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BELL ROCK
were in Banffshire ; of quoad sacra parish (1871) 2013,
(1881) 2047.— Ord. Sur., shs. 85, 95, 1876.
Bell Rock or Inchcape, a reef surmounted by a light-
house in the German Ocean, off the coast of Forfarshire,
11| miles SE of Arbroath, and 17 ENE of St Andrews.
The reef lies in the direct track of navigation to vessels
entering either the Firth of Forth or the Firth of Tay ;
and, prior to the erection of the lighthouse, was regarded
by mariners as the most dangerous spot on the eastern
coast of Scotland. It consists of red sandstone ; measures
about 2000 feet in length ; lies all, at high water of spring
tides, under a minimum depth of 12 feet of water ; and
to the extent of about 427 feet by 230, is uncovered at
spring tide ebbs to a height of about 4 feet. The light-
house on it was erected, in 1808-11, at a cost of £61,331 ;
has a circular form, of similar structure and on similar
principle to the late Eddystone Lighthouse ; consists of
granite in the basement and the exterior casing, of sand-
stone in the interior work ; and has a diameter of 42 feet
at the base and of 15 under the cornice, the outline being
an elliptical curve. It rises to a total height of 120 feet,
including 15 in cast-iron octagonal framework ; has a re-
volving light, showing alternately red and white every
minute, and visible at the distance of 15 J nautical miles ;
and contains two bells, rung by machinery during thick
weather. The name Bell Rock, however, refers to an old
tradition, made popular by Southey's ballad of The Inch-
cape Rock. This tells how the pious abbot of Aber-
brothock here fixed a bell upon a tree or timber, which,
ringing continually by the motion of the sea, warned
sailors of their peril ; how Sir Ralph the Rover wantonly
cut the bell away ; and how a year after he perished on
the rock himself, with ship and goods, in the righteous
judgment of God. See Dr Wm, Marshall's Historic Scenes
in Forfarshire (Edinb. 1875), and the Life of Robert
Stevenson (Edinb. 1878), by his son, David Stevenson.
Bellshill, a mining town of Bothwell parish, N Lanark-
shire, 9 miles by road ESE of Glasgow, 3g S of Coatbridge,
and 4 N by E of Hamilton, with stations on the Udding-
ston and Holytown branch of the Caledonian, and on
the Glasgow, Coatbridge, and Hamilton branch of the
North British — both opened in 1S78. It has a post office,
with money order and savings' bank departments, gas-
works, a branch of the Bank of Scotland, and Established
(1876), Free (1874), U.P., and Evangelical Union
churches, having in 1S78 been erected into a quoad
sacra parish, in the presbytery of Hamilton and synod
of Glasgow and Ayr. Two schools, Bellshill and "West
End, had (1879) a respective accommodation for 288 and
262 children, an average attendance of 232 and 1S7, and
grants of £176, 8s., and £163, 12s. 6d. Pop. (1841)
1013, (1861) 2945, (1871) 2233, (18S1) 2572, many of
them colliers or iron-workers. — Ord. Sur., sh. 31, 1867.
Bellsquarry, a post-office village, with a public school,
in Midcalder parish, Edinburghshire, 2| miles SW of
its post-town Midcalder.
Bellycloan, a hamlet in Madderty parish, Perthshire,
6 miles E of Crieff.
Belmaduthie, the seat of Sir Evan Mackenzie, second
Bart, since 1836 (b. 1816 ; sue. 1845), in Kilmuir-
Wester parish, Ross-shire. The estate connected with
it comprises 1643 acres.
Belmeanach, a bay in Portree parish, E side of Skye,
Inverness-shire.
Belmont, a mansion in Meigle parish, Perthshire, f
mile S of Meigle village. A large, elegant, modern edifice
adjoined to an old tower, it stands on a gentle eminence
about 200 feet above sea-level ; and is a seat of Edw.
Montagu-Stuart Wortley-Mackenzie, first Earl of Wharn-
cliffe (ere. 1876 ; b. 1827), and owner of 1940 acres in
the shire, valued at £4214 per annum. Its park contains
a tumulus and a block of granite which are popularly
associated with the history of Macbeth.
Belmont, a handsome mansion in Unst island, Shet-
land, in the vicinity of Nyeasound village.
Belnaboth, an ancient chapelry in Towie parish, Aber-
deenshire. Ruins of its chapel still exist.
Belnagoak, a heathy hill, rising 560 feet above sea-
level, in the N of Methlick parish, Aberdeenshire.
140
BEMERSTDE
Belnahua. See Balnahtjaigh.
Eelrinnes. See Ben Rinnes.
Belses, a village in the W of Ancrum parish, Roxburgh-
shire, adjacent to the Waverley branch of the North
British railway, 7| miles NNE of Hawick. A station on
the railway here serves for Ancrum village and Lillies-
leaf, and a sandstone quarry is in the neighbourhood.
Belston, an estate in Carluke parish, Lanarkshire. It
originally formed part of the barony of Mauldslie ; and
it passed to successively the Livingstones, the Lindsays,
the Maxwells, and Lord Douglas. It contains coal and
ironstone.
Belton, an ancient parish, now incorporated with
Dunbar, in Haddingtonshire. It lies along Beltonford
Water to Belhaven Bay. Originally a chapelry, bearing
the name of Heatherwick, it was constituted a parish
subsequent to the erection of Dunbar church into a
collegiate establishment, and it was re-annexed to Dun-
bar, at the cessation of the collegiate charge in 1560.
Belton and Heatherwick are estates in it ; and Belton
House, the mansion on Belton estate, stands in a beauti-
ful winding glen, embosomed among stately trees, 2f
miles SW of Dunbar town.
Beltonford, a rivulet of Haddingtonshire. It rises on
the Lammermuir Hills at the E side of Garvald parish,
runs about 8 miles north-north-eastward to the sea at
Belhaven Bay ; traverses some of the most beautiful
scenery in the county ; is adorned, over more than one-
half of its entire course, with the parks of Munraw,
Overfield, Whittingham, Beil, and Belton ; and has, on
its left bank, 2^ miles SW of Dunbar, a hamlet of Bel-
tonford, with paper-mills.
Beltongrain. See Wanlockhead.
Beltrees, a hamlet in Lochwinnoch parish, Renfrew-
shire, 1J mile E by S of Lochwinnoch town.
Belty, a rivulet of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire.
It rises in the N corner of Kincardine-O'Neil parish ;
runs southward through the centre of that parish ; passes
into Banchory-Ternan parish ; falls into the Dee at
a point 2i miles W of Banchory ; and has a total course
of about 8i miles. It includes, within its valley, the
greater part of the low arable lands of Kincardine-
O'Neil. It has occasionally done great damage to these
lands in times of freshet ; and, in the year 1829, it
swept away two stone bridges and materially injured
three more.
Belwood, a modern mansion in Glencross parish,
Edinburghshire, 1 J mile N by W of Penicuick.
Belwood, an estate, with a mansion, in Kinnoul parish,
Perthshire. The mansion is modern, and occupies a very
striking position on the face of Kinnoul Hill, fronting
Perth.
Bemersyde, a hamlet, a mansion, and an estate in
Merton parish, Berwickshire. The hamlet lies 1J mile
N by E of Dryburgh Abbey, and 24 NE of St Boswells.
The mansion, to the SW of the hamlet, and near the left
hank of the Tweed, is an old baronial pile, built in con-
formity to an Act of Parliament of 1535, ' for bigging of
strengthis on the Bordouris ; ' and has always been the
seat of the Haig family, one of the most ancient in the
S of Scotland, its present owner being Capt. Arthur Bal-
four Haig (b. 1840; sue. 1878), owner of 1357 acres in
the shire, valued at £2010 per annum. The Haigs, or
De Hagas, of Norman origin, possessed the lands of
Bemersyde as early as the 12th century ; and, till a recent
period, they always held them in a line of direct descent,
thus verifying the prophecy, ascribed to True Thomas of
Ercildoun : —
■ Tide, tide, whate'er betide,
There's a3 r e be Haigs of Bemersyde.*
The crest (540 feet) of a public road over Bemersyde HiD
commands a view of the valley of the Tweed from Ab-
botsford down to the Cheviots ; here Scott would always
rein up his horse, and here by some accident his hearse
was brought for several minutes to a standstill. This
view was pronounced by Elihu Burritt, the learned
American blacksmith, to be, with exception of that from
Stirling Castle, the most magnificent he ever saw in
were in Banffshire ; of quoad sacra parish (1871) 2013,
(1881) 2047.— Ord. Sur., shs. 85, 95, 1876.
Bell Rock or Inchcape, a reef surmounted by a light-
house in the German Ocean, off the coast of Forfarshire,
11| miles SE of Arbroath, and 17 ENE of St Andrews.
The reef lies in the direct track of navigation to vessels
entering either the Firth of Forth or the Firth of Tay ;
and, prior to the erection of the lighthouse, was regarded
by mariners as the most dangerous spot on the eastern
coast of Scotland. It consists of red sandstone ; measures
about 2000 feet in length ; lies all, at high water of spring
tides, under a minimum depth of 12 feet of water ; and
to the extent of about 427 feet by 230, is uncovered at
spring tide ebbs to a height of about 4 feet. The light-
house on it was erected, in 1808-11, at a cost of £61,331 ;
has a circular form, of similar structure and on similar
principle to the late Eddystone Lighthouse ; consists of
granite in the basement and the exterior casing, of sand-
stone in the interior work ; and has a diameter of 42 feet
at the base and of 15 under the cornice, the outline being
an elliptical curve. It rises to a total height of 120 feet,
including 15 in cast-iron octagonal framework ; has a re-
volving light, showing alternately red and white every
minute, and visible at the distance of 15 J nautical miles ;
and contains two bells, rung by machinery during thick
weather. The name Bell Rock, however, refers to an old
tradition, made popular by Southey's ballad of The Inch-
cape Rock. This tells how the pious abbot of Aber-
brothock here fixed a bell upon a tree or timber, which,
ringing continually by the motion of the sea, warned
sailors of their peril ; how Sir Ralph the Rover wantonly
cut the bell away ; and how a year after he perished on
the rock himself, with ship and goods, in the righteous
judgment of God. See Dr Wm, Marshall's Historic Scenes
in Forfarshire (Edinb. 1875), and the Life of Robert
Stevenson (Edinb. 1878), by his son, David Stevenson.
Bellshill, a mining town of Bothwell parish, N Lanark-
shire, 9 miles by road ESE of Glasgow, 3g S of Coatbridge,
and 4 N by E of Hamilton, with stations on the Udding-
ston and Holytown branch of the Caledonian, and on
the Glasgow, Coatbridge, and Hamilton branch of the
North British — both opened in 1S78. It has a post office,
with money order and savings' bank departments, gas-
works, a branch of the Bank of Scotland, and Established
(1876), Free (1874), U.P., and Evangelical Union
churches, having in 1S78 been erected into a quoad
sacra parish, in the presbytery of Hamilton and synod
of Glasgow and Ayr. Two schools, Bellshill and "West
End, had (1879) a respective accommodation for 288 and
262 children, an average attendance of 232 and 1S7, and
grants of £176, 8s., and £163, 12s. 6d. Pop. (1841)
1013, (1861) 2945, (1871) 2233, (18S1) 2572, many of
them colliers or iron-workers. — Ord. Sur., sh. 31, 1867.
Bellsquarry, a post-office village, with a public school,
in Midcalder parish, Edinburghshire, 2| miles SW of
its post-town Midcalder.
Bellycloan, a hamlet in Madderty parish, Perthshire,
6 miles E of Crieff.
Belmaduthie, the seat of Sir Evan Mackenzie, second
Bart, since 1836 (b. 1816 ; sue. 1845), in Kilmuir-
Wester parish, Ross-shire. The estate connected with
it comprises 1643 acres.
Belmeanach, a bay in Portree parish, E side of Skye,
Inverness-shire.
Belmont, a mansion in Meigle parish, Perthshire, f
mile S of Meigle village. A large, elegant, modern edifice
adjoined to an old tower, it stands on a gentle eminence
about 200 feet above sea-level ; and is a seat of Edw.
Montagu-Stuart Wortley-Mackenzie, first Earl of Wharn-
cliffe (ere. 1876 ; b. 1827), and owner of 1940 acres in
the shire, valued at £4214 per annum. Its park contains
a tumulus and a block of granite which are popularly
associated with the history of Macbeth.
Belmont, a handsome mansion in Unst island, Shet-
land, in the vicinity of Nyeasound village.
Belnaboth, an ancient chapelry in Towie parish, Aber-
deenshire. Ruins of its chapel still exist.
Belnagoak, a heathy hill, rising 560 feet above sea-
level, in the N of Methlick parish, Aberdeenshire.
140
BEMERSTDE
Belnahua. See Balnahtjaigh.
Eelrinnes. See Ben Rinnes.
Belses, a village in the W of Ancrum parish, Roxburgh-
shire, adjacent to the Waverley branch of the North
British railway, 7| miles NNE of Hawick. A station on
the railway here serves for Ancrum village and Lillies-
leaf, and a sandstone quarry is in the neighbourhood.
Belston, an estate in Carluke parish, Lanarkshire. It
originally formed part of the barony of Mauldslie ; and
it passed to successively the Livingstones, the Lindsays,
the Maxwells, and Lord Douglas. It contains coal and
ironstone.
Belton, an ancient parish, now incorporated with
Dunbar, in Haddingtonshire. It lies along Beltonford
Water to Belhaven Bay. Originally a chapelry, bearing
the name of Heatherwick, it was constituted a parish
subsequent to the erection of Dunbar church into a
collegiate establishment, and it was re-annexed to Dun-
bar, at the cessation of the collegiate charge in 1560.
Belton and Heatherwick are estates in it ; and Belton
House, the mansion on Belton estate, stands in a beauti-
ful winding glen, embosomed among stately trees, 2f
miles SW of Dunbar town.
Beltonford, a rivulet of Haddingtonshire. It rises on
the Lammermuir Hills at the E side of Garvald parish,
runs about 8 miles north-north-eastward to the sea at
Belhaven Bay ; traverses some of the most beautiful
scenery in the county ; is adorned, over more than one-
half of its entire course, with the parks of Munraw,
Overfield, Whittingham, Beil, and Belton ; and has, on
its left bank, 2^ miles SW of Dunbar, a hamlet of Bel-
tonford, with paper-mills.
Beltongrain. See Wanlockhead.
Beltrees, a hamlet in Lochwinnoch parish, Renfrew-
shire, 1J mile E by S of Lochwinnoch town.
Belty, a rivulet of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire.
It rises in the N corner of Kincardine-O'Neil parish ;
runs southward through the centre of that parish ; passes
into Banchory-Ternan parish ; falls into the Dee at
a point 2i miles W of Banchory ; and has a total course
of about 8i miles. It includes, within its valley, the
greater part of the low arable lands of Kincardine-
O'Neil. It has occasionally done great damage to these
lands in times of freshet ; and, in the year 1829, it
swept away two stone bridges and materially injured
three more.
Belwood, a modern mansion in Glencross parish,
Edinburghshire, 1 J mile N by W of Penicuick.
Belwood, an estate, with a mansion, in Kinnoul parish,
Perthshire. The mansion is modern, and occupies a very
striking position on the face of Kinnoul Hill, fronting
Perth.
Bemersyde, a hamlet, a mansion, and an estate in
Merton parish, Berwickshire. The hamlet lies 1J mile
N by E of Dryburgh Abbey, and 24 NE of St Boswells.
The mansion, to the SW of the hamlet, and near the left
hank of the Tweed, is an old baronial pile, built in con-
formity to an Act of Parliament of 1535, ' for bigging of
strengthis on the Bordouris ; ' and has always been the
seat of the Haig family, one of the most ancient in the
S of Scotland, its present owner being Capt. Arthur Bal-
four Haig (b. 1840; sue. 1878), owner of 1357 acres in
the shire, valued at £2010 per annum. The Haigs, or
De Hagas, of Norman origin, possessed the lands of
Bemersyde as early as the 12th century ; and, till a recent
period, they always held them in a line of direct descent,
thus verifying the prophecy, ascribed to True Thomas of
Ercildoun : —
■ Tide, tide, whate'er betide,
There's a3 r e be Haigs of Bemersyde.*
The crest (540 feet) of a public road over Bemersyde HiD
commands a view of the valley of the Tweed from Ab-
botsford down to the Cheviots ; here Scott would always
rein up his horse, and here by some accident his hearse
was brought for several minutes to a standstill. This
view was pronounced by Elihu Burritt, the learned
American blacksmith, to be, with exception of that from
Stirling Castle, the most magnificent he ever saw in
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