UPHALL, a parish, in the county of Linlithgow;
including the villages of Broxburn and Uphall, and containing
in 1845 about 1270 inhabitants, of whom 500
were in the village of Broxburn, and 220 in the village of
Uphall, the latter 12 miles (W. by S.) from Edinburgh.
This place, originally called Strathbrock, signifying " the
valley of brocks or badgers", appears to have derived its
modern name from the erection of the present parish
church at a spot designated Uphall. The manor of
Strathbrock was once the property of the Sutherland
family, from whom it went to the Douglases in the
earlier part of the fifteenth century. After passing to
various other families, it was purchased from the Oliphants
by Sir Lewis Stewart, whose grand-daughter
conveyed it by marriage to Henry, Lord Cardross, whose
descendant, the Earl of Buchan, is the present proprietor.
The PARISH is bounded on the east and south-east
by the river Almond, and measures about four miles in
length and three in breadth, comprising an area of 3920
acres, of which 3500 are arable and in cultivation, with a
due proportion of meadow and pasture; 178 in plantations;
and the remainder, one-half moorland, and onehalf
natural wood. Its surface is diversified with hill
and dale, but the hills attain no great elevation, the
highest part not being more than 380 feet above the
level of the sea. On the north-west, where the church
and manse are situated, the lands command a fine view
towards the east and south-east, embracing Edinburgh,
Arthur's Seat, and the Pentland hills, with North-Berwick
Law and the Lammermoor hills in the distance.
The only stream that intersects the parish is the Broxburn,
on which stands the village of that name.
The SOIL consists generally of clay, alternated with
clayey loam, and has been greatly benefited by the ample
use of manure, of which large quantities are brought
from Edinburgh by the Union canal. Agriculture is
advanced, and most of the lands are in a high state of
cultivation: the rotation plan of husbandry is of course
adopted. Crops are raised of oats, wheat, barley, and
the usual green crops; and the pasturage is good:
furrow-draining has made considerable progress, and
the lands are well inclosed with ditches, and fences of
thorn. Considerable attention is paid to the management
of the dairy, and to the improvement of live-stock.
There are not many sheep, but some of the Leicester
breed have been introduced, and thrive well; the cattle
are chiefly the short-horned and the Ayrshire, and the
horses for agricultural uses are of the Clydesdale breed.
The produce of the dairies is excellent, and large quantities
of butter and milk are sent to the Edinburgh
market. Here are strata of coal, ironstone, and freestone.
The coal has been wrought from a remote
period, and a mine is still in operation on the Houston
estate, in which about twenty persons are employed.
The freestone, which is of good quality, is extensively
wrought; and since the formation of the Union canal
much of it has been forwarded to Edinburgh, and used
in the erection of some of the principal buildings there.
The ironstone has not yet been wrought. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £6328.
KirkhiU, the ancient seat of the Earls of Buchan;
Amondell House, the seat of the present earl; Houston
House, the residence of Norman Shairp, Esq., an ancient
mansion; and Middleton Hall, a handsome modern mansion,
the residence of Robert VV. Maxwell, Esq., are the
principal seats. The village of Broxburn is pleasantly
situated; and both there, and in the village of Uphall, is
a post-office connected with that of Edinburgh: a fair
for cattle is held at the former village, on the Friday
after the second Tuesday in September. Facility of
communication is alfordeil by the Edinburgh and Glasgow
road through Bathgate, by the Union canal, the
Bathgate railway, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow
railway, all of which cross the Almond valley, and intersect
the parish. Ecclesiastically this place is within the
limits of the presbytery of Linlithgow, synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend averages £265,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £20 per annum;
patron, the Earl of Buchan. The church, part of which
has the appearance of great antiquity, is a plain structure
containing nearly 300 sittings. There is a place of
worship in connexion with the Free Church in the village
of Broxburn. The parochial school is situated in
the same village; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4.,
with a house and garden, and the fees. There is also a
female school in the village of Uphall, supported almost
exclusively by the fees. The poor have £40 per annum,
arising from a small property vested in the Kirk Session.
The Hon. Henry Erskine, lord advocate of Scotland in
1782 and in 1806, and his brother, lord high chancellor
of Great Britain, were both natives of this parish; and
their remains are deposited in the family vault of the
Earls of Buchan, adjoining the church.