Gazetteer of Scotland

ROT
ROT
ROTHES; aparifh in Morayfhire,
lying on the N. bank of the Spey, The
foil is in general dry and fandy, de-
generating into rmiir in the northern
parts of 'the pariili : the crops are
chiefly barley and oats, the culture
of green crops being little practifed.
The village of Rotbes is lately built
on the Sjjey, and contains about 300
inhabitants. The chief feat is Orion,
the feat of the Hon. Arthur Duff.
There are the ruins of an old caftle,
which gives title of Earl to the family
of Leflie, and was formerly the feat
of the Duke of Rothes, from whom
the noble family of Leflie is defend-
ed: it is now che property of the
Earl of Find later. On the iide of a
hill, near the church of Rothes, is a
quantity of fine agate, of elegant red
and white colours ; it is very hard,
heavy, of a fmooth uniform texture,
and of conliderable brightnefs, in
which the red is remarkably clear,
and finely fliaded tln-ough the ftone.
Mr. Williams, the mineralogift, fays,
it is the largeft and moft beautiful
agate rock he ever faw,; and is fo fine
and hard, as to be capable of the
higheft luftre in polifhing. In 1790,
the population of Rothes was ijoo ;
increafe 7^4 fince 17^.
ROTHESAY, or "ROTHS AY; a
• royal borough and pariih in the ifland
apd county of Bute. The town is
excellently fituated for trade, having
a fine harbour at the bottom of an
extenfive bay, on the N. W. fide of
the ifland, in which there is fafe an-
chorage. About 40 years ago, the
town was in a ftate of indigence, and
pofieffed only one decked veffel, and
that of inconsiderable burden : under
the aufpices, however, of the late Earl
of Bute, the induftry and emulation
of the inhabitants of Rothefay were
firft excited, and their vigorous per-
feverance has wrought a moft re-
markable change. Within the fhert
period before mentioned, they had
accumulated (hipping to the amount
of 4246 tons, in 1790. Sixty buffes,
amounting to 3104 tons, manned by
715 hands, were in that year fitted
out from this port for the herring
fifhery. The borough of Rothefay
was enfranchifed by King Robert III.
in the year 1400, when its caftle was
the royal refidence. At that time it
was a confiderable town ; but in fuc-
ceeding years it greatly declined, and,
in 1762, many of the houles lay in
ruins. Since that period theft houfes
have been rebuilt, and feveral new
ftreets have been added. But the
fiourilhing ftate of the town is not
folely owing to the herring filhery :
the eftabliihment of a large cotton
mill, in 1778, has given the inhabit-
ants a knowledge in that fpecies of
manufacture, and caufed others to
profecute the fame branch. Rothe-
lay, as a royal borough, unites with
Ayr, Irvine, Inveraray, and Campbell-
town, in fending a rcprefentative to
parliament. The pariih of Rothefay
is about 10 miles long, and from 3 to
4 broad, occupying the N. end of
the ifland of Bute, and indented with
4 bays, viz. Rotkefny, Kaimes, Keils,
and St. Niuicvu, all of which afford
fafe anchorage. The furface is hiily,
but there are fome fmall valleys,
which are exceedingly fertile. The
only relic of antiquity worth notice,
is the caftle, the ruin of which is fo
completely covered with ivy, that few
of its walls can be feen. Here are itili
pointed out the bed-chambers and
banqueting-rooms of Robert II. and
III., the laft Scottifh monarchs who
inhabited this venerable pile. This
caftle was, in fucceeding ages, the
principal refidence of the Stuarts, an-
ceftors of the prefent family of Bute,
long the hereditary conftables of the
kingdom. It continued their refidence
until it was burned by the Duke of
Argyll, in the troubles of 1685. It is
now faft mouldering away with age ;
but the Earl of Bute has the title of
hereditary keeper of the palace.
Rothefay gives the Scottifh title of
Duke to the heir apparent of the
crown. In 1791, the population of
Rothefay pariih was 4032, cf which
number 2607 refided in the burgh.
The increafe of population was 1374
lince 17^.
ROTHIEMAY ; a pariih in Banff-,
fhire, about 8 miles long, and from
5 to 6 broad ; watered by the Deve-
ron, which runs through it. Towards
the eaftern extremity, the furface is
agreeably diveriified with woods and
corn fields ; but, towards the N., the
appearance is more barren and hilly.
The houfe of Rotbiemay, the property
of the Earl of Fife, is pleafantiy fitu-
ated near the confluence of the De-
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