CARNWATH, a parish, in the Upper ward of the
county of Lanark; including the villages of Braehead,
Forth, Newbigging, and Wilsontown; and containing
3550 inhabitants, of whom 766 are in the village of
Caruwath, 26 miles (S. W.) from Edinburgh. This place
is supposed to have derived its name from an ancient
cairn, situated to the west of the present village, and near
a ford {wath in Saxon) across the burn now called Carnwath,
which stream, previously to the construction of
the bridges, was passable only here. The castle of Cowthalley,
in the parish, was for many years the baronial
residence of the Sommervilles, one of the most opulent
and powerful families of the country in the twelfth century,
and of whom William, the first baron, was the firm
adherent of Robert Bruce during the disputed succession
to the crown. It was burnt in one of those inroads of
the English which so frequently occurred; but at what
time, or by whom, it was rebuilt, is not distinctly recorded.
This castle was often the temporary residence
of James VI., while pursuing the diversion of hunting,
for which the neighbourhood was peculiarly favourable.
The foundations only can now be traced, from which it
appears to have been a fortress of considerable extent,
surrounded by a deep fosse, and accessible by a drawbridge
on the western side.
The PARISH is about twelve miles in length, from north
to south, and about eight miles in breadth, comprising an
area of about 3 1 ,* SO acres, of which about one-third are in
cultivation, upwards of 20,000 acres uncultivated, about
500 acres in wood, and ninety undivided common. Its
surface is varied, consisting partly of level and partly of
rising grounds, the former having an elevation of 600
feet above the sea, and the latter of 1'200 at the highest
point i but there are no mountains or detached hills in
any part. The principal rivers are the Clyde and the
Medwin, which form part of the southern boundary.
There are numerous springs of excellent water, affording
an abundant supply; and also some possessing mineral
properties, which have not attracted much notice. The
only lake of any consideration is Whiteloch, to the west
of the village: it covers about thirty acres of ground,
and is of great depth in some parts; the shores on the
south and west are richly wooded, and the surrounding
scenery is diversified. In one part of the parish the soil
is a strong wet clay; in another, a deep rich loam; and
in other parts, light and gravelly, intermixed with portions
of moss. The chief crops are barley, oats, potatoes,
and turnips, with a little wheat; the rotation system of
husbandry is practised, and bone-dust has been extensively
introduced as manure, and with much success.
Great attention is paid to the management of the dairy,
on most of the farms, under the encouragement of the
Highland Society of the district; the cheese made is
mostly of the Dunlop kind, and the greater part is sent
to Edinburgh. The cattle are of the Ayrshire breed;
there are but comparatively few sheep, and these are of
almost every variety. The annual value of real property
in the parish is £14,207.
The SUBSTRATA are principally coal, ironstone, and
limestone, all of which are extensively wrought. The
coal and limestone are found in superincumbent strata,
on the lands north of the rivulet of Dippool; the limestone
occurs at a depth of nearly thirty feet from the
surface, in seams about six feet thick, and the coal, under
it, in seams of about eighteen inches, wrought for burning
the lime. On the other side of the Cleugh burn is a
very extensive coal-field, reaching to the northern boundary
of the parish, and containing an inexhaustible mine:
this mine, till within the last fifty or sixty years, was
(mly partiiilly explored; but on the establishment of a
company here for the manufacture of iron, a steam-engine
was erected for drawing off the water, and mining operations
were conducted on a very extended scale. To
the west of this district, at Chmpy, is another field of
coal, which has also been worked by the company. The
ironstone is found in strata of various thickness and quality;
in some parts occurring in the form of tessellated
pavement, and in others in small detached masses.
The village of Carnwath, in the southern part of the
parish, is neatly built, and contains several regular streets,
with some handsome houses of recent erection; most of
the old houses have been much improved in appearance,
and the whole has an air of great cheerfulness and comfort.
It is inhabited chiefly by persons employed in
weaving for the manufacturers of Glasgow and Paisley.
A public library is supported by subscription. A weekly
market is held, mostly for the sale of meal and barley;
and there are fairs in July, for cows and horses, and for
hiring servants; in the middle of August, for lambs and
young horses; and in October, and also in February,
principally for the hiring of farm-servants. On the day
after the August fair, a foot-race and various other sports
are celebrated. Great facility of intercourse is afforded
by the Caledonian railway.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Lanark, synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the patronage
of the Lockhart family: the minister's stipend is £250.
17. 6., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £20 per annum.
Carnwath church, erected in 1798, and thoroughly
repaired in 1833, is a plain neat edifice, adapted for a
congregation of about 1100 persons, but almost inaccessible
to a great portion of the population. Chapels in
connexicm with the Established Church have been built
at Wilsontown and Climpy; but the latter is fast falling
into a state of dilapidation. There is a place of worship
for New Light Burghers on the road to Wilsontow'n, and
the parish also contains a place of worship in connexion
with the Free Church. The parochial school is well conducted;
the master has a salary of £34, with £34 fees,
and a house and garden. The ancient cairn from which
the parish takes its name is of elliptical form, and on the
summit is an opening, from which was a descent by a
flight of steps to the bottom. It is surrounded by a deep
fosse and high mound, and is supposed to have been
formed as a place of security in time of war, and for
concealment of treasure. The late Sir N. M. Lockhart
planted it with hard-wood trees. Among the few other
remains of antiquity in the parish is the beautiful aisle of
the old church, which was founded in 1386, and was endowed
and made a collegiate church for a principal and
six prebendaries in 1424 by Lord Sommerville, who also
connected with it a provision for the maintenance of
eight poor aged men. The aisle is in good preservation,
and displays some interesting details in the decorated
English style. It has been the sepulchral chapel of the
Sommerville and Dalziel families, and of the Earls of
Carnwath, and is now the burying-place of the family of
Lockhart. See Wilsontown, &c.