Topographical dictionary of Scotland > Volume 2

KILL
KILL
tioa against the fury of the waves. Farther south, it is
more rocky and elevated ; and though neither harbour
nor secure anchorage is to be found, for want of those
arms of the sea which penetrate many Highland dis-
tricts, yet the shores are marked by numerous head-
lands, small bays, caves, and piles of rocks, serving to
vary the uniformity of outline, and to create interesting
scenery. The principal headland towards the north is
Runahaorine point, consisting of a narrow neck of
mossy land, stretching for about a mile into the sea,
opposite to the north end of the island of Gigha, and,
with a promontory in the parish of Kilberry, forming
the entrance into West Loch Tarbert from the Atlantic
Ocean. Bealochintie bay, more southerly, comprehends
a circuit of nearly two miles, and has in its vicinity a
projecting mass of rocks and stones of vast dimensions,
overhanging the water. The sea is thought to have
receded to a considerable extent. Traces of its ancient
limits are evident in many places ; and among these
especially is a strip of alluvial land, extending near the
shore, throughout the whole line of coast, and bearing
marks of its former subjection to the element. The in-
habitants are, indeed, of opinion that this recession is
still gradually going on. The sound between the main
land and the islands of Gigha and Cara is rendered
perilous by numerous sunken rocks ; and vessels ap-
proaching the coast, having no harbour here, are often
obliged, upon a change of wind, to retreat suddenly to
Gigha, and wait for a favourable opportunity of return-
ing.
The surface of the interior is also considerably
varied. The land gradually rises from the shore to the
height of 700 or 800 feet, and exhibits several glens,
and elevations of some magnitude, enlivened by small
streams. The general scenery, however, is uninterest-
ing, and is almost entirely destitute of natural wood.
The hills range in a direction from north to south : the
most conspicuous, on account of its height, is Beinn-an-
tuirc, or " wild boar mountain," at the head of Glen-
Barr, which rises 2170 feet above the level of the sea.
The slopes of the hills towards the shore, for about
half a mile, are well cultivated, and afford crops of
grain, peas, and beans ; but beyond, the ground is
dreary, bleak, and barren, consisting of lofty moors
abounding with small lochs, and tracts covered with
heath, coarse grass, and rushes. The soil varies very
much in different parts, comprising clay, moss, loam,
sand, and gravel ; but that which most prevails is a
light gravelly loam. Near the sea the soil is very sharp
and sandy. In most parts it has from time immemo-
rial been plentifully manured with sea-weed. The
crops comprise peas, beans, potatoes, oats, and bear,
especially the last, which is cultivated in large quan-
tities. Potatoes likewise form an important article ;
they have been in great demand for seed since the
opening of a communication with the English and Irish
markets, and are the staple on which the tenants rely
chiefly for the payment of their rents. The rotation
system is in operation ; but the successful prosecution
of this method of husbandry is much retarded by the
want of subdivisions in the land, and the scarcity of
good inclosures j and no little difficulty arises from
the distance of the market, the farmers being compelled
to cart their produce to Campbelltown. The cattle are
of the black Highland breed, but small, and altogether
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inferior ; the sheep are of the ordinary black-faced kind.
Great efforts have been made for many years past to
improve the breed of horses, and those used for agricul-
tural and other purposes are now of superior condition.
The rateable annual value of the parish is £9532.
The rocks consist principally of mica, quartz, limestone,
and whinstone, which, in some parts near the shore, are
varied with different admixtures. The district is bare of
natural wood, the very small portion seen here being only
brushwood, and in detached spots ; but within the last
forty years, plantations of larch and other forest-trees
have been formed to some extent, and are kept in good
order. Great discouragements, however, operate against
such improvements, for, though the soil is considered
particularly suited to the growth of trees, the severity
of the climate, the fury of the winds, and the sea air
unite together to neutralize, to a considerable extent,
the efforts of the planter. The chief seats are those of
Largie and Glenbarr, the former an ancient family man-
sion, and the latter a modern residence built in the style
of a priory. The parish contains only two small ham-
lets, and the great bulk of the population are cottars or
day labourers, dwelling in very humble tenements, and
but scantily provided with the necessaries of life. A
few persons are employed in taking lobsters, which they
send by the steamers to the Irish and Liverpool mar-
kets j but the fine fish of the usual kinds abounding on
the western coast, and the shoals of herrings passing by,
are almost entirely neglected. Turf and peat are the
ordinary fuel, obtained from a considerable distance,
and with great labour. The public road from Inverary
to Campbelltown passes through the district. An an-
nual fair is held here regularly for the hiring of harvest
servants.
The parish is in the presbytery of Cantyre and synod
of Argyll, and in the patronage of the Duke of Argyll :
the minister has a stipend of £178, with a manse, and
a glebe of nearly eight acres, valued at £10 per annum.
There are two churches, the one erected in 17'S7, and
the other in 1S26, containing respectively 650 and 750
sittings. The parish contains two parochial schools,
affording instruction in the ordinary branches : the
master of the first school has £31. 6. salary, and a
house and garden, and the master of the second, a salary
of £20 ; the fees of both are about £15. A school is
supported by the Society for Propagating Christian
Knowledge, the master receiving a salary of £22, with
a house, and two and a half acres of land, purchased by
a bequest ; and another is maintained by the General
Assembly's Committee, the master of which has £25
per annum, with a house and a portion of k nd. The
poor enjoy the interest of a bequest of £1000, made by
Captain Norman Macalister, late governor of Prince of
Wales' Island. Near the middle of the parish is the
ruin of an old castle, said to have belonged to the Mac-
donalds, lords of the Isles ; and in several places are
tumuli, and circles of stones, usually called Druidical
circles.
KILLEARN, a parish, in the county of Stirling ;
containing 1224 inhabitants, of whom 390 are in the
village, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Drymen. The name of
this place is supposed to have been derived from the
compound Celtic term Kill-ear-rhin , signifying "the
church of west point," which is descriptive of the situ-
ation of the church near the western extremity of a