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

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BAS
Bandy ; but a high verdant bank, which seems once
to have formed the coast-line in this quarter, ex-
tends from north-east to south-west, so as to give
to the northern division of the parish the appearance
of a terrace elevated about 50 feet above the south-
ern division. On the extreme south-east point of
the coast, the Buddon-ness, in N. lat. 56° "28', and
W. long. 2° 45', are two light-houses, the one bear-
ing N. N. \V. 1,122 feet from the other; the height
of the two lanterns being respectively 85 feet and
65 feet, and both showing a white fixed light, visible
the one at the distance of 9 and the other at the
distance of 12 miles, in clear weather. These two
lights form the leading lights to vessels entering the
Tay, between the Gaa sands and Abertay sands.
The post-road between Dundee and Arbroath inter-
sects this parish from south- west to north-east.
Population, in 1801, 886; in 1831, 1,682. Houses
408. There are three villages within the parish :
viz. Carnoustie, Gardenbury, and Barry. Of these
Carnoustie is greatly the largest, having a population
of 1,200. The greater part of the population is
employed in trade and manufactures, chiefly that of
brown linen for the Arbroath merchants. Assessed
property, in 1815, .£2,946 — This parish is in the
presbytery of Arbroath, and synod of Angus and
Mearhs. Patron, the Crown. Minister's stipend
£143 12s. lid., with a manse, and a glebe of the
value of £5 10s. Unappropriated teinds £4 3s. 8d.
Church altered and enlarged in 1818; sittings 673.
A chapel-of-ease has been recently erected at Car-
noustie, where there are also two dissenting places
of worship. The United Secession church in this
village was built in 1810; sittings 380. Stipend
£86, with a manse and glebe. The Original Sece-
der church in this village was also built in 1810;
sittings 250. Stipend £70, with a manse and gar-
den. The parochial schoolmaster has a salary of
£29 18s. 9|<1.', with about £30 school-fees. Pupils
from 70 to 100. There is also a private school at-
tended by about the same number of children In
the neighbourhood of Carnoustie, Malcolm II. sig-
nally defeated a body of marauding Danes under
Camus.
BARVAS, a parish in the island of Lewis, and
county of Ross; hounded on the north by the At-
lantic ocean; on the east by the quoad sacra parish
of Cross; on the south by Stornoway parish, and
that of Lochs ; and on the west by Lochs. The
extent of sea-coast is about 15 miles; it is bold and
rugged throughout, having a tremendous surf upon
it when the wind blows from the west or the north-
west. The soil is in general light and stony, or
mossy, and the whole surface is nearly level through-
out. The only arable land is along the coast. There
is not a tree, and scarcely a shrub throughout the
whole parish. The principal river is the Barvas,
which rises in some small lakes on the southern
boundary of the parish, and flows northwards, ex-
panding near its mouth into a small loch. The
streams contain some trout, and occasionally salmon ;
on the coast, cod, ling, and haddocks are caught.
The interior abounds with plovers, snipes, wild-
geese, and ducks. There is a road from the mouth
of the Barvas, southwards along the eastern bank of
that stream, to Stornoway, a distance of about 18
miles. Population, with that of Cross, in 1S01,
2,233; in 1831, 3,011. Houses 617. Assessed pro-
perty £14. The population of Barvas as distinct
from Cross, was estimated, in 1835, at 1,840, allot
whom were engaged in agricultural labour, renting
small patches of ground at from £1 to £6 per an-
num -This parish is in the synod of Glenelg, and
presbytery of Lewis. Patron, the Crown. Minis-
ter's stipend £153 6s. Sd., with a manse, and a
glebe of the value of £20. Church built about
1794; sittings 300. Parochial schoolmaster's sti-
pend £28. Number of pupils from 30 to 40. There
are two itinerating Gaelic schools, which are usually
stationary for two years at a time, and are then re-
moved to some other quarter. In 1834, it was stated
that there were in this parish 390 persons above 15
years of age unable to read The islands of Roua
and Sulisker belong to this parish.
BARVIE (The), a small river which rises in the
parish of Monzie, in Perthshire, and falls into the
Earn near Crieff.
BASS (The), a stupendous insulated rock, in the
frith of Forth, about 3£ miles east-north-east, from
North Berwick, and H north of Cantv bay ; in N. lat.
56° 4' 53", and W. long. 2° 37' 57". It is about a
mile in circumference, and shoots up to 420 feet
above the surface of the water. Its loftiest side is
towards the north; on the south side it assumes a
conical form, sloping rapidly towards the sea. There
are about 7 acres of grassy surface on the rock, pre-
senting a fine clean short bite of pasturage to a few
sheep. The mutton fed here is proverbially deli-
cious. A cavernous passage penetrates through the
rock from north-west to south-east, which has often
been explored, but presents nothing remarkable.
The only landing-place is on the south-east side,
and this was commanded by a small fortalice now
in ruins. Beague thus describes this castle, in the
time of Mary of Guise's regency : " Now, the island
in which the castle stands is itself an impregnable
rock, of a small extent and oval figure, cut out by
the hands of nature; it has only one avenue that
leads to it, and that is towards the castle, but so
very difficult and uneasy, that by reason of the hid-
den sands that surround the rock, nothing can ap-
proach it but one little boat at a time. The island
is so exorbitantly uneven, that till one reach the
wall of the castle, he cannot have sure footing in
any one place ; so that — as I have often observed —
those that enter it must climb up by the help of a
strong cable thrown down for the purpose ; arid when
they have got with much ado to the foot of the wall,
they sit down in a wide basket, and in this posture
are mounted up by strength of hands. There is no
getting into this wonderful fortress by any other
means. Formerly, it had a postern-gate which faci-
litated the entry, but it is now thrown down, and
fortified in such a manner as is incredible." The
story about " the hidden sands " is altogether apo-
cryphal; the channel all round being not only free
from rocks or sands, but of great depth. This
41 island salt ami bare,
The. haunt of seals audorcs and sea-mews' clang,"
is said to have been chosen by St. Baldred, the
apostle of East Lothian, for his residence in the early
part of the 7th century.* In 1405; the Earl of Car-
rick, son of Robert III., and then in his 14th year,
embarked here, along with the Earl of Orkney and
a small suite, in a vessel which was to carry him to
France, where he could pursue his studies in safety
from the intrigues df Albany. There was atruceat this
period between England and Scotland, nevertheless
an armed merchantman belonging to Wye attacked
and captured the prince's vessel off Flamborough
head. In 1671, the Crown acquired this island by
purchase from Sir Andrew Ramsay of Abbotshall
for £4,000. It had previously been for several cen-
turies in the possession of the Lauder family. Under
the reigns of Charles II. and James II. it was used
* Mr. James Miller has collected a variety of curious legend
ary matter touching the Bass and St Baldred ill the Notes to
his poem entitled 'St. Baldred of the Buss:' Edinburgh, UB6,
8vo.