Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

XXXV111 INTRODUCTION.
industry. At the same time it must be kept in mind, that we get merely the number
building in one particular year out of the ten, and not the average number building
yearly. In the first census this element was wanting, in the others it stands thus : —
Houses Building.
1811. 1881. 1831. 1841.
England, 15,189 18,289 23,462 25,882
Wales, 1,019 985 1,297 1,769
16,208 19,274 24,759 27,651
Scotland, 2,341 2,405 2,568 2,760
RELIGION.
The National Established church of Scotland is strictly Presbyterian. Its parochial
divisions, sanctioned by the civil authority, embracing the whole of Scotland, and fur-
nished by law with churches and temporalities, are 919. But included in these, which
bear the distinctive name of quoad civilia parishes, there are territories annexed eccle-
siastically, or by authority of the General Assembly and of presbyteries, to 40 Govern-
ment churches, an account of which is given in our article on the Highlands, and to
chapels built by voluntary subscription, the number of which amounted, in 1S39, to
180 ; and these territories, except in the case of a very few of the chapelries, are called
quoad sacra parishes, and — though destitute both of civil sanction and of temporalities —
are under the same ecclesiastical government, and hold the same relation to the church
courts, as the ecclesiastico-civil divisions. Each parish, whether quoad civilia or quoad
sacra, is governed by a kirk-session, consisting of the minister, and one or more lay '
elders. Several parishes send each its minister and a ruling elder to form a presbytery,
and are, on a common footing, under its authority. Several presbyteries contribute or
amass all their members to form a synod, and are individually subject to its review or
revision of their proceedings. All the presbyteries, in concert with the royal burghs,
the four universities, and the Crown, elect representatives, who jointly constitute the
General Assembly. This is the supreme court ; and will be found noticed in our article
on Edinburgh. The synods, 16 in number, are exceedingly dissimilar in the extent of
their territory, and the amount of their population ; and the presbyteries, 82 in number,
have also a very various extent, and are distributed among the synods in groups of from
2 to 8. — The synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, the first on the list, comprehends all the
counties of Linlithgow, Haddington, and Peebles, all the county of Edinburgh, except
one parish, and small parts of the counties of Stirling and Lanark ; it contained, in 1831,
a population of 313,733 ; and, in 1839, it had 108 quoad civilia parishes, 27 chapelries,
and 143 ministers. Its presbyteries are Edinburgh, comprehending the metropolis and
its vicinity, with 26 quoad civilia, and 17 quoad sacra parishes, and a population, in 1831,
of 180,392 ; Linlithgow, comprehending Linlithgowshire, and a small part of Stirling-
shire, with 19 quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 45,452 ;
Biggar, comprising parts of Lanarkshire and Peebles-shire, with 11 quoad civilia parishes,
and a population of 6,862 ; Peebles, comprising most of Peebles-shire, with 12 quoad
civilia parishes, and a population of 9,373 ; Dalkeith, chiefly in Edinburghshire, and
partly in Haddingtonshire, with 16 quoad civilia,- and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a popu-
lation of 35,133; Haddington, comprising the major part of Haddingtonshire, with 15
quoad civilia, and 2 quoad sacra parishes, and a population of 24,049 ; and Dunbar, com-
prising the south-east of Haddingtonshire, and a parish in Berwickshire, and distributed
into 9 quoad civilia parishes, with a population of 12,472. — The synod of Merse and
Teviotdale comprehends nearly all Berwickshire, and most of Roxburghshire ; contained,
in 1831, a population of 82,366 ; and, in 1839, had 66 parishes, 5 chapelries, and 71
ministers. Its presbyteries are Dunse, in the Merse and Lainmermoor, with 10 quoad
civilia parishes, and a population of 9,391 ; Chirnside, in the Merse, with 12 parishes
quoad civilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a population of 14,975 ; Kelso, in the Merse, and
the east of Roxburghshire, with 10 parishes quoad civilia, and 1 quoad sacra, and a popu-
lation of 12,264 ; Jedburgh, in Teviotdale, with 14 quoad civilia parishes, 2 subordinate
chapelries, and a population of 20,978 ; Lauder, in Lauderdale, Lainmermoor, and the
southern corner of Edinburghshire, with 9 quoad civilia parishes, and a population of
9,964; and Selkirk, in Selkirkshire, and the northern part of Roxburghshire, with 11
quoad civilia parishes, and a population of 14,788. — The synod of Dumfries comprehends