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

BIRSELEY.
169
BLACKBURN.
facility of communication is the great road from
Brechin to Huntly and Inverness, across the Cairn
0' Mount and Grampians, which enters Birse at the
bridge of Wliitestono, a mile north of the inn of
Cutties-Hillock, and leads northward to the Dee at
Inchhair. Another road passes through the greater
part of the parish, from the ferry over the Dee at
Aboyne, to the bridge of Whitestone. There is a
bridge over the burn of Birse, nigh the church ; and
another at Potarch, over the Dee, near Inchhair, by
which the great north road is carried across the
Dee. This parish is famous for its honey of great
richness and flavour. Both the practices and the
implements of husbandry have of late years been
very greatly improved. Most of the farms are not
larger than from 30 to 60 acres. Females practise
extraordinary industry in the knitting of stockings.
Fairs are held in May, October, and November at
the Bridge of Potarch." Population in 1831, 1,476;
in 1861, 1,284. Houses, 258. Assessed property
in 1S43, £4,106; in I860, £4,706.
This parish is in the presbytery of Kincardine
O'Neil, and synod of Aberdeen. Patron, the Crown,
Stipend, £158 7s. 4d. ; glebe, £7. Schoolmaster's
salary, £50 with fees. The parish church was built
in 1779, and has between 500 and 600 sittings.
There is a small Roman Catholic chapel at Ballogie,
with an attendance of about 60. There are an en-
dowed school, a Society's school, two or three other
(schools, a savings' bank, and a parochial religious
library. On the hill, about a mile north-east of
Finzean, bearing the name of Corse-Dardar, there
is a place marked near the way-side with a long
granite-stone, which is reported to mark the spot
where King Dardanus, the 20th from Fergus I., was
put to death.
BIRSELEY, a locality in the parish of Tranent,
Haddingtonshire, about 1-i m. south of the spot on
which the battle of Prestonpans was fought in 1745.
It was from the rising grounds here, or ' Birseley
brae,' that the Chevalier's troops descended to meet
their opponents.
BISHOPBRIGGS, or Bishop's Bridge, a village,
with a post-office, in the parish of Cadder, 4i miles
north-east of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. The Edin-
burgh and Glasgow railway passes near it, and has
a station here. Deep cuttings of the railway
through rock occur both east and west of this sta-
tion. Population of the village, 658.
BISHOPMILL, a village in the parish of New
Spynie, Morayshire. It stands on the left bank of
the Lossie, and on the road from Elgin to Lossie-
mouth, closely adjacent to Elgin, and within the
parliamentary boundaries of that burgh. A hand-
some iron bridge connects it with Elgin. A stone-
bridge formerly stood here, but was swept away by
the great flood of 1829. Population of the village
in 1861, 1,041. See Elgin.
BISHOP'S FOREST. See Kirkfatrick Iron-
gray.
BISHOP'S LOCH, a small piece of water on the
southern skirts of the parish of New Maehar, Aber-
deenshire, between Loch hill s and Foulin hill. See
Machar (New).
BISHOP'S LOCH, a narrow strip of water,
about a mile in. length, lying between Cadder parish
and Old Monkland, in the shire of Lanark.
BISHOFTON, a village with a post-office in the
parish of Erskine, 5J miles north-west of Paisley,
Renfrewshire. The Glasgow and Greenock railway
passes near it, and has a station here. Bishopton
House, once a favourite country residence of the
Archbishop of Glasgow, stands high on the adjacent
hill side, overlooking the station, and commanding
a delightful view. Bishopton ridge, which divides
the low land of Gryfedale from the immediate banks
of the Clyde, is composed of solid whinstone rock.
The Glasgow and Greenock railway passes through
it for a distance of 2,300 yards. There are two tun-
nels in the middle of the ridge, having an open part
100 yards long, and 70 feet deep, between them.
These tunnels are 320 and 340 yards long respec-
tively. The depth of the open cutting at the en-
trance to each is 70 feet; and the length, from the
face of the east tunnel is 748 yards, and from the
face of the west tunnel 946 yards. Population of
the village, 341.
BIXTER. See Sasdstino.
BIZZY-BERRY. See Biggar.
BLACKADDER (The), a river of Berwickshire.
The name is usually pronounced and sometimes
written Blackater, and is probably a corruption ot
Blackwater. The river rises among the north-
western uplands of the parish of Westruther and on
Dirrington Law in the parish of Longformacus ;
and it flows first south-eastward to Greenlaw, and
then north-eastward through the parishes of Green-
law, Fogo, and Edrom, to the Whitadder, which it
joins a little above Allanton. The total length of
this stream is about 20 miles. The height of its
head-springs above sea-level may he 1,130 feet. It
is supposed to derive its name from the prevailing
dark tinge of its waters, occasioned by the nature of
the soil throusrh which it flows.
BLACKADDER-HOUSE. See Edrom.
BLACK-ANDREW-HILL. See Selkirkshire.
BLACKBURN, a village with a post-office in
the parishes of Whitburn and Livingstone, Lin-
lithgowshire. It stands on the south road from
Edinburgh to Glasgow, 2J miles south of Bathgate,
2f east of Whitburn, and 3J west of Livingstone.
Almond Water, which is here a very small stream,
washes it. Blackburn House stands about a mile
to the east. A cotton-mill in the village employs
about 120 hands, and a flax mill about 42. Here is
an Independent chapel, which was built in 1825,
and contains 200 sittings. Population in 1861, of
the whole village, 758 ; of the Livingstone section,
640.
BLACKBURN, a village conjoint with Park-
nook, in the parish of Dunfermline, Fifeshire.
Population of Blackburn and Parknook, 264.
BLACKBURN, a village, with a post-office, in
the parish of Kinnellar, about 2 miles south-east of
Kintore, Aberdeenshire. Here is a Free church,
whose total jxarly proceeds in 1865 amounted to
£134 3s. l£d. An abortive attempt was made to
establish a large distillery here between 1821 and
1831.
BLACKBURN (The), a tributary of the Liddel,
in the parish of Castletown, Roxburghshire. It is
celebrated for its romantic falls and cascades. One
of the falls is 37 J feet in height, and 20 in breadth;
and another 31A feet in height, and 36 in breadth.
In one part of its course a natural bridge of stone
seemed to he thrown across the river. It was 55
feet long, 31 in span, and 10J broad ; and the thick-
ness of the arch was 2i feet of solid stone. The
arch was not composed of an entire rock, but had
the appearance of several square stones united toge-
ther in the neatest manner. The height of the arch
from the water was 31 feet. This bridge gave way
in April 1810.
BLACKBURN (The), a tributary of the North
Esk, in the parish of Marykirk, Kincardineshire.
BLACKBURN (The), a rivulet of the basin of
the Northern Dee, flowing chiefly in the parish of
Banchory -Ternan, Kincardineshire, but passing over
the county boundary into the Loch of Drum iu
Aberdeenshire.