Tweeddale
TWEEDDALE.—See Peeblesshire.
Tweedsmuir
TWEEDSMUIR, a parish, in county Peebles, 13
miles (S. E. by S.) from Biggar; containing 276 inhabitants. This place derives its name from the moorish
aspect of the ground in that part of the parish through
which the river Tweed flows, immediately on issuing
from its source. It appears to have formed originally
part of the adjoining parish of Drummelzier, on its
separation from which, in 1643, it assumed its present
appellation. The parish is from eight to nine miles in
length, and nearly equal in breadth; and comprises
42,000 acres, of which 375 are arable, 30 woodland
and plantations, and the remainder meadow and hill
pasture. The surface is strikingly diversified with hills
and numerous small valleys. The highest of the hills
are, Broad Law, in the north, which has an elevation,
according to a survey made by government, of 2741
feet above the level of the sea; and part of the Hartfell
range of heights, on the south, of which the highest
point is 2635 feet: these hills are of gradual ascent,
and perfectly level on the summit. The former commands an unbounded prospect, extending to the English
border, and comprising the mountains which intervene
in almost endless succession, and the German Ocean,
with an interesting assemblage of highly picturesque
and strikingly varied features. The scenery of the
parish is greatly enlivened by the winding course of the
Tweed and other streams, which flow through small
valleys of romantic appearance, enriched with thriving
plantations, and in a state of luxuriant verdure. The
Tweed has its source in a spring in the upper part of
the parish, which has an elevation of 1500 feet above
the sea. It flows for ten miles through the parish,
receiving in its progress numerous tributaries, whereof
the Core, Fruid, and Tala, which all have their sources
within the parish, are the principal; and after leaving
the district, it pursues a winding course of more than
ninety miles, and falls into the sea at Berwick. At the
base of the hill in which the Tweed rises, and which is
about half a mile from Lanarkshire on the west, and
from Dumfries-shire on the south, are found also the
sources of the rivers Annan and Clyde. All the streams
abound with trout, par, and eels; and in the Tweed,
salmon of considerable size are frequently taken. Among
the smaller burns is the Gameshope, which is a tributary
of the Tala, and in its course spreads into a small lake,
about 600 yards in circumference, said to be the highest
water in this part of the country; it abounds with excellent trout of a dark colour, and is much frequented by
anglers. Near the summit of Broad Law is a powerful
perennial spring called Giddes Well, affording an ample
supply of excellent water; and at the southern extremity
of Hartfell is a strongly impregnated chalybeate spring,
in great repute.
The soil in some parts is a strong loam formed of
earth and moss, and in others a light loam intermixed
in a few instances with gravel. The mountains are
covered to their summits with luxuriant verdure, and
may be mowed to almost any extent; they afford rich
pasturage for sheep and black-cattle. The chief crops
are oats, barley, turnips, peas, and potatoes, with artificial grasses of every kind, which thrive in great abundance. The system of agriculture is improved; the lands
have been mostly well drained and inclosed; the farmhouses are substantially built of stone, and roofed with
slate; and every improvement in implements of husbandry has been introduced. The want of lime, however, which is only to be procured from a distance, has
greatly retarded the cultivation of the lands. The sheep,
of which 16,000 are kept in the parish, and pastured on
the hills, are of the Cheviot and black-faced breeds;
there are 9000 of the former, and 7000 of the latter.
Considerable attention is paid to the improvement of
the breeds; and at the annual meeting of the Highland
Society, the tenants of the farms of Carterhope and
Menzion lately gained the highest premiums for specimens, the one of the black-faced, and the other of the
Cheviot. The woods in the parish, formerly extensive,
have almost entirely disappeared, and only a few trees
remain on the lands of Fruid and Hawkshaw; the plantations are chiefly Scotch and silver fir, larch, birch, and
poplar, which seem best adapted to the soil. Among
the ancient residences were, Hawkshaw, which for some
hundreds of years was the seat of the family of Porteous,
and near which are remains of a chapel and burialground; Oliver Castle, the seat of the ancient family of
the Frasers; Menzion House, and Fruid. Facility of
intercourse with the market-town, and with the places
in the more immediate vicinity, is afforded by good
roads, of which the turnpike-road from Edinburgh to
Dumfries passes for ten miles within the parish. The
rateable annual value of Tweedsmuir is £3992. It is
in the presbytery of Peebles and synod of Lothian and
Tweeddale, and patronage of the Principal and Professors
of St. Mary's College, St. Andrew's; the minister's stipend
is £237. 9. 5, with a manse, and the glebe is valued at
£12. 10. per annum. The church, beautifully situated
on a peninsula formed by the junction of the rivers
Tweed and Tala, was erected in 1648, and is in good
repair, and adapted for a congregation of 160 persons.
The parochial school affords a liberal course of instruction; the master has a salary of £32 per annum, with
£12 fees, and a house and garden, which last being less
than the usual size, he receives one boll of meal also.
There is a school for the children of persons living at
an inconvenient distance from the parochial school; the
master has £8 a year from the heritors, in addition
to the fees. Near the source of the Tweed, in a spot
called Tweed's Cross, was an upright stone supposed to
have been a Druidical relic, and subsequently a guide
for passengers; there are still some remains of a
Druidical circle elsewhere, of which, however, but one
upright stone is left, the remainder having been taken
away to furnish materials for dykes. On removing a
cairn on the side of the Tweed, a kistvaen was discovered, formed of smoothed stone, and covered with a
large flag, containing fragments of an urn of ancient
character: a similar grave was discovered on the lands
of Menzion. Sir Simon Fraser, who, assisted by Cumming, at the head of 10,000 Scottish forces, attacked
and defeated the army of Edward I., consisting of
30,000 men, near Roslin, in 1303, was lord of Tweeddale, and resided at Oliver Castle, in this parish.
Twynholm
TWYNHOLM, a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, 3 miles (N. by W.) from Kirkcudbright;
containing 777 inhabitants, of whom 216 are in the village. This place, of which the name, supposed to be
a corruption of Twynham, is descriptive of the situation
of the church and village on rising ground, appears to
have attained to a considerable degree of importance at
an early period. During the contest for the crown of
Scotland between Baliol and Bruce, Edward I. of England, after remaining with his court for some time at
the castle of Kirkcudbright, crossed the Dee on the 9th
of August, 1300, and took up his abode at this place,
where he remained for ten days, and made several offerings at the altar of the ancient chapel. The parish, to
which that of Kirk-Christ seems to have been annexed
about the middle of the 17th century, is bounded by
the river Dee, separating it from the parish of Kirkcudbright; and is about ten miles in length and nearly
three miles in extreme breadth, comprising an area of
10,700 acres, of which 6500 are arable, 3270 meadow
and pasture, 320 woodland and plantations, and the
remainder waste. Nearly one-half of the parish is the
property of the Earl of Selkirk; and the remainder is
divided among several proprietors, of whom T. Maitland, Esq., of Dundrennan, and the family of McMillan,
of Barwhinnock, are the principal. The surface is
diversified with hills, which in the northern portion rise
into considerable elevation, affording only pasturage to
cattle and sheep; in the southern portion the hills are
of inferior height, and arable to their summits. The
rivers are, the Dee, which bounds the parish on the east;
and the Tarf, which, after winding through the north,
takes an eastern course, and falls into the Dee. The
lower grounds are watered by numerous other streams;
and there are several lakes, of which the most extensive
is Loch Whinyeon, at the north-west boundary of the
parish, bordering on that of Girthon. The water of
this lake was formerly conveyed by the small burn of
Glengap into the Tarf; but a tunnel has lately been cut
through the hill, by which it is diverted to the cotton-works at Gatehouse, in the parish of Girthon.
The soil is generally fertile, and the pastures in
several parts are luxuriantly rich; the principal crops
are, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and turnips. The
system of agriculture is much improved; lime is pretty
largely applied; the lands have been well drained, and
are partly inclosed with fences of thorn, which have
been recently introduced, and are gradually superseding
the stone dykes formerly in use. The farm-buildings are mostly substantial and well arranged. The
cattle are usually of the Galloway breed, though on
one or two farms are some of the short-horned; the
sheep are principally a cross between the Leicestershire
and the Cheviot breeds. Great numbers of sheep are
brought in during the autumn, in addition to what are
reared; they are fed on turnips, and, when fat, are sent
by the steam-boats to Liverpool. The substratum is
chiefly whinstone, of which the rocks are principally
composed; there is no sandstone, but granite occurs in
large boulders in several places. The woods and plantations are oak, interspersed with larch, and spruce and
Scotch firs; they are under good management, and in
a very flourishing condition. The rateable annual value
of the parish is £6259.
Compston, the residence of Mr. Maitland, is a handsome house, built by the late proprietor, and finely
situated in a demesne embellished with stately timber.
Barwhinnock, the residence of Mr. Mc Millan, by whom
it was lately erected, is also a handsome building. The
village, which is situated on the great road from Carlisle to Portpatrick, is spacious and well built: the
inhabitants, with the exception of a small number employed in the various handicraft trades requisite for
the supply of the neighbourhood, are engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. There are a mill for
carding and spinning wool, and, on the same premises,
a mill for dressing flax, both for the farmers, who work
it up at their own houses for domestic use. Facility of
communication is maintained by the turnpike-road to
Portpatrick, which passes through the centre of the
parish, and by statute roads kept in good repair. There
is a ferry across the Dee to Kirkcudbright; and that
river, which is navigable to Tongland bridge, affords
ample means of procuring supplies of coal and lime, and
of conveying the agricultural produce to Liverpool and
other markets. The ecclesiastical affairs are under
the superintendence of the presbytery of Kirkcudbright
and synod of Galloway. The minister's stipend is
£225. 11. 1., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £40
per annum; patron, the Earl of Selkirk. The church,
erected in 1818, is a neat structure in the early English
style of architecture; it is situated nearly in the centre of
the parish, and contains 410 sittings. The parochial
school is attended by about 100 children, the master has
a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and garden, and the
fees average £15 per annum. There is a female school at
Doon, in the south of the parish, for which a house was
built by the Earl of Selkirk, who pays the teacher's salary.
Remains exist of several British forts, near one of which,
in a tumulus, was found a stone coffin containing human
bones, some coins, and an instrument resembling a
hammer. There are also some slight remains of the
ancient castle of Compston, consisting of three of the
walls of the tower, in a very ruinous condition. Of the
nunnery that formerly existed in the south part of the
parish, the only memorial is preserved in the names of
the farms of High and Low Nunton, with that of a mill
adjoining them, still called Nunmill. The poet Montgomery once resided at Compston.
Tyndrum
TYNDRUM, a village, in the parish of Killin,
county of Perth, 16 miles (N. E.) from Inverary. This
is a small Highland village, upon the great western
military road, about twelve miles from Dalmally, and
the same distance from Killin. It contains a post-office,
and one of six excellent inns in the parish, the latter
said to be the highest situated of any house in Scotland.
Tynninghame
TYNNINGHAME, a village, in the parish of Whitekirk and Tynninghame, county of Haddington,
1 mile (N. E. by E.) from the village of Prestonkirk; containing 271 inhabitants. It is situated in the southern
part of the parish, on the road from Whitekirk to Stenton, and about half a mile westward from the river
Tyne, which shortly merges its waters in the Forth,
at its mouth. The lands of Tynninghame formed a
separate parish, which was united to Whitekirk in
1767: the church, now demolished, stood about a quarter of a mile below the village, on the north side of the
Tyne, in a beautiful field having a gentle slope to the
water's edge, and had in early times the privilege of
sanctuary. The lordship of Tynninghame belongs to
the Earl of Haddington, whose fine seat, surrounded
with plantations commenced by his ancestor, the fifth
earl, is in the Elizabethan style. The population of the
village is almost exclusively agricultural. One of the
parochial schools is situated here.
Tynron
TYNRON, a parish, in the county of Dumfries,
4½ miles (W. S. W.) from Thornhill, containing 474
inhabitants, of whom nearly 80 are in the village. The
name, of Gaelic origin, is in different records written
Tyndron, Tintroyn, and Tindroyn, and is supposed to
have been derived from the peculiar form of a hill near
the lower extremity of the parish, called the Dun, or
Doon, of Tynron. On the summit of the hill, which is of
pyramidal shape, with a singular projection from one
of its sides, might till lately be traced the foundations of
an ancient fortress, said to have been the retreat of
King Robert Bruce after the death of Comyn at Dumfries. During his concealment here, the king frequently
visited the cottage of a poor man named Brownrig, situated in a neighbouring croft surrounded with thick
woods, and where in perfect security he partook of such
fare as the humble dwelling afforded. In acknowledgment of the hospitality he had experienced, the monarch
conferred upon his host a grant of the croft in which
the cottage stood, with a portion of the surrounding
lands for the pasture of a few cattle; and though the
lands have been alienated by the Brownrigs, they are
still the property of the poor of Tynron. The parish
is situated in the district of Nithsdale, and bounded on
the north-east by the river Scar, which separates it from
the parish of Penpont; it is fourteen miles in length
and two and a half in breadth, comprising nearly 15,000
acres, of which 3100 are arable, 500 woodland and plantations, and the remainder hill pasture, moor, and waste.
The surface is boldly diversified. Two ranges of hills
intersect the parish in a direction from north-west to
south-east; the one terminates in the Dun of Tynron,
and the other in that of Maxwelltown, in the adjoining
parish of Glencairn. The hills are uniformly covered
with verdure, affording excellent pasture for sheep and
cattle; and those of Lamgarroch and Cormilligan, the
highest in the parish, have an elevation of 1800 feet
above the level of the sea. Between the ranges of hills,
which command from their summits extensive and
richly varied prospects over the surrounding country,
are some large tracts of fine level land, forming portions
of Strath-Nithsdale, and chiefly arable and in good cultivation. The prevailing scenery, being enriched with
wood, is pleasing. The river Shinnel, which has its
source in the Black Hill, situated to the north-west,
flows in a south-eastern direction through the parish,
dividing it into two nearly equal parts, and falls into
the Scar at Capenoch, in the adjoining parish of Keir,
having made in its course a romantic cascade called
Aird-Linn, near the manse, where its banks are richly
wooded. There are numerous smaller streams flowing
through the level lands in various directions, all of
which abound with trout of small size, affording good
sport to the angler; also several fine springs of excellent water.
The soil is generally light and sandy, but of tolerable
fertility, producing more grain than is requisite for the
consumption of the inhabitants; the parish is, however,
rather of a pastoral than of an agricultural character.
The crops are grain of all kinds, with potatoes, turnips,
and the usual grasses. The system of husbandry is
good, and a due regard is paid to a regular rotation;
the lands have been drained and inclosed; and from
the facility of obtaining lime from the neighbouring
quarries of Closeburn, and the introduction of guano
for manure on the turnip lands, much improvement has
taken place. The farm houses and offices, most of
which are of recent erection, are substantial and commodiously arranged; the fences are kept in good repair,
and much waste and unprofitable land has been reclaimed and brought into cultivation under the auspices
of both the resident and non-resident proprietors.
Great attention is paid to live-stock. The sheep are of
the Cheviot and black-faced breeds, with a few of a
cross between the Cheviot and the Leicestershire; the
cattle are chiefly the Ayrshire and Galloway, with a few
of the Highland, which were formerly preferred, but
have now decreased in number. There are considerable
remains of natural wood, consisting of oak, common
and mountain ash, birch, plane, alder, and willow; and
the plantations are larch, Scotch, spruce, and silver firs,
and balm of Gilead, interspersed with various kinds of
forest-trees, all of which are well managed and in a
thriving condition. The principal substrata are, greywacke, of which the rocks are mainly composed, clayslate, and a flinty kind of slate called Lydian stone: an
attempt was at one time made on the lands of Stenhouse to discover lead-ore, of which there were some
slight indications; but none was found, and the works
were soon abandoned. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £3816.
The village, or kirktown, of Tynron, is pleasantly
situated on the road from Thornhill, under which it has
a daily post: the nearest market-town is Dumfries, to
which are chiefly sent both the agricultural and the
pastoral produce. Facility of communication is afforded
by the turnpike-road from Portpatrick to Edinburgh,
which passes through the eastern portion of the parish;
by good roads kept in repair by statute labour, of which
fifteen miles intersect it in various directions; and by
bridges over the river Shinnel and the Scar. The
ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence
of the presbytery of Penpont and synod of Dumfries.
The minister's stipend is £234. 18. 3., with a manse,
and a glebe valued at £30 per annum; patron, the
Duke of Buccleuch. The church, which is well situated, was erected in 1837, at a cost of £1000; it is a
handsome structure in the later English style of architecture, after a design by Mr. Burn, of Edinburgh, and
contains 314 sittings. The parochial school is well
attended; the master has a salary of £25. 13. 4., with a
house and garden, and the fees average about £5 annually.
A school, of which the master has a salary of £22 from
the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, under
the will of Mr. John Gibson, and for which a schoolroom, and dwelling-house for the master, were built in
1765 by the Duke of Queensberry, is likewise well supported. Mr. Gibson also bequeathed £13 per annum
to twelve industrious poor persons of the parish. There
are some vestiges of a Roman road leading from the
Dun of Tynron to Drumloff, and crossing the Shinnel
near Stenhouse: along the line have been found Roman
urns containing calcined bones. Three cairns were formerly existing in the parish, in one of which, at
M' Question, and in another, on the farm of Land,
were found stone coffins, with fragments of human
bones and a hammer of stone; and in a third, at Pingarie, were nine stone coffins containing human bones,
the whole of which, with the surrounding stones to
some distance, had been fused into one solid mass.
Tyrie
TYRIE, a parish, in the district of Deer, county of
Aberdeen, 5 miles (S. W. by W.) from Fraserburgh;
containing, with the late quoad sacra parish and the
village of New Pitsligo, 2639 inhabitants, of whom 1276
are in the rural districts. This place, the name of
which, in the Gaelic language, signifies "the King's
House," is of remote antiquity; but very few particulars of its history have been recorded. A religious establishment appears to have been founded here at an
early period; it was munificently endowed by one of
the Scottish monarchs, and the buildings occupied the
site of the old manse of Tyrie. In connexion with this
monastery, from which the parish most probably derived
its name, a church is supposed to have been erected
about the year 1004, which obtained the appellation of
the "White Kirk of Buchan," and which, when it afterwards became the parish church, had still an aisle connecting it with the conventual buildings. Towards the
close of the 10th century, a sanguinary battle took place
between a Danish army, encamped on the neighbouring
hills, and the forces of the Thane of Buchan, which terminated in the total defeat of the former with great
slaughter. The parish is in the north-eastern portion of the county, and is about ten miles in length and
four and a half in breadth; it is of rather irregular
shape, and the surface is diversified with hills, of which
some attain a considerable degree of elevation. At the
western end is a range of heights forming part of the
Auchmedden ridge, and of the eminences that skirt the
western extremity of Buchan; and on the south-east
are also several heights, which appear to form a continuation of the Mormond hill. There are no rivers of
any importance; the principal streams are the Tyrie
water, which runs along the northern boundary, and the
Goner, a smoothly-flowing rivulet over which a handsome stone bridge was built near the mill of Tillanamont, by the late Sir William Forbes. Of the numerous
copious springs, some are strongly chalybeate; and
one, in the den of Boyndlie, called the Mourning Well,
is not equalled by any in the county. The rivulets
abound with small trout.
The soil in the valleys, and in the lower lands, is
generally a rich deep loam of a reddish colour; in the
higher grounds, shallower, and less fertile; and there
are some large tracts of moss, and much waste land
that might be reclaimed and brought into profitable
cultivation. Among the crops are oats, for which the
soil appears to be peculiarly adapted, and which are
almost the only grain. Of potatoes, large quantities
are shipped at Rosehearty, Sandhaven, and Fraserburgh; and since the establishment of a horticultural
society at New Pitsligo by Sir John Stuart Forbes,
vegetables of every kind, and garden produce, have been
grown in perfection. The system of husbandry has been
much improved, in some degree through the Buchan
Agricultural Society; and at the annual meetings some
of the farmers of this parish have been successful competitors for prizes for the best samples of oats for
seed. The hills afford good pasturage for sheep and
black-cattle, of which considerable numbers are reared,
and sent to the markets in the vicinity and to London;
and much attention is paid to the management of the
dairy-farms, the produce of which finds a ready sale
throughout the district. The plantations extend over
120 acres in different detached portions, and consist
of ash, mountain-ash, plane, alder, and various kinds of
fir: even such trees as are in the most unprotected
situation are in a thriving state. The substrata are
generally limestone and granite, of which latter the
rocks are chiefly composed. The limestone was formerly wrought in the eastern district, but the quarries
have been abandoned; granite quarries, however, have
been opened, from which blocks of ten tons' weight
are raised without difficulty. The stone is of a very
durable quality, and quarried at little expense; and
much of it has been used in the dressings of the pier of
Fraserburgh, and for the ornamental parts of the public
buildings in that town. Iron-ore has also been found,
but not in sufficient quantity to encourage the working
of it. The rateable annual value of the parish is £4442.
The mansions are, Boyndlie House, the seat of Alexander Forbes, Esq.; and the ancient houses of Ladysford
and Tillanamont. The village of New Pitsligo is described under its own head; the Kirkton of Tyrie is
an inconsiderable spot near the northern boundary of
the parish, where are situated the church and the
parochial school. The post-office at New Pitsligo has
a daily delivery; and facility of communication is
maintained by good roads, of which the turnpikeroads from Banff to Peterhead and to Fraserburgh
pass through the parish. Fairs for sheep, cattle, and
horses, are held occasionally; and until a recent date
there was a corn-market every alternate week, in the
village of New Pitsligo.
The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Deer and synod of Aberdeen. The minister's stipend is £158. 7. 7., of which
nearly one-fourth is paid from the exchequer; with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £9. 10. per annum:
patron, Lord Saltoun. The ancient church has been
for some years in ruins, a new church having been
erected in 1800, a neat substantial structure containing
400 sittings. A church to which a district was till
lately annexed, and an episcopal chapel, have been
erected in New Pitsligo. The parochial school is well
conducted: the master has a salary of £25. 18., with
£6 in lieu of a house and garden, and the fees average
about £8 per annum; he also receives the interest of a
bequest by Mrs. Anderson, for the gratuitous instruction
of children. There is a bequest for the benefit of the
poor, and many families receive weekly distributions of
meal from the granary of Sir John Stuart Forbes, of
Pitsligo. In the immediate vicinity of the ancient
church, till within the last few years, was a circular
mound called the Moat, but of which nothing is distinctly known; and in various parts of the parish are
barrows, supposed to have been raised over the remains
of those who fell in the battle with the Danes. In some
of these barrows that have been opened, were discovered coffins of grey flagstones, containing human
bones; and near the Law Cairn were found, within the
last twenty or thirty years, some fragments of ancient
armour, thought to be Roman. In digging up the
foundations of the ancient church, there was recently
found a rude shapeless mass of claystone of a blue
colour, on which were some hieroglyphic characters
that could not be deciphered.
Tyrie
TYRIE, county of Argyll.—See Tiree.