Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

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Wallace and Bruce; and, in the reign of Henry
VIII., it was first dilapidated by the warden of the
English marches, and next utterly destroyed by the
Earl of Surrey. The parish, both from lying imme-
diately on the Border, and from its being part of
what were anciently called ' the dry marches,' and
one of the most facile thoroughfares between the
kingdoms, was peculiarly exposed to the rough and
sanguinary contacts of the Border wars. Graden-
place, J of a mile south-west of lloselaw-loch, shows
traces of a fortalice surrounded by a moat, and was
the seat of the Kerrs of Graden, little inferior in the
coarse fame of Border warfare, to their namesakes
of Fernihirst. On the summits of various rising
grounds are remains of circular encampments. On
the farm of Frogdan is a spot called the 'tryst,'
marked by several upright stones, and anciently the
place of rendezvous for parties about to make a foray
into England. A narrow opening between two
heights, along the side of Linton-loch, bears marks
of having been fortified, was defended by the rising
ground of artificial formation, which now bears aloft
the parish-church, and seems to have been viewed as
a pass or as a favourable point for standing at bay
against a pursuing foe. In various localities tumulis
abound, enclosing earthen urns with human bones ;
and, in one place, they are so numerous as to iden-
tify the spot with the scene of some extensively
murderous onslaught. The principal landed pro-
prietor is Robert Pringle, Esq. of Clifton, M. P. for
Selkirkshire. Linton and Hoselaw, once villages of
note, have become extinct. The parish is bisected
eastward by the turnpike from Kelso to Yetbolm,
and has facilities of communication from being, at its
nearest point, only 3 miles distant from Kelso. Po-
pulation, in 1801,403; in 1831, 462. Houses 79.
Assessed property, in 1815, £4,324 Linton is in
the presbytery of Kelso, and synod of Merse and
Teviotdale. Patron, Pringle of' Clifton. Stipend
£239 2s. 10d.; glebe £12. Unappropriated teinds
£308 2s. 3d. The parish, like that of the same
name in Peebles-shire, was anciently called Linton-
Roderick. Its church was, in the 12th century,
given by Richard Comyn to the monks of Kelso;
but it was maintained by them as a rectory. The
present church is a small antique strong edifice, situ-
ated in the south end of the parish, half-a-mile from
the Kail. Schoolmaster's salary £34 4s. 4{A., with
£13 fees, and £7 other emoluments.
LINTON (East), a large and prosperous village
in the parish of Prestonkirk; 5A miles east of Had-
dington; 6 west of Dunbar; and 6i south of North
Berwick, Haddingtonshire. It stretches north and
south along the left bank of the river Tyne, at a fine
large bend made by the stream ; and rests, at its south
end,- on the great mail-road between Edinburgh and
London. The place had an extensive distillery,
which has been recently dismantled, an inn, and
an array of drinking -houses ; and is the site of
a United Secession meeting-house, two endowed
schools, a subscription school, two private schools,
a subscription library, and a branch of the East Lo-
thian itinerating libraries. It was anciently a burgh-
of-barony; and, during harvest, has a large weekly
market, on Monday, for hiring reapers. A few yards
to the north of it stands the parish-church. The
village, but without the modern affix of 'East,' gave
name, from the epoch of record till the Reformation,
to the parish in which it stands: see Prestonkirk.
Population 720. The river Tyne, while sweeping
round the southern side of the village, falls into a
large and deep linn. A few salmon are occasionally
caught at this fall.
LINTRATHEN, Lentrathen, or Glentra-
then, a parish in the Grampian district of Forfar-
shire ; bounded on the north-east by the Grampian
section of Kirriemuir; on the east by Kingoldrnm ;
on the south by Airlie and Alyth ; and on the west
by Glenisla. Its greatest length from north to south
is 12 miles, and its greatest breadth 5L Over two-
thirds of the length from the south the breadth varies
from 4 miles to the maximum; and over the remain-
ing third it tapers regularly to a point. The parish
lies in the outskirts of the Grampians, and is, for the
most part, a sea of heights from 500 to 1,000 feet
above the level of Strathmore, of bleak, barren, and
chilly aspect. Along the southern boundary, and
some way up the middle of the interior on the banks
of the principal streams, are sloping belts of arable
ground, considerable in area, and not deficient in
fertility. But most of the lands in tillage are thinly
carpeted with a moorish soil, and produce corn of
very inferior quality. Among the hills in the in-
terior are several valleys fit only for pasturage. The
heights are, for the most part, heathy ; and, in the
north comer, are wild and desolate. Few trees
anywhere relieve the pervading dreariness. The river
Isla flows for 5i miles along the western and south-
ern boundaries. Back-water rises in the extreme
north corner, traverses a deep mountain furrow
or narrow vale called Glendamf, receives several
highland brooks, and, after having flowed due south
from its source till within 2 miles of the southern
boundary, runs 4 south-eastward in the interior, and
1 mile south-westward along the boundary to a con-
fluence with the Isla. Opposite the parish-church,
1J mile before touching the boundary, it forms a
small cataract. Melgam- water drains the east side
of the parish, and falls into Back-water a little above
the church. Lintrathen-loch, circular in outline,
upwards of a mile in diameter, fed by mountain rills,
and sending off its superfluent waters to Back-water,
lies i of a mile west of the church, and abounds in
pike, perch, and trout. Communication between the
northern district and the southern is interrupted by
impracticable heights; but, in the most peopled
parts, is accelerated by roads. Population, in 1801,
919; in 1831,998. Houses 224. Assessed property,
in 1815, £449. — Lintrathen is in the presbyery
of Meigle, and synod of Angus and Mearns. Patron,
the Earl of Airley. Stipend £159 2s. ; glebe £12.
The church was built in 1802, and slightly repaired
in 1829. Sittings 408. The minister stated, in
1836, that, excepting six dissenters, all the parish-
ioners belonged to the Establishment. The ancient
church belonged to the priory of Inchmahome.
Schoolmaster's salary £29 18s, 9|d., with £26 fees,
and £5 other emoluments. Two private schools are
open during winter.
LINTROSE. See Kettins.
LINWOOD, a village in the north-east of the
parish of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, on the left bank
of the Black Cart, distant 1J mile from Johnstone,
and 3J from the cross of Paisley. The river is here
passed by a stone-bridge of one arch, erected about
the year 1762. The village, which mostly stands
on the estate of Blackston, was built on a regular
plan. It is of modern origin, having arisen from a
large mill for the spinning of cotton, which was
established at this place in the end of the 18th cen-
tury, and which gives employment to the most of
the inhabitants. It is contemplated to build a church
in Lin wood, and for this purpose £500 has been
subscribed. The population is about 1,000.
LISMORE, an island of the Hebrides, belonging
to Argyleshire, and situated at the mouth of Loch-
Linnhe, about 8 miles from Oban. It is a narrow
uneven rocky ridge, about 9 miles long, and from 1
to 2 miles broad ; containing about 8,000 acres, and
lies entirely upon a limestone rock. The surface is