Topographical dictionary of Scotland > Volume 1

ASHK
ASSY
the chief of the Macfarlane clan. During the summer
months, a coach runs daily from Inverary to Tarbet, in
the morning, and returns in the afternoon ■ and vehi-
cles of every description may be obtained at the inns of
Tarbet and Arrochar, whither visiters come from all parts,
to view the scenery in the neighbourhood of the lakes.
Steam-boats run on Lochs Lomond and Long, from
May till October ; another plies between Arrochar and
Glasgow ; and ships with coal and lime from Glasgow
and Ireland, frequently come to the head of Loch Long,
whence, also, wool is often sent to the market at Liver-
pool. A herring-fishery is carried on in Loch Long,
with considerable profit, during the months of June and
July, the boats employed advancing successively to
Loch Fine and the neighbourhood of Campbelltown,
where they fish to the end of the season ; each boat
contains about three men, and produces, in the season,
from £30 to £60. The ecclesiastical affairs are subject
to the presbytery of Dumbarton and synod of Glasgow
and Ayr ; the patronage belongs to Sir James Colqu-
houu, Bart., and the minister's stipend is £241, with a
glebe worth £13 a year, and a manse, erected in 1S37.
The church, situated in a corner of the parish, was
built in 1733, and is in indifferent repair, and of insuffi-
cient size, containing only 300 sittings. A place of
worship has been erected in connexion with the Free
Church. There is a parochial school, in which the
ordinary branches of education are taught, and of which
the master has the maximum salary of £34. 4., with
£8 fees, and a house ; and another school, privately
endowed, affords instruction in the classics, mathe-
matics, and the other usual subjects, by a master who
receives £25 from the resident proprietor of land, and
about £15 or £20 fees.
ARTHURLEE, CROSS, a village, in the quoad
sacra parish of Barrhead, parish of Neilston, Upper
ward of the county of Renfrew ; containing 663 in-
habitants. This place owes its origin to the establish-
ment of a bleachfield in its vicinity, by a gentleman
named Adair, about the year 1773; it was chosen by
him as a most suitable situation for works of this nature,
and his example having been followed by others, the
neighbourhood has since become a considerable bleach-
ing district. The village is situated in the north-eastern
part of the parish, and not far distant from Barrhead.
ARTHURLEE, WEST, a village, in the parish of
Neilston, Upper ward of the county of Renfrew, ^ a
mile (VV.) from Barrhead; containing 441 inhabitants.
This village, which is situated a little to the west of the
road between Neilston and Barrhead, owes its origin
to the introduction of the cotton manufacture, and is
chiefly inhabited by persons employed in the bleaching
and printing establishments connected with that trade.
ASHK1RK, a parish, partly in the county of Sel-
kirk, but chiefly in the district of Hawick, county of
Roxburgh, 6 miles (S.) from Selkirk; containing 563
inhabitants. This place, of which the name is said to
have been derived from the great number of ash-trees
with which the neighbourhood abounded, and of which
a considerable number is still remaining, was formerly
part of the see of Glasgow,' and the occasional residence
of the bishops, who had a palace here, of which some
vestiges might lately be traced in a field retaining the
name of Palace Walls. The parish is about seven miles
in length, and three miles and a half in breadth, and
comprises about 3000 acres under cultivation, 400 in
woods and plantations, and a considerable portion of
waste. The surface is generally hilly, with portions of
level land in the intervals between the hills and the
narrow valley of the Ale. The Ale has its source
in the lakes of Alemoor and Shaws, and, flowing
through the parish, in a direction from west to east,
divides it into two nearly equal portions ; it abounds
with trout of excellent quality, and a few sea-trout, and
small salmon, are occasionally taken in it, after floods.
There were formerly numerous lakes in the parish, but,
from the practice of draining the lands, many of them
have disappeared. The principal now remaining are,
Essenside loch, covering about twenty acres of ground ;
and the Sheilswood loch, and Headshaw loch, both of
which are of smaller dimensions. They all abound with
perch, pike, and trout ; and afford good sport to the
angler. Synton Moss, once a very extensive lake, has
been completely drained, for the sake of obtaining the
marl and peat with which it abounded, and which have
been successfully applied to the improvement of the
lands. In this moss, many interesting organic remains
are occasionally dug up.
The soil is generally light ; in some places clay,
mixed with gravel, and in others a rich loam ; the chief
crops are, oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and turnips.
The system of agriculture is improved, and the farm-
houses are in general substantial and comfortable ;
some few dairy-farms are managed with great attention,
and the butter produced here is of excellent quality.
Considerable attention is paid to the rearing of live
stock, upon which the main dependence is placed ; the
sheep are almost exclusively of the Cheviot breed, with
occasionally a mixture of the Cheviot and Leicestershire ;
and the cattle are of the short-horned breed, which are
found to be the best adapted to the lands. A few
Highland cattle are pastured here during the winter.
There appears to have been formerly a great abundance
of natural wood, but, at present, very little ancient tim-
ber remains : the plantations are, larch, and spruce and
Scotch firs, intermixed with oak, ash, elm, and other
forest trees ; they are all of modern formation, and are
in a thriving state. The rateable annual value of the
Roxburgh portion of the parish is £3483, and of the
Selkirk portion, £1510. The substratum is chiefly
greywacke, of which the hills are mainly composed, and
clay-slate. The parish is in the presbytery of Selkirk
and synod of Merse and Teviotdale ; the minister's
stipend is £205. 12. 9., with a manse, and a glebe valued
at £28 per annum ; patron, the Earl of Minto. The
church, erected in 1791; is a plain substantial edifice,
and is adapted for about 200 persons. A place of wor-
ship has been erected in connexion with the Free Church.
The parochial school is attended by about 80 children ;
the master's salary is £34, with £16 fees, and a house
and garden. There are remains of two Danish encamp-
ments on the lands of Castleside, one of which is in
good preservation, but the other is almost obliterated by
the plough. On the lands of Salineside was formerly a
very strong tower, of which there are scarcely more
than some slight vestiges ; and in various parts of the
parish, are remains of ancient encampments.
ASSYNT, a parish, in the county of Sutherland,
30 miles (N. W. by W.) from Dornoch ; containing,
with the quoad sacra district of Stocr, and the village of