E
Eaglesfield
EAGLESFIELD, a village, in the parish of Middlebie, county of Dumfries; containing 456 inhabitants. This is the principal of three flourishing villages
in the parish, erected within the last twenty years, and
the inhabitants of which are to a considerable extent
engaged in weaving.
Eaglesham
EAGLESHAM, a parish, in the county of Renfrew, 9 miles (S.) from Glasgow; containing 2428 inhabitants, of whom 1801 are in the village. This place,
which is of considerable antiquity, is supposed to have
derived its name, of Celtic origin, from the erection of
its ancient church. It formed part of the district of
Mearns, and, together with other lands, was granted by
David I., King of Scotland, to Walter, son of Alan, the
first of the Stuarts, from whom Robert de Montgomerie,
of Oswestry, in England, procured the manor of Eaglesham about the middle of the twelfth century. After
the accession of the Stuarts to the Scottish throne, it
was held by Robert's descendant, John de Montgomerie,
who also obtained the baronies of Eglinton and Ardrossan, by marriage with Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Hugh
Eglinton by Egidia, sister of Robert II.; and this John
de Montgomerie, with the ransom of Harry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, whom he had taken prisoner at the
battle of Otterburn in 1388, erected here the castle of
Polnoon, of which there are still some vestiges remaining.
The Parish, which was almost exclusively the property
of the Montgomerie family, is situated in the south-east angle of the county, and is about six miles from
north to south, and five and a half from east to west.
It is bounded on the north by the river Earn, which
separates it from the parish of Mearns; on the south
by the parish of Loudon; on the east by the river
White Cart, which divides it from the parishes of East
Kilbride and Carmunnock; and on the west by the
parish of Fenwick. The surface is generally elevated,
and is intersected from east to west by a ridge of hills,
of which the highest vary from 1000 to 1200 feet above
the level of the sea, and which, with the exception of a
hill in Lochwinnoch, are the highest in the county.
The sources of the river Cart and its numerous tributaries are within the parish: this river, which flows in
a northern course to Cathcart and Langside, then takes
a western direction toward Paisley, whence it deviates
towards the north, and receives the waters of the Black
Cart at Inchinnan Bridge previously to its influx into
the Clyde. The surface is also diversified with lakes,
and with reservoirs for the supply of different mills,
which latter cover nearly 240 acres of ground, and are
frequented by various species of aquatic fowl.
The whole number of acres is estimated at 15,500, of
which about 6100 are arable, nearly 4000 meadow and
pasture, about 60 woodland and plantations, and the
remainder moorland pasture and moss. The soil along
the banks of the Cart, and towards the west, though
light, is fertile; but many of the inhabitants rely more on
the pasturage of sheep and the rearing of cattle than on
the cultivation of the lands. The principal crops are,
oats, barley, and potatoes; the system of agriculture
has been improved; much progress has been made in
draining, and considerable quantities of waste have
been reclaimed. Many of the farm-houses and offices
have been rebuilt on a more commodious plan, and the
more recent improvements in husbandry have been
adopted; the dairy-farms are in general well managed,
and the produce finds a ready sale in the market of
Glasgow. The cows are chiefly of the Ayrshire breed,
of which about 1000 are pastured on the farms, and
4000 sheep are maintained on the moorland pastures;
few horses are reared, the greater number being purchased in the spring for agricultural purposes, and sold
again in the autumn. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £11,800. The moors abound with grouse and
other species of game, and afford a fine field of sport to
the members of the Clydesdale Coursing Club, the hares
being numerous and swift, and requiring greater energy
and perseverance in the chase than those in the more
lowland countries. Trout and various other kinds of
fish abound in the lakes, and a peculiar species found
in the Clyde and the Avon was originally introduced
by Lady Anne Hamilton from this vicinity. The plantations are chiefly the common Scotch fir, which thrives
admirably, and larch, for which the soil is better adapted
than for many other sorts; hard-woods of different
kinds are found in the lower grounds and more sheltered situations. The rocks in the higher lands are
generally of the trap species, intermixed in some places
with porphyritic claystone, and abounding in others
with jasper, chalcedony, blue quartz, calcareous spar,
and felspar containing beautiful crystals.
Alexander, the eighth earl of Eglinton, obtained for
the inhabitants a charter for a weekly market and an
annual fair, in 1672; the market has been discontinued,
as well as the fair, which was mostly for cattle, and was
on the 24th of April, O. S.; but there is still a fair on
the last Thursday in August, when horse-races take
place. The village, which was laid out on a new plan
by the tenth earl, is about one-third of a mile in length,
and consists of two ranges of houses, between which is
a spacious green, varying from 100 to 250 yards in
breadth, disposed in lawns, interspersed with trees, and
divided in the centre by a streamlet of clear water. In
the rear of each of the houses is a rood of garden; the
inhabitants have also seventy acres of ground rent free,
which are laid out in meadows and plantations. The
manufacture of silk was formerly considerable, employing sixty-three looms in the village; but that branch of
trade has been superseded by the weaving of cotton
goods, for which materials are provided by the manufacturers of Glasgow and Paisley, and afford employment to nearly 400 persons, resident in the village. At
the higher extremity of the rivulet that flows through
the green is an extentive cotton-mill, the property of
Messrs. Mc Lean and Brodie, of Glasgow, in which are
15,312 spindles, set in motion by a water-wheel of castiron forty-five feet in diameter, and equivalent to the
power of fifty horses; it gives occupation to 200 persons, of whom more than one-half are females. There
is also a mill at Mill-hall, employing 620 spindles and
nearly seventy persons, of whom about one-third are
females; this establishment is chiefly engaged in spinning shuttle-cord for power-looms, and wicks for candles, and the machinery is impelled by a water-wheel of
24-horse power. The parish likewise contains a corn-mill in which about 3000 bolls of grain are ground
annually. There is a post-office, with a good delivery;
and facility of intercourse with Glasgow, Paisley, Hamilton, and other towns is maintained by excellent roads, of
which seven miles of turnpike pass through the parish.
The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence
of the presbytery of Glasgow and synod of Glasgow and
Ayr; the minister's stipend is £278. 14., with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £25 per annum; patron, Allan
Gilmour, Esq. The church, erected in 1788, is a neat
structure of octagonal form, containing 550 sittings,
most of which are free. There are places of worship
for members of the United Secession and a Reformed
Presbyterian Congregation. The parochial school is
attended by about 120 scholars; the master has a
salary of £30, with a house and garden, and the fees
average £50 per annum. There is another school, in
which sixty children are taught. Robert Pollok, author
of the Course of Time, was a native of the parish.
Eagleshay
EAGLESHAY, an isle, in the parish of Rousay
and Eaglesay, county of Orkney; containing 190
inhabitants. It lies on the east side of the island of
Rousay, from which it is separated by Howa Sound, and
is about two miles and a half long and one broad, and
entirely composed of sandstone and sandstone flag; in
some parts the strata are very much elevated. The soil
is good, but is indifferently cultivated. This island,
from its beauty, has been chosen as a place of residence
by several distinguished persons: the families of Douglas and Monteith, its former proprietors, resided here,
and even the bishops preferred it for their habitation.
St. Magnus was murdered on the isle, and the church,
dedicated to him as the tutelar saint of the Orkneys,
is said to have been erected on the very spot where the
deed was perpetrated by his ambitious relative. In the
month of October, the spongia palmata and oculata are
cast on the shore in great abundance; and a considerable quantity of kelp is produced annually.
Eagleshay
EAGLESHAY, an isle, in the parish of Northmavine, county of Shetland. It is one of the smallest
of the Shetland group, and is situated in St. Magnus'
bay, a short distance westward of Islesburgh, on the
Mainland; there is some good pasturage; and rabbits
are very numerous.
Ealan Na Coomb
EALAN NA COOMB, an isle, in the parish of
Tongue, county of Sutherland. This isle, also called
Ealan na Naoimph, or Island of Saints, lies off the
northern coast of Sutherland, and a little eastward of
the mouth of the Kyle of Tongue; it is of very small
extent, and of nearly circular form. Here were formerly
a chapel and burial-place, of which the remains are still
visible.
Ealan Na Roan
EALAN NA ROAN. an isle, in the parish of
Tongue, county of Sutherland. This place, of which
the name signifies the "Island of Seals," is situated at the
entrance to the Kyle of Tongue; it is about two miles
in circumference, and is formed of a mixture of sand
and a reddish kind of pebble, which appear as if baked
together. It contains a large quantity of peat-moss,
and has plenty of fresh water. Some years since, part
of the land near the middle of the island sank without
any visible cause, occasioning a vast chasm.
Burgh Seal.
Earlsferry
EARLSFERRY, a burgh
of regality, in the parish of
Kilconquhar, district of
St. Andrew's, county of
Fife, ½ a mile (W.) from
Elie, and 2 miles (S.) from
Colinsburgh; containing 496
inhabitants. This place,
which is of great antiquity,
and originally an inconsiderable fishing-village, derived its name, and, according to some, its erection
into a royal burgh, from Macduff, Thane or Earl of
Fife, who, fleeing from the usurper Macbeth, took shelter
in a small recess in Kincraig hill, a precipitous rock
rising abruptly from the south-western coast of the
parish. After remaining for some time in concealment,
he was conveyed across the Frith of Forth, to Dunbar,
by the fishermen of the village; and in return for the
kindness he had experienced, he is said to have obtained
from Malcolm III. a charter of incorporation for the
inhabitants, erecting the village into a royal burgh, to
which, in memory of his escape, he gave the appellation
of Earl's Ferry. Among the privileges conferred was
that of sanctuary to all who should sail from this place
across the Frith; it was ordained that their persons
should be inviolable while here, and that, after their
embarkation, no boat should be allowed to go in pursuit
of them till they were half way across. The place,
after it became a burgh, appears to have carried on a
large trade; two weekly markets and two annual fairs
were held, and the provost and bailies levied dues and
customs. But the want of a convenient harbour prevented its attaining much consideration as a port; its
trade, which had for many years been declining, was,
from the construction of a harbour and the erection of a
pier at Elie, in its immediate neighbourhood, at length
wholly transferred to that place; and both its fairs and
markets have been consequently discontinued. The
inhabitants are chiefly employed in the coal-works in
the vicinity of the town, and in weaving for the manufacturers of Dundee, Kirkcaldy, and other places; the
articles woven are, sheetings, dowlas, and checks, which
are wrought in hand-looms by the people at their own
dwellings. There are about seventy seamen engaged in
the harbour and at the ferry; and during the months of
July and August, a few of them are employed in the
herring-fishery on the north-east coast. Many of the
weavers who have been brought up as seamen occupy
themselves in summer in the whale-fisheries on the
coast of Greenland, from which pursuit they return to
their looms in the winter. The original charter of
Malcolm, which was bestowed in the eleventh century,
was destroyed by fire; and a new charter, confirming
all the privileges it had conferred, was in 1589 granted
by James VI., by which the government is vested in
three bailies, a treasurer, and a council of sixteen burgesses, assisted by a town-clerk and other officers.
The bailies and treasurer are elected annually by the
council for the time being, and on their appointment
nominate the council for the following year; they are
invested with the power to hold courts for the determination of civil and criminal causes; but since 1820,
only five civil and one criminal case have been decided. Prior to the Union in 1707, the burgh, on its
own petition, had been relieved from sending a member
to the Scottish parliament; and it was consequently, on
that event, not included in those towns which jointly
return a member to the English house of commons.
Nor, since the passing of the act of the 2nd and 3rd of
William IV., has the burgh possessed any privileges
of this kind, having merely shared with the rest of
Fife in the election of a county representative. The
prison is in a state of dilapidation; it was latterly seldom
used, and only for the temporary confinement of individuals found guilty of misdemeanours; and on the
recent passing of the Prisons' act, it was abolished as a
gaol.
Earlstoun
EARLSTOUN, a parish, in the county of Berwick;
including the villages of Fans, Mellerstain, and Redpath,
and containing 1756 inhabitants, of whom 927 are in
the village of Earlstoun, 4 miles (N. by E.) from Melrose. The name of this parish, anciently Ersildun or
Ersildon, which appears to have been gradually changed
into Earlstoun, is traced by some antiquaries to the
Cambo-British word Arcwl-dun, signifying "the prospect
hill," from a commanding eminence on the south of the
village and church. It is, however, perhaps more correctly derived from the name Earl, with the common
termination of don, ton, or town, on account of its having
belonged to the earls of March, who were seated here
from the 12th century till 1453, when they incurred a
forfeiture. David I. occasionally resided in this part,
and James IV., in the year 1506, granted the barony
to Mungo Home, whose family had previously established their residence at Cowdenknows, on the Leader,
about three-quarters of a mile below the village of Earlstoun. This village, on the 1st of February, 1590–1,
was made a burgh of barony by James VI., in favour
of John Home, of Cowdenknows, the great grandson of
Mungo; and the grant was confirmed in 1592. In
1636, Sir James Home, the lineal descendant of this
family, succeeded to the earldom of Home, Earl James
having died without issue. The parish lies in the
south-western extremity of the county, and is about
six miles in length, from east to west, and about four
and a half in breadth, and is bounded on the north by
the parishes of Gordon and Legerwood, on the south
by Mertoun, on the east by Smailholm and Nenthorn,
and on the west by Melrose, in Roxburghshire. The
surface in the vicinity of most of the streams is tolerably even, but in the western quarter it is more hilly,
though there is no remarkable eminence, except in one
place, about a mile south of the village, where the
ground attains an elevation of 1000 feet above the level
of the sea. There are two considerable rivers, the Eden
on the east, and the Leader on the west, both of which
rise in Lammermoor, and flow into the Tweed, and
are celebrated for their fine trout. The scenery of the
latter is in some parts extremely beautiful; and its
windings between the hills of Carolside, and through
the classic grounds of Cowdenknows, have been the inspiring theme of Scottish song.
The soil is of different varieties; that of the arable
land is generally dry, and in some parts a rich fertile
loam. In the eastern quarter is a considerable extent
of marshy ground; barren heath is met with in many
places, and in the northern district is a moss consisting
of several hundreds of acres. About 5600 acres are
cultivated or occasionally in tillage, and 2118 are waste
or in pasture; the wood covers 915 acres, and on the
Mellerstain estate, where timber is regularly cut for
sale, a large extent of waste has been planted with
Scotch fir. Grain of all kinds is raised, but the quantity, especially of wheat, has been small, the soil being
chiefly suited to turnips, large crops of which are produced. The five years' rotation system? is usually followed, consisting of two years' grass; oats; turnips;
and, lastly, oats or barley, with grass seeds. The sheep
mostly bred are the Leicesters, and the cattle are the
short-horned, to the rearing of which much attention
is paid. Many improvements have been effected in the
culture of the lands; and although great losses have
been sustained in some cases by the reclaiming of
waste, yet considerable progress has been made in this
respect, and the extensive tract of moss before named,
having been redeemed at an expense of from £1200 to
£1400, now affords tolerable pasture for cattle. On
the estate of Cowdenknows much benefit has been derived from laying out plantations, which greatly ornament the vicinity of the Leader as well as the village
of Earlstoun. The rateable annual value of the parish
is £8533.
At Mellerstain, the seat of the ancient family of
Baillie, is a large and elegant mansion, built by the grandfather of the present owner, George Baillie, Esq.; it is
embosomed in a forest of noble trees, which cover and
adorn a wide extent of country. Cowdenknows, now
the property of James Gilfillan, Esq., stands on the
Leader, amid scenery which has for hundreds of years
been celebrated for its beauty; and Carolside, belonging
to Alexander Mitchel, Esq., is also seated on the banks of
the river, in a delightfully secluded vale surrounded by
hills, and is remarkable for the variety of the attractions
in its vicinity. The village of Earlstoun is situated on
the Leader, near the new line of road from Jedburgh to
Edinburgh; and the road from Kelso passes through
it. There are two manufactures carried on in the
parish; one is that of ginghams, merinos, shawls, muslins, shirtings, and furniture stripes; and the other of
plaidings, blankets, flannels, and other woollens. In
the former, which is wholly pursued by hand-loom
weavers, about eighty persons are employed; in the
latter the number of hands is about forty. Two fairs
of considerable importance are held yearly at Earlstoun,
principally for horses and cattle, one on the 29th of
June, and the other on the third Thursday in October.
The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery
of Lauder and synod of Merse and Teviotdale; patron,
the Crown. The stipend of the minister is £218, and
there is a manse, erected in 1814, and repaired in 1824,
to which is attached a glebe valued at £37 per annum.
The church, built in 1736, and enlarged and thoroughly
repaired in 1832, is situated in the village, nearly at
one extremity of the parish; it formerly accommodated
only 450 persons, but on account of its recent enlargement it is now capable of holding nearly 200 more.
The members of the Free Church have a place of worship, and there are also meeting-houses for Antiburghers
and the Relief body. In the parochial school, the classics, French, mathematics, and all the usual branches
of education are taught; the salary of the master is £28,
with £32 from fees, and the interest of £550 bequeathed
partly by the Rev. Robert Young, and partly by the
late Dr. James Wilson, who was educated in the school,
and long resident in India. A school at Mellerstain is
partly supported by the Baillie family; and at Fans
and Redpath are other schools. At Cowdenknows is
an ancient tower in a state of good preservation, bearing
on its walls the date 1573; but the chief relic of antiquity is part of a tower standing at the west end of the
village, called Rhymer's Tower, the ancient residence
of Sir Thomas Learmont, or Thomas of Ercildoune,
commonly called Thomas the Rhymer, the earliest, and
in some respects the most remarkable, poet of Scotland.
His predictions respecting many families of importance,
and with regard to the ruin of his own family, and
the union of the British dominions under one monarch,
are all particularly noticed by Sir Walter Scott in the
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He lived about the
end of the 13th century, and held a considerable portion of the lands of the parish. On the summit of
Blackhill is a vitrified fort, and in various parts of the
parish are circular encampments of the primitive inhabitants. Near the western extremity of the village
there existed some years ago an ancient thorn-tree, to
which the older people attached the magic power of
sustaining the fortunes of the place, so long as it remained untouched.
Earn, Bridge Of
EARN, BRIDGE OF, a village, in the parish of
Dunbarny, county of Perth, 3 miles (S. by E.) from
Perth; containing 369 inhabitants. This place, which
takes its name from its situation near a bridge across
the river Earn, consists of two portions. The one was
commenced about 1769, by Mr. John Gilloch, who had
obtained from Sir William Moncrieffe a ninety-nine
years' lease of a tract of land between the old bridge
of Earn and Seale's bridge; and the other was erected
in 1832, and forms a street of regularly-disposed houses,
intended chiefly for the accommodation of persons
visiting the celebrated mineral wells of Pitkeithly, at a
short distance from this spot, and within the confines
of the parish. These waters belong to the saline class,
as distinguished from the acidulous, chalybeate, and
sulphureous, and contain carbonate of lime, sulphate of
soda, chloride of calcium, and chloride of sodium, the
two last being the principal ingredients; there are
also portions of carbonic acid and nitrogen. They
have long been in repute for their efficacy in hepatic,
scrofulous, and many other complaints, and are visited
by numerous invalids, and used both internally and externally, and both warm and cold. There is an inn
near the wells, fitted up for the accommodation of
strangers, and formerly the mansion-house occupied
by the proprietor of Pitkeithly; but the chief inn is
the Moncrieffe Arms, at the village. Apartments of
every kind may also be obtained at the several lodginghouses; and a regular post-office is established here for
the surrounding district. One of the most picturesque
and interesting objects in the pleasing scenery of the
vicinity is the new and elegant bridge, of three elliptical
arches, erected over the river in 1821 by the city of
Perth, at a cost of £16,000, in place of the old bridge,
built about 500 years since, and of which two of the
five arches still remain, overgrown with ivy. Two
mail-coaches between Edinburgh and Perth pass through
the village, besides many other conveyances to different
parts. The parish church and manse, also, are situated
here.
Easdale
EASDALE, an island of the Hebrides, annexed to
the parish of Kilbrandon, in the district of Lorn,
county of Argyll, and containing 531 inhabitants.
This island is situated a little to the west of that of
Seil, belonging to the same parish, from which it is
separated by a narrow channel called Easdale Sound;
it is washed by the Atlantic on the south, and the
Sound of Mull on the west and north-west, and is less
than a square mile in extent. The village is built on
both sides of the sound, and is chiefly inhabited by persons employed in the slate-quarries, whose tenements
are one story high, with good slate roofs, and of neat
and comfortable appearance. Though slate of the same
kind is obtained in the islands of Seil and Luing, Easdale is the chief seat of the operations for raising the
fine blue durable material for which it has been so
long and justly celebrated; the whole island consists
of it, and there is one quarry 120 feet below the level
of the sea. The quarries, which are in extensive operation, have been wrought for nearly two centuries; and
the four now open in the islands employ about 200
men, and produce from four to five millions of slates
annually: much of the labour formerly done by horses,
carts, &c., is now effected by the aid of steam-engines
and by railroads. The steamers running between Glasgow and the northern ports pass along the Sound of
Easdale, and a post communicates daily with Oban.
There is a school supported by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge.
Eassie and Nevay
EASSIE and NEVAY, a parish, in the county of
Forfar, about 3 miles (E.) from Meigle; containing
732 inhabitants. These two districts, formerly separate
parishes, are together about four miles in length, and
three in average breadth, comprising an area of 5000
acres, of which, with the exception of a small proportion
of pasture and woodland, the whole is arable. The surface is varied; in Eassie it is partly level, but the greater
portion is included in the Sidlaw hills, of which the
northern declivity occupies nearly one-half of the parish.
The river Dean is the northern boundary of the district of Eassie, along which it winds with a scareely
perceptible current, though, from the great depth of its
channel, and the numerous and sudden changes in its
course, it frequently overflows its banks, and inundates the
adjacent lands. The soil in the lower grounds is a fine
black mould, but towards the hills becomes less fertile,
and near the summits affords only tolerable pasturage;
in Nevay it is partly marshy, with moss, and in Eassie
is a tract of strong rich clay, well adapted for grain.
The arable lands are in the highest state of cultivation,
producing oats and barley, of which, from the great
attention paid to them, considerable quantities are sent
to various parts of the country for seed. Much care
has been bestowed on the improvement of live stock;
the cattle are principally the Angus and the shorthorned; numerous flocks of sheep, chiefly of a mixed
breed between the Highland and the Leicestershire, are
fed on the pastures, and in autumn many are fed on
turnips, and fattened for the market. The farms average about 200 acres in extent, and the farm-buildings
are generally substantially built, on the most improved
plan, and well arranged; the plantations, which are
mostly of recent growth, consist mainly of larch and
Scotch fir, and are in a thriving state. The rateable
annual value of the parish is £4019.
There are several small scattered hamlets, but no regular village; the population is chiefly agricultural, and a
small number are employed in the manufacture of coarse
linen, chiefly for domestic use. Freestone of good quality is found in the parish, and is quarried to a considerable extent. The river Dean abounds with trout,
and is much frequented by anglers. The high road
from Aberdeen to Edinburgh passes through the parish;
and the Newtyle and Glammis railway, joining the
Dundee and Cupar-Angus line, affords facility of communication with Dundee, the principal market of this
part of the country, and conveyance for supplies of coal,
lime, and manure. The ecclesiastical affairs are under
the superintendence of the presbytery of Meigle and
synod of Angus and Mearns. The minister's stipend is
£161, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per
annum; patron, Lord Wharncliffe. The church is a
handsome structure, erected in 1833 on a site convenient for both districts. The parochial school is well
conducted; the master has a salary of £34, with a
house and garden, and the fees average about £18 per
annum. There is a parochial library containing a good
collection of works, chiefly on religious subjects. The
poor are partly supported by the proceeds of a fund
of £120: a bequest of £100 by Miss Ogilvie, of West
Hall, for such as are not on the parish list, has been
entirely expended. About a mile from the old church
of Eassie is a large circular mound, on which stands the
farm-house of Castle-Nairn; part of the broad moat
that surrounded it is still remaining. It is supposed to
have been an intrenchment occupied by the army of
Edward of England during his invasion of the country.
There is also a large stone obelisk in the parish, curiously sculptured with hieroglyphic characters.
East Coaltown.
EAST COALTOWN.—See Coaltown, East.—And
all places having a similar distinguishing prefix, will be
found under the proper name.
Eastbarns
EASTBARNS, a village, in the parish of Dunbar,
county of Haddington, 3 miles (S. E.by E.) from Dunbar; containing 125 inhabitants. It is situated near
the coast of the German Sea, in the eastern extremity
of the parish, and is distant from Westbarns, a more
populous village, about five miles. There was a Burgher
meeting-house here till the year 1820, when the congregation removed to the town of Dunbar; and one
of the parochial schools is still fixed at this place.
Easthouses
EASTHOUSES, a village, in the parish of Newbattle, county of Edinburgh, 1 mile (E.) from Newbattle; containing 420 inhabitants. This is a considerable colliery village, the population of which is chiefly
employed in the neighbouring mines of the Marquess
of Lothian, which are very extensive. The parochial
school is situated in the village.
Eastwood, or Pollock
EASTWOOD, or POLLOCK, a parish, in the Upper
ward of the county of Renfrew, 2½ miles (S. W.) from
Glasgow; containing, with the incorporated town of
Pollockshaws, the village of Thornliebank, and part of
the late quoad sacra district of Levern, 7970 inhabitants.
This place derives the former of its names from the
relative situation of an extensive wood which was a part
of it, but which has long been converted into arable
land; and the latter name from the circumstance of
the chief lands being designated Pollock. The parish
is about four miles in length, from north to south, and
three miles in breadth, forming an irregular area of
5000 acres in extent, and is bounded on the west by the
parish of Paisley, of which a considerable portion is
circumscribed by the lands of Eastwood. The surface
is pleasingly undulated, intersected with tracts of level
ground, and rising towards the south into a range of
hills, of which the highest has an elevation of 300 feet
above the level of the sea. The scenery is diversified,
and in many parts embellished with flourishing plantations, and watered by winding streams, which give to
it an interesting and picturesque appearance. The river
White Cart, rising in the moors of Eaglesham, flows for
several miles through the parish in its course to the
Clyde, receiving at Pollockshaws the waters of the
Auldhouse burn, which issues from a lake in the adjoining parish of Mearns; and the Brock burn, which also
rises in Mearns, winds through Eastwood, and falls into
the Levern, which skirts the western extremity of the
parish, and joins the Cart near Cruickston Castle. The
Soil in the hilly parts towards the south is thin and
light, but on the banks of the river and rivulets extremely rich and fertile; about one-half of the lands is
arable and in profitable cultivation, and the remainder,
with the exception of about 250 acres of natural wood
and 100 of plantation, is good pasture land. The rotation system of husbandry is prevalent; the crops are,
oats, barley, and wheat, with potatoes and turnips;
some attention is paid to the rearing of cattle, which
are generally of the Ayrshire breed, but the management
of live stock forms only a secondary object with the
farmer, and consequently few fine specimens are produced. Considerable progress has been made in reclaiming the waste, of which large portions have been brought
into a state of cultivation, and great improvements have
been effected in draining and fencing; the farm-houses
and offices are substantial and commodious, and mostly
roofed with slate. The plantations are, oak, elm, ash,
sycamore, beech, larch, and Scotch, spruce, and silver firs. The rateable annual value of the parish is
£21,061.
The substrata are sandstone and limestone, with occasional belts of ironstone. There are some valuable quarries of stone of excellent quality for building and for
various other purposes; the stone of one of the quarries is peculiarly adapted for pavements, hearths, and
staircases, and, as it may be cut to any required size, is
also employed for cisterns. Another of these quarries
produces a very superior kind which is in great demand
for the finer parts of masonry, and is much admired for
the uses of the sculptor and the statuary. Limestone
is still worked at Arden, and was formerly wrought at
Darnley and Cowglen; but it is of very inferior quality,
unfit for burning into lime, and consequently applied
chiefly to road-making, and for roughcasting the walls
of houses, for which purpose it is well adapted from the
hardness it acquires from exposure to the air. Coal
abounds in the parish, and is wrought at Cowglen;
there are several seams, varying in thickness, but none
exceed three feet. Five of these have been worked with
success; they are of good quality, and yield an ample
supply of fuel; the pits vary from ten to forty fathoms
in depth, and the annual produce is estimated at nearly
£4000. Pollock, the seat of Sir John Maxwell, Bart.,
is a handsome modern mansion pleasantly situated.
A considerable number of the inhabitants are employed
in cotton-spinning, weaving, bleaching, and calico-printing, for which large factories have been established in
the town of Pollockshaws, the village of Thornliebank,
and Auldhouse. In the bleachfields of the last, more
than 200 persons are employed; the particulars of the
two first will be found in the notices of those places
under their respective heads. The parish is in the
presbytery of Paisley and synod of Glasgow and Ayr,
and in the gift of Sir John Maxwell; the minister's
stipend is £150, with a manse, and a glebe valued
at £35 per annum. The old church was taken down,
and a new edifice erected in 1781 near the western
extremity of Pollockshaws; it is a neat building, and
in good repair, but affords accommodation only to 760
persons. A second church connected with the Establishment has been recently erected in Pollockshaws;
and there are places of worship for members of the Free
Church, the United Associate Synod, and the Synod
of Original Seceders: the Roman Catholics, of whom
there are many in the parish, attend the chapel at
Glasgow. The parochial school affords instruction to
about 100 scholars; the master has a salary of £34,
with £36 fees, and a house and garden. There are no
monuments of antiquity: the only memorials of olden
times are some documents in the possession of the
Maxwell family, consisting chiefly of a royal precept
issued in the reign of James V., letters from the Queen
Regent, Mary, Queen of Scots, previously to the battle
of Langside, and James VI.; and the original copy
of the Solemn League and Covenant, with the various
subscriptions, beautifully written. Among the distinguished literary men connected with Eastwood have
been, Wodrow, author of some writings on the antiquities of Scotland, of some lives of the most learned
men who have flourished in the country, and of a history of the Church; the Rev. Mr. Crawford, author of an
unpublished history of the Church from the first introduction of Christianity into Scotland till the year 1680;
and Walter Stewart, of Pardovan, author of the Collections, who died here while on a visit to the Maxwells,
and was interred in the aisle of the church appropriated
as a place of sepulture for the members of that family,
and in which a marble monument was erected to his
memory. Wodrow and Mr. Crawford were both ministers of the parish.
Eccles
ECCLES, a parish, in the county of Berwick,
6 miles (W. by N.) from Coldstream; containing, with
the villages of Leitholm and Birgham, 1946 inhabitants. The name of this parish is derived from the
classical word signifying a church, supposed to be applied on account of the number of churches or chapels
at one time situated here. It is remarkable as containing the ancient village of Birgham, celebrated for
the meeting, in 1188, between Hugh, Bishop of Durham,
and William the Lion, at the instance of Henry II. of
England, for the purpose of laying a tax upon the
Scots towards the support of the war in the Holy
Land. At that place, also, was convened, in 1290, an
august assembly, for the settlement of the marriage of
Prince Edward, son of Edward I., with Margaret of
Scotland, a union afterwards prevented by the death
of the young princess, in one of the Orkneys. The parish was anciently the seat of Bernardine or Cistercian
nuns, for whom a convent was founded by Cospatrick,
Earl of Dunbar; but the building has entirely disappeared, with the exception of two vaults, now converted
into cellars for the mansion-house of one of the landed
proprietors. There is much obscurity in ancient documents respecting the date of this religious house,
Hoveden and the Melrose Chronicle representing it as
founded a second time by the earl, in 1154, and Cowpar
fixing the event in 1155, while the Scoto-Chronicon
annexed to Fordun asserts it to have been established
by his countess. In 1296, during the interregnum in
Scotland, Ada de Fraser, the prioress, obtained a letter
of restitution, in consequence of the fealty sworn to
Edward I. by the Scots; and in 1333, Edward III.,
after taking Berwick, also received the homage of the
convent. It was visited in 1523, on the 13th of November, by the Duke of Albany when retreating from Wark
Castle; he stayed till midnight, and then marched to
Lauder. In 1545, the abbey and town, with the tower
of Mersington, were destroyed by the Earl of Hertford
on his memorable inroad into Merse and Teviotdale,
when he ravaged and burned the whole country without
opposition. In 1569, Marieta Hamilton, then prioress
of the establishment, granted the village and lands of
Eccles, by charter, to Sir Alexander Hamilton, of Innerwick; and the charter was confirmed by Queen
Mary at Edinburgh, on the 11th of May, in the same
year. In the 17th century the village was erected into
a burgh of barony in favour of George Home, Earl of
Dunbar.
The parish is nearly seven miles long, and five and
a half broad, and contains 11,000 acres. With the
exception of the slight elevations of Cotchet Ridge,
Hardacres, Eccles, Brae-Dunstan, and Bartlehill, the
surface is level throughout; and consists of arable
land, well cultivated and fenced, and studded with
numerous plantations. The climate, however, is somewhat damp, and to a slight extent unhealthy, arising
from the prevalence of a rainy atmosphere. The scenery
is much enlivened by the course of the Tweed, which
runs on the southern boundary of the parish, and
separates it from Northumberland; its banks rise
about fifty feet above the water, and harbour large
numbers of foxes, weasels, and rabbits. The soil near
the river is in general light; in the middle and northern
parts of the parish clay and loam predominate, and
in the south-east quarter is a portion of moor. Nearly
the whole is arable, producing excellent crops of all
kinds of grain, and turnips and potatoes: the rotation
here followed is the four or the five years' shift, which
is considered well suited to the district. Sheep are
kept on most of the larger farms, and consist mainly
of the Cheviot and Leicestershire breeds, the former of
which, on account of their being more hardy, are preferred for the clayey lands. Rapid advances have been
made in agricultural improvement, and the rateable
annual value of the parish now amounts to as large a
sum as £19,441. The prevailing rock is the red sandstone, which exists in a great variety of forms and admixtures. At Birgham Haugh, magnesian limestone,
with red hornstone and crystals of calcareous spar, is
found; and on the southern bank of the river, in addition to the above, are considerable quantities of claystone porphyry. Near Kennetside head, the large
proportion of siliceous material gives the sandstone
almost the appearance of a quartz rock; and in the
marly sandstone on the banks of the small river Leet
are thin beds of gypsum. Among the mansions in the
parish are Purves Hall, Kames, Antonshill, Belchester,
Stoneridge, and Eccles House, and in the plantations
of the last-mentioned are several fine old trees, chiefly
elm and ash. There are four villages, Eccles, Leitholm,
Birgham, and Hassington; Leitholm is the largest, and
has a bye-post to Coldstream. The London and Edinburgh road, by Greenlaw, traverses the parish from
south-east to north-west; and that by Kelso, and the
road from Kelso to Berwick, also cross it.
The Ecclesiastical affairs are governed by the presbytery of Dunse and synod of Merse and Teviotdale;
patron, the Crown. The stipend of the minister is
£246, and there is a manse, with a glebe of twenty acres
of good land. The first church was dedicated to St.
Cuthbert, but the next, built about the year 1250, was
in honour of St. Andrew; the present church was
erected in 1774, at an expense of £1000. It is after
the model of St. Cuthbert's chapel-of-ease at Edinburgh,
and is an elegant building seventy-eight feet long and
thirty-four feet broad, and ornamented with a handsome
spire; it is situated about a mile from the western
boundary of the parish, and contains 1000 sittings.
The Relief Congregation have a place of worship, and
there is a parochial school, in which the classics, mathematics, and all the usual branches of education are
taught; the salary of the master is £34, with the fees,
and a house. A friendly society for the relief of the sick
and superannuated has also been established. The chief
relic of antiquity is a monument of white sandstone, in
the form of a cross, without any inscription, situated at
Crosshall, about a mile to the north of the village of
Eccles. The pedestal is a solid block of stone, two and
a half feet high, three feet square on its upper surface,
and raised a little above the ground; the column is ten
feet high, one and a half foot broad on the west and
east sides, and one foot on the north and south, at the
bottom. On its north face is sculptured a Calvary
cross, surmounted by a shield; at the summit of the
west side is a cross, with an escutcheon below having
chevrons in the dexter and sinister chiefs and the base,
and a St. John's cross. The south side has an escutcheon like that on the west, and beneath an ancient
double-handed sword; the east has a cross, and, below,
the naked figure of a man and a greyhound. Many
conjectures have been made respecting its origin and
design; the most probable is that it was erected after
the second crusade, in 1114, in honour of the father of
Sir John de Soules, lieutenant or viceroy to John Baliol.
On Hardacres hill, about a mile to the west of the
monument, are traces of intrenchments. Eccles was
the birthplace of Henry Home, Lord Kames, in 1696;
and it was here that he entertained Dr. Franklin and
his son in 1759, and composed many of his philosophical
works.
Ecclescraig
ECCLESCRAIG, Kincardine.—See St. Cyrus.
Ecclesfechan
ECCLESFECHAN, a village, in the parish of Hoddam, county of Dumfries, 6 miles (N.) from Annan;
containing 768 inhabitants. It is very centrally situated,
in the south-eastern part of the parish, on the road
between Carlisle and Glasgow, and is an important
and thriving market-village, containing many respectable shops in various branches of trade. A large part
of the population is engaged in the manufacture of
gingham, which is the chief product of the place. It
has a noted cattle fair or market, to which its prosperity
has been principally owing, and also a flourishing porkmarket; the former is held monthly, but the great
sales are in June and October, and the latter is held
during the winter. In the vicinity are five cross-roads,
and there are carriers to almost every part within
fifty miles, and facilities of communication in nearly
every direction. A post-office has for some time been
established. The parochial church stands about a mile
south of the village; and the members of the Free
Church have a place of worship.
Ecclesmachan
ECCLESMACHAN, a parish, in the county of
Linlithgow; containing, with the villages of ThreeMile-town and Waterston, 303 inhabitants, of whom
97 are in the village of Ecclesmachan, 1 mile (N.)
from Uphall. This place derives its name from the
dedication of its ancient church to St. Machan, who
flourished in the ninth century. The parish, which is
separated into two detached portions by the intervention of a part of the parish of Linlithgow, comprises an
area of 2458 acres; about 2300 are arable and pasture,
130 woodland and plantations, and the remainder roads
and waste. The surface rises into two ridges, of which
that in the western portion of the parish attains an
elevation of 600 feet, and is intersected by several shallow ravines; the eastern ridge, of less height, is precipitously steep, rising on the south into an abrupt
eminence called Tar or Tor Hill. The lower grounds
are watered by several small streams that flow into the
river Almond; and the prevailing scenery is softened
by the thriving plantations that have been formed on
the lands of Blackeraig. The soil is generally fertile;
the lands, which are divided into farms of moderate
extent, are under good cultivation, and the best system
of husbandry has been adopted. The crops are, wheat,
barley, oats, beans, and turnips; the grounds are well
inclosed with hedges of thorn and ditches, and draining
has been practised to some extent, but there is still
great room for improvement. The rearing of live stock
is confined chiefly to the Ayrshire breed of cattle, with
a cross of the short-horned; oxen of the Angus or
Highland breed, and black-faced sheep, are fattened
on the pastures. Coal is plentiful, and was formerly
wrought in several parts; sandstone is found on most
of the lands; and in the vicinity of the rocks, which
are principally of trap, are found large beds of indurated
clay, interspersed occasionally with seams of ironstone.
The rateable annual value of the parish is £2718.
The village consists of a few houses near the church,
and facility of communication is afforded by roads kept
in excellent repair by statute labour, and by the road
from Edinburgh to Falkirk, and the Glasgow middle
road, of which the former passes through the northern
extremity of the parish, and the latter close by its
southern border. The ecclesiatical affairs are under
the superintendence of the presbytery of Linlithgow
and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale; patron, the
Earl of Hopetoun. The minister's stipend is £256. 12.,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum.
The church, which was nearly rebuilt in the beginning
of the last century, and thoroughly repaired in 1822, is
a plain structure containing 153 sittings. The parochial school is attended by about fifty children: the
master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden,
and the fees average about £20 per annum. A school
was erected on the border of the parish by the late
Robert Warden, Esq.; the master is solely dependent
on the fees, having only the house rent free, which in
summer is used as a preaching-station on the Sabbath
evenings. On the Tar hill is a spring called the
Bullion Well, the water of which is slightly impregnated
with sulphuretted hydrogen. William Hamilton, a poet
of eminence in the early part of the 18th century, was
either born, or resided in the parish.
Echt
ECHT, a parish, in the district of Kincardine
O'Neil, county of Aberdeen, 12 miles (W.) from
Aberdeen; containing 1078 inhabitants. This parish is
nearly a square in figure, each side measuring about
four and a half miles, and comprises between 15,000
and 16,000 acres, of which 7000 are in tillage, 2000 in
plantations, and the remainder uncultivated. It consists chiefly of a valley lying between two hills of unequal height, of which the more elevated, called the Hill
of Fare, is situated about one mile south-west from the
church, though but partly in the parish. The base of
this hill is nearly eighteen miles in circumference, and
its height 1794 feet above the level of the sea; it has
some thriving plantations of fir, abundance of the usual
kinds of game, and several chalybeate springs, said to
be beneficial in scorbutic and nephritic complaints. On
the outskirts of the parish are other rising grounds,
cultivated to the summit; and in the north-western
portion is a hill of conical form, called the Barmekin,
about two-thirds of the height of the Hill of Fare, entirely
shrouded in wood, and contributing, by its sylvan beauties, to enhance the effect of the varied and pleasing
scenery of the locality. The lower grounds are mossy;
the soil in some places is light and sandy, but that of
the best lands is in general a light loam, on a clayey
subsoil; the climate is mild, and the crops, comprising
bear, potatoes, hay, turnips, and oats, are early and of
good quality. The system of farming has been greatly
improved within the present century; some of the
estates exhibit the skill and perseverance of the most
successful husbandry; lime manure is extensively used,
and bone-dust has recently been applied with much
advantage. Among the large tracts of waste land which
have been reclaimed, that on the estate of Echt, amounting to 1860 acres, is the chief. Inclosures and drains
have been formed on all the principal farms; there are
many substantial and convenient houses and offices, and
above forty mills have been erected for threshing grain.
The few sheep kept are the Cheviot and black-faced,
and the cattle are mostly the Aberdeenshire. Granite is
occasionally quarried. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £5690.
Between 1500 and 2000 acres have been planted in
the last half century on the estate of Echt, and the proprietor has transplanted about 150 large trees to ornament the beautiful grounds of his elegant and commodious mansion: the house was built in the year 1820,
and stands in a park of eighty acres, attached to which
is a very extensive and productive garden. A branch
post has been established: the parish is intersected by
the high road from Aberdeen to Tarland, and a road
from the former place to Alford runs along a small part
of the northern extremity of Echt; a third road, to
Kincardine O'Neil, strikes off from the Tarland road at
the eastern boundary, and traverses a considerable portion of the parish in a south-western direction. Several
fairs are held annually, chiefly for sheep, cattle, horses,
and corn. The parish is in the presbytery of Kincardine
O'Neil and synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of
the Earl of Fife; the minister's stipend is £183, with a
manse, and a glebe of about four and a half acres, valued
at £10 per annum. The church, built in 1804, accommodates 400 persons; it is a neat structure, comfortably fitted up, and, being centrally situated, is convenient for the bulk of the population. The parochial
school affords instruction in the usual branches; the
master has a salary of £29, with a house, and £20 fees,
and also participates in the benefit of the Dick bequest.
The remains of a Danish camp are still visible on the
hill of Barmekin, comprehending five intrenchments;
the inner inclosure, which is almost circular, measures
300 feet in diameter, and covers about one acre of
ground. In the vicinity are several cairns and tumuli,
and in another part of the parish is a Pictish work in
the form of a horse-shoe. On the 28th of October,
1562, the district was the scene of the battle of
Corrichie, fought between the forces of the Earl of
Huntly and those of the Earl of Murray; the former
were defeated, and their commander slain, and his son,
Sir John Gordon, soon afterwards beheaded at Aberdeen.
Eckford
ECKFORD, a parish, in the district of Kelso,
county of Roxburgh; containing, with the villages of
Caverton and Cessford, 1069 inhabitants, of whom 98
are in the village of Eckford, 5 miles (S. by W.) from
Kelso, and 48 in that of Eckfordmoss, adjoining. This
place appears to have derived its name from a ford
across the river Teviot near the village, and from the
number of oak-trees with which the immediate neighbourhood abounded. On account of its situation only
a few miles from the border, it was frequently the scene
of violence and devastation, and within the limits of
the parish were several strongholds for defence against
the incursions of the English, and as places of security
for cattle and other property. The principal of these
were, Ormiston, Eckford, and Moss Towers, of which the
last was the most important, both for its strength and
for its position in a marsh near the village, and also
from its being the residence of Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. This castle was assaulted in 1523 by a party of
English led by Thomas, Lord Dacre, who, on the same
day, demolished Ormiston Tower and numerous other
places in the vicinity; and in 1544 it was burnt, together with the tower and church of Eckford, by a body
of the English under Sir Ralph Eure, who put to death
nearly fifty of the inhabitants. In 1553, the village of
Eckford, which had been a town of no little importance,
was burnt by the Marquess of Dorset. The stronghold
of Moss Tower appears to have been rebuilt after its
previous destruction, but was again destroyed by the
Earl of Sussex, who, in 1570, laid waste a large portion
of the surrounding district. But the most famous fortress in the parish was Cessford Castle, which was
more than a mere stronghold, and of which the remains
are noticed in the ensuing page.
The parish, which is of triangular form, is about six
miles in extreme length, and four and a half in extreme
breadth, and comprises 9695 acres, of which 7728 are
arable, 813 woodland and plantations, and the remainder rough pasture, common, and waste. The surface
is generally undulated, rising towards the south into
moderate elevations, of which the principal are Wooden
hill and Caverton hill, commanding extensive and pleasingly-varied prospects, embracing on the west the fertile
vale of Teviot, with the beautiful scenery along the
banks of that river; and the vale of the river Kale,
with its picturesque ranges of hills. The Teviot has its
source among the hills that separate the counties of
Roxburgh and Dumfries, and, after flowing through the
parish, falls into the Tweed near Kelso. The Kale,
which rises in the Cheviot hills, in the county of Northumberland, after an impetuous course of about eighteen
miles, falls into the Teviot to the north of the church;
its banks in various parts are richly wooded. There is
a lake situated near the village, at the base of Wooden
hill; it occupies the bed of an extensive marl-pit which
was formerly wrought, and is in some places thirty feet
in depth. In the slimy bottom of this lake, medicinal
leeches of excellent quality used once to be found in
considerable numbers, though no traces of such are now
to be met with, probably from the quantity of water.
The scenery throughout Eckford is of pleasing character, and is enriched with the flourishing plantations
that prevail in most parts of the parish. The soil is
various; in the lower grounds, and more especially on
the banks of the Teviot, a light friable loam; on the
higher grounds, partaking more of the nature of clay;
but it is generally fertile, and by good management rendered highly productive. The crops are, oats, barley,
wheat, potatoes, turnips, peas, and beans. The system of
agriculture is in a very improved state, and the five-shift
rotation of husbandry usually practised; the lands are
well drained, and inclosed chiefly with hedges of thorn.
Much waste has been reclaimed and brought into profitable cultivation. Attention is paid to the improvement of live stock; the sheep are mostly of the Leicestershire breed, and the cattle pastured in the parish of
the short-horned breed. The rateable annual value of
Eckford is £8837.
The woods comprise all the varieties of forest trees,
and flourish greatly; the plantations are chiefly of
Scotch, spruce, and silver firs, of which there is a tract
of nearly 360 acres at Caverton-Edge, where formerly
the Kelso races were held, and which, from one of the
titles of its proprietor, the Duke of Roxburghe, is called
Beaumont Forest. There are many specimens of ancient timber of stately growth in various parts of the
parish. The principal substrata are whinstone and
sandstone, of which also the hills are composed; they
are both occasionally quarried for building and other
purposes. A small seam of coal was discovered many
years since at Caverton-Edge, but it was not wrought
with sufficient spirit to render it productive of any
benefit, and the works were soon after abandoned. The
manufacture of agricultural implements is carried on at
Kalemouth; and there are mills for grinding corn at
Ormiston, Eckford, and Caverton. Marlefield House,
the property of the Marquess of Tweeddale, is a spacious mansion pleasantly situated in a demesne richly
planted, and tastefully laid out; in front of the house
is an extensive lawn, and the grounds are in some parts
embellished with avenues of lime-trees. The ancient
mansion-house of Haughhead is on the south bank of
the river Kale, near Eckford mill, and is still in a
tolerable state of repair. At a short distance from it
is an artificial mound of earth and stones intermixed,
surrounded with clumps of old fir-trees; on the summit
is a stone commemorating the result of a dispute between Hall, the original proprietor of Haughhead, and his
neighbour, Ker, of Cessford, whom he defeated in an
attempt to take possession of his estate. The villages
have facility of intercourse with Kelso and other towns
in the district by good roads, and by two bridges over
the Teviot and Kale, both of one arch, and neatly built
of stone. An elegant chain-bridge, also, was thrown
across the Teviot, near its confluence with the Kale, by
the late William Mein, Esq., of Ormiston; it is 180 feet
in length, and sixteen feet in breadth, and forms an
interesting feature in the landscape. The turnpike-road
from Hawick to Kelso passes through the parish, in its
western portion.
Eckford
Eckford is in the presbytery of Jedburgh and synod
of Merse and Teviotdale, and patronage of the Crown;
the minister's stipend is £219, with a manse, and glebe
valued at £12. 5. per annum. The church, which was
dependant on the abbey of Jedburgh, is a substantial
edifice finely situated on the south bank of the river
Teviot, and is adapted for a congregation of 300 persons.
There are two parochial schools, affording together instruction to about 120 scholars. Of that in the village
of Eckford the master has a salary of £34, with a house
and garden, and fees averaging about £21 per annum;
the master of the school at Caverton mill has a salary
of £17, with a house and garden, and fees averaging
£17, with the interest of a bequest of £40. There is
also a school at Cessford, attended by about forty scholars; the master has a schoolroom rent free, in addition
to the fees, which amount to £20. Some remains exist
of Cessford Castle, the ancient manorial residence of Sir
Robert Ker, ancestor of the Duke of Roxburghe's family,
and warden of the Scottish middle marches. This fortress was of considerable importance, and in 1523 the
Earl of Surrey in vain attempted to reduce it, but after
a protracted siege obtained possession by capitulation;
the remains show it to have been of great strength.
The chief building is a quadrangular pile sixty-seven
feet long, sixty feet broad, and sixty-five feet high, with
walls nearly thirteen feet in thickness; it was once surrounded by an inner and outer wall, part of the latter
of which is still remaining, and the interval between
them is supposed to have been appropriated to the keeping of cattle and other valuable property placed there
for security in times of danger. Some traces of the
moat by which the whole was inclosed may also be perceived. A little to the north of the castle, and near
Cessford burn, is a cavern of considerable size, called
Hobbie Ker's Cave; and there are several other caverns
of artificial construction in various parts of the parish.
Stone coffins have been frequently met with; and in
one, discovered on the farm of Eckford-Eastmains in
1831, were found a few human bones, and a small
Roman jar filled with black dust. To the west of
Caverton hill are the remains of a tumulus called the
Black dyke, which has not yet been fully explored. On
the farm of Moss Tower, a coin or medal of the Empress
Faustina has been found in the peat-moss, of which the
inscription was quite legible. At Caverton was an
ancient chapel founded by Walter Ker, of Cessford; but
there are no vestiges, though near it is a well, for many
years called Priest's well, but now almost undistinguished.
Marlefield House is said to have been the birthplace of
Sir William Bennet, the intimate friend of Ramsay,
whose pastoral of the Gentle Shepherd was first represented at a neighbouring seat, and of which the scenery
is thought to have been descriptive of Marlefield.
The poet Thomson also spent much of his time with Sir
William Bennet at this place, and he is supposed to
have composed the "Winter" of his Seasons within four
miles of Marlefield, on a hill in the adjoining parish of
Morebattle, to which he frequently resorted. Bennet
lived during the greater period of his life in the parish;
and in an aisle adjoining the church, which was the
place of sepulture of the family, his remains were interred.
Eday
EDAY, in the county of Orkney.—See Stronsay
and Eday.
Edderton
EDDERTON, a parish, in the Mainland district,
county of Ross and Cromarty, 5 miles (S. W.) from
Tain, containing 975 inhabitants. This place, which
derives its name from its situation among hills that
surround it on all sides except the north, was noted
in the reign of William the Lion for its castle near
the shore of the Frith of Dornoch, erected by that
monarch to command the ferry between the counties of
Ross and Sutherland. In 1227, Ferquhard, or Farquhar,
Earl of Ross, having accompanied Alexander II. into
England, challenged a renowned French champion whom
he met at the court of Henry III. to single combat, and
in gratitude for his victory founded here, on his return,
the abbey of Fearns, which he amply endowed for
Augustine monks. From the frequent annoyances to
which the brethren were exposed in this situation, however, the founder, at the request of the abbot, removed
the establishment, about the year 1246, to a more secluded spot about twelve miles distant, where it continued to flourish till the Reformation, when one-half of
its revenues was granted to the bishopric of Ross, and
the remainder to the Ross family of Balnagown. The
parish, which is bounded on the north by Dornoch
Frith and the Frith of Tain, is about ten miles in length,
and nearly eight miles in extreme breadth, comprising
an area of 41,760 acres, of which 1630 are arable, 710
woodlands and plantations, and the remainder meadow,
pasture, and moor. The surface is partly level, consisting of three successive ledges of table-land, and in
other portions diversified with numerous hills, of which
the most conspicuous are, Cambuscurry to the east,
having an elevation of 600 feet above the level of the sea,
and the hill of Struie to the west, rising to the height of
1000 feet, both which are wholly within the parish.
Cnoc-an-t-Sabhal, on the southern boundary, is about
1000 feet in height; and Muidhe-Bhlarie, on the southwest border, has an elevation of 1300 feet above the sea.
There are four small rivers, which have their source in
the parish, the Edderton burn, the Daan, the Easter
Fearn, and the Grugaig: during the dry season they are
very inconsiderable streams, but after rains they become
swollen and impetuous in their course, and have sometimes been known to sweep away the bridges built over
them.
The soil in the higher lands near the sea is gravelly,
in the lower a deep alluvial loam alternated with sand,
and in other places a mixture of clay, gravel, and moss;
the arable lands are in good cultivation, and the system
of husbandry has been improved under the encouragement given to his tenants by the principal landholder,
Sir Charles Ross. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £1794. The plantations, some of which are of
early date, are, oak, birch, and Scotch fir, of which last
there are about 100 acres on the lands of Balnagown in
a very flourishing condition, and chiefly of ancient
growth. In the deeper mosses are found the trunks and
roots of fir, oak, hazel, and birch, some of which are of
great dimensions. The substrata are principally old red
sandstone, conglomerate, of which the rocks are mainly
composed, and limestone; and in the hill of Struie are
found gneiss, quartz, granite, and whinstone. The chief
residences are, Ardmore House, beautifully situated;
Balblair; and Upper Edderton. There is no village in
the parish: at Ardmore, on the Frith of Tain, is a good
harbour accessible to vessels of 100 tons, and during the
summer several arrive with supplies of coal, lime, and
other merchandise. At Balblair is a distillery, commenced about forty-five years since; it consumes 120
bushels of malt weekly, producing 240 gallons of
whisky, in very high repute. Facility of communication
with Tain, from the markets of which the inhabitants
are supplied with provisions, is afforded by the turnpikeroad to Bonar-Bridge.
The ecclesiastical affairs of Edderton parish are
under the superintendence of the presbytery of Tain and
synod of Ross. The minister's stipend is £203. 14., with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £16 per annum; patroness, the Hon. Mrs. Hay Mackenzie, of Cromarty.
The former church, erected in 1743, and efficiently repaired in 1794, a neat plain structure, containing 350
sittings, being inconveniently situated, a new church
was built in 1841 in a more centrical part of the
parish. The members of the Free Church use the old
edifice. The parochial school is not well attended; the
master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden,
and the fees average about £5 per annum. A female
school, supported by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, was established in 1837, and a Gaelic
school in 1840 by the Gaelic Society of Edinburgh.
Behind the parochial school-house is an obelisk of rough
whinstone, ten feet in height, on which is sculptured the
figure of a fish, probably a salmon, with two concentric
circles below it; and surrounding the pillar, at a distance
of three yards from its base, is an intrenchment about
two feet in height, inclosing an area within which a fight
took place between some of the inhabitants and a party of
Norwegian pirates, when Carius, the leader of the latter,
was killed. The name of the place is from that event
called Carry-Blair. In the churchyard is also a sculptured stone, on which is a warrior on horseback, with a
large cross above, and on the other side various concentric
circles and hieroglyphics. A complete chain of circular
forts formerly surrounded the parish, but few at present
are in any tolerable state of preservation: one of them,
called Dune Alliscaig, about fourteen feet in height, and
having a spiral staircase within the walls, was in the
year 1818 demolished for the sake of the materials which
it afforded.
Eddlestone
EDDLESTONE, a parish, in the county of Peebles;
containing 742 inhabitants, of whom 139 are in the village, 4 miles (N.) from Peebles. This parish, undistinguished by any events of historical importance, is about
ten miles in length, from north to south, and seven miles
in breadth, and comprises 21,250 acres, of which 4370
are arable, 1050 woodland and plantations, and 15,830
permanent pasture, and meadow. The surface is diversified by hills covered with verdure to their summits;
the highest, called Dundroich, or Druid's hill, has an
elevation of 2100 feet above the level of the sea, and
commands an extensive and finely-varied prospect embracing the Cheviot hills, part of the pleasing dales of
Teviot, Annan, and Clyde, with portions of the counties
of Perth and Fife, the river Forth, and the city of Edinburgh. The chief river is the South Esk, which issues
from a lake of about two miles in circumference, at the
base of Dundroich, and flows into the sea at Musselburgh;
the lake abounds with pike, eels, and perch, and forms
an interesting feature in the scenery, which is also enriched with extensive plantations of modern growth.
The soil is various, and on some of the farms might be
rendered much more fertile than it is, through the adoption of a more extensive system of draining the lands.
The crops are, oats, barley, wheat, peas, potatoes, and
turnips; the system of agriculture is in an improved
state. The buildings are substantial and commodious;
the lands are generally well inclosed, and the fences
mostly kept in good repair. About 5500 sheep are
annually reared on the hills, of which nearly one-half are
of the Cheviot, and the rest of the black-faced breed; on
the dairy-farms about 280 milch-cows are pastured,
chiefly the Ayrshire and Teeswater, and 500 head of
young cattle are annually reared. The woods and plantations are well managed, and usually in a thriving condition. The rateable annual value of the parish, as returned for the Income tax, is £6694.
The village is pleasantly situated, neatly built, and
well inhabited; a post-office has been established, and
has a daily delivery from Edinburgh and Peebles, with
which, and other places, there is facility of communication by roads kept in excellent order. A fair used to
be held in the village on the 25th of September; it was
a considerable mart for cattle, and numerously attended,
but has recently been wholly discontinued. The parish is in the presbytery of Peebles and synod of
Lothian and Tweeddale, and patronage of Lord Elibank; the minister's stipend is £249, with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £24 per annum. The church,
rebuilt in 1829, is a neat and substantial edifice adapted
for a congregation of 420 persons. The parochial school
affords education to about a hundred and twenty children;
the master's salary is £34, with £42 fees, and a good
house; he has also the privilege of taking boarders. There are remains of three circular camps, evidently Danish: one of these, on the lands of Norshield,
has been preserved nearly in its original state of perfection, and surrounded with a plantation; the others are
almost obliterated. On the lands of Kingside, a vessel
has been dug up containing a large number of gold and
silver coins, the former in good preservation, but the
latter much defaced; on some was legible the inscription Jacobus S. Scotorum Rex. Near the northern extremity of this farm was a tumulus, inclosed with three
circular walls, and which was opened by the tenant, and
found to contain a rudely-formed stone coffin, in which
were human bones in a partly calcined state, and close
to it a variety of brazen weapons, in form resembling
axes; two of them were sent to the museum of the
Antiquarian Society of Edinburgh. This farm was a
hunting-seat belonging to James VI. The Rev. Patrick
Robertson, the present incumbent, is the great-grandson of the Rev. James Robertson, who was ordained to
the parish in 1697, and, after a ministration of fifty
years, was succeeded by his son Alexander, who in
1772 was followed by his son Dr. Patrick Robertson,
who held the living also for fifty years, and died in
1822.
Eddrachillis
EDDRACHILLIS, a parish, in the county of
Sutherland, 15 miles (N. N. W.) from Assynt; including the islands of Handa and Scourie, and the late
quoad sacra district of Keanlochbervie, and containing
1699 inhabitants. The Celtic name of this place, Eadarda-chaolas, signifies "between two kyles or arms of the
sea," and is descriptive of the situation of the main part
of the parish between the kyle of Scow, which separates Eddrachillis from Assynt on the south, and the
kyle of Laxford. The parish was anciently part of the
barony of Skelbo, and was granted by Hugo Freskyn
de Moravia, ancestor of the Duke of Sutherland, in the
twelfth century, to his brother, Bishop Gilbert Moray,
by whom, in 1235, it was transferred to a third brother,
Richard Moray, of Culbyn. About the year 1440, it
came to the family of Kinnaird of Kinnaird, by an
heiress, Egidia Moray; and in 1515. Andrew Kinnaird
disposed of it to John Mackay of Eddrachillis, son of
Mackay of Strathnaver, the superiority remaining with
the earls of Sutherland. In 1829, it was restored to
the Sutherland family by purchase. So early as 1550,
another branch of the Mackays seized the territory of
Scourie by displacing the Mc Leods, and located themselves here under the title of Mackays of Scourie; and
from this family sprang Lieutenant-General Hugh Mackay, the famous commander-in-chief in the time of
William and Mary, eminent for his skill and bravery,
and who fell in 1692, shortly after the siege of Namur,
where he commanded the British division of the grand
army.
The parish was formerly included in Durness, but
was separated in 1726; its extreme length from north
to south is 'twenty-five miles, its mean breadth seven
miles, and it contains about 112,000 acres. It is situated in the angle of the county formed by the Atlantic
and Northern Seas, and in its general features, like
other Highland districts, is exceedingly wild, rugged,
and mountainous, in some parts highly romantic, and
interesting to the tourist. Its outline is altogether irregular, being indented by numerous fissures and arms of
the sea, and it is naturally formed into three parts,
namely, the Scourie division, between Loch Glendhu and
Loch Laxford; Ceathramh-garbh, between Loch Laxford and Loch Inchard; and Ashare. The derivation
of the first of these three names is unknown; the second
signifies "a rough section of country," and the third
"arable land." The principal mountains are, BeinneLeothaid, Beinne-Stac, Beinne-Stroim, Arkle, and the
south-west range of the Reay forest to the summit of
Toinne-Beinne, Meal-Horn, Sabhal-mhoir, and MilleRinidh, with part of Beinne-Shith: several of these rise
3000 feet above the level of the sea. The Reay forest,
or Diru-moir, which claims particular notice, has always
been reckoned one of the principal forests in Scotland.
Considerable tracts of it had been allotted for sheep at
the commencement of the present century, but upon
the expiration of the leases, the proprietor restored the
whole to its ancient character of a deer forest, and the
extent of land set apart for this purpose is estimated at
60,000 acres, of which half is in this parish, and half
in Durness. Thousands of red-deer roam in this territory, under the management of regularly appointed
foresters; almost every description of game visits the
parish, and the black eagle occupies the highest rocks.
The harbours are numerous and excellent, and are said
to be so large as to be capable of affording safe anchorage to the whole naval and mercantile shipping of Great
Britain; those most celebrated are, Lochs Laxford,
Inchard, Badcall, Calva, Glendhu, and the Sound of
Handa. Besides the island of Handa, there is a cluster
of isles consisting of about twenty, lying between Eddrachillis and Assynt, which are uninhabited, but afford
good pasturage for lambs and cattle. The most remarkable inland lakes are Loch Moir and Loch Stac, which
are well stocked with different kinds of trout; the most
considerable rivers are the Laxford and Inchard, which,
with numerous minor streams, discharge themselves
into the Atlantic Ocean. The different districts of the
parish are well supplied with water, principally from
perennial springs.
Though the principal occupation, besides fishing, is
the rearing and pasturing of sheep, yet some part of
the land is under tillage. The soil is generally a mixture of gravel and moss, considerably improved by the
application of sea-weed for manure; the lands of Ashare
are superior to the rest, and consist, like the island
of Handa, of dark loam mixed with sand. The crops
raised are, potatoes, bear, and oats, the ground for
which is prepared by the common garden spade and
the Highland implement called the cas-chrom. The
sheep on the large farms are the pure Cheviots; those
of the smaller tenants are a cross between the Cheviot
and the native black-faced: the cattle are of an inferor
kind. The rateable annual value of the parish is £3027.
The rocks comprise gneiss, hornblende, veins of granite,
and quartz; limestone, also, is met with on the sides of
some of the lochs. The island of Handa is composed
chiefly of the best sort of red sandstone, and its rocks
lie horizontally, and are considered by geologists as
possessing an almost equal interest, though of another
kind, with the celebrated basaltic columns in the island
of Staffa.
The people are principally located on the sea-coast,
in townships or hamlets, each family possessing a
certain portion of land; and their occupation consists
partly of tilling the ground and partly of fishing, the
latter comprehending the herring, salmon, white, and
lobster fisheries. Those who have commodious boats
go for herrings to the Caithness coast, but large quantities are taken at home in the lochs, especially in Loch
Glendhu. The salmon-fishing is good, and of the
swarms of almost every description of white-fish on
these shores very considerable numbers are taken; all
kinds of shell-fish are abundant, and lobsters are conveyed from this place in smacks, by a London company,
to the market at Billingsgate. Whales, porpoises, and
seals, likewise frequent the coast; but the first of these
are never captured. The chief approach to the parish
from the south is through a part of Assynt to the kyle
of Scow, where is a ferry 380 yards broad; and there
is a post-office at Scourie, which communicates twice
a week with Golspie. A line of road thirty-two miles
in extent runs through the parish; and three inns have
been erected in it, solely at the expense of the Duke of
Sutherland, by whose liberality and exertions the whole
aspect of the district has been entirely changed. The
ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery of
Tongue and synod of Sutherland and Caithness; patron,
the Crown. The stipend is £158, of which £103 are
paid by the exchequer, with a glebe valued at £20 per
annum, and there is a manse at Badcall, recently erected.
The church is a plain edifice, built upwards of a century
ago, and thoroughly repaired about seven years since;
it is a commodious edifice in very excellent condition,
and contains 275 sittings. There is also a good church
at Keanlochbervie, to which a quoad sacra district was
annexed by act of parliament in the 5th of George IV.
The members of the Free Church have a place of worship. There is a parochial school at Scourie, of which
the master has the maximum salary, a house, and
allowance for a garden; a school was erected and endowed for the Keanlochbervie district in 1845, and
another is supported at Ashare by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge.
Edenton
EDENTON, a village, in the parish of Collessie,
district of Cupar, county of Fife; containing 45 inhabitants.