Loudoun
LOUDOUN, or Loudon, a parish, in the district of
Cunninghame, county of Ayr, 8 miles (E.) from Kilmarnock; containing, with the village of Darvel, and
the burgh of barony of Newmilns, 5550 inhabitants.
This place is supposed by some to take its name, the
first syllable of which signifies a "fire," and the other a
"hill," from a hill in the extremity of the parish, which,
on account of its commanding site, was used, as many
conjecture, as a station for signal-fires. Others, however, derive the name from the Gaelic term Lod-dan,
signifying "marshy ground," the land in the vicinity of
the river Irvine, on the south, having formerly possessed
this character. The parish approaches in figure to a
right-angled triangle, the greatest length being about
eight or nine miles, and its average breadth three; it
stretches on the east to the county of Lanark, and
comprises 19,169 acres, of which 10,720 are in tillage,
3153 bent and moor pasture, 882 plantations, and the
rest moss. The Irvine, rising in the north-eastern
corner, flows in a direction nearly south for about two
miles, separating Loudoun from Avondale parish, in
Lanarkshire, after which, sweeping round the towering
hill of Loudoun, it pursues its picturesque course to the
west for seven miles, dividing the parish from that of
Galston. The system of agriculture is advanced, and
the crops of excellent quality. Great improvements
have been made within the last few years on the Loudoun
property, comprising chiefly the erection of very superior
farm-houses and the construction of roads. Large tileworks have been formed, and have been in operation for
several years, often supplying upwards of a million of
tiles annually; and other works of the same kind have
lately been erected near the village of Darvel, and are
intended to furnish tiles for public sale. The coal
formation is seen in almost every part of the parish;
but it is so much disturbed by the trap-rock as to be in
some places incapable of being worked: this trap, of
which the columnar trap composing Loudoun hill is a
portion, forms part of a large trap-dyke running through
the whole Ayrshire coalfield in a north-west and south-east direction. There are also several seams of iron-stone, some of them of considerable thickness; and these,
as well as the coal, are expected shortly to be wrought.
Limestone is abundant, and is extensively quarried; a
bed at Howlet burn, about six feet thick, is wrought by
mining, and is at present let to the Cessnock Iron Company for smelting purposes. The rateable annual value
of the parish is £9679.
The principal building is Loudoun Castle, the magnificent seat of the ancient family of Campbell, earls of
Loudoun, a title now merged in that of the Marquess
of Hastings, the present proprietor of Loudoun. This
fine baronial residence, mostly rebuilt after its destruction by fire about the beginning of the sixteenth century,
has some old portions; but the larger and more splendid
part of the structure was completed in 1811. One of
the square towers, with its battlements of unknown
antiquity, was destroyed when the castle was besieged
by General Monk; but another tower, larger and higher,
built in the fifteenth century, still remains in good condition. There is an excellent library containing upwards
of 11,000 volumes. The plantations around the castle
comprise a great variety of trees, many of them of very
stately appearance, and brought from America by John,
fourth earl of Loudoun, who was governor of Virginia
in 1756, and who, during his military services in various
parts of the world, sent home every kind of valuable
tree he met with. He also formed an extensive collection
of willows, selected from England, Ireland, Holland,
Flanders, Germany, America, and Portugal; and a laurel,
brought from the last-named country, covers with its
branches a space 140 feet in circumference. In the
grounds of the mansion is also a yew-tree of great
antiquity, still fresh and vigorous, and under the shade
of which, one of the family charters, it is said, was
signed in the time of William the Lion, as well as one
of the articles of the Union by Hugh, third earl. The
parish contains the villages of Newmilns and Darvel,
and the hamlet of Auldtown, the first of which is a burgh
of barony, and, as well as Darvel, has a large population,
a great proportion of whom are weavers, the males in
the parish engaged in this employment being 727, and
the females 151, besides a number of subsidiary hands.
The only other branch of manufacture is wool-spinning,
performed at a mill established in 1804, and belonging
to a company of carpet manufacturers in Kilmarnock:
about twenty-five hands are at work, who make great
quantities of yarn. The agricultural produce is sent
for sale to Kilmarnock, and coal is generally brought
from pits three miles distant.
The parish is in the presbytery of Irvine and synod
of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Hastings: the minister's stipend is £191, with
a manse, and a glebe of sixteen acres, valued at £35 per
annum. The church, situated in the village of Newmilns, is a splendid structure, erected in 1844, with
a steeple 133 feet in height. There is a place of
worship belonging to the United Associate synod, and
another for Reformed Presbyterians. The parochial
school affords instruction in the usual branches; the
master has a salary of £34. 4., with a house and garden,
£40 fees, and £10, the interest of a bequest of £200.
There are also schools at Darvel and Auldtown, the
schoolrooms and dwelling-houses being provided by the
Loudoun family; and at Newmilns is a female school,
supported partly by subscription. The parish contains
three libraries, a masonic society, and two or three
other friendly societies; and possesses three charities,
one, amounting to £60 per annum, for decayed burgesses
of Newmilns, left by Mr. James Smith, a native of that
place; another, a bequest of £16 per annum for four old
people, made by Mrs. Crawfurd; and the third, a legacy
left by Mr. Brown, of Waterhaughs, for the education
and clothing of twelve children. The principal remains
of antiquity are, cairns; the foundations of a Druidical
temple, on the top of a hill the highest in the parish
except that of Loudoun; the ruins of a castle burnt by
the Kennedys, probably in the time of James VI.; and
a small ancient castle at Newmilns. In the east of
the parish is Wallace's cairn, marking the scene of a
conflict between Wallace and a party of English whom
he surprised on their way to Ayr with provisions; and
at a pass, traversed by the road, the battle of Loudoun
Hill was fought in 1307, between Bruce and a body of
English troops under the Earl of Pembroke. The parish
is, however, chiefly remarkable for its connexion with
the ancient family of Campbell, long resident here, and
of whom Lambrinus, father of James de Loudoun, possessed the barony in the reign of David I. The first
earl, who was buried in the church of Loudoun, was
chancellor of Scotland in 1641, and acted a prominent
part in the transactions of that eventful period; and his
grandson, the third earl, was also of some consideration,
enjoying the confidence of William III., and holding the
office of an extraordinary lord of session. Flora, Countess
of Loudoun, only child of James, fifth earl, in 1804
married the Earl of Moira, who was raised to the dignity
of Marquess of Hastings in 1816, in acknowledgment of
his highly distinguished services. This lady, who was
the mother of the lamented Lady Flora Hastings, died
in 1840, and was succeeded by her only son, George,
sixth Earl of Loudoun and second Marquess of Hastings,
whose decease occurred in the year 1844, when his only
son, born in 1832, succeeded to the titles and estates.
Lady Flora Hastings, whose sufferings and wrongs
excited so deep a sympathy throughout the whole nation,
was buried in the family crypt at Loudoun.—See Darvel, and Newmiles.
Louisburgh
LOUISBURGH, a village, in the parish of Wick,
county of Caithness; adjoining the burgh of Wick,
and containing 360 inhabitants. This village, which is
situated on the north bank of the river Wick, was built
on land leased for that purpose by the proprietor, and
received its appellation in compliment to Lady Dunbar,
whose Christian name was Louisa; it consists chiefly of
cottages inhabited by persons employed in the fisheries.
Lowthertown
LOWTHERTOWN, a village, in the parish of Dornock, county of Dumfries; containing 195 inhabitants. This is an improving village, which has sprung
up within the last seven years, and has its name from
the proprietor, named Lowther, by whom the land on
which it is built is feued. It is situated in the eastern
part of the parish, and consists of a large group of cottages inhabited chiefly by persons engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Luce, New
LUCE, NEW, a parish, in the county of Wigton;
containing 652 inhabitants, of whom 278 are in the village, 9 miles (E. N. E.) from Stranraer. This place, the
name whereof is of uncertain derivation, once formed
part of the ancient parish of Glenluce, from which it was
separated in the year 1646, since which time the original
parish has in contradistinction been generally designated
as Old Luce. New Luce, the northern portion, is bounded on the east by the river Tarf, which divides it from
the parish of Kirkowan, and on the west by the river
Luce, which separates it from the parish of Inch. It is
about ten miles in length, and varies from five to six
miles in breadth; but, from the great irregularity of
the ground, the number of acres cannot be ascertained
with any degree of accuracy. The surface, for some
breadth along the banks of the Luce, is tolerably level,
but rises abruptly towards the east into highlands, interspersed with rocks, or covered with heath and moss.
The principal rivers are, the Luce, the Tarf, and the
Crosswater; the Luce has its source in the hills on the
confines of Ayrshire, and, running southward along the
borders of the parish, and through Glen-Luce, falls into
the bay of Luce. The Tarf rises in the hills at the
northern extremity of the parish, and, after flowing in a
winding manner along the boundary of the parish, bends
its course to the east, and joins the river Bladenoch.
The Crosswater has its source on the confines of Ayrshire, and passing southward with a very devious current
through the northern portion of the parish, diverts its
course to the west, and flows into the Luce near the
church. Salmon, par, and fresh-water trout are found in
the Luce and Crosswater in tolerable plenty; the fishery
on the former river produces a considerable rental to
the proprietor, but that on the latter is not appropriated.
The soil along the banks of the rivers is pretty
fertile, and the arable lands are chiefly found there.
These however bear a very small proportion to the other
lands in the parish, scarcely producing grain in sufficient
quantity for the supply of the inhabitants; and the
farmers place their chief dependence on the rearing of
black-cattle and sheep, for which the hills afford pasture.
The system of husbandry has, nevertheless, been much
improved within the last few years; many of the farms
have been inclosed; and buildings of more substantial
character, and better adapted for the use and comfort of
the tenants, have been recently erected. The blackcattle, though generally small, are of good quality, and,
when removed to richer pastures, are soon fattened;
considerable numbers are sent for sale to the Glenluce
and Stranraer cattle-markets. The sheep are chiefly
purchased by dealers for Glasgow and Liverpool. There
are but a few small patches of land under plantation;
though the soil is well adapted for the purpose, and such
trees as have been planted are all in a highly-thriving
condition. The rocks in the parish are of the transition
class: lead-ore has been found, and was many years
since wrought; and it is in contemplation to renew the
search under the auspices of the Earl of Stair, the principal landed proprietor. The rateable annual value of
New Luce is £3050. The village is pleasantly situated
near the influx of the Crosswater into the Luce; it is
neatly built, and contains three good inns, and several
shops well stored with various kinds of wares for the
supply of the neighbourhood. The inhabitants of it
are chiefly employed in handicraft trades; and facility
of communication is afforded by the road from
Glenluce to Curloch, in the parish of Ballantrae, by
other good roads which intersect the parish, and by
bridges over the streams. The ecclesiastical affairs are
under the superintendence of the presbytery of Stranraer
and synod of Galloway. The minister's stipend is
£158. 6. 8., including an allowance for communion
elements, of which sum £88 are paid from the exchequer;
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £12 per annum:
patron, the Crown. The church, which is situated in
the village, is a neat plain structure erected in 1816, and
containing 400 sittings, without galleries. The parochial
school is attended by about fifty children: the master
has a salary of £25. 13. 4., with a small dwelling-house,
and the fees average £5 per annum; he also receives the
interest of a bequest of £50 for the gratuitous instruction of poor children. A late earl of Stair bequeathed
£300, of which the interest is annually divided among
the poor. There are several cairns in the parish, in the
removal of some of which, sepulchral urns were found;
and on a small eminence near its north-eastern extremity are two upright stones, upon one of which is the
figure of a cross, rudely sculptured.
Luce, Old
LUCE, OLD, or Glenluce, a parish, in the county
of Wigton; containing 2448 inhabitants, of whom 890
are in the village, 10 miles (E. by S.) from Stranraer.
This parish anciently included New Luce, the two places
together forming the parish of Leuce or Glenluce, which
was divided in 1646 into two parts, one called New,
and the other Old. The abbey of Glenluce, situated in
the deep valley of the river Luce, founded in 1190 by
Roland Macdonald, Lord of Galloway, and Constable of
Scotland, and covering a large space of ground, was the
abode of Cistercian monks who came from Melrose. It
was converted, however, in 1602, by James VI., into a
temporal barony, in favour of Lawrence Gordon, abbot
of the place; and on the death of Lawrence, it was
bestowed by royal charter on his elder brother, John,
Dean of Salisbury, who, dying in 1619, was succeeded
in the barony by his son-in-law, Sir Robert Gordon,
the historian. Subsequently it was annexed to the see
of Galloway; and at the close of the 17th century,
being again made a barony, it conferred the title of Lord
Glenluce, upon Sir James Dalrymple, of Carrick, whose
son became Lord Glenluce and Earl of Stair. Thomas
Hay had been, in 1560, appointed commendator of the
abbey, by a bull from the Pope; and from him Sir
James Dalrymple Hay, of Park, the present proprietor
of the abbey, is descended.
The parish is ten miles long and eight miles broad,
and contains 40,350 acres. It is bounded on the north
by New Luce; on the south by the Bay of Luce; on
the east by Mochrum and Kirkowan; and on the west
by Inch and Stonykirk. Except in the immediate
neighbourhood of the bay, the surface of the land is
irregular and hilly. Besides a considerable number of
perennial springs, the water of which, coming from
rocks, is unusually clear and cold, there are several
small lakes, and the two rivers Luce and Pooltanton,
the former of which is here about thirty feet wide. It
runs for twenty-one miles from its source in Ayrshire,
and empties itself into the bay almost at the same place
as the stream of Pooltanton. In each of these rivers
salmon and sea-trout are taken. The soil varies to a
considerable extent, but that which prevails most is of a
gravelly or sandy nature, and is light and dry; the best
land is found in the southern parts, and in the vicinity
of the river Luce. In some places the soil contains
large mixtures of moss, clay, or loam, and runs to the
depth of two or three feet. The annual crops are as
follows: 400 acres of wheat, 1350 of oats, 454 ryegrass, 259 meadow-hay, 60 peas and beans, 467 potatoes, and 160 turnips. About 10,000 acres are uncultivated, and between 300 and 400 are wood. Within
the last thirty years the agricultural appearance of the
parish has undergone a total change. Large quantities
of waste land have been brought into cultivation; and
the increase of dairies, supplying plenty of manure,
together with the prevalence of the green-cropping
system, has produced the most beneficial effect. In
those parts suited for pasture, especially among the
moors, cattle of the black Galloway breed are preferred;
and the sheep most esteemed are of the black-faced
breed, with horns, and producing long coarse wool.
In the south are some superior dairy-farms, where more
than 6000 stone of cheese are made every year. The
farm-buildings are in general commodious, and in good
condition. The subsoil of the parish is gravelly or
sandy, except in the heavier soils, and sinks to a very
considerable depth: the rocks are the ordinary greywacke, intermixed with quartz, and granite is found in
almost every direction. A greywacke quarry in the
vicinity of the village has been wrought for some years,
to the great advantage of the parish. The rateable
annual value of Old Luce is £10,232.
There are three castles, viz., the Castle of Park, the
former residence of the Hays; Castle Synniness; and
Carsecreuch, once the residence of the earls of Stair:
but of these seats one only is entire. Genoch and
Balkail are modern mansions. The village is situated
upon the road leading from Newton-Stewart to Stranraer. Corn and carding-mills are regularly at work;
there are also a dye-mill and a flax-mill. Cattle-markets
are held near the village, from April to December, on
the first Friday in each month, and a fair in the month
of May; there is a regular post in the village, and the
mail from Dumfries to Portpatrick runs through it
every day. Within two miles of it is a harbour in the
bay, suited to receive small craft bringing coal and
lime; but no larger vessels can approach this part of
the shore. The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the
presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway, and the
patronage is in the Crown: the stipend of the minister
is £158, of which nearly half is received from the exchequer, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £30 per
annum. The church, erected in 1814, is a commodious
edifice, and situated close to the village. The members
of the United Secession have a place of worship. The
master of the parochial school has a salary of £25. 13.,
with a house and garden; and his fees average between
£30 and £40. There are several other schools, of which
two are connected with dissenters, and one is supported
by the Hay family. The chief remains of antiquity are
the abbey ruins; the chapter-house is still in good condition, and its arches are distinguished by antique figures
of white freestone. The celebrated characters connected
with the parish have been, John Gordon, Dean of Salisbury, eminent for numerous literary works; Sir Robert
Gordon, the historian; and the Rev. Robert Mc Ward,
a theological and controversial writer in the reigns of
Charles I. and II., and who was at one time secretary
to the well-known Samuel Rutherford.
Luckensford
LUCKENSFORD, a hamlet, in the parish of Inchinnan, Upper ward of the county of Renfrew, 2½
miles (W. N. W.) from Renfrew; containing 58 inhabitants. It lies on the high road from Renfrew to Port-Glasgow.
Lucklawhill-Feus
LUCKLAWHILL-FEUS, a hamlet, in the parish of
Logie, district of Cupar, county of Fife, 1 mile (E. by
N.) from Logie; containing 79 inhabitants. This is a
small place situated in the neighbourhood of the Lucklaw hill, which rises to a considerable height, and from
which is an extensive prospect of Fife, Perth, Angus, and
Mearns.
Lugton
LUGTON, a village, in the parish of Dalkeith,
county of Edinburgh, ½ a mile (N. W.) from Dalkeith;
containing 230 inhabitants. The barony of Lugton was
taken, in 1633, from the old parish of Melville, and annexed to this parish. The village is situated on the
high road from Dalkeith to Edinburgh, and on the
banks of the North Esk, over which river is a bridge,
built in 1765, and widened in 1816, when, also, the
approaches to it were improved. The inhabitants of the
place are chiefly colliers, and a school has been established for their children.
Lumphanan
LUMPHANAN, a parish, in the district of Kincardine O'Neil, county of Aberdeen, 2¾ miles (N. by
W.) from Kincardine O'Neil; containing 964 inhabitants.
This place is celebrated as the scene of the death of the
famous Macbeth, who, after reigning for seventeen
years, was killed here by Macduff on the 5th of December, 1056. Memorials of the event still remain in
"Macbeth's stone," at present standing in the brae of
Strettum, on the farm of Carnbady, where the usurper
was slain, and in the cairn forming the place of his
sepulture on the Perk hill, about a mile from the church.
Lumphanan once formed a part of the barony of O'Neil,
belonging in the 13th century to the Durwards, of
whom Allan de Lundin, named Doorward or Durward,
from his office in the king's court, erected an hospital
at Kincardine O'Neil dedicated to God and the Blessed
Virgin, and conferred upon it the patronage of Lumphanan church, with other immunities, and also the patronage of the church of Kincardine O'Neil. The hospital
was in 1330 incorporated with the cathedral establishment of Aberdeen. In 1296, Edward I., having received
the homage of many persons of distinction after the
battle of Dunbar, advanced from Aberdeen on the 21st
of July to this place, with an illustrious retinue, and received the written submission of Sir John de Malevill,
a copy of which is preserved in Her Majesty's exchequer. The wooden castle named the Peel-Bog is said to
have been the place where the business was transacted.
The parish is situated between the rivers Dee and
Don, and is six miles in length from north to south, and
four miles from east to west, comprising 7620 acres, of
which 2770 are arable, 550 wood, and the remainder
uncultivated. The surface is varied with high and low
grounds, in the latter of which the soil is loamy, deep,
and fertile, but on the sides of the hills thin and sandy;
the produce comprises several kinds of grain and various green crops, cultivated in a superior manner, in
some places under the seven, and in others under the
six, shift course. The cattle are of the pure Aberdeenshire breed, unchanged by the admixtures and crosses
adopted in so many other parts. The improvements in
agriculture have been numerous within the last thirty
years, comprising chiefly the recovery of waste land,
the draining of marshes, the inclosure of farms by
fences, and the erection of substantial and commodious
farm-steadings. The climate is early, and the crops of
oats, bear, and barley in general heavy. The average
rent of arable land is about £1 per acre, and the rateable annual value of the parish amounts to £2741. The
rocks consist principally of granite; and over the substrata are stretched, in several parts, large tracts of
moor and moss, and some marshy waters, of which the
loch of Auchlossan, containing numerous eels and pike,
covers 250 acres. The woods are principally larch and
Scotch fir. There are five seats of proprietors, all modern buildings, named Auchinhove, Findrack, Glenmillan, Pitmurchie, and Camphill. The turnpike-road
from Aberdeen to Tarland runs through the parish from
east to west; and the military road formed about the
year 1746, and the road formed from Kincardine O'Neil
to Alford by the parliamentary commissioners for Highland roads and bridges, traverse it from south to north.
The produce is usually sent for sale to Aberdeen; but
corn and cattle-markets are held at Camphill, in the
parish, on the second Monday of each of the winter and
spring months.
Lumphanan is in the presbytery of Kincardine O'Neil
and synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of Sir
John Forbes, of Craigievar, Bart.: the minister's stipend
is £154, with a manse, and a glebe of seven and a half
acres, valued at £10 per annum. The church was
erected in 1762, and contains 383 sittings. The parochial school, in addition to the ordinary branches,
affords instruction in Greek, Latin, and mathematics;
the master has a salary of £27, with a house, and
£12. 12. fees, and participates in the benefit of the
Dick bequest. There is also a school at Camphill, the
master of which receives the interest of £150, left by
James Hunter, Esq., of Darrahill. A parochial library
at Tillyching, established in 1814, contains upwards of
400 volumes. The chief antiquities are, Macbeth's cairn,
already noticed, and the Peel-Bog, a circular earthen
mound, situated in a marshy hollow near the church,
and forty-six yards in diameter, rising about twelve
feet above the level of the ground, and surrounded by a
moat. It is supposed to have been constructed in the
13th century; and the wooden castle on its summit
was a residence of the Durwards, who possessed a large
extent of territory in this county. The wooden fort was
succeeded by one of stone, called Haa-ton House, the
residence of the proprietor of the neighbouring estates;
but this, in the march of agricultural improvement,
was razed to the ground about the year 1780. Remains
of a strong building called the Houff are still visible;
it was once a stronghold of considerable antiquity, but
afterwards converted into a burial-place for the family
of the Duguids, of Auchinhove.
Lunan
LUNAN, a parish, in the county of Forfar, 7½
miles (N. by E.) from Arbroath; containing 272 inhabitants. The name of this place is derived from two
Gaelic words signifying "the river of the lakes," supposed to have been applied from the circumstance of
the river Lunan rising in a lake near Forfar, and running through two other lakes in its course to the bay of
Lunan, in the German Ocean, here. In ancient times
the parish was called Lônan, Lôunan, and Inverlunan.
The names of several places in the district render it probable, and perhaps certain, that King William the Lion
had frequent intercourse with Lunan. He built, it is
said, the structure called Redcastle, situated in an adjoining parish, near the influx of the Lunan into the
ocean, and which he is reported to have used as a hunting-seat; while in the parish of Lunan are places styled
Hawkshill, where he may have kept his hawks; Courthill, where he may have kept his court; Cothill, where
his cattle were; and the Castle Knap, which was his
prison. Some lands at present in the possession of one
of the heritors were formerly called the Kirklands of
Inverlunan, and were appended to the abbey of Arbroath. They were conveyed by charter dated July 21,
1544, to Lord John Innermeath and Elizabeth Beaton,
his wife, by the commendator and chapter of Arbroath, upon the payment of an annual feu-duty; and
in 1587, they passed to the crown by the annexation
act. The feu-duties were subsequently, with other
estates belonging to the abbey, erected into a temporal
barony in favour of James, Marquess of Hamilton, from
whom they passed to the earls of Panmure. Being forfeited in 1715, they were bought by the York Buildings'
Company; not long afterwards repurchased by the late
Earl of Panmure; and sold at length, in 1767, to the
ancestor of the present owner.
The parish, which is of oblong form, is one of the
smallest in the county, being only two miles in length,
and averaging but one mile in breadth. It contains
1950 acres, and is bounded on the north by Marytown
and Craig parishes, on the south by the river Lunan, on
the east by the ocean, and on the west by Kinnell.
The land at the extreme northern boundary reaches an
elevation of about 400 feet above the level of the sea, to
which height it rises from the shore, at first abruptly,
but afterwards more equably. The aspect of the parish
from the south is interesting and somewhat imposing;
but, upon a nearer approach, the want of trees, and of
verdant fences on the cultivated lands, produces considerable disappointment. The parish has a mile and a
half of coast, formed by Lunan bay, which measures
altogether about five miles in its margin, and is considered one of the most beautiful in Scotland. At each
extremity of the bay, rugged and precipitous cliffs rise
to a perpendicular height of between 100 and 150 feet;
and after a storm or a high spring tide, numbers of fine
shells, and sometimes pieces of pebble, onyx, and jasper,
are found on its yellow sands. In a northerly direction, near the boundary of the parish, is Buckie Den,
commencing from the shore with a wide opening, but
narrowing for about half a mile into the land; it is a
romantic spot, watered by a rivulet, and almost covered
with wild shrubs, interspersed with cowslip and polyanthus.
The soil near the coast is sandy, and upon the high
grounds shallow and moist, but in other parts rich and
fertile: the number of acres under cultivation is 1345;
about 400 are waste, ninety common, and fifteen
planted with Scotch fir. The value of the grain raised
is estimated at £4160, of the potatoes and turnips £824,
and of the hay and pasture £910. The system of husbandry is advanced, and the crops produced are of an
excellent description; the improvements have been numerous; the crops have been doubled since the adoption of the modern method of agriculture, and the farm
buildings and offices, though still needing improvement,
have been much bettered. The cattle are the Angus,
the black-polled, and a cross of the Angus with the
Teeswater, which last breed is found very profitable.
The rateable annual value of the parish now amounts
to £1964. The means of communication are considerable, Lunan being intersected by the coast-road between
Edinburgh and Aberdeen, which is kept in good repair,
and upon which six coaches pass, three to the south
and three to the north; the other roads are also convenient and in tolerable repair. The bay is deep and well
bottomed, and forms a safe shelter for vessels, except
on the blowing of the wind from the east, to which it is
entirely exposed. A salmon-fishery at the mouth of the
river is estimated to produce £420 per annum. The
ecclesiastical affairs are directed by the presbytery
of Arbroath and synod of Angus and Mearns, and the
patronage is vested in the Crown: the stipend is £158,
of which a third is received from the exchequer. The
manse, built in 1783, and enlarged in 1827, stands on
high ground about a mile from the old church, to the
north-east; the glebe consists of eight acres, valued at
£15 per annum. The late church, which was very
ancient, was wholly taken down, and a new church
erected upon its site in the year 1844; it is situated
in the south-eastern portion of the parish. There is a
parochial school, where the classics, mathematics, and
ordinary branches of education are taught; the master's salary is £31, with about £25 fees, and a bequest
of fifty merks for teaching six poor children. In the
south-western division of the parish is the mound of
Arbikie, with a ridge of land seven yards in breadth,
and about 120 yards in length, and a parallel range of
tumuli extending 800 yards in length; the ridge and
mound are supposed to have formed sepulchres of the
conquered, and the tumuli, sepulchres of the dead of
the conquerors, in some great battle fought in the neighbourhood.
Lunanhead
LUNANHEAD, a village, in the parish and county of
Forfar, 1¼ mile (E. N. E.) from Forfar; containing 191
inhabitants. It is situated in the northern part of the
parish, and near the chief source of the river Lunan,
whence the name. The loch of Restenneth, in the
neighbourhood of the village, was drained about the commencement of the present century; but the powerful
springs conducted by the drain through the moss, still
form the principal head of the Lunan. This stream
flows with a clear current eastward for about twelve or
fourteen miles, and falls into the sea at Redcastle, giving
name to a fine bay, which comprehends an extent of
coast of five miles.
Lunasting
LUNASTING, county of Shetland.—See Nesting.
Lundie and Fowlis
LUNDIE and FOWLIS, two districts, constituting
a parish, the former in the county of Forfar, and the
latter in the county of Perth; containing, with the
hamlet of Kirk, 734 inhabitants, of whom 286 are in
Fowlis, and 448 in Lundie, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from
Dundee. Of these two ancient parishes, united by a decree of the High Commissioners in 1618, Lundie derives
its name, in the Gaelic Linn-De, signifying, "the pool
of God," from a very extensive lake which formed its
chief feature: the other district, of which no etymology
is known, is often distinguished by the adjunct Easter
from the parish of Fowlis Wester, in the same county.
Lundie is bounded on the north by the Sidlaw hills;
it is about three miles in length and two in breadth, and
comprises 4000 acres, of which 2500 are arable, 140
water, and the remainder meadow and hill pasture.
Fowlis district is bounded on the north by Lundie, and
is about four miles in extreme length, and rather more
than one mile in average breadth, comprising an area of
2400 acres, of which nearly 1500 are arable, 160 woodland and plantations, 260 meadow and pasture, and the
remainder moor and waste. The surface of Lundie is
gently undulating in the central parts, and bounded on
the west, north, and east by hills of considerable elevation, of which the Sidlaws rise to the height of 800 feet
above the level of the sea. At the base of these hills
are four lakes, from which, though much diminished in
their extent by draining, the river Dighty issues in two
streams, flowing through the valley to which it gives
name. Of these lakes, that of Lundie, formerly covering
100 acres, is now reduced to little more than eight; the
Long loch is about half a mile in length and one quarter
of a mile broad, but the Pitlyal and Balshandie lakes
are only of small size. There was formerly a lake of
some extent in Fowlis; but it was drained long since
for the sake of the marl, and little more of it remains
than a reedy marsh frequented by various kinds of
aquatic fowl. The other lakes abound with perch, pike,
and eels. The higher grounds command extensive and
interesting views of the surrounding country; and from
the summit of Blacklaw, the only hill of any eminence
in Fowlis, is obtained a richly-diversified and beautiful
prospect. The glen of this district, a thickly-wooded
and deep ravine extending southward from the church,
contains much romantic scenery.
The soil is generally a deep black loam, well adapted
for all sorts of grain; but is on the higher grounds thin
and sharp; and in the lower parts are considerable
tracts of marshy land, the greater portion of which has,
however, been reclaimed by draining, and is now under
profitable cultivation. The chief crops are oats and
barley, with a moderate quantity of wheat, and the
usual green crops; the system of agriculture is greatly
improved. The lands are partly inclosed with fences
of thorn; the farm buildings and offices are substantial
and well arranged, and all the more recent improvements in the construction of implements have been
adopted. The pastures are rich, and much attention is
paid to the management of the dairy-farms, and to the
breed of live stock; the cattle are of the Angus breed,
occasionally crossed with the Teeswater, and the sheep
of the Cheviot and Leicestershire breed, with a few of the
black-faced kind. The produce of the dairies finds a
ready sale in the market of Dundee. The substratum
of the parish is chiefly common grey freestone, which
prevails in the lower parts; the hills are mostly of trap.
The rateable annual value of Lundie is £3261, and of
Fowlis £3270. There is no regular village, the population being exclusively agricultural, with the exception of
a small number who are employed in the several trades
requisite for the supply of the parish. Facility of communication with the neighbouring towns is afforded by
the Dundee and Cupar-Angus turnpike-road, which
intersects the parish; and by the Carse of Gowrie road,
from which Fowlis is not more than a mile distant.
Fairs are held at Lundie in June and August, for the
sale of cattle. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the
superintendence of the presbytery of Dundee and synod
of Angus and Mearns: the minister's stipend is £201,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £9 per annum;
patron, the Earl of Camperdown. The church of Lundie
is a plain neat structure in good repair, and contains
330 sittings. The church of Fowlis is a very ancient
and beautiful structure, having been erected about the
year 1142, traditionally in fulfilment of a vow for the
safe return of her husband from the crusades, by a Lady
Mortimer; it is a remarkably fine specimen of the richest
style of Norman architecture, in the most perfect state
of preservation, and abounding in interesting details:
there are about 300 sittings. A parochial school is
supported in each district; the masters have each a
salary of £30, with a house and garden, and fees averaging about £25 per annum. A subscription library,
of which the schoolmaster has the superintendence, has
been established at Fowlis, and contains about 600
volumes. Admiral Duncan, who signalised himself by
his intrepidity during the mutiny of the Nore, and by
his brilliant victory over the Dutch fleet off Camperdown, was one of the chief proprietors of this parish;
he died in 1804, and was interred in the churchyard of
Lundie. In a handsome mausoleum adjoining the church
are the remains of Sir William Duncan, Bart., M.D.,
and his lady, the daughter of Sackville, Earl of Thanet.
The present Earl of Camperdown, son of the gallant
admiral, and proprietor of Lundie, was promoted from
a viscounty to an earldom by that title at the coronation
of his late Majesty, William IV., and takes the inferior
title of Baron Duncan of Lundie from this place. In
the church of Fowlis are the remains of Lord Gray, of
whose ancestors and family it has been the burial-place
for many generations.
Lundinmill
LUNDINMILL, a village, in the parish of Largo,
district of St. Andrew's, county of Fife; containing
499 inhabitants. This place takes its name from an
ancient family who were its proprietors from the reign
of David I. till it passed by marriage to Robert, son of
William the Lion, King of Scotland. A tower of their
castle is still preserved in the modern mansion of Capt.
Erskine Wemyss, the present proprietor. The village,
which adjoins that of Largo, lies on the high road from
Kilconquhar to Leven; and south and east of it are the
"Standing Stones of Lundin," three huge coarse stones
of a triangular form, measuring six yards high above,
and probably as much below the ground, supposed to
be Druidical remains, or of Roman origin, or to indicate
the sepulchres of Danish chiefs.
Lunga
LUNGA, an island, in the parish of Jura and Colonsay, district of Islay, county of Argyll. This island,
which is separated from Scarba, on the north, by the
small Frith of Bealach-a-Chumhain-Glais, is about three
square miles in extent, of rugged surface, and abounding
in slate.
Luss
LUSS, a parish, in the county of Dumbarton; containing 1052 inhabitants, of whom 309 are in the village,
9 miles (N. N. E.) from Helensburgh. The name of this
parish is derived from a Gaelic word signifying a "plant"
or "herb," and probably applied from the circumstance
of the river of Luss, or rather the valley through which
it flows, being once overspread with shrubs. The most
remote historical facts connected with the place relate
to St. Mackessog, a native of Lennox, who was a bishop
and confessor, and suffered martyrdom here in the year
520: he was buried in the church, which was dedicated
to him; and from him, also, a cairn in the southern
part of Luss was afterwards called Carn-ma-Cheasog.
In the 13th century, when Haco of Norway made
a descent upon Scotland, he conducted part of his fleet
up Loch Long to Arrochar. From this spot the boats
were dragged across an isthmus; and being floated on
Loch Lomond at Tarbet, they sailed to Luss, and carried
devastation and slaughter through the parish and its
neighbouring islands. The estate of Luss fell, about
the 14th century, into the possession of the family
who have ever since retained it. In the beginning of
the 12th century, Alwyn, second earl of Lennox, had
made the lands over, by charter, to Malduin, Dean of
Lennox; and his descendants, who were styled de Luss,
had held them till the 14th century, when they came
into the hands of Colquhoun, of Colquhoun, through
his marriage with the sole heiress. The descendants of
this union kept the property till about the beginning of
the last century, when it came, by the marriage of the
heiress, to Grant of Grant, ancestor of the present proprietor, Sir James Colquhoun, Bart. Robert, the younger
brother of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, in 1395 obtained
the lands of Camstraddan and Achingahan by charter,
and thus was ancestor of the family of Camstraddan;
but eventually the father of the present proprietor purchased the estate of Camstraddan, and, by re-annexing it
to the estate of Luss, became owner of the whole parish.
The parish is about eight and a half miles long, and
varies in breadth from two and a half to five miles. It
is bounded on the north by the parish of Arrochar; on
the south and south-west by the parishes of Bonhill
and Row; on the east by Loch Lomond; and on the
west by Row and, for a very short distance, Loch Long.
The parish was formerly of larger extent, comprehending
in its boundaries Arrochar, the lands of Auchindennan,
Cameron, Stuckrogert, Tullichewen, and the lands of
Buchanan. The last-named district was separated in
1621, and Arrochar in 1658; the others were joined
to the parish of Bonhill about the year 1650. The
lands, however, of Caldanach, Conglens, and Prestelloch, once belonging to Inch-Cailloch parish, are now
annexed to Luss. The surface throughout, with few
exceptions, is hilly and mountainous. The least elevated land lies along the Lake Lomond from the
southern extremity of Luss to Ross-Dhu; some of this
is perfectly level, and the rest is a continuous tract of
slopes and acclivities gradually rising till they merge in
the ascent of the abrupt and lofty mountains. Among
the chief mountains are, Ben-Cornachantian, Aich, Dhu,
and Corafuar, which rise nearly 3000 feet above the
level of the sea, and are broken in every direction by
fissures and glens of the wildest and most romantic
kind. Of the numerous streams, the Froon runs into
Loch Lomond nearly opposite the southern extremity of
Inch-Murin, the largest of its islands: this river takes
its name from, or gives it to, Glen-Froon, through which
it runs, and which was the spot where a sanguinary
battle was fought in 1603, between the clans of Colquhoun and Mac Gregor. The rivers Luss and Finlass
rise at a small distance from Glen-Finlass, which is
parallel with Glen-Froon, and separated from it by a
range of mountains: these two streams, diverging from
their source, fall into the loch about three miles from
each other. On the extreme northern boundary of the
parish is Glen-Duglass, at the opening of which to the
lake is the ferry of Ruardinnan. All these glens run
in an easterly line; and their several rivulets flow
into the same great reservoir, Loch Lomond, which is
twenty-four miles long. The eastern boundary of the
parish embraces about eight miles of its shore. Its
extreme breadth is in the part near Ross-Dhu, which is
almost eight miles wide; and the islands contained in
it which belong to Luss are, Inch-Tavanach, InchConagan, Inch-Lonaig, Inch-Moan, Inch-Galbraith,
and Inch-Friechlan. Some of these islands are naked
rocks; others are covered with wood, or supply peat to
the poor; and one, converted into a park for about 150
deer belonging to the proprietor of the parish, is celebrated for its vast number of ancient yew-trees. This
loch, so famous for its unrivalled scenery, exhibits the
finest views from the top of Inch-Tavanach, InchMurin, and the northern point of Benbui. Loch Long,
already referred to, is a large estuary of the sea, extending from the Frith of Clyde northward between the
counties of Dumbarton and Argyll.
The soil is light and gravelly, mixed in some places
with rich loam; a great portion of the land is waste,
and many hundreds of acres are covered with wood.
The average rent of good arable land is £2 per acre.
Agricultural improvement has not made very rapid
advances, and the farm-buildings are still in rather an
inferior condition; but much encouragement has been
recently given by the establishment of a society in the
parish, which distributes prizes annually for improvements in husbandry and the breeding of cattle. The
sheep are the black-faced and the Cheviots; Highland
cattle are pastured on the hilly grounds, and the cows
are in some parts the Ayrshire, and in others a crossbreed between these and the Highland. With regard
to the geological features of the parish, the rocks in the
south-east are the conglomerate or red sandstone; the
mountains comprise clay-slate with all its varieties, and
quartz is often found in the vicinity of the clay-slate, as
well as crystals of cubical iron pyrites. There is a freestone-quarry, the produce of which is used in the parish;
and at Luss and Camstraddan are extensive slate-quarries, from which superior roofing-slates are obtained,
and sent to the neighbouring parishes, and, by the river
Leven, to Dumbarton, Paisley, Glasgow, Port-Glasgow,
and Greenock. About fifty men are employed in the
works, which yield two varieties, viz., the light and the
dark blue, the latter bringing the highest price in the
market. The rateable annual value of the parish is
£4215. The only mansion of note is Ross-Dhu House,
the seat of Sir James Colquhoun, built about seventy
years ago, on the promontory of the same name. It is
surrounded by several hundreds of acres of the best land
in the parish, beautifully laid out in pasture and plantations, the scenery of which derives variety from the
ruins of a part of the old family mansion, and a roofless
chapel still used as a cemetery for the family.
The village of Luss, romantically situated about thirteen miles from Dumbarton, on the margin of the lake,
is a central spot from which much of the beautiful
scenery in this part of the county can be visited; it is
crowded with pleasure parties during summer, and there
is an excellent inn. There is a good turnpike-road to
Helensburgh, and the post-road from Dumbarton along
Loch Lomond to the Highlands traverses the whole
length of the parish. Several branch roads supply
further facilities of communication; and there is a post-office in the village, with a daily delivery from Dumbarton and Inverary. There are three bridges across the
Froon, on three respective lines of road; also a bridge
over each of the rivers Finlass, Luss, and Duglass.
Water communication is afforded by Loch Lomond, by
which access may be had to every part in the vicinity of
its shores. There is a fair on the third Tuesday in
August, at the village, for the sale of sheep and lambs.
The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery of Dumbarton and synod of Glasgow and Ayr,
and the patronage is vested in Sir James Colquhoun:
the stipend of the minister is £234, with a manse, and
a glebe of nine arable acres, with two or three under
wood. The church, built in 1771, is a plain building in
good repair, containing 500 sittings. The members of
the Free Church have a place of worship. There is a
parochial school in the village, the master of which
receives a salary of £34. 4.; he has a house, and his
fees average £12. Another school is situated at Moorland, four miles south of the village, the master of which
has £15, with fees, and a house recently built by the
proprietor of the parish; and a girls' schoolmistress
receives a similar amount for teaching in another part
of the parish. There are two libraries, one of which has
been long in existence, and contains about 100 old
volumes, mostly in Greek and Latin; the other, a circulating library, containing eighty volumes, chiefly of
practical divinity, was instituted a few years ago by the
incumbent. The chief relic of antiquity is the cairn of
St. Mackessog, called Carn-ma-Cheasog; and traces
exist of an old fortification at Dumfin, traditionally
represented as a stronghold of the celebrated Fingal.
Luthermuir
LUTHERMUIR, a manufacturing village, in the
parish of Marykirk, county of Kincardine, 6½ miles
(N. N. E.) from Brechin; containing 967 inhabitants.
This place, formerly a barren tract of uncultivated moorland on the banks of the river Luther, has within the
last few years risen into importance through the introduction of the linen manufacture into this part of the
country, and is now become an extensive and populous village. The inhabitants are still partly engaged
in hand-loom weaving for the houses of Montrose and
Brechin, who supply the yarn. At present, however, only
about 200 persons are employed in this branch of manufacture, which was till lately carried on to a much greater
extent, but has experienced considerable depression.
The remainder of the population are occupied in agriculture; the neighbouring lands have been brought into
cultivation, and the district is progressively improving.
A handsome schoolhouse, with a dwelling for the master,
has been erected by Sir John Forbes, Bart., and the heritors, and is supported by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, who allow the master a salary of £15 per
annum; the fees average about £22, and the master has
also three acres of land rent free, given by Sir J. Forbes.
Luthrie
LUTHRIE, a village, in the parish of Creich, district of Cupar, county of Fife, 3 miles (N. W. by. N.)
from Cupar; containing 163 inhabitants. This village
is pleasantly situated within a mile of Brunton. The
inhabitants are mostly employed in hand-loom weaving
for the manufacturers of Cupar and Newburgh; the
articles woven are chiefly Osnaburghs, brown and white
sheetings, and dowlas, of which the quantity annually
produced here, and at Brunton, averages about 177,200
yards. An agent of one of the principal houses resides
in the village, and supplies the main part of the materials; forty persons are employed in weaving, of whom
twelve are females, and about twenty females are engaged in winding. There are likewise in the village a
brewery, a bakehouse, and mills for meal and barley;
several persons, also, are occupied in the various handicraft trades requisite for the supply of the parish; and
there is a small inn. The river Motray flows through
the village; and on an eminence in the immediate vicinity is the parish church.
Lybster
LYBSTER, a village, and lately a quoad sacra parish,
in the parish of Latheron, county of Caithness, 13
miles (S. W.) from Wick; containing 2699 inhabitants,
of whom 461 are in the village. This village, which is
situated near Amherst bay, on the eastern coast, was
originally planned by Lieut. Gen. Sinclair, of Lybster
House, who, in 1802, granted certain portions of his
lands on building-leases; and within the last twenty
years it has rapidly increased in extent. It contains
many well-built houses, and, from the improvements
which have been made by the present proprietor, Temple
Frederick Sinclair, Esq., promises to become a place of
importance. The inhabitants are principally employed
in the herring-fishery; and for the protection of the
numerous boats, a harbour has been constructed at the
cost of the proprietor, affording shelter for more than
100 boats, and capable of receiving vessels of 100 tons'
burthen. A stone pier, 300 feet in length, has been
carried out from the bank of a small river which flows
into the sea at this place; and within the last three
years not less than from sixty to eighty vessels of 100
tons have landed, and taken in, their cargoes here during
the summer and harvest months. A post-office has
been established. Facility of communication is afforded
by the great north road, which extends along the coast,
and by steam-boats, plying from Wick to Aberdeen and
Leith. The parish was, for ecclesiastical purposes, separated from Latheron by act of the General Assembly,
after the erection of a church here in 1836. The church
was built by subscription, at an expense of £830; it is
a neat and substantial structure containing 800 sittings.
There is also a place of worship for members of the Free
Church, erected in 1845.
Lynchat
LYNCHAT, a village, in the parish of Alvie, county
of Inverness; containing 73 inhabitants. This is a
very inconsiderable place, consisting only of a group of
cottages built on the Belleville property, and inhabited
by persons engaged in agriculture.
Lyne and Megget
LYNE and MEGGET, a parish, in the county of
Peebles, 5 miles (W.) from Peebles; containing 175 inhabitants. The district of Lyne, though consisting only
of two farms, is, from being the site of the parochial
church and manse, regarded as the head of this extensive
parish, which comprehends also the suppressed parish
of Megget, nearly fifteen miles distant from Lyne, and
locally separated by the intervening lands of Manor and
the river Tweed, but notwithstanding annexed to it
under an act of the presbytery, both for ecclesiastical
and for civil purposes. Lyne is about three miles and a
half in length and almost three in breadth; while that
portion of the parish which was formerly the parish of
Megget, situated at the southern extremity of the county,
is about six miles in length, and more than five in breadth.
The whole comprises 17,850 acres, of which 910 are
arable, about thirty in woodland and plantation, and the
remainder chiefly affording pasturage for sheep and
cattle. The surface of the lands of Lyne is for the most
part gently acclivous, but in some places diversified
with a range of hills of considerable elevation, extending
in a direction nearly parallel to the river Lyne, from
which they recede towards the north, leaving on the
east a wide tract, extremely fertile, between them and the
stream. The river has its source near the confines of
Tweeddale, and, after washing the district, and dividing
it from Stobo, falls into the Tweed a little below its
limits; there is also a small rivulet, which for some distance forms a boundary between Lyne and Peebles
parish. The scenery is generally pleasing, the hills
being covered with verdure; but there is a deficiency
of timber, and few plantations have been made. The
soil in Lyne is gravelly, but produces fair crops, and the
lower grounds are exceedingly fertile. The surface of
the lands in the Megget district is almost all hill, with
very little intervening level. The hills extend in two
parallel ranges from east to west, having between them
a vale about a quarter of a mile in breadth, watered by
the Megget, which rises near the western extremity of
the district, and, after receiving numerous streams from
the hills in its progress, flows into a beautiful sheet of
water at the eastern extremity of the district, called St.
Mary's Loch, which abounds with fish, and is much frequented by anglers. The soil even in the vale is but ill
adapted for agriculture; and though in some parts of
the hills it is light and dry, yet it is in general wet and
mossy, and incapable of profitable cultivation. The hills,
however, afford excellent pasturage for sheep.
The crops raised in the parish are, oats, barley, wheat,
peas, potatoes, and turnips; the system of agriculture is
much improved, and most of the tenants are connected
with local associations formed for the purpose of distributing rewards for the promotion of husbandry among
the successful competitors. Draining has been generally
practised where requisite; much waste land has been reclaimed and brought into cultivation, and embankments
have been constructed to preserve the lower lands from
inundation. The chief farm houses and offices are substantially built and commodiously arranged; the lands
are inclosed chiefly with stone dykes, but there are some
few fences of thorn: six good cottages of stone, roofed
with slate, have been built in the Megget district for the
use of the shepherds. Great attention is paid to the
rearing of sheep and young cattle. About 9000 sheep
are annually pastured, and about 150 head of cattle; the
former are of the Cheviot and black-faced breeds in
nearly equal numbers, and the latter are usually a mixture of the Ayrshire and short-horned breed. The
sheep are in very high repute, and the pastures are considered superior to any in this part of the country. The
substrata of the parish are chiefly whinstone, of which
the rocks are composed, and slate; but little of either
is quarried, except for the supply of the lands on which
they are found. Facility of intercourse with Glasgow,
Hawick, and other places is maintained by roads kept
in excellent order, and by good bridges, two of which
cross the stream that separates the district of Lyne from
the parish of Stobo. The rateable annual value of Lyne
and Megget is £3021.
The parish is in the presbytery of Peebles and synod
of Lothian and Tweeddale, and in the patronage of the
Earl of Wemyss and March: the minister's stipend is
£153. 9. 1., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £25 per
annum. The church is an ancient and venerable edifice
of the later English style of architecture, and a portion
of the original building has been parted off, and adapted
for a congregation of 100 persons; it was thoroughly
repaired in 1830, without any deviation from its original
character. A chapel of ease has been erected in the
Megget district of the parish, to which is attached a
good schoolroom; but the distance of the chapel from
the manse, which is at least fourteen miles, and, when
the Tweed is flooded, and a circuitous route through
Peebles becomes necessary, twenty miles, is a serious
inconvenience to the incumbent. The parochial school,
situated at Lyne, is well conducted, and is amply sufficient for the children of that district; the master has
a salary of £25. 13, with £12 fees, and a house and
garden. There is also a school at Megget, which, however,
on account of the difficulty of access to it, is kept open
only during the summer half-year; the master receives
a salary of £7, paid by the heritors, with a small bequest, and is supplied with board and lodging by the
parents of the scholars in succession. There are few
poor permanently on the parish list; but assistance is
occasionally given to families in distress by collections
at the church. At Megget are the remains of two
ancient towers, probably places of security in case of
sudden incursions of the English, to which this place,
situated so near the border, was peculiarly exposed; or
they might be watch-towers, from which signals of approaching hostilities were displayed for the purpose of
raising the country. At Henderland are the remains of
a chapel and burying-ground; and about a quarter of
a mile to the west of the church at Lyne are distinct
traces of a Roman camp, of which the form is clearly
marked out; and also of a road that led to it. The area
has been frequently cultivated, and various Roman coins
are said to have been discovered by the plough. The
Rev. Mr. Mitchelson, who was minister of Lyne and
Megget about a century since, bequeathed £50, the
interest of which is at present received by the master of
the school at Megget.