NEILSTON, a parish, in the Upper ward of the
county of Renfrew; comprising the villages of West
Arthurlee, Crofthead, Gateside, and Uplamuir, part of the
former quoad sacra district of Levern, and the whole of
the former quoad sacra district of Barrhead, which last
included the villages of Barrhead, Cross-Arthurlee, Grahamstown,
and Newton-Ralston: the number of inhabitants
is 10,577, of whom 1497 are in the village of Neilston,
9 miles (S. W. by W.) from Glasgow. This place is
supposed to have derived its name from one of its
earliest proprietors, and in the twelfth century belonged
to Robert de Croc, whose daughter and heiress conveyed
the lordship by marriage to Stewart of Darnley, ancestor
of the Earls and Dukes of Lennox, and of Darnley, the
husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. The parish is about
eight miles and a half in length, and four miles and a
half in breadth. Neilston is bounded on the north by
the Abbey parish of Paisley for nearly eight miles; on
the east by the parish of Eastwood, on the south by
that of Mearns, ou the south-west by the parishes of
Stewarton and Dunlop, and on the west by those of
Beith and Lochwinnoch. Its surface is irregular; towards
the eastern boundary, nearly flat; and towards
the south and west, rising to a height of from 400 to
900 feet above the level of the Clyde. In some parts
the ground forms hills of various elevation, of which the
highest are the Pad and the Corkendale-law, the first
about 800, and the second about 900, feet above the
sea. Between these two hills lies the narrow valley of
the Levern, which that river waters for several miles,
and along which passes the turnpike-road to Glasgow
and Paisley. From the summit of tlie Pad is a magnificent
view towards the east, comprehending much highly
varied and richly beautiful scenery; and from Corkendale-
law the prospect is still more grand. It embraces,
on a clear day, the vale of Leven in Dumbartonshire,
the rock of Dumbarton, Loch Lomond with several of
its picturesque islands, and, in the back ground, Ben-
Lom.ond and the Grampian range. To the east the
view comprehends the fine vale of the Clyde, with the
city of Glasgow, and the entire course of that river from
its source till it loses itself in the Firth of Clyde, the
Pentland hills, and the height of Tinto from its base to
its summit; while on the south are the hills of Cumnock,
Sanquhar, and the county of Kirkcudbright, and,
in the distance, the tops of the Skiddaw and Saddleback
mountains in the county of Cumberland. Towards the
south-west the prospect embraces the extended plains
-of Ayrshire, thickly studded with splendid seats and
graceful villas, the harbour and shipping of Ayr, the
hills of Galloway, the rock of Ailsa, and the mountains
of Morne on the Irish coast. The whole form an impressive
assemblage of objects, which for their number,
variety, and beauty, are seldom equalled.
In this parish the chief river is the Levern, which has
its source in Long loch, and for four miles divides the
lands, passing the villages of Neilston and Barrhead:
after quitting the parish it unites its waters with those
of the White Cart near Cruikstone Castle. The Kirk(ori
stream, issuing from a reservoir of that name, falls into
the Levern at Arthurlee, after a course of about two
miles; and the Brock, which takes that appellation on
leaving the Walton dam, pursues a devious line of si.\
miles, and falls also into the Levern. These streams, in
their rapid course, exhibit much romantic beauty, and
form picturesque cascades, some of which display in
miniature the most striking features of the celebrated
falls of the Clyde. There are several lakes, the principal
of them being Long loch. Loch Libo, and Loch
Cawpla. Long luck, from which, as already observed,
issues the Levern, is about one mile in length and half
a mile broad, and eighteen feet in depth; the shores
possess little variety of scenery. Loch Libu is of elliptic
form, and surrounded by lofty hills, richly wooded to
the water's edge; it has a strikingly ])icturesque appearance,
and from it issues a small stream called the Lugton
water, which flows through the pleasure-grounds of
Eglinton, and falls into the Garuock near Kilwinning.
Loch Caivj/la is but of small extent, though its waters
are increased in winter; and is not characterised by any
interesting features. There are also several reservoirs,
connected with the various works carried on in the parish.
Of these the JIairlaw, which is the most extensive,
covers seventy -two acres of ground, and is about sixteen
feet ii. depth, deriving its principal supply from Long
loch. The Comore reservoir is sixteen acres in extent,
and twenty-four feet deep; and another, to the north of
the Pad, is about fourteen acres in extent and sixteen
feet in depth: the Kirkton and H'alton dams likewise
contain a considerable body of water. There are numerous
springs of an excellent description, the largest of
which, called Aboon the Brae, issues from a rock, and
discharges about forty imperial gallons per minute; also
several wells of the purest water, which never fail in the
driest summers.
In the eastern portion the soil is a dry loam, occasionally
intermixed with gravel; in the hilly district, of
less fertility, but producing good pasture; and in other
parts, moorland and mossy. The whole number of
acres is estimated at 24,320, of which about 16,600 are
arable, a large part in pasture, 870 acres in wood and
plantations, and the remainder, whereof 3000 might be
rendered productive, in moor and waste. The crops
are oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, turnips, cabbages, and
beet. Draining has been carried on to some extent, and
considerable portions of unprofitable land have been
reclaimed, and brought into cultivation, under the auspices
of the Neilston and Neighbourhood Agricultural
Society, instituted in 1S26, and which is conducted with
spirit and success. The lands have been well inclosed,
and the fences are kept in good order. Great attention
is paid to the management of the dairy-farms, upon
which much dependence is placed; about 1100 milchcows
are pastured, chiefly of the pure Ayrshire breed.
Few sheep are bred here, not more indeed than 200;
the larger number are of the Highland or black-faced,
and the others of the Leicestershire breed. In general
the farm houses and buildings are substantial and commodious;
and the more recent improvements in the construction
of agricultural implements have been adopted.
The principal substrata are limestone, ironstone, whinstone,
freestone, and coal; and zeolite of every species
is abundant. The limestone is largely wrought, and
there is an extensive quarry of whinstone at Brownside,
from which more than .50,000 cubic feet are taken annually.
The freestone, of very fine quality, is wrought
at Uplamuir, and is in great request for building. The
coal is at various depths and of various quality. A seam
seven inches in thickness is found at a depth of seven
fathoms from the surface; ten fathoms below it occurs
a seam twelve inches thick, and at a depth of nineteen
fathoms lower is a seam of six inches. At twenty-one
fathoms below this last, is the main coal, which varies
from three and a half feet to five and a half in thickness.
There are three pits in operation, and the aggregate
quantity of coal procured is about 1200 tons per week.
The annual value of real property in the parish is
£28,961.
The abmidanec of coal, and the ntmierous copious
streams by which the parish is intersected, a])i)car to
have excited the attention of enterprising landholders
to the introduction of manufactures; and about the
year 1*68, the Rev. Mr. Miller, in conjunction with
several of the heritors, established a factory for the
manufacturing of inkle. Calico-printing was introduced
soon afterwards, and works wore erected on the banks
of the Levern, at Fereneze, in 1773: these works were
carried on with success; the annual duties paid to the
excise amounted to £3000, and the expenditure in wages
to £2000. A bleachfield was formed the same year, by
Mr. Adair from Ireland, at Cross Arthurlee; which was
followed by similar establishments founded by various
persons. Some of the bleachfields have become printfields,
and the establishments of each branch are nowabout
equal in number. Cotton-spinning was commenced in
17^0, and a mill erected for that purpose at Dovecothall,
on the banks of the river Levern, by Messrs. Stewart,
Dunlop, & Co.: spinning-mills were subsequently
erected, on a larger scale, at Gateside in 1786, at Broadlie
and Arthurlee in 1/90, at Crofthead in 1792, and at
another place in 1801. These several mills, most of
which have been rebuilt or enlarged, are of very spacious
dimensions, and many of them five stories high.
The number of mule spindles in all the mills at present
in operation is 77,826, and of throstle spindles 1344;
the number of looms at work is 230, and the number of
persons constantly employed in spinning and weaving
cotton in the works is 1659, of whom two-thirds are
females. The value of the produce is estimated at
£140,000 per annum, of which £51,.575 are paid in wages.
On the banks of the Levern are four large printfields and
three bleachfields; on the Kirkton stream, one printfield
for dyeing Turkey red, and four bleachfields; and
on the Walton stream, two printfields and one bleachfield.
The aggregate number of people occupied in
printing and bleaching is 20.55, of whom about one-third
are females; and the amount of wages is £47,700 per
annum. An iron-foundry is carried on, for furnishing
the different works with machinery, and for other articles.
Crofthead House, Arthurlee House, and Lower
Arthurlee House are spacious and handsome residences;
and there are several other good houses.
The principal villages are Neilston and Barrhead,
which are inhabited chiefly by persons employed in the
mills, bleachfields, and printfields, and in the various
trades necessary for the supply of this populous parish
with the usual articles of merchandise. The nearest
market-town is Paisley; but the villages abound with
every thing requisite for the accommodation of the inhabitants.
The municipal regulations are wholly under
the direction of the county magistrates, and the peace is
preserved by constables of their appointment. A court
is held alternately at Neilston and Barrhead, for the recovery
of small debts, monthly. There are post-offices
at Neilston and Barrhead, which have a good delivery;
and facility of intercourse is afforded by roads kept in
excellent order, the turnpike-roads from Glasgow to
Irvine, and from Paisley to Ayr, passing through the
whole length of the parish. Numerous bridges cross the
various streams. In 1845 an act was passed authorizing
the construction of a railway from Glasgow, by
Barrhead, to Crofthead, near Neilston: the line is open
as far as Barrhead. In the following year an act was
obtained for a line from Crofthead to Kilmarnock, and
to the Ardrossan railway. There is a mechanics' institution
called the Levern Institution, which has a
library containing a well-assorted collection on scientific
and literary subjects. Fairs are held at Neilston on the
third Tuesdays in February, May, and October, O. S.,
for cattle, and on the fourth Tuesday in July, for horses,
when a horse-race is celebrated. A fair is also held on
the last Friday in June, at Barrhead, chiefly for horseracing,
and on the following Saturday for cattle.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Paisley and synod of (Glasgow
and Ayr. The stipend of the incumbent is £263: the
manse, erected about 1763, and enlarged and repaired in
1809, is a handsome and comfortable residence, delightfully
situated; and the glebe comprises about eight
acres of profitable land, valued at £24 per annum. Neilston
church is an ancient edifice of the later English
style of architecture, repaired and new-seated in 1798;
it is well situated for the parishioners generally, and is
adapted for a congregation of 830 persons. There are
places of worship for the Free Church and the United
Presbyterian Church. The parochial school affords a
liberal course of instruction; the master has a salary of
£34, with a large house and garden, and the fees average
upwards of £60 per annum, exclusive of private tuition,
yielding £30. There are five schools maintained by the
proprietors of the cotton-works, for the instruction of
the children employed by them, in reading, writing, and
arithmetic; and seven others, four of which are for
females, supported exclusively by the fees. The aggregate
number of children taught in the several schools
exceeds 1000. Very few vestiges of antiquity are to be
seen in the parish. Two of the springs, called Holy
wells, point to the existence of some religious establishments
here at an early period; but there are no remains,
nor is any thing recorded of their history. Baron
Mure of the exchequer, at one time member of parliament
for the county, a man of profound learning and of
great eloquence, was a native of the parish. Mr. John
Robertson, the inventor of the self-acting mule, which
has contributed so much to the improvement and perfection
of cotton-spinning, was also connected with the
parish of Neilston.