Imperial gazeteer of Scotland, or, Dictionary of Scottish topography > Volume 1

AKRAN.
80
ARRAN.
a lamb from every village in the isle ; both which
are punctually paid Mm at the ordinary terms."
[' Description of the Western Islands.'] Fergus
Macloy or MacLouis, or Fullarton's, charter is dated
Nov. 26, 1307. A number of cottages and villas are
scattered along Brodick bay, which has become a
favourite watering-place during the summer. Dr.
Maccullocli speaks of it in terms of unwonted rap-
ture. " Every variety of landscape," he says, " is
united in this extraordinary spot. The rural charms
of the ancient English village, unrestricted in space
and profuse of unoccupied land, are joined to the
richness of cultivation, and contrasted with the
wildness of moorland and rocky pasture. On one
hand is the wild mountain torrent, and on another,
the tranquil river meanders through the rich plain.
Here the sea curls on the smooth beach, and there it
foams against a rocky shore, or washes the foot of
the high and rugged cliffs, or the skirts of the
wooded hill. The white sails of boats are seen pass-
ing and repassing among trees, — the battlements of
the castle, just visible, throw an air of ancient gran-
deur over the woods, and, united to this variety, is
all the sublimity and all the rudeness of the Alpine
landscape which surrounds and involves the whole."
["Highlands and Western Isles, 1 vol. ii. p. 29.]
There is regular steam - communication between
Brodick and the port of Ardrossan in Ayrshire, and
also between Brodick and Glasgow, both by way of
Eothesay and by way of Largs. The steamers, in
the latter case, make the passage in about 5 hours,
and after arriving at Brodick from Glasgow, and
discharging their passengers there, they proceed
round to Lamlash bay, where they lie during the
night, returning to Brodick for passengers at an
early hour next morning.
Lamlash district, to the south of Brodick district,
has but a small extent of plantation within it, and
no hills exceeding 1,200 feet in altitude The vil-
lage is in the form of a crescent facing the bay and
the Holy isle, and backed by wooded heights, be-
yond which the green and rounded summits of the
hills in this district are seen. The church is at the
southern extremity of the village, which is 4J miles
distant from Brodick, and 4 miles north of Whiting
bay. See article Kilbride. — "The bay of Lam-
lash," says Headrick, " may be about 3 miles, in a
right line, from its northern to its southern entrance;
and at its centre it forms a sort of semicircle of
nearly 2 miles across, having the Holy isle on one
side, and the vale of Lamlash on the other. The
northern wing projects nearly towards north-east,
while the southern projects nearly towards south-
east, giving to the whole a figure approaching to
that of a horse-shoe, which prevents the waves of
the ocean from getting into the interior bay. The
two inlets may be about a quarter of a mile in
breadth at their mouths, and widen gradually as
they approach the central bay. The southern inlet
is preferred by mariners, because here there is no
danger but what is seen. The northern inlet is
equally safe to those who know it : but the tails of
rocks we have described as projected from Dun-
Fioun, and the gradual decrease of altitude of the
rocks on the opposite point of Holy isle, cause them
to extend a considerable way below the sea, before
they sink out of the reach of vessels drawing a great
depth of water. But to those who know the chan-
nel, there is sufficient depth, at both entrances, for
the largest ships of the line. Within, there is good
holding- ground, sufficient depth for the largest
ships, and room enough for the greatest navy to
ride at anchor. In fact, this is one of the best har-
bours in the frith of Clyde, — if not in the world. In
front of the village, Duchess Ann — who seems to
have been a woman of superior capacity — caused a
harbour to be built of large quadrangular blocks of
sandstone. We may form some idea of the magni-
tude and solidity of this work, when informed that
it cost £2,913 10s. 5d. sterling, at a time when
masons' wages are said to have been 8d., and la-
bourers' wages 4d. per day. It is a great pity this
building was allowed to be demolished ; because its
ruins render the village of more difficult access from
the sea, than if it had. never been constructed."
[' View,' pp. 88 — 91.] This harbour has now nearly
disappeared ; a great part of the stones have been
carried off to build the new quay a few hundred
yards to the north, and the sand has buried a part.
The Holy isle is interesting as well for the beauty
of its conical form, rising to 1,000* feet, as for the
view from its summit, and the striking character of
its columnar cliffs, which consist of clinkstone on a
base of red sandstone, with a stratum of white sand-
stone interposed. " The ascent," says Macculloch,
" is rendered peculiarly laborious; no less from the
steepness and irregularity of the ground, than from
the tangled growth of the Arbutus uva ursi by which
it is covered. The whole surface scarcely bears any
other plant than this beautiful trailing shrub; pecu-
liarly beautiful when its bright scarlet berries are
present to contrast with the rich dark green of its
elegant foliage. The columnar cliffs, which lie on
the east side, though having no pretensions to the
regularity of Staffa, are still picturesque, and are
free from the stiffness too common in this class of
rock; consisting of various irregular stages piled on
each other, broken, and intermixed with ruder masses
of irregular rocks, and with verdure and shrubs of
humble growth. Beneath, a smooth and curved re-
cess in a mass of sandstone, produces that species of
echo which occurs in the whispering gallery of St.
Paul's, and in other similar situations. There are
no ruins now to be traced in Lamlash; but Dean
Monro says that it had ' ane monastery of friars,'
founded by John, Lord of the Isles, ' which is de-
cayit.' That was in 1594; and what was then de-
cayed, has now disappeared. He caDs the island
Molass ; and it is pretended that there was a cave, f
or hermitage, inhabited by a Saint Maol Jos, who is
buried at Shiskin, on the south side of Arran.f It
is further said that there was once a castle here,
built by Somerled." — King's Cross, in this district,
which forms the dividing headland between Lamlash
bay and Whiting bay, is said by some to have been
the point from whence Eobert Bruce watched for
the fighting-up of the 'signal-flame' at Turnberry
point, on the opposite coast of Ayrshire, which was
to intimate to him that the way was clear for his
making a descent on the Carrick coast. Other tra-
ditions — which are followed by Sir Walter Scott in
his ' Lord of the Isles.' [See Canto V. st. 7 and 17.]
— represent Bruce as first hailing the supposed sig-
nal, ' so flickering, fierce, and bright,' from the bat-
tlements of Brodick castle. See Tdeneebkt.
Southend district stretching from Largybeg point,
the southern extremity of Whiting bay, to Kilpa-
trick on Drimodune bay, is the most valuable district
of the island in agricultural respects. There is here
a belt of cultivated laud, in some places of consider-
able breadth, between the shore and the secondary
hills of the interior. The sceneiy is of a milder
character than that of any other quarter of the
island; but there is no accommodation for bathers
* Mr. Burrel's barometrical admeasurement pave only 891
feet.
t Headrick affirms the existence of and describes this cavo
See ' View,' p. 80.
% An Irish saint of the name of Molaisse flourished in the 6th
century