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Vaila
VAILA, an island, in the parish of Walls and
Sandness, county of Shetland; containing 29 inhabitants. It lies south-west of the main land of the
parish, at the entrance of a small sound, or more properly a voe, to which it gives name; and is about a
mile in length and half a mile in breadth. In the centre
of it is Melbie House, the residence of the Scott family,
principal heritors of the parish.
Valey
VALEY, an isle, in the parish of Sandsting and
Aithsting, county of Shetland. This is a very small
isle, belonging to the Sandsting portion of the united
parish, lying southward of it, and giving name to a
sound, wherein is safe anchorage for fishing-vessels.
Vallay
VALLAY, an island, in the parish of North Uist,
county of Inverness; containing 59 inhabitants. This
is an island only at low-water, being separated from the
north shore of Uist by a shallow sound dry at the subsiding of the tide. It is a mile and a half in length and
about half a mile in breadth, with, for the most part, a
light sandy soil remarkably fertile in corn and grass in
favourable seasons; but the surface is frequently covered
with sand when strong gales blow from the north-west,
the isle being entirely exposed to the wide sweep of the
Atlantic from that point. It is distant from the main
land of the parish about two miles, the interval at low-water presenting a spacious strand. At each extremity
of Vallay is safe anchorage for shipping.
Valleyfield, Low
VALLEYFIELD, LOW, a village, in the parish of
Culross, county of Perth, 4½ miles (E. by S.) from
Kincardine; containing 260 inhabitants. This is a
straggling village, beautifully situated on the north shore
of the Frith of Forth, and on the borders of Fifeshire:
the inhabitants are for the most part weavers. In the
vicinity is Valleyfield House, a modern, elegant, and
commodious mansion, lately the seat of Sir Robert
Preston, Bart.; it is built within a spacious demesne,
tastefully laid out, and embellished with plantations.
The coast road from Torryburn to Kincardine passes
here.
Vementry
VEMENTRY, an island, in the parish of Sandsting and Aithsting, county of Shetland; containing 2 inhabitants. It lies in the bay of St. Magnus, on
the south-east side, close to the Mainland coast, from
which it is separated by the narrow sound of Eye. In
some parts, particularly on the east, it produces good
pasture, upon which cattle and sheep are fed.
Vicarland
VICARLAND, a village, in the parish of Cambuslang, Middle ward of the county of Lanark; containing 123 inhabitants. It is one of thirteen small villages
or hamlets in the parish, several of them modern, and
some of them now united, and of which the population
is largely engaged in trade and manufactures, chiefly
hand-loom weaving. In the village are about sixteen
houses.
Vigean's, St.
VIGEAN'S, ST., a parish, in the county of Forfar;
containing, with the villages of Auchmithie, Gowan-Bank,
and Marywell, the hamlet of Colliston-Mill, the late
quoad sacra district of Inverbrothock, and part of that of
Ladyloan, 8793 inhabitants, of whom 55 are in the village
of St. Vigean's, 1 mile (N.) from Arbroath. This parish,
which originally comprehended the entire barony of Aberbrothock, at present comprises only the lands of St.
Vigean's proper, the ecclesiastical district of Inverbrothock, and part of Ladyloan. It derives its name from
Vigeanus, a Culdee Monk, and an eminent preacher, who
flourished in the tenth century, and lived in a hermitage
at the Grange of Conan, near the ancient baronial castle,
where the foundations of his chapel may still be traced,
and near which is a copious spring retaining his name.
The parish extends for about five miles along the coast of
the German Sea; is upwards of eight miles in length from
east to west, and rather more than three miles in mean
breadth; and comprises an area of about 13,400 acres, of
which 11,440 are arable, 840 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder meadow, pasture, and waste. The
surface is broken by a couple of ridges of different height,
respectively 250 and 550 feet above the level of the
sea, and between which lies the valley of the Brothock,
through which the stream of that name flows into the sea
at the harbour of Arbroath. The coast is precipitous,
with some boldly projecting rocky promontories, whereof
the most conspicuous has the appellation of Lud Castle:
about a mile from Arbroath, the coast is indented with
two bays, and in several parts the rock is perforated by
the action of the waves into caverns of fanciful appearance, formerly the resort of large numbers of seals, now
scarcely seen on this part of the coast. There are also
several natural excavations in the cliffs at a considerable
elevation above the sea: one, about a mile from Auchmithie, called the Geary Pot, forms a tunnel 120 feet in
depth. Some portions of the shore have a sandy beach.
The soil, though varying greatly in depth, is tolerably
fertile, producing favourable crops of wheat, barley, oats,
turnips, and potatoes; the system of agriculture is improved, and the rotation plan generally prevalent. Furrowdraining has been extensively practised, and guano, &c.,
been used as manure for the turnip lands. Considerable
attention is paid to the improvement of the breed of
cattle, and the management of live-stock generally; the
farm-buildings are substantial and well arranged, and
threshing-mills have been erected on most of the farms.
The substratum is chiefly of the old red sandstone formation, and there are some quarries of it and of flags.
The woods are larch, with a mixture of beech and elm,
and the plantations principally Scotch fir; they are well
managed, but the situation of the parish is not favourable
to the growth of timber. The rateable annual value of
the parish is £16,975. Here are numerous seats occupied by heritors; the principal are, Seaton, Letham
Grange, Abbethune, Newton, Parkhill, Colliston, Millbank, Woodlands, and Springfield. They are all modern
mansions pleasantly situated, with the exception of Colliston, which is an ancient mansion said to have been
erected by one of the Guthries. There are three villages,
Auchmithie, Marywell, and Gowan-Bank, the inhabitants
of which, in common with those of the parish at large,
are chiefly employed in the spinning of flax and tow, and
the weaving of coarse linen cloth, for which there are not
less than fifteen large mills and factories, affording employment to more than 1200 of the population, exclusively of persons engaged in the several factories as millwrights, foremen, and overseers. The machinery of the
mills is driven by twenty steam-engines, of 250 horsepower in the aggregate; the quantity of flax consumed is
about 5500 tons annually, and the value of the yarn is estimated at £264,000. Of this quantity of flax, the greater
portion is imported from Russia, Prussia, and Ireland.
There are also factories for the weaving of canvas, containing in the aggregate 242 looms, and affording occupation to 450 persons. Two establishments are conducted
for the bleaching of yarn, in which is apparatus for the
manufacture of the requisite acids employed in the process; and there are several mills for plashing the brown
yarns, and establishments for calendering the linens, in
which are also hydraulic presses for packing such as are
intended for exportation. There is an extensive iron
foundry, in which more than thirty persons are employed;
the chief castings are stove grates, mostly for exportation
to Canada, and attached to the premises are furnaces for
coke for the supply of the engines on the Dundee and
Forfar railways. The Forfar railway passes for nearly
four miles through the parish, along the banks of the
river Brothock; and facility of communication with the
adjacent towns is also afforded by roads kept in good
repair.
A fishery is carried on with considerable success at
Auchmithie; the fish are cod, haddocks, skate, and halibut, in taking which twelve boats, each with a crew of five
men, are regularly employed. The number of cod fish
caught during the season averages about 10,000, and
great numbers are salted and barrelled for exportation.
Many lobsters were formerly taken here, and frequently
not less than 16,000 were shipped in one season for the
London market; but the number now is much diminished, seldom exceeding 1000. The boats are also engaged
in the herring-fisheries, which last generally for about
six weeks. The fairs once held in the parish on the principal saints' days are now transferred to Arbroath. The
ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence
of the presbytery of Arbroath and synod of Angus and
Mearns: the minister's stipend is £256. 5. 5., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £10 per annum: patron,
the Crown. The church, which is situated on a rocky
knoll near the stream, is an ancient structure in the
Norman style of architecture, with a square tower; it
was enlarged in 1827, has 825 sittings, and is in good
preservation. The building contains many interesting
details, and in the churchyard are the remains of an old
cross. A second church, to which was lately annexed
the ecclesiastical district of Inverbrothock, was built in
that portion of the parish in 1828, at an expense of
£2000; it is a neat structure containing 1230 sittings.
At Auchmithie is a chapel of ease, built by the Countess
of Northesk, in 1829, in which a minister was once engaged by the inhabitants to officiate with permission of
the proprietor. There are also places of worship for
members of the Free Church, Original Seceders, and
Wesleyans. The parochial school is well attended: the
master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and
garden, and the fees average about £40; he also receives £20 per annum from a bequest by Mr. Colville,
late town-clerk of Arbroath, for the gratuitous instruction of five poor children. A handsome school-house
has been built by voluntary subscription, aided by a
grant from government; and there are five other schools
in the parish, of which the masters derive their income
from the fees. There are several chalybeate springs in
the parish, still used medicinally. In a vault under the
church were interred the remains of Sir William Young,
tutor to James VI., under Buchanan.
Vuiavore
VUIAVORE, an island, in the parish of Uig, island
of Lewis, county of Ross and Cromarty; containing
46 inhabitants. This island lies in Loch Roag, to the
south-west of Great Bernera, from the nearest point of
which it is distant about half a mile. With the exception of Bernera, it is the largest of several isles in the
loch, though not exceeding a mile and a half in length
and half a mile in breadth, and like most of the land in
the vicinity, and on this part of the coast of Lewis, it
has little elevation.
Vuiay
VUIAY, an island, in the parish of Bracadale, Isle
of Skye, county of Inverness; containing 6 inhabitants. It is situated in Loch Bracadale, on the southwest coast of Skye; is of very small extent; and like
the other islets in the same loch, is only a pendicle to a
farm on the opposite shore, affording pasturage for
cattle during part of the summer and winter seasons.