Gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

ATHELSTANEFORD.
57
chanan conceived it to be a trophy or tomb.
Horsley thought it was a mausoleum. Gor-
don supposed that it was a sacrarium, or shrine
dedicated to the gods, in which the eagles and
vexilla of the legions were deposited during
the cessation of hostilities in the winter season.
In the time of Boece, figures of eagles could
still be traced on several of the stones. Much
learned research and argument have been wast-
ed on this curious monument, and as the au-
thor of Waverley has observed, it would have
turned the heads of half the antiquaries in the
island, had not Sir Michael Bruce, the pro-
prietor, with true Vandal barbarity, destroyed
this interesting relic in 1742, for the despica-
ble purpose of repairing a dam dyke. It may
be satisfactory to add, that a flood of the Car-
ron, in a short time, punished the sacrilegious
violation of the temple which had for ages
adorned its vicinity, by sweeping away the
stones in a flood. Dr. Stukely is said to have
been so much enraged against the destroyer
of this ancient work, that he drew Sir Mich-
ael Bruce, carrying off a load of stones, and
the devil goading him along.
ASHKIRK, an upland parish, situated on
the Ale water, partly in the county of Selkirk
and partly of Roxburgh, (a piece of the for-
mer shire here lying like a patch in the lat-
ter,) bounded by Selkirk on the north, and by
Lillie's Leaf, Minto, and Wilton on the east.
— Population in 1821, 544.
AS KM ORE, an islet lying near the south-
west coast of Skye.
ASSINT, or ASSYNT, a parish, or more
properly speaking, an extensive district in the
county of Sutherland, twenty-five miles in
length, and fifteen in breadth, lying on the
west coast, with a promontory jutting out into
the sea, (or Minch, as it is here nautically de-
signated,) called Assint point ; bounded on the
north by Loch Ardvar and Kyle Scow, and on
the south by Loch Broom, and other fresh
water lakes. It would require little less than
a volume to describe minutely the number and
appearance of the lakes and indentations of
the sea in this wild territory. It exhibits a
surface literally dotted with lakes, the largest
of which are lochs Assint (six miles long, and
more than one broad,) Camas, and Urgil, with
the bays or lochs of Ardvar, Inver, and Enard.
The land part is mountainous, moorish, and
rugged to the last degree, without being re-
deemed by traits of beauty or grandeur. The
shores are precipitous and dangerous, but pos-
sess some good natural harbours for anchorage,
and the sea in the offing swarms with fish.
There is scarcely a road in the district ; no
coal ; the common fuel is peat, and the climate is
dismal and rainy. — Population in 1821, 2803.
ATHELSTANEFORD, a parish in
Haddingstonshire, lying on the north-east
boundary of Haddington parish, and separated
on the north by Dirleton, from the mouth of
the Firth of Forth. The form of the parish
is regular, is about four miles square, and lies
with an agreeable exposure to the north, on
the descending braes from the Garleton hills.
The village of Athelstaneford is situated 5^
miles south of North Berwick, and 3 4 north-
east of Haddington. It has a neat modern
church and an extensive brewery. The dis-
trict is eminently agricultural. Without any
substantial attractions, this parish, or rather
its church-yard and manse, is so often visited
from motives of mere sentiment, that it may
be termed one of the modern pilgrimages of
Scotland. This place was so fortunate, in the
early part of last century, as to have for its
ministers, successively, two men of poetical
genius — Blair, author of " The Grave," and
Home, the author of " Douglas." The manse
occupied by the former, stood opposite the
present modern manse, near the west end of
the church-yard. The site is now comprised
in the minister's garden, where an apple tree
is pointed out, as having stood close to the
window of the room or study in which he com-
posed his poem. On the author of Douglas
leaving his pastoral charge, which he did out
of disgust of the proceedings instituted against
him by his presbytery and the kirk in general,
for the publication of a work of so secular and
impious a nature, he built and retired to an
elegant mansion in the neighbourhood, still
shown as a pattern of his taste — Population
in 1821, 909.
ATHOL, or ATHOLE, a district of
country in the north of Perthshire, which is
approached on passing through the Pass of
Killicrankie ; bounded on the north by Bade-
noch, on the west by Lochaber, on the east
by Mar, and on the south by Stormont, Perth
Proper, and Breadalbane ; and is forty-fi^ve
miles in length, and thirty in breadth. The
word Athole signifies pleasant land, and
Blair of Athole, which is the name of its
principal valley, signifies, the field or vale of