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306
DAL
was forfeited by Sir John Cumyn, and was granted
by Bruce to Walter, the son of Gilbert, the prede-
cessor of the Hamilton family. It was made a ba-
rony in the 14th century ; and was afterwards called
the barony of Machan. The church of Cadzow with
its chapel of Machan was constituted a prebend of
the cathedral church of Glasgow, and formed the
benefice of the dean. The chapelry of Machan was
subsequently estabUshed as a separate parish; but
the precise time when this took place has not been
ascertained. A parish-church having been built at
the village of Dalserf, the same name was given to
the parish, probably about the period of the Refor-
mation. For a lengthened series of years, from the
time of Robert the Bruce downward, the most of the
property in this parish belonged to the Hamiltons,
and its major part still belongs to the ducal house or
cadets from it. The ancient residences of the Ham-
iltons of Dalserf, the Hamiltons of Raplock, and the
Hamiltons of Broomholm, have now almost, or alto-
gether, disappeared. As vassals of the Hamilton
family, many of the gentlemen of this parish were
deeply involved in the troublous scenes which alike
distinguished and disturbed Scotland, previous to the
junction of the crowns under James VI. Gavin
Hamilton of Raplock, and commendator of Kilwin-
ning, was present at the battle of Langside, in the
army of the Queen; he was also one of Mary's
commissioners at York in 1570, and was included
in the treaty of Perth of 1572. John Hamilton of
Broomhill was wounded, and taken prisoner in the
same battle ; and about two years afterwards, his
house of Broomholm was burned down by Sir
William Drury, the governor of Berwick.
DALSWINTON, a village in the parish of
Kirkmahoe ; 4J miles north of Dumfries. The
ancient castle of Dalswinton, which was long the
chief seat of the family of Cumming, having fallen
to decay, an elegant and commodious mansion was
erected on its site by Patrick Miller, Esq., the well-
known steam-boat projector.
DALTON,* a parish in the southern part of the
district of Annandale, Dumfries-shire. It is bounded
on the north by Lochmaben and Dryfesdale ; on the
east by St. Mungo and Cummertrees ; on the south
by Ruth well; and on the west by Mousewald and
Lochmaben. It is, on the whole, a parallelogram,
stretching from north-west to south-east ; but has a
deep, though narrow indentation near the middle of
its northern side, and thence, to its north-eastern
angle, considerably protrudes. Its greatest length
is nearly 6 miles, and its average breadth about 2i ;
and it contains an area of nearly 11 square miles.
The surface in the north-western division is slightly
hilly, and has two elevations, — Holmains and Alma-
gill, rising 500 feet above sea-level ; but in the other
parts of the parish it is flat. The Pow, or Cummer-
trees Pow, rises in the uplands, and traverses the par-
ish in a direction east of south, leaving it near Gilbrae.
The northern boundary is formed for about 3 miles
by the river Annan, which here abounds in salmon,
grilse, sea-trout, and the fish — believed to be peculiar
to the Solway rivers — called herling. The Annan is
supposed, at a remote period, to have flowed through
this parish, entering it at Dormont, where it at pre-
sent begins to form its boundary, and pursuing its
way past Dalton church, till it fell into what is now
the channel or bed of the Pow. Along this course
are extensive alluvial deposits, and ridges of sand
and gravel, which appear to have been thrown out
by a flood of waters. During a swell the Annan still
* Dal.tun, in the Anglo-Saxon language, means 'the dwelling
in the Dale ;' and seems as a name to have been applied to the
two villageH around the ancient parish-churclics, from their
topographical situation.
breaks over its bank at Dormont, lays all the flat
grounds along its supposed ancient road under inun-
dation, and opens a communication with the Pow.
In the uplands the soil is sand and gravel; along the
banks of the Annan it is a light alluvial loam ; along
the ancient course of that river it is chiefly meadow
or reclaimed bog ; and, in some parts of the interior,
it is a cold clay on a till bottom. On Almagill hil;
is a fine old circular camp, commanding a view along
nearly the whole vale of the Annan, the ancient pos-
session of the royal family of Bruce. Dormont-
house, on the Annan, and Rammerscales near the
north-east angle of the parish, are fine modern man-
sions. The village or hamlet of Dalton, situated near
the centre of the parish, is rural and unimportant.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 691 ; in 1831, 730.
Houses 123. Assessed property, in 1815, ±'5,438
Dalton is in the presbytery of Lochmaben, and synod
of Dumfries. Patron, Macrae of Holmains. Stipend
£171 12s. lid.; glebe £10. Unappropriated teinds
±'59 Is. lOd. The parish-church was built in 1704.
Sittings about 300. The present parish comprehends
the old parishes of Meikle Dalton and Little Dalton,
which were united immediately after the Reforma-
tion. In 1609 they were both united to Mouse wald;
but in 1633 were disjoined from it, and erected into
their present form. The church of Little Dalton
was demolished, and that of Mickle Dalton made the
united parochial church. Mickle Dalton, the prede-
cessor of the modern hamlet, was of old the seat of
the baronial courts. There are two schools, one of
them not parochial. Parish-schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4d., with £20 school-fees.
DALVADDY. See Campeellton.
DAL WHAT WATER, a smaU stream in the
north-west of Dumfries-shire. It rises between
Black hill and Bunbrack hill, in the boundary moun-
tain ridge of the county, and flows in a south-easterly
direction along the parish of Glencairn, forming, in
the lower part of its course, a beautiful, well- wooded
dale, amidst general scenery, upland, heathy, and
bleak. Having flowed | of a mile past Minnyhive,
it forms a confluence with the recently united waters
of Castlefairn and Craigdarroch, and along with them
forms, or is thence called, the Cairn. Its entire course
is about 9 miles.
DAL WHIN NIE, a stage-inn in Badenoch, Inver-
ness-shire, on the Great Highland road to Inverness ;
99^ miles from Edinburgh, and 56| from Inverness.
It was built by Government.
DALZIEL, a parish in the middle ward of Lan-
arkshire. It is bounded on the east by the parish of
Cambusnethan ; on the west by the parish of Hamil-
ton and the river Calder ; on the south by the parish
of Hamilton and the river Clyde ; and on the north
by the river Calder and the parish of Hamilton. It
is about 4 miles in length and 3 in breadth, and eon-
tains 2,283 Scotch acres. The figure of the parish
is extremely irregular, in consequence of a part of it
lying on the south of the Clyde, and two parts of the
parish of Hamilton being indented into the territory
of Dalziel. In the old Statistical Account it is stated,
" There is a tradition that this part was disjoined
from the parish of Dalziel on account of the misde-
meanors of a curate, who was then the incumbent.
Why it was not restored to his successor is not
known. It would have been convenient that it had
been so ; for the living is very small." The land of
the parish is low, and the surface even and regular,
excepting in the few parts where it is slightly varied
by rising grounds. It rises very gently from the
Clyde and Calder, and there is little of it more than
150 feet above the level of the sea. The soil of the
parish is mostly a heavy clay, which is under the
usual rotation of cropping. There are many thriving
/
306
DAL
was forfeited by Sir John Cumyn, and was granted
by Bruce to Walter, the son of Gilbert, the prede-
cessor of the Hamilton family. It was made a ba-
rony in the 14th century ; and was afterwards called
the barony of Machan. The church of Cadzow with
its chapel of Machan was constituted a prebend of
the cathedral church of Glasgow, and formed the
benefice of the dean. The chapelry of Machan was
subsequently estabUshed as a separate parish; but
the precise time when this took place has not been
ascertained. A parish-church having been built at
the village of Dalserf, the same name was given to
the parish, probably about the period of the Refor-
mation. For a lengthened series of years, from the
time of Robert the Bruce downward, the most of the
property in this parish belonged to the Hamiltons,
and its major part still belongs to the ducal house or
cadets from it. The ancient residences of the Ham-
iltons of Dalserf, the Hamiltons of Raplock, and the
Hamiltons of Broomholm, have now almost, or alto-
gether, disappeared. As vassals of the Hamilton
family, many of the gentlemen of this parish were
deeply involved in the troublous scenes which alike
distinguished and disturbed Scotland, previous to the
junction of the crowns under James VI. Gavin
Hamilton of Raplock, and commendator of Kilwin-
ning, was present at the battle of Langside, in the
army of the Queen; he was also one of Mary's
commissioners at York in 1570, and was included
in the treaty of Perth of 1572. John Hamilton of
Broomhill was wounded, and taken prisoner in the
same battle ; and about two years afterwards, his
house of Broomholm was burned down by Sir
William Drury, the governor of Berwick.
DALSWINTON, a village in the parish of
Kirkmahoe ; 4J miles north of Dumfries. The
ancient castle of Dalswinton, which was long the
chief seat of the family of Cumming, having fallen
to decay, an elegant and commodious mansion was
erected on its site by Patrick Miller, Esq., the well-
known steam-boat projector.
DALTON,* a parish in the southern part of the
district of Annandale, Dumfries-shire. It is bounded
on the north by Lochmaben and Dryfesdale ; on the
east by St. Mungo and Cummertrees ; on the south
by Ruth well; and on the west by Mousewald and
Lochmaben. It is, on the whole, a parallelogram,
stretching from north-west to south-east ; but has a
deep, though narrow indentation near the middle of
its northern side, and thence, to its north-eastern
angle, considerably protrudes. Its greatest length
is nearly 6 miles, and its average breadth about 2i ;
and it contains an area of nearly 11 square miles.
The surface in the north-western division is slightly
hilly, and has two elevations, — Holmains and Alma-
gill, rising 500 feet above sea-level ; but in the other
parts of the parish it is flat. The Pow, or Cummer-
trees Pow, rises in the uplands, and traverses the par-
ish in a direction east of south, leaving it near Gilbrae.
The northern boundary is formed for about 3 miles
by the river Annan, which here abounds in salmon,
grilse, sea-trout, and the fish — believed to be peculiar
to the Solway rivers — called herling. The Annan is
supposed, at a remote period, to have flowed through
this parish, entering it at Dormont, where it at pre-
sent begins to form its boundary, and pursuing its
way past Dalton church, till it fell into what is now
the channel or bed of the Pow. Along this course
are extensive alluvial deposits, and ridges of sand
and gravel, which appear to have been thrown out
by a flood of waters. During a swell the Annan still
* Dal.tun, in the Anglo-Saxon language, means 'the dwelling
in the Dale ;' and seems as a name to have been applied to the
two villageH around the ancient parish-churclics, from their
topographical situation.
breaks over its bank at Dormont, lays all the flat
grounds along its supposed ancient road under inun-
dation, and opens a communication with the Pow.
In the uplands the soil is sand and gravel; along the
banks of the Annan it is a light alluvial loam ; along
the ancient course of that river it is chiefly meadow
or reclaimed bog ; and, in some parts of the interior,
it is a cold clay on a till bottom. On Almagill hil;
is a fine old circular camp, commanding a view along
nearly the whole vale of the Annan, the ancient pos-
session of the royal family of Bruce. Dormont-
house, on the Annan, and Rammerscales near the
north-east angle of the parish, are fine modern man-
sions. The village or hamlet of Dalton, situated near
the centre of the parish, is rural and unimportant.
Population of the parish, in 1801, 691 ; in 1831, 730.
Houses 123. Assessed property, in 1815, ±'5,438
Dalton is in the presbytery of Lochmaben, and synod
of Dumfries. Patron, Macrae of Holmains. Stipend
£171 12s. lid.; glebe £10. Unappropriated teinds
±'59 Is. lOd. The parish-church was built in 1704.
Sittings about 300. The present parish comprehends
the old parishes of Meikle Dalton and Little Dalton,
which were united immediately after the Reforma-
tion. In 1609 they were both united to Mouse wald;
but in 1633 were disjoined from it, and erected into
their present form. The church of Little Dalton
was demolished, and that of Mickle Dalton made the
united parochial church. Mickle Dalton, the prede-
cessor of the modern hamlet, was of old the seat of
the baronial courts. There are two schools, one of
them not parochial. Parish-schoolmaster's salary
£34 4s. 4d., with £20 school-fees.
DALVADDY. See Campeellton.
DAL WHAT WATER, a smaU stream in the
north-west of Dumfries-shire. It rises between
Black hill and Bunbrack hill, in the boundary moun-
tain ridge of the county, and flows in a south-easterly
direction along the parish of Glencairn, forming, in
the lower part of its course, a beautiful, well- wooded
dale, amidst general scenery, upland, heathy, and
bleak. Having flowed | of a mile past Minnyhive,
it forms a confluence with the recently united waters
of Castlefairn and Craigdarroch, and along with them
forms, or is thence called, the Cairn. Its entire course
is about 9 miles.
DAL WHIN NIE, a stage-inn in Badenoch, Inver-
ness-shire, on the Great Highland road to Inverness ;
99^ miles from Edinburgh, and 56| from Inverness.
It was built by Government.
DALZIEL, a parish in the middle ward of Lan-
arkshire. It is bounded on the east by the parish of
Cambusnethan ; on the west by the parish of Hamil-
ton and the river Calder ; on the south by the parish
of Hamilton and the river Clyde ; and on the north
by the river Calder and the parish of Hamilton. It
is about 4 miles in length and 3 in breadth, and eon-
tains 2,283 Scotch acres. The figure of the parish
is extremely irregular, in consequence of a part of it
lying on the south of the Clyde, and two parts of the
parish of Hamilton being indented into the territory
of Dalziel. In the old Statistical Account it is stated,
" There is a tradition that this part was disjoined
from the parish of Dalziel on account of the misde-
meanors of a curate, who was then the incumbent.
Why it was not restored to his successor is not
known. It would have been convenient that it had
been so ; for the living is very small." The land of
the parish is low, and the surface even and regular,
excepting in the few parts where it is slightly varied
by rising grounds. It rises very gently from the
Clyde and Calder, and there is little of it more than
150 feet above the level of the sea. The soil of the
parish is mostly a heavy clay, which is under the
usual rotation of cropping. There are many thriving
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