Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland

ATHOLE
The parish is bounded N by Dirleton and North Ber-
wick, NE, E, and SE by Preston kirk, and S and W by
Haddington. Its greatest length from E to W is 4J
miles ; its greatest breadth is only 2 J miles ; and its area
is 5080J acres, of which 3J are water, and 16J were de-
tached, which the Boundary Commissioners transferred
to the parish of Prestonkirk. The surface rises in the
W to over 400 feet above sea-level; consists mainly of
a broad-based ridge, extending E and W between the
two Peffer Burns: and, excepting some 40 acres of
hill pasturage and about 210 under wood, is all arable.
The rocks are chiefly different kinds of trap, overlying,
or thought to overlie, the coal measures. The former
have been quarried, and some beautiful specimens of
rock crystal found ; but various searches for coal have
had little or no success. The parish, till 1658, com-
prised not more than 1000 acres, and all belonged to the
Earl of Wintoun, whose seat of Garlton is now a com-
plete ruin ; but then it was enlarged by annexations
from Prestonkirk and Haddington. At present 7 pro-
prietors hold each an annual value of £500 and up-
wards, 1 holds between £100 and £500, 1 between £50
and £100 ; but the only large mansion is Gilmerton
House, which, with about one-third of the entire parish,
belongs to Sir Alexander Kinloch (b. 1830, s. 1879), tenth
holder of a baronetcy created in 1686. Illustrious natives
were Thomas Gwilliam, provincial of the Dominicans
of Scotland, and ' the first man from whome Mr Knox
receaved anie taste of the truthe ; ' Sir John Hepburn
(1598-1636), field-marshal of France in the Thirty Years
"War; and Robert Blair of Avontoun (1741-1811), Lord
President of the Court of Session. The last was son of
the author of the Grave, who was minister of Athel-
staneford from 1731 to 1746, and whose successor, John
Home (1746-57), here wrote his tragedy of Douglas.
This parish is in the presbytery of Haddington and
synod of Lothian and Tweeddale ; the living is worth
£325, with glebe. There are some remains of the church
that Ada, Countess of Northumberland, built about 1178,
and granted to her Cistercian nunnery of Haddington.
A new parish church of 1780 gave place in 1868 to the
present building (500 sittings ; cost, over £1500). A
public school, with accommodation for 164 children, had
(1891) an average attendance of 98, and a grant of £83,
2s. lOd. Valuation (1892) £9357, Is. Pop. (1831) 931,
(1861)902,(1881)762,(1891)745.— Oral. Sur. ,sh. 33, 1863.
Athole, a mountainous district in the N of Perthshire.
It is bounded on the N by Badenoch in Inverness-shire,
on the NE by Mar in Aberdeenshire, on the E by For-
farshire, on the S by Stormont and Breadalbane in Perth-
shire, on the W and NW by Lochaber in Inverness-shire.
Its area has been computed at 450 square miles. Its
surface is highly picturesque, presenting lofty moun-
tains, deep glens, solemn forests, extensive lakes, grand
waterfalls, impetuous rivers, and all other striking fea-
tures of Highland scenery. A central portion of it,
around Blair Castle, and forming the most populous
and cultivated portion of Blair Athole, is open fertile
vale, traversed by the river Garry, and generally pre-
senting only low rounded eminences ; but most of the
rest is alpine, and ascends to the lofty watershed of the
Central Grampians. The chief mountains in it are Ben-
vracMe, Benvuroch, Benglo, Ben Dearg, Ben-a-Chual-
laich, Coire-Cragach, Sron-na-Eagaig, and Benvolach ;
and several of these, as well as others on the boundaries,
rise to altitudes of more than 3000 feet. Chief glens
are Glen Garry, Glen Erichdie, and Glen Tummel
through the centre ; Glen Edendon, Glen Bruar, and
Glen Tilt in the north ; and Glen Breraehan, Glen Fear-
nach, and Glen Shee in the west. The principal rivers
traverse these glens, and bear their names ; and all are,
directly or indirectly, tributaries of the Tay. The chief
lakes are Erichd on the north-western boundary, Garry
in the NW, Rannoch in the W, and Tummel in the
S centre. The chief waterfalls are on the Bruar and the
Tummel. — Athole Forest is a part of the district pre-
served for deer and other game ; comprises upwards of
100,000 acres ; is famed above every other forest for its
hunting attractions and its magnificent scenery ; pos-
6
AUCHENBATHIE
sessed, in former times, great immunities and privileges ;
belongs now to the Duke of Athole ; is stocked with
about 7000 red deer, and with numerous roe-deer ;
abounds with red and black game, plovers, partridges,
and ptarmigans ; has also multitudes of foxes, wild-cats,
polecats, martens, weasels, and alpine hares ; is fre-
quented, in some parts, by the jay, the woodpecker, the
kestrel, and the eagle ; and possesses a rich variety of
rare indigenous plants. — Athole gives the titles of Earl,
Marquis, and Duke, in the peerage of Scotland, to a
branch of the family of Murray. The earldom was
grafted on a prior earldom of Tullibardine, and created
in 1629 ; the marquisate was created in 1676 ; and the
dukedom was given to the second marquis in 1703. The
seat of the family is Blair Castle. —Athole is celebrated
in song, claims special excellence for its performers on
the bagpipe, and was once noted for a compound of
whisky, honey, and eggs, called Athole brose.
Athole and Breadalbane, a poor-law combination in
the N of Perthshire, comprehending the parishes of
Blair Athole, Caputh, Dowally, Dull, Little Dunkeld,
Fortingall, Kenmore, Eillin, Logierait, Moulin, and
Weem. Its poorhouse near its post-town, Ballinluig,
has accommodation for 70 inmates.
Auchaber, an estate, with a mansion, in Forgue parish,
Aberdeenshire, 11J miles E by N of Huntly.
Auchairn. See Acharn and Achern.
Auchairne, an estate, with a mansion, in Ballantrae
parish, SW Ayrshire, 2 miles E by S of Ballantrae village.
Auchallader. See Achallader.
Auchanault, a place in the S of Ross-shire, on the
Dingwall and Skye railway, 21J miles W of Dingwall.
It has a station on the railway, an inn, and a post office.
Auchans, an estate, with a mansion, in Dundonald
parish, Ayrshire. The estate belonged, for a number of
ages, to the Wallaces of Dundonald ; went, about 1640,
to Sir William Cochrane, afterwards Earl of Dundonald ;
and passed, subsequently, to the Earls of Eglinton. It
has considerable plantations ; and it retains part of an
ancient orchard, whence a famous pear, originally got
from France, but known as the Auchans pear, was dis-
persed through much of Scotland. The mansion stands
near the ruins of Dundonald Castle and near Dundonald
village, 4 miles SSE of Irvine ; is situated on a gentle
eminence, on a grand curvature of a beautiful sylvan
bank nearly 1 mile long, and generally more than 100
feet high ; bears upon its walls the date 1644, but ap-
pears to have been constructed of materials taken from
Dundonald Castle ; and is a curious edifice, with consi-
derable variety of outline ana very picturesque features.
'Thus,' says Billings, 'the square balustraded tower is in
direct opposition to the cone-covered staircase, which
breaks the monotony of the main wall-face of the man-
sion in its centre. But the picturesque is more particu-
larly evinced in the arrangement of the crow-stepped
gables, and especially of the one surmounting the round
tower to the right. The flank wall of this gable con-
tinues the line of the house, instead of being corbelled
upon the tower, which is finished by being simply sloped
off to the wall, leaving as a questionable feature what
has evidently been a change from the original design. '
At Auchans, in 1773, Dr Johnson and Boswell ' spent a
day well' in visiting Susannah, Dowager-Countess of
Eglinton, the witty beauty to whom Allan Ramsay had
dedicated his Gentle Shepherd (1725), and who died here
in 1780 in her ninety-first year.
Auchenairo, a village in Cadder parish, Lanarkshire,
3 furlongs SSE of Bishopbriggs station, and 3 miles
NNE of Glasgow. It consists of two parts, old and new ;
is said to have been visited by the plague in 1666 ; and
has an endowed school and a public school. The
former is supported by bequests of the Rev. James
Warden in 1745 and the Rev. Dr Leechman in 1764,
and was rebuilt in 1826 ; the latter, with accommoda-
tion for 300 children, had (1891) an average attendance
of 183, and a grant of £193, 9s. lOd. Pop. (1861) 744,
(1871) 823, (1881) 634, (1891) 683.
Auchenbathie, a barony in the SE of Lochwinnoch
parish, Renfrewshire, contiguous to Ayrshire, 3$ miles
81