Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 6

TARBERT
•which fell into dilapidation after the third Earl's
forfeiture in 1746, and has left some remains. See
Cromarty.— Ord. Sur., sh. 94, 1878.
Tarbert, a village and small seaport in the parishes
of Kilcalmonell and South Knapdale, Argyllshire, 35
miles NNE of Campbeltown and 13J S of Lochgilphead.
It stands at the E end of the isthmus between East Loch
Tarbert and West Loch Tarbert, separating the penin-
sula of Kintyre from the district of Knapdale. That
isthmus is only 1J mile across, and was anciently pro-
tected by three castles — one in the centre, one at the
head of the West Loch, and one on the S side of the
East Loch. The ruin of the last of these castles still
exists, in grouping with the village, and is the subject
of curious popular traditions. The village probably
arose under protection of the castle— at all events it is a
place of much antiquity ; and it is so situated around
the head of the East Loch, with command over its
natural harbourage, as to have possessed from the
earliest time as much commerce as the circumstances of
the surrounding district could give it. The loch, pro-
jecting westward from Loch Fyne, is of small size —
only 7 furlongs long, and nowhere more than A mile
broad ; but it is a curious and singularly safe and land-
locked natural harbour, and is entered by so narrow
and circling a passage between low ridges of naked
rock, that a steamer, in sailing through it, appears to
a stranger to be irretrievably rushing upon the crag.
On its S side near the head is a steamboat quay ; and
both here and all over the inner space of the loch may
be seen in the fishing season a very numerous fleet of
herring-boats. The steamers from Glasgow to Ardri-
shaig call regularly at this harbour. The village is in-
habited principally by fishermen, and is the resort,
during the herring fishery season, of several hundreds
of fishermen from other parts. It has a post office
under Greenock, with money order, savings' bank, and
telegraph departments, four inns, several neat villas, a
branch of the Union Bank, a quoad sacra church, a
Free church, a new public school, and fairs for horses,
etc., on the Wednesday of March and the Tuesdays of
June and November before Lochgilphead, and on the last
Thursday of July. Pop. of village (1861) 1254, (1871)
1434, (1881) 1629, of whom 793 were females, and 508
■were in South Knapdale parish ; of q. s. parish (1S71)
1866, (1881) 2017, of whom 1261 were in Kilcalmonell,
7 in Saddell, and 556 in South Knapdale. — Ord, Sur.,
sh. 29, 1873.
Tarbert, Loch. See Jura.
Tarbert, Loch, East and West, two indentations of
the sea on the opposite coasts of Harris, approaching
each other to within \ mile. (See Harris.) East Loch
Tarbert is 5J miles long, and from 4i to nearly 2 miles
broad. Forking at the head into two slender bays, it
embosoms several islets, and has the considerable island
of Scalpa at its entrance. West Loch Tarbert is 6 miles
long, and diminishes in breadth from 4J miles to nearly
a point ; it is screened from the fierce W winds by
Taransay ; and it is overhung by lofty mountains,
which stoop precipitously down to its margin.
Tarbert, Loch, East and West, two sea-lochs ap-
proaching each other's heads to within 1J mile, and
separating the peninsula of Kintyre from the district of
Knapdale in Argyllshire. The East Loch has already
been noticed in our article on Tarbert. The West
Loch extends 10 miles nearly due north-north-eastward,
and measures f mile in mean breadth. Over all its
extent it has the calm aspect of a fresh-water lake, and
is picturesque and lovely. Three islets lie in it ; soft
and moderately high hills recede from its margins ;
woods and enclosures fling their images upon its
■waters ; and a profusion of cottages, farm-houses, villas,
and mansions, with the villages of Laggavoulin and
Kilcalmonell, sit upon its banks. At its head is a
quay for the accommodation of the Islay steam-packet.
An Act was passed in 1S83 for connecting the two lochs
by a canal, 18 feet deep and 56 wide, at a cost of
£200,000.
Tarbet, a hamlet in Arrochar parish, Dumbartonshire,
101
TAREOLTON
on the western shore of Loch Lomond, 1 j mile E by N
of Arrochar village at the head of Loch Long. It has
a steamboat pier and a large hotel. All the Loch
Lomond steamers call at it ; and many tourist9 pass
from it across the isthmus to Arrochar. It stands on
the road from Inveraray to Dumbarton by way of Luss.
—Ord. Sur., sh. 38, 1871.
Tarbolton, a village and a parish in Kyle district,
Ayrshire. The village, standing near the right bank of
the Water of Fail, by road is 8J miles S of Kilmarnock,
7 NE by E of Ayr, and 1J NNW of Tarbolton station
on a loop-line (1870) of the Glasgow and South-Western
railway, this being 4J miles WSW of Mauchline Junction.
Occupying a considerable area, and containing a number
of neat houses, it has a post office, with money order,
savings' bank, and telegraph departments, 2 hotels, a
town-house (1836), a cattle-show on the first Monday of
May, and a fair on the Tuesday after 11 June. The
parish church, erected in 1821 at a cost of £2500, is a
good edifice, with 950 sittings, a four-dial clock, and a
spire 90 feet high. There are also a Free and a U.P.
church. In 1671 Tarbolton, granted to John Cunning-
hame of Enterkine, was constituted a burgh of barony,
with right to hold a weekly market. Two bailies and
twelve councillors are annually elected by the house-
holders in December. Pop. (1841) 10S3, (1861) 1154,
(1871) 829, (1881) 922.
The parish, containing also the village of Anh-
bank, is bounded NW and NE by Craigie, E by
Mauchline, SE by Stair, S by Coylton, and W by
Coylton, St Quivox, and Monkton. Its utmost length,
from E by N to W by S, is 6J miles ; its utmost
breadth is 5$ miles ; and its area is nearly 19
square miles or 12,1412 acres, of which 82 are water.
The Water of Fail runs south-eastward across the in-
terior to the river Ayr, which winds 9J miles west-
south-westward along all the Stair and Coylton boun-
dary, though the point where it first touches and that
where it quits the parish are only 4J miles distant
as the crow flies. Along the Ayr the surface declines to
195 feet above sea-level ; and thence it rises gently north-
ward to 205 feet at Commonside, 302 at Afton Lodge,
424 at Torcross, 575 at Skeoch, and 437 at.Coldcothill.
The parish is thus modulatory, comprising softly out-
lined ridges, all under culture except where covered with
wood. The low grounds, especially along the Ayr-, com-
prise much pleasant close scenery ; and the high grounds
command magnificent prospects, over land and sea, to
bold and distant backgrounds. The rocks are variously
Old Ked Sandstone, rocks of the Carboniferous forma-
tion, and trap. Coal was worked here so early as 1497.
Nearly eight-ninths of the entire area are in tillage ;
some 950 acres are under wood ; and the rest is either
meadow or morass. At Parkmoor are trenches of a
reputed Roman camp ; and other antiquities are noticed
under Fail and Coilsfield. The 'prophet,' Alexander
Peden (1626-86), was schoolmaster at Tarbolton ; and
Dr William Ritchie, professor of divinity in Edinburgh
University, who died here in 1829, was minister. In
1581, when Esme Stuart, Lord d'Aubigny, was created
Duke of Lennox, one of the titles given him was Lord
Tarbolton. The self-taught sculptor, James Thorn
(1799-1850), of 'Tam o' Shanter' and 'Souter Johnny'
fame, was born in the upper part of the parish, within
a mile of Lochlee, which from 1777 to 1784 was the
home of Robert Burns (1759-96). Both the village and
its neighbourhood abound with reminiscences of the
poet. To the Tarbolton lodge of Freemasons he ad-
dressed a well-known Farewell; and at Tarbolton in
17S0 he started a debating society, the Bachelors' Club.
His extraordinary piece, entitled Death and Dr Horn-
book, is said to have been written with the view of
burlesquing a person of the name of Wilson, who united
the vocations of parish schoolmaster and a vendor of
medicines. And at Coilsfield or Montgomerie, Mary
Campbell, his 'Highland Mary,' was 'byreswoman' or
dairymaid. Mansions are Coilsfield or Montgomerie,
Afton Lodge, Enterkine, and Smithstone ; and 8
proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and up-
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