Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland

MOUSWALD
town. Thence it winds 15J miles south-westward
through Carnwath, Carstairs, and Lanark parishes, till,
after a total descent of 805 feet, it falls into the Clyde
330 yards below Lanark Bridge. It receives, in its
progress, the tribute of Dippool Water; and traverses
first a bleak moorish country, next a pleasant cultivated
tract, lastly the profound and romantic chasm of Cart-
land Crags. (See Clyde.) The Caledonian railway
crosses it in the vicinity of Cleghorn station ; two bridges
cross it at Mousemill, and three at respectively Cleg-
horn, Lockhartford, and Cartland Crags ; and one of
the two at Mousemill is very ancient. Small detached
pieces of jasper have been found in its bed ; sand-
stone was formerly quarried adjacent to it near Mouse-
bank; and old disused mining-shafts are on the banks
of its upper reaches. — Ord. Sur., sh. 22, 1865.
Mouswald, a village and a parish of S Dumfriesshire.
The village stands 2f miles ESE of Racks station, and 7
ESE of Dumfries, and has a post office under Ruthwell.
It occupies a site once covered with forest, in the eastern
vicinity of Lochar Moss, and thence derives its name,
written anciently Mosswald, and signifying ' the forest
near the moss.' There is a public school, and in 18S7
William F. Carruthers, Esq., of Dormont, proprietor
of the village, introduced and presented to the inhabit-
ants a gravitation supply of water.
The parish is bounded N by Loehmaben, E by Dalton.
S by Ruthwell, SW by Caerlaverock, and W by Torthor-
wald. Its utmost length, from N by W to S by E, is
4 J miles; its breadth increases southward from lj to 4J
miles; and its area is 5891J acres, of which 2J are
water. Lochar Water for 1 i furlong traces all the Caer-
laverock boundary; Wath Burn, coming in near its
source from the N, traces all the western boundary to
Lochar Water, and looks mostly like a mossy grass-
grown ditch ; and four small burns rise in the interior,
and run sluggishly to Wath Burn. Springs of pure
water are numerous and copious ; and one of them, called
St Peter's Well, near the parish church, is a continuous
fountain for 100 feet, and, running to the Wath Burn's
largest tributary, prevents that rivulet from ever freez-
ing for a considerable way below their confluence. The
south-western district, to the extent of nearly 900 acres,
is part of Lochar Moss, only 30 to 40 feet above sea-
level; the central district is variously flat and undulat-
ing; and the northern consists of spurs from the broad-
based range of Tinwald and Torthorwald, rising so
gradually as to be arable to the summit, attaining an
extreme altitude of 816 feet above sea-level, and com-
manding an extensive and very beautiful view. Grey-
wacke and greywacke slate are the predominant rocks;
blue limestone is found on Bucklerhole Farm; and fine
white sand underlies Lochar Moss. The soil of the
lands adjacent to Lochar Moss is partly reclaimed bog;
of the low tracts further E and N is light and sandy;
and of the higher grounds is tolerably deep and rich.
Mouswald Mains or Place, the ruined fortalice of the
Carruthers family, was the largest of five square strong-
holds, of which Raffles is the most entire. Other an-
tiquities are a strong double-ditched camp on Burrow
Hill; a watch-tower on Panteth Hill; Tryal Cairn, 288
feet in circumference, 1 J mile NE of the parish church ;
and a recumbent effigy of Sir Simon Carruthers of Mous-
wald. Rockhall, noticed separately, is the only man-
sion ; and Sir A. D. Grierson, Bart. , is chief proprietor.
Mouswald is in the presbytery of Loehmaben and the
synod of Dumfries; the living is worth £294. The
parish church, on a fine eminence adjacent to Mouswald
village, was built about 1830, and is a handsome edifice,
seen from most parts of the parish. The Free church
of Ruthwell stands at the southern boundary, 7 furlongs
SSE of Mouswald village; and Mouswald public school,
with accommodation for 135 children, has an average
attendance of about 60, and a grant of over £55. Pop.
(1861) 558, (1891) 500.— Ord. Sur., sh. 10, 1864.
Mow. See Morebattle.
Moy. See Dyke.
Moy and Dalarossie (Gael. Macjh, 'a plain,' and Dal-
Fhearghais, 'Fergus' dale'), a parish in the NE of
MOT AND DALAROSSIE
Inverness-shire, and partly in Nairnshire until 1891,
when the Boundary Commissioners restricted it to the
former county by transferring its Nairnshire portion to
the Nairnshire parish of Cawdor. The parish was thus
reduced in area by 5588 acres, of which 50 were water.
It is bounded N by the parish of Croy and Dalcross,
NE by Nairnshire, E by the parish of Duthil and
Rothiemurchus, SE by the parishes of Alvie and Kin-
gussie, S by Laggan, SW by the parish of Boleskine
and Abertarff, and W and NW by the parish of Daviot
and Dunlichity. On the N the boundary is that of the
county; elsewhere it is largely natural, following, along
the SE, the line of heights that form the watershed
between the basins of the Findhorn and Dulnan, there-
after between the basins of the Findhorn and the Spey,
round the head-waters of the Findhorn on the S, and
along the NE between the basin of the Findhorn and
the streams that flow first to Loch Ness and afterwards
to the river Nairn. At the NW corner it crosses this
line and takes in part of the hollow down which the
Dalriach Burn (river Nairn) flows. The greatest length
of the parish, from Carn nan tri-tighearnan on the N,
south-south-westward to the source of the Findhorn, is
26 miles; and the average breadth about 7 miles, except
at the N end where it is more, and at the S end where
it tapers to a point. The area is 106, 572 acres, of which
635 are water. The parish may be said to consist of
two straths, that in the NW occupied by Loch Moy
and the streams flowing into it, and the much larger
one, extending south-westward through the length of
the parish, being occupied by the Findhorn and the
streams flowing into it. The height above sea-level
rises from 750 feet at the point where the Findhorn
leaves the parish on the NE to the heights of Beinn
Bhreac (1675) N of Moy Burn, Meall Breacribh (1809)
SE of Moy Burn, Carn nan tri-tighearnan (2013) and
Carn na Sguabaich (1522) on the N border; Carn an
t-Seanliathanaich (2056 and 2076) and Carn Glas (2162)
on the NE border; Carn nam Bain-tighearna (2040), Carn
na Larach (1957), Carn Phris Mhoir (2021), Carn Dubh
aig an Doire (2462), Carn na Luibe Glaise (2326), Carn
na Guaille (2300), Carn Coire na h-Easgainn (2591),
Carn na Cuillich (2556), Carn Sgulain (2606), Am Bodach
(2709), another Carn Sgulain (3015), Carn Ballach
(3000), and Carn Mairg (3087), all along the SE and
latterly among the Monadhliath mountains ; Carn
Odhar na Criche (2670), Fiadh Fardach (2805), Borrach
Mor (2686), Carn na Saobhaidhe (2558), Meall a
Phiobaire (2464), Carn Odhar (2618), Carn Ghriogair
(2637), the ridge between this and Carn na Saobhaidh
(2455), the latter itself (2321), Carn Glac an Eich (2066),
Beinn Bhreac and the heights to the E of it averaging
about 1800 feet, Carn nan Uisgean (2017), Beinn a'
Bheurlaich (1575), and Beinn na Buchanich (1312) on
the W and NW border. Except Beinn Bhreach and
Meall Breacribh these are all on or close to the border,
and along the E side of the Findhorn, from N to S,
there are also Carn Mor (1500), Carn Torr Mheadhoin
(1761), Carn an t-Seanliathanaich (2076), Carn a Choire
Mhoir (2054), Creag an Tuim Beg (1453), An Socach
(1724), Cam Coir Easgrabath(2449), andCalbh Mor (2668)
— the last three among the Monadhliath mountains.
To the W of the Findhorn, from S to N, are Carn Coire
na Creiche (2702), Eiloch Bhan (2538), Carn Leachier
Dubh (2133), Carn a' Choire Ghalanaich (2240), Beinn
Bhreac Mhor (2641), Aonaeh Odhar (2103), Carn an
Rathaid Dhnibh (2195), another of the several Beinn
Bhreacs (1969), Carn na Seannachoile (1787), Creag a'
Bhealaidh (1724), Carn a Bhadain (1333), Carn Moraig
(1832), Tom na h-Ulaidh (1238), and Carn an Loin
(1319)— the last two S of Loch Moy. It will thus be
seen that the greater portion of the parish lies high
above sea-level, and so the only inhabited portions are
the small glen in which Loch Moy is, and a narrow
strip along the banks of the northern portion of the
course of the Findhorn at a height of from 800 to 1200
feet. Except along those portions where there are
patches of alluvium, the soil is a thin clay or moss.
About 2000 acres are under wood, natural or planted ; in
1205