FALA-AND-SOUTRA, a parish, partly in the county
of Haddington, but chiefly in that of Edinburgh;
containing, with part of the village of Faladam, 393 inhabitants,
of whom 1 12 are in the village of Fala, 85
miles (S. E.) from Dalkeith. The name of Fala is derived
from Fah, in the Anglo-Saxon, " speckled ", and
law, the description of hill upon which the church stands;
Soiitra signifies '• the hamlet with a prospect ". In 1 164
an hospital for the relief of pilgrims, dedicated to the
Holy Trinity, was founded at Soutra by Malcolm IV.,
who conferred upon it the privilege of sanctuary; and
its endowments, which were very extensive, embraced
the churches of Soutra, Wemyss in Fife, St. Giles of
Comiston, and several others. The revenues were subsequently
vested in Trinity College and Hospital, Edinburgh;
and afterwards, about 1560, in the town council
of that city, who thus became patrons of Soutra church.
Of the church of Fala, the history of which is very obscure,
the patronage belonged previously to the Reformation
to the family of Edmestown. In the year 16 18,
on the 20th February, the two parishes were united; and
the estate of Fala after some time descended to the Hamiltons
of Preston, and through their heiress to Sir John
Dalrymple of Cousland: the present proprietor of Fala
proper is the Earl of Stair. Soutra church, having been
abandoned, became a ruin; and the walls of one of its
aisles, and some occasional irregularities of surface indicating
prostrate dwellings, are now the only vestiges of
the former village, once so considerable and populous.
The district of Soutra is in the county of Haddington.
The PARISH is about five miles iu length, from east
to west, and three and a half in breadth, from north to
south. Its western division consists of a ridge of the
Lammermoor hills, laid out, with the exception of some
patches in tillage, for the pasturage of sheep; whilst
the eastern division, which is chiefly of a clayey soil and
of an undulated surface, is in good cultivation, producing
all the crops common to the district of the Lothians.
There are considerable tracts of moss and moorland, and
a large extent of marsh, whence issues a sheet of water
on Fala muir, called the Flow. The prevailing scenery is
very beautiful, and includes many objects of interest and
admiration. Among these may be mentioned, Soutra
hill, which forms the western point of the Lammermoors,
and is upwards of 1200 feet above the sea; the mansion
and lands of Woodcot; Costerton House, very romantically
situated; the rich fields and wooded inclosures
around the ancient halls of Hamilton and Fala; the
cascade of Linndean, and several intersecting rivulets.
The wider prospect from Soutra hill presents numerous
handsome residences, the highly-cultivated plains of the
Lothians, the Pentland hills, and castle of Edinburgh,
with the Firth of Forth and the coasts of Fife in the distance.
Of late years the system of husbandry in the parish
has been much improved: the lands have been partly
drained, and inclosed, chiefly with hedges of thorn; and
material advantage will arise from the drainage of Fala
Flow, a measure already in progress. The sheep, of
which considerable numbers are reared on the moorland
farms, are mostly a cross between the Gala-water and
Tweedsmuir breeds, with a few of the Cheviot. A moderate
number of black-cattle, and a few horses for the
plough, are also reared. The annual value of real property
in the Edinburghshire portion of the parish is £1583,
and in the Haddingtonshire portion £1298. Fala village
is situated on a commanding eminence, and in its immediate
vicinity are the commodious inn and hamlet of
Blackshiels, the post- place of the district: a little northward
of the latter is Faladam, partly in the parish of
Crichton. The great road between Edinburgh and Lauder
affords a facility of communication. Ecclesiastically
the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery of
Dalkeith, synod of Lothian and Tweeddale; the stipend
of the minister is £169, of which more than one-half is
received from the exchequer, and there is a manse, with
a glebe valued at £25. 10. per annum. The patronage is
vested in the Earl of Stair and the Town Council of
Edinburgh, who exercise it alternately. The church,
which is pleasantly seated on an eminence overlooking
the village, is a plain and unpretending edifice, affording
accommodation to 250 persons. There is a place of
worship in connexion with the United Presbyterian Synod.
The parochial school is attended by about eighty
children; the master has the maximum salary, with a
house aud garden, and the fees average about £25 per
annum. A good parish library has been formed by the
contributions of the inhabitants. On Soutra hill are some
ruins of the hospital; and the aisle of the ancient church
is used as the burial-place of a neighbouring family.