Gazetteer of Scotland

NEW.
and 2| broad, containing about 7810
Scots acres, of which 2000 are arable,
500 meadow and low pasture, 250 in
plantation, 60 in natural wood, and
the remainder hill, moor and moss.
Along the banks of the Nith, which
forms its boundary on the E. the sur-
face is level, and the soil rich and
loamy. In the grounds towards the
W. the surface is hilly, and the ara-
ble spots have a clay soil, on A wet,
cold, and impervious til!. There are
3 small lakes, viz. Loch Kindar, Loch
End, and Loch Craigend, all of which
abound with pike, and contain a few
trout ; and Loch Kindar has a small
Island, on which are the ruins of an
old chapel. The village of Newabbey
Is pleasantly built, on the great road
from Dumfries to Kirkcudbright. It
is well supplied with fine water, and
surrounded with beautiful woods. It
contains about 210 inhabitants. Ad-
joining to it are the ruins of the fa-
mous Cistertian abbey, founded by
Devorgilla, daughter of Allan Lord of
Galloway, and mother of John Baliol
King of Scotland. It was first named
the Abbey of Sweetheart, from her hus-
band's heart being embalmed, and in-
closed in a box of ivory and silver,
which was built into the walls of the
church ; but its name was afterwards
changed to Mewabbey. The build-
ing stands in the middle of a level
field of .about 20 acres, surrounded by
a high wall. It is a lofty and beau-
tiful buiiding, of the light Gothic style
of architecture. Its church is 194 feet
long, 102 feet broad at the cross, and
66 feet at each end,"with a tower up-
wards of 90 feet high. The whole is
built of large stones of granite, with
which the neighbouring mountains a-
bound. There are some slight ap-
pearances of coal ; but a trial to find
it, made some years ago, was unsuc-
cessful. In L79I, the number of
black cattle maintained in the parish
was upwards of 1000, and of sheep
3500. Population in 1801, §32.
NEW ABERDEEN, Fide Abesl-
33K£m (New).
NEWARK ; a barony in Renfrew-
shire, united to New Port-Glasgow,
which is now termed the borough of
"New Port-Glasgow, and Newark.
it formerly gave title of Baron to the
family of Leslie ; now dormant.
NEW
NEWBATTLE, or NEWBOT-
TLE ; a parish in Edinburghshire, of
an irregular triangular figure, each
side of which is nearly 4 miles long.
The greater part lies in a beautiful
and romantic vale, through which the
South Esk runs, with a rich and fertile
soil, in some places upwards of 4 feet
deep. From the low grounds the
surface rises in a gradual manner for
the course of 2 miles, to a ridge', the
highest point of which is elevated
680 feet above the level of the sea,
and exhibits distinct vestiges of a Ro-
man encampment. The soil in this
district is fully as barren as the valley
is fertile, being marshy and moory,
lying on till. In the most sheltered
and rorriantic part of the vale stands
Newbattle Abbey, a large and elegant
modern building, the seat of the Mar-
quis of Lothian. The house is built
on the site of an abbey of Cistertians,
founded by King David I. which, af-
ter the reformation, was erected into
a temporal lordship in the family of
Ker, and now gives title of Baron to
the Marquis of Lothian. In the gal-
lery of Newbattle Abbey are several
fine paintings ; and in the library are
some curious manuscripts in folio,
written on vellum, in the old Saxon
character, and highly illuminated.'
The parks and gardens around the
house are equally deserving of notice
from their elegance and extent. Coal
and limestone abound in the parish ;
so much so, that the whole may be
said to lie upon these minerals. Po-
pulation in 1801, 1328.
NEWBURGH; a parish and town
in Fifeshire, situated on the S. bank'
of the river Tay, in the N. W. corner
of the county. The extent of the
parish is inconsiderable, and its figure
very irregular, one part being de-
tached from the other by the inter-'
jection of a part of the parish of Ab-'
die. The soil on the Tay is clay, si-'
milar to the Carse of Gowrie ; to- ;
wards the S. it is partly loamy, and
partly mossy, on a till bottom. The
town of Newburgh* consists of one
street ■ of considerable length, with
small suburbs at each end, and a lane
leading from the shore to the middle
of the town. The houses are mostly
newly built, and the streets are well
paved. The principal manufacture
ia the linen } which is carried on to a