AVONDALE, a parish, in the Middle ward of the
county of Lanark; containing, with the market-town of
Strathaven, 6180 inhabitants. The proper name of this
parish, which, from its including the market-town, has
been called sometimes Strathaven, and by contraction
Straven, is Avondale, an appellation derived from its
position on the river Avon, by which it is divided into
two nearly equal parts. The barony of Avondale was
anciently the property of the Baird family, and subsequently
belonged to the Earl of Douglas, on whose
forfeiture in 1455 it was granted by James III. to
Andrew Stewart, whom he created Lord Avondale, and
who exchanged it for the barony of Ochiltree with Sir
James Hamilton, in whose family it has ever since
remained. The place has derived some historical celebrity
from the defeat of the troops under General
Claverhouse, at Drumclog, by a congregation of Covenanters
who had assembled there for public worship on
Sunday, the 1st of June, 1679, and, anticipating an
attack by the former, who were stationed at Strathaven,
had provided themselves with arras for their defence.
On the approach of Claverhouse with his dragoons, the
armed part of the congregation went forward to meet
him, and taking post on soft level ground, having before
them a rivulet, over which the general had to pass, and
of which the bank was from its softness impassable to
the cavalry, defeated his forces with considerable loss,
the general himself escaping with difficulty. In 1820,
the place was disturbed by a few rioters (old men and
boys) under the command of James Wilson, who, upon
false intelligence that a rebellion against the government
had broken out in Glasgow, marched thither to join the
insurgents; but they were instantly dispersed, and their
leader, who was made prisoner, was brought to the
scaffold, and suffered the penalty of his folly.
The parish comprises about 32,000 acres, of which
15,000 are arable, and the remainder, with the exception
of some tracts of moss and marsh land, formerly more
extensive, is in pasture. Its surface is generally level,
rising gently from the banks of the river towards the
south and west, and partially intersected with ridges and
small hills, the highest of which, situated towards the
borders of Ayrshire, scarcely attain an elevation of more
than 900 feet above the sea. Of these the most prominent
are Kype's rigg, and Hawkwood and Dungivel
hills, with the picturesque but smaller eminences of
Floors hills and Kirkhill. The Avon, which rises on
the confines of Ayrshire, in its course through the parish
receives numerous tributary streams, the chief being the
Cadder and Pomilion on the north, and the Givel, the
Lochan, and the Kype on the south: the waters of the
Kype, about a mile south of the town, are precipitated
from a height of nearly fifty feet, forming an interesting
fall. In all these streams trout is abundant. Salmon
were formerly found in the Avon, even at its source;
but latterly their progress upward has been intercepted.
The scenery of the parish, though destitute of ornamental
wood, is pleasiugly varied, and in many parts
picturesque. The soil is generally fertile. The crops comprise oats
and barley, with some wheat; potatoes are also raised
in great quantities, and are sold for seed; but though
the soil is extremely favourable for turnips, they are not
much cultivated. There are numerous dairy-farms, and
the pastures throughout the parish are luxuriant; great
numbers of cows, principally of the Ayrshire breed, are
pastured here, and there are at present not less than
2000 acres of undivided common. The Clydesdale breed
of horses is reared here in considerable numbers. Many
improvements have been made in draining; and the
whole' of Strathaven moss, comprising above 200 acres
of unprofitable land, has been reclaimed, affording more
valuable crops than any other portion of the parish.
The parish is capable of very great improvement: by
judicious draining, and inclosing with hedge-rows and
belts of planting, not only would its aspect be improved,
but in twenty years the rental might be doubled. A
tile-work has been built at Drumclog within the last
few years. The annual value of real property in the
parish is £24,785. Whinstone abounds, as does also
ironstone; and limestone is found in several parts, and
burnt for agricultural purposes: coal is also found in
the neighbourhood of the limekilns, in considerable
quantity, and of a quality sufficient for burning the lime,
but not adapted to household use. The moors abound
with grouse and other game, and the Duke of Hamilton
has an extensive tract of pasture land for sheep, which is
kept for grouse shooting; partridges are also numerous
in the lower lands, and plovers and wild ducks are every
where abundant. Besides the two turnpike-roads leading
westward towards Ayr and Muirkirk, there are
parish roads with the necessary bridges, to the extent of
sixty miles, all in good repair: the bridges, however, are
in general too narrow.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Hamilton, synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and in the
patronage of the Duke of Hamilton. The minister's
stipend is £305. 2. 6., with a manse, and the glebe is
valued at £24 per annum. There is also an assistant
minister, appointed by his grace, to whom a stipend of
500 marks is paid, according to the will of the late
" good Duchess Anne "; he visits the sick, and catechises
the parishioners. The church, erected in 1772, is a
plain edifice with an unfinished spire, adapted for a
congregation of 800 persons. Under the auspices of the
present minister, an additional church has been erected
for 900 persons, at an expense of £1400, to which a
district called East Strathaven has been assigned, and
which is supplied by a minister appointed by the congregation.
There are places of worship for the United
Presbyterian Synod. The parochial school affords an
efficient education; the master's salary is £34. 4. 4.,
with £36 from fees, and a good house and garden.
There is also a parochial school for East Strathaven.
Some remains of a Roman road may be traced on the
south side of the river Avon, passing by the farm of
Walesley; and on the lands of Genncrhill, small coins
and Roman sandals have been discovered. Roman coins
have also been found on the lands of Torfoot, near
Loudoun hill, supposed to have been in the line of the
Romans, in their route through the Caledonian forest,
towards the western coast.