INCH, a parish, in the county of Wigtown, 2^ miles
(E.) from Stranraer; containing, with the villages of
Cairnryan and Lochans, 2950 inhabitants. This place,
which is of great antiquity, and distinguished for its
lochs, appears to have derived its name from an island
in the loch of Castle-Kennedy, which was called the
Inch, an appellation corrupted from the Celtic word Inis
or Ynis, signifying "an island". In very ancient times
the locality was occupied by the Novantes, whose town
of Rerigoniiim was situated on the bank of the Rerigonius
simis, now called Loch Ryan, and was near the farm of
Innermessan, adjacent to which is a large circular mound
or moat, formerly surrounded, as is supposed, by a fosse,
and measuring seventy-eight feet in height, and 336 feet
round its base. Various purposes have been assigned
to this work of antiquity; but whether it was intended
for the administration of justice, for a rendezvous in
times of danger, or for the Beltan (Bel's fire), or for all
these, is uncertain. The circumstance, however, of
charred wood, ashes, and bones having been found at
some depth below the surface, within its hne of circumscription,
is strong evidence of its having been used occasionally,
and perhaps regularly, as a place of sepulture.
On or near the site of Rerigoniiim, at a later period, stood
the town and castle of Innermessan. The former, till
eclipsed by the town of Stranraer, was the largest place
in the Rhins of Galloway; the latter belonged to Sir
Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw; but no traces of either remain,
except a sewer about three feet under ground.
The celebrated abbey of Soulseat, or Saulseat, was
founded here in the twelfth century, by Fergus, lord of
Galloway, for Praemonstratensian monks. Though its
history is for the most part involved in obscurity,
Chalmers is of opinion that it was the first institution
of the order in Scotland; that its abbots were the superiors
of the Praemonstratensian monks throughout the
kingdom; and that the establishment was the parent
of the more opulent priory of Whithorn, as well as of
the abbey of Holywood. In an act of parliament of
1487, it is spoken of as not being subject to the authority
or appointment of the Pope. In 1532, it appears
that David, abbot of Soulseat, was invested with a commission
from the king, to visit and reform all the houses
in Scotland of his own order; and in 165S, the abbot is
named in a document as uniting with others in defence
of the queen. The abbey was situated on a peninsula
that stretched out into a lake, to which it gave its name;
and was surrounded by a burying-ground: it was called
Sedes Animarum, and Monasterium viridis stagni, the latter
term in allusion to the green appearance, at certain
times, of the surface of the lake. Soulseat Abbey was a
ruin in 1684, and but very small portions of the remains
are now to be seen: part of the burying-ground is still
occasionally used as a place of interment. The mansion
of Castle-Kennedy, which was accidentally destroyed
by fire in 1715, was a lofty and spacious structure, supposed
to have been built in the reign of James VI., and
was the seat of the powerful Earls of Cassilis, whose
property and influence spread over so large a part of
Wigtownshire. It passed with the lands, in the time of
Charles II., to Sir J. Dalrymple the younger, of Stair,
in whose family the estate has since continued, though
the building, the remaining walls of which are seventy
feet high, has not been inhabited since the fire. The
structure is surrounded by grounds beautifully laid out
after a military plan devised by Marshal Stair; and
adjoining are flourishing plantations, containing some
lofty and luxuriant ash-trees.
The PARISH formerly comprehended the parish of
Portpatrick and part of that of Stranraer. Portpatrick
was separated and made distinct in 16'28; and about the
same period, a portion of Inch, with some land in Leswalt,
was allotted to form the parish of Stranraer, and
the old parish of Soulseat was united to Inch. The parish
has the county of Ayr on the north, the parishes of
New and Old Luce on the east, and that of Stoneykirk
on the south; on the west it is bounded for about eight
miles by Loch Ryan. It is ten miles in length, and in
one part nearly of the same breadth, comprising 30,600
acres, of which 12,600 are cultivated or occasionally in
tillage, and the remainder waste or natural pasture.
The northern portion is principally high land, rising in
some places to an elevation of 8)2 feet above the level
of the sea; and, with the exception of a small portion
under the plough, is in general rugged, and covered
with heath, about 800 acres only being considered capable
of cultivation. The southern portion, which is part
of an isthmus formed by Loch Ryan and the bay of
Luce, is slightly undulated, but when viewed from the
hills has the appearance of a continuous plain. It contains
several hollows, provincially called Pots, which
were produced by the action of the water when spread
over this division of the parish, and one of which is 1000
feet in circumference, and 100 feet deep.
The river Luce, in which are good salmon, forms the
boundary hne between this parish and Luce; and the
Piltanton, a smaller and slower stream, falling, like the
former, into the bay of Luce, divides Inch from Stoneykirk.
There are also twelve fresh-water lochs, including
those of Castle-Kennedy and Soulseat, both which are
celebrated for their beautiful scenery. The whole of the
lakes abound in pike, perch, trout, eels, and roach; and in
the frosty weather, some of them are frequented by large
numbers of wild-duck, teal, widgeon, coots, and cormorants.
These, with the swarms of wild-geese near the
brooks and the sea-shore, and the flocks of curlews,
plovers, and every kind of game on the high lands, afford
ample gratification to the sportsman, and impart an air
of liveliness to the district, which is sometimes increased
by crowds of persons of all ranks enjoying the favourite
amusements of curling and skating upon the frozen surface
of the lakes. Swans, also, frequently visit the place
in the winter; and in the spring the sea-mew finds a retreat
among the sedge of the lochs, for bringing forth
her young. Loch Ryan, at the mouth of the Clyde, has
always been a secure retreat for vessels entering or
leaving that river, and for vessels navigating the Irish
Channel, even in the most stormy and dangerous weather,
there being excellent anchorage and safe shelter off
the village of Cairnryan. It is between eight and nine
miles in length, from its northern extremity to the town
of Stranraer at its head, and is about three miles wide
at the entrance. The loch has at first from four to five
fathoms' depth of water, which gradually increases to
from seven to eight; and it is considered to be admirably
adapted for a mail-packet station between Scotland
and Ireland. Salmon are taken in its estuaries; and the
produce of the fishery of Loch Ryan comprises cod, haddock,
whiting, herrings, flounders, and oysters of very
superior quality.
The SOIL, varying almost as much as the surface, is
in the high grounds partly loam, but chiefly clay, with
a considerable portion of moss, and large tracts of peat,
from which the inhabitants are plentifully supplied with
good fuel. In the lower parts it is light and fertile,
resting on gravel or sand, and produces good crops of
all kinds of grain, with potatoes, turnips, and hay. The
cultivation of the turnip was introduced into the parish,
about a century since, by Marshal Stair, and though
practised only to a very inconsiderable extent till within
the last few years, has now become a favourite branch
of husbandry, the lightness of the soil being remarkably
suited to the root. The turnip crops are eaten off the
ground by sheep, to the great advantage of the land. In
this parish the cattle are still partly of the Galloway
kind; but the great regard formerly paid to this stock
has lately much diminished, and the farmers, turning
their attention more to the dairy, have introduced the
Ayrshire cow; and cheese now forms a considerable part
of the disposable produce. Numerous in)provements in
agriculture have taken place within the present century:
many acres of bog have been reclaimed, and converted
into good arable land, now yielding fine crops; and
most of the farm-houses have been rendered comfortable
dwellings. The present Earl of Stair resides at Culborn
House, in the parish, and has given a fresh stimulus to
agricultural improvements by his encouragement and
example. The fences on the lower grounds are occasionally
formed of thorn-hedges, but are generally turf
dykes, sown with whins; on the higher lands they are
entirely of stone. The annual value of real property in
Inch is £10,986. The geology of the parish has no
striking features, the hills consisting chiefly of stratified
transition rocks, the principal of which is greywacke:
detached blocks of granite are occasionally to be seen;
and near Loch Ryan is an excellent slate-quarry. Several
attempts have been made to discover coal, but without
effect. There is a little natural wood, principally in
the glens of the higher district; the plantations cover
655 acres of land, all inclosed. The oldest of the plantations
are those made by Marshal Stair, and consist
chiefly of beech, a wood supposed at that time to be the
only one suited to the soil and climate, but which has
since been equalled, if not surpassed, in growth and
value by the ash and plane. These latter, with oak,
elm, and larch, are now to be found, in a thriving condition,
in most of the plantations, and serve very beneficially
as a protection to the arable grounds.
The chief village is Cairnryan, which contains 196 persons,
and is distant seven miles from the parish church
about 100 persons reside in another village, and a few in
a suburb of Stranraer, lately built in the parish. The
high road from London to Portpatrick, and that from
Glasgow to the same place, pass through the parish;
and the steam-packet plying between Glasgow and
Stranraer, and that from Belfast to Stranraer, touch
at Cairnryan for passengers and goods. A monthly
market, called "the Stranraer cattle-market", is held
from April to October. Ecclesiastically the parish
is in the presbytery of Stranraer, synod of Galloway,
and in the patronage of the Crown. The stipend is
£264; and there is a manse, rebuilt in 1H38, with a
glebe containing eighteen acres, valued at £15. 15. per
annum, and four acres, lately added by the draining of
a loch. Inch church, built in 1770, and capable of
accommodating 400 persons, occupies a beautiful situation
adjoining the picturesque woods and lake of Castle- Kennedy.
A chapel was built at Cairnryan some years ago,
in connexion with the Establishment; and there are
two places of worship for members of the Free Church,
one of them situated at Cairnryan, and the other in another
part of the parish. The parochial school affords
instruction in the classics, practical mathematics, and
the various branches of a good education; the master
receives the minimum salary, about £23 in fees, and has
a house and garden.
At Glenterra is a relic of antiquity called the Standing
Stones, situated near the road to New Luce, consisting
of four large upright stones, and conjectured to have
been originally a Druidical temple: near these is a
single stone, also erect. There is likewise a series of
stones called the Stepping- Stones of Glenterra, disposed
like stairs, extending for about a quarter of a mile along
a peaty moss, and supposed to have been placed there
for the convenience of transit. Stone axes are occasionally
discovered; and there are numerous cairns in
the upper, and tumuli in the lower, part of the parish,
which are generally thought to have been raised by the
Novantes for sepulchral purposes. The cairns are usually
called the Atitd Or^y Cairns, and are formed of a circular
heap of stories, from fifty to seventy feet in diameter,
and rising from six to eight feet in the centre: in the
interior is a cavity formed by large flat stones, in which
an urn is generally found, containing bony fragments,
ashes, &c. At the farm of Larg, near the river Luce,
are the remains of a castle, once the residence of the
Lyns of Larg. The castle of Craig-Caffie was the property
of the Nelsons, a family now extinct, and is a
moderate-sized ancient structure, surrounded by a fosse,
and still in good condition, but converted into a farmhouse.
In that part of the parish which, with a portion
of Leswalt, was detached to form the parish of Stranraer,
was a chapel dedicated to St. John; and near this stood
a castle, which Symson, in his description of Galloway,
written in 1684, calls "a good house pertaining to Sir
John Dalrymple, younger, of Stair," but which is now
a jail for the town of Stranraer. There are several chalybeate
springs, and some partially sulphureous. Marshal
Stair, celebrated in military and political history, was a
native of the parish of Inch. North-west Castle is the
seat of Sir John Ross, the well-known navigator of the
Arctic, who was born here in 1777, during the incumbency
of his father, the Rev. Andrew Ross; and General
Sir J. Alexander Agnew Wallace, distinguished as a
military officer in Egypt, India, and the Peninsula, resides
at Lochryan House, in the parish.