KILBRIDE-EAST, a parish, in the Middle ward of
the county of Lanark; containing 3810 inhabitants, of
whom 926 are in the village, 8 miles (S. S. E.) from
Glasgow. This place, distinguished by its affi.x East
from West Kilbride in the county of Ayr, and including
the ancient parish of Torrance, is of great antiquity, and
once formed part of the see of Glasgow, to which the
original grant was confirmed by a bull of Pope Alexander
III., in 1178, and by some of his successors. A castle
was erected here by Robert de Valnois, about the year
1182; and previously to the reign of Robert Bruce,
nearly two-thirds of the lands belonged to the family of
Cummin, in whose hands they remained till 1382, when,
on their forfeiture by John Cummin, they were granted
by that monarch to John Lindsay, of Dunrode, as a reward
for his fidelity. The lands of Caldcrwood were the
property of the Maxwell family in the reign of Alexander
III., and are still in the possession of their descendant,
Sir William A. Maxwell, Bart. Those of Torrance belonged
to Sir William Stuart, who, in 1398, was one of
the sureties on the part of Scotland for tlie peace of the
western marches, and whose representative. Miss Stuart of
Torrance, is the present proprietor. During the prevalence
of the plague in Glasgow, the inhabitants of this
neighbourhood used to deposit the produce with which
they supplied the city, at a spot on the old Glasgow road,
about a mile and a half northward of the parish: to this
spot the citizens resorted as a temporary market, and it
has since retained the name of the Market Hill.
The PARISH takes its name from the dedication
of the church to St. Bride or Bridget. It is about ten
miles in length, and varies from two to five miles in
breadth, comprising an area of 22,786 acres, of which
almost 18,000 are arable, and the remainder chiefly
peat-moss and moorland, affording tolerable pasturage
for sheep. The surface is greatly diversified with hills,
from 200 to 1600 feet above the level of the sea. The
lower lands are watered by various streams, the principal
of which is the Colder, flowing for nearly seven miles
along the eastern boundary of the parish; the scenery
on its banks, at Torrance and at Calderwood, is richly
diversified, and near Calderwood House the river forms
a beautifully picturesque cascade. The Poivmillon has
its rise in the south-eastern confines of the parish, and
after a course of about two miles, runs into the parish
of Avondale, and thence into the river Avon. The Kittock
has its source in the northern portion of the parish,
in a marsh about two miles from the village of Kilbride,
and after a winding course falls into the river Cart
near Busby. The Cart, after bounding the parish for
four miles on the north-west, flows into the parish of
Carmunnock near the village of Jackton.
The SOIL is chiefly a stiff wet clay; it has been rendered
more fertile by tile-draining within the last few
years, and considerable improvement has been made in
the system of agriculture. The crops are oats, barley,
potatoes, and turnips; but the principal reliance is on
the dairy-farms, which have been greatly increased, and
are under excellent management: their produce is sent
to Glasgow, principally in butter and milk, many of the
farmers sending about a cart-load every day during the
summer. Much attention is paid to the treatment of
the milch-cows, which are of the Ayrshire breed; and
considerable improvement has been made in the breed
of cattle generally, under the encouragement of an agricultural
society established in 1816, which holds an annual
meeting here on the second Friday in June, when
a cattle-show takes place. Numbers of sheep, also, are
pastured on the hills and moors. The lands have been
partly inclosed; and the farm-buildings have been rendered
much more commodious than formerly, and are
still improving. The plantations are almost confined to
the grounds of Torrance and Calderwood, and the lands
belonging to Glasgow College. Around most of the
farm-houses, however, even in the more exposed situations,
are large trees of various kinds, the favourable
growth of which is attributed to especial care in the
preparation of the soil by draining previously to planting,
and to their protection from early injury by the
cattle. It is thought that the subdivision of property
has alone operated as an obstacle to the increase of
plantations throughout the parish. Coal, ironstone, and
limestone are abundant: the coal was formerly wrought,
but being of inferior quality, the works have been discon-
tinued, and a better supply is now obtained from the
collieries in the neighbouring parishes. The ironstone,
which is of a good kind, is wrought by the Clyde Iron
Company, who employ about eighty men in their works
in the parish. The limestone, which occurs in beds
varying from three to ten feet in thickness, and much
intermingled with seams of greenstone, is also extensively
quarried, and burnt into lime for agricultural use.
Freestone is found in several parts; clay of good quality
for tiles is also abundant, and Roman cement is made
in considerable quantities. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £24,190.
Torrance House is a spacious ancient mansion, with
modern additions of various dates: in front are the
arms of Scotland on a stone removed from the old castle
of Mains by Colonel Stuart. It is beautifully situated,
and the grounds are embellished with thriving plantations.
Calderwood House is an elegant mansion, of a
castellated form, to which some very tasteful additions
have been made; the demesne is richly planted, and the
grounds command a fine view of the fall of the river
Calder, and comprise much beautiful scenery. Lawvioor
is a neat modern house, pleasingly situated; and Crossbasket
is a handsome residence, principally of modern
character, Kirktoun Holm is now in a dilapidated condition,
and occupied by a number of families as tenants.
Cleughorn Lodge is a good residence. There are several
villages in the parish, namely, Kirktoun or East Kilbride,
Maxwellton, part of Busby, and the smaller hamlets
of Aldhouse, Jackton, Braehead, Kittockside, and
Nerston. East Kilbride was constituted a burgh of barony
in the reign of Queen Anne, and had a charter for
a weekly market on Tuesday, and four annual fairs.
The market has, however, been discontinued many years;
and of the fairs, the only one that is still observed is
held on the second Friday in June, for the sale of cattle
and sheep. The village is pleasantly situated near the
river Kittock, and is somewhat compact. A subscription
library has been established in it, and it has a postofl^
ce subordinate to that of Glasgow, with a daily delivery.
The cotton manufacture is carried on to a considerable
extent, affording employment to about 300 of
the inhabitants. A savings' bank has been instituted in
connexion with the Glasgow National-Security Savings'
Bank. Facility of communication is afforded to the
inhabitants of the parish by the road from Glasgow to
Strathaven, which passes through the village, and for
nearly five miles through the parish; and by other roads
kept in good repair, one of which runs from the village
to Eaglesham, and another from Busby to Carmunnock.
At the southern boundary of Torrance is a bridge over
the river Calder, leading to the parish of Glassford.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Hamilton, synod of Glasgow
and Ayr. The minister's stipend is £280. 8., with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £18 per annum; patron,
the Crown. Kilbride church, which is situated in the
village, is a plain neat structure, with a tower surmounted
by a spire; it was erected about 1774, and
contains 913 sittings, which number, if the whole of the
interior were rendered available, might be increased to
1200. There are places of worship for the Free Church
and the United Presbyterian Church. The parochial
school is at the village of Kilbride, and has branches at
Aldhouse and Jackton; the master receives a salary of
£34, and the fees average about £40 per annum. The
master of the branch school at Aldhouse has a salary of
£8, with a house rent-free, and the master at Jackton a
salary of £8, without a house, the residue of their income
being made up by the fees. There is also a very
etficient school at Maxwellton, supported by Sir William
Maxwell. A parochial library has been established,
which has a good collection of volumes; and several
friendly societies have tended materially to diminish applications
for parochial aid. Near Kittockside were
some remains of two fortifications, situated respectively
on Castle Hill and Rough Hill, about ^00 yards distant
from each other; but the stones of both have been long
removed, and the site of the former planted with trees.
Near the latter, an ancient stone celt was found, six
inches and a half in length and three inches in breadth,
formed of a coarse kind of ironstone. About a mile
northward of the church are the ruins of Mains Castle,
the once stately baronial residence of the Cummins, and
the Lindsays of Dunrode; and the same distance southward
of the village, was the castle of Lickprivick, of which
nothing remains except the mound near its site. There
were also several cairns formerly in the parish, among
which was Herlaw, where urns with fragments of human
bones were discovered. One near Mains Castk was remarkable
for having at the base a circle of flagstones,
set on their edges, and sloping outwards; but the stones
were long since removed. Dr. William Hunter, the
eminent physician, and his brother, John Hunter, the
distinguished surgeon and anatomist, both of whom were
at the head of their profession in London, were born at
Long Calderwood, in the parish.