ERSKINE, a parish, in the Upper ward of the
county of Renfrew, 10 miles (N. N. W.) from Glasgow;
containing, with the village of Bishopton, 1407 inhabitants.
This place, the name of which is of uncertain
origin, is of considerable antiquity: according to most
historians, the lands were conferred upon the founder
of the Erskine family by Malcolm II., in reward of his
valour at the battle of Murthill, in which he slew with
his own hand Enrique, one of the Danish generals, whose
head he presented to that sovereign after the victory.
The parish is beautifully situated on the river Clyde, and
extends along its south bank for nearly eight miles
and a half, increasing in breadth from the western extremity,
where it is less than two miles, to the eastern
extremity, where it is more than three miles broad. It
is bounded on the east by the parish of Inchinnan, on
the south by that of Houston and Killallan, and on the
west by the parish of Kilmalcolm. Though level near
the shore, the surface rises rapidly towards the south;
and the higher grounds command diversified prospects
over the Firth of Clyde and the opposite coast of Dumbartonshire,
embracing the castle of Dumbarton; to the
west of the parish appear Port-Glasgow and Greenock,
and in the east the park and pleasure-grounds of Erskine
House, the splendid seat of Lord Blantyre. The more
distant view of Dumbartonshire abounds with objects of
romantic beauty and interesting character; the vale of
Leven is visible, interspersed with elegant villas, and
further off are seen, in clear weather, the waters of Loch
Lomond, and the lofty mountain of Ben-Lomond. The
river Clyde, near Erskine House, retains its original
character, and its banks are conspicuous for picturesque
scenery. It is crossed by two ferries within the limits
of the parish. Erskine ferry, which communicates with
the village of Old Kilpatrick, is under good management,
and has an excellent inn, much frequented by parties of
pleasure from Glasgow. The Western ferry, about six
miles from the former, connects the parish with Dumbarton.
The whole number of acres is 7109, of which 5 123 are
arable, 554 woodland and plantations, 800 meadow and
pasture, and the remainder moss and waste. The soil
is various, but in general light; in the north-eastern
portion, a dark grey mould mixed with gravel; and in
other places, clay alternated with sand. The crops are
oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and turnips, with the usual
grasses; the rotation system of husbandry is prevalent,
and much improvement in agriculture has been effected
under the auspices of Lord Blantyre. Tile-draining has
been extensively introduced, and works for the making
of tiles, for which clay of excellent quality is found, have
been established on their respective lands by Lord Blantyre
and Mr. Rodger. The farm-houses are generally
substantial and commodious, and most of the lands are
inclosed either with fences of hawthorn, or with walls of
stone. The dairy-farms are well managed: the cows are
principally the Ayrshire, with some few of a mixed breed
between the Ayrshire and Guernsey; the average number
on the several farms is about 350, and 450 young
cows and black-cattle are pastured on the hills. Few
horses are kept except those for agricultural use. The
annual value of real property in the parish is £8182. The
plantations are chiefly larch, Scotch, spruce, and silver
firs; and the prevailing woods, oak, elm, beech, ash,
walnut, horse-chesnut, and sycamore, of which there are
some remarkably fine trees. The substratum is partly
gravel, mixed with clay, and interspersed with large
boulders of greywacke and granite; in the south-eastern
part of the parish, carboniferous rock; and towards the
western extremity the hills are wholly of trap rock of
porphyritic quality, containing crystals of felspar, with
amygdaloids of calcareous spar. On the West ferry
hill, while cutting through it for the formation of the
Glasgow and Greenock railway, the workmen discovered
some fine basaltic columns. Zeolites have been found
in the trap rocks; and in the Bishopton ridge is a
new mineral, called "Greenockite " in honour of Lord
Greenock, who discovered it, and which has, on analysis,
proved to be a protosulphate of cadmium. There are
two quarries of freestone on the lands of Lord Blantyre,
from which materials were taken for the erection of the
church, the mansion-house of Erskine, and other buildings;
there is a similar quarry on the lands of Mr.
Rodger, and in several parts of the parish whinstone is
wrought for the roads.
Erskine House, beautifully situated on a terrace overlooking
the Clyde, was erected by the late Lord Blantyre
from a design by Sir Robert Smirke, of London. It is
a fine structure in the Elizabethan style of architecture,
ornamented with richly-crocketed pinnacles, and forming
an imposing and highly interesting feature in the
scenery of the coast. The principal building is 185 feet
in length. The mansion contains upwards of seventyfive
rooms, of which seven are public rooms of large size
and beautiful proportions, including a picture-gallery 118
feet long. The internal decorations are costly and
magnificent. The demesne is richly wooded, and embellished
with flourishing plantations; the pleasuregrounds
are tastefully laid out, and contain an obelisk
erected by the gentry of Renfrewshire as a tribute of
respect to the memory of the late Lord Blantyre, lord
lieutenant of the county, and major-general in the
British army, who was accidentally shot during the revolution
at Brussels in 1830. Drums is a mansion-house
in good repair, the residence of the Darroch family.
Dargavel, built in 1584, is an interesting castellated
mansion, in that style of French architecture introduced
into Scotland by Mary, Queen of Scots; the lower story
is strongly vaulted, and in the flanking towers are loopholes
for the discharge of musketry. Bishopton House
was once a favourite country residence belonging to the
Archbishop of Glasgow.
The population is agricultural; but some of the females
are employed in spinning fine yarn for the manufacture
of thread, first introduced into Scotland by Miss Shaw
of Bargarran, who by repeated efforts succeeded in producing
an article of superior quality, which, being carried
by Lady Blantyre to Bath, was eagerly purchased
by the lace manufacturers of that neighbourhood, and
under the name of Bargarran thread, obtained a high
price. The making of this thread is carried on extensively
in Paisley, and affords employment to numbers of
the female population of the district. A post-ofiice has
been estabhshed at Bishopton, and facility of intercourse
with the neighbouring towns is afforded by the road and
railway from Glasgow to Greenock, which both pass
through the parish, and by good roads kept in repair by
statute labour: boats, also, from Glasgow to Greenock,
touch almost every hour at Erskine ferry. The railway
passes through Dargavel moss, where the operations
were long and formidably retarded by the soft and yielding
nature of the ground, which occasioned great difficulty
in procuring a solid bed for the rails. Having
crossed the moss, the line enters a deep cutting through
Baranguy hill: at the deepest portion of this cutting,
the railway is spanned by a handsome bridge of three
arches; and on quitting the cutting, the line traverses
a heavy embankment, over a portion of the lands of
Rossland. Shortly after passing Rossland House, the
line enters a deep excavation through Bishopton hill.
This cutting, which extends upwards of a mile in length,
and includes a long tunnel, was one of the most difficult
undertakings connected with the enterprise, the whole
being cut through the whinstone ridge, or trap dyke,
which intersects the valley of the Clyde at this point,
and of which the rock of Dumbarton Castle forms perhaps
a projecting ramification. In its further progress,
the line proceeds by the Bishopton station, and approaches
the shore of the Firth of Clyde, along which
it passes on an embankment of very considerable magnitude.
It then arrives at the West ferry station, and
continues its course in proximity to the Clyde, crossing
the lands of various proprietors, and, after traversing a
slight embankment, passing through a deep whinstone
cutting. Thus, its course through the parish comprises
some unusually difficult and important works. There
are fisheries on the Clyde, but they are quite unimportant;
the few salmon that are taken here are generally
sent to Glasgow.
Ecclesiastically the parish is within the bounds of the
presbytery of Greenock, synod of Glasgow and Ayr:
the minister's stipend is £279, with a manse, and a glebe
valued at £9. 12. 9. per annum; patron. Lord Blantyre.
Erskine church, having become ruinous, was taken down
in 1813, and a new church erected near its site, on ground
given by Lord Blantyre; it is a neat structure in the
Elizabethan style of architecture, containing 500 sittings.
There is likewise a place of worship for members of the
Free Church. A parochial library, containing about 400
volumes, is supported by subscription. The parochial
school, for which a handsome and spacious building has
been erected, is well attended; the master has a salary of
£30, with a house, and the fees average £30 per annum.
There is also a subscription school, lately rebuilt.