Henryson, LL.D., seems to have
been the grandson of the poet. George Durie, abbot
of Dunfermline, was made an extraordinary lord of
session in July, 1541, and keeper of the p'rivy-seal
in 1554. He died in 1561. Robert Pitcairn, abbot
of Dunfermline, was secretary-of-state in 1570, which
office he held during the regencies of Lennox, Mar,
and Morton, and afterwards under James VI. Two
of the family of Seaton, Earls of Dunfermline, were
extraordinary lords-of-session ; and three of the ab-
bots of Dunfermline held the office of lord-high-
chancellor of Scotland. In 1839, the Right Hon.
Mr. Abercrombie, late speaker of the house of com-
mons, was called to the house of peers, by the title
of Baron Dunfermline of Dunfermline.
Malcolm III., surnamed Cean-mltor, or ' Great-
head,' resided chief! v, after his accession to the Crown,
at the tower which still bears his name, in the glen
of Pittencrieff, in the immediate neighbourhood of
the modern town of Dunfermline, and here lie m;ir
ried Margaret, a Saxon princess, who had, with her
brother Edgar, the heir of the English throne, lied
to Scotland for refuge from the Norman conqueror.
Margaret was the daughter of Edward, son of K<i-
muiid Ironside, king of England. 1'pon Williiim the
Conqueror ascending the English throne, Kcgar, son
of Edward, with his mother Agatha, and two sisters,
Margaret and Christian, retired into Scotland. Some
authors say, that being on a voyage to Hungary, they
were accidentally driven thither by a storm. The
place in the frith where the ship anchored is a small
bay, about a mile north-west of North Queensferry,
nt'ar the present toll-bar. This bay is called St.
Margaret's Hope.* On the side of the present road,
near Pitreavie, about 2 miles from Dunfermline, is a
large stone called St. Margaret's stone. Here she
is said to have rested, leaning on this stone. North
and South Queensferry derive their name from St.
Margaret. " The site of Malcolm's tower," says
Mercer, in his excellent ' History of Dunfermline,'
" was strikingly adapted for a stronghold, and could
not fail of attracting a rude engineer of the 1HU
century. Fordun says, it was a place extremely
strong by natural situation, and fortified by steep
rocks ; in the middle of which there was a pleasant
level, likewise defended by rock and water, so that
it might be imagined that the following words were
descriptive of this place: — ATo» Itomini fucllts, v/x
ade undo feris. ' It is difficult to men, scarcely ac-
cessible by wild beasts.' The venusta plunitie*, — or
' pleasant level ' on which the tower was built, — forms
the summit of a very steep eminence that rises
abruptly out of the glen, and causes the rivulet to
wind round its base, forming a peninsula. The whole
substructure of the glen on both sides is formed of
freestone, which projects in many places from the
surface ; and these rugged declivities must have been
clothed with thick impervious woods, rendering the
summit extremely difficult of access on three sides."
At the request of his pious queen, and of her confessor,
Turgot, Malcolm founded and endowed a monastery
for 13 Culdees in the vicinity of his own residence,
which, with its chapel, was dedicated to the Holy
Trinity. The date of Malcolm's foundation must
have been between 1070, when he was married, and
1086, when he and his queen made extensive grants
to the church of the Holy Trinity. Besides the
donations from Malcolm to the church, his sons
Ethelred and Edgar, both bestowed lands upon it.
Alexander I. granted various lands to it, and is said
to have finished the church; and his queen, Sibilla,
also conferred lands upon it. He died at Stirling,
but was interred at Dunfermline. David I., who
ascended the throne in 1124, in accordance with his
policy in other parts of the kingdom, not only added
greatly to the wealth of the monastery, but intro-
duced into it a colon v of the Benedictines, or Black
monks, from Canterbury in England; and for the
purpose of making the change of rul^s under which
they were brought more agreeable to the Culdees,
he raised it to the dignity of an abbey, having u
mitred abbot for its head, and a prior and sub-prior
under him. From the style of the architecture, Mr.
Leighton is inclined to think that it was during the
reign of David I. that the church — the nave of which
still remains — was erected. f Gotfrid or Gaufrid,
who had been prior of Canterbury, was the first
abbot. He died in 1 1.34, and was succeeded by his
nephew, Gaufrid. From a statement made to the
Pope in 1231, it appears that the number of monks
"iad then been increased to 50. About the period of
the death of Alexander III., it had become one Oi
the most extensive and magnificent monastic estub-
• On "\ staircase in the hon«p of Pennyenik, in Mid- Lothian,
:here H a painting which represents th« lauding ol Margaret at
.he Hope, — the procesMon 1mm thence to lliintermline, — and
tin- king and queen, the day after their marriage, entertaining
t iiuinl.iT nt mendicants. The procession is said to have been
in foot
f In the library of the faculty of Advocate?, in Edinburgh,
lii-re is preserved a copy of St. Jer nine's Latin UiWe, ill inanii-
•cripr, licaiiuliilly ilunninati-d. Tins Bilile — according to au
annexed mre— 1> -aid -.. h ive ln-en used in the church ol Duu-
lennlme in the reign uf l).i\ d 1.
390
DUNFERMLINE.
lishments in Scotland. Mathew of Westminster [ was appointed commeiidator of the abbey, thus ob-
says, that at this time "its boundaries were so ample, j taining a right to its lands and rents, which he held
— containing within its precincts three carrucates* till his death in 1584. The Master of Gray suo
cf land, and having so many princely buildings, —
that three potent sovereigns, with their retinues,
might have been accommodated with lodgings here,
at the same time, without incommoding one another."
When Edward of England invaded Scotland in 1303,
he resided in the abbey of Dunfermline from the 6th
of November that year till the 10th of February,
1304. At leaving it, Edward caused his army to
oet it on lire. " On account," says Matthew of Paris,
*' of its magnitude, the nobles of the kingdom were
accustomed to assemble here to devise plots against
Edward; and, during war, they issued thence, and
proceeded to plunder and destroy the inhabitants of
England. The royal army, therefore, — perceiving
that they had converted the temple of the Lord into
a den of thieves, arid that it gave great offence to
the English nation, — utterly destroyed it, by level-
ling all its splendid edifices to the ground; sparing
from the flames the church only, and a few lodgings
for monks." As soon as the kingdom was settled
under Bruce, this monastery was begun to be rebuilt,
but probably never regained its former grandeur.
According to Lindsay of Pitscottie, the abbey and
its church were finally destroyed on the 28th of
March, 1560. The last abbot was George Durie, of
the family of Durie of that ilk, who held the office
from 1530 till the destruction of the monastery. He
died in 1572. The abbey was richly endowed, and
derived part of its extensive revenue from places at
a considerable distance. Kirkaldy, Kinghorn, Burnt-
island, Musselburgh, and Inveresk belonged to this
abbey. According to a rental given up at the Re-
formation by Allan Gouts, in name of George Durie,
the abbot, the yearly revenue was as follows : —
Money -f 2,513 10s. 8d. Scots; wheat 28 c. 11 b.
1 f. ; bear, 102 c. 15 b. 1 f. 3 p. ; meal, 15 c. ; oats,
61 c. 6b. 2 f. ; horse-corn, 29 c. 1 b. 1 f. 2£ p.;
butter, 34 st.; lime, 19 c. 15 b. ; salt, 11 c. 8b
According to another rental by the same person : —
Money, £2,404 4s.; wheat, 27 c. 4 b. 3 f . ; bear,
83 c. "11 b. 2 f. 2 p. ; oats, 158 c. 5 b. 2 f., whereof
84 c. white oats; lime, 20 c. ; salt, 11 c. 8 b. ; ca-
pons, 374; poultry, 746.f In 1580, Robert Pitcairn
* A carrncate of land was as much as could be tilled with a
plough in a year.
t Some «>f the grants to the abbey— as appears from its char-
tulary, <>f which Mr. D;ii/ei has given an analysis in liis • Mo-
li a* tit1 Antiquities' — were of a singular nature, and may not be
unworthy of particular notice. David I. grants to the abbey,
" .mi.ieni decimam de auro quod milii eveniet de t'\f et Fothrik,"
the tenth part ot all the gold he should derive from Fire and
Foilmk. The latter term, Lord Hailes says, is compounded of
Forth, and rick, i. e. ' the kingdom or territory at the Forth ;'
and ne supposes that it means that district on the northern h ink
ot ihe Forth, from the neighbourhood of Stirling to where tiie
river is lost in the salt \va er. In Hay's • Scotia Sacra,' the
monastery of Dunfermline is said to be i'n Fothrick moor ; and
on the north side of the parish there is a moor which still re-
tains the name of Fati ick moor. By a charter of continuation,
the same monarch grants to the abbey the seventh— after the
tithe— of all the seals caught at Kinghorn.— Bastards, it would
appear, were in general excluded from monasteries: Pope In-
noceut, at the request of the abbot of Dunfermline, grants him
permission to admit one bastard into the number of liis monies
with this exception, " dummodo non sit de adulterio, vel inces.
tuoso co tu procreatus."— Malcolm IV. grants to the abbot and
monks the heads— the tongues excelled— ..f certain n-hns sup-
posed to be a small kind of whales then occasionally caught in
dome particular district of the Forth near the abbey-church.
The words of the grant are, " Fro falute animse predecessoris
mei Davidis Regi>, capita piscium qui dicuntur crespeis praeter
Uiitfliam, qui in meo Dr.minio ex ilia parte Scottwater appli-
cuerint, in qua parte iilorum ecclesia sit est." Malcolm IV.
gave them a grant ..f the half of the blubber— •« dimidium sagi-
minis" of the cretpeia which should be taken between the Tay
aal Forth, for the use of the church— " ad lummaria covam
altari'ms prenominatae eccleshe." — Several indulgences granted
by different pontiffs are recorded in the chartulary. As oil of
olive, could not be pn.cur.d within the diocese of St. Andrews,
Pope Nicholas, by bull in 1459, grants a free indulgence to the
monks of this abbey to make use ol butter — et aliis lacticiniis
•dmiug Lent, and uu all utlur days when animal food was for-
ceeded him, but was extruded in 1587, when Henry
Pitcairn succeeded him. In 1589, the abbey, with
its lands and privileges, was erected into a temporal
lordship, which was conferred upon Anne of Den-
mark, queen of James VI. In 1593, Queen Anne
appointed Alexander Seton, 3d son of George, 6th
Lord Seton, heritable bailie of her lordship of Dun.
fermline. Alexander Seton was appointed chancel-
lor of Scotland in 1604, and the following year was
raised to the peerage by the title of Earl of Dun-
fermline. This title became extinct in 1694, by the
death of James, 4th Earl, without male issue; and,
he being then under forfeiture, the whole estates re-
verted to the Crown. Charles I. granted to Charles,
2d Earl of Dunfermline, a lease for 57 years, of the
feu-duties and rents of the lordship of Dunfermline,
with the office of heritable bailie of the regality;
which was in 1665 assigned to John, Earl of Tweed-
dale, for a debt due to him by the Earl of Dunferm-
line. In 1669, John, then Marquis of Tweeddale,
had his office of bailie, &c., vested in himself by
royal charter; and in 1693, obtained a prorogation
of the lease of the lordship, in his own name, for 57
years. In 1748, the office of heritable bailie was
abolished with other heritable jurisdictions in Scot-
land ; but the office of heritable keeper of the palace
is still retained by the Marquis of Tweeddale, who
enjoys the fees of constable, mayor, and Serjeant of
the lordship.
Although the ruins of the ancient abbey which
still remain, are sufficient to afford a glimpse of what
must have been its former grandeur, yet they are but
a trifling portion of the extensive conventual build-
ings which must have existed here, even subsequent
to the demolition. The western portion, or nave of
the abbey-church — which was originally a cross
church — is still in tolerably good preservation; and
is a fine specimen of the architecture of the age in
which it was erected. It is generally said to be in
the Saxon style of architecture; but Mr. L eight on
is inclined to think that the style is Norman. The
principal entrance to the abbey-church is from the
west, where there is a very finely enriched door- way
in the Norman style, and above this a handsome
pointed window, divided by mullions and transoms.
In the north side there is another entrance from
what is now the churchyard, by a porch of later
erection, which is in the pointed style. The roof
of the nave is supported by a double row of splendid
Norman pillars, from which spring round arches to
support the upper wall, and at the west end by a
clustered column on each side; a clustered pilaster
from which springs a pointed arch, also supporting
the upper wall. These columns likewise separate
the body of the nave from the north and south aisles.
The outside of the building is ornamented by two
heavy towers at the west end, one of which is sur-
mounted by a spire, and the sides by heavy but-
tresses characteristic of the style of the building.
Immediately to the south of the abbey-church are
the ruins of the fratery, or refectory, which formed
the dining-hall of the monastery. Its south wall,
from the windows of which there is a magnificent
view, and the west gable, in which there is one of
the finest pointed windows in Scotland, alone re-
main. The only other portion of the monastic build-
ings existing is the gateway of the monastery — i.ovv
bidden. — They posse
Queeiihfe.iry and Ii
longing to the court
have a free passag
entering the harb
under their jurisu
sed a monopoly of the ferry betwixt
erkeilliifiM, on condition that those be-
as also strangers and messengers, should
They had likewise the customs of vc.soi-li
of Inveresk, or Musselburgn, wiiidi w.*»
DUNFERMLINE.
391
J\l U
and
s
the Pends — which exhibits a fine specimen of
_je pointed style of architecture. Mr. Swan has
sriven views of the Norman porch, and of the Inte-
and Exterior of the old Abbey-church in his
work entitled * Fife Illustrated' [Glasgow:
. 3vols. 4to.]. The abbey-church was long
place of sepulture of our Scot'tish kings. Here
Icolm Canmore and his queen St. Margaret were
also their eldest son, Edward, who was
killed in Jedwood forest. Edmond their second son,
d another named Ethelrade, who was Earl of Fife,
ing Edgar, Alexander I. with Sibilla his queen,
avid I. with his two wives, Malcolm IV., and
lexander 111., with his queen Margaret and his son
Alexander, were also here entombed. The great
tice, too, the saviour of his country, was here laid
rest from his many toils, with his queen Elizabeth,
1 his daughter Christina, the widow of Sir An-
w Murray. The remains of these distinguished
ividuals were all interred in the choir, which
ms the site of the present church. In digging for
foundation of the new parish-church in February,
18, the tomb of Robert Bruce was discovered, and
skeleton found wrapt in lead.* On a subsequent
y, the tomb was again opened in presence of the
' ons of Exchequer, several literary gentlemen
Edinburgh, the magistrates of the town, and
neighbouring gentry. A cast of the skull having
taken, the stone-coffin in which the remains
was filled with melted pitch ; it was then built
r with mason-work, and the pulpit of the new
:h now marks the spot where all that remains
earth of the patriotic warrior is deposited. Many
our great nobles were also buried in this church ;
ng whom may be mentioned, the great MacdulF;
istantine, Earl of Fife ; William Ramsay, Earl of
e; the Earl and Countess of Athol, in the reign
William the Lyon; Randolph, Earl of Moray, the
patriot of Bruce; and Robert, Duke of Albany,
governor of Scotland. Many churchmen also of
great power and influence were interred here. After
the accession of Alexander, our Scottish kings fre-
quently resided on the south side of the Forth, but
they occasionally also resided at Dunfennline. When
they gave up their residence in the old tower is not
known, but at an early period a palace or castle
appears to have been erected adjoining the monas-
tery, and on the site of the present ruins of the
palace. James IV., after his accession to the Crown,
was more here than any of his immediate predeces-
sors; and he appears to have either entirely rebuilt
or greatly enlarged the palace, and added to its
height, as in 1812 a stone was found in the roof of
one of the windows bearing the date of 1500. James
V. and his daughter Queen Mary also resided here;
and James VI., previous to his departure for Eng-
l.md, appears often to have had his residence in the
palace, where <'harles 1. is said to have been born.
In July, 1(>.'33, this unfortunate monarch visited Dun-
fermline, where he held a court, and created Sir
Fk-rt Ken- of Ancrum, ancestor of the Marquis of
tliian, Karl of Ancrum, and dubbed five gentle-
* According to Fordun, Robert Brno- xx-as buried in 'he
middle of !||.. ,-hoir. lia-bour thin de-crihes the inhumation
Ot Um illustrious restorer of the SrotrMi monarchy :
They haitl had him to Diinferlyne,
And him solemnly xirded syue,
In a la r tomb into the quire;
Bishops and prelate that were there
AsM.ilzied huii, when the service
\Va* done, ai they best could devise;
And syn<J, upon the other day,
Sorry and wo they xv>-nt their way.
And he debo welled w .- cleanly,
And Hl»o ha' <i -\ m- In I rich'y ;
And the worihy Lord of Dniigiag,
His In-art, a^ it funpoken wa-,
Kei-eived ha- in ureal .lewt.e.
With fair and great auU'immie.
men knights. In August, 1650, Charles II. re-
mined several days in the palace, and here that
monarch subscribed the national league and covenant,
which was the last occasion of the palace receiving
a royal visit. From this time it appears to have
been entirely neglected, and in 1708 the roof fell in.
It is now a complete ruin ; all that remains being
the south wall, and a sunk vaulted apartment tradi-
tionally called the King's kitchen. The length of
the palace seems to have been 150 feet by 33 in
breadth. The remaining walls were several years
ago repaired, and put into a state in which they may
still last for ages, by James Hunt, Esq., the pro-
prietor of the estate of Pittencrieff on which they
are situated.
The town of DUNFERMLINE owes its origin to
the neighbourhood of the palace and the monas-
tery, and for a long period was only a burgh-of-re-
gality holding of the abbot and monks. In 1&S8 it
was erected into a royal burgh by James VI., who
conferred upon it about 900 acres of muirland, situ-
ated to the north and east of the town. At this
time it could be little more than a village, as in 1600
it is said to have contained only about 1,000 inhabi-
tants. At the commencement even of the 18th
century it was almost without trade ; but in 1718 a
small factory for the weaving of table-linen was
established, since which time the increase of its
manufactures and of its wealth has been gradual and
progressive. It is now remarkable for this branch of
the linen-trade, which has proved a source of much
wealth to the town and many of its inhabitants, lu
1740 the society of weavers was instituted, and manu-
factures were increasing; but in 1745 it was found
difficult to raise £80, the cess laid upon the town by
Prince Charles. About 1749 the British Linen
company — then just established — began to employ a
number of looms in the town for weaving table-linen ;
but the weavers wrought chiefly at ticks and checks
during the winter, and only in thte summer at table-
linen. About 1763 the table-linen of Dunfennline
first found its way to the London market. From
this period the manufactures and wealth of the town
began more rapidly to increase ; improvements have
been made on the mechanism of the looms, great
skill and taste displayed in the devices introduced
into the cloth, and a variety of other goods have
been brought into the market through the enterprise
of the manufacturers. The spinning of linen yarn
has been extensively carried on since 1806, when it
was first introduced. Table-linen is still the chief
manufacture; but table-covers, either wholly of cot-
ton, or of worsted on cotton, and a few counter-
panes, are also made. The annual value of this
description of iroods manufactured has been estimated
at £374,000 sterling. f The number of looms em-
f " In the infancy of tin* trade, it was the cn.xtom to
xveave diaper only during the summer, the winter heinif em
ployed in xvehviii*,' tn-ks and cheek*. This prae:ii".- continm d
till about th>- year I'll), when tin- manufacture «if tick* xnd
cliceiss \v as in a j:reiit measure ri-oii<|<ii-hed. Since the. nb..ve
period the diaper trade ha> been ill H'.u.illy increat.i. g ; ill I7>-H
ttn-ie were about IXIO, ai.il last vcnr (IT'.te) no ie-s ili.tn I.-..HI
looms employed in the trade; nf tin* nmnl.fr, above HOO tie.
longed to the p,in>h 'i he value nf fronds annually mannf..c-
tnred liax fur -0111-- time past been (nun £50.()(MI to JJi', !'<'•'
vti-i Iniu', and the tr.ide \v;t- mi tin- increase. AstniiNhinv in .
provemeiits have IK -en made within les> than hall-H-cenrnry in
the nit of xvoaviin.', and in the manufacture of talile-iinen. )<y
tin* introduction uf machinery lahunr h.is l.rcn ttreatly ahndceit.
Formerly, in wearing r.iap.-r,' two. and sometimes three p-isn;i ,
were requisite f<>r one x\eb; imw, l»y nu-ans of the Hy--hn,tif,
and what is called a f^nmc f..r i ai-ini{ the fitfin e, H single wca-
vt-roan xiork a web 2J y.irdS bn.a.i without the lea-t a-sistnm e.
Many of the tr-uiesinen in this place discover confide; ahle teMin
in draxving fivure* for the diaper, and several of Ihe.i. have oU.
t.ii'.e; ]>; eii:inin> for iht-ir draughts. Twine i-. lii- ran be fnr.
ni-ln-d ol anv desired Ineacith, length, ai.d tim ne» ; and imHe-
men and pcntlomeu may have their coa>s-ot-.irn,s and motion
xvrnriijlii int» ail v taJ.n--lli.en they max cn..o»e to e.immis* ion.
In tin- thi-st i.l llit- h.'coi poraiiui) iheie i? j.i e^ei vcU <i very ruiious
392
DUNFERMLINE.
ployed by tlie manufacturers of Dunfermline in 1836,
was 3,519; of which 2,273 were employed in weav-
ing table-linen, 4G2 in table-covers and counterpanes,
13 in woollen goods, and of 771 it was not ascer-
tained how they were employed. In 1838 there
were 3,000 looms in the town and suburbs employed
in this manufacture, and 741 in Kinross, Strathmiglo,
Leslie, Falkland, &c. ; making, in all, 3,741. The
total number of persons in Dunfermline employed in
this trade, in 1838, was 6,438; viz., weavers, 3,000;
winders, 1,100; children of weavers, 1,900; warpers
and warehousemen, 150; yarn-boilers, men and wo-
men, 30; yarn-bleachers, ditto, 40; cloth-bleachers,
ditto, 150; lapping and dressing cloth, 30; cutting
patterns, men and boys, 20; pattern drawers, 8;
dyers, 10. About one-third in value of the goods
are exported to America and other places abroad.
There are five mills for spinning linen-yarn in the
parish; but one of these has not been working for
the last twelve months. The yarns spun are of
various qualities from tow and flax, and are used in
the manufacture of table-linen, diapers, tickings,
sheetings, towelings, and plain linens. A portion is
also used in the manufacture of plain and coloured
threads. There are also here an iron and brass
foundry, candle and soap works, a tan-work, rope-
work, tobacco manufactories, and brick-works.
Dunfermline stands on an eminence of consider-
able extent, stretching from east to west, about 270
feet above the level of the sea, from which it is 3 miles
distant, and having a pretty steep and uniform de-
clivity to the south. It is about 16 miles north- west
from Edinburgh ; 6 from North Queensferry ; 13 from
Kirkaldy ; and 30 from Cupar. The prospect towards
the south, south-east, and south-west is extensive
and varied ; stretching over the frith of Forth to the
opposite coast, with all its rich and varied scenery.
The greater part of the town is situated on- a rising
ground, having a pretty bold declivity towards the
south; the ground, however, soon flattens, so that
what is called the Nethertown stands on a plain.
It commands an excellent view of Edinburgh, the
castle, Arthur's seat, and the elevated grounds in
the vicinity of the metropolis; in clear weather dif-
ferent spires of the city can be distinguished by the
naked eye. Immediately in view are the opposite
and fertile banks of the Forth, comprehending a part
of Mid and West Lothians, Binnylaw, the pleasure-
grounds northward of Hopetoun, and the borough of
Queensferry. The frith is a most pleasant object,
and in its course from near the North ferry up to-
wards Culross, — sometimes concealed by an elevated
shore, but here and there breaking forth in varied
openings, — greatly enlivens and diversifies the beauty
of the scene. From the church-steeple there are seen
parts of fourteen different counties. The most dis-
tant and remarkable places are Soutra-hill in the shire
of Berwick, Tinto in Lanark, Benlomond in Dum-
barton, Benledi in Perth, the Lammermoors in Had-
dington, the Campsie and Logic hills in Stirling, and
the Pentland hills in Mid-Lothian ; Hopetoun-house,
the castle of Blackness, Borrowstounness, the bo-
rough of Culross, and the beautiful windings of the
Forth from Leith near to Stirling castle. In ap-
proaching the town from any direction it has a fine
appearance, and, with its splendid church and spires,
forms a most imposing object in the landscape. In
the business parts of the town the streets, though
generally rather narrow, are well-built, and care has
been taken to improve them. The greatest improve-
specimen of the weaving art . it is a man's shii
butlun tor the ueck
ment, however, was that made by the late George
Chalmers, Esq. of Pittencrieff, on the approach Irom
the west. He threw a bridge 297 feet in length
across the glen in which the Tower burn flows, with
a mound raised about it 50 feet in height, solely at
his own expense. This bridge forms now one of the
best streets in the town, having good shops and
well-built houses upon it. The houses along the
principal thoroughfares are generally well-built, and
have the appearance of respectability and comfort;
and within late years the town has been greatly en-
larged by a handsome suburb on the west, and by
additions to the cross streets. Many neat villas and
houses, surrounded by gardens and pleasure-grounds,
occupy the outskirts of the town, and are inhabited
by persons connected with the burgh. From the
industry and enterprise of the inhabitants, and the
advantage of a large supply of excellent coal in the
immediate neighbourhood, it seems probable that the
population and manufactures will continue to in-
crease, and the town to extend itself in proportion.
The population appears to consist almost entirely of
persons actively engaged in business. The principal
public buildings are the abbey-church already no-
ticed ; the town-hall, and the jail — which is an old
building near the cross, very inadequate for the pur-
poses required; the guild-hall, an elegant building
with a fine spire, partly fitted up as an inn; the
academy, and several churches and chapels.
The town is governed by a provost, 2 bailies, a
guild-magistrate, a treasurer, 17 other councillors,
and a town-clerk. The provost and magistrates
have the jurisdiction within the royalty as extended
by the police act in 1811. They hold regular courts,
the town-clerk acting as their assessor. There is a
guildry, the dean of which has the power of judging
in all questions of boundary of property, &c. This
incorporation possesses property to the annual value
of £'350 per annum. There are eight incorporated
trades, — wrights, tailors, smiths, weavers, shoe-
makers, bakers, masons, and fleshers. In 1811 a
police act was obtained, which not only regulates
the police of the town, but contains powers for pav-
ing, lighting, and cleaning the streets, for removing
nuisances and obstructions therefrom, for opening
new and widening the present streets, and likewise
for increasing the supply of water for the burgh.
The provisions of this act were at the same time
extended over the suburbs of the town, with the
exception of that of Pittencrieff. The town was in
consequence divided into wards, by each of which
commissioners are appointed for carrying the prc
visions of the act into effect, and by whom the si
perintendent of police and other necessary of"
are appointed. The necessary funds are raised by
an assessment on the inhabitants. This act has pro-
duced great improvements in the town. — The present
property of Dunfermline consists of the farms of
Highholm, Muircockhall, Lilliehill, Cairncubie, am!
Srt of the town's muir, with the coal under these
ids, which for some years has been worked on ac-
count of the burgh. These lands comprehend 700
Scots acres or thereby, 180 of which are planted.
The burgh likewise possesses 3 or 4 acres of land,
known by the name of Halliblade acres. The house-
property of the burgh consists of the workmen's
houses at the town-colliery, the flesh-market, slaugh-
ter-house, and washing-house, the town-house, high
school, and charity-school in Priory-lane. The burgh
is likewise possessed of a number of seats in the par-
ish-church. The whole value of the burgh-property,
taking in the land rental at 30 years' purchase, in
.consideration of the value of the minerals, and the
value put on the wood and houses by a professic
man, is stated to be £19,501 5s. I0£d. The towi
DUNFERMLINE.
393
£3,000
5,000
house, high school, and Priory-lane school, are esti-
mated at £2,150 more. The only alienation of the
burgh's real property of any consequence, within the
last 40 years, was part of the lands lying immediately
juth of those still belonging to the burgh, which
ire sold to Mr. Downie of Appin, in 1829, for the
ice of £14,105. The annual revenue of the burgh
estimated in 1834 at about £870, composed of
£ g. d.
Land, coal rents, and wood, about . . 7 JO 0 0
llc-nts of houses, <tc 35 0 0
Feu-duties 1 10 0
Custom and market dues, about . . . 100 0 0
Burgess entries, about . . . . 200
£868 10 0
The estimated gross annual expenditure of the
rn was reported at the same date as follows :
£ s. d.
Yearly salaries, about .... 65 0 0
Interest of debt, about 6«0 0 0
Aliment to prisoners, about . . . 15 0 0
Stipend and school salaries . . . . 38 0 0
Feu-duties 3 12 0
Repairs on property, gaol, &c. . . . 10 0 0
£731 12 0
In this view the ordinary income should exceed the
expenditure by i'136 18s. The actual re-
jnue for the year 1832, was £1,241 18s. 8d. ; the
jnditure, £1,309. The present revenue is about
1,000 per annum. The debt of the burgh in 1694
is 5,573 merks, equal to £309 11s. 2d. sterling.
com the records of the burgh it appears that it
so poor in 1701, as to apply for pecuniary aid
the convention; and in the year 1745 it was
jliged to borrow the small fine imposed upon it by
ince Charles.
In 1788, the debt had increased to
— 1798, it had increased to
1808, it amounted to ....
ie debt, as returned to parliament under the
ler of July, 1832, was,
£ *. d,
October, 1827 20,795 0 Si
— 1828 20,339 16 2
— 1829 • 15,085 13 1
— 1K:H) 15,040 19 10
— 1831 14,658 9 4
The burgh has no patronage, but in the appointment
of the clerk, chamberlain, fiscal and town's officers.
There are 8 fairs or public markets during the year,
viz., on the 3d Tuesdays of January, March, April,
June, July, September, October, and November ;
and two weekly markets, — one on Tuesday for the
sale of grain by sample, which is well-attended by
the neighbouring agriculturists ; and one on Friday
for butter, cheese, eggs, &c. Since October, 1829,
the town and suburbs have been lighted with gas. —
The annual value of real property within the burgh,
in 1815, was £10,900 sterling; in 1843, £17,532.
The great distance of the western district of the
county from the county-town, led to the appoint-
ment of a separate sheriff-substitute for that district,
who holds courts weekly during time of session, and
at fixed intervals during vacation. A court for the
recovery of small debts is held by the sheriff twice
every month during session, and once a-month dur-
ing vacation. A justice-of- peace court is also held
once a-month. A new and commodious prison is now
erecting at the north-west corner of the town-green.
It embraces two acres of ground. Its cost of erec-
tion will be about £2, 100. Dunfermline, in conj unc-
tion with the burghs of Inverkeithing, Culross,
South Queensferry, and Stirling, sends a member to
parliament. Registered voters in 1839-40, 550 ; in
1842-3, 526; of whom 377 were proprietors, and 127
£10 householders. There are branches of five banks
in the town, viz., of the bank of Scotland, the Bri-
h Linen company, the Commercial bank of Scot-
tish Linen c<
land, the Edinburgh and Glasgow bank, and the Na-
tional bank. There is also a National security sav-
ings' batik, originally established in 1815, the funds
of which as on December 12, 1843, amounted to
£18,915, held by about 1,050 depositors.
In addition to the railroads betwixt Charleston
harbour and the Elgin and Wellwood collieries, and
that from Inverkeithing to the Halbeath and Towr-
hill collieries, a railway is projected from Stirling to
Dunfermline. This line will probably start from
the terminus of the Scottish Central railway at Stir-
ling. It will pass Alloa on the north side, and then
proceed, by the north side of Clackmannan, and by
Kennet, Brucefield, and Oakley, to the north side
of Dunfermline, where it will terminate near the new
jail, by a junction with the Queensferry and Perth
line. It is intended that a branch-line shall leave
the main line, at a point about 3 miles distant from
Stirling, and proceed up the vale of Devon to Kin-
ross, passing through Alva, Tillicoultry, Dollar, and
Fossa way.
Although there is no parochial school in the parish,
education is well-provided for. The total number
of schools in the quoad civilia parish, exclusive of
North Queensferry, in 1844, was 32 ; the total num-
ber of teachers, 37 ; of scholars, exclusive of those
attending evening schools, 2,622, or about 1 in 7^ of
the population. The burgh school is under the man-
agement of the magistrates and kirk-session. The
school-house is elegant and commodious, with a
dwelling-house for the teacher. Besides his fees,
the master has a salary from the town, and the in-
terest of a mortification left by Queen Anne, amount-
ing to £22 12s. 6d. The commercial academy, under
the direction of the guildry, is a handsome building,
with dwellings for the teachers, two in number. The
late Adam Holland, Esq. of Cask, left £1,000 ster-
ling for the purpose of establishing a charity-school.
The teacher is bound to educate gratis 50 scholars
presented by the managers, and is allowed to take
an additional number of pupils, from whom moderate
fees are charged. His salary is £32. The Lancas-
terian system of education has been adopted in this
institution, which is erected in Priory-lane, and is
attended by about 180 children — The Dunfermline
town-library was instituted in 1789, and contains
nearly 3,000 volumes ; the tradesmen's and mechanics'
library contains 2,000 volumes. The abbey-church
library is well-selected ; and there are besides several
congregational and circulating libraries. There is
a public reading-room in the guild-hall, which is
well-supplied with journals. Dunfermline has a
flourishing mechanics' institute, a phrenological so-
ciety, two horticultural societies, and an agricultural
society.
This parish is in the presbytery of Dunfermline
and synod of Fife. From the time of the Reforma-
tion the nave of the old abbey-church, having been
repaired, served as the parish-church of Dunfermline,
while the choir remained a complete ruin. The ne-
cessity of additional church-accommodation havicg
been long felt, the new church was begun in 1818,
and opened for divine service in 1821. It imme-
diately adjoins the old church on the east, and is in
itself an elegant building, in the pointed style, with
handsome perpendicular windows, and sittings for
2,051 persons. It is surmounted by a fine to\ver,
100 feet high, terminated by a balustrade, on which
the name of Robert Bruce, king of Scots, has been
introduced in letters of open hewn- work, four feet
in height. The church is collegiate. Patron of
both charges, the Crown. Stipend of the 1st charge
£282 4s. 2d., with a glebe of the value of £34 ;
of the 2d, £282 4s. 2d., without a manse or
gh'bc. Unappropriated Crown tiends £641 5s. 9d. ;
394
DUNFERMLINE.
of private teimls £211 3s. 8>L It is an original par-
ish ; but many lands originally belonging to it have
been united to the parishes of Beath and Carnock.
ll: comprehends the quoad sacra parish of St. An-
drews, erected in 1835. Church built in 1821 ;
sittings 2,051 There is a United Secession congre-
gation at LIMEKILNS : which see — Another United
Secession congregation was formed in this parish in
1788. Their church, in Chalmers-street, was built
in 1789; cost £700; sittings 430. Stipend £128
A 3d congregation in connection with the Secession
exists at CROSSGATES : which see — An Original Bur-
gher congregation was established in 1799. Church
built in 1801 ; sittings 600. Stipend £122.— A 4th
United Secession congregation was established in
Maygate, in 1832. Church bought in 1833 for £440;
sittings 410. Stipend £120. — A Roman Catholic
congregation was established in 1823. — A congrega-
tion calling itself the Holy Catholic Apostolic con-
gregation appeared in 1834. — St. Andrew's parish is
formed of a portion of the town, which contains above
3,000 inhabitants. The church was built in 1833;
sittings 797. Stipend £120, with manse and garden
— In this parish is St. Margaret's United Secession
congregation, established in 1826. Church built in
.1828; sittings 979. Stipend £175.— Queen Anne-
street United Secession church was built in 1800 ;
sittings 1,642. Stipend £200, with manse and gar-
den— A Relief congregation was established in 1752.
Church built in 1776; sittings 520. Stipend £150,
with manse and garden. — A Baptist congregation was
established about 1805. Church built in 1836; sit-
tings 310. — There is also a recently formed Inde-
pendent church According to a census of the quoad
xacra parish of Dunfermline made in 1836, of a po-
pulation of 14,253, there were in connexion with
the Establishment 5,385, and belonging to other de-
nominations 8,408 ; and in the quoad sacra parisli
of St. Andrews, out of a population of 3,033, 1,621
were in connexion with the Establishment, and 1,368
with other denominations There were no fewer
than 30 private schools in this parish in 1834, attend-
ed by about 2,400 children. Of these 3 were infant-
schools. — Queen Anne-street United Secession church
was originally built for the celebrated Ralph Erskine,
who, while one of the parish-ministers of Dunferm-
line, was expelled from his charge for declining the
authority of the supreme ecclesiastical court, and
became one of the fathers of the Secession church.*
« The parishioners of Kinross had given a call to a Mr. Fran-
cis Craig, but another person-Mr. Stark— had received the
presentation. As tit's latter gentleman had scarcely a .single
vote, the presbytery of Dunr'ermline refused to ordain him.
The commission of tne general assemnly, thereupon, appointed
a sub-committee to proceed to Kinross and effect a settlement
Against thin unconstitutional proceeding comp.-aints and peti-
tions were presented both by the parishioners and by the pres-
bytery ; but these were rejected, and the presbytery were
eiijoined to enrol and acknowledge Mr. Stark as one of tueir
number. Mr Ralph Erskine and others tendered a protest
against this decision, but the clerk was prohibited from enter-
ing it on the records of the assembly. The matter did not
re.st here, for a complaint being made at next meeting of
a->embly, in 17^3, that the presbytery had refused to enrol Mr.
Stark, the recusant brethren weie forthwith summoned to the
b:ir of the court, and sharply rebuked for their disobedience;
aod a committee was appointed to meet with snch of the breth-
ren of the Dunfermline presbytery a.s were in town, and to get
Mr. Stark judicially enrolled. The presbytery were more-
over, commanded to encourage and strengthen the hands of Mr.
S.ark in the work of the ministry, and they were forbidden to
ult'er or rece-ve any protest against Ins sitting and acting as a
member of their court. " Upon the principles of strict Presby-
terian government," says Mr. M'Kenow, the historian of the
Secession chinch, " the members of the Dunfermli ie presbytery
cannot, in this instance, be vindicated from the charge o! con-
ttiiMHt-y, in r, fusing compliance with the decision of the supreme
court; either they ought formally to havr declined its authority,
as some of them afterward* aid, when they joined the Secession,
or while they continued to profe.-s sulijtclion, they ought to
have obeyed At the same tune, the conduct of the assembly
and wt the'ir commission was arbitrary in a high degree, ami pe-
culiarly calculated to excite opposition." Ebene/.er Erskiiu' had
eari« juined the Seceding party, or rather had been the ptiuci-
The pulpit which this excellent and eloquent man
filled in the old kirk of Dunfermline was made into
two small side-tables, which are now in the hall of
Abbotstbrd, the side- walls of which are lined, to the
height of 7 feet, with a beautifully carved pannelling
of dark oak from the same edifice. — There are several
pal organ in declaring a secession from the church, and in the
formation of the Associate presbytery: See article STIR LINO.
His brother of Dunfermline, however, did not t>ive in his open
adherence to the Associate presbytery until February, 1737.
On this occasion, Mr. Ralph Erski.-ie stated that though he
withdrew, for the present, from the National chnich, and
joined hi.s brethren of the Secession, yet he did not by this in-
tend withdrawing from ministerial communion with those pious
ministers of the Establishment, who were " groaning- under, or
wrestling against, the defections of the times." '"Neither,"
said he, "do I hereby intend to preclude myself from the liber,
ty of returning and joining with the judicatoriesof this church,
upon their returning to their duty; and, so far as my joining1
with the foresaid, or any other ministers, in their lilting up
the said testimony, and promoting the end and design thereof,
and the said return can consist together; seeing if the judica-
tories. who at pre»ent either unjustly refuse, or unduly delay to
receive that testimony, were acting a contrary part, and put.
ting hand to reformation, the same reasons that induce to this
withdrawing, would necessarily induce to a returning, which
I cordially wish I may quickly see good reason for." It was
not in fact until the meeting of the general assembly in 1740,
that Mr. Ralph Erskine was formally dep<^ed. In the interim
a curious contest was carried on between Mr. Erskine and ins
colleague Mr. Wardlaw, of wh cii Mr. Mercer has given some
account from a ma.iu.-cript journal kept at the time by an eye-
witness apparently, of which the following are extracts :—
" Dunfermline, October 28th, 1739. The session resumed tlie
consideration of their former resolutions of suspending their
connection with the present jndicatories of the established
church. The plurality of the members present declared they
wt-re lor continuing in an interpendent situation, without hokl.
ing a connection with the established church ; and agreed that
this overture should be read before the session upon Sabbatli
'.he II ih of November, to be appro veil or disapproveu of by
them.
" After this a pnlpit-war commenced 'twixt Mr. Erskine and
Mr Wardlaw, which continued till Mr. Erskine was put out
of the kirk. What Mr. Ernkine spoke in the forenoon, with
respect to the defections and backnlnling-s of the Established
church, and the lawfulness and necessity of the brethren to se-
parate from them, Mr. Wardlaw contradicted in the afternoon,
saying, that the Associate presbytery were unnatural children,
and ought to have pled with their mother; and that it was at
best a setting up altar against altar. Much was said on both
sides, and many scriptures cited.
"May llth, 1740. This day Mr. Erskine's turn was to preach
in the tent, forenoon , and knowing he was to meet with op.
portion in assaying'to preach in the old kirk in the afternoon,
gave suitable exhortations to the congregation how to behave
Whatever should fail out, it being the Lord's day; and also, that
he was to be with his brother Ebenezer, at the sacrament n
Stirling, next Lord's day ; Mr. While, probationer, to preacl
for him, here, thai day. That the congregation should wait ii
the church-yard till they saw if he got entrance, if not to return
to the other place of worship. Accordingly, this afternoon Mr.
Hardy, minister in Cnlross, being appointed to take possession
of Mr. Erskine's pulpit, whose diet it was this sabbath, the
Established party came a little after the second bell, and earned
lock the porch-door, as the ministers always entered the east
door. Mr. Erskin"'s congregation were mostly without, in the
church-yard, the east door was guarded by David Black of Hiil,
Bailie Chalmers, Bailie John Walker, and others, to keep out
Mr. Erskine ; but when he came through the church-yard rvitlt
Mr. Brisson, many following, as they came near the east kuk
door, Mr. Brisson cried out, ' Make way lor your minister.'
Upon this, some rushed in, others that were within soon turn
ed back the gentlemen door-keepers, neither could they get the
door shut, so that when Mr. Krskine came forward none of Ins
opposers had power or courage to make the least resistance
against him; his presence struck a terror in them. 'Hie way
to the pulpit was lined on every side, so that Mr. Ei>kme
had a full and free entry to it. During all this time Mr. H.-tiuy
was in the session-house, trembling; tor he would not mounc
the pulpit till he saw if Mr. Erskine was kept out of the kirk ;
and when the small scuffle was at the kirk-door, he called to
lock the session-house door ; and when the kirk was composed,
and the psalms singing, he went, forth, with his gentlemen door-
keepers, to Bailie John Walker's house, but was in such con.
fusion and disorder, that when they called for a dram, lie could
not ask a blessing on it (H>> was said).
•' May 1-S.h. T'nisday Mr. Erskine assisting at a sacrament in
Stirling, and Mr. White being to preach the forenoon in the
kirk ; but Mr. lieddes, the other minister in Cuiross, ami Mr.
George Eddie took early possession of the pulpit; and when
Mr. White came to the kirk, the pulpit was tilled, and lie re-
fused entrance; so he, and our congregation, relumed to our
own place of worship.
"This week Mr. Hugh Forbes came to Dunfermline, and
visited Mr. Erskine; ami, speaking of our alia. rs, desired Mr.
Erskine to make no more attempts to force himself into the es«
tarilished kirk of Dunfermline, as he wished him well, an
if he did. the consequences might not be comfortable, as a l>
diTs-u Upon rebellion ; so «e never uf-.crvtard attempted it."
DUNGLASS CASTLE.
395
mortifications ft>- i'ne benefit of the poor in the town
and parish. 1. St. Leonard's hospital, which is very
ancient, and the founder of which is not known.
The hospital-buildings were situated at the suburb
palled the Spittal, but are long since removed. The
rent of 64 acres of land were mortified for the main-
tenance of 8 widows, each of whom was entitled to
8 bolls meal, 4 bolls malt, 8 lippies fine wheat, 8
lippies of groats, and 2 shillings of silver annually,
and an apartment in the hospital. The Marquis of
Tweeddale exercises the patronage. — 2. In 1075, Sir
Henry Wardlaw of Pitreavie founded an hospital at
the village of Mastertown, called the Pitreavie hos-
pital, for the benefit of 4 widows, with which he
burdened a portion of the lands of Mastertown.
Each widow is to receive 6 bolls meal, or 3 bolls
groats, and 3 bolls of bear, at the patron's option,
annually, and an apartment in the hospital. — 3. At
the death of the last Episcopal clergyman of the par-
ish in 1710, 600 merks Scots (£33 6s. 8d. sterling)
was found in the poors' box, which was mortified for
the use of the poor. The town pays the interest
yearly, — one-half to the poor of the burgh, and the
oilier half to the poor of the landward part of the
parish. — 4. John Reid, a shopkeeper in the burgh,
mortified some land for the use of poor persons who
had at one time been in good worldly circumstances,
under the management of certain trustees. The re-
venues belonging to this mortification have been
greatly increased from the feuing of the land ; and in
1827, the yearly rental was £140 sterling. The
fuildry and the different incorporations also give
weekly or monthly allowances 'from their funds to
decayed members, and widows of members of their
several bodies.
DUNGLASS CASTLE, a stronghold in East
Lothian, which stood on the west side of the roman-
;ic little rivulet which separates Oldhamstocks parish
n East Lothian from Berwickshire, on the spot
where the elegant modern seat of Sir James Hall,
Bart., is now situated. It was originally one of the
tiany strongholds of the Earls of Home. After the
attainder of Lord Home in 1516, it appears occasion-
illy to have been held by the Douglases ; for, accord-
ng to Patten, it was held by George Douglas in
1548. Patten relates, that while Somerset's army
was passing the Pease, " my lord's grace, willing
a lose no time, and that the enemies as well by
deed as by brute should know he was come, sent
an herald to summon a castle of George Douglas,
called Dunglas, that stood at the end of the same
valley nearer the sea, and a mile from the place of
jur passage. The captain thereof, Matthew Hume,
* brother's son of the Lord Hume's, upon this sum-
mons, required to speak with my lord's grace. It
was granted, and he came. To whom, quoth his
jrace, since it cannot, be but that ye must be witting
wth of our coming into these parts, and of our pro-
:lamation sent hither before, and proclaimed also
>ince, and ye have not yet come to us, but keep this
lolde thus, we have cause to take you as our mere
iiiemy. And, therefore, be ye at this choice — for
will take none avantage of your being here now
"lether ye and your company will render your
and stande, body and goods, at the order of
will, or else to be set in it again as ye were, and
will assay to win it as we can. The captain,
iboui this riddle brought in great doubt what
well to make, and whether best to do, at last
i-ken with the fear of cruelty that by stubborn-
ess he should well deserve, and moved again with
he hope of mercy that by submission he might hap
o have, was content to render all at his grace's plea-
Jre, and thereupon, commanded to fetch his coin-
any, returned to the castle. In the time of tarrying
I for fetching his guard, we saw our ships, with good
gale and order, fair sailing into their firth, which is
I a great arm of the sea, and runneth westward into
their country above iiii. score mile. Upon this stand,
eth Leith, Blackness, Stirling, and Saint Jho's rosul,
and all the best towns else in the south part of Scot-
land. This captain came and brought with him his
band to my lord's grace, which was of xxi. sober sol-
! diers, all so apparelled and appointed, that, so God
j help me — I will say it for no praise — I never saw
I such a bunch of beggars come out of one house to-
I gether in my life ! The captain and vi. of the wor-
I shipful of the company were stayed arid commanded
j to the keeping of the provost-marshal, more to takt;
l Munday's handsell, then for hope of avantage ; the
! residue were licensed to go their gate with thie
; lesson, that if they were ever known to practise
or do ought against the army, while it was in the
country, and thereupon taken, they should be sure
to be hanged. After this surrender, my Lord John
Gray, being captain of a number — as for his ap-
proved worthiness right well he might — was ap-
pointed to sei/e and take possession of the manor,
with all and singular the appurtenances, in and to
the same belonging, with whom, as it hapt, it was
my chance to go thither. The spoil was not rich
sure; but of white bread, oaten cakes, and Scottish
I ale, whereof was indifferent good store, and soon
i bestowed among my lord's soldiers accordingly. As
; for swords, bucklers, pikes, pots, pans, yarn, linen,
! hemp, and heaps of such baggage beside, were scant
! stoopt for, and very liberally let alone ; but yet sure
it would have rued any good housewife's heart, to
have beholden the great unmerciful murder that our
men made of the brood-geese and good laying-hens
that were slain there that day, which the wives of
the town had pend up in holes in the stables and
cellars of the castle, ere we came. In this meantime,
my lord's grace appointed the house should be over-
thrown ; whereupon the captain of the pioneers,
with a iiiiC. of his labourers, were sent down to
it, whom he straight set a-digging about the foun-
dation. In the town of Dunglas — the which we left
unspoiled and unburned — we understood of the wives,
(for their husbands were not at home,) that it was
George Douglas's devise and cost to cast these cross
trenches at the Peaths, and stood him in iiii. Scot-
tish L., which is as much sterling as iiii. good Eng-
lish crowns of V.s. a piece ; a mete reward for such
a work." Next day, Patten continues, " Our pion-
eers were early at their work again about the castle,
whose walls were so thick, and foundation so deep,
and there too set upon so craggy a plot, that it was
not any easy matter soon to underdig them ; our
army dislodged and march on." After the destruc-
tion of Dunglass thus recorded, it was rebuilt, and
probably much enlarged ; for, in 1C03, it was sulli-
cient to lodge James VI. and his whole retinue when
on his journey to London ; and, on his return, in
1617, he was welcomed by the 'Muses Dunglasido.
In 1640, the Earl of Haddington, and several of the
neighbouring gentlemen who had joined the Cove-
nanters, took possession of Dunglass castle, for the
Rurpose of watching the garrison of Berwick. His
>nlship, having received a letter from General Les-
lie, was standing in the court-yard reading it to the
company, when the powder-magazine blew up, and
one of the side- walls in its fall overwhelmed his lord-
ship^ and his auditors, who all perished in the ruins.
Scotstarvet states, that a report prevailed that the
deed was effected by a faithless page, who, in re-
venge of some real or imaginary insult, thrust a hot
iron into a barrel of gunpowder, and perished with
the rest. This incident is sometimes erroneously
connected with the subject of the next article,
DUN
396
DUN
though the two castles are separated from one an- (
other by the whole breadth of the island.
DUNGLASS, an ancient fortress and hamlet, in
the shire of Dumbarton, and parish of Old Kilpa-
trick ; 2i aiiles south-east by east of Dumbarton.
The great Roman wall, commonly called Graham's
Dyke, extending between the Forth and the Clyde,
terminated here. The castle, which is picturesquely
situated on a small promontory jutting into the
Clyde, was once a Roman station. On a part of the
rock, a simple obelisk monument has recently been
erected to the memory of Henry Bell, the well-known
father of steam-navigation. It was formerly the pro-
perty of the Colquhouns of Luss, who held the whole
tract of country from thence to Dumbarton.
DUNGYLE, an ancient fortress, on a lofty crag
in the south-west of Bute. The stones which com-
posed it lie in scattered heaps chiefly on one side of
the hill. The curiosity of this object consists in the
vitrification of a great part of these stones, — a pro-
cess by which, it is supposed, they were cemented
together ; for no trace of lime, mortar, or any other
cement, is found attached to them. " It is conjec-
tured," says Dr. Lettice, in his Letters on a Tour
in 1792, " that strata of wood and stone, in form of
a wall, being first alternately placed upon each other,
sods of earth were raised on either side to support
them, and that then, the wood being set on fire, the
upper strata of stone soon subsided on those imme-
diately below them, and their vitrified sides meeting
whilst red-hot, became firmly attached to each other.
It is not improbable, that sand and the fern-plant —
both at hand — might be mingled with the wood, or
perhaps laid under it, to assist the vitrification. As
the first strata would sink considerably in tkis pro-
cess, successive additions were piled upon them, till
the walls were raised to the height required. This
strong place was called, in the Gaelic language,
Dttnyyle^ or Dun-a-goil ; interpreted, ' the Fort of
the Strangers;' and is supposed to have been con-
structed by the Danes or Norwegians. Mr. Thor-
burn — probably understanding the name to mean,
' a Fort against the strangers ' — is of opinion that it
was built by the inhabitants to defend themselves
against the attacks of the former. As the northern
people, just mentioned, certainly made many success-
ful inroads into the island, and at some intervals con-
sidered themselves as its principal proprietors by-
right of conquest, there appears more difficulty in
deciding the origin of this fortress than I will under-
take to remove. A much smaller fort, of the same
curious construction, stood at the north side of the
island. The situation of Dungyle to a picturesque
eye would, perhaps, be less amusing, on account of
the remarkable ruins of the fortress, than on that of
the different prospects seen from its eminence. To-
ward the south-east rise the bleak rocks of Mount-
blain, with the hamlet of Garatie, just below its
rudest crags, — a few trees wildly scattered round it.
A little to the left appears one o"f the Cumbraes, and
its lighthouse with admirable effect. To the south-
vest, dashed by the waves of the Clyde, pouring into
the Irish sea, the lofty mountains of Arran, pin-
nacled with many a black, mis-shapen crag aspiring
to the clouds, with waterfalls glittering betwixt
them, present altogether a thousand circumstances
of the truest sublimity ; whilst, on the right, as the
eye moves along the north-western shore of Bute,
it catches the lovely isle of Inchmarnock, and the
long sweeping peninsula of Kintyre. We descended
from Dungyle, and winding northward round its
base, surveyed certain columnar stacks of dark rocks,
which compose this mountainous elevation, now for-
midably projecting over our heads. Beneath these
rocks we entered the long windings of a cave, worn
black by the eternal dripping of springs down its
sides. For want of light we did not choose to pene-
trate beyond 40 or 50 feet : our companion informed
us that its depth was not known. In barbarous
times it is supposed to have been frequently a place
of concealment to some enemy of the inhabitants;
as it is at present to those of his majesty's revenue,
the smugglers. Its rugged bottom was strewed over
with fish-bones, whose eatable parts had been de-
voured by the otter, or the savage biped just men-
tioned. Notwithstanding this den-like appearance
of things, a botanist would have been delighted with
the variety of aquatic foliage which fringed its en-
trance."
DUNIAN, a hill on the boundary between Bed-
rule and Jedburgh parishes, Roxburghshire. Its
summit at one place, excepting a cap or nobule of
very inconsiderable elevation, is a round-backed and
prolonged ridge, stretching chiefly along the boun-
dary of the parishes, and partly into the interior of
Jedburgh. At its highest point it has an elevation
of 1,031 feet above the level of the sea; and very
nearly at this point it is traversed by the high road
between Jedburgh and Ha wick. But the hill slopes
on both sides in a very gentle acclivity, and bestrides
the whole space between the Jed and the Teviot, —
a geographical distance of nearly 3 miles, thus allow-
ing the highway to climb it with comparative faci-
lity. On its eastern base, rising somewhat rapidly
from the Jed, stands the chief part of the town of
Jedburgh. See BEDRULE.
DUNINO,* or DENINO, a parish in the south-
east of Fifeshire, on the road between St. Andrews
and Anstruther. The kirk is 4 miles south of the
former, and 5 miles north of the latter. It is bounded
on the north by the parishes of Cameron and St.
Andrews ; on the east by St. Andrews and Kings-
barns ; on the south by Kingsbarns, Crail, and Carn-
bee; and on the west by Carnbee and Cameron.
It is doubtful whether the lands of Kingsmuir, ex-
tending to 844 acres, belong to this parish or to
Crail. The district, is beautifully interspersed with
small streams, the principal of which is Pitmilly
burn, which flows from west to east through the
parish. Coal seems, from the vast number ot old
pits in various places of the parish, to have, at
one time, been a very plentiful article here. Free-
stone is also found in abundance; but, though of
an easy access, and of a good quality, it is seldom
called for beyond the limits of the parish. Ironstone
exists here. Of 3,2?5 acres, being the superficial
extent of this parish, 270 are under plantations. The
* Pronounced Dununie. Some persons, little less fanciful,
perhaps, than intelligent, says the reporter to Sir John Sinclair,
think that Denino derives its origin from the Gaelic Dun-y.
nuch, whose first constituent sign ties ' a hill,' and the t\v.i la.-C
' yoniisf women.' They infer, therefore, that Uenino and 'the
Hill of Virgins* are equivalent terms. Unfortunately there is
not the least circumstance, either in tradi ion or re.-«. id, tend-
ing to establish the authenticity of this derivation. In Hie local
situation of Denino we seem to have a sufficient account ol the
origin of the name. The simple consideration of its standing1
in the immediate vicinity of a large and deep den, where, MI
right opposition to it, two huge rocks seem to threaten an em.
brace over the perennial stream below, appears to have natu-
rally suggested the name, Denino, or, in other words, • tne
Village on th- Den.1 Thus lar the writer in the Old Statistical
Account. [Vol. xi. pp. :i52, 3.V1.] Hut his sumw-or in the oN
tice of parochial stati-t gives a d> tie rent turn t«» the whole mat-
ter. He says there is not and never was any village in the car-
isli, nor any deep and large den! 'I hat the hi ft syllable in the
name of the parish was originally Dun, and that Den is a mo.
dern corruption; that there is a traditional account ot a nun.
nery having once existed here on the sunnnic ol the highest
ground in the parish— Dunino law; and that charters exist in
which the parish is distinctly termed Dunn«nuucht, and Dyn-
netioch. Mr. Leighton, again, asserts that this conjecture ol *
nunnery having existed here is totally with. .ut foundation, a«
there is no record of any such religious establishment; anJ ar-
gues that the name points not to the station ot a religious sister.
h...,d, but the dun or fortified hill-camp ot a body ol warrior*
So much for conflicting etymologies.'
DUN
397
DUN
rental, in 1793, was £1,157; in 1836, £3,1:2±
e assessed property was returned, in 1815, ;it
634. Population, in 1801, 326; in 1831, in-
ng the island of May, which also is claimed by j
il parish, 383. Houses 74. There are three
ed fortulices in this parish : viz., the castle of
un, Stravethy castle, and Pittairthy castle,
is parish is in the presbytery of St. Andrews,
synod of Fife. Patron, the united college of
Andrews. Stipend £108 16s.; glebe £28.
ppropriated teinds £33 15s. lOd. Church built
182(5; sittings 224. — Parish-schoolmaster's salary
4^d., with £16 fees, and other emoluments.
UNIPACE, a parish in Stirlingshire, which has
conjoined with that of Larbert since about
It is bounded on the north by the parish
St. Ninians ; on the south by the Carron, which
it from Denny and Falkirk parishes ; on
west by the Carron, which again separates it
Denny, and by the parish of St. Ninians ; and
the east by the parish of Larbert. It derives
name from two remarkable mounds in the east-
part of the parish. " The whole structure of
these mounts," says Mr. Nimmo, in his ' History of
lingshire,' " is of earth ; but they are not both
e same form and dimensions. The more easterly
is perfectly round, resembling an oven, and
t 50 feet* in height. That it is an artificial work
does not admit of the least doubt ; but the same
thing cannot be affirmed with equal certainty of
the other, though it has generally been supposed to
so too. It bears no resemblance to the eastern
either in shape or size. At the foundation it
irly of a triangular form ; but the superstructure
'te irregular ; nor does the height of it bear any
rtion to the extent of the base. Buchanan calls
e western mount the smaller, but his memory had
quite failed him, for there are at least four times the
quantity of earth in it that is in the other. Neither
can we discern any appearance of the river's having
ever come so near as to wash away any part of it,*
as that historian affirms; though it is not improbable
that considerable encroachments have been made
upon it, which have greatly altered its original
shape, as it affords an excellent kind of gravel for
different uses. The mounts are now planted with
firs, which, together with the parish-church of
Dunipace, standing in the middle between them and
the river running hard by, gives this valley a ro-
mantic appearance. The common account given of
these mounts is, that they were erected as monu-
ments of a peace concluded in that place betwixt
the Romans and the Caledonians, and that their
name partakes of the language of both people ;
J)'t/i, signifying ' hill,' in the ancient language of the
country, and Pax ' peace,' in the language of Rome ;
the compound word Duni-pace, according to this
etymology, signifies 'hills of peace.' If the con-
curring testimony of historians and antiquaries did
not unite in giving this original to these mounts,
we should be tempted to conjecture that they are
sepulchral monuments. Human bones and urns had
been discovered in earthen fabrics of a similar con-
struction in many parts of the island ; and the little
mounts or barrou-s which are scattered in great mini
bers around Stonehenge, in Salisbury plain, are gener-
ally supposed to have been sepulchres of the ancient
Britons." This conjecture of the intelligent histo-
rian of Stirlingshire, with regard to the origin of the
Is of Dunipace, is supported by his editor Mr.
Stirling, who ivjects the absurd, mongrel etymology
• The writer .if the Old Statistical Account seems to contra-
dict this sta'einent. He distinctly ,tates th,.t the course u Inch
the river had taken when it made the fiicn.aclnnein referred to
by BudiHuaM, ia still visible.
of Buchanan, and states it as more probable tha*
the word Dunipace is entirely Celtic in its origin.
Diiin-na-Baix in Gaelic, would signify, he mention*,
'hills or tumuli of death.' "Dunipace," con-
tinues Mr. Nimmo, " is taken notice of in history
as a place where important national causes have
been decided, and that more than once, by great
monarchs in person. The Roman Emperor Severus,
accompanied by his sons Caracalla and Geta, is sup-
posed to have here concluded a peace with the Caledo-
nians. We rind Edward the 1st of England, at
Dunipace, upon the 14th October, 1301, when he
signed a warrant to his plenipotentiaries, who were
at that time in France, authorizing them to consent
to a truce with the Scots, as a necessary prelimi-
nary towards a peace with their ally, the French
king, between whom and Edward an obstinate war
had long raged. At the chapel of this place, too,
Robert Bruce and William Wallace are said to have
had a second conference, the morning after the
battle of Falkirk, which effectually opened the eye*
of the former, to a just view of his own true in-
terest, and that of his country. Until the bridge
of Larbert was erected in the last century, the or-
dinary place of crossing the Carron seems to have
been at Dunipace. No where else does the river
offer a passage naturally so commodious and easy, the
banks being generally steep and rugged. The nu-
merous armies which frequently crossed this shire,
appear to have taken their route that way, at least
since the demolition of a Roman bridge which stood
half-a-mile to the eastward." [Nimmo's ' History of
Stirlingshire,' p. 68 — 73.] — A portion of the ancient
Caledonian forest, known by the name of Torwood,
still remains in this parish. An old oak tree of im-
mense size, used to be pointed out here as having af-
forded a hiding-place to Sir \Villiam Wallace after
his defeat in the north. Adjoining to this there is a
square field, enclosed by a ditch, where Donald Car-
gill pronounced sentence of excommunication against
Charles II., the Duke of Lauderdale, Sir George
Mackenzie, the King's advocate, and others. The
population of Dunipace, in 1801, was 948; in 1831,
1,278. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,634. For
ecclesiastical statistics, see LARBERT.
DUNKELD AND DOWALLY, a conjunct parish
in the north-eastern part of Perthshire. It consists
of the town of Dunkeld, and the landward parish of
Dowally, both of which were disjoined from the par-
ish of Caputh in 1500. It is bounded on the north
by the parish of Logierait; on the south by the
parish of Caputh and the river Tay, which divides
it from the parish of Little Dunkeld ; on the east
by the parishes of Cluny and Caputh ; and on the
west by the Tay, which separates it from Little
Dunkeld. A portion of the parish of Dowally,
called Dalcapon, is detached from it, and is situated
several miles farther north. 'J his portion is bounded
on the south and west by the parish of Logierait ;
on the north by the parish of Moulin ; and on the
east by the parish of Kirkmichael. The greatest
length of the parish is 7 miles; its greatest breadth
;{ miles. Its superficial extent is about 14 square
miles. The pari*h stretches along the banks of the
Tay, which waters its western boundary, and from
that river it rises into steep and barren mountains, of
which it is principally composed. It is estimated
that its surface consists of about 1, 200 acres ot arable
land, 1,000 of meadows in pasture, 260 of oak wood,
and !),000 of heath, and hill pasture. The valued
rent of Dowally is £1,390 2s. 2<i. Scots. Assosed
property, in 1815, £14,976. The population ot the
parish amounted, in 1801, to 1,857 ; in 1831, to
2,037 ; of whom W) were in the parish of Dowally,
and 1,471 in the town of Dunkuld. Of the whole
398
DUNKELD AND DOWALLY.
population 1,965 are connected with the Establish-
ment, and 72 belong to other denominations. From
a more recent survey, the population of the parish of
Do wall y has increased since 1831 to 596. No new
survey has been made of Dunkeld. Dunkeld is the
seat of a presbytery, and is in the synod of Perth
and Stirling. Patron, and sole heritor, the Duke of
Athole. The cathedral, which has been fitted up as
the paiish-church, was built in 131 7. It was refitted
and repaired in 1820, at an expense of about .£5,400,
defrayed solely by the late Duke of Athole, with the
exception of £990 granted by the Exchequer. Sit-
tings 655. Stipend £161 7s. 7^d., with .£63 per
annum in lieu of manse and glebe. Gaelic is com-
monly spoken in the parish of Dowally, and the in-
habitants generally understand English very imper-
fectly. The marches of Dowally in fact are said to
constitute a distinct line of demarcation between the
two parts of the united parishes in respect to the
English and Gaelic languages : see article DOWALLY.
• — There is also an Independent congregation in Dun-
keld. It was established in 1800. Church built in
1800, at an expense of £500. Sittings 310. Stipend
£60, and a house worth about £10 annually.— A
Glassite congregation has likewise been established
for about 90 years. The congregation assembles in
the upper flat of a house, rented at £10 per annum,
and fitted up at the expense of the congregation.
Sittings about 100. There is no minister. The
members are only 10 in number, and the average at-
tendance is about 30. — The salary of the parish
schoolmaster is £34 4s. 4id., with £14 of school-
fees. Average number of scholars, about 50. There
are four other schools in the parish, attended, on an
average, by 194 children.
The town of Old Dunkeld is delightfully situated
on the north bank of the Tay, close on the river side,
and with a finely- wooded hill immediately behind it.
It consists of one principal street, extending in aline
parallel with the river, and intersected by several
smaller streets or lanes. It is a place of great an-
tiquity. In Pictish times it is said to have been the
seat of royalty, and it is certain that a cell of Cul-
dees was established here at a very early period.
It was afterwards, by David I., in 1130, made the
seat of a bishopric, and ranked as the first in Scot-
land. It is still regarded as the capital of the north-
ern part of Perthshire. Its size, however, is very
inconsiderable, the population, in 1831, having been
only 1,471. A limited trade of consumption with
the surrounding country is carried on, but it is not
a trading place in a comprehensive sense, nor has it
any manufactures. The cathedral stands apart from
the town, and is surrounded by fine old trees.
'1 hough now much dilapidated, it is still a fine build-
ii g. The tower, the two side-aisles, and the nave
alone remain. The ruins of the principal aisle in parti-
cular are singularly grand. At the west end are the
remains of a fine large Gothic window which has ori-
ginally been beautifully ornamented, but is now
sadly injured. The tower, which was founded in
1469, and finished in 1501, is placed at the west
end of the north aisle, and is a structure of great
elegance. The Tay is crossed at Dunkeld by a
magnificent bridge, of which the middle arch is 90
feet wide ; the two next 84 feet each ; and the two
next 74 feet each ; with 2 land-arches, each 20 feet
wide. Total water-way 446 feet. This bridge was
built in 1807-9, at an expense of £14,054, of which
£7,000 were contributed by the Duke of Athole
Dunkeld is a burgh-of-barony under the Duke of
Athole. It received from Queen Anne, in 1704, a
charter conferring on it the dignity of a royal burgh,
with 3 bailies, a dean-of-guild, a treasurer, and
10 common-council-men ; also fully empowering it
*' to have freemen, merchants, guild-brothers, muni-
cipal courts, or dean-of-guild, with the council and
other members, liberties, and emoluments thereto
belonging, as also burgess-brothers of the fraternity
or guildry, and to be appointed and created with
such liberties and privileges as belongs to them, or
are usual within any other burgh-royal within the
kingdom; with full'power and liberty to use, tra-
fique, and merchandize, as well within the said king,
dom as without it, in foreign countries, and of ex-
porting and importing all lawful effects and commo-
dities whatsoever." This charter, however, does
not appear to have been accepted by the burgh, or
carried into effect, as the town continued merely a
burgh-of-barony. The jurisdiction of the burgh is
that of an ordinary baron-bailie, who is appointed
during the pleasure of the superior. He holds no
regular court, but trifling disputes are settled by him
at his own house : matters of a more serious charac-
ter being referred to a justice-of-peace court, which
meets at Dunkeld once a month. Courts under the
new small debt act are held every 2d Monday
of February, May, August, and November. Fairs,
principally for cattle, are held on the 14th February,
5th April, 20th June, and 2d Tuesday of Novem-
ber. Here are branches of the Commercial bank of
Scotland, and of the Perth banking company.
The scenery in the neighbourhood of Dunkeld,
particularly in the grounds of the Duke of Athole,
is extremely beautiful. The poet, Gray, who visited
the town in 1 766, thus describes the approach to
and situation of the place : " The road came to
the brow of a deep descent ; and between two
woods of oak we saw, far below us, the Tay come
sweeping along at the bottom of a precipice at least
150 feet deep, clear as glass, full to the brim, and
very rapid in its course. It seemed to issue out of
woods thick and tall that rose on either hand, and
were overhung by broken rocky crags of vast height.
Above them, to the west, the tops of higher moun-
tains appeared, on which the evening clouds reposed.
Down by the side of the river, under the thickest
shades, is seated the town of Dunkeld. In the midst
of it stands a ruined cathedral ; the tower and shell
of the building still entire. A little beyond it a large
house of the Duke of Athole, with its offices and
gardens, extends a mile beyond the town : and as his
grounds are intersected by the streets and roads, he
has flung arches of communication across them, that
add much to the scenery of the place." Mr. Gilpin
says : " This favoured spot — for it is indeed a beau-
tiful scene — consists of a large circular valley, the
diameter of which is in some parts a mile ; in others
two or three. Its surface is various ; and some of
the rising grounds within the valley itself would
even be esteemed lofty, if it were not for the grand
screen of mountains, which circles the whole. At
the base of those, towards the south, runs the Tay,
in this place broad, deep, and silent. The whole
valley is interspersed with wood, both on the banks
of the river and in its internal parts ; and would
have been a still more beautiful scene, if art had
done as much as nature. Much indeed it has done,
but nothing well. Cascades, and slopes, and other
puerilities deform a scene which is in itself calcu-
lated to receive all the grandeur of landscape. The
walks show some contrivance; and might, with a
few alterations, be made beautiful. Indeed the whole
is capable of receiving any improvement ; and may
by this time have received it. 1 speak of it only as
it was a dozen years ago. The remains of the abbey,
shrouded in wood, stand on the edge of the lawn ;
but rather too near the house. The solitude, wbicb
naturally belongs to ruins, and the embellishments
which are necessary about a habitable mansion, in-
DUNKELD.
399
lerfere rather ton much." [Observations in 1776,
Vol. I. pp. 113, 114.] — In the subsequent article will
be f'ouml sou:e additional remarks on the beautiful
seenerv of this locality.
DUNKELD (LITTLE), a parish in Perthshire,
which adjoins that described in the last article. It
consists of the united parishes of Little Dunkeld and
L;iiranallarhy; and is bounded on the north by the
p.trish of Dull, and by the Tay, which there divides
it from the parish of Logicrait ; on the west by the
:>'S of Dull and Weem ; on the south by the
p'iri>hes cf Dull, Monzie, Auchtergaven, and Kin-
claven; and on the east by the river Tay, which
divide-; it from Logierait, Dunkeld, and Caputh. Its
gn-.iti'st length is 1C miles, its greatest breadth be-
t\v H ii ,5 and 6 miles, and it contains about 31, (XX)
acres. The parish consists of three distinct and
populous districts, which are all separated from each
other by high hills: viz. the Bishopric, which extends
from the Bran along the west bank of the Tay to the
northern boundary of the parish ; Strathbran, or the
valley of the Bran, along the southern confines of the
parish ; and Murthly, a long, narrow stripe of land
stretching from the town of Little Dunkeld along
the banks of the Tay to the south-east. The south-
ern and. eastern parts of Murthly present an undu-
lating surface. The soil is a kind of black loam
mixed with sand, and tolerably fertile. There is a
considerable tract of heath in the neighbourhood of
Murthly, a portion of which is now covered with
fine \voods. The western part of the district be-
low Invar is a deep, narrow vale through which
the Tay flows. It is adorned with oak-woods, and
the bottom forms a stripe of good arable land. On
the south side of this valley is situated the celebrated
hill of Birnam. The district called the Bishopric is
about 10 miles in length from Invar to Grandtully.
It derives its name from the greater part of it having
formerly been the property of the see of Dunkeld.
It forms the western side of a beautiful valley through
which the Tay flows in a wide smooth stream. The
bottom of this valley is level and fertile ; and it is
bounded on the west by a long range of high moun-
\vhich present an irregular but bold and abrupt
to the valley. The numerous projections of
the range are perpetually changing the point of view,
and opening up new prospects to the traveller as he
moves along. This district is populous ; it contains
a number of gentlemen's seats, and is richly adorned
throughout the greater part of its surface with oak-
woods. The soil is sandy, with a mixture of loam.
id the district of the Bishopric, to the western
.iity of the parish, there is a wild tract of im-
nir'ist' extent composed of hills, moors, and glens,
through which considerable streamlets lind their way
into the river Bran. It does not appear to be dis-
tmuuished by any general name, and is scarcely oc-
I by any human habitations. The district of
'>nin extends about 9 miles from west to east,
or from Invar to Amulrie. The soil in this district
. and loam, and it is more moist than either
• others. The surface rises in a gentle slope
lioth sides of the Bran, and is bounded on the
and north by hills. The soil is fertile, and
tne greater part of the population of the parish are
Concentred here. Beyond the valley towards the
south there is a long tract of hills occupying nearly
•UHM) acres, and covered principally with heath,
though in some places affording good pasture. Be-
low Murthly in this parish, there is an inexhaustible
body of freestone, of a fine grain, and great hard-
| ness. It is of a lir.ht, vivid a>h colour, and was used
tor building the cathedral of Dimkeld. The hill of
Birnam furnishes slates ot a deep blue colour, bor-
dering on violet ; and lead-ore has also been found
in this elevation. Iron probably exists to some ex-
tent in the parish, as there are fountains strongly
impregnated with this metal near Dalguise in the
Bishopric, and also at Murthly. " In Strathbran,"
says the Old Statistical Account, '* near the king's
highway, there is to be met with a remarkable kind
of clay. When wet it feels perfectly smooth and
unctuous ; when dry it acquires a remarkable degree
of induration ; and when pounded, the powder af-
fects the touch like the finest wheat flour." " This
argillaceous substance," it is added, " may be fit for
some of the finest works of the potter." A great
part of the wealth of this parish consists in 'he nat-
ural woods, which are mostly of oak. The planting
of wood has also been carried to an immense extent
by several of the proprietors of the parish, particu-
larly by the Duke of Athole, whose beautiful planta-
tions on the banks of the Bran, and on the heights
around Little Dunkeld and Invar, have long been
the delight and admiration of travellers. The most
remarkable points in these grounds are the Rumbling
bridge and Ossian's hall. The latter of these is a
neat edifice situated on a romantic promontory which
overlooks a broad, broken cascade. The stranger is
conducted into a small apartment lighted from*the
top, and desired to look at a picture of Ossian painted
on the wall. While he is examining it, it suddenly
disappears as if by magic, and he finds himself at the
entrance of an oblong apartment, the walls and roof
of which are covered with mirrors, wherein the cas-
cade opposite the window is reflected, tumbling as
it were in all directions; — a fantastic and ill-assorted
combination of the solemnities of nature, with child-
ish toys. There is much sound, sober sense, as wel)
as high poetry, in the ' Effusion' of Wordsworth, on
this cascade and its ball, which we make no apology
for quoting : —
" What He— who, mid the kindred throng
()I heroes that inspired his son«,
Doth yet frequent the hill of storms,
The stars diitutwinkltM through 'heir forms!
What: Ossian here— a painted thn.ll,
Mute fixture on a stuccoed wall ;
To i-erve — an unsuspected screen
For show that must not yet be seen ;
And, when the moment comes, to part
And vanish by mysterious art;
Head, harp, and hody, split asunder,
Fur ingress to a world of wonder ;
A gay saloon, with waters dancing
Upon the sight wherever glancing;
One lond cascade in front, and lo!
A thousand like it, white as Know,
Streams on the wall*, and torrent. foam
As active round the hollow dome,
Illn-ive cataracts! of their terrors
Not stripped nor voiceless in the mirrors,
That catch the pageant from the Hood
Tlmnd"rin^ adnwn n rocky wood.
What pains to dazzle and confound!
What strife of colour, shape, and s<.iitid
In i Ins quaint medley, that might seem
Devised out of a sick man's dream !
Strange t-cene, fantastic and uneasy
As ever marie a maniac dii./v,
When disenchanted trom die mood
That loves on suilen thoughts to brood !
O N itnre! in thy changeful visions,
Tliron.'h all thy most abrupt trau-itmns,
s;n. M. tli, graceful, tender, or sublime—
Ever averse to pantomime,
Thee neither do they know nor us
Thy servant?, who can trifle thus ;
Else verily the sober powers
Of rock that frowns, and stream that roars.
Exalted by congenial sway
Of spirits, and the undying lay,
And names that moulder not away,
Had wakened some redeeming thought
.More worthy of this favoured spot,
llecalled souie feeling, to set free
The Hard tnmi such indignity!"
The Old Statistical reporter mentions that a pe-
culiar species of serpent abounds near Ossian's hall
and Little Dunkeld. " It grows," he says, " to tha
400
DUNKELD.
length of twenty inch -s, is of a yellowish colour, and
speckled all over with brown spots, which give it
the appearance of a beautiful marble. Its bite is not
thought poisonous. This reptile is never seen in
elevated situations, but always in grounds of a warm
exposure. The black snake worm, from eight to
ten inches in length, a noxious animal, is sometimes
met with, but very seldom, in the same tract of
ground." The same writer mentions a remarkable
variety of the lizard tribe, which is found in the
moors at the eastern extremity of the parish. " It
is," says he, "about nine inches long; the body or
trunk is of an unusual length in proportion to the
tail, which does not taper gradually from the hind
feet as in other lizards, but becomes suddenly small
like that of a mouse. The back is full of small pro-
tuberances, and guarded with a skin almost as hard
as a sea-shell. The eyes are large, clear, and circu-
lar, like those of an ordinary trout ; the jaws more
than an inch in length, and the teeth so strong as to
be heard making a ringing noise upon the iron point
of a pole, at the distance of more than 10 feet.
When irritated it expresses its rage by the reddening
and glistening of its eves." [Old Statistical Account,
vol.'vi. p. 361.] — Near the bottom of the south-east
side of the celebrated Birnarn hill, which is in this
parish, [see article BIRNAM] there is a round
mound which bears some traces of a rude fortifica-
tion. It has been known from time immemorial by
the names of Court hill and Duncan's hill ; and tra-
dition reports that it was occasionally occupied by
the unfortunate King Duncan. A number of small
cairns are in the immediate neighbourhood. A little
higher up the same hill are the ruins of an oblong
building, called in Gaelic Forliaillon, with circular
turrets at the corners. Birnam, as is well known,
was anciently a forest, and part of the domain of the
Scottish kings The following interesting tradition
is given by the author of the Old Statistical Account
of Little Dunkeld, with regard to a small field called
the Yoke-haugh, which lies about 2 miles above
Little Dunkeld. " A man who may be called the
Cincinnatus of Scotland happened, along with his
two sons, to be ploughing in this field on the day
of the battle of Luncarty. Hearing the fate of the
battle, and seeing the Scottish army retreating, he
was instantly fired with heroic indignation, and, to-
gether with his sons, seized each of them the yoke
of an oxen-plough, persuaded their countrymen to
rally, and marching at their head, met the Danes on
the banks of the Tay, near Caputh, where, having
renewed the combat, the aged hero exhibited pro-
digies of valour, and the Danes were completely de-
feated. In consequence of chis he was dignified by
his sovereign with peculiar honours, obtained the
name of Hay, arid the implement with which he
fought for his arms." " The yoke," adds the Re-
porter, "is still the arms of the noble family of Kin-
noul, who are thought to be descended from this
saviour of his country." — Besides the remains of
antiquity which we have already mentioned, there
are a number of Druidical circles, British forts, and
immense cairns. A stone-bridge over the Bran, a
little above Trochrie, is said, in Sir John Sinclair's
Statistical Account, to be the oldest in Perthshire.
The castle of Trochrie on the banks of the Bran,
and about 3 miles above Little Dunkeld, was a seat
of the unfortunate John, Earl of Cowrie. It is now
a complete ruin — The valued rent of this parish is
.£4,805 16s. 4d. Scots. The value of assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, was £5,595. Population, in 1801,
2,977; in 1831, 2,867. Houses 578. Except in the
town of Little Dimkeld, the inhabitants are dis-
persed over the parish in hamlets or small vil-
lages— The parish of Little Dunkeld is in the
presbytery of Dunkeld, and synod of Perth and Sti
ling. Patron, the Crown. There are two churchi
in the parish; — one at Little Dunkeld, which vvi
built in 1798, with 820 sittings; the other at Lags
allachy, which is situated in the district of Strat
bran, about 3 miles from Little Dunkeld. It
contain about 500 people. Stipend £157 10s. 3d.
glebes at Little Dunkeld and Laganallachy won
about £28 a-year. The minister has also a rijjht
cutting peats for fuel. — There are t\y^> parish-school:
The salary of one is £20 18s. 11. Vd., and £10
school-fees ;— that of the other £10, and £15
school-fees. Total average attendance about 1
There are 5 other schools in the parish, the
number of scholars attending which is about 250.
The town of Little Dunkeld is situated close on t
banks of the Tay, in the south-eastern part of
parish, and may not improperly be regarded as
suburb of old Dunkeld, being, in fact, united wi
it by a bridge over the river — The small village
Invar, on the Bran near Dunkeld, was the bii
place of Neil Gow. An old oak in the At!
grounds, near this place, is still pointed out as
favourite tree, under which he used to sit for
composing his beautiful airs.
The following description of the scenery of Dm
keld, by the celebrated traveller, Dr. E. D. Clark
will probably be new to some of our readers,
quote it, not the less willingly that it contains
ingenious defence of what appears to us the silly
titicialities of Ossian's hall, on approaching Dunkel
from the north : — " Nothing," says the Doctor,
curs particularly remarkable until just before y<
arrive at the toll-gate, before descending into
beautiful vale of the Tay, and from that moment
scene opens before you, which perhaps has not ii
parallel in Europe. I know not in all Scotland, n<
in any part of Great Britain, a scene more strikii
than Dunkeld, as you descend to cross the ferr
From the toll-gate towards the river you have
great forest of Birnam above you on the left, a:
down far to the right a long hollow valley, waterei
by the rapid meandering Tay, attracts the atten
Dunkeld, shut in by high mountains, rises with 11
ruined cathedral, its church and houses above the
water. To enrich this noble scene, the finest trees
are seen flourishing with the greatest redundancy.
How weak and groundless are the expressions ol
Johnson respecting Scotland and its timber, when
one beholds this luxuriant valley proudly decorated
with majestic oaks, sycamore, limes, beech, maple,
birch, and all the glories of the forest! I measured
a single oak close to the ferry, and found it to be 17
feet in the girth ; and near it stood a sycamore oi
much greater magnitude. The grounds belonging t<
the Duke of Athole, I do not hesitate to pronounce,
are almost without a rival. There are some scene;
about them which bear a resemblance to the fines'
parts of Mount Edgecutnbe in Cornwall. The walk:
alone form an extent of 16 or 17 miles,* and thesi
are kept in the finest order, not fantastically cut ac-
cording to any absurd rule which may violate th<
grandeur of nature, but winding among the mo*
solemn groves and majestic trees which the eartl
produces. I cannot pretend to detail their beauties
The pencil alone can, and even that would but in
adequately describe them. The greatest curiosit
of Dunkeld — at least that which is generally esteeme
such — is a cascade formed by a fall of the Bran, abou
4 mile from the ferry of Invar. The manner i
which this is presented to the spectator has bee
much reprobated by several of our modern tourist*
» This is probuhly undfr-stiited. Dr. Murcullocli meiui'H
that the extent i>l the \valka is 50 miles, and that ol the nu«
;iO miles.
DUN
401
DUN
who, anxious to show their taste for the beauties of appearance from paucity of plantation. The parish
nature, hastily condemn the smallest interference of is separated from Beith by Lugton water, and from
art. For my own part, I entirely differ with them Stewarton by Corsehill-burn, and is bisected into
respecting the cataract of the Bran at Ossian's hall. ! nearly equal parts by the Glazert, — all the streams
I consider it as one of the most ingenious and pleas- j flowing south-westward; and it derives from them
ing ornaments to rural scenery I ever beheld. A | a little beauty, and only a trifling advantage. The
hermitage or summer-house is placed 40 feet above ; soil, in some places, is a fine loam; in a few spots, is
the bottom of the fall, and constructed in such a i moss; but in general is of a clayey, retentive nature,
in-inner that the spectator, in approaching the cas- ' and very productive. Limestone abounds ; coal is
cade, is entirely ignorant of his vicinity to it, being : of very interior quality, and is not worked. Dunlop
concealed by the walls of this edifice. Upon enter-
ing the building you are struck with a painting of
Ossian, playing upon his harp, and singing the songs
of other times ; — the picture, as you contemplate it,
suddenly disappears with a loud noise, and the whole
cataract foams at once before you, reflected in several
mirrors, and roaring with the noise of thunder. It
is hardly possible to conceive a spectacle more strik-
ing, if it be objected that machinery contrivance of
this sort wears too much the appearance of scenic
representation, I should reply, that as scenic repre-
sentation I admire it, and as the finest specimen of
that species of exhibition, which doubtlessly, without
the aid of such a deception, would have been desti-
tute of half the effect it is now calculated to pro-
duce. A little below this edifice a simple but pleas-
ing arch is thrown across the chasm of the rocks
through which the river flows with vast rapidity.
About a mile higher up the Bran is the Rumbling
bridge, thrown across a chasm of granite about 15
feet wide. The bed of the river for several hundred
feet above the arch is copiously charged with mas-
sive fragments of rock, over which the river foams
and roars like the waters of Ivy bridge in Devon-
shire. Approaching the bridge, it precipitates itself
with great fury through the chasm, casting a thick
cloud of spray or vapour high above the bridge, and
agitating by its fury even the prodigious masses
which form the surrounding rocks. Few objects
will more amply repay the traveller for the trouble
of visiting them than the woody precipices, the long
winding shady groves, the ruins and cataracts of
Dunkeld." See article THE BRAN.
DUNLICHTY. See DAVIOT, Inverness-shire.
DUNLOP,* a parish in the north of the district of
Cunningham, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the north
by Renfrewshire; on the south-east and south by
Stewarton ; and on the north-west by Beith. It is
house, beautifully situated on the brook which forms
the south-eastern boundary, is a splendid mansion.
Dunlop has long been celebrated for its cheese ; and
though now successfully competed with by most-
parishes in Ayrshire, and some in Renfrewshire, in,
the production of that article, is even yet unsur-
passed. Barbara Gilmour — a woman whose wits
were sharpened, and whose range of observation was
varied, by exile to Ireland, during the troubles in
Scotland between the Restoration and the Revolution
— settled down in Dunlop as a farmer's wife; and
having specially turned her attention to the produce
of the dairy, successfully attempted to manufacture
from unskimmed milk a species of cheese then un-
known in Scotland, and altogether different from
the horny, insipid produce of skimmed milk still in
use among the peasantry of Peebles and other se-
cluded districts. Her manufacture was speedily
imitated by her neighbours ; and, in a short time,
came into such general demand, under the name of
Dunlop cheese, that, whether the produce of her
own hands, or that of her neighbours, or that of
persons in adjoining parishes, it found far and near
a ready market. Even Mr. Cobbett himself has
pronounced it '* equal in quality to any cheese from
Cheshire, Gloucestershire, or Wiltshire." About
25,000 stones are now produced annually in the par-
ish; and large quantities from other parishes iu the
south and west pass through it as an entrepot both
convenient for its situation, and advantageous for
its celebrity. Dunlop is traversed for 5 miles by
the road between Kilmarnock and Paisley; it is
otherwise well-provided with roads ; and it may now
enjoy facility of communication from its being near
the range of the Glasgow and Ayr railway — The
village of Dunlop is situated near the centre of the
parish; 3 miles north of Stewarton; 5 south of
Beith ; and 9 north-east of Irvine. It consists of a
of an oblong figure, stretching from north-east to I single street, and has upwards of 200 inhabitants — .
south- west, generally about 2 miles broad, but taper- I Population of the parish, in 1801, 808; in 1831,
ing and narrow toward the extremities. Its greatest ! 1 ,040. Houses 210. Assessed property, in 1815,
th is about 7 miles; and it contains about 10} < £6,762. — Dunlop is in the presbytery of Irvine,
square miles. A doubt exists — but with a proba- and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Earl
bility on the negative side — whether or not a small | of Eglinton. Stipend £215 Is. 6d. ; glebe £20.
part of it on the north belongs quoad cimUa to the i Unappropriated teinds £296 Os. lid. The parish-
parish of Neilston in Renfrewshire. The surface,
tor the most part, is agreeably undulating, nowhere
rining into a greater elevation above the beds of the
local streams than 150 feet; yet the whole is more
than 300 feet above the level of the sea, and, from
many of its knolls or little hills, carries the eye
minutely and graphically over the richly cultivated
try between it arid the sea, and away over the
or romance spread out over the wide waters of
frith of Clyde. All the way south-westward it
lually slopes; in some places, it is a beautifully
ilar agglomeration of knolls; and often, when it
At the village of Ounlop U x small hill, Hiirie ,tly f.u'titi.-d,
' which is a hend or winding of the Im-al stream. This
in the Sc-oto- Irish language, '* Dun-tub, 'the Hill at the
Hence the origin of the name Duulop.
church was built in 1835. Sittings 750. The church
was formerly a vicarage of the monks of Kilwinnii^.
Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 3d., with from £18
to £21 other emoluments. There are 3 schools non-
parochial.
DUNMAGLAS, a district in the shire of Nairn,
though locally in the shire of Inverness, and old par-
ish of Dunlichty; 19 miles north-east by east ot
Fort-Augustus. Here is the seat of the ancient
family of MacGillivray, chief of the clan of that
name. This district anciently belonged to the
Thanes of Calder, one of whom procured an Act iu
Is up, on one side, in a gentle rising ground, it j 1405, incorporating all his lands in the shires of
k> suddenly down, on the other, in a precipitous ] Inverness and Fom-s, into the shire of Nairn; and,
k or grassy-bank overhanging a rivulet. In its I accordingly, Dunmaglas forms still a part of that
"' parts, however, it has a somewhat naked I county, though under the jurisdiction of the sheriff
of Inverness. Dunmaglas is situated among and
comprehends the whole of the sources of the ri ver
Farigag, in Stratherrick, above Abcrshea. The
whole is in the form of an oblique parallelogram, of
2 c
DUN
402
DUN
which the longer diagonal runs north and south about
7 miles; the extent being about 16 square miles.
DUNMORE, or ELPHINSTONE, a village in the
shire of Stirling, and parish of Airth; 8 miles south-
enst of Stirling. This village is situated upon the
Forth, and is within the jurisdiction of the port of
Alloa. The castle of Dunmore is the ancient seat
of the family of Murray, from whence they derive
their title of Earl. The 1st Earl of Dunmore was
Lord Charles Murray, 2d son of John, Marquis of
A thole, and of Lady Amelia Stanley, by whom the
sovereignty of the isle of Man, and the barony of
Strange, came into the Athole family. His lordship
WHS the 6th in descent from Mary, queen-dowager
of France, the beautiful daughter of Henry VII.,
through the Earls of Derby, and the Cliffords, Earls
of Cumberland. See AIRTH.
DUNMORE. See MONZIE.
DUNMYAT, a beautiful conical eminence in the
parish of Logie, and vicinity of Stirling, commanding
a splendid panoramic view of the carse of Stirling.
DUN NET, a parish in the county of Caithness,
bounded by the Pentland frith on the north; by
Canisbay on the east; Bower on the south; and
Olrick on the west. It extends about 10 miles in
length ; and is on an average 2| in breadth. It is
the most northerly parish in Great Britain ; the ex-
tremity of Durmet-head being found by the latest
observations, to be farther north than Duncansby-
head, or John-o'-Groats. Except Dunnet-head,
[see next article,] there is scarcely an eminence in
the parish. The soil is in general light, with little
clay or deep loam ; and by far the greater part is
incapable of cultivation. The coast is in most
places bold and rocky. On the east of Dunnet-
bay there is a beautiful level sand, stretching for 2
miles along the shore, over which the sea ebbs and
flows above a quarter of a mile. The sand above
high-water-mark is loose ; and by being exposed
to driving, frequently hurts the neighbouring lands.
Adjoining to it, there is a tract of barren sand nearly
2 miles in diameter, which is said to have been arable
ground, or rich pasture, some time about the end of
the 17th century. The ruins of cottages are now
appearing in different parts of it ; but they seem to
be of a much older date. That part of the parish to
the east of Dunnet-head, along the frith, has a low
rocky shore.* Though Dunnet-bay runs far into
* "The current in the Pentland frith off this coast is exceed,
ingly strong during1 (spring-tides, so that no vessel can stein it.
The' flimd.tide runs, from west to east, at the rate of 10 miles
an hour, with new and full moon. It is then high water at
Scat (skerry— whence tlie ferrv-boat crosses from Duttnet for
Orkney— at » o'clock. As the water begins to fall upon the
shore, the current immediately turns to the west; hut the
strength of the flood is so great in the middle of the frith, that j
it continue* to run east till about twelve. These contiguous '
currents, running with amazing velocity in opposite directions,
h.ive a strange appearance from the. land, in a day favourable •
for observing them. With a gentle breeze of westerly wind,
ar,.>ut 8 o'clock in the morning, tho whole frith seems as smooth
as a .-lieet of glass, from Dunnet-hend to Hoy-head, in Orkney, j
About 9 the sea begins to be in a rage, tor about 100 yards to I
nppearance, off the Head, while all without that continues |
sin ><>th as before. Tiiis appearance gradually advances towards
tin- frith, and along the shore to tfatewft : though the effects of
it HIV not much felt upon the shore, till it reach Scarfskcrry-
h.-.id, which is about 3 miles distant from Dunnet-head, a« the
.'and between these two points forms a considerable bay. By
a ..'clock the whole frith seems to be in a rage. About 3 in
the afternoon, it is low « ater on the shore, when all the for.
mer phenomena are reversed ; the smooth water beginning to
appear on the land, and advancing graounlly till it reaches the
middle of the fritli. From the strength of the tides, and the
surprising velocity of these contiguous currents in opposite
directions, the Pentium! frith in a vnry dangerous navigation to
(strangers, especially if they approach near" the land. But the
natives along the coast jtre n> weil.acqiiHinted with the direc
toio of the tult-s, that they c? n take advantage of every one of
Ihee currents, to carry them safe to one harbour or another.
Hence vry few accidents happen out from want of skill or know*
ledge of tlie tides. The siifest way for strangers is eith.T to
IwKc a pilot on board, or to keep at a considerable distance from
the laiivi. The frith ir> s;ud to bo about 12 miles broad, opposite
j the land, it affords no shelter for any vessels upon
! the north side of it, which is contiguous to Dunnet-
| head, as it is exposed to the west. But on the
i Pentland frith, to the east of the Head, there are
several very secure havens for boats or small craft.
j The haven of Brotigh, close by the Head, is well-
| sheltered from every wind but the north-west. The
| harbour of Ham, or Holm, scarcely a mile to the east
j of Brotigh, might also be rendered safe for small vessels
! at little expense. It has, however, the inconvenience
of a bar of sand and gravel across the entrance of it,
upon which there is not sufficient depth of water for
vessels in any great burden, but with spring-tides.
Scarfskerry is a narrow creek between two rocks,
and affords a convenient landing for boats with easy
weather, but is not capable of being much improved.
Dunnet-bay affords excellent flounders and haddocks;
and is sometimes frequented by shoals of herrings, in
July and August. Besides these, great quantities
of cuddins, as they are called here, or small saiths,
are caught in the summer-season. The frith abounds
with excellent cod and ling, which are found princi-
pally in deep water, in the tide-way, and taken with
a line of 50 or 60 fathoms, to which a single hook is
fixed, and a lead sinker. The village or hamlet of
Dunnet, situated to the east of Dunnet-head, and to
the north-east of the bay, has a beautiful exposure
and declivity to the south. There are several (
in the rocks here, and the vestiges of some old chapels
are still to be seen — Two inner cells of Picts' houses
exist at Ham. The entrances are about 8 feet asun-
der, and seem to have led from two outer circular
apartments, of about 17 or 18 feet diameter, which
appear to have had a communication from the one
to the other. The entrance to the largest cell is
near 30 inches wide ; but as it is much filled up with
earth, it is not known what the height of it may have
originally been. The cell is about 9 feet long, and
6 feet wide about the middle; but becomes narrower
towards the farther extremity, which is circular.
The roof is about 5 feet from the earth in the floor.
The walls are constructed of large rough stones, ap-
parently without any kind of cement. Every course
in the walls projects a little over that immediately
below it, till they approach within about 3 feet of
one another. That space is covered by a course of
strong stone lintels. The smaller cell is finished in
the same manner. And the whole is covered with
earth, which forms a beautiful green mount, about
8 or 9 feet above the level of the adjacent field
There is a grave-stone in the churchyard, the in-
scription on which is as follows: — "Here lies Mar-
garet Wallace, daughter of William Wallace, who
was murdered by Alexander Calder, son of Alexan-
der Calder in Dunnet, because he could not have
her in marriage. August the 29th, in the yenr of
God 1635." There is a tradition, that the mur-
der was committed on a Sunday morning ; and that
the murderer, by fleeing to Orkney, escaped punish-
ment— Freestone of excellent quality is quarried at
Dunnet-head; but, in this remote region, it is of
little value. — Population, in 1801, 1,366; in 1831,
1,906. Houses 387. Assessed property £10.-
This parish is in the synod of Sutherland and Caith-
ness, and presbytery of Caithness. Patron, Sir
James Colquhoun, Baronet. Stipend £191 4s. 6d.;
glebe £12. Unappropriated teinds .£870 12s. 9d.
—Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4^d., with *
fees. There are 4 non-parochial schools.
DUNNET-HEAD, an extensive promontx
running into the Pentland frith, on the north-\
eru point of the parish of Dunnet, in N. lat.
to Dunnet. though no exact measurement has probably bn-n
taken."— Old Statistical Account :— See alto on the subject of
these tides, article CANISBAY.
£10
ntoiy,
-west*
L 58°
DUN
403
DUN
40'. and W. long. 3° 22'. It consists of several
hills interspersed with valleys, in which is a con-
siderable extent of pasture for small cattle and sheep.
Through its whole extent, Dunnet-head presents a
front of broken rocks to the sea, the height of which
varies from 100 to 400 feet. It is joined to the land
by a narrow isthmus, about l^mile broad. A light-
house was erected on this headland in 1831. It
shows a fixed light, visible at the distance of 23
miles in clear weather, and elevated 340 feet above
hip-h water. A great variety of fowls frequent the
rocks; one called the layer, or puffin, is found in no
jr place of the British isles, except Hoyhead in
rkney, and the cliffs of Dover.
DUNNICHEN,* a parish near the centre of For-
farshire, bounded on the north by Roscobie and
Kirkden ; on the east by Kirkden ; on the south-
east and south by Carmylie ; and on the west by
Inverarity arid Forfar. It is of extremely irregular
outline; having a main body of nearly the form of a
parallelogram, and sending off arms which embrace and
almost bisect the parish of Kirkden. Part of it, too,
is quite detached. It is about 4 miles in length, and
contains 4,024^ Scotch acres. The surface in gen-
ii consists of gently sloping ridges, and is consider-
ily high, but does not shoot up into any very great
jvations. The hill of Dunnichen, whose summit
is the northern boundary line, and which stretches
it 3 miles in a south-easterly direction, is the high-
ground; arid at its loftiest point rises 520 feet
>ve the level of a stream on a neighbouring plain,
720 above the level of the sea. On the summit
sides of this hill — which, with trivial exceptions,
11 cultivated or planted — the soil is a friable sandy
:n; and in most other parts of the parish it is
ler of the same character as here, or a friable clay
a retentive subsoil. A brook, called Vinny or
ly, runs from west to east along the base of the
of Dunnichen, receiving some rills in its course,
passes into Kirkden, there to disgorge itself into
Lunan. The parish is ill-provided with roads.
The villages, in addition to Lethem, a place of con-
siderable rural importance, [See LETHEM], are Dun-
iiichen, where there is an annual fair, on the third
Wednesday of March, O. S, ; Dummitormont or
Drummietermon, and Cotlori of Lownie, both inha-
bited chiefly by small farmers, most of whom are
weavers ; and two hamlets, the one at Bouriefad
and the other at Craichy. Dunnichen house is a
fine mansion, beautifully embosomed in plantation.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 1,043; in 1331,
l,.3l:i. Houses 331. Assessed property, in 1815,
,505 — Dunnichen is in the presbytery of Forfar,
synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the
nvn. Stipend £158 2s. 3.1.; glebe £11. The
rish-church was built in 1802, and repaired in
17. Sittings 456. An Independent chapel, situ-
in Lethern, was built in 1802. Sittings 360.
chapel of the United Secession, also situated in
Mn, was recently erected — There are 3 schools,
2 of them non-parochial. One of the latter is in
them, and the other at Dumburrow bridge. Pa-
'rial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d., with school-
and also £5 of other emoluments.
HJNN1NG, a parish in the south of Perthshire,
the northern extremity of the Ochill chain, where
"-<niimt.es in Strathearn. It is bounded on the
by Mi-thven, from which it is separated by the
i; on the e;ist by Forteviot and Forgandennv ;
tlie south by Kinross-shire; and on the west bv
Aterarder. It is intersected by several small
ins, tributaries of the Dunning water, which
Tlie mimp is supplied to consist of the Gaelic dun, 'a hill,'
tlie word Xi-cHt-iti, llic ii:um> of a 1'i. tis.. i-hit't who is tia-
Dually rep./i ted to IIUVK resided in tlie paiibh.
flow northwards into the Earn. The village of
Dunning, near the centre of the parish, 5 miles east-
north-east of Auchterarder, was burnt by the reb« Is
in 1716. It is now a neat little townj under the
government of a baron-bailie, and having fairs on
the 2d Tuesday in May, O. S., the 20th of June,
and the 24th of October. The parish-church is
situated here, and there are also a United Secession
church, and a Relief church. The only manufacture
here is that of coarse linen — Duncruib, the property
and residence of the ancient and noble family of
Rollo, in this parish, was a grant to the family ot
Rollo, by David Earl of Strathearn, with the con-
sent of King Robert his father, the charter bearing
date the 13th of February, 1380; in 1512, it wa?
erected into a free barony; and, in 1651, Sir Andre v\
Rollo, Knt., was raised to the dignity of Baron
Rollo of Duncruib, hy Charles II The House oi
Keltie, the property of the Drummonds of Keltic, is
an ancient edifice. Population, in 1801, 1,504; in
1831, 2,045. Houses 297. Assessed property
.£6,593 — This parish, formerly a chapelry, is in the
presbytery of Auchterarder, and synod of Perth and
Stirling. Patron, the Earl of Kinnoul. Stipend
£238 19s. 2d.; glebe £20. Unappropriated teinds
£13 18s. 6d Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4$d.,
with £18 fees. There are 2 private schools.
DUN NOT TAR, a parish in the county of Kin-
cardine, bounded on the north by Fetteresso parish,
from which it is divided by the rivulet Carron ; on
the east by the German ocean ; on the south by Kin-
neff; and on the west by Glenbervie parishes. Its
form is triangular, -extending about 4 miles in length
on each side, by 2| in breadth, at the base along the
coast ; and comprehending 8, 156 superficial acres. It
is situated at the beginning of the great how or hollow
of the Mearns, which extends through the county of
Forfar, under the name of Strathmore. The surface
is uneven, with frequent but inconsiderable risings,
which do not deserve the name of hills. Towards
the coast the soil is a kind of clay loam ; but as it
recedes it degenerates into a wet gravelly moor.
The sea-coast, especially that part of it called Fowls-
heugh, upwards of a mile in length, is very bold, and
formed of alternate strata of freestone and plum-
pudding-stone, the latter containing nodules of quartz
and limestone. There are many deep caves in the
rocks, which are much frequented by gulls, coots,
and other sea-fowls. At the north-eastern corner,
where the rivulet Carron runs into the sea, is situ-
ated the town of Stonehaven, the capital of the
county, having a fine natural harbour : See STONE-
HAVEN. The harbour is surrounded with excellent
quarries of freestone of a most durable quality, and
extremely valuable for building. The turnpike-road
from Moutrosc to Aberdeen passes through the town
of Stonehaven ; and another road runs directly from
that town to Perth, through the valley of Strath-
more. The fishing-village of Cratown is situated on
the south-eastern boundary of the parish. Fishing is
very successfully carried on along tlie (roast. Popu-
lation of the parish, in 1801, 1^973-1886; in 1831,
1852. Houses 326. Assessed property, in 1815,
£5,137. — This parish is in the presbytery of For-
doun, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the
Crown. Minister's stipend £2;>2 19s. lOd. ; glebe
£8. The church is situated near the Carron, not far
from Stonehaven. It was rebuilt in 1782.— School-
Hosier's salary £34 4s. 4.}d., with about £54 4s. 6d.
of school-fees, &c. There are two private school*
in the parish. A school was to IK; erected in 1836,
at which 30 of the poorest children in the town or
burgh of Stonehaven are to receive gratuitous edu-
cation.
DUNNOTTAR CASTLE, in the above parish, standi
404
DUNNOTTAR.
on the coast about a mile-and-a-half to the south of
Stonehaven, on a stupendous perpendicular rock, 160
feet above sea-level. Its flat summit is several acres
in extent. The whole mass somewhat resembles, in
form, the rock on which Edinburgh castle is built,
projects into the sea, and is almost separated from the
land by a very deep chasm, which served as a kind of
natural fosse or ditch ; the adjacent rock having been
scarped and rendered inaccessible by art. The castle
ruins consist of a series of stately towers and other
buildings occupying an extensive area, and rather re-
sembling a ruinous town than a dismantled fortress.
From its situation and its extent this celebrated
castle forms one of the most majestic ruins in Scot-
land ; and, before the era of artillery, must have been
impregnable. The only approach to it is by a steep
path winding round the body of the rock. The
entrance is through a gate, in a wall about 40 feet
high ; whence, by a long passage, partly arched over,
and through another gate pierced with four ceilettes
or loop-holes, the area of the castle is reached. This
passage was also formerly strengthened by two iron
portcullises. The area is surrounded by an em-
battled wall, and occupied by buildings of very dif-
ferent ages, which, though dismantled, are, in gen-
eral, tolerably entire, wanting only roofs and floors.
" The battlements, with their narrow embrasures,"
says the author of ' A Summer Ramble,' " the strong
towers and airy turrets full of loop-holes for the
archer and the musketeer, — the hall for the banquet,
and the cell for the captive, — are all alike entire and
distinct. Even the iron rings and bolts that held the
culprits, for security or torture, still remain to attest
the different order of things which once prevailed in
this country. Many a sigh has been sent from the
profound bosom of this vast rock, — many a despair-
ing glance has wandered hence over the boundless
wave, — and many a weary heart has there sunk re-
joicing into eternal sleep." The most ancient edi-
Jice, except the chapel, is a square tower said to have
been built about the latter end of the 14th century.
A large range of lodging-rooms and offices, with a
long gallery of 120 feet, seems to be of a very modern
date, — not older than the latter end of the 16th cen-
tury. There are ruins of various other buildings and
conveniences necessary or proper for a garrison, such
as barracks, a basin or cistern of water 20 feet in di-
ameter, a bowling-green, and a forge said to have been
used for casting iron bullets. The building now called
the chapel was at one time the parish-church ; for,
notwithstanding its difficulty of access, the church,
and even the burial-place of the parish, were origi-
nally situated on the top of this rock. During the
contention between Bruce and Baliol, its natural
strength induced Sir William Keith, the great maris-
chal of Scotland, to build a castle on it as a place of
safety for himself and his friends during these trouble-
some times ; but, in order to avoid offence, he first
built a church for the parish in a more convenient
place; notwithstanding which, the bishop of St.
Andrews excommunicated him for violating sacred
ground. Sir William, on this, applied to Pope
Benedict XIII., setting forth the exigency of the
case, and the necessity of such a fortress, with the
circumstance of his having built another church ;
on which his holiness issued his bull, dated 18th
July, 1394, directing the bishop to take off the ex-
communication, and to allow Sir William to enjoy
the castle at all times, on the payment of a certain
recompense to the church ; after which it continued
in the Keith family till the forfeiture of the late Earl
in 1 7 1 5. About the year 1 296 this castle was taken by
Sir William Wallace, who, according to his historian,
burnt 4,000 Englishmen in it. Blind Harry gives the
following very lively account of this achievement : ,
The Englishmen, that durst them not ahide
Before the host full fear'dly forth they flee
T" Dunuoter, a swake within the .s^a.
No further they might win out uf the land.
They 'seinbled there while they were four thousand,
R;m to the kirk, ween'd trirth to have taue,
The luve remained upon the ruck of stane.
The bishop there began to trenty inn,
Their lives to fret, ,,ut of the land to ga ;
Hot they were rude, and durst not well
Wallace in tire gart set all hastily,
Burnt up the kirk and all that was therein.
Attour the rock the lave ran with great din ;
Some hung on crags, right dolefully to dee,
Some lap, some fell, somf fluttered in the sea,
No Southern in life wa* left in that hold,
And them within they burnt to powder cold.
When this was done, Veil fell on their knees down,
At the bishop asked absolution.
When Wallace leugh, said, I forgive you all ;
Are ye war-men, repent ye for so small ?
They rued not us into the town of Air,
Our true barons when they hanged there!
In 1336 the castle of Dunnottar was refortified by
Edward III. in his progress through Scotland ; but,
as soon as he had quitted the kingdom, it was re
taken by Sir Andrew Murray, the Regent of Scot-
land. No further event of any historical interest or
importance in respect to this castle occurred for many
centuries afterwards, during which it was the chief
seat of the Marischal family. But, in the time of
the great civil war, it was besieged by the Marquis
of Montrose ; the Earl Marischal of that day being a
staunch Covenanter. The earl had immured him-
self in his castle, together with a great many of his
partizans, including 16 covenanting clergymen who
had here sought refuge from Montrose. The earl
would have come to terms with Montrose ; but he
was dissuaded by his ministerial party, and the
royalist at once subjected his property to military
execution. Stonehaven and Cowie, which belonged
to the vassals of the Earl Marischal, were burnt ;
the woods of Fetteresso shared their fate, and the
whole of the lands in the vicinity were ravaged.
The earl is said to have deeply regretted his rejec-
tion of Montrose's proposals, when he beheld the
smoke ascending from his property ; " but the fa-
mous Andrew Cant, who was among the number of
his ghostly company, edified his resolution at once
to its original pitch of firmness, by assuring him that
that reek would be a sweet-smelling incense in the
nostrils of the Lord, rising, as it did, from property
which had been sacrificed to the holy cause of the cove-
nant." During the Commonwealth, Dunnottar castle
was selected as the strongest place in the kingdom
for the preservation of the regalia from the English
army which then overran the country. Being de-
posited in this castle by order of the privy-council.
Earl Marischal obtained from the public a garrison,
with an order for suitable ammunition and provisions,
Cromwell's troops, under command of Lambert, be-
sieged the castle, which was put under command of
George Ogilvy of Barras, in this parish, as lieutenant-
governor ; the earl himself having joined the king's
forces in England. Ogilvy did not surrender till
the siege had been converted into a blockade, when
he was reduced by famine and a consequent mutiny
in the garrison. He had previously, however, re-
moved the regalia by a stratagem on account of
which he was long imprisoned in England. Mrs.
Granger, wife of the minister of Kinneff, had re-
quested permission of Major-general Morgan, who
then commanded the besieging army, to visit Mrs.
Ogilvy, the lady of the lieutenant-governor. Having
obtained permission, Mrs. Granger, who was a iv-
solute woman, packed up the crown among some
clothes, and carried it out of the castle in her lap;
her servant maid, at the same time, carrying tJie
sword and sceptre on her back, in a bag of Jiax.
The English general very politely assisted the
lady
DUN
to mount her horse. The regalia were kept some-
times in the church of Kinneff, concealed under the
pulpit, and at other times in a double-bottomed bed
at the manse, till the Restoration, in 1660. when they
were delivered to Mr. George Ogilvy, who presented
them to Charles II. For this good service, with his
long imprisonment and loss of property, Ogilvy re-
ceived no farther mark of royal favour or reward than
the title of Baronet and a new coat-of-arms. Sir
John Keith, brother to the Earl Marischal, was cre-
ated Earl of Kintore ; but honest Air. Granger and
his wife had neither honour nor reward. The family
of Barras have still in their custody a receipt granted
bv the Earl Marischal on the delivery of the regalia.*
IJuunottar was used, in the year 1685, as a state
prison for confining the Covenanters, males and fe-
males, who, to the number of 167, had been seized
at different times in the west of Scotland, during the
persecution under Charles II. In the warmest sea-
ion of the year they were all barbarously thrust into
• vault, still called ' the Whig's vault,' where a num-
of them died, and a grave-stone in the church-
Sir Walter Scott, in a letter addressed to Mr. Croker, says:
lie castle of Dunnottar, though very stromr, and faithfully
nded, was at length under the necessity of surrendering; be-
the last strong place in Britain on which the royal flag floated
these calamitous time*. Ogilvie and his lady were threatened
tli the utmost extremities by the republican general, Morgan,
uless they should produce the regalia. The governor stuck
> it that he knew nothing of them ; as in fact they had been
ried away without his knowledge. The lady maintained she
given them to John Keith, second son ot the Earl-Mari.
by_whom, she said, they had been carried to France.
"" usage. On
ig upon the
ry Mrs. Ogilvie had told to screen her husband, obtained for
• own son, John Keith, the earldom of Kintore, and the post
Knight-marischal, with £400 a-year, us if he had been in
th the preserver of the regalia. It soon proved that this re.
had been too hastily given ; for Ogilvie of Barra produced
regalia, the honest clergyman refusing to deliver them to
' one but those from whom he received them. Ogilvie was
a Knight-baronet, however, and got a new charter of the
acknowledging this good service. Thus it happened,
ly enough, that Keith, who was abroad during the transac-
and had nothing to do with it, got the earldom, pension,
405
DUN
ey suffered H long imprisonment and much ill-u
• Restoration, the old Countess Marisclnil, foundin
nothing
for Ogil
e only inferior honours; and the poor clergyiuai
whatever, or, as we say, the bare's foot to lick. As
vie's lady, »he died before the Restoration, her health
being destroyed by the hardships she endured from the Crom.
wellian satellites. She was a Douglas, with all the high spirit
of that proud family. On her death-bed, and not till then, she
told her husband where the honours were concealed, charging
him to suffer death rather than betray them." [Life of Sir W.
Scott, vol. iv. pp. 117, II8.j_These regalia, as is well known,
are now deposited in the crown-room in Edinburgh castle.
The interest attaching to them, however, depends not on their
Splendour, but on the many momentous historical events with
which they are associated. The principal object is the Crown,
which has overshadowed the brows of so many monarchs, from
the heroic restorer of Scottish independence, to the hoyit.li
James: for there seems good reason for believing that the lower
And massy portion, consisting of the purest metal, was the iden-
tical golden circlet worn by Robert Bruce. Lateral ornaments
were added by succeeding monarchs ; and at last it assumed its
present elegant shape, and wasdosed in at the top, to distinguish
this royal badpe from the coronets then generally adopted by
the nobles. When one of these aspired to regal power, he was
•aid to be about to "close his cor. .net." The imperial crown
ol Scotland is of pure gold, enriched with diamonds, pearls, and
Curious enamelling*. It differs from the crown of England :
the latter beim; alternately adorned with crosses patee, and
flcur* de lis ; whereas the Scotch crown has only crosses tloree ;
such as we see on our old coins and churches. It is 9 inches
in dianu-ter, and, from the union circle to the top of the cross
patee, (the only one upon the crown,) on the summit of the
Idea celestial globe, 6| inches. Tne stem of the sceptre is in
form of a hexagon, 2 feet in leiiuth. Under the^ figure of
Virgin Mary, is the letter J; under that of St. Jame-, the
er R; and beneath St. Andrew, the figure 5. Ten thistles
the stem. The whole length of tin- sceptre is 34 inches.
1 Julius vM presented the sword to James IV. It is 5 feet
On the blade Hre indented with gold, Julius II. I'. ; and,
i the M.,,bbard, in golden characters Julius II. PON. MAX. N.
is Holiness had for his Armorial figures, an oak-tree puctuate,
• ill. and a star. The two latter cannot be found on the sword:
ibly they were on the two enamelled plates which ar«
>t from off the pommel. That he had such armorial tig-
certain, trom i he verses made by Voltoline, a famous
poet, said to have been found in a monastery:
Quercus, MODS, Stella, formaat tua stemmata, Princeps
Hisque tribus trinum stat diadema tuutii.
Tula ratis Petri, mediU non tlectitur undis,
Mous tegit a veutis, utellaque monstrat iter.
Tuu
yard of Dunnottar records their place of burial. The
castle was dismantled soon after the rebellion of
1715, on the attainder of James Earl Marischal.
DUNOLLY, a castle built on a great rock on the
shore, about 2 miles from Dunstaffnage in Mid- Lorn.
" Nothing," says Sir Walter Scott, " can be more
wildly beautiful than the situation of Dunolly. The
ruins are situated upon abold and precipitous promon-
tory, overhanging Loch-Etive, and distant about a
mile from the village and port of Oban. The prin-
cipal part which remains is the donjon, or keep ;
but fragments of other buildings, overgrown with
ivy, attest that it had been once a place of impor-
tance, as large apparently as Artornish or Dunstaff-
nage. These fragments enclose a court-yard, of
which the keep probably formed one side : the en-
trance being by a steep ascent from the neck of the
isthmus, formerly cut across by a moat, and defended
doubtless by outworks and a drawbridge. Beneath
the castle stands the present mansion of the family,
having on the one hand Loch-Etive, with its islands
and mountains; on the other, two romantic emi-
nences tufted with copsewood. There are other
accompaniments suited to the scene ; in particular, a
huge upright pillar, or detached fragment of that sort
of rock called plum-pudding stone, upon the shore,
about a quarter of a mile from the castle. It is called
Clach-na-cau, or the Dog's pillar, because Fingal is
said to have used it as a stake to which he bound hi*
celebrated dog Bran. Others say, that when the
Lord of the Isles came on a visit to the Lord of
Lorn, the dogs brought for his sport were kept be-
side this pillar. Upon the whole, a more delightful
and romantic spot can scarce be conceived ; and it
receives a moral interest from the considerations at-
tached to the residence of a family once powerful
enough to confront and defeat Bruce, and now sunk
into the shade of private life." [' Lord of the Isles,'
Note.] It is now possessed by M'Dougal of that ilk,
the representative of the ancient family of this name.
Such is the traditionary reminiscence of the dignity
of Dunstaffnage, that, according to the inhabitants
of the district, Dunolly was little more than one of
the office-houses connected with the palace. For,
misled by similarity of sound, if not partly by the
love of the marvellous, as .in Gaelic ollam/t — pro-
nounced ollah — signifies ' a physician,' it is received
as an historical fact that the medical practitioner who
was attached to the royal family had this castle al-
lotted to him as his residence, the name being ren-
dered 'the Fort of the physician.' While, however,
the absurdity of the idea appears, not only from the
distance, which must have rendered it quite ineli-
gible as a residence for one whose services would be
often required at a moment's warning, but from the
total improbability that a place of such consequence
would be assigned to any officer of the court ; it
seems to be directly opposed to historical proof of a
far more authentic character than the greatest part
of that which our meagre records furnish in regard to
so remote a period. Olaf was a very common name
among the Danes and Norwegians. It appeared in
different forms ; as in that of Aulaiv, Aulaf, Oluve,
Olo, and in Latin of Olaus. Of this name there \\ as
a Scandinavian king of Dublin, A.D. 853, and an-
other, A. D. 959. Somerled, Thane of Argyle, and
Lord of the Isles, who flourished about the middle of
the 12th century, married a daughter of Olaus, King
of Man, from whom our genealogists deduce two
dynasties, distinguished, in the stormy history of the
middle ages, — the Lords of the Isles, and the Lorda
of Lorn. As the Norse princes — whether coining
immediately from Norway, from the Orkneys, from
Ireland, or from Man — made frequent descents on the
western coasts and islands of Scotland, it seems al
DUN
406
DUN
most certain that the name Dunolly signifies ' the
Fortified hill of Olave.' That it was a place of very
considerable consequence in that quarter, and had
received this name, even before the close of the 7th
century, is undeniable, from the notice taken of it in
that invaluable relic of antiquity, the ' Annals of
Ulster.' Here it is mentioned, "A. D. 685. Com-
bussit Tula aman (sic) Duin Olla." It is after-
wards said, — " 700. The destruction of Dunaila by
Selvach."-^" 713. Dun Olla construitur apud Sel-
vaori." — " 733. Talorgan filius Drostani compre-
hensus alligatur juxta arcem Olla." — " 852. Aulay,
King of Lochlin," i. e. of Scandinavia, "came into
Ireland, and all the foreigners of Ireland submitted
to him." In the oldest map we have of Lorn — that
of Timothy Pont — Dunolly is denominated Doun
ofdi/f. Pinkerton entertains the same idea as to the
origin of the name. In reference to one of the pas-
sages quoted from the Annals of Ulster, in which the
place is called Dunolla, he says : " This is surely
the noted Castle in Lorn." ['Enquiry,' ii. 122.]
That excellent northern scholar Johnstone gives the
same explanation: — "Dun Oly, i.e. Olave's tower.
The place might receive this name, from having been
the residence of Olave, the youngest son of Somer-
led, thane of Argvle." [' Haco's Expedition against
Scotland,' Note 77.] — There was lately discovered
at Dunolly, an interesting subject for antiquarian
examination. Some workmen employed in removing
the soil from a spot immediately under the rock
upon which the ruins of the castle stand, and oc-
cupied for at least a century past as garden ground,
came, at the depth of about five feet, to a bed of
ashes covering a considerable surface. A layer of
loose stones, about four feet deep, succeeded, and
upon being removed, showed the top of a wall of
solid mason- work, running parallel with and closely
attached to the castle rock. Curiosity led to the re-
moval of a part of the wall, and the trouble was recom-
pensed by discovering the entrance to a spacious cav-
ern, the whole interior of which was ornamented with
the most beautiful stalactites. But — what will ex-
cite a deeper feeling — the excavators found that they
had broken in upon the slumbers of the dead ; for,
placed regularly round the bottom of the cave, lay
many mouldering remnants of mortality. In the
centre of this charnel-house was a large flag-stone
covering an opening not unlike a modern grave ;
but nothing was found in it to disclose the purpose
for which it had been reserved. Among the ashes
were the bones of various animals, pieces of iron,
remains of broadswords, a few defaced coins, and
other vestiges of the hand of man. There is no
existing tradition of the cave, or the use to which
it had been dedicated. — Thomas Brydson, in his
' Pictures of the Past,' has the following pleasing
verses on Dunolly castle :
The breezes of this vernal day
Come wliisp-ring through thine empty hall,
And stir, instead of tapestry,
The weed upon the wall ;
And bring from out the murm'ring sea,
And bring from out the vocal wood,
The sound of nature's joy to thee,
Mocking thy solitude.
Yet proudly, 'mid the tide of years,
Thou lifi'st on high thine airy form-
Scene of primeval hopes and fears-
Slow yielding to the storm !
From thy gray portal oft at morn,
The ladies and th^ squires would eo,
Wlnle swell'd the hunter's bugle-horn
In the green glen below ;
And minptrel-harp, at starry night.
Woke the high strain of hatlle h.^re,
Wuc-ii with a wild and stern delight
1 lie warrior stoop'd to hear.
All fled for ever! leaving nought
Save lonely walls in ruin preen,
Which dimly lead my wand'ring thought
To moments that have been.
DUNOON* AND KILMUN, a parish in Argyte-
shire. in the district of Cowal, on the west side of
the frith of Clyde. It is about 24 miles in length,
and on an average 3 in breadth, but in some places
9 miles in breadth. The general appearance of the
country is flat and agreeable, having a few eminences
covered with natural wood in the back part of the
parish. The soil is sandy and fertile ; the coast is
also sandy, and presents no safe creek or harbour for
vessels of any burden. " It is probable," we are told
in the Old Statistical Account, " that the mount
on which the castle of Dunoon is situated, was once
surrounded by the sea ; and the minister's glebe has
a bank of sandy clay in it which seems to have been
formed by the sea." But this seat of royal greatness
is now so demolished that there is scarcely a vestige
of it remaining. This has been chiefly in consequence
of the dilapidations to which it has been subjected,
the stories having been abstracted for building the
adjoining cottages. It appears to have consisted ol
three towers, — one looking up the frith, another in an
opposite direction, and a third guarding the approach
from the land. The first of these is the only one of
which there are any distinct traces. It has been of
a circular form. On the side parallel with the frith,
may be seen the remains of a small entrance, which
it is supposed must have served as a sally-port and
a place of escape in cases of emergency. It is be-
lieved that there are still a number of vaulted apart-
ments, pretty entire, under the ruins. The site of
the castle includes about an acre of ground : being
* The orthography of this term has assumed a variety of
forms. It is erroneously given by Gough under that of Det/oan;
and still more so in Timothy Pout's map, where it appears as
Dunouy. In this map, the river ' Clyd' is represented as termi-
nating opposite to Dunoon, and • Dunbritan Fyrht' as com.
mencing immediately below. The industrious Ma(pherson has
pointed out Dunhun or Dunhovyn as the capital castle of the
lordship of Cowal. The latter orthography corresponds with
Wyntoun's, which is Dwnhovyn and Dwnhowyn; neariy agn e-
ing in sound with Downhowne, that of Fordun. Boece has
Downhome. Irvine explains Noviodunum as denoting ' Dun.
noon castle, in Cowall, be-east Townrt point.' He follows the
absurd mode adopted by Buchanan, who has often completely
disguised the local names of our country, by giving them a Latin
form totally removed from that which properly belongs to
tnem or is indicative of their origin. According to this torrn,
the term has been supposed to be derived from the Gaelic dim,
'a castle,' and nuadh, ' new.' For Buchanan gives it an ' Novio-
dunum, vel Dunum Novum, in Covalia.' In the Old Statist!.
cal Account it is stated, that the castle of Dunoon u as formerly
a nunnery ; and that the name comes from the Gaelic word
Dun.notogn, which signifies • the House of the virgins.' Were
this the origin, it should certainly have the plural form. Dun-
nan-oighean. The denomination given by Pont, if not atyp"-
graphical error, might seem to have originated from this term
in the singular. By some, a preference has been given to the
etymon adopted by Buchanan, on the supposition that Dunoon
being the nearest fort on the frith of Dunbarton, and in all pro.
bability erected in a later age, was thence called New Fort.
But it must be evident that this idea is exceedingly vague.
There is no reason to suppose that Dunoon existed for timny
centuries after the fame uf Dunbarton had been far spread ; or
that the former ever attained such eminence as to bring it in
any respect into comparison, not to say competition, with the
latter. Such also was the distance between them, besides the
intervention of different arms of the sea, that the oiiecuuld i<ot
well be subsidiary to the other. Nor would the designation,
New Fort, be a sufficient mark of distinction, while there WHS
at least Dunglaxs in the immediate vicinity of Dunbarton, and
Rothesay in that of Dunoon. As our most ancient writers ex.
hibit this name in an aspirated form, perhups there is ground
for viewing its origin as northern. Dunoon may, like Dunnliy,
have, received its designation from some Scandinavian chief.
Hogni was a common name among the colonists of Iceland ;
who, it is well known, emigrated from Norway in the Dili cen-
tury. Although the form of Dunhovyn might suggest the idea
of affinity to Iceland hoefn, ' portus ;' it happens unfortunately
for such an etymon that there is no creek, or >helter «.f ai.y
consequence, or safety, even for boats, at or near this vimttfc.
As Owen was a name in Scotland borne by Welch, by new,
and by Scots, although sometimes appearing us Houti, Eo)f"*t
Bog/inn, &c., this fort may have beeu denomiuati d q. Dun-
DUN
407
DUN
visit at Dunoon to her favourite sister the Countess
of Argyle. While here, she is said to have employed
herself in the diversion of deer-hunting, and to have
availed herself of the opportunity to grant charters
to her vassals. The person referred to must have
been Lady Jean Steuart, natural daughter of King
James V., who was the first wife of Archibald, Earl
of Argyle. How long Dunoon continued to be the
residence of the Argyle family is uncertain. Pennant
says : — " Inverary was inhabited about the latter end
of the 14th century by Colin, surnamed Tongollach,
or 'the Wonderful,' on account of his marvellous
exploits; and, I may add, his odd whims; among
which, and not the least, may be reckoned the burn-
ing of his house at Inverary on receiving a visit from
the O'Neiles of Ireland, that he might have pretence
to entertain his illustrious guests in his magnificent
field-equipage. The great tower — which was stand-
ing till very lately — was built by the black Sir Colin,
for his nephew, the 1st Earl of Argyle, at that time
a minor. I do not discover any date to ascertain the
time of its foundation, any further than that it was
•y was granted to the he'ritable keepers of this : prior to the year 1480, the time of Sir Colin's death,
stle, on condition of their supplying the garrison ; In December 1644, amidst the snows of this severe
nth certain provisions. climate, the enterprising Montrose poured down his
The castle of Dunoon, it has been said, is of great, troops on Inverary, through ways its chieftain
undefined, antiquity. It originally belonged to i thought impervious." It would appear, therefore,
hereditary high-stewards of Scotland, to whom I that Dunoon was only the occasional residence of
Icolm gave a grant of Bute and Cowal, in the i the Argyle family ; as they were the hereditary
1 1th century. According to our historians, indeed,
"/alter, the son of Fleance, having adhered to the
rests of Malcolm Canmore, not only received
)m him the baronies of Renfrew and Kyle, but was
le Lord of Bute and Cowal, then at the king's
>posal, in consequence of an insurrection of the
iders in quelling which he acted as his Majesty's
nitenant and commandcr-in-ehief. In reward for
services, he was also made Dapifer Regis. His
Alan was by King Edgar constituted Senescallus
-•otiae, or Great-steward of Scotland, whence ori-
nated the family name. Dunoon had remained in
ic possession of the Stewarts till the reign of
ivid II., who, in consequence of ^le insurrection
' Edward Baliol, A. D. 1333, had deserted the throne.
Baliol having overrun the country, among other for-
tresses took Dunoon. His despicable surrender of
the kingdom to Edward III. so disgusted the nobles,
that some of them 'rose in defence of their liberties;
and Robert the Steward, who had lain concealed in
Bute, resolved to stand forth in the public cause.
He escaped to Cowal, and aided by Colin Campbell
of Lochow, one of the ancestors of the family of
Argyle, made himself master of the castle of Dunoon,
A. D. 1334. In reward of his faithful service, Camp-
bell was made hereditary governor, and had the grant
of certain lands for the support of his dignity. Ro-
bert, the first king of the Stewart family, succeeding
David II., the castle would henceforth be viewed in
the more honourable light of a palace, In the year 1544,
the Earl of Lennox, anxious to obtain the regency,
and having received the support of Henry VIII., ap-
peared in the frith of Clyde with 18 vessels and 800 sol-
diers. Having made himself master of Rothesay, he
proceeded to Dunoon. Here he met with powerful
opposition from Archibald Earl of Argyle ; but the
latter was obliged to retreat with loss, being unable
to resist the force of Lennox's artillery. The whole
estate was consolidated by entail in the person of
Archibald the 1st Duke, A. D. 1706. Mary, it has
been asserted, in the month of August 1568,* paid a
• The account piven of this visit \* obviously misdated. It
ronid not have taken place v i>. 156S. It. must refer to 1563.
In « progress through the west of Scotland, Mary having, on
tile gfitn July, |,.|t l,,verary. wlu-n- ^ie had remained three
day*, turned to Strone, where she flept, and went to DuilOOD,
ou HIM -/Till, out! there parsed the following day.
keepers of this palace.
The village of Dunoon originated from the resi-
dence of this noble family at the castle or palace. In
consequence of this, many of their vassals had houses
built in its vicinity, which they occupied when they
attended the court of their chief. Here also the
bishops of Argyle resided, at least occasionally, after
the restoration of episcopacy, in the reign of Charles
II. Near the church, the ruins of the bishop's house —
where one of the fire-places was still visible — were
till lately pointed out. In former times the island
of Lismore was the seat of those bishops, whence
they were called Episcopi Lismorenses. In the
18th century the village of Dunoon was very consi-
derable, and a place of resort on account of a ferry
which was the principal inlet to the district ; but a
new road being opened by Loch Lomond, round the
head of Loch Long, contributed to its decay, and it
sunk into insignificance until its recent creation as a
watering-place, by the citizens of Glasgow, many of
whom have built handsome residences here. The old
village has, in fact, nearly disappeared, and the whole
shore, from a point considerably to the south of Du-
noon, and round to near the Lazaretto at the mouth
of the Holy Loch, is thickly planted with cottage
and marine villas. A good timber quay has also been
erected for the accommodation of the numerous
steamers which touch here. Population, in 1801,
1,750 ; in 1831, 2,416. Assessed property, in 1815,
£7,661. Houses, in 1831, 467. A survey made
under the direction of tin1 parish-minister, in 1837,
gave 2,842 of population, of whom 2,464 were in
connexion with the Establishment. The population
of Kilmun as distinct from Dunoon, wa* 889 in 1837.
The Dissenters are chiefly in connexion with the
T nited Secession church Dunoon is the seat of a
presbytery, and is in the synod of Argyle. It is said
to be one of the most ancient parishes in Scotland.
The parish of Kilmun was united to it both quoad
sacra and quoad civilia^ by the courts of tiiinds at u
date not known. Patron, the Duke of Argyle.
Stipend £275 2s. Id.; glebe £36 17s. Church of
Dunoon built in 1816; enlarged in 1834; sitting*
793. The parish-minister officiate! at Dunoon and
Kilmun alternately, from the middle of April to the
middle of October ; and during the rest of the year.
DUN
408
DUN
two sabbaths at Dunoon and one at Kilmun — There
is a neat United Secession chapel at Dunoon ; built
in 1828; sittings 280. Stipend £120 — See KILMUN.
A chapel has been recently erected within the dis-
trict of Toward, and a missionary officiates here and
in Kilfinan every alternate sabbath — There are 3
parochial schools in this parish, and 6 private schools,
attended altogether by about 300 children. The
salary of one of the parochial schoolmasters is £30
per annum, with £28 fees ; of another £25 14s.,
with £18 fees ; and of the 3d £21, with £8 8s. fees.
DUNPENDER, more commonly called Traprain
law, an isolated conical hill in the parish of Preston-
kirk, in East Lothian. It forms a conspicuous ob-
ject from numerous points in the county, especially
to travellers approaching Haddington from the east
or west.
DUNPHAIL, an ancient tower formerly belong-
ing to the Cummings, in the parish of Ederikeillie,
in Elginshire. It occupies the summit of a high iso-
lated rock, which appears to have been at one time
surrounded by the Divie, which here runs through
the extensive estate of Dunphail, the property of
Mr. Camming Bruce, the representative of the
Cummings of Dunphail, who has erected a splendid
modern mansion, in the Venetian style, in the imme-
diate vicinity of the tower.
DUNREGGAN, a small village in the parish of
Glencairn, Dumfries-shire, 16£ miles north-west of
Dumfries. It is situated on Dalwhat water, on the
opposite bank from Minnyhive, and communicates
with that village by a stone bridge. It has of late
been increased in its population by an influx of stran-
gers, and improved in its buildings and general ap-
pearance. Along with Minnyhive and a hamlet
called Kirkland, it has a population of about 1,000.
DUNROBIN CASTLE, the ancient seat of the
Earls of Sutherland, in the parish of Golspie, in
Sutherlandshire. It is still occasionally occupied by
the Duke of Sutherland, and is considered to be the
oldest inhabited residence in Britain. " I never felt,"
says Mrs. Sinclair, " a sensation so like being in a
balloon as when gazing from the drawing-room win-
dow of Dunrobin castle, perched like an eagle's aerie
on the summit of a lofty rock, and looking down on
the waving tops of the trees, the ocean furrowed
with streaks of foam, and the far-distant prospect of
Tarbetness, with its beacon-light
" Streaming comfort o'er the troubled deep."
A long line of points and pinnacles terminates at
Trouphead, and if you can look on the whole view
without an ecstasy of admiration, shut your eyes on
Nature for ever after, as you are unworthy to behold
her. The park, though not highly dressed or orna-
mented, has the beauty of great extent, and is abun-
dantly wooded to the edge of the wide and intensely
blue ocean. Every tree so exposed to the wild
northern blast must have a precarious existence, and
those planted nearest the ocean generally perish on a
forlorn hope ; but no species can brave the sea-breeze
half so hardily as the Huntingdon willow, which has
outgrown all its cotemporaries at least twelve feet in
height, and is covered with abundant foliage, though
all shaped like flags, with a bare pole next the sea,
old furniture, arms, and other ancient memorials.
DUNROD, See KIRKCUDBRIGHT.
DUNROSSNESS, a parish in Shetland, to which
the parishes of Sandwick and Cunningsburgh are
united quoad civilia. It forms the southern extrem-
ity of the mainland ; and is a peninsula washed on
three sides by the sea. The chief creeks are Quen-
dal Voe, West Voe, Grutness, and Aith's Voe.
Surnburgh-head, a bold high rock, composed of indu-
rated sandstone, in N. lat. 59° 51', and W. long. 1°
16', is the southern promontory. There is a light-
house upon it, showing a fixed light, elevated 300
feet above high water, and seen at the distance of 24
miles in clear weather. Fair isle is the only island
attached to this district; but on the west side of
Dunrossness there is an island, or rather a peninsula,
connected to the main by a sandy beach, which is
sometimes flowed over by the water, called St. Nin-
ian's isle, on which stood a church, the site of which
can still be traced. It is said that the captain of a
Dutch vessel, being nearly lost in a storm at sea,
vowed, that if he was preserved from the dangers
that threatened him, he would build a church on the
first land at which he should arrive. This island was
the spot to which he first came, and here he built a
church, which he consecrated to St. Ninian. There
are the remains of another church on a projecting
headland called Ireland -head, not far from this.
There are several small lakes which abound with
fish. Population, in 1801, 3,201; in 1831, 4,405.
Assessed property, in 181 5, £596. Houses, in 1 831 ,
755 — This parish is in the presbytery of Lerwick,
and synod of Shetland. Patron, the Earl of Zetland.
Stipend £208 6s. 8d. ; glebe £8. Unappropriated
teinds £53 18s. 4d. Church built in 1790; sittings
858. There is a church on FAIR ISLE: see that
article. A small Baptist church, and a Methodist
church, are within the district of Dunrossness. In
1833 the districts of Sandwick and Cunningsburgh
were erected into a quoad sacra, parish by the Gen-
eral Assembly. See SANDWICK. The extent of the
quoad sacra parish of Dunrossness is about 9 miles
by 4, with a population, in 1831, of 2,354.
DUNSCORE,* a parish on the western border of
the district of Nithsdale, Dumfries-shire. It is
bounded on the north by Glencairn and Keir; on
the east by Kirkmahoe and Holy wood ; on the south
by Holywood and Kirkcudbrightshire ; and on the
west by Kirkcudbrightshire. It has a figure re-
sembling the outline of the extended wings of a
butterfly ; oblong, but compressed almost to bisection
in the middle. It stretches from west to east, and
measures, in extreme length, from Blackmark to an
angle a little south of Isle tower, 11± miles. In
breadth it is exceedingly various ; measuring in the
middle, at the confluence of the Cairn and the Glen-
eslin, less than £ of a mile ; and from the southern
base of Colliston hill on the south, to an angle due
north on the opposite boundary, 3| miles. Its area
contains between 23 and 24 square miles. The sur-
face in the upper or western district is rocky and
mountainous, but slopes down toward a central glen ;
in the lower or eastern district it consists chiefly of
three diverging vales, with their intermediate hills ;
but toward or along the eastern boundary it becomes
somewhat open, and is beautified by the meander-
ings of the Nith and the luxuriance of its holms.
The glen of the west is traversed by Glenesliu
water, and is 4 miles in length, and toward the bound-
ary becomes rocky and barren. The hills which
enclose it are heathy, and fit only for pasture ; and
one of them, called Bogrie hill, rises 1 ,200 feet above
the level of the sea. The Cairn intersects the par-
ish at its narrowest part ; but previous and subse-
quent to the intersection it forms the western bound-
ary line for about 3 miles. It is here a more rapid
stream than the Nith, which it soon afterwards joins ;
and after rain or thaw, it sometimes comes down
* The name is Scoto-Irish, and signifies ' the Strength or Fortlet
on the projecting bank.' But the locality originally designate*!
by it is not pointed out even by tradition, and cannot now be
traced.
DUNSE.
409
an impetuosity which very suddenly swells the
>rook into a torrent. Dalgonar bridge, erected over
it above where it intersects the parish, is 80 feet in
span. The Nith, touching the eastern district for
al»out 2 miles, sparkles along in its usual brilliance,
,nd is gay and joyous in the adorning of its banks,
'lie loch and water of Urr form the western bound-
line, but are shut in by rugged, heathy uplands,
le soil along the Nith and the Cairn is rich allu-
loam; in* the higher districts it is, in general, a
it, stony loam, upon a till bottom ; and, in con-
lerable tracts, it is a spongy or a heathy moss,
parish is intersected, near the eastern boundary,
the turnpike from Dumfries to Glasgow; along
vale of the Cairn by the road from Dumfries to
liimyhive; and from east to west, through its
jole length, by a road leading into Galloway The
tower of Lag, situated at Haliday hill, and now
ruin, is said to have been built in the reign of
mes III., and was protected by an outer wall and
litch. It is square and narrow, but massive and
ing. Its last inhabitant was Sir Robert Grier-
i, of infamous memory, for the sanguinary part he
:ted in the persecution of the Covenanters. In the
>per part of the vale of Gleneslin, overlooking a
rge or narrow pass, are the two square towers of
rie and Sunday well. The latter belonged, in the
les of the persecution, to a man whose memory is
iferous in tradition, John Kirk, who opened his
hold as a refuge to the persecuted, and afforded
[uent shelter and assistance to Blackadder and
ler ejected ministers. From the deep mountain
lusions in its vicinity, often did the appealing
linody of 'a conventicle' arise, and echo away
ig the glens. — Friar's Carse, in the vale of the
th, was anciently a monastic establishment, de-
ndent on Melrose abbey. Though only some de-
ched antiquely sculptured stones remain as vestiges
the edifice, the name is commemorated both in a
lake and in the surrounding estate. On the
jrty is the small farm of Ellisland, celebrated as
residence of the poet Burns during the palmiest
ivs of his career; and painted for a place in the
illery of fame, by the limnings of his poetic pencil.
• — Dr. Crichton, a proprietor of Friar's Carse subse-
quent to James Riddell, Esq., the contemporary of
Burns, bequeathed to Dumfries £100,000, with which
a county lunatic asylum has been erected. The cele-
brated John Welsh, son-in-law to John Knox, was a
native of Dunscore The village or hamlet of Cot-
lack is in the eastern district, about half-a-mile from
the Cairn. Population of the parish, in 1801, 1,174;
in 1831, 1,488. Houses 260. Assessed property, in
1815, £23,926. — Dunscore is in the presbytery and
synod of Dumfries. Patron, the Crown. Stipend
£170 18s. 8d.; glebe £42 10s The parish-church
was built in 1823; sittings 850. There is in the
parish a Relief meeting-house. The church of Dun-
score belonged veiy early to the monks of Holy wood;
and, tor a time, it stood on litigated ground between
tin-in and the monks of Melrose. Before the Re-
toramtion, this parish had several places of worship.
Eof these, situated on Gleneslin water, can still
raced in the vestiges of its walls, and is com-
lorated in the name of a farm called the Chapel.
The old parish-church stood considerably to the
i-a>t\vard of the present one; and its cemetery —
containing the remains of Grierson of Lag, and of
several families of note — is still in use. There are
^ the parish 4 schools, 3 of which are parochial,
'he salaries of the parochial schoolmasters amount
.£51 (is. 6]d., divided into three nearly equal pro-
rtions. The fees amount respectively to £20,
15, and £10. Other emoluments tire respectively
G, a:ul £3.
DUNSE,* a parish at the northern limit of the
district of Merse in Berwickshire. It is bounded on
the north by Abbey St. Bathan's, and a detached
part of Longformacus ; on the north-east by Bun-
cle and Edrom ; on the south by Edrom ; on the
south-west by Langton ; and on the west by Long-
formacus. It is irregular in outline ; but may, in a
general view, be regarded as oblong. In extreme
length it measures 6 miles ; in average breadth 3£
miles; and in superficial area, about 21 square miles.
The northern division, comprising about one-third
of the area, is clothed in a heathy dress, variegated
with stripes of pastoral green and autumnal yellow;
and running up the acclivity of the Lammermoor
hills, sends aloft near the boundary, the conspicuous
cone of COCKBURNLAW [which see] 912 feet above
the level of the ocean. The southern and larger
division undulates along the valley of the Merse,
with, in general, a delightfully rolling surface, a
rich and fertile soil, and an ample adorning of cul-
ture and grove. Dunse-law, north of the town of
Dunse, stands on a base of between 2 and 3 miles in
circumference, and rises in a gradual ascent on all
sides, till it terminates in a plain of nearly 30 acres.
630 feet above the level of the sea. Its table-sum-
mit was the site of the original town or village, and
is still tracked by the vestiges of the intrenched
camp of the army of Covenanters, under General
Leslie, who here sat down to watch the warlike
movements of Charles for enforcing prelacy. Whit-
adder water comes down upon the parish at its
north-eastern angle, and forms its boundary-line over
a distance of 2.J miles, offering to the luxurious
banquets of a delicious fish, called the whitling, from
16 inches to 2 feet long, and of high-coloured red
flesh similar to that of the salmon. A brook called
Langton burn flows down from the west, and forms
the whole of the southern boundary-line, falling
into the Blackadder at the point of leaving the
parish. An artificial lake, in the vicinity of Dunse
castle, abounds with perch and eels, and forms a
smiling feature in the landscape. A moss skirts the
south side of the town, stretching from east to west,
and, except by one pathway, was in ancient times
impassable. Another moss — celebrated for the mur-
der of the Chevalier de la Beaute by Home of Wed-
derburn, and called, from the name of the victim
whose blood it drank, Batties bog— stretches along
the confines of the parish of Edrom. Dunse castle,
a little north-west of the town, is a magnificent
Gothic edifice, agglomerated with a surviving tower
of an earlier and ancient structure, believed to have
been built by Randolph, Earl of Moray. Wedder-
burn castle, at the south-east limit of the parish, and
Manderston, 1£ mile north of the former, are eleT
gant mansions, surrounded by tastefully ornamented
demesnes. Dunse was formerly haunted and scourged
by pestilence, and, so late as 90 years ago, was de-
populated by ague and putrid fever; but, in conse-
quence of rapid improvements in draining and culti-
vating the soil, it eventually attained a healthy cli-
mate. Four lines of road diverge from the town
nearly in the direction of the cardinal points ; and
lead the way through the parish respectively toward
Edinburgh, Berwick, Coldstream, and Lauder.-Dunse
is rich in the fame of distinguished natives; and boasts
names of no less eclat among scholars and divines
than those of John Duns Scotus, ' the angelic doc-
tor,'— Thomas Boston, the well-known author of
* The Fourfold State,'— Dr. Thomas M'Crie, the bio-
grapher of Knox and Melville, — and Dr. Abraham
Robertson, Savilian professor of astronomy at Oxford.
• Tlie name was anciently written Duns, and is sii.iply lh«
Celtic Dun, which means 'a hill,' and was applied tu the bvauti*
ful emineuce railed Uuusc-law.
DUN
410
DUN
Population of the parish, including the town, in
1801, 3,157; in 1831, 3,469. Houses 530. Assessed
property, in 1815, £16,196.
Dunse gives name to a presbytery, and is in the
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, Hay of
Drummelzier. Stipend £291 13s. 5d.; glebe £25.
Unappropriated teinds .£477 2s. lid. The parish-
church was built in 1790. Sittings 837. — A new
church in connexion with the Establishment, called
Boston church, was opened in 1839.— There are in
the town two meeting-houses of the United Secession,
and one of the Relief. The first United Secession
congregation was established about the year 1738,
and built their meeting-house, with 580 sittings, in
1740. Stipend £120; with a house, offices, garden,
and small glebe, of the yearly value of £25. — The ' create corporations. In 1670, Sir 'James Cockburn
is principally for lambs, and is also a great wool-
market. The 4th sheep-market is held on the 4th
Wednesday of September, and is principally for
draft ewes. A subscription library, 2 circulating
libraries, a news-room, 2 booksellers' shops, and a
printing-office, seem to indicate the presence of a
literary taste ; and 2 friendly societies and a savings'
bank intimate laudable concern for the interests of
the poor. The tovvn is the seat of a justice- of-
peace court, on the first Monday of every month ;
and it has branch-offices of the British Linen com-
pany's bank, and the Bank of Scotland.
Dunse is of considerable antiquity, and appears to
have been at one time a free burgh-of-barony, whose
burgesses had power to choose a magistracy, and
second United Secession congregation was established
about the year 1768. Their meeting-house was built
about the year 1821, at the cost of nearly £2,000.
Sittings 1,008. Stipend £160; with a house, gar-
den, and stable, of the annual value of £30 — The
Relief congregation was established about the year
1 750. Sittings in their meeting-house, 800. Stipend
£120 Dunse has a parochial school, conducted by
2 teachers, and attended by a maximum of 137 scho-
of Cockburn, who had purchased the estate of
Dunse from Hume of Ayton, obtained from Charles
II. a charter, erecting it under him into a burgh-of-
barony; and since that date, he and his successors in
his claims have nominated a bailie to its government,
without consulting the feuars and inhabitants. The
baronial right of superiority was subsequently ac-
quired, and continues to be possessed by Hay of
Drummelzier. The south part of the town stands
lars; and 11 non-parochial schools, conducted by 12 ! on the barony of Crumstane, belonging to the same
teachers, and attended by a maximum of 707 schol- I superior. Yet the inhabitants of Dunse are a private
ars. Of the non-parochial schools, one is a girls' j association, who manage the police and the common
boarding-school, 2 more are girls' schools, and 1 is a good, and are called ' the feuars of Dunse,' in the
boys' school. Salary of the parochial schoolmaster, j same way that the inhabitants of royal burghs are
subject to an allowance for an assistant, £34 4s. 4:jd., | called burgesses. The common good or property of
the feuars consists of the town-house, which draws
rent from the county of Berwick, and parties occa-
sionally using its hall, and which is fitted up in the
lower floor in shops; 10 acres of land on a neighbour-
with £70 school-fees, £20 other emoluments, and a
house.
DUNSE, a burgh-of-barony, and the most impor
tant town in Berwickshire, stands on a fine plain a
the southern base of Dunse-law, 7| miles from Green
law, 11 from Ayton, 15£ from Berwick-upon-Tweed
JO./ from Coldstream, and 44 by way of Haddington
from Edinburgh. Situated in the centre of th
county, and unrivalled in extent, attractions, am
marketing importance, it is the virtual, though noi
the civil, capital of Berwickshire. It is neat am
modern in its edifices, spacious and tidy in its streets,
and pleasing, though not brilliant, in its genera
burghal appearance. In the market-place — which is
a fine open area or square — stands the town-house,
a beautiful Gothic structure of modern erection, sur-
mounted by a very elegant and tasteful spire. An
array of good houses, large shops, and commodious
churches and seminaries, imparts to the town a cheer-
ful aspect. As the scene of most of the legal busi-
ness of the county, a large body of provincial law
yers figure among its population. Most of the
inhabitants are shopkeepers, handicraftsmen, and
dependents on the marketing, from an extensive
range of agricultural country. Though there is some
weaving conducted in the town and neighbourhood,
yet it does not sensibly impress on the town a
manufacturing character. A weekly market on
Wednesday, 3 annual fairs for cattle, and quarterly
markets for sheep, draw down upon it the stir and
the traffic by which it mainly subsists. The fair held
at Dunse on the 1st Thursday of June is an impor-
tant one for fat cattle, which are mostly purchased
ay English dealers. There is usually a small show
of sheep also at this fair. Dunse August fair has
declined of late years. It is also a hiring-market,
and is held on the 26th of the month, or the Tuesday
after when that date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or
Monday. The November fair is held on the 17th of
the month. It has also declined. The 1st of the
sheep-markets is held on the 4th Wednesday of
March, and is chiefly for the sale of ewes in lamb ;
the 2d, on the 3d Wednesday of May, is for hogs
and wethers ; the 3d, on the 2d W ednesday of July,
ing muir, which contain a whinstorie quarry; and the
proceeds of the manure of the town, and the weigh-
ing-machine or steel-yard. The annual revenue de-
rived from these sources is £123 15s. ; and the an-
nual expenditure for the year 1833, was £140 5s.
1 1 d. Six corporations or crafts formerly existed,
and claimed exclusive privileges; but during the last
27 years they have practically ceased. During 120
years after the cession of Berwick-upon-Tweed to
England, Dunse shared with Lauder the privilege of
being the county-town ; and not even in favour of
Greenlaw, was it wholly deprived of that privilege
till the year 1696. There were within the burgh,
in 1833, 148 householders, whose rents were £10
and upwards, and 84, whose rents amounted to £5,
but were under £10.
DUNSINNAN, or DUNSINANE, one of the Sid-
law hills, in the parish of Collace, and county of
Perth, 8 miles north-east of that town. It rises in
a conical form, with a flat and verdant summit, to
the height of 1,1 14 feet above sea-level, and 800 feet
from its base, and commands a fine view of Strath-
rnore and Blairgowrie. At one place is to be traced
a winding road cut into the rock; on the other sides
it is steep and of difficult access. It has been a
military station, defended by a strong rampart antt
fosses which went quite round the upper part of the
bill. The area within the rampart is of an oval
Form, 210 feet long, 130 broad, and a little lower
than the ruins of the rampart itself, the height of
which, as appears from the immense mass remaining,
must have been great. This stronghold, which is
15 miles distant from Birnam, is attributed to the
.isurper Macbeth; and the traditions in the neigh-
jourhood concerning the predictions of the witches,
and the defeat and death of the Thane, are so
imilar to Shakspeare's history of Macbeth, that
t is probable the great dramatist had visited the
pot himself when in Scotland. — Dunsinnan house,
lelightfully situated amid extensive plantation^
DUN
411
DUN
with a southern exposure, is a fine mansion, and
has been recently enlarged and improved. Wil-
liam Nairne, Esq., a younger son of the Dunsinnan
family, toward the close of la*t century, and during
nine years of the present, adorned the situations of
senator of the College of Justice, and member of the
High court of Justiciary, bearing the title of Lord
Dunsinnan.
DUNSKERRY, a small island of Sutherland, 4
miles north of the promontory of Farouthead.
DUNSTAFFNAGE,* an ancient castle in- Mid
Lorn, Argyleshire, remarkable for being one of the
first seats of the Scottish princes. It is situated on
a promontory, almost insulated in that beautiful
arm of the sea called Loch-Etive; and if romantic
and magnificent scenery, and the pleasing interchange
of mountain and valley, — wood and water, — sea and
land,— island and continent, — conjoined with all
those recollections, borrowed from the earliest ages
of our history, which are most gratifying to national
feeling, — be viewed as inducements in selecting the
sit:- of a royal residence, it might well be questioned
whether Scotland could present one more desirable
than the vicinity of DunstarFnage. On the west, Dun-
Fnage fronts that beautiful and fertile island, fitly
linated Lismore, or Leasmore, — ' the Great
»n,' — beyond which towers the bleak and rocky
ill. The prospect terminates, towards the north,
the lofty mountains of Morvern; while the
is enriched with a cluster of small islands scat-
;d in various directions. Behind it lies that for-
celebrated in our ancient chronicles under the
of BERIGONIUM, and also the ruined priory of
[ATTAN: See these articles. " The builder of
castle," says Grose, "and time of its construc-
are unknown. It is certainly of great anti-
ty, and was once the seat of the Pictish and
ttish princes. Here, for a long time, was pre-
ired the famous stone, the Palladium of Scotland,
brot:«-ht, as the legend has it, from Spain. It was
•forwards removed by Kenneth II. to Scone, and is
now in Westminster abbey, brought thither by King
Edward I. On it was the following inscription:
Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocunque locatutn
Invenient lapi^em, reguare teuentur ibidem."
Our venerable Wyntoun has thus rendered this
it national prophecy :
The form of this name has been considerably varied by dif-
nt writers. Bv Boece, and his ancient translator, Bellen-
, it is written Dounstafage, or Dounstaphage; by Fordun,
rather his contiuuator Bower, Dunstannch. In Bu-au's
.» it is Dunstafage. There has not been less variety in re-
i d to the etymon given of this name. Carnden, having said
it Dutistafage was "anciently a royal residence," explains
•term as signifying 'Stephen's mount.' This idea appears
have been borrowed from our Boece,— the father of so many
es in the history of Scotland. Speaking of a king whom he
i Evenus, he says : " Arcem hand procul a Bengonio loco
ra inviciifsimo aedificavit. Evonium dixit, a tuio nomine,
•Douiihtafage vulKO, id estca-trum Stephani, appellatum."
•L Fol. •<;{> a.] For it is to be observed, that, according to
• writers, this palace had both a vulgar and a royal designa-
i • Hellenden has thus rendered the passage : " Kyng Ewin
me castell, nocht far fra Beriifoit, callit than [then]
"- nn, efter his name, now callit Dounstafage." It is observ-
Hbin, that Bellenden leaves out the explanation of the vulgar
.» hich had heen i-iven by Boece, as apparently not satis-
[><-<l that it was well-founded. He had, indeed, good reason for
rotation, as there is no evidence that it is any thing more
than a monkish dream, like the origin assigned to the name of
the town of Montrnse,— Mont rotarum,—' the Mount of roses,1
least appropriate designation that f.mcy could possiltly
vise for a dry. barren isthmus of sand, apparently forced up
the action of the waves,— H mount on which a rose never
but by the diligence of horticulture. As Stephen is a
scarcely known in Gaelic nomenclature, Duustaffuag*
een rendered, by those who seem best acquainted with
• language, Dun agus (pronounced u) tn inish. as signifying
Fortified hill with two islands,' <Je>criptive of the local
ition, the place havug been denominated from two islands
h lie north from the castle. With tins account Bower's
aphy of Duuataliiich most closely agrees.
Bnt eyf Werdys falyhand be.f
?uhare-evyr that stane yhe segyt «e,
hare sail the Scottis he regnand
And lordys haleoure all that land.
CRU.NYKIL, B. iii. e. 9.
Boece has given the same legendary prediction.
According to Wyntoun, Fergus, the son of Ere,
brought this " stone of power" with him from Ire-
land into Scotland; but, before it reached DunstarF-
nage, it had visited Icolmkill in its way. He, in-
deed, altogether omits the mention of this palace in
the history of its peregrinations, which might almost
vie with those of the cottage of " our Lady of Lo-
retto." For, according to his account, Fergus
Broucht this stane wytht-in Scotland
Fyrst quheii he come and wane that land,
And fyrst it set in Ikkolmkil,
And Skune thare-eftir it wes broucht tyle
And thare it wes syne mony day,
Qhyll Edward g.-rt have it away, &c.
Leslie asserts that it was brought from Argyle to
Scone by Kenneth Macalpine.J " This castle," Pen-
nant has observed, " is fabled to have been founded
by Evvin, a Pictish monarch, cotemporary with
Julius Caesar, naming it after himself, Evonium."
Grose has said, " According to vulgar tradition, this
castle was founded by Edwin, a Pictish monarch."
It is probable that the name has assumed this form
by an error of the press. But this good-humoured
writer has undoubtedly fallen into an error, when
he speaks of this as "a vulgar tradition :" for, as far
as we can learn, there is not a vestige of the name
Evonium among the natives. It seems to have no
other authority than that of Boece, who acknow-
ledges that the intention of the monarch, in desig-
nating the fortress which he erected from his own
name, was in fact frustrated by the predominance of
the vulgar designation. Although the so-called
Evonium lies on the bay of Oban, even fancy can
afford no aid from any supposed similarity ; for the
term Oban is explained 'the White bay;' whence
the name of the modern town of Oban, at the dis-
tance of 3 miles from the palace. The castle is of
a square form, 87 feet within walls, having round
towers at three of the angles. The average height
of the walls is 66 feet; 9 in thickness. The exter-
nal measurement of the walls amounts to 270 feet.
The circumference of the rock, on which it stands,
is 300. It has its entrance from the sea by a stair-
case ; but it is supposed that, in former agts, this
was by means of a drawbridge. Only part of the
building is habitable, the rest of it being in ruins.
The masonry is considered as very ancient. At the
distance of about 400 feet from the castle are the
remains of a chapel formerly appropriated to the
religious services of its inmates. This, in length, is
t " Unless the Destinies fail," or " be defective."
t «• In the Wardrobe Account of Edward, tor March, I29!l,
there ia the following entry of a payment to ' Walter the
painter, for a step to the foot of the New Chair, in which the
Stone of Scotland was placed, near the altar, before the shrine
of St. Edward, in Westminster ubbey, and to the carpenters
and painters paintiu* the MI id step; and the gold and colour*
to paint it with; and making a case to cover the said chair,
£\ l«s. Id.' [Remarks on the Wardrobe Account, p. xli.] Wai.
Miigham -ays, that the use Edward put it to, was to serve as a
chair for the celebrating pne.-ts at Westminster. In the treaty
of peace between Robert Bruce and Edward III , there i- it
particular stipulation for the restoration of this Stone. The
Londoners, however, had taken a fancy to it, and excited a
commotion to prevent its removal ; and Kobert had no difficulty
to persuade his people to waive the performance of the agree-
ment. Indeed, HO deep-rooted has been the belief of the Scots
in the augury attached to it, that many looked upon the acces-
sion of James to the British throne as 'the fulfilment of the pre-
diction. Even in the present day, when there is M> much.
anxiety evinced for the recovery of object* held in national
estimation, we do not hear of any application heioif made to
his m,ije.sty for the restoration of' the Lin-jnHe. Tnere is no
doubt but many of those who witnessed the original aggres-
sion, would console themselves with the reflection, that the
lanf-shimkrd Southerone had caught a Tartar."— Camak'3
Lije uj U'ulluce.
412
DUNSTAFFNAGE.
78 feet; in height, 14; and in breadth, 26. It is
paid, that some of the ancient regalia were preserved
here till the 18th century, when, in consequence of
the infirmity of the keeper, they were embezzled by
the servants, who could not withstand the tempta-
tion excited by the silver that adorned them. We
are informed, however, that they left a battle-axe,
9 feet in length, of beautiful workmanship, and em-
bossed with silver. Pennant has given a drawing
of a small ivory figure found here, which he thinks
'* was certainly cut in memory of" the celebrated
'* chair, and appears to have been an inauguration
sculpture. A crowned monarch is represented sit-
ting in it with a book," rather a scroll, "in one
hand, as if going to take the coronation-oath."
Speaking of the ruined chapel, he says, that it had
once been an elegant building, and has at one end
an enclosure, used as a family cemetery. As, ac-
cording to all the slender remains of our national
history, the fatal chair of royalty was transferred to
Scone, after the union of the Scots and Picts under
the son of Alpin, it might naturally enough be sup-
posed that Dunstaffnage lost much of its former
importance. Being no longer — as it had been under
the Dalriadic kings — the regal seat, nor, from the
fur greater extent of dominion, in a situation adapted
for this pre-eminence, its name scarcely appears in
our annals for some centuries. Indeed, it seems
highly probable, that very soon after it had been
deserted by its royal possessors, it had become a
stronghold of the Norwegians. About the year
843, Kenneth Macalpine transferred the seat of
government from Dunstaffnage to the palace of
Forteviot, in Perthshire. By this time the Nor-
wegians had begun to make inroads on the western
coast of Scotland, and had taken possession of a
considerable part of Ireland ; and we may trace them
in the immediate vicinity of this regal fortress. See
DUNOLLY. We lose sight of Dunstaffnage for sev-
eral centuries, till it again rises up to view during
the eventful reign of Robert Bruce. It was then
possessed by Alexander of Argyle, father of John,
whom Archdeacon Barbour calls the Lord of Lome,
and who, he says, dwelt in the vicinity of the head
or source of Tay.
The lord of Lome wonnyt thar by,
That was rapitale eiinymy
To the king, for his eniys sak,
Jli'in Cniiiyn ; arid thmicht tor to tak
Wengeance apou crut- II maner.
THE BRUCE, B. ii. 396.
John, called the Red Cumyn, whom Bruce had
slain at Dumfries under the imputation of treachery,
was erne, that is, uncle, to John of Lorn ; Alexander
of Argyle, the father of the latter, having married
Curnyn's daughter. Sir Walter Scott, having re-
marked, that according to Lord Hailes, she was his
aunt, adds that " the genealogy is distinctly given
by Wintoun.
The thryd douchtyr of Red Cwmyn,
Alysawndyr of Argayle syne
Tiik, and weddyt til hys wyf :
And on hyr he gat in-tyl hys lyf
Jnon of Lome, the quhilk gat
Ewyu of Lome eftyr that."
CRONYKIL, B. viii. c. vi. v. 206.
This Alexander adhered to the interests of Baliol.
At the time here referred to, Bruce was defeated in
the battle of Dalree, near Tyndrum ; but afterwards,
A. 1308, having defeated the army of John of Lorn,
he besieged his father in his fortress of Dunstaffnage.
The king, that stoute wes, stark, and bauld,
Till Dutistaftync h rycht sturdely
A sege set; and besyly
Assayl»t the caste! I it to iret—
S,-l.yf Alexander off Arghile, that saw
T.ie king distroy \vp, rleue and law,
1-iia laud, send treyteris to the king;
And come his man but mar duelling.
Aud he resawyt him till his ppss.
TUB BRUCE, B. vii. 410.
Bower, in his continuation of Fordun's Chronicor
says that Alexander rendered the castle to Bruce;
but that, refusing to do homage to him, he receivec
from the king a safe-conduct for himself and all wh<
wished to retire with him, and fled into England,
where he died. This account is more credible thai
the other; as the father certainly died in Englanr
and John his son fled by sea, continuing, as we learn
from Barbour, in his rebellion. It is in relation to
this interesting period of our history that Sir Waltei
Scott has introduced the following notice of this
palace, in that beautiful poem the scene of which
laid in this enchanting district of our country :
•' Daughter," she said, " these seas behold,
Round twice an hundred islands roll'd,
FroTi Hirt, that hears their northern roar,
To the green Hay's fertile shore.
Or mainland turn, where many a tower
Owns thy bold brother's feudal power.
Each on its own dark cape reclined.
And listening to its own wild wind,
From where Mingary, sternly placed,
O'erawes the woodland and the waste,
To where Dnnstaffnage hears the raging
Of Conual with his rocks engaging.
LORD OF THE ISI.ES, Cant. i. st. 8.
The lands of Dunolly still belong to the Macdou-
gals, who claim as their ancestor this Alexander
Argyle. Their claim, indeed, seems indisputable.
"The islands," Pennant has remarked, " remair
governed by powerful chieftains, the descendants .
Somerled, Thane of Heregaidel, or Argyle, wh<
marrying the daughter of Olave, King of Man, left
divided dominion to his sons Dugal and Reginald;
from the first were descended the Macdougals of
Lorn : from the last the powerful clan of the
donalds. The lordship of Argyle, with Mull, an
the islands north of it, fell to the share of the first :
Hay, Cantyre, and the southern isles, were the por
tion of the last." Nisbet gives the following accounl
of this family; although he has strangely disguisei
the name of the place. " There was," he says, " ;
great and old family of this name in Argyleshir
called M'Oul, M'Dowall, or M'Dugall, Lords
Lorn, whose title and lands went, by an heiress,
Stewart, Lord of Lorn, and are now in the familj
of Argyle ; Colin Campbell, the 1 st earl of Argylt
having married Isabel, heiress of Stewart of Lorn. —
The heir-male of this family is John M'Dougall oi
Dunolik, whose castle of Dunolik was the mansion-
house of the said family." The late proprietor in-
formed Dr. Jamieson, that they had lost by far the
greater part of their lands in consequence of theii
adherence to the interest of Baliol ; and that on this
ground Dunstaffnage had passed from them to tb<
family of Argyle, who claimed this as their share o
the spoil. In conformity with this account, it ha:
been said; " When the wars between the Bruce ant
Baliol factions again broke out in the reign of Davi<
II., the lords of Lorn were again found on the losinj
side, owing to their hereditary enmity to the hous
of Bruce. Accordingly, upon the issue of that con
test, they were deprived by David II. and his sue
cessor of by far the greater part of their extensiv
territories, which were conferred upon Stewart
called the Knight of Lorn. The house of Macdoi
gal continued to survive the loss of power, an
affords a very rare, if not an unique, instance of
family of such unlimited power, and so distinguishe
during the middle ages, surviving the decay of the
fandeur, and flourishing in a private station.
Lord of the Isles,' Note.] — A charter of Robe:
is still extant, granting to Arthur Campbel
i fourth son of the brave Sir Colin Campbell of Loci
ow, "the constabulary of Dunstaffnage, and tl
maines thereof, whilk Alexander Argyle had in h
hands." David II. confirms a charter granted 1
his father to William de Vetere Pont (Wt
DUN
413
DUN
at Dunstaffynch in the 4th year of his reign.
1 find," says Pennant, "about the year 1455, this
have been a residence of the Lords of the Isles;
here James, last earl of Douglas, after his defeat
An-ii>, fled to Donald, the Regulus of the time,
prevailed on him to take arms, and carry on a
indering war against his monarch James the Se-
d." He refers to Hume of Godscroft as his
ity; but all that Godscroft says is: "The
le himself by flight got him to Dunstaffage,
;re finding Donald Earle of Rosse, and Lord of
Isies, he incited him to make war against the
in his favours, and after he had engaged him
rein, he withdrew himselfe again into England."
lis, however, does not amount to a proof that
instaffriage was then occupied as a palace by these
irping reguli. Buchanan merely says, that Earl
met with Donald, the tyrant of the isles, and
rl of Ross, at Dunstaffnage ; — " ad Stephanodunum
lit." From this phraseology we can only infer
this was the appointed place of meeting : and it
most probably selected as the most convenient
for both ; the Earl of Douglas, having no mari-
ic accommodation, coming to that point which
mid could easily reach by sea. We cannot, in-
;d, suppose that this had become " a residence of
Lords of the Isles," without assuming it as a
that that branch of the noble family of Argyle,
which this fortress had been appropriated by
rt I., had been expelled from it.
HJNSYRE, a parish in the upper ward of Lan-
lire, bounded by Dolphinton and Walston on the
ith-east and south ; Linton on the east and north ;
fest Calder on the north ; and Carnwath on the
st. It is a high lying parish, the most of it being
than 700 feet above the sea level, and contains
;p and precipitous hill about 1,250 in height,
which the parish is understood to have received
name. It extends to nearly 5 miles in length,
the same in breadth, and contains 11,071 imperial
The climate is rather damp and ungenial, and
rheumatism prevails amongst the inhabitants to a
greater extent than is usual elsewhere. Springs are
abundant in the parish, and it is watered to a consi-
derable extent by the streamlet of Medwin, which
takes its rise in its north-east corner, near the foot
of the hill, called Craigangus, and which affords ex-
cellent trout fishing. The soil of the parish is gen-
erally of a sandy nature, or a mixture of sand and
••lay, but from its altitude it is not blessed with great
fertility. A large section of it is laid out in sheep
pasture. It has been supposed that coal existed in
the confines ; but though search has been made, the
presence of this valuable mineral has not yet been
ascertained, and the inhabitants are required to bring
their supplies from a distance of 12 miles. Peat,
however, is extensively cut from the extensive
in the parish. There is little wood, and little
lent, possibly from the non-residence of the
metors, and some portions of the district have
an exceedingly wild and dreary appearance. The
village of Dunsyre does not contain a population
amounting to more than 50 souls, who are princi-
pally tradesmen, necessary to and supported by the
agriculturist. The neare'st market-towns are Carn-
wath and Biggar, — the former 6, and the latter 8
miles distant from the village. The route by which
the army of Agricola reached the Roman camp at
Cleghorn can be traced through the parish, and se-
veral cairns occur along flu1 line, in sonic of which
urns have been found. Dunsyre comprised a portion
of the lands which were exchanged by the ambitious
Karl of Bothwell with the Earl of Angus, for t In-
lands and castle of Hermitage in Liddesdale. It was
wld. however, bv James, Marquis of Douglas, to Sir
George Lockhart, the President of the Court of Ses-
sion, in the hands of whose successors almost the en-
tire parish still remains. In the troubled times of
the persecution, Dunsyre often afforded a retreat to
the Covenanters, and the last sermon preached by the
amiable Donald Cargill was upon Dunsyre common
in 1669. He was seized shortly thereafter by Irvine
of Bonshaw, taken to Edinburgh, hanged in the
Grass-market, and his head struck off and fixed upon
the port of the Netherbow. William Veitch, one of
the most celebrated of the preachers of the Covenant,
was atone time tenant of Westhills in the parish, from
which he was compelled to flee, after the battle of
Pentlands, in 1667. Assessed property, in 1815,
.£2,006. Population, in 1801, 290; in 1831,335.
Houses, in 1831, 57 — This parish is in the presby-
tery of Biggar, and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend .£156 15s. 9d. ; gleb«»
£28. Hamilton of Wishaw says — " The teinds ot
this parish were anciently a part of the patrimonie of
the abbacie of Kelsoe ; but in respect its but a small
parish, they are wholly possessed by the incumbent."
— Salary of parochial schoolmaster £25 3s. 4d , with
£5 school-fees.
DUNTOCHER, a quoad sacra parish, divided
from Old Kilpatrick in Dumbartonshire, in 1836, by
authority of the General Assembly. Population, in
1836, 3,336, whereof 1,604 belonged to the Estab-
lishment, and 1,717 to other denominations, chiefly
that of the United Secession. Church built in 1836,
at a cost of £1,600; sittings 776. Stipend of
minister £114. — An original Burgher congregation
was established at Faifley about 58 years ago. Sti-
pend £89, with house, garden, and glebe. Sittings
in the church 500 — A United Secession congrega-
tion was established at Duntocher about 18 years
ago. Church built in 1824, at an expense of £1,000;
sittings 592. Stipend £150. See OLD KILPATRICK,
DUNTROON CASTLE, a fine old edifice at
the entrance of the Crinan canal, to the south of
Craignish. Its stiucture is very imposing, over-
hanging the sea, and backed by knolls, rocks, and
wood. It is now the property of Mr. Malcolm. In
former times it belonged to a branch of the Camp-
bells. Colonel Stewart of Garth, in his most in-
teresting work on the Highland regiments, states
that it was an ancient compact, and has been " a
uniform practice in the families of the Campbells of
Melfort, Dunstaffnage, and Duntroon, that when the
head of either family died, the chief mourners should
be the two other lairds, one of whom supported the
head to the grave, while the other walked before the
corse. The first progenitors of these families were
three sons of the family of Argyle, who took this
method of preserving the friendship and securing the
support of their posterity to one another."*
DUNVEGAN, a bay and headland in the parish
of Kilmuir, on the west coast of the isle of Skye,
Near it is a small village of the same name, with a
post-office. The house of Dunvegan, the principal
seat of Macleod, the chief of the ancient and power-
ful clan of that name, is partly old and partly mo-
• A similar «-n«tom i< noticed by the author < f ' Reginald
D«lt»n,' an occurring in the sister kingdom. It is ascribed t<»
the t\vo Knu'li-h liimilies ol Dalton and Ward, w h.-»e founder-*
were brothers in arm-, during the wars of John of Giiunt in
Spain. " It wax," he remarks, "by such tir* a* tlux-e, that, in
many instances, the noble benevolence of the old Englir-h gen-
try among themselves was MIC tained and nourished. It was Die
influence of such remembrances that often tempered the acpen.
ties of political conflict, and softened and retined tne character
even ot civil war it.-ell. Thus, for example, the heads of these
V.TV ra«vs had happened to embrace different sides in the tuna
of Charles the First. They fought against each other at Edge.
hill; and yet when Sir Murmaduke Dalton watt slain beloie
Newark ca'-tle, t'olonel Ward asked, and obtained, pennis-ioii
to accompany the rotse to Lancashire, and, stern republican
il..,n:li he \v us, rendered the la.it lioiiuur to the young Cav*.
lier."
DUN
414
DUN
dern. It forms two sides of a small square; on the
third side is the skeleton of a castle of unknown an-
tiquity, supposed to have been a Norwegian fortress
when the Danes were masters of these islands. " It
is so nearly entire," says Dr. Johnson — who was en-
tertained here by Lady Macleod with ' all the arts of
Southern elegance' — "that it might have easily been
made habitable, were there not an ominous tradition
in the family that the owner shall not long outlive
the reparation. The grandfather of the present laird,
in defiance of the prediction, began the work, but
desisted in a little time, and applied his money to
worse uses. Here we saw some traces of former
manners, and heard some standing traditions. In the
house is kept an ox's horn, hollowed so as to hold
perhaps two quarts, which the heir of Macleod was
expected to swallow at one draught, as a test of his
manhood, before he was permitted to bear arms, or
could claim a seat among the men. It is held, that
the return of the laird to Dunvegan, after any consi-
derable absence, produces a plentiful capture of her-
rings ; and that, if any woman crosses the water to
the opposite island, the herrings will desert the coast.
Boetius tells the same of some other place. This
tradition is not uniform. Some hold, that no woman
may pass, and others, that none may pass but a
Macleod."
DUN WAR. See EAGLESHAM.
DUNYCOICH. See INVERARY.
DUPLIN, or DUPPLIN, a parish in Perthshire,
united in 1618 to that of Aberdalgie : see ABERDAL-
GIE. This was the scene of an engagement between
Edward Baliol and the Earl of Marr, on the 12th, or
as some say the 18th, of August, 1332. Baliol hav-
ing landed near Kinghorn, and routed the troops un-
der the Earl of Fife who opposed his landing, marched
northward, and encamped on the Millar's acre at
Forteviot. The Earl of Marr heard at Perth,
That all thare fays cimnmyn ware
To Fortevvyot, and thaim thare
Had Iwgyd in a lytil plas,
The Mylnarys Akre it callyd was;
And men sayis. bath hors and man
In that akyre war hvgyd ttian.
WYNTOUN, B. viii. c. 26, v. 67. .
The Earl of Marr was encamped, with a numerous
army, on a rising ground on the opposite side of the
river Earn, near to Duplin. The contemptible ap-
pearance of Baliol's forces, confined within such nar-
row bounds, proved a snare to the royal army, who
laughed at the idea of danger from a mere handful
of enemies. Total carelessness was the natural con-
sequence ; and ere day dawned, the English had
crossed the river, and attacking an army that had
abandoned itself to intemperance, easily put it to a
complete route. Some monuments of antiquity ap-
pear in the neighbourhood ; but whether they have
been erected as memorials of this disastrous battle,
or claim an earlier era, is uncertain. There is a stone
cross, quite entire, a good way up the acclivity, on
the opposite bank of the Earn, almost straight
north from the ford by which Baliol's army passed
the river ; and another on the south of Forteviot,
upon a rising ground, called Dronachy, lying broken
over at the pedestal, on which are many emblemati-
cal figures. About half-a-mile north from the first
of these, a large tumulus or cairn was opened, and
in it were found some coffins formed of rough flat
stones, containing many fragments of bones. About
.50 years ago a stone was found near the site of the
palace, having two lambs carved on it. This is
now in the possession of Lord Ruthven.
DURIN1SH. See DUIRNISH
DUR1SDEER,* a parish in the north of Nithsdale,
The name is written, in ancient documents, Dorisdcre and
; aud seems derived from the bituatiou of an ancient
Dumfries-shire. It is bounded on the north-west
Sanquhar ; on the north-east and east by Lanark'
shire ; on the south-east by Morton ; and on t
south and west by Penpont. It approaches the fo
of a parallelogram, but with many sinuosities in th
outline; and stretches from south-west to north
east. It measures diagonally, from the angle forme
by the confluence of the Carron and the Nith on th
south, to an angle on Lowther-hill on the north, 8
miles ; in length, from the Mar burn opposite Dru
lanrig castle to the north-east boundary at the sour
of the Carron, 7j miles ; and in extreme breadt
from Slunkford on the Nith to an angle H mil
south-east of the parish-church, 5? miles. Its are
is about 28f square miles. Its eastern section is par
of the high mountain range which walls in Dumfrie
shire. In the north it is bleak, inhospitable, a«i
Highland in its dress. Hills and mountains press
tumultuously upon the glens, that a tourist, in fo'
lowing a winding path, is puzzled to conceive ho
an opening among the acclivitous heights which see
to forbid his progress can exist. The central, south
ern, and south-eastern sections are comparative!^
low in surface, and beauteous in exquisite diversity
Here the Nith diagonally intersects the parish, ove
a distance, including sinuosities, of 8 or 9 miles ; and
all the way along, it luxuriates in a richness of see
ery unsurpassed by the opulence of any merely pi
turesque landscape. From the narrow pass of shelv
ing and almost precipitous banks, clad with brush
wood and plantation, and foiled by rock and scaur,
the broad expanse or plain, cultivated like a garden
and walled round with a mountain-barrier, the basi
of the river exhibits nearly every variety of scenery
and astonishes the tourist by the suddenness and th
charming character of its transitions. Near th
southern boundary, where the vale is widest, stan
the gorgeous ducal pile of Drumlaririg, [see DRUM
LANRIG CASTLE,] surrounded with the fairy-land o
its demesne. From north to south other parts of t"
parish, even its least cheerful and most rugged, ar
variegated, and occasionally tinged with beauty, b
the courses of Carron water, and Kirk, Enterkin,
and Mar burns. The soil in the low grounds is i
general deep, loamy, and fertile. The hills conta'
the same minerals as the neighbouring mines of Wai
lockhead. North of the church, in the Wallpath,
are vestiges of a Roman camp. Along the Wallpath
the great Roman road through Nithsdale, [see DUM-
FRIES-SHIRE,] passed on its way to join in Lanark-
shire the road through Annandale. The parish is
traversed along the vale of the Nith, by the turnpike
from Dumfries to Glasgow, and along the vale of the
Carron by that to Edinburgh : the two roads fork-
ing off from a hitherto common line immediately
after entering the parish at Carron-bridge. The vil
lage of Durisdeer, situated on the upland part of the
parish, is a small sequestered hamlet. Population of
the parish, in 1801, 1,148; in 1831, 1,488. Houses
248. Assessed property, in 1815, .£10,386.— Duris-
deer is in the presbytery of Penpont, and synod of
Dumfries. Patron, the Duke of Buccleuch. Stipend
£220 16s. 8d. ; glebe £25. The church was built in
1 720. Sittings 350. Durisdeer was originally a rec-
tory, belonging to the see of Glasgow, and served by a
vicar; and, in the 14th century, was constituted a pre>
bend of Glasgow. There were anciently two chapels ;
vestiges of which are still apparent. One was si
tuated on the Carron, and still gives the name Chapel
to the farm on which it stood. In the present pur-
castle at the entrance of a remarkable mountain-pass, called
the Wallpath, between Nithsdale and Clydesdale. Drw* \\
British, aud Dorus in Irish mean 'a passage;' and dair, lagj
laiiwuaifes. signifies ' oakwood'— and here appears to allud' 1
the tufiii.gs of oak with which the WaMpath most probably
was adorned.
DURNESS.
415
ish-church is a grand mausoleum of the Drumlanng
Douglasses. An aisle, surmounting the sepulchral
vault, has a marble monument of multiform sculp-
ture, and imposing appearance, but in a style offen-
sive to modern taste, commemorative of James, se-
cond Duke of Queensberrv, and his Duchess. On
the sculptured wall, the ducal pair are represented as
lying on a couch, dressed in state. The Duchess is
stretched in the attitude of death, her hands folded
over her breast. The Duke appears behind her,
halt' raised on his elbow, wearing an enormous wig,
and contemplating the countenance of his lady. The
tout-ensemble of the sculpture, however, is anything
but lugubrious ; and, but for the affecting suggestion
of the mutability and vanity of all human grandeur,
presents such an array of the trappings and grotesque
adornings of antique courtly apparel, as would be ir-
resistibly ludicrous. There are in Durisdeer 5
schools, 2 of them parochial. The salaries of the
fb schoolmasters amount to £51 Gs. 6^d., with
9s. other emoluments — Durrisdeer, according
e version of the old ballad, was the scene of
ie o' Breadislee's ' woeful hunting'
' silly auld carle' tells the seven Foresters of
Hislington what he has seen ' at ween the water and
Kbrae,' and a conflict, in which Johnie slays all
seven, but is mortally wounded himself, issues:
Johnie buskt up his glide bend bow,
His arrows ane by ane ;
And he lias gane to Durrisdeer
To hunt the dun deer down.
Now JohnieV gude bend bow is broke,
And liis gude uraie dogs are slain ;
And his body lies dead in Durris deer,
And his hunting it is done.
article BRAID.
>URNESS,* a parish in the county of Sutherland,
forming the north-western point of Scotland. It
comprehends the cultivated lands on the eastern side
of Loch Eriboll. commonly called Westmoine ; with
the tract denominated Strathmore, and intersected
by the river Hope ; Durness Proper, or the penin-
sular tract stretching between Loch Eriboll and
Durness bay and kyle ; and the Parf district, which
comprehends that portion of the parish lying between
the Atlantic and the kyle of Durness, and extend-
ing south to the Ashir district of Edderachylis. Its
length from east to west is about 25 miles ; its aver-
age breadth nearly 12 miles; and its superficial area,
including the numerous lochs or arms of the sea which
deeply indent its coasts, 300 square miles. On the
east its boundaries are coterminous with the parish
of Tongue, on the south, with those of Eddera-
chylis. The scenery of this parish is mostly wild and
mountainous. It is nearly destitute of wood, and
considerable tracts are occupied by bleak mosses.
Towards the shore, however, where the peninsula of
Durness terminates in Farout-head, there is a series
of beautiful fields, and rich green pasture. On the
* " Various etymologies are assigned for the name of this
pirish. Amonir others, it is said that Cur is a contraction of
Dun-in, [or Dorrain,] or Donrin, which signifies, in Gaelic,
•a Storm ;' so that Dunies* would seem to mean 'the NV«s or
Promontory of storms,'— an appellation to which the neigh.
l.onring coast is not unentitled. But whatever may be the
meaning of the name, it is well-known, from tradition, that the
application of it to this pari-h took place, not from the na'ure
f the ground, hut in con-equence of the Bishop of Caithness
deponing of it to Morrison— Ay MacHormaid, as they fill
hini-a Lewis man, and a na'ive of a place called Diurness
there, on occasion of his being married t« his natural daughter,
or— as such were usually t.-rmed in those days— his sister.
Ihis Ay Morrison gate it its present na<n«, to commemorate
the place of his own nativity. \Vhatever its former name
might have been, it .-uieiy has |>«>en a Mu«nl, or sumrner-du HI-
in;' of old, belonging to the h.shopric of Caithness." [Old
-•Statistical Account.]— In ilie New Statistical Account, it is
V,'tfs'e>ted tllat tlie name of this <i,«tnct maybe derived from
the principal town-hip in the pari.-h, and Intti*, ' n
or grazing,'— thus signifying au oasis in H desert.
sides of the hill?, too, upon spots where shealings
have been occasionally erected to shelter the shep-
herds in summer and harvest when feeding their
flocks at a distance from their ordinary dwellings,
the sward is richly variegated with clover, daisies,
and other valuable grasses and wild flowers. Along
the shore a tract of flat land extends, in some placet,
to the very verge of the ocean ; in others there is a
considerable extent of bare sands ; at the head-lands
piles of rocks tower to a vast height. The shores
themselves are almost everywhere rocky and des-
titute of vegetation. The tides rush in with great
rapidity and violence upon this coast, especially at
Cape Wrath, where their violence is increased by
means of a shoal, running out north by east from th«
extremity of the cape for 5 or 6 miles, and covered
by a depth of water measuring from 16 to 24 fa-
thoms: see article CAPE WRATH. About a mile
from the coast is the Staigs, a rock the top of which
is always above water, but which is nevertheless
formidable to ships approaching the cape by night ;
but a still more dangerous rock, the top of which
can be seen only in neap-tides, is said to lie 9 miles
due north from the cape. Loch Eriboll forms a
spacious harbour, in which even the smallest sloop
enjoys perfect safety. It penetrates the country in
a south-west direction, nearly 11 miles from the
Whiten-head, which lies on the left hand of the
entrance, and whose white and elevated rocks mar-
iners distinguish at a distance, even in the night.
On the west, or right hand of the entrance, is Ris-
pond, a small dry harbour used by the tacksmen of
the fishings and the kelp shores : see article ERIBOLL.
To the west of Farout-head is Durness bay, a large
shallow bay of rough sea, too open to afford shelter
for vessels. Its upper extremity is prolonged into a
narrow kyle running inland in a south-west direction
up Strathdinard. Between Durness bay and Cape
Wrath the cliffsj- are very magnificent. — In the cave
of Smo, about 2 miles east of the parish-church,
sounds are distinctly repeated by a remarkable echo.
This cave is, indeed, in many respects an object
worthy of notice. It is, in some places, 100 feet
wide, and from 20 to 60 feet in height. J A short
way within its mouth there is a perforation in the
arch, through which a stream of water descends,
and is received into a subterraneous lake extending
to a length not ascertained. Tradition says, that
the only person who ever had courage to attempt to
explore it, was one Donald, Master of Reay, but that
the extinction of the lights, by foul air, obliged him
to return before he could advance to the extremity
of the lake or the boundary of the cave. Macculloch
notices a cave near the M hi ten- head which, he says,
" exceeds in beauty, splendour, and sublimity of
effect, all the caves of Scotland except perhaps that
of Papa Stour." — The principal mountains in this
alpine territory are Benhopein Strathmore : see article
BENHOPE; Ben-Spionnadh, which has an elevation
of 2,566 feet ; Cranstachie in Durness Proper ; and
Fairbheinn and Bendearg in the Parf district. The
principal lake is LOCH HOPE : which see. This tract
of country, though extremely interesting to the geo-
logist, is not known to afford any uncommon min-
erals. There are numerous small lochs. Loch-Bor-
ley in Durness Proper, affords, in great abundance, a
species of char called 'Red Bellies.' and, in Gaelic,
Tarruyiin. They are caught only in October, wb^-u
they repair to the shallow water to deposit their spawn.
From Loch Dinard flows a stream of the same name,
which, niter a north-east course of about 10 milec
flows into the kyle of Durness. The Hooe, tiow-
f Fitrured in Darnell's ' Coast Views.
J Some account!! ol this cuve substitute yards fur font in these
admeasurement*.
DUR
416
BUT
ing through Strathmore, is a fine stream. See article
LOCH HOPE The whole of this extensive par-
ish, with the exception of about 1,000 acres, has
been converted into sheep-walks. The wages of
< ay-labourers, at the close of last century, were
commonly from 6d. to 7^d. a-day, they now receive
i s. 6d. per day. The usual half-yearly wages of
men-servants were from 26s. to £1 16s.; and of
women-servants, from 10s. to 15s., in 1798; the
former now receive .£6 per annum, with a consider-
able supply of meal and potatoes ; the latter receive
£3 per annum with board. The whole rent of the
lands, kelp-shores, and fishings, was about £450, in
1796; in the New Statistical Account of 1834, the
average raw produce is estimated at £8,000. The
assessed property, in 1815, was .£1,706. Population,
in 1801, 1,208; in 1831, 1,153. Houses," in 1831,
J 97. Three-fourths of the population are scattered
along the northern coast, between the kyle of Dur-
ness arid the mouth of Loch Eriboll. Of the remain-
ing fourth, the greater part reside in small hamlets
along both shores of Loch Eriboll. — The parish of
Dumess is in the presbytery of Tongue, and synod of
Sutherland and Caithness. Patron, the Crown —
This, with the adjoining parishes of Tongue and Ed-
derachylis, comprehending a tract of country 35 miles
in length and from 15 to 25 in breadth, were for-
merly united in one parish under the common name of
Durness. But, as one clergyman was not equal to
the task of instructing the inhabitants of so exten-
sive a district, George, Lord Reay, in 1721, applied
to the General Assembly for aid towards the reli-
gious instruction of the inhabitants of this country.
The Assembly agreed that a collection for this purpose
should be made through all Scotland, and a contri-
bution of £1,500 sterling was thus obtained. The
original parish of Durness was, in consequence,
divided into the three parishes of Durness, Tongue,
and Edderachylis, in 1724; and stipends were as-
signed for the ministers of these parishes, in certain
proportions, out of the teinds of Lord Reay's estate,
and the interest of the money contributed. Stipend
£158 6s. 8d.; glebe £20. The old parish-church
was built in 1619, and enlarged in 1692. It was
stated to the parliamentary commissioners, in 1836,
that it was on the eve of being rebuilt — There is a
mission-station at Camisendun or Cambusindoun,
which is 11 miles distant from the parish-church. —
Schoolmaster's salary £25 15s The celebrated
Gaelic bard, Robert Donn, or Mackay, was a native
of this parish.
DUROR, a quoad sacra parish disjoined from Ap-
pin in 1827. It extends along Loch Linnhe and
Loch Leven, and is from 28 to 30 miles in length,
by from 5 to 6 in breadth. In 1836 the population
was estimated at 1,600, of whom about one-half be-
longed to the Establishment. Church built by the
parliamentary commissioners in 1826, and repaired in
1834; sittings 323. Stipend £120, with manse and
glebe. There are an Episcopalian, and a Roman
Catholic congregation, in this parish. See LISMORE
and APPIN.
DURR1S, a parish in Kincardineshire ; bounded
on the north by the river Dee, which divides it from
Drumoak in Aberdeenshire; on the east by Mary-
culter and Feteresso parishes; on the south by the
parish of Glenbervie ; and on the west by the par-
ishes of Strachan and Banchory-Ternan. It extends
about 8 miles in length, and 5£ in breadth, contain-
ing 16,000 acres. Houses 211. Assessed property,
in 1815, £2,290. Population, in 1801, 605; in 1831,
1,035. The ground of this parish rises from the
south bank of the Dee, till, in its southern extrem-
ity, it terminates in a ridge of the Grampian moun-
tains. There are thus extensive haughs or tracts of i
level land near the river, while, southwards, the
mountains rise to an elevation of upwards of 1,000
feet above the level of the sea. Cairn-monearn is
the highest of these, being elevated about 1,200 feet
above sea-level. Mindernal, Mount Gower, and
Craigbeg, are nearly of the same height. On the
top of Mount Gower is a mineral spring, similar to
one of the Harrogate waters. Several rivulets in-
tersect the parish, of which the Sheeoch burn is the
chief. It rises in the south-western extremity be-
yond Shillofad, and runs south-eastwards, often with
a great body of water, and with headlong rapidity,
for about 12 miles, till it falls into the Dee at Dur-
ris church. There are several large plantations of
larch and Scots fir, — both of which were introduced
here by Lord Peterborough. A great part of the
parish has been enclosed, and many improvements in
agriculture have been effected. There is extensivi
pasture-land, some of which, however, might
rendered arable. Gross annual produce valued
about £14,000. Farm-produce is sold at Stone-
haven and Aberdeen, as there is neither market-
town nor village in this parish. Three annual fair
for cattle are held however. On a hill named Castle
hill there is the appearance of an ancient fortification
having a regular fosse and glacis. There is an an-
cient mansion connected by a colonnade with Durris
house, the principal modern building in the parish.-
Durris is in the presbytery and synod of Aberdeen.
Patron, Mactier of Durris. Stipend £158 6s. 7d. ;
glebe £15. Schoolmaster's salary £29, with
10s. fees, and other emoluments. Besides the pa-
rochial school, attended by 33 pupils, there was, in
1834, a sessional school attended by 36 pupils. Mas-
ter's salary £12, with about £21 of fees.
DUTHIL AND ROTHIEMURCHUS, two par-
ishes, now quoad civilia united, the former situated
in Morayshire, and the latter in Inverness-shire.
The united parish is bounded on the north-west by
Moy and Dalrossie ; on the east by Inverallan and
Abernethy ; on the south by the Cairngorm moun-
tain ; and on the west by Alvie. The river l^pey
runs between the two parishes, and the river Dulnau
intersects Duthil for upwards of 13 miles, and falls
into the Spey. The parish of Rothiemurchus lies
betwixt the Cairngorm mountain and the Spey, a
short way further up the river than the most part of
Duthil. Together, they extend in length about 20
miles, and nearly 17 in breadth. Assessed property,
in 1815, £60. "Houses 389. Population, in 1801,
1,578; in 1831, 1,895; and exclusive of Rothie-
murchus, 1,309. Their general appearance is hilly,
with fir, birch, and alder, on the skirts of the hills.
Higher up the ground becomes rocky, and covered
with heath, but in many parts affording good pas-
turage. The soil on the banks of the Spey and the
Dulnan is fertile, but liable to be overflowed. The
rest of the soil in this district is gravelly and thin.
There are two small lakes in Rothiemurchus : one
of them. Lochaneilan, has an island and a ruinous
castle noted for a remarkable echo. The wastes in
this parish abound with game of all kinds. Numer-
ous sheep and black cattle are reared. The military
road from Dalnacardoch to Inverness passes througfc
the parish. On this road is the stage-inn of A vie-
more, near the head of Strathspey, which commands
a fine view of the great fir woods of Rothiemurchus,
supposed to cover from 14 to 16 square miles. Op-
posite to the inn is CAIRNGORM— which see — aw.
about a mile to the north is the beautiful and bok
projecting rock of Craigellachie, the 'rock of alarm.
" From its swelling base, and rifted precipices, th<
birch trees wave in graceful cluster; their brigbi
'and lively green forming a strong contrast in tin
fore round, to the sombre melancholy hue of \lu
DYC
417
DYK
pine forests, which, in the distance, stretch up the
sides of the Cairngorm." — [Guide to the Highlands.]
Craigellachie is the hill of rendezvous to the Grants.
* Stand fast, Craigellachie!' is the slogan or war-
cry of that clan, — the occupants of this strath, — the
name of whom prevails here to the exclusion of al-
most every other, as, perhaps, may be recollected from
Sir Alexander Boswell's lively verses : —
" Como the Orants of Tull<>rhironim,
Wi' their pipers garni before 'em.
Proud the mwtuers are that hore Vm.
Feed le.(a-f urn!
•• Next the Grants of Rothiemurehus,
Every man hi* sword arid durk has,
Every man as proud'a a Turk is.
Feedle-deedle-dum!"
This truly Highland district altogether is exceed-
ing! v interesting and romantic. The name of Duthil
signifies ' the glen of heroes,' and also ' the excel-
lent valley,' because the Kirktown commands the
prospect of a valley upwards of 1,000 acres in ex-
tent. Three miles to the east of Duthil manse
stands the picturesque ruin of the old tower of
Muckerath, a seat of the Grants of Rothiemurchus,
and which was erected in 1598 by Patrick Grant, a
son of John, surnamed ' The Simple.' The church
of Duthil is one of the few Roman Catholic edifices
which escaped the relentless destructive energies of
the Reformers This district is in the presbytery of
Abernethy, and synod of Moray; but Rothiemurchus
now a quoad sacra parish, with a government
;h. Stipend of Duthil parish £229 1 7s. ; with
ebe valued at £5 3s. 4d. Unappropriated teinds
£122 6s. Patron, the Earl of Seafield. Church
built in 1827 ; sittings 700. Being the property of
the sole heritor of the parish, the sittings are free
to all the parishioners. Schoolmaster's salary JL 26
13s. 2d., with fees, &c. averaging £7 10s. There
are 3 private schools in this parish. Stipend of Ro-
thiemurchus quoad sacra parish £120, with glebe
valued at £5. Patron, the Crown. Schoolmaster's
salary, with fees, &c., about £30. There are three
private schools in the parish of Duthil. See RO-
THIEMURCHUS.
DYCE, a parish in Aberdeenshire, lying along the
side of the river Don, which separates it from Fintry
on the north. It is bounded by Newhills on the
cast ; Skene on the south ; and Kinellaw on the west.
Its greatest length is 6 miles, and greatest breadth
3 niili-s. A ridge of hills called Tyrebeggar runs
directly through the parish from north to south.
The soil near the Don is deep and rich, producing
fine crops. Agriculture is here in an advanced state ;
nearly 3,000 acres are under cultivation. In the
hilly ground of Tyrebeggar, however, upwards of
1,000 acres are covered with heath or other under-
wood. There are several plantations of larch and
Scots fir in the parish. Extent of the parish 4,667
Houses 104. Assessed property, in 1815,
£1.:JI5. Population, in 1801, 347; in 1831, 620;
in 1839, 416. The cause of the decrease in popula-
tion is stated by the minister to have arisen partly
from some proprietors having dispossessed their cot-
and thrown their possessions into larger
Gums,-— and partly to the stoppage of quarries, in
which sometimes nearly 100 men were employed.
These quarries are of granite. They have been
worked since the middle of last century ; and dressed
Atones, for paving the streets and for building, have
H'CMI sent hence in great quantities to London. On
he top ot'one of the hills there is a Druidical temple,
"n-i>ting of 10 rough stones planted in a circular
oriu. There are also several cairns on the hills.
There is no town or village in the parish. It is in-
crsectcd l»y the Aberdeen and Inverury canal. —
nijg parish is in the presbytery and synod of Aber-
I
deen. Patron, Gordon Skene of Dyce. Stipend
£150 11s. 2d. ; glebe £7 10s. The church is situ-
ated on a rocky promontory, formed by a winding of
the Don, and commands a fine view of the river's
course through the valley for 20 miles. Schoolmas-
ter's salary £26 per annum, with £14 fees.
DYE (THE), a rivulet in the parish of Strichan,
Aberdeenshire, tributary to the Dee.
DYE (THE), a small stream in Berwickshire,
which, descending from the Lammermoor range,
flows past the village of Longformacus, and falls into
the Whitadder.
DYKE AND MOY, two parishes in the county of
Elgin, except part of Moy, which is in the shire of
Nairn. They were united in 1618. The united
parish is of an irregular, four-cornered figure, run-
ning up the Moray frith, 6 miles along the shore,
and stretching from the coast, southwards, nearly
the same length. It is bounded on the north by the
Moray frith; on the east by the river Findhorn, and
the loch at its mouth ; (but the boundaries being very
irregular, a few farms are situated on the east side of
the Findhorn ;) on the south by the parishes of Ard-
clach and Edenkillie ; and on the we^st by Auldearn
parish. A great proportion of this district is fertile
in soil, and highly cultivated. There are some fine
arable fields of black and brown loam, and the surface
is agreeably diversified with gentle slopes and flats, and
ornamented with gardens and plantations, villas and
mansions. Along the coast, however, is that ex-
tensive sandy desert called the Culbin or Mavistone
sand-hills, which stretches through the parishes of
Anldearn, Dyke, and Kinloss, on both sides, and
round the mouth of the river Findhorn. Boethius
represents these as produced by the same inundation
of the sea which swept away the princely estate of
Earl Godwin in Kent in 1100, leaving the celebrated
or rather infamous Godwin sands in its room. Since
the original devastation, the sea appears to have been
encroaching considerably on this coast, or at least
the evil has been extended by the blowing of the
sand-hills. These were originally piled up in three
great hills below Mavistone, in Auldearn parish ; and
from this great reservoir the sand has been drifted
towards the north-east in such enormous quantities,
that the barony of Culbin — one of the most valuable
estates in Moray, distinguished, indeed, as 'the gran-
ary of Moray' — was literally and entirely buried
under it about a century and a half ago. The lands
were covered to the depth of several feet, between
the years 1670 and 1695, and the estate so much
destroyed, that the proprietor petitioned parliament
to be exempted from paying the ordinary public dues.
The estate still remains completely covered up,
the only traces of its former existence being the oc
casional appearance of the ruins of houses, and
portions of the soil still retaining seeds having the
power of vegetating, which are occasionally dug up.*
The removal of the sand to Culbin is said to have
been accelerated by the country people pulling up
bent from the grounds in the parishes of Dyke and
Auldearn, and the practice was prohibited, in conse-
quence, by act of parliament. The entrance of the
Findhorn into the sea has been removed from the
* In the churchyard of Dyke is an old tomb-stone belonging
to the family thus curiously'disirikvrited ; and, from an inscrip-
tion, it appears that the provident couple who first blept under
it had it prepared during their lifetime. On the upper part of
the ctone are ihe initials, V. K. B. I. ; below, two armorial
coats, and the dute, 1613: after which runs the following- W»
gend:-
VALTIR KINNAIRD, ELIZABETH INNES,
The builders of this bed of ^t«ne,
Are laird and ladie of r«\vl>mr ;
Ouliilk tna ami theirs, ijuhnue braithe is gau*.
1'leis God, vil sleip this bed vithiu.
2 D
418
DYSART.
westward, nearly 2 miles to its present situation,
and on the spot "where stood the ancient town and
harbour of Findhorn, nothing now appears but sand
and benty grass, scarcely affording meagre pasturage
to a few sheep. Besides indications of an ancient
forest visible in the bay between Findhorn and
Burgh-head, there are other traces of considerable
changes on the whole sea-coast in this vicinity., —
The heath of Hardmoor, which adjoins the now
sterile district of Culbin, is celebrated as the place
in which Macbeth was met by the weird sisters,
while he journeyed with Bariquo from the western
islands, to meet King Duncan at the castle of For-
res. It is a bleak and barren enough heath, and its
'blasted' aspect well befits the imaginary scene of
such a supernatural meeting. No one can pass this
spot without having his mind full of the horrors of
the tragedy. The imagination of thousands has
been rivetted on this locality, and the poet, put of a
few meagre and uncertain traditions, has invested
what \vas, perhaps, after all, but a common and vul-
gar assassination, with the intense interest of a great
moral catastrophe — Immense and thriving plantations
of oak, pine, larch, elm, beach, &c., which cover the
whole country side, and amount, it is said, to about
15,000,000 of trees, have, of late years, grown up
with the ancient pine forest in the vicinity of the
noble castle of Darnaway in this parish : see DAR-
NAWAY. — There are three villages in this parish ; —
Dyke, Broom of Moy, and Kintesk. Population of
the united parish, in 1801, 1,492; in 1831, 1,451.
Houses 306. Assessed property, in 1815, £9,178.
There are one or two small lakes in the parish.
The Findhorn, which flows into Findhorn loch, to
the north of Moy-house, is the principal river, and
is of considerable value for its salmon-fishings. —
The united parish of Dyke and Moy is in the synod
of Moray, and presbytery of Forres. .Patrons, the
Crown, and Grant of Moy. Stipend £244 11s. 8d.,
with glebe valued at £16 13s. 4d. Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4±d. per annum, with £20 4s. 7d.
fees, &c. There are two private schools in the par-
ish. A society's school is situate at Connicavel, on
the borders of the parish, at which children, belong-
ing to this place, are also educated.
DYSART,* a parish in Fifeshire, on the frith of
Forth, to the east of Kirkcaldy. Its form is that of
an irregular parallelogram, nearly 4 miles in length
from north to south, and varying from 1£ to 2| miles
in breadth from east to west. It is bounded on the
south by the frith ; on the east by the parishes of
Wemyss and Markinch; on the north by Kinglassie;
and on the west by Kinglassie, Auchterderran, and
Kirkcaldy. The sea-coast — which extends between
2 and 3 miles — is bold and rocky, and the surface of
the parish afterwards continues to ascend for about
a rnile towards the north. The parish contains
3,054 Scots acres, the whole of which are arable,
with the exception of about 400 acres which are
under wood. The rent of land varies from £6 6s.
per acre to £1 5s. ; the average rent may be about
£2 6s. per acre. The annual value of real property
for the landward part of the parish, in 1815, £4,578;
for the burgh of Dysart, £4,180; total £8,758.
The valued rent of the parish is £5,321 6s. 8d.
Scots — Coals have from a very early period been
wrought in this parish ; and there are still mines at
work on the estate of the Earl of Rosslyn. The
coals in the neighbourhood of Dysart have been
repeatedly on fire. They were remarkably so in 1662,
owing, it is supposed, to the spontaneous combus-
* The name of this parish is obviously Celtic, Dyx-ard, sig.
mfying 'the Height of t»od;' it is therefore probable that, at
an early period, a place of worship existed here, from which
the name originated.
tion of a quantity of pyrites. George Agricola, the
great metallurgist, who died in 1555, takes notice of
this phenomenon as occurring here. Buchanan, from
this circumstance, fixed on the neighbourhood ol
Dysart for the scene of exorcism in his ' Francis-
canus,' and gives an admirable descriptive view of it
under the horror of an eruption :
Campus erat late inculttts, non floribus horti
Arrident, non messe agri, non frondibus aibos:
Vix sterilis siccis vestitur arena myrieis ;
Kt pecorum rara in solis vestigia terris :
Vicini Deserta vocant. Ibi saxea subter
Antra tegunt nigras vulcania semina rautes :
Sulphureis passim concepta inoendia veins,
Furniferam volvunt nebulam, piceoque vapore
Semper anhelat humus : caecisque inclusa uaverriis
Flamma furens, dum lactando penetrare sub auras
Conatur, totis passim spiracula campis
Findit, et ingenti tellurem pandit hiatii :
Teter odor tristisque habitus faciesque locornm.
There are beds of ironstone lying below the coal,
which are also worked where they come near the
surface. The ironstone is usually shipped for Car-
ran works ; a ton is said to yield 12 cwt. of iron.
There are also limestone and freestone quarries.
The principal manufacture in the parish at pre
sent is that of checks and ticks, which was intro-
duced about the commencement of the last cen-
tury. In 1836 the number of looms employed
was about 2,088; the quantity of cloth annually
made was supposed to be about 31,006,720 yards;
and the value about £150,236. There are a mill
the east of Dysart, for spinning flax, which employs
from 80 to 100 persons, a pottery for making stou<
ware, a rope-work, and a patent slip-dock for r<
pairing vessels. — Besides the burgh of Dysart. ther
are several populous villages in the parish. PATH-
HEAD is at the south-western extremity of the par-
ish : which see. Immediately adjoining, and to th<
north-east of Pathhead, is Sinclairtown, built on th<
property of the Earl of Rosslyn. It is more moder
than Pathhead, and contains a population of 1,240.
Still farther to the north-east are Easter arid Weste
Gallatown, with a population of 1,053. There ar
also two smaller hamlets, viz., Borland, containing
184 inhabitants ; and Hackley-moor, containing
— The population of this parish, in 1755, was 2,367;
in 1801, it was 5,385; and in 1831, 7,104. The
number of families, in 1831, was 1,712; of which,
106 were chiefly employed in agriculture, and 1,222
in trade, manufactures, and handicraft This parish
is in the presbytery of Kirkcaldy, and synod of Fife.
The church of Dysart was erected in 1802; it is a
plain building capable of containing 1,600 persons.
It is a collegiate charge, a second minister having
been established in 1620. The Patron of both char-
ges is the Earl of Rosslyn. The stipend of the 1st
minister is £265 10s. 5d. ; glebe £21. He is also
entitled to a fish-teind which is of little value and
never exacted ; 16 chalders of salt, worth about £3
10s. per annum ; a supply of coals, worth about £9
per annum ; and 15s. lOd. yearly from some old
buildings feued to the patron. The stipend of the
2d minister is £207 11s. 3d., with coals; but he has
neither manse nor glebe. The unappropriated teinds
of the parish amount to £714 4s. 7d. In Pathhead
a chapel was erected some years ago in connection
with the church of Scotland, in which the clergymen
of the parish alternately preach and dispense the
ordinances of religion. — To accommodate those ol
the population residing ai the northern extremity oi
the parish, a chapel has been erected at Thornton in
the neighbouring parish of Markinch, 13 miles from
Dysart; and portions of this parish, of Markinch,
and of Kinglassie, have been erected into a quoad
sacra parish — There are a chapel connected with tht
Relief Synod at Dysart, built in 1772 ; sittings 750;
DYSART.
419
and one belonging to the Associate Synod of Original
Seceders; built in 1763; sittings 795. The stipend
of the minister of the former is £100, with manse
and garden; of the latter, £126. — There are 14
schools in the parish, two of which are taught by
females. The parochial, or rather burgh-school, is
situated in the town of Dysart, and is well-attended.
The teacher is paid partly from the town-funds, and
partly from money mortified for the purpose, the
sum of £43 per annum, besides his school-fees.
There are 3 other unendowed schools in the town.
At Pathhead there is a school endowed by the late
Mr. Philp of Edenshead, for the education of 100
children, who, as at Kirkcaldy, receive a yearly al-
lowance for clothing ; and there are also in this vil-
lage 3 other unendowed schools ; there are 2 schools
at Sinclairtown, 3 at Gallatown, and 1 at Borland,
all unendowed.
The town of DYSAKT is a royal burgh, and joins
with Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, and Burntisland in send-
ing a member to parliament. Parliamentary consti-
tuency, in 1839, 130. It was originally a burgh-of-
barony holding of the St. Clairs of Rosslyn, and
subsequently of the Lords Sinclair. About the be-
ginning of the 16th century, it was erected into a
royal burgh, but the early charters have been lost.
A few years ago, the burgh was disfranchised, in
consequence of some informality at the election of
the magistrates ; and its affairs have since been
under the superintendence of three managers ap-
)hited by the court of session. The revenue, in
"8-9, was £908. The burgh consists of three
row streets, having a kind of square in the centre,
central or high street presents a number of
tique substantial houses, having dates and inscrip-
on their fronts. Many of them had piazzas on
the ground-floor, where the merchants exposed their
goods for sale ; but these are now mostly built up.
In the centre of the town is the town-house, which
contains a council-hall, the prison, the weigh-house,
and the guard-house. It is a plain building, orna-
mented with a tower and spire. Fortunately the
prison requires to be but seldom used. The har-
bour of Dysart, though not deficient in size for the
trade, was formerly very unsafe; the swell, when
there was a gale from the east, being so great that
vessels were driven from their moorings and nearly
wrecked within it. A few years ago, however, an
adjoining quarry was converted into a wet dock,
which has 18 feet of water, arid is sufficient to con-
tain 17 or 18 vessels of different burden, exclusive
of the old or outer harbour. The population of the
burgh, in 1831, was 1801. So far back as 1450,
salt was manufactured and shipped at Dysart, not
only to other places in Scotland, but to Holland and
the Continent ; fish was also exported, as also great
quantities of coal; and malting and brewing were
carried on to a great extent at an early period. In
fact it is admitted that Dysart enjoyed a large share
of the trade which the different burghs on the south
side of the Forth anciently possessed. But the same
circumstances which destroyed the trade of the
other burghs, had a destructive effect upon that oi
this town ; its trade decayed, and its shipping rapidly
disappeared. A few brigs, and a few sloops, are all
that now belong to the harbour, and foreign vessels
n visit it, except a few from Holland or the
. — About a mile north of the town there is
still standing a large memorial stone, which tradition
says marks the spot where a battle was fought with
:he Danes ; and about half-a-mile farther north, is a
'arm called Carberry where the Romans are said to
have had a station. The remains of the camp are
said to have been formerly visible, but no traces of
it are now to be seen : the tradition is strength-
ened, however, by the name of the place. Near the
middle of the harbour is a high rock called the Fort,
which is said to have been fortified by Oliver Crom-
well, but no part of the works now remains. — Al-
though not mentioned in Spottiswoode's list of re-
ligious houses, there is said to have been a priory of
black friars in Dysart, the chapel of which was dedi-
cated to St. Dennis. Part of the old wall of this
chapel, which still retains its name, yet remains,
but it has for a long period been converted into a
smithy. Near the chapel of St. Dennis is the old
church of Dysart, which bears the marks of having
been a handsome piece of architecture in its time.
On one of the windows is the date 1570; but the
steeple and the porch bear marks of greater anti-
quity— West of Dysart are the lands of Ravenscraig
belonging to the Earl of Rosslyn. Here, on a lofty
rock which overhangs the sea-shore, are the ruins
of Ravenscraig castle, sometimes also called Ravens-
heugh castle. The castle and lands of Ravensheugh
appeared to have belonged to the Crown at a very
early period; but they were granted by James III.,
in 1470, to William 3d Earl of Orkney, the ancestor
of the present proprietor, in return for his resigna-
tion of that earldom to the Crown. It afterwards
became the residence of the descendants of the 3d
son, the Lords Sinclair, from whom it has descended
with the other estates to the present proprietor. It
was still inhabited at the time Sibbald wrote, but it
has now for many years been in ruins Adjoining
Ravenscraig are the lands of Dunnikeir the property
of Sir John Oswald, on part of which the village of
Pathhead is built. This property anciently belonged
to the family of Lundin of Balgonie ; and afterwards,
according to Sibbald, to a Mr. John Watson, who
built the old house in Pathhead, and mortified several
acres of land near Burntisland for maintaining poor
widows. About the end of the 17th century, Dun-
nikeir became the property of the ancestor of the
present proprietor — In the northern portion of the
parish is Strathore, the property of John Fergus,
Esq., which in part anciently belonged to the Hep-
burns of Waughton ; and at the north-east extremity
Skeddoway, long the property of a family of the
name of Alexander, now of the Earl of Rosslyn —
Dysart house, the residence of the Earl of Rosslyn, is
situated above the sea-shore to the west of the
burgh. It is a plain but neat and commodious man-
sion, and commands an extensive and very beautiful
view of the frith, and of the scenery to the east.
The gardens are very beautiful. — The barony of
Dysart appears to have belonged, so early as the
13th century, to the Sinclairs of Rosslyn. Dysart
gives the title of Earl to the ancient family of Tpl-
lemache. Of this family — whose extraction is English
—there was, in the 25° of Edward I., one Hugh de
Tollemache, who held of the Crown the manor of
Bentley, in the county of Suffolk; and, in the 29th
year of that monarch's reign, had summons to attend
the expedition into Scotland. Dysart formerly gave
the title of Earl to the family of Murray.
EAC
420
EAG
E
EACHAIG (THE), a small river in Argyleshire,
in the district of Cowal, which has its rise in Loch
Eck, and runs into the Holy Loch. It affords good
trout and par fishing.
EAGERNESS, a promontory on the east coast
of Wigtonshire, protruding southward, and shutting
in Garlieston bay. It is about a mile long, and f of
a mile in average breadth, and terminates in a rocky,
but not very high bank.
EAGLESHAM,* a parish which forms the south-
eastern portion of the county of Renfrew. It extends
about 6 miles from east to west, and about 7 from
north to south ; and is bounded on the north-west
by Mearns, in the same county ; on the south-west
by Fenwick, and on the south by Loudoun, both in
Ayrshire ; and on the east by Oarmunnock and East
Kilbride, both in Lanarkshire. The soil is various.
The higher and western districts consist partly of
dry heath, and partly of deep moss, with a number
of green hills, and much natural meadow-ground.
The moors are among the best in Scotland for game.
The arable land in the lower part of the parish is
very productive. The whole parish enjoys free air
and excellent water, and is remarkably healthy.
The river White Cart takes its rise out of the moors
of Eaglesham and East Kilbride, and in its course
northwards divides the counties of Lanark and Ren-
frew. The water of Earn, a tributary of the Cart,
flows on the north-west of this parish, which is also
watered by several rivulets, and contains two small
lakes, Binriend and Lochgoin, the latter giving name
to a farmstead where dwelt John Howie, author of
the 'Lives of Scottish Worthies.' Balagich and
Dun wan, each about 1,000 feet above the level of
the sea, are the highest hills in the parish, and, in-
deed, with two exceptions — Mistylaw and Hill of
Staik — the highest in the county. At Balagich
there have been observed several pieces of barytes.
There are also found large masses of wacke or os-
mond stone, which stands the strongest heat without
renting, and is, therefore, used in building ovens and
other furnaces The estate of Eaglesham formed
part of the extensive grant made by David I. to
Walter, the founder of the House of Stewart, be-
fore the middle of the 12th century. By Walter
it was transferred to Robert de Montgomery, who
was one of those knights that accompanied him when
he migrated from England to Scotland. This estate,
which was the first, and, for two centuries, the chief
possession of the Scottish family of Montgomery,
has remained their property, unciiminished, for the
long period of seven hundred years. For their suc-
cession to the Eglinton estates and their elevation to
the peerage, see article EGLINTON. — Between the
Cart and a rivulet called Mains water, part of the
ruins of the castle of Polnoon, or Ponoon, may still
be traced. It was built by Sir John Montgomery of
Eaglesham, with the money received for the ransom
of Henry Percy, the celebrated Hotspur, whom he
took prisoner with his own hand at the battle of Otter-
* In the Old Statigtical Account we are gravely told that this
place received its name from eag/ex having' •' often perched on
the holm or low ground where afterwards the village was
built;" but there is no reason to believe thnt it ever was fre-
quented by these birds. A church having existed here from a
remote period, a more probable derivation is from eafflats,
(Ciaelic,) *a church,' and the Saxon term for a hamlet. Thus,
Eaglaix-hatn signifies the 'chuu-h hamlet,' or, according to a
Scottish phrase still in use, the kirk-towu.
burn, in 1388. It is said that the ransom being called
poind money, the name Polnoon was thence derived ;
but this seems strained and far-fetched. Polnoori
lodge, which stands on the north-east of the viliage
of Eaglesham, is a small mansion of modern con-
struction, belonging to the Earl of Eglinton In the
year 1769 the old village was demolished, and a new
one begun to be built on a plan which was formed
two years before by Alexander, the 10th earl, a
nobleman of fine taste, who, however, did not live
to see it completed. It chiefly consists of two rows
of houses, generally of two stories, facing each other
at the distance of 100 yards at the upper, and 250 at
the lower end, the nature of the ground not admit-
ting of a more regular line of street. The houses
have each a kitchen -garden at the back. Midway
between the rows there runs a streamlet to which,
from each side, there is a gentle descent, partly
formed into washing greens, and partly embellished
with trees. Upon the whole, the appearance of this
village is eminently beautiful. The tenements in
the village are held of the family of Eglinton, on
leases for 999 years, at a moderate ground rent.
There is no other village in the parish. Cotton-
spinning has been carried on here since the end of
the last century Robert Pollok, the lamented
author of ' The Course of Time,' was a native of
this parish. He was born at North Muirhouse,
where his father was a farmer, in 1798; was licensed
to preach in connexion with the United Asociate
Synod in 1827; and died of consumption in the
autumn of the same year. In his sketches of inani-
mate nature he returns again and again to the sec
of his beloved home :
" 'Mong hills, and streams,
And melancholy deserts, where the sun
Saw, as he passed, a shepherd only here
And there watching his little flock ; or heard
The ploughman talking to his steers."
To the trees which overshadowed the paternal
sion, his verse thus pays homage : —
" Much of my native scenery appears,
And presses forward to be in my song ;
But must not now : for much behind awaits
Of higher note. Four trees I pass not by,
Which o'er our house their evening shadow threw :— -
Three a*h, and one of elm. Tall trees they were,
And old i and had been old a century
Before my day. None living could say aught
About their youth ; but they were goodly trees :
And <>ft I wondered, as 1 sat and thought
Beneath their summer shade, or in the night
Of winter heard the spirits of the wind
Growling among their boughs,— how they had grovvi
So high in such a rough tempestuous place :
And when a hapless branch^ torn by the blast,
Fell down, 1 mourned as if a friend" had fallen."
Population, in 1801, 1,176; in 1831, 2,372. Houses,
in 1831, 242. Assessed property, in 1815, £10,117.
The parish contains 15,450 English acres, and, ex-
cepting 550 acres, whplly belongs to the noble family
of Eglinton — Eaglesham is in the presbytery of Glas-
gow. Stipend £278 14s. 6d. ; glebe £25; unappro-
priated teinds £856 2s. 5d. Patron, the Earl of
Eglinton. A diminutive church, which existed be-
fore the Reformation, continued to serve as the
parochial place of worship till 1 790, when Archibald,
the 1 1th Earl of Eglinton, much to his honour, erect-
ed and fitted up a handsome church of an octagonal
form, with a steeple There are meeting-houses of
the United Associate Synod, and a Reformed Prea-
EAG
421
EAR
terian church here. — Salary of parochial school-
?ter £30, with about £7 of other emoluments.
E AGLESHAY, or ECILSHAY, one of the Orkneys,
mt 2} miles long, and 1 mile broad. The coast is
general sandy. On the north side of the island is a
rge tract of sand covered with bent, and sheltering
reat numbers of rabbits. This island is celebrated
having been the place where the pious St. Mag-
was murdered. It was formerly a vicarage,
lited to the ancient vicarage of Rousay. At the
st end of the island is a small Gothic church,
which was dedicated to St. Magnus. It has a pyra-
lidical steeple at the west end ; and at the east end
a vaulted choir which joins to the body of the
mrch. The church is said to have been erected on
very spot where the infamous deed was perpe-
;ed by his ambitious relation. The population, in
11, was 197; in 1831, 228. Houses 41. This
ind is entirely composed of sandstone and sand-
>ne flag, and in some places the strata are very
ich elevated. It lies to the east of Rousay, from
lich it is separated by Howa sound, not exceeding
lile in breadth.
EAGLESHAY, one of the Shetland isles; con-
tuting part of the parish of North-Maven. It is
tuated in Islesburgh cove, on the east of St. Mag-
nus bay, and is an excellent island for grazing. It
abounds with rabbits.
EALAN-NA-BHRIU. See EDDERACHYLIS.
EALAN*-NA-COOMB, or EALAN-NA -NAO-
IMPH, — that is, 'the Island of Saints,' — a small
island off the coast of Sutherland, and in the parish
of Tongue. Here were formerly a chapel and burial-
place, the remains of which are still visible. On the
south side of this island the sea, after passing for
•everal yards through a narrow channel, spouts up
into the air, sometimes to the height of 30 feet,
through a large circular hole in the rock ; and a few
seconds afterwards there is a discharge of water from
the east side of the island, with a loud noise resem-
bling the explosion of cannon. This happens only
Cn it is half-flood, and a gale at north-west.
ALAN-GHEIRRIG, a small rock situated on
mouth of Loch Riddan, in the parish of Inver-
lain, Argyleshjre, memorable in the annals of
the 17th century. In 1685, when the Duke of
Monmouth attempted an invasion of England, the
unfortunate Archibald, Earl of Argyle, was induced
to favour the invasion. He brought with him three
frigates, and a considerable quantity of arms and
ammunition. With these he landed at Dunstaff-
nage, and, having collected an army of 3,000 men,
proceeded through the narrow kyles of Bute, to
Ealan-gheirrig, which he fortified very strongly, and
there deposited his spare arms and ammunition.
Soon after, upon the appearance of some ships of
war, the garrison surrendered.
EALAN-NA-ROAN, — that is 'the Island of
Seals.' — an island on the north coast of Sutherland-
shire, annexed to the parish of Tongue. It is about
2 miles in circumference, and is inhabited bv four or
five families. It is entirely composed of coarse
pudding-stone, on the surface of which is a shallow
soil almost entirely produced by art. About the
year 1783, the centre of this island sunk consider-
ably, leaving a pool of water where there was arable
land before.
EALAN-USNICH, a small island of Argyleshire,
in f.och-Etive.
EARLSFERRY, a town in the parish of Kilcon-
quhar, on the frith of Forth, Fifeshire; 6 miles east
ot Largo; 2 south of Colinsburgh; and i a-inile west
n, or EHitn, signifying • Island,' is of frequent occur-
in Gaelic topography.
of Ely. The tradition is that this town was originally
constituted a burgh by Malcolm III., between 1057
and 1093, at the request of Macduff, the Maormor
of Fife, who, in his flight from the vengeance of
Macbeth, was concealed in a cave at Kincraig point,
which still bears his name, and was afterwards fer-
ried across the frith to Dunbar by the fishermen of
the place. From this circumstance it was called
Earlsferry; and it likewise obtained the privilege
that the persons of all who should cross the frith
from thence should be for a time inviolable, no boat
being allowed to leave the shore in pursuit, till those
who had already sailed were half-way over. There
does not seem any reason to doubt the fact of Mac-
dufF having been concealed in the cave at Kincraig,
nor that he was assisted in making his escape to the
opposite coast by the inhabitants of the village in
its neighbourhood. But the erection of it into a
royal burgh must have been at a subsequent period,
and was probably done at the request of one of the
descendants of the great MacdufF. The Celtic peo-
ple of Scotland erected no royal burghs; and we
have no evidence of any earlier than the reign of
David I. or Malcolm IV. The title of Earl, too,
was equally unknown to the Celts ; so that the name
of Earlsferry must have been bestowed at a subse-
quent period, though in commemoration of the es-
cape of Macduff. Earlsferry, however, is a burgh of
great antiquity, but its earliest charter, the date of
which is unknown, was destroyed by fire in Edin-
burgh. A new charter was in consequence granted
by James IV., in which it is narrated that the burgh
of Earlshall was " of old past memory of men,
erected into ane free burgh," &c. By this charter
all its ancient privileges and immunities were re-
newed and confirmed. A considerable trade is said
at one time to have been carried on here, and two
annual fairs and two weekly markets to have been
held. This has long been at an end, and the fairs
and markets have long been discontinued. The
magistrates of Earlsferry have the same powers with
other magistrates of royal burghs; but it does not
appear that at any time Earlsferry had exercised its
privilege of sending a commissioner to the Scottish
parliament. The town-house stands in the middle
of the town. It is an old building, surmounted by
a spire, in which there is a clock and bell. It con-
tains the town-hall, and a very wretched cell which
forms the prison for criminals ; fortunately, however,
it is little if at all used. Debtors, when there are
any, are confined in the town-hall, and sleep in a
small room adjoining, but it is several years since
there occurred a case of imprisonment for debt. The
population is about 600.
EARLSTON, a parish in the south-western part
of the district of Lauderdale, Berwickshire. It is
bounded on the north by Legerwood and Gordon;
on the east by Hume and Nenthorn; on the south
by Roxburghshire and Merton ; and on the west by
Leader water, which divides it from Roxburghshire.
Its form is somewhat oblong, stretching from east
to west, but with deep indentations on both sides
in the middle. From Hardie's-mill-place on the
east, to the top of a projection near Kedslie on the
west, it measures 6 miles; but in breadth it varies
from 3J miles at the western limit, and 2 miles near
the eastern limit, to a mile at the middle. A hill
in the centre of the western division rises nearly
1,000 feet above the level of the sea, and was pro-
bably the site of a Roman encampment. In the
ca-icni division, and near the northern and southern
limits of the western, are other hills less elevated,
which differ ju>t sufficiently from the features ot
lowland scenery to give the district a pastoral aspect.
Other parts ot the parish, especially those along the
422
EARLSTON.
banks of the Leader, and those of the south-eastern
division, are comparatively flat. The Leader comes
down upon the north-western angle from the north,
cuts off a small projecting wing, forms the boundary-
line for a distance of 3j miles, strikes the Tweed
at a point where that noble and joyous river offers
to become the southern boundary, and drives it
off south-eastward along the margin of the con-
terminous parish of Merton. During the whole
course of its connexion with Earlston, the Leader is
a stream of no common beauty, meandering among
the hills and groves of Carolside, sweeping past the
western base of the classic COWDENKNOWES [which
see] and merrily careering between the richly- wooded
slopes of Drygrange and Kirklands, till it pays its
tribute to the gorgeously robed queen-river of the
south. One of the head- waters of the Eden rises
about a rnile east of the Leader's bed on the north-
ern limits of the parish, and, joined in its progress
by other rills which unite with it to form the main
stream, it forms the boundary-line, first over most
of the north and next over all the east, during a
course of about 8 miles. While skirting along the
north it is an uninteresting rill, cold in its appear-
ance, and naked in its scenery, but after it sweeps
round to flow along the east, it is overlooked on the
side of Earlston by a phalanx of plantation 1£ mile
deep, and partakes, in a degree suited to its bulk as
an infant-river, the lively character of the Leader.
Two other rills rise in the interior, and flow respec-
tively toward the Leader and the Eden, contributing
their tiny frolics to the gladsomeness of the general
scene.
In olde dayes of the king Artour,
All was this loud ful tilled of faerie;
The elf-queite with her joly compaynie,
Danced ful oft in many a grene mede.
Chaucer.
The soil, in some of the arable parts, is clay ; in
some, is a light dry loam ; and in several is strong,
rich, and very fertile. The chief mansions are the
splendid edifice of Mellerstain on the east, and the
houses of Cowdenknowes and Carolside on the
Leader. The parish is intersected, in its eastern
division, by the road from Edinburgh to Kelso by
way of Lauder, and has several other roads diverging
from the village of Earlston. Population, in 1801,
1,478; in 1831, 1,710. Houses 310. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £7,034.
The village of Earlston stands on the banks of the
Leader, north-east of Cowdenknowes, 7 miles south
of Lauder. It consists principally of one long street,
at right angles with the river, and stretching away
to the east, and presents to the eye two rows of
one-story houses, interrupted occasionally by build-
ings of larger bulk and greater pretension, used as
inns or shops. The inhabitants, about 900 in num-
ber, are chiefly weavers and agricultural labourers.
The fabrics woven are blankets, plaidings, and very
stout ginghams, and are superintended by manufac-
turers on the spot. The woollen looms are recently
established. One web per week, measuring from
60 to 70 ells, is, on the average, woven by each
weaver, and is paid at 12 shillings nett. The cotton
weavers, though they work 14 hours a-day, while
the woollen weavers work only 11, do not earn per
week more wages than 6 shillings nett. A manu-
factory not long established in the village, and be-
longing to the Misses Whale, gives employment, in
various departments of cotton-weaving, to numbers
of persons who would otherwise be destitute, and
has made a promising attempt to naturalize in the
deep seclusion of this district the production of shawls
and merinos. Earlston has two annual fairs for
horses and cattle, and is the seat of a justice-of-
peace court on the first Tuesday of every month.
Here are the parish-church, a Relief meeting-house,
an Original Seceder meeting-house, an endowed
academy of high provincial character, a subscription
library, a friendly society, and a savings' bank —
Earlston is not a little famous as the birth-place of
Thomas the Rhymer, the earliest poet of Scotland,
who flourished in the village or its vicinity as a
tenant in fee of the opulent barons of the soil, dur-
ing the latter half of the 13th century. He is often
and justly called Thomas of Ersildun, or Ercildoune;
the corrupted name Earlston having been substituted
in consequence, as is believed, of a popular though
doubtful tradition that the village was for a time
the residence of the Earls of March.* In his native
place, as well as throughout Scotland, Thomas is
celebrated among the lower orders solely on account
of his reputed character of a prophet," and in con-
nexion with the rhyming distichs — often of doubtful
meaning, and apparently of multitudinous origin —
which float on the tide of tradition, and along the
currents of ancient and legendary literature. From
some combination of causes easily intelligible by
those who have peered behind the curtain of the
confessional, and studied the expediences and diplo-
macies of the cloister, Thomas appears to have
been made, with the help of a little astuteness in
observing character and perspicacity in calculating
moral chances, an expert tool of priestcraft — either
on his private adventure, or more probably in com-
bination with the monks of Coldingham, who had
power over him as the owners of Ercildoune church,
and dived deep into the politics of the court — for
swaying the wills and influencing the conduct of
wealthy and potent individuals in an age of the no-
bility's intense enslavement, and subjection to enor-
mous pecuniary mulctings, by the pressure of super-
stition. Obtaining credit with the great and the
influential for being a true prophet, — a credit which
could be facilely manufactured out of a few clever
verified conjectures, and a few predictions either
spoken after the event, and promulged as spoken
before it, or framed in combination with concerted
means to effect their fulfilment, — he, as a matter of
course, was rapidly viewed as a superhumanly gifted
being by the multitude, and became associated, in
the fancy of an ignorant people, with ideas arid
legends of whatever methods and invisible commu-
nications would be supposed to aid him in looking
fully and brightly down the vista of futurity. The
faith which remote pastoral districts, and even many
of the lower classes in sections of the country freely
plied with the influences of enlightenment, still re-
pose in the genuineness of his pretended prophetic
character — especially as that character stands wholly
connected with matters of very trivial importance,
and superlatively contrasted to the moral grandeur,
and unutterable magnificence, and altogether sur-
passing worth of the details of true prophecy, as
given in written revelation — is just one humiliating
evidence among several, that the pestilential fogs
and vapours of the Middle ages have not yet been
dispersed by the thorough reclaiming of the moral
marshes of the land.f The ruins of Thomas the
* The name Ercildoune seems to have been derived from the
Cambro-Hritish Arcwl-dun, 'the Prospect hill,' and may have
been adopted to describe the hill south of the village, whence
a somewhat extensive and very fine view is obtained ot the
vales of the Leader and the Tweed.
f Sir W. Scott, in his introduction to the ballad of « Thomas
the Rhymer,' says: "It canimt be doubted, that Thomas of
Ercildoune was a remarkable and important person in his own
time, since, very shortly alter his death, we tind him celebrated
as a prophet and as a poet. Whether he himself made any
pretensions to the first of these characters, or whether it was
gratuitously conferred upon him by the credulity of posterity,
it seems difficult to decide. If we may believe Mackenzie,
Learmont only versified the prophecies delivered by Kh/.i, an
inspired nun <>f a convent »t Haddington. But of this thi re
seems not to be the most distant proof. On the contrary, all
EAR
423
EAR
hyrr.er's residence stand at the west end of the
llage, on a low ground intervening between it and
Leader. A stone, the modern substitute of one
ancient, in the wall of the parish-church, bears
inscription :
" Auld Rhymer's race,
Lies iu this place."
irlston or Ercildoune was occasionally the residence
King David I. The manor was held in the 12th
itury by the family of Lindsay, and afterwards
into the possession of the Earls of Dunbar —
addition to the village of Earlston, the parish
itains 3 hamlets, Redpath, Fans, and Mellerstain.
Ledpath has about 120 inhabitants. Fans, situated
ir the centre of the northern division, has about
0. Mellerstain, situated in the east, and enriched
:ith an endowed school, has upwards of 200.
Earlston is in the presbytery of Lander, and synod
Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £21 7 14s. 6d. ; glebe £37. Unappropriated
;inds £217 14s. 6d. The parish-church was built
1736. Sittings about 450. The church of Er-
Idoun was given, at the middle of the 12th century,
the monks of Kelso; and was transferred by them,
)ut the year 1171, to the monks of Coldingham,
exchange for the church of Gordon; and it re-
lined with the latter, and was served by a vicar
ill the Reformation. — The parish-school is attended
a maximum of 176 scholars, and a minimum of
Schoolmaster's salary £28, with £32 school-
and the interest of £550. Of 4 non- parochial
lools, one is a boarding-school.
EARLSTOWN, a village in the parish of Tilli-
mltry, Clackmannanshire.
EARN* (Locn), a beautiful sheet of water in
ic south-western part of Perthshire, east of Loch
icient authors, who quote the Rhymer's prophecies, uniformly
ippose them to have been emitted by himself. Thus, iu Win.
i-n's 'Chronicle' —
• Of this fycht quilum spak Thomas
Of Ersyldoune, that sayd iu derne,
There suld meit stalwartly, starke and sterile.
He sayd it in his prophecy ;
But how he wist it wasyer/y.'
Book viii. chap. 32.
lere could have been noferfy (marvel) in Wintown's eyes at
i-t, how Thomas came by his knowledge of future events,
he ever heard of the inspired nun of Haddington, which, it
cannot be doubted, would have been a solution of the mystery,
I'h to the taste of the prior of Lochleven. Whatever doubts,
liiuvever, the learned might have, as to the source of the Khy-
tner's prophetic skill, the vulgar had no hesitation to ascribe
the whole to the intercourse between the bard and the queen
of Faery. The popular tale bears, that Thomas was carried oft',
at an early at:e, to the fairy land, where he acquired all the
knowledge which made him afterwards so famous. After 7
years' residence, he was permitted to return to the earth, to
enlighten and astonish his countrymen by his prophetic powers ;
btili, however, remaining bound to return to his royal mistress,
when she should intimate her pleasure. Accordingly, while
Thomas was making merry with his friends in the tower of
Ercildoune, a person came running in, and told, with marks of
fear and astonishment, that a hart and hind had left the neigh,
buuring forest, and were, composedly and slowly, parading the
street of the village. The prophet instantly arose, left his
Irritation, and followed the wonderful animals to the forest,
whence he was never seen to return. According to the popu-
lar belief, he still 'drees his weird' in Fairy land, and is one
day expected to revisit earth. Iu the meanwhile, his memory
is held in the most profound respect. The Eiliion tree, from
beneath the shade of which he delivered his prophecies, now
no longer exi-t«; but the spot is marked by a lar^e stone,
called Kildou tree stone. A neighbouring rivulet tikes the
name of the Bogle burn (Goblin brook) from the Rhymer's
btipernatural visitants. The veneration paid to his dwelling,
place even attached itself in some degree to a person, who,
wiihiu the memory of man, chose to set up his residence in the
ruins of Learmont's tower. The name of this man was Mur-
ray, a kind of herbalist; who, by dint of some knowledge in
simples, the possession of a musical clock, an electrical machine,
and a stuffed alligator, added to a supposed communication with
Thomas the Ulivnier, lived for many year, m very good credit
US ji wi/.ard."— ' Border Minstrelsy,'1 vol. iv. pp. 113—115.
* I'lic name appears to be derived from its Munition to the
West of the country of Strnthearn ; />»/;* or Hn-in in (iue ic
nullifying ' West.' " Which name (Loch Earn) it has," says
Christopher Irvine, [Historic bculicu N'oiuencUturu Latino
CUrUtoj
Voel, and north-east of Loch Lubnaig; 13i miles
from Callander. and about 30 miles west of Perth.
In length it is 7 miles; its circumference is about 19
miles, and its depth is said to be 100 fathoms. f
There is a road along each side of the lake from the
village of Lochearnhead to St. Fillans ; so that the
visiter may adopt either way in traversing its banks
his fancy may prompt ; or if he wish to enjoy a full
view of all the beauties which surround it, he may
make the circuit of the whole with much ease.
There are few Scottish lakes more worthy of a visit
than Loch Earn. Its shore throughout, and for at
least half-a-mile inland, is clothed with thriving
copse and brushwood, — creating continual changes of
the scenery, and a succession of the most picturesque
and romantic views. Beyond these woods, on every
side, hills and mountains arise, piercing the clouds
with their lofty summits, and adding grandeur and
sublimity to the scene. Looking from either end of
the lake the view is peculiarly magnificent: the
whole valley can be seen at once, — with its enormous
vista of mountains enclosing all around, — the trans-
parent lake which forms its glassy centre, — and the
beautiful fringing of wood with which the base of
the mountains and the shores of the lake are adorned.
Dr. Macculloch says : " Limited as are the dimen-
sions of Loch Earn, it is exceeded in beauty by tew
of our lakes, as far as it is possible for many beauties
to exist in so small a space. I will not say that it
presents a great number of distinct landscapes adapted
for the pencil, — but such as it does possess are re-
markable for their consistency of character, and for
a combination of sweetness and simplicity, with a
grandeur of manner scarcely to be expected within
such narrow bounds. Its style is that of a lake of
far greater dimensions: the hills which bound it
being lofty and bold and rugged, with a variety of
character not found in many of even far greater
magnitude and extent. It is a miniature and a mo-
del of scenery that might well occupy ten times the
space. Yet the eye does not feel this. There is
nothing trifling or small in the details ; nothing to
diminish its grandeur of style, to tell us that we are
contemplating a reduced copy. On the contrary,
there is a perpetual contest between our impressions
and our reasonings: we know that a few short miles
comprehend the whole, and yet we feel as if it was
a landscape of many miles, a lake to be ranked among
those of the first order arid dimensions. While its
mountains thus rise in majestic simplicity to the sky,
terminating in those bold, and various, and rocky
outlines which belong to so much of this geological
line, from Dunkeld and Killicrankie, even to Loch
Catteran, the surfaces of the declivities are equally
various and bold, — enriched with precipices and
masses of protruding rock, with deep hollows and
ravines, and with the courses of innumerable tor-
rents which pour from above, and, as they descend,
become skirted with trees till they lose themselves
in the waters of the lake. Wild woods also ascend
along their surface, in all that irregularity of distri-
bution so peculiar to these rocky mountains, — less
solid and continuous than at Loch Lomond, — less
scattered and less romantic than at Loch Catteran ;
but from these very causes, aiding to confer on Loch
Vernncula, IGirT,] "because ir lieth to the west of Loch Tea :
and [because] when the west wind bloweth hard on the lake
it raiseth the river (Earn), and maketh it swell and overflow
its banks." We may, with perfect consistency, adopt honest
Christopher's conclusion, while we hesitate to admit the
grounds on which he appears to have arrived at it.
f This great depth may account for the fact tli.it it was never
known to freeze, however intense the frost. Much has been
written as to this quality in the waters of Loch Ness, and it
lias Ill-ell attributed to many can es : in that ot Locli Ness to
an impregnation ot Milplmr. If has been proveii, however, th.it
tin.-, is not the case; and that the real cause ol Loch N'e.v,, aa
well as many other lochs, not freezing, ia Uu-ir great depth.
EAR
424
EAR
Earn a character entirely its own. If the shores of
the lake are not deeply marked by bays and promon-
tories, still they are sufficiently varied ; nor is there
one point where the hills reach the water in that
meagre and insipid manner which is the fault of so
many of our lakes, and which is the case throughout
the far greater part, even of Loch Catteran. Loch
Earn has no blank. Such as its beauty is, it is al-
ways consistent and complete. Its shores, too, are
almost everywhere accessible, and almost everywhere
so wooded as to produce those foregrounds which
the spectator so much desires; while, from the same
cause, they present much of that species of shore
scenery which is independent of the mountain boun-
dary. Elegant ash-trees springing from the very
water, and drooping their branches over it, green
and cultivated banks, rocky points divided by grav-
elly beaches, which are washed by the bright curling
waves of the lake, the brawling stream descending
along its rocky and wooded channel, and the cascade
tumbling along the precipice, which rises from the
deep and still water below,— these and the richly
cultivated and green margin, with the houses and
traces of art that ornament its banks, produce in
themselves pictures of great variety, marked by a
character of rural sweetness and repose, not com-
monly found among scenery of this class. Thus
also the style of Loch Earn varies, as we assume
different points of elevation for our views, and per-
haps in a greater degree than any of the Highland
lakes, — assuredly more than in any one of similar
dimensions. At the lower levels, and perhaps most
of all at the western extremity where the banks are
lowest, and at the eastern, where the beautifully
wooded island forms a leading objeetfin the picture,
every landscape is marked by tranquillity and gentle-
ness of character, — a character adapted to glassy
waters and summer suns, to the verdure of spring
and the repose of evening. High up on the hills,
the grandeur of the bold Alpine landscape succeeds
to the tranquillity of the rural one ; and amid the
wild mountain forms, and the rude magnificence of
aspiring rocks and precipices, enhanced and embel-
lished by the gleaming lights of a troubled sky and
the passage of clouds, we almost forget the placid
and cultivated scenes we have just quitted, and
imagine ourselves transported to some remote spot
of the distant Highlands." [Macculloch's ' Highlands
and Western Isles of Scotland,' vol. i. pp. 124 —
126f] Benvoirlich is the loftiest of those mountains
which lend their grandeur to the scenery of Loch
Earn : see ARROQUHAR. Upon the margin of the
lake, and near the base of the mountain, is situated
the house of Ardvoirlich, the residence of William
Stewart, Esq., the proprietor of the Ben, and the
present representative of an ancient family of the
Stewarts to whom this property has long belonged.
The grounds are well- wooded, the situation pleasant,
and the walks lead to a variety of picturesque scenes
and waterfalls in adjoining ravines. Near the middle
of the lawn, between the house and the road, grows
a thorn-tree, 150 years of age, which is interesting
both from its shape, its size, and its age. The
branches spread out thick and wide on every side,
and nearly horizontal ; so that forty men might easily
dine beneath its shade. Nearly opposite to Ardvoir-
lich is a lime-quarry, which has been a great source
of fertility and wealth to the valley of Strathearn.
The stones are conveyed by water to the east end
of the lake, whence they are carted away by the
purchasers sometimes to a distance of 20 miles.
This valuable quarry is on the property of Lord
Breadalbane. — Nearly 2 miles from the house of
Ardvoirlich, and at the south-west end of the lake,
is the ancient castellated mansion of Edinample, the
property of Lord Breadalbane ; near which are the
remains of an old chapel. This place is beautifully
wooded, and is situated in a narrow glen through
which the Ample finds its way to the lake. The
stream is here suddenly precipitated in two spouts
over a projecting cliff of rocks, into a profound abyss
where they unite, and rush again over a second pre-
cipice, forming a beautiful cascade near the castle. —
About 1 £ mile up the northern side of the lake from
St. Fillans, the traveller comes to the opening of
Glentarkin, in which the great stone of Glentarkin
stands, — a singular natural curiosity worthy of a
visit. There is no road up this glen, and it is very
difficult of access; but a traveller in the Highlands
must not pay attention to these circumstances, if he
would see all that is curious in such a rugged country.
Nearly 3 miles up the glen, in the centre of a green
sloping declivity between two rocky mountains,
stands this singular stone. The remarkable thing
about it is the beautifully balanced position in which
it stands, and in which it has stood certainly since
the remote period when it was detached from one
of the rocky hills in its neighbourhood, and fell to
its present situation. At the base where it rests on
the ground, it measures 70 feet in circumference, but
at about ten feet from the ground it spreads out
equally on all sides, and its circumference is here
110 feet. Under its projecting sides, 60 or 100 men
might find shelter. The solid contents of this enor-
mous block above ground, exceeds 25,000 feet.. — At
the east end of the lake stands the little village of
St. Fillans, beautiful alike from its situation, and
from the neatness and regularity with which it is
built: see ST. FILLANS. — In the middle of the lower
part of the lake opposite the village is the only island
which the lake contains. It is called Neish island.
In early times it is said to have been inhabited by a
family of the name of Neish, from whom it derives
its appellation. This family and their adherents had
long been at deadly feud with the M'Nabs, whose
residence was at the head of Loch Tay. Many
battles were fought between them with various suc-
cess ; but at length one was fought in Glenboult-
achan, about 2 miles north of Loch Earn foot, in
which the M'Nabs were victorious, and the unfortu-
riate Neishes cut off almost to a man. A small rem-
nant of them, however, still lived in the island of
Loch Earn, the head of which was an old man, a
relation of the original chief of the family. He sub-
sisted chiefly by plundering the people in the neigh-
bourhood. On one occasion — it is said to have been
in the reign of James V — the chief of the M'Nabs,
who resided at Kennil house, near the head of Loch
Tay, had sent his servant to Crieff for provisions
for a Christmas merry-making. The servant was
waylaid on his return at Loch Earn foot, and robbed
of all his purchases ; he went home therefore empty
handed, and told his tale to the laird. M'Nab had
twelve sons, all men of great strength, but one in
particular exceedingly athletic, who was ironically
termed, Join mion Mac' an Appa, or ' smooth John
M'Nab.' In the evening these young men were
gloomily meditating some signal revenge on their
old enemies, when their father entered and said, —
Bhe'n oidch an oidch, nam bit ghilleam '/ut yillean, —
' the night is the night, if the lads were but lads!'
This hint was taken as it was meant, for each man
instantly started to his feet, and belted on his dirk,
his claymore, and his pistols. Led by their brother
John, they set out, taking a fishing-boat on their
shoulders from Loch Tay, carrying it over the
mountains and glens till they reached Loch Earn,
where they launched it, and passed over to the
island. All was silent in the habitation of Neish ;
secure in their insular situation, and having the boats
EAR
425
EAS
the island, all had gone to sleep without fear of
rprise. Smooth John dashed open with his foot
door of Neish's house ; and the party rushing in,
ley attacked their old enemies, putting every one
f them to the sword, and cutting off their heads,
nth the exception of one man and a boy who con-
ealed themselves under a bed. Carrying off the
Is of their enemies and any plunder they could
icure, the youths presented themselves to their
father; and Smooth John, holding up the head of
the chieftain of the Neishes, said to his father, Na
Hi fromgh, oirbh! 'Be in fear for nothing!' while
piper struck up the pibroch of victory. The old
ird, after pleasing himself by contemplating the
]y heads, declared, ' That the night was the
flit, and the lads were the lads!'
1ARN (THE), a river in Perthshire, which rises
it 4 miles above the village of Comrie, in the
:h of the same name, and flowing eastward in a
irse full of beautiful curves, falls into the Tay
!ir the village of Caerpow, in the parish of Aber-
thy. It forms the boundary of all the parishes
lich are situated on its banks, with the exception
those of Comrie, Forteviot, and Dunbarnie, all
lich have portions on both sides of the river. On
northern margin, besides those portions of the
ishes which we have just named, are Crieff, Tri-
ty-Gask, Gask, Aberdalgie, and Rhynd; on the
ith are a part of Comrie, Strowan, Muthill, Black-
Auchterarder, Dunning, a part of Forteviot,
>rgandenny, a part of Dunbarnie, and Abernethy.
11 these form the valley of STRATHEARN [which
2], one of the richest and most beautiful tracts of
itry in Scotland. The course of the Earn is
isiderably more than 30 miles in length. Its prin-
>al tributary waters are the Ruchill and Lednoch,
lich join it at Comrie, and the Moy which falls
into it in the parish of Forteviot. It is navigable
for about 3 miles above its mouth, or as far as to the
Bridge-of-Earn, for vessels of from 30 to 50 tons
burden. Salmon, trout, pike, and perch, are found
in its waters. The salmon-fishings are, however, of
no great value. The sources of the Earn being sur-
rounded by numerous high mountains, which readily
attract great masses of cloud, its waters are often
suddenly swelled to such a degree that very con-
siderable devastation is occasioned by the floods,
particularly in the lower part of Strathearn.
F.AKN (BRIDGE OF), a village, situated on the
S( ut hern bank of the Earn, in the parish of Dun-
barnie, Perthshire, at the point where the high road
from Edinburgh to Perth crosses the Earn. It is so
called from a bridge over the Earn, which appears to
have existed here from the most remote antiquity.
The village itself is completely modern, — having
existed for little more than 50 years. It owes its
origin and increase to the vicinity of the mineral
well of Pitcaithly. The houses are principally new,
and most of them are let out as lodgings to visiters
in the summer season. The parish-church of Dun-
buniie is situated a little to the west of the town.
The ancient bridge has now almost entirely disap-
peared ; and the river is crossed by an admirable
new erection of three arches. Bridge-of-Earn is
about 4 miles south-east of Perth.
F.ARN- WATER. See EAGLESHAM.
EARS AY, or JORSA (LAKE), a considerable moun-
tain tarn, in the parish of Kilmorie, in the island of
Arran. It contains trout and salmon, and discharges
its waters by a stream of the same name.
EASDALE, or EISDALE, a small island of the
Hebrides, annexed to the parish of Killbrandon,
Argyleshire. It is nearly circular ; about 1£ mile in
diameter; and is celebrated for its slate-quairies.
The slate occupies the whole island, and is traversed
at many places with basaltic veins, and thin layers
of quartoze and calcareous stones. It has been
quarried here upwards of 150 years, and of late has
been wrought to a great extent. The number of
workmen employed in 1 795 was about 300 ; and the
number of slates sold in that year was 5,000,000, at
25s. per 1,000. They now fetch in Glasgow £3 per
1,000 of the largest size, and 45s. for the smaller
size. The constant demand for the Easdale slate
has caused the surface to be cut very low, except at
the south end ; and as the greater part is now on a
level with the sea, it is now wrought at a consider-
ably greater expense, machinery being necessary to
pump out the water. It is supposed that slate of
the same quality would be found in the neighbour-
ing islands of Luing and Seil.
EASSIE. See ESSIE.
EAST- WATER. See NORTH ESK.
EASTWOOD, or POLLOCK,* a parish on the east
side of Renfrewshire ; surrounded by the parishes of
Cathcart, Mearns, Neilston, Paisley, and Govan.
Its greatest length from north to south is about 4
miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west is
about 3 miles ; but the form of this parish is so irreg-
ular, that its dimensions in different quarters greatly
vary. On the north side it approaches within 3
miles of the city of Glasgow. The soil is in some
parts light, in others heavy, — but excepting a tract
on the south side, which is tilly and barren, it is in
general fertile. The surface has a beautiful and pic-
turesque appearance, being diversified with little
hills rejoicing on every side, with valleys, natural
woods, plantations, and winding streams. The whole
parish — except what is built upon, or occupied with
wood — consists of arable land. The river White
Cart traverses it from east to west. There are two
smaller streams, — Auldhouse-burn and Brock-burn.
The minerals wrought are sandstone, limestone,
ironstone, and coal. The chief branches of tra('e
are cotton-spinning, weaving, bleaching, and calico-
printing. Pollockshaws, a burgh-of-barony, and
Thornliebank, a large village, are in this parish:
see POLLOCKSHAWS and THORNLIEBANK The
greater part of the parish of Eastwood belongs to
the family of Maxwell of Nether-Pollock, which has
been seated here since the end of the 13th century.
In 1682 a baronetcy was conferred on John Maxwell
of Nether-Pollock, afterwards Lord-justice-clerk.
Mr. Ramsay, in a work already quoted, says, " The
house of Nether-Pollock, a large and handsome
structure of four stories, is situate on the right bank
of the White Cart, amidst highly embellished plea-
sure-grounds and beautiful plantations. The build-
ing was completed in 1753 by the grandfather of
the present proprietor, a few weeks before his death.
The castle — which had been previously occupied by
the family — was demolished about the same time : it
stood on the site of the offices attached to the pre-
sent mansion. Upon an eminence about 300 yards
to the eastward of the house, there stood a still
older castle, — the remains of the drawbridge and
fosse belonging to which were in existence in Craw-
ford's time (1710). A remnant of the woods, which
in ancient times covered the ground in this quarter,
was some years ago found imbedded in the river at
Nether-Pollock. This was the trunk of a large
oak, which, having been with difficulty dislodged,
* The parish of Eastwood was anciently called Pollock, which
may be derived from the Gaelic, polltig, *a little pool.' About
the years lift*-.1), the rliurch of Pollock, with its pertinents,
was granted by Peter of Pollock to the recently founded tno.
nastery of Paisley ; and to it the church continued to belong
till the Reformation. In the 14th century the church and par.
ish came to be called by the name of Eastwood, which is obvi-
ously derived from an extensive wood which formerly
h« f", and which was only recently wholly exiirpuudu
EAS
4-26
ECC
was found to measure 20 feet in circumference. It
was set up in the pleasure-ground, where it may
still be seen scooped out in such a manner as to form
a summer-house. On the bank of the river at this
place there stands a graceful group of wych-elms, of
which an etching and an account were given in Mr.
Strutt's ' Sylva Britannica,' published in 1826, — a
splendid work, the portion of which that relates to
Scotland was dedicated to Mr. Maxwell, younger of
Pollock. The principal tree in this group is of
extraordinary health and vigour. It was lately
measured for Mr. London's work on Trees, and was
found to be 90 feet high, the diameter of the trunk
being nearly 4 feet at 5 feet from the ground." —
The lands of Darnley in this parish belonged for
ages to a branch of the house of Stewart. Sir John
Stewart of Darnley was ennobled in the 15th cen-
tury,— first as Lord Darnley, and afterwards as Earl
of Lennox. From this place, then, the family de-
rived its second title, which makes so conspicuous a
figure in Scottish history, as having been held by
the unfortunate husband of Queen Mary. The name
also occurred in the war-cry of the family, which was
' Avant, Darnle !' In 1571, when Dumbarton castle
was surprised and taken by the friends of the mur-
dered prince, under the command of Crawford of
Jordanhill, their watch- word was, * A Darnley, a
Darnley!' which, as Mr. Tytler the historian re-
marks, had been given by Crawford, " evidently
from affection for his unfortunate master, the late
king." In the beginning of the 18th century, the
Duke of Lennox and Richmond sold his estates in
Scotland, including Darnley, to the Duke of Mon-
trose. About the year 1757, Darnley was purchased
by Sir John Maxwell of Nether- Pollock, in which
family it has since continued. It is singular that two
ministers of this parish, — namely, Matthew Craw-
furd, who died in 1700, and Robert Wodrow, who
died in 1734, have written Histories of the Church
of Scotland. Wodrow's is universally known; —
Crawfurd's remains in manuscript. Besides his
worth as a minister, Wodrow was a man of extraor-
dinary industry ; and to him we are indebted, in ad-
dition to his great work, for much valuable informa-
tion bearing on Scottish history and biography. He
was among the first who attended to natural history
in this country. George Crawfurd, in his ' History
of Renfrewshire,' says, — " South of Nether-Pollock,
stand the house and lands of Auldhouse, situate upon
a rivulet of the same denomination, where there are
found a great many fossil shells, collected by the
Rev. Mr. Robert Wodrow, minister of the gospel at
Eastwood, (my very worthy friend,) a gentleman
well seen in the curious natural products of the
country. " — As having been connected with this par-
ish, we may also mention Stevenson MacGill, D. D.,
professor of divinity in the university of Glasgow,
who died in 1840. He was clerical incumbent here
from 1791 to 1797. — Population of the parish, in-
cluding Pollockshaws and Thornliebank, in 1801,
3,375; in 1831, 6,854. Houses, in 1831, 571. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £10,076. — This parish is
in the presbytery of Paisley, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Patron, Sir John Maxwell, Bart. The
parish-church was built in 1781 ; sittings 750. In
the front wall of the manse, which was rebuilt about
the same time, there is a stone with this inscription :
' Ecclesiam Dei construendam me Thomas Jackeus
curavit, 1577." Apparently this stone had originally
belonged to the church. Stipend £267 18s. 4d. ;
glebe £13 Os. 4d. Unappropriated teinds £78 18s.
5d — A church of the Associate synod was estab-
lished at Pollockshaws in 1800; sittings 638; minis-
ter's stipend £120, with a manse. The Secession
has also a preaching station at Thornliebank. The
Original Seceders also have a church at Pollockshaws,
built in 1764; sittings 770; stipend £125, with a
manse and garden. — There are about 700 Catholics
in the parish, who, when they attend public worship,
go to Glasgow Schoolmaster's salary £34, with
£36 school-fees, and £10 of other emoluments.
EBUD^E. See HEBRIDES.
ECCLES,* a parish in the district of Merse, on
the southern verge of Berwickshire. It is bounded
on the north by Fogo ; on the east by Swinton and
Coldstream; on the south by the Tweed, which
divides it from England and Roxburghshire ; on the
south-west by Roxburghshire and Hume; and on the
west by Hume and Greenlaw. It has a somewhat
pentagonal form, but with a ragged, and, in three
places, an indented outline. From an angle above East
Printonian on the north, to a bend in the Tweed
opposite Loughton house on the south, it measures
very nearly 6 miles ; and from the extremity of a
lochlet on the eastern boundary to an angle beyond
Kennetsideheads on the west, it measures 5£ miles ;
yet in superficial area it does not contain more than
17£ square miles. The surface, excepting some
unimportant ridges which are just sufficient to re-
lieve the scene from monotony, is a continued plain ;
and, over both rising-ground and level, is all so richly
cultivated, fenced, and sheltered with wood, that
scarcely an acre is waste or unattractive. The pre-
vailing soil is clay mixed with sand, very fertile, and
periodically laden with luxuriant crops. Towards
the south the soil inclines to gravel ; and, on several
farms, it is a very rich loam. Agricultural improve-
ment was early introduced to the parish and vigor-
ously prosecuted ; and, aided by the best natural and
local appliances, has earned an abundant compensa-
tion. No parish in Scotland, probably, is more dis-
tinguished for exuberant crops of wheat, barley,
oats, and other produce. So far back as half'-a-
century ago the farmers had become opulent, and
almost luxurious, living in a style very different from
that of their fathers. The Tweed, over a distance
of 3 miles, rolls along the boundary; and, though
not wearing here any of its dresses of romance and
magnificence, it has not ceased to be pleasing and
beautiful. The Leet for 2 miles forms the boun-
dary-line on the east, and is joined in its progress
by a brook of 8 miles course, which comes down
upon Eccles from the west, forms for a while its
boundary with Greenlaw, and then runs across its
whole breadth from west to east. The climate,
owing to the lowness and flatness of the situation, is
not the most salubrious ; and lays the population
open to epidemics and diseases of debility. At
Deadriggs, about a mile north-west of the village of
Eccles, is a sandstone cross or monument, 14 feet
high, with some curious sculpturings, and apparently
of high antiquity, but of unascertained origin or
object. Near Leet water is Leetholm peel, the
ruin of an ancient stronghold of the border-reavers.
Kames, in this parish, was the birth-place of the dis-
tinguished judge and philosopher, Henry Home, and
gave him the judicial title, by which he is better
known, of Lord Kames. Eccles is traversed along
the banks of the Tweed by the great road between
Carlisle and Berwick by way of Coldstream ; is in-
tersected north-eastward near through its middle by
the north road from Kelso to Berwick ; and, besides
* This name is evidence of a remote affinity which has not
till a very recent date been allowed to subsist, Out which more
than one living writer has shown to be somewhat extensive,
between the Celtic languages and those of the Greek and Latin
stock. ' Eccles1 would, at first si^ht, be viewed by most per-
sons as certainly derived from the Greek Ecdesiu, a church;
while, with far more likelihood, it was really derived from tt»«
British Eg/ys, or the Gaelic Eaglis, both of which also mean
• church.'
ECC
427
ECK
being supplied with various cross-roads, is traversed
also from east to west by a line which cuts it into
two nearly equal parts. There are in the parish 3
villages, — Eccles and Leetholm on the north road
between Kelso and Berwick, and Birgham on the
road along the Tweed, but the first is inconsiderable,
and the second and third, which contain respectively
about 350 and 300 inhabitants, are noticed in separate
articles : see LEETHOLM and BIRGHAM. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 1,682; in 1831, 1,885. Houses 392.
Assessed property, in 1815, .£19,557 — Eccles is in
the presbytery of Dunse, and synod of Merse and
Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £245
19s. lOd. ; glebe 20 acres, with a manse. Unap-
propriated teinds £819 8s. 4d. Schoolmaster's salary
£34, with £18 school-fees. There are 2 non-par-
ochial schools in the parish, one at Leetholm and
the other at Brigham. The parish-church, situated
at the village of Eccles, has a neat spire and pleasing
appearance. Sittings 1,000. At the village of
Leetholm is a place of worship belonging to the
Relief. The church of Eccles was dedicated origi-
nally to St. Cuthbert, and afterwards to St. Andrew;
and it was annexed, in 1 156, by the Earl of Dunbar,
to a convent which he founded in the parish, of Cis-
tercian nuns. There were anciently 3 chapels, — one
at Brigham, one at Leetholm, and one at the ham-
let of Mersington ; and they also were annexed to
the convent, and, along with the parish-church, con-
tinued to be connected with it till the Reformation.
The nunnery stood in the neighbourhood of the
mansion of Eccles, and appears to have occupied an
tof six acres. The only remains of it are part
wall and 2 vaulted cells. The convent, like
:r religious houses on the border, did homage to
Edward III., after his capture of Berwick. In 1523
it gave a few hours lodging to the Duke of Albany,
when retreating from Wark castle. In 1545 it was
destroyed in the course of the devastating excursion
of the Earl of Hertford ; and in 1569 it was formally,
as to its property, erected by Queen Mary into a
temporal lordship for George Hume, who became
Earl of Dunbar.
ECCLESCRAIG. See ST. CYRUS.
ECCLESFECHAN, a prosperous village in the
parish of Hoddam, Annandale, Dumfries-shire. It
stands 16 miles east of Dumfries, on the great mail-
road from London to Glasgow. A general monthly
market is held here; and also a weekly market,
during winter, for the sale of pork. The chief sup-
port of the village is the manufacture of ginghams.
T iii-re are carriers once a fortnight to Edinburgh,
am! periodically or occasionally to Dumfries, Carlisle,
Annan, and other towns. Here are a meeting-house
of the United Secession, 3 schools, a public reading-
room, and 4 inns.
ECCLESIAMAGIRDLE. See DRON.
ECCLESMACHAN,* a parish consisting of two
1 detached and nearly equal parts, both in Linlithgow-
shire, the one near the centre of the countv, and the
other somewhat to the north-east. The south-
w-.--:tern part is bounded on the north by Linlith-
gu\v ; on the east by Uphall ; on the south by Up-
hall and Livingston ; and on the south-west anc
\\v>t by Bathgate. It is of an oblong figure ; anc
in its greatest length measures 2| miles, and in it*
-Mvati-t breadth l£. The north-eastern part lying
it the nearest point a mile apart from the other, is
Bounded on the north by Abercorn and the Auld
I Mtliie portion of Dalmenie; on the east by Kirk-
>ton ; on the south by Uphall ; and on the west by
Unlithgow. It is of irregular outline, and measure:
ibout 1* mile in length, and, over half that length
• The n;une is derived from the circumstance that the churcl
*a» anciently dedicated to St. Machaii.
i in breadth, but over the other half only £. Ex-
ept the south-western section of the south-western
iart, where the low hills of Bathgate begin to rise,
he whole parish is a flat corn country, producing in
abundance all sorts of grain raised in West Lothian.
Coal seems to stretch athwart all its extent. Excel-
ent freestone also abounds. Near the manse is a
nineral spring, called the Bullion- well, having the
ame properties as the mineral springs of Moffat.
The north-eastern division is intersected a small way
y the mail-road from Edinburgh to Falkirk ; and all
>arts of the parish are advantageously situated as to
neans of communication. Population, in 1801, 303;
n 1831, 299. Houses 53. Assessed property, in
1815, £3,051 — Ecclesmachan, formerly a rectory, is
n the presbytery of Linlithgow, and synod of Lo-
;hian and Tweeddale. Patron, the Earl of Hopeton.
Stipend £256 11s. 8d; glebe £15. Unappropriated
teinds £140 11s. Id. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
d., with £21 5s. 3d. school-fees.
ECHT, a parish in the Kincardine O'Neil district
of Aberdeenshire, bounded on the north by the par-
shes of Cluny and Skene ; on the east by Skene and
Peterculter; on the south by Drumoak parish and
3art of Kincardineshire ; and on the west by the
parish of Midmar. Its form is nearly square, mea-
suring 4i miles from east to west and from north to
south, and containing about 11,000 acres. Houses
199. Assessed property, in 1815, £2,170. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 972-932; in 1831, 1,030. Though
this is a hilly district, few of the hills are of great
height, and many of them are under tillage to the
very summit. The soil is partly clay and partly
light sand, and in general it is highly improved. The
loch of Skene is in the north-eastern boundary of the
parish, which is encircled on the north, east, and
south with burns which unite and fall into the Dee
opposite Maryculter church. The How of Echt is
a valley in the centre of the parish, where the air is
very mild and salubrious. Housedale is an elegant seat
surrounded with extensive and thriving plantations.
On the top of the Barmekin, one of the highest hills,
is an ancient circular fortification concerning which
tradition is silent. Here are also several cairns and
druidical edifices — This parish is in the synod of
Aberdeen, and presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil.
Patron, the Earl of Fife. Stipend £182 16s. 8d. ;
glebe £10 Schoolmaster's salary £29, with £22
15s. 10£d. fees and other emoluments. There are 2
private schools in the parish.
ECK (LocH), a fresh water lake in Argyleshire,
about 6 miles in length, and scarcely half-a-mile
broad, yet from 60 to 70 fathoms in depth. It liea
in the centre of Cowal, where that peninsula is nar-
rowed by the approach of the upper parts of Loch-
Long and Loch-Fyne to each other. The principal
supply of water it receives is from the CUR: which
see. From its southern or lower extremity flows
the Eachaig, which, after a short course of about 2
miles, falls into the Holy-Loch, near Kilmun. To
the scenery around Loch-Eck the epithet of beauti-
ful may, with much propriety, be applied. The
mountains are not so lofty as in some other districts
of the country ; but they are all finely formed, and
present a graceful and varied outline. Many ot
them are green to the top, and slope gently down
towards the lake, while others are more precipitous
and rocky; but throughout the whole their aspect
is singularly pleasant and interesting. There are
no extensive woods near this lake ; but its shores,
particularly on the east side, are delightfully fringed
with trees and copse. The road from Ardintenny
to Strachur is carried for some miles along this side
of the lake, and presents to the traveller a most
agreeable succession of landscapes. The scenery of
ECK
428
EDA
LocL-Eck, however, is now mostly seen from the
water, as a small iron steam-boat has plied upon it
for some years. The sail is pleasant throughout ;
jinti many strangers prefer this route — which is also
much shorter than that by the Kyles of Bute — in
going to Inverary.* — Near the head of Loch-Eck is
a little round hill called Tom-a-Cfiorachasich, or 'the
hill of Chorachasich.' The tradition with regard to
this mount is, that a prince of Norway, or Denmark,
having been defeated by the natives, was pursued,
overtaken, and killed at this place, where his grave
is pointed out. He is said, of course, to have been
of gigantic stature, and is still called in Gaelic, An
Coirachasach mhor, mac High Lochlan, 'the great
Corrachasach, son to the King of Denmark.' An-
other tradition says that a battle was fought with
the Norwegians, in a field near the head of Glen-
Finnart, and within a short distance of Loch-Eck,
where the Norwegians were defeated with great
slaughter. The field is still called 'the Field of
Shells,' from the number of drinking-shells belonging
to the slaughtered Norwegians said to have been
found on it after the battle. This tradition, in all
probability, alludes to an incursion made up Glen-
Finnart by some Norwegians, from that part of
Haco's fleet which sailed up Loch-Long at the time
he invaded Scotland in 1262; an invasion that ter-
minated with the battle of Largs.
ECKFORD,f a parish in the vale of the Teviot,
Roxburghshire. It is of nearly triangular form,
having its angles to the north, south and west; and
is bounded on the east by Sprouston, Linton, More-
battle, andHowriam; on the south-west byJedburgh
and Crailing; and on the north-west by Roxburgh
and Kelso. From its southern to its northern angle
it measures 6£ miles, and from its western angle to
Hatt 4}. A small part of it lies on the west of the
Teviot; the main body is intersected westward, and
divided into nearly equal parts, by the Kail ; and a
rill, which rises in Sprouston parish, forms, till flow-
ing into the Kail, its eastern boundary-line. The
parish has throughout an undulating surface, and
rises gradually toward the south. Its heights are,
in general, only knolls; but, in the instances of
Woodenhill in the south, and Cavertonhill in the
centre, are noticeable eminences. Cavertonhill com-
mands a far and minute view of the picturesque vale
of the Teviot, and the interesting vale of the Teviot
with the fine, though sombre, background of the Bor-
der range of mountains. Within the parish itself the
Kail ploughs its impetuous way between bold, ro-
mantic, and well-wooded banks. Plantation is so
abundant as to afford the district ample shelter, and
add abundantly to its decoration. The soil, on the
low grounds in the west, is a light loam, and on the
higher grounds toward the south is clayey ; but, in
different parts of the parish, and even on the same
farm, is various, though, in general, richly produc-
tive. The parish, situated as it is within a few
miles of the Border, was laid waste, in former times,
by many feuds and forays; and it had several towers
or strongholds, particularly those of Eckford, Orrnis-
ton, Woodenhill, the Moss, and Cessford. The last,
even from the appearance of its ruins, may be con-
* A steam. boat carries the tourist from Glasgow or Greenock
to K Imiin ; from thence, t»y an excellent road, they walk, or
take a coach provided for the purpose, to L»ch-Eck, where the
MtMin-boat on that lake is waiting for them ; from the head of
the lake, where they leave the. second steam. boat, a coach con.
veys them to the village of Strachur, on the bunks of Loch-
Fyne, where a third steam-boat is ready to carry them across
that loch to Inverary. In this route the visiter is not more
delighted with the variety of scenery he passes, than pleased
with the continued change of conveyance.
f The name is derived from a pfts*aife of the river Teviot,
called the Uakfurd. The Aec, ' quercus,' is still pronounced
Aikor EC, iu the names of many places where the oak formerly
flourished.
jectured to have been a place of considerable import-
ance; and, in a letter to Henry VIII., it was repre-
sented by the Earl of Surrey, after he had vainly
attempted to carry it by storm, and had obtained
possession of it by capitulation, as being the strong
est fastness in Scotland except Fast castle and Dun-
bar castle. Cessford castle was the original patri-
monial property of the dukes of Roxburgh. Here,
according to Wodrow, Henry Hall of Haughhead and
other Covenanters were incarcerated in 1666 : see
CESSFORD. On the farm of Hospital-land a tumu-
lus was opened, and there were found two earthen
pots containing fragments and dust of human bones.
The parish is traversed a short way, from north
to south, by the great road from Berwick to
Carlisle; and, in the same or other directions, by
7 subsidiary or cross-roads. There are two stone,
bridges over the Kail, and a beautiful suspen-
sion-bridge, 16 feet broad and 180 long, over the
Teviot. There are three villages — Eckford, on the
right bank of the Teviot, on the principal intersect-
ing road; Cessford, in the south-east of the parish;
and Caverton, in the north-east. Population of the
parish, in 1801, 973; in 1831, 1,148. Houses 221.
Assessed property, in 1815, £8,648. — Eckford is in
the parish of Jedburgh, and synod of Merse and
Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown. Stipend .£219
14s. 7d., with 42 Ibs. of cheese as vicarage teinds;
glebe £12 5s. Unappropriated teinds £1,254 Os.
lOd. The parish-church was built in 1662. Sittings
about 300. Eckford was formerly a vicarage of the
monks of Jedburgh. Anciently, at Caverton, stood
a chapel, the cemetery of which still exists. In
1554, the parish-church of the period was burnt by
the English There are 4 schools, 2 of which are
parochial, and 1 a boarding-school. The salaries of
the parish-schoolmasters amount to £51 6s. 6|d.,
with £36 school-fees.
ED AY, one of the Orkney isles, between Westray
and Stronsay, from the latter of which it is separated
by a sound 3 miles across at the ferry. It is about
6^ miles long, and 2£ broad. It consists chiefly of hills
of a moderate height, affording excellent pasture.
Near the middle it is indented by the sea on both
sides, so as to leave only a narrow isthmus connecting
the two ends. It possesses two food harbours or
roadsteds, each sheltered by a small islet, where ves-
sels of any burden may ride in safety. To the north-
east, and at a short distance, lies a large holm named
the Calf, which is distinguished for its fine turf and
sheep-pasture; and between this and the island of
Eday is an arm of the sea that opens both to the north
and south, forming the noble harbour of Calf sound.
Another harbour, but not of equal excellence, lies
towards the west, called Fiers-Ness. In both of
these ships may find very safe anchorage, especially
in Calf sound Eday belonged in the 17th century
to Lord Kinclaven, who built a house here, and
erected salt-pans which were worked with equal
spirit and success during the lifetime of their patron.
This nobleman — who was brother of Patrick Stew-
art, Earl of Orkney — had been by Charles I. created
Earl of Carrick, which name he conferred on a vil-
lage near the harbour of Calf sound, and which was
through his influence erected into a burgh-of-barony :
but, as he died without lawful issue, the title became
extinct, the house crumbled down, and the village
sunk into obscurity. In 1725 the pirate Gow, trust-
ing to the defenceless state of the country, entered
this harbour ; but one of the proprietors, then resid-
ing in the house of Carrick, supported by his equally
intrepid neighbours, seized the pirate, his crew, and
his ship, and thus promptly freed the world of one
who had been for a long time a pest to society, —
The Read-head, which forms one of the sides of the
EDDERACHYLIS.
429
harbour, contains an excellent freestone quarry,
which, it has been supposed, notwithstanding the
distance, furnished stones for the cathedral of St.
Magnus in Kirkwall. — Here is a Standing stone, of
about 16 feet in height, called the Great stone of
Seter, similar to those which are observed in the
other islands: there are also the remains of several
Picts' houses ; and a number of tumuli — The dis-
trict of Eday comprehends the isle of Faray, with
about 62 families, the holm of Faray, Little Green
Holm, Muckle Green Holm, Red Holm, Rusk Holm,
and the Calf of Eday. Population, in 1801, 718;
in 1831, 961 This island is in the parish of STRON-
SAY and EDAY: see that article. The church was
built in 1815; sittings 300. It is now supplied by
a missionary on the Royal bounty. Previous to
the appointment of the missionary, in 1834, the
parish-minister preached three successive Sundays
in Stronsay, and the fourth in Eday. Salary of
missionary .£50, with a manse In 1831 a United
Secession chapel was erected here; sittings 308.
EDDERACHYLIS,* or EDDRACHILLIS, a parish
in the county of Sutherland, extending 16 miles in
length, and about 10 in breadth. It is bounded on the
west by the Minch ; on th^ north by Durness ; on the
east by Durness, Tongue, Fair, and Lairg; and on the
south by Assynt. It is intersected — as noticed in
the note below — by several kyles, or arms of the
sea, which afford good harbours for small vessels :
see articles LAXFORD and INCHARD. The face of
the country is very mountainous and rocky, and the
more inland part— which constituted part of Lord
Reay's deer forest — presents a vast group of rugged
mountains, their summits enveloped in clouds, and
divided from one another by deep and narrow glens,
whose declivities are so rugged and steep as to be
dangerous to travellers unfurnished with guides.
There are a number of lakes in the parish, of which
Loch Moir and Loch Stack are the chief; and a
few small rivers. Several islands, on the coast,
afford pasture to considerable numbers of sheep,
but that of Handa only is inhabited: see HANDA.
Population, in 1801, 1,253; in 1831, 1,965. Houses
276. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,489. Rental,
in 1796, £230.— This parish is in the presbytery of
Tongue, and synod of Sutherland and Caithness.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe
.£20. Sittings in church 275.— The church of Km-
LOCH-BERVIE [which see] is distant about 6 miles
from Edderachylis church. — Schoolmaster's salary
» The name of this parish sig-nifies, ' Between two Kyles or
Arms of the Sea/ because of its lying between ("anlis-Cuin, or
Kyle-Srore, which divides it on the south Iron) A--ynt, and
Caolis-Lnissard, which separates Edderachylis Proper, on the
north, from the di-trict of Ashir. Caolis Cuin signifies 'The
Narrow kyle ;' and is so failed because of a narrow part about
the miadie of it, near Island Raniioch, \vhere there is a ferry
which is nut atiove GO vards broad, thouph it widens greatly
above, and branches out into two considerable kyles. It i.s
also broad below th.s place, and encloses a green island, cal!ed
Stirk's island, near \vhi.-h is good anchoring ground for ship.
P'liir. This kyle runs up into the country 5 • r 6 nules. Caolis-
Luissanl,— or, as it is commonly pronounced, Laxford,— is a
name compounded of the two Celtic words, Lua and Ard, epi-
thets given to it, and to the river which runs into the head of
It trom L»cli Stack, from the rapid and high course of that
htr.-am. But, though these two kyles comprehend the country
<M| e.i Edderachylis Proper, the parish extends a great way
farther north, and includes aluo the davoch or district of Ashir,
which is a territory of itself, and was erected into a quoad
went pari-h called Kinloch-Bervie, in 18'2i». This district also
is intersected by a considerable kyle called Caoli--lnehard,
which separates that very rugged piece of ground called Keriu
Garhk or 'the Rugged quarter,' from the northern parts of
Ashir, wliic!i are the best portions of it. Inchard in a contrac-
tion of the two Celtic words, him* and Aird, signifying 'the
High Meadow,' because of the liiifh and rich pasture-grounds
lying on eacli side ol the kyle, and of the river which runs into
the head of it, and which both go by the saute n.ime. As for the
word Axhir— which the natives term in English Alshires, and
•oinettmes more improperly ()ldsh«>ars— its proper form is
Tir-Fa*. It was of old the Fair-llir, «r ' Waste pasture-
ground,1 belonging to the inhabitants of Durness.
£34 5s. There is a private Gaelic school ; and a
catechist for the parish.
" Who the earliest inhabitants of Edderachylis
have been," says the writer of the Old Statistical
Account of this parish, " is not now easily discover-
able. After the most diligent inquiry among the
oldest and most intelligent people, all that can be
learned is, that two or three centuries ago this place
was but thinly inhabited ; and, that the inhabitants
held their possessions by no legal tenure, paid no
rent, and acknowledged no landlord or superior.
The first who are said to have held it in property
were M'Leods, a branch of the Lewis family, or Siol
Torquil; but prior to their establishment as proprie-
tors, tradition reports that in the time of the Nor-
wegian kingdom of the Western isles, these islanders
made frequent descents upon the coast, and some-
times not without bloodshed, while they attempted
plundering the few inhabitants of their cattle, and
carrying them off in their boats. The last of the
M'Leod family, who died the acknowledged proprie-
tor of Edderachylis, and seems not to have been of
the family of Assynt, was called Mache a Leister;
probably on account of the first or principal man of
the tribe being remarkable for skill in making arrows,
for Maclie a Leister is, literally, ' the Son of the
arrowmaker.' He having no children by his wife,
brought over from Assynt a nephew of his wife called
James, the son of Roderick, to live in family with
him, and succeed him in possession of the estate at
his death; which accordingly happened. But he,
being of a turbulent and factious disposition, had
quarrels with several of his neighbours, particularly
the Morisons of Durness and Ashir, some of whom
he put to death. The laird of Farr also, Sir Hugh
M'Kay, having occasion to remit a sum of money to
Edinburgh, the bearer of it next day returned to him,
after being robbed only one day's journey from his
house, by a party of armed men having their faces
disguised with black paint, whom every one supposed
to have been sent upon that enterprise by James
M'Leod of Edderachylis. As the Morisons of them-
selves were not able to bring James to task for the
injuries done themselves, they contrived a plan for
it, by bringing the M'Kays to their assistance. The
principal man of the name of Morison at that time
in Ashir, had in his house and family, a bastard son
of the laird of Farr's, Donald M'Kay : him he pro-
posed both to the M'Kays and to his own friends,
to be laird of Edderachylis, if by their joint efforts
James M'Leod was made away with. All agreeing
to this proposal, the plan for effecting it was to
engage a cousin of James M'Leod's, one Donald
M'Leod, to take away his life. This business he
was reckoned the likeliest and fittest to perform,
being a notorious ruffian, and, in order to hinder
James's friends from prosecuting revenge afterwards
when the deed should be perpetrated by one of them-
selves. The reward promised Donald induced him
readily to undertake it, which was, that he should
have the half of Edderachylis for himself, and his
offspring; and that the mother of this Donald M'Kuy,
the bastard, should become his wife. Hereupon, a
party of the Morisons from Ashir, headed by Donald
M'Kay the bastard, and Donald M'Leod — who among
other qualifications, was incomparably skilled in
handling the long bow — marched in a dark morning
for Edderachyl's, though not directly towards Scoury
where James M'Leod lived, but to some other place*
nearer them, where James's best friends, and ablest
supporters dwelt, in order to despatch them first ;
which having done, and three or four men, whom
they surprised in their beds in their several dwell-
ings, cruelly slain, they proceeded to Scoury; where,
after slaying two or three more of the M'Leods, they
EDD
430
EDD
found James, upon getting some notice of their ap-
proach, had taken shelter in a small house he had
sometime before built in the middle of a lake in
Scoury. But with arrows having fire bound to
them, this house being thatched with straw or reeds
was soon made to blaze, when he was obliged to
come out ; whereupon Donald, his cousin-german,
killed him dead with a musket-bullet. And as
James had a son of his along with him in this island,
Donald did for him also ; for after he had swam to
the farther side of the lake, and endeavoured to run
for his life, he slew him with an arrow from his long
bow. James M'Leod, or M'Rory, being in this
manner slain, Donald thought himself sure of pos-
sessing at least half of Edderachylis, according to
agreement, but here he found himself mistaken.
The Morisons now told him, he must be content
with some other reward, for that Donald M'Kay
must have all Edderachylis : whereupon Donald in
a rage declared that would not do ; and immediately
betaking himself to his friends in Assint, in a short
time returned with a body of men to take possession.
But the Morisons, aware of his motions, prepared to
meet and fight him upon his first entering the coun-
try. Both parties were ready for an engagement in
a place called Maldy, when Sir Hugh M'Kay of Far
presented himself to them, upon the top of a hill
hard by, with 300 men, and finding how matters
stood, immediately called both before him to a con-
ference in order to an accommodation, which none
of them durst refuse. At this interview Sir Hugh
proposed to Donald M'Leod, that he should resign
his pretensions to Edderachylis in favour of his son
Donald ; and that he himself, in consideration of his
doing so, would grant him other land near himself,
called the davoch of Hope, as also Donald M' Kay's
mother to be his wife ; which proposal he at once
agreeing to, the whole difference ended and peace
and harmony took place. This promise Sir Hugh
actually fulfilled, giving Donald the davoch of Hope,
where he lived to an extreme old age, with a family
of six or sev«i sons, continuing the same ruffian to
the last. He was buried in the kirk of Durness,
where, upon the south wall on the inside of the
building, there is a monument of his with the initials
of his name, and his arms cut out in the stone, and
the year 1619. What became of the sons cannot
be discovered, but the lands of Hope are in the pos-
session of the Reay family, as a part of their estate.
In this manner came Edderachylis into the hands of
the M'Kays, or that branch of them who call them-
selves the family of Scoury. But of them there
were only three proprietors before it became a part
of the estate of Reay ; the first of these was Donald
already mentioned; the second his son Hugh; and the
third his son Hugh, who was the famous Gen. M'Kay,
commander- in-chief of the forces in Scotland under
William III. He was born at Scoury, in this parish,
and as George Lord Reay married his daughter, he
gave him Edderachylis as her tocher. Next as to
Ashir or Fashir, the northern part of this parish,
which — as before observed — was the waste or un-
inhabited parts of Durness ; it, as well as Durness,
as far back as our information goes, was church-
lands ; belonging of old to the bishopric of Caith-
ness; and they were disposed of by one of the Pop-
ish bishops of that see to a Lewis man, one Ay
Morison, son of Norman, who coming by sea for a
cargo of meal to Thurso, near the Episcopal seat,
happened to fall in love with a sister of the bishop's,
and married her, and as her tocher received all Dur-
ness and Ashir, — a good and extensive Highland
estate. What was the name of this country, prior
to this event, cannot now be ascertained by any tra-
ditional account; but Morison at this time gave it
its present name of Durness, from the place of his
nativity, so that it cannot be considered as local or
descriptive; but upon being established in his newly
acquired estate, he brought over with him from
Lewis a colony of no less than sixty families, mostly
of his own name, to whom he gave lands upon his
own property. Hence it is that the name of Mori-
son is so prevalent in these parts; for though the
property be fallen into other hands, the stock of the
inhabitants remains. Some generations after this, it
happened that the descendant lineal of this Ay
Morison died childless, and left a widow, a Slither
land woman, daughter of one Donald Bain Matheson,
then proprietor of Sheeness. This woman, finding
herself ill-used by her late husband's relations, eloped
in the night, carried with her the rights by which
the Morisons held Durness, went to Dun-robin, the
Earl of Sutherland's seat, and delivered these papers
into his hands. Possessed of these rights only, the
Earl considered himself as entitled to claim Durness
for himself, and consequently had great bickerings
with the Morisons to bring them to pay rent to him ;
but they continuing obstinate and refractory, and
being encouraged in an underhand manner by the
laird of Far and his agents, the Earl at length became
tired of contending with them, and agreed with the
laird of Far, ancestor of Lord Reay, to give Durness
to him for a feu-duty of 60 marks in the year ; and
in this manner came the Reay family to be possessed
of this estate, but the feu-duty, though still con-
tinued, is now reduced to a trifle."
EDDERTOWN, or EDERDOUN, a parish in the
eastern district of the county of Ross ; about 10
miles in length, and 7 in breadth ; washed on the
north by the frith of Tain. The soil is in general
rich and good, but the high hills in the vicinity ren-
der the climate cold and the harvests late. There
are no natural woods, but several hundred acres have
been planted with fir. There are the remains of se-
veral ancient encampments in this district. A num-
ber of rude stones and cairns in the plain of Carri-
blair,* are said to point out the spot where a prince
of Denmark and his followers lie interred. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 899; in 1831, 1,023. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £113. Houses, in 1831, 216 — This
parish is in the presbytery of Tain, and synod of
Ross. Patron, MacKenzie of Cromarty. Stipend
£203 14s. 6d.— Schoolmaster's salary £27 16s.
EDDLESTONE — spelt variously, Eddleston,
Eddlestoun, Edleston, and Edlestown — a parish in
the north of Peebles-shire ; bounded on the north
and north-east by Edinburghshire ; on the east and
south-east by Innerleithen and Peebles; on the
south-west by Lyne ; and on the west by Newlands.
It is of an oblong form, stretching from north to
south ; but has a considerable projection on the
south-west. Its extreme measurement from the
confluence of Harehope burn and Meldon burn on
the south, to Fernyhole on the north, is 10 miles;
and from the confluence of two brooks at the base
of Courhope hill on the west, to Burnhead on the
east, is 54- miles. Eddlestone water intersects it
from north to south, and divides it into nearly
equal parts. This stream rises in the extreme north
of the parish, pursues a course due south, receive*
on its way 8 or 10 tributary rills from the adjacent
heights ; and after leaving the parish flows direct
toward the core of Peebles, arid there, at the bur?h,
the capital of the county, falls into the Tweed.
At Cowey's linn, this stream has a tall of 35 feet
* " O-'sian mentions the battle of Carros in one of the at-
tached pieces annexed to Fingal, and where he himself com-
manded, and worsted the Danes. Perhaps this may have bwn
the scene of action, Carriblair, in GHelic, signifying 'the Battle
of Garros.' "— Old Statistical Account.
EDE
431
EDI
Its entire course, which is remarkably straight, does
not exceed between 1 1 and 12 miles. In the eastern
division of the parish, about a mile from the boun-
dary, is Loch Eddlestone, nearly of a circular form,
2 miles in circumference, and abounding in pike,
eels, and perch. Issuing from this lake is the South
Esk, which pursues a course directly the reverse of
that of Eddlestone water, flowing 3 miles due north-
ward through the parish, and leaving it within about
a mile of the Eddlestone's primary sources. The
entire surface of the parish may be described as an
agglomeration of smooth hills, verdant to their sum-
mits, tame in their general appearance, but at inter-
vals surprising the tourist by sudden disclosures of
picturesque varieties, and romantic cleughs and dells.
Along the eastern boundary, the summits are tower-
ing and Alpine, one of them rising to the height of
2,100 feet, above the level of the sea: see DUN-
DROICH. The vales or basins of the streams are
in general little other than gigantic furrows in the
wide field of hills. On the Cringletie property at
the south of the parish, and especially on the de-
mesne and lands of Portrnore, at its centre, are
considerable plantations. The climate is dry and
salubrious. The parish is traversed from south to
north, along the banks of the Eddlestone, by the
united turnpikes from Peebles and Annandale to
Edinburgh ; and is otherwise well-provided with
means of communication. The village or hamlet
of Eddlestone stands on the principal road, toward
the south of the parish, 4 miles from Peebles, and
17 from Edinburgh. An annual fair is held here
on the 25th of September. Population of flhe par-
ish, in 1801, 677; in 1831, 836. Houses 144. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £5,645. — Eddlestone is in
the presbytery of Peebles, and synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale. Patron, Lord Elibank. Stipend
£240 5s. lid.; glebe £20. Unappropriated teinds
£98 16s. 8d. The parish-church was built in 1829.
Sittings 420. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4|d.,
with about £52 other emoluments.
EDEN (THE), a river in Fifeshire, which takes its
rise on the borders of Perthshire, in the parish of
Arngask, about 4 miles west of Strathmiglo, and,
taking a course due east, falls into the German
ocean at the Guard-bridge, in the bay of St. An-
drews, nearly 18 miles from its source. It receives
many tributary streams from the Lomond hills, and
passes by the county-town of Cupar. It has a very
level course from Cupar to the sea, and might be
made navigable to this point at no great expense :
see Note to article CuPAR-FiFE.
EDEN (THE), a small river in the district of
Merse. It rises in the parish of Gordon, near
Heckspeth ; and flows first eastward, and then
southward, dividing the parish of Earlston from
the parishes of Hume and Nenthorn. It then
suddenly debouches to the east, and flows through
the parish of Nenthorn, and over a neck of Rox-
burghshire, intersecting in its course the parish of
Ednam, and falls into the Tweed 3£ miles below
Kelso. Its whole course is about 17 or 18 miles.
The lower part of its course is very beautiful,
being through rich and finely - wooded pastoral
scenery.
EDENDON (THE), a rivulet which, risinginthe
western part of the forest of Athol, among the
heights immediately adjoining Inverness-shire, after
a course of a few miles to the south, falls into the
(jarry, a little above the inn of Dalnacardoch.
EDENHAM. See EDNAM.
EDENKEILLIE, or EDINKILLIE, a parish in the
centre of Morayshire, bounded on the north by Tor-
res ; on the east by Raiford and Dollar ; on the
south by Knockando ; and on the west by Ardclach.
Its greatest length is about 13 miles, and its greatest
breadth about 4. It contains about 65 square miles.
Houses 285. The only place in the parish which
can be called a village is Connicavel, consisting of
26 dwelling-houses. Assessed property, in 1815,
£699. Population, in 1801, 1,223-1,215; in 1831,
1,300. The population is chiefly composed of agri-
cultural labourers, handicrafts-men, &c. This parish
lies on the right bank of the Findhorn, and is wa-
tered by the Divie, and other streams tributary to
the Findhorn, on which there is a considerable sal-
mon fishing. It is a pastoral and hilly district, but
not mountainous; the highest hill, the Knock of
Moray, being oY small elevation. On the banks of
the Findhorn and the Divie there are some of the
most romantic rural scenes which wood, water,
rocks, and variety of ground can produce. The na-
tural woods of the plantations are very extensive.
The ancient forest of Darnaway covers about 900
acres here, with natural wood of almost every kind
indigenous to Scotland. Fa'rther up the river — the
banks of which are in general covered with trees — is
the wood of Dundaff, of considerable extent. These
forests belong to the Earl of Moray. There is also
a good deal of natural wood on the other estates in
the parish. But the plantations are still more
extensive than the natural woods.* In 1829,
some of the woods and plantations, with the low
grounds, suffered severely from the floods — South-
wards, up the Dorback, one of the branches of the
Findhorn, is Lochindorb, in the middle of which is
an island, with the ruins of Lochindorb castle, for-
merly a place of great strength. It was blockaded
by Sir Andrew Moray, the regent, during King
David Bruce's captivity. Edward III. honoured it
in the following year by raising the siege. It was
afterwards used as a state-prison. — The Downe hill
of Relugas is a conical hill, round a considerable part
of which runs the rapid Divie in a deep rocky chan-
nel. On the summit are the remains of a strong
fortress of antiquity far beyond the period of au-
thentic history. Higher up the river Divie, stands
the castle of DUNPHAIL, [which see] upon a rock of
singular appearance, surrounded by a deep gully or
narrow glen, formed, probably, by the river, which
seems to have run, at a remote period, in this channel.
Trees have been planted on the summit of the two
latter hills or rocks. The very singular bridge of
Rannich here, is of great antiquity : tradition derives
its name from the illustrious Randolph, Earl of
Moray and regent of Scotland. — This parish is in the
synod of Moray and presbytery of Forres. Patron,
the Earl of Moray. Stipend £174 8s. 2d. ; glebe
£10. Church built in 1741 ; and last altered in
1813; sittings 500 Schoolmaster's salary £27 16s.,
with £10 fees, and other emoluments. There are
several private schools in the parish.
EDERDOUN. See EDDERTOUN.
EDGERSTON. See JEDBURGH.
EDINAMPLE. See LOCH EARN.
* The vacancies of Darnaway forest were first planted in
1767 ; and it its slated in the Old Statistical Account, that, from
that year to 1791, not less than I0,5i)l,000 trees, principally
Scotch firs, including al.no oak, ash, elm, sycamore, fcc., wero
planted by the late Earl of Moray, for the most part, in Ui.j
parish.
432
EDINBURGH,
The metropolis of Scotland, is romantically situated
on a congeries of hills, in the north of Mid-Lothian,
v/ithin 2 miles of the frith of Forth. Its observa-
tory stands in 55° 57' 20", North latitude ; and in
3° 10' 30", West longitude from Greenwich. The
citv is 392 miles distant from London ; 57 from Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed; 17 from Haddington; 47 from
Coldstream ; 42 from Kelso ; 36 from Melrose ; 48
from Jedburgh; 22 from Peebles; 92| from Carlisle;
50 from Hawick; 1 53 J from Portpatrick; 71 from
Dumfries; 42| from Glasgow, by way of Bathgate;
31 from Lanark; 35£ from Stirling; 44 from Perth;
243 from Inverness ; 121 from Aberdeen ; and 42 from
Dundee. — Population, in 1831, 136,054; in 1841,
138,194. The population of the parliamentary burgh,
in 1841, was 140,241. The number of inhabited houses
within the city and suburbs, in 1841, was 22,860 ;
and within the parliamentary boundaries, 23,175.
General Description.
The hills and swelling grounds which partly form
the site of the city, and partly overshadow it, lie
within a circumference of about 6 miles ; and at their
northern termination, about 2 miles from the frith,
rise from a base, which slopes gently away, over a
gradient of from 50 to 100 feet, to the sea. These
hills seem to have been thrown up from a smooth
surface by some sudden and stupendous operation
which cannot easily be conceived; and must have
formed, in their natural state, a grouping of scenery
strikingly peculiar, and remarkably picturesque. The
highest and most easterly is ARTHUR'S SEAT, [which
see,] rising 822 feet above the level of the sea, hav-
ing a slope to the east, which goes rollingly down
over a base of nearly a mile, and presenting to the
west a precipitous, nearly perpendicular, and very
varied face of rugged rock. The outline of this
hill, as seen from the west, or a little to the south
of west, undulates so strangely as to bear a close
resemblance to the sculptured figure of a lion couch-
ant : the summit of the hill, or head of the gigantic
sculpture, rising on the south, and the shaggy mane
and reclining body stretching toward the north.
From the deep dell at the western base of Arthur's
Seat, the ground rises regularly over a base of about
700 yards, till it attains a height of 550 feet above
the level of the sea ; and then in a semicircle, sweep-
ing round from the south to the north, breaks per-
pendicularly down, in a picturesque face of naked,
rugged greenstone rock ; and, after an esplanade sev-
eral feet in width — on which a promenade of most
commanding and gorgeous prospect is carried round —
descends in an inclined plane of sandy or earthy sur-
face so rapid as to be traver sable only by an adven-
turous and firm-footed tourist : see SALISBURY
CRAGS. These two hills, except in the romantic
path or narrow dell which lies between them, and
which is as sequestered, and as congenial to the
musings of solitude or genius, as the haunt of a poet
in a far-away spot of Highland seclusion, possess no
surface which could ever, without prodigious labour,
be made the site of any suburban extension of the
city. Two hundred yards north-west of the north-
ern end of the Salisbury semicircle, rises the Calton-
hill, lifting a rounded eminence, 344 feet above the
level of the sea, presenting an abrupt and bending
face to the north-west, and descending in other di-
rections by rapid though not untraversable declivi-
ties: see CALTON-HILL. This hill — as will after-
wards be seen — bears aloft one or two of Edinburgh's
proudest public structures, and has been compelled
by art to afford place for some rows of her pri
though palace-looking buildings; yet it is principally
remarkable, like the loftier and more untameable hilla
to the south-east, for the magnificence of the pano-
ramic landscape which a spectator sees from its sum-
mit, and for the contributions of boldness and ro-
mance which it makes to the grouped scenery of the
city. From the hollow along the western base of
Salisbury -crags, the ground rises westward by a
rapid gradient thickly crowded with streets, till, at
the distance of 500 yards, it attains an elevation of
about 150 or 180 feet, forming a broad-backed ridge
of about 1,400 yards from east to west, which falls
first gently and next acclivitously down on its north-
ern side ; and which, on its southern side, slopes
insensibly away, till, at the distance of a mile, it is
lost in the plain and soft undulations of the country.
Nearly all this extensive rising ground is covered
with buildings, and forms the site of the new or
modern district of the Old Town. Parallel to it,
on the north side, lies a hill — which has been aptly
compared to a long wedge lying flat on the ground — .
which gradually ascends westward from the hollow
between Salisbury-crags and Calton-hill, till, at the
distance of 1,800 yards, it towers up in the agglo-
merated rocks of Edinburgh-castle, 445 feet above
the level of the sea, and presents to the west a per-
pendicular, romantic, and far-seen face of naked ba-
saltic rock. The gorge or deep dell along the south
side of this ridge, lying between it and the one for-
merly described, is ploughed by an ancient line of
street, once the abode of the elite of the city, but
now the putrid haunt of the poor and the squalid,
and bearing nearly the same relation to Edinburgh
which the district of St. Giles does to the metropo-
lis of the south. The ridge or wedge-like slope it-
self is the site of the original city, — a street stretch-
ing along its centre, sending off numerous lanes and
alleys down the brief descents on its southern and
northern sides, and resembling a reptile or scorpion
monster, having the Castle for its head, the lanes for
its lateral members, and Holy rood-house and St.
Abbey Cuthberts for its tail. Along the northern
base of the ridge, extends a deep hollow — formerly
covered with water, but now drained and variously
disposed of by art — about 200 yards in average
breadth. From this hollow, another eminence, or
very gentle and broad-backed ridge, greatly less
marked in its features than any other of the emi-
nences, ascends softly northward over a distance of
250 yards ; and then gracefully, and in an easy gra-
dient, slopes away into the plain which intervenes
between it and the sea. This eminence is of soft
and nearly imperceptible declivity at its western end;
but on the east it breaks suddenly down, and leaves
a gorge between its own base and that of Calton-
hill. Along this beautiful flat ridge stands the ori-
ginal New Town; and on its northern, slow de-
scent, as well as on the plains beyond it, both north-
ward and westward, stands the second New Town,
or most magnificent and boasted portion of the me-
tropolis of Scotland.
Most travellers who have visited both cities have
remarked a resemblance, as to site and general ap-
pearance, between Edinburgh and Athens. Stuart,
the author of ' The Antiquities of Athens,' was the
first who vividly depicted it ; and he has been fol-
lowed by Dr. Clarke, Mr. H. W. Williams, and so
many other literary painters well-qualified to form
a cor-rect judgment, that the names ' Modern Athens,'
and ' the Athens of the North,' have been assigned
aSifier- ^
. I -
- i
••*:.
Tifperlaui\ " || ts«A &££"" I*
fe:- - '
'=':.
EDINBURGH.
433
to Edinburgh by general consent. Mr. Williams
says: " The distant view of Athens from the jEgeau
sea is extremely like that of Edinburgh from the
frith of Forth ; though certainly the latter is con-
siderably superior." " There are," he adds, " sev-
eral points of view on the elevated grounds near
Edinburgh, from which the resemblance" between
die two cities "is complete. From Tor-Phin, in
particular, one of the low heads of the Per.tlan.1s,
immediately above the village of Colinton, the land-
scape is exactly that of the vicinity of Athens, as
\ iewed from the bottom of Mount Anchesmus.
(.'lose upon the right, Brilessus is represented by the
mound of Braid; before us, in the abrupt and dark
mass of the castle, rises the Acropolis ; the hill Ly-
cabetus, joined to that of the Areopagus, appears in
the Calton; in the frith of Forth we behold the
./Egean sea; in Inch-Keith, /Egina; and the hills of
the Peloponnesus are precisely those of the opposite
coast of Fife. Nor is the resemblance less striking
in the general characteristics of the scene ; for, al-
though we cannot exclaim, ' these are the groves of
the Academy, and that the Sacred Way I' yet, as on
the Attic shore, we certainly here behold —
I* A country rich and gay,
Broke into hilts with balmy oduuru cr-nvned,
And joyous vales,
Mountains and streams,
And clustering town*, and monuments of fame,
And scenes ut glorious deeds, in little bounds!'
I
It is, indeed, most remarkable and astonishing, that
two dries, placed at such a distance from each other,
and so different in every political and artificial cir-
cumstance, should naturally be so alike. Were the
National monument to be erected upon the site of
the present barracks in the Castle, an important ad-
ditional feature of resemblance would be conferred
upon the landscape ; that being the corresponding
position of the Parthenon in the Acropolis." But
when he peers into the interior of the two cities,
that distinguished artist paints the brilliant metro-
polis of Scotland in tints far richer than he dares
bestow upon the ancient capital of Greece. He says:
" The epithets Northern Athens and Modern Athens
have been so frequently applied to Edinburgh, that
the mind unconsciously yields to the illusion awak-
ened by these terms, ai;d imagines that the resem-
blance between these cities must extend from the
natural localities and the public buildings, to the
streets and private edifices. The very reverse of this
is the case; for, setting aside her public structures,
Athens, even in her best days, could not have coped
with the capital of Scotland. The truth is, that the
coaiiorts of the Athenians were constantly sacrificed
to the public benefit; and the ruins which still re-
main to attest the unrivalled magnificence of the
ti-mjiles of Athens, afford no criterion by which we
:'iay judge of the character of her private dwellings.
Athens, as it now exists, independent of its ruins,
and deprived of the charm of association, is con-
temptible,— its houses are mean, and its streets
M.-arcely deserve the name. Still, however, ' when
'.i.Mauci; lends enchantment to the view,' even the
mud- walls of Athens assume features of importance,
and the modern city appears almost worthy of the
Acropolis which ornaments it. It is when seen under
tnis advantage that the likeness of Edinburgh to
Athens is most strikingly apparent."
Edinburgh presents, from almost every point
whence it can be viewed, such scenic and archi-
'-•«•! ural groupings as are unrivalled in any existing
• :ty in the world. It possesses attractions peculiarly
is o\vn, and lixes the gaze and challenges the ad-
miration of a spectator by displays of general excel-
, unaided by the suiiiptuousness of any one
j-'jivt, and uadegraded by deteriorations from its
prevailing style of magnificence. A tourist coming
within view of the city sees no aerial dome rising
from a sea of houses, as in Rome or London ; and no
forest of turrets shooting up from a huge cathedral,
as in Milan or York ; but he looks on a singularly
varied and uniformly rich display of imposing archi-
tecture,— sheltered in the vale, — climbing up the ac-
clivity,— stretching away on the plain, — or surmount-
ing the precipice, and crowning the romantic lull.
Even the picturesque confusion of the ancient part or
the city combines with the symmetrical proportions ot
the streets and squares of the modern part, to render
the rich architectural carpeting of the congeries of
hills peculiarly attractive. Nowhere is the eye ot-
fended with the vicinity of meanness to elegance, or
with a dingy and common-place field of houses spread
around a magnificent edifice, or attached to an ele-
gant and airy street ; but neatness, beauty, novelty
of grouping, picturesqueness, grandeur, and nearly
all the principles which thrill the beholder with
mingled wonder and pleasure, seem everywhere to
struggle for ascendancy, and, like a harmony of
sounds, combine their powers to produce an unique
and superb effect. Among many admired views of
the city, one from St. Anthony's chapel, another
from Calton-hill, and a third from the new buildings
on the lands of Coates, excite particular attention.
From St. Anthony's chapel a spectator sees ut his
feet the tufted and verdant memorials of the royal
park, and the quadrangular and turreted palace of
Holyrood, with the venerable ruins of the royal
chapel abutting from one of its angles ; he looks
over it along the deep hollow on the east of the Old
town, with its thickly-rigured carpeting of houses,
till his view is arrested by the North bridge, with its
palace-looking summit of buildings above, stretching
off toward theveast, and with its lofty arches below,
occasioning an air of mystery to hang over the scenery
beyond, of which they allow only a narrow view ;
and he looks up on his right to the double ascent of
Calton-hill, overhung on its first precipitous acclivity
by the dark monument of the philosopher Hume, and
the bold and castellated forms of the county-jail and
bridewell, — decorated, on the esplanade at the middle
of its ascent, with the fine Grecian structure of the
Royal High school, and the beautiful sweep of build-
ings called Regent-terrace, — and crowned on its
rounded acclivitous summit with the towering pillar
erected to the memory of Nelson, and the nakeu, an-
tique-looking colonnade of the National monument;
and he surveys, a little to his left, the whole of the
elaborated surface of the ancient city, struggling
crowdedly upward from the point of the wedge-like
hill, stratum above stratum, or ridge above ridge,
sending aloft in its progress the picturesque towers
of the Canongatc and Tron churches, and the high,
broad tower of St. Giles, with its architectural crown,
and terminating in the bold precipitous eminence
and ragged but romantic outline of Edinburgh casilo.
— The view from the lands of Coates, though emi-
nently beautiful, affords less scope for description
The principal features in this picture are the princely
piles ot the newest part of the New town on the
foreground, — the tower and turrets of the very hand-
some episcopal chapel of St. John's in the distance, —
and the rounded, frowning, but sublime face of the
Castle, as it stoops precipitously to the west. From
Calton-hill the -prospect is so gorgeous, so grand, so
replete with every tiling in either city or sea or
country landscape which can tlmll and animate witr
delight, that he is a daring artist who attempt* t«
depict with either quill or pencil the multitudinous
splendours of the scene. \Vc must simply sa\ . i;i
jivneral, that a spectator walking around tne higher
| part ot th-j hill, aloiig a path cut out for his accuui-
434
EDINBURGH.
modation, commands in succession a full survey of
most parts of both the Old town and the New, and,
in addition, looks away north, east, south, and west,
over scenery which, even if no queen-city, crowned
and jewelled and opulently arrayed, presided in its
centre, would compete, in the power and variety of
its charms, with nine landscapes in every ten which
poetry has immortalized in song. The noble estuary
of the Forth, reflecting from its mirror-surface the
image of many a smiling town and village and man-
sion which sit joyously on its banks, and bearing
along on its bosom yawl and ship and steam- vessel,
till it glides past the huge rock or high islet of the
Bass, and the dark conical hill of North Berwick
law, and becomes lost in the horizon, — the undu-
lating and verdant country beyond it, receding in
distant loveliness till it is obscured in the shadowy
splendour of the Ochil hills and the Grampians, —
the fertile fields and varied park and woodland scenery
which flaunt gaily along the southern shore of the
frith, — and, close at hand, the solitary grandeur of
Arthur's Seat, and the wild beauty of Salisbury-
crags, with their precipitous descents, their' pastoral
slopes, and their sequestered hollows, — these are
some features, faintly coloured and rudely sketched,
of a landscape which combines in a magnificent ex-
panse, the richest elements of the beautiful and the
sublime, and which are seen over a foreground of
portions of Edinburgh, opulent beyond parallel in
the attractions of city-scenery.
Edinburgh, in proportion to its population, covers
a larger area than almost any other town of Britain,
From the north end of Scotland-street on the north,
to Crosscauseway on the south, it measures geogra-
phically 2,400 yards ; and from Manor-place on the
west, to Montgomery-street on the east, 2,600 yards ;
and these points may indicate the lines of a rectangle,
the area of which, with some unimportant exceptions,
is all covered with town. But on various parts of
this rectangle, especially on the north, on the north-
west, and on the south, the city has wings of con-
siderable extent, which, if included in its measure-
ment, would make its extreme length from north to
south about 4,000 yards; and its extreme breadth
from east to west upwards of 3,000, Considerable
space, however, in the very core of the city, is either
wholly or principally unoccupied with building. The
area of Prince's-street gardens and the Castle rock
alone extends 900 yards from east to west, and be-
tween 200 and 270 from north to south ; and, except-
ing the barracks in the Castle, and the Royal institu-
tion on the Mound, has not a single edifice. The
Queen-street gardens also are an open area, and ex-
tend 850 yards by 130. But we must attempt —
yet without, at present, noticing public buildings or
glancing at minute features — to give a general topo-
graphical view of the arrangements of the city.
The Old Town.
At Abbey St. Cuthbert's, or a small area in front
of Holy rood house, situated in the middle of the
hollow between Salisbury-crags and Calton-hill, is
the eastern termination and lowest part of the old or
original town. Leaving this area at its north-west
angle, the Cariongate moves away westward, over a
distance of 650 yards, — climbing on its middle or
highest part the wedge-like ridge or central hill on
which the chief part of the city stands, — and sending
down over the northern face of the hill, New-street,
Leith-wynd, and numerous closes, and over the
southern face, St. John-street, Mary's-wynd, and
various alleys. Continuous with the Canongate, the
High-street climbs the upper part of the hill, send-
ing down Niddry- street and some lanes to the south, —
undergoing an intersection at right angles by a great
line of street which runs south and north through
the whole extent of the Old town, and ploughing
its way, under the names of Lawn-market and
Castle-street, up to an esplanade or open and ele-
vated area before the gate of the castle, at a distance
of 900 yards from the commencement of the Canon-
gate. In its progress it sends off Bank-street, and
numerous lanes to the north; and Niddry-street,
Blair-street, George IV.'s bridge, and the West Bow
to the south ; and it opens on its southern side, round
both ends of St. Giles' cathedral, into Parliament-
square. This street, after merging from the lower
or Canongate part, till it bends and narrows into the
brief termination of Castle-street or Castle-hill, is
very spacious ; and, over its entire length, it con-
sists of very high houses, interspersed with various
public edifices, and wears an antique and remarkably
imposing appearance. From the great height of its
buildings, the varied yet harmonious forms of their
projected gables and battlements, and the long sweep
which they make, interrupted by few transverse
cuts, and marked at intervals by massive, ornamental
architecture of an age long gone by, this street pos-
sesses a simple and majestic unity of antique aspect,
which is probably unparalleled in any city of Britain.
Near its western end, 1 70 yards before it opens into
the esplanade of the Castle, a spacious street-way
goes off from its south side, suddenly debouches, and
runs on parallel to it at an aerial elevation; and
passing along the edge of the Castle rock, spans the
yawning hollow below, in an airy and magnificent
erection called King's bridge, and sends off Castle
terrace, nearly parallel to the western face of the
Castle, to open a communication with the south-west
angle of the New town, while it bends round its
main road south-westward and passes into Bread-
street, 800 yards from its commencement near the
top of High-street. This remarkable road-way is
called the New West approach. It passes over a
seeming impracticability of ground, and possesses a
peculiarity of position, from the dark cliffs of the
Castle overhanging it on one side, and an extent of
town stretching away in the plain beneath it on the
other, which give it an appearance of romance pe-
culiarly its own. Bread-street, which it transversely
enters, is one of a large cluster of streets forming an
irregular but fine south- west suburb of the Old town.
The principal streets of the suburb are Lothian-
road, running north and south, parallel with the
western face of the Castle, and forming, with its
north end, a right angle with the west end of Prince's-
street, — Fountain-bridge, running south-west and
north-east, and forming the great thoroughfare to
Biggar and Lanark, — and Gilmore-place, running
parallel to Fountain-bridge, 300 yards to the south.
These three streets are all spacious, and wholly or
partially lined with beautiful new buildings ; and
they are clustered in various directions and by vari-
ous tendrils of communication with Bread-street,
St. Andrew's-place, Castle-barns, Gardner's cres-
cent, Semple-street, Earl Grey-street, Ponton-street,
Home-street, Leven-street, Tollcross, High Riggs,
Portland-place, Laurieston^street, and other locali-
ties which, though singly or severally unimportant,
are aggregately an interesting suburb. At the south-
ern termination of Lothian-road, where it forms an
angle with Fountain-bridge, is Port-Hopetown, the
terminating basin and yard of the Union canal.
We now return to Abbey St. Cuthbert's, or the
area before Holyrood house. Leaving this at its
south-west angle, a narrow street called the South
back of Cariongate, runs westward, parallel to Can-
ongate, and, in its progress, looks up St. John-streel
on its north side, and sends off, on its south side
along the base of Salisbury-crags, the celebrated patl
EDINBURGH.
435
of Diimbie-dykes. The South back of the Canon-
pate is 750 yards in length ; and it pursues its way
along the southern base of the central hill of Edin-
burgh, and. for some little distance, lies along the
gorge between it and the southern hill. Just
before it terminates on the west, it looks up on the
south into the opening to St. John's hill; and at its
termination, is met at right angles by the end of
Pleasance, coming in upon it by a long sweep from
the south. Cowgate, a continuation of the Back of
the Canongate, wends along the deepest part of
the gorge ; and, in its progress, looks up Mary's-
\\vml. Niddry-street, and Blair-street, coming down
upon it with a rapid descent from the north, and va-
rious lanes, and the Horse-wynd descending upon it
from the south ; and, though high in its lines of an-
tique houses, it passes quite underneath the over-
spanning central arch of South bridge, and the spa-
cious stride of George IV.'s Bridge. Cowgate is
narrow, and not quite straight ; and, along with the
linn's which run up from it, is the most densely
peopled and the poorest district of the metropolis, —
altogether squalid in its appearance, and seeming to
cower along the deep gorge of its locality in order to
escape observation. Seen from George IV.'s Bridge,
or the open part of the South bridge, it looks like a
dark narrow river of architecture moving sluggishly
along a dell, and teeming with animated being, and
has, in consequence, an appearance quite in keeping
with the romantic character of the Old town, but
were it raised out of its ravine hiding-place, and
stretched out a long plain or ridgy eminence, it would
be an utter blot and defilement on the whole picture
of the metropolis. Its length, from the angle of
Pleasance, to an angle of Candlemaker's-row which
comes down upon it from the south-east at its
a end, is about 800 yards. Continuous with
Cowgate, but suddenly expanding into three times its
width, is the Grass-market. This is a spacious rect-
angle 230 yards in length, communicating at its
south-east angle, through Candlemaker's-row, with
tin- southern part of the Old town, and, at its north-
east angle, up the acclivitous and winding and nar-
row alley of West Bow, with the High-street ; and
sending off, on its south-side, an alley of communi-
cation with Heriot's hospital, — the thoroughfare to
that princely edifice usually traversed by its inmates.
The Grass-market is darkly overhung on the north
by the precipitous side of the esplanade of the Castle,
. by the New West approach ; but, on its
south side, it is subtended by a gently inclined plane,
the southern hill of the Old town beginning, at the
end of Cowgate, to slope toward the west. The
west end of the rectangle is closed up by the Corn-
market, with openings, however, at both sides ; and
the east end of the rectangle is deeply associated
with the holiest and most affecting reminiscences of
Scottish history, as the scene of the last sufferings
and the fervid testimony of the dying supplications
ot many a devout martyr during the sanguinary per-
secutions of the Stewarts, — ofCargill and Renwick,
and multitudes more, " of whom the world was not
worthy." The Grass-market is now the chief rendez-
vous of carriers and farmers, and persons of various
connected with the country market ; and has,
or an ancient street, a remarkably airy and imposing
•ppfarance. Leaving it on the south side of the
'orii-markrt, Wcstport continues the line of street
•VC.M ward over a distance of 330 yards, — narrowed
"to a width similar to that of Cowgate, — sending off]
<>»vurd the south, the Vennel and Lady Lawson's-
vymi, — and meeting at it> termination Bread-street,
''ountuin-bridge, High Kitrtrs, and Laurieston, all
trt'tfhiug in (iill'cretit directions to form the suburb
vhich has been already described. The point or
small area in wa«ch these streets and Westport meet,
bears a certain degree of resemblance to the Seven
Dials of London ; but, for the most part, looks down
rows of architecture greatly superior in aspect
Let us now adopt as a starting-point for rapid to.
pographical tours over the remaining parts of the
Old town, the south end of Clerk-street, at New-
ington church. This point is 800 yards due west
from the base of Salisbury crags, and 1 ,200 yards
south of the Tron church, or nearest part of High-
street. Stretching half-a-mile away south from the
point we have selected, is the elegant, and opulent
suburb of Newington. Its principal feature is Minto-
street, the great thoroughfare to the towns of Rox-
burghshire, to Peebles, and to places intermediate.
This street consists of detached two-story houses,
sitting back from the road- way, and surrounded by
flower-plots and iron pailings; and it has on its
western, but especially on its eastern side, well-
feathered and beautiful wings of building, disposed
in the form of short streets, single rows, or spacious
openings. The entire suburb is a little town of no
common beauty, — a picture in every part, of cheerful
ease and refined taste ; and almost quite free from
shop or city appliance to indicate participation in the
common cares of the every-day world.
At Newington church, Montague-street breaks off
from Clerk-street, and runs eastward, or toward
Salisbury-crags, 180 yards. The street in which
it terminates, and which it meets at right angles, is
St. Leonard's-street, and commences a line of com-
munication from the east wing of Newington on the
south, to the south back of Canongate on the north.
Running away northward, St. Leonard's-street sends
down to the east a street called St. Leonard's hill,
in which is the terminus of the Edinburgh and Dal-
keith railway ; and, at a distance of 320 yards, opens
into a little area, whence emerge the Pleasance right
onward, a small street to the east, and Crosscause-
way to the west. The Pleasance, a continuation of
St. Leonard's-street, is spacious, but of irregular
width, somewhat winding, and lined with antiquated
architecture ; and extends 600 yards till it meets at
right angles the South Back of the Canongate.
In its progress, it sends off to the east Carnegie-
street, Brown-street, Salisbury-street, Arthur-
street, and St. John's hill, all descending over an
average distance of 180 or 190 yards, down a rapidly
inclined plane to the King's park, or narrow vale at
the base of Sal isbury- crags, and consisting of plain
but neat and uniform houses, built of hewn but un-
polished stone. From the west side of Pleasam-e, go
off Richmond-street, Adam-street, and Drummond-
street ; all about 220 yards in length, and intersected
by two lines of street running parallel with Pleasance.
This district, including a continuation southward to
Crosscauseway, and consisting of a wing the whole
length of Pleasance, is of considerably modern aspect,
and exhibits a transition-state between the antique
and the modish parts of the city.
Returning again to Newington churchr we find
Clerk-street a continuation of JMinto-street, or the
great thoroughfare to the middle districts of the
south of Scotland. Clerk-street is spacious and
well-built; and, after sending off two modern and uni
form streets, .Montague and Rankeillour, to St.
Leonard's-street, and opening on the west into a
small area called Drummond-square, terminates at its
intersection by Crosscauseway, 380 yards north of
Newington church. Nicolson-street continues the
line of Clerk- street, over a distance of 440 yards, till
it is met at ri^ht angles by Druniniond-street from
the- cast, and South ( 'ollegc-street from the west.. In
its progress, it looks down Richmond-street, sends
off Hill- pi ace, leading into Hill-square, opens into th«
436
EDINBURGH.
small area of Surgeons' hall on the east, sends off some I
unimportant communications, and expands into the
neatly-built area of Nicolson square on the west. South
bridge continues the line of Nicolson-street 390 yards,
sweeping past the extensive and sumptuous front of
the College on the west, — sending off, on the same
side, North College-street, and opposite to it, on the
east side, Infirmary-street, — passing over the sum-
mit of Cowgate, — and, just before rneetingthe High-
street, opening into the area of Hunter square, on
the north-east part of which stands isolatedly the
Tron church, forming the angle of South Bridge-
street and High-street. North Bridge-street now
continues the northerly line, over a distance of 370
yards, till it is finally pent up by the majestic front
of the Register office, in the line of Pririce's-street.
North Bridge-street, over one-third of its length,
consists simply of the lofty road- way of North bridge ;
and over another third, at its northern end, is built
only on one side, — yet presents in its single row of
edifices, owing to their height and elegance and sin-
gular position, one of the most prominent objects
in the city. The entire line of street, commencing
in Clerk, or rather Minto-street, and terminating in
Prince's-street, is wide, regular, well-edificed, and of
imposing aspect ; and from about the middle of Ni-
colson-street northward, is lined with commodious
and elegant shops, vying with one another in bril-
liancy of display, and surpassed only by a few lines of
shops in the New town, and such localities as the
Regent-street of London, or the Grafton-street of
Dublin.
Returning once more to our late starting-point,
we go round the west or rear of Newington church,
and speedily find ourselves j»t the south end of Buc-
cleuch-street, 100 yards west of Clerk-street. Buc-
cleuch-street runs parallel with the latter, till it falls
in with Crosscauseway, and has a plain appearance.
Branching off from it on the west, and extending
270 yards is Buccleuch-place, — a spacious and re-
tired street, of uniform architecture, but possessing
a chilled and forsakeri aspect. Fifty or sixty yards
north of Buccleuch-place, and communicating with
the latter by two openings, expands the fine rect-
angle of George-square, 220 yards by 150; once the
boast of Edinburgh, but now jilted and forgotten
for the fascinating squares and octagons and cre?cents
of the New town. Behind it, on the west and south,
spreads the fine expanse or public promenade of the
Meadows or Hope-park, formerly covered with water,
and known as the South Loch. Returning to the
north end of Buccleuch-street, we find Chapel-street
continuing it, but with a bend to the west of north,
and extending only about 120 yards. At the end of
that distance, Chapel-street runs up against an acute
angle of building which separates it into two coiir
tinuous lines. The more easterly of these is Pot-
terrow, which goes in a direction a little to the west
of north, and is afterwards continued by West Col-
lege-street and Horse-wynd, till the latter plunges
down into the gorge of Cowgate. The second coiu
tinuous line from Chapel-street is Bristo-street ;
which runs north-westward, sending off various com-
munications to Potterrow, and is afterwards con-
tinued by Candlemaker-row to the head of Grass-
market, and by George IV.'s bridge, leading off
Candlemaker-row, over the summit of Cowgate, to
the Lawn-market or High-street. All the district
from Buccleueh-street onward, which we have hither-
to noticed, is strictly akin in character to that on
the west wing of Pleasance, and consists of unorna-
merited masonry, free alike from the antique forms
which surprise a visiter in High-street and Canon-
gate, and the regularity and elegance which de-
light him in the strictly modern parts of the city.
From Bristo-street, about 260 yards north-west
of the north end of Chapel-street, Lothian-street
goes off in a north-east direction over a distance
of 170 yards, till it touches Potterrow; arid it is
thence continued by the line of South College-
street eastward into South Bridge-street. Both
these streets are comparatively modern and uni-
form, and contain some elegant shops. From the
west side of Bristo-street, opposite the exit of Lo-
thian-street, Teviot-row leads away due west, past
the City Poor-house and Heriot's hospital on the
north, and Watson's hospital on the south, to the
beautiful suburb of Laurieston. This suburb con-
sists of an elegant short street, Archibald-place,
stretching south into the Meadows, and symmetrical
rows of building, Wharton-place and Laurieston-
place, stretching westward in continuation of Teviot-
row, and leading on, at a few yards' distance, to tl
suburb formerly described as lying on the south-wes
corner of the city. Behind Laurieston, or on its
south, expands the Meadows or Hope-park, adorned
at this part with the fine form of the Merchj
Maiden hospital
We have now to notice only one small section mor
of the Old town ; and, in order to trace distinctly it
locality, must return to the foot of the Canongate,
within a few yards of our first starting-point, at the
area before Holyrood house. Just after leaving tl
area, we find, off the foot of the Canongate, an oper
ing to the north ; which offers a winding path ii
front, up the acclivity to London-road, and at tin
same time branches off right and left into Abbey-hill
and the North back of the Canongate. Abbey-hill
of no importance in itself — opens an easy communi-
cation, at the distance of 360 yards, with London-
road, and thence with the portion of the New towr
which sweeps round the base, or mounts aloft or
the terraces, of Calton-hill. The North back
the Canongate runs due west, leaving the foot
the Canongate at a very acute angle, and recedini
from it till, at its termination in Calton, after a pn
gress of 800 yards, it is distant from it, or rath
from the continuous line of High-street. 230 yards.
The triangle thus formed on two sides, is complet
by Leith-wynd, which comes down from the he
of Canongate, in a direction west of north, to tl
west end of the North back of Canongate. All tin
triangle, including the streets which form it on the
north and west, is the abode of squalidness and pov-
erty, and is thickly intersected with denselyrpeopled
lanes and closes, which seem pressing together to
conceal the misery at their base beneath the roman-
tic and rugged outline of the summits of their lofty
houses. Leith-wynd is considerably rapid in (iy •
scent, and, before closing in to form the triangle,
sweeps past Trinity-hospital, College- church, ami
Ladv Glenorchy's chapel, all situated in the hollow
which is spanned by the lofty North bridge, and
lying within range of the shadow of its battlements.
The North back of Canongate lies along the gorg.'
or narrow hollow between the base of Calton-hill,
and the central hill of the site o;' Edinburgh ; at
every part of its progress it is frowned upon by pre-
cipitous declivities whicn Calton-hill sends down ii
near contact with its buildings; and, at it west end
in particular, it is overhung by perpendicular rock?
which bear aloft on their summits the county-jai
and bridewell. Communicating with this st;eet, bit'
debouching round to the north, and nearly on a h'n*
with Leith-wynd, Calton-street leads off along tl;>
gorge between the western base of Calton-hill ^["
the abrupt eastern termination of the rising groan (
on which stands the original part of the New town
and conducting beneath the lofty arid beautiful arc!
of Regent-bridge, ascends, at a distance of 300 yard
EDINBURGH.
437
from the foot of Leith-wynd, to a junction with
Leith-street, and thence to a communication with
all the eastern parts of modern Edinburgh.
Beneath the North bridge, and immediately to the
west of its base, extend the spacious market-place
and the shambles, — the former accessible, from the
New town, by handsome paths winding down off
Prince's-street, and from the Old town by rapidly
descending alleys leading off from High-street and
by commodious flights of steps leading off from
North Bridge-street. The vale, anciently the North
Loch, westward from the shambles and market-
places, and intervening between the old town and
the new, expands over a space of 315 yards by
2lM), laid out in garden-grounds, and about to be
further adorned by the magnificent Gothic mo-
nument to Scott; it as then intersected by the
hugely colossal earthen wall of the Mound ; and it
thence stretches away westward, again laid out in
garden-ground, and sweeping past the northern face
of the Castle, till it becomes the site of St. Cuth-
bert's church, and the Episcopal chapel of St. John's,
and is lost beneath the new streets of the south-west
wing or suburb of the New town. Over half of its
extent, or from the North bridge to the esplanade
of the Castle, this lovely vale is overhung along the
south by the lofty gables and abutments of the
towering edifices which terminate the northern alleys
from the High-street ; and, in grouping with them,
as well as with the dark and craggy and vast outline
of the overshadowing Castle, it presents an aspect of
romance, and of mingled beauty and sublimity, which
fbably was never rivalled by any other city- view
;he world.
The New Town.
The New town of Edinburgh may be regarded as
consisting of four sections, — the original New town, —
the second New town, — the New town of the lands
of Coates,, — and the New town around and on Calton-
hill. A briefer nomenclature, and one sufficiently
accurate, would be the southern, the northern, the
western, and the eastern New town. All are dis-
tinctive in their respective features, and, viewed in
the aggregate, are rather caricatured than pictured
by the phrase which royalty is said to have applied
to them in compliment, "a city of palaces." Were
all the palaces of Britain aggregated on one arena,
and arranged in palace order, all with their clusters
of attendant buildings, and each with its colonnades,
or towers, or turrets, or abutments and gables of
Grecian, or Gothic, or Mixed, or Elizabethan archi-
tecture, they would present an architectural land-
scape motley as the trappings of a stage-clown, com-
pared with the dress of simple elegance and unique
grandeur and rich but chaste adorning which arrays
the New town of Edinburgh.
The southern or original New town, stretches
along the summit of the most northerly of the three
longitudinal and parallel hills which form the site of
Edinburgh; and extends, in length, from nearly the
line of the North bridge on the east, to a line con-
si, lerably west of the west face of the Castle. Its
form is a regular parallelogram, the sides of which
measure 3,900 feet and the ends 1,090. Its principal
longitudinal streets are three, Prince's-street on the
south, George-street in the middle, and Queen-street
on the north. But between Prince's-street and
(ieor^c-street, and again between George-street and
Queen-street, run, over the whole length, meaner
•uid narrower streets, called respectively Rose-street
uul Thistle-street, which have been judiciously in-
terposed for the accommodation of a middle class in
society. Prince's-street — as far east, at least, as it
ctrictly belongs to the original New town, or to a
point ICO yards west of the northern termination of
North bridge — consists of only one row of houses,
having the form of terrace, and facing the northern,
front or towering and picturesque heights of the
Old town. Originally the houses were all of one
figure and elevation, — three stories high, with a sunk
area in front, enclosed by an iron-railing; and they
differed only in acquiring a finer polish of stone, and
a freer accession of ornament, as the street proceeded
toward the west. But during a considerable series
of years preceding 1840, the street's uniformity of
aspect, over the whole eastern half of its length,
had entirely disappeared. Most of the edifices — all
constructed as elegant and commodious dwelling-
houses — are now, by a variety of devices, transmuted,
enlarged, or architecturally adorned, into hotels, club-
rooms, public offices, warehouses, and shops; and,
with the occasional interspersion of a dwelling-house
and the continuation westward of the street in nearly
its original condition, they present an appearance,
not so much of simple and dignified contrast to the
grotesque and antique outline of the opposite Old
town, as of distant and inexpert imitation of its
romantic irregularities. — George-street, previous to
the brilliant erections of the northern and western New
town, was said to have no rival in the world ; and
even yet, in combined length, spaciousness, uniformity
of architecture, and magnificence of vista and termina-
tion, it may be pronounced unparalleled. It is 115
feet broad, and, like its sister-streets, as straight as
an arrow; but it materially suffers, in its power of
pleasing, by the projection of one public edifice a
little beyond the line of its buildings, and by the
recession, nearly opposite, of another within that
line. At its ends are superb and spacious squares
— the western, called Charlotte-square, and the east-
ern, St. Andre w's-square ; both sumptuous in the
architecture of their sides, and rurali/ed and lovely
in the garden-plots and shrubbery of their area.
Rising from the centre of St. Andrew's-square, is a
lofty, fluted column surmounted by a monumental
statue of Lord Melville; and sitting up from the
back of Charlotte-square, is the huge form of St.
George's church, bearing aloft a magnificent cupola
and cross; and these, on the ends of George-street,
decorate and shut up the view — Queen-street main-
tains its original form, and is a fac-simile of what
Prince's-street would still have been, had it not
been touched by the modelling hand of innovation.
But the grouping of Queen-street with surrounding
objects, and the aspects thrown upon it by its pecu-
liar locality, are entirely different and even con-
trasted. This terrace is not, like Prince's-street,
overlooked at a brief distance by the dark and strange
forms of a loftily situated city of antiquity ; but it
looks down, over its whole length, on a tastefully
dressed area of lawn and flowers and shrubs; and,
across this it is confronted by an array or terrace? of
edifices more sumptuous and modern than its own ;
and it thence looks over all the assembled beauties
of the second New town, away to the joyous Forth
and the dim but beautiful landscape in the distance.
— Crossing the parallelogram of the original New
town, from Prince's-street to Queen-street, cutting
George-street at right angles, are 7 streets, St. An-
drew's-street, on the extreme east, and afterwards
St. David's, Hanover, Frederick, Castle, Charlotte,
and Hope streets, the last forming the extreme west;.
These streets rise, from each end, by a gentle ascent
to George-street ; and are not inferior in spacious-
ness of width and in elegance of architecture, to the
longitudinal streets which they intersect.
principal
But whi
lut while those toward the west maintain, like
Queen-street, their original aspect; those toward
the east have, like Prinee's-street, though not to
438
EDINBURGH.
the same extent, been modified and altered, in order
to become suitable seats of business.
The second or northern New town considerably
resembles, in its general outline and arrangement of
streets, the original New town, but has some grace-
ful peculiarities, and greatly excels in the splendour
of its architecture. Separated from the other by the
area of Queen-street gardens, it, too, has the form
of a parallelogram, disposed in two lateral terraces,
a central spacious street, and two intervening minor
streets, — intersected by cross streets, and terminated
by spacious areas. But the parallelogram is shorter
and broader than that of the northern New Town ;
the terraces assume, in their eastern part, the form
of crescents ; and the terminating area on the west
is circular. The northern terrace, in its straight
part, is Heriot-row, and, in its crescent part, is
Abercromby-place. The central street is Great
King-street, shut up on the east end by the Custom-
house, at the back of the square called Drummond-
place, which forms the eastern area, and opening on
the east end into the circular and gorgeously edificed
area, called the Royal circus. The smaller longitu-
dinal streets are Northumberland-street along the
northern section, and Cumberland-street along the
southern. The southern terrace, in its straight part,
is Fetter-row ; and in its curved part, which forms
a deep arc of a circle, is the Royal crescent. The
intersecting streets are Dublin-street, continued by
Scotland-street, on the extreme east, — Nelson-street,
continued by Duncan-street, — Dundas-street, con-
tinued by Pitt-street, — Howe-street, continued by
St. Vincent-street, — and, in the extreme west, India-
street. The northern New town, consisting of the
terraces, streets, and areas, which have been named,
must simply be described in cumulo, but with spe-
cial reference to the Circus, the two Terraces, and
Great King-street, as unparalleled, except in a por-
tion of the western New town, for the symmetry
and taste of its arrangements, and the superbness
and impressment of its architecture.
Extending out like a fan from the north-west
corner of the northern New town, is the beautiful
suburb of Stockbridge, having its main communica-
tion with Edinburgh through the Royal circus. This
cluster of variously arranged, and uniformly elegant,
rows of buildings, lies on both sides of a beautiful
bend of the water of Leith : the straight line of the
river being here from south to north, and the bend
from that line being toward the east. The buildings
on the east side are, for the most part, arranged in
short, continuous streets, called Saxe-Coburg-place,
Claremont-street, Clarence-street, Brunswick-street,
and India-place — nearly in ih^ form of the half of an
octagon, each side of the semi-octagonal figure facing
the river in the progress of its bend. The buildings
on the west side of the stream are chiefly arranged
into five radii of a circle, or stretch between these
iri brief intersecting streets. The principal radii are
Dean-terrace along the river, — a street which ex-
pands into St. Bernard's crescent ; and Dean-street,
and Raeburn-street. The western and eastern sec-
tions are connected by a bridge, from which the
suburb has its name, and which sends off, on the
west, an intersecting street, to communicate through
the Royal circus with Edinburgh.
Stretching away east from the northerly part of
Stockbridge, is another suburb of the northern New
town, separated from it by an open area 530 yards
in length, and 170 yards in average breadth, called
Canonmills meadow, on the north-east corner of
which is a lochlet. In this suburb, at the west, are
the Institution for the deaf and dumb, and the Edin-
burgh academy. The principal lines of buildings are
Clivremont-place, connecting it with Stockbridge, and
Henderson-row, continuous with the former, and
Brandon-street running north and south on a line with
Pitt-street and Dundas-street. From the north end
of Brandon-street, Huritly-street breaks off east ward,
and communicates with a mean, plebeian, and con-
fusedly arranged cluster of buildings called CANON-
MILLS : which see.
The western New town commences 140 yards
west of the south-west corner of the northern New
Town, or of the west end of Heriot-row, in a spa-
cious octagon, called Moray-place, closed round with
edifices which are nowhere rivalled, in the aggregate
beauties and embellishments and sumptuousness of
their architecture, by any aggregation of private
houses of similar extent. From one side of this oc-
tagon opens Darnaway-street, communicating with
Heriot-row. Off Darnaway-street, at right angles,
goes Wemyss'-place, to fall at right angles upon
Queen-street. From another side of the octagon
opens Forres-street, running parallel with Wemyss'-
place, and forming a continuous line with Charlotte-
street. From still another side of the octagon goes
south-westward, over a distance of 320 yards, what
forms distinctly the continuation of the western
New town, — Stuart- street. This is a magniiicent
thoroughfare, worthy to connect the opulent displays
of Moray-place, with displays scarcely if at all less
rich, which we shall find at its other extremity.
Stuart-street expands at its middle and over half its
length, into a double crescent, called Ainslie-place :
the two arcs of a circle being exactly opposite, and
presenting exquisitely symmetrical fronts. The
south-west end of Stuart-street passes into the
middle of a very deep and spacious crescent, or more
properly a semicircle, called Randolph's crescent,
which require only to have an opposite counterpart
of itself, in order to be a complete counterbalance
to Moray-place. On a line with the chord of Ran-
dolph's crescent, Queensferry-street runs 230 yanls
south-east, to fall there at an obtuse angle upon the
north end of Prince's-street ; and, on the same line,
Lynedoch-place runs north-west toward Dean bridge,
which spans and overlooks the deep and beautiful
ravine of Leith water, and forms the great thorough-
fare with Perth and other places in the north by way
of Queensferry. From the middle of the chord of
Randolph's crescent, to the intersection of Queens-
ferry-street with the head of Prince's-street, is the
side of a square of streets, which lies in the form of
a lozenge, with its angles to the four cardinal points,
and measures about 400 yards on each side. The
streets running north-east and south-west are Mel-
ville-street, the most spacious, — William-street, con-
tinued by Alva-street, — and Coates' crescent, con-
tinued by Maitland-street; and the streets which
intersect these, are Melville-place, continued by
Queensferry-street, Stafford-street, Walker-street,
and Manor-street. This part of the western New
town, though beautiful to a degree which would
challenge prime admiration anywhere but in Edin-
burgh, is markedly inferior to the part first noticed.
Its south-west side, however, creates a thrill of sur-
prise and delight hi the breast of many a tourist,
from its being the grand thoroughfare to Glasgow
arid other places in the west, and the first of the
numerous architectural displays of Edinburgh which
meets many a stranger's observation. This side we
noticed as formed of Coates' crescent and Maitland-
street; but Coates' crescent, like Ainslie-place, is
double, one of the arcs being called Atholl crescent.
The area in each is tastefully adorned with shrub-
bery ; and, in one, has a row of stately trees, which
yields, like the line of edifice to the curve of the
arc. Immediately behind Maitland-street, aiidrun-
ning parallel with it, is Rutland-street, which
•"•
EDINBURGH.
439
the small area of Rutland square. South-west-
rd of the crescents, and on a line with their
>rd, are Atholl-place, and, in continuation of it,
Vest Maitland-street ; and going off from these at
ute angles eastward, are the parallel streets, Tor-
lichen-street and Morrison-street, which connect
le western New town with the suburb of the Old
>wn south-west of the Castle.
The eastern New town, owing partly to the nature
the ground on which much of it stands, but chiefly
the various dates and conflicting plans of its erec-
m, will not be so easy of description as the other
:tions. Along its entire western limit it is strictly
)inpact with the northern and the southern New
>\vns, being divided from the former simply by the
>adway of Scotland-street and Dublin-street, and
from the latter by the roadway of St. Andrew's-
reet. In its extreme north it is very narrow, and
imences at the east end of Canonmills meadow,
'here, on the line of the suburb of Canonmills,
ids Bellevue-crescent, with its face to the north-
>t. This crescent occupies a gently rising ground,
the fine facade and spire of St. Mary's church
n its centre, and is neat and uniform in its architec-
ire ; and possesses altogether an imposing appear-
Claremont-street runs away north-east, op-
site to St. Mary's church, and expands into the
it though not showy figure of Claremont-cres-
it. From the south-east end of Bellevue-crescent,
Jroughton-street — a spacious and pleasingly edificed
thoroughfare, but irregular in its plan and sufficiently
plain in some of its buildings — runs in a direction to
the east of south, till it falls, at an obtuse angle, on
Catherine-street, or the line of Leith-walk. Brough-
ton-street is the grand thoroughfare to Fife, Dundee,
%nd other places in the north, by way of the New-
haven ferry. From its west side go off London-
fctreet, on a line with Great King-street, — Barony-
street, on a line with Northumberland-street, — Al-
bany-street, on a line with Abercromby-place, — and
York-place, on a line with Queen-street, — thus form-
ing a junction or compact union with the northern
and southern New towns. London-street is in a style
of superb elegance akin to the street with which it
communicates ; Albany-street is neat and uniform ;
and York-place is a spacious and pleasing thorough-
fare, not a little adorned by the beautiful turrets and
architectural carvings of St. Paul's episcopal chapel.
From the east side of Broughton-street go off Brough-
ton-place, opposite to the exit of Barony-street, —
"•'orth-street, opposite to the exit of Albany-street, —
Picardy-place, opposite to the exit of York-place,
itween York-place and the line of Prince's-street,
and little streets, and an area tailed a square,
huddled together in a style of grotesque confu-
sion, which — apart from superiority in architecture
• — has no parallel in even the most sinuous nook of
the Old town. What adds to the effect produced —
the feeling of surprise at the utter contrast exhibited
to the spaciousness and regularity of the street ar-
rangements in the other sections of the New town —
is that most of this cluster occupies the rounded and
declivitous brow of the northern longitudinal hill of
Edinburgh. From the middle of Yoi'k-place, a nar-
row street called Elder-street, enters the section we
:ire describing, and after a progress of 170 yards up
the face of an acclivity, terminates with a bend at
the small area of St. James'-square, on the summit
of the hill-brow; and from this area two narrow
streets descend on rapidly inclined planes, — one to
fall at right angles in the south-eastern termination
of Broughton-street, and the other to fall at right
angles on the head of Leith-street, a lew yards east
of the north end of the North Bridge. As St. James'-
square. and the lanes and little streets sloping down
from it were built, not upon a public plan but upon
a private one of the proprietor of the site, they con-
sist of loftier and less ornate houses than other parts
of the New town ; and, owing to their position, they
present to a spectator, at a little distance, the ap-
pearance of successive ridges of building, towering
aloft one above another, like the seats of a theatre.
Though much more akin in character to the Old
town than the New, they possess the property of
impressing a stranger who approaches Edinburgh
from Leith with ideas of the aspiring architecture
and wonderful aspect of the city. — At the south
end of St. Andrew's-street we are again on Prince's-
street, a continuation of which thence to the North
bridge, properly belongs to the eastern New town.
Prince's-street is here built on both sides ; and has
thoroughly — more so, indeed, than any other part of
Edinburgh — an aspect of business. Here are as many
spacious shops, and bustling coach-offices, and noisy
inns, and multiform appliances of stir and traffic, as
can well be crowded into the limited space. So great
is the bustle in the constant arrival or starting of
stage-coaches, in the rush of carriages and cabs and
omnibuses, and in the broad current of pedestrians
pouring over this central point of intercommunica-
tion of streets, that one is forcibly reminded here, at
least — if nowhere else in Edinburgh — of the Trongate
and Argyle-street of Glasgow, — and faintly even of
Cheapside, or Ludgatehill, or Fleet-street of Lon-
don At the north-east angle of the North bridge
stands the Theatre; past the sides of which are paths,
partly by flights of steps, down to the district of the
Old town in the adjoining hollow. Opening out
by a curve from the area before the Theatre is Leith-
street, which goes away north-eastward, descending
a slope, and is continued in the same direction by
Catherine-street, till the latter forms an obtuse angle
with Broughton-street. Leith-street presents a me-
dium appearance of architecture between the Old
town and the New, — more akin, however, to the
former than the latter ; and it has, on its north side,
what is called a terrace, a story of building abutted
or projecting from the line of the upper stories, and
having a pathway along its summit. At the foot of
Leith-street, where it has descended to the hollow,
and where it receives the communication from be-
neath Regent-bridge with Leith- wynd and North
back of Canongate, a narrow street or lane, called
Caltori-hill, goes off and climbs the steep side of
the eminence whence it has its name, till, at an
acute angle, it merges in the path or flight of steps
by which ascent is made to the site of Nelson's
monument. Catherine-street is similar in appear-
ance to Leith-street ; the houses high, and plain in
architecture. At the foot of this street, the tho-
roughfare which it and Leith-street had formed
from Prince's-street, becomes considerably widened
and very spacious, shoots off in a direction a little
more to the east, and henceforth, till it passes into
Leith, at a distance of nearly 2 miles, is as straight,
and, in some respects, not less or even more pic-
turesque than Prince's-street. From the foot of
Catherine-street, as well as farther on, this tho-
roughfare is properly Leith-walk ; but, for a con-
siderable space, it has subordinate names, each of
which, very absurdly, applies to a portion of only
one side. On the north side it is calU-d successively
Union-place, Antigua-street, <uid Jladdington-place ;
on the south side it is called Grecnsidc-street, Green-
side-place, Baxter's-place, and Elm-row; and then,
losing much ot its town character, and becoming a
debatable ground between the metropolis and its
port, is quietly allowed to pass under its proper
name of Leith-walk. O\er all the so-called street
and places which we have mentioned it is ot pleasing,
440
EDINBURGH.
though not superb appearance, and is romantically
overhung by the rapid northern slope of Calton-hill,
covered with verdure, terraced with promenades, and
surmounted by its gorgeous architectural structures,
Elm-row is an elegant line of uniform buildings ;
and opposite to it is the deep recess or open area of
Gayfield square, not unpleasing in its aspect. From
the south-west end of Elm-row a beautiful and spa-
cious line of street, called Leopold-place, opens east-
ward, expands for a while into the tine form of
Hillside-crescent, and stretches away eastward along
the north base of Calton-hill, forming one of two
grand thoroughfares to London and the east coast
of England, by way of Haddington and Berwick-
upon-Tweed. From the north-east end of Elm-
row goes off Montgomery-street, parallel with Leo-
pold-place, to which it sends the cross-communications
of Windsor-street and Brunswick-street. Nearly
opposite the exit of Montgomery-street, Annandale
goes off to the north-west, and bends round into
the beautiful figure of Hope-crescent, facing Leith
walk.
Returning to the area, at the end of North bridge,
or in front of the theatre, we find a magnificent
continuation of Prince's-street, far surpassing it in
the opulent architecture of its edifices, leading off
in a straight line with it, and along a complete
though artificially-formed level, to a point about a
third or a half-way up the ascent of Calton-hill.
This is called Waterloo-place. For about 50 feet it
is lined by ornamental pillars and arches of the Co-
rinthian order, the ledges of Regent-bridge, which
carries it across the gorge at the base of Calton-hill ;
and, in general, it consists of superbly-finished
houses of four stories, which, toward Prince's-street,
have a pediment and pillars above the lower story.
On the north side of Waterloo-place, is a large tene-
ment, built at an expense of £30,000, and long
used as a hotel; and on its south side are the Stamp-
office and the General Post-office ; and though these
edifices are in the best style of Grecian architecture,
they no more than symbolize with the other struc-
tures of the street. At nearly 300 yards distance
from Prince's-street, Waterloo-place runs against a
shoulder or projection on the side of Calton-hill, and
debouches to the south-east. At the point of con-
tact with tha bulky obstacle, it sends up, from its
north side, an airy flight of steps, by which the level
of the far-seeing promenades of Calton-hill, and the
esplanade of the paths which lead up to its summit,
are attained. While Waterloo-place, or rather the
spacious road- way, called London-road, in continua-
tion of it, is making its debouch, it is winged on its
south side by the gaol and bridewell, — of very pic-
turesque appearance, and romantically seated on a
cliff, which overhangs part of the Old town. Lon-
don-road again and a third time debouches, running
along the side of Calton-hill, and forming an esplan-
ade or shelf in its declivity; and after passing the
Royal High school on the north, and a cluster of
monuments or small ornamented cemetery on the
south, slopes gently away to the north-east, becomes
lined with elegant buildings, under the name of Nor-
ton-place, forms a junction about 230 yards from the
eastern base of Calton-hill, with the great thorough-
fare to London, leading off in Leopold-place from
Leith-walk, and thence stretches away round the
northern base of Arthur's Seat, to Pierhill barracks
and Portobello. Just after/ passing the Royal High
school, London-road sends off at an acute angle on
its northern side, a communication round the eastern
j'ace of Calton-hill, with the upper parts of Leith-
walk. This, like the road itself, is an esplanade or
hhelf on the face of the hill, and is lined on the
higher side with a row of superb and uniform houses,
which command much of the brilliant prospect seen
from the more elevated promenades, and which, un-
der the names of Regent-terrace, Calton-place, and
Royal-terrace, sweep round the hill, over a distance
of about 1,000 yards, describing the figure of the
orbit of a comet when approaching and leaving its
perihelion. At its west end, Royal-terrace sends
down a communication with Leopold-place ; and at
the point of their junction another terrace, called
Greenside-row, of neat appearance, but much inferior
to the others, goes off at right angles, to run parallt
with Leith-walk, and eventually send down a
munication bendingly to Catherine-street.
The topographical description which we have no>
completed of the street arrangements of Edinburg"
though succinct, and probably in itself somewl
confusing, will be very distinctly understood, eve
by a total stranger to the city, by means of the
or topographical plan inserted in the present work;
and it will prevent an idle waste of words in necess
rily vague attempts to convey ideas of the gener
groupings of Edinburgh, and will also save time,
aid distinctness of conception in indicating the [
tion of remarkable objects. Let us next, then,
tempt a rapid exhibition of public buildings, civil
charitable, educational, ecclesiastical, and defum
To promote uniqueness of view, we shall, as much
possible, classify edifices, arranging churches, educ
tional structures, charity-houses, bridges, and extiiu
buildings respectively into sections ; and we begu
with a somewhat miscellaneous but very large class,
including whatever buildings may, in either a large
or a limited and private sense, be termed political
and civil.
Civil Edifices.
The abbey and palace of Holyrood will be
scribed in a separate article : see HOLYROOD. — j
short way up the Canongate is Queensberry-hous
a large plain building, erected by William, 1st Dtil
of Queensberry. It was inhabited by him, by tht
2d and the 3d Dukes, and by the Duchess of the 3d,
daughter of Lord Clarendon, and cousin of Queen
Mary and Queen Anne. It is now the property of
Government Nearly opposite to it, within a gate
at the head of a close or alley, is Whitefoord-house
. — a large modern mansion, built by Sir John White-
foord, and afterwards inhabited by Dugald Stewart.
About half-way up the Canongate, on the north
side, is the Canongate-tolbooth, — a dark, plain, an-
tique building, surmounted by a small spire, and now
used as a prison for debtors. Fixed to the wall, at
the south-east corner, is the Canongate cross Far-
ther up, on the south side of the street, is the con-
spicuous mansion of Moray-house, the property of
the Earls of Moray, built, most probably, after the
union of the Crowns. In front is a massive stone-
balcony, communicating with one of the apartments
and overlooking the street ; and in the rear is a ter
race-garden, in which grows a thorn-tree said to hav
been planted by Queen Mary A little below Mo-
ray-house is an antique building, said to have beer
a town-residence of the Dukes of Gordon.
On the north side of High-street is the Royal ex-
change, commenced in 1753, and finished in 17(51 at
an expense of .£31,457. It is a large and elegant
square, with a court in the centre. The south side,
or that fronting the street, consists of a light colon-
nade, about 25 feet high, with a platform on the top
adorned with pilasters and vases. All the arches
under the colonnade, except the central one, are
built up and constructed into shops. From the
end of the colonnade, two wings extend northward
131 feet till they touch the inner front, or 182 fe<-
till they reach the rear of the entire edifice. Tl
EDINBURGH.
441
north side of the square extends 111 feet over wall,
and is 51 feet broad. Pillars and arches, supporting
a platform, run along its front, and form a piazza. In
the centre, four Corinthian pillars, whose bases rest
upon the platform, support a pediment on which are
engraved the armorial-bearings of the city. The
building contains the magistrates' court-room, the
apartments of the town-council, and various offices
connected with the city, and is ascended to its upper
lioors by a hanging stair, the well of which is 20 feet
square, and 60 feet deep. The court in the centre,
including the piazza, is 96 feet south and north, and
86 feet east and west. The building is, in its south
front, 60 feet high ; but it stands on the slope of the
hill, and in its rear is 100 feet high.
Nearly opposite to the Royal exchange is Parlia-
ment-square, entered by openings at both ends of St.
Giles' cathedral, and having that ancient edifice as its
northern side. The square is a small area, built en-
tirely round on three sides by public edifices, consist-
ing of the Exchequer, Sir William Forbes and Co.'s
bfink, the Justiciary court, the Court of session, the
Parliament house, and the Libraries of the faculty of
advocates, and the writers to the signet. The public
buildings of the three sides are large, and very ele-
gant, supported by piazzas. Those on the east and
south-east occupy the site of old and lofty houses
which were destroyed by a great fire, of three days'
continuance, in 1824. The court-room of the Court
of exchequer, contained in one of them, is on the
second story, lighted partly from the roof, and of
very moderate dimensions.
The Parliament house, built on the south and west
in the form of the letter L, was begun in 1631, and
completed in 1640, at an expense of £1 1,000. But
its present front — consisting of an arcade below, and
open galleries above, with pillars supporting a con-
tinuous cornice — was erected in 1808. The building
is 133 feet long ; and, at its narrowest part, 60 feet
broad, at the widest part, 98 feet; and it occupies
so singular a site, that, though 60 feet high in the
rear, it is only 40 feet high along both its northern
and its eastern front. The large hall, formerly oc-
cupied by the parliament of Scotland, and now known
as the outer house of the court of session, is entered
by a plain door-way and dark lobby at the angle of
the building, or north-west angle of the square. This
hall is one of the noblest apartments in the United
Kingdom ; and extends 122 feet in length, and 49 in
breadth. It has a beautiful oaken floor and roof, — the
latter arched, supported by abutments, and construct-
ed in the same style of open wood-work as the roof
of Westminster hall, with gilded knobs. The hall,
besides 4 windows on its west side, has, on its south
end, a large and beautiful window of stained glass,
on which is depicted a female figure of Justice, with
her s \vord and balance, amid radiated clouds. In va-
rious parts of the hall, and of the rooms connected
with it, are fine specimens of statuary, — one, by
Roubilliac, of Lord-president Forbes, in his judicial
n>'<( s, — another by Chauntrey, of the first Lord Mel-
ville,—and one, also by Chauntrey, of Lord-presi-
dent Blair. The hall was formerly adorned by full-
h'livrth portraits of some of the sovereigns of Britain ;
and, on occasion of George IV. 's visit to Edinburgh,
\v;is the scene of the banquet given to him by the
< Corporation. In the days of the Scottish parliament,
li'ere stood, at the south end, beneath the great
\viado\\-, a high throne for the sovereign; along the
Mdfs were .-vats for the bishops and nobility; before
these, were forms tor the representatives of counties
and burghs ; in the middle, was u long table for the
ux- of the Lord-clerk-register and his assistants,
mid having spread out, on its upper end, " the hon-
ours," or regalia; at the foot of the tai-le, u;i- the
bar of the house ; behind a wooden partition, farther
north, was a pulpit, whence sermons were preached
to parliament * and at the north end was a small
gallery for the accommodation of strangers. All
these appliances of the quondam parliament, how-
ever, were long since swept away, leaving the hall
nearly a quite unoccupied area, and a magnificent
promenade. During sessions, it is a daily resort of
most gentlemen of the legal professions, and a fre-
quent resort of many persons of all classes ; and ex-
hibits a scene of such bustle and apparent confusion
as is bewildering to a stranger. On the east side of
the hall, north and south of the entrance, are reces-
ses, with benches and a small projecting and enclosed
area, for the courts of the lords ordinary. Beneath the
great window are curtained entrances to two neat
small rooms, for the same courts, in the disposal of
a particular class of cases. Leading off from the hall,
on its east and west sides, are the court-rooms of the
first and the second division of the court of session.
These were fitted up respectively in 1808 and 1818,
and are of such inadequate dimensions as frequently
to be found annoyingly incommodious.
Projecting westward from Parliament house to-
wards George IV.'s bridge, and presenting a front
toward the spacious thoroughfare along that bridge
across the Cowgate, is the Advocates' library. The
apartments are chiefly two noble and very elegant
rooms, on different floors. The upper room has a
carved and gilded roof ; and is adorned with a bust
of Baron Hume of the exchequer, and with original
portraits of Archbishop Spottiswood, Lord-high-
chancellor of Scotland, Lord-president Forbes, Lord-
president Lockhart, and several other judges of the
supreme court. But a large portion of the books is
deposited in rooms beneath Parliament house, si-
tuated at its south end, and accessible by flights of
steps from a door at the north-west angle of the
square. The library was founded, in 1682, by Sir
George MacKenzie, dean of faculty ; and, by seve-
ral large accessions and a constant accumulation,
has become the largest and most valuable in Scot-
land. The number of printed volumes is 150,000;
and of manuscripts, 1,700. The volumes, in the
department of Scottish poetry alone, are nearly
400 ; and are extremely rare and curious. Among
the manuscripts, are those of Wodrow the historian,
and many of considerable value in the civil and ec-
clesiastical history of Scotland. The library is one
of five which receive from Stationer's hall a copy
of every new work published in Great Britain or
Ireland ; and it excels most, and is equalled by few,
of the public institutions of the country, in the
liberality of the principles on which it is conducted.
Any person who is even slightly known is allowed
to read and write in the apartments ; and even a
stranger is admitted, without any introduction, to
survey the literary stores, and examine numerous
articles of vertu. Members are allowed to possess
or carry away, 25 volumes at one time, and to lend
any or all of that number to friends. The funds are
derived chiefly from fees paid by each advocate on
his becoming a member of the faculty ; and they ad-
mit of about £1,000 a-year being disbursed in the
purchase of rare or useful works. The library is
under the charge of five curators, a librarian, and
three assistants. The office of principal librarian has
been filled by men of distinguished literary character,
— Thomas Ruddiman, David Hume, Adam Fergu-
son, and David Irving, LL.D.
The Signet library adjoins Parliament house on the
north, and stretches westward, presenting architec-
tural fronts to Parliament-square and Lawn-market.
It is of Grecian architecture, and possesses two Jpu-
cious and handsome apartments on different stories.
442
EDINBURGH.
The upper room — acquired a few years ago from the
faculty of advocates — is probably the most elegant
apartment of its size in Scotland, and of very beauti-
ful proportions. It has on each side a range of 12
Corinthian pillars, and in the centre a dome or cu-
pola. On the dome are painted the nine muses, and
groups of historians, philosophers, and poets. The
roof also is exquisitely ornamented ; and galleries
are carried along the two sides of the hall. The
room is 132 feet long and 39 broad ; and is accessible
by a grand staircase, adorned, in its progress and
round the walls of its landing-place, with some
splendid portraits and busts. This splendid apart-
ment was used as a sort of drawing-room by George
IV., on the day of the banquet in Parliament-house.
The library contains about 60,000 volumes. It is
peculiarly rich in British and Irish history ; and is
under the charge of a body of curators, and con-
ducted on principles of liberality akin to those which
distinguish the management of the Advocates' lib-
rary. The funds are drawn solely from the contri-
butions of the writers to the Queen's signet.
The County-hall stands at the western termina-
tion, or north-west angle of the signet library, and
presents fronts to George IV.'s bridge, to Lawn-
market, and to St. Giles' church, or the western in-
gress to Parliament-square. The last of these is the
principal ; and possesses no common beauty. An
elegant portico, consisting of four fluted columns,
with finely carved capitals, overshadows a flight of
steps leading up to the main entrance, which is
modelled after the Choragie monument of Thrasyl-
lus. The whole edifice, as to its general plan and
its style of ornament, is an imitation of the temple
of Erectheus at Athens. This handsome structure
was designed by Archibald Eliott, Esq., and erected
in 1817. The court-room has a gallery at the south
end, and is neatly fitted up : and measures 43£ feet
in length, 29 in width, and 26 in height. The room
in which the county-meetings are held is in the north
end of the edifice, and very elegant, — measuring 50
feet in length, 26^ in width, and 26 in height. There
are apartments also for the sheriff's court, and for
various functionaries employed in the business of the
county.
On the north side of High-street, westward of
the Royal exchange, down a steep and filthy alley
called Blyth's-close, are the reputed palace and ora-
tory of Mary of Guise, queen of James V. The
tenement pointed out .as her residence is now, as
well as the oratory, partitioned off into small apart-
ments, and converted into the abode of squalidness
and penury; and, even in the days when the now
nauseous Cowgate was the sept of the elite of Edin-
burgh, must have been a strange dwelling for the
mother of the beautiful Mary, and an emigrant from
the gay and gorgeous royal palaces of France. Over
the door is the inscription, " Laus et Honor Deo,"
with the cipher of the queen At the top of the
High-street is the old city-reservoir; remarkable
for its supply of excellent water for the city being
brought from the Pentland hills.
On the summit or precipitous extremity of the
central hill of Edinburgh stands the Castle, covering
an area of about six English acres. The rock which
it surmounts is precipitous on the northern, western,
and southern sides ; in some places is almost perpen-
dicular; and, at its highest part, rises nearly 300
feet above the vale below, and 383 feet above the
level of the sea. On its western side it sends off a
glacis or esplanade, 350 feet by 300, called the Cas-
tle-hill, which communicates with the upper end of
Castle-street or High-street, commands all the rich
landscape round Edinburgh, except toward the west,
and is used both as a parade-ground for the military
and promenade for the citizens. On the western
verge of the esplanade is advanced the outer palli
sadoed barrier of the fort. Behind this are a dr)
ditch and a drawbridge, flanked by low batteries
Within these the road wends past a guard-house,
and passes under an arched gateway, secured bj
strong gates, and bearing aloft an edifice which i<
used as a state-prison. On the right, after passing
the gateway, is the Argyle battery, mounted witf
10 guns of 12 and 18 pounders, which are pointed
toward the New town, and from which, in general,
the salutes are fired. The road thence leads past
the arsenal, which is capable of containing 30,000
stands of arms, and exhibits a display of trophies and
military stores curiously arranged, and highly attrac-
tive to a stranger who has looked little on the muni,
ments of war, — the houses of the governor and other
functionaries, which are of plain appearance, — and a
huge pile of buildings, called the New barracks, built
in 1796, three stories in front but four in the rear,
resting there upon piazzas, and so grossly disfiguring
the outline of the Castle as to appear, even at a con-
siderable distance, like a large factory sitting on the
brink of a precipice. The road sweeps past these
buildings in a curve, and during its progress is climb-
ing an ascent; and it now, through a second strong
gateway, enters the inner and higher vallum of the fort.
Within are the ancient erections of the Castle, and
nearly all its most interesting objects. On the south
side is a lofty pile of buildings with a court in the
centre. The south-east portion of this pile was
partly built in 1565 by Queen Mary as a palace, and
contains, on the ground-floor, a small apartment —
now part of the canteen or tayern of the Castle,
quite accessible to any visiter — in which she was
livered of James VI. In the same buildings is the
crown-room, in which the regalia of Scotland are
exposed three hours a-day to the view of visiters
who have been furnished at the Royal exchange with
gratuitous tickets of admission. The regalia were
lodged here on the 26th of March, 1707, immediately
after the act of Union, and were long supposed to
have been secretly conveyed to London; but, on
the 5th of February, 1818, were discovered by com-
missioners appointed by the prince-regent, carefully
and even elaborately secured in a large oaken chest.
They consist of the crown, the sceptre, the sword
of state, and the lord-treasurer's rod of office; and
are placed on a table, surrounded from ceiling to
floor with a barred cage, and made visible by "the
dim religious light" of four lumps. In the crown
room are also a ruby ring, set round with diamonds,
worn by Charles I., — at his Scottish coronation, —
the golden collar of the order of the Garter, sent by
Elizabeth to James VI., — and the badge of the order
of the Thistle, set with diamonds, and bequeathed
by Cardinal York to George IV.*— On the east side
of the Castle, immediately north of the square court,
is the half-moon battery, mounted with 14 gui;s,
overlooking the Old town, and entirely commanding
the access along Castle-street and the Castle-hill.
On this battery are a flag-staff, behind which Georv;e
IV. surveyed the city; and a very deep draw- well,
the water of which fails when the guns are fired.
Farther to the north, and overlooking the Argyle
battery, is the bomb-battery, the highest point ot
the rock, whence a magnificent view is obtained of
the gorgeous and far-spreading panorama hung out
on all sides toward the distant horizon. On the
bomb-battery was placed in March, 1829, the celt
brated piece of ordnance called Mons Meg, of 2
inches in the bore, — composed of long pieces of beat
iron which are held together by a close series ot
iron hoops, — employed in 1497 by James IV., at tLe
* See Kote to article
EDINBURGH.
443
siege of Norham castle on the English border, — rent,
in 1682, when firing a salute to James, duke of
York, — and bearing on both sides of its elegant
frame an inscription which supposes it to have been
forged in 1486 at Mons. Behind the bomb-battery
stunds a small chapel of recent erection on the site
of a very old one which it supplanted — The Castle,
except on the eastern side, is exceedingly ill-adapted
for the purposes of a fort, and presents an outline
either of high houses or walls or points of rock hav-
ing little capacity for gunnery ; the fortifications cor-
res ponding with none of the rules of art, but accom-
modating their form and their uses to the irregular
sweep of the rock on which they stand. The gar-
rison has a non-resident governor, a deputy-governor,
a fort-major, a store-keeper, a master-gunner, and
two chaplains, the one presbyterian, and the other
episcopalian. The historical events of the Castle
are so intimately blended with those of the town,
that they must be woven into one tissue with them
in the concluding section of this article.*
* There is one historical event, of too romantic a nature not
to be deeply interesting, yet too full of incident to be after-
ward- interwoven with our necessarily condensed narrative,
which we may here introduce. In 121)6, during the contest for
the Crown between Bruce and Balinl, it was besieged and taken
by 'he English. It still remained in their possession in 1313, at
which time it was strongly garrisoned and commanded by Piers
Leiand, a Lombard. This governor having fallen under the
suspicion of the garrison, was thrown into a dungeon, and an-
other appointed to the command, in who-e fidelity they had
complete confidence. It has frequently been remarked that in
capturing fortresses, those attacks aie generally most success,
fill which are made upon points where the attempt appears the
most desperate. Such was the case in the example now to be
Dunated. Randolph. Earl of Moray, was i.ne day surveying
the gigantic rock, and probably contemplating the possibility of
a successful assault upon the fortress, when "he was accosted
by une »f his men-at-arms with the question, * Do you think it
impracticable, my lord P1 Randolph turned his eyes upon the
quer.st, a man a little past the prime of life, but of a firm, well-
knit figure, and bearing in his bright eye, and bold and open
brow, indications of an intrepidity which had already made
him remarkable in the Scottish army. ' Do you mean the
n.ck. Francis ?'t said the earl; 'perhaps not, if we could
borrow the wings of our gallant hawks.1 'There are wings,1
rephrd Francis, with a thoughtful smile, 'as strong, as buoy-
ant, and as daring. My father was keeper of yonder fortress.1
' \V i.t of that? you speak in riddles.1 • I was then young,
-, high-hearted; I was mewed up in that convent-like
castle; my mistress was in the plain below — ' 'Well, what
then?' ' 'S.ieath, my lord! can you not imag ne that I speak
of die wings of love ? Every night I descended that steep at
the witching hour, and every morning before the dawn 1 crept
back to my barracks. I constructed a light twelve-foot ladder,
by means of which I was able to pass the places that are per-
pei'dicnlar ; and so well, at length, did I become acquainted
w:th ttie route, that in the darkest and stormiest night, I found
niv \\ay as i-a-ily as when the moonlight enabled me to see my
loi'e in the distance, waiting for me at her cottage door."
' Y"ii are a daring, desperate, noble fellow, Francis! How-
en r, your motive is now gone; your mistress — ' 'She is
dead : "say no more; but another has taken her place.' • Ay,
ay, ii is the soldiei 's way. Woman will die, or even grow old ,
an i what are we to do ? Come, who is your mistress now '('
' My Country. What 1 have done for love, I can do agiun for
honour; and what lean accomplish, you, noble Randolph, and
many of our comrades, can do for better. Give me thirty
picked men, and a twelve-foot ladd-r, and the fortress is our
own !' The Earl of Moray, whatever his real thoughts of the
enterprise might have been, was not the man to refuse such a
challenge. A ladder was provided, and thirty men chosen from
the troops; and in the middle of a dark night, the party, com-
nanded by Randolph himself, and guided by Wil!iatn Francis,
>et forth on their desperate enterprise. By catching at frag
itter crag, and digging their finger- into the interstices of the
i.-y succeeded in mounting a considerable way: but
!!•• weather was now so thick, they could receive but little
Siistance from their eyes ; . nd thus they continued to climb,
dmost in utter darkness, like men struggling up a precip ce in
"" nightmare. They at length reached a shelving table of the
• iff, a< ove which the ascent, for ten or twelve feet, was per-
•endicular; and having fixed their ladder, the whole party lay
own to recover hre.ith. From thi^ place they could he.ir the
read ami voices of the ' check- watches ' or patrol above; and
urrciiinded by the perils of such a moment, it is not wonderful
i'. 't some illusions may have mingled with their thoughts,
'liey even imagined that they were seen from the battlements;
itliongli, beiiii: themselves unable to see the warders, this was
t The soldier's name was William Frank. Mr. Leitch Rit-
Ine here u-es the novelist's licence in dealing with the name,
cd in thr;;-.v nc the sii.ry into the form of a dialogue, bat the
vent* are lailtilul y num. led.
Facing Bank-street, and looking up the slope of
that short street to High-street, but presenting a
bark front to the New town, and situated a few
paces eastward of the southern end of the Mound,
is the office of the Bank of Scotland. This is an
edifice of high architectural merit, elegantly orna-
mented in its front and surmounted by a dome ; and
was erected at an expense of £75,000. From the
area before it romantic and distinctive views are ob-
tained of the groupings of the New town and Calton-
hill, with the brilliant scenery which forms the back-
ground. The building itself is a marked and beauti-
ful feature of the picturesque and extraordinary city-
view of the north side of the Old town The Gen-
eral Register house of Scotland, situated at the east
end of Prince's-street, and looking down the tho-
roughfare of North bridge, is one of the most splen-
did edifices of Edinburgh. It was founded in 1774,
and aided in the erection by a grant of £12,000 from
George III., out of the proceeds of forfeited estates;
but, at first, was completed in only half its present
extent, and did not attain the complement of its
original plan till 1822. It was constructed from a
master-design of the celebrated Robert Adams ; and
combines the utmost internal commodiousness with
interior architectural beauty in the best taste of the
simple Grecian style. The building stands 40 feet
back from the line of Prince's-street, and is screened
by an enclosing parapet and ornamental iron-railing,
divided in the middle by a double flight of steps.
The front is of smooth ashlar work, 200 feet long,
and two stories of visible height, besides a sunk floor ;
and it is ornamented from end to end with a beautiful
Corinthian entablature, and, in the middle, has a pro-
jection of three windows in breadth, where four Co-
rinthian pillars support a pediment, in the centre of
which are sculptured the armorial bearings of Britain.
The entire building is square — 200 feet on each side
— with a small quadrangular court in the centre.
This court is surmounted or canopied by a dome, 50
feet in diameter, which leaves just sufficient space at
the four angles for the ingress of light to the inner front
of the outer side of the edifice. Each corner is sur-
mounted by a turret, projecting a little from the rest
of the building, having clock-dials on the exterior
sides, and a cupola and vane on the top. The in-
terior of the edifice is partly arranged into nearly 100
small arched apartments, on both floors, leading off
from long corridors. There are also small rooms for
the use of functionaries connected with the supreme
courts, and larger apartments for the stowage of re-
highly improbable. It became evident, notwithstanding, fiom
the words they caught here and there, in the pauses of the
night-wind, that the conversation of the English soldiers abov«
related to a surprise of the castle ; and at length, these appal-
ling words broke like thunder on their ears; 'Stand! 1 ceo
you well!' A fragment of the rock was hurled down at thu
same instant; and, as rushing from crag to crag, it bounded
over their heads, K ndolph anil his brave follow ers, in this will,
helpless, and extraordi ary situation, felt the damp of mortal
terror gathering upon their brow, as (hey clung, with a death-
grip, to the precipice. The startled echoes of the rock were at
length silent, and -o were the voices above. Tne adventurers
paused, listening breathless ; no sound was heard but the sigh-
ing of the wind, and the measured tread of the sentinel, \v ho
had resumed his walk The men thought they were in a dream,
and no wonder ; for the incident just mentioned— » Inch is ie-
lated by Barbour — was one of the most singular coinc. deuces
that ever occurred. The shout ot the sentinel, and the missile
he had thrown, were merely a boyish freak ; and while listen-
ing to the echoes of the rock, he had not (he smallest idea ttiat
the sounds which gave pleasure to him, canied terror, and
almost despair, into the hearts of the enemy. The adventureis,
halt uncertain whether they were not the victims of some illu-
bion, determined that it was as sate to go on as to turn back ;
and pursuing their laborious and dangerous path, they at lengtii
reached the bottom of the nail. This last turner tuey scaled
by means of their ladder, and leaping down among the aston-
ished check-watches, they cried their war-cry, and in the midst
nf answering shouts of 'treason! treason'' notwithstanding
the de-pernte resistance of the garrison, captured the Ca-t.i- »!
Edinburgh." [ I leath'b Picturesque Annual. Scott and Scot*
land, pp. 174—7. J
444
EDINBURGH.
gisters. The great room, or library, where are de-
posited the older records, is in the centre of the
building, lined with books over all its walls, and bal-
conied all round, at mid-elevation, with a railed gal-
lery. This salloon is 50 feet in diameter and 80 feet
hig'h, lighted from the top by a window of 15 feet
diameter; and its roof is divided into compartments
elegantly ornamented with stucco-work. From the
salloon, communications lead off into 23 subordinate
apartments, all occupied in the conservation of docu-
ments. The whole establishment is under the im-
mediate management of the depute-clerk register,
and is supported by government, — at whose expense
the sumptuous and costly edifice was completed.
Opposite the Register-house, and presenting a side
front, at a few feet distance, to the North bridge,
is the Theatre royal. It is the plainest public build-
ing in Edinburgh, of a barn-like appearance, with a
front just sufficiently ornamented to indicate that the
designer had seen in his boyhood or imagined in his
dreams something more elegant than a dead wall per-
forated with doors ; and, though well-situated for
subserviency, to its intrinsic objects, it obstructs the
view of the magnificent Register house from the south,
and is a blot upon the most important and crowded
thoroughfare of the metropolis. The building was
finished in 1769, at an expense — including the para-
phernalia of histrionism — of about .£5,000. The
house is small, and does not bring more of average
receipts than .£60 or .£65 a-night; but it appears
quite large enough for the accommodation of the play-
goers of Edinburgh On the south side of George-
street are the Assembly-rooms. The front is plain
and unpretending, relieved only by four Doric columns
as an apology for a portico. The principal room is 92
feet long, 42 wide, and 40 high ; and, besides being
appropriated to balls and concerts, is often used for
public meetings, political, civic, charitable, and re-
ligious.
In St. Andrew's-street, where it forms the east
side of St. Andrew's-square, is the elegantly edificed
office of the Royal bank. The building stands apart
from the neighbouring erections, and occupies a con-
siderable recess from the street-line ; and it was
originally the private mansion of Sir Laurence Dun-
das On the east side of Drummond place, present-
ing fronts to Great King-street and London-street,
is the Excise-office. It is a handsome, though unor-
namented edifice ; and was at one time the mansion
of General Scott In Waterloo-place, on the south
side, stand the Stamp-office and the general Post-
office, — the former the central building to the west
of Regent-bridge, and the latter the first building
to the east. But though the Post-office has a spa-
cious open porch, and both are splendid Grecian
edifices four stories high, they are distinguishable from
the contiguous erections mainly, if not solely, by the
sculpture, in relief, of the kiwg's arms on their sum-
mit. The light open colonnades along both sides of
the street, and the general magnificence and fine
proportions of all the buildings, combined with the
overshadowing heights and erections of Calton-hill,
surprise and delight every visiter from England or
the European continent, and drew from George IV.,
as he slowly rode, amid his triumphal procession,
within range of the view, the impassioned exclama-
tion, " How superb!"
At the east end of Waterloo-place, on the south
side, is the Town and County jail, founded in 1815,
and finished in 1817. It is an extensive building, in
the Saxon style of architecture, somewhat castel-
lated. The front, on the line of street, presents to
the observer on the road- way simply a high wall with
a massive gateway. But seen from many points of
view in the Old town, and especially from the sum-
mit, immediately before it, of Culton-hill, it has a
multiform and architecturally — though certainly not
in moral association — a very interesting aspect.
Along the street-line are apartments for the turn-
keys. Behind these, with an area intervening, is the
jail itself, 194 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 4 stories high,
with rows of small grated windows. In the centre
is a chapel with windows larger and not grated.
Along the interior run corridors, opening into 48
cells, 8 feet by 6, besides some other apartments of
larger dimensions. From the lower flat behind, a
number of small airing grounds, separated by high
walls, radiate to a point, where they are all over-
looked and commanded by a small octangular watch-
house occupied by a deputy-governor. Farther back,
and perched on the edge of a precipice which over-
hangs the Old town, is the castellated house of the
governor, having in its front a small area of flower-
plots. The jail has classified wards, is clean and
well-managed, and possesses facilities for the prac-
tice of approved prison-discipline; but it is seriously
damaged in some of its capacities by being a jail for
both criminals and debtors, and wants commodious-
ness for the due lodgment of both. — Immediately on
the east side of the jail, separated from it by a high
spiked wall, stands Bridewell. In front of it, shielded
by a high wall and ponderous gate on the street-line,
is a neat house for the governor. Bridewell itself is
of a semicircular form, and has five floors, the high-
est of which is distributed into store-rooms and an
hospital. All round on each floor, at the middle of
the breadth, is a corridor, with cells on each side,
lighted respectively from the interior and the exte-
rior of the curvature. Those on the inner side are
chiefly used as workshops, and can all be surveyed
from a dark apartment in the governor's house,
without the observer being himself observable. On
the low floor is a tread-mill, originally constructed
for the manufacture of corks, but now mounted and
moved only in cure of idleness, or punishment of
special delinquency. The area within the circle is
a small court glazed over head. The house is under
excellent regulations, and is made, as much as pos..
sible, the scene rather of the reclamation and the
comfortable industry of its unhappy inmates, than of
the punishment of their offences — On a flat exposed
piece of ground, on the summit of Calton-hill, north
of the National monument, stands the New obser-
vatory. It has the form of a St. George's cross, 02
feet long each way. On each of the four ends or
terminating points, are six columns supporting hand-
some pediments. The centre is surmounted by a
dome, 13 feet in diameter ; and has a pillar rising up
to the dome, 19 feet high, for the astronomica
circle. Near it, on the north-west shoulder of Cal-
ton-hill, is the Old observatory, a plain, dingy build-
ing, three stories high.
The South bridge consists of 21 arches, and was
founded in 1785, and opened in 1788. To the eye
of a stranger, its existence is not readily obvious.
Except at the central arch which spans the Cowgate,
and where there are simple ledges, nothing is seen
upon it but two lines of neat buildings and spacious
shops, forming a level, a bustling, and in all respects,
an ordinary-looking street. Three lanes were pulled
down in order to make way for its erection ; and
when a trench was dug for the foundation of the
central pier, at a depth of no less than 22 feet, there
were found many coins of Edward I., II., and 111.—
The North bridge was founded in 1763, commenced
in 1767, interrupted by the giving way of the vaults
and side- walls at the south end in 1 769, and com-
pleted in 1 772, at an expense of about .£18,000. It con-
sists of three great arches, two small openside arches,
and a series of small arches at each end which are
EDINBURGH.
445
occupied as vaults. The width of each of the great
arches is 72 feet ; the breadth or thickness of each
of the piers is 13£ feet; the width of each of the
open small arches is 20 feet; the length of the whole
open part of the bridge is 310 feet; the length of the
entire bridge, from High-street to Prince's-street, is
1 , 1 2.5 feet ; the height of the bridge, from the top
of the parapet to the base of the great arches, is G8
feet ; the breadth, within wall, is, over the open
arches, 40 feet, and at each end, 50 feet. Along the
south end are very strong buttresses and counterforts,
supporting rows of lofty building which run up on
both sides to the High-street, and conceal that part
of the bridge entirely from view, giving it the ap-
pearance of a regular street. On the north end
there is a counterfort only on the east side ; but on
the west side a line of building is carried up from the
level of the bridge's foundation, having in the rear
about double of the height which it presents on the
street-line in its front. — George IV.'s bridge, which
goes off at right angles from the Lawn-market oppo-
site Bank-street, and stretches across the Cowgate
to a point near the south end of Candlemaker's-row,
was projected in 1825; and after being begun, and
for some time left in an unfinished state through a
failure of funds, was completed in 1836. It is, in
all respects, a splendid erection, and has three open
double arches over the Cowgate, besides seven con-
cealed arches at the ends. Part of the line is edi-
ficed with houses and public buildings, and wears
the appearance of a street — The King's bridge, con-
stituting the principal feature of the New Western
approach, was projected and completed about the
same time as George IV.'s bridge. It spans the
hollow ground on the south side of the Castle-rock in
a single arch, and has long approaches along the face
of the Castlebank to the Lawn-market on one end,
and on to a point near Port-Hopetoun on the other.
—Regent-bridge, in Waterloo-place, was founded in
1815, and completed in 1819. It has one open arch
over the Low-Calton, 50 feet in width, and about the
same measurement in height. The ledges over this
arch, or in the space where the bridge has not strictly
a street-appearance, are surmounted by Corinthian
ornamental pillars and arches. — The Dean bridge,
over the water of Leith near Randolph crescent, was
completed in 1832. It is a stupendous and brilliant
structure, carried across a ravine, and consists of four
arches, each 96 feet wide. The bridge is 447 feet
lonjr, and between the parapets, 39 feet broad. The
road-way is higher than that of almost any other
bridge in Scotland, passing at 106 feet above the bed
of the stream. — The Earthen-mound stretching across
the site of the quondam North loch from the end of
Hanover-street in Prince's-street, to a point west of
the end of Bank-street, though not a bridge, is a
iuccedaneum for one, and may be allowed a place
in description where there ought to have been a
bridge to be described. The existence of this elon-
gated hill, — this clumsy and enormous and unre-
mo veal ile apology for a bridge, — this practical satire
upon the unique beauty of Edinburgh, which stretches
its dark length from the Old town to the New, in
seeming derision of the picturesqueness of the one,
and the brilliance of the other, — has been justly de-
plored by almost every topographical writer on the
metropolis. Huge as the mans is, it originated in a
very trivial and almost accidental operation. When
thy site of the North loch was in a marshy state, a
shopkeeper in the high part of the Old town, who
was frequently led from business or curiosity to visit
the scene of the building-movements in commence-
ment of the new, accommodated himself with ' steps'
across the marsh; and he was followed, in the con-
struction of the convenient path, by other persons
similarly situated to himself, who contributed their
quota of stone, wood, or plank, to fill up, widen,
and heighten what, in rude compliment to the
founder of the rude thoroughfare, was called ' Geor-
die Boyd's brig.' An apparently advantageous use
of earthy or rubbishy deposits having thus been dis-
covered, formal permission was eventually given by
the magistrates to lay down, for the elevation and
increase of the incipient Mound, the contents of the
extensive excavations for the sunk floors of the New
town buildings. From 1781 till 1830, augmentations
to its breadth and height were continually or occa-
sionally made. But at that date the Mound became
levelled and Macadamized, sown with grass on the
sides, and, in various ways, embellished in adaptation
to its capacities, so as to assume an appearance of
being at length completed. It is upwards of 800
feet in length ; on the north, upwards of 60 feet in
height ; and on the south about 100. Its breadth
is proportionally much greater than its height, aver-
aging probably 300 feet. It is computed to contain
upwards of 2,000,000 of cart-loads; and, on the
very moderate supposition that each load, if paid for,
was 6d. in value, it must have cost the enormous
sum of £50,000.
In the centre of Parliament square is an equestrian
statue of Charles II., erected in 1685, at the cost
of £ 1,000, which, in vigour of design and general
effect, surpasses any other specimen of bronze sta-
tuary in the metropolis. — On the north side of the
Castle-hill, or esplanade of the Castle, is a splendid
bronze statue of the Duke of York, placed on a
pedestal, and erected in 1839 Looking up St. Da-
vid's street within the screen along the south side
of Prince's-street, is the site of Sir Walter Scott's
monument. This erection, when completed, will
be highly ornamental to the city. The design is bv
Mr. G. M. Kemp, and combines the beauties of the
most admired specimens of the monumental cross.
The erection will cover an area of 55 feet square,
and rise to the height of 180 feet. The four prin-
cipal arches supporting the central tower will re-
semble those of the transept of a Gothic cathedral ;
and the lowest arches in the diagonal abutments will
be copied from the narrow north aisle of Melrose
abbey. The statue, by Mr. Steel, though placed at
a lofty elevation, will be fully appreciable for its
beauty as a work of art, and for its correctly imagi-
nal representation of Sir Walter; and it will be
canopied by a grove roof copied from the compart-
ment, still entire, of the roof of Melrose choir. In
many of the details, capitals of pillars, canopies of
niches, mouldings, pinnacles, the celebrated abbey
so much frequented and so enthusiastically admired
by Sir Walter in his lounges around Abbotsford, will
be freely followed as a model, — In George-street,
at the point of its intersection by Frederick-street,
is the bronze statue of Pitt, executed by Chauntrey,
and erected in 1833. The statue is placed on a
pedestal, and possesses considerable dignity of ex-
pression.— In George-street, at the point of its inter-
section by Hanover-street, is the bronze statue of
George IV., executed by Chauntrey, and erected in
1832. This monument is utterly inferior to that of
Pitt, by the same artist; and has the worse effect
from suffering comparison by its immediate vicinity.
" The majesty of the monarch must be admitted to
be somewhat transcendental. The figure is so far
thrown back, as to give it the appearance of deriving
a share of its support from the drapery behind, an
expedi. ing some particulars in the natural
history of the kangaroo, which by no means contri-
bute to sublimity of effect. It must, however, be
granted, that by caricaturing the monarch the artist
hus exalted the minister, fur the exaggerated pomp
446
EDINBURGH.
of the one, powerfully contrasts with the intellectual
elevation of the other." — In the centre of St. An-
drew's-square, at the east end of George-street,
stands Lord Melville's monument. This is a re-
markably handsome column, begun in 1821, and
finished in 1828, by subscriptions chiefly of naval
officers. It rises to the height of 136 feet, and is
then surmounted by a statue 14 feet high. The
design is, in general, a copy of the Traian column in
Rome ; but deviates from that model ii. the shaft
being fluted instead of ornamentally sculptured, and
in the pedestal being a square instead of a sphere.
The column is 12 feet 2 inches thick at the bottom,
and gradually diminishes in its ascent, till it is 10.4
feet thick at the top. Up the interior is a spiral
staircase, lighted by almost imperceptible slits in the
fluting. The base is adorned with some beautiful
architectural devices; and the colossal statue, formed
of stone, appears, on its giddy elevation, of the natu-
ral size of the human figure.— In front of the Royal
bank in St. Andrew's-square is a statue, in Roman
costume, of the Earl of Hopetoun, erected in 1835.
The Earl leans on a charger pawing the pedestal,
and is eulogized in inscriptions commemorative of
his military exploits. — East of Bridewell, on the
same side of the road, standing on an isolated emi-
nimce, is Burns' monument. This structure, though
elegant, is un pleasing in its proportions; but has in
its interior a fine statue of the poet by Flaxman —
Near this monument, in the same locality, is a dark,
low circular tower to the memory of David Hume.
On the summit of the highest rocky eminence of
Calton-hill stands Nelson's monument, — a conspicu-
ous object in almost every view of Edinburgh from
sea or land, and a magnificent termination to the
view along Prince's-street from the west. It was
commenced shortly after Lord Nelson's death, but
was not finished till 1815. Fastidious criticism has,
in one instance, described it as "more ponderous
than elegant;" and, in another instance, it has for-
gotten its own dignity by bufFoonishly representing
the monument as " modelled exactly after a Dutch
skipper's spy-glass or a butter churn;" yet, as if
fearful of a rebound of the witticism upon itself, has
added that the monument, "from the grandeur of
its site and the greatness of [its] dimensions, must
be admitted to possess those attributes of sublimity
which are independent of grandeur of design." [' The
Modern Athens.' By a Modern Greek. London,
1825.] The base is a battlemented edifice, divided
into small apartments, and occupied by a restaura-
teur; and has, over its entrance, the crest of Nelson,
and sculpture in bas-relief representing the stern of
the San Joseph, and, underneath, an appropriate in-
scription. From this edificed base rises, to the
height of more than 100 feet, a circular, hollow tur-
ret, battlemented at the top, climbed by a staircase
within, and surmounted by a flag-staff. Around the
edifice are a garden and plots of shrubbery. The
precipice from the edge of which the monument
rises possesses an outline, which, as seen from a
point south of Holyrood-house, is alleged to be a
profile of Nelson — Near Nelson's monument, a little
to the north, on the summit of a knoll, stand the
twelve pillars of the National monument. This
structure was projected in commemoration of the
Scotsmen who fell in the land and sea fights conse-
quent on the French revolution; and, with a splen-
dour of design corresponding to the greatness of the
object, was meant to be a literal restoration of the
Parthenon of Athens. No little enthusiasm was
displayed in the prospect of its erection, and pro-
mised to draw out the requisite though vast amount
of money for its completion; but either it subsided,
or felt its energies to be factitious, and, though
sanctioned and aided by Royal concurrence, has, up
to 1840, and perhaps permanently, left the monu-
ment as commemorative of incompetency of pecu-
niary means on the part of admiring survivors, as of
the deeds and bravery of departed heroes. The
monument was founded in 1822, during George IV.'s
visit to Edinburgh, and was commenced in 1824.
The pillars of it which have been erected are of
gigantic proportions, cost each upwards of £ 1,000,
and were designed to form the western range of the
entire structure. Within the area of the monument,
in apartments commodiously fitted up, is an interest-
ing exhibition of statuary. — On the face of Calton-
hill, overlooking Waterloo- place, is Dugald Stewart's
monument, erected in 1831. It was built from a
design by Mr. Playfair; and is in the style of a Gre-
cian temple, — a restoration, with some variations, of
the Choragic monument of Lysicrates. — On the
south-east angle of the New observatory is Profes-
sor Playfair 's monument ; a square, uninscribed edi-
fice of solid stone, enclosed with a rail.
On the east side of Nicolson-street, south of the
exit of Drummond-street, stands Surgeons' hall, or
the hall of the Royal college of Surgeons. The
building is modern, large, and elegant, with a fine
portico, and cost about £20,000. The interior is
arranged into several very spacious apartments.
The pathological museums are extensive, and well
fitted to aid surgical studies — On the south side of
George-street, between St. David's-street and Ha-
nover-street, is Physicians' hall, or the hall of the
Royal college of Physicians, built in 1775. It is
three stories high, purely Grecian, and has in front
four beautiful Corinthian columns supporting a pedi-
ment. In one of the apartments is an excellent
library of old foundation — On the north end of the
Earthen mound, presenting shorter fronts to Hanover-
street and the Old town, and longer ones to the
views along Prince's-street, stands a magnificent
oblong edifice called the Royal institution. This is
one of the most handsome modern buildings in Scot-
land. It was founded in 1823, and is borne by a sub-
structure of wooden piles and cross-bearers, rendered
necessary by the ground being "travelled earth," and
formed at a cost of upwards of £ 1,600. Besides a
large central hall for the exhibitions of the Scottish
academy of painting, the building contains apart-
ments for the Royal society of Edinburgh, the Board
of trustees for the improvement of manufactures,
and the Society of Scottish antiquaries. The mu-
seum of the Antiquarian society is enriched, among
many other curiosities, with some colours carried by
the Covenanters during the civil war, the stool which
Janet Geddes hurled at the Bishop of Edinburgh in
St. Giles' church, and "the Maiden," or Scottish
guillotine, with which many noblemen and distin-
guished persons were beheaded — In Prince's-strect,
west of the Mound, is the New club, a sort of joint-
stock hotel and reading-room, for the exclusive use
of an association of noblemen and gentlemen, the
members of which are elected by ballot — On the
lands of Inverleith, nearly a mile north of the city
toward the sea, is the Royal Botanic garden, twelve
acres in area, and transplanted from a former site in
1822-4. The surface declines slightly to the south,
and is disposed in plots and promenades of great
beauty and variety. Within the area, are a pond for
irrigating the soil of aquatic plants, hot-houses heated
by steam for the culture of tropical plants, arid a
spacious building fitted up as a class-room for the
professor and students of botany.
The University presents its main front to South
Bridge -street, and forms an entire side respectively
of North College-street, West College-street, ar.d
South College-street. It is a regular parallelogram.
EDINBURGH.
447
350 feet long and 225 wide, extending its length east
and west, and having in the centre a very spacious
court. The main front is of exquisite and stupen-
dous proportions, and superb and Grecian in its
architecture ; hut, in common with the entire build-
ing, is so pent up by the pressure of the street that
it can nowhere be seen to advantage. Were the
1 Diversity situated in a large park, particularly upon
a rising ground, it would appear almost sublime, and
be without a parallel among the modern edifices of
..id ; but situated as it is, it makes, upon the
mind of a stranger, in its exterior views at least,
impivssions chiefly of bewilderment and confusion.
The building is four stories high, and is entered by
very lofty and wide porticoes which penetrate it on
the east. At the sides of the main gateway are two
elegant columns, each 26 feet high, and formed of
a single stone. On the summit is a large stone en-
tablature, with the following inscription: "Academia
Jacobi VI. Scotorum Regis anno post Christum na-
tum M,D,LXXXII instituta; annoque M,DCC,LXXXIX.
renovari coepta ; regnante Georgio III. Principe
munificentissimo; Urbis Edinensis Praefecto Thoma
Elder ; Academiae Primario Gulielmo Robertson.
Architecto Roberto Adam." The continuous range
of building round the inner court is in a very tasteful
Grecian style; and has an elegant stone balustrade,
forming a kind of gallery, which is interrupted only
by the entrance, and by flights of steps to the Library,
the .Museum, the Hall of the Senatus Academicus,
and the several class-rooms. At the angles, and on
the west side, are spacious piazzas. The Library-
room, situated on the second floor of the south side,
is a noble hall 198 feet long and 50 broad, with a
beautiful roof of stucco-work, and contains about
80,000 volumes, besides a collection of antiquities,
sculpture, and articles of vertu. Accessions to its
books are obtained by contributions of a copy of each
new work from Stationers' hall, and of 10s. from
each student on his matriculation, and £5 from each
protess.or on his induction. The library was founded
in 1580 in a bequest of books by Mr. Clement Little,
an advocate in Edinburgh, " for the use of the citi-
zens;" yet though it had so popularly-designed an
origin, and is supported chiefly by the public through
Stationers' hall, it is conducted on decidedly exclu-
sive principles. The Museum, situated on the west
*ide, occupies two rooms, each 90 feet by 30, on
'fparate floors. The lower apartment is appropri-
ited to conserved large animals and other bulky ob-
and the upper one, lighted from the roof, and
tastefully fitted up with elegant glass-cases and
'.ablcs for the exhibition of birds, insects, shells, and
ather small objects of natural history. In addition
:o the large rooms, are contiguous galleries and ,
^mailer apartments, appropriated to minerals, and ',
Jther details. Though the museum is of recent
origin, it is already one of the best in Scotland, and i
- accessible to a citizen or stranger for the fee of
me shilling a visit The University building was
(Minded in 1789, the magistrates having resolved,
vith more zeal lor the celebrity of the city than at-
ention to their financial capacities, to bear the cost
>t the erection ; and though, for a brief period, it
\a> briskly carried forward, 't had even the front
'art finished with difficulty, and stood in its slender
nd fragmentary state about twenty years the monu-
ient of combined vanity, rashness, and poverty,
lut, Government having, in 1 81 5, resolved to ex-
end £10,000 a-year upon it till it should be com-
leted, it was a second time set in progress, and ad-
anced, through intermediate years and by successive
(Iditions, to a finished state in 1834 The Univer-
ty originated in a bequest of 8,000 nierks by Robert
eid, Bishop of Orkney, before the Reformation.
The magistrates, who were vested with power to
found it, purchased, in 1563, the ground on which
it stands ; but, in consequence of opposition from
the prelates of St. Andrews and Aberdeen, were not
able, till 1581, to make a fair commencement. But
previous to that date they had, by a remote grant
from Queen Mary, and a confirmed and immediate
one from James VI., received, towards its erection
and support, all the houses belonging to the religious
foundations within the city ; James IV. besides,
watched over the infant institution with paternal
care, and endowed it with church-lands, tithes, and
other immunities. In 1583 it was opened for the
labours of a single professor, the amiable Robert
Rollock; and, in 1597, it acquired a second profes-
sorship, and was presided over by Rollock as prin-
cipal. The original building was a tenement which
had belonged first to the provost and canons of the
Kirk of Fields, and next, as a residence, to the Earl
of Arran. In 1617, a college-hall and several apart-
ments for classes were erected. In 1685, it had
risen to possess 8 professorships, and was currently
attended by a large body of students. Previous to
the Revolution, it was disturbed and degraded by
the contests of faction ; but since that event, it has
enjoyed quietude, and been marked by the calm
destitution of incident peculiar to a well-managed
seat of learning. In 1720, the study of medicine
was introduced to its curriculum, and rapidly pro-
moted its prosperity, till it eventually won for the
University the proudest name in Europe. No college
probably can boast of a longer or more brilliant array
of eminent men, whether as professors or alumni.
So numerous have the men, in the walks of medi-
cine, of metaphysics, of polite and classical literature,
and of the various physical sciences, who, from 1720,
have shed lustre over it by their genius and their
fame, that a mere list of their names is nearly in-
compatible with the limits of condensed narrative.
An idea of its progress, as well as of the constitution
of its senate, will be best formed by glancing at the
date, salaries, and class-fees of the professorships. The
principalship, founded in 1585, has £151 salary.
The professorship of Humanity, founded in 1597,
has .£87 salary and £1,319 fees. Divinity, founded
in 1620, has £196 salary, fees not known. Oriental
languages, founded in 16*42, has £115 salary and £142
fees. Mathematics, founded in 1674, has £148 sa-
lary and £618 fees. Botany, founded in 1676, has
£127 salary and £898 fees. Theory of Physic,
founded in 1685, has £882 fees. Practice of Physic,
founded in 1685, has £1,008 fees. Ecclesiastical
history, founded in 1695, has £200 salary and £260
fees. Anatomy and Surgery, founded in 1 705, has
£55 salary and £969 fees. Public Law, founded in
1707, has £485 salary. Greek, founded in 1708,
hns £87 salary and £1,171 fees. Natural Philoso-
phy, founded in 1708, has £52 salary and £638 fees.
Moral Philosophy, founded in 1708, has £102 salary
and £556 fees. Logic, founded in 1708, has £52
salary and £551 fees. Ci vil Law, founded in 1 7 1 0, has
£100 salary and £151 fees. Chemistiy, founded in
1713, has £2,213 fees. Universal History, founded
in 1719, has £100 salary and £105 fees. Scottish
Law, founded in 1722, has £100 salary and £953
fees. Midwifery, founded in 1726, has £596 fees.
Clinical medicine, founded in 1741, has £801 fees.
Rhetoric, founded in 1762, has £100 salary and £134
fees. Natural History, founded in 1767, has £100
salary and £714 fees. Materia Medica, founded in
1768, has £1,281 fees. Practical Astronomy, founded
in 1786, has £120 salary. Agriculture, founded in
1790, has £50 salary and £63 fees. Clinical Sur-
gery, founded in 1803, has £100 salary and £611
fees". Military Surgery, founded in 1806, has £100
448
EDINBURGH.
salary and £75 fees. Medical Jurisprudence, founded
in 1807, has £] 00 salary and .£ 1 8 fees. Conveyancing,
founded in 1825, has £120 salary and £462 fees.
Pathology was founded in 1831 and Music in 1839;
hut their salaries and fees are not known. The fees
as now stated are those reported by the commission of
inquiry into the state of the universities ; but they
have in many instances been considerably reduced".
The foundation bursaries are 80 in number, and ag-
gregately .£1,172 in value. Honorary degrees, in all
the faculties, are occasionally conferred ; and never
having been prostituted, as in some other universi-
ties, are in high estimation. The number of students
has, for a series of years, been considerably upwards
of 2,000 ; and about one-third of them are medical.
The periods of attendance are 6 months, from Oc-
tober, for most of the classes, and 3 months, from
May, for 5 of the medical classes. The patronage of
7 of the chairs is vested in the Crown, — of 3 jointly
in the Faculty of Advocates, the Faculty of Writers
to the signet, and the Town-council, — and of all the
rest, in the Town-council and Magistrates. The
Lord-provost of the city, but only in a titular sense,
is Lord-rector.
In Lothian road is the building of the Royal aca-
demy for teaching exercises, better known as the
Riding-school. It is a large and splendid edifice, and
contains suites of apartments, some of which are
rented by the Scottish military and naval academy.
The Riding-school is superintended by 2 masters,
and governed by 18 directors. — The Military and
Naval acadenay has 10 teachers, in a great variety
of departments, and is governed by 27 extraordinary,
and 14 ordinary directors, with chairman and trus-
tees In Adam square, is the School of arts, founded
in 1821, arid presenting the attractions of a cheap
and effective college or academy of science and litera-
ture for the operative classes Near the foot of
St. Mary's-wynd, or the east end of Cowgate, but
approached through Surgeon-square on the south,
stands — like a jewel in a setting of bogwood, or a
flower-plot in the midst of a putrid marsh — a large
and elegant school-house, erected in 1840, from the
surplus funds of Heriot's hospital. It has piazzas,
towers, ornamented windows, and various other
architectural decorations, and situated in the most
squalid district of the metropolis, and existing for
the benefit of the poorest order of children, it
seems by the exhibition of its beauties as a foil to
the deformities around it, to be a type of the tran-
sition which the blessings of education may effect
from ignorance and filth, to mental polish and to
elegance of character. — In Richmond-street, is a
very large Lancasterian school-house, of plain but
not unpleasing exterior, — In Niddry-street, is the
capacious plain building of the City free-school.
— Near the back of the Bank of Scotland, looking
out upon Prince's-street gardens, is the Sessional
school, a neat and commodious edifice.
On the south face of Calton-hill, a little above
the line of London road, stands the High-school.
This building is worthy of its magnificent site, and
while it commands one of the richest of town and
country landscapes of Edinburgh and its environs,
is itself a beautiful feature of the scenery with
which it is grouped. It is built of pure white
stone, and consists of a central part of two wings,
extending about 270 feet in front. The central build-
ing is a pediment advanced upon a range of Doric
columns ; arid the end buildings are nearly flat-roofed
and of plain architecture. Yet seen from below, the
entire edifice pleases and delights the eye as much
perhaps as any single erection in the metropolis.
A spacious flight of steps leads up to it from the
enclosing wall in front ; and a fine play-ground be-
lind, is overlooked by the entrances to the various
lass-rooms. The interior is distributed into a large
lall, 73 feet by 43, — a rector's class-room, 38 feet by
38, — 4 class-rooms for masters, each 38 feet by 28,
— a room for a library, — and two small rooms attached
to each of the class-rooms. On the margin of the
road- way, on a lower site than the main building, are
two neat lodges, two stories high ; the one occupied
by the janitor, and the other containing class-rooms,
respectively 36 feet by 18, and 40 feet by 18, for
writing and practical mathematics. The area of the
school and play-ground is two acres, and was formed
into a level by deep cutting in the face of the hill.
The edifice was founded in 1825, amid pompous
processional pageantry ; and cost, with its appur-
tenances, about .£30,000. There are a rector and
four classical teachers, each of the teachers carrying a
class round a circle of four years of progressive
study, and then receiving a new class. Except
small allowances from the town-council, the fees
constitute the salary, and are 15s. a quarter for the
masters' classes, and 16s. for the finishing or maturing
class of the rector The High-school is traceable
under the name of the High grammar-school, as far
back as 1519. In 1578, when the magistrates had,
for a while, made vain efforts to found an university,
a school-house, of respectable capacity, was erected
on the grounds which now form the termination,
or lie between that termination and Surgeons'-square.
In 1777, a new and neat and commodious edifice was
reared on the site of the old , but, owing to the ple-
beian character of its vicinity, and the inodorous and
perhaps unhealthy associations of its locality, be-
came distasteful to the citizens of the New town,
and continued to sink in estimation proportionally
to the growing extension and the rising attractions
of that successful rival of the ancient city.
North of Henderson-row, near the water of Leith,
is the Edinburgh academy, of similar character and
design to the High-school. The school-house is a
low, neat building, constructed with reference more
to interior commodiousness than to exterior display,
yet not unsuited in appearance to the architect unillj
opulent district in its neighbourhood. The Academy
was founded in 1823, by a society who had, by pro-
prietary shares of £50 each, a capital of «£ 12,900,
capable of being augmented to .£16,000. It is more
aristocratic in its plan than the High-school, or ra-
ther is conducted on principles which render it less
accessible to the children of the middle classes, and
has a longer period of study and larger fees, — the
former being 7 years, and the latter £7 for the first
year, £9 for the" second, £M for the third, and £11
10s. for each of the succeeding years. There are a
rector, four masters for classics, two for writing,
one for mathematics, and one for English literature.
— Near Canonmills is a large and handsome School-
house, built and maintained by the congregation of
St. Mary's church.
Within a court, off the Canongate, is the Magda-
lene asylum, instituted in 1797. The building is a
large plain house, and accommodates from 50 to 60
females In Jlichmond-street is the Public dispen-
sary, instituted in 1776. The house is plain and
neat ; and, as well as its appliances of medicine and
medical advice, is so incompetent to Edinburgh, that
various kindred institutions have been established, —
the Western General dispensary, at Port-Hopetoun,
founded in 1830, —the Eye dispensary of Edinburgh,
in the Lawn-market, — the Edinburgh Western dis-
pensary, for diseases of the ear and eye, in Castle-
street, — the New town dispensary, founded in 1815,
— and others of less note or more limited sphere, ac-
commodated in private buildings. — In Nicolson-
street are two buildings, both originally private
EDINBURGH.
44T
houses, fitted up as asylums for the male and the fe-
male blind. That for males was opened in 1806,
and that for females in 1822. — In Argyle-square, a
slight expansion and westward continuation of North
I'oilege-street, is Minto-house, a remnant of the dull
and antiquated grandeur of a former age, fitted up in
IH2Q, as the Surgical hospital In Park-place, be-
hind the north side of George-square, is the Lying-
in-hospital, so inadequate, however, to the wants of
the metropolis, that five kindred institutions, though
unprovided with hospitals, have at various periods
been founded. — At Morningside, a village or suburb
14 mile south of Edinburgh, on the road to the Braid
hills, is the Lunatic asylum, founded in 1810. This
is a large handsome edifice, surrounded by elegant
garden-grounds, enclosed by a high wall, and placed
in a remarkably salubrious situation. The building
was aided by a government grant of .£2,000 North
of Henderson-row, and near the Edinburgh academy,
ia the Institution for the deaf and dumb, instituted
in 1810. The building, raised by subscription, is
large, commodious, and of not unpleasing appear-
ance ; and the system of training so excellent as to
have been a model for similar institutions in other
cities.
The city Poor's house, built in 1 743, is situated
within the angle formed by Bristo-street and Teviot-
row, considerably back from the road-way, so as to
look down on an open area. The edifice is of four
stories, very spacious, but of plain and dingy appear-
ance. In its vicinity are a bedlam and a children's
hospital. There are Poor's houses also for Canon-
gate and the parish of St. Cuthbert's ; the former is
situated at the foot of a wynd behind the Canongate
Tolbooth, and the latter in a field westward of Lo-
thian road. The three establishments are aggre-
gately maintained at a cost of £12,000 or £13,000
a-year ; about one-sixth of which is produced by col-
lections at the churches of the Establishment, and
the rest chiefly by assessment, aided by small en-
dowments, bequests, donations, and fines.
The Royal infirmary, built during the reign of
George II., stands on the south side of Infirmary-
street. The edifice consists of a body and two pro-
jecting wings, all four stories high, substantially
built, and abundantly perforated with windows. The
body is 210 feet long, and, in the central part, 36
feet vvide,— in the end parts, 24 feet. Each of the
wings is 70 feet long, and 24 wide. The central
part of the body projects from the main line, and
is elegant in its architecture ; a range of columns,
being surmounted by a cornice, whence arises a cu-
riously adorned attic structure, bearing aloft a glazed
turret. Between the columns are two tablets with
•acred inscriptions; and in a recess above the en-
t ranee, is a statue of George II. in a Roman dress.
The access to the different floors is by a large stair-
-ase in the centre of the building, so spacious as to
wlinit the transit of sedan chairs, and by two smaller
staircases, one at each end. The floors are distri-
cted into wards, fitted up with ranges of beds
apable of accommodating 228 patients, — the smaller
"oms for the nurses and the medical attendants,
' in uiager's room, a waiting-room for students, and
consulting-room for the physicians or surgeons.
l'\\o of the wards, devoted to patients whose cases
!••• considered most curious and instructive, are set
part for clinical lectures, attended by students of
nirery, and delivered by the professors of Clinical
ledicine in the University. Within the attic, in the
•»tre of the building, is a spacious theatre for sur-
!'-al operations, capable of accommodating 200 stu-
cnts. The house has separate wards for male and
•male patients, and a ward which is used as a Lock
• ospital ; but, even in ordinary periods, it is utterly
incompetent for the service of Edinburgh, and, dur-
ing the prevalence of an epidemic, affords a very
fractional part of requisite accommodation. The In-
firmary was first contemplated in 1725 by the Royal
college of Physicians, but was encouraged by only a
very small portion of the clergy or influential popu-
lation; and, in 1729, it was commenced on quite a
tiny scale, with the pitiful capital of £2,000. In
1736, the contributors to it having begun to be some-
what appreciated, were incorporated by royal charter.
The Earl of Hopetoun, during the last 25 years of
his life, when the institution was young and of slen-
der means, contributed to it £400 a-year. In 1750,
Dr. Archibald Ker of Jamaica, bequeathed to it an
estate worth £200 a-year. In 1755, the Lords ot
the Treasury gave it £8,000. But the institution
owed most to George Drummond, Esq., who was
seven times Lord Provost. When the present erec-
tion was in progress, he made indefatigable exertion
among the principal citizens to find the means of de-
fraying current costs, and prevent it from coming to
a pause. A bust of him, executed by Nollekins, was
afterwards set up by the directors in the hall, with
the inscription : " George Drummond, to whom this
country is indebted for all the benefits it enjoys
from the Royal Infirmary."
Heriot's hospital, situated on the summit of the
southern ridge of Edinburgh, and surrounded by a
spacious area or open park, with a main gateway
from Laurieston, and an everyday thoroughfare from
Grassmarket, is a magnificent and even princely
structure. The edifice was commenced in 1628, and
finished in 1650, at the cost of £30,000. It is the
finest and most regular of the specimens of Gothic
architecture designed by Inigo Jones. It is a noble
quadrangle, 162 feet each way in the exterior, having
an open court measuring 94 feet each way in the
centre. This court is paved with square stones, and
has a fountain in the centre ; and is decorated, on
the north and east sides, with piazzas 6^- feet broad,
and, on the second story of the north side, with an
effigy of the founder, placed in a niche. Over the
gateway of the edifice, which is on the north side,
fronting the Grassmarket, is a tower, projecting
from the main line, surmounted by a small dome and
lantern, and provided with a clock. The corners,
or end parts of each front, project like the tower,
and have the form and adornings of oriental turrets.
In the projecting parts the house is four stories high;
and in the other parts, three stories. The windows
are 200 in number ; but, owing to a whim of one of
Heriot's executors, are architecturally adorned in a
vast variety of ways, and, on a near inspection, give
the edifice, which seems so superb and tasteful at a
little distance, an offensive and caricatured appear-
ance. On the south side, opposite the entrance, is
the chapel, 61 feet by 22, neatly fitted up, and oc-
casioning a projection in the building, which re-
sembles a turret surmounted by a small spire, and
gives balance to the tower on the north side. Till
a few years ago, the chapel presented to the view
only a clay floor and bare walls, with a crazy ros-
trum for the preacher, and a row of stone seats for
the inmates ; but now it has a splendid pulpit, a
richly-adorned ceiling, and beautiful oaken carving.-,
and is the principal interior attraction of the edi-
fice The hospital originated in a princely bequest
of George Heriot, goldsmith, first on a small scale,
and in a Kumble way in Edinburgh, next to Anne of
Denmark, consort of Jaines, and afterwards to James
VI. himself, both before and after his succession to
the Knglish crown. Many readers will form an idea —
perhaps not an incorrect one — of his position in the
King's household after the removal of the court to
London, from the picture drawn of him as "Jingling
2 F
450
EDINBURGH.
Geordie," in the ' Fortunes of Nigel.' On his death,
in 1 624, the sum of £23,625 10s. 3£d. was found,
after deducting from his property payment of other
bequests, to be available for maintaining and edu-
cating the sons of poor burgesses of Edinburgh. The
civil disturbances which broke out in 1639 retarded
the progress of the building ; and, even after it was
finished, occasioned it to be used for 8 years as an
hospital for the forces under General Monk. In
April, 1659, it was opened for 30 boys ; and it was
made available, in August of the same year, for 40,
—in 1661, for 52,— in 1753, for 130,— and in 1763,
for 140, — and eventually for 180. Boys are admitted
when from 7 to 10 years of age, and usually leave
when about 14. They are comfortably lodged and
fed, wear a uniform dress, receive a very liberal edu-
cation, and at leaving are presented with a bible,
and a large supply of clothing of their own choice.
Those of them who are destined to become trades-
men, are provided with an apprentice-fee of £50,
and, at the close of their apprenticeship, with another
supply of apparel, or a present of £5. Those who
are distinguished for mental power, or give promise
of being able to make fair attainments in scholarship,
have their stay in the hospital prolonged, and after-
wards receive bursaries of £30 a-year for 4 years,
to enable them to attend the university. Ten other
bursaries of £20 each for 4 years are given from
the funds to aid boys of superior talents and ac-
quirements, unconnected with the hospital. In
1836, the governors obtained parliamentary sanction
to extend the benefits of the institution in the erec-
tion of free-schools in various parts of the city; and
three schools have since been erected. The man-
agement of the hospital is vested in the town-council
and the city ministers of the Establishment.
George Watson's hospital stands 200 yards south
of Heriot's hospital, at the entrance to the meadows,
near the back of the north- west angle of George-square.
The building is oblong, of extensive dimensions, and
presents to the north a long handsome front, the cen-
tral part of which is higher than the end parts, and
bears aloft a spire terminating in the figure of a ship,
the emblem of the traffic by which the founder be-
came enriched. The erection was commenced in
1738, and finished in 1741, at the cost of about
£5,000. The hospital originated in a bequest of
£12,000 by George Watson, first a merchant in
Holland, and afterwards an accountant in his native
city, Edinburgh, who died in 1723. When the build-
ing was commenced, the fund had accumulated to
£20,000. Twelve boys originally were admitted on
the foundation, but now 80, who wear a uniform
dress, and are lodged, fed, educated, and provided
tor in a similar way to the boys of Heriot's hospital.
They are received from 7 to 10 years of age, and re-
main till 15. Those who leave to become trades-
men, receive an apprentice-fee of £10 a-year for 5
years, and afterwards, at the age of 25, if unmarried
and well-conducted, receive a gift of £50; and those
who prefer an academic education, and appear quali-
fied for it, receive £20 a-year for 6 years, The
managers are a master and twelve assistants, the trea-
surer of the Merchant company of Edinburgh, retired
members of the city magistracy, and the two ministers
of St. Cuthbert's."
The Merchant Maiden hospital stands in the mea-
dows, nearly 200 yards west of George Watson's
hospital, the lines between these hospitals and Heriot's
forming the sides of nearly an equilateral triangle.
The edifice is Grecian, 180 feet long, and 60 wide,
and has in front a portico supported by four handsome
pillars. It was built in 1816, at the cost of £12,250.
The institution was founded in 1695, for the benefit
of daughters of merchant burgesses in Edinburgh ;
and originated in voluntary contributions of the citi-
zens, in a considerable grant by the company of mer-
chants, and in a donation of property of the value of
12,000 merks by Mrs. Mary Erskine, the widow of an
Edinburgh druggist. In 1707, the contributors ob-
tained from parliament an act of incorporation. Be-
fore the erection of the present edifice, the inmates
were lodged in a large tenement in Bristo-street.
From 80 to 100 girls are maintained at one time on
the foundation ; they enter from 7 to 11 years of age,
and depart at 1 7 ; they receive an education both
substantial and ornamental ; and, when leaving, each
is presented with £9 6s. 8d.— The Trades' Maiden
hospital stands on the south side of Argyll-square,
and is an edifice of plain exterior. The institution
was commenced in 1704, and obtained a charter of
incorporation in 1707. The girls eligible for admis-
sion are the daughters of decayed tradesmen ; they
are received at the same age, and have their atten-
tion directed to the same departments of education as
the inmates of the Merchant Maiden hospital; and,
when leaving, at the age of 17, each receives a Bible
and £5 11s. The charity was founded and endowed
by the incorporated trades of the city ; but was
greatly aided by Mrs. Mary Erskine, the benefactress
of its sister and more opulent institution.
The Orphan hospital is a handsome edifice, built
in 1833, at the cost of nearly £16,000, from a de-
sign by Mr. Hamilton ; and is situated at the north
end of Dean bridge, about 250 yards from Randolph-
crescent. The institution was founded by voluntary
contribution in 1733 ; and next year a large and com-
modious building, ornamented with a spire, was
erected in the hollow between the Old and the New
town, immediately east of the central arches of the
North-bridge. In 1742, the directors obtained an
act of incorporation. Orphans of both sexes are re-
ceived from all parts of Scotland, and are maintained
and educated to the number of about 150 at one time.
John Watson's hospital is situated also near the
north end of Dean-bridge ; and was finished in 1828,
after a design by Mr. Burn. The edifice is of Gre-
cian architecture, large and showy, having in front a
splendid portico and range of pillars. About 120
destitute children are maintained and educated, — ad-
missible between 5 and 8 years of age. and dismissed
when 14. The course of education is substantial
and valuable, but not so extensive or of so lofty an
aim as that of Heriot's and George Watson's charities.
The institution originated in a bequest of John
Watson, a writer to the signet, which was obtained
in 1759, and which amounted, in 1781, to £4,721
5s. 6d., but eventually accumulated to upwards of
£90,000. — Donaldson's hospital was provided for by
a bequest of £240,000, burdened only with some
unimportant annuities, by James Donaldson, Esq., a
citizen of Edinburgh, who died in 1830.
Trinity hospital, situated at the foot of Leith.
wynd, on the west side, is the oldest charitable in.
stitution in the metropolis. The original edifice was
on the east side of Leith- wynd, and at a remote date
became ruinous, and was demolished. The present
building was anciently the residence of the provost
and prebendaries of Trinity College church; and,
though repaired and somewhat altered, is a fine
specimen of the architecture and monastic accommo-
dations of the age in which it was erected. It is two
stories high, and forms two sides of a square, or
rather of a parallelogram. Along the interior of the
upper story of the longer side runs a gallery about
half the width of the house, lighted from the west,
serving at once as a promenade, a library-room, and
a grand corridor, and winged with a range of small
! cols, each of which has a bed, a table, and a chuii,
I for a single occupant. The other parts of the build-
EDINBURGH.
451
ing are distributed into sitting-rooms, modern bed-
rooms, and other apartments. The hospital was
founded and amply endowed by Mary of Gueldres,
consort of James II. What became of the bedes-
men who occupied it in the times of popery, or how
they were situated as inmates, does not appear. At
the Reformation the hospital shared, for a season,
the fate of institutions of a similar origin ; but was
repurchased, for its original purposes, by the town-
council in 1585, and afterwards confirmed in its
rights by a deed of James VI. Upon its resettle-
ment it was destined for the support of decayed bur-
gesses of Edinburgh, their wives, and their unmarried
children, not under 50 years of age. At first only 5
men and 2 women were admitted; but in 1700 the
number of inmates had increased to 54. During
half-a-century past about 20 men and 20 women
have usually been at one time on the foundation ;
the sexes having distinct accommodations and sitting-
rooms, and meeting only at meals and at morning and
evening worship. But there is always a considerable
body of out-pensioners, who receive an important
pittance toward their support. The charity is man-
aged by the magistrates and town-council as gover-
nors, and by a regular body of office-bearers and
house-directors.
Gillespie's hospital is salubriously situated in an
extensive park at the head of the Town-links, near
the south-west extremity of the Old town. The
edifice is a commodious, oblong, elegant structure;
partly in a castellated form, having turrets at the
angles, and was built in 1801. The establishment is
fitted up for the accommodation and support of per-
sons of both sexes, not under 50 years of age, who
have sunk from wealth or competence to destitution ;
and admits at one time about 50. In its vicinity is
a school, opened in 1803, for the education of about
150 boys, who are admissible from 6 to 12 years of
age. and are allowed to attend 3 years. Both insti-
tutions originated in a bequest by James Gillespie, a
tobacconist of Edinburgh, of £12,000, besides con-
siderable landed property. The governors are the
master and 12 assistants of the Merchant company,
some retired members of the magistracy, and 2 of the
city ministers, who have a charter of incorporation.
The sum of £2,000 was set aside from the entire
bequest for the support of the school — Cauvin's hos-
pital, though situated in a wholly landward parish,
may be viewed as one of the charities of the metro-
polis : see DUUDINGSTON — Besides the charitable
institutions which have tenements classing as public
buildings, there are others, such as the House of Re-
fuge, the House of Industry, and the Old and the
New town Repositories, which appear to the public
eye only in connexion with the unobtrusive form of
private mansions or houses ; and a vast number of
others which have only some hired or even borrowed
room for the meetings of their committees, but are
of great value to the afflicted and indigent and friend-
such as two societies for the relief of indigent
aged women, a society for the relief of indigent aged
men, a society for the relief of the destitute sick, and
:iety for clothing the industrious poor.
Ecclesiastical Edifices.
longate church, situated on the north side of
Canongate, several yards back from the street
ie, has a cruciform shape, with nave, transepts,
and chancel. But though built in that form to hu-
mour the popish fancies of James VII., it is a pitiful
imitation of the ecclesiastical structures of a preced-
ing iind less enlightened age. On the outside, it has
only a little ornament, and that in such poor taste
as to be almost a ludicrous apology for the obvious
want of means to attempt something more grand.
There is neither tower, spire, pinnacle, nor any piece
of adorning which can be called either Gothic or
Grecian. The street-front has considerably the ap-
pearance of a glazed gable, with a thing intended to
do service as a portico at the middle of the base.
On the pinnacle of this gable is the absurd orna-
ment of a horned deer's head, surmounted by a
cross, copied from the Canougate crest, and allusive
to a monkish fable respecting a miraculous cross
having been put into the hand of David I. when hunt-
ing the stag ; — the same cross or ' rood ' which gave
name to the neighbouring abbey and palace — For
a long period, the parish of Canongate had for its
church the abbey-church of Holyrood. After being
ejected thence, in 1672, the parishioners were ac-
commodated, for about 15 years, in Lady Yestcr's
church. But having represented to James VII. that
20,000 merks had been bequeathed, in 1649, for
their use, they obtained possession of the sum, and
got the present edifice erected in 1688. The church
is surrounded by a small cemetery — Trinity-col-
lege church, situated on the west side of the foot
of Leith-wynd, on the low ground between the Old
and the New town, dates as high as about 1470.
The building was never completed, and consists of
only the choir, central tower, and transepts of the
designed erection. An unfinished wall closes up the
area where the nave should have commenced. The
structure is in the finest style of Gothic; and, in
the interior, is seated only "over the central area,
leaving the beautiful and massive pillars fully ex-
posed to view. On one of the buttresses are sculp-
tured the arms of Gueldres quartered with those of
Scotland. This church was founded by Mary of
Gueldres, consort of James II. Agreeably to her
deed of foundation, its chapter consisted of a pro-
vost, 8 prebendaries, and 2 choristers. Before the
Reformation, the place was called the Collegiate
church of the Holy Trinity ; but, since it became a
Presbyterian place of worship, it has usually been
styled the College kirk — The Tron church stands
isolatedly at the intersection of High-street and
South Bridge-street, occupying the north-east angle
of the small area called Hunter 's-square. Its main
front, presented to the High-street, and seen for
some way up the ascent of North Bridge- street, is
of pleasing appearance. In the middle is the base of
a square tower, ornamented with pilasters; ajid
there are 4 semi-Gothic windows, and 3 door- ways.
The square tower was originally surmounted by a
curious wooden spire covered with lead; but, this
having been wholly destroyed by the falling of em-
bers upon it in the great tire of 1824, the tower was,
in 1828, decorated and carried aloft with a handsome
spire of stone. The Tron church derived its humble
and malapropos name from its vicinity to the an-
cient Tron or public beam for weighing merchandise.
St. Giles' church, the most ancient existing ec-
clesiastical edifice in Edinburgh, but of unknown
or uncertain date, is situated on the north side of
Parliament-square, separating the area of that square
from High-street. Previous to 1830, during which
year, and the two following years, it was greatly
altered within, and rebuilt in its facings without, it
was of the cathedral or cruciform shape, Gothic,
but irregular in its architectural adornments, and un-
distinguished by the beauty of decoration and the sym-
metry of proportion found in many edifices of its a#e
and class. Its length was 206 feet ; and its breadth, at
the west end, 110 feet, — at the middle, 129, — and at
the east end, 70. From the centre rises a square
tower, decorated at the top with open-figured stone-
work, and sending off from its angles four arche»
which have pinnacle* in their progress, and a small
spire at their point of meeting, and produce tha
452
EDINBURGH.
figure of an ornamented imperial crown. This figure
rises 161 feet above the base of the edifice, and, oc^
cupying a high and commanding site, is seen from a
great distance, and forms one of the most character-
istic features of the city landscapes of Edinburgh,
St. Giles is first mentioned in a charter of David II,,
dated 1359. In 1466, it was made a collegiate
church, and contained about 40 altars dedicated k>
different saints. After the Reformation, it was par-
titioned into four churches, and some lesser apart-
ments ; and put into repair by the proceeds of the
sale of vessels and paraphernalia belonging to its
numerous altars, and the pompous ceremonies of its
original worship. From 1633 to 1638 it was the
cathedral of the brief bishopric of Edinburgh ; and
it was the scene of the well-known cutty-stool ex-
ploit of Janet Geddes, which acted like a disturber
of the perilous equipoise on an Alpine summit and
sent down upon the whole episcopacy of Scotland
an enshrouding and entombing avalanche. In 1643,
the Solemn League and Covenant was sworn and
subscribed within the walls of St. Giles, by the re*
presentatives of the public bodies of Scotland. Near
the middle of its south side, are monuments over the
remains of Regent Murray and the great Marquis of
Montrose ; and under a window near the north-east
corner is the monument of Napier of Merchiston, the
inventor of logarithms. The edifice is now divided
into three parts, the High church, the Tolbooth
church, and a hall intended for the use of the Gen-
eral Assembly, but found, after its completion, to
be unsuitable. The recent changes were aided by a
government grant of £ 10,000, and effected after a
design by Mr. Burn, and have given the exterior a
very creditable appearance. The High church is at-
tended by the magistrates of the city, the judges of
the Court of session, and the barons of Exche-
quer, in their respective robes of office ; and, owing
probably to this circumstance — though on a strictly
ecclesiastical or presbyterial level with the other
parishrchurches of the country — it holds a place in
popular estimation, and invests its ministers with a
species of influence, as the metropolitan church of
Scotland,_the St. Paul's of Edinburgh,
Greyfriars' church, Old and New, situated in a
recess from Candlemaker-row, immediately north of
the city Poor's-house, is externally a plain, slated,
oblong structure, with Gothic windows, and inter-
nally a place of Gothic construction, with heavy pil-
lars and arches. The entrance to both is by a com-
mon porch in the centre. Old Greyfriars4 church
was built in 1612, and was adorned with a spire ; but,
in 1718, the steeple was blown up by the ignition pf
a quantity of gunpowder which had been lodged in
it by the authorities of the city. The town-council
resolved, instead of re-edifying the towering ap-
pendage of the church, to add, by elongation, a new
place of worship. This, constructed uniformly with
the Old, was finished in 1721. In 1638, the Na-
tional Covenant was partly subscribed within the
walls of the Old church. Greyfriars is remarkable
chiefly for its cemetery. Attached to an ancient
monastery of Greyfriars, situated on the south side
of the Grassmarket, was some fine garden-ground,
rising gently to the summit of the southern emi-
nences of the city ; and the monastery having been
demolished in 1559, this ground was bestowed by
Queen Mary to be used as a place of public inter-
ment. This cemetery has ever since been the prin-
cipal one of Edinburgh; and, though embellished
with few monuments of architectural or sculptural
merit, contains the ashes of many distinguished Scot-
tish characters. — Lady Tester's church, situated on
the north side of Infirmary-street, is a plain but
agreeable-looking edifice, without a spire. Dame
Margaret Ker, Lady Tester, founded the original
building, the predecessor of the present, in 1647, and
gave the magistrates 15,000 merks to defray its cost,
and aid its support, A small cemetery which for-
merly belonged to it is now covered with buildings.
— Newington church, situated on the west side of
Clerk-street, has a Grecian front, and a spire 110
feet high. The building is 162 feet long and 73
wide ; and chaste though not showy in appearance,
is principally remarkable for its being the first public
edifice which meets a stranger's eye on the thorough-
fare to the west of England, and central part of the
south of Scotland.-^St. Paul's church, situated in
St. Leonard's-street, though a new building, has a
heavy and parsimonious aspect,—- indicating a struggle,
on the part of its originators, between regard to li-
mitation of means, and desire to render the edifice
not unworthy of the city.— Nicolson-street chapel,
belonging to the United Secession, presents to the
street a showy Gothic front, with pinnacles rising
90 feet above street-level. The arch of the door-
way is Saxon, and springs from two sculptured human
heads.^— Cowgate chapel, originally Episcopalian, but
now United Secession, has in its interior some oil
paintings by Runciman.
St. Cuthbert's church, situated in the hollow un-
der the north-west face of the castle, a little inward
from the angle of Prince's-street and Lothian road,
is a huge plain edifice, with a double slated roof ;
and is redeemed, in the ungainliness of its aspect,
only by a lofty handsome spire, rising at its west
end, and erected some years later than the church.
The interior is very spacious, and fitted up with
double galleries. Around the building is an exten,
sive cemetery. The original St, Cuthbert's church
is older than Scottish record, — perhaps as old as the
age succeeding the demise of St. Cuthbert, the end
of the 7th century. It had several grants before the
date of the charter of Holyrood; and, with its par.
ish and kirk-town and rights, was granted by David
I. to the monks of that abbey. St. Cuthbert's was'
not only the oldest parish in the lowlands of Mid*
Lothian, but the most extensive ; and it was the
most opulently endowed in Scotland, except that of
Dunbar : see ST. CDTHBERT'S,— St. John's Epis*
copal chapel is situated a few yards north of St,
Cuthbert's, in the angle formed by the intersection
of Prince's-street and Lothian road. This is the
most splendid ecclesiastical structure in Edinburgh,
embellished within and without with all the graces
of the florid Gothic order. The building is 113 feet
long, and 62 feet wide. On both sides are buttresses,
the summits of which and of the inner wall are
adorned with pinnacles. From the western end rises
a square tower, perforated at the base with the main
entrance, relieved in its sides by beautiful windows,
and terminating at its summit, 120 feet high, in or-
namented pinnacles. The entrance, also in the
Gothic style, is exquisitely arched. The pillars and
arches of the interior are light and symmetrical, and
the middle roof is ornamented with mouldings and
a profusion of decorations. The great window in
the east end is 30 feet high, and painted with
figures of the apostles in stained glass. Beneath
the chapel are vaults ; and around it is a small ceme-
tery. Attached to its east end is a vestry externally
in keeping with the main building. The chapel be-
longs to the Scottish Episcopal body, and, being the
scene of episcopal ordinations, is viewed in the light
of a cathedral St. Patrick's chapel, belonging to the
Roman Catholics, and situated in Lothian road, is a
showy Gothic edifice,
St. George's church, situated on the north side of
Charlotte-square, is, as to its architecture, a debated
object among critics, — denounced by some as shz
EDINBURGH.
45,'*
loss and insufferably dull, and panegyrized by others
as the most handsome place of worship belonging to
the Scottish Establishment. The edifice is square,
and in a massive Grecian style. Its front, 112 feet
in length, presents to the eye a lofy portico, supported
by four pillars and two pilasters of the Ionic order.
From the summit rises a circular tower, surmounted
by a lead-covered dome, to the height of 150 feet.
This feature of the edifice was designed as a mimic '
resemblance of the dome of St. Paul's in London ;
but far surpasses the excellences of a miniature imi-
tation, and attracts the eye, and challenges admira-
tion, from many points of view in the metropolis,
but especially when so grouped as to appear on the
background — St. Andrew's church, situated on the
north side of George-street, is of an oval form, and
was originally without a spire. Its present front
gives to the view a portico resting on four remark-
ably elegant Corinthian pillars, and surmounted by a
spire which tapers aloft to the height of 168 feet.
The spire is not only the finest in Edinburgh — which
it might well be, and still possess an outb'ne or orna-
ments of somewhat equivocal attractions — but one of
the most beautiful in the sky-line of any city. — The
United Secession chapel, Rose-street, is a handsome
building in the Grecian style — St. Stephen's church,
situated at the end of Fettes-row, fronting the line
of St. Vincent-street, is of an order of architecture
called the mixed Roman. From an obtuse angle in
front rises a massive tower 163 feet high, terminated
by a balustrade ; and from each angle of the balus-
trade springs an elegant double cross. But what-
ever attractions to the taste, or challenges to criti-
cism, the edifice offers to the view, are in a great
measure marred by the lownessof its situation, over-
looked by the ascent of the whole of the northern
Mew town, and part of the southern toward the sum-
mit on the line of George-street.
St. Mary's church, situated in the centre of Belle-
vue crescent, is of an oblong form, having one of the
shorter ends as its front. A range of elegant Corin-
thian pillars supports a pediment, and bears aloft a
high spire of considerable beauty. But the spire, at
it square and afterwards circular, is hurriedly closed
at the top ; and though elegant in its details, fails,
when aided by the fine portico on which it rests,
convey to a tasteful observer a feeling of un- j
mingled pleasure. — The United Secession chapel, I
Broughton-place, is in the Grecian style, and has a j
beautiful portico supported by a range of Doric col- I
uinns — The Roman Catholic chapel, Broughton- !
street, presents to the view a Gothic gable with but- i
and pinnacles, winged by side-pieces of kindred j
architecture. But the sides of the exterior betray '
the union of prevailing poverty with the wish for i
display which struggled to decorate the front. The i
building is 110 feet long and 57 wide within walls;
and lifts the pinnacles of its front to the height of '
70 feet. The interior is, on the whole, plain, with-
out attempt to fulfil the promise made by the Gothic
architecture of the exterior ; and furnitured more in
accommodation to limited pecuniary means, and the
.-.evere taste of the Protestant onlooking community,
than to the ceremonial pomp and the earthly opulence
of its ritual — St. Paul's Episcopal chapel, situated
on the south side of York-place, in the angle formed
by it and Broughton-street, is an elegant Gothic
structure. It consists, like St. John's, of a main
body and side buttresses, measuring in all 123 feet
long, and 73 feet wide. From each of the four angles
of the inner walls, rises a small circular turret of open i
stone- work ; and surmounting the outer buttresses
are symmetrical pinnacles. The general aspect boldly
challenges admiration ; but is much impaired by the
near pressure of street-lines of houses, occasioning a
very limited field of view.
In addition to the ecclesiastical edifices which have
been noticed, are two or three quoad sacra parish-
j churches, and not a few chapels belonging to various
bodies of Dissenters, which, though of creditable
architecture, and not unworthy of the localities
which they occupy in the metropolis, possess no
remarkable or distinctive features. Such notices of
them as are of any importance will be found in our
summary of the ecclesiastical statistics of the city.
But before passing from the topic of ecclesiastical
edifices we must notice some now defunct, which
made a prominent figure at a former period.
The Collegiate church of St. Mary in the Fields
was situated on the ground now covered by the uni-
versity, or probably a little to the southward, very
nearly on the site of the present Relief chapel in
South College-stree*. Attached to it were a pre-
vost and 10 prebendaries. From its originally stand-
ing beyond the city-walls, though afterwards included
within them, it was called the Kirk-of-Field, — the
name by which principally it is known in history.
Within the church was held the celebrated assembly
of Scottish ecclesiastics, convoked by Bagimont the
papal nuncio, for the purpose of ascertaining the
value of benefices throughout the country. The
valuation made by this assembly was made the stand-
ard at Rome for taxing the ecclesiastics of Scotland,
and, under the name of Bagimont's roll, is a standard
authority with historians in glancing at the financial
matters of the Scottish ante-Reformation establish-
ment. The prevost house connected with the Kirk-
of-Field has been rendered immortally infamous in
history as the scene of the murder of Darnley — The
monastery of Blackfriars was instituted by Alexander
II., in 1230, and stood within the grounds of the
Kirk-of-Field, on the site of the Old High school.
The gardens around it occupied the whole space on
the south side of the Cowgate, between the Plea-
sance and Potterrow. The monks received also
from the royal founder of their convent a piece of
ground long since covered with buildings, and along
which extends the narrow street appropriately called
Blackfriars-wynd. The monastery had frequently
as a resident within its walls the person of its foun-
der; and, inconsequence, came currently to be called
' Mansio Regis,' the king's dwelling-house. A build-
ing belonging to the monks was an episcopal resi-
dence of the archbishop of St. Andrew's which not
long ago could be traced in Blackfriars-wynd. In
1528 the monastery was destroyed by fire; and it
was hardly re-edified, when, along with its appurten-
ances, it was swept away by the Reformation. The
lands belonging to it were bestowed by Queen Mary
upon the magistrates for building an hospital and
supporting the poor ; and, under James VI., they
were disposed of in feus, and the proceeds applied to
the building and endowing of Trinity hospital — The
monastery of Greyfriars, situated on the south side
of the Grassmarket, nearly opposite the West-bow,
was established by James 1. The house was so
splendid that the first monks, invited from Cologne
in Germany, refused for a while to enter it, and were
with difficulty prevailed upon to adopt it as their
abode. Around it were spacious gardens, which
afterwards became the site of the existing Greyfriars
church. — East of the convent of Greyfriars was an
hospital of remote but unknown antiquity, called
Mason Dieu. This structure having, at the begin-
ning of the 16th century, become ruinous, a citizen
erected beside it a chapel and hospital dedicated to
St. Mary Magdalene. This foundation was designed
to accommodate a chaplain and 7 poor men ; but it
454
EDINBURGH.
was endowed with a pitiful annuity, and vested in
trust with the corporation of hammermen, — whose
poor still reap the benefit of its funds. The chapel
still exists ; and, though very small, is let and occu-
pied as a place of worship — About the middle of
Niddry-street was a chapel dedicated to God and the
Virgin Mary, and founded in 1505 by Elizabeth,
Countess of Ross. The corporations of wrights and
masons, in 1618, acquired a right to it, and, in con-
sequence, assumed the name of the united corpora-
tions of St. Mary's chapel. — Near the head of St.
Mary's-wynd, on the west side, were a chapel and
convent of Cistertian nuns, and a hospital dedicated
to the Virgin Mary. From the last the narrow street
has its name. — In Leith-wynd an hospital for the
support of 12 poor men was founded in 1479, by
Thomas Spenee, bishop of Aberdeen, and dedicated
to the Virgin Mary. At the Reformation it passed
into the possession of the town-council, obtained the
unaccountable name of Paul's work, and was con-
verted first into a workhouse, next into a house of
correction, and next into a broad-cloth factory. Its
name of Paul's work is bequeathed to a court and
cluster of buildings on and around its site — A little
north of Paul's work, on the face of the bank lead-
ing up to the New town, stood a chapel dedicated to
St. Ninian, which, till a recent date, gave to the
thoroughfare of Low Calton the name of St. Nin-
ian's-row. — On the west side of the foot of Canon-
gate, immediately adjoining the Watergate, was an
hospital, founded in the reign of James V., by George
Crichton, bishop of Dunkeld, and dedicated to God,
the Virgin Mary, and all saints. This was a founda-
tion of great celebrity ; and, besides lodging and sup-
porting 7 poor men, provided out-door allowance to
30 poor persons, and a salary to two chaplains to offi-
ciate at the altars of St. Andrew and St, Catherine
in the chapel of Holyrood. In 1617 the magistrates
of Canongate purchased it from the chaplains and
bedesmen, and converted it, under the new name of
St. Thomas' hospital, into a lodging-house for their
poor ; and in 1634 they sold it to the kirk-session,
to be still used as an hospital. Eventually it suffered
an embezzlement of its entire revenues, and, for 30
years before being pulled down, in 1778, was con-
verted into coach-houses Immediately without the
city- wall, at the east end of Drummond-street, stood
a nunnery, dedicated to St. Mary of Placentia. A
corruption of its designation survives in the name
Pleasance, borne by the street which sweeps past its
site. — On the east side of the road to Dalkeith stood
a chapel and an hospital dedicated to St. Leonard,
The lands belonging to them were granted by James
VI. to the magistrates of Canongate as an endowment
to St. Thomas' hospital. The name survives in
various localities adjacent to the site On the east
side of Newington stood a chapel of Knights Tem-
plars. Its site, a rising ground, or slight eminence,
is called Mount Hooly, a corruption of Mount Holy,
or the Holy Mount. About a century ago, when the
ground was dug up, several bodies were found, cross-
legged and accoutred with swords South of the
Meadows, not far from Grange-house, was a convent
of Dominican nuns, founded by the Lady St. Clair
of Roslin, and dedicated to St. Catherine of Sienna.
A low shapeless ruin still remains, arid gives the
name Sheens, corrupted from Sienna or Siensis, to a
district around it — South-west from the Grange, on
the west end of Borough-moor, stood a large chapel,
dedicated to St, Roque. Around it was a cemetery
which the citizens of Edinburgh used for about two
centuries, and which was the chosen place of inter-
ment for persons who died of epidemics East of
the chapel of St. Roque was another dedicated to
&t. John the Baptist — In the suburb of Portsburgh
was a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which'
•ave to the thoroughfare on which it stood the name
of Chapel- wynd Near the base of the north side of
Arthur Vseat stood the chapel and hermitage of St.
Anthony. The site, though in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of a populous city, is still remarkably se-
questered, and almost as solitary as a spot in a pas-
toral or Highland seclusion. The cell of the hermi-
tage still remains, 16 feet long, 12 broad, and 8 high.
The rock rises within 2 feet of the stone arch which
forms its roof, and overlooks a beautiful crystal rill
celebrated in an old Scottish ballad. Nine yards east
of the hermitage stood the chapel. This was a beau-
tiful Gothic building, 43 feet long, 18 wide, and 18
high. At its west end rose a tower, 19 feet square,
and 40 feet high.— At the north-east base of Calton-
hill a Carmelite monastery or friary was erected in
1526; but it was destroyed at the Reformation.
On its site was built an hospital for lepers, subject
to regulations which evince both the frequent pre-
valence of leprosy in a former age, and the great
dread in which the distemper was held. At the
angle of Leith-wynd and Canongate still stands the
house which was occupied as a residence by John
Knox, and from a window of which he frequently
preached to street-congregations. On one of its
corners is a sculptured representation of the re-
former in the attitude of preaching, — The most
celebrated of all the defunct ecclesiastical edifices of
Edinburgh, is HOLYROOD ABBEY: which see,
Extinct Edifices, and Progress of Architectural
Improvement.
An account of defunct buildings not ecclesiastical
may advantageously take the form, to a large de-
gree, of an historical view of the architectural pro-
gress of Edinburgh. In 1450, James II. empowered
the magistrates to fortify the city with a wall, and
to levy contributions from the inhabitants for its
erection. The line of this wall, and that of its subse-
quent enlargements, affords a joint view of the ancient
structures, and of the early extent and progress of
the city. A wall or defence, constructed before the
time of James II,, ran, on the west, almost directly
north from the reservoir in Castle-street or top of
High-street ; it was then interrupted by the North
Loch, which served as a substitute, and probably the
wall was thence continued to the foot of Leith-wynd.
From the latter locality to the head of Canongate
or foot of High-street, an uninterrupted range of
houses on the west side, continued the line of de-
fence. The wall of James II. was strengthened at
the foot of the north-east rock of the Castle with a
small fortress; it thence ran eastward along the
south side of the North Loch till it came nearly
opposite the reservoir; it then took a southerly
direction till it gained the summit of the hill ; and
it was there bored with a gate of communication
between the town and castle. The wall now ran
obliquely down the hill toward the south-east till it
arrived at the first turn in the descent of the West
Bow; and it was here perforated with a gate called
the Upper-Bow-port. From this gate it proceeded
nearly due east along the face of the ridge between
High-street and Cowgate, till it struck Gray's-close or
Mint-close; thence it debouched, north-eastward, till
it touched the High-street a little west of the head
of Leith-wynd; here, it was intersected by a gate
of communication between the city and Canongate;
and afterwards it went down the west side of Leith-
wynd, and then turned westward to make a junction
with its commencement at the north-east foot of the
Castle rock. The ancient city was thus shut up
within very narrow limits, and consisted of simply
the High-street and part of some of the alleys lead-
EDINBURGH.
455
ing from it, arid the whole of others ; and was obliged
to acquire extension by lifting its buildings upward
in the air, rather than by the usual method of ex-
tending them along the surface, — especially as, while
9 area was so small, the fashion of the age urged
ultitudes of persons to seek residence within the
yalty. — In 1513 an extended wall was built. This
";cted chiefly the southern district, and began at
; base of the south-east corner of the Castle rock;
thence extended obliquely to the west end of the
rassmarket, and was there intersected by the gate
illed the West-port ; it now ascended part of the
11 called the High-riggs, and, turning eastward, ran
jng the north side of the part of Heriot's hospital ;
next, on touching Bristo-street, debouched north-
ird, passing through part of what is now the ceme-
ry of Greyfriars ; it then turned eastward, leaving
enings for gates called Bristo-port and Potterow-
rt, in the line of those streets ; it next went south-
rd, for a few yards, from Potterrow-port, and
n, making an abrupt turn, wended its way along
south side of the present college, and the north
e of the present Drummond-street, till it touched
Pleasance; and it there debouched almost at a
lit angle to the north, and thenceforth pursued its
y, intersected by Cowgate-port and St. Mary-
id-port, to the point of the original wall west of
head of Canongate. Considerable parts of this
1, especially where it touches Bristo-street, and
tches along the north of Drummond-street, and
e west of the north end of Pleasance, still exist
he gate called the Netherbow, with which the
all was pierced on its crossing the High-street,
stood originally about 50 yards west of the present
termination of High-street ; but, being found to oc-
cupy a position unfavourable to defence, was super-
seded, in 1571, by another, on the line of St. Mary's-
wynd and Leith-wynd, which was built by the
adherents of Queen Mary. A third, and very beau-
tiful gate, supplanted the latter in 1606, and was
reared on its site. This port was the principal en-
trance to the city, and has been rendered famous in
history by a bill, in consequence of the indignation
excited by what was called the Porteous' mob, hav-
ing passed parliament for razing it to the ground.
The buildings of the port went quite across the
High-street, and disappeared in the houses on the
sides. The gate was in the centre, perforating a
house-like structure of two stories high, springing
its arch from the summit of the lower story, and
surmounted by a handsome square tower, terminating
in battlements, and bearing aloft a tapering hexago-
nal spire. South of the gate was a wicket for foot-
passengers. But the whole structure, pursuant to
the decree of parliament, was pulled down in 1764. —
At the foot of Leith-wynd was a gate called Leith-
wynd-port; beside which was a wicket giving access
to Trinity college church. — A wall also was thrown
round the Canongate ; and on the east was perforated
with a gate, still in existence, called the Watergate.
— From confinement in space, and in imitation of
the Scottish nation's allies, the French, the houses
of ancient Edinburgh were piled to an enormous
height, rising, in many instances, to twelve stories.
The access to the separate lodgings in these huge
structures, called lands, was by common stairs, com-
bining the inconveniences of sti-i-piu-ss, liltb, and
darkness — The earliest architecture of the city
consisted, as in other cotemporaneous burghs, of
domestic buildings only a degree superior to the pri-
mitive cottage, and presenting to the eye, at best, a
strongly built ground flat, with a frail superstructure
of timber, and a front garniture of a balcony or open
gallery. A second stage of the city's architecture
ibited houses of three stories, the first of stone.
and the second and third of timber. A third stage
improved upon the second, simply in constructing
all the stories of stone, and occasionally aspiring to
a fourth story of the same material. A fourth stage,
overpowered by an influx of inhabitants, and pent in
by walls which assigned it a very limited area, sprung
aloft like the lark into the air, and sought those
enjoyments in aspiring towards the clouds which
could not be obtained by an attempt to move along
the surface. A fifth stage, incomparably the bright-
est and most brilliant of them all, burst the cere-
ments of the ancient walls, and walked forth in
architectural life and beauty, constructing the North
bridge and the South bridge as media of extension
towards the wide fields north and south of the hill-
ridge of the original site, conjuring up the southern
New town between 1774 and 1790, completing the
northern New town between 1801 and 1826, branch-
ing off into the most splendid part of the Eastern
New town between 1813 and 1828, shooting away
into the Western New town between 1823 and 1830,
and luxuriating in all directions round the ancient;
city with the freedom of movement and the gaudi-
ness of attire indicative of transition from slavery to
freedom, or from incarceration to the breathing of
the open air, and the surveying of the joyous scenes
of one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
But the improvements on Edinburgh, especially
the last and the long one, were not unattended by
demolitions of important or interesting buildings.
The demolished erection which of all others is the
most regretted, and, if allowed to remain, would
have continued to be the most beautiful and orna-
mental, was the Cross, situated on the High-street,
a little below St. Giles. This was a structure of
mixed architecture, partly Grecian and partly Gothic,
octagonal in form and 16 feet in diameter; and after
rising about 15 feet in height, it shot aloft from its
centre an octagonal pillar equal in height to itself,
and surmounted by an unicorn embracing an upright
spear of nearly twice its own length. At each angle
of the main building was an Ionic pillar projecting
at the top into a species of Gothic bastion ; and be-
tween the pillars, before being surmounted by the
bastions, were modern arches. Over the arches, in
the spaces between the bastions, heads were sculp-
tured in the manner of a modern medallion; and
over that which fronted the eastern part of the
High-street were sculptured in alto relievo the city-
arms. The access to the building was by a door
which fronted the Netherbow, and gave ingress to
a staircase leading to the platform on the summit.
The pillar which rose from this platform was 18
inches in diameter, and had a Corinthian capital,
spangled with thistles. The Town-council of the
day, — proving themselves to be of the same kidney
as the Mohammedan destroyers of the Alexandrian
library, the Goth and Vandal desolators of Rome,
and the plodding "turn the penny" speculators,
once potato-fed weavers, but eventually monied,
opulent, and signally illiterate and self-conceited
" practical men " of a manufacturing town, — conceived
the beautiful cross — such a structure as their booby
heads could not have devised in a millennium — to be
an obstruction in the thoroughfare of the High-street,
where a dozen structures of its bulk might have
stood without molesting even the ten thousand
carters of Glasgow, had it been placed in that
noisiest ot all other cities, arid much less the few
carriage and cab-drivers of Edinburgh; and, in 1756,
it was ordered to be pulled down. The domolisht-rs
believed, very justly, that they were working lor a
name among posterity ; and they have fully obtained
what they sought, though of very different quality
from what they desired, their collins being lodged on
456
EDINBURGH.
ghelf next in the height of ingloriousness to that
which exhibits to the view the remains of him who
fired the temple of Ephesus. With strange per-
versity of taste, a huge misshapen hulk of a build-
ing, erected in the reign of Charles II., whicli served
as a guard-house to the military police, and had at
the west end a dungeon or blaekhole for the incar-
ceration of the unruly, and which was situated on
the south side of Upper High-street, was allowed
to incumber the thoroughfare more than 30 years
after the demolition of the elegant cross.— At the
head of the Lawn-market, or foot of Castle-street,
formerly stood a public Weighrhouse, rearing aloft
a neat spire. When this erection and the Netherbow
and the cross existed,, their spires combined with
those of St. Giles and the Tron-ehurch, to give the
line of High-street an appearance of city architec-
tural decoration greatly superior to what it now
possesses. But for some surpassingly strange reason,
which is not recorded, the Weigh-house was, about
1666, denuded of its spire, and left, in the naked
clumsiness and deformity of its hulk, to disfigure the
thoroughfare till 1822. — The principal ineumbrance
to the High-street was a range of buildings, called
the Luckenbooths, rising to nearly the height of the
houses on the street-line, stretching parallel with
the side of St. Giles, and terminating at the west
end in the Old tolbooth of the city. A lane for
foot-passengers ran between the Luckenbooths and
St. Giles, and was lined on both sides with small
shops,-^-those on the south side adhering like ex-
crescences to the ecclesiastical edifice, and bearing
the odd name of the Krames. From the east end of
this lane., a flight of steps led off past St. Giles ; and
from a statue of the Virgin Mary being placed in a
niche on the side, was called St. Mary's steps. The
Luekenbooths were built to serve as warehouses or
shops, probably as early as during the reign of James
III. ; and the Krames began to be erected in 1555 ;
and both, along with the Tolbooth, were pulled
down in 1817,— -their demolition laying the north
front of St. Giles fully open to the view, and con-
verting the Old High-street and the Lawn-market
into a continuous and uniform thoroughfare — The
Old Tolbooth, coeval with the Luckenbooths, was
originally used for the confinement of prisoners, for
the shops of tradesmen, for the courts of the burgh,
and even for the meetings of parliament. But after
1640 it was wholly distributed, on the ground- floor,
into shops, and, on the other floors, into the apart-
ments of a prison. The building consisted of two
parts : the eastern was a square tower, with a spiral
stair, and was closely akin in structure to the nu-
merous strongholds which dotted the border-counties,
and were used as residences and rallying-points by
the reavers of a marauding age; the western part
was a parallelogram of ruble- work, and of later ori-
gin than its curious companion. In the tower were
first a large room for the use of incarcerated debtors,
next and higher up apartments for the confinement
of criminals, and over the top of all a strp.ng box for
the safe custody of an important and peculiarly danr
gerous felon. The parallelogram was distributed
into apartments for debtors. The Old Tolbooth,
under a quaint name popularly applied to it, furnished
at once title, incidents, and graphic materials to the
novel which more than any other of his produc-
tions gave celebrity to Sir Walter Scott, — that of
' The Heart of Mid-Lothian.' — In a small park
through which Nicolson-street was cut, stood a pil-
lar to the memory of Lady Nieolson. It was a very
neat and chaste fluted Corinthian column, rising 30
or 40 feet from a pedestal which bore an appropriate
inscription. When the improvements of the South
bridge extension were made, it was ' underfooted,
and in that state it remained for many years at the
north end of Nicolson-street ; but it was eventually
removed in some manner unrecorded, and was not
long ago seen as a piece of lumber in the Riding-
school. — One of the earliest erections of the New
town was Shakspeare-square, which closed up the
east end of Prince's-street, and overhung the ravine
of Low-Calton. About the middle of the east side,
looking down Prince'srstreet, was the Shakspeare-
tavern and Coffee-house, which was the resort of the
elite, and the most celebrated house of its class in
Scotland. The whole square was ploughed down
by the improvements of the eastern approach along
Waterloo^place.
Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts,
Edinburgh is distinguished as the seat of a com-
plete establishment for the administration of justice.
Some officers of state, such as the Keeper of the
Great seal, the Lord-privy-seal, the Lord-clerk-
register, the Lord-justice^general, and the officers o*
the mint, do not necessarily reside in the city, and
have either merely nominal duties, or such as are
performed by deputies. But the Lord-advocate is an
important functionary, and combines in himself a
variety of high powers : he performs the functions
both of public prosecutor and of grand-jury ; he can
seize any suspected person without needing to name
his informer, — can give liberty to an accused person
at any period previous to trial, — and can interfere,
even after trial, to avert capital punishment ; he is
the confidential counsel of the Crown in the national
affairs of Scotland; he oversees and watches the
whole country as to the conservation of its peace,
and presides over or affects its entire executive; and
as his functions are so numerous, he delegates a por-
tion of his power to a number of deputies.— The
Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scot-
land,—a court both of law and of equity, and pos-
sesses discretionary power. In fact, the business of
this court comprises all that, in England, occupies the
court-of-chancery, — the vice-chancellor and the mas-
ter-of-the-rolls, — the courts of Queen's bench, and
of common pleas and exchequer, — the court of ad-
miralty (with the exception of prize cases),— the
court of Doctor's commons, and the court of bank-
ruptcy. [Evidence of G. J. Bell, Esq. before the
Select committee on Supreme courts of judicature
in Scotland, in April 1840.]— The Court of Session
at present consists of 13 judges. The Lord-presi-
dent and 3 senior puisne judges form what is termed
the First division of the court; the Lord-justice-
clerk and 3 senior puisne judges form the Second
division of the court ; and these two divisions are
termed ' the Inner house.' The remaining 5 puisne
judges officiate in what is called ' the Outer house'
as Lords-ordinary, each sitting singly ; the last ap-
pointed of those judges being more particularly occu-
pied during the period of session in what is termed
' the Bill-chamber,' or in those proceedings, of the
nature of injunction or stay of process, which re-
quire the more summary interposition of the court.
The great majority of cases— all cases indeed, with
a few exceptions not worth mentioning here — are
brought in the first instance, and in their earliest
stage, before one o^ other of the Lords-ordinary ;
the record is made up before him, and under his
superintendence, and the case prepared for deci-
sion. It is then argued before him, and, in gen-
eral, decided by him. From his judgment there lies
an appeal to the Inner house, in one or other of its
divisions. The judgment of the division is final,
subject only to appeal to the House of Lords.
There is no appeal from one division to the other,
nor from one division to the whole court. But
EDINBURGH.
457
either division may require the opinion of the other
judges; in which case, judgment is given according
to the opinion of the majority of the whole court.
The party who comes into court as plaintiff has it
in his power to select, not only the Lord-ordinary
before whom the cause shall in the first instance
proceed, but also the division by which the judgment
of the Lord-ordinary, if appealed from, shall be re-
viewed. The two divisions of the court, it may be
proper to observe, are thus in all respects of equal
and co-ordinate jurisdiction. The same may be said
of the Lords-ordinary, with the exception of a few
cases reserved for the exclusive determination of the
Inner house; each Lord-ordinary having in himself,
for the decision of the cases before him, the full
jurisdiction of the court of session, and his judg-
ment, if not brought under review of the Inner
house, becoming the judgment of the court, not sub-
ject to appeal even to the House of Lords, which is
only permitted when judgment has been given by
the court of session in one of its inner chambers.
The court thus constituted has, in virtue either of
original or appellate jurisdiction, cognizance of all
civil causes and matters, with the exception of those
only which are reserved for the Small Debt courts,
and of the revenue cases which are reserved for Ex-
chequer. It were unnecessary, perhaps, to enter
more minutely into the limits of its jurisdiction, but
it may be proper to mention that the jurisdiction is
exclusive as regards all questions of real property, and
as to all other questions is subject only to this limi-
tation, that no case under £25 value can be brought
before it originally. Recent statutes, by abolishing
the courts of admiralty and the consistory courts,
have thrown into the court of session the whole
business which came before those courts respectively.
But besides this, though the court of exchequer still
remains as a separate jurisdiction, its judicial busi-
ness is now discharged by two judges of the court
of session, sitting as barons of exchequer. A far
more important duty, and one of great labour and
msibility, devolves upon the Lord-president, as
-justice-general, and the Lord-justice-clerk,
id 5 puisne judges of the court of session under a
separate commission, by which there is conferred
upon them supreme criminal j urisdiction. The court
of justiciary sits as occasion requires, in Edinburgh,
for despatch of business, embracing there the crimi-
nal business of the three Lothians, with such cases
as, from their importance or other reason, are brought
to Edinburgh for trial. In each year, during the
vacations of the court of session, there are three
spring-circuits and three autumn-circuits, with an
additional winter-circuit for Glasgow. The business
of the court of exchequer, and, during vacation, the
business of the Bill-chamber department of the court
of session, which require constant attendance, are
discharged in rotation by those judges of the court
-ion who are not included in the commission
of the court of justiciary. In enumerating the whole
1 usiness thus devolving on the supreme judges of
Scotland, the business of the Teind court (embracing
all questions as to the modification of stipends to the
Henry, and the respective liabilities of the parties sub-
ject to the payment of stipend) must not be over-
looked, nor the still more important duty of presid-
ing in the trial of civil cases by jury, where under
recent statutes that course of procedure is resorted to.
— The Faculty of Advocates consists of between 400
and 5()0 barristers, who have the privilege of pleading
before the supreme courts. Their affairs are pre-
sided over by a dean, and managed by a council, a
treasurer, and a clerk; and are subject to the autho-
rity of the Court of Session. Every candidate for
Membership is examined on the Roman and the Scot-
tish law, and must pay £100 toward the common
fund, and .£100 toward the Advocates' library.
Members of the Faculty alone are eligible to the
judgeships of the Court of Session, the sheriffships
of the Scottish counties, and several important offices
and dignities connected with the government. The
Faculty, till about the commencement of the present
century, was exclusive and aristocratic, requiring the
adventitious qualifications of rank and noted ancestry,
in addition to those which were strictly personal ;
but, though now more popular in constitution, and
looking only to the talents and the scholarship of its
members, it is probably the most influential body of
the metropolis, and everywhere commands respect.
A clerk, appointed by an advocate, is entitled, after
paying fees and being found qualified, to act as an
attorney in the supreme courts, and is called an ad-
vocate's first clerk The Faculty of Writers to the
Signet includes from 600 to 700 individuals, who are
entitled to act in the supreme courts, and have the
sole right of making documents valid by the signet
or seal of her majesty. They were originally and
literally clerks in the Secretary of state's office.
Their business was to record and issue writs passing
the signet, on which various proceedings took place.
They still receive commissions from the keeper of
the signet ; but, though never erected into a corpor-
ation, it has been held that they have acquired the
rights and privileges of one by usage. Their advan-
tages over the notaries and lawyers' clerks arose from
their keeping together as a body. For a long period
after advocates' clerks were recognised as a sort of
solicitors, writers to the signet not only excluded
themselves, but were excluded by the court from
acting as agents. Tempted, however, by the grow-
ing emoluments of law-agency, and aided by qualifica-
tions superior, it is believed, to most of the advocates'
clerks, their interferences, originally surreptitious,
were at length, acknowledged by the court, and their
commission as writers to the signet is now held to
authorize their acting also in the capacity of solicitors
before all our highest courts. Their peculiar privileges
as writers to the signet are of a trifling nature ; and
their peculiar duties may also be understood in the
course of two months. Their library, however, is
valuable, and their corporation funds are extensive.
Their supporting a lecturer on conveyancing, and a
widow's scheme, add to their consequence. — The
solicitors before the supreme courts of Scotland are,
as agents, on a footing, in every respect, with writers
to the signet. The only distinction is, that the latter
had a connection with the court, as clerks to the sig-
net, before they had any connection with it as agents.
— The High court of Admiralty consisted, after the
Union, of a judge appointed by the Lord- vice- admiral
of Scotland, and functionaries of inferior jurisdiction
appointed by the judges ; and, in civil causes, it was
subject to review by the Court of Session. At pre-
sent the magistrates of Edinburgh have an admiralty
jurisdiction over the county of the city, and to the
midwaters of the frith of Forth, limited on the west
by a line drawn from Wardie Brow to the Mickne
Stone ; and on the east by a line drawn from the ex-
tremity of the Pentland hills, through the mouth of
the river Tummel, to the middle of the frith east of
Inchkeith The Commissary court, or head consis-
torial court of Scotland, was, as to its business, nearly
all merged in the Court of Session in 1830. A power
of confirming the testaments of persons having pro-
perty in Scotland who die abroad, remains with the
officers of the defunct court, and when they die out,
will devolve to the sheriff of Edinburghshire. — Two
deputies perform some unimportant or comparatively
trivial duties of the Lyon-court, or, more strictK,
of the sinecure office of Lyon-king-at-arms. — The
458
EDINBURGH.
Sheriff-courts of the county are held in Edinburgh ;
but are not different from those of other counties
The Convention of Royal burghs, a court consti-
tuted in the reign of James III., meets annually in
Edinburgh, and is presided over by the Lord-provost
of the city. — The General Assembly of the Church
of Scotland holds a full meeting annually in May,
besides several meetings of its Commission. A
presbytery of fewer than 13 parishes, delegates to it
2 ministers and 1 elder ; a presbytery of fewer than
19, but more than 12, delegates 3 ministers and 1
elder ; a presbytery of fewer than 25, but more than
18, delegates 4 ministers and 2 elders ; a presbytery
of fewer than 31, but more than 24, delegates 5 min-
isters and 2 elders ; and a presbytery of more than
30, delegates 6 ministers and 3 elders. Each royal
burgh sends one member ; Edinburgh sends two ;
and each university sends one. The Assembly has
an ecclesiastical president or moderator, elected by
the votes of its members, and a civil president, or
overseer, the representative of her Majesty, or, as
he is called, the Lord-high-commissioner, appointed
by the Crown. The former is the real president,
acting very much as if the civil president did not
exist. The Commission of the Assembly consists
of a large portion of its members, who are in-
vested with all its ecclesiastical powers to despatch
business which cannot be overtaken during the 10
days of its full session, and to watch over the inter-
ests of the church throughout the country. The
General Assembly met in 1840, and several preceding
years, in the Tron church ; but, at that date, was in
the way to have a public building for its special use
erected — The synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, and
the Established, United Secession, Relief, Reformed
Presbyterian, and Original Secession presbyteries of
Edinburgh, hold their meetings in the city The
synod of the United Secession church, or supreme
court of that ecclesiastical body, holds the majority
of its meetings in Edinburgh, and, in 1840, and pre-
ceding years, assembled in their chapel of Broughton-
place. — The annual meetings of the Scottish Con-
gregational Union are usually held, on the alternate
year, in Argyle-square and Albany-street chapels. —
Edinburgh is the seat of a bishop of the Scottish
Episcopal church ; it is the residence also of a Roman
Catholic bishop.
Municipal Government, Sfc.
The city of Edinburgh is governed by a Lord-pro-
vost, magistrates, and council, who are elected ac-
cording to the provisions of the Burgh Reform act.
The Lord-provost is styled Right Honourable, is ex
officio High-sheriff of the royalty, and has precedence
of all official persons within his jurisdiction. The
magistracy consists of a lord-provost, a dean-of-
guild, a treasurer, and four bailies, each of whom is
ex officio a member of the council. The number of
councillors is 33. For the purposes of the election
the city is divided into wards or districts. The num-
ber of municipal electors in 1839 was 3,059. One-third
part of the councillors go out of office every year, but
are eligible for re-election. The provost, bailies, trea-
surer, and other office-bearers, are elected by the coun-
cillors. The provost's term of office is three years, and
he is eligible for immediate re-election. The other
office-bearers go out at the expiration of one year, and
cannot be re-elected until each shall have been out of
his particular office one year ; but this does not pre-
vent their being kept in the council from year to
year by their being elected to fill the different offices
in succession. Previous to the Burgh Reform act,
the corporation was of a close character, though not
altogether without an admixture of popular repre-
sentation. The return made to the house of com-
mons in 1793, describing the constitution as settled
by the authority of a decreet-arbitral of King James
VI., 1583; a decreet-arbitral of Lord Islay, 1729
-30, and two acts of council, 1658 and 1673, was
as follows: — "Council consists of 17 merchants,
6 deacons, and 2 trades' councillors, in all 25. These
shorten the leets for 14 deacons, and elect six of
them council deacons ; they may continue two years.
The 14 deacons are elected as follows:.— Each cor-
poration or trade vote a list, or leet of six, which
they give in to the council, who return three of the
six for the election of a deacon, who is chosen by a
majority of the votes of the members of the respec-
tive corporations. The 25 members of council elect
three merchants' and two trades' councillors. The
old and new council, consisting of 30, leet for the
office-bearers, who are elected by them and the eight
deacons not of the council, making in all 38. There-
after the council consists, as formerly, of 25 ; but the
eight extra deacons have a vote in every case ex-
ceeding the value of £1 13s. 4d. The magistrates
consist of a lord-provost, dean-of-guild, and trea-
surer, each of whom may be re-elected for one year
more, and four bailies, who cannot be re-elected into
the same office the succeeding year ; and they must
be out of council one year before they can be put
in the leet for bailies ; each of these office-bearers
remains in council one year, ex officio, as councillors.
A bailie, though he cannot be re-elected until he be
out of council at least for one year, yet the sett
does not prevent his being kept in council a con-
siderable time, by being elected into other offices,
such as treasurer, dean-of-guild, and provost, one
after the other." — The magistrates possess very ex-
tensive jurisdiction, and of various kinds. Besides
the ordinary jurisdiction, civil and criminal, common
to royal burghs, and exercised in the bailie-court
over the royalty, the magistrates exercise, in the
same court, over the county of the city, which in-
cludes Canongate, Portsburgh, Leith, and New-
haven, the jurisdiction competent to sheriffs and jus-
tices of the peace. The magistrates also have a
jurisdiction as judges in the police court over a larger
territory than the royalty ; they delegate the juris-
diction of an inferior admiralty-court to the magis-
trates of Leith, and they annually nominate a council
to exercise with the dean-of-guild, the jurisdiction of
aguildry-courtoverthe ancient and extended royalties
and liberties. Besides the ordinary bailie-court,
where civil cases are tried according to the forms
observed in other burghs, there is a court called the
Ten merk court, in which cases not exceeding in
amount 11s. lT\d. sterling, (lOmerks Scots,) and
cases as to servants' wages to any amount, are heard
and determined in a summary manner by the magis-
trates. The magistrates, as justices of the peace,
further, under a provision in the act 39 and 40 Geo.
III. c. 46. § 21 and 22, hold a court, called the Small
Debt court, for the county of the city, in which
cases under £40 Scots, or £3 6s. 8d. sterling, ure
tried agreeably to the forms of the small Debt act.
Finally, the magistrates sit in a court usually known
by the name of the Council-chamber, which is
merely a branch of the bailie court. The distinction
between the bailie court and the council chamber ia,
that the former sits weekly for the disposal of the
ordinary civil causes brought before it by summons,
while the latter is a daily court for disposing of sum-
mary applications by petition, as for removing, se-
questration, liberation on sick bills, aliment under
the act of grace, &c., and sometimes on matters of
contract.— The patronage of the town-council is very
extensive and valuable. They appoint 3 assessors,
2 principal town-clerks, a depute town-clerkv
keeper of the council-records, a superintendent auc
EDINBURGH.
459
an overseer of public works, a procurator-fiscal, a
chamberlain, town-officers, and some hundred other
civil functionaries, not only in the city, but in
Leith and Canongate, who have salaries and fees
amounting in the aggregate to an enormous sum.
The town-clerk of Leith is reported by the cor-
poration commissioners to have paid £1,200 as a
consideration for his office. The town-council ap-
point also to the majority of the chairs of the uni-
versity, and exercise considerable control over its
affairs ; and they are patrons of the 13 city parishes,
of Currie, Wemyss, and, alternately with the Earl
of Stair, of Fala, — of the High school, — of George
Heriot's hospital and schools, — and of various other
institutions not apparently of a civil character.
The affairs of Edinburgh have, during the present
century, been brought so frequently before the legis-
lature and the community, that it seems superfluous
to repeat the details of a system of mismanagement
which is terminated. There is not sufficient evi-
dence that the disastrous state of the city -affairs has
been caused by actual embezzlement or fraudulent
malversation. Exaggerated expectations of the con-
tinued and indefinite increase of the city in prosperity
and size may have led the managers or the corpora-
tion into an increase of expense far disproportioned
to the really considerable growth of the revenue ;
offices were multiplied, and salaries raised ; a spirit
of litigation prevailed, great profusion took place in
the expenses of civic parade and entertainments,
and extravagant sums were expended on public build-
ings and other public works, as ill-adapted in general
to their object of embellishing the city as they in-
variably were disproportioned to its finances. The
expense of law- proceedings for the city, for the
period from 1819 to 1832 inclusive, was £24,162;
and for the same period the expenses connected with
pushing local acts of parliament amounted to £12,156.
For the year 1819 the cost of city-entertainments
wa< £782. In 1820, £1,066 ; and the election din-
ner of the magistrates that year cost £533. In 1821
the amount of this branch of expense was £755.
St. George's church was built on a plan estimated
at £18,000, but cost £38,000. The new High
iol waserected at an expense of £34,199, of which
£22,973 was defrayed by the city. This expensive
work was undertaken within a few years of the de-
claration of the insolvency of the city. A separate
account, under the head of Petty disbursements, was
in use to be kept, which averaged for the last five
je.irs of the old regime about £1,200 per annum,
The expense of keeping up the causeways, repairs of
property, advances for college and churches, &c.,
was merely stated as casual payments ; and when-
ever the expenditure exceeded the revenue, reference
was made to a large sum of casual payments which,
it was stated, would not likely occur again, although
they always did occur. — The city having become
insolvent as on the 1st of June, 1833, a statute was
passed in August 1833, conveying its whole pro-
perties and revenues, so far as legally liable for its
debts, and attachable by the diligence of its credi-
tors, to trustees. This conveyance does not include
the harbour of Leith. At that period the whole
heritable and moveable property of the city — exclu^
si ve of the Leith dues, and of the value of the High-
school, the council chambers, the court-rooms at
Leith, and the church-patronage — amounted in value
to £271,657; and the debt to £407,181. The
revenue, exclusive of the Leith dues, was £16,260.'
In the article LEITH will be found a view of the
financial affairs of the harbours and docks. It is suffi-
cient here to state that Government has a preferable
claim upon the whole duties which the city of Edin-
burgh derives from Leith — both shore-dues and
dock-rates — for certain advances made from 1799 to
1825, amounting in all to £265,000. The terms of the.
act of 1833, and, indeed, the nature of the obligations
which are implied in the gift of common property to a
burgh, have given rise to important and very difficult
questions between the creditors and the magistrates,,
as to what part of the common good of the burgh is
attachable for its debts. Among several remarkable cir-
cumstances which have been developed by the publica-
tion of the city's accounts, one relating to a bequest ot
the late Dr. Bell, has drawn much attention and cen-
sure. A sum of £10,000 3 percent, stockhaving, from
Dr. Bell's fund for the advancement of education, been
placed in the hands of the magistrates and council in
trust, to apply the dividends to the support of a
school or schools in Edinburgh, on the Madras sys-
tem of training, the functionaries, pressed by the
claims of a clamorous creditor, disposed of the stock,
and applied the greater part of the proceeds to post-
pone the evil day of the city's insolvency. — In con-
formity with an act, 1st and 2d of Victoria, cap. 55,
the accounts of the city's revenue and expenditure
have been exhibited in two schedules, — the one of
the revenues which are wholly conveyed to the city
creditors in security, and the other of customs and
market-dues, over which the creditors have a secu-
rity to the extent of £1,000.
*OL nuguri* i ooi', iiiiu in t>t uruuir A VI nit* AA l> *oi uuu <tu » n MM iat tap. u*/, v» ci inr
the security to the City creditor extend* :—
*> IIUIC Ul \\llllll
Arrears at Revenue
Revenue received
ORDINARY REVENUE. lit August charged in (he
in (he period of
1U38. period ol this Act.
this Acciiunt.
£ t. d. £ t. d.
£ *. rf.
Composition Duties received from Vassals . . . . 000 1,172 4 10
1,172 4 10
Feu-Duties in the Extended Royalty .... 3,892 411 5,815 5 8
6,315 11 7
Ancient Royalty 1 (,fi, „ , n,(>l5 11 47
Ditto proper to Church Revenue . . . \ ° 3 d ' 40 12 1 j
1,737 15 8
In Leith 157 11 11 ¥0 15 1
10 14 6
CMMlgftto . . 216 16 3 34 15 Jl
V7 14 6
D 14 5
W the City's Mills . . . . . . . 000 186 13 4
1 74 :» 4
H.-nts and Tack. Duties, and Church Revenue . . 475 1 4 1.2(>0 12 8
I,i03 3 0
Seat Kfiit* of the City Chun-hex' Nett Revenue . . 000 5,812 3 3
A-tricted Mule-lures payable by Brewer* . . . . 000 ^ 15 6
Dues on Ooi.d- xent by tlie Union Canal . . . 000 41)5 17 7
5,812 3 3
wa 15 6
4U5 17 7
Annual A llowHiu-e from the Edinburgh and Leith Gas Companies 30 0 0 30 0 0
Annual Payment* from Revenues of Leith Harbour and Docks* 000 2.52114 5
50 0 0
2,521 14 5
Annual Foments Iroin the Customs and Market Due»» • . 000 793 3 0
793 3 0
Totals (Fractions omitted,) £5,800 6 5 £20^032 15 0
£20,608 15 10
Overcharges and Abatements, £88 8s. 9d.— Arrears at 1st August 1839, £5,135 16s. 8d.
* I hvte lMt two uv proportion! of the P»;menti from 27th July 1838 to Whitiuud.j 1839-vix., of .£8,180, and jt'1,000 reject! veljr.
460
EDINBURGH.
Nett Produce of the Ordinary Revenue, comprised in Sche-
dule A, after the deduct!. >n of preferable burdens and ex-
penses of management £1,978 143. lid. . £13,322 14 11
Payments in terms of the Act.
Paid to liferent annuitants by pur-
chase . • • £928 4 t
Paid permanent annuities on bonds 11,515 10 6
Salary to Clerk of Committee
of Creditors, &c.
£12,443 15 0
27 13 6
Leavin? a nett surplus on ordinary reve-
nue of ....
12,471 8 6
£851 6 5
Abstract View of the Revenue and Expenditure of the Cor-
poration of Edinburgh— proper to the period from 1st Au-
srust 1838 to 1st August 1839, and comprised in Schedule B of
the Act 1st and 2d Victoria, cap. 55, over which the security
tu the Creditors is limited to £1, 000 :—
Arrears at
0»i*A.rIt.v»c-. MA£S»t
Common Good and £ ». d.
Market Dues . 1,409 10 8
One per cent. Impost 000
Fees of Burgesses, &c. 000
Revenue Reed.
£ s. d. £ t. rf,
4,208 3 6 4,060 4 8
*165 19 165 1 9
221 1 4 221 1 4
Totals . 1,409 10 8 4,654 6 7 4,416 7 9
Arrears at 1st August 1839 . . 1,677 9 6
Amount of Ordinary Revenue, aftpr deducting expenses of
Management (£866 5s. lid.), and proportion of Annoitypay-
able to Creditors .... £4,453 15 9
Municipal Expenditure.
Criminal Department . . £2,854 7 2
Civil Department . . 1,459 (5 5
Surplus
£130 2 2
The police territory includes the limits of all the
de facto town of Edinburgh, and is divided into 32
wards. The general commissioners of police are 48
in number : 1 2f ex qfficiis, 4 elected by public bodies
out of their own members, and 32 elected by rate-
payers. The official are, the Lord-provost, four
bailies, dean-of-guild, treasurer, and convener of the
trades, the sheriff of the county and one of his sub-
stitutes, the senior resident bailie of Canongate, and
the convener of the Southern districts. Those
elected by public bodies are chosen by the Faculty
of Advocates, the Society of Writers to the Signet,
the Society of Solicitors in the Supreme courts, and
the Merchant company. There are also 64 Resident
commissioners, each ward electing 2. Some idea may
be formed of the management of the police established
from the following items: — The total income for
the year 1839-40, applicable to the watching de-
partment, amounts to £13,894 Is. 9fd. ; the expendi-
ure in which is £15,292 18s. 2£d. ; thus showing a
deficiency in the amount assessed for this branch of |
£1,398 16s. 4fd. The total income applicable to
lighting is £6,874 Os. 6fd.: total expenditure £6,3-19
3s. 2d.; thus showing a surplus of £524 17s. 4fd.
The total income applicable to cleaning is il 1,815
5s. 4£d. : total expenditure £12,140 2s. 6^. ; show-
ing a defalcation of £324 18s. 2d. ; thus leaving a
nett deficiency of revenue, or sum short-assessed for
the general purposes ot the act this year, of £1,198
17s. 2d. ; making altogether a total expenditure of
£33,782 3s. lid. On taking a comparative view of
the revenue and expenditure of the year at present
under notice, and the one previous, it appears that
the total income of 1838-9, amounted to £30,439
18s. 6d. ; and that of 1839-40 to £32,583 6s. 9d. ;
being an increase in favour of the latter year of
£2,143 8s. 3d. The gross expenditure for the year
1838-9, is £30,982 3s. O^d. ; and that of 1839-40,
* By act of Council, the collection of the one per cent, im-
post was suspended for 1838-9, and the above sum of £1C5 Is.
id. is for arrears of previous years.
£33,782 3s. lid. ; proving a nett increase upon the
whole of £2,800 Os. l^d. This apparently large
increase in the expenditure of the last year may in
some measure be accounted for by the fact, of £1,371
6s. 6d. having been paid for property purchased for
watch and engine-houses, besides other incidental
sums which are not mentioned in the disbursements
of the previous year.
The freedom or burgess-ship of the city is ob-
tained by payment of a fixed sum, or by serving an
apprenticeship in some one or other of the crafts or
trades, by propinquity to former burgesses, or by
presentation. The price of a burgess-ticket to a
stranger is £16 9s. It is £6 5s. 6d. if claimed in
right of a father or wife ; and if in right of appren-
ticeship to a freeman, it is £8. Burgess-ship is an
indispensable qualification of eligibility to the magis-
tracy ; and the burgesses have also the exclusive
privilege of carrying on their respective trades within
certain boundaries. There are 14 incorporated trades,
which were formerly represented in the town-coun-
cil:— 1. Waulkers; constituted by seal of cause,
20th August, 1500. 2. Surgeons; seal of cause, 1st
July, 1505; Crown charters, 13th October, 1506;
llth May, 1567; 6th June, 1613; statutes, 1641,
1670; Crown-charter, 28th February, 1694; statute,
1695. 3. Skinners; seals of cause, 1586, 1630. 4.
Furriers ; act of council, 7th September, 1593 ; 5th
April, 1665. 5. Goldsmiths; seal of cause, 20th
August, 1581; Crown-charters, 3d January, 1586;
14th December, 1687. 6. Hammermen; seal of
cause, 2d May, 1483. 7. Wrights; act of council,
15th October, 1475. 8. Masons; act of council, 15th
October, 1475. 9. Tailors; seals of cause, 26th
August, 1500; 20th October, 1531; llth November,
1584; royal charters, 18th November, 1531; 4th
June, 1594. 10. Baxters; before 1522. 11. Flesh-
ers; seal of cause, llth April, 1488. 12. Cordiners;
seals of cause, 28th July, 1449; 26th November,
1479; 1st February, 1586; Crown-charter, 6th
March, 1598. 13. Websters; seals of cause, 31st
January, 1475; 27th February, 1520. 14. Bonnet-
makers; seal of cause, 31st March, 1530; ,
1684. The corporation of Candlemakers was con-
stituted by charter from the magistrates, 5th Sep-
tember, 1517 ; confirmed by royal charter, 4th May,
1597; and ratified by act of parliament, 17th July,
1695, which conferred the usual privileges of incor-
porated trades. The corporation of Barbers, origi-
nally united with the Surgeons, had a separate con-
stitution by seal of cause, granted by the town-
council in 1722. Neither of these last-mentioned
corporations were represented in the convenery or
the town-council. All the trades choose their own
deacons.
Four subordinate districts— Canongate, the Abbey
Sanctuary, Portsburgh, and Calton — are included in
the parliamentary boundaries and police territory of
Edinburgh, and are compact with it in architectural
continuity, but have separate burghal jurisdictions.^
Canongate is one of the most ancient burghs of
regality in Scotland, and had charters from David I.,
Robert I., and Robert III. The abbots of Holy-
rood had the superiority of the burgh, and are stated
to have appointed as its earliest sett two bailies, a
treasurer, and council, with right to make burgesses
and craftsmen, and to hold courts civil and criminal,
with privilege and liberty of chapel and chaiicellary,
by issuing briefs, and serving the same before such
courts. These powers and privileges, with certain
feu-duties and other property, they afterwards con-
veyed to the community, reserving nothing but the
bare superiority of the burgh. The abbots continued
superiors till the Reformation. Robert Stewart,
commendator of Holyrood, exchanged the abbac)
EDINBURGH.
461
for the temporality of the bishopric of Orkney, with
Adam, bishop of Orkney. The superiority passed
successively into the hands of Sir Lewis Bellenden
of Broughton, and others, and was at last acquired
by the city of Edinburgh about the year 1630. The
onlv property belonging to the burgh consists of the
superiority of certain properties within the burgh the
right to levy petty customs, market-dues, and cause-
way mail ; and an annual allowance from the police-
establishment of Edinburgh, "in lieu and place of 1 -4th
part of the monies arising from the sale of the dung
or fuilzie of the streets of Canongate and Pleas-
ance," which had previously belonged to the burgh.
The burgh hag no debt. The magistrates have not,
for a number of years, exercised their burghal juris-
diction in criminal matters. They hold a weekly
court for civil causes, in which they dispose of the
same classes of questions that are competent to sher-
iffs and magistrates of royal burghs. They also- hold
weekly a small debt court, in which causes not ex-
ceeding £5 sterling are tried viva voce. The ma-
gistrates act also as justices of the peace within the
territory of the burgh, in all matters falling under
the cognizance of justices ; and are assisted by an
assessor, who is a member of the Faculty of Advo-
cates, and is appointed by the town-council of Ed-
inburgh as superiors of the Canongate. The juris-
diction extends over the whole territory of the burgh,
including Canongate Proper, the Abbey of Holyrood
house, Pleasance, North Leith, and Coal-hill. None
but burgesses or freemen of the burgh are entitled
to cany on trade or manufactures within the bounds;
and in those callings which fall within the exclusive
privileges of the incorporated crafts, it is necessary,
besides the qualification of burgess, to be an entered
member of the particular craft. The fee for admis-
sion as burgess is, to a stranger, £3 3s. ; but to the
children of a burgess only £1 11s. 6d. The number
of burgesses cannot be exactly ascertained ; but it
has been estimated to amount to about 400, There
are eight incorporated crafts, all enjoying exclusive
privileges, and possessed of funds, which are appro-
priated to the support of poor members and the
widows of deceased members. These are hammer-
men, tailors, wrights, bakers, shoemakers, weavers,
fleshers, and barbers.
The Abbey court is of a peculiar nature and juris-
diction. During the time of popery the Abbey of
Holyrood possessed the privilege of sanctuary in
common with many religious houses. After the
Reformation it continued as a royal palace, to be
regarded as an asylum for debtors, and perhaps petty
offenders, and it still retains its privilege of exemp-
tion from personal arrest for civil debts. This privi-
lege has been recognised by various decisions of the
supreme court, and by an act of the Scottish parlia-
ment in 1696, and subsequently by the various acts
of the imperial parliament called the Bankrupt acts.
The bailie of Holyrood is appointed by commission
from the Duke of Hamilton, as hereditary keeper of
tlie palace, and holds his office during pleasure. His
commission gives him power to appoint a substitute,
and to name fiscals, clerks, and other officers of
court. The jurisdiction of the bailie is that of re-
giility; and it was not affected by the act abolishing
heritable jurisdictions, being a royal residence and a
regally independent of a superior* The jurisdiction
is both criminal and civil, and, from the diet-books
of court, the bailie seems to have exercised it at
different times to a very considerable extent. It is
in some respects privative. The bailie alone can grant
warrants against persons within his jurisdiction, and
his concurrence is necessary to the civil warrant of
other judges. The boundaries of the sanctuary are
very extensive, reaching beyond the precincts of the
palace, and comprising the King's park, Salisbury,
crags, and the greater portion of Arthur's-seat.
The burgh-of-barony of Portsburgh comprehends
two districts, — Easter and Wester Portsburgh, winch
are discontiguous. Easter Portsburgh lies wholly
to the east of Bristo-street, and has been described
as comprehending the east side of Bristo-street from
Bristo port southward, Potter-row, Lothian, and
South College-streets, Drummond- street to opposite
to Adam-street, and Nicolson-street to nearly the
entry to the York hotel on the west, and to the
Surgeon's hall on the east. Wester Portsburgh lies
wholly to the west of Wharton-lane and the Vennel,
and has been described as comprehending the main
street of Wester Portsburgh on both sides, from the
corn-market and foot of the Vennel to Main point ;
the whole of Laurieston, both sides, from Wharton-
lane to Lochrin, including Portland-place. Cowfeeder-
row, on the west, and to Burntsfield-links on the
east, including Home and Leven streets. There
lies interjected between the two the whole terri-
tory lying along the southern boundary of Heriot's
work and the old city-wall, comprehending the west
side of Bristo-street, Park-place, Teviot-row, the
Meadow-walk, the grounds of Watson's hospital,
the lying-in-hospital, &c. This burgh has no cor-
poration-property, revenue, or debts. A baron-
bailie and two resident bailies are annually appointed,
and there are a clerk and procurator-fiscal. These
are all officers appointed by the city of Edinburgh
in its character of baron and superior ; and any ex-
pense connected with their establishment is defrayed
by the city. There has been no jurisdiction exer-
cised of late years within the Portsburghs, either
by the baron or resident bailies. Formerly courts
were occasionally held for recovery of debts under
40s., and for deciding summary complaints for thefts,
breaches of the peace, &c. But for a number of
years past the former have been taken to the small
debt courts of the county, and the latter to the po-
lice court. There are no burgesses and guild-breth-
ren in Portsburgh ; but there are eight incorporated
trades deriving their rights from John Touris of
Inverleith.
The lands of Calton formed part of the barony of
Restalrig, belonging to Lord Balmerino. The ma-
gistrates and council of Edinburgh having bought
them from Lord Balmerino, obtained, in 1725, a
charter from the Crown, disjoining them from the
barony and burgh-of-barony of Restalrig, and annex-
ing them to the city of Edinburgh, This charter,
however, does not erect the lands into a burgh-ot-
barony. The towiucouncil appoint each year one
of their number to be bailie of Canongate and Cal-
ton ; but in the latter no judicial functions are exer-
cised by him, nor does it appear that he has right to
exercise any jurisdiction. The bailiary of Calton
extends from the brewery a little to the eastward of
the Shotts foundry at the north back of Canongate,
westward along the street so called, including all
the houses next the Calton-hill, and turning round
and including the High Calton, passing through the
archway of the Regent bridge along Calton-street,
and down the street leading to Wordsworth's stables,
including all the buildings on the side of that street
next the hill, and down to the Greenside well at
the north-eastern extremity of the city's property
of Calton-hill, whence the boundary crosses over the
lull by the wall of the Regent-terrace garden and
the east end of the High school to the brewery
above-mentioned, all the intermediate property be-
ing included. As observed, however, in a report
by the town.council, " it consists of several frag-
ments, the limits of which, since the erection of the
Regent bridge and the extension of the royalty in
462
EDINBURGH.
tliat quarter, it is extremely difficult to ascertain."
The only corporation connected with the Calton is
that of the incorporated trades.
Ma nufa ctures.
The manufactures of Edinburgh are of very trivial
importance ; and, in 1831, employed only 792 males
of 20 years and upwards. In 1828 the number of
hand-looms throughout the entire county of Mid-
Lothian was only 300 ; and in 1838 they were only
108, of which 48 were factory looms, and 60 plain
looms. The making of shawls and plaids, com-
posed of silk and wool, of very rich designs and ex-
cellent quality, was for a time the chief. The shawl-
weaving is all conducted in factories, and at present
yields to the workman 10s. a- week in clear wages.
The Edinburgh silk-yarn company, established in
1839, have a large factory employing ;32,2r52 spindles,
and 64 dressing-frames. The number of hands em-
ployed in 1841-2 was 400. The other departments
of manufactures are net- weaving, lace-making, the
weaving of haircloth and silk, and coach-building. —
The Merchants' company is intimately connected
with the guildry, and has the virtual patronage of
three public charities. The company was established
by royal charter, dated 19th October, 16S1, which
'erected " the then haill present merchants, burgesses,
arid gild brethren of the burgh of Edinburgh, who
were importers or sellers of cloths, stuffs, or other
merchandize, for the apparell or wear of the bodies
of men or women, for themselves and successors in
their said trade in all time comeing, in a society or
company, to be designed the Company of Merchants
of the city of Edinburgh," which was ratified by act
of parliament, 1693. A subsequent charter, and two
successive acts of parliament, the last dated 28th
May, 1827, have regulated the dues of entry, and
authorized the company to admit all persons " being
merchants, burgesses, and guild brethren, or entitled
to be chosen merchant-councillors or magistrates of
the city of Edinburgh." The rate of entry-money, as
regulated by the last statute, is £63. The company's
stock, at September, 1834, was £23,776. The in-
come from interest of money, rents of real property,
and entry money, &c., amounts to about £1,100 per
annum, and is expended chiefly in supporting widows
and decayed members. Edinburgh, as to water, coals,
facilities of communication, and relative position, is
peculiarly well-situated for manufactures ; but hither-
to it has expended its physical advantages chiefly
in promoting the health and comfort of its inhabi-
tants. Such trade as it has is carried on principally
through Leith, and will be noticed in the article on
that port.
Publishing Trade.
Literature may, in a sense, be called the staple
produce of the metropolis. In the printing of law
papers for the legal functionaries, of bibles and school-
'jooks for general diffusion over Scotland, of num-
erous periodicals of national circulation, and of vol-
umes or ponderous works of popular attraction or
standard and enduring value, a proportion of opera-
tives and of literary persons — particularly of the for-
mer— incomparably greater is employed in Edinburgh
than in any other town of the three kingdoms except
London. So late as near the close of the 18th cen-
tury, literature, in the strict sense of the word, was
little more an article of manufacture than in any
Scottish provincial town ; but it started up with an
energy, and proceeded with attractions, and in-
creased with a rapidity which have eventually earned
for the city the name " Modern Athens," in compli-
ment more to her learnedness and her being the em-
porium of the nation's means of knowledge, than even
to the characteristic features of her topographical
position. The Encyclopedia Britannica was the first
large work which the Edinburgh press produced ;
and, bulky and magnificent as it was, it gave but im-
perfect indication of the spirit of achievement which
had been roused. The beautiful and incessant and
very varied productions of the Ballantyne press,
combined with the princely speculations of Con-
stable, and the corruscations of talent which played
from the literary coteries of the Edinburgh Review
and Blackwood's Magazine, were the first demon-
strations to the world that Edinburgh was taking
her place as a manufactory and a mart of litera-
ture. But the machinery of publishing was as yet
chiefly propelled by one individual, and after his
death, seemed, for a time, to be obscured partially
from view ; but it has since been greatly multiplied
in its powers, and advantageously distributed among
many- possessors, and works with the vigour and the
glee of healthful competition. The periodicals of
the city — though scarcely a fair index of its produc-
tiveness in the more valuable department of standard
works and serials — are sufficiently numerous and im-
portant to indicate its standing. In 1840 the perio-
dicals were the Edinburgh Review, the Edinburgh
Philosophical Journal, the Edinburgh Medical and
Surgical Journal, Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, the
Phrenological Review, the Journal of Agriculture,
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Chambers' Jour-
nal, the Presbyterian Review, the Edinburgh Chris-
tian Instructor, the United Secession Magazine, the
Scottish Congregational Magazine, the Scottish Bap-
tist Magazine, the Scottish Christian Herald, the
Scottish Missionary Record, and several annual
publications. The Newspapers of the city are the
Edinburgh Evening Courant and the Caledonian
Mercury, three times a- week ; the Gazette, the Ob-
server, the Advertiser, the Scotsman, the New North
Briton, and the Scottish Pilot, twice a- week ; and
the Weekly Chronicle, the Weekly Journal, the
Saturday Evening Post, and the Edinburgh, Leith,
arid Glasgow Advertiser, once a-week.
Banks, Societies, Sj-c.
The chartered Banks of Edinburgh are three, —
the Bank of Scotland, established in 1695, originally
upon a stock of £100,000 ; the Royal Bank of Scot-
| land, established in 1727, on a capital of £111,000;
the British Linen company, instituted in 1746, on a
| capital of £100,000. These all, after their estab-
i lishment, very greatly increased their capitals. The
j Joint-stock banks are four, — the Commercial Bank-
jing company of Scotland, established in 1810, on 500
shares of £500 each; the National Bank of Scotland,
established in 1825, on a very large number of shares
of £100 each; the Eastern bank of Scotland, and the
Edinburgh and Leith bank. The private banks are
two, — that of Sir W. Forbes, J. Hunter & Co., and
that of Alexander Allan & Co. There are also branch-
offices of the Clydesdale banking company, and the
I Western bank of Scotland — Of the Insurance com-
i panies belonging to Scotland, and branch-offices ol
j English companies, the list is numerous. The Friendl)
I Insurance company was established in 1720 for th<
I private benefit of its founders, but has since becomi
a public institution. The Caledonian Fire Insurant
i company was instituted in 1805, and received a roya
: charter in 1810. Its capital is £15,000, divide,
into shares of £100. The Hercules Fire Insuranc
company was instituted in 1809, with a capital c
£75,000, by shares on the same plan as that of ih
Caledonian. The North British Fire-office ws
established in 1809, with a capital of £500,0(X
The Scottish Widows' Fund and Life Assuram
society was established in 1813, on the model oi tl
I
EDINBURGH.
463
Equitable society in London. The Insurance Com-
pany of Scotland was instituted in 1821, on a very
wide scale of proprietory. The Standard Life As-
surance company has a capital of £500,000. The
Edinburgh Life Assurance company was established
in 1823, with a capital of £500,000. The Scottish
1'nion Insurance company was instituted in 1824,
with a capital of five millions, in £20 shares. A native
Sea Insurance society was established in 1816. The
following have branches in Edinburgh: — The Sun
Fire-office of London ; the Royal Exchange Fire and
Life Assurance company; the Clerical, Medical, and
General Life Assurance society ; the Norwich Union
Fire and Life Insurance societies; the West of Scot-
land Fire Insurance company ; the Scottish Amicable
Life Assurance company; the West of Scotland Life
Insurance and Endowment company ; the European,
the Atlas, the Alliance, the Guardian, the Palladium,
the West of England, the Scottish Equitable, the
Law Life, the Economic, the Pelican, the Eagle, the
Westminster, the Asylum Foreign and Domestic,
the Universal Life, the Dissenters, and the York-
shire Fire and Life societies. Among Provident
societies may be named the Grand Lodge of the
Free Masons of Scotland ; the Ministers' Widows'
Fund, instituted in 1744; the Society for the Sons of
the Clergy, established in 1790; the Friendly Society
of Dissenting Ministers, instituted in 1797; the Medi-
cal Provident Institution of Scotland, established in
1820, the Society for Relief of the Widows and
Children of Schoolmasters, established in 1807 ; the
Friendly Society of the Ministers of the Relief Synod,
instituted in 1 792 ; the Widows' Fund of the .United
Secession Synod ; the Episcopal Fund ; the Caledo-
nian Gardeners' society, established in 1 792 ; besides
numerous societies and funds connected with parti-
cular professions, institutions, or localities The
Public libraries, additional to the three great ones
which have been noticed, are the Edinburgh Sub-
scription-library, instituted in 1794; the Edinburgh
Select Subscription-library, South-bridge, instituted
in 1800; the Edinburgh Mechanics' Subscription-
library, 7, James' Court, instituted in 1825 ; the
Edinburgh Subscription and Circulating Select libra-
ry, 7, South St. Andrew-street; the Edinburgh
Southern District Subscription-library, 1, Nicolson-
square, instituted in 1816; and the Bakers' library,
St. David's Lodge, Hyndford's-close, instituted in
1828 — A considerable number of miscellaneous so-
cieties belong to the metropolis. The Wernerian
Natural History society was formed in 1808, and
the Plinian society in 1823, for promoting the study
of Natural History. Other societies indicate their
objects by their titles. Such are the Diagnostic
society, instituted in 1816, — the Medico-Chirurgical
snrU'ty, — the Royal Physical society, — the Royal
-Medical society, — the Hunterian Medical society, —
the Harveian society, instituted 1782, — the Specu-
lative society, — the Select Forensic society,— the
Juridical society, instituted 1773, — the Scots Law
y, instituted 1815,— the Philalethic society,
instituted 1792, — the Adelpho-Theological society,
instituted 1758, — the Theological society, instituted
1776, — the Edinburgh Academical club, instituted
£8,— the Phrenological society, instituted 1820,—
the Edinburgh Harmonists' society, — the Edinburgh
Royal Naval club,— the Caledonian United Service
club,— the Anatomical society, instituted in 1833, —
the Classical society, instituted in 1827,— the Church
Law society, instituted in 1827,— the Jurisprudence
| society,— the Edinburgh Ethical society for the study
and practical application of Phrenology,— the Edin-
burgh Society for the Diffusion of Information on
Capital Punishments, — the Royal Northern Yacht
club.— the Skating club,— the Duddingston Curling
society, — the Edinburgh Company of Golfers, insti-
tuted 1744, — the Bruntsfields Links Golfing society,
— the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing society, — the
Thistle Golf club, the Brunswick Cricket club,
established in 1830,— the Edinburgh Chess club, in-
stituted in 1822, — and the Edinburgh Quoiting club.
The Celtic society was instituted in 1820, for pro-
moting the general use of the ancient Highland dress
in the Highlands of Scotland, and the encouraging
of education in that part of the country, by dis-
tributing prizes among its schools. The Highland
club, instituted in 1825 for objects of a similar
nature, has an annual fete — frequently on the island
of Inchkeith— at which there are gymnastic exhibi-
tions, games, and prize-shooting. St. Fillan's High-
land society, instituted 1819, also for objects of a
similar nature, has an annual fete at St. Fillan's, in
Perthshire, where there are games. The Six Feet
club was instituted in 1826, chiefly with a view to
the practice and encouragement of gymnastic exer-
cises, and games. The members — who must be all
six feet in height — have an annual fete and dinner.
They are also constituted a guard-of-honour to the
hereditary Lord-high-constable of Scotland. The
Royal Company of Archers was instituted in 1703,
by a charter of Queen Anne, and is the Queen's
Body-guard in Scotland. The association has a
great number of members, chiefly in the upper ranks
of society, who are distinguished by a very tasteful
dark-green tartan uniform. The company has a
hall of meeting in Buccleugh-street, near the end of
the Meadows, where they practise archery.
The Religious and Philanthropic institutions are
numerous. Most are sufficiently described by their
titles. Such are the Edinburgh Bible society, — the
Edinburgh Church of England Missionary associa-
tion,— the Scottish Bible society, — the Edinburgh
Auxiliary Bible society, — the Edinburgh Auxiliary
Naval and Military Bible society, — the Scottish
Missionary society, — the Edinburgh and Leith Auxi-
liary of the Irish society,— the Baptist Home Mis-
sionary society for Scotland, — the Edinburgh Auxi-
liary to the London Missionary society, — the Edin-
burgh association in aid of the Moravian missions,
— the Society for promoting Christianity among the
Jews, the Society for propagating Christian know-
ledge, incorporated in 1709, — the Society for pro-
moting Religious knowledge among the Poor, insti-
tuted in 1 786, — the Edinburgh City mission, insti-
tuted in 1832, — the Society for promoting Christian
knowledge, — the Edinburgh Gratis Sabbath-school
society, instituted in 1797, — the Edinburgh Village
Sabbath-school society, instituted in 1818, — the
Sabbath-school Union for Scotland. — the Edinburgh
Auxiliary to the Irish Evangelical society, —the So-
ciety for the support of Gaelic schools, — the Edin-
burgh Ladies' association in aid of the Society for
the support of Gaelic schools, — the Edinburgh Re-
ligious Tract society, instituted in 1793, — the Gen-
eral Assembly's Committee for the propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign parts, — the Edinburgh and
Leith Seaman's Friend society, instituted in 1820, —
the Highland Missionary society, — the Edinburgh
society for promoting the Religious interests ot
Scottish settlers in British North America, — the
Antipatronage society of the Church of Scotland,
the Edinburgh Young Men's association for pro-
moting the interests of the Church of Scotland, —
the Voluntary Church association, — the Edinburgh
Young Men's Voluntary Church association. — and
the Edinburgh society tor the suppression of Intem-
perance.
Markets, Sfc.
Edinburgh is well-supplied with all civic appli-
464
EDINBURGH.
ances for the health and comfort of its population.
A public market, for the sale of cattle and country
produce, is held weekly in the spacious area of the
Grassmarket, so situated both as to relative position
to the other localities of the town, and avenues of
access from the great roads, as to occasion little
nuisance by the influx and efflux of the stock, live
or inert, which is brought for sale. In the afternoon
of the market-day, the area of the market, after
having been freed from cattle, is occupied by horse-
dealers exposing to sale their horses. Annually, in
November, All- Hallow fair is held during two days
for the sale of horses, sheep, and cattle. The town-
markets of the city, situated under the North bridge,
consist of a series of terraces, terminating, in the
hollow, in a large quadrangular area which is sur-
rounded by a covered piazza, and partitioned into
various departments. Large quantities of fish are
brought from the coast, chiefly from the fishing-
towns of Newhaven and Fisher-row, and sold, in a
fresh state and at low prices, on the streets. Smaller
town-markets than the central suite, are open in
West Nicolson-street, in Dublin-street, and at Stock-
bridge ; and a sort of dismembered market is dis-
persed, in the form of single or clustered shops, for
the sale of flesh or vegetables, throughout almost every
part of the city.— Edinburgh is brilliantly lighted at
night with coal-gas ; and first enjoyed the luxury in
the winter of 1818. The Edinburgh Coal Gas com-
pany were formed in 1817, and incorporated in the
following year, with a capital of £100,000, in shares
of £25. Their premises are on the north side of the
North back of the Canongate, opposite New-street.
A company for lighting the city with gas manufac-
tured from oil was formed in 1824; but, having en-
tirely failed in attempts to achieve its object, it be-
came united to the Coal Gas company. A second
coal-gas company, known as the Edinburgh and Leith
company, was formed a few years since, and is now
in full and successful operation. Edinburgh is abun-
dantly and facilely supplied with coals for fuel by
means of the Union canal, the Dalkeith railway, and
ample communication with coal-pits in its vicinity.
The fuel is good in quality, and, in general, mode-
rate in price,
miter Company.]— The city is supplied with water from the
northern declivity of the Pentland hills. In 1621 the magis-
trates obtained an act of parliament empowering them to cast
•'seuchs and ditches" in the lands between the city and the
Pentlands, and to construct means of bringing water ; but,
during half-a-century, they seem to have found no engineer,
or to have themselves wanted resources to execute their pro-
iect In 1674, they paid Peter Bruschi, a German, £2,950 for
laying down a leaden pipe, 3 inches in diameter, from Comis-
ton, 4 miles west from the city, to a reservoir on the Castle-
hill. Soon after new springs were added to the fountain, and
produced more water than the pipe could convey. A new pipe
of 4j inches in diameter now beg m to be laid, but was slowly
carried on, and not completed till 1722 ; and then it had to be
fed with the waters of additional springs. A new act of par-
liament was obtained, authorizing supply to be brought from
any lands within 3 miles of the original fountain at Comiston.
In 1787, a casUron pipe, 5 inches in diameter, was laid as an
additional medium of supply. In 1790, another, 7 inches in
diameter, was laid from springs on the lands of Swanston.
But the supply being found inadequate to the increased de-
mand, a Joint-stock company was formed in 1810, and incor-
porated in 1819, to carry pipes from two great springs, 8 miles
distant, at Crawley and Gleneorse. The present supply, how-
ever, is still unsatisfactory.
Canal and Railways.]— The numerous facilities of communi-
cation which Edinburgh enjoys by sea, as well as its modes of
communication with Fife and the north-east of Scotland, will
appropriately fall to be noticed in the articles GRANTON, LEITH,
NEWHAVEN, and QUEENSFERRY. Its land-communications by
coach, waggon, and cart, are too many and minute to bear
even an attempt at enumeration. The Union canal and the rail-
ways, however, are so important to the city, and so immedi-
ately connected with it, as to demand a moment's attention. —
In 1817, an act of parliament was obtained, giving power to a
> cut a canal from Edinburgh to the Forth
liles before the hitter's com-
lal was begun in the same
year, and completed in 1822. The chief objects of it were the
transmission of heavy goods, and the conveyance of passengers
between Edinburgh and Glasgow, the importation to Edinburgh
111 JMl/, an ace 01 parliament was uui,
joint-stock company to cut a canal frorr
and Clyde canal, at a point about 4 mile
inunication with the Forth. The cam
of large supplies of coal from places to the west, and the ex-
portation of the manure of the city. The eastern termination,
called Port-Hopetoun, is on a plain,half-a-mile south-west of the
castle, and has occasioned the erection around it of an impor-
tant suburb. The canal, though a great benefit to the town,
has drained heavy losses from the shareholders: see UNION
CANAL. The Great line of railway between Edinburgh and
Glasgow was begun to be cut in 1839 : see article EDINBURGH
and GLASGOW RAILWAY. — The Dalkeith railway has been de-
scribed under the head DALKEITH. — The Leith, Granton, and
Newhaven railway commences at the new terminus of the
Edinburgh and Glasgow railway, at the east end of Prince's-
street gardens, and proceeds, by a tunnel, under the northern
ridge of the city to the foot of Scotland-street, and thence to
Trinity suspension pier, in nearly a straight line. The whole
length of the railway to Trinity is 13,000 feet, or about 2| miles ;
that of the tunnel — opening at Canonmills — about 2,800 feet.
Immediately after crossing the water of Leith, it sends off a
branch to the harbour and docks of Leith ; and another branch,
or rather an extension of the line, proceeds from Newhaven
to Granton : see articles GHANTON, NEWHAVEN, and LEITH. —
From Granton pier, the line of communication will be conti-
nued northwards by the ferry to Burntisland, and thence by
railway to Perth : see BURNTISLAND ; while another railway line
is projected from a point on the Edinburgh and Glasgow rail-
way about 5 miles distant from Edinburgh to Queensferry ;
starting on the north shore of the frith at Inverkeithing, and
thence running through Fifeshire and Kinross-shire to Perth,
a total distance of 43 miles : see PERTH.— The North British
railway will place the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway in con-
nexion with the Berwick and Newcastle, and thus complete the
railway connexion with London. It proceeds along the easterr
coast by Dunbar, sends off a branch to Haddington, and wil!
be 59 miles in length. The Edinburgh and Hawick railway,
a prolongation of the Dalkeith railway, will be 45 miles 28
chains in length, and it is contemplated to extend the line to
Carlisle : see HAWICK. By the Caledonian railway also Edin-
burgh will be placed in connexion with Carlisle by a line tra
versing the central districts of the south of Scotland, by T
ark, Moffat, Lockerby, and Ecclefechan.
Church and School Statistics.
Since 1834 several additional quoad sacra parishes
have been created. The ancient royalty of Edi
burgh, which composed the whole city till the yei
1767, comprehends 9 parishes. In that year, and
three subsequent occasions, viz., in 1785, 1786, am
1809, the boundaries of the city were enlarged by
the addition of what is now called the extender
royalty of Edinburgh ; and within this extender
royalty four additional churches were erected, am
parishes were assigned to them, at different period:
prior to the year 1834, The Canongate forms ai
ther parish, which, although a suburb, and virtuall
a part of the city, is subject to a separate but subor-
dinate magistracy ; and there is likewise the parish
of St. Cuthbert, or West Church, which is, in tlie
legal acceptation of the term, a landward or rural
parish, although large portions of the suburbs of the
city are contained in it. In the year 1834, the Gen-
eral Assembly passed an act declaring the ministers
of chapels-of-ease entitled to the same ecclesiastical
status as the ministers of parochial churches, and ap-
pointing them to the charge, quoad sacra or spiritu-
alia, of certain districts adjacent to their respective
chapels, which were then erected into parish churches.
In this way 6 new parishes, quoad spiritualia, were
erected within the city of Edinburgh and its suburbs ;
and the General Assembly also formed what was
called a seventh parish, which, however, has no ter-
ritorial limits assigned to it, but comprehends all the
Highland population of Edinburgh and Leith, for
whose benefit service is performed in the Gaelic lan-
guage in what was formerly the chapel-of-ease. The
14 old churches in the royalties and Canongate were
built at different periods, and are endowed from cer-
tain public funds.
HIGH CHURCH. This parish, situated in one o
the most dense parts of the Old town, has an ares
of one-sixtieth part of a square mile, or 51,22:
square yards. Population, in 1831, 2,614; in 1841
2,785. Number of inhabited houses, in 1841, 466
of families, 646. According to an ecclesiastica
census of 1835, the population was then estimate!
at 2,557; of whom 905 belonged to the Estab
EDINBURGH.
465
lishment, 1,383 belonged to other denominations, and
2b'9 were of no ascertained religious connexion. The
parish-church — part of St. Giles' — is of remote but
unknown date, and was repaired in 1817 and 1830.
Sittings 1,399. The charge is collegiate. As to this
parish, and all the following, down to the 13th, or
St. Stephen's inclusive, whether collegiate or single,
the patron is the Town-council, and the stipend is
variable, but, in 1834-5, was £548 4s. 6d The
Scottish Episcopal congregation of St. Paul's is of
remote origin, but is supposed to have been estab-
lished about 1688. The church is situated in Car-
rubber's-close, and is believed to have been built
before the year 1688. The building — originally a
ware-room — is supposed to have been occupied, in its
upper floor, by one of the Edinburgh bishops in 1688;
and was purchased by the congregation, partly in
1741 and partly in 1786. Sittings 360. Stipend
variable; but, in 1835, £125 10s. — A congregation
which assembled in Carrubber's-close, and assumed
no particular denomination, was established in August,
1833, under the ministry of the Rev. Walter Tait.
The chapel was private property, and rented at £20
a-year. Sittings 700. Stipend variable ; but, from
22d February till 23d November, 1835, it was £199
14s. 2d. — There were in the parish, in 1834, 5
schools, attended by a maximum of 516 scholars.
All were non-parochial ; one was a Roman Catholic
school for females, attended by about 250.
OLD CHURCH. This parish, situated in the Old
town, is extremely limited in extent, measuring less
than 800 feet from east to west, and not more than
500 feet from north to south, and containing only
one-hundredth part of a square mile, or 30,522 square
Sirds. Population, in 1831, 1,952; in 1841, 2,949.
ouses, in 1841, 438. According to an ecclesiastical
census of 1835, the population was then only 1,704;
ot whom 729 belonged to the Establishment, 887 be-
longed to other denominations, and 88 were of no as-
certained religious connexion — There were, in 1834,
"lools, all non-parochial, attended by 244 scholars.
.'OLBOOTH. This parish does not extend in any
;ction more than £ of a mile, lies wholly within
Old town, and is very densely built. Popula-
i, in 1831, 3,016; in 1841,2,216. Houses, in 1841,
297. According to an ecclesiastical survey of 1835,
the population was then 2,465; of whom 1,205 be-
longed to the Establishment, 980 belonged to other
denominations, and 109 were of no ascertained reli-
gious connexion. The parish-church — part of St.
<;ilt-s' — is of remote but unknown date; and was
altered and enlarged in 1831. Sittings 1,397 A
Primitive Methodist congregation was established in
1828 ; and, in 1835, met in a hall in James'-court,
rented at £10. Sittings 250. Stipend £36 8s.,
with an allowance of £5 15s. for a dwelling-house. —
There were, in 1834, 7 schools, attended by upwards
of 800 children. One was the Sessional school, in-
tended for the benefit of all the parishes of Edin-
burgh ; supported by contributions from the congre-
gations of the various parish-churches, and attended
by 343 scholars, who each paid l^d. per week.
TRINITY COLLEGE. This is "an original parish,
wholly in the town, and contains an area of 52,711
square yards, or one fifty-eighth part of a square
mile. Population, in 1831, 4,244; in 1841,2,314.
Houses, in 1841, 359. According to ecclesiastic-ul
survey, in 1835, the population then was 3,630;* of
whom 1,804 belonged to the Establishment, 1,655
elonged to other denominations, and 171 were not
.tached to any religious sect. The palish-church
• The apparent decrease of the population between 18J1 and
"'a, or even 1SU. is ;u.-,.un ed lor, in this instance .,nri »on>e
liers, by the reduction of the ni/.e of the parish in the inter-
;ning quoad tact a arrangement.
1.
was built about 1,470, and was considerably altered
in its internal arrangements about 1812, and aga'n in
1835. Sittings 797 The congregation of j.uly
Glenorchy's chapel was established in 1775, by Lady
Glenorchy, as a chapel in connexion with the Church
of Scotland. It has now a quoad sacra district at-
tached to it, of which the population, in 1841, with-
in the College parish, was 501. Sittings 1,514. The
charge, in 1^35, was collegiate. Stipend of the first
minister, £400; of the second, £200. There is at-
tached to the chapel a school attended by 100 or 120
poor children. In 1834 there were in the parish 3
schools, attended by 210 scholars.
NEW NORTH. This parish is believed to have
been formed, by authority of the town-council, about
the year 1599. It lies wholly within the ancient
royalty, and is of exceedingly contracted extent,
containing only 22,354 square yards, or one hundred
and thirty-eighth part of a square mile. Population,
in 1831, 1,350; in 1841, 2,<i27. Houses, in 1841,
337. According to an ecclesiastical survey of 1835,
the population then was 577 ;f of whom 419 belong-
ed to the Establishment, 291 belonged to other de-
nominations, and 67 made no ascertained profession
of religion. In 1835 the congregation of the Estab-
lishment met in Brighton-street chapel, in St. Cuth-
bert's parish. Sittings 1,257. The only place of
worship within the parish, in 1835, was a preaching-
station in the Lawnmarket — There were, in 1834,
3 schools, attended by 240 scholars, and supported
by the voluntary contributions of the parishioners.
TRON. This is wholly a city-parish, situated in
the Old town, and contains an area of 34,822 square
yards, or one eighty-eighth part of a square mile.
Population, in 1831, 3,009; in 1841, 2,498. Houses,
in 1841, 401. According to ecclesiastical survey, in
1835, the population then was 2,632 ; of whom 1,186
belonged to the Establishment, 1,278 belonged to
other religious denominations, and 168 were of no
ascertained religious connexion. The parish-church
was built in 1641, and reseated in 1815. Sittings
823. — The United Secession congregation of Cow-
gate was established in 1828. The cnapel was built
in 1771 by the congregation of Episcopalians now in
St. Paul's chapel, York-place ; and was purchased
by its present occupants. Sittings 1,792. Stipend
£210, with £12 allowance for sacramental expenses.
A city missionary is supported by the congregation
to attend to the district of the Cowgate — The
Scotch Baptist congregation meeting, in 1835, tem-
porarily in Freemasons' hall, Niddry-street, was one
of two recent sections of a congregation established
in 1766. Their original meeting-house, situated in
the Pleasance, cost £3,800; but was sold in 1835
The Original Burgher congregation of Skinner's-
close, was established in 1801. The meeting-house,
originally an Episcopalian chapel, was purchased in
1808 for £560. Sittings 355. Stipend £100, with
£12 sacramental allowance — There were in the par-
ish, in 1834, 7 schools, attended by 560 scholars.
One of them was 'the City school,' Niddry-street ;
and 2 of the others were Roman Catholic schools.
OLD GREYFRIARS and ST. JOHN'S. This parish
lies wholly within the ancient royalty, and contains
44,627 square yards, or one sixty-ninth part of a
square mile. A narrow section of it runs into the
iSew North parish. Population, in 1831, 4,345; in
1841, 2,580. Houses, in 1841, 401. The charge
was formerly collegiate ; but has recently been
divided into two distinct charges : one of which is
now known as the parish of St. John's. Population
f The reason of the decrease in the interval from 1831, WKS,
in this instance, the dilapidation ol oweliinuf-lionnes to make
way lor new xireets; VOO person* having' been ditpOWMMNI «'f
their houses in 1831, and 400 in 1*33.
2 G
466
EDINBURGH.
of St. John's, in 1841, 2,140. Houses 272. Ac-
cording to ecclesiastical survey, in 1835, the popula-
tion of the old parish was then 4,247 ; of whom
1,697 belonged to the Establishment, 2,290 belonged
to other religious denominations, and 260 were riot
attached to any religious sect. The parish-church
was built in 1612. Sittings 1,061 — The Gaelic
church, situated in the parish of Old Greyfriars, ranks
as a quoad sacra parish-church by the Act of Assem-
bly 1834; but it has not annexed to it any separate
or definite territory. The church was built by sub-
scription in 1809, and cost very nearly £3,000. Sit-
tings 1,166. Stipend £280.— The Scotch Baptist
congregation, Argyle-square, is one of two recent
sections of a congregation established in 1766. Their
place of meeting is held on a sublease, at a rent of
£30. Sittings 240. The Berean congregation, Cow-
gate, was established near the end of the ] 8th cen-
tury. For 35 years they occupied the Magdalen
chapel ; they met in a school -room rented at £2.
Sittings about 50 The Independent congregation,
North College-street, was established about 1802.
The chapel was built in 1802, entirely at the expense
of the Rev. Mr. Aikman, its first minister, and cost
upwards of £3,000. It has been recently altered and
improved. Sittings 1,226. There were 2 ministers,
whose joint emoluments, in 1835, did not exceed
£300 There were in the parish, in 1834, 7 schools,
attended by 400 scholars. One of these was the
Trades' Maiden hospital, conducted by 6 teachers.
LADY TESTER'S. This is wholly a town-parish,
situated in the Old town, and contains 64,472 square
yards, or one forty-eighth part of a square mile. Po-
pulation, in 1831, 2,890; in 1841, 1,800. Houses,
in 1841, 275. According to a survey made by a com-
mittee of Dissenters, in 1835, the population was then
2,149; of whom 702 belonged to the Establishment,
1,251 belonged to other denominations, and 196 were
not known to belong to any religious body. The
parish-church was built previous to 1647, and rebuilt
in 1804 or 1805. Sittings 1,212 The congregation
of Original Seceders was established in December,
1820, in the parish of New Greyfriars, and removed
in April, 1822, to their present place of worship.
The chapel, built in 1822, cost nearly £2,400. Sit-
tings 1,203. In 1835, the charge was collegiate;
and the stipend then was £300, equally divided be-
tween the two ministers.— There were in the parish,
in 1834, 13 schools, all non-parochial. The parish
includes the University of Edinburgh ; and, till 1839,
contained also the High school.
NEW GREYFRIARS. This parish, situated in the
Old town, has an area of 96,493 square yards, or one
thirty-secondth part of a square mile. Population,
in 1831, 4,536; in 1841, 2,481. Houses, in 1841,
344. According to ecclesiastical survey made in
1835, the population was then 3,087 ;* of whom 749
belonged to the Establishment, 1,332 belonged to
other denominations, and 1,006 were not of any as-
certained religious connexion. The population con-
sists principally of labourers, many of them Irish.
The parish-church was repaired and newly seated in
1818, at an expense of £1,518. Sittings 1,302.
The United Christian church, Heriot-bridge, was
established in 1828; and meet in a building, formerly
a shawl manufactory, which they rented at £42.
Sittings 340, Stipend about £50 There were in
the parish, in 1834, 5 schools, attended by 710 scho-
lars. One was George Heriot's hospital, conducted
by 5 teachers, and affording board and education to
180 boys; another was the Workhouse Charity
school for the whole city, conducted by 2 masters,
and affording board and education to 180 children;
* Between 1831 and 1835 many houses in the parish were
taken down to make way for new streets.
and a third was an Infant model school, superintend-
ed by one- master, and attended by i2U children.
ST. ANDREW'S. This parish, situated in the New
town, was divided from St. Cuthbert's, and erected
into a separate parish, by act of parliament, in 1 785.
Since that date, parts of it have been assigned to
several parishes of more recent erection. Popula-
tion, in 1831, 7,339; in 1841, 4,440. Houses, in
1841, 696. According to ecclesiastical survey, in
1835, the population appeared to be stationary,
and, exclusive of the populous district of Greenside,
amounted to 4,681 ; of whom 2.145 belonged to the
Establishment, 2,184 belonged to other denomina-
tions, arid 352 were not known to belong to any re-
ligious sect. The parish-church was built in 1785,
and cost £7V000. Sittings 1.053. The charge is
collegiate The United Secession congregation,
Rose-street, was established in 1786. The chapel
was built, in 1830, upon the site of the original
church and manse, and cost £3,042 18s. 8£d. Sit-
tings 1,363. Stipend £400, with £12 sacramental
expenses — The Scottish Episcopal congregation of
St. George's, York-place, was established in 1794.
The chapel was built in 1794, and cost £3,000.
Sittings 642. Stipend from £280 to £290 The
Baptist congregation, Leith Walk, was formed in
1798. The chapel is the upper part of a building
belonging to a private individual, and built in 1801,
at a cost, it is believed, of £6,000. Sittings 1,000.
The Wesleyan Association congregation was formed
in December 1835, arid rented tor their use the Gal-
ton Convening-hall at from £30 to £35. They had
also, in Chalmer's-close, Trinity college parish, a
place of worship, which contained about 500 sittings.
—The Independent Baptist congregation, Clyde-
street, was established in 1824. Their place of
meeting is the hall of the Phrenological society.
Sittings 200. No stipend The Roman Catholic
congregation, Broughton-street, will be noticed
under the parish of St. Cuthbert— In 1834, there
were in the parish 17 schools, attended by 1,265
scholars. All the schools were non-parochial The
district of Greenside has been erected into a parish,
of which the population, in 1841, was 3,105. Houses
526.
ST. GEORGE'S. This parish, situated in the New
town, was disjoined from St. Andrew's and St. Cuth-
bert's, about the year 1814, by the town-council and
presbytery of Edinburgh, It is partly landward, ex-
tending from Hanover-street to the farthest boundary
of Coates; and is probably 1| mile in length, and $
a mile in breadth ; but almost all the inhabited houses
are within the town. Population, in 1831, 7,338;
in 1841, 5,518, Houses, in 1841, 980. According
to an ecclesiastical survey of 1835, the population
then was 7,523; of whom 3,471 belonged to the
Establishment, 2,688 belonged to other denomina-
tions, and 1,364 were not known to belong to any
religious sect. The parish-church was built in 1814.
Sittings 1,687 — The Baptist congregation, Rose-
street, was established about 1806, The chapel ori-
ginally belonged to an Episcopalian congregation ;
and, in 1818, was purchased, altered, and enlarged,
at a cost of £2,500. Sitting 750. Stipend aUo-it
£105 In 1834, there were in the parish 2« scnools,
attended by 1,330 scholars,
ST. MARY'S. This parish, situated in the New
town, was separated from St. Andrew's in 1824, by
the town-council and the presbytery of Edinburgh.
Population, in 1831, 6,587 ; in 1«41, 6,724. Houses,
in 1841, 1,127. According to ecclesiastical survey,
in 1835, the population, exclusive of districts in which
there might be nearly 1,000 persons, was then 5,8/7 ;
of whom 3,144 belonged to the Establishment, 2,52t
belonged to other denominations, and 205 were wol
EDINBURGH.
467
of any ascertained religious connexion. The parish-
cburch was built in 1824, and cost about £13,000.
Sittings 1,646 — The Episcopal congregation of St.
Paul's, York-place, was formed about 1735, and re-
moved to its present place of worship in 1818. The
church was built in 1818, and cost £13,533 11s.
Sittings 1,036. The charge is collegiate. Stipend
of each minister £300 The Independent congrega-
tion, Albany-street, was established in 1808 in the
parish of St. Andrew's, and removed to its present
place of worship in 1817. The chapel was built in
1816, and opened in 1817, and cost £4,009. Sit-
tings 878. Stipend £200 There is, in the parish,
a Glassite congregation ; and Mr. Tait's congrega-
tion, mentioned in High Church parish, has erected
a neat chapel adjoining to the Independent chapel
In 1834, there were 26 schools, attended by a maxi-
mum of 647 scholars.
ST. STEPHEN'S. This parish, situated in the
New town, was disjoined from the conterminous
parishes in 1828, by the presbytery of Edinburgh
and the teind court. Population, in 1831, 5,772;
in 1841, 6,754. Houses, in 1841, 1,092. According
to ecclesiastical census, in 1835, the population then
was 6,689; of whom 3,713 belonged to the Estab-
lishment, 2,343 belonged to other denominations,
and 633 did not profess attachment to any religious
body. The parish-church was built in 1828. Sit-
tings 1,784 In 1834 there were 12 schools. Three
were subscription-schools; a fourth was the Edin-
burgh Academy for Latin and Greek, attended by
300 boys ; a fifth was the Circus school, attended by
290 children; a sixth was the Institution for the
f and Dumb, attended by 60 young persons,
CANONGATE. This parish contains 484 Scotch or
5 English acres; and measures, in extreme length,
mile, and in extreme breadth 1 mile and fths of a
long. It is partly landward and partly town ; but
whole population, excepting two on three fami-
lies, is within the burghs of Canongate and Ports-
burgh. Districts containing a population, in 1841,
of about 3,810 were detached from it in 1834, to
form the quoad sacra parishes of Leith-wynd and
New-street. Population of the parish quoad civilia,
in 1831, 10,175; in 1841, 8,932. Houses, in 1841,
1,499. Population, quoad sacra, in 1835, about
6,072. The parish-church was built in 1688, and
reseated in 1817. Sittings 1,295. The charge is
collegiate. Patron, the Crown. Stipend of each
minister £240. The first minister has a manse ;
and the second £40 for house-rent In 1834 there
were in the quoad civilia parish 14 schools, attended
b) 1 ,020 scholars.
NKW STREJST. This is a quoad sacra parish, lying
wholly within the burgh of Canongate, and was dis-
joined from Canongate parish by act of General As-
sembly in 1834. In superficial extent it is very small.
Population, in 1841, 1,932. Houses, in 1841, 351.
The parish-church was opened in 1794 as a chapel-
of-ease to the parish of Canongate, and cost from
£2,800 to £2,900. Sittings 1,150. Stipend £150.
LEITH-WYND. This is a quoad sacra parish, erect-
ed by act of General Assembly in 1834. Its territory
-ely peopled, situated chiefly in the burgh of
Canongate, and partly in the ancient royalty of Edin-
burgh ; but is so limited that a person may walk
round its boundary-line in 20 minutes. Population,
in 1841 , 1 ,878. Houses 326. According to an eccle-
siastical census taken in 1835, the population was
then 1,703; of whom 654 belonged to the Establish-
ment, 034 belonged to other denominations, 375 were
not known to belong to any religious sect, and 40
'•onreniirig whose religious condition no information
'•"ild l)e obtained. The parish-church was built in
r-1'2. Sittings 1,094. Stipend £80.
ST. CUTHBERT'S. This parish is believed to have
anciently contained the city of Edinburgh, the burgh
of Canongate, and the parish of Corstorphine and
Libberton. In its greatest length, quoad civilia, in
1835, it measured upwards of 5 miles, and, in its
greatest breadth, about 3£. But, in 1834, territories
were detached from it and erected into the quoad
sacra parishes of Buccleuch, St. Bernard's, Newing-
ton, and Roxburgh. It is partly landward and partly
town ; but, as regards its population, it is chiefly the
latter. Population, in 1831, 70,887; in 1841, 71,984.
Houses, in 1841, 12,784. Supposed population, quoad
sacra, in 1835, 60,000. The parish-church was built
in 1775. Sittings 2,400 Gardner's Crescent chapel
was purchased by the kirk-session in 1831, and cost
them £2,500. Sittings 1,300. The charge of the
parish is collegiate. Patron, the Crown. Stipend of
each of the ministers, variable; but, in 1833, it was
£338 4s. l£d., and, in 1834, £365 16s. Id. One of
the ministers has a manse, and the other £60 for
house-rent. Each receives £15 for communion ex-
penses, and some small additional emoluments — The
United Secession congregation, Bristo-street, was
established in 1740. The present church was built
in 1802, and cost £4,084 8s. 3d. ; and has since been
enlarged and altered at an expense of £1,515 7s. 2d.
Sittings 1,671. The charge has, for some years, been
collegiate. Stipend of the first minister £350, with
£16 sacramental expenses; of the second minister
£200, — The Reformed Presbyterian congregation,
Lady Lawson's Wynd, was established in 1804. The
present church was built in 1835, and cost £1,150.
Sittings 540. Stipend £130 — The Episcopal con-
gregation of St. James', Broughton-place, was estab-
lished about 1820. The chapel was built about the
same date, and cost about £4,000. Sittings 850.
Stipend £500 The United Secession congregation,
Broughton-place, was established about 1785, and
formerly occupied a chapel in Rose-street. The pre-
sent chapel was built in 1821, and cost £7,095. Sit-
tings 1,599. Stipend £450, with £12 sacramental
expenses. — The Episcopal congregation of St. John's,
Prince's-street, was established in this parish in 1818.
The chapel was built in 1817, and cost £16,013 14s.
Sittings 821. Stipend £550.^The Rjelief congrega-
tion, Bread-street, was established in this parish in
1831. The chapel was built at the same date, and
cost £2,600. Sittings 1,050, Stipend £150, with
£10 sacramental expenses.^-The United Secession
congregation, Potterrow, was established in 1792.
The chapel was built in 1793, and cost £1,290; and
was repaired in 1831, at an expense of £300. Sit-
tings 885. Stipend £,280, with £20 sacramental ex-
penses— The Relief congregation, Pleasance, ori-
ginally occupied the chapel in Brighton-street, which
was used in 1836 by the congregation of New North
parish. Their present chapel, together with another
building, was purchased in 1835 for £2,100. Sit-
tings 690 The Original Seceder congregation,
Richmond-stree^ was established in Potterrow about
1794, and removed to Richmond-street in 1813. The
meeting-house was built at the latter date, and cost
£2,300. Sittings 760. Stipend £250 The chapel
of the Baptist congregation, Elder-street, was built
in 1814; and,, along with a dwelling-house with which
it is connected, cost £1,500. Sittings 4£0. Stipend
£200. — The Wesley an Methodist congregation has
existed since about 1795, and was established in
this parish in 1815. The chapel was built at
the latter date, and cost about £6,800, Sittings
1,278. Connected with the chapel are a house for
the minister, and a double dwelling-house. Stipend
upwards of £150, with a house estimated at £28. —
The Roman Catholic community, having chapels in
Lothian-street and Brougliton-pluce, has partially
468
EDINBURGH.
existed, and met in various localities from time im-
memoriiil. In 1835, the number " in and about Edin-
burgh," as estimated by their bishop and one of their
priests, was from 12,000 to 14,000. Broughton-
»treet chapel was opened in 1814. St. Patrick's
chapel, Lothian-street, was opened in 1835, to super-
sede an old and inconvenient chapel in Blackfriar's-
wynd. There are also two private chapels, — one at
St. Margaret's convent, and the other for the Sisters
of Charity at Milton-house. Sittings in Broughton-
place and St. Patrick's jointly, 1,443. The com-
munity have a bishop and four clergymen, who have
unitedly a house connected with Broughton-street
chapel. Emoluments of each of the tour clergymen,
£41. The convent or nunnery of St, Margaret's
was founded in 1834, and, in the following year, had
18 religious. Two resided at Milton-house, in the
Canongate, and devoted themselves to the duties of
Sisters of charity, having under their charge three
schools for the poorer female Roman Catholic chil-
dren, attended by 319. There is also in Edinburgh
a Roman Catholic boys' poor school, which was at-
tended, in 1835, by 264 boys. — The Unitarian con-
gregation of St. Mark's chapel, Castle-terrace, were
established in their present position in 1835, but pre-
viously met in a chapel in young-street, St. Mark's
was built in 1835, and cost about £2,000. Sittings
about 700, Stipend £2UO._ The Society of Friends
have had a meeting house in Edinburgh since about
1685. The present one, situated in Pleasance, was
built about 1790, and cost about £1,000. Sittings
400 The United Secession congregation, Nicolson-
street, was established in 1747. The present chapel
was built in 1819, and cost £6,000. Sittings 1,170.
Stipend, variable ; but, in 1835, it was £250. At
that date also £150 was paid annually to the former
minister. — The United Secession congregation, Lo-
thian-road, was established in 1827, in Gardner's
Crescent chapel. The present place of worship was
built in 1831. Sittings 1,284. Stipend £225 The
United Secession congregation, Vennel, was estab-
lished in 1 792. The present chapel was built on the
site of a former one in 1828, and cost £1,947 19s.
Sittings 832. Stipend £210. — The Relief congre-
gation, St. James's-place, was established in 1796.
The chapel was built in 1800, and cost £3,600; and
was repaired in 1828, at an expense of £650. Sittings
1,540. Stipend £350 The Relief congregation,
South College-street, was formed in 1765. The pre-
sent chapel was built in 1797, and cost about £2,000.
Sittings 1,667. Stipend £350.
BUCCLEUCH, This is a quoad sacra parish, dis-
joined from St. Cuthbert's by act of General Assem-
bly, 1834. It is Ij mile long, and ^ a mile broad;
and is a town parish. Population, "in 1841, 3,130.
Houses, in 1841, 621. The population, according to
ecclesiastical census in J835, was 2,834 ; of whom,
1,715 belonged to the Establishment, 1,071 belonged
to other denominations, and 48 were not known to
belong to any religious body. The parish-church was
built as a chapel- of-ease, in 1755, and cost £650. It
was afterwards repaired; and, in 1808-9, it was re-
seated at an expense of £1,300. Sittings 1,374, Sti-
pend £300. In 1834 there were 8 schools, attended
by about 400 scholars.
NEWINGTON. This is a quoad sacra parish, dis-
joined from St. Cuthbert's in 1835. It is single and
suburban, but covered with buildings ; and extends,
in extreme length, about f of a mile, and in extreme
breadth, about j of a mile. Population, in 1841,
3,310. Houses, in 1841, 636. The population, ac-
cording to ecclesiastical survey in 1835, was 2,950;
of whom, 1,345 belonged to the Establishment, 952
belonged to other denominations, and 653 were of
liO ascertained religious connexion. The purish-
churcli was built as a chapel-of-eqse in 1823, and
cost £6,372. Sittings 1,623. Stipend £350 — in
1834, there was an unendowed parochial school, at-
tended by from 160 to 200 scholars. There were
also 7 other schools, attended by a maximum of 212
scholars.
ST, BERNARD'S. This is a quoad sacra parish,
detached from St. Cuthbert's in 1834. It is single
and suburban, and is nearly U mile long, and about
£ of a mile broad. Population, in 1841, 4,751.
Houses 854. The population, according to eccle-
siastical census in 1835, was 4,043; of whom, 2,372
belonged to the Establishment, 1,601 to other tie-
nominations, and 70 were not known to belong to
any religious sect. The parish-church was built as
a chapel-of-ease in 1822, and cost £4,200. Sittings
1,309. Stipend £450,— The United Secession con-
gregation, Dean-street, Stockbridge, was established
in 1829. The chapel was built in 1828, for a Relief
congregation, and purchased, in an unfinished state,
in 1829. It ultimately cost £2,100. Sittings 1,200.
Stipend £200, with £12 sacramental expenses. — In
1834 there were in the parish 7 schools, attended by
a maximum of 338 scholars.
ROXBURGH, This is a quoad sacra parish, dis-
joined from St. Cuthbert's in 1834. It is single and
town, and not above £ of a mile square. Popula-
tion, in 1841, 3,683. Houses 686. The population,
according to ecclesiastical survey, in 1835, was 3,292;
of whom, 1,171 belonged to the Establishment, 1,702
belonged to other denominations, and 419 had not
any 'ascertained religious connexion. The parish-
church was built as a Relief chapel in 1809, and
altered in 1814. The original cost was £2,960; and
the value, in 1835, about £1,400 or £i,500. Sit-
tings 830. Stipend £200,— The Relief cougrega*
tiori, Roxburgh terrace, assemble in a place of wor-
ship which was originally a dwelling-house, and was
afterwards transmuted "into the form of a church.
Sittings 369. Stipend £105. — The Independent
congregation, Richmond-court, was established m
1833. Their place of worship till 1840, was built
about 1795 by a congregation of Baptists. Sittings
325. In 1840, a new and capacious chapel was
opened. — The Hebrew congregation, Roxburgh-
street, was established in 1817, Jn 1835, the num-
ber of families was 20, and of individuals about I0t>
or 1 10. The place of worship, originally a dwelling-
house, was purchased in 1824 for £350, and convert-
ed into a synagogue at an additional cost of £80,
Stipend of the minister or reader £55. — The Epis-
copalian congregation of St. Peter's, Roxburgh-
place, was established in 1791. The place of vvoiv
ship consists of the tirst and second ijats of a live-
story tenement, and was originally built at the sole
expense of a clergyman, who tirst let it at a rent of
£105, and then bold it for £1,575. Sittings 420,
Stipend £78 15s., together with the whole amount
of the collections and offertories,
ST. DAVID'S. This is a quoad sacra parish,
joined from St. Cuthbert's since 1835, and bavi)
for its parochial church the quondam Gardners
Crescent chapel, which — as noticed in the statist!
of St. Cuthbert's parish — was, in that year, oc
pied as a joint parish-church for the whole par
quoad civ ilia. Population, in 1841, 2,910. Ho
534.
ST. PAUL'S, DEAN, and MORNINGSIDE. The
are quoad sacrn parishes disjoined from St. Cut
bert's since 1835, and accommodated with ne
churches. The church of the first is situated
St. Leonard-street; population, in 1841, 2,845:
of the second, in the vicinity of Dean-bridge ; pup
lation, in 184!, 1,920:— of the third, in the vil
of Morningsiu'e ; population, in 184!, 1,648.
unt
injf
EDINBURGH.
469
CENSUS OF EDINBURGH IN 1841.
Uninhabited
Houses.
Inhabited
Houses.
Families.
I
1
n
Females.
1
3
1
1
£•
1. The City, comprehending the ancient and
653
8577
1 1 £07
24,537
31,799
56 336
54 99°
171
1 499
2 130
4 169
4 763
8^32
10 175
3. St. Cuthbert's parish, ....
4. The Castle, . .
894
12,784
16,208
31,726
825
40,178
197
71,984
1,022
70,887
Total population of the city and suburbs,
1,718
22,860
29,645
61,257
60,727
76,937
75,327
138,194
136,054
136,054
530
1 610
2 140
But deduct the population of the Castle, which
does not appear to have been mixed up with
that of the city or suburbs in 1831,
__
_
825
197
1.022
Real increase during the last ten years,
PARLIAMENTARY BURGH.
653
8577
11 507
24 537
31 799
1,118
56,336
2. Canongate parish, do.
3. Part of St. Cuthbert's parish, .
4. Part of South Leith parish,
5. The Castle, as before,
171
869
45
1.499
12,540
559
2,130
15,958
705
4,169
31,132
1,373
825
4,763
39,590
1,856
197
8,932
70,722
3.229
1.022
Total in 1841
1,738
23,175
30,300
i-2,006
78,205
140241
POPULATION OF THE CITY-
PARISHES, EXCLUSIVE
PARISH OF CANONGATE.
OF THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
Inhabited
Houses.
Fam.
Pop.
Inhabited
Houses.
Fam.
Pop.
1.
Tolhooth, . . . .
297
513
2216
1.
The original parish, exclu-
2.
High,
466
646
2785
sive of quoad sacra parishes,
819
1126
4697
a
Trinity College,
359
555
2314
2.
New-street, quoad sacra,
351
525
1932
4.
Old
438
766
2949
3.
Leith-wynd, do.
326
479
1878
5.
Tron, .
401
617
2498
4.
Public Institutions,
425
6.
New North,
337
599
2627
,
-
7.
St. John's,
272
459
2140
Total of Canongate parish.
1496
2130
.8932
8.
New Greyfriar's,
344
549
2481
9.
10.
Old Greyfriar's,
Lady Yester's,
401
275
607
410
2580
1800
PARISH OF ST. CUTHBERT'S
Total of ancient royalty,
3590
5721
24,390
I
i habited
Fain.
P,,p.
_
1.
The original parish, exclu-
I.
St. Andrew's,
696
797
4440
&\ve u{ quoad sucra parishes, 8,107 10,609
46,128
"2.
Lady Glenorehy's, quoad
2.
Roiburgh, quoad sucra,
686
894
3,683
sacra,
86
98
501
3.
St. Paul's, do.
613
731
2,845
3.
St. George's,
980
1138
5518
4.
Newinjjton, do. . .
636
748
3,310
4.
St. Luke's, quoad sacra,
480
497
2546
5.
Buccleuch. do.
621
668
3,130
5.
St. Mary's, . . .
11-27
1197
6724
6.
Morningside, do.
325
371
1,648
<!.
St. Stephen's,
1092
1364
6744
7.
St. David's, do. . .
534
669
2,910
7.
Greenside, . .
526
695
3105
8
Dean, do.
357
440
1,920
9.
St. Bernard's, do. .
854 1
,007
4,751
Total of extended royalty,
4987
5786
29,588
10.
Lady Glenorchy's, do.
51
71
315
Total of ancient royalty,
3590
5721
24.390
11.
Public Institutions,
—
—
1,264
Public Institutions of city,
2,358
Total of St. Cuthbert's
Total population of city, 6J77 11,507 56,;336
parish,
12,784 16/208 71,90t
LADY GLENORCHY'S PARISH.
1. Within the City, .
2. Within St. Cuthbert's,
C. Within South Leith parish,
Inhabited
Houses.
86
51
244
Families
96
71
336
Populatinn.
501
315
1341
Total of Lady Glenorchy's parish,
381
505
2157
470
EDINBURGH.
History.
Edinburgh is of so high antiquity as to be seen,
in the remote distance of its annals, enveloped in
the thick haze of fable and uncertainty which
ancient history throws round almost all its objects.
Most writers, whatever opinions they entertain re-
specting the origin of the city, are agreed that
the Castle-rock was fortified by the Ottadini long
before their subjugation by the Romans. The
most ancient name on record applied to the rock
is Castelh-Mynyd-Agned^ which means, in the lan-
guage of the Britons, 'the Fortress of the hill of
Agnes.' Either, therefore, the rock was fortified
after the time of St. Agnes, or it was bereft, in
the Christian era, of its original name. At a later
date, when a monkish fable was fabricated as to its
having been the residence of the daughters of the
Pictish kings, it was called Castrum PueUarum.
About or after the year 617, when the Anglo-Saxon
domination in the Lothians had been established, and
when Edwin, a powerful Northumbrian prince of that
race, began his reign, it acquired the name of Edwin's-
burgh. The Celtic population, moulding the name
into affinity with their language, called it Dun Edin,
and, at the same time, made the name descriptive of
the site, — the words Dun Edin meaning ' the Face
of a hill.' The town probably owed not only its
name, but its origin, to the residence of the Northum-
brian Edwin; for, according to the statements of
Simon of Durham, it must have been a considerable
village in 854.
In 1093 the Castle was the refuge of the widow
and children of Malcolm Canmore, at the period of
his being slain ; and was besieged by Donald Bane,
the brother of Canmore, and the usurper of his throne,
with the view of seizing the heir to the crown. In
the reign of David I. the town, though consisting of
thatched and mean houses, had grown to be one of the
most important in Scotland, and appears to have been
for some time erected into a burgh. David I., in his
charter to the canons of the Abbey of Holyrood, gave
liberty to construct the burgh of Canongate ; arid re-
cognised the previous existence of the church of St.
Cuthbert's. William the Lion made Edinburgh castle
his frequent residence, and materially promoted the
progress of the town. But having been made prisoner
during a hostile incursion into England, he surren-
dered it, in 1174, to Henry II., and did not regain it
till his marriage, in 1186, with Ermengard the Eng-
lish princess, who brought it as a dower. In 1215
Edinburgh was the scene of the first parliament of
Alexander II., and, in 1239, of a provincial synod
held by Cardinal L'Aleran, legate of Pope Gregory
IX. Alexander III. resided in the Castle, and made
it the depository of the regalia and the archives ; and
he suffered in it a sort of invasion from the Earl
of Dunbar, at the head of a party attached to the
English interests, who expelled the patriot nobility,
and dictated terms to the king.
The wars of the succession which followed the
death of the Maid of Norway, grandchild to Alexan-
der, involved Edinburgh in serious disasters. In
1291 Edward I., as the acknowledged superior of
Scotland, received a surrender of the Castle, and
next year he received the fealty of the abbot of
Holyrood. The Castle having been withdrawn from
him he captured it, in 1294, after the battle of
Dunbar; and, in 1296, he received the fealty of the
magistrates and inhabitants of the burgh. In 1313
the Castle was re-captured by Sir Thomas Randolph,
Earl of Moray ; and it was afterwards stripped of its
fortifications by Robert Bruce. In 1322 the abbey
of Holyrood was plundered by the army of Edward
II.; in 1326 it was the scene ot one of the parlia-
ments of Robert Bruce ; and, in 1328, it accommo-
dated the celebrated parliament in which the repre-
sentatives of burghs were first admitted among the
seats, and which confirmed the treaty of Edward
III. acknowledging the independence of Scotland.
In 1334 the usurper and vassal-prince, Edward Baliol,
held a parliament in Holyrood, and agreed to surren-
der to Edward III. the Castle, town, and county of
Edinburgh. In 1336 Guy, Count of Namur, ap-
proaching the town with an army in the service of
the English king, the Earl of Moray encountered him
on Borough moor, drove his forces in headlong con-
fusion into Edinburgh, and pent up a portion of them
to slaughter in the narrow lane of St. Mary's-wynd,
and chased the rest to a precarious and temporary
retreat on the bare rock of the Castle. In 1337
Edward III. rebuilt the Castle, and left it in charge
of a strong garrison. In 1341, by means of as expert
a stratagem as a fertile imagination could have in-
vented, or a brave heart carried into execution, Sir
William Douglas, the Black Knight of Liddesdale,
recovered the Castle to the patriots, and greatly con
tributed by the event to the expulsion of the English
from Scotland.
The hostile incursions of the English being sus-
pended, Edinburgh grew into more consideration.
Robert Bruce had already bestowed on the burgh
the harbour and mills of Leith, During the reign of
David II. it was the seat of numerous parliaments,
and the source of frequent issues of coin, and con-
fessedly the chief town, though not yet the actual
capital, of Scotland. During the reign of Robert II.,
in 1384, a company of French knights having arrived
in the town to aid the arbitrary schemes of the king,
the church of St. Giles was occupied as the scene
of deliberation respecting a predatory warfare on the
borders. Edinburgh, then the royal residence, was
called by Froissart, who accompanied the French
knights, the Paris of Scotland, and described as
consisting of 4,000 houses, so poor that they could
not afford the knights due accommodation. In 1385
Richard II. making an excursion into Scotland, gave
St. Giles, the abbey of Holyrood, and the whole
town to the flames ; and, after looking on for five
days in vengeful triumph, left all in ashes except the
Castle. John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, who acted
as the king's lieutenant, and who soon after succeed-
ed to the throne under the name of Robert HI., now
granted permission to the citizens to raise habitations
within shelter of the Castle-walls. In 1400 the
Castle was repeatedly assaulted by Henry IV., but
successfully defended by the Duke of Rothesay, the
heir-apparent to the Scottish crown. In 1402 a par-
liament was held in Edinburgh to inquire into tin
assassination of the Duke of Rothesay. While Jamt
I. was a prisoner in England, Edinburgh partook
the desolation which swept generally over the coun-
try. In 1416 the Castle was taken by Archibald,
fourth Earl of Douglas, but restored in 1418; and,
in 1423, when a ransom was proposed to be given
for the king's release, the town had advanced so far
in prosperity as to be able to contribute to the object
50,000 merks of English money. After the king's
return, in 1424, he often honoured Edinburgh with
his residence ; and, in 1429, he received, before the
high altar of the church of Holyrood, the abject sub-
mission of Alexander, the rebellious Lord of the Isles.
In 1430 the queen was delivered of twins, one of them
the future James II., in the abbey of Holyrood. In
1431 the town was scourged with pestilence ; and,
in 1436, it was the scene of the last parliament of
James I.
On the murder of James I., in 1436-7, Edinburgh
became, in every sense, the metropolis of Scotland.
EDINBURGH.
471
of
s
From the reign of David II. it had, in all public transi-
tions, held the place of primary burgh, and had been
frequently the seat of parliaments and the royal
abode; but it shared its honours with other toxvns, and
wanted in point of favour what it might have justly
claimed in point of paramount importance and power.
Now, however, its title to entire metropolitan dignity
became fully recognised. Neither Perth, Stirling,
nor any other resort of the king and court possessing
sufficient means to protect the royal family from the
murderous attacks of ferocious nobles, James II —
then only 7 years of age — fled or was conveyed, after
the assassination of his father, to Edinburgh castle ;
and, in the same year, was crowned and held his first
parliament in the abbey of Holyrood, and set up in
the city the machinery of his government. During
the years 1438, 1439, and 1440, the Castle was the
scene of frequent contests and intrigues respecting the
keeping of the king's person. In 1444 Crichton, the
ablest man in Scotland, having, as the victim of fac-
tion, been dismissed from the high office of chancellor,
provisioned the Castle and gave defiance to Douglas
of Balveny, the royal favourite. Next year, his
tates having been escheated by a parliament held
in the city, and partly laid waste by military emis-
saries of the favourite, Crichton sallied from the
Castle, and, after inflicting severe retaliation, re-
turned within its walls. Being now besieged by the
1 ing in person, he defended himself with such skill
d resolution that the Castle was gladly accepted
m him, in 1445-6, on terms of capitulation, which
volved his restoration to his office and to the royal
vour. During these troubles, and up to 1456,
ames II. lavished upon the city such grants and
m unities as made it much more indebted for its
osperity to him than to any other monarch. Among
her favours, were permission to fortify the town
ith a wall, and levy a tax to defray the cost, — ex-
niption of burgesses from the payment of any duties
xcept a petty custom, — a grant of all the vale be-
ween Craigend gate on the east, and the highway
leading to Leith on the west, — and a grant of the
'haven silver' and customs on ships entering the
roadstead and harbour of Leith. In 1449 Mary of
Gueldres, after having been espoused by proxy to
James II. at Gueldres, was married to him in person,
and pompously crowned in the abbey of Holyrood.
In 1460 James II. having been killed by the bursting
of a cannon at the siege of Roxburgh castle, was
brought a corpse to the city he had enriched with
his munificence, and interred on the spot where he
had received his crown. His queen, who had imi-
tated his taste in raising the dignity of the metro-
polis, and had founded and endowed Trinity church
and hospital, died three years after him, and was laid
in the church which she had reared.
James JII., throughout his inefficient reign, con-
ferred on Edinburgh the advantages of his resi-
dence and of several immunities. In 1461 Henry
VI., after his defeat at Towton, sought refuge in
Scotland, and was honourably entertained for a time
in the capital. In 1469 the Princess Margaret of
Denmark was married to the King, and crowned,
amid splendid pageantry, in the abbey of Holyrood.
In 1475 the city was so desolated with pestilence
that parliament, though summoned, failed to as-
semble. In 1477 James III. gave to the city a
charter minute, and now very curious, establishing
the sites of its markets. In 1478 began those in-
trigues at Edinburgh of the king's brother, the
Duke of Albany, to supplant him in the throne,
which issued in extensive disasters to the town and
country, and eventually terminated in the kings
death. Albany, having been imprisoned in the
le, effected his escape to France; and passing
Castle,
thence, in 1482, into England, bargained with Ed-
ward IV. to hold the crown of Scotland under him,
as superior of the realm. The Duke of Gloucester,
deputed by the English king, inarched on Edinburgh ;
and meeting no resistance, was induced by Albany to
spare the town from a destruction with which he had
menaced it, "only taking such presents," saith Hall,
" as the merchants genteelly offered him." The Eng-
lish Garter King-at-arms now ascended the platform
of the cross, and summoned the Scottish king, who
had taken refuge in the Castle, to perform all he had
promised to Edward IV., and to pardon Albany.
The citizens, evincing both their wealth and their
patriotism, agreed to repay to the English king
certain sums which he had advanced in considera-
tion of a concerted marriage between his daughter
and James' son ; and, the Duke of Gloucester having
been wiled away by the permanent cession of the
town of Berwick, and the Duke of Albany having
been pardoned by a formal act of forgiveness, the
provost and citizens, assisted by the latter, processed
to the Castle to escort the king from his durance.
James III. and Albany mutually embraced, and then
rode together to Holyrood-house, amid the tumul-
tuous joy of a deluded people ; and the king bestowed
on the inhabitants some munificent expressions of his
gratitude for their patriotism in the season of his dis-
tress. At the close of 1482 Albany, immediately
after having been received into favour, and injudi-
ciously constituted Lieutenant-general of the realm,
intrigued -once more against the king. James 111.,
however, by retiring into the Castle, and rousing the
citizens, disappointed his purposes of treason. Edin-
burgh, by its loyalty to the sovereign, and especially
by its prompt performance of all its stipulations with
England, obtained great praise, and, in reference to
the ample resources which it evinced itself to possess,
was called by the Continuator of the Annals of Croy-
Ur,/i « ditissimum oppidum." Early in 1488 the king,
land
hard pressed by a powerful combination of insurgents,
and obliged to leave the city and flee to the north,
deposited his treasure and valuable effects in the
Castle, and supplied it with ordnance and provisions
to sustain a siege ; but he was assassinated in the
same year, and proved to have been only heaping up
store for his murderers.
Late in 1488, the first parliament of James IV.
assembled in Edinburgh, amid the guilty triumphs
of rebellious faction ; and for some time succeeding
the early part of the next year, the castle, town,
and shire were under the domination of Patrick,
Earl of Bothwell. As James IV. grew up in years,
he frequently invited the knights of every country
to tournaments at Edinburgh, and took great delight
in rendering the city a busy scene of magnificent
entertainments. In 1503 the king was, with gor-
geous parade and pomp, married, at Holyrood-house,
to Lady Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry Vll.
In 1508 the printing-press was introduced to Edin-
burgh by Chapman & Millar, under a royal charter;
and it produced curious specimens, some of which
are still preserved in the Advocates' library. About
the same time, the king, continuing to reside in the
capital, entertained the French ambassador at givat
expense, and with coarse profusion. In 1513, while
a dreadful plague had broken out and was desolat-
ing Edinburgh, James, preparing for a hapless war,
busied himself in inspecting his artillery in the < 'astio
and the outfit of his navy at Nexvhaven; and, having
summoned the whole array of his kingdom to a.--
semble on the Borough-moor, he marched thence to
his disastrous defeat and violent death on the field
of Flodden.
The magistrates and numerous burgesses of Edin-
burgh having followed the late king in his fatal expe-
472
EDINBURGH.
dition, drew upon the city apprehensions of fearful
retaliation. All men able to bear arms were instantly
ordered to stand, if necessary, to the defence of the
walls ; and other vigorous measures were adopted to
maintain a stern resistance. But the privy-council
withdrew for some months to Stirling; and there
James V. was crowned. Early in 1514 the magistrates
of Edinburgh, fearful of disasters with which the city
seemed menaced, raised a permanent city-guard of
24 men, levied £'500 Scots for the extending of the
fortifications and the purchase of artillery, arid or-
dered the erection of the second or southern wall,
considerable part of which at Latirieston and Drurn-
mond-street still stands. In 1515 the putative Duke
of Albany, to whom all eyes were turned for giving
stability to the fragile and shattered government,
and vigour to the Scottish arms, was received in
Edinburgh with unwonted magnificence and proces-
sional demonstrations of feeling; and he proclaimed
at the cross the peace for Scotland which France
had negociated with England. In the same year a
parliament which assembled in the city, appointed
him protector and governor of Scotland during the
minority of the infant king. But Albany, though
residing at Holy rood-house, and wielding all the
power of royalty, thought himself insecure unless he
should obtain command of the young king and his
mother's persons, who had retired to the Castle.
Forcible measures were adopted which first drove
the queen to take flight with the young prince to
Stirling, — next compelled her to yield up the fortress
of that town, and return to Edinburgh castle,. — and
next converted the latter place into a state-prison
for the infant monarch. In the meantime, the town
became the scene of frequent tumults and copious
bloodshed, from contentions among the nobles, and
from strifes for superiority in the magistracy. On
one occasion, upwards of 200 men were slain on the
streets in a melee, popularly commemorated under
the odd name of " Cleanse the causeway," between
the Hamiltoris and the Douglases. On another oc-
casion, there was an encounter with similar results,
between the partizans of the Earls of Huntly and
Moray, and those of Lords Rothes and Lindsay.
These facts, and others of kindred character which
occurred, evince that, under the regency of Albany,
the metropolis enjoyed neither the amenity of civil-
ized manners, nor the most ordinary protection of
common law. In 1519 and 1520, while Albany was
absent in France, the city lay prostrate beneath the
twofold scourge of devastation by the plague, and of
the ascendency of lawless violence maintained with
the aid of an armed force from the borders. In 1522,
Albany having returned from France, a parliament
held in the city authorized the removal of the young
king from the Castle to Stirling, but was too feeble
to reform the popular profligacy of manners, or to
strengthen the weakness of the laws. At the close
of 1523, Albany met the parliament at Edinburgh
for the last time; and in May 1524, he departed for
ever from Holyrood-house to France, leaving the
Scottish government and the police of the metro-
polis in a state of utter confusion.
In July 1524, the queen brought James V., now
in his 13th year from Stirling to Edinburgh, and
caused proclamation to be made that he had assumed
the government. In November of this same year,
while parliament was sitting, the Earl of Angus,
who had been married to the queen, broke into
Edinburgh, with several other chiefs and 400 armed
followers; and. having vaunted or proclaimed them-
selves at the cross to be good subjects, went to the
council of state, and demanded that the queen should
be deprived of the guardianship of the infant king.
The Castle immediately fired upon the town, and
killed several innocent persons; arid Angus, menaced,
along with his fellow-insurgents, by a body of hack-
butters who had been called out against him, and
having received a mandate from the king to retire
from the city, withdrew to Dalkeith. Early in
1525, a coalition and division of patronage having
been effected between the queen arid her opponents,
the young king, who had taken refuge in the Castle,
removed his residence to Holyrood-house, and after-
wards went in person to meet his parliament in the
Tolbooth, his crown being borne before him bj
Angus. In 1525, Angus acquired such an ascend-
ency as, while he dictated to the whole kingdom,
enabled him to subject the metropolis to the will,
and impoverish it for the pampering of his creatures;
and, from that date till his final disgrace and for-
feiture in 1528, he occasioned continual disturbances
and tumultuous movements both in Edinburgh and
throughout the country, in opposing first the queen
and next the monarch. About 1528, additional ex-
citements arose in the city from the private diffusion
of the principles of the Reformation. In May 1532,
after various establishments for the administration
of equity had been tried and rejected, the college of
justice, or system of national law-courts the same
in li'mine which exists at present, was founded. This
event was the greatest in intrinsic importance which
had yet graced the annals ol the city, and imme-
diately raised the dignity and influence of the city,
and occasioned it to become the resort of many fami-
lies from among the best portion of the community
who possessed a competency of worldly wealth, lu
the same year, and during two or three years fol-
lowing, the magistrates, and even the parliament,
adopted measures to remove nuisances which hitherto
had defiled or obstructed the streets, and diffused
putridity among the lanes, and occasioned the lam-
poonings of wit and the severities of satire; and they
now ordered the thoroughfares to be paved, lanthorns
to be hung out at night, the meal-market to be re
moved from High-street to " some honest place,"
where it would be no obstruction, and a substantia.
wall to be built from Netherbow to Trinity College
church. In August 1534, Norman Gourlay and
David Straiten were tried and condemned, at Holy-
rood-house, for the heresy of the Protestant faith,
and executed at Greenside. In 1537, Magdalene,
the first consort of James V., arrived from France at
Leith, made a triumphal entrance ^ into Edinburgh
amid magnificent processions and joyous acclaims,
and, in forty days, was carried a corpse to the royal
tomb in Holyrood abbey. In July 1538, Mary of
Guise, James V.'s second wife, entered Edinburgh
amid similar greetings to those which had been ac-
corded to her predecessor, and was treated by the
citizens with rich presents, and " with farces and
plays." At the close of 1542, James V., having died
at Falkland, was buried in Holyrood by the side of
his first wife.
The regents Arran and Beaton having rejected
some ambitious schemes of Henry VIII. respecting
the person of their infant Queen Mary, who was
only a week old at her father's death, the Earl of
Hertford arrived in the Forth with a numerous fleet
and army, and, besides inflicting numerous devasta-
tions on other towns and the country, set fire to
Edinburgh, burnt the abbey and palace of Holyrood,
and made an unsuccessful attempt upon the Castle.
In 1548, the city, after being again menaced by an
English force, was garrisoned by part of a French
reinforcement of 6,000 men under D'Esse. In 1551,
the queen-dowager, after conveying her infant-daugh-
ter to France, was received, on her return to Edin-
burgh, with distinguished honours; and in 1554,
having been constituted regent of the kingdom, site
EDINBURGH.
473
encouraged plays in the city, and cajoled the magis- j public streets were ornamented; and as she issued
trates to defray much of the expense. In October I from the Castle, where she dined, a boy descended,
15.55, John Knox arrived in the city, and speedily j as if from a cloud, and delivered to her a Bible, a
occasioned a shifting of its scenes. Next year a i psalter, the keys of the Castle gates, and some verses
containing " ' ^ ' —---*--
concourse of people assembled in and around Black-
friars' church, to protect him from the hostile pro-
ceedings of an ecclesiastical judicatory. Early in
1557, Knox having gone to Geneva, Harlow and
Willock, two other reformers, arrived, and success-
fully preached their doctrine in Edinburgh and Leith.
In December of the same year, a few nobles signed
the first covenant in Edinburgh, and were the germ
of " the. Congregation." In June 1558, an invasion
fnvn England being apprehended, the burgesses of
Edinburgh voluntarily agreed to maintain upwards
of 700 armed men for the defence of the city. Next
month, the reformers and the queen-regent came to
an open rupture. On the anniversary of St. Giles,
when the priests carried an effigy of the patron saint
with great processional pomp along the streets, the
populace flamed forth in indignation, dispersed the
ecclesiastics, and tore the effigy in pieces. In 1559,
Knox having returned from Geneva, and the army
of the congregation approaching the town from the
north, the magistrates ordered all the gates except
two to be shut, and these two to be guarded ; and
they sent commissioners to meet the reformers at
Linlithgow, and treat with them; and placed a guard
of sixty men to protect St. Giles' church. When
the army of the congregation entered Edinburgh,
they took possession of the mint, and of the offices
of government ; but found the work of upsetting
popish altars, and destroying the paraphernalia of
popish ceremonies, and converting monasteries into
private dwellings, sufficiently accomplished by the
populace. Open hostilities now occurred in regular
i-urfare between the troops of the reformed, and the
>ps of the queen-regent. Leith, which was in a
)rtified condition, was the head-quarters of the
>mish or government party, who were aided by
opportune arrival of an auxiliary force from
"rnnce; Edinburgh was the head-quarters of the
formed party, and entirely in their possession ; and
ie fine plain which stretches between the Calton-
ill and Leith, was the scene of frequent skirmishes
nd resolute onslaughts. The irregular troops of
the reformed could ill cope with the well-disciplined
auxiliaries from France; but, eventually aided by a
force from Elizabeth of England, they succeeded,
about the middle of 1560, to expel the queen-regent's
forces from the kingdom, to dismantle Leith, and to
remove every hinderance to the ascendency and the
civil establishment of the principles for which they i ables within Holyrood-house were seized ; her plate
contended. Edinburgh, now in undisputed posses- ' sent to the mint to be converted into coin; and her
won of the reformers, and entirely freed from the i chapel in Holyrood spoiled of its furniture and orna-
influences which had hitherto swayed it, underwent ments, and generally demolished. The last of these
an almost entire change of moral aspect, yet did not
p;i~- through the transition without some ebullitions
of popular feeling, and some riotous movements on
the part of small portions of its people. Women
1 ' 1_ • A. 1 /» 1 •
terrible significations of the vengeance
of God upon idolaters." Having arranged her gov-
ernment at Holyrood-house, she set out on a pro-
gress to visit her principal towns throughout the
country, and left the metropolis, as she found it,
wholly under the power of the reformers. In June
1562, the town-council ordered the figure of St.
Giles to be displaced from the banner of the city,
and substituted by the thistle ; and ordained that no
one should be eligible to any civic office who was
not of the reformed faith. In May 1563, the queen,
dressed in her robes and wearing her crown, met her
parliament in the capital, and concurred in an act of
oblivion as to the proceedings of the Lords of the
Congregation. Edinburgh, with Knox for its min-
ister, and the General Assembly for its most influen-
tial court, now gave tone to the whole country, and
lifted the spirit of religious reform up to a point of
high dominance which was sufficiently menacing to
the adherents of popery, and little careful of pleasing
the monarch. On the 28th July, 1565, Lord Darn-
ley was proclaimed king at the market-cross ; and at
5 o'clock on the following morning was married to
the queen within the chapel of Holyrood. On the
9th March, 1566, David Rizzio was assassinated in
the queen's presence in her supper-apartment at
Holyrood; and on the 19th June of the same year,
she was delivered, in a small room in the Castle, of
her son James. On the 10th February, 1567, Darn-
ley, then lying in a convalescent state in the house
of Kirk of Field, was blown up with gunpowder;
and on the 15th May following, Bothwell, who was
believed to have been the author of Darnley's mur-
der, and who had repudiated his wife, was married
to the queen in Holyrood, by Adam Bothwell, bishop
of Orkney. On the 6th of June, a smouldering
popular indignation having begun to belch up in
flames, Mary and her husband fled from the city,
pursued by 800 horsemen. On the llth, the asso-
ciated insurgents, amounting to 3,000 men, marched
upon Edinburgh, and though the gates were shut
against them, easily entered, and took possession of
the seat and the powers of government. On the
14th, she was brought from Carberry-hill (see CAR-
BERRY-HILL) to Edinburgh, and conducted through
the streets, amid
id popular insults, to the house of Sir
, the provost ; and next day, she was
Simon Preston
sent off a prisoner to Lochleven castle.
Her valu-
*ere prohibited from keeping taverns; the market-
day was changed from Sunday to Saturday and Mon-
'iy; measures were adopted for the suppression of
imorality; the reformed religion was introduced to
the places of worship, and enforced on the atten-
of the whole population; and on the 20th De-
iber, 1560, the first General Assembly of the
assembled under the local sanction of the ma-
strates.
In August 1561, Mary, the young queen, arrived
Leith from France; and she made a public entry
>to Edinburgh amid clamorous and showy demon-
r rat ions both of welcome to her person, and of
caution against interference with the recent changes
in reli^ou. Splendid dresses were prepared; the
acts, however, was chargeable, not on the body ot
the successful insurgent chiefs, but only on the Earl
of Glencairn : see HOLYROOD.
A government was now formed in the name of
James VI., the infant son of Mary; and on the 22d
of August, 1567, the Earl of Murray was proclaimed,
at the cross of Edinburgh, the regent of the king
dom. At the coronation of the infant king in the
church of Stirling, three of the magistrates of Edin-
burgh attended to represent the city. In 1568, when
the nation was violently excited "by Mary's escape
from her imprisonment and the brief civil \var which
followed, the metropolis was in arms to repress in-
surrection, and was, at the same time, desolated
with pestilence. On intelligence of the regent Mur-
ray's assassination in January 1569-70, at Linlith-
gow, the city was thrown into great confusion, and
put under a strong guard night and day; and the
Lords of the court of session were with difficulty
474
EDINBURGH.
dissuaded from abandoning it as too tumultuous a
scejje to be the seat of their court. The chiefs of
the queen's party marched upon Edinburgh from
Linlithgow, and were received within the walls by
Kirkcaidy, the governor of the Castle, the provost
of the town, and one of the ablest soldiers of the
period. Kirkcaidy ordered all who opposed the
queen to leave the town within six hours, seized
the arms of the citizens, planted a battery on the
tower of St. Giles', and repaired the walls and
strengthened the gates of the city. A war now
commenced within the limits of the metropolis and
its suburbs, the miseries of which did not soon come
to an end. In May 1571, two parliaments sat in the
harassed city, — the one on the queen's side, in the
Tolbooth, — and the other, on the king's side, in the
Canongate. While the two legislatures fulminated
forfeitures at each other, their respective partizans
fought frequent skirmishes in the neighbourhood and
the streets. The Castle was kept for the queen,
with great superiority of advantage; and Holyrood-
house was retained for the king by the regent Len-
nox. A small army, sent from Berwick by Eliza-
beth, eventually crushed the queen's party, and, on
the 29th May, 1573, forced the Castle to capitulate.
Kirkcaidy and his brother, though they surrendered
on the understanding of being favourably treated,
were hanged at the cross. The quick succession of
four regents, who fell amidst the furies of civil war,
/ neither quieted the nation, nor brought peace to the
metropolis.
At length, in March 1577-8, James VI. himself
came upon the unsettled stage. Having summoned
a parliament to meet in Edinburgh, and resolved to
remove his residence from Stirling, he made a mag-
nificent entry into the metropolis on the 17th Octo-
ber, 1579, and passed to the palace of Holyrood, with
a cavalcade of 2,000 horse. In December 1580, the
Earl of Morton was called to account by the privy-
council for his many crimes, and, in particular, for
being accessary to the murder of Darnley. He was
first warded in Holyrood, next sent to "the Castle,
next removed under a strong guard to Dumbarton,
and eventually brought back to Edinburgh, and guil-
lotined with the infamous instrument called "the
Maiden," which he himself, it is believed, introduced
to the country, and which afterwards drank the
blood of patriots and martyrs. When the king's
provocation of his reformed subjects by his attempted
extensions of the royal prerogative, led, in 1582, to
his capture in the raid of Ruthven, the conspirators
brought him to Holyrood-house, and demanded of the
magistrates a body of hackbutters to guard him in
the palace. In January 1583 two ambassadors ar-
rived from France to solicit his freedom. The king
ordered the magistrates to entertain them with a
banquet. But the ministers -of the city appointed
the day of feasting to be a day of fasting, and occu-
pied the whole of it in successive religious services
in St. Giles', in the course of which they used lan-
guage less measured than the taste of a later age
Would approve respecting all the parties connected
with the banquet. The king, having freed himself
from thraldom, established a guard of forty gentle-
men on horseback for the protection of his person,
and made adequate provision for the governor of the
Castle. Having arrived, in 1587, at the legal age
of twenty-one, he made a royal banquet in Holyrood-
liouse for reconciling his factious nobles; and, with
puerile conceit, made irascible men walk hand in
hand to the cross, and there partake a collation of
wine and sweetmeats provided by the magistrates,
and pledge one another in the juice of the grape to
mutual forgiveness and future amity. When intel-
ligence arrived in August 1588, of the approach of
the Spanish Armada, the magistrates commanded the
citizens to provide themselves with arms in order to
guard the coast, and raised a body of 300 men to
defend the city. James was in the practice of
ordering the magistrates to entertain his friends,
and, by draining their coffers with the costs of ban-
quets, he brought the metropolis into a less opu-
lent condition than had graced it during several
preceding reigns ; and now, in the prospect of his
marriage with the princess Anne of Denmark, he
commanded the magistrates to find suitable accom-
modation and entertainment for the royal bride,
from the time of her arrival at Leith till Holyrood-
house could be duly fitted out for her reception.
The magistrates paid 5,000 merks to be excused ;
and afterwards, when the bride was driven back by
adverse winds, and when James himself, with more
enterprise than he was supposed to possess, deter-
mined to cross the ocean and convey her home, they
provided him, at enormous cost, with a beautiful and
commodious ship for the voyage. In May 1590 the
royal pair arrived at Leith, and were received in
Edinburgh with acclamations of welcome ; and six
days after their arrival the queen was crowned in
Holyrood. In December 1590 the Earl of Bothwell
having broken into the palace at the hour of supper,
and laboured by fire and demolition to overcome ob-
structions in his way to the king's apartment, the
citizens ran to the rescue, forced Bothwell to flee,
and captured eight of his followers, who were exe-
cuted on the morrow. In September 1593 James
vainly renewed attempts, which he had formerly
made, to dictate to the city in the choice of its coun-
cil and magistrates; and in November he even issued
a proclamatiou, forbidding any person to enter Edin-
burgh without his leave. In February 1594, when
the queen was delivered of Prince Henry at Stirling
the town-council of Edinburgh presented the king
with ten tuns of wine, and sent 100 citizens, richly
accoutred, to attend the baptism ; and next year,
when Bothwell continued to raise treasonous tu-
mults, they appointed the sovereign a body-guard of
fifty citizens. In September 1595 the boys of the
High school broke into rebellion ; and one of them
fired a pistol from the school-house, and shot one of
the magistrates who had been summoned to reduce
them to order. In August 1596, when the princess
Elizabeth was born, the magistrates were invited to
the baptism in Holyrood-house; and they made a
promise of 10,000 merks to be paid to the princess
on the day of her marriage, — a promise which not
only was fulfilled, but raised to 15,000 merks. In
December 1596 the clergy and citizens, irritated and
alarmed at what they believed to be menacing inter-
ferences of the king with religious liberty, a serious
tumult broke out in the city, and rolled along toward
the town-house to attack the king and his council,
who sat in consultation. The provost and magis-
trates opportunely came upon the theatre, and, by
skilful management, assuaged the storm. James tied
from the city, issued a proclamation which painted
in dark colours the objects of the uproarious but
harmless tumult, and sent a charge to the magistrates
to arrest the ministers, and, in consequence, obliged
the latter to flee from the country. The privy-
council also declared the tumult to have been traitor-
ous ; the several judicatories were removed to Leith ;
and the Court of Session was directed to sit at Perth
after January 1597. The town-council, as well as
the inhabitants, were now completely alarmed, and
sent a deputation of citizens to Linlithgow, to make
unqualified submissions, and to sue for pardon. James
made a public entry into the city with great ceremony,
and, in March 1597 — moved partly by the people's twrs
and 30,000 merks of their money, and partly by the in-
EDINBURGH.
475
terposition of Elizabeth of England — formally pardon-
ed the tumult, and drank with the provost and magis-
trates in token of reconciliation. In 1599 the king
came once more into collision with the ministers of
Edinburgh, he having invited to the city a company
of English players, and the presbytery denouncing
histrionic performances as positively sinful. This
company of actors was the first who appeared on a
Scottish stage after the Reformation, and is supposed
to have included Shakspeare. In 1600 Robert Bruce,
the favourite minister of the city, and four of his
clerical brethren, were banished by proclamation at
the cross, and forbidden, on pain of death, to preach
or to come within 10 miles of the king's residence,
for the crime of being sceptical as to the reality of
the Cowrie conspiracy; and the dead bodies of the
Earl of Cowrie and his brother were brought from
Perth to Edinburgh, and hung up at the market-
cross as the bodies of traitors.
James having succeeded to the crown of England
by the demise of Elizabeth, on the 24th March, 1603,
many persons hastened from London to Edinburgh
with the welcome news. On the 31st March tlie
nobility and the Lyon King-at-arms proclaimed the
event at the cross. On the Sabbath previous to his
departure for England, he attended public worship in
St. (1 lies', and, at the close of the sermon, delivered
a formal valedictory address. At this period, and
during some subsequent years, Edinburgh, in com-
mon with other Scottish towns, severely suffered by
fivfjuent visitations of plague. In 1608 James em-
powered the magistrates to wear gowns, and to have
a sword of state carried before them in their proces-
sions. In 1616 the king, in fulfilment of a promise
made at his departure, paid a visit to Edinburgh.
Arriving at the West Port, he was received by the
magistrates in their robes, and some citizens in velvet
habits ; and was treated to an oration by the town-
•lerk, abounding in the most fulsome and rhapsodical
l.ittery. The citizens afterwards entertained him
•vitli a sumptuous banquet, and presented him with
0,000 merks of double golden angels, in a silver
'Hsoii. In June 1617 James convened his 22d par-
iument in Edinburgh, and sanctioned, or rather in-
tigated, its passing decrees for the resuscitation of
reliiey, and the improved support of the Castle,
ifter presiding at a scholastic disputation of the
rofessors of the university, he departed in Septem-
i/r 1617 for London. News of his death, in March
325, having arrived, the ministers of the city praised
m, in funeral sermons, as a most peaceable and re-
,rious prince.
On the 31st March, 1625, Charles I. was proclaimed
the cross; and the town-council agreed to advance
him the assessment of the city, and to contribute
the maintenance of 10,000 men ; and they, at the
"•• time, provided for the city-guard, and for the
••ipline of all the citizens. On the 12th June, 1633,
uirles visited Edinburgh, to be crowned king of
tland. He was received at the West Port by the
rules in red furred gowns, and 60 councillors
et dresses; and conducted along the streets
display of pageantry more gorgeous than had
the public entry of his father, and indicating
-use in civic wealth. On the 18th he was
in the Abbey church of Holyrood with un-
spleudour ; and on the 20th he assembled his
ttish parliament, mainly for the purpose, as
appear, of carrying out his projects in favour
cy, and the introduction of a liturgy. By
acts of this parliament, and by the erection of
bishopric of Edinburgh, his brief residence,
*ph hailed at the moment with demonstrations
lelight, ignited a smouldering, and far-spreading,
fierce fire of discontent. Scarcely had he re-
turned to London when the hidden fire burst forth
into a blaze. When the liturgy, which was chiefly
copied from that of England, was read in St. Giles',
a tumult ensued. In October 1637 a great concourse
of persons of every rank resorted to Edinburgh to
avow their discontent, arid declare their opposition.
A proclamation, commanding them to disperse, only
produced a new tumult. The withdrawal of the
privy-council and the court of session to Linlith-
gow was followed by increased uproar and confusion.
During 1638 discontent was animated into organized
insurrection. A convocation assembled in Edinburgh
to oppose the liturgy, and adopted the strong mea-
sure of renewing the Covenant. The magistrates
now ordered the citizens to prepare for war; and the
Covenanters, on their side, drew to arms. On the
22d September proclamation was made — but at too
late a date, and in too exacerbated a condition of
the popular feeling — that the liturgy was abandoned.
In December the Covenanters beleagured the Castle,
and were aided by the town-council with a force of
500 men, and a subsidy of £50,000 Scotch. But a
pacification taking place in May 1639, at Berwick,
the Castle was delivered to the Marquis of Hamilton
as the King's officer. A parliament, which sat in
Edinburgh in December 1639, broke up amid mutual
criminations of unconstitutional conduct. In 1640
fresh preparations were begun for determined war.
The magistrates appointed a night-guard, exercised
the citizens in arms, and raised fortifications to de-
fend the town against the Castle. Ruthven, the
governor of the Castle, tired upon the city ; but
being invested by Lesley, the general of the Cove-
nanters, was forced to surrender. The treaty of Ri pon
put an end to hostilities. In August 1641 Charles
revisited Edinburgh, and pardoned and conciliated
the insurgents. Having been well-received by the
magistrates, and sumptuously entertained at the cost
of £12,000 Scotch, he departed in November. The
magistrates still adhered to the Covenant, and raised
for its support a regiment of 1,200 men, at the ex-
pense of £60,000 Scotch. In October 1643 the
Solemn League and Covenant was sworn in St. Giles'.
In March 1645 a plague again desolated the city;
but happily was the last with which it has been
afflicted.
After the execution of Charles I. Edinburgh joined
in the national engagement in favour of Charles II.,
and engaged to contribute a quota of 1,200 men.
But, in lieu of the men, the town-council afterwards
offered to pay £40,000 Scotch ; yet, in consequence
of impoverishment by plague and civil war, they were
in so disastrous a predicament that they first thought
of borrowing the money, and next pleaded ex-
emption from paying it, on the ground that it had
been promised in an unlawful cause. In May 1650
the Marquis of Montrose was brought a prisoner into
the city, conveyed along the streets in ignominious
parade, tried and condemned by the parliament, and
publicly executed at the cross. Having obtained the
consent of the exiled Charles II. to be their king, the
magistrates, in July 1650, proclaimed him at the
cross. Lesley, the commander of the Scottish
troops, having been subdued at Dunbar, on the 3d
September, by Cromwell, who had crossed the
Tweed and menaced the metropolis, Edinburgh
was abandoned to its own fears, and left by the
magistrates without a government. On the 7th
September Cromwell took possession of the city,
and three months later forced the Castle to capi-
tulate. In December 1651 the magistrates returned
and resumed the government. Commissioners from
Cromwell for ruling Scotland having arrived, in Jan-
uary 1652, at Dalkeith, the citizens of Edinburgh
were so humbled that they felt obliged to ask their
476
EDINBURGH.
consent before proceeding to elect new magistrates.
The metropolis now enjoyed, for several years, a de-
gree of repose to which it had long been a stranger ;
but it was so impoverished that scarcely a person
was able to pay a debt, — the city itself being unable
to satisfy a claim upon it for £55,000 sterling. When
intelligence arrived in 1660 of the Restoration, the
town-council addressed a letter to the king, congra-
tulating him on his recovery of the throne ; the town-
clerk made a journey to London, and presented
£ 1,000 sterling for the royal acceptance; and the
citizens expressed their joy by partaking of a sump-
tuous feast at the market-cross. Charles ratified
some old privileges, empowered the magistrates to
levy a new civic tax, abolished the English tribunals
in Scotland, and directed a parliament to meet at
Edinburgh for the adjustment of the national affairs.
Parliaments which met in January 1661, and May
1662, abolished presbytery, condemned the cove-
nants, restored prelacy, and, in consequence, incited
the Covenanters to arms, and threw the metropolis
and the country into confusion. Edinburgh was put
into a posture of defence ; the gates were barricaded ;
ingress or egress was prohibited without a passport ;
the gentlemen of the neighbouring territory were
called in to afford their aid ; and the courts of law
placed its members under arms. In December 1 666
ten of the Covenanters who had been captured in the
action of Rullion-green, were executed in Edinburgh.
During the whole period of Charles II. 's reign, from
the year 1663, the metropolis was the scene of the
trial, torture, and execution of vast numbers of Co-
venanters, many of them the best and brightest men
of the age. But the tyranny which was exercised,
the inquisitorial proceedings which were carried on,
the martyrdoms which were perpetrated, the demon-
strations of a ferociously persecuting spirit which
were made, and the military manoeuvres of a standing
urrny which were practised, did not for an hour awe
the inhabitants into submission, and scarcely suc-
ceeded in even repressing them from attempting bold
though hopeless deeds of insurrection. At the exe-
cution of one Mitchell, who was concerned in an at-
tempt to assassinate the archbishop of St. Andrews
in the High-srreet, bands of women assailed the
scaffold, and made a strenuous endeavour to effect a
rescue. During 1679 the Duke of York— the future
James VII. — resided in Edinburgh, was magnificently
entertained by the magistrates, and introduced the
drama and other appliances of fashionable dissipation.
In 1680 the students of the university having, in con-
tempt, probably, of the Duke of York's religious
creed, resolved to burn the Pope in effigy, the ma-
gistrates interposed, and a tumult ensued. The
college was now, for a time, shut up ; and the stu-
dents exiled under a prohibition not to approach
within twelve miles of the town. In May 1682 the
Duke of York, after having utterly effeminated the
capital, and diffused an idle and ruinous taste for
show and extravagance, and lured the magistrates
into numerous acts of mean servility, took his depar-
ture for London.
Intelligence having arrived of the demise of Charles
II., in February, 1685, a stage was erected at the
cross, the militia drawn out, and proclamation,
amid pompous displays, made of the accession of
James VII. On the 20th June the Earl of Argyle
was brought into Edinburgh, paraded along the
streets, bound, uncovered, and preceded by the
hangman, and publicly executed with every accom-
paniment of ignominy. On the 1st of November,
a letter from the king, dispensing with the test, and
indicating favour to papists, was read at the privy-
council. Early in 1686 an order, dictated by the
king, was issued by the privy-council, forbidding the
booksellers of Edinburgh to print or sell any docu-
ment which reflected upon popery. A subsequent
order, authorizing the public and open celebration ot
mass, occasioned a popular tumult. A journeyman
baker, who was concerned in the tumult, having
been ordered by the privy-council to be whipped
along the streets, a mob rose to his rescue, beat the
executioner, and continued all night in riotous pos-
session of the town. The king's guards and soldiers
from the Castle were brought out to the assistance
of the town-guard, and, firing upon the mob, killed
two men and a woman. Next day several of the rioters
were scourged amid a double file of musqueteers and
pikemen ; a drummer was shot for having uttered an
expression of strong antipathy to papists; and a
fencing-master was hanged at the cross simply for
having expressed approbation of the recent tumults
and drunk the toast of ' Confusion to Papists.' On th
29th of April, 1686, a parliament was convened a
Edinburgh, to which was read a letter from the kin
proposing indulgence to the Roman Catholics ; whic
included among its members the Lord-chancello
Perth, who was a Papist, and had not taken the tes
required by law ; and which, though sufficiently pli
ant, was not so servile as the king desired in adopt
ing and enforcing his religious schemes. James, per
secuting and spurning the sturdier members for thei
votes, did by his own authority what the parliamen
refused to do, — he took the Roman Catholics unde
his protection, assigned them for the exercise of thei
religion the chapel of Holyrood abbey, commande
the magistrates to be conservators of their privileges
and promoted as many of them as possible to place
in the privy-council, and the offices of government
Watson, a popish printer, was appointed by the king
the printer to the royal family, and by the privy
council the printer of all the prognostications ii
Edinburgh ; and he carried through the press th
numerous books whose imprints indicate their hav
ing been printed during the reign of James II. "ii
Holyrood -house." Some minor particulars men-
tioned by Lord Fountainhall sufficiently indicate tht
deep undercurrent in the direction of popery whicl
flowed beneath the surface of the king's public en
actments. " On the 23d of November, 1686," say;
he, " the king's yacht arrived from London, at Leith
with the altar, vestments, images, priests, and thei
apurtenants, for the popish chapel in the Abbey c
Holyrood. On St. Andrew's day, the chapel wa
consecrated, by holy water, arid a sermon by Wedei
ington. On the 8th of February, 1688, Ogstoui
the bookseller, was threatened, for selling Arcl
bishop Usher's sermons against the papists, and tl
History of the French Persecutions; and all tl
copies were taken from him ; though popish bool
were printed and sold. On the 22d of March tl
rules of the popish college, in the abbey of Holyroo
were published, inviting children to be educat
gratis." But James VII. had now run his race
religious folly, and was about to forfeit for hims
and his heirs the crowns which he had meretriciou'
adorned with Roman gems. Throughout the mom
of September and October, 1688, his officers of st
at Edinburgh acted as if they expected an invas
from Holland. Throughout August and Novem
the court of session almost ceased to sit, consider
its functions to have ceased from the apparent dif
lution of the government. On the 3d December
students of the university, acting as the tools of IB
influential parties, burned the Pope in effigy, and
moured for a free parliament. At length the Cl
cellor, the Earl of Perth, in whose person rested >
whole government of Scotland, indicated, by
flight from Edinburgh to the Highlands, that
metropolis and the country were freed from
EDINBURGH.
477
caprices and the tyrannies of the dynasty of the
Smarts.
.No sooner was it known that William, Prince of
Orange, had landed, and that the regular troops were
withdrawn from Scotland, than Edinburgh was peo-
pled with crowds of Presbyterians pouring into it
from every part of the country, and became a scene
of tumultuous confusion. A mob rose, drums were
beat through the streets, and a rush was made upon
every thing identified with popery. The populace
and the students ran to the abbey of Holyrood to
demolish the chapel ; out were lired upon and re-
pulsed by the guard, 12 of their number being killed.
Wallace, the captain of the guard, refusing, when
called upon, to surrender, another rush was made
upon his party, and terminated in the slaughter of
some, and the capture of the rest. The mob now
pillaged the Abbey church and private chapel of Holy-
rood, pulled down the Jesuits' college, plundered and
sacked the religious houses and private dwellings of
Roman Catholics, burned at the cross the parapher-
nalia of the chapels for saying mass, and made a gen-
eral demolition of whatever was popish, or connected
with the ecclesiastical policy of the dethroned mon-
arch. Guards were now placed throughout the city
to prevent further tumults. Nor — owing to the dis-
cretion of the Duke of Gordon, the governor, who
yet refused to resign his command — did the Castle
tire upon the town during the season of violence.
On the 25th December the students paraded, with
the college-mace before them, and a musical band,
to the cross, and there again burnt the pope in effigy,
—the town-council, and the portion of the privy-
councillors who had not lied, looking on with ap-
probation. The magistrates, notwithstanding their
former sycophantish submission to James, were
among the first to offer their services to the Prince
of Orange; and on the 28th December they addressed
him, congratulating him on his success, and assuring
him of their cheerful concurrence in preserving their
religion and their liberties. On the 14th of March,
1G89, a convention of Estates was held at Edinburgh ;
and declared the forfeiture of James VII., offered the
crown of Scotland to William and Mary, abolished
prelacy, and re-established presbyterianism. On the
20th of March the magistrates of the city gave their
oath of fidelity to the Estates. On the 1 1th of April
William and Mary were proclaimed at the cross king
and queen. During the sitting of the convention
6,000 Covenanters from the west protected its mem-
bers, and preserved the peace of the city. Viscount
Dundee, better known as Graham of Claverhouse,
prowled about the city for a while with a small armed
body of about fifty horse ; and when about to retire
bin'ore the forces which were accumulating within its
walls, he climbed up the western side of the Castle
rock to a postern now closed up, and held a confer-
ence with the Duke of Gordon, who still maintained
possession of the fort. An alarm now arose that the
• was about to bombard the Parliament-house,
and scatter the convention ; but was magnanimously
4'aelled within doors by the president, the Duke o
Hamilton, who turned" the lock, and declared that
members should not depart till there was actual dan-
The adherents of the revolution were suddenly
mmoned to the streets by beat of drum ; and, ii
owding together into masses, gave the city the ap>
arance of hurried preparation to resist a menacing
tack. On the 13th of June, 1690, the last hope
the Jacobites having been slain at Killiecrankie
e Castle was surrendered by the Duke of Gordon
everal Jacobite plots were at various periods dis
verod in the city, but were easily crushed. Ir
uly 1690 the magistrates were empowered to raisi
revenue for maintaining the city guard. An ae
was soon after passed, 1 hough not without opposi-
tion, to enable the corporation to pay its debts.
During the whole of the reign of William the city
was disgraced with the practice of torture, in nearly
as cruel a degree as under the later Stuarts. In
1698 a statute was enacted by the Scottish parlia-
ment, against erecting houses in Edinburgh of a
Teater height than five stories, or of less thickness
>f wall in the ground story than three feet. On the
M of February, 1700, a dreadful conflagration broke
»ut on the south side of Parliament-square, and con.
umed the Treasury-room, the old Royal exchange,
and extensive piles of building on the south and east
ides of the square. Early in the same year the
whole of the printers of Edinburgh, and some other
mrties, were severely prosecuted for the publication
>f pamphlets reflecting on the government. As the
rear 1700 advanced, the massacre ofGlenco, the dis-
egard of the Scottish privileges at the treaty of
fyswick, and particularly the opposition of the king
;o the recently formed company for trading to Africa
and Indies, and the failure of the settlement which
this company attempted to establish on the isthmus
of Darien, exacerbated the people of Edinburgh and
jrovokeU them to open violence. On the arrival of
lews which were temporarily favourable respecting
:he Darien settlement, a mob obliged most of the in-
labitants to illuminate, committed outrages on the
louses which were not lit up in obedience to their
dictation, secured the avenues to the city, and burned
the doors of the Tolbooth, and set at liberty the
victims of prosecution for libel upon government.
When news shortly after arrived that the settlement
was destroyed, and the hopes and capital of the trad-
ing company demolished, the mob were so furious
that the officers of state and the royal commissioner
to parliament fled from the city to escape becoming
victims to the popular indignation.
Intelligence having arrived in March, 1702, of the
demise of William, Queen Anne was proclaimed at
the cross with the usual ceremonies. In March,
1704, a large quantity of popish paraphernalia, con-
sisting of sacerdotal habiliments, communion-table
linen, pictures, chalices, crucifixes, whipping-cords,
rosaries, consecrated stones, relics, remissions and
indulgences, were, by order of the privy-council,
carried to the cross, and there burned or otherwise
destroyed. In March, 1705, a vessel belonging to
the English East India company having put into the
Forth, the crew were suspected of piracy, aggravated
by murder, upon the crew of a Scottish vessel in the
East Indies ; and — more in retaliation of the uncoin-
pensated seizure in the Thames of a vessel belonging
to the Scottish African company, than in due appre-
ciation of their imputed conduct — they were tried in
Edinburgh, and condemned. The evidence against
them appearing slender, intercessions were made for
the royal mercy on their behalf. But the populace
were deeply enraged, and, on the day appointed for
the execution, congregated in vast numbers round
the Parliament-house, where the privy-council and
the magistrates were assembled in deliberation whe-
tluT and how the victims should escape. The ma-
gistrates, aware of the revengeful fury of the mob,
assured them that three of the criminals were ordered
for execution. But the Lord-chancellor, emerging
from the privy-council to his coach, some person
shouted that the magistrates had cheated them, and
that the criminals had been reprieved. The mob
now !• topped the chancellor's coach at the Tron-
church, broke its glasses, insulted and ill-treated
the chancellor, and could eventually be appeased
only by the criminals being brought out tor exe-
cution.
In 1706, when the measure of the national union
473
EDINBURGH.
came before the Scottish parliament, the inhabitants
of Edinburgh rose in insurrection against the consti-
tuted authorities. Even while it was known to
them only in limine, they were under strong irrita-
tion ; but when it became known in its details, they
pressed in vast crowds toward the Parliament-house,
and hooted and insulted every member of parliament
who was believed to favour it. On the 23d of Oc-
tober they attacked the house of Sir Patrick John-
ston, their late provost, who was a strenuous advo-
cate for the Union, and compelled him to seek
refuge in a precipitate flight. Increasing in numbers
and in fury, the mob scoured the streets, became
absolute masters of the city, and seemed as if pro-
ceeding to shut up the gates. The commissioner
ordered a party of soldiers to take possession of the
Netherbow, posted, with the consent of the magis-
trates, a battalion of foot-guards in Parliament-
square and other suitable localities, and speedily
succeeded in quelling the riot, and restoring order.
But so deep and general was the popular rage, and
so strong the panic it had excited, that nothing less
than the whole army, encamped in the vicinity, was
deemed a force sufficient to protect the parliament
and the city. Three regiments of foot were con-
stantly on duty in the town, — a battalion of guards
protected the Abbey, — and the horse-guards attended
the commissioner. Thus strongly protected, yet not
undisturbed by popular hootings and insults, the
parliament continued its deliberations on the Union,
and at length, on the 16th of January, 1707, ratified
the articles. But the members encountered severe
difficulties, and submitted to remarkable privations,
and adopted devices not a little curious, in order to
authenticate by their signatures the popularly de-
tested contract, first retiring in small numbers to a
summer-house behind the Earl of Moray's house in
the Canongate; next, when discovered and scared
away by the mob, taking refuge, under the darkness
of night, in an obscure cellar in the High-street; and
then, before they could be discovered by persons early
a- foot in the morning, taking a precipitate leave of
the city, and starting off for London.
From the consummation of the Union on the 1st
of May, 1707, Edinburgh, during half-a-ceritury. lay
prostrate and stunned under the blow which had
been inflicted on her importance, stripped off the
jewels and ornamented raimentings of her once
courtly character, and pouring on the dust, unla-
mented by her nobles, the crimson hearts'-blood of
her metropolitan pride. The city — as to nearly
every thing which had rendered it opulent and illus-
trious— was utterly forsaken, and appeared to have
lost all its attractions ; and a thick gloom, such as
had never before darkened its sky, hung over the
dwellings and the hearts of its citizens. But event-
ually the Union, the occasion of temporary and af-
flicting disasters, worked indirectly out for it an
amount and a brilliance of well-being which have,
in some respects, made it the envy and the wonder
of every other city in the world. From the date of
the Union down to the present day, only five events
in its history are of sufficient importance, or so de-
tached from the history of particular institutions,
and unanticipated in the early portions of this ar-
ticle, as to require notice. These events are the re-
bellion of 1715, the Porteous mob, the rebellion of
1745, some tumults before and after the period of
the French Revolution, and the visit of George IV.
The rebellion of 1715 commenced with an unsuc-
cessful attempt to capture Edinburgh castle by sur-
prise. Some well-concerted measures were arranged ;
but they were discovered before the appointed hour
of action, and easily disconcerted. The Bank of
Scotland was immediately subjected to an extraor-
dinary demand upon its specie, and compelled, for a
short time, to suspend payment. Fifteen hundred
insurgents passed the Forth from Fife, and marched
upon Edinburgh ; but they found it so well-prepared
by the exertions of the magistrates in fortifying it,
and the presence of a military force under the Duke
of Argyle, to give them a warm reception, that they
declined to attack it, and filed off, first to nestle in
the decayed fort of Leith, and next to seek death
and discomfiture in the south. The arrival, imme-
diately afterwards, of 6,000 Dutch troops to aid the
king's measures, prevented Edinburgh from being
the scene of any further event during the brief re-
maining period of the rebellion.
In 1736 occurred the strange tumult called the
Porteous mob, famous in the city's annals, and gra-
phically described in the tale of the Heart of Mid-
Lothian. Two smugglers — who had violated rev-
enue laws recently extended from England to Scot-
land, and who attracted the sympathy rather than
the reprehension of the populace — were tried, con-
victed, and condemned to death. On a Sabbath
while at church, between two guard soldiers, one of
them suddenly started up, and sprung upon the
soldier at the side. The other, whose name was
Wilson, now seized both the soldiers, and held them
fast till his companion escaped; and he, in conse-
quence, won no stinted meed of praise from the
general population of the city. On the 14th of
April, when Wilson was led out to execution in the
Grassmarket, the mob pelted the executioner and
the city-guard. John Porteous, the captain of the
guard, enraged at the attack, ordered his men to fire.
The guard, in the first instance, fired over the heads
of the mob ; but, enjoined by their angry captain,
fired next among them, killing six persons, and dan-
gerously wounding eleven. Porteous was tried for
murder and condemned ; but was reprieved by the
Queen-regent Caroline. An opinion having gained
general credit among the excited and exacerbated
populace that Porteous would get a second reprieve,
and even that, on the day named for his execution,
he would be adroitly transferred for safety to the
Castle, a formidable conspiracy was formed with pro-
found secrecy, and executed with singular prompti-
tude. On the night preceding the day named for his
execution, a mob, disguised in dress, broke into the
jail, set at liberty all the prisoners except Porteous,
drove off some gentlemen who attempted to lure
them from violence, carried Porteous to the Grass-
market, suspended him on a dyer's pole till life had
fled, and then dispersed with the utmost quietness and
order. Great indignation was excited at court, and
Edinburgh was menaced with a fearful retaliation.
The lord-provost was taken into custody, and not
admitted to bail till after three weeks of confine-
ment; and he was commanded, along with the bailies
and three lords of justiciary, to appear before the
House of Lords. A bill passed the upper house tc
unfrock the provostry, to confine the provost ii
close custody for a year, to abolish the city-guard
and to destroy the city-gates ; but in the lowei
house this severe bill was transmuted into an orde
upon the city to pay the widow of Porteous i'2C
a-year. Though a reward of £200 was offered fo
the discovery of each person who had acted in t
conspiracy, and though it was accompanied with
proffered pardon to any accomplice who should t
informer, not one individual concerned in the affu:
was ever brought to justice, or even traced.
At the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, ti
city-guard was augmented to 126 men, the train*
bands were ordered to be in readiness, 1,000 rat
were raised by subscription, and placed under tl
direction of the town-council, a part of the king
EDINBURGH.
479
forces were brought into the vicinity, the walls wer
repaired, ditches were thrown up, inquisition wa
made respecting strangers lodging in the city, th
money of the banks and other public offices wa
removed to the Castle, and all preparatory measure
were adopted which might contribute to the defenc
or safety of the metropolis. On the 13th of Septem
ber the Pretender crossed the Forth with 2,000 men
some miles west of Stirling; and on the 15th he hac
reached Linlithgow, and driven Gardiner's dragoon
be-fore him in retreat. The city's regiment an<
to \vn-guard, marching out to assist the king's forces
in making a stand a mile to the westward of Edin
burgh, saw the troops whom they went to suppor
in full retreat, and fell back upon the city only tc
witness universal consternation among its inhabitants
While negotiations were attempted with the rebe
camp for the safety of the city, 800 Highlanders,
under Cameron of Lochiel, took advantage, on the
afternoon of the 17th September, of the opening o
the Netherbow for the admission of a carriage be-
longing to the negotiators, to rush quietly into the
town, overpower the guard, and take immediate anc
entire possession of the streets. On the same day
the Chevalier led his little army into the King's park,
ftxed his camp at Duddingstone, entered Holyrood-
house, commanded the magistrates, on pain of military
execution, to furnish stores which cost 2s. 6d. per
pound on the real rental of the inhabitants, ordered the
citizens to give up their arms, proclaimed James VIII.
of Scotland at the cross, and at night held a splendid
ball in the palace. On the 18th Charles was joined by
Lord Nairne, with 1,000 men from the North. On
the 20th he marched out to the field of Prestonpans ;
arid on the 21st won his easy victory, [see PRESTON-
PANS,] and returned in triumph to Edinburgh. On
the 25th the Castle, alarmed by some noise among
the rooks, fired upon the Highland guard at the
West port. Charles now cut off communication
between it and the city ; and the Castle being scan-
tily supplied with provisions, the governor threat-
ened a cannonading if the blockade should not be
removed. A severe firing was now commenced
upon the city, and filled all quarters with terror and
confusion, demolished and burned a number of
houses, and killed and wounded many of the inhabi-
tant? as well as of the Highland soldiers. At the
end of two days, Charles removed the blockade, and
restored quiet; and on the 31st of October, he, at
the head of his army, left Edinburgh for England.
After the final defeat of Charles, 14 standards taken
at Culloden were ignominiously burned at the cross
of Edinburgh ; and the Duke of Cumberland visited
the city in his way to the South, and occupied apart-
ments in Holyrood-house. Archibald Stewart, Esq.,
\\ ho iilled the office of lord-provost when the rebels
"iitered the metropolis, was brought before the jus-
'-i<'i<iry-oourt, for malversation favourable to the
Facobites ; but after a trial of six days, as remark-
il>le for its interesting character as for its length,
•vas acquitted.
In 1778 the Earl of Seaforth's Highland regiment,
hen quartered in the Castle, being required to em-
i'l-k for India, broke into mutiny, and encamped on
Vrtlmr's-seat; but were brought to allegiance
(trough the interposition of Lords Dunmore and
bcdonald. In 1779, a mob — exasperated by mea-
nt s in progress to repeal the penal laws against
oman Catholics — burnt one popish chapel, plun-
•red another, and destroyed considerable property
'longing to Romish priests and people, and even
1 some Protestant advocates of their civil rights.
ilitary assistance was called in, and quelled the
! sturbance without loss of life or recourse to vio-
I ice : but the city was afterwards obliged to com-
pensate damages to the amount of £1,500. When
the French revolution broke out, several citizens of
Edinburgh were brought to trial for treason and
sedition, and visited with rigorous punishment.
Ihiring the atrocities of the French reign of terror,
the city made zealous demonstrations of loyalty.
After the breach of the peace of Amiens, four vo-
lunteer regiments were raised in the city, constitut-
ing a force of between 3,000 and 4,000 men. On
the night of the 31st December, 1811, a body of
youths, united by previous conspiracy, and armed
with bludgeons, scoured the streets, indiscriminately
plundered persons in their way, drove the police
headlong before them, killed one person and mor-
tally wounded several others, and, during a consider-
able part of the night, maintained mastery over the
town. Three of the youthful rioters were after-
wards brought to trial, and publicly executed in the
High-street. Some affecting incidents connected
with their execution, and especially the horrors of
the scene which caused it, excited salutary, general,
and permanent feelings, both of aversion to the
bacchanalian festival of celebrating the transition
from an old to a new year, and of concern for the
education and moral training of the young.
George IV. 's visit to Edinburgh in 1822, is so
veil yet succinctly narrated in a sketch by James
Browne, Esq., attached to W. H. Lizars' ' Picturesque
Views of Edinburgh,' that, after looking at volumin-
ous materials before us, we prefer the adoption of it
;o any attempt at a compilation of our own. " His
Majesty's gracious intention to visit Scotland was
communicated officially to the lord-provost of Edin-
jurgh on the 1 7th of July ; and it was further inti-
mated that he might be expected to reach the capital
about the middle of August; that is, immediately
fter the rising of parliament. The time for making
the necessary preparations for his Majesty's reception
was therefore short ; but the proper authorities ex-
erted themselves with so much zeal, that wonders
were performed. The apartments in Holyrood-house
were cleaned, repaired, and fitted up with suitable
elegance ; a new approach was formed from the south
»ide of the Calton-hill to the front of the palace ;
he road through the King's park was opened for the
convenience of his Majesty travelling to and from
Dalkeith-house, where it was intended he should
eside ; the Weigh-house was removed to clear the
>assage to the Castle ; a barrier, like the gates of a
ity, was constructed in Leith-walk, nearly opposite
'icardy- place; and triumphal arches were erected at
jeith, where it was presumed his Majesty would
and, but in case that should not be found expedient,
communication was opened with Trinity chain-
ier. At the same time an encampment was formed
n Salisbury-crags and the Calton-hill, where guns
vere stationed, and poles erected for displaying the
oyal standard; and, in a word, every effort was used
o receive his Majesty with becoming pomp and splen-
our. Meanwhile, crowds of people from all parts
f the country, and equipages of every description,
rom the superb fashionable chariot-and-four to the
umble Glasgow noddy, poured in daily ; all was
ustle, anxiety and expectation, the novelty of the
pproaching spectacle heightening the interest with
hich it was anticipated, and raising to the highest
itch of excitement the loyal feelings which seemed
o animate every bosom. The session of parliament
aving been closed by his Majesty in person on the
th of August, he embarked at Greenwich for Scot-
and on the 10th. On the 14th the royal squadron
rrived in Leith roads; but the state of the weather
eing unfavourable, it was announced that the Innd-
ig would be deferred till the morrow. On the 15th,
hich proved a remarkably fine day, all was bustle
480
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
and preparation. The whole of Leith-walk was
lined with scaffolding on each side ; every corner
was crowded with well-dressed people ; and the
windows in every street through which the proces-
sion was to pass, exhibited clusters of heads densely
packed together. Exactly at noon a gun from the
royal yacht announced that his Majesty had em-
barked ; and soon after, the royal barge entered the
harbour amidst the thunder of artillery, and the still
more gratifying peals of enthusiastic acclamations,
sent forth by the immense multitude who had as-
sembled to witness this magnificent spectacle. At
the landing-place, which was a platform covered with
scarlet-cloth, his Majesty was received by the Duke
of Dorset, the Marquis of Winchester, the Earl of
Cathcart, the Earl of Fife, Sir William Elliot, Sir
Thomas Bradford, the judges of the supreme courts,
and the magistrates of Leith, all of whom he shook
cordially by the hand. His Majesty then proceeded
to his carriage, which was opened at the top ; arid
after being seated with the Duke of Dorset and Mar-
quis of Winchester, it drove off at a slow pace,
guarded by the company of royal archers, under the
command of the Earl of Elgin, and a detachment of
the Scots Greys. The train of the procession, which
moved by Be'rnard-street, and Constitution-street,
along Leith-walk, was of a more splendid kind than
had ever been seen in Scotland, and consisted of all
that rank and pomp could contribute to grace the
ceremonial. The head of the cavalcade reached the
barriers of Edinburgh about one o'clock, when the
lord-provost, accompanied by the magistrates, pre-
sented his Majesty with the silver-keys of the city,
which his Majesty immediately returned with a short
and courteous speech. The procession then moved
forward by York-place, and St. Andrew's-square to
Prince's-street, and turning to the eastward, pro-
ceeded to the Regent-bridge, Waterloo- place. On
entering Prince's-street, where, on the one hand, the
picturesque irregularity of the Old town, surmounted
by its venerable and majestic Acropolis, and, on the
other, the elegance and splendour of the New town,
with the Calton-hill in front, terraced with human
beings, burst upon the view, his Majesty was
charmed with the scene, then enlivened by every
accompaniment that could heighten the feeling of
admiration, and waving his hat, exclaimed, ' How
superb!' About two o'clock his Majesty reached
the palace of Holy rood-house, and his arrival was
announced by salutes fired from the Castle and from
the guns placed on the Calton-hill and Salisbury-
crags. After receiving the congratulations of the
magistrates and other authorities, his Majesty set
out in his private carriage for Dalkeith-house. Fire-
works were exhibited in the evening, while a beacon
blazed on the summit of Arthur's-seat ; and the night
following there was a general illumination. On the
17th his Majesty held a levee in Holyrood-house,
which was most numerously and splendidly attended;
on the 19th he received the addresses of the Com-
mission of the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, of the four universities and of other public
bodies; and on the 20th he held a drawing-room,
which was graced by about 500 ladies, the most dis-
tinguished for rank, beauty, and fashion, which Scot-
land could boast of. On the 22d, his Majesty went
in procession from Holyrood-house to the Castle,
which would have proved a gorgeous pageant had
not the effect of the spectacle been impaired by
almost incessant rain. On the following day he
reviewed a body of about 3,000 cavalry, chiefly
yeomanry, on Portobello sands ; and the same even-
ing attended a splendid ball given in honour of the
royal visit by the peers of Scotland. On the 24th a
splendid banquet was given to his Majesty in the
great hall of the Parliament-house by the lord-pro-
vost, magistrates, and town-council, on which occa-
sion his Majesty honoured the city by creating the
lord-provost a baronet; and the following day. being
Sunday, he attended divine service in the High
church, — Dr. Lamont, moderator of the General
Assembly, officiating on the occasion. A ball given
by the Caledonian Hunt was attended by his Majesty
on the 26th ; and on the 27th he made his last ap-
pearance before his Scottish subjects in a visit to the
theatre, where, with his accustomed good taste, he
had commanded the national play of ' Rob Roy ' to
be performed, and where, both at his entrance and
departure, he was hailed with long-continued and
enthusiastic acclamations from all parts of the house.
On the 29th his Majesty, after partaking of a splen-
did repast prepared at Hopetoun-honse, embarked on
board the royal yacht at Port Edgar, near Queens-
ferry, amidst the cheers and cordial adieus of a vast
body of spectators, assembled from all parts of the
adjacent country."
Subsequent noticeable events in the history of
Edinburgh have chiefly been connected with particu-
lar institutions, or the architectural extension of the
city, or have otherwise been of such a nature as to
haye been incidentally noticed in the earlier portions
of this article.
EDINBURGHSHIRE, or MID-LOTHIAN, si-
tuated in the eastern part of the southern division of
Scotland, has a somewhat serrated outline, yet has
proximately the figure of a half-moon, whos'e body
rests on the frith of Forth, and whose horns stretch
away south-east, and to the north of west. On the
north it is bounded by the frith of Forth ; on the
east by Haddingtonshire, Berwickshire, and Rox-
burghshire ; on the south by Selkirkshire, Peebles-
shire, and Lanarkshire ; and on the north-west by
Linlithgowshire. It lies between 55° 39' 30" and
55° 59' 20'' north latitude ; and between 2° 52'
and 3° 45' 10" longitude west from Greenwich ;
and measures in extreme length from east to west
38 miles, in average breadth from north to south 15
miles, arid in superficial area 358 square miles, or
229,120 English acres. These are the measure-
ments of the recondite and generally accurate author
of 'Caledonia;' and they are rather authenticated
than invalidated by tho&e of the ' Agricultural Sur-
vey of Mid-Lothian,' which make the superficial
area 1,288 English acres less. The line of the county
along the Forth, from west to east, is about 12
miles ; along the eastern boundary, from north to
south, about 23 miles ; along the southern boundary,
from east to west, about 36 miles ; and along the
boundary of Linlithgowshire, or the course, with one
brief exception, of Breich water and Almond water,
from south-west to north-east, about 19 miles.
Edinburghshire may, in the most general point of
view, be considered as consisting of an inclined plane
or hanging level, descending northward or eastward
of north toward the frith of Forth; and a section,
11 miles in length, of upland ploughed by streams,
and inclining southward at its south-eastern horn.. —
The most prominent hills are the Pentlarids, which
come in upon the county in continuous and parallel
ranges from Peebles-shire, and sweep northward
nearly along its middle, over a distance of 12 miles,
till they terminate in bold outlines 6 miles from the
sea, or 4 from the capital. East- Cairn-hill, near the
middle of a continuous group of eminences not greatly
inferior to it in elevation, rises 1,802 feet above the
level of the sea at Leith : see article PENTLANDS.
Next to the Pentlands, the Moorfoot hills, which are
a continuation of the Lammermoor hills, are the most
conspicuous ranges. From Coatlaw, on the west sidt
of Moorfoot water, the most northerly one of t\vc
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
481
ranges, coming in from Peebles-shire, stretches about
10 miles east-north-east, and terminates in Cowberry
hill, near the source of Gala water. This range cuts
off the parishes of Heriot and Stow from the main
body of the county, and forms a line between waters
which flow northward, and the sources of the south-
ward streams which are carried off toward the Tweed.
The other range of the Moorfoot hills also branches
off from Coatlaw on the western point, and extends,
with a wider spread than the former, about 10 miles,
in a south-east direction, over the country which is
drained by the Heriot and the Luggate waters. The
two Moorfoot ranges may, as to the geographical
lines which they form, be regarded as two sides of a
triangle which has Gala water on the east as its base.
The area of this triangle, and the stripe along the
Gala water, are irregularly studded by hills of the
transition series, generally round, sometimes insu-
lated, and nowhere linked into a continuous range. —
Along the extensive inclined plane which stretches
between the Pentland and the Moorfoot ranges and
the sea, are several brief hilly chains, or remarkable
congeries of elevations. The most singular, romantic,
and curiously agglomerated are those which partly en-
viron and partly bear aloft the capital, and which were
briefly described in the articles, ARTHUR'S SEAT, C AL-
TON, and EDINBURGH. Between the parishes of Cran-
ston and Crichton on the east, and the parishes of
Dalkeith and Cockpen on the west, a continued ridge
of hill stretches nearly 6 miles from north to south ;
but, though rising in various places from 550 to 680
feet above the level of the sea, does not much ob-
struct a road which crosses its centre from Edinburgh
to Coldstream. Through the parish of Corstorphine
run the hills of the same name, in a curving direction
from north-west to south-east, over a distance of 2
miles ; but, rising only 474 feet above the level of
the sea, they derive their conspicuousness of appear-
ance, partly from some remarkable indentations in
their summits, and chiefly from their being sur-
rounded with a rich extensive plain. In Ratho par-
ish a small congeries of hills, called the Plat hills,
rising 600 feet above the level of the sea, runs about
H niile from north to south. In the southern ex-
tremity of the same parish, at the head-springs of the
Gogar burn, are three trap hills in a line, called Dal-
niahoy-crags, two of which rise respectively 660
and 680 feet above the level of the sea. Other hills
in the county are either rising grounds of inferior
t, or spurs of the Pentland range,
he northern and western sections of the county
n general arable, fertile, and variegated only to
greeable and highly beautiful degree with rising
grounds ; and the southern and south-eastern sec-
tions, especially the latter, are, to a large extent,
pastoral. About one-third of the whole county may
be estimated as the proportion of hill or grounds in-
accessible to the plough. On the great inclined
plane which forms the northern division, is a tract
of upwards of 50,000 Scotch acres of arable and fer-
tile lands, stretching about 15 or 16 miles from east
to west, and 6 or 8 from north to south. The hills
and rising grounds which diversify this tract, while
they greatly embellish the landscape, abound in tine
pasture, and are nearly equal in territorial value to
the level grounds. Farther south, and nearer the
Mountain-ranges, is another tract of plain country,
situated from 600 to 900 feet above the level of the
sea, with a northern exposure, having in general a
pood soil, not unfriendly to vegetation, abounding
in warm and wealthy spots which carry luxuriance
up to the very base and along the lower face of the
mountains, and containing stretches of moorland and
moss which, in many instances, have accepted opu-
lence and adornment from the hand of culture In-
specially among
' the Moorfoot ranges, are several dales or valleys,
j consisting of good arable land. The pasture in the
hilly and unplouglmble districts is in general sweet
and healthy, and enriches the country with the breed
of sheep which it supports. The soil of the county
is much diversified. Clay, sand, loam, and gravel,
are all, in many cases, to be seen on the same farm,
and frequently in the same field, with many variations
of quality ; and they are so blended, and compete so
briskly for pre-eminence, that one cannot easily de-
I termine which predominates.
" Almost the whole of the county may be seen at
once from the summit of Allermore, the most ele-
i vated of the Pentland hills to the north. Its waters
may be traced by the fringe of wood with which their
banks are generally ornamented. The numberless
villas in the vicinity of Edinburgh, and gentlemen's
seats, all over the county, are seen beautiful and
distinct, each in the midst of its own plantations.
These add still more to the embellishment of the
scene from the manner in which they are disposed ;
not in extended and thick plantations, which turn a
country into a forest, and throw a gloom upon the
prospect, but in clear and diversified lines, in clumps
and hedge-rows, or waving in clouds on the brows
of hills and elevated situations, useful as well as or-
namental ; protecting, not injuring, cultivation. In
fact, Mid-Lothian, when viewed on a fine summer-
day from almost any of its hills, displays a prospect
of as many natural beauties, without being deficient
in those embellishments which arise from industry
and cultivation, as perhaps can be met with in any
tract of the same extent in Great Britain. The ex-
panse of the Forth, which forms the northern boun-
dary, adds highly to the natural beauty of the scene;
and the capital, situated upon an eminence adjoining
to an extensive plain, rises proudly to the view, and
gives a dignity to the whole. Descending from the
hills to the low country, the surface, which had the
appearance of an uniform plain, undergoes a remark-
able change to the eye. The fields are laid out in
various directions according to the natural figure of
the ground, which is unequal, irregular, and inclined
to every point of the compass. The most part,
however, of the land lies upon a gentle slope, either
to the north or the south, in banks which are ex-
tended from west to east all over the county. This
inequality in the surface contributes much to the
ornament of the country, by the agreeable relief
which the eye ever meets with in the change of ob-
jects ; while the universal declivity, which prevails
more or less in every field, is favourable to the cul-
ture of the lands, by allowing a ready descent to the
water which falls from the heavens." [' Agricultural
Survey of Mid-Lothian.' Edin. 1792. 8vo, pp. 23,24.]
Edinburghshire is well-watered ; though, from its
peculiar configuration, it is washed by no stream of
sufficient length or volume to be called a river. All
the numerous streams, which touch or intersect it,
are designated either Burns or Waters. But its de-
ficiency as to natural inland navigation is abundantly
compensated by the sweep along its northern boun-
dary of the broad navigable sea- waters of the Forth.
The frith where it rolls past the county is from 7 to
12 miles broad, and swarms with white fish and her-
rings, and profusely scatters on the beach some of
the best kinds of shell-fish. But for many ages it
has been making encroachments on the land ; and,
in consequence, it stretches out in long shallows
from the shore, and offers greatly less and fewer fa-
cilities for navigation than would seem to be pro-
mised by the expanse of its waters, and the declina.
tion of its coast. Almond water, the most westerly
stream of the county, comes down upon it at the
2 H
482
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
northern angle of the parish of West-Calder from
Linlithgowshire, intersects a wing of the parish of
Mid-Calder, and, thence to the sea, forms the north-
western boundary-line. The water of Leith rises
in the south-eastern extremity of the parish of Mid-
Calder, and flows generally in a deep channel be-
tween wooded banks, over a distance of 20 miles to
the sea at Leith. The Esk — the largest stream in
the county — is composed of two main branches which
unite below Dalkeith, and fall into the sea at Mus-
selburgh ; and, by its head- waters and its numerous
tributaries, it drains the whole country lying between
the Pentland and the Moorfoot ranges of mountain.
The Tyne rises near the north-east termination of
the Moorfoot hills, and after flowing 7 miles north-
ward in the county, debouches to the east, and passes
away into East Lothian. The Gala rises in the
northern limit of the Moorfoot hills, and flows 10
miles southward through the parishes of Heriot and
Stow, receiving from the west the waters of the
Heriot and the Luggate, and leaves Edinburghshire
at its south-eastern angle. All these streams form
the subject of separate articles in the present work.
— The lakes are so inconsiderable as to be fit objects
of notice only in the articles on the parishes.
A continuous bed of coal, nearly 15 miles in length,
and from 7 to 8 in breadth, extends across the county
from Carlops to Musselburgh, in a northerly direc-
tion, stretching beneath the vale of the North Esk.
Coal is worked, however, chiefly in the lower part
of the vale, and there occurs in seams from 20 to 25
in number, partly on edge and partly flat, and from
2 to 15 feet in thickness. In one estate, in the par-
ish of Lasswade, coal appears to have been worked
as far back as the beginning of the 17th century.
The quantity annually disembowelled from the earth
during many years, was so considerable as to yield a
rental for the pits of about £12,000; and has been
materially increased since the construction of the
Edinburgh and Dalkeith railway. But owing to the
prevalence of ' dikes,' the great expense of working
the mines, and the spirited competition of the Fife
and Western coal-districts, it has not yielded large
remuneration to proprietors. In the rising ground
south of Newbottle, on the estate of the Marquis of
Lothian, fine parrot-coal occurs in abundance, and is
thence carried to Edinburgh for the manufacture of
coal-gas — Limestone abounds in the coal-district,
and also between that district and the hills by Mid-
dleton, Crichton-Dean and Fala, as well as in the
south-west angle of the county, in the parish of East
Calder. The most remarkable and abundant strata
are near Gilmerton, in the parish of Libberton. One
mine — which has been abandoned from time im-
memorial, and which evinces that limestone was first
worked in localities where it looked out from the
surface — " presents the appearance of an immense
series of arcades upon a considerable declivity, reach-
ing from the surface to a most profound depth under
the incumbent fields, and forming quite a local won-
der."— Sandstone of excellent quality and various
kinds is abundant. One principal quarry is at Craig-
leith, in the parish of St. Cuthbert's, and near the
metropolis ; and has produced the immense quantity
of beautifully white and very durable stone, of which
the greater part of the New Town of Edinburgh is
built. The six columns in front of the college, each
consisting of one stone 23 feet by 3, and supposed to
be superior to any similar pillars in Britain, are from
this quarry. Another principal quarry is at Hales,
in the parish of Colinton, about 4 miles west of
Edinburgh, and yields a slaty stone which is easily
worked, and of great value for pavement. Several
other quarries of inferior note occur in various locali-
ties. Granite and whinstone are found in every par-
ish of the county, and have been not only used for
local buildings, and for paving the streets of Edin-
burgh, but transported in considerable quantity to
London. Millstones, petrifactions, and beautiful
specimens of marble, are produced in the parish of
Penicuick. Lead was, at a former date, found on
the south side of the Pentlands, at the head of the
North Esk. Copper is believed to exist in several
parishes ; but, though tried for a time in Currie, is
not sufficiently abundant to be remuneratingly work-
ed. Iron is much more frequent, particularly in the
vicinity of coal. Gems are now very rarely met
\\dth, but anciently were not altogether scarce. The
Arthur-seat pebble, a species of jasper, was, at no
remote date, occasionally seen. — Mineral waters,
chalybeate and sulphureous, spring in two localities
near Edinburgh, — in Cramond, Mid-Calder, and Peni-
cuick, and in various other districts.
However early, during rude and tumultuous ages,
the plough may have been introduced to Mid-Lothi-
an, agriculture appears to have there made some
progress before the close of the llth century. At
that epoch, and for ages afterwards, the county was
for the most part covered with forests. But while
the feeding of flocks among the woods and in vast
pastures on the Gala water was pursued by the opu-
lent, husbandry was practised by the poor. David
I. raised agriculture in the popular estimation, and
threw around it the dignity and eclat of royal adop-
tion ; becoming himself the greatest farmer in Mid-
Lothian, and maintaining many agricultural estab-
lishments. David I. also showed his people an
example of horticulture ; and speaks, in his charter
of Holyrood, of his garden under the castle. Hor-
ticulture was generally practised in Scotland during
the Scoto- Saxon period ; and commanded much at-
tention, in the instance of the royal gardens of
Edinburgh, during the disastrous reigri of David II.
But the prevalence of groves and shrubberies long
obstructed, in every shape, the cultivation of the
soil. Edward III. did much to abridge the domina-
tion of the forests ; yet even he left large clusters of
native oak to spread their dark wings over the rich
plains, and send down their hungry roots into the
productive soil, so late as the 16th century. While
woods lifted theic umbrageous covering over the
country, and warriors and freebooters prowled be-
neath them to trample upon luxuriance, and break
through the fences reared by the hand of cultivation,
agriculture could not make material progress. Mills,
kilns, and breweries, indeed, were not few in num-
ber, and afforded no unambiguous intimation that the
farmer was quietly and unostentatiously resisting the
soldier, as well as subduing the asperities of the
soil. Yet the lower orders of the inhabitants — those
chiefly who practised agriculture — were the slaves
rather than the tenants of the land-owners, and la-
boured unwillingly for others, rather than willingly
for themselves. The tillers of the ground — espe-
cially when coin was scarce, and the circulation of it
nearly unknown — could not, in consequence, possess
sufficient capital to enable them advantageously for
either their families or the population around them,
to follow the plough. The tenant, therefore, rented
from the landlord — who copied the example of t
freeholders of England — not only the land but the
materials with which it was stocked ; and was bound
to deliver up all he possessed whenever he vacated
his farm. The strange tenure by which the culti-
vator of the soil thus held the lands on which 1
expended his labour, was called steelbow, and long
and almost hopelessly obstructed the progress, 01
rather the beginning of improvement. A patient,
persevering, and assiduous course of quiet indust;
a course possessing these properties in a degree
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
inconceivable by an age of stir and speculation, and
rapid evolutions, — was indispensable in combination
with frugal economy to carry up the value of agri-
cultural capital from the cypher of the steelbow age,
to the flourishing and opulent period of identity of
farrnership with independence, luxury, and social
greatness. The era of improvement, to an extent
fully visible, was so low as about the end of the first
quarter of the 18th century. At that period a so-
ciety of Improvers formed in Edinburgh, and now,
according to the usual ingratitude of the world, al-
most entirely forgotten, issued agricultural instruc-
tions, and illustrated them by example. Other par-
ties, near and after the same date, followed in their
wake. In particular, Sir James Macgill, and, 60
years later, Sir John Dick of Prestontield in Dud-
dingston, carted away manure from Edinburgh, and
demonstrated how, by artificial appliances, a barren
soil may be converted into the seat of luxuriance and
agricultural wealth and beauty. At later dates,
down toward the close of the 18th century, Sir
John Dalrymple of Cousland, Hamilton of Fala,
Thomas Hope of Rankeilor, and the Duke of Buc-
clt'uc.h, aided or directed by Dr. Carlyle of Inveresk,
and Dr. Irvine of Dalkeith, achieved great improve-
ments in the introduction of grasses and succulents,
of hedges arid ditches, and of economical ploughs,
and well-adapted implements of husbandry. The
present state of agriculture in the county is as high
and prosperous as modern science and capital can
well desiderate. A territory around the metropolis
is extensively laid out in nurseries and garden-
grounds, and is maintained or forced in its luxuri-
ance by the importation of manure from the city. A
district beyond is distributed chiefly into potato
fields, enriched and supported by the same manurial
appliance; and this district, patched with spots of
the former territory, has been extended away west-
ward, in consequence of the facilities for conveying
manure which have been afforded by the opening and
traffic of the Union canal. The ulterior and larger
parts of the arable division of the county are laid
for crops of wheat, barley, oats, pease, beans, pota-
toes, summer tares, rye- grass, and clover. In the
moorlands, though a few miles of ascent from the
plain reveals a difference of almost as many weeks
in the date of harvest, cultivation rapidly extends,
striding along heath and bog, and even making a
considerable ascent up the acclivities of the hills.
Well - constructed fences, sheltering plantations,
draining, manuring, and all the arts of improve-
ment, are contributing their quota to enhance the
opulence of wealthy soils, and confer value and or-
nament upon poor. The farmers are well-educated,
experimental, generally affluent, and distinguished
by the bearing of independence and reflection.
During the reigns of the earliest Scoto- Saxon
kings, the people must have enjoyed the benefit of
those domestic fabrics without which society can
hardly exist. Yet at that period manufactories were
represented only by the achievements of handicrafts-
men. The making of salt, and the art of distilla-
tion, were the sole and miserable indications of pro-
at the demise of Alexander III. During the
and 15th centuries, an independent but ruined
>n scarcely enjoyed the most common handi-
; nor could two centuries of distractions, subse-
to the reign of James I., give much energy to
incipient, the hardly-existing, manufactures of
county. Legislation, during that period, vainly
rposed encouragements to men without skill or
il or social support to engage in the useful la-
of the loom ; and even after the Restoration it
e assiduously, but without success, to introduce
ms manufactures. A hundred and twenty years
ago, or little more, the fabrication of linen was,
almost perceptibly and on a very small scale, intro-
duced. The board of trustees for encouraging manu-
factures in North Britain, aided by several of the
nobility and gentry, soon made a strong and favour-
able impression. In 1729 a number of Dutch bleach-
ers from Haarlem commenced a bleachfield on the
water of Leith, a few miles west from Edinburgh ;
and soon exhibited to the gaze and the imitation of
Scotland the printing and stamping of all colours.
Extensive bleachfields still exist in the neighbour-
hood of the city, and on the banks of the Esk, par-
I ticularly in the parish of Lasswade. At Kirkhill,
south from Edinburgh, is a very large establishment
for the preparation of linen-yarn. Woollen and
linen fabrics are woven, though not by any means to
an amount proportioned to the bulk and facilities of
the county, in Edinburgh, Leith, and Musselburgh.
At Stobbs and Roslin are the only manufactories of
gunpowder in Scotland. Mid-Lothian, however,
while possessing high advantages equal or superior
to those of many a district whose manufacturing
industry has made its weavers princes, and has
covered its surface with a swarming population, is
exceedingly and almost unaccountably deficient in
the amount and spirit of its manufactories. Its
principal factorial produce consists of salt, soap,
candles, glass, intoxicating liquors, pottery, leather,
iron, paper, and books. A cluster of large buildings,
called the Castle Silk mills, have been erected since
1835 on the banks of the Union canal, west of the
city, and have introduced the manufacture of silk
into the county. Paper of home-made manufacture
first issued from Edinburghshire ; and is now made at
Lasswade, Balerno, Melville, Penicuick, Colinton,
Polton, Auchindinny, and various other places on
the waters of Leith and Esk ; and, though not able
to compete in the finer qualities with the paper of the
south of England, supplies nearly all Scotland with
the best material for the press. Edinburghshire,
viewed in the aggregate, is far from being a manu-
facturing district, and appears, by its factorial pro-
duce, rather to apologize for its indolence, or its
aristocratic spirit, or its fondness for luxuriating in
the wealth and finery of its landscape, than to offer
competition to the plodding and matter-of-fact dis-
tricts of the kingdom.
Edinburgh is the only royal burgh in Mid- Lothian ;
and Dalkeith the only burgh of barony. Mussel-
burgh, Leith, Canongate, and Portsburgh — the latter
two incorporated with the metropolis — are burghs of
regality. Portobello, Newhaven, Inveresk, Mid-
Calder, and Penicuick, are considerable villages.
Lesser villages are Joppa, Corstorphine, Currie,
West-Calder, Gilmerton, Loanhead, Roslin, Lass-
wade, Ratho, Bonnyrig, Cramond, Pathhead, and
Slateford. There are also various hamlets. The
seats in the immediate neighbourhood of the city
belonging to the wealthiest class of its population,
are very numerous. — In 1831 the county contained
30 parishes, including St. Cuthberts and North and
South Leith ; but excluding Canongate and the par-
ishes within the royalty of Edinburgh. Since that
date 9 quoad sacra parishes, principally in the town
or suburbs of Edinburgh, have been erected out of
St. Cuthberts. Portobello, Newhaven, St. John's
of Leith, Gilmerton, Buccleuch of Dalkeith, Roslin,
and Musselburgh or North Esk, have also been
made parishes quoad sacra — ^The county sends one
member to parliament; and has its polling- places at
Edinburgh, Dalkeith, and Mid-Calder. Parliamen-
tary constituency, in 1839, 2,315. The court-of-
lieutenancy is divided into 6 districts. — The valued
rental, in 1674, was £191,054 Scotch; and the as-
sessed property, in 1815, £770,875. Population, in
484
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
1801, 122,954; in 1811, 148,607; in 1821, 191,514;
and in 1831, 219,345. The population, in 1831,
was distributed into 665 occupiers of land employing
labourers; 274 occupiers of land not employing la-
bourers; 3,637 agricultural labourers; 7,695 labour-
ers not agricultural ; 1 ,267 manufacturing operatives ;
23,780 persons employed in retail trades and handi-
crafts; 8,257 capitalists; 1,803 male servants; and
1,544 female servants. The total number of fami-
lies, in 1831, was 47,415; of inhabited houses 19,744.
— The number of parochial schools, in 1834, was 32,
conducted by 40 teachers, and attended by a maxi-
mum of 3,400 scholars ; and of schools not parochial
325, conducted by 442 teachers, and attended by a
maximum of 13,176 scholars.
The maritime traffic of Mid- Lothian, and also of
East and West Lothian, Peebleshire, and Selkirk-
shire, is concentrated at Leith, and is of considerable
extent. Fisherrow or Musselburgh is a port for
fishing-boats ; and Newhayen, besides being a fish-
port, is a post of communication with the coast of
Fife. Steam-vessels ply many times a-day between
the piers at Newhaven and Burntisland, Pettycur,
Kinghorn, and Kirkcaldy, on the opposite shore, and
connect Mid-Lothian and the capital with the east-
ern division of Scotland northward of the Forth.
The Union canal, stretching between Edinburgh and
the Forth and Clyde canal at a point near Falkirk,
traverses the parishes of St. Cuthberts, Colinton,
Currie, Ratho, and Kirkliston: see UNION CANAL.
The Edinburgh and Glasgow railway runs in the
same direction as the canal, intersecting the county
a little farther to the north : see EDINBURGH and
GLASGOW RAILWAY. Another railway now execut-
ing communicates between Edinburgh and Newhaven
and Granton. The main-line of the North British
railway from Edinburgh to Berwick is 57f miles in
length ; and this railway will be placed in con-
nection with the Newcastle and Darlington rail-
way by the completion of the Newcastle and
Berwick line, about 87 miles in length, in 1846;
while an extension of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow railway, rather above a mile in length, has
brought that line into connection with the North
British line. The latter company have concluded
an agreement for the purchase of the Edinburgh
arid Dalkeith railway, and its branches to Fisher-
row and Leith ; and is preparing to push for-
ward railways to Hawick and to Peebles. The
branch to Hawick will be 45£ miles in length ; that
to Peebles 23 miles. An act has also been obtained
for connecting Edinburgh with Perth by a railroad,
in connection with the Edinburgh and Granton line,
which, starting from the opposite ferry -point of
Burntisland in Fifeshire, will proceed to Perth by a
main-line of 35^ miles, and throw off branches to Cupar
of 5^ miles in length ; to Kirkcaldy harbour of half-a-
mile in length ; and to Dundee and St. Andrews —
The Caledonian railway, no win progress, will connect
Edinburgh and Carlisle. It consists of a main trunk
line of 72$ miles from Carlisle to Carnwath, whence
the lines diverge, one of about 27£ miles to Edin-
burgh, and another of about 12 miles to the Wishaw
and Coltness railway, by which, and the Clydesdale
Junction railway, which joins the Wishaw and
Coltness railway at Motherwell, communication
is effected with Glasgow. — All the great lines
of road in the county diverge from the metro-
polis. One leading to Haddington, Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and the east of England, runs down to
Portobello, and thence proceeds along the shore.
Another leading to Lauder, passes through Dal-
keith, and leaves the county near the village of
Fala. A third, leading through Selkirk and Hawick
to Carlisle, and through Jedburgh to Newcastlc-on-
Tyne, passes a little to the west of Dalkeith, and
traverses the parishes of Newbottle, Borthwick,
Heriot, and Stow, running along the banks of Gala
water from near its source till, in its company, it
leaves the county. A fourth, leading to Peebles,
breaks off from the former in the parish of Libberton,
and thence intersects the parishes of Lasswade and
Penicuick. A fifth, leading to Biggar and Dum-
fries, goes through the village of Morningside, skirts
the eastern part of the parish of Colinton, and inter-
sects the parishes of Glencorse and Penicuick. A
sixth, leading to Lanark, passes through the villages
of Slateford and Currie, and leaves the county near
Crosswoodhill. A seventh, leading to Glasgow by
way of Whitburn, passes through the villages of
Hermiston, East-Calder, and Mid-Calder. An eighth,
leading to Glasgow by way of Bathgate, passes the
village of Corstorphine, and leaves the county a mile
south of the village of Kirkliston ; and it sends off,
in the parish of Corstorphine, a slightly diverging
branch which leads to Linlithgow and Falkirk. The
ninth and last great line of road passes through the
metropolitan suburb of the Dean, and intersects the
parish of Cramond, leading on to Queensferry, there
to communicate by steam-boat across the Forth with
the great road to Perth. Every part of the county,
or at least its non-pastoral districts, is freely inter-
sected with intermediate and cross roads.
The antiquities of Mid-Lothian, most instructive
and valuable, though least noticed and but partially
interesting, are the traces, in the names of its locali-
ties, of the presence and influence successively of
the Britons, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, and
the Scoto-Irish. The Ottadini and the Gadeni,
the British descendants of the first colonists, enjoyed
their original land during the second century ; and
left memorials of their existence in the names of the
Forth, the Almond, the Esk, the Leith, the Breich,
the Gore, and the Gogar, and of Cramond, Cock-
pen, Dalkeith, Dreghorn, Inch-keith, Roslin, and
Pendreich. The Romans, though untraceable in
the topographical nomenclature, have left roads, en-
campments, baths, and sepulchres sufficient to attest
their temporary dominance. The Anglo-Saxons,
who came into Mid-Lothian in fewer numbers than
into Berwickshire and East Lothian, have bequeath-
ed a much smaller proportion of names than in the
latter counties, but have left sufficient indications of
their presence in the names Stow, Newbottle, and
Lasswade, and in the occurrence in the south and
south-east of Law, Rig, Dod, Shiel, Lee, Dean,
Hope, Ham, Buryh, Law, Cleugh, and Holm. But
there does not occur in the county the word Fell,
applied to a mountain, or any intimation of the pre-
sence at any period of a Scandinavian people. The
Scoto-Irish, who came in from the west, and acquired
entire ascendency, are abundantly commemorated in
the local nomenclature, and have bequeathed Gaelic
names too numerous to be exhibited in a list, and so
obvious as to be noticeable by even a careless observer.
The Gaelic names were imposed partly after the year
843, when the Scottish period commenced ; but
chiefly, perhaps, after the year 1020, when Lothian
was ceded to the Scottish king. Owing, probably,
to the comparatively recent superinduction of Eng-
lish names upon Gaelic ones, the proportion a
Anglo-Saxon in the nomenclature of the county if
about four times more than that of the Celtic o
British.
British antiquities, though not abundant, occa
sionally occur. Druidical circles appear in the par
ish of Kirknewton and on Heriot-town-hill. Cairm
which may be regarded as funeral monuments of th
Britons, exist in the parishes of Borthwick an
CoUnton. Tumuli, which murk the scenes of Briti*
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
485
conflict, and whence stone coffins were dug, occur in
the parish of Mid-Calder, and were levelled at dates
not remote in the parishes of Newbattle and Lass-
wade. Oval or circular camps, indicating by their
form that they owed their construction to the Bri-
tons, may be traced, or are still of conspicuous out-
line, in the parishes of Penicuick, Borthwick, Crich-
ton, Lasswade, and Libberton. Strengths, which
probably were, in their original shape, fortlets of the
Britons, are the maiden castles of Roslin and Edin-
burgh. The caves of Hawthornden, though im-
proved by warriors of a later date, were very like-
ly hiding-places of the British tribes. — The Romans,
who entered Mid-Lothian toward the conclusion of
the first century, and did not finally retire from it
till after the lapse of 360 years, seized the best places
of defence, and secured their power by a ramification
of camps, forts, and roads, which have left so nu-
merous traces as to draw largely on attention in
minute topographical description, and' they reared
altars, baths, granaries, and other works of art,
which still occasionally meet the eye, and dropped
innumerable coins and weapons, and other minor
relics, which have for generations arrested the de-
lighted gaze of many an antiquary, and continue,
to the present hour, to be not unfrequently disclosed to
view in turning up the soil. — The Anglo-Saxons and
the Scots bequeathed numerous castles and strengths,
many of which have totally disappeared, while
Others are wholly or partially in a ruinous condi-
tion. The most remarkable are Craigmillar castle,
in the vicinity of Edinburgh ; Crichton castle, 10
miles south-east of Edinburgh ; Borthwick castle,
2 miles farther south ; Dalhousie castle, in the parish
of Cockpen ; Hawthornden and Roslin castles, in
the parish of Lasswade ; Ravensnook castle, in the
parish of Penicuick; Dalkeith castle, now obliter-
ated by the hand of modern improvement ; Cous-
Ifind castle, in the parish of Cranston ; Lennox
tower, in the parish of Currie ; Catcune castle, on
the Gore water ; Locherwart castle, near the sources
of the Tyne ; Luggate castle, on Luggate water ;
Fala tower, on the northern side of Fala moss.
iy of these form the subject of separate articles
the present work. Of all the castles, Craigmillar,
>th for the beauty of its situation, and for its ex-
tensive means of d'efence, is most worthy of notice.
See CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE.
The ecclesiastical antiquities of the metropolis
and its suburbs are numerous and interesting, and
are noticed in the articles EDINBURGH and HOLY-
ROOD. Extensive monasteries existed at Newbattle,
Temple, and Torphichen. Corstorphine church, and
the church of Duddingston, are curious remains, still
in ii-i1, of a considerably high antiquity. On Soutra
hill, in the parish of Fala, are remains of an ancient
hospital. In the parish of Cranston are the ruins of
some buildings and enclosures which are conjectured
to have been monastic. But the most beautiful eccle-
siastical relic of antiquity out of Edinburgh, is Roslin
chapel, in the parish of Lasswade : See ROSLIN
The Roman legionaries, who delighted to dwell along
the salubrious shores of Mid-Lothian, possibly enjoy-
ed, to some extent, the surpassingly rich religious be-
nefits of the Christian dispensation. The Saxon col-
onists of the county derived much religious instruc-
tion from the efforts of Baldred, and from the more
excursive and productive labours of Cuthbert. The
bishopric of Lindisfarn, established in 633, appears
to have included Mid-Lothian ; but was obliged per-
manently to renounce it at the abdication of the au-
thority of the Northumbrian Saxons. After the
ascendency of the Scottish kings the county was
annexed to the bishopric of St. Andrews, and con-
tinued to be attached to it till the period of tlie Ke-
formation. Under the reforming processes of David
I., the churches of Edinburghshire were probably
placed under the subordinate authority of the deans
of Lothian and Linlithgow. Anciently, the arch-
deacons and deans of Lothian were persons of great
consideration, and acted a conspicuous part in na-
tional affairs ; rising, in many instances, to the rank
of bishops, serving occasionally as chancellors of the
king, and wearing, in one case, the hat and the dig-
nity of cardinal. The office of archdeacon, however,
became eventually merged in that of the official of Lo-
thian. This was a person who ranked high, and
wielded prodigious influence ; and he usually resided
in Edinburgh, and acted a conspicuous part in the pub-
lic conventions and the royal councils. In general^ the
ecclesiastical affairs of the county were fitfully man-
aged till the Reformation freed them from the noxi-
ous influences of the Romish superstitions and errors,
and placed them under the popular regimen of pres-
byteries and synods. In 1633, Charles I., in the
prosecution of his wild and fatal scheme for imposing
episcopacy upon the reformed and presbyterian Scot-
tish people, erected Edinburgh into a bishopric, and
gave the incumbent prelatic domination over all
Mid-Lothian, and various other territories ; but
though he thus, at the latest practicable hour,
technically raised the metropolis to the dignity of
a city, he could not prevent the new bishopric,
only five years after its erection, from falling perma-
nently to ruin amid the summary overthrow of the
whole episcopalian fabric of the kingdom.
Fields of battle, with the reminiscences which
they suggest, hold a middle place between anti-
quities and history, and partake the character of
both. Every foot of ground covered by the metro-
polis and its environs, and many a spot throughout
the county, were the scenes of sanguinary contests
which, in many instances, involved the fate of the
kingdom. Places in which the successive colon-
ists, conquerors, and lords of the ascendant during
the lapse of thirteen centuries, fought for victory
or possession, are either identified with the castle
and town of Edinburgh, or so obscurely intimated
as to be, in a great degree, matter of conjecture.
Near Roslin, in the parish of Lasswade, a Scottish
army of from 8,000 to 10,000, led by Sir Simon
Fraser and Sir John Cumyn, achieved three suc-
cessive victories, on the 14th of February, 1303,
over an aggregate English force of 30,000 men under
Ralph Confrey, treasurer to Edward I. The Bor-
ough-moor, in the vicinity of Edinburgh, was, in
1334, the scene, after a desperate conflict, of the
utter discomfiture and dispersion of an English force
under Count Guy of Naumur, by the Scottish pa-
triots the Earls of Murray and March, Sir Alexander
Ramsay, and their followers. A spot in the parish
of Crichton witnessed, in 1337, another sharp con-
flict between the Scotch and English troops ; and
various other localities in the county were drenched
with blood during the sanguinary and prolonged wars
of the succession. Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dal-
wolsie, the ancestor of the present noble family of
Dalhousie, often sallied from the caves of Hawthorn-
den, and chased the mercenary forces of England
from the vicinity of the metropolis. In 1385, Mid-
Lothian was, in many places, devastated by pillage
and conflagration during the retaliatory incursion of
Richard II. ; and a century and a half later, it consi-
derably suffered in several localities from the invaMons
which were made by England, to resent the disar-
rangement of Henry VIIl.'s plan of marrying his son
to the young Scottish Queen. In 1547, the field of
Pinkie, lying between the village of Inveresk and
Wallifnrd and Carberry, witnessed a disastrous on
slaught, in which 10,000 Scottish troops were killed
486
EDINBURGHSHIRE.
and 1,500 made prisoners, by an English force, com-
manded by the Duke of Somerset. In 1567, Car-
berry-hill, in the -parish of Inveresk, was the scene
of a battle arr.ay, though not of an actual conflict,
and of the surrender of Queen Mary immediately
prior to her imprisonment in Lochleven-castle. In
1666, on Rullion-green, in the parish of Glencorse,
an armed body of Covenanters twice repulsed a
party of the King's troops under Dalziel ; but, on a
third attack, were routed, and upwards of 50 of
them slain.
The history of Mid-Lothian is, in most particulars,
so identified with that of the metropolis, which has
already been sketched in the article EDINBURGH, arid
in others has been so anticipated in our views of its
agriculture, antiquities, and fields of battle, that little
remains to be told except the facts which refer to
territorial distribution, and the erection of the dis-
trict into a county. Mid-Lothian, very probably,
was placed under the salutary regimen of a sheriff,
as early as the epoch of the introduction of the Scoto-
. Saxon laws. A sheriffdom is apparent from the reign
of Malcolm IV. down to the restoration of David
II. ; and appears, during this period, to have extended
over Haddingtonshire on the east, and Linlithgow-
shire on the west. But from the time of David II.,
down to its adjustment in its present form, the sher-
iffdom or shire suffered successive limitations; in
every age it was abridged in its authority by various
jurisdictions within its bounds; and, for a consider-
able period, it was confused in its administration by
distribution into wards, each of which was superin-
tended by a sergeant. In August, 1744, James, Earl
of Lauderdale, succeeded his father in the sheriff-
dom, and was the last who held the office under the
old regime. The first sheriff under the present im-
proved practice, was Charles Maitland of Pitrichie,
who received his appointment in 1748, with a salary
of £250. A constable was attached, from an early
period, to the castle of Edinburgh ; and, as early as
1278, appears to have exercised civil jurisdiction. —
From the year 1482, the provost of Edinburgh had
the power of sheriff, coroner, and admiral, within
the territories of the city, and those of its depend-
ency of Leith The abbot of Holyrood acquired
from Robert III. a right of regality over all the lands
of the abbey, wherever situated, and particularly
over the barony of Broughton in Mid-Lothian. The
jurisdiction was acquired after the Reformation by
the trustees of Heriot's hospital, and, at the epoch
of the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, was com-
pensated by £486 19s. 8d.— The monks of Dunferm-
line obtained from David I. baronial jurisdiction over
the manor of Inveresk, including the town and port
of Musselburgh, and maintained their lordship and
regality till the period of the Reformation. The
jurisdiction was bestowed by James VI. upon Sir
John Maitland, sold in 1709 to the Duchess of Buc-
cleuch, and eventually compensated, in common with
all the baronial jurisdictions of the Buceleuch family,
by £3,400. — The regality of Dalkeith was obtained
by the Douglasses of Lothian ; passed into the pos-
session of the family of Buccleuch ; and ceased in
1 747. — The barony of Ratho, when Robert II. as-
cended the throne, was erected, in common with
the other estates of the Stuarts, into a royal juris-
diction, and given by Robert III. to his son James;
and it was disjoined from Mid-Lothian and annexed
to Renfrewshire, when the sheriffdom of Renfrew
was settled by dismemberment from Lanarkshire. —
The extensive estates in Mid-Lothian which belonged
to the archbishop of St. Andrews were erected into
a regality, and were under the control of a bailie
appointed by the proprietor The baronies or lands
of Duddi.ngston, of Preston-hall, of Carington, arid
of Carberry, were also all regalities administered, in
the ca^e of the first, by a bailie, and in the case oi
the others, respectively by the Duke of Gordon,
Lord Dalmeny, and Sir Robert Dickson. — In addi-
tion to all the privileged authorities now enumerated
— which in the aggregate must have greatly embar-
rassed the civil administration of the county — there
existed from the reign of Malcolm IV., a justiciary
of Lothian, who exercised a greater power than
even the sheriff, and must have very materially
abridged and restrained the jurisdiction of the sher-
iffsbip. The power of the Archbishop of St. An-
drews, both baronial and ecclesiastical, must like-
wise have thrown impediments continually in the
way of the sheriff's movements ; and even after the
Reformation, when prelacy and its appliances were
abolished, continued for a time to be perpetuated as to
its effects. The overthrow of all hereditary jurisdic-
tions, in 1747, was one of the happiest events in the
diversified history of Mid-Lothian. — The civil affairs
of the county are now managed by the class of
functionaries common to the several counties of
Scotland; and by about forty deputy-lieutenants,
distributed among six districts into which the county
is'divided.
EDINBURGH, DALKEITH, AND LEITH RAILWAY.
This railway, constructed under sanction of acts passed in
18-'6,lS2y, and 1834, extends from Edinburgh to the South Esk
river, a distance of 8J miles. It has branches to Leith, Dal-
keith, and Musselburgh, making an extent of about 14 miles.
It is all a double line, except the Musselbursh branch, and
about 1 mile at the south extremity. It intersects or receives
branches from the principal coal-fields of Mid-Lothian, the pro-
duce of which is stored at the Edinburgh terminus, in a depot
about eight acres in extent, and also at Leith and Fisherrow,
by means of branches to these ports. — From St. Leonard's de-
pot, at the Edinburgh terminus, the main line descends 116
feet, by an inclined plane of 1 in 30, worked by a double fixed
engine of 50 horse-power, and passing through a tunnel 1,716
feet in length. From the bottom of the plane, the line runs
level for 3 miles ; after which it has a regular ascent to the
south extremity, at the rate of 1 in 234. The Leith branch de-
scends from the main line to the level of Portobello, at the rate
of 1 in 70 ; and the Musselburgh branch from the main line to
the level of Musselburgh, at the rate of 1 in 52. Owing to
causes which could not be avoided, there are many curves,—
so many as eleven between Edinburgh and Dalkeith, a dis-
tance of scarcely 7j miles, and several of them about 500 feet
in radius. The whole railway — except the Edinburgh inclined
plane— is worked by horses, which make tolerable performance,
notwithstanding the bad gradients, and the levels being dis-
turbed by coal-wastes. The railway and branches cross or
pass along so many as 17 highways or streets on a level. The
coach-fares average about a penny per passenger per mile.
The cost of haulage on this railway is 26-100ths of a penny per
passenger per mile. This railway, with its branches, was ac-
quired Dy the North British railway company in 1845 ; and the
main, or Dalkeith line, will be employed by that company hi
the formation of the contemplated railway lines to Ilawick
and to Peebles.
EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW CANAL. See UNION CiNAt.
EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY. This magni-
ficent work, projected in 1825 but only resolved on in 1835, and
an act for which was obtained on the 4th of July, 1838, after
a Parliamentary contest of three sessions, was begun at the end
of that year, and was opened on Friday the 18th of February,
1842. Measured from its original terminus at the west end of
Edinburgh it is 46 miles in length, being 2 miles longer than the
Bathgate road betwixt the two cities, and 1 mile shorter than
the Cumbernauld-road ; but as carried into the heart of Edin-
burgh, at the North loch, its length is 47J miles. With the ex-
ception of an inclined plane at Glasgow, it presents nearly a
level line throughout, the ruling gradient being 1 in 880, or 6
feet a-mile, and that only for a few miles. The gauge or width
of the rails is 4 feet 8i inches, and their weight 75 Ibs. to the
yard. They are laid with 4 feet bearings on cast-iron chairs.
In the cuttings, the chairs are placed on whinstone blocks of
4 cubic feet each ; on the embankments, they are fixed ou
transverse sleepers of larch 9 feet long. The interval between
the up and down rails is 6 feet. Pursuing a course to the south
of west, through Prince's-street gardens, and St. Cuthbert's
parish, the line is carried across the Water of Leith, at the dis-
tance of 1 mile from the original terminus, by a viaduct of
three arches. One mile beyond this it enters Corstorphine
parish ; and thereafter runs for about half-a-mile through the
parish of Currie, in which it passes the hamlet of Culton. A
branch line about 5 miles in length is projected from Gogar to
South Queensferry. This line will probably form the southern
extremity of the Edinburgh and Perth line by Queensferry.
It then enters the parish of Ratho, through which it runs tor
a distance of nearly :5J miles, bending nearly due west ;if't:>r
crossing Uatho-burn, but again turning to the .south of west
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after leaving Norton-mains, in which direction it enters Kirk-
iisfoii parish in Linlithgowshire, through which ir sweep* in ;i
riirve. of Ij mile radius, a distance of "i miles. It is under-
stood Uiat a branch railway to Bathgate, about 9 miles in
Icivrth, to be executed under the guarantee of the Edinburgh
and Glasgow railway, will take its departure from the main
line between the Ratho station and Broxburn. This branch
line will put off side-branches to Mid-Calder and Uphall quarry.
Hitherto the line has passed through a fertile and beautiful
country, by an easy I'm • presenting no extensive embankments
or deep cuttings ;"but shortly after entering Linlithgowshire,
it is conducted across the valley of the Almond by a stupen-
dous viaduct, consisting of 36 arches, of 50 feet span each, with
piers 7 feet wide, and varying from 60 to 85 feet in height ;
which is connected by a lofty embankment with another via-
duct of 7 arches of f!0 feet span, known as the Broxburn via-
duct, by which the line is carried across the turnpike-road to
Glasgow. The view from this part of the line is magnificent ;
but the eye of the amateur would have been still further grati-
fied bad the. lineof arches been continued between the two via-
ducts in place of the present lofty and ponderous, though pro-
bably less expensive embankment. From the Broxburn via-
duct'the line proceeds in a north-west direction, impinging on
in canal, passing the solitary ruin of Niddry-castle on
the riirht, and then plunging into a tunnel of 367 yards in
length, by which it is conducted, at the depth of 100 feet,
through a ridge of whinstone-rock at Winehburgh, soon after
•merging from which, it enters Abercorn parish at the llth mile
from Edinburgh. A deep cutting of nearly 2 miles in length
occurs in this parish, through which the line pursues a course
more nearly west. Until the completion of the 12th mile from
Edinburgh the ascent has been gradual, amounting only to 63
feet ; that is, on an average, only 1 in 1,000 ; from this point to
the viaduct by which it is conducted across the Avon, and
leaves Linlithgow parish, a distance of about 4| miles, it has
an inclination of 1 in 1,056. The line now skirts the ancient
town of Linlithgow on the south, passing between the town and
the Union canal, and commanding a fine view of the palace
and the adjacent, lake. The Avon, and the finely-wooded val-
lev through which that romantic stream runs, is crossed by a
viaduct of 20 arches of 50 feet span, and 3 of 20 feet, some of
them upwards of 90 feet in height, and of beautiful light ma-
sonry, from which the magnificent aqueduct by which the Union
canal is led across the same valley, at a point a little higher
up the stream, is visible in its full extent. The surface of the
Avon viaduct is only 38 feet above the level of the Edinburgh
terminus. It conducts the line into Muiravonside parish in
Stirlingshire, through which it runs nearly due west for a dis-
tance of above 2 miles, passing the ruined castle of Almond on
the left. A little beyond the 20th mile, it enters the parish of
Polmont, in which it passes to the south of the village of Red-
ding. At the Polmont station a junction will be effected with
the eastern fork of the Scottish Central railway, which, pass-
ing through Falkirk, will join the Scottish Central railway
near Larb'ert. From the 23d to near the 30th mile, it inter-
s«-cts the parish of Falkirk, in a line nearly parallel with the
Union canal. The high ground immediately south of Falkirk,
and part of Callendar-park, the seat of Mr. Forbes, is pierced,
at the depth of 130 feet, by a tunnel of 830 yards in length, 27
f-'t wide, and 20 feet in height. At the Falkirk station are
riveted the company's coke ovens. A little beyond the 25th
mile, at Tamfourhill, the line is conducted across the Union
canal locks by a viaduct of a striking appearance and great
solidity, the principal arch in which — a segment arch of 24
t'.'<'t <; inches rise — has a span of 131 feet. The stones of which
tins great arch is composed were brought from Forfarshire ;
the\ are five feet deep in the bed, of a bluish colour, and pecu-
-•ugth. The weight of the arch-stones alone of this stu-
[H'M<lous piece of masonry is upwards of 1,900 tons. The arch
wa* thrown upon trussed centres, which required betwixt
i ud 13,000 cubic feet of timber for their construction.
The other arches here are 2 of 20 feet, 2 of 16, and 1 of 63 feet
span. The view on the portion of the line from the western
ity of the Callendar tunnel to the last-mentioned via-
duct is very magnificent, presenting the rich carse of Falkirk
stivn -liiii'4 away towards the east, with that town close under
of the spectator,— the windings of the Forth and Stir-
-tle, with the rich level carse-ground between, in the
and the towering heights of Benledi and the Ochils,
Benlomond and the Grampians, in the distance. It adds to
tin- interest of the scene, that we are here traversing the
ground on which the battle of Falkirk was fought in 1746.
Tamfourhill, and crossing Bonnyrnuir, a little beyond
i mile, the railway enters Cumbernauld parish, in the
Dumbarton, through which it runs in a waving line —
having the Forth and Civile canal on the right — a distance of
miles. In the neighbourhood of Ca'stlecary it crosses
tin- road from Falkirk to Cumbernauld, and the deep ravine
Red-burn, by a viaduct of 8 arches, each of -".it feet
nl nearly 90 feet in height, — the one end terminating
reed embankment, the other resting on the tar-famed
Remains of the Roman camp at this spot. Castlecary, 15 miles
from Glasgow, is the station for Stirling and other towns to
the north of the Forth, and from this point, the Edinburgh and
v railway company proposed to push a line to Stirling.
- and 7(5 chains in length ; but an amalgamation having
fleeted with the Scottish Central railway company, the
projected by the latter, and the western' limb of which
is on" from the Edinburgh and Glasgow line about a
of a mile nearer I.. (Jlas-ow, has been adopted. This
mportant adjunct to the Edinburgh and 'Glasgow lin«>—
miu now be distinguished as the rMmburgh am! »:ias-
g.iw Scottish Central railway— will proceed to Perth by Stir-
ling, Dunblane, and Strath nil an, a distance of 45 miles, and
will send off branches from Loaninghead toCrieff; fromGlen-
bervie to Alloa-ferry, and thence to.Tullycoultry ; and to Fal-
kirk and Denny; and at Dunblane will join the Dunblane,
Doune, and Calfendar line, by which it will be placed in con-
nection with the Scottish Grand Junction at Callendar. From
a little beyond Castlecary the general direction of the Edin-
burgh and < . lasgi >w line to its western terminus is to the south
of west. Passing about a mile to the north of Cumbernauld,
it c« intinues on, through rather a rough country, but command-
ing an extensive view of the valley stretching along the south-
ern base of the Campsie-hills, till it approaches Croy-mill,
which is the summit of the line, being 79 feet above the level
of tiie eastern terminus, and 49 feet above the top of the in-
clined plane at the Glasgow terminus. The cutting of the great
ridge of whinstone-rock at Croy was a work of vast labour and
expense. Towards the centre of the ridge, the rock rises to a
height of 70 feet above the level of the rails. Running through
Drumshanty moss, upon a formation of drv turf, on which
layers of brushwood and sand are placed, and across the Lug-
gie, by a 6th viaduct of 4 arches of 30 feet span, it is carried, a
little beyond the 39th mile, over the Monkland and Kirhintil-
loch railway, by a 7th viaduct of 1 arch of 44 feet, 3 of 30 feet,
and 1 of 15 feet span, with a height of from 33 to 48 feet. Near
this latter point is the Kirkintilloch station ; and here a junc-
tion is effected with the three Monkland mineral railways, the
Wishaw and Coltness railway, and the projected Glasgow,
Airdrie, and Monkland junction railway, — all which lines are
now amalgamated with the Edinburgh and Glasgow line. A
short branch is also projected from Kirkintilloch to Kilsyth ;
and a line, is now executing from Kirkintilloch to Campsie, 5
miles 22 chains in length, which will probably be pushed for-
ward to Balfron. Entering the county of Lanark in Calder
parish, the line proceeds, with a few moderate cuttings and
embankings, through a rude district of country, exhibiting the
struggles of tiie husbandman with a niggardly soil, until it
crosses the Kirkintilloch road near Bishopbriggs, and enters
the Barony-parish at the 43d mile. From this point to the
head of the inclined plane at Cowlairs, there is some heavy
cutting and embanking. At the head of the inclined plane
near Cowlairs, the engine establishment is erected ; and here
are placed the fixed engines which worked the tunnel termi-
nating in the depot in Queen-street, before the introduction of
the powerful locomotive which now drags the train to the sum-
mit of the tunnel. The inclined plane is 2,077 yards in length,
consisting of open cutting, and a tunnel divided by eyes or
openings of 40 feet each in length, into three portions of 550,
300, and 297 yards. Its fall is 1 in 43. It is lighted by 43 gas-
lamps. The length of the rope employed on the inclined plane
is 21 miles. It weighs 13 tons, and cost £538. The terminus
in Queen-street opens into George's-square ; and is within 200
yards of the Royal Exchange, and 750 of the Clyde. It is pro-
posed to connect this terminus with the termini of the Glasgow
and Ayr, and Glasgow and Greenock lines, on the opposite side
of the river and city. The company is also understood to be
negotiating with the College of Glasgow for the purchase of
the present site of the University as a depot in connexion with
its Monkland mineral lines. An electnve telegraph, on Mr.
Bain's principle, is now at work along the whole line.
EDINBURGH AND HAWICK RAILWAY. This line, 45
miles 28 chains in length, for which an act was obtained in
1845, branches off from the southern terminus of the Dalkeith
and Edinburgh railway, and passing by Middleton-moor,
through the town of Gallashiels, and from thence to Selkirk,
crosses the Tweed at Abbotsford, and terminates at Hawick.
The capital of the company is £400,000, and the amount of loan
which they are empowered to raise is £133,333 6s. 8d. The
Hawick railway is a complete and integral line between the
termini specified ; but it is intended to extend the line to Car-
lisle, according to a plan already before the public. There is
one plane which is to be worked by assistant engines, either
stationary or locomotive : this plane, which is 8 miles long, on
an inclination of 1 in 75, occurs between Dalhousie-mains
and Middleton-moor. There is one tunnel of the length of
570 yards, breadth 18 feet, and height 18 feet. The strata
through which it is intended to pass are generally favourable.
The gradients and curves also offer no great difficulties. The
steepest gradient is 1 in 75, and the smallest radius of a curve is
'.'(» chains. The total length of the line to Edinburgh is 49J miles.
The railway will cross 20 public highways on the level. It
will consist of a double line of rails. It is understood that the
North British railway company have purchased this line.
EDINBURGH, LEITH, ANVD NEWHAVEN RAILWAY.
This short line at present extends from Trinity chain-pier, on
the frith of Forth, to a station at Scotland-street, in the out-
skirts of Edinburgh. To secure, however, a moro central and
convenient terminus, a tunnel is now nearly completed, which
will bring the line to the great general terminus under the
North-bridge, in the heart of the town of Edinburgh ; thus
connecting the line with the great lines of the Edinburgh and
Glasgow railway, and the North British railway. The com-
]>anv arc now executing branch-lines to Granton-pier on the
west, and to Leith on the east. The branch to Leith connect*
it with the most important port in the frith of Forth, where
the company have secured a good wharfage;. My the branch
to Grat i ton a communication will be maintained with Burnt-
Maiui. on tl pposite shore of the Forth, and by the railway
from that place to Perth, with the. coal districts of Fifcshire,
and generally with the north of Scotland. The length of th*
line and hranchcs is ". miles
KIHMH'IUJH AM) NORTHERN' RAILWAY. This line,
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now executing, commences at the burgh of Burntisland, in
connexion with the low- water pier now nearly completed there
for the Burntisland and Granton ferry. Large iron steamers
are intended to pass every hour during the day from either
side. From Burntisland the line proceeds by Kinghorn, Kirk-
caldy (with a branch to the harbour oi that town), Dysart, New
Inn,' the county town of Cupar, and Guard-bridge, to Ferry-
port-on-Craig, and to Craighead opposite to Dundee, where a
floating bridge is about to be made by the co-operation of
Government. The line to Perth is intended to diverge
from the main trunk at a point north of the village of Kettle,
and to pass by Collessie, Lindores, Newburgh, and Abernethy,
to the South Inch of Perth. The length from Burntisland to
Craighead, including the branch to Kirkcaldy, will be 39 miles.
The length of the junction line from Kettle to Perth will be 17
miles, and from Burntisland to Perth 37 miles. The total
length of the several lines will be 56 miles. The summit level
is only 275 feet above Burntisland pier. By this line the dis-
tance to Aberdeen, and to the principal towns on the east coast
of Scotland north of Dundee, is greatly shortened : from Aber-
deen to Edinburgh it is shortened 45J miles ; from Perth to
Edinburgh 40j miles ; from Perth to London 37 miles : from
Dundee to Edinburgh, 54| miles ; from Dundee to London 54
miles ; and from Dundee to Glasgow 5$ miles. The time which
will be occupied in travelling from Perth to the centre of Edin-
burgh will be 2J hours ; and between Dundee and Edinburgh,
including the ferry and the floating bridge, it will be 2j hours.
Railways are already formed, and others are in progress, at
both termini.
EDINBURGH AND PERTH RAILWAY. This line, it is
proposed, shall branch off from the Edinburgh and Glasgow
railway at Gogar, about 5 miles from Edinburgh, and proceed
thence by a branch of about 5 miles to South Queensferry. The
ferry being passed by means of powerful steamers, which it is
calculated will generally perform the voyage in five or six min-
utes, the railway line will be renewed at North Queensferry, and
will pass Inverkeithing near to the town of Dunfermline, with
which it will be connected by a branch-line of about 2 miles,
through the great coal-fields in the parishes of Dunfermline,
Beath, Aberdour, and Auchterderran ; by Lochleven, Kinross,
Milnathort, and Glenfarg to Strathearn, and the city of Perth.
The whole distance from Edinburgh to Perth is about 43 miles,
but the extent of railway required to be made will be only 34
miles. The principal objects which the projectors of this rail-
way have in view are to give to travellers from Edinburgh a
direct route by the narrowest passage across the firth, to Perth,
Dundee, and the Northern and Eastern counties of Scotland,
and also to open up the rich beds of coal contained in the dis-
tricts above-mentioned.
EDINGTON-CASTLE, an ancient fortalice, of
which the southern side still remains, 2 miles east of
the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire.
EDINKILLIE. See EDENKEILLIE.
EDLESTON. See EDDLESTON.
EDNAM,* a parish on the northern verge of Rox-
burghshire ; bounded on the north and north . east by
Berwickshire ; on the south-east by Sprouston ; on
south-west by Kelso and part of Berwickshire ; and
on the west by Stitchel. It approaches being of the
figure of a parallelogram lying from south-west to
north-east ; but has sinuosities in the outline, and
expands at the north. Its greatest length, from
Spittal on the south to the boundary beyond Girth-
ridge-hall on the north, is 3} miles ; and" its greatest
breadth, in a line drawn over High-ridge-hall, is 2f .
The Tweed forms the south-east boundary-line ; and
the Eden intersects the parish from east to west, di-
viding it into not very unequal parts. Along the banks
of both rivers are beautiful and rich low grounds.
The district, as a whole, is low and level, but de-
lightfully diversified. The generally flat ground
gently rises, in some places, into inclined plains;
and, in two spots, swells into fine elevations, one
near the village called Edenham hill, and the other
between the Tweed and the Eden called Hender-
side hill. The land is among the best in the Merse,
and is well-cultivated, well-enclosed, and agreeably
variegated with plantation. The parish is traversed
along the Tweed, by the road from Kelso to Cold-
stream, and through its centre by the road from
Kelso to Berwick by way of Swinton. — James
Thomson, the author of ' The Seasons,' and the son*
of the first minister of the parish after the Revolu-
tion, was born in 1700, in the manse of Ednam. An
* Ednam is sometimes written Edcnham, and is a contrac-
tion of that word,— signifying the village on the Eden, and ap-
propriately descriptive.
obelisk to his memory, 52 feet high, and built in
1820, stands on a rising ground about a mile from
the village. — Ednam village is beautifully situated
on the Eden, 2£ miles north-east of Kelso. In 1558,
it was burnt by" the Earl of Northumberland. Po-
pulation of the parish, in 1801, 598; in 1831, 634.
Houses 124. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,847
Ednam is in the presbytery of Kelso, and synod of
Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown. Sti-
pend £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £15 Is. 8d. The parish-
church was built in 1800. Sittings about 260.
Schoolmaster's salary £30, with about £35 or £36
school-fees. As early as the 12th century, the mo-
ther or parish-church of Ednam had two dependent
chapels ; one at Newton, now Newton-don ; and the
other at Nathanthorn, now Nanthorn ; and, along
with these chapels, it belonged to the monks of
Kelso. The kings had at Ednam a mill, whence
David, in 1128, granted to the monks of Kelso, 12
chalders of malt, with the turbary in the moor of
Ednam.
EDROM, f a parish in the district of Merse, Ber-
wickshire. In form it presents extreme angles to the
north, south, and east, and would be nearly an equila-
teral triangle, but for having a deep indentation and
a small wing on the west, and a less considerable in-
dentation on the south-east. It is bounded on the
north by Buncle ; on the north-east by Chirnside and
Hutton ; on the south-east by Button and Whit-
some ; and on the south-west and west by Fogo,
Langton, and Dunse. Its greatest length is 1\ miles ;
its greatest breadth 4 miles ; and its superficial area
13 square miles. Except in the north-west division,
where there are inconsiderable rising grounds, the
surface is flat. Whittadder water comes down upon
the parish at its north-west angle, and, over a distance
of 6 miles, forms its northern and north-eastern
boundary-line. Blackadder water comes in from the
south-west, forms, for 1^ mile, the boundary-line
with Fogo, and then runs 5 miles north-eastward
through Edrom, and falls into the Whittadder at the
village of Allantown. Langton-burn, and another
brook flowing from the west, unite with the Blackad-
der, the former drawing, for 2| miles, the boundary-
line with Dunse. Near Langton-burn, on the Edrom
side, is a mineral well, called Dunse spa, which was
long celebrated for its reputed medicinal qualities,
but has latterly fallen into disrepute, and become
quite neglected. The soil, on a small part of the dis-
trict, is naturally moorish, but in general is rich and
fertile, and, excepting about one-eighth of the area,
tastefully or necessarily devoted to plantations, build-
ings and roads, is all arable. Pools and lochlets for-
merly generated marsh and rendered the climate in-
salubrious ; but they have been completely drained,
to the benefit alike of health and of agricultural
produce. On the estate of Kimmergham on the
Blackadder is a valuable bed of shell-marl, which
has contributed much to the enrichment of neighbour-
ing soils. Sandstone abounds, and is worked in
several quarries. Blackadder-house, on the right
bank of the Blackadder near its embouchure, is an
elegant modern edifice, accompanied with extensh
shrubberies and green-houses, and a beautiful
conservatory which was constructed at the
several thousand pounds. Allanbank-house, Kelloe,
and Kimmergham, all on the same stream, Broom-
house on the Whittadder, and Nisbet, a seat of Lord
Sinclair, at the western boundary, are all mansions
possessing the attractions either of architecture or of
t Adder or Ader is the Carabro-British Airedur, ' & Running
Water;1 and Ader-ham—tirst twisted into Ederham, and then
abbreviated into Edrom — means 'the Hamlet on the running
water,' and well describes the position of even the modern ham-
let and the church, overlooking the stream of Whittadder
C, 40 W
ctensive
[ Gothic-
cost of
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489
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beautiful demesne and cheering situation. The par-
ish, though not intersected by any main line of road,
is abundantly provided with facilities of communica-
tion. Over the Whittadder are two bridges, and
over the Blackadder four, but two of the latter are
only tor foot-passengers. At Broomhouse on the
Whittadder, and Allanbank on the Blackadder, are
extensive paper-mills. Allanbank is celebrated as the
scene, in 1674, of a Covenanters' conventicle, between
3,000 and 4,000 in number, to whom the eminent
and devout ministers, Blackadder and Welch, assist-
ed by three of their brethren, preached and dispensed
the Lord's Supper. The hamlet of Edrom stands on
the north-west corner of the parish, 3£ miles north-
east of Dunse, on the road between that town and
Berwick, and is the seat of the parish-church and
delightfully situated. The village of Allanton,
with a population of 250, has an endowed school, and
three inns. See ALLANTON. Population of the par-
ish, in 1801, 1,355; in 1831, 1,435. Houses 272.
Assessed property, in 1815, £ 14,288. — Edrom is in
the presbytery of Chirnside, and synod of Merse and
Tevic/tdale. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £242
16s. 7d. ; glebe £15. Unappropriated teinds £337
13s. lid. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with
about £15 school-fees. According to an ecclesiasti-
cal survey in 1836, the population was then 1,458 ; of
whom 835 belonged to the Establishment, and 623 to
other denominations. The dissenters have no place
of worship in the parish, but are connected with con-
gregations at Dunse, Horndean, and Chirnside. The
parish-church fs supposed to have been built about
the year 1499; and was repaired in 1696, reseated
and repaired in 1 782, and subsequently fitted up with
two private galleries. Sittings 407. Robert Black-
adder, first archbishop of Glasgow — whose family de-
rived its surname from the river of the parish — built
to the ancient church a vaulted aisle, part of which
ill standing. A gallery in front of the pulpit is
the burying vault of the Kelloe family. The
urch, with its lands, was granted by Gospatrick,
Earl of Dunbar, and afterwards confirmed by David I.,
to the monks of Coldingham ; and continued to be
held by them, and served by a vicar, till the Reforma-
tion. During the minority of James V., the most
murderous contests for the lands of Blackadder con-
tinued between the Homes on the one side, and the
Blackadders of Blackadder on the other, and violent-
ly, though not rightfully, terminated in favour of the
Homes.
EDZELL, a parish in the north-east of Forfarshire.
It is of a triangular form, but with a protrusion on
the southern angle; and is bounded on the north-
fast and east by Kincardineshire , on the south-west
by Strickathrow and Lethnot; and on the west and
north-west by Lochlee. From its southern angle
at the confluence of the East and West waters, to its
northern angle at Mount Batlock, it measures 1'2%
miles ; and from its western angle at Clash, to a curve
in its eastern boundary near Dorly, it measures 6J
miles. For 4£ miles, the south-eastern part is a sort
of peninsula, the East and the West waters flowing
along its limits, and forming a confluence, under the
name of the North Esk, at its extremity. Both of
these streams approach the parish from the west: the
former intersecting it over a distance of 5i miles in
passing to the eastern limit, there to become its
boundary-line. In the western and northern 'sec-
tioris the parish is hilly ; but in the southern section,
Hiid in places traversed by the East water, it is more
open, and well-sheltered with plantation. The great-
er part of the district being bleak and unsheltered,
the air is generally sharp and piercing, but is not
insalubrious Three of those monuments of antiqui-
ty, called Druidical temples, arc in this parish ; two
within a few yards of each other, at Culindir, and
one at Dalbogg. They consist of tall upright
stones, enclosing elliptical spaces, the area of the
largest being 45 feet by 36.— The castle of Edzell is
a magnificent ruin. It consists of two stately towers,
in different styles of architecture, and evidently built
at different periods ; but connected by an extensive
wall, and formerly winged with buildings in the rear
The proprietors of this castle, the Lindsays of Glen-
esk, surpassed in power any other family in the
county. One of them became heir to his cousin,
Earl Crawford, but did not retain the peerage in his
family. Another, about the beginning of the 16th
century, built in Edzell a small castle, called Auch •
mull ; and in Lochlee, another called Innermask ; anil
was compelled to burrow in them as hiding holes
from the inquisition made after him for the murder
of Lord Spynie. — Edzell is provided with two lines
of road spread along the vale of the East water, one
on each bank, and with numerous cross-roads in its
peninsular division. Population of the parish, in
1801, 1,012; in 1831,974. Houses 214. Assessed
property, in 1815, £1,375. — Edzell is in the presby-
tery of Brechin, and synod of Angus and Mearns.
Patron, the Crown. Stipend £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe
£9. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4|d., with other
emoluments £30.
EGLINTON CASTLE, a noble mansion, the
seat of the Earl of Eglinton, situated on the banks
of the Lugton, in the south of the parish of Kilwin-
ning, district of Cunningham, 2£ miles north of Ir-
vine in Ayrshire, and 26 from Glasgow. This edi-
fice is of a castellated yet modern and very stately
and magnificent structure, and was built about the
year 1 798. A spectator, looking upon it from any
part of the lawns, has high conceptions of its gran-
deur, and of the taste and opulence of its proprietor;
and the more minutely he surveys it, he experiences
these conceptions becoming more lofty and brilliant.
There is a large circular keep, and at the corners
are circular turrets joined together by a curtain, — to
use the language of fortification. The whole is
pierced with modern windows, which in some de-
gree destroy he castellated effect, but add to the in-
ternal comfort. The interior of the fabric corre-
sponds with the magnitude and the beauty of its ex-
terior. From a spacious entrance-hall, a saloon
opens, 36 feet in diameter, the whole height of the
edifice, and lighted from above ; and from this the
principal rooms enter. All the apartments are spa-
cious, well-lighted, and furnished and adorned in the
most superb manner. One of them in the front is
52 feet long, 32 wide, and 24 from floor to ceiling.
Every thing about the castle contributes to an im-
posing display of splendid elegance and refined taste.
Nor are the lawns around it less admired for their
fine woods, and varied surfaces and beautiful scenery.
The park around the castle is 1,200 acres in extent,
and has one-third of its area in plantation — The first
of the ancient and originally Norman family of Mont-
gomery, who settled in Britain, was Roger de Mont-
gomery, or Mundegumbrie. Under the banner of
William the Conqueror — to whom he was related —
he obtained great distinction ; and, accompanying that
monarch into England, he, in 1066, commanded the
van of his army at the battle of Hastings. In guer-
don of his bravery, he was created Earl of Chiches-
ter and Arundel, and afterwards Earl of Shrewsbury,
and, in a short period, lord of no fewer than 57 lord-
ships throughout England; and, at the same time,
received extensive possessions in Salop. Having made
a martial incursion into Wales, he captured the- rus-
tle ol' Baldwin, and imposed upon it his own name
of Montgomery, — a name which not only it, but the
romantically situated town in its vicinity, and the
EGL
490
E1L
entire county in which it stands, have permanently
retained. The first of the family who settled in
Scotland, was Robert de Montgomery. Walter, the
son of Allan, the first steward, having obtained from
David I. several Scottish estates, Robert accompanied
him from Wales to take possession of them, and re-
ceived from him the manor of Eaglesham in Renfrew-
shire. This was, for two centuries, the chief pos-
session of the Scottish section of the Montgomeries.
John de Montgomery, seventh laird of Eaglesham,
married Elizabeth, daughter and sole heir of Sir
Hugh de Eglinton, and niece of King Robert II., and
obtained through her the baronies of Eglinton and
Ardrossan. At the battle of Otterburn he had the
command of part of the Scottish army under the
brave Earl of Douglas, and, by his personal valour
and military conduct, contributed not a little to the
celebrated victory which was achieved. The re-
nowned Henry Percy, well known by the name of
Hotspur, who was general of the English army, Sir
John Montgomery took prisoner with his own hands;
and with the ransom he received for him, he built
the castle of Polnoon in Renfrewshire : see article
EAGLESHAM. His grandson, Sir Alexander Mont-
gomery, was raised by James II. , about 1488, to the
title of lord Montgomery, and inaugurated into the
office of king's bailie of Cunningham. His son, Hugh,
was elevated, about 1508, to the title of Earl of Eglin-
ton ; and, a few years previously, in June, 1498, ob-
tained a charter to himself and his heirs of the office
of bailie of Cunningham, and chamberlain of the town
of Irvine. About the time of his obtaining this char-
ter, a feud arose between him and Lord Kilmaurs,
which continued between the families, and occasion-
ally blazed forth in deeds of violence, and originated
tedious and fruitless appeals to umpires, till after the
union of the crowns. Hugh, one of the line of Earls,
came into possession of the earldom when consider-
ably under 16 years of age; and having, for a time,
been placed or rather coercively brought under the
curatorship of his grand uncle, Sir Neil Montgomery,
of Langshaw, he eventually enjoyed his inheritance
during only ten months when he fell the victim of his
family's hereditary feud. Riding from his own cas-
tle, towards Stirling, on the 20th of April, 1586, he
was, at the river Annock, waylaid and shot by David
Cunningham of Robertland, and other Cunninghams,
the emissaries of the Earl of Glencairn. the descendant
of Lord Kilmaurs. Though this atrocious act of as-
sassination created a strong sensation throughout the
country, and was afterwards partly punished by Ro-
bert, the master of Eglinton, it was at length, under
the feeble and capricious administration of the pe-
dant, James VI., formally pardoned. So late as twenty
years after this event, on the 1st of July, 1606, the
old feud broke out in a violent tumult at Perth, un-
der the very eyes of parliament and the privy-coun-
cil. In the 18th century, all the valuable improve-
ments in gardening, planting, and agriculture, which,
during half-a-century, were made in the parish of Kil-
winning, and throughout a great part of Ayrshire,
proceeded, in a great measure, from the spirited exer-
tions, combined with the fine taste of Alexander, Earl
of Eglinton. Nor was his successor in the pee/age less
distinguished for his magnificent and costly, though
considerably unsuccessful, schemes to enrich the dis-
trict of Cunningham, and advance the public weal of
Scotland, by improving the harbour of Ardrossan, and
cutting a canal to it from the city of Glasgow : see
AHDROSSAN. Happy wrould it be for themselves,
their posterity, and the population of the territories
in which their estates are situated, if persons of rank
and fortune copied the example of this munificent
and patriotic nobleman. But something different
must be: said respecting the enormous expenditure,
at Eglinton castle, in the month of August, 1839,
upon a gorgeous pageant, in imitation of the tourna-
ment of the Middle ages, — a "passage of arms," as
a tilt with wooden poles smoothly rounded at the end,
over lists carefully strewn with saw dust five inches
deep, yielding soft repose to unhorsed knights,
was somewhat facetiously termed Susanna, the
third wife of Alexander, the ninth Earl of Eglinton,
and daughter of Sir Archibald Kennedy of Culzeari,
is celebrated for her personal beauty, and lor her
transmission of a nobleness of mien, distinguished at
the period as " the Eglinton air," to a family of one
son and seven daughters.
EGLISHAY. See EAGLESHAY.
E1GG, or EGG, one of the Western isles, attached
to the county of Inverness, and one of the cluster
which composes the parish of Small Isles. It is 6£
miles in length, and from 2 to 3 in breadth ; and is
about 8 miles west of Arisaig, the nearest part of
the mainland. It is partly flat, and partly hilly and
rocky, having a small valley running through it.
The low grounds are tolerably productive. The
superficial area is 5,580 Scots acres, whereof 935 are
arable ; and the gross rental, in 1826, was 4:650.
Basaltic pillars here and there appear over the whole
island ; along the coast, the rocks are chiefly of
light honey-comb lava, having a great resemblance
to other volcanic productions. Scure Eigg, accord-
ing to Mr. Jameson, is the highest part of the island.
This hill, from its peculiar shape, has at a distance a
singular appearance ; but, as we approach nearer, it
rises in grandeur, and at length, a stupendous colum
nar promontory bursts on our view. The whole of
this promontory is perfectly mural, extends for up-
wards of 1| mile, and rises to the height of 1,340
feet. It is entirely columnar, and the columns rise
in successive ranges until they reach the summit,
where, from their great height, they appear diminu-
tive. StafTa, the most magnificent assemblage ol
natural columns that has yet been discovered, is the
only one that can bear a comparison with Scure
On the south coast of Eigg, there is a small islan
called Eilan-Chastel, on which a few persons, tend,
ing cattle, live during part of the summer months.
The sound between this island and Eigg makes a
tolerable harbour for vessels not exceeding 70 tons.
The air is generally moist, and the weather rainy :
the climate, however, is healthy. The language
principally spoken and universally understood is
Gaelic, and from it the names of places seem mostly
to be derived. There are various Danish forts ; and,
on the farm of Kill-Donnain, near an old Popish
chapel, is a barrow which is said to be the burial-
place of Donnan, the tutelary saint of Eigg. The
population, in 1801, was 500, and continues station-
ary; about one-half are Roman Catholics. The
minister of Small Isles has his manse on this island,
which is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Skye.
EIL (LOCH), the upper part of an inlet from thfe
sea, which nearer the ocean is known by the name of
Loch-Linnhe. From Corran-ferry, where the loch
changes its name, it stretches 10 miles north-east,
between the counties of Argyle and Inverness, to
Fort- William, where it takes a sharp turn, and ex-
tends 12 miles in a west-north-west direction. Near
its head is the house of Loch Eil, the residence of
the chief of the family of Cameron.
EILDON HILLS, a brief mountain-range of three
conical summits, in the parish of Melrose, Roxburgh-
shire. The central summit rises, according to some,
1,330 feet, and according to Sir John Leslie, 1,364
feet above the level of the sea, and is celebrated foi
the opulence of the scenery which it overlooks ; and
the north-eastern summit, scarcely less elevated, and
commanding a minute view of the rich beauties ut it!
EIS
491
ELD
and a full view of most of the landscape seen
irom the loftier summit, is famous for its monuments
of antiquity. From the north only these summits —
eac b more important than the third — are visible ;
and, as seen from that quarter, they possess a lovely
outline, and exquisite proportions, towering aloft on
;i base of irregular but generally rapid acclivity from
the b.mks of the Tweed, and forming a magnificent
back ground to a picture full of minute and various
beauties. Seen from the south, all the summits are
in view, but heathy and bleak in their appearance,
ami serving as a foil to the luxuriance and the bril-
liant displays of the surrounding country. Looking
flown from the Eildons, an observer sees at his feet
the fine abbey of Melrose peering out from among
trees, and the joyous movements of the Tweed, wind-
ingly prolonging its stay among villas and clusters of
plantation and verdant slopes and all the varieties
of a gay river's adornments of holiday dress ; lifting
his rye higher, he surveys a sea of hills, wearing the
uniform hue of pastoral wildness, till they terminate
in the distant ranges of Lammermoorandthe Yarrow
braes; and, turning slowly southward, he observes
minutely the attractions of Cowdenknows and the
lands of Dryburgh, and sees all Teviotdale arid the
.Mcr>k. — rich in scenery as in song — hung out before
him like a panorama, till the horizon is hemmed in
by the long blue line of the hazily seen Cheviots.
On the side of the Eildons is an artificial tumulus,
called the Bourgo, of great extent, and currently be-
lieved to have been the scene of Druidical orgies.
On the north-eastern summit are vestiges of a Ro-
man camp, fortified with two fosses and earthen
mounds more than H mile in circuit; and having a
level space near the centre, where was the preto-
rium, or general's quarters. The camp included
springs of good water, and an ample supply of
wood for fire; and — affording abundant space for
beast, and baggage, and lifting the eye away to
n a very distant view of any enemy — it had all
properties of a well-chosen station. — Mr. Kemp,
intelligent manager of the gas-works in Gala-
Is, has discovered appearances on the Eildon hills
the same kind as the famous parallel roads of Glen
There are no fewer than sixteen distinctly
ile terraces running round these hills, and rising
one above another like the steps of a stair.
E1SDALE. See EASDALE.
ELCH1ES, an ancient vicarage, now compre-
hended in the parish of KNOCKANDO: which see.
It is 11 miles south by west of Fochabers.
ELCHO-CASTLE. See RHYND.
ELDERSLIE, a village in the Abbey parish of
Paisley, Renfrewshire, about 2 miles westward from
the cross of that town. The inhabitants are chiefly
weavers, cotton-spinners, and workmen at the neigh-
bouring coal-pits and quarries. As the village is
intersected by the high-road leading from Paisley
westward, and as the canal from Glasgow to John-
stone, and the railway from Glasgow to Ayrshire,
both pass close to it, it enjoys great facilities for
commercial intercourse. There is a copious supply
of excellent spring water, especially from the Bore,
a spring so culled from its water having come in con-
tact with a shaft which was put down about the
beginning of this century, when boring for coal.
Copulation, in 1831, 1,099 A neat church, con-
with the Establishment, was erected here in
it contains 800 sittings.
Mr. Ramsay, in his Notices of Renfrewshire, says:
he place called Elderslie, also written Ellerslie,
been rendered classical by its association with
the name of the renowned Sir William Wallace: —
" At Wallare' unme i
But boils up in .1 .- j'i-i
/hat Sootti«li \t\nud
itf-tidf Hood .'
Aft have our fearless fathers strode
By Wallace' side,
Still pressing onward red-wat-shnd,
Or glorious died."
Near the west end of the village, and close to the
north side of the turnpike-road which passes through
it, stand the shattered remains of the celebrated
tree, called ' Wallace's Oak,' among the branches of
which, M'hen in full leaf, tradition affirms that our
great patriot-hero concealed himself from the Eng-
lish. In transmitting this tradition, the popular
voice, ever prone to exaggerate, has magnified it so
much as to assert that the branches afforded shelter,
not only to Wallace, but also to 300 of his followers.
The modified form of the narrative is surely sufficient
to induce every true Scotsman to contemplate this
' monumental oak ' with reverence. In the year 1825
the trunk measured 21 feet in circumference at the
ground, and 13 feet 2 inches at 5 feet from the ground.
It was 67 feet high, and the branches extended 45
feet east, 36 west, 30 south, and 25 north, covering
altogether a space of 19 English poles. Since that
time the dimensions of the tree have been much
diminished, partly through natural decay, but chiefly
by the cutting-off of portions, which are preserved
in many a form as mementos of the indomitable sup-
porter of his country's independence. — The barony
of Elderslie belonged to Sir Malcolm Wallace, and
here, as is generally believed, his heroic son first saw
the light. Near the oak-tree, but on the south side
of the road, a plain building of rather ancient appear-
ance is pointed out as the very house in which Wal-
lace was born ; but the architecture and the condi-
tion of this edifice show that it must be referred to
an era much more recent than that in which he flour-
ished. Any mansion which then existed at this place
must have decayed, or been destroyed, in the course
of the five centuries which have since rolled away.
Adjoining the house just noticed is an old garden,
from the foundations of the walls of which there was
dug, about 30 years ago, a stone bearing the follow-
ing inscription, cut in Roman letters : * W. W. W.
CHRIST is ONLY MY REDEEMER.' These initials
probably indicate two proprietors of Elderslie,
William Wallace, father and son, who lived in the
16th century. ... In the garden there
is to be seen a fine and very old specimen of the
Scottish yew. The name of 'Wallace's Yew' has
been assigned to it, probably for no other reason
than because it stands at a spot hallowed by his
name. — Elderslie remained for nearly five centuries,
after Wallace's time, in the possession of various
branches of the family from which he was descended.
In J729 it fell to an heiress, Helen Wallace, only
child of John Wallace of Elderslie, and wife of Archi-
bald Campbell of Succoth. The late Sir Hay Camp-
bell, Bart., Lord-president of the court of session,
was one of the children of this marriage. In 1769
Mrs. Campbell sold the estate to the grandfather of
the present proprietor, Alexander Speirs, Esq -A
large straggling village now occupies the grounds of
Elderslie. It shows the thriving state of our manu-
factures, but it degrades this interesting spot, and
tends to repress the enthusiasm with which, from its
connexion with the history of the illustrious Scottish
champion, it would otherwise be contemplated."
Elderslie house, the seat of Mr. Speirs, is situated
upon the left bank of the Clyde, adjacent to the
burgh of Renfrew, at the distance of 5k miles from
the village of Elderslie. It was built in" 17 77-82 by
his grandfather, who, in 1760, had purchased the
ground on which it stands, and who gave it the name
of the estate from which he took his designation.
Elderslie house has, since that time, been enlarged
and improved. It fronts to the south, and is sur-
rounded by a fine park.
492
ELGIN.
ELG AR, one of the Orkneys ; constituting part
of the parish of Shapinsay. It lies about a furlong
to the south of Shapinsay, and is separated from 11
by a reef of rocks that are almost dry at low water.
ELGIN,* a parish in the county of Moray or Elgin
bounded on the north by Spynie ; on the east by St,
Andrew's Lanbride ; on the south by Birnie ; and on
the west by Alves. It is of irregular form, but ex-
tends about 10 miles in length, and 6 in breadth
its superficial contents have been estimated at abou
18 square miles. Houses 1,116. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £7,186. Population, including the
burgh of Elgin, in 1801, 4,345 ; in 1831, 6,130. The
surface of this parish is flat. The vales of Moss-
towie and Pluscardine are separated by a steep hilly
ridge ; and the district rises gently from the vicinity
of the town towards the Black-hills, the summits o1
which terminate its southern extent. The only river
of any importance is the Lossie, to which a tributary
stream runs northwards from the Black-hills. The
Lossie flows slowly through the level lands also north-
wards, partly through the parish, but dividing it from
Spynie on the north before it falls into the Moray frith
at Lossie mouth. This river frequently overflow
even its artificial banks. In 1829 the ' Morayshire
floods,' so graphically described by Sir Thomas Dick
Lauder, committed great havoc nere. In the back
parts of the parish the so'l is chiefly light and sandy
clay with calcareous particles ; but many places, par-
ticularly on the river banks, are of a rich loam and
tlay, exceedingly fertile, and yielding excellent crops.
Great part of the parish is un;;er cultivation. Even
in remote times tillage seems to have been attended
to in this part of Scotland, and indeed considerably
advanced, as the scattered facts collected from among
the less useful and important records of political and
military history by the writer of the Old Statistical
Account of this parish sufficiently evince. About
3,000 acres, however, are still waste, or in pasture.
Thriving plantations now cover much of the old
wastes. Some of these are extensive, while others
consist of scattered belts and clumps of various foli-
age, which add greatly to the beauty of the land-
scape. The secluded glen, at the west end of the
parish, in which the fine ruins of Pluscardine abbey
stand, has been so judiciously wooded that the in-
terest and romantic beauty of the scene are greatly
enhanced : see article PLUSCARDINE ABBEY. The
property now belongs to the Earl of Fife, who is one
of the principal proprietors in this parish. The chief
mineral product of this parish is a bed of secondary
limestone, tinged of a dark colour by the oxide of iron.
It is used as manure, and for mortar. It runs from
the southern vicinity of the town eastward as far as
the Moray frith. The hilly ridge between Mosstowie
and Pluscardine consists of strata of a peculiar hard
and pale-coloured sandstone, which is considered
superior to all others found in Scotland, except, per-
haps, that of Oaigleith, near Edinburgh. In 1826 a
considerable quantity was exported to London for
the building of the new London bridge. The old
red sandstone also appears in this district, f — The
* The name of Elgin is generally supposed to have been de-
rived from Helgy, a general of the army of Sigurd the Nor-
wegian Earl of Orkney, who, about 927, conquered Caithness,
Ross, Sutherland, and Moray, and probably made a settlement
at Elgin, which is so ancient as to have been a town of some
note, and a favourite and usua'l royal residence, even before it
became the Episcopal see of the diocese. As the word Helgyn
is still usfcd in the inscription on the corporation seal, it is pro-
bable that this etymology is correct
t While preparing this article [November 1840] we have
been informed that a cave, full of curious and instructive re-
mains, has been discovered in the old red sandstone at Hope-
man, near Elgin, during the process of quarrying in that vicin-
ity. An eminent geologist, Mr. P. Duff, has furnished the
following description of this geological treasure :— " A con-
siderable part <»t the cave had been quarried away before its
interest was suspected, nor until rousiderable quantities of
parish is in the presbytery and synod of Moray or
Elgin. Patron, the Crown. The charge is collegiate.
Stipend of both charges £240 7s. 6d. ; glebe of each
valued at £17. Unappropriated teinds £52 11s. 6d.
— Schoolmaster's salary about £50, with fees and
other emoluments of about £45 per annum. The
school is attended by about 160 children, and entered
in the returns as parochial, but strictly speaking is
not so, but is an academy consisting of 4 schools, and
conducted by 6 teachers. There are 16 other schools
in the parish, attended by about 580 children. About
200 receive gratuitous instruction.
ELGIN, a royal burgh in the above parish, the
capital town of the county of Moray or Elgin, once
an important episcopal city, the see and cathedral
seat of the great bishopric of Moray, is situated 144
miles north of Edinburgh ; 63£ north-west of Aber-
deen; 12 east of Forres; 9 west of Fochabers; and
5 south of Lossiemouth, its sea-port. It extends
for nearly a mile in length, along the southern bank
of the river Lossie, in the midst of scenery so beau-
tiful and foliage so luxuriant that the inhabitants
delight, and justly so, in claiming, for the environs
of their ancient city, the distinguished appellation of
"the Garden of Scotland." Of all the Scottish
towns, Elgin bears the strongest resemblance to St.
Andrews. Doubtless this must be attributed to the
circumstance of its having once been, like that ven-
erable metropolis, the important and wealthy seat of
see ; the respectable, — nay, in the less fastidious,
though quite as stately, eyes of ages that are past, —
the sumptuous, and luxurious residence of a numer-
ous corps of dignified Papistical, and quite as digni-
fied Episcopal ecclesiastics, and of affluent provincial
gentry, drawn together here as to a common centre
of attraction. Many of their houses are still pointed
out:
" Bright towers of warlike chiefs around appear,
The lowly roof and noble dome are here.
Sweet is the seem; : yet, Scotia, turn thine eyes
And weep, for lo! thy church a ruin lies."J
although, like those of a similar stamp in Edinbi
and elsewhere, ancient mansion-houses here were
long since ' handed down ' to artizans and others in
the lower ranks of life ; and though it may be said,
not only that a new town has sprung up, but that
the old indeed has, in a measure, ' cast its skin,' and
now become completely renovated; nevertheless the
period is by no means yet remote, when Elgin wore
the antiquated, still, and venerable aspect which so
well befits and harmonizes with the meditative
bones had been exposed. It would appear, from die quantity
of calcined wood and burnt stones which strewed the outer
entrance, that the cave had been used by man as a shelter, in
which the process of cooking had gone on ; subsequently it had
been taken possession of by foxes, or other predaceous animals,
which had hoarded the bones now found of deer, dogs, hares,
rabbits, seals, birds, and fishes ; but the most interesting feature
>f the cave is, that it proves by its contents, the upheavement
of an ancient sea-beach, with its rolled pebbles, sea-sand, and
hells, lying undisturbed, and above them a mass of brown
nould evidently derived from the decomposition of animal
natter. Many of the shells — such as the turbo and patella — may
have been carried there for food j but the sand, besides being
nearly halt made up of fragments of shells, contains many en-
ire specimens of minute shells which could not have been
brought thither for any economical purpose, either by man or
inimals. Here, then, we hav»> a portion of the sea-shore or
>each elevated from seventeen to twenty feet above high water-
nark, with its sand, shells, and pebbles lying undisturbed, as
hey are seen lying and undisturbed on the beach which is every
day washed by the oceau waves."
J Arcibus heroum uitidis urbs cingitur, intus
Plebei radiant, nobilinmque lares';
Omnia delectant; veteris sed rudera templi,
Dum spectas, lachrymis Scotia tinge genas.
Johnstoni Poemat.
>anscribed from ' Sketches of Moray,' edited by William
Ihind, Esq., and illustrated by D. Alexander, Esq., 1 vol.
vo., 1839. Amongst other authorities, we are indebted to
hese spirited and faithful ' Sketches ' in the compilation < f *
art of this article, and to them we recommend our readers for
eneral reference, and for much graphical and interesting iu-
urination on the antiquities of Moray.
ELGIN.
49,3
habits and repose of genuine ecclesiastics, in the full
enjoyment of an intellectual ' otium cum diynitate.'
The houses of the long main street of Elgin, as
it then existed, were of venerable age, with high-
crowned roofs, overlaid with heavy slabs of priestly
gray ; presenting, to the street, like those — we may
now almost also say of old — in Dy-art, Edinburgh,
and other towns, the portly fore-stair, and a double
range of the more distinguished open piazza, consist-
ing of a series of pillared arches in the front wall,
over the entrance to a paved and sheltered court
within, in which, as well as in his humbler small
dark shop or cellar, was tL ancient 'merchant'
wont, at times, with carelessness, but with complete
security, to leave his goods, and walk unceremoni-
ously off, — his " half-door on the bar," — to break-
fast, dinner, or his evening stroll. But few of these
piazzas now exist, and some that do, are either built
entirely up, or otherwise converted into shops of
modern style. Of those which still retain them
open, with a railing, Elchies-house is one. Diverg-
ing from the main street, the essential form of which
— as widened in the centre of the town, to compre-
hend 'the Muckle kirk,' 'the Little kirk,' its ad-
junct, and the Town-house, or Tolbooth, — is still
the same, though much improved in length and
breadth as well as substance, numerous lanes and
closes, flanked by houses of inferior grade, stretched
off, rectangularly, as they still do, like the ribs from
a spinal ridge. The dates of their erection, and the
names of their proprietors, were usually inscribed
upon the lintels of these ancient domiciles, with
here and there a holy benediction. The pave-
ment of the high or main street was an ancient
causeway, which tradition modestly reports to have
been the work of no more ancient hands than those
of Cromwell's soldiers; though, most likely, it was
many ages older. It rose high in the middle; and
'the crown of the causeway,' where the higher-
minded folks delighted to parade, was elevated and
distinguished by a row of huge stone blocks, while
those of a more moderate calibre occupied the slop-
ing sides. The drains which ran along the street
were crossed, rectangularly, by the common gutter,
which, in heavy rains, was often swelled into a
mighty torrent. The street had no side-pavements,
Lord Fife, aided by the citizens, and the road-
introduced them in 1821 .
Giles's, or 'the Muckle kirk,' has now no
habitation. It was razed, in 1826, to make
way for the present splendid substitute. The period
when the original St. Giles was built is not on re-
cord. It was very ancient, and is early mentioned as
a parsonage. In the high and palmy days of the cathe-
dral's glory, it was in the bishop's pastoral charge.
It stood upon two rows of massive pillars, spread-
ing into pointed Gothic arches, with a vaulted roof,
weighed down by heavy hewn stone, instead of slate.
In 1079, on Sunday, 22d June, and, providentially,
in the interval between the services, the roof fell in,
and, except the arched tower in the centre, and the
pillars at the sides, the total fabric was destroyed.
In 1(>K4, it was rebuilt, when two long aisles were
added, on each side, to the original form of the
church. The Little kirk, where service was per-
formed on week days, was appended to the middle
tower, upon its eastern side, but was demolished
haU'-a-century ago. Although the interior of the
Muckle kirk, with its rows of massive sandstone pil-
lars running along its aisles, and terminating upwards
in the high peaked arches which upheld its vaulted
root', possessed a'dignity and grandeur of no common
order, heightened and enhanced as was the tout
ensemble by its richly carved and massive oaken
pulpit, galleries, and seats, the exterior was by no
puipit, gauen
means rich in architectural display — presenting no-
thing worthy of record, indeed, except the lofty
pointed gable of its western aspect, which was oc-
cupied by a large and fine Venetian three-arched
window; and the central, Gothic, grand front en-
trance from the paved square called the Plainstones.
The central tower was a square and heavy mass
without a steeple. It possessed a curious old fash-
ioned clock, however, and a bell whose long familiar
tones were held in veneration by the natives, as in-
deed was every thing connected with the Muckle
kirk :* — so much that its demolition caused a general
feeling of deep regret, if not dismay, amongst them,
which the unequivocal symptoms of decay, and the
impending probability of other dangers such as those
of 1679, did little to diminish.
" The Tolbooth, biggit wt stanes frae ye kirk-
yard dyke, and sclaited wt stanes frae Dolass," in
the year 1605, is now, like 'the kirk-yard dyke'
itself, amongst the things that were. It stood in
the middle of the market-place, and consisted of the
court-house, and the jail, a square uncomely tower,
which terminated in a short spired roof. A new
and elegant court-house having been erected, it was
doomed, in 1840, no longer to incumber the ground;
and immediately behind the court-house a new pri-
son, containing 15 separate apartments, is about to
be erected at an expense of about £1,500, to be de-
frayed by the county of Moray, the town or city of
Elgin, and the town of Forres. [See 2d Report of
the General Board of Directors ot Prisons in Scot-
land. Appendix, p. 100.] — ' The Muckle cross'
stood also in the market-place, but was many years
ago removed. ' The. Little cross' still stands entire
near the entrance to Grant-lodge, — Lord Seafield's
house, — and opposite an old piazzaed mansion. Here
it probably marked the old burgh-boundary on the
east. The burgh, it is thought, was once surrounded
by a wall : at all events there were two entrances
or gateways to the town, one called the East port,
and another called the West.
On the flattened summit of the Lady-hill, a mount
with conical and precipitate slopes, north-west of
the High-street, there was anciently a royal fort
erected so early as the reign of William the Lion,
for protection to the town, which probably then
crept close around it. Ruins of the castle- walls, of
extraordinary thickness, are still visible : they seem
« " The bells," says a writer in the Forres Gazette. " did
not escape the general reformation. f They had been, indeed,
great transgressors. For renturies they had summoned the
people to the idolatrous sacrifices of the mass, and were thereby
polluted; and it was necessary that they should undergo a pro-
cess of purification. Accordingly, two or more of them were
sent to Turriff in 1589, to be recast into one solid, sound Pres-
byterian bell. This new bell was hung in the kirk-steeple,
where it continued till 1713, when it WHS rent by a woman
striking it violently with a heavy key, for the purpose of arous-
ing the inhabitants to quench a fire which had broken out
in the town during the night. It was again recast, August
17th, 1713, at the head of Bailie Forsyth's close, by Albert
Gely, founder in Aberdeen, the expenses being again defrayed
by the town. It is sttid that numbers of the rich inhabitants of
Elgin repaired to the founding-place, and cast in guineas,
crowns, half-crowns, and the poorer people sliillinjfs and six-
pences, during the time the metal was melting, which contri-
buted, in no small degree, to enrich its sound HS well a- its
substance. It was again elevated to its former place, in the
kirk-steeple; and used on all solemn and joyful occasions, till
it fell a victim to excessive loyalty ;— the boys havintr over-
rung and rent it on the king's birth-day, June 4th, 1785. It
was taken down, and refounded at London, on the 17th Octo-
ber following, having the names of the then magistrate* cast
on its body: the charges were of course defrayed by the town.
This is the history of • the Big bell ' for a period of *50 years."
t It would appear that the 'Prayer bell,' commonly called the minister't
bell, ha* come scathless through this trying time. The inscription around it,
' Thomas de Dunbar me fecit, 1402,' tells that it is an ancient,— the only relic
(save and except the Ronald bell of Birnie) of tho former dispensation. Ihis
venerable piece of rneul was given to the town of KIRin, by the Karl of Mo
my, 435 yean aeo. It has, with equal fidelity, lifted its sonorouK voice in
behalf of papists, presbyteiianK, and episcopalians; and has reioi
success of royalists and round-heads, whigs and tones, as well i
forth the requiem of eighteen sovereigns, during that period.
494
ELGIN.
to have been grouted or cemented into one hard
mass, as durable as rock, with hot run lime. As
the warlike spirit of the age subsided, Elgin castle
fell into decay, but legends of the nursery give
other causes for its disappearance. These assure us
that the inmates were afflicted with the plague or
pest,* and that, hac causa, we presume, —
"the castle in a single night,
With all its inmates, sunk quite out of sight.
There, at the midnight hour, is heard the sound
Of various voices talking under ground,
The rock of cradles, — wailing infants' cries,
And nurses singing soothing lullabies."
A place is now occupied beside the castle by a
monumental pillar to the memory of the late Duke
of Gordon, the funds for which were raised by a
county subscription.
In the hollow ground to the eastward of that ven-
erable and most splendid of the Scottish churches,
the cathedral of Elgin, stands a pool, which is tra-
ditionally believed, by every Elgin school-boy, to
be of unfathomable depth. It is called ' the Order
pot,' — most probably a name corrupted froftt 'the
Ordeal pot,' a place where witches underwent their
ordeal by water, or were made to ' choose their
horn' of the rather grave dilemma into which our
fathers, in the plenitude of a sagacity profound and
deep as the Order pot itself, beguiled ' the devil's
bairns ' by the simple practical alternative of — ' sink
or swim.' So late as 1560, witches were publicly
and legally punished in the burgh of Elgin. f There
are no authentic records of the Ordeal pot, how-
ever ;J but there is an ancient prophecy, believed to
* That the plague raged in Elgin about the middle of the
16th century, evidence is produced by Mr. Rhind in the .follow-
ing extract from the burgh-records. " Item, 18s. for an quart
ot wyne and bread, and an glass giffen to ye bailzies of Forres
at ye eist port ye time of ye iufectioune of ye pest."
t " The comptar, viz. Andrew Eiiie, discharges him of 4(K
debnrsed be him at ye town's command, for the biuners to ye
wyffis yat war \varriit in ye atepill for witches in summer last
by-past."— Burgh. Records.
J The following extract, transcribed from an old MS. by
Mr. Rhind, though unauthenticated, may be interesting, as
alluding to the Order pot. The good and enlightened ' Maister
Wyseman,' the ' clerk,' in the legend, does look a little apocry-
phal, but for certain reasons, ex facie, we think it probable that
this is only ' a curious coincidence :'— the tale itself is told with
graphic,touching, and peculiar, felicity : —
" The whilk day ane great multitude, rushinge thorough the
Pannis-port, surroundit ye pool, and hither wis draggit, tho-
rough ye stoure, ye said Marjory Bysseth, in sore plight, wid
her grey hairis hanging loose, and crying ' Pitie! pitie!' — Now
Maister Wyseman, the samin clerk who had stode up at her
tryal, stepped forward, and said : ' I kuo thye womyan to have
been ane peacable and unoffendynge ane, living in ye privacy
of her widowhnode, and skaitliing or gainsaying no ane. — Quhat
have ye furthir to say again her ?' — Then thir was gret mur-
rouryngand displeausance among ye neopel, but Maister Wyse-
man staunding firm, agen asked, — ' Quhat have ye furthir to say
again her ?'— Then did ye Friares agen repeate, how that she
had muttered her aves backward, and othirs that the maukin,
started at Bareflet, had ben traced to her dwellinge, and how
that the aforesaid cattel had died by her connivance. Bot she
hearing this, cried the more, • Pitie! pitie ! I am guiltlesse of
ye fause cryines, never sae much as thought of be me.' Then
Biiddenlie there was ane motion in ye crowd, and ye peopel
parting on ilk syde, ane leper cam doun frae ye hous, and in
ye face of ye peopel bared hr<s hand and his hale airm, ye which
was wythered, and covered over with scurfs, most pyteous to
behold; and he said, 'At ye day of Pentecost last past, thys
womyan did give unto me ane shell of oyntment, with ye which
I anoynted my haml, to cure aue imposthurne, which had coin
over it, and heholde, from that day furthe, untyll thys, it hath
shrunke, and wythered, as you see it now.' Whereupon ye
croud closed rounde, and becam clamorous ; but ye said Mar-
jory Bysseth cried pyteously, that God had forsaken her— that
she had meanyed gude only, and not evil— that the oyntment
was ane gift of her husband, who had been beyond seas, and
that it was ane gift to him from aue holy man and true, and
that she had given it free of reward or hyre, wishing only that
It mote be of gude; but that gif gude was to be payed backe
with evrl, sorrow and gif Sathan mot not have his owin.
gif S
did pr
ous, and they take ye womyan, and drag her, amid mony tears
and cryes, to ye pool, and crie, 'To tryal! to tryal J1 and ^ae
they plonge her in ye water. And quhen, as she went doun
iu ye water, ther was aue gret shout , hot as she rose again,
B.)d raised up her armes, as gif she wode have come up, there
vvae silence for aue space, when agane she went doune with
be one of that worthy old orthodox seer, Thomas-
the-Rhymer that —
" The Order Pot and Lossie gray
Shall sweep the Chan'ry kirk away;"—
and, at all events, it requires no seer's eye to per-
ceive that some peculiar and mysterious subterrane-
ous communication must exist between the Order
pot and the Lossie ; for, " whenever the Lossie is
swelled by unusual floods, it makes for its old haunt,"
the Order pot, — a phenomenon which has led to the
natural supposition that the channel of the Lossie —
which is known to have deviated in this vicinity —
must have passed, at an era more or less remote,
through the Order pot.
Amongst other and more important features yet
to be described, of the ancient state and consequence
of Elgin, as a city, is Thunder-house, the ancient
town-house of the family of Sutherland of Duffus.
In its pristine grandeur, it consisted of a great impos-
ing edifice, adorned with a tower and bartizan, the
top of which was skirted by a curiously chiseled balus-
trade. This house fell ultimately into the possession
of a jocular auctioneer, named Batchen, who, when
questioned as to what he meant to make of ' the Muckle
house,' dryly assured his inquisitive friends that he
" meant to make a kirk and a mill of it," — a joke, the
point and edge of which they came to see, when John
had let the great hall as a chapel, and had fitted up
a windmill in the bartizan. The property has since
been sold in building-lots ; and a neat Congregational
chapel was built upon a part of the site in 1821.
In the train of the Roman Catholic establishment
were numerous institutions and religious houses, —
Friars " black and gray," knights of St. John, with
wandering monks, innumerable. The ruins of a cha-
pel, and a portion of the convent walls, once occupied
by a brotherhood of the Grey friars, and endowed
by Alexander II., may be still seen, near the Elgin
institution, at the east end of the town. The Elgin
institution was itself erected on the site of ' the
House of God,' — ' Maison Dieu,' — a kindred institu-
tion, founded in the 13th century, and largely en-
dowed, by Bishop Andrew Moray, for reception ot
poor men and women. It was burnt by ' the Wolfe
of Badenoch,' — of whom hereafter. The extensive
revenues of this establishment were given to the
magistrates for special purposes, in 1620, by King
James ; but from the funds some Beadsmen are
upported still, in houses near the site of the original
establishment. A Leper-house stood also in the
neighbourhood, some crofts still passing by the name
of ' Leper lands.' This place was for reception ot
those labouring under leprosy, a very prevalent dis-
ease in Scotland in the Middle ages, but now utterly
extinct in Britain. It is»the house alluded to in
the curious legend of the withering of the arm by
witchcraft previously transcribed. — Upon the ground
called Black-friar's-haugh, between the Lossie and
:he North -back-street, and at the point from whence
the river is supposed to deviate from its ancitnt
course, was formerly a Black-friar's monastery. No
vestige of it now remains. A turretted edifice, oc-
cupied, in 1840, as a library, is said to have been
nhabited by Templars. In the front of it are
escutcheons of the family of Rothes.
The cathedral, the seat of the see of Moray, in
:he days of its perfection, was no less the chief glory
of Elgin than it was the boast of Moray: — nay,
Bishop Barr characterized the original edifice not
>nly as the chief ornament of the district, but " the
flory of the kingdom, and the admiration both of
breigners and natives." "It is an allowed fact,
yhich the ruins seem still to attest," says Chambers
me bnblinge noise, they shouted finnllie, ' To Sat hart's kyngw
lome she hath gone,' and forthwith went their wayes."
ELGIN.
495
in his ' Picture of Scotland,' " that this was by far
the most splendid specimen of ecclesiastical architec-
ture in Scotland, the abbey-church of Melrose not
excepted. It must be acknowledged that the edifice
last mentioned is a wonderful instance of symmetry
and elaborate decoration; yet, in extent, in loftiness,
i:i impressive magnificence, and even in minute deco-
ration, Elgin has manifestly been superior. Enough
still remains to impress the solitary traveller with
a sense of admiration mixed with astonishment."
Shaw, in his description of it, even ventures to as-
sert, that this " church, when entire, was a building
of Gothic architecture inferior to few in Europe."
" The prevailing impulse of the religion of the
period," observes Mr. Rhind, " led -its zealous fol-
lowers to concentrate their whole energies in the
erection of such magnificent structures; and while
there was little skill or industry manifested in the
common arts of life, and no associations for promot-
ing the temporal comforts of the people, the grand
conceptions displayed in the architecture of the
Middle ages, the taste and persevering industry and
the amount of wealth and labour bestowed on those
sacred edifices, find no parallel in modern times."
When entire, then, and in its pristine glory, this
magnificent temple must have afforded a splendid
spectacle. A vast dome, extending from the western
entrance to the high altar, a length of 289 feet, with
its richly ornamented arches crossing and recrossing
each other to lean for support on the double rows
of stately massive pillars — the mellowed light stream-
ing in at the gorgeous windows above, and flickering
below amid the deep and dark shades of the pointed
aisles, while the tapers of the lit up altars twinkled
through the rolling clouds of incense — the paintings
on the walls — the solemn tones of the chaunted mass
— the rich modulated music of the choir — and the
gorgeous dresses and imposing ceremonies and pro-
cessions of a priesthood sedulous of every adjunct to
dazzle and elevate the fancy, — must have deeply
impressed with awe and veneration, a people in a
remote region, in a semi-barbarous age, and with
nothing around them, or even in their uninformed
imaginations, in the sb'ghtest degree to compare with
such splendour. No wonder that the people were
proud of such a structure, or that the clergy became
attached to it ! It was a fit scene for a Latin author
of the period, writing on the " tranquillity of the
soul," to select, for his ' Temple of Peace,' and under
its walls to lay the scene of his philosophical dia-
logues.*
This great religious foundation owes its origin to
Bishop Andrew Moray, who is said to have founded
it on the site of an old church in the year 1224.
But after standing 166 years, the original fabric was
destroyed, in June 1390, by the lord of Badenoch,
Alexander Stuart, son of Robert II., usually called
the Wolf of Badenoch. From resentment against
the bishop, Alexander Barr, who had excommuni-
cated him, for keeping violent possession of church
property, this ferocious incendiary burnt the city,
Maison Dieu, the parish-church, and another edifice
devoted to religion, with 18 houses of the canons,
besides the cathedral itself. His only punishment
was doing penance in the Black friars' church at
Perth, before the altar. Bishop Barr began soon
after to rebuild it, but many painful years were spent,
together with a third of all the revenues of the
bishops, ere that one dark day's disaster was re-
paired ; and even after its completion, in 1506, the
great central tower fell down. This new misfortune
was also remedied, however; and, from 1538, the
fabric continued in a state of perfect preservation till
the Reformation, ten years after which, in 1568, the
V(.lu8enus,"Scotus. De Tranquillitate.
privy-council actually had the execrao.e meanness to
appoint the Earl of Huntly, sheriff of Aberdeen and
Elgin, with some others, " to take the lead from the
cathedral-churches of Aberdeen and Elgin, and sell
the same " for the maintenance of Regent Murray's*
soldiers ! The displeasure of Providence itself
seemed to be manifested at the base deed done by
these ultra-Goths, for so base a purpose ; for the
vessel freighted with the metal had scarcely left the
harbour of Aberdeen, on her way to Holland, where
the sacrilegious plunder was to be sold, than she
sunk with all her infamous cargo. Since that period,
the cathedral of Elgin, unprotected from the weather,
has gradually gone to ruin and destruction. Still,
however, do its splendid ruins amply justify even
the highest estimate of its original magnificence, and
constitute the chief amid the numerous attractions
of this limited but interesting city. Government
has latterly caused much attention to be paid in
clearing out the ruins f of this and other of our Scot-
tish cathedrals, and in preventing them from falling
into complete decay: this queen of ruins is there-
fore now more than ever an object of great and im-
pressive interest.
Like all similar fabrics of its time, the cathedral
of Elgin stood due east and west, and was built in
the form of a Jerusalem or Passion cross. The
choir and altar faced the east, or head of the cross,
with the branches, transepts, or cross wings, to the
north and south, and the grand entrance through the
western extremity, or foot of the cross. The grand
tower rose from its centre. The west gate, flanked
with two massive but elegant towers, and the chapter-
house, appended to the northern cloisters, with parts
of the transepts, are all tolerably perfect ; the whole
displaying workmanship of the most intricate and ex-
quisite beauty. The western towers, however, form
the most entire part of the ruin. The great gate,
between these, is ornamented with fluted pilasters,
and above it is a central window, lancet arched, 28
feet high, and originally fitted up with mullions and
tracery. The great gateway is entered by a flight
of steps, and leads to the nave, which occupied the
centre of the church, where the numerous and splen-
did Papal processions took place, while the multi-
tudes who witnessed them were present in the aisles,
at the sides, which were separated from the nave by
rows of stately pillars, rising up to support the roof:
the foundations of these alone, and a few of the
pedestals, remain. Between the nave and the choir
where the sacred rites were actually performed, stood
the walls of the great central tower, and on each side
were the transepts. The choir extends eastward to
the chancel, in the sanctum sanctorum at the head of
the cross, where stood the grand altar. The chan-
cel was separated from the choir by a screen. The
grand altar stood beneath the eastern windows, and
was lighted up by a double row of five slender
windows, with pointed arches, — the whole sur-
mounted by a large wheel window, with rich orna-
mental tracery. The choir and nave were also light-
ed by a double row of windows with pointed arches,
the lower range being the largest, while both tiers
ran along the whole extent of the church. The win-
dows were filled with richly tinted glass, in various
devices, fragments of which have been found amongst
the ruins. The authors of the ' Sketches of Moray,'
have succeeded in effecting a very beautiful restora-
t The public, we believe, were, at first, less indebted to
privy-coiihdlh and K"vernmeiits than to the zeal and good taste
of the present superintendent, John Shiink, who had no sooner
succeeded to his charge, in 1825, than h<* M-; personally to work,
and cleared out from the ruins no less than nearly 3,000 barrow
loads of rubbish. Numerous dilapidated ornaments, tiiMires,
tombs, and other objects, were thus discovered, or laid open,
and additional interest and gratification thereby afforded V) (he
49G
ELGIN.
tion of the plan of this cathedral, whereby it appears
abundantly evident, from the consummate harmony
of effect, though mixture of Norman and Saxon styles,
displayed throughout the whole sketch, and from
the massive form, broad buttresses, and general se-
verity of architectural style in the two great western
towers themselves, that these were surmounted,
each by four small turrets, and not raised and taper-
ed into spires like the central tower, as has been er-
roneously conjectured. The spire of the central
tower, as restored in 1538, rose to the height of 198
feet, and, in the sketch alluded to, it forms a superb
and appropriate coronal ornament to the whole, the
effect of which would have been manifestly injured
by association with other spires of any magnitude
in the same edifice. The great tower fell in 1711.
The dimensions of the cathedral given in the New
Statistical Account, and which are said to be
" nearly accurate," are as follow: — " length of ca-
thedral over walls, 264 feet ; breadth, 35 ; traverse,
1 ]4 ; height of centre tower, 198; eastern turrets, 60;
western towers without the spires, 84 ; side wall,
36." According to the elevation above alluded to,
however, the dimensions furnished by the architect,
Mr. Kemp, the author of the beautiful design for the
monument to Sir Walter Scott, at Edinburgh, are as
under : —
Feet
Length from east to west, including towers,
Breadth of nave and side aisles,
Breadth of choir, including1 walls and aisles,
Length of transept, including walls,
Heiirht of west towers,
Height «»f east towers, .
Height of middle tower, including spire,
Height of grand entrance,
Height of chapter-house,
Breadth of do. with walls,
Height of great western window,
Diameter of eastern wheel window.
Height of side walls, including choristry,
Breadth of side aisles,
144
79
120
83
64
198
2fi
34
37
•28
12
43
18
The chapter-house, attached to the northern clois-
ter of the cathedral, is extremely elegant. It is an
octagon, with a pillar of elaborate workmanship in
the centre, supporting a richly groined roof. Arched
pillars from every angle terminate in the grand
pillar, which is 9 feet in circumference, crusted over
with 16 pilasters or small pillars, alternately round
and fluted. It is lighted by seven large windows,
and, in the walls, are niches, where the oaken stalls
of the dignified clergy, who formed the bishop's coun-
cil, were placed : the central one for the bishop or
dean being more elevated than the rest. This a part-
ment was richly ornamented with sculptured figures,
and it now also contains the grotesque heads and
other devices which occupied niches and capitals of
the pillars in other parts of the church.* This, like
similar choice portions of other ecclesiastical edifices
of the Middle ages, is called, ' The Apprentice's aisle,'
being built, according to the curious but hackneyed
legend, by an apprentice in the absence of his master,
who, from envy of its excellence, had murdered him
on his return, — a legend so general [see article Ros-
LIN] that probably it never did apply to any cathe-
dral in particular, but originated in the mysticisms of
those incorporations of free-masons, who, in the
Middle ages, traversed Europe furnished with papal
bulls and ample privileges to train proficients in the
theory and practice of masonry and architecture : —
indeed to such a common origin have the similarity
of plan and execution so prevalent in the gorgeous
cathedrals of the Middle ages been themselves attri-
buted.
* The Elgin pillar, a Runic ohelisk, discovered in 1823, ahout
2 feet beneath the surface, when the streets of the town were
under repair, is now preserved in the cathedral. It is 6 feet
long, 24 broad, and 1 thick ; but it is evidently incomplete.
Surrounding the cathedral was a substantial wall,
8 feet in height, and entered by five gates. It en-
closed an area 900 yards in circumference, called the
College, and included the manses and gardens of the
dean, the prebendaries, and the other dignified mem-
bers of the chapter. A paved street ran round this
area. The only gate to the precincts now remain-
ing is the eastern, named the Water-gate, or Pann's
port, which was formerly defended by an iron port-
cullis. Near it, is a large and venerable beech, with
wide-spread branches. The college was the resi-
dence of the dean, who was rector of Auldearn. The
manse of the sub-dean still exists, but has been much
enlarged and altered. The episcopal palace is on the
south of the cathedral. In the reign of James IV.,
it became the property of Alexander Seton, Earl of
Dunfermline, and was hence named Dunfermlme-
house. The Duke of Gordon subsequently pur-
chased it, but it is now in ruins. In the immediate
vicinity of the college, westward, was a small suburb
under the jurisdiction of the bishop.
The chapter consisted of 22 canons who resided
within the college. They were chosen from the
clergy of the diocese, and officiated in the cathedral:
— part of them constituted the council of the bishop.
Besides a manse and garden in the college, each had
a portion of land, called a prebendum, allotted to him
for his services. Hence they were also called pre-
bendaries. They enjoyed these benefits over and
above the revenues of their vicarages in the country
parishes whence they were chosen : — these were—
Auldearn
Forres
Inveravon
Kinnedar
Alves
Vicar of Elgin
Kingussie
Rafford
'Dean) Kinmore
(Archdeacon) Dallas
(Chancellor) Inverkeithuie
(Treasurer)
(Chautor)
Dipple
Botarie
Aberlour
Duthil
Pettie
Advie
Duffus
Rennie
Spynie
Croy
Moy
As already observed, the dean presided in the ch
ter during the absence of the bishop ; he also pre-
sided in synods and all church-courts, and was ancient-
ly superior over 10 canons. The archdeacon was the
visiter of the diocese and the bishop's vicar. The
chancellor was judge in the court of the bishop,
secretary to the chapter, and keeper of their seal.
The names of the chantor and treasurer also denote
their respective offices. The bishop had civil, crimin-
al, and ecclesiastical courts, and officers ; and his power
within his diocese was almost supreme. The seat of
the bishopric was originally at Spynie ; and indeed,
prior to the 13th century, the bishop transferred his
chair from one church to another as suited his con-
venience ; but, at the request of the chapter, and of
King Alexander II., it was translated to Elgin, in vir-
tue of a bull from Pope Honorius, dated 10th April,
1224. The diocese was a very extensive one. It
comprehended the whole of the present counties of
Moray and Nairn, and also part of Aberdeen, Banff,
and Inverness. The precise date of its erection into
a bishopric is not known, the early records of the
diocese having been destroyed on the burning of the
cathedral, by the Wolf of Badenoch, and the chartu-
lary going no farther back than the year 1200 ; but it is
supposed to have been about the beginning of the 1 1th
century, in the reign of Alexander I., previous to
which, the bishops in Scotland wore blue gowns,
with their hair tucked under a cap, and having no
particular diocese assigned them, were itinerant.
The first bishop on record was Gregory, in the end
of Alexander's reign, or the beginning of the reign oi
his successor, David I. From this period till the
Revolution, the see was filled by, at least, 36 bishops,
of whom 28 were Roman Catholic prelates, and 6
Protestant. The following is a list of them in suc-
cession :
ELGIN.
497
GregoriuK.
William, Papal legate to Scot-
land— died in 1161.
Felix— died in 1170.
Simeon de Toony, buried at
Birnie, in 1184.
Andrew— died in 1185.
Richard, Clericus Regis —
elected in 1187.
Bririusde Moravia, orMnrroflf,
prior of Lesmahago, elected
in 1-20,) ;— see at Spynie; peti.
tioned the Pope for its re.
movalto Elgin— died in 1222.
Andrew de Moravia, son of
Hugh de Moravia, Lord
Duffus ; — see transferred to
the old i-hurch of Holy Trin-
ity at Elgin, after his conse.
'•ration in 1223 — buried in
the choir, 1242.
Simon— died in 1252.
Archibald, built and resided
in palace of Kiuuedar— died
in 1298.
David de Moravia, consecrat-
ed by Pope Boniface in 12!W
— a zealous supporter of
Bruce.
John Pilmore, burgess of
Dundee, elected Bishop of
Ross, and postulated Bishop
of Moray— died in 1362.
Alexander Barr, consecrated
at Avignon, by Pope Urban
V., in 1362— excommunicat-
the Wolf of Badenoch,
10 in revenge burnt the
edral— died at Spynie in
Iliam de Spynie, Chantor
f Moray— died in 1406.
in de In lies— died in 1414,
juried under great central
steeple which he began to
rebuild.
Henry de Leighton, LL.D.,
translated to Aberdeen in
1421.
rid succeeded till 1429.
imba de Dunbar— died in
1435.
Winchester, L.B. Cleri.
Regis, Provost of Lin-
Lord-register— died
1460.
i Stewart, of Lorn— died
1453.
irid Stewart, his brother,
lilt great tower of Spynie
ulace— died in 1475.
Jam Tulloch, bishop of
cney, translated in 1477
•eper of the privy seal —
in 14U2.
inder Stewart, son of
en-mother by her second
rriage with Sir James
jwart of Lorn — died in
vour with James IV., trans,
lated to St. Andrew's in
1514.
James Hepburn, abhot of
Dunfermline, and hitrh-trea-
surer— died before Novem-
ber, 1524, when the Earl of
Ani?u« wrote to Cardinal
Wolsey to solicit the Pope
for iliB bishopric of Moray
nnd the abbacy of Melrose,
" whilk is are baith vacaqt,"
for his brother.
Robert Schaw, abbot of Pals-
lev—died in 15*7.
Alexander Stewart, son of
Duke of Albaay— died in
1527.
Patrick Hepburn, son of first
Earl of Bothwell, and uncle
to Oarnley. He alienated
the church-possessions, and
braved the Reformation, be.
ing the la- 1 Popish bishop —
died in 1573.
George Douglas, natural son
of Archibald, Earl of Angus,
appointed first protestant
bishop, in 1573. At his
death, the temporality of the
bishopric was erected by
James VI. into a temporal
lordship, in favour of Alex-
ander Lindsay, created
Lord Spynie ; but it was re-
purchased by the Crown,
and Riven to the Episcopal
establishment in 1606.
Alexander Douiflas, presby-
terian minister of Elgin, or-
dained first Episcopal biahop
in 1606— died in 1623.
John Outline, minister in
Edinburgh, deposed by the
General Assembly, in 1638 ;
parrisoned his castle in self-
defence, but afterwards sur-
rendered. The see remain-
ed vacant till the Restora-
tion.
Murdoch Mackenzie, chaplain
to the great Gustavus Ad,»l-
phus, of Sweden, originally
a presbyterian ; translated
to the see of Orkney in
1676.
James Aitkens, translated to
Galloway in 1680.
Colin Falconas, bishop of Ar-
gyll*, translated to Moray
in KiSO, being ignorant of
the Gaelic language — died
in Ifim
Alexander Ross principal of
St. Mary's college, St An.
drew's ; translated to Edin-
burgh in 1687, after his con-
secration.
William Hay, D.D., ejected
at the Revolution in 1688,
after his consecration.
irew Forman, in great fa
The revenues of the bishopric were, no doubt, at
first very limited, but by the bounty of our kings,
nobility, and private individuals, they became very
ample indeed. King William the Lion was a liberal
donor. At a very early period he granted to it the
tenth of all his returns from Moray. Grants of
forests, lands, and fishings were also made by Alex-
ander II., David II., and other sovereigns, besides
the Karls of Moray, Fife, &c. Some of these lands
were in Inverness, Ross, &c., and among them were
tin- hinds of Rothiemurchus and Strathspey. The
rental, for the year 1565, as taken by the steward of
the bishopric, was £1,675 2s. 4d. Scots, besides a
variety of articles paid in kind. At this period,
however, more than a half of the church-lands had
been "frittered and sold and squandered;" the full
rents were not stated, and probably the rental then
given did not amount to a third of the actual in-
come in the high and flourishing period of the
bishopric. The estates or temporalia of the bishop-
ric, with the patronages belonging to the bishop,
remained, after the Reformation, in the Crown till
1590, When James VI. assigned them all to Alexander
"
Lindsay, a son ot the Earl of Crawford, and grand-
son of Cardinal Beaton, for payment of 10,000 gold
crowns, the sum which he had lent his majesty
when in Denmark, Lindsay being at the same time,
as already observed, created Lord of Spynie. After
the king had prevailed on Lord Spynie to resign the
lands to obtain a revenue for the Protestant bishops,
the latter's rights of patronage were reserved till the
extinction of his family in 1670, when they were re-
assumed by the Crown as nlttmus hares. The
Crown conveyed them by charter, in 1674, to James,
Earl of Airlie, who disponed them to the Marquis
of Huntly in 1682.
Elgin's ancient glory has departed with its princely
bishopric, and gorgeous religious rites ; but the light
of a new regeneration, while it has been rapidly ob-
literating even the shadow of its former glory, is as
rapidly providing a solatium for the loss more truly
in accordance with the modern march of human pro-
gress. " Forty years ago," observes the writer of the
New Statistical Account of Elgin, "there were no
turnpike-roads leading to or from it, no stage-coaches,
no gas-work, no lighting or side-pavement to the
streets, no hospital for the sick, no institution for
the support of old age and the education of youth,
no academy, no printing-press or newspaper pub-
lished in the town." In 1812 the first mail-coach
was started in the north. " The blast of its horn, as
it entered the town of Elgin with a couple of horses
and a guard in royal livery, excited no small interest
among the inhabitants, and was hailed as the harbin-
ger of a new era." So indeed it was. The mail and
several stage-coaches now enter and leave the town
every day ; carriers regularly go to Aberdeen, Banff,
Inverness, and all the adjacent towns and villages.
The turnpike roads are excellent, and diverge in
every direction, crossing, here, the river Lossie, by
four modern one-arched bridges, three of stone and
one of iron. New and very handsome houses occupy
the places of the old. New streets have even started
up ; and villas, built in an elegant style, and inter-
spersed with shrubberies and gardens, now adorn
the southern suburbs. The streets and shops, and
even private houses, are brilliantly lighted with gas,
and the town is now well-drained and cleaned. The
population of the burgh, in 1831, was 4,493. Houses
81 1 . Assessed property, in 1815, £2,435. In the vici-
nity of the town there is a small suburban village
called Bishopmill, the superior of which is Lord Sea-
field. The new church is one of the most elegant
structures in the north. It has a spacious portico of
Doric columns covering its western entrance, and
a handsome tower with clock and bells, surmounted
by a lantern with a richly chiseled cupola. The
Trinity Episcopal chapel, with a handsome Gothic
front, now forms a neat termination to North-
street,* and, besides a Roman Catholic chapel, there
are two for congregations of Seceders, and one for
Independents. Elegant Assembly-rooms were erected
and tastefully fitted up in 1822, and Sir Archibald
Dunbar's town mansion, Westerton-house, &c., are
of recent erection. Printing-presses have been in-
troduced, and, in 1827, was established the Elgin
Courier, which has been succeeded by the Elgin Cou-
r;int. There is an excellent public library in the
town, a literary association, a museum, a literary and
debating society, a speculative society, a horticul-
tural society, two bible societies, &c. &c. The aca-
demy of Elgin has been long celebrated. It is under
the patronage of the burgh, and partly supported by
endowment, partly by funds appropriated, for the
establishment of a music-school, by King James,
in 1620, from the revenues of the Maison Dieu.
* Moray or E'pn is still a conjoined diocese of the Scottish
Episcopalian church.
•2 i
498
ELGIN.
Besides the school-fees the classical master has a
salary of £50 per annum, and the mathematical and
English masters £45 each. These sums are inde-
pendent of the Dick bequest. The three principal
teachers appoint their own assistants. The branches
taught in the academy are English reading and writ-
ing, English grammar and composition, arithmetic,
geography, practical mathematics, French, Latin,
and Greek, with an occasional course of lectures on
natural philosophy illustrated by experiments. There
are 10 or 12 schools in the town. The trades of Elgin
patronize a school for teaching reading, writing, arith-
metic, grammar, and geography ; and besides the free-
school, to be afterwards alluded to, there are also two
schools for the education of young ladies, a drawing-
school, a dancing-school, an infant-school, &c.
The Elgin Institution, at the east end of the town,
was founded and endowed in 1832, from funds amount-
ing to £70,000, bequeathed for the maintenance of
aged men and women, and the maintenance and edu-
cation of poor or orphan boys and girls, by General
Anderson a gentleman who rose from the rank of a
private soldier — to which, itself, indeed, in the first
place, he may truly be said to have also risen ; for,
as observed by Mr. Robert Chambers in his highly
illustrative and interesting « Picture of Scotland,'
"there was something even below poverty in his
origin. A small apartment is shown amidst the
ruins of the cathedral where his mother, an indigent
and infirm old widow, who could afford no better
lodging, lived for many years, while he was a boy ;
and this, I humbly conceive to be, in one sense, the
greatest curiosity about Elgin. In a crib not more
than five feet square, surrounded by melancholy
ruins, and the dread-inspiring precincts of a church-
yard, Anderson spent all his early years ; the boy
who was, on this account, perhaps the most wretched
and despised of all the boys in the town, being all
the time destined to reach* superior honours, and to
make provision for numbers of such outcasts as him-
self. Let the stranger inquire for, enter, and ponder
upon this humble cradle of genius and greatness."
The rank this man of noble ambition ultimately held
was that of Major-general in the Honourable East
India Company's service. The philanthropic and
splendid monument which he may be said to have
thus raised to his own honourable and immortal
memory, is a beautiful and appropriate piece of archi-
tecture. With the simple elegance of outward pro-
portions, and built of native sandstone which even
marble cannot excel, its internal accommodations
present every comfort suited to the inmates, — ad-
vantages which are enhanced by able and me-
thodic management. It is a quadrangular building
of two stories, surmounted by a circular tower and
dome. The institution for the children contains a
school-of-industry ; the children are apprenticed also
to some trade or useful occupation. The house-go-
vernor and teacher of the school of industry has a
salary of £55 per annum, and his maintenance and
lodging in the institution. A public-school, on the
Lancasterian system, is attached to the institution as
a free-school, for the education of male and female
children whose parents, though in narrow circum-
stances, are still able to maintain and clothe them.
The male and female teachers have a joint salary of
£75.
Gray's hospital, or infirmary and dispensary, con-
stitutes another beneficent institution also founded
by a native of Elgin, Dr. Gray, who was afterwards
resident at Calcutta. It is intended for relief of the
sick poor of the town and county of Elgin, and was
founded and endowed from a bequest of £26,000.
The building was erected in 1819, on a slight but
spacious eminence at the west end of the town. Its
situation is singularly well chosen, and being a very
handsome edifice, in the Grecian style, with a pro-
jecting portico of Doric columns on its eastern front,
from a design of Gillespie, it forms a splendid ter-
mination to the High-street — A small Lunatic asy-
lum for paupers has been lately erected on the Hos-
pital grounds. The founder also established a charity
" for reputed old maids of the town of Elgin." Other
charities connected with the town besides the alms-
houses, supported out of the preceptory of Maison
Dieu, are the Guildry charitable fund, for the benefit
of decayed brethren, widows, and children : — income,
in 1835, £300 per annum ; Lang's, Braco's, ai.d
Petrie's, mortifications, and several friendly and ro-
ligious societies.
Elgin was made a royal burgh by William I. It is
classed with Banff, Cullen, Inverury, Kintore, am]
Peterhead, in returning one member to parliament.
The parliamentary constituency, in 1839, was 249.
The constitution of the burgh, previous to the opera-
tion of the burgh reform act, was fixed by an act of
the convention of burghs, 8th July, 1706. The
council consisted of a provost, four bailies, dean-of-
guild, treasurer, and two other councillors. It is
now governed by a provost, four bailies, and twelve
councillors. Its municipal constituency, in 1 839, was
204. The revenue of the burgh, in 1839-40, was
£538 14s. 5d. In 1832 it was £715 Os. 4d., in-
clusive of £74 for anchorage and shore dues at
Lossie-mouth, where the corporation built a har-
bour, on which the burgh had from time to time
expended considerable sums for repair, which the
revenue thus arising was not nearly sufficient to meet ;
a joint stock company was, therefore, afterwards
formed for the erection of a deeper harbour at Stot-
field point, to the north of the old harbour. Of the
burgh-revenue, in 1832, £241 4s. Id. arose from feu-
duties, £107 18s. 9d. from rental of land, and £187
11s. lid. from entries of feu- vassals, burgesses, &c. and
other casualties. The expenditure on an average of
five years to 1832 was £887 18s. 4£d. The amount
of debt then due by the burgh was £794 10s., be-
sides the sum of £18 12s. 7d. per annum for the ap-
plication of which the burgh was answerable, arising
from sums mortified in their hands for charitable pur-
purposes. Besides the appointment of the burgh-
officers the principal patronage of the corporation in
1832 consisted of the academy. The number of bur-
gesses, in 1832, was 141, of whom 40 had rents or
tenancy under £5. In 1832 there were 213 houses
of £10 and upwards rental within the burgh. As-
sessed taxes £800 6s. Id Elgin is the head-burgh
and seat of the sheriff-court of the shire of Elgin and
Forres ; and the centre of a large and well-improved
agricultural district. Branches of several metropoli-
tan banks are settled in the town, and there is also a
savings' bank. There are weekly markets on Tues-
day and Friday, and cattle markets on the 3d Friday
of February, 3d Friday of March, 3^ Friday of April,
2d Friday of May, 1st Tuesday of June, 3d Tuesday
of July, 3d Tuesday of August, 3d Tuesday of Oc-
tober, and 3d Wednesday of December. Elgin gives
the title of Earl to a branch of the illustrious anc
royal house of Bruce. Thomas, 3d Lord Bruc<
of Kinross, was created Earl of Elgin, in 1633, bj
Charles I. A descendant of this noble family
Thomas, the 7th earl, formed the valuable collectioi
of the Elgin marbles in the British museum.
ELIBANK, an estate in the shire of Selkirk,
parish of Yarrow ; on the south bank of the Twi
8 miles north-west of Selkirk. In 1613, Sir Gideo;
Murray was appointed a lord-of-session, by the
of Lord Elibank; and, in 1643, Elibank furni?1*
baronial title to Sir Patrick Murray.
ELLAM, or ELD-HAM, an ancient rectory,
eci
+4
Veed
ELL
499
ELY
comprehended in the parish of Longformacus, Ber-
wickshire. The ruins of the ancient church, and of
the hamlet of Ellam, stand on the north side of the
Whitadder, near a ford, whence the place has been
called Ellam-Ford.
ELLANDONAN. See ALSH (Locn).
ELLIOCH. See SANQUHAR.
ELLIOTT (THE), a rivulet in Forfarshire. It
rises in Deity moss, on the western verge of the
parish of Carmylie, and flows through that parish to
the south-eastward, dividing it into two nearly equal
parts, and receiving several small tributaries in its
course; it next, over 1£ mile's distance, flows east-
ward, forming the boundary-line between Carmylie
and Arbirlot; and it then enters the latter parish,
cuts it from north-west to south-east into parts of
one-third and two-thirds, receives, about its centre,
the waters of Rotten-Raw burn flowing to it from
the west, and eventually falls into the German ocean
about li mile south-west of Arbroath. Its whole
course is about 8£ or 9 miles. Its banks towards
Guynd are naturally picturesque and romantic, and
have been beautified by the pleasure-grounds of
the proprietor of the soil; and, near its conflu-
ence with the ocean, they are finely covered with
trees, and rise into an overhanging precipice which
is surmounted by the romantic-looking castle of
Kelly.
ELLISLAND. See DUNSCORE.
ELLON, a parish in Aberdeenshire, bounded on
the north by Deer; on the east by Cruden and Logic
Buchan ; on the south by Logie-Buchan and Udney ;
and on the west by Tarves and New Deer. It is
about 10 miles in length from north to south, and
ibout 7 in breadth from east to west. Extent
ibout 42 square miles. Assessed property, in 1815,
€5,591. Houses 509. Population, in 1801, 2,022;
n 1831, 2,304; and, in 1837, according to a cen-
•us taken by the minister, 2,805. The parish is
ntersected by the river Ythan, a few miles from its
nouth, and which is navigable for large boats to
vithin half-a-mile of the village of Ellon. There is
n excellent salmon-fishery on this river : near it are
ome small plantations of fir, ash, elm, and alder,
ut they serve more for ornament than use. The
urface of the parish is uneven, rough, and bleak in
ppearance, and not very productive. Though there
a good deal of rising grounds, the height of these
not considerable. The soil on the low ground is
ry; but in the northern parts it is generally wet
id mossy. The grounds, especially near the river,
•e well-cultivated. The village of Ellon contains
x>ut 380 inhabitants, and is pleasantly situated on
ie Ythan, which is here crossed by a handsome
idge. It is 17 miles north by west of Aberdeen,
id a like distance south by west of Peterhead. —
he parish is in the synod of Aberdeen, and presby-
ry of Ellon. Patron, the Earl of Aberdeen,
hurch built in 1777, and repaired in 1828. Sit-
1,120. Stipend £219 2s. 7d., with glebe
at .£18 per annum. Unappropriated teinds
11s. 8d There is an Episcopalian chapel, built
15; sittings 262. Minister's salary £95 per
The congregation has existed since 1688.
is also an United Secession chapel, built in
sittings 340. Minister's salary .£74 4s. and
house and garden. — An Independent chapel was
:li in 1825; sittings 350 Schoolmaster's salary
with .£25 fees and an interest in the Dick be-
There aro two private schools in the parish
by males, and eight or ten by females who prin-
y teach knitting and sewing.
PHINSTONE. See DUNMORE.
T (LocH), a lake in the parish of Criech,
therlandshire. It is about 2 miles in length, and
discharges itself into the Dornoch frith by a rivulet
of the same name.
EL VAN (THE), a small river in Lanarkshire, in
the parish of Crawford, which has its rise near the
Lowther-hill, on the confines of Dumfries-shire, and,
after a north-east course of some miles, falls into
the Clyde at Elvanfoot, in the parish of Crawford .
see next article. It is famous for the particles of
gold which have been occasionally found in its sands.
See GLENGONAR.
ELVANFOOT, a stage-inn on the road from
Glasgow to Carlisle, at the junction of the El van and
Clyde; 18 miles south-east of Douglas-mill, and 12
north-west of Moflat.
ELY, or ELIE, a small parish in Fifeshire, on the
sea-shore, west of St. Monan's. It originally formed
part of the parish of Kilconquhair, from which it
was disjoined about 1639. In, length it is 2 miles
from east and west, and nearly 1 in breadth from
north to south. It is bounded partly by the frith of
Forth, which here forms the bay of Ely, and partly
by the parish of St. Monan's on the south ; by the
same parish on the east; and by the parish of Kil-
conquhair on the north and west. About a mile to
the north-west of the principal part of the parish,
there is another portion, which is entirely cut off
from it by the intervention of a part of Kilconquhair,
and is bounded by that parish on the south, east,
and north, and by Newburn on the west. There
are no hills, and scarcely even a rising ground in the
parish, the whole surface being flat, and a consider-
able part of it near the sea-shore forming sandy links.
The promontories which form the two extremities
of the bay of Ely consist of amygdaloid and basalt
the latter exhibiting sometimes a columnar structure.
Between these headlands the beach is low, and com-
posed of alternating, thin beds of sandstone and shale,
with occasionally seams of coal and strata of lime-
stone,—the whole belonging to a carboniferous sys-
tem, and inclined at high angles in different direc-
tions, and without any regularity. Basalt occurs in
numerous places, extending. in long reefs far into the
sea, — the beds of sandstone and shale dipping from
them on both sides ; but at one point in the western
part of the bay the strata are said to dip under the
basalt.* The population, in 1801, was 730; in
1831, 1,029. Houses, in 1831, 180. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £3,857. The greater proportion
of the parish belongs to Sir W. C. Anstruther of
Anstruther, Bart. Originally it formed what was
called the barony of Ardross, and belonged to a
family of the name of Dischington, from whom it
came about the beginning of the 17th century, to
Sir William Scott, who held the office of director-
of-chancery during a part of the reign of Charles I.
From his descendants the barony was acquired about
the close of that century, by Sir William Anstruther
« " About 2 miles to the eastward of Elie is a small promon-
tory, near the extremity of which is situated a bed <>1 marine
shells. Th« extent of the deposit across the promontory does
not exceed 80 yards ; its range inland has not been ascertained.
The bed rests unconformably upon strata of sandstone and
shale, containing: masses of ironstone, and consists principally
of coarse sand, with rounded fragments of sandstone and irou-
.st.nif. The shells are sometimes imbedded in clay, but am
more frequently scattered irregularly through the deposit, and
belong, without exception, to existing species. The point at
which they were tir^t noticed, is about 5 feet above high-water
mark, and the (shells were very much broken. As the bed
gradually rises toward* the north-east, they are more numer-
ous, ami better preserved ; the greatest height at which they
were noticed, by Mr. Hamilton, being I* or H t«-et above the
level of high tide. The strata, on the basset edges of which the
shelly bed rests, Mr. Hamilton conceives were thrown into
their highly inclined position by the agency of the neighbour,
ing trap, and before the accumulation of the gravel and sand ;
but, in consequence of the angle presented by the latter,
and the distribution of their component materials, afciibsequent
elevatory movement has taken place, to which he ascribes the
ui tie. re nee of level between the deposit and the present shore."
—Geological Transuctiontjoi 1H35.
EMA
500
ENH
of Anstruther, ancestor of the present proprietor.
The ruins of the ancient castle of Ardross, the manor-
place of the barony, still remain, about a mile east
of the village. Ely house, the present mansion-
nouse, is situated north of the village, and in its
immediate vicinity. It is a large building, erected
apparently rather more than 150 years ago in the
semi-classic style introduced by Sir William Bruce
of Kinross. The grounds are beautifully wooded, and
nave been laid out with great taste, but have been
for some time greatly neglected. There are 1,570
imperial acres in the parish, of which 56 acres have
never been cultivated ; and about 50 acres are in
wood. The rent of the arable land varies, accord-
ing to its quality, from £1 to £4 per acre ; the
average being nearly £1 15s. per acre. The valued
rent is £4,105 13s. 4d. Scots; the rental, in 1836,
was about £2,562 sterling — This parish is in the
presbytery of St. Andrews, and synod of Fife.
Patron, Sir W. C. Anstruther, Bart. Stipend
£149 8s. 8d. ; glebe £28 17s. 6d. The parish-
church is situated in the village. It appears that
the spire was built in 1726, and it is probable
the church was built much about the same time.
The church received a thorough repair in 1831.
It is seated for 610 There are 3 schools in the
parish. The parochial school is in the village,
and is well-attended. The teacher has the maxi-
mum salary, besides school-house, dwelling-house,
and garden. About 50 children from this parish
attend school at Earlsferry.
The village of Ely, situated on the sea-shore, is
a burgh-of-barony. It is neat and well-built; the
streets are wide, clean, and regular. It is well-
sheltered from the east wind, and has for a long time
been a place of considerable resort during summer
for sea-bathing. No market is held in the town, but
Colinsburgh — in the parish of Kilconquhair — which
is only 2£ miles distant — has regular weekly and
yearly markets. There is a post-office in the village,
which is a sub-office to that of Colinsburgh. A
coach from St. Andrews to Largo passes regularly
through Ely every day during the summer, to meet
the steam-boat for Newhaven; and the Aberdeen
and Dundee steam-boats land and take on board
passengers twice, and sometimes three times a-day.
There are also two regular packets that sail weekly
to Leith, exporting grain, potatoes, &c., and import-
ing articles of merchandise for the shopkeepers in
the district. The harbour is naturally an excellent
one, and forms a safe and accessible shelter for ves-
sels, during a gale from the west or south-west.
Some care appears to have been at one time taken
to improve its natural advantages, by the erection
of quays and a pier; but nothing has of late been
done for their preservation.* Notwithstanding the
advantages which Ely enjoys as a fishing-station,
very little profit is derived by its inhabitants from
that branch of industry. There are few fishermen
in the place ; and these merely fish along shore for
white fish, to supply the consumption of the village
and neighbourhood.
EMANUEL, or MANUEL PRIORY, an ancient
edifice, now in ruins, in the parish of Muiravonside,
on the north bank of the Avon, about a mile above
Linlithgow bridge. It was founded in 1 156, by Mal-
colm IV., surnamed the Maiden, and was occupied
by nuns of the Cistertian order. Besides the endow-
* Mr. Stevenson has given a plan for its improvement, at an
expense of not more than from £1,000 to £5,000; and some
correspondence has in consequence taken place, but nothing
has, as yet, been done in the matter. To the eastward of the
harbour, and at a small distance from it, is Wadehaven, so
called, it is said, from General Wade, who recommended it to
Government as a proper harbour for men-of-war. It is very
large, and has from 20 to 22 feet water at common tides.
ments bestowed by the royal founder, it received
considerable donations from others at different pe-
riods. The prioress of this house swore fealty to
Edward I., on the 28th of July, 1291 ; as did Alice,
her successor, at Linlithgow, in 1296. Of this nur
nery little now remains except the western end of •
church. It is of hewn stone, but unadorned ; y<
there is an elegant simplicity in it, and with
beauty of the surrounding objects, it makes a ve
picturesque appearance. Grose has preserved
view of it.
EMBO. See DORNOCH.
ENDER (THE), a streamlet in the parish
Blair- Athol, formed by the junction of several small
brooks, which, uniting a little above Dalmean in
west part of Athol, fall into the Garry, at the
let just named.
ENDRICK (THE), a small river which rises
the Gargunnock hills, parish of Gargunnock, Stirli
shire, and flowing towards the south-east, is join
a small distance from its source by the Burnfo
burn, after which it forms, for about a mile and
half, the western boundary of the parish of
Ninian's. It then makes a sharp turn to the we
ward, entering the parish of Fintry a little be1
the old ruin called Sir John de Graham's castle,
little farther on, it falls over a perpendicular r<
60 feet in height, forming a singular cataract
known in the district by the name of ' The Loup
Fintry.' Continuing its westerly course, it
the kirk of Fintry on the left, and the woods of I
creuch a little on the right, and then quitting
parish for Fintry, it forms, for about 5 miles,
boundary between the parish of Balfron on the nor
and that of Killearn on the south. Near the westt
extremities of these parishes it makes a bend
wards the south-west, and enters the parish of "
learn between the mansion-houses of Boquhan
Carbeth. After describing various windings it tui
directly southward, forms a singular and ror
waterfall called the ' Pot of Gartness*' near the
favourite residence of the illustrious Napier, and
joined by the Blane near Croylecky. On receii '
this accession to its waters, it describes a sort
curve, and turning abruptly towards the west, ent
the parish of Drymen. It is shortly afterward join*
by the Catterburn from the south, upon which
makes a slight northerly bend, but immediately r
verting to the original direction of its course,
passes a little to the south of the kirk-town of Dr
men and the Earl of Montrose's noble mansion-hou
of Buchanan, forms the bounding-line between t
counties of Stirling and Dumbarton, and finally fa
into Lochlomond at the distance of little more th
a mile south-west from the kirk of Buchanan, a
about half-a-mile from the small island Aber
Lochlomond. Many parts of the banks of the I
drick are of great beauty, and the valley thron
which it flows has been celebrated in Scottish s(
under the name of 'Sweet Innerdale.' Franck,
his quaint ' Northern Memoirs,' (1694,) speaks
" the memorable Anderwick, a rapid river of str<
and stiff streams; whose fertile banks refresh
borderer, and whose fords, if well examined,
arguments sufficient to convince the angler of tro
as are her deeps when consulted, the noble race
treasure of salmon ; or remonstrate his ignoranct
the art of angling. Besides this Anderwick,"
adds, " there are .many other small rivulets 1
glide up and down these solitary parts."
ENHALLOW, one of the Orkneys, constitu
part of the parish of Rousay. It is about a mil
circumference, and is separated from Rousay 1
reef of rocks, which, being covered at high wf
have sometimes proved fatal to the unwary mari
501
Ell I
The sound of this name is on the south, between it
and the island of Pomona; as it is narrow, and the
tide rapid, it should only be attempted with a fair
wind, and in moderate weather.
ENNERIC (THE), a river in Inverness-shire,
rising in Loch Cluny, in Glenmoriston, which falls
into Loch Ness.
ENSAY, one of the Harris isles. It is about 2
milt's long and 1 broad; is verdant all over, and
well-cultivated.
ENZIE. See RATHVEN.
EORAPIE-POINT. See LEWIS.
EORSA, a small island of the Hebrides, lying
between the islands of Mull and Icolmkill. It is
inhabited.
EOUSMIL, an insulated rock about half-a-mile in
circuit, lying on the west side of North Uist. It is
noted for its seal- fishing.
EOY, a small island of the Hebrides, lying be-
tween Barra and South Uist.
ERCHLESS-CASTLE. See STRATHGLASS.
ERCILDOUNE. See EARLSTON.
ERES (ST.), an old chapel in the parish of Wick,
Caithness; a little below Ackergill tower.
ER1BOLL (LocH), an arm of the Northern
Atlantic ocean, in the parish of Durness, in Suther-
landshire : see article DURNESS. It is about 1 1 miles
in length, and varies in breadth from 1 to 3 miles,
and in depth from 15 to 60 fathoms. At Camisen-
dunbay, about 1 miles from its entrance, is excellent
anchorage, and a ferry, 2 miles broad. Its eastern
shore, from the "VVhiten-head southwards, presents a
series of caves and arches "the most extensive and
extraordinary," according to Macculloch, "on any
part of the Scottish coast." At its upper end is
some fine Alpine scenery, amongst mountains of
quartz and grey slate, in which BENHOPE [which
see] is conspicuous. Near the entrance of this loch
is the pleasant island of Hoan, about a mile in length
and half-a-mile in breadth ; and a little above Cam-
isendunbay ferry is another island, of nearly the same
dimensions, called Choarie.
BRIGHT, or EROCHD (Locn), a lake partly in the
>arish of Fortingall, county of Perth, arid partly in
he parish of Laggan, county of Inverness. It is
tbout 16 miles in length, and 1 mile in breadth. The
ecent Statistical Account mentions, that accord-
rig to an ancient tradition, the district now covered
>y the waters of this lake was formerly dry, and con-
tituted an entire parish called Feadail; and that the
•ntire parish, with its inhabitants, was overwhelmed
n one night, by the sudden bursting of an immense
»ody of' subterranean water. The tradition also
tates, that for long afterwards the church and part
»f the principal village could be seen under the water
n clear weather. Its waters are emptied into Loch-
lannoch, which lies about 5 miles to the south,
whence they flow, through Loch-Tummel, into the
iver Tay. There is no road to Loch-Ericht ; but
: may be visited at its southern extremity, either
*om the head of Loch-Rannoch, to which there is a
>ad along that lake, or from the inn at Dalnacardoch
n the Great North road. From either of these
a huge extent of bog, muir, moss, and moun-
iin has to be traversed ; but by approaching from
och- Rannoch, a much less portion of this sort of
avelling is necessary than if the visiter attempts
> cross the mountains from Dalnacardoch. There
no road along its banks, and no house, with the
cception of a solitary hunting-lodge, and the hut of
shepherd near its upper extremity. Few, there-
re, we should think, will be inclined to make the
tempt of penetrating to its northern extremity, j
ong its rocky margin, or climbing over the nearly
rpendioular precipices which almost entirely form
its boundary. Nothing can exceed the solitude and
desolation of its shores. Rocks bared by the winter
storm, — lofty, precipitous, and sometimes altogether
perpendicular, — surround it; and every where are
scattered huge blocks of stone which frost or tor-
rents of rain have detached from the mountains.
Vegetation seems here almost at an end. The bleat-
ing of sheep, the barking of the dog, or the cry of
the shepherd, seldom if ever break the silence of this
silent place : the visiter finds himself alone amid
the silence of nature, — of nature in its wildest form.
At the south end, where the waters of the lake are
discharged towards Loch-Rannoch, is a rock of 300
or 400 feet perpendicular height. Its summit is ac-
cessible with great difficulty ; and here is to be seen
an ancient fortification or place of strength, the la-
borious work of an early people who had at one time
inhabited this district. It is about 500 feet in length,
and 250 in breadth, over the walls. The walls are
upwards of 15 feet in thickness, and are constructed
of large squared broad stones, firmly laid together,
though without mortar. The general purpose of
such an erection is abundantly obvious; but the time
when, or the people by whom, it was erected, it is
now impossible to ascertain — On the east side of the
lake, about a mile or two from the south end, a small
cave is pointed out as having afforded shelter and
concealment to the young Chevalier after the battle
of Culloden. He had wandered previously for some
time amid the wilds of Moidart, the islands, and
Lochaber, and had made many hairbreadth escapes
from being taken by his ruthless pursuers, when,
learning that Cameron of Lochiel, and M'Donald of
Keppoch, two of his most devoted followers, were,
concealed in Badenoch, he set off to them, and found
them at this cave on the shores of Loch-Ericht.
The cave is small, and is formed by detached blocks
of stone which, having fallen down to their present
situation, form a small opening which might receive
two or three individuals. The fugitives, however,
had enlarged its dimensions, by erecting a hut of
trees in front of its entrance, from which circum-
stance it obtained the name of the cage, by which it
was popularly known at the time. A more effectual
place of concealment, or one less likely to be in-
truded upon than this at Loch-Ericht, could hardly
have been selected. — Dr. Macculloch says: " At the
southern extremity, Loch-Ericht terminates in flat
meadows, vanishing by degrees in the moor of Ran-
noch, and in that wild and hideous country which
extends to Glen Spean along the eastern side of Ben
Nevis. This is indeed the wilderness of all Scotland.
The wildest wilds of Ross-shire and Sutherland are
accessible and lively, compared to this. They might,
at least, contain people though they do not ; which
this tract never could have done, and never will nor
can. I know not where else we can travel for two
days without seeing a human trace : a human trace,
— a trace, a recollection, of animal life ; and with
the dreary conviction that such a thing is impossible.
It is indeed an inconceivable solitude ; a dreary and
joyless land of bogs, a land of desolation and grey
darkness, of fogs ever hanging on Auster's drizzly
beard, a land of winter and death and oblivion. Let
him who is unworthy of the Moor of Rannoch be ban-
ished hither ; where he can go next, I know not; un-
less it be to New South Shetland. Every where else in
Scotland, wild as it may be, (and assuredly it is often
wild enough,) if we do not see the marks of a living
world, of something that speaks of man or beast or in-
sect, we can yet conceive that such things might have
been, or that they may be at some future time. If
even there is not much expectation of life, there is
still the hope left. But, here, to live, is impossible ;
and ii' there are any trout in its waters, doubtless
ERI
502
ERS
they escape to Loch-Ericht, or elsewhere, as fast as
they can."*
ERICHT (THE), a stream which issues from the
southern end of the above lake, and after a course of
a few miles falls into Loch-Rannoch.
ERICHT (THE), a river in the east of Perthshire.
It is formed by the junction of the Airdle and the
Shee in the parish of Blairgowrie, which it crosses,
and flowing in a south-easterly direction forms the
boundary between that parish and the parish of Rath-
bay. It then flows through the parish of Bendochy
in the same direction and falls into the Isla nearly
opposite Balbrogy, in the parish of Cupar- Angus.
Its channel is rocky, and its stream rapid and turbu-
lent. The scenery on its banks is in many places
singularly romantic, particularly in the neighbourhood
of Blairgowrie, at a spot called Craiglioch, where the
rocks rise perpendicularly on each side to a height
of more than 200 feet, and for about 700 feet along
the western bank are as smooth as if hewn with the
chisel. The entire course of the river does not ex-
ceed 17 miles
ERICKSTANEBRAE, a lofty hill at the head
of Clydesdale, along the side of which, above a dan-
gerous declivity, the public road from Edinburgh to
Dumfries passes. Here an immense hollow, of a
square form, made by the approach of four hills to-
wards each other, receives the popular name of the
Marquis of Annandale's Beef-stand, — the Annan-
dale reavers having, in former times, often concealed
stolen cattle in this place.
ERISA (LocH). See MULL.
ERISAY, one of the smaller Hebrides, lying be-
tween North Uist and Harris.
ERISKAY, a small island of the Hebrides, on the
south side of South Uist. It is noted for having been
the first place upon which Prince Charles Stuart
landed, in his attempt to regain the throne of his
ancestors.
ERNE. See EARN.
ERNGROGO (Locn), a small lake near the cen-
tre of the parish of Crossmichael, in the stewartry of
Kirkcudbright. It covers about 40 acres, and is re-
markable for two islets which are much resorted to
by sea-gulls during the breeding-season.
ERROL, a parish on the northern shore of the
Tay, in the carse of Gowrie, Perthshire. Its aver-
age length is about 5£ miles ; its average breadth
about 3 miles; and its superficial extent, as ascertain-
ed from actual survey, 8,626 imperial acres, or rather
more than 15 square miles. It is bounded on the
north by the parishes of Kinnaird and Inchture ; on
the south by the frith of Tay ; on the west by the
parishes of Kilspindie, Kinfauns, and St. Madois;
• Dr. Macculloch, in his ' Letters on the Highlands and
Western Islands,' [vol. i. page 452,] says of this lake, in his
usual caustic manner, that he found it an enormous gutter, or
huire ce*s-pool ; and makes sundry sore grumblings about the
difficulties he encountered on visiting it, and the small pleasure
received in viewing it after this had been attained. That a
visit to Loch-Ericht is indeed an arduous and laborious task,
few who .have made the attempt will deny. But the objects to
which it was assimilated in the imagination of the learned
Doctor, will occur to few minds except such as have vegetated
amid the streets and lanes of the metropolis : whose knowledge
of picturesque scenery is bounded by the waterfall in Vauxhall,
or the sc-enery of Covent-Garden. That the scenery around
Loch-Ericht is not beautiful, is certain; and it is equally so,
that it is not picturesque. But few cultivated minds can con-
template the wild shores of this lake without acknowledging
their sublimity, and feeling emotions of awe: press upon the
soul. Even the Doctor, with all his talent for sarcasm, could
not have written what we have quoted from him in the present
article, while his impressions of this scenery were recent. In
the solitude which reigns around Loch-Ericht there is sub-
limity ; in the utter silence, — here undisturbed even by the
hum of an insect, — there is another source of the sublime;
while amid the dark mountains, and lofty black rocks which
form the boundaries of the lake, the spectator is at once im-
pressed with the variety, the greatness, and the grandeur of
Nature.
and on the east by the parish of Inchture. Formir
an integral part of the carse of Gowrie, its surface
generally flat. In the west, however, there
several ridges of slight elevation, which extend in
direction nearly parallel with the Tay, and give
pleasing diversity to the landscape. The soil is prii
cipally composed of alluvial clay, and the writer
the recent Statistical Account states that scarcely
single rood of land in the parish is out of cultivatioi
At the quarry of Clashbennie, near the western extrt
mity of this parish, a number of remarkable fossil rt
remains and impressions have been discovered, f Tl
quantity of sandstone excavated from this quar
yearly, is stated in the last Statistical Account,
between 4,000 and 5,000 tons. The chief wealth
the district consists in the agricultural produt
The valued rent of the parish is £16,982 S(
The real rent in 1829, was £2,600 sterling. Tl
population of this parish, in 1801, was 2,652;
1,831, 2,992. Houses 552. In 1836, a private
sus returned the population at only 2,942 ; of w
2,023 belonged to the Establishment, and 908
other denominations. Of the population, 1,218
assembled in the village of Errol ; 1 7 families in
village of Westown; 16 families in the village
Grange, and 35 families in the adjoining villages
Seatown and Chapelhill. This parish gives a title
the family of Hay, who were created Earls of Errol
1452. The family, however, ceased about the mi
die of the 1 7th century to possess property in the
ish. The principal heritors are J. L. Allen, Esq.
Errol; Col. Allen, of Inchmartin, and Lord Kinn
The parish of Errol is in the presbytery of Pi
and synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, J. L. A
len, Esq. of Errol. Stipend, £268 3s. 6d. Chu
built in 1831-32, at a cost of above £5,000; sittin
1,434. — There are three dissenting congregations
the parish. A United Secession congregation M
established at Errol more than 80 years ago. Chun
built in 1809, at a cost of upwards of £400 ; si
tings 242 — Another United Secession congregati
was established at Petrodie in 1788. Church b
in 1789; sittings 320. Stipend £80, with £1 f<
window-tax, and a house and garden valued at £
a-year. — A Relief congregation was commenced
Errol in 1795. Church built in 1796; sittings 751.
The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of £32
annum, with about £35 school-fees ; other eraol
ments £25 annually, as kirk -treasurer and session-
clerk. Average attendance about 94. There art
two private schools in the parish, attended on ar
average by about 175 children.
The village of Errol is situated near the sea-coast
about half-way between the eastern and westen
boundaries of the parish. Its position is very de
lightful, on a slight rising ground which commands ,-
delightful prospect, particularly towards the soutl
and west. The population of the village which, a
already stated, amounts to 1 ,218, consists chiefly o
operative weavers and their families.
ERSKINE, $ a parish in Renfrewshire, boundd
on the north by the Clyde; on the west by Kilma
colm ; on the south by Houston ; and on the east b
Inchinnan. Its length from east to west is about
miles ; its breadth about 1£ mile in all parts, excer,
t Among these the impression of an unknown kind of fi
measuring 27| inches by 13, which was discovered in 1836f
the most interesting as yet found. A drawing of this singul:
remain wa* exhibited in the geological section of the Bntu
Association at Bristol, in 1836, and another and more corre
representation of it has since engaged the attention of Profesw
Au'.issiz.
J The name is probably derived from the British ir-isgy
signifying ' the Green rising ground.' A foolish legend deriv
it from a person who is said to have received the surname Ert
Skyne, on occasion of a military achievement in the reign
Malcolm II., 1003—33.
ERS
503
ESK
oil the east side, where it extends to 3\ miles. The
parish contains 6,365 English acres, of which about
a half is arable, and well improved ; the remainder is
occupied as pasture-ground, and by wood, natural or
planted. The tract along the Clyde is flat and fer-
tile : behind that plain the ground rises considerably.
A. hilly ridge extends through the western district.
The soil in general is light, but some tracts are a
deep clay. In the north-east division, a dark grey
mould is mixed with gravel ; in some places there is
till on a bed of freestone; in others a deep clay.
This parish abounds with good water, but it does
not contain any lake or river ; only some small
streams or burns. The Clyde greatly increases in
breadth, and begins to assume the appearance of an
estuary, as it passes along the border of this parish.
It is here crossed by two ferries : one of these, called
Erskine ferry, nearly opposite to the village of Xil-
patrick, being furnished with quays, serves for trans-
porting horses and carriages, as well as foot-passen-
gers;* the other, called the West ferry, is opposite
to the castle of Dumbarton, and is chiefly used for
foot-passengers. In the eastern part of the parish,
there are some freestone quarries. The two great
lines of communication between Glasgow and Green-
ock, namely, the railway, and the turnpike-road,
pass through the parish. — The lands of Erskine
were the most ancient possession of the distinguished
family who assumed that as their surname, and after-
wards became Lords Erskine and Earls of Mar.
They remained in the possession of this estate till
the year 1638, when it was sold by John, Earl of
Mar, to Sir John Hamilton, of Orbiston.f In 1703,
it was purchased from the Hamiltons, by the noble
family of Blantyre ; to whom it still belongs. The
old mansion-house of Erskine, which is still in good
condition, is situate near the bank of the Clyde. On
a rising ground, a little farther down the river, stands
the magnificent modern mansion, the building of
which was commenced by Robert Walter, llth
Lord Blantyre, who perished accidentally during the
commotions at Brussels, in September, 1830. The
structure is in the Elizabethan style, and presents a
fine appearance from the river. From the house it-
self the views are varied, beautiful, and extensive.
The pleasure-grounds are finely wooded, and a hand-
some obelisk, which was erected to the memory of
the lamented person just mentioned, by the nobility
and gentry of the county, forms a striking and appro-
priate accessory to the scene. — The estate of Bishop-
ton in this parish, now the property of Sir John
Maxwell, originally belonged to the family of Bris-
bane, represented by Sir Thomas Makdougall Bris-
bane— The estate of Dargavel belongs to an ancient
family, named Maxwell. The house was built in
the year 1574, as appears from a stone in the front
wall. It is in the French style, which was intro-
duced into Scotland in the reign of Mary; and having
undergone little alteration, forms a good specimen of
the dwellings of the Scottish gentry about that period.
The lower story is strongly vaulted, and the flank-
* Until 183?, the operation of ferrying cattle across here,
was a very awkward and even perilous one. The animals
were thrust into a deep boat, in the mo.-t awkward and dan-
gerous manner possible, and blows innumerable had often to
M applied to them ere they could be prevailed on to embark.
Now a strong, neat, roomy, and commodious boat, built ex-
pressly for the purpose, on the most approved principle, plies
here ; and is found to answer the end admirably. Forty head of
cattle can, by means of it, be conveyed over at once, add thut
too, with such ease that the cattle, until they see the, shore re-
ceding from their view, scarcely seem to know fiat they are
•float. The hnat, instead of being guided by poles or oars, is
pulled across by a chain, in a way similnr to the cattle.boat at
Renfrew. Equestrians, coaches, and loaded cart.-*, can also be
conveyed over, with the greatest safety and expedition.
t In Swan's Views on the Clyde, p. <;:>, it is erroneously stat-
ed that lhis< sale \va- made by Charles, Karl of Mar, "uiiurtly
previous to the year l(i-.».v
I ing towers are loopholed for musketry. Facing the
gate there is an ancient yew, which in size and
beauty excels any other tree of the same kind in
I Renfrewshire. — Bargarran, a noted scene of witch-
j craft, has been described in a separate article. — Wal-
ter Young, D.D. and F.R.S. Edinburgh, minister of
this parish, from about 1770 till his death in 1814,
was distinguished for his profound and scientific
knowledge of harmony. His successor, Andrew
Stewart, M.D., who died in 1839, possessed great
skill in pulmonary complaints. — Population, in 1801,
847 ; in 1831 , 973. It is a remarkable fact that the
population in 1831 was exactly the same as in 1821.
Houses in 1831, 130. Assessed property, in 1815,
£ 7,459. — Erskine is in the presbytery of Greenock,
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, Lord
Blantyre. The present church is a handsome edi-
fice. Stipend £279 2s. 9d. ; glebe £9 12s. 6d. Un-
appropriated teinds £382 2s. 4d Salary of parochial
schoolmaster £30, with about £31 fees and emolu-
ments. There is also a side-school, partly support-
ed by a small contribution from the heritors, and
partly by the fees.
ESK (THE), a river of Dumfries-shire, formed by
the confluent waters of the Black Esk and the
White Esk. From the point where these streams
unite, the Esk flows 3A miles south-south-eastward
through the parish of Westerkirk. Hemmed in here
by Craighill, it sweeps with a rapid circuit round its
base, going off in a direction due north, and assum-
ing a direction due south, in the progress of | of a
mile. It now, for 1£ mile forms the boundary line
between Westerkirk and Langholm. Entering the
latter parish, it flows east, north, and east, and de-
bouches to the south, within the space of 1^ mile;
and thenceforth continues, with the exception of un-
important sinuosities, to have a direction to the east
of south, till it receives the waters of the Liddal,
and thence to the west of south, till it falls into
the Solway frith. It intersects Langholm parish
considerably to the eastward of its middle, and flows
past the town of Langholm, and there receives Ewes
water from the north-east, and Wauchope- water from
the south-west. At the point of leaving Langholm-
parish, it is joined by Tarras water from the east;
and, entering Canonbie, it cuts that parish into two
nearly equal parts. At Canonbie-holm, it receives
from the north-east the wealthy tribute of the Lid-
dal; and afterwards, for about a mile, forms the
boundary-line between Scotland and England. It
then enters Cumberland, and having become an Eng-
lish river, it receives from its fatherland the tribute
of Glenzier burn, and from the land of its adoption
the richer tribute of Line river, and, having flowed
past Kirkandrews, and Longtown, pours along toward
the Solway frith at a point about U or 2 miles from
Sarkfoot, the extreme verge of Scotland. The Esk
is a river of no common beauty. Till it reaches
Broomholm in the south of Langholm parish, it has
its path among mountains or uplands, and afterwards
it traverses a fertile plain. But even in its upland
regions, especially in the vicinity of the town of
Langholm, it is brilliant in the dresses and opulent in
the ornaments of river-beauty. Over a great part of
its entire course, it has a shelving or gravelly bottom,
and glides along amidst lovely woodland scenery and
smiling luxuriant haughs, which, in former ages,
have oft re-echoed to the shouts of war. Measured
from the confluence of the Black and the White Esk,
j its course, before leaving Scotland, is about 16 miles ;
and after entering Cumberland, between 7 and 8.
ESK (THE BLACK), a river of Dumfries-shire. It
rises in the mountain-range which forms the bound-
ary of the county, near the north-eastern point ot
the parish of Kskdalcmuir. For 6 miles it flows new
ESK
504
ESK
the eastern boundary of that parish, in a direction due
south, cutting its way through a field of mountains,
and receiving numerous tributary rills in its course ;
it then debouches almost at a right angle, and for l£
mile flows due east ; it now bends suddenly round, and
for another H mile flows to the east of south ; and
afterwards, over a distance of 2|- or 3 miles, it wends
in remarkable bold sinuosities, east, south, west,
east, north-east and east, forming, part of the way,
the boundary-line between Eskdalemuir and Wester-
kirk, and eventually, at the south-east extremity of
the former parish, forming a confluence with the
WHITE ESK : which see. Its whole course is about
12 miles, through rugged mountain scenery, and ter-
minates at a place called Kingpool, where, according
to tradition, a Pictish king was drowned.
ESK (THE NORTH), a river of Forfarshire, form-
ed, accordingto some representations, by the confluent
streams called the East water and the West water,
but including, according to others, the whole course
of the former of these streams. Even the East wa-
ter, otherwise the North Esk, is formed of three con-
fluent streams, the Mark, the Lee, and the Brany,
which unite their waters near the centre of the par-
ish of Lochlee, at Invermark castle. All the three
rise amidst the mountain-range of the Grampians, on
the northern boundary of the county. The Brany,
the shortest of them and the most easterly, rises at
the hill of Cairney, and flows due south over a dis-
tance of 4^ miles. The Lee, the most westerly,
rises at the base of Bousties-Ley, and flows very sin-
uously in an easterly direction, bearing the name of
the water of Urick till it enters Lochlee, and on
its egress thence assuming its proper name ; arid tra-
versing altogether, till the point of confluence with
the other streams, a distance of about 11 miles. The
Mark, the central stream and the longest, rises be-
tween Wester Balloch and the Black hill of Mark,
flows northward for about 5^ miles, and then bends
round to the south-east, and traverses 6£ miles fur-
ther distance till it meets the Brany, and ^ of a mile
farther down, the Lee. The East water, or North
Esk, now formed by these united streams, flows
eastward 5£ miles till it touches the parish of Edzel ;
it then debouches and goes northward about 1£
mile, forming the boundary-line between that parisfi
and Lochlee ; it now enters Edzel and intersects it,
flowing first eastward, and next south-eastward, over
a distance of 6 miles; and it finally forms, for 5
miles, the boundary-line between Edzel and Kin-
cardineshire, and at the extreme south-east angle of
Edzel, makes a junction with the West water. In
its course it receives the Effock, the Tarf, the
Kieny, the Turret, and numerous brooks arid rills;
and till it emerges from among the Grampians, 4
miles above the point of confluence, it careers rapidly
along a rugged path, and wears the character of
strictly a Highland river. — The West water rises at
Stoney loch, in the extreme west of the parish of
Lethnot, and flows south-east 6£ miles, north-east
1 i mile, east 2 miles, and again south-east 4 miles, cut-
ting the parish into two nearly equal parts, receiving
numerous small tributaries, and bearing for a while
the name of the Water of Saughs. It now flows
north-eastward for 2* miles, forming the boundary-
line between Lethnot on the west, and Menmuir
arid Strickathrow on the east; and then flows south-
westward, 5 miles, dividing the latter parish on the
south from Edzel on the north, when it unites with
the East water to form what all nomenclatures agree
in calling the North Esk. In the upper and longer
part of its course it resembles the East water in
being strictly a mountain-stream ; and it flows alto-
gether, in its independent course, about 22 miles.
The North Esk of the united waters pursues a direc-
tion somewhat sinuous, but in general easterly,
traversing a distance of 9 miles, — dividing the par-
ishes of Strickathrow, Logieport, and Montrose on
the south, from Kincardineshire on the north, — .
diffusing its treasures over a basin of generally a
pleasing, and at intervals a beautiful appearance, —
and gliding away from an overhanging bank tinted
with the hues of fine landscape, to lose itself in the
German ocean, 3 miles north of Montrose. Its entire
course, from the head- waters of the Mark, is about
40 miles.
ESK (THE NORTH), a small river of Edinburgh-
shire. It rises in the parish of Linton in Peebles-
shire, in two sources, respectively at the Boar-stone
and the Easter-Cairn-hill, amid black and barren moun-
tain-scenery. Having flowed f of a mile eastward, it
first turns to the south-east, and next resumes its
easterly direction, forming for nearly 5 miles the
boundary-line between Peebles-shire and Mid-Lo-
thian, and receiving, in its course, several tiny tri-
butaries, the chief of which is Carlops-burn, on its
right bank. Entering Edinburghshire at the Powder
mills, it flows about 4 miles north-eastward, till it
sweeps past the village of Penicuick ; when it turns
northward, and, for about l£ mile. forms the boun-
dary-line between the parish of Penicuick on the
west and that of Lasswade on the east. It now
runs sinuously for nearly a mile, turning successively .
to nearly every point of the compass, and receiving
on its left bank the tribute of Glencross-burn, and
touching over a brief space the parish of Glencross,
and then, over a direct distance of 4 miles, but with
constant meanderings in its course, flows in a direc-
tion east of north to Polton. Over half-a-mile
hence it touches the parish of Cockpen on its right
bank, next sweeps past the village of Lasswade on
its left bank, and then, over the distance of a mile,
bends eastward, intersecting a wing of Lasswade
parish. It now, a little eastward of Melville castle,
enters, in an easterly direction, the parish of Dal-
keith, and, after a mile's run, sweeps past the town
and the ducal mansion of Dalkeith; and having
already assumed a direction east of north, it forms,
half-a-mile farther on, at the northern limit of the
parish of Dalkeith, a junction with its sister-stream,
the South Esk. The united waters of the Esks,
denuded of their distinctive epithets of North and
South, henceforth intersect the parish of Inveresk,
cutting it into two nearly equal parts, and become
ingulfed in the sea at the town of Musselburgh.
The banks of the North Esk, over nearly its whole
course, after entering Mid-Lothian, are delightfully
picturesque and romantic. Though an inconsider-
able brook, while traversing the parish of Penicuick,
it then forms the grand charm of the beautiful de-
mesnes of Penicuick and Newhall; and over the
parish of Lasswade, it wends its course through a
deep and sequestered and richly scenic vale, sweeps
round and almost encompasses the venerable pile of
Roslin castle, and runs thenceforth along a deep and
romantic glen past the caves and mansion of Haw-
thornden. Where it looks up the banks of one of
its tributaries, it even suggests the classic thoughts
associated with 'the Gentle Shepherd' of Allan
Ramsay: see HABBIE'S HOWE. Amid all its beauty
and its wealth of landscape, too, this river contri-
butes largely to the useful and productive aims of
agriculture and manufactory, — driving, in its progress,
the machinery of numerous paper and other mills.
Its manufactories and its mills, however, have de-
stroyed its reputation as a fishing-stream.
ESK (THE SOUTH), a river of considerable mag-
nitude in Forfarshire. It rises in the extreme north-
west of the county, among the highest of the Gram
pian range within half-a-mile of the source of
chief
ESK
503
ESK
tributary of the Aberdeenshire Dee. It flows east-
ward o miles, and south-eastward 7, intersecting
longitudinally the oblong parish of Clova, in the
extreme west of which it rises, and receiving in its
progress White water, and a large number of moun-
tain-rills. It now enters the parish of Cortachie,
and in a south-easterly direction traverses it over a
distance of 7 miles. Hitherto it moved along a
mountain-path, and was cheerless in its aspect ; but
henceforth it luxuriates amid the fertility and the
culture and the woodland beauties of Strathmore,
and the richest part of the coast-district which in-
tervenes between that fine strath and the sea. For
3 miles after its intersection of Cortachie, it con-
tinues to flow south-eastward, and divides that par-
ish on the west from Tannadice on the east; and it
then, coming in contact with the friendly but power-
ful and unceremonious tribute of Prosen water,
pouring down upon it from the east, makes a gentle
bend, and, over the rest of its course, maintains a
direction, interrupted and varied by numerous brief
windings, but generally due east. From the point
of its confluence with the Prosen, it divides the par-
ishes of Kirriemuir, Oathlavv, and Aberlemno, on
the south, from those of Tannadice, Menmuir, and
Brechin on the north; it then enters the last of
these parishes, sweeps past the town of Brechin,
situated on its northern bank ; and after leaving the
parish, divides for 2 miles Mary town on the south
from Dun on the north; and then suddenly expands
into the beautiful lagoon, 2£ miles by 2, called Mon-
trose basin: see DUN and MONTROSE. From this
fine expanse, — which alternately gleams in splen-
dour under the flow of the tide, and, during the
recess of the waters, darkens into the desolate aspect
of a wide field of mud — the river emerges by two
narrow outlets, which fork round an island, and then
open into a channel ^ of a mile wide, along which
the river runs to embrace the ocean at the distance
of 1£ mile from the exit from the basin. So narrow
are the two gullets along the sides of the island,
compared with the area and depth of the lagoon,
that the tide, both in entering and in receding, moves
with the impetuosity of a resistless current. Chiefly
on this account, the South Esk, though here wash-
ing the walls and forming the harbour of the popu-
lous town of Montrose, and having on its opposite
bank the flourishing fishing- village of Ferrydon, and
though overlooked in its inland progress by the im-
portant town of Brechin, and many of the opulent
lands as well as some of the stirring villages of
Forfarshire, is of no benefit as a watery highway of
communication further than f of a mile from the sea.
The banks of the river are adorned with numerous
elegant seats and demesnes, and, in particular, with
those of Brechin castle, Rossie, and Kinnaird. The
family of Carnegie, the proprietors of the last of
thi-si-, are descended from noble ancestors who, ac-
cepting title from the river, were called Earls of
Southesk. This river, in a former age, produced
pearls of great value, but has eventually suffered
such an exhaustion of its mussel-beds that no shells
have, for a considerable period, been found old
enough to contain the precious gems.
KSK (THE SOUTH), a small river of Edinburgh-
shire, the sister-stream of the North Esk. It issues,
i» the parish of Eddleston in Peebles-shire, from a
small lake called West loch, and flows due north
over a distance of 3} miles, forming the boundary-
line between Pi-ebU-s-shire and Mid-Lothian over the
of a mile of that distance, and entering Mid-
lothian at a point only 5 miles east from that win-re
the North Esk enters. Running for half-a-mile first
north and then cast, it intersects a small wing of the
parish of Temple, receives on its right bank the tri-
! bute of T weeddale-burn, as far-fetched and as wealthy
j as its own waters, and begins, over a distance of 2^
miles, and flowing in a northerly direction, to divide the
i parish of Penicuick on the west from that of Temple
: on the east. It now, though beginning to run in
! constant and beautiful sinuosities which characterize
' all its subsequent course, assumes a general direction
east of north, and, over a distance of 2 miles, divides
the parish of Carrington from that of Temple, and
receives the wealthy tribute of Gladhouse water,
which, after traversing the whole parish of Temple
from a point on the limits of Mid-Lothian 2 miles
farther south than the source of the South Esk,
flows down upon that river where it debouches to
the east, and drives it suddenly round to a northerly
direction. The South Esk, after, its junction with
the Gladhouse, divides, over a distance of 2 miles,
the parish of Carrington on the west from that of
Borthwick on the east, and receives another impor-
tant accession in Borthwick water. It now, for £
of a mile, meanders north-westward, dividing the
parish of Carrington on its left bank from that ot
Cockpen on its right; it then, resuming its northerly
direction, intersects the latter parish over a distance
of 1£ mile; and thenceforth till, 3 miles farther on,
it blends its waters with those of the North Esk, it
intersects a wing of the parish of Newbattle, and
sweeps past the town and the palace of Dalkeitb,
enclosing them between its own waters and those of
its sister-stream in a long and beautiful peninsula.
The banks of the South Esk are, in general, richly
clothed in sylvan dress, and possess a romance and
an attractiveness of character little inferior to the
banks of the North Esk, though less frequented by
the tourist and more seldom celebrated in descrip-
tion and song. The district watered by the South
Esk was formerly a lordship or barony, which de-
rived the name of Eskdale from the river, and be-
longed to the Maxwells, but was attainted in conse-
quence of that family's attachment to the dethroned
house of Stuart.
ESK (THE WHITE), a river of Dumfries-shire of
similar character to the Black Esk, and flowing paral-
lel to it at an average distance of 3 miles to the east.
Its sources, according to popular nomenclature, are
in the mountains a mile east of Ettrick Pen. But
a stream called Bloodhope-burn rises a little to the
north-east of these, and flows circuitously over a
considerably longer course than is traversed by the
nominally parent stream previous to their confluence.
The White Esk, with the exception of very numer-
ous and sudden but uniformly brief sinuosities, flows,
over its whole course, almost due south, intersect-
ing the parish of Eskdalemuir, a little to the east-
ward of its middle ; and it receives, in its progress,
the tributes of Davington and Garwald from the
west, and of Langshaw burn and Rae burn from the
east, — all, like itself, rising in the central mountain-
range of the Southern Highlands of Scotland. Its
basin, though looking occasionally up some cleughs,
and containing a few spots of some interest, is rather
the deeply-cut course of a mountain-stream than a
dale or valley. The course of the river, till it forms
a confluence with the Black Esk, is, including wind-
ings, about 15 or 16 miles.
ESKDALE, the eastern district of Dumfries-
shire, and the smallest of the three dales or sections
into which that county is popularly divided. These
sections seem never to have had fixed or accurately
defined boundaries; and are loosely represented as
corresponding with the watersheds of the great rivers,
the Nith, the Annan, and the Esk, by which they
are respectively traversed. The considerable terri-
tory, consisting of the parishes of Gretna, Half-
Morton, Kirkpatrick-Fleming, Dornock, ami part of
ESK
506
ESK
Middlebie, would thus be debateable-ground between
Annandale and Eskdale, or rather would properly
belong to neither. But as that portion of this
ground which lies nearest the Annan is popularly
reckoned part of Annandale, so Half-Morton is
fairly viewed as belonging to Eskdale. What lies
within the watersheds of the Esk and its tributaries,
is the territory of the large parishes Eskdalemuir,
Westerkirk, Ewes, Langholm, and Canonbie. But
in some old documents, Ewes, consisting of the
basin of the tributary river Ewes, is treated as itself
a section of Dumfries-shire, in common with the
these large sections [see EWES] ; and in popular
language, it is still styled Ewesdale. Excepting the
parish of Canonbie, and a stripe of the southern part
of that of Langholm, which are a fine flat country,
all Eskdale is hilly or mountainous, constituting a
large part of the Southern Highlands of Scotland,
and presenting a bleak and rugged aspect relieved at
intervals by glimpses of beauty. The immediate
basin of the Esk, till it approaches the southern
boundary of Langholm, is rather a deep river-course
than a valley; and it opens, at frequent intervals,
particularly at the confluences with its own stream
of the Black Esk, the Meggot, the Ewes, and the
Wauchope, into lateral river-courses similar in char-
acter to itself. Nearly the whole of the upland and
greatly larger section of Eskdale, is, in consequence,
pastoral and thin in population — In all its parts,
Eskdale was settled, early in the 12th century, by
Anglo-Norman barons and their followers. Robert
Avenel received from David I., in reward of mili-
tary services, Upper and Lower Eskdale : he seems
to have been a counsellor of Malcolm IV., and a
courtier of William the Lion. Having granted a
large portion of the estates to the monks of Melrose,
he retired from the world and joined their cowled
society. Gervaise, his son and heir, confirmed to
the monks the grant of Upper Eskdale, and, in 1219,
was buried in their cemetery. Roger Avenel, the
successor of Gervaise, though acknowledging the
monks' property in the lands they had obtained, dis-
puted their right to hunt upon them, and success-
fully made an appeal against that right to Alexander
II. and his barons. The property of the Avenels
seems now to have passed, by female heirs, into the
possession of other families. The manor of Wester-
kirk, occupying the middle part of Eskdale, was
probably granted, along with Liddesdale and some
lands in Teviotdale, by David I., to his follower
Ranulph de Soulis. This estate, however, was for-
feited by the Soulises during the critical and tem-
pestuous period of the war of the succession. During
the reign of Malcolm IV., the lower part of Eskdale
was held chiefly by two brothers of the name of
Rossedal. Guido de Rossedal possessed lands on
both sides of the Lower Liddal. Turgot de Rosse-
dal, and afterwards his successor William, owned a
large part of the lands between the Esk and the
Liddal, and between the Esk and the Sark ; and
Turgot founded a religious house, called the Priory
of Canonbie, on the former section of the property,
and bestowed the adjacent estate on the monks of
Jedburgh. During the reigns of Robert I., and his
feeble son David II., Eskdale, including Ewesdale,
was, in a great measure, acquired by the grasping
Douglas, and, with ample jurisdiction, erected into
a regality. This extensive and powerful lordship
remained with the Douglasses till their forfeiture in
1455; and was then acquired by the Maxwell family,
and continued with them throughout the 16th and
17th centuries. In 1610, John, Lord Maxwell,
erected the town of Langholm into a baronial burgh ;
and the jurisdiction of Eskdale was sometimes, in
consequence, called the regality of Langholm. After
j the regality came into the possession of the family
1 of Buccleuch, it was enlarged by the annexation of
what had belonged, in upper Eskdale, to the monks
of Melrose. In 1747, tie Duke of Buccleuch was
compensated for the jurisdiction by the receipt of
£1,400 sterling.
ESKDALEMUIR, a parish in the district of Esk-
cale, Dumfries-shire. It is bounded on the north by
Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire ; on the south-east
by Westerkirk ; and on the south-west by Hutton
and Corrie; and on the west by Moffat. It has
nearly the figure of a flying kite, — the arc of a circle
subtended by a long acute angle, the point of the
angle being towards the south. It measures in ex-
treme length, from the highest source of Bloodhope-
burn on the north, to the confluence of the White
and the Black Esk on the south, 11| miles ; in ex-
treme breadth, from Loch-Fell on the west to half-
a-mile above the source of Rae burn on the east, 9$
miles ; and in superficial area about 42,250 English
acres, or 66 square miles. Nearly all its surface is
mountainous, heathy, and of a moory appearance,
and appropriately designated Eskdale-mmr. The
highest summits are Ettrick Pen on the northern
boundary, and Loch Fell on the western. The for-
mer rises 2,200 feet above the level of the sea, and
is also, and more justly, called Eskdalemuir Pen,
constituting a prominent feature in the landscape of
Eskdalemuir, and being imperfectly and limitedly
seen in Etterick. The soil of the parish is, in gen-
eral, very deep, but mossy, unproductive of fine vege-
tation, and carpeted with heath, or with a coarse
grass. Along the banks of the White Esk the hills
are, for the most part, green, and afford excellent
pasture; and there are a few meadows or holms
which repay cultivation. The parish is cloven into
mountain-ridges by the White and the Black Esk,
and very numerous tributaries. Near the northern
boundary, on the brook Finglandhope, is a cascade
called Wellsburnspout, of about 56 feet in height.
In the western division, on Garvald water, is an-
other cascade, peculiarly romantic: see GARVALD
WATER. On almost every hill of the parish are
marks of encampments, some rectangular, and some
of a circular or oval form. On the top of a hill on
the farm of Yetbyre, near the confluence of the Esks,
is a very complete oval encampment, which has long
and generally been regarded as the celebrated Roman
camp of Castle-over, Castle-o'er, or Overbie, which,
as an upper station, communicated by a causeway
with the camps of Middlebie and Netherbie. But
Dr. William Brown, the venerable minister of the
parish, and the statistical reporter of it both in the
Old Account, of Sir John Sinclair, and in the New,
now in course of publication, though he followed the
prevailing opinion in his first report, became of opin-
ion that the encampment in question is of Saxon
origin ; and he discovered, considerably to the north
of it, on a tongue of land at the confluence of the
White Esk and Rae burn, what appears to be the
true Castle-o'er. This camp, elaborately described
by Dr. Brown in the New Statistical Account, con-
tains, in its present state, an area of 5 acres, 1 rood,
and 30 poles, English ; and is supposed to have con-
tained, in its original condition, 6 acres, 3 roods, and
24 poles. Within the larger area is a space, 270 feet
by 100, enclosed and fortified. The vallum and fosse
remain still distinct ; and the ditch, 20 feet wide, is,
on an average, 5 feet deep. On the farm of Coatt
are two circles of erect stones, in the form of what
are popularly styled Druidical temples; the one en-
tire, measuring about 90 feet ; and the other, worn
partly away by the Esk, measuring about 340 feet,
On the peninsula at the confluence of the Esks, an
annual fair was, in former times, held, at which a
ESS
507
ETI
Icable custom prevailed. At any anniversary of
at fair, unmarried persons, of the two sexes, chose
panions suitable to their taste, with whom they
to live till next anniversary. This strange
was called 'hand-fasting,' or 'hand in fist.'
at the return of the fair, they were mutually
eased with their companionship, they continued
er for life ; and if not, they separated and
free to make another choice.* The parish is
versed from north to south along the White Esk
one line of road, and diagonally from south-west
north-east by another. Population, in 1801, 537;
1831, 650. Houses 114. Assessed property, in
815, £6,329. — Eskdalemuir is in the presbytery of
ngholm, and synod of Dumfries. Patron, the
uke of Buccleuch. Stipend £220 15s. lOd. ;
be £20. Unappropriated tends £719 14s. The
rish originally constituted part of Westerkirk, and
disjoined from it in 1703. The church was
ilt in 1826. Sittings nearly 400. There are 2
ools ; one of them unendowed. Parochial school-
aster's salary £34 4s. 4id, with school-fees amount-
to about £10.
SSIE. See RHYNIE and ESSIE.
ESSIE AND NEVAY, two parishes consolidated
to one, on the western verge of Forfarshire. They
strictly coterminous, and of not unequal size, —
e on the north, and Nevay on the south. The
ited parish is bounded on the north by Airlie ; on
east and south-east by Glammis ; on the south
Newtyle ; and on the west by Perthshire. It is
somewhat an oblong form, stretching from north
south ; and measures, in extreme length, from
can river near Blackhill to Banquho tower, 4|
'les ; in extreme breadth, from Newmill on the
t to a point near Eanie on the east, 2| miles ;
d in superficial area about 5,120 English acres, or
square miles. The eastern division consists of the
ivity of the Sidlaw hills, and the western of a
rtion of Strathmore. The Dean river flows slug-
ihly along the north, forming the boundary-line
er a distance of 2£ miles ; and is noted for the
•ge size and delicious flavour of its trouts. Three
yulets, two of them indigenous, intersect the par-
or, for a short way, trace its boundary. One
these, the burn of Essie, rises at the hill of Auch-
house, in the parish of the same name, flows
orthward through Glammis, and, after entering
Essie, drives a mill, bathes the wall of the church-
ard, and at length, 6 miles sinuously from its
rce, falls into the Dean. The soil of the eastern
upland division is a thin black mould on a bottom
of mortar, and more fertile than that of any part of
the opposite declivity of the Sidlaws ; but toward
the summit of the hills it degenerates, and is suitable
only for plantation or for pasturage. The soil of the
tern or strath division is, in the south, a level and
hy tract continuous with the moss of Meigle ; and,
the north, it is in some places thin but fertile, and in
others a strong and rich clay, partially subject to oc-
casional overflowings of the Dean. A vein of silver
ore, too inconsiderable, however, to be worked, was,
at one time, discovered in the south-east corner
There is a quarry of excellent freestone of a light
ga-y colour, and capable of a fine polish. The parish
is intersected by the turnpike between Perth and
Forfar, and by three other roads, one longitudinally,
and two across its breadth. Population, in 1801,
* Persons of huh rank seem to have taken the benefit of this
custom. Liml-ay, in his reign of James II., says: " James,
sixth Earl of Murray, I.epat upon I-al>el limes, daughter of the
Laird of limes, Alexander Dunbar, a man of mngular wit and
courage. This Isabel was but handjut with him, and deceased
before the marriage ; where-through this Alexander he was
worthy of a greater living than he might succeed to by the laws
and practices of this realm/'
r
inthi
638; in 1831,654. Houses 130. Assessed property :
in 1815, £2,195.— The parish is in the presbytery of
Meigle, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron,
Lord Whamcliffe. Stipend £161 5s. 2d. ; glebe £15.
Both parishes have churches in which divine service
is performed alternately. The manse, situated near
the church of Essie, has a commanding prospect to
the west and north-west. The parishes were united
before the middle of the 17th century. — Schoolmas-
ter's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with school-fees £17 5s. 7d.
Besides the parochial school there is one unendowed.
ESSIL, an ancient parish, now comprehended in
that of SPEYMOUTH : which see. It is 3 miles north
of Fochabers.
ETIVE (LOCH), a navigable inlet of the sea in
Argyleshire, nearly 20 miles long, but of very un-
equal breadth. Its shores are pleasant, being indent-
ed with creeks and bays, which afford safe anchorage
in any wind. The extremity of Loch Etive bends
its course, from Bunawe ferry, in a north-easterly
direction, till it terminates in a point, where it re-
ceives the waters of the Etive river, running through
Glen Etive. About 7 miles from its entrance from
the sea, it contracts into a narrow channel : see article
CONNAL. " Loch Etive, between the ferries of
Connal and Bunawe," says Professor Wilson, "has
been seen by almost all who have visited the High-
lands— but very imperfectly; to know what it is
you must row or sail up it, for the banks on both
sides are often richly wooded, assume many fine
forms, and are frequently well embayed, while the
expanse of water is sufficiently wide to allow you
from its centre to command a view of many of the
distant heights. But above Bunawe it is not like
the same loch. For a couple of miles it is not wide,
and it is so darkened by enormous shadows that it
looks even less like a strait than a gulf — huge over-
hanging rocks on both sides ascending high, and yet
felt to belong but to the bases of mountains that
sloping far back have their summits among clouds
of their own in another region of the sky. Yet
are they not all horrid; for nowhere else is there
such lofty heather — it seems a wild sort of brush-
wood ; tall trees flourish, single or in groves,
chiefly birches, with iy)w and then an oak — and
they are in their youth or their prime — and even
the prodigious trunks, some of which have been
dead for centuries, are not all dead, but shoot
from their knotted rhind symptoms of life inex-
tinguishable by time and tempest. Out of this
gulf we emerge into the Upper Loch, and its ampli-
tude sustains the majesty of the mountains, all of
the highest order, and seen from their feet to their
crests. Cruachan wears the crown, and reigns over
them all — king at once of LocL Etive and of Loch
Awe. But Buachaille Etive, though afar off, is
still a giant, and in some lights comes forwards,
bringing with him the Black Mount and its depend-
ents, so that they all seem to belong to this most
magnificent of all Highland lochs. ' I know not,'
says Macculloch, ' that Loch Etive could bear an
ornament without an infringement on that aspect of
solitary vastness which it presents throughout. Nor
is there one. The rocks and bays on the shore,
which might elsewhere attract attention, are here
swallowed up in the enormous dimensions of the
surrounding mountains, and the wide and ample
expanse of the lake. A solitary house, here fear-
fully solitary, situated far up in Glen Etive, is only
visible when at the upper extremity ; and if there be
a tree, as there are in a few places on the shore, it
is unseen ; extinguished as if it were a humble moun-
tiiin-flower, by the universal magnitude around. '
This is finely felt and expressed; but even on the
>iio]fs of Loch Etive there is much of the beautiful;
ETT
508
ETT
Ardmatty smiles with its meadows, and woods, and
bay, and sylvan stream ; other sunny nooks repose
among the grey granite masses ; the colouring of the
hanks and braes is often bright; several houses or
huts become visible no long way up the glen; and
though that long hollow — half a day's journey — till
you reach the wild road between Inveruran and
King's House — lies in gloom, yet the hillsides are
cheerful, and you delight in the greensward, wide
and rock-broken, should you ascend the passes that
lead into Glencreran or Glenco. But to feel the
full power of Glen Etive you must walk up it till
it ceases to be a glen. When in the middle of the
moor, you see far off a solitary dwelling indeed —
perhaps the loneliest house in all the Highlands —
and the solitude is made profounder, as you pass by,
by the voice of a cataract, hidden in an awful chasm,
bridged by two or three stems of trees, along which
the red-deer might fear to venture — but we have
seen them and the deer-hounds glide over it, fol-
lowed by other fearless feet, wrhen far and wide the
Forest of Dalness was echoing to the hunter's horn."
ETTLETON, a district in the parish of Castle-
ton in Roxburghshire, formerly a rectory and vicar-
age, and the churchyard of which is still in use. It
is situated on the west side of the Liddal, at the head
of the dale.
ETTRICK, a parish in the south-west of Selkirk-
shire ; bounded on the north by Yarrow ; on the east by
Yarrow and Roberton ; and on the south and west by
Dumfries-shire. Its figure is a square with consider-
able sinuosities of outline. Diagonally, from Cadger-
craig on the north-east to Micklewhin Fell on the
south-west, it measures 12£ miles; and from Mere-
cleugh on the north-west to Moodlaw loch on the
south-east, 10 miles; and it contains an area of
43,968 imperial acres, or 68.69 square miles. The
surface is a sea of hills, beautiful and varied in ap-
pearance, and everywhere wearing the mantle of
romance. Seen along the water- courses they rise
crest above crest, hazy and of bleak aspect in the
distance ; but, seen in succession, or in near group-
ings, they are, in general, exquisitely rounded, and
richly arrayed in verdure, with just a sufficient num-
ber of heathy spots and clumps of plantation to be
ornamental to their dress. Toward the sources of
the streams, along the western and the southern boun-
daries, the summits tower aloft to a considerable
elevation. Old Ettrick hill is 1,860 feet above the
level of the sea; Wardlaw or Weirdlaw hill, 1,986;
and Ettrick Pen, 2,200. But the last, though the
highest summit in the parish, and commanding over
three-fourths of a circle a most extensive prospect,
is so situated behind a congeries of elevations at the
head- waters of the Ettrick as to be very limitedly
a prominent feature of the landscape. The streams
of the parish, the Ettrick, and its tributaries, Tima
water, Rankle burn, and Tushielaw burn, are rapid j
and impetuous in their upper course, appearing, from |
the overseeing heights, like threads of silver in fair I
weather, and like thin long wreaths of soiled snow
when swollen into torrents ; and they cut their way
through gorges or narrow defiles which afford no
scope for expansion into vale or basin. The Ettrick,
however, begins, about the middle of the parish, oc-
casionally to smooth down the surface on its banks
into rich, luxuriant, blooming haughs ; and, when
receiving the waters of its chief tributaries, it is
joyous and opulent in the beauties of its scenery,
and looks aside among the mountains through vistas
delightfully picturesque. The parish, from its ex-
treme south-west angle to the middle of its north-
east boundary, is cut into two nearly equal parts by
the Ettrick ; and is traversed southward in its south-
ern section by Tima water and Rankle burn, and
eastward in its northern section by Tushielaw bum.
In the north-western verge is the Loch of Lowes,
less than a mile in length, fed by five mountain-rills,
and particularly by the incipient stream of Yarrow,
flowing into it "like the drainage from a city. Com-
municating with the Loch of Lowes, lying within a
furlong south of it, and stretching away from the
boundary-line into the conterminous parish of Yarrow,
is the beautiful lake called ST. MARY'S LOCH : which
see. — Half-a-mile west from this lake, at the north-
west angle of the parish, a scarcely visible tract styled
the King's road, mounts over the summit of the hill
of Merecleughead, and is pointed out as the path by
which James V. entered the district to inflict the
summary and unsparing chastisement so lugubriously
commemorated in song and story. — On Ettrick water,
almost at the centre of the parish, stands the little
hamlet of Ettrick, presided over by the chastely con-
structed parish-church. The heights immediately
around are lofty and of Highland aspect, suggesting
thoughts of solitude and mountain might and dark-
ness which are almost oppressive. One of the very
few houses, near the lonely church and its burying-
ground and its little straggling retinue of trees, was
the birth-place of Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd. In
the sequestered cemetery is a fine monument, of re-
cent erection, over the ashes of probably the best
man who ever hallowed the ' bushy dells ' of Ettrick
with the breathings of sentiment as superior to mere
earthly poetry as the music of the spheres excels the
creaking of a rusty hinge, — the adopted and cherished
instructor, for three generations bygone, of the wisest
of Scotland's peasantry, — Thomas Boston, the well-
known author of ' The Fourfold State.' — On the
south side of the Ettrick, nearly opposite the church
and beneath the shadow of an existing stronghold
called old Ettrick house, formerly stood a village,
which was barbarously destroyed about the com-
mencement of the 18th century — A mile-and-a-half
below the church, on the same side of the stream,
are the modern mansion and the ancient tower of
Thirlestane, both finely shaded by some venerable
ash-trees, and beautified by a rising plantation.
Thirlestane is the seat of Lord Napier, the lineal
descendant of the ancient family of Scotts of Thirle-
stane, and the inheritor, by maternal right, of the
name of Napier. On the opposite side of the river,
at half-a-mile's distance, are vestiges of the tower of
Gamescleuch, built by one of Lord Napier's ances-
tors— Two miles farther down the vale of the Et-
trick is touched from the south by the minor vale of
Rankle burn. Following the latter between a dense
pressure of hills, and a sabbath silence and an awful-
ness of solitude, a tourist arrives, after a progress of
2^ miles, at the two lonely farm-steadings of the
Buccleuchs, on one of the earliest estates of the
powerful family to whom it has given title : for
" In Scotland no Buckcleuch was then,
Before the buck in the cleuch was slain."
Both tradition and song trace the name to the seizi
and killing of a buck in a cleuch; and they minutely
describe and even identify the localities of the event,
— a spot in the cleuch where the buck was taken,
and the spot on which it was slain. In the cleuch
thus celebrated by association with the name and the
splendours of a ducal family, are moss-grown traces
of an old corn-mill, sung and satirized by poetry, —
there never having been an acre of corn raised in the
whole glen. A mile-and-a-half higher up Rankle
bum, in a deep solitude, frequented only by the sheep
in their upland walks, are traces of the wall and the
church-yard-dike of the old parish-church of Buc-
cleuch: see BUCCLEUCH. — Overlooking the conflu-
ence of Rankle burn with the Ettrick, on a declivity
rising from the left bank of the latter stream, stand
„
/?/'.sv/ //'/// v ,-• erd>.
ETT .
509
EU
the dingy ruins of the old tower of Tushielaw, cele-
brated alike in song, in tradition, and in history.
Tushielaw was the property arid stronghold of a
powerful section of the clan Scott, and figures in
liiny a story of their stirring and ruthless move-
lents as reavers and freebooters. Adam Scott, one
the family, and currently called ' king of the
lieves' and ' king of the border,' roused by his ex-
loits the slumbering wrath of James V. ; and, in
'ie course of a judicial excursion of the monarch
ig the fastnesses of ' the forest,' is traditionally
?ported to have been one morning seized by him
fore breakfast, and summarily hung up under the
low of his own stronghold. The tree from which
was suspended is an old ash, still standing among
ruins, and still currently called the gallows-tree;
nd, strangely enough, still bearing along its branches
mmerous nicks and hollows traced by ropes in his
jthless execution of wretched captives on whom he
iflicted the fate which eventually became his own
road, in excellent condition, leading up from Sel-
kirk, passes along the whole vale of the Ettrick, and
saves the parish at Permanscore, to lead down to
loffat. A branch-road from thil strikes off half-
between Thirlestane and Ettrick church, and
33 up Tima water, leaving the parish at the source
that stream to pass through Dumfries-shire on to
irlisle. Another road leads off, from the head of
Sttrick, round along the west to the head of the vale
" Yarrow. A neat and comfortable inn, for the ac-
mmodation of tourists, was recently built on the
jfhway near the tower of Tushielaw. Population,
J801, 445; in 1831, 530. Houses 88. Assessed
>perty, in 1815, £7,148 — Ettrick is in the pres-
bery of Selkirk, and synod of Merse and Teviot-
ile. Patron, Lord Napier. Stipend £249 9s. 7d. ;
>lebe £2a Unappropriated teinds £55 Is. 7d.
Sittings in the parish-church nearly 500. The pre-
iiit parish includes, on the east, the old parish of
tuccleuch. In the south-west, in the glen of Kirk-
burn, there was, in ancient times, a church
I Kirkhope. In the north-west corner, in a
lie called Chapel-hope, at the south-west angle of
ie Loch of Lowes, there was a chapel, probably
subordinate to the mother-church of St. Mary in
Yarrow — Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4.^d., with
£16 school-fees. Though there is no permanent
unendowed school, one or two small non-parochial
schools are held during winter.
ETTRICK (THE), a river of Selkirkshire. It
rises in the extreme south-west angle of the county ;
and, with few sinuosities, pursues a north-easterly
direction over its whole course. The source of its
highest head- water is on the south side of the central
summits of the highest mountain-range of the south-
ern Highlands, among some rushes between Loch-
fell and Capel-fell, 2 miles above a farm-house which
is reported to be the most loftily situated in Scot-
land. For 12 miles, including windings, it inter-
sects the parish of Ettrick, receiving innumerable
rills or mountain-torrents, arid three considerable
tributaries in its course, and spanned by a bridge
above the confluence with Tima water. It now,
for half-a-mile, divides Ettrick from Yarrow ; and,
having entered the latter, traverses it over a dis-
tance of about 8.V miles, making a beautiful detour
below Gilmanscleuch, and crossed by a bridge at the
village of Ettrick bridgend. It then, for 2£ or 3
miles, very cireuitously forms the boundary-line be-
tween Yarrow and Selkirk ; receives, on the left
bank, the rejoicing waters of the Yarrow ; and, over
a distance of 2£ miles, intersects the parish of Sel-
kirk, flowing past the burgh, and crossed there by a
neat bridge. It now, for half-a-mile, intersects a tiny
wing of Roxburghshire; next, for 1| mile, divides
that county from Selkirkshire •, and then falls into the
Tweed 2 miles below the town of Selkirk. Its en-
tire course is about 28 miles. As to the appearance
of its banks, see the articles ETTRICK, YARROW, and
SELKIRK.
ETTRICK FOREST, a popular, poetic, and his-
torical name for the whole or chief part of Selkirkshire.
All the country watered by the Ettrick, the Yarrow,
and their tributaries, and the kindred district watered
by the Cadon northward of the Tweed, besides the
upper ward of Clydesdale, were anciently a literal
forest, the remains of the ancient Caledonian forest.
The most numerous woods were oaks, mingled with
birch and hazel. Great numbers of oaks have even
very recently been dug up in mosses which evi-
dently owed their formation to the stagnation of
waters upon the neglected woodlands The forest,
judging from the prevalence of a Saxon nomen-
clature throughout the district, appears to have
been early settled by the Northumbrian Saxons.
From the time of Earl David, through several cen-
turies, many grants were made, chiefly to the abbeys
of Selkirk, Melrose, and Kelso, of various ' ease-
ments ' within the ample scope of the forest. At the
close of the 13th century Edward I., acting as the
sovereign of Selkirkshire, gave away the forest's
timber ; and was followed, in his conduct, by Ed-
ward II. and Edward III. At the accession of
Robert Bruce the forest was given to Sir James
Douglas in guerdon of his services ; and it continued
with his family till their forfeiture in 1455. On the
4th of August, in that year, Ettrick forest was, by
act of parliament, annexed to the Crown. Abound-
ing in beasts of chase and birds of prey, the forest
now became again-^what it had been before its
possession by the Douglasses — a favourite hunting-
ground of the Scottish kings. In 1528, James V.
"made proclamation to all lords, barons, gentlemen,
landward-men, and freeholders, that they should
compear at Edinburgh, with a month's victuals, to
pass with the king where he pleased, to danton the
thieves of Tiviotdale, Annandale, Liddisdale, and
other parts of that country; and also warned all
gentlemen that had good dogs to bring them, that
he might hunt in the said country as he pleased :
The whilk the Earl of Argyle, the Earl of Huntley,
the Earl of Athole, and so all the rest of the gentle-
men of the Highland, did, and brought their hounds
with them in like manner, to hunt with the king,
as he pleased. The second day of June the king
past out of Edinburgh to the hunting, with many of
the nobles and gentlemen of Scotland with him, to
the number of twelve thousand men ; and then past
to Meggitland, and hounded and hawked all the
country and bounds; that is to say, Pappert-law,
St. Mary-laws, Carlavirick, Chapel, Ewindoores,
and Longhope. I heard say, he^ slew, in these
bounds, eighteen score of harts." fPitscottie's
' History of Scotland,' folio edition, p. 143.] After
this stately hunting, James, who ' made the rush-
bush keep the cow,' in order to increase his reve-
nues, poured into it 10,000 sheep, to figure there
under the tending of a thrifty keeper, instead of
10,000 bucks which scoured its woodlands during
the bounteous age of Edward I. ; and by this act,
he led the way to such a conversion of the entire
forest into sheep-pasture, as occasioned a rapid and
almost total destruction of the trees. The last
sovereign of Scotland who visited it for the sake of
the chase was the beautiful Mary. Excepting a few
straggling thorns, and some solitary birches, no traces
of • Ettricke foreste fair ' now remain, although,
wherever protected from the sheep, copses soon
arise without any planting.
EU (LocH). See KWE.
EUC
510
EYE
EUCHAN WATER, a rivulet in the northern
part of Nithsdale, Dumfries-shire. It rises in Black
Larg-hill, on the boundary-line between Dumfries-
shire and Ayrshire; flows 3 miles north-eastward,
and then 5£ eastward; having its whole course in
Sanquhar parish, amid mountain-scenery, and falling
into the Nith opposite the old castle of Sanquhar.
EUCHAR (THE), a rivulet in Argyleshire. It
takes its rise from Loch Scammodale, in the district
of Kilninver, and, after a rapid course to the north-
west, falls into the sound of Mull.
EVAN WATER, a rivulet of Lanarkshire and
Annandale, forming a sister-exception with the Nith,
to the entire separation of waters by the extended
mountain-range which constitutes the northern boun-
dary-line of Dumfries-shire. The Evan rises in the
parish of Crawford, at Clydes-law, so near the
source of what is popularly reckoned the parent-
stream of the Clyde, as now to receive the waters
of a rill which formerly was a tributary of that noble
river. It first flows about 2 miles westward ; then
suddenly debouches, and flows 3£ miles south-east-
ward ; and now assumes a southerly direction, passing
H mile to the boundary of the two counties, and there
entering the parish of Moffat, to intersect it over a dis-
tance of 2f miles. It now receives Cloffin burn, and
enters the parish of Kirkpatrick-Juxta, taking a di-
rection to the east of south on entering it; and, after
traversing that parish over a distance of 4£ miles,
and receiving in its progress the tribute of Garlpool
burn, it forms a confluence with the river Annan, at
the point where that river receives on its opposite
bank the tribute of Moffat water, 2 miles south of
the town of Moffat. Its entire course is about 14
miles; one half in Lanarkshire, and the other in
Dumfries-shire. The rivulet is chiefly remarkable
for its cutting a channel through a high and precipi-
tous part of the Southern Highland mountains, for
the safe and easy line of mail-coach road, well-known,
as the Evandale road, between Glasgow and Carlisle.
Its upper course is over rugged rocks, among hills
and mountains generally acclivitous, and, in some
instances, nearly perpendicular. As it rises, and for
some distance flows, at an elevation nearly 1,000 feet
above the level of the sea, it has in many places the
impetuous motion of a torrent. In its lower course,
as it approaches the Annan, it flows between two
hilly ridges, and has become comparatively tranquil.
EVANTOWN. See KII/TEARN.
EVELICKS (THE), a river in the county of
Sutherland, which falls into the frith of Dornoch.
It abounds with trout and salmon; and a small fish-
ing-village of the same name is situated at its mouth.
EVIE AND REND ALL, a united parish in the
mainland of Orkney; extending about 12 miles in
length, by about 5^ in greatest breadth. It includes
the isle of Gairsay, which is separated from Rendall
by a very narrow sound, and contains about 60 inha-
bitants : see GAIRSAY. Population, in 1801, 1,415;
in 1831, 1,450. Houses 322. Assessed property,
in 1815, £375 — This parish is in the presbytery of
Kirkwall, and synod of Orkney. Patron, the Earl
of Zetland. The parish-church is in Evie ; sittings
498. Stipend £154 6s. 10d.; glebe £50 There
is an Independent congregation in Rendall — School-
master's salary £30. There were 5 private schools
here in 1834.
EVORT (Locn), a sate harbour on the east coast
of NORTH UIST : which see.
EWE (LOCH) or Eu, an arm of the sea, on the
western coast of Ross-shire, into which a broad and
rapid river called the Ewe, issuing from Loch Maree,
empties itself at Pol-Ewe, after a course of only a
mile in length. This loch, and Loch Maree, appear
to have originally formed one loch, under the name
I of Loch Ewe, as the village at the head of Loch
Maree is named Cean- Loch-Ewe ; that is, 'the
Head of Loch Ewe.' See article LOCH MAREE.
The river Ewe is praised by Sir Humphrey Davy
for its finely-stocked pools, from which, at certain
times, a couple of skilful anglers might load a horse
with grilse and sea-trout.
EWES or EWESDALE, a parish in the district of
Eskdale, Dumfries-shire. It is bounded on the north
and east by Roxburghshire ; on the south by Canon-
bie and Langholm ; and on the west by Westerkirk.
Its figure is a broad oval, with indentations on the
north-east and south. It is 8 miles in length from
north to south, and 5| miles in average breadth;
and contains 17,563 Scotch acres, or 34i square
miles. In some ancient writings it is regarded as a
separate and independent district of Dumfries-shire.
" Beyond the Tweed," says Boethius, "to the mid-
dle march under the Cheviot hills, lieth Tevidale,
that is to say, the vale of Tiffe. Beyond it is Eske-
dale, or the vale of Eske, of a river so called that
runneth through the same. Over against Eske dale,
on the other side, lieth Eusdale, so named of the
riyer Eus, that paeseth thereby, and falleth into the
water of Annand." The whole parish is a double
basin, surrounded on three sides by mountains which
form a water-line; and it discharges all its aggre-
gated waters, in the two streams Ewes and Tarras,
through openings on the south. The Tarras rises
at Hartsgarth Fell, and intersects the eastern divi-
sion for 4^ miles, and then, for 1 £ mile, forms the
boundary-line between it and Langholm. The Ewes
rises at Mosspaul, in the extreme north. After
a progress southward of 2| miles, it receives on
its left bank Blackhill burn, which had flowed 3£
miles from Tudhope hill. Passing onwards, it
receives the waters of Unthank burn, Mosspeeble
burn, Muckledale burn, and numerous tiny streams ;
and after a course, from its origin, of wind-
ingly 9^ miles, it enters the parish of Langholm,
and, 1^ mile farther on, closes in, with the river
Esk and Wauchope water, to decorate the brilliant
scenery in which the town of Langholm lies embo-
somed. Ewesdale, along the banks of this stream,
is one of the most beautiful districts in the Southern
Highlands. The hills on both sides are mostly
covered with verdure, and fringed with thriving
plantations, belted or spotted at intervals with
heath ; and they exhibit many groupings and phases
of lively and picturesque landscape. Haughs and
stripes of valley stretch along the margins of the
river, and, in favourable seasons, luxuriate under
culture. The parish is traversed in its whole length,
down the vale of the Ewes, by the great mail-road
between Edinburgh and Carlisle. Population, in
1801, 358; in 1831, 335. Houses 53. Assessed
property, in 1815, £5,001 — Ewes is in the presby-
tery of Langholm, and synod of Dumfries. Patron,
the Duke of Buccleuch. Stipend £220 13s. 7d.
Unappropriated teinds £657 6s. lid. The parish-
church contains about 200 sittings. Before the Re-
formation there were two churches and two chapels.
The principal church was dedicated to St. Cuthbert,
and stood on the west side of the Ewes, at a hamlet
which was called Kirk-town of Nether Ewes. The
other church was situated in the upper part of the
vale, at a place now uninhabited except by a soli-
tary shepherd, and called Ewes-duris, or the pass of
Ewes, where a pass leads into Teviotdale. Of the
two chapels vestiges still exist, respectively at Un-
thank and at Mosspaul. Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4|d., with £9 other emoluments.
EYE (LocH), a small lake in the parish of Fearn,
in Ross-shire, about 2 miles long, and half-a-mile
broad. From it proceeds the small river Eye,
EYE
511
EYE
forming in its course a succession of smaller lakes,
which are much frequented by aquatic fowls. It
falls into the Moray frith, near the fishing- village
of Balintore.
EYE (THE), a small river in Berwickshire. It
rises among the Lammermoor hills in the parish of
Cockburnspath, pursues a south-eastward course
over a distance of 1 1 miles, and then, making a sud-
den bend, flows 3£ miles north-eastward to the sea
at Eyemouth. Over 24 miles it intersects Cock-
burnspath ; over the next mile it divides a detached
portion of Oldhamstocks from Coldingham ; over 6
miles it traverses the latter parish; over the next
1J mile, it divides Coldingham from Ayton; and it
now receives a small tributary from the west, and
makes its debouch to the north-east. Half-a-mile
from this point, it sweeps past the village of Ayton ;
1^ mile farther on it receives, from the west, the
considerable tribute of ALE WATER, [which see,]
and it thence, to its embouchure, divides Ayton on
the east from Eyemouth on the west. The river
abounds in trouts, of excellent quality, though small
in size ; and, as to the appearance of its banks, is, in
many parts, pleasing and beautiful.
EYEMOUTH, a small parish on the coast of
Berwickshire ; bounded on the north by the German
ocean ; on the east and south by Ayton ; and on the
west by Coldingham. It may, in a general view,
be regarded as a square figure, 1£ mile deep; but it
has a rugged outline on the north and west, and
embosoms in its centre a small detached portion of
Coldingham parish. The boundary-line on the south
is the Ale, and on the east is the Eye. Both streams,
while they touch the parish, are picturesque and or-
namental. The tide flows about half-a-mile up the
Eye. The coast rises, along the whole line, in
rocky and precipitous abruptness from the sea, to
80 or 90 feet above its level ; and is sliced down at
intervals by deep fissuref or gullies, and at one place
perforated by a cavern ; but, except at two points
where roads have been scooped down its openings,
and at Eyemouth, where its gigantic breastwork is
interrupted by the Eye, it admits no access to the
beach. So far back as fifty years ago, not a foot of
bad or waste ground was in the parish. The soil,
in general, is excellent, and throws up prime crops
of every sort of grain — Upon a bold small promon-
tory called the Fort, north of Eyemouth, are the
remains of a regular fortification, erected by the
Duke of Somerset in his invasion of Scotland, while
he held the regency of England under the minority
of Edward VI. Though all the rocks along the
coast are of the common hard whinstone, the pro-
montory of the Fort consists of puddingstone re-
markably hard, capable of a polish like marble, and
offering strong resistance to the action of fire. This
fortification, soon after its erection, was, in the reign
of .Mary, demolished in terms of a treaty between
France and England which followed the battle of
Pinkie. A few years afterwards it was reconstructed
under Regent Murray to aid a contemplated interfer-
ence of Scotland in the war which was going on
I'.-t ween France and England ; but, at the subsequent
it was again demolished; and, the crowns
becoming united in the next reign, it was allowed
thenceforth to continue in ruin. Grassy mounds,
indicating the lines of demolished wall, are almost
the only traces of its existence ; but they sufficiently
show it to have been a place of considerable strength
and importance — The old manor-house of Linthill,
overlooking the confluence of the Ale and the Eye,
» the only noticeable mansion; and in 1752 was the
scene of the murder of the widow of Patrick Home,
'ts proprietor — The great Duke of Marlborough re-
ceived from Eyemouth, though he had no connexion
with it, the title of Baron in the Scottish peerage.
Population, in 1801,899; in 1831, 1,181. Houses
207. Assessed property, in 1815, £3,734 Eye-
mouth is in the presbytery of Chirnside, and synod
of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown. Sti-
pend £130 19s. 6d., exclusive of vicarage teinds not
valued; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds £130
19s. 6d. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d,, with
£23 12s. ll£d. school-fees, and some other emolu-
ments. There are 4 schools non- parochial. The
church, situated in the town, was built in 1812;
sittings about 450. A small Baptist chapel, but no
other dissenting place of worship, is in the town;
dissenters of other denominations being connected
with congregations in Coldingham and Ayton. The
parish was formerly included in the territory of
Coldingham priory, and did not assume a parochial
form earlier than the reign of James VI. A chapel
connected with Coldingham, and served by a nominee
of the prior, anciently stood within its limits.
EYEMOUTH, an ancient little sea-port, and a burgh-
of-barony, lies at the mouth of the Eye, in the north-
east angle of Eyemouth parish, 6 miles north of
Berwick. Its plan is altogether irregular, and,
considering its size, is not a little intricate. " The
whole town," says Chambers, in his ' Picture of
Scotland,' "has a dark, cunning look, is full of
curious alleys, blind and otherwise ; and there is not
a single individual house of any standing but what
seems as if it could unfold its tales of wonder." But
he alludes, in this summary picture, to the character
which it once wore as a nest of smugglers, and looks
upon it through the thick skreen which contraband
traders hang round their scene of action. The town,
though not elegant, contains many good houses, pos-
sesses a neat spire towering up from its church, and
is supplied with water by iron pipes kept in a state
of cleanness and repair. Coal-fuel is cheap and plen-
tiful, being easily procured by land- carriage from
Berwick, or sea-communication from the Forth and
the Tyne. A large building, formerly occupied as
a barrack, and several modern and spacious erections,
are used as granaries, and indicate the existence of
important traffic with the surrounding agricultural
country. The town is the market for a somewhat
extensive district, and the only sea-port in Berwick-
shire. Yet territorial limitation, or the drawing of
an imaginary or artificial line over the corner of a
district geographically unique, does not prevent the
population of the county from viewing Berwick as
still, what it anciently was, their principal port and
their county-town. Eyemouth, in consequence, is,
both as a market and a port, but a gleaner of straws
in the vicinity of a reaper of sheaves. Yet for a
long series of years it has been the depot and the
shipping-place of a large quantity of exported grain.
Even half-a-century ago 20,000 bolls annually, and
in some years more than 40,000 bolls, were shipped
here for Leith and other markets. The corn-trade
falling considerably off, a change of the weekly mar-
ket-day took place, in 1832, to Thursday ; and was
followed by such prosperous results that, during
the succeeding twelve months, grain to the value of
£20,000 was disposed off in the market. The con-
traband trade, which once characterized it to such a
degree that every house is said to have had its secret
cellars for the concealment of goods, and which has
winged and poisoned many an envenomed shaft of
taunt and satire against the modern population, has
long since entirely disappeared. The latest dealers
in it had all died or removed to distant places several
years before the writer in the Statistical Account of
1792 drew up his report; and both they and their
predecessors had all, according to his statement,
sunk into poverty, bankruptcy, or at best the po*-
512
EYEMOUTH.
session of a mere competence. The herring- fishery
of Eyemouth was for many years so opulent and
productive that 10,000 barrels were made up annu-
ally ; but since 1820, it has gradually declined ; and
eventually it has fallen so low that a large proportion
of its fleet of 100 or 150 boats have permanently
removed to more prosperous fishing-grounds. Along
with the remnant of this traffic, which sends its
white herrings to Ireland or the Baltic, and its red
or smoked herrings to England, a fishery of cod and
haddock employs 9 or 10 boats, each manned by 6
men, and produces about £2,000 a-year. When the
inhabitants of the parish — who all, excepting about
80, reside in the town — have a season of leisure from
agricultural or other avocational labour, they usually
carry off the produce of the fishery to Edinburgh and
Glasgow, and occasionally penetrate even to distant
and third-rate towns. Such of the produce as they
cannot export by land, is sent away to the Thames,
or up the Forth, and sometimes along the Forth and
Clyde canal. A manufacture of kelp, which for-
merly employed a number of poor persons, was de-
stroyed at Eyemouth, as, in other places, by the
lowering of the duty on barilla.
The bay and the harbour of Eyemouth are objects
of unusual interest. The bay, though only ^ of a
mile in breadth, and on the north or more extended
side little more in length, is both beautiful in land-
scape, and highly adapted to utility. On one side
it is overhung by the high promontory of the Fort,
and on the other is overlooked by the projection of
Gunsgreen. From point to point it sweeps grace-
fully round in a semicircle, washing the town at its
extremity, and receiving the waters of the Eye con-
siderably south-eastward of the centre of its outline ;
and in front it is protected by a singular ridge of
rocks called the Barkers, past either end of which
vessels sail inward to the harbour. Its encincturing
coast-line everywhere, but especially on the Fort,
commands a magnificent and most extensive sea-
view; and its bed slopes, in most places, so gently
from the beach, and is so finely sheeted with a gra-
velly bottom, as to allure to its waters many a
summer bather. " The harbour of Eyemouth," said
the well-known Smeaton after professionally survey-
ing it, "lies at the corner of a bay in which ships
can work in and out at all times of the tide, or lie
at anchor, secure from all winds except the northerly
or north-easterly. From this circumstance, its situ-
ation is very advantageous." In all the space along
the rugged and dangerous coast between the Forth
and the Humber, no harbour except this is accessible
in stormy weather. Vesseb, therefore, which are
arrested by contrary winds, or otherwise endangered
in their transit, very numerously run to it for pro-
tection. At Mr. Smeaton's recommendation, a
voluntary association of gentlemen, who had em-
ployed him to survey it, erected, at the cost of
.£2,500, a break- water pier to defend it from north-
east gales, and also to deepen it by preventing the
return of the gravel which is forced out by floods in
the river. From this improvement, and some later
ones of not less moment, it has acquired valuable
advantages ; and were it duly provided with suitable
appliances, it might be made such a station for the
custom-house and excise yachts, and for privateers
and small vessels acting offensively, as would, over
a long stretch of coast including the mouth of the
Forth, effectually scare away, in times respectively of
peace, and of war, every smuggler, and every enemy's
prize-hunter from taking even a distant look of the
land. The flow of the tide here, as generally in
other harbours on the east coast, averages 10 feet at
neap-tides, and 16 feet at spring-tides. By an act
of parliament, obtained in 1797, the harbour was
vested in a body of trustees, consisting of the mer-
chants and principal inhabitants of the town, the
baron-bailie ex officio, and at least eight of the free-
holders and commissioners of supply of Berwickshir
residing within 12 miles of Eyemouth. The trus-
tees levy dues which average about .£60 a-year ; and
expend their revenue in effecting improvements.
Formerly vessels had to get sufferances to unload
and clearances to sail, all the way from Dunbar; but
now, except a small proportion trading to foreign
ports, they are entered and cleared by an officer
customs on the spot. The annual number of arri-
vals and departures of vessels — not including anj
which run into the bay simply for shelter — is about
200. The cargoes outwards are agricultural pr(
duce, fish, malt, and aqua; and those inwards art
coals, slates, tiles, bricks, timber, rags, bones, an(
merchant goods.
Eyemouth, as a dependency of the monks of Col
ingham, and as the only port within their limit
must have, at a remote date, sprung into existence.
So early as the reign of William the Lion, or
tween the years 11 74 and 1214, it is mentioned ii
a charter among the records of the priory. In tl
l'4th century, the harbour had sufficiently become
place of resort as to incite, on the part of the k
of the manor, a demand for anchorage dues. In 1597,
by a charter from James VI., in favour of Sir Geor^
Home of Wedderburn, it was erected into a frt
burgh-of-barony, with the privilege of a free port
A little before the accession of James VI. to the
throne of England, Logan, the Laird of Restalrig,
had a house or castle in the town ; and dated fror
it one of his well-known letters relative to Gowrie'a
conspiracy. A notorious- inhabitant, at the same
epoch, was the famous or infamous Sprott, the pro-
fessional agent of Logan, and a notary or writer
the town, who, coming under suspicion of being ii
the secret of Cowrie's conspiracy, was, in 1608, aj
prehended, tried, and executed: see FAST CASTLE
The Protector Cromwell, in his progress into Sc
land, visited Eyemouth with the view of examining
its capabilities as a harbour ; and soon after orderet
as a means of defending the entrance to the Eye
the construction of a place of strength, on the sit
of the ruined fortification on the promontory calle
the Fort, and appointed the place to be under
authority of the governor of Berwick. — By tl
charter of barony, the inhabitants and free burgesses
were empowered, with the consent of Sir George
Home and his heirs, to make an annual election of
magistrates, — to buy and sell and exercise every art
and trade as in other free burghs,— to hold a weekly
market and two annual fairs, — and to build a gaol,
hold courts, and appoint clerks and officers ; but, as
regards every thing municipal or jurisdictional, they
seem never to have exercised the privileges con-
ferred, but to have yielded themselves unreservedly
to the will of their superior. The Homes of Wed-
derburn have been in the practice of appointing and
paying a baron bailie and baron officer for the govern-
ment of the town. Occasionally, during the last cen-
tury, and even within these few years, the bailie has
held a court for the determination of petty causes :
but, in general, he has no scope within the smal
community of his jurisdiction for acting as a judicia
functionary. The town formerly paid .£10, am
now pays £5 a-year, in name of cess, to the conven-
tion of royal burghs, for participating in the privilegi
of foreign trade. — The town has a branch-office o
the Commercial Bank of Scotland, a parochial library
and a friendly society. In the room used for th<
meetings of the St. Abb's Lodge of free masons th<
poet Burns received initiation. Population of th
town in 1831, about 1,100.
EYL
513
EYN
LT (LocH), or AILT, a small lake, about 3
' miles in length by half-a-mile in greatest breadth,
in the district o'f Moidart, Inverness-shire. Its
waters flow into the head of Loch Aylort, by a
stream of about H mile in length, which sweeps
around the northern base of Benebeg.
EYNORT (LocH), a very irregular arm of the
sea, 3 miles in length, indenting the east coast of
the island of South Uist, and nearly meeting the
head-arms of Loch Bee from the opposite side of
the island. The scenery of Loch Eynort is remark-
ably wild and picturesque ; and only wants trees or
a clothing of copse-wood to be, in many places,
enchantingly beautiful.
LOCH-AN-EILAN.
2 K
FAD
514
FA I
F
FAD (Locn), a small lake in the island of Bute,
3 miles south from the town of Rothesay. It is about
5 miles long, and scarcely half-a-mile broad ; but
from the rude, rocky, and picturesque appearance of
the hills which surround it, it presents quite a minia-
ture picture of some of the larger Highland lakes.
The slopes of a few of these hills are cultivated ; but
the greater proportion, especially as we proceed to-
wards the head of the loch, are in a state of nature.
Though not remarkable for height, their outline is
in general broken, varied, and interesting ; and the
serrated summits of the Arran mountains on the one
hand, or the hills of Cowal on the other, afford fine
terminations to the view, whether up or down the
lake. Loch-Fad forms a pleasant excursion for tour-
ists, or sea-bathing visiters at Rothesay ; and since
the period that Kean made it a place of repose dur-
ing the intervals from his exertions in his arduous
profession, it has been much more visited than it had
ever previously been. The house erected by Mr.
Kean, though of sufficient size, is a very ordinary
looking one, and generally disappoints the visiters.
Had it been somewhat more of the cottage-style, it
would have better pleased the eye, and been more in
accordance with the situation, which is indeed well-
chosen. The grounds are very agreeably laid out,
and form a singular contrast with the rudeness and
romantic nature of the surrounding scenery. In 1827
— when Kean was in the meridian of his fame — the
following account of his retirement on the banks of
Loch- Fad appeared in one of the Glasgow news-
papers : — " The banks of Loch-Fad now swarm with
pilgrims to the residence of our greatest dramatic
performer, who has kindly instructed the old lady —
a native of London — who acts as guardian of the
premises, to allow all respectable persons who may
call a full view of the cottage and grounds. No-
thing can be more rurally simple, and at the sarnie
time more tasteful and elegant, than the residence
here erected by Kean. It is a tolerably capacious
house, two stories in height, with a small one-story
building at either end. On the ground-floor is a
splendid dining-room, furnished in a costly manner,
as is every other part of the house ; and behind it is
a library stocked with a valuable collection of books,
among which are several containing fine engravings
of the costumes of different countries at different
periods, and also the works of Hogarth, Hume,
Gibbon, Robertson, &c., a fine edition of the Spec-
tator, and a beautiful old copy of Shakspeare in one
volume folio, printed about the middle of the 17th
century, and presented to Kean by Mr. Price, the
manager of the New York theatre. In the library are
also many items of the paraphernalia of an actor
such as swords, daggers, &c., besides an excellent
engraving of Kean in Brutus, one of Garrick, one of
the Earl of Essex, and several others of distinguished
British characters. Within a niche in the lobby stands
an admirable bust of Kean, also in the character of
Brutus, which, as an accurate resemblance, exceeds
the engraving. On the second floor, or upper story,
is a large drawing-room, elegantly fitted up, and in
a style entirely dramatic — in so far, at least, as re-
gards the fancy papers with which the wall is deco-
rated, these being full of scenic representations of
character, most of them taken from prominent sub-
jects in history and mythology. From the windows
of this apartment an enchanting view is obtained of
Loch-Fad, and of the expanse of land and sea
southward, the remembrance of which can never
lost by those who once have seen it. Indeed n<
language can do justice to the varied charms of tht
situation ; it must be seen to be fully appreciat
The garden and grounds are laid out in a style dig
playing the finest perception of the beauties of th
place. Here a soft flower blooms in the hard clef
of some jagged rock ; there a walk, edged with box-
wood, winds along amid sinuosities so serpentine as
almost to render a continuous walk impossible ; anc
on the top of the eminence at the base of which the
cottage is situated, there stands a fog-house,
ported by massy rustic pillars, its floor paved wit
small pebbles from the loch, its seats supported
hazle cuttings, and its prospect in front commandii
a few glimpses of Loch-Fad, an indistinct view
Rothesay in the distance, of the tranquil bay beyor
it, and of the Argyle mountains still more rernc
swimming in a kind of blue haze that softens tl
outline and imparts to them a character of almost
perfect ideality. Mr. Kean" — the account continue
— " has it in contemplation to erect, within the
cincts of his little territory, an asylum for the retr
of decayed actors, who may be recommended to hir
cither by personal knowledge, or by the society for
the relief of such individuals, which has now for
considerable time been established in London." Yu
need scarcely add, that the benevolent design
recorded — like many others of the projector — nevt
reached its consummation in performance.
FAD (LOCH). See COLONSAY.
FAIR AY. See FARAY.
FAIR ISLE, an island lying betwixt Orkney am
Shetland, 29 miles south by west of Sumburgh-head
It is upwards of 3 miles in length, and nearly 2 ir
breadth ; and rises into three lofty promontories. It
is everywhere inaccessible, save at one point uj
the south-east,, where it affords a safe station
small vessels. One of the promontories, the Sheej
craig, is nearly insulated, rising from the ocean in a
conical shape to the height of 480 feet. The soil is
tolerably fertile, and the sheep-pasture on the hills
excellent. In 1588 the flag-ship of the Duke de
Medina Sidonia, the admiral of the Spanish armada,
was wrecked on this island ; and tradition still points
out the residence occupied by the shipwrecked noble.
Sir Robert Sibbald says, in his ' Description of the
Isles of Zetland,' " One memorable accident here
occurs, namely, that the Duke of Medina, admiral of
the formidable Spanish armada, (in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, anno 1588,) here suffered shipwrack in a
creek on the east side of this isle, where the ship
split, but the Duke with 200 men came to shore alive,
and wintered here in great miserie ; for the Spaniards
at first eating up all they could find, not only neat,
sheep, fishes, and fowls, but also horses, the islander.'
in the night carried off their beasts and victuals t(
places in the isle, where the Spaniards might not fim
them : the officers also strictly commanded the soul
diers to take nothing but what they paid for, whicl
they did very largely, so that the people were no
great losers by them, having got a great many Spanisl
ryalls for the victuals they gave them ; but now thi
people fearing a famine among themselves, kept uj
their victuals from the Spaniards. Thus, all suppl;
from the isle failing them, they took their own brew
(which they had preserved), which being dipt in ns
FAI
515
FAL
oyl, they did eat ; which being also spent, it came to
puss, that many of them died for hunger, and the
rest were so weakned, that one or two of the isle-
landers finding a few of them together, could easily
throw them over the banks, by which means many
of them died. At length all sustenance failing, not
only to the Spaniards, but also to the islelanders,
they sent a small boat or yole to Zetland, desireing
a ship to carrie them out, lest all the inhabitants of
the isle should be famished. Notice came to Andrew
Umphrey of Burry (then proprietarie of the isle),
who having a ship of his own, instantly went to the
isle and brought them to Zetland, where, for the
space of 20 days or a moneth, they met with better
entertainment. The Duke stayed at Quendale till
the ship was readie, where, (imagining the people
did admire him,) he made his interpeter ask Malcolm
Sinclair of Quendale, if ever he had seen such a man ?
To which Malcolm, in broad Scots (unintelligible to
the interpreter) replyed, * Farcie, in that face, I have
seen many prettier men hanging in the Burrow-moor !'
From Zetland, Andrew Umphrey carried them in
his little ship to Dunkirk, for which the Duke re-
warded him with three thousand merks." Fair Isle
is reckoned one of the Shetland isles, and is annexed
to the ministry of Dunrossness. Population, in 1801,
160; in 1811, 168; in 1831, 317.— There is a small
church in connexion with the Establishment here,
but service is very seldom performed in it. There
is also a Methodist chapel, capable of accommodating
about 300. There is a schoolmaster on the island,
under the Society for propagating Christian know-
ledge, who has a salary of £18; and there are 3 Sab-
bath evening schools.
FAIRLEY, a quoad sacra parish, divided from
the parish of Largs, in 1835, by authority of the
General Assembly. It is about 7 miles in greatest
length, and 6 in greatest breadth, and comprises
6,264 acres. Population 427. Church built in
1833-4 ; sittings 300. Stipend £75, with certain ex-
tra allowances. The bulk of the inhabitants reside
in the village of Fairley, which is beautifully situated
on the coast, opposite the larger Cumbrae, 2 miles
south of the town of Largs. The coast, on both sides
of it, is for a short way studded with neat villas.
Opposite to it is a good roadsted, formed by the
Cumbraes, and affording safe anchorage. Fairley
castle, an old square tower, formerly the seat of a
family of the name of Fairley, stands in the vicinity
of the village.
FAL A and SOUTRA, two parishes compactly
erected into one, the former situated on the south-
eastern verge of Edinburghshire, and the latter on the
north-western verge of Haddingtonshire. Each par-
ish is a stripe of territory stretching from north to
south ; and the two jointly form a parallelogram, 4
miles long and 3 broad. One-half of Fala, and one-
third of Soutra, constituting the northern division
of the united parish, are a slightly undulating but on
the whole level tract of country, well-cultivated and
fertile, composed of a clayey soil, and producing all
tin- variety of crops common in the Lothians. The
rest of the district, commencing on the north with
Soutra hill, which rises about 1,184 feet above the
level of the sea,* is part of the most westerly ridge of
the Lammermoor mountains, covered for the most part
with heath, and, excepting a few cultivated spots,
all laid out in sheep-pasturage. To a traveller from
the south, who has, over a considerable distance, tra-
versed a dreary moorland carpeted with heath, Sou-
tra hill suddenly discloses the tinely cultivated and
beautiful expanse of the Lothians, variegated with
Hill and dale, and woods and waters, and richly foiled
* This admeasurement is Mr. Thomas Telford's, in 1821.
k" level is taken from the surface of the quay at Berwick.
r
on the back-ground with the gay estuary of the Forth,
and the brilliant scenery of the coast of Fife ; and a
panorama is thus hung out to the view which as much
enchants by its attractions, as it astonishes by the
suddenness of its revelation. On the south-east of
Fala, are marshy grounds, extending to some hundreds
of acres, called Fala- Flow, from part of which peats
are dug for fuel. On the north side of Soutra hill
is a fountain of excellent water, called Trinity well,
which, though not now appearing to possess any
medicinal qualities, was formerly in great repute and
much frequented among invalids. The great road
from Edinburgh to Lauder, intersects the united par-
ish south-eastward through its northern division ; and
sends off several cross-roads to the north, and one to
the south, which runs along the eastern verge of
Soutra, to form a junction with the road down Gala
water in the parish of Stow. On the Edinburgh and
Lauder road stands the village of Fala, 15i miles from
Edinburgh, the seat of the parish-church, and of a
Meeting-house of the United Secession, with their re-
spective manses. The church and part of the village
are situated on a small conical hill of the class called
" laws ;" and hence the name Fallaw, abbreviated into
Fala, and signifying 'the Speckled hill.' At the wes-
tern limit of the parish, on the same road as Fala,
stands the hamlet of Fala-dam, 14J miles from Edin-
burgh. Population of the united parish, in 1801,
354; in 1831, 437. Houses 87. Assessed property
in 1815, £1,248 Fala and Soutra is in the presby-
tery of Dalkeith, and synod of Lothian and Tweed-
dale. Patrons, the Town-council of Edinburgh, and
Sir John Dalrymple of Cousland, now Earl of Stair.
Stipend £169 6s. lOd. ; glebe £25 10s. with pastu-
rage for 20 sheep. Unappropriated teinds £76 6s. 8d.
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £25 school-
fees. Fala parish was united to Soutra about the
year 1600, its church becoming the place of worship
for both parishes. On the summit of Soutra hill for-
merly stood the church and village of Soutra, appro-
priately and graphically designated by that name,
which signifies, in the Cambro- British, ' the hamlet
with a prospect.' This village was anciently a place
of consideration and resort, and a scene of the stirring
ostentatious charity of the Middle ages. Malcolm
IV. founded here, in 1 164, an hospital for the relief of
pilgrims, and the shelter and support of the poor and
the afflicted ; and he endowed the institution with
some lands near St. Leonard's in the vicinity of Edin-
burgh, and conferred upon it the privileges of a sanc-
tuary. The masters and brothers of the hospital
were owners of the property and appurtenances of
the church. A causeway leading from the vale of
the Tweed to Soutra, and still commemorated in
various traces among the sinuosities of the moun-
tains, bore the significant name of Girthgate, mean-
ing the asylum or sanctuary-road, and affords proof
that the refuge of Soutra was potent and famous. A
small eminence or rising ground about half-a-mile south
of the site of the hospital, is still called Cross-chain-
hill, and would appear to have had a chain suspended
for a considerable way along its summit to mark the
limits of the privileged ground. When Mary of
Gueldres, founded the Trinity or College church of
Edinburgh, she pervertedly bestowed upon it the en-
dowments of Soutra hospital, and converted its de-
pendent church into a vicarage. The Town-coun-
cil of Edinburgh, getting possession in 1560-1 of
Trinity church and its pertinents, became in conse-
quence proprietors of the ecclesiastical appurtenances
of Soutra, and the patrons of its church. By the
seizure of its charity revenues, the ruin of its hospi-
tal, and the reduction, and afterwards the abandon-
ment of its church, the village of Soutra was sudden-
ly stripped of its importance, and brought to desola-
516
FALKIRK.
tion. The seat of conviviality and busy though
doubtful charity, of many public-houses, of a great
hospital and of a general refuge for the distressed
debtor, the weary traveller, the friendless pauper,
and the afflicted invalid, is now silent and wild, and
utterly abandoned to the lonely visits of the moun-
tain-sheep. Some hardly perceptible tumuli, over-
grown with herbage, faintly indicate the site of pros-
trate dwellings. Slight irregularities of surface, with
not a tomb-stone or the small tumulus of a grave,
dimly mark the limits of a cemetery. A single aisle
of the chapel, rising amidst a dreary sward of heath,
and conservated from the common trackless ruin by
its enclosing the burial-place of the Maitland of Pog-
bie family, is the sole memorial of Soutra, and the
only monitor on this once-stirring and famous area of
the instability and utter vanity of the institutions
and erections of mortal man. The town of the
pleasant prospect, Soutra, which once looked joyous-
]y down upon the gay and far-spreading landscape of
the Lothians and the Forth, has utterly disappeared :
" Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn,
Thy sports are fled, and all thy charms withdrawn ;
Sunk are thy bowers in shapeless ruin all,
And the long grass o'ertops the mouldering wall."
FALKIRK,* a parish in the eastern part of Stir-
lingshire ; bounded on the north by Dunipace, Lar-
bert, and Bothkennar ; OP the east by Polmont and
Muiravonside ; on the south by Slamannan and
Lanarkshire; and on the west by Dumbartonshire
and Denny. In figure, it is nearly an oval, stretch-
ing north-east and south-west, but has a small flat-
tened oval attached to its south-east side. Its great-
est length, from Castlecary on the south-west, to
the boundary beyond Grangemouth on the north-east,
is 8| miles ; and its greatest breadth, from Carron
water opposite Larbert on the north-west, to a bend
in Avon water, at Elrigg on the south-east, is 5|
miles ; but its average breadth is none or little more
than 3 miles. Nearly all its boundaries are traced
by streams. A head-stream of Bonny water rises at
Sauchierigg, on the southern boundary of the south-
west end of the great oval of the parish, and bends
away westward, northward, and north-eastward,
round'the limits, receiving from without two streams
which combine with it to form the Bonny, and
everywhere, over a distance of 5| miles, tracing the
boundary till within a mile of the Carron, when it
runs across a small wing to make a confluence with
that river. Carron water touches the boundary 5
furlongs north-west of where the Bonny makes its
detour inward ; and thence, over a geographical dis-
tance of 6 miles, traces, in general, the boundary on
the north ; but, in the lower part of this course, it
becomes somewhat sinuous, and being rivalled in
sinuosity by the capriciousness of the boundary-line,
it intersects three tiny wings, and makes three brief
* The church was formerly called Ecclesbrae, or, 'the Church
on the brow,' and according with the descriptiveness of this
name, it and the town around it, stand on an eminence or ris-
ing ground which, on all sides, has a declivity or brae. In the
Gaelic Language, it is called an Eglais bhris, but more common-
ly Eglais bhrec. The former of these phrases signifies ' the
Broken church;' and, as not inaptly translated, ' Falkirk,' or
* the fallen,' or ' falling church.' Nor may the name have been
without allusion ; the parish place of worship which preceded
the present one, having presented undoubted appearances of
not being all built at one epoch. In 1166, it was given by the
Bishop of St. Andrews to the monks of Holyrood ; and, as it
now became a mere vicarage, and may have suffered «ieglect,
it possibly fell into ruin, and assumed the properties, and con-
sequently the name, of a ' fallen-kirk.1 The other Gaelic de-
signation, eglais bhrec, signifies • the Spotted church,' and is
adopted by Buchanan in the translated name, ' Varium Sacel-
lum,' applied by him to Falkirk, and supposed to allude to the
party-coloured appearance of its stones. Another derivation
of the modern name, is from vallum and kirk, easily transmu-
table into Falkirk, and signifying 'the church upon the wall,'
in allusion, as is alleged, to the near vicinity of the wall of An-
toninus.
recessions, all within 1| mile of Grangemouth. West
Quarter burn rises at the line of attachment be-
tween the main body or large oval of the parish, and
the small flattened oval, runs to the limit of the for-
mer, and flowing north-eastward and northward, tra-
ces the boundary over a distance of 6 miles, and then
at Grangemouth falls into the Carron. Avon water
rises 3 furlongs south of the source of West Quarter
burn, flows 2^ miles westward through the parish, and
thence runs south-westward, south-eastward, and
eastward, tracing, over a distance of 7^ miles, the
boundary with Dumbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and
Slamannan. Four rills rise in the parish, three of which
run northward to the Bonny or the Carron, and one
eastward to West Quarter burn. Near the southern
extremity, Loch Elrigg, a narrow boggy lochle
about 6 furlongs long, sends off its superfluent wa-
ters in a brief stream to the Avon. In the south-
western part of the great oval, is a tiny loehlet,
called Loch Green — At its north-east end, the parish
approaches within | of a mile of the Forth ; and from
its boundary in that direction, till near the town o"
Falkirk, as well as farther inland along the banks o
the Carron, it is a sheet of perfectly level and ex-
ceedingly rich and fertile land. But fame has com
pletely anticipated any modern topographical writer
in proclaiming through Scotland the opulence and
the peerless agricultural beauty of "the carse o:
Falkirk." Behind the carse, the surface slowly
rises, and becoming quite changed in the ch
of its soil, belongs, for the most part, to the class
of dryfield. Though it is here materially less fer-
tile, and presents a different picture to the eye, ye
it possesses, in the undulations and softly hilly a
variegated risings of its surface, and in its fine encl
sures and thriving woods, its villas and burgh an
multitudinous human dwellings, not a few features
of interest which challenge and fix the attention
a tourist. But in the small oval of the parish, or the
tract which marches with Slamannan, the whole sur-
face was originally a dull and gloomy bog ; and even
with the aids and results of georgical operation, sti
retains a strong dash of its pristine appearance. Ye
nowhere than in this parish as a whole has agricul-
tural skill been more vigorously plied or more suc-
cessful in improvements. Almost every useful novel-
ty in the art of husbandry which appears in other dis-
tricts, is copied or adopted ; and the farmers are con-
spicuous for the enterprising spirit which has won
fame to Stirlingshire as an agricultural county. Coal
is so good and abundant as fully to compensate —
especially in connexion with unusually rich facilities
of water and land communication. — for the absence of
other valuable minerals. Some of the more elevated
parts of the parish — including not only eminences, but
such stretches of territory as permit a tourist or tra-
veller to move along and possess a continuous en-
joyment of the intellectual treat — are hung round by
a panorama of no common beauty. The view from
the manse and churchyard of Falkirk, is noticed by
Sir Walter Scott, as one of the finest in Scotland.
From this point, or from other places northward and
north-westward of the town, a luxuriant country,
12 or 14 miles square, spreads out before the eye, al-
most luscious in the beauties of its vegetation, dotted
with mansions and rural spires, picturesquely chequer-
ed in its tracery by the tall masts and the intricate
rigging of ships passing along the canal or harbourec
at Grangemouth, intersected by the opening estuar)
of the frith of Forth bearing along its sail-clad ships
or its smoking steamers, and shut in by the fine out-
line of the Ochil hills, over whose summits look u{
in the far distance the cloud- wreathed or snow-cap-
ped tops of some Highland mountains. When thii
prospect is mantled in the darkness of night, crimsoi
FALK1RK.
517
id lurid flashes bursting fitfully up from the Carron
iron-works, give it an aspect like that of beauty
conflicting with death; and, when refracted by a
thick and moist atmosphere, or borne down by a
pressure of clouds, assume by turns a majestic, or
a sublime and awful appearance. A hill on the
grounds of Mr. Forbes of Callendar, a little to the
south-east of Falkirk, commands a prospect scarcely
inferior in beauty, and considerably greater in extent,
and one which Bruce, the traveller to the sources of
the Nile, declared to be finer than any which he had
seen in the whole course of his wanderings The
Carron works, though not in the parish, stand close
on its boundary, not 2 miles distant from the town,
and have an intimate connexion with both its popu-
lation and its interior trade. See CARRON. The
principal estate is that of CALLENDAR: which see.
The Forth and Clyde canal commences at the north-
east limit of the parish at Grangemouth; runs south-
westward past Grahamston and Camelon ; is carried
over the Glasgow and Edinburgh north road, at the
latter place, by a short and low-arched aqueduct ; now
bends westward till it nearly touches Bonny water,
the boundary-line of the parish, at Bonny mill ; and
thence runs south-westward along the bank of Bonny
water till it enters Dumbartonshire at Woodneuk ;
thus intersecting the parish at its greatest length,
and describing a course through it of 9 miles. About
4£ miles from its commencement, at a point where
it has been raised by 16 locks from the level of the
sea, it sends off, on its south side, the Edinburgh
Union canal. The latter, immediately on retiring,
describes the arc of a circle, and over that arc is lift-
ed up by a rapid series of locks, which have a shelv-
ing appearance, along the face of the gentle and
curved acclivity ; it then runs a mile eastward, pene-
trates the body of a hill, and passes through it in a
tunnel upwards of half-a-mile in length ; and after
E;her course of 1£ mile, first south-eastward, and
eastward, passes away into Polmont. See ar-
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL, and UNION CANAL.
e Edinburgh and Glasgow railway also inter-
the parish, and will send off a branch to Fal-
kirk ; and it is in contemplation to carry a line of
railroad from Falkirk to Stirling: see article EDIN-
BURGH AND GLASGOW RAILWAY. The north road
between Edinburgh and Glasgow stretches nearly due
east and west 6 miles within the limits of the parish,
and goes through Laurieston, Falkirk, and Camelon.
At the last of these places, the road to Stirling
branches off, but runs along only 1£ mile before pass-
ing into Larbert. Other roads are so numerous and
intricately ramified that to trace them would be in-
sufferably tedious. The towns or villages, besides
the burgh of Falkirk, and its suburb of Grahamston,
are, GRANGEMOUTH, CAMELON, LAURIESTON, and
BRAINSFORD : which see. Population of the parish,
in 1801, 8,838; in 1831, 12,743. Houses 1,646.
Assessed property, in 1815, £22,298.
In the barony of Seabegs, in this parish, are several
of those artificial earthen mounds, called moats, which
occur in so many localities in Scotland, and were an-
ciently the seats of justiciary courts and deliberative
assemblies. In various places, urns filled with ashes,
and stone coffins containing human bones, have been
dug up; and in the hollow of a free-stone quarry near
Castlecary, some wheat was found, 70 years ago, which
had become black, and was supposed to have lain
concealed from the period of the Roman possession.
In several parts of the parish are traces of ANTONI-
NUS' WALL : which see. From the line of this wall,
nearly opposite Callendar house, an earthen wall of
considerable height and thickness, without a fosse —
broad at the top, and designed apparently to be both
a road and a line of defence — branches off eastward,
runs through West Quarter house garden, and passes
away toward the old castle of Almond. Though it
can hardly, if at all, be traced beyond that castle, it
may be presumed to have originally extended to the
Roman camp in Linlithgow, on the spot which after-
wards became the site of the royal palace. Old
Camelon — houses and streets of which were traceable
at a comparatively late date — was anciently a Roman
town ; and is even spoken of — fabulously, we suspect
— as the scene of opulence and royal adornings at the
period when the Romans took possession : see CA-
MELON. The parish of Falkirk is notable in history
as the scene of two important battles. The first
battle of Falkirk was fought on the 22d of July,
1298, between Scottish and English armies, headed
respectively by Sir William Wallace, the guardian
of Scotland, and Edward I. of England. The Scot-
tish army, consisting of 30,000 men, collected by
Wallace and other chiefs, took post somewhat more
than half-a-mile north of the town of Falkirk, to
await the approach of the English ; and were drawn
up in three — the English writers say four — divi-
sions of a circular form, with their spears advanced
horizontally, and with intermediate lines or bodies of
archers. While Wallace had the chief command,
Sir John Comyn of Badenoch, Sir John Stewart of
Bonkill, Sir John Graham of Abercorn, and Macduff,
the uncle of the Earl of Fife, shared his responsibili-
ties, and appeared with him in the field. The Eng-
lish army, amounting, according to some accounts,
to 86,000 foot, but really consisting of a conjectural
number of infantry, and a fine body of veteran caval-
ry, who constituted the main strength, advanced in
three great bodies ; the first led by the Earl Marshal
and the Earls of Hereford and Lincoln, the second
by the Bishop of Durham and Sir Ralph Basset de
Drayton, and the third — which was probably intend-
ed as a corps de reserve — by King Edward in per-
son. A morass which was in front of the Scottish
army, but is now drained by the canal, considerably
embarrassed the English in their attack The first
division, advancing with great ardour, became mo-
mentarily embarrassed, and found that they could not
rush onward to the front of the foe ; but, turning to
the left they found firm ground, and ran down upon
the Scottish army's flank. The second division,
more wary of the ground, and hurried on by the im-
petuosity of Sir Ralph Basset, their commander,
assailed the left wing of the Scots almost at the mo-
ment of the first division charging the right. The
Scots made so brave a resistance that the English,
depending mainly on their cavalry, could not, for
some time, make any impression; but eventually
they were thrown into disorder, and subjected to
fearful carnage. Stewart and his division were sur-
rounded ; and, after a gallant defence, both the com-
mander and the most of his troops were hewn down.
Wallace, for a brief period, continued the combat
against the whole power of the enemy ; till seeing
himself about to be attacked in the rear and sur-
rounded, he retreated with such valour and military
skill as to cross the Carron, at a ford near Arthur &
Oven, in view of the victorious army. Though no
monuments exist on the field, there are two in its
vicinity. On the summit of a hill, a mile south-east
of Callendar wood, stands a stone 3 feet high, 1£
broad, and 3 inches thick, called Wallace' stone, com-
manding a full prospect of the field of action at the
distance of two miles, and probably marking the spot
on which Wallace took post previous to the battle.
In the churchyard of Falkirk, is the gravestone of
Sir John Graham, who fell in the action, and who, as
well as Sir John Stewart, was buried in the cemetery.
The gravestone has been trebly renovated ; or rather
there arc three superincumbent stones, each of the
518
FALKIRK.
upper ones being a copy of the one beneath it. On
all are the following inscriptions :
" Mcnte manuqite potens, Vallae fidiis Achates,
Couditur hie Gramus, bello interfectus «h Anglis.
xxii. Julii, auno 1298."
" Heir lyes Sir John the Grame, baith wight and wise
Ane of the chiefs who reschexvit Scotland thrice.
Ane better knight Hot to the world was lent,
Nor was gude Grame of truth and hardimeut."
The second battle of Falkirk was fought on the
17th of January, 1746, between 6,000 of the royal
troops, and about an equal or probably superior number
of the troops of Prince Charles Edward. While the
Pretender invested Stirling, Lieutenant-general Haw-
ley, at the head of the small royal army, marched from
Edinburgh to relieve the castle ; and arriving at Fal-
kirk, he encamped between the town and the former
field of battle, intending to wait there till he should
obtain sufficient intelligence for the effective arrange-
ment of his operations. His antagonists, so far from
being intimidated by his approach, resolved to attack
him in his camp ; and, marching from their rendezvous,
adroitly used such stratagems to divert and deceive
the royal troops, that they were about to cross the
Carron at Dunipace, before they were perceived.
Hawley, the commander, was not at the moment in
his camp ; but, finding his troops formed on his hur-
ried arrival from the vicinity, and seeing the High-
land infantry rapidly marching toward a hill upwards
of a mile south-west of his position, and about a mile
due south of the aqueduct bridge since erected, he
ordered his dragoons, consisting of three regiments, to
take possession of the hill, and • commanded his in-
fantry to follow. The Highlanders won the race,
which was now run for the occupancy of the vantage-
ground, and drew up in a battle-array of two lines,
with a reserve in the rear. The royal troops, mak-
ing the most of their circumstances, formed in two
lines along a ravine in front of the enemy ; but, owing
to the convexity of the ground, saw their antagonist
force, and were seen in their turn, only in the cen-
tral part of the line. Their dragoons were on the
left, commanded by Hawley in person, and stretch-
ing parallel to more than two-thirds of the enemy's
position ; and their infantry were on the right, partly
in rear of the cavalry, and outlined by two regiments
the enemy's left. The armies standing within 100
yards of each other, both unprovided on the spot
with artillery, Hawley ordered his dragoons to ad-
vance, sword in hand. Meeting with a warm recep-
tion, several companies, after the first onset, and re-
ceiving a volley at the distance of 10 or 12 paces,
wheeled round, and galloped out of sight, disordering
the infantry and exposing their left flank by the flight.
The Highlanders taking advantage of the confusion,
outflanked the royal forces, rushed down upon them
with the broad sword, compelled them to give way,
and commenced a pursuit. The king's troops were
greatly incommoded by a tempest of wind and rain
from the south-west, which disturbed their vision
and wetted their gunpowder, but did not annoy their
antagonists ; and, but for the spirited exertions of two
unbroken regiments and a rally of some scattered
battalions, who checked the pursuers, they would
have been entirely routed. Prince Charles with his
army remained during the night at Falkirk, and next
day returned to Bannockburn. Hawley's total loss in
killed, was 12 officers and 55 privates, and in killed,
wounded, and missing, 280. Among the persons of
rank who were left dead on the field, were Sir Ro-
bert Munro of Foulis, Bart., and his brother Duncan,
a physician. They were buried beside each other in
the churchyard of Falkirk, and commemorated in a
superb monument erected over their ashes, and in- '
scribed with a succinct statement of the cireumstan*
ces of their death.
Falkirk is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, and
synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £339 4s. 2d. ; glebe £20. Unap.
propriated teinds £1,474 18s. Id. Inconsiderably
populated parts of the parish, quoad civilia, are annex-
ed quoad sacra to the parishes of Slamannan and
Cumbernauld. The parish-church was built in 1811 ;
sittings 1,300 In 1838, a church connected with
the Establishment was erected at Grangemouth,
wholly at the expense of Lord Dundas. Sittings,
about 700. In the same year, from £1,300 to £1,400
had been raised toward the erection of three other
churches, respectively at Laurieston, Camelon, and
Brainsford ; all of which were designed to have an-
nexed to them quoad sacra parochial territories.
That at Laurieston was planned to accommodate 800
sitters, and those of Camelon and Brainsford, about
1,700. — The Relief congregation was established in
1770. The present church was built in 1800, at a
cost of from £1,400 to £1,500. Sittings 1,230.
Stipend £170, with about £10 sacramental expen-
ses, and a manse and garden, worth from £15 to £20.
The congregation has a library of upwards of 1,000
volumes. — The first United Secession congregation
was established in 1 742-3, and their present place of
worship built in 1818 or 1820. Sittings 1,258. Sti-
pend £160, with a manse worth about £15. The
congregation has a library. — The second United Se-
cession congregation was established in 1782. The
church was built in 1806, at a cost of £850 exclusive
of the materials of the old church. Sittings 580.
Stipend £145, with a manse and garden The con-
gregation of Original Burghers was established in
1804, and their church built in 1811. Sittings 566.
Stipend not known. — The Reformed Presbyterian
congregation was established about the year 1787.
The church was built in 1788, at an expense of pro-
bably about £300. Sittings nearly 300. Stipend
£85, with between £2 and £3 sacramental expenses,
and a manse and garden — The first Baptist congrega-
tion in Falkirk, was established before the year 1808.
Their place of meeting is a house built for public
worship, and rented at £6. Sittings 300. Stipend
£50. The minister is chiefly salaried, and much
employed, as a home missionary. — The Scotch In-
dependent congregation was established about the
year 1832, and meets in a school-house rented at £2.
Sittings about 60 The second Baptist congregation
of Falkirk consists of about 12 members, and meets
in a house which they have fitted up as a place of wor-
ship.— The Baptist congregation of Grangemouth
consists of about 10 members. A Roman Catholic
place of worship was built in 1839. — There are two
parochial schools, one of them English, and the other
classical. The master of the former — which was estab-
lished in 1835 — has £34 besides fees, which, during
the 7 months succeeding the commencement of the
school, amounted to £24; and the master of the lat-
ter, who employs an assistant, has £17 2s. 2^d. sala-
ry, with £35 fees, and £8 6s. 8d. other emoluments.
There are 33 schools not parochial, conducted by 39
teachers, and attended by a maximum of 1,774 scho-
lars. One of them is a charity school ; 7 are held
in the evening; 12 are situated in Falkirk, 7 at
Grahamston, 2 at Brainsford, 4 at Grangemouth,
3 at Laurieston, 2 at Camden, 1 at Bonnybridge, 1
at Craigieburn, and 1 at Glenburn.
Large as the parish of Falkirk still is, it was for-
merly so extensive as to include the present parishes
of Denny, Slamannan, Muiravonside and Polmont.
All of these, except the last, must have been detach-
ed from it at a very early period ; and Polmont was
detached in 1 724. When the estate of Callendar was
FALK1RK.
519
gold after its confiscation in 1715, such tithes as
were not made part of it, were conveyed under the
stipulation that they should be subject to the stipend
of a minister for a new parish to be detached from
Falkirk. Polmont accordingly draws stipend from
the parishes both of Falkirk and of Denny, in which
the estate is situated.
FALKIRK, a parliamentary burgh, the capital of
the eastern part of Stirlingshire, and a town of con-
siderable importance, is situated in 55° 59' north la-
titude, and 3° 44' longitude west of Greenwich; 11
miles east of Stirling, 24 east by north of Glasgow,
and 24 west of Edinburgh. It stands, as to its main
body, on a gently rising ground, dotted round in its
environs with neat and beautiful villas, and sending
off in different directions two elongated and thin
suburbs. Seen from the soft eminences to the north
and north-west, it presents, with its fine spire
and its thick grouping of buildings, a beautiful fore-
ground to the brilliant and fascinating landscape over i
which it presides ; but, when entered, the town is i
far from being in general of a pleasing aspect. An
utter want of uniformity or neatness or tastefulness
in its buildings, the absence of all spaciousness and
plan in the arrangement of its streets, and a deficien-
cy in the indications of enterprise and refinement in
the number or architecture of its public edifices, de-
preciate it as a town far below the importance which
belongs to it as a market, and as the seat of a great
population. Its High-street, or main street, indeed,
Is, over most of its length, of half-a-mile from east to
west, wide and airy, — and has, in its wide parts, large
houses and good shops, — and, about its middle, sends
back in one side a recess in which stands the town-
hall ; but even this is uniform in nothing, mean in
some of its edifices, constantly changeful in its
breadth, and destitute ot the trivial grace of straight-
ness. Over nearly half its length, from a little west
of its middle eastward, the sides of this street are
subtended by mimic crowds of tiny streets, which
pressing in upon it at various angles of junction, or of
divergency from parallelism, — though they do give the
town an extreme breadth of not more than 300 yards
— occasion more serious perplexity to a stranger than
he feels in two-thirds of the far-spreading New town
of Edinburgh. The branch-streets, and their diver-
gent and intersecting alleys, are no fewer than about
20 in number, several of them only about 100 yards
in length, some of them not more than about 60
yards ; and, with scarcely an exception, they are con-
fined, narrow, unpleasing thoroughfares. An area,
however, at the west end of the clustered part of the
town, and graced with the stately form of the parish-
church, fully partakes the airy appearance of the prin-
cipal part ot the High-street. But the town, properly
viewed, is quite as remarkable for the straggling ex-
tension of its limbs away among cornfields, and an
open agricultural territory, as for the squeezing up
of its main body within oriental street limits. Both
the east and the west ends of its High-street are, in
fact, solitary street lines which look as if they were
wandering away from the town with which they com-
municate. Another thoroughfare, called Kerse-lane,
after being reached by angular turnings, or irregular
uebouchings through the north wing of the town,
straggles away in utter loneliness upwards of £ of a
mile on the road to Grangemouth. But, more sur-
prising than all, a thoroughfare leading due north
from the area at the middle of the High-street, runs
onward to fully the distance of a mile 3£ times the
length of the body or compact part of the town, and
<) tunes its breadth ; and this enormous elongation,
ovvr two-thirds of its way, is but a solitary street,
anu over the other third, which is the central one,
sends off branch streets averaging not more than 160
yards in length. The extreme third of it begins on
the north side of the canal, and is the village or
suburb of Brainsford, and the central third is the vil-
lage or suburb of Grahamstown. These suburbs owe
their rise to their being on the road to the great iron
works of Carron, leading down on the one side from
these works, and on the other from Falkirk to the
most convenient point on the canal. At Brainsford
a basin projects out from the canal ; and a railway
communication comes up to this from the iron-works.
On the other or Grahamstown side of the canal, are
the premises of the Falkirk foundry. Grahamstown,
had it occupied an independent position, or been un-
associated as a suburb with a town of utterly irregu-
lar arrangement, would have been a village of pleas-
ing aspect, presenting, in its uniformity of plan, and
the spaciousness of its street called the Avenue, and
the villa form of several of its houses, a neat and or-
derly appearance. The steeple of the Town-hall in
the central area or market-place of Falkirk, was built
about 30 years ago, is 130 feet high, and presents
much elegance of outline. The parish-church, with
its Gothic windows, would be a finer fabric, had it
such an accompaniment in the form of tower or
steeple as should be in keeping with its own style.
Falkirk has branch-offices of the bank of Scotland,
the National bank, the Clydesdale bank, and the
Commercial bank of Scotland ; public reading rooms ;
public libraries ; a school of arts ; a geological socie-
ty ; and several friendly societies.
Falkirk is not, in the strict sense, a manufacturing
town. Its principal manufacture appears to be
leather ; but even this is not of considerable extent.
The town has no factories, but, in 1838, it had 180
hand-looms for the weaving of cottons. The foun-
dry at Grahamstown, the basin and railway termi-
nus at Brainsford, a distillery half-a-mile farther
down the canal, intermediate extensive corn-mills,
and a yard for the repair of barges and boats, em-
ploy many persons, and occasion stir and an appear-
ance of prosperity in the suburbs. But the grand
importance of Falkirk consists subordinately in its
being the depot of the internal trade for a consider-
able circumjacent district, and primely in its having
great fairs or ' trysts ' — the greatest in Scotland, and
probably in Great Britain — for the exposure and
sale of black cattle, sheep, and horses. The trysts
are held thrice a-year, on the 2d Tuesday of August,
the 2d Monday of September, the 2d Monday of
October, and following days, generally for three
days at a time. Pennant mentions that the number
of cattle yearly exposed for sale at these trysts,
when he visited Scotland in 1772, amounted to
24,000. Dr. Graham, in his ' View of the Agricul-
ture of Stirlingshire,' published in 1812, states that
at the first or August tryst there are generally ex-
hibited from 5,000 to 6,000 black cattle; at the
September tryst about 15,000 black cattle, and
15,000 sheep ; and at the October tryst from 25,000
to 30,000, and even 40,000 black- cattle, and about
25,000 sheep. At the last two trysts, especially at
that of October, a great number of horses are also
exposed to sale. " Thus it appears," says Dr. Gra-
ham, "that there are annually exhibited at these
trysts above 50,000 black cattle, together with about
40,000 sheep. Taking the former at the moderate
average value of £8, and the latter at that of 15s.
each, the value of the whole will amount to £430,000.
An intelligent friend who lives near the spot calcu-
lates that 50,000 black cattle are exposed to sale at
the last two trysts alone ; and he estimates on good
ground that the total value of the cattle bought and
sold at these trysts must amount to half-a-million
sterling. All the black cattle brought to these mar-
kets are lean stock intended for wintering. But the
520
FALKIRK.
number, it is remarked, has of late been diminishing,
owing to many dealers being now in the habit of
driving their own cattle to England instead of dis-
posing of them at these fairs to English dealers,
who are the principal purchasers." The remark,
however, is -not confirmed by the later accounts
which we have received. A correspondent in Fal-
kirk who has good opportunities of being acquainted
with the amount of business transacted at the trysts,
informs us that at the last October tryst (1840) not
fewer than from 80,000 to 90,000 black cattle, and
and from 90,000 to 100,000 sheep appeared upon the
ground. This number, indeed, was rather greater
than that which is usually exposed to sale, but the
same correspondent informs us that at least 300,000
head of cattle appear at the various trysts through-
out the year. We give this statement as sent us,
without pledging ourselves to its perfect accuracy.
Our correspondent, though he may have somewhat
overrated the numbers, has, we believe, good oppor-
tunities of being well-informed on the subject. Nor
can there be any doubt that the number of cattle
brought to this great fair is immense. For many
days previous to the two last trysts, all the highways
which lead from the north to the trysting-ground
exhibit, from morning to night, an almost uninter-
rupted line of sheep and oxen. As an instance
of their multitudinousness our informant mentions
that a few years ago some unexpected obstacle
having presented itself at the St. Ninian's toll-bar
to the passing of the droves, the whole line of road
northward from that point as far as to Sheriffmuir,
a distance of not less than 5 or 6 miles, was, in the
course of a few hours, completely blocked up. The
stir which the trysts occasion in the neighbourhood
may readily be conceived to be very great. The
inns at and around Falkirk are completely occupied
for several days before each market. Not less than
a hundred large and commodious tents are erected
on the ground for the purpose of affording refresh-
ments to the crowds which resort thither, and
agents of the principal banks in Scotland always at-
tend for the purpose of facilitating monetary trans-
actions. The ground on which the Falkirk trysts
are held is about 3 miles to the north-west of the
town, on a large uncultivated field called Stenhouse-
muir, on the estate of Stenhouse, and in the parish
of Larbert. They have been held here since about
the year 1775. Before that time the trysts were
held for many years on the Bonnymoor, about 4
miles to the west of Falkirk ; and at a still more
remote period they were held on the Reddingrig-
moor, still a large uncultivated piece of ground, on
an elevation in which a monument to Sir William
Wallace was erected in 1810.
Falkirk is a town of considerable antiquity, and
the site of one of those military stations on the
Roman wall, known by the name of the Forts of
Agricola, — hence a number of the relics of the
Roman people have been found from time to time in
that place and the neighbourhood. About thirty years
ago there were discovered at Parkhouse, about a
quarter of a mile to the north-west of Falkirk, two
urns containing human bones, which bore evident
marks of having been subjected to the action of tire:
these must have been Roman, for no other people
ever possessed this country with whom incremation
was a customary practice. About ten or twelve
years ago a number of fragments *of earthenware
were dug up in a garden in the Pleasance of Falkirk,
and among them one vessel, round the margin of
which the word ' Nocturna,' was legible ; they were
generally unglazed, of a white or brown colour, and
Home ornamented with raised figures on the outer
surface. A piece of ornamental brass, that apparently
had been used as the top of a flag-staff, was also dia
covered near Camelon, by workmen employed i
digging the foundations of a distillery — It is sup
posed to have once been wholly comprehended witliii
the ancient barony of Callendar. After having be
come dependant first on the see of St. Andrews, an
next on the abbey of Holyrood, its lands came t
be included in the extensive barony and lordship o
Kerse, belonging to this abbey, which was, in 1395
erected by Robert III. into a free regality. At th
Reformation, the monastry of Holyrood feued out it
temporal possessions to Sir John Bellendean, Lord
justice-clerk, whose son, Sir Lewis, obtained in 158
a Crown-charter from James VI. of these acquisi
tions, which were constituted into the new baron
of Broughton. The barony of Kerse, called Abbots
Kerse, comprehending the lands of Falkirk, and th
patronage of the church, was included in this ne\
barony. In 1606, Sir Lewis Bellendean conveye
the lands of Falkirk to his brother-in-law, Alexander
7th Lord Livingstone, who possessed the barony o
Callendar. The family of Livingstone obtained th
barony of Callendar in the reign of David II. Par
of the town of Falkirk held of this family. In 1601
James VI. granted a charter of novo damus in favou
of Alexander Lord Livingstone, of the barony
Callendar, in which the town of Falkirk was erectei
into a free burgh-of-barony, with privileges of mer
chandise and artificers, as in other free burghs, an
with power to Lord Livingstone of creating bur
gesses, holding weekly markets, having two fair
annually, of electing bailies and other officers for th
government of the burgh, and of holding courts withii
the burgh. This charter also contained a grant o
regality, but which it was provided should evacuat
on payment of £10,000, said to be due to Lord Liv
ingstone by the Crown. In 1634 Alexander, Earl o
Linlithgow, granted the barony of Callendar to hi
brother, Sir James Livingstone, who was created b;
Charles I. successively Lord Almond and Falkirk
and Earl of Callendar. In 1637 the Bishop of Edin
burgh, to whose see the possessions of the abbots o
Holyrood had been annexed, with consent of hi
dean and chapter — the minister of Falkirk being on<
of his prebendaries — conveyed to Lord Almond, b;
charter of Novo damus, the whole barony of Falkirk
with all the feudal casualties and powers formerl;
held by the abbots of Holyrood. This charter con
firmed the grant of Alexander Earl of Linlithgow tc
Lord Almond, and conveyed a power to the grantee
of bailiary and justiciary, &c. In 1646 the Earl o
Callendar obtained a charter from the Crown, erect-
ing his estates, including the baronies of Callendai
and Falkirk, into a free regality, to be called the re
gality of Callendar, with the usual powers and privi
leges. By this charter, the town of Falkirk, as wel
that part of it which from ancient times was held o
the abbots of Holyrood as the remaining part of tin
town which was from ancient times part of tfo
barony of Callendar, is united and erected into on'
whole and free burgh-of-regality, to be called th
burgh of Falkirk. Power is given to build a cour
and prison, to erect a market-cross, to elect an
name bailies and other magistrates, to create fre
burgesses, with liberty to them to sell all stapl
goods and others imported from within or withou
the kingdom, and generally to exercise all the privi
leges of a burgh of regality. There is also a grar
of two weekly market-days and four free fairs, wit
power to the earl and his bailies to draw the cu.<
toms of the fairs and markets, and to apply them *
they think proper. This charter was ratified b
parliament, March 27th, 1647 ; but the ratiticatio
is now lost. The estate of Callendar, on the earl
resignation, passed to Alexander Lord Livingstom
FAL
521
FAL
nephew, who, in 1663, obtained a charter from
Charles II., which recites the charter of Charles I.,
niil besides conferring various privileges, and con-
stituting the whole estates of the grantee into an
earidom, it of new erects the town of Falkirk, with
tlu- pertinents thereof, into a free burgh-of-regality,
with all the privileges in the charter recited. The
town continued to hold of the family of Livingstone
till the attainder, in 1715, of the Earl of Linlithgow
and Callendar. During the time of the estate of
Callendar being held by the York buildings' com-
pany, then- was always a resident baron-bailie ; and,
after it was acquired by Mr. Forbes, a person con-
tinued to be appointed by him to that office till
about the end of the last century. Since then the
office has been vacant, and the old barony jail was
allowed to go to ruin, and afterwards removed.
The management of the affairs of the town and com-
munity became now vested in two separate bodies,
the stent-masters and the committee of feuars. The
stint-masters are a very ancient body, and their re-
cords go back more than 150 years. They are elect-
ed annually, and are 24 in number: four being chosen
by the merchants, two by each of the trades of ham-
mermen, wrights, weavers, shoemakers, masons, tai-
bakers, and brewers, and four from the suburbs
le town. Every person who carries on business
ly of these trades is qualified to vote for and be
ted a stent-master of his craft. After election
the >tent-masters name out of their body a preses
and treasurer, and they have also a clerk. The
stent-masters are the governing body in the town,
and their powers are founded on immemorial usage.
They have no jurisdiction, however, and apply to
the sheriff by ordinary action, in name of their preses
and treasurer, to have their decreets enforced ; and,
it is said, that judge has uniformly supported their
authority. The committee of feuars is of more re-
cent origin. The greater part of the town is held
feu of the estate of Callendar. The feuars had by
their titles generally a right of pasturage, and of feal
and divot, and quarrying stones in the muir of Fal-
kirk. But a declarator of division of the commonty
having been brought by the proprietor of Callendar,
the feuars obtained by a decree of the court of ses-
sion, in return for a renunciation of their rights
of property, commonty, or servitude in the muir,
certain important privileges and immunities. Since
the date of this decree the feuars have held meetings
parate body. They elect a preses, treasurer,
and clerk, and keep a record of their proceedings.
The property of the town consists of its water-
works and wells ; of a piece of land called the wash-
ing-green ; of Callendar riggs, extending to about an
acre, on which the markets are held; of the customs
of the town, formerly levied by the superior ; and
of tiie town's steeple, with a shop under it. The
debts of the town amount to about £1,700, bor-
rowed on bills granted by the preses and treasurer
of thy stent-masters. This debt has been contracted
principally on account of the town's water- works and
the steeple, to erecting which the feuars contributed
•O»o. The revenue arises chiefly from an assess-
ment collected from the inhabitants under the name
ut strut, or svater-money, amounting to about £200
per annum. The town draws besides £14 per an-
num for the shop under the steeple. The annual
expenditure is estimated at £174 2s. The powers
of th<: stent-masters extend over the regality, which
includes some arable land, but excludes the suburbs
of Grahamstown, Brainsford, &c., which are compre-
hended within the parliamentary boundary. The
stent has never been levied in these suburbs ; but
this has not proceeded, it is said, from any opposi-
tion being apprehended to its payment, but because
the inhabitants have not the benefit of the water, on
which account it is chiefly levied. There is no
burgh-jurisdiction of any sort; but justice- of- peace
courts for the district are held in the town once
a-month. There is no corporation or persons now
possessed of exclusive privileges. During the exis-
tence of the regality powers in the family of Living-
stone, burgesses were created, and corporations of
craftsmen erected. The burgesses were admitted
by the superior himself, who subscribed the burj
A* »l A. MM. _ „ A! ^ 1 111
ticket. The corporations appear to have had char-
ters from the superior, one of which to the hammer-
men, dated 1st July, 1689, is still extant, granting
them exclusive privileges, and giving power to choose
a deacon and box-master. These privileges are now
obsolete, and the only remnant of the privileges of
the corporations is their voice, as separate bodies, in
choosing the stent-masters. By the Act 3 and 4
William IV. c. 77, the town of Falkirk has obtained
a municipal constitution. The council consists of
twelve, viz., a provost, three bailies, a treasurer, and
seven councillors. There is no local statute provid-
ing for the police of the town, and it has not yet
thought tit to take advantage of the general police act
lately passed. There is a police-constable appointed
by the sheriff of the county ; and a sheriff-substitute,
and the procurator-fiscal for the eastern district of
Stirlingshire reside in Falkirk. On any emergency
the inhabitants watch the town, under the name of
the town-guard. There is no jail in the town, and
the nearest one is that of Stirling. Falkirk unites
with Linlithgow, Hamilton, Lanark, and Airdrie, in
returning a member to parliament.
FALKLAND,* a parish in the Cupar district of
Fifeshire, about 5 miles in length from east to west,
and about 2£ miles in breadth from north to south at
its two extremities, but about 3£ miles in breadth at the
centre. It is bounded by the parishes of Portmoak,
Leslie, and Markinch on the south ; by those of
Markinch and Kettle on the east ; by Kettle and
Strathmiglo on the north; and by the parish of
Strathmiglo on the west. The surface is beauti-
fully diversified ; and in many places finely orna-
mented with wood. At the north, near the Eden,
there is a considerable tract of level ground, which
ascends as we proceed south, until it rises into the
East Lomond hill, and the high ridge which connects
it with the West Lomond ; and on the south of this
range it descends until it joins the parish of Leslie;
but the lowest elevation of the southern part of the
parish is considerably above that of the northern por-
tion near the Eden. In the general landscape of this
portion of the county, the range of the Lomonds,
with the two lofty peaks which form their eastern
and western terminations, are beautiful and interest-
ing features ; and the different views from their sum-
mits are extensive and finely diversified. The height
of the East Lomond hill in this parish, as ascertained
by the Trigonometrical survey made under the direc-
* "The name of this place," says Dr. Jamieson, [' Royal
Palace* <>f Scotland,' Edn. 1830, p. 21),] "• apparently claims a
Gothic origin. It may have been formerly known in. in some
celebrated breed of kawks, q. Falcon-land; from Suio-Gothic
Jalk, A. S. veaUi, Teut. valck, a species of hawk. This, how-
ever, must be left as uncertain, because of the variations in the
orthography of names: for this is not only written Falkland,
FnH'kttiHd, Funk/and, and, by Irvin, Falcoland ; but in a char-
ter of Malcolm IV. A. 1KU). mention is made of Scradimigglock,
Falecklen, lludknlit, and Cuttel, in which forms the names of
Strathmitflo, Falkla-id, Rathiilet, and Kettle, appear." An-
i-iently the name of this pari*h was Kilgour ; arising either
from the lands of Kilgour, about a mile tr»m the burgh of
Falkland, where the church originally stood, or from the name
ivert to the church and now preserved by these land.s. The
origin of the word Kilgour is not very obvious ; but Kit-our in
the Celtic means • the Yellow church.' The name of the parish
M- MI» to have been changed about the time that the church was
trai^t'erred trmn it^ old site to its present, within the burgh of
Falkland.
522
FALKLAND.
tion of the Board of Ordnance, is 1,466 feet above
the level of the sea, and 255 feet lower than the sum-
mit of the West Lomond in the parish of Strathmiglo :
see article THE LOMONDS. The parish is well-pro- ,
vided with roads, there being 6 miles, 1,330 yards of |
turnpike-roads ; and 9 miles, 196 yards of statute-la-
bour roads, within it. — Of the ancient forest of Falk-
land, in which the Scottish kings so often enjoyed
the pleasures of the chase, nothing now remains, ex-
cept the natural wood at Drumdreel in the neigh-
bouring parish of Strathmiglo. It had been carefully
preserved, so long as Falkland remained a royal resi-
dence ; but it is probable that after the departure of
James VI. to England, less care had been taken of
it. It was utterly destroyed, however, in 1652, by
Cromwell, who ordered the trees to be cut down,
for the purpose of their being used in the construc-
tion of the fort he erected at Dundee.. " This yeare,"
says Lamont, " the English beganne to cutt downe
Fackland wood; the most pairt of the tries were
oakes." — About a mile west of Falkland, amidst plea-
sant and well- wooded enclosures, is Nuthill, the re-
sidence of Mr. Bruce. Farther west is Kilgour,
where the old church once stood, also the property
of Mr. Bruce. On the south side of the Lomorids,
and at the west end of the parish, a lead-mine was
at one time worked, and silver extracted from the
ore, but it has been long given up. As to this mine,
George Buist, Esq., in an essay on the Geology of !
Fife, quoted by Mr. Leighton, says : " After a minute
and laborious inquiry, I was enabled to reach the
site of the East Lomond silver-mine, — for as such it
was worked, tlie galena being argentiferous. The
vein, which is externally covered over with earth,
seems to cut the sandstone and limestone which there
prevail from north-west to south-east. Judging from
the aspect of the rubbish still existing, the veinstone
seems to have been hornstone, or other siliceous mat-
ter. The mine was worked about sixty years since
at the expense of the then proprietor, Mr. Stewart
of East Conland, under the management of an Eng-
lishman of the name of Williamson. The water-
mine which drained it, is still visible, and the traces
of the workings are observable, partly obliquely by
the end and in front of the farm-house of the Hang-
ingmyre. Williamson seems to have been the Dous-
terswivel of his time, and managed to make the pro-
prietor take on himself the whole outlay, while he
appropriated all the returns. A considerable quan-
tity of metal was melted at temporary works erected
on the spot, and its silver said to have been extract-
ed. At length, under pretence that it would be
more profitable to transport the ore to England,
about 6 tons were sent to Perth for shipment ; and
Williamson himself absconded with the ore, leaving
his half-ruined employer unable to proceed farther
with the mining operations. It will thus be seen
that the lead-ore here has never yet been properly
searched for, or worked, and the mine may contain
metal worthy of more minute inquiry than has yet
been made with regard to it." — The population of
this parish in 1755, according to Dr. Webster, was
1,795. In 1801, it was 2,211 ; and in 1831, 2,658,
of whom about 2,100 are in connexion with the Es-
tablished church. Few parishes have made greater
advances in agricultural improvement than this. At
the time the first Statistical Account was written,
about one-half of the parish was pasture-ground ; but
since the division of the Lomonds, this is no longer
the case. The extensive drainage effected by the
late Mr. Bruce, and continued by his successor, has
reclaimed a great extent of ground ; and excellent
grain crops are now produced far up the Lomonds,
where formerly there was only pasture for sheep.
The soil of the parish is very varied; but through-
out the whole of the northern part of the
especially, it has been improved by draining and en-
closures. The valued rent of the parish is £5,82'
Scots. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,144 sterling
— A great part of the population in the town of Falk
land, and in the villages, are employed in the weavinj
of linen goods of different descriptions. Dowlas ant
sheeting are chiefly made for the manufacturers o
Dundee, Newburgh, Cupar, and Ceres; diaper am
towelling for the manufacturers of Dunfermline
and drills for those of Kirkcaldy arid Dysart. Then
are no manufacturers carrying on business on thei
own account in the town of Falkland; but on<
manufactures dowlas and sheeting in the village o
Newton of Falkland; and six are engaged in th<
manufacture of window-blinds in the village of Freu
chie — This parish is in the presbytery of Cupar, an<
Synod of Fife. Patron, Bruce of Falkland. Sti
pend £252 8s. 8d. ; glebe £18. Unappropriate<
teinds £842 18s. 3d. The church of Falkland is i
very old building, altered about 1770, situated ii
the principal street of the town ; sittings 687. Ther
is a Secession chapel in the village of FREUCHIE
[which see,] and a small Baptist meeting-house in th
town of Falkland. — The parish-school is in the towi
of Falkland ; and the average attendance of scholar
is about 100. The schoolmaster has the maximun
salary, and £20 per annum in place of a house an
garden. There are two unendowed schools in th
town ; and there is also a well-attended school in th
village of Freuchie.
This parish contains several objects of antiqua
rian interest, which Colonel Miller has endeavour
ed to connect with the movements of the Roma
and British armies previous to the battle of Mon
Grampius, which he supposes to have been fough
at Mearlsford. " The fortifications on East Lo
mond hill," he says, " have been perfected wit
great labour, and very considerable skill, althoug
the works are irregular. On the summit there ar
two works, 150 yards in circumference. There hav
been four defences on the north side, the lower ditc
of which is carried through the rock in one place
On the west side there is a ravelin which would no
disgrace a modern engineer ; and on tb-e south sid
there is a ditch about 100 yards below the summil
and nearly 200 yards long, which has either bee
filled in at the east end, or never finished. The re
mainder of it is about six feet deep, and the earth
thrown up in the inside to form a rampart, which
still in excellent preservation. Between the Eas
and West Lomonds, and about half-way below thes
summits, the ground presents the appearance of
plain, sloping gently towards the east, although ven
much broken. This, I conceive to have been th<
position of the Caledonians previous to the battle
This plain slopes gently down towards the neighbour
ing country on the south side, which is still very swam
py, and must then have been a bog, and impassable fo
an army. Along the edge of this bog there still exis
what appear to me to be very distinct traces of forti
fication, particularly at the farm of Glasslie, wher
there are the remains of three circular forts surround
ed by ditches, although much obliterated by th
plough. On the north side of the plain, a ledge c
rocks extends almost the whole way, which make
the position very strong on that side ; except on th
north side of the West Law, where there has been
slide of the mountain called the Hoglayers, by whic
I conceive the Caledonians descended to battle, i
mile west of Falkland also, there is a part of th
mountain called the Greenhill, which projects fror
the main ridge ; and between that and the East La1
the ground slopes gradually down to Falkland, whit1
renders the ascent on that side comparatively eas<
FALKLAND.
5-23
On the west side of the Greenhill there is also a nar-
row pass called the Arrities, on the west side of
which there is a chain of small circular forts amount-
ing to eight or nine ; and in the gorge between these
two there is an old fort in excellent preservation,
called the Maiden castle. It occupies an oval hill,
and is 400 yards in circumference. The ditch runs
round the base of it, and the earth is thrown out-
wards, owing to the steepness of the ground : the
scarp being in some places 20 feet high, and along the
northern brow of the hill there are traces of huts
having oeeri excavated. On the east side of the cas-
tle, and a considerable distance from it, there are five
or six small circular forts, some of which have been
built principally of stone." [' Inquiry on the Battle
of Mons Grampius,' pp. 17 — 22.] These various
works, Colonel Miller supposes to have been con-
structed when the Caledonians took up a position
here after their defeat at Lochore, and previous to
the great battle fought at Mearlsford. That they
are British forts there can be little doubt ; but whe-
ther they were all constructed at the period alluded
to, and for the purpose conjectured, or whether they
\u-fe constructed on different occasions and for other
purposes, it would be rash to decide — West of Falk-
land, and on the lands of Nuthill, are the remains of
extensive lines which the Colonel supposes had been
constructed by the Roman general previous to his
taking up his position in the camp at Pitlour. These
works were quite entire about 40 years ago. " The
only part of them now remaining is six ditches, an
hundred yards distant from the base of the hill. The
-t length of them is about 250 yards, but they
formerly extended about 50 yards farther east.
They lie upon the west end of a low ridge which
comes to a point ; and do not run parallel to each
jthei , but follow the nature of the ground, and ap-
Droximate towards the west ; several of them join ;
several of them are cut partly through rock, and are
.till about 20 feet deep, but were formerly much
nore. At their western extremity, a narrow valley
•uts the position obliquely, through which a brook
uns ; and only two ramparts have been carried across
his valley, apparently for the purpose of forming an
imndation. On the north side of this, three im-
lense ramparts, with corresponding ditches, extend-
d in a north-west direction about 800 yards. These
vere levelled about twenty-two years ago, but can
till be partially traced. In front of the existing
itches, which formed the centre of the position, but
little to the right, and resting apparently upon the
mndation, two parallel ditches and ramparts com-
icnced, and extending due east about 1,100 yards,
•nninated opposite the East Law near to Falkland ;
ut these works were not so large as the others, as
if ground was more favourable. These lines thus
'lined an obtuse angle with the right thrown back
oin the mountain, and they appear to have been
lite open to the rear. The centre is the weakest
>int, and the nearest to the mountain ; hence the
ctraordinary manner in which it has been fortified,
is evident they must have been occupied with re-
rence to an enemy on the mountain above them.
liis, I think, clearly appears from their proximity to
, from the defences being all on that side, and from
- being altogether a forced position, and possessing
> natural advantages. Hence the skill and extraor-
nary labour that have been required to make them
ieusible. As far as I am able to judge, it must
ive required the labour of as many hands as could
employed on them at least a fortnight."
! The town of Falkland stands at the north-east
j' se of the East Lomond hill, and consists of one
I incipal street, and some smaller streets and lanes.
' • * appearance, taken in connexion with the palace
and the church, is, notwithstanding some modern
buildings, antique, and its situation pleasant and
agreeable. This town was originally a burgh-of-
barony belonging to the Earls of Fife ; but it was
erected into a royal burgh in 1458, during the reign
of James II. The preamble to the charter of erec-
tion states as the reasons for granting it, the frequent
residence of the royal family at the manor of Falk-
land, and the damage and inconvenience sustained by
the many prelates, peers, barons, nobles, and others
of their subjects, who came to their country-seat, for
want of innkeepers and victuallers. This charter
was renewed by James VI. in 1595. Among the
privileges which these charters conferred, was the
right of holding a weekly market, and of having four
fairs or public markets annually. To the public
markets two others were subsequently added, — one
willed the lintseed market, held in Spring, and the
other the harvest market, held in Autumn. There
are now seven public markets held throughout the
year ; these occur in the months of January, February,
April, June, August, September, and November, and
are generally well-attended. Like the neighbouring
burgh of Auchtermuchty — although certainly entitled
originally to have done so — Falkland does not ap-
pear at any time to have exercised its right of
electing a member to the Scottish parliament ; conse-
quently its privileges were overlooked at the time ot
the Union ; but since the passing of the reform bill,
its inhabitants having the necessary qualification are
entitled to a vote in the election of a member for the
county. In all other respects, however, this burgh
enjoys the privileges of a royal burgh. It is govern-
ed by a town-council, consisting of 3 magistrates, 15
councillors, a treasurer, and a town-clerk. The
revenue of the burgh amounts, on an average of three
years, to about £60 yearly. The magistrates, be-
sides managing with the council the civil affairs of
the burgh, hold courts from time to time for the de-
cision of questions arising out of civil contracts, and
petty delicts. The town-house, which is ornament-
ed with a spire, was erected in 1802, and contains a
hall in which the burgh-courts and the meetings of
the town-council are held, and two rooms for a pri-
son, which, however, are but seldom used, except
for the temporary purpose of a lock-up-house. No
town probably in Scotland is better supplied with
spring- water. This was effected in 1781, by bring-
ing water from the neighbouring Lomonds by means
of pipes, and which is distributed by wells situated
in different parts of the burgh. This useful public
work cost about £400 sterling, and was executed
at the expense of the incorporation. There is no
guildry, neither are there any incorporated trades
within the burgh. — Although now little better than
a country village, Falkland must formerly have been
a place of great resort, and of considerable impor-
tance. The frequent residence of the royal family
at the palace, during the reigns of the three last
Jameses, brought — as we have seen — the nobility
and the wealthier of the lesser barons often to the
town, and many of them had residences within it or
in its immediate neighbourhood. A natural conse-
quence of this was, it may easily be supposed, the
superior refinement of the inhabitants; and 'Falkland
bred,' had become an adage. The superiority, how-
ever, of Falkland breeding is, like the former gran-
deur of the town and palace, now, alas ! among the
things that were.— At the distance of about a mile
to the east of the burgh, is the village of Newton-
of-Falkland, and about another mile farther east is
the village of Freuchie; both built on feus from
! William Johnston, Esq., of Lathrisk. Sergeant Span-
kie, who has long been eminent at the English bar
is a native of Falkland : his father having been minis-
524
FALKLAND.
ter of the parish. The name of Mrs. Brown, wife
of the Rev. Andrew Brown, also minister here, has
become well-known since the publication of ' the
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,' of Sir Walter
Scott, and the ' Popular Ballads and Songs' of Ro-
bert Jamieson, A.M., in consequence of the acknow-
ledgments by both these editors of the assistance they
received from that lady's great knowledge of the po-
pular poetry of Scotland. Richard Cameron, who for
a time acted a conspicuous part in the resistance to
Episcopacy in the reign of Charles II., was born in
Falkland, where his father was a merchant. He was
originally himself an Episcopalian, and acted as school-
master of the parish, and precentor to the curate.
He appears afterwards to have attended the preach-
ing of the indulged Presbyterians, but ultimately to
have joined the party who refused the indulgence,
and sought the glens and the lonely muirs for their
places of worship. He was licensed to preach by the
ousted ministers, and soon became a leader of the
high party. His preaching, though highly accept-
able to the people who followed him, became most
obnoxious to the Government ; and, in 1680, a re-
ward of 5,000 merks was offered for his apprehension.
He was killed at AIRDSMOSS, in Ayrshire, the same
year : see that article.
The lands of Falkland, including what now consti-
tutes the burgh, belonged originally to the Crown ;
and were obtained from Malcolm IV. by Duncan,
6th Earl of Fife, the fifth in descent from Macduff,
upon the occasion of his marriage with Ada, the
niece of the king. In the charter conferring them,
which is dated in 1160, the name is spelled " Faleck-
len." The lands of Falkland continued, with the
title and other estates, with the descendants of Dun-
can, until 1371, when Isobel, Countess of Fife, the
last of the ancient race, conveyed the earldom and
estates to Robert Stuart, Earl of Monteith, second
son of Robert II., who thus became 16th Earl of Fife,
and was afterwards created Duke of Albany. On
the forfeiture of his son, Murdoch, in 1424, the lands
of Falkland reverted to the Crown; and the town
was shortly afterwards erected into a royal burgh.
The court of the stewartry of Fife — which compre-
hended only the estates of the earldom — was also
removed from the county-town of Cupar to Falk-
land, where they were afterwards held as long as
the office of steward existed. In 1601, Sir David
Murray of Gospetrie, 1st Viscount Stormont, ob-
tained a charter of the Castle-stead of Falkland,
with the office of ranger of the Lomonds, and fores-
ter of the woods; and he also held the office of
captain or keeper of the palace, and steward of the
stewartry of Fife. The lands called the Castle-
stead, with the offices and other parts of the lands
of Falkland, were afterwards acquired by John, 1st
Duke of Athol, who was appointed one of his Ma-
jesty's principal secretaries of state in 1696, and
lord-high-commissioner to the Scottish parliament
the following year. He was twice appointed to the
office of keeper of the Privy seal, and was made an
extraordinary lord of session in 1712. The lands
and offices thus connected, afterwards, so far as not
abolished in 1746, came into the possession of the
family of Skene of Halyards, from whom they were
purchased by the late J. Bruce, Esq., descended
from the family of Bruce of Earlshall, one of his
Majesty's printers for Scotland. At his death, he
was succeeded in these estates — consisting of 1025
acres — by his niece, Miss Bruce, now the wife of
O. Tyndale Bruce, Esq. — Falkland gives the title
of Viscount to the English family of Carey ; Sir
Henry Carey being created Viscount Falkland by
James VI, 1620.
At an early period, the Earls of Fife had a residence
here, called the castle of Falkland. Not a vestige of
this building now remains, but its site appears to have
been in the immediate neighbourhood of where the
palace was afterwards built, on a part of what now
forms the garden of Mr. Bruce. This fortalice had
in effect the honours of a palace, while it was occu-
pied by one of the blood-royal, Robert, Duke of
Albany, who, for thirty-four years, had all the
power of the state in his hands, under the different
titles of lieutenant-general, governor, and regent.
Although Robert gives it the more humble designa-
tion of " Manerium nostrum de Fawkland," it was in
fact the seat of authority ; for his aged and infirm
father constantly resided in the island of Bute. If
receives its first notoriety, in the history of oui
country, from the horrid cruelty here perpetrated bj
Albany on his nephew David, Duke of Rothesay,
eldest son of Robert III. The governor, in con
quence of the great promise of this young prin
fearing that he would prove the rival of his pow
used the basest means to prejudice his imbec
father against him, and prevailed with him to iss
an order to arrest and confine him for some time,
being represented to him that this was necessary
curbing the violent humours of the youth. Bei
inveigled, under false pretences, into Fife, he
shut up in the tower of Falkland, where he w
consigned to the cruel fate of dying by famine. I
life was for some days feebly sustained by means
thin cakes, pushed through a small crevice in t
wall,* by a young woman, daughter to the govern
of the castle ; but her mercy being viewed by h
ruthless father in the light of perfidy to him, s
was put to death. Even this brutal act did n
deter another tender-hearted female, employed
the family as a wet-nurse, who supplied him wi
milk from her breasts by means of a long reed, un
she, in like manner, fell a sacrifice to her compassic
After the lands and castle of Falkland came to t
Crown, by the forfeiture of the earldom, the fu
three James's occasionally resided at the castle
joying the pleasures of the chase in the adjoini
forest, and on the Lomond hills; and in consequen
of this the charter was granted by James II., ere<
ing the town into a royal burgh. It is irnpossil
now to ascertain whether James III. or James I
began to build the palace, as both of these monarc
were fond of architecture, and both of them er
ployed workmen at Falkland; but the work w
completed by James V., and the palace from th
time became a favourite residence with the Scotti
monarchs. Here James V. held his court in all t
barbaric magnificence of the period; and here
died of grief, at the disgrace brought upon his Cro\
and his country by the opposition of his factious a
turbulent nobility. Here Mary of Guise, his widow
queen, often resided, while she governed the kir
dom for her infant-daughter ; and here she found
necessary to give her reluctant consent to the arm
tice agreed to at Cupar-muir, between the lords
the Congregation, and the Duke of Chatelhera
and Monsieur D'Oysel. Here, too, the unfortun;
Mary, after her return from France, oft souj
relief in the sports of the field from the nu
troubles of her short but unhappy reign. She :
pears first to have visited it in September, 1.
on her way from St. Andrews to Edinburgh.!
* Bellenden states it differently : "It is said, ane woi
hauand commiseratioun on this duk, leit meill fall doun thi >
the loftis of the toure." This more literally expresses >
meaning of Boece's language : " Per strictum quoddam I
men tarinam fundens," &c.
t When, according to Buchanan, a plot had been lai< ;
Bothwell and the Hamiltons to take away the life of her n i
ral brother, the Earl of Murray, that the queen might l>«
pletely in their power, Bothwell urged that the m*-thi
compassing it was easy. The Queen being then at Falkl
FALKLAND.
525
aesper
...t,- ,„
?d in the beginning of the following year
having left Edinburgh to avoid the brawls which
had arisen between Arran and Bothwell; and re-
sided partly at Falkland, and partly at St. Andrews,
for two or three months. She occupied her morn-
ings in hunting on the banks of the Eden, or in trials
of skill in archery, in her garden ; and her afternoons
' reading the Greek and Latin classics with Bu-
m, or at chess, or with music. During 1563,
her return from her expedition to the north,
visited this palace, where she made various short
sions to places in the neighbourhood; and again,
"t, and after her marriage with Darnley in
After the birth of her son, she visited Falk-
but this appears to have been the last time, as
circumstances which so rapidly succeeded each
, after the murder of Darnley, and her marriage
Bothwell, left her no longer at leisure to enjoy
retirement it had once afforded her. James VI.,
he remained in Scotland, resided often at the
palace of Falkland, and indeed it seems to have been
his favourite residence. After the raid of Ruthven,
James retired here, calling his friends together for
the purpose of consulting as to the best means of
relieving himself from the thraldom under which he
had been placed ; and he was again at Falkland in
1593, when the Earl of Bothwell made one of his
perate attempts on the king's person, which led
imprisonment of Wemys,
« The wanton laird o' young Logie,'
whose escape forms the subject of an ancient ballad.
After the riots in Edinburgh, in 1596, James again
here, where he employed himself partly in
ig, and partly in plotting the destruction of
Presbyterian religion, and the introduction of
Episcopacy. In the end of 1600, James was again
"ng at Falkland, when the Gowrie conspiracy,
has been called, took place. The king, one
ng, was about to mount his horse, to follow
vourite sport, when the mysterious message
delivered to him by Alexander Ruthven, bro-
to the Earl of Gowrie, which led to the death
th these young noblemen. In 1617, when
now king of Great Britain, visited Scotland,
his progress through the kingdom, paid his
visit to Falkland. In 1633, when Charles I.
Scotland, he slept three nights here, on his
/ay to Perth ; and on his return, he slept two nights
ing to Edinburgh, and created several gentle-
of the county knights on the occasion. Upon
of July, 1650, Charles II., who had returned
the continent on the 23d of the preceding
visited Falkland, where he resided some
receiving the homage of that part of his sub-
ho were desirous of his restoration to the
of his ancestors ; and here he again returned,
his coronation at Scone, on the 22d of Jan-
1651, and remained some days.*
neighbourhood of which there was a small wood where
were kept, whither, or at least to its vicinity, she daily
•ted with a slender retinue, it was said that she might be
rprised without any difficulty. At this time it was thought
:it they mi^ht easily destroy Murray, while unarmed, and
ithout suspicion; and thus obtain possession of her Majesty's
r*i>ii. According to Knox, this charge of treason was ex-
bited by Arran, in 15(V2. He seems, however, to think that
e charge originated from the frenzy of this nobleman.
• After describing his Majesty's progress from the north
here he landed, by Dundee to St Andrews, and thence to
ipar, Lamont, in his Diary, page 20, says:—" After this he
••nt to Faklande all night. All this tyme the most pairt of
v gentlemen of the shyre did goe alongs with him. The tyme
at he abode at F;iklande, he went downe one day and dyiied
til-- H. of VVemyes' house, and another att Lesley with the
of Kothus. « * » From St. Johnston he cam to
iklande, Jan. 22, 1651.— Sir James Ualfour, in his Annals of
"Hand, says:— "The 5 of Jnlij 1650 his Matie cam from St.
'idrews, and wes banqueted in Couper to his anen houase of
ilkland on Saterday. My L. the Earle of Arundaill inter-
The oldest portion of the palace, which was erected
either by James III. or James IV., forms the south
front, and is still partially inhabited. On each floor
there are six windows, square-topped, and divided
by mullions into two lights. Between the windows,
the front is supported by buttresses, enriched with
niches, in which statues were placed, the mutilated
remains of which are still to be seen, and terminat-
ing in ornamented pinnacles which rise considerably
above the top of the wall. The lower floor is the
part inhabited, and the upper floor is entirely occu-
pied by a large hall, anciently the chapel of the
palace. The western part of this front of the palace
is in the castellated style, and of greater height
than the other; it is ornamented with two round
towers, between which is a lofty archway which
forms the entrance to the court-yard behind, and
which, in former times, was secured by strong doors,
and could be defended from the towers which flank
it. James V. made great additions to the palace,
and appears to have erected two ranges of building,
equal in size to that described, on the east and north
sides of the court-yard. As completed by him, there-
fore, the palace occupied three sides of a square court,
the fourth or western side being enclosed by a lofty
wall. The ra*nge of building on the north side of the
court has now entirely disappeared, and of that on
the west, the bare walls alone remain ; these two
portions of the palace having been accidentally de-
stroyed by fire in the reign of Charles II. Having
erected his addition to the palace, in the Corinthian
style of architecture, James assimilated the inner
front of the older part of the building, by erecting a
new fa9ade in the same style with the rest of the
building. The building consisted of two stories, a
basement or lower floor, and a principal one, the
windows of which are large and elegant, when we
consider the period. Between the windows, the
" ade is ornamented with finely proportioned Co-
rinthian pillars, having rich capitals; and above the
windows are medallions, presenting a series of heads
carved in high relief, some of which are beautifully
executed, and would lead us to believe that more
than native talent had been engaged in the work.
On the top of the basement which supports the pil-
lars, the initials of the king, and of his queen, Mary
of Guise, are carved alternately. The architect who
designed this building, and superintended its erec-
tion, was in all probability Sir James Hamilton of
Finnart, a natural son of the 1st Earl of Arran, who
was cup-bearer to James V., steward of the house-
hold, and superintendent of the royal palaces. He
was accused of high treason, tried, convicted, and
executed as a traitor, in August, 1540. The palace
of Falkland, deserted by its royal inmates, was for a
"ong series of years suffered to fall into decay •
" The fretted roof looked dark and cold,
And tottered all around ;
Th » carved work of ages old
Dropped wither'd on the ground ;
Thi) casement's antique tracery
Was eaten by the dew :
And the night-breeze, whistling mournfully,
Crept keen and coldly through."
[t is now the property of Mr. Bruce, who takes great
.ained until Monday at night. Falkland 9 Julij. I deuyssed for
he impress*; to be putt on h»s Majesties coronation pices at hes
tommand ; hen fact) to be one the one syde of it, with this cir-
uniMTiptio 11 — * Carol : Secundus, D. G. Scot • Angl : Fran ;
(t Hyber : Itex, Fidei defensor,' &c. ; and on the reversse, a
yone rampant, holding in his paw a thistell of 3 stems, with
his circnniM riptione, * Nemo me impune lace>sit ;' and below
he lyons footte one the lembe, • Coronal : Die Memus Ao |<i5<).'
« * * Mr. Thomas Nicolsorie, his Maiesties
Aduocat, wns knighted in the withdrawing rouine at Falkland,
after supper on Wednesday, the 10 of Julij instant. His Ma-
esty stayed at Falkland wntill Tuesday the 23 of Julij, from
lulu-nee he <lid remoue to Perthe for one night, quher he wen
eabted with till his traiue by the magistrals."
FAL
526
FAR
interest in its careful preservation, as well as in or-
namenting the court-yard with flowers and shrubs,
and the ground in its immediate neighbourhood,
which he has laid out as a garden. The view from
the southern parapet of the palace has long been ad-
mired, and as it can now be attained not only with
safety but even without any apprehension of danger,
it will be often resorted to and enjoyed. On the one
hand, the Lomond hills spread out their green sides,
and point their conical summits to the sky ; on the
other, the whole strath of Eden, the Howe of Fife
from Cupar to Strathmiglo, lies open and exposed ;
and whilst the spectator will naturally inquire after
and regret the woods of Falkland, he will find that
the present proprietor is doing all that he can to
make up for the spoliations of Cromwell's soldiery.
There is a large plain, on the east of the palace, in
which a little knoll rises here and there above the
level. This consists of moss, which has lately been
well-drained ; exhibiting the remains of what was call-
ed the Rose loch, — the knolls having been islets. The
water of this lake must then have washed that part
of the building which was discovered at the bottom
of the garden. Some, yet surviving, say they have
shot wild ducks on this loch. It might reasonably
be supposed, that, while Falkland continued to be
the occasional residence of royalty, it was not only
a place of resort to the higher classes, but that the
peasantry would be permitted to enjoy that festivity
here which was most congenial to their humours.
As it was a favourite residence of that mirthful
prince James V., it might well be conjectured, from
his peculiar habits, that he would be little disposed
to debar from its purlieus those with whom he was
wont frequently to associate in disguise. Accord-
ingly,— although it is still matter of dispute among
our poetical antiquaries, whether the palm should
not rather be given to his ancestor James I., — one
of the most humorous effusions of the Scottish muse,
which contains an express reference to the jovial
scenes of the vulgar at Falkland, has, with great pro-
bability, been ascribed to the fifth of this name •
Was nf vir in Scotland hard nor aetie
Sic dansin nor deray,
Nnuthir at Falkland on the Grene,
Nor Pebillis at the Play,
As wes of wowaris, as t wene,
At Christis kirk on ane day : fcr.
Christis Kirk on the Grene, st. i.
According to Allan Ramsay, and the learned Callander,
' Chrystis Kirk ' is the kirktown of Leslie, near Falk-
land. Others have said, with less probability, that it
belongs to the parish of Lesly, in that part of the county
of Aberdeen called the Garrioch. Pinkerton thinks
that, besides the poems of ' Christis Kirk,' and ' Peblis
to the Play,' a third one, of the same description, had
been written, which is now lost, celebrating the fes-
tivities of ' Falkland on the Grene.' This phrase-
ology might refer to what has been called ' the park
at Falkland.' Sir David Lyndsay, being attached to
the court, must have passed much of his time at this
royal residence. According to his own account — not-
withstanding the badness of the ale brewed in the
burgh — he led a very pleasant life here ; for, in the
language of anticipation, he bids adieu to the beau-
ties of Falkland in these terms :
Fare weill, Falkland, the forteress of Fyfe,
Thy polite park, under the Lowmound law :
Sum tyme in the, I led a lu&tie lyfe,
The fallow deir, to se thame raik on raw.
Court men to rum to the, thay stand grait nw,
Sayand, thy burgh beue of all burrowin baill,
Because, iu the, they never gat gude aill.
Complaynt of the P^ipingo.
FALLOCH (THE), a rivulet of Perthshire and
Dumbartonshire. It rises on the north-oast side of
Benchroan, on the southern limit of the parish of
Killin, runs 3£ miles northward to Coilater-More ;
it there turns abruptly round, and thence runs 3f miles
south-west, receiving on its right bank the waters of
Auld-Ennochbay and Auld-Churn, the former coming
3{ miles from Loch Suss, and the latter 5| miles
from Mealmicran ; and after its confluence with Auld
Churn, it flows 2 miles due south to the head of
Loch Lomond. Its entire length of course is u
wards of 9 miles ; and its motion is throughout rap
and garrulous. From Coilater-More downward,
flows along a romantic glen to which it gives
name, overlooked by high mountains, the lower «
clivities of which, for some way, as well as up t
vale of Auld Churn, are clothed in plantation.
FALSIDE. See INVERESK.
FANNICH (LocH), a lake in the wilds of Ros
shire, about 12 miles in length, and from 1 to \\
breadth. It discharges itself by a small river in
Loch-Luichart, which empties itself by the ri\
Conon into the frith of Cromarty.
FANNYSIDE MOOR. See CUMBERNAULD.
FAR, or FARR, a mountainous parish in Suthe
landshire ; extending about 40 miles in length frc
north-east to south-west, the breadth varying frc
3 to 20 miles. It is wholly the property of the Du
of Sutherland ; and is chiefly laid out in sheep- wall
It is bounded on the north by the Northern oceai
on the east by Reay and Kildonan parishes ; on t
south by Kildonan, Clyne, Rogart, and Lairgs ;
on the west by Edderachylis and Tongue. The s
is in general barren and shallow, but on the banks
the rivers Naver and Borgie it is deep, and toleral
fertile. Strathnaver extends from the coast to t
roots of Beinchlibrig, a distance of above 30 mil<
The extent of sea-coast is 13 miles; the shore
high and rocky, and consists of Strathy-head a
bay, Armidale-bay, Far-head and bay, and sevei
other smaller promontories and bays. The wh<
coast is excavated into extensive caves ; which affo
retreat to immense numbers of seals. LOCH NAVI
[which see] is the principal lake in the district,
there are several smaller lakes from which rise a ft
rivulets. Beinchlibrig, the highest mountain in t
district, is in the south-west extremity of theparis
There are a few Pictish castles, and a ruin on t
promontory pf Far-head. " Betwixt Far and Kirt
my, in this parish," says Pennant, " is a most sing
lar curiosity, well worth the pains of a traveller
view, being the remains of an old square building
tower, called Borve, standing upon a small poi
joined to the continent by a narrow neck of land n
10 feet wide. This point or head is very high, coi
sisting of rock, and some gravel on the top ; on bo'
sides is very deep water, and a tolerable harbour f
boats. This tower seems to be built by the Norw
gians ; and the tradition is that one Thorkel, or To
quil, a warrior mentioned by Torfaeus, was the pt
son that built it. They speak likewise of a la1
that was concealed there ; she is said to be an 0
ney woman, and Thorkel was an Orkney man.
what is most curious, is, that through the rock up
which the tower stands, there is a passage below
200 feet in length, like a grand arch or vault, throu
which they row a boat. The writer has been one
a company that rowed through it. The passage
so long, that when you enter at one end, you fan
that there is no possibility to get out at the oth
and vice versa. How this hard rock was thus boi
or excavated, I cannot say ; but it is one of the m
curious natural arches, perhaps, in the known worli
Population in 1801, 2,408; in 1831, 2,073.
decrease in the population is to be attributed t
tensive emigration. Houses, in 1831, 417. Asses
property, in 1815, £2,37 1 — This parish is in the pr
FAR
527
FAR
ry of Tongue, and Synod of Sutherland and
'mess. Patron, the Duke of Sutherland. Sti-
£166 14s. 8d. ; glebe £8. Church built in
74; sittings 750. — There is a Government church
Strathy, 10 miles east from the parish-church,
re are 4 schools in the parish.
•"ARA, a small island of the Hebrides, lying be-
;n Barra and South Uist.
' AR A, one of the small Orkney islands, about a
south-east of Hoy.
' ARAY, or FAIRAY, and sometimes PHARAY,
of the Orkney islands, about a mile long, and
-mile broad, separated by a narrow sound from
island of EDAY : which see. It affords excellent
ire.
•"ARE, a hill forming the southern boundary of
parish of Mid- Mar, Aberdeenshire. It rises from
of 1 7 miles in circumference, to an eminence
1,793 feet above sea-level. It affords excellent pas-
ture for numerous flocks of sheep, producing mutton
of a very superior flavour. The interior part contains
valuable moss for fuel, and its luxuriant and beauti-
ful heaths abound in muir-fowl, hares, and other
game. Here are chalybeate springs, the water of
which is dyed of a deep black by a small infusion of
tea, as is the case of the well-known medical spring at
Peterhead. " In the middle of this eminence," says
the writer of the old Statistical Account of the parish,
is the vale of Corrichie, well-known as the scene
tie, wherein the contending parties were head-
the Marquis of Huntly, and the Earl of Murray,
itly fell in this engagement, in which his forces
were routed by those of his antagonist, the general
unfortunate Mary. A small possession, on the
side of the hill, retains, at this day, the name
lig-Hume, in memory of one of that family,
was slain in that battle, and is interred in the
neighbourhood. It is proper also to observe here,
that the name of Queen's Chair, is given to an exca-
vation— I know not whether natural or artificial — on
he side of a rock near this valley. Here Mary is
(aid to have sat, while returning southwards from
Aberdeen, to view the scene of the recent engage-
In the neighbourhood of this spot, a remark-
echo is occasioned by the contiguity of three
"eminences."
(THE), a rivulet in the. extreme east of
ishire. It rises among the Ochil hills, on the
iry between the parishes of Forgandinny and
sk; traces that boundary southward for 1£
ile ; then suddenly debouches, and, for 2£ miles
istward, traces the boundary between Perthshire
nd Kinross-shire ; then, after another sudden bend,
es for 2| miles north-eastward, the boundary
ween Perthshire and Fifeshire, passing the church
Arngask, and carrying down the turnpike from
uiburgh to Perth along its banks. It now runs
Perthshire and soon enters Strathearn, and,
r a northerly course of 3^ or 4 miles from the
it of its leaving the boundary of the county, loses
If in the river Earn at Culfargie. Its entire
gth ofcourse is about 10£ miles ; and till it reaches
athearn, it flows, in general, along a deep and
row glen.
FARNELL, FARNWELL, or FERNELL,* a
in the eastern division of Forfarshire. It is
nded on the north by the river South Esk, which
des it from Brechin ; on the east by Maryton and
aig; on the south by Kinnell; and on the west
Kinnell and Brechin. The district occupies the
1 The ancient and true orthography of the parish, is Fernell ;
t it is usually written Farnall, or Farnwell. Fernell is said
be of Gaelic origin; fern signifying, in that language, 'a
n, and netl, »a swan;' so that it should seem to have de-
ed its name from an adjoining den, which, at that time, had
MI the abode of swans.
centre of a strath, which extends eastward about 5
miles to Montrose ; and — with the exception of a hilly
ridge of inconsiderable height which rises in the south-
west, and forks away in two lines into the parishes of
Maryton and Craig — is, in general, flat. The soil on
the rising grounds and in the west, is of an inferior
quality, consisting chiefly of light black earth ; but,
in the other parts of the parish, it is a very fine clay
and rich loam, equal to the best soil in Scotland, and
very much resembling that of the carse of Gowrie
between Perth and Dundee. The South Esk, along
the northern boundary, has tastefully wooded banks,
and opulent in its fishery. Pow water rises in
numerous head-waters among moorlands south and
west of the parish, and sometimes brings down upon
the eastern district, before disemboguing into the
Esk. such inundating freshets as overflow the fields,
break down the fences, and spread around extensive
though temporary desolation. In the western divi-
sion is a moorland of 1,500 or 1,600 acres covered
with plantation. On the north side of the church,
near the centre of the parish, stands an ancient cas-
tle, kept in repair as a sort of parochial work-house,
which was formerly the seat of the Ogilvies of Air-
lie. Sir James Carnegie, Bart, of South Esk, is the
proprietor of the whole district. His seat, Kinnaird
castle, situated in the north, has a very magnificent
and rich appearance. It is built in the form of a
square, with a tower at each angle, and surrounded
by a spacious lawn and the numerous decorations of
a tasteful and fascinating demesne. The parish has
neither town, nor village, inn, nor ale-house; and
suffers no retardation of its rapid career of improve-
ment and prosperity by wanting the appliances of
spirituous stimulation. A recently formed road be-
tween Montrose and Forfar intersects it for 2 miles,
and various other roads amply provide it with fa-
cilities of communication, Population, in 1801,
576 ; in 1831, 582. Houses 109. Assessed property,
in 1815, £16,022 Farnell is in the presbytery of
Brechin, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron,
the Crown. Stipend £250 10s. 5d. ; glebe £20, with
the privilege of feal and divot. Unappropriated
teinds £652 15s. lOd. Schoolmaster's salary £30,
with £13 10s. school-fees, and £4 15s. 3$d. other
emoluments. A non-parochial school is taught by
two females. The district of Kinnaird, forming the
western division, was disjoined from Farnell, and
erected into a separate parish, about the year 1633;
but, excepting a small part which was incorporated
with Brechin, it was reannexed by the court of ses-
sion in 1787. The parish-church was built in 1806.
Sittings 330. A parochial library, consisting of po-
pular religious works, is creditably used.
FAROUT-HEAD, a conspicuous promontory in
the parish of Durness, Sutherlandshire. See DUR-
NESS.
FARRALINE (LOCH), a small sheet of water
in the high mountains on the east side of Loch-Ness,
in the parish of Dores ; on the left of the road lead-
ing from the top of Strathnairn into Stratherrick ;
16 miles from the Perth road; and 24 from the
banks of Loch- Ness, by the pass of Inverfarrakaig.
In May 1841, as some men were engaged in the
drainage of part of this loch, they came upon a quan-
tity of old fire-arms, a brass blunderbuss in excellent
preservation, about a dozen of muskets, the scabbard
of a sword, and several other articles. " There has
been a tradition among the people of the district
for many years," says the editor of the ' Inverness
Courier,' "that a quantity of arms was thrown into
the lake at the stormy period of the rebellion in
1745, which seems to be confirmed by this occur-
rence. In the immediate neighbourhood, is the
house of Gortuleg which, in 1745, was the property
FAR
528
FAS
of the chamberlain and agent of Lord Lovat. Old
Lovat himself resided at Gortuleg at this interesting
time, and hence we may suppose took place this
accumulation of fire-arms which were afterwards
thrown into the loch when the battle of Culloden
had decided the fate of the Jacobites. It is well-
known that, after his defeat, Prince Charles retreated
through Strathnairn — a district possessed by the
clan Mackintosh, of whom their leader, and every
individual of rank, had fallen in the action — and
came towards evening to the house of Fraser of Gor-
tuleg. Lovat had prepared a sumptuous feast in
anticipation of victory. The house was crowded
with the retainers of Charles Edward and Lovat,
and, connected with this, Mr. Fraser used to relate
a touching and striking anecdote. The children of
the family were, for convenience, placed in a small
room between the Prince's chamber and another,
but which had communication with both. The
whispers of the children, afraid to speak out, pro-
duced a suspicion in the mind of Charles that he had
been betrayed, and he exclaimed, with agitation,
4 Open the door ! open the door !' One of the boys
having complied with his request, the unfortunate
prince presented a countenance so strongly marked
with terror, that its features were indelibly impressed
on the minds of his juvenile beholders. One of them
described, in vivid terms, the fair oval face and blue
eye, distended with fear and agitation, of the tall
handsome young wanderer. Seeing his mistake,
Charles gave way to the pathetic exclamation — ' How
hard is my fate, when the innocent prattle of chil-
dren can alarm me so much!' words which long
dwelt in their memories, and often moved the house-
hold to tears. Charles was too much agitated to
think of rest. He changed his dress, and, taking a
glass of wine, left the house at 10 o'clock at night
for Invergarry, the seat of Macdonell of Glengarry."
FARRER (THE), an important branch of the
river Beauly in Inverness-shire. It rises in Loch
Monar, on the north-west point of the county, and
flows eastwards through Glen-Farrer until it joins
the Glass, the other main branch of the Beauly, near
Erchless castle. A little above the junction of the
two streams, nearly opposite Struey, 10 miles from
Beauly, there is a fine bridge across the Farrer, by
which the road from Beauly is carried into Strath-
glass. There is a graphite or black-lead mine in
Glen-Farrer, of which the following account is given
in ' The New Philosophical Journal.' " Nearly op-
posite to Struey, beautiful veins of red granite are to
be seen traversing the gneiss strata, which range from
north-east to south-east, and dip to the south, and
generally at a pretty high angle. The glen to the
black-lead mine, appears — as far as we had an oppor-
tunity of examining it, in our rapid journey — to be
principally composed of gneiss, which frequently,
when the quartz predominates, passes into mica-slate.
It is sometimes grooved, with projections fitting into
these grooves, as we have observed to be the case
with quartz-rock, sandstone, and even trap-rock.
We did not reach the black-lead mine until 12
o'clock, the distance being greater from Beauly than
we had calculated on: it proving to be 20 or 22
miles. The excessive heat of the day, and the tor-
ment of the midges, was intolerable. My face, lips,
and eyes were speedily distorted by them, and one
of my eyes fairly closed up. The rock in which the
graphite or black-lead occurs is gneiss, in which the
direction is a little to the east of north, and dip west
80°. The gneiss in some places is very micaceous,
contains garnets, and here and there is traversed by
veins of granite. The graphite is not in beds or
veins, but in masses imbedded in the gneiss. The
fi-st mass, or bed, as it is called, is fully three feet
thick where broadest. The whole mass appeared to
be scaly foliated; no regular crystals were observed,
although, judging from the crystalline nature of the
deposit, I think it probable that in cavities varie-
ties of its regular form — which is rhomboidal — wil
be met with. It is not throughout pure, but is
casionally mixed with the gneiss, which occurs eith(
in apparent fragments, or its ingredients, especially
felspar, are disseminated in grains or crystals."
FAST CASTLE, a relic of feudal ages, situs
on the verge of a lofty rock which overhangs tl
German ocean, near St. Abb's Head, in the parish
Coldingham, in Berwickshire. It is a tower surrour
ed by flanking walls, and accessible only by one
which is but a few feet wide, and is bordered
either hand by frowning precipices. It was an ancient
fortress of the Earls of Hume. In 1410, it was hek
by Thomas Holden, and an English garrison, wl
had long infested the country by their pillaging ex-
cursions, when Patrick, son of the Earl of Dunbar,
with a hundred followers, took the castle and cap
tured the governor. According to Holinshed, Fa
castle again fell into the hands of the English, but vn
recovered by the following stratagem in 1548: " Tl
captain of Fast castle had commanded the husl
men adjoining to bring thither, at a certain day, gret
store of victuals. The young men thereabouts hav-
ing that occasion, assembled thither at the day
pointed, who taking their burdens from their hor
and laying them on their shoulders, were allowed
pass the bridge, which joined two high rocks, int
the castle ; where laying down that which tl
brought, they suddenly, by a sign given, set u{
the keepers of the gate, slew them, and before tl
other Englishmen could be assembled, possessed tl
other places, weapons, and artillery of the castle, am
then receiving the rest of the company into the saim
through the same great and open gate, they whc
kept and enjoyed the castle for their countrymen.5
Sir Nicolas Throgmorton, in 1567, characterise
as a place "fitter to lodge prisoners than folks
liberty;" and, in 1570, when onlj tenanted by
Scots, Drury, Marshal of Berwick, after taking He
castle, was sent to invest Fast castle with 2,000 men,
it being the next principal place that belonged
Lord Home. " In the reign of James VI.," says Sir
Walter Scott, in his ' Provincial Antiquities,' " Fast
castle became the appropriate stronghold of one ot
the darkest characters of that dark age, the celebrated
Logan of Restalrig. There is a contract existing in
the charter-chest of Lord Napier, betwixt Logan and
a very opposite character, the celebrated inventor oi
the logarithms, the terms of which are extremely
singular. The paper is dated, July 1694, and sefc
forth, ' Forasmuch as there were old reports and ap-
pearances that a sum of money was hid within Johi
Logan's house of Fast castle, John Napier should d<
his utmost diligence to search and seek out, and b;
all craft and ingine to find out the same ; and, by th<
grace of God, shall either find out the same, or mak>
it sure that no such thing has been there.' For hi
reward he was to have the exact third of what wa
found, and to be safely guarded by Logan back t
Edinburgh. And in case he should find nothing, afte
all trial and diligence taken, he refers the satist'actio
of his travel and pains to the discretion of Logan.
Logan was next engaged in the mysterious plot <
the Gowrie conspiracy. It was proposed to fort
the king into a boat from the bottom of the garde
of Gowrie-house, and thence conduct him by sea t
that ruffian's castle, there to await the disposal <
Elizabeth or of the conspirators. Logan's connei
tion with this affair was not known till nine yea
after his death, when the correspondence betwixt hi
arid the Earl of Gowrie was discovered in the po
FEA
529
FEA
of Sprott, a notary public, who had stolon
them from one John Bour, to whom they were in-
trusted. Sprott was executed, and Logan was con-
demned for high treason, even after his death, his
bones having been brought into court for that pur-
e. See article DIRLETON.
i'EACHAN (LocH), an arm of the sea in Argyle-
in the district of Lorn.
^EACHLIN (THE). See FOYERS.
EACHORY (THE), a rivulet in Athol, Perth-
It rises in two springs 3 miles asunder, the
north, and the other south of Craigvad, near the
rn limit of the parish of Fortingall. The two
waters having flowed respectively south-east and
over a distance of 2£ miles to a conflu-
ence, the united stream runs due east, dividing For-
tingall from Blair- Athol for 2 miles, and then enter-
ing the latter parish, it intersects it for 7£ miles, as-
suming in the lower part of its course the name of
?kkie water, and falls into the Garry at Strowan.
entire length of course is 13 miles.
EARN,* a parish of small extent in the county
oss, forming a square of about 2 miles ; bounded
he south by Nigg ; on the west by Loggie (Easter) ;
the north by Tain ; and on the east and south by
_ t and the Moray frith. The surface is nearly
with the exception of a few eminences which
nearly all under cultivation. In the centre of
parish the soil is a deep loam ; towards the south
west it is a rich clay ; the north and east parts
sandy. The average rent of land per acre in
was 15s. per acre ; it is now 32s. The valued
, is £4,037 12s. lid. Scots ; the real rental is above
,000. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,859. Loch
a sheet of water about 2 miles in length, and
f-a-mile broad, occupies the central district. The
on the Moray frith is flat and sandy for about a
i ; on it are the small fishing towns of Balintore and
>wn. The remainder of the coast is bold and
cy. The village of Fearn is situated near the site
le old abbey, which is a ruin of great antiquity,
ided by Ferguard, first Earl of Ross, in the reign
lexander II. It was annexed to the bishopric of
in 1607 by James VI. Patrick Hamilton, abbot
us place, for his adherence to the doctrines of the
rmation, was burnt before the gate of St. Salva-
's college, St. Andrews, in 1527. The revenue of
house, in 1561, was £165 7s. Hd.; bear 30 ch., 2
2 pecks ; oats 1 ch., 6 bolls. The abbey is tradi-
Lly said to have been at " first made up of mud.
principal part of it was 99 feet in length, within
walls ; 25£ feet in breadth; and the walls 24 feet high
above the ground. The abbacy was not only the place
of worship before the Reformation, but ever since, un-
til October 1 742, when, on a sudden, in time of pub-
lic worship, the roof fell in. There were 36 persons
killed instantly, by what fell in of the roof and slate,
on that melancholy occasion ; 8 more died soon after.
—The castle of Lochlin, in the north-east corner of
the parish, is another remarkable building. It is said
to In- (it 500 yi'iirs' standing. It stands upon an emi-
2, about one mile north-east of the loch of Eye,
about six miles east from Tain, and is indeed
of the most conspicuous objects in this country,
certainly built as a place of security against
len incursions in the days of violence. Its
resembles two figures, nearly square, joined
ler by the corners, in which junction there
staircase to the top : the lesser one, which
towards the west, being about 20, . and the
3r, which looks towards the east, about 38 feet
re. The castle is 60 feet high. It is fortified
three large turrets, of which, one stands upon
This name is supposed to be derived from the Gaelic
n, « an Alder trte.1
1.
the lesser square, and two upon the greater. These
turrets are each of them capable of holding three or
more men with ease; and in each of them are five
small round holes, of about four inches diameter,
with three larger above them, of a quadrangular
form. The latter, it is imagined, were intended for
the sentries or watchmen to see through, and the
others for shooting of arrows. The outer door of the
kitchen was made of strong bars of iron, as thick as
an ordinary man's leg, and the windows were closed
with small grates or twisted staunchions of iron, so
that it may be readily supposed that it was almost im-
pregnable at the period in which it was erected. —
There is another very ancient castle, that of Cad-
boll, equally old, if not older than either the abbacy
or the castle of Lochliri. There are little remains
of it now, but two or three vaults. There is a very
singular and remarkable tradition concerning this
castle, that though it was inhabited for ages, yet
never any person died in it ; and many of those who
lived in it, wished to be brought out of it, as they
longed for death, especially Lady May, who resided
there about 100 years ago ; being long sick, and long-
ing for death, she desired to be brought out of her
castle, which at last was accordingly done and no
sooner did she come out of it, than sne expired."
[Old Statistical Account.] — Not far from the abbey,
a high square column is erected, covered all over
with Saxon characters, but illegible. It is said that
the celebrated lawyer, Sir George Mackenzie, king's
advocate in the reign of Charles II., was born in the
castle of Lochlin. Population, in 1801, 1,528; in
1831, 1,695. Houses 376 This parish, formerly a
vicarage, is in the presbytery of Tain, and synod of
Ross. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £205 13s. 8d;
glebe £9. Unappropriated Crown teinds £242 8s.
10d.— Schoolmaster's salary £36 7s. Ifd. There is
one private school.
FEARN, or FERN, a parish near the centre of
Forfarshire. It is of an ellipsoidal form, and mea-
sures in extreme length 6| miles, and in extreme
breadth 3 miles. It is bounded on the north by
Lethnot ; on the east by Menmuir and Careston ;
and on the south and west by Tannadice. The
south-eastern section, comprising about one-fourth
of the area, is a patch of Strathmore, rich and
fertile in its soil, and gently sloping in its surface.
The other sections consist of two parallel ridges,
the northern higher than the southern, and send-
ing off spurs toward the first summit of the Gram-
pians ; and two tracts of valley overlooked respec-
tively by the ridges. The hills and the northern
valley afford excellent pasturage for the sheep, while
the southern valley is adapted to tillage, and resem-
bles, in soil, the low grounds on the strath. Cruick
water rises in two head-streams at the northern
boundary, runs down the middle of the parish south-
ward over two-thirds of its length, then debouches
to the east, and leaves it near Balmaditty ; wearing,
over the whole of this course, an unsurpassably tame
appearance, having scarcely a shrub to apologize for
the- utter nudity of its banks. Noran water, after
flowing parallel with the parish over nearly its whole
length, suddenly turns round and comes down upon
it from the west, and forms, over its whole breadth,
the boundary-line on the south ; and, so long as it
touches Fearn, it is remarkably pellucid in its wa-
ters, and not a little beautiful in its banks. On the
brink of this stream, at a point where it rushes
through a romantic little dell, stand the ruins of
Vain castle, supposed to have been built by Cardinal
Beaton. The writer of the article Fearn in the New
Statistical Account of Scotland, gives a description of
a truly remarkable antiquity, — a human abode which
is referable to an epoch many generations earlier than
2 L
FED
530
FER
the introduction of Gothic architecture to the coun-
try. The upper part of the parish is wholly unpro-
vided with facilities of communication ; and the lower
part possesses only such roads as would be a nuisance
in a less sequestered district. Population, in 1801,
448; in 1831, 450. Houses 88. Assessed property,
in 1815, £753. — Fearn is in the presbytery of Bre-
chin, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the
Crown. Stipend £155 3s. 5d. ; glebe £18 18s.,
with the privilege of cutting peat and divot. School-
master's salary £28 12s. 6d., with £13 10s. school-
fees, and a house and the legal garden-ground.
FEDDERATT CASTLE. See DEER (NEW).
FEDDICH. See FIDDICH.
FENELLA'S CASTLE. See FETTERCAIRN.
FENTON, See DIRLETON.
FEN WICK, a parish in the district of Cunning-
ham, Ayrshire ; bounded on the north by Renfrew-
shire ; on the east by Loudon ; on the south by
Kilmarnock ; and on the west by Stewarton. It is
about 9 miles long from east to west, and 6 miles
broad, and contains an area of 14,500 acres. Though
high above the level of the sea, it is not mountainous ;
and seen from the hills of Craigie in Kyle, it ap-
pears a large plain ; but it possesses, in reality, a
sloping surface, inclining easily from its boundary
with Renfrewshire to the south-west, and command-
ing, on many spots, or from almost every farm and
every house, extensive views toward Kyle and Car-
rick, the frith of Clyde, and the Arran and Argyle-
shire mountains. At a former period the district was
almost all a fen or bog ; and, in 1642 — when it was
disjoined from Kilmarnock, and erected into a sepa-
rate parish — was considered as a moorland region.
Except in the southern or lower division, the soil in
every part is still mossy ; and nearly one-fourth of
the entire parish continues to be bog. All the sur-
face of the reclaimed sections, though thinly sheltered
with plantation, has a verdant and cultivated aspect,
and is distributed chiefly into meadow and natural
pasture, with about 1,600 acres of tillage. The live
stock consists of nearly equal numbers of sheep and
milk cows, a considerable proportion of pigs, and
about 160 horses. The climate, though humid, is
not unhealthy. Two small brooks, each having tiny
tributaries, rise in the northern limits of the parish
and flow south-westward through it to make a
confluence after entering the parish of Kilmarnock.
The brooks abound with trouts, but possess no
scenic beauties. A thin seam of coal and a free-
stone quarry occur on the western limits. Lime-
stone is abundant, and exhibits numerous marine
shells, and other memorials of the ancient inhabitants
of the ocean. The great road from Glasgow to Kil-
marnock traverses the parish in a direction west of
south, and sends off one branch-road southward to
Galston, and another westward to Stewarton. — The
village of Fenwick stands on the Glasgow road, at
the point where that to Stewarton branches off,
nearly 4 miles north by east from Kilmarnock ; and
is a considerable agglomeration of small houses occu-
pied almost all by weavers as dwelling-houses and
work-shops. Here are the parish-church, and a
capacious meeting-house of the United Secession.
Another village, called Rose-Fenwick, similar in
character to Fenwick, but smaller, stands half-a-
mile south of it on the Glasgow road. Population
of the parish, in 1801, 1,280; in 1831, 2,018. Houses
279. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,987 Fenwick
is in the presbytery of Irving, and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. Patron, the Earl of Glasgow. Stipend
£149 8s. Id. ; glebe £23. Unappropriated teinds
£132 17s. 5d. Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 3d.,
with from £15 to £18 school-fees, and about £3
other emoluments. There are three schools not
parochial, attended by a maximum of 137 scholars.
Maximum attendance at the parish-school 68 Fc
wick, for some time after its establishment as a se[
rate parish, was called New Kilmarnock ; but
eventually acquired its present descriptive name
which means the village of the fen This parish
celebrated for having enjoyed the ministry of tl
devout though eccentric Guthrie, not the least
Scotland's worthies, a firm assertor of the cause
Presbyterianism under the persecuting innovatioi
of the Stuarts, and the author of writings which ha\
shed the light of heaven over the hearts and minds i
the inmates of many a cottage In this parish is
venerable dwelling of the Howies of Lochgoin, tin
during the persecution frequently afforded an asylui
to those who for conscience' sake were obliged to
from their homes, — to such men as Captain Pat
and to many such worthy ministers as the intr
Richard Cameron, which rendered this house so ot
noxious that, during these trying periods, it
twelve times plundered, and the inmates forced
take refuge in the barren muirs around. Here
preserved many of the relics of those days of " :
trial," in the Bible and the sword used by Caj
,Paton, — the flag of Fenwick parish, — the drum
at the battle of Drumclog, &c. If antiquity can
any lustre to birth, the present generation of tl
Howies may lay claim to a remote ancestry ;
descended from the great Waldenses, three brc
of whom, of the name of Howie — probably Ho
still common in France — fled for safety and sett
in Ayrshire, in 1178. One of these brothers tc
up his residence in Lochgoin, and his posterity
this day inhabit the same spot, retaining all the
mitive and pastoral habits which distinguished
Waldenses. The father of the present generatu
John Howie, compiler of the lives of the
Worthies,' will be remembered by every S<
with a peculiar interest, in having furnished his com
try with short though valuable sketches of the me
remarkable transactions of those who suffered for t
covenanted work of reformation.
FERGUS (ST.),* a parish politically belonging
Banffshire,f but situated in the district of Buchan,
* This parish was originally named Inverugie, and occa.
sionally Lagley, until 1616, when the name— for what reason if
not known — was changed to St. Fergus. We may here ob
serve that the Rev. John Craigie, writer of the Old Statistica
Account of St. Fergus, and minister of the parish, in stating tha
the common patois, or " dialect, called Broad Buehans, isspoker
here," as it still continues to be, although it is now losing mucl
of its provincial peculiarity, and that " it is thought to approacl
nearer to the ancient Gothic than the language of any othe;
district in Scotland,"— remarks, that " as the Picts were the an
cient inhabitants of the east coast of Scotland, they imposei
names on the different places, expressive, (in their language,
of their situation, or some particular property. It is not eas;
to assign any good reason for attempting to derive the name
of places in this country from the Celtic, HS there is no evidenc
that it was inhabited by the Celts. The names of all the place
in this pari>h and the adjacent country plainly appear to b
Gothic, Saxon, or Danish."
•f The reason of this political connexion is said, in the 01
Statistical Account, to have been, " that the Cheynes of Invei
ugie, the ancient proprietors, who were heritable sheriffs <
Banff, obtained an act of the legislature, declaring their ow
lands to be within their own jurisdiction. St. Fergus, Fette
angus, and Strolach, in New-Machar parish, which also b<
longed to the Cheynes, pay the land-tax and window-tax, :
parts of Banffshire, but in every other respect are subject
the jurisdiction of the sheriff of Aberdeen."
I The Cumines, Earls of Buchan, and proprietors of th
district, were anciently the most eminent family in Scotlai
" The chief of this family was Cumine, Lord Badenoch, of who
were descended the Earls of Buchan and Monteith, and
knights. This faction, with the Earls of Marr and Athole, wi
whom they were connected by marriages, ruled the kingdo
as they pleased, during some years in the latter part «
reign of Alexander the II. and during the first part i
reign of Alexander III. The male line of the ancient Ea
Buchan tailing in the person of Fergus, the last Earl of the s
cient race, his daughter Marjory married William Cumine
the house of Badenoch, who in his right became Earl of Bach
about the beginning of the 13th century. His posterity
tinued to enjoy this great estate for 100 years, and were
ST. FERGUS.
531
Lberdeenshire. It is bounded on the north by Cri-
inoiid ; on the east by the German ocean ; on the
?outh by Peterhead ; and on the west by Longside.
[ts form, according to the Old Statistical Account,
constitutes " two segments of a circle ; the one be-
ginning at the mouth of the Ugie, terminates at
>cotstown-craig, and the other extends from there
Rattray-head." Its greatest length from east to
st is 5£ miles; its greatest breadth 3£ miles,
irea 12 square miles. Houses 313. Assessed pro-
>rty, in 1815, £3,179. Population, in 1801, 1,270;
1831, 1,334. The surface exhibits an alternate
id beautiful succession of rising grounds and valleys,
it there is no hill, except a small eminence in the
ricinity of Inverugie castle. The lower grounds
the sea are flat, and bordered, seaward, by a
atural rampart of clay and sand-hills, carefully fixed
,-ith bent, which protects the land, in the interior,
n the blowing of the sand. Extending along the
}t for several miles, but of unequal breadth, with-
; powerful subjects in the kingdom. This Earl founded the
bbey of Deer, and endowed it with a considerable revenue in
ids situated in the county of Aberdeen, anno 1218. He was
intituled great justiciary of Scotland by Alexander II. in 1220 ;
id his brother Walter was, by the same king, created Earl of
"onteith, he having married the heiress of that family, by
Yhom he got a large estate. The Cumines being now so rich
powerful they became formidable, not only to the nobles,
it even to the king. They were called to answer before the
and estates, anno 1255. for their various acts of tyranny,
jpression, murder, and sacrilege, and not appearing, a sen-
nee of outlawry and forfeiture was pronounced against them ;
it Government was too weak to put this sentence in execu-
•ii. The faction, greatly irritated by this sentence, resolved
take the first opportunity of getting the king's person into
eir power. Walter, Earl of Monteith, was the principal actor
this plot; and having along with him William, the 2d Earl
' Buchan of the name of Cumiue, the Earl of Athole, Lord Ba.
»noch, the Earl of Marr, and others of their adherents, they
tered the royal apartments at Kinross, early in the morning
the 28th October, 1255, made the king a prisoner before he
as awake, and carried him to Stirling. They then dismiss-
his Majesty's servants, and filled all places of trust with their
a adherents. So great was their power that the king, after he
recovered his liberty, thought it prudent to give them H full
trdon. Alexander, the 3d Earl of Buchan, of the name of Cum-
», was justiciary and Lord-high-constable of Scotland, and WHS
iointed one of the six governors of the kingdom, after the
t»i of King Alexander III. He founded an hospital at Tur-
F, anno 1272, for twe.ve poor husbandmen, and another at
pwburgh, both in Aberdeenshire. John, the 4th Earl of
Buchau, constable of Scotland, was one of the arbiters chosen
on the part of John Baliol, in the competition for the crown
between him and Robert Bruce. At this time, John Cumin.-,
Lord Badenoch, commonly called the Black Cumine, claimed
the crown of Scotland, as being descended of Hexasilda, daugh-
ter and heiress of Gotheric, son and heir of Donald king of
Scotland. It is well known how this affair was determined by
Edwani I. of England. To the Black Cumine succeeded his
son John Cumine, Lord of Badenoch, commonly called the Red
Curaine. Scotland had now for a considerable time groaned
under the yoke of English servitude : Baliol had meanly given
up his pretended right to the Crown to Edward ; and Bruce
had secretly intimated to his friends his intention of asserting
his title to the royal dignity. Cumine, ever mindful of his own
interest, made a solemn engagement with Robert, to aid him
with all his power in mounting the throne, provided he should
be restored to the large possessions which his family had for-
merly enjoyed ; but, after deliberating upon the affair, he began
to d»ubt the event. If the attempt failed he was undone ; and
he did not know how to retract. His own black heart suggest-
ed the detestable remedy. His hopes of great reward from
England induced him to divulge the whole scheme of the Scot-
tish patriots to Edward; and Bruce, finding that he was be-
trayed, with difficulty escaped to Scotland, where, discovering
r'ear proof of the villany «.f Cumine, he pursued him to the
riiiirch of Dumfries, whither, from conscious guilt, he fled for
refuge, and punished him us his crime deserved, on the 10th of
t.ruary, 1006. Having no issue, he was the last Lord Ba-
ioi-h of the name of Cumine. The -laughter of the Red
t mine by Bruce inspired the whole clan with a desire to re-
ign his death. They continued violently to oppose Bruce ;
t by defeating the Earl of Buchan at Inverurie. anno 1108,
put an end to the greatness of this too powerful family.
uce pursued the Cumines to Fyvie, where they were entirely
dispersed. He encamped there until the return of the parties
which he had sent out to burn the Karl of Bin-ban's estate.— tin-
ear! was then forfeited and outlawed." [Old Statistical Account
of St. Fergus.] In the parliament holdeu at Perth, anno 13 0,
the king divided the Earl's lands among his own friends. The
parish of St. Fergus, however, and some other small estates,
•J>em to have previously been given off by the ancient Earls
41 wraselves.
Iiwm to nave |
Uwmselves.
in tliis ridge, is ground called the Links of St. Fergus,
constituting, probably, one of the most pleasant plains
in Scotland, and producing — from its wild thyme,
white clover, and short grass, it is thought — mutton
of peculiar delicacy and fineness of flavour. Along
the shore, which is low and sandy, is an inexhaustible
quantity of shells, which have been advantageously
used as manure. The soil of this parish in general is
rich and fertile clay. Almost the whole face of the
country is well-cultivated, and presents a pleasing
landscape though rather deficient in trees. About
5,000 acres are arable, 200 in pasture, and not above
20 in trees. " It would appear that the woods in thig
country had, at one time or other, been destroyed by
fire, as the marks of that element are visible on many
of the roots and trees that are dug up in the mosses.
It may not be an improbable conjecture, that this
happened anno 1308, when King Robert Bruce de-
feated Cumine, Earl of Buchan, near Inverury. For-
dun, after narrating this defeat, adds, ' comitatum de
Buchan igne consumsit.' " [Old Statistical Account.]
— Upwards of 500 acres are mossy grounds, but im-
provements have been effected even on some of these.
Valued rent of the parish, in 1762, about £900; in
1840, about £5,700. The annual produce is at pre-
sent upwards of £17,000. The river Ugie, which se-
parates St. Fergus from Peterhead, has abridge across
it in the line of the turnpike-road from Fraserburgh
to Peterhead. There has been rather a good salmon
fishery in this river, but it is injured by an accumu-
lation of sand at the Ugie's confluence with the sea,*
There is no other stream of any importance On
a bend of the Ugie stands the castle of Inverugie,
now in ruins. "Within a few paces of the wall of the
north court are the ruins of an old ice-house, pro-
bably the first of its kind in Scotland. This castle was
the ancient seat of the family of Cheyne ; the most
ancient portion of the ruins has, from time immemo-
rial, been called Cheyne's tower. It is probable,
however, that the principal part of the edifice — which
appears to have been a very noble one — was erected
by the great family of the Earls Marischal of Scot-
land ; especially by George, Earl Marischal, the
founder of Marischal college, Aberdeen, whose chief
and principal residence, Inverugie castle, became the
seat of the Cheyries, by the intermarriage of one of
his family with that of the Cheynes. At what par-
ticular period the Cheynes became proprietors of
this parish, is not certainly known; but it would
appear, that they were in possession of this estate
before the Cumines succeeded to the Earldom of
Buchan. Sir Reginald Cheyne of Inverugie was
the founder of the Carmelites' house in Aberdeen ;
and, besides other revenues, bestowed upon it 40s.
yearly out of his lands of Black water, in this parish.
By his wife, a daughter of Cumine, Lord Badenoch,
lie had two sons; Sir Reginald, who, in 1267, was
promoted to the office of Lord-chamberlain of Scot-
ind, and Henry Cheyne, who was elected Bishop
of Aberdeen, in 1281. He was one of those who
swore fealty to Edward, anno 1296. As he was
nearly related to the Cumines, he adhered to that
mrty, and was obliged to leave this country, and
;ake refuge in England, where he remained in exile
until King Robert was pleased to recall him. He
was so happy in being allowed to resume his func-
tions, that he applied all the revenues of the see —
which, during his absence, had increased to a very
considerable sum — in building the bridge over the
Don at Aberdeen. He died anno 1329, having been
jishop of Aberdeen 48 years. The direct male line
of the Cheynes of Inverugie failed in the reign of
David II., and the parish of St. Fergus, with the
>ther estates belonging to the family, fell to two
-, the eldest of whom, Marietta Cheyne,
FER
532
FER
married John Keith of Ravenscraig, second son of
Sir Edward Keith, Marischal of Scotland, who in
her right became proprietor of this parish about the
year 1360, The direct male line of John Keith
failed in the person of Sir William Keith of Inver-
ugie, who fell in the battle of Flodden. He left
two daughters, the eldest of whom was married to
William the 4th Earl Marischal, sometime before
1538. By this marriage Earl Marischal became pro-
prietor of St. Fergus. He was possessed of one of
the greatest land-estates at that time in Scotland.
In the years 1530 and 1540, he got charters on many
lands lying in the counties, Caithness, Inverness,
Moray, Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Angus, Fife,
Linlithgow, &c. It is said, that after Queen Mary's
captivity, he took no concern in public affairs, and
by living a retired life in his castle of Dunottar, he
got the name of William in the Tower. He so
much improved his estate, that at his death it was
reckoned worth 270,000 merks Scots, or £14,208
6s. 8d. sterling. This estate was so situated, that
in travelling from the north point of Caithness, to
the borders of England, he could sleep every night
on his own ground. This Earl was a zealous pro-
moter of the Reformation, but opposed all violent
proceedings in that affair. When the Confession of
Faith was presented to Parliament, in 1560, the
Earl Marischal stood up, and said, " It is long since
I carried some favour to the truth, and was some-
what zealous for the Roman religion ; but this day
hath fully resolved me of the truth of the one, and
the falsehood of the other ; for, seeing (my lords)
the bishops, who, by their learning, can, and for the
zeal they should have for the truth, would, as I sup-
pose, gainsay any thing repugnant to it, say nothing
against the Confession we have heard, I cannot think
but it is the truth of God, and the contrary of it is
false detestable doctrine." This noble lord died in
an advanced age, in 1581, and was succeeded by his
grandson George, the 5th Earl Marischal, one of the
most eminent men of his time. After having studied
at Geneva, under the famous Theodore Beza, he
travelled through Italy and Germany, where he
visited the Landgrave of Hesse, Prince of the Catti,
who, understanding who he was, received him kindly,
and treated him with great magnificence, as a Scotch
descendant of the ancient Catti. In 1589 he was
sent ambassador-extraordinary to the court of Den-
mark, to espouse the Princess Anne in the name of
James VI. of Scotland, and I. of England. Being
possessed of a great estate, he appeared with all the
lustre and magnificence with which the wealth of
Scotland could adorn him, and that chiefly on his
own expenses. In 1593, he made the noble founda-
tion of the Marischal college, and obtained from the
Crown, for the support of it, the lands and houses
belonging to some of the religious at Aberdeen,
which had not been feued off before the Reformation.
Inverugie continued to be the residence of the suc-
ceeding proprietors, until the attainder of George
Earl Marischal, who engaged in the rebellion of
1715; when it escheated to the Crown, by whom it
was afterwards sold and again repurchased by George
Earl Marischal, a son of the attainted Earl, in 1761 ;*
* The great Field-marshal Keith, brother to this last Earl
Marischal, " was born at Inverugie, in this parish, and was
baptized, 16th June, 1696, by the names of James Francis Ed-
ward. He early entered into the military service abroad, rose
to the highest rank in the army, and was inferior to no general
of his time in military capacity. He accompanied his brother
Earl Marischal to the battle of Dunblane, and afterwards went
abroad to seek preferment at the Spanish court; but not find-
ing a qiuck promotion there, he entered into the Russian ser-
vice, and was by Peter the Great promoted to the rank of a
genera officer. He afterwards entered into the service of
Frederic III., king of Prussia, who raised him to the rank of
field-marshal. He commanded that king's armies, sometimes
alone, and, at other times, along with his Majesty, until the
it was again sold by him, however, in 1764, to James
Ferguson, Esq., a senator of the College of Jus-
tice, with whose family it has ever since continued.
While the great lords of Inverugie were yet in all
the pride of their wealth and power, Sir Thomas
Learmont, the Rhymer, is traditionally said to have
fulminated the following vaticination, from a place
in the vicinity of the castle, still called Thamas's
stane :
" Inverugie by the sea,
Lordless shall thy lands be."
The villages of Inverugie and St. Fergus are situ-
ated in this parish. The latter, which is situated
inland, near the middle of the parish, contains the
church. — St. Fergus is in the synod of Aberdeen,
and presbytery of Deer. Patron, the Crown. Sti-
pend £217 9s. 4d. ; glebe valued at £18. Church
built in 1763, repaired or adorned in 1836; sittings
610. There is a small Baptist chapel in the parish,
but it has no fixed minister. Schoolmaster's salary
£30, with fees and other emoluments amounting to
£16 per annum. There are 5 private, 4 of which
are Dames', schools.
FERN. See FEARN.
FERNELL. See FARNELL.
FERNIHURST, or FAIRNHTTRST, a seat of the
ancient family of Ker, in the parish of Jedhurgh, 1 $
mile south of Jedburgh. It is on the banks of the
Jed, and the ancient castle has figured frequently in
the Border wars. See JEDBURGH.
FERNESS, a promontory on the west coast of
the isle of Eday, one of the Orkneys.
FERRINTOSH, a village and barony in the par-
ish of Logie and Urquhart, in Ross-shire, but politi-
cally belonging to the county of Nairn. It long
possessed the exclusive privilege — originally granted
to the proprietor Forbes of Culloden — of distilling
whisky from barley of its own growth, free of duty ;
but this privilege was withdrawn by Government in
1785, and the superior of the barony allowed about
£20,000 as a compensation. The district occupies
about 8 square miles, and stretches along the south
shore of the Conan and the frith of Cromartry, about
2£ miles.
FERROGAN-BEN, a mountain in the parish of
Dull, Perthshire ; 8 miles south of Blair- Athol.
FERRY (EAST and WEST). See BROUGHTY.
FERRY.
FERRY (LITTLE and MEIKLE), two small vil-
lages in Ross-shire, on the coast of the frith of Dor-
noch.
FERRYDEN, a large village, on the left bank of
the South Esk in Forfarshire ; f of a mile above the
point of the river's entrance to the sea. The village
stands in the parish of Craig, stretching a consider-
able way along the shore of the Esk opposite Mon-
trose harbour; and, but for the width and rapid-
ity of the intervening stream, and circuitousness of
communication by the bridge, would be strictly a
fatal battle of Hochkirchen, on 14th October, 1758. The field-
marshal, returning from a separate command, found that the
king had encamped in a very improper place, and instantly
told his Majesty that Daun would surprise him that night.
His prediction proved too true ; and the field-marshal, making
a glorious defence, was unfortunately killed. He was buried
in the churchyard of Hochkirchen, but the king of Prussia had
his corpse taken up, and sent to Berlin, where he was again
interred with the greatest military honours. The field-mar-
shal, with all his great qualities, was a very bad economist; and
sometimes absented himself from court when he could not pay
h.is debts. On one of these occasions, the Great Frederic CM lied
for him, and found him in his garden, employed in pointing
paper cannon at 1,500 pins of wood in different directions, so
as to discover how he might pour the greatest quantity of fire
upon them, as their position changed. The king paid his gen-
eral's debts, was delighted with the discovery of his amuse,
ment, and augmented the number of pins to 12,000; after
which, he and his general had many a keen engagement in the
garden, which proved of great service afterwards in the field."
— Old Stat. Account of St. Fergus.
FER
533
FES
irb of Montrose. It formerly was the ferry-post
which connected that burgh and the great northern
road with the south of Scotland; and suffered con-
siderable temporary declension when the ferry was
superseded by the line of spacious bridges higher up
the river. The village is now important, partly for
ipplying hands to the whale-ships and other craft
Montrose, but chiefly for its very extensive and
reductive fishery. Six-sevenths of a population of
>ut 700 are wholly employed in fishing, and have
>ut 20 boats, each carrying 6 men, besides a rium-
of smaller boats. Women and children, as well
men, work hard to raise the productiveness and
opulence of the place ; the females gathering bait-
the lagune of Montrose, carrying fish to the
mrket of the burgh, and in general possessing that
ardiness of character for which their class are so
remarkable in the fishing- villages of Newhaven and
Fisherrow on the Forth. Fish-cadgers from the
ijacent districts, and from Brechin, Forfar, Cupar-
jus, Dundee, and Perth, resort at all seasons of
year to Ferryden for loads of fresh fish. The
fishery is richly abundant, and sometimes supplies
; of the boats of the village, after 10 or 12 hours'
labour, with freights nearly as heavy as they can
carry, and simultaneously, or in the same day, brought
into the port. Haddocks are very plentiful and good
ten months in the year; and salmon is caught in
large quantities, and sent, amidst layers of pounded
s, to the markets of Edinburgh and London. So
important is the traffic in fresh salmon from Ferry-
den and other places at the mouth of the South Esk
to the capitals of Britain, that in an open winter,
when ice of sufficient quantity for packing cannot be
obtained at home, the somewhat extraordinary im-
rt is sent for to the Baltic. Though Ferryden is
situated within a mile of the parish- church, a house
fitted up for its special use as a Sabbath evening
" week-day chapel. The inhabitants are a mus-
ilar, weather-beaten race, exceedingly different in
>pearance and manners from the population of the
burgh on the opposite shore.
FERRY-PORT-ON-CRAIG,* a parish in Fife-
shire, disjoined in 1606 from that of Leuchars. It
occupies the north-east portion of the county ; and
is bounded on the south by the parishes of Forgan
and Leuchars ; on the east by the German ocean ;
on the north by the estuary of the Tay ; and on the
west by the parish of Forgan. It is 4 miles in length
from east to west; and varies from 1£ to £ mile in
breadth from north to south. Its superficial extent
is about 2,026 Scots acres. The population, in 1755,
was 621 ; in 1801, 920 ; in 1831, 1,680. There is a
large village at the ferry, in which the greater oor-
tion of the inhabitants reside: its population, in
1831, being 1,538, while the country part of the
parish contained only 142. There is still a ferry
here to the opposite coast of Forfarshire, but from
the great improvements which have taken place in
the ferry of Newport, it is much less frequented
than it formerly was ; but it is proposed that the great
Fifeshire railway, commencing at Kinghorn, shall ter-
linate at or near this ferry. Two piers have been
irected, one of which is used by the passage-boats,
md the other by vessels which here discharge and load.
A. f;iir is held in the village annually, which was at
•ne time well-attended as a market, but now only
>y a few itinerant hucksters. The nearest market-
nvns in the county are Cupar and St. Andrews;
ut the chief intercourse is with Dundee, to which
lere is easy access either by the steam-boat at
The name is obviously derived from that of the village,
which received its name fiom it.s situation, there having been
^ >m a very early period a ferry here to Bronghty castle ill
rorfarshire, the port or harbour of \\ hich was at one time at a
iut of the craigs or rocks which bound the shore.
Newport, or by a packet which leaves the ferry for
that place in the morning, returning in the evening
of every lawful day. West of the village there are
two lighthouses on the shore, which, with those on
the coast of Forfarshire, serve as guides to vessels
entering the Tay during the night — In the western
and south-western part of the parish, the soil is a
black loam, on a bottom of whinstone rock, and pro-
duces excellent crops of all kinds. Towards the
east it is flat and sandy, with light loam in some
places on a bottom of sand, which yields good crops
of oats and barley. At the east extremity of the
parish, there is a considerable extent of links, which
afford pasturage for sheep and cattle, and are besides
stocked with rabbits. There are altogether about
1,350 acres in regular cultivation. The annual value
of real property assessed, in 1815, was £3,386.
The real rent is about £2,500. The valued rent is
£2,183 Scotch. There is one mill for spinning linen
yarn also moved by water ; and a number of the in-
habitants of the village are employed in the weaving
of linen, chiefly for the manufacturers of Dundee.
There is an extensive salmon-fishery extending along
the whole shore of the parish, which is let for £900
sterling per annum. The net and coble are now
alone used; but formerly, when stake-nets were
used, the rent was sometimes as high as £2,000 per
annum The mansion-house and enclosures of Scots-
craig, long the residence of the proprietor of that
estate, which seems to have included all the lands in
the parish, is situated near the west end of the par-
ish. These lands at an early period belonged to the
bishops of St. Andrews, by one of whom it was
feued during the reign of Alexander II to Sir Mi-
chael Scott of Balwearie, the father of the famed
Sir Michael Scott, with whose descendants the lands
for some time continued. It was in consequence of
this that they came to be denominated Scotscraig.
From the family of Scott, Scotscraig came by pur-
chase to Dury of that ilk, from whom it passed to
the Ramsays, ancestors of the Earls of Dalhousie.
It afterwards became the property of a family of the
name of Buchanan, from whom it came to a family
named Erskine. During the reign of Charles II.
the whole estate became the property of Archbishop
Sharp, from whose successors it was purchased by
Mr. Alexander Colville, the representative of the
Lords Colville of Culross. From this family the
lands were afterwards purchased by the Rev. Robert
Dagleish, D. D., who was minister and proprietor
of the whole parish. The present proprietor is
David Dougal, Esq., uncle of the late Miss Dougal,
whose father purchased the estate from the repre-
sentatives of the Rev. Mr. Dagleish.— This parish
is in the presbytery of St. Andrews, and synod of
Fife. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £159 13s. Id. ;
glebe £35. The parish-church was erected in 1825,
and accommodates from 800 to 900. It is situated
in the village. — There is also a chapel connected
with the United Associate synod in the village —
Schoolmaster's salary £30, with about £20 fees.
The teacher, besides his fees, has a house, garden,
and school-house; and an allowance for teaching 5
poor scholars, from a sum of money invested by the
late William Dagleish, Esq. of Scotscraig, for that
purpose. There is another school in the parish,
which is solely supported by the school-fees; and
one taught by a female chiefly attended by very
young or female children. All the schools are well-
attended. A subscription-library was commenced
in 1829, which contains a good collection of books
in various branches <>t literature.
FERRYTOWN-OF-CREE. See CREETOWN,
FESHIE (TuE), a river in the district of Bade-
noch, Inverness-shire, which has its rise near Cairn-
FET
534
FET
oilar m Mar; flows first north-east, and then bends
suddenly north-west to the eastern base of Cairn-
dearg-mhore, where it strikes north, and pursuing a
northerly course falls into the Spey near the church
of Alvie. It flows through a picturesque district.
FETL AR, one of the most northerly of the Shet-
land isles; separated from North Yell by a sound
about 3 miles broad at the narrowest part. It is about
7 miles in length, and 3J in breadth. It contains about
12,000 acres, with a tolerably fertile soil of loam
and sand, though, like the rest of the Shetland isles,
there is neither tree nor shrub to be seen upon it.
There is on this island a considerable quantity of
that species of iron-stone called bog-ore, of a very
rich quality; there are also some veins of copper
ore. It contained, in 1835, 850 inhabitants, who
cultivate small patches of ground, and during the
summer engage in the halve or ling fishing, and of
late years, in the herring-fishery — The islands of
Fetlar and North Yell form a conjunct ministry,
in the presbytery of Burravoe, and synod of Shet-
land. Patron, the Earl of Zetland. Stipend £180;
glebe £9. The minister officiates at the churches
of North Yell and Fetlar on alternate Sabbaths.
The total population of the parish, in 1835, was
1,693 Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 4d. There
were 5 private schools in 1834. — See NORTH YELL.
FETTER ANGUS, a small village in the parish
of Old Deer, Aberdeenshire, but politically belong-
ing to Banffshire, the property of Fergusson of Pit-
four. It contains about 200 inhabitants, who are
chiefly employed in manufacturing linen yarn.
FETTERCAIRN, a parish in Kincardineshire ;
bounded on the north by Strachan ; on the east and
south-east by Marykirk ; and on the west by Edzell
in Forfarshire, from which it is separated by the
North Esk. It lies at the foot of the lower or
north-eastern range of the Grampians, and extends
considerably into the how or hollow of Mearns, con-
taining, by accurate measurement, 14,359 English
acres. Houses 367. Assessed property, in 1815,
£6,737. Population, in 1801, 1,794; in 1831, 1,637.
There are several rivulets in the parish, but none
of any importance. On the bank of one, running
past Balnakettle, very fine porcelain clay is quarried.
Limestone, red freestone, and slaty rock are also
found. The ground on the west is light and sharp,
with a small mixture of moss ; on the east it becomes
deeper, consisting of a fertile clayey loam. The
cultivation of the parish is in a highly advanced
state, and the district is enclosed with hedge and
ditch, or stone fences, and well planted. Annual
raw produce valued at £16,000. A romantic
bridge, called Gannachy bridge, consisting of one
arch, 52 feet in width, was thrown over the
North Esk, in 1732, and widened, in 1796, at the
private expense of Lord Adam Gordon and Lord
Panmure. Its foundations stand on two stupendous
rocks, elevated to a great height above the surface
of the river — About a mile west of the village of
Fettercairn, is an old ruin called Fenella's castle,
where, it is said, Kenneth III., king of Scotland,
was murdered. It is situated on an eminence, and
surrounded, on three sides, by a morass. The castle
is enclosed, within an inner and an outer wall, of an
oblong form, occupying about half-an-acre of ground.
The inner wall is entirely composed of vitrified mat-
ter, as are several parts of the castle ; but there are
no marks of lime about any part of the building.
The remarkable historical event for which Fenella's
castle has been celebrated is this: — Kenneth III.,
who ascended the throne in the year 970, occasion-
ally lived at a castle about a mile east of the village
of Fettercairn. He had excited the deadly hatred !
of the powerful and royal lady Fenella, daughter of J
the Earl of Angus, for having justly put to death her
son, Crathilinthus. She treacherously invited him
to her castle, where she had prepared a singular
engine, or ' infernal machine,' in order to put him
to death. This engine consisted of a brass statue,
which threw out arrows when a golden apple was
taken from its hand. The lady Fenella, under pre-
tence of amusing the king with the curiosities of her
elegant residence, conducted him to one of its towers,
where, in the midst of an upper apartment, and sur-
rounded by splendid drapery, and curious sculptures,
stood the infernal machine. Here she courteously
invited his majesty to take the apple, and the king,
amused with the conceit, put forth his hand and did
so, when instantly he' was pierced with arrows, and
mortally wounded. He was shortly afterwards
found by his attendants, who, coming for their royal
master, could not gain admittance to the castle,
whence the assassin had already fled; and "having
brak the dure, fund him bullerand in his blude." —
Fasque house was erected, in 1809, by Sir Alexan-
der Ramsay of Balmain. It is built in the castel-
lated style, and is large and commodious, command-
ing an extensive view, with a lake of 20 acres in its
extensive policies. — The only village in this parish
is Fettercairn, distant 98 miles from Edinburgh, and
15 from Montrose, the nearest market-town. It is
a burgh~of-barony, and has two fairs in the year.
The Fettercairn club, for the promotion of agricul-
ture, comprehends the parishes of Fettercairn, For-
doun, Laurencekirk, and Marykirk. Most of the
farms here have thrashing mills. At Arnhall there
is a small establishment for carding and manufac-
turing wool into coarse cloth; and at Nethermill,
near the village of Fettercairn, is a distillery. — The
parish is in the presbytery of Fordoun, and synod
of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the Crown. Sti-
pend £232 4s. Id., with glebe valued at £20. Un-
appropriated teinds £278 Us. 6d. Schoolmaster's
salary £34, besides school-fees and other emoluments
valued at £45 per annum. There are 5 private
schools in the parish.
FETTERESSO, a parish in Kincardineshire,
bounded on the north by Banchory-Davenick and
Mary-Coulter ; on the south-east by the sea ; on the
south by Dunottar, from which it is separated by the
small river Carron ; and on the west by Glenbervie.
It is about 1 0 miles in length, and 5 to 6 in breadth ; con-
taining 24,914 square acres, 8,000 of which are arable,
the rest moor,or moss, upon a hard stony bottom, which
is now planted with a variety of thriving trees. Houses
947. Assessed property, in 1815, £12,018. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 3,687; in 1831, 5,109. Besides the
Carron, this parish is watered by the Cowie : near
the latter stands the mansion-house of Urie ; and on
the north side of the former, Fetteresso-house, a
residence of the Marischal family previous to their
attainder. The Cowie rises in the parish of Glen-
bervie, and runs from west to east, falling into the
sea in Stonehaven bay, which the Carron likewise
does. There are several other smaller streams, the
principal of which is the Muchal burn. The sea-
coast is bold and rocky, possessing only one bay —
that of Stonehaven — where fishing-boats can lie in
safety. Near Stonehaven, which lies on the imme-
diate border of the parish, a new suburb or part of
that town has been built by Mr. Barclay of Urie,
consisting of a regular village, with two parallel and
cross streets, and a square of two acres in the
centre. The houses are neatly built, and slated,
while the inhabitants have the advantage of the
harbour of Stonehaven for carrying on manufactures.
In this parish, are also the fishing- villages of
Muchals and Skateraw; in the former of which is
an Episcopal chapel, and at each is a small creek
FEU
535
F1F
harbour. In the northern part of the parish, near
shore, is also the village of Seaton. The pppu-
of these villages are nearly all Episcopalians,
the hill called Rhi-dikes, or King's-dykes, there
very distinct vestiges of a rectangular encamp-
it, supposed to have been Roman, and occupied
Agricola's troops, previous to his engagement
Galgacus, the Scottish king. On a moor 2
east of the camp, there are a great many tu-
jli, or small cairns, and some very large ones,
are supposed to be sepulchral monuments,
on the field of battle, to the memory of the
The moor is called the Kernp-stane hill, and
each side is a morass. In almost every part of
parish, remains of Druidical temples have been
with, but some of them have been demolished
the farmers. On the coast, about 1£ mile north
Stonehaven, are the remains of a castle, the an-
it residence of the Thanes of Cowie, or Mearns ;
1, on a rising ground, near to the Thane's castle,
has formerly been a place of worship, the gables
1 part of the walls of which are still standing. Ad-
ling is a bury ing-ground, enclosed with stone walls,
iere many of the people in the northern parts of the
rish still continued, on account of its vicinity, to
their dead, after the destruction of the church,
parish is in the presbytery of Fordoun, and
of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the Crown.
;nd £253 11s., with glebe valued at £16.
>propriated teinds £322 6s. 7d. Church built
$12; sittings 1,400. A part of the church be-
to the feuars of Stonehaven, in virtue of
;ir feu-rights ; but it chiefly belongs to the land-
rd heritors. After the place of worship in the
them part of the parish had become ruinous, a
church or chapel was erected, in 1818, at Cok-
f, at an expense of £334 ; sittings 421. The only
ry paid to the preacher is the sum derived from
-rents, amounting to about £40 per annum — The
tish Episcopalian congregation was established
after the Revolution. The chapel was built
1831, at an expense of about £300, partly raised
subscription, but mostly from foreign sources:
it £90 came from England ; sittings 1 76. Minis-
•'s salary £57 10s., a house, and about £ an acre
'ground The United Secession congregation, at
lehaven, was first established about 30 years ago.
Church built in 1803, at a cost of £500; sittings
4<H). Minister's stipend £85 per annum. — School-
masters' salaries — first master £34 ; second, £17 per
annum : fees of former £20 ; of latter £10. There are
8 private schools in the parish. About 400 children
attend the private schools, and 90, the parochial.
FEUGH (THE), a rivulet in the north-western
quarter of Kincardineshire, tributary to the Dee. It
rises in the forest of Birse, in Aberdeenshire, and,
running eastward 8 miles, enters Kincardineshire,
where it is joined by the Aven, and soon after by the
Dye, when, continuing an easterly course for a few
miles more, it turns north, and dashes over a ledge
of rocks into the Dee. See BIRSE.
FIDDICH (THE), or FEDUICH, a river in Banff-
shire, tributary to the Spey. It rises in a mountain-
ous tract between the parishes of Kirkmichael and
-Mortlach, flows through the beautiful vale of Glen
Fiddich, arid unites its waters with those of the
Spey, in the parish of Boharm, about a mile below
Klchies. " Fiddichside for fertility," is a proverb
in the district.
FIDDRIE, a rocky islet in the frith of Forth,
opposite to Dirleton, and 4 miles from the l'>,i—
rock. On it are the ruins of a small chapel.
FIFE-NESS, the easternmost point of land in
Fifeshire, which projects into the (Jerinan ocean, in
North lat. 56° 16', and West long. 2° 34'. From
it a ridge of rocks, called the Carr-rocks, projects a
considerable way into the sea, rendering it very dan-
gerous to mariners : see article CARR-ROCK.
FIFESHIRE,* a county forming the eastern por-
tion of the central district of Scotland, being nearly
in the middle of the great basin, of which the pri-
mitive mountain-ranges of the Lammermuirs on the
south, and the Grampians on the north, constitute
the boundaries. Its form is peninsular, being en-
closed on three sides by sea, — by the German ocean on
the east ; and by the friths of Tay and Forth on the
north and south ; on the west it is bounded by the
shires of Perth, Clackmannan, and Kinross, the last of
which it almost encloses, except on the west and
north-west, where it joins Perthshire. The western
boundary — the line of which is very irregular — is
about 23 miles from its extreme point on the Tay
to the corresponding southern point on the Forth.
The county gradually contracts to the eastward, and
finally terminates in a narrow projecting headland
at Fifeness, which runs out into the German ocean,
and where a beacon has been erected for the pro-
tection of coasting- vessels. The greatest length
from east to west, along the shore of the Forth,
is 41 miles ; about the centre, in the same direc-
tion, from St. Andrews to Loch Leven, it is 23£
miles ; the northern range, from Ferry-Port-on-
Craig to the small stream at Mugdrum which falls
into the Tay, is 18 miles. Its breadth across the
centre, from Balambreich point on the north, to
Leven on the south, is 14 miles. The southern
coast is, for the most part, indented by small rocky
bays with corresponding projecting headlands; but
along the banks of the Tay, the grounds slope
gently towards the beach, and are generally culti-
vated to the river's edge. Along the north-eastern
shore, towards St. Andrews, it presents one large
plain, terminating in a flat beach of sand contain-
ing a considerable number of broken shells. The
shore in this direction, and generally onwards to
Kingsbarns and Crail, becomes extremely rocky : the
outcrop of the sandstone running in the form of
long narrow dykes into the sea, and rising into
* The origin of the name of Fife, or its derivation, has never
been satisfactorily given. Sibbald says; "The monks write
that it was called Fife from Fifus Duttus. a nobleman who did
eminent service in war." But he obviously puts no faith ii,
this monkish tradition. The existence of Fifua Duffus is as
apocryphal as the tradition of his bestowing his name on his
land-. The late Rev. Dr. Adamson, the learned editor of the
ast edition of Sibbald's • History of Fife,' seems to think it
ikely that the name was given to the district "from one. ol it.i
nost striking natural productions. Fifa, in the Scandinavian
dialects," he says, "is the cotton-grass— Lanngo palustris— a
plant that must have been very common in a country lull of
akes and marshes, and which still abounds in the remaining
imlraiued spots." It is very doubtful, however, if, at the time
the name of Fife originated, the cotton-grass was «o plentiful a
production as it afterwards became. The destruction of the
ancient forests with which this district was covered, originated,
n a great measure, those mosses and marshes in which tins
grass is found; but, whatever may be in this, it is certain that
.he name existed long before any dialect of Scandinavian, or
rather of Teutonic origin, prevailed in the country. The name
s unquestionably of Celtic origin, and its source is oiiiy to be
sought for in some of the dialects of that ancient tongue.
Chalmers, in discussing the question as to the Gothic or Celtic
origin of the Pictish people, says, that this people, who were
he descendants of the ancient Caledonians, received their dis.
inctive appellation from their relative position beyond the
wall to the more civilized Britons of the Roman province.
They dwelt without the Roman wall, and roamed at large, free
rom the bondage as they were deprived of the advantages
whi-i-h arose from communication with those masters ol the
ivili/ed world. From these circumstances they were called
'fithi, which was naturally Latinized into Picti, l>y the pe( u.
. arity of Human pronunciation. Peit/ti, in the ancient British
peech, signifies -those that are out, or exposed,' — * the people
,f the open country,'—' the people ol the waste, or desert ;'—
rtlso • those who scout, who lay waste.' Those who are aware
hat P, in the ancient Celtic, changes in the oblique cases
nto I'h with the sound of F, will not doubt that greater
laimes. in orthography have taken place than the softening of
• ithi into rift' ; and that the name of the kingdom of Fife
ay be nothing more than * softening ol the naineut the ancient
kingdom of the IVitlu, or ol the 1'icts.
536
FIFESHIRE.
considerable mural cliffs towards the land — Accord-
ing to Sir John Sinclair's General Report of Scot-
land, the number of cultivated acres in this county,
about 25 years ago, was 209,226 ; and of unculti-
vated, 89,664. Playfair estimates the superficies at
500 square miles, of which about four-fifths are
arable. Macculloch, in his ' Statistical Account of
the British Empire,' [Vol. I. p. 292,] estimates the
total area at 300,800 acres. In the ' Penny Cyclo-
pedia,' the area is stated at 322,560 acres.
The general surface partakes more of the gentle,
undulating outline of the middle districts of Eng-
land, than of those bolder and more striking aspects
of Nature which characterize the scenery of Cale-
donia. The Ochils, which skirt its northern boun-
dary, and the Lomonds, which run nearly parallel
to the Ochils, divide the county into three well-
defined districts, which — as will be afterwards de-
scribed— correspond to three equally marked sub-
ordinate geognostic formations. These two ranges
of hills — which attain their greatest elevation to-
wards the west — are separated by the intervening
and finely- wooded valley of Stratheden, in the centre
of which the county-town of Cupar is beautifully
situated. The ground, on the south of the Lo-
monds, stretches out in a broad uneven surface to-
wards the Forth ; eastwards, there rises an elevated
table-land, which forms what is characteristically
termed ' the Muirs of Fife,' but which gradually
merges in the rich and extensive plains, locally de-
signated ' the East Neuk,' comprising an extent of
several parishes — The Ochils consist of a chain of
trap-hills, extending through a course of upwards of 50
miles, gently rising on the south bank of the Tay above
Ferry-Port-on-Craig, to about 400 feet, and' attain-
ing at the western extremity, in Bencleugh and
Dalmyatt, an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet above
the level of the sea. The saddle-shape, the round-
back, and the conical peak, are severally developed
in the course of this range ; but only in a few in-
stances— as Craig-sparrow, Clatchart, and Craig-in-
Crune — do the hills present an abrupt, precipitous
front ; so that, for the most part, they are either
cultivated to the summit, or covered with a rich
carpeting of excellent pasturage. Towards the
south-eastern district, they break up into several
parallel ridges, or small mountain-arms — some of
them completely detached — which, with extensive
tracts of fertile corn-fields intervening, form an
extremely pleasing and diversified contour of coun-
try. The whole is intersected by innumerable val-
leys, some of which form lateral passes into the ad-
jacent plains of Stratheden and Strathearn ; and one
of them, commencing near the eastern shore, tra-
verses the county as far as Newburgh, in a line al-
most parallel with the principal chain, when, after a
contracted course varying from a few hundred yards
to half-a-mile in breadth, it opens suddenly upon the
extensive basin in which the loch of Lindores is con-
tained. A little to the westward, on the verge of
Strathearn, and near to the celebrated cross of Mac-
duff, the poet still thus glowingly describes the
prospect : —
-You do gaze —
IMI thf prospect.
Strangers are wont to do so — <>u m^ prospect.
Yon is the Tay, rolled down from Highland hills,
That rests his waves, after so rude a race,
In the fair plains of Gowrie.— Further westward,
Proud Stirling rises — Yonder to the east
Dundee, the gift of God, and fair Montrnsp;
And atill more northward, lie the ancient towers
Of Edzell.
Scott's Macduff's Cross.
Besides the Tay and Forth, which traverse the con-
fines of this county, there are three rivers of compa-
ratively small dimensions, but of considerable mer-
cantile importance, which flow through the district.
These are the Eden, which takes its rise near the
western extremity of the shire, in the parish of
Strathmiglo, and, after a course of about 18 miles
through the entire extent of the valley, falls into the
sea at the Guard-bridge, near the bay of St. An-
drews ; the Leven, which issues from the loch of the
same name, and runs along the southern escarpment
of the Lomonds ; and the Orr, waich rises in the
south-west corner of the county, and joins the Leven
a few miles to the north of Largo bay, into which
they pour their united waters : see articles EDEN,
LEVEN, and ORR. The portion of the county tra-
versed by the Orr is neither fertile nor interesting ;
but the vale that is irrigated by the Leven is ex-
tremely picturesque ; the windings — which are short,
abrupt, and frequent — expose unexpectedly to the
traveller's eye scattered cottages along the sides oi
the river, bleachfields, mansion-houses, villages, and
coal- works, giving to the whole an extremely lively
and animated outline. In addition to these rivers,
there are several streams, which, from the shortness
of their course, and the small quantity of water they
discharge into the sea, do not seem entitled to any
particular notice — The lochs connected with the
county are, Loch Fitty, Loch Gelly, Loch Leven,
Loch Mill, the Black Loch, Lindores, and Kilcon-
quhar : all of which are well-stocked with pike and
perch, and some of them with excellent trout ; and
generally they are frequented by various species of
wild fowl, while their banks are adorned with in-
numerable tribes of the flowering aquatic plants.
Perhaps, however, the most interesting feature, as
connected with the general contour and surface of this
county, are the Lomonds, which — though described
in a separate article — in giving a description of Fife,
it would be improper altogether to omit. The eye
of the painter Wilkie has often rested with delight
upon their fine outline — " mine own blue Lomonds,"
he calls them ; and seen from every spot and corner
of the shire, towering majestically above all the sur-
rounding heights, they unquestionably form a grand
and interesting object. This ridge consists of an
elevated table-land, about 4 miles in length, com-
pletely insulated from the neighbouring hills, and
has a gentle and gradual slope towards the south
but on the north the acclivity is precipitous and
rocky, and springs immediately from the valley of
Stratheden to the height of 800 or 900 feet. Two
lofty conical peaks surmount both extremities of the
ridge, rising, one of them to the additional height of
666, and the other to about 821 feet— thus making
what is termed the East law 1,466, and the West-
law 1,721 feet above the level of the sea. Overlook-
ing the whole county, and the two noble rivers by
which it is almost encompassed, with the German
ocean to the east, the towers of Stirling and "the
lofty Ben-Lomond" to the west, the rugged, serrated
outline of the Grampians to the north, and the ex-
tensive plains of the Lothians, begirt by the Pent-
lands and Lammermuirs to the south — the prospect
from either summit of these twin hills may vie with
any in the kingdom, presenting at once to the eye
whatever is necessary to form the beautiful, the pic-
turesque, or the sublime : see THE LCMONDS. Some
of the objects in the immediate vicinity give additional
interest to the scene ; the palace of Falkland, which
lies at the base of the East Peak, is still a place of
considerable attraction, and presents no mean speci-
men of the architectural taste of other days : see
FALKLAND. Loch Leven washes the sloping denies
of the other, where, in the middle of the deep blue
lake, may still be observed the ruins of the castle in
which the unfortunate Mary Stuart was imprisoned
by her subjects : see LOCH LEVEN.
FIFESHIRE.
537
the county of Fife, from the one extremity to the ! siderable extent, and in other localities in outstretch-
r, is exclusively connected with the independent j ing continuous beds of indefinite dimensions. Be-
coal-formation of Werner, and, in his view of the ginning at the west of Fife, and proceeding eastwards,
science of geology, the associated strata belong, one AU- *-"
and all of them, to the floetz class of rocks. Accord-
ing to the more prevailing notions of recent times,
and in conformity with which the terms are less con-
nected with theoretic views, they may be character-
ized by the appellation of the medial or carboniferous
order. The rocks connected with the coal -formation
in Fife — proceeding in the descending series — are sand-
stone, slate clay, bituminous shale, clay-iron-stone,
1, limestone, yellow sandstone, limestone, and old
idstone. Irregularly mixed up with these, the
i members of the trap family are also to be found
mghout the length and breadth of the district.
The old red sandstone rocks of Fifeshire are of com-
paratively limited extent, and are almost exclusively
confined to its northern division. Some very inter-
esting appearances and sections of the yellow sand-
stone, along with strata of the coal-field, may be
observed in Dura-Den, — a beautiful serpentine valley,
which intersects the range of hills from south to
north, through which a considerable stream flows,
joining the Eden atDairsie church. — Mountain lime-
stone, as it occurs in Fife, forms a kind of crescent
around the out-crop of the coal-field, ranging from
the south-west extremity of the county at Broom-
hall, and passing through the parish of Cleish to-
wards the Lomonds, where it attains an elevation
of 1,100 feet above the level of the sea. Its course
towards the east is by Forther, Cults, Ceres, La-
dadda, Mount Melville, and, after a considerable in-
terruption here, it next emerges at Randerston in the
parish of Kingsbarns, on the south-east confines of
the county. Between the bounding line now traced,
and the frith of Forth on the south, this limestone
may be considered as occupying much of the inter-
mediate district, although it has only been brought
to the surface, and rendered available for practical
purposes, in a few localities along the southern shore :
hese are at Seafield, Tyrie, Innertiel, Raith, Cha-
icl, and Pittenweem. Besides this bed — which is
)roperly termed the carboniferous — there is another
>f more limited extent, included among the coal
•trata, and which, for the sake of distinction, has
>een termed the upper limestone. From Pettycur
0 Inverkeithing, the stratified rocks are muchinter-
ected and disturbed by those of an igneous origin ;
.nd here the student in geology may have boundless
cope in which to exercise his imagination as to the
nnent condition of things along this interesting
oast. The limestone, shale, and sandstone, abound
vith organic remains, many of which are peculiar to
his district The coal-metals of Fifeshire are chiefly
istingui-shed by the proportion of bitumen which
| hey yield. Two varieties occur, — the common or
aking-coal, which yields about 40 per cent, of bitu-
| len, and emits a considerable quantity of smoke in
i urning ; and the parrot or cannel-coal, which affords
I bout 20 per cent, of bitumen. The former has a
:>lintery, imperfect, corichoidal fracture, and swells
1 burning; the latter burns with a bright flame,
id, generally, during the operation of combustion,
•crepitates, and flies into small angular fragments.
: is now almost universally employed in the manu-
cttire of gas, and brings, in consequence of its com-
irative scarceness and the great consumption of that
•w element of light, much higher prices than any
'her species of coal. The north out-crop of the
>al-measures is towards the Lomonds, Cults, and
•rumcarro hills, no portion of this useful mineral
iving been found beyond this range ; but towards
I ie south and west districts of the shire it is most
>undantly distributed, sometimes in basins of incon-
the following coal- works are at present in operation,
viz. : — at Torry, Blair, Elgin, Wellwood, Protis,
Hallbeath, Crossgates, Fordel, Donibristle, Dun-
donald, Keltic, Beath, Rashes, Lochgelly, Kipple-
drae, Cluny, Dunnikier, Dysart, Orr-Bridge, Bal-
hirnie, Rothesfield, Wemyss, Drummochy, Lundin
Mill, Grange, Rires, Balcarres, St. Monance, Pit-
tenweem, Kellie, Gilmerton, Largoward, Bungs,
Fallfield, Lathockar, Cairlhurlie, Teasess, Ceres,
Drumcarro, Kilmux, Carriston, Clatto, and Burn-
turkv At these different coal-fields there are 62
pits open, and upwards of 2,500 men and boys em-
ployed. The extent of surface occupied by the coal
metals varies from 6 to about 9 miles in breadth ;
from Torry to Pittenweem, the south-eastern point
of the basin, is 35 miles; and from Blairadarn to
Drumcarro, along the line of the northern out-crop,
is 22 miles. There is thus an area of rather more
than 200 square miles included within the coal-field
of Fife. Beds of parrot or cannel-coal occur gen-
erally in the upper series of the coal-deposits, at
Torry, Dysart, Fall-field, Clatto, Teasess, Burnturk,
and Kippledrae. At the latter locality there are two
seams, separated by a thin layer of shale, and whose
average thickness is about 5 feet. It is the thickest
deposit of the kind in the island of Great Britain
which has as yet been met with. Besides the parrot,
a vertical section of a coal-basin frequently exhibits
upwards of twenty different seams of the black or
common coal used for domestic purposes. These
seams vary from a foot to 20 feet in thickness —
Basalt occupies almost exclusively the southern
boundary of the shire, along the shores of the Forth,
where, at Queensferry, Pettycur, Orchil near Auch-
tertool, Kincraig hill, Earls-ferry-point, and several
other localities to the eastward, it exhibits beautiful
specimens of the columnar structure, consisting of
small, sometimes of larger, pentagonal masses jointed
into one another with the most perfect symmetry
and order. Clinkstone generally forms the cap or
highest portion of the Ochil ridge, but by no means
uniformly so. The Lomonds are capped with green-
stone and amygdaloid. Largo law is composed of a
greyish-black compact basaltic clinkstone, likewise
Hall-hill-craig, and Craighall rock. Between Kin-
craig and Earls-ferry-point, in a small bay of not more
than a mile in extent, the whole series of trappean
rocks may be observed, arranged in no systematic
order, and scarcely distinguishable at their lines of
junction from each other. — The county is partly
intersected on the west by the valley of Glen Farg,
which opens into Strathearn; here the prevailing
rocks are claystone, highly indurated and of a varie-
gated yellow and brownish-red colour ; and amyg-
daloid, which is extremely vesicular, containing ca-
vities from an inch to a quarter of an inch in diameter,
and which are filled with green earth, chalcedony,
calcareous spar, analcime, quartz, and zeolites. Veins
of carbonate of barytes, and carbonate of lime tra-
verse the hills here in every direction, varying from
an inch to several feet in thickness, and exhibiting
beautiful specimens of crystallization. — Alluvium is
confined almost to the north-west section of the county,
and the valley of Stratheden, and at a few places along
the banks of the Leven and Orr. — The district inter-
vening between Ferry-port-on-Craig and St. Andrews
furnishes the only example, in the county, of sand-
drift, which, although considerable in extent, does
not attain in any part of the line an elevation of
more 1 Imn 40 to 50 feet. Peat-moss exists in greater
abundance, and occupies generally the highest table-
land in the district: Brunshiels towards the east.
538
F1FESH1RE.
and Mossmorran situated in the south-western divi-
sion, are the most extensive. Mossmorran is about
1,200 acres in extent, and in some places about 25
feet in depth. It abounds with adders, some of
which are three feet in length. — In Stratheden there
are extensive accumulations of diluvium. From the
church of Collessie to the river Eden, and through a
range of several miles to the east and west, the bot-
tom of the valley is filled to an unknown depth with
the debris of the old red sandstone, generally consist-
ing of small gravelly fragments. The high table-land
at Mugdrum, near Newburgh, is composed entirely
of diluvium, as well as the sloping ground on which
the town stands. The valley, which commences at
the rock of Clatchart, and stretches eastwards, is
filled with the same ; and to the combined action of
the currents which swept along the northern and
southern acclivities of the Ochils — through the val-
leys of Stratheden, Lindores, and the Tay — we
would be disposed to ascribe those vast accumula-
tions of sand and gravel which occur on the western
confines of the parishes of Leuchars and Forgan.
This county furnishes two interesting examples of
sub-marine forests, which are both situated in this
deposit, the one at Largo bay, and the other at
Flisk. They are placed within the limits of the tide,
and are covered at high- water to the depth of nearly
10 feet. They consist of the roots of trees, imbedded
in a peat-moss which rests upon a bed of clay of un-
known depth.
Anciently this county was of much greater extent
than it now is. Under the names of Fife, and Foth-
rik, or Forthrif,* the whole tract of land lying be-
tween the rivers and friths of Forth and Tay appears
to have been comprehended ; including, besides what
now constitutes the county, Monteith, the lordship
of Strathearn, Clackmanrianshire, the shire of Kin-
ross, and that portion of Perthshire which borders
on the Forth. From the great extent and value of
this district, and from its forming so important a
portion of the Pictish dominions, it unquestionably
received, at an early period, its popular appellation
of ' the Kingdom of Fife,' — a name still fondly cher-
ished by its sons, especially those to whom distance
renders still more dear the place of their nativ-
ity. At different periods, the extent of ' the king-
ciom' was diminished ; and so early as 1426, the dis-
trict of Kinross was formed into a distinct county.
In the time of Buchanan — who wrote towards the
end of the following century — the county seems to
have been reduced nearly to its present dimensions.
" The rest of the country," says he, speaking of this
district, "the ambition of man has divided into se-
veral stewartries, as the stewartry of Clackmannan,
of Culross, and of Kinross." A farther dismember-
ment, however, took place in 1685, when the par-
ishes of Portmoak, Cleish, and Tullibole, were dis-
joined from Fife, and, with some lands separated
from Perthshire, incorporated with the shire of Kin-
ross.— The sheriff-depute is judge-ordinary of the
county, and has two substitutes ; one of whom holds
courts at Cupar, the county-town, and the other at
Dunfermline. Formerly there was only one sheriff-
substitute, and the courts were held at Cupar for the
whole county ; but the great distance of Dunferm-
line, and its importance as a manufacturing town,
led to the division of the county into two districts,
the eastern and western, and the appointment of a
substitute for each. By a recent act, the sheriff is
authorized to hold circuits through the county for
the decision of small debts : for which purpose courts
are held on certain fixed days at St. Andrews, Kirk-
caJdy, Colinsburgh, Auchtermuchty, and Newburgh.
» See Note, p. SOU,
The justices-of-the-peace hold courts of petty s<
sions at stated intervals, or when business requii
it ; and quarter- sessions, where appeals are
from the petty session, four times in the year, in
months of March, May, August, and October. Tl
also hold courts under the small debt act, for the
co very of sums under £5 sterling; and for publ
convenience, the county is divided into district
courts being held at Cupar, Auchtermuchty,
Andrews, Anstruther, and Colinsburgh, Kirkcal(
and Dunfermline. The commissary of the
sariat of Fife also holds his courts at Cupar ;
the jurisdiction of this officer is now exceedingly r
duced from what it once was. — The county cont
eighteen royal burghs, the magistrates of which
sess, within the bounds of their several royalt'
civil jurisdiction much the same as that of the ji
ordinary of the shire. There are besides, seve
burghs-of-barony, the bailies of which possess a vt
limited civil jurisdiction, and have the power of
ishing assaults, batteries, and such like crimes
mitted within the barony — Among the more imj
tant of the courts now abolished, were that of
steward of the stewartry of Fife, held heritably
the Duke of Athole, and in compensation for whit
he claimed and obtained the sum of £1,200 sterlii
at its abolition ; that of the bailie of the regalitj
Dunfermline, for which the Marquis of Twt
received £2,672 7s. sterling ; that of the bailie
the regality of St. Andrews, for which the Earl
Crawford received £3,000 sterling ; that of the
gality of Aberdour, for which the Earl of Mor
received £93 2s. sterling; that of the regality
Pittenweem, for which Sir John Anstruther of .
struther obtained £202 15s. 3d. sterling; that of tl
regality of Lindores, for which Antonia Barclay
Collerny, and Mr. Harry Barclay, her husband,
tained £215 sterling ; and the regality of Bain
inoch, which was not valued, as it was forfeited to
Crown by the accession of Lord Balmerinoch to
rebellion in 1745. It is obvious, therefore, that
ancient times the inhabitants of Fife were well pr
vided with courts of law, whatever they may ha
been with regard to the administration of justice.-
This county is represented in parliament by
member. The constituency, in 1839, was 2,J
in 1840, 3,006. For convenience at elections, tl
county has been divided into different districts,
the polling-places for these districts are Cupar,
Andrews, Crail, Auchtermuchty, Kirkcaldy,andJ)i
fermline. Before the Union, in 1707, this count
sent four members to the Scottish parliament. Tw
sets of royal burghs within this county also send
member each to parliament. By the reform bil
Cupar, St. Andrews, Easter and Wester Anstruthei
Pittenweem, Kilreriny, and Crail, elect one member
Kirkcaldy, Dysart, Kinghorn, and Bruntisland, ele(
another; and Dunfermline arid Inverkeithing ai
conjoined with the Stirling district of burghs in tl
election of a third. The total constituency of the*
burghs, independent of that for the county, is aboi
2,000. This county, therefore, has its fair share :
the representation of Scotland in the British
merit.*
* Before the Union, however, Fife hud a much migc. a..
in the appointment of the members of the Scottish parliamei
The thirteen royal burghs above-named, which are now repi
sented by three members, then sent each a separate cotnin
sioner to parliament ; so that, including the four knights oft
shire, Fife was represented by seventeen members. No oth
county of Scotland was represented to the same extent. J
farshire, which had the largest share after Fife, sent nine me
bi-rs to parliament; Dumfries-shire, eight; Lanarkshire, seve
Ayrshire, six ; Edinburghshire, six ; the county of Caithui
only two ; and the Jarge county of Sutherland only three me
bers. Besides the royal burghs which returned commission*-
Fife had five other royal burghs, Falkland, Auehtermuch
Newburgh, Earlsferry, and St. Monauce, which never ••»
'er ex
The county contains sixty-one quoad civiiia par-
hes, distributed into four presbyteries, and which
jgether form the provincial synod of Fife, viz : —
Cupar Presbytery. Crail
Cupar Kingsbarns
Kettle K»mhack
Balmerino Denino
Dunbog Kilconquhar
Logie Cam bee
Newburgh Largo
Abdie Newhurn
Strathmiglo
M<><ni7.ie
Ceres
Cull
Kilmany
FIFESHIRE.
539
Criech
Monimail
f olles»ie
Auchtermuchty
&£
St. Andrew! Pretbytery.
St Andrews
St Leonards
Leuchars
Cameron
Ferry- Port-on-Craig
Forgan or St. Fill ana
Abercromby or St. Monance
An^truther, E'ister
Anstruther, Wester
httenweem
Kilrenuy
Elie
Kirkcaldy Presbytery.
Kirkcaldy
Bruntisland
Kennoway
Markinch
Soonie or Leven
Leslie
Kinglassie
Dysart
Kinghorn
Auchtertoot
Auchterderran
Abbot-hall
We my SB
Ballingray
Dunfermline Presbytery.
Dunfermliue
Saline
Dalgetty
Beath
Carnock
Torryburn
Aberdour
lurerkeithing
Besides these sixty-one parishes, a portion of the
•ish of Abernethy, and part of the parish of Arn-
;k, are in the shire of Fife, though in the presby-
y of Perth. The presbytery of Kirkcaldy includes,
ddes the parishes in Fife, the parish of Portmoak,
ich is in Kinross-shire. The presbytery of Dun-
mline includes three parishes in Kinross-shire —
;ish, Orwell, and Kinross, and the parish of Cul-
s, which is in Perthshire. The several presby-
ies meet regularly at their respective seats of Cu-
, St. Andrews, Kirkcaldy, and Dunfermline ; and
synod meets alternately at Cupar and Kirkcaldy,
I occasionally at St. Andrews and Dunfermline.
e number of recently erected quoad sacra parishes
bin the synod of Fife, is twelve The number of
ochial schools, in 1834, was 55, attended by about
X) children ; of schools not parochial, 223, attend-
by 10,000 children.
Vs Fife is remarkable for the number of its royal
ghs, its burghs-of-barony, and its populous vil-
is, so is it also for the number of its landed proprie-
>. This seems to have attracted the notice of
mant, the tourist, who is quite enthusiastic in
description of the county. " Permit me," says
" to take a review of the Peninsula of Fife, a
nty so populous, that, excepting the environs of
idon, scarcely one in South Britain can vie with
fertile in soil, abundant in cattle, happy in collier-
in iron-stone, in lime and freestone ; blest in
mfactures ; the property remarkably well divided,
one exceedingly powerful to distress, and often
opulate a county, — most of the fortunes of a useful
liocrity. The number of towns is, perhaps, un-
tlleled in an equal tract of coast ; for the whole
"e, from Crail to Culross, about 40 English miles,
»ne continued chain of towns and villages." *
h is the account given of Fife by a celebrated
lish tourist 68 years ago ; and, so far as regards
number of the landed proprietors, the division of
their privilege ; and it has not been restored to any of
i by the reform bill. Besides the large share which Kite
•-MM in the appointment of the commons portion of the
t council of the Scottish nation, no other county was repre-
'd to the same extent by the hereditary portion of that
In the Scottish parliament, before the Union, twenty-
noblemen, more or less connected with this county, were
led to take their seat in that as.-embly.
« Tour in Scotland, 1772, Part II. p VI '2.
the property, and the number of the towns and vil.
lages, it is still applicable. But if Pennant so much
admired the agriculture and the manufactures of that
period, how much more would his admiration be in-
creased could he perceive the state of improvement
to which they have now attained ! The valued renf
of the county is £363,464 13s. 4d. Scots,* propor-
tioned among the different districts in the following
manner : —
Cupar ... £ 93,515 13 4 Sr'Ota.
St. Andrews . . 12fi,OI3 0 0
Kirkcaldy . . 87,654 16 8
Duufermline, . . 50,*50 13 4
The annual value of real property in the county in
1815, according to the last return for the property-
tax, was £405,770 sterling. Taking this at twenty
years' purchase as the average for the whole, the
value of the heritable property in the county at that
time would be, according to this return, £8,115,400.
In 1811, the land rent was estimated at £335,290
The population of Fife appears to be upon the in-
crease, though not so rapidly as in some other parts of
Scotland. In 1801, the total population was 93,743;
in 1811, it was 101,272; in 1821, 114,550; and in
1831, 128,800. The rate of increase during these
periods was 8 per cent, for the first, 13 per cent, for
the second, and 12 per cent, for the third. If wo
take a medium between the first and last of these
rates, say 10 per cent, as the increase since 1831, we
may consider the population at present as amounting
to 141,680; but this is probably too much for the
general average throughout the county, as although
it may have been much greater in some places, in
other parishes the population may be considered as
almost stationary.
The progress of agriculture in Fife has been very
great since the end of the 18th century. About
four-fifths of the county is considered as arable land ;
and it is at present under the management of intelli-
gent, active, and judicious agriculturists. Indeed,
the agriculture of the county is behind no other, and
far in advance of that of many of the counties of
Scotland. Previous to 1790, the farmers generally
lived in low smoky houses, badly lighted, and having
no other divisions but those made by the large
wooden bedsteads, which formed what was called a
but and a ben. The offices were then also, as was
to be expected, mean and deficient in the extreme.
The farmers of that period wanted, in many instan-
ces, the capital, as they were deficient in the intelli-
gence and energy, to engage in and effect profitable
improvements. All this, however, is now happily
altered. The agriculturists of the present day are,
with little exception, all capitalists; and, from their
more enlarged education and higher intelligence, are
enabled to adopt every improvement in the manage-
ment of their land, and to take advantage of every
new market which the general improvement of mo-
dern times has opened up to them. The farm-houses
are now all of a superior description, and the farm-
offices are, many of them, models for convenience-.
Drainage has been conducted in Fife on a very ex-
tensive scale, and the appearance of the county lm>,
in consequence, been greatly improved, while its pro-
ductions have been increased and benefited in quali-
ty. Several pretty extensive lochs and marshes,
which were formerly profitless to the proprietor,
have been completely drained, and the ground they
occupied put under tillage. Furrow-draining, where
thought necessary, has been adopted, and is in many
instances still extending with great advantage. The
old breed of horses, which was small and unsightly,
and ill-fitted for either draught or saddle, h;is almost
entirely disappeared ; and the breed of horses now
t £30,282 Is. ljd., sterling
540
FIFESHIRE.
used for agricultural purposes will vie, either in
power or appearance, with those used in any county
in Scotland. The Fife breed of cattle has long been
celebrated both for feeding and for the dairy; but
it is to be regretted, that injudicious crossing has, in
many instances, injured instead of improving this ex-
cellent breed of cattle.* The evil, however, has been
ascertained, and exertions are making to encourage
the cultivation of the pure native breed. The in-
creased cultivation of turnips has greatly increased
the feeding of sheep, which are generally allowed to
eat off the crop, to the advantage of the land, and
the profit of the agriculturist.
The cultivation of oats is more extensive in Fife than
that of any other sort of grain. Oats are better suited
both to the soil and climate ; and oatmeal is the princi-
pal article of food among the middle and lower classes.
The quantity of land annually sown with this kind of
grain, cannot be computed at less than 30,000 acres ;
and, in general, it turns out a very profitable crop.
Barley is cultivated in Fife to a very considerable
extent, and more so now than at any former period.
The vast number of distilleries, both here and in
Perthshire and Clackmannanshire, insure a ready
market to the grower ; and the consequent high price
is a strong inducement to the farmer to sow every
field with barley that will produce any thing like a
crop. The long-eared barley, with two rows, is uni-
versally cultivated on all lands which lie low and
ivarm, and are under an improved state of husbandry.
It produces larger grain, and of a better quality, than
the common bear ; and being stronger and harder in
the straw, is not so apt to lodge. Wheat appears to
have been anciently more generally cultivated in
Fifeshire than at a later period. In the statements
of the revenues of some of the old monasteries, it
appears that wheat was delivered as rent by the far-
mers,— produced, no doubt, from lands upon which,
half- a- century ago, nobody would have attempted to
rear a crop of that kind. During the last forty years,
however, the cultivation of wheat has been rapidly ex-
tending, and has uniformly kept pace with the im-
provements in agriculture. Many parts of the county
are well-adapted for this valuable grain, and crops
of wheat are frequently reared here equal to any pro-
duced in the richest counties of England. Beans and
pease are cultivated to the extent of 6,000 acres an-
nually. Potatoes may be said to constitute one-third
part of the food of the common people in Scotland
for eight months in the year. On every farm in Fife
a considerable quantity is planted, both for family-
use arid for sale. As this county abounds in small
towns and villages, a much greater quantity, in pro-
portion, is raised in the:r immediate vicinity than
upon farms that are more remote. Many farmers,
too, are in the habit of letting small portions of land
to such villagers as have none of their own. This is
a most beneficial practice. The land being let only
for one season, and well-manured with ashes and
street-soil, or with dung when it can be got, is thus
properly cleaned, brings the farmer a good rent, and
prepares the soil for a succeeding crop. The quanti-
ty of land annually under potatoes cannot be less than
7,000 acres. Turnips are general all over the county,
except in the immediate vicinity of villages, where
they are exposed to the depredations of juvenile in-
truders. Few counties in Scotland, at one time,
* Black is the prevailing colour of tlie Fifeshire cattle. They
are small horned, and easily fattened ; and at Smithfield bring a
iiigher price than almost any other kind. In general they
weigh from 30 to 50 or (50 Dutch stones when ready for the
knite. From 10 to 14 Scotch pints of inilk per day, at the best
of the season, is the ordinary produce of a good Fife cow. For
about twenty-six weeks annually she will produce from 7 to 9
pounds of butter each week. But the dairy is not the chief ob-
ject with the farmers of this county, excepting in the vicinity
of towns.
cultivated more flax than Fife ; but the almost ui
versal adoption of cotton-goods has, in a great m€
sure, abolished the practice, excepting a small pat
annually to supply family deficiencies. Nay, soi
proprietors, from an opinion that flax is an impovt
ishing crop, because it yields no manure for the grour
have introduced clauses into their leases prohibiting
more to be sown than is merely necessary for the f<
mer's family. On almost every farm, rye grass, a
red and white clovers are cultivated; and stror
heavy crops of hay are produced in suitable seasoi
One great advantage possessed by the Fife agricull
rists over those of more inland counties, is, that th(
is not a farm in the county 10 miles distant from
sea-port. They have, therefore, the important bent
of water-carriage, and are enabled, with ease, to se
their produce to Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Lond(
The introduction of steam-navigation has also br
of great advantage ; and the execution of the projed
railway from Kinghorn to Ferry-port-on-Craig, w
minor branches, will greatly benefit the whole coun
The size of the farms ranges from 50 to 500 acr
The lands, with the exception of grass parks wit
gentlemen's enclosures, are all let on lease, usually
19 years. The rents, where paid in money, are YJ
ous, rising from £1 to £5, and in some few localil
higher ; but in many instances now, a grain-reni
paid, regulated by the fiar-prices of the county, wh
are fixed yearly by the sheriff. It is to be regret
that thorn hedges are not so prevalent for enclosu
as in some other counties : stone walls being m
extensively used, and being preferred for this p
pose, though neither possessing the beauty nor affo
ing the warmth of the other. Farm-yard dung is
important manure ; and a straw-yard is considerec
a most valuable appendage to a farm-yard ; but bo
dust is coming into general use, and mills for gri
ing the bones have been erected in different parts
the county. Swine are fed to a considerable extt
not only by the farmers, but by the villagers ; of ]
years they have been purchased by dealers or agei
slaughtered, and sent by steam to the London marl
Rabbits are in many places protected, and their si
yield a considerable revenue. The quantity of pige
is quite unexampled elsewhere. It has been cal
lated that the county of Fife contains nearly tb
hundred dovecots. This may be accounted for
the great number of proprietors in the county \
have each erected a dovecot near his mansion.— ri
climate of Fife is accounted unfavourable for the \
duction of the larger fruits. There are, howe^
within the county, many extensive and elegant {
dens where these are reared in great perfection ;
few gardens are rented for the purpose of expo*
their produce to the public. In the vicinity of K:
caldy about 20 acres are occupied in this way.
natural wood is to be found in Fife, excepting s(
trifling spots unworthy of particular notice. Aro
the mansion-houses of proprietors some small p]
tations of ash, elm, fir, lime, and oak are to be s«
particularly on the estates of Rankeillor, Craigrot
and a few others. As the want of shelter is on
the chief inconveniences under which their cou
labours, and as it is much exposed to winds from
east, north-east, and south-east, the utmost ati
tion ought to be paid to this mode of improvem
Indeed, proprietors, sensible of this, have of late y<
begun to plant tracts of barren ground, and di
commons ; and the most beneficial effects to
county may at no distant period be expected to
suit from these operations.
The principal manufacture in Fife has long I
that of linen, which, from small beginnings, has
dually increased to its present great imports.
Many mills have been erected — and these are stil f
I —for the spinning of tow and flax into differ-
ties of yarn. The cloths woven are of vari-
is kinds : sail-cloth, bed-ticking, brown linen, dow-
s, duck, checks, shirting, and table-linen. The da-
ask manufacture of Dunfermline is probably unequal-
the world, for the beauty of its design, and the
which it is executed. The cotton-man u-
has never been an object of the expenditure
ital in this county ; but many workmen are em-
oyed in this manufacture for Glasgow houses. Iron-
undiii^ and the making of machinery is carried on
(liiK'ivnt places. Salt is still manufactured in the
uiity, thougli not to the extent it formerly was.
ining of leather is also carried on in two or
"ities. Bricks and tiles are made for local
earthenware and china manufactured to
ttent. Coach-building is likewise carried on.
are breweries in almost every village for the
mufacture of beer, and at some of these strong ale
good quality is made. There are three pretty ex-
isive distilleries, which afford the farmer a ready
irket for his barley. Ship-building also forms a
rt of the trade of the county.
The weights and measures of this county, before
for the equalization of these, were Tron,
16 Scots Troy tbs. to the stone, and 20
to the lb., for wool, butter, cheese, hides,
home-productions. Dutch for butcher-
)t in Kirkcaldy presbytery, where Tron
1— meal, foreign flax, and hemp, iron and
ich goods. Avoirdupois for groceries. The stone
was 22 tbs. avoirdupois. The measure for
and beans, was a tirlot, containing
I cubic inches ; or 1 fir. 3 mutchkins standard-
being 35.29 per cent, better. For oats,
and malt, the firlot containing 3308.928 cubic
i; and was 1 firlot 1 pint, or 3.225 per cent,
than the standard. Home-made woollen cloth
the ell of 37| inches.
icluding this general summary of the county
we shall lay before our readers the opinion
r:ll, the commissioner for inspecting prisons in
on the state of crime in this shire. " There
says, "but little crime at present in Fifeshire,
ich less than formerly. The most common
at this time are assaults, and other disturban-
3, and petty thefts. These offences are
chiefly by young persons between the age
id 30, most of whom are inhabitants of the
It is observed, that there are but few regular
its among the offenders. The most seri-
mces are committed by vagrants and other
;rs. Almost all the assaults arise from drunken-
this, including the desire to obtain the means
~"^e in drunkenness, is the cause of many of
Such of the parents of the criminals as are
i are most of them of bad character, or are at least
"il of their children. In the western district
stated, that many of the young thieves are or-
and that, as a class, the criminals there are in-
> others in education and intelligence. Among
that have become less common than for-
are housebreaking, forgery, and child-murder,
other hand, there have been some violent dis-
at the elections lately, which did not
formerly." The law-commissioners were so
struck with the paucity of crime in Fifeshire,
4liey applied to the sheriff for information on
' ject, and this led to an application to the
ibstitute of the eastern division, for an ac-
ot the preventive police, which had been or-
zed under his direction. This police was estab-
d at the time of the cholera ; and, in the lirst
extended to the Cupar district only. Its
was to rid the place of vagrants, in order to
FIFESHIRE.
541
prevent the introduction of the cholera ; and it work-
ed so efficiently, that between 300 and 400 vagrants
were either removed or prevented from entering in
the course of one month. The inhabitants of the
other parts of the county, desirous of partaking in
the advantages of these arrangements, applied to Mr.
Jamieson for his assistance, and, at their request, he
organized a preventive police for the whole county,
and this has continued in operation ever since. There
are in all about 20 men, including the superintendent,
and the total cost is rather more than £600 sterling
a-year, which sum is paid from the county-rates.
Mr. Jamieson considers the present force insufficient
for the full development of the plan, but it has been
calculated that even on its present footing, the police
effects a saving to the county of £10,000 sterling a-
year : estimating the cost of each vagrant, in his al-
ternate character of a beggar and a thief, at one shil-
ling a-day only. In confirmation of the general belief
that much of the crime is committed by vagrants, it
may be stated that, with every diminution of the
number of vagrants in Fifeshire, there has been a re-
duction in the amount of crime.
The aboriginal inhabitants of Fife were Celts ; and
here, as in other parts of Europe, the names of the
more remarkable natural features of the country, as
well as of most of the towns, demonstrate the fact.
At the period of the Roman invasion, the peninsula
between the Forth and the Tay was inhabited by
the Horestii, one of those tribes who peopled ancient
Caledonia. The district inhabited by this tribe in-
cluded the modern shires of Fife, Clackmannan, and
Kinross, the eastern part of Strathearn, and the
country lying westward of the Tay as far as the rivei
Brand. It does not appear that the Horestii had
any towns within the bounds of what now consti-
tutes Fife. Their chief towns were Alauna, Lindum
on the river Allan, and Victoria on the river Earn ;
and here the Romans afterwards had stations on the
great military way which led north-east towards-
Ptoroton or Burghhead, on the Murray frith. Hill
forts, however, were numerous, all over the county,
and the remains of several of these are still to be
traced. On Dunearn hill there was a British fort of
great strength, which soon yielded to the art of the
Romans. Upon Carneil hill, near Carnock, the
Horestii had another fort, whch had in all probabili-
ty been in possession of the Romans, as in 1774,
upon opening some tumuli on the hill, several urns
were found containing Roman coins. About U mile
north from Carnock there was a fort on a hill called
Craigluscar; and 3 miles north-north-west there was
one on Saline hill, and another at no great distance
below. The situation of several others can also still
be traced on the heights in the northern part of the
parish of Strathmiglo, as well as on the hills near
Newburgh.
In the year 78 of the Christian era, Agricola took
the command of the Roman provinces in Britain.
The year 79 he appears chiefly to have spent in sub-
duing and endeavouring to civilize portions o< the
south. In the year 80, he left Mancunium — the Man-
chester of the present time — with the intention ot
penetrating into the north by the western r<m>t.
Having overrun the whole of this country between
the Solvvay and the friths of Clyde and Forth, he
began to turn his attention to the countries lying to
the north of the Forth. He ordered his fleet to sur-
vey the northern shores of the Forth, and to sound
the harbours; and setting out with his army, crossed
the frith at its most contracted part now known as
Queensferry. He thus in the year 83 entered the
country of the Horestii. The Caledonian Britons
from the higher regions, aware of the object of the
Roman general, began offensive operations by attack-
542
FIFESHIRE.
ing the forts which Agricola left behind him ; and in
doing so, created considerable terror in their enemies.
Agricola being informed that it was the intention of
the Caledonians to attack him on all sides, in a country
with which he was unacquainted, divided his army
into three divisions. It seems probable that with one
of these divisions he marched to Carnock, near which
are still to be traced the remains of two Roman mili-
tary stations. From thence he pushed forward the
9th legion to Loch Orr, about 2 miles from Loch
Leven. Here the Romans pitched their camp, hav-
ing two ranges of hills in front, the Cleish range on
their left, and Bennarty hill on their right.* In his
operations in Fife, and in securing his various sta-
tions in that country, Agricola spent the remaining
portion of the year 83 ; the commencement of the
succeeding year was occupied in obtaining informa-
tion of the movements of his enemies, and the na-
ture of the country he was about to invade. During
this period, he was supplied with provisions from
his fleet upon the Forth ; and by means of it had re-
gular communication with his garrisons on the oppo-
site shore. In the summer of the year 84, Agricola left
the country of the Horestii, on his proposed expedi-
tion to the north, sending his fleet round the coast for
the purpose of alarming lus enemies. He appears in
his march to have followed the course of the Devon,
and turning from Glendevon to the right, through the
opening in the Ochil hills, to have passed through
Glen eagles. Proceeding between Blackford and
Auchterarder, he advanced towards the Grampians,
which he had seen at a distance as he defiled through
the Ochils. Marching onward to the moor of Ar-
doch, he came upon the Caledonian army within the
territory of the Damnii. The Caledonians, who
were thus encamped at the foot of the Grampians,
amounted to 30,000 men, under the command of Gal-
gacus, — a general who seems well-entitled to all the
praise which Tacitus has bestowed upon him. Here an
obstinate battle ensued, in which the greatest bravery
was displayed on both sides. Night alone put an end
to the engagement, but the victory fell to the side of
discipline and skill. The Caledonians retired into the
distant recesses of their nearly impervious country ;
and Agricola, unable to make any important use of the
victory he had obtained, led his army back to the
borders of the country of the Horestii. Taking hos-
tages from them for their future tranquillity, he con-
ducted his troops into winter-quarters on the south
of the Forth. His navy he ordered to sail round
the island, ostensibly on a voyage of discovery, but
no doubt also with the view of intimidation. Hav-
ing sailed as far as Richborough, the fleet returned to
the Forth to winter. Thus ended the campaigns of
Agricola in Britain. In the proceedings, in connec-
tion with the different Roman invasions of Caledo-
nia, the early inhabitants of Fife bore their part, first
under the name of Horestii, and afterwards under
that of Vecturiones, a tribe of the people called Picts.
The history of the Picts extends from 446, the
period at which the Romans left Britain, till 843,
when their government was overthrown by the Scots.
The kingdom of the Picts seem to have extended
throughout the whole of the eastern coast, and the
central portion of Scotland, north of the Roman
wall ; and in the north to have reached from sea to
sea. The county of Fife, and the lower portion of
Perthshire and Angus, formed the most important
portion of their territory ; and here it was more ex-
tensively peopled than in the more central or nor-
* The remains of this military station are still to he traced.
Its form -is nearly square. Portions of it have been levelled and
defaced ; but on the north and west sides, there still exist three
rows of ditches, and a like number of ramparts composed of
earth and stone. The circumference of this work is about 2,020
feet.
them parts. Their capital appears originally to ha
been at Forteviot in Strathearn ; and aftervvar
at Abernethy on the borders of the county of Fi:
The Picts were instructed in the truths of Chrj
tianity by Columba, towards the close of the 6
century. Ternan is said to have been the fii
bishop among the Picts, and to have resided at Abt
nethy, the Pictish capital. Columba, having ins
tuted a monastery of Culdees in the island of lor
which he had received for that purpose from t
Pictish king, set the example of forming such m
nastic societies throughout different parts of Nor
Britain. About the year 700, the island in Lo
Leven was bestowed on St. Serf, and the Guide
residing there and serving God. Setting aside t
fable of St. Regulus having landed at St. Andrev
about the year 365, as a monkish legend, there
absolute certainty that the Culdees had a settleme
there in the 9th century; and such was the fai
they had attained in the 10th century, that Consta
tine III. took up his residence among them, and di
in 943, a member, or according to Wmton, abb
of their monastery. At Dunfermline there was
early Culdee establishment formed, as there was a
at Kirkcaldy; and, according to Winton, Bridei, t
son of Derili, founded one at Culross, about 1
year 700. St. Serf, we are informed by Wintt
resided here for many years before he went to Lo
Leven; and by the same authority we are inform
that he afterwards went there, where he died a
was buried. Here St. Mungo, the supposed founc
of the see of Glasgow, was for some time a d
ciple, previous to his removing to the West. The
was another society of Culdees at Portmoak, n
Loch Leven.
The union of the Scots and Picts brought t
whole of Pictavia, and of course Fife, under t
government of the Scottish kings. In 881 the Dar
entered the Forth, and made a descent upon t
shores of Fife. There they were bravely encou:
tered by Constantine, who was, however, unfort
nately killed near Crail. During the reign of Ke:
neth III., the Danes entered the Tay with a numero
fleet, their object appearing to be the plunder
Forteviot or Dunkeld. Kennettt, with such chic
as he could hastily collect together, met them
Luncarty, near Perth, where a furious conflict e
sued. The right wing of the Scottish army w
commanded by Malcolm, the Tanist, and Prince
Cumberland; the left by Duncan, the Maormor
Athol; while the centre was led by Kenneth hii
self. The contest was long and doubtful. T
two wings of the Scottish army at first gave w
before the Danes; but rallying behind the cent)
they renewed the fight, and the Danes in their tu
were compelled to yield. The result of this we
fought field freed for a time the shores of the T
and Forth from the formidable foes who had so lo
infested them. Their incursions were renew<
however, during subsequent reigns. Indeed tra
tion even yet recollects with horror the vari(
conflicts which the inhabitants of Fife had from ti
to time to maintain with the Danish rovers; t
the Statistical accounts inform us that the skeleto
which have been on various occasions found uf
the shore, from the river Leven to the eastern <
tremity of Largo bay, are regarded by the people
the remains of the heroes who fell in these condii
During the reign of Duncan, who had ascended
Scottish throne in 1033, Sueno, king of Norway
said to have invaded Fife, and a sharp fight atten
with considerable slaughter took place, in which
Norwegians obtained the victory. Some auxiliar
under his brother Knute, are said to have arrive*
Kingdom, where they were vanquished by Ban<j
:
FIFESH1KE.
543
\e of Lochaber, many of their leaders slain, and
rest compelled to fly to their ships. These
its, however, are the invention of Boethius,
were unknown to Fordun, who preceded him.
short reign of Duncan is known to have been
little disturbed with foreign invasion, and Ban-
the thane of Lochaber, is a character unknown
il history. He is indebted to Boethius for his
jnce, and to Shakspeare for the celebrity which
attained. Duncan was assassinated at Both-
near Elgin, by Macbeth,* the Maormor of
an arduous struggle of two years, Malcolm
ended the throne of his father Duncan; and was
some time occupied in rewarding those who had
rted him in his efforts, and in gaining over
who had opposed him. We are told of his bounty
[acduff, who rendered him such signal service ; but
s extent we have no direct evidence. It appears
lin, however, that in very early times, the Maor-
mors or Earls of Fife were entitled, 1st, to place the
king of Scotland on the inaugural stone ; 2d, to lead
the van of the king's army into battle ; and, 3d, to
enjoy the privilege of a sanctuary to the clan Mac-
duff. During the reign of Edward the Confessor,
Malcolm seems to have cultivated peace with Eng-
land, while he had yet but a slight hold of the affec-
tions of his people; and in 1059 he is said even to
have paid Edward a visit. In 1066 Tostig, the bro-
ther of Harold, found safety with Malcolm, after
flying from Stanford-bridge; and in 1068 Edgar
./Etheling with his sister Margaret, sought the same
shelter from the cruelty of William the Norman.
Shortly after her arrival Malcolm married this lady ;
and thus formed a connexion with the royal blood
of the Saxon kings of England: see article DUN-
FERMLINE. Malcolm III., who had resided long in
England, gave great encouragement to the settle-
ment of Saxons in his dominions. His queen un-
questionably brought several of her relations and
domestics with her; the rruel policy of William the
Conqueror drove many Saxons to seek refuge in
itland; and Malcolm, during his incursions into
lumberland and Durham, carried away so many
« The wonderful fictions of Shakspeare have thrown an in-
terest and a celebrity around this usurper, which time cannot
now diminish ; and which the real facts of his history, however
clearly they had been narrated, could never have produced.
Seizing the blood-stained sceptre of the unhappy Duncan, he
appears to have been desirous to supply any defect in his title
to the throne by a vigorous and useful administration. Dur-
ing his reign, the chieftains who might have disturbed it, were
either overawed by his power, or held in subjection by his
valour ; the commons were attached by abundance of provi-
sions, and the strict and equal distribution of justice ; and the
clergy rendered favourable by grants of land and other gifts.
The crime by which he had acquired his power, however,
haunted him amidst all his prosperity, and a constant sense of
insecurity at length produced rigour and even tyranny. The
injuries which he had inflicted on Macduff, the Maormor of
Fife, created in him a powerful enemy; and prompted Mai-
culm, the son of Duncan, to attempt the redressing of the
wrongs of all. With the assistance of his relation, Siward,
Earl of Northumberland, a powerful baron, Malcolm entered
Scotland with a numerous army in 1054, and penetrated, in all
probability, to Dunsinane. In this expedition he was eagerly
Joined by Macduff and the men of Fife. At Dunsinane they
were met by Macbeth, and a furious conflict ensued. In spite
of all his bravery the usurper was overcome, and forced to
retire to the north, where he had -till numerous friends. The
Earl of Northumberland, whose son had been killed in the
battle at Dunsinane, returned home in 1055, and died the same
year at York. Malcolm, however, continued the contest with
Macbeth, who was at length killed in 10J6 by Macduff, who
thus revenged his own wrongs, and rendered an important ser-
vice to the son of Duncan. This is said to have occurred at
Lumphanan, where, about a mile from the church, a cairn
about forty yards in circumference is still pointed out, called
Macbeth'* cairn. There are several smaller cairns in its neigh-
bourhood. Lulach, the son of the lady Gruoch, the wife of
Macbeth, by her first husband, Gilcomgain, the Maormor of
Moray, ascended the vacant throne of his step-father ; but he
occupied it only a few months, being slain in a battle which
ensued with Malcolm, at Essie in Strathbogie, on the 3d April,
1057.
young men and women captive, that we are informed
by an English historian, " that for many years they
were to be found in every Scottish village, nay, in
every Scottish hovel." It must not be supposed,
however, that this attempt at Saxon colonization
had any great influence among the Celtic people ol
Scotland; for it appears that, at Malcolm's death,
great numbers of these strangers were driven from
the country. It was during the subsequent reigns
! of Malcolm's sons, and their immediate successors,
that the Saxons and Normans began effectually to
press back the Celtic people ; and to introduce new
manners and customs, and new laws. There is every
i reason to believe that during the reign of Malcolm,
i the east coast of Scotland had begun to enjoy the
j advantage of some trading intercourse with foreign
| nations, as he is said to have imported rich dresses
for himself and his nobles. Agriculture, however,
was yet in a rude state ; and, notwithstanding that the
forests of Scotland had been extensively destroyed by
the Romans, they still covered large tracts in every
district. In Fife the principal forests were those of
Cardenie, Eweth, and Black- Ironside. From these
the proprietors received a considerable source of
revenue in the noble timber which they contained,
and the deer and other animals of the chase with
which they abounded. In many instances, however,
large portions of the forests had been cleared, and
brought under cultivation; but the savage animals
which still infested the country, — the wolf, the bear,
the wild boar, and the bison, — must have often proved
destructive enemies to the husbandman.
The origin of the division of Scotland into coun-
ties or shires is not very distinctly marked; and
indeed it appears to have taken place at different
periods in the various districts of the country. The
title of Earl, which was long associated with the
jurisdiction of a county, is of Saxon origin ; and
could not therefore have been introduced until after
the Saxon colonization had been pretty extensive.
During Celtic times, the different divisions of the
country appear to have been governed by chiefs,
under the title of Maormor; and accordingly we have
the Maormors of Ross, of Strathearn, of Moray, and
of Fife. In subsequent times, these titles gave place
to the Saxon title of Earl ; and in imitation of the
Saxon divisions, the shire was gradually introduced.
Macduff, who lent his powerful assistance to Mal-
colm Canmore, is alleged to have been the 1st Earl
of Fife : but it would be absurd to suppose that he,
a Celtic chief, was ever designated by this Saxon
title. He was Maormor of the district; and must
have been a nobleman of great power and influence.
The period of MacdufFs death is unknown ; but he
was succeeded, it is said, by his son Dufagan, who
flourished in the reign of Alexander I., although
many doubt his existence. Constantine succeeded,
and has been styled by genealogists 3d Earl. He is
said to have died in 1129, about five years after the
accession of David I. to the throne. To Constan-
tine succeeded his eldest son, Gillimichel Macduff,
of whom Sibbald says, that he has found him wit-
nessing many charters of David. He died in 1139.
The next lord of this district is Duncan, who is said
to have witnessed charters of David I. and Malcolm
IV. In 1152, when Earl Henry died, Malcolm, his
eldest son, who was then in his llth year, was sent
by his grandfather, in a solemn progress, under the
guardianship of the Earl of Fife. David I. died in
1153, and Earl Duncan in the following year; after
he had performed for the youthful Malcolm the cere-
mony of placing him on the inaugural stone, at his
coronation. Duncan was succeeded by his son Dun-
can II. , who is often named in charters of Malcolm
IV. and William. He was, in 1175, associated with
546
FIFESHIRE.
privileges granted by Malcolm Canmore to Macduff,
was now omitted for the first time. In 1385, France,
anxious to attack England on her own ground, sent
an expedition to Scotland under John de Vienne,
Admiral of France, for the purpose of co-operating
with the Scots. This experienced leader arrived
in the Forth with 1,000 knights, esquires, and men-
at-arms, the flower of the French army, besides a
body of cross-bowmen and common soldiers, form-
ing altogether an army of 2,000 men. He carried
also with him 1,400 suits of armour for the Scottish
knights, and 50,000 francs of gold, to be paid on his
arrival to King Robert and his nobles. The French-
men were warmly welcomed by the Scottish barons ;
and every endeavour made to accommodate them with
lodgings. This, however, was impossible to be
effected in Edinburgh, and many of them were there-
fore lodged in Dunfermline, and other towns on both
sides of the Forth. Loud and grievous outcries
arose, in consequence, from the burgesses, farmers, and
yeomen of Fife and the Lothians ; and this dissatis-
faction was increased by the behaviour of the French,
who assumed a superiority of demeanour which the
Scots could not tolerate. Various methods were
adopted by the men of Fife and their neighbours on
the other side of the Forth to get quit of their guests.
All this is described by Froissart in his usual graphic
and pleasant manner. " What evil spirit hath brought
you here?" said the Scottish burgesses and peasantry
to their unwelcome allies. " Who sent for you ?
Cannot we maintain our war with England well
enough without your help? Pack up your goods
and begone, for no good will be done as long as ye
are here! We neither understand you, nor you us.
We cannot communicate together; arid in a short
time we shall be completely rifled and eaten up by
such troops of locusts. What signifies a war with
England? The English never occasioned such mis-
chief as ye do. They burned our houses, it is true ;
but that was all ; and with four or five stakes, and
plenty of green boughs to cover them, they were
rebuilt almost as soon as they were destroyed."
The French, however, were ill-treated by deeds as
well as words. The country-people rose upon them,
attacked and cut off their foraging parties; and be-
fore a month, a hundred of their men were slain, till
at length none of them ventured to leave their lodg-
ings. The Earl of Fife, accompanied by the Earl of
Douglas, and by Archibald, Lord of Galloway, made
an incursion at the head of 30,000 men across the
Sol way, and plundered the rich district of Cocker-
mouth and the adjacent parts of Westmoreland, re-
turning with great booty. King Robert was fifty-
five years of age at his coronation ; and at that time
had lost much of the spirit of enterprise which he
had possessed in his younger days. With his age,
his indolence and his dislike to business increased,
till at length the necessity of appointing a regent
became apparent. John, Earl of Carrick, the heir
to the Crown, had received a severe injury by a kick
from a horse, and from bodily weakness was unable
to execute the duties of such an office. The Earl
of Fife, the king's second son, was therefore — more
of necessity than choice — appointed regent of the
kingdom in a parliament which was held at Edin-
burgh in 1389; and the king most willingly gave up
farther interference in public affairs. The regent
was an ambitious and designing man ; and seems to
have possessed a deep selfishness, which, if its ob-
jects were attained, scrupled little as to the means
used for the purpose of attaining them. Agriculture
seems to have been in a very deplorable condition in
Scotland during the greater part of Robert's reign ;
a fact which may be attributed to the frequent inter-
ruptions of labour by foreign invasion, and the havoc
which necessarily attended the march of even aSoottish
army through the country. The isolated situation
of Fife, however, must have caused it to suffer le
in this respect than the fertile districts lying on tl
south side of the Forth, which were on all occasic
exposed to both the invading and defending armies
Commerce was on the increase ; and the trade fr
the towns on the east coast with Flanders was
ducted with enterprise and activity. A Scottisl
merchant of this reign, named Mercer, who had
casion for some time to reside in France, was ii
consequence of his great wealth admitted to
confidence and favour of the French sovereign. Th<
cargo of a Scottish ship taken by the English
valued at 7,000 marks, — a very extraordinary sui
when the period is considered. The home-mam "
tures, we learn from Froissart, who travelled in tht
country, were at this time in a very low condition ;
but this was to be expected, from the same cai
which depressed agriculture. The principal
ports still continued to be wool, hides, skins,
wool fells.
Robert III., who was crowned in August, 1«
and who possessed much of the character of hi
father, continued to intrust his brother, the ~~
of Fife, with the government of the kingdom,
a parliament held at Perth in April, 1398, the kh
created his eldest son David, Earl of Carrick, Duke <
Rothsay, and his brother, the Earl of Fife, Duke
Albany.* Rothsay, now past his twentieth year,
not long submit to be governed by, or kept under •
control of his uncle, Albany; and, before a year "
expired, Albany was removed from the goverm
by a parliament held at Perth, and the Duke of .
say appointed regent in his stead, under the directu
of a council of which Albany formed one. For
success which crowned this scheme, the unfortunat
Duke of Rothsay was destined soon to pay ver
dearly ; and the county of Fife was to be made
scene of an occurrence which, for barbarous cruelty
was totally unexampled even amid the " great an<
horrible destructions, herschips, burning, and slaugh
ter," which the acts of parliament that appointei
him regent declare to have been so common at thi
time. This was the plot which ended in the crue
death of that unhappy prince, at FALKLAND : whic
see. Albany was chosen regent by a parliamen
which assembled at Perth in 1407, — a declaratio
having been first made, that the Crown belonged (
right to James, Earl of Carrick, then a captive i
England, who was their lawful king. Peace wit
England was an important object with the regenl
and although this proceeded from selfish motive
the period of quiet which ensued was extreme]
beneficial to Scotland.
The intercourse with England which was no
going on, led to an attempt to propagate in Sco
land the doctrines of Wycliffe the English refo
mer; and the flames of religious persecution we
now to be kindled by the supporters of the Cath
lie faith. An English priest, named John Resb
appeared in Scotland in 1407, and was very acti
in propagating the doctrines of the reformer,
some time he remained unnoticed, but at length t
truth, the boldness, and the novelty of his opinio
roused the fears of the clergy. He was seized
Lawrence, abbot of Lindores, an eminent doctor
theology, and imprisoned at St. Andrews; afi
which he was brought before a council of the clerj
where this inquisitor was the presiding judge. J
was accused of holding forty different heretical o
nions ; amongst which were, — his denying the PC
to be the vicar of Christ, or the successor of !
* This is the first creation of dukes of which we have i
account in Scotland.
FIFESHIRE.
547
Peter, and that none could claim to be so who led ,
a wicked life, — and a contemptuous opinion of the
utility of penances and auricular confession. Resby
was considered by the people an excellent preacher, |
but his eloquence had little effect on his judges. |
His written opinions, and the arguments with which
he supported them, were triumphantly confuted by
Lawrence of Lindores ; and this brave and good ad-
vocate for the truth and simplicity of the doctrines
of Christ was condemned to the flames, and delivered
over to the secular power for punishment. He was
burned at Perth, with all his books and writings, in
the year 1408. This is the first example of martyr-
dom for religious opinions in the history of the Scot-
tish church ; and it was followed by the usual effects
of such exhibitions — increased zeal on the part of
those who had adopted the denounced opinions. The
regent had encouraged the persecution of Resby;
and it is not unlikely that among the opinions of
this reformer, there were some which regarded the
origin and nature of the power of the civil magistrate
and the rights of the people, which were disagree-
able to his ears. In 1411, the university of St. An-
drews was founded by the learned and worthy prelate
Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of that see. To this good
man belongs the immortal honour of having founded
the first university in his native country — of being,
as it were, the father of the infant literature of Scot-
land. The lady Doverguil, the wife of John Baliol,
had established Baliol college in the University of
Oxford, in the 13th century; and a Bishop of Moray
had instituted the Scots college at Paris in 1326.
It was reserved, however, for the enlightened under-
standing of Henry Wardlaw to afford the means of
education to his youthful countrymen, without their
being under the necessity of visiting foreign coun-
tries for the purpose of obtaining it. The names of
the first professors have been preserved, and are wor-
thy of being here repeated. Lawrence of Lindores —
whose zeal for the Catholic faith has so recently been
noticed — explained the fourth book of the Sentences
of Peter Lombard. Richard Cornel, Archdeacon
of Lothian, John Litstar, Canon of St. Andrews,
John Sheviz, Official of St. Andrews, and Wil-
liam Stevens, afterwards Bishop of Dunblane, ex-
pounded the doctrines of the canon law, from its
simplest elements to its most profound speculations.
John Gill, William Fowles, and William Crosier,
delivered lectures on philosophy and logic. These
learned persons began their labours in 1411 ; but it
was not till 1413, that the university received the
full sanction and authority of the Pope.
James and his queen were crowned at Scone in
1424; nor was the ancient ceremony of placing him
on the inaugural stone omitted. This was performed
by the late governor, Murdoch, Duke of Albany, as
Earl of Fife. Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of St. Andrews,
the faithful prelate to whom his early education had
been committed, had the satisfaction of anointing
his royal master with the consecrated oil, and of
placing the crown upon his head. Soon after this,
the Duke of Albany, his second son Alexander,
ind his father-in-law, the aged Earl of Lennox,
were -tried, found guilty, and executed on that fatal
eminence in front of Stirling castle, popularly called
the Heading-hill. The earldom of Fife, with all its
nanors and castles, were forfeited to the Crown ;
ind the castle of Falkland, which had been so long
i principal residence of the ancient race of Macduff,
low became a royal palace. — Notwithstanding the
uartyrdom of Resby, and the laws passed by James,
it the instigation of the clergy, against heretics and
Bollards, there were still many who secretly held
hese opinions. This seems to have become known
of Prague, who had adopted the tenets
of Wickliffe ; and they became desirous of opening up
an intercourse with their brethren in Scotland. They
accordingly sent for this purpose Paul Crawar, a
Bohemian ; he was a physician, and came to Scot-
land with letters which spoke highly of his eminence
in his art. Undaunted by the fate of Resby, he
seized every opportunity of disseminating the genuine
declarations of the Bible, and of attacking the erro-
neous doctrines of the established church. Lawrence
of Lindores, the arch-inquisitor, immediately arraigned
him before his court, and entered into a laboured
refutation of his doctrines ; but in Crawar he found a
courageous and acute opponent. Deeply read in
the sacred Scriptures, and having the power of quick
and appropriate quotation, he was skilful in debate,
and the inquisitor found the discussion no easy task.
The Bible, Crawar maintained, ought to be freely
communicated to the people ; in a temporal king-
dom, he argued, the civil ruler should be above the
spiritual power, and magistrates have a right to try
and punish delinquent ecclesiastics and prelates. He
declared purgatory to be a fable, — the efficacy of pil-
grimages an imposition, — the power of the keys, the
doctrine of transubstantiation, and the ceremony of
absolution, — delusions and in ventions of man. In the
celebration of the Lord's supper, he and his ad-
herents had departed entirely from the gorgeous and
unmeaning ceremonies of the established church, and
performed it with greater simplicity. Lawrence of
Lindores, although he might be unable to confute,
found no difficulty in his way in bringing to trial, and
condemning the Bohemian physician ; and as he re-
fused to renounce his opinions, he was burned at St.
Andrews, giving up his life for the truth with cheer
ful yet subdued resolution.
Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews, who had been
the careful guardian, and afterwards the wise coun-
sellor of James II., was intrusted with the chief
management of affairs after his death ; and certainly
the choice could not have fallen on one better fitted
for the task, either from probity, talents, or experi-
ence. But his death, which had been preceded by
that of the queen-mother, left the kingdom again,
exposed to turbulence and misrule. This prelate was
in every respect a remarkable man ; his charity was
munificent, active, and discriminating ; and his reli-
gion as little tinctured with bigotry or superstition
as the times in which he lived would allow. His
zeal for literature was amply made apparent by the
noble college (St. Salvator's) which he founded at
St. Andrews in 1456, and which he very richly en-
dowed out of his revenues. Patrick Graham, the
uterine brother of Kennedy, a worthy man, and a
prelate of primitive simplicity, was chosen to succeed
him ; but this was opposed by the Boyds, and by
Sheviz, the archdeacon of St. Andrews, a talented,
but unprincipled man, who had obtained great influ-
ence over the royal mind by his skill in judiciaA
astrology. Sheviz procured him to be declared in-
sane, and obtained the custody of his person. He
was confined first in Inchcolm, and afterwards in the
castle of Loch Leven, where he died, whereupon She-
viz received the object of his guilty ambition, in being
promoted to the vacant see — Scotland, during a
great part of the reign of James III., enjoyed the
advantage of peace with England ; but, in 1480, a
squadron of English ships appeared in the frith of
Forth. These were bravely attacked, and repulsed
by Andrew Wood, then of Leith, who was now be-
ginning to rise into eminence. This great naval
commander had previously rendered many services
to James, both by sea and land, in peace and in war;
for on the 18th of March, 1483, he received from the
king a charter under the great seal, which on these
grounds, and in particular for his eminent services in
548
FIFESHIRE.
the defence of Dunbarton, when the English came
to besiege it, granted to him and his heirs in fee, the
lands and village of Largo in Fife. This charter was
confirmed by James IV. in 1497. Among other
barons who rallied round the standard of James
III. on the revolt of the nobles, was David, Lord
Lindsay of the Byres, a veteran commander of
great talent and loyalty, who had served in the
French wars. He appeared with a body of 3,000
footmen and 1,000 horse, which he had assembled in
Fife and Angus, — the latter forming the principal
chivalry of these counties. In the battle which fol-
lowed, and which was fought on the celebrated field
of Bannockburn, in June 1488, these levies, under
the Earl of Crawford, formed the centre-division of
the army, which was commanded by the king in per-
son. The army of James was much inferior in num-
bers to that of his opponents, yet they fought with
bravery and determination. Their efforts, however,
were vain, they were finally defeated, and the unfor-
tunate monarch was obliged to seek safety in flight.
Falling from his horse, he was much bruised by the
weight of his armour, and was carried into a miller's
cottage at a hamlet called Milton, where he was
basely murdered, it is said, by a priest in the service
of Lord Gray, one of the rebel lords. Wood refused
for a time to give in his adherence to James IV.
This, however, he at length did ; and he ultimately be-
came as loyal a servant and as great a favourite with
the son, as he had previously been with the father.
In the first parliament which met after the accession
of James IV., a new arrangement was made for the
preservation of the peace of the country, under
which the care of the county of Fife was committed
to Lord Lindsay of the Byres, and the sheriff of the
county. The reign of James IV. was certainly the
most brilliant period in the history of Scotland
while a separate kingdom. The king patronised the
useful arts and sciences, and in particular, naviga-
tion, which had hitherto been rather neglected by
the Scottish monarchs. In the latter he was no
doubt both assisted and encouraged by his brave
commander, the knight of Largo, who had already
done much to render the Scottish flag respected,
and was destined still farther to increase its fame.
England had begun to claim the naval pre-eminence
it has now so long held, and its privateers had often
made the trade of Scotland feel their power. In-
deed the ships of England appear often to have en-
tered the frith of Forth, and even there to have cap-
tured and plundered Scottish merchantmen.* The
* In a charter, of date the 14th May, 1491, James, in the con-
sideration of the damage done to his subjects at sea, by the
English and Dutch, grants the isle of Inchgarvie, between the
Queen's ferries, to build a fortalice thereon, to John Dundas of
Dundas ; with the constabulary thereof, and the duties on ships
passing. Dundas did not build the fort, which was afterwards
erected in 1510 by the king ; but ihe terms of this charter show
the injury the trade of Scotland had previously sustained.
About this period — though the exact date is not very clear —
five English ships entered the frith of Forth, and seized and
plundered several merchant-ships belonging to Scotland and to
some of her allies. James and his council were indignant at the
outrage, and eagerly desired to be revenged. Notwithstand-
ing, however, their persuasions and promises of reward, none of
the masters of the ships then in the harbours of -the Forth would
venture to attack the enemy; but Wood, on being applied to,
readily undertook the enterprise. Amply furnished with men
and artillery, Wood immediately proceeded with his two ships,
the Flower and the Yellow Carvel, against the English, who
were also well-appointed. He met his opponents opposite to
Dunbar, and atonce engaged with them, when a sanguinary and
obstinate engagement ensued. The skill and courage of Wood
at length overcame the superior force of the English ; the five
ships \v ere taken and carried into Leith, and their commander
presented to the king and council. Sir Andrew was well-re-
compensed by James and his nobles for his valour, and to this
was added the joud voice of public fame. The king of England
(Henry VII.), indignant at the disgrace his flag had sustained,
and that from a foe hitherto but little known on the sea, deter-
mined that signal punishment should be inflicted on the daring
offender. He offered a large annual pension to any of his com-
manders who should capture the ships of Wood, and take him
success which had uniformly attended the naval en-
terprises of Wood, appears to have excited in James
an ambition for possessing a fleet which should ren-
der Scotland more powerful at sea than she had ever
been under her previous kings. Yet, although he
used every exertion for this purpose, he was not al-
ways successful in his endeavours, nor in the means
which he employed. Utility was sometimes sacri-
ficed to splendour, and certainly never more evidently
than in the building of a ship, called the Great
Michael, of such enormous dimensions that Francis
I. and Henry VIII. laboured in vain to imitate it.f
prisoner. But the naval skill, the valour, and the uniform suc-
cess of Wood had now become so well known, that few of the
English commanders of ships felt inclined to attempt the deed.
At length, however, one Stephen Bull, an English officer, en-
gaged to take Wood, and bring him to Henry, dead or alive.
Appointed to three stout ships fully equipped for war, Bull
sailed for the Forth, and, entering the frith, cast anchor at the
back of the isle of May. Wood, in the belief that peace had
been established with England, had, in the mean time, gone to
Flanders as convoy to some merchants' vessels. Bull, afraid
that any mistake might occur as to what he considered his des-
tined prey, seized some fishing-boats, retaining the fishers ou
board his ship, that they might point out to him, when they ar-
rived, the ships of the brave Sir Andrew. The English con-
tinued to keep a good look-out to sea, and at length one sum-
mer morning, immediately after sunrise, they discovered two
vessels;pas8ing St. Abb's head at the mouth of the frith. The cap-
tive fishermen were hereupon sent to the topmast, to give their
opinion of the ships in sight. At first, it is said, they hesi-
tated to say whether the approaching vessels were Wood's
or not, but on their liberty being promised them, they imme-
diately declared them to be his. The English commander now
ordered his men to prepare for engagement, and distributed
wine among them. The gallant Sir Andrew meanwhile was
entering the Firth, without the least idea of an enemy, till he
perceived the three ships of England appearing from the shel-
ter of the isle of May, prepared for combat. He instantly
made similar preparations, and gave every encouragement to
his men to meet the foe bravely. " These my lads," said he,
" are the foes who expect to convey us in bonds to the Eng-
lish king: but by your courage, and the help of God, they
shall fail ! Set yourselves in order— every man to his station.
Charge gunners: let the cross-bows be ready; have the lime-
pots and fire-balls to the tops ; and the two-handed swords to
the fore-rooms. Be stout — be diligent — for your own sakes, and
for the honour of this realm .'" Wine was handed round, and
the Scottish ships resounded with cheers. The sun having now
arisen, fully displayed the strength of the English force ; and
the Scots saw the necessity of every precaution. By skilful
management, Wood got to windward of the foe; and immedi-
ately a close and furious combat ensued, which lasted till night.
The shores of Fife were, during the whole day, crowded with
spectators, who, by their shouts arid gesticulations, exhibited
their alternate hopes and fears. At the close of the day, the
combatants mutually drew oif, and the battle remained unde-
cided. The night was spent in refitting, and in preparations
for the ensuing day. No sooner had morning dawned, than the
trumpets sounded for the fray, and the battle was renewed, and
continued with the greatest obstinacy. The ships closely
locked together, floated unheeded by the combatants, and, be-
fore an ebb-tide and a south wind, drifted round the east coast
of Fife till they were opposite the mouth of the Tay. But the
seamanship of Wood, and the valour of the Scottish sailors, at
length prevailed, and the three English ships were captured,
and carried into Dundee, where the wounded of both parties
were landed, and every attention paid to them. The unfortu-
nate English commander was afterwards taken to Edinburgh
by Wood, who presented him to the king. James had then an
opportunity of displaying that nobleness of mind, and royal
magnificence, which in him, always conspicuous, was some-
times carried to a fault, but which endeared him to the people
of Scotland. He bestowed gifts upon Bull and on his people,
and freeing them from any ransom, sent them home with their
ships as a present to the English king.
f This celebrated vessel was larger and stronger than any
ship England or France had ever possessed. Large quantities
of timber were brought from Norway for the purpose of build,
ing her, after the oak forests of Fife, with the exception of that
of Falkland, had been exhausted in her construction. Num.
hers of foreign and Scottish carpenters were employed in th«
work, under the almost daily inspection of the king himself
and at the end of a year and a day, the Great Michael was read)
to be launched. She was 2>40 feet in length, but disproportion,
ately narrow, being only 36 feet across the beams. Her side*
were 10 feet thick, and were obviously meant to defy th*
power of any artillery which could be brought against her
The expense of the construction of this vessel, exclusive 01
her furnishings of artillery and ammunition, is estimated at
£7,000 — a very large sum for the period, and for the limited in.
come of James. The cannon carried by the Great Michael wai
very disproportionate to her size, amounting only to 36, witl
three of a smaller size. Her crew consisted of 300 sailors, 121
gunners, and 1,000 fighting men. The whole was put undei
the charge of Sir Andrew Wood, and of Robert Barton, anothei
eminent Scottish mariner of the period. Lindsay of Pitscottu
FIFESHIRE.
549
The Scottish kings had always maintained their
right to nominate to vacant sees and abbacies, not-
withstanding the Papal pretensions to this power.
But the minority of James V. seems to have occa-
sioned applications to Leo X., who then occupied
the papal chair, with regard to the vacant benefice
of St. Andrews. The queen-dowager supported the
claim of her own relation, Gawin Douglas, after-
wards bishop of Dunkeld, and one of the early orna-
ments of Scottish literature. His servants had seized
possession of the archiepiscopal castle at St. An-
drews, and he for a brief period maintained that for-
The chapter of St. Andrews met, in the mean
time, and elected Hepburn, the Prior, to the office,
who immediately besieged the castle, and, being fa-
voured by most of the nobility, gained possession of
it. The Earl of Angus, who favoured the claim of
his kinsman, the excellent Douglas, set off with 200
horse to rescue this important fortress from the arch-
bishop-elect ; but he was too late in arriving, and
Hepburn for a short time held the castle, and nomi-
nally the rank of primate of Scotland. To put an
end to this unseemly dispute, the Duke of Albany
obtained the dignity to be conferred on Andrew For-
man, Bishop of Moray, an artful and avaricious pre-
late. In 1522 the see of St. Andrews became vacant
by the death of Archbishop Forman, and James Bea-
ton, the Bishop of Glasgow, who had been chancellor
of the kingdom, received the appointment. In Sep-
tember, 1526, the Douglases having defeated their
opponents at Linlithgow, advanced into Fife, and pil-
laged the abbey of Dunfermline, and afterwards the
castle of St. Andrews ; but the Archbishop had fled.
" They could not find the Bishop," says Lindsay of
Pitscottie, " for he was keeping sheep on Bogrian-
knowe, with shepherd's clothes upon him, like as he
had been a shepherd himself." By gifts, however —
which his wealth well-enabled him to bestow — the
primate of St. Andrews effected an apparent recon-
ciliation with Angus ; and at the festival of Christmas,
in 1527, he entertained the king, the queen-dowager,
Aliens, and others of the Douglas party, at his castle
of St. Andrews. There, says Lindsay, he "made
fhi-m great cheer and merriness, and gave them great
gifts of gold and silver, with fair halkneys and other
ijifts of tacks and steedings, that they would desire
of him, that he might pacify their wrath therewith,
and obtain their favours. So the king tarried there
a while quiet, and used hawking and hunting upon
the \\ater of Eden."— When, in 1538, a second mar-
u as contracted betwixt James V. and Mary of
Guise, daughter of the Duke of Guise, and widow of
the Duke of Longueville, conducted by an admiral
of France and the Lord Maxwell, this princess left
her native shores, and landed at Balcomie, near Fife- |
QMS, from which she proceeded on horseback, towards
idrews, where the king, with many of his no-
bles, was then residing. Hearing of her arrival, he
immediately rode forth to meet her, accompanied by
his nobles, several dignified clergymen, arid many
Eis, lairds, and gentlemen, all magnificently dress-
to have had his doubts whether his readers would be-
leve his account of the size of this great ship, which, as he
•ays, "cumbered Scotland to get her afloat." To set all doubts
st, therefore, lie adds, "and if any man beiieve that this
iption of the ship be not of verity, as we have written, let
p;iss to the gate of Tullibardin, and there afore the same,
ill see the length and breadth of her planted with haw-
by the wright that helped to make her." As evidence of
• great strength, he further says, " when this ship past to the
, and was lying in the road, the king gart shoot a cannon at
, to essay il she wa* wight; but I heard say, it deaved her
lot, and did her little skaith." Notwithstanding the expense
ucun ed in her construction, we do not find that this great ship
•/as ever of much n*e, or that for some years she had sailed
rum the frith of Forth. The Great Michael wa« purchased by
.om* XII. on the id of April, 1514, for 40,000 livres, from the
)uke of Albany, who sold it in name of the Scottish govern-
ed. A splendid pageant had been prepared, after the
quaint fashion of the times, by Sir David Lindsay of
the Mount, the Lord-lyon, in honour of her. At the
abbey gate a triumphal arch was erected, beneath
which she had to pass ; and above it was a painting
representing a cloud. On her approach the cloud
opened, " and there appeared/' says Lindsay of Pits-
cottie, " a fair lady most like an angel, having the
keys of Scotland in her hands, and delivered them to
the queen, in sign and token that all the hearts of
Scotland were open to receive her Grace." An ora-
tion was then delivered to her by Sir David Lindsay,
" instructing her," says the same curious historian,
"to love her God, obey her husband, and keep her-
self chaste, according to God's will and command-
ments." She then passed on to the palace, which
had been prepared for her, and " which was well
decored against her coming." The ceremonies of
religion were not wanting on this great occasion.
High mass was performed in the church : several bish-
ops, abbots, priors, monks, friars, and canons-regular
assisting at the ceremony. The queen dined with
the king in the palace where he had been residing,
and the remaining part of the day was spent in fes-
tivity and mirth. Next morning, the queen made a
progress through the city, and examined the cathe-
dral, the monasteries, and the three colleges. The
provost and "the honest burgesses" were introduced
to her, and she was attended, as on the former day,
by the king, the nobles, and the gentry who had
come to welcome her. After the marriage-ceremony
had been performed with great pomp, the day was
again spent in amusement ; and the festivities were
continued at St. Andrews for forty days. In the
mornings the amusements were, jousting in the lists,
archery, hunting, and hawking ; and in the even-
ings, dancing, singing, masking, and plays. In little
more than a year after this festive occasion, James
Beaton, the proud prelate of St. Andrews, and the
determined enemy of the Reformation, died. But
this proved no respite to the persecution of the re-
formers ; for he was succeeded in his office by his
nephew David Beaton, who perished at last by the
hands of the avenger of blood, as related in the article
ST. ANDREWS.
The length of time which the murderers of
Beaton had been enabled to hold out the castle
of St. Andrews against the regent, and the armis-
tice which they had secured for themselves, had
a very favourable effect on the progress of the Re-
formation, as it enabled them to afford protection
to several of the Protestant preachers. Among these
John Rough, originally a monk, had acted as chaplain
to the garrison, and was met there by John Knox,
the great apostle of the Reformation, when he visited
the castle after the conclusion of the armistice. It
was here that, on the suggestion of Rough, Knox
was first called to the ministry, and first began pub
licly to deliver his addresses on the antichristian
nature of the Papal power. Sir David Lindsay of
the Mount, and Henry Balnaves of Halhill, were
among the eminent reformers, who, although inno-
cent of any connection with the death of the Car-
dinal, had been forced to seek refuge in the castle.
Sir David's tragedy of Cardinal Beaton is said by
Chalmers to have been written in 154G, and the pro-
bability is, that it was written in the castle. In 1559
John Knox made a preaching-tour in Fifeshire. He
preached at Crail, and, as at Perth, the effect of his
discourse was, that the people pulled down the altars*
images, and all other monuments of idolatry in the
town. At Anstruther his preaching produced the
same effect ; and he then determined that the cathe-
dral of Saint Andrews should be the next theatre of
his exertions. The Archbishop, with 100 men-at-
550
FIFESHIRE.
arms, threatened to destroy him if he made the at-
tempt. The Regent with her French troops was at
Falkland, a distance of about 18 miles. His friends,
therefore, afraid for his safety, endeavoured to per-
suade him against the attempt ; but neither threats,
danger, nor friendship could prevail. He declared
that he could not in conscience decline preaching,
and that he would preach, whatever the result might
be. The Archbishop, fearing the result, left the city
on the morning of the day on which Knox had de-
termined to preach, and proceeded to Falkland to the
Regent, that he might represent to her the necessity
of effectually resisting the lawless proceedings of the
enemies of the church. Before the evening of that
day the fervid eloquence of Knox had its usual effect.
All classes of the people, even the very magistrates,
were excited; and the most magnificent of cathedrals,
already time hallowed, and on which the wealth of
provinces had been expended, was laid in ruins. The
other churches were also deprived of their orna-
ments and decorations, and the monasteries of the
Franciscans and Dominicans destroyed. The Regent,
although not altogether reconciled to the Archbishop,
listened with interest to the account he gave of the
excesses which had been committed ; and the neces-
sity of exertions being made to repress farther out-
rage, produced a reconciliation between them. To
anticipate the Congregation — who had not yet called
together the force they had so lately dismissed — the
Regent immediately issued a mandate for collecting
her own troops, and sent messengers to the adher-
ents of the government in Fife, requesting them to
assemble with their followers at Cupar. The lords
of the Congregation were equally urgent in their
measures. Earnest representations were despatched
to their friends for assistance ; and they instantly
marched for Cupar, although only attended by a hun-
dred cavalry, and the same number of infantry. No
time was lost by their adherents in flying to their aid,
and by the following morning they were joined by an
army of three thousand men, many of whom had come
from distant counties. Lord Ruthven brought to
them all the men he could possibly muster ; the Earl
of Rothes, hereditary sheriff of Fife, declared in their
favour ; the towns of St. Andrews and Dundee sent
their most effective men ; and Cupar poured forth its
population to defend itself and aid the general cause.
An army had also been collected by the Regent at
Falkland, which marching from thence early on the
morning of the 13th June, 1559, encamped upon an
eminence in the neighbourhood of Cupar, called the
Garliebank. The Congregation stationed their troops
— the command of which had been assigned to Haly-
burton, the provost of Dundee — on the high ground
called Cupar-muir, to the west of the town ; and so
posted their ordnance as to command the surround-
ing country. Their little army was disposed so as
to appear to the best advantage, and to consist of a
greater force than it really did. Lord Ruthven with the
cavalry formed the van ; the main body, commanded
by the other lords, and consisting of troops collected
in Fife, Angus, Mearns, and the Lothians, formed the
centre. The rear was composed of the burgesses
of Dundee, St. Andrews, and Cupar. Behind them,
at some distance, the servants and followers of the
camp were so placed as to give them the appearance
of an auxiliary band. The army of the Regent con-
sisted of 2,000 Frenchmen, under D'Oysel, and about
1 ,000 native soldiers, commanded by the Duke of
Chatelherault. The small river Eden, winding
through the low marshy ground which divided the
eminences on which they were respectively stationed,
separated the two armies, which for some time dur-
ing the morning were rendered almost invisible to
each other by a thick fog which rose from the river
! and marshy ground. The commanders of the royal
force, when they left Falkland, had had no idea that
they would meet with opposition ; and were therefore
much astonished when they learned the strength of
the army the lords of the Congregation had brought
against them, and the skilfully selected position
which it occupied. A truce for eight days was after
considerable discussion agreed to, on the condition
that the French troops — with the exception of a small
number who had lain for some time in the towns of
Dysart, Kirkcaldy, and Kinghorn — should imme-
diately be transported into Lothian ; and that, before
the expiration of the eight days, the Regent should
send certain noblemen to St. Andrews, to adjust
finally with the lords of the Congregation the arti-
cles of an effectual peace. This truce, made at Gar-
liebank, was subscribed by the Duke of Chatelherault
and D'Oysel, for the Regent ; and the Regent so far
kept her word on this occasion that she sent her
French troops and artillery across the Forth ; but
the reformers waited in vain at St. Andrews for the
appearance of the commissioners. During this time
the Protestant inhabitants of Perth endured the
greatest sufferings from the garrison which had been
left there. The Regent was respectfully but ear-
nestly requested to withdraw this garrison, according
to her previous agreement to do so, but no attention
was paid to the request. It was therefore resolved
to expel the garrison by force, and thus to relieve the
inhabitants of the fair city. The lords of the Congre-
gation buckled on their armour ; and again the men of
Fife, Angus, Mearns, and Strathearn, formed an army,
and, in the month of June, marched upon Perth.
The Earl of Huntly, chancellor of the kingdom, now
hastened to entreat the lords to delay besieging the
town for a few days ; but he was told that it would
not be delayed even an hour ; and that if one single
Protestant should be killed in the assault, the gar-
rison should be put indiscriminately to the sword
The garrison were twice summoned to surrender,
but they refused to do so ; and the batteries of the
Congregation were opened upon the town. At
last the garrison offered to surrender within twelve
hours, upon condition that they were allowed to
retire with military honours. These terms were ac-
cepted, and the town was thus restored to its liber-
ties, and the exercise of the reformed religion, with-
out blood being shed. Excited by this success, and
learning that the Bishop of Moray, against whom they
had a peculiar dislike, on account of his activity in
bringing Walter Mill to the stake, was at Scone, a num-
ber of the reformers went to that abbey to express by
acts of violence their feelings toward him. The leaders
used every exertion to preserve the building in which
so many of the Scottish kings had been crowned, but
in vain. Even the eloquence of Knox, who here ex-
erted himself to preserve the buildings, was unavail-
ing. The palace and abbey were destroyed ; and
while the flames were ascending, an old woman was
heard to exclaim : — " See now, the judgments ol
God are just ! No authority is able to save when
He will punish."
A Frenchman, of the name of Chatelard, a gen-
tleman, a soldier, a scholar, and a poet, had visitec
Scotland in the train of Moris. d'Amville, at the tim<
of Mary's arrival from France. After his return t<
his own country, he had thought proper again ti
visit Scotland, where he arrived in November, 1562
and as he had letters from several of her friends an
relations, he was well received by the Queen. H
continued at court till the 12th of February, 1562-4
when he was discovered concealed in the Queen
bed-chamber, having his sword and dagger with hin
The circumstance was concealed from the Queen ti
the morning, but, on learning it, she commanded hii
FIFESHIRE.
551
to leave the court ; and immediately afterwards she
left Edinburgh for Dunfermline, where she remained
all night. On the 14th she went to Bruntisland,
where she slept. Chatelard, notwithstanding the
commands of the Queen, followed her to Fife, and
arrived in Bruntisland the same day. On her retir-
ing to her chamber for the night, Chatelard forced his
way in immediately after her, and presented himself
before her, for the purpose, as he said, of clearing
himself from the imputation made against him for
his previous conduct. The Queen instantly called
out for help, and the Earl of Murray entered.
Mary, in her agitation, desired Murray to put his
dagger into him, but he ordered him into confine-
ment, reserving him to be punished in due course
of law. The chancellor, the justice-clerk, and other
counsellors, were sent for from Edinburgh, and a few
days afterwards the wretched man was tried and con-
demned at St. Andrews. On the 22d of February
he was executed there, " reading over on the scar-
fold," says Brantome, " Ronsard's Hymn on Death,
as the only preparation for the fatal stroke." Dur-
ing the time of this trial and execution, Mary resided
at St. Andrews. She had left Bruntisland for Falk-
land the day after the occurrence with Chatelard.
On the 16th she dined at Cupar, and the same even-
ing proceeded to St. Andrews, where she remained
till the 18th of March. While there she was much
grieved at hearing of the assassination of her uncle,
the Duke of Guise ; and to relieve her melancholy
she went to Falkland, where she enjoyed the sports
of the field for some days, after which she returned
to St. Andrews, dining at Cupar both in going and
returning. Leaving St. Andrews she returned to
Falkland on the 3d of April, where, as well as at
Lochleven, she spent some time in hunting and
hawking. On the 15th of April, 1563, she left
Lochleven, and dining at Strathhenry, rode to Falk-
land. Next day she dined at Newark, and in the
evening she proceeded to Cupar, where she remained
all night. In the afternoon of the 17th, she left
Cupar for St. Andrews, where she continued to re-
side till the 16th of May. A great part of her train
then left her, arid proceeded to Edinburgh, by King-
horn. She left St. Andrews the same day, and slept
at Cupar, from whence she proceeded next day to
the neighbourhood of Markinch, where she dined.
She passed the night at Bruntisland, and in the
morning crosed to Leith, and from thence came to
Edinburgh, after an absence of nearly four months.
In January, 1564-5, Mary passed "over to Fife,
where she amused herself with her usual sports,
sometimes at Falkland, and sometimes at St. An-
«!rc\vs. In the month of February she was followed
by Randolph to St. Andrews, who again attempted
to renew the proposal of the marriage with Leicester.
Of her manner of life at this time a very particular
account has been preserved in a letter from Ran-
dolph to his mistress. " Her Grace lodged," he says,
''in a merchant's house; her train were very few;
and there was small repair from any part." She in-
vited Randolph to dine and sup at her table while
lie remained, so that his opportunities of observation
were very particular. After he had continued to at-
tend her for some days, he at length broached the
subject he had in charge from his mistress ; but Mary
appears, with much skill and tact, to have evaded
(lie subject. " 1 sent for you to be merry," said she
to the wily diplomatist, "and to see how like a
Bourgeois-wife I live, with my little troop ; and you
will interrupt our pastime with your great and grave
matters. 1 pray you, Sir, if you be weary here, re-
turn home to Edinburgh, and keep your gravity and
great embassade until the Queen come thither ; for,
1 assure you, you shall not get her here, nor I know
not myself where she is become ; you see neither
cloth of estate, nor such appearance, that you may
think that there is a Queen here ; nor, I would not
that you should think, that I am she at St. Andrews,
that I was at Edinburgh." He farther describes her
as passing her time in agreeable and lively conversa-
tion ; and in riding out after dinner. Finding no-
thing could be made of his residence at St. Andrews,
Randolph returned to Edinburgh, and about this time
the young Lord Darnley also arrived there. Mary
also left St. Andrews on the llth of February, and
next day came to Lundy, on the south coast of Fife.
On the 13th she rode to Wemyss, then the residence
of the Earl of Murray ; and three days after, Lord
Darnley learning where she was, crossed the Forth,
and for the first time visited her there. He seems
to have been well received by her, and was lodged
in the castle. " Her majesty," says Sir James Mel-
ville, [Memoirs, p. Ill,] " took very well with him,
and said, that he was the properest and best-propor-
tioned long man that ever she had seen." Darnley
remained some days at Wemyss castle.
After Mary's surrender at Carberry she was sent
a prisoner to Lochleven castle, the residence of
William Douglas, the brother uterine of Murray,
and the presumptive heir of Morton. She was con-
veyed to her place of confinement by the Lords
Ruthven and Lindsay of the Byres, under an armed
escort, and placed under the surveillance of the bro-
ther of Murray, whence she effected her escape on
the 2d of May, 1568 : see article LOCH LEVEN.
James VI. seems to have been suspicious of the at-
tention paid to his Queen by the Earl of Murray, the
heir of the late Regent, a young nobleman of great
promise, and who was popularly styled " the Bonny
Earl of Murray." Under the pretence that he was
suspected of having aided Bothwell in his attempt
upon the palace, Huntly, who was the enemy of Mur-
ray, surrounded his house of Donnibristle in the
month of February, 1592, and set it on fire. Some
of the followers of Murray were put to death, and
others yielded. The unfortunate Earl himself fled
toward the shore, intending to cross the Forth in a
boat ; but he was overtaken by a determined assas-
sin, Gordon of Buckie, who wounded him desperate-
ly in the face. The Earl had just strength left to
say with a last effort of expiring vanity, " Ye have
spoiled a better face than your own !" when he died.
Whilst James was employed in diplomatic endea-
vours to strengthen his right to succeed Elizabeth,
and at a time when all parties concurred in promot-
ing his interest, when the church had ceased to inter-
fere with the exercise of his authority, and when the
feuds among the nobility were gradually subsiding,
an incident occurred, which has never properly been
explained, and which had nearly deprived the king
of his life, and involved the whole island in civil war.
This was what has been called the Gowrie conspira-
cy, the principal actors in which, were the Earl of
Gowrie, and his brother Alexander Ruthven, sons of
that Earl of Gowrie who was put to death in 1584
for treason. It has been very generally disputed
whether any plot existed against the king. The
clergy at the time expressed more than doubts upon
the subject ; and did not hesitate to charge James
with a plot against the Ruthvens. What motive the
young^ men could have to destroy the king, has been
a question often asked ; and it has been equally often
said, that if a plot indeed existed on their part, it was
one of the worst constructed upon record. James him-
self published a narrative of the circumstances which
occurred, and the following account is the substance
of his statements. On the 5th of August, 1600, he
was at his palace of Falkland, enjoying his favourite
amusement of hunting. At an early hour in the
552
FIFESHIRE.
morning he had mounted, with his suite, and was
proceeding in search of game, when he met Alexander
Ruthven, who with great confusion but earnestness of
manner informed him that he had seized a suspicious
fellow, who had under his cloak a large pot full of
money, and that he had detained him for his Majes-
ty's examination. To one so needy as James always
was, money was an irresistible bait ; besides that he
conceived the person to be an agent of the pope or
the king of Spain. Though not altogether satisfied,
he was persuaded by his informer to ride without
attendants to the Earl of Cowrie's house at Perth,
where the bearer of the treasure was alleged to be
kept in custody. They entered the castle by a pri-
vate way, and ascended a dark staircase to a small
obscure room, where they found a man standing,
armed at all points. Ruthven now suddenly altered
his behaviour, and told the king that as he had slain
his father, he must now die to expiate the offence.
James reasoned with him, defended his conduct, and
so far staggered his opponent, that he left the room ;
but he soon returned, denouncing death to the king,
and, endeavouring to tie his hands, held a dagger at
his breast. The armed man who had been reasoned
by the king into an agony of terror, stood trembling
by, when James, exerting his utmost strength, over-
powered Ruthven, and gained a window, whence he
called to his attendants, who forced their way in, re-
lieved the king, and put both the Earl of Gowrie and
his brother to death. Such was the tale told by the
king, but it met with slow and unwilling belief.
The Ruthvens are represented as talented and learn-
ed young men, of popular and engaging manners.
The Earl was looked upon as rising to be the head
of the popular party, and was beloved by all, espe-
cially by the clergy, who cordially disliked James for \
his exertions to curb the unconstitutional power '
which they had assumed. With great difficulty the
clergy were persuaded to publish from their pulpits
the king's narrative of the plot ; but at length all
acquiesced except Robert Bruce, who had been
honoured with officiating at the coronation of the
queen. That sturdy and implacable demagogue, in
spite of all the king's arguments, absolutely refused
his assent to the royal tale, and was banished into
England for his scepticism. Parliament was more
courtly in its powers of belief, and immediately pro-
ceeded to attaint and forfeit the estates of the Ruth-
vens ; declaring the name to be infamous, and ap-
pointing an annual day of thanksgiving to be held for
the king's escape.
The accession of James VI. to the crown of Eng-
land, and the removal of the court to London, by
weakening the connection with France, and causing
the nobility and gentry to reside much in London,
gave a new blow to the prosperity of Scotland, and
more especially to Fife, and *he rest of the eastern
coast. The rebellion against Charles gave rise to a
protracted struggle, during the continuance of which,
neither trade, manufactures, nor agriculture, could
flourish. In the dissensions thus created, the inha-
bitants of Fife took an active part, and had their own
share of the calamities which ensued. The fatal
battle of Kilsyth was most injurious to this county.
" Three regiments from Fife," says Dr. Adamson, in
his notes to Sibbald's History, "perished almost to a
man. Most of the principal traders, and shipmas-
ters, with their seamen, besides a multitude of the
people of all classes, were engaged in that most dis-
astrous enterprise." The tyranny of Charles II.,
and James VII., and their attempt to force Episco-
pacy on the Scottish nation, created an accumulation j
of misery in Fife, as well as in other counties of Scot- !
land, which must have prevented the possibility of j
any attempt to improve commerce, or encourage '
manufactures. The Revolution of 1688 might have
been expected to produce a favourable change, yet it
did not do so. A long-continued and severe famine
quickly followed, and exhausted almost every re-
source the country possessed. The imposition of
duties ruined the trade with England in malt ; and
the same cause destroyed the trade which had been
carried on in salt. The still existing ruins of malt-
barns and steeps, and of salt-pans, show the extent
of the injury these impositions here produced. The
jealousy of the merchants of England, and the fa-
vour shown them by the government of William III.,
was an additional injury, and an additional preven-
tative to Scotch exertion. At the commencement
of the 18th century, this jealousy had a most ruinous
effect on an already nearly ruined country ; for to its
existence must, in a great measure, be attributed
the utter failure of the Darien expedition. To this
splendid conception of founding a colony at the isth-
mus of Darien, Scotland looked for a source of wealth,
and the means of restoring her ruined fortunes. Every
family of respectability in Fife and in the other mid-
land and southern counties of Scotland was involv-
ed in this ill-fated adventure, and its total failure
spread misery and dismay throughout the land. Such
were some of the causes which, after the death of
James IV., not only prevented any farther increase
in the prosperity Scotland had enjoyed during his
reign ; but which may be said, until comparatively re-
cent times, by gradual degrees to have almost entire-
ly annihilated the trade and commerce of Fife and the
eastern coast ; whilst in the west country these causes
retarded the commercial efforts of the people, and
for a length of time rendered the prospect of success
in any branch of industry apparently hopeless.
FIGGETWHINS. See DUDDINCSTONE.
FILLAN (THE), a rivulet in the extreme west
of Perthshire. It rises on the side of Benloy, on the
water-shedding mountain-line which forms the boun-
dary with Argyleshire; and, after having flowed 1^
mile eastward, 1 mile northward, describes over a
distance of 7J miles the arc of a circle, with the
convexity toward the north, and falls into the west
end of Loch Dochart. Its entire course of 10 miles
is in the parish of Killin ; and most of the course is
through a valley to which the stream gives the name
of Strathfillan. As Loch Dochart emits at its west
end the chief stream by which its superfluent waters are
poured into Loch Tay, the Fillan is usually and cor-
rectly regarded as the head- water of the magnificent
river to which Loch Tay, in discharging eastward its
receipt of waters from the west, gives name. On
the north bank of the Fillan, near Auchtertyre, stand
the ruins of St. Fillan's church.
FILLAN (ST.), a village at the east end of Loch
Earn, in the centre of the parish of Comrie, Perth-
shire. A range of about 50 houses, almost all slated,
one story in height, ornamented in front with ivy,
honey-suckle, and other parasites, and receding from
enclosed plots of laurel, and various shrubbery and
flowers, stretches chiefly along the river and partly
along the side of the lake. At the west end are
some very neat houses with large gardens in front ;
and in their vicinity are an inn and the St. Fillan's
Society hall. The village is probably the most
pleasant, as to both appearance and situation, in the
Highlands of Scotland. The St. Fillan's Highland
society, established in 1819, and possessing at pre-
sent about 60 members and a capital of about £100,
holds an annual prize-exhibition, toward the end of
August, for athletic exercises. The scene of manly
sport and trials of strength, is a level green fronting
the village, at the base of an isolated, grass-clad, ter-
raced eminence ; and usually attracting a large con-
course of persons — many of whom appear in Celtic
FIN
553
FIN
costume — is not a little animated and interesting. St.
Fillan filled, in the days of his mortality, the office
of prior of Pittenweem, and afterwards was the fa-
vourite saint of Robert Bruce ; and a relic of him was
carried in a shrine by Maurice, abbot of Inchaffray,
at the battle of Bannockburn. His well, at the vil-
lage, was long believed to have miraculous power over
disease, and even yet is viewed by the superstitious
Highlanders as possessing saintly virtue. In 1818,
a poor Highland emigrant carried with him to Amer-
ica, a curious relic, traditionally believed to have
been the head of the crosier used in office by the abbot
Maurice, who administered the eucharist to King Ro-
bert Bruce and his nobles previous to the memor-
able battle of Bannockburn. It is said to have been
preserved in the family of the possessor ever since the
death of St. Fillan, which took place in 649, and was
confirmed to them by James II., in letters of gift,
dated at Edinburgh, the llth July, 1437; which let-
ters were registered in the books of council and ses-
sion on the 1st of November, 1734. The relic it-
self is called in these letters of gift a Quegrich. It
is about 12 inches long, in the form of a shepherd's
crook, of solid silver, gilt and neatly carved ; in front
is a large pebble, and the figure of our Saviour on
the cross.
FINCASTLE, a district in the shire of Perth, 15
miles distant from Dull, to which parish it formerly
belonged ; it is now annexed to the parish of Ten-
Iry. It stretches along the northern bank of
Tummel; and is said to take its name from the
it number of old castles with which it abounds.
gives the title of Viscount to the Earl of Dun-
ore.
FINDHAVEN. See FINHAVEN.
FINDHORN (THE), a river in the counties of
rerness, Nairn, and Moray. It rises in the Mo-
-leadh hills, between Strathdearn and Strath-
:k, in Inverness-shire; and flows in a north-
;rly though not very straight course, through
part of Inverness, Nairn, and Moray shires, to a
loch, or arm of the sea, called Findhorn harbour, in
the Moray frith, at a distance of 60 miles in direct
extent from its source, increased, by its windings,
to 30 miles more. It runs, to a considerable extent,
nearly parallel with the river and the strath of Nairn.
Struggling on through many opposing barriers of
granite mountains, it rushes through the narrow
gorges with boiling and tumultuous current ; — now
reposing its still waters in some round sweeping dark
pool, and now patiently but assiduously wearing its
way through the dark red sandstone cliffs, which jut
out from its channel, or range, in layer above layer,
forming high barriers on its banks, while plants, and
shrubs, arid lofty trees, crown and encompass the
steep heights, and finely contrast their variegated
green with the deep red of the cliffs on which they
grow. Here, in some overshadowed dells, where
the sun with difficulty penetrates, we find the soli-
tary eyries of the eagle, or the falcon, with the
dwellings of the congregated heron, thickly perched
among the trees, while the ascending salmon rest,
by dozens, during the summer's noonday heat, in the
deep dark pools beneath. As the stream winds to-
wards the sea, its course becomes less interrupted
and boisterous : it now sweeps along fertile mea-
dows, and wooded copses, till, at last, all opposition
'"ing way, it Hows out into a broad, still, placid,
t of water, meeting the tides of the ocean half-
up the smooth and sandy bay of Findhorn. A
and level district surrounds its estuary ; and,
luring the ever-memorable floods of August, 1829,
was the rapid rise of the stream, then swelled
another Amazon, that the whole plain, to the
and west of Forres, became one sea of waters,
so that a large boat in full sail swept along the fields
to within a few yards of that burgh I From its sud-
den speats, without the slightest warning, rushing
in upon the fords, and overflowing all its banks, this
river is, perhaps, the most dangerous one in Scot-
land ; — a notoriety to which it is fully entitled from
the frequent falls of its bridges, and the injuries
done, almost every year, along its banks, as well as
on the low grounds near its mouth. It is crossed
only by three bridges, — one at Forres, a second at
Dulsie, and a third on the military road from Inver-
ness to Aviemore. The scenery on this river, in
its course through Moray, is the finest in the county ;
and on its romantic banks are situated a succession
of gentlemen's seats, among which are Altyre, Logic,
Relugas, Dunphail, Kincorth, and Tannachy. There
is an excellent fishing of salmon in the Findhorn.
" The quantity of salmon, exported from Forres,"
observes the author of the Old Statistical Account
of Forres, " upon an average often years, from 1773
to 1783, was about 300 barrels, annually, besides
the home-consumpt, which is not very considerable.
Since the year 1783, the quantity of salmon taken
is considerably less ; but last year, 1 792, the fishing
of the Findhorn has been much more productive
than for several years preceding. The price of sal-
mon is 4d., and for trout 5d. per Ib." Since that
period the fishing has varied greatly ; but the aver-
age of 12 years, from 1813 to 1824, was 156 barrels
of salmon, and 77 barrels of grilses. This river is
navigable for boats no farther than the tide flows;
" but did the increase of commerce and manufactures
require it," observes the writer above quoted, "there
is no place where a canal might be more easily made."
See article FORRES.
FINDHORN, or FINDHERN, a small sea-port
town, in the parish of Kinloss, Morayshire, situated at
the mouth of the river Findhorn, on a point of land
which is rendered peninsular by the harbour of Find-
horn on the west, and the bay of Burgh-head on the
east. It is distant 5 miles north of Forres, to
which, as well as, in some measure, to Elgin, it is
considered as a sea-port. It has a tolerable foreign
and coasting-trade : exporting salmon, grain, and
other goods, and importing coals, groceries, and
manufactured goods. It was long celebrated for
curing and drying haddocks in a peculiar way, uni-
versally known as Findern speldings. The village
has changed its site more than once. It formerly
stood a mile to the north-west of the present one,
but was swallowed up, in one tide, by an inundation
of the sea and river, in 1701, and the place where it
then stood is now the bottom of the sea. The en-
trance of the river Findhorn itself to the sea, being
formerly two miles to the westward of its present
situation, was shifted, and the ancient town of Find-
horn said to be swallowed up, by the drifting sands
of Culbin : — see article DYKE. The present village
is still beset with sand-banks, which are continually
shifting, with a heavy surge in general beating on
them. A piece of land, here called Binsness, has
been already destroyed, and fears have been enter-
tained that the village itself must again be deserted.
FINDOCHTIE, a small fishing-village, in the
parish of Rathven, Banffshire, west of Cullen. It
was made a fishing-station in 1716.
FINDON, or FINNAN, a fishing- village and har-
bour in the parish of Banchory-Davenick, about 6
miles south of Aberdeen. It is celebrated for its
dried fish, called Finnan haddocks. These are pre-
pared, by smoking, in a peculiar manner; and the
process is said to be so expeditious, that the fish is
sometimes presented at table, in Aberdeen, 12 hours
after it has been caught. So soon does the Finnan
haddock lose its fine and delicate flavour, that they
FIN
554
FIN
cannot be exported to any distance. They are much
in demand in Aberdeen, and all the surrounding dis-
trict, but cannot be transported even to Edinburgh
without detriment to their excellence.
FINGASK, a fine old mansion in the parish of
Kilspindie, Perthshire, the seat of Sir Peter Murray
Threipland, Bart. It is situated in a picturesque
opening in the Gowrie hills and commands a very
fine view. Fingask was remarkable in the last cen-
tury for the Jacobitism of its proprietors. Sir David
Threipland was engaged in the insurrection of 1715,
and his lady entertained at this house the unfortu-
nate prince for whose sake the party had taken up
arms, while on his progress from Peterhead to Perth.
The estate was consequently forfeited, and the family
for a time dispossessed of their ancient seat.
FINHAVEN, or FINDHAVEN,* a name of various,
and in part of obsolete application. Finhaven was
anciently the name of the parish of Oathlaw in For-
farshire ; and it adheres so firmly to the popular no-
menclature of the district, and sits so undisputedly
on at least two localities, while the word Oathlaw
is almost a stranger in its own territory, that every
one wonders at the old name having been supersed-
ed, while no one can well assign the reason of the
change. The late proprietor and patron of the parish,
the Marquis of Huntly, wished, with characteristic
good taste, that the ancient name, and the greatly
preferable one on account at once of its descrip-
tiveness, its antiquity, and its archaeological associa-
tions, should be restored. The name, in the mean-
time, has uncontested possession of a hill, a castle,
and a hamlet — The hill, or rather hilly range, of
Finhaven stretches along the whole of the southern
boundary of the parish of Oathlaw, and even extends
some distance on the east into the conterminous par-
ish of Aberlemno; and lifts its highest summit 1,500
feet above the level of the adjacent country, com-
manding a rich and extensive view of the great valley
of Strathmore. On the summit of the hill is an ex-
tensive and remarkable vitrified fort, in the form
nearly of a parallelogram, about 450 long, and on
the average, 111 feet broad, built apparently with-
out mortar, and so exactly constructed according to
the rules of military art as to oversee and command
every point of access. — The castle of Finhaven, now
in ruins, and exhibiting to the view only two decayed
sides of a lofty square tower, stands on the north
side of Finhaven-hill, overlooking a beautiful sweep of
Lemno-burn, arid was anciently the seat of the Earl
of Lindsay and Crawford. Finhaven hamlet, or what
at present is, without any adjunct, termed simply
Finhaven, stands on the right bank of the South Esk,
at the confluence with it of Lemno-burn, near the
northern limit of the parish of Oathlaw. Though
small in itself, a considerable factory, and the imme-
diate vicinity of the residence of the factor or agent
of the proprietor of the whole parish, but especially
the public spirit and enlightened policy of both the
manufacturer and the factor, give it influence and
importance, and occasion its name to be pronounced
fifty times oftener throughout Forfarshire, than the
usurping parochial designation of Oathlaw. The
estate of Finhaven is about 5| miles in length from
east to west ; and from 1 to 2 miles broad. It is in-
tersected by the South Esk for about 2 miles, and by
the Great North road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen
for about 5 miles. Its superficies is 4,048 imperial
acres, of which 2,217 are arable, 165 in pasture or
* This word is very variously spelt in ancient documents, oc.
casioually assuming such grotesque forms as Fynuevin, Ffin-
heaven, and Phinheaven ; and seems to have had its origin in
the combination of two Gaelic words, signifying ' white' and
' river,' to describe the South Esk, which figures in all the
•eeues which the word is used to designate.
uncultivated, 723 under wood, and 104 are occu
3y roads and rivers. Game is abundant upon it.
FINK (ST.), a hamlet in the shire of Perth, and
sarish of Bendothy ; 2| miles east-north-east of
Blair-Gowrie. Here was anciently a chapel dedi-
cated to St. Fink; and that part of the parish which
ies eastward of the confluence of the Eroch and Isla,
would seem to have belonged to it. The adjacent
souses are called the Chapel-town, and there are
also vestiges of the chapel, and of the burying-ground
around it.
FINLAGAN (Locn), a lake in the centre of
the island of Isla, about 3 miles in circumference.
It abounds with salmon and trout, and discharges
itself into the ocean at Lagan bay, by a rivulet of
the same name. On an island within the lake are
the ruins of an ancient castle, where Macdonald,
Lord of the Isles, frequently resided, and which he
made the seat of his government.
FINNAN (ST.), a small and beautiful island in
Argyleshire, in Loch-Shiel, upon which are the ruins
of a church.
FINNAN (THE), or FINNIN, a river in Inverness-
shire, which gives name to Glenfinnan, and falls into
the eastern extremity of Loch-Shiel, opposite Island
Finnan. The form of Glen-Finnan, at the head of
Loch-Shiel, is very uncommon. It opens in four
different directions, like four gigantic streets meeting
in one centre. A large level space of ground, at the
head of the lake, forms the common centre of these
glens, which, wild in every part, are in many points
of view highly picturesque. Several miles of the
lake can be seen from the top. It is here long and
sinuous, — bounded by lofty and rugged mountains, —
silent, solitary, and deserted, — its quietude seldom
disturbed, save by the flight of an eagle, or other
bird of prey. — It was in Glen- Finnan that Prince
Charles Edward first unfurled his flag, in 1 745. On
the 25th of July, he landed at Borrodale in Arisaig ;
where he was visited by Cameron of Lochiel, who
advised him strongly to give up the attempt till a
more favourable opportunity. The prince, however,
refused to follow Lochiel's advice, and insisted that
a better opportunity could never occur. " Lochiel,"
said he, " may stay at home and learn from the news-
papers the fate of his prince ; but I will erect the
royal standard, and proclaim to the people of Britain
that Charles Stewart is come over to claim the crown
of his ancestors, to win it, or to perish in the attempt."
" No," said Lochiel, " I'll share the fate of my
prince ; and so shall every man over whom nature
or fortune has given me any power !" At Kinloch-
Moidart, Charles remained to the 18th August, when
he sailed up Loch-Shiel as far as Glenalladle, the re-
sidence of a chief of the M'Donalds. On the morn-
ing of the 19th, he, with his attendants, about 20 ot
25 in number, proceeded in three boats to Glen- Fin-
nan, where they landed about mid-day. Here hi
was again met by Lochiel, with a party of betweer
700 or 800 of the Clan Cameron. The Marquis o
Tullibardine unfurled the standard, and, supporter
by a man on each side, held the staff till the commis
sion of Regency was read. In an hour after this so
lemnity, MacDonald of Keppoch arrived with abou
200 men ; and in the evening of the same day severa
gentlemen of the name of M'Leod arrived from th
islands. They disclaimed their chief, who had re
fused to join Charles, offered their own services, an
agreed to return to the islands and raise all the me
they could. Thus, in this distant and lonely glen-
at that time, from the want of roads, of very difficul
access — was thq first act performed of that tragi
drama which had nearly overturned the governmei
of a great empire, and which, even ending as it di(
brought ruin on many a noble and honourable fainilj
FIN
555
FIN
and entailed a load of misery on a great part of the
population of the Highlands. It is remarkable, and
shows the high though mistaken sense of duty which
led Cameron of Lochiel to join Charles, that at this
very time his father, old Lochiel, was living in exile,
having been attainted for his share in the rebellion of
1715. The son, young Lochiel, had no hope of suc-
cess, and he went to Borrodale solely for the purpose
of persuading the prince to return to France. His
friends advised him strongly not to see the prince at
all, "For," said they, " if you once behold him, you
will assuredly join him." The result was as his friends
anticipated. A monument has been erected by M'Don-
ald of Glenalladle, on the spot where the prince's
standard was unfurled, to the memory of those " who
fought and bled" in this rebellion. It is a sort of
tower, with a small house attached, displaying any
thing but taste ; but even as it is, it has a striking
effect, when associated with the wildness which
reigns around, and the romantic and unfortunate ad-
venture it commemorates. The inscription is in
three languages, — in Gaelic, Latin, and English.
The following is a copy of the English one : *' On
this spot where Prince Charles Edward first raised
his standard, on the 19th day of August, 1745, when
he made the daring and romantic attempt to recover
a throne lost by the imprudence of his ancestors,
this column is erected by Alexander M'Donald, Esq.
of Glenalladle, to commemorate the generous zeal,
the undaunted bravery, and the inviolable fidelity of
his forefathers, and the rest of those who fought and
bled in that arduous and unfortunate enterprise.
This pillar is now, alas ! also become the monument
of its amiable and accomplished founder, who, before
was finished, died in Edinburgh on the 4th January,
~15, at the early age of 28 years."
PINNIES TON, a district in the Barony parish
Glasgow, with a population, in 1834, of 2,396.
FINTRAY, a parish in Aberdeenshire ; bounded
the north-east and east by New Machar ; on the
th by the river Don, which separates it from the
sh of Dyce ; and on the west and north-west by
ith-hall. It is of a triangular form, with an apex
iting to the north, and the base extending nearly
liles along the northern bank of the Don; its
i breadth is between 3 and 4, and its length
north to south nearly 5 miles ; superficial con-
i about 10,000 acres. Houses 215. Assessed
)erty, in 1815, £2,049. Population, in 1801,
in 1831, 1,046; in 1839, 1,012. The surface
hilly, though it rises considerably from the
rer : the lands in the northern outskirts of the
parish lie low also. The farms have been thoroughly
drained, and the land much improved. There is
limestone, though not used for manure or other pur-
poses, and abundance of granite, but a scarcity of
fuel. On the banks of the Don the soil is rich and
fertile. The middle parts of the parish have an in-
ferior soil, consisting partly of peat-moss, and partly
of moor, interspersed with patches of arable land,
some of which has a strong clay soil. The soil be-
tween these parts and the Don is light, and of good
quality: so also is the northern district. There
are several very good and well-cultivated farms: in
all, between 5,000 and 6,000 acres are cultivated,
or occasionally in tillage. About 300 acres are
waste, and upwards of 600 acres, on Sir John For-
bes's estate of Craigievar, and others, are covered
with thriving plantations. Numerous cattle are fed,
and a few excellent horses reared. The Don has often
here overflowed its banks, and done a great deal of
damage. Salmon and trout are found in this river.
There are several rivulets in the parish, the streams
of which are used as powers in working meal and
rley mills. At Cothal mills there is a manufactory
barley mills.
of ' Tweed ' and woollen cloth, which affords employ-
ment to a number of individuals. Fintray house,
on the estate of Craigievar, is a spacious and ele-
gant mansion, adorned with fine lawns and pleasure-
grounds ; and the house of Disblair is a commodious
and well-planned residence. Here are vestiges of
old religious buildings, said to have belonged to
Lindores abbey, Fifeshire, and there are two cairns
in the parish. The parishioners appear, according
to the New Statistical Account, published in 1840,
to have still the fear of resurrectionists before their
eyes, as it is stated, that, in the parish burying-
ground, " a vault of extraordinary strength wag
built, a few years ago, by the parishioners, to secure
dead bodies from resurrectionists, and from whence,
after remaining perhaps three months or more, the
bodies are removed and regularly interred." This
parish is in the presbytery and synod of Aberdeen.
Patron, Sir John Forbes of Craigievar. Stipend
£217 9s. 3d., with a glebe valued at £10. Un-
appropriated teinds £107 2s. 4d! Schoolmaster's
salary £28, with fees, &c., £24, besides an interest
in the Dick bequest. There is also a private school
in the parish.
FINTRY, a parish near the centre of Stirlingshire,
irregular in outline, but, with the exception of a
rounded apex on the north, and a sharp indentation
on the south, nearly triangular. It is bounded on
the north-west by Killearn and Balfron ; on the north-
east by Gargunnock and St. Ninians ; and on the
south by Kilsyth and Campsie. From the point
where Carron water leaves it on the east, to Earls
seat on the west, it measures 7£ miles ; and from the
extreme point of the boundary on the north to an
angle below the Tollbar on the south, it measures
5$ miles. In artificial area, however, it probably
does not measure more than about 15 square miles.
Its surface consists chiefly of hills, forming part of
the range which stretches between Stirling and
Dumbarton, and immediately north of the flanking
summits called the Campsie fells. The hills are in
general small, soft in their outline, finely diversified
in form, gaily dressed in verdure, and when dotted
over with flocks of sheep, suggesting delightful
thoughts of pastoral quiet and enjoyment. Two-
thirds of the parish, on the eastern side, and including
all the north, consist of three broad hilly ranges, run-
ning east and west, with very little intervening plain.
The northern range, which is the broadest, and tills
up all the northern part of the triangle, is called the
Fintry hills. The central range is flanked by various
detached hills, which run out to the western angle of
the parish, and wear a somewhat rugged and rocky
aspect, more in keeping with the Highland features
of the Campsie fells, than with the gentle aspect of
the characteristic hills of Fintry. The only inhabit-
ed parts of the parish are the two intersecting val-
! leys, watered respectively by the Carron and the En-
; drick, and carpeted, for the most part, with light,
I quick, and fertile soil. The Carron, rising in the
j south-west, flows 2 miles eastward, and there receives
I a tributary rill of 1^ mile of course, which had flowed
i from its source onward along the boundary ; it now,
for half-a-mile, forms the southern boundary-line, re-
ceives another rill from the south, and then intersects
the parish north-eastward and south-eastward over a
distance of 3 miles. Along its banks is the com-
mencement of the Carron bog or meadow, probably
the largest level of its class in Scotland. Beginning
in Fintry, it runs eastward between the parishes of
Kilsyth and St. Ninians, to the extent of 4 miles ;
and being in some places 2 miles in breadth, and in
none less than 1 mile, it comprehends an area of
about 500 acres. This remarkable meadow, besides
its utility in producing hay and affording pasturage,
FIN
556
FIO
imparts great loveliness and beauty to the landscape
which surrounds it. In the months of July and
August, it is thickly and cheerfully dotted over with
hay-ricks and very numerous parties of hay-makers ;
and during winter, the greater part of it being na-
turally flooded by the Carron, and the rest brought
industriously under water to fertilize it for the en-
suing crop, it assumes the appearance of a large and
beautiful lake. Endrick water comes down upon the
parish from the Gargunnock hills to the north, traces
the eastern boundary for 1| mile, then abruptly bends
and flows westward, between the central and the north-
ern range of hills, through the whole breadth of the
parish. Over its whole course in this district, it is a ra-
pid, impetuous stream; and a mile after it has proceeded
inward from the boundary, it rushes headlong over a
precipice of 60 feet in height, and forms a superb cas-
cade called ' The Loup of Fintry.' In rainy weather,
and particularly after a thunder-storm or a water-spout,
this cascade is one of the grandest objects amidst the
vastly varied and opulent scenery of Scotland. The
trout, with which the Endrick abounds, are esteemed
of superior quality ; and as they may be taken in great
numbers, even by an unskilful angler, they attract
numerous gentlemen of the fishing-rod. The valley
through which the stream flows, though narrow at
the east end, gradually widens till it becomes a mile
broad ; and it spreads out before the tourist a delight-
fully picturesque, though limited prospect. The
cultivated fields, interrupted by waving groves, along
the banks of the river, the hedge-rows and plantations
around Culcruich on the north side of the valley, and
some well-arranged clumps of trees on the opposite
hills, exhibit a picture not only of beauty, but of
well-directed industry. On both sides, the view is
pent up by mountain-summits, occasionally broken
and precipitous, sometimes wreathed in clouds, and
always wearing an aspect of dignity and grandeur ;
and away westward, in the distant perspective, the
towering Benlomond looks up majestically above the
neighbouring Grampians. Thus fenced and seques-
tered, the little hills and valleys of Fintry tranquil-
lize and pleasingly thrill a spectator; nor can any
scenic influence be more agreeable than what is felt
when the sun, setting by the side of Benlomond in
summer, throws ablaze of parting radiance upon their
peaceful scenes. Near the village of Fintry, in a hill
called the Dun, is a magnificent range or colonnade
of gigantic basaltic pillars. In front are 70 columns,
some of them separable into loose blocks, and others
apparently unjointed and unique from top to bottom.
They stand perpendicular to the horizon, and rise
to the height of 50 feet, — some of them square, and
others pentagonal and hexagonal. At the east end
of the range, they are divided by interstices of 3 or
4 inches ; but as the range advances, they stand in-
creasingly closer, till nothing between them but a
seam is discernible ; and they at last become blended
in one solid mass of honey-combed rock. The moun-
tain with which the colonnade is connected consists
of very extensive beds of red ochre. — Toward the
close of last century, this parish, as to its internal
condition, underwent a great and almost magic change.
The access to it was on all sides so extremely diffi-
cult, that it seemed shut out from all improvement,
arid condemned to perpetual seclusion. An acclivi-
tous hill, over which horses could scarcely move
with half a load, intercepted the communication with
Campsie and Glasgow, whence only coals could be
obtained; and deep moor and moss obstructed the
approach on the north and west. In 38 years, from
1 755 to 1 793, the population of the parish decreased
to the amount of 248, dwindling down from 891 to
543. But when almost threatening to consume away
to extinction, it was suddenly strengthened and
aroused by the spirited exertions of Mr. Spiers and
Mr. Dunmore. A road, on the grand side of com-
munication, was formed with an ascent, at the steep-
est part, of 1 foot in 20, instead of the former ascent
of 1 foot in 7 ; other roads were opened or repaired ;
measures were adopted for building a village and an
extensive factory ; an energetic search was made for
coals ; and so early as 1801 — only 7 years after it had
stood, sickly and declining at 543— -the population
mounted up to 958 — The village of Fintry, the site
of the cotton mill, is delightfully situated on a rising
ground along the side of the Endrick, and presents
an unusually handsome appearance. The houses,
built according to a regular plan, stand in one row,
and consist of two stories surmounted by garrets ;
and, ranged on the side of the public road, they over-
look, on its other side, their respective gardens slop-
ing down to the margin of the river. Population of
the village, 600 In the parish, over the Endrick,
are two bridges ; one of which has a beautiful arch
47 feet wide, and a second arch 15 feet wide, while the
other has four arches, two of which are each of 26 feet
span, and two of 12 feet. Population of the parish,
in 1801, 958; in 1831, 1,051. Houses 112. Asses-
sed property, in 1815, £4,126. — Fintry is in the pres-
bytery of Dumbarton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
Patron, the Duke of Montrose. Stipend £155 8s.
lOd. ; glebe £22. Unappropriated teinds £63 6s. 4d.
Parochial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4id., with
about £6 10s. fees. There are two unendowed
schools, attended by a maximum of 118 scholars.
An additional school-house, on a handsome scale,
and endowed, has recently been built. About three
years ago, Mr. John Stewart, Merchant, Fintry, be-
queathed the sum of £300 sterling, for the endow-
ment of a school in the parish of Fintry, for the edu-
cation of poor children in this and the neighbouring
are engaged at the Culcruich cotton mill. The
branches in which instruction is given, are the same
with those taught in parish-schools, and the fees tc
those connected with the Culcruich mill, and to the
children of labourers in the neighbourhood, are so
low as Is. per quarter. Other children are admitted
at a higher fee. Mr. Stewart's trustees have re-
cently erected a handsome school-house and dwelling-
house for the master, who has also a salary of £60
a-year, in addition to the school-fees. The school
was established and teaching commenced in the
autumn of 1840.
FIOLAY, a small island of the Hebrides, on the
coast of Argyleshire.
FIRDON (THE), a small stream in Ross-shire,
which falls into the sea in the parish of Applecross.
FIRMONTH, the highest mountain in the forest
of Glentanner, in Aberdeenshire. It is elevated about
2,500 feet above the level of the sea, and commands
a prospect of Aberdeen, Montrose, and Arbroath,
with the mouth of the Tay.
FIRTH AND STENNESS, a united parish in
the island of Pomona, or the Mainland of Orkney,
about 17 miles in length, and 8 in greatest breadth.
The surface presents moors and hilly ridges covered
with heath and peat-moss to the summit. The shores
are low and flat. Population, in 1801, 1,272 ; in 1831,
1,200, of whom about 450 resided in Firth. Houses in
Firth, in 1831, 133; in Stenness, 131. Assessed pro-
perty of Firth, in 1815, £161 ; of Stenness, £46.—
This parish is in the presbytery of Cairston, and synod
of Orkney. Patron, the Earl of Zetland. Stipend
£156 14s. lOd. ; glebe £23. Here are two parish-
churches. That of Firth was built in 181 3 ; that of
Stenness, in 1793 There is a United Secession con-
gregation at Firth. — There are one parochial school,
and two private schools, in the parish : salary of
FIS
557
FIS
i-schoolmaster £26, with some other emolu
its. — See STENNESS.
'ISHERROW, a town in the parish of In veresk
iburgh shire, situated on the left bank of the
:, in the angle or peninsula formed by the em
bouchure of that river and the frith of Forth, am
existing compactly, by an intercommunication of three
bridges, with the town of Musselburgh on the right
bank of the Esk. Fisherrow consists of one main
street some subordinate streets parallel to it, ant
several cross streets or alleys, and detached clusters
of houses. The Main or High-street is distributed in
shops, and in the dwellings of the wealthier inhabi-
tants ; and the rest of the town is occupied almost
wholly by fishermen, and presents the untidy and
repulsive appearance of a place in paramount pos-
session of men of their vocation. Good houses and
handsome villas straggle along the coast of the
Forth in the vicinity of the town, and also sur
mount the rising grounds on the south, indicating in
both situations the presence, not only of taste, but
of competence and wealth. Fisherrow has, at its
west end, a small harbour, and a modernly erected
stone-pier ; and, although disadvantageously situated
as to facilities of navigation, is frequently visited by
vessels, for the landing of timber and other goods,
which wish to escape the heavy harbour-dues of
Leith. Small vessels are occasionally built at its
port. The Great road from Edinburgh to London
passes along the greater part of the High-street, and,
near its eastern termination, diverges south-eastward
to enter the High-street of Musselburgh by the cen-
tral thoroughfare of the New bridge,— the Old
bridge being farther up the river, and the timber
bridge being on a line with the High-street of Fisher-
row. A railway comes down upon the town from
the west, cuts off, over some distance, a small wing
of it on the north, and, over the remaining distance
passes along its northern limit, leaving between it
and the sea an open area called Fisherrow links.
Fisherrow is under the government of the magistrates
of Musselburgh ; and, in its turn, exercises so power-
ful a control over the affairs of that burgh, as to re-
turn nearly one-half, or 8 of the entire 18, of its
town-councillors. In consequence of its virtual
identity, or continuous connexion with Musselburgh
in the formation of a town, it looks chiefly to the
east side of the Esk for its places of worship ; yet it
possesses, within its own bounds, two chapels
situated respectively in a lane leading northward
from the High-street, and in the diverging thorough-
fare from that street toward the New bridge. The
shore of the frith along the northern limits of the
town and its links, is extremely flat and sandy ; but
is entirely relieved, in the dulness and monotony of
ts appearance, by the rich and exuberant exhibitions
->t the territory which rises gently upward from the
southern limits of the town.
Fisherrow — as its name imports — is, in its main
eatures, a fishing-town ; and presents, in fact, the
eatures of a beau-ideal of whatever is at once hardy,
•veathej-beaten, and contemptuous of civilized re-
inements, in a sea-faring and fish-catching life. Al-
nost constantly it exhibits men in a tawdry and slo-
'enly dress, making their way from a long sleepless
•xcursion at sea to their homes, or from a hastily
•bandoned repose to their fishing-boats ; and groups
»f females and children in a disgusting condition of
ilth and indolence. The women, however, both
vives and daughters, share largely in the labours of
he fishery, and are so industrious, athletic, and in
11 respects, singular a race, as to have drawn con-
iderable observation and surprise. They gather
ttits for the use of the men, and fasten baits on the
used in fishing, But, chief of all their labours,
mes used in fist
they carry the produce of the fishery in osier basket*
or creels to Edinburgh, and drive hard bargains with
the citizens. When the boats arrive late in the fore-
noon at the harbour, so as to leave them no more than
time to reach Edinburgh before dinner, the fishwives
have sometimes performed their journey of 5 miles by
relays, shifting their burden from one to another every
100 yards ; and in this way they have been known to
convey their goods to the fishmarket from Fisher-
row in less than £ of an hour. It is even a well-at-
tested fact, that three of their class went from Dunbar
to Edinburgh, a distance of 27 miles, in o hours,
each carrying a load of 200 pounds of herrings ! The
boatmen of Fisherrow do not always themselves
catch the fish which their wives carry to Edinburgh.
When haddocks — which are one of the most abundant
and favourite sorts of the produce of the fishery — are
scarce on the Lothian coast, the Fisherrow boatmen
are accustomed to meet boats from the east end of
Fife, half-way down the frith, and to purchase their
fish ; and they thus keep their wives in full em-
ployment, even when their own fishing-grounds yield
an incompetent produce. From the kind of life
these women lead, their manners and character may
naturally be expected to have marked peculiarities.
Having so great a share in the work of maintaining
their families, they wield quite a masculine sway ;
and when speaking of a young woman reported to be
on the point of marriage, they may be heard to say,
Hoot ! how can she keep a man who can hardly
maintain herself?' As they do the work of men,
their manners, and even their amusements, are mas-
culine. On holidays, they used to play at golf;
and on Shrove Tuesday, there was a standing match
,t football, between the married and the unmarried
women, in which the former were generally victors.
Their mode of life and their business habits whet
heir faculties, and give them great dexterity in
3argaining. They have likewise a species of rude
eloquence, — an extreme facility in expressing their
'eelings by words or gestures, — which is very impos-
ng, and often enables them to carry their point
igainst even the most wary ; nor do they feel abash-
ment, or seem to suffer any shame of detection,
when an inexperienced purchaser discovers an at-
,empt on their part to extort from him thrice the
falue of his goods. Yet, though accustomed to ask
ar more than their fish is worth, and to play the
xtortioner whenever they can, they possess a sort
)f savage honesty on which full reliance may be
jlaced. When they have regular customers, who
orm a sort of acquaintance with them, and express
, confidence that they will furnish articles as cheap
nd good as can be obtained in the market, they sel-
lom or never fail, in such cases, to act honourably ;
ind, in their transactions with the shopkeepers ot
Edinburgh, whom they sometimes supply with her-
ings, they practise unimpeachable fairness of deal-
ng. Though, too, they seriously and revoltingly
ndulge in licentiousness of speech, they are be-
ieved to be, as a class, exemplarily chaste in their
onduct. There seems to be no employment which
onduces more than theirs to health and good spirits.
ome of them, within a week after becoming mo-
hers, or bringing additions to their families, have
one to Edinburgh on foot with their baskets.
FISHIE (GLEN). See BRAEMAR.
FISHLIN, a small isle of Shetland ; 6 miles
outh of Yell.
FISH-HOLM, one of the Shetland isles ; constitut
ng part of the parish of Delting, It is situate on
lie north-east of the parish, in Yell sound.
FISH WICK, an ancient parish, now compre-
ended in the parish of Button, in Berwickshire,
^he church, which stood on the northern bank of
FIT
558
FLE
the Tweed, below the village, is now in ruins. It
formerly belonged to the monks of Coldingham. It
is 6 miles west-south-west of Berwick. See HUT-
TON.
FITFUL-HEAD, on the west of Quendal bay,
the most southerly part of Shetland, a bold and
extensive headland, consisting of a large assemblage
of strata composed of clay slate. It rises 400 feet
perpendicularly out of the ocean, and is seen at a
great distance by vessels approaching from the south-
west. At Gauhsness near Fitful-head, occurs a vein
or perhaps bed of iron-pyrites, which was a few years
ago unsuccessfully wrought for the purpose of finding
copper-ore, whilst many hundred tons of iron-pyrites
were thrown into the sea.
FITHIE (LOCH), a beautiful lake, about a mile
in circumference, in the parish of Forfar, Angus
shire.
FITHIE (THE), a small river in Forfarshire.
It rises on the south side of the hill of Bockello,
in the parish of Glammis. After flowing, first east-
ward, and then southward, over a distance of nearly
2 miles, it resumes its original eastward direction,
and over a distance of 3| miles divides the parishes
of Strathmartine, Mains, and Murroes on the south,
from the parish of Tealing on the north. It now
runs 2 miles south-eastward, dividing the detached
part of the 'parish of Dundee on the north from the
parish of Murroes on the south, and traversing
part of the latter parish ; and it then turns sud-
denly round to the southward, and, after a run of
1£ mile, forms in the parish of Dundee, a confluence
with Dighty water, 1£ mile above the disembogue-
ment of the latter stream in the frith of Tay. Its
entire course, from its origin to its junction with the
Dighty, is about 9 miles. At and near its em-
bouchure, in the parish of Dundee, it makes valuable
alluvial deposits, which form rich holm-lands on its
banks.
FLADDA, or FLODDA, a small island of the
Hebrides, about 6 miles distant from the Isle of Sky,
and separated by a narrow strait from the north-west
point of Rasay. It is 2 miles in length, and half-a-
mile in breadth. The strait betwixt it and Rasay is
dry at half-tide.
FLADDA, one of the Treishinish isles, near the
Isle of Mull. Its surface is flat and monotonous.
FLADDA, a group of isles between Barra and
Sanderay.
FLADDAY, a large flat island in the district of
Harris, Inverness-shire ; at the entrance of Loch
Resort.
FLANNAN ISLES (THE), a group situated about
15 miles north-west of Gallan-head in Lewis. They
are not inhabited, but are noted for fattening sheep.
The following curious passage occurs in Dr. M'Cul-
loch's work on the Western Isles : "I have often
been entertained with the extraordinary concerts of
the sea-fowl, in Ailsa, in the Shiant isles, and else-
where ; but I never heard any orchestra so various
and so perfect, as one in the Flannan isles, which
seemed to consist of almost all the birds that frequent
the seas and rocks of these wild coasts. I should per-
haps do injustice to the performers, did I attempt to
assign the parts which each seemed to take in this
concert; but it was easy to distinguish the short
shrill treble of the puffins and auks, the melodious
and varied notes of the different gulls, the tenors of
the divers and guillemots, and the croaking basses
of the cormorants. But the variety of tones was
far beyond my powers of analysis, as, I believe, Pen-
nant had found it before me. It may appear ludi-
crous to call this music melodious, or to speak of the
harmony formed by such ingredients ; yet it is a com-
bination of sounds to which a musician will listen
with interest and delight, althougn the separate cries
of the different individuals are seldom thought agree-
able. Few of the notes in this concert could, per-
haps, have been referred to the scale, if separately
examined; yet the harmony was often as full and
perfect as if it had been the produce of well-tuned
instruments, and the effect was infinitely superior to
that which is often heard in a spring morning among
the singing birds of the forest, while it was so en-
tirely different as not to admit of any comparison.
In the sea-birds there are few tones and few notes,
but they are decided and steady. The body of sound
is also far greater ; and however inferior in variety
or sweetness the notes of the individuals may be,
there is much more variety in the harmonious com-
binations, and in that which musicians would call the
contrivance and design. Very often they reminded me
of some of the ancient religious compositions, which
consist of a perpetual succession of fugue and imita-
tion on a few simple notes, and sometimes it appear-
ed as if different orchestras were taking up the same
phrases. Occasionally the whole of the sounds sub-
sided, like those of the ^iEolian harp as the breeze
dies away, being again renewed on the excitement of
some fresh alarm. In other places I have heard similar
concerts performed among colonies of gulls alone ;
and with a variety and effect still more surprising,
when the limited tones and powers of this tribe are
considered. On one of these occasions, at Noss
Head, in Shetland, I could scarcely avoid imagining
that I was listening to a portion of Rossini's ' Bar-
biere di Siviglia,' ' Mi par d'esser colla testa in un
orrida fucina,' so exact was the rhythm, as well as
the air and the harmony."
FLEET (THE), a river in the western division
of Kircudbrightshire. It consists of two main parent-
streams, called Big water of Fleet and Little water
of Fleet. The Big water, though the greater of the
two in name, is the lesser in length ; and rises in four
small streams of nearly equal claim to be the head-
water, two of which issue respectively from the south
and from the north side of Cairnsmuir, in the parish
of Kirkmabrec; the third of which, called Mid-Bura,
issues from Craig- Ronal, and forms from its source
onward the boundary-line between Kirkmabrec and
Girthon; the fourth of which issues from Bengea,near
the source of Little Fleet ; and all of which unite
about 2£ miles from their several sources, and
thenceforth pursue their united course, 4£ miles, in
a direction east of south, dividing Kirkmabrec and
Anwoth on the west, from Girthon on the east, till
a confluence is formed with the Little water of Fleet
near Castramount. The Little water of Fleet has
justly the reputation of being the parent-stream of
the united rivulets, and issues from Loch Fleet,
which is about 1^ mile in circumference, situated
not far from the northern limit of the parish of
Girthon, and fed by two short rills flowing into it from
the north. The Little water of Fleet, after pursu-
ing a course of 1^ mile south-eastward, runs almost
due south, over a distance of 6 miles, traversing
the parish of Girthon, till it unites with the Big
water of Fleet. Nearly at their point of junction,
the two Fleets receive from the east the tribute of
Carstramman burn ; and thenceforth Fleet water
which they form, pursues a course a little to the east
of south, dividing the parishes of Anwoth and Gir-
thon, till it sweeps past the small town of Gatehouse
on its left bank ; and it then bends round to a di-
rection west of south, and, after traversing a spac<
of H mile, suddenly expands into an estuary 3£ mile:
in length, and 1 mile in average breadth. The High
lands of Scotland have no scenes of greater beaut]
than what the vale of the Fleet displays ; and the;
have hardly any wilder than the hills among whicl
i
FLE
559
FLI
both branches of the river take their rise. The
basin of the Fleet, for a good many miles above
Gatehouse, is exquisitely fine. Rough, heath-clad
hills, indeed, overlook the stream on both sides ; but
declivities and plains, opulent in soil, ornate in til-
lage, and plentiful in groves, form its immediate banks.
The river, immediately after the confluence of its
Big and its Little streams, flows past a handsome
hunting-seat of the proprietor of the lands on its left
bank ; and soon after, it leaves, on its right bank,
the tower of Rusco, once a seat of the Viscounts of
Kenmore. The river is, at Gatehouse, spanned by a
handsome bridge ; and is navigable thither by small
vessels, and enriches the territory along its banks by
a plentiful supply of salmon.
FLEET (Locn), an inlet of the sea on the south-
east coast of Sutherlandshire, across the narrow neck
of which there was formerly a ferry, on the thorough-
fare along the coast northwards from Dornoch ; but
the public road is now carried across by an embank-
ment or mound of 995 yards in length, which, with
the roads of approach to it, cost £12,500. At the
east end of the mound are placed 4 arches, with
sluices, by which the water of Fleet, and occasional
land-floods, pour to the sea at low water. Strath-
fleet extends far up the country, and into a district
so rugged and mountainous that no other practicable
pass could be discovered ; that though Strathcarnoc
being at such elevation as to be liable to obstruction
from snow during the winter months. About 400
acres of land have been reclaimed from the sea by
this mound.
FLEURS, or FLOORS CASTLE, the family man-
sion of the Dukes of Roxburgh, situated on the left
bank of the river Tweed, a mile above the town of
Kelso. It is a magnificent pile, " combining," says
Sir Walter Scott, " the ideas of ancient grandeur
with those of modern taste." But Sir Walter Scott
saw only the attractions impressed on it, at its erec-
tion, in 1718, by the architectural skill of Sir John
Vanbrugh ; and must have spoken of it with enthu-
siasm could he have beheld the additional, the new
polish which has just been given it, and the addi-
tional decorations with which it has been beautified,
by Mr. Playfair of Edinburgh. Adjoining it is a
handsome conservatory, erected by the late Duke
James, and containing a choice collection of rare and
valuable plants. The old gardens ran down into the
town of Kelso, and occasioned the rasure of a con-
siderable part of one of the principal streets, in order
to obtain sufficient space for their expansion. The
new gardens lie nearer the castle, stretching along its
west side, and are laid out on a grand scale, and in a
style of united taste and splendour. The delight-
fully wooded and picturesque demesne forms, for a
considerable distance, the skirting of the joyous
waters of the Tweed, and runs away from them in-
land over undulating grounds, constituting, with the
presiding ducal mansion in its centre, so lovely a
landscape that a spectator from Kelso bridge, or
from the heights on the right bank of the river, feels
as if a revelation were before him of some nook of
an un fallen world.
FLISK, a parish in Fifeshire, upon the banks of
the Tay. Occupying the northern slope of the
Ochils, a considerable portion of its surface is hilly
and irregular, except near the river, where there is
a narrow stripe of level ground along the whole ex-
tent of the parish. Flisk is bounded on the south
by Creich and Abdie ; on the east by Balmerino ; on
the north by the Tay ; and on the west by Dunbog.
It is rather more than 4 miles in length, from east to
.vest ; but is only about a mile in breadth, except at
the western extremity, where its breadth is about 1 £
niile. The parish is entirely a rural one, there being
no villages, nor any manufactures carried on within
it. Cupar, which is 8 miles distant, is the post-town ;
ana Newburgh, between 2 and 3 miles distant, is the
nearest market-town. — The barony of Ballanbreich,
or as it is usually pronounced, Bambreich, originally
formed part of the great lordship of Abernethy. This
extensive barony remained for nearly 500 years in the
family of Rothes, and was purchased from them by
the late Sir Lawrence Dundas, grandfather of the
present proprietor. The castle of Bambreich, which
stands near the western extremity of the parish, is a
large and very fine ruin, picturesquely situated on a
steep bank overhanging the river Tay, surrounded by
a number of fine trees ; and forms a noble object in
the landscape as seen in sailing up or down the Tay.
It appears originally to have been a large parallelo-
gram, 180 feet in length by 70 in breadth, enclosing
a court-yard in the centre. Three of the sides were
formed by the buildings of the castle, which were four
stories high ; while the fourth side of the court-yard
was formed by a high wall or curtain, connecting the
north and south sides of the castle together. The
whole of the doors to the different parts of the build-
ing opened into the court-yard ; and the principal en-
trance to the whole seems to have been on the north.
When inhabited, it was surrounded by a ditch or
moat, the traces of which, though pretty distinct
some years ago, are now nearly effaced. This once
magnificent castle has suffered sa.d ravages from
time, but greater still from the depredations of man ;
as it long formed a convenient quarry for those who
had buildings to erect, either in its own neighbour-
hood, or on the opposite banks of the Tay. This
system of destruction has, however, been put a stop
to, and although probably about a third of the struc-
ture has been destroyed, there is sufficient remaining
of its original height to show what its extent and
grandeur once was. The oldest portion appears to
be that which forms the western side of the paral-
lelogram, and the southern side, although much dila-
pidated, to be the most recent. From the beauty
of the ashlar work of the walls remaining, it is not
likely that any portion is as ancient as the time when
the barony was acquired by Sir Andrew de Lesly ;
yet the oldest portion cannot be much more recent —
Anciently a considerable portion of the parish seems
to have been occupied by a forest, called Flisk wood,
which no doubt formed a continuation of the forest
of Earnside ; but of this all vestiges are now re-
moved. The annual value of the real property for
which this parish was assessed, in 1815, was £2,820
sterling. The valued rent is £3,233 16s. 8d. Scots.
Population, in 1801, 300; in 1831, 286. Houses, in
1831, 60. — This parish is in the presbytery of Cupar,
and synod of Fife. Patron, Lord Dundas. Stipend
£151 11s.; grass glebe £1 13s. 4d. The church of
Flisk was anciently a parsonage, the patronage of
which was laic, and pertained to the earldom of
Rothes. Besides the parish-church there was also
a chapel in the parish, the site of which is now lost ;
but it was in all likelihood within the castle of Bal-
lanbreich. Indeed the northern portion of the west
side of the building has much the appearance as if it
had been the chapel. John Waddell, parson of Flisk,
was one of the early judges of the Court of session.
His name first appears as a judge in the sederunt of
court, 8th May, 1534. Little else is known of this
clergyman, except that he was, in 1527, rector of
the university of St. Andrews, and as such one
of the judges who condemned Patrick Hamilton
to death. James Balfour, his successor in the
parsonage of Flisk, was also a judge of the Court
of session, under tne title of Lord
— Schoolmaster's
feei.
salary £34 4s.
Pittendreich.
4d., with £10
FLO
560
FOG
FLODDA. See FLADDA.
FLOTA, one of the Orkney isles. It is 3 miles
long, and 2 broad; and is mostly encompassed with
high rocks. Its heaths afford excellent sheep-pas-
ture, and abound with moor-fowl. Flota, with the
small adjoining islands of Fara, Cava, and Gransey,
contained, in 1838, 400 inhabitants. It is united
with the parish of WALLS in Hoy : which see. This
island, according to Mr. Jameson, is low in surface,
but in several places there are cliffs upon the shore
of considerable height. It is entirely composed of
sandstone, and sandstone-flag. It was the residence
of the historiographer appointed by the crown of
Norway to collect information with regard to the
north of Scotland. These narrations formed a work
called 'Codex Flotticensis:' to which Torfseus is
indebted for much of his history of the northern parts
of Scotland.
FOCHABERS, a small town, and burgh-of-ba-
rony, in the parish of Bellie, Morayshire, situated 9
miles east of Elgin; 12 south-west of Cullen; and
52 east by north of Inverness ; on the eastern bank
of the Spey, in a deep and rural valley. Over the
river, a few hundred yards from the town, there is
a handsome four-arched bridge, 340 feet in length.
This bridge was damaged, and indeed partly destroyed,
in the great floods of 1829, when the Spey rose nearly
9 feet above its ordinary level here. Formerly, this
town stood in the vicinity of Gordon castle, but,
like the burgh of Cullen, it was removed to a more
respectful distance from the mansion of its superior.
It now occupies a site about a mile south of its for-
mer locality, on a rising ground in the line of the
North road from Edinburgh to Inverness. It has
a square in the centre, and streets entering it in a
cruciform manner, at right angles. Exteriorly, its
form is that of a parallelogram, the sides of which
consist of thatched cottages. There are other streets,
or cross lanes, of good houses; and altogether Fo-
chabers is not only a pretty little town, but a thriv-
ing and a rapidly increasing one. It has several
good inns, and, on one side of the central square, is
the Established church of the parish, a modern edi-
fice, with a portico, and a neat spire. It also con-
tains an Episcopal chapel, and an extremely elegant
Roman Catholic one. Fochabers is governed by a
bailie, appointed by the Duke of Richmond, as supe-
rior, and as successor to the Duke of Gordon. The
population, in 1817, was about 1,000; in 1821, about
1,040. Other returns with the parish.* See articles
BELLIE and GORDON CASTLE.
FODDERT Y,f a mountainous parish in the coun-
ties of Ross and Cromarty ; consisting of several dis-
tricts locally detached from each other. It is chiefly
situated in a valley surrounded on the north, west,
and south, with high hills, and intersected through
its whole length by the small river Peffer, from
which it derives the name of Strathpeffer. This
valley is nearly 3 miles in length, and half-a-mile
* A legacy of 100,000 dollars was bequeathed to the town of
Fochabers by Alexander Milne, a native of this little Highland
" city," as it is called in the American law-reports of the case,
who died in Louisiana in 1839. An application to the probate
court of New Orleans, for payment of tlie munificent bequest,
has been made by the Duke of Richmond, as feudal lord of
Fochabers; but the American courts have found that the
bequest is not a valid one, on the ground that " the char-
acter of the legacy was a bequest of heritable property, with-
in the province of the law of Scotland," and that, "it was
clear, that a citizen of Louisiana could not have received a do-
nation of the same kind left to him in Scotland." The validity
of this decision is questioned by Scottish lawyers, who seem
to hold the bequest as simply that of a sum of money ; aud that,
under all the circumstances, in the converse case, the Scottish
courts would have given effect to the legacy in favour of the
citizen of Louisiana.
f " The name of this parish is of Gaelic etymology. In that
language it consists of two words that are nearly descriptive
of its situation : Foigh-ritudh, or ' a Meadow alontr the side of
& hill.' "—Old Statistical Accent.
! broad ; but the total extent of the parish is 9 miles
from east to west, by 15 from north to south. It is
bounded by Kincardine and Kiltearn on the north ;
by Dingwall on the east; by TJrray on the south;
and by Contin and Kinloch-Lui chart on the west.
A part of BENWYVIS [which see] is in this parish;
and on the opposite or south side of the valley is the
celebrated KNOCKFARRIL with its ancient British
hill-fort: which see. To the south of Knockfarril
is Loch Ussie, which contains several small islands.
On the west side of the strath is Castle Leod, an
ancient seat of the Earls of Cromarty. It is a
strong edifice of red sandstone, five stories in height,
and surrounded with fine old trees — There are three
villages in the parish : viz. Maryburgh, with a popu-
lation, in 1834, of 370; Auchterneed with 160; and
Keithtown with 60. There are several chalybeate and
sulphureous springs, which are resorted to for sto-
machic complaints : see STRATHPEFFER. Population,
in 1801, 1,829; in 1831, 2,232. Houses, in 1831,
481. Assessed property £4,852. — This parish is in
the synod of Ross, and presbytery of Dingwall.
Patron, Mackenzie of Cromarty. Stipend £255 8s.
9d. ; with glebe of 10 acres. Church built in 1807 ;
enlarged in 1835; sittings 640. A catechist was
appointed to this parish in 1816. — Schoolmaster's
salary £36 7s. Ifd., with about £20 fees. There
were 3 private schools in 1834.
FOGO, a parish of an oblong form, stretching
from east to west, in the district of Merse, Berwick-
shire. It is bounded on the north and north-east by
Edrom; on the east by Swinton; on the south by
[ Eccles; on the south-west by Greenlaw; and on
j the north-west by Pol wart. Its greatest length,
I from near Harcarse on the east to near Chesters on
| the west, is 5 miles; its greatest breadth, from near
i Banglee on the north to the boundary-line south-
east of Winkerstanes, on the south, is something
less than 2£ miles ; and its superficial area is nearly
8 square miles, or about 5,000 acres. The southern
division is a plain; and the northern consists of two
ridges of inconsiderable heights, the most elevated of
which rises probably not more than 100 feet above
sea-level. The ridges are separated by Blackadder
water; and the southern one slopes gradually away
into the plain of the southern division. The entire
surface, with the exception of about 300 acres which
are under plantation, and about 40 acres of natural
pasture, has been turned up by the plough, and is
in a state of high cultivation. On the higher grounds
the soil is a deep black loam, very fertile; and on
the plain it is, though thinner and borne up by a
stiff subsoil of till, very far from being unproductive.
The Blackadder enters the parish on the south-
west; traverses it north-eastward over a distance of
3 miles; and then, for 1£ mile, divides it from Ed-
rom. Though destitute of salmon, it produces eels
and excellent trout. Its basin is a sort of huge fur-
row, seldom closing in upon the river in steepness
of banks, yet forming a hollow between parallel
ranges of low heights; and, having the church im-
mediately on the margin of the stream, it suggested
to the early colonists the name Fog-hou, which is
the ancient and legitimate form of the word Fogo,
and means the foggage pit, den, or hollow. In the
few places where the banks are abrupt are strata
of till mixed with clay or marl, and superincumbent
on petrifactions of moss ; and in the channel of the
stream, which is in general stony and gravelly, are
occasional strata of bastard whinstone and limestone,
which are easily quarried, and make excellent covers
for drains. At Chesters, near the south-western
boundary, are faint yet decisive traces of a Roman
encampment. The parish is intersected, near its
east end from north to south, by the post-road from
TOO
561
FOR
Dunse to Coldstream ; and from north to south-west
by that from Dunse to Kelso; and it has altogether
about 16 miles of public roads within its limits.
The village, or rather hamlet, of Fogo, stands on
the Blackadder, and is the site of the parish-church
and school-house; but it consists of only 9 or 10
thatched cottages, and has less than 50 inhabitants.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 507; in 1831,
433. Houses 87. Assessed property, in 1815,
£4,777. — Fogo is in the presbytery of Dunse, and
synod of Morse ;md Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £219 5s. lOd. ; glebe £18 10s. Unappro-
priated teinds £417 3s. 2d. Schoolmaster's salary
£-J<), with about £20 school-fees. This parish is
ancient, and, under David I., belonged to the opu-
lent Earls of Dunbar. In 1147, the monks of Kelso
obtained a grant of the church, along with some
appurtenances, from Earl Gospatrick; and they re-
tained possession of it, and had it served by a vicar,
till the Reformation. In 1253 the monks obtained
a grant also of a chapel which had been built on the
manor of Fogo ; and, in consideration of accompany-
ing gifts of property, were bound over to provide for
its service either three monks or three secular chap-
lains. In 1296, the vicar of Fogo swore fealty to
Edward of England, and, in return, was reinstated
in his vicarage.
FOOTDEE, or FUTTIE, a considerable village
at the mouth of the Dee, lying along the river, and
now a suburb of New Aberdeen. It is chiefly in-
habited by ship-owners, fishermen, and persons other-
wise connected with the commerce or shipping of
the port. There is a handsome church in the vil-
lage : see ABERDEEN, St. Clement's parish. A sort
of parochial school is maintained here at the joint
expense of the magistrates and kirk-session. The
school-house was rebuilt and enlarged a few years
ago, and the plan of education extended. The early
site of this village is now covered with streets and
warehouses extending along the Waterloo quay, and
wharfs have been built along the harbour, on the
south-west side of the village.
FORBES. See TULLYNESSLE.
FORD, a small village on the road from Edin-
burgh to Lauder, in Edinburghshire, so curiously situ-
ated as, though tiny in dimensions, to occupy a place
in the three parishes of Borthwick, Crichton, and
f'ranston. The village stands near the banks of the
Tvne, 10£ miles south-east of Edinburgh. At a
brmer date, it was prosperous and beautiful, quietly
md thriftily embosomed in a small valley which se-
•liulos it from the bustling and intrusive activities
>f life; but latterly it has fallen considerably into
iecay, and rejoices more in the loveliness of the land-
cape than the prosperity of its condition. Ford is
he seat of an United Secession meeting-house, which
raws numerous worshippers from five or more par-
shes in its vicinity. A splendid bridge or viaduct
cro stretches across the vale of the Tyne. See
BRIGHTON.
FORDOUN, a parish in Kincardineshire ; bounded
•T the north by Strachan ; on the east by Glenber-
ie and Arbuthnot; on the south by Laurencekirk
»d Marykirk ; and on the west by Fettercairn and
trachan. It is of an irregular, oblongated, quad-
mgular form, extending in length, from east to
about 10 miles; its greatest breadth near the
le being about 7 ; square area about 44 miles.
463. Assessed property, in 1815, £9,010.
ilation, in 1801,2,203; in 1831, 2,238. This
forms part of that district, in the valley of
thmore, styled 'the Howe-o'-the-Mearns.' It
ids along the southern side of the Grampians,
the northern side of Strathmore, comprising two
r«ions, named ' the How district,' and ' the Brae
district;' the latter of which, to the north, consist!
of a range of glens or valleys, watered by rivulets,
fringed, more or less, with picturesque strips of plan-
tation, but possessing a thin soil, far inferior in fer-
tility to the lower, southern, or ' How,' district.
The latter is level; the soil consisting either of ex-
cellent brown gravelly loam or red ferruginous clay.
It is highly cultivated, and presents a rich and fertile
aspect. The arable lands amount to nearly 12,000
acres ; and indeed no part of the parish can be called
waste, except the summits of the mountains; for the
Grampians themselves afford pasturage to numerous
flocks of sheep, and the subordinate ridges consist
of valuable land : of these the hill of Strath Finella
is the chief. The only stream of any note is the
Luther, or Leuther, into which several small streams
empty themselves. The Luther rises amongst the
hills, north of Drumtoughty, and runs east, and then
southwards, through the romantic vicinity of Drum-
toughty castle, and by Auchinblae, and the wooded
banks near Fordoun kirk, to the parish of Laurence-
kirk. The river Bervie also rises, by numerous
feeders, from the Grampians, in the northern district
of this parish, and running eastwards to the boun-
dary, divides it from the parishes of Glenbervie and
Arbuthnot, to the point where Garvock parish meets
a point of Fordoun, between Laurencekirk and Ar-
buthnot.— Fordoun is chiefly remarkable for its an-
cient remains and the traditions connected with it.
In the western part of the parish, and about a mile
north-east of Fettercairn, " there is," says Mr.
Chambers, in his lively ' Picture of Scotland,' " a
small congregation of little tenements, like the out-
houses of an old farm, — the miserable remains of the
former county-town. This hamlet, which is still
called Kincardine, and boasts of having given its
name to the county, contains only about 60 or 70
inhabitants. It ceased to be the chief town in the
reign of James VI., when Stonehaven, as a more
convenient situation for the county-courts, was hon-
oured with that distinction. The situation of Kin-
cardine, though not highly elevated, is yet command-
ing ; for, from its low, mound-like ruins, a view can
be obtained of nearly the whole district of the Mearns,
as well as a considerable part of Angus." — In the
vicinity of the ' town,' on the farm of Castleton, are
the ruins of the palace or castle of Kincardine, which
was the principal residence of Kenneth III., and that
whence he was inveigled to the castle of Finella,
where he was murdered, as described under article
FETTERCAIRN. Here John Baliol is said to have
pusillanimously resigned his crown to Edward I., in
1296. — This parish is remarkable in having been, if
not the birth- place, at least the temporary residence,
and probably the burial-place of John Fordoun,
author of the ' Scotichronicon,' one of the most an-
cient and most authentic histories which have been
published of Scotland. He is thought by some to
have been a man of property in this parish; by
others, with greater probability, to have been a
monk who resided here. This parish also gave birth
to Lord Monboddo, — a man well known in the
literary world by his peculiar writings on ancient
metaphysics, and on the origin and progress of the
human species and of language. Monboddo house is
a respectable old mansion in the parish, surrounded
with fine trees. Near the mansion-house of For-
doun there are distinct vestiges of the praetorium of
a Roman encampment; and, in Friars' glen, beside
Finella hill, are the ruins of a Carmelite religious
house. AOCHINBLAE is the only village in the par-
ish : >ee that article — On the top of a precipitous and
wooded eminence, overhanging the sequestered and
romantic glen through which the Luther runs, and
opposite Auchinblae, stands the kirk-town of For-
2 N
FOR
FOR
doun, which principally consists of the church, the
churchyard which occupies the extremity of the
cliff, the manse, and the village inn. It is distant
4£ miles north oi Laurencekirk, and 15 north of
Montrose. It i» governed by a bailie, is the seat of
a presbytery, and has the privilege of holding a
weekly market for cattle and horses from Michael-
mas to Christmas, with two annual fairs; one of
which is called ' Paldy fair,' from Palladius; for
here, according to the monkish tradition, did that
holy saint establish his head-quarters, on being sent
"in Scotiam." " This parish," says the Rev. Alex-
ander Leslie, father of the present incumbent, and
author of the Old Statistical Account of the parish,
" is remarkable for having been for some time the
residence, and probably the burial-place of St. Pal-
ladius, who was sent, by Pope Celestine, into Scot-
land, some time in the 5th century, to oppose the
Pelagian heresy, and by whom it is thought bishops
were first appointed in Scotland, having before that
time been governed by monks. That Palladius re-
sided, and was probably buried here, appears from
several circumstances. There is a house which still
remains in the churchyard, called St. Palladius's
chapel, where, it is said, the image of the saint was
kept, and to which pilgrimages were performed from
the most distant parts of Scotland. There is a well
at the corner of the minister's garden, which goes by
the name of Paldy well." A similar account is given
in the 'Beauties of Scotland;' and in the Brev.
Aberd. [fol. 25] it is stated of the saint: " Annorum
plenus apud Longforgund in Mernis in pace requiescit
beata." Mr. Low, in his researches into the early
history of Scotland, adopts the same views [' History
of Scotland,' 8vo. Edin. 1826, ch. ii.], but, " it is now
the general opinion of the more rigorous antiquaries,"
observes Mr. Chambers, " that Palladius never was
in Scotland, and that the claims of Fordouri to have
been his resting-place, arose, at first, from a misap-
prehension, either wilful, or through ignorance, on
the part of the monks. Palladius, according to the
only proper authority, was sent 'in Scotiam;' that
is, to Ireland; for such was the designation of the
sister-isle at that period."
The parish of Fordoun is in the presbytery of
Fordoun, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron,
the Crown. The present church is a modern edi-
fice, substituted for one of great antiquity, which
occupied the same admirable site. " A ridiculous
legend," says Chambers, " similar to that of Melgund
castle, is told regarding the foundation of the former
structure. It was at first designed to build the
church on the top of the Knock- hill, about a mile
or more north-east of the village, — a most inconve-
nient, and the reverse of a central situation; and
there the work was actually commenced. As usual,
whatever was erected during the day by the masons
was destroyed at night by some supernatural beings,
who took this method of testifying their aversion to
the undertaking. After some time, when both build-
ers and destroyers had perhaps become alike weary
of their respective labours, a supernatural voice was
heard to cry, —
Gan? farther doun
To Fordoun's toun.
The hint was taken ; and, in order to determine the
proper site of the church, a mason was desired to
throw his hammer at random. The hammer judi-
ciously alighted on the beautiful mound where Pan-
d) 's chapel was already pitched, and there the work
wis carried into effect without farther interruption.
It must certainly be acknowledged to have displayed
a better taste than its master, or his employers ; for
a more admirable situation for a place of worship
could nowhere be found ; nor is the good sense of
the author of the rhyme less remarkable, in choosin
a spot so near the centre of the parish." On th
demolition of the old church, a large and singulai
flat stone, covered over with figures, was discovere
under the pulpit. It is described in the ' Transac
tions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland,' vo
ii. Stipend £249 5s. 8d., with glebe of 4 acres.-
Schoolmaster's salary £36, with about £25 fee
and other emoluments. There are 9 private schools
The celebrated Dr. Beattie, before being remove
to Aberdeen, was for several years schoolmaster i
this parish.
FORDYCE, or FORDICE, a parish in Banffshru
bounded on the north by the Moray frith ; on the east
by the parishes of Boyndie, and Ordiquhill ; on th
south by Grange ; and on the west by Deskford an
Cullen. The adjoining parishes of Ordiquhill, Desk
ford, and Cullen, also originally formed part of For
dyce, but were detached from it after the Reformation
Including the quoad sacra parish of Portsoy, Fordyc
is nearly triangular in form, with an apex to the south
and its shortest side or base to the north. Along th
shore, it extends about 7 miles, and 8 inland ; it con
tains, quoad civilia, about 20 square miles. House
674. Assessed property, in 1815, £6,920. Popula
tion, in 1801, 2,747 ; in 1831, 3,364. The coast, o
shore, has some conspicuous headlands, being hig
and rocky, with the exception of a few bays, such a
those of Portsoy, and Sandend. At Portsoy a spe
cies of jasper, called Portsoy marble, is quarrie(
The hill of Durn seems to be entirely composed o
marble, and a kind of quartz, a very white, siliciou
stone, similar to the pentuse of the Pentlands, and em
ployed in the manufacture of stoneware. The rock
on the sea-shore, at the eastern side of the parish, nea
Craig of Boyne, have been said to consist entirely o
ironstone. The soil varies with the strata on whic
it is superimposed ; in general it is deep and fertile
especially on the limestone ; but it is rather wet tha
dry. A great part of the upper division of the parish
as in the line of the jasper or marble strata of the hill
ground, is bleak and bare. No part of the parish pel
haps merits the name of hills, except the Knock-hil
which is the boundary with the parish of Grang<
and the two contiguous eminences, called the hills <
Durn and Fordyce ; the general aspect is a fine fla
though with frequent inequalities, or rising ground:
Most of the fields are enclosed, and agriculture is i
an advanced state. The high ground is covered wit
grass and heath. In a vale, through which flows
small stream, about the middle of the parish, are tl
church and manse. Farther to the east is the va
through which runs the water of Durn, a river fallii
into the Moray frith at the town of Portsoy. T]
eastern outskirts are watered by the Boyne-burn.-
The kirk-town of Fordyce was erected into a bur;
of barony in 1499, at the request of Bishop Elphi
stone of Aberdeen. The superiority of this villa
was latterly vested in the Earl of Findlater, now
the Earl of Seafield. It is situated about half-a-m
from the sea. The town of PORTSOY, — which see,
s also a burgh-of-barony, vested in the Earl of Se
field. It is a thriving sea-port, situated at the b<
torn of Portsoy bay. Sandend is a considerable fi;
ing village, at the bay of that name. The fishing,
the Moray frith, of ling, cod, whiting, turbot, &c. e
ploys a number of boats. There are, in this pari
remains of some Druidical temples, with barrows,
tumuli, and cairns, in which stone-coffins, with skt
tons and urns, have been found. There is a tri
fosse, or rampart, on the sides and top of the hill
Durn. It is said that Archbishop Sharp was a riat
of Fordyce, and it was also the birth-place of Gem
Abercrombie of Glasshaugh. — The parish is in
presbytery of Fordyce, and synod of Al
FORFAR.
56,')
tron, tlie Earl of Seafield. Stipend £251 5s. 5d. ;
glebe £5. Unappropriated teinds £620 Is. 4d —
Church built in 1804 ; sittings 1 ,000 to 1 , 100. The
presbytery had it recently in contemplation to annex
a district of the parish, containing 20 or 30 families,
and lying near the church of Ordiquhill, quoad sacra,
to that parish. — Schoolmaster's salary £29 19s. Id.,
with about £35 of fees, and other emoluments. In
the parish, quoad civilia, there are 11 private schools,
several of which, including a grammar-school, are at
Portsoy : — seven of the private, are Dames' schools.
FORFAR,* a parish nearly in the centre of For-
farshire or Angus ; bounded on the north by Torrie-
muir and Rescobie ; on the east by Rescobie, Dunni-
chen, and Inverarity ; on the south by Inverarity ;
and on the west by Innetles, Glammis, and Kirrie-
muir. It is of very irregular outline, but convenient
and compact in form ; and measures, in extreme
length from north to south, 5 miles ; in extreme
breadth from east to west, 4| miles ; and in superfi-
cial area, 16 square miles. The surface — as it all
lii-s within the Howe of Angus, or the portion of
Strathmore which belongs to Forfarshire — presents
a level prospect to the eye. The uniform plain is
variegated only by extensive and fine plantations in
the northern section ; by two lakes respectively on
the north-east, and in the west ; and by the hill of
Balnashinar which rises immediately south of the
burgh, stands partly within the royalty, and com-
mands a map-like view of the whole parish and ad-
jacent country. The soil of the district is, in the
middle division, a spouty clay ; and in the northern
and southern divisions, a light and thin loamy earth
with a gravel bottom. Lemno-burn, over a distance
of 2£ miles, forms the northern boundary-line. Three
streams rise in the parish, two flowing westward and
one southward, but, as long as they traverse it, they
are very inconsiderable rills — The loch of Forfar, a
mile in length and i of a mile in breadth, stretches
from near the burgh, to the western limit of the par-
ish ; and there sends off the parent or head-stream of
Dean water. This loch was formerly of larger size ;
but was drained of about 16 feet perpendicular depth
of water, and gave up a very valuable supply of moss
and marl. Previous to the draining, an artificial island,
composed of large piles of oak and loose stones, cov-
ered with a stratum of earth, and planted with aspin
and sloe trees, looked out from the waters near the
northern shore, and is supposed to have been a place
of religious retirement for Queen Margaret,! when
Malcolm Canmore made Forfar his place of residence.
The quondam island is now a very curious peninsula,
f preserves some vestiges of a building which proba-
was a place of worship — Loch Fithie is a smaller
This parish, in all writings concerning the patronage,
:ithes, &c. is designed the parish of Forfar- Kesteuet : though
latter part of the name is seldom mentioned in conversation
i common writing. Restenet was perhaps the name given
lie priory, expressive of the purpose for wb'cli it was built,
ely, a safe repository for the charters, &c. of the monastery
edburgh ; but some take its derivation from a Gaelic word,
f, signifying, as they sav, 'a bog or swamp,1 which indeed
vers to the situation. Forfar is conjectured to be the same
h the aucient Or, and the Roman Orrea, signifying a town
ated on a lake, to which description it exactly answers ;
the lake on which it stands has for many ages been known
he name of Forfar. It has been conjectured that the name
far may have been formed of two Gaelic words, fttar, 'cold,
ly,' and bar, bknr, or par, 'a point;' 'the cold point.' In
mon language the name is invariably pronounced Farfar.
eishj/air signifies 'an eminence.'
It is no inconsiderable presumption," says Dr. Jamieson,
Us Description of the Royal Palaces of Scotland, " in fa-
>f the truth of this traditionary account, that, although my
•thy old friends of the burgh of Forfar have never I>C*MI ;.<•-
I'd of going to an extreme in religion, there is a hereditary
chment to the memory of this excellent queen. She seems
to live in the affections of all its inhabitants. As she was
utilized after her death, and advanced to the dignitv of being
if Patroness of Scotland, the day of her translation, June 19th,
* been, at least occasionally, commnraorated by a proceuiou
the young females of Forfar to her Inch."
lake than the loch of Forfar, similar in form, and
situated near the north-eastern angle of the parish.
It is surrounded by a beautiful rising bank, richly
tufted with plantation ; and lying concealed from the
view till one approaches its margin, and abounding
in pike and perch, while the groves which overhang
it are vocal with singing-birds, it is a delightful retreat
to the lovers of rural retirement — From the burgh
southward, the parish is intersected by the recently
constructed railway to Dundee. The western turn-
pike between Dundee and Aberdeen, running first
lorthward, and then north-eastward, cuts the parish
nto two nearly equal parts ; and sends off in its pro-
gress such numerous branch-roads as offer very abun-
dant facilities of communication. Population, in-
luding the burgh, in 1801, 5,167; in 1831, 7,049
Houses 897. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,699.
Forfar gives name to a presbytery, which was dis-
,oined from Dundee in 1717, and is in the synod of
Angus and Mearns. The quoad civilin parish was
divided, in 1836, into the two quoad sacra parishes
of Forfar and St. James. The quoad sacra parish
of Forfar contained, in 1836, according to a survey
made by the minister, 6,749 persons ; of whom 6,382
belonged to the Establishment, 295 belonged toother
religious denominations, and 72 were not known to
be attached to any religious body. The parish-church
was built in 1791, and altered in 1836; sittings 1,781.
Stipend £267 17s. 5d. ; glebe £20. Unappropriated
teinds £549 3s. lOd. Patrons, the Town-council of
Forfar A Scottish Episcopalian congregation has
existed in this parish from time immemorial. Their
chapel was built in 1824, at a cost of about £1,000;
sittings 350. Stipend £130. — An Independent
congregation was established in 1836. The chapel
was built in 1835, and along with an attached dwell-
ing-house, cost about £650. Sittings 460.— The
quoad sacra parish of St. James contained, in 1836,
according to ecclesiastical survey, 2,120 persons; of
whom, 1,772 belonged to the Establishment, 160
belonged to other denominations, and 188 were not
known to make any public profession of religion.
The parish-church was built in 1836, at the cost of
up wards of £1,200. Sittings 1,134. Stipend £80.
— The United Secession congregation was establish-
ed previous to the year 1780. The original cost of
the church cannot now be ascertained. Sittings 470.
A school-room was built by the congregation in 1810,
at the cost of £105. Minister's stipend, from £105
to £110, with a manse and garden — The Methodist
congregation has existed in the parish since 1822,
and though dissolved some time after its erection,
was reconstituted in 1836. The place of meeting is a
rented hall. Sittings 200. — The quoad civilia parish
of Forfar contains 1 parochial school, and 13 schools
non-parochial. Parish schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4£d., with £25 school-fees, and £8 15s. for a dwell-
ing-house and garden. — According to the ecclesiasti-
cal survey of 1836, the population of the entire par-
ish and burgh was then 8,869.
FORFAR, a royal burgh, the seat of a presbytery, and
the county-town of Forfarshire, is situated nearly in
the centre of the parish of Forfar ; 5 miles east by
north of Glammis ; 6 south-east of Kirriemuir; 12
south-west of Brechin ; 14 north of Dundee; and 56,
by way of Cupar and Dundee, from Edinburgh. The
ground on which it stands, as well as that over a
considerable way around it, is remarkably uneven,
and thrown up into numerous little hillocks. Though
the town occupies the bottom of a sort of basin, the
immediately circumjacent ground sloping gently to-
ward it on almost every side, it stands high in com-
parison to the general level of the country. Waters,
which rise not far from its vicinity, flow respectively
north, south, east, and west, and fall into streams,
564
FORFAR.
which respectively run toward the Tay long before
it expands into an estuary, and toward the northern
part of the eastern sea-board of the county. The
town, while overlooked by gentle slopes, commands,
through their openings and over their summits, ex-
tensive views of the Sidlaw hills, the great valley
of Strathmore, and a wide sweep of the shelving
ranges of the Grampians. Though forming a singu-
lar instance of a town of any note built at a distance
from running water, it possesses so great advantages
as to facilities of road-communication, as to have ca-
pacities of sending down turnpike, railway, or canal,
by a very easy descent, westward to the river Tay,
southward to the frith of Tay, and eastward and
north-eastward to the German ocean.
In one line of street, called West port and High-
street, which makes repeated bends and is of very
unequal width, Forfar extends from south-west to
north-east about 1,200 yards. From the middle of
High-street, or rather from the middle of the whole
central line, Castle-street goes off and runs north-
ward over a distance of about 400 yards, sending
westward a branch-street of about 160 yards, and
eastward an alley called Back-wynd, which, at a dis-
tance of 400 yards from Castle-street, enters High-
street by an acute angle. Subtending most of the
main line of street on the south side, are several lanes
and short new streets, which, added to the length of
Castle-street, give the town an extreme breadth of
between 500 and 600 yards. Like most old towns,
Forfar was originally without any regular plan, and
received peculiarities and varieties of configuration
from the caprice or self-accommodation of every man
who was able to add to its structures. About a cen-
tury ago, its sinuous and ill-compacted streets con-
sisted chiefly of old thatched houses, and were redo-
lent of filth ; but now the streets, though generally
irregular in outline, are well-built, and of modern and
comfortable appearance ; and in the south wing of
the town, they evince the adoption of the movement
spirit of civic and architectural reform which has of
late years veneered so many beauties upon the rough
and repulsive surface of the important burgh of Dun-
dee. In the latter quarter is situated the Forfar
academy, for teaching the languages, mathematics,
and geography. In Castle-street stands a handsome
suite of county-buildings, of recent erection, and high-
ly ornamental to the town. The parish-church,
with its steeple, the new church of St. James, and
the Episcopal chapel in High street, are all creditable
structures, and important features in the burghal
landscape. The town has an excellent subscription
news-room and library ; a mechanics' institute ; a large
infant-school ; and branch-offices of the Royal bank
of Scotland, the Arbroath bank, the Dundee Union
bank, and the Dundee new bank.
Forfar cannot, as a manufacturing town, bear com-
parison with Arbroath or Dundee. Its chief trade is
the weaving of osnaburghs and coarse linens. Hard-
ly any factory work is done ; but, in 1838, 2,569 hand-
looms were employed on various common linen fa-
brics. The osnaburgh weavers earned, in 1824, from
12 to 14 shillings a- week ; but, for 9 years preceding
1838, were able, on the average, to earn in nett
wages little or nothing more than 7s. 6d. for the first
class of work, and 6s. for the second. Another im-
portant manufacture, is the making of a particular
kind of shoes, well-adapted for a Highland district.
So ancient and famous is this manufacture, that the
craft employed in it, " the Sutors of Forfar," are po-
pularly spoken in identification with the whole popu-
lation, in the same way as, " the Sutors of Selkirk,"
are made to represent all the burghers of the capital
of the Forest. A shoemaker's earnings amount to
about 12s. a- week. But, in consequence of the archi-
tectural extension and generally improving condition
of the town, day-labourers earn from 10s. to 12s.
carpenters from 14s. to 15s., and masons 18s.
The town-council of Forfar consists of a provost
2 bailies, a treasurer, 1 1 councillors, and 4 deacon
of crafts. Previous to the Reform act, all the
council's members, except the deacons of crafts, were
elected by itself. There is no separate establishmen
for lighting, cleansing, watching and paving ; the ex
pense of these matters being defrayed out of the com
mon good. The inhabitants subscribed to sink wells
and are usually allowed a small contribution toward
the object from the town-funds. There is no guildry
incorporation. A company or corporation of mer
chants was established in 1653, but possesses no ex
elusive privileges. Three incorporated trades, — the
glovers, the shoemakers, and the tailors, — have the
exclusive right of exercising their respective calling
within the burgh, and claim fees of admission from
strangers. The weaver's incorporation formerly
possessed the same right, but was denuded of it b;
an act of parliament for improving the linen trade
The shoemaker's incorporation is the most ancient
and it is the only one which possesses property to a
noticeable amount, drawing an annual revenue o
about £100, and expending £80 in allowances to de
cayed and sick members. The magistrates exercise
jurisdiction over the whole royalty, which extend
about 2£ miles in length, and half-a-mile in breadth
and over some adjacent liberty-lands defined in t
charter given to the town by Charles II. The onl
court held in the burgh, is the bailie court, into
which civil causes of a personal nature can be brough
to any amount. The magistrates, while in court
are assisted by an assessor, who is the town-clerk
The town-council have no patronage, except the ap
pointment of the municipal officers, and of the paro-
chial minister. The gross value of the property of th<
town was estimated, in 1832, at £18,867 15s. 7£d
The gross revenue for the same year was £1,616 Is
6T\d.; and the gross expenditure £2, 193 13s. 4d.,— s<
large a portion of this expenditure, as £1,416 17s. 4d.
being casual, and having for its object public improve
ments. During the years 1827-1831, the averag
annual revenue was £1 , 7 15 5s. 9^d, — and the averag
annual expenditure £1 ,625 9s. 1-fcd. In 1839-40, th
revenue amounted to £1,558 13s. 4d. Forfar unite
with Arbroath, Montrose, Brechin, and Inverbervit
in sending a representative to parliament. Parlis
mentary constituency in 1840, 280; municipal, 28(
Population of the burgh, in 1831, exclusive of th
landward part of the parish, 6,899. The number <
residents within the burgh, in 1832, whose rents wei
£10 and upwards, was 150 ; and of those whose rem
were from £5 to £10, was 331. The amount <
government-cess levied between 1822 and 183!
ranged between £40 Is. 5d. and £57 10s. 4d. a-yea
The town has a weekly market on Saturday, ai
fairs on the last Wednesday in February; the i
Wednesday in April; the 1st Wednesday (O. S.)
May ; the 1st Tuesday, and two following days,
July; the 1st Wednesday and Thursday in Augus
the last Wednesday in September ; the 3d Wedne
day in October ; and the 1st Wednesday in Novemb(
There are few places within the royalty in whi
a quarry of some kind may not be found. Stone a;
slate quarries have been plentifully worked on t
south side of the town, and have greatly aided
trading prosperity and architectural improvemei
But Forfar long suffered serious disadvantage, a
i even was menaced with a destruction of its we
being, by the scarcity and dearth of fuel. Turf
peat, procured in no great abundance, and sought
the draining of Loch Forfar and another small le
now extinct, was, for many years, its chief depi
FORFAR.
565
dence. Coal was vainly sought in the vicinity, and
cotdd be procured from the coast only at high prices.
But, by means of the railway communications which
have recently been opened, the town has surmounted
nearly all its disadvantages ; and, if prosperous be-
fore, ought now to career speedily toward considera-
tion and opulence.
Forfar is a town of high but unascertained anti-
quity. Its nucleus, in the form of a village or ham-
let, "must have been created under the protection of
an ancient castle of great note and importance, all
vestiges of which have long ago disappeared. When
this castle was built, and what form it originally pos-
sessed, are matters lost to history ; but it is recorded
to have been the scene of the parliament which was
held in the year 1057, by Malcolm Canmore, after
the recovery of his kingdom from the usurpation of
Macbeth, and in which surnames and titles were first
conferred on the Scottish nobility. The castle stood
on a rising ground to the north of the town, and ap-
pears, from traces of it which existed half-a-ceritury
ago, and from the amount of its conjectured dilapida-
tion in building the modern town, to have been very
extensive. As if it had been a quarry rather than an
edifice, it seems to have furnished the materials of
the old steeple, the west entry to the old church,
and probably a large portion of the houses which,
previous to the era of modern improvement, lined
the streets. A figure of it, cut in stone, remains
upon the old market-cross, and forms the device of
the common seal of the burgh. Forfar, in conse-
.quence of the attractions of its castle, was, for a con-
siderable period, the occasional residence of royalty,
and received a considerable number of royal favours,
ueen Margaret, the celebrated consort of Malcolm
/anmore, had — as noticed in the article on the parish
separate and apparently a cherished residence on
le loch. Weapons and instruments were, about
) years ago, found in the vicinity of the town,
which are believed to have belonged to the mur-
erers of King Malcolm II. Memorials of royal
esidence and favour survive in the extensiveness
f the burghal territory, and in the names of some
ocalities, such as the King's moor, the Queen's
well, the Queen's manor, the palace-dykes, and the
ourt-road. In the vicinity we find the King's
>urn, the King's seat, and the Wolf law, where
le nobles were wont to meet for hunting the
•olf. A farm, about half-a-mile distant from For-
ar, is called Turf big, because, as tradition assures
S the peats or turfs used in the palace were
ggit or stacked there.* Another place, near this,
etains the name of Heather-stacks, where, it is said,
»e heath required for the royal kitchen was cut
own and piled up. A charter of confirmation grant-
* However ludicrous this etymon may appear, it has nnques-
onable confirmation. For, when anew possessor serves hiin-
If heir to this part of the estate, he is obliged to promise that
e will furnish peats and turfs for the use of the king's kitchen
hen he resides in Forfar. Although there is no proof that any
f the Stuarts resided here, yet, in the year 1391, during the
•igu of Kohert III., the sheriff of Forfar is charged with " the
iree hundred carts of peats, which are hereditarily supplied
'ithin the bailiwick, for sufficient fewel for his majesty's ser-
<v when he comes to Forfar." This exactly corresponds with
previous deed of Kohert II , A. 137*, in which we have these
ords:_" Whereas John, the son of William, and Christian
ponce, with their heirs, are bound annually to furnish the
of Scotland, at their manor of Forfar. with three hundred
»ads of peats for the lands of Balmoschenore andTyrebeg;
se we in they.e times do not reside there so often as our
ececr-ors did reside at Forfar, we grant, of our special grace,
the said John, &c. for the said three hundred cartfnls of
s, shall only be bound, a- often as we shall happen to come
orfar, to furnish fewel .sufficient for us and our heirs during
stay there." This deed in dated at Glaumys, a few miles
aut from Forfar, where the king had resided, perhaps in a
a) progress, because of the abundant accommodation to be
d in the splendid castle there. \Ve find that twenty pounds
achalder of meal were paid to the heirs of William of For-
as " the annual due for the farm of the royal manor."
ed by Charles II., in 1665, assumes earlier charters
and rights to have been conferred on the burgh, and
narrates the plundering of the inhabitants, in 1651,
for their attachment to the royal family, noticing, in
particular, " the faithful testimony and dissent given
be Alexander Strang, late provost of Forfar, and
commissioner for the said burgh, against passing of
the unjust act of the pretendit parliament, the 16th
of January, 1647, entitled, Declaration of the King-
dom of Scotland concerning his Majesties Person."
In 1 684 the market-cross was erected at the expense,
it is said, of the Crown ; and it stood for a century-
and-a-half, an incumbrance in the thoroughfare, and
a monument of the loyalty of the town ; but was
recently removed by the magistrates to the site of
the old castle, to mark and commemorate the scene
of the royal residence.
A feud, or party animosity, has long subsisted be-
tween "the sutors of Forfar" and "the weavers of
Kirriemuir;" and, though now prompting only hard
words and contemptuous nicknames, expressed itself,
during a less civilized period, in acts of violence and
deeds of clanship. Drummond of Hawthornden re-
lates a ludicrous instance of how it operated in the
1 7th century, and of the barbarous ideas with which
it was associated. Arriving at Forfar in the summer
of 1648, he stood convicted before the burghers of
the two works of defending his king and writing
poetry, — offences which they deemed in no ordinary
degree criminal ; and, though intending to spend the
night in the town, he found himself spurned from
every door, and was obliged to proceed onward to
Kirriemuir. The ' weavers ' of the latter town were
innately just as indignant at his two crimes as their
rivals ; yet, happy to have an opportunity of showing
their contempt for 'the sutors,' by totally differing
from them in conduct, they gave Drummond an hos-
pitable reception ; and they so far won him over by
their kindness, that he praised them in a song of
stinging satire upon the sutors of Forfar. — In the
steeple of the church is preserved a small circle of
iron, called ' the Witches' bridle,' consisting of four
parts connected by hinges, and adapted as a collar
for the neck. Behind is a short chain ; and in front,
pointing inwards, is a gag which entered the mouth,
and pressed down the tongue. This infamous instru-
ment was fastened upon any poor wretch whom the
ancient sages of Forfar condemned to the stake for
having acquired, through private malice or popular
superstition, the reputation of witchcraft ; and was
used both as a halter for leading the victim forth to
the place of execution, and as a means of preventing
speech or cries amidst the torture of th . flames ; and,
when the execution had been completed, it was
usually found among the mingled ashes of the body
and the faggots. The place of incremation was a
small hollow, a little north of the town, called ' the
Witches' howe,' and surrounded by several small
eminences which were convenient stations for spec-
tators. In the records of the burgh is still preserved
the process verbal of a man, who, about the year
1682, suffered the infliction of the horrid 'bridle,'
and was burnt to death in ' the Witches' howe,' for
the imputed crime of sorcery. — Antiquities of a very
different class, are a large bell sent by Robert Strang,
a native of Forfar, who settled as a merchant and be-
came wealthy in Stockholm, as a tribute of respect
to his native place ; and a table of donations to the
poor, of which the same individual and his brother
were the principal contributors.
Looking at the present prosperity of Forfar, and
remembering that not a century lias elapsed since the
town rose from abasement, and be^uii to wear ap-
peanmces of modernization, we feel curious to know
how its aspect was viewed by an intelligent observer
566
FORFARSHIRE.
toon after it commenced the race of improvement.
The author of the Old Statistical Account of the
parish, is, as to character and position, exactly a
person to gratify us. Writing in 1793, he says : —
" About 50 or 60 years ago there were not above
seven tea-kettles, as many hand-bellows, and as many
watches in Forfar : now tea-kettles and hand-bellows
are the necessary furniture of the poorest house in
the parish, and almost the meanest menial servant
must have his watch. About the same period a leg
of good beef, weighing 4 stone, might have been pur-
chased for 5s. Previous to 1 745, there was no meat
sold in Forfar by weight, and very seldom was an
ox killed till the greater part of the carcase had been
bespoken. A little before that, two work oxen,
weighing about 30 stone each, were sold in one of
the Forfar fairs for 50 merks Scots the head ; and
both the size of the cattle and the price of them were
thought a wonder. An ox worth, at that time, about
40s. supplied the flesh-market of Forfar eight days or
a fortnight, except on extraordinary occasions, from
Christmas to Lammas. Between Hallowmas and
Christmas, when the people laid in their winter pro-
visions, about 24 beeves were killed in a week ; the
best not exceeding 16 or 20 stone. A man who had
bought a shilling's worth of beef or an ounce of tea,
would have concealed it from his neighbours like
murder. Eggs were bought for a Id. per dozen,
butter from 3d. to 4d. per lb., and a good hen was
thought high at a groat. The gradual advancement
of population, trade, and agricultural improvement,
has produced the gradual rise in the price and con-
sumption of all these articles, which within these last
twenty years are some of them doubled, and many of
them trebled. The effects of the increase of number,
trade, and wealth, appear visibly also in the dress of
all ranks, and even in the amusements of the more
wealthy citizens. Twelve or twenty years ago it
was no uncommon thing to see the wife of a wealthy
burgess going to church arrayed in a rich silk gown
covered by a homely plaid; now silk mantles and
bonnets, and fashionable head-dresses are no rarities ;
and even the servant-maids begin, in this respect, to
ape the dress of their superiors. Formerly a ball or
social dance was not thought of above once or twice
in a year, and the ladies, in general, appeared at it
dressed in close caps like their grandmothers ; for
several years past there has been, during the winter
season, a monthly concert of Italian and Scotch
music, performed by the gentlemen of the place, an<
followed by a dance, well-attended, and presenting a
company of ladies and gentlemen dressed in the mo-
dern fashion."
FORFARSHIRE, or ANGUS, a county on th<
east coast of Scotland, stretching between the rivei
North Esk and the frith of Tay. It is bounded or
the north-west and north by Aberdeenshire ; on the
north-east by Kincardineshire ; on the east am
south-east by the German ocean ; on the south by
the frith of Tay ; and on the south- wes,t and wesi
by Perthshire. Its form — with the exception o
an indentation on the north-east, another indenta-
tion on the south-west, and a projection on the
north-west, all about 5 or 6 miles deep — is ver
nearly circular. The county lies between latitude
56° 27' and 56° 57' north, and between longitude
2° 25' and 3° 25' west from the meridian o
Greenwich. Its medium extent, from north tc
south, is 28^ miles, and from east to west,
miles, of 69| to a degree; and its superficial am
is 831^ square miles, or 532,243 English acres
The county consists of four parallel and very dis
tinctively marked districts, — the Grampian, th
Strathmore, the Sidlaw, and the Maritime.
The Grampian district forms the north-western
ivision, and includes about two-fifths of the super-
.cial area. Like the rest of the range, [see GRAM-
TANS,] the Grampian mountains here run from
outh-west to north-east, forming the barrier be-
ween the Highlands and the Lowlands of Scot-
and; and exhibit ridge behind ridge, with many
ntervening valleys cut out by streams and torrents,
ill they form, at their water-line or highest ridge,
he boundary-line of the county. They are formed
)f granite, gneiss, mica-slate and clay-slate, flanked
>y a lower range of old red sandstone associated with
rap. The portions of them included in Forfarshire,
ire called the Binchinnin mountains; and, viewed
n the group, are far from possessing either the gran-
deur of the Alpine districts of the west, or the pic-
turesqueness and beauty of the highlands of the
south : see article BINCHINNIN MOUNTAINS. From
;he higher summits of the Grampians, a brilliant view
s obtained, not only of Forfarshire and part of Perth-
shire, but of Fife, East Lothian, and the heights of
Lammermoor.
The Strathmore district of Forfarshire is part of
the great valley of that name, [see STRATHMORE,]
and stretches from the western boundary of the
garish of Kettins, away north-eastward through the
whole county, to the lower part of the North Esk.
From its northern point south-westward it lies along
the foot of the Forfarshire Grampians, till it forms
the parish of Airley ; and it thenceforth, till the
termination of the parish of Kettins, shares the con-
tinuation of Strathmore with Perthshire. This dis-
trict is called the How or Hollow of Angus ; and is
33 miles long, and from 4 to 6 miles broad. Its sur-
face is beautifully diversified by gentle eminences,
fertile fields, plantations, villages, and gentlemen's
seats. Small portions of it are covered with water
during wet seasons, and, in other respects, have per-
haps not received due attention from the cultivators
of the soil. The geological formation of this district
is that of old red sandstone ; and it is intersected by
numerous longitudinal ridges, some of which rise 200
or 300 feet above the adjacent valleys.
The Sidlaw district of Forfarshire derives its dis-
tinctive features from the Sidlaw hills. These hills,
composed of old red sandstone accompanied by trap,
and overspread with an impervious boulder formation,
are a continuation or offshoot of a range which runs
parallel to Strathmore or the Grampians, from the
hill of Kinnoul near Perth, to the north-east ex-
tremity of Kincardineshire. Seen from Fifeshire,
the Sidlaws appear to rise at no great distance from
the estuary of the Tay, and shut out from view the
scenery of Strathmore and the lower Grampians.
They lift several of their summits upwards of 1,400
feet above the level of the sea ; and in some places
are covered with stunted heath, while, in others,
they are cultivated to the top. The Sidlaw dis-
trict terminates at Red-head, a promontory on the
coast, in the parish of Inverkeiler, between Arbroath
and Montrose ; and measures about 21 miles in
length, and from 3 to 6 miles in breadth. From some
of the detached hills, respectively on the north-
western and the south-eastern sides of the range,
brilliant views are obtained, on the one hand, of the
whole extent of Strathmore, and, on the other, of the
scenery along the frith of Tay and the German ocean.
The maritime district of Forfarshire is, for a briel
way, in the parish of Inverkeiler. identified with the
Sidlaw district, and extends from the Tay and the
limits of Liff and Lundy on the south to near the
mouth of the North Esk on the north. In its south-
ern part, it is at first of very considerable breadth
but it gradually narrows as it becomes pent up be
tvveen the Sidlaw hills and the ocean ; and, over
leaping the former, it thence stretches northwart
FORFARSHIRE.
567
parallel to the How of Angus. In extreme length,
ic measures upwards of 27 miles ; in breadth, it
varies from about 3 miles to upwards of 84 ; and in
superficial area, it includes upwards of 222 square
miles. This district is, with a few exceptions, fer-
tile, and highly cultivated. Excepting a few rounded
iutting hills — some of which are designated by the
Gaelic name of Duns — its surface slopes gently to
the frith of Tay on the south, and the German ocean
on the east. At Broughty ferry, where the frith of
Tay is very much contracted, an extensive tract of
links or sandy downs commences, and thence sweeps
along a great part of the parishes of Monifeith and
Barry. Two other sandy tracts of inconsiderable
breadth stretch along the coast respectively between
Panbride and Arbroath, and between the em-
bouchures of the South Esk and the North Esk.
In many places, these downs evince, by their ex-
hibiting extensive beds of marine shells, at heights
varying from 20 to 40 feet, that they were at one
period covered with the sea. The maritime district
is adorned with towns and villages, elegant villas and
comfortable farm-steads, numerous plantations, and
in general, ample results of successful culture and
busy enterprise.
No waters enter Forfarshire from the contermi-
nous counties ; and only inconsiderable rills at two
points, come down thence upon waters which form
its boundary-line. All its waters, with the excep-
tion of the Isla and its tributaries which run into
Perthshire to join the Tay, have their termination
also within its limits, or at its boundaries. The
principal streams, in consequence, are not of the
class which the usage of Scotland dignifies with the
name of rivers, but belong to the more humble class
of " waters." The most northerly is the North
Esk, whose principal tributaries are West water and
Cruick water, both on its right bank, and which
forms, for a considerable distance before entering the
sea, the north-eastern boundary-line of the county.
The next is the South Esk, which traverses the
whole breadth of the county from the highest range
of the Grampians to the sea at Montrose, and whose
principal tributaries are the Prosen on its right bank,
and the Neran on its left. The Luntan rises near the
centre of the county, and flows eastward to the sea
at the point of division between the parishes of
Liiiian and Inverkeiler. Of a number of other
streams which flow toward the German ocean or
the frith of Tay, all, with the exception of the
Dighty, are very inconsiderable, rarely having a
course of more than 8 or 9 miles. The Isla rises,
like the two Esks, in the Grampians, but flows in
general southward, forms, for a number of miles,
the western boundary-line, and through its own im-
mediate tributaries and those of the Dean, which
joins it immediately after entering Perthshire, drains
the waters of about one-sixth of the county away
toward a junction with the Tay 10 miles above
Perth — The lakes of Forfarshire are all small— in
no case much upwards of one mile in length — and
are chiefly Lochlee, Lentrathen, Rescobie, and For-
far lochs, in the parishes of their respective names,
and Balgavies loch in the parish of Aberlemno.
These lakes, as well as some smaller ones, abound
in pike, perch, and various kinds of trout. Several
of them are valuable also for marl; and others, not
now in existence, were drained for sake of obtaining
t •;!>}• and profitable access to that substance. The
Tay, though it expands into an estuary 12 miles be-
fore touching the county, and cannot, while it washes
its shores, be considered as a river, is greatly more
Valuable to Forfarshire than all its interior waters.
Sandbanks in various places menace its navigation,
but are rendered nearly innocuous by means of light-
houses and other appliances — From the mouth of
the Tay to near Westhaven, the coast on the Ger-
man ocean is sandy, and thence north-eastward to
near Arbroath, it cannot safely be approached on ac-
count of low, and, in many cases, sunk rocks. About
10| miles south-eastward of the centre of this peril-
ous part the Bell-rock lighthouse lifts its fine form
above the bosom of the ocean : see BELL-ROCK.
A mile north-eastward of Arbroath the coast be-
comes bold and rocky, breaking down in perpendi-
cular precipices, and, in many places, perforated at
the base with long deep caverns, whose floors are
boisterously washed by the billows of the sea. The
Red-head, a rocky promontory, upwards of 200 feet
perpendicular, terminates this bold section of coast,
as it does the inland range of the Sidlaws. Lunan
bay now, with a small sweep inward, presents for
nearly 3 miles a fine sandy shore, and offers a safe
anchorage. The coast again becomes rocky and
bold as far as to the mouth of the South Esk ; and
thence to the extremity of the county, it is low and
sandy.
Forfarshire is not remarkable for its minerals.
Many searches have been made in the south-western
district, sometimes with temporarily flattering pros-
pects, but eventually without success, for coal. A
thin seam has more than once been found, but no-
thing sufficiently important to warrant a hope that
any part of the coalfield of Scotland lies beneath.
Peat long served as a desideratum in the central dis-
tricts ; but now, in every quarter except among the
Grampians, may be regarded as exhausted. The
manufacturing and most populous parts of the county
are hence wholly dependent for their fuel upon the
collieries of Fife and Newcastle Limestone occurs
in the Grampian, the Sidlaw, and the Maritime dis-
tricts. That, among the Grampians, is what miner-
alogists call mountain-limestone ; and is composed
of crystals, or spar of lime, in very small grains.
In Glen Esk and Glen Clova it abounds ; but owing
to the want of appropriate fuel, is very limitedly
worked. Several veins of rhomboidal spar of lime
intersect the sandstone strata of the Sidlaws ; and is
wrought, though to only a small extent, in various
places in the district. In the neighbourhood of
Brechin, the stratum is about 12 feet thick, inclin-
ing to the north at an angle of about 45 degrees ;
and consists of a great congeries of fragments of
limestone, of various colours, most of which have
been rounded into a globular form, and cemented to-
gether by means of a sparry cement crystallized among
their interstices. It is mined from between strata
of red sandstone, and burned with coal fetched from
Montrose. Were blocks of it found sufficiently
compact and free of cracks, they could be polished
into a remarkable species of marble. Limestone,
yielding three bolls of powdered slacked lime from
one boll of shells, is worked at Hedderwick north
of Montrose, and Budden on the coast 3 miles south
of that town, from strata of an aggregate thickness
of 25 feet. But though worked in the latter lo-
cality since about the year 1696, and though oc-
curring in sufficient plenty in the county, the lime-
stone of Forfarshire, on account of the dearth ot
fuel, cannot compete, even on its own soil, with
lime imported from Sunderland and from Lord El-
gin's works on the frith of Forth. — Sandstone
abounds in all the districts except the Grampian ;
but nowhere is so fine a building material as to
either grain or colour, as the sandstone of Fife or
Mid-Lothian. Much of it is red, incapable of being
cut with the chisel, and dressed with the hammer
or the pick, is employed in rubble-work. But in
several of the Sidlaw parishes it occurs in strata of
various thickness, some of them only from half an
568
FORFARSHIRE.
inch to an inch, which are cut into plates for roofing,
and flags for paving. The strata are coated with
scales of mica or talc, of a greyish-blue colour, and,
in consequence, are easily separated. The most ex-
tensive range is in the parish of Carmylie, and along
the south-eastern declivity of the Sidlaw hills, and
is worked in various extensive quarries. The strata
here are of a very fine grain, white in colour, or
with a slight tendency to blue or green, and are
quarried or carved into columns, lintels, grave-
stones, steps for stairs, and especially paving-flags
of from three to six inches in thickness, which are
shipped in large quantities at Arbroath, and, under
the name of Arbroath paving-stones, find a ready
market in London and Edinburgh. — Lead, of the
species called galena, black in colour, and metallic-
ally lustrous, occurs in various localities in mica-
ceous rock ; and was for some time wrought in the
upper part of the parish of Lochlee, and at Ardoch,
near the Mill-den, on the Esk, till the mines got
under water. — Copper is supposed to exist in the
Sidlaw hills, and in the spurs of the lower Gram-
pians.— An iron mine in the lower part of the parish
of Edzel was for some time worked, but has long
been abandoned. — A very thick vein of slate oc-
curs in the mouth of Glen Prosen, and in many
other places along the declivity of the Grampians,
and is of a dark-blue colour, inclining to purple;
but it seems not to be appreciated, or is supposed
to be less valuable for roofing than the thin plates
of sandstone with which the county abounds. —
Shell-marl, formed from the exuviae of several kinds
of fresh water shell-fish, and greatly enriching to
the country as a manure, abounds in various parts of
Strathmore, or in contiguous lakes and swamps;
and has been removed in large quantities from the
beds of seven lakes, four of which, Kinordie, Lundie,
Logie, and Restennet have been wholly drained ; and
three, Forfar, Rescobie, and Balgavies, partially
drained, in order to its removal. Clay-marl, used
for consolidating sandy and gravelly soils, occurs in
Dunnichen, Kinnettles, Tannadice, Lethnot, and the
lower part of West- water. Rock or stone marl,
which readily dissolves into clay on exposure to the
air, and imparts extraordinary fertility to a superin-
cumbent soil, occurs as a subsoil in the parishes of
Craig and Dun, and probably in other localities
Vast masses of jasper, varying in colour from a
bright yellow to a deep red, and capable of being cut
and finely polished into ornamental trinkets, are im-
mersed in mica schistose rocks on the property
of Burn, at the mouth of Glen Esk, and at the
bridge of Cortachie, where the South Esk issues
from among the Grampians — Chalybeate springs, of
important medicinal quality, well up in numerous
places ; but those chiefly resorted to are one near
Montrose, three west of Arbroath, and one in the
parish of Dunnichen.
The general colour of the soils of Forfarshire is
red, of various intensity, inclining often to brown,
or dark brown, or black. The moist soils are, in all
cases, darker than the dry. On the uplands of the
Grampians, a thin stratum of moorish earth generally
covers the surface, over a whitish retentive clay, but
frequently perforated by jutting rocks. In the glens
of the Grampians, the secondary or alluvial soils are
generally much mixed with sand, and, in conse-
quence, are loose and friable ; and, in many instances,
they are unmanageably stony. In the lower part of
the country, the primary soils are of various quali-
ties : those on gravel stone rocks are generally thin,
mossy, and encumbered with loose stones ; those on
sandstone rocks are chiefly a tenacious clay, very un-
fertile, yet capable of being so wrought and manured
as to produce excellent wheat ; those upon subsoils
of what, in this county, are called mortar, because
they serve as a succedaneum for cement in building,
consist also of clay, but are more vivid in the red-
ness of their colour than the former class, and de-
cidedly superior in quality; those upon whinstone
are, in general, friable clays, and very fertile, though,
on the northern declivity, and among the valleys of
the Sidlaw hills, they are often too shallow to ad-
mit the plough, and are sometimes perforated and
displaced by the solid rock. Never, in this county,
does whinstone look out from the surface at or near
the summit of a hill, without giving intimation that
a sheet of alluvial whinstone soil, rich, and very
fertile, stretches away from the base of the hill, in-
creasing in depth as it recedes. The alluvial soils,
in the lower parts of the county, are often so inter-
mixed with the primary that they can hardly be dis-
tinguished ; but they prevail in the basins of rivers,
and frequently extend to a considerable elevation
above the present beds of the streams, in hollows
which seem to have originally been the beds of lakes,
or of expansions of running waters. In the How of
Angus, the soils are all alluvial ; but, only in the
minority of instances, fertile. In many places, the
soil is gravelly, the stones being in general of small
size; in some places, it is a dead sand, which
scarcely compensates the cost of cultivation , in se-
veral places, it consists of sheets of alluvial when
stione, or of earth mixed with vegetable mould,
which have been deposited by rivulets from the Sid-
law hills, and are very fertile ; in other places, it is
an alluvial clay, resembling carse-land, deposited by
sluggish brooks, and, when rendered dry, is abun-
dantly productive. Part of the strath which these
varieties of soil carpet, has grown up into moss ; and
part of it is so flat as, in rainy weather, to be sa-
turated with moisture and converted into fens. At
Little Mill, north of Montrose, and in various other
places round Montrose Basin, are stripes and patches
of real carse-clay, similar to that of the carses of
Gowrie and Falkirk. No very extensive mosses oc-
cur in the county. Those among the Grampians are
situated in hollows on the summits or the sides of
the mountains. The principal one in the low country
is Deity moss, on the lands of Carbuddo.
About 130 years ago, a great proportion of For-
farshire was in the hands of a few ancient families ;
the most conspicuous of whom were the Lyons,
Maules, Douglases, Ogilvies, and Carnegies. But
since the introduction of manufactures and trade,
property has undergone many changes, and been
parcelled out in smaller divisions. Of 40 barons
mentioned by Edward in 1676, not one-third are
represented by descendants who are proprietors in
the county. A portion even of the few ancient fa-
milies who remain have their principal property in
other counties, and do not reside in Angus. So
rapidly has landed property passed, in many parishes,
from hand to hand, that the average term of pos-
session by one family does not exceed 40 years. The
money- value of estates has also, for a long period,
fluctuated, and, up to 1815, kept steadily increasing.
A great proportion of the landed properties, when
the Rev. James Headrick drew up, in 1813, his
General View of the Agriculture of Forfarshire,
were from £100 to £1,000 a-year in value; some
were from £2,000 to £6,000 ; and one, or perhaps
two, were reckoned to exceed £12.000.— The
greater number of the estates are freehold, or held
by charter from the Crown. Some, but none of
large extent, are held in feu, or by charter, from a
subject superior ; but, as to the practical nature of
the tenure, are really occupied, for a trifling rent,
upon a perpetual lease. A considerable proportion
of the entire property of the county is placed under
FORFARSHIRE.
569
deeds of entail, and debarred from the full advan-
tages of improvement The farm-houses of all
Angus, about 70 or 80 years ago, were miserable
hovels ; and those of even the present day in the
pastoral parts of the Grampian district, are generally
wretched, dark, and sordid huts. But throughout
the arable sections of every district of the county,
most of the present farm-houses are substantial in
structure, convenient in situation, and comfortable
in aspect ; and have usually their attached offices in
the form of three sides of a square. — The principal
scats of proprietors are Glammis castle, Earl of
Strathmore ; Cortachy and Airlie castles, Earl of
Airlie ; Camperdown house, (formerly Lundie,) Lord
Viscount Duncan ; Lindirtis, Laing Meason ; Isla
bank, Ogilvy ; Gray, Lord Gray ; Careston, Earl of
Fife ; Balnamoon, Carnegie ; Brechin castle and
Panmure house, Honourable William Ramsay Maule;
Kinnaird, Sir James Carnegie, Bart. ; Dun, Earl of
Ciissilis ; Rossie, Ross ; Ethie, Earl of North Esk ;
Guthne, Guthrie ; Dunnichen, Hawkins ; Isla, Ogil-
vie ; Craigo, Carnegie ; and Langley park, Cruick-
ghanks.
Forfarshire, as to its agricultural capabilities, con-
tinued long in the state of inertion which, till a com-
paratively recent date, characterized most other divi-
sions of Scotland ; but, except on a small minority of
its estates, it is now fully aroused and energetic, and
displays an activity and a success of effort little in-
ferior to those of the most flourishing and embellished
portions of the Lowlands. The farmers, in general,
have been equal in intelligence and practical skill to
the cultivators of the soil in the choicest agricultural
arenas of Scotland ; and have, for the most part, kept
pace with them in the adoption or invention of plans
of improvement. The earliest agricultural associa-
tion in the county was the Lunan and Vinney water
society, presided over by the late patriotic George
Dempster, Esq. of Dunnichen, and composed of pro-
prietors, farmers, and clergymen residing in the basins
of the streams mentioned in its title. The Strath-
more society, the Angus and Mearns Agricultural
society, the Angus and Perthshire Agricultural so-
ciety, and the Eastern Forfarshire Farming associa-
tion, followed. At an early period in the era of
improvement, some proprietors employed professional
men to plan and mark out such drains as were ne-
cessary or desirable upon their lands ; and set a spirit-
ed and successful example, which speedily prompted
very extensive and enriching draining operations
throughout the county. Vigorous, highly benefical,
ind far-spread manuring operations were also from
in early period conducted with shell-marl and lime.
Of comparatively modern improvements none has
seen so remarkable in the energy of its prosecution,
)r the beneficial nature of its results, as the use of
x>ne-dust. The first persons who freely used this
nanure were the Honourable W. Maule, in the east-
'rn part of the county, and Mr. Watson of Keilor,
ii the western, — both assiduous and astute agricul-
urists, and judicious and enterprising improvers,
ione-dust is supplied from large preparing establish-
nents in Dundee and Arbroath, and is generally em-
•loyed on land appropriated to turnips; and when
he crop is not consumed on the ground by sheep, the
'one-dust is followed up by an allowance of putres-
ent manure for the more important crop which is
o follow. The mode of cropping, in the lower parts
f the county, is similar to that of the more southern
arts of Scotland ; but, in the upland districts, does
ot, in general, admit a rotation of wheat. Swedish
irnips and mangelworzel, however, have been very
.uitily introduced. Since 1815 the quantity of flax
ised has been gradually diminishing ; and now so
to supply the mills for dressing it which once
1 uls to supply 1
figured so conspicuously in a view of the economic*
of the county, that most of them have been con-
verted into spinning factories. Fair trials have been
made of the recently introduced permanent pasture-
grasses. Both the larger and the smaller implements
of husbandry, with the exception of the tramp-pick,
which seems to be indigenous to the county, are, in
all respects, similar to those used in other parts of
the kingdom. The tramp-pick is a lever of iron,
about four feet long and one inch square, tapering to
a sharp prong toward the bottom, where it is bent a
little inwards. It is furnished, about 18 inches from
the bottom, with a footstep, on which the workman
presses with his foot to force the tool into the ground ;
and it has at the top a cross-handle, by means of
which he works the implement with his hands. This
very simple and rather curious instrument is used for
loosening hard earth or gravel, chiefly at the bottoms
of ditches, which cannot be penetrated by the spade,
for loosening fast stones in land, and for other simi-
ilar purposes to which it seems well-adapted. The
introduction of the grass-seed sowing machine has
greatly aided improvements in the conversion ot
waste lands into pasture. Broad-rimmed wheels on
carts are not nearly so common as in the southern
counties — The improvement in stock has been par-
allel with the improvement in cultivation. Before
the introduction of enclosures, turnips, and sown
grasses, the black cattle were diminutive in size, and
were yoked to the plough in teams of eight or ten.
Among those parts of the uplands which are least
improved the breed is still much smaller than in the
well-cultivated districts. The grazing and the feed-
ing of cattle are prosecuted, throughout the county,
to a much greater extent than the rearing of them.
Graziers, in consequence, make large purchases at
the fairs of Mearns, Aberdeenshire, and Moray, and
even travel to the North Highlands to procure cattle
for the stocking of their farms. A distinction be-
tween the best feeding and the best milking breeds,
which seems founded in nature, and very intimately
connected with improvement, is by no means attend-
ed to in Angus as in Ayrshire and other districts
which are enriched by their dairy produce. About
70 or 80 years ago, sheep were to be found on almost
every farm, proportioned in number to the extent of
its pasturage ; but they have long since been gra-
dually driven by the plough to a banishment among
the unreclaimable uplands. The original breed was
the small white-faced sheep, or spotted with yellow,
which seems to have been the aboriginal breed of the
British isles ; but it was, 30 years ago, almost wholly
superseded by the black-faced sheep, which was an-
nually brought, in considerable numbers of a year
old, from Linton in Peebles-shire. Goats were for-
merly kept in the mountainous districts, but wen;
wholly extirpated half-a-century ago, on account of
their hostility to plantations. The red deer or stag,
at one period, abounded among the Grampians ; but,
for many years, have disappeared. The horns of the
mouse-deer, which are branched like those of the
stag, but are much larger, are sometimes found in
mosses.
Large trees, found in mosses and marshy-grounds,
seem to indicate that the lower parts of Forfarshire
abounded, at one period, in forests. The Grampian
glens are, in some instances, overrun with natural
birches, or with oak coppice, containing a mixture of
hazels and other shrubs ; and, in other instances, they
are adorned with thriving plantations. In the lowlands
of the county, and the Sidlaw hills, plantations, with
the exception of the parks and the environs of gen-
tlemen's demesnes, are chiefly confined to places
which are inconvenient for the plough, or to thin
moorish soils, which rest on clay or gravel, and are re- .
570
FORFARSHIRE.
mote from the means of improvement. In many parts
the public roads wend among plantations, and disclose
to the delighted traveller ever-changing prospects of
sylvan beauty. Near the shore trees do not thrive,
except in ravines or behind banks, where they are shel-
tered from the sea-spray. During the early part of the
era of improvement, Scotch fir was almost the only
arborial species planted, and was believed to be that
chiefly, or that alone, which would suit the soil and
climate ; but it was soon discovered to be, except on
particular spots, the least thriving and the most un-
profitable ; and, in the second period of improvement,
it began to be generally substituted by the larch.
Hard woods, as they are called, or all sorts of deci-
duous trees, as oaks, ashes, elms, planes, beeches,
poplars, form also numerous plantations^ interspersed
with spruce and silver firs. To enumerate all the
noblemen and gentlemen who have beautified and
enriched their estates with extensive and thriving
plantations, would be to write a list of most of the
great and secondary proprietors of the county.
" Owing to the annual extension of plantations,"
says the Rev. Mr. Headrick, writing in 1813, "it
is difficult to assign the proportion of surface planted
at present. But from Mr. Ainslie's very accurate
map of the county, it appears that, in 1 792, there
were about 15,764 Scotch acres of plantation. Since
that time there cannot be less than 5,000 additional
acres planted. This brings the whole plantations of
the county to 20,764 acres." As the annual increase,
especially on the declivities of the Sidlaws, and along
the face of the lower Grampians, and on the exten-
sive poorer soils of Strathmore, has hitherto con-
tinued at a ratio not less than during the period for
which Mr. Headrick allows an increase of 5,000 acres,
the entire extent of plantation, in 1840, cannot be
less than 27,870 Scotch acres, — equal to one-sixteenth
part of the area of the whole county. The largest
forest is that of Monroman moor, distributed among
the parishes of Brechin, Farnell, Aberlemno, Guth-
rie, Kirkden, and Kinnel. The most extensive plant-
ers have been Carnegie of Southesk, and the Earl of
Airlie ; the latter, according to a report of his lord-
ship to the Highland society, in 1830, having, be-
tween 181 1 and that year, planted upwards of 3,000
acres.
Forfarshire is the chief seat of the coarse linen
manufactures of Scotland, and conducts a very ex-
tensive commerce in fabrics made up from foreign
flax and hemp. In the large towns the spinning of
yarn in large mills, and the working of canvass, broad-
sheetings, bagging, and other heavy fabrics, in fac-
tories, are conducted on a vast scale; and in the
smaller towns, and the villages, the manufacture of
osnaburghs, dowlas, and common sheetings, employs
an enormous number of hand-looms. Of 4,000 power-
looms employed in Scotland on coarse linen fabrics,
greatly the larger proportion are in the towns of
Angus. A fair idea of the manufactures of the
county will be formed by glancing at those of the
towns, Dundee, Arbroath, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Mon-
trose, and Brechin, in which — especially in Dundee —
they are concentrated. [See the articles on those
towns.] In all the villages and hamlets the princi-
pal trade is the weaving of the prepared materials
into cloth, and the purifying of them by bleaching.
Excepting roads which run up Glen Isla, Glen
Esk, Glen Lethnot, and Glen Mark, the Grampian
district is almost wholly unprovided 'with facilities
of communication. But the other districts of the
county, for the most part, abound in roads, and, as
to either their number or their quality, are not be-
hind any portion of Scotland. One great line of
road comes in from the Carse of Gowrie, and runs
along the coast through Dundee, Arbroath, and Mon-
trose ; another goes off from Dundee, through Moni
kie, Dunnichen, and Brechin, toward Laurencekirk
another stretches from Dundee, through Forfar, t
join the former at Brechin ; two others come respec
tively from Meigle andBlair-Gowrie, and traverse th
Howe of Angus ; two lines of road radiate inwar<
from Arbroath, and two from Montrose ; and con
necting lines and branch-roads everywhere ramif
the country. Lines of railway run from Dunde
north-westward to Newtyle, northward to Forfar
and north-eastward to Arbroath.
Forfarshire contains 5 royal burghs, Dundee, Ar
broath, Montrose, Forfar, and Brechin, and the town
of Kirriemuir, Glammis, Coupar- Angus, Brought]
Ferry, Letham, and Douglastown. It comprehend
56 quoad civilia parishes, and unites with Mearns ii
giving name to a synod. The number of its paro
chial schools is 53, conducted by 60 teachers, am
attended by a maximum of 3,386 scholars ; and of its
non-parochial schools, 223, conducted by 255 teach-
ers, and attended by a maximum of 6,936 scholars
The county returns a member to parliament. Con-
stituency, in 1840, 2,056. The assessed property, ir
1815, was £361,241. Population, in 1801, 97,127
in 1811, 107,264; in 1821, 113,430; in 1831
139,606. The population, in 1831, was distributee
into 1,089 occupiers of land, employing labourers
,1,099 occupiers of land not employing labourers; 4,466
labourers ; 3,721 labourers not agricultural ; 8,57^
manufacturing operatives ; 9,760 persons employee
in retail trades and handicrafts ; 1 ,897 capitalists ; 38$
male servants, and 5,889 female servants. The tota
number of families, in 1831, was 31,730 ; and of in-
habited houses 19,597.
Remains of vitrified forts are distinctly visible on
the Hill of Finhorn, in the parish of Oathlaw, on
Drumsturdy moor, in the parish of Monifietb, ant
on Dundee law, in the vicinity of Dundee. Hill-
forts are traceable in what are called the White
Cater-thun and the Brown Cater-thun, in the parisb
of Menmuir ; in Denoon castle, 2 miles south-west
of Glammis; and on Dunnichen hill, Dumbarrow
hill, Carbuddo hill, Lower hill, and several other
eminences ; but, in various instances, are indicated
only by heaps of loose stones. Roman camps exist
at Harefaulds, in the Moor of Lower, at a place in
the Moor of Forfar, a mile north of the town, and at
War-dikes or Black-dikes, 2| miles north of Brechin.
The castles of Forfar and Dundee have long been
razed. Ruined castles of considerable interest are
Broughty castle, in the parish of Monifieth ; Red
castle, at the head of Lunan bay ; Airlie castle, in
the parish of Airlie ; Finhaven castle, in the parish
of Oathlaw ; Invermark castle and Edzel castle, in
Glen Esk ; Kelly castle, near Arbroath ; and Affleck
castle, in the parish of Monikie. But owing to the
lands connected with them having passed into the
possession of new proprietors, most of these ruined
baronial strengths have fallen greatly into decay.
The only Druidical circle in the county is at Pits-
canlie, about 2 miles north-east of Forfar. Interest-
ing remains of ancient ecclesiastical edifices occur in
the cathedral of Brechin, the monastery of Arbroath,
the tower of Dundee, and the priory of Restennel
near Forfar. Smaller monastic edifices in Dundee,
Montrose, Brechin, and other places, have, in most
instances, wholly disappeared.
Christianity was introduced to Angus by the Cul-
dees. But the congregations which they organized,
and the edifices which they constructed, were ?ooi
seized and remodelled by the emissaries and priest.'
of Rome. A considerable part of the county wa<
annexed to the diocese of St. Andrews, and a par
of it to that of Dunkeld. But Brechin was the sea
of a bishop, who, though intrusted with only a
FOIl
57 i
FOR
diocese, seems to have been provided with opulent
revenues. His property, at the epoch of the Refor-
mation, is said to have yielded, in money and kind,
£700 a-year, — a sum which was then equal to £7,000
at the present day. A very large proportion of the
lands of the county, besides property beyond its
bounds, belonged to the monks of Arbroath. Most
of the parish-churches of modern date are neat, com-
modious, and even elegant. But even Dissenting
meeting-houses, built by voluntary subscription, far
excel the old parish-churches ; and, in several in-
stances in the towns, are architecturally adorned.
A larger proportion of the population of Angus, and
of the adjacent shire of Mearns, than probably of
any other district of Scotland, are Episcopalians ;
and they render their numbers, or at least their re-
sources, noticeable, by presenting to the tourist a
more frequent recurrence of Episcopal chapels than
is usual in Scotland.
The civil history of Forfarshire possesses hardly a
distinctive feature, and, excepting a few facts which
properly belong to the history of its towns, is blend-
ed in the general history of the counties north of
Forth. At the period of the Anglo-Saxon coloniza-
tion, when the feudal or baronial system was intro-
duced, the strangers whose descendants continue to
figure most conspicuously in the county were the
Lyons, the Maules, and the Carnegies. Sir John
Lyon, a gentleman of Norman extraction, having
married a daughter of King Robert II., obtained,
among other grants, the castle and lands of Glammis,
" propter laudabili et fidelia servitio, et continuis
laboribus ;" and was the founder of the noble family of
Lords of Glammis and Earls of Strathmore. Guarin
de Maule came from Normandy with William the
Conqueror. Robert, one of two sons who survived
him, followed Earl David, afterwards king, into
Scotland. Roger, the second son of this Robert,
married the heiress of William de Valoniis, Lord of
Panmure, and Chamberlain of Scotland under Alex-
ander II. From this marriage sprang the Maules,
10 were afterwards Earls of Panmure.
'ORGAN, a parish in Fifeshire, anciently called
Phillan's, from the church having been dedicated
that saint. It lies on the south side of the Tay,
A reen that river and the parishes of Leuchars and
ie. It is of an oblong figure of rather irregular
>, about 5 miles in length from east to west, at
southern boundary ; but only 3£ miles on its nor-
boundary next the Tay. Its breadth, from
to south, is from 1 to 2 miles. On the south
parish is bounded by the parishes of Kilmany,
Lo^ie, and Leuchars ; on the east by Ferry-port-on-
Crai^ ; on the north by the estuary of the Tay ; and
on the west, by the parish of Balmerino. The sur-
face presents a succession of heights and intervening
hollows which give it a pleasing aspect; and in
several places, such as St. Fort and Tayfield, where
it is ornamented with a great deal of fine wood, it is
exceedingly beautiful and picturesque. At St. Fort,
ind at Newton, are the highest hills in the parish,
which rise about 300 feet above the Tay. In gen-
eral, the coast along the Tay is bold and rocky, ris-
ing from 30 to 50 feet above the beach ; and along
the brow of these rocks, for some way both east and
west from Newport, a number of elegant marine vil-
las have been erected, which, with their gardens and
shrubberies, add greatly to the interest of this por-
tion of the landscape. The villas have chiefly been
erected by merchants and others belonging to Dun-
dee, for the benefit of sea-bathing during the sum-
mer. From this rocky coast, and from the summit
of the ridge of hills which descend from the south
towards the Tay, are fine views of Dundee, and of
the opposite shire of Forfur The soil is generally
fertile. The greater part is black loam and clayey
earth ; but other portions are light and gravelly.
The parish altogether contains about 5,000 acres ; of
which nearly 4,000 are under regular cultivation,
370 acres in grass, 360 in wood, and 250 unarable.
The rent of ground is from £1 to £3 per acre; but
some parks near the Tay rent as high as £4 per acre.
The valued rent of the parish is £5,145 6s. 8d. Scots.
The real rent, in 1794, was £2,873 sterling; and in
1815, the annual value of property assessed, was
£6,064 sterling. There are several salmon-fishings
in the parish, carried on by the net and coble, which
altogether, however, do not rent far above £150 per
annum. The salmon are either sold in the neigh-
bourhood or in Dundee, or are packed in ice, and sent
by the Dundee ships to London. There is a brewery
at Woodhaven ; and about 20 individuals are employ-
ed in weaving linen for the manufacturers of Dun-
dee. Besides the ferry-harbour,* there are other two
harbours in the parish — one at Newport, the proper-
ty of Mr. Berry of Tayfield, and the other at Wood-
haven, the property of Mr. Stewart of St. Fort.
They admit vessels of from 100 to 150 tons, and are
both used for exporting the produce of the surround-
ing country, and for importing coals, lime, wood, and
other necessary articles. The nearest market-town
is Dundee, which is only separated by the Tay ; and
the market- town of Cupar and St. Andrews are about
11 miles distant from the most distant part of the
parish. The coaches between Edinburgh and the
north, and from Cupar to Dundee, as well as that
from St. Andrews to Dundee, pass through the par-
ish. The population, in 1755, was 751 ; in 1801, 916 ;
in 1831, 1090. Houses, in 1831, 211 This parish
is in the presbytery, of St. Andrews, and synod of
Fife. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £230 19s. 8d. ;
glebe 9 acres. The church of Forgan, which ancient-
ly belonged to the priory of St. Andrews, is beauti-
fully situated at the south-east extremity of the par-
ish. It is an old building, seated for about 350 ; but
it is in contemplation to erect a new building more in
accordance with the extent of the population, and in
a more central site than the present one. There is
a small Independent meeting-house near Newport
Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. The parish-school is
situated on the farm of Nether- Friarton, and is at-
tended by about 120 pupils. There is also a small
school near Woodhaven, at which about 30 children
are taught.
* Previous to 1822, there were two ferries across the Tay,
one at Newport, and one at Woodhaven, about a mile to the
west ; and from 1790, when a new turnpike-road was made to
the latter place, till 1808, it was the ferry chiefly resorted to.
Another turnpike having been constructed in that year to New.
port, which rendered it the most convenient point for passen-
gers from the south, that place became in time the principal re-
sort, and the ferry at Woodhaven became much less frequent-
ed. Up to this time, the boats used were small and inconve-
nient, and the ferry was not always accomplished without con
siderable danger. In 1819, an act of parliament was obtained,
by which trustees connected with the two counties of Fife and
Forfar were appointed, with authority to erect new piers, and
to procure boats better fitted for the passage, and otherwise to
improve and regulate the ferry. In IH^'2, a bteam-boat wan
jihired upon the ferry, which at first plied alternately between
Woodhaven and Newport; but, in !8->2, the passage to Wood-
haven was discontinued; after which the intercourse at the
ferry began rapidly to increase. A new act of parliament wan
rendered necessary to entitle the trustees to substitute one
Innding-place, and erect the necessary piers at Newport and at
Dundee. F,erry-harbours were accordingly formed at these
places, and new and improved steam-boats have since been
placed upon the station ; so that this ferry, from being one of
the worst and most dangerous, has now become one of the most
safe and convenient in the kingdom. The steam-boat, how-
ever, only plies through the day ; but for the convenience <>!
the public, the trustees maintain a large sail-boat, a pinnace,
and a yawl, with proper crews, which may be freighted at houra
when the pteam-boat does not ply. Since the improvements
have been introduced, the number of passengers have been in-
creased by 20.CKK), and the revenue has doubled. The revenue
for the year ending 31st December, 1834, was £4,844 5s. 5d, and
it has since considerably increased.
FOR
572
FOR
FORGANDENNY. a parish in Perthshire, near
the south-eastern boundary of the county. Its form
is nearly that of a slender parallelogram, stretching
north and south, but sending off a considerable stripe
south-westward from its south-west angle. It is
bounded on the north by the Earn, which divides it
from Aberdalgie and a detached part of Forteviot ;
on the east by Dumbarny, Dron, and Arngask ; on
the south by a second detached part of Forteviot
and by Kinross-shire ; and on the west by Dunning
and the main body of Forteviot. Its greatest length
is about 8 miles, and its greatest breadth 3 or 3£ ; but
apart from its south-westward stripe, it is only'about
5 miles long. The northern division is part of the
rich beautiful valley called Strath earn ; and though
it rises gradually as it recedes southward, it is on the
whole level. The southern division runs up among
the Ochills, and is hilly and upland, and occasionally
incrusted with rocks ; yet it cannot be regarded as a
rocky or sterile region, most of its hills being, with
the exception of patches of heath, furze, and broom,
clothed in grass. The Earn, along the northern
boundary, describes some of those graceful curves,
and forms some of those beautiful peninsulas, for
which it has been so much admired ; and produces
salmon, different sorts of trout, pike, perch, eel, and
flounders. May water comes down upon the extre-
mity of the south-western stripe, forms for 2 miles
its north-west boundary-line, runs across it to the
village of Path-of-Condie, forms for J of a-mile its
south-east boundary, receives from the east a rill
which had flowed 2| miles along the boundary of the
parallelogram, and now intersects the parish for 2|
miles in a direction west of north, and leaves it on
the west side at Torrance. Besides containing eels,
smelt, and some flounders, it plentifully produces a
very finely flavouied trout about the size of a herring.
Both the Earn and the May sometimes overflow
their banks on the strath ; but they amply compen-
sate any damage they inflict, by their richly rnanurial
deposits. Whinstone for building, and iron-stone,
abound. A species of limestone occurs on the banks
of the May. In the wood of Condie among the
Ochills, copper, lead, and silver ores have been found.
In the southern or upland division, the soil consists
of reddish clay, black earth, and sand ; and is, for the
most part, light and better adapted to produce oats
than any other sort of grain. In the northern division,
much of the surface is carse-ground, and this is con-
tinued along Strathearn, through the north-eastward
parishes to the carse of Gowrie, — that carse and the
carse of Strathearn being interrupted in their con-
tinuity only by the channel of the Tay. The grounds
immediately on the Earn are sandy meadow-land;
but those beyond them have a soil of rich black earth
and clay, and carry luxuriant crops of every sort of
agricultural produce. On the estate of Lord Ruth-
ven, not far from the mineral springs of Pitcathlie,
is a medicinal fountain similar to these springs in its
properties. The waters are moderately cathartic,
arid give relief chiefly in cases of rheumatism and scur-
vy. On the estate of Mr. Oliphant of Rossie, is
another medicinal spring, — a chalybeate. In the
west border of the low part of the parish are traces
of a fortification which may have been an outpost of
the Romans while they were in Strathearn. On a
height above the May, at the hamlet of Ardargie, is a
square 270 feet in extent on each side, naturally de-
fended on one side by a deep hollow traversed by a
brook, artificially defended on the other sides by
trenches 14 feet deep and about 30 feet wide, and
called, from time immemorial, ' the Roman Camp.'
Upwards of a mile south of the village of Forgan-
ilenny, on the summit of a lofty conical hill, called
Castle-luw, are extensive remains of what is suppos-
ed to have been a Danish fortification. Vestiges of
a circular stone-wall describe a circumference of
about 1,500 feet; and they enclose remains of build-
ings, and appear to have been defended by several
outworks. The site of the fortification commands a
view of all Strathearn and the carse of Gowrie to
the Grampian mountains on the west, all the country
to the north of the Tay or the German ocean on
the east, a great part of Forfarshire and Perthshire
on the north-east and north, and the tops of the Lo-
mond hills on the south. The principal mansions are
Newtown, Rossie, Freeland, and Torrance. Besides
the village of Forgandenny, are the villages of PATH-
OF-CONDIE and ARDARGIE : which see. Forganden-
ny, the most considerable village, is situated between
the houses of Freeland and Rossie, about a mile from
the Earn ; and is divided into two parts by the in-
tersecting course of a brook. It is the site of the
parish-church, and is inhabited by artisans and la-
bourers, and has a population of 120. The parish,
except in the south-eastern part of its main body, is
well-provided with roads. Population of that por-
tion in Perthshire, in 1801, 914; in 1831, 917.
Houses 162. Assessed property, in 1815, £7,077.
The population of that part of the parish which is
in Kinross-shire was 32 in 1831. Assessed property
£275. Houses 6 Forgandenny is in the presby-
tery of Perth, and synod of Perth and Stirling. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £199 11s. lid.: glebe
£15. According to an ecclesiastical survey in 1838,
the population then consisted of 702 churchmen and
181 dissenters, — in all 883. The parish-church is of
great but unascertained antiquity, and has recently
undergone considerable repairs. Sittings 410. — An
United Secession congregation at Path-of-Condie,
was established in 1 755, and assembles in a place of
worship built in 1758. Sittings 380. Stipend £60,
with a house and glebe worth £20. — Parochial school-
master's salary £34 4s. 4id., with £10 fees, and
£2 10s. other emoluments. The parish-school is
attended by a maximum of 93 scholars ; and a non-
parochial school by a maximum of 86.
FORGIE. See ARNGASK.
FORGLEN, a parish in Banffshire, bounded on
the north by Alvah ; on the east and south-east by
the Deveron water, which separates it from Aber-
deenshire ; and on the south-west and west by Mar-
noch. Its form is rectangular ; length from north-
west to south-east, 5£ miles ; breadth 3| ; area about
12 square miles. Houses 164. Assessed property,
in 1815, £1,394. Population, in 1801, 605; in 1831,
820. Alvah was, at one time, joined to this parish;
but, in the first half of the 17th century, it was
erected into a separate parish, and an annexation,
quoad civilia et sacra, was made to it from the ad-
joining parish of Marnoch. It is sometimes called
St. Eunon's or Teunan's parish, from a saint of that
name, to whom a chapel, the remains of which still
exist, is said to have been dedicated. The surface
is beautifully varied with gently rising grounds, hav-
ing a gradual slope towards the south-west, where
the river Deveron forms the boundary. The soil is
light and fertile, and the greater part is under a state
of high agricultural improvement. It is well-shelter-
ed by woods and hills, which, with the genial nature
of the soil, render the climate decidedly mild. Clay-
slate is quarried in several places ; and there are some
mills. Forglen and Carnousie are elegant mansions.
Forglen castle, a very old structure, stands on the
banks of the Deveron, in a most beautiful and ro-
mantic situation. There are here some cairns and
the ruins of the castle of Gartly. — This parish is in the
presbytery of Turriff, and synod of Aberdeen. Pa-
tron, Sir R. Abercromby, Bart. Stipend £1 75 5s.
10d. ; glebe £14. — Schoolmaster's salary, £34 4s.
FOK
573
FOR
in length, and 1\ in breadth, and contains about 9
square miles. Houses 798. Assessed property of
burgh and parish, in 1815, £4,216. Population, in
1801, 3,114; in 1831, 3,895; in 1837, according to
a census taken by the minister and session-clerk,
3,680. The parish, even at the date of the Old
Statistical Account, was almost all " one continued
rich arable well-cultivated field." It is at present
in a state of the highest cultivation, yielding crops
equal to any in Scotland. " In point of situation
and climate," says the Old Statistical Account, "it
is inferior to no part of Scotland. The air is dry,
serene, and healthy — less rain falls here than in most
other parts in the kingdom ; the showers being at-
tracted by the Moray frith on the north, and on the
south by the hills which divide Moray from Strath-
spey." The Findhorn, and the burn of Forres, are
the only streams in the parish. The latter flows
past the west end of the town of Forres, and drives
several mills. The fishing, in the river and bay of
Findhorn, is of. much importance to the district.
Salmon, trout, flounders, and eels, are caught, and
in the frith, abundance of haddocks. — This parish is
in the presbytery of Forres, and synod ot Moray.
Patron, the Earl of Moray. Stipend £274 3s. 2d. ;
glebe £22. Church built in 1775; sittings 920. Un-
appropriated teinds £423 13s. 2d __ A United Seces-
sion congregation was established in the parish in
1768. Minister's stipend £130, with £10 for com-
munion elements. Chapel built in 1812; sittings 712.
— An Independent congregation was established in
1800. Minister's stipend £60. Chapel built in 1802;
sittings 500. — Schoolmaster's salary £40, with a house
and garden, and £22 fees and other emoluments.
There are 19 private schools, attended, in 1834, by
559 scholars. " Of the schools not parochial, (one
of which is an academy conducted by four teachers
and two assistants, and another a boarding-school,
wherein are five teachers,) the instruction consists
of reading, writing, arithmetic, book-keeping, mathe-
matics, Latin, Greek, French, Italian, drawing, and
music. There are about 160 persons in the parish,
above 15 years of age, who cannot read ; but nearly
all of these are strangers from the Highland districts
of the country."*
The most interesting antiquities in this parish are
the celebrated ' Sweno's stone,' or the Forres pillar,
and the witches' stone. The Forres pillar is a mag-
nificent Runic obelisk, of dark grey stone, on the
north side of the Findhorn road, about half-a-mile
to the east of the burgh of Forres, — the position in
which, in all probability, this enormous slab was ori-
ginally placed. The stone steps around the base
were placed as supports to the pillar by a Countess
of Moray, Lady Ann Campbell, about a century ago.
The stone itself is a hard grey sandstone, 23 feet in
height above ground, and at least 3 feet, but said to
be 14 feet, additional, in depth, under ground; the
breadth, at the base, is 4 feet ; the thickness, about
15 inches. On the northern side, as represented in
* The Rev. Mr. John M'Donnel, writer of the Old Statistical
Arc-mint, has favoured ua with the following rather amusing
moralization ou the progress of civilization and extravagance
in this parish, end of last century. " Manner* — About 50
years ago there were only 3 tea-kettles in Forres • at present
there are not less than 300! The blue bonnets of Forres were
then famous for good rredit, and at that period there were only
6 people with hats in the town : now above 400 ! Happy for
our country did we keep pare in virtuous improvement, with
the extravagant refinement adopted in dress and manners.
About 30 years ago, 30s. would have purchased a complete
holiday-suit of clothing for a labouring servant : according to
the present mode of dress, it will require at least £5 to equip
him." From the virtuous indignation here manifested at the
fearful inroad of hats and tea-kettles, it must surely follow,
that the worthy minister would condescend to no such new-
roper person, but continued stilt
bend o'er a bicker,1 himself, sa of
fangled practices in his own proper person, but continued stilt
to • doff a blue bonnet,' and ' bend o'er a bic
574
FORRES.
the careful and interesting drawings of it presented
by Mr. Alexander, in the ' Sketches of Moray,' there
is carved a long cross ; the branches at the top being
within a circle. The cross, and the entire lateral
spaces, are most ingeniously and elaborately carved,
in intricate and endless convolutions representing
the Runic knot. Below are two figures with human
heads but grotesque forms, bending over something
intermediate, as if in prayer, while a smaller human
figure stands behind each. All these figures have
broad caps or bonnets on their heads. On the south
side are five divisions, each filled up with numerous
figures in relief, some of them apparently proces-
sional, or representing troops on foot and mounted,
with captives, male and female, bound together.
The edges are richly carved in Runic knots, and, at
the base, on one side, are human forms, some of
which appear to be females, grouped in couples.
This obelisk is decidedly one of the most remarkable
of ancient date in Britain; and it bears every ap-
pearance of having owed its origin to a period of
remote antiquity. There are various traditions re-
garding it ; but it is supposed either to commemorate
a pacification, here concluded between Malcolm II.
and Sweno, the Danish invader, about the beginning
of the llth century; or the murder of King DufFus,
in the castle of Forres, and the execution of the
murderers. The character of the figure seems to
favour the latter tradition. — the traditionary name of
the obelisk, the former The * Witches' stane' was
that on which the unfortunate beings accused of
witchcraft were wont to suffer. It is also situated
to the eastward of the burgh of Forres on the road-
side. " Some years ago, when the turnpike-road
was in progress," says Mr. Rhind, " the workmen
proceeded to break down this mass of stone, when
the townspeople, discovering the depredation, and
attached to a relic of bygone times, immediately
caused it to be clasped with iron, in which state it
still remains." — On the south-eastern side of the
burgh of Forres, is a small glen, between the Cluny
hills and the straggling houses on the Rafford road,
which is known by the extraordinary soubriquet of
Hell's-hole-valley. The Cluny hills, observe the
commissioners on municipal burghs, "have been
judiciously planted by the burgh, and walks formed
through them by private subscription, open to all
the inhabitants ; an appropriation of burgh-property
which might with advantage be more generally imi-
tated." On one of these eminences is a lofty Pharos,
commemorative of Nelson and the battle of Trafal-
gar. To the site of it an excellent winding road
conducts the traveller from the town. The tower
is an octagonal fabric, on a diameter of 24 feet in-
cluding the walls at the base, raised to the height of
70 feet, and completed by a battlement and a flag-
staff. " The view from the top of this tower," says
Mr. Rhind, " embraces the richly wooded and fertile
plains to the west, through which winds the Find-
horn, the undulating hills to the south, a large open
country to the east, and the blue waters of the
ocean flowing upon the north, bounded, in the dis-
tance, by the Sutherland and Ross-shire hills, and
the two Sutors, which guard the entrance to the
bay of Cromarty, forming a combination of rich and
varied scenery which few situations can rival. " Skrine,
approaching Forres from Elgin, thus describes the
landscape, after fording the Lossie, and traversing
the heath on which Macbeth is supposed to have
encountered the weird sisters: "Forres, when we
could find room to view it, presented a neat town,
pleasantly situated between two little hills, and at
a small distance from the great ridge of moors which
forms the outwork of the Highlands towards this
coast. A country well- wooded, and admirably cul-
tivated, lay between them, and the forest of Tarna-
way [Darnaway], with the noble towers of its ancient
castle, the seat of the Earl of Murray, stood forward
in the landscape, presenting a great contrast to the
barren and uriornamented districts we had passed.
Towards the sea the change was not less observable,
the grand display of the northern bay of Scotland
became confessed to view, the objects which form
the outline of it being scarcely to be matched in any
country. The high point called the Pap of Caith-
ness, with the Ord and its adjoining ridge of hills,
forms the extreme horn of this bay toward the north,
the indented points of the hills of Sutherland follow
next, and the entrance of the great frith of Dornoch
is visible between them and the low projecting pro-
montory of Tarbat-Ness, which seems to lose itselt
in the sea. Throughout the interior parts of the
country innumerable ridges of hills extend themselves
over the horizon between the hollow of this aper
ture, and forming themselves into a bold amphi-
theatre round it, close in again at length with the
coast, terminating abruptly in the two lofty rocks
called the Sutors of Cromarty. Through these
noble portals enters a narrow channel, which expand
itself in sight into the beautiful inland bay of the
frith of Cromarty, capable of containing all the
navies of Europe within its sweetly wooded shores,
studded with a variety of towns and villages, decked
with every possible beauty of cultivation, and orna-
mented with a profusion of gentlemen's seats. Im-
mediately beneath the rocks which enclose this
basin the frith of Murray expands itself to the left
till it becomes lost amidst the great mountains of
Ross-shire and Inverness towering into the clouds,
and rising in an infinite variety of pointed summits.
The royal burgh of FORRES, in the above par-
ish, is delightfully situated on a fertile plain, in a
vicinity celebrated as a rich corn- district, with undu-
lating hilly ground to the south, and a sloping valley,
extending, by a gentle declivity, to the north, where
the river Findhorn, sweeping round from the south-
west, forms its estuary with the sea. Forres is
3 miles south of its sea-port, Findhorn ; 12 west
by south of Elgin j 21 west of Fochabers; 27
north-east of Inverness ; 75 north-west of Aber-
deen ; and 157 north- west of Edinburgh. At the
distance of 12 miles westward, it bears a pretty
close resemblance to Elgin; and though it contains
only about half the population — in 1801 , it amounted
only to about 2,400, and, in 1831, to 3,424— yet
at first sight it appears nearly as large as Elgin.
The green elevation which nature presented at its
western end, as an admirable situation for a castle,
and the excellent land extending every way around
it, may, as in the case of Elgin, have determined
the situation, long before even the idea of com-
merce or of its advantages had been formed. The
Forres burn, a considerable stream from the hills
in the vicinity, embraces half the circumference of
the base of the castle-hill, and winds close behind
the town, on its northern side, adorned at either
end by a neat stone-brii.ge. The town consists
principally of one long high street, extending for
nearly 800 yards along the great road to Inver-
ness, which leads hence through Elgin on the east,
and Nairn on the west. There are lanes or closes
running off on each side ; the northern terminating
in a crooked back-street, and two or three of the
southern uniting by scattered houses in the Rafford
road, leading out to the Cluny hills and Hell's-holi
valley. Several villas have been erected in the
vicinity of the town. The streets are neat and clean,
and supplied by pump- wells with water. The houses
in general are modern and well-built, mostly of three
stories, though several of the lower habitations of «
FOR11ES.
575
preceding age yet reman., with their gable ends to
the street. There are here, however, none of the
line old piazzaed edifices still to be seen in Elgin, and
indeed there are fewer remains of antiquity either
domestic or ecclesiastical. The Forres pillar, already
described, is the principal antiquity near the town —
but an interesting and celebrated one it certainly is.
Forres is the seat of a presbytery. The church, at
the western extremity of the High-street, is a plain
edifice. There is a Secession chapel in the north
back- street, or road. There are also places of wor-
ship for Episcopalians and Independents ; and some
religious and benevolent, and a number of friendly,
societies in this town. Anderson's institution, an
excellent academical seminary for the youth of this
burgh, and of RafFord and Kinloss, is a neat and
commodious structure erected in the south-eastern
part of the town, near Forres house, within the last
20 years, from a fund left by Jonathan Anderson,
Esq., of Glasgow, a native of the town. The sum
annually arising from the foundation is somewhat
short of £130. It is in the patronage of the corpora-
tion. There is a free class on the foundation.
Anderson's institution is the academy conducted ~by
four teachers and two assistants, noticed in the par-
ish returns : which see. The boarding-school there
alluded to is also in the town of Forres ; together
with several other private schools, two ladies' board-
ing-schools, and another female school. The excel-
lence of its provision for education, as well as the
salubrity of its climate, and the cheapness of living,
induce many families to reside here. Forres has a
literary society, a news-room, a subscription-library,
two mason-lodges, and a Trafalgar club.
In the centre of the town is the new jail, a very
handsome structure, recently erected. The old jail,
which occupied the same position, was built about
the year 1 700. It is not known when Forres was
erected into a royal burgh, as the more ancient charters
were lost, or destroyed before the end of the 15th cen-
tury. There is, however, evidence, from various
sources, that it had obtained the privileges of a royal
burgh as early as the reign of William the Li on, or Alex-
ander II. Robert I. granted a charter to his nephew,
Thomas Ranulph, of the earldom of Moray, but this
burgh, as well as Elgin, and Invernairn, though they
were to hold of the Earl, were ordained, in other
respects, to enjoy their old liberties. In the reign
of James IV., Forres obtained a new infeftment,
granting to the community the privileges of a free
burgh, the exclusive jurisdiction of a sheriffship, and
power to hold a weekly market, and yearly fair, with
right to dues and customs. A ratification by parlia-
ment, in 1607, of the charters of the earldom of
Moray, in favour of James, Earl of Moray, parti-
cularly excepts the burgh-mails of Elgin and Forres,
which had previously been claimed by the Earls,
thenceforth to remain with the Crown. The boundary
of the royalty — a circuit of about 15 miles — was per-
ambulated in 1840. The town-council is composed of
1 7 members, — a provost, three bailies, a dean-of-guild,
a treasurer, and 11 councillors. Previous to the
burgh reform act, there was no provision against the
reappointment of the council and magistrates ; and,
in practice, they were frequently continued in office
for many years. The burgh is still possessed of
considerable property, although it had alienated, at
an early period, and for trifling feu-duties, property
in l.ind and fishings which has of late become of
very great value. Corporation revenue, in 1832,
£619 19s. 9d., of which £388 9s. 9d. were from
land rents, £4:2 from petty customs and market-dues,
&c. Debts, £941 10s. 4d. nearly compensated by
other debts due to the corporation. Of the debt,
"~ 12s. 3d. were judiciously expended on public
£542 12s. 3d.
roads, and on a new bridge across the Findhorn,
in the room of that carried away by the floods of
1829. Fixed annual expenditure of the burgh, in
1832, £285 Is. 9d. Incidental expenditure for im-
provements, charities, &c., £240 17s. Id. Revenue,
in 1838-9, £592; in 1839-40, £1,558. It is not known
that the exclusive jurisdiction of sheriffship was at any
time exercised. The ordinary jurisdiction of the ma-
gistrates, which extends over the royalty, including
the whole town, is in practice confined, in civil mat-
ters, to actions for debt ranging from £5 to £30, in-
terdicts, poindings, &c. The principal patronage con-
sists of the corporation offices, and the schools. There
have been no incorporations of trades in this burgh.
The guildry was disconnected from the body of the
burgesses. The town is joined with Inverness,
Fortrose, and Nairn, in returning a member to par-
liament: constituency, in 1839, 155; in 1840, 132.
Forres has no manufactures, unless it be, among
other unimportant articles, that of straw-plait for
ladies' bonnets. It used to export great quantities of
linen yarn : in 1 784, 70,290 spyndles were sent away ;
but, on the increase of the cotton manufacture, this
trade declined. The FINDHORN — which see — is only
navigable for boats as far as the tide flows ; but did
the commerce and manufactures of Forres require it,
"there is no place," remarks the writer of the Old
Statistical Account of the parish, " where a canal
might be more easily made."* The general trade
carried on is by no means extensive, however ; but
weekly markets are held on Tuesday and Friday,
and there are several annual fairs. There is a branch
of the British Linen Company's bank in the town.
This town must have been a place of some note
at a very early period. It is in all probability the
Varris of Ptolemy's chart Boethius, too, so early
as the year 535, makes mention of it as a burgh hav-
ing merchants, who, for some trifling cause, were put
to death, and their goods confiscated to the king's
use. Far-ius, ' near the water,' is probably the
Gaelic derivation of the name. During the ninth
and tenth centuries, it was frequently visited by the
Scottish kings. Donald, the son of Constantine,
was slain at Forres. Malcolm frequently resided in
the vicinity, and was killed, in 959, at Ulern, which
Shaw supposes was Aldern. King Duffus, as already
noticed, was murdered in the castle of Forres by
Donevaldthe governor, about the year 966; his body,
according to Boethius and Buchanan, being interred
under the bridge of Kinloss. This murder is a me-
morable incident, and the spot on which it was com-
mitted is an object of no little interest and curiosity
from the certainty that Shakspeare made noble use
of it in his dramatic version of the murder of King
Duncan by Macbeth. The genius of Shakspeare,
indeed, has immortalized the town of Forres. It is
the scene of a great part of the tragedy of Mac-
beth; and it was on a "blasted" heath in the vi-
cinity that that singular hero, along with Banquo —
» «« From Forres to the mouth of the bay of Findhorn," lie
adds, " the distance does not exceed 3 miles; the tide flows
in the basin more than half that distance : and the level of the
tromid, at the foot of the eminence on which the town of Tor-
res stands, does not exceed the level of half-tide by 14 feet;
that depth of a canal would carry boats and lighters at liiK'i
water to the town ; and such a canal would have the ad-
vantage of the burn of Forres to keep it clear. The basin al-
ready mentioned is a triangular piece of low ground, partly of
that kind of stiff day noil called carse-ground ; and partly of
fine compact sand, mixed with light particles of earth washed
down by the floods. It is all dry at low water, except the
channel i.f the river, and a little fpace at the inlet at high-
water. Us circumference will be at least 7 miles, and contains
more than 2 square miles of ground, all of which might be re-
covered from the sea, except what is necessary for a channel to
the fresh water streams. A bar of sand, which stretches across
the mouth of the river, prevents any Mirge from entering the
basin ; so that an embankment would have no weight of waU>r
to sustain, but the small fetch of the lake itself."
FOR
576
FOR
according to all the old historians, whom Shakspean
eopied — met the weird sisters who gave him so
many fatal "words of promise to the ear:" — see
article DYKE and MOY. In consequence of the atro-
cious murder of Duffus, Forres castle, which had
long been a royal fortress, was demolished ; but, at
a period much later — that of the civil war — another
was founded on the same site, of which second erec-
tion the vaulted or lower story still exists, and the
few dilapidated walls which remain evince the bold
and stately aspect of the ancient structure. In 1346,
Randolph, Earl of Moray, dates his charters from this
castle. During some subsequent period, the Ur-
quharts of Cromarty were appointed heritable keepers
of it. In still later times it became the property of
the Dunbars of Westfield, and it has now passed into
the possession of the Earl of Seafield. Like the
castle on Lady hill, at Elgin, it was, in all proba-
bility, a strong square tower, with battlements,
and a moat surrounding it, and served as a place
of defence and safety during those turbulent periods.
From the esplanade surrounding the ruin a fine
view of the surrounding country is obtained, with
the river Findhorn, crossed by a very handsome
bridge, running immediately behind the eminence.
After the establishment of the bishopric of Elgin,
Forres does not appear to have kept up its ancient
consequence so much as Elgin, which then became
the centre of the ecclesiastical establishments of
the province, and the resort of the country gentry:
. — see article ELGIN. It was the seat of the arch-
deacon, however, and had a parsonage dedicated to
St. Lawrence. There was a chapel also, a mile
south of the town, arid one at Logic.
FORSA, a small island in Argyleshire, adjacent
to the island of Easdale. It abounds with slate, and
its mineralogy is similar to that island.
FORSE, a considerable river in Caithness, which
takes its rise in the parish of Halkirk, nearly in the
centre of the county, and running north, discharges
itself into the Pentland frith, at a small village to
which it gives its name.
FORT (THE). See EYEMOUTH.
FORTEVIOT AND MUCKERSIE, an united
parish, consisting of three separate and considerably
distant sections in the south-east part of Perthshire.
The smallest section lies 2J miles east of the nor-
thern part of the largest section or main body;
measures If mile from west to east, and 1£ mile
from north to south ; and is bounded on the north by
the parish of Perth ; on the east by Dunearn ; on the
south by Dunearn and Forgandenny ; and on the west
by Aberdalgie. The Earn is the southern boundary-
line, and is here profuse in its opulence of fishy pro-
duce, of sinuous beauty of movement, and of valu-
able alluvial deposit. The district may be described
in two clauses ; it is part of the fine carse of Strath-
earn, and part of the environs of "the fair city" of
Perth. The section of the parish second in extent,
lies U mile south-east of the southern extremity of
the main body ; has an ellipsoidal form of 2 miles by
1| ; and is bounded on the north-west and north by
Forgandenny, and on all other sides by Kinross-shire.
May water traces its boundary f of a-mile on the
north-west, and a rilly tributary of that stream 1^
mile on the north. The district lies wholly among
the Ochill hills, but possesses, in general, their dis-
tinctive features. The largest section or main body
of the parish, has on the north the form of a square
H mile deep, attached, over one-half of its southern
side to one-half of the base of an isosceles triangle,
the other half projecting eastward; and the triangle
measures nearly 2 miles at its base, and 3J miles on
its south-eastern and south-western sides, and points
its apex to the south. The square part is bounded
on the west by Cask ; on the north by Tippermuir
and on the east by Aberdalgie ; and the triangula
part is bounded on the south-east by Forgandenny
and on the south-west by Dunning. The line of se
paration between the square and, the triangle is th
river Earn. That stream here intersects the distric
eastward, distributing favours the same in kind as i
the eastern section of the parish, but probably less i
degree. The river May comes down upon the dis
trict from the south, forms for half-a-mile the easten
boundary-line ; then, making a sudden bend, runs
mile into the interior, and then, making another de
bouch, runs l£ mile northward to the Earn, splittirij
its waters and forming an islet at its point of influx
This little river, gathering its waters among th
Ochills, and now rioting at will, and in beautifu
meanderings in the rich level of Strathearn, fre
quently swells to a great size, and comes down h
devastating floods. North of the Earne are some fin<
plantations ; and on the left bank of the May is situ
ated the mansion of Invermay, one of the most pleas
ant and romantic seats in Strathearn. Among th<
extensive plantations and natural woods which sur
round it, the birch or birk holds a conspicuous place
and perpetuates the remembrance of the scenery de
scribed in the ballad to which it gave rise, — " Th<
Birks of Invermay." In the vicinity, on the banks
and in the water-course of the stream, are natura
curiosities and glittering cascades which challenge th<
attention and delight of strangers : See MAY. Haly-
hill, in this parish, was once a royal residence, bill
the building is now hardly traceable. The roads froir
Dunning to Perth, and to the Bridge of Earn, and front
Auchterarder to Perth, traverse the main body of th<
parish ; and one of them is here carried over the Earr
on a stone bridge of 6 arches. Population, in 1801
786 ; in 1831, 624. Houses 1 12. Assessed property
in 1815, £6,662 Forteviot and Muckersie is in tht
presbytery of Perth, and synod of Perth and Stir-
ling. Patrons, the TJniversity of St. Andrews, and
the Belches of Invermay. Two-thirds of the popu-
lation were estimated by the parish minister, in 1
to belong to the Establishment, and one-third to
long to other denominations. The parish-church
built about the year 1778, and has not since been
terially altered. Stipend £244 9s. 9d. ; glebe £6 1
Unappropriated teinds £45 18s. Schoolmaster's
lary £34 4s. 4Jd., with about £16 fees. The minis-
ter stated the entire population of the parish, in 1838,
to be 600 ; that of the eastern section 83; that of tht
southern section 77 ; and that of the main body 440.
FORTH (THE), a large and beautiful river inter-
secting two-thirds of the breadth of Scotland, am
flowing eastward from Benlomond to the Germar
sea. Its head-waters are gathered into two mair
or parent-streams, which rise respectively in Stir-
lingshire and Perthshire, from points mutually dis-
tant, north-eastward and south-westward, about {
miles. The southern stream wells up on the north
ern side of Benlomond, in the parish of Buchanan
If mile east of Scotland's boasted lake, Lochlo
mond ; and, bearing the name of Duchray water, i
bounds away 5 miles south-eastward to the easten
verge of the parish of its nativity, wearing the rougl
cold dress of a mountain-rill. At this point it is les
than a mile distant from the kindred rill with whicl
it is destined to unite ; but now it begins for sonn
distance to recede from it, and, for still a greate
distance, to run coquetishly between Stirlingshir
and Perthshire, before briefly entering the latte
county, where the union of the streams takes place
Flowing a mile southward from the point where i
first touches Perthshire, it receives from the wes
the tiny tribute of a stream of 3j miles in length
which flows direct eastward to its embrace from th
I era side of Benlomond. A mile and three quar-
arther on, after a serpentine course south-east-
ward, it is joined from the south-west by Corigrinnon-
burn, a stream of 4$ miles in length. It now ceases to
touch Buchanan parish, and during 3i miles eastward,
divides Drymen on the south from Aberfoyle on the
north, — the former in Stirlingshire and the latter in
Perthshire. A little beyond the enlivening mansion
and demesne of Duchray castle on its right bank, it
runs off from Drymen a mile north-eastward into
Aberfoyle, and there, after an entire course of 1 !£
miles from its origin, forms a confluence with the
northern main head- water of the Forth. The latter
stream, though magnificent in the land of its origin,
and picturesque in the landscape of its banks, and ro-
mantic and frolicsome in its course, and altogether
unspeakably more interesting than the Duchray, and
abundantly entitled to the honour of being called the
'final Forth, expands the laky mantle of its wa-
and leaps along the declivity of its mountain
, in the strange predicament of an incognito ; for
d though the circumstance may appear — it seems
~nt a name, or, at all events, is known or deno-
d, not in its proper character and its entire
nt, but only in the localities of its hoarding up
its waters, and spreading out their golden and glitter-
ing beauties in the form of fascinating lakes. The
stream rises in two head-waters near the western
verge of the parish of Aberfoyle, at spots half-a-mile
1 '£ mile south of the joyously arrayed and joy-
sung and celebrated Loch Katrine ; and both
-waters, without making a previous confluence,
after the brief courses respectively of 1£ and
and If mile, become lost in the beautiful expanse of
Loch Con. This lake — overshadowed on one side
with uplands of stern aspect, protected and adorned
on the other by a broad array of plantation, variegat-
ed near the efflux of its waters, with an islet which
figures like a broach on its glassy bosom, and every-
where rife with eels and pike and trout — extends
south-eastward 2 miles, with an average breadth of
3 or 3i furlongs. Scarcely has the stream of its sur-
plus waters issued from its lower extremity, when it
expands in a lochlet, called Dow Loch, which seems
playfully imitative of the profuse beauty and fine
gracefulness of Loch Con ; and issuing thence, the
stream runs 1£ mile south-eastward, and then sudden-
ly plunges its diminutive flood into the ample and beau-
tiful waters, richly encinctured with grove and varie-
gated upland, of Loch Ard, extending 2£ miles west-
ward, with an average breadth of f of a mile, and
rich, like Loch Con, in the multitude of its finned in-
habitants. After its repose in the bosom of Loch
Ard, the stream comes impetuously forth, and makes
a magnificent leap over a rock nearly 30 feet high,
tossing up the spray, and at times reflecting the gor-
geous tints of at least a second-rate mountain cas-
cade ; and less than a mile onward, after an entire
though somewhat sinuous course of about 8£ miles,
unites with the waters of the Duchray.
The united stream, even in the energy of its com-
bined resources and those of its numerous little tri-
butaries, is not yet strong or honoured enough to as-
sume the name of the queenly Forth ; and during 5
miles of its course, when it begins to divide from each
other the counties of its respective head- waters, it is
known simply as the Avendow or Black river. All
toe way down to the point where the Avendow is
formed, its confluent waters are strictly mountain
brooks, moving garrulously along amongst the soli-
tudes and the occasional romance of Highland scene-
ry : and at the point of formation, as well as 2£ miles
onwards, where it leaves the parish of Aberfoyle, the
Avendow flows softly along a beautiful and fertile
"ey, called the Laggan, hemmed on both sides
I.
FORTH.
577
by a fine amphitheatre of hills, with a narrow open-
ing toward the south-east ; and through this opening
the river, after having passed some woody heights
and a beautiful round hill entirely covered with oak,
glides away to commence its remarkable and charac-
teristic serpentine evolutions in the champaign coun-
try which it henceforth traverses. After leaving
Aberfoyle, it flows 2£ miles south-eastward, through
the parish of Port-of-Monteath ; and there, struck by
Kelly water, coming down upon it from the west, it
takes a persevering direction, with the exception of
its constant and involving and often spacious sinuosi-
ties, almost due east, and here assumes its proper and
proud name of the Forth.
In the peninsula between the Avendow and the
Kelly, 1£ mile above their point of confluence where
they form what popular usage calls the Forth, stands
the mansion of Gartmore, commanding a view of
the magnificent plain below, 20 or 30 miles in ex-
tent, along which the noble river majestically pro-
ceeds. The river, after leaving the grounds of Gart-
more, divides, for 3 miles, the parishes of Drymen
and Balfron in Stirlingshire from that of Port-of
Monteath in Perthshire ; and then enters a southern
and territorially awkward projection of the latter
county, and, over a distance of 24^ miles geographi-
cally, or nearly 4 miles along the channel, divides the
Perthshire parishes of Port-of-Monteath on the north
and Kippen on the south. In this part of its course,
the scenery of the river and the far-off landscape
within view, are particularly fine. Its basin or val-
ley is a beautiful and luxuriant carse, richly cultivat-
ed and picturesquely enclosed and embellished with
numberless neat farm-steads, and smiling or stately
proprietorial mansions. Dusky spots which here and
there dot and streak the general verdure, delight by
contrast, and serve as a fine foil to the exulting love-
liness of the scene. The braes of Monteath rise on
the northern side like an amphitheatre, and a rugged
range of the Grampians, stretching from Benlomond
to the Ochills, curtains the wide landscape, and casts
down upon it from the horizon along the north a
shading of sublimity. Stirling castle, too, and the
rocks of Craigforth and Abbey craig appear away in
the east, like islands lifting their heads from a sea of
verdure and sylvan luxuriance, and often brilliantly
encompassed with the richest tints and the loveliest
forms of cloudy drapery, leading on the thoughts of
the tasteful and travelled observer to the bright blue
inland sea, and the magnificent panorama of Fife-
shire and the Lothians which he knows to lie beyond.
Leaving Kippin, or at least the main section of it
belonging to Perthshire, [see KIPPIN,] the Forth,
over a distance of 9 miles geographically, but pro-
bably over double that distance along the bends and
windings of its continual evolutions, divides the par-
ishes of Balfron, Gargunnock, and St. Ninians in
Stirlingshire, from those of Kilmadock and Kincar-
dine in Perthshire, receiving, just at the point of its
leaving Kilmadock, a tributary from the north-west
of about 8 miles length of water-course, and, at the
point of leaving Kincardine, the opulent tribute of
the beautiful TEITH : which see. So capriciously,
though gracefully, does the river move, that when
about to receive the Teith, or about 1£ mile above
their confluence, it departs from its usual easterly
direction, sends its windings away northward, and
eventually — as if eager to embrace the sister-stream
of beauty which is approaching — turns to the west
of north ; and, no sooner has it become united with
the Teith than, quite characteristically of its style
of movement, it suddenly debouches and resumes
its prevailing course toward the east. About 300
yards below the confluence the river bounds over
ledges of rock, called the Cruives of Craigforth,
2 o
573
FORTH.
which stretch across its channel ; and from this point
downward, it is stemmed by the tide, and begins to
bear aloft on its bosom the small craft of the inland
navigator. For 1| mile onward it intersects a very
small wing of Stirlingshire ; then receives from the
north the important tribute of ALLAN WATER, [which
see;] and then proceeds 1& mile geographically,
but about 2±- measuring along its channel, dividing
Stirling parish on the south from the Stirlingshire
part of Logie on the north, to the point where it
is spanned by the bridge on the great north-road
from Glasgow, and where it passes, a few hundred
yards from its right bank, the romantic town and
castle of Stirling. Over the latter part of its course,
or from a brief way after it enters the champaign
country, and especially after passing the Cruives of
Craigforth, it affords indications, in the flatness and
composition of its immediate banks, of having, at a
former period, expanded into an estuary and opened
a path for the ingress of the sea much higher up than
at present ; and along this space it is dark-coloured
in its waters, and solemn and sluggish in its current,
bearing — but for the picturesqueness of its back-
ground scenery, and the remarkable sinuosities of its
channel^-a somewhat close resemblance to the dull
and half-stagnant rivers of the level districts of Eng-
land. Up to Stirling bridge, known as a celebrated
pass, the river is navigated by sailing vessels of small
burden, and by steam-boats plying between this point
and Newhaven, — one of the ports of Edinburgh.
From Stirling to Alloa, the Forth divides the par-
ishes of Stirling and St. Ninians in Stirlingshire
from the parish of Logie in Perthshire, and that of
Alloa in Clackmannanshire. The distance along the
channel is 24 miles, but in a direct Line is only 6.
Along this distance it flows through the lovely plain
called the carse of Stirling and Falkirk, carpeted
with the most fertile soil, and dressed in the most
luxuriant vegetable garb in Scotland; and, while
soft and warm in the rich tints of its own nicely-
featured picture, so placed in a frame- work of low
hills on the south, and Stirling castle in the west,
and the majestic Ochills on the north, as to draw
down the prolonged and delighted gaze of even a
clownish observer. The sinuosities of the river — or
' links,' as they are here called — almost bewilder by
iheir union of excessive capriciousness and uniform
beauty; forming sweeps and curves and crescents
and nearly complete circles and graceful departures
of every sort, from the stern angle and the lank
straight line, which forcibly remind spectators, who
have read Burke on the Sublime and Beautiful, of that
philosopher's theory as to the elements of beauty.
Many peninsulae are embosomed in the watery fold-
ings, vying in their form and adornments with the
loveliness of the stream ; and on one of them, im-
mediately opposite Stirling, stands the tower of
CAMBUSKENNETH, [see that article,] the only rem-
nant of that venerable pile. Fertile fields, elegant
mansions, tastefully ornamented demesnes, almost
insulated by the turns of the river, the ruinous
abbey, the white sails of vessels, on the right hand
and the left, in front and in the rear, seeming to
glide among lawns and groves, — these, and the bril-
liant features of the background-scenery lull ennui
to sleep, and lure the powers of taste into sprightly
activity while a stranger ascends or descends the
stream. Nor is he less delighted with the amus-
ing puzzle in which he finds himself constantly
involved to keep a just or even a proximate reck-
oning of the relative positions of the objects which
chiefly challenge his attention ; for now he is sail-
ing direct away from Stirling castle, or any other
commanding feature of the landscape, and now he
is bearing down upon it right in front — he has it
now on his right hand and now on his left — again
recedes from it and again advances — and at length, in
utter though charming perplexity, he relinquishes all
effort to recognise the points of the compass. " In
this sinuous navigation," says Mr. Gilpin, " were the
mariner to trust entirely to the sails, he would have
to wait for the benefit of every wind round the com-
pass several times over." Half-a-mile above Tullie-
body house, or 2£ miles in a direct line above Alloa,
the river has become \ of a mile broad, and receives
from the north the large tribute of Devon water
[see article THE DEVON] ; and, between that point
and Alloa, it forms the beautiful islands, each about
half-a-mile in length, called Tulliebody and Alloa
inches.
At Alloa, situated on its left bank, the Forth re-
linquishes both its sinuosity of movement and its
fresh water character ; and, from this point, which
is the extremity of its proper or productive naviga-
tion, whither vessels come up of 300 tons burden,
it partakes the expansion and the other properties
of a gradually widening and far-stretching estuary.
From Alloa to a point on the same bank or shore
opposite the embouchure of the Avon, at the boun-
dary between Stirlingshire and West Lothian, it
flows south-east, over a distance of 7 miles, and
somewhat uniformly for a while, though more sud-
denly on the lower part of the distance increases
from half-a-mile to 2| miles in breadth, dividing the
parishes of Airth, Bothkennar, and Polmont in Stir-
lingshire, from those of Alloa and Clackmannan in
Clackmannanshire, and Tulliallan arid Culross in
Perthshire. On its northern shore it passes, 2^ miles
below Alloa, the village of Kennet-Paris, and 1£
mile farther on, the small town of Kincardine ; and,
on its southern shore, it receives, opposite Kincar-
dine, a considerable tributary, and 2| miles farther
down, at the village of Grangemouth, receives the
important waters of the Carron, and sends off inland,
away to the west coast of Scotland, the Forth and
Clyde canal, and again, at 2 miles distance, receives
the tribute of the beautiful Avon : See articles AVON
and CARRON. At this point, though 2| miles wide
at high-water, it is only 1 mile during the efflux
of the tide ; and at the mouth of the Carron and
commencement of the canal, it varies every 12 hours
from If mile to half-a-mile ; and all the way down
from Alloa to this point and several miles below it
presents alternate appearances of a brilliant expan-
sion of water, between wide stretches of verdant
landscape pressing close upon its margins, and dreary
lugubrious wastes of sands and sleeches, threaded
along their centre by an impoverished, naked, and
forsaken stream. Nine miles onward from the mouth
of the Avon the Forth slightly contracts rather than
expands, and has an average breadth of 2^ miles ; on
its northern shore, consisting for 2 miles of Perth-
shire, and for the rest of the distance of Fiteshire,
it is studded at intervals with the villages of Culross,
Newmill, Ferryburn, Charlestown, and Limekilns,
and has a beautiful and verdant background ; on its
southern shore, consisting all the way of Linlith-
gowshire, it is overlooked by the dingy town of
Borrowstonness, and the village of Blackness, and is
rich in the sylvan beauties and lovely slopes and un-
dulations of its receding landscape. The Forth now
suddenly contracts to the breadth of 1 mile and 3
furlongs, but is compressed to this breadth entirely
by the protrusion, on its north side, of a peninsula
less than half-a-mile wide at the point ; and having
embosomed the islet of Beemer, half-a-mile higher
up, the estuary, at the narrowest part of its contrac-
tion, is overlooked by the Linlithgowshire town of
South- Queensferry and the Fifeshire village of North-
Queensferry, both pressing close upon its bench j
FORTH.
579
in its centre, or at equal distances between
, it embosoms the fortified islet of INCHGAR-
: which see.
"he Forth now suddenly expands to the breadth
3 miles, sends off, behind North- Queensferry, a
bay, at the head of which stands the town of
rkeithing, and henceforth to the sea, a distance
36 miles, divides Fifeshire on the north from the
Lothians, West, Mid, and East, on the south,
miles below Inchgarvie are Cramond Isle, |
,mile from the southern shore ; Inchcolm, with its
jndant islets, Haystack and Carcraig, f of a mile
from the northern shore ; and the little islet, Stone
Wickray, in the middle of the channel ; the first over-
looked from the coast by the picturesque demesnes
of Cramond house and Barnbougle castle, and the
second by the church and village of Aberdour : See
articles CRAMOND, INCHCOLM, and BARNBOUGLE.
The Forth is here 5 miles broad, and altogether
gorgeous in the magnificence of its encircling land-
scape. Six and a half miles farther on, it runs
a breast of INCHKEITH, [see that article,] which
stretches nearly a mile across the centre of its
channel. The Forth has here hung around it a pa-
norama so exquisitely blending the attractions of
natural and burghal and agricultural and marine land-
scape, as to exult in the powerlessness of an artist's
quill or pencil to attempt a copy. On the north,
pressing upon the beach, and so briefly asunder as
almost to be a continuous town, are the villages of
Burntisland, Pettycur, and Kinghorn, ' the lang toon
o' Kirkcaldy,' and the villages of Path -head', Dysart,
and Wemyss, the first somewhat west of Inchkeith,
and all within a range of 7£ miles ; forming a bur-
ghal array, so soft and cheerful in the aspect and
grouping of its houses, and interspersed in such
fine proportions with fields and trees and rural
adornings, as to make a truly picturesque edging to
the magnificent expanse of waters ; and behind this
singular foreground Fifeshire recedes in slow and re-
luctant ascents, looking down in wooded slopes and
undulations upon the attractive frith below, and
seeming to reciprocate all the gladness of the scene,
till it shoots finally up in three remarkable and far-
seeing elevations near the centre of the county. On
the south the large village of Newhaven, the towns
of North and South-Leith, the beautiful village of
Portobello, the hamlet of Joppa, and the towns of
Fisherrow and Musselburgh, — the first 2 miles west
of Inchkeith, and all within a range of 6£ miles, —
press upon the shore, and send out their yawls or
ships or steam-vessels to bound on the bosom of
the waters, and enliven its landscape by their forms
and movements ; and behind this crowded and
almost continuous phalanx of picturesque building
are seen, on the foreground, the magnificent queen
city of Scotland spreading out her ascending tiers of
streets like the foldings and embroidering of her
robes, bearing aloft the edifices on the Castle-rock
and the Calton-hill, like the adornings of her re-
galia, and wearing an aspect of surpassing city gran-
deur, and even sublimity, amidst the bold eleva-
tions and the remarkable outlines of the hills in her
environs [see EDINBURGH]; while away in the dis-
tance, over a various and undulating landscape, ex-
cept where the hills of Edinburgh intercept the view,
the heathy yet verdant and sylvan heights of the
Pentlands, and the dark range of the Lammermoor
hills bound the horizon. And while all this mag-
nificence is hung out immediately opposite Inchkeith,
the whole coast-line of the far- stretching frith, wends,
on both shores, inland and seaward, in front of scen-
ery rich in its loveliness, and exquisitely in keeping
with the more powerful attractions of the immediate
the frith itself — dotted over with the
white sails of sailing-craft or streaked with the foam
and the smoke of steam- vessels, and overlooked from
the far east by the huge loaf-like form of the BASS
[see that artfcle] lying on the surface of its own
waters, and by the beautiful cone of North Berwick
law standing close upon its southern shore — stretches
onward to the sea, glittering in the tints and reflec-
tions of the sunbeams playing upon its waters, and,
in general, gorgeously shaded with an aerial drapery
of clouds.
At Leith the Forth is 6 miles broad ; and, at the
Bass, opposite the Anstruthers, and somewhat west
of Fifeness, or the point where it fairly becomes lost
in the ocean, it is 11 miles broad. Four miles
east of Wemyss, on the north shore, it receives
Leven water ; and on the south shore it receives
Almond water at Cramond, Leith water at Leith,
Esk water at Musselburgh, and Tyne water 4 miles
west of Dunbar. Four and a half miles from the
Fife coast, a little west of Fifeness, it embosoms
May island ; and, near the coast of East Lothian, it
has, at various intervals, the islets of Eyebroughy,
Fiddray, Lamb, Craig-Leith, Scarr, and the Bass.
At intervals, on its northern shore, east of West
Wemyss, are the villages of East Wemyss, Buck-
haven, Muthel, Inverleven, Leven, Largo, Elie, St.
Monance, Pittenweem, Anstruther, and Crail ; and,
on its southern shore, in East Lothian, are Preston-
pans, Cockenzie, Port-Seaton, Aberlady, North
Berwick, and Dunbar.
The frith of Forth is of vast importance to navi-
gation and commerce. Above Queensferry it is, in
every part, one of the safest roadsteads in Britain.
Inverkeithing bay, Burntisland roads, Leith roads,
Elie roads, and various other localities, are places of
safe anchorage. On the south side, the harbours are
Grangemouth, Granton, Leith, Fisherrow, and Dun-
bar, — Granton being the best on the frith, and Leith
the most frequented, and the only one of much com-
mercial importance.* On the north side, at most of
the multitudinous towns and villages which sit upon
the coast, are harbours superior, in general, to those
on the south side, but less frequented; the one at
Burntisland being the best on the frith except that
of Granton. In early times the frith was regarded
as of dangerous navigation ; but, though shoally in
various localities, and heaved up by sandbanks, it
is now — with the appliances of light-houses on
Inch- Keith and May island, and of accurately drawn
and minute charts — so signally safe as to be hardly
ever the scene of a shipwreck. The amount of
trade on its waters was materially increased by the
opening of the Forth and Clyde canal, and has been
not a little augmented by the introduction and the
progressively improving application of the propelling
power of steam. Navigable to Stirling only for ves-
sels of 80 or 100 tons, it might easily, by means of
side-locks or of a deep straight cut along the locality
of its " links," be made to carry to that town vessels
of most of the classes which enter it from the sea.
* On this subject Mr. James Anderson, civil engineer, stated,
in evidence before the House of Commons, in 1835, that "the
frith of Forth is infinitely the bent inlet of the sea on the whole
eastern coast of Great Britain, where ships at all times of tide,
and almost under every circumstance of wind or weather, are
able to obtain shelter, but in the whole of this frith, extending
60 miles inland, there is not a sufficient harbour; the want 01
which is most severely felt along the whole range of coast from
the one extremity of the island to the other. Ship*, for in.
stance, overtaken by gales from tin- north, south, or east, can
run with perfect safety into this frith, when they dare not at-
tempt the shore in any other quarter, and consequently every
facility which can be afforded to the navigation of this impor.
tant estuary, either by affording the necessary accommodation
to the shipping; which frequents it, or shelter to the North sea
nVet* which often congregate in the frith, and to his Majesty's
; navy in the event of war, hemmcs in reality an object of the
first national importance "—' Parliamentary Report on Leith
• and Newhaven Harbours/ 1835, p. 96.
580
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL.
But a project for effecting the necessary measures,
concocted by the town-council of Stirling, and as-
certained by an engineer's survey to be practicable
at a cost of only £10,000, has, for many years, been
lulled to sleep by tameness of enterprise, or the jea-
lousies of landed proprietors, or the keen interested-
ness of privileged salmon-fishers, or, last of all but
not least, by the proud and tasteful vigilance of the
burghers of Stirling, and the inhabitants of the cir-
cumjacent country, over the natural beauties of " the
links." On both shores, from Borrowstonness down-
Wui-ds, are numerous salt-works ; and along the coasts,
as well as inland near the banks of the river, are vast
repositories of coal, limestone, and iron-stone; and
these, along with extensive and multitudinous fish-
eries, attract a very numerous resort of vessels.
The frith abounds with white fish of all kinds, and
is ploughed by fleets of fishing-boats from Newhaven,
Fisherrow, and other fishing- villages, procuring sup-
plies for the daily markets of Edinburgh, and for the
markets of other towns. At Stirling, Alloa, Kin-
cardine, and numerous other places, are valuable
fisheries of salmon. An annual shoal of herrings
generally visits the frith, and, in some years, has
yielded a prodigious produce; but its fish are es-
teemed decidedly inferior in quality to those of the
western coasts of Scotland. At Cramond and Inch-
mickery were formerly vast beds of oysters; but,
from over-fishing, they have been much exhausted ;
and they also yield a fish which, in quality and size,
is generally inferior to that obtained in many places
on the British coasts.
The Forth, it has been calculated, drains a super-
ficies of 574 square miles. Its entire length of course,
in a direct line, is upwards of 90 miles ; but, includ-
ing all the sinuosities for which it is so remarkable,
it cannot be estimated at less than 170 miles.* The
frith is often mentioned in history in connection with
invasions, with the landing of troops or warlike muni-
ments from foreign friendly powers, and with the
voyages, on errands of state or of matrimony, of the
princes and princesses of Scotland.
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL (THE), a public
work of national interest and importance to Scotland,
connecting, by a navigable communication, the friths
of Forth and Clyde. The very deep indentation of
the eastern and the western sides of Scotland by these
friths, at points not far from the same line of latitude,
and the strictly lowland character of the territory
which intervenes between their terminations, com-
bined with the danger and the tediousness of the
natural navigation from side to side of the country
along the rough marine highway round the Pentland
frith, suggested, at a very early period of modern
civilization, the desirableness of a Forth and Clyde
* Mr. Anderson says, that " the tides in the Forth run vari-
ously, both in respect of time and velocity. This is caused
partly by the formation of its shores, and partly by the obstruc-
tion of islands and shallows, and the meeting of currents ; for
instance, over the sands of Leith there is an apparent receding
tide two hours before it is high water, because the pressure of
the current on the outside of the Black rocks, which runs very
strong, causes an eddy to exist in the space between Newhaven
pier and Leith pier, and running eastwards at 1| knots an hour,
while the actual tide after high water runs at the rate of 2|
miles an hour ; therefore, the flowing tide, which runs 1£
knots an hour, appears to flow only for four hours, while the
ebbing tide continues for eight hours. On the north shore, and
in nnid. channel, the tides run equal in respect of duration, and
at the rate of from 3 to 3£ knots an hour ; the current or flow-
ing tide strikes hard, and runs very close upon the north shore
from Kinghornness to the promontory west of Aberdour at 3£
knots an hour; it again flows through the cut at Queen's ferry
at the rate of five knots an hour ; about 6 miles above Queen's
ferry it flows at the rate of about 2 miles to 2£ miles an hour,
and the ebb tide at the same rate. The ebb tide again runs
through the strait at Queen's ferry at six knots an hour; this
violent current causes the ebb tide again in the bay on the
north shore, which is found by the north headland to flow to
the west for two hours after the turn of the tide, and at the
rate of 1± knots an hour."—' Report,1 p. 91.
canal. In the reign of Charles II., a project was
conceived of cutting out so deep and broad a com-
munication as should admit the transit of even trans
ports and small ships-of-war ; but it probably shared
the odium of the unpopular government which con-
ceived it, and would, if attempted to be put in exe-
cution, have starved upon the wretched fragments
of a prodigal and ill-directed public expenditure. In
1723, a second and similar project led to the making
of a survey by Mr. Gordon, the well-known author
of the ' Itinerarium Septentrionale;' but produced
no further result. In 1761, Lord Napier, somewhat
varying the previous abortive projects, sustained, at
his private cost, a survey and financial estimate, by
Mr. Robert M'Kell, for a canal from the mouth of
Carron water, in Stirlingshire, to the mouth of
Yoker burn, 5 miles below Glasgow; and so deeply
did the result excite the interest of the Board of
Trustees for the Encouragement of Fisheries and
Manufactures of Scotland, that they obtained from
the celebrated engineer, Mr. Smeaton, a new survey
and estimate, valuing the cost of the projected work
at £80,000. The mercantile community of Glasgow
and its neighbourhood, either faithless of practical
results, or indignant at what they conceived to be a
proposed uselessness and utter prodigality of expen-
diture, and, at the same time, tantalized by delays
in the commencement of a work of vast importance
to their interests, walked now rather abruptly into
the arena, resolved to cut a canal four feet deep at
the cost of £30,000, subscribed, in the course of
two days, the whole amount of the estimated cost,
and authorized a formal application to be made for
parliamentary sanction. Aristocracy, national pride,
metropolitan vanity, and perhaps a considerable de-
gree of perspicacious insight into the true interests
of the country, were shocked at what was thought
the mean project of a long ditch in lieu of an artificial
river; and they poured down upon it the invasions
of a paper war, and enlisted their forces in parlia-
ment to give it a vigorous opposition. The nobility
and gentry of the country, whether right or wrong
in the opinions they entertained, succeeded in getting
an ascendancy, and tying up the hands of the mer-
chants; and, in 1777, they began a subscription in
London for cutting a canal seven feet deep, at the
estimated expense of £150,000. The subscribers
obtained the sanction of parliament, and were incor-
porated by the name of ' The Company of Proprie-
tors of the Forth and Clyde Navigation;' their joint
stock to consist of 1,500 shares of £100, with liberty
to borrow £50,000; and the holders of five shares
to vote personally or by proxy, and to be eligible as
managers.
In 1768 the work was begun, at the east end,
under the direction of Mr. Smeaton. On the 10th
of July, Sir Laurence Dundas of Kerse performed
the ceremony of making the first incision of the
ground, with a spade which is said to be preserved
as a relic in the mansion of his descendants. In
July 1775, the canal was fit for navigation to Stock-
ingfield, the point whence a side-branch was designed
to lead off to Glasgow; and, in 1777, the side-branch
was completed to Hamilton hill, still nearer that
city, and accommodated at its terminus with a basin
for the reception of vessels, and granaries for the
storage of goods. But difficulties had occurred on
which the inexperience of the age in canal-making
had not calculated, and had occasioned so great a
surplus expenditure above the estimated cost, that
the finances of the company seemed to be menaced
with confusion and ruin. All the original stock, all
the amount of a subsequent loan, and all the pro-
ceeds of toll-dues hitherto received, were expended;
and, at the same time, the annual revenue did not
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL.
581
exceed £4,000. Shares now sold at 50 per
it. discount ; prospects were gloomy and disas-
13', and doubts arose whether the canal would
be carried to the Clyde. But, in 1784, Govern-
it, out of the rents of the forfeited estates in
tland, granted £50,000 toward the completion of
work, reserving a power of drawing proportional
idends with the proprietors, and allowing them,
the other hand, to add their arrears of interest to
ir principal sums. In July 1786, the cutting of
canal was resumed upder the superintendence of
engineer, Mr. Robert Whitworth; and in July
), it was completed from sea to sea. The com-
of management, accompanied by the magis-
js of Glasgow, were the first voyagers on the
completed navigation ; and on their arrival at Bow-
ling-bay, they performed, amidst a vast concourse of
spectators, the somewhat absurd ceremony of sym-
bolically uniting the eastern and the western mon-
arch-rivers of Scotland by pouring into the Clyde a
hogshead of the water of the Forth. The basin at
Hamilton hill having been found incompetent, 8
acres of ground were now purchased close on the
vicinity of Glasgow, and disposed in commodious
basins and suitable building- grounds for granaries
and a village. This locality, curiously overlooking
the metropolis of the west, from the face of a con-
siderable rising ground, was in honour of Thomas,
Lord Dundas, called PoRT-DuNDAS : which see.
From Port-Dundas, the canal — chiefly for the sake
of obtaining supplies from the largely superfluent
waters of the sister-work — was afterwards carried
eastward to a junction with the Monkland canal,
which belongs to a different company, and was formed
with a very different design : See MONKLAND CANAL.
Though the canal was planned to be no more than
seven feet deep, yet, by subsequent additions to the
height of its banks, it became, in effect, eight feet.
The length of the work, in all its parts, is 38£
miles ; of the navigation direct from the Forth to
the Clyde, 35 miles; of the side-branch to Port-
Dundas, 2£ miles; and of the continuation to the
Monkland canal, 1 mile. The number of locks on
the eastern side of the island is 20, and on the west-
ern 19; the difference being occasioned by the higher
level of water in the Clyde at Bowling-bay than in
Grange-burn or the Carron at Grangemouth. Each
lock is 74 feet long and 20 feet broad, and procures
a rise of 8 feet. The greatest height of the canal is
141 feet ; its medium breadth, at the surface, 56
feet; and its medium breadth, at the bottom, 27
feet. Its capacities admit vessels of 19 feet beam,
68 feet keel, and 8 feet draft of water. It is crossed
by 33 drawbridges, and passes over 10 considerable
aqueducts, and upwards of 30 smaller ones or tun-
nels. The greatest aqueduct is a very magnificent
one across the Kelvin at Maryhill, begun in June
1787, and finished in April 1791. It consists of 4
grand arches, is 83 feet high, runs across a dell or
valley 400 feet wide, and was completed at a cost of
£8,500. The canal has 6 reservoirs, covering about
400 acres, and containing upwards of 12,000 lockfuls
of water; and means exist for more than doubling
the supply.
The navigation into the canal from the Forth runs
half-a-mile up the river Carron, and thence a very
brief distance up Grange-burn, and, at low water, is
impracticable, leaving sailing craft, of even a small
size, aground. The canal, lifted up from the tide
at Grangemouth, is carried 2£ miles south-westward
on a straight line to Grahamston. Here, and for
some way previous, its banks are the scene of bust-
ling enterprise and industry; and at Brainsford, on
the opposite bank from Grahamston, it opens later-
ally into a basin, and receives the vast traffic poured
down upon it by railway communication with the
neighbouring Carron iron-works. Thence, for a
mile onward to Camelon, it is slightly sinuous in
course, but still south-westward in direction; and
then, by a considerable aqueduct, it is lifted across
the Edinburgh and Glasgow mail-road by way of
Falkirk, and begins to make a bend of $ of a mile
toward a westerly direction at Lock 16. Up to this
point — as the name of the locality implies — it had
been passing locks at frequent intervals, and climb-
ing the face of an inclined plane; and now it has
attained an elevation of 128 feet above the level of
tide-mark at Grangemouth. Over the latter part,
or, in fact, the whole of its progress hither, it com-
mands views of the carses, and water-scenes and
magnificent northern back-grounds of the Forth,
which are quite exultant in beauty. Few treats to
a lover of exquisite landscape, and a man susceptible
of a thrilling influence on the mind, and a bracing
effect on the body, of the breathing of pure air
amidst a wreck or reminiscence of a sinless world,
can be richer than to step out at Lock 16, on a fair
summer's day, from a canal passage-boat, in which
he has been cooped up, and perhaps almost stewed,
from Port-Dundas, and to walk leisurely thence
along the banks of the canal to its terminus at
Grangemouth. Whatever stir or manufacturing
offensiveness may on some spots mar his pathway,
will be all but unobserved under the spell which he
feels from the mingled luxuriousness and brilliance
of the landscape around him. At Lock 16, the
canal sends off on its east side the comparatively
recent and less spacious navigation to Edinburgh:
See UNION CANAL. For 2£ miles it proceeds in
nearly a straight line due west; and, for 2| miles
farther, it runs up south-westward along the right
bank of Bonny water to Castlecary. It has now
attained its highest elevation; and this it continues
to preserve away past Port-Dundas, on the one
hand, to the junction of the Monkland canal, and
onward, on the other, till near the aqueduct across
Kelvin water. At Castlecary it is crossed on a
drawbridge by the great northern mail-road from
Glasgow; and here passengers and goods from the
west are landed for conveyance by a connecting
coach-communication with Stirling and Perth. A
quarter of a mile onward, the canal is carried over
the principal head-stream of Bonny water, and
takes leave of the parish of Falkirk, or of Stirling-
shire which it had hitherto traversed, and enters
Dumbartonshire; yet, for 8 miles farther, it never
recedes more than half-a-mile from the flanking con-
tinuation of Stirlingshire, and over one-half or more
of that distance does not recede a furlong, and even
when considerably past Kelvin aqueduct, and within
6 miles of Bowling-bay, has not at any point receded
more than 1£ mile. For 9£ miles of its line in
Dumbartonshire, it proceeds, with few and unim-
portant deviations, from a direct course south-west-
ward along the borders of the parishes of Cumber-
nauld and Kirkintilloch, coming in upon the track
of the incipient Kelvin, following that stream along
its left bank, passing the village of Kilsyth J of a
mile to the north, and making a bend and passing
along an aqueduct over a considerable tributary of
the Kelvin just before terminating the distance at
the town of Kirkintilloch. The canal now passes
that town immediately to the north, but lying in a
hollow, and nearly all invisible ; and half-a-mile
thence — in consequence of Dumbartonshire being
dissevered by an intersecting tongue of Lanarkshire
— it enters the latter county. For 1^ mile it pro-
ceeds westward, and then resumes its south-west-
ward direction, and, passing Cadder kirk, attains, in
4 miles, the point whence its side-branch goes off to
582
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL.
Port-Dundas. Over nearly the whole distance from
Lock 16, the .evel or course of the canal is over-
looked or flanked with confined views: in some
places, it carries the eye a short way over cheerless
morass and moorland ; in others, it discloses limited
but not uninteresting hill-scenery on the north ; and
in a few it ploughs its way between steep and wood-
ed, though not high, banks, which all but cheat a
stranger into the conviction that he is sailing along
a natural river. The side-branch to Port-Dundas
somewhat abounds in sinuosities, and has several
rapid and inconvenient turns, but on the whole has
a direction due south-east ; and at last, coming along
the face of a soft hill, and making two rapid bends
respectively as it approaches and as it enters the
basin, displays a little forest of masts high above the
general level of Glasgow, in a position commanding
nearly as good a view of the city of spires, and taU
chimney-stalks, regular streets, and lumpish edifices,
as clouds of smoke and great unfavourableness of
site for scenic effect will permit. From the point
whence the side-branch diverges, the canal adopts a
considerable change of course, and proceeds for 1£
mile in a direction north of west, and with a pleas-
ing landscape on its south side to Mary-hill. Here
there is a crowding of interesting objects into a
limited space, and a successful struggle of art to
combine with nature in producing picturesque and
almost romantic effects. The canal is carried along
a short but high aqueduct across the Garscube turn-
pike from Glasgow ; immediately beyond, a neat
village, with its quoad sacra parish-church, stretches
away on high ground; in the distance northward,
knolls and wooded eminences, and the grounds of
Killermont undulate downward to the narrow and
curving vale of the Kelvin : in view of the land-
scape, and close on the street-line of the village, the
canal, in a bending course, walks down the brow of
a descent by a succession of locks which somewhat
resemble the section of a prodigious staircase ; and,
a few yards onward, in a seclusion nearly as deep as
if no village were within a distance of many miles,
stretches the superb aqueduct across the Kelvin,
overlooking a thickly- wooded and soft-featured but
romantic gorge upwards of 80 feet in depth, steep in
its acclivities, and almost noiselessly traversed by the
limpid river. At this point, the canal re-enters
Dumbartonshire at the south-east corner of its par-
ish of East Kilpatrick, and thence it proceeds 2|
miles north-westward, f of a mile south-westward,
and IJ mile westward to a point a little within the
limits of West Kilpatrick. Here it is only about 5 of a
mile distant from the Clyde, and is joined by a brief
Junction canal opened, in 1839, for the benefit of
Paisley, from the Clyde at the influx of the Cart ;
and hence onward, for 3f miles, it follows the course
of the Clyde in an undeviating direction to the north
of west ; and, with little harbour-accommodation, or
no more than admits a brief line of two or three ves-
sels, is somewhat ceremoniously let down into the
Clyde at Bowling-bay.
"Through Carron's channel, now with Kelvin joined,
The wondering barks a ready passage find :
The ships, on swelling billows wont to rise,
On solid mountains climb to scale the skies ;
Old ocean sees the fleets forsake his floods,
Sail the firm land, the mountains and the woods ;
And safely thus conveyed, they dread no more
Rough northern seas which round the Orkneys roar.
Not thus the wave of Forth was joined to Clyde,
When Rome's broad rampart stretched from tide to tide,
With bulwarks strong, with towers sublimely crowned,
While winding tubes conveyed each martial sound.
To guard the legions from their painted foes,
By vast unwearied toil the rampire rose ;
When, fierce in arms, the Scot, by Carron's shore,
Resigned, for war, the chace and mountain boar
As the chafed lion, on his homeward way,
Returns for vengeance, and forgets the prey."
Wihon'i Clyde.
The original cost of the canal, including all ex-
penditure up to the January succeeding the date of
its completion, was £330,000. The tonnage dues
imposed were, from sea to sea, 5s. lOd. ; from
Grangemouth to Port-Dundas, 3s. 10d.; from Bowl-
ing-bay to Port-Dundas, 2s. ; and over partial dis-
tances, except in favour of lime and some other
cargoes, 3d. per mile. When the whole work got
its appliances into operation, the gloom which for
merly darkened its prospects began speedily to dis-
appear. Ten or twelve years after its completion
the shares had risen greatly above their original
value, or the price at which they had been actually
procured. While the work was in progress, two
general meetings, one at London, and one at Edin-
burgh, governed its affairs ; that at London appoint-
ing annually the committee of management. Colli-
sions of opinion and conflicting decisions having
resulted, a new constitution was sanctioned by act
of parliament in 1787, investing the direction in a
governor and council at London, and a committee
of management at Glasgow; both to be annually
elected by a general meeting held in London.
Though experiencing some fluctuations, the affairs
have, on the whole, steadily prospered, and, not-
withstanding a recent great reduction in the tonnage-
dues, continue to be remunerating, and to embrace
rapidly extending traffic. The revenue for the
1839 consisted of
Tolls on vessels passing through
the canal. . . . . £68,535 4 3
Fares in passage boats, . 14,032 4 6
Shore, harbour, and other dues
and rents, .... 6,460 5 6
Feu-duties, and other property sold,
Total revenue, .
The expenditure for 1839 con-
sisted of ordinary expenses
(£7,279 13s. 3d.) contingent do.
(£2,105 17s. Id.), extraordi-
nary do. (£5,032 9s. 6d.) sa-
laries, wages, interest on bur-
rowed money, and other mis-
cellaueous expenses, amount,
ing in all to ... £32,575 1 2
Borrowed money repaid, . . 10,000 0 0
Annual dividend, . . . 38,910 0 0
£81,485 1
Excess of revenue after paying the dividends, . £13,990 7 5
From a list of the articles from which the tolls
arose during the preceding ten years, we extract the
following items belonging to the year 1839. They
show from what sources the revenue of the Com-
pany is chiefly drawn, and the prevailing character
of the trade to which the canal is subservient :-
£89,027 14 3
6,417 14 4
£95,475 8
Tolls from grain,
— — iron,
— — coal,
£22,144 7
11,999 8
5,764 15
:.
It will be seen, by casting up the amount of these
three items, that the tolls raised from grain, iron,
and coal alone, amount to more than the dividends
of the company. The increase of the iron trade, in
particular, has greatly swelled the revenue, as it
enables vessels which occasionally returned in bal-
last to carry a cargo both going and coming. The
items next in amount are : —
Timber £3,18? 12 4
Osnaburghs and linens, .... 2,631 1 11
Herrings and salt 1,633 3 7
Stones 1,495 6 3
Porter and ale, 1,464 7 4
From the abstract given above of the revenue and
expenditure for 1839, the outlays and charges on the
passage-boats fall to be deducted, which will diminish
the apparent amount both of revenue and expendi-
ture. The nett proceeds of the passage-boats foi
FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL.
583
is £5,145 9s. This sum exceeds that drawn
from the same source for any previous year ; the only
approaching it being that of 1834, when the nett
is from passengers were £5,046 15s.
iprovements as to the powers and the rates of
on the canal, seem nearly to keep pace with
rapid increase of facility in land-communication
the construction of railways. Horse-power, as
has alone been in practice along the banks, and
was applied in a manner which would now be
»med loutish and clumsy. Sailing vessels were
along at a snail's pace ; and even the boats
conveyance of passengers were dragged with
of little more than 4 miles an hour. About
it or ten years ago, long, narrow, shallopy iron-
so confined as to admit of only a sitting pos-
to passengers, and so constructed as to take
slender hold of the water, were substituted
the heavy and cumbrous, though internally com-
iious and agreeable boats which preceded them ;
in consequence of their lightness, and of the
)tion of very short stages for the horses, they
currently hurried along at nearly or altogether
double of the old speed. All that horses can
however, will not suit the taste for rapid career-
which has been created by rail-road locomotion,
rly as November, J 789, the canal was the proud
le of experiment for the first steam-boat which
ever constructed above the size of a model;
some years later, it was the arena of experi-
its in steam-boat navigation, from which Fulton
led the lesson which he afterwards successfully
:tised in America. At various subsequent dates,
Licularly about ten or twelve years ago, strenuous
exertions and astutely directed experiments were
made to adapt propulsion by steam to the fragile
structure and precarious embankments of the canal ;
but all were attended by some degree of failure ; and,
even had they been successful, they would have
achieved a rate of speed far below what the fidgety
and flighty and swift-winged spirit of the age has
come to demand. A total new set of experiments,
tending to a great and wonderful revolution in canal
navigation, was commenced some time ago, and, in
September, 1839, were brought to a decisively fa-
vourable termination. A light railway having been
formed alongside of the towing-path of a part of
the canal, near Lock 16, a locomotive engine of
moderate power was set on it, and applied, as a
substitute for horses, in towing, at various rates of
Speed, vessels of all the different classes which fre-
quent the canal. By experiments conducted with
scrupulous accuracy, and often repeated, it was as-
certained that, even with the imperfect preparations
which had been made, the passage-boats may, with-
out injury to the banks, be towed at rates varying
from 19.1 to 19.25 miles per hour, and that heavy
sea-going vessels may, with great ease, be con-
veyed at the utmost speed consistent with the
conservation of the slopes. On the 1 1th September,
1839, grand and final experiments were made under
the eye of the governor, the manager, and part of
the committee of the canal company, and several
professional and scientific gentlemen, and were con-
ducted, as the precurrent experiments had been,
under the superintendence of Mr. M'Neil, civil en-
gineer. The locomotive engine was attached suc-
cessively to passenger-boats, lightly and heavily
1 ulfii,_to sloops, single and in pairs, — and to a
string of nine miscellaneous sailing-vessels. The
pjisscii^er-boats almost instantly shot along at the
rate of 16 and 17 miles per hour, and were main-
tained at that velocity with a very small expenditure
of steam. The waves which they produced— very
what had been produced by other modes or
applications of power, or wnat theory and dogmatism
and mistaken investigation had predicted — did not
undulate, or rush along the banks, but proceeded
direct to the shore, quite or nearly at right angles
with the sides of the boats, and, so far from being
increased in volume proportionately to the increase
of velocity, were at all times smaller than those
which the boats plough up when they are drawn by
horses. The sloops, dragged singly, and two on a
line, varied from 70 to 90 tons, and were so laden
as to have 8 feet draught of water ; and they were
carried along at the maximum allowed velocity of
3J miles per hour, and but for prudential reasons
imposing restrictions, they could easily have been
made to feel a much higher speed. The chain of
9 vessels consisted of 7 sea-going schooners and
sloops, and 2 heavy-laden scows; and they were
borne steadily along at the rate of 2£ miles per
hour. While the expense of towing them sepa-
rately from the sea-lock to Port-Dundas, would be
about £27, that or dragging them with the locomo-
tive engine, exclusive of allowance for the use of
the railway, would not exceed 25 shillings. In every
case, the results of the experiments were perfectly
satisfactory. They left no doubt that velocities
suitable to all vessels were attainable, — that these
might now range from 2£ to 20 miles per hour, —
and that, when the machinery and the management
should be matured, and become familiar by experi-
ence, they might probably be increased, with ease
and safety, to 25 or even 30 miles per hour. The
decided success of the experiments, necessarily made
under the disadvantageous circumstances attending
a first essay, drew from the Forth and Clyde 'canal
company a resolution that the principle of towing
by the locomotive steam-engine should be carried
immediately into practice. The line of the canal,
therefore, seems about to become the scene of a
striking and highly-useful novelty, — the combina-
tion of the bulky and ponderous transit peculiar to
a canal, or a river, with the lightness of motion and
the celerity of speed peculiar to a railway.
PORTING AL, a very large and important parish,
occupying the chief part of the north-western divi-
sion of Perthshire. Quoad sacra, the parish is of
moderate dimensions ; but quoad civilia, it measures,
in extreme length, about 40 miles ; in extreme
breadth, upwards of 30 miles ; in circumference,
along the sinuosities of its boundary-line, probably
130 miles or upwards; and in superficial area, nearly
450,000 imperial acres. It is bounded on the north,
by the district of Badenpch in Inverness-shire ; on
the north-east by the parish of Blair- Athole ; on the
east by the parish of Dull ; on the south by the par-
ishes of Kenmore and Killin and a detached portion
of the parish of Weem ; and on the west by the par-
ishes of Glenorchy and Appin in Argyleshire, and the
district of Lochaber in Inverness-shire. The parish
is in every respect compact, with two remarkable
exceptions : it embosoms, nearly in its centre, a de-
tached part of Logierait, 4£ miles by 4 ; and it, at
the same time, has a detached part of its own, called
Bolfracks, 4| miles by 2, lying 3£ miles east of the
south-eastern extremity of the main body. The
whole parish lies among the Grampians, and is ex-
ceedingly mountainous; and, in general, broadly
marked with the characteristic features of the High-
lands,— savage grandeur relieved by varying scenes
of romance and beauty, — towering elevations cleft
into ridges by torrents and ravines, — bleak alpine
wastes of heath alternated with sylvan braes and far-
stretching lakes, — scenes' now sublime and now sub-
siding into softness, enlivened by bounding streams
and roaring cataracts. The extensive district, how-
ever, which constitutes the main body of the parish.
584
FORTINGAL.
is naturally and comprehensively divided into three
portions, Rannoch, Glenlyon, and Fortingal proper.
RANNOCH and GLENLYON will be described in se-
parate articles ; and need not be further noticed here
than to say, that the former constitutes the northern
part of the parish, and the latter, jointly with For-
tingal proper, a considerable portion of the southern
part. But these districts are separated or surround-
ed by very broad or high mountain-belts. Both on
the north and on the south large portions of the par-
ish, from the boundaries inwards, are entirely moun-
tainous. Another belt, about 7 miles broad, stretches
along the whole length of the parish from east to
west, separating it into two great divisions, with
Rannoch on the north, and Glenlyon and Fortingal
on the south, and lifting many of its summits 3,000
feet or upwards above the level of the sea. Minor
ridges, isolated mountains, and divergent spurs also
lift their heads almost everywhere in other localities,
rendering the entire parish eminently Highland. The
most remarkable of the isolate* heights is Scm-
CHALLION, on the southern boundary : which see.
The parish has, at its centre, along the base of the
intersecting broad belt of mountains, one magnificent
lake, 12 miles long, and upwards of 1 mile in average
breadth, overlooked by grand and magnificent scenery :
See LOCH RANNOCH. It has also, at its northern
limit, 7 miles of a lake which stretches away into
Inverness-shire, and is in all 16 miles long, the scen-
ery of which has gems of beauty, but is, in general,
savage and wild : See LOCH ERICHT. It possesses
parts likewise of a beautiful and romantic lake, 3
miles in length, on the south-west, — an islet-studded
and sylvan mountain-lake, 6 miles long, on the west,
—and a lake, 4 miles long and half-a-mile broad, on
the north-east: See LOCH LYON, LOCH LYDOCH,
and LOCH GARRY. There are also in the parish
numerous smaller lakes, or lochlets, all of which,
with one exception, as well as the larger lakes, are
well-stored with fish. In Loch Rannoch trouts are
caught from lib. to 24lb. in weight. Nor is the dis-
trict less rich in rivers, brooks, and rills. One roar-
ing and impetuously careering stream, bounding along
in rapids and cataracts, and sometimes sending its
hoary voice for several miles among the mountains,
runs eastward from Loch Lydoch to Loch Rannoch :
See the GAUER. Another river, at first smooth and
gentle, but afterwards impetuous, runs from Loch
Rannoch to the eastern boundary: See the TUM-
MEL. These streams, with the lakes whence they
issue, form a belt of waters, along the base of the
central belt of mountains, from end to end of the
parish. Another river, sluggish and mustering for
the onset for a short distance, but afterwards furious
and wild in its career, comes down southward from
Loch Ericht, to near the western extremity of Loch
Rannoch : See the ERICHT. Another river of great
variety of aspect, but generally overlooked by scenes
of romance or picturesqueness or beauty, issues from
Loch Lyon, and thence intersects the parish, through
Glenlyon and Fortingal proper, on the eastern
boundary : See the LYON. Numerous other streams,
for the most part of ^considerable length of course,
and possessing the character of mountain -torrents,
run along ravines, or leap over precipitous rocks, or
spread out little dells and mimic glens, gay in the
adornings of Highland loveliness, and pour their
waters into either the lakes or the rivers. Among
the most noticeable are the Mirran, Auld Madrum-
beagh, and the Moulin, tributaries of the Lyon and
Black water ; Auld Bagh, Auld Killyhounan, and the
Sassen, tributaries of the central stripe of waters.
Fortingal proper occupies the lower part of the course
of the Lyon, and is a sublimely yet softly pictur-
esque vale, about 6 miles in length, and upwards of
half-a-mile in breadth, adorned with groves and de-
mesnes and gentlemen's seats, with mountains com-
ing slowly down upon its gentle beauties, yet sending
away their summits to such a height, and environing
it in such alpine phalanx that, gazing round from its
centre, a stranger might conclude ingress or egress
to be impracticable. The village or kirk-town of
Fortingal — a few huts clustered around the parish-
church — presents a fine foil to the numerous beauties
of the vale. Caverns and deep recesses beneath
the overhanging cliffs or between the project-
ing shelves of rocks, are numerous, and, in some
instances, remarkable ; and are, for the most part,
associated either with tales of ancient feuds and war-
fare, or with the gross legends of credulity and su-
perstition. The Grampian bed of limestone, ranging
from Dumbartonshire to Aberdeenshire, passes along
the east end of the parish. Veins of marble of various
hues, and variously clouded, occur in several locali-
ties. A very rich vein of lead-ore in Glenlyon was
wrought for several years toward the close of
last century ; but, owing to some unexplained rea-
son, it did not compensate the working, and was
abandoned. Brilliant pebbles, spars, and rock-crys-
tals, are occasionally found among the mountains.
In the very small area of the parish which is arable
— yet small only as compared with the vast aggre-
gate of impracticable surface — agricultural improve-
ment has been singularly rapid, and achieved surpris-
ing results. Neat, snug farm-steads, well-enclosed
fields, and the luxuriant results of skilful and assi-
duous husbandry, cheer and surprise the Lowland
tourist, who penetrates among the Highland wastes
and wilds. The soil, in the level stripes of the val-
leys, is, in general, gravelly and dry; and up the
sides, though seldom toward the summits, of the
mountains, it affords excellent pasturage for black
cattle and sheep. A considerable forest of native fir,
and an extensive one of birch, range along the district
of Rannoch, and appear to be remnants of that great
Caledonian forest which anciently covered northern
Perthshire and the county of Inverness, over moun-
tain, glen, and morass, to the extent of more than
2,000 square miles. Plantations of the various sorts
of hard wood, and of spruce and larch, though not
aggregately extensive, are so disposed through the
parish as to impart a feature to very many of its
landscapes. The celebrated yew-tree in Fortingal
churchyard, described by Pennant, and noticed by
various tourists and topographists, as probably the
largest in the kingdom, still lifts its venerable branch-
es to the breeze ; but though somewhat increased
in its enormous circumference — so often recorded — of
52 feet, has lost much of its stateliness, and now ap-
pears as two distinct trees. " At the commencement
of my incumbency, 32 years ago," says the Rev.
Robert Macdonald", the minister of the parish, in his
report in the New Statistical Account, "there lived
in the village of Kirkton, a man of the name of Donald
Robertson, then upwards of 80 years of age, who de-
clared that when a boy going to school, he could hardly
enter between the two parts, now a coach-and-four
might pass between them." This tree is probably
the only remnant of those little groves of yew-trees
which a very ancient act of parliament ordered to be
planted in the burying-grounds of the kingdom, to
furnish material for bows. At the west end of the
vale of Fortingal are remains of what has been cur-
rently called a Roman camp. Far inland though the
position be, and lying beyond mountain-barriers
and narrow defiles and very difficult passes, several
writers have thought that Agricola penetrated hither,
and fought here a battle with the Caledonians. Some
persons trace to this epoch the etymology of the name
Fortingal, and suppose that it was originally Fear'
FORTINGAL.
585
Geal, ' the Stronghold of the Gael' or Caledonian
le others connect that etymology in a general way
i the fortification, and suppose the name to have
inally been Feart-ninyal, ' the Works or exploits oi
ngers.' The spot where Agricola's tent is supposed
to have stood is surrounded by a deep fosse. The ram-
part of the camp is, in many places, broken down and
the ditch filled up by the plough ; but the pretorium
is still complete ; and the camp comprehends an area
of about 80 acres. A search, upwards of half-a-cen-
tury ago, for antiquities on the spot, produced only
three urns. Roman coins, however, have been found
in various adjacent localities. Numerous circular forts
appear in the parish from 30 to 50 feet in diameter,
built of vast blocks of stone which one cannot easily
conceive to have been moved without machines, but
of inconsiderable height of wall ; and as they are in
many instances within view of one another, they
may probably have been part of a chain of watch
towers which extended from Dunkeld through For-
tingal into Argyleshire. Two of the forts are much
more extensive than the others, and had outworks.
At the east end of the parish are vestiges of a castle,
impregnable before the invention of gunpowder, built
on a precipitous rocky promontory cut off by con-
verging deep chasms with brawling brooks, and an-
ciently defended on the accessible side by a ditch and
drawbridge. This castle was the residence of " the
tierce wolfe," the brother of the Earl of Buchan, and
the ancestor of very many of the Stewarts of Athole.
At the foot of Glenlyon, on a high declivitous bank,
and anciently defended by a drawbridge, are the ruins
of a castle, the last occupant of which was Duncan
Campbell of Glenlyon, usually called Hospitable Red
Duncan — Fortingal was anciently the scene of many
feuds, and even of some considerable onslaughts and
battles. During the wars of the succession, a party
of Edward of England's followers came dovfn to the
district along an opening, which still bears the name
of Glen Sassen, "the Englishman's glen ;" and, ac-
cording to tradition, were confronted by a force led
on by Robert Bruce in person. The ground where
the collision of the antagonist little armies took place,
is called Innerchadden, 'the point where the bat-
tle began,' and the spot where Robert achieved vic-
tory, is called Dalchoimie, 'the Field of victory.'
On another occasion, as tradition reports, Robert
was less successful ; and having sustained defeat near
the boundary with Argyleshire, he concealed himself
in a romantic spot — still called the King's house — in
a wood two miles east of the field of his former and
victorious contest. His retreat being near the Tum-
mel, there was but one ford by which it could be
reached, and this still bears the name of the King's
ford; while an eminence overlooking his hiding-place
Continues to be called the King's watch-tower. Dur-
ng, or soon after, the reign of Robert, M'Dougal of
Lorn and his followers penetrated as far as the
Erochd, in subordination, it is said, to the operations
)f the English. But confronted by Donnacha or
Duncan Reauar, the ancestor of the Robertsons of
Strowan, they suffered defeat and carnage, and the
:hief of Lorn himself was captured, and for a time
Confined on the artificial islet of Loch Rannoch. In
he 13th century, a clan called Clan Eoin Bhuidhc,
the Descendants of John of the yellow hair,' who,
t that period, possessed the upper part of Rannoch,
nd who by some act of rapine had incurred the
vrath of the Stewarts of Appin, were sought out, on
heir own territory, by the chief of Appin and his
Ian, and drawing up in battle-array to confront the
ivaders near the side of the river Gauer, were nearly
11 hewn down on the spot ; while a few fugitives
vifh difficulty escaped by swimming the river, and
ed in dispersion to their districts. A little rill, oc-
casionally called to the present day ' the rill of blood,'
commemorates the fearful slaughter, and indicates it*
scene. A feud of several centuries in duration be-
tween the clan Cameron and the Macintoshes occa-
sioned Fortingal to become repeatedly the arena of
skirmishes and vengeful conflicts. — Fortingal has, in
a very striking degree, undergone the ameliorating
changes which have been generally experienced in
the Highlands. Less than a century ago, or up to
the year 1745, it was in an utterly barbarous condi-
tion, under no legal restraint, and signalized, even
among the lawless regions around it, for its foul dis-
honesty and its deeds of violence. One of the chief
proprietors was then the Rob Roy of his day, but
without the amenities of Rob's character ; and while
his property was a nest of thieves, he laid the whole
country, from Stirling on the one hand and Cupar
Angus on the other, under contribution for " black
mail." Fortingal, in fact, was the centre of this sort
of traffic. " In the months of September and Octo-
ber," says the reporter in the Old Statistical Account,
" they gathered to the number of about 300, built
temporary huts, drank whisky all the time, settled
accounts for stolen cattle, and received balances.
Every man then bore arms. It would have required
a regiment to have brought a thief from the country.
But government having sent a party of soldiers to
reside among them, and a thief having been hung at
their doors, they soon felt the necessity of reforma-
tion, and they are now as honest, and as strict a set
of people, in these matters, as any in the kingdom.
In the year 1754, the country was almost impass-
able. There were no roads nor bridges. Now, by
the statute-labour, we have got excellent roads, and
12 bridges. In a few years we shall have other two,
which is all that could be desired. The people con-
tribute cheerfully and liberally to build them, and
this preserves many lives. At the above period, the
bulk of the tenants in Rannoch had no such thing as
beds. They lay on the ground, with a little heather
or fern under them, one single blanket was all their
bed -clothes, excepting their body-clothes. Now they
have standing-up beds, and abundance of blankets.
At that time, the houses in Rannoch were huts of,
what they called, ' Stake and Rise. ' One could
not enter but on all fours : and after entering, it was
impossible to stand upright. Now there are com-
fortable houses built of stone. Then the people
were miserably dirty, and foul-skinned. Now they
are cleanly, and are clothed as well as their circum-
stances will admit of. The rents of the parish, at
that period, were not much above £1,500, and the
people were starving. Now they pay £4,660 per
mnum, and upwards, and the people have fulness of
bread." Nor are the changes much less striking
which have taken place since the year 1794, when
this report was written. At that date, says the
writer in the New Statistical Account, " most of
the tenantry in the parish removed, for the benefit
of grazing, with their cattle to their shealings, some-
times to the distance of 20 miles. There they re-
mained several months during the summer season."
But *' the milk cows are now generally housed every
night, summer and winter." " At that time, the
women, when they went abroad, dressed in linsey-
woolsey, or other homespun apparel, their finest at-
tire ; and it was exceedingly rare to meet a woman at
hurch or market, with a straw bonnet or umbrella.
Now, the meanest servant-maid cannot appear at
ither, without being provided with both. Except-
ing in families of independent circumstances, tea was
;hen unknown : now, it is almost incredible how
much is expended on this article by our peasantry.
There was then little if any clover or turnip sown
n the parish : now, even the crofter who rents a few
FOR
586
FOS
acres, must have his little plot allotted and enclosed
for the former, and a ridge or two for the latter.
Very great changes for the better have also taken
place in the management of funerals, late-wakes, |
and weddings. Instead of the unseemly scenes and \
riots which frequently took place on such occasions, <
the strictest propriety and decorum now prevail."
Three fairs are held annually at the hamlet of For-
tingal; one chiefly for seeds, about the end of April;
one for lambs, in August ; and one of several days,
for sheep, goats, and cattle, in the beginning of De-
cember. Three fairs are held also at Kinloch-Ran-
noch ; one in April, and one in October, for cattle ;
and one in August, for lambs. A fair is held like-
wise at Inverwick in Glenlyon. Population, in 1801,
3,875; in 1831, 3,067. Houses 615. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £1 1,134 Fortingal is in the presby-
tery of Weem, and synod of Perth and Stirling. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £255 8s.; glebe £10.
The parish quoad civilia consists of the united par-
ishes of Fortingal and Killachonan. But, two large
districts, provided with government churches, were
in 1829 disjoined from it by the General Assembly,
and erected into quoad sacra parishes : See GLEN-
LYON and RANNOCH. The quoad sacra parish of
Fortingal is only about 8 miles long, and about 8
broad; and consists of the vale of Fortingal, a small
part of Glenlyon, and the detached district of Bol-
fracks. The parish-church is of unknown date, but
was repaired in 1820. Sittings 376. According to
ecclesiastical survey in 1836, the population of the
quoad sacra parish consisted of 1,228 churchmen and
27 dissenters,— in all 1,255; of whom 932 resided in
the district of Fortingal, 166 in that of Glenlyon, and
157 in that of Bolfracks. In the parish quoad civilia,
are 12 schools. Only one of them is parochial, and
it is attended by a maximum of 1 15 scholars. School-
master's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £21 6s. 8d. fees and
£2 2s. l£d. other emoluments. The 11 non-paro-
chial schools are attended by a maximum of 373
scholars. Seven of them are supported wholly by
fees, two by the committee of the General Assembly,
and two by the Society in Scotland for propagating
Christian Knowledge.
FORTROSE, a royal burgh in the county of
Ross, and parish of Rosemarkie. It is situated at
the eastern extremity of the Black Isle road, on the
north side of the Moray frith, and nearly opposite to
Fort-George, from which it is distant 2£ miles; 10£
miles north-east of Inverness ; 10£ miles south-west
of Cromarty; and 8£ miles south of Invergordon
ferry. It is composed of two towns, viz. Rosemarkie,
and Chanonry or Fortrose, which are about half-a-mile
distant from each other, but have been politically
united in one burgh by royal charter. The former j
of these is of considerable antiquity, having been
erected into a royal burgh by Alexander II. Chan-
onry is so called from its having been the can-
oriry of Ross, where the bishop had his residence ;
it is now the presbytery seat. It is finely situated
on an elevated plain commanding an extensive
prospect of the Moray frith. The two towns were
united by a charter granted by James II. in 1444,
under the common name of Fortross — that is, ' the
Fort of the Peninsula,' — now softened into Fortrose ;
which charter was ratified by James VI. in 1592, and
confirmed, with greater immunities, by the same mo-
narch in 1612. These charters all bear, that the
burgh is to be " entitled to the privileges, liberties,
and immunities heretofore granted, to the town of
Inverness." Fortrose was, at that time, spoken of j
as a town flourishing in the arts and sciences, the seat j
of divinity, law, and physic, in this corner of the \
kingdom. For many years past, the greater part of
the inhabitants of Chanonry or Fortrose have been
shoemakers, and those of Rosemarkie, weavers,
small parts of the ancient cathedral of Chanonr
still remain, one of which is used as a burial-pi
by the Mackenzie family, and the other as a coi
house, with vaulted prisons below.* There is a j
harbour at Fortrose, which was formed by the par-
liamentary commissioners on the Highland roads in
1817, at an expense of about £4,000. The inside
the harbour is about 30 vards square, and three si(
of it form an extensive wharf. Spring-tides
14 feet within it. There is a regular ferry to For
George from the extremity of a tongue of land calle
Chanonry-ness, or Fortrose point, which runs out 1
tween the two towns into the frith ; but it is
much frequented. It is usually known as Ardei
ferry ; taking its name from the Inverness side.
George Mackenzie, the laborious compiler of the
' Lives of the most eminent Writers of the Scots
tion,' is said to have been born in this town. It is cer
tain he resided here, in an old castle belonging to tl
Earl of Seaforth ; and he lies interred in the cathedral
The brave and wise Sir Andrew Murray, regent
Scotland, was buried at Rosemarkie, in 1338. For
trose contains about 740 inhabitants. It joins
the northern district of burghs in sending a meml
to parliament. See article ROSEMARKIE.
FOSS, a district in the parish of Dull, in Pe
shire. It is situated on the south side of the rive
Tummel, near the western extremity of the lake
that name. Population, in 1831, 573. There is
Government church here.
FOSSAWAY AND TULLIEBOLE, an unit
parish, chiefly in Perthshire, but partly in Kinr
shire, compact in form, and lying respectively at tl
south-eastern and at the western verge of the coi
ties. It is bounded on the north by Dunning ;
the east by Orwell and Kinross ; on the south
Cleish ami Saline ; on the west by Clackmannanshh
and on the north-west by Muckhart. Its great
length is about 1 1 miles ; its greatest breadth abou
10 miles ; but, its outline being very irregular, ~A
superficial area is not more than about ,50 sqi
miles. The united parish consists of three districts
Fossaway in Perthshire, — one 6^ miles by 2£ on
south, — one 3| by If, lying l£ mile north of tl
former, — and one a narrow stripe of half-a-mile by !
lying a rnile eastward of the second, and running par-
allel to it, all consolidated by the insertion amongs
them of Tulliebole belonging to Kinross-shire. Th<
northern parts of Fossaway, and the part of Tullie
bole which connects them, constituting jointly thi
entire northern section of the united parish, are
continued congeries of hills running up to the centr
of the Ochill range, and lifting their tops from 600 1
1,100 feet above the level of the sea. Some of th
hills are covered or patched with moss or heath ; bu
most are verdant to their very summits, and affor
prime pasturage for both sheep and black cattl<
The central and the southern sections, consisting (
the main body of Tulliebole and the southern part (
Fossaway, though they are considerably upland froi
sea-level, and have some little hills, are, over mo;
of their area, arable, and carpeted with a various an
* " It is highly probable that this cathedral, at the Reform
tion, suffered the fate of many others ; though it be a rurre
tradition in the place, that the greater part of it, together wi
the bishop's palace, already mentioned, was pulled down in t
time of Oliver Cromwell. By his order, the stones were ca
ried by sea to Inverness, about the distance of Smiles, for erei
ing a fort there, called Cromwell's fort, whereof the ditch a
ramparts are still discernible. No chartulary belonging to t
bishopric has been found in Scotland. It is probable that L<
ly, the last Popish bishop of Ross, and the zealous advocate «
the unfortunate Queen Mary, when he was forced to go abroi
carried all the writs of the diocese with him, either to Fran<
or to Brussels, where he died ; and where these parchmei
may still be mouldering in dust and solitude."— Old Sta\" "
Account.
FOS
587
FOU
rery improveable soil of gravel, clay, till, and loam.
Tulliebole, while appearing between the Ochill hills
on the one side and the Cleish hills on the other, to
be a champaign country, sends up the highest ground
or water-shedding line in the plain which stretches
between Stirling and Kinross, and despatches its in-
digenous rills in the opposite directions of west and
east. Owing the attraction of the hills on either
side, the district has more cloudy weather, and later
seasons, and more frequent falls of rain than the dis-
tricts in its vicinity. Dark and pregnant clouds are
sometimes seen advancing simultaneously along the
Ochill hills and the Cleish hills; and when they come
opposite to Tulliebole, they have been observed to
send off detachments which form a melee above the
district, and discharge upon it their united waters.
The river Devon comes down upon Upper Fossa-
way from the west, and runs south-eastward 3$ miles,
tracing the boundary-line between that district and
Tulliebole on its left bank, and the parish of Muck-
ersie on its right bank ; and making a sudden bend or
crook at the place appropriately called the Crook-
of-Devon, flows 4| miles south-eastward along the
boundary between Tulliebole and lower Fossa way
on the one side, and the parish of Muckersie on the
other; and during its long course of contact with the
united parishes, it attracts both the angler by its
store of the finny tribes, and especially the tasteful
tourist by a profusion of remarkable natural curiosi-
ties : See the DEVON. Lower Queigh water rises
on the northern limit of the northward stripe of Tul-
liebole, forms for a mile south-westward from its
source the boundary with Dunning in Perthshire,
and debouching to the south-east, so intersects for
3| miles the united parish, as to trace the boundary
between the Perthshire and the Kinross-shire sec-
tions. Two rivulets, both called Gairney, but dis-
tinguished by the prefixes East and West, which de-
signate the direction of their course, both rise in the
parish, and meander among copsewood banks. Some
plantations in upper Fossaway, others in Tulliebole,
and still more extensive ones in lower Fossaway, ar-
ranged in stripes or in mimic forests, shelter the coun-
try, and enrich its landscape. The principal minerals
are limestone, coal, and freestone. The villages are
BLAIRINGONE and CROOK-OF-DEVON : which see.
There are two fortalices or strengths with gun-holes
| and turrets, — the castle of Tulliebole, built in the
year 1608, and now belonging to Lord Moncrieff of
Tulliebole, — and the castle of Aldie, built in the
16th century, and belonging to the Baroness of Keith.
The Murrays of Tulliebardine, the ancestors of the
j Duke of Athole, were the ancient proprietors of the
parish, and of many lands in its vicinity ; and they
had at Blairingone a mansion, the site of which is
^till called Palace-brae. — On the summit of a rising
I ground, called Carleith, on the lands of Aldie, are
; the ruins of an old building, perfectly circular, and
| nearly 24 feet in diameter, from the area of which
\\ere dug up, half-a-century ago, two stone-coffins
containing human bones — On the barony of Col-
•Irain is an oblong square mound, 3 roods and 36
falls, Scottish measure, of area, and surrounded by a
>litcii of from 15 to 20 feet in width ; it is tradition-
ally reported to have been the site of a strength be-
longing to the Earls of Athole, and bears the name of
the Hall-yard — A spot, lying between the lands of
Gartwhinzean and those of Pitvar, and called the
[ Monk's grave, commemorates the sanguinary mis-
carriage of one of those tricks of priestcraft, those
finesses of monkery, which, for centuries, enthralled
ill honesty in Scotland. A dispute existing con-
•erning the proprietorship ot the lands, a monk from !
Julrpss appeared upon them, made oath, in behalf
; >f his monastery — who really possessed no claim- '
that the land on which he stood was theirs, and was
instantly run through the body by an indignant mem-
ber of the Tullibardine family, the real proprietors.
But he proved, on an examination of his boots, to
have literally stood on some ounces of soil which he
had brought with him from Culross ; and he was
buried on the scene of his equivocation and its bloody
award, conferring on posterity a lesson of vastly
deeper import than is legible on most objects of an-
tiquarian curiosity — A small rising ground at the
east end of the village of Crook-of- Devon, called the
Gallow-knowe, was the scene of a capital punish-
ment judicially inflicted in the 17th century by the
proprietor of Tulliebole on one of his vassals for the
crime of murder, and reminds posterity of the high
jurisdiction formerly exercised by the Scottish barons.
— In ancient times, when the kings of Scotland passed
between their palaces of Stirling and Falkland, and
when one of the Jameses, on his way, dined and
caroused at Tulliebole, a drinking match or trial of
Bacchanalian strength was got up between one of the
king's troopers and one of the laird of Tulliebole's
vassals, of the name of Keltie. The trooper having
swilled and drank till he became prostrate, Keltie
quaffed another draught to proclaim his revolting
victory, and fell headlong beside the vanquished ; but
when he awoke he found that both he and the trooper
had been struggling with Death, and that the latter
had been overcome by the grim foe. His additional
draught, after the other's fall, is commemorated in
the current phrase of ' Keltic's Mends,' applied
by drunkards to a rejected or hurtful intoxicating
draught ; and the death of his Bacchanalian antagonist,
with its deeply solemn lessons, is commemorated in
the name of a little pool, « the Trooper's Dubb,'
near which he was buried. Some persons, half-a-
century ago, were so scared with the superstitious
fear of seeing the trooper's apparition, that they would
rather have gone a mile out of their way than pass
near his grave. But probably the present generation
of the parishioners have taken the legitimate and the
wiser course of moralizing on the warnings given them
by the commemoration of his folly. — Population, in
1801, 1,312; in 1831, 1,576, of whom 962 were in
Perthshire. Houses in Perthshire, in 1831, 167.
Assessed property, in Perthshire, in 1815, £4,251 —
The parish is in the presbytery of Auchterarder, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, Graham of
Kinross. Stipend £164 Os, 3d.; glebe £8 13s. 4d.
The parish-church was built in 1806. Sittings 525.
A place of worship connected with the Establishment
was recently erected by private subscription, at the
village of Blairingone. Sittings about 250. Accord-
ing to an ecclesiastical survey in 1838, the population
then consisted of 1,302 churchmen, and 382 dissent-
ers,— in all 1,684. The dissenters are connected with
congregations in Dollar, Orwell, and Kinross. Both
Fossaway and Tulliebole were anciently in the dio-
cese of Dumblane ; and they seem to have been con-
solidated into one parish about the year 1614. For
a considerable period after they were united, the
churches of both were used, the minister officiating
two Sabbaths in that of Fossaway, and one Sabbath in
that of Tulliebole. But in 1729, both were thrown
down, and a new church built for the united parish.
The parochial school is attended by a maximum of
72 scholars. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4$d.,
with £27 5s. 8d. fees, and a dwelling-house, garden,
and ground, worth about £12. There are three non-
parochial schools, attended by a maximum of 161
scholars.
FOULDEN, a parish in the eastern part of the
district of Merse, Berwickshire. It is of nearly a
square form, 2£ miles deep ; and is bounded on the
north by Ayton ; on the east by Mordington ; on the
FOU
588
FOV
south by Button ; and on the west by Chirnside.
The surface rises in a gently inclined plane from
south to north, and terminates in a ridge of con-
siderable heights. The soil, in the south, is a
strong clay; towards the middle of the parish it
becomes more loamy ; and in the north is light and
moorish. Excepting about 260 acres, chiefly in the
centre of the district, which are under plantation,
and about 330 in the northern division, which are
under natural pasture, all the area, comprising about
3,000 acres, has been turned up by the plough, and
is in prime cultivation. The uplands of the parish
command a magnificent prospect to the south and
west. Along its whole southern boundary runs the
Whittadder water, between remarkably acclivitous
banks, which climb from 120 to 150 feet above the
level of the stream, and which, on the Foulden side,
are repeatedly cloven by deep and wild ravines,
bringing down rills and drainings from the central or
northern districts. Near the upper end of two of
these ravines or ' dens,' which deepen as they ap-
proach the Whittadder, stands the parish - church.
The nature of this site may probably have originated
the name Foulden, which was anciently written Ful-
den, and means, in the Saxon language, ' the dirty
hollow.' An old ruin, bearing the name of the par-
ish, appears to have been a stronghold in the period
of the Border contests. On a property called Nun-
lands was anciently an establishment of nuns. Two
roads intersect the parish from east to west, and send
off several ramifications. The village of Foulden was
formerly of considerable size, and a burgh-of-barony ;
but has gone utterly to decay. Of two annual fairs
which were wont to be held in it, one is defunct, and
the other is in the last stage of consumption. Po-
pulation of the parish, in 1801, 393; in 1831, 424.
Houses 78. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,907.—
Foulden is in the presbytery of Chirnside, and synod
of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, Wilkie of Foul-
den. Stipend £152 18s. Id. ; glebe £24. Unappro-
priated teinds £152 18s. Id. Schoolmaster's salary
£34, with £10 fees, and £10 other emoluments.
This parish was anciently a rectory in the deanery of
the Merse. On the 25th of March, 1587, the church
of Foulden was the meeting-place of commissions
sent from Elizabeth to vindicate her treatment and
execution of Mary of Scotland, and of commissioners
sent by James VI. to hear their tale, his own mind
revolting — as was pretended — from the terrible com-
munication to be made, and averse to let the bearers
of it pass much within the limit of the Scottish
boundary.
FOUR TOWNS (THE), four contiguous vil-
lages, and circumjacent lands, in the southern part
of the parish of Lochmaben, in the district of An-
nandale, Dumfries-shire. The villages are Hightae,
with 400 inhabitants,— Greenhill, with 80,— and
Heck and Smallholm, with each about 70. The
lands are a large and remarkably fertile tract of
holm or haugh, stretching along the west side of
the river Annan, from the vicinity of Lochmaben
castle, the original seat of the royal family of Bruce,
to the southern extremity of the parish. The in-
habitants of the villages are proprietors of the lands,
and hold them by a species of tenure, nowhere else
known in Scotland except in the Orkney islands ;
and they have, from time immemorial, been called
" the King's kindly tenants," and occasionally the
" rentallers " of the Crown. The lands originally
belonged to the kings of Scotland, or formed part
of their proper patrimony, and were granted, as is
generally believed, by Bruce, the Lord of Annan-
dale, on his inheriting the throne, to his domestic
servants, or to the garrison of the castle. The rent-
•llers were bound to provision the royal fortress,
and probably to carry arms in its defence. Tl
have no charter or seisin, and hold their title
mere possession, and can alienate their property
a deed of conveyance, and procuring for the pur
chaser enrolment in the rental-book of Lord Stor
mont. The new possessor pays no fee, takes up
succession without service, and in his turn is pr
prietor simply by actual possession. The tenant
were, in former times, so annoyed by the constable
of the castle, that they twice made appeals to
Crown; and on both occasions — in the reigns
spectively of James VI. and Charles II. — they obi
orders, under the royal sign-manual, to be allowc
undisturbed and full possession of their singul
rights. In more recent times, at three several date
these rights were formally recognised by the Sco
court of session and the British^house of peers,
chief part of the lands existed till the latter ha
last century in the form of a commonty ; but, it
then, by mutual agreement, divided ; and being
vided, in its several parcels, with neat substanth
farm-houses, and brought fully into cultivation,
soon became more valuable than the original alle
ments immediately adjacent to the villages. Me
than a moiety of the lands, however, has been pui
chased piecemeal by the proprietor of Rammerscale
whose mansion-house is in the vicinity, within
limits of the parish of Dalton. But such por
as remain unalienated exhibit, in the persons of 1
owners, a specimen of rustic and Lilliputian aril
cracy unparalleled in the kingdom. If the posses
of landed property in a regular line of ancestry
several generations is what confers the dignity
gentlemen, that title may be justly claimed by
community whose fathers owned and occupied
ridges and acres from the 13th century. Their
run so in clusters, that soubriquets are very generall
in use. Richardson is the most frequent, and
Kennedy, Nicholson, and Wright are prominent
These names and others were borne by some
panions of Wallace and Bruce, in their patri<
struggles against the usurping Edward. — In Higl
is a Reformed Presbyterian meeting-house,
about the year 1798 by the Relief body, and pur.
chased by its present owners for £70. Sittings 325.
Stipend £60. In the same village are a school am
a library, supported on the interest of £200, morti-
fied on their behalf by the late James Richardson
merchant, Reading, a native of the village.
FOVERAN, a parish in Aberdeenshire, bound*
on the north by Logie-Buchan, from which it is se
parated by a stream falling into the river Ythan ; 01
the east by the southern point of Slains parish, in
eluding the ancient parish of Forvie, now destroys
by sand, on the opposite side of the Ythan, and b;
the North sea ; on the south by Belhelvie parish
from which it is separated by a small stream ; and o
the west by Udny parish, from which also it is parti
separated by the stream already noticed as fallin
into the Ythan. Foveran extends 4 miles in lengt
from east to west, and about 2 in breadth. House
346. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,066. Popu
lation, in 1801, 1,391 ; in 1831, 1,609. Thegenen
appearance of the parish is level, but the groun
rises by a gradual ascent from the sea, though nc
to any considerable height. The soil varies froi
a sandy loam to a rich loam, and strong clay, tl
whole of which is arable, fertile, and quickly pn
motive of vegetation. Grass crops are generally ear
and luxuriant: there are now several fine plant
tions in the parish. The Ythan is navigable f<
small craft for nearly 3 miles ; but vessels of 100 <
150 tons can sail about a mile up the river. Salm<
trout and flounders abound in the Ythan, and the
are numerous beds of mussels, which are gathered
I
FOW
589
FOW
large quantities, and sold for food and bait at Aber-
deen. Pearls are founjd in the bed of the river,
and have been pretty successfully searched for 3 or
4 mik's up the river. At the mouth of the Ythan,
but on a small stream which rises in the western
part of the parish, and flows eastwardly past the
kirk and manse, stands the village of Newburgh, in
a pleasant and commodious situation. Near New-
burgh are the ruins of an old chapel called the Red
chapel of Buchan. About half-a-mile from the
village are the ruins of the old castle of Knockhall,
one of the seats of the family of Udny. Some re-
mains of another castle belonging to a family of the
name of Fiddes, now extinct, are still to be seen, and
there are several tumuli or cairns — The parish is in the
presbytery of Ellen and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
the Crown. Stipend £192 14s. 7d.; glebe £11 5s.
Unappropriated teinds £56 5s Schoolmaster's
salary £28, with £33 19s. 4d. fees and other emolu-
ments. There are three private schools in the parish.
FOWL A, or FOULA, one of the Shetland isles, in
N. hit. 60° 8'; about 2 miles in length, and 1£
mile in breadth. It is nearly 18 miles to the west
of the Shetland group, and 35 from Orkney, and is
supposed to be the Ultima Thule of the ancients, not
only from the analogy of the name, but also from
more undoubted testimony ; for Tacitus, speaking of
the Roman general, Agricola's victories, and the dis-
tance to which he penetrated northward, thus ex-
presses himself: " Invenit domuitque insulas quas
vocant Orcades, despectaque Thule." Now Fowla,
which is high ground, is easily seen in a clear day
from the northern parts of the Orkneys. It is very
bold and steep towards the west ; its cliffs, accord-
ing to Edmonstone, literally losing themselves in the
clouds, or appearing to pierce the belt of clouds which
frequently hangs around them. The only landing-
place, called Ham, is on the east side, and is much
resorted to as a fishing-station. The east side, which
is much lower than the west, is composed of granite,
micaceous schist, and quartz ; the south, west, and
north sides are composed of sandstone and sandstone-
flag. The account which Pontoppidan has given of
the fowlers in Norway, is realized, according to Mr.
Jamieson, and even exceeded by the inhabitants of
•eluded island. It is not many years since it
was a common observation, that few of them died a
natural death, being either drowned or dashed to
pieces among the terrible precipices on the west side ;
but they are now more cautious, and comparatively
few are thus destroyed. This is the principal breed-
ing-place of the skua-gull, or Larus cataractes, called
the bonxie by the Shetlanders. It affords excellent
pasturage for sheep, and in 1837, had 202 inhabitants,
who, although the island cannot supply them with
provisions, are so attached to the place, that they
ire seldom known to leave it, choosing rather to sub-
nit to many inconveniences than emigrate. This is-
iiiul is in the parish of Walls, and is visited only once
uyear by the parish-minister.
^OWLIS EASTER, a parish in the extreme east
erthshire, annexed to Lundie, in Forfarshire.
LUNDIE.
WLIS WESTER, a parish near the centre of
hshire, consisting of two very slenderly united
iions. The southern division is nearly a rec-
le, stretching east and west on the south side of
nd water, and connected, near its north-east
, with the northern division, over a distance of
y half-a-mile. It is 5$ miles of average length
"om east to west, and 3| miles of average breadth
•om north to south ; and is bounded on the north by
lonzie ; on the east by Methven ; on the south by
laderty ; and on the west by Crieff and Monzie.
.'he northern division suddenly swells out from its
narrow breadth of half-a-mile at the connecting line
with the southern division, to an average breadth of
1^ mile, and stretches away 5| miles to the north.
It is bounded on the north by Little Dunkeld ; on
the east by Little Dunkeld and a detached part of
Monzie ; and on the west by the main body of Mon-
zie and by Dell The river Almond, coming down
from the north-west, and bending eastward at the
point of its touching the parish, forms, for 3 miles,
the northern boundary of the southern division, and,
in the lower part of its course, runs along the line of
connection between the two divisions. This stream
here abounds in a small kind of trout ; and a few yards
above the bridge of Buchandy, forms a curious and
attractive cascade. Running beneath a wall of rock
6 feet high, it tumbles over a rocky breast-work 7
feet in height, into a very deep and tumultuously
boiling pool ; and, in dry weather, when its volume
is diminished, it sheds its waters round a rocky pro-
jection, from which a basket was often, at one period,
suspended by a chain, and received numerous salmon-
trout in their attempt to overleap the cascade. Break-
ing away from the pool, it runs in a profound rocky
canal, amid rocky fragments and clusters of stones,
overhung by trees and copsewood, and canopied with
mimic clouds of many-coloured spray, and passes
below the single arch of Buchandy bridge, 15 feet in
span, and rising on a level with the adjacent ground,
— the surface of the water 32 feet below the summit
of the arch The Pow, or Powaffray water, a mossy
and sluggish stream, rises on the western limit of the
southern division of the parish, and, over a course of
7£ miles, uniformly traces its western and its southern
boundary, except for a brief way before leaving it,
during which it runs slightly into the interior. This
stream, having formerly covered with its waters much
of the ground in its vicinity, flows in an artificial chan-
nel, cut for it by authority of an act of the Scottish
parliament, — remarkable for being the last act passed
before the Union Braan water, celebrated for its
scenery and cascades, comes down from the west,
and forms the northern boundary with Little Dun-
keld. Meltown burn, coming down from the north-
east, and falling into the Almond, traces the boun-
dary with the detached part of Monzie. Shellegan
burn, a beautiful limpid stream, flowing parallel with
the former, forms the boundary with the main body
of Monzie. The ravines and romantic dells through
which these streams flow are graced with numerous
tiny cascades and little cataracts, which please by
the frequency of their recurrence and the variety of
their aspect. — The northern division of the parish
consists of ragged spurs of the Grampians, divides
Logiealmond from Strathbraan, and is nearly all wild
or pastoral. Its surface rises gradually, for a brief way,
from Braan water on the north, and consists of moun-
tainous elevations till very near the Almond, when it
descends with a rapid declivity and terminates in a
stripe of arable land. The southern division is re-
markably varied, and, in general, exceedingly unequal
in surface. On the banks of the Almond it sends
down hills dotted and freckled with trees and copse-
wood. On the north-east is the estate of Keiller,
undulating and hilly, but beautified with the trees of
an ancient lawn, and containing much fertile soil,
well-cultivated and enclosed. Along the banks of
the Pow, over the whole extent of the southern
boundary, is an opulent and finely sheltered and cul-
tivated valley. All the rest of the southern division
consists of dells and hilly ranges, remarkably various
in form. The hills are so distinctively featured and
naturally classified, as to be arranged under the differ-
ent names of the braes of Fowlis, the braes of Durn,
the braes of Gorthy, and the braes of Keiller ; and they
have all a southern exposure, and are so chequered
FOW
590
FOY
ttnd adorned with stripes and clumps of plantation,
with little fields of copsewood, with rich enclosures,
with winding and romantic ravines, and with rills,
now purling and limpid, and now noisy and foaming,
as to wear an imposing and highly picturesque ap-
pearance In the south-west angle are the numerous
fenced-fields, gardens, and plantations around the
superb Gothic modern house of Abercairney. The
approach to that mansion passes, for 500 yards,
through forest, along the side of a deep, sinuous,
rocky dell, densely crowded with shrubs and trees,
and traversed by a brawling and often invisible
stream; and, then, retiring obliquely, 300 yards
farther through the forest, presents, in succession
to the view, a profusion of scenic beauties, — wide
sloping lawns, rich meadows, gay garden-grounds,
pleasing acclivities, tiny cascades, and artificial lakes
and islands — Nearly two miles north-west, and on
the western limit, around the house of Cultoquey, is
a luxuriant wood, straggling in clumps and detach-
ments over gravelly hillocks, so various and strange
in form, and thrown together in so remarkable a con-
geries, as to attract the notice and occasionally ex-
cite the wonder of the tourist. From the site of the
manse, on the declivity of the high rising grounds
east of Cultoquey, a magnificent prospect is obtained
of Strathearn and Strathmore, terminated by the
grand and distant outline of the Ochill and the Lo-
mond hills. — The soil, in the valley of the Pow,
consists of alluvial deposit ; and, in other arable
parts of the parish, is very various — gravelly, sandy,
clayey, and loamy ; and, where it rests on rock, is,
in general, fertile, but where it has a clayey subsoil,
is cold and wet and unproductive. Slate is found in
the hills of the northern division ; a species of lime-'
stone occurs at Buchandy ; and sandstone is, in gen-
eral, plentiful. ' On the farm of Castleton, in the
estate of Fowlis, on the east side of a den or ravine,
is a grassy mound, heaved up by the last ruins of the
castle and seat of the Earls of Strathearn. Malise,
the 1st Earl, acted a distinguished part, in 1138, at
the battle of the standard. Gilbert, his grandson,
founded, in 1200, the monastery of Inchaffray, near
the Scottish border. Malise, the 7th Earl, acted an
energetic part in the wars of the succession, signed
the celebrated letter to the Pope, and during the
minority of David Bruce, made strenuous opposition
to Edward Baliol ; but, proving to be on the losing
side of the contest, he suffered a forfeiture of his
earldom, and left no issue to claim a resumption of
his rights. Mary, his only sister, however, having
been married to Sir John Moray of Drumsergard, the
lenial heir of Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, the
earldom was afterwards restored by King David, to
her son, Sir Maurice Moray ; and, he being killed,
in 1346, at the battle of Durham, and leaving no
issue, it reverted to the crown. The family of
Abercairney, descended from Maurice, the last Earl's
brother, are now the lineal representatives of both
the Earls of Strathearn arid the Lords of Bothwell.
— On a hill north of the village of Fowlis is a double
concentric Druidical circle, the exterior range con-
sisting of 40 stones, and measuring 36 feet in circum-
ference. The southern division of the parish is tra-
versed, to the extent of 7 miles, by the mail-road
1 etween Glasgow and Perth, and is, in other respects,
well provided with facilities of communication. The
northern division, however, seems so exclusively a
sheep-walk as to offer no invitation to the ingress of
bipeds and their vehicles. The villages are Fowlis
and Gilmerton. See GILMERTON. Fowlis stands
i.-early in the centre of the southern division on the
old road between Perth and Glasgow. It is a place
of considerable antiquity, and continues to wear, to
some extent, the humble and unimportant and almost
mean appearance which seems to have characteris
"t for centuries. Poor, low thatched cottages con
stitute its chief bulk. Slate, however, has in a fe\
nstances superseded thatch ; and with the aid of
neat school-house and a recently re-edified inn,
deems the place from being entirely poor in asj
In the village is an ancient and curiously sculptui
cross. On one side are figures of hunters and
bound chasing a wolf, which carries in its mouth
human head ; and on the other side are some nearlj
obliterated sculpturing, and gyves for the chaining
of offenders, and fixing them up to popular derisior
A fair for black cattle and for the hiring of servant
s held annually at Fowlis, on the 6th of Noveml
In the vicinity of the village are the Utnds of Lacocl
which exult in the dignity of being a burgh-(
barony, and legal seat of a weekly market and tv
annual fairs, but, owing probably to the necessity
the case, have modestly allowed their baronial
marketing importance to become visible only
paper. The construction of sieves is a species
manufacture nearly peculiar to the parish;
while of some antiquity, continues to yield ami
support to a limited population. The weaving
cotton cloth for manufacturers in Glasgow likewis
employs some persons. Population, in 1801, 1,614;
in 1831, 1,681. Houses 305. Assessed property,
1815, £9,853.— Fowlis Wester is in the presbj
of Auchterarder, and synod of Perth and Stirlh_
Patron, Moray of Abercairney. Stipend £224 17s
3d.; glebe £20. Unappropriated teinds £357
8d. The church has about 800 sittings. Small
tions of the parish belong quoad sacra to the paris
of Monzie and the chapel at Amulrie. Schooln
ter's salary £34 4s. 4^d., with £30 fees. Tl
are two non-parochial schools ; and one of them
Buchandy is endowed to the amount of £5 a- year.
FOYERS (THE), or FYERS, a small river in
verness-shire, noted for the stupendous waterfall
the same name. The river takes its rise
the lofty mountains in the parish of Boleskine
Abertarff, and, pouring through the vale of Foyers
precipitates itself over the ridge bordering Loch
Ness on the south-east, in two distinct falls, at ;
point about a mile above the General's hut. Tb
vale of the Foyers, or Feachlin — as it is sometime
named — is as romantic as can well be conceived
" From its form," says Stoddart, " there can be littl
doubt that it was once floated by a lake, until th
waters forcing their way through the mountain-sid<
formed the awful fall which soon presented itself 1
our view," The falls are situated about half-wa
between Fort- Augustus and the end of the lab
They are nearly 2 miles from the eastern shore
and may be approached either by the road from For
Augustus to Inverness on that side, or by landir
from the steam-boat, which waits regularly that pa
sengers may have an opportunity of visiting ther
These falls can also be visited by the road fro
Fort- Augustus to Inverness, on the north side
the lake ; but this course, since the introduction
steam-boats, is seldom taken by travellers, and
likely to be more and more disused, except by t
inhabitants of the district. On landing from t
steam boats, or from the opposite shore, excelle
footpaths lead through the grounds of Frazer
Foyers, to the falls. The lower fall — which is fi
approached in this way — is by much the higher, a
more striking of the two. After ascending to ac<
siderable height the hills which form the ei
boundary of Loch- Ness, the tourist descends towa
the bank of the river by a well-constructed footw;
and at length finds himself on a narrow but lo
ridge of rock covered with green turf, which ri
from the bed of the river, and is nearly surroun<
FOYERS.
591
by its waters. Here the fall meets his astonished
view immediately in front of where he stands. The
spectator is surrounded on all sides with rocks of
enormous height, fringed with tangled masses of
shrubs and small plants, which are nourished by
the constant spray which ascends from the boiling
waters beneath. Oak and pine trees of fantastic
shape grow from every rent and crevice of these
rocky walls, — adding a wild grace and beauty to
what would otherwise be a scene of horror. Clouds
of vapour for ever ascend ; and the roar and din of
the falling waters is never hushed. " Through the
' shapeless breach ' bursts a torrent, which, confined
by the narrow channel above, shoots in one un-
oroken column, white as snow, into a deep caldron
formed by the black rocks below. By the vast height,
and the large body of the water, a quantity of spray
is created, which lorms a perpetual shower, glittering
like dew on the verdure around, casting a transparent
mist over the gloomy caverned rocks, and rising like
the smoke of a furnace into the air. This appear-
ance, seen at a considerable distance, has occasioned
the country people to give it the picturesque name
of Eass na Smudh, by which, as I before-mentioned,
they also characterize the falls above Kinloch-Leven.
No «pot, however, which I have seen, is at all com-
parable to this, in the strong and sudden impression
which it produces. The falls of Clyde are, indeed,
more beautiful, more varied, and have a larger quan-
tity of water ; but the openness of the view renders
them much less sublime. There is something in the
around, by the ceaseless toil of the struggling river,
by the thundering sound of a thousand echoes, and,
where the jutting barriers do not exclude the view,
by the mighty summit of Meal Fourvouny rising be-
yond the lake." [Stoddart's 'Remarks/ Vol. II.
pp. 76, 77.] Altogether the lower fall of the Foyers
is a. scene of the utmost sublimity and awe ; and
even the boldest cannot stand on the ledge of rock
we have mentioned, and behold the mass of waters
tumbling from above into the dark chasm beneath,
without his feelings being excited in the highest
degree. Dr. E. D. Clarke has pronounced it to be
a finer cascade than that of Tivoli, and inferior only
to the falls of Terni. Many varied opinions as to
the height of this fall have been given, but we be-
lieve we are correct when we say, that it is about
90 feet high.*
The upper fall is about a quarter of a mile from
the lower. The height of it is only about 40 feet ;
t>ut it also exhibits great grandeur, and, were it not
for the neighbourhood of the other, would be more
admired than it is. Here the river sweeps its dark
brown waters through a smooth meadow, until,
reaching the edge of the rock over which they are
precipitated, they break into white foam, and dis-
ippear in the abyss beneath. Lofty rocks and varied
wood also lend their aid to this scene ; and a pic-
aresque and airy bridge, which here spans the
•avine, immediately below the fall, and at a height
)f about 200 feet above the surface of the stream
Jeneath, renders it more pleasing to the eye, and bet-
er adapted for the pencil of the artist, than the lower
all. Before the erection of the bridge, about the year
>786, two or three rough planks carelessly thrown
icross the chasm formed the only means of passage from
he one bank to the other. A story is told of a gentle-
nan having passed along these planks, on horseback,
• Oarnett makes it 212 feet. The quantity of water ia also
ery variously represented ; but this will fluctuate presitly \vith
bABCMon and state of tl\e atmosphere. A few hums*' rain
wells it considerably.
one snowy winter's night, on his return from a convi-
vial meeting with his friends. In the morning he had
only a vague recollection of how he had got home ;
but, on walking to the bridge, he saw the marks of
the horse's hoofs on the snow, and some of them
half over the edge of the outermost plank of the
bridge. Terrified at the risk he had run, a fever
was the consequence of his agitation, which ended in
his death. The best view of this fall and its sur-
rounding scenery is to be obtained from the channel
of the stream below the bridge. A narrow path
descends the rock on the eastern side of the channel
of the river ; but it is not every visiter who has nerve
sufficient to enable him to descend. The grandeur oi'
the scenery, however, cannot be fully enjoyed, with-
out making this descent. The rapid between the two
falls has a declivity of 30 feet, through a channel fret-
ted in rock ; so that the total height, from the top of
the upper to the bottom of the lower fall, is 160 feet.
" The fall of Foyers," says Professor Wilson, " is
the most magnificent cataract, out of all sight and hear-
ing, in Britain. The din is quite loud enough in ordi-
nary weather — and it is only in ordinary weather that
you can approach the place, from which you have a full
view of all its grandeur. When the fall is in flood —
to say nothing of being drenched to the skin — you
are so blinded by the sharp spray smoke, and so
deafened by the dashing and clashing and tumbling
and rumbling thunder, that your condition is far from
enviable, as you cling, ' lonely lover of nature,' to a
shelf by no means eminent for safety, above the hor-
rid gulf. Nor in former times was there any likeli-
hood of your being comforted by the accommoda-
tions of the General's hut. In ordinary Highland
weather — meaning thereby weather neither very wet
nor very dry — it is worth walking a thousand miles
for one hour to behold the fall of Foyers. The
spacious cavity is enclosed by ' complicated cliffs
and perpendicular precipices' of immense height,
and though for a while it wears to the eye a savage
aspect, yet Beauty fears not to dwell even there,
and the horror is softened by what appear to be
masses of tall shrubs or single shrubs almost like
trees. And they are trees, which on the level plain
would look even stately ; but as they ascend, ledge
above ledge, the walls of that awful chasm, it takes
the eye time to see them as they really are, while on
our first discernment of their character, serenely
standing among the tumult, they are felt on such
sites to be sublime. ' Between the falls and the
strath of Stratherrik,' say the Messrs. Anderson,
' a space of three or four miles, the river Foyers
flows through a series of low rocky hills clothed
with birch. They present various quiet glades and
open spaces, where little patches of cultivated
ground are encircled by wooded hillocks, whose
surface is pleasingly diversified by nodding trees,
bare rocks, empurpled heath, and bracken bearing
herbage.' It was the excessive loveliness of some
of the scenery there that suggested to us the thought
of going to look what kind of a stream the Foyers
was above the fall. We went, and in the quiet of a
summer evening, found it
• Was even the gentlest of all gentle things.' "
FRASERBURGH, formerly called PHILORTH,
a parish in the district of Buchan, Aberdeenshire ;
bounded on the north and east by the North sea ,
on the south by Rathen and Strichen ; and on the
west by Tyrie, Aberdour, and Pitsligo. It occupies
the north-eastern corner of the county ; and extends
about 3£ miles in breadth, and 8 miles in length, in-
cluding a part of the parish divided from the rest by
Rathen. Square area, about 10,000 acres. Houses
508. Assessed property, in 18J5, £6,320. Popu-
FRA
592
FRE
lation, in 1801, 2,215; in 1831, 2,954; in 1835,
according to a census taken by the minister and
elders, 3,060. The sea-coast extends about 4 miles,
and is partly sand and partly rocky. Kinnaird's-
head, in N. lat. 57° 42', and W. long. 2° 1', is a high
promontory, projecting into the sea. It is generally
believed to be the ' Promontoriuin Taixalium' of
Ptolemy, being the turning-point into the ' ^Estua-
rium Var arise,' or Moray frith. There is an old
tower on this promontory called the Wine tower,
with a cave under it, and at one time probably con-
nected with the adjoining house, now the lighthouse.
On the west of Kinnaird's-head is the beautiful bay
of Fraserburgh, 3 miles in length. The water of
Pilorth separates this parish from Rathven for se-
veral miles. Along the shore the soil is in general
good, but the interior parts are gravelly. Except
the hill of Mormond, which is elevated 800 feet
above sea-level, the whole surface is nearly level
and flat, gradually rising, however, from the coast
to its most distant and elevated district. The sea
has receded from the land in some places, and en-
croached on it in others. The land, except about
80 acres, is all arable : there are some mosses and
moors. The parish, at one time, abounded with
wood, and there are some fine old trees at Pilorth
house, the seat of Lord Saltoun, to which several
beautiful and extensive plantations have been added.
The parish contains great quantities of granite,
limestone, and ironstone, and there are chalybeate
springs in different places. Besides the old ' college,'
at which some of the monks of Deer abbey resided,
there are remains of several ancient towers and re-
ligious structures. — The parish is in the presbytery
of Old Deer, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
Lord Saltoun. Stipend, £219 2s. 8d. ; glebe £9.
Unappropriated teinds £46 15s. 6d. Church built
in 1803; in good repair; sittings 1,014 An Epis-
copalian congregation has existed in the parish since
the Reformation : no fixed stipend : chapel built in
1793; sittings 288. Previous to 1829, the Right
Reverend Dr. Jolly, the bishop of the diocese of
Moray, officiated in this chapel — An Independent
congregation was established in 1800. Minister's
salary £100. Chapel rebuilt in 1819 ; sittings 539.—
Schoolmaster's salary £29 18s. 10d., with £56 fees,
and other emoluments, besides a share of the Dick
bequest, amounting to between £20 and £30. There
are nine private, live of which are female, schools.
FRASERBURGH, a sea-port town in the above
parish, and a burgh of regality, is situated 151 miles
north of Edinburgh ; 42 north of Aberdeen ; 22 east
of Banff, by the old road, and 26 by the new ; and
17f north of Peterhead. It was erected in the middle
of the 16th century, on the south side of Kin-
naird's-head, upon the estate of Sir Alexander Fra-
ser of Pilorth ; from the name of the superior it
was called Fraserburgh, and it ultimately gave its
name to the parish. The town is neatly built, of a
square form, with most of the streets, which are
spacious, crossing each other at right angles. Nu-
merous improvements have been made in recent
times : elegant and comfortable houses have been
erected, and new streets laid out on a symmetrical
plan. All the house-proprietors are feuars under
Lord Saltoun, as their superior. They are bound
to maintain the public works of the town, for which
they are entitled to the market-customs, and they
have various privileges over commonable land, to
the value of about £60 per annum. The town is
plentifully supplied with water, and the streets are
kept clean and in good condition. The cross, erected
by Sir Alexander Fraser, is a fine structure, of a
hexagonal figure, with three equidistant hexagonal
abutments : the ground area is about 500 feet, and
the whole is surmounted by a stone pillar 12 feet
high, ornamented by the British arms surmounting
the arms of Fraser of Pilorth. The parish-churc
stands near the cross, and the Episcopal chapel,
ticed in the parish returns, [which see above] is
tuated in the town. At the west end of the to~\
is an old quadrangular tower, of three stories, beii
a small part of a large edifice intended to have
erected as a college, by Sir Alexander Fraser, wl
obtained a charter, in 1592, for the institution
an university here, but the design was never carrie
into effect. The parochial school is situated in "
town : it is a very superior educational establishi
wherein all branches, from the lowest to the high*
are taught. Some of the private schools are also in tl
town. The jail, now a ruinous edifice, and the towi
house, were erected by Sir Alexander Fraser. Tl
town was erected into a burgh-of-regality in 161J
The government is vested in Lord Saltoun, who
the authority of provost, and appoints the nei
magistrates and council, consisting of two bailies,
dean-of-guild, treasurer, and seven councillors, anni
ly, with consent of the old — a system of governmer
about the worst that could be devised for the full
vancement of the town and port. Nevertheless, Fr
serburgh may be considered, on the whole, a thrh
town, and, as a sea-port, it has been rapidly ris
in importance ever since the last war, when its s{
cious harbour was constructed, partly at the exper
of Government, as a place of retreat for British shij
of war, suffering from stress of weather in the Nor
sea, — this being the nearest point of land which c
be reached. The works, which are of a most sul
stantial character, cost about £50,000, part of wl
was defrayed by private subscriptions, part, as
served, by Government, and the rest by Lord
toun. The area of this harbour is six Scotch acr
and there are commodious piers and jetties. It
of very easy access : the depth of water at the
tremity of the pier, in spring tides, is 20 feet,
at the ebb 6 feet ; so that vessels of consid€
tonnage can be accommodated. When all the con-
templated works are completed, this will perhaps bt
the best tide-harbour on the north-east coast;
though the situation of the town, with the set
stretching in three directions round the land, thu;
left to occupy only the remaining quadrant of th<
circle, may preclude the prospect of its ever becoming
a great port. Contiguous to the harbour is a toler
able road for shipping, with good anchorage in Fra
serburgh bay. There are numerous vessels belonging
to Fraserburgh, and upwards of 220 herring-boats
and 200 persons are employed in the fishery. Al
sorts of grain, pease, beans, potatoes, and driei
and pickled cod, besides herrings, are exported, ani
the imports are coals, timber, lime, tiles, bricks
salt, and general merchandise. The shore dues, i
1808, were only £35; in 1822, they exceeded £1,200
aod, in 1840, had increased still further to £2,00(
Kelp, ropes, and sails, are manufactured, and ther
is some employment in linen yarn, of which, to th
amount of £3,000 to £4,000, have been annuall
exported. There is a branch of the Aberdeen ban
in the town, and a savings' bank has been estal
lished. Adjoining to the west end of Fraserburgh
the small fishing village of Broadsea. Population <
the town, in 1801, upwards of 1,000; in 1837, »
cording to a census taken by the minister and elde
of the parish, 2,236, including Broadsea. The minist
states, that, during the season of the herring-fisher
from July to September, the population of the tov
is increased to the extent of 1,200.
FRESWICK (THE), a small river in Caithne*
which runs into the German ocean near the town
Wick. See CANISBAY
FRE
593
FYV
FREUCH (THE). See BANCHORY-TERNAN.
FREUCHIE, a manufacturing village in the parish
of Falkland, in Fifeshire ; about 2 miles east of that
town, and nearly the same distance west of Kettle,
containing about 500 inhabitants. There is a United
Secession church here ; sittings 450. The congre-
gation was established in 1794. Stipend £90, with
niciM.se and garden. See FALKLAND.
FREUCHIE (Locn), a small lake in the parish
of Dull, Perthshire, from which the river Bran has
its source.
FRIAR'S CARSE. See DDNSCORE.
FRIOCKHAIM, a quoad sacra parish about 2£
miles in length, lying nearly in the centre of the mari-
time division of Forfarshire. It consists of a district,
containing, in 1836, 606 inhabitants, detached from
the parish of Kirkden, and a contiguous district con-
taining, in 1836, 249 inhabitants, detached from the
parish of Inverkeilor. Of its total population of
909, only about 44 belonged to other denominations
than the Establishment. The church was built in
1835 at a cost of £432. Sittings 416.
FRUID (THE), a tributary of the Tweed in the
parish of Tweedsmuir, Peebles-shire. It rises be-
tween Saddle-crag and Falcon-crag on the boundary-
line with Dumfries-shire; flows northward f of a
mile ; next flows in a direction west of north 3|, re-
ceiving on its left bank Carterhope-burn ; and then
flows northward 2 miles, and falls into the Tweed
I £ mile above Tvveedsmuir-church. The narrow vale
which forms its basin, hemmed in by ridges of grassy
hills, partakes of the beautiful and romantic charac-
ter for which Peebles-shire is so remarkable.
FUDIA, a small fertile island of the Hebrides, 2$
niles north of Barra. It exhibits a number of granite
/eins, some of which contain oxidulous iron.
FULLARTON, a burgh-of barony within the
)arliamentary boundaries of Irvine, lying compactly
,vith that town, and situated on the left bank of Ir-
vine water. See IRVINE.
FULTON, a village in the shire of Roxburgh, and
>arish of Bedrule, near the river Rule ; 4 miles south-
vest of Jedburgh. There are now scarcely any ves-
iges of its ancient consequence, except some remains
•f its tower.
FURA, a small island on the west coast of Ross-
hire, 4^ miles west of Udrigile point.
FYNE (LocH), an extensive lake or arm of the
ea, in Argyleshire. It extends from the frith of
'lyde, between the isles of Bute and Arran, in a
orth- westerly direction ; forming the boundary be-
AVII the districts of Cowal and Kintyre. It is
bout 32 miles in length; the breadth varies from 12
o 3, but its average breadth is about 4 or 5 miles.
lalf-way upon the west side, it sends out a small
rm called Loch-Gilp, whence is cut the Crinan canal
3 the sound of Jura : — see article CRINAN CANAL.
ts depth is from 60 to 70 fathoms. It receives nu-
icrous small streams, and the Aoreidh or Aray at its
orthern extremity : see ARAY. Within 5 miles of its
ead, it spreads out into a noble bay before Inverary,
>nning an irregular circle of about 12 or 14 miles in
rcumference, beautifully indented with a variety of
•niiisulas, and surrounded by mountains : see arti-
e INVERARY. Gilpin says, " Its skreens are every
here equal to the expanse of its waters. They are
deed chiefly naked, and want some such munificent
tnd as we had just left, [at Inverary] to spread a
ttle sylvan drapery upon their bare, enormous sides.
ut what they lose in beauty, they gain in grandeur.
heir situation also upon the lake operated as another
iuse,to impress the idea of grandeur. Nothing exalts
>e dignity of a mountain so much, as its rising from
ie .water's edge. In measuring it, as it appears con-
'ftcd with the ground, the eye knows not where to
I.
begin, but continues creeping up in quest of a base, till
half the mountain is lost. But a water-line prevents
this ambiguity ; and to the height of the mountain
even adds the edging at the bottom, which naturally
belongs not to it. Thus the mountain of Doniquaick,
[Dunycoich] seen from the new inn at Inveraryt ap-
pears as if it rose from the water's edge, though in
fact the duke of Argyle's lawn intervenes, all which
the mountain appropriates : and though it measures
only 835 feet, [or 740 feet according to some] it has
a more respectable appearance than many mountains
of twice its height unconnected with water. But
these skreens, though the grand idea is principally im-
pressed upon them, are not totally devoid of beauty.
Two circumstances in a lake-skreen produce this
quality ; the line, which its summits form ; and the
water-line, which is formed by projections into the
lake. Of these modes of beauty we had great profu-
sion ; and might have filled volumes with sketches :
but unless there is something in a scene besides these
beautiful lines, something which is striking and cha-
racteristic, it has little effect, we have seen, in artificial
landscape. Uncharacterized scenery is still less adapt-
ed to uncoloured drawing, the beauty of which depends
chiefly on composition, and the distribution of light.
In painting, indeed, colouring may give it some value ;
but in this kind of simple drawing, something more in-
teresting is required to fix the eye ; some consequen-
tial part, to which the other parts of the composition
[ are appendages. In our whole ride round this exten-
sive bay of Loch- Fine, we met only one object of
any consequence to mark the scenery. It was a ruin-
ed castle upon a low peninsula. The lake spread in
a bay before it, and behind it hung a grand curtain
of distant mountains ; one of which is marked with a
peculiar feature — that of a vast ridge sloping towards
the eye. We now approach the end of the lake,
where, in the seaman's phrase, we raked a long reach
of it. When we view in this direction, and conceive
ourselves at the head of a bay of salt water, sixty or
seventy fathoms deep, four miles in breadth, and at
least fifty from the sea, we have a grand idea of the
immense cavern, which is scooped out between these
ranges of mountains, as the receptacle of this bed of
waters. If we could have seen it immediately after
the Diluvian crash, or whatever convulsion of nature
occasioned it, before the waters gushed in, what a
horrid chasm must it have appeared 1
So high as heaved the tumid hills, so low
Down sunk a hollow bottom, broad, and deep
Capacious bed of waters"
The ruined castle noticed by Gilpin, in the above
extract, is that of Dunderawe, a very ancient for-
tress of the Ardkinlass family. The present build-
ing bears the date 1596. Loch Fyne has been, from
time immemorial, noted for its herrings, which are
of a superior quality to any found in the Western
seas. The fishery commonly begins in July or
August, and continues till the 1st of January, during
which time the lake is frequented by vast shoals.
At one period there were annually caught and cured
in this arm of the sea upwards of 20,000 barrels ot
herrings, valued at 25s. per barrel. But the take
of herrings has greatly declined in this loch of recent
years.
FYVIE, a parish in Aberdeenshire, bounded on
the north by Montquhitter; on the east by Methlick ;
| on the south by Old Meldrum, Daviot, and Ravne ;
' and on the west by Auchterless. It is one of the
'largest parishes in the county; being 13 miles in
I length, from north-east to south-west, and 8 in
breadth, containing about 20,000 acres. Houses 669.
Assessed property, in 1815, £4,085. Population, in
1801, 2,391 ; in 1831, 3,252. It is intersected by the
small river Ythan, abounding with trout and pearls,
2 P
594
FYVIE.
and running from west to east, in a very devious
course,first southwards, and then northwards, through
the parish, but dividing the district into nearly two
equal parts. It is also intersected by the high road
between Banff and Aberdeen, being about half-way
between these two places. The surface of this parish
is uneven, with a pleasing variety, but the hills are
of small elevation. Eastertown hill, in the southern
extremity of the parish, is the principal elevation.
There is a small ridge, termed ' the Windy hills.'
The soil is various, but, in general, fertile, especially
along the banks of the Ythan, in 'the Howe of
Fyvie,' where are situated the church and Fyvie
castle, the eminences surrounding which are covered
with wood : An extensive and valuable plantation,
chiefly of firs, also runs in the Den of Rothie, west
from the Howe of Fyvie, for nearly 3 miles. There
are, in all, between 1,700 and 1,800 acres of wood
in the parish. In the northern district, there are
large tracts of moss, and a poor soil ; but much of
the land here has been improved by draining. The
heath and moss may be estimated at nearly 7,000
acres : the remainder, exclusive of that which is cov-
ered with wood, is chiefly arable : but there are about
2,500 acres of pasture land. The total yearly value
of produce has been estimated at £43,784. Whin-
stone is the chief mineral : it is of excellent quality,
and may be obtained in immense slabs — Fyvie castle
is the principal mansion: it is an extensive and ven-
erable Gothic edifice, — one of the first, even in the
county. It stands on the north-eastern bank of the
Ythan, in a beautiful park, within which there is
an extensive lake, well-stocked with fish. Rothie,
about 3 miles west of the church, is a pleasant modern
mansion, adorned with tasteful plantations, as is Kin-
broom, about a mile west from Rothie. Gight castle
is a fine old ruin, on the north bank of the river, in
the near vicinity of natural and planted woods, of
varied foliage, constituting, altogether, a combina-
tion of the most picturesque and beautiful scenery.
There are also ruins of a priory of the Tyronenses,
on the banks of this fine river, said to have been
founded by Fergus, Earl of Buchan, about the year
1 1 79. It was afterwards dependent on the abbey of
Aberbrothock. — There is no market-town or village ;
though a " burgh of Fyvie" is said to be alluded to
in certain charters preserved in Fyvie castle : the
is a hamlet called Lesses-of-Fyvie. — The parish
in the presbytery of Turriff, and synod of Aberd(
Patron, Gordon of Fyvie. Stipend £223 19s. 11<
glebe £17 10s. Unappropriated teinds £122 14s. S
Church built in 1808; sittings 1,114. The bour
of the parish, quoad sacra and quoad civilia, are
now the same. A district in the southern part
the parish, containing a population of about 75,
annexed quoad sacra to the parish of Daviot ; a
another on the west, containing a population of!
is annexed to the parish of Rayne. There is als<
district of the parish under the charge of a missic
ary, who officiates in the chapel, built in 1833,
Millbrex, in the north-eastern quarter of the paris
This chapel was enlarged in 1836; sittings abc
500. It accommodates apart of the adjoining pai
of Montquhitter. Missionary's salary £40 from st
rents, and £20 from the Royal bounty. The n
sionary has a free house and a glebe, value £4
annum, from the Earl of Aberdeen, who was
principal subscriber for the chapel — A Scotch
copalian congregation, at present about 200 in ni
ber, has been established at Woodhead, since the J
volution; chapel built about 1795, and enlarged
1821 ; sittings 180 Schoolmaster's salary £34
4£d. per annum, with £37 school-fees, &c., ar
house and garden. There are 5 private schools.
CROSS AT SCONE.
CiAA
GAI
G
JAASKEIR, one of the Hebrides, about 4 leagues
th-west of Taransay. It is frequented by pro-
dijrious flocks of wild geese.
GADIE (THE), a small river in Aberdeenshire,
which rises in the parish of Leslie, on the borders of
the Garioch district, and discharges itself into the
Ury, near its junction with the Don. . The Gadie
\v;is the native stream of the poet, Arthur Johnstone
of Caskieben, who has celebrated its beauties in
several of his elegant Latin poems.
GAIRDEN (THE), a branch of the Dee. It
enters Glengairden from Braemar, receives numerous
small tributaries, and pours a considerable body of
water into the Dee, about 1^ mile above the bridge
of Ballater. A little above its mouth, the road to
Castleton of Braemar, from the east, is carried across
the bridge of Gairden. This stream is sometimes
called the Gairn.
GAIRIE (THE), a rivulet of Forfarshire. It
rises about a furlong north-west of the town of Kir-
riemuir; flows round the town, at that distance, on
three sides; and, after a serpentine course of 2 miles
from its origin, assumes a southerly direction. Two
miljs farther on, it receives a small tributary on its
left bank ; then runs half-a-mile due east ; then re-
sumes its southerly direction, receives f of a mile
onward a considerable tributary from the west, and,
at the point of confluence, passes into the parish of
Glammis ; arid finally, after a further run of about a
mile, falls into Dean water, on the boundary of the
parish of Kinnettles.
GAIRLOCH, a parish in Ross-shire, on the west
coast of that county ; bounded by Lochbroom parish
on the north, from which it is separated by the river
Gruinard; and on the south by Loch Torridon,
which separates it from the parish of Applecross.
It has about 90 miles of sea-coast; and extends in-
land to the chain of mountains which divide the
waters flowing to the eastern sea from those flowing
to the west. It extends about 40 miles in length,
and is nearly 30 miles in extreme breadth. The
surface resembles the other parts of the Highlands;
•bounding with hills which afford a scanty pasture
f"i -heep, and interspersed with valleys which are
tolerably fertile in favourable seasons. There are
above 5,000 acres under wood. In this parish lies
MAREE, a large fresh water lake: see that
Article. Besides the Gair-loch, which gives name
to the parish, there is another arm of the sea in this
listrict called LOCH EWE: which see. Population,
in 1801, 1,437; in 1831, 4,445. Houses 791. As-
: property, in 1815, £650 — This parish, for-
nerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Loch-Car-
•on, and synod of Glenelg. Patron, the Crown.
stipend £240; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds
js. 7d. Church built in 1791 ; repaired in
-ittings 500. — There is a Government church
t I'olewe. to which a quoad sacra parish has re-
ently been annexed: see POLEWE. — Parochial
rhoolmaster's salary £30. There are two private
chools.
GAIRLOCH (THE), an arm of the sea, on the
k'est coast of Ross-shire, extending about 3 miles
'land. Its jiiiine is supposed to l>e derived from
lie Gaelic (Jcnrr, 'short,' and lock; and to siunitv
the Short loch.' It gives name to the parish in
which it is situated. Near its head is an island of
the same name.
GAIRLOCH (THE), or GARELOCH, a very beau-
tiful branch of the frith of Clyde, extending between
the parishes of Roseneath and Row, in Dumbarton-
shire. The frith coming down from the east, and
expanding its waters to the breadth of 3| or 4 miles,
is cloven, 2 miles below the longitude of Greenock,
by the peninsula of Roseneath, and sends away the
Gareloch north-westward, over a distance of 7£ miles.
The loch commences between the richly wooded
Castle-point of Roseneath on the south, and the
smiling village of Helensburgh stretching along the
beach of Row parish on the north ; and is there 1|
mile broad. A mile up, it is overlooked, on its
south side, by the tower of Roseneath castle, peer-
ing out from an expanse of forest ; on its north-east
side, nearly opposite, but a little higher, it is beauti-
fied by the turrets and plantation of Ardincaple.
Here, having been gradually narrowed to less than
f of a mile, it suddenly expands to a breadth of more
than 1$ mile. Three-fourths of a mile onward, it
is indented on the north side, over nearly half its
breadth by a point, or, in Gaelic, &Rhue, which gives
name to the parish along its shore. Here, 100 yards
or so respectively from its beach, stand on the one
side the church of Roseneath, and on the other the
church of Row, both nestled, but especially the for-
mer, in spots Of luscious beauty, and alluring tourists
either to their sites or to vantage-ground in their
immediate vicinity for the survey of scenery rich
and brilliant in the combined attractions of highland
and lowland landscape. Near the Row, or indenting
point, a long-established ferry maintains easy and
frequent communication across the loch ; and hither,
during summer, the steamers — five or six in num-
ber— which ply between Glasgow, Helensburgh,
the Row, and Gairloch-head, career their way, curl-
ing the blue water with their rough motion, and
streaking the canopy of usually fine-tinted clouds
with their dusky smoke. Upward, from this point
till within a mile of its termination, it has a nearly
uniform breadth of about f of a mile ; and then it
contracts to three furlongs, and ends in a slightly
rounded angle. Though it receives altogether the
flux of about twenty rills, it has on the south
side so inconsiderable a breadth of land, and, on the
north side, is overlooked so closely upon its beach
by mountainous elevations, and, at its termination,
makes so close an approach to Loch- Long, that the
streams do not average more than 1 mile in length
of course — the longest being 2£ miles, and about a
moiety of them from i a mile to £ . At its termi-
nation it is geographically distant from Loch-Long
only 1£ mile; and both there and two-thirds way
down its north side, it is Dent up by elevations
dressed, during the winter months, in snowy wlii»e,
and, during the rest of the year, in heathy brown.
But the hills, as they approach Helensburgh, sink
in their loftiness, and, coming more slopingly toward
the shore, admit a freer space for the adorninjrs of
culture and plantation. On both sides of the l«-h,
picture is, all the way, nn enchanting one of mingled
beauty and romance; and both sides are studded
with a succession of handsome cottages and villas
which, on the east or Helensburgh side are thickly
GA1
596
GAL
strewn almost to the head of the loch. Eastward,
too, or looking out from the loch, from many com-
manding points of observation on its beach, the
sylvan and fairy-looking headland of Ardmore, and
the gentle and lovely forms of the Renfrewshire
hills, with the watery expanse of the frith of Clyde
glittering between, add luxuriantly to the attrac-
tions of the landscape. At the head of the loch, a
neat smiling village has now assumed the place of a
few wretched Highland cabins which formerly stood
hfiro, and an excellent inn offers its accommodations
to the stranger- visitant. There is a neat chapel in
connexion with the Established church here. For
a better appreciation of the scenery of the loch,
see the articles ROSENEATH and Row. The water
of Gareloch is generally clear, varies in depth along
the centre from 10 to 30 fathoms, and is little affected
in its saltness by the influx of rills, or the mixation
of the river-waters of the Clyde. The current of
the tide is strong, running from 3 to 4 miles in the
hour; and, owing to the projection of Row point,
and of some minor horns or headlands, is various in
its direction.
GAIRNEY (THE), a stream in Kinross-shire,
which rises in two small tarns amongst the Cleish
hills; one of them about a mile north-west of the
ruins of the old castle of Cleish ; the other in a moss
called the Crook of Devon moss. These two rivulets
unite at Thratemuir, and then run in an eastern
direction by the foot of the Cleish hills, and crossing
the Great northern road at the Bridge of Gairney,
fall into Loch-Leven, at a point about 2 miles distant
from Kinross, after a beautiful meandering course
through the rich meadow-grounds on the south-
western shore of that lake.
GAIRNEY (THE), another small river of Kin-
ross-shire, which rises in the Saline-hills, and, after
a course of a few miles, falls into the Devon, imme-
diately below the Caldron linn.
GAIRNEY-BRIDGE, a small hamlet in the par-
ish of Cleish, in Kinross-shire, on the Great north
road from Edinburgh to Perth, 23 miles distant from
Edinburgh, and 21 from Perth. Here one of the
earliest presbytery meetings of the Secession church
was held; and here the young poet Michael Bruce
taught a small school. " I never look on Bruce's
dwelling," observes Lord Craig, — " a small thatched
house distinguished from those of the other inhabi-
tants only by a sashed window at the end, instead
of a lattice, fringed with a honey-suckle plant, which
the poor youth had trained around it, — I never find
myself on the spot, but I stop my horse involuntarily ;
and looking on the window, which the honey-suckle
has now almost covered, in the dream of the mo-
ment, I picture out a figure for the gentle tenant of
the mansion ; I wish — and my heart swells while I
do so — that he were alive, and that I were a great
man to have the luxury of visiting him there, and
bidding him be happy." The cottage of the amiable
bard has long since been removed, and his honey-
suckle uprooted ; but his name and memory are still
honoured in the hamlet.
GAIRSA, one of the Orkneys, constituting part
of the parish of Rendal, from which it is separated
by a strait about 1^ mile broad. This island is
about 2 miles long, and 1 broad ; the greater part of
it consists of a conical hill of considerable altitude.
The whole of its west side is steep; but towards
the east, it is both plain and fertile; and in that
quarter, as well as on the south, the lands are
well-cultivated. It contained 69 inhabitants in
1838. Close by the south shore stand the remains
of an old house which seems formerly to have pos-
sessed some degree of elegance and strength, and
was the residence of Sir William Craigie, and others
of that name and family. Here is a small harbour,
called the Mill-burn, perfectly secured on all sid<
by the island itself; and a small holm, which covt
the entrance to the south, leaving a passage on ez
side of it to the anchoring-ground.
GALA WATER, an interesting little river
Mid-Lothian and Roxburghshire. It rises among th(
Moorfoot hills, in the former county, between Ri
ther-law and Hunt-law on the northern boundary
the parish of Heriot, and, after flowing 2 miles di
east, receives from the north a tributary equal ii
importance to itself, and suddenly bends round
the south. At the point where the two rills unit
the great road from Edinburgh to Newcastle,
way of Jedburgh — identical as far as Galashiels witl
the mail-road from Edinburgh to Carlisle and tl
west of England — comes down upon the Gala, am
thenceforth, till the fine pastoral stream loses it
in the Tweed, keeps closely along its left bank,
even follows it round all its more remarkable sini
osities. The vale of the Gala, in fact, is the onlj
practicable thoroughfare southward to Selkirkshir
to western and central Roxburghshire, and to
parts of England which lie beyond them in a lin<
from Edinburgh. So long as the river and the
traverse Mid-Lothian, their direction, exceptii
windings, is to the east of south; and from the
entrance into Roxburghshire to the Tweed, it
directly south-east. At the point of their joinii
company, and for 1J mile onward, the surrounding
country is moorish upland, considerably reclaii
and cultivated, but bleak and cheerless in asj
But now Heriot water is coming down from
west, making so coquetish an approach as to run
of a mile nearly alongside of the Gala before
senting to a union ; and it opens so distant a vie\
among the hills, and comes flaunting onward in
pleasing a valley-dress, as very delightfully to divt
sify the scenery. The Gala, having already f
about a mile touched or bounded Stow parish, no\
enters it, and begins to traverse its whole lei
over a distance of 11 miles. Throughout this
part of its course, it is pastoral, romantic, and by turns",
wild, enchanting, and picturesque. Hills of con-
siderable height, and endlessly diversified in appear-
ance,— now stony and menacing, now heathy and sad,
and now verdant and joyous, — occasionally bold and
precipitous, but generally sloping and of soft outline,
— close in its vale on both sides, seldom allowing
haughs broader than 5 of a mile for the deposit of
its alluvial wealth and the indulgence of its mean-
dering frolics, and in one or two places forcing il
into detours within nearly the narrow limits of s
gorge. On leaving Stow parish or Edinburghshire,
the river altogether relaxes its severer features, and
wears — especially round an exquisite bend 1| mile
above Galashiels, and where it sweeps past thai
town, and onward to the Tweed — a dress of joyous-
ness and of holiday smiles and adornings finely befit-
ting its approach to the queen-like river which re-
ceives, amid the most classic scenes of Scotland, i
few hundred yards below Abbotsford, the crysta
tribute of its waters. From the point of its exi
out of Mid- Lothian onward, it, with one trivia
exception, divides Roxburghshire on its left ban!
from Selkirkshire on its right ; and from its souro
to its embouchure, it traverses altogether a distant
of about 21 miles. While passing along the parisl
of Stow, it receives from the west the importan
tribute of Luggate water, and from the east the con
siderable tribute of Armet water, Cockum water
and Stow burn.
GALASHIELS,* a parish consisting of the an
The name Galashieis means simply 'the Shepherds' hu'
on the Gala,'— the word Gala or Cicala itself meaning '« tu
GALASHIELS.
597
it and suppressed parishes of Bowside and Lin-
n, the former in Selkirkshire, and the latter in
>xburghshire. Bowside, or the Selkirkshire part
the modern parish, is nearly pentagonal: having
side formed by Gala water, two by the Tweed,
by the Tweed and Cadon water, and the fifth,
)t for 1| furlong in the middle, by two small
and two rills which they send off respectively
Gala and the Cadon. It is thus very nearly
island ; and is bounded on the north-east by Mel-
on the south-east by Melrose and Lindean ;
the south by Selkirk ; on the west by Selkirk
Stow; and on the north-west by Stow. Mea-
jd in any direction from side to side, it extends
ut 3 miles, and from angle to angle about 3|.
indean, or the Roxburghshire part of the modern
rish, marches over one-half of its north-west boun-
with the Selkirkshire part, and is there divided
it by the Tweed; and over the other half of that
idary it stretches along, and at one brief point
overleaps Ettrick water, and is conterminous with
Ettrick parish. On other sides it is bounded by
Selkirk, Bowden, and Melrose. In general form, it
P- parallelogram 2| miles by 1£, stretching north-
tward and south-eastward ; but it sends off
h-westward from its south-west angle a stripe
nile long, and 3 furlongs broad. The whole
»h of Galashiels is hilly, and may even be called
ntainous ; one of its heights, called Meigle, which
overlooks the town, rising 1,480 feet above the
;vel of the sea, or 1,200 feet above the level of the
'weed, at its junction with the Gala. But the
11s expand on wide bases, and have in general
inded tops and a soft outline, and are separated
one another by winding, narrow, and beautiful
i; and altogether present, both to the eye of
ste and to the hand of culture, gentle and enchant-
properties. Though patches of heath and spots
rock occasionally variegate the surface, the hills
j green, and, to a considerable extent arable ; and
fen in one or two instances in which their forms
conical, plantation and verdure wreath arid adorn
up to the very summit. The vale of the
which forms the north-east side of the penta-
of Bowside, is in itself a mere ribbony stripe ;
j it has a beautiful and very broad edging of gentle
:livity up the side of Meigle and other hills, and
sides being itself adorned with rows and tufts of
plantation, is confronted behind Galashiels with a
phalanx of trees 1£ mile long, and upwards of $ of
a mile deep. The vale of the Tweed, which forms
half of the western side, and the whole of the south-
ern and south-eastern sides of the pentagon of Bow-
side, is all the way along very richly wooded, and
absolutely gorgeous in beauty. Nothing more needs
be said to hint how fascinating its landscape is than
to state that its Galashiels side, and the sylvan and
variegated slopes which come gracefully down upon
it from the heights behind, were the scene chosen as
the view from the front of his temple of taste by
the most graphic and the most chastely imaginative
and the most nicely sensitive to scenic beauty of all
Scotland's poets or literary painters, — Sir Walter
Scott. Abbotsford house, indeed, is not within the
limits even of Lindean, but it looks across the
Tweed to the south-eastern slopes of Bowside, from
a delightfully picturesque site 2 of a mile above the
confluence of the Gala and the Tweed; and, with its
rich and very broad cincturing of plantation — part of
which stretches into Lindean — flings over the land-
scape of the parish enchanting influences of no corn-
atream.1 The terms 'shiels' Hiid 'shielings' were very com-
monly used by the Northumbrian Saxons to deuote the tempo-
rary shelters of shepherds ; mid are still cm rrntly employed
»-y the peasantry in p, i-tnr.il district*, hesidi's torminff part of
tin- rumpouud iiaiin-a of many luculitiea.
mon power. The rivers abound in salmon, in 1 rout of
very large size, and in sea-trout, bull-trout, par, and
eels. At the northern verge of Lindean is a small
ake named Cauldshiels, about 1^ mile in circum-
'erence, opulently planted on one side, and bleak and
wild on the other, and deep, bedded with marl, and
abounding in pike and perch. The soil, while very
various throughout the parish, is, in the aggregate,
surprisingly different on the two sides of the Tweed.
In Bowside it is in general deep, heavy, cold, and
wet, on a bottom of clay or of rock : in some places
t is perfectly red, and occasionally interrupted with
ronstone ; in other places it is very porous, yet not
sandy, or superincumbent on gravel; and, in vaiious
instances, it gives place to morasses and lochlets
which are productive of peat and marl. In Lin-
dean the soil is, in general, dry and shallow, lying
partly on gravel, extensively on till, and occasion-
ally on rock; and it is almost everywhere sprinkled
and mixed with a remarkably large proportion of
small stones ; and is believed to derive, in some de-
gree, from their power of reflecting heat and aiding
it to retain moisture, a fertility in excellent and
luxuriant crops, which, considering its small depth,
is truly astonishing. Nearly one-third of the entire
area of the parish is arable; nearly two-thirds are
unsuited to the plough, and chiefly covered with
pasturage ; and about 500 acres are under planta-
tion. The chief mansions are Gala house, overlook-
ing the Gala from a bower of groves, and Faldonside
delightfully situated on the right bank of the Tweed,
a little above Abbotsford. Traces of two ancient
camps and a stretch of Roman road are visible. The
old post-road from Edinburgh to Selkirk, Hawick,
and Carlisle, runs along the west margin of Bowside ;
a road recently used runs along the north-east and
the south-east margins; and a still newer road in-
tersects the district from north to south. The road
between Selkirk and Melrose runs along the west
margin of Lindean. The interior parts of the entire
parish are ill-supplied with roads; and, indeed,
scarcely need them. Population, in 1801, 844; in
1831, 1,534. Houses 226. Assessed property, in
1815, £5,873.— Galashiels is in the presbytery of
Selkirk, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Pa-
tron, Scott of Gala. Stipend £211 11s. 7d.; glebe
£28. Unappropriated teinds £543 13s. Id. Be-
sides the parochial school, attended by a maximum
of 125 scholars, there are 4 schools attended by a
maximum of 229 scholars. Parish-schoolmaster's
salary £30, with £40 fees, £10 other emoluments,
and a house and garden. Two of the non-parochial
schools are endowed ; one in Lindean, with £8 18s.
a-year, and a house and garden; and the other at
Ferniler, with £8 a-year, and a house and garden ;
the fees of the former amount to £19, and of the
latter to £20. The ecclesiastical statistics of the
parish are so blended with those of the town — which
contains the parochial places of worship, and at the
same time sends half its bulk, including other places
of worship, into the conterminous parish of Melrose
on the opposite bank of the Gala—that they will
find a better place in the next article than in the
present The two parishes of which Galashiels
consists were for a long period perfectly distinct.
The church of Bowside anciently stood in a hamlet
of that name, about half-a-mile below the junction of
the Ettrick and the Tweed. Lindean derived its
name from the British Lyn, signifying, secondarily,
' a river-pool,' and the Anglo-Saxon Dene, * a valley ;'
and seems to have been a very ancient parish. The
body of William Douglas, the knight of Liddesdale,
lay in Lindean church the first night after his a»a—
sination in 1353. The monks of Dry burgh probably
obtained possession of this chuich, and had it servjed
598
GALASHIELS.
by a vicar ; and, in Bagimont's roll, it figures as tne
vicarage of Lindean, in the deanery of Teviotdale,
and diocese of Glasgow. But before the year 1640
it had ceased to be the parish-church, and become
supplanted by that of Galashiels.
The town "of GALASHIELS stands on Gala water,
5 miles north-west of Melrose ; 6 north-east of Sel-
kirk; 18 east of Peebles; and 28 south of Edin-
burgh. The original village occupied a site on the
acclivity south of the Gala, and was simply an ap-
pendage of the baronial seat of Gala; but, though
still partially standing, and even slightly renovated
with new buildings, it has, for a considerable period,
been sinking gradually into decay. The present
town originated about 60 years ago, when the spirit
of manufactures alighted on the villagers, and brought
them down to the margin of the stream to avail
themselves of its water-power; and it stands in
nearly equal parts in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire,
— the former part being the more ancient, and the
latter the more modern. The town, on the south
side of the river, comprising all Galashiels Proper,
and a considerable portion of the Roxburghshire sec-
tion, consists of one long bent street, and two shorter
and new streets, the whole dotted round with de-
tached buildings, winged with drying and bleaching
grounds, and stretching along a narrow stripe of
plain between the river and the neighbouring heights.
On the north side the town is both more irregular
in form and less advantageous in site, ascending in
straggling clusters or lines of building, from the
margin of the river to the transit of the Edinburgh
and Newcastle road, a little distance up the face of
the acclivity. The two districts are united by a
stone-bridge for vehicles, and an iron suspension-
bridge and an ingeniously constructed timber-bridge,
both for foot-passengers. All the houses are built
of blue whinstone and slated. Though quite a
manufacturing-place, the town partakes not a jot of
the dinginess, and the confusion, and the concentra-
tion of character upon mere labour and gain, which
so generally belong to places of its class; but is
lively and mirthful in its appearance, heedful of the
adornings of taste and beauty, and seems to recipro-
cate smiles of gladness with the charming scenery
amid which it is embosomed. The spirit of manu-
facture is no doubt here, and walks abroad in an
energy which contrasts strongly with the sickliness
of its nature, and the feebleness of its movements in
many other localities ; but it breathes a mountain
air, and has the dress and the habits far more of
rural than of city life. The factories being worked
by water and not by steam-power, — the grounds at-
tached to them being painted over with the many-
coloured fabrics which are hung out to complete the
process for the market, — the dispersedness of the seats
of stir and activity at considerable intervals along
the banks of a pastoral stream, — the beauty and light-
ness of the materials with which the town is con-
structed,— and the picturesqueness and pastoral fea-
tures of the rich landscape which sweeps around, —
all contribute to protect Galashiels from being denied
with the sootiness, or wasted dawn into the cadav-
erousness of most other seats of manufacture. In
1832 there were here ten large cloth factories, some
of them of considerable date, and two of them quite
new — There are two parochial churches, one quoad
civilia, in the Galashiels division, and one quoad
sacra, in the Melrose division. The former, built
in 1813, and fitted up with between 800 and 900
sittings, is in the semi-gothic style, and rises, in the
front end, into a square tower. The quoad sacra
church, built in 1837, is a small but neat structure,
BO situated as to overlook most of the town. A
United Secession place of worship, nearly as old as
the modern town, and of considerable capacity,
though of plain exterior, stands on the Galashiels
side. A Relief congregation was established in 1837,
and have since erected a small neat meeting-house.
There are also small chapels belonging to the Glass-
ites and the Baptists — Galashiels, in all other re-
spects, is destitute of public buildings. Even its
shops are few and tiny compared with either its
population, its relative position in the country, or
its manufacturing importance. Its streets, in fa'ct
during the hours of labour in the factories — have
the silence and timidity and wealthless aspect al-
most of a hamlet in the Highlands. Its market:
also are defunct, and its fairs — held on Sth July
and 8th October — feverish and wasted. Manu-
facture, in its most athletic form, alike heedless
of the luxuries and unhurt by the malign influ-
ences of what passes for refinement, is almost the
sole tenant of the place. The town has branch-
offices of the National bank of Scotland, and the
Leith bank; a savings' bank, a friendly society, a
public reading-room, two subscription libraries, a
small printing-office, a Bible and Missionary society,
and an excellent grammar and boarding-school, be-
sides other schools. The town has no police estab-
lishment, though it is watched under night by a
constable paid by the county of Roxburgh. At-
tempts to light and clean it by voluntary assessment
have hitherto had but partial success. The Edin-
burgh and Carlisle mail, and stage-coaches between
Newcastle, Jedburgh, and Hawick, respectively, arid
Edinburgh, pass through Galashiels; and numerous
carriers continually travel between it and all the
towns and important localities intervening from the
Forth to the central part of the Border.
Galashiels, for some period after its erection, was
subject to such fearful inundations of the Gala, that
-occasionally a boat was brought from 2 miles distant
on the Tweed for the rescue of its people; and even
yet, it at times is exposed to considerable risk, or
even sustains actual damage. The Gala sweeps past
it with a rapidity of current and an amount of descent
which render its power of vast worth in driving
the machinery of the factories, but which, if due
means of resistance were not provided, would occa-
sion, in a flood, the sapping and possibly the total de-
struction of the town. But the bed of the stream has
of late been quarried and excavated for building-ma-
terials, and has, in consequence, received greatly en-
larged capacity for conveying along a swollen volume
of water. Strong bulwarks called ' puts,' have also
been constructed along the banks of the stream, and
serve to repress its riotousness when in a surfeited and
turbulent mood. Yet strong as the bulwarks are, the
river is in hazard of becoming energetic enough to
toss them from its path ; and whenever it makes an
impression on them, it so violently menaces the mills
and other buildings on its margin, that all hands are
at work to prevent if possible its eruption. But if
all efforts be unsuccessful and the work of destruction
have begun, the persevering and hardy townsmen
brave the invading and impetuous foe on its own ter-
ritories, and in groups or bands of several scores
strong, drag branching full-grown fir-trees into the
more quiescent waters on the exterior of the flooded
ground, make fast the trunks at points where the
stream is comparatively gentle, and toss the branches
upon the margin of the central and careering current.
By a sufficiently frequent repetition of this process
so as to form a bushy wall or rampart of tree upon
tree, they now invariably succeed in averting danger
even though the regular bulwarks should be broken
down ; but in 1829 — the year so memorable for Scot-
land's asserting its character as ' the land of the moun-
tain and the flood,' when Moray shire, in particul
GALASHiELS.
599
so fearfully devastated by inundations, — Gala-
shiels might have been all but utterly destroyed had
not an astute spectator, amid general looks of despair,
-ted for the first time, the trial which was im-
mediately effective, of encountering the torrent with
an array of felled tf.es.
Galashiels has a brewery and establishments for
the tanning of leather, the dressing of skins, and the
construction of machinery for woollen manufacture.
It also conducts considerable trade in the produc-
tion and sale of hosiery. But its grand staple is
the manufacture of woollen cloth. " With the ex-
cepfion of Hawick," say the commissioners on
Municipal corporations, " Galashiels is the most im-
portant manufacturing town in the south of Scotland.
The manufacture is of woollen cloth. There are 9
manufactories, each employing about 40 persons.
Although on a scale comparatively limited, the manu-
factures have of late years made rapid advances, and,
from the activity and industry of the inhabitants,
united to its advantageous situation, it is probable
that the town will continue to increase." ' But though
inferior in population or in amount of produce to
llawick, it is second to no town in Scotland in
the excellence of its woollen fabrics, or in the inge-
nuity and success of effort to improve the quality and
extend the range of its staple. For a considerable
series of years, it was known for the production of
woollen cloths of only the coarser kinds, fabricated
from home-grown woollen ; but, for several years
past, it has run an increasingly successful course of
effort to produce, from foreign wool — chiefly that of
Van Diemen's Land — cloth of the finer qualities, and
has even commenced a rivalry, infantile as yet but
bold and promising, with the choice broad-cloth manu-
factories of England. By the mixation of home and
foreign wool, it also produces flannels which the
Board of Trustees have pronounced fine/ than any
made elsewhere in Scotland, and equal if not superior
to the best made in Wales. A large proportion of the
home-grown wool is smeared, in order to be fabricat-
ed into an improved coarse cloth. Yaiv.s, blankets,
shawls, plaids, narrow cloths, grey or mixed coloured
crumb-cloths, and blanket-shawls of many hues arid
changeful patterns, are the forms into which home-
grown wool alone, or in mixture more or less with
foreign wool, is made to assume. In 1833, accord-
ing to the statement in the New Statistical Account,
the annual consumption of wool amounted to 21,500
stones at 24 Ibs. imperial to the stone; of which
21,000 were home-grown, and 500 were foreign.
But since that period, not only has the aggregate
consumption considerably increased, but, in conse-
quence chiefly of the success of the broad-cloth manu-
facture, the proportion between foreign and home
wool is exceedingly changed in favour of the foreign,
need come no further down than 1833, however,
20 shillings. The weekly clear wage for blanket*
and white plaiding, is 12 shillings; for checks, 15s.;
for shawls at 42 ells a- week, 16s. ; and for twill-cloth
and tartans, about 16s. 6d. The condition of the
weavers — especially as compared with that of persons
of their vocation employed in other localities upon
cotton fabrics — is, of course, exceeding good. When
in full employment, their clear weekly wages averag-
ed 14s. 3d. in 1839. The total number of looms in
1828, was 175; and in 1838, it was 265.
Though Galashiels as a whole is quite unique in
position and interests, it consists of three legally dis-
tinct portions. The first is the town of Galashiels
Proper, situated in Selkirkshire, the tenure of which
is leasehold, in leases of 99 years, renewable in per-
petuum. The second, situated in Roxburghshire,
but on the south side of the Gala, and compact or
contiguous with the former, consists of feus, holding,
with few exceptions, of the same superior as Gala-
shiels Proper. The third, also situated in Roxburgh-
shire, but on the north side of the Gala, is a suburb
called Buckholmside, and consists of feus which are
held of a different superior, Mr. Pringle of Torwood-
lee. A burgh-of- barony, which includes part of the
town of Galashiels and a considerable agricultural
district, was erected by a charter, dated 9th June,
1630. There is no property, revenue, expenditure,
debt, or taxation. The jurisdiction within the barony
is of the ordinary kind, the bailie holding his com-
mission during the pleasure of the superior. No
courts have been held for upwards of a century ; and
there is neither court-house nor gaol. Those parts
of the town which are not within the barony, are
subject only to the jurisdiction of the county.
The weavers were incorporated by a seal of cause
from the superior, but enjoy no exclusive privileges.
The manufacturers also are called a corporation ;
but they do not possess a seal of cause. Trade and
manufactures are in all respects free. Population
of the whole town, in 1 831 , 2, 100. Of 2,209, which
the writer in the New Statistical Account reports
as the population in 1832, 1,130 are stated by him to
have belonged to the Selkirkshire portion of the
town, and 1,079 to the Roxburghshire portion.
The earliest notice of Galashiels — which, like every
other, till a very modern date, refers, of course,
not to the present town but to the extinct aboriginal
village — occurs in Lord Hales* Annals, and is wholly
confirmed and partly amplified by tradition. In 1337,
during the reign of David II. a party of English in-
vaders halted at Galashiels in the course of a retreat
from a vain effort to raise the siege of Edinburgh.
The season being autumn, and the little army not
thinking itself pressed to make a hurried passage
across the Tweed, the soldiers began to straggle
about the neighbourhood in search of wild plumbs
with which it then abounded. A party of Scotch
in order to see the prosperous condition of t^ie manu- j now came up, and learning the position of the foe,
facture of the town; for instead of the 21,500 stones ' rushed down upon them in contemptuous feeling for
of wool which were then consumed, there were, in ! their employment, took them by surprise, drove them
1792— when the Old Statistical Account was publish- j headlong to a spot on the Tweed, still called "the
ed — only 2,916 stones; and in 1744, the still more : Englishmen's syke," nearly opposite Abbotsford, and
paltry amount of 722 stones. Yet in 1 792, the Rev.
Mr. Douglas, the minister of the town and parish,
reported, " The manufacture of coarse woollen cloth
is here carried on to great extent. It has ra
ipidly in-
creased within these few years, and is now brought
to great perfection." The Messrs. Cochrane and
Gill, and Syme & Co., are the chief cloth-manufac-
turers. All the weaving, with trivial exceptions,
\\.is, till lately, done in factories, but is now perform-
v '1 chiefly in shops built in their immediate vicinity
there hewed them down with the sword almost to a
man. The people of the village, in self-gratulation
of an exploit which had been a sourer fruit to the in-
vaders than any they went in search of, called them-
selves " the Sour Plumbs o' Galashiels," and trans-
ferred the soubriquet to their successors, and are
celebrated by it in a Scottish song of high antiquity,
and even bequeathed it as the quaint and sarcastic
motto of the armorial bearings of the burgh. So early
as I C-J-2, the old village must have been a place of con-
The spinning of the yarn is done in the factories by siderable note ; for the report by the Lords of Com-
w.itc-r-power. Average wages for coarse cloths vary
JJuch, according to the pattern, from 14 -hillings to
mission for the Plantation of Kirks, dated in that
• that there lived about 1,400 people in
GAL
600
GAL
Galashiels." A tradition prevails in the district that
the village was anciently a royal hunting-station. An
old rudely-built square tower, two stories high, called
" th,e Peel," and supposed to have been the lodge in
which Royalty found an occasional temporary abode,
was pulled down less than a quarter of a century
ago, to make way for an enlargement of the parish
school-house.
GALDRY. See BALMERTNO.
GALLATOWN (EASTER and WESTER), two
united villages in the parish of Dysart in Fifeshire,
through which the Great north road to Dundee, &c.,
passes. Population, in 1811, 769; in 1831, 1,053.
GALLOWAY, an extensive district, forming the
south-western corner of Scotland. Originally, and
for a considerable period, it included parts of Ayr-
shire and Dumfries-shire ; but, during many ages
past, it has been identified simply and strictly with
the shire of Wigton and the stewartry of Kirkcud-
bright. The name, though thoroughly interwoven
with history, and incurably familiar to literary and
oral usage, designates no political jurisdiction, and is
unsanctioned by the strict or civil nomenclature of
the country. The district is bounded on the north
by Ayrshire and Dumfries-shire; on the east by
Dumfries-shire ; on the south by the Solway frith
and the Irish sea; and on the west by the Irish
channel and the frith of Clyde. Its greatest length
from east to west is 63^ miles, and its greatest
breadth from north to south is 43 miles. Its two
civil divisions, Wigtonshire and Kirkcudbrightshire,
are separated, from north-west to south-east, by the
river Cree and Wigton-bay. Its geographical dis-
tribution is into three parts, — Upper Galloway, which
includes the northern or mountainous sections of
Wigtonshire and Kirkcudbrightshire, — Lower Gallo-
way, which includes the southern or more cham-
paign sections of both civil divisions, east of Luce-
bay, — and the Rinns of Galloway, consisting of the
peninsula south-west of Luce-bay and Loch Ryan.
Galloway has long been distinguished as an excellent
pastoral district ; and celebrated for the superiority
of its wool, and especially for its breeds of horses
and of polled black cattle. For further particulars,
and for topographical and other details, see the arti-
cles KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE and WIGTONSHIRE.
During the 5th century, the district afterwards
called Galloway was inhabited by the immediate
posterity of the British tribes, the Selgovse, the
Novantes, arid the Damnii, a feeble and a divided
people. The Anglo-Saxons rather overran than
colonized the territory ; yet, during the 6th and 7th
centuries, they sufficiently mixed with the Brit-
ish tribes to maintain a rude ascendency. When
the Northumbrian dynasty became extinct at the
close of the 8th century, the Saxon settlers,
while they retained their possessions, were denuded
of their power. Colonists from the Irish coast
could, in such circumstances, make an easy descent
upon the country, and effectually overawe its in-
habitants. Whatever may have been the defeats
of earlier adventurers, the Irish Cruithne, at the
end of the 8th century, made a successful settle-
ment within the Rinns. Fresh swarms followed
from the Irish hive, during the 9th and 10th cen-
turies ; and were strengthened by settlements of the
kindred Scots of Kintire, who passed the frith of
Clyde in their curraghs to the Rinns and Carrick and
Kyle ; while the Scandinavian Sea-kings domineered
over the seas and shores of the neighbouring regions.
These Gaelic settlers, in their progress of coloniza-
tion and promptitude of contest, acquired, in the low
Latinity of the times, the appellation of Galli, which
was thought to be a fair representative of their pro-
per name Gael. Hence, as we may learn from
Malmsbury, " Galli veteribus Gallvvaliae, non Franci
dicti." As Scotland and England took their names
respectively from the Scots and the Angles, so the
territory of the Gael or Galli, came speedily to be
called, by chroniclers, Gallwalia, Gallawidia, Gallo-
wagia, Gallwadia, Gallwegia, Gallway, Galloway.
In the effluxion of three centuries, the name came to
be applied loosely to the entire peninsula between
the Solway and the Clyde, including Annandale iv
the south-east, and most of Ayrshire in the north-
west. The Gael, or Galli, or Irish settlers, in the
meanwhile, completely occupied the ample extent of
the country ; mingling everywhere with the *en-
feebled Britons, whose speech they understood, and
amalgamating with the still fewer and feebler Saxons,
whose language, as it was unknown to them, they
constantly rejected ; and they hence imposed upon
the district a topographical nomenclature which cor-
responds much more closely with that of Ireland,
than with that of other districts of Scotland. Not-
withstanding the naval enterprises of the northmen,
the incursions of the Northumbrian Danes, and not
a few internal distractions among conflicting tribes,
the settlers retained, in their new possessions, the
various rights of a distinct people, and preserved
the agreeable independence of their own customs
and laws.
During the earlier parts of the obscure history of
the district, we hear seldom, and in uncertain terms,
of the rulers or "lords of Galloway," who claimed
and exercised power within the invidious limits of
a contested jurisdiction. But, in 973, Jacob, lord
of Galloway, was one of the eight reguli who met
Edgar at Chester. Fergus, another lord of Gallo-
way, and the most potent feudatory subject of the
Scottish crown in the 12th century, was a frequent
witness to the charters of David 1., and, supposing
Malcolm IV. to be a pusillanimous character, de-
nied his authority and appropriated his revenues.
Malcolm, enraged by Fergus' infidelity and daring,
marched into his territory, and, though twice re-
pulsed and discomfited by him, eventually, in 1160,
overpowered him, obliging him to resign his lord-
ship and possessions to his sons, and to retire to
the abbey of Holyrood, far gone in the disease of
corroding humiliation and a broken heart. Fergus
was son-in-law to Henry I., and, dying next year,
left behind him a family who afterwards ranked
high among the nobles of Scotland and of England.
His two sons, Uchtred and Gilbert, who, like the
lords of other Gaelic districts, owed obedience to
the Scottish kings, followed William the Lion, in
1174, into England; but they no sooner saw him
taken captive, than, at the head of their naked,
nimble, impatient, and rapacious clans, they returned
to their native wilds, broke out into insurrection,
attacked and demolished the royal castles, and mur-
dered the Anglo-Normans who had settled among
their mountains. No sooner had they established
their independence of the Scottish government, than
they began to dispute about pre-eminence and pos-
sessions. Gilbert, on the 22d of September, 1174,
attacked Uchtred, while residing in his father's house
in Loch-Fergus, and, having overpowered him, or-
dered the infliction upon him of a barbarous death.
William the Lion having, in 1175, made submission
to the English king, and regained his liberty, invaded
Galloway, subdued Gilbert, and purchased his subse-
quent peacefulness of conduct by giving him full pos-
session of Carrick in Ayrshire. From this Gilbert
sprang, in the third generation, Marjory, Countess of
Carrick, in her own right, the wife, in 1271, of Ro-
bert de Bruce, and the mother, in 1274, of the royal
Bruce, the restorer of the Scottish monarchy. Gil-
bert dying the 1st of January, 1184-5, Roland, the
GALLOWAY.
601
of the murdered Uchtred, seized the favourable
ent of his uncle's death, to attack and dispense
faction, and to claim possession of all Galloway
his own inheritance ; and he, at the same time,
jrcame Gilcolm, a potent freebooter who had
tied in the district, and carried his depredations
Lothian. Making successful resistance to Henry
of England, who claimed to be superior of Scot-
id, he was at last, on the condition of surrendering
rrick to his nephew Duncan, the son of Gilbert,
ifirmed in the lordship of all Galloway. On the
toration of the national independence, Roland
lined the office of constable of Scotland, and
witness of many royal charters. In December,
Alan, his eldest son, succeeded him in his
Iship, and afterwards excelled him in power and
; but, in 1234, he died without a legitimate
heir, and left his prerogatives and possessions
become objects of division and feud. Alexander
wishing to invest Elena, the eldest daughter of
i, with the lordship, the Gallowegians tumultu-
ly demanded it to be conferred on Thomas, his
jitimate son ; but, though they writhed under
chains imposed on them, and twice became in-
jnt, they were compelled to receive as their
;rior, Roger de Quincey, the husband of Elena,
jxander II. 's enforcing the rights of Alan's daugh-
5, and, at the head of an army, breaking down the
-it of insurrection, was the introduction to the
of granting charters for the holding of lands,
of landholders giving leases to tenants, and of
security of property and the cultivation of the
» of husbandry. In 1254, Alexander Comyn,
Earl of Buchan, in right of his wife, succeeded De
Quincey, and laid the foundation of his family's ex-
tensive connexion with Galloway, till they were
overthrown and expatriated by Bruce, and of their
introducing to the district the important office of
justiciary, which in some measure changed the very
" ire of its jurisprudence.
'he Gallowegians, during the wars of the succes-
naturally sided with the Comyns and the Ba-
and speedily shared in their disasters. When
Baliol was obliged to resign his dependent
i, Edward I. considered Galloway as his own ;
he immediately appointed over it a governor and
. asticiary, disposed of its ecclesiastical benefices,
and obliged the sheriffs and bailiffs to account for
the rents and profits of their bailiwicks in his ex-
chequer at Berwick. In 1298, Wallace is said to
have marched into the west " to chastise the men
of Galloway, who had espoused the party of the
Comyns, and supported the pretensions of the Eng-
lish ;" and a field in the farm of Borland, above the
village of Minigaff, still bears the name of Wallace's
camp. During his campaign of 1300, Edward I.
marched from Carlisle through Dumfries-shire into
Galloway ; and though opposed first by the remon-
strances, and next by the warlike demonstrations of
the people, he overran the whole of the low country
from the Nith to the Cree, pushed forward a detach-
ment to Wigton, and compelled the inhabitants to
submit to his yoke. In 1306, Sir Christopher Seton,
the brother-in-law of Bruce, being captured in the
castle of Loch Urr, was carried to Dumfries, and put
to death on the gallows-hill of the town. In 1307,
Robert I. marched into Galloway, and wasted the
country, the people having refused to repair to his
standard ; but he was obliged speedily to retire. In
the following year, Edward Bruce, the King's bro-
ther, invaded the district, defeated the chiefs in a
pitched battle near the Dee, overpowered the Eng-
lish commander, reduced the several fortlets, and at
length subdued the entire territory. Galloway was
immediately conferred on him 1>y the Kin^, ai
ward of his gallantry ; and when he was slain in th«
battle of Dundalk, in 1318, it reverted to the Crown.
When Edward Baliol entered Scotland to renew the
pretensions of his father, Galloway became again
the wretched theatre of domestic war. In 1334,
assisted and accompanied by Edward III., he made
his way through this district into the territories
north of it, and laid them waste as far as to Glasgow.
In 1346, in consequence of the defeat and capture
of David II. at the battle of Durham, he regained
possession of his patrimonial estates, and resided in
Buittle castle, the ancient seat of his family. IP
1347, heading a levy of Gallowegians, and aided by
an English force, he invaded Lanarkshire and Lo-
thian, and made Scotland feel that the power which
had become enthroned in Galloway was a scourge
and a curse, rather than an instrument of protec-
tion. In 1353, Sir William Douglas overran Baliol's
territories, and compelled M'Dowal, the hereditary
enemy of the Bruces, to change sides in politics.
After the restoration of David II. and the ex-
pulsion of Baliol, Archibald Douglas, the Grim, ob-
tained, in 1369, Eastern and Middle Galloway, or
Kirkcudbrightshire, in a grant from the Crown, and,
less than two years after, Western Galloway, or
Wigtonshire, by negociation from Thomas Fleming,
Earl of Wigton. This illegitimate but most ambi-
tious son of the celebrated Sir James Douglas ob-
tained, at the death of his father, in 1388, on the
field of Otterburn, the high honours and the original
estates of the house of Douglas ; and now, while
holding in addition the superiority of all Galloway,
became the most powerful as well as the most op-
pressive subject of Scotland. On an islet in the
Dee, surmounting the site of an ancient fortlet,
the residence of former lords of Galloway, rose at
his bidding a castle called the Thrieve, whence the
radiations of his own and his successors' tyranny
shot, with a blighting and a withering influence,
athwart the surface of the whole country. His
usurpation seems to have struck with indignation
all who contemplated its magnitude and .effects.
The power of the Douglases was so enormous,
and so exorbitantly plied as to grind into powder
the resistance and the influence of the subordinate
chiefs. About the middle of the 15th century, Wil-
liam, one of the line of Earls, upon some occasion
of pique with Sir Patrick M'Lellan of Bombie, the
sheriff of Galloway, besieged and captured him in
his stronghold of Raeberry, carried him off to Thrieve
castle, and there ignominiously hanged him as though
he had been a common felon. The Douglases ex-
perienced some reverses, and were more than once
sharply chastised in their own persons, yet seemed
unable to learn, no matter how thoroughly incul-
cated, a single lesson of moderation ; and they con-
tinued to oppress the Gallowegians, to disturb the
whole country, and even to overawe and defy the
Crown, till their turbulence and treasons ended in
their forfeiture. James the ninth and last Earl, and
all his numerous relations, ran, in 1453, into rebel-
lion ; and, two years afterwards, were adjudged by
parliament, and stripped of their immense possessions.
Galloway now awoke from the haggard dreams ot
nightmare which had been thrown from its breast,
and found itself in a state of annexation to the
Crown. James II. immediately marched into the
district, and was everywhere received with acclama-
tions of welcome ; and he garrisoned the castle of
Thrieve with his own troops, and, from a seat of in-
sufferable oppression, converted it into a source of
energizing influence upon the law. In 1401, Mar-
garet, the strenuous queen of Henry VI., came with
lour vessels to Kirkcudbright, and was honourably
received. For some time after the fall of the Doug-
GAL
602
GAL
lases, Galloway was occasionally distracted by the
feuds of petty chiefs, familiarly known by the odd
name of " Neighbour Weir." Early in the 16th
century, a deadly feud between Gordon of Lochinvar
and Dunbar of Mochrum, led to the slaughter of Sir
John Dunbar, who was then steward of Kirkcud-
bright. During the minority of James IV., Patrick
Lord Hailes, created Earl of Both well, ruled both
the stewartry of Kirkcudbright and the shire of
Wigton. During the turbulent minority of James
V., another feud between Gordon of Lochinvar and
Maclellan of Bombie, led to the slaughter of the
latter at the door of St. Giles' church in Edinburgh.
In 1547, under the reign of Mary, the English arms
overran eastern Galloway, and compelled the sub-
mission of the principal inhabitants to the English
government. After the defeat of Langside, Mary
sought shelter in Dundrennan abbey, near Kirkcud-
bright, previous to her flight into England across the
Solway. The regent Murray immediately, in June,
1568, traced her steps into the district to punish her
friends; and he enforced the submission of some,
and demolished the houses of others. In 1570, when
Elizabeth wished to overawe and punish the friends
of Mary, her troops, under the Earl of Murray and
Lord Scrope, overran and wasted Annandale, and
part of Galloway. As the men of Annandale, for
the most part, stood between the Gallowegians and
harm, they expected to receive compensation from
their western neighbours for their service ; and
when they were refused it, they repaid themselves
by plundering the district. In a happier age, the
bay of Kirkcudbright sheltered William III.'s fleet
on his voyage to Ireland.
Galloway gives the title of Earl, in the peerage of
Scotland, to the family of Stewart and Garlies. In
1607, Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies was created
Lord Garlies ; and, in 1623, he was raised to the
dignity of Earl of Galloway. In 1796, John, the
7th Earl, was created Baron Stewart of Garlies
in the peerage of Great Britain. The Earls of Gal-
loway have very extensive possessions in the district.
GALLOWAY-HOUSE, the family-seat of the
Earls of Galloway on the coast of Sorbie parish, in
Wigtonshire. It was built about 80 years ago ; and
though not remarkable for architectural magnificence,
" forms part of a landscape truly beautiful and grand.
Garlieston bay is on the north ; and Rigg, or Hun-
ter's bay, is on the south of it. From its windows
are seen the richest fields; an indented coast,
adorned with growing improvements; a cluster of
isles, and the lofty mountains of Cumberland and
Man, appearing at a proper distance. The principal
rooms are spacious, and the library is stored with
many thousand valuable volumes."
GALLO WAY (MULL OF,) a remarkable and well-
known promontory, forming the southern point of the
Rinns of Galloway, in the parish of Kirkmaiden, Wig-
tonshire. It is an exceedingly bold rocky headland,
1£ mile long, and £ of a mile broad, stretching from
west to east nearly at right angles with the eastern
coast of the mainland, and connected with the
country behind it by a long isthmus, the sides of
which are indented with small bays called respec-
tively East and West Tarbet. The south and south-
west fronts of the promontory break down almost
precipitously into the sea, and are perforated with
caverns in which the billows, during a southerly wind
and a flowing tide, roll and tumultuate with a re-
verberating sound resembling thunder. On the pro-
montory, in North lat. 54° 38', and West long. 4°
52' from Greenwich, a lighthouse, erected in 1830,
displays an intermittent light, which alternately
blazes on the view during 2£ minutes, and suffers
eclipse during £ a minute, and is seen at the distance
lei
in,
of
)St
of 21 nautical miles. It is 21 miles north-north-
west from Point-of-Ayre lighthouse in the isle of
Man ; and the same distance, south-east by east,
from Copeland lighthouse on the Irish coast. From
the balcony of the lighthouse are seen the Alpine sum-
mits of the southern Highlands of Scotland, the tower-
ing Paps of Jura, a far expanse of the Irish sea, 90 miles
of the coast of Ireland, the whole of the isle of Man
and the shrowded and far-away mountain-peaks
Cumberland, — forming altogether one of the most
magnificent scenes which Scotland, rich and prodigal
in the brilliance and variety of her landscapes,
spreads out for tutoring the taste, and sublimating
the feelings, and inciting or aiding the heavenward
aspirings of her children.
GALLOWAY (NEW), a royal burgh, and the
capital of the district of Glenkens, is delightfully
situated on the right bank of the Ken, in the parish
of Kells, Kirkcudbrightshire. Its site is at the in-
tersection of the roads going northward from Kirk-
cudbright to Ayrshire, and westward from Dumfries
to Newton- Stewart. It is 19 miles north by west
of Kirkcudbright; 17£ north-east of Newton-
Stewart ; 25 west of Dumfries ; and 38 south-east of
Ayr. It rises at the foot of an irregular ridge of
ground, in the vicinity of Kenmure castle, surrounded
by as charming scenery as fancy can conceive to exist
in a wild country. But, though a place of muni-
cipal dignity and relative importance, it is of very
inconsiderable size ; and, strictly viewed, is nothing
more than a mere village, or even a harnlet. Its
entire bulk consists of a cross-street running 70 yards
from east to west, a main-street running 150 yards
from north to south, and a scanty sprinkling of de-
tached houses, partly in a line with these streets,
and partly on their wings. At the centre or cross
of the burgh, is a building which serves as a court-
house and jail, surmounted by a spire. Half-a-mile
north, but not within the royalty, the parish-church
of Kells, built in 1822, lifts a neat stone front and
tower into view. Across the river, half-a-mile east,
a stone bridge, erected in the same year as the
church, spans out in elegant arches. The houses
of the town are, in general, low, ill-built, thatched
with straw, and uncomfortable in the interior. A
sashed window, 50 or 60 years ago, was a curiosity
which the burghers had to travel beyond their own
limits to see. A few slated houses, however, 2j
or 2 stories high, are interspersed with the humbler
edifices, and relieve the dullness and poverty of their
appearance. The main-street is decently paved,
and kept tolerably clean. Little gardens stretch out
behind the houses, and are divided by hedges, dotted
occasionally with trees. Most of the inhabitants
possess also a small croft on which a cow or two are
fed, and a few bolls of potatoes and corn are raised ;
and a small patch of meadow on the bank of the Ken,
which affords winter fodder for their cattle. A sort
of suburb of the burgh, in the form of detached cot-
tages, and called the Mains of Kenmure, lies scat-
tered to the east between the town and the bridge.
Tiny and rustic as New Galloway is, its houses and
gardens and feathery tree-tops and curlings of blue
smoke, as seen either from the vale of the river, or
from elevations above, present a decidedly pleasing
picture to the eye.
New Galloway, say the commissioners on munici-
pal corporations, "is very inconsiderable in its extent
and population, and has no funds or property of any
description. It was erected into a royal burgh by
a charter from King Charles I., dated 15th January,
1629. By the charter it was declared that the in-
habitants should have power to elect a council, con-
sisting of one provost, four bailies, one dean-of-guild,
one treasurer, and twelve ordinary councillors. But
by the
GALSTON.
603
ie sett, as reported to, and sanctioned by, the
convention of royal burghs, on 15th July, 1708, the
council was then declared to consist of one provost,
two bailies, one treasurer, and fifteen councillors.
From the records of council, for twenty years prior
to 1831, it appears that only eighteen members of
council have been chosen, including the provost and
two bailies. The whole parliamentary constituency,
as enrolled in 1832, consisted of 14 electors; and,
consequently, it is impossible to supply from them
a council of the present number. The whole rev-
enue of the burgh, derived from customs and small
dues, consists of £3 8s. 2d., and the average expen-
diture appears to be £1 13s. Id. There are only
two houses in the village which pay the inhabited
house-duty. The chief office-bearers of the burgh
are non-resident. The provost lives in London,
and the town-clerk resides at Kirkcudbright." When
Charles I., in the course of a conciliatory visit to
Scotland, lavished upon his principal Scottish sub-
jects such honours and bounties as he could bestow,
he attached Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar to him,
by giving him a peerage with the title of Viscount
ofKenmure. and by creating the royal burgh on his
?state. But no houses had then been built, and no
oopulation settled down, on the site of New Gallo-
ivav. The spot, exulting in burgh-privileges, and
ipecially favoured by its lords, seems to have soon
ittracted a few inhabitants. But as the burgh has,
or upwards of a century, experienced little or no
ncrease, and is so situated as to afford hardly any
>romise of ever bounding beyond its hamlet-limits,
t probably was almost or altogether as populous a
hort time after it was founded as it is at the pre-
ent day. The place has no trade OF manufactures.
The inhabitants are mechanics, agricultural labour-
rs, a few alehouse-keepers, and two or three shop-
tvpcrs. A justice-of- peace court is held here on
he first Monday of every month. There are annual
iirs on the first Wednesday of April, and the first
Vednesday of August, both Old Style. New Gal-
»\vay is reported to be the only royal burgh in
'ootland which, in 1819, petitioned parliament against
urgh reform ; and it is alleged to have adopted its
ngular and solitary course, from the circumstance
t its provost and bailies being the domestics or
nployeesof its noble proprietor. The burgh unites
ith Wigton, Stranraer, and Whithorn in returning
member to parliament. Parliamentary constitu-
icy, in 1839, 17. Population, in 1821, 450; in
431, 1,128. Houses 190.
<J ALSTON, a parish in the north-east corner of
ie district of Kyle, Ayrshire. It is bounded on
ie north by Irvine water, which divides it from the
irishes of Kilmarnock and Loudon in the district
Cunningham; on the east by Avon water, which
J vides it from the parish of Avondale in Lanark-
I ire; on the south by the parishes of Sorn and
Michline; and on the west by Cessnock water,
I liich divides it from the parishes of Riccarton and
j 'aigie. In extreme length, from east to west, it
••a-iires from 12 to 13 miles; and in extreme
j eadth, from north to south, 4| miles; but it is
tremely irregular in outline, and" contains scarcely
-'pare miles of superficial area. The surface
tTers widely in the several districts; but, on the
iole, is a level variegated with considerable hills.
«• most upland portion is the eastern and south-
-tern; and there it is, for the most part, dingily
"pi-ted with heath, moorland, and moss. Along
1 banks of the Irvine, over nearly the whole length
the parish, is a stripe of plain, covered with rich
iiviuin, and delightfully fertile and well-cultivated,
j' nth of this plain, over a distance of 2£ miles, a
wide belt of forest stretches east and west,
Iry wide belt
and, along with lesser belts and clusters in other local-
ities, occupies about 1,000 acres. About two-thirds
of the whole parish are arable, and about four-tenths
are pastoral or mossy. There are few places in the
county in which improvement has made such rapid
progress as Galston moor. About 30 years ago, the
whole presented a bleak and sterile appearance; but
by the judicious and enterprising spirit of the late
Nicol Brown, Esq. of Lanfine, the aspect of the whole
is changed: well-constructed farm-steadings, regular
hedge-rows, and healthful plantations now give beauty
and life to the scene ; and the ground that was once un-
productive is now bringing forth abundantly. Brunt-
wood-loch, in the south-west extremity, formerly the
resort of wild ducks and swans, has recently been
rifled of its ornithological wealth by agricultural
improvement, and made to contribute its bed for the
growth of the fruits of the earth. Loch Gait, at
the eastern extremity, once a sheet of deep water,
abounding in trouts and very large eels, and the
chief source of the Water of Avon, which giveg
name to the district of Avondale in Lanarkshire,
has now, by some strange process, become trans-
muted into a pitiful marsh. A considerable propor-
tion of the hills and rising grounds of the parish ter-
minate in whinstone summits. The highest elevations
are Distinct-Horn and Molmont-hill, both in the
eastern division, which rise respectively 1,100 and
1,000 feet above the level of the sea. Molmont-
hill is arable to the top, and commands an extensive
and delightful prospect. A spectator, standing on
its summit, looks immediately down on the windings
of the Irvine, the thriving town of Galston, and the
ancient seats of Cessnock tower and Loudon castle,
with their extensive woods and ornamented de-
mesnes; he surveys, in the distinct tints and perfect
shadings and perspective of Nature's own painting,
all Cunningham, most of Kyle, and a great part of
Carrick ; he sees, right before him, across the glit-
tering frith of Clyde, the huge barometer of Ayr-
shire, the mystic-looking island of Arran, shrouded
at times, and at times gorgeous and brilliant in its
cloudy drapery; and he even obtains, on a clear day,
a far-off and almost mysterious view of the appa-
rently sinking coast of Ireland. The climate of the
parish, though moist, is not unhealthy; a frequent
prevalence of high winds, operating, it is believed,
to prevent insalubrious effects from very frequenjt
falls of rain. About 90 years ago all the fuel used
in the parish was peats from Galston moor, except-
ing a few coal?, brought, in sacks on horses' backs,
along almost impassable roads, from Caprington near
Kilmarnock. But now, though the operations are
greatly hindered by the prevalence of " dikes," coal-
mines are extensively worked in the western district
from the coal-field of Ayrshire, the dip of whose
strata here is north-west. On Molmont-hill agate
and chalcedony frequently occur, though seldom of
a character to be cut into gems; and at its west base,
in the channel of Burn- Anne, is found the beautiful
stone called the Galston pebble. On the summit of
the same hill are remains of a Druidical circle, great
part of which has been destroyed, originally about
60 feet in diameter. At Claymore, half-a-century
ago, an urn was dug up containing several ancient
coins; at Waterhaughs twenty-two silver coins were
discovered; and, in 1831, in the eastern part of the
parish, a coin was found of Caesar Augustus. At a
place called Beg above Allanton are rude traces of an
extensive Roman camp, where the patriot Wallace,
with only fifty followers, obtained a complete vic-
tory over an English officer of the name of Fen wick
at the head of 200 men. Wallace had several plan-*
of retirement in the uplands on the eastern v.
the parish, and in those of the conterminous parish
GAL
604
GAM
of Loudon ; and has bequeathed to a hill in the for-
mer, and a hollow glen in the latter, the names re-
spectively of Wallace-hill and Wallace-gill. Excel-
lent turnpikes and good parish roads traverse Galston
in various directions to the aggregate extent of about
30 miles. Its western division, in particular, is cut
from north to south by the turnpike between Glas-
gow and Dumfries. Population, in 1801, 2,139; in
1831, 3,655. Houses 417. Assessed property, in
1815, £9,638. — Galston is in the presbytery of Ayr,
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the Duke
of Portland. Stipend £178 16s.; glebe £15. Un-
appropriated teinds £178 16s. The parish-church
was built in 1808. Sittings 1,028. A United Se-
cession congregation, established about the year
1786, has a place of worship which was built in
1797. Sittings 547. Stipend £104, with a manse
and garden. Salary of the parochial-schoolmaster
£34 4s. 4£d., with about £45 fees and £10 other
emoluments. Maximum attendance at the parish-
school 131. There are four schools non-parochial
attended by a maximum of 316 scholars. In three
of them Latin is taught, besides more ordinary de-
partments. The late Charles Blair, Esq., left the
whole of his property for the establishment of a free
school in Galston : to be brought into operation so
soon as the property should realize £200 per annum.
Such being now the annual rental of the property,
the trustees erected a structure at once massive and
elegant. The dwelling of the teacher is in the
lower flat, the school-room above. The salary of
the teacher is, according to the will, £40 per annum;
but the trustees are enabled, without any violation
of either the letter or spirit of the will, to make it
£60 per annum. — The church of Galston was an-
ciently dedicated to St. Peter; and, in 1252, it was
granted to the convent of Red friars at Faile, and
continued in their possession till the Reformation.
Before 1471, a chapel was founded in Galston,
and dedicated to the Virgin Mary; and it was up-
held by an endowment for the support of a chaplain.
In 1578, the property of the chapel belonged, in
right of its patronage, to Campbell of Cessnock.
The town of GALSTON stands on the left bank of
the Irvine, at the point where it receives the waters
of Burn- Anne; 5 miles from Kilmarnock; 14 from
Cumnock ; 1 6 from Ayr ; and 22 from Glasgow. It
occupies a low and sheltered site, surrounded on all
sides by gentle rising grounds, is overhung on the
north by the wooded " banks and braes" of Loudon,
and altogether has a very pleasing appearance, and
exerts a considerable local influence in the midst of
an opulent and productive district. A fine stone-
bridge of three arches communicates between it and
the northern bank of the Irvine. Loudon castle lifts
its magnificent castellated pile into view, from amidst
a rich embowering of woods, about a mile to the
north. In the town are the parish-church and the
United Secession meeting-house, the former orna-
mented with a spire and clock ; 4 corn-mills, 1 lint-
mill, 1 paper-mill, and 2 saw-mills. But the chief
occupation of the inhabitants is cotton- weaving.
The principal manufacture, during the years of the
hamlet-history of the place, was shoes for the mer-
chants of Kilmarnock or for exportation. But
when, in dependency on Paisley and Glasgow, the
weaving of lawn and gauze was introduced, it some-
what suddenly expanded the bulk of the hamlet,
gradually swelled it into a small town, and, for a
long period, gave it a healthy and athletic aspect.
The first loom for light work was set up in 1787;
but so early as 1792 the number of looms was about
40, and in 1828 it had increased to 460. In 1799
the population was 455; in 1792 it was 573; and in
1831 it had increased to 1,891. But though, sub-
sequently to the last date, population continued to
increase, weaving had begun to receive such a check
that, between 1828 and 1838, the number of looms
was reduced from 460 to 423. Galston has four
annual fairs; only two of which are of any import-
ance, held respectively on the third Thursday of
April, and the first Thursday of December. A stage-
coach passes through, and affords opportunities oi
easy communication with Ayr, Edinburgh, and plac
intermediate. Another stage-coach, which travers
the parish not far from the town, maintains comm
nication with Glasgow and Dumfries, and, throu
the latter, with Carlisle and London. One carr
travels six days a- week to Kilmarnock; and t'
travel twice a- week to Glasgow. Near the town
the ' Patie's mill' of song; and 3 miles distant, fl
ther up the Irvine, is the large village or little to'
of Newmills, partly in Galston parish, but chiefly
that of Loudon : See NEWMILLS — " The numl
of persons," say the commissioners on munici]
corporations, " who reside in the village of Galstc
whose rents in property or tenantry amount to £
and upwards, is 43 ; of those whose rents are abo
£5 and under £10, the number is 113 The
habitants, feeling the want of a magistracy in t
village, made application, a few years ago, to t
baron-bailie appointed by his Grace the Duke
Portland, the superior of the village, to delegate 1
powers to two persons in the village. The app
cation was granted, and two persons named out
a leet fixed upon by the inhabitants. In addition
the two bailies there are 12 councillors, one-half
whom retire annually; their places are supplied
the election of the householders, who meet and vo
by signed lists. There are no customs or asses
ments levied. The bailies impose small fines f
assaults or disorderly conduct tending to a breach
the peace, and, failing payment, cause the deli
quents to be imprisoned for a short time in a pla
of confinement which they have. The bailies
present that they are destitute of any real authorif,
and are in doubt as to the extent to which they a
entitled to carry the little they possess."
GAMRIE, a parish in the district of Buchai
BanfFshire; bounded on the north by the More
frith; on the east by Aberdour; on the south I
King Edward and Monwhiter ; and on the west b
the river Deveron, dividing it from Banff. It
about 4 miles in breadth, and extends about 9| milt
along the sea-coast, which is very bold, consisting <
an almost continued front of stupendous rocks, i
many places 200 or 300 feet perpendicular to th
sea. In some parts there are small creeks, whic
have been converted into harbours, particularly j
the town of MacdufF, and the village of Gardenstoi
Houses 851. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,88(
Population, in 1801, 3,052; in 1831, 4,095.
surface is uneven, and the soil varies from a ferti
loam to a barren benty heath ; but the whole parif
is now in an advanced state of cultivation. Pa
has been planted with trees, and part affords vei
good pasturage. The only important stream coi
nected with the parish is the Deveron, on whi<
there is a valuable salmon-fishery. MACDUFF-
which see — is a populous and thriving fishing-tow
near the Deveron, and opposite Banff. It is
modern erection, and stands on property belongi)
to the Earl of Fife, on whose estate here there is
good slate-quarry, nearly similar in quality and colo
to the Easdale slate. Near the town of Macduff
a mineral spring, called the Fairlair well, which
strongly impregnated with neutral salts. The otli
villages in the parish are Corvie and Gardenston,
the immediate vicinity of the latter of which, a
near the eastern extremity of the parish, is 'n
GAMRIE.
605
se, and the conspicuous promontory of Troup
1. " Not far from the House of Troup," say
author of the Old Statistical Account of Gamrie
three great natural curiosities. 1. A perpen
ilar rock of very great extent, full of shelves, an
possessed by thousands of birds called Kitty-weaks
Some people are fond of eating the young Kittys
tlui shooting of them is a favourite diversion ever)
year. The season for this is commonly the las"
week of July. 2. A cave, or rather den, about 50
feet deep, 60 long, and 40 broad, from which there
is a subterraneous passage to the sea, about 80 yards
long, through which the waves are driven with greal
nee in a northerly storm, and occasion a smoke
lend from the den. Hence it has got the name
ill's lumb, i. e. Hell's chimney. 3. Another
jrraneous passage, through a peninsula of about
yards long from sea to sea, through which a
can with difficulty creep. At the north end ol
narrow passage is a cave about 20 feet high, 30
1, and 150 long, containing not less than 90,000
feet. The whole is supported by immense
ins of rock, is exceedingly grand, and has a
ierfully fine effect, after a person has crept
igh the narrow passage. This place has got
name of the Needle's eye. There are in the
several tumuli." — This parish is in the pres-
of Turriff, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron,
rown. Minister's stipend £224 13s. Id. ;
£10. Unappropriated teinds £452 9s. 7d.
built in 1830; sittings 1,000. A portion of
parish, containing the town of Macduff, was an-
1, upwards of 60 years ago, by authority of the
jytery, to the church of Macduff; but it has
yet been erected into a parish, quoad sacra.
2! built in 1805; sittings 858. Stipend £90.
is a preaching-station in the village of Gar-
iston, supplied, conjunctly, by the Independents
and the United Secession : a house has been recently
built for this station. There are two parochial
schools: the salaries of the masters, conjointly, are
£51 6s. 6d. : school-fees £61 : other emoluments,
including two shares of the Dick bequest, £53.
There are 10 private schools in the parish The
sea-coast along the parish of Gamrie in Aberdeen-
shire, is one of the boldest and most interesting to
be found in the kingdom : and to the mineralogist,
in particular, it affords examples of the leading truths
of his science in the most diversified manner, and on
the most gigantic scale. The rocks, which at inter-
vals arise in rugged majesty along the shore, are of
great height, and of a most formidable appearance,
and stand perpendicularly from the ocean as striking
monuments of those tremendous convulsions which
at different times have agitated the world which
forms our present abode. Nor is their interest con-
fined merely to the student of mineralogy ; for to the
ornithologist, likewise, they are attractive in no or-
dinary degree. They are annually resorted to by
immense numbers of those birds which are properly
denominated sea-fowl; and it is remarkable that the
various tribes of which the general body is composed
ire most punctual with regard to the particular pe-
nod at which they respectively and yearly return
'Tom the cold regions of the north, for the important
md pleasing purposes of incubation. The varieties
which appear in greatest numbers are the Kittiwake
^provincially Kitty), the Razor-bill Auk (provin-
:ially Coulter), the Guillemot (provincially Queet),
md, lastly, the Puffin (provincially Tammy norie).
To a stranger who visits, for the first time, the
scene of their vernal abode, the spectacle presented
s striking and interesting in no ordinary degree.
On the various portions of the immense rocks, which
"ise in sublime magnificence before him, sit thou-
sands and tens of thousands of the birds to which
we are now directing our attention. And it i*
curious to observe the regularity with which the
different species attach themselves to the places
most suited to their various wants and capacities.
The kittiwakes and guillemots inhabit the firmest
and most precipitous of the rocks, on the ledges of
which they form their nests. These ledges, when
viewed from below, appear to the spectator as scarcely
presenting an inch's breadth of surface, and yet the
birds contrive to form their nests, which, in case of
the kittiwake, is done with grass, and to hatch their
young in this seemingly impracticable situation ; al-
though it sometimes indeed happens, that, on being
suddenly startled, their eggs tumble down into the
sea. Although associated together, however, no
actual intermixture takes place between the two
species; for they have each their own particular
ledges on which they sit, drawn up like regiments
of soldiers, in the most imperturbable manner, and
if startled by a more than ordinary alarm from their
nests, they nevertheless return after a single evolu-
tion of the air, to the important duties from which
they had been with difficulty aroused. The two
species are easily distinguishable. The kittiwake is
at once conspicuous by its snow-white head and
Dreast, its yellowish bill, and its pearly blue mantle ;
while the guillemot is recognised by its upright
igure, the legs being placed very far back, as is the
case with most sea-fowl, and by the great portion of
Brownish sleek black with which its plumage is
diversified. The peculiar nature, indeed, of the
configuration of this latter bird, by which, when
sitting or attempting to walk, its whole leg appears
as if it were its foot, has given rise to the popular
)ut erroneous idea that it hatches its eggs by means
of covering it with the part of its body in question.
On a promontory immediately adjoining, and com-
>osed of softer materials, are assembled the puffins,
>r, in the language of this part of the country, the
Tammy nories, who, laying their eggs in holes bur-
rowed in the earth, cannot, of course, take up their
abode on the hard ledges occupied by the birds whose
)osition we have already described. In the same
manner the Razor-bills, although occasionally asso-
ciating with the guillemot, occupy, in general, a
eparate and somewhat soft and perforated part of
hose enormous precipices, which, in the busy season
of spring, teem with life in all directions. These
)irds (the razor-bills) very much resemble the guil-
emots in appearance, especially when seen at a dis-
,ance on wing. They may, however, on a nearer
approach, be distinguished from the latter by the
~>road form of their bills, and by the superior length
>f their wings, which are, moreover, marked by a
sonspicuous streak of white along their outward
ixtremity. Some of this enormous body of sea-fowl
probably males) are constantly in motion, either
gracefully and lightly swimming about in detached
•roups on the sea, or, by their circular evolutions in
;he air, indicating to the yet distant visiter the par-
icular rock where he may hope to encounter them
n congregated thousands. And on a fine day, and
mder the mild influence of a vernal and unclouded
un, the scene is particularly beautiful. The ocean
es tranquil, and stretched out before the spectator
ke an immense sheet of glass, smiling in its soft
nd azure beauty, while over its surface the kitti-
wake, the guillemot, the razor-bill, and the puffin,
onspicuous by the brilliant orange and scarlet of ita
ill and legs, are beheld wheeling with rapid wing
n endless and varying directions. On firing a gun,
he effect is even startling. The air is immediately
arkened with the multitudes which are aroused by
he report; the ear is stunned by the varied and dis«
GAN
606
GAR
eordant sounds which arise ; the piercing note of the
kittiwake (from which its name has been derived) ;
the shrill cry of the tammy noriej and the hoarse
burst of the guillemot, resembling, as it were, the
laugh of some demon, in mockery of the intrusion of
man amid these majestic scenes of nature; all these
combined, and mingled occasionally with the harsh
scream of the cormorant, are heard high above the
roar of the ocean which breaks at the foot of these
tremendous and gigantic precipices.
GANNACHY BRIDGE. See FETTERCAIRN.
GARAN, a small island on the north coast of
Sutherlandshire; 3^ miles east-north-east of Cape
Wrath.
GARAN, or GARANHILL, the name originally and
for some years given to the village of Muirkirk in
Ayrshire, and borrowed from the rising ground or
eminence on the face of which it stands, but long
since entirely discontinued in popular usage. See
MUIRKIRK.
GARDENSTON, a small fishing-village and sea-
port, in the parish of Gamrie, Banffshire, situated
14 miles west of Fraserburgh and 8 east of Banff.
It possesses a tolerable harbour for the accommoda-
tion of small vessels and fishing-boats.
GARGUNNOCK, a parish in the north of Stir-
lingshire ; bounded on the north by the river Forth,
which divides it from Perthshire; on the east by
St. Ninians; on the south by Fintry; and on the
west by Balfron, a small detached part of Perthshire
and Kippen. In figure it approaches the rectangle;
but on the north-west extremity it considerably
expands, — at the south-west extremity it has its
angle much rounded off, — and along its northern
boundary it follows the remarkable and characteris-
tic sinuosities of the Forth. In extreme length,
from a link in the Forth at Nether Kerse on the
north to the point where Burnfoot-burn leaves it
on the south, it measures 5| miles ; and in extreme
breadth — at its north and broader end — from an
angle near Redhall on the east to Glenterran mill
on the west, it measures 4 miles. The surface is
naturally distributed into compact districts of moor-
land, dry field, and carse. The moorland, compris-
ing rather more than one-third of the entire area, is
part of the hilly range which extends from Stirling to
Dumbarton, and, down to about half-a- century ago,
was esteemed of no value except for its turf, and
abandoned to sterility and solitude, with only two
miserable huts or shielings to shelter human beings
among its wastes. But it was almost suddenly dis-
covered to be improveable as a prime sheep-walk,
and has passed through a series of georgic operations
which have wholly changed its aspect and made it
a moor enly in name. From its various uplands and
northern slopes, magnificent ^iews are obtained of
the luxuriant carse-lands below studded with man-
sions and fretted over with demesnes, of the singular
scenes spread over the moss of Kincardine by the
noted improvements of Mr. Drummond, of the fold-
ings and windings of the Forth as far as the eye can
reach along its level but luxurious bed, and of the
range of varied and blue mountain-land which wends
round the distant horizon. Several rills, flowing
from different parts of the moor, arid concentrating
their waters into brooks, fall over craggy precipices,
and form cascades which, after heavy rains, are seen
and heard at a great distance. A fine view of the
slope of the uplands, gemmed with the tinted froth
and spray of the cascades, is obtained at the west
end of the village of Gargunnock. The dry field dis-
trict slopes gently from the moorland to the carse,
and is carpeted with a light sandy soil which quickly
absorbs rain. Till toward the end of last century,
the dry fields, for the most part, lay waste and wild,
overrun with furze and broom, with scarcely a tr
to break the dull uniformity of their surface. Bu
headed by the proprietor of the estate of Boquhan
and stimulated by his energetic and skilful example
all the heritors united or rather vied in such effort
of draining, ditching, hedging, planting, and othe
improving operations, as speedily achieved a completi
and delightful change of both their aspect and their
character. About a mile to the eastward of Leckie,
where the road from Stirling to Dumbarton passes
over a rising ground, the dry fields spread out before
the spectator in a sheet of rich green beauty. The
tufted hill-slopes on the back-ground, — the glen
coming down in dresses of copsewood and of regul
plantation,— the village, the church and manse, — the
chimney-tops of Gargunnock house, just discerned
above the wood, — the well-dressed fields, some for
pasture, and others for various sorts of cropping,
and all enclosed with dikes and hedges in excellesi
repair, — form altogether a very fine landscape. Th
carse-lands form a level stripe along the Forth, an_
are believed to have all been originally under water;
and they have exhibited, in various places, beds
shells such as those which are now in the frith
Forth. In later times they seem to have been
covered with part of what has been called the Cale-
donian forest; and, at all events, they afforded re-
fuge, when the Romans were in the neighbourhood,
to the fugitive natives, and occasioned the invaders
no little trouble in denuding them of large trees.
After the forest was cut down, part of them — like
the whole of those of Blair-Drummond on which the
celebrated improvements were made — seem to have
become moss ; and toward the close of last century,
about two acres on the property of Boquhan re-
mained in the mossy condition. Less than a cen-
tury ago, they lay almost in a state of nature, un-
profitable to the landlord, and repulsive to the agri-
cultural operator: bad roads, the want of enclo-
sures, the stiffness of the soil, and ignorance of that
species of farming which was suitable to the district,
seemed to place insurmountable obstacles in the way
of improvement. But long before the 18th century
closed, the lands assumed an appearance quite sur-
prising to any one imperfectly acquainted with the
results of skilful experiments in husbandry ; arid now
they everywhere bear aloft those luxuriant crops of
prime grain for which the carses of Scotland, parti-
cularly those of the Forth and the Tay, are famous.
The glen of Boquhan, as seen from a road along its
east side, exhibits, on a limited scale, a most roman-
tic view; and as seen from the bottom, at arid near
the field of Oldhall, displays, says a writer who de-
scribes it, "a scene perfectly wild, as though nature
were in ruins." Gargunnock house mingles the re-
fined and ornamental architecture of modern times
with the massive masonry of the age of intestine
feuds; presenting a fine front of recent construction
in combination with an east wing of considerable
antiquity, in which there is a sort of tower, origi-
nally fortified by a high wall and strong gate. On
a spot still pointed out on the bank of the Forth,
stood ' the Peel of Gargownno,' or Gargunnock,
which Sir William Wallace, with a few followers.,
took by stratagem from an English party stationed
there to watch the passage of the Frew in its vicin-
ity ; and about £ of a mile westward are the remains
of the bridge of Offers by which Wallace crossed
the Forth, on his way to the moss of Kincardine.
A little south of the village of Gargunnock is an
artificial conical mound called the Kier-hill, around
which are traces of a circular ditch and rampart, and
which, whatever was the date of its origin, seems to
have been the camp or post of Wallace on the night
of his exploit at the peel. A great quantity of human
GAR
607
GAR
bones, and some pieces of brass armour and points
of spears, were dug up 50 or 60 years ago on the
lands of Boquhan, — the relics probably of the battle
of Ballochloam, which was fought on the adjacent j
fields. The turnpike-road from Stirling to Dumbar-
ton runs right across the parish, over 3£ miles, in a
direction due west, and at an average distance of 1^
or 1£ mile from the Forth. On this road, 1£ mile
from the eastern boundary, stands the neat village
of Gargunnock, with the parish-church, pleasantly
situated on the side of a rising ground, and adorned
with little gardens. A 'Gargunnock Farmer's club*
was instituted by General F. Campbell in 1796,
and enriched, in 1807, by a bequest from him of
£500; and it extends its benefits to 11 parishes, in-
cluding those of Stirling and St. Ninians, and three
in Perthshire. Population of the parish, in 1801,
954; in 1831, 1,006. Houses 165. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £7,811. — Gargunnock is in the pres-
bytery of Stirling, and synod of Perth and Stirling.
Patron, Sir F. Walker Drummond. Stipend £155
Is. 9d. ; glebe £15 10s. Unappropriated teinds
£129 l()s. 2d. Parochial schoolmaster's salary £25
13s. 3£d., with £11 fees and £2 2s. other emolu-
ments. The parish-school is attended by a maxi-
mum of 41 scholars, and two unendowed schools by
a maximum of 95.
GARIOCH, an inland district of Aberdeenshire;
bounded on the north-east and east by Formartin ;
on the south and west by Marr; and on the west
and north-west by Strathbogie. It contains 150
square miles and 15 parishes. On account of its
fertility it used to be called the Granary of Aber-
deenshire. The surface is rather mountainous and
cold — the district being at all events bounded on
every side by a range of hills, beginning near Old
Meldrum, and extending westward about 20 miles ;
• — but the valleys are warm and well- sheltered, and
from the salubrity of the air, it has long been famed
as a summer-resort for the valetudinarian. This
district gives name to the presbytery holding its
seat at CHAPEL-OF-GARIOCH ; which see. The
Inverury canal, described under article ABERDEEN,
has brought this district into more convenient and
ready intercourse with the coast. Population, in
1811, 12,522; in 1831, 15,787. Houses, in 1831,
3,143.
GARLETON HILLS, a ridge of hills of incon-
siderable height, but somewhat conspicuous appear-
ance, in East-Lothian. They rise in the western
extremity of the parish of Haddington, between the
town and the frith of Forth, and continue their
elevation for a few miles eastward. To a specta-
tor from Edinburgh, they close up the view of the
delightful vale of Haddingtonshire. Down their
southern declivity run a few belts of regular planta-
tion. On one of their principal summits stands a
monument to the memory of John, Earl of Hopetoun.
The Garleton hil Is are of the porphyry series. The
stone, as it occi rs here, has in general a basis of
a largely foliate* i clinkstone, enclosing crystals of
felspar. In the ane of the ridge, at the Abbey toll,
about a mile to the eastward of Haddington, there
occurs a large bed of felspar tufa.
GARLIESTON, a small town and sea-port in
the parish of Sorbie, on the east coast of Wigton-
shire. The main body of it bends in the form of a
crescent round the head of the bay of Garlieston.
The houses are built of whinstone, and have a neat,
substantial, and cheerful appearance. The town
was founded by John, 7th Earl of Galloway, when
Lord Garlies, and in ten years had an accession of
34 houses. Skirting it on the south are the fine
plantations of the Galloway demesne, overlooked at
j| of a mile's distance by the fine form of GALLOWAY
HOUSE : which see. From nearly the date of its
origin, the town has bad a rope and sail manufactory,
which employs about ten hands, and sends its pro-
duce chiefly to sea, and partly to inland markets.
Ship-building is, to a small extent, carried on; one
vessel, on the average, being built in the year. Fish-
ing has for several years been a busy but somewhat
doubtful employment: but the town derives its chief,
if not even its whole importance, from its bay and its
harbour. From the headland of EAGERNESS — which
see- — Garlieston bay runs westward into the land
about li mile; but from the opposite headland,
which is very near the town, it extends not much
more than half-a-mile; and it is about half-a-mile of
average length. A considerable stripe at the head
is dry at low water. The small streams, Broughton
and Pontinburn — one of them coming down from
DOWALTON LOCH, which see— empty themselves
into the bay; and just before doing so, are spanned
by convenient bridges. The bed of the bay is a
deep soft clay, on which vessels lie in the greatest
safety, and have the best anchorage. The shore is
sandy and flat; but at Eagerness point it is rocky
though not high, and on the north, is overlooked by
some rising grounds. The bay opens out on the
Irish sea in the same direction as the gulf called
Wigton bay, pointing right forward to the centre of
the channel between the Isle of Man and the coast
of England ; but it forms in reality a small wing or
indentation of Wigton bay, and, along with Fleet
bay on the opposite shore, serves to expand Wigton
bay from an average width of 4£ miles, to a subse-
quent average width of 9 or 10. The water is of *
bright green colour, remarkably pellucid; and is
from twenty to thirty feet deep. The tide flows
direct out from Wigton bay six hours, and takes the
same time to return ; but in Garlieston bay it flows
five hours from the south and ebbs seven. Vessels,
in a fair wind, go hence to Whitehaven in four hours,
to the Isle of Man in three, to Liverpool in twenty-
four, to Dublin in twenty-four, and to Greenock in
thirty. The bay is admirably adapted to accommo-
date, in 'particular, the trade between Dublin and
Whitehaven, to which one tide is of great conse-
quence; and, in general, all the trade of the West
of England from Carlisle to Liverpool, of the east
coast of Ireland and the Isle of Man, and of the west
coast of Scotland to England and Wales. The har-
bour, naturally good, was, several years ago, greatly
improved and somewhat enlarged, and now contains
berth-room for thirty vessels. At high tides its
depth of water is about 18 or 20 feet. Belonging
to the port are 15 vessels; only four of which, how-
ever, carry so much as 100 tons. Nearly the whole
exports consist offish and agricultural produce; the
chief import is coal from Cumberland. Population,
in 1792, about 450; in 1840, about 600. Garlieston
is the site of an Independent chapel, whose minister
has about £60 of stipend ; and of a school which has
long been celebrated for the tuition it affords in
navigation and practical mathematics.
GARMOUTH, or GARMACH, a village, and
burgh-of-barony, in the parish of Speymouth, county
of Moray ; 4 miles north of Fochabers ; at the mouth
of the river Spey, which here forms a good harbour.
The immense quantities of wood annually floated
down the Spey, from the forests of Strathspey and
Badenoch, have rendered Garmouth a place of
some consequence. A great many vessels have
been built here, entirely of native timber, and alto-
gether this is a place of considerable trade. It has
also the advantage of a valuable salmon-fishery in
the Spey. The town is chiefly of modern growth,
and is neatly laid out in regular streets, though some
of the houses are by no means of a first-rate order:
GAR
608
GAR
indeed some years ago most of them were built of
clay. The Duke of Richmond is superior. Popu-
lation, in 1821, about 600; in 1831, 750.
GARNKIRK AND GLASGOW RAILWAY
This was the first railway formed in Scotland for the
purpose of conveying both goods and passengers by
locomotive engine power ; and it especially deserves
notice on account of the important changes and im-
provements it has aided in effecting, on the valuable
but previously almost inaccessible district of coun-
try near its eastern termination ; besides the benefit
it conferred on Glasgow, by raising a keen competi-
tion, both in the mode of conveyance, and in the
source of supply of coal to the city, and the conse-
quent reduction of price of that indispensable article.
The act of parliament incorporating the company of
proprietors, and authorizing the formation of the rail-
way, was passed in 1826, the line having been then
planned to start from the Monkland and Kirkintilloch
railway — at that time in the course of formation — at
a point near to Red Bedlay in the parish of Calder.
This starting point was, however, altered in conse-
quence of the unfavourable gradients it involved,
and also as being too far north of the great mineral
fields. A second act was obtained in 1827, to enable
the proprietors to alter the line to its present course.
Two subsequent acts have been granted to the com-
pany, relating chiefly to matters of finance — one in
1830, and the other in 1838. The railway commen-
ces at, or runs into the Monkland and Kirkintilloch
line, on the estate of Gartsherrie, parish of Old
Monkland, belonging to Mr Colt, the principal part
of the minerals in which estate are held in lease by
Messrs. William Baird & Co., whose very extensive
and well-arranged iron- works are erected upon a feu
on this estate. From Old Monkland, which is both
rich in soil and in minerals, where intersected by the
railway, it enters Calder parish, near to Kingshill.
The fire-brick manufactory at Heathfield, the pro-
perty of Dr. Jeffray of Glasgow college, of which Mr.
Ferguson is tenant, and another work of the same
kind, though of greater extent, upon the estate of
Mr. Sprot of Garnkirk, are touched upon by the line.*
There is also a large railway traffic in line from this
estate. The land in this district is generally damp
and stiff, excepting the reclaimed parts of the mosses,
belonging to the two proprietors last named. The
next parish intersected, is the Barony of Glasgow,
commencing at the estates of Robroyston and Milton.
Here the ground is of superior quality. The re-
mainder of the railway, including the chief part of
the depot, the engine-house, the work-shops, and the
office, are situated in the Inner High Church parish
of Glasgow, near to the stupendous chemical works
of Messrs. Tennant of St. Rollox. A branch from
the depot reaches the Forth and Clyde junction canal,
into the vessels on which goods can be easily loaded
from the railway waggons. The length of the rail-
way is 8 j miles of double line. Taking the railways
with which the Garnkirk line communicates, viz. the
Monkland and Kirkintilloch, formed prior to it, —
* The Garnkirk fire-clay has, as appears from the following
analysis by Professor Thomson, been found superior to the
celebrated Stourbridge clay : —
Stourbridge clay.
Silica . . . 7V.51K
Alumina . . . 20.*<>4
Lime . . . 0.891
Peroxide ofjron . 3.308
Protoxide of Manganese 1.488
Phosphate of Lime . 1.533
Gai
•nkirk clay.
S3. 4
43.6
o.«
1.8
0.6
100.000 100.0
From different experiments, the Garnkirk clay has been
found to stand a much higher heat than any hitherto known in
this country. The colour resembles light stone.
and the Ballochney, the Wishaw and Coltness, and
the Slamannan, subsequently made, — an extent of rail-
way communication of about 50 miles is opened up
to Glasgow, and prolongations are yearly forming,
and still further developing the agricultural and min-
eral resources of an immense extent of country, in
the shires of Lanark, Stirling, and Linlithgow. The
execution of this line was attended with some very
extensive and difficult operations in cutting arid em-
banking. The greatest cutting is to the east of Pro-
van mill, 3 miles from Glasgow. It is in some parts
42 feet deep, and is a mile in length. One part of
it consisted of very hard and tough material, while
the other was an almost fluid moss. The excava-
tions in the latter were repeatedly filled up by the
closing in of the moss, which being as often remov-
ed, the sides of the cutting became so much depressed
to a considerable distance from the line of railway,
that it now appears more like a natural valley through
the moss than an artificial cutting. The largest em-
bankment is at Germiston, a mile east of Glasgow.
It was till lately the largest work of the kind in the
kingdom. The length of this bank is three quarters
of a mile ; the height for a considerable way up-
wards of 40 feet, and the breadth at the top 30 feet.
There are two substantial and handsome bridges over
the railway at Provan mill and at Gartcosh. Near
the latter place, there is also a flat cast-iron bridge,
for the railway over the public road. There are also
several substantial stone viaducts and aqueducts
passing under the different embankments. There
are no tunnels.
The gradients consist of an ascent of 37 feet per
mile, or 1 in 142 for two-and-a-half miles, and the
rest of the line is level with the summit level of the
Monkland and Kirkintilloch railway. The guage,
or width between the rails, is 4£ feet, being an inch
less than that of the Liverpool and Manchester rail-
way, which was executed a short time previous to
this line, and its plan generally followed. The ori-
ginal estimate for this railway was £50,000 ; the ac-
tual cost of the railway and its contingencies was
about £80,000 ; and the whole expense of the stock
of the company, including the railway, with addi-
tions and improvements, and the depots, buildings,
and machinery, is about £140,000. The sharehold-
ers amount to nearly 100.
The railway was fully opened for traffic on 27th
September, 1831 ; and being the first undertaking
of the kind at Glasgow, the ceremony of opening
formed a grand public spectacle, and was regarded
as a matter of great importance and interest. This
railway affords a remarkable instance of the effect of
such improvements in creating business. In the
original estimate of revenue, the expected yearly
proceeds from minerals and other traffic, excluding
passengers, was £4,360 ; and the result in each of
the first two years, (1832 and 1833,) did not much
exceed that sum ; but it gradually and steadily in-
creased, and is now more than £12,000. And,
with regard to the conveyance of passengers, the
original estimate of revenue was £500; yet the very
first year yielded upwards of £1,700; and in the
last year, 1840, the sum drawn for passengers' fares
was above £3,700. The total original estimate of
gross revenue was £4,800 per annum ; the actual
result, in 1840, is above £15,700. The original
estimate of the current expense is also curious when
compared with the results. The estimate was £660
per annum ; the reality is above £7,000. This un-
dertaking pays its proprietors a profit of 6 per cent,
at present ; and its prospects are rapidly improving.
The following table will show the amount of traffic
from its commencement to the end of 1840: —
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f>09
GAR
COMPARATIVE TABLB
Of the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway Traffic and Revenue,
fur the Nine years preceding 1st January, 1841 : —
Years.
183-2
1833
18 4
1835
l&ili
1837
1S38
1839
1840
No. of
114,144
11-2,471
J37,H<>7
146.8M
254,010
Revenue,
exclusive of
Passengers'
Fores.
£4,753
4,794
5,428
5,872
6,473
8,036
9.523
10,065
12,001
No. of
Passengers.
96,003
117,743
136,724
145,703
119,490
126,810
97,746
116,187
Revenue
Passengers.
£1,717
2,440
2,985
3,438
3,850
3,803
4,119
3,397
3,712
Gross
Revenue.
£6,476
7,iJi4
8,413
9,311
10,3*1
11,839
13,643
13,462
15,713
Six locomotive engines are maintained by the com-
pany in working order ; and nearly 20 coaches for
passengers, and several hundreds of waggons are also
in use upon the line. The engines and trains for
goods run at various hours daily, the number of
trips varying according to the trade. There are
always two heavy goods engines at work, and some-
times three. These can draw a gross load on the
level of from 200 to 300 tons, at a rate of speed of
8 miles an hour. The regular load is from 120 to
160 tons. The passenger trains run twelve times
daily. Eight of these are between Glasgow, Coat-
bridge, and Airdrie, by the company's own trains ;
and four are by the Slamannan railway company's
trains, which ply on this and the intervening rail-
ways between Glasgow and the Edinburgh Union
canal. The rates levied by the Garnkirk and Glas-
gow company are less than one penny per mile for
passengers. For coal, one penny per ton per mile ;
and for haulage by the engines, one penny per ton
per mile. For grain, manufactured goods, and cer-
;ain other articles, higher rates of tonnage are
barged, but not exceeding on the average twopence
ton per mile.
BARREL. See GARVALD, Dumfries-shire.
rARNOCK (THE), a small river in the district
unningham, Ayrshire. It rises at the foot of a
high hill in the moor called the Misty-law, at
boundary between Cunningham, or the parish of
1 irnie, and Renfrewshire. During 5 miles it flows
i-eastward ; and then, during 2£ miles it flows
south ; intersecting, over nearly the whole dis-
3, the parish of Kilbirnie, and, at the middle point
its southerly course, sweeping past Kilbirnie vil-
age. Having now entered the parish of Dairy, it
lows 3i miles, including two considerable sinuosities,
n a south-westerly direction ; and it then resumes
ts southerly course, and flows 8 or 9 miles through
the parish of Kilwinning and between the parishes
of Irvine on the east, and Stevenston on the west, to
the sea at Irvine harbour, contributing with Irvine
water to form the small estuary above Irvine mouth,
ind performing some remarkably frolicsome and ser-
pentine evolutions before debouching from the plain.
Immediately after its origin, it runs clear, dimpling,
ind beautiful down the hills ; and, before reaching
Kilbirnie village, tumbles noisily over a rocky and
leclivitous bed of porphyry, forming a wild and lone-
y cataract, known as * the Spout of Garnock.' In
L)alry parish, it moves slowly, with an average breadth
>f 60 feet, through a fertile plain, upon a gravelly
>ed ; and receives on its right bank the important
ributes of the Rye and the Gaaf. Further on, it is
oined on the left by Dusk water ; and thence to the
ea, it flows through a level and richly wooded
ountry, sweeping past the town of Kilwinning, and
making a confluence with the opulent stream of
.lUgton water. During all the lower part of its
ourse, it, on the one hand, enriches the district with
n abundant supply of salmon and various kinds of
routs, and, on the other, menaces it with an occa-
ional devastating freshet. On the 19th of Septem-
I.
ber, 1790, this river — though always subject to over-
flows— rose 4 feet higher than it was known ever to
have done before ; and prostrated and destroyed the
standing corn in many fields, and careered away to
the sea with heavy freights of crops which had been
cut. Its entire length of course is about 20 miles.
GARROCH-HEAD, a headland on the south
point of Bute, consisting of a collection of steep and
narrow ridges, running parallel to each other, and se-
parated by deep and solitary valleys : the whole be-
ing divided from the main land by a low, marshy,
sandy flat.
GARRY (LocH), a small lake in that wild and
mountainous region in the north-western part of
Perthshire, which borders upon Badenoch, and forms
a portion of what is called the Forest of Athole. It
is situated about 10 or 12 miles north-west of the
inn of Dalnacardoch, and between it and the lonely
Loch-Ericht. A number of small mountain-streams
flow into it, among which a rivulet that issues from
the base of Benvoirlich, and the Shallain water are
the largest. It discharges its waters, at its north-
eastern extremity, by the river Garry, which, after
pursuing a south-easterly direction for some miles,
falls into the Tummel, near the pass of Killiecrankie.
Surrounded on all sides by lofty, rugged mountains,
with scarce an opening outwards, but what has been
worn by the course of some mountain-torrent, or by
the river, few more lonely or deserted scenes can be
conceived than Loch-Garry. No signs of life are
here to be met with, excepting sometimes a flock of
sheep, or a herd of cattle, or, at rare intervals, a
solitary shepherd and his dog. No trees wave their
graceful branches around this wild lake ; nor is there
much appearance of vegetation on the mountains,
for their huge slopes, bared of soil by the winter's
storms, present little else to the view than great
masses of naked rock. In a few places, a small por-
tion of level ground may be descried on its shores ;
but for the greater part of its extent the mountains
descend sheer down to the water, with scarcely a
perceptible footing at their base. On the banks of
the Shallain, near its entrance into the lake, a num-
ber of little knolls are seen, which have much the
appearance of artificial tumuli erected over the re-
mains of long-forgotten warriors.
GARRY (Locn), a beautiful mountain-lake in
Inverness-shire, about 7 miles in length, occupying
the lowest part of Glengarry. It discharges its wa-
ters by the Garry into Loch-Oich.
GARRY (THE), a river giving name to Glen-
garry, in the district of Athole, Perthshire. Like
most of the Perthshire streams it has a lake bearing
its own name, [see preceding article,] and is popu-
larly said to have thence its origin. Its real head-
water, however, rises on the side of Manbane moun-
tain on the northern boundary-line of the parish of
Fortingal, and flows through the parish, first 3$
miles southward, next 2£ miles eastward, and next
| of-a-mile northward, receiving, on both banks,
considerable tributary torrents from the ravines and
gorges of the wild mountain-region through which it
has its course. On the boundary between Fortingal
and Blair- Athole it expands into Loch-Garry, and is
identified for 3 miles northward with that lake. At
the point of its efflux from the farther end, it receives
from the north-west the tribute of Auld-Corry-Roan,
which had flowed 5 miles from the north-west ex-
tremity of Blair- Athole, and, making a sudden bend,
directs its course towards the south-east. Nearly
5 miles lower down it receives, on its left bank, the
large tribute of Edendon water, which had flowed
9i miles from the northern boundary of Perthshire.
A little way farther on it sweeps past the stage-inn
of Dalnacardoch ; and 2| miles below the influx ot
28
GAR
610
GAR
Edendon water it receives from the north the tribute
of Ender water, a stream of 7 miles in length o
course : see ENDER. Two miles onward, while stil
flowing in a mountainous region, it begins to b<
adorned with wooded banks, to riot in a profusion
of cataracts and cascades, and to wear an aspect
of mingled wildness and beauty. Four miles below
its confluence with the Ender it is joined, on its
right bank, by the FEACHORY, [ which see, ] am
a mile farther on it receives, on its left bank, the
tribute of the romantic BRUAR : which see. Over
the last mile it had flowed nearly due east, and ii
maintains this direction over a farther distance of 2|
miles, till, sweeping past the demesne and mansior
of Blair castle, the church and hamlet of Blair- Athole
it is joined by the bulky and playful waters of the
TILT. It now, slowly resuming its south-easterly
direction, traces for 1^ mile the boundary-line be-
tween Blair- Athole and Dull, traverses for 2 miles a
corner of the parish of Moulin, bends southward, and,
for 1 mile, divides Moulin from Dull, and then loses
its name and its waters in the river Tummel. Its
entire length of course is 30 miles. From the point
of its leaving Loch-Garry, onward to its termination,
it brings down, close on its left bank, the Great
Highland road from Inverness to Edinburgh. The
Garry is probably one of the most impetuous or
rather furious rivers of Scotland ; and, when flooded
by falls of rain or the melting of snow among the
mountains, it comes down with a roaring tumul-
tuousness and a terrific burst of accumulated waters
which only the banks of solid rock which resist it
can confine within harmless limits. But even, on its
rocky or gravelly bed, it tears up heavy fragments,
and carries them lightly along in the energy of its
Highland prowess; and, in various parts of its course,
it forms cascades which, in its gentle moods, are ro-
mantic, and in its seasons of swollen wrath, inspire
a Lowland spectator with awe.
GARSCUBE, a hamlet 4| miles west of Glasgow.
There is here a very fine freestone quarry, of a warm
cream or buff tint. It is within 400 yards of the
Forth and Clyde canal, and is extensively used by
the Glasgow builders.
GARTLY, a parish in the district of Strath-
bogie, partly in Aberdeenshire, and partly in Banff-
shire ; bounded on the north by Huntly and Drum-
blade ; on the east by Insch and Kinnethmont ; on
the south by Rhynie ; and on the west by Huntly
and Cabrach. It is divided nearly into two equal
parts by the water of Bogie : the Banffshire moiety
is named the Barony, and the Aberdeenshire the
Braes. The form of the parish is an irregular oval,
extending about 12 miles in length from east to
west, and 6 in breadth from south to north across
the middle of the district. Square area about 33
miles. Houses 215. Assessed property in Aber-
deenshire £2,820. Population, in 1801, 958; in
1831, 584 in Aberdeenshire, and 543 in Banff-
shire; total, in 1836, 1,136. The hills, which lie on
the borders of the parish, are mostly covered with
heath, and afford plenty of grouse, &c., as well as a
supply of moss for fuel to the neighbouring parishes,
and the town of Huntly. From these hills several
brooks run into the Bogie, and the valleys watered
by them as well as the lands on the banks of the
Bogie, are exceedingly fertile. Agriculture is in an
advanced state upon upwards of 4,000 acres under
cultivation : the remaining 10,300 acres are in pas-
ture, moor, or moss and wood ; but there is rather
a defect of the last. The Corskie slate-quarries in
this parish are very extensive and valuable, pro-
ducing on an average 340,000 slates per annum, of
three qualities, — first and second blue, and green
Several of the glens, however, are exceedingly pic- ,
turesque, — especially Tillyminnet, a favourite resor
of the tourist. The castle of Gartly is an ancien
ruin here, in which Queen Mary spent a night on he
return from Inverness. — There is no town or villa;
in the parish, which is in the presbytery of Strat
bogie and synod of Moray. Patron, the Duke o
Richmond. Stipend £191 6s. 5d., with glebe value
at £J6. Unappropriated teinds £83 18s. lid
Schoolmaster's salary £32 per annum : fees, &c. £26
There are no other permanent schools in the parish.
GARTMORE, a village and a quoad sacra paris
on the southern verge of Perthshire. The village i
situated in the peninsula of the rivers Asendow an<
Kelty, If mile above the point where they unite ti
form the Forth, in the quoad civilia parish of Port
of-Monteith, 5- of a mile from its boundary-line witi
Stirlingshire. Population, in 1838, 266. The quoai
sacra parish comprehends the village, and a landwan
district belonging quoad civilia to Port-of-Monteith
Its greatest length is 2£ miles, and its greates
breadth 1^ mile. The church was built in 1790 a
a chapel-of-ease, at the cost of £400. Sittings 415
Stipend £70. The minister has a manse. Accord
ing to an ecclesiastical survey in 1838, the popula
tion then consisted of 348 churchmen, and 3 dis
senters — in all 351 persons. The parish was erecte<
in 1834.
GARULINGAY, a small island, lying betweei
Barra and South Uist.
GARVALD (THE), a small but interesting
stream in the parish of Eskdalemuir, Dumfries-shire
It rises on the boundary-line of the county, betweer
Ettrick-pen and Windfall ; pursues a south-easterh
course of 5£ miles, including windings ; and ther
flows, for nearly a mile, to the north of east, anc
falls into the White Esk, half-a-mile above Johnston
From third to half way on its course, it receives, or
its right bank, two tributaries, each of nearly equa
bulk to its own volume. Ascending the stream from
its mouth, a tourist's attention is arrested by a view
of the rockiness of its channel and the romantic
character of its banks ; but these appearances soon
subsiding, he looks abroad on the general landscape,
or converses listlessly with his own thoughts. In
this mood, he is suddenly aroused to admiration by
a foaming cataract of the stream, called Garvalc
linns, which comes impetuously down, clothed in
foam and glittering in spray, over a declivitous, and
at intervals, a precipitous channel, pent up between
banks of enormous rock which, generally chill and
naked, are at intervals covered with the mountain-
ash and the wild honeysuckle. In the long course
of the cataract, the stream, even when most tumul-
tuous and wayward, constantly surprises and de-
lights by the beautiful variety of its capricious fro-
lics; now forming a crystal and arched cascade
over a perpendicular breastwork eight feet deep, — anc
now sweeping out of view among huge masses 01
stone, — and then, as if glad to be emancipated froir
its rocky imprisonment, careering away, in the riot-
ousness of new-found liberty, over the rough glopei
of its declivitous path.
GARVALD — popularly pronounced and fre-
quently written GARREL — an ancient but sup
pressed parish, now incorporated with Kirkmichael
Dumfries-shire. The church was originally a men
sal church of the see of Glasgow. But in 1506
Robert Blackadder, the archbishop, assigned it t<
~ lasgow college. At the Reformation, the patron
age appears to have belonged to the convent of Re<
riars at Failford in Ayrshire ; and, afterwards, i
was vested in the Crown. The subsequent annexa
tion of the parish to Kirkmichael, was vigorousl;
resisted by the parishioners. The church was re
milt in 1617, but soon after was abandoned. It
GAR
611
GAR
nuns, surrounded by its cemetery, may still be seen
on a rising ground on the bank of the small stream
whence the parish had its name. After Kirkmichael
church was appointed as the Sabbath resort of the
parishioners, nothing short of the authority of the
court-of-session was found competent to enforce
such an enlargement of it as afforded them accom-
modation Garvald had its name from a rivulet or
brook which, in common with the stream described
in the preceding article, and with various other
streams running along a rocky channel, was desig-
nated from the Scoto-Irish language, Garv-ald, or
Garw-ald, ' a rough rivulet.' The name of the parish
is commemorated also in that of two farms called
Upper and Nether Garrel, and in that of the princi-
pal elevation of the district, called Garrel-craig.
From the base of Garrel-craig, situated on the north-
eastern verge of the present parish of Kirkmichael,
the brook Garrel or Garvald flows southward 5J
miles to the Ae, nearly opposite Trailflat, intersect-
ing over its whole length the quondam parish.
Though small in its volume of waters, it contributes
largely to beautify the landscape, forming several
tiny cascades and cataracts, and in one place falling
over a perpendicular rock 18 feet in depth.
GARVALD AND B ARA, a united parish in Had-
dingtonshire, stretching in a somewhat oblong form,
from near the centre of the county southward to its
boundary with Berwickshire. Though generally
oblong, it sends off two projections westward, one
at its northern extremity, and another and much
larger one at its southern extremity. It is bounded
on the north, east, and south-east by Whittinghame ;
on the south by Berwickshire ; on the west by Gif-
! ford or Yester ; and on the north-west by Morham.
ts length is 73 miles ; and its greatest breadth, 4
mles. The northern division, comprising about one-
ourth of the whole area, is arable, well-cultivated,
elightfully shaded with plantation, and rich in the
jricultural capacities and beauties of the great vale
f East Lothian ; but the other divisions climb away
p the Lammermoor hills, till they gain the highest
dge, and over their whole progress wear the heathy
arb, variegated with occasional patches of verdure,
vhich distinguishes that pastoral region. The soil
n these two districts of so very opposite character,
orresponds with the respective appearances of the
urface ; being in the one, a deep rich clayey loam,
nd, in the other, a thin gravel, or a swampish and
rrnrshy moss. Three streams come down from the
outhern heights, and on reaching the plain, debouch
westward into Gifford, making a confluence at the
oint of their exit. A fourth, also rising in the
outhern uplands, intersects the parish over a great
art of its length, and flows past the village of Gar-
aid ; and this stream, as to both its nature and its
;tnu', is " the rough rivulet," (see preceding article,)
/hence the parish has its designation. Its course is
ver a very stony or rocky bed Yet should we not
eem,
•' because it wants the cowslipped knolls.
The white swans grazing the flower-bordered flood,
The lily bed-* which scent the naked soles
Of pilgrims, with the scallop-shell and rood,
That it is desolate utterly and rude ;
The bracken y dells, the music of the rills,
The skipping lambs — e'en the wild solitude —
The crystal tarn where herons droop their bills,
The mute unchanging glory of the eternal hills,—
Mute, save for music of the many bees,
And dead, save for the plover and the snipe,1'
j eminently to this small stream, on whose banks
e have oft loitered down many a summer-day. Yet
ie stream — true to its genealogy in " the land of the
ountain and the flood," — sometimes comes down
ith such a volume and impetuosity of inundation,
to deposit on fields adjoining its channel stones ol
a great weight and size. In 1 755, it rose to so great
a height that some of the houses in the village of
Garvald had 3 feet depth of water ; and the stream
rioting over the adjacent country with the expansion
of a small estuary, and careering along the central
space with the speed of a race-horse, would have cer-
tainly swept away the village, had not its impetuo-
sity ploughed up a new channel for the discharging
of its superabundant waters. In the vicinity of the
village are some quarries of excellent freestone — The
mansion of Hopes is pleasantly situated near the bot-
tom of a glen, overlooked by a finely wooded spur of
the Lammermoor hills — Nunraw, on the eastern verge
of the northern division, was anciently, as its name
impb'es, a nunnery , and though modernized into the
form of a mansion, bears traces of its original character.
— A mile and-a-half south of Nunraw, and close on the
eastern boundary, is a circular camp or fortification,
crowning the summit of a rising ground A mile south
of this, and also on the eastern verge, and among the
Lammermoors, are the ruins of White castle, — a
strength of considerable importance during the age of
violence and hostility, as it guarded a pass between
the Merse and the Lothians — On a peninsula formed
by the confluence of the brooks at the western boun-
dary, stands the ancient castle of Yester. Sir David
Dalrymple relates, in his. annals, that " Hugh Gif-
ford de Yester died in 1267, and that in his castle
there was a spacious cavern formed by magical art,
and called in the country Bo 'hall, t. e., Hobgoblin
hall." This apartment, which is very spacious, and
has an arched roof, is reached by a descent of 24
steps ; and though it has stood for so many centu-
ries, and been exposed to the external air for about
100 years, it is still in a state of good preservation.
From the floor, another stair of 36 steps leads down
to a pit, which communicates with one of the neigh-
bouring rivulets. A great part of the walls super-
incumbent on the cavernous apartment are still stand-
ing. Tradition reports that the castle of Yester
was the last fortification in this country which sur-
rendered to General Gray, sent into Scotland by
Protector Somerset The village of Garvald is
pleasantly situated in the plain which forms the
northern division of the parish ; 5J miles from Had-
dington; 8£ from Dunbar; and 22 from Edinburgh.
The village" of Bara — never more than a hamlet — is
now extinct. Population of the parish, in 1801,
749; in 1831, 914. Houses 171. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £7,038. — This parish is in the pres-
bytery of Haddington, and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale. Patrons, the Crown and the Marquis
of Tweeddale. Stipend £189 6s. 3d.; glebe £25.
Unappropriated teinds £189 6s. 3d. Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4Ad., with £16 fees. There is a non-
parochial school. A convent of Cistertian nuns,
established near Haddington during the reign of
Malcolm IV., obtained possession of the church of
Garvald, with its pertinents, and a carrucate of ad-
jacent land; and they formed a branch community
near it, and built a village, which, as well as the
protecting convent, was called Nunraw. They ac-
quired also the lands of Slade and Snowdon, com-
prising jointly almost all the parish ; and they kept
possession of the whole till the Reformation. Hut
so exposed were the inmates of the Garvald convent
to spoliation and oppression, that they obtained leave
to protect themselves by a fortalice. — The suppressed
parish of Bara was rated in the ancient Taxatio at
25 merks, while the original parish of Garvald was
rated at only 15; and it seems, therefore, to have
been the more populous of the two. The old church
stands, at the site of the extinct village, on the
summit of a ridge which slopes south and north.
From the beginning of the 14th century till the Re-
GAR
612
GAT
formation, the church, with its pertinents, belonged
to the monks of Holyrood; in 1G33, it was attached
to the newly erected bishopric of Edinburgh; and
afterwards it passed to the Hays of Yester and
Tweeddale. The two parishes were united in
1702.
GARVIE (THE), a considerable river in Ross-
ehire. It has its source in the neighbourhood of
Loch-Broom^ on the west coast of the county, and,
traversing it in a south-east direction, joins the
CONON [see that article], several miles before it falls
into the Cromarty frith.
GARVIEMORE, a noted stage on the road from
Stirling to Fort- Augustus ; 146 miles north of Edin-
burgh; 13 north of Dalwhinnie; and 18 south of
Fort-Augustus.
GARVOCK, a parish in Kincardineshire, bounded
on the north-east by Arbuthnot ; on the south-east
by St. Cyrus and Benholme ; on the south-west by
Marykirk ; and on the north-west by Lauren cekirk.
It is of an irregular figure, extending from north-
east to south-west 7 miles, and from north-west to
south-east 4 miles : square area about 8,006 acres.
Houses 90. Assessed property £2,466. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 468; in 1831, 428. The central dis-
trict of this parish consists of a large basin, or howe,
extending to between 3,000 and 4,000 imperial acres,
and surrounded by hills or rising grounds on every
side, except a narrow pass to the south-east, through
the romantic ravine of Finnelden, to which the Lady
Finnella is said to have retreated after the murder
of Kenneth II. The rest of the parish is gently un-
dulated, and beautiful views are commanded from the
eminences, especially from the hill of Garvock, which
rises, for more than a mile, in a pretty steep ascent
from the Howe of the Mearns. Bervie water, forming
the north-eastern boundary, is the principal stream
connected with the parish. According to tradition,
Garvock was once a hunting-park, belonging to
Earl Marischal ; and the remains of a dyke which
surrounded the parish, and was called the Deer dyke,
seem to countenance the tradition. The present
wood consists entirely of plantations; wherein, it
is said, the wild roe may now again be found.
About two- thirds of the parish are cultivated, or
capable of improvement, and the peat-mosses, and
other high grounds formerly covered with heath,
whins, and broom, have been gradually reclaimed, so
that the mosses are now nearly exhausted ; and the
work of invasion and advancement is still in progress.
The annual raw produce is valued at upwards of
£13,000. Garvock has long had a local repute for
the production of butter. The nearest market-
town is Montrose, distant 11 miles from the middle
district of this parish, but a grain-market is held at
Bervie, 6 miles distant. There is no village in this
parish. — On the summit of Garvock hill there are
two large Druidical cairns or high places, where the
fires of their Druidical god, Beil, or Baal, the Sun,
were lighted It was in this parish, at a place called
Brovvnie's-legs, that, about the year 1420, an im-
patient, and probably unmeaning, ejaculating aspira-
tion of King James I., — " Sorrow gin that sheriff
were soddan and supped in brie !" was literally and
jesuitically responded to, and fulfilled on the body
of Melville, laird of Glenbervie, and sheriff of the
Mearns, by five savage Highland lairds, with whom
the unfortunate man was at enmity, and who actually
boiled him in a great cauldron in the forest of Gar-
vock, whither they had decoyed the unsuspecting
sheriff to a deer hunt. After the body had for
some time boiled or 'sodden' in the cauldron, the
ferocious cannibals are said to have helped each
himself to a spoonful of the soup or ' brie ! ' — The
parish is in the presbytery of Fordoun, and synod
of Angus and Mearns. Patron, the Crown,
pend £177 11s. 9d. ; glebe £12. Schoolmaster'
salary £31 ; fees £22. There is a private school h
the parish.
GASK, a parish in the centre of the soutl
division of Perthshire ; bounded on the north
Methven ; on the east by Tippermuir and Forteviot
on the south by Dunning and Auchterarder ; on
west by Trinity-Gask ; and on the north-west
Maderty. Except for its having the north-wes
corner cut away, it is nearly a parallelogram,
suring 3f miles from north to south, and 2^ mil
from east to west. Along its southern bounds
in a serpentine course of 3 miles or upwards,
the Earn, offering the fishy produce of white
yellow trout, perch, pike, eels, and flounders.
cept on the west side — where a considerable patch
moss has resisted the reclaiming efforts of the far
mers, and continues to supply the parishioners wit
peat rather than enrich them with grain — the sui
face spreads away in corn fields and pastures, she
tered and beautified with extensive plantations fr
the Earn, till, by a gentle rise, it attains about
middle of the parish a slight ridgy elevation,
thence it slopes softly down toward the norther
boundary, richly ornamented by considerable grove
Upwards of 1 ,200 acres are under plantation ;
with the exception of the moss in the south-w(
corner, all the rest of the area is enclosed and unc
culture. The soil is partly clayey, and partly
fine loam. Marl occurs in various localities ;
freestone and grey slate abound. The only mans
is Gask, the residence of the chief proprietor, sil
ated on the southern slope. — Along the summit
the ridge or highest ground of the parish, runs
Roman causeway, cutting it into two equal
The causeway is 20 feet broad, consists of
pactly-placed rough stones, and forms a commi
cation between Roman camps in the parishes resj
tively of Scone and Muthil. Along its side are
traceable small Roman stations, fortified with ditches,
and each containing a sufficient area for from 12
to 18 or 19 men. One of these stations has from
time immemorial been designated the Witch-knowe,
and is traditionally reported to have been the scent
of the burning of unhappy individuals for the im-
puted crime of sorcery. — Four roads run through
the parish from east to west, and one inter-
sects it from north to south. Near the centre, i
little north of the line of the Roman causeway, stands
the village of Clathey, with a population of nearlj
100. Population of the parish, in 1801, 601 ; in 1831
428. Houses 89. Assessed property, in 1815, £4,254
— Gask is in the presbytery of Auchterarder, an<
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the Crown
Stipend £155 4s. 7d. ; glebe £15. Unappropriate<
teinds £93 6s. lid. Sittings in the parish-church
nearly 400. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d.
with fees.
GASKIER. See GAASKIER.
GATEHOUSE-OF-FLEET, a smalltown, chiefl;
in the parish of Girthon, and partly in the parish o
Anwoth, Kirkcudbrightshire. It stands on the rive
Fleet, li mile above the head of Fleet-bay, 7 mile
from Kirkcudbright, 50 from Port- Patrick, 33 froi
Dumfries, and 105 from Edinburgh. The scener
around it is magnificent. Spread out from the rive
is an opulent, beautifully carpeted, and romanti
vale ; rising up on three sides, are congeries of hillt
variously clad with heath and verdure, or cincture
and crowned with plantation, and climbing away i
the distance till they raise bald and frowning sun
mits to the sky, and look down upon the lowlanc
with the savage aspect of defiance to cultivation
and, on the south-west, through abroad andsoftene
GAT
613
GAU
cleft in the mountain-screen, the pellucid bosom of
Fleet-bay glitters in the reflected rays of the sun, or
exults beneath a gorgeous drapery of clouds. Nor
does the situation contribute less to health, and to
the purposes of traffic and manufacture, than to the
soothing of the imagination and the tutoring of taste.
Yet, though lying on a navigable river near its influx
to the sea, and though traversed by everything pass-
ing along the great thoroughfare between Dumfries
and Port- Patrick, and, though exerting a command
as to facilities of intercommunication over an exten-
sive range of country, and though confessed to be a
position of paramount advantageousness by being
made the scene of a considerable fortnightly market,
it possessed, about a century ago, only a single
house, or, as a village, was still to be called into ex-
istence. Gatehouse was then nothing more than
" a house" at "the gate" of the avenue leading up
to the mansion of Mr. Murray of Broughton, the
proprietor of the soil. But when, in consequence
of that gentleman offering very advantageous terms
of feu, and exhibiting well-digested plans for draw-
ing an influx of prosperity, the village was fairly
commenced, it made, for a series of years, very rapid
progress toward importance, and even gave promise
of becoming an influential seat of manufacture. So
early as about 1790, it had three factories, and a
considerable number of detached or private mules
and jennies for spinning cotton, a fair proportion of
handlooms for cotton- weaving, a brass-foundery, a
tannery, and workshops for nearly every class of
artisans ; and, though possessing a population of
only about 1,200, it had so diffused the spirit of
manufacture and enterprise among the rural inhabi-
tants of an extensive circumjacent region, as to hold
many of them in a state of subserviency to its aims
of social achievement. Improvements were made to
facilitate the navigation of the Fleet to the sea ; a
canal or aqueduct was cut from a lake several
miles distant to bring down a sufficient water-
power for the driving of the factories ; a public
library, a mason-lodge, and various other institu-
tions or associations indicated transition to something
resembling burghal life ; and appearances, in general,
seemed to menace the Glasgow of the west with the
energetic rivalry of a Glasgow of the south. But
Gatehouse — like many a dashing upstart in trade —
was unable, at the day of reckoning, to withdraw all
the bills of promise it had endorsed ; and, from the
date we have mentioned, up to 1840, it has made
such slow progress as to count now little if any
more than 2,000 inhabitants, and, with the excep-
tion of the recent erection of a large factory, has
not apparently been distinguished by a single event
in keeping with the facts of its early history. —
ouse, as to the aspect of its streets, the rieat-
;md beauty of its buildings, and the entire
grouping of its burghal landscape, is decidedly the
most handsome town or village in Galloway, and is
equalled by very few in Scotland. The larger part
of it on the left bank of the Fleet, has, as to its
main body, the form of a regular parallelogram, a
sort of miniature imitation of the original New
town of Edinburgh. The street which stands on
the highway between Dumfries and Port-Patrick,
and forms the principal thoroughfare, is particularly
neat and uniform. Most of the houses of the town
are two stories high, and covered with slates. A
handsome stone-bridge spans the Fleet, and con-
n.-cts the Girthon district with its Anwoth suburb.
A neat parish-church, built in 1817, and containing
714 sittings, adorns the parallelogram. A canal, cut
in a straight line along the river, at an expenditure
of £3,000, by Mr. Murray, supersedes some defects
w the natural navigable capacities of the Fleet.
But the river itself is stemmed by the tide up to
the town, and brings up on its bosom vessels of 00
tons burden. The exports are principally grain,
and the imports coals and lime. The town has now,
in addition to its earlier acquisitions, a branch banking
office ; a public news-room ; a soap- work ; a brew-
ery ; a second tannery ; several friendly societies ; a
small Independent chapel ; a fortnightly burgh-court
for the recovery of small debts ; a fortnightly justice-
of-peace court ; a weekly town-market on Saturday ;
a weekly cattle-market, in November and December,
on Friday ; and a fair on the first Monday of June,
Old Style — Gatehouse was erected into a burgh-of-
barony by a royal charter, dated 30th June, 1795
Its magistracy and council consist of a provost, two
bailies, and four councillors, annually elected by the
resident feuars or proprietors of houses within the
burgh. There is also a town-clerk, who is annually
elected in like manner. There are no other office-
bearers— The jurisdiction exercised by the magis-
trates is chiefly confined to civil causes ; and the
average number of cases since 1820 does not exceed
20 per annum. The magistrates also take cogni-
zance of the smaller police offences, and punish of-
fenders by fines, which are wholly appropriated to-
wards remunerating the officer for his trouble. — The
burgh has no property, debts, or revenue, — and, of
j course, no accounts, annual or otherwise. — There
are no local taxes ; nor have the magistrates and
council power to impose assessments 01 any kind.
GATES IDE. a modern village in the parish ot Neil-
ston, Renfrewshire, on the left bank of the Levern, 4
miles south-east of Paisley. Population of Gateside
arid an adjacent place called Chapel, in 1811, 394; in
1835-6, as given in the New Statistical Account, 748.
GATESIDE, a small village in the parish of
Wamphray, Dumfries-shire. It stands near the left
bank of the river Annan, on the mail-road between
Glasgow and Carlisle. Though containing a popu-
lation of only about 90, it has a Relief meeting-
house, built about the year 1790.
GATTONSIDE, a beautifully situated village in
the vale of the Tweed, on the left bank of the river,
about a mile north of the town of Melrose, Rox-
burghshire. Seen from a distance, it seems a little
town luxuriating in an isolated grove, in the centre
I of one of the most brilliant landscapes in Scotland.
j But when entered, it is an aspersion of trees, and
! detached houses, and patches of luxuriant orchard-
! ground, sprinkled in such capricious confusion on
! the plain, that the idea of a village — in the modern
and methodical sense of the word — cannot easily
be associated with the spot. In all respects, the
place is incomparably more attractive as seen from
without, than as seen from within. Gattonside is
celebrated for its orchards ; and sends more fruit to
market than any other place in the vale of Tweed,
or perhaps any place of its size in Scotland. Popu-
lation, 300.
GAUIR (THE), or GADER, or GAMHAIR, a river
of Argyleshire and Perthshire. It rises in the deer
forest of the Marquis of Breadalbane, some miles east
of Loch-Etive in Argyleshire, and in general pursues
an easterly direction. Receiving, in the early part ot
its course, numerous tributary torrents from among
the mountains, it soon becomes a considerable
stream, and spreads itself out at intervals into roman-
tic lochlets or lakes, and, among others, the isleted
and sylvan-studded Loch-Batha. After a course of
about 12 miles, it expands into the large and beau-
I tiful lake, LOCH-LYDOCH [which see], and, while
i lost iu it, is carried out of Argyleshire into Perth-
shire. Issuing from the east side of that lake, J of a
mile from its north-eastern termination, it flows 5$
miles due east to LOCH-RANNOCU [which see], en-
GAV
614
GIG
ters it by two channels enclosing a fine verdant islet,
and there loses its waters and its name, Near the
central part of its course, between Loch-Lydoch and
its embouchure, it expands, during a season of rain,
into a temporary lake of several miles in circumfer-
ence, called Loch-Eathach ; but, when its waters be-
come diminished, it retires within river-limits, and
lets the bed of the lake wear the character of a mea-
dow. Like most of the streams in the region to
which it belongs, it has cascades and cataracts ; and
when tumbling over these in the swollen waters of
several days' rain, it sends away hoarse sounds through
the mountain- wilderness, which are heard at some
miles' distance.
GAVIN, a small island on the coast of Argyleshire.
G A VINT ON, a modern village in the eastern
division of the parish of Langton, Berwickshire. It
stands on the road between Dunse and Greenlaw,
1£ mile from the former, and 5£ miles from the lat-
ter. Its predecessor, the ancient village of Lang-
ton, standing in the way of some improvements
projected by Mr. Gavin the proprietor, Gavinton
was built in 1760, and, on terms advantageous to
the inhabitants, offered to them as a substitute.
At its west end stands the parish-church. The vil-
lage of Langton stood f of a mile to the west. Popu-
lation of Gavinton, 250.
GEORGE (FORT), a strong and regular fortress,
in the parish of Ardersier, in Inverness-shire; 12
miles north of Inverness ; 8 west of Nairn ; and 165
from Edinburgh. It is situated on a peninsula run-
ning into the Moray frith, and completely command-
ing the entrance of the harbour of Inverness. Go-
vernment once proposed to build a fort at Inverness,
at a place called the Citadel, or Cromwell's fort ;
but the magistrates of Inverness demanded such a
price for the ground, that the Duke of Cumberland
was offended, and having ordered an inspection of
the ground upon which Fort-George now stands, the
engineers reported that it would answer equally well
with that of Inverness. Accordingly, Government
purchased the ground, and a large farm in the neigh-
bourhood of it, from Campbell of Calder ; and the
works were commenced in 1747, under the direction
of General Skinner. The estimate given in was
£120,000 ; but it is said to have cost upwards of
£160,000. It is a regular fortification, and covers
10 Scots acres. It commands a fine view of the
Moray frith, which expands beyond the fort, and is
bounded by lofty hills ; and this prospect is termi-
nated by the picturesque town of Inverness, with
huge mountains rising on both sides of it.
GEORGETOWN, a locality at the west end of
Loch Rannoch, in the parish of Fortingal, Perthshire,
where formerly there were military barracks.
GIFFORD (THE),— called also the Hope, the
Bolton, and the Coalston — a beautiful rivulet in
Haddingtonshire. It rises immediately beneath the
highest ridge of the Lammermoor hills, at the south-
ern boundary of the parish of Garvald; arid, under
the name of the Hope, runs first north-eastward, and
then northward, 5£ miles near the western verge of
Garvald parish. It now receives two considerable
tributaries, one on each bank, and for 2 miles north-
westward intersects the parish of Yester, passing,
in its course, the beautiful village of Gifford. For
nearly half-a-mile further it divides Yester from Had-
dington, and then receives a considerable tributary
from the south, assumes the name of the Bolton,
flows past the village of that name, and for 1| mile
north-westward, 1^ mile northward, and £ a mile
westward, divides Haddington from Bolton. About
a furlong farther on, it falls into the Tyne l£ mile
above the town of Haddington. Its entire course
is about 12 miles. Over the greater part of its
course, it flows between delightfully sylvan banks ;
and, in various stages of its progress, it meanders and
luxuriates among pleasure-grounds, the beautiful de-
mesnes of six mansions, — Yester, Eaglescairnie, Dal-
gourie, Bolton, Coalston, and Lennoxlove. Its waters
abound in trout.
GIFFORD, a beautiful village in the northern
part of the parish of Yester, Haddingtonshire ; and
also the name by which that parish is popularly,
though not legally, known : See YESTER. The vil-
lage is delightfully situated on the right bank of the
rivulet described in the preceding article, in the
centre of a well- wooded and picturesque strath, 400
feet above the level of the sea, and environed, at a
mile-and-a-half distance, by an amphitheatre of ridgy,
arable, well-cultivated heights. Its distance from
Haddington is 4 miles, from Tranent 9, and from
Edinburgh 19. It consists principally of two streets
of unequal length, composed of well-built houses,
generally two stories high, and of neat appearance.
One of the streets commences within the long and
beautiful avenue leading up to Yester-house, and
runs north-westward till it is closed up by the parish
school-house and its surmounting spire. The second
street runs parallel to the former, and is terminated
by the parish-church. In the vicinity are brick-
works, a saw-mill, and a woollen manufactory and
bleachfield. A body of about 20 weavers, who
once carried on a small trade in this village, have
dwindled away in number to 2 or 3. Most of the
inhabitants hold in feu or fief of the Marquis of
Tweeddale ; and they meet biennally to choose 2
bailies and 5 councillors to manage the public affairs
of the village. Besides the parochial school, there
are two unendowed schools. Annual fairs are
held on the last Tuesday of March, the 3d Tues-
day of June, and the 1st Tuesday of October ; and
they are of considerable importance, and draw pur-
chasers from a distance. At one of them the agri-
cultural society of East Lothian holds a meeting for
directing and encouraging improvements in the breed
of sheep. A weekly hiring-market is held on Mon-
day mornings during harvest for bringing shearers
within the range of employment — The village,
though of later date than the close of Charles I.'s
reign, derives its name from the ancient family of
Gifford, whose ancestors came from England and
obtained extensive estates in Mid-Lothian during
the reign of David I. Hugh de Gifford, the younger,
rose to distinction under William the Lion, and was
rewarded by him with the lands of Yester. In the 15th
century, through a failure of male heirs, a daughter
of the family carried the property of the Giffords, by
matrimonial alliance, into the family of Hay of Borth-
wick. In 1488, the proprietors obtained the title of
Lords Hay of Yester; in 1646, they were created
Earls of Tweeddale ; and, in 1694, they were raised
to the dignity of Marquises of Tweeddale Gifford
contests with Gifford-gate, a small street in the Nun-
gate, one of the suburbs of Haddington, the honour of
having been the birth-place of John Knox. Modern
writers and private debaters have expended much
labour in advocating the conflicting claims of the
two localities. Dr. M'Crie, the distinguished biogra-
pher of Knox, will probably be regarded as a judge
of the question quite as cool and as competent as
most ; and he says, " I am inclined to prefer the
opinion of the oldest and most credible writers that
he — John Knox — was born in the village of Gifford."
Dr. John Witherspoon, president of the college of
New Jersey, in America, was another eminent native
of this village. Population 550.
GIG AY, a small inhabited island of the Hebrides,
on the east coast of Barra.
GIGHA, one of the Hebrides, annexed to that
GIL
Ict of Argyleshire named Kintyre, from which it
parated by a channel 3± miles broad. It is of
a regular oblong figure ; 7 miles in length, and 2£ in
greatest breadth, containing about 5,000 Scots acres,
of which 1 ,500 are arable. The coast on the west
side is bold and rocky ; on the east side there are
several points jutting out, and a few sunk rocks,
which render the navigation dangerous to strangers.
Between these points are several bays or creeks,
where small vessels can be safely moored. One of
the bays, called Ardmeanish, near the church, has
good anchorage in 6 or 7 fathom water. The small
island of CARA [which see] lies at 1 mile distance
on the south ; and in the middle of the sound
between them is the small uninhabited island of
Gigulum, near which is good anchoring-ground for
the largest vessels. The general appearance of
Gigha is low and flat : except towards the west
side, where the ground rises into hills of consider-
able elevation. Except in this quarter, the whole
island is arable, and the soil a light loam, with a
mixture in some places of sand, moss, or clay. Trap
veins traverse the island in different directions. In
Gipha are the ruins of an old chapel. Martin, who
visited it in the beginning of last century, says:
" It has an altar in the east end, and upon it a font
of stone which is very large, and hath a small hole
in the middle which goes quite through it. There
are several tomb-stones in and about this church ;
the family of the Mac-neils, the principal possessors
of this isle, are buried under the tomb-stones on the
east side of the church, where there is a plat of
ground set apart for them. Most of all the tombs
have a two-handed sword engraven on them, and
there is one that has the representation of a man
upon it. Near the west side of the church there is
a stone of about 16 feet high, and 4 broad, erected
upon the eminence. About 60 yards' distance from
the chapel there is a square stone erected about
10 feet high ; at this the ancient inhabitants bowed,
because it was there where they had the first view
of the church. There is a cross 4 feet high at a
little distance, and a cavern of stone on each side
of it. This isle affords no wood of any kind, but
a few bushes of juniper on the little hills. The
stones, upon which the scurf corkir grows, which
dyes a crimson colour, are found here ; as also those
that produce the crottil, which dyes a philamot
colour. Some of the natives told me that they
used to chew nettles, and hold them to their nos-
trils to stanch bleeding at the nose ; and that nettles
being applied to the place, would also stop bleeding
at a vein, or otherwise. There is a well in the
north end of this isle called Toubir-more, that is, * a
trreat well,' because of its effects, for which it is
famous among the islanders ; who, together with the
inhabitants, use it as a catholicon for diseases. It
is covered with stone and clay, because the natives
fancy that the stream that flows from it might
overflow the isle ; and it is always opened by a
Diroch, that is, 'an inmate,' else they think it would
not exert its virtues. They ascribe one very ex-
traordinary effect to it, and it is this ; that when any
foreign boats are wind-bound here — which often hap-
pens— the master of the boat ordinarily gives the
lative that lets the water run, a piece of money ;
UK! they say, that immediately afterwards the wind
ihanges in favour of those that are thus detained by
•ontrary winds. Every stranger that goes to drink
)f the water of this well, is accustomed to leave
m its stone cover a piece of money, a needle, pin,
tr one of the prettiest variegated stones they can
ind." There are no trees at present on the island,
>ut many large roots of oak have been found in the
nosses, indicative of the former existence of wood.
615
GIL
The island is well-supplied with springs, which afford
water sufficient to turn two corn-mills. The sand-
banks abound with excellent fish ; and much sea-
weed is thrown ashore, which is partly employed as a
manure, and partly burned into kelp. The principal
occupations of the inhabitants are agriculture and
fishing. Between Gigha and the opposite coast of
Kintyre there is a regular ferry.— The islands of
Gigha and Cara form a parish, the population of
which, in 1801, was 556; in 1831, 534; and, in
1834, only 468. Houses, in 1831, 91. Assessed
property, in 1815, £1,597. — The united parish is in
the presbytery of Kintyre, and synod of Argyle.
Patron, the Duke of Argyle. Stipend £266 9s. 3d. ;
glebe £10. Schoolmaster's salary £25 13s. 3id.
GILCOMSTON. See OLD ABERDEEN.
GILLISAY, one of the smaller Hebrides, in the
district of Harris.
GILMERTON, a village partly in the parish of
Fowlis- Wester, and partly in that of Monzie, in
Perthshire. It stands on the mail-road between
Glasgow and Perth, amidst a beautiful landscape,
and is neat, well-built, and of modern erection.
Extending from the village on the east, is a conge-
ries or ridge of gravelly mounds, some of them
covered with thriving plantation, and almost all so
curiously formed and grotesquely grouped as to form
an interesting and remarkable variety of natural
scenery. There is a private school in the village.
Population 240.
GILMERTON. See ATHELSTANEFORD.
GILMERTON, a quoad' sacra parish in Edin-
burghshire, recently detached from the parish of
Libberton, and bounded by Libberton, Newton,
Dalkeith, and Lasswade. Its population is about
1,100. The parish-church, situated in the village
of Gilmerton, was built in 1837, and has about 300
sittings : See LIBBERTON The village of Gilmer-
ton stands on the brow of a rising ground, 4 miles
south of Edinburgh, on the post-road to Roxburgh-
shire and the west of England. Its main body is a
rectangle, resting the back of one of its shorter sides
on the west margin of the public road, and running
westward up the gentle slope of the rising ground.
A subordinate part of it is a straggling street or line
of houses southward from the main body along the
public road; but this has recently been abandoned,
and presents to the eye of the passing traveller the
unsightly and doleful appearance of unroofed and
mouldering cottages, — not unlike what may be sup-
posed to have been the appearance of a similar array
of humble dwellings devastated during the freeboot-
ing or warlike incursions of a former age. Gilmerton
was long characterized as simply a village of colliers,
and as a place whence Edinburgh was largely sup-
plied with fuel. Its coal — which is of prime quality
— was vigorously worked in 1627, and possibly was
known and carried to market a century earlier.
Persons employed about its coal-pits, and carters
who conveyed the produce to Edinburgh, were long
the only inhabitants, and latterly amounted to 800
n number. But, owing partly to the successful
competition of the sources of supply along the Dal-
keith railway, the mines — though not exhausted,
and though likely to come again into requisition —
have been abandoned. A lime- work of vast extent
n the vicinity, and presenting appearances highly
nteresting to the curious and the lovers of remark-
able scenery, was probably the oldest in Scotland,
at all events was worked from time immemorial. At
first, it was worked from the surface, and afterwards
t was mined ; and the produce was brought up re-
spectively, in successive epochs, by women, by asses,
and by a steam-engine. Even the aid of machinery
not preventing it from being unrcmunerating, it wa»
GIL
616
GIR
abandoned, again worked during the years 1825,
1826, and 1827, and again abandoned. The mine
or quarry is nearly a mile in length, and everywhere
open to the light of day. The stratum of limestone
dips at an angle of about 45°. On descending, a
spectator finds himself on a shelving declivity, and,
walking along, is encaverned beneath a roof of solid
rocks, which is supported by a vast series of rocky
pillars, chiselled out and left as props in the process
of mining. As the enormous piazza or open-sided
temple is very spacious, the roof being high, and the
opening along the extended entrance large, the light
is, for a considerable way, abundant; but, as the
spectator explores onward, and descends the declivity
toward a stripe or elongated pool of water at the
extremity, it gradually so far fails him as to let a
sepulchral obscurity hang its veil of mystery over
the objects of his vision. The vast colonnaded
cavern, instead of proceeding far inwards, where the
rapid dip of the stratum carried the miner at every
yard increasingly downward from the surface, ad-
vances obliquely up the side of a long ridge or hill ;
and affords the curious visitant an opportunity of
making a lengthened excursion under ground, with-
out losing the light of day. — At Gilmerton is a re-
markable cave, cut, at the expense of five years'
labour, out of the solid rock, by a blacksmith of the
name of George Paterson, and finished in 1724.
Several apartments, several beds, a large table bear-
ing aloft a punch-bowl, are all nicely chiselled from
the rock, and render the cave at once dwelling-house
and furniture. Several apertures on the roof were
designed as windows to let in the light from above.
The constructor of this extraordinary subterranean
abode had it fitted up with a well, a washing-house,
and a forge, and lived in it with his family, prose-
cuting his avocation, till his death about the year
1 735. His cave was, for many years, esteemed an
object of great curiosity, and even yet is the resort
of not a few inquisitive visiters. Pennecuick, in his
works, has left the following inscription for the
cave :
" Upon the earth thrives villany and woe ;
But happiness arid 1 do dwell below.
My hand hewed out this rock into a cell,
Wherein from din of life I safely dwell.
On Jacob's pillow nightly lies my head ;
My house when living, nnd my grave when dead.
Inscribe upon it when I'm dead and gone,
' I lived aud died within my mother's womb.' "
Gilmerton, though bereft of its resources in other
mines, may probably recover its importance in con-
nexion with the recent discovery of excellent black-
band ironstone, 14 inches thick Its inhabitants
have long had an unenviable celebrity for rudeness
and almost brutality of character. They are, in
general, exceedingly ignorant, averse to instruction,
improvident, and reckless; but, in fact, they have,
till very lately, been little, and at times scarcely at
all, plied with those humanizing and enlightening
and Christian methods of operating on character
which their circumstances demanded as essential to
their well-being. Having — no matter with what de-
gree of justice — acquired the name of being savages
in part, they were, in a great measure, quietly let
alone to become, if they thought proper, savages in
whole. During many years the terror of their name
made timid persons shrink from travelling after dusk
on any road in their vicinity. But the execution,
in 1831, of two of their number for a murder, and
the delightfully contrasted event of a successful com-
mencement of systematic efforts to bring them under
the restraining influences of evangelical truth, as
well as the establishment among them of libraries,
and the various appliances of secular instruction,
have already begun to soften the harsh moral features
of their village.
GILNOCKIE, a small promontory, washed on
the three sides by the river Esk, in the parish of
Canoby, Dumfries-shire ; supposed to have been the
spot whence the famous freebooter, ' Johnie Arm.
strang, Laird of Gilnockie, ' had his title. Being steep
and rocky, it is scarcely accessible except on the land
side ; and there it was protected by a deep ditch.
Holehouse or Hollows, the residence of Armstrong,
is still a considerable ruin. The building is oblong,
60 feet long, 46 wide, and about 70 high; and at the
angles it has round loop-holed turrets. Armstrong
flourished during the reign of James V. ; and, having
levied ' black mail ' from Cumberland, Westmore-
land, and a great part of Northumberland, he was
the terror of the west marches of England. His
power becoming, at last, so great as to hazard a de-
fiance of the Crown, the king raised an army for the
express purpose of confronting and overpowering
him, and marched, at its head, to the parish of Ewes.
Armstrong was summoned to attend the king there
on a promise of security; and, yielding a ready obe-
dience, he, along with those of his followers who
accompanied him, was, in violation of the royal
pledge, hanged at Carlenrig, 2 miles north of Moss-
paul, on the road between Hawick and Langholm.
GILP (Locn), a small arm of the sea in Argyle-
shire, running off from Loch-Fyne in a north-west
direction, across the neck of the peninsula of Kin-
tyre. It is the point from which the Crinan canal
foes off to join the Atlantic at the bay of Crinan:
ee articles CRINAN CANAL and LOCHGILPHEAD.
GIRDLENESS, a promontory, on the coast of
Kincardineshire, being the southern point of the
mouth of the river Dee in Nigg parish, and remark-
able as the eastern extremity of the Grampian moun-
tains. It lies 2 miles south from Aberdeen, and 15
north-north-east of Stonehaven; in N. lat. 57°
8', and W. long. 2° 3'. Here is a lighthouse,
erected in 1833, with two fixed lights, one above
the other, seen at a distance of 16 and 19 nautical
miles, in clear weather. See ABERDEEN.
GIRNIGOE CASTLE. See WICK.
GIRTHON, a parish in Kirkcudbrightshire,
stretching southward in a long stripe of territory,
from the latitude of the centre of the stewartry, to
the coast of Wigton bay. Its greatest length is 18
miles, and its greatest breadth 7 ; though, over 8
miles from its southern extremity, it is nowhere
more than 2| miles broad ; and its superficial area is
about 24 square miles. It is bounded on the north
by Kells; on the east by Balmaghie and Twineham;
on the south-east by Borgue ; and on the west by
Fleet bay and Fleet water, which divide it from
Anwoth ; and by Kilmagree and Minigaff. All the
northern and broader division, 9 or 10 miles in length
from the northern boundary, and also a stripe along
the whole of its eastern verge, are bleak, hilly, and
clothed in heath. But a slope toward the Fleet,
and a stripe of plain along the banks of the stream,
in the southern division of the parish, are arable,
finely cultivated, and softly beautiful in aspect.
Around Cully, immediately south of Gatehouse, and
at Castramount, 3^ miles above the town, are de-
lightful and somewhat extensive plantations, imbo-
soming, in the former case, the domestic mansion,
and, in the latter case, a hunting-seat of Mr. Mur-
ray, the baronial superior of the town of Gatehouse,
and the proprietor of the whole district. The air
and climate are in the uplands cold and unpleasant,
but in the plain, mild and agreeable. In the north-
ern division are three lakes; — Loch Fleet, 5 furlongs
long and 3 furlongs broad, abounding in trouts, and
disgorging one of ihe two parent-streams of the
FLEET [which see] ; Loch Skerrow, | of a mile long
and half-a-mile broad, abounding in pike; and Loch
GIR
617
GIR
Inoch, about 3 miles long and half-a-mile broad,
rkable for its char, a species of fish rare in Scot-
See LOCH GRANNOCH. On the eastern boun-
dary, 3 miles north-east of Gatehouse, is another lake,
ch Whinnyan, of a circular form, and f of a mile
'eter, whence the cotton-mills of the town are
lied, along an artificial canal, with a copious
'ling stream of water : See GATEHOUSE. The flows past the neat and cheerful village of Crossbill ;
)n of Cully, overlooking the Fleet, on one of I and while passing along the fine vale of Dailly parish,
most beautiful parts of its joyous progress, is a it enlivens the aspect of the mansions and demesnes
this point to the sea at the town of Girvan, over a
sinuous course of 13 miles, it runs, in general, toward
the southwest, performing many a beautiful evolu-
tion, seeming to run mirthfully round peninsulas and
rising grounds, to enjoy the richest adornings ot
bank, and nowhere receiving larger tributes than the
waters of little brooks. A mile below Barklai, it
large modern edifice, among the most princely in
south of Scotland. Four-fifths of the popula-
of the parish, and nearly all its trade, manufac-
and importance, are concentrated in GATE-
E : which see. The southern division is amply
lied with facilities of communication, a canal
the navigable river to Fleet bay, and the Dum-
and Portpatrick mail- road, besides divergent
i in every direction ; but the northern division
jft alone in its mountain-solitude, and annoyed
of Drumburl, Dalquharran, Balgany, and Kellochan.
Dalquharran castle, in particular, receives from it
much enrichment of landscape, and repays with in-
terest all it receives. This elegant pile, castellated
at the angles, and buttressed all the way up, and
finally surmounted by a capacious circular tower, was
built about the year 1790, and is one of the hand-
somest mansions in the west of Scotland. The Gir-
van's entire length of course, including windings, is
about 25 miles.
scarcely a path to allow intrusion on its pasto- | GIRVAN, a parish on the sea-coast of the district
elusion. Population, in 1801, 1,727; in 1831,
>1. Houses 240. Assessed property, in 1815,
,778 — The parish is in the presbytery of Kirk-
ight, and synod of Galloway. Patron, the
Stipend £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £20. The
i-school is attended by a maximum of 133 scho-
Salary £45, with £80 fees and £16 other
iments; but subject to allowance for an assist-
Four unendowed schools, conducted by five
jrs, are attended by a maximum of 160 scho-
According to an ecclesiastical survey in 1836,
of an entire population of 2,000, there were
12 years of age 1,428; of whom 1,346 belonged
Establishment, and 82 belonged to other de-
lations. The dissenters were distributed into
Catholics, Reformed Presbyterians, members
the United Secession body, and the Holy Apos-
tolic church, and 14 Independents. The parish-
church was built in 1817. Sittings 714. The
church of Girthon belonged to the bishops of Gal-
loway till the Reformation, was restored to them
during the brief period of protestant prelacy, and
was afterwards annexed to the Crown. At the
passage of the Fleet, there were in early times a
village and probably a sanctuary. Hence the name
Girth-avon, of which Girthon is an abbreviation,
signifying, * the Sanctuary on the river.' Edward I.
resided here several days during his Galloway cam-
paign in 1300.
GIRVAN (THE), a river of Carrick, Ayrshire.
It rises in the small lakes, Loch-Brecbowie and Loch-
Breelon, in the parish of Straiten, 3^ miles west of
Loch-Doon. After issuing from the latter of the two
lochlets, it flows 2 miles northward, and 2£ miles
wot ward, receiving in its progress, the tributes of
Tairlour-burn from the south, nearly equal in volume
to itsulf, and a smaller brook from the north. Resum-
ing its northerly course, it receives two tributaries
from the west, and flows 2 miles onward to Straiton,
making a graceful bend opposite the village. Hither-
to, its collateral scenery is wild and cheerless: but
now it careers away toward wooded, undulating, and
delightfully varied banks, and, all the way onward
to the sea, smiles and exults amidst the beauties of
landscape. Leaving Straiton, it pursues a sinuous
course Smiles north-westward to the village of Kirk-
michael, frolicking along the fine demesne of Blair-
quhan, the seat of Sir David Hunter Blair, and at olie
place wheeling round upon its path so as to form a
considerable islet. From Kirkmichael to a point op-
posite the farm-stead of Barklai, it achieves a dis-
tance of H mile westward, over a south-westward,
westward, north-eastward and north-westward course
less and loveliness of scenery. From
of Carrick, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the north
by Kirkoswald ; on the east by Dailly and Barr ; on
the south by Colmonell ; and on the west by the frith
of Clyde. It measures in extreme length, from north
to south, 9 miles ; in extreme breadth, 6 miles ; in
minimum breadth 2 miles; and in superficial area,
19,000 acres. A ridge of almost mountainous hills
runs, from the sea not far from the southern extre-
mity, north-eastward through the parish, and sends
offspurs, or has parallel elevations on its south-east
side. The southern district is, in consequence,
chiefly pastoral ; yet its hills are for the most part
covered with verdure, and, even in instances where
they are heathy, they have patches and intermix-
tures of grass. The diagonal hill-range, as seen
from the town of Girvan, presents an imposing and
almost magnificent aspect, and sends up its sum-
mits seldom less than 900 feet above the level of the
sea, and, in one instance, 1,200 feet. The northern
division has a considerable proportion of flat ground,
but is undulated and beautified with elevations, and,
on the whole, wears a tumulated appearance ; yet it
is finely cultivated, and rich in the properties of
agricultural worth. The soil, though very various,
is, in general, a dry light mould, on a sandy or gra-
velly bottom. The coast-line, upwards or 8 miles
in length, is over one-third of the distance bold and
rocky, and over two-thirds of it flat ; and in the lat-
ter and larger part, the beach is strewn with large
whinstones, and, at the recess of the tide, is exten-
sively carpeted with sea-weed. Several indigenous
brooks rise in the central and southern uplands, and
flow respectively to Girvan water, and the sea ; the
most considerable being Lemlal-burn, which joins
the sea at Carlton-bay. Another somewhat bulky
indigenous brook, called the Assel, flows along the
eastern margin, to fall into Stinchar water in the
conterminous parish of Colmonell. The climate of
the parish is much more moist than that of the inland
or eastern parts of Scotland, and moister still in the
upland division of it than in the plain. Coal, though
abundant in the neighbouring parish of Dailly, does
not seem to stretch within the limits of Girvan.
Limestone is plentiful in the eastern division, and has
for a quarter of a century been somewhat extensive-
ly worked. Excellent copper-ore has been found,
and is supposed to exist in considerable quantity.
Puddingstone is the most plentiful mineral, and, in
remarkable congeries, stretches lor a considerable
di.-taiiee along the beach. Whinstone, both grey and
blue, occurs with sutlicient frequency to furnish ma-
terial* lor all the local buildings. A small quantity
of gypsum and a valuable bed of shell-marl were at
one period discovered. Only a small number of acres
618
GIRVAN.
is under plantation ; and nowhere, excepting a few
patches of brushwood, is there any natural forest.
Vestiges of five camps are traceable, all near the sea,
and one of them distinguished by an encincturing oi
two parallel ditches. The parish is traversed, along
the shore, by the mail-road between Glasgow and
Portpatrick, and, along its eastern verge, by a road
between Old Dailly and Ballantrae ; and it has, in
addition, four branch or cross-roads. Population, in
1801, 2,260; in 1831, 6,430. Houses 903. Assessed
property, in 1815, £9,796 — Girvan is in the presby-
tery of Ayr, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £269 12s. 2d. ; glebe £12.
Unappropriated teinds £347 8s. 4d. Four places of
worship in the parish, three of them dissenting, are all
situated in the town. The parish-church was built
about the year 1770, and was extended by the addi-
tion of an aisle about 30 years later. Sittings 850 —
The United Secession congregation was established
in 1815; and their place of worship was built in the
preceding year. Sittings 549. Stipend £100 —
The Roman Catholic congregation consists of a fluc-
tuating population, all Irish ; and has for its place of
meeting, a school-house rented at £6. The minister
or priest resides in Ayr, and officiates here from
seven to nine Sabbaths in the year. The Wesleyan
Methodist congregation had 20 members 24 years
ago; and meets in a Sabbath school-house of its own,
built in 1823, at a cost of about £120. Sittings
about 200. — According to a survey made by the paro-
chial minister and one of his elders in 1836, the po-
pulation was then 6,500; of whom about 5,000 be-
longed to the Establishment, about 1,000 belonged
to other denominations, and 500 were not known to
be connected with any religious body The paro-
chial schoolmaster has £34 4s. 4£d. of salary, with
£80 fees, £28 10s. other emoluments ; and is attend-
ed by a maximum of 155 scholars, — 40 of whom are
poor children taught free. Five unendowed schools
are attended by a maximum of 295 scholars ; and 3
of them afford a wide range of tuition, including prac-
tical mathematics and Latin and Greek. — The church
of Girvan, like several other churches in Ayrshire,
was dedicated to St. Cuthbert, — peculiarly a Saxon
saint ; and seems therefore not to have been older
than the end of the 1 1th century, when Ayrshire,
after the change of the Scottish government, was
brought completely under the influence of the Anglo-
Saxon settlers. The church was granted to the
monks of Crossraguel, and remained in their posses-
sion till the Reformation ; and it was served by a
vicar, under the surveillance of the bishop of Glasgow.
In the ancient parish of Girvan — which was much
larger than the present — were several chapels. In the
south of it, on an eminence overlooking the Stinchar,
about 2 miles west-south-west from the present
church of Barr, stood the chapel of Kirkdomine, de-
dicated to the Holy Trinity. The ruins still remain,
and commemorate the name ; and they serve also to
give a rallying-point and a designation to a great
annual fair, called Kirkdomine fair, held on the last
Saturday of May. In the north of the parish, on the
lands of Cragach, near the coast, upward of 1| mile
north-north-east of the town of Girvan, stood Cha-
pel-Donan, dedicated to a Scottish saint, called Don-
an, of the 9th century. Both this chapel and the
former one were, like the parish-church, in the hands
of the Crossraguel monks. In 1617, the patronage
of Girvan, with other property of Crossraguel, was
annexed to the see of Dunblane ; but, on the abolition
of episcopacy in 1 689, it was vested in the Crown.
In 1653, the south-east part of the ancient parish,
lying on the river Stinchar, was detached and made
a part of the new parish of Barr ; but, at the same
date, Girvan received some accessions of ter
both on the north and on the south.
The town of GIRVAN, originally called Invergarv
from its being situated at the influx of the Garvan
Girvan to the sea, is delightfully situated on t
left bank of the river ; 13 miles north by east of Bal-
lantrae; 41 north-north-east of Portpatrick ; ^south-
south-west of Maybole ; 21 south by west of Ayr ; 54
from Glasgow ; and 93 from Edinburgh. It runs along
the sea-side directly opposite Ailsa Craig, and com-
mands a magnificent view of the frith of Clyde, and
its gorgeous encincturing scenery : See articles AILSA
CRAIG and CLYDE. But as to its interior landscape,
or the appearance and grouping of its houses and
streets, it is utterly unworthy of its splendid site.
Heron, in the narrative of his Scottish tour, in 1793,
though sufficiently prompt and liberal in his praises
whenever an object not positively displeasing met
his eye, describes the town as then in so miserable a
plight that he was obliged to move onward to Kirk-
oswald to find a night's lodging ; and he says respect-
ing Girvan : " The houses are huts more miserable
than those of Ballantrae. They are so low as to
seem, at the south end of the village, rather caves
dug in the earth, than houses built upon it. On the
north-west side, and close upon the banks of the
river, are, indeed, some more decent and commo-
dious houses." The place is exceedingly improvec
since the period when Heron wrote. Still it is
far inferior in neatness and dignity to many Scottish
towns of its size ; and, with a small aggregate pro-
portion of exceptions, consists of cottages one story
high, distributed into a workshop and a dwelling-
room, — the latter, in many instances, being occupied
by two or even three families. Even the recently built
erections are, in a large proportion of instances, small
houses, occupied by the lowest order of immigrant
Irish, who come hither in search of employment in
cotton-weaving. The whole population, with in-
considerable exceptions, are cotton- weavers and their
families. The number of hand-looms, including a
few in the vicinity, was, in 1838, no fewer than 1,800.
The fabrics woven are almost all coarse cottons for
the manufacturers of Glasgow. — Girvan harbour, till
very recently, with from 9 to 1 1 feet of water at the
mouth of the river, admitted only vessels of small
burden; but it is now so far improved as to admit
of a steamer of from 90 to 100 feet keel, and to
afford some facility for the exportation of coals and
agricultural produce. The small bay at the em-
aouchure of the river is an excellent fishing-sta-
tion; but though capable of yielding an abundant
sroduce, of great variety arid of prime quality, it
las been very lazily and limitedly plied. — The
;own has a small subscription-library, two cu%cu-
.ating libraries, a considerable number of friendly
societies, a savings' bank, a branch office of the Royal
bank of Scotland, a branch-office of the Ayr bank, a
weekly market, and two annual fairs — Girvan was
erected into a burgh-of-barony by royal charter, in
1696, granted in favour of Sir Archibald Muir of
Thornton, provost of Edinburgh ; but it now holds
of Hamilton of Bargany. The burgh property con-
sists of houses, and has suffered no alienations within
these forty -six years. In 1832 the revenue was
£148 14s. 6d., and the expenditure £73 12s. 9d.
The debt of the burgh amounts to £1,500, and is
heritably secured over houses. The jurisdiction of
the magistrates extends over the burgh and the bar-
ony of Baliochtoul. A bailie court is held weekly
on Wednesday in the town-hall. Civil causes to the
amount of £2 in value are tried there ; and prosecu-
tions are entertained for petty delinquencies within
burgh, for which fines, not exceeding £1, are un-
GLA
619
GLA
posed ; and if the fine imposed is not paid imprison-
ment follows. The magistrates have no assessor;
yet are sometimes assisted in their judicial delibera-
tions by professional advice. The magistrates and
council have the patronage of the offices of town-
clerk treasurer, billet - master, and town officers.
The treasurer has no salary. All the office-bearers
are chosen annually. All persons wishing to trade
or manufacture within the burgh must enter as free-
men, and pay £2 to the common good. There are
no incorporated trades enjoying exclusive privileges.
The sett of the burgh was altered from what it had
previously been by the late Sir Hew Dalrymple
Hamilton, Bart., the superior. He increased the
number of the council from 12 to 14, including two
bailies. He provided that four of the council should
retire annually by ballot, without prejudice to their
being re-elected, and that the vacancies should be
tilled up by the votes of the resident burgesses from
the members of their incorporation ; that the senior
bailie should, in virtue of his office, remain a coun-
cillor, and the junior bailie fill the office of senior
magistrate for the ensuing year, his place being sup-
plied by a new election ; and that in the event of the
death, or retiring, of any of the bailies during the
period of their holding office, the person last in office
should become junior bailie till next annual election.
There are 74 householders, whose rents amount to
£10; of whom 52 are burgesses. The number of
those whose rents amount to £5, but not to £10, is
40; of whom 18 are burgesses. The police of the
burgh is not regulated by special statute ; it is under
charge of the magistrates. There is no special estab-
lishment for watching and cleaning. Persons are
employed for these purposes when " need requires,"
who are paid from the general fund. Sixty of the
inhabitants are appointed constables annually by the
magistrates, who act, when required, for the pre-
servation of the peace, arid are paid either from the
general fund, or from fines imposed upon delinquents.
Population, in 1836, 5,300.
GLADSMUIR, a parish in Haddingtonshire,
bounded on the north-west by the frith of Forth
and Aberlady; on the north-east by Aberlady; on
the east by Haddington ; on the south by Salton and
IVncaitland ; and on the west by Pencaitland and
Trarient. It would have been nearly a pentagon,
but tor being, on its east side, indented to the depth
of 2 miles and the average breadth of 1^, by a pro-
jecting part of Haddington. From Silver-hill on the
cast, to the boundary near Blind- wall on the west, it
measures 4£ miles ; and, from the most northerly
bend of a brook which bounds it on the north-east
and north- west, to the boundary near Bogg's distil-
lery on the south, it measures 4£ miles ; yet, in con-
sequence chiefly of the deep intrusion of Haddington,
it does not contain more than about 10 square miles.
From the frith of Forth, on the north-west, and
from the boundary-line on the south-east, the sur-
atly rises to a central ridge of inconsiderable
height. The top of this ridge is ploughed by the
great mail-road between Edinburgh and London ;
and, being originally an open muir, was for ages
incessantly pared of its turf, and robbed of its
>oil by the neighbouring inhabitants. The soil, in
this central part, is, in consequence, clayey and shal-
low, yet has recently been so improved as to be
brought into a state of good cultivation ; and, in
other districts, especially a stripe running eastward
about li mile from the coast, it is very fertile, and,
at an early period, produced rich crops, ami bore a
high value. A continuous fir- plantation of nearly
200 acres stretches south of the great road ; and belts
and clusters of oak, beech, elm, ash, birch, chestnut,
and other species, adorn and shelter, at judicious
intervals, nearly the whole surface. The coast—
only about a mile in length — is rocky, and sends into
the sea terminating strata which vex the waters in a
breeze, and look out from their surface at the efflux
of the tide. The Tyne, which forms the southern
boundary- line for about U mile, is here a pleasing
stream of inconsiderable volume, but of value in giv-
ing water-power to grain-mills. Marshes— though
formerly such as to give almost a distinctive feature to
the district — have quite disappeared, and left in their
stead smiling and luxuriant fields. The air is pure,
dry, and very healthy. Coal is very abundant, and,
in the vicinity of the village of Penston, in the south-
ern division, seems to have been worked for five
centuries. The seam, in some places, is from four
to five feet thick, and of prime quality. Limestone
occurs in various parts, and, in one place, is worked.
The working of iron, though for a short while carried
on, has been relinquished. Freestone, suitable for
building, is everywhere abundant. Among vestiges
of old mansions — which are the chief antiquities of
the parish — a circular mound a few feet high, in the
vicinity of objects still called the Laird's dyke and the
Laird's garden, indicates the site of the residence of
the Douglasses of Longniddry, who acted so dis-
tinguished a part in the Reformation, and invited
John Knox to their mansion when he was driven
away from St. Andrews. The modern mansions are
Redcoll, Southfield, and Elvingston. There are three
villages ; one of which has nearly 400 inhabitants,
and each of the others about 200 : See PENSTON,
SAMUELSTON, and LONGNIDDRY. — George Heriot,
the celebrated founder of the hospital which bears
his name in Edinburgh, is thought by some to
have been a native of Gladsmuir, and, at all
events, was the descendant of a family of some
antiquity who resided at Trabourn within its
limits. Dr. Robertson, the historian, commenced
his ministry in Gladsmuir, and, while incumbent
of the parish, wrote the greater part of his His-
tory of Scotland. Population, in 1801, 1,460; in
1831, 1,658. Houses 343. Assessed property, in
1815, £12,400.— Gladsmuir is in the presbytery of
Haddington, arid synod of Lothian and Tweeddale.
Patron, the Crown and the Earl of Hopetown.
Stipend £316 17s. 3d. ; glebe £8. Unappropriated
teinds £302 13s. 7d. Parochial schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4id., with £32 7ss lid. fees, and £30 other
emoluments. Maximum number of scholars 105. At
four schools, not parochial, the maximum aggregate
attendance is 214. According to ecclesiastical sur-
vey, in 1835, the population then was 1,653; of
whom 1,513 belonged to the Establishment, 120 be-
longed to other religious denominations, and 20 were
not known to make any profession of religion. The
parish-church, situated on the summit of the central
ridge of the parish, and at the side of the great mail-
road, was built ill 1695, and altered but not enlarged
in 1 797 or 1 798. It has been recently rebuilt in a very
handsome style. Sittings 535. The parish was formed,
in 1695, by abstractions from the neighbouring par-
ishes of Haddington, Aberlady, and Tranent. A
church built, in 1650, at Thrieplaw near the southern
verge of the parish, and abandoned on the erection
of the late church and parish, has entirely disappear-
ed. A little east of the village of Longniddry are the
ruins of an old chapel called John Knox's kirk, he
having occasionally preached therein.
GLAMMIS, a parish in the southern part of
the Strathmoiv and Sidlaw districts of Foriarshire.
Its form is, in general, ellipsoidal, the greater
diameter extending south and north ; but it makes
projections on the south and south-west, and sends
off a considerable stripe north-eastward from iU
northern extremity. The parish is bounded on
620
GLAMMIS.
the north by Kirriemuir; on the east by Forfar,
Kennettles, and Inverarity; on the south-east by
Fealing; on the south-west by Auchterhouse and
Newtyle; and on the west and north-west by
Essay and Nevay and by Airlie. From Parkplanes
on the north to the hill of Bockello on the south,
it measures 7£ miles ; and from the eastern base
of Kimpernie hill on the west to the boundary-line
between Lumley and Whinny-hills on the east, it
measures 5A miles ; but, in superficial area, it con-
tains something less than 15,000 imperial acres. The
northern division, consisting mainly of the eastward
projecting stripe, and measuring 4£ miles east arid
west by an average of one mile north and south, is a
gentle undulated surface, all whose little softly fea-
tured summits are of nearly equal elevation. From
this division, which is marked off along its southern
limit by the river Dean, the surface, commencing at
the bank of that stream, rises by a smooth and gentle
ascent southward till, near the middle of the parish,
it heaves up in the lower or flanking ridge of the
Sidlaws, running south-westward and north-east-
ward over a length of 4 miles, having an average
breadth of one mile, and lifting its summits front 500
to 700 feet above the level of the sea. South of
this softly hilly ridge, three parallel ranges of hill
stretch away to the boundary enclosing two plains
called Denoon glen and Glen- Ogil vie, and terminat-
ing in the highest summits of the Sidlaws, from 1,000
to 1,500 above sea-level. In the northern division
the soil is, in general, light sandy or gravelly loam,
occasionally interspersed with clay and moss, but is
somewhat unfertile ; along the Dean southward, it
is a deep alluvial brown loam, of very productive
quality ; toward the central ridge it is a brown and
a black loam upon an unretentive subsoil, partly
fertile and partly not very productive ; in the glens
of Denoon and Ogil vie, it is somewhat extensively a
good, sharp, gravelly loam ; but, on the hills, it gen-
erally gives place to moorland clothed in heath.
More than one-half of the entire parish is arable ;
more than one-fourth is in pasture ; and about 1,600
acres are under plantation. The western end of the
Loch of Forfar, which here is now an inconsiderable
stripe of water, extends, for a brief space, along
the southern limit of the northern projection; and
previous to its being drained [see FORFAR] it covered
twice the extent of its present bed. Issuing from
this loch, Dean water, for 2 miles, continues the
boundary, and then for 2 miles more intersects the
body of the parish ; and all the way is a deep and
sluggish brook. Glammis burn rises in the hill of
Auchterhouse at the extreme southern boundary,
traverses the whole length of Glen-Ogilvie, cuts its
way through the central hilly ridge, and joins the
Dean on the demesne of Glammis castle, thus inter-
secting the parish over nearly 6 miles of its length,
and cutting it lengthways into two not very unequal
parts. Kerbet or Essay burn rises on the west side
of the hill of Auchterhouse, within the parish of the
same name, enters Glammis f of a mile from its source,
traverses Denoon glen, forms, for about a mile, the
boundary-line with Essay, and then passes into that
parish to pay its tiny tribute to the Dean. Both this
brook and the Glammis abound with fine red trout.
The climate, formerly moist and not very healthy, is
now, in consequence of extensive draining in the
course of agricultural improvement, dry and salu-
brious. Sandstone of close granulation and in thin
and easily separable strata, producing the slabs which
are locally used as a succedaneum for slates, and also
the admired paving-stone known under the name of
the Arbroath stone, is very abundant, and extensively
quarried. About sixty years ago a small lead mine
on the banks of a rivulet near Glammis was
covered, but the quantity of ore obtained did not
pay the expense of working. Shell marl, of gr
value in agriculture, has been taken up in ^
quantities from some mosses in the northern division,
and especially from the Loch of Forfar — Within a
few yards of the manse stands an obelisk, of rude
design, erected, as is generally supposed, in memory
of the murder of Malcolm II., king of Scotland. On
one side of it are figures of two men, who, by their
attitude, seem to be forming the bloody conspiracy.
A lion and a centaur, on the upper part, represen
the barbarity of the crime. On the reverse, fishes o
several sorts appear: a symbol of Loch-Forfar, ii
which, by missing their way, the assassins wen
drowned. In a neighbouring field is another smal
obelisk or stone on which are delineated variou
symbolical characters similar to those of the large
obelisk, and supposed to be intended as representa
tions of the same facts. At a mile's distance fron
the village of Glammis, near a place called Gossans
is a third obelisk, vulgarly styled St. Orland's stone
still more curious than the others, and possibly akh
to them in object. On one side is a cross rudeli
flowered and chequered ; on the other, four men 01
horseback appear to be pursuing their way with th(
utmost possible speed, while the horse of one o
them is trampling under foot a wild boar; and or
the lower part of the stone is the figure of ar
animal somewhat like a dragon. Though no pro-
bable decipherment has been made of these symbols
they have been conjectured to represent the officer
of justice in pursuit of Malcolm's murderers — Two
miles south-west from Glammis, in Denoon glen, 01
the summit of a solitary basaltic hill, overlooking the
extensive vale of Strathmore, is a fortification, callec
Denoon castle, supposed to have been designed as a
place of retreat in seasons of danger. A circula
wall, believed to have been 27 feet high and 30 broad
and perforated with two entries, one on the south
east, and the other on the north-west, is carrie(
round a circumference of about 340 English yards
and encloses faint though evident traces of interio
buildings. — But the chief work of antiquity in the
parish is the venerable and majestic pile, called Glain
mis castle, the property of the Earl of Strathmore
and his principal seat in Scotland. The edifice is
very ancient, but has at various periods undergone
important alterations. The central part of it is a
tower, upwards of 100 feet high. At one of its angles
is another tower, with a spiral staircase ; and on its
top are numerous small turrets with conical roofs.
The wings are either altogether or chiefly of moden
erection. They are four in number, and project to-
wards different points of the compass. The prin-
cipal avenue stretches from the castle to the vil-
lage, a distance of more than a mile, and was an-
ciently conducted under three several gateways
It must have been a noble specimen of our ancient
architecture, before the wings were taken down
with the view of rebuilding them in another form
Pennant — who has given a drawing of it as i
formerly stood — says : " The whole consisted o
two long courts, divided by buildings. In eacl
was a square tower, and gateway beneath ; an<
in the third, another tower, which constitutes th<
present house, the rest being totally destroyed." I
is commonly related, that the son of James VII.
when he visited Scotland, A. D. 1715, to reclaim th>
throne which his father had thrown away " for ;
mass," having lodged here, declared that he had see)
no castle on the continent which might be compare!
with it. This castle seems to have been the resi
dence of Malcolm II. Here, at least, our chronicler
he had rewyist J a fayre May $
Of the land thart* lyand by
Kronykil, B. v. c. 10, v. 190.
Ie was slain, about the year 1031. Pinkerton
tids that he died a natural death.* But both
Boece and Fordun assert that he was murdered, f
According to good old Wyntoun, the reason of the
Eiction was, that
ver was the cause, tradition still pretends to
point out a passage in the castle where the bloody
act was perpetrated. Nor is it less positive in affirm-
ing that his murderers, as the ground was covered
with frost and snow, having unconsciously, in their
rht, entered on the Loch of Forfar, all perished in
That good antiquary, Sir James Dalrymple,
jntly viewed this as one of the palaces of our
i. For, speaking of the pretended laws of this
Malcolm, he says : " Albeit it be said that the
gave all away, yet it is not to be thought but
he retained, with his royal dignity, his castles
other places of residence, as at Fort-teviot (sic),
es, and Kincardin." [Collections, p. 139.] — The
is intersected lengthways by the post-road
reen Dundee and Kirriemuir; diagonally by that
Perth and Aberdeen ; and along Glen Ogil-
along Denoon glen, and in various other direc-
tions by subordinate roads. Population, in 1801,
GLASGOW.
621
1,931 ; in 1831, 2,150. Houses 346. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £12,856 Glammis is in the presby
tery of Forfar, and synod of Angus and Mearns.
Patron, the Earl of Strathmore. Stipend £255 15s. ;
glebe £16 10s. Unappropriated teinds £328 8s. 5d.
Parochial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 2d., with a
house and £2 2s. 9d. for a garden, £24 or £25
school- fees, and £10 other emoluments. Besides
the parish-school, there are schools in Glen-Ogilvie,
and at Newton and Thornton. The second and third
are unendowed ; and the first gives, in addition to the
fees, £5 of salary. The parish-church was rebuilt
about 8 years ago, and is an elegant edifice. Sittings
about 640.
The village of GLAMMIS consists of two parts, an
old and a new to wn, a little way apart : and is aggre-
gately of considerable size. It stands at the inter-
section of the two principal roads through the parish,
about half-a-mile south of Dean water, 12 miles north
of Dundee. Here, and in other parts of the parish,
about 12,000 pieces of brown linen are annually
produced for the Dundee market. Two-thirds of
this produce are manufactured in private shops,
and one-third in a factory on Glammis burn. The
village has a handsome parish-church, a subscription
library of about 700 volumes, a capacious parochial-
school, and an infant-school. So far back as 24 years
ago, it had about 650 inhabitants ; and it has since
advanced considerably in prosperity.
GLASGOW.
The manufacturing and commercial metropolis of
Scotland, and the third city of the united kingdom
in point of population, and perhaps of wealth also, is
situated in the Lower ward of the county of Lanark,
on both banks of the Clyde, but chiefly on the north
side of that river, in N. lat. 55° 51', and W. long.
4° 1 7'. || It is 43 miles west of Edinburgh ; 23 miles
east of Greenock ; 34 north-north-east of Ayr ; 79
miles north-north-west of Dumfries, by way of New-
Cumnock and Sanquhar ; and 396 north-west by north
of London.
Name — The origin of the name is doubtful. Some
conjecture that it is compounded of the two Gaelic
words, glass, signifying ' grey,' and gow, ' a smith ;'
and infer that some son of Vulcan, who had obtained
repute in his profession long before the establishment
of a bishopric here, had the felicity of conferring his
own distinguishing appellative on the infant city.
There is no historical or even traditionary evidence
of the existence of this ' Grey smith ;' yet some anti-
quaries hesitate not to tell us that his smithy stood
on or near the spot of ground where the Bishop's
castle was afterwards erected. Others trace the
etymology of the name to two ancient British
words which might signify * a Dark glen ;' and con-
jecture that a deep ravine, a little to the east of the
cathedral, gave name to a few cots planted in that
neighbourhood, by the earliest settlers, in which this
?reat city had its humble origin. Others again have
conjectured that the name originally signified ' the
Grey hound ferry.' Were the point even of more
mportance than it actually is, it would still be im-
possible now to settle it with any degree of cer-
tainty.
* Enquiry, ii. 192.
t Boeth. F»l. 251, b. Scotichron. Lib. iv. c. 46.
t Ravished. | Virgin.
B Mr. Cross determined the position of the Observatory in
h« College green to be N. lat. 55» 52' 10" ; and W. long. 4° 15'
'I'. Dr. Wilson's observations fixed the same spot in N. lat.
6. M' 3i", uud W. long. V> 17' 54".
History. — The Romans had a station on the river
Clyde at this spot. The wall of Antoninus, extend-
ing bet ween the friths of Forth and Clyde, a few miles
north of the city, embraced the province of Valentia
in which Glasgow is situated. Though often har-
assed by the inroads of the Caledonians, the Romans
did not abandon this station till sometime about the
year 426, when they took their final leave of this
island, to defend the ' Eternal city,' which was then
assailed by the barbarous tribes which eventually
overthrew the Roman empire. History tells us little
more of this locality till about the year 560, when
the see of Glasgow was founded by Kentigern or
St. Mungo. Upon this fact all historians are at one.
Spottiswood further informs us that this Kentigern
was the son of Thametis, daughter of Loth, King of
the Picts ; but it was never certainly known who was
his father; that his mother endeavouring, in 516, to
fly into the country of the Britons, in order to conceal
her shame, was delivered of him near CULROSS : see
that article. The care of his education was intrust-
ed to Servanus, bishop of Orkney, and he very early
gave tokens of extraordinary piety. Upon the death
of Servanus he passed into Wales, where, living a
solitary and abstemious life, he founded a monastery
between the rivers Elwide and Edway. Having so-
journed there a few years, he resigned his office, and
returning to Scotland, made his abode at Glasgow,
where he laid the foundation of " a stately church,"
in which he was buried at his death, on 13th Jan.,
601. We are not informed by what prince the see
of Glasgow was endowed in favour of Kentigern ; all
that is known is that Baldred and Conwall were his
disciples, the former of whom succeeded him in bis
bishopric, and founded a religious house at Inchiiman.
For more than 500 years after this period, there is no
record of the see ; and to account for the blank, it
has been supposed that the church was destroyed by
the Danes, who either slew or drove away the re-
ligious community who had settled in Glasgow.
622
GLASGOW.
About the year 1115, the see was refounded by
David, Prince of Cumberland ; and from this period
downwards, the history of Glasgow, civil and eccle-
siastical, is generally distinct and authentic. Despite
of this, however, the olden historic associations con-
nected with Glasgow give place in interest and im-
portance to those of many towns in Scotland, whose
present condition sinks into insignificance when con-
trasted with the commercial and manufacturing status
of the capital of the west. In 1124, David succeeded
his brother Alexander I. as king of Scotland, and pro-
moted his chaplain, John Achaius, to the bishopric in
1129. The new bishop rebuilt and adorned a part of
the cathedral church, which he solemnly consecrated
upon the 9th of July, 1136, at which solemnity the
king was present, and gave to the church the lands
of Perdeyc, now Partick. This prelate divided the
diocese into the two archdeaconries of Glasgow and
Teviotdale, and established the offices of dean, sub-
dean, chancellor, treasurer, sacrist, chantor, and suc-
cessor, and settled a prebendary upon each of them
out of the donatives he had received from the king.
He died on the 28th of May, 1147, and was buried
at Jedburgh. Joceline, the abbot of Melrose, was
bishop in 1 1 74 ; and rebuilt the cathedral, or rather
made an addition to the church that was built by
John Achaius. This prelate appears to have interest-
ed himself much in the prosperity of the small com-
munity of Glasgow ; for it was by his interest that
William the Lion, King of Scots, erected the town in
1190 into a royal burgh, and granted a charter " for
holding a fair every year, from the 8th of the apostle
Peter (29th June), and for the space of eight days
complete." This fair commenced on the second Mon-
day of July, in each year, and continued during the
week ; it still continues, but, with the exception of
the horse-market on Wednesday, it is more regarded
as a gaudeamus or holiday-time for the humbler
classes of the citizens, than a civic institution for the
transaction of business. In 1272, Robert Wiseheart,
archdeacon of St. Andrews in Lothian, was conse-
crated bishop of this see, at Aberdeen. He was ap-
pointed one of the Lords of the regency upon the
death of Alexander III. in 1286, which office he
discharged with great integrity. When the national
contest between Bruce and Baliol broke out, and
King Edward, as umpire, had ordered the competi-
tors to meet him at Norham, the bishop of Glasgow
also attended. On this occasion Edward told the
assembled prelates and nobles that although he might
justly claim the superiority of the kingdom of Scot-
land, as his by right, yet as a friend and arbiter elected
by themselves, he would labour to compose the pre-
sent controversy in the best manner he could ; for
the right, said he, although there are different pre-
tenders, belongeth only to one, and for myself I de-
termine to wrong no man ; but to do that which is
just, assuring myself you will all acquiesce, and take
him for king who shall be pronounced so to be.
The king having concluded his oration, Robert,
Bishop of Glasgow, arose and gave him hearty thanks,
in the name of the rest, for the good affection he bore
to their country, and the pains he had taken to come
and remove their debates ; assuring him at the same
time, that it was from the good opinion th?y enter-
tained of his wisdom and equity, that they had sub-
mitted to him, as sole arbiter, the judgment and de-
cision of this weighty affair ; but when it had pleas-
ed him to speak of a right of superiority over the
kingdom, it was sufficiently known that Scotland,
from the foundation of the state, had been a free and
independent kingdom, and, not subject to any other
power whatsoever: that their ancestors had defend-
ed themselves against the Romans, Picts, Britons,
Saxons, and Danes, and all others who sought to
usurp upon them ; and although, said he, the present
occasion hath bred some distraction in men's minds,
all true-hearted Scotsmen will stand for the liberty
of their country to their deaths. When the war after-
wards broke out on account of Edward's encroach-
ments upon the independence of the kingdom, no one
more vigorously withstood his tyrannic aggressions
than Robert, Bishop of Glasgow : for which he was
thrown into prison by the usurper, and only released
after the battle of Bannockburn, when he was ex-
changed by the English for another person of quality.
He died in 1316, after seeing Robert the Bruce firmly
seated on the throne. This excellent old prelate en-
tirely lost his sight during his captivity ; he was al-
lowed only 6d. per day for his own table ; 3d. for his
upper servant, one penny for his boy, and three half-
pence for his chaplain, who celebrated mass for him
during his confinement.
In 1300, Glasgow was the scene of a desperate
conflict between the English and Scots, and this
battle is the more interesting that the latter were
led on by Sir William Wallace. Edward, it appears,
had appointed one of his creatures, named Anthony
Beck, to the see of Glasgow, during the captivity
of Bishop Wiseheart. At this time Earl Percy
governed in the western district, and it is probable
resided generally at Glasgow. " Sir William Wal-
lace, being in possession of the town of Ayr, left the
town and fortress to the care of the townsmen ; and
being joined by the laird of Auchinleck, and his
uncle, Adam Wallace of Richardtown, and Boyd,
they borrowed English horses after it was dark,
forming a squadron of 300 cavalry. They left Ayr
at 10 o'clock, P.M., and arrived at Glasgow at 9
o'clock next morning, and having crossed the bridge,
which was then of wood, drew up their men — where
the Bridgegate is now built — in two columns, one
under the command of his uncle and the laird of
Auchinleck, who knew the road by St. Mungo's
lane to the north-east quarter of Drygate, to attack
Lord Percy in flank; while the main body, com-
manded by Sir William Wallace and Boyd, marched
up the High-street to meet Earl Percy and his
army, which consisted of 1,000 men in armour. The
scene of action seems to have been between the
Bell of the Brae and where the college now stands.
Adam Wallace and Auchinleck, with 140 men, who
had made a running march round the east side of
the town, when the battle was doubtful, came rush-
ing in, from the road where the Drygate now stands,
upon the English column, and divided it in two. At
the same instant, on hearing the cheers of his friends,
Sir William stepped into the front, and with one
stroke of his long sword cleft Percy's head in two.
The route of the English now became general. The
gallant Aymer Vallance led off Bishop Beck, and 400
of their men, by the Rottenrow port, being- all that
remained of the thousand men in armour brought
out to oppose Wallace at the head of 300 cavalry.
He, however, availed himself of his situation. In
what might be then termed a street, Percy could not
bring his men to act upon this small squadron. Not-
withstanding of this victory, obtained by stratagem,
surprise, and valour, it was not safe for Wallace and
his followers to stay here, nor yet in the old Druidi-
cal groves about the Blackfriar's church, nor in the
forest beyond the Molendinar burn. They marched
straight to Both well, where they arrived at one
o'clock, P.M., having performed a march of 36 miles
in 11 hours, fought a battle with three to one of
the men of Northumberland, the best soldiers in
England, gained a victory, and marched 10 miles to
safe quarters at Bothwell, in 15 hours. It was
Aymer Vallance that planned and conducted the
captivity of Wallace. It was in this forest the tryst
GLASGOW.
6-23
was set by Sir John Monteath, for his capture, which
was brought to bear at Robroystown. The word,
at the battle of Glasgow, was ' Bear up the Bishop's
tail,' spoken jeeringly by Sir William to his uncle,
when their men were drawn up at the end of the
oridge." [History of Glasgow by Andrew Brown,
1797.] A portion of the above narrative has been
disputed by some historians, in so far as it is averred
by them that Earl Percy was not present at the en-
gagement, but was absent at the time in the east of
Scotland, or in Northumberland, and, of course,
could not have fallen as is here alleged. That a battle
took place, however, between Wallace and the Eng-
lish, there can be no doubt, and the circumstances
attending it long remained a most interesting subject
lasgow oral tradition.
1387, when Matthew Glendinning was bishop,
ire of the cathedral was destroyed by lightning.
408, his successor, William Lawder, rebuilt the
great tower of stone as far as the first battlement.
In 1484, Robert Blackadder, the son of Sir Patrick
Blackadder of Tullieallan, was translated to the see
of Glasgow from that of Aberdeen. He was a liberal
prelate, and expended vast sums on the church and
alterages. During his incumbency the see of Glas-
gow was erected into an archbishopric. He was fre-
quently employed in the public transactions with the
English, particularly in the year 1505, when he, in
conjunction with the Earl of Both well and Andrew
Forman, prior of Pittenweem, negotiated the mar-
riage between James IV. of Scotland, and Mar-
garet, eldest daughter of Henry VII. of England,
which subsequently led to the union of the two king-
doms in the person of James VI.
About the year 1392, in the time of John Stuart,
Earl of Carrick, afterwards Robert III., a mint was
erected in Drygate-street, at which coins were struck.
On one side was represented the King's crest crowned ;
but without a sceptre, with the motto, Robertus Dei
Gratia Rex Scotorum ; and on the other, on an inner
circle, Villa de Glasgow ; and on the outer circle,
Dominus Protector. In 1420, there was a convent
for Grey friars in the neighbourhood of Greyfriars'
wynd. They were patronized by the unfortunate
Isabella, Duchess of Albany, cousin to James I. of
Scotland. In 1431, she mortified the lands of Bal-
lagan to the convent of the Grey friars at Glasgow,
for " the salvation of our souls, and that of Mur-
doch, Duke of Albany, of worthy memory, our dear
husband ; and also ot Duncan, Earl of Lennox, our
father, and of Walter, James, and Alexander, our
sons." It is a painful feature in the history of those
times that this excellent lady received from the
King her cousin, as a present, the heads of her
hwtand, her father, and two of her sons,— James
having escaped by flight into Ireland.
In 1508, James Beaton, son of John Beaton of Bal-
our in Fife, was appointed archbishop of Glasgow.
He enclosed the palace with a magnificent wall of ash-
er-work, and built a bastion and tower at a proper
listance. This prelate was succeeded in 1522, by
jfavin Dunbar, tutor to James V., and lord-chan-
cellor. It was about this time that the doctrines
)f the Reformation began to be universally studied,
ind to take that hold on the minds of the people
vhich eventually resulted in the complete over-
hrpw of the Roman Catholic religion in Scotland,
t is said that the progress of the Reformation in
he west of Scotland was vastly aided by those
ery means which were intended to crush it, viz.,
he martyrdom of Russell and Kennedy. For the
urpose of banishing those doctrines which caused
he established clergy to tremble in their strong-
olds, many pious persons suffered death at St.
Andrews and Edinburgh; but it was deemed ex-
pedient to make an example in Glasgow in order
to intimidate the heretics of the West. Archbishop
Dunbar, however, was regarded as a man who had
such a thing as the heart of humanity about him ; and
John Lawder, Andrew Oliphant, and Friar Maltman
were sent from Edinburgh, to assist and steel his feel-
ings for the work. The men devoted to destruction
were Jeremiah Russell, one of the Grey friars in
Glasgow, a man well-learned for the age in which
he lived, and John Kennedy, a youth from Ayr-
shire, not more than 18 years of age. Upon being
brought before their accusers, Kennedy evinced
symptoms of trepidation, and seemed inclined to save
his life by retracting his professions of attachment
to the doctrines of the Reformation ; but he was re-
assured by the gentle chiding of Russell, and re-
mained firm to the last. After a mock trial they
were handed over — much against the will of Arch-
bishop Dunbar— to the secular power for execution,
and suffered martyrdom at a stake which had been
erected at the east end of the cathedral. These
were the only persons who suffered at Glasgow dur-
ing the progress of the Reformation ; and though
their death intimidated the people for the moment
it roused a spirit scarcely less ferocious than that of
the persecution which evoked it, and which nothing
could allay but the tearing up by the roots the
whole establishment of the papacy. Dunbar, how-
ever, though gentle in spirit, appears to have
been deeply tinctured by the bigotry of his order ;
for, upon the occasion of Lord Maxwell bringing a
bill into parliament, in 1542, to provide for liberty
to read the Bible in the vulgar tongue, this prelate
is found protesting most vehemently against it, both
for himself, and in name of all the prelates in the
kingdom. The measure passed into a law notwith-
standing. James Beaton, the nephew of Beaton,
archbishop of St. Andrews, succeeded Dunbar in
the archiepiscopal see ; but he found the minds of
men so much agitated upon religious topics, and his
whole diocese split into factions so furious and un-
compromising, that, after many efforts to maintain
his position, he at length came to the conclusion,
when churches and monasteries were crumbling in
every direction before the fury of the reformers, to
retire from the kingdom. He accordingly passed
into France in 1560, escorted by a party of the troops
of that kingdom, and taking with him all the relics,
writings, documents, and plate which belonged to
the see, and indeed everything valuable. In the
eyes of a member of the mother-church these must
have been highly prized, for we learn that when the
bull of the Pope, which erected Glasgow into an
archbishopric, in 1488, was promulgated, all the relics
were exhibited in the cathedral before the Pope's
nuncio, and among others there were — " the image
of our Saviour in gold, — the images of the twelve
apostles in silver, — a silver cross adorned with pre-
cious stones, and a small piece of the wood of the
cross of our Saviour,— a silver casket, containing
some of the hairs of the blessed Virgin,— in a square
silver coffer, part of the scourges of St. Kentigern,
our patron, — in a crystal case, a bone of some un-
known saint, and of St. Magdalene, — in a small phial
of crystal, part of the milk of the blessed Virgin
Mary, and part of the manger of our Lord 1" Beaton
was afterwards appointed the ambassador of Queen
Mary at the court of France, and he was continued
in the same office by her son, who, in 1588, restored
to him the temporalities of the see of Glasgow. He
died at Paris, in August 1603, and left all he had taken
from Glasgow to the Scots college at Paris, and to
the monastery of the Carthusians, on the condition
that they should be returned to Glasgow so soon as
its people returned to the bosom of the mother
624
GLASGOW.
church. The greater part of the documents thus
taken away in 1560 were brought back to Scotland
so late as last year (1830), and are now in the Ro-
man Catholic college of St. Mary, at Blairs, in the
parish of Maryculter, Kincardineshire, near Aberdeen.
The see of Glasgow was one of the most opulent
in the kingdom ; and its prelates lived in a style of
splendour and exercised a sway scarcely inferior to
that of the most potent nobles of the land. In the
time of Bishop Cameron especially, it is recorded that
" the great resort of his vassals and tenants, being
noblemen and barons of the highest figure in the
kingdom, waiting upon this spiritual prince, in the
common course of business, together with the ec-
clesiastics that depended upon him, made his court
to be very splendid — next to majesty itself." After
Bishop Cameron had built his palace adjacent to the
high church, he caused each of the thirty-two rectors
to build a manse near it ; and ordained them to re-
side there, and cause curates to officiate in their
respective parishes. He created commissaries, clerks,
and fiscals, and established the two commissary
courts of Glasgow, Hamilton, and Campsie, to be
held three times a-week in the consistorial house
at the west end of the cathedral. Their jurisdic-
tion extended over parts of the counties of Dumbar-
ton, Renfrew, Stirling, Lanark, and Ayr. In refer-
ence to one of the thirty-two dignitaries of the
cathedral, Ure mentions a circumstance which is
not devoid of historical interest. He says : " The
parson of Campsie, chancellor of the chapter, whose
office it was to keep the seal and append it to all
acts and deeds of the archbishop and his council, had
his manse in the Drygate, in that place called the
Limmerfield. Henry, Lord Darnley, lodged in his
house when he came to meet his father, the Earl of
Lennox, from Stirling." The bishops, and latterly
the archbishops, were lords of the lordships of the
royalty and baronies of Glasgow ; in addition to this
there were 18 baronies of land which pertained to
them in the sheriffdoms of Lanark, Dumbarton, Ayr,
Renfrew, Peebles, Selkirk, Roxburgh, Dumfries,
and the then Stewartry of Annandale, including 240
parishes. Besides, there was a large estate in Cum-
berland, subject to their jurisdiction, which was
termed " the Spiritual Dukedom." From this pe-
riod— 1560 — till the revolution of 1688, there is a
succession of the translation, death, demission, and
expulsion of 14 protestant archbishops, who seem
to have been mere minions of the party in power,
and placed there to alienate to their patrons the
princely domains of the Glasgow see ; or, in other
words, to act the part of " Tulchans" — a term
in vogue in these days ; that is, they were set up
as the calves, while the great men of the state milked
the benefices. In connection with the papal rule in
Glasgow, there were many religious and charitable
institutions which space will not allow us to notice
at length.
Previous to the reign of James I. of Scotland,
the town was governed by bailies nominated by the
bishop, who about this time appointed a provost
in the person of Sir John Stewart of Minto ; and
this gentleman found the charge of so much im-
portance that he removed to Glasgow with his fa-
mily. The successors of Sir John continued in
office till after the Reformation, when they suddenly
fell from dignity and opulence to obscurity and
poverty ; and the last of the family went out an
adventurer to the Darien settlement, in 1699, where,
jfrom the jealousy and inhpspitality of the English
and Dutch, he perished with some thousands of his
countrymen. Though the share was so low as one
hundred pounds, he was not a partner. The tomb
of this ancient family — which was the only one spared
at the Reformation,— stands on the west side of the
door on the south side of the choir of the cathedral.
In 1450, Bishop Turnbull obtained from the
King — James II. — a charter, erecting the town and
patrimonies of the bishopric into a regality. This
spirited prelate also procured a bull from Pope
Nicholas V., for the founding of a university, which
he endowed. Before this period the town was so
contemptible as not to contain more than 1,500 in-
habitants ; but the establishment of the university
subsequently contributed more than any thing which
had hitherto been done to the extension of the
city and the general well-being of the inhabitants.
The immunities and prerogatives granted to the uni-
versity, however, had the effect of depriving tt
citizens temporarily of a portion of their political pri-
vileges ; for the bishops, being now invested with
vast political powers, assumed the distribution of thos
franchises which formerly belonged to the townsmei
and for the purpose of securing the obedience of
inferiors they appointed powerful noblemen as bailit
of the regality. These offices remained long in
family of Lennox, but eventually they resigned thei
to the Crown, and, at the Revolution, the right
election was placed in the hands of the magistrs
and council ; on which footing it remained till trs
ferred to the £10 electors by the recent burgh refo
bill. Subsequently to the foundation of the univer-
sity the population began to creep slowly down
hill upon which the cathedral stands, and havir
reached the position of the present cross, it brand
slightly east and west, forming portions of the street
now called Gallowgate and Trongate, and as
craft of fishermen had sprung up among the people
Saltmarket-street was laid out for the means of easj
access to the river. "Withal, however, Glasgow as
presented scarcely the skeleton of a city, for the roj
burghs of Scotland having been taxed by order
Queen Mary, it appears that Glasgow only rated
the eleventh in point of population and importance.
It is somewhat remarkable, however, to find '
even thus early, Glasgow began to possess the
of commercial eminence, in so far as it was not d(
titute of shipping, for there is an order of the privy-
council to the effect that vessels belonging to Glas-
gow should not annoy those belonging to Henrj
VIII., the Queen's uncle. During the minority
Mary, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, the then heir
to the throne, and the ancestor of the ducal house i
Hamilton, was appointed regent. His appointment
was opposed by the Earl of Lennox and the Queen-
dowager ; and, finally, the hostile feeling became so
potent that both parties flew to arms. The regent
having gathered together a numerous army at Stir-
ling, marched to Glasgow, and stormed the castle,
which was held for Lennox with brass guns. After
the siege had been maintained for ten days, the gar-
rison agreed to surrender on condition of receiving
quarter ; but no sooner had they laid down their
arms than the regent's troops fell upon them, and
only two escaped alive. Lennox determined to re-
venge this treachery and loss by striking a desperate
blow, and having associated with himself the Earl of
Glencairn, they intended to have marched into
Clydesdale, and laid waste the lands of the Hamil-
tons. The regent heard of their intentions, how-
ever, and determined to counteract it by seizing
Glasgow. Glencairn, on the approach of the regent,
drew out his forces, amounting to 800 men, partly
composed of his own vassals, and partly of the citi
zens of Glasgow ; and, at a place called " the Butts
near the site of the infantry barracks, and where the
" weaponschaw" used to be held of old, he boldly
attacked Arran. The onset of Glencairn was so fu-
rious that he beat back the first rank upon the se-
GLASGOW.
025
cond, and took the brass ordnance they had opposed
to him ; but in the heat of battle, and while victory
yet wavered, Robert Boyd of the Kilmarnock family,
arrived with a small party of horse, and at once
shed into the thickest of the fray. His charge de-
id the engagement, for the little band of Glen-
i, conceiving that a new army had come against
i, fled with precipitation. Considering the num-
engaged, the battle was a very sanguinary one,
300 men were slain on both sides, including two
gallant sons of Glencairn. The regent immediately
entered the town, and being deeply incensed against
i citizens for the part they had taken, he gave it
to plunder, which his soldiery did so effectually,
they harried every thing moveable, and even
down the doors and windows of the dwelling-
in fact, they only spared the city in so far as
did not burn it.
'he circumstances connected with the murder of
I Darnley, the marriage of the Queen with Both-
well, her discomfiture by the confederated Lords,
and subsequent imprisonment in Lochleven castle,
are matters of too much historical prominence to
need recapitulation here, even were they not touched
upon in other articles : See CARBERRY, CROOKSTON,
and LOCH-LEVEN. In 1568 Mary effected her
escape from Loch-Leven, and forthwith repaired to
Hamilton, where she was joined by the Earls of
Argyle, Eglinton, Cassilis, Rothes, and others. The
Regent Murray happened at the time to be hold-
ing a court of justice at Glasgow, and, though
taken by surprise, his usual fortitude and presence of
min'd did not forsake him. He was soon joined by
the Earls of Glencairn, Montrose, Mar, and Monteith,
with Lords Temple, Home, and Lindsay, and he
speedily encamped on the lands of Barrowfield, in
order to await the approach of the enemy. Mean-
time the party who had joined the Queen resolved
to place her in safety in the strong fortress of Dum-
barton, which was held by one of their friends, till
they had time to try the merits of the quarrel with
the Regent by force of arms. To avoid meeting
Murray on the Gallow-muir, the royal army came
down by Rutherglen, intending to cross the Clyde
at Renfrew ; but when he saw them from the oppo-
site side, he caused his cavalry to ford the river,
which left the bridge open to his infantry. The pos-
session of Langside hill, about a mile-and-a-half
to the south of the city, was seen to be a point of
much importance to either party in the fate of a
battle, and the regent obtained it, as much almost
by accident as by ability. The Earl of Argyle having
been suddenly seized with a fit of epilepsy, the march
of the Queen's troops was delayed for a time, which
was improved to the best advantage by the Regent.
The battle soon began, and was continued for nearly
an hour with the most determined bravery on both
sides ; so eager were they, indeed, that each party
threw their broken spears, daggers, and stones in
the tares of their adversaries. At a critical moment
the Regent's second battalion joined the first, and this
decided the fate of the day, and blasted the hopes of
the unfortunate Queen, who stood upon a hill at
some little distance, gazing upon the progress of the
fight with an agony of anxiety. The queen imme-
diately took horse for Dundrennan abbey, in the
stewartry of Kirkcudbright, from which she fled into
Cumberland, seeking succour from her crafty cousin,
Elizabeth. Nineteen years afterwards the sufferings
of Mary Stuart were closed by her murder on the hill
of Fotheringay. In the battle of Langside, the Regent
killed 300 of the Queen's party, and took 400 prison-
ers. For his victory Murray was much indebted to the
citizens of Glasgow, who had not forgotten the mis-
erable sucking of their town by the Hamiltons after
I.
the ' Battle of the Butts,' and from their position on
the Regent's left wing they did cruel execution upon
the Queen's right. The Regent having returned to
Glasgow, and offered up thanks for his victory, was
sumptuously entertained by the magistrates. He
expressed his deep obligations to the citizens, and
especially to the heads of the corporation, for the
timely aid they had .afforded him, and inquired if in
any way he could be serviceable to them. Matthew
Fawside, the deacon of the incorporation of bakers,
replied, that as the mills at Partick belonged to the
Crown, and the tacksman exacted such exorbitant
multures that it affected injuriously the price of
bread to the community, a grant of these mills to. the
corporation would be regarded as a public benefit ;
and perhaps the bakers were not altogether unde-
serving of favour in another respect, as they had lib-
erally supplied the army with bread while it remained
in the neighbourhood of Glasgow. Fawside's ad-
dress had the desired effect, and the splendid flour-
mills at Partick, about 2 miles below the city, on
the banks of the Kelvin, are possessed by the bakers
till this day. Seeing the success of this corporation,
the magistrates also put in their claim, which the
Regent evaded by a promise, that when the King
came of age they should have all they asked for.
By the year 1579, the zeal or rather fury of the
Reformers had waxed so intense that it was considered
sinful to permit one stone to stand above another
upon those edifices which had formerly belonged to
the Catholics, however serviceable they might be as
Protestant places of worship, or beautiful as archi-
tectural triumphs. The cathedral of Glasgow had,
up till this period, withstood the storm of the Refor-
mation, and had been even left untouched by the
besiegers of the bishop's castle. An act had passed
encouraging this wholesale demolition, and Spottis-
wood thus describes its consequences : — " Thereupon
ensued a pitiful vastation of churches and church-
buildings, throughout all the parts of the realm ; for
every one made bold to put to their hands, the
meaner sort imitating the example of the greater,
and those who were in authority ; no difference was
made, but all the churches either defaced or pulled
to the ground; the holy vessels, and whatsoever
else men could make gain of, as timber, lead, and
bells, were put to sale ; the very sepulchres of the
dead were not spared ; the registers of the church
and bibliothecs cast into the fire ; in a word, all was
ruined ; and what had escaped in the time of the first
tumult, did now undergo the common calamity ; and
the preachers animated the people to follow these
barbarous proceedings by crying out, that the places
where idols had been worshipped ought, by the law
of God, to be destroyed, and that the sparing of
them was the reserving of things execrable." The
execution of this act for the west was committed to
the Earls of Arran, Argyle, and Glencairn ;* but they,
at the intercession of the citizens, had hitherto spared
the cathedral. Mr. Andrew Melville, the Principal
of the college, had, however, long importuned the
• The following is the copy of the original order issued to all
magistrates and people in power at the Reformation, for the
first dismantling of the Catholic churches :—
•' To our traitt friendi* :
"Traist friendis, after maist harty rommendarion, we pray
yon fail not to pasa incontinent to the Kirk, (of Glasgow,) and
tak down the hail ima^o tti.-reot, and bring forth to the Kirk,
zyard, and burn thaym openly. And sicklyk east down the
aitaris, and purge the Kirk of all kynd of monument* of idol-
atrye. And this ze fail not to do, att ze will do us singular em.
pi, '.-ur ; and HO committis you to the protection of God.
" From Edinburgh the xii. of August, 1560.
(Signed) "Alt. ARGYLL.
"JAMES STEW ART.
» KUTHVEN."
" Fail not, bot ze tak guid heyd that neither the dasks, win.
docks, nor durris, he ony ways hurt or broken, either glatsiu
wark or iron wark."
2 R
626
GLASGOW.
magistrates to allow it to be pulled down, and they
at length consented. The reasons urged for its demo-
lition which read rather curiously at this time of day
— were somewhat to the following effect : — That they
might build with its materials various little churches
in other parts, for the ease of the citizens,— that it
was the resort of superstitious people who went there
to perform their devotions,— that the church was too
large, and the voice of the preacher could with dif-
ficulty be heard by the congregation, — and above all,
the propriety of removing an idolatrous monument,
which was the only one of all the cathedrals in the
country left undestroyed, and in a condition to be re-
paired. A number of quarriers, masons, and other
workmen were accordingly engaged by a special day
to pull down this beautiful edifice ; but while they
were assembling, by beat of drum, the craftsmen of
Glasgow, who justly regarded the cathedral as the
architectural pride of their city, flew to arms, and in-
formed Mr. Melville that if any one dared to pull
down a single stone of the building, he should that
instant be buried under it. So much incensed were
they at the attempt to demolish this ancient build-
ing, that if the magistrates had not succeeded in ap-
peasing them, they would have put Melville to death
with all his adherents Upon this a complaint was
made by the ministers, and the leaders of the insurrec-
tion cited to appear before the king, who was not yet
thirteen years of age ; but his majesty took the crafts-
men under his protection, approved of the opposition
they had made, and prohibited the ministers from
following the work of demolition farther, — saying,
that "too many churches had been already destroyed,
and that he would not tolerate more abuses of that
kind." And thus was saved from religious frenzy
and mistaken zeal the venerable cathedral of Glas-
gow. It would appear that shortly after this period
the university was nearly in equal danger of destruc-
tion ; for amongst a list of grievances presented to
the king after the ' Raid of Ruthven,' the magis-
trates are complained against for invading the college
with a mob, and shedding the blood of many of the
students, who prevented them from burning the uni-
versity. The bailies, who acted the part .of ring-
leaders, are even named, viz., Colin Campbell,
William Heygate, and Archibald Heygate.
In 1581, the Confession of Faith was subscribed
by 2,250 persons in Glasgow, women as well as men
signing it, and it appears to have been carried about
from house to house. Towards the close of the
16th and about the beginning of the 17th centuries,
church-discipline amongst the Presbyterian burghers
of Glasgow appears to have been of a somewhat
stringent description. In August 1587, it was de-
creed that harlots should be carted through the town,
ducked in Clyde, and put into the jugs at the cross
on a market-day. Adultery was punished, by causing
the culprit to appear six Sabbaths on the cockstool
at the pillar, barefooted and barelegged, in sackcloth;
and thereafter to be carted through the town, and
ducked in the Clyde from a pulley fixed on the
bridge. It would appear, however, that the pres-
byters of old could be gentle with those of gentle
blood, when it suited their liking ; for we find that,
in March 1608, the session agreed to pass the laird
of Minto, a late provost, who was accused of a
breach of chastity, with a reprimand, on account of
his age and the station he held in the town. Those
who were released from excommunication were re-
quired to pass through the following ordeal:— "A
man excommunicated for relapse in adultery, was
to pass from his dwelling to ' the Hie kirk,' six Sun-
days, at six in the morning at the first bell, conveyed
by two of the elders or deacons, or any other two
Lonest men, and to stand at the kirk-door barefooted,
and barelegged, in sackcloth, with a white wand in
his hand, bareheaded till after the reading of the
text; in the same manner, to repair to the pillar till
the sermon was ended, and then to go out to the
door again, and stand there till the congregation
pass from the kirk, and then he is released." The
presbytery enjoined their ministers to be of sedate
deportment, and not vain with long ruffles and gaudy
toys in their clothes. The session ordered that the
drum should go through the town, to intimate that
there must be no bickerings or plays on the Sabbath ;
and games, golfs, bowls, &c. were prohibited on the
same day. It was strictly enjoined that no person
go out to Ruglen to see plays acted on the Sabbath ;
and in 1595 the bailies of that burgh were repri-
manded by the presbytery for sanctioning and en-
couraging profane stage-plays on the Lord's day.
In 1588 the kirk-session of Glasgow ordered a num-
ber of ash trees in the Hie kirk-yard to be cut down
to make forms for the folk to sit on in the kirk ;
women were not permitted to sit upon these forms,
but were directed to bring stools with them. It
was also intimated, that " no woman, married or
unmarried, should come within the kirk-door to
preachings or prayers with their plaids about their
heads, neither to lie down in the kirk on their face
in time of prayer ; with certification that their plaids
be drawn down, or they be raised by the beadle.
The beadles were to have staffs for keeping quiet-
ness in the kirk, and comely order ; for each mar-
riage they were to get 4d., and 2d. for each baptism."
On their part the magistrates appear to have been
equally potent in those days, and equally ready to
exercise their authority. Their jurisdiction seems
to have extended to both civil and criminal cases,
and they acted alike in a legislative and executive
capacity. One of the most remarkable illustrations
of the extent of their authority, is a composition for
the slaughter of one of the burgesses, which is entered
on the burgh-books as having the " strenth of ane
decreit of the provest and baillies." It would ap-
pear that about the year 1575, Ninian Syare mur-
dered Ninian M'Litster; and the composition in
question is a contract betwixt the widow and repre-
sentatives of the murdered man, and David Syare,
the son of the murderer, as taking burden for his
father, by which the first party agrees, upon the
performance of certain conditions, to pass from " any
action, criminal or otherwise, that they may have
against him for the crime." The contract goes on
to mention these conditions in manner following:
" For the quhilkis premiss to be done, and done in
manner foirsaid respective, the said David takand
the burden on him for his father, sail cause the said
Niniane, his father, to compere, in the Hie kirk of
Glasgow, the xi. daye of December nixt to cum, and
thair mak the homage and repentance for the said
slauchter, with sick circumstances and cerymoneis as
sail be ordanit and devysit be Coline Campbell and
Robert Stewart, burgessis of Glasgow, chosin and
admittit be baitht the parties for that effect. And
farther, the said David, &c., (we omit a tedious list
of names,) oblist them, their airis, executoris, and
assignayis, to content and paye to the said Margaret
and William M'Litster, for themselfis and in their
name of the said umquhile Niniane, M'Litster's
barnes, the sowme of three hundredth merkis money,
in name of Kynbute," (or reparation,) &c. But in-
stances of what would now be considered an extra-
ordinary stretch of power were by no means uncom-
mon in these olden times ; and the character of the
population and state of the kingdom may be learned
from the many strict orders to the citizens to pro-
vide themselves with arms, and be prepared for
every contingency. In 1547, the bailies and council
GLASGOW.
627
lained " everilk buythhalder to have in reddines
thin the buytht, ane halbert, jak, and steelbonet,
eschewing of sick inconvenients that may hap-
And again, in 1577-8, we have the following,
Quhilk daye it is condescendit be the prouest,
ullies, counsale, and dekynes, that the act maid
;nt the hagbuttis be renewit, that every ane, sub-
itious and habill man sail have ane hagbutt, with
titht, balder, and bullet effeiring thairto, and that
wheris, nocht beand habill thairfoir, sail have
lang speir, by (besides) jakkis, steilbonetis,
(1, and bukler," &c. In 1638, the council
thorized the master of works, then in Flanders,
purchase for the town's use fifty muskets, with
ilfis and bandeleiris," and fifty pikes. Subse-
itly, in the same year, they ordered "three score
ig men to be elected and trained to handle arms,
driller to have for his pains 40 shillings each day
his coming out of Edinburgh, aye until he be dis-
irged, with his horse hire, hame and afield."
The town appeafc in these times to have been
"ly afflicted with a class of diseased unfortunates,
" lepers," and so early as 1350, Lady Lochow,
daughter of Robert, duke of Albany, and mother of
Colin, 1st Earl of Argyle, erected and endowed a
leprosy hospital on the south side of the bridge
near the river. It is recorded that on 7th October,
1589, there were six lepers in the Lepers' house at
the Gorbals end of the bridge, viz. Andrew Lawson,
merchant; Steven Gilmour, cordiner; Robert Bogle,
son of Patrick Bogle; Patrick Brittal, tailor; John
Thomson, tailor; and Daniel Cunningham, tinker.
In 1610, the council ordained that the lepers of the
hospital should go only upon the causewayside, near
the gutter, and should have "clapperis" in their
hands to warn the people to keep away, and a cloth
upon their mouth and face,1 and should stand afar off
while they receive alms, under the penalty of being
banished from the town and hospital. In 1635, the
magistrates purchased from the Earl of Glencairn
the manse of the prebendary of Cambuslang — which
had been gifted to him after the Reformation — which
they fitted up as a house of correction for dissolute
women, and the authority and vigilance of the kirk
session proceeded so far as to order them to be
" whipped every day during pleasure !"
Irlasgow was occasionally honoured by being the
t of the ecclesiastical synods of the church; and
the character of the age for a long period sub-
sequent to the Reformation, these were regarded as
of more importance than the visits of royalty itself.
The most remarkable of all these was that held in
1638, in the reign of Charles I., in which they fairly
overturned the Episcopal system of the king, and
asserted the perfect independence of the kirk. The
magistrates looked upon this great convocation with
some anxiety, and amongst others they made the
very wholesome regulation that " no inhabitant ex-
pect more rent for their houses, chambers, beds, and
stables, than shall be appointed by the provost,
bailies, and council, and ordains the same to be in-
timated through the town by sound of drum, that
no person may plead ignorance." In the prospect
of the great number of persons who were expected
to attend this assembly, the town-council statuted
and ordained, that there should be a guard of men
kept through the day, and a watch at night under
the orders of the provost and bailies. The treasurer
was directed to purchase for the town's use 100
muskets with " stalfis and bandeleiris," 30 pikes, 4
cwt. of powder, and 4 cwt. of match. This assem-
bly— so much celebrated in the annals of the Church
of Scotland — commenced its sittings on the 21st
November, 1638, the well-known Marquis of Ham-
ilton officiating as his majesty's commissioner. In
the course of the preceding year, Laud, Archbishop
of Canterbury, had introduced a service-book to be
read in the Scottish churches, which the people re-
garded with abhorrence as smacking of the mass.
Both on this account, and for the purpose of over-
turning the system of episcopacy, the Presbyterian
party made extraordinary exertions, and according
to the narrative of Dr. Robert Bailie, afterwards
Principal of the University of Glasgow, they suc-
ceeded in gathering together the most celebrated and
influential nobles and gentlemen in the kingdom.
On Wednesday the 28th November, during the
seventh session or sederunt, when the Assembly
were about to vote upon the question, whether they
were the bishop's judges, the commissioner pro-
duced the king's instructions and warrant to dis-
solve the Assembly, which he accordingly did. But
after " a sad, grave, and sorrowful discourse," the
Assembly resolved to proceed, notwithstanding their
dissolution by the King, and the departure of his
representative. The Presbyterian party, having
once passed the Rubicon, carried every thing accord-
ing to their own liking, and with a spirit of inde-
pendence which evinced the sincerity of their attach-
ment to a covenanted kirk. They decreed the ab-
juration of Episcopacy; the abolition of the service-
books and the high commission ; they pronounced the
proceedings of the preceding six assemblies null and
void ; the bishops and sundry ministers were tried,
and deposed for professing the doctrines of Armini-
anism, Popery, and Atheism, — for urging the use of
the liturgy, bowing to the altar, and wearing the
cope and rotchet, — for declining the assembly, — and
for being guilty of simony, avarice, profanity,
adultery, drunkenness, and other infamous crimes.
Amongst those deposed were the Bishops of Gallo-
way, St. Andrews, Brechin, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
Ross, Glasgow, Argyle, and Dunblane, who were
at the same time excommunicated. The covenant
being approved of, was ordered to be signed by all
classes of the people, under pain of excommunica-
tion ; and churchmen were incapacitated from holding
any place in parliament. " Thus," to use the words of
the historian Hume, " Episcopacy, the high commis-
sion, the articles of Perth, the canons, and the
liturgy were abob'shed, and declared unlawful; and
the whole fabric which James and Charles, in a long
course of years, had been rearing with so much care
and policy, fell at once to the ground." In these
proceedings the Assembly was much countenanced
ind assisted by the Earl of Argyle, whose conduct
in remaining amongst them, says Dr. Bailie, " went
much against the stomach both of the commissioner
and king," the latter of whom never forgave him.
The Assembly continued its sittings till the 26th of
December inclusive, having in all 26 sessions, or
18 after the commissioner's departure. The last
day of the Assembly is stated to have been a " blythe
day to all." At the opening the venerable Mr.
John Bell, minister of the Tron church of Glasgow,
sreached, and Mr. Alexander Henderson was elected
moderator, and officiated in this capacity during the
sederunt.
Shortly thereafter the civil wars of Charles I.
jroke out and desolated the kingdom from the one end
to the other. The Marquis of Montrose, who car-
ried the standard of the king, raised an army in the.
north, and proceeding south gave battle, at Kilsyth,
to General Bailie, at the head of 7,000 Covenanters,
on 15th August, 1645. The Covenanters were en.
tirely routed, and nearly 6,000 of them put to the
sword, while of the remaining thousand a vast pro-
jortion were suffocated in Dullater-bog. The city
)f Glasgow having heard of Mont rose's success, sent
Sir Robert Douglas of Blackerston, and Mr. Archd.
628
GLASGOW.
Fleming, commissary, to congratulate him upon his
victory, and invite him and his army to spend some
days at Glasgow. He accordingly marched next day
to the city, where he was entertained with great
cost and solemnity ; but he only remained one night
on account of the plague, which was then raging,
though before he left it he made the inhabitants pay
pretty smartly for his visit. Subsequently, as is
well known, "Montrose fell into reverses from the
desertion of his army, which was little better than
an undisciplined rabble, and was surprised and de-
feated by Lesley, at Philiphaugh, on 13th Sept.,
1645. Three of the prisoners taken there, viz.
Sir William Rollock, Sir Philip Nisbet, and Alex-
ander Ogilvy of Inverquharity, were executed at
Glasgow — the first on the 28th, and the others on
the 29th of October. Upon occasion of these exe-
cutions, the Rev. Mr. David Dickson, then Professor
of Divinity in Glasgow, was heard to exclaim, " The
guid work goes bonnily on !" which passed into a pro-
verb. Lesley, the victorious general, treated the
citizens with great civility, though he jeeringly bor-
rowed from them the sum of £20,000 Scots, as the
interest, according to his phrase, of the £50,000 which,
it was alleged, they had lent to Montrose. Charles
I., as is well known, threw himself, in the days of his
adversity, upon the protection of the Scots covenant-
ing army, by whom he was, nine months afterwards,
basely sold to the English parliament. Scotland,
after having given the King's cause the first fatal
blow, began to see that Presbytery would be in dan-
ger from the overthrow of the king, and the triumph
of the Independent party in England ; and they re-
solved, therefore, when too late, to arm in his de-
fence, and invade England. Levies were ordered
throughout the various districts of the kingdom, but
the clergy opposed them in many instances from
their dread of the restoration of monarchy; and
Glasgow was found to be amongst the number of
those contumacious burghs which declined to furnish
its quota. The magistrates and council were in con-
sequence summoned before parliament, imprisoned for
several days, and deprived of their offices. In addi-
tion to this, some regiments of horse and foot were
sent to the town with orders to quarter on no other
but the magistrates, council, session, and their friends.
Some of the citizens were burdened with 10, 20,
and 30 soldiers, who, in addition to meat, drink,
arid wine, exacted their daily pay; altogether, says
Principal Bailie, " our loss and danger was not so
great by James Graham." The army, however, was
completed, being one of the most numerous which
had ever left Scotland for the invasion of England.
The division under the command of the Marquis of
Hamilton was attacked by Cromwell, near Preston,
in Lancashire, his forces completely routed, and him-
self taken prisoner. He was afterwards brought to
the scaffold, and 10,000 of his soldiers were sold to
the plantations at two shillings per head. On the
3d September, 1650, Cromwell defeated the Scotch
army at Dunbar— a battle which was forfeited by
the ill-timed exhortations of the Scotch clergymen,
who induced their countrymen to leave an unas-
sailable position, where they fell an easy prey to
the troops of Cromwell : See article DUNBAR. In
the course of the winter the Protector visited
Glasgow, and took up his residence and held his
levees in Silvercraig's house, on the east side of
the Saltmarket, nearly opposite the Bridgegate.
While in this city, Cromwell acted the character of
austere sanctity so well that some of the Scottish
clergy, who had been honoured by him with an in-
terview, averred that he must surely be one of the
elect. Having learned that Mr. Patrick Gillespie,
minister of the Outer High church, had the chief
sway in ecclesiastical matters, the Protector sent for
him, and after a long conference, gave him a prayer.
On the following Sunday he went in state to the
cathedral church. Here it so happened that the
celebrated Zacharias Boyd preached in the forenoon,
and railed so bitterly against Cromwell that his
secretary, Thurloe, asked leave, in a whisper, " to
pistol the scoundrel." " No, no," said the general,
" we will manage him in another way'!" In the even-
ing he asked the clergy to sup with him, and con-
cluded the entertainment with a prayer, which is
said to have lasted till three o'clock in the morning.
Cromwell's stay in Scotland was in the main ex-
tremely beneficial to the country, and to Glasgow in
particular. Great part of his troops consisted of
tradesmen, who had been spirited away from their
peaceful callings by the frenzy and enthusiasm of
the times. A number of these settled in Glasgow,
and contributed to foster the spirit of trade, and
bring the arts to a degree of perfection to which our
rude forefathers had been formfc-ly strangers. Eng-
lish judges were appointed to determine causes in
the Scottish courts; justice was strictly adminis-
tered;* and the whole country was brought to a
degree of perfect subordination under General Monk.
In its previous history, Glasgow had been fre-
quently severely tried in the crucible of affliction by
fire and pestilence; but about this time, on 17th
June, 1652, a conflagration broke out, which exceeded
all former visitations of the kind in its extent and in
its temporarily painful effects upon the citizens. The
greatest part of Saltmarket, Trongate, and High-
street, was destroyed. Contributions were made
for the sufferers from all parts of the country. In
the representation drawn up at the time by the
magistrates, the following passages occur, descrip-
tive of the appalling extremities to which the citi-
zens had been reduced : " This fire, by the hand of
God, was carried so from the one side of the street
to the other, that it was totally consumed on both
sides, and in it the faire, best, and most considerable
buildings in the town, with all the shops and ware-
houses of the merchants which were therein. This
sad dispensation from the hand of an angry God con-
tinued near 18 hours before the great violence of the
fire began to abate ; in this space of time many of
those who were wealthy before wer,e extremely im-
poverished ; many merchants and others almost
ruined; a considerable number of widowers, or-
phans, and honest families were brought to extreme
misery ; the dwellings of almost a thousand families
were utterly consumed, and many of those who had
a large patrimony, and ofttimes had been a shelter
to others in their straits, had not themselves a place
to cover their heads, or knew wherewith to provide
bread for them and their families." The wretched
inhabitants were for many days and nights compelled
to encamp in the open fields, and altogether this
lamity was regarded as the severest visitation which
had afflicted Glasgow since the foundation of her
cathedral. The loss was computed at £100,000, — no
inconsiderable sum in those days. But like London,
in a similar affliction, Glasgow rose purified and
beautified from her ashes. The majority of the
houses had been built or faced with wood, and these
gave place to substantial stone erections, which were
constructed in that open and commodious manner
which is now so generally characteristic of the city.
* It is matter of traditionary fact that the decisions of the
English judges were more agreeable to the spirit and princi-
ples of the law of Scotland, than the previous decisions of the
judges of the country. A young lawyer having made an ob-
servation to this effect to a Scots judge, who died in the earl
part of the 18th century,—" Deil mean (hinder) them!" replied
the judge, "they had neither kith nor kin in this country.
Take that out ot the way, and I think I could make a good
judge myself."
GLASGOW.
C-29
Subsequently, in 1677, another great conflagration
took place in Glasgow, when 130 houses were
burned. It originated at the head of the Saltmar-
krt, near the cross; and was kindled by a smith's
apprentice, who had been beaten by his master, and
who set tire to his smithy during the night in re-
venge. Law, in his ' Memorials,' says: " The heat
wa> ~o great that it fyred the horoledge of the tol-
booth, there being some prisoners in it at the tyme,
amongst whom was the laird of Caraldone. The
people brake open the tolbooth doors, and set them
free." Though this fire was painfully disastrous in
its effects, yet the inhabitants were now in a position
much better fitted to stand the infliction, and ac-
cprdirigly there was not experienced the tithe of the
suffering which marked the former conflagration.
The Restoration took place in 1660; but it only
brought an increase of suffering and disaster to the
people of Scotland. It soon became apparent that
the policy of Charles II. would be similar to that of
his father in his efforts to force Episcopacy upon a
reclaiming people ; and as Glasgow was the head-
quarters of the Covenanters of the west, where the
people were resolved to " suffer unto the death for
conscience' sake," the city shared in all the pains and
persecutions of that iron time. The king having
appointed Mr. James Sharp, minister of Crail, to be
archbishop of St. Andrews, and Mr. Andrew Fair-
foul, minister of Dunse, to be archbishop of Glasgow,
they arrived in Edinburgh in April 1662, having been
previously ordained in London. Despite the efforts
of the new archbishops, and the regal power with
which they were armed, the clergy and laity of Glas-
gow, with trifling exceptions, refused to conform to
the new order of things ; and the Earl of Middleton,
with a committee of the Privy council, came to Glas-
gow on 26th September, 1662, to enforce compliance
with the new order of things. The council met in
the tbrehall of the college, and it was long afterwards
remembered as " the drunken meeting of Glasgow ;"
for with the exception of Sir James Lockhart of Lee,
one of the senators of the college of justice, it was
affirmed that every person present was flustered with
liquor.* Lord Middleton informed the committee
that the Archbishop requested the royal mandate for
uniformity to be enforced, which was acquiesced in
by all, save Lord Lee, who assured them that it
would not only desolate the country, but increase the
popular dislike to the bishops. It was enforced not-
withstanding, and consequent upon these proceed-
ings, 400 ministers were ejected from their parishes,
and took leave of their flocks in a single day. Wod-
row says — " It was a day not only of weeping, but
howling, like the weeping of Jazer, as when a be-
sieged city is sacked." Amongst those who were
ejected, we find Principal Gillespie, Messrs. Robert
M'Hard, John Carstairs, and Ralph Rogers of Glas-
gow, and Donald Cargill of the Barony parish, be-
sides nine others, all in the presbytery of Glasgow.
Then commenced the wild work of persecution, and
the resistance of the covenanters, which has made
;heir deeds and cause famous in all that is associated
with heroic human endurance. Early in 1678, the
'onmrittee of council returned to Glasgow, and had
i M-durunt of ten days. They sat on Sunday, during
livine service, for the purpose of administering a
xmd which should prevent all intercourse with the
* This commission was an ambulatory one, and having dis-
w.Hi-d nf Glasgow, visited many of tne other towns of Scotland,
•vitli the view of curbing the spirit of the non-conformists. Its
nenibers appeared to have het-ii disgraced by th« grossest de-
Muciiery ; for it is affirmed by the historians of the time that
»i.,se who entertained tlie commissioners best, had be.sidc.s their
hniiiK-rouin, drinkiDff-roora, and vomiting-room, slei'piiif,'-
•iiom» fur the Company who had lost their senses. In ona .if
heir debauches at Ayr, the devil's health was drunk at the
TOSS about midnight!
exiled ministers ; and such was the terror which their
proceedings had inspired, that the provost, bailies,
and others of the citizens, to the number of 153 per-
sons, signed the bond, although their consciences
shuddered at its contents. The better to aid their
proceedings, the council brought down upon the Low-
lands, in the time of peace, an army of nearly 10,000
Highlanders, who seared the face of the country like
a cloud of locusts, and after a stay departed from
Glasgow, loaded with plunder. This body was known
afterwards by the name of ' the Highland host.' They
marched into Ayrshire, plundering in all directions,
and the loss sustained by the inhabitants from this
new inroad of the Huns, was computed at the time
to amount in that county alone to £137,499 6s. Scots.
Upon their return, loaded with baggage, they con-
tinued to take free quarters ; but the students at the
college of Glasgow, and other youths in the town, stop-
ped the bridge, the river being high, against 2,000 of
them. They permitted the Celts to pass only in num-
bers of forty at a time, and so soon as they had eased
them of their plunder, they showed these rapacious
mountaineers the way to the Highlands by the West-
port, without allowing any of them to enter the city.
— After the victory of the Covenanters at Drumclog,
a party of them marched to Glasgow, and attempted
to take it from the king's troops ; but though they
fought with determint ;! bravery on the streets, they
were repulsed, and their dead bodies left exposed for
many days to be devoured by the butchers' dogs.
The battle of Bothwell bug followed, in which 400
of the Covenanters were killed, and 1,200 taken
prisoners, and this was also followed by the most
fearful pains and penalties — torturing of the person,
and alienation of the property of those who either did
favour or were suspected to favour, doctrines in op-
position to those of ' Black Prelacy.' But it is not
intended here to follow out this subject, deeply and
painfully interesting though it may be, into minute
details. Suffice it to say that many of the devot-
ed * Hill folk' were hanged at Glasgow, their heads
stuck on pikes on the east side of the jail, and their
bodies buried on the north side of the cathedral
church, f The death of Charles II. brought little or
no mitigation of the sufferings of the Scottish people ;
or if it did, it was only the prospect of persecution
for Popery being substituted for persecution for Epis-
copacy. Vast numbers of the people had emigrated
to Holland, and amongst all classes, a liberal change
of government was " a consummation most devoutly
to be wished for."| It is true that during his vice-
t In more peaceful time, a stone was erected to the memory
of the martyrs, the inscription on which concludes as foU
lows :—
" These nine, with others in this yard
Whose heads and bodies were not spared,
Their testimonies foes to bury,
Caus'd beat the drums then in great fury,
They'll know at resurrection day.
To murder saints was no sweet play."
$ With the view of instructing as to the form of procedure,
it may not be amiss to LMVO a summary of the Bufferings and
captivity of a citizen of Glasgow, who endured lor conscience.'
sake.— We select the cane oi Mr. John Spreull, apothecary. His
father, who had been a men-haul in Paisley, was fined b> Mid-
dleton, and obliged to flee ; and the son was apprehended be-
cause he would not discover where his father was. After many
trials he was released, and left the country, though he returned
about the time of the battle of Bothwell brig, on account of
which he had again to go forth the kingdom. During his ab.
sence his wife and family were turned out of house and shop,
and all his moveables secured. He returned to this country
about the end of the year 1680, intending to carry his wife and
family to Rotterdam. He was apprehended at Edinburgh,
November l'2th, and next day carried before the Duke and
Council, when the u.-ual IfWOarlnf questions were put to him,
— " \Vas the killing of Archbishop Sharp murder? Were the
risings at Drumclog and Bothwell rebellious ?" Having de-
nied ail coiim-ction with the attain, of Drumclog and Bothwell,
and declined to pronounce them rebellious, or give any opinion
witn re/ard to the killing of the archbishop, his foot was put
into the instrument called the boot. The following queries
were proposed to him, and at every query the hangman gave
630
GLASGOW.
royalty in Scotland, James VII. when Duke of York,
had occasionally visited Glasgow, with all the ac-
companiments of outward splendour, and resided in
the house of Provost Bell ; but the measures of per-
secution of which he had been long the active agent,
and the horror entertained by the people generally
against the institution of * Black Prelacy ' and Po-
pery, caused the landing of the Prince of Orange in
Torbay, on November 5th. to be regarded as a national
blessing, and by no class in the kingdom was this
great political event hailed with more heartfelt joy
and sincerity than by the citizens of Glasgow. As a
proof of it, the city levied and armed, in the follow-
ing year (1689), a battalion of men, who were placed
under the command of the Earl of Argyle and Lord
Newbottle. These were immediately marched to
Edinburgh, to assist in guarding the convention of
estates, then deliberating upon the settlement of the
Crown in favour of William and Mary. It is still
matter of traditionary fact in Glasgow that this regi-
ment was raised in a single day.
The blessings of peace, which had been so long
denied to the kingdom, now gave the Scots an op-
portunity of developing their taste for industry and
enterprise ; and the scheme of the colonization of Da-
rien was entered into by them with enthusiasm.
Glasgow contributed its full share of men and means
to that unfortunate expedition ; and it is recorded that
the last reinforcement to that devoted colony sailed
from Rothesay, on September 14th, 1699, consisting
of four ships, with 1,200 emigrants, and amongst
them — as has been already stated — the last of the
Stewarts of Minto. The fate of this most unfortunate
enterprise is well-known; the jealousy of the Dutch
East India company, as well as of the English, pre-
vailed on the government of William to interpose such
obstacles, that after waiting several months for sup-
plies, the wretched colonists either died from starva-
tion or escaped beggared from the shores of Da'rien.
The money and credit of Scotland were both embark-
ed in this scheme ; and suffered so much, that years
elapsed before the shock was recovered; amongst
others, the inhabitants of Glasgow had hazarded such
a deep stake, that we find them without shipping of
their own from this period till the year 1716. This
treatment of the first attempt of the Scots to plant a
colony, coupled with the massacre of Glencoe, were
doubtless circumstances which for long afterwards
gave the inhabitants of the northern portion of the
kingdom, reason to look upon the government of
the Prince of Orange with feelings of abhorrence,
scarcely less intense than those with which they had
previously regarded the rulers who planned, and the
soldiery who conducted, the persecution.
The act of union of 1707, which at that time was
generally regarded as the death-blow of Scotland's in-
dependence, was most bitterly opposed by the citizens
of Glasgow, and the magistrates found it necessary
to order, that not more than three persons should as-
semble together on the streets after sunset. Being
distant from the seat of government, however, the
opposition expended itself in murmur and threatened
five strokes upon the wedges, " Whether he knew any thing of
a plot to blow up the abbey and the Duke of York ? Who was
in the plot? Where Mr. Cargill 1 was ? And whether he would
subscribe his confession ?'' Having answered these queries in a
manner unsatisfactory to the council, they ordered the old boot
to be brought, alleging that the new one which had been used
was not so good. Mr. Spreull, accordingly, underwent the tor-
ture a second time, and was then carried to prison upon a sol-
dier's back, and refused the benefit of a surgeon to attend to his
mangled limbs. After being several times before the council
he was found guilty, though without the slightest particle of
genuine proof. Indeed he had previously been found not guilty
by a jury. Mr. Spreull was fined in the sura of £500 sterling,
and sent to imprisonment on the Bass rock. Here he remained
for nearly six years, and the length of his confinement after,
wards acquired for him amongst his citizens, the name of Bass
Jdhtt,
tumult ; and a very short period elapsed before
citizens saw the advantages which had been confe
red upon them by the opening of the American
which they embraced with a degree of ardour whic
justifies us in regarding this as the epoch from whic
must be dated the rise of Glasgow, as the great
of commerce and manufactures in Scotland. In
year 1715, when the Rebellion broke out under
Earl of Marr, the city at once evinced the siriceril
of its attachment to the principles of the Revolutu
of 1688, by raising a regiment of 600 men, at its o\
expense, which marched to Stirling, under the cc
mand of Mr. Aird, the late provost, and joined
royal army under the Duke of Argyle. Meanwhil
the citizens prepared for their defence at home,
fortifying the town and drawing a trench round
twelve feet in width by six in depth. These we
subsequently inspected and approved of by the Dul
who, during his brief stay in the city, lodged in
house of Mr. Campbell of Shawfield. On this oc
sion Glasgow fortunately escaped the horrors
civil war by the subsequent defeat of the rebel
at Preston, in Lancashire.
Within a few years after the Rebellion, howevt
viz. 1725, a riot broke out in the city, which was
painful and fatal in its consequences, that long i
wards it was regarded as one of the plague-spots
the local annals. Daniel Campbell, Esq. of Sha\
field, who was at that period the member for the cil
had rendered himself extremely obnoxious to
lower orders of the citizens at least, by his havii
voted for the extension of the malt-tax to ScotU
On the 23d of June, the day on which the tax i
have been gathered, the mob rose, obstructed the
cisemen, and assumed such a threatening attituc
that next day, Captain Bushell was brought intol
town with two companies of Lord Delorain's re
ment of foot. This did not prevent the crowd, ho>
ever, from assailing the house of Mr. Campbell, whi<
they completely gutted. The magistrates, not dre
ing that the mob would proceed to such acts of vk
lence, had retired to a tavern to spend the evenir
and about 11 o'clock, p. M., news was brought
them of the demolition which was in progress. Bi
shell despatched a sergeant to inquire if he we
beat to arms, but the provost — who appears to hav
been a man averse to proceeding to extremities — dt
dined the offer. Next day, the mob was still in a
excited state, and having irritated the soldiers b
throwing stones at them, Bushell, without an
authority from the civil power, ordered his men t
fire, when two persons were killed. The inhabitant.1
now thirsting for revenge and vengeance, assailed t.h
town-house magazine, carried forth the arms, an
rang the fire-bell to rouse the city. The provost b(
ing alarmed at the probable results of a collision b(
tween the military and the people, craved the forrm
to depart, which they accordingly did in the directio
of Dumbarton castle. The citizens came up wit
them in great force during their retreat, and conr
mencing to act on the offensive, the Captain agai
ordered his men to fire, when several persons fel]
and in all there were 9 killed and 1 7 wounded in th
most unfortunate affair. The military reached tb
castle in safety. This matter being represented i
head-quarters, General Wade took possession of tl
city with a large body of troops, consisting of hon
and foot, with artillery and ammunition. He was a«
companied by the Lord-advocate, Duncan Forbe
who immediately proceeded to make an investigatic
into the case, the result of which was, that 19 pe
sons were apprehended, and were delivered ovi
bound to Captain Bushell — who had come up fro;
Dumbarton castle — to be conducted by him to Edii
burgh. The magistrates were imprisoned at first ;
Iwn tolbooth, but subsequently they were corn-
to the castle, and then to the jail of Edin-
burgh. After the detention of a few days, the magis-
trates were liberated on bail, and on their return to
Glasgow, were met six miles from the city by a large
body of their townsmen, who conducted them home
with every demonstration of attachment, the ringing
of bells, &c. The magistrates were afterwards freely
absolved ; but it fared worse with the 19 inferior per-
sons sent to Edinburgh, some of whom were whipped
through the streets of Glasgow, some banished, and
others liberated. Captain Bushell was tried for the
murder of nine of the inhabitants, convicted and con-
demned to death ; but instead of suffering the penal-
ty of the law, he was not only pardoned, but promot-
ed in the service. To aggravate this sufficiently dis-
tressing case, Mr. Campbell, upon his application to
parliament, was allowed indemnity for his loss, and
the community were taxed by it to the amount of
£9,000 sterling.* The house, the demolition of
which by the Shawtield mob led to those unfortu-
nate results, stood in the neighbourhood of Glassford-
street.
The Shawfield slaughter, the imprisonment of the
magistrates, and the exactions from the city, were
long spoken of with peculiar bitterness by the people ;
but the recollection of it did not prevent them from
coming forward with alacrity in defence of the reign-
ing family in the rebellion of 1 745. On this occasion
they raised two battalions of 600 men each, for the
service of government, and one of them was in ac-
tion and behaved gallantly at the battle of Falkirk.
It is recorded that the ardent loyalty of the inhabi-
tants so much exasperated the rebels, that but for
the friendly interposition of the devoted Cameron of
Lochiel, the city would have been razed to the
ground. Charles Edward wrote to the magistrates,
demanding from them, as the representatives of the
corporation, the sum of £15,000 sterling in money,
all the arms in the city, and the arrears of taxes
which might be due to the government. The magis-
trates having hopes of relief from the troops of Sir
John Cope, did not comply ; and the demand of the
prince was then enforced by a party of horse, under
Mr. John Hay, who had been a writer to the signet
in Edinburgh, and who was accompanied by Glen-
gyle, the chief of the M'Gregors. The magistrates
now saw the necessity of exerting themselves, and
compromised the demand by the advance of £5,000
in money, and £500 in goods. Upon the return of the
rebjl troops, from their romantic but ill-fated expedi-
tion into England, Mr. Hay again made his appear-
ance in Glasgow with a body of troops ; and as on
this occasion their fortunes were desperate, and their
necessities more urgent, the corporation was glad to
secure their absence, by furnishing them with 12,000
linen shirts, 6,000 cloth coats, 6,000 pairs of shoes,
6,000 pairs of hose, and 6,000 bonnets. The levies
of the Highlanders in money and goods, and the ex-
penses of the two regiments, cost the town £15,000
sterling, for which the magistrates, in 1749, were
voted £10,000 as a partial indemnification.
The next important public affair in which we find
the citizens of Glasgow engaged, is the cordial assist-
ance which they granted to the Government at the
outbreak of the American war of independence, or
the " revolt of the colonists," as it was then termed.
At the present time, however, these exertions are
rather to be attributed to a feeling of self-interest
* A historian of Glasgow— Mr. Andrew Brown— in detailing
the unfortunate Shawfleld att.tir, says:—" This gentleman [ Mr.
Campbell] had formerly farmed the rii-toins of the whole Irith
<>I Uytle, by which he acquired a large fortune, and now chimed
iii with the Newcastle administration, who once thought of
exterminating the Highlanders, and planting their mountains
with cabbages."
GLASGOW.
631
than pure patriotism ; for Glasgow had long enjoyed
a lion's share in the tobacco-trade, by which her citi-
zens were enriched, and the very existence of this lu-
crative traffic was threatened by the war which then
broke out. Upon the news of the defeat of the Bri-
tish by the Americans at Lexington, in 1775, reach-
ing Glasgow, the magistrates convened a meeting of
the inhabitants, when it was cordially resolved to
support Government in her efforts to break the spirit
of the colonists. Accordingly a body of 1,000 men
was raised at an expense of more than £10,000, and
placed at the disposal of his majesty. It is curi-
ous to know that the determination to smite the
Americans took so strong a hold of the Glasgow
citizens, that many of the principal people formed
themselves into a recruiting corps for the purpose of
completing the numbers of the Glasgow regiment.
Mr. James Finlay, father of Mr. K. Finlay of Castle-
Toward, played the Irish bagpipe in the service;
Mr. John Wardrop, a Virginia merchant, beat a drum ;
and other wealthy and reputable citizens officiated
as fifers, standard-bearers, and broadsword-men.
Mr. Spiers of Elderslie, Mr. Cunningham of Lain-
shaw, and other merchants, hired their ships as trans-
ports; but Mr. Glassford of Dugaldston, who did
not approve of the coercive measures that were in
progress, laid up his vessels in the harbour of Port-
Glasgow.
In the year 1779-80, while the removal of the Ca-
tholic disabilities was under discussion in parliament,
the citizens of Glasgow resolved to give the bill the
most determined opposition. Eighty-five societies,
embracing 12,000 persons, were leagued together for
this object, and kept up a close correspondence with
Lord George Gordon in London. At length their
enthusiasm broke into open fury, and upon a day set
apart as a royal fast in February, 1 780, a large mob
of the citizens assailed, and demolished the shop of
a Mr. Bagnall, a potter in King-street, for no other
reason than that he belonged to the Roman Catholic
persuasion. Subsequently, they destroyed his manu-
factory in Tureen-street ; and for a time the city, de-
spite the exertions of the authorities, remained in a
state of perfect anarchy and confusion. Upon the
termination of this effervescence, Bagnall of course
instituted an action, and obtained indemnification
from the community for the amount of damage he had
suffered In 1 787, the manufacturers of the city pro-
posed a reduced scale of wages to their weavers, upon
which they struck work. The workmen proceeded
to acts of annoyance and violence against those who
like themselves had not "turned out" — cut their
webs from their looms, and burned them on the streets
of the suburbs. At length the rioters proceeded to
such extreme acts of lawlessness, that on the 3d
September, the magistrates called in the aid of the
39th regiment of foot under Col. Kellit. The mili-
tary were assailed by the mob in the Drygate with
stones, brickbats, and other missiles, and after the
riot act had been read, they fired, and three per-
sons were killed, and a number severely wounded.
This measure, however painful, had the effect of
quelling the riot, though no less than 6,000 persons
assembled at the interment of the three men in the
Calton burying-grounds. Subsequent to this unfor-
tunate occasion, a number of the weavers left Glas-
gow, and several of them enlisted into the very regi-
ment which had fired amongst them.
In the course of the long war which broke out
during the French Revolution, and was terminated
by the overthrow of Napoleon in 1815, Glasgow
evinced almost an exuberant degree of loyalty, in
the number of its corps of royal volunteers, which
were clothed and equipped at the expense of the
iiK'niln-rs, who served without pay. Fortunately the
632
GLASGOW.
tide of invasion rolled not to our shores ; and as the
efforts of these worthy men are only remembered by
their holiday-parades and patriotic intentions, it is
unnecessary that we should here enlarge upon the
subject.
In the Radical time of 1819-20, the peace of the
city was much endangered from the feeling of dis-
content which pervaded the minds of large masses of
the working classes, who in many cases had arrayed
and armed themselves with the intention of openly
resisting the Government. Opinion is still divided
regarding the proceedings of this unhappy period, —
the causes which led to it,— and the means which
were taken for its suppression ; and it is not the ob-
iect of this work to reconcile sentiments which differ
so widely. The execution of James Wilson — a poor
thoughtless creature — was certainly an act of un-
necessary severity.* Since then the history of the
city is happily unmarked by either tumult, warlike
preparations, or disaster, if we except the visita-
tion of cholera in 1832, which severely afflicted
this locality, in common with many others of the
kingdom, and between February and November
of that year cut off 3,005 persons. Its annals,
however, are not the less interesting that they
belong to the piping times of peace ; for they
mark the almost railroad speed with which the
capital of the West has progressed in population, in
intelligence, and in commercial and manufacturing
wealth.
Commerce, Manufactures, Sfc.
So early as 1420, a William Elphinstonis made men-
tion of as a promoter of trade in Glasgow — the traffic
which he managed being, in all likelihood, the curing
and exporting of salmon. But the first authentic
document respecting Glasgow as a place of trade, is
to be referred to the year 1546. Complaints having
been made to Henry VIII., that several English
ships had been taken and plundered by vessels be-
longing to Scotland, there is an order of the Privy-
council of Scotland in that year, discharging such
captures for the future, and, among other places made
mention of in that order, is Glasgow. The commerce
which at this time it carried on could not be great.
It probably consisted of little more than a few small
vessels with pickled salmon for the French market :
as this fishery was at that time carried on to a
considerable extent by Glasgow, Renfrew, and
Dumbarton. Between the years 1630 and 1660, a
great degree of attention seems to have been paid
to inland traffic by the inhabitants of Glasgow.
Principal Bailie informs us that the increase of the
town, arising from this source of employment, was
great. The exportation of salmon and of herrings
also * increased. In 1651, Commissioner Tucker
having been directed by the Government to report
on the revenue of the excise and customs of Scot-
land, speaks of Glasgow as follows: — " With the ex-
ception," says he, " of the colliginors, all the inhabi-
tants are traders : some to Ireland with small smiddy-
coals, in open boats, from 4 to 10 tons, from whence
they bring hoops, rungs, barrel-staves, meal, oats,
and butter ; some to France, with plaiding, coals, and
herrings, from which the return is salt, pepper, raisins,
and. prunes ; some to Norway for timber. There
hath likewise been some who ventured as far as Bar-
badoes : but the loss which they sustained by being
obliged to come home late in the year, has made
them discontinue going thither any more. The mer-
* Even when on the gibbet, his mind was so little affected by
the awful position in which he stood, that he coolly remarked
to the town's hangman, «' Tarn, did ye ever see sic a crowd ?"
He was hanged on 20th August, 1820, and afterwards beheaded
-.-the last occasion, it is to be hoped, in which the axe and
block are destined to be noticed in the annals of Glasgow.
cantile genius of the people is strong, if they were
not checked and kept under by the shallowness of
their river, every day more and more increasing and
filling up, so that no vessel of any burden can come
up nearer the town than 14 miles, where they
must unlade and send up their timber on rafts, and
all other commodities by 3 or 4 tons of goods at a
time, in small cobbles or boats, of 3, 4, or 5,
and none above 6 tons a-boat. There is in this
place a collector, a cheque, and 4 writers. There
are 12 vessels belonging to the merchants of this
port : viz., 3 of 150 tons each ; 1 of 140 ; 2 of 100;
1 of 50; 3 of 30; 1 of 15; and 1 of 12; none of
which come up to the town Total, 957 tons." In
the war between Britain and Holland, during the
reign of Charles II. a privateer was fitted out in the
Clyde to cruize against the Dutch. She was called
the Lion of Glasgow, Robert M' Allan, commander;
was declared to be 60 tons burden or thereby, and
to have on board 5 pieces of ordnance, 32 muskets,
12 half-pikes, 18 poleaxes, 30 swords, and 3 barrels
of gunpowder ; with provisions for 6 months, and
60 hands. In 1699, the merchants of Glasgow owned
15 vessels of an aggregate burden of 1 , 1 80 tons. The
foreign trade at that period was valued at £20,500
Scots, but was considered to have partially decayed.
The citizens who seem to have most distinguished
themselves during this period, in the pursuit of
a foreign commercial trade, were Walter Gibson
and John Anderson. Gibson cured and packed in
one year, 300 lasts of herrings, which he sent to St.
Martin's in France, on board of a Dutch vessel called
the St. Agathe, of 450 tons burden ; his returns being
brandy and salt. He was the first who imported iror
into the Clyde. Anderson is said to have been the
first who imported white wine's. Whatever the trade
of Glasgow was at this time, it could not have been
very considerable : for the ports with which its citizens
traded lay all to the eastward, and the circumnavi-
gation of the island would prove an almost insur-
mountable barrier to the commerce of Glasgow. The
people of the east coast, from their situation, musl
have been in possession of nearly the whole com-
merce of Scotland.
The union with England, although opposed at the
time with all the effort of blind prejudice and the
remembrance of national hate, opened a field for
which the situation of Glasgow was highly advan-
tageous ; and while the commerce of the east coast,
after that period, rapidly declined, that of the west
increased to an amazing degree. Notwithstanding
the opposition which they had offered to this mosi
wise and judicious of all national measures, the ad-
vantages which had been conferred on them by the
Union were soon apparent to the citizens of Glasgow,
who began immediately to prosecute the trade to
Virginia and Maryland. For this purpose they char-
tered fitting vessels from Whitehaven ; and sent out
cargoes of goods, and brought back tobacco in return.
The method in which they managed this trade was
certainly a prudent one, and well-fitted for the time.
A supercargo went out with every vessel, and bar-
tered his goods for tobacco, until such time as he had
either sold all, or procured as much of. the " Virgi-
nian leaf" as was sufficient to load his vessel. He
then returned immediately, and if any of his goods
remained unsold, they were brought home with him.
The trade, as has been stated, was at first conducted
in vessels chartered from English ports ; but com-
merce having prospered with them, the merchants oi
Glasgow began to build ships for themselves, and,
in 1718, the first vessel, the property of Glasgow
owners, crossed the Atlantic. She was launched ai
Crawfurd's-dyke, a suburb of Greenock, and only
registered 60 tons. The imports of tobacco were
I considerable, and the merchants of Glasgow be-
o undersell the English even in their own ports.
^17, the merchants of Bristol presented remon-
ces to the commissioners of customs in Lon-
don against the fairness of the Glasgow trade. To
ie allegations contained in these remonstrances, the
its of Glasgow sent such answers as con-
ivinced the commissioners that the complaints
Bristol merchants had been dictated by mere
isy. They still, however, continued to undersell
English traders, and, in 1721, a formidable con-
)irac-y was entered into by almost all the tobacco mer-
its in South Britain, against the traffic of Glasgow,
were accused of practising frauds upon the
me in conducting their business; bills of
ity were exhibited against them in the court of
;quer, for no less than 33 ships' cargoes, by
they were commanded to declare upon oath,
;ther or not they had imported in these ships
and how much more tobacco than had been
jd, or had paid the King's duty j vexatious
suits of every kind were stirred up against
and every species of persecution, which jeal-
aided by wealth could invent, to destroy the
of Glasgow, was put in practice. The matter
•went an examination before the lords of the
iry during the same year, and after they, had
considered the case, it was dismissed in the fol-
ding terms : — " That the complaints of the mer-
its of London, Bristol, Liverpool, Whitehaven,
are groundless, and proceed from a spirit of
and not from a regard to the interests of trade,
the King's revenue." But the Southern per-
itors of the trade of Glasgow were not thus to
baulked ; for they speedily thereafter made a
ilaint to parliament, and, in 1 722, commissioners
sent to Glasgow, who imposed such a number
ringent and vexatious regulations on the trade,
its operations were severely cramped, and for
i years it almost struggled for existence. In
it was not till 1735 that it began to get up its
1, and evince symptoms of vigorous life. In that
r, however, it began to be itself again, and the
iber of ships, brigantines, and sloops belonging to
the port now amounted to 67. These vessels traded
with Virginia, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Kitts, Barba-
does, Gibraltar, Holland, Stockholm, and Ireland,
besides maintaining a considerable coasting-tiude.
From 1 735 to 1 750, the commerce of Glasgow ad-
vanced slowly; but soon after 1740, a new mode of
trading was adopted in the place of the old method
of barter ; factors were now established in the coun-
try, who received the goods, and remitted tobacco ;
and for these goods they gave credit to the planters,
on condition that they should receive their crops
Of tobacco, when ready for the market. For several
years this method succeeded extremely well, and
the payments were generally made in a reasonable
time; but the trade after 1750 having vastly in-
creased, and factors being established in every cor-
ner of the country, a spirit of keen rivalry began to
develop itself; they lent to the planters large sums
of money, in order to secure their trade, and gave
them unlimited credits — thus rendering the com-
merce with America rather a speculative than a solid
branch of business. The trade had now become one
of vast magnitude, and almost the whole capital of
the city was embarked in it, creating something like
a monopoly in favour of the Glasgow merchants.
Denbolm, in his History of Glasgow, mentions as a
fact, that, "in the year 1772, out of 90,000 hhds. of
tobacco imported into Britain, Glasgow alone im-
ported 49,000 of these." And it is also stated that,
in the French war, which immediately preceded the
contest with America, one merchant in the city, viz.^
GLASGOW.
John Glassford, Esq., possessed at one time 25 ship*
with their cargoes, and is said to have traded to the
amount of more than half-a-million sterling yearly.
The year immediately before the American war of
independence, the imports into the Clyde were 57,143
hhds., the property of 42 merchants; and of this only a
very small portion — not more than 1,600 hhds was
retained for local consumption. The importance of
this traffic, therefore, to the commercial capital of
the West, will explain more readily than any thing
else, the alacrity and seeming loyalty displayed by
the Glasgowegians in raising troops to smite the re-
bellious colonists of North America.
The temporary disruption of the American trade
proved a " heavy blow, and great discouragement "
to the citizens of Glasgow, to whom it had long been
the source of profit and wealth. But, after recover-
ing from the crash which it occasioned, the circum-
stance only served to call forth their enterprise by
seeking out new channels for their trade. And they
were not unsuccessful. Soon after the Union, some
attempts had been made to open a trade with the
West India islands ; but for many years it was per-
fectly trifling in amount, and consisted of only send-
ing out an occasional ship with herrings — for the use
of the Negroes — and a few bale goods, and in bring-
ing back rum and sugar in return. The merchants
of Glasgow, however, ultimately directed their en-
ergies to this branch of commerce with untiring assi-
duity, and with such success that the loss sustained
by the breaking up of the tobacco-traffic was soon
unfelt. They have now, it may be said, extended
their commerce to the " uttermost parts of the sea ;"
but, however interesting a detail of the gradual rise
and progress of the commerce of Glasgow might be,
it would be much too lengthy for the limits of the
present work. Some idea may be formed of the rapid
strides which it has made during the last 30 years,
and of its present magnitude, from the annexed table
of the receipts at the custom-house of Glasgow down
to the end of 1840 :_
Amount of Custom-dutiet collected at Glasgow.
1812,
IHI3.
1814,
1815,
ISIfi,
1817,
1818,
13111,
18:0,
W2I,
18-w,
18*3,
18*1,
18*5,
18*6,
Revenue.
£3.1*4 2 44
7,511 6 5|
7.419 12 '
8,300 4
8,424 9
8,*90 18
8,402 1
8,384 3
11,000 6
11,428 19
16,147 17
«2,7*8 17
29 9*6 15
41J54 6 9
78,958 13 84.
Years.
1H27,
1828,
1829,
1830,
1831,
1832,
18-J3,
1834.
is.;:,,
1S36,
1837,
1838,
1839,
1840,
1U41,
Oi
Revenu
£71,9*2 8
74,*55 0
70,964 8 4
59,013 17 3
72,053 17 4
, 08,741 5 9
97,041 11 11
•]6f,,!)l3 3 3
270,667 8 0
314.701 10 8
389.702 2 10
394,144 11 8
468,9:4 1* 2
472,563 19 9
526,11)0 0 11
The bonding-system in Glasgow commenced in 1817,
but was not in full operation till 1820. The bonding
of tobacco took place in 1833, and tea in 1834; but
they also required some time before the duties were
greatly increased. — Perhaps there is no port in the
kingdom which can exhibit such a rapid advancement
within the same number of years; but, to preyentmis-
conception, it is necessary to state that, indepen-
dently of the bonafide increase of trade, much of the
above rise must be attributed to the great improve-
ments in the river, which of late years has enabled
ships of large burden to come up to the Broomielaw,
and pay those dues into the Glasgow custom-house,
which formerly were received at Greenock.
In 1816, Messrs. James Finlay and Co. despatched
a ship of 600 tons burden to Calcutta, being the first
merchants in Scotland who cleared out a vessel
direct for India. Other merchants followed the ex-
ample which had been so well set them, and the trade
has now become a most extensive one. It is rarely
634
GLASGOW.
that one or more ships are not lying on the berth at
the Broomielaw, for Calcutta, Bombay, Madras,
Singapore, Manilla, or other ports in the East. Glas-
gow, in conjunction with Greenock, too, has of late
entered extensively into the emigration-trade ; and,
during the last five years, a large number of emi-
f rant-ships have been despatched to Sydney, New
outh Wales, and Adelaide in South Australia; and
it is also a creditable fact that the Clyde is the only
river in Scotland from which emigrant-ships have
leen despatched for the rising colony of New Zea-
land the Bengal Merchant having sailed in Novem-
ber, 1839, and the Blenheim in September, 1840,
with well-equipped bodies of emigrants for that infant-
settlement. The timber trade is one of great magni-
tude, and well worthy of notice were it only to state
the extensive operations of a single house in Glas-
gow, viz., Pollock, Gilmour, and Company, who are
"chiefly engaged in the North American timber trade,
and have eight different establishments that ship an-
nually upwards of 6,000,000 cubic feet of timber ; to
cut and to collect which, and to prepare it for ship-
ment, requires upwards of 15,000 men, and 600
horses and oxen in constant employment. For the
accommodation of their trade, they are owners of 21
large ships,the register tonnage of which is 1 2,005 tons,
navigated by 502 seamen, carrying each trip upwards
of 20,000 tons of timber, at 40 cubic feet per ton.
All of which ships make two, and several of them
three, trips annually." The number and tonnage
of sailing-vessels registered at Glasgow, on Decem-
ber 31st, 1841, was as follows: Under 50 tons, 58
vessels; total tonnage, 1,994 tons. Above 50 tons,
307 vessels; total tonnage, 81,999 tons. At the
same date the steam-vessels belonging to the port
were as follows: Under 50 tons, 12 vessels; total
tonnage, 518 tons. Above 50 tons, 51 vessels;
total tonnage, 9J80 tons.
Whether or not Glasgow possessed any manufac-
tures in the olden time, is a question which it would
now be difficult to determine ; that the inhabitants,
by means of the spinning-wheel and loom, made
linens and woollens for their own use is certain, but
up till a period subsequent to the Union, there is
little reason to believe that their manufactures ex-
tended further. Glasgow plaids — which were sold
into Edinburgh about the close of the 17th cen-
tury— were in high repute, but it does not appear
that the trade had ever been any thing but an in-
considerable one. There is little doubt, however,
that the commerce with America first suggested the
introduction of manufactures into the city ; and that
they were established on a small scale about 1725,
is not matter of doubt. Their progress at the
outset was slow indeed, and it was not until the
Legislature had granted great encouragement to the
manufacturing of linen in Scotland, that the manu-
factures of Glasgow began to assume some degree
of importance. The act of parliament, in 1748,
prohibiting the importing or wearing of French
cambrics, under severe penalties ; and the act of 1 751 ,
allowing weavers in flax or hemp to settle and ex-
ercise their trades in any part of Scotland, free
from all corporation-dues, conjoined with the bounty
of l£d. per yard on all linens exported at and under
18d. per yard, were doubtless the principal causes
of the success of the linen-manufacture. Success
in one branch encourages a trial in others, and ac-
cordingly we find, that between 1725 and 1750,
manufactures of various kinds obtained a firm foot-
ing in the city : since which time, up till the pre-
sent moment, they have, with occasional periods of
depression, continued to extend and prosper Glas-
gow was the first place in Great Britain in which
inkle- wares were manufactured. Previous to 1732,
..
d so
the engine-looms had been in use, but these were
clumsy, inconvenient, and altogether produced
little work in proportion to the labour expended,
that the trade may be said to have been entirely
monopolized by the Dutch, who were in possession
of the large inkle looms. Mr. Alexander Harvey,
who commenced this branch in Glasgow, was s(
sensible of the disadvantages under which it la
boured, that he proceeded to Holland, and despit<
the care and jealousy which the Dutch evinced t(
keep the secret of the manufactory to themselves
he contrived to bring over with him from Haarlem
two of their looms and one of their workmen, anc
thus firmly established the trade in the city undei
the most favourable circumstances. The Dutch-
man remained some years in Glasgow ; but consider,
ing himself slighted from some cause, he removed to
Manchester, and soon made the manufacturers there
as skilful as their brethren benorth the Sark.
The vast improvements which had been made in
the production of cotton-yarn by spinning it with
machinery soon found their way to Glasgow ; anc
the successive inventions of Wyatt of Birmingham,
Hargrave of Lancashire, with the Maynum oput
of Sir Richard Arkwright, were soon called into
operation in North Britain by the capital and enter-
prise of the Glasgow manufacturers. In the infancy
of the cotton-trade, the spinning-works were erected
at a distance from the city, and on the most con-
venient spots for procuring falls of water sufficiently
powerful to propel the machinery. Amongst those
so erected were the Ballindalloch and Doune mills
in Stirlingshire ; the Catrine mills in Ayrshire ; the
Lanark mills, and the Rothesay mills in Bute — all of
them distant from Glasgow certainly, but all of them
called into existence by its money-power. Some-
thing, however, was still wanting to place the trade
on that footing of pre-eminence in Glasgow which
it has now long enjoyed, and to bring its exhaust-
less coal-fields into profitable operation. And this
was supplied by the genius of James Watt ; who,
instead of sending the workmen to the motive
power, devised the admirable mode of raising up
the motive power among the workmen. In 1 792, the
first steam-engine for spinning cotton was put up in
Glasgow, for Messrs. Scott, Stevenson, and Com-
pany, opposite that locality now known as the Steam-
boat quay.
A few sentences regarding this most mighty of all
mighty inventions may not be out of place here,
especially as Glasgow is so proudly connected with
the early gropings of the mind of Watt towards that
mechanical perfection which the world has long con-
ceded as his due. The life of Watt is, of course,
inseparable from a vidimus of the earliest indications
of steam-power, when in the 9th century Silvester
II. made the organ of Rheim's cathedral resound by
the application . of vapour, down to his own great
work, the steam-engine, which, without tiring or
abatement, " can engrave a seal, and cut masses of
obdurate metal like wax before it, — draw out, with-
out breaking, a thread as fine as gossamer, — and lift
a ship of war like a bauble in the air, — which can
embroider muslin and forge anchors, — cut steel into
ribands, and impel loaded vessels against the fury
of the winds and waves." It is well-known that
the Greeks and Romans were perfectly well-ac-
quainted with the fact that steam was capable of
attaining a prodigious mechanical power ; and it is
related that Athemius, the architect of Justinian,
who owed a grudge to Zeno the orator, and lived
contiguous to him, annoyed his enemy by placing
great caldrons in the ground-floor of his own house,
from which he conducted flexible tubes to the ceiling
of Zeno's mansion, and that these ceilings shook, as
GLASGOW.
635
the effects of an earthquake, when the cal-
were filled with water, and a fire lit under
But to come to the fabrication of the modern
i-engine, it is necessary to pass over many names
iccted with the invention of steam-power, in-
Hng that of the Marquis of Worcester — who was
doubt an ingenious man, and, as his " Century
'Inventions" proves, wrote much and experiment-
little — and come down to about the beginning of
last century, when many important steps were
ined by Papin, a Frenchman; but his experiments,
though of great value in the infancy of the engine,
entirely confined to models. In 1705 New-
jn and Cawley — the former an ironmonger and
latter a glazier in Dartmouth — still further
roved the engine, in discovering a method of
ling the steam by the introduction, at the proper
3, of a shower of cold water, instead of the former
of external refrigeration. This machine was
it to raise water from mines and great depths,
the expense of working, and the clumsiness and
jrfection of its motions, would for ever have
jvented its application to machines ; and it might
"lis moment have been shown in the museums as a
sity — like many which had preceded it — but for
genius of Watt, who conferred upon it a perfec-
which was destined to enrich the world. Watt,
had settled in Glasgow, and was patronized by
University as its mathematical instrument-maker,
required by Dr. Anderson, the professor of
iral philosophy, to repair a small model of New-
jn's steam-engine,* which could not be made to
rk satisfactorily, and this circumstance, in all pro-
)ility, turned his attention to a department of me-
lical science which was destined to render his
immortal. To be brief, Watt's first great in-
was the condenser, which not only acceler-
the speed but reduced the expense of working
tithe of its former amount ; and by intense study
finally varied and economized the power of this
jjhty agent to an extent of which its former most
sanguine improvers had never dreamed. For years,
however, Watt's invention was sneered at, and re-
mained inoperative, till his connection with Mr.
Boulton of Soho, near Birmingham, in 1774, gave
a renewed stimulus to exertion, and finally the new
engines spread over all the mining-districts, entirely
superseding those of Newcomen. Boulton and Watt
received, as their remuneration, the third part of the
value of the coal which was saved by the use of their
machines; "and we may judge of the commercial im-
portance of the invention by the fact, that in the
single mine of Chasewater, where three pumps were
employed, the proprietors thought it worth their
while to purchase the rights of the inventors at the
price of £2,500 per annum for each engine. Thus,
in a single establishment, the substitution of the con-
denser effected, in fuel alone, a reduction in ex-
pense of more than £7,500 per annum." [Arago's
Life of Watt, 1839.] Watt's machines, like New-
comen's, were at first nothing but mere pumps, or
instruments for raising water ; but by degrees, as
has been hinted, he brought the engine to that per-
fection which rendered it capable of the most exact
operations in mechanical science, and of indefinite
power. This great man died in 1819, at the age of 83.
* At the meeting of the British Association, held in Glas-
gow in September, 1840, the original model of the steam-engine,
belonging to the University of Glasgow, upon which Watt ex-
perimeiited. was exhibited in the model-rooms, and attracted
the deepest attention. It is a little, clumsy looking thing, with
a boiler not much larger than a tea-kettle; but still it is a relic
of vH<t interest, when it is known that it first gave Watt's mind
the In-lit to this peculiar study ; and though iu appearance it is
wide as the poles asunder from the machinery which directs the
motions of the Great Western, Acadia, and other Transatlantic
Meanicrs, it was nevertheless impossible to gaze oil it without
acknowledging that it was their progenitor.
To return to the cotton-trade. The power-loom wa»
introduced to Glasgow, in 1773, by Mr. James Louis
Robertson of Dunblane. These machines had been,
for some time, put up in the hulks for the use of the
convicts ; and this gentleman succeeded in obtaining
two of them, which he set up in Argyle-street, where,
having removed the driving-bar, he set the looms in
motion by means of a large Newfoundland dog walking
in a drum or cylinder. The fame of the new loom,
however, soon got wind, and in a very short period
hundreds of them were at work in the city and its
neighbourhood. Since then the increase in the
trade has been so rapid and extensive as almost to
defy belief. Several of the most important secondary
improvements in weaving have originated in Glasgow,
and in no city have the manufacturers held out
greater encouragement for originality and invention,
come from what quarter it may. Lawns were the
principal manufacture till they were superseded by
muslins. The first muslin web in Scotland was
warped by Mr. James Monteith, father of Mr. Henry
Monteith of Carstairs ; and although, as has been
stated, there were no steam spinning mills in Scotland
till 1792, this gentleman had, long previous to this
period, purchased bird-nest India yarn, and for the
weaving of a 6-4th 1200 book, with a hand-shuttle,
he paid Is. 9d. per ell. The same kind of web is
now woven for 2|d. per ell. When the first web
was finished — a task both of labour and triumph in
those days — Mr. Monteith caused a dress of it to be
embroidered with gold, and presented to her majesty,
Queen Charlotte — It is almost impossible to attain,
with any degree of accuracy, the money value of the
cotton or muslin trade of Glasgow; but those ac-
quainted with these matters will be enabled to form
an opinion on the subject from the following state-
ment, presented to parliament, in 1834, by Mr.
Leonard Horner, one of the factory-commissioners,
premising that it has, in all likelihood, increased one-
fourth or fifth since that date. The commission
reports, " That in Scotland there are 134 cotton-
mills, — that with the exception of some large estab-
lishments at Aberdeen, and one at Stanley near
Perth, the cotton-manufacture is almost confined to
Glasgow, and country adjoining, to a distance ot
about 25 miles radius ; and all these cotton-mills,
even including the great house at Stanley, are con-
nected with Glasgow houses, or in the Glasgow trade.
In Lanarkshire, in which Glasgow is situated, there
are 74 cotton-factories ; in Renfrewshire 41 : Dum-
bartonshire 4 ; Buteshire 2 ; Argyleshire 1 ; Perth-
shire 1. In these six counties there are 123 cotton-
mills, nearly 100 of which belong to Glasgow." In
another view of the case the factory-commissioners
state : " In Lanarkshire there are 74 cotton-mills, 2
woollen, and 2 silk-factories ; 78 steam engines and
5 water-wheels, total horse-power 2,914; of which,
steam, 2,394 ; water, 520. Total persons employed
in factories, 17,969." As has been stated, it is
scarcely possible to ascertain from official data the
value of the cotton-trade of Glasgow. A gentleman
connected with it, however, who has inquired min-
utely into its statistics, gives it as his opinion that
40,000 hand-loom weavers are employed by the
manufacturers of Glasgow, the produce of whose
labour, before it can be brought to market, has been
estimated at three millions sterling. Assuming 6d.
per yard as the average value of the material pro-
duced by the power-looms, this branch of the cottou
manufacture cannot be less than two and a-hal.
millions. There are more than 17,000 looms set in
motion by Glasgow capital. The produce of the
spinning of cotton-yarn has been estimated at nearly
four millions.
Commensurate with the growth of the cotton-
630
GLASGOW.
This trade, however, has not yet extended
trade has been that of every kind of manufacture
connected with the production of soft goods, with the
exception perhaps of broad-cloth and hosiery, for
neither of which is Glasgow yet distinguished. An
establishment for the manufactory of Bandana hand-
kerchiefs was commenced in 1802, by the firm now
known as Henry Monteith & Co., who at the same
time carry on the business of cotton-spinning and
calico-printing. Their establishment at Blantyre is
an extensive one, while that at Barrowfield, in the
immediate vicinity of the city, is probably unrivalled
in the kingdom. Government having offered a pre-
mium of £300 per annum to the first person who
should form an establishment for the spinning of
Cashmere wool in this country, upon the French
principle, Captain Stuart Cochrane, R.N., succeeded,
while in Paris, in discovering the peculiar secret,
and took out a patent for the three kingdoms. In
1831 these patents were purchased by Messrs.
Houldsworth of Glasgow, and, after much exertion
and difficulty, they have succeeded in making better
yarn than the French, and accordingly they have
received the premium so justly due to their enter-
pr;se.
to any great magnitude.
Mr. Charles Macintosh has been long celebrated,
in connection with Glasgow, for his successful dis-
coveries in the chemical science as applicable to manu-
factures. In 1786 he introduced, from Holland,
the manufacture of sugar-of-lead. This article had
been previously imported from that country ; but in
a very short period the tables were turned, by Mr.
Macintosh exporting considerable quantities of the
article to Rotterdam, the place from which the
knowledge of the art was first obtained. By chemi-
cal improvements in that portion of the article which
is used for calico-printing, the price was reduced by
the exertions of this gentleman from 3s. per gallon
to 6d. In 1 799 this gentleman made the first pre-
paration of chloride-of-lime in the dry state, which
has since been so extensively used and prized as
bleaching-powder. But perhaps Mr. Macintosh is
better known to the world by his process which
renders almost every kind of fabric impervious to
water. His manufactory of ' waterproofs ' was for
some time carried on in Glasgow, but some years
ago the business was removed to Manchester. The
chemical works of Messrs. Tennant & Co., at St.
Rpllox — of which Mr. Macintosh was one of the
original partners — are perhaps the most extensive
in the world, and may be said to comprise a little
town of themselves. This immense establishment,
situated at the north-eastern division of the city,
manufactures sulphuric acid, chloride-of-lime, soda,
soap, &c. It covers ten acres of ground, and within
the walls there are buildings which extend over
27,340 square yards of ground. There are upwards
0 furnaces, retorts, or fire-places in the establish-
ment; and in one apartment there are platina vessels
worth .£7,000. The main chimney is 436 feet high
The soft goods trade is carried to an immense ex-
tent m Glasgow ; where the merchant often joins the
retail to the wholesale trade, imports goods largely
from England and foreign parts, and in turn sends
them out wholesale to smaller traders situated in
almost every town and village in Scotland ; and not-
withstanding the magnitude of such establishments,
the poorest customer may be supplied as readily
and courteously with a yard of tape as the richest
with an order of £100 in amount. The most ex-
tensive of these establishments— and there are sev-
eral of them-is that of Messrs. James and Wil-
liam Campbell, situated in Candleriggs-street Their
warerooms and sale-rooms extend over an imperial
acre of flooring, and the business is conducted by
about 140 persons. In addition to these about 2,500
females are employed by the house in sewing, chiefly
in the country. It will afford an instructive vidimus
of the rise and progress of Glasgow, as well as of the
advancement of the firm, to take the sales of a few
progressive years, from the commencement till the
present time. The sales were,
In 1818, 41,022 6 4*
— 1827 183.H85 6 10
— 1832 312,207 5 8
— 1837 500,515 6 1
— 1838 559,245 17 10
— 1839, 686,982 3 4
This immense sum for the transactions of a single
establishment, during one year, contrasts strangely
with the fact, that the total value of the articles
manufactured in Glasgow, as ascertained by correct
data, amounted, in the year 1771, to £452,557.
Originally the manufacture of linen, and then of cot-
ton goods, have been the staple productions of Glas-
gow ; but her merchants have not by any means con-
fined their energies to these. So early as 1674 a firm
was established for carrying on the whale-fishery, and
the manufacture of soap. The soapery was situated at
the head of Candleriggs, and in addition to their busi-
ness here, the partners had large premises in Green-
ock for boiling blubber. The locality in which it
was situated was called the Royal cross, on account
of Charles II. having granted certain privileges to
the company. It is now a considerable time since
the Glasgow merchants ceased to send ships in pur-
suit of the giant of the deep, for, as is well-known,
the trade of late years has been both precarious and
losing, but the other departments of business fol-
lowed by this early company are yet pursued with
renewed vigour and extension. In 1696 a company
was formed for the manufacture of cordage and ropes,
in which many influential gentlemen were partners ;
but though the original firm has long passed away,
the manufacture has grown to be a most extensive
one ; and this is the less surprising, as Glasgow, at the
same time, has grown to be a sea-port of no second-
rate importance. In 1715 the first Glasgow tan-
work was begun ; and in 1 748 the first delph-work
was erected at the Broomielaw. Earthenware is now
manufactured in Glasgow equal to any from Stafford-
shire ; and the house of R. A. Kidston, in Anderston,
which has for many years conducted the leading
pottery business, has recently added the china or
porcelain department to its business. Specimens of
their manufacture were shown in the model-rooms
of the British association, and pronounced, by those
competent to judge, as not inferior to any of the
same kind in South Britain, where the trade has
been in existence for a lifetime. Bottle-making is
an old trade in Glasgow, and at present there are
several establishments of that kind in the city or its
suburbs, — the oldest established — that of Stevenson,
Price, & Co., (late Geddes,) situated in Anderston,
turns out an immense aggregate, which are not only
disposed of for home-use, but exported in mats to
every part of the world. The manufacture of glass
and crystal is also conducted on a most extensive
scale, both for home-use and exportation, and the
growing demand proves that the quality of the article
is riot inferior to any manufactured in the empire.
The Iron trade.
.,„
Situated as Glasgow is, in the very heart
exhaustless coal and ironstone district, it is not sur-
prising that the possession of these minerals may be
taken as the main-spoke in the wheel of its pros-
perity. The cotton-trade, doubtless, is the more
extensive, in so far as it is the staple of the city ;
but still the manufacture of iron has of late years
GLASGOW.
637
feeen prosecuted to an amazing extent; and, from
the progress of improvement over the whole coun-
try, with the never-ceasing demand for this mineral
for railway and other purposes, it is reasonable to
suppose that this trade is yet very far from its
zenith. As a proof of the importance of the Glas-
gow iron-trade, it may be mentioned that the iron-
masters of Clydesdale, independent of the vast quan-
tities retained for local use, exported last year more
than 50,000 tons. The mineral field is in every in-
stance easily accessible by railroad or canal, and this
is one of the growing resources of Glasgow which
will soon enable her to rival if not outstrip the most
highly favoured iron-districts in England. It may
be interesting to state that the proprietors of the
Monkland, Calder, Gartsherrie, Dundyvan, and Sum-
erlie iron-works have recently contracted with Sir
William Alexander, the owner of the Airdrie estate,
for a 21 years' lease of the ironstone which may be
found on about 300 acres of his land, at an annual
rent which can never be less than £12,050, though
it may be considerably more. The ironstone is of
the kind called black-band, 2 feet thick ; and should
it extend over the 300 acres, the proprietor may re-
ceive for his ironstone alone about £200,000. The
quality of the stone is so superior, that 200 tons, after
being calcined, will produce 120 tons of pig-iron;
and it is so well combined with parrot-coal, that it
can be calcined without the addition of any other
fuel. For agricultural purposes the value of the
soil which covers this mine of wealth is not more
than from £600 to £700 per annum. The intro-
duction of the hot air blast— the merits of which be-
long to Mr. James B. Neilson, a citizen of Glasgow —
has proved such a saving both in fuel and time, that
it may be stated to have produced quite a new era in
the iron-trade.* It is perhaps impossible to give
a correct account of the value of the iron-trade of
Glasgow, but a pretty accurate notion of it may be
led from the following table of the iron- works
Scotland, and the statements which accompany,
far as our data go, there are in North Britain
"irnaces in blast, 5 out, 7 building, and 24 con-
)lated. They are exhibited as follows :
w
Name of Works.
Owner*.
In Blast
1 Out of Blast.
I
1
J
176.3
Carron. .
Carron Co., .
4
1
0
0
178.">
Clyde, . .
James Dunlop, .
4
I
0
4
I 1780
Wilsontown,
William Dixon,
1
0
0
0
1790
Muirkirk,
Muirkirk Iron Co.
4
0
0
0
1 1790
Otnoa, . .
Robert Stewart,
1
0
0
0
1790
Devon, .
Devon Iron Co.,
2
1
0
0
1805
Calder, .
W. Dixon & Co.,
6
0
0
0
1805
Shotts, .
Shotts Iron Co.,
2
0
1
0
1825
Monkland,
Monkland Iron Co ,
5
0
0
0
1828
Gurtsherrie,
William Baird & Co.,
7
0
1
6
1834
Dundyvan,
John Wilson, .
5
0
1
4
18ij6
Smnerlee,
Wilsons & Co.,
4
0
0
2
W. | W
Bona, . .
Bona Iroti Co.,
1
0
0
0
:§ tt **
Govan,
Coltness, .
Carnbroe,
Galstou, .
William Dixon,
Henry Houldswor h,
Alison & Co., .
M'Callum & Co.,
3
-2
0
0
0
1)
1
1
0
"2
0
4
0
2
0
1 »"5.S "°
Blair, . .
J. M' Donald, .
0
0
^
0
I ** 2 «j H
Homel, .
Galloway, .
0
1
0
2
|Ji!
Custlehil),
Shotts Iron Co.,
2
0
0
0
"M"
~~b
7
"M~
By means of this invention, in which raw coal ia used in.
* of coke, the iron-master, with three-sevenths of the fuel
he formerly employed in the cold air process of blasting,
• enabled to make one-third more iron, of a superior qua-
Nor are the advantage of this invention solely confined
roll-masters. By its use the founder can cast into goods an
. quantity of iron, in greatly less time, and wiih a saving
ly halt the fuel employed in the cold air process ; and
blacksmith can produce in the same time one-third more
rk with much less fuel than he formerly required. In all
processes of metallurgical science, it will be found of the
On the supposition that all these furnaces will be in
operation at the beginning of 1843, producing weekly
100 tons to each furnace, Scotland will thus produce
468,000 tons of foundry cast-iron per annum, an
amount equal to that made in the United Kingdom
twenty years ago.-j* Sixty out of the ninety furnaces
mentioned are situated within from 7 to 10 miles of
the city; and one of them — that of Govan — even
within its very precincts. Some of the most extensive
iron-masters in Scotland are directing their attention
to the manufacture of bar-iron ; and the Monkland
company are erecting mills and forges capable of
making 230 tons of malleable-iron per week. Mr.
Wilson of Dundyvan is also making the necessary
preparations* for enabling him, when his works are
in full operation, to make 300 tons of bars weekly,
and they are now partially in operation. Mr. Dixon
of Govan iron- works will also speedily be enabled
to manufacture 200 tons of ttfe same metal per week.
The Muirkirk iron company some time since com-
menced operations. Speaking of this subject, in the
8th part of his Statistical Dictionary, Mr. M'Culloch
says : «« Glasgow is also becoming, or, rather, has
already become, the centre of a most extensive iron
trade. In fact, the production of iron in the neigh-
bourhood of this city already exceeds that of either
Monmouthshire or Glamorganshire, and promises
very speedily to be equal or superior to that of the
whole of South Wales. It has increased with un-
paralleled rapidity. In 1806 the produce of iron in
thi« county did not exceed 9,000 tons ; in 1834 it was
estimated at about 48,000 tons ; and we have ascer-
tained, from returns drawn up with the greatest care,
that in June, 1840, there were at work in Lanark-
shire fifty furnaces, producing at the rate of about
210,000 tons a-year! And several additional fur-
naces were then also in the course of being con-
structed."
In connection with this subject it may be proper
here to allude to the engineering trade of Glasgow,
which has of late years become one of considerable
extent and importance. There are various foundries
situated in Glasgow, all of them extensive; but that
which is best known is the Vulcan foundry, belong-
ing to Mr. Robert Napier, situated on the Broomie-
law, near the bottom of the steam-boat quay. This
gentleman has long been known as one of the most
celebrated and successful marine engine-makers in
Europe. He supplied the engines of the British
Queen, and in the course of one year, ending in Oc-
tober 1840, he supplied six first-rate steam-ships
with their engines, viz. two frigates, and four Trans-
atlantic liners. The first two were the Vesuvius
and Stromboli, which took up a worthy position at
the siege and capture of St. Jean' d'Acre, on 4th
Nov., 1840; and the latter four were the Britannia,
Acadia, Caledonia, and Columbia, now employed in
carrying the mails between Liverpool, and Halifax
and Boston, North America. These liners were all
built in the Clyde, are each of 1 ,200 tons burthen,
and propelled by engines of 440 horses' power. It
is satisfactory to state that one of them, the Britan-
nia, has made the passage between the two conti-
nents in ten days, the shortest period in which it
has yet been accomplished. In the beginning of
utmost importance in reducing the ores to a metallic state.
The charge for leave to use the hot blast is at the rate of one
shilling for every ton of iron made from it. Mr. NViUon has
taken out patents which apply both to Great Britain and
France.
f In 1828, from returns laid before the House of Commons,
it appears that the total manufacture of iron throughout the
kingdom was 690,000 tons, of which only 36,500 tons were made
in Scotland. Mr. Johnson of Liverpool estimated the total
manufacture of iron throughout the kingdom, in 183!), at
1,008,280 tons; Mr. Hyde Clark at 1,512,000 tone: and Mr.
Mushet at 1.248,781 tons.
638
GLASGOW.
1840, Messrs. Todd & Macgregor, engineers, built
an iron ship of beautiful mould, of about 400 tons.
She was named 'the Iron Duke,' and is now engaged
in the East India trade. In the autumn of the same
year, an iron steamer was built by Mr. Craig (late
Claud Gird wood & Co.), which has been despatched
to the West for the conveyance of goods and passen-
gers on the rivers of Demerara. But the above are
only specimens of what is daily being accomplished
by the capital and enterprise of the Glasgow practi-
cal engineers.
The amount of coal brought into Glasgow from the
adjacent pits, has been computed on pretty correct
data at about 750,000 tons per ann., of which proba-
bly 150,000 tons are exported, and the remaining and
larger portion consumed by the inhabitants, the pub-
lic works, and the steam-vessels. The average price
is about 8s. 6d. per ton ; but from the expenses of
cartage the price is sorriewhat higher, and when sold
in retail by sack-loads to the humbler orders the
price is enhanced very considerably. It is presumed
that by the increased facilities of transit which the
railways will speedily offer, coal may be laid down
to the public works at from 3s. 6d. to 4s. per ton.
Letter-press Printing.
In 1638 the art of Letter-press printing was in-
troduced into Glasgow by George Anderson, who
had been invited from Edinburgh by the magistrates ;
and it appears from the council-records that he was
to be allowed £100 for the liquidation of his ex-
penses, " in transporting of his gear to this burgh,"
and in full of his bygone salaries from Whitsunday
1638 till Martinmas 1639. He was succeeded by
his son Andrew, who afterwards removed to Edin-
burgh, and was made King's printer for Scotland in
1671. For many years after this period, the art of
printing remained in the very lowest state in Scot-
land, probably owing to the exclusive nature of the
royal grant to Anderson. The University seems to
have been fully aware of this, and in 1713 a paper
was presented to the Faculty, containing " propo-
sals for erecting a bookseller's shop and printing
press within the University of Glasgow;" and one
of the reasons assigned for these proposals was, "that
they were obliged to go to Edinburgh in order to
get one sheet right printed." Thomas Harvie, a
student in divinity, who engaged to furnish printing
materials, was accordingly appointed printer and
bookseller to the University, and various privileges
were secured to him. He was succeeded by others ;
but it does not appear that the Glasgow press ob-
tained any celebrity till about 1 741 , when the business
was begun by Robert Foulis, who was afterwards
joined by his brother Andrew. Robert had been in
early life a barber, but the thirst of letters prevailed
over his attachment to his tonsorial duties, and ac-
companied by his brother Andrew — who had received
a more regular education — he proceeded to the Con-
tinent, and by every possible means the brethren
stored their minds with literary lore. They are
spoken ot as being men of refined intellect and per-
fect erudition. The books printed by them, both
for correctness and beauty of typography, formed a
new era in the art of printing in Scotland, and from
their exertions may be dated the commencement of
those improvements which now distinguish this most
useful profession. Foulis' celebrated edition of Ho-
race, the proof-sheets of which were hung up in the
walls of the college, and a reward offered to him
who should discover an error, appeared in 1744.
Notwithstanding all the vigilance with which the
work must have been prepared, however, subsequent
correctors of the press have discovered that this edi-
tion, which had been termed "the immaculate," con-
tains at least six typographical errors. Many splendid
editions of the classics, both in Greek and Latin,
issued from the Foulis' press, and they do not si
into the shade even when compared with the bea
tiful typography of our own day. Encouraged
their success in the printing line, the elder brotht
in 1753, instituted an academy for painting, engra
ing, moulding, modelling, and drawing in the cit
and for this purpose brought a painter, an engrave
and a copperplate printer from the Continent. A
though some of the more influential of the citize
became partners in this undertaking, it did not su
ceed, and heavy loss was sustained by all connect!
with it. Glasgow, at this period, did not present
favourable soil for the growth of the fine arts ; ai
indeed its citizens have not attained any celebri
for their attachment to them yet. Speaking of tl
undertaking Foulis says, " There seemed to be
pretty general emulation who should run it mo
down." Since the days of the Foulis the progress
printing, in all its branches, including stereotyping ar
type-founding, has fully kept pace with the advanc
ment of the city.* There are various large printii
establishments, and within the last 25 years tl
business of publishing has been carried on to a larj
extent; and the most critical in these matters ha
admitted that whether for beauty of typography,
pictorial embellishment, the work of Glasgow is n
inferior to that produced in the English metropoli
Including bookbinders, engravers, lithographers, sev
ers, and newspaper printers, there cannot be few
than 1,500 persons connected with the typograph
art in the city.f
Although magazine-literature has never thriven
Glasgow, notwithstanding the many vigorous ar
able efforts made to establish it, the case is othe
wise with newspapers, which in this city are n<
* The late Mr. Andrew Duncan raised the Glasgow Unive
sity press to high and deserved eminence. Besides numero
neat and accurate school. editions of the Classics, he hroug
out a beautiful edition of Bentley's Lucretius, with varioi
readings, in 4 vols. 8vo. ; Bos on the Greek Ellipses; the worl
of Xenophon ; a superb edition of the plays of Euripides, in
vols. 8vo., with scholia and notes, by a host of learned com
mentators, collated in the establishment; Bythner's Lyra Pro
phetica; a splendid edition of Newton's Principia, with a com
mentary on that work, in 4 vols. 8vo. ; a beautiful edition t
Homer, with Latin translation and notes, in 5 vols. 8vo. ; Sea
pula's Lexicon ; and Damii's Greek and -Latin Lexicon, in 4t<
and 8vo. The latter work was edited by his son, Mr. John M
Duncan, a gentleman known alike for his talents, learning
and piety. Mr. D. continued bringing out Classic and Englis
works, till the fatal year 1825, when, having suffered the loe
of several thousand pounds by the failure of a London pub
lisher, and losing also by Mr. Constable, he resigned businet
as a printer, and retired into private life. Mr. Duncan prt
sided over the Baptist church in George-street for nearly hall
a-i-entury, with great consistency of conduct, and zeal for th
cause he had espoused.
f One of the noblest triumphs of the noble art of printii)
has recently been achieved in Glasgow, in the completion of
full version of the Scriptures for the use of the blind. The pi
Testament is in 15 volumes, super-royal quarto, double pin
The New Testament is complete in 4 volumes, super-roy;
quarto, in great primer. The total edition of the Old Tesu
ment consisted of 9 volumes of 200 copies each, and (> volume
of 250 copies each ; in all, 3,300 volumes. There are in th
Old Testament 2,470 pages, each page containing 37 lines in th
work; and the quantity of paper consumed for the edition w*
1,160 reams of paper, weighing 8£ Ibs. each ream, or 9,8()0 Ih
In the New Teataiuent there are 6^3 pages, 42 lines in ear
page ; and the quantity of paper con.-umed for 250 copies wi
450 reams, weighing 3,825 Ibs. The p;iper was made on pui
pose, and strongly sized to retain the impression. In order t
account for the great bulk of the work, it must be borne i
rnind that it can only be printed on on« side of the paper, an
that the letters require to be of a considerable size in order
suit the touch. The printing is effected by a copper-plai
printing-press. The types— which are of the common form-
being strongly relieved and liable to give way under the m
pressure required, it has been necessary to have them reca
no less than four times during the progress of the work. 1
are in the operative-department one man and one boy as t-oi
positors, who were taught in the Blind asylum, and one pres
man ; the ordinary teacher acts as corrector of the press. 1
have been published altogether by the Glasgow asylum pres
under the direction of its indefatigable Treasurer, Mr. Jol
Alston, 10,850 volume!, printed for the use of the blind.
GLASGOW.
039
• numerous, but almost all of them boast of highly
respectable circulations. Before the year 1715, there
was no paper printed in the West of Scotland. On
the 14th November of that year the Glasgow Cou
rant made its appearance.* The Glasgow Journal —
which is still in existence — was first published in
1729, by Andrew Stalker, f Several other papers
were afterwards started, but they were speedily
numbered with the things that were. In 1783, John
Mennons published the first number of the Adver-
tiser, which contained the preliminaries of peace be-
tween Great Britain and America. In 1801 an alter-
ation in its management took place, when the title
was changed to the Advertiser and Herald; and in
1804 — when it fell into the hands of the late well-
known Samuel Hunter — the name was again changed
to the simple Herald, under which title the paper
snjoys a lusty and flourishing existence. In 1791,
the Courier was first published by William Reid &
Co., and it still exists as a most respectable journal.
During the last thirty years, however, newspapers
mve been got up and knocked down like nine pins ;
ind amongst the defunct we find the names of the
Courant, Mercury, Clyde Commercial Advertiser,
Caledonia, Sentinel, Scotchman, Western Star,
5acket, Free Press, Liberator* &c. Several of
hese have departed more than once by the same
lame. The journals at present in existence are
he Courier and Chronicle, three times a-week;
he Herald, Argus, Constitutional, and Scottish
lian, twice a-week ; and the Scots Refor-
»' Gazette, Evening Post, Mail, Journal, Scots
and Patriot, once a-week. The circula-
of these papers varies from 400 to 3,000 ;
two or three are so low as the first figure, and
one so high as the last, viz. the Herald, the
tion of which averages 3,200, and the adver-
jnts in each number nearly 200 ; occasionally
are so high as 260. With one exception all these
jrs are printed by hand-machines, which are
)le"of throwing off an impression of more than
per hour.
The Clyde commercially considered.
rhaps there is no instance of a similar kind,
n'ch art has done so much to improve natural
encies, as has been exemplified by the oper-
on the river Clyde during the last 30 or 40
In a state of nature the river below Glas-
> was printed on a small quarto size, and consisted of 12
ins. The following are portions of the title and prospec-
-" The Glatgow Courant, containing the Occurrences both
ne and abroad, from Friday \\th Novr. to Monday \\th
17l5.-Glas(row, Printed for R. T. and are to be a.. Id at
rinting House and at the Post Office, 1715. Price three
e. N. B. — Regular Customers to be charged only one
PROSPECTUS. This Paper is to be printed three times
week, for the use of the country round ; any Gentleman
nister, or any other who wants them, may have them at
Jniversity's Printing House, or at the Post Office. It is
i that tins Paper will give satisfaction to the readers, and
they will encourage it, by sending subscriptions for one
half-year, or quarterly, to the after-mentioned places,
» they shall be served at a most easy rate. Advcrti-e-
are to be taken in at either the Printing House in the
re or Post Office." The second number of the Courant
in« a letter from Mr. Aird, the late provost, and colonel
• Glasgow volunteers, dated "Stirling Bridge, 13th Nov.,
< at night, 1715," addressed to the Lord-provost of Glasgow.
Mails the movements of the rebels in that quarter, and
es that they " expect another hit at them if they stand."
n afterwards the title of the Courant was changed to 'The
st Country Intelligence,' but it did not long exist.
It may he amusing to give one or two of the marriage,
tirations from the early numbers of this antique pnnt
arch 24th, 1746,— On Monday, James Dennistoun, jun., of
\r Vine, Esq.. was married to Miss Jenny Baird, a beautiful
S lady" May 4th, 1747,— "On Monday last, Dr. Robert
ton. Professor of Anatomy and Botany, in the Univer.
of Glasgow, was married to Miss Mally Baird, a beautiful
if lady with a handtome fortune." August 3d, 1747,— 4i On
iday last, Mr. James Johnstone, merchant in this place,
married to Miss Peggy Newell, an agreeable young lady,
gow was so much impeded by fords, shoals, and
banks, as to be scarcely navigable for any craft above
the burden of an open boat; and being sensible of
these disadvantages, we find that in 1556 the in-
habitants of Glasgow, Renfrew, and Dumbarton
agreed to labour on the river six weeks alternately
with the yiew of opening up a communication be-
tween these places for small craft. In 1653 the
merchants of Glasgow had their shipping-port at
Cunningham in Ayrshire; but the harbour being
distant, and land-carriage alike inconvenient and ex-
pensive, they entered into a negotiation with the
magistrates of Dumbarton for the purchase of a sec-
tion of ground on which to construct a harbour and
docks. The overture was rejected, however, on
the plea, on the part of the Dumbarton burgesses,
that the influx of seamen would raise the price of
provisions to the inhabitants ! Foiled at Dumbarton,
the merchants of Glasgow turned their eyes to the
harbour of Troon in Ayrshire, but here they were
repulsed for reasons somewhat similar to those urged
in the case of Dumbarton, viz. that it would occa-
sion a rise in the price of butter and eggs ! Having
failed at both these places, the magistrates purchased
13 acres of ground from Sir Robert Maxwell of New-
ark, in 1662, on which they founded the town of
Port-Glasgow with its harbour, and constructed the
first dry or graving-dock in Scotland. At the same
time they made such improvements on the river as
the funds of the corporation would admit of. Pre-
vious to 1688 there had only been a landing-shore in
Glasgow; but in that year a small quay was con-
structed at the Broomielaw at an expense of £1,666
13s. 4d. sterling. Between 1755 and 1758, the river
was surveyed by Mr. Smeaton, the engineer; and, in
consequence of the reports given in by him, an act ot
parliament was obtained for rendering the river navi-
gable by means of locks. This plan, however, was
ridiculed by many of the citizens, and the river hav-
ing been surveyed, by Mr. John Golbourn of Ches-
ter, he recommended its improvement by the erection
of jetties or dykes. Having obtained an act of par-
liament in 1770, by which the members of the cor-
poration were appointed trustees, and authorized to
levy dues, they appointed Mr. Golbourn to deepen
the river, so that vessels drawing 6 feet water might
come up to the Broomielaw. By 1 7 75, he had erected
117 jetties, by means of which the river was con-
fined, and the rapidity of the tidal flow and stream
scoured the bottom, and secured the requisite depth. f
In 1 792 an addition of 360 feet was made to the har-
bour, and in 1811 it was further increased by an addi-
tion of 900 feet. In 1825 the trustees or corporation
obtained another act of parliament, granting them
increased powers, and authorizing an addition to some
of the dues; and at the same time it was provided
that five merchants, not members of the corporation,
should be added to the trust.
About forty-five years ago only gabberts, or small
craft of from 35 to 45 tons, could approach the
Broomielaw; and there are hundreds now living, or
at least very recently deceased, who recollect that
weeks elapsed without a single keel being seen at
the Broomielaw. By 1821, however, the harbour
had been so much improved that vessels drawing 13
feet 6 inches of water could come up to the Broomie-
law; and at the present date (1841), ships of 600
tons burthen, and from every part of the world,
crowd the harbour even to a degree of inconve-
nience from overcrowding perhaps nowhere else
experienced. This is a state of things, however,
which the trustees have now ample power to remedy,
and they are already setting about the work in ear-
nest. From various additions the harbour now ex-
j See Not« to our article CLYDE, p. 23a
C40
GLASGOW.
tends 3,340 feet on the north side, and 1,200 feet on
the south. A talented civil engineer is constantly
employed on the river at a salary of £500 per an-
num, with necessary assistants; and it may be truly
said that here the hand of improvement is never idle.
There are four powerful dredging-machines, two
diving-bells, a steam-tug, and a host of labourers
coristantly at work; and it is probable that ere the
lapse of many years ships of the largest burthen may
be enabled to come up abreast of the city. For a
long period the trustees have conceived that the bill
of 1825 was insufficient for the proper improvement
of the river, and various attempts were made to
carry an official bill through parliament; but from
the vast private and conflicting interest which was
arrayed against it — both from the proposed constitu-
tion of the new trust, and the rights of private pro-
perty— -the bill was defeated after a vast expenditure
of money. Eventually, however, it was carried into
law in the session 1839-40, after perhaps a more de-
termined opposition than any private bill had ever
met with, and at an expenditure to the trust of nearly
£13,000, exclusive of the sums which had been dis-
bursed in former fruitless attempts. According to
the old constitution, the trust was composed of the
32 members of council, in addition to 5 merchants
chosen by the council. The new bill of 1840 has
made up the constitution as follows: — The provost
and five bailies of Glasgow; fifteen members from
the council, or, in other words, three from each of
the fiye wards; the dean-of-guild, the deacon-con-
vener, three members from the merchants' house,
two from the trades' house, one from the chamber
of commerce, two from the magistrates and birley-
men of the suburb of Gorbals, one from Calton,
and one from Anderston. Various important powers
have been conferred by the bill ; such as that of ex-
tending the limits of the harbour, both above and
below, — widening the river at various parts, — con-
structing a spacious wet-dock on the lands of Wind-
millcroft, which have been already acquired, — and
deepening the river to the extent of 17 feet through-
out, &c. It is estimated that these works will
not be completed at less than £800,000, and by
a series of operations extended over a period of
15 years. The trust has already £150,000 in loan,
but the bill authorizes them to borrow an addi-
tional sum of £300,000. Looking, however, to the
vast progressive increase in the dues of the river and
harbour, the trustees have no apprehension as to the
expenditure and ultimate liquidation of this vast
sum ; for it is conceived that the increased accommo-
dation of the harbour, and the general advancement of
the trade of Glasgow, will, in the course of a few
years, increase the funds to such an amount as to
place the trust out of all pecuniary difficulty. The
following statement of the progressive improvement
of the river-dues, from their first imposition in 1770
till the present time, will be alike interesting and
instructive, — evincing, during the last few years in
particular, a start which is unprecedented in the an-
nals of commerce :
The Tonnage and Harbour Duties for the Year
1771 were £1,071 0 0
1791 2,145 0 0
1804 ..... 4,760 0 0
1815 ...... 5,960 0 0
1825 8,480 0 0
1826 (when 33 per cent, were added to the rates) 16,200 0 0
1828 17,669 0 0
1830 20,296 0 0
1832 ...... 22,496 0 0
1834 ..... 22.859 0 0
1835 31,900 0 0
1836 35,612 0 0
1837 ....'.. 35,595 0 0
1838 37,028 0 0
1839 .... . 45,826 0 0
1840 . . . . . 46J416 1 9
This sum is made up as follows (exclusive of t
expense of collection) :
Tonnage, Quay, Crane, and Weighing
dues, on Goods and Vessels arriving
at the Harbour from 8th July, 1839,
till 8th July, 1810, . . £42.453 2 10
Shed-dues, . . Do. . 2,793 15 5
Ferry-dues at Broomielaw, Do. 1,199 3 6
46,446 1
These funds are entirely laid out in the improv
ment of the river, in defraying expenses connect
with it, and in paying interest of loans. The ft
lowing is a statement of the arrivals, coastwise ai
foreign, at Glasgow, with the amount of tonnag
and departures, foreign, for the year 1840: —
Vessels. Tons
Number of Vessels arrived Coastwise, 5,869 305,78.=
Do. do. Foreign, 263 49,0#
Total, 67l32 354,792
Number of Vessels Failed, foreign, dur-
ing the same period, ... 408 76,5fi£
Steam- Vessels.
To Glasgow truly belongs the merit of beii
designated the cradle of British stearn-navigatio
It is not the province of this work to inqui
into the claims urged in favour of Mr. Miller
Dalswinton, Mr. Symington of Falkirk, or La
Stanhope. Suffice it to say, that Mr. Henry B
was the first person who successfully applied stea
to the propelling of vessels against wind or tic
In 1811, the Comet was built by Messrs. Jol
Wood and Company, Port-Glasgow — the sac
gentlemen who recently built the Transatlantic steal
ship the Acadia — according to the directions of M
Bell; and on the 18th January, 1812, the vess
which had been named the Comet, plied from Gla
gow to Greenock, making 5 miles an hour against
head- wind.* The engine was only of three hor
power ; yet the experiment was sufficient to pro
the vast resutts which might be obtained by it, ai
as Mr. Bell either had not the means, or was t<
simple-minded, to take out a patent, the inventi<
was speedily copied on a most extensive scale, ar
others reaped the golden harvest — blamelessly w
admit which Mr. Bell had sown. In fact, it will b
remembered to the lasting-shame of our country an
the age, that while Fulton in America was loade
with wealth and honours, Bell was compelled to dra
out a life of penury, upon a pittance of £50 per ar
num, granted by the generosity of the river-trustee:
At first it was supposed that steam-vessels wer
only capable of navigating the smooth waters <
lakes or rivers, and for two or three years tl
trade of carrying passengers was confined to tl
Clyde. The matter was put to the test, hov
ever, by Mr. David Napier, now of London, wli
was the first to employ his vessel, the Rob Roy, 3
carrying goods and passengers on the open sea; ar
the trial was so successful, that its result may 1
found not only in every creek and arm of the si
on our coasts, but in the waters of the Mediterranea:
and the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The stean
boat-quay at Glasgow, especially during the sumrn
months, presents one of the most animated seen
which it is possible to conceive. River-boats
beautiful construction leave the Broomielaw eve
hour from morning till night, and some of them po
sess such power of steam that they career along tl
Clyde at the rate of from 12 to 14 miles an hoi
* The Comet was lost on the Doors of Dorrismore, and 1
engine was fished up, and placed as a most interesting rel
the establishment of Claud Girdwood and Company— mv
Craig-where it still remains. This prototype of those
gineering triumphs which we now see in every harbour,
placed in the model-room during the sitting of the Br
sociation, adjacent to the tiny engine upon which Watt e
adjacent to the ti
mented, and attracted the greatest attention.
upon with reverence in future ages.
It will be to<
GLASGOW.
641
larger boats— especially those plying between
jiverpool and Glasgow — are in reality floating-pa-
5, having cabins fitted up at vast expense, and
i every regard.to grace and architectural beauty,
of them are powerful boats, some having 400
3' power; and no accident has ever yet befallen
of them. — The number of steam-vessels regis-
at the port of Glasgow on 31st Dec. 1843,
15 under 50 tons, total tonnage 677 tons ; and
above 50 tons, total tonnage 9,665 tons ; being
half of the steam tonnage of all Scotland.
Buryhal system.
Glasgow was first erected into a burgh-of-re-
'ity by charter from William the Lion, of date
but many alterations and extensions of the
have taken place since that remote period,
was not till 1611 that it was made a royal burgh.
1691, William and Mary by charter, conferred the
irer on the magistrates and council of electing
provost, and all other officers, " as fully and
;ly as the city of Edinburgh, or any other royal
.." The form and manner of this election have
ied at various dates, according to the different
istitutions adopted at later periods. Up till 1604,
fere contentions existed amongst the merchants'
trades' ranks for precedency in the city — the
;r being accused of looking down upon and being
to trample on the rights of the latter. Even-
lly the matter was submitted by both parties to
arbitration of Sir George Elphinstone of Blyths-
1, knight, provost, who pronounced a decreet-
jitral, commonly called the Letter of Guildry. By
decreet, he denied the right of precedence to
ler party, arid gave to both a share in the magis-
zy. This letter of guildry was afterwards con-
led by act of parliament. Up till 1801, the ex-
itive in the city consisted of the lord-provost
'ie title of lord, or honourable, having been long
ied to the chief magistrate by courtesy — three
the dean-of guild, deacon-convener, and trea-
rer; but at this period two additional bailies, one
the merchants' and the other from the trades'
were added — making five bailies, and these
ibers have remained unchanged up till the present
>. The magistrates and council enjoy a consider-
able extent of patronage, having, of course, the ap-
pointment of their own officers*, — and, in addition,
the nomination to nine out of the ten city churches ;
they are also the patrons of various bursaries in the
University, and appoint the teachers of the high or
public grammar-school of Glasgow. By a charter
from King James, in 1450, the bishop of Glasgow
and his successors held the city as a burgh-of-re-
gality, by paying yearly upon St. John's day a red
rose, if it should be asked. Subsequent to the Re-
volution, and the long burghal sway of the Stewarts
of Minto, the elections were conducted with a con-
siderable regard to fairness and the principle of ro-
tation. Up till the passing of the municipal reform
bill, the council was filled respectively by the mer-
chants' and trades' classes, according to the old close
mode of self-election ; but, since that period the coun-
cillors have been elected by the parliamentary consti-
tuency divided into five wards. The council is com-
' of 32 members, but two of them sit, ex officio,
the dean-of-guild, elected by the merchants'
)use, and the deacon-convener, elected by the trades'
house. According to the custom of all other burghs,
the council elect their own magistrates, the duration
of office being three years. Glasgow was considered
)lace of such insignificance at the period of the
lion, in 1707, that it was only assigned the fourth
of a member of parliament, — the representa-
of this district of burghs being returned jointly
I.
by Renfrew, Rutherglen, Dumbarton and Glasgow.
In 1832, the reform bill granted two members to the
city and suburbs, which were then included in the
parliamentary bounds. The merchants' house, which
returns a member to the council, has long been a
most influential body in the city of Glasgow, and is
entirely an open corporation ; any person paying £10
of entry-money, which gives a right to participate in
the property and privileges of the house, being ad-
missible. The present number of the members is
about 1,200, and their funds, which are extensive,
and chiefly expended in charity, are managed by a
large board of directors. The trades' house, which
also returns a member to the council, is, if possible, a
still more important corporation, being composed of
3,500 of the tradesmen, manufacturers, and artisans
of the city. The entrance-fees to the 14 incorpo-
rated trades, which constitute the house, are various ;
the funds very considerable, and chiefly devoted to
charity.
The property of the corporation of Glasgow is
now very extensive, and even in the worst of the
close or self-election times, it was the boast of the
city that economy ruled all its transactions, and that
the expenditure rarely exceeded the income. As a
proof of their economizing spirit, it may be men-
tioned, that while the lord-provost of Edinburgh re-
ceived £800 per annum to support his dignity, the
chief magistrate of Glasgow was content to accept
of £40; and where upwards of £20,000 would be
expended in the eastern capital to build and decorate
a church, the council of the western expended only
£7,000 on an edifice which answered the -purpose
equally well. These habits of economy may have
been forced upon the city from the stringent nature
of its pecuniary circumstances in the olden time ;
for we learn that at a meeting held on 9th April,
1609, " the provost informed the council that the
magistrates had been charged the sum of 100 punds
by the clerk-register, for the book called the Regium
Magistatem — that they were in danger of horning for
the same, and that, as the town was not stented, and
as the council could not advance the money — £8 6s.
8d. sterling — he had borrowed it from William Burn,
merchant-burgess !" As the town advanced in wealth
and population, the funds of the corporation im-
proved also. An official, called the treasurer, is pe-
riodically elected from the council, and forms one of
the magistracy, but he has little or nothing to do
with the burgh-monies, the whole being managed by
the chamberlain, who is paid a fixed salary, and is
not now a member of council. At the last winding
up of the burgh-funds on 30th September, 1840, the
revenue was stated at £14,613 9s. 8d., and the ex-
penditure at £16,405 Is. lid. The revenue for that
year was made up as follows : —
Feu.duties and ground-annuals, . . . £5,610 18 11
Feudal casualties 313 19 1)
Rents of seats in the Established churches, . 3,sn3 8 7
of lands 333 14 0
• of houses, shops, and warehouses,
of mills and lands annexed, . . . 609 12 0
of quarries and minerals in Easter and Wes-
ter common 187 10 0
of salmon-fishing, 400
and dues of market and slaughter-house, . 50J) 3 4
of washing-house 87 0 0
Dues for pasturage in the Green, &c., £268 12«. 6U
—Show stations at the fair, &c., jDMfi, 514 12 8
for shore at Port-<;la.<gow, commuted at . 20 0 0
of ladles and multures, collection suspended 000
Bazaar rents and dues, L38'2 I li
Proportion of burgess entries »81 18 0
Dividends on stock in the Forth and Clyde naviga-
tion, ten shares, .... 300 0 0
Dividends mi stock in UIP Glasgow water company,
twenty-eight bhares, . . . . 78 8 0
Dividends on block in the Cariisle road, . 340
Total revenue,
2 s
£I4,G13 -J 8
642
GLASGOW.
The revenue for the preceding year had been £15,457
12s. lOd. ; and it is only fair to state in reference to
1840, that the income was depressed and the expen-
diture increased from causes purely accidental, and
which cannot occur again. The impost on ale and
beer which latterly had been farmed out at a rent of
£1,262, and which had been enjoyed by the council
for more than 100 years, ceased this year from the
expiry of the act, and to make the account still
worse, upwards of £1,600 were expended upon mat-
ters purely incidental. The average revenue, there-
fore, cannot be taken at less than £15,500, and pre-
sent appearances would lead to the belief that it will
soon be much greater. The total stock of the city
amounts to £263,802 10s. 9d. ; and the debts to
£149,661 8s. 7d. The expenditure of the city for
the last year consisted of £4,669 5s. 9d. for the ec-
clesiastical department — that is, the payment of
ministers' stipend, &c. ; £5,905 Os. 6d. for the civil
department; £659 19s. Id. for public education;
£35 for military department; £2,604 11s. Od. for
criminal department ; and £2,531 5s. 7d. for the
finance department.
The Suburbs.
There are three suburbs connected with Glas-
gow, of vast extent, and which, at the present
date — 1840 — are computed to contain a population
of 97,000. For all the purposes of commerce
and manufacture, and so far as community of in-
terest is concerned, they and the city of Glasgow
are one and indivisible. Gorbals, which is the most
extensive, lies on the south bank, and is separated
from the city proper by the Clyde ; but Calton and
Anderston, the former on the east, and the latter on
the west, are so intermingled with the city that few
beyond the local tax-gatherer, either know, or
trouble themselves about the exact boundaries. All
of them, however, have a distinct magistracy, and
separate and independent police jurisdiction.
The Gorbals.'] — The suburb of Gorbals — which
has not unaptly been designated the South wark of
Glasgow, and the population of which has been esti-
mated at 65,000 — was formerly a village to which those
afflicted with leprosy were sent in ancient times, and
was probably in existence before the building of the
first bridge in 1345. The superiority or right of barony
and regality, was, in 1607, disposed by the Arch-
bishop of Glasgow to Sir George Elphinstone. A
charter of confirmation was granted by King James
VI. in 1611 ; and in 1647 the disponee of Sir George
Elphinstone conveyed the superiority to the magis-
trates and town-council of Glasgow, who, since
then, have enjoyed and exercised the whole rights,
privileges, jurisdictions, and powers of baron and
superior. In this capacity the magistrates and town-
council of Glasgow appoint the bailies of the barony,
the clerks, procurator-fiscal, and officers of court.
By the police act, passed in 1823, it is enacted that,
in addition to the chief magistrate, there shall be
" four resident bailies in the said barony, appointed
annually in the month of October, by the lord-pro-
vost, magistrates, and town-council of Glasgow, as
baron and superior thereof." The council of Glas-
gow exercised this right until the passing of the
municipal reform bill, and generally appointed one of
their own number to the office of chief magistrate,
who may be non-resident. Subsequent to the pass-
ing of that measure, however, the £10 householders
on the parliamentary roll, were permitted to elect
their own magistrates, in the same manner as done
in Glasgow, and those who had the highest number
of votes were afterwards officially appointed by the
Glasgow town-council — the people of Gorbals thus
possessing the reality without the name. Notice
however, has been given of a new police bill for Glas-
gow, intended to be introduced into the session of
parliament 1841-42, by a clause in which it is pro-
vided that Gorbals shall be independent of Glasgow
in this respect. At the same election four birleymen
are appointed, who constitute the dean-of-guild court
for the burgh. The territory of the burgh includes
the parish of Old Gorbals, and part of the parish 01
Govan ; and by the police statute the territory ot
the barony has been divided into five districts, viz.,
Hutchesontown, the parish of Gorbals Proper, Lau-
rieston, Tradeston, and Kingston. The burgh pos-
sesses no corporate rights or exclusive privileges, and
there are no burgesses. It has no real property, and
never appears to have had any. The only public
property is the police-buildings, which include a spa-
cious court-house, court-hall, superintendent's house,
&c., but these are vested in the commissioners ap-
pointed under the police statute, of whom the ma-
gistrates form only a part. The only revenue of the
burgh arises from fines and penalties imposed in the
police court. There are two separate assessments
for the poor in the parish. The part of the barony
situated in the parish of Govan, is assessed along
with the remainder of that parish; and the other
part of the barony, being Gorbals Proper, and com-
prising the centre and ancient part of the town, is
assessed by itself. There are some spacious streets
in the barony of recent erection, particularly Port-
land-street, and Abbotsford-place, chiefly occupied
by gentlemen whose places of business are situated
in Glasgow, and these erections impart to this por-
tion of the suburbs an air of gentility and affluence
which is surpassed by very few localities on the other
side of the river. The erection of the Govanhill
iron- works immediately upon the south-eastern
boundary of the barony is understood to have sadly
marred its extension on that quarter, from the
broad glare which they emit night and day. From
the upper portions of the city of Glasgow, the flames
of these huge furnaces may be seen reflected against
the sky like the fitful Sittings of the aurora borealis,
and however pleasing they may be at a distance,
their close proximity to the burgh is found to be
alike inconvenient and disagreeable.
Calton.']— The villages of Old and New Calton
were formerly parts of the barony of Barrowfield,
but were erected into a burgh-of-barony by crown-
charter, 30th August, 1817. At the commencement
of the last century, this locality went by the name
of Blackfauld, from the ground on the east of Glas-
gow, upon which it was built, having been formerly
occupied as a fold for black cattle. This property
was purchased in 1705, from the community of
Glasgow by Walkinshaw of Barrowfield, who first
projected the village. It was chiefly completed, how-
ever, by Mr. Orr, who acquired the Barrowfield
estate. It contains several respectable streets, but
ts general aspect is undignified, forming almost ex-
clusively the residence of the working-orders. It
forms the eastern suburb of Glasgow, and is built
so closely into it, that there is no visible line of de-
marcation. The town-council consists of a provost,
:hree bailies, a treasurer, and eleven councillors. The
councillors act as birleymen within the burgh. The
dean-of-guild is recognised as one of the magistrates
jy the police statute. The council is elected by the
Burgesses, whose fees of admission are £2 2s., and
;hey are entitled to vote whether resident or not.
The burgh has neither property, debt, nor revenue.
The police is managed by a separate board, of which
the magistrates are members, ex officiis. The large
village or suburb of Bridgeton extends fully halt-a-
mile in length, between Calton and the Clyde. It
las been so named from its vicinity to the bridge
GLASGOW.
643
thrown over the river in 1777, leading to the ancien
wrgh of Rutherglen. The inhabitants are almos
itirely operatives, and the want of a regular ma
fistracy and police has been severely felt of late
pears. Camlachie, another large suburb of Glasgow
?xtends to the east of the city on the Edinburgh
id Hamilton road, and is chiefly inhabited by wea-
rs The population of Calton is estimated to be
,000.
Andi>rston.~] — This suburb commences about a mile
rest from the cross of Glasgow, and adjoins the city
closely as Calton. It lies along the banks ol
Myde. The locality derives its name from An-
;rston of Stobcross, who, so early as 1725, formed
le design of erecting a village here. This village
erected into a burgh-of-barony, by crown-char-
sealed November 1824; and the town-council
isists of a provost, three bailies, a treasurer, and
?ven councillors, who are elected by the burgesses,
'hey also manage the police business by a separate
itute. By the act obtained in 1826 for regulat-
the police of the burgh, and of the lands of
icefield and others adjoining, it is enacted that
burgess shall be entitled to vote unless he be
roprietor or life-renter of heritable subjects within
police bounds, or tenant or occupier of heritable
2rty of the fixed yearly rent of £20 at least,
'he burgh has neither property nor debts. Im-
lediately adjoining is the large village of Finnieston,
fhich was laid out by the proprietor of Stobcross in
1770, and christened in honour of his chaplain,
k'hose name was Finnie. The locality of Ander-
>n is one alike bustling and business-like. Here
i situated some of the largest cotton-mills con-
Jted with the city, including those of Messrs,
louldsworth, and Alexander Graham & Company
the large bottle- work of Stevenson and Price (late
>ddes) — the pottery and china- works of Mr. R. A.
idston — and the immense engineering works of
[r. David Napier, with those of Todd and Macgre-
>r, Mitchell, and Neilson, &c. These three sub-
rbs are included within the parliamentary bounds of
le city of Glasgow.
Port-Dundas.] — This maybe considered one of the
Jlasgow suburban villages. It is situated nearly due
orth from the centre of the city, and is reached by
very considerable ascent. There are, however, very
;w dwelling-houses in it, the erections being gen-
illy warehouses, or such as are devoted to the
irposes of trade. It gains its importance from be-
the principal basin of the Forth and Clyde canal,
and is altogether a place of much commercial bustle
and activity. It is situated literally on the top of
a hill, and the appearance of ships and ships' masts
rising far above the tops of the houses in the city
has often been the subject of wonder and surprise to
strangers. See FORTH arid CLYDE CANAL.
Appearance and Social condition.
Unlike Edinburgh, and many other towns in the
kingdom, Glasgow appears very disadvantageously
from a distance. In the majority of its approaches, the
tirst intimation which a stranger has of his vicinity to
a great city, is the innumerable cluster of tall brick
chimney-stalks, vomiting volume on volume of dark
smoke, and imparting to the suburbs an air of din-
giness. Anon, as he enters the outskirts, his ear is
dinned by the whirring of spindles, the noisy motion
of power-loom machinery, or the brattling "of ham-
mers ; and everything assures him that he is ap-
proaching one of the busiest haunts of mankind, and
in a locality of which it may be truly said :
" Here Industry and Gain their vigils keep,
Command the wind's and tame the unwilling deep."
The ground on which Glasgow and the suburbs are
built consists, generally, of a long level tract on both
banks of the Clyde, rising to the north, however, to
a considerable altitude. On this ridge is situated the
Cathedral, which may be considered the nucleus of the
city, and from it the streets have branched southwards
towards the river. The houses in this part of the
city are generally of an indifferent description in point
of appearance, and a glance suffices to tell that many
of them belong to a period far anterior to the present
day, and that in fact they have completely outlived
their former respectability or splendour. The High-
street leads from the Cathedral, and terminates at the
Cross, where the Trongate extends to the west, and
the Gallowgate to the east. The Trongate — which a
little farther west takes the name of Argyle-street —
is one of the most spacious street in Europe ; it is in
general fully 60 feet in width ; the houses are high,
substantially built, and stately, and many of them
boast of considerable antiquity ; while the torrent of
population which is ever hurrying along the pavements
morning, noon, and night, with the coaches, cabs,
waggons, and carts which stream along its centre,
present an air of business-activity which bears a very
close resemblance to what is daily seen on the long
line of street leading from Ludgate-hill, along Fleet-
street and the Strand, to Charing-cross in London.
Gallowgate, Trongate, and Argyle-street, extend
more than 2 miles, in an almost uninterrupted line,
and on every side are lined with spacious shops,
extensive warerooms, and dwelling-houses above.
From the centre portion of this long line some of
the finest business-streets in the city extend to the
northward, including the offices of the majority of
the banking-companies, the counting-houses of the
foreign merchants, the warerooms of the manufac-
turers, and the offices of the gentlemen connected
with the law. Amongst these may be named Miller-
street, Virginia-street, (containing the stately domi-
ciles of the old'Virginia traders, which are now uni-
versally transformed into places of business,) Queen-
street, and Buchanan-street. These two last-named
streets comprise part of the recent additions to the
city ; and though they now contain some of the finest
shops in the kingdom, and are redolent of business-
activity, there are persons still alive who remember
when they were entirely in the outskirts of the city,
and when Queen- street went by the name of the
Cow-loan, from this being the route by which the
town's-herd conducted the cows of the citizens home
from their pastures in the Cowcaddens, now a thriv-
ing and populous suburb. Parallel with Argyle-street,
and extending to the westward, are some spacious
streets, chiefly occupied with the dwelling-houses of
the more respectable classes of the citizens. Of these
George-street, Regent-street, and Bath-street may
be named. They lead to the patrician locality of the
Blythswood-grounds, where are situated Blythswood-
square, Elmbank-crescent, Woodside-crescent, &c.,
which are built and laid out with a degree of mag-
nificence worthy of the merchant-princes of the West.
This is called the new part of the town ; and with
the exception of Moray-place in Edinburgh, and, some
of the squares in London, the crescents and square
we have named are unequalled in architectural beauty
and unity by the buildings in any part of the king-
dom. The houses are built of a durable white free-
stone, and so substantially constructed withal, that,
inlike the brick tenements of the great metropolis
vith their facings of Roman cement, they are des-
ined to endure for ages. Here is congregated all that
s most refined, elevated, and opulent, in a mercan-
ile and manufacturing aristocracy ; and the contrast
jetween the streets and buildings in the western
portion of Glasgow with those in the eastern, not ex-
644
GLASGOW.
eluding the character of their occupants, is wide as
the poles asunder.
Returning to the Cross, at the eastern extremity
of the Trongate, the street immediately opposite the
foot of High-street is called the Saltmarket, and it
leads to the Green on the north bank of the river,
and to the uppermost bridge which crosses the Clyde,
named Hutcheson's bridge. This street, although the
residence of the best in the city in the olden times,
is now principally occupied by brokers, old clothes'
dealers, and those who minister to the wants of the
humbler classes of the population. The Bridgegate
is approached from the Saltmarket at the eastern end,
and is terminated by Stockwell-street on the west.
This is a fine old street, and in several parts of it of
great width. Seventy years ago it was quite a patri-
cian portion of the city, and contained the merchants'-
hall, and the assembly-rooms in which the Duchess of
Douglas used to lead off the Glasgow civic balls,
about the commencement of the last century. But
alas, for the fickleness of all things mundane, its
glory has completely departed. The merchant's-
house has long been removed, though the handsome
old spire remains ; and the houses and shops of the
merchants of the former age are now occupied by
spirit -dealers, tripe-sellers, and provision - dealers,
whose business it is to supply the wants of the
very canaille of the city who are thickly congre-
gated in the numerous lanes and wynds which lead
into this locality. King-street is parallel with Salt-
market to the west, and contains the flesh, fish, and
green markets, — buildings which must have been re-
garded as alike handsome and spacious at the time of
their erection ; but as the wealth of the city has
migrated westward, these markets are now much ne-
glected, and entirely divested of their former public
importance. No new markets have been erected in
their stead, but the fleshers, fish-merchants, arid
fruiterers have followed their customers by taking
shops in the western locality, where the demand is
briskest and the payment surest. "Westward from
King-street is Stockwell-street, a place of consider-
able business, which forms the approach to Stock-
well-bridge. Maxwell-street forms the principal,
though not the lineally direct pathway to the Wooden
or Accommodation-bridge ; and Jamaica-street, still
farther west, constitutes the approach to the lowest
bridge on the Clyde, that of most recent erection,
and which is designated par excellence, " the Glas-
gow bridge." Jamaica-street forms the vena cava of
two-thirds of the traffic from the Broomielaw, and
is constantly crowded by carts, waggons, noddies,
and omnibuses, which take this route on their way
from the harbour to their different destinations in
the city and suburbs, or vice versa. The Broomie
law or harbour extends to the west from the foot of
Jamaica-street, and ships of large tonnage are brought
up to within a few yards of the Glasgow bridge.
The peep down the river from the centre of this noble
bridge is one of the most animating which can pos
sibly be conceived. A forest of masts spreads be-
fore the gaze of the spectator as far as the eye can
reach, — the wharfs are covered with men of all na-
tions, and the produce of every clime, — a stream of
passengers hastening to and from the steam-boats
and the city rolls unintermittingly along the line of
quays, — while the air thickens with the dense vol-
umes of smoke from the steam-boat quay, situated
at the lower portion of the harbour, — and a thou-
sand ever-shifting sights and sounds complete the
picture of never-ceasing bustle and activity here
presented. Glasgow possesses one very pleasing
feature, which has been often arid much admired
by strangers. Instead of the warehouses, &c. be-
ing built right on the banks of the river, as is
the case with the Thames, it has been so arranged
that all the streets and lanes terminate at a consider-
able distance from the Clyde, thus affording a most
ample pathway between the streets and the river.
From the Glasgow bridge, upwards to Stockwell,
the banks of the river on each side are laid out
in green sward, on which, " when summer days are
prime," the adjacent lieges bleach their linen, and
sheep are allowed to browse, — a novel feature, im-
parting altogether an air of rural lightsomeness to
the very heart of a crowded city. From all the
streets which have been named tributaries branch-
off in every direction ; but it is unnecessary to enter
into this part of the subject minutely, as the reader
will learn more from consulting the plan of the city
inserted in the present work than from any descrip-
tion on our part. It is enough to say, that how-
ever the stranger may have been prepossessed against
the amenity of Glasgow from its suburban appear-
ance, he is no sooner within the spacious and
splendid amplitude of its business-streets, than he
finds that he is in the very centre of one of the
busiest and most intelligent of the many commercial
and manufacturing hives which minister to the na-
tional greatness; and its numerous lofty spires,
churches, and educational institutions, tell him that
Christian and secular instruction are not forgotten
in the midst of other active pursuits.
Having spoken thus briefly of the external appear-
ance of the city, it may not be amiss to touch on the
state of society, both in the present and former times.
Up till the period of the Reformation, and indeed for
long after it, the major part of the inhabitants may
be said to have existed in a state of ignorance, poverty,
and barbarism ; intestine feuds were frequent ; the
people went constantly armed; and it was no unusual
thing for the ministers of religion to ascend the pulpit
with dagger, sword, or pistol on their persons ! Crimes
which are now thought of with horror were of fre-
quent occurrence, and such was the state of society
that private revenge as frequently inflicted the pun-
ishment of aggression as the arm of the law. The
Reformation undoubtedly laid the foundation of im-
provement, but the civil troubles and contests by
which it was followed sadly marred the civilizing
effects which might otherwise have flowed from it.
It would appear that even the better class of citizens
were not free from the ignorance and superstition
which oppressed their humbler fellow-citizens: for we
find that, so late as 1698, "the magistrates of Glas-
gow granted an allowance to the jailer for keeping
warlocks and witches imprisoned in the tolbooth, by
order of the Lords commissioners of justiciary."
Neither does the civic economy of the city appear to
have been of a higher standard : for we find an order
issued by the town-council, in 1610, to the effect,
"that in future there should be no dung-hills on
the principal streets, nor in the flesh-market, meal
or other market, under a penalty of 13s. 4d. ; and
that no timber or peat-stacks lie on the High-
street, above a year and a day ; nor lint be dried
on the High-street." In its ignorance, barbarity,
poverty, and filth, it is not to be presumed that
Glasgow was in a worse position than any other
town of Scotland, with the exception of the capital,
which, from being the seat of the legislature and
the residence of the aristocracy, had pretensions to
refinement which were a wanting elsewhere. The
Union, in 1707, which opened up the English colo-
nies to the Scots, was the first event which ma-
terially contributed to an alteration for the better
in the character and disposition of the inhabitants of
Glasgow ; and we find that shortly after this period
they adopted manners only equalled in the intensity
of their austerity by the latitude of their former j:
GLASGOW.
645
luteness. Regarding the state of society at this
rly period, some very interesting statements have
md their way into the Scrap-book of the vener-
jd Mr. Dugald Bannatyne, a few of which, evinc-
that frugality and industry were, in these infant-
lys of Glasgow commerce, the guiding stars of her
:hants, we may here quote : " At the commence-
it of the 18th century, and during the greater
t of the first half of it, the habits and style of
ring of the citizens of Glasgow were of a moderate
i frugal cast. The dwelling-houses of the highest
,ss of citizens, in general, contained only one pub-
room, a dining-room ; and even that was used only
/hen they had company, — the family at other times
sually eating in a bed-room. The great-grand-
thers and great-grandmothers of many of the pre-
it luxurious aristocracy of Glasgow — and who
re themselves descendants of a preceding line of
fher-patricains — lived in this simple manner,
icy had occasionally their relations dining with
lem, and gave them a few plain dishes, all put on
e table at once : holding in derision the attention
irhich they said their neighbours the English be-
swed on what they ate. After dinner, the husband
jnt to his place of business, and, in the evening, to
club in a public-house, where, with little expense,
- enjoyed himself till nine o'clock, at which hour
party uniformly broke up, and the husbands
rent home to their families. The wife gave tea
home in her own bed-room, receiving there
visits of her 'cummers,' and a great deal of
jrcourse of this kind was kept up, — the gentle-
m seldom making their appearance at these par-
This meal was termed ' the four-hours.'
lilies occasionally supped with one another, and
form of the invitation, and which was used to a
period, will give some idea of the unpretending
iture of these repasts. The party asked was in-
to eat an egg with the entertainer ; and when
was wished to say that such a one was not of their
" the expression used was, that he had never
ced a hen's egg in their house.
" The wealth introduced into the community after
Union, opening the British colonies to the Scots,
lually led to a change of the habits and style of liv-
of the citizens. About the year 1735 several in-
ividuals built houses, to be occupied solely by them-
selves, in place of dwelling on a floor entering from
a common stair, as they hitherto had done. This
change, however, proceeded very slowly, and up to
the year 1755 to 1760, very few of these single
houses had been built, — the greater part of the most
wealthy inhabitants continuing, to a much later
period, to occupy floors in very many cases contain-
ing only one public room. After the year 1 740 the
intercourse of society was, by evening-parties, never
exceeding twelve or fourteen persons, invited to tea
and supper. They met at four, and after tea played
cards till nine, when they supped. Their games
were whist and quadrille. The gentlemen attended
these parties, and did not go away with the ladies
after supper, but continued to sit with the landlord,
drinking punch, to a very late hour. The gentle-
men frequently had dinner-parties in their own
houses, but it was not till a much later period that
the great business of visiting was attempted to be
carried on by dinner-parties. The guests at these
earlier dinner-parties were generally asked by the
entertainer, upon 'Change, from which they accom-
panied him, at the same time sending a message to
their own houses that they were not to dine at home.
The late Mr. Cuninghame of Lainshaw meeting the
Earl of Glencairn at the Cross in this way, asked him
to take pot-luck with him, and having sent imme-
diate notice to his wife of the guest invited, enter-
tained him with a most ample dinner. Some con-
versation taking place about the difference between
dinners in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Lord Glencairn
observed, that the only difference he knew of was, that
in Glasgow the dinner was at sight while in Edin-
burgh it was at fourteen days' date. These dinner-
parties usually terminated with hard drinking, and
gentlemen in a state of intoxication were, in conse-
quence, to be met with at most evening-parties, and
in all public places. The dinner-hour, about the
year 1770, was ten o'clock; immediately after that,
it came to three o'clock; and gradually became later
and later, till about 1818 it reached six o'clock.
The first instance of a dinner of two courses in the
neighbourhood of Glasgow was about the year 1786.
Mrs. Andrew Stirling of Drumpellier, who made
this change in the economy of the table, justified
herself against the charge of introducing a more
extravagant style of living, by saying, that she had
i put no more dishes on her table than before, but had
I merely divided her dinner, in place of introducing her
additional dishes in removes.
" Influenced by a regard for the Sabbath, the ma-
gistrates employed persons termed ' compurgators' to
perambulate the city on the Saturday nights; and
when at the approach of twelve o'clock, these inqui-
sitors happened to hear any noisy conviviality going
on, even in a private dwelling-house, they entered it
and dismissed the company. Another office of these
compurgators was to perambulate the streets and
public walks during the time of divine service on
Sunday, and to order every person they met abroad,
not on necessary duty, to go home, and if they re-
fused to obey, to take them into custody. The em-
ployment of these compurgators was continued till
about the middle of the century, when, taking Mr.
Peter Blackburn— father of Mr. Blackburn of Kil-
learn — into custody for walking on Sunday in the
Green, he prosecuted the magistrates for an un-
warranted exercise of authority, and prevailing in
his suit in the Court of Session, the attempt to com-
pel this observance was abandoned."
Up till 1750, the severity of the ancient manners
prevailed in full vigour ; people, as has been stated,
were prevented from walking on the Lord's day ; no
lamps were lighted on that evening, because it was
presumed that no man had any business to be out of
his own house after sunset ; the indulgences or in-
nocent amusements of life were either unknown or
little practised. But by this time commerce and
manufactures had produced wealth; and the esta-
blishment of banks had increased the supply of money,
and enlarged the ideas of the people both as re-
garded their manner of living and their schemes of
improvement. A new and expensive style was now
introduced into building, living, dress, and furniture,
— the conveniences and elegances of life began to
be studied, — wheel-carriages were set up, — places of
entertainment were frequented, — and at once to get
rid of the austerity and stern restrictions of former
times, a theatre and assembly-room were built by
subscription. Not only Glasgow, but the west of
Scotland generally, had been enriched by the colonial
trade ; and as a consequence of it, new streets were
laid out in the city, the old wooden teneim-ms
with thatched roofs were displaced for commodious
stone mansions, and the progress of refinement, and
it may be said, of luxury, has advanced to the present
time. It is curious to note, however, the state of
thraldom in which the majority of the citizens were
held by the Virginian merchants, previous to the
breaking out of the American war. These gentle-
men were regarded as the civic aristocracy, and were
accustomed to promenade the Trongate in the vicin-
ity of the cross, in long scarlet cloaks and bushy wig».
646
GLASGOW.
and if any decent tradesman wished to have a word
with them, he was required to take up his station
on the opposite side, and wait patiently till he could
be fortunate enough to catch the eye of the tobacco-
lord, for it would have been resented as a most un-
warrantable liberty had the craftsman dared to accost
him off-hand. Amongst those who thus stood upon
their dignity, were the Cuninghames, the Spiers, the
Glassfords, the Dunmores, the Stirlings, Spreulls,
and others; but the increasing intercourse of the
citizens with the world, and above all, the establish-
ment of the public coffee-room in 1781, did much to
number this servile reverence for mere wealth among
the things that were, and now-a days, there is no place
in her Majesty's dominions, where merit, good con-
duct, and ability, even unaccompanied by wealth,
more readily form the passport to public favour, re-
spect, and confidence. In all the elements of good
living and refinement, the better class of the citizens
of Glasgow have improved mightily since the begin-
ning of the present century, and it may be truly stated
that the wealthy population of the localities which
have been named in the west end, lead a life in
which " ne'er a want may be ungratified," and are
in possession of luxuries which were unknown to the
majority of the Scottish nobles even fifty years ago.
The introduction of steam-navigation has brought
the fairy nooks, bays, and crooks of the western
coast within a few hours' sail of the city, and there
are few of the merchants, manufacturers, or profes-
sional gentlemen who have not a summer cottage
ornee, perched upon the water's edge at Gourock,
Dunoon, Kilmun, the Gareloch, Rothesay, or Largs.
These are laid out with every regard to taste, with
blooming parterres without and elegance within, and
it is scarcely possible for a humble citizen to pass
them either on foot or in steamers without aspirat-
ing,
" Oh that for me some home like this would smile !"
While thus much has been stated of the sunny por-
tion of Glasgow society, it is only fair to present the
dark side of the picture. This city, like Dublin,
embraces to a remarkable extent the very extremes
of wealth and misery ; and the most painful feature
in the case is, that in proportion as the one class ap-
pears to be advancing in opulence, the other appears
to be receding towards a state of abject and helpless
wretchedness. The closses leading from the High-
street, and the wynds are known to contain an ag-
gregate of misery, disease, and vice, which is perhaps
unequalled, certainly not exceeded, by that of any
other city of the empire. The district in which the
wynds are situated lies in the very heart of the city,
and here fever is ever present, — at times breaking out
with frightful virulence and permeating all classes
of society. The population of these places is not
usually Glasgow-born, but the locality affords a shel-
ter and nestling-place for all that is low and squalid,
come from what quarter it may. The great majority
of the tenants of these dens are Irish, who, from the
facilities now afforded by steam-navigation, are induc-
ed to fly from wretchedness in their own country to a
state of things little better in the land of the stranger.
The locality of the wynds is bounded by the wealthy
street of Trongate on the north, Bridgegate on the
south, King-street on the east, and Stockwell-street
on the west. A short time since it was visited offi-
cially by Mr. Jellinger C. Symons, one of the assist-
ant-commissioners for inquiring into the condition
of the hand-loom weavers in the United Kingdom, and
his report is of the most painful and startling de-
scription. Though perhaps slightly coloured, it will
generally be admitted that his statements are based ;
on a foundation of truth. Mr. Symons says — " The
wynds of Glasgow comprise a fluctuating population
of from 15,000 to 20,000 persons. This quarter
consists of a labyrinth of lanes, out of which num-
berless entraces lead into small courts, each with a
dunghill reeking in the centre. Revolting as was
the outside of these places, I was little prepared for
the filth and destitution within. In some of these
lodging-rooms (visited at night), we found a whole
lair of human beings littered along the floor, — some-
times fifteen and twenty, — some clothed, and some
naked, — men, women, and children huddled promis-
cuously together. Their bed consisted of a lair of
musty straw intermixed with rags. There was gen-
erally no furniture in these places. The sole article
of comfort was a fire. Thieving and prostitution
constituted the main source of the revenue of this
population. No pains seems to be taken to purge
this Augean pandemonium, — this nucleus of crime,
filth, and pestilence, — existing in the centre of the
second city of the empire. These wynds constitute
the St. Giles of Glasgow, but I owe an apology to
the Metropolitan pandemonium for the comparison.
A very extensive inspection of the lowest districts
of other places, both here and on the continent, never
presented any thing half so bad, either in intensity of
pestilence, physical and moral, or in extent propor-
tioned to the population."
For the amelioration of this frightful moral incu-
bus, various plans have been proposed, but it would
appear that all of them are beyond the reach of pri-
vate benevolence or private effort. It is hoped that
the extension of the poor-law to Ireland may have
its beneficial effects; but hitherto these have not
been apparent. A poor-law for Scotland on a more
liberal scale than the present, — education which will
elevate the moral status of the more debased of the
population, — and an extensive system of emigration,
— have in their turn been proposed ; but it is presumed
that whatever measure cures this disease must be a
national one, and at all events it is the opinion of the
best-informed gentlemen in Glasgow on these sub-
jects, both medical, magisterial, and clerical, that the
subject will ere long force itself upon the community
in a manner not to be trifled with.
Population, fyc.
The advance of population and property in Glas-
gow is unparalleled in any city in the kingdom, and
perhaps in the world, if some of the cities in the
United States are excepted, which appear to rise
up in the heart of the forest with railroad speed.
It is recorded by one of the historians of New South
Wales, that part of the ground upon which Sydney
now stands, was disposed of by the original holders
for a keg of rum or a roll of tobacco, which, within
15 years thereafter, brought £20,000; and the
same kind of rapid increase and value appears to
hold true with regard to Glasgow. The city has
steadily advanced to the west until it has almost
covered the lands of Blythswood. This property,
about 40 years ago, brought the proprietor £223 Is.
3d., while, at the present moment, it is understood
that the unredeemable feus, secured on substantial
buildings, amount to more than £13,000 per an-
num ; and there is still a portion to feu. Previous
to 1610, there was no census of the population of
Glasgow upon which dependence can be placed ; but
it is believed that, about the period of the Refor-
mation, in 1560, the numbers of the citizens did not
amount to more than 4,560. When the Confession
of Faith was signed, in 1581, the numbers above 12
years of age were 2,250 ; and, when the population
was taken in 1610, by order of Archbishop Spottis-
wood, it was found to amount to 7,644. In 1660, it
had increased to 14,678 ; but consequent upon the
civil wars it fell off, amounting only to 11,948 in 1688,
GLASGOW.
647
indeed it did not recover itself for half a century
rwards. The following table of the numbers
cen at different periods subsequent to this date,
Lher by individuals of trust and veracity, the ma-
strates, or by Government authority, will show the
ressive rise of the city : —
In 1560, . . 4,500 In 1785, . . 45,889
- 1708,
— 1712,
— 1740,
- 1755,
_ 176*.
-1780.
12,766
13,832
17,034
23,546
— 1791,
— 1801,
— 1811,
_ 1821,
. 66,587
83,769
. 100,749
147,043
. 202,426
280,676
42,832 — 1841,
the census of 1831, the males were ascertained to
93,724; the females, 108,702; in that of 1841,
e males were 133,306; the females, 147,370. In
1, there were 19,200 inhabited houses; in 1841,
751 ; had the houses increased in the same ratio
the population, the number in 1841 would have
m 25,463. This striking fact indicates a sensible
ling-off in the domestic comfort of the great mass
the population. The population of the suburbs
s first added to the enumeration in 1780. Up till
76, there were no foot-pavements; but, at the
nttime, they extend considerably more than 120
iles in length, and they must have been constructed
an expense of nearly £200,000. In 1790, the
common-sewer was constructed in Glasgow,
it is calculated that they now extend fully
miles. It affords a curious and rather flatter-
insight into the state of Glasgow in the end
last century to state, that at the autumn-circuits
1779, 1782, and 1796, there was no criminal
ness before the court. But of late years crime
so much increased with the population, that it
become necessary to hold three criminal diets
the city, instead of two as formerly, when gen-
'ly from 100 to 140 persons are arraigned at
i, and the court occasionally sits from seven to
ht days. This, of course, is quite irrespective
the vast number of minor offences, tried by
sheriff, the justices, and the magistrates of the
ty.
Bridges.
The Clyde at Glasgow is spanned by four
-:dge.s, communicating with the suburban district
Gorbals. The first, or uppermost, is termed
Hutchesons' bridge ; the second, Stockwell bridge ;
the third, the Wooden, or Accommodation bridge ;
and the fourth, the Glasgow, or Jamaica-street
bridge. — Stockwell-street bridge was built by Bishop
Rae, about the year 1345, the pious Lady Lochore,
who had property on both sides of the river, defray-
ing the expense of the centre arch. It was ori-
ginally 12 feet wide, and had eight arches. On the
week of the Glasgow fair, in 1671, the south arch
came down ; and it is a circumstance not only pro-
vidential, but remarkable, that no one suffered any
fatal injury. In 1777, an addition of 10 feet was
made to the breadth of this bridge, and two of the
arches built up, for the purpose of confining the
river within narrower space. In 1821, it was
further improved by the introduction of ornamental
iron footpaths, suspended by substantial framings.
These were executed after plans by the celebrated
Thomas Telford, the engineer of the Menai bridge.
The Stockwell bridge was the principal channel of
intercourse between Glasgow and the south-west
parts of Scotland for 400 years. It is 415 feet long,
and 34 feet in width within the parapets. — The
foundation-stone of the original Jamaica-street bridge
was laid in September, 1768, by Mr. George Mur-
doch, then lord-provost of the city, who had pro-
cured a splendid chain and seals of office for the
occasion, and was the first magistrate of Glasgow
who wore such a badge of distinction. Although
this bridge was quite spacious enough for the time
in which it was built, it contained a very inconveni-
ent ascent, and was found to be quite unsuited to
the accommodation of the growing trade of Glasgow
and the suburbs. It was resolved accordingly to
take it down, and on 3d September, 1833, the
foundation-stone of the present magnificent struc-
ture was laid by James Ewing, Esq. of Levenside,
then lord-provost, and one of the members for the
city in parliament. The masonic procession on the
occasion >vas one of the most splendid ever seen
in Glasgow. Independently of the grand lodge ot
Scotland, there were present 33 other lodges, all the
civic officials of the city, and the magistrates of 12
burghs, from the shire of Lanark, Renfrew, and Ayr.
The procession numbered 4,000 persons, and the
ceremony was witnessed by an assemblage amount-
ing to 150,000 individuals. This noble bridge is 560
feet in length ; and 60 feet in width over the
parapets, viz., roadway, 34 feet in width ; and 2
side pathways, each 12 feet wide. The bridge is
faced with Aberdeen granite, and while it is the
widest, it is at the same time one of the most beau-
tiful erections of the kind in the country. It is now
the great line of communication between the north
and south sides of the river, connecting the city with
the suburbs. The design is by Telford.— The
foundation-stone of the original Hutchesons' bridge
was laid in 1 794, by Mr. Gilbert Hamilton, lord-pro-
vost. It was, however, swept away on 18th No-
vember, 1795, by a furious flood in the Clyde, just
when the erection had been all but completed. It
was succeeded, in 1803, by a handsome timber bridge
for the accommodation of foot passengers. It stood
for many years, but was removed when the present
Hutchesons' bridge was built. The foundation-stone
of this structure was laid on 18th August, 1829, by
Mr. Robert Dalglish, preceptor of Hutchesons' hos-
pital, and was executed from designs by Mr. Robert
Stevenson, civil engineer. It has 5 arches, is 406
feet in length, and 36 feet in width within the para-
pets. This bridge connects the eastern part of the
city with the suburb of Gorbals, called Hutcheson-
town Before the removal of the old Jamaica-street
bridge, a handsome timber bridge was built, a little
above it, and on a line with Portland-street, Gorbals,
to accommodate the public until the completion of
the larger structure. When the Glasgow bridge was
finished, the inhabitants residing in the neighbour-
hood had found the Accommodation bridge so con-
venient, that they earnestly petitioned it might be
allowed to remain, which request was acquiesced in.
It is now, however, only used for foot-passengers. A
very handsome revenue is exacted from the traffic
along the Glasgow bridges, the funds of which are
managed by one trust.
Supply of Water.
Until the formation of water-companies in Glas-
gow in the commencement of the present century,
the inhabitants were very poorly supplied with this
first necessary from 29 public and a few private
wells. So far back as 70 years ago, the magistrates
procured plans for conveying water to the city in
pipes from Whitehill, but the attempt proved abor-
tive. Again, in 1794, an effort was made by the in-
habitants to procure a more copious supply of water,
and a civil engineer was employed to prepare tho
plans, but these being both expensive and unsatisfac-
tory, the scheme was again abandoned. The first
incentive to follow out a proper plan was at length
S'vrn l>y a private individual. In 1804, Mr. William
iirlcy, who had feued the lands of Willowbank,
constructed H reservoir in I'pper Nile-street, whu-U
648
GLASGOW.
he supplied with spring- water by pipes from the lands
he had feued, .and dispensed it to the inhabitants by
means of huge cisterns placed on carriages, and which
were moved from street to street. The enterprise
of a single individual induced a number of the in-
habitants to form themselves into a company for sup-
plying the city with filtered water from the Clyde.
In 1806, they procured an act of parliament, erecting
them into an incorporation by the name of the ' Glas-
gow Water company,' and shortly thereafter their
works were erected at Dalmarnock, upon the Clyde,
two miles above the city, and Glasgow was, for the
first time, supplied with water by these means. In
1808, another company was formed under the name
of the ' Cranstonhill Water company,' and similar
parliamentary powers were also granted to them. For
a number of years these companies went on inde-
pendently ; but they have recently been joined by
act of parliament, — though it is not understood that
the citizens have gained by the junction either in
the abundance of the supply, or the purity of the
stream. Up till Whitsunday 1836, these companies
had expended £350,000 in conveying water to the
city and suburbs, and by this time the sum must have
been vastly increased. The revenue was then up-
wards of £25,000 per annum, and the number of
water-renters about 45,000. These must also have
been greatly augmented. In fact, the company's
pipes are now laid into every household, with the
exception of the very poorest. The quantity fur-
nished per diem is upwards of 8,000,000 imperial
gallons.
Gas.
The Gas company was incorporated in 1817 ; and
on 5th September, 1818, the street-lamps were lighted
with it for the first time. The works are situated
on the high grounds in the north-eastern part of the
city, and occupy an area of 14,831 square yards. In
the works there are upwards of 150 retorts employed,
each capable of producing 5,000 cubic feet of gas in
24 hours. The pipes are generally laid under the
foot pavements, and extend to more than 120 miles
in length ; and the new light is used extensively not
only in dwelling-houses, but even in the meanest
shop and cabaret of the city and suburbs. About
10,000 tons of cannel coal are annually consumed in
producing a supply adequate to the demand ; and the
company are at every little interval called upon to
make additions to their already very extensive works.
Glasgow is not celebrated either for the purity or
plentifulness of its gas ; and it has been generally con-
sidered, that if the lighting of this immense city had
been intrusted to two or three companies instead of
one, there would have been sufficient work for all, and
the inhabitants would not be the worse served from
the competition which would ensue. The present
charge, when used by metre, is 9s. per 1,000 cubic
feet, subject to a discount varying from 5 to 30 per
cent., according to the amount consumed. Several
of the more extensive public works, such as spinning-
mills, &c., manufacture their own gas.
Means of Communication.
It would be difficult to point out any city in
her Majesty's dominion which possesses better
means of communicating with the world around her
than Glasgow. By means of powerful steam-ves-
sels, the distance between the capital of the West,
and the great commercial and manufacturing county
of Lancashire, including Liverpool and Manches-
ter, is reduced to an average of less than twenty
hours' sailing; Dublin and Belfast are still nearer
at hand; and the whole of the Western Isles, and
western portions of the Highlands, are constantly
visited by the steamers of the Clyde, carrying pas-
sengers and manufactures, and returning with stock
and agricultural produce. The communication be-
tween Glasgow and England and Ireland is, in the
summer-season at least, almost daily ; and spacious
as may be the accommodation of these floating pala-
ces, they are often in the travelling season crowdec
to inconvenience by tourists and men of business,
With Edinburgh and the eastern portion of the
island, the communication is also of a first-rate de-
scription,— by the mails, and numerous stage-coaches
for passengers, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow cana
for heavy goods and passengers. But by the montl
of August in the present year (1841), these convey,
ances, superior as they may be, will be thrown intc
the shade by the opening of the Edinburgh and Glas-
gow railway, which is now in an advanced state o
forwardness. The railway from Glasgow to Paislei
was opened on 13th July, 1840, and the whole line
to Ayr was opened llth August in the same year
The Greenock railway, which, with the Glasgow anc
Ayr company, shares the joint line to Paisley, i
now in such a state of forwardness that it will in al
likelihood be opened by the time this sheet meets
the public eye, and Glasgow will thus possess an-
other and speedier means of communication wit)
Greenock, independent of the splendid pathway af-
forded by the waters of the Clyde. [See separate
articles on these different railways.] Glasgow, ir
fact, is now considered the starting-point from whicl
almost the entire population of the west of Scotland
and not a few in the east, commence their journey
to distant parts of the kingdom, or beyond it.
It may be amusing to compare the means of com
munication in a former age, with the vast facilitie
afforded in our own day. The first stage-coach be
tween Edinburgh and Glasgow was established in 1678
when Provost Campbell, and the other magistrate
of Glasgow, entered into an agreement with Willian
Hume, a merchant in the former city, to run a coac]
between Edinburgh and Glasgow, under certain con
ditions. The indenture between the parties, whicl
is rather unique of its kind, runs as follows: — " A
Glasgow, the saxt day of August, 1 678 ; the foresai<
parties finally agree that the said William Hume, j
merchant in Edinbro, with all diligence, have ir
readiness ane sufficient strong coach to run betwixi
Edinbro and Glasgow, to be drawn by sax abl<
horses, to leave Edinbro ilk Monday morning, anc
return again (God willing) ilk Saturday night ; the
passengers to have the liberty of taking a cloak-bag
for receiving their clothes, linens, and sic like, the
burgesses of Glasgow always to have a preference t(
the coach; the fare from the first of March till th
first of September, which is considered simmer wea-
ther, is to be £4 16s. Scots (8s. sterling); during
the other months, considered winter months, the
fare is to be £5 8s. Scots (9s. sterling). As the
undertaking is arduous, and cannot be accomplishe(
without assistance, the said magistrates agree to give
the said William Hume two hundred merks a-yeai
for 5 years, the latter agreeing to run the coach foi
that period, whether passengers apply or not, in con-
sideration of his having actually received two years
premium in advance (£22 4s. 5d. sterling)." There i
no data to inform us how long Hume kept the road
but that his "sufficient strong coach " was ultimately
abandoned is certain, for in 1713 there was only one
stage in Scotland — with the exception of two be-
tween Edinburgh and Leith — which set out once a-
month from Edinburgh to London, and was from 12
to 16 days on the road. Some time after this period,
one or more stage-coaches were placed on the road be-
tween Edinburgh and Glasgow. These vehicles were
drawn by 4 horses in summer when the roads were
GLASGOW.
649
light, and 6 in winter when they were heavy. The
ters of those days had no idea of keeping time,
the journey was generally performed in from 10
3 hours according to circumstances. The pas-
^ers were compelled to dismount and walk up all
the ascents, and during the journey they dined and
took tea at their ease. In 1790 these clumsy con-
veyances were superseded by two-horse chaises, which
tiently changed horses, and performed the journey
hours; and those again were beaten by a new
of four-horse coaches, which reduced the jour-
to 6 hours. Since that period vast improve-
ments have been made, both in the roads and the
licles which use them, and for many years the
icy has been performed on an average of from
4£ hours. From 12 to 14 coaches daily are
lly upon the road between Edinburgh and Glas-
and by taking the earliest conveyance, it has
been perfectly practicable to go and return the
day. It is more than probable that the present
: of travelling between the two capitals, with the
ling of the railway, will cease to be. Two or
i years ago, there were upwards of 60 stage-
les which left and returned to Glasgow every day,
, vast number of them being employed in conveying
igers to and from the populous villages within a
is of a dozen miles of the city ; but the progress
lilways has considerably thinned their numbers,
and it is likely to be^still further reduced. Within
the last year, the numerous coaches to Paisley, and
those towns and villages adjacent to or connected
with the Glasgow and Ayr railway, have all been
laid aside. In connection with this subject it may be
stated, by way of hint to those interested in supply-
ing such wants, that Glasgow is supplied with hack-
ney-coaches, cabs, or noddies, on a shabbier scale than
any city in the kingdom. For the purpose of apply-
ing a remedy, it has been resolved by the town-
council and Clyde trustees to offer valuable money-
premiums to the coach-keeper who shall keep the
best article for a period of three years under certain
"itions.
Post-Office.
1806, when the respected Mr. Dugald Banna-
tyne assumed the office of postmaster, the estab-
lishment, besides himself, consisted of 3 clerks, a
stamper, and 6 letter-carriers, there were also a
few penny-post offices for the receipt and trans-
mission of letters addressed to persons in the neigh-
bourhood. The establishment now consists of a
postmaster, 17 clerks, 2 newspaper-sorters, 3 stamp-
ers ; 36 letter-carriers, and 1 superintendent ; 4
bag-carriers ; 2 steam-boat and railroad messengers ;
4 out-runners, and 17 receiving-houses. There
is now a morning and evening English mail, and
four deliveries are made in the course of the day.
On 7th July, 1 788, the first mail-coach from London
reached the Saracen's Head inn, in the Gallowgate;
and so vast was the interest excited by the novelty
that a number of horsemen went a few miles along
the road to meet the new vehicle and escort her in
triumph into the city. At that period the mail was
considered to perform the journey expeditiously in
63 hours. It is now performed in less than 30 hours,
and it is expected that the time will be still farther
reduced. Before the introduction of mail-coaches,
the course of post from London to Glasgow was five
days: the Glasgow letters being brought round to
Edinburgh, and detained there 12 hours till the
usual transmission of the post-bags from Edinburgh
to Glasgow in the evening. Previous to the last re-
moval of the post-office at Whitsunday, 1840, it was
situated in a dingy huckster's shop in Nelson-street,
' was for many years a disgrace to the city. It
has now been removed to a more respectable build-
ing in Glassford-street, which has been fitted up,
though not built, for the purpose. But it is some-
what remarkable that the Glasgow establishment,
notwithstanding the vast amount of its revenue and
the magnitude of the city, is only regarded at head-
quarters as a provincial office, and treated as such.
There is not even a porter or a clock allowed in
the lobby for the convenience of the public, and
the treatment of this establishment by the Govern-
ment has all along been of a very scurvy description.
The following table will show the progressive rise
of the revenue :
REVENUE FROM 1781 TILL 1811.
Years.
Revenue.
Years.
Revenue.
1781
£4.341 4 9
18S3
£36,481 0 04
1810
27,598 6 0
ItM
37,483 3 4
1815
34.784 16 0
18S3
S9 954 4 6
1820
1825
1830
31,533 2 3
34.190 1 7
34,978 9 01
1836
1837
18:*8
4->,:i70 0 111
•t:i,ih".) 6 81
44393 0 44
MSI
35,«4J5 19 5
I8S9
47.S-/7 7 7
1832
36.0J3 0 0
1840
The postage act, passed in 1839, establishing a uni-
form scale of charge of one penny for letters not
exceeding half-an-ounce in weight has occasioned a
considerable falling off in the last year's revenue,
which it is to be hoped is only temporary. On 5th
Dec., 1839, the postage was reduced to an uniform
charge of 4d., and on 10th Jan., 1840, to one penny.
The Green.
With the exception of "the Parks" of Lon-
don, which have been aptly designated the lungs
of the mighty Babel, there are few cities in the
empire which can boast of such a fine arena for
pleasure, health, and recreation, as the Green of
Glasgow. It embraces 140 imperial acres of fine
grass land, extending along the north bank of the
Clyde, and situated in the south-eastern portion of
the city. So early as 1450, the Laigh Green was
included in the grant which James II. of Scotland
made in favour of Bishop Turnbull, for the benefit
of the community; at that time, it was of limited
extent, but by various purchases made by the corpo-
ration from time to time, it has been increased to its
present extent. However willing the authorities
may have been to purchase additions to the Green
at one time, they have been no less anxious to sell
at another, particularly in 1744; but propositions of
the latter kind were so violently opposed by the
almost unanimous voice of the inhabitants, that they
have always been abandoned, and are not likely to
be resumed in these our days. About twenty years
ago the Green was levelled and improved at a very
considerable expense, under the auspices of the late
Dr. Cleland, and a gravel-walk or carriage-drive
formed to the extent of 2$ miles. It is a beautiful
spot — level in the lower part as a bowling-green, —
dotted in the upper by fine clumps of old timber, —
and containing several springs of delicious water.
From the migration of the wealthier classes to the
west end, the Green is not now the resort of the
gay, the opulent, and the lovely, as it used to be in
times that have passed away ; but it is still a centre
of great attraction, especially in the heyday of sum-
mer; and here may yet be seen many blithesome
groups, and many which are serious — the conva-
lescent wooing the healthy zephyr, — the idle dissi-
pating time which returns no more, — the contem-
plative courting wisdom, — the gay alike amused and
amusing their compeers, — and childhood and youth
participating in the pleasures of happiness and joy.
It is the field of the reviews of the military; and in
those stirring times when every man was a volun-
teer, or enrolled in the local militia, the Green use<l
650
GLASGOW.
to be the scene of all their grand operations. Th
public washing-house for the city was here situated
and " lasses lilting o'er the pail" might be seen am
heard by the hundred ; but the introduction of wate
into the city by means of pipes, has banished in
great measure these fair operatives of the tub from
this locality, and the washing-house, which used to b
rated at £600 per annum, soon fell to a pitiful trifle
The scene, previous to the change which has beer
noted must, however, have been a very lightsome
one ; for it is noticed, in tolerable verse, by one o
the Glasgow poets, who has erst sung of the beau
ties of the Clyde :
" Here barefoot beauties lightly trip along ;
Their snowy labours all the verdure throng;
The linen some, with rosy tinkers, rub,
And the white foam o'erflows the smoking tub.
Their bright approach impurity refines:
At every touch the linen brighter shines,
Whether they bathe it in the crystal wave,
Or on the stream the whitening surges lave,
Or from the painted can the fountain pour,
Softly descending in a shining shower;
Till, as its lies, its fair transparent hue
Shows like a lily dipt in morning dew."
It has been ascertained that a valuable seam oj
coal exists on the Green, but it would be a pity to
cut up this beautiful promenade for the operations
of a coal-pit, even though the gain might be great.
It is to be hoped the corporation-funds may never
need assistance from such a quarter.
Bury ing -grounds, the Necropolis, Sfc.
There are twenty burying-grounds situated in Glas-
gow and the suburbs, — some of them set down in the
very heart of the city, and in localities so crowded,
that were it not for that Scottish feeling which repels
any attempt to disturb the bones of the departed, their
removal would be an act alike consonant to public
taste and beneficial to public health. The oldest
cemetery is that attached to the Cathedral or High
church, and is no doubt coeval with the institution of
the see itself. In the olden part repose the ashes of
many generations of the rude forefathers of the city;
but new grounds have been taken in adjacent to the
old, and laid out with every regard to modern taste.
These grounds are most extensively used ; many of the
citizens possessing lairs here in which their kindred
repose for several generations. One of the most
pleasing institutions connected with Glasgow, how-
ever, is the Necropolis, — a burying-ground of recent
institution, and laid out according to the plan of the
celebrated Pere la Chaise in Paris. Previous to the
opening of this cemetery in May 1833, it was known
as the Fir park, — a property belonging to the Mer-
chants' house, — and though almost valueless for any
other purpose, it is scarcely possible to conceive a
locality better fitted for the solemn and sacred pur-
pose to which it is now devoted. It rises to a height
of 300 feet above the adjacent level; and is only
separated from the Cathedral and its olden cemetery
by the Molendinar-burn. The view from the sum-
mit is picturesque, interesting, and beautiful. To
the south-west the city extends in all its mighty
proportions, with its many spires rising far above the
roofs of the dwellings; while to the east the eye is
refreshed by a long vista of hill and dale, with agri-
cultural and woodland scenery. Mr. John Strang,
the present city-chamberlain, in urging upon the
citizens in 1831 the adoption of the Fir park as a
place of sepulture for the city, says: "In point of
situation the ground belonging to the Merchants'
house of Glasgow, bears, in fact, no small resem-
blance to that of Mount Louis (Pere la Chaise).
Its surface like it is broken and varied, its form is
picturesque and romantic, and its position appro-
priate and commanding, lot is already beautified
with venerable trees and young shrubbery, it is pos-
sessed of several winding walks, and affords front
almost every point the most splendid views of th<
city and neighbourhood. The singular diversity,
too, of its soil and substrata, proclaims it to be o:
all other spots the most eligible for a cemetery; cal-
culated, as that should be, for every species of sepi
ture, and suitable as it is for every sort of sepulchr
ornament. The individual, for example, who
wish for the burial of patriarchal times, could th(
obtain a last resting-place in the hollow of the
or could sleep in the security of a sandstone sef
chre, while he who is anxious to mix immediately
with his kindred clay could have his grave either
a grassy glade, or his tomb beneath the shadow
some flowering shrub. The crypt and catacomb
might be there judiciously constructed on the
face of the hill, while the heights might be apj
priately set apart for the cenotaphs and monumer
of those who gain a public testimonial of respect
admiration from their grateful countrymen." It
enough to say that the anticipations of Mr. Str
have been realized to the letter; and places of
pulture of every kind and construction have
adopted within the ample range of the Necropolis
Here too the rank grass is completely eschewed,
the visiter moves through a long line of walks ci
on the hill side and summit, surrounded on every
by shrubbery and flower-beds^ — memorials of affe
tion which are sweet, comely, and abiding, and whi<
call back with a chastened glow of pleasing sadr
the friends whom we have loved and lost. Tl
greater portion of the graves are enclosed either by
low stone erection, or a delicate iron-railing, and
is a little flower-garden of itself, while the grov
are sprinkled over with monuments of every style
architecture, all of them graceful, and many of tl
gorgeous. The most prominent public monui
are those of John Knox, and of William M'Gavin,
author of the well-known work entitled ' The
testant. ' Both are situated on the summit of the hi
The statue of "the Reformer," 12 feet in heigl
and placed on the summit of a massive column,
seen from many miles to the eastward of the cit
tie is represented in a Geneva gown, with a Bil
n his right hand, and looks terrible even in st
A small portion of the Necropolis, at its northet
extremity, immediately above the waters of
Molendinar, has been purchased and used by tl
Jews as a place of sepulture. It is enclosed, havir
a beautiful facade; and on the left is an ornament
column, after Absalom's tomb in the King's dale
Ferusalem. On the shaft of the column are sor
appropriate quotations from Scripture ; and the fol
owing beautiful lines from the Hebrew Melodies
Byron :
1 Oh weep for those who wept by Babel's stream,
Whose shrines are desolate, whose land a dream
Weep for the harp of Jndah's broken shell —
Mourn, where their God hath dwelt the godless
Oh where shall Israel lave her bleeding feet,
And where shall Judith's songs again seem sweet,
And Judah's melody once more rejoice
The hearts that leapt before its heavenly voice ?
Tribes of the wandering foot and weary breast!
When shall ye flee away and be at rest ?
The wild dove hath her nest, the fox her cave —
Mankind their country— Israel but the grave."
The Necropolis is approached by a noble bridge of i
ingle arch, which spans the Molendinar burn, anc
com its proximity to the Cathedral burying-grounds,
nay be said to connect the dead of many bygone
•enerations with the resting-places prepared for gen-
rations yet unborn. Altogether, in the words of an
loquent writer on the subject, the Necropolis is a
ocality " where each grave is a flower-garden, an
ach tomb a shrine ; and where leaning on a mo]*u>
GLASGOW.
651
amid the beauty of nature and the refinement
Memory may echo back the long-lost accents
arted worth, — Imagination may paint with the
of vitality the buried form of early affection, —
may preach her consolatory lesson of immor-
/, and Religion may point to the mercy-seat on
! " — Another new and extensive cemetery has
itly been formed in the neighbourhood of
ow, and a joint-stock-company formed under
jsignation of the " City Burial-ground Insti-
i, and Pere la Chaise of Sighthill." Sighthill
)ut 1£ mile from the Cross, on the road lead-
to Kirkintilloch ; and every facility has been
id here to the humbler classes for the purchase
parate lairs — The Gorbals cemetery has also
instituted within the year, on similar prin-
of moderate charge, which is taken in small
jnts. It is situated on the lands of Little
at a short distance from the banks of Clyde.*
>m this extensive formation of burying- grounds
* the bounds of the city, it is extremely pro-
that those unsightly mounds of mortality which
situated in the centre of a crowded population
soon cease to be used.
State of Crime.
a large manufacturing and commercial com-
ity such as Glasgow, the state of crime must
'1 times be a subject of vast importance; and
fortunate that our report in this case will be a
ible one as contrasted with many of the
towns in the empire. At the meeting of
British Association, held in Glasgow in Sep-
, 1840, elaborate statistical papers on this
were read by the superintendent of the Glas-
police, the superintendent of Gorbals, one of
jistrates of Calton, and the superintendent of
;rston. These go to prove that, though the po-
ion is rapidly on the increase, crime has decreased,
that thefts, when committed, are generally in
of the most trumpery value ; while robbery,
by housebreaking, and other offences of a grave
re, are now of rare occurrence. This satisfactory
can only be traced to the admirable organiza-
and superintendence of the police, in which re-
it Glasgow contrasts favourably with every other
in the kingdom. The following table and ex-
5 regarding the royalty of Glasgow will be in-
ting :_
E showing the number of rases brought before the Police
, Glasgow, and the amount of tinea recovered each year,
1826 to 1839, both inclusive :-
Number
Amount of
YZAJU
of Cases.
Fines.
£ *. d.
1826,
6,971
828 4 9
1827,
. 6,495
1,417 5 1
1828.
7.1V3
1,544 13 10
18-29,
. 7,587
1,606 2 9
1830,
7,376
1,376 1 8
1831,
7,591
1,108 10 4
1832,
7,031
1,0.37 4 11
1833,
. 6,118
813 12 8
1834,
5.126
K51 14 4
1835,
. 4,627
804 0 10
1836,
4,247
576 4 11
1837,
. 3.689
367 18 7
lass,
5,010
559 19 10
1839,
. 5,047
762 0 3
Khen the purchase of the original seven acres for the
* or Southern Necropolis was being made, it was men-
to Mr. Gilmour, the proprietor, that three additional
iTt-s would likely he required; upon which that gentleman
aid, he had long been thinking of building a school, and,
lierefore, should ten acres in all be taken— that is, three in
ddition to the seven already purchased— he would at once
fiake over to the committee £2,000 in money, and £500
n ground, in all £-2,500, for the purpose of building a school
nd sinking a fund for the payment of the teacher's salary.
The school to be for the free education of the orphan children
>f the subscribers, and to be, in like manner with the Necro-
lolis, under their management. Mr. Gilmour's liberal offer has
'een accepted.
The number of persons sent to the Glasgow bridewell from
the Justice-of-peace court, for offences of every kind in the
year 1836, was 224; in 1837, 412; in 1838, 401; in 1839, 498-
and for the period ending on 18th August. 1840, 535. Of thexe
offenders, during the two years ending 18th August, 1840, 137
were sent to bridewell for periods of from 5 to GO days, for the
non-payment of fine* varying from 5-t. to £5. The number of per.
sons sentenced to be executed in Glasgow from the year 1820 to
1840, both inclusive, was 66; of whom 45 were hanged, and 21
had their sentence* commuted to transportation for life. Of the
persons executed, 3 were females. There have been only four
executions in Glasgow since 1833: viz. three for murder, and
one for throwing vitriol with intent to murder. The estimated
value of property stolen within the police-bounds, and reported
at the office during the year 1839, including watches and money
taken from the persons of individuals in a state of intoxication,
was £7,653 10s. j the estimated value of property recovered,
£1,260 UK; the number of attempts at housebreaking din.
covered by the police, 84; the average number of disorderly
women found on the streets at night, and brought to the office,
50; the number of criminal informations lodged in the course
of the year, 3,725: and the number of cases actually brought
into court, 5,047.
The existence of crime in Glasgow may be traced
in a great measure to intemperance, and the encour-
agement to it presented by no fewer than 2,300
licensed public-houses, or other places for the sale
of exciseable liquors, which exist in the city and
suburbs. A vast number of these are tippling-dens
of the lowest description ; and it is presumed that
they might be greatly thinned with infinite advantage
to the community There are within the city 33
licensed pawnbrokers, and 400 small unlicensed
brokers, in addition to nearly 300 of the latter class
in the suburbs. These 'wee pawns,' as they are
termed, carry on business on a most ruinous system ;
they exact an exorbitant rate of interest, and in very
many instances they become the owners of the goods
unpledged, if the trifle advanced upon them is not
punctually paid. Occasionally, too, they act in the
still more discreditable capacity of resetters. A
remedy, to a certain extent, has been applied to this
system of plundering the poor in Calton, by the in-
troduction of a wholesome police-regulation, render-
ing it imperative upon brokers, before commencing
business, to register in the office of police, and pro-
cure a certificate from a magistrate, as well as keep
a book in which they must enter the name and ad-
dress of the party selling, the price paid, and de-
scription of every article purchased by them in
their business. These small brokers are also regis-
tered in Gorbals. The amalgamation of all the
police-establishments in Glasgow and the suburbs
under one separate head or board has frequently en-
gaged public attention, — that is, of Glasgow proper
with a supposed population of 175,000, and the three
suburbs with a presumed population of 97,000; but
it is not the province of this work to give an opinion
on the subject. At all events, the sufficiency of the
city-establishment has long been amply acknowledged,
particularly by the Lords-of-justiciary, and it is not
hinted that the suburban management is less so.
Notice has, however, been given of a new police bill
for Glasgow, to be introduced in session 1842, by
which the criminal department of the city and sub-
urbs is proposed to be placed under the manage-
ment of a board separate and independent of the
present commissioners. The police-system of Glas-
gow, under its present management, contrasts most
favourably with the amount of force requisite for
the protection of other large cities of the kingdom.
In London the police-force is supposed to be 4,500,
being as one man to 355 of the inhabitants ; in Liver-
pool the police-force is 600, being as 1 to 442 of the
inhabitants; in Dublin it is 1,170, being as 1 to 256
of the inhabitants ; and in Glasgow the city police-
force is 223, being as 1 to 784 of the inhabitants.
The following very minute and circumstantial
table — which is novel of the kind — with the accom-
panying remarks, has been kindly prepared for this
work, by the superintendent of the Glasgow police:
652
GLASGOW.
g,*
a £
tf!
I *
S ..
5 o3
^ 2
13 CJ
&°
a -wr
II
si
E
OQ
rf
ill
ill
11*1
S o ™
$ 1 £
ill
S
0 0
:5 *
iOt.-»O~Ja0eO
2 2 S I'cS
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It [7
-H i in co eo
li
2-*-« Igt
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omoo
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H
is
r i ^ _- . . 1 1 1 !
GLASGOW.
653
the foregoing table it will be seen that the
I number of persons brought before the magistrates
le city, charged with the offences specified in the
column, during the eleven months from January
>vember, is 2,952, — the males being 1,801, and
females 1,151, and giving an average of 268 a-
Fifty-three of the offenders were under 10
of age, 280 from 10 to 15, 888 from 15 to 20,
i from 20 to 30, 398 from 30 to 40, 183 from
50, and 84 from 50 upwards. Thirteen of the
;rs belonged to foreign countries, 74 to Eng-
711 to Ireland, and 2,154 to Scotland, of
1,080 belonged to Glasgow. Of the persons
with offences 1,301 were admonished and dis-
684 were fined, 489 were sent to bridewell,
were sent to jail, and 364 were transmitted to
courts for prosecution and punishment. Of the
)1 persons discharged, many were charged with
drunk and abusing their families, but were re-
at the pressing solicitation of their wives or
Is; others of them were charged with petty thefts
minor offences, with regard to which the confine-
undergone in the office was deemed a sufficient
shinent ; and some were dismissed for want of
ice.
materials exist for forming an accurate corn-
between the period embraced in the above
! and former years : though it has been ascertained
the number of cases per month, including those
itravention of the police-act during the years
1825 to 1830, averaged from 650 to 700, while
years the number has averaged only from 350
a-month, and the cases generally are now
much less serious nature than formerly. The
will be farther apparent when it is mention-
it, till within a few years back, the extensive
of Blythswood were not included in the Glas-
police-j urisdiction.
causes have no doubt operated to produce
decrease in the amount of crime and disorderly
luct in Glasgow. The institution of a House of
for persons, especially young persons, who
in a state of punishment, but who either from
recently quitted prison, or from the death or
of their parents, or from any other circum-
are in a position in which, for a time at least,
beyond their power to procure a situation in
they can earn an honest livelihood, and who
their sincere desire to keep out of crime, and
stablish a good character, by their willingness to
an institution, the rules of which require that
should work hard, live on coarse food, and sub-
to various restrictions necessary for their moral
re, has produced a marked effect in the de-
of juvenile offenders in Glasgow, while a
salutary influence has been exercised upon
labouring part of the people by Temperance and
" Abstinence societies. There are nearly 36,000
persons in Glasgow and the suburbs connected with
such societies, 10,000 of whom are Catholics ; and
there can be no doubt that they have done and are
calculated to do immense good to the community.
Intemperance is notoriously the fruitful source of
crime and other irregular conduct, as well as of dis-
ease and pauperism ; and the well-disposed and in-
fluential part of the community cannot do a better
service to their fellow-men and to society than by
promoting the cause of temperance by every means
ill their power.
It may here be noticed, that from the conflicting
nature of the several police-jurisdictions connected
with Glasgow, many delinquents, it is believed,
are allowed to escape, in consequence of the diffi-
~"1ty of identifying and detecting them. Were a
ription-book kept — as in the city — in the whole
of the suburban establishments, showing the nature
of each offence, with the age, nativity, character,
and personal appearance of each offender ; and were
sheets made up from these books and interchanged
at short intervals among the different establishments,
much good would be done. But it is doubted how
far any measure will be effectual to place the criminal
and disorderly part of the population under police-
surveillance, until the city and suburbs are formed
into one united police-jurisdiction.
Public Buildings, Institutions, Charities, fyc.
The Cathedral, or Hiyh church.~\ — This erection
is perhaps the most complete specimen of our olden
ecclesiastical architecture that is to be found in
Scotland ; and it is interesting not only in itself,
but from the fact that Glasgow owes to it its ori-
gin ; and from -it derived all its importance for
several hundred years. According to Ure, it was
erected by John Achaius, bishop of Glasgow, in
1136, in the reign of the pious David I., and was
dedicated to St. Mungo, or St. Kentigern. This
venerable pile is placed on the west bank of the
Molendinar-burn, on an elevated position in the
north-west section of the city, and may be seen from
a very considerable distance, the floor of the choir
being more than 100 feet above the level of the river
at low water-mark. It is not known with certainty
who was the architect of this beautiful erection, but
the honour is generally ascribed to John Murdo. The
first streets of Glasgow, and the residences of all the
western aristocracy, were — as has been already noticed
— clustered round this edifice; and even yet some of
the antique domiciles in the vicinity are pointed out as
those which belonged to the prebendaries and other
ecclesiastics connected with the Cathedral. The
greatest internal length of the pile, from east to west,
is 319 feet ; the breadth, 63 feet ; the height of the
choir, 90 feet ; and of the nave, 85 feet, it is 1,090
feet in circumference, round the walls and abut-
ments ; is supported by 147 pillars, and is lighted by
157 windows, of various dimensions, several of them
being of exquisite workmanship, and some 40 feet
high by 20 feet in breadth. It is supposed that
the building was intended to assume the form of
a cross, from the south transept having been
founded ; but for causes which it would now be vain
to inquire into, this portion of the Cathedral has
never been completed. A beautiful tower and spire
rise from the centre of the roof, to the altitude of
225 feet above the floor of the choir, the whole ter-
minating in a ball and weathercock. Another square
detached tower rises at the west end of the Cathedral
to a level with the first battlement of the eastern
tower, and contains the bell and clock. This, however,
is not at all in keeping with the harmony of the rest
of the building ; and as it is known that alterations
and additions were made in the erection up till the
period of the Reformation, it is extremely probable
that this tower has been subsequently erected with-
out any reference to the original design. The roof
of the church was covered with lead by Archbishop
Spottiswood, who held the see previous to his re-
moval to St. Andrews, in 1615; and it is no doubt
much owing to this circumstance, coupled with the
affection which the citizens bear to this beautiful
pile, that it has so long resisted the destroying hand
of Time, and now appears in such excellent pre-
servation. The parts left unfinished — as has been
stated— were the transepts or side-projections. One
of the-e lias been long used as a place of sepul-
ture, and hears the singularly picturesque name of
the Dripping aisle, from the constant oozing of wa-
ter from the roof without any apparent cause. Sub-
sequent to the Reformation, the choir, or custom
654
GLASGOW.
division, was used as a place of Protestant worship ;
but to meet the increase of religious culture, the
western division was also fitted up as a church, under
the name of the Outer High church, to distinguish
it trom the eastern division, or Inner High church ;
and this portion of the Cathedral was used up till a
comparatively recent period, when the congregation
was accommodated by the erection of St. Paul's in
another quarter of the city.
About 1560, the landward district was disjoined
from Glasgow, and erected into a separate parish,
under the name of the Barony parish, and the crypt
under the chancel, or Inner church, was fitted up as
a place of worship for the parishioners, and retained
by the heritors till 1801. This is really a remark-
able feature in the Cathedral. The crypt consists of
a dense colonnade of short pillars which support low
arches ; and it is scarcely possible to conceive how
the voice of the preacher, however stentorian it
might be, could be heard throughout this curious
place of meeting.* It appears to have been one of
the most unique places in which a band of worship-
pers ever assembled. Pennant says that, in his
opinion, the church was only fit for the singing of
the " De Profundis clamavi." — lire, the olden his-
torian of Glasgow, speaks of it as follows : " The
Barony kirk — which is exactly under the inner kirk
— in the time of Popery was only a burial-place in
which it is said St. Mungo the founder is buried. It
is of length 108 feet, and 72 feet wide ; it is sup-
ported by 65 pillars, some of which are 18 feet in
circumference, the height of which 18 feet; it is
illuminated with 41 windows." Since the erection
)f the present Barony church, the crypt has been
again transformed into a burying-ground, — a circum-
stance much to be regretted. Mr. Strang, in deplor-
ing this mutation of a church into a graveyard, most
justly says — " We cannot sufficiently deprecate the
taste of the individuals who re-converted the lower
portion of the Cathedral into a burial-place. The
splendid architecture, for which this part of the
venerable pile was so remarkable, has, under the
Vandal hands of these mutators, been entirely
spoiled. The lower shafts of the columns have
been buried 5 or 6 feet in earth, while the walls
have been daubed over with the most disgusting
emblems of grief. We should like to know by
what authority the Barony heritors have taken pos-
session of a Government cathedral." There is now,
of course, only one place of worship in the Cathe-
dral, in place of three as formerly. The outer or
western portion is now perfectly open. Its walls
are decorated with monuments to the memory of
illustrious citizens. This portion of the noble build-
ing is, however, sadly out of repair and order ; but
it is satisfactory to know that the whole fabric, in-
terior and exterior, is about to be renovated in a
manner becoming its ancient splendour. Govern-
ment, it is understood, are willing to contribute
£10,000 for this purpose, so soon as a like sum
has been contributed by the citizens. The cor-
poration, and various of the public bodies, have
* The Barony church, it will be recollected, is alluded to by
Sir Walter Scott, in Rob Roy, aa follows :—" Conceive an ex-
tensive range of low-browed, dark, and twilight vaults, such
as arc used for sepulchres in otlier countries, and had long been
dedicated to the same purpose in this, a portion of which was
seated with pews, and u^ed as a church. The part of the vaults
thus occupied, though capable of containing a congregation of
many hundreds, bore a small proportion to the darker and more
extensive caverns which yawned around what may he termed
the inhabited space. In those waste regions of oblivion, dusty
banners and tattered escutcheons indicated the graves of those
who were once, doubtless, 'Princes in Israel.' Inscriptions
which could only be read by the painful antiquary, in language
as obsolete as the act of devotional charity which they im-
plored, invited the passengers to pray for the souls of those
whose bodies rested beneath."
already subscribed liberally ; but for some time t
subscription has stood still, though it is expected
will be immediately prosecuted with vigour
castle for the residence of the bishop was attached
the Cathedral, and was several times taken and i
taken during the troubles in Scotland. Its remai
were finally taken down at the close of last centu
to make way for the present infirmary. For oth
matters connected with the Cathedral we refer to t
historical chapter at the beginning of this article. V
subjoin an outline of Mr. Kemp's proposed restor
tion of the western front of the Cathedral.
The University.'] — The University of Glasgow :
corporate body, consisting of a chancellor, rec
dean, principal, professors, and students,
established in 1450, by William Turnbull, bisl
the diocese, who, at the request of James
tained from Pope Nicholas V — a man distingue
in that age for his talents and erudition — a 1
erecting in Glasgow a Studium generate in theol<
canon and civil law, the liberal arts, and every ot
lawful faculty, with the power of granting degr
which should be valid throughout Christendom. '
situation of the city is described in tke bull as I
by the salubrity of the climate, and abundance of 1
necessaries of life, peculiarly adapted for such an
stitution. Consequent upon this a body of stat
was prepared, and the University opened in
The establishment at this period was a very lim
one. The constitution of Bologne was imitated
as far as possible ; and by royal charter, the meml
were exempted from all taxes, watchings, wardii
&c. The only property possessed by the institul
at this period, was the " University purse," wl
consisted of some small perquisites payable on c
ferring degrees, and the patronage of a few chaph
ries. At first there were no buildings connec
with the University, but, as it advanced in imj
ance, the bishop and chapter granted the use
building near the Cathedral. James, Lord Hamilt
an ancestor of the present noble house of that n«
appears to have been the first liberal patron (
University; for, in 1459-60, he conveyed to the pr
cipal, and other regents or teachers of the faculty
arts, a tenement with its pertinents, in the Hig
street of Glasgow to the north of the Blackfriars,
(iLASGOVV.
655
tion to four acres of land in the Dowhill, ad-
ig the Molendinar-burn, which long afterwards
the designation of the land of Pedagogy. In
body of the conveyance, the noble donor ex-
i certain oaths and obligations to be taken by
mncipal and regents, on their first admission to
ncy of Lord Hamilton's college, and ordained
he himself, and Lady Euphemia, his spouse,
be commemorated as the founders of the col-
The buildings were situated on the site of the
it University, and this gift soon received many
ions. The faculties of theology and civil and
law were not in possession of property, like
faculty of arts ; but this was compensated by the
livings held by the regents in every part of the
the members of the University being of the
Dlic persuasion, and the institution receiving its
' support from the church, it met with an almost
blow by the Reformation. The chancellor,
Beaton, fled to the continent, and carried
him the plate of the Cathedral, with the bulls,
>r, and deeds both of the see and the Univer-
It is true that the college of arts survived
, but in such a shattered state that, in a
;r of Queen Mary, it is stated that "it ap-
rather to be the decay of ane university, nor
ways to be reckonit ane established founda-
." By this charter, dated 13th July, 1560,
ries were founded for poor youths, and the
and church of the friars predicators, 13 acres
adjoining, and several rents and annuities
had belonged to the friars, were granted to
sters of the University for their sustentation.
institution, however, rather languished than
for many subsequent years, till in 1577 James
when in his minority, by advice of the regent,
i, framed a new constitution, and made a very
jrable grant to the revenues, consisting of the
py and vicarage of the parish of Govan. The
• granted at this period has been generally
ited the nova erectio, and its fundamental
;s constitute the basis of the present consti-
Private individuals also increased the emo-
its of the University, and it continued to pros-
till the period of the Restoration, at which
it had, besides a principal, eight professors,
rian, a good library, many bursaries, and the
of students of all ranks was vastly increased,
buildings, which had become ruinous, were in
jss of being rebuilt, when the University re-
a second severe shock by the forcible estab-
jnt of Episcopacy subsequent to the restora-
ion of Charles II., which at once deprived it of
he fairest portion of its revenue — the bishopric of
lalloway. From this reverse a large debt was
ontracted, and it was found necessary to reduce
tiree out of the eight professorships, and consider-
bly abridge the emoluments of those who remained,
^"he University continued to receive considerable
enefactions during this period, but these were
rincipally confined to the foundation of new bur-
iries, or grants for carrying on the buildings ; and
; was not till 1693, when all the Scottish univer-
.ties received a grant of £300 per annum out of
be Bishops' rents, that it began to revive from the
epression in which it had so long remained. In
702 the students in theology, Greek, and philoso-
hy, had increased to 402 ; and from that period till
be present day the University has not sustained a
ngle reverse. Many liberal donations have been re-
eived, and are periodically being received from the
'rown and private individuals ; various new profes-
orships have been founded; and the University has
ow reached a degree of educational excellence which
is not surpassed by any similar institution in the king-
dom, or in Europe. Various new regulations have
from time to time been introduced by royal commis-
sions or visitations, and it is understood that all of
them have been ultimately beneficial.
Properly speaking, the institution consists of the
University and the College. The first is an incorpora-
tion vested with the power of granting degrees in the
four great branches into which all human learning was
divided by the see of Rome ; the second is an incor-
poration within the University, endowed for educat-
ing young men ; and each have courts with inde-
pendent rights. The academic body of the Univer-
sity consists of a lord-chancellor, a lord-rector, a
dean, a principal, the professors, and lecturers. The
lord-chancellor is the officer of highest dignity in the
university, and is elected by the Senatus academicus
for life ; at least this has been the practice since
1692. He has the sole privilege, either by himself or
the vice-chancellor — who is generally the principal —
of conferring degrees upon persons found qualified by
the senate ; but otherwise he has no connection with,
the affairs of the college, excepting that of presiding
at the election of principal. The office, which is
therefore almost entirely an honorary one, is now,
and has been long, held by the head of the ducal
house of Montrose — The next officer is the lord-
rector, who is invested with very considerable
powers, and is the guardian of the statutes, privi-
leges, and discipline of the University. The lord-
rector is annually elected in the common hall of the
University on the 15th December in each year, br
the dean, principal professors, and matriculated
students. The students are divided into four na-
tions, viz., Natio Glottiana sive Clydesdaliee, which,
comprehends the natives of Lanarkshire, Renfrew,
and Dumbarton ; from Errickstane, the source of the
Clyde, to Dumbarton ; — Natio Albania, sive Trans-
forthana, containing all the country north of the
Forth, and all foreigners ; — Natio Loudoniana, sive
Thevidalia, including the Lothians, Stirling, the
towns east of the water of Urr, and the members
from England and the British colonies ; and Natio
Rothseiana, including Ayrshire, Galloway, Argyle,
the Western Isles, Lennox, and Ireland. The ma-
jority of the members of each nation constitutes one
vote ; and, in case of equality, the former rector has
the casting vote. He may be considered indeed the
chief magistrate of the University. Though the
rectorial court is still possessed of great powers, it,
at one period, was possessed of more ample jurisdiction,
and there is even an instance of a capital trial before
the rector's court so late as 1670. In that year Ro-
bert Bartoune, a student, was indicted for murder
before the rector's court, but was acquitted by a
jury. The election of this officer produces much
excitement in the University, and is generally a trial
of political strength between the respective parties.
It is usual to re-elect the rector for the second year.
This office has of late been filled by some of the
most distinguished men of the kingdom, and, since
1820, the following have filled the chair :— Francis
(now Lord) Jeffrey, Sir James Macintosh, Henry
(now Lord) Brougham, Thomas Campbell, Lord
Lansdowne, Henry (now Lord) Cockburn, Lord
Stanley, Sir Robert Peel, Sir James Graham ; and,
in November, 1840, the Marquis of Breadalbane was
elected. — The dean-of-faculties is elected by the
senate on the 1st May. His duties, as originally
constituted, were to give directions as to the course
of study, and to judge with the other principal offi-
cers of the University, of the qualifications of appli-
cants for degrees The office of principal is almost
coeval with that of the University, and the appoint-
ment is vested in the Crown. He must be a minister
656
GLASGOW.
of the church of Scotland, and is required to super-
intend the deportment of all the members of the
University. He is also primarius professor of di-
vinity ; but none of the principals have taught di-
vinity since the beginning of the 18th century,
excepting when the ordinary professor may have
been temporarily incapacitated — The professors are
classed according to the respective departments of
knowledge over which they preside, into four fa-
culties, viz., — arts, theology, law, and medicine.
They are further divided into college professors and
reyius professors — the chairs of the former having
been endowed at or subsequent to the nova erectio,
and which constitutes them members of the faculty;
the chairs of the latter have been recently founded
and endowed by the Crown, and they are members
of senate only — The principal presides in the meet-
ing of faculty, and has a casting, but not a delibera-
tive vote ; and the members have the administration
of the entire property of the college, with the ex-
ception of some bequests in which the rector and
other officers of the University are concerned. They
present to the parish of Govan, elect eight of the
college professors, arid have the gift of several of the
bursaries. In the election of professors, however,
the rector and dean-of-faculty have a vote. — The
senate consists of the rector, dean, and all the pro-
fessors ; and the business of this court is to manage
every kind of business connected with the University,
which does not peculiarly belong to the faculty. —
The general congregation of the university is called
the Comitia, and consists of the rector, dean, the
principal, the professors, and the matriculated stu-
dents. In this court the rector is elected and ad-
mitted to his office ; the laws of the University pro-
mulgated, prizes for merit distributed annually, in-
augural discourses delivered, &c.
The salaries of the principal and professors are
thus stated in the Report of the Royal commis-
sioners for visiting the Scottish universities, printed
in 1837 :_
Chair egtablished. Salary.
1451— Principal, . £450
lo";7 — Logic and Rhe-
toric, . . 289
1577— Moral Philosophy, 286
1577— Natural Philoso-
phy, . 291
1581— -Greek, . . J-89
1630— Divinity, . 425
1637— Humanity, . 289
1691— Mathematics, 291
The above are the college professors. The fol-
lowing are those recently endowed, and termed
regius professors : —
Chair established. Salary. Chair established. Salary.
1807— Natural History, £100 1831— Materia Medica, £100
1815— Surgery, . 50 1839— In titutes of Me-
1815— Midwifery, . . 50 dicine, . . 75
1817-Chemistry, . 50 18^9— Forensic Medicine, 75
1818-Botany, . . 50 1840— Civil Engineering, 275
The above, however, is far from comprising the
total emoluments of the professors. Here, as every-
where else, fees are exacted from the students, vary-
ing from £2 2s. to £5 5s. for attendance on each
class ; and in proportion to the number of students
the professorship is a valuable one or the reverse.
The system of partly defraying the emoluments of
the professors from fees is one which is understood
to have greatly enhanced their zeal, and promoted
the best interests of the University The students
are divided into togati and non-togati ; the former
wear a scarlet gown, and belong to the Latin,
Greek, Logic, Ethics, and Natural Philosophy classes.
All of these must attend the college chapel on Sun-
days, unless leave of absence be specially granted.
The remainder of the students, or the non-togati, are
Chair established. Salary.
1709-Oiiental Lan-
giiHges, . £300
1713— Phys-ic, . . 270
1713— Civil Law and Law
of Scotland, . 310
1718— Anatomy, . 250
17iO— Ecclesiastical His-
tory, . . 322
1760— 270
restricted neither in their attendance on worship, nor
in their dress. Glasgow college, as is well known,
can boast of having numbered amongst its professors
some of the most illustrious men of their respective
ages. Amongst these may be mentioned Melvillt
Bailie, Leechman, Burnet, Simpson, Hutchisor
Black, Cullen, Adam Smith, Reid, Miller, Richard
son, Young, and Sir Daniel Sandford. A few year
ago, the number of students amounted to more tha
1 ,300 ; but of late years these have considerably de
clined, more from the growing taste for a commerch
in preference to an academic education, than to an
lack of ability or zeal on the part of the professor
The number, however, is seldom less than 950.
There are 29 foundation-bursaries connected wit
the University, held by 65 students from four to si
years. One of them amounts to £50 per annum
but the emoluments generally vary from £5 10s. 1
£41. In addition to these there are some valuab
exhibitions. In 1688, Mr. John Snell, with a vie
to support Episcopacy in Scotland, devised to tru
tees the estate of UfFton, near Leamington in Wa
wickshire, for educating Scots students, from tt
University of Glasgow, at Baliol college, Oxfor<
This fund now affords £1 32 per annum to each of te
exhibitions. Another foundation, by Warner, bishc
of- Rochester, of £15 annually to each of four sti
dents from the same college, is generally given totl
Snell exhibitioners, so that four of them have near
£150 per annum each. Both of the exhibitions
held for ten years ; but are vacated by marriage,
upon receiving a certain degree of preferment. Tl
principal and professors of the college are the patrol
of Snell's exhibition, and the archbishop of Cante
bury, and the bishop of Rochester, of Warner's —
addition to these bursaries and exhibitions there a
various valuable prizes granted annually or biennial
from funds which have been mortified for the purpos
The University library was founded in the 15
century. It now contains upwards of 60,000 v
lumes, and is constantly on the increase. It contai
many beautiful old editions of the classics, arid son
valuable literary curiosities. Among the latter ist
manuscript paraphrase of the Bible by the celebro,t<
Mr. Zachary Boyd, who was a great benefactor
the university, and whose bust adorns one of t
gateways in the inner court of the college. The f
for the library is 7s. for the winter-session, and i
6d. for the summer A small botanical garden, f
the use of the lecturer in botany, was prepared
1753 ; but having become inadequate, a more exte
sive garden was formed in the north-western subur
in 1818. It consists of eight acres, and as the Ur
versity subscribed £2,000 towards the institutio
the privilege has been accorded to the professor
botany to lecture in the garden and hall. £2,0(
were also subscribed by Government. This gard<
is now being removed still further to the north- wes
— The Hunterian museum was founded by the we
known Dr. William Hunter, a native of East Kilbrid
in the neighbourhood of Glasgow. By his will of 1 78
he bequeathed to the college his splendid collection
books, coins, paintings, anatomical preparations, &c
in addition to £8,000 for the purpose of building f
erection for their reception. The collection w
then valued at £65,000, and the whole is now su
posed to be worth £130,000. The building is
handsome modern one, situated immediately behir
the University, and the public are admitted to tl
collection on the payment of one shilling. — A til
park, interspersed with trees, stretches away behir
the college towards the Gallowgate, and isadmirab
fitted for the recreation of the students. In si r
mer it forms a most delightful promenade. An o
servatory is situated in the park, but as this has be<
GLASGOW.
657
md insufficient for astronomical purposes, a fine
erection has been built on an eminence in the
stern suburbs of the city, and will be stocked
h the college instruments. The situation is one of
finest near Glasgow. With a perfectly uninter-
)ted horizon towards the south, it commands Arran
all the Cowal hills on the west, and its view to-
1s the north reaches to the Trosachs. The build-
now erected, and nearly finished, is very interest-
. It is divided into two parts — the dwelling-house
the professor lying on the right of the entrance
2, and the observatory on the left. The obser-
tory consists of the following apartments : — First,
rge room destined for the custody of all the minor
>truments when not in use, and the conducting of
iputations, and which is also fitted to serve the
rposes of a class or lecture-room. From this room
enter the great transit room, where a very fine
rument from Munich is about to be placed on
two pillars now erected in its centre. Ascending
a side stair, we reach the top of the circular tower,
which a dome will soon be placed, and which is
apart for a large equatorial. If a commanding
jw of the heavens can at all be got near Glasgow,
must be from this room. The large reflectors will
placed outside in the grounds ; and the magnetic
jrvatory, for which the preparations are corn-
will be towards the extreme west of the space
thin which the other erections are placed.
The University buildings are situated on the east
of the High-street, on the site of the house and
Is bequeathed to the faculty of arts by James,
rd Hamilton. They are very extensive, and cover
large space of ground. They consist of five quad-
jles or courts, — two where the hall and class-
es are situated, — one in which are the museum
library, — and two in which are the houses of the
;ipal and college professors, amounting in all to
which are kept up for the friends of the college,
front towards the street is of great length, and
an appearance of sombre grandeur. The great
trance is surmounted by the royal arms of the
of Charles II. ; but the entire range has been
ted at various periods antecedent and subse-
;nt, and a great part of the cost was defrayed
the funds of private individuals. In the outer
irt is situated the college steeple of 148A feet in
jht. It is rather wanting in architectural beauty,
derives some interest from its thunder-rod,
which was erected in 1792 under the auspices of the
celebrated Dr. Franklin.
Anderson's Institution, or the Andersonian Univer-
sity. ] — This institution was founded by the will of Mr.
John Anderson, professor of natural philosophy in the
University of Glasgow, dated 7th May, 1795. Pro-
fessor Andersen was the eldest son of the Rev. James
Anderson, minister of the parish of Roseneath in
Dumbartonshire, and was born in 1726. After re-
ceiving a liberal academical education, he was ap-
pointed professor of Oriental languages in the Univer-
sity of Glasgow in 1756, and was transferred to the
chair of physics or natural philosophy in 1760. He
died 12th January, 1796. The institution was en-
dowed by this benevolent man, with a valuable phi-
losophical apparatus, museum, and library ; and it was
incorporated by seal of cause from the magistrates
and council of Glasgow on 9th June, 1796. By the
will of the testator, the university is placed under the
inspection of the Lord-provost and other officials, as
ordinary visiters, but it is more immediately super-
intended by eighty-one trustees, who are elected l>y
ballot, and remain in office for life, unless disqualified
by non-attendance. The trustees are taken from
nine classes of citizens, viz. tradesmen, agriculturists,
artists, manufacturers, physicians and surgeons, law-
yers, divines, philosophers, and kinsmen or name-
sakes. Nine of their number are annually elected
by the trustees as managers of the establishment for
the year ; and they in turn elect from their number,
by ballot, the president, secretary, and treasurer.
The plans of the benevolent testator embraced at
the outset a full course of liberal or popular educa-
tion ; but the managers wisely made small beginnings,
from which the institution has gradually grown in in-
fluence and importance till it has now entirely gained
the confidence of the public.
The first teacher was Dr. Thomas Garnet, profes-
sor of natural philosophy, who commenced on 21st
September, 1796, by reading in the Trades' hall, po-
pular and scientific lectures on natural philosophy
arid chemistry, illustrated by experiments. These
were addressed to persons of both sexes. Gratified
by the success of Dr. Garnet's lectures in attracting
students, the friends of the institution resolved that
it should be permanently established ; and with this
view the trustees purchased, in 1 798, extensive build-
ings in John-street. After a successful period of tui-
tion of four years, Dr. Garnet was appointed in Octo-
ber, 1800, the first professor of the Royal institution
of Great Britain, in London. He was succeeded by
the celebrated Dr. G&orge Birkbeck, who, in addition
to what had formerly been taught, introduced a fa-
miliar system of instruction, which he conducted gra-
tis, chiefly for the benefit of operatives. One of the
great benefits of this institution from the commence-
ment, indeed, has been that instruction is communi-
cated to students of all classes, divested of those
technicalities by which it is frequently overlaid and
obscured by educational institutions of greater name
and fame. Dr. Birkbeck resigned in August, 1804,
and was succeeded in the following month by Dr.
Andrew Ure, now the well-knovyn chemist. Dr. Ure
continued to discharge the duties of his office with
great success for the long period of twenty-five years,
when he removed to London.
In the meantime, the institution had grown vastly
in public estimation, and several other professors had
been appointed. The original buildings too had be-
come insufficient, and the trustees finally purchased
from the cjty the Grammar-school buildings, situated
in George-street, which, with extensive additions and
alterations, were rendered fit for a complete college
establishment, containing halls for the professors,
the museum, library, &c. The new buildings were
opened in November, 1828, and continue to be used
with marked success. The library and museum have
considerably increased ; and the winter soirees of the
Andersonian are frequently attended by from 300 to
500 persons. The subjects taught at the present
time are natural philosophy, chemistry, natural his-
tory, logic and ethics, mathematics and geography,
Oriental languages, drawing and painting, anatomy,
theory and practice of medicine, surgery, materia
medica, medical jurisprudence, veterinary medicine,
and German and modern literature. The professors
are all men of ability, and the popular system of their
prelections, with the moderate nature of the fees, at-
tracts a numerous band of students.
The High-school. — The High-school, or Grammar-
school as it used formerly to be termed, is one of the
most ancient educational institutions in the city,
dating its foundation anterior, it is believed, to the
institution of the University. The course of tui-
tion now embraces Latin, Greek, English grammar,
composition, elocution, French, Italian, German,
writing, arithmetic, geography, &c. The school is
under the management of a committee of the town-
council, aided by the advice of the clergy for the city
and the professors of the Tniversity. About sixty
years ago, the classes were taught in a dingy alley
2 T
658
GLASGOW.
called Greyfriars wynd ; from which it was removed
to the north side of George's-street, and latterly to
a commodious new erection, with play-ground, situ-
ated in Montrose-street. The institution still sup-
ports its high character, and the class-rooms are gen-
erally crowded ; but even the numerous body of chil-
dren'taught here bear but a small proportion to those
who are taught in private schools, situated in every
quarter of the city, and many of them conducted by
men of great ability and industry. In all, it has been
computed that there are more than 300 schools in
the city and suburbs.
Mechanics institute. — This " working man's col-
lege" was founded in 1823, by the mechanics of Glas-
gow, for the purpose of disseminating knowledge on
scientific and other subjects. Lectures have been
given on natural philosophy, chemistry, popular
anatomy, physiology, phrenology, &c — the terms
for the course seldom exceeding 10s. The institu-
tion has been productive of a vast amount of good ;
but considering the thousands on thousands of opera-
tives congregated in Glasgow and its suburbs, the
institution has not been supported as it deserved to
be ; and the students have seldom averaged 500 year-
ly. In 1831, commodious premises were built for |
the institution in Hanover-street, to be paid by a J
subscription of one shilling from each student in
successive years, and it is known that the debt is
far from being liquidated. A colossal statue of
James Watt is placed on the pediment of the build- J
ing ; and the institution contains ample accommoda- ,
tion for the students, models, and apparatus, arid the j
library, which consists of a large collection of works I
on science and general literature.
Normal seminary. — This institution was erected j
in 1837, by the Glasgow Educational society for pre-
paring teachers to practise the system of moral, in-
tellectual, and physical training pursued by the so-
ciety. The seminary is situated at Dundas vale,
and forms a prominent and graceful object in the
north-west approach to the city. The plans were
prepared by the Messrs. Hamilton. Attached to the
buildings are spacious play-grounds ; and the interior
of the seminary is divided into a series of large and
commodious class-rooms, for carrying on the various
departments of the educational system followed in
the institution. The model-schools are accessible
to the children of all religious denominations, at a
very moderate fee ; and the Normal seminary is equal-
ly open to students of every religious sect. The in-
stitution has received the countenance and support
of the Government, who not only granted a consider-
able sum to aid in the erection of the edifice, but
have had the system of education which it exhibits
introduced into the English Poor-law unions, by
male and female teachers trained in the seminary.
The teachers sent out to the West India islands, by
Government, on the Mico charity, have also been
trained in this seminary. The celebrated Norwood
schools in London, established as models of the edu-
cational committee of the Privy-council, are con-
ducted on the training system, the head-master hav-
ing been trained in the Glasgow institution. The
projector of the system, David Stow, Esq., with an
enlightened benevolence which does him great credit,
has laboured assiduously, and almost exclusively,
during the last twenty years, in working it out, and
consolidating it upon a permanent basis. The insti-
tution is much frequented by strangers.
The Royal infirmary. — This noble charity was
projected in 1790, principally by the exertions of the
late Professor Jardine, and a fe w of his friends. After
a sufficient sum had been raised by private subscrip-
tion, the foundation-stone was laid in 1792, and the
institution was opened for the reception of patients
on 8th December, 1794. It is situated immediately
adjoining the Cathedral, on part of the site of the
old Archbishop's palace, and is not more than ten
minutes' walk from the University. The designs of
this beautiful structure were by the Messrs. Adam ;
and although it is situated in the vicinity of a poor
neighbourhood, it is justly considered one of the fairest
ornaments of the ancient part of the city. It is wholly
supported by voluntary contribution. It is regularly
attended by a great number of the medical students
of the University, and the internal arrangements are
admirable. It contains 12 wards, six medical and
six surgical, with 19 beds in each, or accommodation
in all for i28 patients. There are two physicians,
and two surgeons with a clerk each. Ten dressers
are appointed from the students every quarter to as-
sist the surgeons. Attached to the original erection
is the fever-hospital, which was commenced in 1825,
and finished in 1832. It contains eight wards, or ac-
commodation for 220 patients. There are one physi-
cian and two clerks for this hospital. Since the in-
stitution of the charity in 1794, 84,477 patients have
been treated in the Infirmary ; and at the period of
the last published statement (1st Jan., 1840), there
remained in the house 348 patients. During that
year — which may be taken as near an average, except-
ing in times of severe pestilence — 4,168 patients were
treated in the Infirmary, viz. '2,639 in the medical
and surgical wards, and 1,529 in the fever wards.
The total deaths were 496, viz. 243 medical and sur-
gical, and 253 fever. During the same year the to-
tal income was £5,781 11s., and the expenditure
£8,166 Is. 3d. This painful state of matters was
mainly to be attributed to the unexpected, and it
it is believed temporary, diminution in the extraor-
dinary receipts to the amount of £4,165 Os. lid.
The funded property of the institution yields onl}
£700 per annum. The cost of the maintenance
and treatment of each patient, taking the annual
average during the term of four decades and a half, is
—1795—1804, £2 13s. 5.4d. ; 1805—1814, £3 Is.
5.4d. ; 1815—1824, £2 9s. lO.Od. ; 1825—1834, £1
18s. 4.5d. ; 1835—1839, £1 8s. 8.0d.
In addition to the Infirmary, there are several othe;
institutions in the city of a similarly charitable nature;
such as the Sick hospital, which was established in
1805, for the treatment of unfortunate females ; the
Magdalene asylum, the Asylum for the Deaf am"
Dumb, the Infirmary for diseases of the Eye, the
Lying-in-hospital, &c., all of which are supported,
with trifling exceptions, by voluntary contributions.
The Poor.
Town's hospital. — The head-quarters of the Glas-
gow poor is in the Town's hospital, a sombre-
looking building, situated in Clyde-street on the
banks of the river. It was built by subscription,
and opened on 15th November, 1733, under the de-
signation of " the Charity workhouse," but in the
following year, the designation was changed to " the
Town's hospital." The cost was £1,335, exclu-
sive of the ground, which was given by the council.
One of the chief promoters of the institution was the
well-known John Gordon, M. D., of whom Smollett
says in his Humphrey Clinker, that " he deserves a
statue erected to his memory." Originally it was used
as an asylum both for the aged and infirm, and for
children who had been left destitute on the parish ;
and at the time of its institution was considered to be
extremely well-adapted for the purpose. The ma-
gistrates and council, in setting forth the merits of the
institution in 1742, state, that " there are six vaulted
cells for mad people, the first of that kind built in North
Britain." It is long, however, since the institution
was disused as an asylum for orphan children,— it be-
GLASGOW.
fi.59
now entirely appropriated to the aged and infirm
both sexes, who are well and carefully attended
the overseer, called a Peceptor, and those under
The children are nursed, educated, and put
it to trades in healthy situations in the country,
'he assessment for the year ending 31st August,
was £11, 830, including £450 granted by the
^own-council, Merchants' house, and Trades' house,
this only £3,113 was devoted to the indoor
jnditure ; and the remaining and by far the
rger sum, was expended in occasional relief to the
it-door poor, and in the maintenance of orphans,
is proper to mention that no one is taken into the
spital unless they have a valid claim upon the par-
From its commencement the assessment was
;vied on what is called " means and substance," that
upon the stock in trade, or capital employed in
isiness, when it amounted to £300 or upwards;
it this system was considered injurious and inqui-
>rial, by driving the wealthiest of the merchants
>m Glasgow proper to the Barony parish, where a
erent system prevailed. Accordingly, in session
)-40, a bill was carried through parliament abol-
ling the former mode of assessment, and in future
jvying it upon the rental — one-half to be paid by the
it and the other by the landlord. When the
)ital was instituted in 1733, the sum assessed
>n the inhabitants was only £250; in 1763, £400;
1773, £336; in 1793, £1,610; in 1803, £3,940;
id it has gone on gradually to increase, varying,
>wever, in amount, according to the exigencies of
times. The present building being regarded as
lite inadequate to the purpose, the Directors resolv-
in November, 1840, to purchase the building and
of the grounds of the Lunatic asylum, situated
the high ground north of the city. This was
jrwards confirmed by the council, and the pur-
se made for £15,000, — the buildings of the asylum,
though as good as new, being valued as old mate-
Entry to be had at Whitsunday, 1843 The
il sum raised by assessment for the poor in the
parish in the year ending 4th August, 1840,
£8,615. The total sum raised in the year end-
4th August, 1840, for Govan parish, (which in-
cludes the greater portion of Gorbals,) was £2,573,
and the sum for old Gorbals £800.
Hutchesons' hospital, Sfc The most magnificent
charity established by private benevolence in Glas-
gow, and similar to Heriot's hospital in Edinburgh,
is that founded by two brothers, George and Thomas
Hutcheson, in 1639, 1640, and 1641. The original
sum bequeathed was a tenement of land, barn, and
yard, and ground whereon to build an hospital, with
68,700 merks, or £3,816 13s, 4d. sterling. The sum
mortified was originally intended only for the support
of 12 old men and 12 boys; but by judicious pur-
chase of land, which has vastly increased in value,
and the addition of other mortifications, such as
Blair's, Baxter's, &c., the sum to be annually dis-
pensed by the patrons amounts now to nearly £3,000
per annum, which is appropriated towards the sup-
port of a number of old men and women, and to the
clothing and educating of the sons of decayed citi-
zens. The hospital is a fine hall or building in
Ingram-street, erected in 1803, with an elegant spire,
and a school adjoining. No person is boarded with-
in the house, which is generally used for meetings of
the patrons or other public bodies. George Hutche-
son, the elder of these venerable brothers, was a
public notary and writer in Glasgow ; and it is re-
corded that he was so moderate in his charges as to
refuse more than sixteen pennies Scots, for writing
an ordinary bond, be the sum ever so large. Thomas,
his brother, was also a writer, and keeper of and
clerk to the Register of sasines in the regality of
Glasgow and its district. Well-executed busts of
the brethren are placed in niches in the front of the
hospital. — The Highland society of Glasgow was
established in 1727, by a few Highland gentlemen,
for the purpose of clothing, educating, and putting
to trades, a certain number of boys, whose parents
belonged to the Highlands, and are in indigent cir-
cumstances. This institution dispensed a few years
ago £800 per annum, and the sum is now understood
to be vastly increased. — Besides these, there are a
number of other mortifications, which dispense from
£50 to £500 per annum, of which may be named
Buchanan's society, Mitchell's mortification, Ten-
nant's mortification, Wilson's charity, Coulter's mor-
tification, Miller's charity, Watson's society, &c
A great number of the Scottish counties .have now
charitable societies in the city, composed of gentle-
men from these respective districts or connected with
them, and intended for the relief of countymen who
may be in Glasgow in indigent circumstances. These
dispense from £50 to £150 each To enumerate all
the charities of Glasgow, however, would be exceed-
ingly tedious. It may be enough to say, that many
years ago it was calculated by Dr. Cleland, upon
minute data, that £104,360 were dispensed in public
and private charities throughout the city, indepen-
dently of the suburbs ; and recent inquiries would
lead to the belief that this sum may be nearly dou-
bled ; but generous and extensive though it may be,
all is too little for the mass of indigence and misery
which oppresses such a vast population.
The Lunatic asylum is situated on a commanding
position to the north of the city ; the foundation-stone
was laid in 1810, and the building carried up at an
expense of nearly £20,000 exclusive of the surround-
ing grounds. It consists of an octagonal centre, from
which diverge four wings of three stories each, and
from the centre rises a majestic dome. It is fitted
up and managed according to the modern and humane
system adopted for the cure of mental disease, and in
its operations has been singularly successful. There
is accommodation for 136 patients. It is altogether
a most prominent feature in the landscape, and is
seen from a distance of many miles in the northern
direction of the city. The approach of the city, with
all its hum and bustle, towards the asylum has some-
what marred that quiet and privacy which is necessary
for the cure of the insane. The directors, accord-
ingly, in December, 1840, disposed of the buildings
and part of the grounds to the directors of the Town's
hospital, for the accommodation of the inmates of
that institution; and they have purchased for the
site of a new asylum between 60 and 70 acres of
ground, forming part of the property of Gartnaud,
about 3 miles to the west of Glasgow, to which
access will be procured by the Great western road.
The price is understood to be £150 per acre ; and it
is expected that the new buildings will be ready in
1843, when the asylum will be handed over to the
uses of the hospital.
Asylum for the Blind. — This is an institution pre-
eminently deserving of notice. It was founded by
John Leitch, Esq., a citizen of Glasgow, who had suf-
fered under a partial infirmity of sight, and upon his
death bequeathed the sum of £5,000 towards open-
ing and maintaining the institution. The buildings
were, however, erected by voluntary subscription in
1827, and opened in 1828. They are situated to the
north of, but immediately adjoining, the Royal infir-
mary, are built of brick, have a modest but graceful
appearance, and constitute a seminary for the young
and a workshop for the old. The benevolent John
Alston, Esq. of Rosemount, has watched over the asy-
lum since its institution with almost more than a fa-
ther's care, and was the first person who succeeded in
660
GLASGOW.
printing for the blind with the usual Roman capital
letters, by which the learners are taught to read
with a facility little if any thing inferior to those
who possess the blessing of sight. By the same in-
genious means of receiving knowledge by the touch,
the children are taught arithmetic, geography, astro-
nomy, geometry, &c. In fact, the attainments of
the inmates of this institution will bear comparison
with those of any class of similar age and of similar
period in tuition. After immense labour and perse-
verance, Mr. Alston was enabled, at the annual ex-
amination of the inmates of the asylum on 25th Oct.,
1836, to present to a numerous assembly the first
specimens of printing from the Roman alphabet for
the use of the blind. Since then he has produced
the whole of the New Testament, and various other
works of an educational nature, amounting in all to
11,000 volumes. But the greatest triumph of this
'benevolent man was reserved for Tuesday, the 22d
December, 1840, when he was enabled to produce
before an admiring audience the whole of the Bible,
printed in 15 volumes, and which may be truly said
to form a new era in the history of the blind. [See
details respecting this curious work in a previous sec-
tion of this article.] In September, 1839, Mr. Alston
received £400 from her Majesty to forward this great
work, and various benevolent societies have also as-
sisted in the labour of love. This institution differs
from all others, in being a self-supporting one. It
solicits no annual subscriptions, but depends for its
maintenance entirely upon its own exertions, and the
contributions and legacies of the benevolent The
blind are taught various branches of industry at one
time, so that when business is dull in one depart-
ment they may turn their hand to another. Since the
opening of the institution in 1828, up till the close
of 1839, manufactures had been sold from the insti-
tution to the amount of £18,998 11s. 7d. From
this there were wages paid to blind people amounting
to £6,459 17s. 4d. Premiums for industry, £270
15s. 3d. The nature of the products of the institu-
tion, however, will be best understood by the follow-
ing table of the
SALES FOR THE YEAR 1839.
Twine, .
Baskets,
Mattresses,
Baked hair, .
Door mats,
£610 10 9
619 2 6
115 2 2
85 12 10
155 8 5
12 7 0
Knitting,
163 4 7
Friction mitts,
20 11 0
£3,207 7 10
At the present time there are 70 blind people in the
manufactory, and 12 not blind who are chargeable
with the different departments of the work. The
males are on piece-work, and employed 10 hours per
day. The females work 7 hours in summer, and 6
in winter. There have been 130 persons admitted
into the asylum since its commencement.
The Jail, Justiciary court-house, Council-cham-
ber, and Town clerk's offices, are comprised in one
large square building, situated at the west end of the
Green, immediately at the bottom of the Saltmarket,
containing a small open space in the centre. It was
built in 1810, at an expense of £35,000, and is in the
Grecian style. The facade and portico are an exact
copy of the Pantheon at Athens, and admitted to be
beautiful specimens of architecture ; but unfortunate-
ly within every thing is inconvenient and inadequate :
The Court-house is much too small ; there is not
sufficient accommodation for witnesses ; and the jail
is not constructed according to the improved plans
of prison-discipline. Accordingly, an act was passed
some years since for building new public offices; but
it was not acted upon till 1840, when commissioners
were appointed by the city and county, for raising, by
assessment to be distributed over a series of years,
the sum of £40,000. It is intended by this measure
to remove the Council-chamber and Town-clerk's,
and chamberlain's offices to a more central part of
the city, and throw the whole of the front of the
present building into an extended Court-house, with
ample accommodation for witnesses. The sheriff,
sheriff-substitute, and their officers will also be ac-
commodated in the new public establishment, which
is forthwith to be built. Glasgow jail is not only
a prison for criminals, but for debtors ; but the com-
missioners under the new Scots prisons act have
resolved to disuse it for the former purpose as much
as possible : at all events it will not be used in the
case of culprits who have been sentenced to impri-
sonment for long periods, as it is impossible by any
alteration to impart to it all the attributes of a re-
forming penitentiary.
Bridewell Previous to 1798, the only place in
Glasgow for the confinement of delinquents sen-
tenced to short imprisonments, was an old building
in the south side of the Drygate, which had formerly
been the manse of the prebend of Cumbuslang.
Afterwards a temporary bridewell was fitted up in
College-street, by way of experiment. The increas-
ing population, however, induced the magistrates to
erect more suitable premises, and accordingly, the
oldest or original portion of the present range of
buildings situated in Duke-street — now used solely
for females — was finished and taken possession of in
1798. It consists of six stories, containing 1 15 cells.
It was built by the corporation, and solely supported
by them for upwards of 26 years. In 1822-23-24,
acts of parliament were obtained for building and
maintaining a county and city bridewell, and arrange-
ments having been entered into for enlarging the ex-
isting bridewell, it was given up by the council on
condition of having the right to use 50 of the cells
for the confinement of jail prisoners. The founda-
tion-stone of the additional building was laid in April,
1824; it was partially opened in December following,
and completely finished in 1826. The original plan
was a rotunda and four radiating wings, (exclusive of
the old bridewell,) but only two of the wings were
completed at that time. The rotunda contains gover-
ner's dwelling-house, offices, chapel, &c. ; and two
radiating wings of four stories high, containing 160
cells, with water-closets, baths, &c. Subsequently a
mill-house was taken in, giving 14 work-rooms, and
29 sleeping apartments ; and though there were now
304 available cells, it was still found insufficient.
The commissioners, therefore, in 1836, obtained an
act to raise £6,500 for additional accommodation.
An additional wing, in conformity with the original
plan, was commenced on 5th July, 1839, and was
finished and partially occupied in December, 1840.
It contains 111 cells. The new wing is from a plan
by Mr. Brebner. It is open in the interior from the
roof to the ground-floor, as well as at both extremi-
ties, and contains a succession of galleries, along
which are placed the cells. By this means a con-
stant current of air passes through the building, and
greatly improves its healthfulness. The total sum
expended on the buildings up till this date, has been
£41,000.
Under the management of Mr. Brebner, Glasgow
bridewell has confessedly become the model institu-
tion of the kind in the kingdom. The great principles
at work here are separation and industry ; and the
aspect of the institution altogether, instead of being
sickening and repulsive, is lightsome and cheering.
The rattling of the shuttle, the creaking of the stook\
GLASGOW.
661
j-loom, the hammer of the nail-maker, the plan- '
of the carpenter, and the birring of the winder's
jeel, are heard in constant motion ; and in addition
these trades, there are tailoring, shoemaking, cabi-
-making, teasing oakum, &c. ; and many who go
absolutely ignorant of any handicraft, come out
"iciently instructed to earn their bread. Each per-
on entering the precincts is weighed, put into the
th, provided with a prison-dress, and immediately
to work if in health. The food is abundant, but
icly ; and it is a curious fact that many who have
in indifferent health before, come out of bride-
;11 hale and vigorous, and 99 out of every 100
heavier at the termination of their sentence
at its commencement. In case of refractory
lers, they are deprived of some portion of their
or the materials of their work are taken out of
jir cell, and they are left morning, noon, and night
absolute solitude. Punishment of this kind avails
ich more than stripes and fetters, and in the course
a day or two the most hardened criminal becomes
»ek as a child, and implores that some work may
furnished him to while away the dreadful loneliness.
>ral and religious instruction is duly attended to.
chaplain is attached to the institution, as well as
;veral male and female teachers, who ply their voca-
from morning till night, giving lessons in one
after another. There is every encouragement,
ipatible with the rules, afforded to those who are
litent and industrious ; and where a boy is inclined
the tine arts, the rude elements of drawing are
ipplied to him to fill up his allotted period of leisure,
specimens have been produced by them which
) no discredit to the advanced pupils of a
:tised drawing-master. The annual expense of
prisoner is about £5 per annum ; but in years
plenty and cheapness, it has been so low as £2.
rhen the earnings of a prisoner exceed his mainten-
he may receive the surplus on his dismissal,
>vided his cor- duct has been orderly and discreet,
i'he principal cJtarge to the public, therefore, is for
maintenance1 and extension of the building, the
t of management, &c. The latest table before us
for 1839, when the average number of prisoners for
year amounted to 344, viz. 203 males, and 141
ales. The greatest number was 402, viz. 237 males,
and 165 females The cost during the same year was
£4,526 16s. 8d. of which £981 15s. were for repairs
or extension in the buildings, or for apparatus which
does not form a permanent charge ; and the year more-
over was a dear one. Of this charge £2, 169 1 7s. 8d. was
defrayed from prisoners' work, or board of prisoners
not chargeable u{;ainst the institution ; and the sum
charged upon the public was £2,416 19s. which sum
includes salaries, bed and body clothes, furniture,
working utensils, &c. Including the governor, teach-
ers and those under them, there are in all 24 persons
connected with the management. Prisoners are sent
to bridewell fro in all the criminal courts in Glasgow
and the suburbs, and from the county of Lanark. It
has recently been resolved to permit the other coun-
ties in the Glasgow circuit — namely Renfrew and
Dumbarton — to send prisoners to bridewell on pay-
ment of £10 for each cell used. Bridewell is now
under the charge of the prisons'-board, and is likely
to be much more used and extended than it has been
as a reformatory prison The whole building is
lighted with gas.
Policc-e*ta'>lisliment Up till 1800 the inhabi-
tants of Glasgow were protected by the " watch and
ward" system, or, in other words, the citizens took
upon themselves in turn the office of watchmen by
duly patrolling the streets at night. It was called
the civic guard, and the force consisted of 30 house-
holders or upwards. Various efforts had previously
been made to establish a regular police, but these
were defeated by the inhabitants, who objected to
the provisions of the act brought into parliament for
the purpose of assessing them. In the year named,
however, the first bill was obtained, and a force or-
ganized, which, by various improvements, is now su-
perior to many, and second to none, in the united
kingdom. Glasgow now boasts of the finest police-
buildings north of London. These were built at
an expense of £14,000, and finished in January 1826.
The erection contains a fine square in the centre ;
one side is occupied as a court-hall ; another as the
hall of the commissioners ; and the remainder is
taken up with prisoners' rooms, cells, and the other
apartments necessary for the officers of the estab-
lishment. The cells are only meant as temporary
places of confinement, varying from 24 to 48 hours
in duration ; but since the passing of the Scots
prisons act, it is intended to fit up a number of
the cells to subserve the purpose of places of con-
finement for prisoners sentenced to limited periods
for trifling offences. The affairs are managed by
a board, elected from each of 35 wards into which
the city is divided, and of which the magistrates
are members ex qfficiis. Up till last year the as-
sessment was at the rate of Is. 3d. per pound, and
the total sum raised was £20,000. The statute-
labour department, or cleaning and paving of the
streets, is also managed by this board, and the as-
sessment amounts to £4,000 per annum. The ex-
ecutive is performed by a superintendent at £430
per annum — including £30 as city-marshal ; a com-
missioner's clerk at £230 ; a superintendent of the
fire department at £130 and house; 3 police-lieu
tenants at £100; a superintendent's clerk at £100;
a superintendent of streets at £120 ; 6 criminal
officers, 70 day-officers; 145 night-watchmen; be-
sides a large number of firemen, lamplighters, coal-
weighers, scavengers, &c.
The House of liefuge. — This is a valuable insti-
tution, and almost a novelty of its kind in the king-
dom. It is open for the reception of juvenile thieves,
who may be willing to abandon their course of life,
and accept of the blessings of an honest education.
The design originated in a conviction — by no means
confined to Glasgow — that by sending young rogues
to jail, the most infallible mode is taken to make
old rogues of them. The object having been made
known, the citizens of Glasgow evinced their high
appreciation of it by subscribing the handsome sum
of £10,000 for carrying it into effect. With this
sum the directors proceeded to work, and having
purchased a piece of ground about a mile from town,
on a line with the street in which Bridewell is
built, they constructed an edifice whose only fault
is that its exterior is too gaudy for the purpose for
which it is intended. It is, however, situated on
an elevated and healthy spot, and was first opened
for the reception of inmates in February 1838; and,
from that period up till December 1840, about 250
boys have been received, several of whom are now
supporting themselves out of the house by the trades
they have acquired, and exhibiting by their good
behaviour the benefits of the institution. On enter-
ing the house, a boy generally becomes bound an ap-
prentice for three years to one of four trades taught
within the walls, viz., weaving and winding, tailor-
in-, -hoemakinp, arid nail-making; and the day is
divided between education and labour. There is
ample scope within the grounds for recreation ; and
the inmates are not on any account permitted to
have the most distant intercourse with their old
associates. The number of boys at present in the
house is about 175. Of this number about onr-
half had been in Bridewell, and nearly the whole
662
GLASGOW.
frequently in the police-office ; and it is the opinion
of Mr. Brebner, the governor of Bridewell, that if
these boys had not been reclaimed by the House
of refuge, there would have been constantly in
Bridewell, at least 50 of their number, and that
about 40 would have been annually transported.
Deducting the produce of the labour of the inmates,
more than £13,000 has been spent upon the insti-
tution by voluntary subscription ; but the funds are
now in such a low state, that it has been resolved
to apply to parliament for an assessment for its sup-
port, and to secure its existence — A House of re-
fuge for girls has recently been opened, but it is
yet too early to speak of its operations.
Monuments and Statues. — There are several im-
posing monuments and statues in the city ; but none
of them exhibit any great degree of sculptural ex-
cellence. The most conspicuous is that of William
III. It is equestrian, formed of metal, and placed
on a pedestal in front of the Tontine buildings,
near the Cross. It was presented to the town in
1735 by James Macrae, a citizen of Glasgow, and
late Governor of the Presidency of Madras. — In 1806,
an obelisk of freestone was erected on the Green to
the memory of Lord Nelson. It is 144 feet in
height, and was erected by subscription at an ex-
pense of £2,075. On 5th August, 1810, the upper
part of the structure was completely shattered dur-
ing a storm of thunder and lightning ; but the
damage was soon repaired. — In 1812, a marble statue
of Pitt, by Flaxman, was erected in the town-hall.
— In 1819, a bronze statue of Sir John Moore was
erected by subscription at an expense of £4,000. It
is situated in George's-square. Sir John was born
in a house called Donald's Land, in the Trongate, a
little east from Candleriggs — In 1832, a bronze sta-
tue, in a sitting attitude, by Chantry, was erected in
George's-square, to the memory of the great James
Watt In 1837, a Doric column, surmounted by a
colossai statue, was erected in the same square to
the memory of Sir Walter Scott. The plaid which
the minstrel is represented to have worn is unfortu-
nately placed on the wrong shoulder of the statue.
In the beginning of 1840, a public meeting was held
for the purpose of organizing a subscription for an
equestrian statue to the Duke of Wellington, and
the sum of £10,000 collected in three months. It
has not yet been resolved upon who shall be the
artist, nor has the site been pointed out.
Banks The Bank of Scotland was established
by royal charter in 1695, and in 1696, a branch was
established in Glasgow ; but the trade of the city
was so insignificant that it was recalled for want of
support in 1697. It again made a trial in 1731, but
was recalled from the same cause The Ship bank,
the first which originated in the city, was established
in 1749. Since that period numerous banks and
branches have sprung up, or been established ; and
in the large commercial and manufacturing com-
munity in which they are situated, it is not surpris-
ing that they should thrive. The banks or branches
now in Glasgow are as follows : — Bank of Scotland,
British Linen company, City of Glasgow, Commer-
cial Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank, Clydesdale
Banking company, Glasgow and Ship Bank, Glas-
gow Union Bank, Western Bank, Greenock Bank,
National Bank of Scotland, Renfrewshire Bank —
A Provident or Savings' bank was opened in Glas-
gow on 3d July, 1815, in which deposits of Is. and
upwards are received. In June, 1840, the number
of depositors amounted to 3,454, and the amount of de-
posits to £53,906 19s. 3d. The institution has been
admirably managed since its commencement, and the
funds are secured by loan to the Trustees of the
River Clyde, the Water Company, or in the Royal
Bank — The National Security Savings' bank of
Glasgow commenced its operations on the 31st of
July, 1836. At its last annual balance, up to 20th
November, 1840, the sum at the credit of depos-
itors amounted to £154,690 5s. 6d., due to be-
tween thirteen and fourteen thousand individuals,
almost all of the very class for whom the institution
was intended. The accounts opened since the bank's
commencement had been upwards of twenty thousand.
Its momentum of progress may be partly understood
from the following simple statistics : —
In the year ending 20th Nov. 1837, there were 18,893 transactions.
1838, 28,358 ditto.
1839, 38,330 ditto.
1840, 45,574 ditto.'
This institution is managed by a committee of mer-
chants— The buildings i-i which the business of some
of the ordinary banks is carried on, are built in a
style of great magnificence ; and it may only be men-
tioned that the cost of the British Linen Company's
bank, now in the course of erection, has been esti-
mated at £38,000, including the ground charge.
Chamber of Commerce — The Chamber of Com-
merce was first projected by Patrick Colquhoun,
Esq., then Lord-provost of the city, and subsequently
well known for his writings on the Political Eco-
nomy of the Capital, and of the River Thames.
The principal objects of the institution are the
protection and encouragement of trade, and to keep
a watchful eye on whatever may be supposed to
affect the commercial interests of Glasgow and its
neighbourhood. It is incorporated by royal charter,
and the business is managed by a board of directors
30 in number. Members are admitted on payment of
an admission fee ; and the institution is one of con-
siderable weight in Glasgow. There are also East
and West India associations in Glasgow for the en-
couragement and protection of these trades.
Theatre. — The first theatre in Glasgow was a
temporary booth, fitted up in 1752, in the vicinity of
the wall of the archbishop's palace, in which Digges,
Love, Stampier, and Mrs. Ward performed. A re-
gular theatre was built in the Grahamston suburb in
1764, by Mrs. Bellamy and others, but, on the first
night of the performance, the machinery and dresses
and scenery were set on fire. It was again fitted
up, and kept open with very indifferent success till
April, 1782, when it was burnt to the ground.
The Dunlop-street theatre was built in 1785 by
Mr. Jackson, and opened by Mrs. Siddons, Mrs.
Jordan, and other distinguished performers. The
taste for theatricals increased, and a subscription
having been set on foot, the most magnificent pro-
vincial theatre in the empire was opened in Queen-
street at an expense of £18,500. It was, however,
much too large for the wants of the play-going com-
munity, and was, from first to last, a most luckless
speculation. It was burnt to the ground on 10th
January, 1829 — a gas-light having come in contact
with the ceiling of one of the lobbies leading to the
upper gallery. The old theatre in Dunlop-street
was in consequence enlarged, and constantly em-
ployed as a place of amusement till 1839, when it
was pulled down, and a more commodious and hand-
some structure erected in its stead, which was
opened in February, 1840. The patent for a new
theatre has, however, been obtained for 21 years
from 1840. It is granted in favour of the Duke of
Hamilton, the lord-lieutenant of the county ; the
member for the county; the lord-provost of the
city ; and the two city members, or any two of their
number. The Duke of Hamilton and the two mem-
bers for the city have agreed to act; but no progress
has yet been made with the building.
Barracks for infantry were erected by Govern-
GLASGOW.
663
it in 1795, at the east end o£'the Gallowgate, and
the building may be a commodious one, it is
on being ornamental. Horse-barracks were
jd at a later period, on the south-west extre-
lity of Gorbals.
Reading-Rooms, Clubs, fyc.~\ — About 1770, a
ee-room was opened in Glasgow for the perusal
newspapers and other periodicals ; but its
icfits were only confined to a few. In 1781,
wever, a subscription by the Tontine plan was
jred into, for building a coffee-room and hotel,
shares of £50 each. This building was opened
thereafter, near the Cross, the front of the
;1 being supported by piazzas ; and for half-a-
•y it formed the great resort of the merchants
citizens of Glasgow. The city having, however,
)idly grown in wealth, and business being on the
westward, the Royal Exchange, in Queen-
t, was erected and opened on 3d September,
It was built by subscription at an expense of
),000, and is not only a lasting monument of the
1th of the Glasgow merchants, but is at the same
2, the noblest institution of the kind in the king-
This splendid structure is built in the Grecian
5 of architecture, from designs by Mr. David
lilton. The Exchange is entered by a majestic
tico, surmounted by a beautiful lantern tower.
!*he great room is 130 feet in length, and 60 in
1th ; the roof, which is supported by Corinthian
liars, is 30 feet in height. Newspapers and periodi-
1s are received here from every part of the kingdom,
s Continent, and America, and the hall is constantly
>wded by the merchants and others. There are two
ibs in the London style : viz., the Western and
Jnion clubs. The former has nearly completed a
;w building, which will be one of the finest in the
ty. In addition to these there are various reading-
throughout Glasgow of minor note, and there
a tavern without its assortment of local and
luently London papers. The following table will
ive the statistical details of the four principal estab-
"iments above-named : —
Public CoftM-
n$ and Qubi.
, Tontinp Cof-
fee-Room at
th- Cross,
Royal Ex
cliMii^c Cot
ler-Kiinm
Western
Club, .
Union Club
1781
1S25
1838
798
1,455
2,930
that in the following tables the register of still-born
children is necessarily very imperfect, and many are
known to have been omitted.
Table of the Proclamation* of Marriage* in Glatgow, and their
annual ratio to the Population, during eighteen yeart, from
1822 to 1839.
Years.
Mar-
riages
Popula-
tion.
Ratio of
Marriage* tc
Population.
Years.
Mar
riages.
202,420
209,230
216,450
22.3,940
235,000
244,000
253,000
263, tKX)
272,000
Ratio of
[Marriages to
Population.
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1,470,15I,44(
I,650:i56,17(
1,739161, l«
1,9821 166,28(
1,576 171, (MX
1,635 177,28(
1,866!183,15(
I,829;i89,27(
1,919,195,651
) 1 to 103.08
) — : l.'il
) — 93.02
) — 83.98
) — 108.92
) — 108.42
) — 98.15
) — 103.48
) — 101.95
1831
1832
1833
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1,867
1,975)
2,335
2,:j5u
2,297
2,b70
2.095
2,406
2,413
1 to 108.42
— 10572
— 92.69
— 94.93
— 102.30
— 102.95
— 120.76
— 109.31
— 112.72
Table of the Registered Baptittn* and of the Still-bom, dittin-
gutthing the texei, in each year from 1822 to 1839.
Years.
btpCm. || Still-born.
Years.
Registered
baplisiut.
Still.
MaTeT
born.
T.T:
Males Fem.
Vlales.
Fein.
Ma.es.
Bern.
1,548
1,715
1 ,523
1,633
1,530
1,462
1,518
1,432
1822
18*3
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
,573'l,399
,4621,489
,5651,537
,6891,420
,599 1,401
,523 1,297
,630 1,483
,608 1,514
,678 1,547
1,8301,608
157
183
179
183
180
213
228
246
277
125
158
136
14H
135
169
195
233
225
289
1832
183:1
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
rotal,
1,840
1,750
1,826
1,651
1,795
1,620
1,641
1,580
332
306
313
368
415
371
336
318
4,785
292
276
248
283
287
245
247
287
3,978
29,860
27.056
Entry
Money.
Annual Sub-
scription.
Amount of Sub-
bcriptions.
6
£ ». d.
£ i. d.
£ *. d
1 5 0
997 10 0
220
3,055 10 0
31 10 0
20 0 0
550
500
2,173 10 0
1,315 0 0
7,541 10 0
The following table, exhibiting the amount of the
estimated population and the rate of the mortality in
Glasgow during the last eighteen years, is extracted
from the mortality bills. It will be observed that
the rate of mortality is calculated from the deaths,
and not from the burials. The burials of still-born,
which are excluded, amounted, during the eighteen
years, to 8,763.
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
4,354
4,571
151.440
156,170
161.120
166,280
171,660 4,220
177,230 4,787
183,150 5,534
1H9.270 4,991
195,650 4.714
3,408
I in 44 436
— S6.437
— 37.005
- 36.374
— 40.677
- 37.033
— 33.095
— 37.922
— 41.504!
"fir
18 31
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1R77
1838
1839
202,420 5.981
209,230 9,654
216,450 6.050
223,940 6,167
<?35,000 7,198
244.000 8,441
253,00010,270
263,000 6,932
2,000 7,525
in 33.845
— 21 672
— 35.776
— 36.312
— 32.647
— 28.906
— 24 634
— 37.939
— 36.146
" In this table the population from 1822 to 1830,
and from 1832 to 1834, both inclusive, was obtained
by interpolating a series based on the government
enumerations of 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831; that
for 1835, 1836, and 1837, has been rated a little
higher than the series warranted, as being in all
likelihood near the truth."
Ecclesiastical affairs, and Statistics.
Glasgow is the seat of a numerous presbytery,
and is a constituent of the synod of Glasgow and
Ayr. Until about the year 1600 the district now-
comprehending the ten parishes of the royalty of
Glasgow and the Barony, formed only one par-
ish. Previously to this (in 1595) a minister had
been appointed to the landward or Barony parish ;
but the district connected with it was not then for-
mally erected into a parish. The presbytery, in 1599,
applied to the town-council to disjoin the parish,
which had then become unwieldy ; and after due
consideration had been given to the application by
the corporate body, the following answer was re-
turned: — "They thocht gud that the township
should be divided into twa parishes, provyding that
the town be not burdenit with seatin or bigging of
kirks, nor furnishing nae mao ministers nor they hae
already." This act was approved of by the incor-
porated trades, and the township was formally divid-
ed into two parishes in 1602. " The portion of tlw
664
GLASGOW.
original parish which remained under the charge of
the minister of Glasgow, and is still sometimes called
the parish of Glasgow, as it embraced the royalty of
the city, fell under the management of its magis-
trates and town-council, and was by them divided, at
successive intervals, as its population increased, into
ten districts, which were erected into separate par-
ishes, with the consent of the presbytery, and by
authority of the court of teinds. The parish of Ba-
rony, on the other hand, remained a single parish
under the superintendence of one minister, till the
year 1834, when the act of the General Assembly
having been passed, authorized the erection of par-
ishes quoad sacra or spiritualia, its limits, quoad
sacra, were abridged by the annexation of certain
of its districts as ecclesiactical parishes to various
chapels-of-ease connected with the Establishment,
which had been erected within its bounds, and whose
ministers then obtained the ecclesiastical status of
ministers of parochial churches. As similar chapels
had been built within the royalty of Glasgow, the
operation of the same act altered the boundaries,
and increased the number of the city parishes quoad
sacra. At the date of examination the parishes
within the royalty and the Barony had come to be
24 in number, of which 1 1 were parishes both quoad
sacra and quoad civilia, 10 were parishes only quoad
sacra, having a distinct territory, and 3, viz., St.
Columba, Duke-street Gaelic, and the West Gaelic,
were parishes quoad sacra, having no territorial
limits, but comprehending the Highland population
residing within the royalty and suburbs of Glasgow.
The parish of Gorbals consisted, at first, of a small
district disjoined from the neighbouring parish of
Govan, and erected into a separate parish by the
court of teinds in 1771. To this district a much
larger portion of Govan, comprehending what is now
the most populous portion of Gorbals, was at a sub-
sequent period erected quoad sacra, by the presbytery
of Glasgow." [Report by the Commissioners of Re-
ligious Instruction, 1836.]
The date of the disjunction of the endowed city
churches from the original parish was, as has been
stated, gradual. In 1622 three parishes were formed
by the erection of the Blackfriars' church ; in 1648
four parishes were formed by the appointment of a
minister to the Outer High church ; at the revolu-
tion of 1688 the Wynd church, (now St. George's,)
which had previously existed, was erected into a
parish-church, and a fifth territorial allocation made.
In 1720 an additional parish was formed by the erec-
tion of the Ramshorn, now St. David's. The num-
ber was increased to seven in 1765, shortly after St.
Andrew's was built. It was increased to eight in
1782, when St. Enoch's was built, — to nine upon the
building of St. John's, — and to ten, its present number
quoad civilia, when St. James's was added. During
the last twenty years, but the last ten in particular, a
large number of churches — which will be enumerated
afterwards — have been built in connection with the
Establishment on the voluntary principle, endowed
rr supported from the seat-rents, and the minister
en on the popular principle, that is, either by the
Church-building society, the subscribers, or the com-
municants or sitters. By far the greater portion of
these are situated in the Barony parish, which over-
laps Glasgow proper on every side saving the river,
and is by far the most populous parish quoad civilia
in the kingdom.
The place of worship of the Inner High church is the
Cathedral, which is Crown property, and of which
the Crown is patron. The Crown is also patron of
the Barony parish, and both ministers are endowed
from the teinds of the original parish of Glasgow,
the amount of which is known to be not less than
£500 per annum. The minister of Gorbals receives,
along with a grant of £100 per annum from the Ex-
chequer, a stipend from the heritors, which they pay,
not out of their teinds, (these being all liable to the
minister of Govan, to which Gorbals originally be-
longed,) but out of seat-rents and other public funds.
The total amount of stipend is set down in the re-
port of the religious commissioners at £300 per an-
num. The parish-churches, comprehending the whole
proper city churches, exclusive of the Inner High
church, and being nine in number, were built and are
kept in repair by the corporation-funds of the city.
Their ministers are endowed, in so far as each ac-
quires by induction a right to stipend from the pa-
trons, the magistrates, and the town-council ; and
it is understood that the main source from which
the patrons derive the sums necessary for these sti-
pends, and the other expenses of public worship, is the
revenue arising from the seat- rents, which they levy
in all the churches, including the Inner High church.
The stipend to the ministers of these nine parishes
has been increased from time to time, and is now
fixed at £425 per annum, exclusive of manse. The
following are the periods and rates at which the
stipends of the city ministers have been progressively
advanced. They are given in sterling money, but
used to be calculated in Scots money till 1778 : —
Year.
1583, 2d charge,
1538, lat charge,
16;;8, .
1642, . .
1643, .
1723,
1762, .
Stipend.
£l(i 13 4
27 15 6
58 16 ll
66 13 4
78 16 8
111 2
138 17
81
Year.
1778, .
1796
1801. .
1808,
1814, .
1830,
Stipend.
£1«5 0 0
200 0 0
250 0 0
300 0 0
400 0 0
4*5 0 0
The stipend, as has been stated, is understood to
be paid from the seat-rents, which are fixed, set, and
uplifted by the corporation. From the falling-off in
the number of seats let, however, the corporation
has of late been a loser instead of a gainer. In 1836
the amount thus received was £5,038 19s. 10d. ;
and in 1840 it was only £3,978 8s. 7d., thus showing
a falling-off in five years to the extent of £1,060 1 Is.
3d. The expenditure on the city-churches, in 1840,
was £4,669 5s. 9d., leaving the corporation-funds
minus £690 17s. 2d. This falling-off in the atten
dance on the city places of worship is not attributed,
by any one, either to inefficiency or lack of zeal
on the part of their pastors, but rather to the new
churches which, within a few years, have sprung up
to more than outnumber the old, and which being
planted in districts formerly unprovided, have drained
off a considerable part of their congregations, and
with them their seat-rents.
In the unendowed established churches, the great
majority of which have been erected since 1834, the
stipend is, with one or two trifling exceptions, en-
tirely paid from the seat-rents. The General As-
sembly, by a recent enactment, admits of ordination
upon a bond of £80 per annum being granted ; and
the stipends accordingly vary from this sum, in the
lowest instance, to £310 in the highest. Few of the
ministers, however, receive less than £150, and a
great many of them considerably above it.
Zealous as the members of the Established church
may be in the work of propagating the gospel through-
out the bounds of Glasgow, the Dissenters have kept
pace with them in this laudable work ; and there is
no town in the kingdom where the general body is
more respectable or influential. Indeed, for many
years previous to 1830, the principal part of the work
of church-extension was in the hands of Dissenters.
One hundred years ago dissent was unknown in Glas-
gow, if we except the Society of Friends, who had a
meeting-house in Glasgow in 1716, and their numbers
have not much increased even to the present day.
GLASGOW
665
first meeting-house of the Associate Burghers —
were the first to secede from the Church of Scot-
-was built in Shuttle-street in 1740 ; the Asso-
i Antiburghers built their first house in Havannah-
1 752 ; the Reformed Presbyterians founded
ch in Calton in 1756; the Relief body began
Anderston meeting-house in 1770 ; the Metbo-
rented a hall in Stockwell-street in 1779, where
celebrated John Wesley frequently preached;
Circus, in Jamaica-street, was opened in 17 79 by
^ell-known Rowland Hill of London ; and from
Is the progress of Protestant dissent has
t, and the members of the different corn-
is have been of incalculable benefit in arresting
onward march of demoralization in the rapidly
wing masses of Glasgow. The English Episcopal
was founded in 1 750 ; and though, from the
rality of the times, the Roman Catholic body were
jlled to meet in a clandestine manner in the
of a dwelling-house behind Blackstock's land in
Itmarket, they were enabled eventually in 1797,
" 1 openly a chapel near the barracks, which has
»n long disused as a place of worship, and the
splendid edifice in Great Clyde-street was
in its stead. From the extensive immigra-
of the Irish population to the west within the
ty years, no sect has increased of late in the
i proportion as the Roman Catholics.
1840 there were 85 places of worship in Glasgow
suburbs, made up as follows : — viz., Established
" , 40 ; United Secession, 1 1 ; Original Bur-
1 ; Relief, 9 ; Reformed Presbyterians, 2 ;
•iginal Seceders, 1 ; Independents, 4 ; Old Inde-
pendents, I ; Baptists, 6 ; Episcopalians, 4 ; Wes-
leyan Methodists, 2 ; United Methodists, 1 ; Roman
Catholics, 2; Unitarian, 1. In addition to these
there is a small Jewish synagogue, and small con-
ions of Bereans and Glassites. The stipends of
the Dissenting ministers are entirely made up from the
n-at-rents and the voluntary contributions of the
nembers. In the United Secession, according to the
-eport of the Religious Instruction Commissioners,
MI- minister has £480 per annum ; two £400 ; one
8*50; one £335; one £300; one £225; one £220 ;
nid one £200. The Episcopalians are rated from
£220 to £280; the Relief, from £140, in only one
nstauce, to £300, the majority being above £200 :
the Independents, respectively £165, £300, and
£401) ; the Baptist stipend is not explicitly given ;
.he Methodists from £70 to £120; the Original
Burghers £210 and £250; Christian Unitarian £230;
Reformed Presbyterians £150; Roman Catholic
- £100 each; and the other sects, small sums
rum £30 to £53. This return, it will be remem-
applies to 1836, the only recent authentic
liitii to be obtained, since which there have been
nany additions and many changes. It is scarcely
n-y to add that in all the dissenting congrega-
tions the patronage is in the hands of the members.
The seat-rents exigible vary according to circum-
itaiuvs in every church both in the established and
:he dissenting bodies ; the lowest sum being 2s., and
:he highest 27s. per sitting. The average for all will
je from 5s. 6d. to 7s. 6d.
1 lie churches of the establishment are in general
a-u-liil and ornamental, without being costly, and
:he spires of several of them are not surpassed in
,rrace and beauty by those of any other city where
tin- sune moderate sum has been expended upon their
Construction. This particularly applies to St. An-
drews, St. Enoch's, St. George's, and the Gorbals
church. The dissenting churches, though unspired,
are nevertheless, in many instances, splendid fabrics.
The churches of the United Secession have cost from
£2,100 to £9,000 ; and upon the majority of them
upwards of £4,000 have been expended. One of
the Independent churches cost £10,700. The most
splendid specimen of architecture, and at the same
time the most costly, is the Roman Catholic chapel in
Great Clyde-street, which was erected in 1816 at an
expense of nearly £14,000, and is capable of accom-
modating 2,200 sitters.
The following table drawn up by Mr. Collins, and
showing the number of sittings in all the churches of
Glasgow, whether established or dissenting, cannot
fail to be interesting ; and as it is understood that
the data upon which it is prepared is not objected to
by any party, but was furnished alike by churchmen
and dissenters, it may be assumed as presenting the
exact truth, as exhibited at the close of 1839. The
document accompanies the report of the society for
erecting additional parochial churches in Glasgow
and suburbs, read at a meeting of members on 15th
July, 1840 :_
STATE OF CHURCH ACCOMMODATION IN 1839.
CHURCHES OF TUB ESTABLISHMENT.
Inner High, .
St. Paul's, . ' .
. HIS
I:*-. 6
Brought forward, 28.562
St Columba, Gaelic, 1 j-0
College, . . .
• 1 3( )7
Duke-street, do.
. 1*77
Truii, . .
l.'ilKi
Hu[i.- treet, do.
. 14:15
St. David's, .
. II4H
St Stpijhptt't
. 1100
St. Enoch's,
1**4
St. Mnrk't, '. . ' .
St. Andrew's,
. 1210
St. J'etttr't, .
. 1010
St. George's,
UJ7
Bndgegate, . . .
851
Si. John's,
. 1636
at. Luke'*, . .
. 1046
St. James's,
1371
B'idgeton, .
Barony, .
. 1403
Milton, .
. KN)
Gorbals,
M60
Chii'mers, . .
980
Albion,
. 1801
Cum itc/i'e, .
. 1000
Anderston, . .
1246
ilutt'/iet.Mintown
1013
Mid-Calton,
Mellpurk, .' ' .
. 99
Sii.-ttlest.in,
911
Murtyrt, . .
10*0
Kir K Held, .
Kingston, . .
. 91W
St. Tliomas's, .
1398
B> oirnftctd, . .
1000
Si. George's in the Fields l*4i
at. Muilheto't, .
. 998
St. Ann's,* .
. 760
littijitld t • . .
I3-.H)
Maryhill, .
. 91*
Carry forward,
26,56*
Carry forward,
47,318
Those churches the names of which are simply
indented were the old chapels ; those- put in Italic
type are the new church-extension churches.
CHURCHES THAT HULD THE PRINCIPLE* OF AN ESTABLISHMENT.
47,313
Associate Synod, Mr. Cnrrie,
Original Seceders, Mr. Murray,
Kel..nned Presbyterians, Dr. Syin
Do. D<>. Dr. Bate
Methodists, John-street, .
Do. Cation,
Episcopalians, Mr. Routledge,
D .. Mr. Almond,
Do. Mr. Aitrin-.iii,
Do. Mr. Montgomery,
Mr. Campbell, Uegeut-street,
1480
500
ngt..n, 1066
716 1782
1000
5uO IftfO
6.0
930
750
1430 3740
700
9702
DISSENTING CHURCHES.
United Secession, Mr. King,— Greyfriars, 1522
Do Do. Dr. Mitchell, Weilmgton-8t. 1492
Do. Do. Dr. Muter, Duke-stieel, 1224
Do. Do. Dr. Kidston. CmnpliHUi-t 1301
Do. Do. Dr. HeUKh, Regent-pi .ce, 1446
Do. Do. Dr. Beattie, Gordon-street, 1576
Do. Do. Mr. Smith, Launeuton, 010
Do. Do. Mr. Jnhn-t.in, Lgiinion-st, 1*18
Do. Do. Mr. Eadie, Cambridge-.-.!. 1016
Do. Do. Mr. IVden, K. Ke^eni-place, 1370
Do. Do. Mr. Jetirey, London-road, 101*4 14,2*20
Relief, Mr. Brodie, Campbell-street, . 137^
Do. Mr. Lindsay, Dovelnll, . . 1400
Do. Mr. Anderson, John-street, . \jfi~i
!).». Mr. Thuinxon, Hutriu-sontown, . 1609
Do. Mr. Strnthers, Anden-ton, . IztJO
D.I. Mr. Kdwttrds, Bridgeton, . . lJfJ3
Do. Mr. Harvey, I alton, . . . 139i
D.I. Mr. Auld, Jollcro.s, ... 1249
Do. Mr. (iiaiiam. Urgent-place, . 800 11,800
Independent*, Dr. Warduw, . . 1404
Do. Mr. Kwing, . . . 1556
Do. * Mr. 1'ullar, . . . «--U
Do. Bruwufieid, ... 500 4,'280
• St. Ann'» i* now ciisui.-d »s an Kitabiiibni church. It it now occnpM
u a S ibduih place 01 meeting by the Chartitu.
,.i meet church and eongrrgation formally belonftd to the «.-.o
666 GLASGOW, PAISLEY, AND GREENOCK RAILWAY.
Baptists, Mr. Paterson, .
Do. Mr. David Smith, .
Di>. Mr D. M'Laren, .
Church Presbyterians, Mr. Denovan,
Old Independents, Oswald-street,
Mr. Duncan, Parliamentary-road,
Friends, Portland-street,
ROMAN CATHOLIC AND UNlTARfA CHURCHES.
Roman Catholics, Clyde-street,
Do. Do. Gorbals,
Unitarians, Mr. Harris,
800
335
350 1485
840
650
1090
35034,832
2220
500
2720
785
Sittings in churches of all denominations, 95,357
It must be remembered, however, that out of this
total of 95,357 sittings, a vast number are unlet,
amounting, it is understood, to one-third.
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, AND GREENOCK
RAILWAY The company for executing this rail-
way was incorporated by the act of 1° Viet. cap. cxvi.
after a lengthened passage through both houses of
parliament. The royal assent was obtained on 15th
July, 1837. Like the majority of railway-companies,
the Glasgow and Greenock encountered severe oppo-
sition from various quarters, but the most formidable
and protracted was that offered by the trustees of
Lord Blantyre, then a minor, who succeeded in secur-
ing important protective clauses which are under-
stood to have impeded the execution of the works.
Immediately after the bill passed, the commercial
panic of 1837 occurred, which, by paralyzing the
monied interests of the country, prevented for a time
the commencement of the operations. It was not
until the autumn of that year that active steps were
taken to carry out the scheme ; but at that time, an
engineer and secretary having been appointed, the
formation of the railway was proceeded with. The
contracts having been let, the first stone of a viaduct
was laid in Greenock, with masonic honours, on 15th
June, 1838. The works have since proceeded with
great vigour, and although unexpected hinderances
arose, from the extremely hard nature of the material
on some parts of the line, the whole was eventually
completed, and opened to the public on the 30th of
March, 1841.
This railway commences at the general station at
the south end of Glasgow bridge, from which it is dis-
tant only 80 yards. After passing Cook-street, in
Tradeston, it takes a curve westward so suddenly that
on any other part of the line it might be considered
inconvenient if not dangerous ; but being close to the
station, the engines are always moving slowly at this
point, and the inconvenience is not felt. It approaches
the Glasgow, Paisley, and Johnstone canal at the
aqueduct, a few yards west of which, the distance
between them is only the breadth of the towing-path.
After running nearly parallel with the canal, and on
a level of 8 or 10 feet lower, for about a mile, they
separate, and the railway keeps a perfectly straight
course till within half-a-mile of Arkleston tunnel.
It then curves gently to the south, and by means oJ
the tunnel, which is 60 feet below the highest part
of the surface, passes beneath Arkleston-hill. A
gentle curve brings the railway to the Greenlaw po-
licies, where an extensive view of the eastern parts
of Paisley is opened up, and continued till the arrival
at the station-house adjoining the county-buildings
in Paisley. At Arkleston, the cutting extends to
about three quarters of a mile, gradually diminishing
from between 50 and 60 feet at the east end of the
tunnel, towards each end. The only other cutting on
this part of the line worth notice, is at Ibrox, where
it extends to a rather greater length than that at Ark-
leston, but it is not so deep. In the space between
Glasgow and Paisley, the line is crossed by ten bridges,
besides which, in addition to the arches and bridges
at the terminus, four roadways are formed beneath it.
From Glasgow, up till this point, the Greenock line
s common to that of the Ayrshire company also
See GLASGOW, PAISLEY, KILMARNOCK, AND AYJ
RAILWAY. After crossing Moss-street in Paisley, th
Glasgow and Greenock line curves away to the west
A handsome viaduct of 28 arches of 20 feet span, am
a skew bridge over Underwood-street, carries th
ine clear of Paisley. The retaining walls are, how
jver, continued for some distance, when the line pro
ceeds on a light embankment past Blackstone-house
which it leaves on the left. The river Cart is her
crossed by a wooden-bridge, the nature of the found
tions rendering that material necessary. After pas
ing the river Gryfe on a similar erection, the railw
proceeds over a deep moss for the distance of a mi
and quarter ; and going through two cuttings of t'
depth of 43 feet and 30 feet respectively, and over
heavy intervening embankment, enters the Bisho
ton ridge. This is the greatest work on the lin
and is perhaps unparalleled in the kingdom. T
ridge is composed of solid whinstone rock ; and t
railway passes through it for a distance of 2,3!
yards : See BISHOPTON. In blasting this obdura
ridge of rock, 320 tons of gunpowder have been e
pended, costing more than £12,000. Leaving tl
cutting, the river Clyde, with Dumbarton rock a
castle, the classic Benlomond, and the entire ran
of the Argyleshire hills, burst on the view with
noramic effect ; and from this point till it reaches Poi
Glasgow the railway skirts the river. The beautii
scenery of the noble stream and estuary is seen
striking advantage from various portions of the lir
Port-Glasgow is approached by a viaduct of 14 sto
arches of 30 feet span, which crosses a small ba
now used as a timber-depot. The railway neai
divides the town. The station for Port-Glasgow
at the head of Prince's-street, and from this it is i
tended that a branch shall be carried to the harboi
The streets are spanned by arches as in Paisl
There is nothing worthy of particular notice, till t
line approaches Greenock, where, passing througl
heavy cutting of 44 feet deep, it enters the tow
The railway divides a large engineering work at t
point; and all the streets, except Bogle-street,
spanned by bridges. The Greenock station is
Cathcart-street, nearly facing East Quay lane, a
close to the steam-boat quay. Behind it is an e
tensive space of ground for the repairing sho
sheds, &c., belonging to the company. A bran
line for goods diverges at Dellingburn-street, and
intended to be prolonged to the East India quay.
The length of the line from Glasgow to Greenoc
is 22| miles •. and it passes through the parishes of G
van, Abbey, and Middle or North, in Paisley, Kilbi
chan, Inchinnan, Erskine, Kilmacolm, Port-Glasgo
and East parish of Greenock. The greatest amou
of rock-cutting in one spot is 244,000 yards, a
the heaviest embankment contains 146,508 yards
this debris. The gradients are favourable. Betwe
Glasgow and Paisley the line is nearly level, and u
til it approaches Bishopton, on either side the i
clinations are favourable. To gain the summit-lei
of this ridge, the road rises 1 in 330, and descends
the same rate. The quantity of masonry on the li
is unusually great, owing to the circumstance of f<
towns being traversed in so short a distance,
retaining walls extend to several miles, and there I
nearly 400 arches on the line, exclusive of culver
Many of the bridges are very elegant in their desig
particularly the Cart bridge at Paisley, and the ar
over the deep cutting at Cartsburn-hill near Gree
ock. The Underwood-street bridge, and South Cro
street bridge in Paisley, the former in stone at
angle of 28°, and the latter in iron at an angle of 1*3
are specimens of engineering skill and boldness far
ly to be met with. The station-buildings are high
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, &c., RAILWAY.
667
tal, and do great credit to the taste of the
tect.
e capital of the company is £400,000 in 16,000
of £25 each, with power to borrow £133,333.
was considered sufficient for every purpose, but
expansion of the scheme, and other causes, this
has fallen short of the outlay that will be neces-
The company is now (March 1841 ) in parliament
ditional capital, and it appears likely that the
cost of the railway, including what is techni-
called the " Plant" or stock, will not fall far
of £600,000. Rather more than one-third of the
was originally held in Greenock, and the rest
o\v, London, Liverpool, Dublin, &c., but as
roceeded attention has been drawn to it, and
it has been absorbed by distant capitalists.
Glasgow and Edinburgh interest especially has
y increased. There are between 500 and 600
"ders. The guage of the rails is 4 feet 8£
the rails are heavy, being 75 pounds to the
and there is a four-foot bearing, which being
an many others by a foot, renders the road
ly firm. The line is laid on wooden sleepers,
there are high embankments ; in all other parts
pting the moss, where wood is also used —
blocks are employed with very strong iron chains,
are 12 locomotives at present on the line,
have cost about £1,650 each. The line, which
.ble one, and in some places has four lines of
is calculated for a very extensive business in
rs and goods. The fares between Glasgow
nock aVe 2s 6d. and Is. 6d., and no third
The time of transit between the two ter-
will be about an hour or rather less. Arrange-
will be made for conveying passengers to the
t watering-places on the Clyde, on the arrival
trains ; and there will be about 8 or 10 depar-
from each terminus daily. The company have
in their last bill to erect a pier and wharf op-
Dumbarton, and to engage steamers for the
there. This line, as well as the Ayrshire one,
course of time be highly ornamental, the slopes
ibankments being well-drained, and planting
rapidly forward. There is a degree of rural
ess already gathering round some of the older
h railways which is exceedingly pleasing to
, and the same features will not be long ab-
the Scottish lines. In the southern railways,
ing banks have in numerous instances been
ly and profitably converted into beautiful par-
or smiling little gardens, and the rail itself is
enclosed by hedge-rows, which are thriving
and impart that air of rusticity which has
much wanting. *
engineer of this line is the well-known Mr.
.ocke, with Mr. J. Errington, assistant-engineer.
j Throughout the arduous labours of bringing this
tupendous work to a close, these gentlemen have
'een ably supported by the committee of manage-
iciit, of which Mr. Robert Dow Ker is chairman,
nd by the secretary, Captain M'Huish. f
* The orders for thorn, and other plants for decorating the
tafli«h railway lines have been so great of late years, that the
rice may be said to have permanently advanced in the market,
nd there will yet be a demand fur millions upon millions of
•m plant.
t As this is the first Scots railway that has fallen under the
ew act for the inspection of railways, it may be fair to add,
i*t the Government officer named for that purpose has made
is report, in which he states, that he " considers the line of a
fry satisfactory character." He also adds, " I cannot conclude
nis report without observing that 1 have seen a ropy of the
»de of regulations drawn up by Mr. Errington, about to be
stahliahed for working this line, and it appears to tne to be
rawn up in so able a manner, that I am disposed to think that
'itli such modifications only a* local circumstances may render
nperative, it might be taken as the general form for the guitt-
tire of the companies in this part ol the country, where 1 timi
try discordant systems in operation."
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, KILMARNOCK,
AND AYR RAILWAY.— The original pros-
pectus of this stupendous work, which is as-
sociated with such mighty considerations to the
commerce, convenience, and best interests of the
west of Scotland, was issued in April, 1836. Ap-
plication was made to parliament for a bill in the
end of the same year, and an act embodying the
company was passed on 15th July, 1837. The un-
dertaking was opposed by the road-trustees along
the line, and by the Ardrossan canal company ; but
the opposition was never of such a kind as to endan-
ger the measure, and it was more than counterbal-
anced by the facilities and encouragement granted by
other parties, of whom the Earl of Glasgow, the Earl
of Eglinton, the burgh of Irvine, and Col. Hunter
Blair, of Blair, deserve especial mention. The lat-
ter gentleman — through whose estate the railway
runs for upwards of two miles — came forward in the
most handsome manner and agreed to present the
company with the land necessary for the line, with-
out any compensation whatever. In many respects
this railway differs favourably from others, in the
rapidity of its construction, and in its moderate cost,
not less than in the important consequences that
may be expected to flow from it. Immediately on
the passing of the act, most of the contracts were
entered into, and some of them commenced in Feb.,
1838. A portion of the line — from Ayr to Irvine —
was opened for public traffic on the 5th of August,
1839 ; other portions quickly followed — that to Kil-
winning was ready on the 23d March, 1840 — from
Glasgow to Paisley, on the 13th, — and from Kilwin-
ning to Beith on the 21st July, 1840; and upon the
1 2th August in the same year — not two years and a
half from the time the first shovelful of earth was
removed — the whole line was opened for public -con-
veyance. It opens up a country of vast capabilities,
rich in mineral, manufacturing, and commercial
wealth, and brings the towns and sea-ports of Ayr
Irvine, Kilwinning, Saltcoats, Ardrossan, Dairy,
Beith, Johnstone, and Paisley, into the closest prox-
imity with the city-capital of the west of Scotland.
In a short period, when the branch to Kilmarnock
shall have been completed, that thriving town will
also be added to the number ; and in the autumn of
1841, when the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway shall
have linked the east with the west of Scotland, the
most wealthy and populous section of North Britain
will be connected through all its bounds by a three
or four hours' drive.
This fine line of railway, which is 40 miles in
length, commences within a few yards of the south
end of Glasgow bridge, where a splendid and costly
station-house, built of white freestone, with a hand-
some portico, and stately columns, has been erected.
It passes through Tradeston, by a curve, on a series of
brick arches, and soon touches the bank of the Glas-
gow, Paisley, and Johnstone canal, where it crosses
the Pollok and Go van railway, which it also spans by
flat iron-bridge of three divisions. Thence proceed-
ing in nearly a straight line to Paisley, it passes under
the turnpike road by a short tunnel, and after a suc-
cession of light cuttings and embankments, enters
the great excavation at Arkleston. There is also at
this spot, a tunnel of 200 yards in length, through
whinstone rock. On emerging from it the town of
Paisley becomes visible, and the railway enters on a
high level, crossing all the streets on lofty bridges,
till it reaches the river Cart, which it also passes by
a noble arch of 85 feet span. The station-houses,
both of the Ayr and Greenock companies, are situat-
ed in the large open space fronting the county-build-
ings, which they resemble in the character of their
architecture, and they are not distant more than two
668
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, &c., RAILWAY.
minutes' walk from the very centre of the town.
The line from Glasgow to Paisley, short as it is,
being only 7 miles in length, is a very pleasing and
attractive one ; the Campsie and Kirkpatrick hills are
seen in the distance, with the " Braes o' Gleniffer,"
which Tannahill has wedded to song; and still nearer
the line is observed the Stratford-upon-Avon-like
steeple of Govan church, with all the charming alter-
nations in the landscape, of wood, hill, dale, and
streamlet. It is true that the traveller only gets a
glimpse of these for a moment as he is whisked along;
but the motion is not so rapid as to render him un-
conscious that he is passing through a most interest-
ing and luxuriant district of country. The railway
from Glasgow to Paisley is joint with the Glasgow
and Greenock company, and is managed for their
mutual interest by a committee of four Directors from
each board. After crossing Moss-street in Paisley,
the two railways diverge — the Greenock line curv-
ing away to the west, and the Ayr line proceeding
to the south. From Glasgow to this point the line
is generally level, or at least the gradients are not
more than 1 in 1,200; in one place under the turn-
pike road near Ibrox, they are 1 in 2,000. Leaving
Paisley the line proceeds, by Ferguslie and Elderslie,
to the Johnstone station, a distance of 3 miles, in
which there are some very heavy embankments.
From Johnstone the line proceeds by Howood, Kil-
barchan, and Castle-semple to Lochwinnoch, a dis-
tance of 5 miles, in which there are considerable cut-
tings. Here the gradients are respectively 1 in 600
at Howood; 1 in 1,200 at Castle-semple, and level at
Lochwinnoch. A peep of the beautiful loch, the pro-
perty of Colonel Harvie, is obtained, and the adjacent
country, which is the seat of a busy manufacturing
hive, is rich in minerals. From Lochwinnoch to
Beith, the distance is 4 miles, with an ascending gra-
dient of 1 in 1,200 for 1 mile, and 1 in 2,000 for 3
miles. In this part of the line is situated the Muir-
burn meadow or celebrated " sinking bog," which
for so long baffled all the efforts of the contractors
and the company to find a solid foundation for the
blocks. The soft or boggy part of the ground ex-
tended to a depth of 45 feet, and for a length of time
the embankment subsided as rapidly as it was form-
ed ; the quantity of soil which it swallowed up is al-
most incredible, but at length the difficulty was over-
come, and the blocks and rails laid upon a strong and
firm foundation of piles. From the Beith station to
Kilbirnie is one mile upon a level — the line run-
ning for a considerable space along the side of Kil-
birnie loch, which, however, is rather a tame and un-
interesting sheet of water ; but at this point is situ-
ated the greatest rise upoi,. the railroad, the ascent
having been 70 feet ia 20 miles, and from this cen-
tre station, the descent continues gradually to the
terminus at Ayr. From Kilbirnie station to Dairy
the distance is* 3 miles, the gradient for 2 miles being
1 in 1,200, the other level; and the country is rich
in mineral wealth, containing both coal and ironstone.
From Dairy to Kilwinning the line extends 6 miles,
at an average gradient of 1 in 440, passing through a
very beautiful country, a considerable portion of
which is the property of Colonel Blair ; the line cros-
ses the Garnock water twice, and the town of Kil-
wiunitig, with the ruins of its old abbey, is seen to
the left. Near Dairy, at the end of the 23d mile
from Glasgow, the line to Kilmarnock branches off.
It is !()£ miles in length, and was opened in March
1843. The gradient from Dairy to Kilmarnock
is, for 8 miles, 1 in 880 ; the 2 miles next Kil-
marnock are level. There are twelve viaducts over
roads and streams on this branch-line ; the largest
of which is across the river Garnock. From Kilwin-
ning to Irvine, the main line proceeds upon a level;
the latter town is 30 miles distant from Glasgo>
and with its sea-port, ship-building yards, and mi
erals, forms a very important link in this railwi
chain. Near Kilwinning a branch leaves the ma
line for Ardrossan ; the Ardrossan railway belongs
a different company, but the proprietors have wise
made every effort to bring their minor duct into con
munication with the principal artery ; and considerii
the advantages which Ardrossan possesses in i
sea-port, its wet-docks, and its summer-bathii
quarters, it is certain to be materially benefited 1
the increased communication. From Irvine onwaj
to the terminus at Ayr, the line runs close upon tl
sea-shore, the gradients being frequently level, ai
never more than 1 in 1,000; the view is a vei
cheering one, embracing the eastern shores of tl
island of Arran, and the intervening course of tl
steam and sailing vessels from Liverpool and Irelai
to Greenock and Glasgow. As has been stated, tl
portion of the line from Ayr to Irvine was the fir
opened, and the least expensive, from its passir
through a generally level and a light or sandy soi
At the Troon station, which is 3 miles distant fro
Irvine, and 33 from Glasgow, a branch proceeds 1
the sea-port and wet-docks of Troon, the propeii
of the Duke of Portland, and it is calculated wii
certainty that the line will materially improve tl
growing trade of that sea- port. From Troon tl
railroad proceeds by an easy descending gradatio
by the stations of Monkton, Prestwick, and Newt<
to the terminus at Ayr, which resen.bles that
Glasgow by being close to the harbour and to tl
bridge over the river, which connects the differe;
parts of the town, and leads to the centre of bui
ness.
Although a very excellent case for the traffic up<
this line was made out when the bill was before pa
liament, additional sources of profit, and general a
grandizement, have been daily developing themselv
since the opening of the line. Several extensive cos
fields have been already opened in the immedia
neighbourhood of the line in Ayrshire, and one
the iron-fields near Dairy has been let at a fixi
rent of £1,000 per annum, for the supply of bla
furnaces, the erection of which is now nearly cor
pleted at the depot adjoining the town. The gentl
man who has become the tenant of these works co
templates sending at least 80 tons per day by ti
railway. It is also intended that blast-furnac
shall be erected in the neighbourhood of Kilbirni
and several new coal-fields are in the course of beii
opened along the line. Hitherto passengers and pa
eels alone have been conveyed by the railway, but
May, 1841, it will be ready for the carriage of hea1
goods of every kind. Immediately upon the openii
of the entire line, a company, in connection witht
railway, purchased the Fire King steam-vessel,
an expense of £22,300, and placed her on the st
tion between Liverpool and Ardrossan, where the
is ample water-room, at all times of the tide, t
passengers to and from Glasgow being conveyed 1
the railway. By this means the tedious navigatii
of the frith of Clyde was avoided, and the passa;
between Liverpool and Glasgow shortened by from
to 5 hours. The Fire King has been since sol»
but the proprietors have made arrangements for r
suming and continuing the communication betwe
Ardrossan and England, by sea, and onward to Gle
gow by the railway. Another company is propos
for establishing a similar vessel between Ardross;
and Belfast ; and some of the influential proprietc
in the Western isles have intimated their intentii
of building a steam- vessel for the purpose of bringi:
passengers, with cattle and agricultural produce, frc
the isles of Skye, Mull, and the mainland opposi
GLA
609
GLA
and Ardrossan, to be thence conveyed by
ill way to the markets in Glasgow, Paisley, and
rnock, and eventually to Edinburgh. The trade,
;tween Dublin, Belfast, and the north of Ire-
with the sea-ports within the scope of the
ly, is also likely to be materially improved.
i capital of the company is £833,300, made up
>ws, viz., £625,000, in 12,500 shares of £50
re, which are held by 371 shareholders, and
,300 borrowed as authorized by the act. The
of the rails is 4 feet 8i inches, — a standard
•hich has been adopted with "a view to insure the
onnertion by some of the projected great lines
•ith the manufacturing districts in the north of
ingland. Part is laid with rails 56 pounds weight
yard, part with 68 pounds to the yard, and
irith 75 pounds to the yard. There are 19 lo-
tive engines belonging to the company, provided
! cost of £25,000; and another engine is still to
elivered. Since its opening the line has been
linently successful. During the period that
ic was opened partially between Ayr and Ir-
and afterwards to Kilwinning and B,eith, em-
the period from 5th August, 1839. to 12th
t, 1840, when the line was opened throughout,
unber of passengers conveyed was 127,102;
receipts £5,323 14s. 9d. The number of
;rs travelling along the joint line from Glas-
Paisley, since the opening of this portion on
July, 1840, till 30th January, 1841, has been
91,306; the receipts, £9,963 16s. 7d. Thenumberof
_:vrs conveyed along the Ayr line, beyond Pais-
:n 12th August, 1840, to 30th January, 1841, has
een 193,698; receipts, £16,807 7s. 9d. ; and it is
lost pleasing to record that these immense aggre-
ates, amounting to more than 600,000 persons, have
een carried along without the occurrence of a single
ccidcnt. The entire distance from Glasgow to Ayr
> performed in two hours or less. The fare from
\v to Paisley is Is. first class ; 9d. second; and
el. third. From Glasgow to Ayr the fare is 6s. 8d.
:>t class; 5s. second; and 3s. 4d. third.
This line was constructed by Mr. J. Miller, en-
ineer, Edinburgh, with the very able aid of the
ommittee, of which Mr. M'Call of Daldowie has
11 along been chairman, and of Captain Humfrey,
.u- secretary of the company.
GLASS,* a parish situated on both sides of the
>i\, and hence partly in the county of Aber-
een, and partly in that of Banff. It is bounded on
be north by Cairnie parish ; on the east by Huntly
nd Gartly ; on the south by Cabrach ; and on the
est by Botriphnie and Keith. Its extent, from
orth-east to south-west, is about 5 miles ; and from
ortli-west to south-east somewhat more than 4.
louses in 1831, in Aberdeenshire, 105; in Baiiff-
:iire, 74. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,310. Po-
ulation, in 1801, 793; in l"831,932. The surface
i varied with fine green hilly swards, which afford
asture to sheep and black cattle : the parish is up-
ind, and chiefly pastoral. The soil is in general a
eep loam, tolerably early on the river-side; but in
hose parts which lie at a distance from it, the bar-
est is very precarious, especially in cold wet sea-
jiis — Glass is in the presbytery of Strathbogie
nd synod of Moray. Patron, the Duke of Rich-
iond. Stipend £197 17s. 2d. ; glebe £10. Un-
ppropriated teinds £225 8s. 6d. Schoolmaster's
dary £:{.;» Os. H±d. : fees £7, besides a share of
ie DL-k bequest. There is a private school in the
arish.
GLASS (LocH), a lake in the parish of Kiltearn,
* Tlic term * Glass* is said to be Irish, and to signify 'green,1
•niff applicable to this parish from the fjr>-eiiiic.->« of its hills,
i uhicli tb«rtt is very little heath.
Ross-shire, about 5 miles in length, and 1 in breadth.
It discharges itself by the AULTGRAAD [which see]
into the frith of Cromarty.
GLASS. See SCALPAY.
GLASS (THE). See THE BEAULY.
GLASSARY,t or KIRKMICHAEL-GLASSARY, a
parish in Argyleshire; boum'ed by Glenaray and
Loch-Fyne upon the east ; by Dalavich and Loch
Awe upon the north ; by Kilmartin ant North- Ki:ap-
dale on the west ; and \>y South- Knnp<'ak' ami Lori.-
Fyne on the south. It extends 22 milfs in length,
and 10 in breadth ; and contains 75,0(K) Scots acr**.
The valued rent of the parish is £2,532 Scots. The
real rental, in 1793, was £5,700; in 1815, £11,189.
Population, in 1801, 3,293; in 1831, 4,054. Houses,
in 1831, 842. Its form is nearly rectangular ; rising
gently from both sides to the middle, which is occu-
pied by a considerable extent of moor land covered
with heath. On the banks of the river Ad, the soil
is a deep rich loam ; and on the shore of Loch-Fyne
it is generally a black loam on limestone rock. '1 here
are the remains of three watch-towers on the tops of
the highest hills, and several cairns and upright stones
which probably mark the places of interment of the
heroes of former ages. The canal from Loch-Gilp
to Loch-Crinan intersects the southern boundary of
this parish. This parish is in the presbytery of In-
verary, and synod of Ariryle. Patron, Campbell of
Auchinellan. Stipend £266 3s. 3d. ; glel.e £28.
Unappropriated teinds £25 lls. Id. Church ban
in 1827 ; sittings 1,500. A portion of this parish was
attached quoad sacra, in 1828, to LocHGiLPHEAJ) :
which see. There are three preaching-stations in
the parish, which are supplied by missionaries from
the committee for managing the royal bounty : viz.,
at Cumlodden, and at Loch-Gair on Loch-Fyne ;
and at the Ford on Loch- Awe. — There are two par-
ochial and several private schools, within the parish.
The salaries of the parish-schoolmasters are £25 7a.
10|d. each, with about £10 fees.
GLASSERT (THE), a small river in the parish
of Campsie, which has its rise in the Campsie fells ;
and after a course of 6 or 7 miles, falls into the Kel-
vin above Kirkintilloch. Kincaid and Lennoxmill
printfields are on this river. See CAMPSIE.
GLASSERTON, a parish on the south coast of
Wigtonshire, near the eastern extremity of Luce bay,
occupying part of the peninsula formed by that bay
and Wigton bay. It has the form of a half-moon,
but is slightly squared at the ends, and indented on
the inner side. It is bounded on the north by Dowal-
ton-loch, which divides it from Kirkinner ; on the
north-east by Sorbie ; on the east and south-east by
Whitehorn ; on the south-west by Luce bay ; and
on the north-west by Mochrum and Kirkinner. Its
greatest length, from Dowalton-loch on the north
to an angle below Port-Castle on the south-east,
is 7| miles; and its greatest breadth, from Lay
Point on the west to Appleby-loch on the east,
3£ miles. The coast, about 6$ miles in extent, is
a chain of hills, various in height, verdant towards
the top, and rocky, bold, and beetling in their descent
to the sea. Many of them, on their seaward side,
are abrupt and precipitous ; some projectingly over-
hang the waters ; some descend gently into the tide,
and afterwards look up from its surface ; and all have
a dark and weather-beaten aspect. The bases of
several are perforated, but not deeply, by caverns.
All the beach and the sea-bottom within watermark,
are covered with loose fragments of rock, some of
t " Gla"sary teems evidently to be derived from the Gaelic
Gltutni, which signifies «a Grayish strath ;' and this is parti,
ciiliirly descriptive of the lower end of the parish, when the
crop is separated from the ground, which, for the distance m
:< inil^, IB a level country, exhibiting a grayuh whit* surface."
—Old Stutittical Account.
GLA
670
GLA
them rounded by the attrition of the waves, and
others shapeless masses clothed with marine plants
and shells. The coast line, with the exception of
the small headland of Lay Point, and a tiny bay be-
side it, called Monreith bay, both in the north, is
nearly quite straight. Though there are two or three
places where small vessels may discharge or take in
cargo in fine weather, there is no port and no place
of safe anchorage. The surface of all the interior of
the parish is unequal, rugged, and knolly ; yet no-
where, except slightly in the north, rises into strictly
hilly elevations. The eminences or knolls are rocky,
and for the most part covered with furze, or coarse
grass. The intervening hollows are, in some in-
stances, marshy, but. in general, are carpeted with
fine arable soil, or excellent pasture. The influence
of spring is usually felt here — as in the adjacent dis-
tricts— somewhat earlier than in the other parts of
Scotland. Frost is seldom intense, or of long con-
tinuance ; and snow rarely accumulates, or lies long
upon the ground. A rill rises in two sources in the
parish, one of them less than a mile from the coast,
and after a circuitous course of 4 miles, begins, for
2 miles more, to form the boundary-line with Moch-
rum, and then falls into Monreith bay. There are
4 lakes, DOWALTON«LOCH [which see] on the north-
ern boundary, — Appleby-loch, upwards of half-a-
mile long on the eastern boundary, — a loch nearly
half-a-mile long, having an islet, near the house of
Castle- Stewart, — and a lochlet 2£ furlongs long at
Ersock. Pike, perch, trout, and eels are found in
them, but not in large quantity. A few leeches oc-
cur in Castle- Stewart loch. The mansions are
Castle-Stewart, Craigdow, and Rhysgill; the last
spacious and beautifully situated. The village is
traversed by two important and branching lines of
road, — one of them, that from Newton- Stewart to
Stranraer, by way of Whithorn. The hamlet of
Millto wn of Monreith, stands on the latter road half-
a-mile from Monreith bay, 6 miles west of Whit-
horn, and 2 miles south-east of Fort- William. The
inhabitants here, and throughout the parish, are either
dependent on agriculture, or directly engaged in its
labours. Population, in 1801, 860; in 1831, 1,194.
Houses 219. Assessed property, in 1815, £10,910.
— -Glasserton is in the presbytery of Wigton and
synod of Galloway. Patron, the Crown. Stipend
£201 12s. 5d. ; glebe £20. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4id., with from £12 to £14 fees. Another
school has" attached to it, besides the fees, £15 of
salary, and a dwelling-house. The church was built
in 1732. Sittings about 270. The ancient church
belonged to the prior and canons of Whithorn, and
was served by a vicar. In 1606, it was granted to
the bishops of Galloway; in 1641, it was transferred
to the university of Glasgow; and, in 1661, it was
restored to the bishops of Galloway, and it continued
to be held by them till the abolition of Episcopacy in
the year 1689.
GLASSFORD, or GLASFORD, a parish in the
middle ward of Lanarkshire, bounded on the north
by Hamilton ; north-west by East Kilbride and Blan-
tyre ; south by Avondale ; and east by Stonehouse.
Topographically speaking, this is an extremely irre-
gular parish, and its figure, as represented in the
map, is not unlike a sand-glass. It is about 8 miles
in length, and varies in breadth from 3|ths of a mile
at its broadest extremity to 2 miles at the opposite
end, and about half-a-mile in the middle. It con-
tains 11 square miles, or 5,598 Scots acres. The
land in the parish consists of moor and dale ; the
former in many parts sufficiently bleak and barren,
but now under a gradual process of reclamation;
and the latter, which runs along the lower part of
the parish, and is bounded on one side by the Avon,
smiling and fertile. The characteristics of this di
trict are neither hilly nor mountainous. The s(
generally consists of clay, moss, and light loam,
the Old Statistical Account it is stated that, t
though the women of the parish possess a singul
dexterity in rearing calves, and the richest veal
the Edinburgh market comes from Glassford <
Avondale, yet "there is in it only one man wl
deserves the name of a farmer. They read no boo!
on agriculture ; nor do they seek the company
those who might inspire them with a taste for ir
provement. They seem to be contented with wh
they have rather than ambitious of more." Ente
prise and improvement, however, now distingui;
the farmers of Glassford as creditably as it do
their neighbours; and their efforts to ameliora
the natural barrenness of a churlish soil have be
praiseworthy in the extreme. Wheat has be
grown in the parish, but the principal crops a
oats and potatoes, which are successfully raised
great amount. Coal exists, but not abundant!
and there is only one mine going upon the esta
of Crutherland, the produce of which is not exte
sive. There are four freestone quarries in the pa
ish, three near the village of Westquarter, and o
at a place called Flatt, and a successful limework
also in operation. The proprietary of this parish
an extremely divided one, the number of owners
land amounting to about 50, many of whom t:
their own little patrimonial possessions. A laq
portion of the population, including many of tl
females, are engaged in weaving ; but here as w(
as elsewhere, the remuneration of late years h
been extremely limited, and those engaged in i
therefore, barely able to do more than keep "d:
and way." There are three villages in the paris
viz., Westquarter, Chapeltown, and Heads — thetv
former containing a population of more than 500 eac
and the latter about 100. Strathaven is the neare
market and post-town, distant about 2^ miles fro
the parish. The district, however, has ample mea
of communication ; the turnpike road from Glasgo
to Strathaven, by East Kilbride, runs 4 miles throii|
Glassford, and the road from Strathaven to Ham
ton runs through it for 2£ miles. Population,
1801, 953; in 1811, 1,213; in 1821, 1,504; in 183
1,730. Houses 281. Assessed property, £5,62
The parish is in the presbytery of Hamilton, ai
synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patroness, Lady MOD
gomerie. Stipend £256 17s. lid.; glebe 8 acre
Unappropriated teinds £736 7s. The present paris
church was built in 1820. It is situated in the villa,
of Westquarter, and is calculated to accommoda
560 sitters. The former church was built in 163
and was of very uncouth appearance. With t!
exception of a small congregation of Old Ind
pendents, who have rented a place of meetin
there is no Dissenting church in the parish, thouj
a large number of the inhabitants attend, and a
members of Dissenting congregations in other pa
ishes There are three parochial schools in tl
parish; the salary of the first master is £25 13s. 3
per annum, with £35 school-fees, and £6 annual
of other emoluments ; that of the second is £5 1(
per annum, with £25 school-fees ; and that of t]
third, £2 15s. annually, with £18 school-fee
There are schools in the parish, not parochial,
which the ordinary branches are taught. The r
mains of the old church and belfry, which w
erected in 1633, and is alluded to above, are seen
the grave-yard, and the place is still further hallow-
by the tomb of a martyr, which bears the followii
inscription : — " To the memory of the very wort)
Pillar of the church, Mr. William Gordon of Eai
ston in Galloway, shot by a party of dragoons on Y
GLE
671
GLE
to Both well bridge, 22d June, 1679, aged 65;
by his great-grandson, Sir John Gordon,
llth" June, 1772."— The well-known Mrs.
jlla Graham, so justly celebrated for the purity
character, and the piety of her writings, was
tive of Glassford. Her maiden name was Mar-
1. and she died in America in July, 1814.
GLENALMOND, a picturesque and romantic
,rlen, watered by the river Almond in Perthshire:
;ee ALMOND. What the name designates is only a
mall part of the river's basin, and lies chiefly within
he parish of Monzie. In a wider sense, it is some-
imes, though loosely, made to comprehend an open
md cultivated part of the basin stretching to the
•a«t\vard. But, more usually understood, it is en-
ered on the east, at the boundary of the parish of
VIonzie, by a cross-road from the bridge of Buchanty,
ifter luxuriating, for a brief way, in kindred
ties to those of a glen which opens into it from
>uth-west [see MONZIE], becomes suddenly
up between ranges of treeless, rocky, lofty ele-
and is converted into a narrow mountain-
The hills lift most of their summits 1,100 or
feet above the level of the sea, and press so
ly on the river as barely to leave space for its
and for the roadway of a new turnpike to the
ids. An occasional famishing shrub, looking
lly out among the fissures of the rocks, rather
tens than mollifies the wildness of their aspect.
Almond, while passing beneath their dark sha-
low, and suffering their complete usurpation of its
tanks, has a rough and stony pathway, and trots
apidly along toward the soft beauties of the open
:ountry below. Near the upper end of the pass is a
arge round mass of stone, 8 feet high, which, having
>een removed from its former bed in the vicinity of
ts present position, disclosed a tiny subterranean
.partment, faced round with stone, and containing
mman bones, and which is alleged by some fond an-
iquarians to have marked the site of Ossian's grave.
This narrow and romantic pass is upwards of 2
niles in length, and terminates at the bridge of
Vcwton. There a vale, narrow yet picturesque,
radually opens, and extends the vale several miles to
he west.
GLENALOT, a valley in Sutherlandshire, 15
nilc- north of Dornoch, between the rivers Brora
nd Shin.
GLENAPP, a picturesque vale at the south cor-
<-r of Ayrshire, stretching from the shore of Loch-
Ivan into the interior, and abounding with fine na-
ural scenery.
GLENAR AY, a vale in Argyleshire, in the parish
•f Inverary, intersected by the ARAY : which see.
GLENARCLET, a valley in the parish of Bu-
lianan, in Stirlingshire : see LOCH-ARCLET.
GLENARTNEY, a valley along the southern
onfines of the parish of Comrie, Perthshire, tra-
•ersed by Artney and Ruchill waters. At its west
nd, toward the point of its being closed up by Ben-
oirlich, 5s a preserve of some hundreds of red deer
'('longing to Lord Willougby de Eresby. In its
>\vcr or eastern part, as it approaches a convergence
t glens at the village of Comrie, it gives to the view
-urci>ssion of interesting landscapes. Along its
orth side anciently spread a royal forest, — the scene
t 'that chastisement upon some M'Gregors, by the
3rester of James VI., which led to the clan making
eprisals, and to their notable outlawry.
GLENAVEN. See THE A YEN.
GLENB ANCHOR, a beautiful glen in Badenoch,
i the parish of Kingussie, watered by the Calder, a
tream which joins the Spey about 3 miles west of
he inn of Pitmain.
GLENBEG, a district in Inverness-shire, in the
parish of Glenelg, and the smaller of the two valleys
to which the name Glenelg belongs in common.
GLENBERVIE, anciently termed OVERBERVIE,
a parish in the county of Kincardine, which takes its
name from its local situation, being a vale or glen
through which the water Bervie runs. It is bounded
on the north by Durris; on the east by Dunottar and
Fetteresso; on the south byArbuthnot; and on the
west and part of the south by Fordoun. It is about
6^ miles in length from north to south, and 5 in
breadth from east to west : containing 1 3,963 Eng-
lish acres. Houses 267. Assessed property, in
1815, £3,188. Population, in 1801, 1,204; in 1831,
1,248. The soil, in the upper part of the parish, is
a blue clay, and in the lower, alight dry loam, abun-
dantly fertile. The western division being consi-
derably elevated, is bleak and little cultivated ; but
the eastern, though also high and exposed, is in an
advanced, and even still improving, state of culti-
vation : so also is the northern quarter along a low
ridge of the Grampians. The rest of the parish
is principally heath, pasture-land, and copse, with a
secluded glen. In all, there are not more than
5,000 imperial acres in a state of cultivation, though
many more might be added : nearly 200 acres are
planted. It is now many years since the estates,
then of Lord Monboddo and Barclay of Urie, in
this parish, were put in the way of agricultural im-
provement. The Bervie rises in the hills to the
north-west of Glenbervie, and runs rapidly south-
eastward through the parish. The Cowie rises on
the north side of this parish, and runs eastward
into Fetteresso : there are no other streams worthy
of notice, except perhaps the Carron, a small stream-
let, running eastward from the brae hills of Glen-
bervie to the valley between Dunottar and Fetter-
esso. The nearest market-town is Stonehaven.
Drumlithie is a considerable manufacturing village
on the line of road from Laurencekirk to Stone-
haven: it is chiefly inhabited by linen weavers.
There is here an Episcopalian chapel. The small
kirk-town, or village of Glenbervie has been created
a barony in the family of Douglas. — The parish is in
the presbytery of Fordoun, and synod of Angus and
Mearns. Patron, Nicolson of Glenbervie. Stipend
£231 3s. 3d. ; glebe £7 5s. Schoolmaster's salary
£30: fees, &c., £20. There are three private schools,
two friendly societies, and a savings' bank in the
parish.
GLENBRAUN, a valley in Inverness-shire, in
the united parishes of Abernethy and Kincardine.
GLENBRIARCHAN, a valley in Perthshire, in
the parish of MOULIN : which see".
GLENBUCK, a village in the parish of Muir-
kirk, district of Kyle, Ayrshire. It stands in a wild
and secluded situation among the mountains, near
the road bet ween Ayr and Edinburgh. Some iron-
works in its vicinity, erected and for some time car-
ried on by an English company, occasioned its being
built for the housing of the miners. But the works
having, a considerable period ago, been abandoned,
the village has been falling into decay.
GLENBUCKET, a small Highland parish in the
district of Marr, Aberdeenshire, lying on both sides
of the Bucket, a stream tributary to the Don. It is
bounded on the north by Cabrach ; on the east by
Towie ; on the south by Strathdon ; and on the west
by part of Banffshire. It is about 4 miles in length,
from east to west, and 1 in breadth, from north to
south, exclusive of the mountain ranges. Houses
109. Assessed property, in 1815, £625. Popula-
tion, in 1801, 420; in 1831, 539. This parish is
almost surrounded by, and indeed consists of, lofty
mountains, through which a narrow pass leads into
the centre, from the east, at the confluence of the
672
GLENCAIRN.
Bucket with the Don, near the ruinous castle of
Glenbucket, which thus stands in a commanding and
romantic situation. Crai gen score, the highest land
in the palish, rises about 2,000 feet above sea-level.
The soil is mostly a light loam, mixed, on some
farms, with clay. There is great abundance of ex-
cellent limestone, which is much used by the tenants.
The whole parish belongs to the Earl of Fife. The
remains of a house are still to be seen, called Baden-
yon, which gives name to the song of ' John of
Badenyon. A porter's lodge was built, in 1840, by
the Earl of Fife, on this celebrated spot. Among j
the wild animals which frequent this vicinity, are |
the roe and the red deer : there is abundance of |
Cfame of all kinds, with hawks, eagles, &c., and sal- j
mon and trout are found in the Bucket and the
Don. The parish is in the presbytery of Alford, and
synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the Crown. Stipend ;
£158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £7. Schoolmaster's salary £30;
fees, &c. £6. There is a private school. Aberdeen,
distant 30 miles, is the post-town.
GLENCAIRN, a parish in the western part of
the district of ISithsdale, Dumfries-shire. Except-
ing that the sides of it are ragged, and that on the
south-west somewhat deeply indented, its figure is
a triangle, whose longest side stretches from north-
west to south-east. This parish is bounded on the
north-east, or opposite to its greatest angle, by Tyn-
rori and Keir; on the south-west by Dunscore; and !
on the west by Kirkcudbrightshire. It measures, i
in extreme length, from Black-hill in the north-west
to Gordon's town in the south-east, 12£ miles; and
in extreme breadth, from Waulk-hill in the east to
Castlepbairn in the west, 6^ miles; but over 3£ miles
from its north-western extremity, it has an average
breadth of no more than 2 miles ; and, over 3£ miles
from its south-eastern extremity, of not more than
1| miles; and it is conjectured to contain about 44
square miles. All the western and the northern
divisions are mountainous and pastoral. One lofty
range runs along great part of the western boundary,
and for a considerable way forms the water-line be-
tween the streams respectively of Dumfries-shire
and of Galloway; another high range runs along
two-thirds of the north-eastern boundary; a third
lofty range, intermediate between the others, comes
down from the northern angle, and runs along the
centre of the parish through almost its entire length;
and the last, both before and after the first range
ceases to interpose between the Galloway and the
Dumfries-shire waters, sends off spurs which run
transversely from it to the eastern boundary. The
higher summits rise from 1,000 to 1,500 feet above
the level of the sea, and are, for the most part, cov-
ered with heath. Yet the hills, which are principally
of the transition class of rocks, and wearing its char-
acteristic exterior appearances, afford in general ex-
cellent pasturage. Three valleys coming down be-
tween the mountain-ranges, — one from the north, one
from the west, and one from the south-west, each
about 6 miles in length, and all well-cultivated,
luxuriant, and sheltered with plantation, — meet at
the village of Minnyhive, and thence send off south-
eastward a broader and still richer valley, beautiful
and brilliant in the attractions of landscape, to the
extremity of the parish. The three valleys are
traversed by the streams DALWHAT, [which see,]
Craigdarroch, and Castlephairn, which unite at Min-
nyhive, and form the CAIRN [which see] ; and the
great valley is traversed through all its length by
the united streams. The Craigdarroch rises in
Auchenstrowan hill on the western boundary, and
within three miles of its source receives several tri-
butary mountain-rills. The Castlephairn— sometimes
called the Cairn, and thus prematurely wearing the
honours which are contributed by the Craigdarroc
and the Dal what* — comes in upon the parish froi
Kirkcudbrightshire, after having run a course of
miles from Loch-Howie, in the parish of Balmaclel
Ian, forms for 1| mile the boundary-line with Kirk
cudbrightshire, and afterwards, in its meandering
along the valley, everywhere flows between woode
banks. In the south-west extremity of the paris
is LOCH URR : which see. One-fifth of the wbol
area of the parish is arable; 800 acres are unde
plantation ; and all the rest is pastoral or waste, i
slate-quarry was for some time energetically worked
but, eventually yielding produce of inferior qualit)
it was abandoned. — About half-a-mile from th
church is a tumulus or artificial mount, commonl
called the Moat, very steep, of considerable height
and occupying about an acre of ground. It is of a
oblong form, and has at each end an earthen turre
cut off from the main body by a deep trench. On
of the turrets, and one side of the base of the tumu
lus, have been much reduced in bulk by the aggres
sive movements of a passing rivulet. Of many tra
ditionsand conjectures respecting the original riesig
of the Moat, the most probable is, that it was con
structed either to be a watch- post, or to serve as a
arena for the exercise of archery — The Rev. Jame
Renwick, the last of the Scottish martyrs, and
conspicuous actor in some of the most hallowed, an
also in some of the most tumultuous and daring prc
ceedings of the Covenanters, was a native of Glen
cairn; and is commemorated by a monument of hew
stone and about 25 feet high, erected, in 1828, nea
the supposed spot of his nativity, on an eminenc
less than 5 of a mile from Minnyhive — The princi
pal mansions are Maxwelton, Craigdarroch, Auchen
chain, and Crawfordton. The two villages MINNI
HIVE and DUNREGGAN [which see], stand compactl
on the Dalwhat, a little eastward of the centre (
the parish, and are connected by a bridge. Th
roads of the parish, which all run along its valleys
but leave a district in the north-west unprovide
with any facility of communication, all converge s
the villages. Population, in 1801, 1,403; in 1831
2,068. Houses 376. Assessed property, in 18K'
£8,748 Glencairn is in the presbytery of Penpom
and synod of Dumfries. Patron, the Duke of Bu(
cleuch. Stipend £279 15s. 10d.; glebe £18. Ur
appropriated teinds £279 15s. lOd. There are thre
parochial schools, and two non-parochial. Salary <
the first parochial schoolmaster £25 13s. 4d.; of th
second £17 2s. 2|d.; of the third £8 11s. Id. Th
school-fees amount respectively to £20, £20, an
£14. The parish-church is very spacious, and (
quite recent erection. In Minnyhive is a meeting
house belonging to the United Secession. Th
church of Glencairn anciently belonged to the bishof
or chapter of Glasgow. In the valley of the Castlt
phairn, at a place still called Kirkcudbright — a me
dernized orthography of " Kirk-Cuthbert "— tber
was an ancient church dedicated to St. Cuthbert.-
Glencairn gave the title of Earl to an ancient branc
of the family of Cunningham. Alexander, the h
* The Cairn is probably more vexed than any other Scottis
stream, and more vexing in its turn, by the doubtful extent (
the application of its name. In no part of its course, exce[
between Minnyhive and the point where it leaves Glencairi
is its name disputed. Previous to the confluence of streams i
the centre of Glencairn, what is sometimes called the Cain
and, in strict propriety, undoubtedly is such, figures in top*
graphical nomenclature as the Castlephairn; and Hfter thecwi
fluence of the Ciiirn and the Glenesland, in the parish of I)
score, at a point £ of a mile south of the boundary of Glencairi
the united stream very generally begins to be called onward t
its union with the Nith, the Cluden. Nomenclature thus pr<
vides three rivers in a locality where geography exhibits oul
one. Similar examples occur not infrequently in other parl
of Scotland, but are less liable than that of the Cairn to produt
miatakft
GLE
673
OLE/
was ennobled, first as Lord Kilmaurs, and next
irl of Glencairn, by James II. Alexander, the
Earl, figures illustriously in the history of the
rmation. James, the 14th Earl, is familiar to
class of Scotsmen as the patron of the poet
is. John, the 15th Earl, and brother of James,
in 1796. and left his noble title to go a-begging
^ant of an inheritor.
JLEXCAPLE, a village and port delightfully
situated on the east bank of the Nith; 5 miles below
Dumfries, in the parish of Caerlaverock, Dumfries-
shire. Its entire aspect is modern, tidy, and cheer-
A road, combining the attractions of the
lue, and exhibitions of rich and joyous scenery,
ches down to it along the Nith from Dumfries,
brings many a vehicle and group of pedestrian
ists from the gay burgh to enjoy its balmy air,
luxuriate in the landscapes around it. Nearly
site to it, on the Kirkcudbrightshire side of the
r, and accessible by fording at low water, are the
itiful, ruins and circumjacent scenery of NEW
ST. Six miles to the south-west rises the dark
form of the monarch-mountain CRIFFEL. Two-
•half miles to the south-east are the deeply-
resting ruins of CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE. [See
articles.] All around are objects, both in
ape and in antiquarian reminiscence, which
Glencaple a seaward retreat from the cares
bustle of a town, which Dumfries may boast as
rior to that enjoyed by almost any other large
in Scotland. One attraction of no mean order
irs nowhere else in Scotland, or even in the
except at kindred places on the Solway. The
lei of the Nith is here £ of a mile wide, and
)its in superlative fulness those wondrous fea-
for which the tides of the Solway are famed,
•uring spring-tides," says Mr. M'Diarmid, " and
icularly when impelled by a strong soutb«wester,
Solway rises with prodigious rapidity. A loud
ling noise indicates its approach, and is distin-
lable at the distance of several miles. At Caer-
and Glencaple, where it enters the Nith,
scene is singularly grand and imposing; and it is
itiful to see a mighty volume of water advancing
faun-crested, and with a degree of rapidity which,
were the race a long one, would outmatch the speed
of the swiftest horses. The tide-head, as it is called,
is often from 4 to 6 feet high chafed into spray, with
a mighty trough of bluer water behind, swelling in
some places into little hills, and in others scooped
into tiny valleys which, when sun-lit, form a bril-
liant picture of themselves. From the tide-head
proceed two huge jets of water which run roaring
along, searching the banks on either side, — the an-
tennae, as it were, which the ocean puts forth, and
by which it feels its way, when confined within nar-
row limits." Intimate knowledge of the peculiar
navigation is requisite to guide vessels at the recess
and influx of so unwonted a tide; and instances
have occurred at Glencaple and its vicinity of mas-
ters acquainted from their youth with the Solway
having suffered their vessels to be wildly played with
by the careering invader, and even tripped fairly
ever and laid on their beam-ends. — The trade of
(ilencaple is strictly identified with that of Dumfries;
the port being simply a place for such vessels dis-
charging their cargoes as draw too much water, or
are too unwieldy, to sail up to the burgh. Con-
siderable stir, in consequence, occurs from the neces-
sity of further tr;i inference by carriers. A splendid
steamer pl:es regularly between Glencaple and Liver-
pool, clearing the Solway in one tide; and, on sail-
ing days, she draws from Dumfries a busy throng of
vehicles filled with passengers and their friends.
Ship-buililing ia carried on to the extent of annually
1.
preparing for the launch, on the average, two vesseli
of 60 or 70 tons burden.
GLENCARREL, a valley in Sutherlandshire,
near Glenalot.
GLENCOE, a wild and gloomy vale in the dis-
trict of Lorn, in Argyleshire, near the head of Loch-
Etive; extending from Ballachulish in a south-east
direction 10 miles. It lies in the united parishes of
Lismore and Appin. •• The scenerv of this valley,"
says a local authority quoted by Pennant, " is far
the most picturesque of any in the Highlands, being
so wild and uncommon that it never fails to attract
the eye of every stranger of the least degree ot taste
or sensibility. The entrance to it is strongly marked
by the craggy mountain of Buachal-ety, a little west
of the King's house. All the other mountains of
Glencoe resemble it, and are evidently but naked
and solid rocks, rising on each side perpendicularly
to a great height from a flat narrow bottom, so that
in many places they seem to hang over, and make
approaches, as they aspire, towards each other. The
tops of the ridge of hills on one side are irregularly
serrated for three or four miles, and shot in places
into spires, which form the most magnificent part of
the scenery above Ken-Lock- [Ceann-loch] Leven."
" There is no valley in Scotland," says another
authority, " so absolutely wild and singular in its
features as Glencoe, in the district of Appin, Argyle-
shire. Entering the glen from the eastern extrem-
ity, the mountains rise in stupendous masses all
around, forming an amphitheatre, vast in extent, and
preserving a stillness and solemnity almost terrific,
which is heightened by the desolate appearance of
the vale ; and, perchance, the hollow scream of a soli-
tary eagle may excite a temporary feeling of horror.
The bare rocks immediately in front shoot up per-
pendicularly, while those more distant appear in an
innumerable variety of fantastic forms; and their
singularity is increased with the deep furrows worn
by the winter-torrents from the top of the moun-
tains. Immense masses of rock are also seen near
the path through the glen, which, in the course of
ages, have been loosened from the side of the moun-
tain, and hurled along with the currents of rain to
the depth of the glen. In length, Glencoe is nearly
.9 miles, without the least appearance of any human
habitation, or even vegetation to support a few tame
animals connected with the most humble household.
Its general appearance has a strong tendency to ex-
cite a feeling, that the place has been proscribed by
Heaven as the habitation either of man or beast.
Amid this vast, tremendous solitude,
Where nought is heard except the wild wintTs siKh.
Or savage raven's deep and hollow cry,
Wiih awiul thought the spirit i» imbued!
Around— around lor ninny a weary mile,
The Alpine masses stretch, the heavy doud
Cleaves round their brown, ronmliNf with iU shroud
Bleak, barren rocks, uritl.uwed t>y Summer* smile.
N -ujht but the de*ert mountains and l..ne sk\
Are here :_birds sing not, and the wandering he«
Searches for flowers in vain ; nor shrub, m.r tree,
NT |i.,in:ui habitation greets the eye
Of heart-struck pilgrim ; while nTOOM lum lie
Silence and desolation, what is he I
The road from Ballachulish through this glen is
carried along the edge of Loch-Leven about two
or three miles, with numerous indentures. " In
many places, where it has been blasted out of the
perpendicular rock, a parapet, on the side next
the water, renders it perfectly si-cure. The tide
here, though it has, in fact but one inlet, seems to
insinuate itself Let ween the openings of several lofty
mountains, running in different directions. Such a
circumstance is the most favourable thing for pic-
turesque effect which can happen to a watery ex-
panse; and consequently lakes ot tin* description tre
'2 u
674
GLENCOE.
always more striking than those which flow be-
tween straight mountain-ridges. Here are three se-
parate groups, each of the second altitude of Scottish
Alps, and forming successively Corry-yusachan,
Glenoe, and Glencoe. The landscape is continually
varied, by cottages, by the great slate- work of Bal-
lachulish, by a lime-kiln, and various other objects
on the wayside ; by the islands in the lake ; and by
the woods and residences at the base of the moun-
tains. At the point where the river Coe joins the
lake is Invercoe. The old house, the scene of the in-
famous massacre, is at a little distance, a perfect ruin.
It is an object which cannot be beheld without a horror
which is heightened by the solemn majesty of the
surrounding scene. Our contemplations of human
vice and weakness, however melancholy in them-
selves, receive a tinge of dignity when they are as-
sociated with the grand features of Nature ; and even
the indignation which we feel at the murder of the
MacDonalds, is tranquillized by the sublime scenery
of Glencoe. Not that the impression is therefore
weakened. It sinks deeper into the mind : and that
which might otherwise be a passing emotion, be-
comes a fixed and serious habit. The particulars of
this detestable event are too well-known to need re-
petition ; but the lesson which it inculcates is too
important to be forgotten. May it never be ad-
dressed to our feelings in vain ! The head of Loch-
Leven is excluded from view by Scurachie ; and the
road quitting its banks, turns on the right, to Glen-
coe, the entrance of which 1 shall describe in the
words of my friend Walker, who preceded me in this
part of the tour. ' After riding two or three miles,'
says he, ' up the glen, I was disappointed by the
scenery, which, though on a bold scale, was nothing
very different from what I had seen in other High-
land valleys ; and I inquired of a man, who was
mending the road, whether the glen grew wilder as
I proceeded. 'Indeed,' said he, 'it grows aye the
langer the waur.' I therefore moved on, and had
gone but a very little further, when the sun was sud-
denly eclipsed by a mountain. As it was about ten
o'clock in the morning of the 5th of September, and
as I was at a very considerable distance from the
base of the hill, its height and steepness may be easily
conceived. Its face was wholly of rock, almost li-
terally perpendicular : and it rose, like a huge black
wall, from the margin of a small lake formed by the
river. While I was gazing at this object, proceed-
ing slowly, and getting more abreast of a narrow
opening between this and a nearer hill, a pointed
rock, which rose to a height far beyond both, came
gradually into view. It seemed to lean forward, to
the opening of the glen, and having a round patch of
snow on its front, looked like a one-eyed Cyclops,
bending from an embrasure in this gigantic rampart.
The beauty of the lake, and of a pretty fall on the
river, were hardly to be noticed after objects on so
grand a scale.' Entering here the narrow part of the
glen which bends eastward, you behold, on both
sides, mountains of naked crags shooting up to the
skies in the wildest and most terrific forms ; which,
when the thick curtain of mist from above is let
down upon them, seem to form the barrier to a
gloomy region of everlasting night. Through this
glen, the high road to Tayndrum is led, and is, for
the most part, tolerably perfect ; but it cannot be
kept so, without very considerable trouble in re-
moving the vast torrents of stone which are con-
tinually brought down by the tempests, spreading, as
they descend, to the width of 300 yards, or more. In
wet weather, also, the mountain-precipices form one
continued cataract, the water pouring, in every di-
rection, down their rifts. Such a road, it may be
imagined, cannot easily be travelled in a carriage ;
yet I have known ladies who have passed through it
in a chaise, at night, during a tremendous storm of
thunder and lightning. In no other part of Britain
have I ever seen mountain-summits so wholly con-
sisting of bare crags, as here. Even the herdsmen,
and hunters, who are best acquainted with them, find
it frequently difficult and dangerous to follow the
straying sheep or wild roe-buck. I knew one gentle-
man who, in pursuit of his game, had advanced so
i far on one of the highest ridges, that he could only
; creep backward on his hands and knees, without
I turning his body. Another, of whom I heard, had
i a more miraculous escape. He was met, in one of
I the narrowest passes, by an old blind deer, with
which, not being able to turn it back, he struggled,
until they both fell together, several hundred feet
down the rocks. Stunned by the concussion, he did
not recover for some hours ; but when he opened his
eyes, he found the deer, which had broken his fall,
lying dead under him. Mr. Wordsworth — one of the
few poets of modern days who deign to consult Na-
ture— has beautifully touched on those accidents, to
which a mountainous country is peculiarly liable, in
the ' Brothers,' a local eclogue, of a new and original
species. The subject of that interesting poem is not
unlike an event which happened here a little before
my arrival. A young girl, the only daughter of her
parents, and generally beloved by" her companions,
incautiously hastening after a lamb, down a declivity,
wet with the morning dew, and consequently slip-
pery, missed her footing, and was instantly dashed to
pieces on the rocks. There is a degree of juvenile
ambition, sharpened by curiosity, which often prompts
one to scale these seemingly inaccessible clifts.
About the middle of the glen, at a great height, in
the face of a mountain, is a yawning chasm, of be-
tween 200 and 300 feet. It forms a vast cave, of
which the country-people relate wonders, though I
could not learn with certainty that any person had
ever explored it. A guide, therefore, was useless ;
a companion might only have been troublesome ; and
without expecting to reach it, I ascended alone, with
the hope of getting a nearer view of the crags by
which it is formed. After some hours of painful and
persevering toil, I climbed beyond the height to
which sheep go in search of food, and was on the
highest border of vegetation : all beyond was bare
rock ; but, alas ! the cave was still some hundred
feet above me ; and I reaped nothing, but the satis-
faction of viewing this wonderful glen, from a point
in which it has been contemplated by few travellers,
and of learning experimentally the magnitude of
those great rifts which from below appear to be mere
roughnesses in the face of the rock. The pencil
can give but an inadequate idea of objects so im-
mense and savagely grand. The finer features. — for
even amidst Nature's mightiest works are frequently
found traces of the minutest beauty — the finer fea-
tures afford subjects for many a partial sketch, which
the artist may seek, at his leisure, among the dells and
chasms. Between some of the mountains are woody
passes, communicating with other glens. Through
them descend burns, forming fine cascades, and pouring
their waters into rocky basins and hidden pools. Near
one of these we sat to eat some refreshment, provided
for us by the care of Mrs. Stewart, in a quiet, close
scene of the most romantic nature. On one hand was
a waterfall sparkling in the sun ; on the other, its
stream flowed deep, and still, between those rocks
which overshadowed us, and formed our seat and
table ; whilst above them appeared the lofty moun-
tain-tops, awfully grand and sublime." [Stoddart's
' Remarks,' vol. ii. pp. 26 — 32.] A chapel in con-
nexion with the Establishment has recently beea
built in Glencoe.
GLENCQE.
675
Glenroe has acquired a mournful historical cele-
rity by the cruel massacre of its unsuspecting in-
•ihitants, in 1691. King William had published a
mtion, inviting the Highlanders who had
211 in arms for James IT. to accept of a gen-
amnesty before the 1st of January, on pain
military execution after that period. In com-
with the other chiefs who had supported the
luse of King James, Mackean or Alexander Mac-
lald of Glencoe resolved to avail himself of the
lemnity offered by the Government ; and accord-
proceeded to Fort- William to take the re-
oaths, where he arrived on the 31st day
December, 1691, being the last day allowed by
proclamation for taking the oaths. He imme-
ely presented himself to Colonel Hill, the gover-
>r of Fort- William, and required him to administer
oath of allegiance to the Government ; but the
>nel declined to act, on the ground, that under
proclamation the civil magistrate alone could
linister them. Glencoe remonstrated with Hill
account of the exigency of the case, as there was
any magistrate whom he could reach before the
)iration of that day, but Hill persisted in his re-
lution. He, however, advised Glencoe to proceed
itly to Inverary, and gave him a letter to Sir
lin Campbell of Ardkinlass, sheriff of Argyle«hire,
ing of him to receive Glencoe as " a lost sheep,"
to administer the necessary oaths to him. Hill,
the same time, gave Glencoe a personal protection
ider his hand, and gave him an assurance that no
ling should be instituted against him under
proclamation, till he should have an opportunity
laying his case before the King or the Privy-coun-
1. Glencoe left Fort- William immediately, and so
it was his anxiety to reach Inverary with as little
as possible, that although his way lay through
intains almost impassable, and although the coun-
was covered with a deep snow, he proceeded on
journey without even stopping to see his family,
igh he passed within half-a-mile of his own house.
Barcaldine he was detained twenty-four hours by
ptain Drummond. On arriving at Inverary, Sir
lin Campbell was absent, and he had to wait three
lys till his return, Sir Colin having been prevented
reaching Inverary sooner, on account of the
badness of the we'ather. As the time allowed by
the proclamation for taking the oaths had expired,
Sir Colin declined at first to swear Glencoe, alleging
that it would be of no use to take the oaths ; but
Glencoe having first importuned him with tears to
receive from him the oath of allegiance, and having
thereafter threatened to protest against the sheriff
should he refuse to act, Sir Colin yielded, and ad-
ministered the oaths to Glencoe and his attendants
on the 6th of January. Glencoe, thereupon, re-
turned home in perfect reliance that having done his
utmost to comply with the injunction of the Govern-
in t-nt, he was free from danger.
Three days after the oaths were taken, Sir Colin
wrote Hill, acquainting him of what he had done,
and that Glencoe had undertaken to get all his friends
and followers to follow his example; and about the
s line time lie sent the letter which he had received
from Hill, and a certificate that Glencoe had taken
the oath of allegiance, together with instructions
to lay the same before the Privy-council, arid to in-
form him whether or not the council received the
oath. The paper on which the certificate that
Glencoe had taken the oaths was written, contained
other certificates of oaths which had been adminis-
tered within the time fixed, but Sir Gilbert Elliot,
the clerk of the Privy-council, refused to receive
the certificate relating to Glencoe as irregular. Camp-
bell, thereupon, waited upon Lord Aberuchil, a privy-
councillor, and requested him to take the opinion of
some members of the council, who accordingly spoke
to Lord Stair and other privy-councillors; all of
whom gave an opinion that the certificate could not
be received without a warrant from the King. In-
stead, however, of laying the matter before the
Privy-council, or informing Glencoe of the rejection
of the certificate, that he might petition the King,
Campbell perfidiously defaced the certificate, and
gave in the paper on which it was written to the
clerks of the council.* That no time, however,
might be lost in enforcing the penalties in the pro-
clamation, now that the time allowed for taking the
oath of allegiance had expired, instructions of rather
an equivocal nature, signed and countersigned by
the King on the llth of January, were sent down
by young Stair to Sir Thomas Livingston on the
same day, enclosed in a letter from the secretary of
same date. By the instructions, Livingston was
ordered " to march the troops against the rebels who
had not taken the benefit of the indemnity, and to
destroy them by fire and sword;" but lest such a
course might render them desperate, he was allowed
to " give terms and quarters, but in this manner
only, that chieftains and heritors, or leaders, be pri-
soners of war, their lives only safe, and all other
things in mercy, they taking the oath of allegiance;
and the community taking the oath of allegiance,
and rendering their arms, and submitting to the gov
ernment, are to have quarters, and indemnity for
their lives and fortunes, and to be protected from
the soldiers." As a hint to Livingston how to act
under the discretionary power with which these in-
structions vested him, Dalrymple says in his letter
containing them: "I have no great kindness to Kep-
poch nor Glencoe, and it is well that people are in
mercy, and then just now my Lord Argyle tells me
that Glencoe bath not taken the path, at which I
rejoice. It is a great work of charity to be exact in
rooting out that damnable sect, the worst of the
Highlands." The purport of this letter could not
be misunderstood; but lest Livingston might not
feel disposed to imbrue his hands in the blood of
Glencoe and his people, additional instructions bear-
ing the date of 16th January, and also signed and
countersigned by King William, were despatched to
Livingston by the master of Stair, ordering him to
xtirpate the whole clan.f In the letter containing
* Whether in thus acting, Campbell was influenced by S«v.
cretary Dalrymple, who has obtained an infamous notoriety by
the active part which he took in bringing on the massacre of
Glencoe, it is impossible to say ; but it is not improbable that
this man — who, a few weeks before, had exulted that as the
winter was the only season in which the Highland?™ could
not escape, they could eauily be destroyed "in the cold long
nights "—was not an indifferent spectator to Campbell's pro.
ceedings. In fact, it appears that the secretary contemplated
the total extirpation of the clans, for, in a letter to Sir Thomas
vingston, dated the 7th of January, he says : "You know in
B.neral that these troops posted at Inverness and Inverlochie,
will be ordered to take in the house of Innergarie, and to <!.•-
stroy entirely the country of Lochaber, Lochiel'8 lands, Kep.
poeh's, Glengarie's, and Glencoe," and he adds, •• I assure you
pour power shall be full enough, and I hope the soldier* will
n.t trouble the Government with prisoners." In aiioth*r lo-t.-r
to Sir Thomas, written two days thereafter, by wi.i.-u U.I.M
accounts had reached him that Glencoe had taken the oaths,
he expresses satisfaction that "the rebels " would not be uble
to oppose his designs, and as their chieftains were •' all pa.
pists," he think* it would be well that vengeance fell upon
;hem. The Miicdonald* were chiefly marked out by him lor
destruction, and after saying that he could have wished that
they "had not divided " on the question of takmir the oath of
ndeinmty, he expresses his regret to find that Keppoch mi
[ilelicoe were sale.
+ These instructions are as follow:
WILLIAM K. 16th January, IfcfcJ.
1. The copy of the paper given by Macdonald of An«htera
o you has been shown in. We did formerly grant passes to
Biichan and C;umon, and we do authorize ami allow you to
iM ant passes to them, HIM! ten sei v;int^ to each of them, to come
reely and safely to Leith ; from that to he transported to th«
Netherlands before the IMh of March next, to go from th«uc»
here they please, without auy stop or trouble.
676
GLENCOE.
these instructions, Dalrymple informs Livingston
that "the king does not at all incline to receive any
after the diet but in mercy," but he artfully adds,
" but for a just example of vengeance, I entreat the
thieving tribe of Glencoe may be rooted out to pur-
pose." Lest, however, Livingston might hesitate,
a duplicate of these additional instructions was sent
ac the same time by Secretary Dalrymple to Colonel
Hill, the governor of Fort- William, with a letter of
flu import similar to that sent to Livingston.*
Preparatory to putting the butchering warrant in
execution, a party of Argyle's regiment, to the num-
ner of 120 men, under the command of Captain
Campbell of Glenlyon, was ordered to proceed to
Glencoe, and take up their quarters there, about the
fnd of January or beginning of February. On ap-
proaching the glen, they were met by John Mac-
lionald, the elder son of the chief, at the head of
aHout twenty men, who demanded from Campbell
che reason of his coming into a peaceful country with
a military force: Glenlyon, and two subalterns who
were with him, explained that they came as friends, and
that their sole object was to obtain suitable quarters,
where they could conveniently collect the arrears of
cess and hearth-money — a new tax laid on by the
Scottish parliament in 1690 — in proof of which,
Lieutenant Lindsay produced the instructions of
Colonel Hill to that effect. The officers having
given their parole of honour that they came without
any hostile intentions, and that no harm would be
done to the persons or properties of the chief and
his tenants, they received a kindly welcome, and
were hospitably entertained by Glencoe and his fam-
ily till the fatal morning of the massacre. Indeed,
so familiar was Glenlyon, that scarcely a day passed
that he did not visit the house of Alexander Mac-
donald, the younger son of the chief, who was mar-
ried to his niece, and take his " morning drink,"
agreeably to the most approved practice of Highland
hospitality. If Secretary Dalrymple imagined that
Livingston was disinclined to follow his instructions
he was mistaken; for immediately on receipt of
them, he wrote Lieutenant- colonel Hamilton, who
had been fixed upon by the secretary to be the exe-
cutioner, expressing his satisfaction that Glencoe
had not taken the oath within the period prescribed,
and urging him now that a " fair occasion" offered
for showing that his garrison served for some use,
and as the order to him from the court was positive,
not to spare any that had not come timeously in,
aiid desiring that he would begin with Glencoe, and
spare nothing of what belongs to them, "but not
2. We do allow you to receive the submissions of Glengarry
and those with him upon their takh.g the oath of allegiance
and delivering up the house of Invergarry ; to be safe as to
their lives, but as to their estates to depend upon our mercy.
3. In cas'e you find that the house of Invergarry cannot pro-
bably be taken in this season of the year, with the artillery and
provision you can bring there ; in that case we leave it to your
discretion to give Glengarry the assurance of entire indemnity
for life and fortune, upon delivering of the house and arms, and
taking the oath of allegiance. In this you are to act as you
find the circumstances of the affair do require; but it were
much better that those who have not taken the benefit of our
indemnity, in the terms within the diet preh'xt by our prot la-
mation, should be obliged to render upon mercy. The taking
the oath of allegiance is indispensable, others having already
taken it.
4. If M'Ean of Glenco and that tribe can be well separated
from the rest, it will be a proper vindication of the public jus.
tice to extirpate that set of thieves. The double of these in-
structions is only communicated to Sir Thomas Livingston.
W. REX.
* From the following extract it would nppear that not only
the Earl of Breadalbane, but al>o the Etrl of Argyle, was privy
to this infamous transaction. " The Eurls of Argyle and Bread-
albane have promised that they (the Macdonalds of Glencoet
shall have no retreat in their bounds, the passes to Rannoch
would be secured, and the hazard certified to the laird of
Weems to reset them ; in that case Argyle's detachment with
a party that may be posted in bland-Stalker must cut them
to trouble the government with prisoners," or in
other words, to massacre every man, woman, and
child. Hamilton, however, did not take any imme-
diate steps for executing this inhuman order. In
the meantime, the master of Stair was not inactive
in inciting his blood-hounds to the carnage, and ac-
cordingly on the 30th of January he wrote two let-
ters, one to Livingston, and the other to Hill, urging
them on. Addressing the former, he says : " I ana
glad Glencoe did not come in within the time pre-
fixed ; I hope what is done there may be in earnest,
since the rest are not in a condition to draw together
help. I think to harry (plunder) their cattle, and
burn their houses, is but to render them desperate
lawless men to rob their neighbours, but I believe
you will be satisfied, it were a great advantage to
the nation that thieving tribe were rooted out and
cut off; it must be quietly done, otherwise they will
make shift for both their men and their cattle.
Argyle's detachment lies in Lelrickweel, to assist
the garrison to do all of a sudden." And in his let-
ter to Hill, he says: " Pray, when the thing con-
cerning Glencoe is resolved, let it be secret and
sudden, otherwise the men will shift you, and better
not meddle with them than not to do it to purpose,
to cut off that nest of robbers who have fallen in
the mercy of the law, now when there is force and
opportunity, whereby the king's justice will be as
conspicuous and useful as his clemency to others. I
apprehend the storm is so great that for some time
you can do little, but so soon as possible I know
you will be at work, for these false people will do
nothing, but as they see you in a condition to do
with them."
In pursuance of these fresh instructions from the
secretary, Hill, on the 12th of February, sent orders
to Hamilton, forthwith to execute the fatal commis-
sion, who, accordingly, on the same day, directed
Major Robert Duncanson of Argyle's regiment to
proceed immediately with a detachment of that
regiment to Glencoe, so as to reach the post which
had been assigned him by five o'clock the follow-
ing morning, at which hour Hamilton promised to
reach another post with a party of Hill's regiment.
Whether Duncanson was averse to take an active
personal part in the bloody tragedy about to be en-
acted, is a question the solutio'n of which would
neither aggravate nor extenuate his guilt as a party
to one of the foulest murders ever perpetrated in any
age or country ; but the probability is, that he felt
some repugnance to act in person, as immediately on
receipt of Hamilton's order, he despatched another
order from himself to Captain Campbell of Glenlyon,
then living in Glencoe, with instructions to fall upon
the Macdonalds precisely at five o'clock the follow-
ing morning, and put all to the sword under seventy
years of age. Campbell was a man fitted for every
kind of villany, a monster in human shape, who, for
the sake of lucre, or to gratify his revenge, would
have destroyed his nearest and dearest friend; and
who, with consummate treachery,
" Could smile, and murder while he smiled."
With this sanguinary order in his pocket, he ac-
cordingly did not hesitate to spend the eve of the
massacre at cards with John and Alexander Mac-
donald, the sons of the chief, to wish them good night
at parting, and to accept an invitation from Glencoe
himself to dine with him the following day, although
he had resolved to imbrue his hands in the blood of
his kind-hearted and unsuspecting host, his sons, and
utterly to exterminate the whole clan within a few
hours! Little suspecting the intended butchery,
Glencoe and his sons retired to rest at their usual
hour ; but early in the morning, while the prepare-
GLENCOE.
677
n the village sitting before a fire. Among these was
he laird of Auchintrincken, who was killed on the
pot, along with four more of the party. This gen-
leman had at the time a protection in his pocket
rom Colonel Hill, which he had received three
months before. The remainder of the party in the
louse, two or three of whom were wounded, escaped
y the back of the house, with the exception of a
>rother of Auchintrincken, who having been seized
>y Barker, requested him, as a favour, not to de-
spatch him in the house, but to kill him without.
The sergeant consented, because, as he said, he had
experienced his kindness ; but when brought out he
:hrew his plaid, which he had kept loose, over the
"aces of the soldiers who were appointed to shoot
lim, and also escaped. Besides the slaughter at
;hese three places, there were some persons dragged
Tom their beds and murdered in other parts of the
glen, among whom was an old man of eighty years
of age. Between thirty and forty of the inhabitants
of the Glen were slaughtered, and the whole male
population, under seventy years of age, amounting
to two hundred, would have been- cut off, if, for-
tunately for them, a party of four hundred men
under Lieutenant-colonel Hamilton, who was prin-
i pally charged with the execution of the sanguinary
warrant, had not been prevented by the severity of
the weather from reaching the glen till eleven o'clock,
six hours after the slaughter, by which time the whole
surviving male inhabitants, warned of their danger
and the fate of their chief and the other sufferers,
had fled to the hills. Ignorant of this latter circum-
stance, Hamilton, on arriving at Kinlochleven, ap-
pointed several parties to proceed to different parts
of the glen, with orders to take no prisoners, but to
kill all the men that came in their way. They had
not, however, proceeded far when they fell in with
Major Duncanson's party, by whom they were in-
formed of the events of the morning, and who told
them that as the survivors had escaped to the hills,
they had nothing to do but to burn the houses and
carry off the cattle. They accordingly set tire to the
houses, and having collected the cattle and effects in
the glen, they carried them to Inverlochy, where
they were divided among the officers of the garrison.
That Hamilton would have executed his commission
to the very letter, is evident from the fact, that an
old man, the only remaining male inhabitant of the
desolate vale they fell in with, was put to death by
his orders.
After the destruction of the houses, a scene of
the most heart-rending description ensued. Ejected
from their dwellings by the devouring element, aged
matrons, married women, and widowed mothers,
with infants at their breasts and followed by children
on foot, clinging to them with all the solicitude and
anxiety of helplessness, were to be seen all wending
their way, almost in a state of nudity, towards the
mountains in a piercing snow-storm, in quest of
some friendly hovel, beneath whose roof they might
seek shelter from the pitiless tempest, and deplore
their unhappy fate. But as there were no houses
within the distance of several miles, and as these
could only be reached by crossing mountains deeply
covered with snow, the greater part of these un-
happy beings, overcome by fatigue, cold, and hunger,
dropt down and perished miserably among the snow.
>\ hik- this brutal massacre struck terror into the
hearts of the Jacobite chiefs, and thus M> tar served
the immediate object of the government, it uas
highly prejudicial to King William, who was con-
sidered its chief author. In every quarter, even at
court, the account of the massanv W9t received with
horror and indignation, and the Jacobite party did
not fail to turn the affair to good account ugauut
678
GLENCOE.
the government, by exaggerating, both at home and
abroad, the barbarous details. The odium of the
nation rose to such a pitch, that had the exiled mon
arch appeared at the head of a few thousand men, he
would probably have succeeded in regaining his crown.
The ministry, and even King William, grew alarmed,
and to pacify the people he dismissed the Master of
Stair from his councils, and appointed a commission
of inquiry to investigate the affair, and pretended
that he had signed the order for the massacre among
a mass of other papers, without knowing its con-
tents. This is the only defence ever offered for
King William, but it is quite unsatisfactory. For
1st, It is inconceivable that Secretary Dalrymple or
any other minister, would have ventured to prepare
such an extraordinary order without the express
authority of his majesty, or would have obtained his
signature to it without first acquainting him of its
purport. 2d, The fact that neither Dalrymple nor
any other minister was impeached for such an act,
makes it extremely probable that William was privy
to its contents. 3d, The unusual mode of signing and
countersigning the order would have made William
desirous to know the import of such a document,
had he not been previously aware of its nature. 4th,
His refusal or neglect to order the principal parties
concerned in the massacre to be brought to trial,
after the estates of parliament had addressed him for
that purpose, and the fact of his promoting those
guilty individuals in his service, show that he could
not do so without implicating himself. Though the
nation had long desired an inquiry into this barbarous
affair, it was not until the 29th day of April, 1695,
upwards of three years after the massacre, that a
commission was granted. A commission had, in-
deed, been issued in 1693, appointing the Duke of
Hamilton and others to examine into the affair ; but
this was a piece of mere mockery, and was never
acted upon ; but it now became necessary to satisfy
the call of the nation by instituting an investigation.
The Marquis of Tweeddale, lord-high-chancellor of
Scotland, and the other commissioners now appoint-
ed, accordingly entered upon the inquiry, and, after
examining witnesses and documents, drew up a report
which was subscribed at Holyrood-house, on the 20th
of June, and transmitted to his majesty. The com-
missioners appear to have executed their task with
great fairness, but, anxious to palliate the conduct
of the king, they gave a forced construction to the
terms of the order, and threw the whole blame of
the massacre upon Secretary Dalrymple.
Glencoe is supposed, by some, to have been the
birth-place of Ossian. In the middle of the vale runs
'the roaring stream of Cona;' the mountain of Mal-
mor rises on the south ; and the celebrated Con-
Fion — ' the hill of Fingal' — is situated on the north
side of the vale. Garnett says : " Any poetical
genius who had spent the early days of his life in
this glen, must have had the same or similar ideas,
and would have painted them in the same manner
that Ossian has done ; for he would here see nothing
but grand and simple imagery — the blue mists hang-
ing on the hills — the sun peeping through a cloud
— the raging of the storm, or the fury of the torrent."
Stoddart says, " If any district can, with peculiar
propriety, boast of the birth of Ossian, it is this.
The translator of his poems has so unjustifiably
altered the original names, both of men and places,
that it is not easy to trace them in those which now
exist. Something like many of them is to be found
all over the Highlands, but here they are most num-
erous ; several of the names referring either to the
heroes of the Fingalian race, or to their general oc-
cupation, hunting. Here is Scur-no-Fionn, ' the
mountain of the Fingalians ;' Coe, the name of the
river, is supposed to be the Cona of Ossian ; Grianan
Dearduit, ' the sunny place of Dearduil,' is supposed
to refer to Ossian's Darthula, whom Nathos stole
from her husband Conquhan. Here also are Ach-
na-con, 'the field of the dog;' Caolis-na-con, 'the
ferry of the dog ;' Bitanabean, * the deerskin moun-
tain,' &c. Add to this, that the neighbouring coun-
try bears similar traces ; that Morven is the peculiar
name of Fingal's domain ; that an island in Loch-
Etive is supposed to be ^named from U snath, the
father of Nathos ; and that Etive itself is so named
from the deer of its mountains. It must not, how-
;r, be dissembled that the same names occur in
other places. The stream of C«nan, in Ross-shire,
s supposed to be Cona, and is near Knock Farril-
na-Fion, which takes its name from Fingal; and
Daruil, or Jarduil, is a name common to most of
the rocks, which, like the one in Glen-Coe, are
termed Vitrified forts.
GLENCOE.
GLE
679
GLE
GLENCROE, a vale in Argyleshire, one of the
to the Highlands, near the north-east ex-
iinity of Loch-Long. The road to Inverary, from
Dumbarton, by the Gair-loch arid Loch-Long, after
passing the village of ARROQUHAR [which see], and
winding round the head of the latter loch, passes
under a lofty threatening mountain-crag, called Ben-
Arthur or the Cobbler,* and leaving Ardgarten house
the left enters Glencroe. The scenery is here
and sublime in the highest degree ; on each side
lofty mountains, with rocks of every shape hang-
on their sides, many of which have fallen to the
of the glen, while others threaten the travel-
with instant destruction. In the middle of the
runs a considerable brook, near which the road
carried, and hundreds of rills that pour from the
itains form in their descent innumerable cas-
les. There are a few cottages on the sides of the
inhabited by shepherds. The rgcks consist
st entirely of micaceous schistus, shining like
rer, beautifully undulated, and in many parts im-
Ided in quartz. In the bed of the rivulet are con-
jrable numbers of granitic pebbles, with pebbles
schistus, full of crystals of schorl. The length of
roe is between 5 and 6 miles. The road as-
ids gently through the whole of it, excepting the
t mile, where it is very steep, and carried in a zig-
form to the top of the hill. Here is a seat, 29
from Dumbarton, and a stone inscribed, ' Rest
be thankful,' placed by the 22d regiment, who
the road. From this the road turns into Glen-
a vale watered by the rivulet Kinlass, and
mnding with the same scenery as Glencoe, though
wild and romantic. This last valley is termin-
by the house and pleasure-grounds of Ardkin-
on the borders of Loch-Fyne. The scenery of
two vales of Glencroe and Glenkinlas are thus
Bribed in a manuscript journal now before us :
i'he road from Cairndow to Tarbet is a succession
' magnificence and variety in landscape scenery. The
;st rolled away from our immediate neighbourhood
we entered Glenkinlas, and revealed to us its
icry of solitary and impressive grandeur. Silence
solitude reign here, — a grim and awful tranquil-
t, inspiring overpowering ideas of loneliness, as if
had never intruded on these regions. And these
ristics deepened upon our perceptions and sen-
timents as we advanced towards the head of the glen,
which appeared dark and shadowy and unearthly
beyond anything we had ever seen or conceived of
before. At or near the top of the ascent — which is
long and gradual — we passed a quiet lonely tarn,
whose gloomy waters harmonized well with the stern
and melancholy features of the surrounding scenery.
After traversing a low ridge which runs across the
head of Glenkinlas, a sudden turn of the road brought
us to the head of Glencroe, the waters of which run
into Loch- Long, and which throughout its entire ex-
tent of several miles lay revealed to our admiring
awe-impressed vision. We have seen nothing to
equal Glencroe in savage grandeur. Glenkinlas has
a pastoral aspect compared with Glencroe, which is
hemmed in on all sides with gigantic mountains of
the rudest aspect, — bare, red, and rocky, and deeply
* "This terrific rock forms the bare summit of a huge moun-
tain, and its nodding top so fur overhang* the base as to assume
tin- appearance of a cobbler silting at work ; fiom whence the
country people call it an grcusmc/ie crom, the crooked shoe-
maker. It cannot, easily be discovered why several mountain*
in Scotland take their name from the Welsh prince, Arthur,
of whom no other traces remain in this country ; but it appears
tliat they have been traditionally considered as places of M»ver-
eignty. Thus, it is said, that Beu Artur being, at oue period,
the most elevated and conspicuous of the mountains in the do-
main of the Campbells, the heir to that chieftainship was oblig-
ed to seat himself on it* loftiest peak, a task of some ditticulty
•nd d;n,ger, which, if he m'h'lect.-d, his lands went to the iM-xt
relation sufficiently adventurous." — Stoddart.
channelled by the torrents which rush down their
rude declivities, while the whole narrow space of the
valley is covered with huge blocks which have been
detached from the sides of the mountains by the
action of wind, water, and weather. All, however,
bears the impress of grandeur, and is steeped in the
silent majesty of nature. The descent is, in one
place, most excessively steep; but when fini-lu-d
we found ourselves on a good road, over which we
brushed with considerable rapidity. Indeed, as far
as our experience yet extends, we have had no reason
to complain of the ruggedness or badness of the High-
land roads, although some travellers affect to speak
of them as if it were an exploit to pass over a few
miles without loss of life or limb."
GLENCROSS, or GLENCORSE, a parish near the
centre of Edinburghshire, on the southern slope of
the Pentland hills. It is bounded on the north by
Colinton and Lasswade ; on the east by Lasswade ;
and on the south and west by Pennycuick. Of a some-
what circular form, it measures about 3 miles both in
its greatest length and in its greatest breadth, and
contains a superficies of about 9 square miles. The
north-western division, comprising about one-third
of the whole area, runs up from the lower slopes to
the highest summit-range of the Pentlands, and is
altogether pastoral. The south-eastern and larger
division consists of beautiful undulating land, part
of the great plain of Mid-Lothian, finely cultivated,
but adorned to excess and sheltered to undue close-
ness with plantation. The hills, like all the rest of
the Pentland range, consist of different sorts of
whinstone and other lapideous formations commonly
called primitive rocks ; and the lower grounds con-
tain, of what are denominated secondary strata, sand
stone, limestone, coal, and the concomitant fossils oi
the last, known as coal-metals. Glencross-burn, after
a course of 2£ miles in the Pentland section of Penny-
cuick, and bearing hitherto the name of Logan-house
water, comes in upon the parish from the south-west,
runs along its boundary northward for nearly a mile,
— now suddenly debouches, and flowing first east-
ward and next south-eastward intersects it from side
to side, dividing it into two nearly equal parts, —
then, a few yards after leaving it and entering the
parish of Lasswade, falls into the North Esk.
Another stream, a tiny brook, rises within the
parish at Head-stone, flows for half-a-mile south-
ward to the boundary, and then circulates along its
margin over a distance of 3 or 3J miles, when the
North Esk receives its little tribute. Upwards of
half-a-mile from where Glencross-burn comes in-
ward from the boundary, it is dammed up by a stu-
pendous artificial embankment, so as to form, trom
this point all the way back to the boundary and a
brief distance along it, a narrow but capacious hike.
Compensation-pond, as the lake is called, was formed
at the expense of the water-company of Edinburgh,
to compensate the millers on the North Esk, for the
deprivation of some of their important feeders in order
to send supplies to the citizens of the metropolis ;
and, in times of drought, when the Esk fails to bring
along its channel a water-power sufficient for the
mills, it sends off, by means of a regulating and
watchfully kept machinery, such discharges as keep
them working. The Crawley spring, whence the
Edinburgh water-company draw a large portion of
their supplies, wells up near a place called Flotter-
ston. Much of the area of the parish, which was at
one time sterile moorland, is now cultivated,— tutted
with plantation, clothed in autumn with luxuriant
crops, or ornately disposed into lovely demesnes.
Among several seats which its improved soil and
fine scenery richly ornament, are Glencross house,
IK-lluvld Bush, and Kustcr Bush. But of all its
GLE
680
GLE
charming grounds the most delightful, both for their
own beauty and, above all, for their literary associa-
tions, are those of Woodhouselee. This lovely re-
treat ought, in propriety, to bear the name of Fal-
ford, and is not to be confounded with Old Wood-
houselee, some 4 miles or more distant from it, in
the conterminous parish of Lass wade. The tower
of Falford, an edifice of great antiquity, and situated
near the northern limit of Glencross in the opposite
extreme from that which marches with Lasswade,
was repaired about 180 years ago, from the stones of
Old Woodhouselee — the seat of Hamilton of Both-
well-haugh, whence the Regent Murray turned out
the lady of Hamilton to the inclemency of the sea-
son— and, m consequence, took its name. Towards
the end of last century, Woodhouselee — the property
of the Tytler family — was illustrious as the residence
of William Tytler, Esq., vice- president of the Scot-
tish Antiquarian society, author of ' Enquiry into the
Evidence against Mary Queen of Scots,' and a mas-
terly dissertation on Scottish music, the restorer
from oblivion of the ' King's Quair,' a poem written
by James I. of Scotland, during his captivity in Eng-
land,— and the perspicacious adjudicator to Allan
Ramsay of the entire merit of the ' Gentle Shep-
herd,' and of the authorship of two fine Scots poems
which hitherto had gone, like Captain Marryat's
Japhet, in search of a father, ' the Eagle and Robin-
Red-breast,' and ' the Vision.' Glencross — and, no
wonder, considering its pastoral beauties, and its
almost strict coincidence of landscape, in one locality,
with that so softly and sweetly and graphically describ-
ed by Ramsay — puts in a claim, though probably a fri-
volous one, to the honour of figuring throughout as
the scene of the exquisite pastoral of the Gentle
Shepherd. See HABBIJE'S HOWE. — Rullion green, at
the base of Lawhead-hill, not far from the south-
western boundary of the parish, figures in history as
the scene of a memorable skirmish of the troops of
the persecuting Stuarts, in 1666, with a resolute and
daring body of the Covenanters. The western po-
pulation of Scotland, driven to despair by the oppres-
sions of the government — oppressions which rivalled
those of papal Rome, and sought to enthral or an-
nihilate the conscience — ran hastily to arms, and
rashly dreamed of making themselves masters of the
metropolis; and, menaced near Edinburgh by the
advance of a royal force under General Dalziel, they
turned aside at the village of Collington, and climbed
away among the Peritlands, but were overtaken on
the little plain of Rullion green, and there — though
they twice repulsed the assailing troops — they were
utterly dispersed, leaving upwards of fifty of their
number to fatten the spot with their slain and sepul-
chred carcases. Within a small enclosure is a monu-
merft, with a suitable inscription, commemorative
of the Rev. Mr. Cruickshanks, Mr. M'Cormic, and
other heroes who fell. — The mansion of Greenlaw,
on Glencross-burn, 8 miles from Edinburgh, and near
the south-eastern limit of the parish, was used, pre-
viously to 1814, as a depot for prisoners-of-war, and
had erected around it, on a Government-purchase of
38 acres, wooden buildings for the accommodation of
6,000 prisoners, and a regiment of infantry. The
barracks, raised at the conjectural cost of £100,000,
are still occupied by small detachments from Edin-
burgh castle. — At a former period the parish had a
distillery ; and, happily freed from this, it now— with
the exception of the workers on a bleachfield and
some corn-mills — rejoices in a strictly rural popula-
tion. Through nearly its middle, from north-east
to south-west, it is intersected by the post-road from
Edinburgh to Biggar and Dumfries ; and, in its south-
ern or champaign division, it has several other roads.
South-west of the House-of-Muir, and about 8^ miles
from Edinburgh, are markets for ewes with lamb in
the end of March or beginning of April, and for fat
sheep from Galloway and other southern districts of
Scotland in the end of October. Only at Milton
mill and Eastern Auchindinny bridge, both noar the
south-eastern boundary, are there semblances of
hamlets. Population, in 1801, 390; in 1831,652.
Houses 101. Assessed property, in 1815, £3,736
Glencross is in the presbytery of Dalkeith, and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. Patron, Tytler of W'ood-
houselee. Stipend £156 17s. 7d. ; glebe £20. Un-
appropriated teinds £68 16s. 5d. Schoolmaster's
salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £19 15s. fees, and £5 15s.
other emoluments. There is an unendowed school,
attended by a maximum of 45 scholars. The parish-
church was built in 1665, and repaired, but not en-
larged, in 1811. Sittings about 200. In 1838, at
the visit of the Commissioners of Religious inquiry,
the parish minister thought that the population was
slightly less' than in 1831 ; but, assuming the census
of that year to be still correct, he assigned 522 per
sons to the establishment, and 130 to other deno
minations. The dissenters belong to the United
Secession congregations of Pennycuick and Roslin,
and the Reformed Presbyterian congregation of Loan-
head The parish of Glencross was formed, in 1616,
from the ancient parishes of Pentland and Pennycuick,
the northern division being taken from the former
and the southern division from the latter. In the
vale of Glencross-burn, on the northern bank of that
stream, in a locality now laid under water by Com-
pensation loch, anciently stood a chapel dedicated to
Saint Catherine the virgin, called Saint Catherine of
the Hopes, in contradistinction to Saint Catherine of
the Kaimes, in the parish of Libberton.
GLENDARUEL, a vale in Argyleshire, in the
parish of KILMODAN : which see.
GLENDALE. See DUIRNISH.
GLENDEARG, a narrow vale, about 3| miles
in length, coming down southward from Benderig,
and overlooked on the west side by Benchat, and on
the east side by Benvenoch, in the northern part of
the parish of Blair- Athole, Perthshire.
GLENDINNING. See DUMFRIES-SHIRE.
GLENDOCHART, a valley in Perthshire,
Breadalbane, through which the Dochart runs in its
course to Loch Tay : See article LOCH-DOCHART.
Entering Glendochart from Glenogle, it presents a
region of sterile magnificence, varied, it is true, by the
winding course of the river ; and several hamlets, dis-
posed on the eminences that just rise above the level
lawers which stretch far to the west in the bottom of
the valley, give it some interest ; but still, though the
hills of this glen exhibit a lengthened chain of barren
wildness, Benmore towers amid them in double cone,
and excites in the mind of one who can relish rude
grandeur, a sublimity of feeling not easily to be ex-
pressed by words. Proceeding by the banks of the
Dochart to Killin, the hill called 'Slronchlachan, the
craggy heights of Finlairg, and the lofty wilds of Ben-
lawers, with Loch Tay stretching its ample breadth
along the base of these mountains, are seen, as grand
and simple parts of a magnificent whole. The travel-
ler cannot fail of being pleased with the scenery about
Killin. As he enters the village from the west, he
observes the river Dochart rushing through rocky
fragments, and dividing its waters among insulated
precipices, over which it foams, and sweeps round
two islets covered with pines ; it then calmly seeks
its way through green meadows and enclosures, till,
meeting the slow- winding Locha in its course, both
rivers fall silently into the bosom of the lake.
GLENDEVON, a parish in the Ochil district, a
south-east part of Perthshire ; bounded on the north
by Blackford and Auchterarder ; on the east by
I, UI
GLE
GLE
iway; on the south-east by Muckhart; on the
by Clackmannanshire ; and on the west by
cmannanahire and Blackford. But for vvant-
the south-east corner, and being very deeply
ited on the north-west by Blackford, its form
Id be nearly rectangular. In extreme length it
ires 5i miles ; and in breadth, over one-half its
i, 4 miles, and over the other half Ijf. The
le parish lies among the Ochils, and is lifted up
green smooth hills, freckled at remote intervals
rocks, and embrowned on some spots with
Devon water comes in upon it from the west,
liles from its source ; forms for 2| miles the
;rn boundary-line of the narrow part of the
i; flows eastward for 2£ miles through the
body, receiving several tributary rills in its
and, bending south-eastward, traces for If
the boundary with Fossaway. The river opens
its progress a glen or narrow vale, and, in do-
gives name to the parish. In scattered spots
__ this vale, where the soil is light and dry, .in-
clining to gravel, are about 200 acres of arable land.
All the rest of the parish is pastoral, and sustains
about 8,000 sheep. Experiments in ploughing the
lower parts of the hills proved that attempts at crop-
ping are, in this district, less remunerating than at-
tention to pasture. At Burnfoot is a small mill for
spinning wool. A house built in the 16th century,
by the family of Crawford, for the protection of their
- from any hostile attack, and which is more
spacious than most buildings of its class, was restor-
ed from a ruinous condition, and still stands as an
admonition to gratitude for the blessings of peaceful
times. A turnpike runs through the parish 3i miles
along the glen. Population, in 1801, 149; in" 1831,
192. Houses28. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,688.
The parish is in the presbytery of Auchterarder, and
synod of Perth and Stirling. Patron, the Crown.
Stipend £ 1 58 6s. 7d. ; glebe £8 1 Os. Unappropriated
teinds £30 4s. 7d. ; schoolmaster's salary £34 4s.
4Jd., with £7 fees, £5 other emoluments, and a
and garden worth about £6.
,ENDO W, a valley in the counties of Dumbar-
and Stirling: See BUCHANAN.
.ENDUCE, a village in the parish of Edder-
plis, Sutherlandshire, on the sea-coast, near the
of the sea called Loch-Scourie.
rLENDUROR, a district in Upper Lorn, water-
the Duror, which falls into the Linne-loch.
•ENELCHAIG, a district in Ross-shire, in the
of Kintail. In the heights of this district is
cascade of Glommach, a considerable waterfall,
view of which is rendered strikingly awful from
darkness occasioned by the surrounding hills and
woods. The light which predominates at this place
seldom exceeds a twilight-brightness.
GLENELG,* a parish in the county of Inverness.
It is divided into three districts: 1st, Glenelg, where-
in the church and manse are situated, formerly the
property of Colonel Alacleod of Macleod ; afterwards
of Lord Glenelg, now of Mr. Bailie ; 2d, Knoydart,
Knowdort, or Knodyart, separated from Glenelg by
an arm of the sea called LOCH Ho URN : which see ;
•X North-Morar, separated from Knoydart by ano-
ther arm of the sea called LOCH-NEVIS, [which see,]
the property of the family of Lovat. The parish
may be supposed to extend from north to south about
20 miles, and the same number of miles from east to
west. It is bounded on the north-east and east by
the parish of Glensheal, in the county of Ross, a ridge
of hills making the division ; on the south-east and
* '* (ilenelg, the ancient and modern name, is supposed to be
made up »l tiie Gaelic word-*, glen, [#7e«MM] Minifying 'a val-
ley,' aud tetlg, 'hunting;' or glen, 'a valley,' and elid, 'a
' "—Old btatitticnl Account.
south by the outskirts of the countries of Glen.
garry and Lochaber ; on the south-west by Loch-
Morar, which divides the parish of Ardnamurchaii
from that of Glenelg; and on the north-west by
the navigable and much-frequented sound that sepa-
rates the island of Sky from the continent of Great
Britain. In the district of Glenelg there are two
valleys, through each of which a river runs. The
inhabitants reside in separate villages on each side of
the rivers, .their arable land extending along the
banks, and on the declivity of the hills; some of
them also dwell on Loch-Hourn-side. In this dis-
trict the soil is good ; part of a deep black loam, and
part of a sandy gravel, yielding crops of potatoes
and oats; the hills afford good pasture for cattle. In
Knoydart the inhabitants dwell in villages bordering
on the sea, along the sides of Loch-IIourn and Loch-
Nevis; here the soil is in general light, yielding early
crops of barley, oats, and potatoes. The hills, though
high, are mostly green to the top, and afford excel-
lent pasture for all kinds of cattle. North-Morar is
rocky and mountainous, and chiedy adapted for cattle.
The valued rent of the parish is £3,565 Scots ; the
land-rent was supposed in 1 792 to exceed consider-
ably £2,000. It must have greatly risen since that
period; for Glenelg which, in 1781, produced an in-
come of only £600 a-year, was in 1798 sold for
£30,000; and in 1811 for £100,000, although we
believe the present proprietor purchased it fot
£77,000. In 1815, the value of the assessed pro-
perty was returned at £5,789. The air is moist,
arid rain frequent ; the wind mostly blows from the
south and west. The only mansion-house in the
parish is that of Inverie on the banks of Loch-Nevis,
in Knoydart. The kirk-town of Glenelg is a neat
little village, and at the southern extremity of the
district is the village of Arnisdale, on the banks of
Loch-Hourn, with a population of 368. There hav€
been many castles or round towers in this parish,
two of which in Glenbeg are yet pretty entire. In
1722, shortly after the battle of Glensheal, Govern-
ment thought it necessary to erect a small fortitiea-
tion on the west coast, and pitched on a spot of
ground in this parish as a proper situation, being in
the direct line from Fort- Augustus to the island of
Sky. From that period till after 1745, there were
commonly one or two companies of foot quartered
here. Population, in 1801, 2,834; in 1831, 2,874.
Houses, in 1831, 508,— This parish is in the synod of
Glenelg, and presbytery of Lochcarron. Patron,
Baillie of Kingussie. Stipend £237 7s. 9d. ; glebe
£60. Church repaired in 1835 ; sittings 400. There
are Roman Catholic chapels in Knoydart and Morar :
the population of these districts being chiefly Roman
Catholics. There are mission-stations at Arnisdale,
Fraochlan, arid Inverie. — There are a parochial
school, and five private schools in this parish. Sa-
lary of parish-schoolmaster £30.
GLEiSESK called also in its main body, Glen-
mark, and in its offshoots Glenenocb, Gleneffock,
and Glentinmount — the ramified valley of the
northern part of the Grampian district of Forfar-
shire, watered by the North Esk and its mountain-
tributaries. See articles FORFARSHIHE, LOCIII.KK,
EDZELL, and THE NORTH ESK.
GLENESLAND (THE), a brook or rivulet
which rises near the water-line between Dumfrie*-
shire and Galloway, at the western boundary of the
pari>h of Dunscore, in the district of NlthMue, ami
pursues a course -U miles eastward to tin- Cairn.
It is chiefly remarkable for occasioning the latter
stream, from its point of confluence with it to the
Nith, to be called the Cluden. See GLKNCAIIIN.
QLENFALLOCH, a valley in the shire of IVrih,
and chiefly in the parish of Killiu, about 7 miles iu
GLE
682
GLE
length ; watered by the small river Falloch, from
whence it derives its name, and which discharges it-
self into the north end of Loch-Lomond. This river
affords good trout and pike fishing. The road from
the head of Loch-Lomond into Strathfillan runs
through this glen. See THE FALLOCH.
GLENFARG, a romantic vale or pass in the
Ochil hills, leading from Kinross-shire into Perth-
shire, through which the Great North road proceeds.
GLENFERN AL, a narrow vale formhig, with the
hills and mountains rvhich flank it, the north-eastern
part of the parish of Moulin, Perthshire. It comes
down southward over a distance of about 6 miles,
traversed throughout by the Arnate or Ernate ; and
when that stream makes a confluence with the Brer-
achan, and unites with it to form Airdle water, the
glen becomes lost in the valley of Strathairdle. The
hills of vivid green which form the side walls of
Glenfernal, contrast picturesquely with the grim and
gloomy aspect of the circumjacent mountain.
GLENFICHAN, a valley on the west coast of
Lorn, in Argyleshire.
GLENFIDDICH, a fertile vale in the heart of
BanfFshire, often named Fiddichside. See articles
FIDDICH and MORTLACH.
GLENFINGLASS, a narrow vale about 5 miles
in length, north-east of Strathgartney, and running
nearly parallel with it, in the parish of Callander,
Perthshire. This glen is traversed by the streamlet
Turk ; and, though singularly wild in its scenery, is
for the most part wooded, and possesses little of the
naked and savage aspect which so generally distin-
guishes the Highland glens. The Turk, in passing
through it, has a peaceful and meandering course ;
but, at the point of emerging, it " suddenly sinks
into a profound chasm, formed by some terrible con-
vulsion of nature, and there it is heard far below,
brawling along the secret fragments of rock, in its
rapid course." Should the traveller, approaching
from Callander, be inclined to visit this retired vale,
he passes through a narrow ravine, where the moun-
tain-stream has formed a way for its waters. Here
a tumultuary cataract is seen pouring over a rock,
beautifully fringed with coppicewood ;
" That huge cliff whose ample verge,
Tradition names the hero's targe."
It was under this waterfall that Brian, the hermit
monk, performed the "taghairm," or mysterious
consultation with the oracle, in which the fate of
Roderick Dhu was darkly foreshown. Sir Walter
Scott relates that this wild place in former times
afforded refuge to an outlaw. He was supplied
with provisions by a woman, who lowered them
down from the edge of the precipice above. His
water he procured for himself by letting down a
flagon tied to a string into the black pool beneath
the fall. On emerging from the narrow ravine, the
traveller enters Glenfinglass, and is surprised to meet
with a soft and verdant plain of considerable extent,
variegated with meadows and corn-fields. The moun-
tains by which this beautiful valley is hemmed in are
lofty, and their sides are marked by the course of
many streams which flow down them. They are
mostly free of heath, and covered with a fine green
sward to their summits, forming pasture-ground of
superior quality. Glenfinglass was anciently a deer
forest belonging to the kings of Scotland, and ap-
pears to have been covered with wood, the remains
of aged trees being still everywhere visible. It is
now inhabited by a people of the name of Stewart,
clansmen of the Earl of Moray, the proprietor, who
are all connected together by intermarriages. This
race have long inhabited the district under the pro-
tection of their chief, and the same farms have been
transmitted from father to son, through a lapse o^
ages.
GLENFINN AN, a narrow vale in Inverness-shire,
at the head of Loch-Shiel, in which the river Finnan
runs between high and rocky mountains. It is im-
passable except by travellers on foot. It is famous
for being the place where Prince Charles first raised
his standard on the 19th of August, 1745. See article
THE FINNAN.
GLENFRUIN, a vale intersected by the Fruin,
in the parishes of Row and Luss, in Dumbartonshire
It is separated, on the west, from the Gairloch by a
lofty ridge of heath-clad mountains, rising in some
points to an altitude of 1800 feet. It widens
gradually as it approaches Loch-Lomond, and at-
tains the breadth of a mile in some parts. The
Fruin abounds with small trouts. This glen has
attained considerable historical notoriety from its
having been the scene, in 1602, of a desperate con-
flict, in consequence of the renewal of some old
quarrels between Sir Humphrey Colquhoun of
Luss, the chief of that surname, and Alexander Mac-
gregor, chief of the Clan-Gregor. Aggressions had
formerly been committed on both sides ; first by Luss
and his party against some of the Macgregors. and
then by John Macgregor, the brother of Alexander,
against the laird of Luss and his dependents and
tenants. To put an end to these dissensions, Alex-
ander Macgregor left Rannoch, accompanied by about
200 of his kinsmen and friends, entered Lennox, and
took up his quarters on the confines of Luss's terri-
tory, where he expected, by the mediation of his
friends, to bring matters to an amicable adjustment.
As the laird of Luss was suspicious of Macgregor's
real intentions, he assembled all his vassals, with the
Buchanans and others, to the number of 300 horse,
and 500 foot, with the design, if the result of the
meeting should not turn out to his expectations arid
wishes, to cut off Macgregor and his party. But
Macgregor, anticipating his intention, was upon hh
guard, and, by his precautions, defeated the design
upon him. A conference was held for the purpose
of terminating all differences ; but the meeting broke
up without any adjustment, and Macgregor then pro-
ceeded homewards. The laird of Luss, in pursuance
of his plan, immediately followed Macgregor with
great haste through Glenfruin, in the expectation ol
coming upon him unawares, and defeating him ; but
Macgregor, who was on the alert, observed, in due
time, the approach of his pursuers, and made his dis-
positions accordingly. He divided his company intc
two parts, the largest of which he kept under his
own command, and placed the other part under the
command of John Macgregor, his brother, whom he
despatched by a circuitous route, for the purpose ol
attacking Luss's party in the rear, when they shoulc
least expect to be assailed. This stratagem suc-
ceeded, and the result was, that after a keen contest.
Luss's party was completely overthrown, with the
loss of 200 men, besides several gentlemen and bur-
gesses of the town of Dumbarton.* It is remarkable
* A rivulet, which runs near the spot where Fletcher ol
Cameron, a follower of the Macgregor chief, put to death somt
young men or boys who came a* spectators of the battle o;
Luss, is called ' the Stream of young Ghosts ;' and it is be-
lieved, that if a Macgregor crosses it after sunset, he will b<
scared by unhallowed spectres. But neither of the allegec
murderers were of the Macgregor clan, and the chief, when lit
compelled the youths to enter a church near the spot, insteae
of standing exposed to random shots from the combatants, hac
no view but to preserve their lives, and to detain them as host
ages, if circumstances required a pledge for the safety of hi
own people. Yet superstition represents the ghosts of th«
victims peculiarly hostile to the clan of Macgregor. So late at
the year 1757, every spring, the tragical fate of the scholars o
Dunbarton was commemorated by the boys of that anciein
town. They assembled on the supposed anniversary ; tlie du>
of the highest class was laid on a bier, covered with the clergy
man's gown, and carried by his companions to a grave, previ
OLE
683
OLE
of the Macgregors, John, the brother of Alex-
, and another person alone, were killed, though
of the party were wounded. The laird of Luss
his friends sent t arly notice of their disaster to
he King, and they succeeded so effectually by mis-
nting the whole affair to him, and exhibiting
majesty eleven score bloody shirts belonging
e of their party who were slain, that the King
exceedingly incensed at the Clan-Gregor — who
o person about the court to plead their cause —
aimed them rebels, and interdicted all the lieges
roin harbouring or having any communication with
hem. The Earl of Argyle with the Campbells were
..tu-r wards sent against the proscribed clan, who
muted them through the country. About 60 of the
•Ian made a brave stand at Bentoik against a party of
!<)() chosen men belonging to the Clan-Cameron,
-Xab, and Clan-Ronald, under the command of
rt Campbell, son of the laird of Glenorchy,
Duncan Aberigh, one of the chieftains of the
Gregor, and his son Duncan, and seven gentle-
of Campbell's party were killed. But although
made a brave resistance, and killed many of
pursuers, the Macgregors, after many skirmishes
reat losses, were at last overcome. Commis-
were thereafter sent through the kingdom, for
those who had harboured any of the clan,
r punishing all persons who had kept up any
unication with them, and the fines so levied
given by the King to the Earl of Argyle, who
rted the same to his own use as a recompense
is services against the unfortunate Macgregors.
r ENFYNE, a valley in Argyleshire, at the head
-Fyne.
ENGABER. See MEGGET.
ENGAIRN, or GLENGAIRDEN, an ancient par-
the district of Kincardine O'Neil, and shire of
now united to the parish of Glenmuick.
church, which is situated at the confluence of
,ter of Gairden with the Dee, is about 2 miles
from the church of Glenmuick, and appears to
been dedicated to St. Mungo, from an annual
ing of the parishioners on the 13th of January.
16 miles west of Kincardine O'Neil. The
part of this district lies upon both banks of
airden, extending 6 miles north-west from the
where the upper parts of Tulloch begin, and
,te it from the parish of Crathie. A small part
lying on the south of the Dee is called Strath-
Near the Pass of Ballatar is an ancient
which formerly belonged to the family of
See GLENMUICK.
LENGARREL, a vale in Dumfries-shire, in the
parish of Kirkmichael.
GLENGARRY, a district of Inverness-shire, oc-
cupying the central part of the great valley which
extends from Inverness on the east coast to Fort-
William on the west. Glengarry was, till very re-
cently, the property of the chief of the clan of Mac-
donald, who here possessed an elegant seat in Inver-
garry castle on the north-west bank of Loch-Oich.
In 1"87, the estate of Glengarry produced only £800
a-year ; its present rental is upwards of £7,000. It
was purchased by the Marquess of Huntly from Glen-
garry, and was sold in 1840 to Lord Ward for
£91,000.* It abounds in game of various descrip-
ously opened. The whole school, bearing wooden guns re-
versed, performed the ceremony of interment, and recited
Gaelic odes over the dead allusive to the horrible massacre.
They then returned, singing son:v< of lamentation in the same
language.
* I he present chief of the ancient -ept or clan Macdonald,
namely, Macd»mild of Glengarry, is now in Australia, with his
family and dependents. Mr. Macdonald was compelled to dis-
pose of most of the family property, which was heavily mort-
guxed and encumbered by his father, the late we II. known Glen-
garry, whose character in its more favourable light was drawn
tions, but, like most estates of a similar situation, it
has also been subject to the ravages of vermin. From
the lordly eagle down to the stot and weasel, those
destructive denizens of the wood and wild find ample
room for exertion amidst the vast arid unploughed
recesses of the Highland glens and forests. An Eng-
lish gentleman was lessee of the Glengarry shootings
previous to the purchase of the property by Lord
Ward ; and, annoyed by the loss of game, this gentle-
man set about a vigorous system of war and exter-
mination against all his vermin intruders. He en-
gaged numerous gamekeepers, paying them liberally,
and awarding prizes to those who should prove the
most successful. These rewards varied from £3 to
£5 each ; and the keepers and watchers pursued the
slaughter with undeviating rigour and attention.
The result has been the destruction, within the last
three years, of above 4,000 head of vermin, and a
proportional increase in the stock of game, f
GLENGONAR, a vale in the moorland parish of
Crawford, at the southern extremity of Lanarkshire,
watered by the Gonar or Glengonar, a streamlet tri-
butary to the Clyde. The village of Leadhills is
situated near the source of this ' ore-stain 'd stream.'
The vale abounds in mineral wealth, principally lead ;
and, in a former age, very elevated and even romantic
notions were formed of its vast resources from small
particles of gold having been found in the sands of
the stream, and elsewhere in the vale. During the
minority of James VI. a German mineralogist was
commissioned by Queen Elizabeth to search the hills
and valleys here for precious ores, and the place
where he washed the dust, is still called Gold-scour.
It was found, however, that the cost of working
was more expensive than could be defrayed by the
precious metal which was recovered, and the gold-
search was therefore abandoned. At a more recent
period, the Earl of Hopetoun, who is the principal
proprietor, resumed the search, though it was aban-
doned from the same cause, but not until a sufficient
quantity of the metal had been procured to form a
by Sir Walter Scott, in his hero, Fergus M'lvor. " We cannot
regard tnis expatriation of the head of an old Highland family,
with its clan-associations, its pipe-music, and its feudal recol-
lections, from the battle of Inverlochy downwards, without
some regret and emotion. The.se Celtic strains and legends
will sound strange in tlie new world of the wanderers, so far
removed from their native Loch-Oich, the Rock of the Haven,
and the other magnificent scenery of the Glengarry mouu.
tains."— Inverness Courier.
f " We were anxious," says the editor of the * Inverness
Courier,' " to learn the extent and nature of the vermin de-
stroyed, and have been furnished with a complete list by Mr.
D. Scott, the intelligent manager of the Glengarry estates.
To such of our reader* as are fond of Natural history, the list
— which we suhjoin — will prove interesting ; and it al.-o shows
how much may be done, by steady and combined efforts, for
the protection of game. The value of our Northern shootings
would be immensely enhanced, if similar exertions were gen.
erally made, and proper care taken that the heather be burned
only in rotation. The latter system will be found equally ad.
vantageous to the sheep-farmer ; and if the sportsman does not
get a fair chance, the grouse will, in many an extensive range
of moor, entirely disappear. The following is the list of ver-
min destroyed at Glengarry, from Whitsunday, 1837, to Whit-
sunday, 1840:—
11 Foxes.
198 Wild cats.
*»<! Martin cats.
106 Polecats.
301 Slots and Weasels.
67 Badgers.
48 Otters.
78 House cats, going wild.
'27 White tailed Sea-eagles.
15 Golden eagles.
18 Osprey, or Fishing-eagles.
98 Blue hawks, or Peregrine
talfon.s.
7 Orange-legged falcons.
II Hobby hawks.
275 Kites, commonly called
Salmon-tailed Gledex.
5 Marbli-han ieis,or Yellow
legged hawks.
63 Gos.hawks.
285 Common buzzards.
371 Rough-legged buzzards.
3 Honey.bu//anl>.
•I'..' Kestrils, or Ued-hawks.
78 Merlin hawks.
83 Hen-harriers, or Ring.
tailed-hawks.
6 Jer.Falcon toe-leatheied
hawks.
0 Ahh-coloured hawks, nr
Long bine-tailed hawks.
1,431 Hooded or Carrion cnm s.
475 Ravens.
:ft Horned owls.
71 Common Fern-owls.
3 Golden-owls.
8 Magpies."
OLE
684
GLE
small piece of plate of native Scottish gold. It is
still found in small particles, enough certainly to
indicate the presence of the metal, but much too
scanty to give any reasonable encouragement for
working it.
GLENHOLM, a section of the modern united
parish of BROUGHTON, GLENHOLM, and KILBUCHO,
[which see,] in Peebles-shire. It consists of a vale
2 miles broad, and nearly 7 miles long, drained by
Holms water. Along one- half of its eastern boun-
dary, it is touched and traced and enlivened by the
brilliant Tweed ; and, along its northern boundary,
it is separated from the parish of Stobo by Biggar
water. Nowhere does it touch Broughton — the
lordly usurper to which it seems to have become re-
luctantly united, or rather to have yielded its par-
ochial honours and prerogatives — except at its north-
west angle. But, over two-thirds of its length, it
marches with its conjoint slave Kilbucho ; and, as it
figures in the map, seems combinedly with the latter,
to oppose vastness of bulk and great superiority of
physical power to the enthraldom imposed upon it
by the privileged but comparatively small territory
of Broughton. The district is beautiful and lovely
in its features. Nearly all of it is a delightful pastoral
vale, cut lengthways into two nearly equal parts by
Holms water, which flows so gently, and lingers with
such fondness amongst the charms of the overseeing
landscape, that the northerly or the southerly direc-
tion of its motion is doubted by the tourist till he
comes close upon its banks. Yet the stream, though
placid, is not sluggish ; and the valley, though sott
and mild, is exultant in the gorgeous framework of
one of the richest districts of the southern highlands.
Collateral vales or glens, too, come down upon the
main valley, and seem like joyous and beautiful chil-
dren pressing upon the sides of a happy and rejoicing
mother. Glenhigton, Glencotho, Glenkirk, and
Glenludo, all partake the beauteousness of the parent
valley of Glenholm, and bring down upon its smiling
stream their tributary rills. Glenholm was anciently
a rectory in the deanery of Peebles. In the upper
part of it, at a place called Chapelgill, there was for-
merly a chapel. The parish-church, though now
abandoned for that of the united parish situated in
Kilbucho, was rebuilt so late as 1775.
GLENISLA, a parish of a narrow oblong form,
but with an angular termination on the south,
stretching northward and southward, and consti-
tuting the most westerly portion of the Grampian
district of Forfarshire. It is bounded on the north
by Aberdeenshire ; on the east by Clova, Kirrie-
muir, and Lintrathen ; on the south-west by the
Forfarshire section of Alyth ; and on the west by
Perthshire. From Tambowie on the north to the
confluence of the Isla with a brook flowing in upon
it from the west near Folds on the south, it mea-
sures, in extreme length, 15| miles ; and from Long
Craig on the east to Cairnedy on the west, or from
the boundary near Glenmark on the east to that near
Balloch on the west, it measures, in extreme breadth,
5| miles ; and, in average breadth, over four-fifths
pt its length, from its northern boundary southward,
it is not less than about 4£ or 44 miles. Over its
whole length — except about a geographical furlong at
the highest summit-range of the Grampians, forming
the water-line and boundary with Aberdeenshire — it
is traversed by the ISLA : which see. This stream
rises in Cean-Lochan, formerly a deer-forest of the
family of Airly, and runs sinuously southward, cut-
ting the parish into two nearly equal parts; linger-
ing, in spite of the mountain impetuosity of its mo-
tion, to enliven, by its foldings and windings, the
stern yet attractive Highland scenery through which
it flows ; forming, for 2£ miles toward the southern
extremity, the J'oundary-line with Lintrathen; a >|
achieving an entire course, from its origin to the poi :
where it leaves the parish, of 25 miles and one fi
long. At brief intervals during its whole progre; :
it receives on both banks tributaries which vie wi
itself in importance, — which plough down the Grai
pians and form huge furrows or cleughs or glens I
tween parallel lines of the mountain-heights, — a.
two of which, though they become confluent a lit!
before uniting with the Isla, flow at a proper distan
nearly alongside of it over a distance respectively
about 6 and 7^ miles. Below the mill of Craig, t
Isla makes a "magnificent leap over a breast of ro<
70 or 80 feet perpendicular, and there forms a cs
cade, called Reeky linn, which seems ashamed
modest of its own brilliant attractions, and sen
floatingly over them a misty but sparkling veil
spray. The whole parish being squeezed up lengt
ways against the highest range of the tier-like d
scending Grampians, is mountainous and strict
Highland in its scenery, and adapted principally f.
pasturage: yet the lower parts are carpeted wi
good strong loam, and produce excellent crops
corn and grass. In the upland districts limestoi
abounds, and, in various localities, is freely worke
The air is very pure, and not a little salubriou
During the summer months the climate is general
very sultry ; and, during the winter months, it
generally very cold and frosty. The entire pari:
anciently belonged to the Highland clan of the Ogi
vies ; and it still contains the ruins of two of the
strongholds, — the castles of Forter and Newtovv
The northern division of the parish is wholly unpr
vided with roads ; and even the southern division
almost more tantalized than accommodated by tl
roads which stretch away from it to the champaij
country below, and remind it of the luxuries
champaign cultivation. The kirk-town of Glenisl
a mere hamlet, stands on the left bank of the Isl
about 4 or 4.|- miles from the southern extremity
the parish. Population of Glenisla, in 1801, 99<
in 1831, 1,129. Houses 234. Assessed propert
in 1815, £1,606.— The parish is in the presbyte:
of Meigle, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patro
the Crown. Stipend £159 12s. 3d. ; glebe £1
Unappropriated teinds £116 7s. 3d. Schooimastei
salary £29 18s. 10d., with £5 fees. A non-parochi
school, held during winter, is usually attended 1
about 50 scholars.
GLENKENS, the northern district of Kirkcu<
brightshire, comprehending — with the exception
part of the parish of Parton at the southern extren
ity all the territory drained by the river Ke
whence the district has its name, and the Ken
tributaries. On the north it is bounded by the sun
mit-range or water-line between Galloway and Ay
shire ; on the east, for two-thirds of the way, by
chief-summit range which forms the water-line b
tween it and Dumfries-shire, and, for the remainii
third, by the Cairn, a tributary of the Cairn, Loc,
Urr, and the water of Urr, which divide it part
from Dumfries- shire, and partly from the parish
Kirkpatrick-Durham ; on the south-east by the paris
of Parton ; on the south-west by the river De
which divides it from Balmaghie, Girthon, and Mi)
nigaff; and on the west by Gala Lane and Loci
Doon, which difide it from Ayrshire. The distri'
comprises the four parishes of Carsphairn, Dalr
Balmaclellan, and Kells ; and is celebrated, as to
large part of its extent, both for its breeds of she(
and black cattle, and for the attractions of its moui
tain landscape. " Thousands, we believe," sa;
M'Diarmid, in one of his editorial contributions to h
Scrap Book, [Edin. 1825. Vol. iii. p. 3->4,] " ha\
visited the Glenkens, a district which has beer d,
GLE
GLE
as the Grampians of Galloway, and which is
celebrated for the wild grandeur of its scenery,
ic feudal power and exploits of the noble house
nmuir. In summer and autumn this interest-
rict presents a most inviting prospect, whether
sportsman or more contemplative visiter, with
amphitheatre of hills, amidst which the Scot-
jle still fixes his eyrie ; and boundless slopes
loveliest heather, where even the patient sheep
out a scanty meal, and of which the blackcock
loorfowl, the plover and curlew, appear to be
)le occupants. In the foreground the spectator
broad and beautiful expanse of the Ken, here
ing along with the rapidity of a mountain-stream,
jre settling into the quiet tranquillity of an
sive lake ; at one place washing the granite
of Laurin, and at another nourishing the lux-
reeds near Kenmuir castle, where the teal and
rild duck, the coot and the heron, enjoy a little
of their own, and hardly seem to look upon
as an enemy. The time-worn towers of the
too, peering from an avenue of limes, or more
clump of oaks, every one of which might
f r a patriarch among trees, immediately carry
lind back to those unsettled yet romantic times
a mother frequently presented her son with his
to remind him that her larder was empty ; and
the fosse, and the donjon-keep, the draw-
and the warder, supplied all the purposes of
lern police. Nor is it only in summer or autumn
ic Glenkens afford a rich treat to the admirers
untain scenery. In winter, too, when the new-
i snow levels all the features of an ordinary land-
it is delightful to see the farmers and shep-
hurrying with their curling stones to the
ibouring loch or river, and forgetting all the evils
' jh rents and falling markets in an anxiety to
lish themselves in this manly sport. And on
ys, it is still more interesting to see the same
riduals gathering round the porch of the parish-
i, and kicking as they enter the frozen snow-
from their ponderous shoes ; while the far-off
1, whose compass is the warning bell, is seen
illy climbing the trackless hill, and pausing at
to catch another sound of that tuneless in-
it which might now plead the never-failing
of better musicians, and appeal to the hooded
as a sufficient excuse for its increased hoarse-
jENKILN, a narrow vale stretching north and
along nearly the whole length of the parish of
lichael, in the district of Annandale, Dumfries-
arid giving name to a tributary of the Ae, by
it is traversed, and to a range of high hills by
it is overlooked. Glenkiln burn rises be-
Holehouse-hill and Deer-edge, near the north-
ttrernity of the parish, and after a course of 5£
due south, it passes the manse and church o"f
irish, and, 3 furlongs farther down, falls into
Ae. The Glenkiln hills are a range, coming
from the central mountain-barrier of the Low-
confronting a parallel range between the Ae
the Glenkiln, and sending up Glenkiln-craig,
'-hill, Kirkmichael-fell, and other summits from
to 1,400 feet above the level of the sea. See
: MICHAEL, Dumfries-shire.
GLENKINLASS, a vale in Argyleshire, extend-
ig from the shores of Loch-Fyne to the head of
lencroe. See PLENCROE.
GLENLEDNOCK, a narrow vale forming, with
ie hills along its sides, the north-eastern part of the
irish of Comrie, Perthshire. It stretches south-
istward over a distance of about 7 miles, is watered
iroughout by the Lednock, lies from 200 to 300 feet
above the level of the sea, and makes a convergence
with two other vales at the village of Comrie.
GLENLICHD, a valley in the parish of Glenshiel,
in Ross-shire, running along the eastern base of Ben-
more, and opening at the lower end into Strathcroe.
See GLENSHIEL.
GLENLIVET, a vale or district in Banffshire, to
the south-west of Glentiddich, and watered by the
Livet. It is a barony, giving the second title to the
family of Aboyne. Glenlivet has been celebrated for
a particularly tine-flavoured Highland whisky, which
is made here, and goes by the name of the district.
Attention has recently been directed to the existence
of iron and lead ore on the Duke of Richmond's
estates in Strathdown and Glenlivet. It appears that
Mr. Burgess, schoolmaster of Dipple, in the course
of some geological researches among the mountains,
having discovered veins of these metals, Mr. Smith,
the mining-engineer at Dudley, was employed to sur-
vey the spot, and this gentleman has pronounced his
opinion that 80 per cent, of iron is in the ore, and
that the supply appears to be inexhaustible. The
veins are found within a few miles of the village of
Tomantoul, and lie completely exposed. The lead
ore exists in large quantities on the farm of Tom-
voulin in Glenlivet. The smelting of iron was for-
merly carried on in the same district by an English
company, a branch of the York building company.
This company brought iron-ore from the hills of
Lecht, at the source of the burn of Conglass, near
Tomantoul, and smelted it at their works at ABER-
NETHY : see that article. Very few traces of the
works remain, but the floods of 1829 excavated
part of the machinery. The river Nethy cut a new
channel for its waters right through an arable field,
and disclosed part of the Yorkshire con.pany'ssmelt-
ing-works, which must have been near the bed of
the stream. See INVERAVEN.
The battle of Glenlivet was stricken on Thursday,
the 3d day of October, 1594. Argyle, a youth of
19 years of age, having collected a force of about
12,000 men, entered Badenoch, and laid siege to the
castle of Ruthven, on the 27th day of Septem-
ber. He was accompanied in this expedition by the
Earl of Athol, Sir Lauchlan Maclean with some of
his islanders, the chief of the Mackintoshes, the laird
of Grant, the Clan-Gregor, Macneil of Barra with
all their friends and dependents, together with the
whole of the Campbells, and a variety of others
whom a thirst for plunder or malice towards the
Gordons had induced to join the Earl of Argyle 'a
standard. The castle of Ruthven was so well de-
fended by the Clan-Pherson, who were the Earl of
Huntly's vassals, that Argyle was obliged to give up
the siege. He then marched through Strathspey,
and encamped at Drummin, upon the river Avon, on
the second day of October, from whence he issued
orders to Lord Forbes, the Erasers, the Dunbars,
the Clan-Kenzie, the Irvings, the Ogilvies, the Les-
lies, and other tribes and clans in the north, to join
his standard with all convenient speed. The Earls,
against whom this expedition was directed, were by
no means dismayed. They knew that although the
King was constrained by popular clamour to levy war
upon them, he was in secret friendly to them ; ;md
they were, moreover, aware that the army of Argyle,
who was a youth of no military experience, was a
raw and undisciplined militia, and composed, in a
great measure, of Catholics, who could not be ex-
pected to feel very warmly for the Protestant in-
terest, to support which the expedition was profes-
sedly undertaken. The seeds of disaffection, besides,
I had been already sown in Argyle's camp by the cor-
ruption of the Grants and Campbell of Lochnell. On
686
GLENLIVET.
hearing of Argyle's approach, the Earl of Errol im
mediately collected a select body of about 100 horse
men, being gentlemen on whose courage and fidelity
he could rely, and with these he joined the Earl o:
Huntly at Strathbogie. The forces of Huntly, aftei
this junction, amounted, it is said, to nearly 1,500
men, almost altogether horsemen, and with this bod)
he advanced to Carnborrow, where the two Earls
and their chief followers made a solemn vow to con-
quer, or to die. Marching from thence, Huntly 's
army arrived at Auchindun the same day that Ar-
gyle's army reached Drummin. At Auchindun,
Huntly received intelligence that Argyle was on the
eve of descending from the mountains to the low-
lands, which induced him, on the following day, to
send captain Thomas Carr and a party of horsemen
to reconnoitre the enemy, while he himself advanced
with his main army. The reconnoitring party soon
fell in, accidentally, with Argyle's scouts, whom they
chased, and some of whom they killed. This occur-
rence, which was looked upon as a prognostic of
victory, so encouraged Huntly and his men, that he
resolved to attack the army of Argyle before he
should be joined by Lord Forbes, and the forces
which were waiting for his appearance in the low-
lands. Argyle had now passed Glenlivet, and had
reached the banks of a small brook named Alt-
chonlachan. On the other hand, the Earl of Argyle
had no idea that the Earls of Huntly and Errol
would attack him with such an inferior force ; and
he was, therefore, astonished at seeing them ap-
proach so near him as they did. Apprehensive that
his numerical superiority in foot would be counter-
balanced by Huntly 's cavalry, he held a council of
war to deliberate whether he should at once en-
gage the enemy, or retreat to the mountains, which
were inaccessible to Huntly 's horsemen, till his low-
land forces, which were chiefly cavalry, should come
up. The council advised Argyle to wait till the
King, who had promised to appear with a force,
should arrive, or, at all events, till he should be
joined by the Erasers and Mackenzies from the north,
and the Irvings, Forbesses, and Leslies from the
lowlands with their horse. This opinion — which
was considered judicious by the most experienced
of Argyle's army — was however disregarded by him;
he determined to wait the attack of the enemy;
and to encourage his men he pointed out to them
the small number of those they had to combat with,
and the spoils they might expect after victory.
He disposed his army on the declivity of a hill,
betwixt Glenlivet and Glenrinnes in two parallel
divisions. The right wing, consisting of the Mac-
cleans and Mackintoshes, was commanded by Sir
Lauchlan Maclean and Mackintosh — the left, com-
posed of the Grants, Macneills, and Macgregors, by
Grant of Gartinbeg — and the centre, consisting of
the Campbells, &c., was commanded by Campbell
of Auchinbreck. This vanguard consisted of 4,000
men, one-half of whom carried muskets. The rear
of the army, consisting of about 6,000 men, was
commanded by Argyle himself. The Earl of Huntly's
vanguard was composed of 300 gentlemen, led by the
Earl of Errol, Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindun,
the laird of Gight, the laird of Bonnitoun, and
Captain, afterwards Sir Thomas Carr. The Earl
himself followed with the remainder of his forces,
having the laird of Cluny upon his right hand and
the laird of Abergeldy upon his left. Three pieces
of field-ordnance under the direction of Captain
Andrew Gray, afterwards colonel of the English
and Scots who served in Bohemia, were placed in
front of the vanguard. Before advancing, the Earl
of Huntly harangued his little army to encourage
them to light manfully ; he told them that they had
no alternative before them but victory or death-
that they were now to combat, not for their ow
lives only, but also for the very existence of thei
families, which would be utterly extinguished if the
fell a prey to their enemies.
The position which Argyle occupied on the de
clivity of the hill gave him a decided advantage ove
his assailants, who, from the nature of their force
were greatly hampered by the mossiness of the groun
at the foot of the hill, which was interspersed by pit
from which turf had been dug. But, notwithstand
ing these obstacles, Huntly advanced up the hill wit
a slow and steady pace. It had been arranged be
tween him and Campbell of Lochnell, who had pre
mised to go over to Huntly as soon as the battle ha
commenced, that, before charging Argyle with h
cavalry, Huntly should fire his artillery at the ye
low standard. Campbell bore a mortal enmity i
Argyle, as he had murdered his brother, Campbe
of Calder, in the year 1592 ; and as he was Argyle
nearest heir, he probably had directed the firing j
the yellow standard in the hope of cutting off tl
Earl. Unfortunately for himself, however, Cam]
bell was shot dead at the first fire of the cannoi
and upon his fall all his men fled from the fiel<
Macneill of Barra was also slain at the same tim<
The Highlanders, who had never before seen fie]
pieces, were thrown into disorder by the cannonade
which being perceived by Huntly he charged th
enemy, and rushing in among them with his horse
men increased the confusion. The Earl of Errol wa
directed to attack the right wing of Argyle's arm
commanded by Maclean, but as it occupied a ver
steep part of the hill, and as Errol was greatly an
noyed by thick vollies of shot from above, he wa
compelled to make a detour, leaving the enemy o
his left. Gordon of Auchindun disdaining such a pru
dent course, galloped up the hill with a small part
of his own followers, and charged Maclean wit'
*reat impetuosity; but Auchindun's rashness cos
him his life. The fall of Auchindun so exasperate
tiis followers that they set no bounds to their fury
but Maclean received their repeated assaults wit
irrrmess, and manoeuvred his troops so well as t
succeed in cutting off the Earl of Errol and placin
lim between his own body and that of Argyle, b
whose joint forces he was completely surrounded
At this important crisis, when no hopes of retrea
remained, and when Errol and his men were in dan
ger of being cut to pieces, the Earl of Huntly, ver
brtunately, came up to his assistance and relieved hir
Tom his embarrassment. The battle was now re
newed and continued for two hours, during whic
)oth parties fought with great bravery, the one, say
Sir Robert Gordon, "forglorie, the other for neces
itie." In the heat of the action the Earl of Hunt!
lad a horse shot under him, and was in immmen
danger of his life ; but another horse was mime
diately procured for him. After a hard contest th
nain body of Argyle's army began to give way, an
•etreated towards the rivulet of Altchonlachan ; bu
Vlaclean still kept the field and continued to suppor
;he falling fortune of the day. At length, findin
;he contest hopeless, and after losing many of hi
nen, he retired in good order with the small com
)any that still remained about him. Huntly pui
ued the retiring foe beyond the water of Altchon
achan, when he was prevented from following thei
"arther by the steepness of the hills, so unfavourabl
o the operations of cavalry. The success of Huntl
was mainly owing to the treachery of Lochnell an
)f John Grant of Gartinbeg, one of Huntly's vas
als, who, in terms of a concerted plan, retreate
,vith his men as soon as the action began, by whic
ct the centre and the left wing of Argyle's arm
GLE
687
GLE
completely broken. On the side of Argyle
men were killed besides Macneill of Barra,
and Lochnell, and Auchinbreck, the two cousins
of Aixyle. The Earl of Huntly's loss was com-
paratively trifling. About fourteen gentlemen were
slain, including Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindun
and the Laird of Gight; and the Earl of Errol
and a considerable number of persons were wounded.
At the conclusion of the battle the conquerors re-
turned thanks to God on the field for the victory
they had achieved. This battle is called by some
writers the battle of Glenlivet, and by others the
battle of Altchonlachan. Among the trophies found
on the field was the ensign belonging to the Earl
_ vie, which was carried with other spoils to
M rath bogie, and placed upon the top of the great
tower.
GLENLOCHY, a narrow vale along the course of
the Lochy, in the district of Breadalbane, Perth-
shire. It extends in length about 12 miles ; has the
form of the arc of a circle, stretching from west to
•ast, with its concave side to the north ; and is dis-
tributed into detached portions of the parishes of
Kenmore, Weem, and Killin. It is separated by a
ridge of mountains from Glendochart and Strathrillan.
GLENLUCE, a valley in Wigtonshire, stretching
Tom the head of Luce bay northward to the extre-
mity of the shire. Most of it is comprised in the
nodern parishes of Old Luce and New Luce. The
valley had its name from being traversed over its
rtrhole length by the river LUCE : which see. In
'orne ancient Latin documents, it is called Vallis
Lucis, ' the valley of light ;' a name which may have
>een derived, either from the valley being deep and
>road, and laying its bosom fully open to the play of
lie d;iy-beams, or more probably from its being the
*ite of an ancient abbey whence, in the estimation
loubtless of the anti-reformation inhabitants, ema-
mted all the moral light enjoyed by the circumjacent
li -tnct. But the really original name was Glenlus,
rom the Scoto-Irish g len, ' a valley;' and Ins, ' anhero ;'
uid seems to have been descriptive of the fertility
>r horticultural capabilities of its soil. The appella-
ion (Jleiiluce — though, as applied to the valley, sel-
loin used — is yet fully identified with its village and
vith the ruins and history of its abbey.
The village of GLENLUCE is situated near the
cntre of the parish of Old Luce, on the slope of a
rlfn or little valley, traversed by a small tributary
if the river Luce, half-a-mile east of the confluence
if the streams, and about 1£ mile from the most in-
nid point of Luce bay. The beautiful seat of Bal-
•ail, { of a mile to the south-east, and the extension
•n all sides of its fine wooded policies, give the village
n aspect of opulence and comfort. Glenluce, though
. place of no trade, and deriving nearly all its im-
'ortance from its relation to the circumjacent agri-
ultural district, has risen from a population of be- j
ween 200 and 300, in 1817, to a present population I
t a I tout 850. It stands on the great Galloway post-
oad leading to Dumfries and Carlisle; is enlivened
y tin- transit of the Dumfries and Portpatrickmail;
nd has an annual hiring-fairin the month of May, and
cattle-market on the first Friday of every month
""in April to December. In the village is a small
oeeting-house of the United Secession; stipend,
-<s<>: and a little out of it, on the north-west side,
tands the parish-church of Old Luce, built in 1814.
;ittings, about 800.
The ruins of the abbey of Glenluce stand U mile
lorth-vvest of the village, on the left bank of the
iver Luce. They cover an entire acre of surface,
ml present distinct indications of ancient vastness
nd magnificence. The chapter-house still stands
ntiie, and continues to bear its appropriate name.
It is a small apartment, on the east side of the
square of ruin, sending up at its centre from floor to
roof a strong pillar about 14 feet in height, from whose
top 8 divergent arches span the intervening space to
the surrounding walls. The arches are of white free-
stone, and are curiously sculptured at their highest
elevation into various ornamental figures. So late
as 1646, nearly a century after most other monasteries
in Scotland had been destroyed, the abbey of Glen-
luce had sustained little injury. In 1684, Symson
says, in his Account of Galloway, that the steeple
and a part of the walls of the church, together with
the chapter-house, the walls of the cloisters, the
gatehouse, and the walls of the large precincts, were,
for the most part, then standing. A field adjacent
to it was anciently a cemetery, and is still the bury-
ing-place of the Hays of Park. A garden and orchard,
12 Scots acres in extent, formerly belonged to the
convent, and now forms the glebe of the minister of
Old Luce — The abbey was founded in 1190, by
Roland, Lord of Galloway, and constable of Scotland;
and was set apart for monks of the Cistertian order,
brought from Melrose. In 1214, William was abbot ;
a man none otherwise known than as the author of an
extant letter to the Prior of Melrose, giving an ac-
count of a remarkable phenomenon in the heavens,
observed by two of his monks. In 1235, the monas-
tery was plundered, during the judicial inroad upon
the rebel Gallowegians, by the lawless soldiery of
Alexander II. In the reign of James IV., Walter
was abbot, — having been sent to Glenluce by John,
Duke of Albany. In 1507, when James IV., with
his Queen, Margaret, was on his pilgrimage to Whit-
horn, he called at Glenluce, and gave the gardener a
present of four shillings. In 1514, died the abbot,
Cuthbert Baillie, who, for the two preceding years,
was lord-treasurer of Scotland, and who, previous
to his obtaining the abbacy, was first a canon in the
chapter of Glasgow, and next rector of Cumnock.
In 1560, a papal bull arrived from Rome, confirming
the King's appointment of Thomas Hay, of the house
of Park, to be commendator of the abbey; and is
still preserved among the archives of his lineal de-
scendant, Sir James D. Hay, Bart., the principal
resident heritor of Old Luce. In 1587, the whole
property of the monastery was, by the general an-
nexation act, vested in the King. In 1602, James
VI. erected it into a temporal barony in favour of its
commendator, Lawrence Gordon, second son of Alex-
ander, bishop of Galloway, and titular archbishop of
Athens. In 1610, at the death of Lawrence, his
brother John Gordon, dean of Salisbury — a person of
high literary reputation as an author — received it
by royal charter ; and he immediately transferred it,
as the dowry of his daughter Louisa, to his son-in-
law, Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonston. In 1613,
it was purchased from the latter possessor by the
King, and annexed to the bishopric of Galloway.
In 1641, on the temporary abrogation of Episcopacy,
it was transferred to the university of Glasgow ; in
1681, it was restored to the re-erected see of Gal-
loway ; and after the final overthrow of Episcopacy
in 1689, it was once more made a temporal barony,
and bestowed on the family of Dalrymple, afterw.mls
Earls of Stair.
GLENLYON, a long narrow vale in the district
of Breadalbane, and parish of Fortingal, Perthshire.
It extends from Loch Lyon on the west, away ea-t-
ward, near the southern verge of Fortingal, a dis-
tance of about 28 miles, and is traversed throughout
by the river Lyon, from which it receives its name.
Its breadth is very inconsiderable, — seldom, in the
level part, exceeding a furlong, — and in some places
so squeezed in by the hills, as to contain a space of
only 8 or 10 yards for the transit of the river. It*
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flanking eminences, on both sides, but especially on
the northern, come down upon it with such speedy
declivity as to ward off from it the sun-beams, and
render it a valley of shadows, during the entire day of
the winter months, and during a large portion of every
other day of the year. But the sides of the glen, up to
the very summits of the hills, are, in general, green
with verdure, and dotted over with sheep, lying like
pearls on plates of emerald ; and streaked at intervals,
with the foaming waters of brawling brooks, career-
ing over impediments, and forming cataracts and cas-
cades on their impetuous way to the river, or cloven
down with fairy dells which bring down their quiet
and smiling rills from a distance of 3 or 4 miles in-
land, they present many a picture of mingled beauty
and romantic grandeur. Nor are the general effects
of the landscape less heightened, by the singular ca-
reerings and natural beauties of the river: See The
LYON. " We drove 7 miles," says Miss Sinclair in
her ' Northern Circuit,' " through the narrow moun-
tainous vale of Glenlyon, an exquisite specimen of
Highland beauty, being enlivened by the sparkling
river, and hemmed in by hills glowing with heather.
It might have made a schoolboy tremble to see how
the birches were waving over our heads ; and here
the mountains are so lofty, that villages lying at
their base are three or four months every year with-
out seeing the sun. The river Lyon, which now
looked like a flood of light, once ran red with the
blood of the slaughtered Macgregors [M'lvers], when,
after a fierce conflict, the conquerors washed their
swords in the stream. Not a feature in this land-
scape could be altered without injury, and a painter
might advantageously spend his whole life in taking
views, every one of which would appear completely
different. In some places you seem to have dis-
covered an unknown world, never trod by human
footstep, then comes an old ruin, hiding its decay in
wreaths of ivy and roses, next appears a smiling vil-
lage, afterwards a long colonnade of superb plane or
ash trees, then a thriving farm, here and there a church ;
and the old burying-ground at Fortingal is particularly
interesting." Much of the glen, especially toward its
upper end, is distributed into very large sheep-farms,
and, in consequence, has few human inhabitants. A
battle is traditionally reported to have been fought
in Glenlyon, between the M'lvers, who claimed it
as their territory, and Stewart of Garth, commonly
called " the fierce wolf," and it is said to have termi-
nated in the utter defeat of the M'lvers, and their
expulsion from the district. Several of the localities
appear to have acquired their names from the event
or the circumstances of the battle. — Excepting a
small part at its lower end, the whole of Glenlyon,
with some parts of its flanking uplands, was erected
into a quoad sacra parish in 1833. The parish mea-
sures 26 miles in extreme length, from 6 to 8 miles
in breadth, and about 156 miles in superficial area,
and was detached in a small degree from Weem, but
chiefly from Fortingal. The population, according
to the minister's census in 1836, consisted of 571
churchmen, 15 dissenters, and 3 persons not of any
known religious connexion, — in all 588; the whole
of whom, with the exception of two or three, were of
the working classes. The church was built in 1828,
by the heritors of the new parish, at the cost of £673.
Sittings between 500 and 600. Stipend £120, deriv-
ed wholly from government. The minister has a
manse and a glebe, the latter worth from £2 to £3.
The parish has a small religious library, which was
aided in its formation by the late Rev. S. Gilfillan,
United Secession minister at Comrie. A small
Baptist congregation at Milton of Eonan in the
parish, was established about the year 1805, meets
generally in a private dwelling-house, and produces
an average attendance of 6 in winter, and 20 in
summer.
GLENMORE, a narrow vale chiefly in the parish
of Fortingal, and partly in that of Dull, Perthshire.
It lies immediately south of the remarkable mountain
SCHICHALLION, [which see,] first stretching 2| miles
along the mountain's southern base, and next running
3i miles south-eastward and southward to a conver-
gence with the vale of Fortingal. Over its whole
length, it is traversed by Glenmore water, a tributa-
ry of the river Lyon, rising a little westward of the
head of the glen, and forming, for 2 miles above its em-
bouchure, the boundary between Fortingal and Dull.
In ancient times the glen was covered with the extind
forest of Schichallion. During a long period the roots
of fir-trees and the trunks of oaks furnished a profitable
produce to the natives. The fir roots were not only
excellent fuel, but, when in a state of combustion, emit
ted a light surpassing the brilliance of gas. The oak
trunks, dug up from beneath the soil, were of ablackish
colour, and, though somewhat soft, became very hare
on exposure to the air ; and they were split up anc
manufactured into sharpening tools for scythes, anc
found in the neighbouring places of traffic a read)
market. Though the inhumed relics of the foresl
continue still to be employed as before, they have
been greatly thinned in number, and are hastening tc
extinction.
GLENMORE, a vale or district, partly in Moray,
shire, and partly in Inverness-shire, abounding witl
fir- wood of excellent quality, on the property of Si;
J. Grant and the Duke of Richmond, late the Duk<
of Gordon. It is almost all floated down the Spey t<
GARMOUTH: which see. This wood is consideret
the oldest and best in Scotland. It is situated ii
a glen, and surrounds Loch-Morlich, the source o
the Abernethy or Druie. It is upwards of 4 mile
in length, and nearly 3 in breadth. In 1786, th
late Duke of Gordon sold his fir- woods in this dis
trict to Mr. Osbourne, a wood-merchant in Hull
for £10,000 sterling. " The progress of the rail
roads in England and Scotland," says the edito
of the Inverness Courier, " has lately caused ;
great demand for fir- wood in this part of the coun
try. The sound of the axe and the saw-mill ar
heard in the loneliest and most remote parts of th
Highlands. We have heard of one proprietor sellin
his fir- wood for £10,000; and another, for £5,30C
Within the last eight or ten years, a vast number c
sales of this kind have been effected. A considerabl
amount of shipping is engaged in this trade ; and th
vessels that carry out the timber in the shape of rail
road sleepers, pit-props, &c., generally return wit
cargoes of coals, lime, and other commodities. Th
number of men employed in felling the trees, sawin
them up, and" exporting them, is also a source of at
vantage to the country. A great trade has thu
sprung up, — the avatar, we trust, of extended coir
merce in our northern region. When the Duke <
Gordon, about fifty years ago, sold his mighty fores
of Glenmore for £10,000, the sum was considere
unprecedented; yet the same timber would nov
from superior management, as well as superior valu
in the market, be worth more than treble the amoun
Previously to this period, the laird of Grant, it
said, sold his timber at the rate of Is. 8d. for whs
one man could cut and manufacture in a year ! Tbu
our fine forests have been thinned and destroyed, an
the country denuded of one of its noblest ornameni
and most valuable products." Sir Thomas Die
Lauder, in his excellent edition of Gilpin's ' Fore:
Scenery,' says the Duke's forest " was supposed 1
be the finest fir- wood in Scotland. Numerous tra<
ing vessels, some of them above 500 tons, were bui
from the timber of this forest; and one.frigate, \vhi<
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689
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called the Glenmore. Many of the trees felled horses could not travel all day without rest or meat,
measured 18 and 20 feet in girth; and there is still and entreated us to stop here, because no grass would
preserved, at Gordon-Castle, a plank nearly 6 feet be found in any other place. The request was rea-
in breadth, which was presented to the duke by the sonable, and the argument cogent. We therefore
company.* The forests of Glenmore and Rothie- willingly dismounted, and diverted
company
echus, though belonging to different estates, were
nited as to form in reality one continuous forest,
:
they are now equally denuded of all their finest
* ,,. i V.i- • _ _r i_ _ -i j
iber. We remember this a region of such wild
where its calm silent lakes were for ever re-
flecting, from their dark bosoms, the endless forests
of pine, which rose distance after distance over the
broken sides of their minor hills and more lofty
mountains, and where the scenes we wandered
through were such as the florid imagination of a
poet might fancy, but could not describe. Alas!
the numerous lakes, and the hills, and the moun-
tains, are yet there, but the forests shall no more
bewilder both the steps and the imagination of the
stranger, till time shall give the same aged forms to
those younglings which are everywhere springing up
in the room of their ancestors. The Glenmore forest
is fast replenishing itself. Nothing could be more
savagely picturesque than that solitary scene when
we visited it some years ago. At that time many
gigantic skeletons of trees, above 20 feet in circum-
ference, but which had been so far decayed at the
time the forest was felled as to be unfit for timber,
had been left standing, most of them in prominent
situations, their bark in a great measure gone — many
of them without leaves, and catching a pale un-
earthly looking light upon their grey trunks and
bare arms, which were stretched forth towards the
sky like those of wizards, as if in the act of con-
juring up the storm which was gathering in the
bosom of the mountains, and which was about to
E forth at their call." See ABERNETHY.
,ENMORE-NAN'ALBIN, that is, 'the
glen of Caledonia,' is a term applied to that val-
ley which runs in a direction from north-east to south-
west, across the whole breadth of the kingdom, from
the Moray frith at Inverness to the sound of Mull
below Fort- William, and the bottom of which is al-
most tilled with a chain of extensive lakes. The
distance in a direct line is little more than 50 miles,
and of this the navigable lakes, LOCH- NESS, LOCH-
OICH, and Locn-LocHY, [which see,] make nearly
40 miles. It is through this glen that the Great
Caledonian canal runs : See CALEDONIAN CANAL.
GLENMORISTON, a valley in Inverness-shire,
which gives name to a parish united to that of Ur-
quhart. Anoch, a small village in this glen, was visit-
ed by Dr. Johnson, in 1773. " Some time after din-
ner," says he, " we were surprised by the entrance
of a young woman, not inelegant either in mien ^or
dress, who asked us whether we would have tea.
We found that she was the daughter of our host, and
desired her to make it. Her conversation, like her
appearance, was gentle and pleasing. We knew that
the girls of the Highlands are all gentlewomen, and
treated her with great respect, which she received
as customary and due, and was neither elated by it,
nor confused, but repaid my civilities without em-
barrassment, and told me how much I honoured her
country by coming to survey it. She had been at
Inverness to gain the common female qualifications,
and had, like her father, the English pronunciation.
I presented her with a book, which I happened to have
about me, and should not be pleased to think that
she forgets me." Dr. Johnson eloquently and beau-
tifully adds, " As the day advanced towards noon,
we entered a narrow valley not very flowery, but
sufficiently verdant. Our guides told us that the
• It is fi feet 2 in.-hes long-, and 5 feet 5 inches broad. The
annual layers from its centre to its side are about V^.'>.
I.
willingly dismounted, and diverted ourselves, as the
place gave us opportunity. I sat down on a bank,
such as a writer of romance might have delighted to
feign. I had indeed no trees to whisper over my
head, but a clear rivulet streamed at my feet. The
day was calm, the air was soft, and all was rudeness,
silence, and solitude. Before me, and on either side,
were high hills, which, by hindering the eye from
ranging, forced the mind to find entertainment for it-
self. Whether I spent the hour well I know not ;
lor here I first conceived the thought of this narra-
tion."— An excellent line of road, executed under
the auspices of the parliamentary commissioners,
commences at the west side of Loch-Ness, from In-
vermoriston, passes up Glenmoriston, and preserv-
ing a westward direction for upwards of 50 miles
through an improveable country, terminates at Kyle-
Rhea, the usual ferry from the mainland of Scotland
to the isle of Sky. 'The river Moriston comes off
the superfluous waters of the lakes of Clunie and
Luin in Glenshiel. See URQUHART and GLENMORIS-
TON.
GLENMOY, a vale in Forfarshire, near Brechin.
GLENMUICK, an extensive parish, in the dis-
trict of Marr, Aberdeenshire, formed by the union
of the parishes of Glengairn, Glenmuick, and Tul-
loch. It is bounded on the north by Strathdon and
Logie-Coldstone ; on the east by Aboyne and Glen-
tanar ; on the south by Forfarshire ; and on the west
by Crathie and Braemar. It is of an irregular figure,
about 18 miles in length, and 15 in breadth. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £4,066. Population, in
1801, 1,901; in 1831, 2,279. The parish is inter-
sected by the river Dee from west to east ; by the
Gairn, from north-west to south-east, till it joins
the Dee ; and by the Muick from south-west to
north-east, till it also joins the Dee, in the same
vicinity, in the middle of the parish. These streams
are all joined by numerous others of minor import-
ance; the whole forming a series of the best trouting
waters in this part of Scotland. Lying in the midst
of the Grampians, this parish is mostly hilly and
pastoral. Many of the hills are clothed with wood
to the very summit: others are covered with heath,
and beautifully fringed along the base with natural
wood and plantations. Abundance of moor game is
found on these hills, particularly on Morven, upon
the higher grounds of which ptarmigans are always
to be found. The most remarkable of the other
wild creatures are red and roe deer, foxes, otters,
pole-cats, &c., and eagles, hawks, black cock, wood-
cock, partridges, &c. The soil of this parish is in
general shallow, but early, producing good grain,
though proportionally little fodder. Agriculture
has been long in a state of improvement. The
arable ground, however, bears a very small propor-
tion to the waste and barren tracts. There is plenty
of limestone in all the parishes : near Pannanich it
assumes the appearance of fine marble. Glengairn,
the least and most compact of the three districts,
lies chiefly to the north-west; on both banks of the
rocky Gairn, extending 6 miles north-west of the
church, where the upper parts of Tulloch begin, and
separate it from the parish of Crathie. A small part
of it lies on the south side of the Dee, called Strath-
girnie. Near the pass to Ballater is the Castle of
Glengairn, in the vicinity of which a vein of lead
has been long known, though never worked to ad-
vantage. Glenmuick extends south-westwards, 15
miles in length, on the south side of the Dee, lying
on both sides of the Muick, which originates in a
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690
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large lake or loch of the same name, about 4£ miles
from Ballater. The Muick possesses a tolerably
good fall, to which a good road leads along the
south side of the Muick. The stream dashes over
a rock of about 40 feet in height, into a basin below,
and forms a beautiful cascade. In this district are
the celebrated wells of PANNANICH, which see : and
in the vicinity stands Ballater, the most fashionable
watering-place in the north of Scotland: see BAL-
LATER. There are two ruins in Glenmuick, namely,
the tower of Knock, on the top of a hill, and Dee
castle, built by the family of Gordon, in the eastern
extremity of the parish. Tulloch is the most popu-
lous and extensive district in the parish, being 18
miles in length, from east to west, and intersected,
at the Crags of Ballater, by Glengairn, which divides
the lower parts of this district from the upper. The
hill of Culblean is in this district: at its foot there is
a beautiful lake of about 3 miles in circumference,
called LOCH CANNOR : which see. There is a stone
on the north bank of the lake with a great deal of
carving upon it; but the figures are now unintel-
ligible. It is supposed that it was put up in
memory of some of the Cumings who fell in the
chase or battle of Culblean, in 1335, and as the
Earl of Athole fell that day, it may have been here.
On the hill of Culblean, there is a remarkable hol-
low rock, which, from its shape, bears the name
of the Vat, and through which a rivulet runs. In
going up to visit this natural curiosity, a stranger is
much struck with the narrowness of the entry to
the Vat (being less than an ordinary door) and the
large spacious area, in which he immediately finds
himself enclosed by rocks from 50 to 60 feet high,
and from the fissures of which tall and healthy birch
trees are growing. There is one particular clift of
the rock which the eagle generally occupies as a safe
and secure asylum for hatching and nourishing her
young, and where her nest is always to be seen.
The rivulet falls down at the upper end through
broken shattered rocks, and when flooded adds
greatly to the picturesque appearance of the whole.
The Pass of Ballater, and surrounding scenery, has
been already noticed in the article BALLATER. —
This parish is in the presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil,
and synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the Marquess of
Huritly. Stipend £237 Is. Id.; glebe £7 10s.
Schoolmaster's salary £30 2s. 9d. per annum, with
fees, &c., about £22. There are 8 private schools
in the parish.
GLENMUIR, a valley in the parish of Old Cum-
nock, Ayrshire, which has been rendered interesting
by the beautiful poem called ' the Cameronian's
Dream:'
" In Olenmuir'a wild solitudes lengthened and deep
Were tlie whistling of plovers and bleating of sheep."
The author of this exquisite poem lived, when a
boy, in the midst of this sequestered glen, at a place
called Dalblair, where his fine poetic genius was
stimulated and nurtured by the mingled scenes of
soft beauty and wild grandeur with which he was
surrounded. Glenmuir-shaw, near the head of this
valley, is a pleasant spot; and must in former times
have been a place of some consequence, as the ruins
of its ancient baronial castle still indicate. Some
lordly chieftain of the Saxon line seems to have se-
lected it as the locality in which he chose to live in
a state of rude splendour, and which must have been
witnessed by the lonely sentinels that still guard
the spot, — the stately trees, whose dotard boughs and
scaly rind bespeak the age of several centuries. He
who sighs after a sweet meditative seclusion will
find that seclusion at Glenmuir-shaw.
GLENNEV1S, a valley of Inverness-shire, near
Fort- William, running from the head of Glen Treig,
round the south base of Bennevis, to the eastern
shore of Loch-Eil.
GLENOGILVIE. See GLAMMIS.
GLENOGLE, a wild and dreary valley in the
parishes of Balquhidder and Killin, in Perthshire, at
the head of Loch- Earn. " It is narrow," says
Campbell, in his ' Journey through Parts of North
Britain,' [vol. i. p. 156,] "and a mountain-stream,
collected from a hundred more which in times of
heavy rain run down the furrowed steeps of the
glen, brawls along through a deep chasrn till the lake
receives it. The rugged sides of Glenogle exhibit
terrible marks of former and recent convulsions ot
the earth. As we advance into this narrow wild,
on either hand we behold rocks whose deep-cloven
summits, high over head, hang in sullen aspect, and
seem ready to start into shivers and overwhelm the
traveller, who sees no way of avoiding the threat-
ened destruction. This illusion is heightened, in
observing on our left huge piles, but lately rolled
down the brow of that precipice, strewed in every
direction, and of indefinite dimensions, from the
smallest splinter to fragments of immense bulk, all
tumbled together in the wildest disorder. We pass
swiftly by this awful appearance, lest nature, in con-
vulsive throes, similar to what produced the explo-
sion of which the scene before us was the terrible
effect, should again precipitate the impending ruin.
On looking back through this rugged defile, we
have a glimpse of the lake, and the hills that rise
from its margin; behind which, the cliffs of Ben-
voirlich and Stuichactroin tower in lofty grandeur,
and give a noble air to the gloomy wildness of this
truly 'Alpine scene."
GLENORCHY AND INISHAIL, two united
parishes in the county of Argyle, on the borders of
Perthshire. They extend upwards of 24 miles in
length, but are of unequal breadth. They were
united in 1618. The whole district is mountainous
and hilly, excepting the vale of Glenorchy, which
forms a beautiful plain of 3 miles in length, and half,
a-mile in breadth. The river Orchy, which fall4
into Loch Awe, glides through the middle, dividing
it into two parts. On the sides of this river th*
soil is a mixture of light earth and sand; but o^
the banks of the loch it is generally deep and fer-
tile. The church and parsonage-house of the parish
are situated on a beautiful oblong islet formed in the
bed of the Orchy, and upwards of a mile in circum-
ference. In the churchyard are several grave-stones
of great antiquity. The hills and moors — which some
years ago were covered with heath and coarse herb-
age— have, since the introduction of sheep into the
country, become clothed with a richer sward of a
greener hue, and afford excellent pasture. In formei
times it was supposed that no domestic animal coulc
stand the severities of a winter here, in the more
elevated grounds, — now the hills are covered with
sheep through the whole year. There are still soim
tracts of natural wood in Glenorchy, chiefly of firs
and oaks, intermixed with ash, birch, and alder.
The banks of Loch- Awe are covered with planta-
tions of various kinds of wood, of which the horse-
chestnut, the mountain-ash, the lime, and the plane,
are the most conspicuous. At the east end of Loch-
Awe, on a rocky point, stand the fine ruins of tin
castle of KILCHURN : which see. There is anothei
ruinous castle at Auchallader, in the upper part of the
parish. Near this castle, a fatal conflict took plact
about two centures ago, between two hostile clans
and several cairns still visible on the heath mark tht
place where the slain were interred. In the islam
of Inishail, the remains of a small monastery, witl
its chapel, are still to be seen. The chief hills an
BKNDORAN and BENCRUACHAN: which see. B»
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691
GLE
Loch Awe, there are several minor lakes, and
icrous rivulets which abound with trout. The
military road from Stirling to Inverary, Tyndrum,
and Fort-William, passes through the 'parish; and
one part of this beautiful line, — from the bridge of
Awe to Dalmally,— presents a fine succession of beau-
tifully varied views. Part of the road lies through
a narrow defile, amidst deep chasms and impending
rocks, which seem to indicate that some vast convul-
sion of the earth happened here at a remote period:
see article LOCH AWE. Cobalt, talc, asbestine fila-
ments, and a beautiful green jasper, have been found
in the mountains, which are mostly of granite, with
porphyry and a mixture of felspar. Limestone is
quarried in several places. Glenorchy was at one
time the property of the warlike clan Macgregor, who
were gradually driven from the territory before the
influence of the rival clan Campbell. The gallows-
hill of Glenorchy, famed in Highland tradition as
the place of expiation of many criminals obnoxious
to the summary justice of Macgregor, is an eminence
opposite the parish -church. The ancestors of the
late Angus Fletcher of Berenice, author of a well-
known political work upon Scotland, were, accord-
ing to the traditions of the country, the first who
raised smoke or boiled water on the braes of Glen-
orchy. Population, in 1801, 1,851 ; in 1831, 1,806 ;
in 1841, 1,644. Houses, in 1831, in Glenorchy,
185; in Inishail, 146; in 1841, in Glenorchy, 131;
in Inishail, 163. Assessed property in 1815, in
Glenorchy, £7,329; in Inishail, £936; in 1842-3,
as assessed to property tax, £8,911. — This parish
is in the presbytery of Luss, and synod of Argyle.
Patrons, the Duke of Argyle and the Marquess of
lalbane. Stipend £206 2s. 4d. ; glebe £20. The
shes of Glenorchy and Inishail are united
sacra only as regards payment of stipend
repairing of income. Glenorchy church was
in 1811; sittings 570. Inishail church was
in 1793; sittings 191. The minister offi-
ciates" on alternate Sundays in each parish. A por-
tion of Glenorchy with a population in 1841 of 247,
has been annexed quoad sacra to a chapel at Strath-
fillan. There are two parish- schools in Glenorchy,
the masters of which have each £25 13s. 3£d. per
annum; and there is one parish-school in Inishail,
the master of which has a salary of £25.
GLENPROSEN. See PBOSEN.
GLENQUHARGEN CRAIG, a romantic and mountainous
mass of rock near the northern extremity of the parish o"
Penpont, in the district of Nithsdale, Dumfries-shire. Amids
remarkably varied Highland scenery, abounding in the wilder
beauties of nature, it forms the most remarkable feature, pre-
senting irregular and precipitous fronts to the south and
south-west, and towering above the river Scarr at its base to
the height of 1,000 feet, above the level of the sea.
<; I. KXQUIIARY, a cleuch in the parish of Kirkconnel, above
Kirkland, and a little to the west of the beautiful valley of
Glenaylmer. Glenquhary heights command on the south an
extensive view of the delightful vale of the Nith ; on the north
thi-v overlook one of the most perfect solitudes in nature, am
of vast extent, reaching forward to Glenmuir water. The
cleuch is a retired and deep recess among the mountains
and a locality extremely favourable to those who were under
hiding, on account of the facilities it afforded of escape to the
hills, and to the dreary desert that lay beyond.
GLENQUIECH,* a rude valley in Inverness-
shire, intersected by the Quiech or Quoich, which
descending from the Maolcheandarg mountain flows
into the north side of Locn-QuiECH : which see.
GLENQUIECH, a valley in Forfarshire, near
Kirriemuir.
GLENQUIECH, a valley in Perthshire, inter-
sected by the Bran.
GLENROY, a valley in the parish of Kilmani-
» Dr. Robertson, in his Agricultural Survey of Inverness-
shire, savs: " The Glenquiechs-of which several an; in tin
Highlands— are oblate ellipses, narrow at both ends, and COBD
paratively broad at the middle. The name is borrowed from
the shape of the silver cup with which the Scotch used to drink
their favourite liquor before the introduction of glasses."
•ai«r, in Lochaber, Inverness-shire, celebrated for it*
Parallel roads, as they are called, on which many
treatises have been written, and which have given
rise to many conflicting theories. It may be regarded
as a lateral branch of Glenspeau. It is a long, nar-
row, winding, and steep ravine, nearly 14 miles in
length, with a breadth of little more than halt'-a-mile,
:hrough the entire extent of which, a rapid stream
bearing the same name as the glen dashes down to
join the Spean, on the right bank, at the, Bridge of
Roy. At its entrance, the scenery of the glen is
comparatively tame and uninteresting. Except in
the bottom of the strath, where the Ruaigh or Roy runs
betwixt a line of low dwarfish trees, there is no tim-
ber in the lower end of the glen. About a mile and
a-half up the glen the road enters a fine oak coppice,
and crosses the Roy by a high stone bridge. We now
enter the inhabited portion of the glen. Four vil-
lages,—Upper and Lower Bahantin, Bahinnie, and
Creanachan,— are here situated within a mile. They
consist respectively of from 10 to 20 houses, and are
inhabited chiefly by Macdonalds. Beyond Upper
Bahantin, the road" passes Brogich, and the com-
mencement of the Parallel roads is observed on the
high hill of Benvanicaig on the left. A few yards
farther forward, the three lines are seen distinctly,
one over the other, on the hill of Creanachan, on
the right. " Curiosity is excited by finding that the
same description of lines are marked on both sides
of the glen ; and that not only do the lines on the
same side run parallel to each other, but that the
lines on both sides occupy the same horizontal levels.
As you proceed into the glen, the lines become more
marked ; and upon ascending to them, the traveller
finds that they are ample terraces or roads projecting
from the sloping side of the mountain, and composed
of a mixture of clay and gravel. These terraces are of
varying breadth, — at some parts projecting only a few
feet from the side of the hill, and at others swelling
out into magnificent pathways 18 or 20 yards wide.
Where the surface of the hill is composed of bare,
sharp rock, the roads are entirely effaced ; but these
gaps are too insignificant to destroy the unbroken
continuity of the lines when viewed along two or
three miles of the valley. The first or lowest terrace
is 972 feet above the level of the sea; the second is
1,184 feet; and the third or highest is 1,266 feet.
One or two detached rocks tower up out of the cen-
tre of the valley, and on these, as well as on the
lateral mountains, a line corresponding with the
lowest terrace is discovered. The origin of these won-
derful appearances has long been subject of curious
and earnest discussion. Five different theories have
been advanced in explanation of their construction.
In the first place, of course, they have been tram I
back tc the Flood, — that unfailing resource by which
the popular mind resolves every difficulty presented
in the physical construction of the globe. In the
second place, some people who take delight in ac-
cumulating proofs of the antiquity and greatness of
the Celts, have contended that the Parallel roads
were formed by the persevering labour of the Fin-
galians, and were intended to expedite the move-
ments of the huntsmen as they scoured the forests
after the deer* These venerable notions received
their first blow from Sir Thomas Dick Lander ami
Dr. Macculloch, who broached quite a dilK-rent view
of the matter." According to Dr. Macculloch : " the
I 'mallei roads are the shores of ancient lakes, or of
one lake, occupying successively different levels; for,
in an existing lake among hills, it is easy to see the
VITV traces in question produced 1>\ the \\a--li of the
waves against the alluvial matter ot' the hills. An-
cient Glenroy was therefore a lake, which, subsiding
first by a vertical depth of H2 feet, left its ,-horc to
form the uppermost line, which, by a second sub-
GLE
692
GLE
sidence of 212 feet, produced the second, and which,
on its final drainage, left the third and lowest, and
the present valley such as we now see it. If this de-
duction," adds the learned doctor, " should arouse
the indignation of a Fingalian, he ought to be satis-
fied in the proud possession of one of the most strik-
ing and magnificent phenomena of the universe, —
singular, unexampled, and no less interesting to philo-
sophy, than it is splendid in its effects, and captivat-
ing by its grandeur and beauty." But it was not
long till the correctness of the doctor's own theory
was called in question. Mr. Darwin maintained, at
a later period, that the terraces are sea -beaches,
formed at the period when the now elevated land
constituted a level bay of the ocean, and that, the
successive volcanic forces by which this land was
ultimately raised to its present height, gave time for
the formation of a lower and lower beach. A more
recent theory is that of Professor Agassiz, who, in a
letter to Professor Jameson, dated Fort - Augustus,
October 3d, 1840, says,—" After having obtained in
Switzerland the most conclusive proofs, that at a
former period the glaciers were of much greater ex-
tent then at present, nay, that they had covered the
whole country, and had transported the erratic blocks
to the places where these are now found, it was my
wish to examine a country where glaciers are no
longer met with, but in which they might formerly
have existed. I therefore directed my attention to
Scotland, and had scarcely arrived in Glasgow, when
I found remote traces of the action of glaciers, and
the nearer I approached the high mountain-chains
these became more distinct, until, at the foot of Ben-
nevis, and in the principal valleys, I discovered the
most distinct morains and polished rocky surfaces,
just as in the valleys of the Swiss Alps, in* the region
of existing glaciers, so that the existence of glaciers
in Scotland at early periods can no longer be doubted.
The Parallel roads of Glenroy are intimately con-
nected with this former occurrence of glaciers, and
have been caused by a glacier from Bennevis. The
phenomenon must have been precisely analogous to
the glacier-lakes of the Tyrol, and to the event that
took place in the valley of Bagne." The view taken
by Agassiz is participated by Professors Buckland
and Forbes, and is now the commonly received doc-
trine of the learned. The Parallel roads are not
confined to Glenroy. Similar appearances occur in
Glenspean, Glencloy, and the adjoining valleys, as
well as in the neighbourhood of Loch Laggan, Fort-
William, and other parts of the Highlands and in
various other quarters of Scotland.
GLENSANNOX, a magnificent mountain-valley
in the island of Arran, through which a small stream,
descending from the north-eastern shoulder of Goat-
fell, flows north-east into the channel between Arran
and Bute. Dr. Macculloch pronounces this glen
the most striking as well as the most accessible in
this picturesque island: See article ARRAN. In
the midst of the sublime and romantic scenery of
Glensannox, and on the edge of the precipitous rivu-
let of the same name, has been discovered a rich vein
of barytes. In 1839 a manufactory for the article
was erected on the spot. The quarry is about a
hundred yards up the rivulet, whence the ore is
brought to the manufactory on a wooden railway.
The ore is first washed from any mixture of earth,
by means of a stream formed by some rude stones
placed across a waterfall. It is then ground into a
fine pulp: and is afterwards put into square wooden
frames, and again well- washed ; after which it is re-
moved to the boilers, where, being mixed with sulphu-
ric acid, it is boiled with steam, and the ferruginous
scum which arises in the process is carefully re-
moved. It is then run-off into troughs, and dried
in a drying-house, kept at a high temperature, till it
becomes so solid that it can be cut into an oblong
brick form ; after which it is removed into a cooler
house, where it is dried thoroughly, and made ready
for packing into barrels, or removed to the dyeing-
house, to be dyed to any shade which may be de-
sired. The machinery erected for this manufac-
tory cost upwards of '.£3,000, and with its aid 10
workmen are enabled to turn out about 4 tons of
barytes daily. Barytes is now extensively used in-
stead of white-lead to form the body of paints, and
for many purposes is preferable. At about a quarter
of a mile from the manufactory is the cooperage,
close on the sea-shore, where several men are em-
ployed making barrels for packing the barytes ; and
close beside it is a quay, by which the managers will
be enabled to load vessels to convey their manu-
facture to the mainland, without the troublesome
process of having recourse to small boats to carry
it out into the deep water. These operations and
erections have been little favourable to the beauty
of the glen.
GLENSAX BURN, a small tributary of the
Tweed, belonging partly to Selkirkshire and partly
to Peebles-shire. It rises in Blackhouse-height, at
the commencement of a narrow but long northerly
projection of the parish of Yarrow in Selkirkshire:
runs 4£ miles along that projection to nearly its ex-
tremity; forms, for 3 furlongs, the boundary - line
between Selkirkshire and Peebles-shire; traverses
the latter county first 1£ mile northward, next 1
mile eastward, and then falls into the Tweed l£ milt
below the town of Peebles. At its mouth, and t
little way up, it is often, in consequence of then
watering the demesne of Haystone, called Haystone-
burn. In the upper part of its course it flows througl
bleak scenery ; but in the lower part it is a mirth-
ful stream, dressed in keeping with the magnificem
appearance of the Tweed in the vicinity of Peebles
and affording good trouting.
GLENSHEE, a vale about 7 miles long, and less
than a mile broad, running south-eastward and south-
ward down the eastern verge of the parish of Kirk-
michael, at the north - east extremity of Perthshire
At its head, the vale diverges into the three smallei
glens, — Glenbeg, Glentalnich, and Glenlochy. A
hill at the head of Glenshee, called Benghul
bhuinn, is distinguished as the scene of a hunting-
match which proved fatal to Diarmid one of the
Fingalian heroes. Here are shown the den of th<
wild boar that was hunted, a lochlet called th<
Boar's loch, a spring called the Fountain of th<
Fingalians, and the spot where Diarmid was buriec
by his comrades. At the Spittal of Glenshee, nea:
the head of the vale, is a chapel built by the heritor
of the parish about the year 1831. Sittings nearb
400. At the date of the Eeligious Instruction in"
quiry, the district for whose benefit it was erecte(
enjoyed no other religious services than the minis
trations once a-month of the parish-minister. Th<
population at that time was stated at 400. Th<
Spittal of Glenshee is a stage on the great militan
road to Fort-George; 22 miles north from Cupar
Angus; 15 south of Castleton of Braemar; and 7'
from Edinburgh.
GLENSHIEL,* a parish in the district of Kintai
in Ross-shire, extending from east to west 26 mile:
in length, and from 1^ to 6 miles in breadth. It i;
bounded on the east by the parishes of Kiltarlity
Urquhart, and Kilmanivaig ; on the south by Glen
elg; on the west by the Kyle Rhea; and on th<
north by Loch-Duich, which separates it from Loch-
alsh and Kintail. The surface consists chiefly of twc
valleys, Glenshiel and Glenlichdt, and an elevatec
tract of land on the south bank of Loch-Duich, callec
* Probably Glen-stielig, or the Valley of hunting.
GLE
OLE
The mountain ridges abruptly rise to i
_.0 )us height. In many places these mountain
rocky, and covered with heath to the summit
interjacent valleys are pleasant, being clothec
with grass and some natural wood ; but the propor
:ion of arable ground is very inconsiderable. The
mountains appear to be composed of micaceous schist
.vbich is sometimes alternated with horn-blende slate,
md veins of granite appear traversing these strata ir
various places.* The shores abound with fish, am
Loch-Duich receives an annual visit from shoals ol
lerring : see article Locn-DuiCH. The lower end ol
jlenshiel is occupied by LOCH-SHIEL: which see
The great military road from Fort- Augustus to Ber
icra passes through this parish. In the heights ol
,his parish is the pass of Glenshiel, famous for a
)attle fought in June 1719, between the English
roops and the Highland adherents of King James,
ed by the Earl of Seaforth, in which the latter were
Population, in 1801, 710; in 1831, 715.
property, in 1815, £1,211. Gross rental
Houses, in 1831, 138 This parish, for-
ly a vicarage, is in the presbytery of Loch-Carron,
md synod of Glenelg. Patron, the Crown. Sti-
>end £158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £16. The parish-church
s in the district of Letterfearn. It was built in 1 758 ;
igs 300 The parish -school is also in Letter
Salary of master £28.
ENSH1RA, a glen in the parish of Laggan, in
•estern part of Badenoch, forming the basin ot
pey for the first part of its course. Its princi-
ture is the grandeur of the mountains which
ise around, sending down numberless torrents, par-
larly from the northern side, to swell the waters
Spey.
ENSHIRA, a picturesque and finely wooded
about 5 miles long, at the head of Loch-Fyne,
lear Inverary.
GLENSPEAN, a beautiful glen in the parish of
\ilmanivaig in Lochaber ; commencing near the lower
•nd of Loch-Laggan, and following in a westerly di-
ection the course of the Spean.
GLENSTRAE, a wild glen which opens upon the
•nd of Loch- Awe, at the northern base of Sroin-
niolchoin, a mountain forming part of the eastern
•oundary of Glenorchy. Macgregor of Glenstrae
lad a mansion here, of which the site can hardly
tow be traced among the heather, but of which the
ollowing interesting tradition is still related : — His
on, who had been hunting in the neighbourhood,
net the young Laird of Lamond travelling with a
ervant from Covval towards Fort- William. They
* This valley is inhabited hy the clan of Macrae. The Mac-
aes, HS we heard afterwards in the Hebrides, says Dr. Johnson,
' were originally an indigent and subordinate clan, and having
ii I inns nor stock, were, in great numbers, servants to the M.ic-
•un.iiis, who. in the war ol Charles I., tO"k arms at the call of
He heroic Montrose, and were, in one of his battles, almo-t all
•.••.troyeil. The women I hat were left at home, being thu- de-
rived i t their husbands, like the Scythian ladies of old, married
•ieir servants, and the Macraes became a considerable race."
'nis -late of matters is stoutly denied by the writer of the
• ew Statistical Account, who pronounces it "an unworthy in-
entioo." The Macraes and Maclennans, except in the name
:i'.\, are one c an, united by every tie, and alike distinguished
>r their deep-rooted attachment to the family of Seaforth,
T many centuries the bole propiietors of this country. One
islanre of tin* attachment in iy serve as a specimen. Owing
• i lie >n;e which William, Karl of Seaforth, espoused dur-
ig the troubles of 1715 and 1711), his lands of Kintail— a name
ien commnii to this and the parish of that name -were forfeit-
d to the Ciown; yet, dur.ng the years of the forfeiture n
itfle i all the endeavours and policy ol L'»vernment and of its
iiini)U-i..iier, Ko-s of Fearne. to penetrate into this country,
• to coilei t any rents in Kintail. S: atorth's tenants were a--
-te.i in their stout resistance by the advice and animated i y
(ile of 1) maid JVIiirclusuii of Auchtert) re, whose
i.'in1, n. ui his talents been employed on a more con-picu >us
leatre, the paire of history would not blush to tran-mit with
"ininr to posterity, lie regularly collected the rents, an i
mud means either of remitting them to Seatorth, who then
v«-d in France, or of snatching an opportunity of conveying
>tem «ule to hut chief in person.
dined together at a little house on the H lack-mount,
between Tyndrum and King's house ; but, unfor-
tunately quarrelling during the evening, dirks were
drawn, and the young Macgregor was killed. La-
mond instantly fled, and was hotly pursued by some
of the Clan Gregor. With difficulty he outstripped
his foes, and reached the house of the old laird of
Glenstrae, whom he besought earnestly to nfford
him protection. " You are safe here, whatever you
may have done," said the laird, as he led Lamond
into his house. The pursuers arriving, informed the
unfortunate father of what had occurred, and de-
manded the murderer; but Macgregor refused to
deliver him up, as he had passed his word to protect
him. His wife and daughter, with many tears, be-
sought him to yield to the wishes of his clansmen,
but the laird sternly refused to break the pledge
which he had given, or to yield to their entreaties,
and bade them be silent. " Let none of you dare to
injure the man," said he; " Macgregor has promised
him safety, and, as I live, he shall be safe while in
my house 1" He afterwards, with a party of his clan,
escorted the youth home ; and on bidding him fare-
well, said, " Lamond, you are now safe on your own
land, I cannot, and I will not protect you farther 1
Keep away from my people ; and may God forgive
you for what you have done !" Shortly afterwards
the name of Macgregor was proscribed, and the aged
laird of Glenstrae became a wanderer without a name
or a home. But the Laird of Lamond had now an
opportunity of returning the kindness he had re-
ceived, by protecting Macgregor and his family,
which he hastened to improve, receiving the fugi-
tives into his house, and shielding them from their
enemies, until the cold-blooded policy of the Earl of
Argyle towards the devoted Clan Gregor, prevailed
against that of more generous rivals. In the MS.
diary of Robert Birrell, is the following entry:
" The 2 of October (1603,) Allester M'Gregour of
Glainstre tane be the Laird of Arkynles, hot escapit
againe ; bot efter, taken be the Earle of Argyill the
4 of Januar; and brocht to Edinburghe the 9 of
Januar 1604, with mae of 18 his friendis, M'Gre-
gouris. He wes convoyit to Bervick be the Gaird,
conforme to the Earlis promese ; for he promesit to
put him out of Scottis grund. Swa he keipit ane
Hieland-manis promes; in respect he sent the Gaird
to convoy him out of Scottis grund : Bot thai wer
not directit to pairt with him, bot to fetche him bak
agane I The 18 of Januar, at evine, he come agane
to Edinburghe ; and vpone the 20 day, he was hangit
at the croce, and ij (eleven) of hes freindis and
name, upone ane gallous : Himselff, being chieff, he
wes hangit his awin hicht aboue the rest of his
friendis."
GLENSTRATHFARRAR, a very romantic and
picturesque glen in Inverness-shire. The prevailing
•ock is gneiss everywhere stratified and varying in
colour from red to gray and white. The strata range
Tom north-east to south-west and dip to the east
under various angles, and are frequently very tortuous
n their direction. The gneiss is traversed by veins
of granite and quartz. The most frequent imbedded
mineral is precious garnet. A valuable mine of gra-
phite or blacklead was discovered by accident here
n 1816; it occurs not in veins or regular beds, but
n irregular masses imbedded in the gneiss.
GLEN TANAK, or GLLNTANNER, a mountain
and forest district in Marr, Aberdecnsliire, once a
separate parish, but now united to ABOYNE : which
<ee. Tin- torcst of Glentanner is very extensive,
and is celebrated for its superb tir-trees.
(iLKNTAilKlN. Sec LOCH-EAKN.
GLENT1LT, a narrow vale or mountain-pass 13
niles in length, coming down from the northern c»
GLE
694
GOL
tremity of the parish of Blair- Athol in Perthshire,
south-westward and southward to its southern ex-
tremity at Blair-castle, and there opening at right
angles into the valley of the Garry. At its entrance
or lower end it is enriched for several miles by the
groves and horticultural adornings of the superb de-
mesne of Lord Glenlyon ; and 2 miles from its
entrance it lifts across its intersecting stream a
bridge from which a magnificent landscape is spread
out before the eye ; but over most of its extent,
especially as it recedes toward the north, it presents
in the aspect of the Tilt, by which it is traversed,
and of the huge mountains which form its skreens, a
prospect of mingled beauty and deeply impressive
grandeur. On its east side, about mid-distance be-
tween its extremities, rises the vast Bengloe, whose
base is 35 miles in circumference, and whose summit
towers far above the many aspiring eminences of the
adjacent mountain-land. The kestrel has his nest
in the glen, and the eagle builds his eyry on the
overshadowing heights. Glentilt has provoked the
geological inquiries, and tested the scientific acumen
of Playfair, Macculloch, and other celebrated men.
Marble of a pure white, of a light gray, and of a
beautiful and much admired green, has of late years
been quarried in its recesses and carried away to
adorn the dwellings of luxury and taste.
GLENTRATHEN. See LINTRATHEN.
GLENTURRET, a vale in the north-east part of
the parish of Monivard, a mile north of the town of
Crieff, Perthshire. It is traversed by the rivulet
Turret, flowing from a lochlet of the same name,
and has been noted by men of taste, and celebrated
in song, for the romantic beauties of its scenery.
GLENURQUHART, a valley in Inverness-shire,
in the united parish of Urquhart and Glenmoriston.
GLENWHURRY. See GLENQUHARY.
GL1MSHOLM, one of the smaller Orkney isles,
nearly 2 miles south of Pomona.
GLITNESS, one of the smaller Shetland isles, 6
miles north by east of Lerwick.
GLOMACH (THE), a fine waterfall formed by
the Girsac, in a remote and uninhabited valley about
7 miles from the inn of Sheilhouse in the parish of
Kintail, in Ross-shire. Its total height is 350 feet ;
but at a distance of about 50 feet from the surface of
the pool into which it falls, it encounters a slight
interruption from a projecting ledge of rock. The
surrounding scenery is wild, barren, and rocky.
GLOTTA, the ancient name of the Clyde.
GLUSS, a small island on the north coast of the
mainland of Shetland.
GOATFELL. See ARRAN.
GOGAR (THE), a rivulet in the eastern part of
Ediiiburghshire. - It rises rear the centre of the par-
ish of Kirknevvton, and flows along that parish first
2£ miles northward, and next 2| miles to the north
of east. It then, in an easterly direction, over a dis-
tance of 1^ mile, flows right across the parish of
Ratho ; and now, over a course of 3 miles, most of
it north-easterly, and the rest northerly, divides that
parish on the west from the parish of Currie on the
east. Flowing next f of a mile westward, it divides
Ratho on the south from Corstorphine on the north ;
then, for 1£ mile, in a northerly or north-westerly
direction, flows through Corstorphine ; then, for | of
a mile in the latter direction, divides Corstorphine
from Cramond ; and finally, after a further course of
| of a mile northward through Cramond, falls into
Almond water. Anciently it gave name to a parish
and two villages on its banks ; and still — besides
meandering through the extensive estate of Gogar —
it is overlooked, in its progress, by Gogar bank,
Gogar green, Gogar camp, Gogar mount, Gogar
mains, and Gogar Louse.
GOGAR, an ancient but suppressed parish in th<
eastern part of Edinburghshire, incorporated chiefi'
with Corstorphine, and partly with Ratho and Kirk'
listen. A small part of the church still exists, and
soon after the Reformation, was set apart as a famib
burying-place by the lord of the manor. The churci
of Gogar is older than that of Corstorphine, but wa
of little value, and presided over a scanty population
Soon after the formation of their establishment i
was acquired by the monks of Holyrood ; but
against the reign of James V., it had been with
drawn from them, and constituted an independen
rectory. In 1429 Sir John Forrester conferred it
tithes on the collegiate church which he then forme<
at Corstorphine, and made it one of the prebends o
his collegiate establishment. In 1599, after vaii
efforts had been made by its few parishioners to rais
a sufficient provision for the maintenance of an in
cumbent, the parish was finally stripped of its inde
pendence. Of the two villages of Gogar-Stone am
Nether-Gogar, which it formerly contained, th
former has disappeared, and the latter has dwindle!
away from a population of 300 to a population o
only about 20. In the New Statistical Accoun
there is mention made of a number of stone coffin
which have been lately discovered on the lands o
Gogar. It appears that in this district, particularl
towards the western side of the field formerly calle
* the Flashes,' and on which the villa of Hanley 5
now built, many of these coffins had been found i
the year 1809, and from that period down to 183(
it is stated that numbers have continued to be dh
closed at short intervals. The writer of the Statis
tical Account inclines to the belief that they owe(
in the first place, their origin to the Gogar fighi
which took place in August 1650; and that durin
the remainder of that year, and throughout 1651, th
place may probably have been used as a cemetery b
the English who remained in the parish ; or that il
use might have commenced at the earlier period <
the plague of 1645, which is referred to in the parisl
register as having been so severe that the church w;
closed, and all work at a stand while it lasted ; an
that it might have been added to after the fight, ar
during the invasion.
GOIL (LOCH), a small arm of the sea in Argyll
shire, which strikes off, at the point of Strone, fro
Loch-Long in a north-west direction. On its wes
ern shore, at a little distance from the opening ini
Loch-Long, is Carrick-castle, an ancient seat of tl
Campbells. It is situated on a high and nearly insi
lated rock, advancing into the water. At the he?
of Loch-Goil there is much wild and romantic beaut;
and the road to Loch-Fyne passes through a det
rude valley called Hell's glen, which has been cor
pared by some travellers to Glencroe, in point
wild gloomy majesty.
GOLDIE-LANDS, an ancient castle in the shi
of Roxburgh and parish of Wilton ; 1 mile sout
west of Ha wick ; situated upon an eminence on tl
south side of the Teviot, nearly opposite 'to vvhe
the water of Borthwick joins that river. It w
anciently the mansion of a family of the- surname
Goldy, whence it derived its present appellation,
is now the property of the Duke of Buccleuc
Grose has preserved a view of it. See HAWICK.
GOLSPIE, anciently called CULMALLIE, a pari
in the county of Sutherland ; bounded on the nor
by Rogart ; on the east by Clyne ; on the sout
east by the Moray frith ; and on the west by t
Littleferry and the FLEET : which see. It exten
along the south-east coast of the county, about
miles in length ; and is from 1 to 2 miles in breadl
It is intersected by the rivulet of Golspie, at t
mouth of which is the pretty little village of the sai
GOM
695
GOR
name, containing nearly 400 inhabitants. Fairs are
held here in May and October. DUNROBIN-CASTLE,
[which see,] the ancient seat of the Earls of Suther-
land, is here built on an eminence near the shore.
The arable soil is in general light, but of good quality,
and tolerably fertile. In some parts it is a deep
ng clay, but the greater part of the parish is
f, and covered with heath. The principal moun-
are, Ben-a-Bhragidh, 1,300 feet; Benlumlie,
feet; and Benhorn, 1,712 feet. There are
. small lochs. The number of acres under cul-
is about 2,000 ; average rents 22s. Assessed
ty, in 1815, £2,734. The shores abound with
Freestone and grey slate are abundant. There
a chapel built in Golspie in very early times,
dedicated to St. Andrew. Near the ground on
ich the chapel stood, amid the remains of other
ved monuments, is an obelisk, a drawing of which
riven by Cordiner in his 2d volume. Population, in
)1, 1,616, in 1831, 1,149. Houses, in 1831, 233
parish, formerly a vicarage, is in the presbytery
Dornoch, and synod of Sutherland and Caithness,
tron, the Duke of Sutherland. Stipend £204 16s. ;
£6. — Parish-schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4d.
;re is a small female school.
rOMETRA, a small basaltic island of the He-
5, situated between the islands of Mull and Staffa,
separated from Ulva by a narrow strait or sound.
; inhabitants support themselves by their breed of
tie and horses, and the manufacture of kelp. It is
the parish of Killninian.
SOODIF, (THE), a rivulet in the south of Perth-
re. It issues from the south-eastern extremity of
Loch of Monteith, in the parish of Port-of-Mon-
and, after having intersected that parish over
ice of 3£ miles eastward, flows 4 miles south-
tward, through a detached part of the parish of
icardine and the southern verge of the parish of
lock, to the Forth at the fords of Frew.
GORBALS, a burgh-of-barony, a parish, and a
e and important suburb of Glasgow, lying on
south bank of the Clyde. It contains upwards
65,000 inhabitants : See GLASGOW. The parish
Gorbals was originally a part of the parish oi
>van. As the parish-church was at the distance
more than 2 miles, it was thought an object of
>rtance to provide the inhabitants with a place
worship and the means of religious instruction
ig themselves, by disjoining Gorbals from the
rish of Govan, and 'erecting it into a separate par-
The funds which were necessary for carrying
plan into effect were obtained in the following
manner: — Prior to the year 1699, the inhabitants ol
the village had established a small public fund, by
the voluntary imposition of a tax called reek-money
— withdrawn in 1768 — and another small tax upon
malt. The revenue thus raised was expended in
making common-sewers, in making and repairing
pump-wells, in paying cess and rogue-money, am
other such useful and necessary purposes within the
village. From the funds raised, partly in this way
and partly by voluntary contribution among the
heritors, the inhabitants were enabled, about the
year 1720, to purchase a piece of burying-ground
and a mortcloth. This, of course, proved an addi-
tional source of revenue; by means of which, and
farther contributions, the inhabitants were able, in
1728, to build a chapel; and from the produce of
seat-rents, and other sources of revenue above men-
tioned, to maintain a preacher, besides defraying
the public expenses of the village, for which the
revenue had originally been established. ILiving
contracted a debt, however, by building the chapel,
which they were unable to pay, they, in the year
" to the presbytery of Glasgow tor assis-
tance, and a collection was made throughout their
sounds for that purpose. Shortly afterwards, how-
ever, a dreadful fire occurred in the village, attended
with such calamitous circumstances, that a subscrip-
tion was made throughout almost all Scotland for
relief for the sufferers ; and that subscription was so
ample as to relieve the sufferers, and to leave a con-
siderable balance. That balance, by consent of par-
ties, was paid over to the managers of the village-
funds, and by this fund chiefly, it is believed, the
debt which had been contracted by building the
chapel was liquidated. Some time after this the
heritors purchased a piece of ground, and upon their
own credit built a tenement upon it, which cost
upwards of £600. This tenement has since been
known by the name of the Community land, and
was valued, in 1823, at £1,000. The additional
debt contracted by building it was gradually paid off
out of the surplus revenue. Such was the state of
matters when, in 1771, a summons of disjunction and
new erection was raised in the court of teinds; and
on the 20th of February, 1771, the court disjoined
the village of Gorbals from the parish of Govan,
and erected it into a new parish. See GOVAN.
GORDON, a parish in the western part of the
Merse, Berwickshire. It is bounded on the north
by Westruther and Greenlaw ; on the east by Green-
law ; on the south by Hume and Earlston ; and on
the west by Legerwood. Its greatest length, from
Rumelton on the east, to an angle near Legerwood
church on the west, is nearly 5 miles ; and its greatest
breadth, from a point near Haliburton on the north to
the confluence of two boundary rills on the south, is
4 miles. The surface is uneven ; has several rising-
grounds, one of which is entitled to be called a hill ;
and, in general, lies higher than any district in the
eastern part of the Merse. Till a very recent date it
had great tracts of moss and moorland, and wore a
bleak and sterile aspect ; but it is now very exten-
sively cultivated, and considerably sheltered with
plantation; and it begins to wear a smiling and pro-
ductive appearance. About one-half of the whole
area is arable ; about 500 acres are under wood ; and
the remainder is in pasture, or continues to be waste.
Three head-streams of the Eden rise on or near its
boundaries on the north, on the south-west, and on
the south-east; in one case intersecting it south-
ward nearly through the centre, and in the other
cases forming its southern boundary -line, and all
making a confluence at or near the point of leaving
it. Two other rills respectively at its western and
its eastern limit, and, after for a brief way tracing
its boundary, flow the one westward to join the
Leader, and the other eastward to join the Black-
adder. The last stream — the Blackadder — also
touches it for a short way along the north. The
parish is distinguished for giving title to the ducal
family of Gordon, and for having contained their ear-
liest seat and possessions in Scotland. They are
supposed to have settled within its limits in the
reign of Malcolm Canmore; and when they removed
to the north, they not only transferred some of its
local names to the territories or objects of their new
home, but afterwards recurred to it for their ducal
title. Huntly — which through the medium of the
northern domain named after it — gave them their
titles successively of Lord, Earl, and Marquis — was
a village in the western extremity of Gordon parish ;
and, though commemorated only by a solitary tree
which marks its site, survived till a recent date in
the form of a small hamlet. Two farms within the
parish are still called respectively Huntly and
Huntly wood. A little north of the village of
'tiordon is the reputed site of the Gordon
family's early residence, —a rising ground still called
696
GORDON-CASTLE.
the Castle, though now covered with plantation,
presenting vestiges of fortification. The parish is
intersected south-eastward by the post-road from
Edinburgh to Kelso, and is traversed south-west-
ward by a road from Dunse to Earlston. On the
former road stands the village of West-Gordon, 8
miles distant from Kelso. It is the site of the par-
ish-church, has a population of 300, and, owing to
facility of obtaining fuel from a neighbouring bog, is
increasing in bulk. The parishioners of Gordon, till
a recent period, were very primitive in their man-
ners, and careless, through a descent of several gen-
erations, to make a removal of residence, or go a
sight-seeing in the busier districts of the country ;
and, probably on account solely of their habits of
seclusion and content, earned from malicious wit the
soubriquet of " the Gowks o' Gordon." Popula-
tion, in 1801, 802; in 1831, 882. Houses 171.
Assessed property, in 1815, £5,748. — Gordon is in
the presbytery of Lauder, and synod of Merse and
Teviotdale. Patron, the Crown. Stipend £163
16s. lid.; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds £163
16s. lid. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with
£21 fees, and £9 other emoluments. This parish
was formerly of very large extent. But part of it,
called Durrington-laws, was annexed to Longforma-
cus, 12 miles distant; and out of it, jointly with
Bassandean, a parish formerly in the presbytery of
Melrose, was also erected, about the year 1647, the
parish of Westruther. The church was originally
dedicated to St. Michael the archangel, and given
to the monks of Coldingham. In 1171, according
to the spiritual traffic of that age of priestcraft, the
Coldingham monks exchanged it with the monks of
Kelso for the chapel of Earlston and St. Laurence
church of Berwick. In the ancient parish were
several chapels. In 1309, Sir Adam Gordon, in con-
sideration of relaxing to them some temporal claims,
obtained from the monks of Kelso leave to possess
a private chapel with all its oblations. At Huntly
wood was another chapel, dedicated to the Virgin
Mary, the advowson of which appears to have passed,
during the reign of James IV., into the possession
of the family of Home. A third chapel, the ruins
of which were at no remote period traceable, was
built, during the reign of David, by John de Spot-
tiswoode, at his hamlet of Spottiswoode.
GORDON-CASTLE, or, as it is more usually
termed, CASTLE-GORDON, the seat of the Dukes of
Gordon, now of their representative, and heir of en-
tail, the Duke of Richmond, is probably the most
magnificent edifice north of the frith of Forth. It
is situated in the parish of Bellie, between the old
and the new course of the river Spey, and about a
mile north of the little town of Fochabers, which
formerly stood in its more immediate vicinity. Cas-
tle-Gordon is approached, on the high road between
Fochabers and the Spey, by a gateway consisting of
a lofty arch, between two domes, and elegantly fin-
ished. This arch is embellished by a handsome
battlement within the gate. The road to the man-
sion winds, about a mile, through a green parterre,
skirted with flowering shrubbery and groups of tall
spreading trees, till it is lost in an oval in front of
the castle. There is, besides this, another approach,
from the east, sweeping for several miles through the
varied scenery of the park, and enlivened by different
pleasant views of the country around, the river, and
the ocean, till it also terminates at the great door of
this princely mansion. The castle stands on a flat, at
some distance from the Moray frith, from which the
ground gradually ascends; but it possesses a much
finer view than might be supposed in such a situation,
commanding as it does the whole plain with all its
wood, and a variety of reaches on the river, glitter-
ing onwards to the sea, and comprehending also the
town and shipping of Garmouth, and a large hand-
some edifice that terminates the plain on the shore,
consisting of the hall and other buildings for the ac-
commodation of the salmon-fishery.
Willis, the American tourist, in his ' Pencillings,'
has described the view from the castle in pleasing
terms: " The last phaeton," says he, "dashed away,
and my chaise advanced to the door. A handsome
boy, in a kind of page's dress, immediately came to
the window, addressed me by name, and informed
me that his Grace was out deer-shooting; but that
my room was prepared, and he was ordered to wait
on me. I followed him through a hall lined with
statues, deer's horns, and armour, and was ushered
into a large chamber, looking out on a park, extend,
ing with its lawns and woods to the edge of the
horizon. A more lovely view never feasted human
eye. * ' It was a mild, bright afternoon, quite
warm for the end of an English September; and with
a fire in the room, and a soft sunshine pouring in at
the windows, a seat by the open casement was far
from disagreeable. I passed the time till the sun
set, looking out on the park. Hill and valley lay
between my eye and the horizon ; sheep fed in pic-
turesque flocks, and small fallow-deer grazed near
them; the trees were planted, and the distant forest
shaped by the hand of taste ; and broad and beautiful
as was the expanse taken in by the eye, it was evi-
dently one princely possession. A mile from the
castle-wall, the shaven sward extended in a carpet
of velvet softness, as bright as emerald, studded by
clumps of shrubbery like flowers wrought elegantly
on tapestry; and across it bounded occasionally a
hare, and the pheasants fed undisturbed near the
thickets, or a lady with flowing riding-dress and
flaunting feather, dashed into sight upon her fleet
blood palfrey, and was lost the next moment in the
woods, or a boy put his pony to his mettle up the
ascent, or a gamekeeper idled into sight with his
gun in the hollow of his arm, and his hounds at his
heels. And all this little world of enjoyment, and
luxury, and beauty, lay in the hand of one man, and
was created by his wealth in these northern wilds of
Scotland, a day's journey almost from the possession
of another human being ! I never realized so forcibly
the splendid results of wealth and primogeniture."
The castle was originally a gloomy tower, in the
centre of a morass hence called the Boc-OF-GiGHT
[which see] — and accessible only by a narrow cause-
way and a bridge. It is now a vast quadrangular
edifice ; the front stretching to the length of 568 feet.
" The change," observes Mr. Chambers, in his 'Pic-
ture of Scotland,' " has been naturally commensurate
with that of the fortunes of the noble race who, for
centuries past, have owned it; and we believe the
most ancient title of the Duke of Gordon, and that
by which the old Highlanders still know him, is the
humble one of 'the Gudeman o' the Bog.' " As
we have already noticed, however, the title and
estates of the Dukes of Gordon have now merged
in those of the Duke of Richmond. The breadth of
the magnificent pile of this castle being various, the
breaks arising from the different depths create a
variety of light and shade which obviates the appear-
ance of excess in uniformity throughout so great a
frontage. The body of the edifice is of four stories.
In its southern front stands, entire, the tower of the
original castle, harmonizing ingeniously with the mo-
dern palace, and rising many feet above it. The
wings are magnificent pavilions of two lofty stories,
connected by galleries of two lower stories; and
beyond the pavilions, are extended to either hand,
buildings of one floor and an attic story. The whole
of this vast edifice is externally of white hard finely
GOR
697
GOU
dressed Elgin freestone, and finished all around, like I GOUROCK, a quoad sacra parish in Renfrew-
the gateway, with a rich cornice and a handsome shire, divided from Innerkip by the General As-
sembly in May 1832. It lies on the left bank ot
the frith of Clyde, immediately below Greenock,
battlement.
The hall or vestibule of this magnificent structure
;mbellished by copies of the Apollo Belvidere and
\ en us do Medici, in statuary marble, by Har-
wood. There is also a bust— a peculiarly striking
•>s — of Pitt. Here also, by Harwood, are busts
of Homer, Caracalla, M. Aurelius, in their unfading
laurels, and of Faustina, a Vestal virgin, in her plain
attire; and at the bottom of the grand staircase are
-ar, Cicero, Seneca, and Caracalla, each raised
on a handsome pedestal of Sienna marble; with a
bust of Cosmo, third duke of Tuscany, a relation of
the (.Jordon family. In the staircase are some curi-
osities, among which is a plank, nearly 6 feet in
breadth, cut from a fir-tree in the forest of GLEN-
MORE: see that article. The first floor contains
the breakfast, dining, and drawing-rooms, the bed-
chamber of state, with its dressing-room, and sev-
eral other elegant apartments. All the rooms are
well proportioned, and sumptuously finished, and
the distribution of light is managed to the greatest
advantage. The great dining-room is strikingly
magnificent ; and is surrounded with the portraits of
Earls, Marquisses, and Marchionesses of Huntly. A
handsome sideboard stands in a recess, within lofty
Corinthian columns of Scagliola, in imitation of verd
antique marble. Among the pictures are Abraham
turning off Hagar and her son, Joseph resisting the
solicitations of Potiphar's wife, Venus and Adonis,
Dido, and St. Cecilia. In the drawing-room is a por-
trait of the celebrated and beautiful Jane, Duchess
of Gordon, by Sir Joshua Reynolds. There is also
a very fine portrait of the late Duke, the last heir of
his long line. In the breakfast-room is a good copy,
by Angelica Kauffman, of the celebrated St. Peter
and St. Paul, from the masterpiece of Guido Rheim,
for which, it is said, 10,000 sequins had been of-
fered; it was esteemed the most valuable piece in
the Lampieri palace at Bologna. Various other
paintings adorn this and other apartments of this
splendid mansion. One of the most interesting of
these, perhaps, is a portrait of the second Countess
of Huntly, daughter to James I., and the lady through
whom Lord Byron boasted of having a share of the
royal blood of Scotland in his veins. There is also
a very antique portrait of Queen Mary, bearing the
date 1568. In the third story of the house are a
small theatre, a music-room, and the library, con-
taining thousands of volumes, as well as some ancient
manuscripts, with astronomical and geographical in-
struments, &c.
GORDONSBURGH. See MARYBURGH.
GOSFORD. See ABERLADT.
GOULDIE, a village in the parish of Monikie,
Forfarshire, containing about 200 inhabitants.
GOURDON, a fishing- village in the parish of
Bervie, Kincardineshire. It lies about 2 miles south
Of Inverbervie, and possesses a small harbour. This
harbour was imperfectly sheltered by scattered and
insulated rocks at a short distance from it; but not
being capable of admitting the coasting-trade, and
containing many fishing-boats which find full em-
ployment, the proprietor applied to the commission-
ers on Highland roads for aid towards constructing
a pier and clearing the entrance of the inlet, by
which operations the place has been rendered com-
modious and secure at all seasons of the year, greatly
to the benefit of an agricultural district — Gourdon
having now become an intermediate shipping-place
between Stonehaven and Montrose, which are more
tluui 20 miles apart. The joint expense of the
work, to the harbour-fund and the contributor, was
,000. See BERVIE.
length about 3A miles, and in breadth about
bay of Gourock possesses great advantages
and is in
3. The bay
for a sea-port, being well-sheltered, and unobstructed
by bank or shoal, and having depth of water for ves-
sels of any burden; nevertheless, the shipping-trade
has been attracted higher up the frith. So early as
the year 1494, when Greenock was a mean fishing-
village, and long before Port-Glasgow was known
even by name, the eligibility of Gourock as a haven
was appreciated. This appears from an indenture
entered into at Edinburgh on the 27th of December,
1494, between that redoubted seaman, Sir Andrew
Wood of Largs, and other two persons, on behalf of
the king, on the one part, and " Nicholas of Bour,
maister, under God, of the schip called the Verdour,"
on the other part, whereby it was stipulated that
" the said Nicholas sail, God willing, bring the said
Verdour, with mariners and stuff for them, as effeirs,
to the Goraik, on the west bordour and sey [sea],
aucht mylis fra Dunbertain, or tharby, be the first
day of the moneth of May nixt to cum, and there
the said Nicholas sail, with grace of God, ressave
within the said schip tlire hundreth men boden for
wer [equipped for war], furnist with ther vitales
[victuals], harnes, and artilzery, effeirand to sa mony
men, to pass with the kingis hienes, at his plessore,
and his lieutennentes and deputis, for the space of
twa monthis nixt, and immediat folowand the said
first day of May, and put thaim on land, and ressave
thaim again ;" for which there was to be given to the
shipmaster £300 Scots money, being at the rate of
£1 Scots for each man.* From the terms of this
agreement, and from the spot appointed for the ren-
dezvous being on the west coast, it is evident that
the vessel was fitted out for the use of the king
himself, James IV., in one of the voyages which he
undertook, about the time in question, to the Wes-
tern isles, for the purpose of bringing their turbulent
inhabitants into subjection; and at Gourock, in all
probability, he embarked — The lands of Gourock
formed the western part of the barony of Finnart,
which belonged to the great family of Douglas. On
the forfeiture of their estates in 1455, this portion
was conferred by the Crown on the Stewarts of
Castlemilk, from whom it was called Finnart-Stew-
art. It continued in their possession till 1 784, when
it was sold to Duncan Darroch, Esq., to whose son,
Lieutenant-general Darroch, it now belongs. About
the year 1 747, the old castle of Gourock was entirely
removed, and the present mansion erected near its
site.
The village of Gourock is prettily situated upon
the bay, and has, we believe, been resorted to for
sea-bathing longer than any other place on this
coast. In 1G94 it was created a burgh-of-barony,
with the right of holding a weekly market on Tues-
day, and two annual fairs. Power was also given
to form a " harbour and port," in virtue of which
there was probably constructed the quay, which was
lately supplanted by the present substantial ami con-
venient one. A great proportion of the permanent
inhabitants are engaged in the herring and white
fishery. This was the first place in Britain where
red herrings were prepared. The practice was in-
troduced, towards the end of the 17th century, by
Walter Gibson, an enterprising Glasgow merchant^
who was provost of that city in 1688, and of whom
our authority— Semple, in his History of Renfrew-
shire— says, he " may justly be styled the father of
* The Arts of the Lords of Council in Civil riuw from
UTS to U'JJ, published in 1839.
698
GO VAN.
the trade of all the west coasts." The curing of
red herrings has long since been abandoned here ; as
has also the preparation of salt in connection with
it, for which pans were constructed. A consider-
able rope-work has been carried on since 1777; and
whinstone for street- paving is quarried to some ex-
tent. About 1780, an attempt was made for coal
in the neighbourhood of the village; but meeting
with copper ore, the undertakers were diverted from
their first object. " This new discovery," says the
Old Statistical reporter, " promised well both in
richness and quantity ; but being wrought by a com-
pany who were chiefly engaged in England, it was
so managed as to defeat the expectation." — Kempock
Point, which forms the western termination of the
bay, is crowned by a long upright fragment of rock,
called "Kempock stane," which, it is said, indicates
the spot where a saint of old dispensed favourable
winds to the navigators of the adjacent waters. The
stone is without any sculpture or inscription. Some
superstitious belief appears to have been connected
with it in former times; for at the trial of the Inner-
kip witches, in 1662, one of them, Mary Lamont,
an infatuated creature, aged only 18, confessed that
she and some other women, who were in compact
with the devil, held " a meeting at Kempock, where
they intended to cast the long stone into the sea,
thereby to destroy boats and ships."* Kempock
point consists of a mass of light blue columnar por-
phyry, abutting from a hill of the same materials which
has been quarried to a great extent. In our own
time, this abrupt point of land has become memor-
able on account of two melancholy accidents which
took place on the frith close to it. The first oc-
curred to a vessel called the Catherine of lona,
which was run down by a steam-boat during the
night of the 10th of August, 1822, when 42 persons
perished out of 46. The other catastrophe referred
to was that of the Comet steamer, which, when
rounding the point, at about the same spot, was run
on board, and instantly sunk, by another steam-
vessel, about 60 human beings losing their lives.
According to a census taken by the minister in
1837-8, the population of the parish amounted to
1,302; of whom 1,000 resided in the village, the
rest being dispersed over the country parts. In the
report made to the Commissioners of Religious in-
struction, in 1838, it was stated that of the popula-
tion 45 were lunatics. This is accounted for by the
fact that there are in the parish establishments for
maintaining such unfortunate persons About the
year 1776, a chapel-of-ease was built at the east
end of the village. The present parish-church, which
stands about its centre, was built by subscription in
1832. The original cost was £1,731 2s. 9£d., ex-
clusive of the aisle erected c,t an expense of £535
by General Darroch, the principal heritor, who gave
the ground, upon payment of £3 Is. 4d. per annum
for feu. duty. The additional sum of £197 2s. 0£d.
has been expended in procuring communion-cups,
painting, and otherwise improving the church. Sit-
tings 947. Tlie average attendance at church dur-
ing June, July, and August, is about 900, and during
November, December, and January, about 500: the
increased attendance during the summer-months is
caused by the numerous strangers who resort hither
for sea-bathing. Stipend £120, of which £100 is
paid by the managers from the seat-rents, and £20
by General Darroch. It is permanent, and secured
by a bond from these parties. The minister has no
* The commission for tlie trial, and the confession, are
printed in the ' Visitor,' or « Literary Miscellany,' vol. ii. p.
135, Greenock, 1818. Mr. K. Chambers, in his 'Picture of
Scotland,' p. 206, 4th edition, speaks as if the stone no longer
existed here; but this is a mistake, it still remains.
manse, glebe, or other privileges. Parochial school,
master's salary £20 10s., with about £30 of school-
fees, and £2 2s. annually for distributing the poor's
money. There are two private schools, with one
teacher in each.
GOVAN, a parish principally in the lower ward
of Lanarkshire, with a small section in Renfrew-
shire; bounded by New-Kilpatrick, Barony, and
Glasgow on the north ; Barony, Gorbals proper, and
Rutherglen on the east; Cathcart, Eastwood, and
the Abbey parish of Paisley on the south ; and by
Renfrew on the west. It is about 6 miles in length,
and 3 at its greatest breadth, near the centre ; and con-
tains about 10 square miles. It is somewhat unusual
for a parish to be situated in two counties, and Hamil-
ton of Wishaw affirms that part of these lands were
disjoined from the sheriffdom of Lanark, and annexed
to the sheriffdom of Renfrew, for the convenience of
Sir George Maxwell, who died in 1677 ; but this
statement is not fully borne out by the documents of
that time relating to the parish, which are still in ex-
istence. In other respects Govan is a somewhat irre-
gularly constructed parish, from lying on both banks
of the Clyde ; the larger section stretches along the
south side of the river, and the smaller along the north,
to the west of the classic streamlet of Kelvin. That
portion lying on the south bank of the Clyde used to
be termed, of old, the township or territory of Govan;
and the part lying on the north of the river was de-
signated the township or territory of Partick, or, ac-
cording to the orthography of ancient charters, Per-
dyc, Perdehic, or Perthec. Quoad civilia Govan con-
tains not only a landward district, but a large portion
of the population, and the manufacturing and other
establishments of the southern suburb of Glasgow;
but as these have long since been disjoined quoad sacia
by the presbytery, this portion is generally known and
spoken of as the barony and parish of the Gorbals
of Glasgow: see articles GLASGOW and GORBALS.
Divested of this section the parish is a landward one.
It may be mentioned as a circumstance somewhat re-
markable, that on the northern boundary of the parish
the counties of Dumbarton, Lanark, and Renfrew,
and the parishes of New Kilpatrick, Govan, and Ren-
frew, all meet in one point. The land of the parish
is entirely arable. The average rental of the land is
about £4 per acre, and its produce consists of pota-
toes, turnips, wheat, hay, oats, and grass for pasture.
It is worthy of remark, that upon the farm of White
Inch in this parish, the greater part of the earth,
mud, and gravel, which is cut away from the banks
in widening the Clyde or lifted by the dredging-ma-
chine, has been deposited. In one year soil to the
extent of nearly 150,000 cubic yards has been laid
down, by the consent of the proprietor, Mr. Smith
of Jordanhill, and at immense expense to the Clyde
trustees. The superficial extent of the farm is about
70 acres, and the average height to which the ground
has been raised by these deposits is 10 feet; in some
places it has been elevated about 15 feet. At the
commencement of these operations it was considered
by many that they would prove utterly ruinous to
the farm ; but the consequence has been nearly to
double the value of the farm, by the judicious mix-
ture of the earth which has been laid down. Within
the last half-century the salmon-fishings in the Clyde,
belonging to the heritors of Govan, used to be valu-
able, and they have even been let for so much as
£330 annually; but the mass of foreign and perni-
cious matter which is now held in solution by the
river, the refuse of the manufactories along its banks,
and the everlasting stirring and turmoil of its waters
from the revolution of steam-boat paddles, has of
late years sadly deteriorated the value of the Govan
Fisheries, having reduced the rental to £60 per an-
num, and the wonder is that salmon can exist in it
at all. Fertile as the superficies of Govan may be,
however, the great source of its wealth is its mineral
treasures, not only from their own actual value, but
as providing the means of aggrandizing the commer-
cial and manufacturing population. The coal at the
Govan collieries has been worked from a very re-
mote period, and forms part of the celebrated ' Glas-
gow field,' to which the city is so much indebted for
its wealth and population. This coal is of the best
quality ; and in some parts of the parish it is so abun-
dant that, within 50 fathoms of the surface, no fewer
than 10 separate beds have been found, the thickness
of which varies from 4 inches to 2 feet. In addition
to these there are valuable seams of black-band (that
lich is mixed with coal) and clay-band ironstone,
former varying from 10 to 15 inches in thickness,
. the latter from 6 to 12 inches. Although the
timated value of the land in the parish is not more
in £5,000 Scots, it has been calculated upon pretty
re data that the actual value of its agricultural pro-
and minerals is more than £90,000 sterling per
mm. Manufactures are carried on to a very con-
erable extent in the parish, and in addition to the
nver-loom, cotton, and silk factories of Hutcheson-
>wn and Tradestown, with the carpet-manufactory
Port Eglinton, all of which are embraced in the
id sacra division of Gorbals, there are also public
>rks of considerable importance in the landward
rts of the parish, viz., at the villages of Govan arid
rtick. At the former there is an extensive dye-
>rk, and also a factory for throwing silk, which
the first of its kind in Scotland, and was erected
1824.* In 1828 a power-loom factory was estab-
icd at Partick, and here are situated, besides, a
rintfield, a work for bleaching cotton-fabrics, and
celebrated Partick wheat and flour-mills, which,
lated upon the banks of the Kelvin, have been in
stence from time immemorial, and were granted
the Regent Murray, after the battle of Langside,
i the bakers' corporation of Glasgow. Ship-building
irds are also situated upon the Clyde at the mouth
of the Kelvin. The most important establishment in
the parish is, however, the iron- works of Mr. William
Dickson, situated at Govan-hill, in the south-eastern
suburbs of Gorbals. Here there are hot-blast fur-
naces erected, and in the course of erection, which
are intended to produce the average quantity of 4,000
tons of pig-iron annually ; and in the neighbourhood
of these furnaces the enterprising proprietor is con-
structing a bar-iron manufactory with 42 puddling
furnaces; and it is computed that these, if fully
worked, will turn out 400 tons of bar-iron weekly.
As the works in Govan, however, are almost en-
tirely kept moving by Glasgow capital, and fall pro-
perly to be classed along with the manufactures of
» The silk factory at Govan is heated in a peculiar manner,
and one which has been considered worthy of imitation in other
large establishment! where adults and children are employed
in huge congregated numbers for the greater portion of the
day. The process is thus described in Leighton'u Historical and
Descriptive illustrations of Swan's Views on the Clyde:—
" The lai-tory is heated by steam ; and the -team-pip.-*, instead
of being suspended from the ceiling of each flat, are disposed in
beds in the ground-floor, within a few inches of the ground.
Hound the bottom of the ground are perforations in the walls,
through which is constantly rushing a current of fresh air,
which being heated and raritied by the steam-beds, a cends
from them through pipes and holes in the floor, to the upper
btoriec, producing a constant supply of pure and warm air, from
the bottom to the top of the factory. The benefit ol this is evinc-
ed by the total absence of that feeling of suffocation met with
in most other factories. The boiler is fed with boiling water by
eans of a subsidiary boiler, which the proprietor has called <t
nille, in honour of a young man named Peter Colviile, whose
nggestion it was. Besides saving fuel, the operation of the
[earn is thereby more steady, not being damped by the influx
of w.itt-r comparatively cold. The Colviile is placed at the fide
of the large boiler, constituting, for its length, one side of the
flue, and is thus kept boiling by that heat which otherwise
Wouli be l..st in the wall."
GOVAN.
699
that city, it is not necessary here to enter into any
further or more lengthened details regarding them.
From its proximity to the western capital, Govan,
of course, enjoys every advantage in the shape of
ready and easy communication ; and in the villages
of Govan and Partick, there are regular post-ottice
establishments, by which letters are transmitted to
and from Glasgow twice a-day. Four great turnpike-
roads traverse the parish. One leads from Glasgow
to Paisley ; a second from Glasgow to Kilmarnock
and Ayr; a third parallel with, and on the south
bank of the Clyde, leads through Renfrew to
Port-Glasgow; and the fourth, also parallel with,
but on the north bank of the river, forms the car-
riage-road to Dumbarton and the West Highlands.
The Glasgow, Paisley, and Johnstone canal also
passes through the southern division of the parish ;
and the branch of the Forth and Clyde canal, which
joins the Clyde at Bowling bay, skirts for a short
distance its northern boundary. In addition to these
the great joint branch to Paisley of the Glasgow and
Greenock, and the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock,
and Ayr railways, passes through the parish for nearly
3 miles. This portion of the line was opened in July,
1840. The north and south divisions of the par-
ish are connected at the village of Govan by a com-
modious horse and carriage ferry-boat, and here also
the river-steamers land and receive passengers. It
is impossible to conceive a rural district which con-
tains so many of the elements of busy life as the
parish of Govan. Morning, noon, and night, the
river, which divides it, is traversed by steam- vessels
of every size, and by sailing vessels bound to and
from the most distant parts of the earth's confines.
From the river the view of the country is peculiarly
picturesque and pleasing ; the banks exhibit every
variety of landscape, — beautifully cultivated fields,
and thriving belts of plantation, sprinkled with the
handsome villas of the Glasgow citizens, — while
the rural village of Govan, with the Stratford-
upon-Avon like steeple of its parish-church, bursts
upon the gaze with a truly panoramic effect. No-
where has the hand of improvement been more
decidedly apparent than upon this portion of the
Clyde. In some old legal instruments in the
Glasgow chartulary, there are mentioned, " The
islands between Govan and Partick;" but these
have long since ceased to be. Even so late as
1770, the depth of the river at the mouth of the
Kelvin, as surveyed by the celebrated James Watt,
was only 3 feet 8 inches at high- water, and 1 foot 6
inches at low water ; and in the present day it is
amusing to read the complaint of Patrick Bryce,
tacksman of the Gorbals * coal-heugh,' who, in 1660,
represented to the magistrates of Glasgow that he
could not get his coals loaded at the Broomielaw
from a scarcity of water, and that he had been neces-
sitated on this account to crave license to lead them
through the lands of Sir George Maxwell of Nether
Pollok, for the purpose of loading them " neare to
Meikle Govane." Up till 1770, indeed, this portion
of the Clyde could with difficulty be navigated l.y
vessels of more than 30 tons burthen ; now the depth
of water is from 16 to 1 7 feet, and foreign merchant-
men of 600 tons burthen sail along it from the sea to
the harbour of the Broomielaw.
The population of the parish of Govan, exclusive
of the portion annexed to Gorbals, was, in 1801,
3,038; in 1811, 3,542; in 1821, 4,325; in 1831,
5,677 ; and in 1836, 6,281. The population of the
village of Govan, in 1836, was 2,122. Houses, in
1831, 838. Assessed property £14,086.
This parish is in the presbytery of Glasgow, and
synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Patron, the college of
Glasgow. Stipend £315 U=. -Id ; glebe £24. Unap-
700
GOVAN.
propriated teinds £763 7s. The parish-church — which
is situated close upon the river, and is distant about
3 miles from Glasgow — was built in 1826, from a plan
by Mr. Smith of Jordanhill, one of the heritors. It
is a chaste Gothic structure, seated for nearly 1,100
persons. The design of the tower and spire, as has
been hinted, was taken from the church of Stratfbrd-
upon-Avon. The churchyard has a peculiarly ro-
mantic appearance, and is fringed with a double row
of reverend elms. The manse adjoins the church,
and, from recent additions, has been rendered very
commodious. There are four churches belonging to
the Establishment and connected with this parish, to
which quoad sacra districts have been allocated, viz.
Partick church, built in 1834, seated for 580 per-
sons ; Hutchesontown church, opened in 1839, seat-
ed for 1,024 persons; Kingston church, opened in
the same year, for 1,000 sitters; and a fourth ad-
ditional church in connection with the establishment
is in course of erection in Warwick-street, Lauries-
ton. Of late years the small village of Strathbungo
has been a missionary-station, in which a licentiate
of the church of Scotland officiated : a church is
now being built there — There are three dissenting
churches in the parish connected with the United
Secession, in addition to a school-house, in the par-
ish of Govan, capable of accommodating 100 persons,
and in which service has been performed for two or
three years. These churches are Nicholson-street
church, built in 1814, for 910 sitters; Eglinton-
street church, built in 1825, for 1,218 sitters ; and
Partick church, built in 1824, for 600 sitters.— There
are two Relief churches, viz., Hutchesontown church,
built in 1800, for 1,624 sitters; and Partick Relief
church, built in 1824, for 840 sitters — There is also
a small Roman Catholic chapel in Portugal-street,
Gorbals The parish-school is situated in the village
of Govan, and in addition to the school-fees — which
are stated to be very ill-paid — and a school-house and
dwelling-house, the emoluments amount to more
than £80 annually, made up of the maximum salary
of the heritors, in addition to £1 13s. 4d. from Glas-
gow college; £5 from the trustees as librarian of
Thorn's library; £1 18s. 10d., the interest of 1,000
merks bequeathed by George Hutcheson; and £36,
the rent of 1 0 acres of land, accruing from Abraham
Hill's mortification, for the education of 10 poor
children. In addition to the parochial there afe a
number of other schools in the parish, both in the
villages of Govan, Partick, and Strathbungo, where
the ordinary branches are taught; but the majority
of the children of the more opulent classes are edu-
cated in Glasgow. Under grants by David I., con-
firmed by the bulls of several popes, the whole par-
ish of Govan belonged originally, both in property
and superiority, to the Bishop of Glasgow, and was
included in the regality of Glasgow. The church of
Govan — or Guvan, as it was formerly termed — with
the tithes and lands pertaining to it, was constituted
a prebend of the Cathedral of Glasgow by John,
Bishop of Glasgow, who died about 1147 ; and con-
tinued so till the period of the Reformation. The
prebendary drew the emoluments, and paid a curate
for serving the cure. The patronage of this pre-
bendal church belonged to the see of Glasgow ; but
at the Reformation it was assumed by the Crown.
In 1577 the parsonage and vicarage of Govan, with
all the lands and revenues, were granted by the king,
in mortmain, to the college of Glasgow ; and by the
new erection of the college, at that date, it was
ruled that the principal of the university should
officiate in the church of Govan every Sabbath.
This practice continued from 1577 till 1621, when
the principal was absolved from this duty, and a
separate minister was appointed for the parish, to
whom a stipend was assigned from the tithes,
the patronage was reserved by the university, in
which it still remains. For more than a century
previous to 1825, the university of Glasgow, by suc-
cessive renewals from the Crown, enjoyed a bene-
ficial lease of the feu-duties, rents, and revenues,
which were paid by the heritors of Govan to the
Crown, as coming in the place of the Archbishop ;
but the lease was discontinued at the time stated.
To make up for it so far, however, the Crown
granted to the college, in 1826, an annuity of £800
for fourteen years.
The first minister of Govan after the Reformation
was Andrew Melville, who was at the same time
principal of the university ; and it is related by his
nephew that the Regent Morton offered this " guid
benefice, peying four-and-twentie chalder of vict-
uall" to him, on condition that he would not urge
upon the government or the church his peculiar
views of ecclesiastical polity. For the purpose of
winning Melville to his side, the Regent kept the
living in the hands of the Crown for nearly two
years ; and finally granted the temporalities to the
college of Glasgow, imposing upon the principal the
duty of serving the cure, Morton intending thereby, as
Melville's nephew states, " to demearit Mr. Andro,
and cause him relent from dealling against bischopes;
but God keepit his awin servant in uprightnes and
treuthe in the middis of manie heavie tentations."
The hospital of Polmadie was situated in this parish,
near the place which still bears its name. It was a
refuge for persons of both sexes, and was endowed
with the church and temporalities of Strathblane,
along with part of the lands of Little Govan. No
trace of the ruins of the hospital now remains. St.
Ninian's hospital, for the reception of persons afflicted
with leprosy, was founded by Lady Lochore in the
middle of the 14th century, and it is understood that
it was situated near the river, between the Main-
street of Gorbals and Muirhead-street. Near the
centre of the Main- street of Gorbals, on the east side,
an old edifice still remains, which from time imme-
morial has gone by the name of the chapel of St.
Ninians. A considerable extent of ground, includ-
ing that upon which part of the district of Hutche-
sontown is built, was called St. Ninian's croft. When
the house of Elphinston obtained the lands of Gorbals
the revenues of the hospital were misapplied, and
the care of the ' lepers' afterwards devolved upon the
kirk-session of Glasgow — Hagg's castle, in this par-
ish, is a very interesting and picturesque ruin. It
was built by an ancestor of the house of Maxwell of
Pollock, and was, for a long time, the jointure-house
that family. It appears to have been a building of
considerable strength. It is intimately and painfully
associated with the transactions of those iron times
when Scotland groaned under a ' broken covenant and
a persecuted kirk.' In November 1667, the Episcopal
authorities of Glasgow having heard that a conven-
ticle had been held in Hagg's castle, summoned the
persons reported to have been present to appear be-
fore them on the 20th of the same month. Amongst
others, John Logan was arraigned, and he boldly
confessed " that he was present at ye said conven-
tickle, and not onlie refused to give his oath to de-
clare who preached, or wer then present, but furder
declared he would not be a Judas, as otheris, to de-
late any that wer ther present." The name of Logan,
with others in the same situation, were given in to
the Archbishop, but the punishment which was meted
out has not been recorded. Wodrow, in his history,
states that, in 1676, Mr. Alexander Jamieson, who
had been thrust forth the parish of Govan on account
of his refusal to conform to " black prelacy," 14gav.e
the sacrament in the house of the Haggs, within 2
I of Glasgow, along with another clergyman. J ous forms and heights and modes of continuation, ac
Famieson did not again drink of the vine till he i to be at best a series of ridees and Binrlp pWaiimm
drank it new in the Father's kingdom."
GOW
701
GRA
It is well
known that the family of Pollock suffered severely
for their resistance to episcopacy, and for succouring
the Covenanters, and allowing them a place of meet-
ing for their conventicles. Sir John Maxwell was
fined by the privy-council in 1684, in the sum of
£8,000 sterling, and when he refused to pay this
tyrannical exaction he was imprisoned for 16 months.
See GLASGOW.
GOWRIE. See CARSE of GOWRIE, and BLAIR-
OOWRIE.
GR^EMSAY, one of the Orkney islands. It is
about 1£ mile in length, and 1 in breadth. A great
is arable, and only a few sheep are reared in
hilly district. Graemsay was formerly a vicar-
united to the ancient rectory of Hoy. This cure
served by the minister of Hoy, every third Sun-
; but it is singular, that it neither pays stipend,
has any glebe. It is in the presbytery of Cair-
i, and synod of Orkney. The population, in 1801,
179 ; and, in 1831, 225. It is l| mile south from
Stromness. The whole of it is level, and seems to
be of an excellent soil. The interior parts of the
island, under a thin soil, contain a bed of schist or
slate, through almost its whole extent. There is
here a school supported by the Society for Propagat-
ing Christian knowledge. See HOY.
GRAHAM'S DYKE, or GRIME'S DYKE. See
ANTONINUS'S WALL.
GRAHAMSTON, a neat and important suburb
'the town of Fuikirk. See FALKIRK.
SRAHAMS '• ON, a village in the Barony parish
' Glasgow. It is a suburb of that city, being con-
to it by several streets.
GRAHAMSTON, a village in the parish of
Neilston, Renfrewshire, upon the Levern ; 3 miles
south-east of Paisley. It was commenced about the
year 1780, and received its name from Mr. Graham,
a neighbouring proprietor. Population in 1811,
448; in 1835-6, as given in the New Statistical Ac-
count, 595.
GRAITNEY. See GRETNA.
GRAMPIANS (THE), that broad mountain-
fringe or stripe of elevations which runs along the
eastern side of the Highlands of Scotland, overlook-
ing the western portion of the Lowlands, and forming
the natural barrier or boundary-line between the two
great divisions of the country. The name is so in-
definitely applied in popular usage, and has been so
obscured by injudicious and mistaken description, as
to want the detiniteness of meaning requisite to the
purposes of distinct topographical writing. The
Grampians are usually described as "a chain" of
mountains which stretches from Dumbarton, or from
the hills behind Gareloch opposite Greenock, or
from the district of Cowal in Argyleshire, to the sea
at Stonehaven, or to the interior of Aberdeenshire,
or to the eastern exterior of the shores of Elgin and
Banff. No definition will include all the mountains
which claim the name, and at the same time exclude
others to which it is unknown, but one which re-
gards them simply as the mountain-front, some files
deep, which the Highlands, from their southern con-
tinental extremity, to the point where their flank is
turned by a champaign country east of the Tay, pre-
sent to the Lowlands of Scotland. But thus defined,
or in fact defined in any fashion which shall not
limit them to at most two counties, they are far from
being, in the usual topographical sense of the word,
" a chain." From Cowal north-eastward, to the ex-
tremity of Dumbartonshire, they rise up in elevations
so utterly independent of one another as to admit
long separating bays between ; and are of such vari-
to be at best a series of ridges and single elevations,
some of the ridges contributing their length, and
others contributing merely their breadth, to the con-
tinuation. East and north of Loch-Lomond in Stir-
lingshire, their features are so distinctive and j>» ru-
liar, and their amassment or congeries so overlooked
by the monarch-summit of Benlomond, as to have
become more extensively and more appropriately
known as the Lomond hills, than as part of the
Grampians. Along Breadalbane and the whole
highlands of Perthshire, they consist chiefly of la-
teral ridges running from west to east, or from north-
west to south-east, entirely separated by long tra-
versing valleys, and occasionally standing far apart
on opposite sides of long and not very narrow sheets
of water ; and they even — as in the instances of Schi-
challion and Beniglo — include solitary but huge and
conspicuous monarch-mountains, which, either by
their insulatedness of position, or their remarkable
peculiarity of exterior character, possess not one
feature of alliance to any of the groups or ridges
except their occupying the confines of the Highland
territory. In the north-west and north of Forfar-
shire and the adjacent parts of Perthshire and Aber-
deenshire, they at last assume the character of a
chain, or broad mountain elongation, so uniform and
distinctive in character that we must strongly re-
gret the non-restriction of the use of the word
Grampian exclusively to this district. In Kincar-
dineshire, they fork out into detached courses, and
almost lose what is conventionally understood to
be a highland character: and at the part where
they are popularly said to stretch to the coast and
terminate at the sea, are of so comparatively soft
an outline and of so inconsiderable an elevation,
that a stranger who had heard of the mountain-
grandeur of the Grampians, but did not know their
locality, might here pass over them without once
suspecting that he was within an hundred miles of
their vicinity. Northward, or rather westward and
north-westward, of the low Kincardineshire ranges
which loose popular statement very frequently repre-
sents as the terminating part of '* the chain," they
consist partly of some anomalous eminences, but
mainly of two ridges, one of which hems in the dis-
trict of Mar on the south-west, and the other sepa-
rates Aberdeenshire from Banffshire.
A mountain-district so extensive and chequered,
and so varied in feature, cannot be described, with
even proximate accuracy, except in a detailed view
of its parts. Yet, if merely the main part, or what
occupies the space from Loch-Lomond to the north of
Forfarshire, be regarded, the following description
will, as a general one, be found correct. " The front
of the Grampians toward the Lowlands has, in many
places, a gradual and pleasant slope into a champaign
country, of great extent and fertility ; and, notwith-
standing the forbidding aspect, at first sight, of the
mountains themselves, with their covering of heath
and rugged rocks, they are intersected in a thousand
directions by winding valleys, watered by rivers^nd
brooks of the most limpid water, clad with the rich-
est pastures, sheltered by thriving woods that fringe
the lakes, and run on each side of the streams, and
are accessible in most places by exc-ellent roads.
The valleys, which exhibit such a variety of natural
beauty, also form a contrast with the ruggedness of
the surrounding mountains, and present to the eye
the most romantic scenery. The rivers in the deep
defiles struggle to find a passage; and often tin:
opposite hills approach so near, that the waters
rush with incredible force and deafening noise, in
proportion to the height of the fall and the width
of the opening. These are commonly called Passes,
702
THE GRAMPIANS.
owing to the difficulty of their passage, before
bridges were erected ; and we may mention as ex-
amples, the Pass of Leney, of Aberfoil, and the
famous Passes of Killicrankie and the Spittal of
Glerishee. Beyond these, plains of various extent
appear, filled with villages and cultivated fields. In
the interstices are numerous expanses of water, con-
nected with rivulets stored with a variety of fish, and
covered with wood down to the water-edge. The
craggy tops are covered with flocks of sheep ; and
numerous herds of black cattle are seen browsing on
the pastures in the valleys. On the banks of the
lakes or rivers is generally the seat of some noble-
man or gentleman. The north side of the Grampians
is more rugged in its appearance, and the huge masses
are seen piled on one another in the most awful
magnificence. The height of the Grampian moun-
tains varies from 1,400 feet to 3,500 feet above the
level of the sea ; and several of them are elevated
still higher. The Cairngorm in Morayshire, the
Bennabuird in Aberdeenshire, the lofty mountains in
Angus and Perthshires, and the mountains of Ben-
lomond in Dumbartonshire, are elevated considerably
above that height."
The range whose highest summit-line forms the
western and northern boundary of Forfarshire, while
quite continuous and of uniform appearance, and
specially entitled to be known by a distinctive and
comprehensive name, is probably, in despite of its
local appellation of "the Binchinnin mountains,"
more frequently grouped, in popular speech, under
the word Grampians than any other part of the bor-
der Highland territory. None of the summits here
are so abrupt and majestic as those of Perthshire and
the Lomonds, nor are they covered with such herb-
age as those which form the screens of Glenlyon,
and some others of the more southerly Grampian
valleys. The mountains are, in general, rounded
and tame, and covered for the most part with
moorish soil and stunted heath. On the south-east
side, they exhibit ridge behind ridge, rising like the
benches of an amphitheatre slowly to the back-
ground summit range, but laterally cloven down at
intervals, by glens and ravines emptying out rills or
torrents toward the plain ; and, on the north- wrest
side, they descend with a considerably greater rapi-
dity, and occupy a smaller area with their flanks.
Tracing a section of the range, occupying a space of
about 10 miles, from Strathmore to the summit of
Mount-Battock, or con verging point of the counties of
Forfar, Aberdeen, and Kincardine, and twice minutely
surveyed by the ingenious Colonel Imrie, a fair idea
may be formed of its geological structure. Follow-
ing up the channel of the North Esk, the first native
rock which occurs is a reddish brown argillaceous
sandstone, stratified in layers of various thickness,
from 1 inch to 4 feet of solid stone. Its component
parts are small particles of quartz, still smaller
particles of silvery-lustred mica, and an inconsider-
able admixture of calcareous matter ; which owe
their adhesion and their colour to a martial argilla-
ceous cement. In the plain, the rock is perfectly
horizontal ; when it approaches the skirt of the
Grampians, it perceptibly begins to rise, and, slowly
going off the horizontal for £ of a mile, it afterwards
rises so rapidly that, a mile onward, it becomes quite
vertical. At the point of its assuming this position,
and of its being in the firmest state of consolidation,
a bed of trap 40 feet thick occurs between two of its
layers. The sandstone continuing vertical for some
way beyond, the gravel which hitherto had been but
occasionally imbedded in it, becomes rapidly aug-
mented in quantity ; and, at last, the sandstone
entirely disappears, and is seen to pass into a conglo-
merate or gravel rock, composed of rounded water-
worn stones, varying in diameter from | an inch to
a foot. The stones consist chiefly of quartz and
granites, and subordinately of porphyries, jaspers,
and other materials, all the productions of the in-
terior mountains ; and are cemented into rock by a
highly ferruginated reddish-brown clay, mixed with
very small particles of quartz, and very minute frag-
ments of silver-lustred mica, and so binding, while it
fills up the interstices, that the hardest little stones
in the composition may be more easily broken than
removed from their sockets. In this conglomerate,
thin stratulae of fine-grained sandstone, from one-
third of an inch to a foot in thickness, occur at va-
rious intervals, and stretch longitudinally through the
rock, dividing its mass into separate beds. The rock
thus shown, by the lines and thin beds of sandstone,
to be of various deposits, and to stretch from west
to east, runs along the face of the Grampians over
an extent of more than an hundred miles. At Stone-
haven, it is some miles in thickness ; in the middle
district it occupies less space ; towards the south-
west, it again swells out, and forms high mural pre-
cipices of immense thickness ; and in this long
stretch it has uniformly a vertical position. Its
whole thickness in the channel or cut of the North
Esk is only 400 yards; and here it rests upon a
very fine-grained sandstone, of a dark ferruginous
brown colour, — succeeded by a pale purplish or lilac
brown clay porphyry, — a stratification of transition
slate, variable in its composition, irregularly strati-
fied, and occasionally contorted, — a narrow bed of
slate, arranged in thin lamellae, of a greenish grey
colour, with some tints of yellow and of bluish grey,
— a bed of trap, of a black colour, with a small
admixture of brown, — and various other formations.
Leaving the cut of the North Esk — which, farther
up, discloses much to interest a geologist — the deep-
cut of a torrent coming down from Mount-Bat-
tock shows the formations of the higher grounds.
On entering this cut, the basis of the hills seem en-
tirely composed of mica slate, much veined with
quartz, and much twisted in its texture. This rock
stretches from west to east, and dips toward the
south at an angle of about 45°. Next to it oc-
curs gneiss, with veins of porphyry passing from
the one rock into the other. These veins of por-
phyry, stretching nearly from south to north, cut-
ting the Grampians nearly at right angles, and al)
parallel to one another, are numerous in this district.
They vary from 8 to 12 yards, are all, with very slighl
variations, of a reddish-brown colour, and have t
basis of felspar, embosoming rhomboidal felspars,
and specks of quartz. On the acclivity, before reach-
ing the frequent recurrence of the porphyry veins
two beds of trap are seen considerably apart, botl
traversing gneiss, and, in a vertical position, th<
lower 12, and the higher 6 yards thick. In th<
region of the porphyry veins, hornblende slate twic<
occurs, inconsiderably thick in the bed, resting upoi
gneiss, and of a fine texture, thinly slaty, and o
great induration. At no great distance from it, is ;
considerably thick stratified bed of primitive lime
stone, of a bluish-grey colour, resting upon gneiss
Ascending towards the summit of Mount-Battock
the gneiss is seen to rest on granite of a browriisl
flesh colour, — a tint which it derives from its felspar
The granite is largely granulated, has very littl
mica in its composition, occasionally discloses vein
of compact felspar, sometimes scattered with speck
of quartz. The particles of quartz in the composi
tion of the granite are of a dark smoky coloui
The etymology of the word " Grampians" is so ol
scure, and — worthless though the topic be — has o<
casioned so many disputes and so much theorizing
that we may be excused for not rushing among tl
GRA
I of antiquarians in a vain effort to ascertain it.
rould it be much wiser to make any attempt at
fixing the locality of " the battle of the Grampians,"
fought between Galgacus and Agricola.
GRAMRY, a small island of Argyleshire, in Loch-
Linnhe, a few miles north of Lismore.
GRANDTULLY, a compact district in the par-
ishes of Dull and Little Dunkeld, Perthshire, mea-
suring 6£ miles in extreme length, Smiles in extreme
breadth, and 32£ miles in superficial area. Though
not a parish, it was erected, in 1820, by the presby-
tery of Dunkeld, into a mission, under the committee
for managing the Royal bounty. The church is
sed to be several centuries old; was formerly
lapel subordinate to the church of Dull; and is
present maintained by the proprietor of the estate
' Grandtully. Sittings about 450. Stipend £85,
th a manse and glebe. According to a survey
made by the minister in 1836, the population con-
sisted of 865 churchmen and 5 dissenters, — in all
870 persons, 850 of whom belonged to the parish of
Dull, and 20 to that of Little Dunkeld.
GRANGE, a parish in Banffshire, situated in the
lower district,* and bounded on the north by Desk-
ford, Fordyce, and Ordiquhill; on the east by Mar-
noch and Rothiemay ; on the south by part of Aber-
deenshire and by Keith ; and on the west also by
ith. It extends 6 miles in length, from north to
and 5 in breadth, from east to west. Popu-
m, in 1801, 1,529; in 1831, 1,492. Assessed
irty, in 1815, £3,121. Houses, in 1831, 333.
runs north from the banks of the river Isla, in
three long but low ridges, terminating in the moun-
tains called the Knock-hill, the Lurg-hill, and the
"" of Altmore, which divide it from the fertile dis-
of Boyne and Enzie. These hills are of con-
rable height, the first being elevated 1,200 feet
re the level of its base. The low grounds and
of the hills are finely cultivated and enclosed.
>n the banks of the Isla, the ground, having a tine
southern exposure, is dry and early ; but the north-
ern district is naturally more cold, wet, and unpro-
ductive, the soil being on poor clay on a spongy,
mossy bottom. The whole parish has formerly been
covered with wood. There are inexhaustible quar-
ries of the best limestone, which is burnt with the
peats dug from the mosses. The parish is inter-
sected by roads in every direction, from Banff, Cul-
len, Aberdeen, &c., to the interior. The ruins of
'the Grange,' once the residence of the abbots of
Kinloss, and a place of great splendour, whence the
parish derived its name, are still to be seen on the
top of a small mount, partly natural arid partly arti-
ficial. This castle was surrounded by a dry ditch,
and overlooked extensive haughs then covered with
wood, the small river Isla meandering through them
for several miles of a district then celebrated for its
beauty. Several trenches or encampments, upon the
laughs of Isla, with the defensive side thrown up
owards the coast, are supposed to have been made
>y the Scots. " Two of the fields of battle," says
he writer of the Old Statistical Account of the par-
" are clearly to be seen, being covered with
is of stones, under which they used to bury the
slain. One of these fields is on the north side of
the Gallow-hill, not far from the encampments above
mentioned; and the other is on the south side of
* This parish is part of the district of Stryla or Strathisla;
»o called from the Hinall river Isl;., which runs along tin- south
Ride of it from west to east, dividing a farm or two, on the
Mirth i-ide of the ridge of hills railed Ballach, from the rest of
this parish; and empries itself into the Deveron, about 2
miles east of the pansh, after a short course of 12 mile*, in
«vhich it receives a number of rapid mountain-streams, which
have caused it frequently to overflow its banks, and damage the
rrops upon its haughs.
703
GRA
Knockhill, to which there leads a road, from the
encampments, over the hill of Silliearn, called to this
day, 'the Bowmen's road.' Auchinhove, which lies
near <he banks of Isla, has been another field of
battle ; and in a line with it, towards Cullen, upon
the head of the burn of Altmore, some pieces of ar-
mour were said to have been dug up several years
ago, but were not preserved ; and in the same line,
towards the coast, upon the top of the hill of Alt-
more, there is a cairn, called the King's cairn, where
probably the Danish king or general was slain in the
pursuit." — This parish is in the presbytery of Strath-
bogie, and synod of Moray. Patron, the Earl of
Fife. Stipend £164 12s. 2d.; glebe £7. Unappro-
priated teinds £332 19s. 2d. Schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4d. ; fees £6, besides interest of a legacy
of £100 lls., and a share of the Dick bequest.
There are 4 private schools in the parish.
GRANGE. See ERROL.
GRANGE-BURN— sometimes called West Quar-
ter-burn— a rivulet in Stirlingshire. It rises in the
parish of Falkirk near Barleyside, and having flowed
a very brief distance eastward, pursues a course of
3& miles north-eastward to Laurieston, and thence
of 2| miles northward to the Carton at Grange-
mouth, forming, over the whole distance, except 4
or 5 furlongs above its embouchure, the boundary-
line between Falkirk and Polmont.
GRANGEMOUTH, a thriving and important
sea-port in the parish of Falkirk, Stirlingshire. De-
riving its name from the mouth of Grange-burn, it
stands at the confluence of that rivulet with the
Carron, half-a-mile above the influx of the united
streams into the Forth. Its resources and capacities
as a port depend mainly on its commanding the en-
trance, through the mouth of Grange-burn, of the
Forth and Clyde canal. The town, though small,
contains some neat and good houses; and, with ad-
vantageousness of position, ample appliances of an
inland harbour, and a beautiful framework of rich
circumjacent scenery, presents a decidedly pleasing
appearance. It has a dry dock, commodious quays,
and lofty extensive storehouses. The Carron com-
pany have here a spacious wharf. Rope-making and
ship-building employ a number of hands. The con-
struction of steam-vessels also has been introduced.
The maiden-effort of the place in this department
was completed in the autumn of 1839 by the launch
of the steam-ship Hecla, 80 feet long, 36 feet across
the midships, and about 100 tons register, designed
for towing trading- vessels over the Memel bar in
Prussia. Previous to 1810, all vessels belonging to
the port were registered at Borrowstonness: Grange-
mouth, however, has now a customhouse of its own.
It has also a branch-office of the Commercial bank
of Scotland, four schools, a quoad sacra parish-
church, and a library. In its vicinity, a little to the
south-west, stands Kerse house, a seat of the Earl
of Zetland. The Carron foundry attracted, after
1 760, the maritime trade formerly enjoyed by Airth,
long the chief sea-port of Stirlingshire; and the sub-
sequent formation of the Forth and Clyde canal,
occasioned, in 1777, the erection of Grangemouth
by Sir Lawrence Dundas. The incipient port speed-
ily rose into notice, and acquired an attractive in-
fluence; and, from nearly the date of its erection, it
has been the emporium of the commerce
of Stirling-
shire. The Carron company alone drive a very
large traffic through its harbour. The Stirling mer-
chants unload their cargoes here, floating their timber
from it up the Forth, and transporting their iron by
land. An accession of trade is drawn to it by the
cheapness of its harbour-dues, compared with the
demands made at Leith. All the great traffic along
the canal from the Forth to Port-Dundas and th«
GRA
704
GRA
Clyde, makes lodgements on it in passing, or adds,
in various' ways, to its interest. Timber, hemp,
flax, tallow, deals, and iron from the Baltic, and
grain from foreign countries, and from the east coast
of Scotland and England, are landed on its quays.*
The quoad sacra parish of Grangemouth consists of
only a small adjacent district, additional to the town,
and containing about 1,500 inhabitants. The church
was built in 1838. Sittings about 700. Population
of the town, in 1831, 1,155.
GRANNOCH (Locn), a sequestered and roman-
tic lake, in the northern extremity of the parish of
Girthon, about 3 miles in length, and half-a-mile
broad. Beautifully belted, and bounded with hills,
it resembles in summer, when the winds are asleep,
a huge mirror set in a deep frame. On approaching
it from Gatehouse, the traveller threads the beauti-
ful vale of Fleet, and by merely turning his horse's
head, obtains many glorious and welcome peeps of
the magnificent scenery around Cally. Crossing the
'big water o' Fleet,' the tourist climbs the brae to
Murraytown — a farm-house perched on the hill-side;
and then bidding adieu to the abodes of men, enters
on a wide and dreary moor, intersected here and
there with patches of meadow, and covered with
ling, heather, and gall. The Fleet is fed by two
mountain-streams, and these the traveller has to
cross repeatedly, before ascending the hill in front,
and entering on the most perilous part of his journey.
Crag-Ronald, and Crag-Lowrie, frown defiance on
either side, and ever and anon some shaggy moun-
tain-goat skips from one ledge of rock to another,
and bleats forth his surprise at recognising a stranger
in a region so desolate. The pass at this point is
farther bounded by a huge ravine, which, although
unvisited by spring or brook, is amply supplied with
the means of filtration. Immense masses of granite
rudely piled the one above the other, and disclosing
numerous chasms between, line the bottom to a great
depth,
" With rocks on rocks confusedly hurled,
The fragments of an earlier world "
The road, too — if such a term be applicable — lies in
some parts through peat-hags, at others over seams
of naked granite, where the slightest giddiness or
want of caution might precipitate the traveller into
situations from which he could never emerge alive.
At length every difficulty surmounted, Loch-Gran-
noch, in all its Alpine solitude, imparts a sheeny
brightness to the vale below, whether dyed with the
ruddy tints of even, or illumined with the broader
glare of noon. Its banks, where the water leaves
the land, are lined with the finest pulverized granite.
Opposite the cliffs nearest to Cairnsmuir, the water
has been sounded to the depth of 90 feet ; but more
towards the centre, though trials have been made,
no bottom has ever been found. Loch-Grannoch
abounds with the finest trout; and char of a rich
and delicate flavour are caught in it in considerable
* A Bill is now before Parliament [April 1841] by which
the directors of the Forth and Clyde canal are empowered to
improve and extend the harbour and basin at Grangemouth;
to form a new harbour and wharfs, with an entrance from the
river Carrori ; t<> alter the course of the Grange-burn; and to
improve the entrance from the frith of Forth into the harbour
by making a sea-dyke. It confirms and gives effect to an agree-
ment between the Company and the Earl of Zetland respecting
the works at Grangemouth, by which all the rates and duties
which the Earl and the Company may be entitled to levy for
the use of the harbour and wharfs are to be received by the
Company ; and, alter satisfying the purposes mentioned in the
agreement, to divide the surplus equally between the Earl and
the Company. In consideration of the expense in making the
sea-dyke from the harbour of Grangemouth to the mouth of
the Carron, the Company are empowered, when the work shall
be completed, to take a toll, not exceeding 4d. per ton on all
vessels passing into or out of the harbour of Grangemouth, and
using the towing path of the Company in navigating the Carrou
from or to the frith of Forth.
quantities at the proper season. A large boat is
kept on the lake, and here the angler may while
away most delightfully the longest summer-day.
Different rivulets run into the loch, and a large one
which escapes from it, feeds the black water of Dee
and mingles with the Ken at the beautifully wooded
promontory of Airds — a spot which Lowe has ren-
dered immortal by his inimitable lyric of ' Mary's
Dream.' A sweet little island guards the spot where
the lake becomes a running stream, and there within
the last dozen years eagles used to build and rear
their young.
GR ANTON, an incipient town and sea-port on
the frith of Forth; 2£ miles from Edinburgh, in the
parish of Cramond. The Duke of Buccleuch, pro-
prietor of the estate of Caroline park, has, solely at
his own expense, raised erections here which will at-
tract shipping, and, to a moral certainty, secure the
speedy construction of a town and port of consider-
able importance. The main structure is a well-
planned, very extensive, and altogether magnificent
pier, forming decidedly the best harbour in the frith
of Forth. The pier was commenced in November
1835, and partially opened on the Queen's corona-
tion-day, the 28th of June, 1838, and is already
carried seaward to the length of 1,600 feet. When
completed, it will be 1,700 feet in length, and from
80 to 160 in breadth; four pairs of jetties, each run-
ning out 90 feet, will go off at intervals of 350 feet;
2 slips, each 325 feet long, will facilitate the ship-
ping and the landing of cattle ; a strong high wall,
cleft with brief thoroughfares, will run along the
middle of the whole esplanade; a lighthouse will
rise up from the extreme point, exhibiting a brilliant
and distinctive light; and altogether accommodation
will be afforded, the depth of water around it and
by means of its low- water jetties, for the easy access,
in any state of the tide, of steamers and ships of
even the largest size. All these works, except over
100 feet at the northern extremity, are, in fact, al-
ready completed; and they exhibit such a massive
and beautiful masonry, and realize so fully the ad-
vantages of an excellent harbour, as — viewed in con-
nexion with the vicinity of the metropolis of a coun-
try opulent in its mines and its agriculture, and with
the general disadvantageousness of the ports on the
Forth — to be regarded by almost every patriotic
Scottish onlooker in the light of a great national
work. A spacious, neat, and commodious hotel
has been built by the Duke of Buccleuch as the
nucleus of the future town. The Duke — in terms
of the act of parliament for erecting the pier — will
be entitled to a given levy of dues on passengers,
cattle, and land-conveyances.
GRANTOWN, a modern village, in the parish of
Cromdale, Inverness-shire; 22 miles south or Forres;
13£ north-east of Aviemore ; 30| south-east of Fort-
George; and 1 south of Castle-Grant, on the left
side of the river Spey, on the road from the lower
to the higher districts of the country. From Gran-
town to Aviemore, the head of Strathspey, a military
road, extending southward 12 miles, forms part oi
the communication from the Laggan road to the
Spey-side-road; and a road branching from it along
the north side of the river Dulnain, called the Duthe
road, opens a more direct intercourse with Inverness.
The military road from Grantown extends north ware
9 miles to Dava or Tominarroch, wrhere it is mei
by a branch of the Findhorn road, and thus conduces
with it in forming access to the coast at Nairn am
at Forres. Previous to the year 1774, the site o
this village was a barren and untenanted heath. I
was then begun to be built under the patronage o
the Grant family, who have been its continual bene
factors. It is neatly built, and possesses a town
Gil A
I and prison of elegant architecture, and under
irisdiction of the sheriff of the county. There
excellent school in the village, and an hospital
0 poor orphans has been established on the
>f the Edinburgh Orphans' hospital. The Na-
tional bank has a branch here. Population, in 1801,
about 400; in 1831, 1,850. — There is a mission-
vtation here, the district attached to which comprises
In"
705
CUE
old parish of Inverallan. The church was built
1802; sittings 1,000. The mission was estab-
ed in 1835, previous to which time the minister
Cromdale preached every alternate Sabbath at
town. Salary of missionary £80.
RASHOLM, one of the small Orkney isles,
.ted half-a-mile south of Shapinshay.
R ASSY- WALLS, a Roman camp in the shire
Perth and parish of Scone ; on the east side of
Tay, about 3 miles north of Perth. General Roy
poses it to have been of sufficient dimensions to
contain the whole of Agricola's army, after passing
Tay ; and has given a plan of it. The farm of
y- Walls has taken its name from its situation
lin the earthen intrenchments.
rRAVE, a small island on the coast of Lewis.
•REENHOLM, one of the Shetland islands, ly-
10 mu'es north-north-west of Lerwick.
fREENHOLMS, two islets of the Orkneys, a
?-and-a-half south- west of Eday.
rREENL A W, a parish in the Merse,Ber wickshire.
of an oblong form, extending from north-west to
ith-east ; and measures, in extreme length, 8 miles,
extreme breadth, 4 miles, — and in superficial
25 square miles. It is bounded on the north
Longformacus ; on the north-east by Polwarth
Fogo ; on the south-east by Eccles ; on the
th-west by Hume and Gordon ; and on the west
Westruther. The southern division, comprising
;r more than one-half of the whole area, is
1-enclosed and highly cultivated, and presents in
jral a level surface, variegated here and there
low detached rounded grassy hills of the class
laws, — from one of which the parish de-
its name. Throughout this division the soil
a deep strong clay, and produces excellent wheat,
prime grain of other species, and fine pasture. The
northern division is, for the most part, a moorland
and hilly tract. Some of the hills are dry, and par-
tially cultivated ; others are wet and covered with
short heath, and adapted only for sheep-walks and
the raising of young cattle. Across the moor, over
a distance of fully two miles, stretches an irregular
gravelly ridge, about 50 feet broad at the base, and
between 30 and 40 feet high, called the Kaimes.
The ridge bends round in the form of a semicircle,
presenting its face or hollow to the hills. On the
south side of it is Dogden moss, 500 acres in ex-
tent, and in some places 10 feet in depth, yielding
which, when properly cut and dried, are a
fuel little inferior to coals. Blackadder water comes
down upon the parish from Weetruther, runs along-
its western boundary for 3 miles, and then, includ-
ing a considerable bend in its course southwards,
at the extremity of which lies the town of Green-
law, it passes through to the eastern boundary
over a distance of about 4 miles. In summer, arid
even in winter, it is, in general, but a tiny stream;
but, being fed by a number of rills and little moun-
tain torrents, it sometimes swells suddenly to a
great size, and overflows, to a considerable extent,
the grounds adjacent to its banks. The stream is
of much local value by giving water-power to a
lint-mill, a fulling-mill, and two flour-mills. A rill
of about 4 miles in length of course comes in upon
Ihe parish from the north, and Hows south war-!
through it to tlie Blackadder. Another stream,
of about 8 mile.s in length of course, comes down
from the south-west upon its most southerly angle,
forms its south-east boundary-line over a distance
of 2| miles, and then passes onward through the
conterminous parish of Eccles to fall into the Leet.
The high and precipitous banks of the Blackadder.
before the river reaches the town, afford abundant
quarries of red sandstone, and, at the point of its
leaving the parish, exhibit a coarse white sandstone,
with a superincumbence of dark claystone porphyry.
At Greenlaw, which is well-sheltered by hills, the
air is mild; in the southern division of the parish it
is more gentle and dry than in the northern divi-
sion; and, in the entire district, it very rarely floats
the miasmata of any epidemical disease, and is pecu-
liarly healthy. Two miles north-west of the town,
on the verge of the bold banks of the Blackadder,
and its confluent stream from the north, are vestiges
of an encampment ; and leading off directly opposite
to them, an intrenchment, whence numerous coins
of the reign of Edward III. were very recently dug
up, runs first along the banks of the river, and then
goes due south in the direction of Hume castle.
About a mile north from the town, an old wall or
earthen mound, fortified on one side with a ditch, but of
unknown original dimensions, formerly ran across the
parish, and is traditionally reported to have extended
from a place called the Boon — a word which in Celtic
means boundary, or termination — in the parish of
Legerwood, all the way to Berwick ; but at what
time, or by whom, or for what purpose, the wall
was constructed, are matters not known. The
principal mansion in the parish is Rochester ; the
beautiful one of Marchmont, with its extensive and
wooded demesnes, belonging to Sir H. Purves
Hume Campbell, Bart., the proprietor of two-thirds
of the soil, being within the limits of the contermin-
ous parish of Polwarth. The parish is traversed by
the post-road between Edinburgh .and Coldstream,
and by a branch going off toward Dunse, and con-
tains altogether about 18 miles of public road. Popu-
lation, in 1801, 1,270; in 1831, 1,442. Houses, in
1831, 252. Assessed property, in 1815, £5,477.
Greenlaw is in the presbytery of Dunse, and synod
of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, Sir W. P. H.
Campbell, Bart. Stipend £254 15s. 5d. ; glebe
£25. Unappropriated teinds £ 1,023 16s. 3d. The
parish-church is ancient, and Was new-seated about
1776. Sittings 476.— There were two Dissenting
places of worship in 1835. The United Secession
congregation was established in 1781. Their place
of meeting, originally a dwelling-house, was pur-
chased in 1783-4 for £115, and altered and repaired
at a cost of up wards of £100. Sittings 329. Stipend
£92, with a house and garden ; £8 for sacramental
expenses — The Original Burgher congregation was
established in 1800. Their place of worship is now
a quoad sacra chapel, the congregation having join-
ed the Established church. Sittings 222. Stipend
£65 The parish-school is attended by a maximum
of 150 scholars. Salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £55
fees, and £16 other emoluments. A non-parochial -
school is attended by a maximum of 47 scholars.
The interest of a legacy of 2,000 merks Scots, left
in the year 1667 by Thomas Broomfield, and called
the Broomfield mortification, is currently expended
in alleviating the su-He rings of the poor, and educat-
ing their children. The church of (irccnlaw, and
chapels respectively at Lambdeno, and on the old
manor of Halyburton, belonged, till the Reforma-
tion, to the monks of Kelso. The inins of the
two chapeU have but recently disappeared. During
the 1'Jth, Kith, and 14th centuries, the kirk-town of
12 Y
GRE
706
GRE
Greenlaw, or Old Greenlaw, was the residence of
the Earls of Dunbar, the ancestors of the family of
Home : see article DUNBAR.
The town of GREENLAW, the capital of its parish,
a burgh-of-barony, and the county-town of Berwick-
shire, stands on the north bank of the Blackadder,
on a peninsula formed by a bend of the river,
7 A miles south-west of Dunse ; 20 miles south-west
of Eyemouth ; 20 miles west of Berwick; 10 miles
north-west of Coldstream ; 12 miles east of Lauder;
and 37 miles south by east of Edinburgh. The ori-
ginal town — still commemorated by a farm-stead on
its site called Old Greenlaw — stood on the top of a
verdant eminence, or green law, about a mile south
of the present town. At some distance to the east
stood the ancient castle of Greenlaw, vestiges of
which have long since disappeared. When the mo-
dern town rose from its foundations, its baronial
superiors, the family of Marchmont, who had great
political influence after the Revolution, speedily in-
vested it with very considerable importance. In
1696 — in spite of the superior intrinsic greatness and
the more advantageous relative position of Dunse,
which, jointly with Lauder, wore at that time the
county-honours — it was constituted by act of parlia-
ment the county-town of Berwickshire ; and it has
continued since to fee the seat of the county-courts
and other jurisdictions. Yet, apart from its public
civil buildings — which belong rather to all Berwick-
shire than properly to itself — it is a mere village, in-
considerable in bulk, sequestered in position, and
innocent of the activities and the productiveness
of trade or manufacture. It consists simply of one
long street, with a square market-place opening
from it on the north side. Over the whole recess
or further side of the square, the parish-church on
the one side, and the old court-house on the other,
send up between them an ancient and sepulchral-
looking steeple, formerly occupied as the prison;
and the entire group of building — its seat of justice
and its place of worship jamming up the gloomy
narrow jail between them, and all backed by the
burying-ground of the town and parish — suggested
to some wag the severe couplet : —
" H*re stand the gospel and the law,
Wi' hell's hole atween the twa!"
But both the court-house and the prison have been
superseded by new edifices which, in an architectural
point of view, are highly ornamental to the town,
and whose position is less liable to satirical re-
mark. In the centre of the square formerly stood
an elegant Corinthian pillar, surmounted in sculp-
ture by the armorial bearings of the Earls of March-
mont, and serving as the market-cross. The site
of this defunct antiquity :ind some circumjacent
spaces are now occupied by the new county-hall.
This is a chaste yet elegant Grecian edifice, built
solely at the expense of Sir W. P. H. Campbell, Bart.,
the baronial superior of the town, and the successor
of the powerful family of Marchmont, and presented
by him to the county. In front, it has a beautiful
vestibule surmounted by a dome. In the interior
is a hall, 60 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 28 feet
high, adorned at each end with two fluted pillars
with Corinthian capitals. In the dome is a fire-proof
room for the conservation of documents. There
are in the building, also, several other apartments
for the accommodation of the sheriff and other
county officials. The new jail, at a little distance,
was built in 1824. It has 2 day-rooms for felons,
1 day-room for debtors, 18 cells, and 3 courts for
the use of prisoners ; and is surrounded and rendered
quite secure, by a high wall bristling up in a che-
vaux-de- frieze. It will, however, require consider-
able alterations to adapt it to the separate system of
discipline now introducing under the New Prisons
act. The town, besides 6 or 7 inferior inns or
alehouses, has one large inn, a new, neat, and com-
modious edifice. It has also the two Dissenting
chapels of the parish, a public subscription library,
a friendly society, a branch bible society, a re-
gular hiring-market for servants, and two annual
cattle fairs, one on the 22d day of May, and the
other on the last Thursday of October. A daily
coach, plying between Edinburgh and Dunse, passes
through the town. — Greenlaw, as a burgh-of-barony,
holds of the proprietor of Marchmont. Nearly the
whole town is feued; and the feuars, about 80 in
number, are a respectable class of persons. Po-
pulation, in 1811, about 600; in 1821, 765; in
1831, 895.
GREENLAW, a hamlet in the parish of Glencross,
Edinburghshire, on the road between Edinburgh and
Pennycuick, 8 miles from the former, and 2 miles
from the latter, where there is an extensive range of
barracks, but chiefly for prisoners of war.
GREENMILL AND BANKEND, two contigu-
ous villages on Lochar water, at the eastern verge of
the parish of Caerlaverock, Dumfries-shire. They
are distant 5 miles south-east from Dumfries ; and
2 miles east from Glencaple. At Greenmill is the
parish-church; and at Bankend is a grammar-
school, endowed with £40 a-year of salary.
GREENOCK,* a parish in the north-west of
Renfrewshire, bounded by the frith of Clyde on the
north ; and in other directions by the parishes of In-
nerkip, Kilmalcolm, and Port- Glasgow. It stretches
about 4£ miles along the shore, and extends consider-
ably more up the country to the south. The land
is hilly, with the exception of a stripe of level ground
by the water-side, varying from less than half-a-mile
to a mile in breadth. The soil of this level portior,
is light, mixed with sand and gravel. It has been
rendered very fertile, owing to the great encourage-
ment given to cultivation, from the constant demand
for country produce by the numerous population.
In the ascent the surface is diversified with patches
of loam, clay, and 1 11. Farther up, and towards the
summits of the hills, the soil for the most part is
thin, in some places mossy ; the bare rocks here and
there appearing. The land in this quarter is little
adapted to any thing but pasturage for black cattle
and sheep. On the other side of the heights, ex-
cept a few cultivated spots in the descent to, and
on the banks of, the Gryfe, heath and coarse grass
prevail. The greatest elevation attained by the
Greenock hills is 800 feet. The views from thence
are varied, extensive, and grand, combining water,
shipping, the scenery on either bank of the Clyde,
arid the lofty Highland mountains. The sides oi
the hills overlooking the town and the river are
adorned with villas, and diversified with thriving
plantations; so that the defect in the landscape
pointed out by the Rev. Archibald Reid, the taste-
ful and intelligent Statistical reporter of 1793, has
been removed. The parish contains 6,365 English
acres, nearly 5-6ths of which belong to the family oJ
* According to the popular belief, Greenock received it*
uame from a green oak, which, it is said, once stood upon tht
shore ; but this seems a mere play upon words, and there is m
reason to suppose that any such oak ever existed. The naim
may be derived from the British Graeii-ag, signifying a gra-
velly or sandy place; or from the Gaelic, Grian-aig, signifying
a sunny bay. Both these terms are applicable to tlie site o!
Greenock, which has a sandy and gravelly soil and is fine!}
exposed to the sun on the margin of a beautiful bay. The lasl
derivation is the most probable, and in support of it we musl
add that the name of the place is still pronounced Grianaig bj
the Highland portion of the populatiou.
GREENOCK.
707
iw Stewart, Bart. In 1818 the land was thus
nged:
ttngiish Acr
2..-HI5
Arable,
Sound dry pasture,
Moorish land <>f little value, .
Sites of houses, roads, and rivulet!1,
Woodlands, mo.-tly natural, .
Total,
2.7SO
300
40
6,3T>5
be earliest name which occurs in connection
this place is that of " Hugh de Grenok," who
recorded in Ragman Roll as one of the many
Scottish barons who, in 1296, came under subjec-
tion to Edward I. of England. Crawfurd, the his-
torian of Renfrewshire, does not appear to have
been aware of the existence of this person, and in
his account of the barony of Greenock goes no far-
ther back than the reign of Robert III., (1390-1406)
during which he mentions it was divided between
the two daughters and heiresses of Malcolm Gal-
braith, the proprietor, one of whom married Shaw
of Sauchie, and the other married Crawfurd of Kil-
birnie. The two divisions were from that time held
as separate baronies — Wester Greenock by the Shaws,
and Easter Greenock by the Crawfurds— till 1669,
when John Shaw purchased the eastern portion, and
thus became the proprietor of both. John Shaw
Stewart — afterwards of Blackball, Baronet — suc-
ceeded to the conjoined baronies, on the death of
his grand-uncle, Sir John Shaw, in 1752, and in this
family it has since continued. The castle of Easter
Greenock, a square tower, stood at Bridge-end,
about a mile east of the town of Greenock. It was
ruinous when Crawfurd wrote (1710) and probably
was not inhabited*" after the sale to the Shaws in
1669. An engraving of the ruin, exhibiting only a
portion of the north wall with spaces for two small
windows, at different heights, was published in the
Scots Magazine for October 1810. The castle of
Wester Greenock occupied the site of an edifice
which stands upon an eminence above the assembly-
rooms. This edifice formed the residence of the
Shaws, the feudal superiors of the district, and
thence received the name of "the Mansion-house,"
—a name it still retains, although it has not been
occupied by the proprietors since 1754, two years
after the accession of Mr. Shaw Stewart to the
estate. The older portion of this house appears to
have been built in the 1 7th century. Over a back
entrance is the date 1674 ; a well close by bears the
date 1629; and over one of the entrances to the
garden is affixed the date 1635. The front and
the greater part of the building is of more modern
construction : it is still inhabited. Before the houses
of the town encroached upon it, this mansion, with
its terraces and pleasure-grounds overlooking the
river, must have had a very striking aspect. It was
thus noticed by Alexander Drummond, when speak-
ing of Vabro in Italy, in the travels he performed in
1744: — "Here the Count de Merci possesses a
oeautiful house, that stands upon the top of the
hill, with fine terraced gardens sloping down to the
river side, which yield a delicious prospect to the
I've ; yet beautiful as this situation is, the house of
(Jreenock would have been infinitely more noble, had
t been, according to the original plan, above the
terrace with the street opening down to the har-
bour; indeed, in that case, it would have been the
nost lordly site in Europe."*
During the papacy, the baronies of Greenock were
Comprehended in the parish of Innerkip. Being at
i great distance from the parish-church, the irihabi-
lants had the benefit of three chapels within their
Drummond's Travels, London, 1754, p. 21, folio.
» Drtunmon
own bounds. One of them, and probably the prin-
cipal, was dedicated to St. Laurence, from whom
the adjacent expanse derived its name of the Bay of
St. Laurence. It stood on the site of the house at
the west corner of Virginia-street, belonging to the
heirs of Mr. Roger Stewart. In digging the founda-
tions of that house, a number of human bones were
found, which proves that a burying-ground must
have been attached to the chapel. A late writer
states that this place of worship "disappeared in the
wreck of the Reformation ;"f whereas, in point of
fact, it remained in some preservation so recently
as the year 1 760. On the lands still called Chapelton,
on the eastern boundary of the east parish, there
stood another chapel, to which also there must have
been a cemetery attached ; for when these grounds
were formed into a kitchen-garden, many grave-
stones were found under the surface. A little be-
low Kilblain, there was placed a third religious
house, the stones of which the tenant of the ground
was permitted to remove for the purpose of enclos-
ing his garden. From the name it is apparent that
this was a cell or chapel dedicated to St. Blane.
After the Reformation, when the chapels were dis-
solved, the inhabitants of Greenock had to walk to the
parish-church of Innerkip, which was 6 miles distant,
to join in the celebration of public worship. To re-
medy this inconvenience, John Shaw obtained a grant
from the king, in 1589, authorizing him to build a
church for the accommodation of the people on his
lands of Greenock, Finnart, and Spangock, who, it
was represented, were "all fishers, and of a reasonable
number." Power was also given to build a manse
and form a churchyard. This grant was ratified by
parliament in 1592. The arrangement resembled
the erection of a chapel-of-ease in our own times.
Shaw having, in 1591, built a church and a manse,
and assigned a churchyard, an act of parliament was
passed, in 1594, whereby his lands above-mentioned,
with their tithes and ecclesiastical duties, were dis-
oined from the parsonage and vicarage of Innerkip,
and erected into a distinct parsonage and vicarage,
which were assigned to the newly erected parish-
church of Greenock ; and this was ordained to take
effect for the year 1593, and in all time there-
after. The parish of Greenock continued, as thus
established, till 1636, when there was obtained from
the lords commissioners for the plantation of churches
a decree, whereby the baronies of Easter and Wester
Sreenock, and various other lands which had be-
onged to the parish of Innerkip, with a small por-
;ion of the parish of Houstoun, were erected into
i parish to be called Greenock, and the church
brmerly erected at Greenock was ordained to be
,he parochial church, of which Shaw was the patron.
The limits which were then assigned to the parish
of Greenock have continued to the present time ;
but it has since been sub-divided into parochial dis-
ricts, which will be described afterwards.
GREENOCK, a burgh-of-barony, and a parliamen-
;ary burgh, the principal sea-port in Scotland, and
he sixth town in point of population, is situated in
he above parish, on the south shore of the frith of
Clyde. It stands in 55° 57' 2" north latitude, and
:° 45' 30" west longitude, and is distant westwards
rom Paisley 16 miles; from Glasgow 22; and from
Edinburgh 65. It occupies the whole of the stripe
>f level ground already mentioned, and even ascends
considerable way up the ridge of hills which rise
bruptly behind ; in front is a fine bay. The situa-
ion is both beautiful and convenient for commei ce.
n the beginning of the 17th century, Grrrimrk was
mean fishing village, consisting of a single row of
f Chalmers' Caledouia, Vol. III., p. 845.
708
GREENOCK.
thatched cottages. In 1635, Charles I., as admini-
strator-in-law of his son Charles, then a minor,
Prince and Steward of Scotland, granted a charter
in favour of John Shaw, proprietor of the barony of
Greenock, holding of the Prince, erecting the village
of Greenock into a free burgh-of-barony, with the
privilege of holding a weekly market on Friday, and
two fairs annually. This creation was confirmed and
renewed by Charles II., as Prince and Steward, in
1670, and received the ratification of parliament in
1681. In the course of that century it acquired some
shipping, and engaged in coasting, and, to some ex-
tent, in foreign trade. The herring-fishery was the
principal business prosecuted, and in it no less than
900 boats, each having on board 4 men, and 24 nets
were, during some seasons, employed. Besides the
home consumption, immense quantities of herrings
were exported to foreign markets ; in particular, in
the year 1674, 1700 lasts, equal to 20,000 barrels,
were exported to Rochelle, besides what were sent
to other ports of France, to Sweden, to Dantzic,
and other places on the Baltic. This branch of in-
dustry is still prosecuted here. In 1684, a vessel
sailed from Greenock with a number of the perse-
cuted religionists of the West of Scotland, who
were sentenced to transportation to the American
colonies. Next year a party connected with the
Earl of Argyle's invasion landed here ; the bay pro-
bably affording some facility for such a purpose. In
1699, as appears from Borland's History, and not in
1697, as is usually represented, part of the Darien
expedition was fitted out at Cartsdyke, which at that
time was separate from Greenock, and had a quay,
while Greenock had none.
The baronial family of Shaw took a deep interest
in the progress of the town, which indeed may be
said to have been formed under their patronage.
In 1696, and again in 1700, Sir John Shaw applied
to the Scottish parliament for public aid to build a
harbour at Greenock ; but his applications were un-
successful. The importance of the measure induced
the inhabitants to make a contract with Sir John by
which they agreed to an assessment of Is. 4d. ster-
ling on every sack of malt brewed into ale within the
limits of the town ; the money so levied to be ap-
plied in defraying the expense of forming a pier
and harbour. The work was begun in 1707, and
was finished in 3 years. Within 2 circular quays —
a mid quay or tongue intervening, consisting of
above 2,000 feet of stone — were enclosed about 13
imperial acres. This formidable undertaking, the
greatest of the kind at that time in Scotland, in-
curred an expense of about £5,600, the magnitude of
which alarmed the good people of Greenock so much,
that on Sir John Shaw's agreeing to take the debt
upon himself, they gladly resigned to him the har-
bour and the assessment. Such, however, was the
effect of the harbour in increasing the trade and the
population of the town, that by the year 1740 the
whole debt was extinguished, and there remained a
surplus of £1,500, the foundation of the present
town's funds. In our day it may seem strange that
the above tax on malt should have produced so large
a sum as £5,600; and Messrs. Chambers, in their
Gazetteer, pleasantly remark that the speedy liquida-
tion of the expense affords a proof, either of the
great trade carried on, " or of the extreme thirsti-
ness of the inhabitants," at the time in question ;
but it is to be recollected that at that time, and for
a good while after, ale, not ardent spirits, formed
the common drink of the labouring people.
Since 1773, several acts of parliament have been
passed for regulating the affairs of the port, which
are under the management of trustees or commis-
sioners, consisting of the magistrates and town-
council, and 6 gentlemen annually elected by the
shipowners of the place. Of the original harbour
scarcely a vestige remains; successive repairs and
new erections having nearly effaced it. More capa-
cious harbours, with dry docks and other appropriate
accommodations, have, from time to time, been
formed at an immense expense. These works are
as commodious and elegant as any in the kingdom.
The east quay is 531 feet in extent ; entrance to the
harbour, 105 feet; custom-house quay, 1,035 feet;
entrance to the harbour, 105 feet; west quay, 425
feet ; extreme length from east to west, 2,201 feet ;
breadth of piers, 60 feet. The quays run into deep
water, and are approached by steamers at any state
of the tide. Vessels of the largest class can be ad-
mitted into the harbours. In the outer harbour ves-
sels of any burthen have sufficient depth of water,
and good anchorage, but the roadstead is narrowed
by a sand-bank of considerable breadth, which
renders the navigation to Port-Glasgow difficult,
though it serves as a protection to the harbour of
Greenock during north-east gales.
The prosperity of Greenock began at the auspici-
ous era of the Union with England in 1 707, which
opened new views to the traders of the Clyde, by
giving them a free commerce to America and the
West Indies, which they had not before enjoyed ;
and they soon began to send out goods to the colonies,
returning chiefly with tobacco. After the completion
of the harbour, Greenock was established a custom-
house port, and a branch of Port- Glasgow, by an
exchequer commission, dated the 16th of September,
1710. In 1719, the first vessel belonging to Green-
ock crossed the Atlantic. The growing prosperity
of the port excited the jealousy of the traders of
London, Bristol, Liverpool, and Whitehaven, who
accused those of Greenock and Port- Glasgow of
defrauding the revenue ; but the charge was tri-
umphantly refuted. The commerce of Greenock
continued to increase gradually till about 1760, when
the increase became very rapid, and continued its
course till it met with a check from the American
war. After the peace in 1 783, the increase became
still more rapid ; and during the 7 years from 1 784
to 1791, the shipping trade of the place was nearly
tripled in amount. About the beginning of the
present century, it had increased to a much greater
amount than that of any other port in Scotland.
The principal intercourse is with North and South
America, and the East and West Indies ; and here
it deserves to be remarked that it was in Greenock,
in 1813, that the first movement was made for break-
ing up the monopoly of the East India Company.
The Greenland whale-fishery, commenced here in
1752, was never of any importance, and is now dis-
continued. The coasting trade at this port has de-
clined since 1800. This, however, does not indicate
a general failure of that trade on the Clyde, which,
upon the whole, has greatly increased, but merely an
alteration of the mode of carrying it on ; many of the
cdasters, in consequence of the deepening of the
river, and the introduction of towing by steam, now
proceeding direct to Glasgow, instead of stopping in
the first instance at Greenock. For the same rea-
sons, not a little of the foreign trade has been trans-
ferred to Glasgow.
In 1 728, the gross receipt of the customs at Green-
ock was £15,231; in 1770, £57,336; in 1802,
£211,087; in 1831, £592,008; in 1834, £482,138;
in 1837, £380,704; in 1838, £417,673; and in 1839,
£315,084. The recent decrease is partly accounted
for by the duties on tobacco having been paid al
Glasgow since 1834.
The vessels entered inwards, and cleared out-
wards, to foreign ports, with cargoes, in the yean
(r-mentioned, each year ending 5th January, were
L)llo\vs: —
GREENOCK.
709
Tears.
ITS*
1791
INWARDS.
BRITISH.
No. Toi.s.
b-> 6,5<i9
EM 14.807
30 802
1314
1824
1831
IS'H
18:n
1838
Tcari.
1784
ir.ii
ISO I
1SI4
IS-' I
1831
is:; l
isrn
I-H
1»»
2'30
63
90
155
186
188
226
2S4
196
216
4' i,l 17
4fi.l62
49,887
69.813
64,016
59,014
OUTWARDS.
BRITISH.
Tons.
7 '*i7
If) 953
51,888
48,<K>
46,857
54.236
71,898
55,758
58,714
FOREIGN.
Tont.
580
3,357
5,120
1,007
3,054
4,100
K,07S
4.453
8.887
Tons.
520
2..T06
5,965
986
2,099
3,405
2,140
2,807
In 1825, the registered vessels belonging to the
were 241, tonnage 29,054, men 1,987; in 1837,
sels 386, tonnage 47,421, men 3,039; each year
ling 31st December. At the beginning of 1840,
number of vessels was 408, and the tonnage
in 1830, the vessels entered inwards and cleared
twards, coastwise, with cargoes, were, inwards
, tonnage 67,884 ; outwards 796, tonnage 81, 988;
1835, inwards 999, tonnage 103,185; outwards
t, tonnage 95, 1 72 ; each year ending 5th January,
"he declared value of British and Irish goods ex-
from Greenock to foreign parts was, in
H, £1,493,405; in 1832, £1,662,251; in 1834,
1,459,086; in 1836, £1,623,362; in 1837,
1,555,560; in 1838, £1,141,765; each year ending
January.
sfore the war with the North American colonies,
75, all the large vessels belonging to the Clyde
! built in that country; but since then ship-
'ing has been carried on to a great extent at
lock. At present there are here 9 establish-
its in this business, one of which — that of the
srs. Scott — is one of the largest in the empire.
In March 1840 there were 21 vessels building, the
aggregate tonnage of which was 7,338. The Bri-
tannia, the first of the line of steamers which was
established between Liverpool and Halifax in 1840,
was built here. Five of the steam- vessels for car-
rying the royal mail to the West Indies are building
or have been built in Greenock, and it is to supply
6 with their machinery. This place is celebrated
for the construction of boilers and other machinery
for steam-vessels. Boat-building is a consider-
able branch of trade. Rope and sail-making, com-
menced in 1725, are extensively carried on at sev-
eral works. Sugar-refining is here prosecuted to a
greater extent than any where else in Scotland.
The fitst house for this purpose was erected in 1765,
and now there are eleven. The town has iron foun-
dries, manufactories of pottery ware, flint-glass, glass
bottles, and silk and felt hats; with 4 breweries, 2
tanneries, 2 soap and candle works, besides other
establishments common in towns of this size. Straw-
hat making affords employment to many females, and
the manufacture of hats from rye-straw in imitation
of Leghorn bonnets has been brought to great per-
fection.
One of the most extraordinary works of the kind
to be met with in any country, is that by which the
town is plentifully supplied with water for domestic
use, and machinery to a prodigious extent can be
impelled. It was accomplished in 1827 by u
ciation called the Shaws Water company, constituted
by act of parliament in 1825. The work consists of
an immense artificial lake or reservoir situate in tb»j
bosom of the hills, behind the town, formed by turn-
ing the course of some small streams, the principal
called Shaws water, which formerly ran into the sea
at Innerkip, and from which Jhe company takes its
name. From this reservoir an aqueduct passes along
the mountain-range, running for several miles at an
elevation of 500 feet above the level of the sea.
The whole length of the aqueduct is 6$ miles; the
reservoir covers 296:* imperial acres of land, and
there is a compensation-reservoir covering 40 acres,
besides smaller basins. Self-acting sluices, most in-
geniously constructed, prevent the danger of any
overflow, and completely preserve the water during
the greatest floods. There are also two extensive
filters. The whole of this magnificent work was
planned and executed by Mr. Robert Thorn, at the
expense of £52,000. In the vicinity of the town it
pours down a current of water in successive falls,
which impel two grist mills, a mill for cleaning rice
and coffee, a paper work, a sail-cloth and cordage
manufactory, a factory for spinning wool, and an
extensive mill for spinning cotton, all erected on its
course. The construction of the cotton-mill has
been regarded with great interest, contributing as it
does to impart to Greenock the character of a manu-
facturing town.
The following information regarding it, is taken
from the Greenock Advertiser of 30th March, 1841.
The foundation-stone of the manufactory was laid
with masonic honours on 15th June, 1838 — the
very day on which the railway was commenced at
Greenock. The mill is an oblong building 300 feet
in length, 65 in width, and four stories in height.
The elevation is plain but chaste and elegant, and
surpasses in appearance any building of the same
kind which it has been our lot to witness. The
centre portion projects, with a pediment on the top,
and finishes with an octagon belfry on which is a vane
resembling a first-rate steamer. There is a staircase
at each end of the mill of easy ascent, with spacious
landing-places The flats being all exactly alike, a
description of one will stand for the whole. Each
room is 215 feet long and 61 broad. The ceilings,
which are lined with timber, are supported by two
range* of cast-iron pillars, of which there are 40 in each
room. Over these pillars are transverse beams, each
9 feet apart. The apartments at the east end of the
mill, which are intended for cotton and for blowing
rooms, are fire-proof. They are separated from the
work rooms by a stone gable — their ceilings are of
arched brick- work resting on cast-iron beams, and the
floors are of Arbroath flags. Those at the west end
are employed as a counting room, and for warping
and winding apartments. A considerable part of the
ground flat is already filled with throstle frames,
with 'which the entire apartment is intended to he
occupied. The second floor contains preparing ma-
chinery, such as carding, drawing, slobbing, and
finishing fly frames, entirely for throstle spinning.
The third flat contains the various kinds of pre-
paring machinery for mule spinning only; and the
fourth flat is to be filled with self-acting mule?.
When fully at work, this mill will give employ-
ment to about 600 persons, and for their behoof the
proprietors have already erected an extensive range
of dwelling-houses, of the most comfortable and
commodious description. Other houses are to be
reared in due lime, as it is desired that tho>e em-
ployed at the work should live as nigh to it a-
sible The wheel-house stands at a (!i-tun<v of 21
feet from the east end of the mill. It. is aUo a large
building, of plain but neat design. Its length
710
GREENOCK.
feet, and its breadth 33. The base is nearly 50 fee
below, while the roof is about 35 feet above, thi
level of the road. From its bottom a tunnelled tail-
race runs under the road in an oblique direction, for
a distance exceeding 100 yards. This tunnel, a con-
siderable proportion of which is 50 feet beneath the
surface, and the under part of the wheel-house, have
been cut through solid whinstone rock. The arch
of the tunnel, and the arc on which rests the axle ol
the wheel, are constructed of dressed freestone, the
joints of which are joggled and filled with cement.
The stones forming the arc weigh from one to ten
tons each, and the, whole consists of 5,000 tons
of dressed mason work, ten feet thick. The wheel
itself is the largest and most magnificent struc-
ture of the kind in the world. It measures 70
feet 2 inches in diameter, or 220 feet 6 inches in
circumference, and, with the stream furnished by
the Shaws Water company, will work equal to 130
norses' power ; but, from the capacity of the buck-
ets, and the strength of its parts, it is capable of
working up to 200 horses' power with a full sup-
ply of water. It is constructed on what is called
the tension or suspension principle; the shrouding
or outer rings of the wheel being braced to the
centre by 32 chain cable iron bars or arms, 2| inches
in diameter, and an equal number of diagonal braces
of the same thickness. The axle of the wheel is of
cast-iron, and weighs 11 tons. The bearings in
which the wheel revolves, are 24 inches long and 18
inches in diameter, resting in cast-iron bushes. The
centres or naves, into which the arms and braces
are fixed with gibs and cutters, are 10 feet in dia-
meter, and weigh 8| tons each. They are of a rib-
bed form, with punched covings, and have prominent
sockets, for receiving the ends of the arms. They
have a rich and elegant appearance, and the arms
radiating towards the periphery of the wheel, give
an impression of lightness to the ponderous machine.
The shrouding is of cast-iron, and is of 17 inches in
depth. On the side which is not covered by the
gearing, there are two sunk pannels with a neat
" egg and dart" moulding all round the styles; and,
in the body of each pannel, there is a very elegant
branch of the water-lily in has relief, which has a
very handsome effect, by relieving this part of the
wheel from that inexpressive plainness which is usual
in such structures, and yet does not partake of that
inappropriate expression of misplaced ornament, which
too often gives a gingerbread appearance when ap-
plied to large machines. The weight of the wheel
is 117 tons. The shrouding is composed of 64, and
the teethed segment of 32 pieces, containing in all
704 teeth. The buckets are 160 in number, and
each will contain 100 gallons of water. The sole
of the wheel is constructed of iron plates fastened
with no fewer than 20,000 rivets. The wheel per-
forms nearly one revolution in the minute. The
spur wheel and segment pinion, which works in the
teethed segment of the water-wheel, weighs with its
shaft 23 tons, and the pinion and main shaft into the
mill weigh 1 3 tons. The spur wheel, the diameter
of which is 18 feet 3 inches, revolves at the rate of
600 feet per minute, and the whole act together so
smoothly that not the slightest shaking or noise is
perceptible. — The cistern conducting the water to the
wheel is of iron rivetted together, and is supported
by two cast-iron beams the full width for the wheel-
house. The water strikes the wheel six feet from
the top of the diameter. The governor of the wheel,
which is of beautiful workmanship, and the rack for
the sluice, are placed on a level with the cistern.
Although, as already stated, the weight of the wheel
exceeds 100 tons, it revolves as smoothly and stead-
ily as a well-adjusted pinion in a time-piece. Indeed,
it is impossible for any description to give an ade-
quate idea of the effect produced upon the spectator
by the calm, majestic, but resistless force with which
it moves, never deviating by an hair's-breadth from
its appointed sphere, and yet seemingly capable of
rending to pieces the walls within which it is enclosed.
To the east of the wheel-house a capacious store
for holding cotton wool has been erected. It is
capable of containing 800 bales. The building is
fire-proof, having an arched roof of brick- work and
stone side-walls. Besides, matters are so arranged
that, in the event of fire, the whole could be covered
with water in fifteen minutes Behind the wheel-
house stands the gas-work for lighting the manufac-
tory. Its roof is formed by the troughs for con-
veying the water from the ordinary channel to the
wheel, as is also that of the boiler-house for heat-
ing the mill by steam-pipes. — The wheel which forms
the stupendous piece of mechanism above described,
was first set in motion by its constructor, Mr. Smith
of Deanston, on 23d March, 1841. It received the
name of the Hercules, but, we believe, it will be
more generally called, as in time past, 'the Big wheel.'
— Several of the falls on the Shaws water have been
taken on lease for various branches of manufacture,
which it is expected will ere long be in operation.
In connection with the Shaws water works we
have to record the most awful catastrophe that ever
occurred in this part of the country. On the night
of Saturday the 21st of November 1835, the Whin-
hill dam, which forms one of the reservoirs, suddenly
burst its banks in consequence of the heavy rains, and
poured its contents, consisting of three millions cubic
feet of water, upon the grounds below, overwhelm-
ing the eastern extremity of Greenock, and part of the
suburb of Cartsdyke.* The lateness of the hour,
and the darkness of the night, added to the appalling
character of the scene. About 40 persons lost their
lives, and an immense amount of property was de-
stroyed. So sweeping and so sudden was the tor-
rent, that many of the victims were surprised in
bed arid drowned before they could leave their
houses. Many persons made most remarkable es-
capes. In one instance, a man who volunteered,
when the flood was at its height, to rescue two
children who had been left behind in a house, dis-
covered the bed on which they had been laid float-
ng on the water, and its occupants sound asleep,
altogether unconscious of their danger. — In the sum-
mer of the same year (2,5th July, 1835), a dreadful
accident occurred at the quay by the bursting of the
toiler of the Earl Grey steamer, when 6 persons lost
;heir lives, and a number were seriously injured.
As the railway from Greenock to Glasgow has al-
ready been described in our notice of the latter city,
it may suffice to state here that the line was opened
throughout on Tuesday, 23d March, 1841.
The following is the earliest description of Green-
ock which has fallen under the observation of the
writer of this article, and which he quoted in a for-
mer publication.! It is translated from a work by
M. Jorevin de Rocheford, a French gentleman who
visited these parts about the year 1670. " Kri-
nock.J — This town is the passage of the Scotch post
and packet-boat to Ireland. Its port is good, shel-
tered by the mountains which surround it, and by
a great mole, by the side of which are ranged the
* In justice to Mr. Thorn it must be stated, that the Whin-
hill dam was not constructed by him. It was formed before
the works were projected, and was purchased by the company
in 18-29.
t Views in Renfrewshire. Lizars, Edinburgh, 1839.
J Krinock—sucb is the orthography employed by the French-
man, who must have picked up the names of places as he best
could, Travellers' Guides and Road Books having in his «Uy
been unknown.
GREENOCK.
711
cs and other vessels for the conveniency of load-
^ and unloading more easily." The "great mole"
here mentioned was merely a rude landing-place.
Crawfurd, who wrote in 1710, at the time when the
narbour was completed, describes Greenock (p. 124),
as " the chief town upon the coast, well built, con-
sisting chiefly of one principal street, about a quarter
of a mile in length." About this time the houses
were covered with thatch; in 1716, there were only
6 slated houses in the place. In 1782, Semple, the
itinuator of Crawfurd's work, said: " About two
ago John Shaw Stewart of Gieenock, Esq.,
survey and draw a plan of the town, and laid
a great part of the adjacent ground regularly for
Iding upon, having feued off a number of stead-
where several good houses are built, part of
lich is to be called the New Town of Greenock.
town has greatly increased in building within
thirty years, being compact with elegant houses,
iber of them slated. Good streets, and well-
eyed, some of them very broad, particularly north
the New (or Middle) church." To describe the
at the present day: — in the eastern, which is
the oldest portion, the streets are, in general,
ilar and narrow with not a few dirty alleys;
towards the west, in which direction the town
of late years extended, there are several elegant
spacious streets, while numbers of beautiful
are scattered on the heights behind, and along
shore. Wordsworth, who visited this place some
ago, celebrated it in one of his " Itinerary Son-
" which we may here transcribe, as being slightly
lected with this branch of our subject; fervently
ing that the reversed condition which the poet
in the concluding lines, so gloomily foresha-
red, may be far distant.
" GREBNOCK.
Per me si va nella Citta dolente.
le have not passed into a doleful city,
fe who were led to-day down a grim dell,
• some too boldly named ' the Jaws of Hell :'*
" ere be the wretched ones, the sights for pity ?
se crowded streets resound no plaintive ditty :-—
from the hive where bees in summer dwell,
Sorrow seems here excluded, and that knell,
It neither damps the gay, nor checks the witty.
Alas! too busy Rival of old Tyre,
Whose merchants princes were, whose decks were thrones ;
Soon may the punctual sea in vain respire
To serve thy need, in union with that Clyde
Whose rustling current brawls o'er noisy stones,
The poor, the lonely, herdsman's joy and pride!"
" One of the most remarkable circumstances con-
nected with Greenock is the proximity of the High-
lands. But a few miles off, across the frith of Clyde,
this untameable territory stretches away into Alpine
solitudes of the wildest character ; so that it is pos-
sible to sit in a Greenock drawing-room amidst a
scene of refinement not surpassed, and of industry
unexampled, in Scotland, with the long cultivated
Lowlands at your back, and let the imagination fol-
low the eye into a blue distance where things still
exhibit nearly the same moral aspect as they did a
thousand years ago. It is said that when Rob Roy
haunted the opposite coasts of Dumbartonshire, he
found it very convenient to sail across and make a
selection from the goods displayed in the Greenock
fairs ; on which occasion the ellwands and staves of
civilization would come into collision with the broad-
swords and dirks of savage warfare, in such a style
as might have served to show the extremely slight
hold which the law had as yet taken of certain parts
of our country, "f
From its nearness to the Highlands, a great pro-
* The poet had, xve presume, approached Greenock from In-
Terary, by way of LOCH (Juii. : see that article.
t Chambers' Gazetteer.
portion of the inhabitants of Greenock are either
Highlanders by birth, or derive their lineage from
that region, as their surnames plainly testify. We
learn from the Old Statistical Account that, in the
3,387 families which composed the population ot
Greenock in 1792, there were 1,825 heads of families
from the Highlands, who were classified thus : born
in Argyleshire — among whom the prevailing name is
Campbell— 1,433; in Buteshire 78; and in the north-
ern counties 314. According to the same authority,
one might at that time walk from one end of the
town to the other, passing many people, without
hearing a word of any language but Gaelic. After
the lapse of half-a-century, the above holds true,
though only to a modified extent, there being now a
greater infusion of Lowlanders, and the Gaelic tongue
not being in such common use.
With regard to public buildings, the most conspi-
cuous is the custom-house, an oblong Grecian edi-
fice, with a splendid portico, situated upon the quay,
where— not being encumbered with contiguous build-
ings— it is seen to much advantage. It was erected
in 1818, at the expense of £30,000. The town- hall
and public offices were planned in 1765 by James
Watt, and finished the following year : considerable
additions have since been made to them. The
tontine, an inn and hotel in Cathcart-street, is a
substantial and handsome structure erected, in 1801,
at the expense of £10,000. Nearly opposite are the
exchange buildings, finished in 1814, at a cost of
£7,000, and containing 2 assembly-rooms and other
accommodation. Behind these buildings, is the
theatre, which was erected in the beginning of this
century by Stephen Kemble. An hospital or infir-
mary was erected in 1809, and a jail or bridewell in
1810. A commodious news-room was opened in
Cathcart-square in 1821. The gas- work was con-
structed in >1 828, and cost £8,731. The churches
will be noticed afterwards.
James Watt, the celebrated improver of the steam-
engine, was a native of Greenock. A fine statue of
him by Chantrey, the expense of which was raised
by subscription, is placed in a building in Union-
street, which is appropriated as a library. This
building cost about £3,000, which was defrayed by
Mr. Watt of Soho, only surviving son of the great
man whom it and the statue are intended to comme-
morate. On the front of the pedestal of the statue
is the following inscription from the elegant pen of
Jeffrey : — " The inhabitants of Greenock have
erected this statue of James Watt, not to extend a
fame already identified with the miracles of steam,
but to testify the pride and reverence with which he
is remembered in the place of his nativity, and their
deep sense of the great benefits his genius has con-
ferred on mankind. Born 1 9th January, 1 736. Died
at Heath-field in Staffordshire, August 25th, 1819."
On the right of the pedestal is a shield, containing
the arms of Greenock, and, on the left, emblems of
strength and speed. On the back is an elephant, in
obvious allusion to the beautiful parallel drawn by
the writer of the inscription between the steam-en-
gine and the trunk of that animal, which is equally
qualified to lift a pin or to rend an oak. Watt is the
only celebrated person to whom Greenock has given
birth. Gait, the novelist, a native of Irvine, passed
part of his early days in Greenock ; and, having re-
turned toward the end of his life, he died here in
1839. Here also died Burns' "Highland Mary,'
in memory of whom it is in contemplation to raise
a monument.
For a long time the inhabitants of Grecnodc were
almost exclusively devoted to commerce, and litera-
ture and science received little countenance at their
hands. In 1769, when John Wilson, a poet of C<M»~
712
GREENOCK.
siderable merit, was admitted as master of the gram-
mar-school, the magistrates and ministers made it a
condition that he should a,bandon " the profane and
unprofitable art of poem-making," — a stipulation
which 30 years afterwards drew from the silenced
bard the following acrimonious remarks in a letter
addressed to his son George when a student at Glas-
gow college: — " I once thought to live by the breath
of fame; but how miserably was I disappointed
when, instead of having my performances applauded
in crowded theatres, and being caressed by the great
— for what will not a poetaster in his intoxicating
delirium of possession dream? — I was condemned to
bawl myself to hoarseness to wayward brats, to cul-
tivate sand and wash Ethiopians, for all the dreary
days of an obscure life — the contempt of shopkeepers
and brutish skippers." Since that time a better taste,
and more liberality of sentiment, have prevailed, and
some attention has been paid to the cultivation of
science. In 1783, the Greenock library was insti-
tuted ; and, in 1807, a collection of Foreign litera-
ture in connection with it was commenced. In 1841
this library contained about 10,000 volumes. It is
the one already mentioned as occupying the build-
ing erected by Mr. Watt. Another library — the
Mechanics' — was formed in 1832. An elegant
Mechanics' Institution was built in 1840 : it some-
times has 800 students. There is also a Scientific
association. Letter-press printing was established
here in 1765, by one Mac Alpine, who was also the
first bookseller. It was confined to handbills, job-
bing, &c., till 1810, when the first book was printed
by William Scott. In 1821, Mr. John Mennons be-
gan the printing of books, and since that time many
accurate and elegant specimens of typography, ori-
ginal and selected, have issued from his press. With
regard to newspapers the Greenock Advertiser, a
respectable journal, published twice a-week, has
existed since 1802. The Clyde Commercial List
appears three times a-week. The Observer, pub-
lished once a-week, was begun in 1840. The In-
telligencer was established in 1833, but was discon-
tinued in about 3 years afterwards.
The town possesses 3 banking establishments ;
namely, the Greenock bank, established in 1785;
the Renfrewshire bank, in 1802; and the Greenock
Union bank in 1840. The last-mentioned is a joint-
stock company ; the other two are private banks.
There are also 4 branches of Glasgow and Edinburgh
banks ; a Provident bank ; and 24 agencies for in-
surance offices. Charitable and religious institutions
are numerous and liberally supported.
Till 1741 the affairs of the burgh were superin-
tended by the superior, or by a baron-bailie appointed
by him. By a charter dated hi that year, and by an- |
other dated in 1751, Sir John Shaw, the superior, gave
power to the feuars and sub-feuars to meet yearly
for the purpose of choosing 9 feuars residing in
Greenock, to be managers of the burgh funds, of
whom 2 to be bailies, 1 treasurer, and 6 councillors.
The charter of 1751 gave power to hold weekly
courts, to imprison and punish delinquents, to choose
officers of court, to make laws for maintaining order,
and to admit merchants and tradesmen as burgesses
on payment of 30 merks Scots — £1 13s. 4d. sterling.
It is believed there is no instance on record of any
burgesses ever having been admitted. The qualifica-
tion of councillor was, being a feuar and resident
within the town. The election was in the whole
feuars, resident and non-resident. The mode of
election of the magistrates and council was by signed
lists, personally delivered by the voter, stating the
names of the councillors he wished to be removed,
and the persons whom he wished substituted in
their room. In 1825, 497 feuars voted. The com-
missioners on municipal corporations stated in the:r
Report, in 1833, that "this manner of electing is
much approved of in the town." They also reported,
that " the affairs of this flourishing town appear to
have been managed with great care and ability. The
expenditure is economical, the remuneration to of-
ficers moderate, and the accounts of the different
trusts are clear and accurate." The municipal gov-
ernment and jurisdiction of toe town continued to
be administered under the charter of 1 751 , without
any alteration or enlargement, until the Burgh Re-
form Act of 1833 came into operation. Under that
act, the town-council consists of a provost, 4 bailies,
a treasurer, and 10 councillors, for the election of
whom the town is divided into 5 wards, 4 of which
return 3 councillors each, and one returns 4 : the
ward having 4 councillors has a preponderance of
electors. The bailie-court of Greenock has now the
same jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, competent
to a royal burgh. By an act of parliament passed
in 1840, Cartsdyke forms part of the burgh of
Greenock. In 1839-40, the corporation revenue
was £22,564. In virtue of the reform act of 1832,
Greenock sends one member to parliament; previ-
ously, the town had no voice in the representation.
The parliamentary and municipal boundaries are iden-
tical. In 1840, the constituency was 1,1 G8.
The noble family of Cathcart take from this town
their second title in the peerage, Baron Greenock, con-
ferred in 1807. They are descended from Sir John
Shaw of Greenock, who died in 1752, through his
only child Marion, and inherit feu-duties in the town
to a considerable amount, being that part of the Shaw
estate which was not entailed on the family of Shaw
Stewart of Blackball, now also of Greenock.
Till 1815, the sheriff-court for the whole of Ren-
frewshire was held at Paisley. In that year an addi-
tional sheriff-substitute, to be resident at Greenock,
was appointed; and by an act of court promulgated
by the sheriff-depute, dated 3d May, it was declared
that the district or territory falling under the ordi-
nary jurisdiction of the court at Greenock should be
termed " the Lower Ward," and that it should in the-
meantime consist of the towns and parishes of Green-
ock and Port-Glasgow, and the parish of Innerkip.
To this ward the parish of Kilmalcolm has since been
annexed.
In 1834, the parishes forming the Lower Ward
were, with Erskine in Renfrewshire, Largs in Ayr-
shire, and Cumbray in Bute, erected into a presbytery,
called the presbytery of Greenock.
In January 1838, when the Commissioners of Reli-
gious instruction visited Greenock, it was composed
of 3 parishes quoad civilia, the Old or West, the Mid-
dle, and the East ; and of 3 quoad sacra, the North,
St. Andrews, and the South.
1 . OLD or WEST CHURCH. — This is the original
parish, from which the others have, from time to time,
been disjoined. It is partly landward, and partly
town. Quoad sacra its greatest length is 3£ miles,
its greatest breadth 2|. According to a census taken
by the minister and elders, its population quoad sacra,
in 1835, was 7,863, of whom there belonged to the
Established church, 4,212; to other denominations,
2,613; not known to belong to any denomination,
1,038. The original church was built in the end of
the 16th century, and enlarged in 1677. About 20
years after this enlargement, the masters of vessels
and seamen of the port, erected a gallery in the
south aisle. This church is in the form of a cross,
with a small belfry, and stands in the middle of an
extensive burying-ground close by the shore. It was
in such a bad state of repair, that on 16th Octo-
ber, 1837, it was formally condemned by the presby-
tery, and the heritors appointed to build a new one
(mother site. Accordingly, a new and elegant
reh, accommodating 1,400 persons, has been erect-
ed in Nelson-street, Mr. Cousin architect. The bene-
fice of this parish is considered the most lucrative in
Scotland. The following were the emoluments and
advantages of the minister, as reported by the Com-
missioners in 1838 : —
Stipend from teinds, average of crops 1833 aud 1834, £286 H 1 1 J
Annuity bond, town of Greenock, . . 25 0 0
Feu-duties from glebe, . . . 406 12 4
£718 7 3|
The minister has also a manse and glebe. It will be
observed that the greater part of the above is derived
from feuing out the glebe for building, which was al-
lowed to be done at an average rent of £100 per acre,
by an act of parliament obtained in 1801. — The United
ion congregation, which meets in Innerkip-
street, was first established in 1748. The present
place of worship was built in 1803, at a cost of
£1,202 9s. Id. ; and £153 15s. 8d. has since been ex-
pended in building a session-house, and making other
repairs. Sittings 730. Stipend £180.— Another
congregation of the same body, established in 1832,
li:is ;i church in Union-street, which was built, in
1834, at a cost of £2,400. Sittings 950. Stipend
£164. — The Relief congregation, Sir Michael-street,
established in 1808, assembles in a building erected
in 1807, at an expense of £2,400. Sittings 1,498.
Stipend £200, besides a house and garden, rented by
(the congregation for the minister's use, at £27.
There is a colleague, who has a stipend of £180
The Independent congregation, Sir Michael-street,
was established 1805. Church built same year, cost
£1,250. Sittings 750. Stipend £110.*— The Epis-
copal congregation, Union-street, was established in
1824, when a chapel was built and consecrated. Sit-
tings 400. Stipend £125 — The Roman Catholic
congregation, established about 1809, has a chapel,
built 1814-15, which cost about £3,000. Sittings 761 .
The annual emolument of the former minister was
£100, but the present one has never received any.
It may be diminished, but not increased. The minis-
ter has a house, valued at £24 per annum, but no
gli'be, nor any provision in lieu thereof. — The Uni-
versalist congregation, established in 1801, assembles
in a hall, which is used during the week for various
purposes. The hall is fitted up with forms, and will
accommodate about 200. There is no regular minis-
ter— The Holy Catholic Apostolic congregation, es-
tablished in May 1834, has a church built in 1834-5,
which cost about £1,170, and is capable of containing
from 500 to 600. In 1837 there were a minister and
2 subordinate ministers, the stipend paid to whom in
that year amounted to £180.— The Wesleyan Metho-
dist congregation, established in or about 1811, has a
chapel built in 1814 ; cost not known. Sittings 400.
There is no fixed provision for a minister.
2. NEW or MIDDLE CHURCH. — This, which is
wholly a town parish, was disjoined from the original
parish of Greenock in 1754. Quoad sacra its length
- .!, and its breadth £ of a mile. Its population in
. according to a survey by the minister, was
n.±i3; of whom there belonged to the Established
church, 4,570; to other denominations, 3,049; not
known to belong to any denomination, 604. The
church, which is in Cathcart-square, was built in 1757.
It cost £2,388 17s. 8|d., of which £1,058 5s. 9d. was
defrayed by subscriptions, and the remainder paid by
the corporation. That sum does not include the cost
of the steeple and clock, which were erected by sub-
scription in 1787. The steeple is 146 feet high.
Sittings 1 ,497. Stipend £275, besides £20 for com-
* Tim concrregation baa recently removed to a new and
MBdttome chapel.
GREENOCK.
miuiion elements, with a manse and garden, but no
glebe — The Seamen's chapel was built in 1831, at a
cost of £120, by a Seamen's Friend society, for the
benefit of the seafaring population of Greenock, which
amounts to about 2,500, about 1 ,000 of whom are
generally at home. Sittings from 300 to 350. Chap-
lain's salary £26 annually.
3. EAST CHURCH This parish is partly landward
and partly town, and was disjoined from the Old or
West parish in 1809. Quoad sacra its extent is 7
square miles ; its greatest length 2£, and its greatest
breadth 3£ miles. Its population, according to a cen-
sus taken by the elders in the end of 1835, was 5,580,
of whom there belonged to the Established church,
2,994 ; to other denominations, 2,31 1 ; not known to
belong to any denomination, 275. The church was
built in 1774, as a chapel-of-ease, and has never been
altered since, with the exception of a very partial
change in the arrangement of some of the seats. Sit-
tings 1 ,053. Stipend £250, with £20 for sacramen-
tal expenses. The minister has a house allowed him
by the community, and kept in repair at their ex-
pense, but no glebe, nor any provision in lieu thereof.
4. NORTH CHURCH — This is a quoad sacra town
parish, divided from the West parish in 1834. Its
greatest length is half-a-mile, and its greatest breadth
400 yards. According to a survey made by the
elders, as reported in 1838, the population was 2,464,
of whom there belonged to the Established church,
1 ,568 ; to other denominations, 857 ; not known to
belong to any denomination, 39. The church was
built in 1822-3, as a chapel-of-ease, and was slightly
altered, but not enlarged, in 1824. It was built by
a joint-stock subscription in 600 shares of £5 each,
but this not proving sufficient, a further payment of
about 22s. 6d. on each share was made. Sittings
1,165. Stipend £200, besides £10 for communion
expenses at each sacrament The Gaelic station,
Ardgowan-street, established in May, 1832, is main-
tained by the Congregational Union of Scotland.
Sittings 200. The minister receives £20 per an-
num from the Union. Public worship is performed
twice each Sunday in the Gaelic language.
5. SOUTH CHURCH. — This quoad sacra parish
consists of a small compact district of the town, and
was disjoined from the West parish in 1834. J3y a
survey by the minister, reported in 1838, the popula-
tion was 2,116, of whom there belonged to the Estab-
lished church, 1,110; toother denominations, 928;
not known to belong to any denomination, 78. The
church was built by subscription in 1791, and cost
£1,300. It was originally intended for a Gaelic
chapel, and service is still performed in Gaelic in the
forenoon, but in English in the afternoon. Sittings
1,300. Stipend £260.— The Baptist congregation,
Tobago-street, was first established about 1809.
Their chapel was built in 1821, and cost £1,250.
Sittings 550. No stated minister.
6. ST. ANDREWS. — Another quoad sacra parish,
which contains a small section of the town, and was
divided from the West parish in 1835. According
to a census taken by the minister and elders, re-
ported in 1838, the population was 2,117, of whom
there belonged to the Establishment, 1,095; to other
denominations, 939 ; not known to belong to any
denomination, 83. The church, which is a beautiful
Gothic building, from a design by Mr. Henderson of
Edinburgh, was opened on the 29th Max. Ixiii. It
was built by private subscription and aid from the
General Assembly's chiych-extension fund, at an
-.• — including school — of £2,662 2s. The
-rant from the Assembly's committee amoiii
Sittings !M/>. Stipend £150 The Tinted
in congregation, NiclioUm-street. was estab-
lished in 1790. The church was built in 1791, at
ORE
714
ORE
an expense of £1,400. Sittings 1,106. Stipend
£200 The Reformed Presbyterian congregation,
West Stewart-street, was first established about
1824. The church was built in 1833, and cost
£500. Sittings 447. Stipend £80. — The Uni-
tarian congregation, Sir Michael-street, was first
established in 1831, and assembles in the second
floor of a building which is fitted up as a chapel at a
cost of about £150. Sittings 250. The minister,
from choice, received no emolument in 1838.
7, 8. ST. THOMAS'S and CARTSDYKE — Other
two quoad sacra parishes, bearing these names re-
spectively, have been formed since the visit of the
Religious Instruction Commissioners in January 1838,
from the appendix to whose report the foregoing ec-
clesiastical details have been chiefly taken.
From the abstract of education returns made to
parliament in 1834, it appears that there were no
parochial schools in Greenock, but that of other
schools there were in all 36, with 52 instructors, the
greatest number attending which were, from Lady
Day to Michaelmas 1833, 2,661 ; and from Michael-
mas 1833 to Lady Day 1834, 2,937. The grammar-
school, with a rector and mathematical teacher, is
under the control of the magistrates. The High-
landers' academy, which was erected in 1836, has
upwards of 300 pupils.
There is authentic information as to the popula-
tion of Greenock from a pretty early period. In
1695, according to a survey made for the purpose of
a general poll-tax, there were 367 families, which,
estimating 4£ for each family, gives a population of
1,651 souls.* By a survey generally said to have
been made in 1735, but which, it is believed, is as-
signable to the year 1741, the population was 4,100.
By 1755 there was a slight decrease, the return to
Dr. Webster being only 3,858. In 1782 Semple
estimated the inhabitants at 12,000. By the govern-
ment enumerations, the population, exclusive of sea-
men, was, in 1801, 17,458; and in 1831, 27,571.
Houses, in 1831, 2,577. Assessed property, in 1815,
£52,507.
GRENAND-CASTLE, in the district of Carrick,
and parish of Maybole. This fortalice is situated
upon the summit of a rock overhanging the ocean,
and appears to have been intended as a place of
security against any sudden surprise rather than a
constant residence. Grose has preserved a view
of it.
GREINORD (LocH). See GRUINARD.
GRESSALLACH (Locn), a bay on the east
coast of Harris, south of East Loch-Tarbet.
GRETNA or GRAITNEY, a parish on the
southern verge of Dumfries-shire, not easily assign-
able to either Annandale or Eskdale, but lying be-
tween them on the Sark and the Solway frith. It
is bounded on the north by Half-Morton ; on the
east by the river Sark, which divides it from Eng-
land ; on the south-east and south by the Solway
frith ; on the west by Dornock ; and on the north-
west by Kirkpatrick-Fleming. Its figure may be
described as a parallelogram, stretching east and
west, with a pentagon rising northward and attached
to its east end. The greatest length of the parish
is 6J miles ; the greatest breadth 3 j miles ; and the
superficial area 18 square miles. The surface is, in
general, level; and only slightly diversified with in-
considerable rising grounds or hillocks. The highest
elevation is Gretna-hill, which rises about 250 feet
above water-mark, and commands a delightful and
extensive prospect of the coast of Cumberland, the
long stretch of the Solway frith, the How of Annan-
dale, and the mountain-ranges of upper Annandale,
* Wilson's Survey of Reufrewoliire, p. 215.
Eskdale, Liddesdale, and part of Northumberland.
Near the extremity of the frith, which terminates at
the influx of the Sark, a large tract of marsh land of
a lively green colour has been formed, and is pro-
gressively enlarging, in consequence of a recession
of the waters on the Dumfries side, and an encroach-
ment of them on the side of Cumberland. Except-
ing some small and detached patches of moss, the
parish is everywhere cultivated, enclosed, and lux-
uriant in its agricultural produce. In several parts,
particularly on a stripe of land along the frith, the
soil is a fine rich loam, and in other parts it is of a
wet and clayey nature ; but, in general, it is dry,
sandy, and mixed with stones, powerful in its fer-
tility, and abundant in its autumnal response to the
call of cultivation. Perennial springs, welling up
from the fissures of sandstone-rocks, or through beds
of reddish-coloured sand, are numerous, and afford a
luxurious supply of excellent water. Some mineral
springs also send up their treasures, but have been
neglected, owing chiefly to their being sometimes
submerged by the tide. The SARK [which see]
forms the boundary-line for 3£ miles, and over all
that distance intervenes between Gretna and Cum-
berland; and 1£ mile from its embouchure, it is
spanned by a neat bridge on the great road of com-
munication between England and the south-west of
Scotland. The KIRTLE [which also see] comes in
upon the parish from the north, intersects it over its
greatest breadth, flowing along an almost horizontal
sandstone bed, and falls into the Solway 7 furlongs
west of the mouth of the Sark, forming at its em-
bouchure a very tiny bay. The Black Sark comes
down upon the north-western angle of the parish,
forms its boundary-line for a mile with Half Mor-
ton, and then flows circuitously through it over a
course of 2£ miles, and falls into the Sark at New-
ton. The line of sea-coast, somewhat sinuous, and
about 4£ miles in length, is low, and consists of
mixed sand and clay. Redkirk-point, 1^ mile, and
Tordoff-point, 3£ miles distant from Sarkfoot, alone
break the uniformity of the level ; and the latter is,
on a small scale, a bold headland. There are several
small ports or landing-places, particularly those of
Sark and of Brewhouses ; but they are of trivial im-
portance, and facilitate chiefly the landing of coals
from the ports of Cumberland. Vessels of 120 tons
burden may sail up to Sarkfoot, and vessels of 100
tons may put into the other landing-places ; and all
may, at any time, lie in safety on the flat and sandy
shore stretching out from the beach. The Solway,
from Sarkfoot to Redkirk-point, opposite to which
it receives the waters of the Eden, is only 1£ mile
broad ; but, lower down, it expands to a breadth of
2| miles. The tide of the Solway — here of a whitish
colour, owing to its traversing and tearing up a vast
expanse of sand — flows due east, or directly along
the bed of the frith, with amazing impetuosity : See
SOLWAY FRITH. Abundance of salmon, and occa-
sionally supplies of cod, sturgeon, and herrings, are
here obtained from its waters. The climate of the
parish is remarkably salubrious. " Of two brothers
who died a century ago," says the writer of the Old
Statistical Account, "one was 111" years of age,
"and the other 110. In the year 1791 a woman
died at the age of 103. There is [are] now liv-
ing"— in 1792 — "one woman upwards of 100,
two between 90 and 100, and several persons be-
tween 80 and 90." About 600 persons in the parish,
men, women, and children, are employed in cotton
weaving, subordinately to manufacturers in Carlisle;
and they partake largely — though not to 'the same
extent as the inhabitants of many other localities —
in the distress from limited earnings which has so
universally overtaken the community of hand-loom
GRETNA.
715
n weavers. The parish is intersected by the
Portpatrick and Carlisle, and the Glasgow and Lon-
don mail-roads, and has numerous subordinate pub-
lic roads, kept in a state of excellent repair.
On the farm of Gretna- Mains, within this parish,
stood, 50 years ago, considerable remains of a Dru-
idical temple, oval in form, enclosing about half an
acre of ground, and formed of large rough whin-
stones, which must have been brought from a dis-
tance of at least 10 or 1 2 miles. One of the largest of
the stones — the only one not removed in a process of
agricultural improvement — measures 118 cubic feet,
and is computed to weigh upwards of 20 tons. This
temple is traditionally famous as the scene of the
formation of ancient alliances between Scotland and
England. Traces exist, in various localities, of old
uare towers, very thick in their walls, which ap-
to have been strongholds of freebooters, or
3 of defence against marauders from the English
er There are, in the parish, four villages, —
Old Gretna, Gretna-green or Springfield, Rigg of
Gretna, and Brewhouses. All, except SPRINGFIELD,
[which see,] are mere hamlets — Old Gretna stands
on the east bank of the Kirtle, in a hollow about
half-a-mile from the Solway; and is remarkable
chiefly for giving name to the parish, — the words
Gretan-hol, or Gretan-how, in the Anglo-Saxon, sig-
nifying 'the great hollow,' and describing the topo-
graphical situation of the village. — Rigg of Gretna
stands on the west bank of the Kirtle, opposite the
former hamlet, and 5 furlongs distant from it ; and
is noticeable solely for being the site of a United
>ion chapel — Brewhouses, situated on the bay
slight inland bend of the frith between Redkirk
Tordoff-points, is noticeable only as a tiny sea-
. — Gretna-green, originally called Meg's-hill, is
reality a farm-stead in the vicinity of Springfield ;
in popular parlance, is very generally identified
that village. It is composed of the parish-
ch, a simple and unassuming little pile by the
-side, and near it the manse or residence of the
clergyman ; then the parish school-house, and under
the same roof with it, the schoolmaster's neat, un-
adorned, and modest dwelling ; next a farm-house,
and a small licensed depot of tea, tobacco, and snuff;
a cottage or two, and a carpenter's work-shop ; and,
lastly, an inn and posting-house. The inn was former-
ly the residence of Colonel Maxwell, but possessing an
advantageous situation both with respect to distance
from the city of Carlisle, and its vicinity to the great
roads from Portpatrick and Glasgow, it was thought
proper to convert it into an hotel. This was effected
a good many years ago, when that line of road was
carried more directly to Gretna-green by a bridge of
cast-iron over the Esk, about 3 miles below Long-
town, and the coaches ceased running round by that
town and Springfield. — On the Cumberland side of
the frith, opposite Gretna-green, on a place called
Burgh-marsh, stands a monument, marking the
spot where death arrested the proud and impetuous
career of the first Edward, as he was marching
with giant-strides across the Border to conquer
Scotland. Nearly in the same direction, Skiddaw,
Helvellyn, and Scawfell, with other mountains
in the lake-district of Cumberland, rear their tall
blue summits in the distance, and seem to plant
an insuperable barrier against the progress of the
Northman venturing south. The hills, extending all
along the horizon, appear, when the sun is high in
summer, to form one regular and unbroken chain
from Penrith to Whitehaven. As soon, however,
as the rays of the sinking sun begin to fall upon the
eartli with considerable obliquity, and to tinge with
a golden hue the long steep Hank of this Alpine sierra,
it is cut and broken into a thousand individual mass-
es ; and deep ravines, and winding valleys, and rug.
ged slopes, present all the beautiful variety ot t he ir
forms, which, though perfect in outline, the distance
sometimes renders indistinct in colour Population
of the parish, in 1801, 1,765; in 1831, 1,909. Houses
334. Assessed property, in 1815, £8,192. Gretna
is in the presbytery of Annan, and synod of Dum-
fries. Patron, the Earl of Mansfield. Stipend
£237 6s. lid.; glebe £20. Unappropriated teinds
£365 19s. lOd. The parish-church was built about
the year 1786. Sittings 800 — The United Seces-
sion congregation at Rigg of Gretna, was estab-
lished in 1830. The church was built in 1832, and,
along with a manse, cost about £1,000. Sittings
357. Stipend £95, with a manse and garden — Ac-
cording to a survey by the parish minister, in 1836,
the population then was 1,949; of whom 1,601 be-
longed to the Establishment, and 348 were Dissen-
ters. The present parish comprehends the old par-
ishes of Gretan-How and Ren-Patrick, which were
united in 1609. The churches of both parishes were,
in the 12th century, bestowed by Robert de Bruce,
on the monks of Gisburn. In 1609 John Murray,
the first Earl of Annandale, obtained the church-
lands of Ren-Patrick, and the tithes of both it and
Gretan-How. The church of Ren-Patrick was dedi-
cated to Saint Patrick by the predilections of the
Scots-Irish colonists, and, according to the meaning
of its name in their language, was ' St. Patrick's
portion ;' but, owing to the colour of the stones ot
which it was constructed, it was popularly called the
Red-kirk, and it gave that name to the headland or
point on which it stood. Its ruins, as well as its
cemetery, have now entirely disappeared, having
been worn away by the powerful attrition of the
tide on the headland, in careering round to the mouth
of Kirtle water.
The reasons which have placed the little hamlet
of Gretna-green amongst the famous of British vil-
lages, are not to be discovered in its architectural
merits, or in its eminence for rural scenery. In its
immediate vicinity you have, it is true, the valley of
the Esk, with its luxuriant woods and crystal river ;
and on the banks of the same stream lies the whole
scene of Sir Walter Scott's • Young Lochinvar ;' and
indeed the poet could not have chosen a spot in every
respect more appropriate than this for * a runaway
marriage," so as to cause
" Mounting 'raong Graemes of the Netherby clan."
or more convenient for
» _ raring and chasing on Canohie lea."
Fifteen minutes' walk from the inn brings you to the
Solway frith, to the ebbings and flowing! of whose
tide the same author in the same song has well-com-
pared the ebbings and Sowings of love. But Gretna
has gained for itself an unenviable notoriety from other
causes. Lying on the frontier of Scotland, contcrmi-
nously with the debatable lands between the Sark
and the Esk, Gretna, down to the period of the union
of the crowns, was the scene of almost incessant feuda
and forays ; and even after that date, down to half-a-
century ago or even later, it was nearly as much de-
moralized, and as completely a stranger to the arts
and comforts of civilized lite, by t>cin- the retreat of
numerous bands of desperate and incorrigible smug-
glers, as in formerly having been the scene of con-
stant petty predatory warfare. "It is well-known
that the Cumberland portion of the Border WM,
formerly, not the most remarkable di>trirt «-i
land for the attention of many of its inhabitant* to
the fourth commandment. Living on ground long
,-(..iM(lered doubtful,— as forming a part of the Eng-
lish or Scottish territory, and still called ' DebaU
716
GRETNA.
able,' — they regarded themselves as belonging to no
one's flock, and subject to no one's superintendence
or jurisdiction. The same may be said of the care-
less and lukewarm amongst the inhabitants of Grait-
ney, who thus allowed themselves and their chil-
dren to become the slaves and supporters of a
pernicious example. It is not to be wondered at
that many other demoralizing habits, of which some
were entirely of a personal and domestic character,
should be found deeply rooted and reigning along
this part of the Scottish border. Systematic absence
from the house of public prayer, and a no less syste
matic desecration of the Sabbath, invariably bring in
their train idleness and discontent ; and to thefts, at
this time, were added an almost endless catalogue of
other crimes. One circumstance, above all, tended
to involve this parish in a kind of moral degradation,
from which others, by their geographical position,
were happily exempted. The low duty upon whis-
key in Scotland, compared with the high duty in
England, upon an article of such extensive consump-
tion, continued to afford the idle and dishonest every
encouragement to smuggling. The mosses and plan-
tations on each side of the Border have been the
scenes of many fearful, and, in many cases, lamentably
fatal struggles between the smugglers and the officers
of excise. The populous village of Springfield, a
mile from Gretna-green, on one side of the Border,
and Longtown, a still more populous place, on the
other, once contained hordes of persons who lived en-
tirely by this illicit commerce. Every artifice was here
in use to elude detection, — vessels of tin, fitted round
the body like stays, — bladders resembling bundles of
old clothes, carried by old women in the garb of
itinerants, — small casks, buried in the dark interior
of loads of turf, conveyed over the Sark and Esk on
wheelbarrows, by a thrifty-looking housewife, or an
industrious and provident-looking husbandman, —
these and many other such means were employed
to continue a lucrative, secret, and dangerous trade.
Again, vagrants from all parts of the British isles
could scarcely miss Graitney either on their north-
ward or southward peregrinations. Many a poor
unfortunate fellow, without a home or a morsel of
bread in England, has been forced to seek an asylum
in the North. Finding himself disappointed in his
search for relief in the North, he has again involun-
tarily turned his fate towards the South ; and has
continued, crossing and recrossing the Border, till
' the Debatable land ' at last afforded him a compara-
tively quiet, but Wretched, bare, and roofless rest-
ing-place. With such a promiscuous and fluctuating
assemblage of inhabitants as was likely, from this
circumstance, to be introduced, it cannot be expected
that any place could establish a character for settled
principles of moral duty. It is only when the popu-
lation of a district feel themselves interested in one
another's well-being, and benefited by living on
terms of harmonious intercourse, and by cultivating
sentiments of friendship, that we can expect from
them a general improvement in their condition, man-
ners, and character. In this respect the Borderers
have lately made amazing and gratifying progress
towards a happier state of things ; and the change is
no doubt chiefly attributable to the increased exertion
which clergyman, schoolmaster, landowner, and
farmer, have combined to use in rendering the con-
dition of the poor and unemployed in these parts
more tolerable."
Another stigma attaches itself to this place, in its
being the favourite locality for the celebration of
what are called " Border marriages." How this hap-
pens, the reader will best understand by following us
in a brief review of the laws of the two countries on
either side of the Tweed, as to what constitutes a
valid marriage. Dr. Lushington, in the House ot
Commons, March 17, 1835, thus explained the history
and principles of the law of England in regard to mar-
riage : — " By the ancient law of this country as to
marriages, a marriage was good, if celebrated in the
presence of two witnesses, though without the inter-
vention"' of a priest. But then came the decision of
the Council of Trent, rendering the solemnization by
a priest necessary. At the Reformation, we refused
to accept the provision of the Council of Trent; and,
in consequence, the question was reduced to this
state — that a marriage by civil contract was valid ;
but, there was this extraordinary anomaly in the
law, that the practice of some of our civil courts re-
quired, in certain instances, and for some purposes,
that the marriage should be celebrated in a particu-
lar form. It turned out that a marriage by civil con.
tract was valid for some purposes, while for others
— such as the descent of the real property to the
heirs of the marriage — it was invalid. Thus, a man
in the presence of witnesses, accepting a woman for
his wife, per verba de prcesenti, the marriage was
valid, as I have said, for some purposes ; but for
others, to make it valid, it was necessary that it
should be celebrated in facie ecclesice. This was the
state of the law till the passing of the Marriage act
in 1754." It may be added, that a common notion
prevailed, that the solemnization of a marriage by a
person in holy orders, rendered it sacred and indisso-
luble. This belief was one cause of the Fleet and
other marriages in London, to repress the scandals
and indecencies of which the act of Lord-chancellor
Hardwicke was passed in 1754. This act abolished
all clandestine and irregular marriages, and compelled
all persons, except Jews and Quakers, to be married
according to the ritual of the Church of England. It
might be expected that some loophole would soon be
sought for escape from such stringent enactments.
This was soon found in the state of the law in Scot-
land, in regard to matrimony, taken in connexion
with the rule of the law of England, that a mar-
riage is valid in England, if-*it has been validly con-
tracted according to the law of the country in which
it was contracted. In Scotland, nothing further is
necessary in order to constitute a man and woman
husband and wife, than a mutual declaration of con-
sent by the parties, before witnesses, to constitute,
at that date, the relation of husband and wife ; or
even such a declaration in writing, without witnesses,
constitutes a marriage which is considered binding
in all respects.* Still, a marriage of Scotch people,
* " We are aware that among our Southern friends very er.
roneous notions prevail, relative to Scotch marriages, particu-
larly marriages made at Gretna-greeu. They seem to think that
there is some privilege of place or person, by which the per-
furmances of the veteran there are sanctified. And because hit
predecessor, who forged the chains of so many fugitive suppli.
cants for his decrees of perpetual bondage, was a disciple of
Vulcan, it seems to be thought that in Scotland there is some
sort of alliance between the occupations of clergymen and
blacksmiths, such as subsisted at no very distant period between
those of surgeons and barbers. We wish to correct these erro.
neons notions, and to explain to our Southern friends, that in
this respect Gretna-green has no privilege and no charm, except
those which it derives from its proximity to England. Those
who pass the border to escape the obstacles which the law •>!
England has opposed to the lawful enjoyment of expected bliss,
gem-rally repair to the nearest spot at which their happiness
can be consummated— hence the celebrity of Gretna-green ;
neither has the veteran minister of bliss there any privilege
whatever, which does not belong to any other individual who
h.'ippeus for the time to be on the Scotch side of the border.
Tiie law of Scotland has prescribed certain ceremonials to be
observed in the regular celebration of marriage,— the publica-
tion of banns and the benediction of a clergyman. But although
a marriage made without these ceremonials is not regular, it
is not on that account invalid. To make a valid marriage, no-
thing is requisite but a mutual interchange ot real consent, with
a (nil intention to constitute, as at that date, the relation <
husband and wife ; and evidence of that fact, either in writings
in which it is declared, or by witnesses before whom it has been
declared. The Bishop of Gretna is a mere witness, ihe th
GRETNA.
717
nd, not celebrated by a clergyman, is now
rely or never heard of. What the Scottish people,
however, generally eschewed as evil, the English,
under certain circumstances, did not scruple to avail
themselves of; and the Marriage act of 1754 had not
been many years in force, before " Love found out
a way" of evading its enactments, and still, to a
certain extent, playing propriety. It was only requi-
site that the knot should be tied in Scotland, to set
at dutiance all parents and guardians; for matches
made, appear to have been almost exclusively
tolen," or "runaway," and the parties all English,
enter Scotland was sufficient ; and the situation
Jretna — only 9 miles north-west of Carlisle — ren-
it a most convenient spot for fugitive lovers,
"he parish of Gretna, says a characteristic but
irate and amusing account written about 46 years
by the Rev. John Morgan, the incumbent,
i been long famous in the annals of matrimonial
nture, for the marriages of fugitive lovers from
;land, which have been celebrated here. People
ig at a distance erroneously suppose that the
ilar and established clergyman of this parish is
celebrator of those marriages : whereas, the per-
who follow this illicit practice, are mere impos-
priests of their own erection, who have no right
3ver either to marry or to exercise any part of
clerical function. There are, at present, more
one of this description in this place. But the
it part of the trade is monopolized by a man who
originally a tobacconist, and not a blacksmith,
generally believed. It is 40 years and upwards
marriages of this kind began to be celebrated
At the lowest computation about 60 are sup-
to be solemnized annually in this place. Taken
_j average through the year, they may be estimated
ifteen guineas each ; consequently this traffic brings
i about £943 a-year. The form of ceremony — when
r ceremony is used — is that of the church of England,
some occasions, particularly when the parson is
>xicated, which is often the case, a certificate only
given. The certificate is signed by the parsoi
iself, and two witnesses under fictitious signa-
2s. The following is a copy of one of these cer-
ates, in the original spelling: — "This is to
tfay all persons that my be consernid, that A. B.
the parish of C. and in county of D. and E. F.
the parish of G. and in the county of H. and
comes before me and declayred themseless both
to be single persons, and now mayried by the forme
of the Kirk of Scotland, and agreible to the Church
of England, and givine ondre my hand, this 18th day
of March, 1793." Joseph Paisley, the individual abov<
referred to, removed from Gretna-greento Springfield
in 1791, and kept up his lucrative employment til.
his death, in 1814.* On more occasions than one ht
earned the handsome fee of 100 guineas, or upwards
rlaration might with equal effect be made in any other part o
Scotland, and be witnessed by any other person. A mere pro-
mise of marriage, if followed conjunctione corporum, makes a
va.id marriage in Scotland."— Remark* on thecateof Wakefidd
in lilickwood's Magazine, vol. xxi. p. 324.
* Paisley was long an object of curiosity to travellers. I
person he was tall, and had been well-proportioned, but at hi
death he was literally an overgrown mass of fat, weighing 2
stone. He was grossly ignorant, and insufferably coarse in in
mariners, and possessed a constitution almost proof against th
ravages ot i-pintuous liquors: for though an habitual drinker
he was rarely ever seen drunk. For the last lorty years of hii
life he discussed a Scots pint— equal to two English quarts— o
brandy per diem! On one occasion, a bottle-companion, name
Ned the Turner, sat down with him on a Monday morning t
an anker of strong Cogniac. and before the evening of the sui
tve.iing Saturday, they kicked the empty cask out at the door
neither of them were at any period ol the time drunk, nor ha
they the assistance of any one. in drinking. I'ai.-ley wa*> cel»
bratedin his prime for his stentorian luiiK8,and almost incre.i
ble muscular power* ; he could with ease bend a strong poke
over his arm, and has frequently been known to straighten v
ordinary horse-shoe in its cold state; in tits of Irascibility I
would, by a grasp, squeeze the blood from the anger-ends of ai
i briefer space than a barber requires to smooth the
bin of a country bumpkin ; yet, like all his succes-
ors — arid all persons, in fact, who earn money, no
natter how much, in pursuits which frown defiance
n propriety and moral decency — he never became
ich. A fellow of his own stamp, who became hus-
and to Paisley 's grand-daughter, fell heir to his
rade in much the same way that some persons ac-
uire the right of vending quack medicine ; and, for
many years, though competed with by a rival nearly
s successful as himself, he almost equalled the no-
oriety of his tobacconist predecessor. J
ne who incurred his anger. Many marvellous stories are told
f this worthy. We believe he is the first pointed out as hav-
ng, on the advice of a learned jurisconsult, settled the form of
rocedure according to law, by attesting marriages merely as
witness. But this circumstance laid open the secret of his
ailing, aud after h in a sort of democracy ensued in the dispeu
ation of the hymeneal privilege. Paisley'* immediate pre.de-
essor — for the trade was not founded by him, as some of our
outemporaries represent it to have been — was one George Gor-
don, an old soldier, who succeeded Scott of the llittg.
f " Not long before my visit to Springfield," — says one of the
est of our provincial journalists, to whom our pages are under
no small amount of obligation,— "a young hngiish clergyman,
vho hut failed to procure his father's consent, arrived for the
turpose of beiug married without it. The fee demanded waa
hirty guineas, — a demand at which his reverence demurred, at
he same time stating, that, though* he had married many a
:ouple, his highest fee never exceeded lulf-a-guinea. The
clergyman, in fact, had not so much money about him ; but it
was agreed that he should pay ten pounds in hand, and grant a
promissory note for the balance ; and the bill— certainly a curi-
osity of its kind — was regularly negotiated through a C'arli>le
tauking-house, and as regularly retired at the time appointed.
And here I must mention a circumstance which has not been
jrovicled for in the late bill anent combinations, though it ma-
lifestly tends to augment the tax on irregular marriages. At
Springfield there are two inns, as well as two priests, one of
which each of the latter patronises exclusively. More tli m
this, the house at which a lover arrives at Springfield depends
entirely at what inn he starts from at Carlisle. 1 hough he may
wish to give a preference, and issue positive orders on the sub-
ect, these orders are uniformly di^oi.eyed. The postboys wilt
only stop at one house ; and that for the, best of all reasons,—
thut the priest, knowing the value of their patronage, goes
snacks with them in the proceeds. Except in cases of sickness
or absence, the priests never deseit their colours. All the
guests of the one house are married by Mr. , and of the
other by Mr. Elliot , so tuat those who are most deeply con-
cerned have very little to say in the matter. In this way some-
thing like a monopoly still exi-t-< ; and— what is more strange
still— not only the postboy who drives a couple, but his com-
panions, and the whole litter of the inn-yard, are permitted to
share in the profits of the day. The thing is viewed in the
light of a windfall, and the proceeds are placed in a sort of fee-
fund, to be afterwards shared in such proportions as the parties
see tit. Altogether, the marrying business must bring a lar«e
sum annually iuto Springfield : indeed, an inhabitant confessed
that it is 'the principal benefit and support of the place,' al-
though he might have added that smuggling has lately become
a rising and rival means ol subsistence. Upon an average 300
couples are married in the year, and half-a-gumea is the lowest
fee that is ever charged. But a trine like that is only levied
from poor aud pedestrian couples i and persons even in the
middle ranks of lite are compelled to pay much more hand-
somely. Not long before I visited Springfield, a gentleman had
given forty pounds ; aud, independently of the money that 1.1
spent in the inns, many hundreds must annually tind their way
into the pockets of the priests, aud their concurrents the pout-
boys. In its leb'al effect the ceremony performed at Greti-a
merely amounts to a confession belore witnesses that certain
pereou* are man and wile : aud the reader i- aware that little
more is required to constitute a marriage in Scotland, — a mar-
riage which may be censored by church-courts, but which !•>
perfectly binding in regard to property and the legitimacy of
children. Still, a formula has a conM.iera' le value in the e>r»
of the fair ; and the piiests, I believe, reml a consider..
of the English marriage-service, require the parties to join
hands, sign a record, and no forth. At my request Mr. l.lliot
produced his marriage-register, which, as a public docum.-nt. i»
regularly kept, and which, to s*y the truth, won d require l-
be to. seeing that it is sometime* tendered a* evidence in court."
Elliot's rival for many years was David Laing, who caught
cold on his way to Lancaster, to give , v.,l,-,u-e on the tr,.i ,,f
the Wakenelds, and died at the age of 72. The facetious 1'nomas
Hood coiiipose.i an ele*y on this blacksmith and "joiner with-
out license," ol whu-h we quote the concluding strophe .
Sleep— David Laing !— sleep
In peace, though angry governesses spurn the* !
Over tby grave a thuu-aml inmdeni weep,
And In. nest postboys mourn Ihee !
Slefp, Diivid !— safety and .erenrly sleep,
Uewepl by many a learned legal eye !—
To «e« the m.-uld above tl.ee in a hra|..
Drowns muny a lid tint heretofore was dry ;—
K<p. cislly ot those thai, i umj
In l.ivo, v,oul«l 'i,.>. i"" Mr
H..d I command, thou >.luju.u'»t have gone thy ways
In chaite and pair— and lain in rV.e la Chaiwi
ORE
718
GRU
Gretna-green celebration of marriage, as a systeir
of fraud and insufferable indecency and disgraceful
profanation, was menaced with destruction by un-
happily a bootless attempt of the General Assem-
bly, in 1826; but, though still surviving, it has
been so deeply stigmatized with popular scorn, am
so fully raimented in the felon-dress of what has
been publicly arraigned and condemned, that it
now skulks and hides its head in conscious degra-
dation.
GREY MARE'S TAIL (THE), a celebrated cas-
cade or cataract in the mountainous region of the
northern verge of Dumfries-shire, f of a mile from
the northern boundary of Moffat parish, and geogra-
phically 8| miles north-east of the town of Moffat.
LOCH-SKENE [which see] collects among the moun-
tains superfluent supplies of waters, at the height of
about 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, and sends
them off in a considerable stream south-eastward, to
Moffat water. The stream, about f of a mile after
its efflux from the lake, is precipitated over a stupen-
dous breast of rocks, 400 feet in height, marred in its
sublime descent only by slightly projecting ledges ;
and with a thundering noise, dashes down between
two high, precipitous, and rocky hills ; in a long
stripe of foam, darkened, or made greyish in its white-
ness, by the foil of black rock behind it ; and, bear-
ing on a magnificent scale, a resemblance to the ob-
ject whence — somewhat fantastically — it has derived
its name. The cataract is seen to most advantage
after a heavy rain ; for then, escaping or overleaping
the ledges, it becomes almost strictly a cascade, and
appears to be, from top to bottom, an unbroken sheet
of water. " To see this cascade," says Garnett, " we
went nearly half-a-mile from Moffat, on the Carlisle
road, and then, turning to the left, ascended a hill
called Craigy-hill, and from which we had a fine view
of the venerable woods of Durncrief. Following the
road to Selkirk, we crossed a small impetuous brook,
with a very rocky channel, called Craigy-burn, and
soon entered a fine glen beautifully wooded. This
wood, which consists chie'fly of hazel and birch, is
called Craigy-burn- wood. In the midst of a flat and
fertile, but narrow vale, the Moffat winds its serpen-
tine course. The other side of the river was for-
merly wooded, which no doubt added much to the
beauty of the scenery ; but the wood having been
cut down, and no attention afterwards paid to it by
the owner, this ornament of the country is lost. When
we had passed Craigy-burn- wood, we had a full view
of the romantic glen, bounded by lofty hills, frown-
ing like the surly sentinels of the legion posted be-
hind them. A ride more romantic than this, on a fine
day, can scarcely be imagined. After riding by the
side of the Moffat about 7 miles, we crossed it, and
ascending the hill on the other side, had a full view
of the cascade we were in search of. Here the water
precipitating itself from rock to rock, — dashing,
foaming, and thundering from a great height, between
two steep hills, — falls into a dark pool, from whence
it runs with less impetuosity to augment the waters
of the Moffat, which it joins a little above the place
where we crossed the stream. The water, by its
precipitous fall, is broken by the air, so as to appear
as white as snow."
GRIMBUSTERHOLM, one of the small Orkney
islands, near the town of Stromness.
GRIME'S DYKE. See ANTONISTUS'S WALL.
GRIMS AY, a barren island of the Hebrides, lying
between North Uist and Benbecula. It is about 2
miles in length.
GRIMSHADER (Locn), an arm of the sea, in
the island of Lewis, near Stornaway.
GROAY, one of the Hebrides ; part ot the parish
of Harris. It is uninhabited.
GRUINARD (LocH), or GREINORD, a bay on the
north-west coast of Ross-shire, containing an isle of
the same name. The Gruinard or Greenyard, which
flows into the head of this loch, forms the boundary
betwixt the parishes of Lochbroom on the north, and
Gairloch on the south.
GRUINARD (Locn), a small arm of the sea in-
denting the north-west coast of the island of Islay.
In the year 1598, Sir Lauchlan Maclean was slain at
the head of this loch, by Sir James Macdonald, his
nephew, eldest son of Angus Macdonald of Kintyre.
Sir Lauchlan had long had an eye upon the posses-
sions of the Clanronald in Islay ; but having failed
in extorting a conveyance thereof from Angus Mac-
donald in the way before alluded to, he endeavoured
by his credit at court and by bribery or other means,
to obtain a grant from the Crown, in 1595, of these
lands. At this period Angus Macdonald had become
infirm from age, and his son, Sir James Macdonald,
was too young to make any effectual resistance to the
newly-acquired claims of his covetous uncle. After
obtaining the gift, Sir Lauchlan collected his people
and friends and invaded Islay, for the purpose of
taking possession of the lands which belonged to the
Clandonald. Sir James Macdonald, on hearing of his
uncle's landing, collected his friends and landed in
Islay to dispossess Sir Lauchlan of the property. To
prevent the effusion of blood, some mutual friends of
the parties interposed, and endeavoured to bring about
an adjustment of their differences. They prevailed
upon Sir James to agree to resign the half of the
island to his uncle during the life of the latter, pro-
vided he would acknowledge that he held the same
for personal service to the Clandonald in the same
manner as Maclean's progenitors had always held the
Rhinns of Islay ; and he moreover offered to submit
the question to any impartial friends Maclean might
choose, under this reasonable condition, that in case
they should not agree, his Majesty should decide.
But Maclean, contrary to the advice of his best friends,
would listen to no proposals short of an absolute sur-
render of the whole of the island. Sir James, there-
fore, resolved to vindicate his right by an appeal to
arms, though his force was far inferior to that of Sir
Lauchlan. Taking possession of a hill at the head
of Loch-Gruinard, which the Macleans had ineffec-
tually endeavoured to secure, Sir James attacked
their advanced guard, which he forced to fall back
upon their main body. A desperate struggle then
took place, in which great valour was displayed on
joth sides. Sir Lauchlan was killed fighting at the
lead of his men, who were at length compelled to
retreat to their boats and vessels. Besides their chief,
the Macleans left 80 of their principal men, and 200
common soldiers, dead on the field of battle. Lauch-
an Barroch- Maclean, son of Sir Lauchlan, was dan-
gerously wounded, but escaped. Sir James Macdonald
was also so severely wounded, that he never fully re-
covered from his wounds. About 30 of the Clan-
donald were killed, and about 60 wounded. Sir
Lauchlan, according to Sir Robert Gordon, had con-
sulted a witch before he undertook this journey into
Islay, who advised him, in the first place, not to land
upon the island on a Thursday; secondly, that he
should not drink of the water of a well near Gruinard;
and lastly, she told him that one Maclean should be
slain at Gruinard. " The first he transgressed unwil-
ingly (says Sir Robert), being driven into the island
)f Ila by a tempest upon a Thursday; the second he
ransgressed negligentlie, haveing drank of that water
>efor he wes awair ; and so he wes killed ther at Groi-
lard, as wes foretold him, hot doubtfullie. Thus
ended all these that doe trust in such kynd of respon-
ces, or doe hunt after them !"
GRUN A, one of the Shetland isles, to the n<
GRY
19
GUT
tne
3
mar
te%
5
in
ward of Fetlar, and constituting part of that parish.
It is uninhabited.
GRYFE (THE), a river in Renfrewshire, which
ri>e< in the western part of the county, among the
highlands of the parish of Greenock, and runs east-
ward. At Wulkinshaw, it joins the Black Cart, and
after a short course, bending to the north, a junction
is formed with the White Cart at Inchinnan bridge.
Having flowed about half-a-mile farther, the united
streams, which now bear the general name of Cart,
fall into the Clyde at Blythswood house, 7 miles be-
low Glasgow, and 3£ miles north of Paisley. The
whole run of Gryfe is about 17 miles. On its banks
are some cotton-mills, and other works. Anciently,
this stream gave the name of Strathgryfe to the dis-
trict it traverses, if not to the whole of what now
forms the county of Renfrew.
GUtDIE (THE), or GOODIE, a small stream issu-
ing from the lake of Monteith, and running along
the north-side of Moss- Flanders into the Forth, half-
Jy to Stirling. The stream was anciently a morass,
led " the Lake of Guidie," which is connected
h the military history of Scotland in 1646. When
•ching through Strathspey, Montrose received in-
telligence that Athole was threatened with a visit from
Campbells, — a circumstance which induced him to
tch Graham of Inchbrakie, and John Drummond,
nger of Balloch, to that country, for the purpose
of embodying the Athole-men, who had remained at
home, in defence of their country. The inhabitants
Lrgyle, on hearing of Sir Alexander Macdonald's
ival in their country, after the battle of Kilsyth,
fled to avoid his vengeance, and concealed them-
in caverns or in the clefts of the rocks; but
ig compelled by the calls of hunger to abandon
retreats, they had been collected together by
ipbell of Ardkinlass to the number of about 1,200,
had attacked the Macgregors and Macnabs for
turing Montrose. Being joined by the Stuarts
Jalquidder, the Menzieses, and other partisans of
_yle, to the number of about 300, they meditated
invasion of Athole, and had advanced as far as
mmple, with the intention of carrying their
into execution, when intelligence was brought
Inchbrakie of their approach. Inchbrakie and
Balloch had by this time collected a body of 700
able-bodied men, and, with this force, they pro-
ceeded to meet the Campbells. These had laid
siege to Castle- Ample; but, on being apprised of
the advance of the Athole-men, they retired to
Monteith, whither they were hotly pursued by the
Athole-men, who overtook them at Callander, near
the village of Monteith. After crossing the Teith,
they halted and prepared for battle, having pre-
viously stationed a large party of musketeers to
guard the ford of the river. Having ascertained the
strength and position of the Campbells, Inchbrakie
ordered a hundred of his men to advance to the ford,
as if with the intention of crossing it, in order to
draw the attention of the Campbells to this single
point, while, with the remainder of his men, he has-
tened to cross the river by another ford, higher up,
and nearer the village. This movement was imme-
diately perceived by the Argyle-men, who, alarmed
at such a bold step, and probably thinking that the
Athole-men were more numerous than they really
were, abandoned their position, and fled with pre-
cipitation towards Stirling. As soon as the Athole
party, stationed at the lower ford, saw the opposite
bank deserted, they immediately crossed the river
and attacked the rear of the retiring Campbells. They
were soon joined in the pursuit by the party which
had crossed the higher ford; but, as the Athole-men
had performed a tedious march of ten miles that
)rning, they were unable to continue the pursuit
morning,
1 far. About eighty of the Campbells wen- !:i!K-d in
the pursuit. Bishop Guthrii1, in his memoir-, men-
tions that of Argyle's people "divers of them wen-
slain in the fight, and more drowned in the river of
Guiddie, their haste being such that they stood not
to seek for fords."
GUIRM (LocH), a sheet of water, about 4 miles
in circumference, in the island of Islay. There are
the remains of a fortalice of the Macdonalds upon a
small island in it.
GULANE, or GOLYN, a small village in the parish
of Dirleton, Haddingtonshire. It is situated 3 fur-
longs from the shore, half-way between the villages
of Dirleton and Aberlady, on the road between Edin-
burgh and North Berwick ; and, though irregularly
built, possesses several good modern houses. Till
the year 1612, when, by act of parliament, the origi-
nal parish-church was abandoned, and a new one
erected at the village of Dirleton, Gulane gave name
to the parish in which it stands. The name is the
British Go-lyn, signifying • a little lake ;' and seems to
have been suggested by the vicinity to the village of
a lochlet, which is now drained. Gulane is the site
of a school-house, of two establishments for the train-
ing of race-horses, and of the venerable ruins of the
ancient parish-church. The village is famed for its
extensive sandy downs, thinly carpeted with herbage,
which abound with gray rabbits, and are farmed at a
high rent as a rabbit-warren, and, at the same time,
form the finest coursing-ground in Scotland : See
DIRLETON. Gulane common comprises nearly one-
half of the links, or downs of the parish. About
30 horses, on the average, are kept during summer
at the training-establishments. Grose, in his Anti-
quities, gives a view of the ruins of the old parish-
church, — which are still in good preservation ; and
says — though without mentioning his authority — that
the last vicar was expelled by James VI. for smoking
tobacco. The church, which is very ancient, was
dedicated to St. Andrew ; and after having been, for
some time, partially in the possession of the Cistertian
nuns of Berwick, was given, in the reign of William
the Lion, to the monks of Dryburgh. Subordinate
to it, and within the limits of the parish, there were
anciently no fewer than 3 chapels ; — one on the isle
of FIDDRIE, which see; another built, in the 12th
century, by the laird of Congleton; and another built,
in the reign of Alexander III., by Alexander de Val-
libus, at the village of Dirleton. Population of Gu-
lane, about 70.
GUL ANE-NESS, a small promontory composed of
greenstone rock, in the parish of Dirleton, Hadding-
tonshire. It is 13 miles distant from the isle of May ;
and is regarded by some as the point where the Frith
of Forth opens into the German ocean.
GULBERWICK, an ancient parish on the Main-
land, in the shire of Orkney, constituting part of the
union of Lerwick. It is situated to the southward
of Lerwick ; and is about 5 miles in length, and 2 in
breadth. It is principally inhabited by fishermen.
GUMSCLEUGH, a mountain on the south-west
boundary of the parish of Traquair, , Peebles shire; and
the northern boundary of the parish of Yarrow, Sel-
kirkshire, forming at its summit the water-line be-
tween the two counties. It rises 2,485 feet above
the level of the sea ; and is one of the stations of the
trigonometrical survey of Britain.
GUNNA, a small island of the Hebrides, lying ir
the sound betwixt the islands of Coll and Tiry. It
j is about a mile long, and half-a-mile broad.
GUNNISTER, one of the smaller Shetland isles,
1 in the parish of Northmaven, a mile north oi the
.Mainland.
GUTHRIE, a parish in the Sidlaw district of For-
farshire, inconveniently divided into two parts, one
720
GUTHRIE.
of which lies 6 miles south-west of the other. The
northern part would be a regular parallelogram, but
for a detached little section of Kirkden occupying its
north-east corner ; and it measures, in extreme length,
from east to west, 3 miles, and in extreme breadth,
from north to south, 3 miles ; and is bounded on the
north by Aberlemno, Farnell, and Kirkden ; on the
east by* Kirkden and Kinnell ; on the south by the
main body of Kirkden, and the parish of Rescobie ;
and on the west by Aberlemno. Almost the whole
of this division, from the hill of Guthrie on the west,
rising at its highest point about 500 feet above the
level of the sea, slopes gently to the south and east.
About 370 acres of it on the north-east, are part of
the moor of Montrithmont, a plain of probably 5,000-
acres, which was at a remote date covered by the sea,
and till a recent period remained a common, but is
now distributed into several parishes, Kirkden, Kin-
nell, Farnell, and others, which press upon its boun-
daries. The northern division has its southern boun-
dary traced along the whole extent by Lunan water.
On the north-east is a lochlet, whence issues the main
head-stream of Torr water, a tributary of the South
Esk. The southern division of the parish has the
distinctive name of Kirkbuddo, and is in form a tri-
angle, two of whose sides measure each 1| mile, and
the other 2^ miles ; and it is bounded, on the north,
by Inverarity and Dunnichen ; on the south-east by
Carmylie ; and on the south-west by Monikie and
Inverarity. Though it has no hill, it all lies high ;
the lowest ground in it being, not improbably, 700
feet above the level of the sea. But nearly all of it,
as well as the greater portion of the northern division
— though not rich in soil — is well- cultivated, and
agreeably sheltered with wood. Kirkbuddo — a? in-
deed its name would seew to imply — anciently had, as
is reported, a chapel of its own for religious worship ;
but now its inhabitants, in going to their parish-
church, must traverse the parishes of Dunnichen,
Kirkden, and Rescobie. On its south-western limit,
but partly in the parish of Inverarity, are traces of a
Roman camp, which covered at least 15 acres. The
vallum and fosse are yet distinct, and of considerable
height and depth. The castle of Guthrie, supposed
to have been built by Sir Alexander Guthrie, who
was s'lain at Flodden, is a massive building, with walls
about 60 feet high, and 10 feet thick, and is still en-
tire. The hamlet in which the church and manse are
situated, is the largest in the parish, and contains 9
families. The parish, though well-provided with
facilities of communication, is not touched by any
great line of road. Population, in 1801, 501 ; in 1831,
528. Houses 101. Assessed property, in 1815, £1,826.
— Guthrie is in the presbytery of Arbroath, and synod
of Angus and Mearns. Patron, Guthrie of Guthrie.
Stipend £158 7s. 6d. ; glebe £9, with 3 acres of moor.
Unappropriated teinds £88 18s. 8d. According to an
ecclesiastical survey in 1836, the population then was
533; of whom 514 belonged to the Establishment, 18
were dissenters, and 1 was not known to make any
profession of religion. The parish-church was built in
1826. Sittings 306. Parochial schoolmaster's salary
2 chalders of grain. A non-parochial school is sit
ated in Kirkbuddo.
INCH-GALBRAITH IN LOCH-LOMOND.
HAA
721
HAD
H
[AA, a small island of Sutherlandshire, 3J miles
east of the promontory of Far-out-head.
HAAR-MOOR, or HARD-MOOR. See DYKE AND
Mov.
HA AY, a small island of the Hebrides, in the
sound of Harris.
HABBIE'S HOW, a sequestered spot on Glen-
cross-burn, about 10 or 12 miles from Edinburgh,
which popular opinion has very generally though
somewhat hastily — identified with the scene of Allan
Ramsay's ' Gentle Shepherd,' and which has, in
consequence, been, for many years, a favourite re-
sort of the citizens of the metropolis. Towards
the upper part of a glen, a small stream falls, from
between two stunted birches, over a precipitous
rock, 20 feet in height, and inaccessible on each side
of the linn ; and beneath, the water spreads into a
small basin or pool. So far the scenery exactly cor-
responds with the description in the pastoral : —
" Between twa birks, ont o'er a little linn,
The water fa's, and maks a sinjjan din ;
A p<»ol breast-deep, beneath as clear as tflass,
Kisses, with easy whirls, the bord'riug grass."
lut, though there may be one or two other co-
;idents sufficiently close to satisfy an easy critic,
le Habbie's How of Glencross is far from being
place like the Habbie's How of the pastoral, —
" Where a' the sweets o' spring an1 summer grow."
'he locality is bare, surrounded with marshes, and
t in the vicinity of human abodes ; it has scarcely
birch or a shrub, except a solitary stunted thorn,
rowan-tree, projecting from a fissure as if dropped
accident from a rock ; it is adorned with not a
flower or patch of lively verdure, but only, where
the soil is dry, with a few tufts of whins ; and it
seems never to have claimed connexion with Ram-
say, and probably never met the gaze of his eye,
or was mentioned in his hearing. Tytler, the cele-
rated antiquarian, the restorer of Ramsay's fame,
id the proprietor of a mansion and an estate in
the very parish of the Glencross Habbie's How,
had no difficulty in identifying all the scenery of
' The Gentle Shepherd ' with the exquisite landscape
in and around the demesne of Newhall, lying near
the head of the North Esk, partly within the parish
or Pennycuick in Mid- Lothian, and partly within
that of Linton in Peebles -shire. " While I passed
my infancy at New-hall," says he in his edition of
King James' Poems, " near Pentland-hills, where
the scenes of this pastoral poem were laid, the seat
or Mr. Forbes, and the resort of many of the literati
at that time, I well remember to have heard Ram-
say recite as his own production, different scenes of
' The Gentle Shepherd,' particularly the two first,
before it was printed." Between the house and the
little haugh, where the Esk and the rivulets from
the Harbour-Craig meet, are some romantic grey
crags at the side of the water, looking up a turn in
the glen, and directly fronting the south. Their
crevices are tilled with birches, shrubs, and copse-
wood, — the clear stream purls its way past, within a
few yards, before it runs directly under them, — and
projecting beyond their bases, they give complete
oield to whatever is beneath, and form the most in-
viting retreat imaginable : —
" Beneath the south side of a cr»*gy bield,
Where crystal (springs the hale*. me water yield."
Farther up, the glen widens immediately behind the
house, into a considerable green or holm, with the
brawling burn, now more quiet, winding among
pebbles, in short turns through it. At the head of
this " howm," on the edge of the stream, with an
aged thorn behind them, are the ruins of an old
washing-house ; and the place was so well-calculated
for the use it had formerly been applied to, that an-
other more convenient one was built about twenty
years ago, and is still to be seen : —
" A flowery howm between twn verdant braes.
Where hisses use to wash and spread their claes ;
A trotting bnrnie wimpling through the ground ;
Its channel-pebbles shining smooth and round."
Still farther up the burn, agreeable to the descrip-
tion in the dialogue of the second scene, the hollow
beyond Mary's bower, where the Esk divides it in
the middle, and forms a linn or leap, is named the
How burn ; a small enclosure above is called the
Braehead park ; and the hollow below the cascade,
with its bathing pool, and little green, — its birches,
wild shrubs, and variety of natural flowers in sum-
mer,— with its rocks, and the whole of its romantic
and rural scenery, coincides exactly with the de-
scription of Habbie's How. Farther up still, the
grounds beyond the How burn, to the westward,
called Carlops — a contraction for Carline's Loup —
were supposed once to have been the residence of
a carline or witch, who lived in a dell, at the foot
of the Carlops hill, near a pass between two conic
rocks : from the opposite points of which she was
often observed at nights, by the superstitious and
ignorant, bounding and frisking on her broom, across
the entrance. Not far from this, on a height to the east,
stood a very ancient half-withered solitary ash-tree,
near the old mansion-house of Carlops, overhanging
a well, with not another of 30 years' standing in
sight of it; and from the open grounds to the
south, both it and the glen, with the village, and
some decayed cottages in it, and the Carline's loups
at its mouth, are seen. Ramsay may not have ob^
served, or referred to this tree, but it is a curious
circumstance that it should be there, and so situated
as to complete the resemblance to the scene, \\hii-li
seems to have been taken from the place : —
" The open field ;— a cottage in a glen,
An auld wife spinning at the Hiinny end ;—
At a small distance, l>y a blasted tree,
With faulded arm*, and half-raised look ye see,
Ha (I Idy (lib lime."
HACKLEY-MOOR. See DYSART.
HADD1NGTON, a large and important parish
nearly in the centre of Haddingtonshire ; bounded
on the north by Aberlady and Atlu-lstaiu-ford ; on
the east by Preston; on the 8outh-i-a>t l.y M«.n--
ham; on the south by Yester, Bolton, Salton, and
Gladsmuir; and on the west by Gljuisnmir and
Athelstaneford. It is of very irregular figure, hav-
ing a main body of a coffin outline, and, at various
points, no fewer than five projections two of which
run respectively north and south to a considerable
distance. Exclusive of its projections, it is 6 miles
long from east to west, and, on the average, 2 or 24
miles broad. But measured from the extremity of
a long narrow stripe on the north, to the Wauk-mill
722
HADDINGTON.
near Gifibrd-Vale on the south, it is 8 miles long,
and what, according to the former mode of measure-
ment, is its length, becomes now, with the addi-
tion of a projection I mile eastward, its breadth, —
a breadth, altogether, from the boundary west of
Brown's Mains on the west, to the boundary east of
Kingshot on the east, of 7 miles. The entire su-
perficial area is about 22£ square miles. The parish,
as a whole, presents a lovely and fascinating land-
scape. Along the north side of the main body are
the soft summits arid green declivities of the Garleton
hills, frilled down their southern slopes by rows of
plantation. Through the middle of the parish from
west to east, flows, in beautiful sinuosities, and be-
tween wooded and variegated banks, and under the
shade, now of the town of Haddington, and now of
smiling and superb mansions, with a width generally
of from 50 to 56 feet of waters, the river Tyne. All
the rest of the district is a beautifully undulating
surface, here almost subsiding into plain, and there
lifting its grassy elevations up to nearly the height
of hills, and everywhere exhibiting the adornings of
either well-enclosed and luxuriant fields, or exten-
sive parks of deep green pasture, or arrays and
amassrnents of thriving plantation, or elegant seats
and ornamental lawns and policies of nobility and
gentry. Agriculture is here in its glory, and exults
in its highest achievements. Upwards of 9,000 im-
perial acres are under cultivation; nearly 1,300 are
covered with wood ; and only about 250 have been
untouched by the hand of culture. All the parish,
in fact, is arable, except a few unimportant patches
on the summits of the Garleton-hills. On nearly
1,000 acres at the western extremity the soil is thin,
and of inferior quality, though here the surface wears
a soft, a crowded, and profitable plantation ; and, in
nearly all other parts, the soil is rich and highly fer-
tile. The climate is temperate, serene, and remark-
ably salubrious, and appears to be unusually promo-
tive of longevity. Nine children of parents who
were married in 1657, attained the aggregate age
of 738 years,- -making the average age of each
member of the family no less than 82. But — what
is still more surprising — the mother of these chil-
dren, in the 18th year of her married state, bore
twins, and in the 21st year of it, bore twins. The
aggregate age of the twins was 342 years ; and, of
course, their average age upwards of 85. Yet Had-
dington was the first place in Scotland visited by
malignant cholera; and had 125 of its inhabitants
prostrated, and upwards of 50 of them carried off
by the pestilence A mile and a quarter south of
the town stands the mansion of Lennoxlove, an-
ciently called Lethington, the seat of Lord Blantyre.
Part of it, consisting chiefly of a square tower, was
built by the Giffords, and dates high in antiquity,
and, as a fortalice, is of surpassing strength and
height. Lethington was the birth-place and resi-
dence of John, Duke of Lauderdale, the home of
Secretary Maitland and Sir Richard Maitland, and,
for a long period, the chief seat of the Lauderdale
family. The contemporary Duke of York having
sarcastically said that, before his first visit to Scot-
land, he understood the country to be unembellished
with a single park, John, Duke of Lauderdale,
piqued by the sarcasm, built, it is said, the first
park-wall of Lethington, enclosing an area of more
than a square mile, in the space of six weeks, and
raised it to the massive height of 12 feet. Leth-
ington gives name to an excellent species of apple,
brought from France about the middle of the 16th
century, and first, on Scottish ground, grown within
its orchards — Three quarters of a mile south of
Lethington or Lennoxlove, is the mansion of
Ooidston. the seat of the family of Brown, the most
ancient in the parish, and now the property of that
family's representative, the Countess of Dalhousie.
— Three quarters of a mile east of Lennoxlove, is
Monkrig, the beautiful new mansion of the Honour-
able Captain Keith, R. N. — On the south bank of the
Tyne, f of a mile east of the town of Haddington,
is the mansion of Amisfield, the property of the
Earl of Wemyss and March ; and 1A mile east of
it, is Stevenson, the seat of Sir John" Gordon Sin-
clair, Bart. On the north of the Tyne, and west
of Haddington, are the mansions of Clerkington,
Lethem, Alderston, and Uuntington — the first on
the banks of the river, and the rest at intervals
northward — the properties respectively of Colonel
Robert Houston, Sir Thomas Hepburn, Bart., Ro-
bert Stewart, Esq., and William Ainslie, Esq — On
Byres or Byrie-hill, one of the summits of the
Garletons, stands, prominent in its position, and
distinctly visible from Edinburgh, a monument to
the memory of the celebrated Earl of Hopetoun,
one of the heroes of the peninsular war. — Hud-
dington, in the suburb of Gifford-gate, contests the
honour of having given birth to the Reformer
Knox; but it is somewhat sternly resisted in this
claim by the village of GIFFORD : which see. — The
parish, considering its position, and the smallness
of the stream by which it is traversed, figures
somewhat remarkably in history, as the theatre of
great inundations. The Tyne — though of no great
length of course, and generally possessing an incon-
siderable volume of water — drains a large extent of
sloping surface along the declivity of the Lammer-
moor range, and, in particular circumstances, may,
though not without a wide stretch of calculation,
be conceived to bring suddenly down an amount of
flood fearfully invasive of the champaign country
through which it flows. On Christinas eve, 1358,
swollen by excessive rains, it burst beyond its banks,
swept away houses, bridges, and villages, — gulped
down many a brave swimmer who attempted to
rescue his property from its power, — and even tore
up tall oaks, and other large trees, and, laden with
vast spoils of corn and cattle and timber, careered
away with them to the sea. On the festival of
St. Ninian, 1421, it once more rioted at will among
the fields of the parish, and deeply menaced, as it had
done before, the town of Haddington ; and rose to
so great a height, and took such full command of
the streets, that many houses were injured, and per-
sons floated from place to place in the town in a
boat or on rafts. On the 4th of October, 1775, it
once more menaced every thing on the low grounds of
the parish with destruction ; and, instantaneously
swollen, as is supposed, by a water-spout, came
suddenly down in a flood of waters 17 feet above
its ordinary level, which, but for the period of the
occurrence being day rather than night, would have
destroyed many a life. — The parish is intersected (»
miles from west to east by the great mail-road be-
tween Edinburgh and the east of England ; sends
off a post-road to North-Berwick; and, in every
part, is cut in all directions by a profusion of
subordinate roads. Over the Tyne, within the
limits of the parish, are 4 bridges. There are two
small villages or rather hamlets, — St. Lawrence, f of
a mile west of the town of Haddington on the Edin-
burgh road, and the Abbey, 1£ east of the town on
the north bank of the river ; but both so inconsider-
able as jointly to contain only about 110 inhabitants.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 4,049; in 1831,
5,883. Houses 838. Assessed property of burgh
and parish, in 1815, £29,037.
Haddington is the seat of a presbytery in the synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale. The charge is colle-
giate. Patron, the Earl of Hopetoun. Unappro-
HADDINGTON.
priated teinds, £775 11s. 7d. First minister's sti-
pend £343 2*. 2d. ; glebe £24. Second minister's
stipend £366 6s. 9d. ; glebe £25. The parish-
church is supposed to have been built in the 12th
or 13th century, and \vus last repaired in 1811.
Sittings 1,240 — A quoad sacra parish, called St.
John's, has recently been erected out of the quoad
civilia parish. Chiirch built in 1838. Sittings 940.
—The second United Secession congregation, is a
branch of the original seceding congregation formed
in Haddington, the exact date of whose establish-
ment is known no farther than that the communion
cups and tokens used under the first minister bore
§date of 1745. The church was built in 1787
another denomination, and bought about the
r 1807, by the present congregation. Sittings
Stipend £120, with a house and garden
•th about £25, and between £12 and £15 for
-amenta! expenses. — The Original Seceder con-
gregation was established in 1744. Church fitted
in 1752. Sittings 385. Stipend £100, with a
nse and garden valued at £20, and £10 for sa-
mental expenses. — The Independent congregation
established in 1801. Their place of worship
s built in 1815 at the cost of £330. Sittings
Stipend £70 — The first United Secession
igregation claims at least equal antiquity to the
er Seceding congregations of the town. Sittings
their church 450. Stipend £110, with a house
garden worth £30, and allowance for sacramental
ses The Episcopalian congregation, it is
ight, may be dated back to the period of the Re-
lation. The church was built about the year
70, on ground gifted by the Earl of Wemyss. Sit-
; 279. Stipend £110, with a house and garden
h £25 The Wesleyan Methodist congrega-
was established in 1816. The chapel cost £600.
ttmgs 300. Stipend £50 A small Baptist con-
egation — about which none of their own number
ve information to the Commissioners of Religious
truction — was believed, by one of the parish
listers, to produce an average attendance of not
re than 5 or 6 persons. — According to a census
;en by the second parish-minister, but believed by
the first minister to be too low, the population then
was 5,147; of whom 4,125 belonged to the Estab-
lishment, and 1,022 were Dissenters; 2,137 of the
former, and 61 1 of the latter residing in the burgh of
Haddington ; 557 of the former, and 159 of the lat-
ter residing in the suburb of Nungate ; and 1,431 of
the former, and 252 of the latter, residing in the
landward parts of the parish The parochial-school
is attended by a maximum of 135 scholars : and 9
non-parochial schools, conducted by 1 1 teachers, are
attended by a maximum of 644. Parochial-school-
master's salary, £34 5s., with £50 school-fees.
Haddington was of old the seat of a deanery, and
of the synodical meetings of the diocese. The par-
ish seems, through the medium of its town, to have
derived its name from a Saxon chief of the name of
Haden, who sat down here on the banks of the
Tyne, after the commencement of the Scoto-Saxon
period ; and its origin is so ancient as to be untrace-
able amid the obscurities of that early epoch, and
the ages which followed. At the accession of David
I. to the throne, it stands clearly out to the view as
a defined parish; and both then and afterwards, was
of much larger extent than at present. Till the
year 1674, it comprehended a considerable part of
Athelstaneford ; and till 1692, it comprised also a
large portion of Gladsmuir. The ancient church
was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, — the common
patron of similar establishments in the circumjacent
district. About the year 1134, David I. granted it
long with its chapels, lands, tithes, and every
thing belonging to it in the parish—to the priory of
St. Andrews. Soon after he gave to the priors", as
a largess or endowment on this church, the 1..
Clerkington on both sides of the Tyne, a toft in the
town, and the tithes of the mills and of all produce
within the parish. All these grants were confirmed
by David's grandsons, Malcolm IV. and William, a*
well as by the successive bishops of St. Andrew-;
and they occasioned the church of Haddington to he
held by the St. Andrews' priory, and served 1>\ a
vicar, till the Reformation. — Connected with the
church, and within the limits of the parish, were six
chapels. At the hamlet to which it has bequeathed
its name, was a chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence.
In the town or its immediate vicinity were four
chapels, — one dedicated to St. Martin, — one dedi-
cated to St. Catherine, — one dedicated to St. Ken-
tigern, — and one, probably the property of the
Knights Templars, dedicated to St. John. And
there was a chapel within the barony of Penston,
which, previous to the erection of Gladsmuir pari-h,
lay within the limits of Haddington. At the He-
formation, the property of all these chapels, with
that of the church to which they were attached, be-
longed, as part of the immense possessions of the
priory of St. Andrews, to James Stewart, the noto-
rious Earl of Murray, the bastard brother and the
minister of Mary of Scotland. The possessions were
soon after usurped by the Earl of Morton, during
the period of his regency ; and when he was put to
death for his participation in the murder of Darnley,
they were forfeited to the Crown. Esme, Duke of
Lennox, the cousin and favourite of James VI., now
obtained the whole, as a temporal lordship, from the
king. In 1615, Thomas, the 1st Earl of Hadding-
ton, purchased the Haddington portion of the lord-
ship— consisting of the patronage and property and
emoluments of the church and its chapels — from
Ludovic the son of Esme; and, in 1620, obtained
from the king a confirmation of his purchase. In
the 18th century, the patronage and property were
transferred, by another purchase, to Charles, the 1st
Earl of Hopetoun; and they have since continued
in the possession of his descendants. From the
period of the utter curtailment of ecclesiastical rev-
enue at the Reformation till the year 1602, t he-
church of Haddington, the chapel of St. Martin, and
the church of Athelstaneford, were all served by one
minister. The chapel of St. Martin now received
an incumbent of its own ; but, at the expiry of his
period of service, it was abandoned ; and, at the pre-
sent day, it still exhibits, on the east side of the sub-
urb of Nungate, in its external walls, a memorial of
an age of superstitious substitution of supernumerary
churches, and tedious ceremonials, for the simple
appliances and spiritual duties of true religion. In
1633, the church of Haddington was appointed one
of the 12 prebends of the chapter of Edinburgh;
and, in lti.4l>, the magistrates of the town concurred
with the Bishop of Edinburgh in pronouncing the
necessity of it having for itself not one minister only
but two; and they assumed the responsibility ot
providing for a second minister. The magistrate-.
naturally enough, thought themselves entitled to
the patronage of the additional ecclesiastical ollicc •,
but resisted in their claim by the patron of the
parish as settled at the Reformation— they pushed
their case first before the College of Justice, and
next up to the House of Peers, and, suffering a de
feat in both appeals, raised a precedent which lias
been a famous one in Scottish law for the settl. -
ment of similar questions.
Additional to the ecclesiastical edifices which have
been enumerated, Haddington had t\vomonastiee>r ih.
lishments, — one in the burgh, and one in t!ie
'24
HADDINGTON.
of the Abbey. The former, a large and venerable
structure, built apparently in the 12th or 13th cen-
tury, and still in considerable preservation — was a
monastery of Franciscan or Grey friars. Lord Seton
appears to have been one of its principal benefactors,
and, in 1441, was buried within its walls. The
strictly monastic part of the edifice was defaced by
Edward I. Even the choir and the transept of the
church are now in a somewhat dilapidated state ; but
the square tower, 90 feet high, is still entire; and
the western part of the cross, fitted up in a superior
style in 1811, is the present parish-church. On ac-
count of the beauty of its structure, and because
the lights constantly exhibited at night from its
lofty windows were seen at a great distance, the
ruinous choir was anciently called " Lucerna Lau-
doniae," the lamp of Lothian. The length of the
fabric, from east to west, is 210 feet; the length of
the transept or cross, from north to south, is 110
feet; and the breadth of the nave is 62 feet. — The
convent at the village of the Abbey, was an estab-
lishment of Cistertian nuns. Only a very small
fragment of one of the walls now remains. The
edifice was founded, in 1178, by Ada, countess of
Northumberland, and mother of Malcolm IV. and
William the Lion ; and it was dedicated by her to
the Virgin, and endowed with extensive and valu-
able possessions. The lands called the Nunlands,
now Huntington, and the churches of Athelstane-
ford and Crail, with their tithes, were also the pro-
perty of this convent. In 1292, Alicia the prioress,
did homage, with her nuns, to Edward I. In 1296,
Eve, the successor of Alicia, submitted to the same
overbearing prince, and, in return, had a restoration
of her rights. In 1358, the convent was strongly
menaced, and well nigh swept away, by the inunda-
tion already noticed ; and, according to the absurd
legend of the times, it was preserved by the inter-
vention, through means of the prioress, of a wooden '
image of the Virgin Mary. In 1359, it was more
tangibly conserved and benefited by an inspeximus
charter from the bishop of St. Andrews, which,
while speaking of the convent as near the hostile
border and exposed to depredation, recognises its
privileges, and confirms its rights. In 1471, the
lairds of Yester and Makerston, provoked to cupid-
ity by its wealth and its fine manors, unceremoni-
ously and rapaciously seized their lands of Nunhopes.
The prioress had no resource but to appeal to the
civil power; and, failing to get from them a dis-
gorgement of their prey by command of the privy-
council, she eventually procured the interference of
parliament to commit their persons and restore her
property. But such was the anarchy of the age
that, in order to protect their granges from the de-
predations of the aristocratic robbers in their vicin-
ity, the nuns had to get them fortified, and, in par-
ticular, had a fortalice erected on their establishment
at Nunraw: See GARVALD and BARO. In 1548,
the Estates held a parliament in the convent, and
there adopted their resolution to send their infant
queen to France. In 1561, the prioress, Elizabeth
Hepburn, in obedience to the new authorities estab-
lished by the Reformation, gave a statement of her
estate preliminary to the suppression of the convent;
and she reported the number of nuns to be 18, and
the revenues to be £308 17s. 6d., besides 7 chal-
ders, and 11 bolls of wheat. The property was con-
ferred by the queen on her secretary, William Mait-
land of Lethington, the son of Sir Richard, and
afterwards was converted into a temporal lordship
in favour of the family of Lauderdale.
HADDINGTON, a royal burgh, a town of great an-
tiquity, and the metropolis of East Lothian, is plea-
santly situated \vithin a bend of the Tyne, and on
the left bank of the river, surrounded on all sides by
a landscape rich in the beauties of culture and 01
noble demesnes, and overlooked at a little distance
to the north by the soft and sylvan declivity of the
Garleton hills. It stands on the great road between
the metropolitan cities of Scotland and England ;
16£ miles from Edinburgh; 11 from Dunbar; and
38 from Berwick-upon- Tweed. Haddington, though
comparatively small in bulk, and long, mean or in-
different appearance, is now one of the neatest, best-
built, and most cheerful towns of Scotland, every-
where clean and tidy in its streets, generally tasteful
and frequently elegant in its buildings, and all around
gay and joyous in the character of its immediate en-
virons. Approaching it eastward from Edinburgh,
the traveller passes on both hands a considerable
number of villas; enters a straggling outskirt of the
town called the Gallow green ; and at the termination
of this, finds the road he is pursuing joined on the
north side by the road from Aberlady, and directly
opposite on the south side by the road from Pen-
caithland. Here the town properly commences; and
hence stretches the High-street — called in the early
part of its progress the West port — due east over a
distance of 600 yards, forming the most conspicuous
part of the burgh. About 270 yards from the com-
mencement or western end of High-street, another
important thoroughfare, bearing the mean name of
Back-street, goes off at a very sharp angle from its
north side, and continues slowly to diverge from it
till, at its termination 330 yards from its commence-
ment, it and the High-street are about 80 yards
asunder. The line or lines of building between them
are, in three places, during the progress of Back-
street, cloven by connecting thoroughfares. Across
the termination or east end of the two streets, and
at right angles with them, runs a street called Hard-
gate, 700 yards in length, stretching northward and
southward a considerable way beyond the slender
latitude formed by the eastward and westward streets.
All the three streets we have described have the
graceful property — so commonly awanting in the
thoroughfares of old towns — of being straight. But
from Hardgate, nearly opposite the end of High-
street, a thoroughfare goes off eastward to the
Tyne and suburb of Nungate; and this, though
only about 210 yards in length, makes two con.
siderable divergencies before reaching the bridge.
The town thus far has nearly the figure of a Latin
cross, the transverse or intersecting part running,
north and south; and in point of fact it deviates
from a close resemblance to this figure mainly by
sending off northward from Back-street, and nearly
parallel to Hardgate, a thoroughfare called, over
most of its length of 370 yards, Newton port, but
bearing, toward its extremity, the fantastic and un-
accountable name of Whisky row. Connected with
the town by a bridge of 4 arches, stands the suburb
of Nungate. This, from a point opposite the par-
allel of Back-street, stretches southward along the
bank of the river over a distance of 340 yards;
and chiefly consists of two parallel streets length-
ways one of which, or that next the river, bears
the name of Gifford gate — and three brief intersect-
ing streets. — The entire arrangement of town and
suburb, unusually good though it is in itself, receive?
from its relative position to the Tyne material aid
in conveying an agreeable impression. The river,
when approaching, flows in a northerly direction on
a line with Gallow green, or the western extremity
of the town; but when at 560 yards distance, it
debouches in a beautiful curve, and, with two slight
beridings, flows due east, till it passes the whole
town, and is on a line with Nungate ; then making
another graceful turn, it flows slightly to the west
HADD1NGTON.
7-J5
of north, washing both the town and the suburb,
till it passes the northern extremity of both ; and
immediately it once more goes suddenly and beauti-
fully round one-fourth of the compass, and pursues
its "course to the east. — The High-street is a spa-
cious and handsome thoroughfare, with excellent
high houses, some elegant and even imposing edi-
fices, and a good array of shops. Back-street,
though not so spacious or extensive, presents no un-
pleasing picture to the eye, and is the scene of one
of the most spirited, and perhaps absolutely the most
interesting, grain-markets in Scotland. In Hard-
gate also, and its extremities or continuations north-
w;ird and south, called respectively the North port
and the South port, are numerous good houses, many
of them altogether or comparatively new, and two or
three in the style and with the accompaniments of
villas. The various thoroughfares enjoy the luxury
— so scantily found in provincial towns, and so in-
dicative of tasteful and opulent imitation of metro-
politan comforts — of side-pavements; and they are
likewise lighted up at night with gas — At the west
end of the town stand the County buildings, erected
in 1833, from a design by Mr. Burn of Edinburgh, at
a cost of £5,500. They are in the old English style
of architecture, spacious and elegant; built chiefly
of stone procured near the town ; but, in the front,
mainly, with polished stone brought from Fife ; and
they contain the sheriff and justice-of-peace court-
rooms, and offices and apartments for various func-
laries connected with the county. At the point
»re the High-street and Back-street separate
id the Town's buildings; containing the council-
the assembly-room, and the county and burgh
erected at various dates and in successive parts,
producing an embellishing effect upon the burghal
Iscape, and now surmounted by a handsome and
ily ornamental spire, erected in 1831 from a de-
by Mr. Gillespie Grahame, and raising aloft its
iring summit to the height of 150 feet. Near the
west end of the town are the gas works. In the
High-street are the George and the Bell inns. On
a line with Hardgate, or the South port, at a point
in the eastward course of the Tyne south of the
town, a bridge of one arch, called Waterloo bridge,
spans the river, and opens the way to Salton. St.
John's church — the place of worship of the new
quoad sacra parish — is a very pleasing Gothic edifice.
But the principal structure, combining the attractions
of antiquity, Gothic magnificence, and bulky gran-
deur, is the pile, already noticed in our view of the
parish, as the church of the ancient monastery. This
is finely situated on an open area south-east of the
body of the town, skirted by the gently flowing
Tyne. Around is the spacious cemetery of the parish,
embosoming the remains of much departed worth;
and, in particular, those of the devout and illustrious
John Brown, whose excellencies long shed a lustre
over the town, and whose pious and useful writings
have embalmed him in the affections of the truly
Christian of every denomination. Within the edifice
itself are a vault containing the remains of John,
Duke of Lauderdale, as well as those of various
members of his family; and an imposing monument,
24 feet long, 18 broad and 18 high, consisting of two
compartments supported by black marble pillars with
white alabaster capitals of the Corinthian order, and
containing, in the one, full-length alabaster figures
of Lord-chancellor Thirle-tane and his lady in a
recumbent posture, and, in the other, similar figures
of John, Earl of Lauderdale, and his Countess. At
the southern extremity of Gifford-gate is a field
which those who claim the reformer Knox as a
native of Haddington, point out as having been at-
ed to the house in which he was born. At the
north-east extremity of Nungate stand the ruins ol
St. Martin's chapel, surrounded by a cemeterv.
Haddington, particularly in its suburb of Nungate,
was for some time the seat of a considerable manu-
factory of coarse woollen fabrics. During the period
of Cromwell's usurpation, an English company, in
which the principal partner was a Colonel Btanfield,
expended a very large sum of money in establishing
the manufactory; and, for this purpose, purchased
some lands which formerly belonged to the monas-
tery, erected fulling-mills, dyeing-houses, and other
requisite premises, and imposed on the whole the
name of Newmilla. After the Restoration, the com-
pany, for their encouragement, were, by several Scot-
tish acts of parliament, exempted from some taxes,
and Colonel Stanfield was raised to the honour of
knighthood But after his death the affairs of the
company going into disorder, and throwing embar-
rassment upon the manufacture, Colonel Chartem
purchased their lands and houses, and, in honour of
the very ancient family in Nithsdale from whom he
was descended, changed the name from Newmills to
Amisfield. In 1750, a company was established, and
contributed a large sum, to revive the manufacture;
but the trade proving unsuccessful, they dissolved.
Soon after their failure, another company was formed,
but proved equally unsuccessful in their efforts. Had-
dington would hence seem destined — though from
what actual cause is not very apparent — not to partake
the benefits, or become the scene, of any such stir-
ring movements as, in peaceful times, have rapidly
raised not a few hamlets and villages of Scotland to
the condition of thriving and populous towns. At
present it has, in the strict sense, no manufacture;
yet it conducts a considerable trade in wool, is the
centre of mercantile supply to an extensive and
wealthy agricultural district, and has an iron-forge,
a coach-work, 2 breweries, 2 distilleries, and estab-
lishments for the tanning and currying of leather,
and for preparing bone-dust and rape-cake for man-
ure. But its chief trading importance consists in its
being a leading market for the exposure and sale of
agricultural produce. Its fairs have gone into de-
suetude; but its weekly market, held on Friday,
attracts, on the one hand, the large and very intel-
ligent body of East Lothian farmers as sellers, and a
vast number of corn-dealers and others from Edin-
burgh, Leith, and more distant places, as purchasers,
and is always but especially at the most suitable
seasons for agricultural trafficking — a very stirring
and important scene. In the morning, butter, eggs,
and poultry are discussed; balf-an-hour past noon,
oats and barley are exposed; and at one o'clock,
wheat East Lothian wheat, the primest produce of
the kingdom — challenges attention. As a wheat
market, it is probably the first in Scotland ; and, at
all events, is, as a market for general agricultural
produce, rivalled in the south-east counties only by
Edinburgh and Dalkeith. A large cattle-fair is held
on a Friday in April, which is fixed by the East
Lothian Agricultural society, at which some prime
fat cattle are sold. A second cattle-market is held
on the Friday preceding the Edinburgh All-hallow
fair.
Haddington was at one time the seat of a rimut
justiciary court, but now sends all its justiciary busi-
ness to Edinburgh. It is the seat, every Thur>.la\ ,
during session, of the county-coin t* of the sin-nil, -
every alternate Thursday, of a sheriff small debt court,
—and, on the lir-t Thursday of March, May, and
August, and the first Tuesday of every other month
in the year, of a justice-of-pcace court. I'.y mean*
lies— some of which pass fehTOMgfa from Dun-
bar, Bcrwick-upon-Twced, >e\vca>tlc, or London-
facilities are offered daily for communication with
7-26
HADD1NGTON.
Edinburgh. The town has a savings' bank and
branch-offices of the Bank of Scotland, the Royal
bank of Scotland, and the British Linen Banking
company. Nor is it feeble or unimportant in the
number and value of its social, literary, benevolent,
and religious institutions. The United Agricultural
society of East Lothian meets several times a-year
here and at Salton. The East Lothian Horticul-
tural society, and the ancient fraternity of Gardeners
of East Lothian, both meet in Haddington. The
Haddington New club is an association of the gentle-
men of the county. The Tyneside games, consist-
ing of various gymnastic exercises, are of recent
institution and perhaps little real value. They are
celebrated, under permission of Lord Elcho, in Amis-
tield park. The town has an excellent grammar-
school, under the conduct of a rector, two masters,
and an assistant, for classics, mathematics, and Eng-
lish literature; a mechanics' school of arts, in which
lectures are delivered on the physical sciences, and
ethics, and economics; a museum of scientific speci-
mens, and a collection of experimental apparatus for
chemistry, galvanism, pneumatics, and astronomy;
a presbytery library, a mechanics' library, a parish
library, a subscription library, a town-library origi-
nally founded in a bequest of books from the Rev.
John Gray of Aberlady, and one or two circulating
libraries. It is also the depot or head-quarters of
the itinerating libraries, devised and established, and
worked with incalculable advantage to the enlighten-
ment and high moral cultivation of the towns, villa-
ges, and parishes of East Lothian by the late pious
and philanthropic Samuel Brown, the worthy off-
shoot of the venerable John Brown. Of benevolent
and religious institutions, there are a dispensary, — a
society of females for the relief and instruction of
the aged, poor, and sick, — the East Lothian society
for propagating the knowledge of Christianity, — and
the East Lothian Bible society, probably the earliest
organized in Scotland.
Prior to the date of the Burgh Reform act, the
town-council of Haddington, according to an act of
the convention of Royal burghs passed in 1665, con-
sisted of 16 merchants' and 9 trades' councillors.
The number of council remains, as formerly, 25; and
are elected according to the provisions of the Burgh
reform act. The magistrates are a provost, 3 bai-
lies, a treasurer, and a dean-of-guild. The council
nominate a baron-bailie of the suburb of Nungate,
and another of a portion of the parish of Gladsmuir
which holds feu of the burgh ; but neither of these
functionaries holds baron-bailie courts. The magis-
trates have jurisdiction over the whole royalty, and
hold a weekly court in which, assisted by the town-
clerk, they try civil causes. They are in the prac-
tice also of trying criminal causes brought before
them by the procurator-fiscal of the burgh ; and they
maintain order in the town, by imposing summarily
fines not exceeding 5 shillings, for offences in mat-
ters of police. The sheriff of the county exercises
a cumulative authority with them within the royalty.
The dean-of-guild, with his council, judge of all
questions of boundaries and disputed marches, and
must be consulted previous to the erection of any
new building; he also — though this function has for
several years rusted in desuetude — takes cognizance
of ruinous buildings ; and he is independent and alone
in his jurisdiction from any cumulative authority of
the sheriff. The magistrates have the appointment
of the town-clerk, the fiscal, the gaoler, and other
burgh - officers, and of the burgh -schoolmasters.
There is no guildry in Haddington; but there are
merchant -burgesses, who have a fund called the
guildry fund, devoted to charitable purposes, from
which they generally distribute about £25 a-year.
The fees of entry are: — to a stranger £10, — to an
apprentice £6 Is. 2d., — to children of burgesses-, £2
13s. 4d. There are 9 incorporated trades, — the
hammermen, wrights, and masons, weavers, fleshers,
shoemakers, bakers, tailors, and skinners ; all of
them, except the weavers, enjoying the exclusive
privilege of exercising their crafts within burgh.
The property of the town consists of lands, mills
and houses, feu-duties, customs and market-dues,
and fees on the entry of burtresses. The debt at
Michaelmas 1832, was £6,901 6s. 3d.; contracteu
chiefly in the erection of a new butcher market
at the cost of upwards of £2,000, — in the expen-
diture of £1,500 upon the church and manse, and
of £2,000 upon the spire and renovation of the
town-house, and of £1,500 in an unsuccessful search
for coal on the lands of Gladsmuir. Though the
income of the town has very much increased during
the last 30 years, there is no prospect of its soon
affording such a surplus as should extinguish the
debt. The income for 1831-2, was £1,422 16s. 3d. ;
for 1839-40, £1,498 19s. 4jd. Municipal consti-
tuency, in 1840, 180. Haddington unites with Dun.
bar, Lander, North Berwick, and Jedburgh, in re-
turning a member to parliament. Constituency, in
1840, 198.
Haddington was, at a very early period, a royal
burgh; and on the charter of confirmation and de
novo damus of James VI., dated 30th January, 1624,
by which it now holds its privileges and property,
record is made of its great antiquity, and of ancient
charters of the town having been lost or destroyed
during the international wars. The earliest recorded
notice of it exhibits it to view in the lith century
as a demesne town of the Scottish king. David 1.
possessed it as his burgh, with a church, a mill, and
other appurtenances of a manor ; yet, so far as docu-
mental evidence is concerned, he does not appear to
have had a castle in its vicinity. Ada, the daughter
of the Earl of Warren, received it, in 1139, as a
regal dower, on her marriage with Earl Henry, the
son of David, and the prince of Scotland; and, till
her decease in 1178, this mother of kings, in other
matters than the founding of the Cistertian nunnery
in its neighbourhood, seems to have been attentive
to its interests. William the Lion now inherited it
as a demesne of the crown; and appears — though no
royal castle is yet spoken of in the place — to have
sometimes made it his residence. In 1180, William,
supported by his brother, Earl David, and by many
clergymen and a vast assemblage of laity, heard here
and decided a tumultuous though unimportant civil
controversy between the monks of Melrose and
Richard Morville, the constable of Scotland. In
1191, the same king affianced at Haddington his
daughter Isobel to her second husband. In 1198,
the town became the birth-place of Alexander 1L,
the son of William. During the reigns of David L,
Malcolm IV., and William the Lion, Haddington
seems to have luxuriated in the comforts of peace
and the smiles of royal favour. It was first involved
in the miseries of war, after Alexander II. had taken
part with the English barons against their unworthy
sovereign; and in 1216, it was burnt by King John
of England during his incursion into the Lothians.
In 1242, on occasion of a royal tournament held at
the town, and in revenge of his having overthrown
Walter, the chief of the family of Bisset, Patrick,
Earl of Athole, was assassinated within its walls.
As the town, after being reduced to ashes by John,
had been hastily rebuilt of wood, it was, a second
time, in 1244, destroyed by the flames. But, at
that period, all the towns and cities of Scotland
were constructed chiefly or wholly of wood, and
covered with thatch; and when we learn from For-
HADDINGTON.
that Stirling, Roxburgh, Lanark, Perth, Forfar,
Montrose, and Aberdeen, were all burnt at the same
time as Haddington, we can hardly believe — though
several historians concur in telling us so — that Had-
dington, on this occasion, owed its conflagration to
accident. The town, though formally demanded, in
1293, by Edward I., of John Baliol, does not seem
to have suffered much from the wars of the succes-
sion. In 1355-6, Edward III., in revenge of the
seizure of Berwick by the Scottish troops during
bis absence in France, making a devastating incur-
sion over the whole country south of Edinburgh,
Haddington fell a prey to his fury, and was a third
time reduced to ashes. This disaster happening about
the beginning of February, it was many years after-
wards remembered by the name of 'the burnt Candie-
ums.' In April 1548, the year after the fatal battle
of Pinkie, the English, under Lord Grey, took pos-
session of Haddington, fortified it, and left in it a
garrison of 2,000 foot and 500 horse, under Sir John
Wilford. The Scots were, at the time, so much
dispirited, that this garrison ravaged the country to
the very gates of Edinburgh. But Andrew de Mont-
alembert, Sieur D'Esse, the Frenrh general, having
landed at Leith on the 16th of June, at the head of
6,000 foreign troops, composed of French, Germans,
and Italians, in concert with a force of 5,000 Scots
troops, under Arran, drove the English within the for-
ications, and laid siege to the town. Wilford, the
>vernor, nnade a gallant defence, and even so out-
mceuvred the Frenchman's activity, as, in spite of
im, to receive into the town from Berwick a rein-
>rcement of men and a supply of provisions. While
>'Esse maintained the siege, and environed the Cis-
jrtian nunnery at the village of Abbey with his
ip, the meeting of the Estates of parliament in
it edifice, which we noticed in our ecclesiastical
cetch of the parish, took place on 17th July. As
le siege of Haddington continued, and both attack
id defence grew increasingly spirited, the vicinity
the principal theatre of war between the
nations. Sir Thomas Palmer, at the head of
1,500 horse, made an attempt to throw supplies into
le town ; but was repulsed, with the loss of 400
•risoners. Admiral Lord Clinton, brother of Somer-
>t the protector of England, was now directed to
iraw the attention of the Scots from the siege
>y menacing their coasts ; while Talbot, Earl of
Shrewsbury, was sent to reinforce and conquer at
the head of 22,000 men. The admiral, though
repulsed at different points where he attempted
a landing, achieved his main object of distract-
ing the attention of the besiegers of Haddington;
while the Earl of Shrewsbury raised the siege, sup-
plied the garrison with every necessary and an addi-
tional force of 400 horse, and then marched to Mus-
selburgh to look into intrenchments which D'Esse
had suddenly thrown up for his army. But he in
vain attempted to draw the wary Frenchman from
his camp; and becoming tired of his sentinelry,
inarched off with his troops, burned Dunbar and
other places in his route, and departed into England.
D'Esse now resolved to attempt Haddington by a
coup de main. The enterprise was conducted with
so much secrecy and adroitness, that the English
advanced guards were slain, and the bas court before
the east gate was gained, before the garrison was
alarmed. The assailants were employed in breaking
open this gate, when a soldier — who a few days
before had deserted from D'Esse's camp— fired upon
them a piece of artillery which killed many of them
and threw the rest into confusion; while a party
sallied out through a private postern, and made such
a furious onset with spears and swords that few of
the assailant* who had entered the bas court escaped
slaughter. D'Esse, in June 1.V4D, \va>
in the command of the foreign auxiliaries, and in
the prosecution of measures for the capture of Had-
dington, by the Chevalier De Thermes, who brought
over with him from France a reinforcement of 1,000
foot, 100 cuirassiers, and 200 horse. His first act
was to build a fort at the sea-port of Aberlady,
to straiten the garrison by cutting off from tin-in
all supplies by sea, Wilford, reduced to extremity
from want of provisions, and informed that a sup-
ply had arrived at Dunbar, marched out at the
head of a strong detachment, in order, if possi-
ble, to cut his way to the supply and convey it to
Haddington; but he was attacked by a large body
of the French troops, overpowered by numbers, and,
after an obstinate resistance, during which most of
his detachment were hewn down, was taken prisoner.
The English now found the tenure of Haddington
impracticable, on account at once of the distant and
inland situation of the town, of the determination of
the French commander at all hazards and at any cost
to take it, and of the appearance among the garrison
of that fell and insidious and inconquerable foe, the
plague; and they resolved to contend no longer for
its possession. The Earl of Rutland determined,
however, that neither soldiers nor military stores
should fall into the hands of the Scots or their auxi-
liaries; and, marching into Scotland at the head of
6,000 men, he entered Haddington in the night, and,
on the 1st of October, 1549, safely conducted all the
soldiers and artillery to Berwick. Of the fortifica-
tions of Haddington not a vestige now remains, ex-
cept a few portions of the old town- wall.*
In 1598, Haddington was a fourth time consumed
by fire. The calamity is said to have been occa-
sioned by the imprudence of a maid-servant, in plac-
ing a screen covered with clothes too near the fire
of a room during night. In commemoration of the
event, and as a means of preventing its recurrence,
the magistrates made a law, that a crier should go
along the streets of the town every evening during
the winter months, and, after tolling a bell, recite
some admonitory rhymes. This unusual ceremony
got the name of " Coal an' can'le;" and either is, or
very recently was, still observed. The rhymes re-
cited are sufficiently rude; but, in connexion with
the fact of Haddington having so often and severely
suffered from fire, they are not without interest, and
we accordingly quote them below, f
* A French officer who was present, has left UK a minute
account of the operations of thin siege, and th- following de.
scription of the fort: " Le plant du fort d'Edimtou e>t t...it
qunrre, et aawis an milieu d'une plaii.e raie et basse, n'ayant
roontagne ne colline qui lui puiose commander. II e-f clos a'un
large fosse a fonds de curr, et d'une bonne el forte courtine de
gaznns de gro^e terre, reparee de spacieux rempars, et appn-
priee de bons et seurs parapet-* ; anx quatre coins de la quelle
Mint assis quatre fors boulevards," &c. It appears from what
follows in the same author, that the fort was surn.ni.ded by a
deep ditch, behind the rampart of the first wall, lin.-d •rill a
strong curtain, and case-matted. The French general ad.
vanced his lines «o near the fort, t. at his men were oft-n
knocked down by pieces of lead fixed to strings which the b*.
sieged held in their hand*.
•f •« A' guid men's servants where'er ye be.
Keep coal an' can'ie f»r chantie !
Baitti in your kitchen an' your ha'.
Keep weel your fires whate'er befa' !
In bakehouse, hrewhou-e, barn, and byre,
1 warn ye a' keep weel your fire!
For often time* a little >.park
Hrings inony hand-, to mickle \vark .'
Ye nourrices that hae bairn* to kei-p,
See that ye la' line o'er cound ablecp,
For losing o' your puid reinnm.
An' banishing o' tin* barrou* toun !
Tit l'»r your i-ake- that I d" cry :
'I'ak* warning by your neighbour! bye !"
It is not long since a Mimewhit similar exp»-dient was re.
sorted to by the magisterial nuthorilie.-, of Canton. Inst,.^.
however, of chauntiug a poetic il warning after the fall of night,
these magnates of the CeleHti..! empire c.iu-ert a nqniire boarl
to be attached to the upper part of a pole, so that a man or boy
723
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
Haddington gives the title of Earl, in the peerage
of Scotland, to the descendants of the Hamiltons o
Innervvick, the remote kinsmen of the ducal famil)
of Hamilton. In 1606, Sir John Ramsay, brother o
George Lord Ramsay of Dalhousie, and the chiei
protector of James VI. from the conspiracy of the
Earl of Cowrie, was created Viscount Haddington
and Lord Ramsay of Barns; in 1615, he was raised
to a place among the peers of England, by the titles
of Earl of Holderness and Baron Kingston-upon-
Thames; but dying, in 1625, without issue, he left
all his honours to be disposed of at the royal will
either as forgotten toys or as the award of future as-
pirants. In 1627, Thomas Hamilton of Priestfield —
who was eminent as a lawyer, and had become Lord-
president of the Court of Session, and Secretary of
State, and had been created Baron of Binning and
Byres in 1613, and Earl of Melrose in 1619 — ob-
tained the king's permission to change his last and
chief title into that of Earl of Haddington. In 1 827,
Thomas, 9th Earl, while only heir-apparent, was
created Baron Melrose of Tyningham, in the peerage
of the United Kingdom ; and this nobleman, during
the brief administration of Sir Robert Peel in 1834-5,
was Lord-lieutenant of Ireland. The family-seat is
about 8 miles east of Haddington, at Tyningham in
the parish of Whitekirk.
HADDINGTONSHIRE, or EAST LOTHIAN, an
important and beautiful county in the south-east
part of Scotland; bounded on the north-west and
north by the frith of Forth ; on the north-east by
the German ocean ; on the south-east and south by
Berwickshire; and on the west by Mid-Lothian.
With the exception of four very inconsiderable rills,
which divide it respectively toward its north-west
and south-west angles from Mid-Lothian, and toward
its south-east and south-west angles from Berwick-
shire— the two rills at the south-west angle making
a confluence at the point of leaving it — and of the
highest summit or water- shedding line of the Lam-
niermoor hills over about one-half of the march with
Berwickshire, it has, along the south-eastern, the
southern, and the western frontier, no natural or
geographical features to mark its boundary. The
county stretches between 55° 46' 10", and 56° 4'
north" latitude, and between 2° 8', and 2° 49' longi-
tude west from Greenwich. Along the frith of Forth
to North Berwick it extends, in a straight line, 15£
miles ; thence, along the ocean till it touches Ber-
wickshire, it extends, also in a straight line, 16£
miles ; in a chord from the eastern to the western
point of its contact with Berwickshire, it extends 25
miles ; and in a chord from the southern to the
northern points of its contact with Mid-Lothian, it
extends 13 miles. But on the sides of the frith and
of Berwickshire it sends considerable projections
l*eyond this line of measurement; on the Mid-Lo-
thian side it makes a considerable recession from
that line ; and on the ocean side it both — though
not to a great extent — recedes from that line and
overleaps it. The extent of its superficial area is
variously computed at 224, 250, and 280 square
miles. The highest computation, though probably
beyond the truth, seems to have been made with the
most care, and upon the best authority.
The county consists of highlands and lowlands,
each broadly and distinctly marked in its features,
and both stretching east and west with an exposure
c >uld carry it conveniently, as is done in London, since walls
for placards have become scarce. On this board is written —
" Mind your doors!
Wiitch your tires!"
The people of Canton, and perhaps those of Haddington also,
iaiit>h at the vigilance of their worthy magistrates, as quite
iiniirre^ary, lor they are deeply enough interested in doing;
what they are exhorl •<* to, to render admonition superfluous.
to the north. The highland or southern district is
part of the very broad but comparatively low Laiu-
rnermoor range, which, coming off at an acute diver-
gency from the middle of the lofty chain which in-
tersects the south-west of Scotland, runs eastward
by Soutra to the sea. In their more upland regions,
or in the degree of their lying near the southern
boundary, the hills of this district are chiefly brown
heaths, fit only to be used as a sheep-walk ; but as
they descend toward the plain they become capable
of cultivation, and yield a fair though generally a
late return to the labours of the husbandman. In
general height and form and appearance — though
Spartleton-hill, one of their summits, rises 1,615 i'eet
above the level of the sea — they are rather a wide
stretch of upland moor, than either a chain work or
a congeries of mountains, and, apart from their deep
solitude and their pastoral character, possess none of
the bold or wild features of the properly Highland
districts of Scotland. The lowlands of the county,
with the Lammermoors for a background, and the
burnished or surgy or bright blue waters of the frith
and the ocean for a foil, exhibit, from the summit of
any of the few elevations which command them, a
finely diversified and very beautiful and brilliant
landscape. The surface, while generally though
very gently declining from the foot of the Lammer-
moors to the frith of Forth, is sufficiently broken
and swollen to be relieved from the tameness of
aspect distinctive of a plain, and has its elevations
lifted up in such softness of form and picturesqueness
of variety as to let it retain, in the strictest sense, and
with fascinating attractions, a Lowland character.
In the south-east division the ground stretches away
>om the hills for several miles like a bowling-green,
arid is surpassingly fertile in its soil and opulent in
its vegetable dress. Along the centre and toward
:he western limit of the county the rich vale of the
Tyne comes down with a gentle slope from the hills,
and forms a long, beautiful, and thoroughly culti-
vated broad stripe, stretching east and west. On the
north side of this vale, a low swelling hilly range
comes down from Mid-Lothian, runs eastward to the
jarish of Haddington ; and there, after having grad-
mlly sunk till it is almost lost in the plain, it rises
up again in the more marked but simply hilly and
soft form of the Garleton range, and runs along
several miles farther to the east. North of the
Grarleton hills is another stretch of plain, extending
ts length eastward and westward ; and between this
and the northern angle of the county, a very low or
noundish ridge rising at Gulane, stretches eastward
;o the northern division of the parish of Whitekirk.
Beyond this ridge North Berwick law lifts, singly
rom the plain, its beautifully conical form 800 feet
above the level of the sea ; and from the bosom of
he sea itself rises the remarkable and commanding
brm of the Bass; and away in the plain which
stretches from the foot of the Lammermoors, rises,
8 miles due south from North Berwick law, a rival
o that beautiful hill as to both form and position,
n the solitary cone called Taprain law. The whole
owlands of the county, though distinct and fasciiiat-
ng as beheld either from the Lammermoors or trom
)ther elevations, are seen to best advantage and un-
old their inequalities most distinctly to the eye from
he Garleton hills in their centre. The ascent of the
ounty from its northern shore to the foot of the
..ammermoors, is there perceived to be accomplish-
(i, not in an inclined plane, or in shelving esplanades,
T in ridges of uniform heights, but in alternations of
•ariegated plain and diversified hilly range extending
rivariably from east to west; and from the foot of
he Lammermoors to the southern boundary it is
een to be achieved in easy swells and by gentle and
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
7t>0
rrry gradual progress. The central summits of the
(iiirletons, some of the Lammermoor elevations, and
especially North Berwick law and Taprain law, are
«'\.-eptions to the generally soft and gentle graduation
of the features of the district ; but, while conspicuous
objects in its topography, they add munificently to
the brilliant attractions of its scenic beauty.
Haddingtonshire, owing to its geographical position
and its limited extent, has few waters of any de-
scription, and none of considerable magnitude. The
Tvne, entering it as a mere rill on the west, and
traversing the whole width of its lowlands to the
sea at Tyningham, is the only stream which can, in
K sense, claim the name of river. Several burns
vulets, from among the many which rise in the
mermoors, either flow down upon the Tyne, or
flow through the whole lowlands in independent
courses to the sea, and are of magnitude sufficient to
claim separate notice in the details of topographical
description. But a strange circumstance connected
with the Haddingtonshire streams — owing, probably,
to their dearth and their beauty, and the eagerness
with which they are locally claimed — is that they
very generally glide from place to place under such
a contusion of names as almost defies the manage-
ment of a topographist. The stream, for example,
which joins the Tyne on the lands of Clerkington,
bears, during its brief course from the head of Gar-
vald parish, the names successively of the Hope,
the Gifford, the Bolton, and the Coalston. The
rivulet, too, which rises in the same parish as this, a
little to the east, traverses the parishes of Garvald,
Whittingham, Stenton, and Dunbar, and falls into
the sea at West Belhaven, and which is next in
length of course, if not in volume of water, to the
Tyne, glides from the county under an appellation
imposed on it within 2 or 3 miles of its embouchure,
and previously wears and casts aside and assumes
names with such rapidity of succession that it is
coolly allowed to figure anonymously on the map. A
ridiculously contrasted instance is, that two streams
which rise respectively on the north-eastern and the
south-western limit of the parish of Athelstaneford,
and which flow respectively westward to the frith at
Aberlady bay, and eastward to the ocean at Ravens-
lieugh, are both called Peffer-burn. The only in-
hind sheets of water of any extent are Presmennan
and Danskine lochs, — the former is a recent artificial
formation. The county's destitution of lakes and
poverty in running waters, is, in a large degree, com-
pensated both by the beauty and the alluvial deposits
of such streams as it possesses, and by the far-
spreading brilliance and the abundant fishy produc-
i tiveness of the frith and the ocean Kist-hill-well,
I in the parish of Spott, several mineral springs in the
parish of Pencaitland, and an acidulous spring in
the parish of Humbie, have, at various periods, been
more or less in repute for their medicinal properties.
A mineral spring near Salton house is said to be of
i the same nature, and to have the same virtues, as
1 the Bristol waters.
The county, in its upland or Lammermoor divi-
sion, is geologically composed of the transition strata,
—chiefly those of aquatic formation; and, in its low-
amis, except in a few localities where trap-rock has
oeen forced up to the surface through the entire in-
termediate strata, consists of the various and alter-
'lating strata ot the secondary formation. Old red
<andstone, superincumbent on the transition strata,
ooks out at various places on the roast, and Hanks the
Lammermoor hills over their whole range, and bears
iloft limestone, coal, fire-clay, ironstone, shales, clay,
ind all the alternating strata of sandstone distinctive
}f the old red sandstone basis. Coal, in continua-
tion of the Mid-Lothian coal-field, and co-cxti-uhive
with the northern half of the western frontier, stretches
eastward through the parishes of Prestonpans, Tran-
ent, Ormiston, Pencaitlaml, and (Jladsmuir. But to-
ward the extremity of the last parish, and on its enter-
ing Haddington, it becomes so interrupted with dykes
and so thin in the seam as not to repay the cost <>i
mining. So early as the year 12(M) coal was dis-
covered and worked on their lands of Prestongrange
by the monks of Newbattle. A charter, which mu-t
have been granted between 1202 and 1218, and
which confers on these monks exclusive power to
work coal on their lands of Preston, bounded by the
rivulet Pinkie, is still in existence. Another chartei
also exists, granted by James, steward of Scotland,
and dated 20th of January, 1284-5, which confers a
grant of coal, and authority to work it, on his lands
in Tranent. Yet many persons — very erroneously,
as these documents show — have supposed that the
earliest coal-mine in Scotland was opened at Dun-
fermline about the year 1291. Coal is either known
or very probably conjectured to stretch from the
main coal-field all its breadth north-eastward to the
very extremity of Haddingtonshire, and it even, north
of the village of Dirleton, crops out near the sea ;
but, in spite of numerous and expensive attempts, in
various localities, to find it in sufficiently thick and
available seams, it will never probably be found
workable elsewhere than in the parishes west of
Haddington. Limestone in great abundance and ot
prime quality is so generally met with as nowhere
to be undiscoverable within a longer interval than 5
or 6 miles ; and it is in general from 12 to 14 feet in
thickness, and so level and near the surface as to be
procurable at a moderate cost. Shell-marl has been
found at Salton and at Hermiston ; but, owing to the
plenty and the cheapness of lime, is no treasure in
East Lothian as it would be esteemed in less favour-
ed districts. Clay ironstone suitable for smelting
was, several years ago, worked at Gulane by the
Carron company ; but, though occurring there and
in some other spots in considerable quantity, it has
ceased to attract notice, or to be treated as an arti-
cle of value. Sandstone for building is plentiful and
of easy access ; but, though durable, it is of a dark
reddish colour so disagreeable to the eye as to give
I buildings or towns constructed with it, especially
i when compared in recollection with the buildings of
! Edinburgh, a sombre and rueful aspect. Clay suit-
able for the manufacture of brick and tiles, occurs,
of various colours in the uplands, and of a blue col-
1 our in the lowlands ; and in the vale of the western
Peffer-burn occurs in beds of from 10 to 25 feet
deep, and stretches away into the sea beneath the
wide flat sands of Aberlady. Dr. Buckland, in an
essay recently read before the Geological society,
states that a large portion of the low lands between
Edinburgh and Haddington is composed of till, or
the argillaceous detritus of glaciers, interspersed
with pebbles. In the valley of the river Tyne, about
one mile east of Haddington, he observed a district
longitudinal moraine, midway between the river and
the high road, and ranging parallel to them ; and he
i directs attention to the trap rocks which commence
a little further eastward, and are intersected by the
Tyne at various points for 4 or 5 miles above Lin-
I ton, as likely to afford scored and striated surface*
' in the most contracted parts of the valley. About
4 miles we-t ot Dunbar, another long and lofty ridge
of gravel stretches along the vullc\, parallel to the
right bank of the river; and for •'* nr.le> >outh-
Dunbar there occurs a serie.- <>t lateral moraines,
modified into terraces by the action of water.
In early time- the Lammermoor division seem- t«.
have been abundantly clothed with natural W004 -
and shrubberies. This fact— even if documentary
730
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
evidence were awanting — is very strongly attested
by the frequent recurrence, in its topographical no-
menclature, of the syllables, ' wood,' ' oak,' ' pres,'
and 'shaw;' the two last signifying respectively in
Celtic and in Saxon, a copsewood. Thus we have
Braidwood, Presmennanwood, Humbiewood, Wood-
hall, Woodley, Woodcut, Cransbaw, Crackinshaw,
Pyotshaw, and a host of others. But in the low-
lands of the county woods do not seem anciently to
have existed; nor c<m they be traced in the names of
its localities or in the statements or allusions of
charters.
Till a comparatively recent date the mass of the
population were in a state of villariage, astricted to
the land on which they dwelt, and transferable only
with its soil. The charters of David L, Malcolm
IV., and William the Lion, exhibit the county as
distributed in large districts among a few domineer-
ing and enslaving barons. The kings and the nobles
and the ecclesiastics were then all agriculturists;
every manor had its place, its church, its mill, its
kiln, and its brewhouse ; and the villains or retainers
were chained down around the baron on a house, a
croft, some arable land, a meadow, and a right of
commonage. The monks, in particular, were keen
and skilful cultivators, and seem to have laid the
foundation of its agricultural greatness. There were
undoubtedly many lands cultivated under the baro-
nial lords of manors, and under the monks of New-
battle and Kelso, and the nuns of Haddington by
tenants and subtenants for certain rents and services.
A curious fact is that, along the conterminous line
of the uplands and the lowlands, the parishes were
anciently — as they are still — so distributed that each,
while stretching away into the fertile plain, had at-
tached to it a section of the Lammermoor as a neces-
sary adjunct to its agricultural practice of summer
pasturage. Even the nomenclature shows that each
parish had its pasturage or ' shieling.' Thus, in
Oldhamstocks are Luckyshiel and Powelshiel; in
Innerwick, Auldshiel ; in Stenton, Gamelshiel and
Airnleshiel ; and in Whittingham, Penshiel and, May-
shiel. While mills were everywhere numerous, and
in much requisition in the lowlands, and evinced, by
the activity with which they were employed, how
comparatively vast a quantity of grain was raised ;
pasturage was, at the same time, much followed,
during summer, by all who had easy access to the
Lammermoors. Hay also was raised in abundance,
and, so early as the 13th century, was subjected to
tithes. From the fact that the English soldiers sub-
sisted, during the siege of Dirleton castle in 1298,
on the pease which grew in the neighbouring fields,
pulse likewise appears to have been early an object
of attention. But, what is greatly more surprising,
gardens and orchards, so early as during the 12th
and the 13th centuries, were numerous and large.
Agriculture and its sister-arts, however, received a
fearful check, and even were compelled to recede
during the disastrous period of the wars of the suc-
cession. Yet, in 1336, East Lothian, in its infantile
movements, resembled so singularly the paramount
greatness of its adult agricultural character of the
present day, that the labour of no fewer than 100
ploughs was suspended by the arousing effects upon
the people of Allan of Wynton abducting one of
the daughters of Seton. Against the middle of the
17th century improvements had so far advanced
that the English soldiers who entered Scotland with
Cromwell in 1650, were astonished to find in East
Lothian " the greatest plenty of corn they ever saw,
not one of the fields being fallow," and made no
scrurle to trample down the crops in their march,
and feed their horses with the wheat. We may sup-
pose, however, that Whitelocke, who makes this
report, indulged somewhat in exaggeration : and we
must perceive, also, that implements of the rudest
and most clumsy sort being still in use, the hus-
bandry, notwithstanding its superiority at the period,
was still, as compared with the state of things at
present, in a sufficiently primitive and lumbering
condition.
The era of georgic improvement in East Lothian,
was about the period of the Union, in 1 707. Lord
Belhaven led the way, by tendering advice to t!
farmers, and endeavouring to inoculate them wi
new doctrines. Lord Haddington, and some of h
tenantry, followed in a path less lofty and comman
ing, but more alluring and successful, — the path
experiment and example. Through means of son
English servants among his retainers, he introduce
over his estate the practice —altogether novel in tl
country — of so wing grass-seeds. Fletcher of Saltoi
" after he saw his own political career at a close I
the Union," emulated Lord Haddington in a ra
along the new road to fame ; and in 1710, patronize
a mill- vvright of the name of Meikle, sent him to Ho
land to observe and invent improvements in machii
ery, and, by his means, introduced " the fanners
and set up a manufactory of them at Salton, and ah
constructed a mill for the manufacture of decortica
ed barley, thenceforth everywhere known as Salto
barley. A ready market being offered for this speci
of corn, the erection of the mill, and of others els
where in imitation of it, occasioned a rapid improv
merit in agriculture. In 1723, a great society
improvers arose, and endeavoured to impart to th
ploughmen its own energy. About 1736, the eld
Wight introduced the horse-shoeing husbandry in a
its vigour, raised excellent turnips and cabbages, ft
cattle and sheep to perfection, and attempted, thoug
without adequate success, to extend the horse-shoeii
husbandry to wheat, barley, and pease. Patrick, Lor
Elibank, and Sir Hugh Dalrymple, each claim th
merit of having introduced the fructifying process <
hollow draining. Two farmers of the name of Cur
ningham were the first who levelled and straightene
ridges. • John, Marquis of Tweeddale, and Sir Georj-
Suttie, were the earliest and most successful pra
tisers of the turnip-husbandry. In 1 740, John Cocli
burn, younger, of Ormiston, retired from politics
business, and zealously endeavoured to introduce th
agricultural practices of England. Before 1 743, ther
was a farming society at Ormiston. In 1 740, the pt
tatoe was introduced ; and about 1 754, was first raise
in the fields, by a farmer of the name of Hay, i
Aberlady. Very early in the century, another fai
mer, John Walker in Prestonkirk, prompted by th
advice of some gentlemen from England, successful]
tested the beneficial effects of fallowing, and, by h
example, incited his neighbours to adopt the practice
In 1776, when 40 years of progressive irnprovemen
elapsed, every agricultural practice had been attempi
ed in East Lothian which the most intelligent coul
think of as beneficial. All the youthful farmers ha
adopted the mode of intermixing broad-leafed piam
with white-corn crops, and speedily, by their supt
rior gains, provoked their seniors to follow their ex
ample. They still, however, worked their plough
with four horses ; and, in not a few particulars o
which more modern advances in science were destine
to throw light, were very materially inferior, in thei
notions and professional practice, to their highly in
telligent successors of the present day. Progression
have subsequently been made, and continue to mov
on, chiefly by so concentrating the skill and science
and practical tact of the county, in a society, that th
knowledge of all becomes the knowledge of each
In 1804, a farmers' society was organized by Genera
Fletcher of Salton, and was supported by a larg
HADD1NGTONSHIRE.
781
body of inte lligent and respectable agriculturists, and
exerted a propelling influence on general improve-
nu-nt. In 1819-20, another society, on a more ex-
tensive scale, and combining nearly every available
energy in the county, started into being, took the
Salton society into its fellowship, and assumed the
appropriate name of " The United East Lothian Agri-
cultural society." This association, wielding all the
jtower which the nobility, wealth, intelligence, and
tact of the county can produce, has hitherto worked
with such effect as, jointly with the individual and de-
tached labours of its members and followers on their
respective properties and farms, to have enabled East
Lothian, amidst the general and emulous and praise-
worthy aspirations of many agricultural districts of
Scotland after celebrity, to maintain that pre-emi-
nence which it so early acquired, and which it has
not once allowed to be disputed.
Great care has been used by the pastoral farmers
of the Lammermoors to improve the breed of their
stock as to both wool and carcass. The English
large breed of white-faced sheep have been tried on
these hills ; but they have climbed only the lower
accents, and even there have been found to grow lean
and meagre. The active and restless black-faced
breed seem more at home in the region, and are re-
tained in considerable numbers on its pastures. But
the Cheviot breed greatly predominates, being gene-
rally preferred on account of the superior value of the
wool. Smearing or salving is everywhere practised
in the Lamrnermoor district. A composition, partly
resinous and partly oleaginous, is spread over the
whole body of the sheep, at the commencement of
winter, or soon after the separation of the fleece,
and is believed to protect the animal from vermin, to
protect it against the acerbities of the climate, and
even to improve and increase its wool. In the low-
lands, the fattening of stock of all sorts for the sham-
bles has long been an object of attention, and essen-
tially figures in the economy of every regularly con-
ducted farm. Yet not one variety has arisen in the
district of any species of stock. Some of the cattle
are of the short-horned breed ; but most are those
brought from the Highlands, either directly or through
the medium of the north-eastern counties. Black-
fwvd Highland wedders were, at one time, very gen-
erally fed off on turnips, and annually sent away to
the butcher ; but they have recently been, in a con-
siderable degree, displaced by half-breed hogs, from
Cheviot ewes by Leicester rams. Grass-fed sheep
are, for the most part, ewes, bought in autumn with
the view of their lambing in the spring, and then fat-
tened with their lambs, and sold with them to the
butcher.
East Lothian owes its agricultural superiority, not
wholly, nor even, perhaps, in a chief degree, to the
advantageousness of its situation and its soil. Having
throughout a northern exposure, it seems averted
from the sun's rays, and exposed to the fierce and
chilling blasts which proceed from the shores of the
Baltic. The soil also — though upon the coast, and
in a variety of localities, consisting of a light loam,
or of a loamy admixture — is in general of that sort in
which clay predominates. Yet, in point of climate,
the lowlands are highly favoured. In winter, snow,
though brought down by winds in every point, from
the west round by the north to the east, almost never
lies many days. Spring is, in general, dry, with only
occasional severe showers of hail or rain from the
north-east. During the whole of May, the winds
usually blow from some point to the north, with a
bright sun, and a dry, keen, penetrating air. During
the summer and autumn, the only rainy points are
from the south and the east. The district is all but
totally unacquainted with those heavy falls of rain,
brought from the Atlantic by westcily winds, which
so frequently deluge the western parts of Scot lam-.
The greater part of the clouds which come from ti <•
west are intercepted and broken by the mountain-
range or high-grounds which occupy the eastern limits
of Lanarkshire ; and the few which escape are, lor
the most part, broken and divided by the PentlmO
hills, part of them being sent off by way of Arthur's
seat to the frith of Forth, and part sent away by the
Moorfoot hills, and Soutra hill, along the summit* <>t
the Lammermoors. The district, therefore, — viewed
in connexion with the aggregate character of its cli-
mate, and with the amount and the skill of georgic
operation to which it has been subjected, — must be
regarded as peculiarly favourable to the growth oi
corn. Wheat, accordingly, is its staple produce, and
is cultivated chiefly in its white variety, but to a con-
siderable extent, also, in its red. Hunter's sort uaa
long been a favourite, and, after many trials of com-
petition with other sorts, has been found, on the
whole, the best adapted to the soil. The Taunton-
dean, though not yet very extensively tried, pro-
mises to come into favour. In particular localities,
though not for general diffusion, the woolly-eared
and the blood-red are found to be well adapted, and
very valuable. Of late oats, the grey Angus is every-
where the most suitable ; of early oats, the potato
and the Hopeton compete for ascendency, according
to the nature of the soil ; and of barley, the Cheva-
lier, though but lately introduced, has asserted undis-
puted superiority over all other varieties. In the
most fertile district, comprising the lowlands of Old-
hamstocks, Innerwick, Dunbar, Spot, Stenton, Whit-
tingham, and Garvald, every acre annually teems with
an exuberant produce either of the finest quality of
grain, or of food for the fattening of stock ; and there
the system of cropping begins with turnip, which is
partly eaten on the ground, and partly carted to the
yard, — it proceeds with wheat sown at any period
after the ground is cleared, or with barley sown in
the spring, — it next has clover or rye-grass, either cut
or pastured, — and it usually finishes in the fourth
year by a crop of oats. In a district a degree less
fertile than the former, and larger in extent, com-
prising the parish of Morham, the lowlands of Yester,
and all the western parishes of the county, the system
of cropping is, in general, based on summer fallowing,
— and then proceeds first with wheat, next with cut
or pastured grass ; and now, in many instances, con-
cludes with sown grass, but in others, goes on to a
sixth year course, with grass, oats, a mixation of
pease and beans, and finally wheat. In the northern
district, considerably different in character from the
others, more retentive in its subsoil, often of a heavy
loamy surface, and comprising the parishes of White-
kirk, North Berwick, Dirleton, Athelstaneford, Had-
dington, and Prestonkirk, the system of eroppii.g
commences, in some places, with summer fallowing,
and in others with turnips, has wheat in the second
year, grass pastured with sheep in the third, oats in
the fourth, drilled beans in the fifth, and finishes,
in the sixth year, with wheat.
The first park or pleasure-ground in the county
was the Duke of Lauderdale's, 500 acres in extent,
formed during the reign of Charles II., and already
noticed in our account of the parish of Haddington.
In 1683, John Reid, the Quaker gardener, in his book
entitled ' The Scots Gardener,' showed the whole
population of Scotland "how to plant gardens, orch-
ards, avenues, groves, and forest*." lint the inha-
bitants of the lowlands of East Lothian were some-
what incredulous as to the arboriferous capacities of
their country. The 1-t Marquis of Tweeddale, who
died in 1G97, Lord Hankeilour, who died in 1707
and their contemporary the ith Earl of lladding.
732
HADD1NGTONSHIRE.
ton, were, on a small scale, considerable planters, and
sufficiently tested the powers of the soil to excite a
desire for the luxury of sylvan shade and shelter.
The Earl of Mar trode close on their heels, intro-
duced the system of planting in forests, and polished
the taste and provoked the imitation of many of his
aristocratic neighbours. The 9th Earl of Hadding-
ton, however — the same who figured soon after the
Union as an important improver of agriculture — was
the first great planter. The trees he reared about
the year 1730, on his estate of Tynninghame, were
all of the hardwood kind, and with subsequent addi-
tions now form the most beautiful forest in the south
of Scotland. Plantation, ever since his time, has
secured a fair amount of attention, and — in some
places, aggregated into groves and sylvan wilder-
nesses— in many, or most, disposed in sheltering tufts
and rows, — maintains dominion over between 6,000
and 7,000 acres. Humbie and Salton woods lying
contiguously, and forming together a broad expanse
of forest, sloping away down the Lammermoors to
their base, present a beautiful feature, in the magni-
ficent and vast landscape which stretches out before
a spectator on Soutra hill, and exquisitely chequers
his path, and tantalizes and variegates his prospect,
as he descends to the plain.
" The green-sward way was smooth and good,
Through Hurnbie's and through Sal ton's wood —
A forest glade which varying still
Here gave a view of dale and hill,
There narrower closed, till over head
A vaulted screen the branches made."
MARMION, Cantoiv.
Some of the woods of Pencaitland are said to have
suffered much from squirrels, which attack the young
Scots firs, the larix, and the elm. A very frequent
fence in the county is the luxurious hedge of white-
thorn, mixed with sweet-briar, honeysuckle, and
hedge- row trees.
Haddingtonshire appears to have so entirely ex-
hausted its energies on agriculture as to have had no
strength left for a successful attempt at manufacture.
In a few instances, it has threatened competition
with the manufacturing districts of the kingdom, and
endeavoured to reap fruit from its advantageous po-
sition on the seaboard and on a coal-field ; but it has
uniformly failed. Repeated and even prolonged ef-
forts to naturalize a woollen manufactory in the
town of Haddington, have left no other memorial
than the records of them in history. A variegated
fabric of wool seemed for a time to have become a
staple in Athelstaneford, and won for the dress
which was fashioned out of it the distinctive epithet
of the Gilmerton livery, but has ceased to be manu-
factured, and will soon be remembered only by the
antiquarian. In 1793, a flax-mill was erected al
West Barns, and, in 1815, a cotton-factory estab-
lished at Belhaven, both in the parish of Dunbar ;
but they only entailed pecuniary losses on their pro-
prietors, and let loose a swarm of paupers on the
parish. Haddingtonshire, in fact, figures only as a
blunderer and a bankrupt in almost every manufac-
ture which it has touched. In the parish of Salton
alone was the earliest manufactory in Britain for the
weaving of Hollands, the first bleachfield belonging
to the British Linen company, the earliest manufac-
ture of decorticated or pot-barley, and also a paper-
mill, and a starch- work ; but all failed, and have ut-
terly disappeared, and — excepting the famous barley-
work, now converted to other uses — have not even
left a wall of their edifices to commemorate their
existence. The only noticeable existing manufac-
tures in the county are the ancient and extensive
one of salt in the parishes of Tranent and of Preston-
pans, a small remnant in the latter parish of a once
flourishing arid very extensive manufacture of pottery,
two founderies in the parish of Dunbar, two or three
extensive distilleries, and one or two unimportant
establishments for the manufacture of bone-dust.
So late as thirty years after the Union, Hadding-
tonshire, in common with the contiguous part of
Mid-Lothian, was so savagely deficient in facilities
of communication, that it was the work of a winter's
day to drive a coach with four horses from the town
of Haddington to Edinburgh ; no small effort being
requisite to reach Musselburgh for dinner, and to
get to the end of the journey in the evening! The
first really practicable road in the county was com-
menced in 1750, from Ravenshaugh-bridge at the
boundary with Edinburghshire, to Dunglass bridge
at the boundary with Berwickshire. Now, how-
ever, no district in Scotland is provided with roads
more commodiously laid out, or maintained in a
state of better repair. One good line of post-road
runs along the whole coast of the frith of Forth
eastward to North-Berwick ; another runs south-
ward from Dirleton to Haddington; another — the
great mail line between Edinburgh and London
runs along the whole breadth of the county eastward
through Haddington to Dunbar, and then along the
coast till it enters Berwickshire ; another leaves th(
former at Tranent, and passes through Salton am
Gifford, and over the Lammermoor hills, to Dunse ;
another, the post-road between Edinburgh and Lat
der, intersects the south-west wing of the counb
at Soutra. — We give, in a note below, a brief out
line of the projected East coast railway line as
as this county is concerned.* — The harbours of the
county are all, in point of commerce, very inconsi-
derable, and, even in point of commodiousness, are
very inferior. Their extent, and other particulars
will be found noticed in the articles PRESTONPANS
COCKENZIE, BERWICK [NORTH], and DUNBAR.
The most remarkable feudal strongholds are th(
of DUNGLASS, long the guard of the main pass fror
Berwickshire to the Lothians, — INNERWICK, fc
ages the inheritance of the Stewarts, — DUNBAI
the tumultuous seat of the redoubtable Earls
Dunbar and March, — DIRLETON, demolished bi
Cromwell in 1650, — and TAMTALLON, 2 mile
eastward of North Berwick : see these article
Haddingtonshire, which confronted the border-fo
* This line, starting from the intended depot at the North
bridge in Edinburgh, passes round the north side of Pier's hil"
barracks over Prestairig meadow, by an embankment
mile in length, and 23 feet in height, having a short viadu<
over the turnpike-road ; it then, keeping a course so as ro leav
Portobello and Musselburgh to the north, takes a directid
about midway between Prestonpans and Tranent, to the south
of Seaton and Long-Niddry, south of Gosfoi d-house and north
of Balleucrief ; it tnen curves round to the north of West-For-
tune and through the village of East-Fortune, whence it i
directed to the village of Linton, intersecting the turnpikf
road from Edinburgh to Dunbar. It will be observed, that tlii
line passes about midway between Haddington and North Ber-
wick. Leaving Linton, the line crosses the Tyne by a bri "
85 feet in height, keeps to the south of the Dunhar road,
passes Nineware and Belton, and the valley of the Hedderwick-
burn by an embankment of a mile in length, the centre part
being crossed by a viaduct 600 yards in length, and fij feet ui
height; the Beil-water requires a bridge of 88 feet in height
and 100 yards in length. The line continues in a direction to-
wards Bowerhouses, where a branch is proposed to Dunbar,
of rather more than 2 miles in length. Between the 27th and
28th miles from Leith.walk, the Spott-burn is crossed by a
bridge 50 yards lony and 47 feet high, and the Dry-burn by a
viaduct 170 yards long and 95 feet high. The line passes to
the north-east of Innerwick and Branxton, and to the south-
west of Cockburnspath, where it crosses a stream which emp-
ties itself into the sea near Linehead; from Linehead the shore
runs to the east towards St. Abb's Head, whereas the proposed
railway takes a south-easterly course, reaching the Ey-^ater
near Renton house, and crossing this river three times. Be.
tween llenton and VWst-Reston, where it leaves the river, and
skirts round by Peel walls, it takes a course rather to the north,
ward of east, arid crosses the Berwick turnpike-road near the
village of Cocklaw and the road between Ay ton and the sea,
at Fiemington; it then curves with the shore, occasionally en-
croaching upon the sea near Marshall-meadows, from whence
it gradually curves towards the west side of Berwick-upou-
Tweed.
HADDINGTONSHIRE.
ith the broad and strong shield of the Lammer-
>or-hills, and was somewhat removed from the
of greatest danger, never could boast of the
number of towers and hastel-houses as the con-
rminous counties of Berwick and Roxburgh. In
ery point of view, the most instructive antiquities
Haddingtonshire are the radices and component
rts of its topographical nomenclature, which il-
istrate obscurities in the history of its early colon-
ization, and indicate the presence and ascendency of
successive classes of settlers. The Tyne, the Peffer,
Aberlady, Treburn, Tranent, Traprain, Pencaitland,
Yr-trr, and many other Cambro-British names, attest
the British origin of the Ottadini whom the Romans
found in possession of the county. The preponder-
ating prevalence, in the composition of names, of the
Anglo-Saxon, shief, lie, law, dod. ham, ton, dean,
ruj, ivich, by, cleuyh, as well as some entire names,
but especially the name Lammermoor, attest the
;ventual predominance of the Saxon people, and the
rinduction of their tongue upon the British. A
re frequent recurrence of Gaelic names here than
Berwickshire — such as in the instances, Dunbar,
mglass, Garvald, Kilspindie, Tamtallon, and many
iers — evinces that the Scots, when they acquired
;r in the south-east of Scotland, settled more
jrously on the northern than on the southern
of the Lammermoors.
The original erection of East Lothian into a shire,
sheriffdom, is involved in great obscurity. In the
irters of David I., Malcolm IV., and William the
" the shire of Haddington " is mentioned ; but
jems then to have been nearly or quite identified
the ancient parish of Haddington, and though
(d under the regimen of a sheriff, does not ap-
to have been a constabulary. But in an ordi-
of Edward I., in 1305, for settling the govern-
it of Scotland, the shire or sheriffdom of Edin-
is distinctly recognised as extending, not only
;r Linlithgow on one side, but over Haddington
the other. A grant of Robert I. to Alexander de
Seaton, expressly mentions for the first time the
con-iabulary of Haddington. The office of sheriff
of Edinburgh and constable of Haddington was held,
under Robert III., by William Lindsay of Byres,
and from 1490, till the forfeiture of the odious James,
Earl of Both well, in 1567, by Patrick Hepburn, Earl
of Both well, and his lineal descendants ; and again it
\\ -a< held by the restored Francis, Earl of Bothwell,
from 1584 till that ingrate reaped, in 1594, the for-
feiture earned by a thousand treasons. The regimen
of a sheriff-principal of Edinburgh, combining the
office of sheriff of Edinburgh for the constabulary
of Haddington, long continued. Though " the of-
fice of sherefscip " was conferred by James VI. on
the corporation of Haddington within their limits,
all the rest of the county continued to be a consta-
bulary at the Restoration, and perhaps throughout
the reign of Charles II. At the period of the Re-
volution, however, Haddingtonshire comes distinctly
into view in the character and independence of its
present form. For a considerable number of years
previous to his death, in 1713, the sheriff was John,
the second Marquis of Tweeddale; and from 1716
his death in 1735 — though at first appointed
during the King's pleasure — the sheriff was
nas, Earl of Haddington. At the epoch of the
abolition of hereditary jurisdictions in 1748, Had-
dingtonshire made but few and inconsiderable claims
on public compensation.
Haddingtonshire comprehends 24 quoad rivilia
parishes and the two presbyteries of Haddington
and Dunbar in the synod of Lothian and T \\eed-
and it has the three royal burghs of Had-
fton, Dunbar, and North Berwick, and the towns
or villages of Prestonpans, Tranent, Cockenzie,
Gifford, Salton, East-Lmton, Dirleton, Aberlady
Belhaven, Ormiston, Stenton, and Tyninirliaine]
Langniddry, Samuelston, Pension, Preston, Gulan, '
&c. The county sends one member to parliament
Constituency, in 1839, 740. The valued rent hi
1674, was £168,873 Scots; the valued rental of the
lands, in 1811, was £180,654 sterling, and of the
houses, £6,870; and the annual value of th
rent, as assessed in 1815, was £251,126. The par-
ochial schools, in 1834, were 30; conducted by 32
teachers; and attended by a minimum of 682 scholars;
and a maximum of 1,656; and its non-parochial
schools, in the same year, were 51 ; conducted by
55 teachers ; and attended by a minimum of 473
scholars, and a maximum of 1^642. Population in
1801, 29,986; in 1811, 31,057; ,n 1821, 35,127; in
1831, 36,145. At the last of these dates, the popu-
lation was distributed into 308 occupiers of land, em-
ploying labourers ; 90 occupiers of land not employ-
ing labourers j 2,870 agricultural labourers; 1,645
labourers not agricultural ; 194 manufacturing oper-
atives ; 2,581 persons employed in retail trades and
handicrafts; 358 capitalists; 226 male servants; and
1,444 female servants. At the same date, the total
number of families was 8,080; and of inhabited
houses, 6,561.
When the Romans, during the first century, in-
vaded Scotland, the great tribe of the British Otta
dini inhabited the whole lowlands of East-Lothian.
The topographical nomenclature, the hill-forts, the
caves, the weapons of war, the ornaments, the modes
of sepulture, which have all been investigated, are
evidence of the British descent of the original
settlers, and of the genuine Celticism of their speech.
The abdication of the Roman government left them
in the quiet possession of the country. Neither the
congenerous Picts beyond the Forth, nor the Scots
in Ireland, disturbed their repose. At the end of a
century, however, they were taught their insecurity
by the irruption of a Teutonic people, who came from
the settlement of a kingdom on the south of the
Tweed, to seek on the banks of the Tyne an en-
largement of their territories. The Saxons, after
having obtained the ascendency, were occasionally,
after the battle of Drumnechton, annoyed by incur-
sions of the Picts ; they were next, after the sup-
pression of the Pictish dominion, overpowered by
the Scots; and eventually, in 1 ,020, they and their
territory were ceded by their Northumbrian su-
perior to the Scottish king. During almost a cen-
tury, the Scots had here, as elsewhere, undisturbed
domination. In the reigns of David I., Malcolm 1\ .,
and William the Lion, the town of Haddington and
its environs were special objects of royal attention
and favour. Except during the devastating inroad
of John of England in 1216, Haddingtonshire suffered
little from foreign or domestic hostilities till th.
of the succession. In 1296, the heroic re>i>tan<v ot
the castle of Dunbar, and the battle fought under its
walls, if they did protect Scotland from Kdward !.'>
usurping interference, showed him at least the bold
bearing and the indon.. table spirit of it> people. In
1298, when the enterprises of the patriotic \\allace
dared and taunted Edward again to subdue the king-
dom, the vigorous resistance of the castle at Dirie-
ton, combined with the subsequent dearly- won vic-
tory on the field of Falkirk, so shook i
session of the invader that he alter wards penetrated
to the utmost verge of Moray before he could think
himself secure as the self-constituted superior of
Scotland. From the battle of Bannockburn, or the
early part of the Nth century, till the year U^j,
the hi.-tory of Haddingtonshire — an almost continu-
ous narrative of warlike enterprises and uiuclnim-
HAD
734
HAL
tions and miseries — is nearly identical with that of
the Earls of Dunbar, — a full outline of which is
sketched in the article DUNBAR; and even after
1435, it presents but a gleaning of events additional
to the bulky ones detailed in that article, and some
of limited importance noticed in the article HAD-
DINGTON. The forfeiture of the powerful family
who had all but dragged the county at their heels,
nearly " frightened it from its propriety." Several
of its landholders, who formerly held under the su-
periority of the Earls of Dunbar, now became tenants
in chief of the King ; and others placed themselves un-
der the immediate protection, and swelled the retinue
and the array of the potent family of Douglas. In
1446, some sensation was produced by the rebellious
broils of the Hepburns and the Homes for the liti-
gated spoils of the forfeited estates. The profligacy,
the artifice, and the turbulence of the Duke of Al-
bany, who obtained fj*om his father James II. the
earldom of Dunbar, with all its jurisdictions, de-
stroyed the peace and imperilled tfye safety of the
whole county. One of the first effects was the in-
citement of hostilities with England. In 1482, an
English army, which was introduced by his intrigues,
encamped in the very heart of the county. During
the long minority of James IV., Patrick, Lord Hailes,
and Alexander Home ruled the district as the King's
lieutenants, with more than royal power, and so op-
pressed and over-reached the inhabitants as to make
the welkin vocal with their groans. But after the
majority of James IV., and during the reign of James
V., the county, as to its domestic affairs, enjoyed
quiet. In 1544, the English, on their return, under
the Earl of Somerset, from the siege of Leith,
burned and razed the castle of Seaton, and reduced
to ashes the towns of Haddington and Dunbar. In
1547, the invading army of the protector Somerset,
razed the castle of Dunglass, captured the castles
of Thornton and Innerwick, stained the soil in their
progress with several skirmishes, and, prelusive to
the victory of Pinkie, defeated a party of the Scot-
tish army at Fallside brae on the border of Edin-
burghshire. In 1548, Lord Gray advanced from
strong positions in which Somerset, the previous
year, had left him on the border, and took the castle
of Yester, fortified and garrisoned the town of Had-
dington, and wasted the county by every mode of
inveterate hostility. Till March, 1549-50, when
the ancient limits of the conterminous kingdoms
were restored by a treaty of peace, Haddingtonshire
passed under the power of the English, and became
the prey of their German mercenaries. Except that
Seaton and Dunbar castles afforded a retreat to
Mary, the county was little affected by the turbu-
lencies and distractions of Iier reign ; and during
the 30 years of civil broils which followed, it seems
to have suffered more of mortification than of waste.
It had its full share, however, in the devastation
and murderous achievements of Cromwell's invasion
in 1653; and in that year was the theatre of the
great conflict by which he became temporary master
of Scotland: See DUNBAR. No further event of
note occurs, except the battle of Preston, fought in
1 745, between Prince Charles Edward and the royal
troops : See PRESTONPANS.
H ADDO, a small town in the parish of Methlick,
Aberdeenshire ; 9 miles north-north-east of Inverury.
From it the Earl of Aberdeen take his second title of
Lord Haddo.
HAGGS, a village in the south corner of the par-
ish of Denny; 5 miles from Kilsyth, and 6£ miles
from Falkirk, Stirlingshire. It stands nearly half-a-
mile north of the Forth and Clyde canal, on the road
between Kilsyth and Falkirk. near the intersection
of that road by the turnpike between Glasgow and
Stirling. Along with the adjoining hamlet of Ban.
kier, it contained, in 1838, a population of 764. The
village, and some territory around it, were recently
erected into a quoad sacra parish, and provided with
a neat new church. See DENNY.
HAGG'S CASTLE. See GOVAN.
HAILES, a celebrated quarry, about 4 miles west
of Edinburgh, on the estate of Sir Thomas Carmi-
chael, Baronet. It yields a strong hard stone of a
dark grey colour, admirably adapted for ruble work.
In the top feaks of this quarry good hard flags are
produced, which are extensively used for pavement
in Edinburgh.
HAILES-CASTLE. See PRESTONKIRK.
HAKERSAY, one of the smaller Hebrides, lying
between Barra and South Uist.
HALBEATH. See DUNFERMLINE.
HALBORN-HEAD, a promontory in Caithness,
on the west side of Thurso bay ; 3 miles west-sout
west of Dunnet-head.
HALEN, a quoad sacra parish in the isle of Sky
There is a government church here. Stipend
minister £120; glebe £11.
HALF-MORTON, a quoad civilia parish, b
joined quoad sacra to the parish of Langholm, in Es
dale, Dumfries-shire. It is of an oblong form, stretc
ing north and south, with an indentation on its sout
ern end; and is conterminous with Langholm ov
a distance of only 5 furlongs. It is bounded on tl
north by Middlebie and Langholm ; on the east t
Canoby and England ; on the south by Gretna ; ai
on the west by Kirkpatrick-Fleming and Middlebi
Its greatest length is about 5 miles; its greate
breadth about 3£ miles ; and its superficial area about
6,054 imperial acres. Excepting the lowest spurs
the Eskdale hills on the north, and a small patch
bog on the south-west, the whole surface partak
the beauty and fertility of the terminating plain
Dumfries-shire. One of two principal head-wate
of the Sark rises on the north-western limit, tr
verses the breadth of the parish to its eastern limi
and, being there joined by its sister head- water, trac
the boundary of the parish southward, over a distan
of 4 miles. Another stream rises also on the nort
west boundary, half-a-mile south of the former, ai
traverses the parish south-eastward or diagonall
over a distance of 4 mhes, passing the chapel or m
dern parish-church, and falling into the Sark. Tl
Black Sark comes in from the west, — forms ft
half-a-mile the western boundary-line, — flows throug.
the parish for If mile, first eastward and nextsouti
ward, and again, before leaving it, forms for 1 mi
the western boundary-line. The banks of all tl
streams are tufted with wood, and fall gently bat
in carpetings of fine soil and luxuriant vegetatio
The principal mansion is Solway bank on the nort
The only antiquities are vestiges of three tower
About one-sixth of the population are aggregate
into 4 or 5 small hamlets. Population, in 1801, 497
in 1831,646. Houses 109. Assessed property,]
1815, £2,691.— The district drained by the Sark an
the Glenzier, or the present parish and about on
third of the present conterminous parish of Canob;
formed the ancient parish of Morton. About th
year 1650, it was divided into two parts, and th
eastern half annexed to Canoby ; and the wester
half to Wauchope ; and Wauchope itself having sut
sequently suffered annexation to Langholm, Hall
Morton followed its fortunes. The church of Morto
stood near a hamlet of the same name on the caster
side of the Sark ; but, after the disruption of th
parish, was allowed to become ruinous. A chapel
however, for the accommodation of the parishioner
of the western half, or Half-Morton, was built i
1744, and repaired and enlarged in 1833. Sitting
HAL
735
HAL
When Half-Morton was annexed to Langholm,
the General Assembly ordained that the minister
should hold both benefices, on condition of his
preaching at Half-Morton every fourth Sabbath.
The condition came eventually to be forgotten ; and
during 12 years previous to 1833, there was no public
worship connected with the Establishment at Half-
Morton. By a temporary arrangement, an assistant
minister, whose time should be entirely devoted to
the district, was in that year appointed ; and in 1836,
promised to become permanent. Stipend £140, paid
as a voluntary contribution by the Duke of Buccleuch
and the two heritors of the parish.— At Chape l-kno we,
J of a mile south of the parish-church, is a United
Secession meeting-house, built in 1822, at the cost
of £175, by a congregation established in 1814. Sit-
tings 244. Stipend £75, with a house and garden —
According to an ecclesiastical survey in 1835-6, the
population then was 687. Of these, 503 were church-
men ; 167 were dissenters ; and 17 were not known
to belong to any religious body. — Parochial school-
master's salary, £25 13s. 3d., with £16 fees, and £4
other emoluments. There is a small non-parochial
school.
HALFWAY. See IRVINE.
HALGREEN. See CANOBY.
HALKIRK,* a parish in the centre of the county
of Caithness ; bounded on the north by Thurso ; on
the east by Olrick and Watten ; on the south by
Latheron ; and on the west by Reay. It extends 24
miles in its greatest length ; the breadth varies from
7 to 12. Its area is about 90 square miles. Assessed
property, in 1815, £2,319. The soil is in general
good, consisting in some parts of a clay or loam mixed
with moss ; in others of gravel on a cold rocky bot-
tom. The surface is flat; for, though there are
several hills, they are of inconsiderable height, and
slope gently from their summit to the adjacent plains.
" The only hill that is anywise worthy of notice, is
that of Spittal. The summit of it is 4 miles from the
nearest bank of the river Thurso, from whence there
is a very gentle elevation to its base. From this to
the summit the acclivity is very considerable. It is
green all over, not very high, though yet I believe it
is the highest in this end of the country. It has the
command of a very pleasant, grand, and extensive
* The tract of ground now called Halkirk, conaisted formerly
of two parishes, viz., Skiimet and Halkirk. Their union took
place Mime time after the Reformation. Circumstances make
it probable, tliat Halkirk was no parish at all before the Re.
formation ; but that Skinnet was H stated parish of very early
(iiit.-. " Halkirk, by all I ran learn or conjecture," says the
writer of the Old Statistical Account, " was origniHlly no more
than a chaplainry occupied by the Bishop's chaplain, wlio also
served the great family that had one of its seats Ht Brawell,— a
place very near the chapel. Here also the Bishop had one of
his seats, within a few yards of the present manse. It was here
— as 1 have it from report— that the Bishop was assassinated
\ij a set of ruffians from Harpsdale, — a place belonging to the
chaplainry. These savages were the sons of John of Harpsdale,
whom the then Karl of Caithness suborned as instruments very
fit for the execution of that horrid deed, in revenge of the
Bishop having assessed his lands in the chaplainry with an ad.
Jition to the chaplain's living.— The spot where the chapel for.
iiierly stood— and where now the kirk of the two united par.
slit's stands — is a small round hill, in the middle of a large ex-
tensive plain. From this spot, as the centre, there is a very
jentle rise, almost in every direction, to the surrounding hills.
From this circumstance, it is more than probable the pan-h
lerives its name; for the rising ground whereon the kirk
itands is called Tore-Harlogan, and the kirk, Tenuwput. Hur-
ogan ; and so they retain the original Irish names, I hough th
Hacri
larish is called by the nnme of
igg, and more frequently
>l Hulkirk, manifestly [?] « corruption of the original name,
Tore-Olaggnn. Now, laggan, in Erse, signifies 'a Low place,'
-the lowest in the neighbourhood, — and tore, ' a mount,' or
small hill.' As to the name of the other parish, it is nome-
itnes pronounced Stciimet, sometimes Skinite, sometimes
^t, sometimes Skinnon, sometimes Skinine. Nothing can
ncluded from this ronfused variety of pronunciation ; but
the situation of the kirk, with the aid of these soiin.i*, I
reason to believe that the real name should be Skieu-
te, 'the Wing of the Burn ;' for that place goes oft from
i burn that runt, beside it, in the form of a wing."
prospect, being the most centrical in the country.
Immediately on a person's arrival at the top, the Ork-
ney isles, the Pentland frith, the stupendou- rtx
each side of the frith, and the surrounding seas, tun ~t
on his view at once, and overwhelm him with sur-
prise and transport. Nor is he less delighted when
he beholds the whole country exposed in all H
rieties, as it were, in a map, to his eye, looking down
from this elevated centre on the grand subjacent and
circumjacent objects. It is, I believe, 7 miles distant
from the north shore ; 12 miles from the east shore ;
and 14 from the north-west shore ; having a gradual,
gentle ascent from these shores, with the interrup-
tion of some small hills or rising grounds. The name
of it is derived from the religious house which WHS
immediately below it, called the Hospital, by way of
contraction, Spittal." [Old Statistical Account.]— A
considerable number of sheep are annually reared
here; but the greatest attention is paid to the i
of oats and barley. A considerable part of the sur-
face, however, is still uncultivated, and covered with
lakes and swamps, the largest of which, Loch-Cathel,
is 3 miles long, and 2 broad. " They all abound wit h
excellent trout, and eel of different kinds and sizes.
These fishes differ also in colour, according to the
nature of the lake where they were spawned. In the
lake of Cathel there are trouts which are found no
where else in the country, of a reddish beautiful co-
lour, a pretty shape, very fat, and most pleasant eat-
ing. I suspect they are that kind of fish which na-
turalists call fresh- water herring. There are no pike-
fish in any of them." [Old Statistical Account.] —
These lakes give rise to numerous streams, amongst
which are the rivers of THURSO and FORSE : which
see. There is abundance of limestone and marl ;
slate and argillaceous stones having impressions of
fish and plants have been found ; and specimen? of
ironstone and lead ore are also to be met with. — Of
antiquities, the castle of Braal claims first notice, f
It stands on an eminence, at a small distance from the
river of Thurso. It is a square building, of a large
area, and wonderfully thick in the walls, which are
partly built with clay, partly with clay and mortar
mixed, and in some parts with mortar altogether.
The stairs and conveyances to the several stories
are through the heart of the walls. These stories
were all of them floored and vaulted with prodigi-
ously large stones. A deep, large, well-contrived
ditch secures it on the north. It has the appearance of
having been fortified also with other outworks, such
as walls, moats, &c., which have been all demolished
when the gardens about it were first planned or en-
larged. It is not known by whom, or when it w.is
built, though it is the current report, that it \\as
built and inhabited by the Harolds, who came over
here from Denmark, but more immediately from Ork-
ney, where they bore princely swav A much more
modern building stands close to tin- bank of the
river. The design of it has been grand and D
ficent, and worthy of its princely site ; and had it
been finished, it would, in all appearance, ha\<
one of the most stately and commodious editicesin the
North, according to the style of those time>
work has been carried on a few feet above the vault-.
tii
last I- 1
!'e,S"«..'d one Ta.t, gardener m Braal. T,,i. T.it »u..K
ond and with Midi H large open mouth, that a young fellow,
,f the name of Iv-radi. was templed to throw » Miiail r i
stne iiU his mouth, whereby hi, teeth were l.n.ke .and I,,,
sniKinK 'topped at oi.re. ami he hiuoelf almost rl.oked. Iver.
«, , mmeduui-ly took to hi.-* hrels ; the servl, e •
? nH?ter wo ol Tail'. «..u» cl.a -. -1 ftl ,1 •rrftuok «
£. 3SJ »V closed with a most derate fig!,i."_O/<< Stat,*
tical A ecu n n I.
HAL
706
HAL
Though there was abundance of stones ready at
hand, and well-calculated for building on any plan,
yet, to suit the grandeur and elegance of the design,
vast numbers of large freestone were brought from
the shore, at the distance of 8 miles. This carriage
was attended with great labour and expense in the
then state of the roads, and occasioned, it is said, the
death ot several men and horses. The failure of funds
also, and in short, all things put together, speedily
effected a total miscarriage of the undertaking, and
left this piece of work as a standing monument of the
undertaker's great spirit, but of his great folly also.
It was begun by John Sinclair, one of the Earls of
Caithness, distinguished by the mock appellation of j
"John the Waster," but in what year is not known.
— The next piece of antiquity worthy of notice is
Dirlet castle. It stands in a very beautiful romantic
place, called Dirlet, on a round high rock, almost
perpendicular on all sides. The rock and castle hang
over a very deep dark pool in the river Thurso,
which runs close by its side. On each side of the
river and the castle, are two other rocks much
higher, looking down over the castle with a stately
and lowering majesty, and fencing it on these sides.
The last inhabitant was a descendant of the noble
family of Sutherland. He was called in Erse the
Ruder derg, that is, 'the Red knight.' Having
been denounced a rebel for his oppressive and violent
practices, her was apprehended by Mackay of Farr, his
own uncle, and died while on his way to Edinburgh
— some say to Stirling — to be tried for his life Loch-
More castle, 8 miles above Dirlet, is situated on the
banks of Loch-More, hanging over the point where
the first current of the river of Thurso issues out of
it. It is said, by report, to have been built and in-
habited by a personage called Morrar na Shean, that
is, ' the Lord of the Game,' because he delighted in
these rural sports.* — At a place called Achnavarn,
near the loch of Cathel, there are the remains of a
building of great strength. Population, in 1801,
2,545; in 1831, 2,847; in 1836, 3,085, of whom
about 150 were resident in the kirk-town. Houses,
in 1831, 515. — This parish is in the presbytery of
Caithness, and synod of Sutherland and Caithness.
Patron, Sir James Colquhoun, Bart. Stipend £205
19s. Id.; glebe £8. Unappropriated Crown teinds
£302 Is. 9d. Church built in 1753; enlarged in
1833; sittings 858 — There is a Mission-house at
Acharainey on the property of Sir George Sinclair ;
sittings 403. Stipend £95. — There were 8 private
schools, besides the parish-school, in this parish in
* It is said that there was a chest, or some kind of machine,
fixed in the mouth of the stream, below the ca-tle, for catching
salmon in their ingre-s into the loch, or their egress out of it j
and that, immediat.-ly on the fish heing entangled in the ma-
chine, the capture was announced to the whole family by the
ringing of a bell, which the motion and struggles of the fish set
agoing, by means of a fine cord, fixed at one end to the bell in
the middle ot an upper room, and at the other end to the ma-
chine in the stream helow. This Morrar na Shean, according
to report, was very Anxious and impatient to have a son to in-
herit his estates and honours ; but he had three daughters sue.
cessively, at which he was greatly disappointed and enraged
The mother, dread 'iig more and more her husband's displea-
sure, and ill-usage ot herself and the infanta, sent them pri-
vately to a place where, without his knowledge, they were
reared up into very beautiful and accomplished young ladies,
all along amusing the barbarian husband and parent with the
pretext that they were dead. Morrar na Shean, at last despair-
ing of having any more children, «nd making a va>t regret that he
had no child at all, his lady suddenly presented his three daugh-
ters to him, and thereby converted his rage and discontentment
into a transport of joy and surprise. The young lifdies were
soon disposed of in marnatre ; the eldest to a Sinclair from the
Orkneys, the second to a Keith, aitd the last to one of another
name but of some rank. •• This story," adds the writer of the
Old Statistical Account, " is wild and romantic, but it i* by no
means irreconcileable to the savage notions and barbarous
usages of these dark and superstitions times. It may not be
altogether according to the original fact, but it is exactly the
current tradition ul the ueighbnuihood."
1834. Salary of parish-schoolmaster £36 14s. 4<
with about £15 fees.
HALIVAILS (THE), two mountains in the r
ish of Kilmuir, isle of Skye, elevated about 2,(
feet above the level of the sea. These mountains!
situated within a mile of each other, are of an eqi
height, and exactly resemble each other. On tl
top of each is a flat or table-land ; and they affo
an excellent land-mark for these coasts.
HALLADALE (THE), a river which takes
rise at the base of the Ben-Griam mountains, in tl
parish of Kildonan, and, taking a northerly dirt
tion, after a course of 20 miles, falls into the Per
land frith at the Tor on Bighouse-bay, 5 or 6 mil
south-east of Strathyhead. It is a rapid stream,
receives many tributary rivulets from theneighbot
ing mountains to Golval, whence it flows throu^
level ground to the sea. The tide flows about
miles up the river, but it is only navigable by boat
Strath-halladale is under the ecclesiastical charge
the same missionary who officiates at Acharahu
mentioned in Halkirk.
HALLYARDS, a barony in the parish of We
Calder in Mid-Lothian. John Graham of Hallyart
succeeded to the office which Sir Archibald JNapu
had held, of justice-depute to the Earl of Argyl
and at the trial of Morton, in 1581, he presided
that capacity. On the trial of Gowrie in 1584,
was appointed justice by special commission;
immediately thereafter obtained the place of an
dinary Lord-of-session in the room of Robert Pon
who was then removed under a peremptory act, ii
capacitating ' all persouns exercising functions
ministrie within the kirk of God to bear or exen
any office of civil jurisdiction.' David Moyse — wl
has left a very curious journal of his time — recon
that in June 1590, " the Lordis of Sessioun wer h
tendit to be altered, and sum accusatioun past
twix Mr. John Grahame and Mr. David M'Gil
baithe Lordis of the Sessioun, ather of thame
cusing utheris of bryberie and kneaverie." Bi
Graham afterwards became involved in a matt
yet more serious, and which proved fatal to hn
" The estate of Hallyards consisted of Tempi
lands, [see article WEST CALDER,] which Grain
had obtained through his wife, the widow of
James Sandilands of Calder. That lady held tht
upon a title granted by her first husband, whose
ants in those lands had a preferable right of
sion. To defeat this, a deed was forged by anotarj
at the suggestion of William Graham, a brother
the Lord--of-session, by which it was made to aj
pear that these tenants had yielded their preferab
right ; and consequently, they were cast in an actio
raised to establish it. But the forgery was dis
covered, and the notary hanged ; upon which Join
Graham raised another action against the minister o
Stirling, who, he alleged, had extorted a false con
fession from the unfortunate notary. This proceed
ing brought the General Assembly of the Church am
the Court-of-session into violent collision. Th
Assembly cited Graham to appear before it, an
answer for his scandal against the church. Th
Court-of session stood up for the independence c
their own jurisdiction and members ; and sent thei
president Lord Provand, with the Lords Culross an
Barnbarrach, as a deputation to the ecclesiastic;
court, disclaiming the Assembly's right to intert'ei
in the matter. Both jurisdictions were obstinatt
and the dispute was quashed without being propen
adjusted. The result was, that the tenants of tl
Temple lands pursued the young heir of the origin
proprietor, whose tutor and uncle, Sir James Sam<
lands, took up the matter with all the vuimcth
HAL
737
HAM
lence of the times. The Duke of Lennox lent
powerful aid ; and, says Calderwood, ' upon
esday, 13th February, 1593, Mr. John Graham of
llyards went out of Edinburgh towards Leith,
charged to departe off the toun. The Duke
sir Jarnes Sandilands following as it were, with
in their hands, and coining down Leith-wynd,
of -Mr. John's company looked back, and seeing
i, they turned to make resistance. The Duke
sent and willed them to go forward, promising no
I should invade them; yet Mr. John Graham's
>any shot, whereupon the Duke suffered Sir
is and his company to do for themselves. Mr.
was shot ; his company fled before ever he was
ed to a house. Sir Alexander Stuart's page, a
eh boy, seeing his master slain, followed Mr.
John Graham into the house, dowped a whinger into
i, and so despatched him. Before this encounter,
r. John was accompanied with three or fourscore.'
i tragic end of this unhappy Lord-of-session affords
irious picture of the times, and shows," says Mr.
rk Napier, in his ' Memoirs of John Napier of
:histon,' — " that our philosopher acted wisely in
endeavours to prevent cummer in such matters,
in his anxiety to ' mell with na sik extraordinar
[ALTREES, an ancient chapelry in the parish of
in Mid-Lothian ; 5 miles north-west of
[ALYBURTON, a chapelry anciently valued at
erks, and appendent to the rectory of Greenlaw.
i situated in Berwickshire, upon the river Black-
;r, at the distance of 3 miles north-west of Green-
It furnished the title of baron, in 1401, to Sir
Iter Halyburton. See GREENLAW.
[AMILTON, a parish in the middle ward of Lan-
rire; bounded by the parish of Both well on the
i; by Dalziel, Cambusnethan, Dalserf, and Stone-
ise on the east ; by Glassford on the south and south-
st; and by Blantyre on the west. For nearly
niles the Clyde forms the north and north-east
mdary of the parish, excepting in one place where
corner is cut off on the north side of the
In form it is nearly a square, extending 6
28 each way, and contains 22.25 square miles, or
,240 imperial acres. Originally the name of this
ish and lordship was Cadyhuu, Cadyou, or Cad-
7, and the latter designation is still retained by
dzow burn which waters the parish. The name
was, however, changed from Cadzow to Hamilton
in 1445, by virtue of a charter granted by James II.
of Scotland to James, 1st Lord Hamilton. The
parish was at that time erected into a lordship.
Hamilton of Wishaw says — " This lordship was an-
ciently the propertie of the kings of Scotland, there
being severall old charters be Alexander the Second
and Alexander the Third, kings of Scotland, dated
' apud castrum nostrum de Cadichou,' call'd after-
wards the castle of Hamilton. The precise tyme
when this lordship was given to the Duke of Hamil-
ton his predicessors is not clear; but there is ane
charter extant, granted by King Robert Bruce in
the 7th year of his reigne, 1314, to Sir Walter the
sone of Sir Gilbert de Hamilton, of this baronie and
the tenendry of Adelwood, which formerly belonged
to his father Sir Gilbert, and heth, without any in-
terruption, continued in that famiiie since; and was
long since joyned to the baronie of Both well by a
stately bridge of four great arches over the river of
~~ ^de, where there is a small duty payed by all pas-
jers to the town of Hamilton, for upholding the
tge." Along the Clyde lie extensive valleys of a
deep and fertile soil. Thence the land rises gradu-
ally to the south-west, to a considerable height: in
the higher parts to more than 600 feet above the
level of the sea. Still it is not a hilly di-trict, these
ascents being formed of an undulating upward swell.
The soil of the rising ground is mostly of a chiyish
nature. The lower parts of the ascent are fcoierablj
fertile and well-cultivated; but from the nature oi
the soil and bottoms, it is not an early district — the
higher parts often producing scanty and late crops.
There are a few swampy meadows in the upper part
of the parish, but with this exception, and that of
the woods, it is almost entirely arable. After all,
this parish is rather a beautiful than a fertile one,
and according to the Old Statistical Account, " cul-
tivation has been more successful in enriching the
scenery than in multiplying the annual productions."
The district is exceedingly well-fenced and wooded,
and the crops raised comprise every thing included in
the usual agricultural catalogue : viz. wheat, barley,
oats, beans, hay, flax, and potatoes. Orchard-pro-
duce is not cultivated here so extensively as in many
parishes in Clydesdale; but there are nevertheless
many large gardens in the parish, which are not
only productive in themselves, but add vastly to the
beauty of the landscape. There is some fine wood
in the parish, particularly the "old oaks" behind
Cadzow, which are scattered over a noble chase of
1,500 acres, and are supposed to have been planted by
David, Earl of Huntingdon, afterwards king of Scot-
land, about the year 1140. . Many of these trees
have attained a vast size, and there is one of them
called ' the Boss tree,' near Wood-house, which is
capable of accommodating eight persons in its inte-
rior. In the glades and openings between these
olden trees, nearly 80 of the ancient British breed
of white cows are browsing. Their bodies are purely
white, with the exception of the ears, muzzles, and
hoofs, which are black ; and they are perfectl ^ safe
and docile, excepting when they have youn^, to
which they manifest a more than usual affection.*
A number of fallow-deer are kept in a field on the
opposite bank of the Avon. Coal, lime, and iron-
stone abound in the parish. The former is most
extensively worked at Quarter, about 3 miles from
Hamilton. It is brought from Quarter by a railway
laid along the banks of the Avon; and it is stored
at Avonbridge within half-a-mile of the town oi
Hamilton at from 3s. 9d. to 4s. a ton, whence it is
carted into the town at from lOd. to J5d. a ton.
There are valuable beds of lime at Crooked-stone
and Boghead in the south-west portion of the parish ;
and at these places also ironstone occurs below the
lime, but it has not been worked. — In addition to
the Clyde, this parish is watered by the AVON [which
see], and nine small streamlets, six of which fall into
the Avon, and three into the Clyde. The course of
the Clyde has been often described, but the scenery on
some parts of the banks of the Avon, after it enters
the parish, at Millheugh-bridge, is almost unsur-
passed in picturesque grandeur and beauty. In many
places the rocks raise their bristling summits to the
height of 300 feet above the bed of the streamlet,
and are often crowned with majestic oaks — The ruins
of Cadzow castle stand on a lofty rock on the \\.-t
bank of the Avon. It has been a ruin for two and
a half centuries, and, as has been stated, some of the
charters of the Scottish kings are dated from it. It
is celebrated in the beautiful ballad of " Cad/ow
Castle," by Sir Walter Scott.— On the eastern side
of the river is seen the chateau of Chatelherault,
with its red walls, its four square towers, and it< pin-
nacles. It is understood to have been built in imi-
tation of the citadel ofChatellierault in Poitou, about
the year 1732. " It is a sumptuous pile; but con-
* For a description «f this fine breed of rattle, see article
OMBKRNMI i). s.e aNo a p*i»>r hv the Kev. W. Patn.-k in
•Quarterly Journal of Agriculture,1 vol. ix
:} A
738
HAMILTON.
tains the odd assemblage of abanquetting-house, and
a dog-kennel. It stands on a rising ground near the
Avon ; the banks of which river form a deep, woody
dell behind it; open in many parts, and in general
wider, and of larger dimensions, than these recesses
are commonly found. Frequent as they are in moun-
tainous countries, and rarely as they are marked with
any striking or peculiar features, yet they are always
varied, and always pleasing. Their sequestered
paths; the ideas of solitude which they convey;
the rivulets which either sound or murmur through
them; their interwoven woods, and frequent open-
ings, either to the country or to some little pleasing
spot within themselves, form together such an as-
semblage of soothing ingredients that they have
always a wonderful effect on the imagination. I
must add, that I do not remember ever meeting
with a scene of the kind which pleased me more
than the wild river- views about Chatelherault."
[Gilpin's ' Observations,' vol. ii. p. 66.] — In the
romantic dell of the Avon are also situated the
ancient terraced gardens of Barncluith, or Baron's
Cleugh, the property of Lord Ruthven. The house
is situated on the top of a bold bank, with walks cut
out of the rock, one under the other descending to-
wards the river, supported by high walls, and beau-
tified by fruit-trees of various kinds, and commands
an enchanting prospect of the wooded banks of the
Avon, and the delightful amphitheatre around and
beyond — The post-town of the parish is Hamil-
ton, distant 10| miles from Glasgow, and 36 from
Edinburgh. In this parish there are 15 miles of
turnpike, and about 30 miles of parochial road.*
The great Glasgow and London road, and the
Edinburgh and Ayr road pass through the parish;
and upon the London road — the line of which
through the town has been recently altered and
improved — there is an imposing bridge over the
Cadzow-burn, of three arches, of 60 feet span, and
the parapet of which is 60 feet above the bed of the
streamlet. There is also a new bridge over the
Avon on the same line of road. Farther up the
stream is an old bridge of 3 arches, said to have
been built long since at the expense of the monks of
the monastery of Lesmahagow. Hamilton bridge,
over the Clyde, upon the Edinburgh road, has 5
arches, and was built by authority of parliament in
1780. It is burdened with a pontage for foot-pas-
sengers. Bothwell bridge, also over the Clyde, is
well known to history: see BOTHWELL. The
population of the town and parish was, in 1801,
5,911; in 1811, 6,453; in 1821, 7,613; and in 1831,
9,513. By a census recently taken,- however, the
numbers have increased to 9,822. According to the
census of 1831 , there were in the town 7,490 per-
sons; in villages 500 persons, and in the landward
part of the parish, 1 ,523. The old valued rent of
the parish is £9,377 Scots; but according to the
New Statistical Account, the average gross rental
of the landward part of the parish is £1 1,537 6s. 3d.,
and of the burgh £8,638 4s. 7Ad. Total £20,175
19s. lOd.
* It has been proposed to form a railway, from the termina-
tion of the Pollock and Govan railway at Rutliergien, to the
toxvn of Hamilton. This railway would be led under the
B.antyre road by a tunnel l:;0 y;>rds in length; and would
cross the Rotten Calder water by a viaduct. The distance
from Glasgow by this line, would be 10 miles 39 chains Mr.
Locke adopts this line as t»>e commencement of the Clydesdau
line <rf railway between Glasgow and Carlisle. This lint-
would be led by a viaduct T2 chains in length, through tlir
tmvn of Hamilton; and at 7 miles' distance from Hamilton
would cross the Nethan water by a viaduct 850 feet in length,
and w-> feet in extreme height; it would approach within a
mile of Lanark, and enter Dumfries-shire near the Clyde's
Nap. The remaining part of its course to Carlisle — a distance
f'om H. ;i>. ilton of 'JO miles 35 chains— is traced in ;i note to our
article DUMI HIES-SHIUE.
Assessed property, £18,863. Houses, in 1831,
1,013 — This parish is situated in the presbytery of
Hamilton, and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. The
ancient parish of Cadzow comprehended the present
parish of Hamilton, in addition to the chapelry of
Machan, now the parish of Dalserf. David I., with
consent of his son, Earl Henry, made a grant of th
church of " Cadihou," with its pertinents, to t
Bishops of Glasgow, and the grant was confirmed b
the bulls of several Popes. The church of Cadiho
was afterwards constituted a prebend of the Cath
dral church of Glasgow, by John, the Bishop of tha
see; and his successor, Herbert, granted to the dea
and canons the lands of Barlanerk and Badlernock
in augmentation of the prebend. Long before th
Reformation, however, the chapelry of Machan w
erected into a separate parish by the name of D
serf, but the rectory of the parish-churches of Ha
ilton and of Dalserf continued to belong to th
prebend of the dean of Glasgow down to the e
of the Reformation. When the church was erect
into a prebend, a vicarage was instituted for servin
the cure. In 1589, the king granted to James,
of Arran, and his heirs male, the right of patr
age of the deanery of Glasgow with the parsona
of the churches of Hamilton and Dalserf; and thi
part was ratified to the Earl's nephew, Jam
Marquis of Hamilton, in 1621. The patronage
the collegiate church of Hamilton — which has
recently uncollegiated — has ever since remained i
the noble house of Hamilton. At the period of tl
charge being made collegiate in 1451, James, Lo
Hamilton, built a fine Gothic church, with a choir,
two cross aisles, and a steeple ; and this contin
the parish-church down till 1732, when a new chur
was built, and the old one removed, with the ex
tion of the aisle, which contains the burying vaul
of the family of Hamilton. For further particula
of the ecclesiastical state of the parish, see BURG
OF HAMILTON.
As has been stated, the old Scottish kings hel
their courts at Cadzow castle, which continued
belong to the Crown till after the battle of Bannock
burn ; and the district has occasionally been the seen
of important events in the history of the kingdom
In the times of trouble, Hamilton was a sort of head
quarters of the Covenanters, and the majority of th
inhabitants were devotedly attached to the cause,
In the winter of 1650 Cromwell despatched Gene
Lambert and Commissary-general Whalley to Hami
ton, with five regiments of cavalry, for the purpos
of keeping the Covenanters of the district in check
or of seducing them over to his own views. The-
were attacked by a party of 1,500 horsemen ft
Ayrshire, under Colonel Kerr, and a great number
horses fell into the hands of the Covenanters ; bu
Lambert having rallied his forces, attacked the
venanters in turn, at a spot 2 miles from Hamilton
killed Colonel Kerr, with about 100 of his men, an
took a great number of prisoners. In June 167
Graham of Claverhouse, when upon his way to the
field of Drumclog, seized, near the town of Hamilton,
John King, a field-preacher, and 17 other persons,
whom he bound in pairs and drove before him in the
direction of Loudon hill. After their success at
Drumclog, the Covenanters marched to Hamilton,
and resolved upon an attack on Glasgow, but, as is
well-known, they were severely repulsed, after which
they again retired to Hamilton, where the more
moderate portion of the body drew up the document
which afterwards obtained the name of, ' ihe Hamil-
ton declaration,' and the purport of which was to
deny any intention of overturning the government,
to forbear all disputes and recriminations in the
meantime, and to refer all matters to a free parlia-
I; and a general assembly lawfully chosen. This
Dsition was scouted by the violent party, and
guard being attacked in the night-time, near
ilton ford, one of their number, named James
Clelland. was killed. After the disastrous battle of
Both well Brig, the fugitives lied in all directions
through the parish, and Gordon of Earlstone, who
had reached the parish with a body of men under his
command from Galloway, met his vanquished breth-
ren near Quarter, at which place he was killed.
About 1,200 men were taken prisoners in the parish
by the king's troops ; and it is well-known that
many of the persecuted ' hill folk ' only escaped death
by hiding in Hamilton woods. For this safety they
\\vre much indebted to the amiable and generous
Anne, Dutchess of Hamilton, who begging of the
Duke of Momnouth, the commander, that the sol-
diers might not be permitted to enter her plantations,
the request was immediately complied with, a/id thus
lives were saved which, but for her interfer-
would have been sacrificed — The parish con-
is, or lately contained, the ruins of many old
ifices, whose pristine glory has long since departed,
ng which may be named Silverton-hill, Earnock,
s, Mother well, Nielsland, Barncluith, Allanshaw,
ngaber, ('the house between the waters,' the
idations of which can now scarcely be traced,)
lewood, Mirritoun, and Udstoun, which were for-
rly seats of different scions of the house of Hamil-
Cadzow castle — formerly alluded to — still re-
ins an interesting ruin, though time has left no
of its erection. The keep of the castle, with
fosse around it, a narrow bridge over the fosse,
a well in the interior, are still in a fair state of pre-
rvation. They are constructed of a reddish coloured
lished stone. Some vaults, walls, and other remains
yet visible. — There is a Roman tumulus in the
ish, near Meikle-Earnock, about 2 miles from
lilton. It is 8 feet high, and 12 feet in diameter,
in broken up many years ago, a number of urns
found containing the ashes of human bones, and
igst them the tooth of a horse. There was no
iription seen ; but some of the urns — which were
of baked earth — were plain, and others decorated
with moulding, probably to mark the quality of the
deceased. — In the haugh, in the vicinity of the palace
of Hamilton, an ancient moat-hill or seat of justice
is pointed out. It is about 30 feet diameter at the
base, and 15 feet high, and is evidently a construction
of great antiquity — The celebrated Dr. Cullen was a
native of this parish, having been born in it April 15,
1710. He was a magistrate of Hamilton for a number
of years. Lord Cochrane, now the Earl of Dundonald,
spent many of his younger years in the parish ; and
the father of the late Professor Millar of Glasgow
was one of the parochial clergymen, as was also the
father of the late Dr. Bailie of London, and his cele-
brated sister Joanna.
The Ducal house of Hamilton being so intimately
connected with this parish and district, a short sketch
of its history may not be uninteresting. This il-
lustrious family is said to be descended from Sir
William de Hamilton, one of the sons of William
de Bellomont, 3d Earl of Leicester Sir William's
son, Sir Gilbert Hamilton, having spoken in admira-
tion of Robert the Bruce, at the court of Edward II.,
received a blow from John de Spencer, who con-
ceived the discourse was derogatory to his master.
This led, on the following day, to an encounter in
which Spencer fell, and Hamilton fled for safety to
Scotland in 1323. Having been closely pursued in
his flight, Hamilton and his servant changed clothes
with two woodcutters, and, taking the saws of the
workmen, they were in the act of cutting an oak-tree
when his pursuers parsed. IVro-iving his servant to
HAMILTON.
notice them, Sir Gilbert cried out to him • Through!'
which word, with the oak and saw through it, he
took for his crest in remembrance and commemor-
ation of his escape. He afterwards became a favourite
with Robert Bruce, and from an old manuscript it
appear* that he was one of seven knights who ' kept
the king's person' in the field of Bunnockburn, ami
afterwards continued with him till his death, and
attended his burial at Dunfermline. Sir Walter
de Hamilton, the son of Sir Gilbert, acquired the
lands of Cadzow, in the sheritFdom of Lanark, and
others; and from ium was descended, in the fifth de-
gree, Sir James Hamilton of Cadzow, who was the
first peer of the family . He was originally attached
to the powerful family of Douglas, and was an im-
portant adherent of the Earl of that name, when in
1455 that nobleman took the field in open rebellion
against his sovereign. Sir James, however, deserted
from Douglas to the king, almost upon the eve of a
battle, upon which the chances appeared as much in
favour of the subject as the sovereign, and his ex-
ample being followed by others, the army of Douglas
rapidly disappeared, and ruin came upon his once
potent house. For this notable service Sir James
was created a lord of Parliament, and he also obtained
a grant, dated 1st July, 1455, of the office of sheriff
of the county of Lanark, and subsequently grants ot
extensive territorial possessions. He married for his
second wife, in 1474, Mary, eldest daughter of King
James II., and widow of Thomas Boyd, Earl of
Arran. Dying in 1479 he was succeeded by his only
son, James, second Lord Hamilton, who obtained
a charter of the lands and earldom of Arran in 1503.
This nobleman was constituted lieutenant-general
of the kingdom, warden of the inarches, and one of
the lords of the regency in 1517. He was succeeded
by his son James, the second Earl, who had only,
betwixt him and the throne, Mary daughter of James
V., and afterwards Queen of Scots. In 1543 he wa-
declared heir-presumptive to the Crown, and was ap-
pointed guardian to Queen Mary, and governor of the
kingdom during her minority. He was mainly in-
strumental in bringing about the marriage of the
youthful princess to the Dauphin, in opposition to
the wishes of Henry VIII. of England; and in
token of his approval of these services, the French
king — Henry the Second — conferred upon him the
title of Duke of Chatelherault, in addition to a pen-
sion of 30,000 livres a- year. He continued to lake
an active part in public affairs till his death in 1575,
when he was succeeded in the earldom of Arran by
James his eldest son, the dukedom of Chatelherault
having been resumed by the French crown. Tins
I nobleman, upon the arrival of Queen Mary, in l.>tl,
' openly aspired to the honour of her hand, but having
opposed the enjoyment of the Queen's exercise ot
her religion, and having entered a protestation
against it, he entirely lost her favour. His love,
inflamed by disappointment, gradually undermined
his reason, and at last he broke out into ungovern-
able frenzy. He was in consequence declared by
the cognition of inquest to be insane, and tin- M
of his father devolved upon his brother, Lord Join.
Hamilton, commendator of Aberbrothock, who, in
I .Ob' 7, was one of those who entered into an .1
I tion to rescue Queen Mary from the ca.-tli- ot Loeli-
! leven, and upon her escape she fled to his estate ot
j Hamilton, und there held her court. From thfiice
! she proceeded to Langside where her lorc-es were
defeated by the Regent Murray. The castle of
Hamilton was besieged and taken, and Lord John
went into banishment. The fealty of this nobleman
to his unhappy Queen never swerved for a moment ;
and so well aware was she of his fidelity that one
of her last acts \va* to transmit to him a ring — wl,,rb
740
HAMILTON.
is still preserved in the family — through the medium
of an attendant. He was recalled by James VI., re-
stored to the family-estates, and created, in 1599,
Marquis of Hamilton. Dying, in 1604, he was suc-
ceeded by his only son, James, 2d Marquis, who also
obtained an English peerage by the titles of Baron
of Ennerdale in Cumberland, and Earl of Cambridge.
He died in 1625, and was succeeded by his eldest
son, James, 3d Marquis, who was created Marquis
of Clydesdale, and in 1643 Duke of Hamilton, arid
received a grant of the hereditary office of keeper of
Holyrood palace. He warmly espoused the cause of
King Charles I., and promoted ' the engagement' to
raise troops for the service of his sovereign. As is
well-known, he was defeated at the battle of Preston,
where he was made prisoner, and being brought to
trial by the same court by which the king had been
condemned, he was found guilty of haring levied war
upon the people of England, and suffered decapita-
tion in Old Palace-yard on 9th March, 1649. His
Grace was succeeded by his brother, William, the
4th Marquis, and 2d Duke, who had previously
been elevated to the peerage as Lord Macanshire and
Polmount, and Earl of Lanark. The duke was
mortally wounded in the cause of Charles II. at the
battle of Worcester, and by Cromwell's act of grace,
passed in 1654, he was excepted from all benefit
thereof, and his estates forfeited, reserving only out of
them £400 a-year for his dutchess for life, and £100
to each of his four daughters and their heirs. His
Grace's own honours fell under the attainder, and his
English dignities expired, but the Dukedom of Hamil-
ton, in virtue of the patent, devolved upon his niece,
the eldest daughter of James, the first Duke. Lady
Anne Hamilton, Dutchess of Hamilton, introduced
the Douglas name into the family by marrying Lord
William Douglas, eldest son of William, first Mar-
quis of Douglas, and she obtained by petition for her
husband, in 1660, the title of Duke of Hamilton for
life. His Grace had previously been elevated to the
peerage as Earl of Selkirk. This peer sat as presi-
dent of the convention parliament, which settled the
crown upon William and Mary. He died in 1694,
and was succeeded by his eldest son, James, Earl of
Arran, who, upon the Dutchess, a few years after-
wards, surrendering her honours, became then, by
patent, Duke of Hamilton, with the precedency of
the original creation of 1643, in the same manner as
if he had originally inherited. He was created an
English peer in 1711, as Baron of Datton in the
county of Chester, and Duke of Brandon in the
county of Suffolk ; but upon proceeding to take his
seat in the House of Lords it was objected, that by
the 23d article of the Union, "no peer of Scotland
could, after the Union, be created a peer of Eng-
land ;" and the house came to this resolution after a
protracted debate. The Duke having accepted a
challenge from Charles, Lord Mohun, fought that
nobleman in Hyde Park on 15th November, 1712,
and having slain his opponent fell himself, through
the treachery, as was suspected, of General Mac-
irtney, Lord Mohun's second, for whose apprehen-
sion a reward of £500 was subsequently offered.
Macartney eventually surrendered and was tried in
the court of king's bench in June 1716, when he was
acquitted of the murder, and found guilty of man-
slaughter. His Grace was succeeded by his son,
James, 5th Duke of Hamilton and 2d Duke of
Brandon, who died in 1742-3, and was succeeded
by his eldest son, James, the 6th Duke, who died in
1758. He was succeeded by his son James George,
the 7th Duke, who succeeded to the Marquisate of
Douglas and Earldom of Angus, upon the demise,
it) 1761, of Archibald, the last Duke of Douglas.
The guardians of his Grace asserted his right and
aid claim to the Douglas estates, upon the ground
that Mr. Stewart, son and heir of Lady Jane Stewart,
sister of the Duke of Douglas, was not her son, and
this led to a most unwonted legal contest, ending in
the defeat of the Hamiltons, and known as the cele-
brated Douglas cause : See Note to article DOUGLAS.
His Grace died unmarried in 1769, and the honours
devolved upon his brother Douglas, the 8th Duke,
who, in 1782, again brought up the point decided
against his predecessor, the 4th Duke, relative to
his right to a seat in the house of lords ; after the
opinion of the judges had been taken, he obtained a
resolution in his favour, and was consequently sum-
moned to the house of lords as Duke of Brandon
He died in 1799 without issue, and the title anj
estates reverted to his uncle, Archibald, the 9th
Duke of Hamilton and 6th Duke of Brandon,
eldest son, by his third wife, of James 5th Duke of
Hamilton. Archibald died on 16th February, 1819,
and was succeeded by Alexander Hamilton Douglas,
the 10th and present Duke. The Duke of Chatel-
herault still finds a place in the roll of titles belong-
ing to the family, as it was never formally abandoned
by them, but it is not now legally recognised either
in this country or in France. Many honourable
families of the name of Hamilton have sprung from
the junior branches of this noble house. It is tht
premier peerage of the kingdom, and its possessors
have acted a conspicuous part in all the stirring inci-
dents in Scottish history. Both from this cause anc
from the circumstance that, failing the Brunswicl
line, it is the next Protestant branch of the roya
family in succession to the Crown of Scotland, th<
title carries with it much of the respect and venera-
tion of the country.
HAMILTON, a town in the middle ward of Lan
arkshire, and capital of the parish of that name
is situated in the centre of a pleasant and fertili
agricultural district, abounding in minerals. It i
10| miles from Glasgow; 15 from Lanark; 7 fron
Strathavon ; 8 from Airdrie ; and 36 from Edin
burgh; and lies on the great London mail-road fron
Glasgow by Carlisle, and also on the road fron
Edinburgh to Ayr. It is understood to date its ex
istence from the 15th century, and its early rise wa
no doubt owing to the influence of the noble famil
of Hamilton. Hamilton of Wishaw says — " In th
tyme of King James the Second, James Lord Ham
ilton erected here ane burgh of baronie in th
midst of ane large and pleasant valley, extendinj
from the mouth of Aven to Bothwell bridge, nea
2 myles along the river, with a pleasant burn, calle<
Hamilton burn, running through the town and gar
dens, now belonging to the duke; giving out several
lands to the inhabitants to be holden of the family
reserving to themselves the superioritie, jurisdic
tion, and nameing of the magistrates. This Lon
Hamilton also founded here ane provostrie, consist
ing of ane provest and eight prebends, giving t
each of them ane manse and yeard, and glebe in th
Haugh of Hamilton; and gave them the vicarag
tiends of the parishes of Hamilton and Dalserfe, to
gether with severall lands lying within those tw
parishes and the parish of Stonehouse. He als
built new the parish kirk of Hamilton, the queer
and two cross isles and steeple, all of polishe
stone." No doubt therefore exists that the tow
owes its origin to the family of Hamilton. Th
situation is a very pleasant one, in a richly woode
country, on the left bank of the Clyde, and it i
; partly surrounded by the park of Hamilton palace
| The town consists of a new and an old part, th
latter of which lies on the low grounds close upo
the palace, and considerable portions of it have beei
I recently bought up, and are now untenanted, to pre
HAMILTON.
741
ire the amenity and seclusion of the Ducal domain,
new part of the town, which is intersected by
the great Glasgow and London road, is built with
considerable regard to taste and ornament, and occu-
pied by inhabitants of a very respectable kind. For-
merly this road took an inconvenient sweep through
the old or lower part of the town ; but, by the recent
improvement, this bend has been removed. Hamil-
ton is a burgh-of-regality governed by a provost,
three bailies, and a town-council. The territory of
the regality is very extensive, and the magistrates
exercise the same jurisdiction, both in civil and
criminal cases, as the magistrates of royal burghs.
The sheriff-court for the middle ward of the county,
and the quarter-sessions for the peace are held here,
greater part of the burgh-territory is in posses-
of the Duke of Hamilton, but it still derives a
isiderable revenue from its feu-duties and other
jrty. By the census of 1831, there were 1,036
28 in the burgh and parish, and according to the
timate of the Parliamentary commissioners, made
at a more recent period, there were 300 of these
at £10 and upwards. Hamilton presents the
ily of having been at one time a royal burgh,
of having afterwards denuded itself of its status
privileges. The earliest charter of the burgh
the possession of the town-council is dated 23d
jber, 1475, and was granted by James Lord Ham-
It recognises the burgh as a then existing
i-of- regality, and grants to the community and
certain lands, and the common muir, a con-
)le portion of which is still retained by the
jh. The next charter was granted by Queen
ry, on 15th January, 1548, and by it Hamilton
erected into a royal burgh with certain privi-
but it would appear that two bailies, named
Hamilton and James Naismith, agreed to re-
that privilege in 1670, by accepting of a charter
i Anne, Dutchess of Hamilton, by which she con-
ited the town the chief burgh of the regality and
cedom of Hamilton. Long subsequent to this,
1726, the then magistrates and inhabitants made
an effort to throw off the superiority of the Hamilton
family, and resume their long disused rights as a
royal burgh ; but the charter of Dutchess Anne was
found to be the governing one, by the Court of Ses-
sion, in an action of Declarator of the privileges of
Hamilton, as a royal burgh, to the free choice of its
magistrates. The court sustained the defence of the
Duke of Hamilton, that the privileges of the burgh
had been lost by prescription. It was not, there-
fore, till the passing of the Reform bill, in 1832, that
the inhabitants were invested with the privilege of
sharing in the election of a member of parliament:
the burgh being associated for this purpose with
Lanark, Falkirk, Linlitbgow, and Airdrie. The
revenues of the burgh are derived from lands, houses,
flesh-market dues, customs, interest on shares in
bridge, feu-duties, &c., and, according to the report
of the Parliamentary commissioners, amounted, in
1832, to £654 per annum. In 1839-40, it amounted
to £715 5s. 2£d. At the same period the debt due
by the burgh amounted to £2,000, the larger por-
tion of which had been mortified with the magis-
trates more than 100 years ago.
Although the Ducal palace has rendered Hamilton
somewhat fastidious and aristocratic in its pretensions,
yet it is a place not without manufactures. Since the
introduction of the cotton trade into Scotland, it has
been one of the principal seats of imitation cambric
weaving, and employs about 1,200 looms within the
town, and a few in the country. But although, about
50 years ago, this trade was a most flourishing one, it
has of late been considerably on the decline. The old
lace manufacture was introduced or encouraged by the
Dutchessof Hamilton, afterwards IhitrhessofArgyle,
but it also had almost entirely dwindK-d away, until
resuscitated by a company about twelve years a^ro, and
it has since gone on increasing. Upwards of 2,500 fe-
males are engaged in this manufacture in Hamilton
and the adjacent parishes, and a number of black silk
veils are also produced here, in addition to check
shirts for the foreign colonial market.* Formerly
the fairs at Hamilton were of considerable import-
ance for the sale of lint and wool, and, about 1750,
large quantities of yarn were sent from this town to
the north of Ireland, but the Irish have long since
learned to make yarn for themselves, and this mar-
ket, of course, is entirely closed up. From this cause
the fairs, of which there were five in the year, have
dwindled into insignificance. In addition to those
named, there is a manufactory of hempen goods, for
making bags and such other purposes, a manufactory
of agricultural implements, a foundery, and a few
breweries. Hamilton contains within itself all the
elegancies and conveniencies of civilized life, and,
from the existence of the cavalry barracks — which
are situated at the Glasgow entrance to the town,
and generally occupied by a troop from the regiment
lying in Glasgow — it has often an appearance of con-
siderable gaiety and bustle. In 1831 gas was intro-
duced, by subscription shares, at an expense of £2,400,
and when burned by meter it is sold at the rate or 10s.
per 1,000 cubic feet. In 1816, a spacious tradis'-
hall was erected in Church-street; and in June,
1833, the foundation-stone of the new prison and
public offices was laid, which have since been com-
pleted and occupied. These consist of apartments
for the sheriff-clerk, town-clerk, a court-room, a
hall for county-meetings, and the prison and gover-
nor's house. The prison contains 43 cells, and is
surrounded by a high wall, en closing also a large open
court, or airing yard, half an acre in extent. These
buildings stand in the west end of the town near the
cavalry barracks. There is a debt of about £1,200
upon them. The old prison was erected in the reign
of Charles I., but has now been dismantled with the
exception of the steeple and clock. It was situated
in the lower or olden portion of the town immediately
adjoining the park wall of Hamilton palace.
The ecclesiastical state of the town has been briefly
noticed in the foregoing account of the parish. The
» A few years ago, a company in Nottingham established an
agent in Hamilton, to procure a number of women to orna-
ment bobbin-net with the tambouring needle. Previous to
that time their whole attention had been directed to tl
kind of work upon muslin ; and there was so much dif
K1IK1 <>] WOrK IJUtlU UlU^iiii , nuu «.
in removing the prejudices which they entertained againbt
lace-work, that even H third more wages could not induce
greater part of them to embrace that which WHM to bt "•
sentinl to their pre>ent and future intend. Mr. John fr
a man of considerable enterprise, commenced manufacturing
cnpH of various shapes and patterns, collars, tippets, p.
veils, and dresses, &c. The variety and eleKa..ce o. the pat-
terns, the chasteiiessand delicacy of design, the superiority un
beautiful arrangement of the work, took ^j^^i"*^!
in a short time, not only every town and village in hcol an*
waa supplied with goods of the above description, but they
were eagerly bought up, and sent into the hngli»h mar-
k7t Th*e good* made in Hamilton not only excell,d tt • -
the Knglish in neatness of make and lowi.ei* »t pr.ce. but
vailed even those ot the French when compared in the Amc-
rican market. A, the embroidering of bobbin-net conti
still to increase, tnat of ii.nnlin seemed gradually to ,i
HUH i«i imirno«-f »••«» - , . . .
he transparency and durability of the ground, and tl»
fiffurei *wuh " h.ch it was oriiHinented. attracted the notice of
es of the first rank in the country to it-i »«• ; their 'example
at,on. which were gener
ally experienced elsewhere.
HAMILTON.
name of the original parish is the Old Church parish
of Hamilton. The church is rather a handsome one,
and was designed about 100 years ago, by the elder
Adams, for 800 sitters. Till July 1835, the original
parish was a collegiate charge. At that time, how-
ever, it was uncollegiated, quoad sacra, by the pres-
bytery of Hamilton, and, in 1836, was divided by the
same authority into two parishes, quoad sacra, the
new parish receiving the name of St. John's. Pa-
tron, the Duke of Hamilton. Stipend of minister
of the Old church £313 13s. lOd. There is no manse,
but in lieu of one, together with an allowance in
name of rent for glebe, the minister receives £107
10s. annually from the Duke of Hamilton St. John's,
the new parish-church, was built by the Hamilton
National Church association at a cost of £1,630,
and was opened in 1835. It is seated for 1,100 per-
sons. Stipend £313 13s. 10d. Patron, the Duke
of Hamilton. There is a manse, but no glebe, and
no provision in lieu thereof. — The first Relief con
gregation was established in 1776, when the church
was built, which is seated for 1,105. There is a
manse built in 1832, at the cost of £717, and an ex-
cellent walled garden. The stipend is £185 per an-
num.— The second Relief congregation was estab-
lished in 1831, and their church, seated for 945, was
erected at an expense of £1,300. Stipend £120 per
annum without manse or glebe — The first United
Secession congregation was established in 1759, and
the church built in 1761, for 582 sitters. Stipend
£100 per annum, with house and garden — The se-
cond United Secession congregation was established
in 1799, and the church is seated for 656 sitters. Sti-
pend £130 per annum, without manse or glebe.—
The Independent congregation was established in
1834, and their place of meeting is seated for 230.
Stipend £100 per annum, without manse or glebe —
There is also an old Scotch Independent congrega-
tion, established about CO years since, the numbers
of which are very limited, and the pastors have no
emoluments. The Reformed Presbyterians also
meet regularly in the town. The Catholic popu-
lation are superintended by a priest from Glasgow.
— Hamilton is well-known for the excellence of its
educational establishments, and, in addition to the
parochial or grammar-school, there are many private
seminaries conducted with considerable ability. The
salary of the parochial master is £34 4s. per an-
num, and it is understood that his fees are not less
than £50, in addition to £30 for officiating as
session-clerk. The school-house is a venerable
erection near the centre of the town, containing a
long wainscotted hall, upon which are graven the
names of the former scholars, many of whom have
distiiiguished themselves in their several walks in
the world. In 1808, a publie subscription library
was instituted in the town principally through the
exertions of the late Dr. John Hume, and it now
contains more than 3,000 volumes. The charitable
institutions belonging to the town and parish are of a
very respectable order. The Duke's hospital is an
old building, with a belfry and bell, situated at the
Cross, and erected in lieu of the former one, which
stood in the Netherton. The pensioners do not now
reside here ; but it contributes to the support of a
dozen old men, at the rate of £8 18s. yearly, with a
suit of clothes biennially. Aikman s hospital in
Muir-street, was built and endowed hi 1775, by Mr,
Aikman, a proprietor in the parish, and formerly a
merchant in Leghorn. Four old men are here lodged,
have £4 per annum, and a suit of clothes every two
years. Rae's, Robertson's, and Lyon's, and Miss
Christian Allan's mortification also produce consider-
able sums for the support of the poor, and eome other
funds have been placed at the disposal of the kirk-ses-
sion for the mitigation of distress.
; To the stranger, however, the great object of at-
traction about Hamilton is the palace of the pre-
j rnierDuke, situated in the immediate neighbourhood,
I with the enchanting grounds, laid out in lawn, woods,
I and gardens, stretching far away around and beyond it.
The germ of this magnificent structure was originally
a small square tower, and the olden part of the present
house was erected about the year 1591 . The structure
was almost entirely rebuilt or renewed more than a
century afterwards. The present Duke — whose archi-
tectural taste is well known — commenced a series of
additions in 1822, which have entirely altered the
character of the building, and though scarcely yet
completed, promise to make it one of the most mag
nificent piles in the kingdom, and not inferior to the
abode of royalty itself. " The modern part con-
sists of a new front, facing the north, 264 feet
inches in length, and 3 stories high, with an additiona
wing to the west for servants' apartments, 100 feet ii
length. A new corridor is carried along the back ol
the old building, containing baths, &c. The front is
adorned by a noble portico, consisting of a double row
of Corinthian columns, each of one solid stone, sur
mounted by a lofty pediment. The shaft of eacl
column is upwards of 25 feet in height, and about £
feet 3 inches in diameter. These were each brough
in the block, about 8 miles from a quarry in Dalserf
on an immense waggon constructed for the purpose
and drawn by 30 horses. The principal apartments
besides the entrance-hall, are, the tribune, a sort o
saloon or hall, from which many of the principa
rooms enter; a dining-room, 71 by 30; a library anr
billiard-room; state bed- rooms, and a variety ol
sleeping apartments ; a kitchen, court, &c. The
gallery, 120 feet by 20, and 20 feet high, has also beei
thoroughly repaired. This, like all the principa
rooms, is gilded and ornamented with marble, scag-
liola, and stucco-work. The palace stands close
upon the town, on the upper border of the grea
valley, about half-a-rnile west of the conflux of th<
Clyde and Avon. As a curious statistical fact wt
may state, that there were employed in building the
addition to the palace 28,056 tons, 8 cwt., and J
quarters of stones, drawn by 22,528 horses. Ol
' lime, sand, stucco, wood, &c., 5,534 tons, 6 cwt.
1 quarter, 7^ Ibs., drawn by 5,196 horses. In draw-
ing 22, 350 slates, 62,200 bricks, with engine-ashes,
and coal-culm to keep down the damp, 731 horses
were employed. Total days, during which horses
1 were employed for other purposes, 658^. In the
j stables there are 7,976 tons of stones, drawn by
' 5,153 horses. Of lime, sand, slates, &c., 1,361 tons
j drawn by 1,024 horses; besides 284 days of horses
i employed for other purposes." [New Statistica1
Account, July 1835.] The interior furnishings o
the palace are, in every sense of the word, wel
worthy of its magnificent and imposing exterior, am
here, in many instances, in the case of the cabinet
and other furnishings, the triumph of art is so con-
spicuous that it may be truly said the " workman-
ship surpasses the material." The collection ol
paintings in the picture-gallery, which has been vastly
increased by the present Duke, has been long allowec
to be the finest in North Britain, and it may not be
out of place to name a very few out of many that
are rare and excellent. Daniel in the lions' den has
been often described. The portraits of Charles the
; First, in armour on a white horse, and of the Earl oi
i Denbigh in a shooting dress, standing by a tree, with
! a black boy on the opposite side pointing to the
! game, are allowed to be master-pieces by Vandyke.
i An Ascension-piece, by Georgione; an entombment ol
HAN
743
HAN
Christ, by Pou^sin; a dying Madcma, by Corregio; a
Mag-hunt, by Sneyder : a laughing-boy, by Leonard
de Vinci ; and a faithful portrait of Napoleon, by
David, painted from the original, by permission
granted to the present Duke, are admitted to be rare
specimens of art and value. Upon the east stair-
case is a large altar-piece, by Girolamo dai Libri,
from San Lionardo nel Monte, near Verona ; and, in
the breakfast-room is a picture by Giacomo da Pun-
tormo, of Joseph receiving his father and brethren in
Egypt ; and a portrait of Artonelli of Mycena, said
to liave been the first painter in oil, date 1474. The
great gallery, saloons, and principal rooms, contain a
collection of splendid family-portraits, and other
paintings, by many of the first masters, among whom
may be named Vandyke, Kneller, Rubens, Corregio,
Rembrandt, Guido, Titian, the Carracci, Salvator
Rosa, Carlo Dolce, Poussin, Spagnoletti, Reynolds,
&c. In the principal apartments are placed some
splendid vases, rare of their kind, both for their an-
tiquity and beauty. There are also some beautiful
antique cabinets, studded with precious stones ; in
particular, a casket of ebony, ornamented with gold
ze, and oriental stones, which formerly belonged
the Medici family. At the extremity of the gallery
the ambassadorial throne, used by the present
ke in his embassy at St. Petersburgh : on each
e are two magnificent busts of oriental porphyry,
the Roman emperors, Augustus and Tiberius, and
the walls are two excellent portraits of George
I. and his queen, Charlotte, painted soon after
eir marriage. At the opposite end of the gallery
a splendid architect Mial door of black marble, the
inn-lit being supported by two oriental columns
green porphyry, supposed to be the finest of the
nd in Europe. The pieces of painting amount to
than 2,000, about 100 of which are at Chatel-
It, and it is impossible to affix with any degree
exactitude a value to this mine of artistical
,1th. The prints in his Grace's possession, few or
of which are exhibited to strangers, are under-
tobe worth not less than £15,000. Some of
cabinets are valued at from £1,300 to £2,000;
d a single table, with all its ornamental gildings
carving, has been set down at £4,000. The
lue of the plate, including a gold set, is not less
n £50,000. Altogether the halls of Hamilton
lace, for beauty and costliness of ornament and
rnishing, are unrivalled in Scotland.
HAND A, an island belonging to the parish of Ed-
ichylis in Sutherlandshire. It is separated from
mainland by a narrow sound, through which ves-
els may pass with good pilots. Its name is derived
ither from the Celtic, Aonda, * the Island of one
colour,' or from Aon-taobh, ' the Island of one side ;'
in either of which senses the appellation is just and
applicable. For viewing it from the sea upon the
south it appears wholly dusky and green ; and rises
gradually by a gentle ascent towards the north so as
to consist of one face or side, having upon the north
a tremendous rock of 80 or 100 fathoms high in
some places. It is about a mile square, and is famous
for the numbers of sea- fowl which breed upon it.
" Here once lived Little John M'Dhoil-mhich-Huish-
dan, a gentleman of the Assint M'Leods, who were
a branch of the M'Leods of Lewis, or Shiol Torquil.
He was low of stature, but of matchless strength,
and skill in arms ; kept always a bierlin or galley in
this place with 12 or 20 armed men, ready for any
enterprise. Some allege he practised piracy ; but of
this there is no certainty. By him it was that Judge
Morison of Lewis — of whom several respectable fa-
milies now living there are descended — was slain.
This judge had James VI. 's commission for maintain-
justice and good order in that country; and
though he was murdered by thi> M'Lt-od. it \\
no personal quarrel, or injury done M'Leod him-i-lf.
but in revenge of his being instrumental in putting to
death one of that family who acted as laird of I
The preceding laird of that place dying without law-
ful issue, but leaving a number of natural sons some
say 60— a contention arose among them about the
succession to the estate. The eldest being not so
popular among the name as one other especially, the
son of a gentlewoman whose parents were of con-i-
derable influence among the tribe, was obliged to
leave Lewis, and live upon the mainland. Judge
Morison being informed that there was a French ves-
sel employed in killing fish contrary to law upon the
neighbouring coast, sent for the reputed laini, who
lived near that place, and taking also a party along
with him, boarded this vessel, and made her a prize;
but whether by stress of weather or design, they
came to anchor below the house of the eldest of the
brothers, upon the main land, who in this way get-
ting his rival within his power, had him immediately
put to death by hanging him up, thinking no more
was necessary to his succeeding to the possession of
the estate of Lewis. But the death of the favourite
young man so irritated the whole clan of M'Leod,
that they resolved nothing except the death of the
judge should atone for it, and this Little John
M'Dhoil-mhich-Huishdan being universally reputed
the fittest person for this enterprise, it was commit-
ted to him accordingly. The judge, informed of his
danger, thought fit to come and wait on the Master
of Reays who then lived in Diurness, about the
Christmas holidays, in order to prevail with him to
protect him, and to threaten John M'Leod from at-
tempting any thing against him. But John M'Leod
being told of the judge's having left his boat at In-
verchirkak in Assint, waited for him there on his
return, slew both him and his brother, and after this
went to Lewis and married the judge's widow. On
account of the barbarity and cruelty of these M'Leods
at this time, and their murder of a very promising
youth who was the rightful heir of the estate of
Lewis, immediately upon his coming home to big
estate from Edinburgh, where he had his education
under the King's eye, and this murder of Judge Mo
rison, of whose integrity his majesty had a high
opinion, the king disposed of Lewis to a company of
adventurers from Fife and Dundee whose history
is well-known. Among the numerous islands on this
coast is one called Elan a Bhriu, or, • the Island of
the Judge,' from the above-mentioned Judge Mori-
son. After he had been slain, his friend* in Lewis
came in a galley to bring home his corpse; but con-
trary winds arising drove them with the body on
board to this island, where they found it convenient,
after taking his bowels out, to bury them ; and the
wind soon after changing, they arrived in safety at
home."— Old Statistical Account.
HANG-CLIFF, or Noss-head, a mural promon-
tory on the eastern side of Bressa, one of the Shet-
land islands, rising to the height of 600 fr. t.
HANGINGSHAW-L A W,a mountain rising 1,980
feet above the level of the sea, and situated on the
boundary between the parishes of Tnrj'iair and Yar-
row, in the counties respectively of Peebles and
Selkirk.— Hangingshaw-lioiiM', which wa- one,- an
extensive edifice, is now an undefined ruin, having
been devastated by fire, and never again rebuilt, al-
though its situation is one of the nuM romantic in
the beautiful vale of Yarrow — The proji-cted inland
line of railway from Kdinl-m -n to Hrxham, alt, r
passing through l-'ala-liill, rea> :hern sum-
mit near Hangingshaw, win-re it is l>!»4 fret alio\r
the level r.t tin- ('arlMraiMiNYwra-tlriailuay.it
Tyne-green near Ilexham, and 809 above hi^h in
HAR
744
II A II
mark at Newcastle. It has been proposed to carry
this line through the Border-ridge by a tunnel, 2,970
yards in length, at Note-oth-gate, the level of which
would be 691 feet above that of Tyne-green at Hex-
ham, or only 3 feet below that of the Hangingshaw
summit.
HARARAY, two small islands on the west coast
of Ross-shire, near Loch-Broom.
HAR AY, two small islands on the east coast of
the mainland of Shetland.
HARDEN CASTLE, the ancient residence of
the Scotts of Harden, and a fine specimen of a Bor-
der-fortress, situated in the deep narrow vale of
Borthwick water, 2^ miles above the point of that
stream's junction with the Teviot, and 4 miles south-
west of Hawick, Roxburghshire. The lobby is
paved with marble ; the ceiling of the old hall is
formed of curiously-carved stucco-work ; and the
mantel-piece of one of the rooms commemorates the
ancient noble title of the house of Harden, by bear-
ing aloft an Earl's coronet, inscribed with the letters
W. E. T., the initials of " Walter, Earl of Tarras."
The house is embosomed in wood, and was of old
fortified at every point where an assailant might
have approached; and it overlooks, or overhangs,
a deep precipitous glen, alike romantic for the
mingled gloom and verdure of its thick sylvan dress,
and darkly interesting as the receptacle of the
droves of cattle which the well-known Border-chief-
tain, Wat of Harden, swept before him in his nightly
raids. The scenery and associations of the place
are finely and succinctly described by Leyden : —
" Where Bertha hoarse, that loids the meads with sand,
Rolls her red tide to Teviot's western strand,
Through sUty hills, whose sides are shagged with thorn,
Where springs in scattered tufts the dark green corn,
Towers wood-girt Harden, far above the vale,
And cloud* of ravens o'er the turrets sail.
A hardy race who never shrunk from war,
The Scott, to rival realms a mighty bar,
Here fixed his mountain-home, — a wide domain,
And rich the soil, had purple heath been grain ;
But what the niggard ground of wealth denied,
From fields more blessed his fearless arm supplied."
Mary Scott, the Lady of Harden, and the descendant
of her namesake, the Flower of Yarrow, fostered,
it is said, an unknown child brought home by Wat
of Harden, from one of his wild excursions, — a child
so gifted that he is believed to have been the mo-
dest anonymous author of not a few of the Border
songs : —
" What fair, half- veiled, leans from her latticed hall,
Where red the waving gleams of torch-light fall ?
'Tis Yarrow's flower, who, through the gloom,
Look* wishful for her lover's dancing plume.
Amid the piles of spoil that strew'd the ground,
Her ear, all. anxious, caught a wailing sound ;
With trembling haste the lovely nymph then flew,
And from the plunder'd heaps an infant drew !
Scared at the light, his feeble hands he flung
Around her neck, and to her bosom clung;
While beauteous Mary soothed in accents mild,
His fluttering soul, and kissed her foster child.
Of milder mood the gentle captive grew,
Nor loved the scenes that scared hia infant view;
In vales remote from camp* and castles far,
He shunn'd the cruel scenes of strife and war.
Content the loves of simple swains to sing,
Or wake to fame the harp's heroic string ;
He lived o'er Yarrow's fairest flower to shed a tear,
And strew the holly leaves oVr Harden's bier.
But none was found above the minstrel's tomb,
Emblem of peace, to bid the daisy bloom ;
He, nameless as the race from whence he sprung,
kun.,' other names, and left his own unsung "
LEYDEN'H Scene* of Infancy.
HARD-MOOR. See DYKE AND MOY.
HARLAW, a locality in Chapel-of-Garioch par-
ish, Aberdeenshire, noted for a battle fought, in
1411, between the royal forces under the Earl of
Mar, and the forces of Donald, Lord of the Isles.
" The fight," says Buchanan, " was severe
bloody ; for the valour of many nobles did then con-
tend for estate and glory against the ferocity of the
adverse party. The night parted them at last; and
it might rather be said that both parties were weary
of fighting, than that any gained the victory. In
this fight there fell so many noble and eminent per-
sons as scarce ever perished in one battle with a
foreign enemy for many years before; and, of conse-
quence, the place of the engagement became famous
to posterity." The origin of the feud was as fol-
lows : The male succession to the earldom of Ross
having become extinct, the honours of the peerage
devolved upon a female, Euphemia Ross, wife of
Sir Walter Lesley. Of this marriage there were
two children, Alexander, afterwards Earl of Ross,
and Margaret, afterwards married to the Lord of the
Isles. Earl Alexander married a daughter of the
Duke of Albany. Euphemia, Countess of Ross,
was the only issue of this marriage, but becoming a
nun she resigned the earldom of Ross in favour of
her uncle, John Stewart, Earl of Buchan. The
Lord of the Isles conceiving that the Countess, by
renouncing the world, had forfeited her title and
estate, and, moreover, that she had no right to dis-
pose thereof, claimed both in rght of Margaret his
wife. The Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland
— at whose instigation the Countess had made the
renunciation — of course refused to sustain the claim
of the prince of the islands. The Lord of the Isles
then raised the standard of revolt; and having formed
an alliance with England, from whence be was to be
supplied with a fleet far superior to the Scottish, he,
at the head of an army of 10,000 men, fully equipped
and armed, after the fashion of the Islands, with
bows and arrows, pole-axes, knives, and swords,
burst like a torrent upon the earldom, and carried
every thing before him. He, however, received a
temporary check at Dingwall, where he was at-
tacked with great impetuosity by Angus Dubh Mac-
kay of Farr, or Black Angus, as he was called, but
Angus was taken prisoner, and his brother Roderic
Gald and many of his men were killed. Flushed
with the progress he had made, Donald now resolved
to carry into execution a threat he had often made
to burn the town of Aberdeen. For this purpose
he ordered his army to assemble at Inverness, and
summoned all the men capable of bearing arms in
the Boyne, and the Enzie, to join his standard on
his way south. This order being complied with,
the Lord of the Isles marched through Moray with-
out opposition. He committed great excesses in
Strathbogie and in the district of Garioch, which
belonged to the Earl of Mar. The inhabitants of
Aberdeen were in dreadful alarm at the near ap-
proach of this marauder and his fierce hordes; but
their fears were allayed by the speedy appearance of
a well-equipped army, commanded by the Earl of
Mar, who bore a high military character, assisted by
many brave knights and gentlemen in Angus arid the
Mearns. Advancing from Aberdeen, Mar marched
by Inverury, and descried the Highlanders stationed
at the village of Harlaw, on the water of Ury near
ts junction with the Don. Mar soon saw that be
bad to contend with tremendous odds, but although
bis forces were, it is said, as one to ten to that op-
posed to him, he resolved, from the confidence he
lad in his steel-clad knights, to risk a battle. Hav-
ng placed a small but select body of knights and
men-at-arms in front, under the command of the
constable of Dundee and the sheriff of Angus, the
Earl drew up the main strength of his army in the
rear, including the Murrays, the Straitens, the
W;ml<;s, the Irvings, the Le&leys, th^ Lovels, the
Stirlings, headed by their respective chiefs. The
II A R
713
II Ml
rl then placed himself at the head of this body,
the head of the Islesmen and Highlanders was
Lord of the Isles, subordinate to whom were
ckintosh and Maclean and other Highland chiefs,
bearing the most deadly hatred to their Saxon foes.
i a signal being given, the Highlanders and Isles-
Mi, setting up those terrific shouts and yells which
ey were accustomed to raise on entering into bat-
j, rushed forward upon their opponents ; but they
e received with great firmness and bravery by
knights, who, with their spears levelled, and
attle-axes raised, cut down many of their impetu-
ous but badly armed adversaries. After the Low-
landers had recovered themselves from the shock
which the furious onset of the Highlanders had pro-
duced, Sir James Scrymgeour, at the head of the
knights and bannerets who fought under him, cut
his way through the thick columns of the Islesmen,
carrying death every where around him; but the
slaughter of hundreds by this brave party did not
intimidate the Highlanders, who kept pouring in by
thousands to supply the place of those who had
len. Surrounded on all sides, no alternative re-
lined for Sir James and his valorous companions
victory or death, and the latter was their lot.
constable of Dundee was amongst the first who
1, and his fall so encouraged the Highlanders,
seizing and stabbing the horses, they thus un-
' their ri« ers, whom they despatched with their
8. In the mean time the Earl of Mar, who
penetrated with his main army into the very
t of the enemy, kept up the unequal contest
th great bravery, and, although he lost during the
tion almost the whole of his army, he continued
fatal struggle with a handful of men till night-
. The disastrous result of this battle was one of
greatest misfortunes which had ever happened
the numerous respectable families in Angus and
» Mearns. Many of these families lost not only
?ir head, but every male in the house. Lesley of
Iquhain is said to have fallen with six of his sons.
les Sir James Scrymgeour, Sir Alexander Ogilvy
sheriff of Angus, with his eldest son George
Sir Thomas Murray, Sir Robert Maule of
mmure, Sir Alexander Irving of Drum, Sir Wil-
im Abernethy of Salton, Sir Alexander Straiton
of Lauriston, James Lovel, and Alexander Stirling,
and Sir Robert Davidson, Provost of Aberdeen,
with 500 men at-arms including the principal gentry
of Buchan, and the greater part of the burgesses of
Aberdeen who followed their Provost, were among
the slain. The Highlanders left 900 men dead on
the field of battle, including the chiefs, Maclean and
Mackintosh. This memorable battle was fought on
the eve of the feast of St. James the Apostle, the
24th day of July, in the year 1411, "and from the
ferocity with which it was contested, and the dismal
spectacle of civil war and bloodshed exhibited to
the country, it appears to have made a deep impres-
sion on the national mind. It fixed itself in the
music and the poetry of Scotland; a march, called
'the Battle of Harlaw,' continued to be a popular
air down to the time of Drummond of Hawthornden,
and a spirited ballad, on the Mime event, i- still re-
peated in our age, describing the meeting of the
armies, and the deaths of the chiefs, in no ignoble
strain." Mar and the few brave companions in arms
who survived the battle, were so exhausted with
fatigue and the wounds they received, that they
were obliged to pass tin- night on the held of battle,
where they expected a renewal of the attack next
morning; but when morning dawned, they found
that the Lord of the Isles hail retreated, during tin-
night, by Inverury and the hill of Benoclne. I'"
pursue him was impossible, and he was therefore
allowed to retire, without molestation, and to re-
cruit his exhausted strength. The site of the battle
is thus described in the manuscript Geographical
description of Scotland, collected by Macfarlane and
preserved in the Advocates' Library [Vol. i. p. 7.]:
" Through this parish (the Chapel of Garioch, formerly
called Capella Beats Marie Virginia de Garryoch)
runs the king's highway from Aberdeen to Inv,
and from Aberdeen to the high country. A large mile
to the east of the church lies the field of an ancient
battle called the battle of Harlaw, from a country-
town of that name hard by. This town, and the
field of battle, which lies along the king's highway
upon a moor, extending a short mile from south-
east to north-west, stands on the north-east side ot
the water of Urie, and a small distance therefrom.
To the west of the field of battle, about half-a-mile,
is a farmer's bouse, called Legget's den, hard by, in
which is a tomb, built in the form of a malt-steep,
of four large stones, covered with a broad stone
above, where, as the country people generally re-
port, Donald of the Isles lies buried, being slain in
the battle, and therefore they call it commonly Don-
ald's tomb." This is an evident mistake, as it is
well known that Donald was not slain. Mr. Tvtler
conjectures with much probability that the tomb
alluded to may be that of the chief of Maclean or
Mackintosh, and he refers, in support of this opinion,
to Macfarlane's genealogical collections, in which an
account is given of the family of Maclean, and frorr
which it appears that Lauchlan Lubanich had, by
Macdonald's daughter, a son, called Eachin Rusidh
ni Cath, or Hector Rufus Bellicosus, who com-
manded as lieutenant-general under the Earl of Ross
at the battle of Harlaw, when he and Irving of
Drum, seeking out one another by their armorial
bearings on their shields, met and killed each other.
This Hector was married to a daughter of the Earl
of Douglas.
HARPORT (LocH), a safe harbour, on Loch-
Bracadale, on the south-west coast of the Isle of
Skye, in the parish of Bracadale.
HARRAY. See BIRSAY.
HARRIS,* a district of the outer Hebrides, com-
prehending the southern part of Lewis, and the small
islands which surround it, of which BERNERA, CAL-
I.HIK.VY, ENSAT, PABBAY, TARANSAY, SCALPAY,
and SCARP, [see these articles,] only are inhabited;
besides a vast number of pasture and kelp-i-Ks,
holms, and high rocks, which are also distinguished
by particular names.
The northern part of the mainland of Harris is
separated from Lewis by an isthmus of about 6 miles
across, formed by the approximation of the two har-
bours of Loch-Resort on the west coast, and Loch-
Seaforth on the east. The whole length, from the
isthmus to the southern end of Harris, where the
Sound of Harris separates it from North I'ist, may
be estimated at 2o or 26 miles. Its breadth is ex-
tremely various, in consequence of its being deeply
intersected by >everal arms of the sea, but it |
ally extends "from (i to 8 miles. Harris is again
naturally divided into two districts by two arms ot
the sea/called Kast and W,->t Loch- I arbert. which
approach so near each other as to leave HII isthmus
* "Till of late, this parish has been denned Kilbride. from
one of th* Hum-lies or rails in it so railed. It i> n..\v deuoiitu
M t:.i.,'lt>li, H«rri>. »nd, in the vernacular di» ••<
Hfradk ttmi is, 'th«- Herri*-*,'— a name whirh •eern* l» t>e
<;H.-lu- though wi- i-Himot |.iet.-n.l to tr re its origin with nie-
V fum-ilul eiyi. KIM »"K"< «•••"»* it from «<• kar.
dut>k, rifriiifyiu* • th«- - P"";h ^lll« ln rm lh*
hiiriieRt ana m,.*t m..iimaii part ..f itie Long-Island, in
wlm-h it i « Miniated; and another cirrum-Unc*. which WMPMM
to Kive tiniiitviiiii.iv IM II,., dvnvatiiiii, •-. thai the l,lKhe.t y.rl
of Yhe i.Ui.dof Knin. n.,»ih.-r -I 'he Hebrides U also
A.J
746
HARRIS.
of not more than a quarter of a mile in breadth.*
The northern district, between Tarbert and Lewis,
is termed the Forest, though without a tree or
shrub. •{• It is also sometimes called JVa Beannibh,
that is 'the Mountains.' Its surface is exceedingly
mountainous, rising in CLISHEIM [which see] to
nearly 3,000 feet above the sea. These mountains
are in general bare and rocky ; but the valleys con-
tairi tolerable pasturage; and some coarse grass is
found growing in the interstices of the mountains.
The largest stream empties itself into Loch-Resort.
Along the eastern and western shores there are a
number of creeks or inlets of the sea — most of them
commodious harbours — at each of which a colony of
tenants contrive, by a wonderful exertion of indus-
trv, to raise crops from a soil of the most forbidding
aspect ; but in the whole of this tract there is not a
piece of good arable land of the extent of 4 acres.
There are several lakes in the valleys, at various
altitudes, but none exceeding 2 miles in length. On
the east coast is the low swampy island of Seal pay ;
and on the west, the high and rocky island of Scarp.
The surface of the ground south of Tarbert is
much of the same appearance as the northern dis-
trict; but the mountains are not so elevated. The
highest are Ronaval, Bencapoal, and Benloskentir,
which have an altitude of nearly 2,000 feet. " The
aspect of this region, as seen from the Minch, is
singularly uninviting, almost the whole surface ap-
pearing to consist of bare white rock. Indeed, a
more perfect picture of sterility can scarcely be ima-
gined. Viewed from the west, however, this dis-
trict has a very different appearance, — the shores
being in general sandy, and the hills for the most
part covered with a green vegetation. Along the
east coast — which is everywhere rocky and low —
there are numerous inlets and creeks, here denomi-
nated bays, that word being supposed to correspond
to the Gaelic baigh, which latter, however, appears
to be nothing else than a corruption of the Danish
voe. Many of these afford good harbours. Many
small islands lie along this coast. The southern
shore partakes in a great measure of the nature of
the eastern, being rocky and low; but toward the
west side it exhibits a few sandy beaches, and ends
in a tremendous precipice, with a high neck of land
running out from it, in which there are two fine
caves. On the west coast there are, besides several
sandy beaches, two great sands — or Jords, as they
are here called — namely, the sand of Northtown and
that of Loskentir. They consist of nearly level
expanses, each extending upwards of a mile from the
sea. At their mouth there is a long bar formed by
the surf and winds, broken only in one place, close
to the adjacent rocky land, where a channel is formed
which admits the waters of the sea at each tide.
These, at spring-tides, cover the whole sands. The
rest of the coast is rocky, but low, excepting toward
Tarbert, where there are tremendous cliffs. This
division is intersected by two great valleys, one pass-
ing from the sand of Loskentir to the east coast, the
other from the farm of Borg. The bottom of a
* This isthmus in many maps is erroneously made the boun.
d»ry between Harris and Lewis.
f " Speaking vaguely,"— says Mr. Macgillivray in an inter.
esting article on " the Present State of the Outer Hebrides,' in
the 2d vol. of the Prize Essays of the Highland society, —
" spe nking vaguely, one might pronounce these islands entirely
destitute of wood. In fact, an incurious person might travel
from one* end of them to the other without seeing a single
shrub But in the ruts of streams, or lucastrine i.slets, occa-
sionally along the shores of lakes, and in the clefts of rocks,
there in;ty be found stunted specimens of several species of
trees. The common bircn, the broad-leaved elm, the moun-
tain-ash the hazel, and the aspen, are those commonly met
with. Willows of a f» w species are abundant along some of
the rills, but seldom attain a height of three feet. Rubns cory.
nioiius, Rosa tomentosa, Lnnicera Peric.lymenum, and lledera
Helix, »re Hie only shrubs worth mentioning."
great portion of the latter is occupied by a lake
about 3 miles long, the largest in the district. There
are thus formed three natural subdivisions; that to
the south of the lake mentioned consists of six moun-
tains, including the peninsular one of Ben Capval,
which are separated by broadish valleys. The vege-
tation here is tolerable, excepting on Ronaval, which
is rocky and bare, and exhibits on its eastern side a
fine excavation, resembling the crater of a volcano.
It is chiefly heathy, however, excepting along th
west side, where the pasturage is rich and varied
The middle division, from Loch-LangavatJ to th
northern valley, is marked by a ridge of very r
mountains, running in the general direction of th
range, and situated nearer the western side. Alori
the west coast of this subdivision, there is
good pasture, but on the eastern side, the only soi
being peat, and even that existing only in pate
among the rocks, the vegetation is extremely coa
and scanty. From one of the summits of the rid
mentioned, I have counted upwards of eighty srnal
lakes on its eastern side. The northern subdivisio
consists of Benloskentir, which gradually lowers
the eastward. The lakes in the low grounds on it
eastern part are also extremely numerous. Th
water of all these lakes is brown. There are
harbours on the west coast of this southern divi
of the mainland of Harris, and it is even very di
cult for boats to land on the beaches, owing to th
high surf. It possesses no sylvan vegetation, ex
cepting a few bushes in ruts and on islets in th
lakes. The principal island is Taransay, on th
west coast, the greater part of which is rocky, al
though it contains good pasture. This division h
no general name applied to it in the country, but it
western part is called the Machar, i. e. ' the Sand
district;' and its eastern, Na Baiyh, 'the Bays,'
more correctly ' the Voes.' " [' Edinburgh New Phi
losophical Journal,' No. VII., pp. 142, 143.]
" The climate of Harris," says the writer of th
article just quoted, " may be said in a general sense
to be extremely varied; for a great part cold an
boisterous, with a very large quantity of rain, an
but little snow, considering its high latitude. Sprii
commences about the 20th of March, when the fi
shoots of grass make their appearance, and the Dra
verna begins to unfold its small white blossoms. I
is not until the end of May that the pasture-ground
have fairly exchanged the grey and sad livery
winter for the green and lively hue of summer,
From the beginning of July to the end of Angus
may be considered as the summer season, when th
sandy pasture-grounds of the west coast and island
are decorated with the most diversified hues. T1
end of October terminates the autumnal season.
The rest is winter. During the whole spring seaso
easterly winds prevail; at first interrupted by blast
from other quarters, accompanied with sleet or rain,
but, as the season advances, becoming more steady,
and accompanied with dry weather, occasioning muc
sand-drift. The first part of summer is someti
fine, but not unfrequently wet, with southerly ai
westerly winds. There is seldom any thunder at this
season; nor does the summer temperature scarcely
ever rise so high as to be oppressive. Frequently
the wet weather continues with intervals till Sep-
tember, from which period to the middle of Octobei
the weather is generally fine. As the winter ad-
vances the westerly gales become more boisterous
arid continued, and, in this season, there is frequently
a good deal of thunder. The lakes seldom freeze in
winter; and, although the hills are often tipped with
snow, it is seldom that a general covering
| There is a lake of the same name iu Lewis.
MAR
'47
IIAR
After continued westerly and northerly gales,
)rmous billows roll in from the Atlantic, dashing
?n the rocky shores with astonishing violence; I
re seen the spray driven over rocks a hundred feet
height, to a great distance inland." Onthemain-
of Harris there are many monuments of Druid-
i, and several religious edifices erected about the
ic of the introduction of Christianity. The
irches, together with the smaller chapels, all
in to have depended immediately on the monas-
y at. Rowadill, dedicated to St. Clement; which,
though its foundation be attributed to David I., is
^fin-rally supposed to be of more ancient date. The
U-rent branches of the family of Macleod of Mac-
tl, and of Harris, are proprietors of the island,
mountains contain no minerals of great value,
pt some iron and copper-ore; granite and free-
ic abound in every part, potstone, serpentine,
asbestos occur here and there; but the predo-
iting rock is gneiss, which has undergone little
miposition. " In general," says the writer al-
ly quoted, "the natives are of small stature;
se individuals who are considered by them as
jedirig the ordinary size, and accordingly desig-
;d by the epithet Mor, or ' Big,' seldom exceed-
5 feet 10 inches in height. Scarcely any attain
height of 6 feet; and many of the males are not
'ier than 5 feet 3 or 4 inches. They are in gen-
robust, seldom, however, in any degree corpu-
, and as seldom exhibiting the attenuated and
iless frame so common in large, and especially in
lufacturing towns. The women are proportion-
shorter, and more robust, than the men. There
jthing very peculiar in the Harrisian physiog-
ly; the cheek-bones are rather prominent, and
nose is invariably short; the space between it
the chin being disproportionately long. The
iplexion is of all tints. Many individuals are as
rk as mulattoes, while others are nearly as fair as
les. In so far as I have been able to observe,
dark race is superior to the fair in stature and
;ngth. It is scarcely possible to conceive a con-
ition more callous to all sorts of vicissitudes and
Iships, than that of the Hebridians in general,
native of Harris thinks nothing of labouring in a
1 1 and boisterous spring-day with his spade, up to
ankles in water, and drenched with rain and
Nor is there to be found a race more patient
privation. A small quantity of coarse oat-
d and cold water will suffice to support him under
igues that would knock up a pampered English-
man or Lowlander. In respect to intellect, they
are acute, accurate observers of natural phenomena,
quick of apprehension, and fluent in speech. In
their moral character, they are at least much supe-
r.or to the population of most of the lowland par-
ishes." Martin, in his account of the Western isles,
says, he knew severals in Harris of 90 years of age.
The Lady Macleod, he adds, who passed the most of
her time here, lived to 103, had then a comely head
of hair and good teeth, and enjoyed a perfect under-
standing till the week she died. Her son Sir Nor-
man Macleod died at 96; and his grandson Donald
Madeod, Esq., of Bernera, died at 91. Four per-
sons, calling themselves upwards of 90, died during
the incumbency of the late minister; and an old
gentlewoman born and brought up in this parish,
*HJd by her relations to be 102, was alive in the isle
<»t Skye, at the time when the Old Statistical Ac-
count was dra\vn up. Population of Harris and its
islands, in 1801, 2,996; in 1821, 3,909; in 1MI,
«U'<K). The population has been kept down by emi-
gration to Cape-Breton and Canada; but it is thought
ft at least 2,000 of the present population would
nire to be withdrawn in order to enable the re-
1 mainder to earn a moderate subsidence. There
; were in the whole island, in 1840, about 440 tannin-*
of crofters, holding small farms directly from Li.nl
iMinmore, of whom not above 60 COtlM be i
as in comfortable circumMaiircs; \\lnlt- 400 families
I held no land directly from the proprietor, and vu-n?
in a state of still greater destitution. [See ' Hrpt.it
of Select Committee on Emigration,' 1841.] li
in 1831, 759. Value of assessed property, in 1815.
* 7,658.
The parish of Harris, from the northern to thu
southern extremity, along the common track of tra-
velling by land, and the course of navigation through
the Sound, is at least 48 miles long. Its brem.tli
varies much: near the northern extremity it
miles; from thence to the Sound, it may be at uu
average from 6 to 7 ; and, of the Sound, navigators
usually calculate the breadth as well as length .it
three leagues. Its total extent is about 90,000
acres. It is in the presbytery of Uist, and synod of
Glenelg. Patron, the Earl of Dunmore. Stipend
£158 6s. 7d.; glebe £12. Bernera has been de-
tached from this parish quoad sucra : see BERNERA.
The parish-church was built about 1770; sitting
200. The minister officiates every 3d Sunday at
Rodil, and there is a mission-station at Tarbert. A
catechist visits the whole parish once in the rouiM-
of the year. He has an annual salary of £12 paid
out of a fund left by Macleod of Bernera. The
parish-schoolmaster has a salary of £23 5s. 8d. ; and
there are three itinerating schools supported by tl.e
Gaelic school society; each teacher receiving £25 oi
salary.
HARRIS (SOUND OF), a navigable channel be-
tween the islands of Harris and North Uist; 9 miles
in length, and from 8 to 12 in breadth, it is the
only passage for vessels of burden passing from the
east to the west side of that long cluster of IJ.IHI.I.S
called the LONG ISLAND: which see. It is much
incumbered with rocks, shoals, and islets; but, \\ith
a skilful pilot, can be passed in safety. A few of
them may measure a mile in length, and about 1-ali-
a-mile in breadth. They are covered with heath
and moss, and afford pretty good summer-pasturage.
The people of the larger islanu* repair to them with
their families and cattle, in the season of kelp-manu-
facturing, and here they get peats for fuel, there
being no moss in any of the inhabited islands of this
district, excepting Calligray. The names of the
largest isles are Hermitray, 11 til mi tray, Saartay, \ o-
tersay, Neartay, Opsay, Vaaksuy, Hatty, Suursay,
Torogay, Scarvay, Lingay, Ciroay, Gih&ay, Saguy,
Stromay, Skeilay, and Copay. There are, beside*
these, a vast number of islets, holms, and high rocks,
for each of which the people have names.' A re-
markable variation of the current happens in this
sound, from the autumnal to the vernal equinox;
the current in neap-tides passes all day from east to
west, and all night in a contrary direction. Alter
the vernal equinox, it changes this course, tfoing all
day from west to east, and the contrary at night.
At spring-tides the current corresponds nearly to
the common com
HARTFELL, or HARTFIELD, a mountain on the
boundary between the parishes ol T \\eeiiMiiuir and
Moffat, in the countio ropermt 1\ »>t Peebles and
Dumfries, rising 3,300 feet above "the level of the
sea, and believed to be the highest mountain in the
south of Scotland. f Nearly the whole \\ay up the
• It i» remarkable, that no tlie nan e< of the larger i-l.- IT-
Iliifiiitr III '"/. »>> tin- liaii.r- nl then* \Hft Kent-rail) trllinii.it. in
em, f. A'. Tiiem, tuiMdem, I iMlil^n
f Few thiiiK* Hr«* mine liiiiiHliziiiK t«> H writer on to|>..Krj.jiliy
tliini the viirmiH Mateinenti lie meet-"— Hll on Hiith«i.iy — re.
Hpectiiifc the height of mountains Mm- ll.tiil.-ll i» nUted by
dittertnt autlxiitifi to be *,bOU, 3,300, 3,'JUJ, Hud t\«u kcanjr
HAR
748
HAS
gentle acclivity of its sides, it may be ascended on
horseback ; and by a broad flat summit, carpeted
with verdure, spread out like a field among the
clouds, and commanding a vast, a magnificent, and a
varied landscape, it invites the approach of the
tourist to the survey of the far-spreading prospect
which it commands. To the north, over a wide
and billowy sea of mountains, the spectator sees, in
certain states of the atmosphere, the snowy cap, or
the cloud- wreathed brow of Benlomond ; to the east,
he looks athwart the green hills of Tweeddale and
the forest, generally shaded beneath a gorgeous aerial
sea of clouds, till his eye rests on the far-away
Cheviots ; to the west, he looks along the rugged and
wild scenery of the Lowthers, till he descries the
towering summit of Blacklarg; and to the south,
he surveys the magnificent uplands of Dumfries-
shire, and finds no limit to his view till it is pent
up by the Cumberland mountains, presided over by
the lofty Skiddaw. But Hartfell, though strictly
the single summit we have described, is often un-
derstood to mean the whole group of Alpine ele-
vations at the centre of the great mountain-range
which runs from Northumberland to Lochryan, —
Whitecomb, Broadlaw, Ettrick-Pen, Queensberry,
Saddleback, and Lochraig, all worthy, in their grena-
dier proportions, and picturesqueness of dress, to be
attendants on the monarch-mountain, and form-
ing, as a group, the points of radiation for most of
the spurs or ranges of the southern Highlands.
Hartfell, again, is frequently noticed in connexion
chiefly with its celebrated spa. This is one of two
chalybeate springs in the parish of Moffat, which
more than any kindred fountains in Scotland pos-
sess, and hitherto have maintained the character of
presenting, in their waters, a slow but safe and cer-
tain remedy for diseases which a chalybeate has power
to remove. The Hartfell spa issues from a rock
of alum slate in a tremendous ravine on the side
of Hartfell-mountain, nearly 4 miles distant from the
village of Moffat. Mr. Jamieson observed, in the
ravine, frequent efflorescences of yellowish grey-
coloured natural alum ; and Dr. Garnet found in it
crystals of natural iron- vitriol. In the alum-slate,
from among which the spa has its efflux, Mr. Jamie-
son observed also massive and disseminated iron-
pyrites. A wine gallon of the water, as analyzed
by Dr. Garnet, contains 84 grains of iron-vitriol, or
sulphate of iron, 12 grains of sulphate of alumina,
15 grains of oxide of iron, and 5 cubic inches of
azotic acid gas. The sulphuric acid maintained in
combination, seems to be supersaturated with the
oxide of iron, and deposits it either gradually by
exposure to the air, or immediately by ebullition.
Owing to the atmospheric water, during heavy rains,
passing through channels in the alum-rock more
richly impregnated with the minerals of the spring
than those which it traverses during a long-con-
tinued drought, the water of the spa, after a copious
and protracted fall of rain, is always increased in
quality arid strength. The principal mineralizers
being the sulphates of iron and alumina, the water,
if well corked, will keep unimpaired for months, and
perhaps for years, and does not need to be drunk
by invalids in the wild scene of its origin, but may
always be procured in a fresh state in the village of
Moffat. Dr. Johnston, speaking of its properties,
apart from its acknowledged power as a tonic, and
4,000 feet high ; and till lately was universally admitted to be
the loftiest elevation in the Southern Highlands. But, accord,
ing to a recent calculation, Harifell, with a niceuess of figuring
which assumes the appearance of accuracy, is determined to
have a height of only jj,635 feet ; while Broadlaw, incomparably
less celebrated, and lifting its head on the boundary between
Lyne and Tweedsmuir parishes, amid the heights in the interior
of Peebles-shire, is, with an assigned elevation ot 2,741 feet,
proclaimed the monarch of the southern alpa.
consequent usefulness in all cases of debility, sayi
" I have known many instances of its particular goc
effects in coughs proceeding from phlegm, spitting <
blood, and sweatings ; in stomach-complaints, at
tended with headaches, giddiness, heartburn, vomit
ing, indigestion, flatulency, and habitual costiveness;
in gouty complaints affecting the stomach and bowels;
and in diseases peculiar to the fair sex. It has lil
wise been used with great advantages in tetteroi
complaints, and old obstinate ulcers." The spa \vi
discovered about a century ago, by John Williamsoi
In 1769, Sir George Maxwell erected over his grave
in the churchyard of Moffat, a monument to trans
mit to future times his name, and the date of his
discovery.
HASCUSAY, one of the smaller Shetland isl
between Yell and Fetlar.
HASSENDEAN, or HAZELDEAN, a suppres
parish on the left bank of the Teviot, opposite Caver
Roxburghshire.* The surface is so gently and thril
lingly beautiful, as to have made the bosoms of tune
ful poets throb, and drawn from them some of theii
sweetest numbers. What par excellence constitut
Hassendean, and gave name to the ancient churc
and the whole parish, is a winding dell, not mucl
different in its curvatures from the letter S, narrox
and varied in its bottom, gurgling and mirthful in tl
streamlet which threads it, rapid and high in it
sides which are alternately smooth, undulating,
broken, — richly and variedly sylvan in hollow, accli-
vity, and summit, — and coiled so snugly amid alitt
expanse of forest, overlooked by neighbouring pic
turesque heights, that a stranger stands upon it
brow, and is transfixed with the sudden revelatu
of its beauties, before he has a suspicion of its exis
ence. Near its mouth some neat cottages peep out
from among its thick foliage, on the margin of it
stream ; on the summit of its right bank are tl
umbrageous grounds which were famed, for upwards
of a century, as the nursery-gardens of Mr. Dick-
son, the parent-nurseries of those which beautify th<
vicinity of Hawick, Dumfries, and Perth, and eithei
directly or remotely the feeders of nearly one-half
of the existing plantations of Scotland. The dell,
at its mouth, comes exultingly out on one of the
finest landscapes of the Teviot. The river, on re-
ceiving its rill, is just half-way on a semicircul
sweep of about | of a mile in length ; on the side
next the dell, it has a steep and wooded bank ; ai
on the side which the dell confronts, a richly luxi
riant haugh occupies the foreground, the rolling am
many-shaped rising grounds of Cavers, profuselj
adorned with trees, occupy the centre, and the nakt
frowning form of Rubber's law cuts a rugged sky-lii
in the perspective — The monks of Melrose, to wh(
the ancient church belonged, formed a cell at
sendean, which was to be a dependency on theii
monastery. From the date of this establishment, tht
old tower of Hassendean was called the Monk's
Tower ; and a farm in the vicinity continues to
lied Monk's Croft. After the Reformation, the
church, with its pertinents, was granted to Walter,
Earl of Buccleuch. Various attempts to suppress
the parish seem to have been rendered abortive by
the resistance of the parishioners. But in 1690,
amid scenes of violence which rarely attended acts of
suppression, and which evinced surpassing indigna-
tion on the part of the people, the church was un-
roofed, and otherwise so dilapidated as to be ren-
dered useless. The workman who first set foot on
* In ancient charters, the name was spelt Halstaneadene,
Halstendeii, Halstansdeue, and Hastendene. The modern
lame Hassendenn i,s simply a softened form of the old one, ui.d
has been transmuted into Ha/.eldeau in bong merely by the
•aprici- of poets. Yet Sir Walter Scott gives his dictum tnac
Hazeldeau is the aucit'iit name.
II A V
749
HAW
to commence the demolition, is said to have
struck and killed with a stone ; and so general
furious a turn-out was there of females to assist
the fray of resistance that an old song, still well-
>wn in the district, says —
1 They are a' away to HassendeRn burn,
And If ft both wheel and cards,'1 &c.
lile the parties who had pulled down the church
carrying off whatever parts of it might be ser-
;able at Roberton, the people of Hassendean pur-
' them, engaged them in a sharp conflict at
ishole, halfway to Hawick, wrenched from them
church-bell, and flung it into a very deep pool of
Teviot at the place, and gave them so rough a
idling that the sheriff of the county, an ancestor
Douglas of Cavers, was obliged to interfere. An
' woman, it is said, uttered in true weird-style, a
mnciation upon Douglas for abetting the destruc-
of the church, and foretold — what seems as
le likely to happen in the line of his posterity
in that of any other great family — the extinction
his race by a failure of male heirs. The par-
s, though bereft of their church, continued
use the cemetery of their fathers, till some of it
swept away, and many of its remaining graves
open, in 1796, by a flood of the Teviot. The
of the old church is supposed to be now identi-
with a sand-bank on the opposite side of the
iot to that on which the edifice stood — the river
ring swept away the whole of a low projecting
it of land which it and its cemetery occupied,
parish was distributed to Minto, Roberton, and
"ilton, — the major part of the territory being given
Minto, and all the vicarage or remaining teinds to
sberton, — Walter, the son of Alan, received the
is of Hassendean from David I. David Scott,
lived in the middle of the 15th century, and was
eldest son of Sir William Scott of Kirkurd who
langed Murdiston for Branxholm, was the first of
Scotts of Hassendean. Satchell alludes to him
the lines, —
•' Hassendean came without a call,
The anrieiitest house of them all."
Sir Alexander Scott of Hassendean fell, in 1513, at
the battle of Flodden. The lands of the original
barony of Hassendean are now distributed into the
estates of Hasseridean-bank, Hassendean-burn, and
Teviot-bank, and some lands belonging to the Duke
of Buccleuch.
HAVEN (EAST and WEST), two fishing- villages,
about a mile distant from each other, on the coast of
the German ocean, in the parish of Panbride, Forfar-
shire. From the end of January till the beginning
of June, lobsters are caught in large quantities, and
sent up alive, in appropriately fitted up vessels, to
the London market. In winter, cod is taken in
abundance, and salted for exportation. But had-
docks constitute the chief produce, and are regularly
sent to Dundee, Forfar, and other markets in the
vicinity. Population of East Haven, about 120; of
West Haven, upwards of 300.
HAVER A, a small island in Shetland, near the
southern extremity of the mainland, in the parish of
Bressay, Burra, and Quarff.
HAVERAY, a small island near Lewis.
HAVERSAY, a small island on the south-west
coast of the isle of Skye. See LOCH-BRACADALE.
HAWICK, a parish in the south-west of Rox-
burghshire ; 15^ miles in extreme length, by 3$ in
extreme breadth. It comes down north-eastward
from the upland extremity of the county, in a stripe
which for 9 miles does not average quite If mile in
breadth ; it then first contracts to nearly half-a-mile,
and next suddenly expands to 8 miles; and it after-
wards slowly and gradually contracts till it termi-
nates, at its north-east extremity, in a regular and very
acute angle. The parish is bounded, along its north-
west side, by Roberton and Wilton ; along its south-
east side, by Lower Cavers, Kirkton, and Upper Ca-
vers ; and along its brief south-west base, by Dum-
fries-shire. Its superficial area is computed at about
24 square miles, or 15,360 imperial acres. The
" sweet and silver Teviot" rises in two head-streams
at the boundary with Dumfries-shire, — traces for 9
miles the boundary with Upper Cavers, till it makes
a confluence with the Allan, — runs along 2$ miles
farther to a point where itreceivesBorthwick water,
and, being now on the north-west side of the parish,
traces, thenceforth till the point of its exit, the
boundary with Wilton. Allan water comes down
from the south-east upon the extremity of the par-
ish's sudden expansion a little below its middle,
and till its confluence with the Teviot traces along
the south side of that expansion the boundary with
Cavers. The Borthwick comes in from the west,
and, for about 1£ mile before falling into the Teviot,
traces the boundary with Wilton. The Slittrig comet
in from the south, traces for 1{ mile the boundary
with Lower Cavers, and then runs sinuously across
the parish over a distance of U mile, and falls into
the Teviot at the town of Hawick. Down the whole
length of the parish, along the course of the Teviot,
bending sinuously with the stream, stretches a valley
pressed, for the most part into narrow limits, by
flanking ranges of hills, — looking up, at intervals,
through clefts or converging vales which bringdown
to the Teviot their tributary rills or rivulets, beau-
tified in every part, and greatly enriched as to both
soil and vegetation in some, by the sparkling pro-
gress of the traversing river, and set in an upland
frame-work remarkable for the graceful forms and
the gay verdant clothing of its summits. For se-
veral miles down from its southern extremity, the
parish is wildly but beautifully pastoral, untouched
by the hand of culture, and seldom trodden by other
human feet than those of the shepherd, but present-
ing a thousand charms to a tourist who loves to
gaze on the virgin purity and the unadorned simplicity
of mountain but verdant landscape. In its central
and lower parts, the valley becomes loamy and
luxuriant, frilled or dotted with plantation, carpeted
with waving crops of grain, or mirthful and pic-
turesque with the rival and emulous enterprises of
agriculture and manufacture; and at several stages
of its long and narrow progress, it embosoms or
spreads out to the view objects and scenes which
have been celebrated in story and awarded with
sweet outpourings of song. Another vale — of brief
length compared with the former— follows the course
of the Slittrig, paving the bed of that stream with
rough stones and declivitous shelves, preuuM in upon
it at times with high and almost perpendicular banks
of bare rock, garlanded or capped with young wood,
and presenting altogether an aspect ot mingle.:
nes?, seclusion, beauty, and romance. While pass-
ing along the valleys southward or eastward, respec-
tively toward Dumfries-shire or toward Liddesdale,
a tourist, though never indulged with more than a
limited view, is delighted and surprised at very l.riet
intervals by the constantly changing beauties and
Wietiet Of the landscape, and all around, is env noned
with chains and congeries of hills, delightful!]
gated in form and dress, presenting an endless gra-
dation of aspect from gloom to joyousness as tht
many-tinted clouds flit across the sky, and pervaded
by such a stilly silence as softly distill upon the
mind mingled emotions of gladness and awe. —The
soil, in the haughs, is a mixture of loam, gravel, and
750
HAWICK.
eand ; on rising grounds, between the valleys and
the hills, is loam, with occasionally a mixture of
gravel ; and on the hills is, in some places, light and
dry, — in some soft and spongy, — and in others wet
and stiff. Moss and heath occur only in small
patches. The valleys and their adjacent rising
grounds, though not thickly carpeted with soil, are
far from being unfertile, and the hills are every-
where an excellent sheep-walk. Rather more than
one-fourth of the whole area of the parish is in til-
lage; about 160 acres are under wood; and all the
rest, with due deductions for roads, and the sites of
the town and scattered buildings, is in pasture. —
One mile-and-a-half above Hawick, on the right
bank of the Teviot, stands the ancient tower of
Goldielands, one of the most entire on the border,
whose last laird, a Scott, is said to have been hanged
over its gate for the treasons and the maraudings of
a riever's career. The tower is square, and of mas-
sive and venerable aspect, and, foiled by the back-
ground of its site on the brow of an eminence, it
forms a feature in the landscape as picturesque as
it is conspicuous One-and-a-half-mile farther up,
on the opposite bank of the river, is Branxholm-
house, wearing, at present, the appearance of a mo-
dern mansion, but preserving the remains of the an-
cient castle so celebrated as the principal scene of
4 The Lay of the Last Minstrel.' In the reign of
James I., the castle became the property of Sir Wil-
liam Scott; and, during the 15th and the 16th
centuries, it was the residence of the family of
Buccleuch, and the scene of great baronial splen-
dour and festivity. But owing to the feudal power
of its barons, and the dangerous vicinity of the
foemen of the English border, it was often the ob-
ject of impetuous attack, and bold but sanguinary
defence. In 1532, it was fired by the Earl of North-
umberland ; and, in 1570, it was blown up with gun-
powder during the inroad of the Earl of Surrey.
Almost immediately after its destruction, however,
it was rebuilt, — the re-edification having been begun
in 1571 by Sir Walter Scott, and completed in
1574 by his widow. A venerable and magnificent
ash-tree rises on the lawn, with a girth of 13 feet
at 4£ feet from the ground, and lifts its stem 16
feet aloft before shooting out into branches. [See
BRANXHOLM.] — Population, in 1801, 2,798; in
1831, 4,970; in 1841, 6,573,— an increase attribu-
table to the extension of the woollen manufactures.
Assessed property, in 1815, £8,327 ; in 1842-3
£12,922.
The Edinburgh and Carlisle mail-road crosses the Teviot
and enters the parish at the town of Hawick ; it then runs 2
miles along the right bank of the river, and crosses to the left •
it now runs 4 miles along the left bank ; and there, recrossing
to the opposite side, it leaves the parish,— though, for 2| miles
farther, it keeps close to the Teviot, and as strictly commands
its scenery, and offers its inhabitants facility of communica-
tion, as before leaving it. The road into England through
Liddesdale diverges from the former at Hawick, and runs
along the valley of the .Slittrig, a third of the way to the ri"ht
bank of the stream, and two-thirds on the left till it leaves the
parish. A post-road from Hawick to Kelso and Berwick fol-
lows the course of the Teviot ; and, even after leaving the
ish, keeps constantly in its company till the confluence o
river with the Tweed. In the lower part of the parish are two
other roads, one leading due south, the other due east and
both diverging from the town of Hawick. The Edinburgh
and Hawick railway, 4!)^ miles in length— for which an act has
been obtained— will branch off from the southern terminus of
Ph railway, and passing by Alidd
Selkirk, and crossing the Tweed
the Dalkeith and Edinbu
ton-moor, Galashiels, anu oeiKirn, ana crossing the Tweed
about a mile below Melrose-bridge, near Abbotsford, will ter-
minate at Hawick. It is at present intended to be only a
single line, and the expense is estimated at £400,000. An* in-
land railway was some time ago projected from Hexham
on the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, to Edinburgh crossl
ing the Teviot about 4 miles to the eastward of the town of
Hawick ; but this design seems to have been abandoned.
Hawick is in the presbytery of Jedburgh, and
synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Patron, the Duke
of Buccleuch. SHpend £278 Is. 4d. ; glebe £62
Unappropriated teinds £936 6s. 5d. The parisli
church was built in 1764. Sittings 704. An add
tional church, connected with the Establishment, ha
been completed. Sittings 1,500. A district of th
parish, with a population of 216, is attached to th
preaching station at Caerlanrig, in the parish of Ca
vers: See CAVERS There are in the parish, bu
all situated in the town, 5 dissenting places of wor
ship. The First United Secession congregation wa
established in 1763. The original church was buil
in 1766; and the present one in 1823, at a cost o
upwards of £900. Sittings 639. Stipend £108
with a manse. — The Second United Secession con
gregation was established between the years 177;
and 1780. The place of worship was built in thi
latter of these years. Sittings 752. Stipend £185
but, while the charge is collegiate, the senio
minister has £85, and a manse, garden, and glebe
valued at £25, and the junior minister has £100
and a manse — The Relief congregation was estab.
lished in 1810. The place of worship was built ii
1811, and cost between £800 arid £900. Sittings
750. Stipend £85 The Independent congregatioi
was established in 1832. Their place of meeting i
a room built in 1836, and rented at about £5 10s
Sittings 300. No stipend. — The society of Friends
was established about the year 1800. The place oi
worship was built in 1822, at a cost of from £500 to
£510. The average attendance is only from 9 to
12. No stipend.— According to a survey made by
the parish minister in February 1836, the popula-
tion then was 5,363. Of these 3,962 were church-
men, and 1,464 were dissenters — The parochial
school is conducted by two teachers. Salary £33,
with school-fees, and £19 other emoluments. There
are 12 non-parochial schools, conducted by 7 male
and 5 female teachers, and attended, on the average,
by ?42 boys and 310 girls. — The parish is probably
as ancient as the date of the Saxon settlement, The
church was, in 1214, dedicated to St. Mary, and,
previous to the Reformation, was a rectory. The
edifice, long after the Scottish canons had prohi-
bited such an abuse, was employed not only as
place of worship, but as a court-house ; and it was
occupied for the discharge of county-business by the
sheriff, during the period of the English having pos-
session of the castle and town of Roxburgh. In
1348, while William Ramsay, one of the most gal
lant men of the age, was here seated on the bench,
he was seized by William Douglass, the knight of
Liddesdale, to be carried off to Hermitage castle,
and there starved to death in solitary confinement.
HAWICK, the capital of the parish just described,
and a burgh-of-regality, is situated at the confluence
of the Teviot and the Slittrig, 10 miles from Jed-
burgh, 20 from Kelso, 45 from Carlisle, 11 from
Selkirk : and 50 from Edinburgh, The Teviot ap-
proaches the town in a north-easterly direction,
makes a beautiful though small bend opposite the
upper part of it, and then resumes and pursues its
north-easterly course. Just after it has completed
the bend, the Slittrig comes down upon it from the
south at an angle of about 50 degrees ; but, opposite
the bend of the Teviot, is not far from being on a
parallel line.* The town adapts its topographical
arrangement almost entirely, and even very closely,
to the course of the streams and to the angle of their
confluence ; and maintains a delightfully picturesque
seat upon both, amidst a somewhat limitt-d but mag-
nificent hill-locked landscape. The Slittrig ap-
• Either the curving reach of the Tvviot, or the crook made
by the confluence with it of the Slittrig, seems, in combination
with an adjacent house or hamlet, to have suggested the name
Hawick,— fui, or hnw, a mansion or village, and wic or trick,
the bend of a btream, or the crook, or confluence of the rivers.
vere.
HAVVICK.
751
ies the Teviot with a narrow plain, immediately
rked by hills on the further bank, and with an
ipt and considerable acclivity falling off in a fine
on the hither bank ; and the Teviot, coming1
m in a narrow and sylvan vale, begins, when it
?ht>9 the town, to fold out its banks into a limited
igh, framed on the exterior with sloping ascents,
1 somewhat acclivitous but beautifully rounded
verdant hills. The town occupies all the nar-
vale on the right bank of the Slittrig, and all
summit, as well as the slope, toward the Teviot
the high ground on its left bank ; and, aided by
• " common haugh," or public burgh-ground, and
its suburb of Wilton, it also stretches over all
little haugh of the Teviot, and mounts the softer
ig eminences on the back ground ; and both up
down the latter stream — which is here limpid
garrulous, and bright with the features of a
r wearing in picturesque admixture a highland
a lowland dress — the town sends off environs of
ordinary attraction, — here extensive nursery-
jods, there tufts of grove and lines of plantation
ting their shade upon luxuriant fields, and yonder
lory busy in industrious pursuits, yet seques-
and tranquil in appearance, and combining — as
rural aspect and the pure air and the bright sky
'cate the town itself to do — the athletic and pro-
tive toils of factorial industry, with the healthful
jits and the peacefulness of almost a pastoral life,
from almost any point of view, but especially
the Edinburgh road, where it comes over the
of the hills beyond the Teviot, Hawick and
environs spread out a picture of loveliness to the
which the mere imagination would have in vain
to associate with the seat of a great staple ma-
facture, or with any other town than one whose
had been selected by taste, and whose arrange-
•nts had been made with a view to poetical effect.
ntering the town on the Kelso road from the
th-east, a stranger finds himself in the principal
;t. A short way on, a new and neatly built
short street comes in at an acute angle on
right hand, bringing down the Edinburgh and
rlisle mail-road. The main street now runs along
llel to the Teviot, with no other winging on that
than back-tenements and brief alleys, and send-
ing off on the other side two streets, called Melgund
Place and Wellgate, till it passes on the same side,
first, the town-hall, and a little way farther on, the
Tower-inn, and is terminated by two houses which
disperse it into divergent thoroughfares. A street, at
this point, breaks away on the east, up the right
bank of the Slittrig, disclosing, in a snug and almost
ronmntic position, a curved and beautifully edificed
terrace called the Crescent. An ancient bridge, car-
ried off, at the commencement of this street, leads
across the Slittrig, to an eminence surmounted by
the parish-church. Another bridge, spacious and
of modern structure, spans the Slittrig nearer the Te-
viot, and carries across the continuation of the Edin-
burgh and Carlisle mail-road. From its farther end,
one street, called the Sandbed, runs westward to
communicate by a bridge across the Teviot with the
suburb of Wilton ; another street, called the How-
gate, diverges in the opposite direction, and after
•Mending the rising ground splits into three sections,
called the Back, the Middle, and the Fore Row,
which again unite and form what is called the Loan ;
and the. main thoroughfare, continuing the mail-road,
runs right forward, lined with new and elegant
houses, and adorned at its extremity with the beau-
tiful new church, afterwards to be noticed. The
general appearance of the town has of late years
been greatly improved. Besides the erection of en-
tirely new streets, uniformly edificed, or pleasingly
diversified with a rivalry of taste in the structure of
the houses, many old tenements with their thatched
roofs or thick walls, and clumsy donjon-lookii
terior, have been substituted by airy and neat build-
ings accordant in their aspect with modern t«-
the unrenovated parts it still presents a rough and
clownish exterior ; but as a whole it cannot oJFei.il
even a fastidious eve. All its edifices are constructed
with a hard bluish coloured stone, which does not
admit of polish or minute adorning, but pleases by
its suggestions of chasteness and its indications of
durability and strength. But though lighted up at
night with gas, and always clean and airy, and in
other respects tasteful, the town utterly disappoints
a stranger by its poverty or utter destitution in suit-
able public buildings. Excepting the handsome
bridge which carries the Edinburgh road across the
Teviot, and the elegant new parish-church in the
course of erection at the expense of the Duke of
Buccleugh, it contains not one public edifice on
which the eye can rest with satisfaction. The
town-hall is plain even to meanness, and does not
make so much as the poor amends of being commodi-
ous in the exterior; and it embowels somewhere in
its gaunt and squalid proportions, a jail so small, so
fulsome, and so ill-secured, that criminals, for sake
both of safe durance, and of decent regard to their
health, have to be sent off to the care of the turn-
keys at Jedburgh. The steeple of the town, rising
from the town-hall, while it seems the most conspi-
cuous object in the burghal landscape as seen from a
little distance, is so plain and dingy as to be scarcely
ornamental. All the places of worship, too, with the
exception already-mentioned, are, in the aggregate,
plainer than the average of any equal number in
the secluded villages or sequestered valleys of the
country. The principal or Tower inn, however,
strongly arrests attention, if not for architectural
elegance, at least for its spaciousness, its imposing
appearance, and especially its connexion with anti-
quity. Part of it was an ancient fortress of a supe-
rior order, surrounded with a deep moat drawn from
the Slittrig, and originally the residence of the barons
of Drumlanrig, the superiors of the town. At a later
period, it was the scene of the princely festivii
Anne, Duchess of Buccleuch and Monmouth. Thi»
building connects modern and ancient Hawick, hav-
ing been the only edifice which escaped several
fearful devastations to which the town was sub-
jected. Another very curious structure, is one of
two bridges across the Slittrig, — that which leads
up to the parish-church. Though of unascertained
date, it bears marks of a very high antiquity, and
certainly was constructed without the remotest ad-
vertency to the existence of wheeled can
Though strong and of solid masonry, and abun-
dantly capable of bearing considerable pressure, it
is so very narrow as to be available only tor toot
passengers. A series of narrow abutments, on the
sides of the main arch, rise from the water-coin -«,
and run along till they meet in the centre, and
form a semicircle; and they thu.s present a rude ap-
proximation to the architectural adornings on the
porticoes of many ancient cathedrals. At the upper
end of the town, and overlooking the main street,
is an artificial earthy mound, of a circular form,
called the moat, 312 feet in circumference at tin-
base, rising on an inclined plain to the height of .'JO
feet, and terminating in a nearly rial summit 117
feet in circumference. This vast tumulus i» ^up-
posed to have been used in remote times, both a*
the seat of the administration of justice, and as the
place of assembly and of deliberation on public
affairs, of the chiefs of the district.
Hawick has considerable manufactures in the tan-
752
HAWICK.
ning of leather and dressing of skins, and in the
ing of thongs, gloves, candles, arid machinery.
the mak-
The
winnovving-machine, or corn-fanner, according to the
statement of the writer in the Old Statistical Ac-
count, first made its appearance in Havvick. " An-
drew Rodger," he says, " a fanner on the estate of
Cavers, having a mechanical turn, retired from his
farm and gave his genius its bent; and probably from
a description of a machine of that kind, used in Hol-
land in the year 1737, constructed the first machine
fan employed in this kingdom." This ingenious
person, it seems, pushed a considerable trade in the
article of his manufacture, and bequeathed it to his
descendants ; and when the reporter wrote, they made
and disposed of about 60 in the year, and found a mar-
ket for many of them in England. An inkle manu-
facture was commenced in 1783, and, after 10 or 11
years, employed about 65 persons, and consumed
annually 10 tons of linen-yarn in fabricating common
linen-tapes and twists. But the town has immersed
most of its temporal well-being, and expended nearly
all its genius a«d enterprise, in the various depart-
ments of woollen manufacture, and is famous over
Britain as the seat of various species of staple woollen
produce. Though labouring, like Galashiels, under
the serious disadvantages of great distance from coals
and extensive inland carriage, and though apparently
possessing only such average intrinsic facilities as are
enjoyed by one-half of the towns and villages of
Scotland, it has been lifted up, by the sheer force
of energetic and skilful artisanship, to a high status
among places of manufacturing importance. But in
estimating its productiveness we must pass parochial
limitations, and go across the Teviot so as to include
the suburb of Wilton. Though the great majority of
both proprietors and operatives reside in Ha wick, yet
the factories and their dependencies are, to so con-
siderable an extent, distributed on the Wilton side of
the river, that the town must be viewed just as it
presents itself to the eye of the traveller, and not as
parcelled off into two detachments and marched away
to widely distant places in the alphabet by parochial
assignment of territory. The earliest woollen manu-
facture seems to have been that of carpets, established
in the year 1752. This was followed, in 1780, on the
part of the same proprietors, with the manufacture
of serges for carpet covers, plain cloths for table-
covers, rugs, and collar- checks, and other articles
used by saddlers. In the same year, but by a differ-
ent party, Mr. John Nixon, was established the manu-
facture of stockings. During 4 years Mr. Nixon was
employed chiefly in making hose for persons who
furnished their own materials; but after 1785 he
turned his attention to various departments of hosiery,
and laid the foundation of the fame which Hawick
rapidly obtained for lamb's- wool hose. In September,
1787, was commenced the manufacture of cloth;
and during the first year it consumed only 10 packs
of wool. After the introduction of machinery, about
the commencement of the century, the various manu-
factures moved rapidly onward to importance; and
from that period to the present day they have, as a
whole, steadily and bulkily increased. During the
last 8 or 10 years, in particular, several new factories,
on a large scale, have been erected, and large ad-
ditions made to almost all the previously existing
mills. In 1839 there were 11 extensive factories, 10
of which were driven by water-power, and 1 by
steam ; and there were also several extensive build-
ings fitted up with stocking-frames. The fabrics at
present made, are hosiery, druggets, checked wool-
len for trowsers, checked woollen for shepherds'
plaids, checked woollen for women's shawls with
fringe, coarse and large pattern, a fine tartan, coarse
Scotch blankets, and a coarse white plaidirig for
trowsers. All these fabrics, except the first, are
estimated as to fineness of the reed by porters of 4
to the split except when stated otherwise ; so that
a 16 porter is equivalent to a 32 porter at Kilmar-
nock, or to a 64 reed in the cottons. So hard-
driven is the trade that some of the factories work
during a great portion of the night; and wagt
average as high as in any part of Scotland, except
Galashiels.* A table constructed by the writer nt
the New Statistical Account from returns made
him by some of the leading manufacturers, exhibit
very tangibly the state of trade in 1838. Accordin^
to that table the value of property employed in
manufacture was £101,861 ; the annual amount
wages, £48,726; the quantity of yarn manufactur-
ed, 854,462 Ibs. ; the annual consumption of wool,
108,162 stones; the annual consumption of
132,899 Ibs. ; the number of stockings madt
1,049,676 pairs; the number of articles of under-
clothing, 12,552; the number of operatives, 1,788
the number of stocking- frames, 1,209; and th<
number of weaving-looms, 226. The number
hand-looms, as exhibited in the report of the Com-
missioners on Hand-loom weavers, was, in 1
55; and, in 1838, 121. But the influence of
wick on the prosperity of artisans is very far
being limited to the persons employed immediately
upon its fabrics in its factories and loom-shop
Besides smiths, carpenters, masons, mill-wright
and needle-makers, on the spot, who are chieflj
or wholly maintained in subordination to its star,
manufactures, it gives employment to weavers ani
stocking-makers, clustered together in villages, or
dispersed over the face of the country in almost
every parish within a radius of 20 or 30 miles ; ant
through the stocking-makers both within and beyont
burgh, it reg-ularly maintains a large, though unas-
certainable, number of females as sewers or seamers.
The principal manufacturers are the Messrs. Wilsoi
Messrs. Dickson and Laing, and Mr. Nixon.
Hawick has branch-offices of the British Liner
company's bank, the Commercial bank, and tl
National bank of Scotland. Markets for cattle am
for hiring servants are held usually on the 17th
May and on the 8th of November ; tor sheep on tl
20th and 21st of September ; and for horses am
cattle on the 3d Tuesday of October. A market 1<
hiring hinds and herds is held generally on the 1st
2d, and 3d Thursdays of April ; a hiring-fair is alsi
held on the 17th of May. A sheep-fair, at whict
from 2,000 to 3,000 Cheviots are generally shown,
is held on the 20th and 21st of September, or tht
Tuesday after, if the 20th falls on a Saturday.
Hawick tryst is held on the 3d Tuesday of October.
This is a tup show, but some young horses, and
few Highland cattle from the Falkirk tryst, are
shown. A winter cattle-market is held on the bt
of November, or on Tuesday after, if the 8th falU
on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Till 1778 IK
regular corn-market existed in the town ; but out
was, in that year, established by the Fanner's
club. Not only in this matter, but in others of
similar nature, and in most things bearing on agri
cultural improvement, the Farmer's club has been
vigilant, active, and highly useful association. The
club was formed in Hawick in 1776, and continue
to hold its meetings on the 1st Thursday of every
month. A kindred association of wider range am
more powerful influence, owes its paternity to
* A good plaid-weaver, in 1838, gained 15s. per week of c
wages; inferior hands averaged [Us. ; blanket- weavers' wage
averaged about Is. less, in each class. The wages ot the wool
leu-weavers in Gala#hieia, Hawiek, &o. are above 100 per cen
higher than those of the cotton-weavers.— See for these ai
the above details ' Reports on Hand-loom Weavers,' 1839. ?|
b9, 40.— and Report of Commissioners, mil.
HAWICK.
753
riotic and enlightened James Douglas, Esq. of
•is, and was formed in the town in 1835, under
patronage of the Duke of Buccleueh. This
elation — the Agricultural society for the west of
riotdale — includes in its sphere of action 13 par-
:s, and holds an annual general meeting in Hawick
the 1st Thursday of August. A School of Arts,
originating in the same judicious and benevolent
arter as the Agricultural society, was established
1824, and has procured the delivery of several
of lectures. Three reading and news-rooms,
enrich the town, are liberally conducted, and
jss appliances equal to the best in almost any
i in Scotland. A Public library, established in
1762, contains about 3,500 volumes, besides the
principal current periodicals ; and the Trades' library,
instituted in 1802, contains about 1,200 volumes.
Several shops are maintained solely or chiefly by the
binding of books, and two local printing-presses have
issued various useful publications. Besides associa-
tions of a directly religious nature, and a good gram-
r-school and private schools for education, the
has a clothing society for indigent females, a
;ty for rendering medical relief, a Temperance,
ther Total Abstinence society, various small
idly associations, and a Savings' bank.
"iwick is a burgh-of-regality or barony, nearly
;hing, in some of its institutions, the character
royal burgh. Its oldest extant charter is one of
confirmation granted by James Douglas of Drumlan-
rig, Baron of Hawick, dated llth October, 1537; and
confirmed by a charter of Queen Mary, dated 1 2th May,
1545. A detail of the sett, previous to 1781, would
be unnecessary, as, at that time, the sett was regu-
and established by a decreet of the Court of
ion. About 1778, certain burgesses having
jnged the administration of the magistrates and
icil, mutual actions of declarator were raised,
ch terminated in a decree pronounced by the
irt in August 1781. The purport of that decreet
is: — The bailies, when elected with the advice of
the council, shall have the right of administration of
the town's property ; the bailies are to be elected
annually, by a poll of the burgesses trading and re-
siding within the burgh, from a leet (list) of six, pre-
pared by the magistrates and council ; the council
is to consist of 31 members, — viz., the two bailies,
15 standing councillors, elected by the bailies and the
other standing councillors, and 14 quarter-masters,
two of whom are annually elected by each of the seven
incorporated trades out of their own number; on
the death or removal of any councillor, the bailies
and other standing councillors are to elect another
in his place ; and, if a bailie be chosen from among
the standing councillors, the bailies and the remain-
ing councillors are to elect a councillor to supply his
place for the year for which the bailie is so elected —
The magistrates exercise jurisdiction directly, with
the assistance of the town-clerk as assessor ; and
they hold courts when necessary, and regulate their
proceedings in terms of the act of sederunt, 12th
November, 1825. They try both civil and criminal i
causes. They issue services of heirs on brieves forth j
of Chancery; they judge in matters of property and :
disputed marches within burgh ; they authorize the ,
repair of ruinous tenements ; and, in other parti- ;
culars, they have, as to civil causes, a wide range of j
authority. In criminal causes their jurisdiction may
be stated generally to be the same as that in royal
burghs. They try for assaults, riots, petty thefts,
and other delinquencies ; and they fine and imprison,
and have frequently pronounced sentence of banish-
ment forth of the burgh ; nor are they limited in
their warrants of imprisonment, to any particular
lime. Of late the criminal jurisdiction has, for the
most part, been exercised summarily on complaints
at the instance of the procurator-fis'cal ; and
vated cases, after procognitions taken by the magis-
trates, have been remitted to the sheriff. The pa-
tronage of the magistrates is limited to the appoint-
ing of 3 burgh-officers, and the procurator-li
the burgh. Other officers — the town-clerk, the
town-treasurer, an overseer of public-works, a sur-
veyor of weights and measures, and billet-master, and
a clock-keeper — are elected, the first biennially, and
the rest annually, by the burgesses. The qualifica-
tion of being a burgess or guild-brother is not neces-
sary to entitle any one to manufacture or deal within
the burgh, and trade is quite free; but the n
trates levy certain dues on the admission of bur-
gesses. These have been from time to time regu-
lated by acts of council. According to the existing
acts, dated 1st December, 1813, they are, for the
son of a burgess, £1,— for the son-in-law of a bur-
gess, £2,— and for all other persons, £4. The total
amount for ten years preceding 1833, was £401 18s.,
giving an average of £10 11s. per annum, and the
yearly average of non-burgess stent, during the same
period, amounted to £2 17s. Id. The dues of bur-
gess entries and non-burgess stent are, like the other
branches of the revenue, applied to the general pur-
poses of the burgh. — There are seven incorporated
trades within the burgh, viz., weavers, tailors, ham-
mermen, skinners, fleshers, shoemakers, and bakers;
but they do not enjoy any exclusive privilege, or
other right or advantage, except that of each sending
two of their number to represent them in the coun-
cil The police departments, such as watching,
cleaning, and lighting, are not regulated by any local
statute. The duty of watching, when necessary,
has been done voluntarily by the inhabitants, under
direction of the magistrates; and the expense has
been defrayed out of the funds of the corporation.
The cleaning is conducted under the order of the
magistrates and council, the expense being defrayed,
in the first instance, out of the funds of the corpora-
tion. The proceeds of the periodical sales of street
dung are brought by the treasurer to the credit of
the same funds ; but, in general, their proceeds fall
short of the expense. The lighting is managed by a
committee of the inhabitants, appointed annually,
and named partly by the magistrates and council,
and partly by the other inhabitants. The magis-
trates and council have been in the practice of vot-
ing £30 a-year towards the expense of lighting, and
the deficiency has been made up by a subscription
by the inhabitants at large, which is collected by the
committee, who annually report a state of their ac-
counts to the magistrates and council — A plenti-
ful supply of water has, at different periods, been
brought into the town, at the expense of the corpo-
ration, by whom also the wells are kept in good re-
pair.—The middle of the principal street, \\nirh has
of late been macadamized, and forms a part of the
turnpike road, is kept in repair at the expense of the
road trustees. A sum is annually granted by the
statute-labour trustees, from the statute-labour mid
of the parish of Hawick, towards keeping the paved
streets and bye-lanes in repair ; and the expense ot
keeping up the remainder is defrayed out of the
funds of the corporation ; but owing to the st.r
these funds, and to the circumstance of one ot the
magistrates only being, ex ofticio, a trustee upon tin-
public roads, the power of the magistrates, with
relation to the repairs of the streets and I;.
limited; and, in consequence, tlu-se are not \\.
order.— The procurator-liscai's account fur criminal
business", and all other expenses incurred in |.r
ing the peace of the burgh, are defrayed out of the
funds Ot the corporation ; hut the po'u
;) u
754
HA WICK.
ment is far from being efficient. — The property of
the burgh consists in the common muir and common
haugh of Hawick, and in the town-house and an ad-
joining dwelling-house. A low estimate of the value
is £6,317 12s. 6<1. ; and this, after deducting amount
of debt, exhibits a balance, in the burgh's favour, of
£3,537 12s. 6d. The revenue, from Whitsunday 1832
to Whitsunday 1833, was £386 5s. 7d. ; and the ex-
penditure, during the same period, was £506 4s. 9|d. ;
thus exhibiting a super-expenditure of £119 19s. 2£d.
In preceding years, also, there was a super-expendi-
ture occasioned by the borrowing of money, partly
for public improvements, and partly for a purpose of
litigation. The population of the town, exclusive
of che suburb of Wilton, and of the landward parts
of its own parish, was, — as stated in the New Sta-
tistical Account,— in 1791, 2,320; in 1821, 3,684;
in 1836, 4,744 ; and in 1838, 5,306.
The barony of Hawick is not traceable in his-
tory higher than in a charter granted in the reign of
Robert Bruce. Along with Sprouston it was given
b/ David II. to Thomas Murray; and in the same
reign it descended to Maurice de Moravia, Earl of
Sfcrathearn. In 1357 the town figures as a burgh-of-
regality. Near the commencement of the 15th cen-
tury the barony went into the possession of Sir Wil-
liam Douglas, the ancestor of the family of Drum-
lanrig. A curious charter granting to this baron the
lands of Drumlanrig, ' Hawyke,' and Selkirk, and
written in the autograph of James I., is still in ex-
istence. In 1478-9 Alexander Murray, parson of
Hawick, pursued an action in parliament, for 44
marks, a part of his church-dues, against David Scott
of Buccleuch. Hawick, at three several periods,
suffered destruction from the irruptions of the Eng-
lish ; in 1418 it was burnt by Sir Robert Umfran-
ville, vice-admiral of England, and governor of Ber-
wick ; in 1544 it shared the disasters which were
unsparingly inflicted on all Teviotdale by Sir Ralph
Evers and Sir Brian Latoun ; and in 1570, in order
to prevent its being occupied by the troops of the
Earl of Surrey, it was fired by its own inhabitants,
and, with the exception of the Black tower, now
agglomerated with the Tower inn, entirely burnt to
the ground. Situated so near the Border, amid ter-
ritories frequently debated, constantly possessed or
overrun by dans of freebooters, and almost inces-
santly the scene of foreign incursions or intestine
feuds, it could not escape the rough contacts and
barbarizing influences of contention and warfare;
and, during many centuries, it seems to have worn
a character entirely contrasted to its present peace-
fulness, and plodding, energetic, sturdy, honest,
manufacturing pursuits. But at comparatively a
late date, long after tranquillity and order acquired
ascendency over its affairs, it was the scene of a re-
markable and very memorable occurrence. " The
town of Hawick," says the writer in the Old Statis-
tical Account, narrating this event, " though not
subject to inundations, has every reason to be afraid
of them. It stands at the conflux of the rivers
Slittrig and Teviot, which, after great rains, or the
dissolving of the snows on the adjacent hills, rise
several feet upon the houses immediately situated
on their banks. A remarkable one happened in
August, 1767. Slittrig then rose to an astonishing
height, occasioned by a cloud bursting at its source.
It began to rise at four o'clock in the afternoon, and
continued to increase till past six, when it was 22
feet above its usual level. It marked its progress
with destruction. Part of the surface of the hill,
where the cloud fell, floated into the river. Corn
and cattle, with every thing on its banks, were borne
away by the torrent. In Hawick its devastations
were great, — 15 dwelling-houses and a corn-mill,
were carried off, and the rock swept so clean, that
not a bit of rubbish was left to tell where they
stood. At the height of the flood, a maid-servant
belonging to a merchant, recollecting that in the
house, now surrounded with water% her master had
£300 in gold, boldly ventured in and got hold of the
bag with the money. In returning, however, she
was carried down by the stream, but was cast ashore
on a green below the town, herself and the money
both safe. In this alarming event two lives wert
lost ; both, indeed, through rashness and inatten.
tion."
Hawick, either within itself, or in common witV
a limited district, is signalized by some curious moraj
peculiarities. Fictitious designations of individuals
or soubriquets borrowed from ancient clanships 01
whimsically descriptive of distinctive physical fea-
tures, very extensively usurp the place of propei
names; and stick so adhesively to persons in al
ranks of life as, in some cases, to cause the uttei
oblivion of their real names, and to follow then
even to the grave and into the records of mortality
When an individual is believed to be dying, relatives
and friends still, in rare instances, maintain the
Border practice of crowding near his bed, and lift-
ing their voices in a strain of pathetic sacred melody
singing some psalm which they regard as adapted tc
solemnize his departure from life. On the last Fri-
day of May, old style, a procession, consisting of the
magistrates on horseback, and a large multitude o
the burgesses and inhabitants on foot, and gracet
with the banner of the town, the copy of an origina
which is traditionally reported to have been taker
from the English soon after the battle of Flodden
moves along the boundaries of the royalty, greetet
by the hilarious demonstrations of youths and chil-
dren, and ostensibly describing the limits of thei:
property, and publicly asserting their legal rights
thus very idly and childishly perpetuating the ancieu
and once necessary practice of 'riding the marches.
Some writers on Hawick think it worth their atten
tion to record that « a Hawick gill' was formerly, bj
conventional licence, half an English pint; and the;
remind us that this double-barrelled ' pocket-pistol,
is alluded to in the song of ' Andrew wi' the cuttit
gun.' We allude to the worthless reminiscence
simply to remark that such writers seem — from som
strange concurrence of misconceptions — to agree ii
representing the inhabitants as still having a strong
dash of the characteristic peculiarities of the ancien
Border-men. Had we not seen so grave a chargi
made by highly respectable authority, we shoul<
have been disposed to view the Hawick-men in ai
entirely opposite light, and to exhibit them as a re
markable instance of acknowledged excellencies, as
serting dominion in a locality once all but infamou
by antagonist vices. Wassailing and the free use o
' the Hawick gill,' for example, was a very markec
peculiarity of the reiving age. But now the towi
of Hawick, all manufacturing though it be, an<
crowded with hard-working and thirsty artisans, i
more signalized than probably any other town o
district of Scotland, by the extensive adoption, am
the consistent, zealous observance of the total ab
stinence pledge. Then as to the other, the onl
other really distinguishing peculiarity of the roister
ing period— the confounding of distinctions betweei
meum and tuum — what can be more contrasted to i
than the persevering and patient industry, and th
high commercial rectitude, and the strong sense o
moral honesty, for which every one is ready to giv
the Hawick-men credit as a community? Wha
alone has induced the notion of their exhibiting i
a softened form the spirit of the ancient Border
men, seems to be their sturdy independence, thei
HAW
755
HEB
m<
S
»!
iilousy of their rights, and their vigilant outlook
inst the assault or the insinuation of any do-
iineering influence. For these properties, undoubt-
Jly, the people of Hawick are noted, to a degree
"lich nearly stamps them upon them as peculiarities,
iwick-men are about the last in Scotland in whom
penetrating observer could discover any trace of
e subjugated and cringing and servile spirit of the
rfs of the feudal times; and resemble more, in po-
tical animus, the citizens of the ancient free states
Greece, or the spirited and enterprising citizens
the young states in America, than the lawless,
.id by turns enthralling and enthralled, race to
k'hom they have been somewhat hastily — though
itly and remotely — compared.
HAWKHEAD, an estate in the Abbey pariah of
tisley, about 2 miles south-east of that town, on
left bank of the White Cart. It anciently be-
iged to a family named Ross, who were raised to
peerage about the year 1503, under the title of
ron Ross of Hawkhead. The title became extinct
the death of William, 13th Lord Ross, in 1754,
id the estate devolved, first, on his eldest sister,
rs. Ross Mackye, and afterwards on another sister,
lizabeth, widow of John Boyle, 3d Earl of Glas-
. On her ladyship's death, in 1791, the estate
inherited by her son, George, 4th Earl of Glas-
w, and in 1815 the title of Baron Ross of Hawk-
, a peer of the United Kingdom, was revived in
favour. Hawkhead-house is an irregular pile, of
hich Crawfurd says : " This fabric is built in the
of a court, and consists of a large old tower,
which there were lower buildings added in the
of King Charles I., by James, Lord Ross, and
e Margaret Scott, his lady, and adorned with
orchards, fine gardens, and pretty terraces,
ith regular and stately avenues fronting the said
tie, and almost surrounded with woods, and en-
res, which adds much to the pleasure of this
" This was one of the earliest attempts made
Renfrewshire to introduce the Dutch style of
ening, and to construct low buildings approach-
to the modern fashion, in addition to the high
ellated places of defence which anciently formed
habitations of the nobility and gentry. Very
tie alteration was made upon the place from Craw-
rd's time till 1782, when the Countess-dowager
Glasgow greatly repaired and improved the
se, and formed a new garden, consisting of
ly 4 acres, a short distance to the south. The
te is still finely adorned with trees. — Law,
his ' Memorialls,' has recorded as one of the
memorable events in his time, that in October,
681, when Scotland was under the administration
the Duke of York, afterwards King James II.,
s royal highness "dined at the Halcat with my
Lord Ross." — For notice of minerals wrought in
this quarter, see HURLET.
H A WTHORNDEN, the seat of Sir Francis Walker
Drummond, in the parish of Lasswade, Edinburgh-
shire. The house stands on the south bank of the
North Esk, amidst exquisitely picturesque and ro-
mantic scenery [see LASSWADE], and contributes,
in its own figure and in the tine demesne which sur-
rounds it, interesting features to the warmly tinted
landscape. Constructed with some reference to
strength, it surmounts to the very edge a grey cliff
which, at one sweep, rises perpendicularly up from
the river.
" The spot is wild, the banks are steep,
With eglantine and hawthorn blossom'd o'er,
Lychnis, and daffodils, and hare-bells blue :
From lofty granite crags precipitous,
The oak, with scanty footing, topples o'er,
Tossing his limbs to heaven ; and, from the cleft,
Fringing the dark-brown natural battlement*,
The hazel throws his silvery branch.'* down :
There, starting into view, a railed clift,
Wlio-e roof is lichen'd o'er, purple and preen,
O'erhangs thy wandering -ircmn, romantic h>k,
And rears its head among the ancient ti •
Beneath are several remarkable artificial caves, 1 <>'-
lowed with prodigious labour out of the solid nu-k,
communicating with one another by long passages,
and possessing access to a well of vast depth bored
from the court-yard of the mansion. The caves are
reported by tradition, and believed by Dr. Stukeley,
to have been a stronghold of the Pictish kings, anil,
in three instances, they bear the names respectively
of the King's gallery, the King's bed-chamber, and
the Guard-room ; but they seem simply to have been
hewn out, no person can tell by whom, as places of
refuge during the destructive wars between the
English and the Picts, or the English and the Scots ;
and during the reign of David II., when the English
were in possession of Edinburgh, and strove to deal
death to Scottish valour, they and the adjacent caves
of Gorton gave shelter to the adventurous band
of the heroic Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie.
Hawthornden was the property and residence of the
celebrated poet and historian, William Drummond,
the friend of Shakspeare and Ben Johnson. A sort
of seat cut in the face of the rock adjoining the
house, and called Cypress grove, is pointed out by
tradition as the place where he composed many of
his poems. Ben Johnson journeyed on foot from
London to spend some weeks with him at Haw-
thornden. Drummond was zealously attached to the
cause of Charles I., and is said to have sunk in
health, and been crushed to the grave, by the blow
from the unhappy monarch's fate. A profusion of
beautiful wood in the opulent landscape around the
house, suggested to Peter Pindar the caustic remark
respecting Dr. Samuel Johnson, that he
41 Went to Hawthornden's fair scene by night,
Lest e'er a Scottish tree should wound his sight."
HAYSTONE. See GLENSAX.
HEADS. See GLASSFORD.
THE HEBRIDES,
General potition and relations.
Or Western islands, are a large and elongated clus-
ter of islands and islets stretching along nearly the
whole west coast of Scotland. The Hebrides— called
by the ancients Hebridae, Hebudes, JEbudx, and
jEmodse— include, according to some writers, the
islands and islets in the frith of Clyde, the isle of
Rachlin due west of the southern part of Cantyre
close to the north-eastern extremity of Ireland, and
even the isle of Man situated in the Irish sea, at
nearly equal distances from Scotland, England, and
Ireland; while they are limited, according to other
writers, to a chain stretching from about 56° 40'
to about 58° 37' N. latitude, and separated from the
more easterly groups and the coast of Ross-shire and
Sutherlandshire by the sounds called the Little
.Minch and the Minrh. But by a nearly univer-nl
consent, and in methodical regard to their L
phical position and political connexion, they have in
recent times been defined as terminating respective!)
in 55° 35' and 58° 37' N. latitude, and as 1\ in,u
ward of the peninsula of Cantyre on the south, and
the continent of Scotland in the middle and on the
north. The Hebrides, thus delined, are, lor the
most part, disposed in groups >i-t not, in every case,
with distinctness of aggregation, or without 1,
particular islets to stand in doubt as to the group 10
which they belong. On the south, opjx-
and Knapdale, lies the Islay and Jura group. The
most southerly individuals of it are Gighu ai>d *
inl »*U>t near its southernmost point; both streicb-
756
HEBRIDES.
ing north and south near the coast of Oantyre, and
screening the entrance to Loch Tarbert from a
south-west wind. On a line with Gigha to the
west, but three times farther from it than Gigha is
from the peninsula, commences the large island of
Islay ; and though not elongated in its own form, it
has resting on its north-east side, with the interven-
tion of the narrow strait or sound bearing its own
name, the base of the slenderly pyramidal figure of
Jura, and is so continued by that island as to form
with it a stretch of territory extending from the
outh-west to the north-east, and separated, in the
Jura part of it, from the districts of Knapdale and
Lorn, on the mainland, by the sound of Jura. West
of Jura, north-west of the sound of Islay, and north
of the island of Islay, lie the islets Oronsay and Co-
lonsay. North of Jura, and pretty near the coast of
Lorn, Scarba, Seal, Easdale, and various other islets,
form a chain which belongs geographically, in its
southern end, to the Islay and Jura group, and in its
northern end to the Mull group, but which strictly
connects them, and might over its whole length be
pronounced independent. West of the northern part
of this chain, or opposite the districts of Lorn and
Appin, and along the whole south-west coast of the
district of Morvern, and separated from the narrow
stripe of water called Mull sound, lies the large
island of Mull. On its east side, in the mouth of
Loch-Linnhe, stretches Lismore; near its south-west
limb, is Icolmkill ; in a deep broad bay on its west
side lie Ulva, Gometra, Staffa, and some other islets;
due west, at a considerable distance, lies Tirree ; and
on the north-west, not so far from Mull, is Coll, —
Tirree and Coll forming in their elongated shape and
continuous position, a stretch of territory extending
from the south-west to the north-east. Immediately
north of Mull, the long promontory of Ardnamur-
chan runs out into the sea, and so far intervenes be-
tween the two Hebridean groups we have noticed, as,
if not strictly to separate them from the groups on
the north, at least to give fair occasion for their being
respectively designated the southern and the north-
ern Hebrides. The Skye group lies in general very
near the coast, and flanks the whole of the little con-
tinental districts of Moidart, Arisaig, Morer, Glenelg,
Kintail, Lochalsh, Applecross, and Gairloch. Com-
mencing a little north of the point of Ardnamurchan,
and at a greater distance west of the district of Moi-
dart, Muck, Eig, Rum, Sandy, and Canna form,
with the intervention of two considerable belts, and
two thin stripes of sea, a stretch of territory extend-
ing from the south-east to the north-west. North-
ward of it, and very slenderly detached by sea from
the districts of Glenelg and Kintail, stretches north-
westward the very large island of Skye, — the largest in
the Hebrides except the compound or double-named
one of Harris and Lewis. North of Skye, com-
mencing very close on its shore, and running direct
northward between its north-western horn and the
continental district of Applecross, is a chain of islets,
consisting of Scalpa, Rasay, and Rona. From a
point nearly due west of Ardnamurchan, but at a
great distance, to a point considerably west of Loch
Inchard in Sutherlandshire, and, in its central part,
westward of the island of Skye, and separated from
it by the Little Minch, extends curvingly from the
south to the east of north, through an extent of 150
miles, the largest and most compact of all the Hebri-
dean groups, quite elongated and continuous in its
form, and cut asunder from all other territory by a
broad sea-belt, — that which is commonly designated
the Long Island, is sometimes called the Western He-
brides, or the Outer Hebrides, and has, by some, been
made to usurp the whole Hebridean name. At its
southern point Bernera, Mingala, Pabba, Sandera,
Muldonick, Vatersa, Barra, Fladda, Hellesa, Fudia,
Linga, Eriska, and some other islets, are closely con-
catenated, and, as they have Barra for their main-
land or monarch of the series, are usually called the
Barra islands. Immediately on the north, with a
profusion of islets in the sound which separates them,
and a noticeable sprinkling of islets on their flanks,
stretch continuously the islands of South Uist, Ben-
becula, and North Uist. In the sound of Harris,
north of North Uist, the series is continued by Bo-
rera, Bernera, Killigra, Ensa, Pabba, and various
other islets. From the north side of that sound,
Harris and Lewis, the continuous part of one great
island, the monarch one of the whole Hebrides,
stretches away to the northern extremity of the
group, flanked, in various parts of its progress, by
Scalpa and numerous tiny islets on the east, and by
Taransa, Scarpa, Berensa, and some smaller islets
on the west. Far away to the west of the western
extremity of Lewis, lies the desolate and pigmy
group of St. Kilda, consisting of the islet St. Kilda
itself, and its tiny attendants Levenish, Soa, and
Borera. Classified geographically, the whole He-
brides thus consist of five groups; — three, or those
of Islay, Mull, arid Skye, of considerable and nearly
equal bulk, close upon the coast, almost continuous
and concatenated in their range, and flanking the
continent from the district of Cantyre to the district
of Gairloch, — one group, so large in its proportions,
or in the aggregate extent and the number of its
isles, and so distinctive in its position at a consider-
able distance from the coast and from the other
groups, as to have occasionally won the plea of being
exclusively Hebridean, — and another group so distant
and solitary as to be visited at seasons or on occasions
"few and far between," and so exceedingly incon-
siderable as to attract notice solely on account of
remarkable features in its natural history, and patri-
archal peculiarities in the character of its inhabi-
tants. They shelter the whole western coast of
Scotland from the fury of the Atlantic ocean, and,
in a certain and no mean degree, do it service as a
sort of umbrella; and they seem, especially the three
groups nearest it, to have once been a continuation
of its shores, and to have become disconnected bv
the dissevering action of the elements.
Number and Area.
In their political classification, the islands belong
to the shires of Argyle, Inverness, and Ross, very
nearly in the line of their coincidence with the coasts
of the respective counties. Their entire number,
including considerable rocks and utterly inconsider-
able islets, has been usually stated in round numbers
at 300; but, understanding islands and islets to be
objects which, on a large map, have a distinct figure,
and characteristic outline, it amounts to only about
160. Of this number 70 are inhabited throughout
the year; 8 are provided with houses, but abandoned
by their inmates during winter; and 40 are either
transitorily inhabited or turned to some productive
account during summer. In area, the Hebrides,
measured on the plane, comprehend rather more than
3,184 square miles, or 1,592,000 Scottish acres, or
2,037,760 English statute acres, nearly one-twelfth
of Scotland or one-thirtieth of Great Britain; and,
in consequence of the general ruggedness and moun-
tainousness of their character, they might, if mea-
sured over the undulations of their superficies, be
found to comprehend between 3, 600 and 3,700 square
miles. These measurements, however — which are
those of Mr. James Macdonald in his ' General View
of the Agriculture of the Hebrides '—include the
Clyde islands, and must suffer a subtraction equiva-
lent in value to their area, — that of Arran alone
I about 100,000 Scottish acres.— The islands are
tmtable, as to size, into four classes. The first
class, consisting of the largest in dimensions, includes
Islay, Jura, Mull, Skye, Lewis, Harris, and I'ist, and
comprehends 1,323,000 Scottish acres, or about eight-
linths of the whole Hebridean area. The second
includes Gigha, Colorisay, Tirree, Coll, Lis-
re, Ulva and Gometra, Bernera, Luing, Seil, Eig,
Lum, Rasay, Rona, and Barra. The third class in-
cludes Scarba, Lunga, Shuna, Icolmkill, Eisdale,
Inchkenneth, StafFa, Muck, Canna, Ascrib, Fladda,
and St. Kilda. The fourth class includes about 120
islets, which are chiefly satellites of the others,
which have some productive value, and an un-
jrtained number of rocks and dottings on the sea
rhich figure in the flaunting announcement of three
hundred Hebrides, both classes too unimportant and
Ititudinous to require the specification of names.
HEBRIDES.
737
dissociated from all the Hebrides. They consist oi
Soa, in the Skye group, Lunga and the Croulin i-.li-
at the mouth of Loch-KrMiorn, the Summer isles off
the entrance of Loch-Broom, Handa, lying between
Scourie bay and Loch-Laxford, and two or three
other islets ; and present similar features to
of the sandstone field of the continent The gneiss
islands art- lona, Tirree, and Coll, belonging to the
Mull group, Rona belonging to the Skye group, and,
with the very trivial exception of the Shiant isles,
the whole of the largest of all the Hehrifiean groups,
— that of the Long island. The granitic subdivision
of gneiss is that which prevails ; and it is character-
ized not only by a large granular and imperfectly foli-
ated substance, but by frequent partial transitions
into granite. Often — as in Tirree, Benbecula. and
other islands — it exhibits, for a considerable sp
dead level ; the naked rock being accessible only by
some breach in the superincumbent surface, or by tin.
imperforation of a pool or lochlet ; occasionally — as in
Lewis — it looks up through the soil in protuberant
masses ; and, in some instances — as in Coll and Rona
— it rises aloft in such rapid congeries of low hills,
intersticed in the hollows with herbage and lochs,
that, seen from a distance, or from low vantage-
ground, only a sea of rock seems presented to the
view.
Characteristic scenery.
The Hebrides abound in the grand and the sublime,
the picturesque and the wild, the desolate and the
savage features of scenery. From the sound of Jura,
the conical and far-seeing paps of that name close up
the view immediately on the north, and tower up to
the height of 2,240 feet ; the north-eastern point of
Islay is screened by the dark and broken precipices
of M'Karter's Head ; the eastern entrance of the
sound seems dotted over with islets, or walled across
with the spray of the vexed waters attempting to
make an ingress; Colonsay appears in perspective on
the west; and eastward the rugged summits of Arran
tower aloft in the distance over the intervening seas
and the peninsula of Can tyre. From the castle of
Dunolly in the vicinity of Oban, the eye wanders
over a wide expanse of Hebridean and mainland
scenery, fully depicted in the tints of Highland pan-
orama, and wanders southward through the pictur-
esque group of the Mull islands, presided over or
backed by Benmore in Mull, rising aloft to the
height of more than 3,000 feet. Leaving Tober-
mory, says Lord Teignmouth, " we started early
for Staffa and lona. Partial gleams of sunshine
illuminated the bold rugged headland of Aidna-
murchan, and were reflected dimly from the distant,
lofty, and conical summits of the isle of Kuui.
The point of Cailliach in Mull was sheathed in
foam, by the waves of a wild sea mingling their
hoarse uproar with the shrill cries of innumerable
sea-fowl, hovering around its summit. * * The
grouping of the numerous islands off Mull is ex-
tremely picturesque ; Staffa, amongst them, rearing
its basaltic pillars, forming a long r.m-ru -ay, gradually
terminating in a majestic colonnade, crowned l>\ ?
green and overhanging brow." " Th-
scenery of Skye, and perhaps of Scotland." says
the same noble tourist, "occurs in the soutli-e.Mn u
division of the island. * * Crossing Loch Slajiin, 1
proceeded along the ni^irrd n.a-.t of Strath to its
point called the AinI, a promontory which ,
trated by caverns, or severed into btttl
some places projecting tar in tabulated ledges over
the sea, tinted richly with yellow, green, and other
colours, presents a Mrikin-ly beautiful and majestic
front to the stormy ocean— to the ravages of which
its shattered and perforated precipices bear amj>:
7.58
HEBRIDES.
tirnony. Reflecting the rays of an unclouded sun,
it offered a brilliant contrast to the dark forms oi
Rum, and the neighbouring islands which rose to the
southward. * * We rowed slowly under the Aird, as
every cove or buttress deserves attention, till the
opposite headland beyond Loch-Scarig discovered it-
self; and as we entered the bay, we perceived the
precipitous and serrated ridges of the Coolin moun-
tains towering [about 3,000 feet in height] in all
their grandeur, above the shores, terminating a per-
spective formed by the steep side of the two promi-
nent buttresses of the range, and enclosing the
gloomy vallev and deep dark waters of Loch-Co-
ruisk, from which the principal peaks rise abruptly."
[' Sketches of the Coasts and Islands of Scotland,
and of the Isle of Man.' By Lord Teignmouth. Lond.
1836.] " Let any one who wishes to have some con-
ception of the sublime," says William Macgillivray,
Esq., " station himself upon a headland of the west
coast of Harris during the violence of a winter
tempest, and he will obtain it. The blast howls
among the grim and desolate rocks around him. Black
clouds are seen advancing from the west in fearful
masses, pouring forth torrents of rain and hail. A
sudden flash illuminates the gloom, and is followed
by the deafening roar of the thunder, which gradually
becomes fainter until the roar of the waves upon the
shore prevails over it. Meantime, far as the eye can
reach, the ocean boils and heaves, presenting one
wide-extended field of foam, the spray from the sum-
mits of the billows sweeping along its surface like
drifted snow. No sign of life is to be seen, save
when a gull, labouring hard to bear itself up against
the blast, hovers over head, or shoots athwart
the gloom like a meteor. Long ranges of giant
waves rush in succession towards the shores. The
thunder of the shock echoes among the crevices
and caves ; the spray mounts along the face of the
cliffs to an astonishing height ; the rocks shake to
their summit, and the baffled wave rolls back to
meet its advancing successor." * * "Scenes of
surpassing beauty, however, present themselves
among these islands. What can be more delightful
than a midnight walk by moonlight along the lone
sea beach of some secluded isle, the glassy sea send-
ing from its surface a long stream of dancing and
dazzling light, — no sound to be heard save the small
ripple of the idle wavelet, or the scream of a sea-
bird watching the fry that swarms along the shores!
In the short nights of summer, the melancholy song
of the throstle has scarcely ceased on the hill-side,
when the merry carol of the lark commences, and
the plover and snipe sound their shrill pipe. Again,
how glorious is the scene which presents itself from
the summit of one of the loftier hills, when the great
ocean is seen glowing with the last splendour of the
setting sun, and the lofty isles of St. Kilda rear their
giant heads amid the purple blaze on the extreme
verge of the horizon." [Anderson's ' Guide to the
Highlands.']— But pictures bright and interesting as
these with their wild beauty, or bewildering and
impressive with the grandeur of desolation, ormixedly
playful and sublime in the twistings and aerial
ascents of rock, or the melee and uproar of conflict
among sea and wind and beetling cliffs, occur so often
and so variously throughout the Hebrides, that no
general description, and scarcely any limited selec-
tion of views, can convey an idea of their aggregate
features.
Lakes and Shores.
No part of the known world is more watered from
above and from below than the Hebrides. Where
the sea does not indent and almost bisect the islands
in almost every conceivable direction, they abound
in rivulets and fresh-water lakes. Upwards of
streams carry salmon, and diffuse beauty and the elc
ments of opulence along their banks. Skyehas Snia
and Sligachan, the largest of the region, and 13 oth<
streamlets. Islay has two streams of considerabl
size, fit for moving machinery and for other practic
applications. Mull has about 10 rivulets, and th(
Long Island has 8. All these abound, not only ii
salmon, but in trouts and eels ; and many of ther
abound also in other species. Lakes and lochlet
are so numerous in some of the islands that th(
perplex the view and defy enumeration. In Nortl
Uist, for example, the agricultural reporter on tht
Hebrides counted 170, and then despaired to ascer-
tain how many small lochlets remained unreckoned.
The Hebridean lakes may safely be computed
1,500 in number, covering an area of 50,000 acres
those of Lewis and Uist alone being 25,000 acres ii
extent. But the lakes, while they frequently ii
terrupt communication and occasion other inc
veniences, offer few compensating advantages ; am
they have, in general, an inconsiderable depth, nom
of them approaching that of the continental lakes
Scotland, or indeed exceeding 3 or 4 fathoms water.
But though the fresh- water lakes are chiefly of
character which the genius of improvement shoul
seek to dislodge from their possession of the soil, th(
inlets and arms of the sea which multitudinously
in the most various directions indent the islands, ar
which mainly among the Hebrideans and the High-
landers receive the name of lochs, possess, as to bot"
scenery and utility, many features of engrossing in-
terest. Traced along the line of their deep incisic
and their sinuosities, they give the islands the enor-
mous aggregate of 3,950 miles of coast ; and thej
offer a vast number of harbours, some of which are
equal, in point of spaciousness and security, to an)
in the world.
Manufacture of Kelp, and Fisheries.
So rife are these shores in the fish common to th
west of Scotland, arid in materials for the manufactu
of kelp, that their annual produce was, a few year
ago, calculated to be four times greater in amount thai
:hat of the land. During the war the kelp-shores
nially yielded from 5,000 to 5,500 tons of kelp, at t
average value of £16 per ton ; and their 50,000 ac
covered by sea at high- water were thus in nett an
nual value £80,000, — a sum exceeding five times th
rent of the 30,000 acres of Hebridean arable land.
Since the introduction of Spanish barilla and othe
substitutes, indeed, kelp has fallen in price, from two-
thirds to one-third of the former average ; but, as i
s manufactured at a cost of only from £3 to £4 per
ton, it is still produced in the Hebrides and along
the west coast of Scotland to the amount annually
of 8,000 tons.* — The fisheries, though not by any
* Mr. Macleod, the late proprietor of Harris, in a letter to
Lord Gleneig, then Secretary-of-State, dated April 10th, 1829,
says : " The production of and manufacture of kelp which has
existed more than 200 years, had, for a very great length of
time, received a vigilant and special protection against the arti-
cles of foreign or British growth or manufacture which com-
pete with it in the market, namely, barilla, pot and pearl Mb,
and black ash ; the last of which is formed by the decomposu
;ion of salt, effected chiefly by the use of foreign sulphur, which
sulphur forms three-fourths of the value of the manufactured
alkali. Up to the year 18:22, considerable duties were leviable
on all the commodities just enumerated; but in that year the
duty on salt was lowered from 15s. to 2s. a bushel. Shortly
afterwards the impost on barilla was considerably reduced.
This measure was quickly succeeded by a repeal of the remain,
der of the salt duties (duties which had lasted more than 131
fears), and of the duty on alkali made from salt. Close upon
.his followed a considerable reduction in the duty on pot and
>earl ash, and an entire removal of that on ashes from Canada
ind this last step was accompanied by a diminution in the duty
>n foreign sulphur from £15 to 10s. a ton. Such is the succes-
,ion of the measures which now threatens the total extinction
jf the kelp manufacture, and with it (iu reference to Scotland
HEBRIDES.
759
ms so extensive as the capacities of the region
hnit, and though long damaged by an injudiciously
ibuted parliamentary bounty, and still encum-
d by the pressure of principles not well-adapted
their management, yield annually a considerable
and about twenty years ago brought the na-
ives a clear profit in money and sustenance of about
JIOO.OOO, and, jointly with the kelp-manufacture,
iployed about 2,600 boats and vessels, and, for
ne months in the year, about 11, 000 sailors. The
lores of the Hebrides and the western coast of the
linland seem, indeed, to present as richly furnished
id as facile a fishing-ground as the fancy can well
lagine ; but it would appear that the herring-fishery
is greatly declined for the last ten or twelve years,
i the New Statistical Account it is stated that,
Burra has been in former times much frequented
great shoals of herrings, but its lochs are almost
>w entirely deserted by that useful fish." Of the
rish of Portree, in the island of Skye, it is stated
It is a matter deeply to be regretted that the
ring-fishery in this quarter has been much on the
line for several years past ; so much so, that
lure in this branch of industry, together with
ler causes operating injuriously, has produced the
irer-memorable destitution of the years 1836 and
In the account of Kilmuir, also in the island
Skye, we read : " At one period the herring ap-
jd in prodigious shoals, not only around the coast
the parish, but in all the lochs, creeks, and bays
the island ; it then formed an extensive and lucra-
source of traffic, and the benefits derived from
by the country in general were very great. It
as caught at comparatively little expense, as the
itives could, for the most part, make their own
and reach their own homes. In every creek
bay large fleets of schooners, brigs, sloops, wher-
3, and boats of all sizes iind descriptions, were to
seen eagerly engaged in the securing of stores for
rivate families, and of cargoes for the southern mar-
; now the irregular appearance of the migratory
together with the small quantities of it which
jquent, at the present day, its wonted haunts, have
rived the natives of one of their most lucrative
irces of support, and have been in no small degree
; means of reducing the redundant population to
>verty, and of unfitting them to meet such seasons
destitution as those of 1836 and 1837." Of late
irs it has been notorious that the herring-fishery
been very different from what it was in former
irs ; and now parties do not calculate on it,
>ugh in 1840, in some districts, large shoals of
rrings did appear ; but they came upon the people
a period when they were altogether unprepared ;
ley had no salt to cure them ; and, the fact is,
>ugh the supply of herrings was unusually large,
ey were in a great measure unproductive, except
affording food for a short time, for the people were
unprepared for curing the fish — Mr. R. Graham, in
a letter to Mr. Fox Maule, under date May 6th,
1837, says : " It is the opinion of some people,, that
alone) the ruin of the landed proprietors in the Hebrides and
on the west coast, the most serious injury to all descriptions of
itants on kelp estates, and the destitution of a population
of more than 50,000 souls."— Mr. Bowie, in his evidence before
the Select committee on Emigration, in February 1841, says:
«' I know one estate where formerly 1,100 tons of kelp were
manufactured annually ; another where 1,200 tons were manu-
factured annually ; and, assuming that the price got at market
was only £15 a ton, taking the expense of manufacturing and
of conveying to market at £3, we had there a profit of £12 a
ton ; so, in the one case, we should have a profit to the pro-
prietor of £ 1:1,200 a-year, and in the other case a profit of
£14,400, and this independent of tlie lund-rental. But the
whole of that kelp-rental has vanished ; the proprietors are re-
duced to their nominal land-rental ; and while so reduced I
their land-rental, they have thrown upon their hands a large
inrpliis population, whom they cannot assist, and for whom
they have not the meaus of employment."
the cod and ling and lobster fisheries of the West
Highlands and Islands, might be much improved by
encouragement and assistance, and would be a source
of benefit to the tenantry and the people ; this is a
subject which has attracted public attention from
the time of James V. downwards, and everything
which royal support, and the establishment of as-
sociations, corporations, and boards could effect, has
been done to promote the herring-fishery in par-
ticular. No branch of industry has repaid the en-
couragement so ill, from its precarious nature ; and
upon the whole it may be doubted, whether it can
be considered as an increasing source of wealth in
this country. Its failure, generally on the west
coasts, for several years back has had a very serious
effect upon the circumstances of the people ; and the
migrating character of the fish ought to deter the
local fishermen from trusting entirely to that one
branch of the art ; probably, however, in many sit-
uations the general white-fishery might be further
improved by the countenance and support of Govern-
ment singly, or by Government conjointly with the
maritime and insular proprietors, though all parties
should guard against flattering descriptions of the
coasts, as if the seas were everywhere full of the
finest fish, and as if the demand could be procured
for any amount of supply. Many accounts rest on
the idea that fish exist on all the coasts; I have
found this frequently contradicted ; the greater part
of the western coast of the Long-Island, from the
nature of the shores and the violence of the sea, is
almost precluded from the possibility of being fished.
Some of what were formerly considered the best
stations have greatly fallen off. Gairloch was once
a famous station, but for the last eight years it has
been unproductive. Lochbroom never was much of
a station, except for herrings, and there has not been
a good fishery there since 1811. At Arisaig, Tober-
mory, Ulva, and lona, it was alleged that the people
were inactive, and did not take the full advantage
of their opportunities of fishing. The parishes of
Knock and Lochs were the only portions of the
Lewis which seemed to be considered as favourable
stations; there is said to be none in Harris; and
Boisdale and Barra were the only favourable points
spoken to in the southern portions of the Long-Island.
There are none of these stations where the fisheries
could be much advanced, but by assistance in pro-
curing for the inhabitants boats and tackle, and per-
haps the example of a few more practised fishermen
than themselves ; but it might be an object of great
importance to have the soundings more extensively
ascertained, on the west coast of Scotland and north-
west of Ireland, to show the fishing-banks. The
piers and quays would be an improvement at many
of the stations, and new ones were suggested, not
for the fishery, but for exporting fuel, from the Ross
of Mull ; and at Dun vegan and Uig in Skye, for the
traffic of cattle."— The evidence of the Rev. Alex-
ander Macgregor of Kilmuir, in Skye, is valuable
under this head. That gentleman, in a paper in the
9th volume of * The Agricultural Journal,' says: " It
has been already mentioned, that, at one period, the
herring appeared in immense shoals in every loch
and bay which intersect the Hebridean isles, and
that the natives caught it in large quuntitu-, Imth
for the market and for domestic eOQttUBptioa. Hut
while that fish has deserted its wonted |
sort, it is well-ascertained that, in its annual migra-
tions, it p;i>M'«* l>\ in tin- >tn-am> and euirc'iitx ot the
deep sea, where the people have neither i-kill nor
materials to ratrh it. Some years ajf«>, whi-n it
abounded in almost every creek, the people had neU
and other necessaries for procuring it. Their eir-
cumstances then enabled them to provide such thing*
760
HEBRIDES.
*s are now beyond their reach ; besides, that the sta-
tions which that fish then frequented, enabled them
to catch it with far less skill, as well as with less
danger and expense, than at the present day. Her-
ring, however, is not the only fish which might,
through time, afford the natives lucrative employ-
ment. Cod and ling, and endless varieties of lesser
fish, frequent the banks and currents of the western
seas, which might, through skilful management, turn
out of vast advantage to the people. As matters
stand at present, the benefit derived from fishing is
very limited indeed. With the exception of small
quantities, which are caught by such of the natives
as are able and inclined in good weather to go a-fish-
ing, for the immediate use of their families, little or
nothing is secured for the market in many of the
Western isles. The natives of Lewis island must,
however, be excepted, who are in this respect rather
industrious, and catch considerable quantities of cod
and ling on the western coast of their island. The
London cod-smacks furnish ample proof that white
fish of this description is still abundant in the open
channels which surround the Northern Hebridean
isles. These vessels are furnished with ' wells/
into which the fish is put alive, and is brought in
that state to the British capital. A certain number of
these vessels visit the Lewis coast annually, and sup-
ply the London market during the season with con-
siderable quantities of fish in excellent condition.
When the London season is over, they are generally
engaged for some weeks in supplying the Stornoway
fish-curers with the fruits of their industry, giving
them the ling for sixpence or so each, and the cod
for threepence or fourperice, according to size and
quality. It is said that hand-lines are the only
tackle made use of by these English fishermen ; and
that they are possessed of so much skill in their vo-
cation, that a vessel, by leaving Stornoway on Mon-
day morning, and resorting to banks in the deep seas,
returns on the following Saturday evening, having
almost incredible quantities of fish on board. About
the year 1810, an English fish speculator of the name
of Degraves, visited the shores of Orkney and Shet-
land, and there carried on his traffic with consider-
able success. The fishermen whom this gentleman
employed were Dutch ; and, it is reported that, had
he not ruined his prospects with over-speculation,
the undertaking would have proved very successful.
Several years ago a man from Fraserburgh, in the
county of Aberdeen, went to the coasts of South
Uist, where, from his skill and perseverance in fish-
ing, he not only benefited himself by his industry,
but also the natives of Uist by his example. He had
in all four boats and twenty-one men, and his specu-
lation was so successful, that he cured about forty
tons offish during the season. The greatest fishing
now carried on in the Western isles, besides that by
the London vessels already mentioned, is by the
Irish, who have frequented for some years back the
different banks in the channels between Barra-head,
Coll, and Tirree. They are supplied with large Port-
ross wherries, well-adapted for the boisterous sta-
tions which they make choice of, as well as for carry-
ing the produce of their labours, generally, to the
Irish markets."
Climate.
Westerly winds, which prevail on the average
during 8 months in the year, bring deluges of ram
from August till the beginning of March. But often
in October and November, and, in general, early in
March, a stubborn north-east or north-north-east
wind prevails ; and, though the coldest that blows,
s generally dry and pleasant. Due north and south
winds are not very frequent, and are seldom of more
' than two or three days' continuance. The moun-
tainous tracts of Jura, Mull, and Skye, sending up
I summits from 2,000 to upwards of 3,000 feet above
j the level of the sea, intercept the clouds from the
1 Atlantic, and draw down on the lands in their
vicinity a large aggregate of moisture ; but they, at
I the same time, modify the climate around them, and
J serve as a screen or gigantic bield from the stern
onset of careering winds. The comparatively low
islands, Coll, Tirree, North Uist, and Lewis, though
sharing plenteously enough in moisture, are probably
as dry as any district in the western section of the
Scottish continent. Snow and frost are almost un-
known in the smaller isles, and seldom considerably
incommode those of larger extent. The medium
temperature in spring is 44° ; and in winter is pro-
bably never known, on the lower grounds or in the
vicinity of a dwelling-house, to descend lower than
5° below the freezing- point. Owing to the com-
parative warmth of the region, and to the lowness
and the vicinity to the coast-line of the arable
grounds, grasses and corn attain maturity at an earli-
ness of period altogether incredible by one who,
while he considers the high latitude and the saturat-
ing moisture and the unsheltered position of the
islands, does not duly estimate the mollifying effects
of their own mountain-screens, and the powerful in-
fluences of their being so deeply and variously serrated
by cuts of the sea. In the southern isles sown hay
is cut down in the latter end of June and till the
middle of July, and, in the northern isles, 10 or 14
days later ; in all the isles barley is often reaped in
August, and crops of all sorts secured in September;
and in Uist, Lewis, and Tirree, bear or big has
ripened and been cut down within ten weeks of the
date of sowing. Nor is the climate less favourable
to animal life than to vege ,ation. Longevity is of
as frequent occurrence as among an equal amount of
population in any part of Europe ; and diseases for-
merly deemed of peculiar prevalence are gradually
losing their malignant and epidemical characteristics.
So salubrious, in fact, are the Hebrides, that the na-
tives, if the other natural advantages of the islands
could be enjoyed in a degree proportionate to the
pure and bracing air, might, in spite of their local
seclusion and the rough character of their Highland
and insular home, be pronounced on a par, as to the
physical appliances of real well-being, with the in-
habitants of some of the finest countries of the world.
Mineralogy.
The Hebridean minerals may, for popular pur-
poses, and with reference to their practical value,
be better viewed apart than if they had been
glanced at in connection with the geological distri-
bution of the islands. Coal has been discovered in
all the large islands except those of the Long Island
group, but either in so small quantities or under such
disadvantageous circumstances, that attempts to work
it either have not been made or have uniformly fail-
ed. T. hat of Skye either occurs among stratified rocks,
in thin seams of rarely a few inches, overwhelmed or
cut off by trap, or it lies enclosed in trap, generally
in irregular nests from one-fourth of an inch to a foot
in thickness. The largest mass of it hitherto known
lay in Portree harbour, and, after yielding 500 or 600
tons, was overwhelmed by the fall of superincumbent
rocks of trap. The coal of Mull occurs, in one place,
in a bed nearly 3 feet thick, but though subject to
repeated attempts at being worked, it has hitherto
— probably from the interference of trap — offered
stubborn resistance, and sent away the miners in
discomfiture. Wherever else the valuable and much
desiderated fossil occurs, it seems — as in Eig and in
several parts of Skye — to lie embedded in sandstone,
I mating with some of the calcareous strata, and
>e so very thin and unpersistent in its lamina*
o offer no hope of repaying search and labour,
per was probably discovered and wrought in
ancient times by the Scandinavians in Islay ; but it
now offers no appearances there which are tempting,
and does not occur elsewhere in the Hebrides. Lead
to exist in Coll, Tirree, and Skye, particularly
in the district of Strath, but has been wrought in
no island except Islay. No fewer than in five places
» Islay was it mined from, as it would seem, dis-
ct masses or independent veins ; and in all of them
has been abandoned. To the north-west of Port
Askaig were mines which yielded between 1761 and
1811 produce to the value of £12,000, whose ore
isisted of galena, intermixed with copper pyrites,
containing enough of silver to have bequeathed
the present proprietor of the island the rare boast
having a large part of his family-plate manufac-
from material found on his own estate. Iron
met with in almost every one of the Hebrides;
in many of the islands, especially in Lewis,
», and Mull, the ore appears to be particularly
Some ore which occurs in Islay is occasionally
jnetic, and is said to produce good iron, and has
lished supplies for exportation. The want of
1, however, has hitherto prevented the Hebridean
of intrinsic iron wealth from being practically
>re than nominal. The most remarkable of the
jbridean metals is quicksilver. In a peat-moss on
western face of the eastern ridge of Islay, two
irts were, upwards of 60 years ago, collected,
eports exist also — though without such substantial
idence as might convince an incredulous or even
rhaps a cautious inquirer — that manganese, cobalt,
tery, and native sulphur have all likewise been
ind in Islay. Fuller's earth is found in the district
Strathskye, and alum-earth in the neighbourhood
Megstadt in Trotternish. Limestone, the most
;ful mineral for the Hebrides, occurs in several of
in inexhaustible abundance. Regular lime-
are erected in many parts of Islay, in three
:es in Lismore, and in some localities in Skye,
produce vast quantities of lime for exportation,
rl is found in most of the large islands, and has
turned to great account in Islay, and some
rts of Skye. Marble of tolerable quality has been
rried on the Duke of Argyle's property in Tirree,
on Lord Macdonald's estate of Strath in Skye ;
it occurs also of interesting character, though
well capable of adaptation to the arts, in lona.
'he marble of Skye, where there are hills of the noble
tone, and where chief though faltering attention
has been paid to its claims, exhibits several varieties.
Though all white in its ground-colour, and, in one
variety, unmixed with any tint, it has one variety
with a scarcely discernible shade of grey, — another,
with variously disposed veins of grey and black, re-
sembling the common veined marble used in archi-
tectural ornaments, — another with narrower and
well-defined veins often almost regularly reticulated,
— another distinguished, independently of the veins,
by a parallel and regular alternation of layers of pure
white and greyish white, — and another variously
mottled and veined with grey, yellow, purple, light
tfreen, dark green, and bkck. Of all the varieties
the most valuable is the pure white, which appears
the best adapted in its qualities to the uses of sta-
tuary. Slates form one of the principal articles of He-
bridean export. Easdale, Belnahuagh, and the adja-
cent islands, yielded, for some period before 1811,
upwards of 5,000,000 u-year, and employed nearly
200 workmen in preparing them for the market.
As the slates sold at 30s. per 1,000, the annual value
of the produce was £7,500, — a vast sum for ground
HEBRIDES
701
whirh would not let for £20 in corn or grass. Luing
;ui<l Seil and other islands now greatly attrar
notice of tourists in the steamers from the Crinan
omul northward, by their great diversity of t
and by the lively scenes of their extensive sUtc-
quarrying establishments.
Manufactures and Commerce.
The Hebrides may be said, with the exception of
kelp, to have almost no manufacture; and, with the
exception of bartering the produce of the sea, the
mine, the natural aviary, and the limited soil, for tin-
wares of more favourably situated communiti
have no commerce. Projects for establishii
gular manufactories at Tobermory were made de-
pendent on the unplastic, intractable, and slow-
moving inhabitants of Mull for the supply of work-
men, and braved the competition not only of Glasgow,
but of the favoured though clumsy native manufac-
turers; and they, in consequence, failed. An attempt
of Mr. Campbell of Islay to introduce the weaving
of book-muslin on his property, by importing some
families from Glasgow, providing them with cottages,
and placing around them, in a locality where pro-
visions are cheap, the appliances of a manufacturing
colony, remained, in 1836, of doubtful success, and
probably has not yet been finally tested. The spinning
of yarn, at one time, formed a staple in Islay, and con-
tinued to prosper till superseded by the Glasgow ma-
nufactories. While it nourished it employed all the
women on the island, and produced for exportation
so much as £10,000 worth of yarn in a year ; but it
is now limited to supply for domestic consumption.
The distillation of spirit from malt has very exten-
sively ceased in its illicit form, but, from the legal
still, is carried on to a great extent in Islay. But,
in general, the manufactures of the Hebrides — or
what, in the absence of better, must be called such —
are of remarkably patriarchal and simple character.
Clusters of twenty or more farmers give employment
to women and girls in carding and spinning wool, and
to men, accommodated with looms in little work-
shops or cottages, in weaving it into plaiding, blan-
kets, and other coarse fabrics ; and they maintain,
in the same way, wrights, tailors, smiths, shoem
and other handicraftsmen, in their respective voca-
tions. Each customer provides the material for the
work to be done, and makes payment, either in
money, or by conceding the temporary use of a por-
tion of land ; and, in the article of cloth, he n
it as it comes from the loom, and acts the part of
dyer for himself, very probably tincturing it with a
hue destructive of its whiteness by a i
primitive, and not unlike what was praetiM d a h-w
years ago by the untamed natives of the gorgeous
islands of the Pacific.* " I was assured by an old
man in Jura," says Lord Teignraouth, "that the
coat which he wore cost but two shillings." .M..-i
persons who enjoy the luxury of stockings inu>t pro-
cure it either from their own knitting-wires or from
those of some member of their family. The making
of brogues, as a succedaneum for >m>cs whil-
extrusive, is a somewhat peculiar ami strictly a home
manufacture. The material, or cow-leat
ped df it- hair by prolonged immersion in lime-
iirnl then taimell by being steeped in wml
hark. The brogue is stretched with thongs of calt-
leather, instead of the r«»ined thread of hemp em-
ployed on shoes, and freely admits water ; but it is
• With the exception of blue and scarlet, the Hebride «
duce H variety of dyes from native plants Tim- tin- common
line Milord* a fine permanent yellow, which, however, u not n
favourite colour in the ioUnda. A brown re,i M on'.H.m-d |, ,,.n
the yellow bed.-tiaw; Mark is procured from th,- root. ..I the
white water-lily, and the o.minon buit.-r bur : Hi" )itrii haviurf
b«'fii pn
mmerkfd in a solution of copper *,
7G-2
HEBRIDES.
fortified at the toe with a double ply or a patch of
leather to protect it from the effects of the edgy
collision of the heath ; and, though only an eighth
or a seventh less expensive than a shoe, it seems
very extensively, even where the latter might be
obtained, to occupy a favourable place on — in two
senses of the word — the understandings of the na-
tives. Except in the Outer or more westerly He-
brides, however, the facilities of steam-navigation,
and easy access to the grand emporium of Scottish
manufactures on the Clyde, have already very much
curtailed the range of the native manufacture, and
created a taste for the more refined fabrics imported
into the islands. Had not the Hebrideans hitherto
evinced indifference to acquire the arts with which
free intercourse with the continent of Scotland has of
late years made them acquainted, and even shown an
utter indisposition to learn lessons advantageously
offered respecting them, they might already have
been in a state of far advanced transition from their
patriarchal usages to those of incipient competition
with the neighbours who are invading their markets
and revolutionizing their social tastes. But even
the inhabitants of the South Sea islands, who 30
years ago were almost wholly in a degenerately sa-
vage condition, have, proportionately to their previous
attainments, prospered more in the acquisition and
the tact of manufacturing skill than Scotland's West-
ern islanders. Mr. Graham, in his report addressed
to Mr. Fox Maule, under date May 6th, 1837, says : \
" A few people (but a great minority of those whose
opinions on the state of the Highlands I had an
opportunity of gathering) hold the opinion, that a
good deal might be done for the surplus population ,
in getting employment for them in the manufactories
in the great towns, or in establishing works for them J
near their own homes. How far a certain proper- \
tion of the population might find employment in this
way, it is surely worth while to inquire. The habits
and language of the people, however, are much •
against their reception in the manufactories in the ;
great towns ; and it is alleged there are associations ;
of the native interests in those places against their j
admission. The ignorance of the people disquali- !
fies them from permanent employments, which they
might otherwise obtain by moving southwards. They
are rivalled successfully even in what used to be
their own especial work in the harvest season, by
the great influx of Irish, men and women, who now
find their way into the south of Scotland. Exten-
sive works in their own country might only tend to
increase a population dependent entirely upon their
endurance. Several exertions have recently been
made to prop up the kelp-manufacture still. Estab-
lishments have been erected for manufacturing soda,
the muriate of potass, and carbonate of soda; the
largest of these, for the present, is inactive, and the
next in scale has not existed long enough to establish
its chance of success ; but such works must be
limited in extent, and the relief they can afford must
be but partial. I was casually informed that a house
at Glasgow has lately pointed out a new channel for
the consumption of kelp, in the production of iodine
for manufacturing purposes ; but it is probable that
this outlet cannot give rise to a great increase in the
consumption of the commodity. Many parts of the
Highlands are peculiarly adapted for the establish-
ment of manufactures, from the extent of water-
power, and other facilities ; but unless these come
chiefly as the results of private enterprise, they have
never yet been forced with any advantage in any j
country."
Agriculture.
The Hebrides — though more populous and aggre-
gately productive than the same extent of the con-
tinental Highlands, or even of the mountainous part
of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland,
and possessing, in comparison with all Scotland, an
amount of value nearly proportionate to their rela-
tive extent — are but a few degrees superior in the
arts of agriculture to what they are in those of ma-
nufacture. Yet the islands are not, in the aggregate,
naturally sterile. Though a stranger may hastily
excite suspicion respecting them by talking — more
with a view ta poetic effect than from regard to as-
certain and convey a correct estimate of their cha-
racter— of Jura's ' mass of weather-beaten barren-
ness,' and of ' the obtruding sterility of the stormy,
cloud-enveloped Rum,' — and though he may even be
misled by the state of total neglect in which several
isles have lain for ages, by the scarcity of timber, by
the broken and desultory system of tillage extensively
followed, and by the absence, to a great degree, of
enclosures, and of the results of draining and im-
provement, to form conscientiously an unfavourable
opinion ; yet, on a close inspection, he will find, in
many parts, as fertile a soil, and, but for the want of
a fair sheltering and adorning with trees, as varied
and beautiful a surface, as in almost any portion of
Great Britain, and he will distribute his feelings intt
admiration of the bountifulness of the Creator, anc
poignant, condemnatory regret for the ingratitude
and the sloth, or for the ignorance and the ill-directed
exertions of man. In a region so extensive, a great
diversity of soils and of surfaces may be expected to
exist — so great as, with difficulty, to be even re-
motely represented, in a rapid and geneial state-
ment. Islay has 36 square miles of a thin stratum
of decomposed limestone, occasionally intermixed
with clay and gravel, several miles of rich clay upon
gravel, and some thousands of acres of fine old loam.
Jura — despite the rashly rhetorical sarcasm of Pen-
nant which we have quoted — contains some fertile
patches of clayey gravel, and of loam mixed with
cailloux routes, and many hundred acres of improve-
able moss. Mull, while very various in soil, has
generally, in the south and south-west, a thin but
sharp and fruitful surface of decomposed granite and
basalt, occasionally mixed with clay, upon gravel 01
rock ; and, in the north and north-west, a thin soil of
decomposed whinstone, carpeted with comparatively
poor and scanty pasture. Skye has, excepting pure
sand, all the diversities of soil in all their modifications ;
in one parish it has 4,000 acres of as fine loam, and loam
and clay, upon a gravelly bottom, as are to be found
in Scotland; and, in general, from Megstadt or Dun-
tulm, it has a surface rich in agricultural capacities
and loveliness. The Long-Island group possesses
extensively a soil of decomposed granite which, when
mixed with clay, or with marine productions, or when
assisted by the manures plentifully furnished on the
spot, yields abundant crops of the common grains of
the district. Lismore is all limestone ; and, where
tolerably well-managed, exhibits great luxuriance of
vegetation. Gigha, though surfaced with reddish
clay and gravel, arid an admixture of decomposed
schistus, granite, quartz, and sandstone, and inferior
in natural capacities to other islands, is one wide field
of segmented and intersected agricultural beauty, and
an evidence to the world of what a large section of the
Hebrides might become under the operations of im-
provement. Though, then, two-thirds of the whole
Hebridean surface must be deducted for moss — a de-
duction from arable ground only, but a real and valu-
able addition to the wealth of the district in the sup-
ply of fuel, and, to a large extent, a territory offering
scope for the play of georgical enterprise — and though
a considerable fraction more must be deducted for
sand ; yet, considering how Highland is the charactei
HEBRIDES.
'the region, a large aggregate remains to be classi-
d as productive, and even as highly fertile soil,
r. James Macdonald, in 1811, estimated the whole
•brides, including the Clyde islands, to contain
180,000 Scottish acres of arable and meadow land ;
i,000 occupied by villages, farm-houses, gardens,
gentlemen's parks; 10,000 occupied as glebes,
churchyards, and by schoolmasters; 5,000 under
itation and natural wood; 700, 000 of hill-pasture,
ring rent and partially enclosed; 30,000 of kelp-
js, dry only at low- water; 22,000 dug for peat,
occupied by roads, ferry-houses, and boats; 25,000
barren sands; and 600,000 of mountain, morass,
undrained lake, yielding little rent. In all
,000 Scottish acres.
The Hebrides were, for sometime preceding 1811,
tributed into 49 estates ; 10 of which yielded from
0 to £500 of yearly rental, 22 from £500 to
,000, and 8 from £3,000 to £18,000; and 6 of
largest were in the possession of noblemen. But
Mull and Skye, and some of the smaller islands,
number of proprietors often fluctuates. A fifth
of the whole region is under strict entail ; and
2-fifths are the property of absentees. The
it estates are managed by resident stewards or
who usually reside on them, and superintend
conduct of the tenants. The state of property
neither very favourable, nor the reverse, to agri-
Itural improvement. Nor, amid the mixture of large
of small estates, is it easy to determine on which
3, in general, the spirit of improvement has been
t abroad. Four sets of men are in contact with
soil, and wield its productive destinies, — pro-
;tors, who keep their lands under their own ma-
jnt,— tacksmen, who hold lands by lease of
proprietor, — tenants, who hold lands without
and during the proprietor's pleasure, — and sub-
lants, who hold from year to year, either of the
)prietor or of the tacksman. Some of the pro-
;tors who work their own lands, have extensive
ites, and are keen and successful agriculturists ;
others are resident simply because their proper-
want capacity to support both their own families
those of tacksmen. The tacksmen — a totally
Ferent class of persons from the Lowland farmers,
mected with the proprietors by clansmanship or
isanguinity, possessing leases of from 9 to 99 or
»n a much larger number of years, valuating their
mnds, not by the acre or by productiveness in
•n, but solely by capacity of rearing and maintain-
ing cattle, and making pretensions, in many instances
just ones, to the status of gentlemen — are, from
various causes, in possession of the greater part of
the Hebrides, and have, with some exceptions, seri-
ously prevented the ingress, or blocked up or impeded
the march of agricultural improvement. But while
some — such as those of Mr. Campbell of Islay— -have,
under the inspection of their landlord, moved in the
very van of improvement, and been, in general, an hon-
our to their order, all, as a class, act a useful and even
necessary part in maintaining government and good
order in the district. Tenants are becoming more
numerous as the tacksmen die out, and pay troin £5
to £20 of yearly rent ; but, in consequence of the
insecurity of their tenure, they seldom attempt im-
provements. The sub-tenants are a class similar to
the cotters of the Lowlands, responsible for a rent
rarely exceeding £3, which they usually pay in la-
bour ; and as they almost always support large fami-
lies in a state bordering on complete idleness, they
would tare much better, and prove more useful mem-
bers of society, were they, in the strict sense of the
word, day-l;:l>ourers. They are oppressed and ren-
dered actionless by a spirit of enslavement ; they
often prefer having their children about them in a
state of abject misery to what the\ esteem the bard-
ship of driving them into service; and, ch-t;-
any prospect of independence, and amounting in
number to probably 40,000, they sit so heavily on
the soil as very greatly to daunt expectation of it*
being soon brought under these geor^ieal influences
which have so generally diffused beauty and exul-
tancy over the face ot the Lowlands of the continent.*
Except in Gigha, and portions of Islay, Mull, and
Colonsay, the Hebridean farms are estimated and
allotted, not by measurement of area, but by the
ploughgate of tillage or the quantity of corn used for
seed, and by aggregate productiveness in kelp, and
• John Bowie, Esq., in his evidence before the Select com .
mittee on Emigration, in February |£tl, states that he know*
one estate, the farm-rental of wlu.-h •' xmonnu to juVAJO a.
year, and that rental is paid by I,lu9croften> , the rental on tha
average being £4 IV. 5d each. But it is n. alter of notoriety
that, in the Highlands of Scotland, crofts are not occupied by
one party or family alone ; almost every other has two, three,
and even sometimes four tannin-- on it ; therefore if, in the
c;i-e I allude to, I take oue-half of the crofts as each p.
two families, and take live to a family, 1 find a populat on of
8,310 living upon a landed rental of £5,£tt, which gives a rental
ot 12s. 7d. per individual. There is another estate with whicli
I am also very intimately connected, where I bring out a similar
result, showing that the rental per head is 13d. bd. over a popu-
lation of 2,337. Mr. Ur..ham, in his letter to Mr. F»x Maule, al-
ready refei red to, says on this subject : " The tendency to over -
population is not sufficiently retrained by regulation* in the
management of properties. In a few well. regulated farms, and in
some case* on small properties, especially uhere they are farm,
ed by the proprietors tnemselves, there is complete evidence
that the thing may be done, and there is every appearance th«t
the subject will soon be taken up on a system by the larger
proprietors in general. The overpopulation has increased
chiefly under the operation of the crottlng system, or '.he mi.
nute subdivision ot possessions, either directly permitted to too
great an extent, or connived at by the landlords with the oh.
ject or in the consideration of taking in inn in and waste land.
Some of these hold directly from the landlords, sometimes only
from a kind ol middle-man or greater tenant ; in both .a-et
there are instances where the system is not attended with bad
effects : but it is the abuse of the system which makes the prac.
tice objectionable ; and in the general absence of regulation:! or
limitations it is very difficult, with the present habits ot High-
landers, to prevent its abuse , these poor people often hold
patches of land at two or three times its value of rent. If the
allotment has been a fair one once for a single family, it in many
cases has been split down to an arrangement lor three farcilien.
On these t-pots, as in Ireland, they do what they can to ra.-e
potatoes for rearing large families, for whom there is no em.
ploy inent. The rents are paid by that worst of all methods, the
work of the cottier and his •amny. If the superiors are heart-
less, the amount of wages is entirely in their hurifc If the
labour on the laud is not sufficient, the produce ol the fisheries
is taken to account of the rent ; and having no power to better
their condition, these poor people are almost unavoidably con-
signed to a state of degraded and hopeless slavery. 1 he-e are
the extreme cases, which, however, I fear, in complicated ma-
nagements, are not infrequent. The more common
without the intervention of the managers, and where the pop,..
lation themselves are chiefly to blame, and arises from Uie rapid
growth of two or more families on a spot which was origma.ly
not more than a bufficient adaptation for one. To n*. the words
of a private communication wluc.i was handed to me on the
subject : 'The croft or cottier system in a country where there
is no capital, no trade, no fishing, no manufacture, has been
very prejudicial. Indolence and ignorance are fostered; hu-
man beings are multiplied in proportion to the imrease of
poverty, and the people, seeing no pm,n,-. -t ol improving their
condition, give way to a sullen despondency, that incnpt.ciutes
them for those act.ve and an.matmg exi-t.o,,,, wlm-h are as
necessary to mental enjoyment as they an- to b,.<J.ly ...mlort
and worldly prosperity.' Another cause of crowded popula-
tion in villages and particular spots ^riling sometime* out of
the desire of curing the former evil), springs from the deter,
mination of the proprietors to abolish joint-holding*, ana
lirge posses-ions or to change the syntem.i of , ultivat.on or
management. If this is done with too much celerity, MI influx
is directed upon ,ome other spot, where the mean, of subsist,
ence, perhaps, an- not to be procured; and while impr,,<
mentgoes on in one part, addition. iy priiiMiient
misery is iuflirted on another part. On tne mainland
the islands of Mull and Sky.', and even in *,,me port.,,..
Long. bland, a great change has been produied ..y the
in the Uumber ol sheep farm*. The rearing ol ..iack-cattle hnd
a .l.rect leinlency to support a greater proportion o pop
tinn ; but, niice turnips have been so »,.. ,,<lu«ed,
and applied to the feeding ... -sheen ; and . nr« j*cwrf.«£to
human beings."
7<U
HEBRIDES.
aggregate capacity to rearing and maintaining stock.
Mr. Macdonald conjectured the average rental, in
1811, to be 5s. for each sheep, 25s. for each full-
grown cow, and from £12 to £60 for each plough-
gate of arable land. But Islay — the centre of influ-
ence on the Hebrides, and the home of their chief
agricultural value, ' the island ' par excellence in pro-
ductiveness now, as the island in paramount civil
importance in days of antiquity — has copied, in the
allotment and management of farms, very largely
from the practice of the Scottish Lowlands, and set
up among the islands a successful and arousing ex-
ample of departure from their antique and unwieldy
system which they are in the course of slowly and
very profitably following. Houses occupied by pro-
prietors are all built of stone and lime, frequently
three stories high, often by some strange imprudence
in arrangement facing the tempestuous west, garret-
ed and glazed in their roofs, not always rain-proof,
and protected at their main doors by porches. Those
occupied by tacksmen, though far inferior to the snug
houses of considerable farmers in the Lowlands of
Scotland, are, on the whole, tolerably decent and
comfortable; and in some instances, especially on
the large estates, may be pronounced elegant. Those
occupied by tenants and by sub-tenants, are, gen-
erally speaking, wretched hovels, — so wretched, in
the case of the latter, as to be indescribably putrid
and repulsive. What Mr. Pennant said respecting
Islay — though now a foul libel on that generally
beautiful island, and no longer true respecting some
other districts, both entire isles, and large expanses
of the greater islands — is still too correctly descrip-
tive of the domiciles of a large proportion of the He-
bridean tenantry : " People worn down with poverty;
habitations, scenes of misery, made of loose stones,
without chimneys or doors, excepting the faggot op-
posed to the wind at one or other of the apertures
permitting the smoke to escape, in order to prevent
the pains of suffocation. Furniture corresponds: a
pot-hook hangs from the middle of the roof, with
a pot hanging over a grateless fire, filled with fare
that may rather be called a permission to exist than
a support of vigorous life : the inmates, as may be
expected, lean, withered, dusky, and smoke-dried."
The Hebridean implements of husbandry — a some-
what distinct index to the state of agriculture — pre-
sent some features which arrest attention. The
caschrom, probably the oldest tool known in the
region, arid still used in the Long- Island group, and
in parts of Skye, consists of an oak or ash shaft
nearly 6 feet long, — a flattened head nearly at right
angles with the shaft, nearly 3 feet long, about 4
inches broad, and about l| inch thick, — an iron
coulter, of a quadrangular form, attached to the flat-
tened head for penetrating the ground, — and a strong
wooden pin at the junction of the shaft and the head,
for receiving the pressure of the workman's foot.
The labourer works this primitive succedaneum for
a plough, by driving, with two jerks of his whole
body, the coultered head into the soil, and by turning
the clod from right to left, walking backward in the
progress of the operation ; and he is able to pulverize
an acre in 12 days, nearly as well as if it had been
subjected to two ordinary Hebridean ploughings.
The tool, though rude, and costing only 3 or 4 shil-
lings for purchase, and for the service of 10 or 12
years, has advantages over both the plough and the
spade, and is particularly useful in bogs and stony
grounds. In many parts, especially in the granite
range of the Long Island, it seems the only imple-
ment which can be applied to cultivation ; and there
it promises to retain long its ascendancy.* The ristle
* Th* Rev. Alexander Macgregor, in a paper in the 9th vol.
u.nc of ' The Journal of Agriculture,' remarks that, " Though
has a similar object to that of the English scarifica-
tor, but is armed with only one coulter or sickle,
fixed in a small plough, drawn by one horse ; and it
is useful in cutting the strong sward of old land, or
the tough roots of plants, and in making first inci-
sions into stubborn soil. But both this implement,
which employs two men, and the old Hebridean
plough, which employs four horses and from two to
four men, must soon universally give place, as the
latter has already generally done, to the far more eco-
nomical and efficient scarificator and plough of conti-
nental Britain. The clow-maite or wooden tongs,
a powerful pincers, with jaw 10 inches long, and
handles 2£ feet long, and, when worked, drawn from
20 inches to 2 feet apart, is an effective instrument,
known principally on limestone lands for the destruc-
tion of thistles. Theraaken, racan, or clod-breaker,
consisting of a handle 4 or 5 feet long, and a head
rather thicker than the handle sharpened at both
extremities for breaking stubborn clods, and armed
along the face with 5 or 6 wooden teeth, each 3 or
4 inches long and f of an inch in diameter, for pulver-
izing less resisting soil, is a rude, ancient, and unim-
proved implement. Thrashing-mills have, for up-
wards of 30 years, been well-known in Islay, Co-
lonsay, Gigha, Skye, and other islands ; large impor-
tations have been made of modern ploughs, carts,
and appliances of less considerable importance ; yet,
aggregately viewed, the agricultural implements of
the Hebrides indicate a state, at best, of transition
between the cumbrous arid skilless management of
the feudal period, and the adroitery and play of con-
trivance which distinguish modern Scotland.
Three gentlemen of the name of Macneil, the
proprietors respectively of Barra, Colonsay, and
Gigha, all, about the beginning of the present cen-
tury, greatly improved the cultivation of their
estates, and the condition of their dependents.
Barra has recently passed into the hands of a new
proprietor, but is still the scene of some highly
ingenious and beneficial regulations; Colonsay is
famed for good farming, excellent cattle, and ad-
the ' cas-rhrom' is much more expeditious in tilling than the
common spade, yet it becomes a tedious and most laborious
task to till several acres of ground with it. The consequence
is, that the poor people must begin the work of cultivation
even as early as Christmas, and keep toiling at the same under
the boisterous and rainy climate of their country, until the mid-
dle or end of May, ere their labours are finished. By being
thus exposed to the inclemency of the weather, they are seldom
either dryly clad or shod. From this arises among them the
prevalence of inflammatory complaints, diseased action of the
lymphatic system, as also acute rheumatism, pleuritic diseases,
typhus fevers, &c. Besides that the ' ras-chronr mode of till,
ing is both toilsome and tedious, it very much injures the
ground, as it does not turn it up in that regular manner which
is accomplished by the plough. And this is not all; when cul-
tivating with this instrument, it is found necessary to convert
the field into long, narrow ridges, and rounded on the top by
heaping up the earth to carry off the water. The said ridges
are al -o made as crooked, irregular, and distorted as the cha-
racters in the Greek alphabet: and while the latter has no
more perhaps than tour acres in all, much of even that is lost
by the broad and useless spaces which are left between the
ndgea. When the ground is turned over, the sowing com-
inences, winch is generally performed in a slow and awkward
manner. The sower goes backwards, and having a fistful of
seed, he shakes his hand with the tame three or four times, in
a vertical position, betore he disposes of it and is ready for the
next. The harrowing then takes place, which the women for
the most part execute, by dragging after them the fatiguing in-
strumeut. Owing 10 the lightness of the harrow which the
poor women are thus capable of dragging after them, the
ground cannot be made sufficiently smooth ; and to remedy this
they commence anew, with another instrument, called the
'ntcan,' which gives a smooth finish to the whole. The 'ra-
can' is merely a block of wood, having a few teeth in it with a
handle about three feet in length. The poor people must also
convey sea-ware from the shores, manure from their houses to
the field, and peats trom the hills to their dwellings, with the
creel on their backs, which is fastened there by a belt pas.-ing
over their breasts. In harvest they have no alternative but to
carry home the produce of their possessions the best way they
can, the potatoes by the creels, and the corn in bundles uuoii
their backs."
HEBRIDES.
,ble economical management; and Gigha is re-
o ilarly portioned out i)i measured farms, and
cultivated with great skill. Macleod of Rasay, so
far back as 30 years ago, extensively enclosed and
planted his estate, raised some of the best sown
grasses and green crops in the Western isles, and
•.-tinguished by his kindness to his tenantry.
Coll, Rum, and Staffa also, partook, about the same
period, of similar benefits from their proprietors.
Even the Long-Island group, so much more back-
ward than the easterly Hebrides, have had some
spirited improvers. On Lord Macdonald's fine estates
in Skye — though that large island is devoted chiefly
to pasturage, and is far behind the southern isles in
agriculture — several tacksmen have considerably im-
proved the soil, while others are distinguished by
their skill as graziers. But the chief Hebridean
improver, as to both extent and energy, is Mr.
Campbell of Islay. So greatly has that gentleman
^lutionized the agricultural character of the
that while, 18 years ago, it annually im-
grain to the value of £1,200, it is believed
now capable of supplying corn for food to all
the Hebrides and the Western Highlands. The estate
Sunderland, on this island, from being chiefly a
-moss which the sea is supposed to have cov-
ed, has been reclaimed and disposed, partly in pas-
i and partly in arable grounds, with the result of
iigiously increasing its value. Oats of the white
variety are grown in Islay both for home-con-
iption and for exportation, and cultivated, to
extent, in most of the large islands. The
imon wild black oat is raised in Skye and the
Hebrides. Barley is produced in Islay,
Colonsay, and Gigha. Wheat, though expe-
;nted in Islay, does not promise to suit the He-
climate. Bigg, rammle-bear, bear, or the
r-row grained barley, forms one-half of the grain-
of the whole region. Rye is raised in sandy
districts. Turnips, so peculiarly adapted to the
Hebrides, were introduced with such rapidity, that
the little island of Gigha alone had more acres of
them in 1808 than the entire region had in 1707.
Pease and beans seem not adapted to the climate.
Rape and cabbages, though of easy adaptation, have
been tried only in some garden-plots. Potatoes hold
a similar place in the Hebrides to what they do in
Ireland, and constitute four-fifths of the food of the
inhabitants; and the sorts most commonly cultivated
are the Scottish, the round Spanish, the pink- eye,
the long-kidney, and the Surinam or yam. Clover,
both red and white, is indigenous all over the He-
brides, and grows spontaneously on sandy and mossy
soils near the shore; yet, through some unaccount-
able oversight, it is very limitedly cultivated.
The meadows and pastures of the Hebrides are to
t^e full as important as the arable grounds. Mea-
dows, in the strict sense of the word, lie near the
shore, exposed either to the overflow of the sea in
high spring-tides, or to the inundations of lakes or
streams; and, aggregately extending, as was for-
merly stated, to about 25,000 acres, they receive
no further aid from art than a very imperfect and
partial draining in spring and summer, and produce
about 1£ ton of hay per Scottish acre. The pastures
comprehend by much the larger portion of all the
islands, and may be viewed in two great classes, the
high and the low. The high pastures yield herbage
all the year round, consisting of the hardier plants
which delight in pure keen air and a high exposure ;
and the low pastures, though luxuriant and rich r._.
during summer and autumn, are totally useless in Stornoway and IJarvas m Lewis and ,
winter and spring. A vast extent of very rich pas- j 8 miles in North I »t -both made j.t the ,
ture occurs in Skye, Islay, Lismore, Tirree, Uist, | of the proprietors Many s,
and Lewis; and were it properly managed, it might I gunt bridges, all built ot stone and hu.e, carry tlie
annually rear and maintain some thousand head ot
fat cattle for exportation. In 181), th.
number of black cattle in the Hebi
one-fifth of which was annually exported to 1?
and brought, at a low average, £5 a-head. The
breed was originally the same in all the island
it now varies so considerably that the parent
or its unmixed offspring, cannot now with certainty
be anywhere found. Islay and Colonsay, though
not possessing what can be called a peculiar
have, by judicious selections from the native Hebri-
dean and the western Argyleshire breeds, and by
skilful attention to their grazing, attained such su-
periority that, for whole droves, 50 or even 100 per
cent, more has been obtained than the average market
value of cattle from the other islands. The size
preferred by all skilful graziers, as best adapted to
the Hebrides, is that which, when fattened at the
age of 5, weighs, if a bullock or ox, from 30 to 36
i stones avoirdupois, and, if a heifer, from 24 to 30
! stones. Though breeding, and not fattening, is
the principal object throughout the islands, yet the
latter receives some attention. The acknowledged
excellence of Hebridean cheese and butter, is the
effect, not of skill or economy in dairying, but 01
the intrinsic goodness of the milk. One ot the best
and one of the worst milk cows yield together, dur-
ing the summer-season, about 44 pounds of butter
and 88 pounds of cheese. Though a very large por-
tion of the Hebrides is adapted peculiarly or solely
to sheep-pasturage, no proprietor or farmer, till a
comparatively recent date, thought of rearing sheep
with any other view than the supply of his own
family ^vith mutton and wool. But now three dif-
ferent breeds occur, in considerable numbers, on
almost all the larger islands. The native, or more
properly, the Norwegian breed — the smallest in
Europe, thin and lank, with straight horns, white
face and legs, a very short tail and various colours
of wool — was the only kind known in the region
from the period of the Danish and Scandinavian in-
vasions down to about 40 years ago, and so late as
181 1 continued to be more numerous than all other
sheep-stock on the islands. The Linton or Tweed-
dale or black-faced sheep, is here three times heavier
and more valuable than the former, and, at the same
time, is equally hardy. The Cheviot breed has been
successfully introduced to Mull and Skye. The
Hebridean breed of horses is small, active, and re-
markably durable and hardy, and resembles that
found in almost all countries of similar climate and
surface. Excepting in Islay, and on about two
dozen farms throughout the other islands, very little
has been done to improve the breed, or even to pie-
vent it from degenerating. Islay and Eig are the
only islands which export horses. The as-.
withstanding its seeming adaptation to the region, is
unknown in the Hebrides. Hogs, once an obje.-t ot
antipathy to the Hebrideans, are now reared in the
Islay and the Mull groups, and scantily and care-
lessly attended to north of Ardnamurchan point.
The whole of the Hebrides rear fewer poultry than
the island of Bute does, and do not contain one rab-
bit-warren.
Road*.
Most of the larger islands of the three groups next
the west coast of Scotland are as well-pro\i-
most Highland distriets with roads. In INH) the
whole of the very large Long-Island group had only
two pieces of can tage- road,— one ot !."> mi
766
HEBRIDES.
roads across interruptions. In very numerous in-
stances, however, bridges are desiderata in parts of
road already made, and, in not a few districts, re-
main to be desiderated with roads themselves.
Floodgate bridges occur in some localities, — princi-
pally in places recovered from water, or occasionally
exposed to the access of high spring- tides; and they
are generally composed of earth and clay, faced
with stone, of considerable breadth so as to be nearly
impenetrable by water, and are all furnished with
floodgates which open for the outgoing and shut
against the incoming current. The Hebrides re-
ceived a great accession to their facilities of commu-
nication with the lowlands of Scotland by the for-
mation of the CRINAN CANAL, [see that article,]
and a still greater by the invention and enterprise of
steam-navigation. A fine steam-vessel, communi-
cating by portage across the narrow intervening
isthmus with regular steam-vessels from the Clyde,
East Tarbert, plies from West Tarbert to Tslay, and
some other islands. Other steamers, either inde-
pendent of connexion, or communicating with the
great line of steam-navigation between the Clyde
and the Caledonian canal, ply from Oban to Staffa
and lona, to Portree and Skye, and even, once a-
fortnight, to Stornoway in Lewis. Others regu-
larly and directly ply from the Clyde to Tobermory
in Mull, either as their destination, or as a place of
call and of stoppage on their way to Inverness The
Hebrides have three towns or considerable villages,
Tobermory in Mull, Stornoway in Lewis, and Bow-
more in Islay, and have also some hamlets; but, not-
withstanding these — which have rather been imposed
on them by speculators from without, than reared
up from their own resources— they are almost strictly,
throughout their whole extent, a sequestered region
of dissociated, and, for the most part, secluded habi-
tations. They have, accordingly, no regular fairs,
and only such country-markets and such mercantile
gatherings of graziers with their cattle as are secured
by appointment of influential persons on the different
isles, or by notification at the various parish-churches.
Moral condition of the Population.
For a general view of the moral, educational, and
religious condition of the Hebrides, which intimately
resembles that of the Highlands, and is much inter-
woven with it in its history, we refer the reader to
our article on the HIGHLANDS; and here we shall
only make some brief statements, and glance at a
few statistics respecting matters not quite common
to the two regions. The Rev. John Lane Buchanan,
a missionary minister to the Isles from the Church
of Scotland, draws, in a book of his published in
1793, a picture of the ecclesiastics of the outer He-
brides, or Long-Island and St. Kilda groups, very
Tiearly as dark as if the originals of his limning had
been Romish priests of the Middle ages. Utter dis-
regard to the spiritual interests of their flocks, — jea-
lousy and spite against any missionary who had zeal or
conscientiousness, — chicanery, caballing, utter earth-
liness, and shameful devotion to the bottle, — are the
deep dark tints with which he embrowns and black-
ens his canvass. What then — even supposing con-
siderable exaggeration — must have been the moral
condition of the people? Even, too, if the eccle-
siastics were fully what they ought to be — not only
correct in conduct, and zealous in their ministrations,
but spiritually enlightened, thoroughly evangelical,
devoutly prayerful men — they are quite incompetent,
from the fewness of their number compared with
the amount and the wide dispersion of the popula-
tion, to achieve successful efforts for the reclaiming
of their huge and impracticable parishes. Yet very
visible, somewhat extensive, and, in some instances,
most marked improvements on the general moral
character of the islands have taken place. Lewis,
more perhaps than any district in Scotland, has re-
ceived a salutary influence from the Gaelic schools,
— for an account of which see the article HIGH-
LANDS ; and during a providential visit a few years
ago of an eminent Gaelic preacher, Mr. Macdonald
of Farintosh, in Ross-shire, it became, throughout
its length and its breadth, the scene of a strong re-
ligious sensation which, we may hope, has left not
a few salutary and abiding results. St. Kilda, aban-
doned for ages in its loneliness to a companionship
on Sabbath with the sea-fowls, has, for several years
past, enjoyed the residence and the labours of a
well-selected missionary. In Islay — though some
of its districts are still in an uncivilized state — most
of the inhabitants, from being, so late as 18 years
ago, nearly all wild, savage, averse to reformation,
and addicted to smuggling, drunkenness, and plun-
dering of wrecks, have become equal, in external
demeanour, to many districts in the lowlands of
Scotland. In the majority of the inhabited islands,
the amenity of landlords and tacksmen, the appli-
ances of education, an extensive dispersion of the
Scriptures, an improved ministration in the parish-
churches, the stated labours of Church of Scotland
missionaries, and the visits or regular exertions of self-
denied agents of various dissenting communities, have
been instrumental in working, to a greater or less
extent, an observable and benign change. One class
of the community, indeed, with the exception of ac-
cepting Bibles and partially crying for education,
has, in almost necessary accordance with the " sem-
per eadem " boast and spirit of its ecclesiastical con-
nection, remained, as to moral principles of acting
and the influence of superstitions and the elements of
abstract character, in a stationary position. The
Roman Catholics, so far from coming within the
range of the moral machinery which has been the
instrument in religiously ameliorating the He-
brides, nestle as closely under the wing of their
priesthood as during the period of almost utter
ecclesiastical neglect of the Hebrides; and to evan-
gelical and philanthropic Protestants, they are an
object deeply interesting, not only from their resist-
ance of the influences which are at work for the
well-being of the other Hebrideans, but from their
numbers and their insular intrenchment, consti-
tuting, as they do, the predominant population of
Barra, Benbecula, South Uist, Canna, and part
of North Uist. Entire sections also of the no-
minally Protestant community remain nearly or
quite as wild, ignorant, and uncared-for as before
the period of moral improvement commenced. A
glance at the church and school-statistics of the
Hebridean parishes, as exhibited in their respective
places in our work, will show that the beneficial
changes which are in progress necessarily occur
within seriously contracted limits. The parish of
Kildalton, in the Islay group, for example, compre-
hends a large section of the island of Islay, and the
inhabited islets, Ardmore, Ardelister, and Texa;
measures 14 miles by 8 ; and has upwards of 3,000
inhabitants ; yet it possesses church-accommodation
for only 600 persons, some of whom are 10 miles dis-
tant from the church, while all produce an average
attendance of only 325; and has just one school, with
an average attendance of about 55, and three Sabbath-
schools with an average attendance of 90. The par-
ish of Kilmeny, in the same group, with an area of
66 square miles, and a population of 2,100, was, till
lately, without any moral provision whatever, and
even yet commands an average attendance at its
church, with 362 sittings, of only 250 persons, nnd
has one school and one Sabbath-school, average ly
HEBRIDES.
767
in
m
OH
ttended by only about 80. The parish of Jura and quainted with the Hebrides. and made occasional
olonsay which comprehends the islands of Jura, descents on them soeariy at he Ho "of thTsJh
Scarba, Lunga, Balnahua, Colonsay, Oronsay, and turv, and during the whole of the 9* SoJ
the Garvellach or Mare islands, and is about 45 miles ! Norwegian kfaa who 8i*tpH tl,
' **£'£ , '
' r"h ** ll>Iltlh"-
length, with a population of 2,300, has only one
inister, 249 church - sittings, an average church-
attendance of 150, and a school and a sabbath-school
attended by about 60. The parish of
the coasts of Norway.
na, Eig, Hum, and Muck, lying mutually many
iles distant, has no other exterior moral appliances
a dwelling-house occupied as a place of worship
Roman Catholics, a school -house of 80 sittings
occupied as a parish-church, a school in Eig, and a
Gaelic itinerating school in Muck. Other exam-
these being selected nearly at random —
exhibit a destitution quite as great, and in
instances greater, throughout by far the larger
of the whole Hebridean region. Nor does
prospect of material amelioration appear either
- or distinct. Christian men in the highest
legitimate sense of the word, are the party
ly and deeply responsible for attempts at
2ment somewhat commensurate with the
dsting evils. But churchmen, with the excep-
>n of the missionary but utterly inadequate exer-
>ns of their General Assembly's committee, con-
it themselves with invocations upon government,
idependents and Baptists seem satisfied to have
le inconsiderable lodgments on some five or
of the islands ; and the bulk of Scottish dissen-
as well as the whole body of both churchmen
dissenters south of the Tweed, appear entirely
leir ease simply as lookers-on, or, more strictly,
lookers-off, — caring not a rush, so far as their
'jns testify, whether the whole Hebrides blaze
by some latent energy into a renewal of their
icient ascendency in knowledge and moral worth
the Scottish continent, or become submerged
id extinct in the Atlantic. With so fine a field of
lissionary and moralizing enterprise as the Hebrides
their door, the Christian community of Britain,
long as they all but entirely neglect it, ought to
j fewer and less magniloquent words than they
respecting their high and cosmopolitan spirit of
icvolence, and the lofty enlightenment and liber-
ty of their out-field exertions. — The Hebrides are
stributed quoad civilia into 26 parishes, — Braca-
Diurnish, Kilmuir, Portree, Sleat, Snizort, and
th, in Skye, — Barvas, Lochs Stornoway and
in Lewis,— Killarrow, Kilchoman, and Kildal-
in Islay,— Kelninian, Kilfinichen, and Torosay,
the
to his kingdom. In 889, the petty kings, or vi/.in,,r,
shook off his authority, and bearded him anew in his
Norwegian den ; and next year they were again pent
up in their insular fastnesses, and complete!* en-
thralled. But Ketil, their subjugator, and the
sary of Harald, worked himself into their favour, re-
nounced the allegiance of his master, proclaimed
himself king of the Isles, and established a dynasty
who, though they maintained brief possession, are
the only figurants in the annals of about 50 years.
In 990, the Hebrides passed by conquest into the
possession of Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, and under the
government of a jarl or vice-king of his appoint-
ment ; they soon after were under the power of a
king, or usurper called Ragnal Macgophra ; in 1004,
they were again seized by Sigurd, and probably con-
tinued under his sway till his death, 10 years later,
at the famous battle of Cluantarf in Ireland ; in
1034, they were, after some alienation, reconquered
by Earl Thorfin, the son of Sigurd ; from 1064 to
1072, they were annexed to the Irish dominions of
Diarmed Macmaelnambo ; and they next passed into
the possession successively of Setric and his son
Fingal, kings of the Isle of Man. Godred Crovan,
a Norwegian, having landed on the Isles as a fugitive
in 1066, gradually drew around influence and force,
and, in 1077, after a desperate struggle, subdued and
ejected Fingal ; and he afterwards extended his con-
quests to the Scandinavian vikingrship of Dublin,
and a large part of Leinster, and stoutly tried the
tug of war with Malcolm Canmore, king of E
land. In 1093, Sigurd, the son of Magnus Bare-
foot, king of Norway, in revival of the Norwegian
claims which had long lain in abeyance, was placed
by a powerful and conquering force on the throne ..(
the Isles; and two years later, Godred Crovan, the
dethroned prince, died in retirement on the island of
Islay. Sigurd being called away, on the death of his
father, in 1103, to inherit his native dominions, Lag-
onan, the eldest son of Godred Crovan, was, seem-
ingly with Sigurd's consent, elected king of the Isles;
and, after a reign of seven years, he abdicated in fa-
' vour of his brother Olave, a minor, and went on a
nd Barra, Gigha and Carra, Harris, Jura, pilgrimage to Palestine. Donald Mactade, a nominee
ore, Small Isles, Tirree and Coll, North Uist, of Murchard O'Brian, king of Ireland, was sent at
South Uist, in the smaller islands. Districts,
jwever, have, of late years, been detached from
several, and erected into quoad sacra parishes.
Among these are Kilmeny, lona, and Icolmkill,
Ulva, Slenscholl, Trumisgarry, and St. Kilda. The
parishes, with some additions from the nearest parts
of the continent, constitute the five presbyteries of
Isla and Jura, Mull, Skye, Uist, and Lewis ; the
first and second in the synod of Argyle, and the
others in the synod of Glenelg.
History.
The early history of the Hebrides — except in its
the request of the Hebridean nobles, to act as re-
gent during Olave's minority ; but be played so ob-
noxiously the part of a tyrant as to be indignantly
turned adrift after a regency of two years. •
assumed the sceptre in 1113, and swayed it ,
fully and prosperously till 1154, when he was mur-
dered in the isle of Man, by his nephews, the sons of
Harald. Godred the Black, Olave's son, succeeded
him, and, early in his reign, conducted some sin
ful wars in Ireland; but, pulled up with vanity and
disposed to domineer, he speedily alienated th<
tions and poisoned the allegiance of his su
Somerled, the powerful and ambitious Lord of Ar-
gyle, who had married Kagahildi.-, the daughter of
ecclesiastical department, for which see the article Olave, who had some remote daim> on the 1!
ICOLMKILL — is scanty, interrupted, and somewhat dean throne by his own am e>tor». and \\ho 1>. .
uncertain. The original inhabitants seem to have the founder of the great family of Mar.donald, I
been Albanich, Caledonians, or Picts, displaced or j of the Isles, now carried his son Dugall, the infant
overrun in the southern islands by Scots, and en- nephew of Godred, through all the elands, except that
tirely modified in their character by settlements of of Man, which was thereat of the ro\ai
Scandinavians. The pirates of Norway were ac- and compelled the principal inhabitant* to give ho»u
HEBRIDES.
ages on his behalf as their king. Godred, informed
late of the rebellious proceedings, sailed away with
a fleet of 80 galleys, arid gave battle to the rebels ;
but was so gallantly resisted, and became so doubt-
ful of success, that, by way of compromise, he ceded
to the sons of Somerled the Scottish Hebrides
south of Ardnamurchan. The kingdom of the Isles
was now, in 1156, divided into two dominions, and
rapidly approached its ruin. In 1158, Somerled, act-
ing nominally for his sons, invaded and devastated
the isle of Man, drove Godred to seek a refuge in
Norway, and apparently took possession of all the
Isles; and, in 1164, becoming bold in the spirit of
conquest, he menaced all Scotland, landed a powerful
force on the Clyde near Renfrew, and there perished
either in battle with Malcom IV., or by assassination
in his tent. The northern isles now returned with
the isle of Man to Godred ; Islay was allotted to
Reginald, a son of Somerled ; and all the other isles
were inherited by Dugall, in whose name they and
the whole Hebrides had been seized by Somerled.
All the princes, and afterwards three successors to
their dominions, were contemporaneously called
Kings of the Isles, and appear to have held their
possessions in subordination to the kings of Norway.
The Scots having long looked with a jealous and
ambitious eye on the existence, so near their shores,
of a foreign domination, Alexander II. died on the
coast of Argyleshire, at the head of an expedition
intended to overrun the Isles. In 1255, Alexander
III. ravaged the possessions of Angus Macdonald,
Lord of Islay, and descendant of Reginald, in re-
venge of his refusing to renounce fealty to the king
of Norway, and gave it to himself. In 1263, Haco
of Norway poured down his northern hosts on the
intrusive Scots, drove them from the Isles, chased
them into Ayrshire, but, seeing his army shattered
by adverse elements, and by a rencontre at Largs,
retired to an early grave in Orkney. Alexander III.
now resumed his schemes with so great vigour, that,
in 1265, he obtained from the successor of Haco, a
cession of all the Isles to Scotland. Islay, and the
islands adjacent to it, continued in the possession of
the descendants of Reginald ; some of the northern
isles were held by the descendants of Ruari, both
sons of Somerled, and Skye and Lewis were con-
ferred on the Earl of Ross, — all in vassalage to the
Scottish monarch. In the wars of the succession,
the houses of Islay and of the North Isles gave
strenuous and hearty support to the doubtful fortunes
of Robert Bruce. In 1325, Roderick MacAlan of
the North Isles, intrigued against Robert, and was
stripped of his possessions ; and about the same date
Angus Oig of Islay received accessions to his terri-
tories, and became the most powerful vassal of the
crown in the Hebrides. John, the successor of An-
gus, adopted different politics from his father's, joined
the standard of Edward Baliol, and, when that prince
was in possession of the throne, received from him
the islands of Skye and Lewis. David II., after the
discomfiture of Baliol, allowed John to have posses-
sion of Islay, Gigha, Jura, Scarba, Colonsay, Mull,
Coll, Three, and Lewis ; and granted to Reginald,
or Ranald, son of Roderick MacAlan, Uist, Barra,
Eig, and Rum. Ranald dying, in 1346, without heirs,
Amie, his sister, married to John, became his heir ;
and John, consolidating her possessions with his own,
assumed the title of Lord of the Isles.
The wearer of the new-born title and wielder of
the power which it implied, resisting or revenging
some fiscal arrangements of the Scottish govern-
ment, broke loose into rebellion, and, after being
with difficulty subdued, was, in 1369, reconciled
with David II., a year before the king's death. Hav-
ing previously divorced his first wife Amie, and mar-
.'"' i
H:gb
ried Lady Margaret, daughter of Robert,
Steward of Scotland, he, in 1370, when Robert suc-
ceeded to the throne, altered the destination of the
Lordship of the Isles, so as to make it descend to his
offspring by his second wife, the grandchildren of
the king. Ranald, a younger son of the first wife,
and more accommodating and wily than Godfrey his
eldest son, who claimed the whole possessions, ex-
pressed formal acquiescence in the alienating arrange-
ment from the rightful line of descent, and was re-
warded by a grant of the North isles, as well as lands
on the continent, to be held of the Lords of the Isles.
John died in 1380, after having propitiated monkish
and priestly favour by liberal largesses to the church,
and obtained from the cowled and insatiable beggars,
who happened to monopolize all the pitiful stock of
literature which existed at that period, the posthu-
mous and flattering designation of " the good John of
Islay." Donald, his eldest son by the second mar-
riage, succeeded him as Lord of the Isles ; and,
marrying Mary Leslie, who afterwards became
Countess of Ross, was precipitated, with all the
clans and forces of the Hebrides at his heels, into the
well-known contest with the Regent Albany respect-
ing the earldom of Ross, and into its celebrated up-
shot, the battle of Harlaw. Acknowledged by all
the Hebrides, even by his half-brothers, as indisput-
ably Lord of the Isles, admitted to have earned in
liberality and prowess and lordly qualities what he
wanted in strict justness of claim, and possessing
strictly the status of the first Earl of Ross of his
family, he died, in 1420, in Islay, and, as his father
had been before him, was pompously sepultured in
lona. Alexander, the third Lord of the Isles, was
formally declared by James I. to be undoubted Earl
of Ross, and, in 1425, was one of the jury who
handed the Duke of Albany, and his sons, and the
aged Earl of Lennox, over to the slaughter. Hav-
ing become embroiled with his kinsmen, the de-
scendants of the first Lord of the Isles by his first
marriage, and having shared in conflicting agencies
which had thrown the Hebrides into confusion, he
was, in 1427, summoned, along with many He-
bridean and Highland chieftains, to appear before a
parliament convened at Inverness. No sooner had
he and his subordinates arrived than, by a strata-
gem of the King, they were arrested, and conveyed
to separate prisons. Though suffering himself no
other castigation or inconveniency than temporary
imprisonment, he was galled by the execution of not
a few of his chieftains, and roused to revenge by the
indignity practised on his own person ; and, in 1429,
he made a levy throughout both the Isles and his
earldom of Ross, and, at the head of 10,000 men,
devastated the crown-lands in the vicinity of Inver
ness, and burned the town itself to the ground. The
King, informed of his proceedings, so promptly col-
lected troops, and led them on by forced marches,
that he confounded the Lord of the Isles by suddenly
overtaking him in Lochaber, won over by the mere
display of the royal banner, the Clan Chattan and
the Clan Cameron, two of his most important tribes,
and so hotly and relentlessly attacked and pursued
him that he vainly sued for terms of accommodation.
The Lord of the Isles, driven to a fugitive condition,
and despairing to escape the pursuers whom the
King, abandoning personally the chase, had left to
hunt along his track, resolved to cast himself on the
royal mercy ; and, on the eve of a solemn festival,
clothed in the garb of pauperism and wretchedness,
he rushed into the King's presence, amidst his as-
sembled court in Holyrood, and, surrendering his
sword, abjectly sued for pardon. Though his life
was spared, he was endungeoned for two years in the
castle of Tamtallor ; and he learned there such leS-
HEBRIDES.
769
of rebuke from his chastisement, that, when
3r wards pardoned by parliament for all his crimes,
he conducted himself peaceably, and even rose into
ivour. During the minority of James II., he held
responsible and honourable office of Justiciary
Scotland north of the Forth ; and, probably more
its occupant, than in the use of his power as Lord
'the Isles, he drove the chief of the Clan Cameron,
10 had deserted him in his conflict with the Crown,
into banishment to Ireland, and virtual forfeiture of
•us lands. In 1445, however, he took part in a trea-
ible league with the Earls of Douglas and Craw-
rd against the infant- possessor of the royal throne,
id probably contemplated nothing short of aiding
usurpation ; but, before his treasons had time
be sunned into maturity, he died, in 1449, at
his castle of Dingwall. John, the 4th Lord of the
Isles, and the 3d Earl of Ross, having sold him-
self to the rebellious and mischief-making Earls of
Douglas, who had justly though too severely reaped
the fruits of the royal displeasure, despatched, in
1455, an expedition of 5,000 men to Ayrshire against
James II., but reaped little other fruit than the ra-
vaging of Arran and the Cumbraes, the wringing of
some exactions from the isle of Bute, and the driv-
ing into exile of the bishop of Argyle or Lismore.
Finding himself balked by his faithless allies, the
Earls of Douglas, John, Lord of the Isles, made his
submission to the King, and seems to have been fully
received into royal favour. In 1457, he filled the
very important and responsible office of one of the
wardens of the marches; and, in 1460, previous to
the siege of Roxburgh castle, he offered, at the head
of 3,000 armed vassals, to march in the van of the
royal army so as to sustain the first shock of conflict
from expected invasion of the English, and was or-
dered to remain, as a sort of body-guard, near the
King's person. But, on the accession of James III.,
he gave loose anew to his rebellious propensities,
and, in 1461, sent deputies to the King of Eng-
land who agreed to nothing less than the contem-
plated conquest of Scotland by the forces of the
Lord of the Isles jointly with an English army.
While hiss deputies were yet in negociation, he
himself impatiently burst limits, poured an army
upon the northern counties of Scotland, took pos-
session of the castle of Inverness, and formally as-
sumed a regal style of address and demeanour. In
1475 — though he had been previously forborne for
14 years, and allowed, by compromise or connivance
to run unmolestedly a traitorous and usurping ca-
reer— he was sternly denounced as a traitor and re-
bel, and summoned to appear before a parliament
in Edinburgh to answer for his crimes. Held back
by a sense of guilt from confronting his accusers,
or showing face to his judges, he incurred sentence
of forfeiture ; and, menaced with a powerful arma-
ment to carry the sentence into execution, he gladly
put on weeds of repentance, and, under the unex-
pected shelter of the Queen and of the Estates of
parliament, appeared personally at Edinburgh, and
humiliatingly delivered himself to the royal cle-
mency. With great moderation on the part of the
King, he was restored to his forfeited possessions;
and, making a voluntary surrender to the Crown of
the earldom of Ross, and some other continental
possessions, he was created a baron and a peer of
parliament by the title of Lord of the Isles. The
succession, however, being restricted to his bastard
sons, and they proving rebellious, John, either ac-
tually participating in their measures, or unable to
exculpate himself from the show of evidence against
him, was finally, in 1493, deprived of his title and
estates. A few months after his forfeiture, making
a virtue of necessity, he voluntarily surrendered his
Lordship ; and, after having become, for some time,
a pensioner on the King's household, he sought a re-
treat in Paisley abbey, which he and his ancestors
had liberally endowed, and there sighed out the last
breath of the renowned Lords of the Isles.
James IV. seems now to have resolved on mea-
sures for preventing the ascendency of any one
family throughout the Isles ; and, proceeding warily
and liberally to work, he went in person to the West
Highlands to receive the submission of the vassals of
the Lordship. Alexander of Lochalsh, who was the
presumptive heir before the last Lord's forfeiture, John
of Islay, who was the descendant of a side branch from
the first Lord, John Maclean, of Lochbuy, and other
chief vassals immediately waited on the King, and
were favoured with an instateraent by royal charter
in their possessions ; and the first and the second
received, at the same time, the honour of knight-
hood. But several other vassals of power and in-
fluence delaying to make their submission, the King
made a second and a third visit to the western coast,
repaired and garrisoned the castle of Tarbert, and
seized, stored, and garrisoned the castle of Dun-
averty in Cantyre. Sir John of Islay, deeply offended
at the seizure of Cantyre, on which he made some
claims, came down on the peninsula when the King,
with a small rear-body of his followers, was about to
sail, and stormed the castle of Dunaverty, and hanged
the governor before the King's view. James IV.,
though unable at the moment to retaliate or punish,
soon after had Sir John and four of his sons cap-
tured, carried to Edinburgh, and convicted and exe-
cuted as traitors. A year after, he made a fourth
expedition westward, and received the submission
of various powerful vassals of the defunct Lord-
ship, who hitherto had declined his authority. In
1496, an act was passed by the Lords of Council,
making every chieftain in the Isles responsible for
the due execution of legal writs upon any of his
clan on pain of becoming personally subject to the
penalty exigible from the offender. In 1497, Sir
Alexander of Lochalsh firsi invaded Ross, and was
driven back by the Mackenzies and the Munroes, and
next made an ineffectual attempt to rouse the Isles
into rebellion round his standard, and drew upon
himself, in the island of Oransay, a surprise and
slaughter from Macian of Ardnamurchan, aided hy
Alexander, the eldest surviving son of Sir John of
Islay. In 1499, the King suddenly changing his po-
licy, revoked all the charters he had granted to the
vassals in the Isles, and commissioned Archibald,
Earl of Argyle, and others, to let, in short leases, the
lands of the lordship within all its limits as they
stood at the date of forfeiture. The vassals, seeing
preparations afoot for their ejection, and having now
amongst them Donald Dubh, whom they viewed as
the rightful Lord, and who had just escaped from an
incarceration, one main object of which was to pre-
vent him from agitating his claims, formed a subtle,
slowly-consolidated, and very dangerous confederacy.
In 1503, Donald Dubh and his followers precipitated
themselves on the mainland, devastated Bad.
and wore so formidable an insurgent aspect as to rouse
the attention of parliament, and agitate the whole
kingdom. Though all the royal forces north of the
Clyde and the Forth were brought into requisition,
and castles in the west were fortified and garrisoned,
and missives, both seductive and menacing,
thrown among the rebels, two yea: mired
for the vindicating of the King's authority. I.,
the army acted in two divisions,— the northern,
headed by the Earl of Hm.tly, and the southern,
rendezvoused at Dumbarton, and led by the Earls
of Arran and Ar-\le, .Marian «» Anlnamurel,;m,
and Macleod of Dun vegan ; but, except its besieging
770
HEBRIDES.
the strong fort of Carneburg, on the west coast of
Mull, and probably driving the islanders quite away
from the continent, it did little execution. But,
next year, the King personally heading the invasion
of the Isles on the south, while Huntly headed it
on the north, such successes were achieved as com-
pletely broke up the insurgent confederacy. Tor-
o.iill Macleod of Lewis and some other chiefs still
holding out in despair, a third expedition was under-
taken in 1506, and led to the capture of the castle
of Stornoway, and the dispersion of the last frag-
mentary gatherings of rebellion. Donald Dubh, the
last male in the direct line of the forfeited Lords
of the Isles, was again made prisoner, and shut up
in Edinburgh castle. Sheriffs or justiciaries were
now appointed respectively to the North Isles and to
the South Isles, the courts of the former to be held
at Inverness or Dingwall, and those of the latter at
Tarbert or Lochkilkerran ; attempts were made to
disseminate a knowledge of the laws ; and the royal
authority became so established that the King, up to
his death, in 1513, was popular throughout the islands.
In November, 1513, amid the confusion which fol-
lowed the battle of Flodden and the death of James
IV., Sir Donald of Lochalsh seized the royal
strengths in the islands, made a devastating irruption
upon Inverness-shire, and proclaimed himself Lord of
the Isles. The Earl of Argyle, and various other
chieftains in the western islands, exhorted by an act
or letters of the council, adopted measures against
the islanders, but only checked, and did not subdue
their rebellion. Negotiation achieved what arms
could not accomplish, and, in 1515, brought the re-
bels into subjection, and effected an apparently cor-
dial reconciliation between Sir Donald of Lochalsh and
the Regent Albany. In 1517, however, Sir Donald
was again in rebellion ; but he so disgusted his fol-
lowers by deceptions which they found him to have
used in summoning them to arms, that they indig-
nantly turned upon him, and were prevented, only
by his making an opportune flight, from delivering
him up to the Regent. In 1527, the tranquillity of
the Isles was again menaced by the inhuman conduct
of Lauchlan Cattanach Maclean of Dowart to his
wife, Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Archibald, second
Earl of Argyle. On a rock, still called " the Lady's
Rock," between Lismore and Mull, the lady was ex-
posed at low water by this monster, with the inten-
tion of her being swept away by the tide ; but, be-
ing accidentally descried by a boat's crew, she was
rescued, and carried to her brother's castle. One of
the Campbells unceremoniously taking revenge by
assassinating the truculent chief, the Macleans and
^he Campbells both ran to arms for mutual onset,
and were prevented from embroiling the Isles only
by the special interference of government. In 1528,
all grants of the Crown lands in the Isles, made dur-
ing the regency of the Earl of Angus, and consider-
able in extent, having been withdrawn, the Clan
Donald of Islay and the Macleans, who were inter-
ested parties, rose up in insurrection ; and drew
down a devastation upon large portions of Mull and
Tirree, by the Campbells, in revenge of sanguinary
descents upon Roseneath and Craignish ; and, in the
same year, disastrous broils accrued in the North Isles
from a feud between the Macdonalds and the Mac-
leods of Harris. Nearly the whole Hebrides being,
in 1529, in a state of insubordination and tumult,
James V. made vast military and naval preparations
for visiting them in person, and inflicting on them a
royal castigation ; and he so overawed the Islesmen
by the multitudinousness and the might of the hosts
which he seemed about to precipitate on their terri-
tories, that many of their considerable chiefs hur-
riedly poured in letters and messages of submission.
The King no longer esteeming his personal presence
necessary, the Earls of Argyle and Murray, respec-
tively, in the north and in the south, headed de-
partments of the expedition, and, more by the mere
display than by the application of the force which
they commanded, reduced all the islands to obedience
and order. Alexander of Isla'y, the most active mover
in the insurrection, having in an abject manner
placed himself wholly at the King's mercy at Stir-
ling, was not only, on some easy conditions, freely
pardoned, but even enriched with accessions to his
estates ; and in 1532, this pardoned insurgent was
despatched at the head of 7,000 or 8,000 to Ireland,
to make a diversion in favour of the Scots in
their war with England. In 1539, Donald Gorme
of Sleat, the next lineal male heir of the Lords of
the Isles after Donald Dhu, who continued in im-
prisonment, became the centre of an extensively
ramified conspiracy for re-edifying the lordship of the
Isles and the earldom of Ross on their ancient basis;
and, strengthened by a numerous alliance, made a
descent from Skye, upon Ross-shire, wasted the dis-
trict of Kinlochen ; but while attacking the castle
of Elandonan, he was mortally wounded by a poisoned
arrow, and bequeathed to his followers only the dis-
asters of a hurried retreat, and the responsibility of
a fruitless insurgent expedition. Though the insur-
rection was now at an end, the King, strongly re-
senting the object of it, sailed, in 1540, with a
powerful armament, from the Forth, round the north
of Scotland, to the Isles, and landed successively on
Lewis, Skye, Mull, and Islay, took on board his ships
all the principal chiefs, disembarked at Dumbarton,
and thence sent the chiefs captive to Edinburgh.
Some stringent regulations seem now to have been
made, though they have not come down to posterity,
respecting the future preservation of Hebrideaa
order and subordination ; and several of the more
intractable and dangerous chiefs were denied their
personal freedom ; others who were liberated, were
obliged to give hostages for their good conduct ; and
all the islanders were overawed by the garrisoning
with royal troops of some of the strengths of their
territory. The early death of the King, however,
in 1542, prevented his vigorous measures— the only
ones of competent energy which had ever been hi-
therto adopted toward the turbulent Hebrideans —
from bringing their fruit to maturity.
Donald Dubh, the immediate heir of the lordship
of the Isles, after having been forty years a prisoner
from the period of his attempt to seize his inheri-
tance, again broke from his jailers in 1543, and was
received with enthusiasm by the people of the Isles.
The Regent Arran in miserable policy exulted in his
escape, as in the prospect it afforded of carving out
embarrassing work for the Earls of Argyle and Huntly,
who had large possessions within the territories of
the forfeited lordship, and, in order to give indirect
but most efficient aid, shortsightedly liberated the
chiefs and hostages whom the late King had placed
| in custody for the conservation of the Hebridean
i peace. Donald Dubh, supported by all the chiefs of
| the isles except James Macdonald of Islay, made a
j descent on the Earl of Argyle's territories, and per-
\ formed such feats of plunder and slaughter as de*
j tained the Earl from prosecuting some intrigues of
state. The Regent Arran suddenly changing his
1 views on the leading political question of the day —
support or resistance of the views of the King of Eng-
land, made munificent offers to Donald Dubh and the
liberated chiefs to induce their detachment from the
English party, but was mortified with total failure,
and doubly mortified to reflect, that, by connivance
at Donald, and the liberation of the chiefs and host-
ages, he had himself originated the evil which he
HEC
771
IIKI.
vainly negotiated to avert. In 1544, during the
)edition of the Earl of Lennox to the Clyde, the
nders readily responded to a call by that com-
idei and the English king, perpetrated hostile
es in all accessible quarters where support was
to the Earls of Argyle and Huntly, and, in
ic instances, gave bonds of future service to
rland. Among the English in their defeat, in
at Ancrum, was Neill Macneill of Gigha,
of the Hebridean chiefs, — present, possibly, as
ambassador from Donald Dubh. In June, 1545,
Regent Arran and his privy council learning
the islanders were in course of formally trans-
in their allegiance from Scotland to England,
against them a smart proclamation, and, after-
rds, seeing this to be regarded as a mere " bmtum
;n," commenced prosecutions for treason against
principal leaders. On the 5th of August, how-
r, Donald Dubh and his chiefs in capacity of Lord
Barons of the Isles, appeared, with 4,000 men
180 galleys, at Knockfergus in Ireland, and
re, in the presence of commissioners sent to treat
them, formally swore allegiance to England ;
acting under the advice of the Earl of Lennox,
regarding him as the real regent of Scotland,
zy did not consider themselves as revolting from
Scottish monarch. Four thousand armed men
at the same time, left behind them under
rs in the Isles, to watch and check the move-
its of the Earls of Argyle and Huntly ; and these,
common with the 4,000 in attendance on Donald,
re kept in pay by the English king to take part in
contemplated but abortive expedition against
id, and, immediately after Donald's return,
jlled among themselves respecting the distri-
>n of the English gold. Donald dying toward
close of the year, at Drogheda in Ireland, seem-
ingly while in the train of the baffled and retreating
Earl of Lennox, the islanders elected James Mac-
donald to succeed him in his titular Lordship of the
Isles. Yet the Macleods, both, of Lewis and of Har-
ris, the Macneills of Barra, the Mackinnons and the
Macquarries, who had supported Donald, stood aloof
from James Macdonald, and asked and obtained a re-
conciliation with the Regent ; and, in the following
year, the Island-chiefs, in general, were exonerated
from the prosecutions for treason which had been
commenced against them, and sat down in restored
good understanding with the Scottish government.
James Macdonald now dropped the assumed title of
Lord of the Isles, and seems to have been the last
jrson who even usurpingly wore it, or on whose
jhalf a revival of it was attempted.
t this date of the utter extinction of the cele-
title of the Lord of the Isles, we properly
?e our historical account of the collective and dis-
tinctive Hebrides. Almost all the events which fol-
lowed were either strictly common to the Islands and
the Highlands, and fall to be exhibited in our article
on the Highlands, or clannish feuds, or other occur-
rences transacted in limited localities, and occur to
be noticed, so far as they are worthy of mention, in
our articles on particular islands, or particular He-
bridean objects.
HECK. See FOUR TOWNS.
IIECLA. See SOUTH UIST.
HEISKER, a small island of the Hebrides, lying
about 2 leagues westward of North Uist. It is
nearly 2 miles in length, but very narrow. The
soil is sandy, and yields very little grass, and it was
formerly only valuable for its kelp shores.
HELDAZAY, a small island near the south coast
of the mainland of Shetland.
HELENSBURGH, a delightfully situated water-
ing-place, and handsome little town, on the north
shore of the frith of Clyde, at thi- entrance ol the
Gareloch, Dumbartonshire. It stands on tin- turnpike
from Glasgow, through Dumbarton and Arroquhar,
to Inverary, and sends away, over the soft hill be-
hind it, an easy line of communication with Luss and
Balloch ferry ; and is distant 8 miles from Dumbar-
ton, 23 miles from Glasgow, 17 miles from Arro-
quhar inn, and 4 miles, by water, from Greenock.
The town is arranged in a terrace toward the sea,
and parallel streets or lines of houses behind, with
short intersecting streets which cut the main tho-
roughfares at right angles, and is thus a slender par-
allelogram ; but, at both ends, it straggles pleasantly
along the shore and melts gently away into rural so-
litude through the medium of successive villas. As
seen from the opposite shore, it is a town dressed in
white, and seems to be keeping perpetual holiday ;
and, in certain and not infrequent combinations of
shade and sunshine, it appears to be a miniature Ve-
nice, a city of the sea, resting its edifices, with their
clearly-defined outlines, on the bosom of the bur-
nished or silvery waters. Though its streets are not
compact, and are altogether destitute of the finer
adornings of architecture, they present — even where
the buildings are capriciously asunder — an agreeable
appearance to the eye. Most of the houses have
been built solely or chiefly as sea-bathing quarters,
and are not unworthy of their pretensions to be a
pleasant summer-home to the families of the plodding
and wealthy merchants of Glasgow. The town has
two hotels, a branch-office of the Western bank, and
a savings'-bank. At the east end is an elegant and
commodious edifice called the Baths, where the
luxury of immersion in any degree of temperature
may be enjoyed. For persons who love to luxuriate
all day amid the beauties of landscape, there are in
the vicinity choice rambling-grounds ; and for such
as wish to please the intellect jointly with the taste,
there are a public reading-room, and a somewhat ex-
tensive public library. The town, with the excep-
tion of a little weaving, has no manufacture, nor any
suitable employment for its inhabitants, but depends
for subsistence almost wholly on its capacities as a
watering-place ; and, while joyous, bustling, and full
of life during the bathing-season, it fades away and
languishes toward the approach of winter, and, like
the vegetable creation and the hybernating dormant
animals, waits in sluggish inaction the return of the
warm spring for the revival of its energies. The
smallness and incommodiousness of its quay would
seem to be a hinderance to its prosperity. Yet five or
six steamers ply daily between it and Glasgow during
7 months of the year, making each three trips, one up
and two down, or two up and one down in the day ;
and even during winter, 2 or 3 make daily trips,
and keep up the communication ; while there is al-
most hourly communication with the opposite port
of Greenock, and thence by railway to Glasgow. At
the west end of the village is the mansion of Ardincaple,
surrounded with pleasure-grounds which charm the
eye with their beauty. Directly opposite, on the Rose-
neath side of Gareloch, rise the stately towers of
Eloseneath castle from amidst a green sea of forest.
A mile and a quarter beyond Ardincaple are a snug
spot around Row church, and a projecting point into
Gareloch, from both of which splendid views are ob-
tained east, south, and west. Between Row point
and the Roseneath shore a ferry-boat constantly
plies, and up to both the Helensburgh steamer
heir way, introducing tourists and pleasure-p I
and lovers of fine scenery, to fairy nooks in tin- \i-
ciliity of Rosen. -at li church and ca>tlc, and tu van-
tage-ground for the survey <>t •.•.ui\iu
views, which arc thrilling) attradivc.
apart from its environs, Helensburgh, within its m\u
HEL
772
HER
limits of observation, is curtained round by quite
enough of the brilliance of landscape to shut out the
tormentors from every sort of ennuyee except the
cynic. In front of it, but some points to the west,
rise the gentle swells of Roseneath, rolled into va-
riety of surface, belted in some places, and clothed
in others with wood, and foiled by the deep brown
or the snowy white summits of the Argyleshire
mountains cutting the sky-line with their rugged
edges in the distance ; south-eastward, the broad
low peninsula of Ardmore brings an invasion of fo-
rest on the frith of Clyde on the foreground, and the
Renfrewshire hills slowly recede up a frilled and
chequered gentle ascent of verdure till their summits
undulate on the horizon in the back-ground ; and
right in front Port-Glasgow, just visible past the
point of Ardmore, Greenock, with its grove of masts
in the front, and its terraces or straggling buildings
climbing the acclivity in the rear, and Gourock,
beautifully foiled by the intervening and thoroughly
wooded Castle-point of Roseneath, stretch out be-
fore the eye at such intervals of distance as finely
combine town and country landscape, and repose
against such an immediate background of miniature
highland hills, and behind so beautiful an expanse of
land-locked water, with its stir of ship and steam-
boat and wherry, as, if they do not astonish and
thrill, impart the more prolonged enjoyment of calm
delight. — Helensburgh was erected into a burgh-of-
barony in 1802, and holds of Sir James Colquhoun,
Bart, of Luss. It is governed by a provost, 2 bailies,
4 councillors, a treasurer, and a dean-of-guild. All
inhabitants of full age who have a house and gar-
den within the burgh by feu or lease of 100 years,
are burgesses, and they annually, on the llth of
September, elect the magistrates and council from
among their own number. In terms of its charter,
the town is authorized to have a weekly market
on Thursdays, and 4 annual fairs. The town was
founded in 1777 by its superior, Sir James Col-
quhoun, Bart., and named after his wife, Helen, the
daughter of William, Lord Strathnaver, son and
heir apparent of John, 19th Earl of Suther-
land. After the commencement of the present cen-
tury, it was the scene of the successful efforts of
the ingenious Henry Bell to propel vessels by steam.
After all the original steam-projectors had ceased to
make experiments, Mr. Bell having employed Messrs.
John Wood and Co., of Port-Glasgow, to build a
steam-vessel of 30 tons burden, he personally con-
structed an engine for it of 3 horses' power, ap-
plied the paddles, imposed on it the name of the
Comet, and, after several experiments, dismissed it,
in January 1812, on a course of regular navigation
between Glasgow and Greenock. Though con-
fronted with piratical claims, and obliged to com-
bat powerful influence exerted on their behalf, he
wrung from the jury of the civilized world an
acknowledgment of his having been the first per-
son in Europe who successfully propelled a vessel
by steam on a navigable river ; and, so far as scene
of residence makes genius the common property
of a limited community, he wreathed the garland
of his fame round the brow of the smiling little
town of Helensburgh. He died at the Baths of
the town in March 1830, aged 63, and was inter-
red in the parochial burying-ground. — Helensburgh
stands, quoad civilia, near the eastern verge of the
parish of Row. But, in 1839, when a part of the
Original Burgher body, including the congregation
in this town, joined the Establishment, it was erected
into a quoad sacra parish. The parochial place of
worship is, of course, simply the quondam meeting-
house of the Original Burghers. The congregation
was established in 1823 ; and the meeting-house —
now the church— was built in 1824, at the cost of
£1,000. Sittings 700. Stipend £100.— An Indepen-
dent congregation in the place was established in 1800.
The chapel was built in 1801, at the conjectured
cost of £350 or £400. Sittings 550. Stipend £70,
but variable — A small Baptist congregation was
established about the year 1831, and meets in the
wing of a dwelling-house rented as a place of wor-
ship. Sittings 80. No stipend The town has a
boarding-school conducted by the Independent
minister, a girl's boarding-school ; and possesses a
due proportion of schools of the ordinary class. Po-
pulation, in 1817, 450 ; in 1821, 600 ; in 1835, 1,400;
in 1840, probably 1,600.
HELL'S CLEUGH, a hill in the parish of Kirk-
urd, in Peebles-shire, rising 2,100 feet above the le-
vel of the sea. On the summit is a cairn, called the
Pyked-stane, from which there is an extensive
prospect of Fife and Perth shires, the mouth of the
Forth, and the Eildon and Cheviot hills.
HELL'S SKERRIES, a cluster of small islands
of the Hebrides, about 10 miles west of Rum. They
are so named from the violent current which runs
through them.
HELLISAY, one of the smaller Hebrides, lying
between Barra and South Uist.
HELMSDALE, a large and thriving village,
situated in the parish of Loth, Sutherlandshire, at
the mouth of the Helmsdale river, from which it
takes its name. It is built on the property of the
Duchess of Sutherland, for the accommodation of
those cottagers whom the new mode of sheep-farm-
ing has driven from the rural districts of Sutherland-
shire, and dates its existence from the same period
as Port-Gower and Golspie, and here a good harbour
has been finished, to which immense fleets of fishing-
boats resort during the herring-season. It is acces-
sible to large vessels only at high water.
HELMSDALE (THE), a river of Sutherland-
shire. It takes its rise from Loch-Coyn, and seve-
ral other lakes, in the parish of Kildonan, and run-
ning in a south-easterly direction, about 20 miles,
falls into the German ocean, about 3 miles south of
the Ord of Caithness. It abounds with salmon.
HENDER, a small island on the west coast of
Sutherland.
HENDERLAND. See BLACKHOTJSE.
HERIOT (THE), a small stream in the parish of
the same name, Edinburghshire. It rises in three
principal head-waters, which all well up on the
south-western boundary of the parish. The two
of longest course, called respectively Blakeup water
and Hope burn, rise within a mile of each other, and
make a confluence at Garval, after having flowed
north-eastward about 4 miles ; and the third, bearing
from its source the name of the united streams, rises
farther to the east, and, after a northerly course of
3 miles, falls into the other streams half-a-mile below
their point of confluence. The Heriot now pursues
a course generally to the north of east, over a dis-
tance of 3^ miles, swelled in its progress by Row
burn from the south, and Heckle burn from the
north; and it then bends south-eastward, receives
the waters of Dead burn from the west, traces for 5
furlongs the boundary between the parishes of He-
riot and Stow, and, at Halltree, pours its accumula-
tions into the Gala. The Heriot is, in strict pro-
priety, the parent-stream, and the Gala 'the tribu-
tary ; the former having, at the point of confluence,
flowed 8 miles, while the latter has flowed only 4£.
Both streams, before uniting, afford excellent
trouting, and, at a former period, occasioned scenes
of poaching which are somewhat lugubriously and
quaintly, though rather graphically noticed by the
writer in the Old Statistical Account. " It is much
HER
773
I IKK
be regretted," says he, " that the gentlemen in
e neighbourhood permit poachers with nets to
dt these prolific rivers. A party of three or four
11 sally out from Edinburgh, Dalkeith, &c., and
a short space fill their creel or bag, by sweeping
ry thing before them. They exemplify the old
>verb, ' All is fish that comes in the net.' Even
the salmon, in close time, which come up to spawn,
not escape a dreadful massacre. During the
hnnnal months, and after a few weeks, the water
covered with lights, composed of old sacks, or
and tar ; and the lister, as it is commonly called,
rd plunging in every hole." The Heriot fre-
itly comes down in impetuous floods ; and, three
__rs ago, it swept away not only the usual prey of
fading torrents, but dikes and walls of ordinary
iry, and, for a brief period, sheeted the low
mnds along its course with a little inland sea.
IERIOT, a parish in the south-eastern part of
inburghshire. It is of an irregular oblong form,
tching north-east and south-west, and is bounded
on the north-west by Temple ; on the north-east by
iched parts of Borthwick and Stow, and by Fala
Stow ; on the south-east by Stow ; and on the
ith or south-west by Innerleithen in Peebles-
ire. Its greatest length, from Blakeup Scars on
south-west to an angle beyond the point where
Edinburgh and Carlisle road enters it on the
i-east, is 7£ miles ; its greatest breadth, from
sley's hill on the north-west to Dewar hill on
south-east, is 4| miles ; and its superficial area is
iputed to be between 23£, and 24 square miles,
riot water, described in the preceding article, di-
it into two not very unequal parts ; but, in the
;r district, is so distributed in its head-streams
their tributary rills, as to figure on the map si-
rly to the distribution of the veins on the back
the human hand. Gala water rises on its north-
stern limit, flows two miles due east ; and there
iming a southerly direction, divides it for half-a-
from a detached part of Stow, then for 1 mile
tersects a wing of Heriot projecting eastward, then
for 1 mile divides it from the main body of Stow,
and finally passes away from it at the point of con-
fluence with Heriot water. Another tiny stream,
from Heriot's cleugh, rises 5 furlongs south of the
source of the Gala, and flows 2£ miles due east to
the Gala at the Tollbar. Except on the lower parts
of these streams, where there are some flat lands,
the whole parish is a congeries of mountainous hills;
and, viewed as a whole, it is a strictly pastoral dis-
trict. Though the grounds on the lower part of
Heriot water are fertile, and when duly cultivated
yield an abundant produce, only about one-tenth of
the area of the entire parish is arable. The hills are,
for the most part, covered with heath and of bleak
and forbidden aspect ; though, in some instances,
jir sides are ploughed up into fields, and being
>ped for a few years, and sown out, afford a rich
;ure for sheep. The hills along the sides and
:itre are the two ranges of the moorfoots, with
their spurs, running along from Peebles-shire, to join
the main body of the Lammermoors at Soutra hill, in
the parish of Soutra. The highest is Blakeup Scars,
and the next in height is Dewar hill ; which rise
respectively 2,193, and 1,654 feet above the level of
the sea. The climate, though cold, is remarkably
healthy. — On the summits of some of the hills are
distinct traces of ancient camps, consisting of three or
more concentric circles, with spaces for gateways.
In the farm of Dewar, on the boundary with Inner-
1 ithen, are the head and footstones of what is called
le Piper's grave," and traditionally reported to be
grave of a piper of Peebles who wagered that, he
lid play from Peebles to Lander with n certain
number of blasts, but became exhausted, fell down,
and was inhumed on the wild and semu -
of his defeat. On Dewar hill, 13 mile north
the grave, is a remarkably large stone, culled — no
one knows why—" Lot's Wife. Nut far from He-
riot house is a stone, on which an unfortuiuu
man was burnt for the imputed crime of witr
and which is called from her, Mary Gibbs. On
Heriot-town-hill-head, and liorth wick-hall-hill-head,
respectively, are a circle of tall stones 70 or 80 feet in
diameter, and three concentric rings or ditches about
50 paces in diameter, which Chalmers says are the
only Druidical remains in Scotland, except those in
the parish of Kirknewton About 4 miles of the
new turnpike between Edinburgh and Innerleithen
cut the parish into parts of one-third and two-thirds;
upwards of 2 miles of the Edinburgh and Carlisle
mailroad run along its eastern extremity ; and a road
runs about 4 miles up its interior along the banks of
Heriot water; but no facility of communication
whatever exists for its south-western division. Po-
pulation, in 1801, 320; in 1831, 327. Houses 53.
Assessed property, in 1815, £3,348 Heriot is in
the presbytery of Dalkeith, and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale. Patron, the Earl of Stair. Stipend
£158 6s. 7d. ; glebe £30. Unappropriated teinds
£123 lls. Id. The parish-church, situated on
Heriot water, was built in 1804. Sittings about
200. Many of the parishioners of Stow find it a
more convenient place of worship than their own
parish-church ; but, on the other hand, about one-
third of the parishioners of Heriot attend the United
Secession meeting-houses of Stow and Fala. Par-
ochial schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4fcd., with £25
fees, and £4 15s. other emoluments. During win-
ter, there is a non-parochial school. The church was
early of considerable value; and, in the ancient
Taxatio, is rated at 30 marks. The manor of Heriot
belonged to the Morvilles, and next to the Lords of
Galloway, and certainly was possessed by Roger de
Quincey, the constable of Scotland. In the division
of De Quincey 's great estates, Elena, the youngest
daughter, who married Allan la Zouche, an English
baron, inherited Heriot ; and she granted the church,
with its tithes and other rights, to the monks of
Newbattle. In 1309, William Blair, the vicar of
" Heryeth," having resigned his vicarage to Lam-
berton, bishop of St. Andrews, the monks of New-
battle obtained a grant from the bishop of all the
vicarage dues. The monks obtained also — though
from whom, or at what date, does not appear — the
lands of Heriot ; and they were proprietors of the
whole parish at the epoch of the Reformation. The
manor, after that epoch, passed into the possession
of Mark Ker, and of his heir, Robert, 2d Earl ot
Lothian ; but it is now distributed among seven
proprietors, the chief of whom is the Earl of Stair,
the patron.
HERMATRA, one of the uninhabited Harris
islands, on which a fishing-station was established
by Charles I.
HERMISTON, or HERDMANSTON, an estate in
the parish of Salt on, in East Lothian. There are
still some remains here of an ancient castle o
talice of the Sinclair*, of which the following tradi-
tion is related :— In the year 1470, Marion and -Mar-
garet Sinclairs, co-heiresses of Polwarth. l.cmg in
the full possession of their e> avarth and
Kimmerghani, were decoyed by their uncle Mnchnr
to his castle of Henlmanston. in l-a-t-Lothian,
arid there they were cruelly detained j, nonets. The
feudal system then reigned in all its horrors, and
every baron had the power of lit.- and death within
his territory. The two young 1 -re in
(real perplexity und terror. Marion, the elcle»t
HER
774
HIG
conveyed a letter by the hands of Johnny Faa,
captain of a gang of gipsies, to George Home, the
young Baron of Wedderburn, her lover, acquainting
him of her own and her sister's perilous situation;
upon the receipt of which, the Baron and his brother
Patrick set out with a hundred chosen men to relieve
the two fair captives, which they achieved not with-
out the loss of lives on both sides, as Sinclair made
a stout resistance with all the force he could collect.
The fair captives were brought off in triumph, and
after travelling all night on horseback across the
Lammermoors, arrived next morning at Polwarth,
guarded by their two young champions, whom they
soon after married, which gave rise to the old song
of * Polwarth on the Green,' and from them descended
the succeeding Barons of Wedderburn and the Earls
of Marchmont.
HERMITAGE (THE), a rivulet in the parish of
Castletown, or district of Liddesdale, Roxburgh-
shire. It is formed by the confluence of two stream-
lets called Twislehope burn, and Billhope burn.
They rise respectively in the north-western and
western extreme angles of the parish, the former on
the north side of Mellingwood hill, and the latter
on the south side of Cauldcleugh hill, at points
about 4^ miles asunder; and, flowing respectively
southward and northward till the distance between
them is only half-a-mile, they then both debouch
eastward, and about half-a-mile farther on, unite to
form the Hermitage. The united stream flows 1^
mile eastward, and 2| southward of east, receiving,
in its progress, several inconsiderable mountain-rills,
sweeping past the dark and venerable tower of Her-
mitage castle, [see CASTLETOWN,] and fringed in
the lower part of the course with natural wood and
plantation, but generally overlooked by wild and
rugged mountain-scenery. It now receives from the
north the waters of Whithope burn, a tributary of 4
miles course, and, half-a-mile down, those of Rough-
ley burn, which rises only half-a-mile from the source
of the former stream, and flows parallel to it over its
whole course ; and the Hermitage, swollen by its
feeders, and driven aside by their collision, makes an
abrupt turn, and runs in a direction nearly due south,
over a distance of 3| miles, along a vale of much
rural beauty, and, 1£ mile above the village of
Castletown, falls into the river Liddel. Its entire
length of course, measuring from the head of Twisle-
hope burn, and including sinuosities, is between 11
and 12 miles.
HE S TON, an islet in the Sol way frith, off the
coast of Kirkcudbrightshire. It is of an oval form,
| of a mile and £ of a mile broad ; and lies about f
of a mile from Almerness Point, between the entrances
to Auchericairn bay and the estuary of the Urr.
HIGGIN'S NEUCK. See AIRTH.
THE HIGHLANDS,
A thinly inhabited division of Scotland, compre-
hending somewhat more than one-half of its surface,
and remarkable for the peculiar character of its an-
cient inhabitants and history, and for a pervading
mixture of wildness, beauty, and sublimity in its
scenery. To define the limits of the Highlands, or
rather to trace the boundary-line with the Lowlands,
requires a previous fixation of the differential or
characteristic features of the region. If by the High-
lands be meant the territory commensurate with the
use of the Gaelic language, and with marked ves-
tiges of ancient Celtic manners, the limits must in-
clude considerable districts in the present day, such
as the isle of Bute, and large tracts in the shires of
Dumbarton, Perth, Forfar, and Aberdeen, which
were undoubtedly included at comparatively a very
modern date. If high lands, in the literal significa-'
tion of the words, be understood, the broad moun-
tain-belts south of the Forth, and south and east of
the Clyde, though sometimes popularly called the
Southern Highlands, were never included by com-
munity of peculiar name or history or manners in
the Highlands properly so designated, and stand far
apart from them in geographical position ; while, on
the other hand, the stretches of low country which
intervene amongst the Highland mountains, and, in
some instances — as in Dumbartonshire and Caith-
ness— come down from these mountains in gentle
slopes to points where they are terminated by a great
natural barrier, never were included in the Lowlands.
Though, with these exceptions, mountainousness of
surface, and the perpetuation to the present day of
the Celtic language and some Celtic usages distinc-
tively characterize the whole Highlands, yet the
definition of the territory which best suks the pur-
poses of history, and, in all respects, most nearly
accords with those of political and moral geography,
is one which makes it commensurate with the coun-
try or locations of the ancient Highland clans. This
definition assigns to the Highlands all the continental
territory north of the Moray frith, and all the terri-
tory, both insular and continental, westward of an
easily traceable line from that frith to the frith of
Clyde. The line commences at the mouth of the
river Nairn; it thence, with the exception of a slight
north-eastward or outward curve, the central point
of which is on the river Spey, runs due south-east
till it strikes the river Dee at Tullach, nearly on the
third degree of longitude west of Greenwich ; it then
runs generally south till it falls upon West- water, or
the southern large head- water of the North Esk; it
thence, over a long stretch, runs almost due south-
west, and with scarcely a deviation, till it falls upon
the Clyde at Ardmore in the parish of Cardross ;
and now onward to the Atlantic ocean, it moves
along the frith of Clyde, keeping near to the conti-
nent, and excluding none of the Clyde islands ex-
cept the comparatively unimportant Cumbraes. All
the Scottish territory west and north-west of this
line is properly the Highlands. Yet both for the
convenience of topographical description, and be-
cause, altogether down to the middle of the 13th
century, and partially down to the middle of the
16th, the Highlands and the Western Islands were
politically and historically distinct regions, the latter
are usually viewed apart under the name of the HE-
BRIDES, and in that light are treated in our work •
See article HEBRIDES. The mainland Highlands,
or the Highlands after the Hebrides are deducted,
extend in extreme length, from Duncansby Head, or
John o'Groats on the north, to the Mull of Cantyre
on the south, about 250 miles ; but, over a distance
of 90 miles at the northern end, they have an aver-
age breadth of only about 45 miles, — over a distance
of 50 or 55 miles at the southern end, they consist
mainly of the Clyde islands, and the very narrow
peninsula of Kintyre, — and even, at their broadest
part, from the eastern base of the Grampians on
the east to Ardnamurchan Point on the west, they
scarcely if at all extend to more than 120 miles. The
district comprehends the whole of the counties of
Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, Cromarty, Inverness,
and Argyle, the large parts of Nairn, Perth, Dum
barton, and Bute, and considerable portions of Elgin,
Banff, Aberdeen, Forfar, and Stirling. Those
counties, all of which are comprehended — with the
exception of Caithness, and the addition of the
Perthshire and Dumbartonshire sections — contain, in
a geographical or physical point of view, nearly all
the territory and the scenic features which are strictly
Highland.
HIGHLANDS.
General Features.
A district so extensive can be but faintly pictured
i a general and rapid description. Mountains, chiefly
)vered with heath or ling, but occasionally, on the
ie hand, displaying sides and summits of naked rock,
id, on the other, exhibiting a dress of verdure,
•ery where rise, at short intervals, in chains, ridges,
oups, and even solitary heights. Their forms are
every variety, from the precipitous and pinnacled
livity, to the broad-based and round-backed ascent;
in general, are sharp in outline, and wild or sa-
jly grand in feature. Both great elongated ridges,
chains or series of short parallel ridges, have a
Availing direction from north-east to south-west,
id send up summits from 1,000 to upwards of
,000 feet above the level of the sea. Glens, valleys,
expanses of lowland stretch in all directions
long the mountains, and abound in voluminous
reams and large elongated lakes of picturesque and
liflcent appearance, — nearly all the inland lakes
rtendingin stripes either north-eastward and south-
jstward, or eastward and westward. Along the
rhole west coast, at remarkably brief intervals, arms
' the sea, long, narrow, and sometimes exceedingly
jgged in outline, run north-eastward, or south-east-
ird into the interior, and assist the inland fresh water
28 in cleaving it into sections. The rivers of the
jion are chiefly impetuous torrents, careering for
while along mountain-gorges, and afterwards, either
cpanding themselves into beautiful lakes and flow-
ig athwart delightful meadows, or ploughing nar-
>w and far-stretching valleys, green and ornate with
passes, trefoils, daisies, ranunculi, and a profuse
ariety of other herbage and flowers. Native woods,
•incipally of pine and birch, and occasionally clumps
id expanses of plantation, climb the acclivities of
ie gentler heights, or crowd down upon the valleys,
id embosom the inland lakes. On the east side, along
! coast to the Moray frith, and toward the frontier in
ie counties of Nairn, Elgin, and Perth, gentle slopes
id broad belts of lowland, fertile in soil and favour-
le in position, are carpeted with agricultural luxu-
riance, and thickly dotted with human dwellings, and
successfully vie with the south of Scotland in towns
id population, and in the pursuit and display of
1th. But almost everywhere else, except in the
iryland of Loch-Fyne, arid the southern shore of
zh-Etive, the Highlands are sequestered, — sinless
town, — a semi-wilderness, where a square mile
of mountain and of flood' should have given birth to
the song of the bard, and afforded material lor the
theme of the sage, in alleges; and that its inhabi-
tants should be tinctured with deep romantic-
ings, at once tender, melancholy, and wild ; and that
the recollection of their own picturesque native
dwellings should haunt them to their latest hours,
wherever they go. Neither, amid such profusion
and diversity of all that is beautiful and sublime in
nature, can the unqualified admiration of strangers,
from every part of Europe, of the scenery of the
Highlands fail of being easily accounted for ; nor can
any hesitate in recommending them to visit the more
remote or unknown solitudes." [' Andersons' Guide
to the Highlands,' pp. 4, 5.]
t Early History and Antiquities.
The Highlands, till less then a century ago, were
exclusively occupied by a people whose manners,
language, and framework of society were strikingly
peculiar, and quite as different from those of the in-
habitants of the south of Scotland, as if the two
races had been separate nations, mutually removed
by the intervention of an ocean. When Agricola
invaded North Britain in the vear 81 of the Chris-
tian era, it appears to have been possessed by
twenty-one tribes of aboriginal Britons, having little
or no political connexion with one another, although
evidently the same people in origin, speaking the
same language, and following the same customs.
The topographical position of these Caledonian
tribes or clans who occupied the district above de-
fined as falling within the Highland territory, and
the adjoining lowland frontiers, at the epoch in ques-
tion, may be thus stated : —
1st. The Damnii, the most important of the
southern tribes, inhabited the whole extent of coun-
try from the ridge of hills between Galloway ami
Ayrshire on the south, to the river Ern on the
north. They possessed all Strathclyde, the shires
of Ayr, Renfrew, and Stirling, and a small part of
the shires of Dumbarton and Perth. According to
Ptolemy the Damnii had six towns ; namely, Van-
duaria, at Paisley ; Colania, supposed to be Lanark ;
Coria, at Carstairs in Eastern Clydesdale; Alauna
on the river Allan, believed by some to be Kier near
Stirling; Lindum near Ardoch; and Victoria, at
Dalginross on the Ruchil water.
2d. The Horestii inhabited the country between
the Bodotria or Forth, on the south, and the Tarvus
greatly more convenient unit of measurement I or Tay on the north ; comprehending the shires of
* * ••• . • , i . • j i i_ r I ^l-«1.«« « I/ immoa n*i/1 l^ifu uM+Vi t Kt> oaut nrri nti rt.
\vh<
sno
lan an acre. A district characterized by such fea
Lures as we have named "necessarily exhibits,
rithiri very circumscribed limits, varieties of scenery
f the most opposite descriptions ; enabling the ad-
lirer of nature to pass abruptly from dwelling on
'ie loveliness of an extensive marine or champaign
Iscape into the deep solitude of an ancient forest,
the dark craggy fastnesses of an alpine ravine ; or
lingering amid the quiet grassy meadows of a
pastoral strath, or valley, watered by its softly-
flowing stream, to the open heathy mountain- side,
whence 'alps o'er alps arise,' whose summits are
'ten shrouded with mists, and almost perennial
ws, and their overhanging precipices furrowed
Clackmannan, Kinross, and Fife, with the eastern part
of Strathearn, and the country west ward of the Tay,
as far as the river Bran.
3d. The Venricones possessed the territory l>« -
tween the Tay on the south, and the Carron on the
north; comprehending Cowrie, Strathmore, Stor-
mont, and Strathardle in Perthshire ; with the whole
of Angus, and the larger part of Kincardinesbire.
Their chief town was Orrea on the Tay.*
4th. The Taixali inhabited tin- northern part of the
Mearns,.and the whole of Abenlecnshire, as far as
the Doveran. The promontory of Kinnaird's hrad,
the Taixalorum promontorium of the Roman*,
included in this district. Devana, on the nortlu -MI
side of the Dee, six miles above its influx into the sea,
was their principal town, \vhich perhap-. Mood on
the site of Nornmndyki-s of the present «
5th. The VaMOMJ inhabited the country on the
southern side of the .Moray frith, irom tin-
by foaming cataracts. Lakes and long arms of the
sea, either fringed with woods or surrounded with
rocky barren shores, now studded with islands, and
anon extending their silvery arms into distant re-
ceding mountains, are met in every district ; while
the extreme steepness, ruggedness, and sterility of on the east to the Ness on the we* ; . n,
many of the mountain-chains impart to them as im- ing the shires ot Banff, Elgin, IS
posing and magnificent characters as are to be seen
in the much higher and more inaccessible elevations
_.i o __'.._ i .1 XV- _ ..),.« 4 L. .in +K»i+ 4 Kiu * luil(l
Ness on the \\t-t; eomprchend-
Switzerland. No wonder, then, that this
• Thi" and the la-t-mentioned tril* were afterward! named
\Vfturiuiifb by the KOIIIHIIS.
776
HIGHLANDS.
part of Inverness, and Braemar in Aberdeenshire.
Their towns were the Ptoroton of Richard, the
Alata Castra of Ptolemy, at the mouth of the Varar,
where the present Brough-Head, or Burghead, runs
into the Moray frith ; Tuessis on the eastern bank
of the Spey ; and Tamea and Banatia in the interior
country.
6th. The Albani — afterwards called Damnii- Albani,
on their subjection to the Damnii — possessed the in-
terior districts between the lower ridge of the Gram-
pians which skirts the southern side of the loch and
river Tay, on the south, and the chain of mountains
which forms the southern limit of Inverness-shire on
the north. These districts comprehended Bceadal-
bane, Athole, a small part of Lochaber, with Appin
and Glenorchy in Upper-Lorn.
7th. The Attacotti inhabited the whole country
from Loch-Fyne on the west, to the eastward of the
river Leven and Loch-Lomond ; comprehending the
whole of Cowal in Argyleshire, and the greater part
of Dumbartonshire.
8th. The Caledonii proper inhabited the whole of
the interior country from the ridge of mountains
which separates Inverness and Perth, on the south,
to the range of hills which forms the forest of
Balnagowan in Ross on the north ; comprehending
all the middle parts of Inverness and of Ross.
This territory formed a considerable part of the
extensive forest which, in early ages, spread over
the interior and western parts of the country, on
the northern side of the Forth and Clyde, and to
which the British colonists, according to Chalmers,
gave the descriptive appellation of Celyddon, sig-
nifying literally ' the Coverts,' and generally denot-
ing ' a Woody region.'*
9th. The Cantae possessed the east of Ross-shire,
from the aestuary of Varar or the Moray frith on the
south, to the Abona, or Dornoch frith on the north ;
having Loxa or Cromarty frith which indented their
country in the centre, and a ridge of hills, Uxellum
montes, on the west. This ridge — of which Ben-
nevis, one of the highest mountains in Great Britain,
is the prominent summit — gradually declines towards
the north-east, and terminates in a promontory,
called Pen Uxellum, the Tarbet-ness of modern
times.
10th. The Logi possessed the south-eastern coast
of Sutherland, extending from the Abona, or Dor-
noch frith, on the south-west, to the river lla on
the east. This river is supposed to be the Helms-
dale river of the Scandinavian intruders, called by
the Celtic inhabitants Avon-Uile, or Avon-High,
* the Floody water.'
llth. The Carnabii inhabited the south, the east,
and north-east of Caithness, from the lla river;
comprehending the three great promontories of
Virubium or Noss-Head ; Virvedrum, or Duncansby-
Head ; and Tarvedrum, or the Orcas promontorium,
the Dunnet-Head of the present times.
12th. The Catini, a small tribe, inhabited the
north-western corner of Caithness, and the eastern
half of Strathnaver in Sutherlandshire ; having the
river Naver, the Navari fluvius of Ptolemy, for their
western boundary.
13th. The Mertoe occupied the interior of Suther-
land.
14th. The Carnonacoe inhabited the northern and
western coast of Sutherland, and a small part of
the western shore of Ross, from the Naver on the
* It was on this account that the larpe tribe in question were
railed Celyddoni, a name afterwards Latinized into the more
classical appellation of Caledonii. The descriptive name,
Celyddon, restricted originally to the territory dcbcribed, was
afterwards extended to the whole country on the northern side
of the Forth and Clyde, under the Latinized appellation of Cale-
<foniu. See article CALEDONIANS.
east, round to the Volsas bay, on the south-west.
A river called Straba falls into the sea in this dis-
trict, on the west of the Naver, and the headland
at the burn is named Ebudium promontorium.
: 15th. The Creones inhabited the western coast
of Ross from Volsas-sinus on the north, to the Itys,
j or Loch-Duick, on the south.
; 16th. The Cerones inhabited the whole western
coast of Inverness, and the countries of Ardna-
I murchan, Morvern, Sunart, and Ardgowar in Argyle-
! shire ; having the Itys or Loch-Duich on the north,
i and the Longus or Linne-Loch on the south.
17th. The Epidii inhabited the south-west of
! Argyleshire from Linne-Loch on the north, to the
frith of Clyde and the Irish sea on the south, in-
cluding Cantyre, the point of which was called the
Epidian promontory, now named the Mull of Can-
tyre ; and they were bounded on the east by the
country of the Albani, and the Lelanonius Sinus or
the Loch-Fine of the present day.
It is impossible to say what form of government
obtained among these tribes. "When history is silent,
historians should either maintain a cautious reserve,
or be sparing in their conjectures ; but analogy may
supply materials for well-grounded speculations, and
it may therefore be asserted, without any great
stretch of imagination, that, like most of the other
uncivilized tribes we read of in history, the North-
ern Britons or Caledonians, were under the govern-
ment of a leader or chief to whom they yielded a
certain degree of obedience. Dio indeed insinuates
that the governments of these tribes were demo-
cratic ; but he should have been aware that it is only
when bodies of men assume, in an advanced stage of
civilization, a compact and united form, that demo-
cracy can prevail ; and the state of barbarism in
which he says the inhabitants of North Britain ex-
isted at the period in question seems to exclude such
a supposition. The conjecture of Chalmers that,
like the American tribes, they were governed under
the aristocratic sway of the old men rather than the
coercion of legal authority, is more probable than
that of Dio, and approximates more to the opinion
we have ventured to express.
The aboriginal inhabitants of North Britain
brought from the East a system of religion, — modi-
fied and altered no doubt by circumstances in its
course through different countries. The prevailing
opinion is that Druidism was the religion followed
by all the Celtic colonies ; and in proof of this, re-
ference has been made to a variety of Druidical
monuments abounding in all parts of Britain and
particularly in the north. An author, Mr. Pinkerton
— whose asperity, to use the words of Dr. Jamieson,
" has greatly enfeebled his argument" — has attacked
this position under the shields of Caesar and Tacitus;
but although his reasoning is powerful and ingenious,
he appears to have failed in establishing that these
monuments are of Gothic origin. Various Druidical
remains yet exist in the Highlands of Scotland, of
which notices are given in different articles of the
present work. The pillars which mark the sites of
their places of worship are still to be seen ; and
so great is the superstitious veneration paid by the
country-people to those sacred stones, as they are
considered, that few persons have ventured to re-
move them, even in cases where their removal would
be advantageous to the cultivator of the soil.
As connected in some degree with religion the
modes of sepulture among the Pagan people of North
Britain come next to be noticed. These have been
various in different ages. The original practice of
interring the bodies of the dead gradually gave way
among the Pagan nations to that of burning the
bodies, but the okler practice was resumed wherever
HIGHLANDS.
777
iristianity obtained a footing. The practice of
e dead at the time we are treating of was
imon among the inhabitants of North Britain:
it the process of inhumation was not always the
ic, being attended with more or less ceremony
ording to the rank of the deceased. Many of the
wlchral remains of our Pagan ancestors are still
be seen, and have been distinguished by antiqua-
:s under the appellations of barrows, cairns, cist'
jens, and urns. Among the learned, the barrows
cairns, when they are of a round shape and
fered with green sward, are called tumuli, and
by the vulgar. These tumuli are generally
ilar heaps resembling a flat cone ; some of them
oblong ridges resembling the hull of a ship with
keel upwards. The most of them are composed
stones, some of them of earth, many of them of a
lixture of earth and stones, and a few of them of
There is a great distinction however between
barrow and the cairn; the first being composed
lely of earth, and the last of stones. The cairns
more numerous than the barrows. Some of
cairns are very large, being upwards of 300
in circumference and from 30 to 40 feet in
jht; and the quantity of stones that has been dug
their bowels is almost incredible. Numerous
bices of these funeral monuments are scattered
ughout our pages. The cistvaen — which, in the
British language, signifies literally ' a Stone chest,'
i cist, 'a chest,' and maen, changing in composi-
te vaen, * a stone ' — was another mode of inter-
;nt among the ancient inhabitants of our island,
imetimes the cistvaen contained the urn within
lich were deposited the ashes of the deceased ; yet it
jn contained the ashes and bones without an urn.
But urns of different sizes and shapes have been
§nd without cistvaens; a circumstance which may
owing to the fashion of different ages and to the
k of the deceased. The same observation may
made with respect to urns which have been found
generally in tumuli, but often below the surface
where there had been no hillock : they were usually
iposed of pottery, and sometimes of stone, and
;re of different shapes, and variously ornamented
>rding to the taste of the times and the ability of
parties. The fields of ancient conflict are still
icted by sepulchral cairns; and it is even conjee-
red that the battle at the Grampians has been per-
tuated by sepulchral tumuli raised to the memory
of the Caledonians who fell in defence of their coun-
try. " On the hill, above the moor of Ardoch " — says
Gordon in his ' Itin. Septen.,' p. 42 — " are two great
heaps of stones, the one called Carn-wochel, the
other Carnlee : the former is the greatest curiosity
of this kind that I ever met with; the quantity of
great rough stones, lying above one another, almost
surpasses belief, which made me have the curiosity
to measure it; and I found the whole heap to be
about 182 feet in length, 30 in sloping height, and
45 in breadth at the bottom."
The next objects of antiquarian notice are the
Standing-stones, so traditionally denominated from
their upright position. They are all to be found in
their natural shape without any mark from the tool
or chisel. Sometimes they appear single, and as
often in groups of two, three, four, or more. These
standing-stones are supposed to have no connect ion
with the Druidical remains, but are thought by some
to have been erected in successive ages as memorials
to perpetuate certain events which, as the stones
are without inscriptions, they have not transmitted
to posterity, although such events may be otherwise
known in history. In Arran there are two lar-c
stone edifices which are quite rude, and several
iller ones; and there are also similar stones in
unal
Harris. These standing-stones are numerous in
Mull, some of which are very large, and arc
monly called by the Scoto-Iri>h inhabitants carra, a
word signifying in their language • a Stone pillar.'
These stones, in short, are to be seen in every part
of North Britain as well as in England, Wales, Com.
wall, and Ireland; but being without inscriptions,
they "do not," as Chalmers observes, "answer the
end either of personal vanity or of national irrati-
tude."
After the aboriginal inhabitants of North Britain
had become indigenous to the soil — which the bounds
set to their farther emigration to the north by the
waters of the Atlantic would hasten sooner than in
any other country over which the Celtic population
spread — it became necessary for them to select strong,
holds for defending themselves from the attacks of
foreign or domestic foes. Hence the origin of the
hill-forts and other safeguards of the original people
which existed in North Britain at the epoch of the
Roman invasion. There were many of these in t he-
north of Scotland; and they are described in our
articles CATERTHUN, DUN-DORNADII,, &c.
Subterraneous retreats, or caves, were common
to most early nations for the purpose of concealment
in war : the Britons and their Caledonian descend.
ants had also their hiding-places. The excavations
or retreats were of two sorts: first, artificial struc-
tures formed under ground of rude stones without
cement; and, secondly, natural caves in rocks which
have been rendered more commodious by art. Of
the first sort are the subterraneous apartments which
have been discovered in Forfarshire, within the par-
ish of TEALING: which see. Several hiding holes
of a smaller size, and of a somewhat different con-
struction, are to be seen in the Western Hebrides.
Subterraneous structures have been also found on
Kildrummie moor in Aberdeenshire ; in the district
of Applecross in Ross-shire; and in Kildonan parish
in Sutherland. A subterraneous building CO feet
long has been discovered on the estate of Raits in
the parish of Alvie in Inverness-shire. Of the second
kind there are several in the parish of Applecross.
On the coast of Skye, in the parish of Portree, there
are some caves of very large extent, one of which is
capacious enough to contain 500 persons. In the
isle of Arran there are also several large caves which
appear to have been places of retreat in ancient times.
See article AHRAN.
Among such rude tribes, marine science must
have been little attended to and but imperfectly
understood. As the ancient Caledonians had no
commerce of any kind and never attempted pira-
tical excursions, the art of ship-building was un-
known to them ; at least no memorials have bern
left to show that they were acquainted with it.
They, however, constructed canoes consisting of
a single tree, which they hollowed with lire in
the manner of the American Indians ; and they
put these canoes in motion by means of a
paddle or oar, in the same manner as the Indian
savages do at this day. With these they crossed
rivers and arms of the sea, and travcr-ed lakes.
Many of these canoes have been discovered both in
South and North Britain embedded in lake- ami
marshes. The canoes were afterwards superseded,
at an early period, by another marine vehicle
a currach. Caesar describes the curraclis of South
Britain a* being accommodated with keels and masts
of the lii:lit(>t wood, while their luill>
wicker covered over with leather. Lncan call-
little >hips in which he say> the Briton- \\ . -ir wont
tii navigate the ocean. Solinus says that .
common to pa- Let ween Britain and Ireland in these
'little ships.' It i> stated by Adan, »on in hi* Lilc
778
HIGHLANDS.
of St. Columba that St. Cormac sailed into the
North sea in one of these currachs, and that he re-
mained therein fourteen days in perfect safety; but
this vessel must have been very different from the
currachs of Caesar, as according to our author it had
all the parts of a ship with sails and oars, and was
capacious enough to contain passengers. Probably
the currachs in which the Scoto-Irish made incur-
sions into Britain during the age of Claudian were
of the latter description.
Bards, and Ossianic Controversy.
No question of literary controversy has been dis-
cussed with greater acrimony and pertinacity, than
that regarding the authenticity of the poems of Os-
sian, and never did Saxon and Gael exhibit more
bitter enmity in mortal strife than has been shown
by the knights of the pen in their different rencon-
tres in this field of antiquarian research. It seems
really to be a matter of little importance whether
the poems from which Macpherson translated, or any
part of them were actually composed by Ossian or
not, or at what period the poet flourished, whether
in the 3d, or 4th, or 5th centuries: it is, we appre-
hend, quite sufficient to show that these poems are
of high antiquity, and that they belong to a very
remote era.
One of the most remarkable traits in the character
of the Celtic tribes, was their strong attachment to
poetry, by means of which they not only animated
themselves to battle, but braved death with joy, in
the hope of meeting again their brave ancestors who
had fallen in battle. Either unacquainted with let-
ters, or despising them as unworthy of a warlike
race, the ancient Celts set apart the bards, whose
business it was to compose and recite in verse the
military actions of their heroes or chiefs, and by the
same means they sought to preserve the memory of
their laws, religion, and historical annals, which
would otherwise have been buried in oblivion.
"When the Celts," says Posidonius, "go to war,
they take with them associates whom they call
Parasites who sing their praises, either in public
assemblies, or to those who wish to hear them pri-
vately. These poets are called bards." It is well-
known that the Druids to whom the education of
the Celtic youth was committed, spent many years
in committing to memory the compositions of the
bards. This peculiarity was not confined to any
one of the Celtic nations, but prevailed universally
among them. The bards, according to Buchanan,
were held in great honour both among the Gauls
and Britons, and he observes that their function and
name remained in his time amongst all those nations
which used the old British tongue. " They," he
adds, " compose poems — and those not inelegant —
which the rhapsodists recite, either to the better
sort, or to the vulgar, who are very desirous to hear
them; and sometimes they sing them to musical in-
struments." And in speaking of the inhabitants of
the Hebrides or Western islands, he says that they
sing poems " not inelegant, containing commonly
the eulogies of valiant men ; and their bards usually
treat of no other subject." Thus the existence of
hards from the most remote period among the Celtic
population of Scotland is undoubted ; and some idea
of their importance may be formed from the follow-
ing observations from the elegant and classical pen
of a distinguished scholar. " Although it is well
known that the Scots had always more strength and
industry to perform great deeds, than care to have
them published to the world ; yet, in ancient times,
they had, and held in great esteem, their own Ho-
mers and Maros whom they named bards. These
recited the achievements of their brave warriors in
heroic measures, adapted to the musical notes of the
harp; with these they roused the minds of those
present to the glory of virtue, and transmitted pat-
terns of fortitude to posterity. This order of men
still exists among the Welsh and ancient Scots (the
Highlanders), and they still retain that name (bards)
in their native language."* So formidable were they
considered in rousing the passions against the tyranny
of a foreign yoke, by their strains, that Edward L
adopted the cruel policy of extirpating the order of
the Welsh bards about the end of the 13th century.
They continued, however, to exist in England down
to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, " till which period,"
as Dr. Graham observes, " there was a regular public
competition of harpers maintained ; and there is, at
this day, as Mr. Pennant informs us, in his tour
through Wales, a silver harp, awarded during that
period, in the possession of the Mostyn family."
The bardic order was preserved longer in Scotland
than in any other country, for it was not till the
year 1726, when Niel Macvuirich the last of the
bards died, that the race became extinct. He, and
his ancestors had for several generations exercised
the office of bard in the family of Clanranald. Every
great Highland family had their bard, whose princi-
pal business was to amuse the chieftain and his
friends by reciting at entertainments, the immense
stores of poetry which he had hoarded up in his
memory, besides which he also preserved the gene-
alogy, and recorded the achievements of the family
which were thus traditionally and successively handed
down from generation to generation. At what par-
ticular period of time the Caledonian bards began to
reduce their compositions to writing, cannot now be
ascertained; but it seems to be pretty evident that
no such practice existed in the Ossianic age, nor,
indeed, for several centuries afterwards. To oral
tradition, therefore, as conveyed through the race
of bards, are we indebted for the precious remains
of Gaelic song which have reached us. But although
the bards were the depositories of the muses, there
were not wanting many who delighted to store their
memories with the poetical effusions of the bards,
and to recite them to their friends. The late Cap-
tain John Macdonald of Breakish, a native of the
island of Skye, declared upon oath, at the age of 78,
that he could repeat, when a boy (about the year
1740), from one to two hundred Gaelic poems differ-
ing in length and in number of verses; and that he
had learned them from an old man about eighty years
of age, who sung them for years to his father, when
he went to bed at night, and in the spring and win-
ter before he rose in the morning. The late Rev.
Dr. Stuart, minister of Luss, knew an old High-
lander in the isle of Skye, who repeated to him for
three successive days, arid during several hours each
day, without hesitation, and with the utmost rapidity,
many thousand lines of ancient poetry, and would
have continued his repetitions much longer, if the
Doctor had required him to do so. That such a
vast collection of Gaelic poetry, as that which has
reached us, should have been handed down by oral
tradition may appear extraordinary to those who
have not sufficiently reflected on the power of the
human memory, when applied and confined to the
acquisition of those sublime and lofty effusions of
poetic fancy in which the Highlanders took such
* " Quamvis intelligent omnes plus semper viriura et indus-
triae Scotis fuisse ad res gereudas, quam commentationis ad
praedicandas, habuerunt tamen antiquitus, et culucrunt suns
Homeros et Maroues, quos Bardos nominabaut. Hi fortium
virorum facta versibus heroids et lyrae modulis aptata concine-
bant ; quibus et praeseiitium aniinos acuebant ad virtutis glu-
riam, et fortitudinis exempla ad posteros transmittebaut. Cu-
jusmodi apud Cambros et priscos Scotos nee dum desiere ; fct
IK. men illud patrio sermone adhuc retineut."— J. Johntton in
Prajat. ad Hist. Scot,
HIGHLANDS.
773
slight, as to supersede all other mental pursuits
'lu- mere force of habit in persons who, from their
childhood, have been accustomed to hear recitals
)ften repeated, which delighted them, will make an
idelible impression, not confined to the ideas sug-
°sted, or to the images which float in the imagina-
jn, as reflected from the mirror of the mind, but
?xtending to the very words themselves.* Besides
these and other reasons in favour of the oral trans-
mission of the Gaelic poetry, to which we shall after-
wards allude, one more important consideration, as
as we can ascertain, has been entirely overlooked,
lely, that to insure a correct transmission of the
jms in question, through the medium of oral tra-
lition, it was by no means necessary that one or
lore individuals should be able to recite all of them,
secure their existence it was only necessary that
ticular persons should be able to recite with ac-
iracy such parts as they might have committed to
jmory so as to communicate them to others,
mbtless there would be great differences in the
>wers of acquisition and retention in different per-
ms, but we have no idea that one person could
rry in his memory the whole poetry of Ossian.
sides these arguments in support of oral tradition,
following reasons are given by the Right Hon-
irable Sir John Sinclair, Baronet, in support of the
servation of the poems of Ossian through that
ledium: 1. The beauty of the poetry, of which it
impossible to form an adequate idea from any
•nslation hitherto given ; 2. The partiality which
ic Highlanders naturally entertained for songs,
rhich contained the traditional history of the great-
it heroes, in the ancient annals of their country ;
It is to be observed that the bards were for a
ig time a distinct class or caste, whose whole
isiness it was either to compose verses themselves,
to recite the poetry of others; 4. Though the
jms were not composed in rhyme, yet there was an
•mphasis laid upon particular syllables of a particu-
.ar sound in every line, which greatly assisted the
memory; 5. The verses were set to particular music,
by which the remembrance of the words was greatly
facilitated ; and, 6. The Highlanders, at their festi-
vals and other public meetings, acted the poems of
Ossian, and on such occasions, those who could re-
peat the greatest number of verses were liberally
rewarded. What also tended greatly to preserve
the recollection of the Gaelic poetry, was a practice
followed by the Highlanders of going by turns to
each other's houses in every village during the win-
ter-season, and reciting or hearing recited or sung
the poems of Ossian, and also poems and songs
ascribed to other bards, f
* Mr. Wood, in his Essay on the original writings and
genius of Homer, remarks, with great justice, that we cannot,
in this age of dictionaries and other technical aids to memory,
judge what her use and powers were at a time when all a man
could know was all he could remember, and when the memory
was loaded with nothing either useless or unintelligible. The
Arabs, who are in the habit of amusing their hours of leisure
by telling and listening to tales, will remember them though
very long, and rehearse them with great fidelity after one
hearing.
t The first person who made a collection of Gaelic poetry
was the Rev. John Farquharson, a Jesuit missionary in Strath-
glass, about the year 1715.— Alexander Macdonald, a school,
master at Ardnamurchan, was the next who made a collection
of Gaelic poetry, which was published in Gaelic at Edinburgh,
in the year 1751. — Jerome Stone, a native of the county of Fife,
and who had acquired a knowledge of the Gaelic language dur-
ing some year's residence in Dunkeld. where he kept a school,
was the third person who collected several of the ancient
poems of the Highlands, and was the first person who espe-
cially called public attention to the beauty of these poems in a
letter which he addressed ' To the Author of the Scobt Maga-
zine,' accompanied with a translation in rhyme of one of them,
both of which appeared in that periodical in January, 1756. —
The next and most noted collector of Gaelic poetry was the
celebrated James Macpherson, whose spirited translations, or
forgeries, aa some writers maintain, have consigned his name
A writer of great penetration and extmsiv
dition, thus speaks of the poems published a* Os-
sian's : " Some fragments of the songs of the Si-
Highlanders, of very uncertain antiquity, ap|
have fallen into the hands of Macpherson, u
man of no mean genius, unacquainted with tin- liiirln-r
criticism applied to the genuineness of ancient writ-
ings, and who was too much a stranger to the stu-
dious world to have learnt those refinements which
extend probity to literature as well as to property.
Elated by the praise not unjustly bestowed on "nun1
of these fragments, instead of insuring a general
assent to them by a publication in their natural
state, he unhappily applied his talents for skilful
imitation to complete poetical works in a style simi-
lar to the fragments, and to work them "into the
unsuitable shape of epic and dramatic poems. II.
was not aware of the impossibility of poems, pre-
served only by tradition, being intelligible after thir-
teen centuries to readers who knew only the language
of their own times; and he did not perceive the
extravagance of peopling the Caledonian mountains,
in the 4th century, with a race of men so generous
and merciful, so gallant, so mild, and so magnani-
mous, that the most ingenious romances of the age
of chivalry could not have ventured to represent a
single hero as on a level with their common virtues.
He did not consider the prodigious absurdity of in-
serting as it were a people thus advanced in moral
civilization between the Britons, ignorant and savage
as they are painted by Caesar, and the Highlanders,
tierce and rude as they are presented by the first ac-
counts of the chroniclers of the 12th and 14th cen-
turies. Even the better part of the Scots were, in
the latter period, thus spoken of: — * In Scotland ye
shall find no man lightly of honour or gentleness:
they be like wylde and savage people.' The great
historian who made the annals of Scotland a part
of European literature, had sufficiently warned his
countrymen against such faults, by the decisive ob-
servation that their forefathers were unacquainted
with the art of writing, which alone preserves lan-
guage from total change, and great events from obli-
vion. Macpherson was encouraged to overleap these
and many other improbabilities by youth, talent, and
applause : perhaps he did not at first distinctly pre-
sent to his mind the permanence of the deception.
It is more probable, and it is a supposition counte-
nanced by many circumstances, that after enjoying
the pleasure of duping so many critics, he intended
one day to claim the poems as his own ; but if he
o immortality in the literary world. The circumstances whirli
gave rise to this collection are fully detailed iti variouii publi-
cations.* and need not be here repeated. The districts through
which Mr. Macpherson travelled in quest of Gaelic poetry wer«
chiefly the north-western parts of Inverness-shire, the ule of
Skye, and some of the adjoining islands; " place-, Jn.m their
remoteness and state of manner* at that period, most likely to
afford, in a pure and genuine state, the ancient traditionary
tales and poems, of which the recital then formed, as the c..m-
mittee lias before stated, the favourite amusement of the long
and idle winter evenings of the Highlanders." On his return
•o Edinburgh from his poetical tour. Macplienuo took lodgings
n a house at the head of Hlackfriars'-wynd. immed atcly t.rlmr
that possessed by his chief patron, Dr. Blair, and immediately
set about translating from the Gaelic into Eiidi-h. He toon
afterwanls, viz., in 17fil, published one \olnm.- in ijuurto. u.n-
uining FINOAL, an epic poem, in six book*, and ie other
detached pieces of a similar kind. He published, in the year
7<i->, another epic poem called TKMOH», of one ol the books or
livisionsof which he annexed the original GHelir. being thn
nilv specimen lie ever published, though at his HBU lie U-It
Jl.lH'il to defray the expen I a publu-ati f the originals of
he whole of his translation-, \vim direction* to ;.
>r carrying that purpose into rtl.-c t. Various cau«.-. rontri.
uted to delay their appearance till the year IS<r7, when tliev
,-ere published under the -am ti..n of the Highla.
London A good collection of Gaelic poetry, with very in.
ere.tii.g Notes, ban re.-.-nOy been puMnhrd by Mr. John
Macken/.ie: Glasgow : Macgregor & Tolton, IHJI.SVO.
* SCP Report of Highland Society — Gr»h«m't • KIM* on lh« Autlwnlicitr'
fOf.i.n'. p..e«».'-Bruwii.1s • llwtor) ol «!»• HigbUwJ. .
780
HIGHLANDS.
bad such a design, considerable obstacles to its exe- I
cution arose around him. He was loaded with so I
much praise that he seemed bound in honour to his
admirers not to desert them. The support of his
own country appeared to render adherence to those
poems, which Scotland inconsiderately sanctioned,
a sort of national obligation. Exasperated, on the
other hand, by the, perhaps, unduly vehement, and
sometimes very coarse attacks made on him, he was
unwilling to surrender to such opponents. He in-
volved himself at last so deeply as to leave him no
decent retreat. Since the keen and searching pub-
lication of Mr. Laing, these poems have fallen in
reputation, as they lost the character of genuine-
ness. They had been admired by all the nations,
and by all the men of genius in Europe. The last
incident in their story is perhaps the most remark-
able. In an Italian version, which softened their
defects, and rendered their characteristic qualities
faint, they formed almost the whole poetical library
of Napoleon, a man who, whatever may be finally
thought of him in other respects, must be owned to
be, by the transcendant vigour of his powers, entitled
to a place in the first class of human minds. No
other imposture in literary history approaches them
in the splendour of their course."*
A sentence so severe and condemnatory, proceed-
ing from an author of such acknowledged ability as
Sir James Mackintosh, and who we presume had
fully considered the question, must have considerable
effect; but we apprehend it is quite possible that
minds of the first order may, even in a purely literary
question, be led astray by prepossessions. That
Macpherson endeavoured to complete some of the
poetical fragments he collected, in his translation,
may, we think, be fairly admitted; and, indeed, the
committee of the Highland Society, with that can-
dour which distinguished their investigation in an-
swering the second question to which their inquiries
were directed, namely, How far the collection of
poetry published by Mr. Macpherson was genuine?
considered that point as rather difficult to answer
decisively. The committee reported, that they
were inclined to believe that Mr. Macpherson " was
in use to supply chasms, and to give connexion, by
inserting passages which he did not find, and to add
.what he conceived to be dignity and delicacy to the
original composition, by striking out passages, by
softening incidents, by refining the language, in short,
by changing what he considered as too simple or too
rude for a modern ear, and elevating what in his
opinion was below the standard of good poetry.
To what degree, however, he exercised these liber-
ties it is impossible for the committee to determine.
The advantages he possessed — which the committee
began its inquiries too late to enjoy — of collecting
from the oral recitation of a number of persons, now
no more, a very great number of the same poems,
on the same subjects, and then collating those dif-
ferent copies or editions, if they may be so called,
rejecting what was spurious or corrupted in one
copy, and adopting from another something more
genuine and excellent in its place, afforded him an
opportunity of putting together what might fairly
enough be called an original whole, of much more
beauty, and with much fewer blemishes, than the
committee believes it now possible for any person,
or combination of persons, to obtain." But this
admission, when all the other circumstances which
are urged in favour of the authenticity of these
poems are considered, assuredly does not detract in
any material degree from their genuineness. While
we readily subscribe to the position as to the impos-
* History of England. By the Ripht Honourable Sir James
Mackintosh, LUD., M.P., vol. i. p. 8ti.
sibility of poems, preserved only by tradition, being
intelligible after thirteen centuries to readers who
knew only the language of their own times, we can.
not agree to the assumption that the Gaelic of the
Highlands, as it was spoken in the Ossianic era, has
been so materially altered or corrupted as to be un-
intelligible to the Gaelic population of the present
age. That some alterations in the language may
have taken place there can be no doubt; but, in an
original and purely idiomatic language, these must
have been necessarily few and unimportant. No
fair analogy can be drawn between an original lan-
guage, as the Gaelic unquestionably is, and the mo-
dern tongues of Europe, all, or most of which, can
be deduced from their origin and traced through
their various changes and modifications ; but who
can detect any such in the Gaelic? " A life of St.
Patrick," says the Rev. Dr. John Smith, " written
in the 6th ce'ntury, in Irish verse, is still intelligible
to an Irishman; and a poem of near one hundred
verses, of which I have a copy, and which was com-
posed about the same time by St. Columba, though
for ages past little known or repeated, will be under-
stood, except a few words, by an ordinary High-
lander." And if such be the case as to poetical
compositions, which had lain dormant for an indefi-
nite length of time, can we suppose that those handed
down uninterruptedly from father to son through a
long succession of generations, could by any possi-
bility have become unintelligible ? " The preserva-
tion of any language from total change " does not,
we apprehend, depend upon the art of writing alone,
but rather upon its construction and character, and
on its being kept quite apart from foreign admixture.
Owing to the latter circumstance all the European
languages, the Gaelic alone excepted, have under-
gone a total change notwithstanding the art of writ-
ing. In connexion with this fact it may be observed,
that the purest Gaelic is spoken by the unlettered
natives of Mull and Skye, and the remote parts of
Argyleshire and Inverness-shire; and it has been
truly observed, that " an unlettered Highlander will
feel and detect a violation of the idiom of his lan-
guage more readily than his countryman who has
read Homer and Virgil, "f The high state of refine-
ment and moral civilization depicted in the poems
of Ossian affords no solid objection against their
authenticity. The same mode of reasoning might
with great plausibility be urged against the genuine-
ness of the Iliad and Odyssey. Fiction is essential
to the character of a true poet; and we need not be
surprised that one so imaginative and sublime as
Ossian should people his native glens with beings of
a superior order. The most formidable objection
against the genuineness of the poems of Ossian, and
which has been urged with great plausibility, is the
absence of all allusions to religion. It is certainly
not easy to account for this total want of religious
allusions, for to suppose that at the era in question
the Caledonians were entirely destitute of religious
impressions, or in other words, a nation of atheists,
is contrary to the whole history of the human race.
It cannot, however, be denied that this silence has
puzzled the defenders of the poems very much, and
many reasons have been given to account for it.
The reason assigned by Dr. Graham of Aberfoil in
his valuable Essay appears to be the most plausible.
" We are informed," says he, " by the most respect-
able writers of antiquity, that the Celtic hierarchy
was divided into several classes, to each of which
its own particular department was assigned. The
Druids, by the consent of all, constitute the highest
class; the" bards seem to have been the next in rank;
f Essay on the Authenticity of Ossian's Poetrs, by Dr. Pit.
trick Graham, p. 10o.
HIGHLANDS.
781
the Eubagcs the lowest. The higher mysteries
religion, and probably, also, the science of the
!ult powers of nature, which they had discovered,
istituted the department of the Druids. To the
rds, again, it is allowed by all, were committed
celebration of the heroic achievements of their
irriors, and the public record of the history of the
tion. But we know, that in every polity which
nds upon mystery, as that of the Druids un-
ibtedly did, the inferior orders are sedulously pre-
;nted from encroaching on the pale of those imme-
jly above them, by the mysteries which constitute
;ir peculiar badge. Is it not probable, then, that
bards were expressly prohibited from encroach-
upon the province of their superiors by inter-
ling religion, if they had any knowledge of its
eries, which it is likely they had not, with the
:ular objects of their song? Thus, then, we seem
[•ranted to conclude upon this subject, by the time
it Ossian flourished, the higher order of this hier-
chy had been destroyed ; and in all probability the
culiar mysteries which they taught had perished
along with them: and even if any traces of them
remained, such is the force of habit, and the vener-
which men entertain for the institutions in
rhich they have been educated, that it is no wonder
le bards religiously forbore to tread on ground from
lich they had at all times, by the most awful
ictions, been excluded. In this view of the sub-
it, it would seem, that the silence which prevails
these poems, with regard to the higher mysteries
' religion, instead of furnishing an argument against
jir authenticity, affords a strong presumption of
gir having been composed at the very time, in the
;ry circumstances, and by the very persons to
lorn they have been attributed." But although
e poems of Ossian are marked by an abstinence
m religious mysteries, they abound with a beau-
ful, because simple, and natural mythology, which
jmonstrates that the ancient Caledonians were not
ily not devoid of religious sentiment, but were
;ply impressed with the belief of a future state of
nstence. " Ossian's mythology is, to speak so,"
iys Dr. Blair, "the mythology of human nature;
for it is founded on what has been the popular
in all ages and countries, and under all forms of rdi-
gion, concerning the appearances of departed spirit *."
" It were indeed difficult," observes Professor Rich-
ardson, " if not impossible in the history of any
people, to point out a system of unrevealed, anil
unphilosophical religion, so genuine and so natural,
so much the effect of sensibility, affection, and ima-
gination, operating, unrestrained by authority, un-
modified by example, and untinctured with artificial
tenets, as in the mythology of the poems of Ossian."
Highland Music.
We have alluded to the poetry of the Celts : it
may not be out of place to take some notice of their
music, which seems to have been cultivated with
greater success by the Scots than by the Picts.
The great characteristics of the Gaelic music, are,
its simplicity, tenderness, and expression. All the
ancient music is distinguished by the first quality ;
for the complex movements and intricate notes of
modern composers were unknown to antiquity : but
the latter qualities — which may be termed national,
inasmuch as they are dependent upon the genius
and character of a people, and the structure of lan-
guage— are peculiar attributes of the music of the
Highlanders. " The Welsh, the Scots, and the
Irish, have all melodies of a simple sort, which, as
they are connected together by cognate marks,
evince at once their relationship and antiquity."*
The ancient Scottish scale consists of six notes, as
shown in the annexed exemplification, No. 1. The
lowest note, A, was afterwards added to admit of
the minor key in wind-instruments. The notes in
the diatonic scale, No. 2, were added about the
beginning of the 15th century ; and when music ar-
rived at its present state of perfection, the notes in
the chromatic scale, No. 3, were further added.
Although many of the Scottish airs have had the
notes last mentioned introduced into them, to please
modern taste, they can be played without them, and
without altering the character of the melody. Any
person who understands the ancient scale can at
once detect the latter additions.
No. 1.
y
/
I I
•
, J m
WJ ! :
' j w '
y~£t
L ^ * o A C
D E
No. 2.
No. 3.
• Caledonia I. 476.
782
HIGHLANDS.
The Gaelic music consists of different kinds or
species. 1. Martial music, the Golltraidheacht of
the Irish, and the Prosnachadh Cath of the Gael,
consisting of a spirit-stirring measure, short and
rapid. 2. The Geantraidheacht, or plaintive, or sor-
rowful, a kind of music to which the Highlanders
are very partial. The Coronach or lament, sung at
funerals, is the most noted of this sort. 3. The
Suantraidheacht, or composing, calculated to calm
the mind, and to lull the person to sleep. 4. Songs
of peace, sung at the conclusion of a war. 5. Songs
of victory sung by the bards before the king on
gaining a victory. 6. Love songs. These last form
a considerable part of the national music, the sensi-
bility and tenderness of which excite the passion of
love, " and stimulated by its influence, the Gael in-
dulge a spirit of the most romantic attachment arid
adventure which the peasantry of perhaps no other
country exhibits."* " No songs could be more hap-
pily constructed for singing during labour, than those
of the Highlanders, every person being able to join
in them, sufficient intervals being allowed for breath-
ing-time. In a certain part of the song, the leader
stops to take breath, when all the others strike in
and complete the air with a chorus of words and
syllables, generally without signification, but admir-
ably adapted to give effect to the time. In singing
during a social meeting, the company reach their
plaids or handkerchiefs from one to another, and
swaying them gently in their hands, from side to
side, take part in the chorus as above. A large com-
pany thus connected, and see-sawing in regular time,
has a curious effect ; sometimes the bonnet is mu-
tually grasped over the table. The low country
mariner is, to cross arms and shake each other's
hands to the air of ' auld larig syne,' or any other
popular and commemorative melody. Fkir a bhata,
or, 'the Boatmen,' is sung in the above manner by
the Highlanders with much effect. It is the song of a
girl whose lover is at sea, whose safety she prays for,
and whose return she anxiously expects. The great-
er proportion of Gaelic songs, whether sung in the
person of males or females, celebrate the valour
and heroism, or other manly qualifications, of the
clans, "f
Connected with the Gaelic music, the musical
instruments of the Celts remain to be noticed ; but
we shall confine our observations to the harp and to
the bag-pipe, the latter of which has long since su-
perseded the former in the Highlands. The harp is
the most noted instrument of antiquity, and was in
use among many nations. The royal household
always included a harper, who bore a distinguished
rank. Even kings did not disdain to relieve the
cares of royalty by touching the strings of the harp ;
and we are told by Major, that James I., who died
in 1437, excelled the best harpers among the Irish,
and the Scotch Highlanders. But harpers were not
confined to the houses of kings, for every chief had
his harper, as well as his bard. The precise period
when the harp was superseded by the bag-pipe, it is
not easy to ascertain. Roderick Morrison, usually
called Rory Dall, or ' Rory the blind,' was one of the
last native harpers. He was harper to the laird of
M'Leod. But the last harper, as is commonly sup-
posed, was Murdoch M'Donald, harper to M'Lean
of Coll. He received instructions in playing from
Rory Dall, in Skye, and afterwards in Ireland, and
from accounts of payments made to him, by M'Lean,
still extant, Murdoch seems to have continued in his
family till the year 1734, when he appears to have
gone to Quinish, in Mull, where he died.
The history of the bag-pipe is curious and inter-
esting. Although a very ancient instrument it does
» Logan, II. 252 3. f Md. U. 255.
not appear to have been known to the Celtic nations
It was in use among the Trojans, Greeks, and Ro-
mans ; but how or in what manner it came to be
introduced into the Highlands, is a question which
cannot be solved.^ The effects of this national in-
strument in arousing the feelings of those who have,
from infancy, been accustomed to its wild and war-
like tones, are truly astonishing. " In halls of joy
and in scenes of mourning it has prevailed ; it has ani-
mated her (Scotland's) warriors in battle, and wel-
comed them back after their toils, to the homes of
their love and the hills of their nativity. Its strains
were the first sounded on the ears of infancy, and
they are the last to be forgotten, in the wanderings
of age. Even Highlanders will allow that it is not
the gentlest of instruments ; but when far from their
mountain-homes, what sounds, however melodious,
could thrill round their hearts like one burst of their
own wild native pipe? The feelings which other
instruments awaken, are general and undefined, be-
cause they talk alike to Frenchmen, Spaniards, Ger-
mans, and Highlanders, for they are common to all ;
but the bag-pipe is sacred to Scotland, and speaks a
language which Scotsmen only feel. It talks to
them of home and all the past, and brings before
them, on the burning shores of India, the wild hills
and oft frequented streams of Caledonia, — the friends
that are thinking of them, and the sweethearts and
wives that are weeping for them there. And need it
be told here, to how many fields of danger and vic-
tory its proud strains have led ! There is not a
battle that is honourable to Britain in which its war-
blast has not sounded. When every other instru-
ment has been hushed by the confusion and carnage
of the scene, it has been borne into the thick of
battle, and, far in the advance, its bleeding but de-
voted bearer, sinking on the earth, has sounded at
once encouragement to his countrymen and his own
coronach." — Preface to Macdonald's ' Ancient Mar-
tial Music of Scotland.'
History has thrown little light on the state of
learning in the Highlands during the Pictish and
Scottish periods ; but, judging from the well-attested
celebrity of the college of Icolm-kill, which shed its
rays of knowledge over the mountains and through
the glens of Caledonia, we cannot doubt that learn-
ing did flourish in some degree among the Scots and
Picts. See article IONA.
History resumed. — Manners and Customs.
At the time when the Romans invaded North
Britain, the whole population of both ends of the
island consisted of a Celtic race, the descendants of
its original inhabitants. Shortly after the Roman
abdication of North Britain, in the year 446, which
was soon succeeded by the final departure of the
Romans from the British shores, the Saxons, a peo-
ple of Gothic origin, established themselves upon
the Tweed, and afterwards extended their settle-
ments to the frith of Forth and to the banks of the
Solway and the Clyde. About the beginning of the
t Two suppositions have been started on this point : either
that it was brought in by the Romans, or by the Northern na-
tions. The latter conjecture appears to be the most probable,
for we cannot possibly imagine, that if the bag-pipe had been
introduced so early as the Roman epoch, no notice should have
been taken of that instrument by the more early annalists and
poets. But if the bag-pipe was an imported instrument, how-
does it happen that the great Highland pipe is peculiar to the
Highlands, and id perhaps the only national instrument in
Europe ? If it was introduced by tlie Romans, or by the peo-
ple of Scandinavia, how has it happened that no traces of that
instrument, in its present shape, are to be found anywhere ex-
cept in the Highlands? There is, indeed, some plausibility in
these interrogatories, but they are easily answered by suppos-
ing, what is very probable, that the great bag-pipe, in its pre-
sent form, is the work of modern improvement, and that, ori-
ginally, the instrument was much the same as is still seen in
Belgium and Italy.
HIGHLANDS.
'88
century the DALRIADS [see that article] landed
Kintyre and Argyle from the opposite coast of liv-
1, and colonized these districts, from whence, in
course of little more than two centuries, they
)read the Highlands and Western islands, which
;ir descendants have, ever since, continued to pos-
Towards the end of the 8th century, a fresh
of Scots from Ireland settled in Galloway
the Britons and Saxons, and having over-
the whole of that country, were afterwards
;d by detachments of the Scots of Kintyre and
yle, in connexion with whom they peopled that
linsula : see article SCOTS. Besides these three
3, who made permanent settlements in Scotland,
Scandinavians colonized the Orkney and Shet-
islands, and also established themselves on the
sts of Caithness and Sutherland. But notwith-
iding these early settlements of the Gothic race,
era of the Saxon colonization of the Lowlands
Scotland is, with more propriety, placed in the
of Malcolm Canmore, who, by his marriage
i a Saxon princess, and the protection he gave to
ic Anglo-Saxon fugitives who sought for an asylum
in his dominions from the persecutions of William
the Conqueror, and his Normans, [see article DUN-
FERMUNE,] laid the foundations of those great
changes which took place in the reigns of his suc-
cessors. Malcolm Canmore had, before his accession
to the throne, resided for some time in England as a
fugitive, under the protection of Edward the Con-
fessor, where he acquired a knowledge of the Saxon
language, which language, after his marriage with
the princess Margaret, became that of the Scottish
court. This circumstance made that language fa-
shionable among the Scottish nobility, in conse-
quence of which and of the Anglo-Saxon coloniza-
tion under David I., the Gaelic language was alto-
gether superseded in the Lowlands of Scotland in
little more than two centuries after the death of
Malcolm. A topographical line of demarcation was
then fixed as the boundary between the two lan-
guages, which has ever since been kept up, and pre-
sents one of the most singular phenomena ever ob-
served in the history of philology. The change of
the seat of government by Kenneth on ascending the
Pictish throne, from Inverlochay, the capital of the
Scots, to Abernethy, also followed by the removal
of the marble chair, the emblem of sovereignty, from
Dunstaffnage to Scone, appears to have occasioned
no detriment to the Gaelic population of the High-
lands ; but when Malcolm Canmore transferred his
court, about the year 1066, to Dunfennline, which
also became, in place of lona, the sepulchre of the
Scottish kings, the rays of Royal bounty, which had
hitherto diffused its protecting and benign influence
over the inhabitants of the Highlands, were with-
drawn, and left them a prey to anarchy and poverty.
*' The people," says General David Stewart, " now
beyond the reach of the laws, became turbulent and
fierce, revenging in person those wrongs for which
the administrators of the laws were too distant and
too feeble to afford redress. Thence arose the in-
stitution of chiefs, who naturally became the judges
and arbiters in the quarrels of their clansmen and
followers, and who were surrounded by men devoted
to the defence of their rights, their property, and
their power ; and accordingly the chiefs established
within their own territories a jurisdiction almost
wholly independent of their liege lord." The con-
nexion which Malcolm and his successors maintained
with England, estranged still farther the Highlanders
from the dominion of the sovereign and the laws ;
and their history, after the Gaelic population of tin-
Lowlands had merged into and adopted the language
of the Anglo-Saxons, presents, with the exception
of the wars between rival clans, nothing remarkable
till their first appearance on the military theatre of
our national history in the campaigns of Muntrose,
Dundee, and others.
The earliest recorded history of the Highlanders
presents us with a bold and hardy race of men, filled
with a romantic attachment to their native mountain*
and glens, cherishing an exalted spirit of independt m v,
and firmly bound together in septs or clans by the
ties of kindred. Having little intercourse with the
rest of the world, and pent up for many centum--*
within the Grampian range, the Highlanders acquired
a peculiar character, and retained or adopted habits
and manners differing widely from those of their
Lowland neighbours. " The ideas and employments,
which their seclusion from the world rendered ha-
bitual,— the familiar contemplation of the most sub-
lime objects of nature, — the habit of concentrating
their affections within the narrow precincts of their
own glens, or the limited circle of their own kins-
men,— and the necessity of union and self-depen-
dence in all difficulties and dangers, combined to
form a peculiar and original character. A certain
romantic sentiment, the offspring of deep and cher-
ished feeling, strong attachment to their country and
kindred, and a consequent disdain of submission to
strangers, formed the character of independence;
while an habitual contempt of danger was nourished
by their solitary musings, of which the honour of
their clan, and a long descent from brave and war-
like ancestors, formed the frequent theme. Thus,
their exercises, their amusements, their modes of
subsistence, their motives of action, their prejudices
and their superstitions, became characteristic, per-
manent, and peculiar. Firmness and decision, fer-
tility in resources, ardour in friendship, and a gener-
ous enthusiasm, were the result of such a situation,
such modes of life, and such habits of thought.
Feeling themselves separated by Nature from the
rest of mankind, and distinguished by their language,
their habits, their manners, and their dress, they
considered themselves the original possessors of the
country, and regarded the^Saxons of the Lowland*
as strangers and intruders."
Like their Celtic ancestors, the Highlanders were
tall, robust, and well-formed. Early marriages were
unknown among them, and it was rare for a female
who was of a puny stature and delicate constitution
to be honoured with a husband. As a proof of the
indifference of the Highlanders to cold, reference
has often been made to their sleeping in the open
air during the severity of winter. Birt, who n
among them and wrote in the year 1725, relates that
he has seen the places which they occupied, and
which were known by being free from the snow tl.ut
deeply covered the ground, except where (hi heat <,t
their bodies had melted it. The same writer n pre-
sents a chief as giving offence to his clan by
reneracy in forming the snow into a pillow before he
lav down 1 " The Highlanders were so accustomed
to sleep in the open air, that the want of shelter was
of little consequence to them. It was usual before
they lay down, to dip their plaids in water, by which
the cloth was less pervious to the wind, and th
of their bodies produced a warmth, which the wool-
len if dry, could not afford. An old man informed
me,' that a favourite place of repose was uiidyr a
cover of thick ofer-hangmjl heath.
landers, in 1745, could scarcely be prevailed on to
use tents. It is not long since those who Jr. •qumti-d
Lawrence fair, St. Sair's, and other market* in the
Garioch of Aberdeen^hire, gave up the practice of
sleeping in the open ft bjWJI U-i,,g, on
these occasions, left to shift for ihen,>elve> the in-
habitants no longer have their crop spoiled, by their
-84
HIGHLANDS.
* upthrough neighbours,' with whom they had often
bloody contentions, in consequence of these uncere-
monious visits."*
Dress.
Till of late years the general opinion was that the
plaid, philebeg, and bonnet formed the ancient garb
of the Highlanders ; but some writers have maintain-
ed that the philebeg is of modern invention, and that
the truis, which consisted of breeches and stockings
in one piece, and made to fit close to the limbs, was
the old costume. Pinkerton says, that the kilt " is
not ancient, but singular, and adapted to their " —
the Highlanders' — "savage life, — was always un-
known among the Welsh and Irish, and that it
was a dress of the Saxons, who could not afford
breeches."f We like an ingenious argument even
from the pen of this vituperative writer, with all his
anti-Gaelic prejudices, and have often admired his
tact in managing it ; but after he had admitted that
" breeches were unknown to the Celts, from the
beginning to this day,":): it was carrying conjecture
too far to attribute the introduction of the philebeg
to the Saxons, who were never able to introduce
any of their customs into the Highlands ; and of all
changes in the dress of a people, we think the sub-
stitution of the kilt for the truis the most impro-
bable. That the truis are very ancient in the High-
lands is probable, but they were chiefly confined to
the higher classes, who always used them when tra-
velling on horseback. Beague, a Frenchman, who
wrote a history of the campaigns in Scotland in 1546,
printed in Paris in 1556, states that, at the siege of
Haddington, in 1594, "they (the Scottish army)
were followed by the Highlanders, and these last go
almost naked ; they have painted waistcoats, and a
sort of woollen covering, variously coloured." The
style of dress is alluded to by our older historians,
by Major, Bishop Lesly, and Buchanan. Lindsay
of Pitscottie also thus notices it: — " The other pairt
northerne ar full of mountaines, and very rud and
homelie kynd of people doeth inhabite, which is
called the Reid Schankes, or wyld Scottis. They
be cloathed with ane mantle, with ane schirt, fach-
ioned after the Irish manner, going bair legged to
the knie."§ Another who wrote before the year
1597, observes that, in his time, "they" — the High-
landers— " delight much in marbled cloths, especially
that have long stripes of sundry colours ; they love
chiefly purple and blue ; their predecessors used
short mantles, or plaids of divers colours, sundrie
ways divided, and among some the same custom is
observed to this day ; but, for the most part now,
they are brown, most near to the colour of the had-
der, to the effect when they lye among the hadders,
the bright colour of their plaids shall not bewray
them, with the which, rather coloured than clad,
they suffer the most cruel tempests that blow in the
open fields, in such sort, that in a night of snow they
sleep sound."||
We shall now give a description of the different
parts of the Highland costume : —
The Breacan-feile, literally, ' the Chequered cover-
ing,' is the original garb of the Highlanders, and forms
the chief part of the costume ; but it is now almost
laid aside in its simple form. It consisted of a plain
piece of tartan from four to six yards in length, and
two yards broad. The plaid was adjusted with
great nicety, and made to surround the waist in
* Lo^an, I. 104, 105.
f Introduction t<> History of Scotland, II. 73.
t Ibid. I. 394.
fy Chronicles of Scotland, Ixxiv.
Certayno Mattere concerning Scotland, London, printed
great plaits or folds, and was firmly bound round
the loins with a leathern belt, in such a manner that
the lower side fell down to the middle of the knee-
joint, and then, while there were the foldings be-
hind, the cloth was double before. The upper part
was then fastened on the left shoulder with a large
brooch or pin, so as to display to the most advan-
tage the tastefulness of the arrangement, the two
ends being sometimes suffered to hang down ; but
that on the right side, which was necessarily the
longest, was more usually tucked under the belt.
In battle, in travelling, and on other occasions, this
added much to the commodiousness and grace of the
costume. By this arrangement, the right arm of the
wearer was left uncovered and at full liberty ; but
in wet or very cold weather the plaid was thrown
loose, by which both body and shoulders were cover-
ed. To give free exercise for both arms in case of
need, the plaid was fastened across the breast by a
large silver bodkin, or circular brooch, often en-
riched with precious stones, or imitations of them,
having mottos engraved, consisting of allegorical
and figurative sentences.* Although the belted
plaid was peculiar to the Highlanders, it came gra-
dually to be worn by some of the inhabitants of the
Lowland districts adjoining the Highlands; but it
was discontinued about the end of the last century.
As the Breacan was without pockets, a purse,
called sporan by the Highlanders, was fastened or
tied in front, which was very serviceable. This
purse was made of goats' or badgers' skin, and some-
times of leather, and was neither so large nor so
gaudy as that now in use. People of rank or con-
dition ornamented their purses sometime with a
silver mouthpiece, and fixed the tassels and other
appendages with silver fastenings ; but in general
the mouthpieces were of brass, and the cords em-
ployed were of leather neatly interwoven. The spo-
ran was divided into several compartments. One of
these was appropriated for holding a watch, another
money, &c. The Highlanders even carried their
shot in the sporan occasionally, but for this purpose
they commonly carried a wallet at the right side, in
which they also stowed when travelling, a quantity
of meal and other provisions. This military knap-
sack was called dorlach by the Highlanders.
The use of stockings and shoes is comparatively
of recent date in the Highlands. Originally they en-
cased their feet in a piece of untanned hide, cut to
the shape and size of the foot, and drawn close to-
gether with leather thongs, a practice which is
observed by the descendants of the Scandinavian
settlers in the Shetland islands even to the present
day ; but this mode of covering the feet was far from
being general, as the greater part of the population
went barefooted. Such was the state of the High-
landers who fought at Killicrankie ; and Birt, who
wrote upwards of a century ago, says that he visited
a well-educated and polite laird, in the north, who
wore neither shoes nor stockings, nor had any cover-
ing for his feet. A modern writer observes, that
when the Highland regiments were embodied during
the French and American wars, hundreds of the
men were brought down without either stockings
or shoes.
The stockings, which were originally of the same
pattern with the plaid, were not knitted, but were
cut out of the web, as is still done in the case of
those worn by the common soldiers in the Highland
regiments ; but a great variety of fancy patterns are
now in use. The garters were of rich colours, and
broad, and were wrought in a small loom, which i
now almost laid aside. Their texture was very close,
Stewart's Sketches, I. 74.
HIGHLANDS.
lich prevented them from wrinkling, and displayed
the pattern to its full extent. On the occasion of an
miversary cavalcade, on Michaelmas-day, by thein-
jitants of the island of North Uist, when persons
' all ranks and of both sexes appeared on horseback,
ic women, in return for presents of knives and pur-
js given them by the men, presented the latter
with a pair of fine garters of divers colours."*
The bonnet, of which there were various patterns,
>mpleted the national garb, and those who could
Ford had also, as essential accompaniments, a dirk,
ith a knife and fork stuck in the side of the sheath,
tnd sometimes a spoon, together with a pair of steel
istols.
The garb, however, differed materially in quality
id in ornamental display, according to the rank or
jility of the wearer. The short coat and waistcoat
rorn by the wealthy were adorned with silver but-
tassels, embroidery, or lace, according to the
ste or fashion of the times; and even " among the
jtter and more provident of the lower ranks," as
icral Stewart remarks, silver buttons were fre-
quently found, which had come down to them as an
ritance of long descent. The same author ob-
rves, that the reason for wearing these buttons,
h were of a large size and of solid silver, was,
their value might defray the expense of a decent
ineral in the event of the wearer falling in battle,
dying in a strange country and at a distance from
friends. The officers of Mackay's and Munroe's
ighland regiments, who served under Gustavus
olphus in the wars of 1626, and 1638, in addition
rich buttons, wore a gold chain round the neck,
secure the owner, in case of being wounded or
:en prisoner, good treatment, or payment for fu-
re ransom.
Although shoe-buckles now form a part of the
ighland costume, they were unknown in the High-
nds one hundred and fifty years ago. The ancient
hlanders did not wear neckcloths. Among the
erent costumes with which we are acquainted,
can stand comparison with the Highland garb
gracefulness. The nice discernment and correct
te of Eustace preferred it to the formal and gor-
ous drapery of the Asiatic costume. Its utility,
w that such a complete change has been effected
the manners and condition of the people, may be
uestioned; but it must be admitted on all hands,
at a more suitable dress for the times when it was
used, could not have been invented.
The dress of the women seems to require some
little notice. Till marriage, or till they arrived at a
certain age, they went with the head bare, the hair
ing tied with bandages or some slight ornament,
which they wore a head-dress, called the curch,
made of linen, which was tied under the chin ; but
when a young woman lost her virtue and character
she was obliged to wear a cap, and never afterwards
to appear bare-headed. Martin's observations on the
dress of the females of the Western islands, may be
taken as giving a pretty correct idea of that worn by
those of the Highlands. " The women wore sleeves
of scarlet cloth, closed at the end as men's vests,
with gold lace round them, having plate buttons set
with tine stones. The head-dress was a fine ker-
chief of linen, strait about the head. The plaid was
tied before on the breast, with a buckle of silver or
brass, according to the quality of the person. I ha ;e
seen some of the former of one hundred merks value ;
the whole curiously engraved with various animals.
There was a lesser buckle which was worn in the
middle of the larger. It had in the centre a large
piece of crystal, or some finer stone, of a lesser size."
ceria
s
M,.,,!,
* Martin's Western Islands, 2d Edit. p. 30.
I.
The plaid, which, with the exception of a few stripe*
of red, black, or bin.-, ua, whit,-, n-a.-lu-d from the
neck almost to the feet; it was plaited, and was
tied round the waist by a belt of leather, tst
with small pieces of silver.
Superstitions.
The Highlanders, in common with most other
nations, were much addicted to superstition. The
peculiar aspect of their country, in which nature ap-
pears in its wildest and most romantic features, exhi-
biting at a glance sharp and rugged mountains, with
dreary wastes — wide-stretched lakes, and rapid tor-
rents, over which the thunders and lightnings, and
tempests, and rains, of heaven, exhaust their terrific
rage, wrought upon the creative powers of the ima-
gination, and from these appearances, the Highland-
ers " were naturally led to ascribe every disaster to
the influence of superior powers, in whose character
the predominating feature necessarily was malignity
towards the human race."f The most dangerous and
most malignant creature was the kelpie, or water-
horse, which was supposed to allure women and chil-
dren to his subaqueous haunts, and there devour
them. Sometimes he would swell the lake or tor-
rent beyond its usual limits, and overwhelm the un-
guarded traveller in the flood. The shepherd, as he
sat upon the brow of a rock in a summer's evening,
often fancied he saw this animal dashing along the
surface of the lake, or browsing on the pasture-
ground upon its verge. The urmks, who were sup-
posed to be of a condition somewhat intermediate
between that of mortal men and spirits, " were a
sort of lubberly supernatural, who, like the brownies
of England, could be gained over by kind attentions
to perform the drudgery of the farm ; and it was be
lieved that many families in the Highlands had one
of the order attached to it."{ The urisks were sup-
posed to live dispersed over the Highlands, each
having his own wild recess ; but they were said to
hold stated assemblies in the celebrated cave called
Coire-nan-Uriskin, situated near the base of Ben-
Venue, in Aberrbyle, on its northern shoulder. It
overhangs Loch-Katrine " in solemn grandeur," and
is beautifully and faithfully described by Sir Walter
Scott §
The urisks, though generally inclined to mischief,
f Graham's Sketches of Perthshire.
J Ibid.
\ " It was a wild and strange retreat,
As e'er was trod by outlaw's feet.
The dell, upou the mountain's crest,
Yawned like a gash on warrior's breast ;
Its trench had utaid full many a rock,
Hurl'd by primeval earthquake shock
From Ben. Venue's grey bummit wild.
And here, in random ruin piled,
They frowned incumbent o'er the spot.
And formed the rugged sylvan grot.
The oak and birch, with mingled ohade,
At noontide there a twilight made.
Unless where short and sudden thon«
From struggling beam on cliff or stone.
With such a glimpse as prophet's eye
Gains on thy depth, Futurity
Nu murmur waked the solemn still,
Save tinkling of a fountain rill ;
But wli.-ii tli.- wind chafed with the lake
A Millen sound would upward break,
With dashing hollow voice, that spoke
The incessant war of wave and rock.
Suspended cliffs, with hideous sway,
s.-.-in'd nodding o'er the cavern grey.
From such a den the wolf had hprmiir,
In such a wild cat leaves her young;
Yet I ><>uglas and his daughter fair
Sought for a space their safety there.
Grey Superstition's whisper dread,
Debarred the spot to vulgar tread ;
For there, she said, did fay* resort,
And satyrs hold their xylvan court,
By moou-light tread their mystic roa*e,
And blast the rash beholder', gaze."
I..K/V of (he Lake, c. in. n. tt.
:} i)
786
HIGHLANDS.
were supposed to relax in this propensity, if kindly
treated by the families which they haunted. They
were even serviceable in some instances, and in this
point of view were often considered an acquisition.
Each family regularly set down a bowl of cream for
its urisk, and even clothes were sometimes added.
The urisk resented any omission or want of atten-
tion on the part of the family ; and tradition says,
that the urisk of Glaschoil — a small farm about a
mile to the west of Ben- Venue — having been dis-
appointed one night of his bowl of cream, after per-
forming the task allotted him, took his departure about
day-break, uttering a horrible shriek, and never again
returned. — The Daoine Shith, or Shi', 'men of
peace," or as they are sometimes called, Daoine
matha, ' good men,' come next to be noticed. Dr.
P. Graham considers the part of the popular super-
stitions of the Highlands which relates to these im-
aginary persons, and which is to this day retained,
as he observes, in some degree of purity, as " the
most beautiful and perfect branch of Highland my-
thology."— Although it has been generally supposed
that the mythology of the Daoine Shi' is the same
as that respecting the fairies of England, as portrayed
by Shakspeare, in the ' Midsummer Night's Dream,'
and perhaps, too, of the Orientals, they differ essen-
tially in many important points. The Daoine Shi',
or men of peace, who are the fairies of the High-
landers, " though not absolutely malevolent, are be-
lieved to be a peevish repining race of beings, who,
possessing themselves but a scanty portion of happi-
ness, are supposed to envy mankind their more com-
plete and substantial enjoyments. They are sup-
posed to enjoy, in their subterraneous recesses, a
sort of shadowy happiness, a tinsel grandeur, which,
however, they would willingly exchange for the more
solid joys of mortals." Green was the colour of the
dress which these men of peace always wore, and
they were supposed to take offence when any of the
mortal race presumed to wear their favourite colour.
The Highlanders ascribe the disastrous result of the
battle of Killiecrankie to the circumstance of Vis-
count Dundee having been dressed in green on that
ill-fated day. This colour is even yet considered
ominous to those of his name who assume it. The
abodes of the Daoine Shi' are supposed to be below
grassy eminences or knolls, where, during the night,
they celebrate their festivities by the light of the
moon, and dance to notes of the softest music. Tra-
dition reports that they have often allured some of
the human race into their subterraneous retreats,
consisting of gorgeous apartments, and that they
have been regaled with the most sumptuous ban-
quets and delicious wines. Their females far ex-
ceed the daughters of men in beauty. If any mortal
shall be tempted to partake of their repast, or join
in their pleasures, he at once forfeits the society of
his fellow-men, and is bound down irrevocably to
the condition of a Shi'ich, or man of peace. The
Shi'ichs, or men of peace, are supposed to have a
design against new-born children, and women in
childbed, whom, it is still universally believed, they
sometimes carry off into their secret recesses. To
prevent this abduction, women in childbed are closely
watched, and are not left alone, even for a single
moment, till the child is baptized, when the Shi'ichs
are supposed to have no more power over them.*
* The fairies of Shetland appear to be bolder than the Shi'ichs
of the Highlands, for they are believed to carry off young chil-
dren even after baptism, taking care, however, to substitute a
cabbage-stock, or something else in lieu, which is made to as-
aume the appearance of the abstracted child. The unhappy
mother must take as much care of this phantom as she did of
her child, and on no account destroy it, otherwise, it is be-
lieved, the fairies will not restore her child to her. " This is
not ray bairn," said a mother to a neighbour who was condol.
Weddings, Sec.
Among the various modes of social intercourse
which gladdened the minds and dissipated the worldly
cares of the Highlanders, weddings bore a distin-
guished part, and they were longed for with a pe-
culiar earnestness. Young and old, from the boy
and girl of the age of ten to the hoary-headed sire
and aged matron, attended them. The marriage in-
vitations were given by the bride and bridegroom, in
person, for some weeks previous, and included the
respective friends of the betrothed parties living at
the distance of many miles. When the bride and
bridegroom had completed their rounds, the custom
was for the matrons of the invited families to return
the visit within a few days, carrying along with them
large presents of hams, beef, cheese, butter, malt,
spirits, and such other articles as they inclined or
thought necessary for the approaching feast. To
such an extent was this practice carried in some
instances in the quantity presented, that, along with
what the guests paid (as they commonly did) for
their entertainment at the marriage, and the gifts
presented on the day after the marriage, the young
couple obtained a pretty fair competence, which
warded off the shafts of poverty, and even made
them comfortable in after-life. The joyous wedding-
morning was ushered in by the notes of the bag- pipe.
A party of pipers, followed by the bridegroom and a
party of his friends, commenced at an early hour a
round of morning calls to remind the guests of their
engagements. These hastened to join the party,
and before the circuit, which sometimes occupied
several hours, had ended, some hundreds, perhaps,
had joined the wedding standard before they reached
the bridegroom's house. The bride made a similar
round among her friends. Separate dinners were
provided ; the bridegroom giving a dinner to his
friends, and the bride to hers. The marriage cere-
mony was seldom performed till after dinner. The
clergyman, sometimes, attended, but the parties pre-
ferred waiting on him, as the appearance of a large
procession to his house gave additional importance
and eclat to the ceremony of the day, which was
further heightened by a constant firing by the young
men, who supplied themselves with guns and pistols,
and which firing was responded to by every hamlet
as the party passed along; " so that, with streamers
flying, pipers playing, the constant firing from all
sides, and the shouts of the young men, the whole
had the appearance of a military army passing, with
all the noise of warfare, through a hostile country."
On the wedding-day, the bride and bridegroom
avoided each other till they met before the clergy-
man. Many ceremonies were performed during the
celebration of the marriage rites. These ceremonies
were of an amusing and innocent description, and
added much to the cheerfulness and happiness of the
young people. One of these ceremonies consisted
in untying all the bindings and strings about the per
son of the bridegroom, to denote, that nothing was
to be bound on the marriage-day but the one indis-
soluble knot which death only can dissolve. The
bride was exempted from this operation from a deli-
cacy of feeling towards her sex, and from a supposi-
tion that she was so pure that infidelity on her part
could not be contemplated.
The attachment of the Highlanders to their off-
spring and the veneration and filial piety which a
reciprocal feeling produced on the part of their chil-
dren, were leading characteristics in the Highland
character, and much as these mountaineers have de-
ing with her on the wasted appearance of her infant, then sit-
ting on her knee,—" this is not my bairn— may the d— 1 rest
where my bairn now is!"
HIGHLANDS.
'87
lerated in some of the other virtues, these affec-
i still remain almost unimpaired. Children seldom
lesert their parents in their old age, and when forced
i earn a subsistence from home, they always consider
lemselves bound to share with their parents what-
rer they can save from their wages. But the pa-
mts are never left alone, as one of the family, by
irns, remains at home for the purpose of taking
ire of them in terms of an arrangement. " The
;nse of duty is not extinguished by absence from
mountains. It accompanies the Highland soldier
lid the dissipations of a mode of life to which he
not been accustomed. It prompts him to save a
tion of his pay, to enable him to assist his parents,
also to work when he has an opportunity, that
may increase their allowance, at once preserving
~iself from idle habits, and contributing to the
jfort and happiness of those who gave him birth,
have been a frequent witness of these offerings of
-1 bounty, and the channel through which they
communicated, and I have generally found that
threat of informing their parents of misconduct,
~s operated as a sufficient check on young soldiers,
10 always received the intimation with a sort of
>r. They knew that the report would not only
rieve their relations, but act as a sentence of ban-
iment against themselves, as they could not return
ime with a bad or blemished character. Generals
['Kenzie, Fraser, and M'Kenzie of Suddie, who
sively commanded the 78th Highlanders, sel-
had occasion to resort to any other punishment
m threats of this kind, for several years after the
ibodying of that regiment."*
The Highlanders, like the inhabitants of other
mtic and mountainous regions, always retain an
ithusiastic attachment to their country, which
either distance of place nor length of time can
race. This strong feeling has, we think, been
tributed erroneously to the powerful and lasting
Feet which the external objects of nature, seen in
;ir wildest and most fantastic forms and features,
calculated to impress upon the imagination. No
ibt the remembrance of these objects might con-
ribute to endear the scenes of youth to the patri-
Aic Highlander when far removed from his native
is ; but it was the recollection of home, — sweet
le ! — of the domestic circle, and of the many pleas-
associations which arise from the contemplation
the days of other years, when mirth and innocence
Id mutual dalliance, that chiefly impelled him to
for the land of his fathers. Mankind have na-
turally an affection for the country of their birth,
and this affection is felt more or less according to
the degree of social or commercial intercourse which
exists among nations. Confined, like the Swiss, for
many ages within their natural boundaries, and hav-
ing little or no intercourse with the rest of the
world, the Highlanders formed those strong local
attachments for which they were long remarkably
distinguished; but which are now being gradually
obliterated by the mighty changes rapidly taking
place in the state of society.
Progress of Civilization.
The transition of the Highlanders, from their an-
cient, moral, and social condition, to a state of en-
lightenment and of begun community of character
and interests with the inhabitants of the Lowlands,
did not commence till the 18th century. None of
the many attempts which successive kings and gov-
ernments had made to break down their peculiar
frame- work, or divest them of the wild power which
they riotously sported within the mountain- walls of
« Stewart's Skt-tchea
8fi.
their fortress-like country, or tame them into the
spirit and observances of a people living as one fa-
mily and acknowledging the sway of one ruling
power had, up to the year 1715, been, even in a
slight degree, permanently successful. Even the
disarming act which followed the rebellion of that
year, had little other effect than to strip the few clans
who were favourable to government, of their means
of rendering it service, and place them bleedingly at
the mercy of the exulting majority who brandished
defiance at the magniloquent but pithless attempt
to seize their claymores and their dirks. Cromwell,
indeed, tamed, for a time, their martial ferocity, and
taught them to feel the presence of a master by the
severe rigour of his martial proceedings, and even
threw a ray of enlightenment over the minds, and
conferred lasting benefits on the town of Inver-
ness, by promulging a knowledge of those arts
which deeply affect for good a people's social well-
being. A revival of his policy, too, in the construct-
ing of forts at intervals over the country, and in
the posting within them of strong garrisons to over-
awe the clans, achieved, in a small degree, during the
first half of the 18th century, that silent though
sullen respect for the power of government which
the results of the disarming act were fitted only to
turn into derision. Still, till influences of a moral
kind, or higher influences than appeals to their fears
and attempted abridgments of their physical power,
could be made to bear upon them, the Highlander!
remained among their mountain -fastnesses very
nearly the same in character as their ancestors had
been for ages. The breaking up of the patriarchal
or clan-system by vigorous acts of the legislative
and the executive, — the opening up of the country
by facilities of communication, — the formation of so-
cieties, and the conducting of enterprises to engage
it in productive industry, — and the invigoration and
extension of its scanty appliances of education and
religious instruction, — are the grand means which
have effected a change, both as to themselves and as to
their results ; and they shall now be rapidly detailed,
not jointly, nor in the order of the dates of their
origin, but separately, and in such order as seems to
give most promise of clearness of illustration.
Two years after the quelling of the last rebellion, or
in 1 748, two acts were passed, and an old one revived,
with a view of entirely destroying the clan-system
of the Highlanders. One of the new acts abolished
hereditary jurisdictions, and was designed to cut
asunder the bands of power on the one side, and of feu-
dal servitude on the other, which united the chieftain
and his followers ; and the other proscribed the use
of the Highland dress, and was intended to desecrate
those ancient recollections, and fling into oblivion
those cherished feelings of clansmanship and preda-
tory mountaineer habits, with which the very sight
of the kilt and the philabeg were associated. The
revived act was that which hitherto had been so
feebly, or rather mischievously exhibited, in terro-
rem, for disarming the Highlanders ; and it was now
backed with precaution, and carried into execution
with a vigour which promised speedily to sweep the
mountains of their tools of defiance and rebellion.
So energetically did the acts invade and overrun the
Highlands, that the system with which they made
war took instantly and pnripitantly to flight, and
made not a stand and attempted not a rally for
i-xistrnce. The Highland peasantry were now made
masters of their own actions, but, at the same time,
were suddenly driven away from all the modes of
life in which they had been used to employ their
energies ; they were freed, not only from tin- domi-
nation, but also from the guidance of superiors to
whom they had been habituated to look for both
788
HIGHLANDS.
the regulation of their conduct, and the supply of
their physical wants ; they were disencumbered of
at once the tools and the plunder of petty war, —
the servitudes and the rewards of watching the will
and following the motions of their chieftains ; they
acquired the liberty of roaming the world, or, in any
form, attempting honourable adventure, but lost the
security of a home and of employment suited to
their predilections by attachment to specific localities
of soil ; and — altogether at the mercy of whatever
new character their quondam chieftains might as-
sume, if they remained on their native grounds, or
unpiloted by knowledge of the world, and unaided
by habits of civilized industry if they moved abroad
—they went off, in their new career, like greyhounds
in the slip, uncertain whither the chase might lead,
and ignorant whether they might pant in disappoint-
ment, or give voice in the exultancy of success at its
close. In numerous instances the chieftains — now
converted into plain landed proprietors — came down
with true dignity of character from their barbarous
grandeur amid the heath of the mountains to the
morally great position of cultivators of the soil and
encouragers of an industrious tenantry in the valley;
and, combining enlightened regard for their own re-
spectability and income, with patriotic concern for
the welfare of their quondam clansmen, so appor-
tioned their estates into farms, and constructed a
machinery for giving general employment in the cul-
tivation of the soil or the rearing of stock, as
speedily to weave between themselves and their
people a bond of connexion quite akin to that
which unites encouraging landlord and industrious
farmer in the Lowlands, and unspeakably more
conducive to the happiness of both, while a thousand
times worthier of admiration, than the bond of feu-
dalism which had just been burst. In all such in-
stances, the transition, aided by the appliances which
we have yet to explain, was rapid, on the part of
both proprietor and tenant, from the character of
useless or mischievous romance which had formerly
distinguished them, to the quiet and common-place
but comfortable and praiseworthy character of peace-
ful patrons and labourers of agricultural and pasto-
ral life. While the landholders became honourably
richer than before, and moved in contact with the
amenities of polished society, and imbibed a taste
for the refinements of art and of mental cultivation,
the tenants speedily acquired both taste for humble
luxuries, and a power to procure the means of its
gratification, and, before the lapse of many years,
exchanged the swinish hovel for the snug cottage,
an adherence to uniformity of dress for a fondness
to import and imitate recent fashions, and a reck-
lessness and ignorance of the methods of cookery
for a considerable appreciation of the delicacies of
food. Estates which were laid out at the disrup-
tion of the feudal system for the joint welfare of
proprietor and inhabitants, in fact exhibit at the
present day such close resemblance to the majority
of estates in the Lowlands, that, but for their moun-
tain-aspect, and the prevalence of the Gaelic lan-
guage, and the remains of a strong dash of ancient
superstitions, they might be pronounced to have not
a physical or a moral feature of difference. Addi-
tional to the lairds and the farmers, young gentlemen
of family displayed the phases of a beneficial change.
Deprived of the wild and turbulent resources in
great commonwealth, than they could have done hi
lavishing them upon the limited and doubtful in-
terests of a Highland clan.
But while the estates to which we have been re-
ferring careered onward to prosperity, a very large
portion of the Highland territory became the scene
of accumulated disasters upon the people, and, in the
first instance, was reclaimed from the evils of feu-
dalism only to originate miseries and occasion de-
pravation of morals, different in kind from those of
the Middle ages, but scarcely inferior in degree.
Many landlords — perhaps very considerably the majo-
rity— seemed so to recoil from the fall of their feudal
grandeur as to earth themselves in the deepest sor-
didness of spirit, or to seek an amends for the power
of despotism which they had lost, in the rigorous
and inglorious domineerings of a hard taskmaster.
Dissevered from their people as to bonds which en-
slaved their wills and dictated their services, and
disdaining to seek enrichment from their estates by the
slow and systematic and humble means of a minutely
apportioned farming and pastoral tenantry, they
spent not a thought on the destinies of their quon-
dam clansmen, or unceremoniously consigned them
to adventure in the countries beyond the mountains,
and rented out to one grasping and monopolizing
tacksman — who was high-sounding in pretensions,
and who promised to make golden returns to his
landlord without taxing his nobility with vulgar
cares — a wide expanse of territory which ought to
have been distributed among large numbers, or even
several scores of farmers. Many valleys which for-
merly teemed with population, and glens once
vocal with the wild notes of the pibroch, were,
in consequence, abandoned to the solitary and
silent wanderings of vast flocks of black cattle and
sheep. Enormous numbers of the Highland pea-
santry now exchanged their once deep devotion to
the protecting chieftain for towering scorn and hatred
of the unbenignant and selfish landlord ; and, spurn-
ing the country which they had fondly loved, but
which seemed, in biting ingratitude, to fling them
from its embrace, sought, on the far-away shores of
a foreign land, a retreat where they might nurse
their rage and toil for subsistence. Thousands after
thousands crowded along in small bands to the sea-
ports of Scotland, and thence sailed away to America ;
and, sending back accounts of the Canadian wilds
which seemed fascinating to an outcast and half-
beggared Highlander, induced thousands upon
thousands more of their countrymen to follow.
Nor was the work of deportation limited to a few
years immediately succeeding the imposition upon
the Highlands of a strictly pastoral and agricultural
character. Landlords who, at first, were measured
and relenting in the expatriation of their people,
and even some probably who, for a time, regarded
the quondam clans as all entitled in justice to re-
main on the lands to which they had been feudally
attached, gradually found profit or convenience in
making large allotments of territory to tacksmen,
and caused the great scene of depopulation at the
commencement to be continually repeated with the
efflux of years. So late as during the year 1835,
no fewer than 3,522 Highlanders, parting with the
whole of their little possessions in order to obtain
sufficient passage-money, found their way from the
ports of Campbelltown, Oban, and Tobermory alone,
, ,1 T-T •. i c** t A J At T> 'A' 1 1 1 1~*
which they might once have hoped to luxuriate j to the United States and the British colonies, be-
among the mountains, and invited away to the trial
of new modes of life abroad, they entered and soon
loved liberal professions, or became servants of their
country in ner army or navy, and speedily acquired
a greatly more relished enjoyment in systematically
expending their energies as aspiring members of one
sides great numbers — the quota probably from much
the larger portion of the Highlands — who embarked
at Greenock and Port-Glasgow. Other Highlanders,
not few in number, were driven into demoralization
of feeling of a kind quite unredeemed by any of the
occasional dashes of nobleness which occasionally
HIGHLANDS.
tted across the vices of the clansmen. Some,
>ped up within spheres of action too limited to
Imit their earning a full sustenance, fell in debt
> their superiors, or became partial paupers on
icir bounty, or contrived mean stratagems of petty-
licanery, and were speedily meshed in wretched
abits of low cunning and duplicity; while others
lunged into the keen and savage excitement of illicit
istillation, and indolently stretching themselves at
ie time on the heath or in the cave to watch the
of their occupation, or boldly executing, at
)ther, daring or mendacious schemes to outwit the !
tciseman, became habituated to fraud and perjury,
i consequence, however, of the reduction of the
ities on spirits, and the numerous — the too numer- !
s establishment of legal distilleries, the practice |
illicit distillation has, in some districts, wholly i
sappeared, and, on the whole, has, to a very great
id desirable extent, been suppressed. Emigration,
so, if the Long-Island group of the Hebrides,
,'hich contributed its due proportion of emigrants,
lay, as a specimen, be viewed as an index of the
phole has, for several years past, been wholly at a
and. Along, also, with the suppression of illicit
stillation, the prevalence of fearfully intemperate
.bits to which it seems to have given birth, or with
rhich it was intimately associated, has been pent up
rithin limits, and ceases to offer chase to the pur-
ling moralist over a measureless waste of mountain
id flood. The miseries which threatened nearly to
;rwhelm large portions of the Highlands, there-
3, may be regarded as now in a fair course of ame-
•ation. Nor ought we much to regret in the long-
i, that the sweep of improving influences comes
fer a scantier population than they must have en-
intered, had not emigration drained-off currents of
s people to foreign shores. The Highlands, on
rinciples of quiet industry, and modern refinement
-unless by some magic manufactures could be in-
)duced to their recesses — are utterly incompetent
maintain the same number of human beings, as on
ie happily exploded principles of contentment with
dog's food and a pig's lodging, and of predatory in-
irsions into the neighbouring Lowlands. A distri-
ition of the territory of estates which, on frequent
id skilful experiment, is found to be most exuber-
ant in produce, and is, consequently, best, not only
for the landlord, for the aggregate interests of the
national community comports ill with such over-
minute allotments as would make farmers of all the
successors of the clansmen who followed the chief-
tain to the foray. The breaking up of the feudal
system, then, may have been none the less propitious
in its eventual and abiding results, for its having,
in the first instance, given birth to extensive dis-
rtera.
Roads, Canals, and Steam Navigation.
But the beneficial effects of obliging the Highland
population to employ themselves chiefly as husband-
men and graziers could never, to any considerable
degree, have been realized, had not the country been
laid open by facilities of communication. The
Highlands, in their original state, were almost ut-
terly inaccessible from without, and were traversable,
within their own limits, only by the lightfooted pe-
destrian, bearing no heavier a load than the accoutre-
ments of war. During the rebellion of 1715, when
the royal troops made a vain attempt to penetrate
farther than Blair- Athol, Government began to see
the necessity of cutting paths through the mountain
fastnesses even as a measure of national police. In
1730, several great lines of road were commenced,
—one from Luss, both by the head of Locblomond
d by Inverary, to Tyndrum, — another from Cal-
lendar, noar Stirling, to the same point, — another,
in continuation of these, from Tyndruiii. through
Glencoe, to Fort- William, and thence alon.
great glen to Fort-George, — another from Cu par-
Angus by Braemar to Fort-George, — and another
from Crieff and from Dunkeld by Dalnacardoch and
Dalwhinnie, to Fort- Augustus and Inverness. These
principal roads, and various branch or connecting
ones, eventually extended in aggregate length to
about 800 miles, and were provided with upwards of
1,000 bridges; and they were constructed with va-
rious expeditiousness, the most important lines being
completed within 6 or 8 years after the date of com-
mencement, and those of secondary importance con-
tinuing to be in progress till near the close of the
century. The workers employed on them were
parties of soldiers, rewarded by additions to their
military pay, directed by master-masons and over-
seers, and superintended by a functionary called
the baggage-master and inspector-of-roads in North-
Britain, who was responsible to the commamltT-in-
chief of the forces in Scotland. The roads were
formed and kept in repair by annual parliamentary
grants of from £4,000 to £7,000, and, in some in-
stances, were carried forward or ramified at the ex-
pense of proprietors through whose estates they
passed. They were very far, however, from being
a competent provision for the vast and impracti-
cable region which they professed to ^ave laid open.
Soon ceasing to be required for military purposes,
or for those of pouring in forces to overawe the
disrupted clans, they offered, for the purposes of
traffic, comparatively limited and imperfect facilities.
They passed through the wildest and most moun-
tainous districts ; they drained the produce chiefly
of territories so poor and so thinly inhabited as to
be totally unable to bear the costs of keeping them
in repair; and, while leaving many interior and
richer districts not far from the Lowlands un tra-
versed and quite untouched, they went no farther
northward than the great Caledonian glen, and
made no provision whatever for the counties of
Caithness, Sutherland, Cromarty, and Ross, the
greater part of Inverness-shire, and the vast region
of the Western isles. Yet, just at the moment
when they required to be vigorously extended, they
lay in some risk of being utterly abandoned. Gov-
ernment, wearied with their annual drain on tin:
public treasury, and doubtful of their practical
utility, requested a statement of reasons from Sir
Ralph Abercromby, the commander-m-chiet, and
Colonel Anstruther, the general inspector, \\liy they
should be continued. But both of these oil
as well as the Highland society, while admitting
that the roads were, for the present, no longer re-
quisite for their original objects, so convincingly
showed the maintenance and the extension of them
to be indispensable to the prevention of a revolt
into barbarity and feudalism, or to the progression
of the begun work of civilization and social improve-
ment, that parliament, in 1802-3, passed an art tor
maintaining, at the public cost, the roads which bad
been made, for contributing one-half of (M
mated expense of whatever additional roads and
bridges might be desiderated, the other halt
paid by proprietors or counties, and tor cmpov,
commissioners to insure the efficient and .
performance of the works. The militat ;>
continued, for a time, to be kept in repair at the
cost of from £4,000 to £7,000 a-year; bttt,
allowance tor them from 1*14 t,. 1819
limited to £2,500 a-year, they tell, except on the
two most important line-, into comparative n.
Nor, in the new state ot thm.uS w :i- tlu -ir decline t.
be much regretted. Conducted on the old ai.',
790
HIGHLANDS.
absurd principle of moving, as nearly as possible, in a
straight line, they were carried rapidly down into
hollows, and driven stiffly up the face of acclivities,
as if to exclude from the regions to which they led
the way the luxury of a wheeled vehicle ; and were,
in all respects, strikingly inferior to the roads which
might be expected, and which have actually been
constructed, under the new act. The Highland
counties, particularly those which continued still to
be closed up, made prompt claims upon the offered
contributions of parliament, by paying down their
own moiety for lines of desiderated road. So rapidly
were new roads formed — all on principles of expert
engineering — that against the year 1820, they ex-
tended, in the aggregate, to 875 miles, provided with
1,117 bridges, and had occasioned a cost to parlia-
ment of £267,000, to the counties of £214,000, and
to individual proprietors of estates £60,000, — in all
£541,000. Since 1820, the military and the parlia-
mentary roads have been strictly under one manage-
ment, and are maintained in repair at the average
cost of £10,000 a-year, £5,000 of which is contri-
buted by parliament. In 1839, the total expendi-
ture was £10,057 ; and the expenditure, deducting
costs for casualties, was £8,534. For 8 or 9 years
past — and with increasing frequency — the roads have
begun to defray a portion of their own costs by
bearing the imposition of tolls.
So great a social and moral revolution as the for-
mation of the Highland roads has accomplished,
cannot easily be conceived. During a considerable
period after the military roads were completed, the
region continued in nearly its original state of wild-
ness and anarchy. Attempts to traverse the new
tracks were made for many years, either simply on
foot, or at best on garrons or little Highland ponies ;
they were, at first, totally, and, after a period, slowly
and hesitatingly aided by the erection of inns; and,
for some years succeeding the suppression of the last
rebellion, they were rendered perilous by the trucu-
lency and ruffianism of gangs of the broken clans or
dispersed rebels who haunted the mountain -passes
for prey. In 1760, a post-chaise was seen for the
first time in Inverness, and, for several years, con-
tinued to be the only four-wheeled carriage in the
region. But even when vehicles of its class became
somewhat known, they were hired with cautious
timidity, and packed to suffocation by parties of tra-
vellers confederated to bear the heavy costs of hire,
and, with not a few risks and adventures in the ac-
cidents of springs and harness, lumbered heavily
along with their load, occupying eight days in mov-
ing from Inverness to Edinburgh. The mails to
Inverness also — which were not established till after
the Union, and which, for fifty years, were carried
only once-a-week and by foot-runners — continued, to
the end of the century, to have no more dignified a
conveyance than either saddle-bags or single-seated
cars. When the new road-act came into practice,
however, the change which had so slowly advanced
made rapid and large bounds in the onward move-
ment. In 1806, the Caledonian coach began to run
between Perth and Inverness, a distance of 115
miles; and performed the journey in two days; and,
at the sole risk of one individual, maintained its pre-
carious ground till, after a lapse of years, it provoked
rivalry or imitation. In 1811, a coach, carrying the
mail, was started between Inverness and Aberdeen.
As the various parliamentary roads were opened, or
the old military ones improved, coaching on other
lines was commenced. In 1819, a mail coach, aided,
in the first instance, by the counties and by large
allowances for the mail, penetrated to the extreme
north, connecting all the southern towns of the king-
dom, with Tain, Wick, and Thurso. In 1827, the
number of public coaches converging to Inverness
had multiplied to 7, — making 44 arrivals and the
same number of departures weekly; 3 of the coaches
running up from Aberdeen, 1 running up from Perth,
2 coming in from Tain, Cromarty, Invergordon, and
Dingwall, and 1 coming in from Thurso and Wick.
Nor have comparatively sequestered and very thinly
peopled districts been eventually without the luxury
of public coaching. One coach runs between In-
verary and Oban; another through Glencroe between
Tarbet on Lochlomond and the head of Loch-Fyne;
another, between Kilmun to the ferry at Inverary ;
and another between Stirling and the Trosachs.
Smaller public vehicles, carrying the mail and pas-
sengers, run also between Tongue and Thurso, and
between Golspie and Assynt Inns — those momen-
tous accommodations to travellers, and unerring in-
dices to the true state of traffic in a country — began,
soon after the commencement of the present century,
to spring up in vast numbers, and generally of a
quality to indicate a prodigious transition in the
social circumstances of the region. In the south
Highlands, in the Great glen, on the roads between
Fort- William and Stirling and between Dingwall
and Portree, and along the grand road from Perth
to Thurso, they are, for the most part, commodious
and comfortable, sometimes wearing a dash of low-
country pretension or even metropolitan elegance,
and rarely justifying any of the ideas of discomfort
with which many frothy talkers still rashly associate
the Highlands. Even on the least frequented roads,
except in the north and west of Sutherlandshire,
and some less considerable districts, accommodations
occur at intervals of from 10 to 15 miles, which,
merely claiming to be public-houses, present two-
storied and slated exteriors, and floored and apart-
mented interiors, and display an array of comforts
five centuries in advance of the best which Bailie
Nicol Jarvie, or any living original whom he repre-
sented, could find on the very frontiers and garden-
ground of the Highlands — Post-chaises and other
travelling vehicles for hire, though not proportionate
to the public coaches and the inns, exist in sufficient
number to unite with them in the indication of so-
cial improvement. On the great road between Perth
and Inverness, in many parts of the southern High-
lands, at Inverary on the west, and at Tain, Ding-
wall, and other towns on the east, post-chaises, gigs,
post-horses and riding-horses are maintained at the
inns. In the south, the east, and the north, one-
horse cars, or one-horse four-wheeled vehicles begin
to be very generally introduced; and at Fort- Wil-
liam, Ballachulish, Oban, and other places in the
west, carts with a swing-seat across the centre are
let as a succedaneum for gigs Private carriages,
from being altogether unknown previous to the
road-making period, and exceedingly rare several
years after the commencement of the present cen-
tury, have become comparatively numerous. Even
13 years ago, 160 coaches and gigs might be seen in
attendance on the Inverness yearly races ; and then
also, new ones were so numerously ordered, as to
keep four coach-manufactories in Inverness in em-
ployment Regular carriers have, for a considerable
period, been established on all the principal roads,
carrying goods, at all seasons of the year, to the
towns and to entirely landward districts, and con-
tributing mightily to the demonstration of a vast
and beneficial change in the frame- work of society.
— Communication of intelligence by letters arid news
papers, or the working of the post-office system, is
the same on all the great lines of road as in the
Lowlands, and penetrates the recesses of the coun-
try and the remote positions of the islands with a
minuteness of ramification and a frequency and regu
HIGHLANDS.
791
ity of despatch which seem, at first glance, utterly
[attainable among the physical resistances of the
;ion — Altogether, the state of things which every-
iere meets the eye along the public roads espe-
:ially when viewed in connexion with the aspect of
lusbandry, and the facilities for conveying produce
id working the ground, which present themselves
the private side-roads — affords abundant demon-
ration that benign results have very extensively
d rapidly achieved by unlocking the mountain-
tes of the Highlanders, and paving pathways for
em of trafficking intercommunication with their
lighbours.
But a prodigious addition to what the roads have
fected, is found in the results of cutting the CRI-
AN CANAL, and of constructing the magnificent
work called the CALEDONIAN CANAL. [See these
•tides.] As regards also the whole coast-line of
;he continental Highlands, the whole length of the
Great glen, and the entire extent of the Western
:lands, improvement has been achieved probably
mch more by the constructing and amending of
larbours, introduction and exploits of steam-naviga-
>n, than in other districts by all sorts of wheeled
iveyances along the roads. Parts adjacent to the
lyde, and to the principal ramifications of its es-
lary, and portions of the western coast and of the
•lands, have, with the simple appliance of steam-
navigation, suddenly passed from a state of wildness
and desolation to the possession of almost a sub-
urban character. Large villages or little towns — as
in the instances of Helensburgh, Dunoon, Campbell-
town, Bowmore, and Oban — have either sprung up
from the unoccupied soil, or arisen out of poor and
inconsiderable hamlets; and traffic to an extent
which, on a highway, would employ a regiment of
carters, now flourishes and goes regularly forward
m quarters where, in the early part of the present
century, scarcely interchange of commodity existed,
superior to the rude and trivial barter known to
uncivilized tribes. Nor are the changes much or any
less marked in the Caledonian glen, and especially
the east coast from the point whence the High-
d frontier diverges into the interior to the Pent-
id frith. From the private resources of enter-
irising individuals and companies, and nearly to the
me amount from the proceeds of estates forfeited
last rebellion, a sum total of £110,000 has been
expended on harbours and piers. The consequent
increase of traffic, not only by the new method of
steam-navigation, but by the old one of sailing-ves-
sels, has been proportionate to the gigantic move-
ments of everything connected with Highland ame-
lioration.
Highland Societies.
Certain patriotic institutions have operated power-
fully to rouse the mind of the Highlander from its
dormancy, and incite and direct him to avail himself
of the advantages which were accumulating round
his position. The Highland London society, estab-
lished in 1778 by General Fraser of Lovat and other
native Highlanders, the Highland Club of Scotland,
the Celtic society, and the St. Fillan's Highland
society, have probably worked with less beneficial
results, by indulging a spirit of antiquarianism, and
attempting to perpetuate attachment to Highland
peculiarities, than if they had launched their whole
influence to freight the population onward in strictly
practical and modern improvement; yet they have
laboured so to polish taste, to diffuse refinement,
to obliterate the offensive features of the ancient
character, arid h'x attention on those which fully
comport with civilization, that they may be regarded
a* having, to some extent, assailed the foibles of the
Highlanders through the very avenue of their pre-
judices. The Highland SociJty of Scotland, on the
other hand, has steadily directed its powerful ener-
gies to the promotion of the immediate and most
tangible interests of the Highlands, an<!
troduction, extension, and adaptation of whatever
promises most efficiently to work out their temporal
prosperity. This noble institution embodies the
patronage and the skill of most of the nobility,
landed gentry, and gentlemen-farmers, throughout the
country, and of not a few distinguished men of sci-
ence and of the learned professions. Surveying a
width of range and a multiplicity of objects some*
what worthy of its wealth of intellect and its opu-
lence of resources, it promotes the erection of
towns and villages, the formation of roads and
bridges, the experiments and enterprises of agricul-
ture, the improving of farm-stock, the sheltering
processes of planting, the extension of fisheries, the
introduction of manufactures, the adaptation of
machinery to the useful arts, the co-operation of
local influence with public or legislative measures,
the diffusion of practical knowledge, the progress of
general industry, and the consolidating of the popu-
lation of the Highlands and the Lowlands into one
great fraternal community. The society awards large
and numerous premiums to stimulate desiderated en-
terprises,— and in 1828, begun the publication of the
Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, for prize essays, and
the dissemination of the newest practical informa-
tion; it patronizes great annual cattle-shows suc-
cessively in different towns, and, by means of them,
excites and directs a stirring and profitable spirit of
emulation among graziers ; and, in general, it keeps
in play upon the community a variety of influences
which, as far as regards mere earthly well-being,
have singularly transformed and beautified its char-
acter.— The British Fishery society, established in
1780, though far from having accomplished what
seemed easily within its reach, and feeble, or at least
unsuccessful in movement upon the water compared
with the Highland Society of Scotland upon the
land, yet seems ordinary in importance only when
the vastness of its scene of action is taken into view,
and has worked out very considerable advantages to
the population of the coasts and the islands. Several
towns and fishing-villages, such as Tobermory, Ul-
lapool, and Pulteney-town, near Wick, are indebted
to it both for their origin, and for much of the pros-
perity which they, and the districts around them,
enjoy or recently enjoyed.
The appearances of beneficial change, or rather of
total revolution, everywhere meet tin- e\c in the
walks of agriculture. Previous to the era of im-
provement, the cultivation and management of tin-
soil were little better than savage. Crops \\ ••re-
raised either with or without manure, just as the
commodity happened spontaneously to offer itself,
or to lie at a slightly inconvenient distance ; tiny
were confined to detached and trivial patri
ground naturally fertile-; they were wrung yeai
year, in increasingly scanty pittances, from it-
siccated and disheartened bosom, till they could no
longer compensate the cost of the effort, ami
then forgotten during a period of the land's exha
rest, and of slowly acquiring "lu.ut" ti»m the
growth and decay upon it of spontaneou>
grasses; and, either when they succeeded, or
they failed, they merely whetted the appet.-
mocked the cravings of misery,— the people, in Ui
one case, acquiring no higher an indulgence than
coarse oaten cakes and ale and whi-ky. and, in the
oilier, subsisting theniM-lvc* on broth of nett:
the blood of living animals mixed with
whati-vei was digestible in tl. OHM
792
HIGHLANDS.
of the mountains. Cattle— the chief article of
wealth, the main resource for subsistence, and the
object of frequent forays and cause of continual in-
testine commotion — were so overstocked upon the
natural pastures common to a tribe or clan, that they
were annually starved in large numbers to death;
and, in every position, they were jostled out of their
rights by absurdly large establishments of horses,
maintained nominally for the purposes of tillage and
of carrying peats, but really, in a chief degree, for
the pampering of laziness or the demonstrations of
beggarly consequence. Farms were let on the mon-
strous principle of runrig to a whole community or
township ; they passed, in their various subdivisions,
successively from hand to hand of the co-occupants ;
they were the temporary grounds, distinctively of
no one, but diffusively of all ; they sucked down the
labours of the industrious and the skilful to compen-
sate their master for the idleness of the besotted and
the blundering; and — as if to amass every conceiv-
able element of absurdity — they were held, with all
their monstrous conditions, not of the proprietor, to
whom the tenants owed prime service, but of a prin-
cipal middleman, to whose underling authority they
became doubly enslaved. The introduction of the
potato, from the eagerness with which the exotic
was adopted and the delight with which its easiness
of cultivation was observed, might, in other circum-
stances, have worked a favourable change; but, for
a considerable period, it only facilitated early mar-
riages, and occasioned an increase of population, and,
in years when the crop failed, made a distressing
addition to the former aggregate amount of misery.
Improvement on a great scale, or to an extent which
marked either an era or a state of rapid progres-
sion, did not actually commence in the Highlands,
till the formation of the parliamentary roads, or
some years after the beginning of the present cen-
tury. The substitution of carts for ponies, by the
saving it caused of time and expense and labour,
and the facility it afforded for carrying manure from
a distance, gave a powerful impulse to sluggishness
of movement. No sooner were the parliamentary
roads opened than the people constructed small side-
roads in every direction; and, finding how easily
they could now bring fuel from their mosses, or sea-
weed from the shore, or loads of manurial substances
from the storehouses of the mountains, felt joyously
aroused from their slothful indolence to a state of
industrious energy — vying with one another in the
substitution of the neat and gardened cottage for
the lumpish and squalid hovel, and, in the adoption
of new and stirring doctrines which they found pro-
mulged around them respecting the reclaiming of
land and the improving of stock. The introduction
of carts was so sudden, so general, and so won-
drously inspiriting as itself to have formed an era;
and it immediately led to the introduction, or at
least to the multiplication from a few units to hun-
dreds and thousands of ploughs, iron-teethed har-
rows, and other implements of husbandry, which
indicated both acquaintance with the best methods
of working the soil, and determination to ply them/
At the commencement of the century, stripes of
land along the coast or on the frontier were almost
the only scenes of cultivation ; and even these con-
tinued to a great degree loaded with the absurdities
of the ancient system, till the invasion of carts and
ploughs effected a revolution. In Ross-shire, where
a barley-mill was unknown till 1813, where the
arable grounds were formerly detached patches, ir-
regularly worked, and free from the arrangement of
either field or ridge, many a single farm came, in
the course of about twenty years, to produce as
much as had formerly been extracted from the area
of the whole county; wheat alone came to be pro-
duced to 20,000 quarters a-year, and grain came
to be raised not only for local consumption, and for
supplies to Inverness, Ding wall, Tain, and other
Highland localities, but for exportation, to the
amount of 10,000 quarters a-year, to Leith and the
great ports of England. Inverness-shire, though
possessing a more limited field for agricultural opera-
tions than Ross-shire, was equal to it in the energy
of improvements, and scarcely inferior to it in their
extent. In Sutherland shire, where so late as 1806
or 1807, the inhabitants retained nearly all their
ancient uncultivated habits, living in the most miser-
able huts, and strangers to every species of comfort
and industry, and where the lower grounds were
almost wholly neglected and uninhabited, the liberal
exertions of the Marquis of Stafford and other pro-
prietors effected a revolution as complete as it was
sudden. The population were drawn down from
their wretched and useless position in the upper
parts of the county, to crofts or small portions of
ground marked out for them near the coast; and
incited, by the erection for their use of comfortable
cottages, and the location of their lands in the neigh-
bourhood most prolific of advantage, and every en-
couragement of advice and motive, to ply the arts
of husbandry productively for themselves and their
country; the higher grounds, which they vacated,
and which are as well-adapted for pasturage as they
were ill-suited to be the sites of man's residence,
were converted into extensive sheep and cattle
farms; and, in less than twenty years from the first
act of innovation, the whole county, as to its modes
of tillage and the appearance of its farm-buildings,
and all its agricultural properties and appliances,
was in a condition to bear comparison with not a
few districts of the long-favoured and happily-situ-
ated Lowlands. In Caithness, in spite of many of
the lands being harassingly fettered by entails, and
in spite of the stimulating advantage of roads having
been of later attainment than in other districts, im-
provement displayed her trophies as exultingly as
elsewhere, and was not a little aided in obtaining them
by the ludicrous blunder so characteristic of a be-
sottedly ignorant people, of the inhabitants who
occupied the sea-board and naturally arable district,
having driven the first and grand line of parliament-
ary road as far as possible from their dwellings, and
procured it to be carried inland along the base of the
mountains. The blunder — which, of course, was
discovered immediately after the road was com-
pleted— led to the careful cultivation, both of every
practicable corner of land below the road-line, and
of every patch above it, on the face or among the
interstices of the hills where the plough could gain
admission; and it occasioned or aided the building
of a village at Bonar bridge, the planting of a great
tract of country by Messrs. Houston of Creich and
Dempster of Skibo, the invasion of the mountain's
side at Skibo to the amount of a whole farm, and
the trenching of most of the arable part of the Creich
estate, and the sheltering of all of it with the best
enclosures. An instance of how much and rapidly
the county improved is given in the fact, that, in
the year 1826, one farmer exported grain, the pro-
duce of his own farm, to the value of not less than
£2,000. Nor have the southern Highlands been
behind the northern in the race of improvement, or
unmindful of their greater advantageousness of posi-
tion ; and, but for the tedium of prolonging instances,
they might be exhibited, county after county, in
aspects of renovation which excite pleasure and al-
most provoke astonishment. " In my various jour-
neys to the different parts of the country," says the
superintendent of the parliamentary roads in 1826,
HIGHLANDS.
793
especting the Highlands in general, " I notice im-
rovements extending in every direction; and dur-
ig my short recollection, a considerable extent of
loorland, in various places, has been enclosed and
iverted into cultivated fields. It may also serve
show ho\v systematic farming has become, that
pieties for the promotion of agriculture and the
wing of stock have been established in all the
northern counties. Nor have plantations been be-
hind in this general state of improvement. Many
thousands of acres have, within the last 25 years,
;n planted ; upon the Dunrobin estate alone, there
ive been planted, within the last 25 years, above
),000,000 of trees ; and although the climate is some-
what unfavourable for the growth of large trees, yet
ic attempts made promise to be attended with pro-
it and advantage in many situations incapable of
other species of culture. The rapid improve-
jnts in agriculture have been accompanied with a
>rresponding change in the habitations of all ranks
i the Highlands. Proprietors have expended large
ims in the erection and ornamenting of suitable
insion-houses ; and, in the houses of gentlemen-
:ksmen, every species of comfort and convenience
to be found ; while the cotters are gradually ex-
mging their huts of mud or turf for neat and sub-
itial cottages." No surer criterion of the vast
>unt of agricultural improvement which has taken
lace can be found — even abating for the advantage-
is influence of the war-period upon landed property
-than in the fact that the value of Highland estates
undergone a fourfold, a sixfold, and, in some in-
ices, nearly a tenfold increase. The lands of
lerkinch, in the vicinity of Inverness, rose in 25
irs from a rental of between £70 and £80 to a
jntal of £600. The estate of Castlehill, belonging
the ancient family of the Cuthberts, was sold in
1779 for £8,000, and resold in lots in 1804 for be-
reen £60,000 and £70,000. The barony of Len-
was bought in 1787 for £2,500, and sold 25
?ars afterwards for £20,000. The property of
jdcastle, in Ross, was sold, in 1790, after a sharp
ipetition, for £25,000, and resold, in 1824, to
ir William Fetter, Bart., for £135,000. In Lord
leay's country, in Sutherland, property which for-
merly yielded a rental of £2,000 rose, in the course
of a few years, to a rental of £15,000. The estates
of Chisholm, in the romantic district of Strathglass,
from being, in 1783, worth only £700 a-year, be-
came, in 1826, worth upwards of £5,000. The
lands of Glengary at the death of their proprietor,
Duncan Macdonald, in 1788, yielded him not more
than £800; and, in 1826, they yielded between
£6,000 and £7,000.
Owing to the very great extent of surface which is
available only as grazing-ground and sheep-walk,
much of the attention which was anciently paid in
an engrossing way to stock, required to be per-
petuated and enlightened. Great effort and skill
have been employed in improving the black cattle
by diffusing over" the region the best breeds of its
choicest districts, and by importing cows from Ayr-
shire. The Highland cattin are small ; but they fur-
nish the shambles with beef of a peculiarly delicate
quality ; and are driven southward for sale to the
number annually of about 20,000 from Inverness-
shire, and about the same number from the other
northern counties, and of a still larger number from
the southern Highlands — Besides due care being
used, on account of the very fine flavour of its mut-
ton, for the black-faced sheep which the commence-
ment of the improving era found in possession of the
sheep-walks, attention is universally given on :n--
countofthe fineness of their wool and the largem -ss
of their size, to imported cross-breeds, and especially
to the Cheviots. Caithness, in the face of agricul-
tural distresses which were just beginning when the
incitement of the parliament roads entered it- i
exported annually, for some years preceding
80,000 fleeces of wool and 20,000 Cheviot sheep.
Sutherlandshire, for some time preceding 1834, fur-
nished yearly about 180,000 fleeces, and 40,000
sheep. A report by a committee appointed, in
to inquire into the state of traffic in sheep at Inver-
ness, estimated the annual exportation of sheep from
Inverness-shire to be 100,000, and that from all the
other northern counties to be about the same num-
ber — Considerable attention has been paid to the
breed of horses, for the purposes both of tillage and
of draught, and has even, in some instances, been
successfully directed to the rearing of horses of the
finest description. Highland ponies are small, but
strong, hardy, and capable of enduring great fatigue ;
and are annually driven southward in large numbers
for the uses of the Newcastle coal-mines, and for
general disposal in the Lowland and the English
markets. The larger breed of horses, when properly
cared for, are stout, hardy, and serviceable beasts of
draught, and, for the purposes of the saddle, as well
as of the cart and the plough, are now very generally
the offshoot of crossings with south-country horses.
— Several valuable species of pigs, both pure and
crosses, were introduced at an early period of the
career of improvement ; and though not a prime or
a prominent object, have drawn considerable atten-
tion __ For the disposal of the stock of the High-
lands, various trysts or markets are held in the in-
terior, and along the southern borders of the region.
To supersede the inconveniences of a scattered mar-
ket, and of purchasers having sometimes to seek
out their commodity at the homes and fanks of the
farmers, a great annual sheep and wool market was
established, in 1817, at Inverness; and here all the
disposable fleeces and sheep in the north of Scotland,
are usually sold or contracted for in the way of con-
signment.
The manufactures of the Highlands— excepting in
the annual production of about 1 1 ,000 or 12,000 tons
of kelp, about £200,000 worth of whisky, and an in-
considerable quantity of hempen cloth — are so tri-
vial as to be seen or estimated only by a minute
statist. In commerce, however, or in the exporta-
tion of the produce of the soil and of the seas, and
in the importation of the conveniences and the luxu-
ries of life, the region exhibits an increase of im-
portance quite sufficient to demonstrate that a pro-
cess of enrichment, or at least of growing prosj
is going on throughout its territory. The state of
traffic by navigation will be seen by reference to our
articles CALEDONIAN CANAL, CRINAN CANAL, and
those on the various ports ; and that of the fisheries,
by reference to the articles, WICK, ULLAPOOL, To-
BERMORY, and STORNOWAY. The annual exporta-
tions from the whole of the Highlands and NN
Islands, are estimated by the Messrs. Anderson, m
their 'Guide to the Highlands,' at £1,100,000, —
consisting of sheep and wool £250,000;
£250000; herrings £200,000; gram
whisky £200,000 ; salmon, kelp, wood, pork, &c.
£100,000. Two remunerating production* ot a kind
not very likely to be generally adverted to, may be
particularly specified,— timber and game. Highland
timber consists principally of pine, <>r tir, and MNfe.
The former, when raised from planting,
of chiefly in the form of props tor mUMMI ; Mi
the latter is sold as material lor herrinK-l.arrel-
tvvecn 200 and :«H) cargoes of props, loK-s and -
an- annually shipped from tin
though not strictly an article ot exportation, •
profit* to the country as directly as it it \MTC.
794
HIGHLANDS.
Highland proprietors now so very generally let the
right of sporting on their lands, that moors, varying
in their accommodations and resources to suit the
different classes of bidders in the market, may be
rented at all prices from £50 to £500. Partridges
and hares in the low grounds, the ptarmigan and the
mountain hare in the lofty uplands, the stately red-
deer in the sequestered wilds, the roe in the lower
coverts, the heath-fowl as a substitute for the pheas-
ant,— these, and grouse, woodcocks, snipes, wild-
ducks, and other game, are what attract the sports-
man, and bring rental to the proprietor. The wild
eagle, which still occasionally gyrates round the bleak
summits of the pinnacled mountains, and builds its
eyry in cliffs which claim communion with the clouds,
is too sublime an object to be thought of by those
whose eyes are earthward even when they tread the
outworks of nature, and may be profitably con-
templated only or chiefly by those who desire to
" mount upon wings as eagles" into an atmosphere
purer and loftier than belongs to the every-day walks
of life.
Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs.
We have chosen, for the sake of continuity of
topic, to trace Highland improvement in temporal
matters to its limits, without adverting to the reli-
gious and the educational influences which were at
work to stimulate and direct ameliorating changes ;
but we should utterly fail to give a correct view of
the region, and of the means of its amelioration,
were we not to show in detail how powerfully and
steadily these influences have been bearing upon its
welfare. Had constructors of roads and harbours,
members of civil government and secular societies,
exerted a tenfold greater force than they have ac-
tually done upon the Highlands, they would pro-
bably have recoiled in astonishment from the futility
of their efforts, had not the Bible and the Christian
minister and the schoolmaster been abroad to mould
the minds of the population into a coincidence with
the object of their labours.
The Highlands and Western islands, after the ex-
tinction of Culdeeism and the full establishment of
Popery, were distributed into the six dioceses of
Dunkeld, Argyle, Moray, Ross, Caithness, and the
Isles. The number of secular clergy, who officiated
as parish-priests and as chaplains, though it cannot
now be ascertained, seems to have corresponded, so
far as the resources of the region would permit, with
the sumptuousness and the earthly pomp of the Ro-
mish ritual. The monastic orders of all classes ap-
pear to have had only 18 establishments, 6 of which
were in the Western islands. There seem to have
been only 2 collegiate churches for regular canons,
at Kilmun in Argyleshire, and Tain in Ross-shire,
besides the cathedrals or diocesan churches of Dun-
keld, Fortrose, Elgin, Dornoch, and Lismore. On
the abolition of Popery in 1560, the first draft of the
constitution of the Reformed church, portioned the
Highlands and Islands, including the Orkneys, into
the three districts of Argyle, Ross, and Orkney, and
assigned to them 3 of the 10 superintendents which
it provided for the kingdom. But there followed
struggles between Presbyterianism and Episcopacy,
alternate ascendancies of the two systems, and shift-
ings of scene in the persons and character and creed
of the officiating ministers, which operated with a
most malign influence, and occasioned almost the
whole region to send up rank and fetid crops of
poisonous herbage from the manurings of Popery left
upon its soil. In the earlier years succeeding the
Reformation, the paucity of preachers which could
be found for the whole kingdom, the obstacle of the
Gaelic language, and the poverty, thinness of popu-
lation, and physical obstructions of the Highlands,
prevented many parts of the region from becoming
the scene of any pastoral ministrations, or even oc-
casional religious services. So late as 1650, Locha-
ber, and some other equally important districts, re-
mained untrodden by any Protestant pastor. Even
localities which were earlier and somewhat regularly
supplied, received, in many instances, no advantage
in consequence of the ministers' ignorance of the
popular language. The people were profoundly ig-
norant of the art of reading ; and, even though the
schoolmaster had gone amongst them, they possessed
not a single copy of the scriptures by appeal to which
they could have reaped benefit from his labours.
Throughout the 17th century, Popery was allowed
to riot nearly at will in the western Highlands, and
in those of the Hebridean islands which belong to
the counties of Ross and Inverness ; and Episcopa-
lianism, in the feeble and worthless form, or with
the uninfluential and unenlightening appliances which
characterized it in Scotland, maintained full posses-
sion of the south-east of Ross-shire, the shores of
Loch-Linnhe, the districts of Strathnairn and Strath-
dearn, the vicinities of Inverness, Dunkeld, and
Blair, and also exerted considerable dominion in
Strathspey, Badenoch, and Morayshire. Presbyte-
rianism, or the working department of the reformed
community, even when in the ascendant, was met,
therefore, with moral obstacles in the vyay of at-
tempting to plant a regular ministry, quite as em-
barrassing as the physical resistance of mountain-bar-
riers and intersecting arms of the sea. Yet, a cen-
tury, all but 14 years, elapsed after the legal estab-
lishment of the Reformation, before the General
Assembly seems to have made any very formal at-
tempt either to exercise regular pastoral care over
the Highlands, or to demonstrate a consciousness
that the region was in existence. In 1646 — redden-
ing apparently with a sense of shame for former
neglect, or with harassing apprehension as to the
fate of the Reformation beyond the mountains — the
Assembly at length resolved that a ministry be
planted among the Highlands, — that ministers and
exhorters who understood the Gaelic language, be
sent to them, — that kirks be provided in them, as in
the Lowlands, — and that, agreeably to act of parlia-
ment, schools be erected in all their parishes. But
these resolutions were more easily made than at-
tempted to be carried into execution. Back to the
very year of their being adopted, indeed, the town
records of Inverness bear evidence of salaries having
been paid to schoolmasters of the burgh, and respec-
tively, in 1662 and 1667, they prohibit all persons
except the town-teachers, from giving lessons in
reading or writing within the royalty, and enacted
that " Mary Cowie shall not teach reading beyond the
Proverbs ;" and, in these particulars, they may pos-
sibly bear out an inference that, in a rudimental and
crude form, the educational part of the Assembly's
purpose was immediately executed in a few of the
more populous localities. As to the strictly eccle-
siastical part of it, however, few ministers could be
found who understood Gaelic, and the few who did^
declined to accept, amongst a barbarous people, situ-
ations " so poor as not to afford bread."
After the Revolution, in 1688, and the immediate-
ly subsequent settlement of the Established church
upon its present basis, considerable solicitude was
evinced to make more extensive religious and edu-
cational provision for the Highlands. Bodies of
ministers and probationers were sent, in terms of
successive acts of the General Assembly, to itinerate
in the unprovided districts, and were supported,
while on their missionary tours, by grants from the
vacant stipends. All licentiates who understood the
HIGHLANDS.
795
Gaelic language, if on the list of probationers, were
prohibited from accepting settlements in the Low-
lands ; and, if already in possession of an incum-
bency, were obliged, in the event of receiving calls
from Highland parishes, to accept them. Commis-
sions having, in 1617, and at subsequent dates, been
appointed by parliament to plant kirks, modify sti-
pends, and remodel parishes, and all their powers
becoming, in 1707, vested in the court of session,
committees were now nominated to visit parishes
which had been civilly settled, with a view to the
erection of churches and schools. In 1701, an asso-
ciation was formed called " The Society in Scot-
land for propagating Christian Knowledge" for " the
increase of piety and virtue within Scotland, especially
in the Highlands, Islands, and remote corners there-
of;" and, after acquiring pecuniary strength and royal
patronage, and a charter of incorporation, com-
menced, in 1712, a series of enterprises which gra-
dually increased in extent, and afforded no mean aid
in the departments at once of the missionary, the
schoolmaster, and the religious publisher. In 1705,
a grant was made by Queen Anne, from proceeds of
the quondam bishopric of Argyle, of sums, whose
annual interest, in 1838, amounted to £142 15s. 7d.,
to be expended by the synod of Argyle in supporting
preachers, catechists, and schoolmasters. In 1725 —
in response to an application exhibiting the moral
destitution of a people separated into thin and de-
tached clusters by arms of the sea, impetuous tor-
rents, lofty mountains, and extensive moors — £1,000
of annual royal bounty, increased at a later period
to £2,000, was placed at the disposal of the Ge-
neral Assembly, and was immediately devoted to the
support of 20 preachers and 20 catechists appointed
to the most destitute districts. About this period,
the Established church — somewhat aided probably,
though in an incidental way, by the routings of
Popish priests, and of Jacobitical Episcopalian
ministers, which followed the rebellion of 1715 —
had considerably struck its roots into the thin soil
of the Highlands, and begun to spread over them
a numerous though stunted ramification of presby-
teries and kirk-sessions. In 1724, the presbyteries
of Lochcarron, Abertarff, and Skye were erected,
and, along with the previously formed presbytery
of the Long Island, constituted into the synod of
Glenelg. In 1726, the presbytery of Tongue was
established; in 1729, those of Mull and of Lorn
were formed ; and in 1742, that of the Long-Island
was divided into the two presbyteries of Lewis
and Uist.
While the Highlands were thus becoming better
provided with pastoral superintendence, they ex-
perienced the exertion and the increase upon them
of the influence of the schoolmaster and the press.
In 1616, an act of the privy council, which had for
its avowed object the promotion of "civilitie, god-
liness, knowledge, and learning," originated the sys-
tem of parochial education ; and, in 1633, the act
was incorporated with the laws of the country. In
1646, the General Assembly — in the same act- by
which they ordered the supply of destitute districts
with ministers — made an effort to enforce attention
to the formation of parish-schools ; and, two years
later, they appointed every congregation to contri-
bute an annual collection for aiding the attendance of
Highland boys at school. In 1690— the Highlanders
then receiving, for the first time, a book in their
native tongue — a Gaelic version of the Psalms, and
a translation of the Shorter Catechism, were pub-
lished by the synod of Argyle. In the same year,
the General Assembly published, for distribution in
the Highlands, 3,000 copies of Bishop Bedell's Irish
Bible, and 1,000 copies of an Irish version of the
New Testament. In 1696, new and comparatively
stringent laws were made, appointing a school to be
set up in every parish in Scotland, and securing to
every parochial schoolmaster a house and garden,
and a salary of from 100 to 200 merks Beofe hi
1699, a Gaelic version of the Confession of Faith
was published by the synod of Argyle. In 1705
and 1706, 19 presbyterial and 58 local libraries were
erected in various districts. In 1712, the Society
for propagating Christian Knowledge commenced its
operations by the erection of five schools ; and, from
that time, it has been in constant movement and
increasing activity, extending its sphere of useful-
ness, both in adding to the number of its schools,
and in strengthening its corps of catechists and mis-
sionaries. So rapidly did this society increase the
momentum of its influence that, instead of only the
5 schools with which it commenced, it bad, 7 yearn
afterwards, 48,— 13 years later, 109,— and at the be-
ginning of the present century, 200. In 1738, the
society, in extension of its plans, instituted schools
of industry for instructing females in spinning, sew-
ing, and knitting ; and it afterwards gradually aug-
mented their number till, 14 years ago, they amounted
to 89. In 1769, the first edition of the Gaelic New
Testament, consisting of 10,000 copies, was pub-
lished by the same society; and, in 1797, it was
followed by an edition of 21,500 copies. Still, in
spite of all the efforts of teaching and publishing
which we have named, the 18th century closed with-
out any considerable enlightenment of the High-
land population having been effected. The mon-
strous mistake was, all the way along, acted on of
attempting to educate the young through the me-
dium, not of their vernacular tongue, but of the
English language. Children were taught, not to
read or to comprehend a book, or the words of
which it was composed, but to imitate sounds and
repeat the deciphering, of signs belonging to a
language of which they knew nothing, and when
they left school, they found themselves possessed
of acquirements which were utterly incapable of
being turned to practical account. But even had
the schools been framed and conducted on the most
judicious principles, they were unspeakably too few
in number to make a general impression on the po-
pulation, and left many a large district — extensive
patches and far-away nooks of the enormous parishes
of the Highlands — practically as unprovided for as if
there had not been a school in the land.
Since the commencement of the 18th century,
however, the ecclesiastical and educational and liter-
ary history of the Highlands partakes largely of the
bright tints of improvement which depict the history
of their agriculture and their political condition. In
1802, 5,000 copies of the Gaelic Bible — the first edi-
tion of the complete Gaelic scriptures — wen- pub-
lished by the Society for Propagating Christian Know-
ledge; in 1807, 20,000 copies were published of a
careful translation, prepared under the direction of
Dr. John Stewart of Luss, Dr. Alexander Stewart
of Dingwall, afterwards of Canongate, Edinburgh,
and the Rev. James Stewart of Killin. In 1M I i
Gaelic school society was formed at Edinburgh, NT
the purpose of promoting education exclusively in
the Gaelic language ; and in the course of 16 \rai,
it raised the number of its schools to 77, attend*] by
4,300 scholars. In 1812 a similar lotiet) WM :
in Glasgow, but with thr object ot promotin
cation both in Gaelic and in English; and, in
another was formed in Invernos. of Meofofljif »n
energetic character; and this, jointly with tl-
irow society, had, in 1827, 125 M-lm.ils su|,|..
be attended by at least 5,000 scholars. In I."
tin- Mini ot" £50,000 was grunted b\ GOMTIIIIH nt lur
796
HIGHLANDS.
the purposes of church-extension in the Highlands
and Islands. With this money were erected, under
the superintendence of the inspector of Highland
roads and bridges, 33 places of worship, each at a
cost of £720, and with from 300 to 500 sittings, and
42 manses, each at a cost of £750, and with the ap-
pendages of a garden and a small glebe, — the surplus
number of manses being apportioned to churches
previously in existence, but without resident minis-
ters. Connected with these erections 42 additional
ministers have been provided for the Highlands, at
an annual expense to the country of £120 each, or
£5,040 in the aggregate. In 1825 a committee of
their own number was appointed by the General
Assembly to increase the means of education and
religious instruction in the Highlands and Islands ;
and they went to work with such judgment and
energy as very soon to set up numerous and effi-
ciently conducted schools, — giving to each school
the valuable and the praise-worthily selected appen-
dage of a library. In the same year — 1825 — was
established at Inverness the Northern Institution,
for the promotion of science and literature in gen-
eral, and more particularly with the view of inves-
tigating the antiquities and the civil and natural his-
tory of the Highlands and Islands. In 1831 a Gaelic
Episcopal society was formed for aiding the educa-
tion of students for the ministry, publishing prayer-
books and other productions in the Gaelic language,
and providing catechists and schools for the poor of
the Episcopalian communion throughout the High-
lands. In 1836, and following years, the Commis-
sioners of Religious instruction, appointed by parlia-
ment, in response to loud demands on the part of the
General Assembly for church-extension, expended
much time and laborious investigation in minute
inquiry into the condition of the Highland and the
Hebridean parishes ; and, in consequence of their
report, the parliament of 1838 enacted that if the
heritors of any parish divided quoad sacra provide
schools, they may be endowed. Under this act [1°
and 2° Victoria, c. 87] the lords of the treasury as-
sumed, as a fit endowment for the schools erected in
41 Highland parishes or districts which have been
divided quoad sacra under the act 5° Geo. IV. c.
90, the interest of a sum equal in amount to double
the estimated value or cost of the school, school-
master's house, and garden, so provided in each dis-
trict. At various dates, from near the commencement
of the century, the United Associate Synod, the Con-
gregational Union of Scotland, and the Baptist So-
ciety, adopted measures for contributing influence and
labour to the religious amelioration of the Highlands ;
but, except in instances which are too few in num-
ber or too inconsiderable in result, to loom out in a
general statistical sketch, they nave hitherto been
hindered in their efforts by the great obstacle which
so long obstructed the measures of the Established
church after the Reformation, — the want of suitable
men who are acquainted with the Gaelic language.
Up to the year 1826, 35,000 copies of the Bible, and
48,700 copies of the New Testament, in the Gaelic
language, were issued by the British and Foreign
Bible society, making, along with the issues of the
Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, a total
of 60,000 copies of the Bible, and 80,000 copies of
the New Testament; and since that period several
large editions have been issued, particularly by the
Edinburgh Bible society. In 1828 a large Gaelic
dictionary, in two thick quarto volumes, and com-
piled by Mr. Maclachlan of Aberdeen, and Dr. Mac-
kay of Dunoon, to supersede two inconsiderable vo-
cabularies which alone previously existed to direct
the scholar, was published by the Highland Society
of Scotland; and, about the same period, another
Gaelic Dictionary, completed in one large octavb
volume, and compiled by Dr. Dewar now of Aber-
deen, and Dr. Macleod now of Glasgow, was issued
in numbers. Other dictionaries also — a 4to. one
edited by Mr. Armstrong of London, and a pocket
edition by Mr. Macalpine of Islay — have been pub-
lished. In 1829 a monthly sixpenny miscellanv,
called ' the Gaelic Messenger,' and tilled entirely
with Gaelic composition, was commenced under the
editorship of Dr. Macleod ; but, though it had, at
the first, a considerable circulation, it rapidly declin-
ed, and, after about three years, became extinct; but,
in 1835, it was revived under the title of * the New
Gaelic Messenger.' Other accessions to Gaelic liter-
ature, issued previous to 1836, and almost wholly
since the commencement of the present century, are
11 original prose works, principally sermons, — 10
separate collections of hymns on sacred subjects, that
of Dr. Buchanan's hymns in 11 different editions, —
5 editions of Alleirie's Alarm to Sinners, — 3 of Bax-
ter's Call to the Unconverted, — 2 of Boston's Four-
fold State, — 2 of Doddridge's Rise and Progress,— 2
of Guthrie's Great Interest, — 2 of Willison on the
Shorter Catechism, — 5 of \V illison's Mother's Cate-
chism,— 2 of Willison's Communicant's Catechism, —
2 of Thomson's Catechism, — single editions of about
40 religious treatises long known in the dress of the
English language, and, for the most part, of highly ap-
proved character, — 9 or 10 school books, — and about
50 secular works, almost all single editions, and chiefly
in the department of Gaelic songs and poetry. Ac-
cording to the report of the General Assembly's
Committee, in 1833, the Highlands and Islands, in-
cluding the Orkneys and the Shetlands— or the synod
of Argyle, the presbyteries of Alford and Kincardine
O'Neil in the synod of Aberdeen, and the synods of
Moray, Ross, Sutherland arid Caithness, Glenelg,
Orkney and Zetland, comprehending 220 parishes,
and a population, in 1831, of 504,955 — contained 273
parochial schools, attended by 14,202 scholars, — 315
societies' schools, attended by 18,085 scholars, — 137
privately endowed schools, attended by 6,314 scho-
lars,— 372 unendowed or voluntary schools, attended
by 13,728 scholars,— 418 Sabbath schools,— 20 week-
day evening schools, — and about 80 schools of indus-
try supported by the Society for propagating Chris-
tian Knowledge;* and according to the Report of
the Commissioners of Religious Instruction, there
were, in 1838, in the Highlands and Islands, 35 mis-
sionaries and 8 catechists supported by the annual
royal grant to the General Assembly, — 10 mission-
aries and 33 catechists supported by the Society for
propagating Christian Knowledge, — and 3 preachers
and 7 catechists assisted or maintained from the fund
administered by the synod of Argyle.
But notwithstanding all the seeming greatness and
multiplicity of the moral machinery with which the
Highlands have been plied, a fearful amount of des-
titution still exists. From an elaborate work en-
titled * Moral Statistics of the Highlands and Islands
of Scotland,' got up as the result of minute and
searching inquiries, by the Education Society of
Inverness, it appears that so late as 1824-5 — when
the chief portion of the existing appliances had be-
gun fully to bring out their results — one-half of the
whole Highland population were unable to read, and
upwards of one-third were more than 2 miles, and
many thousands more than 5 miles distant from the
nearest schools, — and that, in the western parts of
the counties of Ross and Inverness, there existed
but one copy of the scriptures for every eight per-
sons above 8 years of age, while, in the other parts
* The number of schools of industry, for the instruction of
females iu useful arts, was, iu 1837, 105.
HIG
797
HOB
the Highlands and Islands, including the well-
>plied and well-educated Orkneys and Shetlands,
;re existed only so many copies as left 100,000
jns in total destitution. In the Report of the
imissioners of Religious Instruction, an accumu-
tion of facts is exhibited, evidence the existence of
serious, and, in some instances, appalling evils
deficiencies in the applicability and amount of
storal superintendence and means of attaining
iristian knowledge. All of 74 parishes which the
)mmissioners visited, excepting 13, are unmanage-
ily extensive to be superintended by their minis-
•s ; all, excepting 13, and most of them the same
rishes as in the former instance, have internal ob-
ructions from intervening arms of the sea, ferries,
snts, mountains, or tempestuous regions, which
;vent the convening of the inhabitants on any one
. 3t, and, in not a few cases, cut off sections of them
perennially from participation in the means of reli-
gious instruction ; 10 of the parishes are so incon-
liently divided that districts are as inaccessible
in cases of serious obstructions ; 12 are neces-
rily provided each with more than one church, so
to entail waste of time in travelling on the min-
ter, and the alternation everywhere of the want
id the enjoyment of his services ; 5 of them have
ir churches so absurdly situated as to be nearly
wholly useless to portions of the parishioners ; 28
them have churches of a size inadequate to accom-
late the church-going population ; and all of them,
ither are totally unassisted by any means of religious
iction but those connected with the Establish-
ing or have their evils and deficiencies exhibited
jr allowance being made for such additional means
are afforded. While the Highlands, too, have
;en emancipated to a delightful extent from the
iperstitious and immoral observances and vicious
istoms which somewhat recently enthralled them,
id while they seem to be, in a general way, rapidly
ressing in a career of temperance and of proper
;haviour at funerals, so contrasted to the character
lich they very recently bore, they still, in the more
juestered districts, are the scenes of folly and su-
stitious absurdities of opinion, and utterly dis-
jditable pervading moral feeling which would be
more in keeping, in the present day, with the
il scenery of Spain or Brazil than with that of
land. Ample scope and verge enough exists in
the Highlands for the enterprise of enlightened bene-
volence ; and claims loud and urgent are made by
them on the attention of both the patriot and the
Christian.
HIGHT^E, a village 2£ miles south of the burgh
of Lochmaben, noticed in the article FOUR TOWNS,
which see ; and a lake halfway between the burgh
and the village, covering a surface of 52 acres, and
contributing its quota to the rich displays of water
scenery, and the variety and abundance of fishy
produce for which the parish of Lochmaben is re-
markable. See LOCHMABEN.
HIGHTOWN, or HIETON, a village in the par-
ish of Roxburgh, on the turnpike between Berwick
and Carlisle ; 2£ miles from Kelso. It has a dingy,
huttish appearance, ill in accordance with the scenery
around it. One of two parochial school-houses is
situated in the village. Population about 300.
HILTON, an ancient parish in Berwickshire,
united, in 1735, to that of WHITSOME, which see.
The old church stood on a small hill, and 1
drew the name Hilton, or Hilltovvn, upon the ham-
let in its vicinity. The church was anciently a
rectory, rated in the Taxatio at 18 marks. In 14O4
there appears to have been a litigation at the PUNU
court respecting this church. In 1362, David
granted to William de Wardlaw some lands in H
manor of Hilton ; the manor having been forfeited
;o the Crown by Adain de Hilton's adherence to the
English king.
HILTO WN, a village in Ross-shire, in the parish
:>f Fearn. It is situated on the coast of the V
Frith, is a good fishing-station, and contains upwards
of 100 inhabitants.
HIRSEL. See COLDBTREAM.
HIRTA. See St. KILDA.
HOB KIRK — anciently and properly HOPEKIRK —
a parish in the centre of the southern part of Rox-
burghshire, stretching away in along stripe from the
water-shedding line on the highest ridge of the
southern uplands, to the very centre of the county.
In extreme length it measures nearly 1 1 miles ; but
nowhere is it quite 3 in breadth, and over the t
or northern half, it averages not more than about 1 }.
The direction of the stripe is east of north ; and over
one-third of its length from the southern extremity,
it is uniformly about '2\ miles broad, and thence to
the northern extremity it contracts on the east side
till it terminates in an acute angle. The parish at
this terminating angle is bounded by Lower Cavers
on the west side, and Bedrule on the east side ; and
along the east, it is bounded by Southdean and
Castletown ; on the south by Castletown ; and along
the west, by Upper Cavers and Kirktown. Its su-
perficial area is nearly 30 square miles. The Catlee
burn, after a previous course of 3 miles, comes in at
a very acute angle from the south, and, over 1 $ mile
distance, forms the boundary with Southdean.
Wauchope burn rises at the southern extremity,
flows 4A miles northward, receives there Harrot burn,
which nad flowed parallel to it over a course of 3^
miles, and £ mile lower down, combines with the
Catlee burn to form Rule water. The united stream
traverses the parish northward till within 1J mile of
its extremity, and over the remaining distance forms
the boundary-line with Bedrule. The Rule is strictly
a mountain-stream, has a considerable declivity of
channel, and, in consequence, is impetuous, and sub-
ject to extremely sudden floods and ebbs in the
volume of its waters. All the parish — except the
south-west corner, which is watered by one of the
head-streams of the Slittrig, and has a north-wes-
terly exposure— consists of the vale of the Rule
scarcely on the average J of a mile broad, and back-
grounds of mountainous hills. Slightly more than
one fifth of the whole area is in tillage or parks ;
nearly 900 acres are under plantation; and i
the remainder is waste or pastoral. 1 he soil, all
along the vale of the Rule, is a very fertile, deep,
strong clay, some parts of it mixed with small chan-
nel, and other parts with sand ; and, at a distance
from the stream, it is light and sandy, lying upon a
subsoil of cold till, and, in general, very »
The most remarkable mountains are \\ inbrougb,
Fanna Rubberslaw, and Bonchester. The first and
second, situated in the southern extremity ot the
parish, rise to about 1,600 feet above the level of
the sea, and have such breadth ot base as to be
each U mile in ascent to the summit,
brough commands vistas among circumjacent mot
tains? and looks out, over the ^teat inter vi-imig
distance, in each case of about 1 , <"' J '
marine waters which gird both the western »,
eastern coasts of Scotland. Rubberslaw, sUuat,
the northern extremity, m. the boundary with Kirk
town and Cavers, and belonging partly to t
parishes, lifts its dark, ruggi-d. heath-ehu I
1,420 feet above the level ot the sea.
nTiddle, rises to the height of about l,2(iO feet, .and
presents to the eye a round-shoul.lere. a.ul
mountain-form of beauty. The parvh abounds «4ft
798
HODDAM.
freestone, — in the upper district of a whitish co-
lour, and in the lower of a reddish, — both suitable
material for building. Extensive masses of lime-
stone also occur in the south, and, in several places,
have long been quarried and burnt. At Robert's
Linn, near Limekiln-edge, is a stratum of agate or
coarse jasper, out of which many seals and other
trinkets have been cut. Parts of it are beautifully
clouded and streaked, upon a reddish ground, with
blue, crimson, and yellow. On Bonchester-hill, on
Rubberslaw, at Wauchope, and in other places, are
vestiges of encampments or fortifications. Those
on Bon chester indicate a fortalice, both round and
square encampments, and, in some places, circum-
vallations of a more modern date intersecting others
more ancient. The situation being naturally one of
united strength and convenience, the Romans appear
to have called " the good camp," Bonn Castra, —
a name easily convertible by usage into Bonchester.
The celebrated Elliott, Lord Heathtield, governor
of Gibraltar, who, with consummate vigilance, for-
titude, and military skill, against the united naval
and military forces of the house of Bourbon, was
a native of Hobkirk. The Rev. Robert Riccalton,
the author of two well-known volumes of Sermons,
was minister of the parish from 1725 to 1769.
Thomson, the poet, spent some years with Mr. Ric-
calton, and is reported to have planned his " Sea-
sons''^ the parish, and borrowed from it and ad-
jacent districts much of the scenery which delights
and enchants in his descriptions. One road runs
up the vale of Rule water for about 7 miles, when
it diverges into Southdean ; another runs across the
parish nearly at its centre ; another intersects its
southwest corner ; and two branch ones run brief
distances in its interior. Across the Rule are three
stone bridges. Population, in 1801, 760; in 1831,
676. Houses 127. Assessed property, in 1815,
£8,784. — Hobkirk is in the presbytery of Jed-
burgh, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £206 9s. 3d. ; glebe
£40. Unappropriated teinds £767 2s. The church
is very old, but of unascertained date, and has not
been repaired since 1777. Sittings 412. In 1836,
the parish-minister stated the population then to
be 530 churchmen, 140 dissenters, and 10 persons
of no professed religion, — altogether 680. The
dissenters are connected with congregations in
Havvick and Jedburgh. Salary of the parochial
schoolmaster £31, with £22 fees, and £4 13s. 4d.
other emoluments. There are two schools non-
parochial, but attended by a maximum of only 36
scholars. The church — originally called Hopekirk,
from its standing in one of those small vales to which
the name Hope is generally applied in the south of
Scotland — belonged, from an early date till the Re-
formation, to the canons of Jedburgh. United to
Hobkirk is one-half of the ancient small parish of
Abbotsrule on the east bank of Rule water; the
other half being annexed to Southdean. See AB-
BOTSRULE.
HODDAM, a parish in the di strict of Annandale,
Dumfries-shire ; bounded on the north by Tunder-
garth ; on the east by Middlebie and Annan ; on the
south and south-west by Annan and Cummertrees;
and on the west by St. Mungo. Its greatest length,
from the north side of Brunswark hill on the north,
to an angle on the Annan a little below the Factory
on the south, is 5| miles ; and its greatest breadth,
from the point where it is first touched by Mein
water on the east, to the point where it is first
touched by Milk water on the west, is 3| miles.
The parish lifts up, at its northern extremity, the
beautiful and far-seeing hill of BRUNSWARK, [which
see] it thence subsides by a gentle slope into a fine
central plain, about 2 miles square ; from this, it
glides off, on the east and south and south-west, into
luxuriant and lovely haughs ; and it is, on all sides,
surrounded by gently swelling hills which, like a
frame- work, enclose it, with its thriving hedges, and
its rows and clumps of flourishing wood, and its
fascinating expanse of smiling vegetation, as a pic-
ture of no common beauty. The river Annan, over
a distance of nearly 4 miles, traces the south-western
and southern boundary, rolling along a body of waters
about 100 feet broad, dressed everywhere with
wood-tufted banks, and tempting the fish-catcher by
its stores of salmon, herling, and trout. The wa"-
ter of Milk comes down from the north, and after
tracing the western boundary for | of a mile, falls
into the Annan. A rill rises a brief way within the
limits of Tundergarth, and coming in upon Hoddam,
traces its eastern boundary over a distance of 3 miles.
Mein water, coming down at this point from the east,
drinks up the rill, traces the boundary for nearly a
mile, and then runs across the parish — here only a
mile broad — and then, nearly at right angles, falls
into the Annan. Though a mere rivulet, and of
short course, the Mein frequently overflows its
banks, sometimes changes its channel, and, owing to
the gravelly material of the embankments raised to
confine it within limits, constantly, in rainy weather,
menaces the fields in its vicinity with damage or
desolation. The soil, in the haugh or holm lands,
is a rich alluvial loam, deep, and exceedingly fer-
tile ; in the central plain it is light and gravelly, but
comparatively free from stones, and, with proper
culture and a fair proportion of moisture, produces
rich crops both of grass and of corn ; in the rising-
grounds and ascent toward Brunswark hill on the
north, it inclines to clay, has in many places a sub-
soil of cold till, and in a few places lies upon rock,
yet, when properly cultivated, is nearly as produc-
tive as the soil of the lowlands. Excepting Bruns-
wark, and one or two small patches of surface, all
profitably used as sheep-pasturage, the entire area
:>f the parish is arable, well-enclosed, and in a state
of high cultivation. Sandstone, limestone, slate-clay,
and clay-ironstone are abundant. Coal is found in
thin seams, and exhibits such promises of being dis-
coverable of a workable thickness at a considerable
depth, as — combined with the vast wealth and ad-
vantages which would accrue from a mine in the
champaign part of Dumfries-shire — to have induced
the expenditure of a considerable sum in explora-
tory borings. Close on the Annan, about a mile
selow the point where the river first touches the
mrish, is Hallguards, the site of the ancient castle of
Hoddam. This stronghold is reported to have been
the seat of one of the families of the Bruces ; and
was demolished several centuries ago in terms of a
Border treaty. In the 15th century, it was rebuilt,
or rather a new and now venerable structure bear-
ng its name was erected by Lord Herries, but not
on the same bank of the river, and, in consequence,
>eyond the limits of the parish : see CUMMERTREES.
The mail-road between Glasgow and Carlisle runs
diagonally through the parish, cutting it into halves;
and five cross-roads, each nearly equal to a turnpike,
un in various directions. On the principal road
tands the important village of ECCLEFECHAN: which
ee. The chief modern mansion is Knockhill, about
mlf-a-mile from the Annan. Population, in 1801,
[,250; in 1831, 1,582. Houses 283. Assessed pro-
)erty, in 1815, £7,495. Hoddam is in the presby-
,ery of Annan, and synod of Dumfries. Pa-
,rons, the Duke of Buccleuch, and Sharp of Hoddam.
Stipend £259 8s. ; glebe £43 10s. The church was
built in 181 7, with a view to the accommodation solely
of the land ward parishioners, and not of those residing
HOLM of GRIMBISTER, one of tbe Orkney*,
constituting part of the parish of Firth. Thi» is •
very small, uninlwliiUMl island.
HOLM of HOWTON, one of the Orkneys, con-
stituting part of the parish of Orphir. It is a small,
uninhabited island, fit only for sheep-pasture.
HOLM of HUIP, one of the Orkneys, constitut-
ing part of the parish of Stronsay. This is a small,
uninhabited island, to the north of Stronsay ; and it
appropriated to the pasturage of cattle and sheep.
HOLMS (THE), three small, uninhabited isles
which lie to the north-west of the island of Unst,
and constitute part of that parish, and of the Shet-
land isles.
HOLMS WATER, a rivulet of Peebles-shire.
giving name to the ancient parish of Glenholm, and
traversing its whole length. The stream rises at
Holm- Nick mountain, on the boundary of the county
with Lanarkshire, pursues a direction, to the east of
north, over a distance of t > | miles, and then falls into
Biggar water J of a mile above the confluence of
that stream with the Tweed. In the commencing
part of its course it is pent up by tbe mountains
within a gorge, but, as it proceeds, it has a gradually
widening basin till it commands a strath of a mile in
width, overlooked on both sides by gently ascend-
ing grass-clad hills ; and it flows softly and sinuously
along with such easy motion as is just sufficient to
exempt it from the tameness of a sluggard stream.
Over most of its whole course the rivulet and its
basin, with their soft mountain frame-work, form
one of the loveliest of those landscapes for which
Tweeddale is celebrated. See GLENHOLM.
HOLOMIN, a small island of tbe Hebrides, near
the isle of Mull.
HOLYDEAN. See BOWDEN.
HOLY ISLE. See ARRAN.
HOLYROOD-HOUSE," the metropolitan palace
of the kings of Scotland. The supposed sanctity of
this place had— as in some other instances — chiefly
constituted its patent for the subsequent possession
of temporal honours of the highest order ; it may
reasonably be supposed, however, that its contiguity
to the castle was an additional recommendation.
David I. having lived much with Henry I. of Eng-
land, seems to have contracted, during his residence
in that country, a partiality for its pompous monas-
tic usages, to the disparagement of the more simple
services which, for so many centuries, had been re-
tained in his own. Here, accordingly, he introduced
canons regular from England,— that very class of re-
ligious which his brother Alexander I. had t
into Scone, to the exclusion of the Culdees. Holy-
rood abbey was founded A.D. 1128.
nominated ' Monasterium Sanct* Crucis de Crag,
that is, 'the Monastery of the Holy Rood, or
•Cross of the Craig.' The latter term n-pccts its
situation, as having been erected in the vicinity of
that rocky precipice now called Salisbury craigs.
In order to give greater celebrity to this religious
foundation, and doubtless to increase tin- min.l.i-r «
votaries, a miracle was vamped up, »• .hying had it
due influence in determining the mind of David, nc
have thew Hues in Wyntuuu :
A' thow..nd •' hundrr »nd twenty Th«f».
And .wcht in th»i, f. rrkjrn. ei»r«,
rowndd we. .:
0.6 ,
800
HOLYROOD-HOUSE.
only to erect an abbey here, but to name it that of
the Holy Cross. The good king, we are told, having
become very desirous to amuse himself by hunting
in the forest which surrounded the Maiden castle —
as that of Edinburgh was then called — on Rood day,
or that of the Exaltation of the Cross, after the so-
lemn mass was ended, disregarded the earnest dis-
suasions of his devout confessor Alcwine. Accord-
ingly, when he had passed through the field where
the Canongate now lies, and had reached the bottom
of the crag, all his nobles being separated from him,
the fairest hart that had ever been seen by human
eyes, with very large antlers, so frightened the king's
horse that he could not possibly restrain him. The
hart followed him so hard, " that he dang baith the
king and his hors to the ground." The king, having
thrown both his hands between the antlers of the
deer, in order to save himself from its stroke, the
holy cross immediately slid into his hands. The
deer, of course, instantly fled with the greatest pre-
cipitation, and, indeed, vanished from his sight,
" quhare now springis the Rude well." On the fol-
lowing night he was admonished by a vision " to big
an abbay of Channonis Regular in the same place
quhare he gat the croce," — which, by the way, must
have been a very singular one, as no man could
*' schaw of quhat mater it" was, " metal or tre."*
This abbey received an increase of revenue by
a charter of William the Lion granted between the
years 1172 and 1180; and the grant was perfectly in
unison with the primary design of the introduction
of these canons. For the churches and chapels in
Galloway " which of right belong to the abbey of
Icolmkill, with all their tithes and ecclesiastical
benefices," besides several churches in Fife, which
appear also to have belonged to them, are assigned
to the canons of Holyrood. The abbot of Holyrood
was entitled to hold his court ; and accordingly held
regular courts of regality, like other barons. For,
in the charter from David I., it is said : " I grant,
that the said abbot shall have his court in as full,
free, and honourable a manner, as the Bishop of
St. Andrews, Abbot of Dunfermline, and Abbot of
Kelso, enjoy theirs." During the savage incursion
made into Scotland by Richard II., when he de-
stroyed so many religious houses, we learn from one
MS. of Fordun, that he would also " have consumed
the honourable monastery of the Holy Cross, had he
not been dissuaded from it by his father-in-law, the
Duke of Lancaster, who had formerly, in the time
of his necessity, found a refuge here, when he fled
from the ferocity of the boors." Wyntoun refers to
this circumstance, when speaking of Longcastell, or
Longcastre, as he also names him, when " the carlis
ras agayne "f the Kyng :
Til Edynburgh on the morne past thai,
And in-til Haly-rwde-hous that abbay
Thai mad hyra for to tak herbry. $
CRONYKIL, B. ix. c. 4, v. 35.
* Bellenden's Croniklis, B. xii. c. 16. Lord Hailes [Annals i.
97] has justly remarked, in regard to this legendary tale, that
" it has not even the merit of antiquity ;" as " it appears to be
a fiction more recent than the days of Boece." There is every
reason to think so, indeed; for this writer does not take the
slightest notice of it. We can scarcely suppose, that he would
have been chargeable with an omission so unlike himself, had
he been acquainted with the story. David Scott, with great
inadvertency, asserts that David I. not only built the abbey, but
"the royal palace of Holyrood-house, a most magnificent edi.
fice." — There is a short chronicle of this abbey, entitled ' Chro-
iiicon Sanctae Crucis Edinburgensis,' which has been published
by Wharton, in his ' Anglia Sacra.' It has been remarked,
that the author must have been an Englishman, as the accounts
given by him chiefly regard England. This chronicle has been
reprinted in a more perfect state, under the title of ' Chronicon
Ccenobii Sanct*,' &c. by the Bannatyne club. It contains a
copy of the charter of foundation by David I., in which Edin-
burgh is denominated Edwinei-Burg. When the city is men-
tioned in the chronicle itself, it is called Edenesburch and Ednes-
f Rose against.
f Pass.
i Protection.
The royal palace of Holyrood-house has been call-
ed " the residence of our ancient kings." But this
description is not applicable to it in the same extent
as to some other of our palaces. Our princes might
occasionally pass a few days here as guests. By
James V., it is supposed, a place of residence was
built near the south-west corner of the church, about
the year 1528 ; as his name appears at the bottom of
a niche in the north-west tower of the palace. It
seems certain, that in order to provide for himself a
park for hunting, he also enclosed a large quantity
of ground adjoining, and surrounded it with a stone
wall, about 3 miles in circumference. "James I.,"
Chalmers has observed, " with his queen, resided in
the abbey of Holyrood, when they attended public
affairs at Edinburgh. In the same commodious hostel,
James III. resided, till he was driven from it by trea-
son." For, as he further says, " the abbeys, from
their accommodation, and their sanctity during rude
ages, became the lodgings of kings and nobles."
The following remark is certainly well-founded :
" We may easily suppose, that the frequency of
the royal residence gradually improved the abbey
to a palace." The palace, indeed, had begun to rise
as early, at least, as the reign of James IV. For
his marriage with Margaret, daughter of Henry
VII., was celebrated in the palace of Holyrood, in
August 1503.JI To this auspicious marriage, by
which our native prince became connected with both
the White and the Red Rose of England, we owe
that beautiful allegorical poem, by Dunbar, ' The
Thistle and the Rose.' Lord Hailes has remarked,
that this marriage was " an event on which the fate
of the two nations has turned throughout every suc-
ceeding age ; to it we owe the union of the crowns,
the union of the kingdoms, and the Protestant suc-
cession." It is in consequence, indeed, of this con-
nubial alliance, that, notwithstanding of the union of
the Thistle with the Rose, we, as a nation, can boast
of — " Rosa sine spina." Referring to this account,
Chalmers has observed, that "at that period, the
palace had a chapel within it ; and the chaplain was
the keeper of the palace." But what Younge calls
burch. It is continued only to the year 1163, or the 35th year
from the foundation of the abbey. This there is less reason to
regret, as the account given in it of Scottish affairs is very
meagre.
|| In the minute account that has been given us of the pro-
gress of the princess from Richmond, and of the celebration of
the marriage, by Younge, the English herald, we find that ' the
noble company passed out of the towue' of Edinburgh 'to the
church of the Holy crosse;' and that, 'after all reverences
doon at the church, the King transported himself to the Pallais,
thorough the clostre, holdynge allwayes the Qweue by the
body ; and hys hed barre [head bare], tyll he had brought hyr
within her chammer.' It is evident from the narration, that
even then the palace had consisted of a variety of apartments.
For we read not only of 'the Qwenes chammer,' but of the
King's, in which he supped, while the Qwene had much corn-
company ' within her awn.' There was also 'the grett cham-
mer,' in which all the guests assembled; 'the Qwenes second
chammer,' and ' Kings grett chammer,' which is obviously dis-
tinguished from that formerly mentioned, afterwards called the
hall. For Largesse ' was cryed thre tymes in the Kings chain-
mer, in the grett chammer, that is ny [nigli], and in the Halle
of the Kyng and of the Qwene.' At dinner it is evident that
three apartments were occupied ; ' the Kings grett chammer,'
* the Kings hall,1 and ' the hall wher the Qwenes compane wer
satt in lyke as the other.' There was, in the decoration of the
palace, a degree of splendour, which, most probably, the Eng-
lish visitors did not expect to see. • The Kynge sat in a chayr of
cramsyn velvett, the pannellsof that sam gylte, under hys cloth
of astat [state], of blew velvet, fygured of gold. — The chammer
in which* the Queen 'dined was rychly drest, and the cloth of
astat wher she satt, was of clothe of golde varey riche. — The
Kynge was served in vesselle gylt as the Qweue — The cham-
mer was haunged of red and of blew, and in it was asyll [cano-
py] of a state of cloth of gold.— Ther wer also, in the sara cham-
mer, a riche bed of astnt, and a riche dressor [a board for plate]
after the guyse of the countre.' Of one of the chambers, • the
hangynge represented the ystory of Troy towne, and in the
glassys wyndowes wer the armes of Scotland and of Inglaund
byperted.— The Kings grett chammer — was haunged about with
the story of Hercules, togeder with other ystorys.'— The King's
hall « was haunged of th Ystory of the old Troy.'— Lelaud's
« Collectanea,' iv. 290-296.
HOLYROOD-IIOUSE.
801
church was undoubtedly that properly belonging
the abbey. For, in p. 290, it is called "the
irch of the Holy Crosse;" and the Quere or
lire is particularly mentioned. From a deed of
ics IV., dated at Edinburgh, A.D. 1506, it ap-
rs that, during his reign, there was a royal palace,
tinct from the monastery of Holyrood, and in its
icdiate vicinity. For from this paper we learn
, divers charters, belonging to the Earl of Huntly,
id been consumed by a fire suddenly taking place
his (the Earl's) chamber, under our palace, near
monastery of Holy Rood, near Edinburgh."
[t has been mentioned, in a general way, in the
iptions of this palace, that it was burnt by the
jlish in the minority of Queen Mary. But, as it
rather singular that not only a royal residence,
place devoted to religion, should be given up
the flames, many readers may wish to know the
cumstances connected with this event. Henry
[II. of England, assured that it would be for the
srest of both countries, if a lasting peace could be
iblished, proposed the marriage of his excellent
Edward, afterwards the sixth of that name, with
young Queen. To this the parliament of Scot-
__id agreed, entering into a treaty on this ground.
But the Queen-mother, Mary of Guise, supported
by Cardinal Beaton, and the zealous friends of po-
pery, were determined to defeat this wise plan, and
to send Mary to France. Henry felt so indignant,
that he determined to avenge the insult offered to
him, in a way worthy of his natural character ; and,
). 1543, sent the Earl of Hertford with a powerful
to make depredations in Scotland. The troops
'ing been landed, and come near to Edinburgh, a
itation appeared from the latter, offering the
of the town, on condition of the inhabitants
permitted to carry off their property, and of
town being saved from fire. They received for
iwer, that, unless they would deliver up the town
unconditionally, all the inhabitants submitting them-
selves to the will of Henry's lieutenant, he " would
put them to the sword, and their town to the fire."
The inhabitants having attempted to make resist-
ance, the result is expressed, by the English writer
who was on the spot, with as much nonchalance as if
he had been giving an account of a common bonfire.
" It was determyned by the sayde Lorde-lieutenaunt,
Ttterly to ruynate and destroye the sayde towne with
fyer; which, for that the nyghte drewe faste on, we
omytted thoroughly to execute on that daye; but
settynge fyer in thre or iiii. partes of the towne, we
repayred for that night vnto our campe. And the
nexte mornynge very erly we began where we lefte,
and continued burnynge all that daye, and the two
dayes next ensuinge contynually, so that neyther
within the wawles, nor in the suburbes, was lefte
any one house vnbrent, besydes the innumerable
botyes [booties], spoyles, and pyllages, that our
souldyours brought from thense, notwithstandyng
habundaunce whiche was consumed by fyer. Also,
we brent thabbey [burned the abbey] called Holy
Rode-house, and the pallice adioynynge to the
same." Accounting all this too little, this humane
narrator adds with an air of triumph : " In the meane
tyme, — there came vnto vs iiii. M. of our lyghte
horsemen from the borders by the Kynges Maiesties
appoyntement, who — dyd suche exploytes in ryd-
ying and deuastyng the countrie, that within vii.
myles euery waye of Edenborrough, they lefte
neyther pyle [castle], village, nor house, standynge
vnbrente, nor stakes [stacks] of come, besydes great
nombres of cattayles which they brought dayly into
the armey," &c. " Syr Nicholas Poyntz— wan by
fthe towne of Kynghorne, and the same brent,
certeyne other towncs on that syde."— 4< The
Kynges sayde Lieutenaunt thynkynge the Scotte.
not to be condyngly ponished for theyr falshed tc
the Kinges Maiestie, determyned not to retuniu
without doynge them more dyspleasure We brake
downe the peire of the hauen of Lythe, and brent
every stycke of it — We left neyther pyle, village,
towne, nor house, in our waye homewardes vn-
brent."* Lest due attention should not be given to
such intelligence, the writer, a few pages down-
wards, gives a list of their depredations, adding,
however; — "besides a great nombre of villages,
pyles, and stedes, whiche I can not name." It com-
mences with this agreeable repetition : •• The borow
and towne of Edenborough, with thabbey called
Hollyroode house, and the Kynges palice adioynynge
to the same. The towne of Lythe brent, and the
hauen and pere destroyed."
This stately abbey.'it appears, together with the
choir and cross of its church, was at this time de-
stroyed ; and nothing left standing but the body of
the church, which was a magnificent Gothic struc-
ture. The brazen font, belonging to it, was carried
off by Sir Richard Lea, knight, captain of the Eng-
lish pioneers ; who presented it to the church of St.
Alban's in Hertfordshire. The English paid a pos-
terior visit to Holyrood, during the minority of Ed-
ward VI., under the good Duke of Somerset, imme-
diately atter the fatal battle of Pinkie. The account
given of this visit by Patten forms a curious morsel
in the history of a military expedition. For he re-
presents them as, on this occasion, coming more with
the spirit of reformers, than with that of vengeful
depredators. Patten gives this account of their visit.
" Thear stode southwestward, about a quarter of a
mile from our campe, a monasterie, thei call it Holly
roode abbey. Sir Water Bonham and Edward Cham-
berlayne gat lycense to suppresse it: whearupon
these commissioners makyng first theyr visitacion
thear, they found the moonks all gone ; ' — (and who
could wonder at it, as they would not reckon this
martial visitation quite canonical ?) " but the church
and mooch parte of the house well coouered with
leade. Soon after, thei pluct [plucked] of the leade,
& had down the bels (which wear but ii.) ; and, ac-
cording to the statute, did sumwhat hearby disgrace
the hous." The lead might be of some use to their
reforming compatriots. " As touchyng the moonkes,
bicaus they wear gone, thei put them to their pen-
cions at large; that is, to find their pensions by
questing, or by collecting them for themselves, "f
After this desolation, it was speedily repaired, and
greatly enlarged. The palace then consisted ot live
courts ; which have been thus described. The west-
most, which was the outermost court, was larger than
all the rest. It was bounded on the east by the front
of the palace, which occupied the same space with
its present front, and also extended farther south.
The three remaining sides of the outer court were
bounded by walls ; and, at the north-west corner,
there was a strong gate, with Gothic pillars, arches,
and towers. The next court occupied the same
ground with the present central court of the royal
palace, and was surrounded with buildings. On the
south, there were two smaller courts, also surround-
ed in the same manner ; and another court on the
east, bounded on the north by the chapel royal, on
the west by a line of buildings covering the same
space with the present east front of the palace ; on
the south, by a row of buildings which are now de-
molished ; and on the north by a wall which d:
it from St. Anne's yards.
-ius, or Alesse, a native of Edinburgh, in his
• Expp<I'<-">n in Scotland*, 1554, p. 7-11.
+ Patten'* Expedient into Scotl«u<U, p. «.
802
HOLYROOD- HOUSE.
description of this city, published at Basle 1550, says
that " the monastery of Holyrood had adjoined to it
a royal palace and most pleasant gardens, enclosed by
the lake at the bottom of Arthur's seat." These
gardens, it is admitted, were very extensive; but
whether the language refers to Duddingstone-loch,
or to the morass near Restalrig, is doubtful. In the
immediate vicinity of the palace, as in that of Stir-
ling, there was a Lions' den. For, according to Sir
James Melville, after the murder of Riccio, " the
Erles of Atholl, Bothewell, and Huntly, — eschaiped
be louping down out of a window, towardis the lltle
garding wher the lyons are lugit."
Great part of the palace having been burned by
Cromwell's soldiers, A.D. 1650, it was ordered to be
repaired at the Restoration. The present magnifi-
cent fabric was erected, according to a design fur-
nished by Sir William Bruce, a celebrated architect
in the reign of Charles II. It was at the same time
ordered, that the church should be completely re-
paired ; and, as it had been formerly the only parish-
church of the Canongate, that it should be set apart
as a chapel royal. " It was accordingly fitted up,"
says Grose, " in a very elegant manner. A throne
was erected for the sovereign, and twelve stalls for
the knights of the order of the Thistle ; but, as mass
had been celebrated in it in the reign of James VII.,
the populace, giving vent to their fury at the Revo-
lution, despoiled the ornaments of the inside of the
church, leaving nothing but the bare walls. They
even broke into the vault which had been used as the
royal sepulchre ; in which lay the bodies of James
V. ; of Magdalen of France, his first queen ; of the
Earl of Darnley; and other of the monarchs and
royal family of Scotland."* James VII. resided here,
» Grose's Antiq. Scotl. i. p. 28, 29. In a MS. of Sir Robert
Sibbald's, preserved in the Advocates' library, is the following
passage : — " Upon ye 24th of January, 1683, by procurement of
the Bischop of Dumblayn, I went into ane vault on ye south,
east corner of ye Abby Church of Hale-Rude; and yr were
present, ye Lord Stranaver, and ye Enrle of Forfare, Mr.
Robert Scott, Minister of ye Abby, ye Bischop of Dumblan,
and several ithers. We viewed ye body of King James fyft of
Scotland. It lyeth within ane wodden coffin, and is coverelt
we ane leaden coffin : there seemed to be haire upon ye head
still. Ye body was twae lengths of my staffe, with twae inches
mair, that is, twae inches and maire above twae Scots elns, for
I measured the staffe with ane elnwand afterwards. The body
was coloureit black wt ye balsam that preservet it, which was
lyke melted pitch. The Earle of Forfare took the measure
wyth hys staffe lykewise. Yr were plates of lead, in several
long peeces, louse upon and about ye coffin, which carried ye
following inscription, as I tuke it from before ye Bischop and
Noblemen in ye yle of said churche : ' llluftris Scotorum Rex
Jacobus, ejus nom. V. JEtatii sues anno XXXI. Regni vero
XXX. Mortem obiit in Palatio de Falkland XIV. Decembris,
Anno D—ni MDXLII. Cujus Corpus hie tradilum est Sepul-
ture.' Next ye south wall, in a smaller niche, lay a short
coffin, with ye teeth in ye skull. To ye little coffin in ye
smaller niche, seemeth to belong ys inscription, made out of
long plates of lead, in ye Saxon character. ' Magdalena Fran,
cisii Regi Francice Primaginita, Re^ ina Scotorum, Sponsa de
Jacobi V. Regis D—i A-o MDXXXVII ob.' Yr was ane
peece of a leaden crouri, upon ye syde of whilk I saw two^fwor-
de-luces gilded; and upon ye north syde of ye coffin lay two
children ; none of the coffins a full em long, and one of ym
lying within ane wood chest, ye oyr only ye lead coffin. Upon
ye south syde, next ye Kyngis body, lay ane great coffin of
lead with ye body in it. The muscles of the thigh seemed to
be entire, and ye balsom stagnating in some quantity at ye foot
of ye coffin ; yr appeared no inscription upon ye coffin, but was
maist likelye King Henry Darnley's. And at the east syde of
ye vault, which was at ye feet of ye ither coffins, lay a coffin
wyth ye skull sawen in twa. and ane inscription in small gold
letters gilded upon ane square of ye lead coffin, making yt to
be ye body of Deame Jean Stewart, Countesse of Argyle, with
ye year of her death, I sypose 1585, or so, I do not well remem-
ber ye yeare." " When last we visited this once stately edi-
fice," says Arnot, " we beheld in the middle of the chapel, the
broken shafts of the columns which had been borne down by
the weight of the roof, which fell in on the 2d December, 1768,
through the extreme avarice of a stupid architect. Upon look-
ing into the vaults, the doors of which were open, we found,
that what had escaped the fury of the mob at the Revolution,
became a prey to the rapacity of those who ransacked the
church after it fell. In A.D. 1776, we had seen the body of
James V., and some others, in their leaden coffins. These
coffins were now stolen. The head of Queen Magdalen, which
while, being yet only Duke of York, he found it
necessary to leave England, because of his extreme
unpopularity there. He had occasionally the conso-
lation of attending the trials, and of witnessing the
tortures, of the persecuted Presbyterians, when they
were subjected to " the Boots.'' The palace was at
this time privileged with a press, whence a number
of Popish books were issued. The level strip, at the
bottom of the high ground behind the abbey, has re-
ceived the name of the Duke's walk, from its being
a favourite promenade of this infatuated man.f
Nothing, regarding the history of this palace, has
given it equal interest with its being the more gene-
ral residence of that beautiful queen, who, as she had
been sent to France in her infancy, to avoid the rough
courtship of Henry VIII. for his son, returned from
it a widow, and almost an entire stranger to that peo-
ple whom she was called to govern ; and who, not-
withstanding her natural acuteness and many accom-
plishments, was ill qualified for the task, — from her
French education, — her early and permanent preju-
dices against that religion which by far the greatest
part of her subjects had embraced, — from the power-
ful influence of the Guises, the most bigotted family
in Europe, — from her inheriting the hereditary weak-
ness of her name in being a prey to designing favour-
ites,— from the barbarity of the manners of even her
chief nobles, whose religion had not yet taught them
to be "pitiful" or "courteous," — and, perhaps, above
all, from her being so unfortunate as to have a rival
on the throne of England, who, unable to forgive
Mary for her superiority in regard to personal charms,
seems, from the hour of her return to Scotland, to
have determined to subject her completely to her con-
trol, and, for this purpose, without any squeamish-
ness about the means, to employ her own superior
craft, whatever should be the consequence : who, in
a word, while she professed great zeal for a purer
creed, seems no farther to have regarded any form of
religion, than as it might be most subservient to
the purposes of her own contemptible envy, or un-
womanly tyranny. To her, Holyrood-house, from
being the scene of much joy, and festivity, and folly,
soon became that of deep degradation and heart-rend-
ing sorrow. Here, in her very presence, under the
protection of her own apartment, and while she was
in a situation that would have called forth the exer-
cise of tenderness in the heart of a savage, her nobles
entered, at the instigation of the weak and ductile
youth whom she had unluckily chosen as her husband,
and, regardless of all her entreaties, ruthlessly shed
the blood of her secretary. Nothing can possibly
excuse such conduct on their part. If Rizzio was
really guilty of the crime of which they accused him,
they must have been able to bring forward proof of
it ; and the same power of party, which secured his
murder, must have sufficed to accomplish his destruc-
tion in a legal manner. But although they had found
it an easy matter to infuse matrimonial jealousy into
the mind of the imbecile Darnley, there is reason to
believe that the actors were themselves under the
influence of quite a different species of jealousy, —
that of the superior intellect of the more erudite
Italian.
In the second floor are Queen Mary's apartments,
in one of which her bed still remains. The embroi-
dery on the bed and chairs is said to be chiefly the
work of her own hands ; and this is highly probable,
as, from many specimens yet remaining, which are
dispersed throughout the country, it is evident that
neither she, nor her maids of honour, were strangers
was then entire and even beautiful, and the skull of Darnlejr,
were also stolen; his thigh bones, however, still remain, and
are proofs of the vastness of his stature."
t Ariiot's Edinburgh, p. S09.
HOL
803
HOL
industry. " Towards the outward door of this
rtment, there are," says Arnot, " in the floor, large
sky spots, said to have been occasioned by Riccio's
staining the floor, which washing of the boards
i not been able to take out." Pennant, after parti-
ilarizing " some good portraits," in the other rooms,
larks that "the gallery of the palace," which
takes up one side, is filled with colossal portraits
the kings of Scotland." These, indeed, except a
ry few, afford a far better proof of the fertility of
ie painter's fancy, than of the correctness of his taste.
" gallery itself is 145 feet in length, by 25 in
Uh.
The apartments possessed by the Duke of Hamil-
as hereditary keeper of the palace, are all that
lin ot the old structure. In these lodged the
ing Chevalier during his residence in Edinburgh ;
], a few weeks after, the Duke of Cumberland oc-
ipied the very same apartment, and the very same
id, which is still standing. After the defeat of the
jyal army at Falkirk, General Hawley thought pro-
to quarter his troops in the gallery of the palace ;
I these well-disciplined troops, as Arnot has re-
rked, thought they could not better manifest their
ilty to King George, than by defacing and hewing
pieces every representation of royalty; but the
lintings have since been repaired, and are now
iserted into the panels of the wainscot. Since
lat time these apartments afforded an asylum
Charles X. of France, then Monsieur, with a
of the emigrant nobles, betwixt 1795 and 1799,
rhen there was no safety for them in their own
>untry ; and the same royal personage, when a se-
>nd time driven from his indignant country, found
ige with his family here. In the year 1822, his
ajesty, George IV., graced and gladdened the long-
jserted halls of Holyrood with his royal presence,
lere he held his courts, although he resided at Dal-
;ith, under the roof of the Duke of Buccleuch.
>vernment has recently laid out a considerable sum
money in repairing and renovating this venerable
structure, and enclosing it on two sides with a mag-
nificent iron palisade.
The precincts of the palace, including the ground
which was first enclosed by James V., to the extent
of about 3 miles, afford a sanctuary for debtors. This,
it would appear, has the same bounds with the an-
cient sanctuary belonging to the monastery, for the
refuge and protection of criminals. This privilege
is, perhaps, founded on the following clause in David's
charter : — " I strictly forbid all persons from taking
a poind [distraint] or making a seizure, in or upon
the lands of the said Holy Cross, unless the Abbot
refuse to do justice to the person injured." The per-
son who fled to the abbey was thus secure, if the ab-
bot chose to protect him : for what temporal judge
would dare to accuse the holy abbot of injustice?
Expressive of the modern indemnity, one who finds
it necessary to take the benefit of the girth afforded
by the environs of Holyrood-house, is ludicrously
denominated an Abbey-laird.*
HOL YT OWN, a considerable village in the par-
ish of Bothwell, Lanarkshire ; on the line of post-
* This designation seems iiot to be of yesterday; for it oc-
curs in a pretty old comic song called 'the Cork-laird.1 In
this, when our Scottish yeoman makes love to his sweetheart,
her demands are rather high for him ; as he informs her that,
although he possesses as much land as would supply them with
meal and barley, having no tenants, he has not money to throw
•way on vanities. She replies —
The Borrowstoun merchant!
Will sell you on tick ;
For we maun hae bravr things,
Albeit tliejr sou.l break.
When broken, frae care
The fool* are set free,
When we mak them laird*
la th« Abbey, qunth she.
HMD'fCOU.lCTION, li. 8C.
road to Edinburgh, by Whitburn and Mid-CtMei.
I he population is chiefly engaged in mini:
ing. An extension church has recently been built
here : see BOTHWELL.
HOLYWOOD, a parish in Nithsdale, Dumfries-
shire, bounded on the north-west and north by Dun-
score ; on the north-east by Kirkmahoe ; on the south
by Dumfries in Dumfries-shire; and Terregles and
Irongray in Kirkcudbrightshire ; and on the south-
west by Irongray. Its form— though, in a general
sense, a stripe stretching from east to west— is very
irregular, and of very various breadth. From a bend
of the Nith below Lmcluden on the east, to an angle
nearly a mile beyond Speddocb-hill on the west, the
parish measures, in extreme length, 9$ miles ; but it*
breadth, at both extremities, is contracted nearly or
altogether to an acute angle ; from the eastern extre-
mity, over 3£ miles of its length, it gradually ex-
pands to 2£ miles ; over 3£ miles more, it average!
if mile; and it now gradually contracts till it it
only £ of a mile, and again expands considerably, and
contracts before reaching the western termination.
The superficial area is about 14 square miles. All
the parish, except some soft-featured and inconsider-
able hills on the west, is level, and forms part of the
beautifully dressed and richly encinctured vale of
lower Nithsdale. About 300 acres of moorland, and
350 of moss, embrown the gentle and limited up-
lands; and 120 of meadow, and about 550 of wood,
variegate and beautify the fine stretch of lowlands ;
and all the rest of the surface, amounting to upwards
of 7,500 imperial acres, is arable. So spirited and
successful have been the labours of improvement,
that though the parish, 30 years ago, was generally
enclosed and under culture, its annual productiveness
since that period has doubled in amount. Two rivers
enrich the parish with their alluvial deposits, their
fertilizing waters, and their fishy treasures ; and are
aided by several tributary rills, in finely embellishing
its lovely landscape. The Nith comes down from the
north, forms a tiny islet, which lies like a gem on its
bosom at the point of its first touching the parish ; runs
f of a mile eastward, 4 miles south-eastward, and J of a
mile westward, tracing the boundary-line over nearly
the whole distance ; and, during its progress, it forms
another islet, — runs, in one place, so sinuously as to
bound away from the parish, and then career a little
into it, and then return to its post of " riding the
marches," — and makes a bend of exquisite beauty
round the extreme point of the parish, opposite Lin-
cluden, adorning that celebrated and lovely spot with
a glittering crescent of waters. Though fordable at
three different places, and tranquil in its current
during summer, it sometimes comes down during
winter with such speed and bulk as nearly defy the
opposition of embankments in the more exposed
grounds. The Cairn — or, as it is here usually called,
the Cluden — approaches, in a considerable body of
waters, from the north ; runs, for upwards of a mile,
along the north-east boundary ; intersects the parish
at the most contracted point of its breadth ; and then,
over a distance of 7 miles, flows onward to join the
Nith, at the point of its debouching southward to
leave the district. Within 3 of a mile of the conflu-
ence, it makes serpentine folds, so as three times to
enter the body of the parish and return to the boun-
dary ; and a considerable way farther up, it makes •
detour, for a mile, into Kirkcudbrighuhire; but, over
all the rest of the last 7 miles of its enur-e, it
the southern boundary-line. Glengabber bur:
in the uplands of the parish, flows 1 J mile through it,
north-eastward ; passes away, for j of a mile, 1
its limits; and re-entering it on a south-easterly
course, flows 2$ miles bemlingly thrODgfe it, and tails
into the Cluden nearly opposite to Irongray church.
HOL
804
HOP
Five other rills, which are noticeable only in the
aggregate, water the parish, and lose themselves in
the Cluden. Both the Nith and the Cluden are ex-
cellent trouting-streams, and produce salmon, her-
lings, sea-trout, and a few pike. But though the
rivers become one at the extremity of the parish,
each has its distinct species of salmon ; that of the
Cluden being considerably thicker and shorter in the
body, very much shorter in the head, and, if of more
than 2 days run, very observably darker in the colour
than the salmon of the Nith. — Near the centre of the
parish are limestone, and a hard red freestone ; but
they are not worked. On the lands which cover
them considerable little blocks of lead ore have been
turned up by the plough. The modern mansions are
Newtonairds and Gribton-house on the Cluden ; and
Broomrig-house, Cowhill-house, and Pertract-house,
on the Nith. The parish is intersected through its
breadth by the turnpike, between Dumfries and Glas-
gow,— along the banks of the Cluden by that between
Dumfries and Ayr, — and, in various directions, by 5
other roads. Two small villages, Holy wood and
Cluden, are both situated in the lower part of the
parish ; the former with a population of about 180 ;
and both of recent origin. Dr. Bryce Johnston, the
author of a work on the Apocalypse, was long minis-
ter of Holy wood, and furnished the article on the par-
ish in the Old Statistical Account. The only other
noticeable name is that of a native, Charles Irvine,
surgeon, who received from government a grant of
£5,000 for the discovery of the method of rendering
salt-water fresh. Population, in 1801, 809; in 1831,
1,066. Houses 187. Assessed property, in 1815,
£7,359.
Holywood was anciently celebrated for its abbey.
Though no traces of that pile are now visible, memo-
rials of it exist in two excellently-toned bells, which
continue to do duty in the belfry of the parish-church,
and one of which has an inscription, intimating that
it was consecrated by John Wrich* in the year 1154.
The abbey stood within the area of the present bury-
ing-ground, and was built in the cruciform style. A
handsome semicircular arch spanned the entrance ;
and a fine Gothic arch strode across the body of the
edifice, supporting the oaken roof. The upper part
of the cross was used as the parochial place of wor-
ship so late as 1779 ; but it was then — with a taste
and a parsimony worthy only of a miser — taken down
to furnish materials for the present parish-church.
Before the abbey was built, and back to a very early
age, there was on its site a hermitage, or a cell occu-
pied by a hermit. An Irish recluse of the name of
Congal, seems to have been the founder ; and he be-
queathed, both to the cell, and to the abbey which
succeeded it, the name of Dercongal, signifying ' the
Oakwood of Congal,' — the name by which even the
parish itself is usually designated in the charters and
bulls of the 13th century. The date of the founding
of the abbey, though unascertained and disputed, must
have been betwixt the year 1121, when the order of
Premonstratensian monks, to whom it belonged, was
established, and the year 1154, the date of the con-
secration of its surviving bell. The founder is said
to have been John, Lord of Kirkconnel, who was of
the family of Maxwell. In 1257, the monks had a
litigation with their rivals of Melrose, respecting the
tithes of Dunscore. In 1290, the abbot sat in the
great assembly of the Estates at Brigham. In 1296,
Dungal, the abbot de Sacrobasco, with his monks,
swore fealty to Edward I. at Berwick. In 1365, the
abbot and convent received from David II. a protec-
tion, and certain privileges " de sacra nemore."
Thomas Campbell, the last abbot, was prosecuted
* Probably the abbot
by the Regent Murray for assisting Queen Mary,
after her escape from Lochleven ; and he incurred
forfeiture, in August 1568. The monks possessed
and exercised complete jurisdiction over many lands
in Nithsdale and East Galloway. In 1544, the rental
of the monastery amounted to £700 Scots, 19 chal-
ders 14 bolls of meal, 9 bolls of bear, and 1 chalder
of malt ; but, at the Reformation, it was reduced by
plunder to £395 18s. 8d. In 1587, what remained
of the property, consisting of the churches and eccle-
siastical property of Holywood, Dunscore, Penpont,
Tynran, and Kirkconnel, was vested in the Crown ;
and in 1618, it was erected into a temporal barony,
in favour of John Murray of Lochmaben, and his
heirs. At the abbey of Holywood, in the reign of
Robert I., Edward Bruce, the king's brother, and
lord of Galloway, founded an hospital and a chapel,
and endowed them with some lands in Galloway.
The establishment was ruined during the wars of the
succession; but in 1372, it was re-edified by Archi-
bald Douglas, lord of Galloway, and endowed with
the Gallowegian lands of Crossmichael and Troqueer.
— Opposite the bend of the Nith, at the eastern ex-
tremity of the parish, but on the west side of the
confluent waters of the Cluden, and hence strictly
within Kirkcudbrightshire, though sending their
shade, and throwing their attractions upon Holywood,
stand the ruins of the ancient college, or provostry,
of LINCLUDEN : which see Within ^ a mile of the
parish-church, are 11 — and till recently there were 12
— large whin stones, arranged in the form of a Drui-
dical temple, and circularly enclosing a space of about
80 yards in diameter. A grove of oak trees, with
which this temple had intimate connexion, seems an-
ciently to have stretched away from the spot 6 or 8
miles north-westward, into the parish of Glencairn ;
and was so far traceable half-a- century ago, that Dr.
Bryce Johnston dug up many of its roots, and re-
corded a tradition of its having been still in existence
in the preceding age ; and this sacred grove, this
"holy wood," appears to have given name to the
parish.
Holywood is in the presbytery and synod of Dura -
fries. Patron, Crichton of Skeoch. Stipend £234
14s. 4d. ; glebe £10 10s. ; unappropriated teinds
£234 14s. 4d. The parish-church was built in 1779,
and has a plain square tower. Sittings 530. Before
the Reformation, the church belonged to the abbey
of Holywood, and was served by a vicar. There are
3 parochial schools : the first has an average attend-
ance of 75 scholars, and a salary of £25 6s. 8d. ; the
second, an average attendance of 25 scholars, and a
salary of £16 ; and the third, an average attendance
of 35 scholars, and a salary of £10 6s. 8d.,— the sala-
ries in each case being augmented with the fees. A
non-parochial school in the village of Holywood, is
wholly a school for girls.
HOPE (THE), a river in the parish of Tongue,
Sutherlandshire. It may be regarded as a continua-
tion of Strathmore water, which rises in Glengollie.
It runs a course of about 11 miles due north, when
it enters Loch Hope ; whence, after a course of
about a mile, it falls into the sea 3 miles east of
Loch Eribol. There is good salmon- fishing here.
HOPE (LocH), a sheet of water in the parish of
Durness in Sutherlandshire, about 6 miles in length
by half-a-mile in breadth. Its mean depth does not
exceed 6 fathoms, and it is gradually filling up by
deposits from the water of Strathmore which flows
into its head. It has no claims to picturesque beauty.
HOPEMAN, a recently formed harbour on the
Moray frith, situated between the harbour of Burg-
head to the west, and Lossiemouth to the east.
There are 1 7^ feet water up to good berths in the
harbour, touching the pier at spring-tides ; and the
HOP
805
HOU
rbour is completely sheltered, having an entrance
only 36 feet, at right angles to the coast, leading
»m the outer to the inner harbour. There are i
;t at low water spring-tides at the end of the pier
ms affording communication with steamers at al
of tide. At the top of the outer harbour is a
ly beach, where vessels may lie in a northerly
if unable to clear the land, with little or no risk
either vessel or cargo. Fishing-boats are on the
ling-ground when a mile outside the harbour or
and all kinds of fish caught on the coast are
close to the entrance of the port. Some curi-
caves have recently been discovered here : see
of our notes to article ELGIN.
HOPETOUN-HOUSE, the princely seat of the
rl of Hopetoun, in the parish of Abercorn, Liri-
bgowshire. It stands on a beautiful terrace, over-
ling the estuary of the Forth, 3 miles from South
leensferry, and 12 from Edinburgh. This magni-
it pile, commenced by the famous architect Sir
^illiam Bruce, and finished by Mr. Adam, may
ipare, in the graces of its architecture, with most
in Great Britain ; and, in the scenic opu
of its demesne, and the gorgeous landscape of
and vale, of burnished sea and emerald upland
n'ch it surveys, it has scarcely a superior, and but
rivals. In August 1822, Hopetoun-house was
the last festal-hall of royalty in Scotland ; George
~~T. having been entertained there previous to his
ibarkation at Port-Edgar, in the vicinity, for Eng-
id. The Earls of Hopetoun are a junior branch
the family of Hope of Craighall and Pinkie. Sir
las Hope, their ancestor, who himself held the
of Lord Advocate, gave no fewer than three
sons as senators to the college of justice, — Sir James
Hope, his eldest son, who was appointed a senator
by the title of Craighall in 1632 and 1641,— Sir
Thomas Hope, his second son, who was appointed
in 1641, by the title of Lord Kerse — and Sir John
Hope, who was appointed in 1649, by the designa-
tion of Lord Hopetoun. In 1678, the last of these,
Sir John, purchased from Sir William Seton the bar-
ony of Abercorn ; and about the same time or earlier,
he was appointed hereditary sheriff of Linlitbgow-
Bhire. Having perished in 1682, in the same ship-
wreck which nearly proved fatal to the Duke of
York, his sheriffalty lay in abeyance for his son,
Charles, who was born only in the preceding year.
In 1702, Charles became sheriff in his own right;
and in 1703, was created Earl of Hopetoun, Viscount
Airthrie, and Lord Hope. In 1742, he was suc-
ceeded in his office and titles by his son John. In
1809, James, the third Earl, was raised to the peer-
age of Great Britain by the title of Baron Hope-
toun ; and he was succeeded by his half-brother,
the renowned General Sir John Hope, created,
in 1814, Baron Niddry of Niddry castle, in Lin-
lithgowshire. This distinguished nobleman, and
hero of an hundred battles — whose exploits figure
largely in history, and are commemorated by monu-
ments in Edinburgh, in West Lothian, in East Lo-
thian, and in Fifeshire — died in 1823, and was suc-
ceeded by his son John, the fifth Earl.
HORDA, one of the smaller Orkney islands, ly-
ing in the Pentland frith, between South Ronaldsay
and Swinna.
HORSE (THE), a small island in the frith of
Clyde, near the coast of Ayrshire, opposite Ardrossan
harbour.
HORSESHOE, a safe and commodious harbour
in the island of Kerrara, near Oban.
HORSE ISLAND, a small island of Orkney,
about 3 miles east of Pomona.
HOUNA, a cape on the coast of Caithness, 2
miles west of Dungisbay-head : see CANISBAY. A
mail-boat now crosses and recrosses the frith each
day between Houna and the Orkneys; and a mail-
Rig is despatched to Houna from Wick, and to >Vn-k
from Houna with the mail-bag every day in the
week. The establishment of these daily" ronv.-v-
ances will prove of immense importance to the north-
ern counties.
HOUNAM, a parish in the east of Roxburgh-
shire ; bounded on the north and east by More!
on the south-east by Northumberland ; on the south-
west by Oxnam ; and on the west by Jedburgh and
Eckford. It approaches, in form, a parallelogram,
but with irregular outline; and measures, in ex-
treme length, from East Grange on the north to
Blackball hill on the south, 7 miles,— in extreme
breadth, from the boundary east of Heatherhope hall
on the east to the boundary west of Smaileluagh on
the west, 4| miles,— and, in superficial area about
22$ square miles, or 14.458 acres. A broad range of
the Cheviot hills runs along the south, and sends
spurs and offshoots so far inland as to make the
whole parish hilly and pastoral. Where the hills
are boldest, the surface is a mountainous undulation,
beautifully rounded and verdured in its elevations,
wearing occasionally a russet dress of heathy and
moorland soil, and sinuously cleft into deep narrow
dells, or romantic stripes of valley, watered by gar-
rulous and sparkling brooks. In the entire parish,
not quite 600 acres are arable. At the north-eastern
extremity, on the boundary with Morebattle,
rises Hounam-Law, the loftiest elevation of all the
Cheviots except that from which the ranges take
their name, conical in form, 9 miles in circumference
at its base, 1,730 acres in its superficies, 1,4^
in height, accessible up its gentlv rising sides on
horseback, and commanding, from its flat grass-clad
summit, a brilliant view of Teviotdale and the
Merse, till the far-spreading landscape sinks into the
German sea. From this mountain, and the summits
which concatenate with it along the east and south,
the district declines in elevation towaid the west
and north-west, till, at these extremities, it becomes
little more than a rolling plain. Kale water comes
down upon the parish from the south, and traverses
it over a distance of 6^ miles, nearly on the line of iU
greatest length ; Capehope burn rises in three head-
waters on the southern boundary, and runs 4 miles
northward to the Kale. Both streams have alter-
nately a gravelly and a rough and rocky chamu-1, and
tumble along with a strength and velocity befitting
their mountain origin and nurture ; and a short way
after their confluence, they bound over a rock\
cipice, and form a little cascade called "the salmon
leap." In the rocks of the parish, which are of the
porphyry formation, are found beautiful jaspers and
agates, and veins of grey amethyst and rock crystal.
Whoever combines the tastes of a mineralogist and
an angler will find Hounam an opulent and delight tul
retreat. But the district is chiefly and characteristi-
cally remarkable for its pasturing and bnci!
sheep. About 13,000 of the best species of t h.
famed Cheviot sheep usually occupy its pastures.
Half-a-century ago, they were known andr»-K!
as a distinct variety under the name of tlu: i\
water breed, and recently they have bi-t-n improved
by crossing a portion of the ewes with Leicester
rams. The parish produces annually about 39,000
rounds of wool. A Roman causeway, or " street," a*
t is here usually called, forms for <n
boundary-line; and it ran be trawl from Bur-.
bridge in Yorkshire, away through KoxburKi
northward. , ^veil's green, bi-n.:ii.i;i> t...
ward the Lothians. On tlu- hills in its vi.-ii.ity in
thi' jKirish an- the tra.-o of riicMmpinrMt-
circular intrenchment*. But the largest and
HOU
806
HOU
remarkable camp is on the summit of Hounam-Law.
Little more than half-a- century ago, a large iron
gate, taken down from the camp, was to be seen at
Cessford castle, belonging to the Duke of Rox-
burgh. Greenhill-house, delightfully situated among
the hills toward the south, and surrounded by a
tastefully arranged and decorated demesne, is a seat
of frequent retreat of the Duke of Roxburgh. The
only other mansion is Kirkrow, the property of
Walter Dickson, Esq. The village of Hounam,
though of some antiquity, is small, having only about
50 inhabitants ; but it has recently received 2 or 3
architectural additions, and may not improbably be-
come a place of some rural importance. A little
terrace of houses, in the immediate vicinity of the
village, though not reckoned to belong to it, is
whimsically called Thimble-Row, in allusion to the
original proprietor having been a knight of the needle.
The village is pleasantly situated, on the east bank
of the Kale, at the base of gently ascending rising
grounds, which lead off to a hilly and almost moun-
tainous back-ground ; and it maintains regular com-
munications by carriers with Kelso. Up the vale
of the Kale, an excellent road traverses the parish
lengthways ; and both it and some subordinate roads
are provided with good bridges. Population, in
1801, 372; in 1831, 260. Houses 49. Assessed
property, in 1815, £5,081 Hounam is in the pres-
bytery of Jedburgh, and synod of Merse and Teviot-
dale. Patron, Sir George Warrender, Bart. Sti-
pend £205 12s. 8d. ; glebe £11. Unappropriated
teinds £1,005 17s. 3d. From the 12th century till
the Reformation, the church belonged to the monks
of Jedburgh, and was served by a vicar. School-
master's salary £34 4s. 4£d., with £11 fees, and
£7 other emoluments.
HOUND WOOD, a quoad sacra parish in the
Lammermoor district of Berwickshire, included
within the limits of the quoad civilia parish
of COLDINGHAM: which see. The parish was
erected in 1836. According to an ecclesiastical
survey in 1837, it then contained 809 churchmen,
449 dissenters, and 4 persons who made no pro-
fession of religion, — in all 1,262. The church
was built in 1836, at the cost of £800. Sittings
500. Stipend £66 15s. A chapel belonging to the
Establishment was built 46 years ago, on the estate
of Renton, and has 200 sittings ; but, since the
erection of Houndswood church, it has been aban-
doned. There are in the parish two small villages,
— one of which, Preston, has a population of about
230.
HO UN SLOW, a village or hamlet, in the parish
of Westruther, Berwickshire, 30 miles from Edin-
burgh, of comparatively recent date, and containing
a population of about 100.
HOURN (Locn), an arm of the sea on the west
coast of Inverness-shire, projected from the sound
of Sleat, opposite the south-east end of Skye. ^ It is
nearly 5 miles broad at its mouth, and is navigable
for 20 miles. Macculloch says that this inlet of the
sea forms three distinct turns, nearly at right angles
to each other. The characters of these three parts
are different, and it is the most interior which con-
tains the peculiar scenery that renders Loch-Hourn
go remarkable. About the middle it appears to
ramify into two branches ; but one of these soon
terminates in a deep and spacious bay, surrounded
by magnificent but wild mountains. The other
branch is continued for some miles, and from one
end to the other displays a rapid succession of scenes
no less grand than picturesque, and not often equal-
led in Scotland, but of a character so peculiar that
it would be difficult to find a place to which they
cat) be compared. The land, on both sides, is not
only very lofty, but very rapid in the acclivities ;
while, from the narrowness of the water, compared
to the altitude of the boundaries, there is a sobriety
in some places, and, in others, a gloom thrown over
the scenery, which constitutes, perhaps, the most
peculiar and striking feature of this place. Where
this arm of the loch terminates, a wild and deep glen
conveys the road towards Glengarry. Pennant says,
" The scenery that surrounds the whole of this lake
has an Alpine wildness and magnificence ; the hills
of an enormous height, and for the most part clothed
with extensive forests of oak and birch, often to the
very summits. In many places are extensive tracts
of open space, verdant, and only varied with a few
trees scattered over them : amidst the thickest woods
aspire vast grey rocks, a noble contrast ! nor are the
lofty headland's a less embellishment ; for through
the trees that wave on their summit, is an awful
sight of sky, and spiring summits of vast mountains.
It is not wonderful, that the imagination, amidst
these darksome and horrible scenes, should figure to
itself ideal beings, once the terror of the supersti-
tious inhabitants : in less-enlightened times a dread-
ful spectre haunted these hills, sometimes in form of
a great dog, a man, or a thin gigantic hag called
Glas-lich. The exorcist was called in to drive away
these evil genii. He formed circle within circle,
used a multitude of charms, forced the daemon from
ring to ring, till he got it into the last entrench-
ment, when, if it proved very obstinate, by adding
new spells, he never failed of conquering the evil
spirit, who, like that which haunted the daughter of
Raguel, was
With a vengeance sent
From Media post to Egypt, there fast bound."
HOUSE, a small island in Shetland, united by a
bridge to the island of Barra. It lies in the parish
of Bressa, and contains nearly 150 inhabitants. It is
3 miles long, and about half-a-mile broad.
HOUSEHILL, a hamlet in the parish of Paisley,
in Renfrewshire. An iron company have recently
erected an iron smelting-furnace here, the first that
has been attempted in Renfrewshire, though we hope
it will be followed with many others. In place of
being erected on the surface of the ground, and re-
quiring the application of steam-power to raise the
men and materials, the furnace is sunk below ground,
and the coal, ironstone, and lime used in the smelt-
ing-operations, are wheeled along the surface of the
ground, on a line of rails, and thus thrown in with
far greater ease than is the case in ordinary furnaces.
There is an extensive freestone quarry here. Be-
sides the smelting of iron, and the mining of coal,
the company are making both fire and common brick
on an extensive scale. The mansion-house of House-
hill, a modern building, stands between the rivulets
Levern and Brock, a little above their confluence.
This estate, which for a long time belonged to a fa-
mily named Dunlop, was lately purchased by William
Galloway, Esq., Paisley.
HOUSTOUN AND KILLALLAN, originally se-
parate parishes in Renfrewshire, but so intermixed,
that the people in one quarter of Killallan were
obliged, if they kept the high-road, to pass close by
the gate of Houstoun church to attend public wor-
ship at Killallan, and those in another quarter had to
travel across the middle of Houstoun parish for the
same purpose. From this consideration, as well as
the insufficiency of the stipends, and the smallness
of the population, these parishes were, in the year
1760, formed into one parish, and the church at
Houstoun was constituted the only place of worship
for the district, after the death, or removal other-
wise, of either of the incumbents. The parish thus
HOUSTOUN.
807
formed— which is now generally called Houstoun is
bounded on the south by the river Gryfe, which
separates it from Kilbarchan ; on the west by Kil-
malcolm ; and on the north and east by Erskine.
It is about 6 miles in length and 3 in breadth, and
contains 7,500 acres. In the upper or western dis-
trict the soil is thin and dry, and the surface is un-
even, mixed with rocks and heath, but affording in
the intervals good pasturage. About the old church
of Killallan there is a finely sheltered track of fertile
ground. The lower district is among the flattest
and most fertile land in the county, the soil being
partly clay and partly loam. Here there is a moss
of about 300 acres, which, however, is every year
becoming less, from cultivation, — the land thus re-
claimed producing good crops. The minerals are,
limestone, whinstone, coal, and sandstone. Besides
the Gryfe, there are two rivulets, called Houstoun
burn and Barochan burn. The spinning of cotton,
which was begun in 1 792, is carried on at 6 mills, 5
of which are on the Gryfe, and 1 on Houstoun burn.
On the last mentioned stream an extensive bleachfield
has existed for more than half-a-century. In conse-
quence of these works, an increased population, col-
lected from all quarters, has gradually been formed.
Houstoun was anciently called Kilpeter, that is, 'the
Cell of Peter,' the tutelary saint, and whose name is
preserved in a well to the north-west of the church,
in a burn passing hard by, and in a fair, called St.
Peter's day, which was annually held in the village
in the month of July. In the reign of Malcolm IV.
(1153-65) Hugh of Padvinan obtained a grant of the
barony of Kilpeter from Baldwin of Biggar, sheriff
of Lanark. The barony was now called, from its
proprietor, Hugh's-town, corrupted into Houstoun,
which, in process of time, when surnames came into
use, was assumed as the surname of his descendants.
These Houstouns were the chiefs of that name, and
were for centuries of great consideration in Renfrew-
shire. They repeatedly received the honour of
knighthood, and, in 1668, a baronetcy was confer-
red upon them. About the year 1740, after the
family had held the estate for nearly six centuries, it
was sold by Sir John Houstoun to his relation, Sir
John Shaw of Greenock. and by him, soon after, to
Sir James Campbell. From Sir James's heirs (his
sisters) it was purchased by James Macrae, ex-
Governor of Madras, who left it to James M'Guire,
eldest son of Hugh M'Guire of Drurndou, in Ayr-
shire, on condition that he should bear his name and
arms. This James M'Guire, or Macrae, was suc-
ceeded by his son James, who, in 1782, sold the
estate to Alexander Speirs of Elderslie, grandfather
of the present proprietor. The frequent transmis-
sions thus made in the course of 40 years contrast
strikingly with the long tenure on the part of the
Houstouns. The castle of Houstoun was a large
and ancient structure, surrounded with woods and
gardens, and stood upon an eminence overlooking
the extensive plain to the eastward. It formed a
complete square, with a large area in the inside.
There was a high tower on the north-west corner,
which was the oldest part of the building, with a
lower house joined to the east end of the tower,
having vaults below, and a long and wide paved hall
above, with antique windows in the front, and with-
out plaster on the roof. The timbers of the roof
were arched, and made of massy oak. The other
parts of the building appeared to" be additions made
as they became necessary. On the front to the
south were two turrets, between which was the
main entry into the area, arched above and secured
by a portcullis. This edifice — which was so inn-r-
esting as an old baronial residence, and which was
so much calculated to dignify the surrounding scen-
ery—remained entire till the year 1780, when the
whole, except the east side, was barbarously de-
molished by Mr. Macrae, who, in the true spirit of
Utilitarianism, caused the stones to be employed in
building the new village of Houstoun On the north-
east of this parish is the estate of Barochan, with an
old mansion-house, pleasantly situate upon a hill,
and well-sheltered with wood. This estate belongs
to a very ancient family, named Fleming, who occur
so far back as the reign of Alexander III., (1249,
86,) when William Fleming (•« Flandrensis") of Bar-
ochan appears as a witness to a charter granted by
the Earl of Lennox. One of his successors, William
(or Peter) Fleming of Barochan,* was killed at
Flodden, and it is said that six of bis sons fell with
him, a 7th son succeeding to the estate. This Wil-
liam Fleming's tersel beat the falcon of James IV.,
upon which the king took the hood from his favour-
ite bird, and put it on the tersel. The hood, and a
pair of silver spurs which belonged to Fleming, are
still preserved by the family. The hood was orna-
mented with precious stones, which have gradually
disappeared, and now only a few seed pearls remain.
Falconry was long practised at Barochan. John
Anderson, falconer on this estate, was present, in
appropriate costume, under the patronage of the
Duke of Athol, at the coronation of George IV
On the left bank of the Gryfe, at the eastern angle
of the parish, is the estate of Fulwood, which con-
tains land of remarkable fertility. It was acquired
by Mr. Speirs of Elderslie, about the year 1777, soon
after which the mansion-house, a large modern build-
ing, was demolished. Blackburn, in this neighbour-
hood, was acquired by Mr. Speirs at the same time.
North-west of Fulwood is Boghall, now belonging
to Mr. Alexander of Southbar. Part of the estate
of Houstoun now belongs to Mr. Cunningham of
Craigends. The number of landed proprietors in the
united parish, resident and non-resident, having £5"
and upwards of yearly rent, is about 9. Mr. Flem-
ing is the principal resident one — With regard to an-
tiquities we have several to notice. On the estate of
Barochan there stands a monument, called Barochan
cross, which is evidently referrible to a remote period.
It consists of a stone cross, which has been neatly
hewn, set in a pedestal of undressed stone : the height,
pedestal included, being about 11 feet. No letter.-.
appear, but there is much wreathed work all round,
and two compartments on the east side, and two on the
west, containing various figures. In the upper com-
partment of the east side four persons are represented,
clad in garments reaching to the ground; and in the
lower one other four appear, bearing spears, or other
weapons, in their right bands. In the upper com-
partment of the west side a combat betwixt a k
on horseback and a person on foot is distinct 1\ :
The knight is in the act of couching his lance, and
the footman is prepared to meet the attaint «
shield. In the under compartment there are three fig-
ures, the centre one being less in stature than the
other two, between whom he appears to be the sub-
ject of dispute, the figure on the right evidently in-
terposing a shield over the head of the little fellow
to save him from the uplifted weapon ot tl.
on the left. The sculpture is much defueed I
weather, which probably led to the vagu
neous statement ui Semple, that the objects r
sented are " such as lions and other wild beasts.
When, by whom, or on wh.. iMi »>unu-
• In Crawford-* Df.rriptinn of Renfrew*!.. re. ind in t,
StatiHtii-Hl A.-o.m.t, U.i.l..rd
whfNM in tl... N.-w Account I,- r,-,-r,v,., il- •.:....- ••< ' "<" -
t,, reoo,,nle whirl. <l>- '" "\*. '"' 'r
ivnk that he had two i.rop.-r nun..- , >"H " '• tim.l. t'"i '"•-
likely, w KeTtlemen of L £Lh md not U-*r mor* lh.u ,„.
proper name at tin; tune lu question.
HOU
808
HOU
ment was erected, there is no record : the warlike
appearance of the figures forbids the supposition, en-
tertained by some, that it was a devotional cross for
travellers. An engraving of it forms the frontis-
piece of Hamilton of Wishaw's Description of the
shires of Lanark and Renfrew, printed by the Mait-
land club, in 1831. Appended to that work there
is an article, written by Motherwell, in which it
is ingeniously conjectured that this was the place
where Somerled, Lord of the Isles, was defeated and
slain in 1164, and that the monument is commemor-
ative of that event ; but as the chronicles of Man
and of Melrose distinctly state, that Somerled landed
at Renfrew, and that his defeat and death occurred
at that place, — " ibidem" — and as Barochan is 7 miles
distant from thence, inland, the conjecture seems
groundless. There is a local tradition which ascribes
the erection of this memorial to a defeat sustained
here by the Danes. Whatever may have been the
occasion, the sculptures evidently relate to some
warlike achievement ; and that a battle did occur
here is rendered more probable by the fact, that
there have, from time to time, been disinterred,
in this neighbourhood, many stone -coffins, con-
taining quantities of human bones, the remains,
it may be supposed, of those who fell in the con-
flict.— In an aisle adjoining to the east end of
Houstoun church, there are several sepulchral mo-
numents, respecting one of which the following
curious information is given in the Old Statistical
Account: " Upon the south wall of the aisle, there
is a large frame of timber, on which [are] two pic-
tures, seemingly done with oil colours, but much
worn out. On the right side a man in complete
armour, resembling that of a knight templar, with
an inscription in Saxon characters over his head,
some words of which are effaced, — ' Hie jacet Do-
minus Joannes Houstoun de eodem, miles, qui obiit
anno Dom. M°.CCCC°.' On the left hand a picture
of his lady, also much effaced, and over her head the
following inscription: ' Hie jacet Domino. Maria
Colquhoun, sponso quondam dicti Joannis, qua obiit
septimo die mensis Octobris, an. Dom. M°.cccc°.
quinto.' This passage having attracted the atten-
tion of Pinkerton, he copied it in his Scottish Gal-
lery, published in 1799, accompanied by the follow-
ing remarks : * Thus it appears that in the com-
mencement of the 15th century, A.D. 1400, 1405,
painting was so prevalent in Scotland as to be em-
ployed in funeral monuments, not only of great
peers, but even of knights of no great eminence nor
tame.'" In the aisle, above mentioned, there is a
tomb of neat workmanship, in freestone, containing
two statues, the size of the life, reclining under a ca-
nopy. The one is an effigy of Sir Patrick Houstoun,
who died in 1450, and the other of his lady, Agnes
Campbell, who died in 1456. The knight is dressed
in a coat of mail, his head lying on a pillow, and his
feet on a lion, which holds a lamb in his paws. The
lady is dressed as in grave-clothes. The hands of
both are elevated, as in a supplicating posture.
Round the verge of the tomb there is an inscription,
in Saxon letters, now much effaced.* — The Cross of
Houstoun is an octagonal pillar, 9 feet long, having
a dial fixed on the top, crowned with a globe ; the
pedestal forms a kind of platform, with two steps all
round. This cross is supposed to have been set up
by the knights of Houstoun. — At Killallan is an old
building now deserted, which formed the parish-
church of that district. The font stone for holding
the holy water long stood without the choir door,
after the Reformation, but it is now built in the
« Crawfurd and Semple confuse the names and the dates,
when noticing this monument, and the painting above men.
churchyard wall. Killallan seems to be a modification
of Kiltillan, <the Cell of Fillan,' the tutelary saint.
This belief is supported by an inscription on the
church bell, and by some names still preserved
Thus, in the vicinity of the church, there is a large
stone, with a hollow in the middle, called Fillan's
seat ; and near that there is a spring of water, called
Fillan's well, issuing from under a rock shaded with
bushes, in which the country women used to bathe
their weak and ricketty children, leaving on the
bushes pieces of cloth as offerings to the saint.
Such was the force of ancient prejudice, that this
superstitious practice was persevered in till the end
of the 1 7th century, when the minister put a stop to
it by filling up the well with stones. A fair held
annually in January is called Fillan's day. — The po-
pulation of the united parish was, in 1801, 1,891;
in 1831, 2,745. Houses, in 1831, 238. Assessed
property, in 1815, £6,996 — The parish is in the
presbytery of Paisley, and synod of Glasgow and
Ayr. Patrons, Speirs of Elderslie, and Fleming of
Barochan, alternately. The church was built in
1775; sittings 800. Stipend 8 chalders of oatmeal,
and 8 chalders of barley, besides a manse and glebe.
— A Roman Catholic chapel, fitted to contain
persons, was erected in 1841, the congregation being
principally composed of Irish Catholics, or their de-
scendants, employed at the cotton-mills and other
works in this quarter. — Salary of parochial school-
master £24 4s. 2£d., with £24 school-fees, and
of other emoluments. There are 4 other schoo
with one teacher to each.
The principal village in the united parish is Hous-
toun, nearly 7 miles north-west of Paisley. It has
arisen since 1781, when it was planned, and began to
be feued out in steadings for building upon by Mr.
Macrae, then proprietor of the barony. It chiefly
consists of two streets, one on each side of Houstoun
burn, and has a neat appearance, the houses being of
good mason work, and generally two stories in height
and slated. The old village of Houstoun, a little
farther down the rivulet, was mostly demolished by
Mr. Macrae when the new one was commenced —
There is a library in the village — Fairs are held
yearly in May for milch cows, young cattle, and
Highland cattle.
HOUTON-HOLM, a small pasture island of t
Orkneys, about 2 miles south of Pomona island.
HO WAN SOUND, a strait of the Orkneys, be-
tween the islands of Eglishay and Rousay.
HOWGATE, a village 1 1 miles south of Edin-
burgh, on the road between Edinburgh and Dum-
fries, in the parish of Penicuick, Mid-Lothian.
Here is an United Secession meeting-house, built
about the year 1750: see PENICUICK. Popula-
tion, 120.
HOWWOOD, a village in the parish of Loch-
winnoch, Renfrewshire, situate on the high road
from Paisley to Ayrshire. The population is about
200. Of late years a practice has been introduced of
Anglicising the name of this place, and spelling it
Hollowwood, which has been adopted in the New
Statistical Account of the parish. This innovation
ought to be discouraged, not only as being in bad
taste, but also as leading to doubt and confusion in
identifying the name of the place. f
HO Y , one of the Orkney islands, and a parish ;
f In the Railway Companion, by J. Warden, published by
J. Morrison, Glasgow. 1841, it is stated (p. 43.) that the village
of Howwood was •' formerly called Houstoun." This is a mis-
take,—the village never had any other name than the present
one. It is evidently confounded with Houstoun, which is a
different place about 6 miles to the northward. Another error
in the same book consists in stating (p. 44.) that Macrae, go-
vernor of Madras, who died in 1744, " purchased the estate of
Howwood;" wherea* it was the estate of Houstoun that he
purchiteed.
I
HOY
809
IH'M
formerly a rectory, united to the ancient vicarage of
Graemsaj. Population, in 1801, 244; in 1811,282;
in 1831, 321. Houses, in 1831, 70. It is 2.J- miles
south of Stromness, and enjoys weekly communica-
tion by steam with Leith and the north-eastern
coast of Scotland. This island is about 14 miles in
greatest length, and about 5 in greatest breadth.
Almost the whole of it is occupied by three large
hills, ranged in the form of a triangle, of which that
to the north-east, called the Wart hill, is the largest,
rising from a plain, with a broad base, to the height
of 1,600 feet above the level of the sea. Except
along the north shores— which are bordered with a
loamy soil and a rich verdure — the soil is composed
of peat and clay; of which the former commonly
predominates. The ground destined for the pro-
duction of grain, and that appropriated for feeding
cattle, bears but a very small proportion to what is
covered with heath and allotted for sheep-pasture.
The moors abound with grouse and other game. The
climate is healthy. The great disadvantage under
which this parish labours is the scarcity of fuel.
There are few rronuments of antiquity in this island.
The 'Dwarfie stone,' of which so many ridiculous
tales have been so often told, has perhaps no just
claim to be ranked in that number. This stone,
which lies on the south-east of the Wart hill, on
the brink of a valley, is a sand or freestone of the
same nature with those on the rock above it, from
which it seems to have been broken off either by
the hand of man or its own gravity, and to have
tumbled to its present site, where it has been af-
terwards hollowed out into the whimsical form
which it now bears. Its greatest length is 32 feet;
its breadth 17; its thickness above the surface of
the earth not less than 7£ feet ; and the inside of
it is divided into three apartments, in one of which
is something like a bed, 5 feet 8 inches long, by 2
feet broad. The other is a sort of small room ; and
between them, there is a space that seems to have
been intended for a tire-place, as there is a hole cut
in the roof, or upper part of the stone, for the smoke
perhaps to ascend through. To give it still more
the resemblance of a dwelling, a stone of the same
nature, and nearly of the same shape, has been
rolled down, and placed in such a position as to
serve the purpose of a door. Tradition, and some
credulous authors, affirm it to have been the habita-
tion of a giant and his consort. In all probability it
has been the cell of some hermit. The township of
Rackwick is beautifully situated in the extremity of
a valley to which it gives name, being closed in on
two sides by very lofty precipices of sandstone, but
opening with a fine bay towards the western en-
trance of the Pentland frith, so that erery vessel
which passes the frith must necessarily come into
view here. The inaccessible crags on this shore
are the habitation of the ern and the black eagle,
which reign among the desolate cliffs and noiseless
valleys of Hoy. From the house of Melsetter to
the romantic fishing-hamlet of Rackwick, is an un-
interrupted series of stupendous rock-scenery, occa-
sionally exceeding 500 feet in height, — sometimes
perpendicular and smooth, — in other places rent,
shivered, and broken down in huge fragments, — oc-
casionally overhanging the deep, and frowning on the
stormy surges of the Pentland frith. From Rack-
wick to Hoymouth, facing the Atlantic ocean, this
rock-scene is continued without any interruption.
See Hoy's old Man ; * whose summit bare
Pierces the dark blue fields of air !
Based in the sea, his fearful form
Glooms like the spirit of the storm ;
* A singular pillar of rock, so named t>y mariner*, who
fancy that it bears a resemblance, in certain points of view, to
«u old inau.
An ocean Bahel, rent and worn
By time and tide—nil wild and lorn •
A riant that hath warred with heaven.
Whose ruined scalp seems thunder-riven,—
%Vho..e form the misty spray doth »hro«i<1,—
\Vh.,.<- head the dark and hoverin* cloud ;
Around his dread and louring maw,
ID -ailing swarms the sea-fowl DAM ;
But when the night-cloud o'er the sea
Hangs like a sable canopy.
And when the flying storm doth scourge
Around his base the rushing surge,
Swift to his airy clefts they soar.
And sleep amid the tempest's roar.
Or with its howling round his peak
Mingle their drear and dreamy shriek !
Towards the south and east is an extensive cul.
tivated plain, the shores of which form part of the
fine and commodious harbour of Longhope, well-
known as a place of safe retreat for vessels passing
through the Pentland frith, so famous for the rapi-
dity of its current, and so great a terror to mariners
of almost every country. During the last war it
was no uncommon thing for a fleet of upwards of
a hundred large vessels to set sail together from this
harbour, and a fine sight it was to behold so many
ships spreading their canvass to the breeze, and mov-
ing majestically along the shores of the island Hoy
is the most interesting district of Orkney, either to
the botanist or the ornithologist ; and well-deserves
the attention of any naturalist who may have an op-
portunity, leisurely to examine it at different seasons
of the year. This island is entirely composed of
sandstone, sandstone flag, schistose clay, and, in many
parts, a rock of wacken — The parish of Hoy and
Graemsay is in the presbytery of Cairston, and synod
of Orkney. Patron, the Earl of Zetland. Stipend
£158 6s. 8d. ; glebe £8. There are two parish-
churches, one in Hoy built about 1780; sittings 182;
and one in Graemsay, sittings 182. The minister
officiates two Sabbaths in three at Hoy. In Hoy
there is a parochial-school, and in Graemsay a school
supported by the society for propagating Christian
knowledge.
HULMAY, a small island on the west coast of
Lewis.
HULMITR AY, one of the smaller Hebrides, near
Harris.
HUMBIE, a parish in the south-western extre-
mity of Haddingtonshire, consisting of a main body,
and a small detached section. The main body is
nearly a parallelogram, stretching north-west and
south-west, measuring 5 miles in length, and nearly
3 in average breadth ; and is bounded on the north-
west by Ormiston ; on the north-east by Sal ton,
Bolton and Yester ; on the south-east by Berwick-
shire ; and on the south-west by Soutra and Edin-
burghshire. The detached part is wholly em-
bosomed in Edinburghshire, measures 1J mile by },
and lies about a mile distant from the main body.
The surface, at the south-eastern and south-western
extremities of the parish, climbs up to the summits
of the highest range of the Lammermoor hills, and,
for some distance inward, descends in a somewli.it
rapid declivity, and then stretches away in a gently
inclined plain to the northern boundaries. In the
immediate vicinity of its south-eastern angle riset
Lammerlaw, the eminence which gives name to
all the Lammermoors, and towers aloft as the king-
mountain of the whole range. On the highest
grounds, and for some way down the deeUrit]
parish is strictly pastoral. But in its lower grounds
it partakes, in a degree, of the luxuriant and I.
cultivated character for which Bft&finftOMkfol is
distinguished as a county; and, a- tin- result of re-
cent and very vigorous agricultural im;
sends the plough and its attendant faroleflMfl
culture, a considerable way up the acclivity of th.-
Lammermoor district. Sheltering plantations run
HUM
810
HUM
athwart nearly two-thirds of the area ; and, near the
north-east angle, a plantation of oak, birch, and
other trees, covering several hundreds of acres,
presses on the boundary with Salton, and forms,
with a large contiguous plantation in that parish, a
compact and extensive forest. This wood consti-
tutes a beautiful feature on the foreground of the
brilliant and far-stretching landscape of the Lothians,
to a tourist approaching the district over the Lam-
mermoor hills. Keith water, or the longest head-
stream of the Tyne, comes new-born from its source
upon the detached portion of the parish, flows along
its northern boundary, and through the intersect-
ing part of Edinburghshire to the east, traces for
half-a-mile the boundary of the main-body, and then
traverses the parish 1| mile north-eastward, and
]£ mile northward, and leaves it at its north-east
angle. Humbie burn rises near the south-eastern
boundary among the highest of the uplands, and in-
tersects the parish 3£ miles nearly through its middle,
flowing past the parish-church, and making a con-
fluence with Keith water a little above Keith mill.
Birns burn rises 5 furlongs east of the source of
the former stream, and, after a course of half-a-mile,
forms the north-eastern boundary-line along the
whole side of the parallelogram, and then, at the
point of leaving the parish, unites with Keith
water to form the Tyne. All the streams afford
excellent trouting, and have a sufficient fall and
quantity of water to drive machinery. Iron-ore
abounds in many places ; and there are appearances
of coal. In the higher district, the climate is sharp
and cold, and, in the lower, more temperate ; and,
on the whole, it is so salubrious that epidemical
distempers, when prevailing in neighbouring parishes,
are here seldom and but partially known. On the
estate of Whiteburgh are faint vestiges of a Roman
castellum stativum, which consisted of 3 concentric
circular walls 15 feet distant from each other, each
16 feet thick, and the exterior one enclosing an area
of more than an acre. The ruins were carried off at
different times during last century, as materials for
the mansion, offices, and farm-houses of White-
burgh — Keith-house, one of the seats of the Earl
Marshall, though of no higher antiquity than 1590,
and entirely dilapidated by subsequent proprietors,
deserves special notice. Built in the form of a hol-
low square, one entire side of it, 110 feet in lengtn,
and 3 stories in height, was fitted up and used as a
hall ; and the edifice was, in other respects, suited
to the splendour of a family who, at the period of
its erection, were the most powerful and opulent in
the kingdom. The timber employed in constructing
it, was a present from the king of Denmark, as an
expression of the high opinion he conceived of the
Earl, when negociating the marriage of the Princess
Anne of Denmark with James VI — The parish,
though not traversed by any great line of road, is
very abundantly provided, even in its uplands, with
facilities of communication. Population, in 1801,
785; in 1831, 875. Houses 184. Assessed pro-
perty, in 1815, £8,507 — Humbie is in the presby-
tery of Haddington, and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale. Patrons, the Crown, and the Earl of
Hopetoun. Stipend £272 3s. 7d.; glebe £10.
Unappropriated teinds £1,162 16s. 6d. There are
two parochial schools, attended by a maximum of 84
scholars ; and one non-parochial school, attended by
a maximum of 49. The parochial schoolmasters have
each about £14 fees, and respectively £28 19s. JOd.,
and £25 13s. 3d. salary. The parish comprehends
the ancient districts of Keith-Hundeby and Keith-
Marshall. The adjunct Hundeby was the name of
a hamlet near the church of the former district, and
has been vulgarized into Humbie. The name Keith
seems to be the British Caeth, ' confined or narrow,'
and may have alluded to the strait channel hemmed
in by the steep banks of Keith water. David I. gave
the district of Keith-Marshall, or the north-west
half of the present parish, to Hervey, the son of
Warin, and Keith-Hundeby, or the south-east half,
to Symon Fraser. As the church stood within the
latter district. Hervey erected a chapel in his own
territory for the accommodation of his tenants, and,
according to established custom, settled an yearly
tribute to the mother or parish church. Keith-Hun-
deby being afterwards given to the monks of Kelso,
a dispute so keen arose between them and the pro-
prietor of Keith-Marshall respecting the amount of
the tribute, that it could be decided only by a spe-
cial adjudication on the part of Joceline, bishop of
Glasgow, and Osbert, abbot of Paisley. By inter-
marriages, the manors of the two districts came, in
the 13th century, to be united in one family. During
the reign of Alexander II., Keith-Marshall was
made a distinct parish with its chapel for a separate
and independent church. In the reign of Charles I.,
William, Earl Marshall, who lineally held the pa-
tronage of this church by grant of Robert Bruce to
his ancestors, and, at the same time, inherited the
manors of both districts, sold the whole property
in consequence of the inextricable difficulties in which,
he had become involved by his politics.
HUME, or HOME, an ancient parish at the south-
ern verge of Berwickshire, now annexed to Stitchel
in Roxburghshire : see STITCHEL. The parish was
anciently four times its present extent, and, in the
12th century, comprehended a considerable part of
Gordon and Westruther. The Earls of Dun bar,
who were of old the lords of the manor, originally
held the patronage of the church. But, in the
12th century, the monks of Kelso obtained posses-
sion, not only of the church, but of the whole parish ;
and they obtained the territory of Gordon and a large
part of Westruther, to be erected into parochial in-
dependence. The old parish of Hume was, in con-
sequence, reduced to nearly its present limits.
HUME, or HOME, a small village and an ancient
castle near the centre of the abrogated parish of the
same name ; 3 miles south from Greenlaw, 2 north
from Stitchel, and 5 north-west from Kelso. They
stand on the summit of a conspicuous hill, which
rises 898 feet above the level of the sea. The vil-
lage is in a decayed and decaying condition ; but
anciently it spread out to a considerable extent, and
teemed with the retinue and the dependents of one
of the most powerful baronial families of a former
age. — The castle, once the seat of the potent Earls
of Hume, and one of the chief objects of antiquarian
interest in Berwickshire, was 50 or 60 years ago in
so prostrate a condition as to exist only in vestiges
nearly level with the ground. But it was, in a rude
sense, restored from its own materials by the last
Earl of Marchmont, or at least some walls of it
were re-edified and battlemented ; and seen from
some distance, it now appears, on its far-seeing ele-
vation, to frown in power and dignity over the whole
district of the Merse, and a considerable part of Rox-
burghshire, and constitutes a very picturesque fea-
ture in the centre of the wide-stretching landscape.
In its original form, it was a lofty and imposing struc-
ture ; and from the end of the 13th century, when it
became the seat of its proud barons, increased in
strength with the gradual augmentation of their
wealth. But as it could not resist the play of artil-
lery, it was carelessly allowed, after the invention of
gunpowder, to go to ruin. A drawing of it may be
seen in Grose's Antiquities. The wall and traces of
the vaults still exist : and the area — at least half an
acre within the outer wall — is now used as a kitchen
HUME.
811
garden. The castle figured largely in the history of
the times preceding the Restoration, and comes pro-
minently, or at least distinctly, into notice toward the
close of the 13th century. The family of Hume or
Home sprang, by lateral branches, from the powerful
and noted Earls of Dunbar. Ada, the daughter of
Patrick, the sixth of these Earls, obtained from her
father in the early part of the 13th century, the lands
of Home, " in liberum maritagium," and married her
own cousin, William, the son of Patrick of Green-
law, who was the second son of the 4th Earl of
Dunbar, Gospatrick. William assumed the name of
Home from the lands brought to him by Ada, and
transferred it to his posterity. During the reign of
Robert III., Thomas Home acquired by marriage
the lordship of Dunglass. The family held Home,
Greenlaw, Whiteside, and other lands in Berwick-
shire, under the Earls of March ; and, after January
1435, when these Earls incurred forfeiture, they ac-
quired independence, and became tenants of the
Crown. As they had risen on the fall of their chiefs,
and now followed the fortune of the Dunglasses, they
were often appointed conservators of the peace with
England. Sir Alexander Home, who succeeded to
the property in 1456, was appointed, by the prior of
Coldingham, bailie of the several lands belonging to
the convent, — an office on which he and his succes-
sors placed a high estimate, which they found, by
means of an alchemy of their own, to be not a little
lucrative, and for the retention of which in their
possession they strenuously and perseveringly con-
tended. In 1465, Sir Alexander sat in the estates
among the barons; arid, in 1473, he was created a
lord of parliament. Using with stringent vigour his
power as bailie of Coldingham to seize the property
of the convent, and make it his own, he was enraged
by James III.'s annexation of the priory and its per-
tinents, in 1484, to the chapel-royal of Stirling, and
now attached himself and all his strength to the
party of traitorous nobles who plotted the King's
death. In 1488, immediately after the unhappy
monarch fell a victim to their machinations, Alex-
ander Home, the heir of the first Lord Home, ob-
tained a joint share of the administration of the
Lothians and Berwickshire during the nonage of
James IV., and was constituted great chamberlain
for life; and, in 1490-1, he was appointed by parlia-
ment to collect the King's rents and dues within the
earldom of March, the lordships of Dunbar and
Cockburnspath, Stirlingshire, and Ettrick Forest ;
and he was thus made dictator of Berwickshire
and a ruler of the land. In 1492, he — or a son
of his of the same name, for there is inextricable,
confusion in the historical authorities — succeeded
to the lordship of Home, on the death of the first
Lord ; and he soon after obtained from the infancy
of James IV. various lands in the constabulary
of Haduington. In 1506, Alexander, the 3d Lord
Home, succeeded to his father's office of great cham-
berlain, to his estates, and to his political power ;
in 1513, he engaged, as warden of the eastern marches,
in a sharp skirmish at Millfield on the Tweed, and,
leaving his banner in the field and his brother in
captivity with the enemy, sought safety in flight;
later in the same year, he led, jointly with Huntly,
the left wing of the Scottish army at the battle
of Flodden, and left many of his kinsmen and clans-
men dead on the field," who fell in a strenuous
defence of their valorous and unfortunate King;
and immediately afterwards, he was declared one of
the standing councillors of the Queen-regent, and
appointed the chief justice of all the territories
lying south of the Forth. After the expulsion of j
Margaret from the regency, and the accession to it |
of the Duke of Albany, Lo'rd Home— who had been
venmlly using his great power and influence for ttm
amassment of wealth and the promotion of n
intrigues-plotted with the dowager queen and he'r
husband Angus to seize the person of the
king, and drawing upon himself the scourge oi
war, saw his fortlet of Fast castle razed, bis seat of
Home castle captured, and his estates overrun and
ravaged, and was obliged to cross the border, and cry
for help to the English. He afterwards made predatory
incursions into Scotland, was ensnared by Albany
and made prisoner, effected his escape from 1
burgh castle, became restored to the regent's favour
and to his own possessions, anew embroiled himself
with Albany, and, being inveigled to Edinburgh,
was convicted in parliament of many crimes, and, in
October 1516, publicly and ignominiously put to
death. His many offices of great importance were
bestowed upon aspirants who had no connexion with
his family ; and his titles and large estates were
forfeited, and, till 1522, remained vested in the
Crown. His kinsman, however, took fearful re-
venge. Home of Wedderburn beset Anthony de
la Bastie, who had obtained the office of warden oi
the marches, and put him to death at Lanpton in the
Merse with circumstances of savage ferocity ; and,
heading a strong party of bis border marauders, he
seized the castles of Home and of Wedderburn, and
maintained possession of them in defiance of the
government. Though formally accused before par-
liament of treason, the Homes, partly by compro-
mise, and partly by intrigue, were not only saved
from conviction, but reinstated in political favour
In 1522, George Home, the brother of the attainted
lord, was restored to the title and the lands of the
family ; and, though he repeatedly embroiled him-
self, and was twice castigated and imprisoned, by
indulging the turbulent spirit which had ruined his
predecessor, he did good service in 1542, first by
repulsing, jointly with the Earl of Huntly, an in-
cursion by Sir Robert Bowes and the Earl of Angus,
and next by opposing and harassing the army Ud
into Scotland by Norfolk. In 1547, in a .-kirnn-h
which preceded the battle of Pinkie, he received a
wound of which he died ; and his son and heir being
at the same time taken prisoner, Home castle, alter
a stout resistance by Lady Home, fell into the hands
of the Protector Somerset, and was garrisoned by a
detachment of his troops. In 1548-9, Alexander,
the 4th Lord Home, distinguished himself in the
campaigns against the English, and, retaking hid
family castle by stratagem, put the garrison to the
sword. In 1560, he sat in the Refbrniat ion parlia-
ment; in June 1567, he signed the order lor im-
prisoning Mary in Lochleven castle ; and after the
Queen's escape, he led 600 followers to the battle of
Langside, and, though he received several wounds,
is said to have there turned the fortune oi the field.
In 15C9 he veered about, and joined the Q
friends; in 1571, he was taken prisoner in I
tional or party skirmish with Morton, in the sub-
urbs of Edinburgh; in I.j7,'}, he was convicted in
parliament of treason ; and 1575, he died in a
of attainder. Alexander, his son, was put by parlia-
ment, in 1578. into possession of his title and estates;
in 1589, when .lame> VI. sailed to DoMMrfc to
marry tin I Vim-ess Anne, he was named among those
nobles to whom the conservation of the public pemce
could he confided ; in subsequent y. ^gled
to defeat the seditious purposes ot the turbulent
of Both well, and wa> rewarded with the K™"1 ' '
dissolved priory of Coldincham; in I
man Catholic, he was sent by tlie !. i-pi-
riou-:cmba— y tut he Papal court; in iM'M. he accom-
panied Jami^ VI. to Kn^lam! ; and in MO. he wa«
created Furl oi liome. °ac*
HUN
812
HUN
ceeded him in his titles and estates in 1619 ; and he
was, in his turn, succeeded, in 1634, by Sir James
Home of Cowdenknows. During the civil wars
which succeeded, he is said to have been distin-
guished for his loyalty ; and he seems certainly to
have been not a little obnoxious to Crom well. In 1 650,
immediately after the capture of Edinburgh castle,
Cromwell despatched Colonel Fenwick at the head
of two regiments to seize the Earl's castle of Hume.
In answer to a peremptory summons to surrender,
sent him by the Colonel at the head of his troops,
Cpckburn, the governor of the castle, returned two
missives, which have been preserved as specimens of
the frolicking humour which occasionally bubbles up
in the tragedy of war. The first was: " Right Hon-
ourable, I have received a trumpeter of yours, as
he tells me, without a pass, to surrender Hume castle
to the Lord General Cromwell. Please you, I never
saw your general. As for Home castle, it stands
upon a rock. Given at Home castle, this day, before
7 o'clock. So resteth, without prejudice to my na-
tive country, your most humble servant, T. COCK-
BURN." The second was expressed in doggerel lines,
which continue to be remembered and quoted by the
peasantry, often in profound ignorance of the occa-
sion when they were composed :
" I, Willie Wastle,
Stand firm in my castle ;
And a* the dogr» <>' your town
Will no pull Willie Wastle down."
Home castle, however, when it felt the pressure of
Colonel Fenwick's cannon, and saw his men about
to rush to the escapade, very readily surrendered
to his power, disgorged its own garrison, and re-
ceived within its walls the soldiery of Cromwell.
James, who was Earl when the civil wars began,
survived all their perils, and, in 1661, was reinstated
in his possessions. Dying in 1666, he was succes-
sively followed in his earldom by three sons,
Alexander, — James, who died in 1688, and Charles,
who did not concur in the Revolution, and opposed
the Union. Hume castle and the domains around it
passed afterwards into the possession of the Earls of
Marchmont ; a branch of the Hume family, who, for
a considerable period, were wealthier and more in-
fluential than the main stock, but who failed toward
the close of the last century to have male heirs,
and, in consequence, ceased to perpetuate their titles.
The earldom of Home still survives in the descend-
ants of the ancient family, who now have their seat
at Hirsel.
HUNIE, a small island of Shetland, abounding
with rabbits, about a mile from the island of Unst.
HUNISH, or Ru-HoNisH, the northern promon-
tory of the isle of Skye.
HUNTERS BAY, or RIGG BAY, a bay on the
east coast of Wigtonshire.
HUNTLY, a parish in Aberdeenshire, bounded
on the north by Cairny and Drumblade ; on the east
by Culsalmond; on the south by Gartly; and on the
west by Glass and Cairny. It extends to about 6
miles in length by 4 in breadth. Houses 748. As-
sessed property, in 1815, £4,723. Population, in
1801, 2,863; in 1831, 3,545. Huntly comprises the
old parishes of Dumbenan and Kinore, which were
united in 1727, and the new parish was named
Huntly in compliment to the Duke of Gordon's
eldest son. The district is watered by the Deve-
ron, which intersects it from west to east; and the
Bogie, which flows towards the Deveron from the
south, and joins it a little below the town of Huntly.
Both of these rivers are here crossed by substantial
bridges, while their banks present some beautiful
and romantic scenery. Near their junction traces
have been discovered of that most sparingly distri-
buted, though by no means rare mineral, plumbago,
or black lead, now sometimes called graphite, which
is a compound of carbon and iron, and really cop-
tains no lead whatever: the specimens were found
during at attempt to discover lead. Limestone is
found in this vicinity, some of which receives a very
high polish, and is little inferior to marble. This
district is hilly and bleak; but great improvements
have been effected, and there are many acres, espe-
cially on the banks of the rivers, which are naturally
fertile, and form fine arable land. The hills and
eminences afford good pasturage, and many of them
are adorned with thriving plantations of oak, fir,
elm, birch, &c. In particular, the whole of St.
Mungo's hill, in the Kinore, or eastern, district, is
enclosed and planted. On the west side of this hill
is St. Mungo's well, and on the summit is a small
lake the bed of which resembles a crater; and abun-
dance of hard and porous matter, like lava, or the
scoria? of a forge, with a light spongy stone like
pumice-stone, has been found around it. On the
banks of the Bogie and the Deveron there are bleach-
fields, and corn, barley, and other mills: both rivers
contain trout; those of the Bogie being considered
particularly good. — Near the bridge of Deveron and
the town of Huntly stand the ruins of Huntly castle,
the ancient residence of the Gordon family, which
was destroyed after the battle of Glenlivet, in 1594;
and in the same vicinity, on the opposite side of the
Deveron, is their elegant modern mansion, Huntly
lodge, surrounded by plantations and pleasure-
grounds. — The parish is in the presbytery of Strath-
bogie and synod of Moray. Patron, the Duke of
Richmond. Stipend £185 13s. 9d. ; glebe £25.
Church built in 1805; sittings 1,800. In conse-
quence of the celebrated Strathbogie proceedings,
the foundation-stone of a new church in connexion
with the Establishment was laid at Huntly on the
28th of July, 1840; sittings 1,100; estimated cost
£1,400. — An Episcopalian congregation has been
established here since before the Revolution. The
chapel was built by subscription in 1770; sittings
140 An United Secession congregation was estab-
lished here in 1770. The chapel was built about
the year 1809. Sittings 340. Stipend £80 An
Independent congregation was established about 70
years ago. The present chapel was built in 1802.
Sittings 500. Stipend £100, with manse and garden.
— There is also a Roman Catholic congregation : time
of establishment unknown. Chapel built in 1834;
cost, with a dwelling-house attached, £1,660 12s. 2d.,
of which £1,000 were given by Mr. Gordon of Ward-
house. Sittings 350. — Schoolmaster's salary £34
4s. 4Jd., with £44 school-fees, and £8 of other emo-
luments. There are 9 private schools in the parish,
and a very handsome free-school, founded by the
Duchess of Gordon.
HUNTLY, a burgh-of-barony, and a neat modern
town, in the above parish, occupies a dry and salu-
brious, as well as beautiful situation, in the centre
of a fertile district, on the peninsula formed by the
confluence of the Deveron and the Bogie ; and dis-
tant 18 miles south-east of Fochabers; 21 south-west
of Banff; 39 north-west of Aberdeen; and 145 north
of Edinburgh, on the road between Aberdeen and
Inverness. The vicinity of Huntly, before the rise
of the town, consisted of little else than barren heath
and marshy swamps ; but it is now in a state of high
cultivation, adorned with trees and numerous neat
villas. The hills in its less immediate vicinity are
in general covered with thriving plantations. Having
arisen since the beginning of last century, Huntly
has been laid out on a neat and regular plan, and the
place has altogether an air not only of comfort, but
even of elegance. The town consists of a series of
HUR
813
HUT
well-built streets : the two principal crossing each
other at right angles, and forming a spacious market-
place or square. The streets are lighted with gas.
The parish-church, and the Episcopal, Secession,
Congregational, and Roman Catholic chapels, already
noticed, are all in the town. There are several reli-
gious and benevolent societies, two dispensaries, and
a literary society, besides the parochial and other
schools. The burgh is a barony under the Duke of
Gordon, in whose family was the title of Earl of
Huntly, till their elevation to the dukedom, when
the earldom was made a marquisate. The title of
Marquis of Huntly descended to the Earls of Aboyne,
at the death of George, 5th Duke of Gordon, in
1836, when the dukedom became extinct. The chief
manufacture in Huntly is that of linen thread ; but
since the termination of the war this trade, as well
as the manufacture of linen cloth — which formerly
flourished here, to the extent, it is said, of £40,000
per annum — has gradually declined. Large quantities
of butter, cheese, eggs, pork, &c., are exported from
this vicinity to the London market. The market of
Huntly is held on Thursday, and there are several
annual fairs. There are three branch-banks, and se-
veral insurance agents in the town. Population, in
1831, 2,585. During the great floods in August
1829, the town of Huntly was almost surrounded
with water, but fortunately no lives were lost, and
little damage was otherwise sustained. The ancient
one-arched bridge across the Deveron in this vicinity,
from the middle of which the views are very fine,
withstood the pressure of the current, and still exists.
Across the Bogie, and leading from the south-east
side of the town, is another good bridge of 3 arches.
HURLET, a village in Renfrewshire, 3 miles
south-east of Paisley. Here coal has been wrought
for upwards of 300 years. The seam is 5 feet 3
inches thick, declining eastward with a dip, which is
variable, but may, on an average, be accounted 1 in
7. The coal at this place is nearly exhausted ; but
it still abounds on some neighbouring lands. The
manufacture of sulphate of iron or copperas, was
introduced into Scotland by Messrs. Nicolson and
Lightbody of Liverpool, who established their works
at Hurlet in 1753, having previously secured by con-
tract a supply of the pyrites, and other material fit
for their processes, found in working the coal, at 2id.
per hutch of 200 weight. Till 1807, when a similar
manufacture was begun on the adjoining lands of
Nitshill, this was the only copperas work in Scot-
land. In 1820, the Hurlet copperas works were
purchased by Messrs. John Wilson and Sons, and
converted into an extensive manufactory of alum.
The alum manufacture was also first introduced into
Scotland by Messrs. Nicolson and Lightbody, who
prepared considerable quantities at Hurlet in 1766
and 1767; but their process being defective, it was
abandoned in the course of two years ; and it was
not till 1797, when works were erected here by Mr.
Mackintosh of Crossbasket, and Mr. Wilson of
Thornly, and their partners, that the making of that
article was successfully established. Since that pe-
riod, the works now mentioned, as well as that estab-
lished in 1820, have been producing a large and steady
supply of alum, manufactured on correct chemical
principles. Large quantities of muriate of potash,
and sulphate of ammonia, are also made in connexion
with this alum process. Ironstone abounds at Hur-
let, and the working of it was a few years ago actively
commenced by Messrs. Wilson.
BUTTON, a parish in the district of Merse, at
the south-eastern verge of Berwickshire. It is, in a
loose sense, of a triangular form ; but has so many
curves and indentations in its outline, as to be of a
very irregular figure. It is bounded on the north by
Chirnside, Foulden, and Mordington ; on the east
by Mordington and the Liberties of Berwick ; on
the south-east by England ; on the south. wot by
Ladykirk; and on the west l>> ,. and
Edrom. Measured as a triangle, it extends 4| miles
on the north side, 3J on the south-east side, and 44
on the south-west side. The Wbitadder is hi
boundary-line over the whole of the north, and 1 1
mile of the east, and runs partly between rocky
banks of inconsiderable height, and produces a few
salmon, and great plenty, as well as great variety of
trout. The Tweed rolls its majestic volume of
waters, in a beautifully curved line, 3) or 33 miles
along its south-eastern boundary, overlooked by
gentle undulations of the surface along its banks,
yielding large supplies of salmon, whitling, and grilses,
and brings up the tide with a sufficient depth of waters
for wherry navigation. The inequalities of the sur-
face along its banks, and similar inequalities along
those of the Whitadder, possess capabilities, with
the aid of more plantation than they possess, of pro-
ducing a picturesque effect ; and though rising, in
the average, to only about 150 feet above sea-level,
they beautifully diversify the luscious yet tame plain
in the midst of which they rise, and relieve its lux-
uriant but flat expanse from an aspect of monotony.
All the surface of the parish, inland from the rivers,
is, with some scarcely noticeable exceptions, nearly
a dead level ; but everywhere it is thoroughly culti-
vated, and spreads out before the eye of an agricul-
turalist the most pleasing of all features of scenery.
The soil on the banks of the streams is a deep, rich
loam, remarkably fertile, and well -adapted to wheat;
and, over a breadth of about a mile in the interior,
it is thin, and rests on a strong clay, and, though not
infertile, demands the expenditure upon it of skill
and labour. The climate is, in general, dry, and pos-
sessed of more than average salubriousness. Sand-
stone, though at a considerable depth beneath the
surface, everywhere abounds, and on the banks of
the Whitadder, is a small stratum of prime gypsum.
Paxton house and Tweed-hill, both situated on the
Tweed, at a short distance from each other — the
latter a neat mansion, and the former a massive and
somewhat superb though rather heavy pile, con-
structed from a design by the famous Adams — send
down their wooded demesnes to the margin of the
river, and reciprocate with it enhancements of beauty.
Spittal house, near the centre of the parish, is a pleas-
ing mansion ; and Broadmeadows house, situated on
the Whitadder, lifts up a Grecian front of tine white-
coloured sandstone. Hutton hall, standing on the
Whitadder, in the north-west corner of the parish,
consists of a square tower of remote but unascer-
tained antiquity, and an attached long mansion of
patch-work structure and various dates. In its most
incient part it is a remarkable specimen of an old
Border strength, and is rendered interesting by being
still inhabitable. On the estate of Paxton is a ma-
nufactory of bricks, house-tiles, and tiles for drains.
[n various localities are 3 corn-mills, whence Hour
and decorticated barley are sent, in considerable
quantities, to Berwick, for exportation to London.
On the Tweed are several regular and productive
ishing-stations, chiefly for the capture of salmon in
subordination to the London market. N<
lill house a suspension bridge, 360 feet in 1,
extremely light and elegant, and constructed, in
at an expense of upwards of £7,000, under the
superintendence of Captain Samuel Brown, II. N.,
conducts a carriage-way across the T\\
i;iri>h is interacted by the turnpikes between Ber-
wick and Dunse, and between Berwick and K
>y way of Swinton ; and is amply provided, in ad-
dition, with well-kept subordinate roads. Ti.
HUT
814
HYN
lage of Hirtton stands half-a-mile south of the Whit-
adder, at about equal distances from the eastern and
the western limits of the parish, and contains a popu-
lation of 260. There is another village, called PAX-
TON, which see. Population of the parish, in 1801,
955; in 1831, 1,099. Houses211. Assessed property,
in 1815, £10,302.— Hutton is in the presbytery of
Chirnside, and synod of Merse and Teviotdale. Pa-
tron, the Crown. Stipend £235 16s. 3d. ; glebe £25.
Unappropriated teinds £405 Is. lOd. — Besides the
parochial school, there are three private schools in the
parish, viz. two in the village of Hutton, and one in
the village of Paxton. The master of the latter has
a free school and dwelling-house from Mr. Home of
Paxtan-house. The present parish comprehends the
ancient parishes of Hutton and Fishwick. Hutton, or
Hotten, signifying ' wood-town ' — was the northern
district ; and Fishwick — or ' the fishing hamlet ' —
was the district on the south and along the Tweed.
The monks of Coldingham obtained Fishwick from
the Scottish Edgar, and held it till the Reformation.
The ruins of its church and cemetery still exist.
The Rev. Philip Redpeth, the editor of the Border
History, and the translator of Boethius' Consola-
tions of Philosophy, was minister of Hutton.
HUTTON AND CORRIE, an united parish in
the district of Annandale, Dumfries-shire. It com-
mences on the north in a point, and very regularly,
but slowly, expands, till, at a distance of 7£ miles, it
has acquired a breadth of 3£ miles ; it then, over a
distance of If miles, first expands to 4£ miles, and
next contracts to 3.J ; and it now suddenly expands
to 5£ miles, and thence, over 4^ miles to its south-
ern extremity, regularly contracts to 2|. Its entire
length is thus 13| miles from north to south, while
its average breadth is somewhat short of 3. It is
bounded on the east by the water-shedding-line of
heights between Annandale and Eskdalemuir ; on
the south-east and south by Tundergarth ; and on
the west by Dryfesdale, Applegarth, Wamphray, and
Moffat. Dryfe water rises nearly at the northern
point of the parish, intersects all the northern divi-
sion nearly along its middle, and bending to the south-
west, passes away into Applegarth, a mile below Hut-
ton church : see the DRYFE. Milk water comes in
from the north-east about 1£ mile below its source,
and, over a distance of 6 miles, traces the south-
eastern and the southern boundary. Corrie water
rises in a lochlet of its own name on the eastern
boundary, flows south-westward 4| miles through
the parish, and then tracing the western boundary
over a distance of 2£ miles, falls into the Milk.
Of 23,000 imperial acres, which the whole area is
computed to comprehend, about 3,000 are arable,
about 4,500 are employed for the rearing and grazing
of black cattle, and about 15,000 are occupied as
sheep pasture. The black cattle are Galloways ;
and the sheep, with some trivial exceptions, are all
of the Cheviot breed. There are in the parish 3 in-
considerable hamlets. In various localities are re-
mains of ancient fortifications, two of which only are
noticeable. In an angle formed by the Dryfe,
miles from its source, Carthur hill, rising almost per-
pendicularly to the height of 400 or 500 feet, bea
aloft on its pinnacled summit the vestiges of wl
seems to have been a strong fort. On one side
the vestiges there is a well, which was evidently bore
by artificial means in the rock, and which still hol<
water. A hill opposite to Carthur, immediately
the other side of the Dryfe, has similar vestige
though no well ; and between the two hills, on tl
banks of the stream, there appear to have been two
strong square enclosures, which may have served as
a connecting link between the elevated fortifications.
The parish, though hilly and sequestered, and long
treated as if but the outskirt of a wilderness, is
now intersected by two important lines of road,
and traversed by several subordinate roads, and
is accommodated with bridges across the rivers.
Population, in 1801, 646; in 1831. 860. Houses
133. Assessed property, in 1815, £6,795. The
parish is in the presbytery of Lochmaben, and
synod of Dumfries. Patron, Johnstone of Annan-
dale. Stipend £241 3s. Id.; glebe £15. Unap-
propriated teinds £326 18s. 7d. The church was
built about 130 years ago, and enlarged in 1764.
Sittings about 320. — There are parochial schools for
both of the united parishes, attended jointly by a
maximum of 180 scholars. Hutton schoolmaster's
salary £27, with £20 fees and £2 10s. other emolu-
ments. Corrie schoolmaster's salary £42 6s. with
£3 fees, and £10 other emoluments.— Hutton con-
sists of the northern division of the present par-
ish, or the part of it which is watered by the
Dryfe. It was originally a chapelry dependent on
the" church of the old parish of Sibbaldbye, now
annexed to Applegarth ; and, after various disputes
and settlements, was erected into a separate parish
previous to the 13th century. In 1220 it was con-
verted into a prebend of the chapter of Glasgow.
Corrie, or the southern division of the united parish,
was, as to its lands and ecclesiastical patronage, held
in the 12th century by a vassal family of Robert de
Bruce; and it continued in their possession, and
gave them its name till the reign of James V. ; and
at that date it was carried by the heiress of Corrie, by
matrimonial alliance, into the possession of the John-
stones. Hutton and Corrie were consolidated into
one parish in 1609.
HUTTON (LITTLE). See DRYFESDALE.
HYNDFORD, a small barony and district in
Lanarkshire, which gave the title of Earl to the
noble family of the Carrnichaels of Hyndford. Sir
James Carmichael of Hyndford was elevated to the
peerage by the title of Lord Carmichael, in 1647,
and his grandson was created Earl of Hyndford in
1 701 . The peerage became dormant at the demise
of the 6th Earl, in 1817.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
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