Gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

TORPHICHEN.
S87
TOMANTOUL, a village in the parish
of Kirkmichael, Banffshire. See Kirkmi-
CHAEL.
TONGLAND, or TONGUELAND, a
parish in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright, of a
triangular figure, eight miles long, and four
broad at its northern extremity, gradually de-
creasing in breadth to its southern extremity,
where the rivers Tarff and Dee unite, the lat-
ter dividing it from Kelton on the east, and the
Tarff from Twyneholm on the west, Balma-
ghie being its boundary at the north. The
middle of the parish is occupied by a ridge of
mountains running north and south. On the
banks of the rivers the surface is level, and
the soil a fertile loam ; in the north end the
surface is rocky, interspersed with many ara-
ble fields. Near the church are the ruins of
tne priory of Tongland, founded for monks of
the Praemonstratensian order, by Fergus Lord
of Galloway, in the 12th century. The reve-
nues of this priory are included in those of the
bishoprick of Galloway. Cairns and the re-
mains of ancient encampments are frequently
to be seen in this parish. A fine new bridge
has been lately built across the Dee, two miles
above Kirkcudbright, of one arch 110 feet
span, and three small Gothic arches on each
side — Population in 1821, 890.
TONGUE, a parish in the northern part
of Sutherlandshire, bounded on the north by
the ocean, on the west by Durness, and on the
east and south by Farr. It consists chiefly of
a strath, having on the east the water of Tor-
risdale or Borgie, and a series of small lakes,
and in the centre the extensive inlet of the sea
called Kyle Tongue ; altogether the parish
measures seventeen or eighteen miles inland,
by a breadth near the sea coast of eight miles,
tapering to a point on the south. The district
is hilly, but greatly improved of late years.
Kyle Tongue is a fine expanse of water, which
at its middle is narrowed to a small strait.
Near the east side of this strait, sheltered by an
eminence behind, and by some fine woods,
stands Tongue house, and at a short distance
the church of Tongue. There is now an excel-
lent road round the north coast. — Population
in 1821, 1736.
TOROGAY, one of the smaller Hebrides
in the sound of Harris.
TOROSAY, a parish in the island of
Mull, Argyleshire, lying on the east side of
the island, and extending twelve miles in length,
in every direction. The sea-coast is indented
by several bays, which afford good anchorage,
and at the south side of one of these, Loch
Dow, is a place called Auchnacraig, from
whence there is a regular ferry to Oban in
Lome, by the island of Kerrera. The parish
is generally moimtainous, heathy, and pastoral.
On a lofty promontory, overhanging the Sound
of Mull, at the south-east corner of the island
and parish, stands Castle Duart, formerly the
residence of the chief of the Macleans. — Po-
pulation in 1821, 2288.
TORPHICHEN, a parish in the south-
west part of Linlithgowshire, extending in a
direction from north-east to south-west, a
length of ten miles by an average breadth of
two and a half miles ; bounded on the north
by Muiravonside and Liiilithgow, and on the
south-east by Bathgate. The Avon water
bounds it partly on the side next Stirlingshire,
and on the opposite side it has Barbauchlaw
burn a part of its length. The general ap-
pearance is hilly, particularly on the south
but the parish has been greatly improved and
beautified by plantations and enclosures, and
is generally fertile. The village of Torphichen,
which is small and straggling, lies in a shel-
tered plain, about five miles directly south from
Linlithgow. Though now consisting of only
a few cottages, and lying remote from all pub-
lic roads, it was once a place of great distinc-
tion. Here the knights of St. John, a pow-
erful body of military ecclesiastics arising out
of the crusades, who finally possessed vast
wealth as well as landed property in all the
countries of Europe, had their chief Scottish
preceptory. Fragments of old buildings of a
massive and castellated appearance, scattered
throughout the village, remain to attest the
splendour of this settlement. The very stone
fences in the neighbourhood have an air of an-
tique dignity, having probably been erected by
the former tenants of the place, or else con-
structed out of the ruins of their houses. The
church of the preceptory, which was built in
the reign of the first David, has suffered so
much from time, or from more ruthless de-
stroyers, that the choir and transepts now alone
remain. The chancel and nave are entirely
gone. Instead of the latter, which is said by
the common people to have stretched to a
great length, a plain modern building, of the
size and appearance of an ordinary barr*, tow
runs out from the choir, serving for the &tf!>^