TUNDERGARTH, a parish, in the county of Dumfries,
3 miles (E. by S.) from Lockerbie; containing
524 inhabitants. This appears to have been one of the
principal seats of the Johnstoncs, Marquesses of Annandale,
of whose ancient castle some very slight vestiges
are still remaining, and between whom and the Johnstones
of Lockerbie there were frequent and inveterate
feuds for many years. The parish is bounded by the
river Milk, and is nearly thirteen miles in length and
from a mile and a half to two miles in breadth, comprising
about 10,800 acres, of which 3000 are arable,
160 woodland and plantations, and the remainder hillpasture,
moor, and waste. Its surface is generally
imdulatcd, and in some parts abruptly precipitous; but
the only hills of any considerable elevation are those of
Grange Fell and Crievc, which rise about 900 feet above
the level of the sea. The river, which skirts the parish
on the north and west, is beautifully picturesque throughout
the whole of its winding course. It receives nume-
rous rivulets rising in the higher grounds, and flowing
through the deep valleys with which the parish is intersected.
The SOIL is various, but mostly fertile in the valleys;
towards the hills, thin and cold, resting on a subsoil of
till and gravel; and in other parts, rocky, and alternated
with indurated clay. There are some extensive peatmosses
in the upper districts, and the hills aflFord good
pasturage for sheep. Crops are raised of grain of all
kinds, potatoes, turnips, and the various grasses; the
system of husbandry is improved, and the arable lands
are under good cultivation. The farms are from 100 to
200 acres in extent, with some of smaller size; they have
been well drained, and inclosed partly with stone dykes,
and partly with hedges of thorn. In general the sheep
are of the Cheviot breed, but on some farms is a cross
with the Leicestershire, which is found to be well
adapted for the English market; much attention is
paid to their improvement, and large numbers are
reared in the sheep-walks, which occupy nearly half
the parish. The cattle, of which considerable numbers
are also reared, are of the Galloway breed; and the
greatest care is shown in the selection of the finest
bulls in the county for the improvement of the stock.
The sheep and cattle are sent to Lockerbie and Dumfries,
whence they are forwarded to England. There
are some remains of ancient woods, chiefly on the lands
of Whitstone Hill, consisting of ash of venerable growth;
but the parish generally is destitute of old timber. Plantations,
however, have been formed in various parts, all
of which are in a thriving state; and on the estate of
Grange, especially, are some extensive plantations of
trees of every kind, which have attained a luxuriant
growth, and add much to the beauty of the scenery.
The substrata are transition slate and clay-slate, greywacke,
and occasionally greenstone. Repeated attempts
have been made to discover lead-ore, but without success;
some fine specimens of antimony have been found;
and coal is supposed to exist in some places, but none
has yet been actually discovered. Of the houses belonging
to landed proprietors, the principal are Whitstone
Hill, Pierceby Hall, Grange, and Gibsontown; they are
beautifully situated, and surrounded with flourishing
plantations. There is no village; the inhabitants are
all engaged either in agricultural or pastoral pursuits,
except a few who are employed in the handicraft trades
requisite for the accommodation of the immediate neighbourhood.
The nearest market-town is Lockerbie, with
which facility of communication is maintained by a road
extending more than eight miles through the parish,
and kept in good repair, but inconveniently hilly. Aa
excellent road might be constructed near the banks of
the Milk, which would be level, and pass through the
most interesting part of the district.
For KCCLESiASTicAL purposcs this place is within the
limits of the presbytery of Lochmaben and synod of
Dumfries. The minister's stipend is £156. 15., with a
manse, and a globe valued at £10 per annum; patron,
the Earl of Mansfield. The church, erected about the
year 177''>i is a neat plain structure conveniently situated.
The parochial school affords instruction to about
seventy children: the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4.,
with a house and garden, and the fees average £20 per
annum; he has also the interest of a bequest of £100
for the gratuitous instruction of poor children. Some
traces of a Roman road leading from the camp on
Burnswark Hill were lately discovered, formed of broad
flat stones, and about eight feet in width; it had been
covered with earth about nine inches in depth. There
are also various British camps on eminences, each surrounded
by a strong vallum and fosse, and inclosing an
area of about an acre; they are supposed to have been
places of safety during the border warfare, and in some
of them urns have been found containing human bones
and ashes. On the farm of Whifeholm are the remains
of a Druidical circle consisting of seven upright stones j
and about a mile distant were two large cairns, and also
one on the lands of Grange, on the removal of which for
constructing dykes, were found human skeletons in
rudely-formed coffins of square slabs of stone.