This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we have taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain from automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attribution The Google "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liability can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at|http : //books . google . com/
On.
I
■•'•*■
HA 855-
Jw^
►
i'JL'i
>
<# N
I
}
rr
THB
STATISTICAL ACCOUNT
or
SCOTLAND:
DRAWN UP FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS
MINISTERS
or TBE
DIFFERENT PARISHES.
By Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, Bart.
" = flfc ■ '■ ■ ■>■«
VOLUME FIFTEENTH.
** Adconjiiium ie republicadanduniy^aput eft nojfe r^mpuhlicam^^
.... Cicero, de Oiult. lib. ii;
EDINBURGH i
PRINTRD AND SOLD BY WILLIAM CREECH ;
AND ALSO B7 J. DONALDSOK, A. GUTMRIB| W. LAING, AND JO. FAIRBAtRN, EDINBURGH ; T. CADELL, J. DEBRETT, AND J. SEWELLy LONDON \ DUNLOP AND WILSON, GLASGOW J ANGUS AND SON, ABERDEEN. '
M,Dcc,xcr;
1
\ >
nH6Z
CONTENTS.
1. Lanark
2. Shotts
3. Lochwinnoch
4« Twyneholm & Kirk-Chrift
5. Urquhart
6* Oync
7. Rayne
8* Elirkbean /
9. St Fergus
10. Dollar
11. Mordington
1 2. Tillicoutlry
13. Benholme
14. Monzie
15. Dalgety
16. Baldcrnock . - 17- Longfide
18. South Ronaldfay & Burray
19. Campfi^
20. Stronfay and Eday
21. Glencrofs
22. Alford
23. Kilbarch^H;
24. Earkmichael
25. Rcdgortcn
26. Kirknoabreck
27. Bcdrulc
28. FoulisWcftcr 29* Avoch
Totals,
Increafe in 1792-49
Fopulciion in 1755. in 1791-4.
2294
2322
S»9 1110
640 1131
529 1271
5'7 181
787 1367 1192
761
7S5 1979
^954
1400
+ 1015
557 990
1485 2689 1074 858 297 1706
MS7
34i3^7
475 »
2041 2643
620 1050
630
1173 660
1240 510
335 909
'557 1136
869
620
1792
1954
2517 887
38s
2506
2200 2x23 1088
259
224
1380
Jncrea,
MSI
39,692 34.367
5*3255325
1083 101
42 13'
154 122 190
108
1117
1021
1049
i3o
7805 2480
Deer. 2ffl
60 10
3'
7
56.
135 187
128
172.
327 489
38 482
7
Page.
c
49
65
75
9i
105
no
ii9
•34
'55
'73
189
217
241
2,60
271
282
298
i«4
387
4JJ
447 482 506
5 23 J43 ?5^ 594
2480
* Tbii ii fuppofed (b be the popobtion in IJSS' t Thii wu tbc population mini.
ERRATA,
18^ fir 1814 Ttdil1%^ -
9, — coaft read pariilu axy -— Rothiayr^Ku/Rattrty. 30, — AOchines rtai Anchirict. 25, ^ftew illam add medietatem. 6, ftr Z900 rtad 400 barrels. 28, — reprinted rtad nprinted AA«« J I'a, •— his right rud her ri^t, . pem. ^ Foxbat read TorboL . 32, — fparrsr^o^ parrs. . 18, — Garrick rrotf Carrick. 17, -» Dartick rtad Partick. Xy — proprietors rt^d tenantit I, •-• 7th readlA* 33» •— fizty rff«^ fix. 6, «* I rroi !• hfirt XdO* a8, — 17 ready %j — 179* »'«*' I7W*
,^ ^^j XI — no read X50,
— 368 —— a6, r#a(/ York Building Company. «... 36^ .-.^ 3, /or Sunday r<a^ Saturday,
,, 373 8. - a8 read 38.
. 376 I 9, — a few read few. ,
...^.i^ 377 ...«. x8, — ^ balked rr«tf baked. -,— 379 — 04, — X793 read If 0$. ^_ 558 — — a7, — Toner readTowa^^
THE
STATISTICAL ACCOUNT
I OF
^^OTLAND.
t» A R T XV*
..V. NUMBtRI.
PARISH OF LAl^ARt;
(Countj^ and presbyter J of Lanark^ and Synod of Qlai^ gow and -^jr.)
Bt Mr. WILLIAM LOCKHARt op Baronald.
Situation^ Eiient^ and Surf at e^
1 HIS PariiDi is situated in the fhire and presbytery ct Lanark, and Synod of Glasgow and Ayr ; is between 4 atid 5 miles in length stretching along the Eastern bank of the Clyde, and about th^ee in breadtb^ The genera- lity of the^arifli consists of pretty flat and improvable lanS ; but along tl^ Clyde ftom Bonniton^fall down*^ Ivatd^ for the space of more than 3 miles^ the banks ar^ high, precipitous, and rocky, which however are pretty generally fringed with natural wood and planting. TImi
banki Vol. XV. A
I
I o Statistical Account
\ 1
'. banks of the Moufs, the only other river of any siie^
and which running from East to West, separates thd parifli into two distinct parts, are equally precipitous an^ rocky, but also clothed with natural wood, and
I plantatiot.s of forest trees.
j The highest ground in the parilh, for there is no hill,
is Lanark and Lee. moors, both b&j^^j^retty equal in height, and about 760 feet above sea-AVel. The town
I of Lanark itself is 6^6 feet 5 inches above the quay at the
new bridge of Glasgow.
The parilh may contain above 6000 acres. There are
' probably upwards of 600 acres of coppice wood and plan-
^ tations, and 1800 acres o\ moor ground, which leaves a-
I * bout 3600 acres for cultivation. The moory grounds,
which also contain some little mofs, belong to two differ- ent proprietors. Lanark moor, consisting of about 1500 acrrs, is the property of the community : and Lee-moor consisting of about 300 acres belong! to the estate of Lee. About 50 years ago the magistrates of Lanark, let to th6 inhabitants of the burgh on leases of 57 years, several small lots, at the extremity of their moor or common, at ffom 6d. to IS. 8d. per acre, with the view of getting them inclosed and improven; but the distance from town, about two miles, and other circumstances, prevented snuch improvement from being made upon them : such lots however as were situated nighest the town, and have been kept tcnciblc, now let from los. to aos. per acre. About 20 years ago, the town planted about 60 acres of this moor, iritostly with Scots pines^ which are in a very thriving condition ; and their seeds, scattered by the wind have of late produced a natural and extensive crop of young pines in the moor.
. William Honcyflaan of Grflemsay ' Esq. Advocate, has Utciy feucdfrom the magistrates between 1 and 300 acres
o£
ff Lanark^ ^
of this moor. at 5s, per acre j and has begun to plant*** tfnd improve It, so that what formerly afforded a small pittance to a few half-*starved cattle, will sooo be enabled to maintain families. The expences he has been at are al- ready very considerable, but do not intimidate him front being still willing to pofsefs and improve more of it, which although beneficial to the manufactures of Lanark^ tfnd to the nation at large, is opposed by a few burgefseSf who say that they have an immemorial right of servitude upon this moor for the pasturage of a certain number of cattle, and for fuel, feal, and divot ; and therefore, that it cannot be disposed of without being liable to such bur- dens,— as to which vident jurisconsulti ; but it must be matter of great regret to every well-wiftier of his country to see so great an extent, of improTable ground in the neighbourhood of a populous and manufacturing town, abandoned to heath and bent-grafi.
Lee-moor] is in the like rude and uncultivated state, al- though equally improvable, and much nearer to coal and lime, than the former.^ This however is the fault of the proprietor, or rather owing to that bane of all improvementi an entailed estate *. It is couiyiderably
Icls
* He hn planted iboat So teres with Scots pme, larch, beech, ash, ficc: % In travelling throagh Scotland, whenever the stranger meets with any lirge portion of improvable land in a state of nature, he may rest satis- fied that the ground is either under a strict entail, or that the proprietor has an overgrown estate. In fliort the fact is so glaring, that for the good of society and the nation at large, it were to be wiflicd, that some measure could be thought of either to oblige such proprietors to improve those grounds themselws, or to feu or sell them by public roup, at least to let them, to people willing to improve them, on such terms as may be fixed by the Board of Agriculture lately cstablxilicd, Suth a plan \vould so«n bring the
country
4 Statistical acfoui/t
lets in extent than I^ntrk-moor, sod theoce wpuld re^ ^ire lefs expeace to bring it lender tillage : It is to be kpped however from the promising appearance of the jQung proprietor, that it will soon be broagbt into a state;. of cultivation apd improvement.
The South and East parts of the parifh, excepting the burrow lands, which consist of a rich loam, are in gene- ral inclined to be light and gravelly. The estates of Lee, Cleghom, Terviswood, the Namphlars, and the rest of the parilh, consist of a very improvable clayey soil, a- dapted for wheat, provided fhere were spirit enough in fhe country to promote the erection of a flour mill ; but, as at present there is no flour mill nearer than Hamil« ton, 12 n^iles off, there is no encouragement towards ^be culture of that pro^table and useful crop.
Minerals, There is nq coal in the p9rifh hitherto dis^^ covered ; but in the neighbouring parifbes of Carluke, Carmichael, and Lesmahago, there are plenty of coal-pits. Coal at Lanark sells in general at about 3s. or 3s. 4d. th^ 800 weiglit : Cannel coal from Lesmahago parifh, sells 8f mewhat higher, which being of a very bituminous na«
ture,
country under ctilti>ation, inci^ase iti population and manufactures, prevent ip tome measurp eini|r|>atioiis, and woulcl have the tendency of always pre. serving peace and good prder in thp country. The greater the number of proprietors in a kingdom $0 much the mot^ nuqierous wf'di be the triends and^ supporters of its government, as it increases the number of tho^ who arei materially interested in its welfare. But lyheneyer thf whole lands Of a kingdom, as wa^ the case in France, are absorbed by a fe^^, it is only those few that are more peculiarly interested in its welfare ; for people, w|^oSfc . property is in money or the produce of their industry, may leave the king- dom at pleasure, and cannot pofsibly. take that warm interest in the fate of the country which the proprietor and colonist, who in some measurt may be said to be chained to the soil, must neceffiariiy do.
?f Lonaril 5
ttire, and approaching near to jet, is used bj the poorer aort of people in place of candle.
There is little or no freestone in the pariih. A quar* Tj has son^e time ago been opened in Lee-moar ; one lately at the BQathonses in the S. £. comer of the parifli ; and a coarse; kind of freestone is to be had upon the Monfs op the Jerviswood estate, but hitherto has been di^coTered no where else. Limestone is wrought in Lee« ipoorand Kilncadzow on the holders of theparifh, in con- siderable quantities ; and underneath it» is generally found a thin scan) of goal, often sufficient to bum what is dvg our, into lime. The rocks in the parifli consist ge- nerally of a brownifh micaceous moor stone, which splits and breaks into thin pieces unfit for any thing but ruble ifork. Clay fit either for bricks or pottery work, may be had in several parts of the parifli.
The only appearance of mines is in Jerviswood grounds, wher^ there has lately been discovered a thick seam| of quartz, bafseting out to the day, intermixed with small veins of rich iron ore, but, aa such, by no means worth the working. As however lead mines fre« fluently put on similar appearances at the top, there is no saying what may be discovered on going a little deep- cr. Pieces of very pretty jasper have been picked iip, in the bed of the M oufs, in detached and water- worn do« dules ; as also great plenty of ochres, but no iron stone excepting about the coal pits at GiUfoot on the ikirts of the parifli. Close by the old bridge of Lanark have been found in a detached and water- worn piece of limestone, petrified pbohdes and cockle fliells ; which bridge, by general Roy's measurement, is 36 a feet 5 inches above the quay at the new bridge of Glasgow, and 24 miles |istant from it.
6 Statistic^ acccfun^^
Etymology y Langwrge\'and Antiqmties. The Damnii of Fcoloxnj among other counties, roost certainlj pofsefsed all Lanarkfiiire; Ptolomj however makes no mention of the word Lanark, or any of a^sitnilar sound. Baxter, with ethers, have deemed Lanark to t>e the Vgrulentuni of the anonymous geographer of Ravenna, and not without some degree of probability. Baxter's derivation however of t^^' ruhntum from the Welfh ugir hni^ which as he says, sig- nifies ripahumidi^ vgiaquce^ is totally inapplicable, to the' aituittion of Lai^ark, it being situated on a dry and elevat-. ed situation, 292 feet i inch above the level of the Clyde. He is equally unhappy in his etymology of Lan- ' ark, which he derives from Lan cerig^ /• r. ripa fluminis,* this town not being situated within view of the river, nor upon its immediate bank, but about half a mile froa\ it * . •.
It is true we have a late author, (Mr Piukerton) who, defends the fabulous kingdom of the Stfatclyde Bri- tons of Lanarkfhire, and the Wellh derivation o£ Lanark ; but he, in aid of his hypothesis is obliged to resort to afsertions totally void of foundation. Thus he
tel^
* Jenes in hia oriffinof Unguajt and o^tionf, (* wbimsicgi boo^,) saji^ that Lanark, " is the same as the Welfh Lanercbf an upper or higher yard or ** inclo$urc*\ which is hardly so improbable as the other. Indeed in the Wcllh language' we find many etymons such isUanercb, a green or a bare place in a wood ; and Lanberch, a forest, as Llayd tells us. Lanercb is ac- tually the name of a lown en the Clwyd in Walet: and Isn io WelOi as ix^ ■ Gaelic^ signifies a church, churchyard, or indosure. Sut the same Lluydl in his Wclili preface to the Arcbealogia tells us. and proves it pretty clear- ly, that arery great many of the names of places in Wales itself, can only be derived from the Gaelic, the Gael being the original inhabitants of OreaC Britain as well as of continental Gaul, which is farther proved by the tracts publiflicd in 1737, by Mr Malcolmc, minister ot Duddingston, and of late by the two Mcfsrs. M*Phersons, so that the etymology of Lanark falls rather tivbr sought for in the Gaelic than Welili.
1^ Lanark. ^
tells us,* tfaati ** In Clydesdale at present if jrou wifl ** aik the cominon people about anj ancient castle or tte ^ like, they will tell it was ejected by the Brett or the ** Piks." Now although they ascribe some of their an- cient buildings, such as the high church of Glasgow, to the Picts, or Pcghsi as they call them, yet it is matter of noto- riety that the word Bret is utterly unknown to the com- '0ioa people of 'Clydesdale. This he has advanced nerely for thepurp oe of supporting a favourite system, and t0 mislead in the same way that he, in^ former publication, had averred that scraps of the second part of his own Har- dyknute were sung immemorially by the common people of Clydesdale. Mr Pinkerton also avers that the Ian-* gnage of this part of Scotland still retains something of the Wclfii accent. This is equally groundlefe, nor can he point out one single instance of it ; and although nu- merous words used in the county are Gaelic, yet none are Welfli, unleb in common with the Gaelic.
Indeed Mr Pinkerton in his edition of the Vita Sancto* rum Scotia^ furniftics us himself \*ith evident proofs of the fallacy of his own averments. In the life of St. Kenti- gcm or St. Mungo of Glasgow, who flourifhed in 580, collected from an old copy in Gaelic, and another in Latin by Josceline, about anno 1180, we learn, cap. 4, that thi? Saint was called " Kyentyren quod intcrpretatuc " cafitalis Dominui,'' which is pure Gaelic at this day ; and not Welch. His other name of Mungbu " quod .** (says Josceline) Latine dicitur varus amicus^'''* is not Wclfli but more probably Gaelic; thus Eun cat^mb may have been spelt Munghu, the Gaelic pronounccation being Dretty similar, the literal signification of which is Dear ^ ^ bii'd
#^lnquiry into the hist, of Scotland, tol. 1, p^ 81.
% Statistical accovUnt
, Urd ; and dear bird, or my bird, is Still used &iiiiliarly to a young friend or youths whiah KffQtigern was when hd received that epithet from St. Servanus the Picti/b Abbot of Culrofs. In cap. xu we learn that Glasgow^ formerly Cuthures^ was in the Saint's time, from the monastery therein situated^ called ** DescbUf quod interpretatar f< eara familial Neither is this Welfli: — But the Gae- lic words Paiide'caomb, L e. dear children 6r family^ have nearly in that language the sound of, and may liave been spelt Descbu^ in that early age» in the same way that lies* cbu is now pronounced and spelt Glasgow. And in cap* xxii. we learn that the JSurHf a Gaelic word used in this county for rivulet, and at present called Mokniinar^ that runs by the High Church of Glasgow and behind die College garden, was called MolUndowor in the Saint's time. Now muiUan b a mill in Gaelic, and dombat signifies water ; from which it is evident, that the Ian* guage of Glasgow in Kentigem's time^ was not Welifa» but pure Gaelic ; and that at this early period the Mo« lendinor burn^ as it now does, drove a milL*
-Such
* We fliall, in farther proof^) and to illustrate the language of this pariOi nod cofonty, adduce some words, among many hundreds, that might be mentioned, which are pure Gaelic. Thus Bink^ a stone or gMen lod of seat before a door, is pu^e Gaelic. CmmU a cow With crooked horns, also a crooked nick, from Cromadb bended^ Body^ a clown or silly person, B9^ dacb. P/nrib, a carbuncle on the face, P/wroM. £«r»rA» a chicken, Eirag ^ Stoek-in-b^m^ a pipe with a horn used by the fliepherds, from Stoc a pipe, Kinnu^, a Rabbit, Coitmin. Brock, a Badger; Broc. Brat, 1 cover or seuif «• also a piece of cloth, Sr*t, To toom, empty, Ta^mairu To iti^i orercome^ ]>Mgmn. GUir, puddle or filth, Ca^n IngU^ the fire, Aimgeal. Gairtam farter, Gairtam, Jrrosit, gooseberry, Gtotaid. Gir/£ar, a gully hole^ Guitar ^ Saggis, a dilh, Taiggis, Inch, invariably used for an isloid, Imnje or Jmus^ ebubam, a village, Clacban. Locb, a Lake, Locb, CarameiU or Caparcile* the oiobas tvbcrosvs, being the r«ot so much used t» diet bf the ancient
Caledonian*
of Lanark. 9
Such being the case, and as la Lanarkffiire there are n6 Welsh words in use, except such as are in common with the Gaelic, we may venture to affirm that the Stratcljde kingdom of Cunibric Britons is a mere dream ; and that to derive our proper names from the Cumbric is idle. Indeed we cannot resort to the WelQi language for the etymon of Lanark, seeing we have a Lanark in Stirling- ihire, where no Cumbric Britons were ever settled ; and a Drum-Lanark and Lanarkland in Dumfriesfhirc, also without the bounds of the fabulous Stratclyde kingdom-
Lanatk, or as locally pronounced Lanerick, or Lande^ rick, is therefore more probably Gaelic. Lan^ in Shaw's dictionary, signifies land, a house, repository, or a church. Dearc is the Gaelic for the Billberry, or Blae- berry, so common on high and dry grounds. Landerick^ or Lan na dearca^ appears therefore to denote the land, house, repository, or church of the Billberries. Lan dearcach signifies also Billberry land or repository, pretty descriptive of all the Lanarks. But farther, Lan arc signifies a full ark, or granary, and Lanark is spelt Lan- arc in the old charters, so Lan arc may be the true ety- mon. These etymons, though probable, may not be just, yet are Icfs liable to obje' tion than any former one ; iior would we have dwelt so long upon this article, had we not wiihcd to remove the mist attempted to be thrown, by the author above-mentioned, over the histo* ry of Clydesdale.
All the other nanies of the parifli are Anglo-saxon, un-
iefs wc except Cartlane, Baronald or Baronel, Nemphlar^
cindum Vol. XV. B
Caledonians, CarameiUy Salich and Sau^h, the Willow, Seileach, Kist, a chest, cisdCf (the C sounding like K. in Gaelic,) and Kistie, the diminutive of Kist, Cistag. Indeed the Gaelic diminutives are very common in thO l»w«r paru mi Clydesdale, as yam9ck ftr little Jame$, Willock, See.
10 Statistical account
and Cleghorn ; which last place may have been the Croir* (iadum of Baxter's Glofsarium Antiquitat. Brit, as not only the Roman road pafses by it, but the remains of • Roman station are still evident in one of the parks to the East of Cleghorn house.
The station or camp at Cleghorn, General Roy thinks was the work of Agricola. It measures 600 yards in length by 4Z0 in breadth, capable of containing two Re man legions on the Poljbian establiflimcnt, or 10,500 men ; or it would hold one legion with its auxiliaries on a much higher establifliment. Near the S. W. angle of this camp, there is a small post or redoubt, that seems either to have joined to the camp itself, or to have been connected with it by means of a line.
Oil the opposite side of the Moufs from Cleghorn, and in Lanark- moor, was situated another small exploratory ' camp of the Romans ; and, within about a mile of it, there is another of a later construction at Castle-dykes, in the parifh of Carstairs, through which runs the great Roman road from Lugballuni, or Carlisle, to the wall of. Antoninus.* The Roman foad from Castle-dykes runs through part of Lanark-moor, thence pafses the river Mou£i a little to the Eastward of Cleghorn-bridge, hence it goes through the inclosures of Cleghorn, leaving A- gricola's cnmp on the right, and so on by Colly-Iaw, Kill-
cadzow,
I * General Roy tells us that near the kirk of Carstairs some remains of abatb and other antiquiiics have been found ; so that Carstairs may be the Corda of Ptolemy; and the Castlcdykes the Coriotitar of the Geographer of Ravenna. At the latter place Roman bricks and coins have frequently been dug up. The late Sir George Lockh?.rt was pofscfsed of some of those coins, {SUrticu- lariy a beautiful silver one of Kero^s; an J within these few years a consi- derable number, mostly of Adiian, were discovered, the bulk of whicli I believe arc now with ^the Antiquarian Society. One of them it in mj pefKftion.
•f Lanarh 1 1
cadxow, Coldstreaok aad Zuilfliields, to' Balstane ciear Carluke, bearing the name of Watling-street, or rather Biggar road ; and from thence to the wall.
About a mile North of Lanark, and upon the verj brink of Cartlane rocks, on the North of the Moofs, are the Testiges of an old stronghold, called by some Castle- dykes, and bj others the castle of the ^aw. Perhaps from the Gaelic Uaidh^ a cave, in allusion to the caves or strange artificial archways afterwards to be noticed. There are still evident traces of a wide, or rather a double ditch on the land side, which incloses about half a rood of ground, and on the side next to the river is a precipice upwards of 200 feet of perpendicular height. The well was very evident about 40 years ago, but is since filled up. There are at present no remains of any building, excepting some slight traces like a foun- dation, and some artificial caves or arched ways of a very singular ^construction : one of them, which I saw opened, was about 7 or 8 feet in leiigth, and 4 fi^et wide, running in a bending direction towards the center of the inclosure from the brink of the rock ; the height about 3i feet. This archway was composed of huge blocks of freestone, rude and unpoli(hed, intermixt wit% the common moorstone of the country. It was not arched at top ; but the stones laid horizontally one above another, still approaching nearer and nearer, tiji the sides formed a junctioui and united at the top. In the bottom of the archway was a fat black earth intermixed witht some bones in the state of afhcs. Several other archways, or holes like the above, running in different directions, still exist, although not hitherto explored. The most remarkable thing attending these vestiges is, that no lime or mortar, Aor the smallest appearance of lime rubbiih is to be found
amon|;
^?a Statistical Accauni
among the ruins \ so must have been erected before the introduction of mortar bj the Romans.
, Arthur^ s Oven, a Roman work, was no doubt built without mortar ; but this castle, if a heap of narrow arch- ways can be called so, seems bj no means a Roman work, as no tool, nor the smallest art, has been used upon the freestone employed in it. I see by the Statistical Account, that subterraneous buildings of a similar kind have been discovered in the parifhes of Applecrofs (vol. iii. p. 378.) and Tealing (vol. iv, p. foi.)j and as last autumn, there was discovered inLesmahago parifli, near the fall of Stonebyres, at a place called Cairny Castle, similar arch- ways, in which were found two querns, or hand-mills for grinding corn, amongst deers horns and bones of animalS| I am led to believe that those archways and subterraneous pafsages were the temporary abodea of the ancient Bri- tons ; that no stone building was erected above them, but, if any, only temporary wooden huts, from which, 'in case of beinff set on fire by an enemy, the inhabitants might escape through the subteranneous pafsages, or secure themselves mu them by covering their narrow mouths >vith stones. Indeed it would seem that Gildas had such strange and fox- like habitations in his eye, when he wrote of the third vastation of the Scots and Picts, (anno 448.) as he brings them, •' De arctifsu ** mis foraminum cavernicuiiSf fusci, vermiculorum, cu- *« nei, &c.*
It
* The next piece of antiquity ,is the Castlchill, clofs by, and on the S: W. side of Lanark. It has the appearance of an artificial mount; and per* liaps was originally fortified by the Romans, as General R6y makes mention of a fine silver Faustina that was found here. Upon this hill there former* ly stood a cnstic, which tradition ascribes to David I. The charter by Wil- liam the Lien in favour of the town of Ayr, is dated from this castle, vr at
L
0f Lanarkl > J
It does not appear when, or by whom, the old parochial phurch of Lanark, now in ruins, which stands about % quarter of a mile to the S. E. of the town, was erected. It has b^en an elegant Gothic building of hewn stone, divid- ed in the middle, from one end to the other, by a wall sup- ported upon pillars, forming j or 6 fine arches : and a- round it, is the burial ground and cemetery of the town and pariih. This church appears from Blind Harry'« History of Sir William Wallace, to have been the only church of the town in his days. Thus a4 ann. 12971 ^^ makes mention of Wallace pafsing
•* On from the kirk that was without the town.^* There is a charter, noted in the general Index of charters, in the Signet office, *' Willielmo Clerkson Capellano mo- f* derno ad altare gloriosifsimae Virginis Marise, infra ** ecclesiam parochialem de Lanark." Granted by Jamea iv. and dated at Lanark i8th October ijoo.
The monastery of Franciscans, or Grey Friars, founded here by Robert I. in 13 14, was situated tq the West of the present parochial church. In the burial ground belong- ing to it, still called the Friar's yards, there lately existed a beautiful conical hill or tumulus, which has been recently
takeu
«
Lanark, anno 1197; and there are still in its neighbourhood places called Kingtons know, Kingsoru stane, and Kingsons mojr, which favour th« tradi- tion of its having been a royal residence. 1 hat it belonged to the crow^i, appears from the negotiation between John Baliol and Philip of France in 1198, where Philip agrees to give liis niece, the eldest d^iughter of the Duke of Anjou, in marriage to the son and heir of Baliol : and in security of the lady's jointure, which was 1500!. sterling a year, Baliol mortgaged his cs- tatcs in France, and same of the crown lands in Scotland, viz. the Castle and CastcUany of Lanark, Kadzow, Maulsley. &c. This castle was frequently in the hands of the EngUlh during the 13th century, and I have seen scvera coins of the first Edward that were found here. A bowUng green is now erected upon the site of the Castle.
^ 4! Statistical accent
taken down on building the new Inn, in which a great tiumber of human bones was discovered, particularlj a * human scull of a remarkable large size. K A general chapter of all the Gre j-Friars of the king*
dom was held at this monastery i rth July 1490 ; where the Wardens capitulary being afsemblcd, they coutirmed an indenture made between the Lady Beatrice Douglas^ Countefs of Errol, and the Grey-Friars of Dundee, and ordered it to be put in execution.*
There was also in Lanark, a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas, but where situated I d^o nof know. Mention is made of it in a charter granted by Jame^ IV. *• Steph- <' ano Lockhart, de loco de Clydesholme, et de cymba •* super aquam de Clyde, mortificat. Capcllano ad al- ** tare Sanctae Katfaarinae fundat. in capella Sti. Nicolat f* de Lanark," dated 7th March 1491.
About half a mile to the Eastward of the town are the ruins of the Hospital of St. Leonard's, probably founded by Robert L In 1393, Sir John Dalzell, a predecefsor of the Earl of Carnwath, obtained from Robert III. to him- self in liferent, and to Walter Dalzell his son in fee, the whole revenue belonging to St. Leonard's hospital within the burgh of Lanark, upon condition that he and his
heirs
f The purport of the Indenture, which is dated in 1482, is as follows : In the year preceding the date of the indenture, provisions being verj dear, the Grey^friars of Dundee not having wherewithal! to maintain themselves, were obliged to pledge their books, cups and utensils. The Countefs com- miserating them, gave them 100 1. Scots or jf . 8 : 6 ; 8 Sterling to support th^m in their extremities, and to enable them to repair their monastery ; snd in return the Friars obliged themselves and their succefsors to ce« lebrate daily at the great altar a ma(s, suhmifsa voce^ vel cum flofa,.which mafs was called mffsa Domini pro anima dictae Beatricis (Comitifsx,) ac pro animabus;Willielroi,olim sponsi sui, et Wiilielmi com. de Errol, fil. ejus, dec. and if the Countefs ftiould, as llie designed, build an altar within the churck of the three kings at CuUen, then the mafs (hould be said at that altar, fcc.
ofLahtfrl. |]j
heirs Ihall provide a qualified person to celebrate 3 mafses once cverj seven years for the salvation of Robert IIL Anabella his Queen, and all their children for ever. The ruins of this hospital have lately been dug up and plowed. Some human bones, carved stones, and an urnt was discovered among them. The Hospital lands now belong to the Burrow, and are held by them of the fa- mily of Camwath, for payment of 20 merks annually, which, by the charter, is declared to be for the use of the poor.
Agriculture, The land rises from the town in a gentle ascent to the East, and consists of a light dry soil, upon a gravelly bottom, with a few acres of mofs in the common which lyes to the East of the town. There is a considerable declivity from the town upon the South, West and North, to the rivers of Clyde and Moufs, and an acclivity from those rivers. The soil here is partly loam upon a rocky bottoiQ, and partly day.
The Barrow lands consist of above 600 acres of fine rich loam, exclusive of the common. These are in ge« neral the property of the inhabitants of the burgh, few of whom pofsefs more than 2 or 3 acres, are mostly unin-/ closed, and when rented, generally yield from 2 1. to 3 1, the acre. Burrow acres sell at from 50 1. to 701. the acrc# Preceding the year 1750, the burrow acres were kept in constant tillage, under a rotation of bear, oats and pease ; each burgefs kept one or two cows, and some of them a horse or two, which pastured promiscuously up- on the common in summer, and upon the burrow croft stubble in winter. Since that period, potatoes have been introduced instead of the pease crop, and have been
planted
15 Statistical account
planted iii great quantities^ being reckoned a more Bene^ ficial^crop than pease. They are generally planted, a^ bout 4 bolls to an acre, with a dibber ; and are three or four times hand-hoed during the summer. Elach acre pro- duces from 60 to 100 bolls Linlithgow barley measure^ tvithout dung, which is here seldom or never applied to the potatoe crop, as they are found to be much drier, and supposed more wholesome without it. Many people however have observed that the repeated culture of po- tatoes is injurious to the soil : and that the burrow lands do not now bear such quantities of good oats and barley as formerly.
Some time ago winter herding upon the commoti i^as adopted here, and since that happy period, clover and rye« grafs have been introduced in ^ considerable quantities, and the inhabitants now find it more for their advantage to leather their cows upon their grafs fields th^n to send them to the common. An acre of sown leathering grafs has been known to let as high as 5I.
The tends of the out parlfh, till within these 30 years, were generally let in small farms for 19 years, the rents paid in victual, and the labour performed by the tenant and his own family. The mode of agriculture was that of keeping a few acres adjoining to their houses in con- stant tillage, upon which all the dung of the farm was laid ^ and the outfields were kept alternately for three years in oats, and three years in pasture. Each farm kept 4 horses, and a few milk cows, the produce of which was entirely consumed in the family; a few colts and young cows were also reared, the sale of which furniihed the farmer with what littie money was needed.
Since that period, the victual rents have br^cn abolifhed^ and a spirit of industry and improvement has diffused it- self over the parifh. About 20 years ago, a few farms
wer«
%f LanarW 1 7
l^erelet in tack for 38 years, with some little encourage-' inent towards inclosing : Some of these have been inclos- ed partly with stone fences, and partly with ditch and hedge, and kept in a fencible condition. Dung is now applied to the outfields, and a regular rotation of crops carried on over all the farm. The most approved rota- tion seems to be oats from lea; a green crop of pease, turnips, or potatoes ; barley sown with grafi seeds ; two crops of hay, and three in pasture. By this mode the dung is equally distributed over all the farm, a«id the land kept in good condition, beiog dungt^d once in eight years.
Some years ago, a considerable quantity of oat-meal was yearly carried from thib parilh to t!:e Glasgow market ; but now, since the intrcduction of cotton ma- nufactures, it is all consumefl it home ; and frequently Irifh meal is sent up from Gl.^siTow to supply the demand at the cotton mills ; nor i.. this p.irilh any longer able to maintain itself. O <t-meal stlls g:-T'eraI)y at a penny a- peck higher than either at EdinburirJi or Gi isj^ow; a cir- cumstance that ought to encourage tlie agriculture of the parilh, and stimulate proprietors in this a. id the neigh- bouring parifhes, to bring their wajte and moor grounds under cultivation.
The Scotch plough drawn by 3 or 4 horses ; the com- mon harrow of 4 bulls and 20 iron teeth ; the roller, and single horse carts, are the most general implements of husbandry here. A few lig)»t ploughs, made in the ptrifli upon Small* s model, are also in use ; and two harrows of 3 bulls each, with long teeth joined together by a hinge in the middle, and two chains at the c.id, are used with ef-i
fcct^
yoL. XV. c
lo Statistical account
feet, in reducing rough land. They likewise use two light harrows for grafs seeds. Mr Honjman employs two oxen and two horses in breaking up his moor grounds ; but no oxen are used any where else in the pa- rifli, excepting at Bonniton, although "the savidg of oats ought fircatly to encourage them in a pariili where oat- meal gives so high a price.
Lime is in pretty general use as a manure*; where it has not been too frequently applied, it produces fine crops; bur where the land has been often limed, it is found to succeed best when made up into compost dung- hills, and when led out in harvest and laid upon lea grounds, it is attended with great advantage. There is some very good marie »n the estate ot Boiuiiton, but at present it is not dug our for sale.
There is very lit'le wiieat sown in the parifb, cither owing to ihe want of a flour mill, the scarciiv of inclo- sures, or the iii^h situation of tlie di-trici. Some years ago, severnl acres were anruaily sown with flax, uhich yielded irom 24 to 4c stones per acic; bat the trouble at- tending the difFtr rent operations, and the distance from wa- tering places, prevent it from hemg sown in quan- tities ; so that the general crops in use arc barley^ oats, potatoes, pease, and rye c^afs and clover.
Turnips, tiiough a most profitable crop, are by no means uncommon use. When tht- old crofts arc laid out in pas- ture for milk cows, great quantines of butter and cheese are made ; and the produce of each cow, under proper ^ management, yicl4s from 4 1. to 61. sterling annually.
Oais nrd pVasr are sown from ^tne first of March to the middle of April, potatoes from the middle of A-
pril
* The price of a full 1 eaped Vi'n of litre Is 36 (hillings; and it gene* rally yields from 9 to ias!pglchoisc carts of flicUs.
i
%:
u
of Lanark. J 9
pril t« the second week of May, and barley from the first to the end of May. In common seasons, harvest begins about the first 6f September, and ends about the middle of October. Even in the year 1782, there was little or none to cut down after the first of November^ and the ciop for the most part was got in. Harvest 179a was almost equally late, and the crop as ufipro.luctive.- The great rains prevented the corns from ripening, oc- casioned their running to straw and lodging, by which the grain did not nil ; and it wa» no uncommon thing to send two bolls of oats to the mill, and get only one boll of meal in return, alth Ugh in ordinary seasons and in ordinary land we have generally boll for boll.*
Climate and Diseases, Tliis parifli, from its high, dry, and airy situation, is perhaps as hcaltliy a one as iii Scot- land. Bring situated m the cciure of tlje i^L^nd, it is equally free fro.n the En^tern fogs and the violtnce of the Western rains, so thit the air is always pure and clear. The dimate, although drier tii.'n aLout Glasgow, or even Hamilton, .is certainly somt what uctCcr than about Edin- burgh, but is more than uimoensatcd by the absence of the Eastern fogs, so disagreeable in the neighbourhood of tha,t city. Spiiiig droughts trequcntlj retard th^ crops very considerably, and som^tiaiCi spring frosts. Hea- vy rains in -Juiy ai.d ALii»Ui>t, winch are pie.ty comdion here, have a siaiilar tfiecC in keeping back the harvest ; but in general the crops are earlier than in the i.e gh-
buuriiig
* All plants 2nd ▼egetablei common to Scotland are to be '"otind here. The sycamore, ^v//ij-o tlie plane tree, scemt hcr<r to b< mdi^ciijus, and ;;rovr» atnong the natural woods, as do Xhjt hollj and barberrj. There are tew or mi sbcf p Sept in ttiii paiifl^
( 20 Statistical account
i
Jbourmg paiiflies, and even more so than those lying much lower and farth'^r down the ClyJe. V ^ ,1° Autumn fevers ana flax-ji are orctty frequent, which
H have been impute J to livirjg too much upon potatoes ;
•\ but there is no disease peculiar to rhe parifti. The in-
■j habitants arc in ;Tencral stout and he dthy, and it is do
uncommon thing to met .vitli pJo.)Ie walk^ig about, naj even working, at the age of 8d. Two or three have died, within thtse few yars, aged above 90 ;. o' c of them, a , blacksmith, died at tlie age of 1;- 5 bat I do not at present rccolle<:t of any perioa who ever reacned his hundredth year.
^ Natural Curiosities^ and Romantic Scenery, This pa-
I riQi contains as mach curi Ub, rouantic, and varied see-
.fl nery, as any in Scrtland. The falls ol Clyde prmcipallj
*i interest the stranger, ai;d wt fhall bt gin with the upper-
most one, ahht ugh to come at it, we are obliged to pafs the second fall, or Corra Liu. The uppr^rmost one is some- what above ^h miles from L;inark, and from the estat»i in which it is situated is called the Bonniton Fall or Lin. • From Bonniton house, a very neat and elegant modern buil.ing, }ou arrive at the Lin, by a most romantic walk r.longthe Clyde, leaving the pavilion and Corra Lin upon >v ur right hand. At seme little clrstap.cc from the fall, t: -^ walk, leading to a rock tliftt juts out and overhangs l!.L river, brings you all at once within sight of this bcauti- li.l shtet of water ; but no stranger rtt>tj> satisfied with this view ; he still prefscs onwards along the walk, till Irom the rock immediately above the Lin, he sees the
whole
• n-.e word Lin V.as not hitherto been explained by any v/ritcr. It isDt> l^ •thcr than the Cadic \VorcJ Xf.v.?;, i.e. Ice;) C7 fall, dal'crcntly spelt and
X><)QOunceJ.^
1
of Lanark. ?f ^'
^hole body of the river precipitate itself into the chasnt below. The rock over which it falls is upwards of I2> feet of perpendicular height, from which the Clyde makes one precipitate tumble, or leap, into a hollow den ; whence some of it again recoils in froth, and smok* ing mist. Above, the river exhibits a broad, expanded, and placid appearance, beautifully environed with plan<* tations of forest trees. This appearance is suddenly changed at the fall : and, below it, the river is narrow, contracted, and angrily boils and thunders, among rocks and precipices.
The same beautiful and romantic walk conducts yoa back again, along the precipice that overhangs the rivcr^ both sides of vvhich are environed by mural rocks, equidis- tant and regular, forminj^, as Mr P' nnai t exprefccs it, a •* stupenduous natural masonry ;*"* from whose crevices choughs, daws and other wild birds, are incefsantly spring- ing. You descend along the river for ubout half a mile, till you arrive at the Corra Lin^ so called from an old cas- tle and estate upon the opposite bank. The old castle of Corra, overhanging a high rock that overlooks the fall, with Corra house, aid the rocky and woody banks of the Clyde, form of themselves a beautiful and grand €BUp 'd^oeil\ but nothing can equal the striking and stu- penduous appearance of the fall itself, which when view- ed from any of the different seats placed here and there along the walks, must fill every unaccustomed beholder with awe and astonifhment. The tremenduous rocks au roiind, the old castle upon the opposite bank, a corn mill in the rock below, the furious and impatient stream foam- ing over the rock, the horrid chasm and abyfs underneath your feet, heightened by the hollow murmur of the wa- ter and the screams of wild birds, form at once a spectacle
both^
tj-
^2
Stathtical account
I
both trcmenduous and pleasing. A summer-house or pa>- villion is situated over a hi^h rocky bank, that overlooks the Lin, built by Sir Jan\ts Carmichael of Bonniton in 1708. From its uppermost room it affords a very strik- ing prospect of the fall, for all at once, on throwing your eyes towards a mirror, on the opposite side of the room from the fall, vou !^ce the whole tremendous cataract pouring as it were upon your hv ad. ^ The Corra Lin, by a late measuremc t, i^ found to be 84 feet in height. The river doe-; not rufh ovtT in one uniform fhect like the BonnitonLin, but in tluee diiTerent, though almost imper^ ceptible, prcipi.t* leaps. Oil the s )utliern bank, and when the sun fliint s, a r;a.ibovv is perpetually seen form- ing itself upo 1 tl e mi^t and foi^s, arising from the violent dalhing of the watvrs.
The next curiosity, on descending the Clyde, that at- tracts the strnnger, is New Lanark, or the; cotton mills. The sitiiarion of tMs vill;iL»e is at tie western extremity of the Bonr.iton ;]^rcm!ui in a Ioa- den, and within view of another o^iuiuil ''cind romanric tall calL d DundafFLin, gjffiiifying i'» Gclic hi ick casfie ieup \ and no doubt for- merly some f rlrt-fj has b ea sirua:ed hereabouts, al- thou'^h no tr.icts now le iain, exrcptin^ in tradition; -which still P-' ts out a reck cileci Vailncc's Chair, where thai patru t .is ^rici Lo i ..vt c)i;cia!cd himself from the Encliftj' ^ ■••^ *'**^^ ^"^ a'ljiuit ^ or 4 feet high, and trouts Lave been r ot-rvt d lo piii g pp and gain the top of it •with ease. This fill, tho v 1. j.e. (oar lot'ty cotton mills, and their hi. y iri'n''' r. ir . t cr^ h- r wirh the wild and •woody scdicry arou: 1, mu \ at r.u t the notice of every stranger. Belcnv the r .iir lite r; uiantic rocks and "wods of BTaxficid, t!ic sear oi tlic j-i. u t Lord Justice Clerk, who influenced alone by the good of his country, very
fiackly
of Lanark* %\
frankly feued the 8i»e of the village and cotton mills to the bencToleat Mr David Diilc, at a vcrry moderate feu- duty.
The next fall of consequence is the Sionebjrcs Lin, si* tu3ted about 2i miles below the Corra Lin. It is so cal- led from the n'-ighbouriKg estate O' Stonebyres, belonging to Daniel Verc E q ; but the grounds adjacent to the fall, on both sides of the river, have lately been feued or purchased by Mr Dale. This cataract, which is about eighty feet in height, is the ne plut ultra of the salmon, as none can pofsibly get above it, although their endeavours, in the spawning season, are incif^ant and amusing. It is equally romantic with the othtrs ; and like the Corra Lin, has three distinct, but almost precipitate falls. Wild rug- ged rocks are equally visible here, ?nd they are equally fringed with wood ; the tr^es however are by no means so tall and stately, being compoofd of coppice wood. Sal- mon, pars (samlets,) horse muscle, or tlie pearl oyster, though numerous below, are never seen ;;bove this fall.
The next piece of natural cariositv is C\;llane Craigs, upon the river Moufs, which enieis CI; de about a mile be- low the town of Lanark. This is a curious and rorr.antic den, about a quarter oi a mile in krgth, bounded on ei- ther side by a reef of lofty precipitous and rugged rocks, which are fringed witii coppice wood on the north side, and with coppice, wood and thriving planta- tions on the south. The rocky bank on the north side is about 400 feet in height, and it is not much lower upon the fouth side* ' Both banks arc fnely varied ■with the different appearances of rock, wood and preci- pice. At th-e bottom ruj.s the river Moufs, which scarce- ly leaves room for the lonely traveller to traverse the dcnj however, here the c;:lcb rated botanijf-, Mr Lightfoot,
clambered
pjj, Statistical account
dftmbered in search of plants, and discoTcred somt rare and uncommon ones, as maj be seen in his Flora Scotica* At every reach of the Moufs, of which there are manj, the scenerj varies, and wherever jou find a prominent rock upon the one side, you are sure to meet with a regular recefs on the other. Caverns in the rocks are here and there observable^ but none of them worthy of any parti- cular description. One, still called Wallace's cove, tra- dition tells us, was the hiding hole of that patriot. An- other equally trifling, but which bears evident marks of the chifsel, is said to have been the abode of a hermit in former times, but must have been a miserable habitation^ hardly affording room to lye down in. Considerable veins of the spatum ponderosum run through these rocks ; but no other mineral has hitherto been traced in this dreary den of foxes, badgers and wild birds. It is somewhat singular how the Moufs, instead of following its direct course, by Baronald house, where the ground is lower and unob- structed by rocks, fhould have penetrated the high hill of Cartlane, and forrred a bed through solid rock. It seems presumable that this vast chasm has originally been formed by some earthquake, which, rending the rocks, al- . lowed the water to pafs that way.
Lakes y orchards y and mineral springs. There is only one lake of any consequence in the paridi, which is on theBr>nniton estate, and upon which there is a bleachfield, particularly famous for bleaching threed. It is called Lang Lochy althouoh hardly 500 feet in length ; and con- tains both Pike and Perch.
There are no Orchards of any consequence excepting a- bout Holmfoot, in the lower part of the parifh. Small one« liave been lately planted at Castlebank, and at Earonald ia
the netghbonrhood of the town, which thrive tolerably well ; but in general the fruit does not succeed so well in the higher parts of this pariih, owing to the great eleva<- tion. Small fruit, however, such as gooseberries, yield considerable returns, and I have kaown some cultivators of them draw from lo 1. to 25 1. for a crop, independent of other vegetables growing among them. Wild fruits are here in great abundance, such as crab apples, haxel nuts, geens, bird-cherrj called here hagberry, rasp-berries, Roe- buck-berries, and strawberries, &c. The fruit of the bird-cherry, (prunuifadus'), or the bark in winter, is an excellent astringent, and a specific in Diarrhoeas and fiax^^s. The disease common to cows in some pastures, called the tnoor-ill, is cured by it, of which I have beea afsured by an excellent surgeon now deceased. The Rubus Saxatiiis^ and Rubus cbamamorus^ are to be found along the rocks of Cleghorn wood, and at Bonniton, by the falls. ' There are no mineral waters in the parifh other than the common chalybeate springs, which are found almost every whete in Scotland.
Roads^ Bridget^ and Improvements^ already made or proposed. The distance to Edinburgh is about 30 miles $ and a most excellent turnpike road was made some years ago to that metropolis.
The present road to Glasgow, which is 24 miles from
Lanark, is in bad repair ; and on account of the great
declivity to the water of Moufs and acclivity from it, it
has been found expedient lo change the tract of the road
altogether ; and instead of crof&ing the Moufs, a new one
is finifhing, that crofses the Clyde at the old bridge of
Lanark, and from thence runs along the southera banks
of Vol. XV. D
26 Statistical accomt
of that riTer by Dalserf and Hamilton to Glasgow" This road, which leads through woods and orchards, and keeps the Cljde prettj generally in view, bids fair tu be the most beautiful one in Scotland ; and were it continued southerly as once proposed, by the Howgate mouth to Carlisle, (thereby fborteniog the present road frooci Glas- gow to that place,) it wouliJ be of considerable adrantage to Lanark, as at present there is no thorough^fare through Lanark to any town in Britain, it will however be mat- ter of regret, if some attention is not also paid to the old load by Carluke, as it is the ordinary one to coal and lime.
There are two bridges over the Clyde in the parifli. The old bridge of Lanark, consisting of 3 arches, was built in the end of last century, and is at present strong and suffi- cient ; but from the late great weight of earth laid upon the abuttment next the town, it is somewhat doubtful whether it may tiot be hurt by it. The other bridge is the Hynd- ford bridge on the high road from Lanark, and from Edin- burgh to Ayr. This bridge, consisting of 5 arches, was built a few years ago, under the direction of Mr Steven, and for elegance and simplicity may challenge any bridge of its size in Scotland. There are three bridges over the Moufs, Cleghorn bridge, Lockhart-ford bridge, on the Carluke road ; and Moufs-mill bridge.
If ever the proposed canal fhould take place between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and fliould the people of Ayr- ihirc think of a canal to join it, the southerly tract of the Glasgow and Edinburgh panal, pointed out by Luci^ us in the Edinburgh Herald, would be the most accom- anodating one towards such junction. The Qlaigow canal would enter the pariih fro.ii Carluke ; and palsing close on by Cleghorn, might there be joined by the branch
from
^Lanark ^7
from Ayr, which could be carried acrofc the Clyde a litde above Hyndford bridge, and frpm thence by Doug- las to Ayr. This would not only accommodate the thriving manufactures of Lanark, and the Cleogh iron works, but, as it would pafs over grounds contammg coal, lime-stone and . iron-stone, would greatly promote agriculture and manufactures of every kind; besides the more general advantage arising from the expansion of trade from sea to sea.
Rental and heritors. The valued rent of the parifh is L. 4417 : 19 : lo Scots, and the real rent upwards of L. jooe Sterling. The principal heritors are Charles. WiOiart Lockhart, of Lee Esq; Allan Lockhart of Cleg- horn, esq. Lady Rof» Batllie, and the honourable George BaiUieof Jervis-wood. Besides those named, there are six or seven lefser heritors, 55 smaU ones in the out pa- rifli, and 98 proprietors of burrow lands. There are only about 3 or 4 heritors that are non residents.
Population. The population of the parifli, as returned to Dr Webster in 1755, amounted to ««94 "uls. On May 15th 1794. the number of examinable persons, 1. e. all above seven years of age, by the late incumbent's ex- amination roll, amounted.to 2693, exclusive of New La- nark, or the cotton mills, to which when we add one fifth more for the children under 7 years of age, we (hall have the sum total of 313 1 ; so that the populaUon of the pa- rifli including New Lanark wUl stand asunder.
la
28
Statistical account
In the town of L'nar!;, and burgh lands, III the villa^re of New Lanark, In the country.
4260 1519
972
Total Nj. of somIs, 4751
Increase Since the year 17; 5, or rather since 1785, the acra of the Cotton \votk-», 2456
The medium of births in the parilh for zo years prece^d- ing th<? year 1786, i»nou".ts to 68, and the medium for 10 year^ back from 1786, to 73. MarrUgcs sif»ce the erec- tion of rl.e Cotton mills nave greatlj encreased, so that fiom being fornrjcrlj dX a medium about 19 annually; ihej are now doubled Of the deaths in the piri(h, there seems to he no regular regord k^'pt : besides the kirk sef- $ioi, who ought alone to have the care of the mort- c'oths, there is one kept for the country heritors of tho Western parts of the parifh, another kept for the Barro-i ny of Lee, another by the deacons of crafts, and of late the Guildry has deemed it necefsary to keep one.
Burgh, — Lanark is an ancient royal burgh erected by Alexander I. whose charter, together with the after ones of Robert I. and James V. are confirmed by Charles 1. 20th February 163a. Lanark is clafsed with Linlithgow Selkirk and Pebles, in lending a representative |o Parlia- ment. The electors consist of the Common^council and l>eacons of Crafts. The number of counsellors are fj^ including the Piovost, two Bailien «nd I)ean of Guild, and there are 7 Deacons of Crafts, The Crafts-men are the Smiths, Shoemakers, Wrights, Taylors, Weavers, Dyers, and Skinners. The Deacons form a separate hom dy> called the Deacon'^ seat j and have no yoic^ in council,
c^^cept
of Lanark. 2g
except in the election of Provost, Bailies, Dean of GoOd« and delegate for electing a member of Parliament*
The nqmber of inhsbitants amount to 2260; among vhom are the following handicraftsmen, exclusive of journeymen and apprentices :
Smiths, n StockingmakerSy 60
Shoemakers, 80 Watchmakers, a
Masons and Wrights, 30 Bakers, 5
Taylors, ix Butchers, 4
Weavers, 60 Gardiners, 5
Dyers, a Tanners, z
Skinners, 1
T do not know the exact nnmber of Merchants of Shop- keepers, but there are fonr Surgeons, seven Attomies, or writers, and 50 Innkeepers or publicans !
The town is delightfully sitil^ted upon the slope of a rising ground, 29a feet above the level of the Clyde, and 656 feet j inches, above the quay at the New bridge of Glasgow. There are in it, five principal streets, besides lanes and closes. The houses formerly were almost all of them covered with turf and straw, and the rooms with« out ceilings. Since the erection of the Cotton workst many houses have been covered with slate, and ceilinga- are now pretty generally in use. In (hort the town has» within these two or three years, put on a decent ap- pearance. A nent additional Inn has lately been bttilr» which was much needed, as the resort of strangers to see the falls of Clyde, the Cotton works, &c. is verj^ considerable.
There is here a very good meal-market ; and withia these two years, a neat market for butcher meat has beea erected, together with a slaughter h^use at some const* derable distance from it* The only other market requi- site
I
I
30 Statistical aceount
site for the inhabitants, would be one for garden stufTs, ivhich might also answer for potatoes, fifh and salt. At present garden stuffs are only to be bought at the gar- dens. As to filfaf were a particular market once esta* bliihed, such as are peculiar to the place, as salmon, trouts, pikes, perches, and pars, would more readilj be exposed to sale i besides it would encourage the sale of herrings and other fifli from Glasgow, &c.
Cburcbi The church stands in the middle of the town; is a tolerable neat modern building ; but no great compli- mentcan be paid to its steeple. The steeple contains! bells, the largest has 3 different dates put upon it at the diffe- rent refoundings; the oldest date is liio. The church, tho' large, is rather inadequate to the encreasing number of the inhabitants, which circumstance in part gave risf to the building of a seceding meeting-house within these two or three years. This meeting-house has from 90 to loe communicants, and the examinable persons will amount to one fifth more. The seceders here aie a verj orderly set of men ; and thej and their pastor pof^ef^ more solid religioi^ and good sense, than to listen to the wild schemes of anarchy and disorder, said to be inculcated by some of their sect, in imitation of the atheists of ^ neighbouring kingdom:
School. The grammar school here has always been in great repute; and many gentlemen at the head of the lear« ned profefsions have had their education at it. The school has two establiihed teachers : wnd Engliih, Latin and Greek are taught in the same rooUi. The Rector's salary is L 16: 13 : 4: and the second master's isLS. The scholars are from 7^ to 80. The fees for Engliih are, IS. 6 d. per quarter, and for Latin is. 6d. The pre- sent school-house, consisting of two stories, and slated,
was
of Lanark: ^t
was built from the munificcDce of thfc late William SmcUie, M, D. well known from his publications on the obstetric art, who bequeathed L, zoo towards re- building the school-house, and also left to it his library of books, which are kept in the room impediatelj above the school-room. •,}
Mauuf actum. There is a considerable manufactory of stockings here, between 75 and 80 stocking frames, being constantly employed. The workmen's wages in all are a- bout L. ^5 weekly. This businefs has increased considera* bly within these 7 or 8 years* Abouc 20 jears ago, there were' no more than 5 or 6 frames in the town.
Previous to the American War, a very great quantity of Iboes was' manufactured here for exportation, and sent to Glasgow weekly, but since that period the demand ijS considerably decreased.
Tahrs. ' There are at Lanark 7 fairs in the year, all of them well frequented. Lammas fair is an excellent market for lambs and young colts. This fair ^fome time ago sup- plied the Highlands with lambs and (beep ; but of late the demand from that countrj is considerably lefsened. Mar« tinmas fair is a good market for black cattle, lint, yartt» and coarse linneo*
History. About anno 978, Buchanan inforou us that Kenneth ii. Jield an afsembly, or parliament, being the first mentioned in history, at Lanark ; a circuflnstaoce about which Forduo, our oldest author now extant, is silent.
Anno 1144$ Fordun tells us that Lanark among some other towns was burnt to the ground, but docs Aot mea- tion the circumstances.
Anno
3 2 Statistical liccount
Anno 1297, \ht same author adds, that Sir Williann WaUace began here his first great military exploit hj defeating the English sherriff of Lanarkshire, William di Hesliope^ and putting him to death in this town. Blind Harry relates this event at greater lencrth, affixing the •ame date to it« He tells us Wallace having maftted a ladj of the name of Braidfoot, the heiref^ofLanimington, lived with her privately at Lanark ^ that while there, « scuffle ensued in the street betweea Wallace and a few friends, and a body of £:iglishmen. Wallace being over* powered, fled first to his own house and from thence made his escape to Gartlane Craigs. The sherriff Hesilrig^ or as Fordun calls him Hesliope, seized upon his wife and put her to death. To revenge which, WaUace gathers « few friends together, attacks Hesilrig in the night, and kills him and 240 Englishmen. Tradition tells us, that the house where Wallace resided was at the head of the Castlegate opposite the church, where a new house has lately been erected. It also acquaints us that a private vaulted archway fed from this house to Cirtlane Craigs, but seemingly without the smallest probability.
Anno 13 10 Bruce, finally recovered Lanark from the Engliih.
By act of parliament ao June 1617, anent weights and measures, the care of the weights was committed to the burgh of Lanark ; *' In respect that the keeping and oat- giving of the weights of old to the burrows and others^ &c. was committed to the burgh of Lanark.'' Standard weights Were transmitted to Lanark from London at the union, but whether they exist at present or not is un« known*.
Ancient
• The price of proviBom is as folbws. Oat meal and gram in general a^i tumewhat higher here thaa io the J^diuburgh or Glasgow market.
Oat»
^Lanark. ^'^
Antienifamilus and great mtn. The families of Lee and Cie^horn are the most ancient ' in the pariih. Sir* William Lockhart of Lee« the great statesman and gene* rai under the protector, and Charles 21, and who was aU •Q Loro Justice Clerk, was born in this parifiii and had his first rudimAiti «of education in Lanark scbooL Dr William Smellie author of the treatise on mtdwiferjr, thoug 1 bora in the neighbouring pari(h of Lesmahago ^as educated here. The present Lord Justice clerk, ('Robert McQueen of Braxfield,) so justly esteemed for his abilities as a lawer and a judge» was bom in the pa- riihf and had his education at Lanark school. The late learned and ingenious general R07, received also part of his education here, and was born in the neigh* bouring prai(b of Carluke* William Lithgow the ncted traveller was bom in the parifli, died in it, and is buried in the church yard of Lanark, though no vestige of his tomb can now be traced.
£ Conom
Oat meal is for the most part td. a peck higher titan at fidiabnrgH^ £eef and mutten sells from 3d. i to 4d. § the pound Englifli ; veal from 4d. to 6d. lamb fd. heosfrom Zf. 3d. to is. 6d. butt.r from 8d. § to iOc«. and czga l^om 4d. to 7d the dosen. There %re few swine kept io the pari (h, although very profitable i and are seldom seen in the markets, bwect milk is ad a Scotch pint» and churned milk has been late'y raised to }per pint. No sal- mon can get above the Stonebyres fall, and arc seldom brought to market* Trottts ard to be had almost every day, and are pretty reasonable. And ve* getablesare to be bad at thegardenv very reasonable. The flour baked here into bread comes all from Edinburgh or Glasgow, which greatly en* hanres 'he price of bread; About 30 years ago« potatoes were ad a peck eggs 1} the doitrn, and bntter 3^ the pound.
The rate of layout is asfoliovfj. Masons wages are t'rom 2od. to is. carpenters is. 6d.day labourers from is. to is. ftd« • ayloii Si. ••r 1 their diet, when in the employers nouse, a custom now a.most <l:»coaiinued: plow* aaen get from 81. to lol. annualU with maintainancc, or L14. 10^ and a froa houm 9jd garden without it. Maid senmpts from %i. to 41. a year*
34
StatisHcai occMnt]
Cottan MiUi^ and Village o/'A#tv Lanari. New Laa- arkt where the couon mili& ace situated, u about a Ibort mile from Lanark ; and is the onlj Tillage in the pariih. It ib entirelj the creation of the enterprising and well: known Mr David Dale ; and as it originated with the erection of the first cotton mill, we ihall begin our ac^ count with the mills.
[: MUls. In 1784, Mr Dale feued the she of the Mills and village of New Lanark, from the present Lord Jus- tice Clerk, with some few acres of ground adjoining* Thi& spot of ground was at that period almost a mere morals, situated in a hollow den, and of diflBcult acceCi* Its only recommendation was the Ttrj powerful command of water, that the Cijde could be made to afford it ; in o- thet respects, the distance from Glasgow and badnefs of the roads were rather unfavourable.
The first mili was begun in April 1785, and a subtera* fieous pa&age of near 100 yards in length, was also iormed through a rocky hill for the purpose of an aqueduct to it*. In Su&mer 1788, a second one was builr, and was nearly rooted m, wheu on the 9th of October, that year, the first one was totally cousumed by aocidencai fire, but was agam rebuilt and finifiied ia^ 17891 The proprietor hta
since
• In September 1785, while digging the open pirt of this aqueduct, there was found tSc skeleton of the Bison Scoticut or Urus, described by" Cs. Jii Lib ▼!. which has been extinct in ^cotland for above 300 years The cotv , orflin< Oi tliC horns are still preserved, one in the college of Glasgow : txwi a uT.'iei i.i pol u. y.\ the lastjcnough njt entire is a feet in lengthy ind next tne bead measures above 15 inches in clrcuznierence.^
n
^f Lanark. 35
saaee erected other two, all of which arc meant to be drU ven bj one and the same aqueduct.
In march 1786, the spinning commenced, and notwith- standing of the severe check by tlie total destruction of the first mill, the manufactory has been in a constant prcgrefsive state of advancement. In March i79'» from an accurate account then taken, it appears there were 981 persons employed at the mills whereas there arc now (November 1793^ ^334«
As already said, there are four houses built for the purposes of spinning, the dimensions of which are as un^ der.
f. long, The first built one is 154 The second, 154
The third, 13©
The -fourth, 156
The second is the only one as yet completely filled, and con* tains about 6,000 spindles. The first one which was burned, and now rebuilt has only at present 4500 spindles. In the third mill, a considerable number of patent jennies are «ow. going by water, bein^ the first of the kind in Great Bri- tain : This invention, and for which, a patent, has lately beeii obtained, we owe to the gcnifis and spirited indus- ' trj ef^ Mr William Kelly of New Lanark *. There are
about
♦ Tkis gmtlemati has also lately discoyered a new method of erecting tht great fcwr or large maohinery of x:otton mil's, so as to reqaire one iwsxxA of ^ water tlian coQuaoolj oeoded: aad whicb is also applicid3le to com m ills. This mode is imx, only le{s expensive but requiret le(s trpwble than the old one. It also has the heoevolent tendency of preserving the lives of chi'dreniind dfhers that may be entangled by the drum or fliait. He has betn honoured with the thanks of the Board of Trustec\ with whom he has 4ep«8ited a model of hii impiovemeotft.
|
:. wide, |
f.higb, |
|
»7 |
60 |
|
«7 , |
60 |
|
3» |
60 |
|
33 |
70 |
^6 Statiititai accoufU
about 55 common jennies also at work In this mill. Th* 4th JVIill is about to be filled in the same waj ; at present it is occupied as store rooms for cotton wool, as work shops for the different tradesmen employed ; and as a boarding bouse for 175 children, who have no parents here, and who get their maintenance, education and doathing for the{r work.
Below is a state of the numbers at present employed, distinguifl^ing their diff rent employments, &c.
Masons, Carpenters, and labourers, employed in erect- ing buildings, for 7 years past. ^o
Mechanics employed in making, and repairing Machiaary vis.
Smiths, 20 Turners, 10
Glockmakers, 12 Founders, z
Mill-wrightSy 9 Hammermen and Hag-
Joiners, 19 men, &c* 15
Ferssns employed in carrying on the manufaciory Tiz. in cleaning cotton, carding, drawing, roving, winding, spinning, and reeling viz. Men, 145 Boys, 376
B Women, 217 Girls, • 4*9
I "57
I Total number employed, 1334
I Of these last, 32 men, 71 women, 52 boys, an4 51
girls, reside in the burgh of Lanark, all the rest live at
ju New Lanark. 109 of the women work at picking
||| cotton in ther own houses^ and for the most part have
I fto^UcSy some of whom are employed at the mills*
The
of Lanark. 37
Tt.e ages of the ycung people employed are as fellow. Of 6 years of age, 5 Of ii years of age, 99
Of 7 33 Of 13 9»
Oi 8 7i Of 14 7«
Of 9 95 Of 15 68
Of 10 <)3 Of 16 69
Of II 64 Of 17 35
The proprietor likewise employs in the parilh and r.ei^hbourhood 324 persons in weaving winding &c«
The quantity of Cotton wool manufactured weekly a- mounts at an average to 69OOO libs. The yarn is part- ly manufactured into cloth here by the weavers above mentioned, and others in the proprietors employ ^ and partly sold to the manufacturers in Glasgow.
Wich regard to the health of the work people, it is sufficient to say that of all the children provided with Ttkc-Ki aid clothing by the proprietoi amounting this and last year, lO 275 ; and for 7 years back, never fewer than 80, only 3 have died during the period of seven years : in mentioning so extraordinary a fact, it may pet haps be expected th^t something ihonld be said of their diet * and treatment.
The former consists of oatmeal porridge, with milk |a summer or sowens, i, e. oat-meal flummery, with milk an winter twice a day, as much as they can take, barley* broth for dinner made with good frefli beef every day ; and as much beef is boiled as will allow 7 ounces £a« glifh a piece each day to one half of the children, the other half get cheese and bread after their broth, so that they dine alternately upon cheese and butchermeat^ with barley bread or potatses ; and now and then in the pjroper season they have a dinner of herrings and potatoes. Tbey as well as the othen, begin work at^ six in the
Aorningi
^ Siatiftical aeeouM
monuBg^ are allowed half an hour to breakfast* an hour to dinner, and quit work at 7 at night ; after which they attend the school at the expence of the proprietor till 9. The J sleep in well ^ired rooms, three in a bed i •nd proper care is taken to remove tho^e under anj di- sease to seperate appartments;
The great improvement arising from Mr Kelly's inven- tion of Jennies going by water, reduces very considera- bly the number of men that foriaerly were necefsary in working the common Jennies. Such being the case, widows with large families are much wanted here, as chil- dren can manage the patent Jennies with great ease, while their mothers are employed in other branches.
Great attention is paid to the morals of children and others at these mills, of which the late incumbent was perfectly sensible. Large manufactories have sometimes been considered in another light, but Mr Pale and all concerned, must here have the voice of the pubhc to the contrary* Marriages have greatly increased in the pa- rifh since their erection^ as the benefits arising from a fa- mily are obvious. Indeed the anxiety of the proprietor to have proper teachers and instructers for children wilL ever redound to his honour.
New Lanark. VHas been entirely built by the propria tor of the mills for the accomodation of his work people and the following is a state of its population at pre- sent:
Married persons. AVidpws and widowers.
|
Male$ |
TtmaUt |
|
181 |
,84 |
|
4 |
34 |
|
Unmarned |
pf Lanark. > ^
Unmarried persons above %x year of age 15 %%
|
Between ai and %% |
I |
3 |
|
20 and 21 |
a |
3 |
|
19 and 10 |
14 |
21 |
|
f 8 and i9 |
/ xo |
t-\ |
|
17 and 18 |
>5 |
18 |
|
16 and 1.7 |
«7 |
ai |
|
ij and x6 |
30 |
29 |
|
14. and 15 |
3a |
36 |
|
13 and 14 |
*7 |
3« |
|
12 and 13 |
29 |
3» |
|
II and i» |
5« |
47 |
|
10 and i< |
3« |
3' |
|
9 and lo |
4a |
54 |
|
8 and 9 |
34 |
4» |
|
7 and 8 |
40 |
37 |
|
6 and. 7 |
39 |
3» |
|
5 and 6 |
ao |
x6 |
|
4 and 5 |
xa |
x8 |
|
3 «"d 4 |
»7 |
I* |
|
a and 3 |
9 |
sa |
|
J and a |
12 |
. «4 |
|
Between jjear old and i. |
It |
la |
|
under jjrearold. |
«9 |
x8 |
total. • 714 805
total No. of souls 1519
Amoag thes are 54 Jenny 7 Clockmatcrs,
spinners, 5 Wearers,
45 Labourers^ 3 Schoolmasters,
I 40 SuaaticaJ adtomt
i
I
1 1 fimithst 3 Shoemakers^
10 Wrights, 3 Turners, &
8 Tmjlor8» 2 Merchants,
9 masons,
A great proportion of the inhabitants are Highlanders asostly from Caithnefs Inverncfs and Argylefhires. Few of those from the west understand £ng i(h. In 1791 a Yef- tel carrjing emigrants from ^he isle of Skj to North A- SDcfrxta, was driven by strefs of weather into Greenock ^ about 200 were put aihore in a very destitute situation. Mr Dale whose humanity is ever awske offered them im« mediate employment, which the greater bulk of them ac* ccpted : And eoon after with a view to prevent far- ther emigration to America he notified, to the people of Argyleibire and the isles, the encouragement given to fa* milies at iht cottonmills ; and undertook to provide hou* aes for aco families in the course of the 1792* these were all finiflied last summer, (1793) and a considerable num^ ber of Highlanders have cf late conx to reside at New Lanark.
Families from any quarter pofsefsed of a good moral characlcri and. having three children fit for work, above nine years of age, are received, — supplied with a house at a moderate rent, and the women and children provided ;with work* The children, both those fit for work and those who are too young for it, have the privilege of attending the school gratis, the iornoer in the evenings the latter through the day. Three profefsed teachers are paid by Mr Bale for this purpose, aad also seven aisi- tanta who attend in the evenings, one of whom teaches imriting. There is ako a Sunday school at which all the jmaster*8 and abistants attend.
q/* Lanarkk 41
In New Lanark there is a fmall congregational meeting* houfe for thofe of the kOt commonly called Independents. The Highlanders have fomctimcs, though rarely, been favour- ed with a fetmon in Gaelic, by preachers of the church of Scotland : and it has been for fome time ill contemplation, to ere£t a church for conftant worfliip in that language, at lead for one half of the day. The Society for Propagating Chriftian Knowledge has been applied to for fome affiftance, which probably will be granted, feeing the want of public worfliip and in(lru£lion, among fo great a body of people, muft have a tendency to hurt the morals of the prefent, as well as to difcourage future fettlers from the* Highlands, and of confe* quence muft promote emigration.
Before leaving this article of cotton mills, I cannot help noticing a circumftance peculiar to fuch manufactures^ which may afford a ufeful hint to poor widows with families. In moft other manufafbures, a woman who has a family, and becomes a widow, is generally in a moft helplefs fitua* tion. Here the cafe is very different, for the greater num* bcr of children the woman has, flie lives fo much the more comfortably ; and upon fuch account alone, (he is of- ten a tempting objeft for a fecond hufljand. Indeed, at cot- ton mills, it often happens, that young children fupport their aged parents by their induftry.
Mr Dale has fct apart, and inclofcd apiece of ground clofc by the village, for a burying place.
Character of the People^ i^c. The people are. In genera!, induftrious, though not remarkably fo. They are naturally generous, hofpitable, and fond of ftrangers, which induces them fometimeg to make free with the bottle ; but drunken- nefs, among the better clafs of inhabitants, is of late rather unufual. It is lefs fo among the other inhabitants ; but, upon the whole, they arc a decent and orderly people ; and
Vol. XV. F cpmes
4 i Statijlical Account
crimes are feldomcr committed here, than in any other pari(h of equal population. The author knows of no native who has ever been tried for a capital crime. In fliort, they arc gene- rally honeft, decent, religious, and drift in their attendance on divine worfhip. Perhaps, there may be one or two indivi-
> duals, who, cither from ignorance, or, from violence of
temper, will not liften to the cool voice of reafon, who chime in with the ravings of the Friends cf the People^ as they call thcmfelves ; but the reft, although fomc may wifh for a mo- derate reform, have too much religion and found fenfe not to fee, that thofe people have neither experience nor know- • ledge in matters of that nature, and only grafp at feating
thcmfelves in power upon the ruins of their country ; nor arc they fo weak, as not to profit from the example of a neigh- bouring kingdom, where Anarchy fits triumphant upon the guillotine^ with Murder at her back, trampling upon law, liberty, and religion, and treading the rights of mankind under her feet
Eccleftajlical State. The King is patron of the parifli. Lord Douglas is titular of the tcinds of the borough f lands, and Mr Lockhart of Lee and Carnwath of the reft
J •f the pariflb. The church, being built in 1777, is in very
good repair. The manfc and office houfcs, being ereftcd at the late incumbent's entry in 1757, are not in fuch good or- der. The manfe, olBces, and garden, cover about a rood of ground. The glebe is fcrimply 4 acres ; but the incumbent ' . is entitled to the grafs of the church-yard, and to common !ij|*. pafturagcin the moor.
j;ij . The ftipend payable at prefent is as under,
B. F. P. L.
Scotch,
U'hich,
• 4
1.1
lilts
|
In meal. |
87 I 2 2| |
|
In bear. |
9 3 I 2| |
|
In money. |
L. 493 3S, lod |
of Lanark. ,43
which, with L. 35 69. 8d. Sterling of augmentation, obtained during the winter feflion 1792, will, at the common con- verfion, amount in whole to about L. 90 Sterling.
Mr James Gray, the late incumbent, fucceeded Mr John Orr and was tranflated from Rothes to this parilh in 1756. No minider ever condu<a:ed himfclf with greater propriety. He never meddled with borough policies, but attended only to the duties of religion; and his pious and exemplary con- dudl will long be remembcrd by his parifhioners. Mr Wil- liam Menzies has of late obtained the prefrntation, is agreeable to all thf parifli, and has been favoured with an unanimous call.
A very accurate and diftirifl: record of births and marri- ages is kept by the feflion cltrk, commencing in 1648.
Po^. The poor's funds have been carefully and attentively kept, perhaps more fo than was abfolutely neceflary. When the funds for the poor are very confiderable, they become in fome degree an encouragement to idlenefs and diflipation \ befides, people do not give alms for the ufe of after genera- tions, but to fupply the neceflities of the prefent. It is true^ the Seflion may err in giving too much to the poor, yet fure- ly objects will always occur, among induftrious manufadlur- ers and tradefmen burdened with great families, where the bellowing of a very fmall pittance will not only benefit the receivers, but the whole parilh, and even the nation at large
The number of town poor upon the feflion roll amounts to 45, including 3 orphan children and a lunatic. The inter- eft of 400I. the fum amafled by the feflion *, the collections at the church doors \ the rent of 1 \ acre of land, with the fines from delinquents, and a confiderable proportion of the ikes for proclamation of banns, i t. marriages, have hitherto farmed the fund for their, fupply.
F % The
44 StatiJlicaJ Account
The heritors of the landward part of the parifli meet half yearly, and aflefs themfclves for the maintainance of their poor. The number of their poor at prefent amounts to 1 1 ; and the afleflment, including clerk's falary, for laft year, to about 27I. This mode of providing for the poor, in the land- ward parifh, has been adopted fince the year 1750. Dr Anderfon, the editor of the Bee, inveighs warmly againft this mode of providing for the poor, alledging that it is contrary to law, and invariably followed by a gradual increafe of the number of poor- Whatever it may be in other places, from the record of this charity, it does not -appear that it has been the cafe in this pariQi. The lands belonging to St Leo- nard's hofpital, formerly noticed, are under the adminiftraf tion of the ma gift rates, and yield, cemmunihus annis^ about 35I. yearly, divided among 40 poor perfons monthly. The different incorporations likewife divide fome money quarter- ly among the families of their deccafcd brethren : 30I. Scotch
; are divided by the minifter and magiftrates, on the morning
of the firft day of the year, among the poor b\irgeires. This is a mortification by James Lord Carmichael in the year 1662. His lordfhip, in thofe days, had his town refidence in this burgh, and obferving the better fort of tiradesmen and inhabitants, celebrating the new year's day with feafting and merry making, he, from the benevolence of his difpofi- tion, as tradition fays, mortified (funk) a fum of money, the intereft of which is to be given to the poor, that they may like ways have it in their power to buy a hot pinty and partake |;|| in the general feftivity.
Mifcellaneous ohfervations*. The inhabitants of the pariQi
!l are fomewhat above the middle fize, ftrong built, and of a
hale
I
•in
JL * A native of Lanark, one Robert Alexander, a wigmaker, and formerly
P, i councillor and town treaforer, hat kept a reg[ular regiiler of the weather,
public occorrences vitbtn t^e burgh, from 1755 downwards.
«/■ Lanark. 45
hale complexion. Their drefd is confiderably altered within thefe 20 years. A blue or black bonnet is now a fingular- ity \ hats are in general ufe ; and both fexes appear at church, or at a ball> with almoft as much elegance as the in« habitants of the capital. The dialed of the upper ward ot Clydefdalci as to pronounciation, is the fame with that fpoken in Edinburgh, differing materially from that of the middle and lower wards.
Two cuftoms, almoft peculiar to the burgh bf Lanark, perhaps may here be noticed. The firft is a gala kept by the boys of the grammar fchool, beyond all memory, in regard to date, on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. They thea parade the ftreets with a palm, or its fubftitute, a large tree of the willow VxnAy faUx capr$a^ in bloflbm, ornamented with daffodils, mezereon and box-tree. This day is called Palm Saturday ; and the cuftom is certainly a Popifh relic of very ancient ftanding. The other is the riding of the marches^ which is done annually, upon the day after Whitfurtday fair, \>w the maglftrates ai^d burgeffes^ called here the landfmark
or
He is now about 98 years of age, and, noewithftanding all kit paft fervice\ the only office he now can reach is that of parifli beadle. His annals con- fid of 5 or 6 M. S, odavo volumes ; and although fome of them are trifling, yet in general they are a curious and ufeful repofitory.
An improvement, which may be followed with advantage in j»ther placet, took effed here about 30 years ago. A country fidler,but a man of penetra* tion, having made fome money, purchafed about 3 or 4 acres of ground, of a dry gravelly foil, confiding modly of doping banks, which did not yield above 3I. los. altogether of yearly rent. Thefe grounds were fituated at the bot- tom of the town, within 30 or 40 feet of a rivulet, which, pafling throogk the town and butcher market, conveyed away a deal of manure, garbage^ &c The new proprietor, confcioui of the advantages derivable from this fource, was at a confiderable expence in driving a mine through thofe 30 or 40 feet of ground, (a high bank,} by which, in two or three years time he To enrich- ed his grounds, as to draw 14I annually of rent ; and now 40L Sterling « year has been refufcd for Uicfe very lands.
46 Stati/lical Account
er langemork day, from the Saxon langemark. It is evident- ly of Saxon origin, and probably eilablilhed here in the reign ofy or foqietime pofterior to Milcom I.
The manners of the inhabitants, as tfi diet aild drink, are conGderaUy changed within thcCc 20 years, whicli may be exemplified fron\ the public entertainments of the magif- trates. Formerly their debauch was a moderate meal, wiih ^ a few bottles of ale or porier, and a dram or two ; and, in
gala days, a little punch. Now, they have fuperb enter- tainments, with punch, port, and even claret. The com- mon fuel of the paridi is coal. The (latute labour is com- muted. All animals, common to the fouth of Scotland, are to be found here. Rabbets, however, arc now entirely rooted out^: pheafants, fiippofed from Hamilton houfe, have fome- dmes been (hot in the parifh.
There are few pigeon houfes in the parifli. Crows are nume- rous, and do a great deal of mifchief ; as do alfo hares, par- ticularly to the fruit trees. The laws, made for the prefervation cf game, were certainly never meant to preyent proprietors or tenants from defending their property againft fuch depreda- tors ; and little fcruple need be made of dcftroying any -one of thofe animals, when hurting the property of individuals, though it certainly would be a violation of the law, to do it for the fake of game alone.
jidvafitages and D'ifad'oantages. Perhaps no fingle pari(h in Scotland affords more eligible (ituations for mills of all kinds thai\ this parilh. Sir Richard Arkwright, when here in 1824, was ailoniihed at the advantages derivable from the falls of Clyde, and exultingly faid, that Lanark would probably in time become the Manchefter of Scotland; aspo place he had ever fcen afforded better fituations, or more ample ftreams of water for cotton machinary.
Lanark,
tf Lanark. 47
Lmark, however, has two obftacles to manufafittres* The fir ft, the poverty and uncultivated ftate of the countrj around, and indeed of die whole upper ward of Lanarkfture^ from which circumftance meaU and almoft every other arti- cle, is dearer than at Edinburgh or Glafgow, coals and po- tatoes excepted. But were the country in an improved ftate, arfd did proprietors and huft)andmen do their utmoft to im- prove the foil, this drawback, in the courfe of a few years, might be got the better of. The next obftacle is the great diftance, that raw materials are to be carried ; and the badnefs of the roads. Lanark is 24 miles from Glafgow, and 30 from Edinburgh : the road to Edinburgh is an exceeding good one, but that to Glafgow, which is the principal market, is exceedingly bad ; befides, it encounters with a very deep ravine, formed by the Moufs within a mile of Lanark. This difadvantage is in fome meafure doing away, by a new road now forming by Lanark bridge \ over which it crofles to Lcf- mahago parifh, and from thence runs along the immediate banks of the Clyde by Hamilton to Glafgow. The pulls here are confiderably lefs than in the former road, and, when finiflied, which will berin fpring 1794, it will form one of the moft beautiful and romantic roads in Scotland. This, however, is a partial remedy, nor can any thing efieAual be done to overcome the difadvantage, unlefs the fouthern traft of the canal between Edinburgh and Glafgow were to be adopted.
The want of a flour mill not only obftrufts improvements in agriculture, but puts the inhabitants under the neceffity of ufmg oat and barley bread, or of buying wheaten bread at a great price -, all which could be cafily remedied. The community of Lanark has a com mill upon jMoufs water, which, at a very little cxpence, might be enabled to grind both wheat and oats. Encouragement would there be given
to
4?
Statijlical Account
to the introdudion of wheat crops ; and the inhabitants would be enabled to live more comfortably, wheaten bread hcing of all others the mod wholcfome.
It is of great difadvantagc to manufaftures, that Lanark moor, fo improvable and fo near the town, (hould remain in a ftatc of nature t we already owe a great deal to Mi* lioneyman ; and if the magiftrates cannot difpofe of ariy i^Tore of it, on account of the fervitude of the burgefics, they may follow the example of the town of Ayr, and inclofc that portion of it which is nigheft the towii, to anfwer for this fervitude ; and were it divided into two inclofures, the cattle could pafture alternately in both; the fouth moor would be fully adequate for this purpofe,* and after fetting afide part of the north moor for fuel and divot, the reft of It may be either difpofed of to one proprietor, or, which would be of greater confequencc to the burgh, the magiftrates may feu fmall lots to the weavers and others, efpecially a- long the high-way leading from Lanark to Edinburgh, very fivourable to the ere£lion of a village or villages. Thofc parts neareft the town would certainly yield equal feu duty with thofe at Kirkfield bank, viz. 61. or 81. tlic acre; be- fides, if a village was once erefted, a demand for ground in the neighbourhood would naturally follow ; fo that the ma- giftrates would be enabled to let pieces of their moor at leaft as high as 5s. the acre, and the whole remainder of the moor would in time be brought under culture.
• This plan would favc the ncceflity and ctpcnce of two common herds i the fees, however, ought ilill to be paid to the magiftrates, and th^ money srifmg therefrom flioald be laid out on lime, to be fprcad upon the heathy parts to iweeten the paflure. Nor would it be deemed an improper exac- tion, were the magiftrates to ordain, that every burgcfs, on getting a cart of divots or turf from the moor, flioulJ, in return, lay a cart of dung upon the ir.clofe4 CQXBmoD.
No.
ofSbotis. 49^
NUMBER 11.
PARISH OF SHOTTS,
(County of Lanark, Presbytery of Hamilton, Synod of Glasgow and Ayr.)
By the Rev. Mr Archibald Bruce, Minijicr.
hamcy Situation, and Extents
X ^1$ pariQi, in the public records, is called BertraU Shotts. The name feexns explanatory of nothing pecu- liar ^o the place, and the accounts of tradition are fo ap^ parently fabulous, as far to exceed the. belief of even th^ mod credulous antiquarian. Shott3 is fituated in the north- eaft pqint of Lanarkftire. It is one of the largefl lowland pariihes in Scotland, forming nearly an oblpng fquarc, lo miles in length, and 7 in breadth.
$«// and Valine. — ^The lands which lie towards the corner of the parilh are a mixture of clay and fand ^ will yield ^ bolls an acre, and ;nay be rented at 9 s. Thofe tQMrards the S. £. are of a black foil, and will yield 4 bolls an acre ; rent 7 s. Along the |preater part of the S. and the whole Vol. XV. Q W- fid^
5^ Statijlkal Account
W. fide of the parifli, the foil is chiefly clay, and will yield i| j- bolls an acre, rent 8 s. By travellers palling along the great road, Shotts is reckoned but a barren and bleak part of the kingdom. There is, however, on the S. W. boundary of this parifh, a trad of ground, ^ miles fquare, that is lit- tle inferior to great part of the land upon the Clyde. It yields at an average 6 bolls an acre ; rent^ 133. The lands in the centre, and along the north fide of Shocts, are of a black foil, and chiefly fitted for pafture ; when plowed they may yield from 3 to 4 bolls each acre ; the grain is but of an in* ferior quality 5 the rent 5 s. an acre. That part of the country lying on each fide of the great road, at the entry in- to this parifli from the Eaft, was not many years ago nearly in its original ftate. This the traveller now fees is fubdividcd, and by ftoncs raifed from the furfacc of the land cnclofed, in a way which promifes to laft for ages to come. The pro- #«4krictQr, * by continuing his operations, with the true fpirit of an improver, has at once beautified the country, and nearly tripled the value of his etlate. A little weft from the kirk of Shotts, and upon the great road, the traveller fees a fmall tra<ft of country neatly inclofed. Its produce, with- in thefe few years, was little more than the Thrafh ; but by
^.1 the well dire£led induftry of its proprietor^, it has for fome
feafons paft yielded crops which vye with thofe of a much bet- ter foil. Round the manfion-houfe, which ftands in the mid- p die of this lately improved fields there are feveral beltsof plant-
[ ing, which continue to thrive beyond expectation. Were the
liil like fpirit transfufed into neighbouring proprietors, a coun-
i try, hitherto but bleak, might be made more comfortable to
'/j its inhabiunts, and have a better name abroad.
!*t'l Manure. — The manure, which fuits all the foils of this
cxtenfivc parifli, is lime and compoft. The full half of this compoft (hould confift of dried turf^ the remaining part of
dungw ^ Sir JosN Inolis of Cramond. \ WLr Datio Youno of little H«irih&w.
\.
'I
i
ofSbotts. SI
dung. Tliis mixture the experienced farmer prefers to pure dung, as it is a much better fecuiity againft worms, con- tinues longer in the field, and encreafes the foil, where the till or gravel comes near the furface. The induftrious far-, mer here cafts^ each feafon a quantity of curfj the more ben* ty the better ; this, wH^n properly dryed, he (lacks up, and after it has been ufed a competent time in byre and ftable, be* low and around the cattle, it is carried to the 4unghill. When from this it goes to the field, it is fo completely rotten, that it yields a manure much fuperior to the compoft mixed in the field. By alternate ftrata of this turf and (beep's dung, much excellent manure is carried from the fold to the field. Crops — Upon the fummer fallow, or field to be broken up, the fpirited farmer lays on nearly four chalders of flacked lime, with a hundred (ingle carts of the compoft above de« fcribed. * The 2d, or perhaps the 3d c;rop of corn, he l^ys down with rye-grafs. This for the firft year docs very well i but (houM the field be cut a fecond time, through the luxu- nancy of the natural grafs the fown fc^rc^ appears. In the lower parts of the parifh, a crop of peafe comes in between the two crops of com. With the rye-grafs alfo a proper quantity of clover is here (own. The produ^ the firft year (and there ought to be no more,) may be 200 ftones* The ground, after this fucce(&on of crops, being pafiurpd 3 years, the fame rotation again cqmmeo^ces. Lint is often a profi»> table crop in this pariih, eijfher after the Mt crop of com, after peafe, or upqp potatoe hind. A peclf: of feed will yield 4 ftones of flieaf lint. The be^r crop through Shotts has of late been mujcfa diicontinued : for (his the (^fihefs of the foil in part accounts } but there is another reafon ^hich weighs more with the farmer. Bear requires that quantity of un- mixed dung, which prevents him from making compoft for his outfields, a circumftance of late much attended to in this cftuntry^
p a Rivirs,
Ml
ii StatiJHcal Account
Xwr/J--TKcrfeiai'cttroCtfAfcrx,both<tfwhichh ices in this diftrift. The one of thefc rifes In 'the N, E. cornet bf'th'e pari(h,and in*its'progfefst(rrib«rai^,dividirtgShotufrom ' Torphichen and KcwmonkUnd, ftll« itito the Ctydc 5 -miles above Glafgow. The other Ciilder rifes in the S. E. conM?r of this pariQi, and moving towards the Clyde iiearly in the &m^ direcSlion with the former, in its coutfe dhrides Shotts from Cambufnethan. The waters affo of Avbn and Crsfmond "have their firft rife in this pirifli. The Avon, foon after leaving bliotts, bends its courfe n tthward, and empties itfelf into the Firth of Forth near ^rrowftownhefs. The Cramofid, tetween its fourcc and Wid Caldcr, croflcs the great Edinburgh 5R.oad three timds, and empties itfelf into the fame Firth at^ the village and kirk, 'to "which, in all probability, it gave the
' liamcs.
A ' Hills and Yro/p/^s.-^Tht Hirjihyi lies a mite E. from the
^ i !pirk of Shbtts. t)ver thisliill the TOad leading from GlaG
gow to Edinburgh has, for time immemorial, continued to pafs. Here it is fuppofed are tne Mgheft cultivated l:inds ii^ Scotland ; this however is thought to be only a popular mif- take ; according to General Roy's m^rtfuration, the Hirft b upon a level with the Clyde 5 miles above Lanark. There are two caufes which feem to have led into this miftake ;
' 'i the waters hereiffuing from their fourccs, at a fmall diilance
from cacli other, filn in quite oppofitc direftioiis ; it fol- lows not, howeter, from this, that the Hirft rifes to the height fuppofed •, but only that in this prccife pt>l«t, the Hirft is the liigheft land'bet^eefn the Friths of Forth and Clyde, the two Teas into which all thefe waters empty f h^mfelves. In every 'dircftion alfo from" this hill, flie' country not only begins to fall, but wherever oiie turns his eye, for upwards of ab miles, no objefl: comes in to mar the View, All the fpacc'there- 'fore between the Hirft, upon which the fpeftator ftands, and
the
,
•I
^ yShotts. 53
the f90gt of mouDtaiiis \pliioli, in oppoGce direflions, bound Iris profpe^) ieecixs funk beneath him ; though in fa£l^ at a certain point fouthward the country begins to ri(e> and the Cly4c> 5 miles S. £. of Lanark, is upon a level with the (pot On "which he ft^nds. The Tilling and Cant hills, the one a little norths and tlie otbsr ^ little fouth of the kirk of Shotts;, ihould here alfo be mentioned, not lb much on account of their apparent magnitude, as for the wondcxfolly extended Iprpfpefi;, which In^ommon with the Hirft thoy afford. From the Cant hill8» 6 complete fhires, with 41 .part of 8 more, are feen. Here the 'Whole couifl^y, from Arthur!s Seat to the 'hills in Arran, and'the weftern termination of the Grampian -JlaDge, fills the eye. While theobfetver turns round, car- drying his eye from S.. to N. the whole fpace from the Pent- land, Tinto and Loudon hills^ on the one hand, to the Lo^ mMd, the'Ochil, and Campfie heights, on die other, fuccef* fiTely comes under his view. Into this dCtenfive^profpeAi with the hills already mentioned, enter the towns of Glaf- gbw, Paifley, 'and Hamilton, with Tillages and gentlemens feats not to be numbered. This great ftretch of country, a few miles S. E. of Shotts excepted, lias the appearance of much richnefs and cultivation.
Pfffpriettnrs* nnd i?/«/.— Byrarious £iles on the part of the feuers, the number of heritors now in theparifli-of Shotts havearifcn to. 45. The chief of thefe are the Duke of Ha- milton, Gavin Inglis of 'MurdiAon, Sir J(An Inglis'of Cra- rhond, and Col. WilKam Dalrymplc of Ckland. Of thefe . 45
* The whole of thw eitenfive parUb, die lands of Blairmaclu excepted, uhich' formerly were the property of the X.aird of Dandafs, but now of Sir John Inglis of Cramond, from the year 1378, down to the year 1630, belong* ed to the family of Hamilton. The Mirqois of Hamiltonj aj tho lafi of thefe 'p£riod«|lbld otft the greater part of this czteoiive Barony.
54 Statijiical Account.
45 there may be about ii, all of whofe property dott not annaaljy yield looo merks Scotch. The valaed rent of Shotts is 6566L Scotch. The real rent exceeds 4500I. Ster- long.
Roads. — ^The great road, which at prefent leads from Glaf- gow to Edinburgh) pafles through this pariih, and divides it nearly into two equal parts. In this» as in the other rosKis formed at that period, a ftrcight rather than a level line was fought. To this abfard and inconGderate idea, are many of the pulls in it to be afcribed. A (nil has been lately obtain- ed, to carry a road from Glafgow to Edinbuigh, by tlie vil- lages of Ardrie and Bathgate. In this bill there is alfo a chufe, hnpowering Colonel Dalrympie of Cleland to make a line, which leaves the Shotts road at Bells-hill, and returns to it at the confines of Whitburn parifh. Each of thefe pafs though this parifli, the fifft, two miles N. of the Church, tlie iecondy two miles S. of it. In felf defence, the truftees upon the Shotts roads have now in many places eafed the pulls in it greatly ; and to avoid the Hirft altogether, the road is now carried nearly in a dead level, rpund the north end of that hilL The advantages derived by the public, from the late wonderful improvement upon roads, are indeed aftoni(hing. The journey which, 40 years agO| the traveller could only aecompliih in t^'O days, he now executes in five or iix hours* The expedition, and encreafed burden of draught horfes are equally ftriking> and ftiU more beneficial. The (latute wor|c of this parUh, though it be commuted, and very regularly le- vied, is far from being fuflkient to keep the many ro«^ds, in fo wide a di(lri£l of country, in any tolerable repair.
Ecdeftajlical State. — ^The prefent kirk of Shotts is a long narrow buildings fituated due £. and W. What changes it has undergone^ fince its creation in 145O1 do not ap-
pcjir
ofSbotts. 55
pear * • It got a few repairs feme years ago ; much remams Aill to be doire in this way. The manfe was built in the year 1700* Before Mr Brace's admiffion, it had undergone repeated repairs. At that period 100 guineas were laid out up- on it, which have rendered it, though hi a very expofed fitua- tion, abundantly fnug and convenient., The'glebe confifts of 44 acres. It might rent as a fmall farm at 13K or 14I. Ster- ling. In it there is a feam of coal, of the fplint or parrot kiad, fully 3 feet thick; There are here two ftrata of iron, ftone, the one refling immediately upon the coal, the other a. foot nearer the furface, each from 4 to 6 inches thick : there is, at a fmall diftance from tliis, another feam of coal upon the glebe, of the fmiddy or drofs kind ; this being only two feet thick, would, in a country like Shotts, (though it be of an ex- cellent quality) nearly exhauft its value in working. The living of Shotts, manfe, glebe, and fire included, is worth 140L Sterling. The Seceders ;^e much more numerous than the members of the Eftabliflied Church :(.
School. The fchool-mailer of Shotts, as in many other places of Scotland, adis as feifion-clerk. Th^ emoluments, annex- ed to hb office, may be about 31. los. The quarterly allow- ance for each fcholar taught EngUfli is 2od. writing as. Latin
, and
• Anciently the pariih of Bo t swell extended from the Clyde, (wa(hin|p along its S. W. borders) all the way to the confines of Weft Lothian. To accommodate the inhabitants in the Eaftem parts of this great parifh^thefirft Lord Hamilton, in the year 1450, built a chapel where the kirk of Shoctt DOW ftands, called Si Catharime^j Cbrnpel, being dedicated to Sr Catuaeiks of Sib UNA. Tt was not, however, till after the Refocmation, that the coun- try round this chapel was totally detached from Bothwell, and er^dted into a feparate pariih.
I After a ftniggle which lafted tipwards of fix years, the fettlement of Mr JL.AURXNCB Wells, late incumbent in Shotts, was at length efieded in the year 1768. Soon after this, a meeting-houfe was boilt, to which the great majority of the people called a Burgher clergyman.
56
Statijlieal Account
and Arithmetic 2S 6d. During the harvcft vacation, which lafts about two months, the fchoolmafter receives no wages. Suppofing the fcholars at an average to be 2;, each at a medium yiddJng 2S., the teacher earns yearly by his fchool H. 6s. 8d. ; befides an offering given by the fcholars at Candle- mas, With a free houfe, 2t. los. ; thefe, with a yearly falary of 160 merks Scotch, give the fchoolmafter 19!. 17s. ^d. pit an^ numy a provifion too fcanty, for the comfbrtable fubfiftence of one qualified to difcharge the duties of this important office* There has, for this reafon, been thefe 30 years paft a fuc- ceflion of teachers in Shotts, unknown, it is fuppofed, in any other part of the kingdom. It is painful to add, that, cither through the total want of a fchool-mafter, or the carelefsnefs, Ae imprudence, -or incapacity of thofe in this office, the ris- ing generation, for thefe ten years pad, have, in the golden feafon (>f youth, -been in a great raeafure prevented from ac- quiring that knowledge, and thofe habits, which, in the fub- fequentpartof life, can render them good men, and good citizens. For the fame reafon, oonnefted with the- carclcfs- ncfs, if not obftinacy of Secedcrs, the pariffa records of Shotts are fo extremely inaccurate and deficient, that no decifion, even for the fmalleft average, could reft upon their evidence. Poor. — ^The poor in Shotts, for many years paft, have been fupported by aflcfTmcnt. Upon the firft Tuefdays of Feb- xxiary and Auguft» agreeable to aft of Parliament, the heri- tors and ciders meet in a conjunft body. After the num- ber to be admittted upon the roll, and the fupply to be grao- fed eachclaimant, are fettled, the fum wanted for the enfu<* ing fix months is laid on. This the treafurcr is authorifed to to levy, the one half from the heritors, the other half from the tenants, in proportion to their feveral valuations. At each meeting a ftanding committee is alfo appointed, to fu- pcrintiend the operations of the treafurcr, and to give advice
or
ofSbotts. 57
ot fupply upon extraordinaiy emergencies The number upon the poor*s roll of Shotts may be, communibus annisj from 20 to 28. The alloix'ance granted to individuals may We each month from 2 s. to 6 s : It often happens that there are pcrfons (landing in need of temporary relief, who wifli not to be put upon the roll. Their cafe at each meeting is ulfo confidered, and a reafonable allowance granted. The fum, annually rcquifite for all the above mentioned purpofes> may be about 50 1. Sterling; of which, 40I. or therea- bout, is raifcd by aficiTment; the mort- cloths and kirk-dues make up for the red. This plan, in a pariQi like Shotts^ where the Seflaries are fo numerous, and the heritors of the greateft valuation do not refide, feems to be the only equi- table one which can be adopted.
Population^ — ^The enlargement of farms has produced the fame cffefls in Shotts that it has produced in other places. A- long the N. and £« fides of this parifh, the property of the Duke of Hamilton, and Sir John Inglis of Cramond, the number of inhabitants is much diminiihed. Of this, the ruins of many cottages, and even of fome farm fteadings, afford the mod fatisfaAory proofs. The pari(b> however, it would appear, has of late been upon the increafe : Within thefe 12 years there have been built in it, and are now poileiled, 35 cottages and 3 farm (leadings, for this the late increafe of travellers upon the great road, and the Omoa Iron work^tuf" ficiently account. The total decreafe within thefe 40 years is Aated, along with other particulars, in the following table :
Population table of the parish of Shotts.
No. of fouls in 175 J, as returned to Dr Webdcr 2322
Ditto in 1793 - - - 2C4C
Decreafe • s- • , 281
Vol. XV. H Acig.
5-8 Statijlical Account
' k
\
'I. 't
jl Ages and Sexes. Males, Females. Total
ij Perfons under 15 years of age, 384 324 708
li Ditto above that age, - 60 1 73 z 1333
ii In all 985 1056 2041
y ' Proprietors, Artists, &c.
t-A Alajlerj. yourMeymtm or jff^^reHticej. TvtaL
;ij No. of heritors, refident - - - 29
— Ditto, non-refident - - 16
— ^Clergymcn, - - - a
— School-maftcrs, - - -3
— Surgeons, - i ' - i
— ^Weavers*, - - ^3 ^9 4^
— ^Licenfed ale and fpirit fellers, - - 10
-^Smiths, - 4 26
— Shoemakers, - 10 4 14
— Tailors, - 12 2 14
•—Coopers, - - i - i
—Colliers, - - . i5
— Miners employed at the iron work, ^ 80
I I Religious persuasions.
' ■ t,
No. of families belonging to the Eftablifhed Church, 122 Ditto Burgher Seceders, - -» - 363
Ditto Antiburghcrs, - - - 16
Ditto Cameronians, - - - -17
Total number of families, 5 1 8
Climate. — TIk climate varies confiderably, in the different
» [i parts of this widely extended parifh. In the low parts of it,
llretching South, and South-Weft, the air is fenfibly milder
than
* Of thefe 19 ^e employed in faAory work, and 23 in country work.
S!
(^, Sbotts. 59
than in the country round the church. An impenetrable tili, lying at the bottom of a thin ipungy black foil, keeps the fur- face generally moift ; this, with the want of (helter from iri- clofureSi and belts of planting, renders the air more penetra- ting and chill than in other parts of the country, even of the fame height, where thefe improvements have been fo happily introduced The inhabitants, however, of Shotts are equally, if not more healthy, than thofe who live in a warm- er climate*. From the quantity of fuel with which people of all ranks are here fo plentifully fupplied, dampnefs with- in doors produces none of thefe rheumatic difdrders, fo pre- valent in warmer climates, where this neceffary article is, from it& expence, almoft denied to the bulk of the people. The renowned and immortal Dr Cullsn, (who began his career in this parifh,) when talking upon this fubjed, ufcd to fay that Shotts was the Montpelier of Scotland.
Collieries. — By feveral late trials, conneftcd with former difcoveries, it now appears, that the whole country along the South fide of the great road, from the confines of Whitburn parifh, is, for lo miles Weft, and 6 South, all covered with coal. In the parifh of Shotts^ which occupies a confidcrable part of this great fpace, there are 4 collieries- The firft of thefe is Benhary the property of Sir John Inglis of Cramond : with this coal, which is of the beft quality, the whole country weft of Edinburgh upon the great road is chiefly fupplied \ nine miners have here conft^nt employn^ent. Thefe bring annually from the pitt 1 2,000 carts, weighing each cart near- ly 7 cwt. The price at the hill, within diefe few years, has rifen from 1$. to i8d. a cart ; the total annual produ£l of this work is pool. Sterling, of which fum, at 6d. each cart,
H 2 30CI.
• Withio thefe 4 years, three oU perfons have died in the parlAi of Shoct« ; the firft, at his death, was eotered into the 90th year of his age, the oCher in the 92d, and the third in the 88th year of his age.
6e ^ Stati/lical Account
300I. Sterling goes to the miners. Hellis Rigg coal, the pro- perty of Colonel William Dalrymplc of Clcland, lies 3 miles weft of Benhar. The feam is only 22 inches thick ; the pro- prietor here employs 3 miners, more with a view to two ftrata of iron ftone, of an excellent quality, than to the coal, which» partly from its inferior qaality,- and partly from want of market, fells at is. the cart, the purchafcr pleafingbimfelf as to quantity. Mr Cleland of Auchinlee, and Mr Cuming of Crofs*ha1I, tov^afds the Weft end of tlie parifli,hav^ great fields of coal upon their lands. Mr Cleland's feam is upwards of 3 feet thick. Mr Cuming's in fome places is 3, and in other places 9 feet thick \ each of thefe gentlemen at prefent only employ two miners ; but did the falc profpcr, it would give bread to a much greater number. Mr Cuming's coal is con- ntGttA, both with the ball and ftratum ironvftone.
Fuel. — Plentiful as the coal is through this parifli, yet, in the middle, and along the north fide of it, peat is chiefly ufcd. This is almoft at every man's door, and is prepared :u a time when, according to the mode of farming here pra^iced, little elfe is done.
Propofed CanaL — A canal leading from Edinburgh to Glas- gow was laft feafon the fubje£l of much converfation. Of th{ three traSs propofed, if coal be the leading obje£l, the one South of the kirk of Shotts furely merits the preference. Beds of free-ftoiie, fame of them of a very fine gr^in, arc fre- quent in this parifh, and the whin-ftone in the centre of it may be faid to be inexhauftible.
Iron WVij.-T-The Omoa iron work, the property of Co- lonel William Dairymple of Cleland, lies on the confines of this parifli, towards the South- Weft. It was erefled in 1 787. The fituation of this work is peculiarly eligible. The Colonel has throughout his eftate here, which is of conGderable ex- tent, a feam of coal 2 feet 5 inches thick 5 2 feet sbove the
^oalj
f
ofSbotts. 6i
coal, ball iron-ftonc is found, the balls lying pretty near each other. This (lone is fupcrior to any thing of the kind, hither- to found in this part of the country : 3 c wt. of calcined ftonc yield 1 c wt. of metal \ it fmelts alfo without the help of iron ore. . Two feet nearer the furface there are two ftrata of iron ftone, each from 6 to 9 inches thick. Below the 2 feet 5 inches of coal, there is another coal 9 feet in thicknefs, of an excellent quality. There is here each day raifed 36 tons of coal, 26 tons of which go to the furnace ; the other ten, from their fmallnefs, being unfit for charring, either ferve to blow the engine, or are fold to the country. Nine tons of calcined ftone a- day go to the furnace, which cads at the interval of 1 8 hours, and yields about two tons of pig iron, generally of an excellent quality. There is here a cupola blown by the en- gine, which produces caft work of any form employers pleafe. Orders of this fort, anfwered by Colonel Dalryniple, have given great fatisfa£lion. The cqal is raifed here from i8d to 2od per ton, (the coal falling below 4 inches fquare ex^ cepted), which brings the miner only 94d. a ton : Ball iron ftone in railing 28. 6d : Stratum iron ftone i8d.,, There axe employed here 40 miners, befides other 40 fmelters andper- , fons otherwife engaged, and 1 2 horfes. The weekly expencc at this work is Sol Sterling, which finding its way to farmers and workmen of every clafs in the neighbourhood, improves their fituation beyond what hitherto they had experienced, in this inland country. Another iron work is, againft the en- fuing fpring, (1794,^ to be qrcdled upon Mr David Young's lancis of Little HairQiaw, which ly about a mile S. W. of the kirk of Shotts. The gentlemen engaged in this work fay, there is throughout the parifh of Shotts fuch a profufion of coal and iron ftone, as might, and in all probability foon will employ feveral fuch furnaces as the one now blown in it.
Should
t± Statifikal Account
Should this prophecy be verifiedi wh&t a change in the ap* pearance and produfi of Shottt may be expeAed !
Prises of Labour and Provi/hns. — An expert pl^aghmatl gets 1 2I. Sterling annuiilly ; an afliftanl ibout 1 8 years old, 61. Sterling ; a herd about 12 years old, through the hefding fea- fon, 20s; a dairymaid, or houfe fehrdiit, annually, 3L i6»; each of thefe have bed and board fumiihed ; a day-labourer hdm March to November 1 4d a-day ; the four remaining months 1 id a«day. During the harveft feafon, men reccfv^ I4d. women lod. with ^roviGons futniflicd. A tailor geti 8d. tkrith his viftuals ; a mafon artd carpenter, each finding their own provifions, aod. Each of thefe claflea of labourers have, within thefe lad eight years, rifen one third in their de- mands 5 at ptefent, however, wages feem tather to be moving in alt oppofite direftion.— ^-Meal throughout this country may be rated at i^d. a peck below the Glafgo^ market. The great quantities of Merfe meal brought from the Dalkeith market, and cartied through this patifh to Glafgaw, con- tribute chiefly to produce this effeft. Frefh butter fells at M. a pound ; falted butter fjer ftone las ; ftim'd milkcheefe 5s. 4d. a ftone ; butter and cheefe Weight 22 oz ; a hen i4d -, chickens from 8d. to lod. a paif, eggs 5d a dozen. Carriers picking up and carrying thefe articles, either to Glafgow or Edinburgh, heighten their prices very much to thofe who dwell upon the great road.
Emitiint Men. — Shotts has given birth to two perfons ftill i^iveofvcrydiftinguifhcd merit •, viz. Gavin Hamilton Efq; of Murdifton, the mofl: celebrated hiftory painter now in Europe, and John Miller, Efq;* profeflbr of law, in the univerGty of Glafgow, well known to the world by his in- genious publications.
• This gentleman is by miUakc rcprefcntcd a» a native of Hamilton ; Stat. Account Vol a page aoa.
of Sbqttf. «3
Atitiqulties There is upon tlie great road, immediately
below the church, a copious fountain of excellent wat;er, known by the name of Catis er Kate's WelL This name it no doubt got from St. Catharine to whom it wa$ dedicated* A« bout a mile South^Weft from the kirk, there is a fmall conical mount, called Laws-caftle. This name feems to indicate, that fome fprtrefs had once ftood upon it \ but if there ever did, there is no ve&ige of it now remaining, except perhaps a quantity of ftones of enormous weight and fize,
Characierofihe People, — Although there are lo houfes licenced to fell malt and fpiritous liquors of home manu- fdclure, they are chiefly fupported by the travellers on the great road. Even in thofe parts of the pariih, where public houfes abound moft, intemperance is not a prevailing vice. The people, with a few exceptions, are indullrious and fo- ber. Since the prefent minifter's conne£^ion with Shotts, ' and he believes for many years before that period, criminal profccutions have been unknown, one profecution for mur- der excepted, where the libel .was not proven. Each, it would appear, fober and contented with the fruits of his own induftry, feels but little of thofe paflions whofe indulgence terminate in ignominy and death.
Advantages and Dif advantages, — ^The perfeft command of fuel is the principal advantage which the inhabitants of tills parifti enjoy. It is rather furprifmg that this circumftance, connedled with fo eafy an intercourfe between Glafgow and Edinburgh, has not, long ere now, paved the way to the in- trodu£tion and growth of manufa£tures in Shotts. This, however, had not trade lately received fo fevere a check by the war, would in all probability foon have been the cafe. The fields of mofs with which, for two miles on each fide of the great road, this parifli is interfe£led, are a difadvantage from which the proprietors of Shotts can promife themfelves
no
64 Statijlical Account
no deliverance. The flatnefs of the fields^ and the barren hill) which lies at the bottom of the mofs) exclude every idea of cultivation, from the mind even of the moft adventurous improver. It may be added, as another difadvantage, that throughout this extenfivc parifti there are but two or three fmall villages, and that in other parts of it the houfes are fo dif* tan^ from each other, that the education of children cannot be obtained, without much fatigue to the young one?, and cx- pcnce to the parents.
NUMBER
of Locbwinnoch. ^5
NUMBER HI.
PARISH OF LOCHWINNOCH,
(County of Renfrew, Presbytery oe Paisley, Synod OF Glasgow and Ayr.)
By the Rev. Mr James Steven, Minijler.
Name J Exfeniy Soil and Surface^ isfc,
m, jOCHwiNNocH feems to be derived from the large locli or lake, which is nearly in the center of the pariQi, and St. Winnoch^ or Jfinnioci\ under whofe protection it was fuppot fed to have been placed in the dark ages, and whofe name ftill remains, although his hiftory is buticd in oblivion* This parifli extends to about 6 miles iquare. The foilis extreme- ly various. The higher grounds, exclufive of muir, coih fiftof a light dry foil on whin-ftone, or rotten rock, and pro^ d\^ce a great quantity of very rich grafs and natural white clover. The lower grounds conilfl: of clay and loam, and produce good crops of every kfnd. Vol, XV. ' 1 CiimaU,
06 Statiftical Account
Clmaie^ Dlfeafesj Hillsj ^c. — ^Thc air is rather moift, from the frequent rains which prevail in the weftern parts of Scot- land, but this circuinftance does not appear to z^cGt the health of the inhabitants, many of whom die of old age. Confumptions, fevers, and fore throats, are the mod com- mon difeafes in this parifli. The moft remarkable hill in the pari(h is the Mifiy-LaiVy which rifes to the height of i 240 feet above the level of the fea ; and commands from its fum- xnit an exteniive and varied profpe£t over 12 counties, inclu- ding the Frith of Clyde, and the iflands of Arran, Bute, ^\\~ fa, &c. This hill is furrounded by the muirland part of the pariih, which abounds with game, and affords tolerable paf"- ture for (heep,
Lakesy Fj/bf Birds, Rivers^ and Mills, — There are two lakes in this parifli, Caftlifemple Locb^ and ^uenftdeLoch. The iormer was, fome time ago, attempted to be drained with? out fuccefs, and is now made a moft beautiful piece of water, containing above 400 acres, in which there are plenty of pikes, perches, and eels. It alfo abounds with fwai^s, g^efe, ducks, teals, bitterns, and other kinds of wild fowl. The beauty of this piece; of water is confiderably increafed, by the well drct fed grounds and good quantity of wood which furrounds it. ^leenfideLoch is fituated in the muirs, and contains about ai acres ; it forms an excellent refervoir, for fupplying two large cotton mills in the village of Lochwinnoch. The prin- cipal rivers arc the Cafder, whofe banks, from a union of wood, water and rugged rocks, exhibit a variety of roman- tic and piflurefque fcenery^ and the B/aci Cart. The Cal- der flows into CaftlefempleLoch, and the Black Cart is the inlet from it. On thefe two rivers, 7 very large cotton mills have been erefted within thefe few years.
JFoodf.
of Locbwinnoch ' 67
B^Wx.— There arc wot above 30 acres of natural \trood in this parifti, but the proprietors of Caftlefemple have made very extenfive plantations, which, from the goodnefs of the foil, and the attention paid to them, ate in a very flourifli- ing ftatc. They extend at prefent to above 400 acres, ani will probably receive confiderablc additions from the pirefent jproprictor. It may be worthy of remark, that In thinning " ibme plantations at Caftlefemple, from 29 to 35 years old, each larch fold at from 1 2 s. to 22 s, and the bcft of any of the other trees did not bring a higher price than 55,
Roads, — ^The roads were fome years ago in a wretched flate, hilly, narrow, and almoft impaffable in wet weather, but many of them are now excellent, and great improvements may im- mediately be expcfted, from two new lines of turn-pike road, propofed to be carried through the parifh to Kilbimic and Port-Glafgow. The turn-pike roads in this parifh are con- nefted by private roads, to the making and repairing of which laft the convcrfion of the ftaiute labour, ambunting tb above TTDol. Sterling a year, is folely applied.
Ecclejtaftical State. — ^The greater part df the inhabitants at- tend the eftabliihcd chutch, And there arc not above loe Se* ccders, Burghers, &c. in the parifti. William M'Dowallj Efq; of Gafthland is patron. The ftipend oonfifts of i ij bolls of meal, and 2I. of vicarage j and although the glebe contains only fix acres, yet from its fituation it Is worth about 1 il; Sterling yearly. An augmentation has been lately propofed to the heritors by the patron, to which they have unanimoof* ly agreed. The church is very well fiiiifticd, and contains a- bout 1300 people; the manfc is beautifully fituated about 300 yards from the village, and 320L have been lately ex-^
I 1 pande4
68 Staiijlical Account
pended in putting It into complete rq>air| and building a new fet of offices.
Scko$l — ^The fchool, which is fituated in the village^ is com- modiousj and the falary of old amounted to 2co merks \ but as the parifli is divided by the Jake, the proprietor on the fouth fide wilhed to have a fchool in diat diftricl^ and ob- tained 50 merks. The people eredled a fchool- houfe at their own txpehce, and the emoluments of the teacher employed by them are about 17I. Sterling yearly : the falary 'and emolu- ments of the pariHi fchoolmaflier amount to about 30I. an- nually.
Pocr. — The number of poor on the parifli roll is at pre- fent 20, and they receive from is. 6d. to 4s. each, per week* This fupply arifcs from 70L or 80I. collefted annually at the church door, and -from the inter eft of a few donations, and of a fmallfund belonging to the poor. There are two fo- cieties cftabhiheii. in the parifli, for fupplying the necef&ties of indigent members, ai\d their inflitution has been produc- tive of much advantage.
AfiiiquitUs*. — ^Thc old Qhapel^ or cfoltege of Caftlt'&m*
pie
• A very fine brafs cannon, with the arms of Scotland, and J. R. S. en- graved on it, was found many years ago in the lake, where other 6 are re- ported by tradition to "have been loft. Several canoes have been lately found in the lake, about i feet beiow! the furface, which evidently prove the hrge Coicftt that muft have .formc;rly exifted, in this part of the country, as they have been formed in a rude manner, like the Indian canoes, ont of lingle trees. About 60 years ago, a laale of Corinthian brafs was found within a mile of the village, and the handle ftiU remains entire, at the end of which there is a ^auttliil nm*a head. It is in the polfcflion of Mr Barclay, inn-keeper at L^wioBOch.
of lacbwinnocb. 69
pUt% ftill remains cnttTCy is completdf covered iK4t!h iiry, smi is ufcd as a burying place. 7%f Pa/7, or PW^, an old cafti^ ftands in an ifland in the lake, and has been formerly a place of confiderable ftrength, to which the lairds of Semple re- treated in feudal times, when unable to hold out in the caftle of Semple againft their powerful enemies.
Mweralst Magnetic Rock^ ^c-rCoal, lime, and free- ftone abound in different parts of this pariih, and a very An- gular magnetic rock has been difcovered two miles from Caftle-Sempk. - The compafs was Cenfibly afFeAed all round the rock, to th6 diftance of 1 50 yards. The cffeft was moft remarkable on the eaft and weft fide of it, and in every direc- tion it was greater, as the compafs was nearer to die rode it- felf. In its immediate vicinity, or nearly in a perpendicular dire£lion above it, the pofition of the needle was very un- fteady and irregular, and as the compafs was gradually brought nearer the ground, the deviation from the magnetic meridiaa was more remarkable, and the vibrations more rapid. . When the compafs was fet on the ground, the north pole of the needle invariably diret^ed itfelf to one very fmali Ipaceof die rock, on whatever Tide of it the needle was placed.
Houfts and Jl^nufa^ures —When the prefcnt incttmbent waas fettled in this parifli, no new houfes were building in the vlU lage ; and although from its vicinity to Paiiley, fevcral people were employed in weaving filk, gauze^ and lawns, as well as m the manufa£ture of thready which is carried on to a -coafider-
53
5 This chapel was founded by John firft Lord Semple, in the year 1505, ** in honour of God, and the blcfled Virgin Mary ; and for the profperityof *< King James IV. and Margaret his queen, and for the falvation of his owa **> foul» and the foub of hit two wives,' &c.
JO Statijiical Account
sble extent} yet U had a very poor appearance. Since that pfcriod 53 new houfes have been built ; many additional feus have been granted by Mr M*Dowall the proprietor;, and the population, the wealth and the induftry of its inhabitants have been in- creafed in a moft furprinng degree, within a very (hort time. The local fituation of Lochwinnoch is extremely favourable, from its being in the neighbourhood of coal, lime, and free- Hone, and froni its being abundantly fupplicd with fine fpring water ; but its rapid increafe has been principally occafioned by the ereftion of t^t> large cotton mills, by Meffi*s Henfton, Burns and Co. and Mefirs Johnftons and Co. The mill erec- ted by Mefirs Henftoii, Bums and Co, employs at prefcnt 140, and when finifhcd will employ about 350 people. The wheel is 24 feet diameter, and is fupplied with water from a circular dam, builc acrofs the river Calder, 19 feet 8 inches high, and 85 feet in circumference : the number of fpindles in this mill will amount to 9144. The mill erefted by Mcffrs Johnftons and Co, which is 164 feet long, 33 feet wide, and 3; feet high, is fupplied with water from the mill of Meilirs Henfton, Burns and Co, employs at prefent 240 people, and when the machinery is completed, will employ 600 : the wheel is 2*2 feet in diameter and 10 feet broad ; the fpindles in this mill will amount to 19,485. A cotton milt haa been ere£ted half a mile from the village^ on a fmaller fcale, which will employ about 80 people : Mcffrs Johnftons and Co. arc at prefent procuring a very large field, adjoin- ing to their cotton mill, for bleaching, which is carried orl with great activity and fpirit by Mr Henry Wilfon, in a dif- ferent part of the parifh : 339, 612 yards of dimities, mufli- nets, jaconets, and booked muflins, from lod. to 20s. per yard, and, 4000. fpintls of thread and yarn, were bleached by him in 1791, and 45 people were employed in the work.
of Locbwinnocb. ;i
jile-H^uJes. — ^In this parifli, there arc 14 ale-houfes, which fliould be confiderably dimimlhed. It is to be expe£led from
fomc refolutions lately publi(hed, that the juftices of the peace, to whofe fuperintendance this material ofaje£l of police is committed by the Legiflature, will take this fubje£l ferioufly into their conflderation, and apply an eSeiEiual remedy to an evil, which is produdivc of the moft pernicious confequen- ces to the health, the morals, and the induftry of the people-
Population and Employments,- — The following table exhi- bits, at one view, the great increafe of nie population of this parilh, as well as the various employments of the inhabi- tants.
Population tab^e of the parish of Lochwinnoch,
|
A^o. of Families. Males. |
Females. TctaL |
|
In the year 1695, 290 |
|
|
In 1791, 557 1289 |
1324 2613 |
|
In ^ *7S5» |
1530 |
|
Increafe, |
1083 |
|
In the village, 557 |
557 '^'4 |
|
In the country, 732 |
767 14^9 |
|
Professions. |
|
|
Tarmcn, - - 148 Wrights, |
3^ |
|
Employed in the cotton mills, 380 Maiwns, |
fi7 |
|
Weavers, - - 135 Smiths |
31 |
|
Tailors, - - 19 Surgeons, |
% |
|
Shoemakers, - - 14 Minifter, |
X |
|
Oroccff, • . . a Writer, |
z |
|
$akers» . . j^ School-mafters, - % |
|
|
Butchery - - a Alc-fcUers, |
14 |
|
Abstract ^Births andMAKKiAGEsfor thi lajl twi^ve years. |
|
|
Years. Males- Females. |
lotal. Marriages. |
|
1780 22 16 |
38 26 |
|
1 7 81 20 29 |
49 23 |
|
_ |
1782 |
7^ StatiJHcal Account
|
J78J |
24 |
i5 |
40 |
22 |
|
rji-i |
25 |
30 |
55 |
20 |
|
J 784 |
%9 |
23 |
52 |
28 |
|
'785 |
33 |
a6 |
59 |
3t |
|
1786 |
3« |
19 |
50 |
18 |
|
1787 |
3» |
39 |
70 |
26 |
|
1788 |
23 |
24 |
47 |
II |
|
178$^ |
3<S |
24 |
60 |
21 |
|
1790 |
33 |
26 |
60 |
«9 |
|
1791 |
29 |
39 |
68 |
19 |
|
Total, |
336 |
3" |
648 |
264 |
|
Annual avenge |
, 28 |
25 |
54 |
22 |
Longevity. — Margaret Patton, who was bom in this parifh, is menlioncd by Lynch on health, as a remarkable in- llance of longevity. Her pifture and a print from it, which the writer of this account has feen, were done from the lifc> by J» Cooper in 1739, with the following infcription : " Mar- « garet Patton,born in the parifh of Loghnagh, near Paifley ^ in Scotland, living in the work-houfe of St Margarets^ ** Wcftmiiifter, aged 138 years.-'
Rent and Proprietors. — ^The valued rent of the parifli is 6^9 2I. 6s. 8d. Scotch, and the real rent about 7 600I. Ster- ling. Mr M^Dowall is proprietor of a confiderable part of the parifli, and the remainder holds of him as fuperiov, with a few exceptions. The other proprietors amount to 120, and the uncommon number of them feems to have a- rifen, from the feus granted by the families of Dundonald and Semple, who were formerly proprietors of the greater part of this parifli. They refide in general in the parifli, mar- ry into each other's families, and cultivate their own property,
to
^ Locbwinnoch. 73
to which, they are particularly attacliLed. TKtir houfcs arc comfortable, many of them extremely good^ and the old wood^ of plane and afli trees, with which they arc univerfally for* rounded, contribute much to the beauty of the country.
Agriculturey Farm Rents^ Produce, fa'r. — •The arable land of this parifli amounts to 5476 acres, of which 1494 arc year- ly in tillage ; and it is all enclofed with ftonc walls, hedges, or funk fences, ^^ith a hedge planted at a proper diflance -from the bottom, which is a very ftrcng ^nd beautiful fence. The rent of the land is from 12s. Sterling to 2I. per acre ; and tlie farms are generally let for 19 years, at ffom 15 1. to iioL annually. A certain proportion of the arable land is likewife let to the manufacturers in fmall lots. The tenants are bounds by their leafes, to plow 2, and reft 4 years, and to have on- ly one third of the farm in tillage. They put their whole manure on the firft year, and lay down the fecond crop with rye-grafs and clover, which is a confiderable improvement^ though it has only become a common prafticc within thefd few years* 0«ts, (which are fown in March and^eaped in September,) and potatoes, are the principal crops in this pa- ri (h. Barley, or rather bear^ is like wife raifcd in fmall quan- tities ; and the culture of flax has been attended with fiiccefs, and has entitled many of the farmers to premiums. From the nature of the foil, which produces tery fine paflure, wprth from 58, to 303. a great quantity of butter and cheefe is an- nually made ; and the farmers principally depend on the fale of thefe articles, and the rearing of cattle, to the breed o£ which they are particularly attentive*
HorfeSi Cattle^ Shiep, {jfc. — ^The horfes are remarkably good^ and the milk cows fell at from 61. to 1 2 1. The total number of thefe, and the other live ftock, are as follows :
74 Statijlical Account
|
Horfei, |
- 170 |
Milk cows |
IIOX |
BuUs |
43 |
|
Mares |
63 |
Fat ditto |
426 |
Sheep |
- a866 |
|
Coles |
77 |
Young cattle |
574 |
Swine |
4* |
Prices of Labour and Pravijions. — Men fervants hired by the year receive from jo 1. to 12 1. 5 maid fervants 4 1. ; mafons per day, from 2 s. to 2 s. 2d ; wrights from is. 8d. to 2s, and mill- Wrights Jis high as 2S.-6d j a day-labourer from ts. 4d. to I s. 8d ; oat meal fells at from 16 s. to 17s 6d. per boll ; beef and mutton from 4d. to 7d, per lb ; butter from lod. to 1 id ; cheefe, made of flamed milk, from 2d. to 3d, and of fweet milk, from 4 J to 6d j eggs at from 5d. to pd. per dozen; potatoes from ics. to n^, per boll.; hens from is. 2d. to is. 6d ; and chickens from 4d. to 6d. each.
Advantages and Hints for Improvement, — The advantages of this parifh arife from the plenty of coal, lime and free-ftone in the gredteft part of it ; from its vicinity to Paiflcy, Port- Glafgow and Greenock ; from the good roads already made, (including the new lines of road to be immediately fei on foot) and from the rapid increafe of manufaftures, which muft very confiderably augment the value of the land. With thefc ^vantages, it is hoptd that many of the feuers and farmers, who pcrfift in the old fafhbned fyftem of agricul- ture, may be induced, from the example of others, and a re- gard for their own intereft, to ufe better implements of husbandry, to follow a proper rotation of crops, and to at- tempt the culture of turnips, which are particularly adapted to the foil of this parifli.
NUMBER
of Twynebolm and Kirk^CbrisL 75
NUMBER IV.
UNITED PARISHES of TWTNE- HOLM AND KIRK-CHRIST
(County and Presbytery of Kirkcudbright, Synod of Galloway.)
By the Re^v. Dr. John Scott, Minijler.
""TT
Origin of the Name.
\ radition hath handed down a report, that nigh to the (^urch, a great battle was fought, and a king flain. A large fingle block of granite, fet up upon one end, is (howp as the monument of the unfortunate monarch ; and fome derive the name of the pariih from the vanguiHied being obliged to Twynehatne^ that is, to return homeward in a winding direc- tion.
Forffif Extentj and Situation* — The form of the united Pa-
rifties of Tyvynetolm, or Twynekame^ (as it is anciently and
perhaps n^ore properly wrote,) and Kirl-Cbrijty is oblong;
Ka the
j6 Statijlical Accouni
the extent is about 9 mics by 2 ; though, from the rcmotcft houfe in the one end to the remotcll houfe in the other, the direft diftancc will ilot beniuch above 6 miles. The river Dee divides them from Kirkcudbright, upon the S. S. E. and S. E. and th: water of Tarf from Tongland upon the E : A pnall bay of the fea waihes the coaft from the W. to the S.
Surface and Soil. — Tlie furface is moftly high-hnd, and, fecn at a diftance, looks like an elevated plain ; but when entered upon, it rifes into knolls and arable hills, with fmall valleys and fome merfe land upon the borders of thp Tarf and the Dec, until you approach the extremity towards the N. W. by N., when the view is bounded by hills covered with heath.*— The foil is various, and generally formed from ragy and what is /called in this country, raiUnfoney decompound<;d by the in- flucnce of fun and air, &c. and fallen into earth. A great part of the foil lies upon this kind of rock, and fome of it upon a till bottom. There are clay, mois, gx;avcliy, and fandy foils, though very little of this lad. In general, the foil is light, dry and rich, and, when properly managed, repays the induftrious farmer with exuberant crops of grafs and corn.
Climate and Dtfeafes. — A good deal of rain falls generally upon the weft coaft, and thefe pariflies have their (hare of it, but not more than what is neceflary, confidering the dry- nefs of the foil. — Bordering uf on the Weftern Ocean, our frofts in winter are of fliort continuance, and fnow very fei- jdom lies fo long, as to do material damage to the ftorc farr mcr. The height of the ground in general, the drynefs of the foil, and the fea air, all contribute to the health of the inha- bitants \ (o that for 3 1 years, no epidemical difcafe * has
foil,
♦ About 30 ycwf aj;o, the ague prevaflcd, biit for many yews it feemi cp
b^vc
ofTwynebolmandKirkJObrisL 77.
^n Ifnown to prevaili except the fmall-pox and meazlej. ]«noc\iladon is almoft univcrfally^ pra£lifed amoiigft all rank^ which prevents the ravages of that* loathfoxne difeafe tlie
ihiail'pox.
1
Lahes^ Riversy Fip^ M'lllsy ^c, — ^Thc variegated furfacc, and the rifing hills, malce this parifli, for we (hall now conGder them both as one parifh, under the name of Twyneholm, a- bound in rivulets and fprings. There are two lochs or lakes, the one upon the extremity of this pariih, and dividing it from Girthon, called Loch-Whinniorf^ abounding in yellow trouts ; the otiier called the Lech of Trcftrie, abounding in pikes. The river Dee^ (which is navigable the whole way it runs along this pari(h, and upon which there is a ferry boat between it and Kirkcudbright) abounds with falmon, grilfe, trouts, fea-trout&y and hirlings ; and at the fouthern extre- mity of the pariih, there are fome fmall cod and whitings taken by lines- The water of Tarf^ (navigable for veffels of 50 tuns burthen up to its lower bridge, upon which, in this parifh, there are a flour, a barley, and a corn • mill, ) Ka$ fome falmon, abounds in yellow and fca trouts, hirlings, and pars, a fmall red fpotted trout never found bat where thei^ are falmon. The burn of Tivymho/m, which divides this pa- rish in the middle, and which drives a corn and a barley mill, abounds in all the fpecies of fi(h found in the water of Tarf, except falmon. Another ftream of water, which runs along
almoft
ba've left this <orner. The flow, Dcrvpns. a^d even in epidemical pvtrid fe- ver, freqcetitly, during the above period, furrounded thefe parifrec, aod foxoc hekngiiig to them were brpught home from Deighbouring parilhes, in the wrofd kind. But no fever, for the above period, has either fpread of become epidemical.
^ By am is always me»flC «v«r in tUs coviitiy.
78 Statifticat Account
almoft the whole S. W. extremity of the parifli, abounds irt trouts^ and alfo drives a barley and a corn mill, llie Lake of Gkngape abounds in large yellow trouts* The three milla. abpve mentioned are remarkably well fituated for exporting their flower, barley, and meal. The corn mill lies clofe upon the fmali bay of the fea. The other two lie, the one within a Ihile, and the other within half a mile of the harbour above mentioned, upon the water of Tarf, and not above two'lniles irom two harbours upon the water of Dee, where yeflels of confiderable burthen can eafily come.
Population — As the feffion records have never been regu- larly kept, the ancient ftate of the population cannot now be afcertained. The variations, however, of the number ot people Within jhefc 40 years, will appear from the follow- ing ftatement. A late aft of Parliament, now repealed, pre- vented the regiftration of births, marriages and burial^ fo that none has been kept for fome years.
Statistical t^ble of the united parishes of Twtne- ppLM AND Kirk-Christ.
Ko. of fi>oU IB I755» M returned to Dr
Webfter, . - - 519
Ditto in 1763, - - 510 Dccr«afc in 18 years i|
Ditto in 1 79 1, - - 61 r Incrcafc in 8 yean loi
Ditto in 1794, ^ - 6»o Dittoinjycaw 9
EzaA increafe within thefe 40 years loz
Aces and Sexes, &c. - Anno 1763 1791 1794
Ko, of fouls 8 years old and upwards, 408 493 *^0"^ 50Q*
Bitto under that age, - about * 101 iiS iio*
51O 61X 610
•»» Thcfc numbers are^atednpon tbe ufual average. All the reft in the *- Wve uble were uken {rom dilTcrent accurate enumerations.
sfT'voyneholm and Kirk-Cbrift.
n
^nn» 17
No. of males, ...
— — Female*,
I Widowers, -I Widows,
< Perfons under le yean of age
.^_ — Betwoen 10 and to ■ — ■ 20 and JO
■■ ■ - 50 and 70
• 70 and 80
• 80 and 96
n
|
I70I |
1794 |
|
»88 |
|
|
3W |
|
|
* s |
|
|
ao |
|
|
U9 |
|
|
86 |
|
|
- |
3Ci |
|
68 |
|
|
- |
1% |
|
. |
% |
In all 620 Conditions, Peofessions, &c. Country and Religion.
No. of proprietors, rcfidcnt, 8 No. of Pcrfops born in Ireland, a-
7 bout - 35
— ■ — — in the Ifle of Man, 3
44 .-P-— Antiburgher Seccderi, ; 1
— — ditto noo-refident,
**• farmers and cottagers, and
their familiei , No. of cailore,
— weavers, — — mafons
■ joiners, —^ Smiths, — — MiUer^, •«— Shoe- makers, — .^ Miniders, — — Surgeons, _ School mafters, — ~— . Scholars, _- Poor on the roU,
— HouTespoflefTed by families, 129 ...... Ditto by individuals, lo
. Twins born in the parilhf , 10
• Roman Catholics, Rent, Stock, &c. Valued rent in Scotch money, L. 279^ ftt)6o
34i
3300
70
4
Real ditto Sterling },
No. of horfes,
Black cattle,
-^ — Milk- cows, — — Sheep, — — Goats, •
— Ploughs, Carts,
— Ditto in 1763 T, .^i.. Bu&els of oats fold annual- ly out of the parifli, xo,5i»
^— Ditto of barley, - X,2A0 *— - Ditto of potatoes, x6o
ManufoBiires
t Five women were delivered of thefc twins within the courfc of two yeara.
I In this eftimate, the grounds pcffeffed by the proprietors are cakulttod in proportion to the rents at which the others arc let.
5 At that period, though marl had long been ufcd as a manure, it was carried xo bags on the backs of horfes*
So Statijiical Account
ManufaEhires and Fillagi, — Several years ago, a gentleman generally cfteemed, and of a remarkable mechanical geniiM, under the patronage of Lord Daer, built a houfe in this parifli, not far from the river Dee, for diftilling Britiih fpi- rits. An alteration in the diftiliery laws, and other circum* ilances, occafioned him very foon to drop this branch of bufinefs ; upon which he propcfcd to convert the houfe in- to a manufafluring houfe for cotton ; but the ftagnation of tliis branch of bufinefs put an immediate ftop to that under- taking aJfo. It is now, by the fame gentleman, joined in com* pany with others, under the fame patronage, converted in- to a woollen manufacture; and they have creeled a teafing, or fcribling, and a carding machine, which arc driven by a fmall Arcam of water ; they have alfo fcveral hand jeanies. Upon account of fomc improvements made in tlic machi- nery, they have greater demantis for their yarn, than others engaged in this branch of bufinefs : and if the war now raging, tlie failure of credit in general, the fcarcity of money, or the increafing value of that article, do not put a ftop to this ma- nufaAure, a village begun nigh the abov& building will ra* ptdly iiicreafe, and increafe not only the population of this parifli, but that of Kiikcudbright alfo. There are, properly fpeakiog, as yet no villages in tliis parllh ; for a few houfes built upon the military road below the church, , and the be- gun Village above menticned, do not deferve tbat name.
State cfPropertyy RentSy ^c — ^More than die one half of the parifli in value, though. not in extent, belongs to the Earl of Selkirk. His Lordflilp's rent?, however, amount not ta the one half at prefect. Eight of the proprietors^ ciihcr farm the whole, or a part of their own lands. Th« average rent of the arable land, except tlwcc farms ia the N. part> rurw
from
o/Twyn&boIm and Kirk'CbriJl. 8i
from 108. to il. Sterling per acre. There aye two farms let for grazing, without the liberty of plowing, for 1 1. is. and il. 3s. Sterling per acre. Since 1763, the arable land yields ^bove four times the rent it drew then : And one farm, be- longing to the Earl of Selkirk, yields 14 times the rent it paid in the year 1 761 ; yet the rents are better paid> and the farmers live better, than they did at that period.
Cultivation^ Inclofuresy t^fc, — This is a country fully bet-, ter calculated for gracing than for the plough, though i^ produces large crops when properly reftcd and manured. Hence the bed farmers have conftantly in view the me- lioration of their grafs. Though fenfible of the benefit of inclofures, and even willing to pay ^j^d, per cent per annum of the money laid out upon them, very little as yet is effectu- ally done in that way, owi;ig to our ftones being hurt by the ac- tion of the fun and air, which makes the fences foon give way \ pur ground, interrupted by rocky and gravelly knolls, renders hedging and ditching ineffedlual, unlefs a degree of labour, care, agd attention be given them, which the farmer has nei- jtime n6r inclination to beftow. The want of wood fcr -coping expofes the young thorns to the ravages of cattle ; and a polled Galloway cow, if once ihe can thruft in her liofe, with (hut eyes will force her way through a ftrong hedge. To remedy tliefc defedis. Lord Selkirk plants hit liedges in a (lone facing, and builds up th^ (tones for coping and fencing. Oiie thing is ftall wanting ; viz. that his Lord- ihip fhould agree with a gardener, or £kilful workman, to keep lus hedges in proper order, at fo much per rood, the tenants paying ti^e expence along with the rent \ this he has already done with refpe£i to clearing his eftate of moles.
Vol. Xy. L Mam^rts.
8l Statiftical Account
Manures. — ^Tl^e manures uCsd arc (hell mari, fca (hells^ y^ater lathing, paring ai|d burning the furface, and dung. Shell marl, as a manure in this part of Scotland, was iirft difcovered and ufed in this parifh, it being above 60 ye^ra fincc it was applied for that purpofc. Of all manures, when the ground is gently ufed, and not worn out by the plough, it remains the longel^ ; its efFeds are moft confpicuous upon the grafs, producing the different clovers, particularly the white, and grafles of the bed quality and kinds ; and caufmg a
Seat luxuriance in their growth, and deepnefs of green in eir colour. Ihe quantity laid upon an acre is from 40 to fSo cart loads, drawn by two horfes. There is ftill a large quantity of this excellent manure in the parl(h, particularly in Lord Selkirk's grounds. Sea (hells are of two kinds \' thofe that are brought in by every tide, into the fmall bay at the S. corner of the parifli, and carted off at the ebb 5 and a pretty large bank running along the fide bay, and beneath an arable field, called dry landjhells. The firft, wet with a con- fjderable mixture of fand, are heavier to kad, but fpeedicr in their eiFe£l. The quantity laid upon an acre of each is from 20 to 30 tons. Lime brought from England, and land* pd at the fide of the Dee, or the TarfF, cofts the farmer is. Sterling, the Carlyfle bufhel of fhells, equal to three Winchef- ter bufhels. From 30 to 70 bufhels unflacked are laid upon ?in acre. Leading a ftrcam of water over the furfacc of a ley field with the plough or the fpade, called waUr-tathing^ prevailed very much formerly in this parifli, before the life of the forementioned manures bec^nie fo general, and produ- ced exce-llent grain and grais. It leaves the land hard bound, and unfit for the other manures, which produce Kttle or po effe£k upon water^tathed land \ and it cannot be repeated ^vith any profit but at a confidcrablc diftance of time, except
upon
of twynebohn and Kirk-Cbrijli 8^
tipon meadow and grafs grounds. Paring and burning li in general the worft huibandry, except upon a deep moff/ fi>i]» with a clay bottom, whai fo miick of the mofs is burnt as to allow the plough to reach the clay, and mingle it, mofs mnd aflies together \ then it produces luxuriant crops of grain and grafs^ Dung, the principal manure in farming, is tod little attended to in this country : .The want of inclofuresf and draw yards, moft of the cattle lying oilt in winter, are all reafons why fo little attention is paid to this valuable article. What is colle£ted is genetally expended upon our third crop ground, in producing potatoes and a few turnips. One oC the three firft arc generally laid on ley, 6t ground unbroken up *, and if laid on at lead one year before it is plowed^ they gradually (ink into the ground, mix with the roots of thd grafs, are produ£tiYe the firft year, and do not fd fodn fink out of the reach of the plough; Sometimes they arc laid 4ipon a fallow, and the author hds known them hdd in the month of May upon the fpringing corn.
Ploughs^ Crops^ is^i. — Our ploughs, light, drawn by twd horfcs, or three when old ley is broken up, without a drfvcr^ are moftly of the Englifli kind, with the Scotch head, whicU is found to anfwer beft in ftony grodnd. Though formerly the ox plough generally prcrailed, yet it was totally liid a- fide, till LoVd Daer revived it, by ufing both oxen and heif- ers on a farm whicli he is improving in this parifli. One of the three firft kinds of manure above mentioned being laid u- pon the ground, it is fown with oats the firft two years. The third year dung being laid upon the field, if the farmer cart procure this article, it is partly planted with pi6tatdes^ and fowrl with turnips, and the reft of the field either fown with peafe and beans, or left fallow. The fourth year, it is fown with
1/ * barkyi
84 Statijlical Account
barley, lyc grafs, rib'd grafs, and the different dovers^ cut for hay one year, and paftured 8, then again broken up fof corn. Wheat feldom turns out a profitable crop, Qwing to the wetnefs of our climate, and other caufts*
Experiments tried with our roiten-ftone quanicsi where the three firfl kind of manures are not to be obtained, might have a happy effe£l. In many places remote from thefe arti- ficial manures, mofs and turf are plenty. Kilns made of foda or turf might be ercfled, and the half dried peats burnt to aflies, at no great expence, which are well known to be an excellent manure for turnips, grafs and grain. There are dif-» ferent opinions, with rcfped to the quantity, to be laid upon an acre, of the manures of the firft three claflesf mentioned \ fome thinking a fmaller quantity, frequently repeated, beft ; o- thers, a large quantity laid on at once, and not repeated for fome cdnfiderable length of time. Tliis depends in a good meafure upon the foil, and upon the manner of cropping the land. When the ground is treated, as above mentioned, and is kept fo long in pafture, the large quantities are, perhaps, beft, as having the moft effect upon the grafs ; and as it is by fermentation thefe manures operate, fuch a quantity, as will fully promote this, will be found neceffary, while a fmal- ler quantity will only produce a partial fermentation \ as beer, not having a fufficient quantity of yeft, is always mud* dy, iluggifli and never clears.
Prices of Labour and Provifions. A farm fervant receives from 61. to 9L Sterling yearly, befides lodging, wafliing, and food. A cottager's benefit, when converted into money, a-» mounts to about 1 5 1. Sterling yearly. A reaper in harvcft receives from 1 7s. to iL 5s. during the feafon. A woman fervant from al. to 4I. Sterling yearly. A day-labourer'a
wages
ofTwynebolm and Kirk-^Cbrifi, 85
wages are from lod. and is. in winteri to is. and i8« 6d. in fummer, without visuals : A mafon's and joiner's per day, without meat is. 6d : A taylor's 8d. with viduals. The prices of all forts of provifions frequently vary, and depend very much upon the Whitehaven, Liverpool, and Glafgow mar-* kets, to which we have ready and eafy acccfe by fea.
Horfis and Black Cattle, — ^Thcre are a good number of hor- fes bred in this parifli, both for ufc and fale. They arc moflly of tlie draught kind. Tlie old breed of Galloways, fo highly valued for fplrit and fliape, and which continued a long time after the wreck of the Spanifb Armada, when feve* rai ftallions were thrown upon this coail, is almoft entirely, if not totally extizi£^. The price of our horfes is from icL to 30L Sterling. Our cattle, fo highly valued by the Norfolk farmers, are for the mod part polled, k>ng haired, ihort and thick leg- ged for their height, ftraight backed, round bodied) well fpread «t the loins, and deep dew-lapped« Our calves fuck their mothers \ Aone are fold to the butchers ; the males are cut young, the females generally about one year old \ and when cut, or fpavedy they then with us obtain the name of heifers. At one year old, they will bring from 2I. to 5L Sterling ; at two they will bring from 4I. to 9I \ at three from 61 to loL The beft of our two-year-olds are almoft always fent with Qur three-year-olds to the £ngli(h market. Our farmers can- not be too careful to pieferve this breed \ for any trials to meliorate it by crojftng with other bulls, have hitherto failed. A gentleman in this country, who had a large dairy, remark- able for rearing the beft cattle, and who kept and fed them till a proper age, when he fent them with other cattle which he bought from bis tenants, to the Englifli market, to try an ex*
periqientj.
86 Statijlical Account
perimcnt, bought one of Mr BakeweU^s bulb. He put the half of his cows to this, and the other half to a Mooi;land bull, bred upon his own eftate. He fed the produ£k equal-^^ ly, till they were fent to market at Norfolk, when thofe bred from the Galloway buU, brought confidcrably more money than the others, befidcs being eafier to feed.
Sheep and Wool. — Our Sheep arc of five kinds* In the up- per part of this parifh, where there are two flieep farms, the flocks are of two different kinds : the one, a fmall fheep, with flecked or fprittle face and legs, and fine wool. This breed has been from time immemorial in the country. The other, black faced and black legged, with large coarfe wool, brought lately from the head of Nithfdale. The wool of the firll kind fells at from 8s. to ics. per ftone; the wool of the other at from ^8. to 6s. In the lower part of the pari(h, there is the long legged Engliih Mug^ with wool, long, fine> and fit for combing ; and the broad fliort legged, fine, ihort wooHcd kind, called the Culltj breed. There is a fifth breed, of the fmall, white faced, (hort fine woolled fpecics, which differ in nothing from the Cheviot breed. The wool of thefe diflerent kinds fells at from ns. to ids. per ftone : ^Slb. Avoirdupois makes our ftone of wool. Lord Daer, who, in many in- ftances, has materially contributed to the advantage of this country, has introduced a breed from a Spanifli ram in hi* poflfeflion ; but as yet, there has not been time to reap the benefit of this improvement.
Woods and Plantations^ — ^The old timber found in our mof* fes ftiows plainly, that woods had formerly abounded in this parilh, though they are now entirely gone, except the above mentioned wood at the old Caftle of Cumpfton. lliere are
fomc
of Twyntboltn and Kirk- Cbrift. 8 ^
ibme other fcnall plantations, in difierent parts. But, in a few years, the rifin^ grounds along the Dee &ie oppo&te to St. Mary's ifle will be covered with wood. Lord Daer having already planted with different kinds of trees a great many acres of ground^ and defigning to adorn Lord Selkirk'^ ex« tenfive cftatc, in this and the neighbouring pariOies, with feat- tered plantations. Wood, indeed, unlefs (heltered from the W. or S. W. winds, does not thrive. Northern and Eaft^rn expofures are the beft in this country, for planting every kind of trees.
FueU — ^Peats, turfs, and furze, or whins, were the general fuel of the inhabitants of this parifh till lately. The moiTes ]h the lower part of the parilh being exhauded, and tlie im- provement of the land having in a great meafure banifhed the f irze, coals from Whitehaven, the duty being now ta- ken of, are the fuel already ufed by a great rwmber of the inhabitants of this part of the parifh. The Northern part ftUl make ufe of peats and turfs, as the nioffes aboun<i in that quarter. The coals are fold for a guinea /^r toriy as it is cal- led, though it confifts of 36 cwt.
Churchy School f and Poor. — The church, which is placed ex- a£ily in the center of the parifh, at the fide of the military road, where three other roads meet, was built in the year 1730, and the manfe in 1763. The ftipend is 59 1. 17s. 6(?> all paid in money. The glebe confifts of near 30 acres, being the two glebes of Kirk-Chrift and Twynehamc joined together at the churcli. The Earl of Selkirk is patron.— There is an eflablifhed fchool hard by the church ; the number of fcholars is about fixty. If once a houfe was built, and other funds, provided for the fchooKmafter^ were fettled^ the living
wiU
Sf itatifiical Account
triB be worth between 30 1. and 40 1. Sterling yearly.— The poor are liberally fupplied by the weekly coUeftions, and by ihc private charity of the inhabitants, who are oppreflcd by Irifh beggars ai;id dther vagrants ; owing to the military road, from the border of England, to Port-Patrick pafEng through tfie midft of the parifti. There is no funk money belonging to it.
Raads oTid Bridges. — In the year ! 763, there were no good loads in this pariih -, a little after that period, the military road from the border of England to Port-Patrick was made, which paffes through the midft of the pariih, and has contri- buted greatly to the improvement of the country. After ihts, a road was made to Kirkcudbright, by the bridge of Tongland, which parts from the military road at the church of Twyneholm, and another road from the military road at the Gatehoufe of Fleet to Kirkcudbright, by the ferry boat over the Dec, which paffes through this parifh. An A£i of Parliament to convert the ftatute labour, contributes in fomc meafure to keep all thefe roads, except the military one, in repair. But the beft diredled roads in the pariftiy are two from the church of Twynehame, (the one to the ferry boat of Kirkcudbright, and the other to the bay at the extremity of the pariQi); and a third from the ferry along the fide of the Dee, till it joins the latter one at the faid bay ; opening sm eafy communication from Kirkcudbright to the pariih of Borgue, and a fpacious bay called Balmangan Bay, Thefe laft mentioned roads were planned and dire£led by Lord Daer, and executed moflly at his expence. As good roads are the firft and moft neceflary improvement in any country, though much hath been done, yet there ftill remains much to do, not only in this pariih, but in every part of the country j and as
thq
of Twjneholm and kirk-t/brisi. 9^
the eonverfioii monej at the prcfent rate is tcnally inadequ«te> Tome other method muft be adof^ted. Upon thefe accountsi the above mentioned noble pdtton propofed a bill to the county for their approbation^ drawn up on the moft liberal^ and at the fame time the moft equal plan. Oppofition was made to it through miftake, through prejudice, and through party, and a clamour raifed agaiiift it, which obliged it to be dropt for the prefent ; but till fome fuch plan is adopted, our roads will gb to ruin, and will never be conducted upon si liberal plan. The bridges are four ; ontf over the Tarf, noa^ the foot of that river, one over the Kirk-bum of Twyntholm^ upon the military road nigh the churchy aiid two others over fmaller ftreams.
Antiquities^, — ^Therie arc the remains of two old fauildingg in this parifh, both of theni belonging to the Earl of Selkirk; The one, called the Cqftle of Cufnpfionty is placed in a pleafant Gtuation, nigh io the jundion of the rivers Tarf aiid Dee, fur* rounded with a fmall fpot of natural wood, the only one in- deed in the parifh. The other old building is fituated in the farm of Nuntown, oppoGte to St Mary's Ifle. Thete are two
Vol. XV. M bmsi
f A frcDtleman who lived in this parifh, and pofleiTed an eflate in it, anil who died fome yeart ago upwards of So, acquainted the writer, that ihthe ohi burial place of Twyneholm, which was fitoai&l about a ^n-fliot from the prefent, nigh one bf the doons, and not far from three of the moat9^ (but of which no veftige now remains, it being part of a com field,) there was tamed up by labourers employed by him to temove part of an old fetKc, a round piece of gold which he fuppofed to be the handle of a coffin. Thia piece he fcnt to Bdiaburgh, and received for it only three guineas, the pexfod that bought it alledging that it was not gold; but, as he obferved^ if it ha4 not been of chat toetal, the dealer would not have given ib mucb*
90 Statijlical Account
Doom X^ five mbals, and a hi]i oppoCte to two of them, caU led the Gallows- Hill ; but, as the figure, ufe, and defign of thefe rcli£bs of antiquity have been fo often explained by others, a repetition here is unneceflary.
Propoftd ImprovanenU^ — ^Thcre is a creek at the fide of tlie Dec, very nigh the manufa£^uring houfe formerly mentioned, that might eafily be turned into a good harbour, fheltered • from every ftorm. The adjacent field is commodious for wet and dry docks, fuch as they have at Liverpool ; the ftream of water that drives the machinery would ferve to clean them ; fpring tides 30 feet perpendicular \ and there is at the fame time confiderably more than 17 f«et of water upon the barr at the mouth of the river. A great road opened from the kirk of Twyneholm to the N. N. W. through an open- ing in the hill of Glcngape, would give accefs to manure landed in tlie Tarf or the Dee, for wild and barren grounds*
Di/advantages.'-^The wetnefs of our climate, the fcarcity of fuel, and no rock fait upon our coaft, with other caufes, render that neceffary article at times fcarce and dear. For thefe two years paft, the fcarcity of this article has been fo great, about the term of Martinmas, as materially to hurt the fale of our fat cattle. This might be eafily remedied by albwing rock fait to be imported, or fait ready made from liverpool, at the Scotch duties. One of thefe meafares ought to
be
f Some time ago, there was raifcd from beneath a heap of ftones, not far . from that fpot, what appeared like a coffin made up of different ftones, in which was found an inftrument refembling a hammer^ and fome coins ; bu£ of what metal the inftroraent was made, or where to be found, or of what kind the coins were, no Information can now be obtained. There have been fefcral coiot found sigh to thefe moats, bat n«ne of them are prefer ved.
ofTwyneholm and Kirk-Cbrist. 9!
t>c adopted, or fmuggling will become general. The varie- ty of weights and meafuresy which univerfally prevails both in England and Scotland, demands the attention of the Lcgifla- ture. In London ^ ftone weight of feveral commodities is 16 libs -avoirdupoize ; in Liverpool, or Whitehaven, the fame nominal quantity of the fame goods is only 14 lib. ditto ; in Dumfries, or in that part of this county that lies upon the other fide of the river Urr, a Scotch ftone of any commodity is 24 libs ; in New Galloway, which is in the fame county, it i» 26lb, and in all this part of the country round Kirkcudbright, it is 28 libs, ditto: In other places, only 22 libs, make the ftone. Almoft every county in England has its tu/helf and every county in Scotland its peckj all differing one from another. The Winchefter bufhel is now generally ufcd in this county, to meafure all forts of grain ; and an hundred weight of pota- toes and a peck are the fame.
CharaBer and Manners. — ^The people in general are chcar- ful, fober, induftrious, and humane ; of an afpiring and in- dependent fpirit. There arc not at prefent above four men in the tlation of fervants, that were born and educated in this parifti. Seventeen young men, if not more, within thcfe few years, have gone to England, America, and the Weft Indies, in the mercantile line j three to the fea ; befides fisveral faroilie& that emigrated before the commencement of the American war, Since the year 1763, there is a vaft dif- ference in the houfes, drefs and manner of living. There were then only two houfes covered with flate ; now there arc about thirty. Englifti broad cloth, and fancy vcfts of cot- ton, are the drefs of the men, when they go to church or market. Silk cloaks and bonnets, printed gowns, and cotton ftockings, the drefs of the women. In the year 1763, there
M 2 wcrp
92 StatifHcal Account
wer^ otilf three fistinilies in which tea wa&oocafiqnaUy drunls. Now it is u&d in every family* In 1763, at Martio- tnas, there were not more than three beeves killed in the parifhy our remotenefs from public market making it neceC- fary to ialt provifion^ for winter ; now there are about forty, . befides a great many fwine, a pig being kept and fed by al- moft every houfeholder, together with lamb and mutton in fummer and harveft ; butcher meat, of one kind or another, making a great part of the diet of the farmers and their fer- yams, ^irhich, perhaps, is cheaper upon the whole, than the low diet upon which they we:^c formerly fed.
NUMBEi;.
ofUrqubart^ 53
NUMBER y. PARISH ofURQ^UHART,
(CoUMTT AMD PRESBTTERT OF ElGIN, StNOD OF MoRAT.)
By the Rev. Mr Wil&iam Cordon, Miniftfr.
" t ■ ■ .1. ^ < . . ■ . I I .1 . . ■ II II
Naniif Extent^ and Situation^ (SV,
H& etymology of the. name cannot be afcertained Mrith precifioD. If it be of Gaelic e:ittni^oiH fome information may be received from thofe quaxters where that language i$ underftood. There are other two pariAes of the fame name, the one a few miles from Invernefis, and in that county ; the other in RoA-ihire. This pariih extends about 4 miles from K to W. and 3 from N. to S -,. and lies at an equal diftance from Elgin on the W. and the river Spey on the £ *, the poft road paffing along it on the S.
Surface^ Sea Coa/l^ Futl^ tJ*^.— That part of the pariih which lies to the N. W. is flat and low, rifing a few feet on- ly above the level of the fea> and has probablyj at fome for- • ' mcr
5^4 Statijiical Account
*
iner period been covered by water, as there are evident marks of the fca haying receded from ^e coaft : The reft is a good deal more elevated, and of an unequal waving fur- face. The fea coaft, which is about 4 miles in extent, is low and fandy ; it contains no creek nor landing place of any kind. Our grain, which is our only article of exporta- tion, is (hipped from Speymouth or Lofsiemouth ; and our gireat article of importation, which is coals, is imported at the lame harbours •, the former of which is at the diftanc^ of 4 miles, and the other of 6. It is proper here to mention, that this, as^well as feveral other neighbouring pariflies,' was fortiierly ill fi^pplied with feic} ; but how, that article is ren- dered much lefs cxpenGve, by taking off the high duty on coak, that was laid on with little attention to political e- conomy, and which has lately been abolifhed by the ex- ertions of a great ftatefman ; to whom this country is more obliged' on accpunt of that meafu^e, and many others, thai^ to any other native of this part of the united kingdom.
GHntaUy 55V. — ^The air is dry and falubrious, an^ the pto^ pie in general healthy ; there are, however, few inftances of remarkable longevity to be met with. The climate here, like that of all that narrow traft of land, which lies along the fouth fide of tlic Moray Firth, is mild and temperate to an extra- ^yrdfinary degree : Its fuperiority, in that refpcft, over the high country, is moft remarkable in the Spring months. Of- *ten in that feafon, while all the operations of husbandry arc going forward in the low parts of Moray, there are many places in the high country, diftant only a few miles, where ihcfe operations meet with a total interruption, from the in-
tenfeneft
L
©/' Urqubart, 9|
tenfencfs of the frofts) and from deep falls of fnow.'* Onr"
winters likewife, ia general, are fo open, that feveral plants
connmonly ranked amongd the hot-houfe divifion, (land |
throughout that feafon in the gardens of Innee, expofed to
the open air, and lofe little of their verdure.
Soil and Culti'uatkn^ &c.— The foil is various, and, though in general light and fandy, is of a kindly and fertile nature, ex^ ceedingly well adapted for raifing turnips, potatoes, barley, and all kinds of artificial grafles. And a conGderable part of it would be extremely fit for wheat, if there were any opportuni- ty of procuring fufficient quantities of manure. Notwithftand* lug the mildnefs of tlie climate, and the kindlinefs of the foil, agriculture hasanade but flow advances. Some patdies of turnips are indeed to be feen, and a few acres are fown with grafs feeds \ but the fields in general are rather in a ftat« of bad cultivation. This feems to be occafioned, in a great meafurc, by the cxpence and difficulty of conftrufiing fuf- ficient inclofures *, there being no (lone quarries in the pa- ri(h, nor any (lones in the fields fit for this purpofe ; and thorn hedges are fo long of coming to perfedlion, and fo dif- ficult to be fenced when they are young, that no tenant, on a leafe of ordinary endurance, can attempt them with any
profpeni
* It may llkewlfe be obferTcd, as a farther proof of the excellencj of thi« tliinatc, that in the end of the laft, and beginning of the prefcnt tentury, while there was fo great a deficiency in the crops to many parrs of Scot. land, at bordered on a famiae, owing to the cold and wet feajbns ; in Moraf, ft that period, the land was fo produ&ive, as not only to fopply its own in* habitants, bat alfo to fpare confiderable quantities of grain for the fubiift- cnee of their neighbours. And it is a fa<^ well afccrtained, that in thofc yiears of Scarcity and dearth, people came from the fiiire of Angus, to purchjfe cat meal in this country, for which they p9id at the rate of 30 s. /^r buU.
^6 Statijiical Account
proipeCl of fucccfs. The farms aWb are of too fmall extent for carrying on any fubftantial improvements fn agrictzlture. There are a few that may contain from 60 to 100 acres ; but the common run is from 20 to 30.
Farm Rents and Ploughs^ (s^c. — ^The rent of Jand varies according to the nature of the foil ; there are fome fields let for 2os. ^^r acre, while others are below los. ; the average rent may be from 103. to 1 58. The ploughs, of which there are above ico, fome of Englifh, fome of Scotch conftrudion, are drawn chiefly by a parr of horfes. In this branch of farming, an improvement has been introduced about 20 years ago, which now begins to be pretty generally adopted ; that is, plowing with two oxen, harneilcd in the fame manner as horfes. This method is warmly recommended, and the ad* vantages of it fully exp^ined by the late Lord Kaimes, in hia book called The Gentkman Farmer.
Produce^ Exports^ iifc* The produce of this pari(h> con^ fids principally of barley and oats ( be&des fupplying the in<« habitants^ it exports annually a confiderable quantity of grain ) which muft incrcafe yearly, partly by the increafing improve* ments of agricalture, but chiefly by the ufe of potatoes, which are now almoft univerfally cultivated, aild during a great part of the year, are, in a manner, the principal fubfiflence of a confiderable number of the inhabitants. This food, which at firft was not in general ufe, becomes more and mote fo e* very day, from the noious modes that have been difcovered of dreilmg it, by different feafonings, at little or no expence. They make an excellent difti with milk, but above all with onions, which ^re raifed in abundance in this county, and ibid at fuch a moderate price, as to come within the reach of the pooreft inhabitant.
State
of Urqubart. 97
State of Piropmy^ Plantat'tonsy (sfc. — ^Four fifths of this parifli arc the property of the Earl of Fife *, whofe planta- tions arc executed with uncommo:i tafte anri judgement^ and add much to the beauty and ornament of the country. In fome places^ he has planted moors and hills of great ex- tent, but what niakes the moil beautiful appearance, is a num- ber of little rifing grounds, all of which he has covered with fmgular good tafte, and fo as to make their appearance with relation to each other extremely beautiful. In all thefe plan- tations, the Scotch fir at prefent predominates ; but his Lord- ihip every year caufes a great many of thefe to be cut down^ and the voids to be filled up with beech, oak and other de-« ciduous trees $. Befides thefe plantations, Lord Fife has planted hedges, and hedge rows in particular places along the high ways, that (hew niuch fancy, and will afford con- fiderable utihty and. warmth; the hedge rows, before they were planted, were pollards of a confiderable fize, and arc thriving exceedingly well. A fmall plantation, at the place where the road to the houfe of Innes leaves the liigh road, two miles eaft^f Elgin, from the beauty of its lines, mult ftrikc every traveller, and the hedge rows are continued 3 confiderable length along the high road. In mentioning the high road, it is but juftice ti^Lord Fife to let it be known^
Vol. XV. N that
* About 26 years agd, his Ltft'dfliip purchafed the eQatc of lones; aod. being at that time proprietor of ccnfiderable cftates in the adjacent partflies ; the cfta^e of Innes, and the lands of Urquhart, lately acquired by dm exchange tirith the family of Oordod, he became poffcfTcd of fe large a O'ad of proper- iy all contiguous^ and compreheDdwg a great variety of grotind, Kbzc be hu been enabled to execute plaiitations of very large extent.
$ Previous to the year 177^, at whicA pericfd alradt oae Half of fhtfe plantations were formed, there were always planted in each acre 3000 Scouk l^rs : Sinre that tbne the pro|>ottion baa only been i3oo t« ttcb ac/e,
9 ft Statijlicat Account
that fince he became proprietor of Inncs, all the highways within the parifli have been properly attended to, judidottfty direfted, and, by a regular application of the ftatute labour, kept in a (late of good repair f . The only other heritor is Mr Innes of Lcuchars J, who has about one fifth of the real rent of the parifli. He is at uncommon .pains to raifc and fence hedges j he has planted ftripes and belts about the ground round his houfe to a very confiderable extent, befides feveral clumps fimilar to tho<p executed by Lord Fife. Thcfe cTumps, like his Xxyrdlhip's, at ptefent confift chiefly of Scotch firs ; but the plantations around his farm, and about his houfe, afe all deciduous trees of the beft kinds -, oak, a(h, and witch elm, with a proper mixture of larix, which arc all uncom* monly well preferved, befides being kept under the hoe for feveral years after they are planted. The water of Lofly runs through the property of this gentleman ; that river fwells fomctimes to a great height, and frequently flooded the low ground on each fide ; but of late, with great induftry and merit, embankments have been conftni£kcd, that will contain the river, and in a great meafure prevent future inundations : By diis eircumftance the value of his lands is conliderabiy raifed.
f The hoiifc of Innca, one of Lord Fife's numerous feats, had been many year* ago ]^artly defiroycd by aecideDtal fire. Since his Lordfliip became its poCcflbr, it has been repaired at a very confiderable expence, and fitted up in the Mk>ft fa&tonable iHle ; a larg;c addition haa beea made to the gardens, and the groiiDd» about the ho^iS^ hssTc been laid .out in the beft tafte ; the Whole nuJMt now one of the moil pkafanc and elegant pkxes of refideocc in the North.
I Befotte Mr In wit fnceecded to this eftate, it had been in the pofliefGoa ^»|ReDdeinan mho paid very Uttk attention to improvements of aay kind. Since the prie&ot gcotSemaA became pcoprictor, it hai vndevgone a very great akeratioB to the better.
^'
of Urquhart. 99
Lakes, Ft/by Wattr Fcwlx, i^c. — There is one lake in this pariih called the Lech of Cctis, Pike is the only fifh it con- tains : In winter it is frequented hj a confiderable number of fwanS) and, in the fpring and autumn,* by flocks of geefe, ducks, and other water fowls. At the upper part of the parifh, there is another lake called Locbnabeau^ partly in tlits pariflii and partly in Lhanbryd. Lochn^beau is in the middle of what was formerly an extenfive bare moor ; about ao years ago Lord Fife planted the moor, and particularly carried his plantations round the verge of the lake. Thefc plantations are now far advanced, and by their vicinity to the water, which is uncommonly limpid and clear, form a moft beauti« ful and delightful fcene.
Stags. — ^This improvement, however, has been attended with one inconvenience. In fome fevere winters, feveral years ago, a few ftags and hinds came down to the low coun- try from the Duke of Gordon's forefts of Glenfiddich and Glenavon ; of late years they have taken up their refidence in the neighbourhood of Lochnabeau, and the plantations a* round it, and are become fo fond of their new habitation, that they have never returned to their native forefts ; on tlic contrary, they increafe every year, by breeding, and by the addition of frcfli emigrants. Thcfe animals make a very fine appearance, and afford much pleafure and amufement to the fportfman 5 it is therefore to be regretted that they are fo hurtful to plantations and agriculture. Throughout the fummer, they pafture in the night time on the corns ; in the winter on turnips ; and in the fpring, as the winter crops of rye and wheat are then fartheft advanced, they are particular- ly deftruAive to them ; but the ftems of potatoes feem to be their favourite food, as they are known to pafs through ficldlB of corn in order to broufe on them. Upon the whole, it were N 2 much
J CO Statijlical Account
much to be wiflicd, tTiat they were cither driven back to their antient habitation, or utterly exterminated. The laft mtZr fare has been fuccefefuUy followed by ^ worthy nobleman in the wcftcrn part of this county, celebrated for his extenfivc and flourifhing plantations, who kept hounds for the fole purpofe of extirpating thofe dcftruftive animals. I need hardly fay that the nobleman I mean is the Earl of Moray. If thefe plantations have attrafted the deer to this corner, it has been remarked that they have not been favourable to the increafe of hares and patridges ; tliis may be owing to the protcftion which they afFord to beafls and birds of prey. Were gentleman to give fmall premiums for the deilru£tion of thefe vermin, it would prove more efiefiual jn prcferving the game and increafing its numbers, than all the game laws that ever Mfcre, or eyer will be enaclcd.
Churchy Scfyooly and P<?:r.— The prcfent incumbei^t, who 14; a bachelor, had hi3 prefentation from the Duke of Gordon ; but the patronage of the church has fipce been conveyed to the Earl of Fife, at the time that the exchange of lands fook place between his Lordfliip and the family qf Gordon. The ftipend, by a decree obtained February 1793% is 8 chal- dcrs virtual and 40I. Sterling, including 5I. for communion element^. The glebe confifts of 5 Scotch acres. Som<* years ago, the minifter entered into a contraft with the heri- tors, for keeping the manfe ?nd ofpces in repair during his incumbency, for \yhich he receives ^n annuity of (5I. Ster- ling, befides 30I. paid per advance. The church >vas com- pletely repaired about 1 8 years ago. — A new fchool-houfe was then built ; the fchool-maftcr's falary is 1 2 boils of ont meal, and 6 bolls of barley. — The average number of poor in this parifli is about 20. The funds for their fupport arif^ JFrgoi the weekly colleftions at church, which amount to loU
yearly
of UrquharU loi
yearly, together with fome mortifications that produce al. I IS. 4d. of annual intereft.
Population. — ^The number of inhabitants has decreafed within thcfe 40 years, as appears from the following ftate- ment :
Statistical Table of the parish of Urqxjhart.
No. of TouIb in I ;5i,u returned to DrWebiler, > liio
Pitto, in 1793, males 506, females 544, •* « 1050
|
Decreaie 60 |
||
|
Annual avenge of baptifms. |
30 |
|
|
Conditions, PtQVKwiONs, ^c. |
Diflentersf from the EOabliflied |
|
|
Proprietors, |
% |
Church, - - flo |
|
Miniftcr, |
I |
Live Stock, Rsnts, &c |
|
School-mafter, |
I |
Horfes, - - 310 |
|
Gardeners, |
6 |
Black Cattle, »• 900 |
|
Smiths, |
3 |
Sheep, § - 1570 |
|
Tailors, |
5 |
Valued rent in Scotch me* |
|
Joiners, |
6 |
•ney, - L. S5^7 : 15 5 6 |
|
Mafona, - ' - |
6 |
Real ditto in Sterling, |
|
Weavers, |
6 |
about 1800 : 0 : 0 |
|
Shoemakers, |
3 |
No. of acres, planted by the ^arl |
|
MiUers, |
5 |
of Fife, - 2478 |
|
Ale and fpirit'dealers, |
8 |
Manner of Living, — ^Though the progrcfs of agriculture has not been fo rapid as might be wilhed, the increafing com- fort of the people is ycry obfervable. Within thefe 20 years,
a great
f Thcfe confift chiefly of Seceders, of the Antiburgher perfuafion.
f Since the moors were planted, the number of the (beep has confider- ably decreafed, there having been formerly in the parilh more than double fhe above number. The farmers are every daybecoming more reconciled to the want of thefe animals, which cannot be kept with any advantage in an improving country, without fufficient inclofores.
201 Siatyiical Account
t gf^ iiifferenee ^o tlie better maf be nemark£<} in their clothing, their cleanliners^ and every otbcr drcuinftance that tends to make life more agreeable. Their habitations have likewife been verf much improved \ witliin lefs than the pe- riod above mentionedt there have been upwards of 50 neat farm houfes built in thia parifli, either by the landlord or the tenant.
Charafter. — ^Though the number of ale-houfes, mentioned in the table, may, at firfl: appearance, feem to bear hard upon the fobriety of the people, it is to be remarked, that only two of thefe houfes retail any conGderable quantity of ale or whii** ky. The people in general are very fober, and diligent in their fcveral occupations ; their efforts of induftry being as well diredied as theit fituation ai^d circumflances will permit*
^ntiquittes. — The fite of th^ old priory f has lately been converted into an arable field ; and the name of Abbey-nveU^ which the country people ftill give to the fountain that fup- plied the Monks witli water, is the only memorial of it that now remains,
Propofed
^ In \ht ixch century, the whole of this parifli was King's property. As early as the year 1125, a priory, depen^eot on the Ahbey of Dunfermline, was credcd at Urqaliart. It w&s very liberally endowed ; all the lands now called ihc Lordftiip of UrquharC, the lands of Fochabers, as well a» feveral o- flicrs in tliis county, together with a part of the fifhing on Spey, appertained to it. h anpcars that about the year 1345, this cell, as well as that of Pluf- cardene fell into difordcr ; and the Roman Pontiff having commiifioned the bifliops of Scotland, to enquire into thofc irregularities, it was foon after fepa- »atcd from Dunfermline, and conjoined to Plufcardene, with which it coctinu. ed united till the Reformation. At and before that period, the priors began to feu out the lar.ds, refcnin;; only in their own pofTcifion the manor places and mills; the revenue which by that method they drew from thence, if wc take tnt* the acccunt the teinds, ruulturc«, and fcrriccs, would even at this
day
^ UrqubarU i©i
Pr$prfed Bridge, — ^This account ou^t not to be condud-' cd, without mentioning the fatisfaftion entertained in thiapa-, rifli, and the reft of the country, at the late ptofpeft there -^vas of a Brfdge acrofo the Spey. At prcfetit the ferry is extremely troublcfortie, attended with fomef danger^ and ncf. ceffarily very cxpenfive to travellers. If there were a bridge thrown acrofs that river, the commerce and intercourfe of the country would be very much increafed 5 travelling would be tendered much more eafy and comfortable ; and, above all, it would be fingularly ufeful for the jnarch of the King's troops 5 this, in the winter, being the only road by which they can pafs either South or North. For thefc reafons it is univerfally hoped, that meafures for a bridge acrofs the Spey* which have been begun, and generoufly promoted, by a moft lUuftrious family \ in the neighbourhood, will be taken up by government, and aided by the fuhfcription of every per-
fon
^ay be nearly adequate to a moderate rent. The priory was fituated a little Co the eaft of the prcfent church, in the midft of a morafs^and probably went to ruin foon aftei its union whh Plufcardene. In the year 1654, the greater part of the materials were carried off to build a granary near the (hore at Gannouth ; the remainder, foon after that period^ was employed in repairing the maofe, and inclofing the church-yard.
In the year 1x60, the Morawenfet^ or inhabitants of Moray, (for wliat caufe is not now known) took up arms ; they were met in the moors of Urquhart by the King's aimy, which was fent to quell the infurredlioi% and, as we learn from fome of our hiftorians, were, after aa obilinate ro fiftance, defeated there with great daughter. As the inhabitants of Moray were at that period, according to Buchannan, of a refUefs and turbulent dif- poiition, aU the families engaged in thik rcbeUion were difperfed through the different provinces of Scotland. It is laid that thofe who were then re- moved into the Northern Counties, received the name of Sut me eland, which their defcendents dill retain, and that thofc who were fent to the South, allomed the firname of MueAat, which they likewife have tranfmitted t« their pofterity.
\ The family of GoEOOW.
104 Statijlkal Account
fon who wlflies well to his country. A great part of the faid road, from that to Elgin, will, in a fhort time, be bounded with wood on each fide. The large plantations of his Grace the Duke of Qordon begin where Lord Fife's end, and are likely to be continued Eaft-ward to the river fide.
NUMBER
. ofOyne. 105
NUMBER VL PARISH OF OYNE.
(County and Synod of Aberdeen, Presbytery of Ga-
RIDCH.)
By the R€v.Mk ALEXANDEft Cusuny, Minifter.
Name^ Formy Extent, Rivers, and F'tjb.
T.
HE origin of the ngme of this parifti is unknown. It IS commonly pronounced Em. Its extent varies from 3 to 4 miles in breadth and lengtli, and its form is vCry irregu- lar. The river Don divides it from Monymulk on the South. The rivers Ur^ and Stewck bound it on tlie North and N. £. And the fmall river GaJy runs into the Ury at the Eaftern extremity of the parifli. The Ury and the Gady produce eels and trouts, but there are no falmon found in thefe fxpall rivers^ except in (he fpawning feafon^
Soil, Cultivation and Roads.-'The foil pf the greater part of this parifli is, in general, extremely fertile. The lands near the church are very rich and early ; the harvefl: comrponly be- gins eight days fooner here than in any of the neighbouring parifhes. A imall part of the paii(h lies South of the high Vql. XV. P mountain
io6 Statijlical Account
niountain of Bcnochie, and the lands there are.ncitKer fq early nor fo fruitful as thofe on the North fide. The new plan of farming is gaining ground herci but very flowly, and is far from being general. This perhaps is owing in fomc meafure to the farmers being attached to the old hufbandry, but more to their being at a great diftance ffom the means of improvement, and to the roads being exceedingly bad.
Propofei Canals. — A. canal from Aberdeen to Invernry d- long the fouth fide of the Don, and another from Inverury to Old Rayne, is at prefent projefted. If thefe public fpirited enterprifes fucceed, they will be of very great importance to the diftrift of Garioch, whatever profit* the firft fupporters of the fchemc may derive from the undertaking. Before lime and marie wefe ufed in agriculture,' the lands in this' pariih, and in the whole diftri£b, were confidered as the beft lands in the county, and the Garioch was commonly called the Granary of Aberdeen. But of late years the parifhes on |hc fca coaft, which were not naturally fo fertile, have been more improved j and this diftrift, for which nature had done To much, has received but little airjftancc from art. But if the canr.h take jlacc, it is probabje, that the diftrift of the Garioch will become one of the moft fertile and mcft valu- able diftrifts in Scotland.
OhflruBlons io Improviment. — The farmers are in general not opulent. The leafcs are too ftiort : And very high wf//- tures at the mills are a great bar to agriculture, in this and fe- yeral other neighbouring parilhes. In this parifli the eleventh peck of corns ground at the mill is fometimes paid.; and com- monly the thirteenth peck is paid for multures and fervices. One of the heritors in this parifii propofes to take off the
multures
ofbynei ibj
miillurcs, arid it is hoped he will be* imitated by the other J)roprietors in the ncighbouthood.
Climate and D'lfeafcs. — ^The air, in general, is pure and very healthy, and few epidemical difeafcs prevail. The rheuniatifm is the mod common diforder, which, in tlii$, diflrift, is felt more by people of better ftationj than by the poorer fort of people.
Forejl and Fruit 5rr/^x.-«— There is a, great number dflarge afti, plane, beech, birch, elm, oak, pine, fir, walnut and -chefnut trees, all above 60 years old, near the houfe of Weft- hall. There is likewife a very great number of apple, pear^ cherry, geen and plumb trees> which, though much neglec*** ted for thefe 40 yearst commonly bear fruit. There arc fome very large old Scotch firs near the houfe, * and, half a mile diftance from it, there are two thriving plantations of young Scotch firs. #
There^is likewife a large plantation of Scotch firs on that part of the eftate of Pittodry, ^ich lies in this parifli. At Tillyfour there is a confiderable number of fruit and other kinds of trees, befides two large plantations 5 the one of Scotch firs, and the other of hazel. It is a moft beautiful ro- mantic pldce> and a very pleafant fummer feat.
Population*
^ Mr JotxN HoRM, AdVociite, about 90 years ago, betotiSed this pUc^ Very much with feveral planta^ons of firs, which throve fo well, that it \i f>id he himfclf was buxied in a doffin, made out of a fir tree of his ownplan-^ ting. He likewife made out t fine avenue - from the entry of l\is houfe, which at lafl afcends a pretty little gfeen hil>, on the top bf which he built a imall lod^e, of two rooms, and called it Painaasds. He ornamented his feat with a great number ofpleafure walks, with fiaises in them> which ihow a great deal of tallc, conildering hotv long it is fince thefc walks wtre laid out.
io8 Statijlical Account
Population, — ^Thc^poptolatbn, at prefent, is nearly the fame that it was 40 years ago. The number of the males and fe- males is almofl: equal.
Statistical table of the parish of Oyne J.
No. of fouls in 1755, as returned to Dr Webftcr, - - 640
Ditto in 1 79 J, • • - ^30,
Decreafe 10
C^MsiTiONs and Profcssiovb, &e; Stock, Rknts, &c.
No. of Black cattle, - 600
— Horfc«, - I JO
— — Sheep, - xcoo
Carta, - 50
— — Ploughs, - a6
— — Com mills^ - 5
Valued rent, Scotch L. 2300' 10 4 Real ditto, Sterling, about 1000 o- o Rent of I farm per annum, 80 o o Ditto of another, 4a o o
Ditto of 5 or 6 others, ' 34 o o Ditto of the reft, from 4I. to 34 o o Average rent of in-ficld ground per acre, from tS*. to > zoo
Ditto of out-field, 51. to 0100
ManufdRures. — ^Moft of the women in this di drift are employed in knitting (lockings, and very few in fpinning at
the
\ The principal enumerations and calculations in this tabic were made up at Whitfunday 1793.
* None of thefe gentlemcD refidc in the parifli. About 80 years ifo^ ihtrc were 11 proprietors.
|
No. of Proprietors *, |
3 |
|
I |
|
|
I |
|
|
— Scholars in furamer, about |
flO |
|
— Ditto in winter, |
30 |
|
14 |
|
|
Church, |
6z6 |
|
Wrights, |
5 |
|
— -* Weavers, |
3 |
|
Wheel-wrights, |
% |
|
m^^ Tailors, |
I |
|
— — Smiths, |
4 |
|
•-^ Merchants, |
% |
|
I |
|
|
-1 Shoe-makers, |
5 |
of Oyne. lo^
the lint wheel. The (locking manirfaQure brings in from 300I . to 400 1. a year, according to the price of ftockinge, which varies.
FueL — ^The fuel is peats and turfs from Benochie. — ^Thcrc are 4 or 5 parifhcs vhich get their fuel from this high moun- tain. Men and horfes are employed at lead a months in fummcr in providing this fuel. It is wifhed the canal may take place, and then all thefc inconveniences will be obviated.
Churchy Schofi, and P^r.— The ftipend was formerly 3 chalders of meal, i of bear, and 32 1. 15s. in money. An aug- mentation was obtained two months ago, (March 1794:) The manfe was built in 1717 ; but there is no record of the time when the ciiurch was built. Both are nearly m a ruinous ftatc- Colonel Knight of Pittodry is patron.— There is only one fchool in the pariflu The fchool-mafter's falary is 11 L 2S. 6 ; but he has neither houfe nor garden belonging to the office. — ^There are atprefent on the poor*$ roll 9 families, who get regular, but fcanty fupplies. There are no funds but 20