Topographical dictionary of Scotland > Volume 2

W A N L
W ATE
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15. 10. per an-
num ; alternate patrons, Lord Douglas and A. D. R. C.
W. Baillie, Esq. The church, situated on the boundary
between the two districts, is a very ancient structure,
with a fine Norman doorway ; the building was repaired
and enlarged in 1S28, at an expense of £300, and con-
tains about 350 sittings. There were formerly two
parochial schools, one in each district ; but that of
Wandell has been discontinued, and the parochial school
at Lammingtoune has been removed from the village to
a building erected for its use, within the boundary of
Wandell, for the accommodation of both districts. The
master has a salary of £35, with a house and garden, and
the fees average £12. 10. per annum : connected with the
school is a bursary at the High School and University
of Glasgow, founded by the last countess of Forfar in
1737- The poor have the proceeds of bequests of £105
charged on the Lammingtoune estates, and £75 by the
late Dr. Blinshall, of Dundee. There are some small
remains of the ancient castle of Lammingtoune, the
seat for some time of the renowned Sir William Wal-
lace, consisting of a portion of the walls, and the west-
ern gable, with the arched window of the dining-room :
the rest was destroyed, without the knowledge of the
proprietor, by the factor on the estate, for the sake of
the materials. On an eminence rising from the river
Clyde are some remains of the Bower of Wandell, the
resort of James V., when pursuing the sport of deer-
hunting in the once thickly-wooded hills of Hart-
side. There are also numerous camps in various
parts of the parish, of which three on Whitehall, at
the northern extremity of Lammingtoune, are sup-
posed to be of Roman origin : the largest of these,
which nearly adjoin each other, is seventy yards long
and forty yards in width, and is defended by a ditch
five yards in breadth. On Starthope Hill, in Wandell,
are the remains of a British camp, inclosed by a circu-
lar rampart of earth and stones ; and there are nume-
rous others, and also some Druidical relics. Scotch
pebbles of great beauty are found in the bed of the
Clyde.
WANLOCKHEAD, a mining-village, in the parish
of Sanquhar, county of Dumfries, 6 miles (E. N. E.)
from Sanquhar ; containing 773 inhabitants. This place
is situated at the eastern extremity of the county, bor-
dering on Lanarkshire, and upon the small river Wan-
lock, from which it takes its name. It appears to have
had its origin in the discovery of some valuable veins of
lead-ore by Cornelius Hardskins, a native of Germany,
who, with 300 of his countrymen, was, during the mino-
rity of James VI., employed by the master of the Eng-
lish mint, under Queen Elizabeth, in searching for gold
among the hills in the immediate vicinity. After gold
had been found to the value of £100,000, the works
were discontinued as not remunerating the expenses ;
but even within the last few years, small quantities of
gold have been discovered in the bottoms of the glens,
occurring in a granular form among the rocks, mixed
with sand and gravel. The lead-mines, which are the
property of the Duke of Buccleuch, were opened in the
year 1680 by Sir James Stampfield, and subsequently
continued by Mr. Matthew Wilson, who extended the
workings from Whitcleuch to the Wanlock river. In
1755, Messrs. Ronald Crawford, Meason, and Company,
entered upon the concern, which has since been con-
Vol. II.— 593
ducted with great spirit. This company erected no less
than five steam-engines for carrying oif the water, of the
aggregate power of 268 horses ; but the expense of sup-
plying the engines with coal, brought from a distance of
nearly twelve miles, so diminished the profits, that they
were subsequently replaced by a water-pressure engine,
which answers the purpose at a reduced cost. From
the fall in the price of lead in 1S29 and 1830, scarcely
more than 1000 tons were raised during those two years,
though previously the quantity had been large ; the
number of persons at. present employed in the works is
about 200, and they earn on an average about £20 per
annum each. The village, which is within a mile of the
works at Leadhills, in the county of Lanark, has an
elevation of nearly 1500 feet above the level of the sea,
and is inhabited chiefly by miners and others connected
with the lead-works. A subscription library has been
established, which has now a collection of 2000 volumes.
A church, or preaching-station, in connexion with the
Established Church, is also maintained for the accommo-
dation of the inhabitants by the Duke of Buccleuch, who
pays the minister's stipend, and likewise the salary of
the master of a school for the instruction of the chil-
dren of the village. The members of the Free Church
have a place of worship ; and there is also a female
school, established and endowed by the noble proprietor
at the close of the year 1845.
WARD, THE, a village, in the parish of Cruden,
district of Ellon, county of Aberdeen ; containing
1 13 inhabitants. This small fishing-village is situated
on the coast, and is the eastern boundary of the bay of
Ardendraught, which extends about two miles along the
shore, and has a fine beach of sand. There are two
other fishing-villages in the parish ; and near Ward is a
salmon-fishery. Vessels occasionally land coal and
lime here ; but the place is only accessible to them in
temperate weather.
WASHINGTON, a village, in the parish of Cupar-
Angus, county of Perth ; containing 119 inhabitants.
WATER of LEITH, county of Edinburgh.— See
Leith, Water of.
WATERBECK, a village, in the parish of Middle-
bie, county of Dumfries, l| mile (N. E. by E.) from
the village of Middlebie ; containing 129 inhabitants.
It lies nearly in the centre of the parish, on a small
stream or beck which flows info the Kirtle water a short
distance from the village ; the population is chiefly
agricultural.
WATERLOO, a village, in the parish of Auchter-
gaven, county of Perth; containing 117 inhabitants.
This village, which is pleasantly situated on the road to
Dunkeld, is of recent origin, having been erected within
the last thirty years on lands belonging to Mr. Wylie, of
Airly wight. It takes its name in commemoration of the
celebrated victory of Waterloo, which had been achieved
shortly prior to its erection. The houses are neatly
built, and the surrounding scenery is diversified ; the
inhabitants are chiefly employed in weaving at their own
houses for the manufacturers of Dundee, Newburgh, and
Blairgowrie.
WATERNISH, lately a quoad sacra parish, in the
parish of Duirinish, Isle of Skye, county of Inver-
ness, 17 miles (N. W. by W.) from Portree ; containing,
with the hamlet of Stein, and island of Issay, 1260 in-
habitants. This district, which is situated in the north-
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