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

GLENURY.
814
GOGAR.
est of which, called Milntown, has about 150 inha-
bitants.
GLENURY, a glen about 2A miles long, de-
scending south-south-eastward to Cowie Water, at
a point about If; mile above Stonehaven, parish of
Fetteresso, Kincardineshire. At the month of it is
the GHenury distillery. See Stoxehavek.
GLENVALE, adeep romantic ravine, intersecting
the Lomond hills, in the parishes of Strathmiglo
and Falkland, Fifeshire. It has some resemblance
to the glen of the Mouse at Cartland Crags, in Lan-
arkshire ; and was a place of resort by the Cove-
nanters in the times of the persecution.
GLENWHURRY. See Glenquhary.
GLESFIN WATER. See Douglas (The).
GLESTERLAW, a locality on the estate of Bol-
shan, in the parish of Kinnell, Forfarshire, where
cattle fairs are held on the last Wednesday of April,
the fourth Wednesday of June, the third AVednes-
day of August, and the Wednesday following the
12 th dav of October.
GLIMSHOLM, an isle of the Orkneys. It lies
at the west end of Holm Sound, contiguous to the
north-west corner of Barrav, and about a mile south-
east of the nearest part of Pomona.
GL1TNESS, an isle off the east coast of the main-
land of Shetland, 6 miles north by east of Lerwick.
GLOMACH (The), a fine waterfall, formed by
the Girsac, in a sequestered glen, in the parish of
Kintail, about 7 miles from the inn of Sheifhouse, in
Ross-shire. Its total height is 350 feet; but at a
distance of about 50 feet from the surface of the
pool into which it falls, it encounters a slight inter-
ruption from a projecting ledge of rock. The sur-
rounding scenery is wild, barren and rocky.
GLOOM (Castle). See CASTi.E-CAMmELi..
GLOOMINGSIDE BURN. See Clackmannan-
shire and Tillicoultry.
GLOTTA, the ancient name of the Clyde.
GLOUR O'ER 'EM. See Borrowstownness.
GLUPE (The). See Duncaxsby.
GLUSS, an isle and a small bay — the latter called
Gluss voe — in the parish of Northmavcn, in the
north of the mainland of Shetland.
GOATFELL, a magnificent mountain, 2,865 feet
high, on the north-east seaboard of the island of
Arran. It contains many superb close scenes
among its shoulders and skirts, forms a sublime
feature m the scenery of the frith of Clyde, and
commands from ita summit perfectly thrilling views
both of the rugged mountain-masses in its immediate
vicinity, and of vast part of the west of Scotland,
away to the further side of the Irish channel. See
Arran.
GOATMILK HILL, a hill in the parish of King-
lassie, flanking the vale of the Leven, in Fifeshire.
An ancient Danish fort on it was one of a chain of
forts stretching from Fifeness to Stirling.
GOCKSTANE BURN. See Kirkmahoe.
GOGAR (The), a rivulet in the eastern part of
Edinburghshire. It rises near the centre of the
parish of Kirknewton, and flows along that parish
first 2£ miles northward, and next 2J miles to the
north of east. It then, in an easterly direction, over
a distance of 1 J mile, flows right across the parish
of Ratho; and now, over a course of 3 miles, most
of it north-easterly, and the rest northerly, divides
that parish on the west from the parish of Currie on
the east. Flowing next f of a mile westward, it
divides Ratho on the south from Corstorphine on
the north; then, for 1J mile, in a northerly or
north-westerly direction, flows through Corstor-
phine; then, for f of a mile in the latter direction,
divides Corstorphine from Cramond; and finally,
after a further course of f of a mile northward
through Cramond, falls into Almond water. An-
ciently it gave name to a parish and two villages
on its banks; and still — besides meandering through
the extensive estate of Gogar — it is overlooked, in
its progress, by Gogar bank, Gogar green, Gogar
camp, Gogar mount, Gogar mains, and Gogar
house.
GOGAR, an ancient but suppressed parish in the
eastern part of Edinburghshire, incorporated chiefly
with Corstorphine, and partly with Ratho and Kirk-
liston. A small part of the church still exists, and,
soon after the Reformation, was set apart as a
family burying-place by the lord of the manor.
The church of Gogar is older than that of Corstor-
phine, but was of little value, and presided over a
scanty population. Soon after the formation of
their establishment it was acquired by the monks
of Holyrood; but, against the reign of James Y., it
had been withdrawn from them, and constituted an
independent rectory. In 1429 Sir John Forrester
conferred its tithes on the collegiate church which
he then formed at Corstorphine, and made it one of
the prebends of his collegiate establishment. In
1599, after vain efforts had been made by its few
parishioners to raise a sufficient provision for the
maintenance of an incumbent, the parish was
finally stripped of its independence. Of the two
villages of Gogar-Stone and Nether-Gogar, which
it formerly contained, the former has disappeared,
and the latter has dwindled away from a popula-
tion of 300 to a population of only about 32. The
quondam parish is traversed by the Edinburgh and
Glasgow railway, and has a station on it at a point
5J miles from Edinburgh.
In the year 1650, while the army of Oliver Crom-
well and that of General Leslie confronted and
watched each other in encampments about 3 miles
south-west and west of Edinburgh, the former
eagerly waiting for some opportunity of decided
action, and the latter resolutely determined not to
afford it, a circumstance occurred to draw them
westward into a hot skirmish at Gogar. Crom-
well's army lay at the base and among the spurs of
the Pentlands, and could not without great disad-
vantage be attacked from the plain; and Leslie's
army lay on the expanse of low ground south-
east of Corstorphine, now a firm and beautiful
series of meadows and cornfields traversed by the
Edinburgh and Glasgow railway, but then a wild
intricate, watery wilderness of bogs and quagmires.
The latter army was therefore as strongly posted
and as defiant of an enemy as Cromwell's, though in
a different way; so that the two armies could only
look at each other, or else practise some stratagem,
or forego the advantages of ground. Cromwell at
length marched down toward the west side of Leslie's
position, with a view of cutting off his communica-
tion with Linlithgow and Stirling, and drawing him
out to an engagement on the plain. But Leslie,
anticipating the movement, manoeuvered his army
westward about two miles, and entrenched them in
a position at Gogar of similar character to his
original one, and quite as strong; and there he
stood, amid bogs and quagmires, holding Cromwell
at bay. The two armies were now pretty close to
each other; yet Cromwell tried in vain to force them
into collision, either by wading across the swamps
himself or by dislodging Leslie; and he was com-
pelled to rest satisfied with opening a brisk fire of
artillery, and provoking a contest at long shot.
Leslie returned his cannonade with spirit; and on
this occasion, brought into play for the first time
several kinds of field-pieces, which had recently
been invented by his general of artillery, Colonel
Wemyss. The place of conflict is now occupied bv