Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1
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DEV
316
DIN
boiler the water runs into another, larger than either
of the other two, the diameter of it being 22 feet.
The water in this cavity is not agitated like the
others, but calm and placid. When the river is low,
these caldrons communicate with each other, not by
the water running over at their mouths, but by aper-
tures made, by the force of the waters, in the course
of time, through the rocks which separate them at,
perhaps, the middle depth of the caldrons. From the
lower caldron, the whole body of the stream rushes
perpendicularly over a rock into a deep and romantic
glen, forming a tine cascade, particularly when viewed
from the bottom of the glen, to which there is access
by a zigzag path. This cascade is 84 feet below the
first fall above the caldrons, and is 44 feet in height.
The rocks which compose the linn are about twice
as high ; so that it appears as if the water had worn
its way from the top to its present situation, which
most probably has been the case. It falls in one
unbroken sheet, without touching the rock, and the
whiteness of the dashing water is finely opposed to
the almost black colour of the rocks, which are
formed of coarse grained basaltes. " While we were
contemplating this beautiful scene," says Dr. Garnett,
"the sun happened to shine upon it, and the spray,
which arises from it to a considerable height, by re-
fracting the rays of light, exhibited the appearance
of a luminous vapour, in which the different prisma-
tic colours were easily discernible." Having come
round by the foot of the south bank of the river,
and crossed it in front of the precipice over which
the water rushes, we command a complete view of
the great fall of the Devon. A stupendous pile of
solid rocks, over which in one full, rapid, and power-
ful torrent, the river precipitates itself, presents its
rugged front; while fragments of rock which from
time to time have been torn from the face of the
craggy steep lie scattered around in every direc-
tion, and in fine harmony with the rude and fan-
tastic forms of the deep and wooded dell through
which the Devon, as if tired of exertion, seeks silence
and repose in its route to gain the windings of the
Forth near Stirling.* The Devon is of no great
breadth, and is not navigable, although Mr. James
Watt, who made a survey of it in 1766, reported
that it was quite capable of being made so for several
miles above its confluence with the Forth, at an
expense of about .£2,000.
DEVON (The South or Black.). See Clack-
mannanshire.
DEWAR, a hamlet in the shire of Edinburgh, and
parish of Heriot ; 6J miles south of Middleton. On
the march between the parishes of Heriot and Inver-
lethen, on the farm of Dewar, there is a grave called
the Piper's grave, of which tradition reports that it
covers the remains of a whilom piper of Peebles;
who having engaged for a certain wager, to blow
from Peebles to Lauder, failed in the attempt, died
here, and was buried on the spot. On Dewar hill,
not far from this grave, there is a remarkable large
stone called Lot's wife ; but the reason of its title
* There is another Rumbling bridge on the Bran : Bee that
article. About 40 years ago, the late James Harrovver, Esq. of
Inzievar, had a most extraordinary escape at the Caldrou linn.
Where the river falls down into the first cavity, there is an up-
right rock, in the middle of the current, by which persons have
sometimes passed from the one side of the stream to the other.
In endeavouring to spring on to this, Mr. Harrower's feet
slipped on the slimy top of the rock, and he was precipitated
headlong into the upper caldron. He had presence of mind to
cling firmly to some protuberances on the sides of the rock,
until his companions procured ropes from a neighbouring farm-
house, by means of which he was extricated from his awful
situation. Some years previous to this incident a pack of
hounds, eagerly pursuing a fox, were led by reynard along the
banks of the Devon till he came to the linn, where he crossed ;
but in attempting to follow him, not being so well-acquainted
with the passage, the dogs fell one after another iutu the cal-
drou and perished.
is unknown. At a little distance from hence is the
Wolf cleuch, of which traditional story asserts that
this cleuch was once inhabited by a wolf which laid
waste the country around for a series of years, until
a person of the name of Dewar having encountered
the animal, killed it, and received for his reward a
gift of the adjoining lands.
DICHMOUNT. See Cambtjslang.
DICHMOUNT LAW, a hill in the parish of St.
Vigeans, and about 3 miles from the coast, in For-
farshire. It rises about 670 feet above the level of
the sea, and has on its summit a large cairn, hollowed
in the middle, and now covered with grass, where
anciently certain barons held their courts.
DICHTY (The), a small river in the south of
Forfarshire, of about 15 miles in course. It rises in
four head-streams, three of them from small lakes,
among the Sidlaw hills in the west of the parish of
Lundie. Flowing — with the exception of brief sinu-
osities — nearly due east, it traverses the parishes of
Auchterhouse, Strathmartine, and Mains, intersects
the eastern wing of Dundee, where it receives the
tribute of Fishy water, and after advancing half-way
through Monifeith, debouches suddenly to the south,
and falls into the frith of Tay' 2 miles east of
Broughty ferry. During its course it drives several
mills, and it contains trout and a few salmon.
DILTY-MOSS, a morass in the parishes of Car-
mylie and Guthrie, Forfarshire, about 2 miles long,
and lj broad. It is remarkable for giving rise to
two streams which, though both eventually finding
their way into the German ocean, traverse Forfarshire
from near its centre in opposite directions. At its
north-east end rises the Elliot, which pursues a course
to the south of east, and falls into the sea in the
parish of Arbirlot; and at its south-west end rises a
rivulet which flows to the north of west till it falls
into the Dean, and then, as identified with that
stream, flows westward till its leaves the county.
See Caemtlie.
DINART (The), a river in Sutherlandshire,
which takes its origin from Loch Dowl, a small lake
in the Dire More, or 'Great forest;' and after a
northerly course of 15 miles, along the base of the
Conval and Tonvarn mountains, falls into Durness
bay between Farout-head and Cape Wrath. It pro-
duces plenty of salmon.
DING WALL, f a parish in the county of Ross, at
the west end of the frith of Cromarty. It is bounded
on the east by the parish of Kiltearn ; on the north
by the vast mass of Benwyvis ; and on the west and
south by the parish of Fodderty. That part of the
parish of Urquhart, called Ferintosh, lies on the skirt
to the south-east ; but from it Dingwall parish is
divided by the river Conan, which, at high water, is
widened to about half-a-mile by the influx of the sea.
Excluding a small district, peopled by few inhabi-
tants, and divided from the rest by a high hill, this
parish forms an oblong peninsula of 1 J by 2 miles. It
consists partly of a pretty extensive valley, and partly
of the sloping sides of hills a great portion of which
is in a high state of cultivation. The waste ground
is not very considerable, and there are no commons
in the parish ; the great bulk of the land is in cul-
ture ; and the whole forms a beautiful interchange of
hill and valley, wood and water, corn-fields and mea-
dows. The soil over the whole parish is abundantly
fertile, and the greater part uncommonly rich. There
are some rivulets in the parish, but no river except
the Conan : which see. About 2 miles to the south-
t The name was formerly Dingnavnl or DignaoaUis, and
took its origin from the richness and fertility of the soil of the
lower grounds which form a considerable part of the parish,
[Old statistical Account.] — Others consider the name to be of
Scandinavian origin. The Gaels call it Innerfcorali, inarkiDg
its situation at the mouth of the Feller.
316
DIN
boiler the water runs into another, larger than either
of the other two, the diameter of it being 22 feet.
The water in this cavity is not agitated like the
others, but calm and placid. When the river is low,
these caldrons communicate with each other, not by
the water running over at their mouths, but by aper-
tures made, by the force of the waters, in the course
of time, through the rocks which separate them at,
perhaps, the middle depth of the caldrons. From the
lower caldron, the whole body of the stream rushes
perpendicularly over a rock into a deep and romantic
glen, forming a tine cascade, particularly when viewed
from the bottom of the glen, to which there is access
by a zigzag path. This cascade is 84 feet below the
first fall above the caldrons, and is 44 feet in height.
The rocks which compose the linn are about twice
as high ; so that it appears as if the water had worn
its way from the top to its present situation, which
most probably has been the case. It falls in one
unbroken sheet, without touching the rock, and the
whiteness of the dashing water is finely opposed to
the almost black colour of the rocks, which are
formed of coarse grained basaltes. " While we were
contemplating this beautiful scene," says Dr. Garnett,
"the sun happened to shine upon it, and the spray,
which arises from it to a considerable height, by re-
fracting the rays of light, exhibited the appearance
of a luminous vapour, in which the different prisma-
tic colours were easily discernible." Having come
round by the foot of the south bank of the river,
and crossed it in front of the precipice over which
the water rushes, we command a complete view of
the great fall of the Devon. A stupendous pile of
solid rocks, over which in one full, rapid, and power-
ful torrent, the river precipitates itself, presents its
rugged front; while fragments of rock which from
time to time have been torn from the face of the
craggy steep lie scattered around in every direc-
tion, and in fine harmony with the rude and fan-
tastic forms of the deep and wooded dell through
which the Devon, as if tired of exertion, seeks silence
and repose in its route to gain the windings of the
Forth near Stirling.* The Devon is of no great
breadth, and is not navigable, although Mr. James
Watt, who made a survey of it in 1766, reported
that it was quite capable of being made so for several
miles above its confluence with the Forth, at an
expense of about .£2,000.
DEVON (The South or Black.). See Clack-
mannanshire.
DEWAR, a hamlet in the shire of Edinburgh, and
parish of Heriot ; 6J miles south of Middleton. On
the march between the parishes of Heriot and Inver-
lethen, on the farm of Dewar, there is a grave called
the Piper's grave, of which tradition reports that it
covers the remains of a whilom piper of Peebles;
who having engaged for a certain wager, to blow
from Peebles to Lauder, failed in the attempt, died
here, and was buried on the spot. On Dewar hill,
not far from this grave, there is a remarkable large
stone called Lot's wife ; but the reason of its title
* There is another Rumbling bridge on the Bran : Bee that
article. About 40 years ago, the late James Harrovver, Esq. of
Inzievar, had a most extraordinary escape at the Caldrou linn.
Where the river falls down into the first cavity, there is an up-
right rock, in the middle of the current, by which persons have
sometimes passed from the one side of the stream to the other.
In endeavouring to spring on to this, Mr. Harrower's feet
slipped on the slimy top of the rock, and he was precipitated
headlong into the upper caldron. He had presence of mind to
cling firmly to some protuberances on the sides of the rock,
until his companions procured ropes from a neighbouring farm-
house, by means of which he was extricated from his awful
situation. Some years previous to this incident a pack of
hounds, eagerly pursuing a fox, were led by reynard along the
banks of the Devon till he came to the linn, where he crossed ;
but in attempting to follow him, not being so well-acquainted
with the passage, the dogs fell one after another iutu the cal-
drou and perished.
is unknown. At a little distance from hence is the
Wolf cleuch, of which traditional story asserts that
this cleuch was once inhabited by a wolf which laid
waste the country around for a series of years, until
a person of the name of Dewar having encountered
the animal, killed it, and received for his reward a
gift of the adjoining lands.
DICHMOUNT. See Cambtjslang.
DICHMOUNT LAW, a hill in the parish of St.
Vigeans, and about 3 miles from the coast, in For-
farshire. It rises about 670 feet above the level of
the sea, and has on its summit a large cairn, hollowed
in the middle, and now covered with grass, where
anciently certain barons held their courts.
DICHTY (The), a small river in the south of
Forfarshire, of about 15 miles in course. It rises in
four head-streams, three of them from small lakes,
among the Sidlaw hills in the west of the parish of
Lundie. Flowing — with the exception of brief sinu-
osities — nearly due east, it traverses the parishes of
Auchterhouse, Strathmartine, and Mains, intersects
the eastern wing of Dundee, where it receives the
tribute of Fishy water, and after advancing half-way
through Monifeith, debouches suddenly to the south,
and falls into the frith of Tay' 2 miles east of
Broughty ferry. During its course it drives several
mills, and it contains trout and a few salmon.
DILTY-MOSS, a morass in the parishes of Car-
mylie and Guthrie, Forfarshire, about 2 miles long,
and lj broad. It is remarkable for giving rise to
two streams which, though both eventually finding
their way into the German ocean, traverse Forfarshire
from near its centre in opposite directions. At its
north-east end rises the Elliot, which pursues a course
to the south of east, and falls into the sea in the
parish of Arbirlot; and at its south-west end rises a
rivulet which flows to the north of west till it falls
into the Dean, and then, as identified with that
stream, flows westward till its leaves the county.
See Caemtlie.
DINART (The), a river in Sutherlandshire,
which takes its origin from Loch Dowl, a small lake
in the Dire More, or 'Great forest;' and after a
northerly course of 15 miles, along the base of the
Conval and Tonvarn mountains, falls into Durness
bay between Farout-head and Cape Wrath. It pro-
duces plenty of salmon.
DING WALL, f a parish in the county of Ross, at
the west end of the frith of Cromarty. It is bounded
on the east by the parish of Kiltearn ; on the north
by the vast mass of Benwyvis ; and on the west and
south by the parish of Fodderty. That part of the
parish of Urquhart, called Ferintosh, lies on the skirt
to the south-east ; but from it Dingwall parish is
divided by the river Conan, which, at high water, is
widened to about half-a-mile by the influx of the sea.
Excluding a small district, peopled by few inhabi-
tants, and divided from the rest by a high hill, this
parish forms an oblong peninsula of 1 J by 2 miles. It
consists partly of a pretty extensive valley, and partly
of the sloping sides of hills a great portion of which
is in a high state of cultivation. The waste ground
is not very considerable, and there are no commons
in the parish ; the great bulk of the land is in cul-
ture ; and the whole forms a beautiful interchange of
hill and valley, wood and water, corn-fields and mea-
dows. The soil over the whole parish is abundantly
fertile, and the greater part uncommonly rich. There
are some rivulets in the parish, but no river except
the Conan : which see. About 2 miles to the south-
t The name was formerly Dingnavnl or DignaoaUis, and
took its origin from the richness and fertility of the soil of the
lower grounds which form a considerable part of the parish,
[Old statistical Account.] — Others consider the name to be of
Scandinavian origin. The Gaels call it Innerfcorali, inarkiDg
its situation at the mouth of the Feller.
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