KILMADOCK, a parish (important), in the county
of Perth, 9 miles (N. \V.) from Stirling; containing,
with the former quoad sacra parish of Deanston and
part of that of Norrieston, the town of Doune, and the
villages of Buchany and Drumvaich, 4055 inhabitants.
This place derives its name from the dedication of its
ancient church to St. Madocus or Madock, one of the
Culdees, who lived here in sequestered solitude. It is
sometimes called the parish of Doune, from the removal
of the parochial church to the town of that name. The
parish, which is situated in the western part of the
county between the Ochil and the Grampian hills, includes
a portion of the old stewartry of Monteith, and
is about twelve miles in length and nearly of equal
breadth, comprising an area of 51,200 acres, of which a
considerable i)art is waste. Its surface is varied with
hills, of which the most conspicuous is Uamvar or
Uaiglimor, referred to in the I.ailii of I lie l.dke as " the
wild heights of Uamvar", and commanding an extensive
and richly-diversified ])rosi)ect over the adjacent country:
the lands are intersected, also, with numerous small
vales. The ground rises fnnn the river Forth, which
bounds the parish on the south, by a regular and gradual
ascent, to a great elevation: and on the acclivity of
Uamvar is a large cavern, said to have been, till the year
1750, the retreat of bands of robbers. The river Teith
rises in two streams, one of which flows through Lochs
Katrine, Achray, and Vennachar, and the other passes
by the braes of Balquhidder, and runs through Lochs
Voil and Lubnaig: above Callander they form one
stream, which intersects the parish, and falls into the
Forth about two miles above Stirling. The river Ardoch
issues from Loch Maghaig, and uniting with the burn
of Garvald, joins the Teith below the castle of Doune.
The river Kelty bounds the parish on the west, and
flows into the Teith at Cambusmore; and the Annat, or
Cambus, which makes some picturesque cascades near
the site of the old mansion of Annat, and has formed a
deep glen in the solid rock, called the Caldron Linn,
runs into the Teith at the ancient church of Kilmadock.
There are two considerable lakes in the parish. Loch
Watston on the lands of Gartincaber, and Loch Maghaig
in the braes of Doune, each of circular form, and about
a mile in diameter. Numerous springs flow from the
sides of the Grampians, and from the acclivities of
Uamvar. Near the burn of Garvald is one issuing out
of the solid rock, in the form of a spout; the water is
supposed to possess mineral qualities, but has not been fully analysed.
In this parish the soil is exceedingly various; near
the Forth, a fine carse clay; on the rising grounds to
the north, rich garden mould; upon the south bank of
the Teith, a tilly loam, but on the north bank less productive,
being alternated with sand. The soil around
Doune, being enriched with the manure of the town, is
luxuriantly fertile. The crops are wheat, barley, oats,
beans, peas, potatoes, and turnips, with rye-grass, flax,
and clover. Of late years, the system of agriculture has
been much improved; and considerable tracts of waste
land have been rendered fertile, and brought into profitable
cultivation, by the adoption of the Deanston plan
of thorough-draining and subsoil ploughing, introduced
by Mr. Smith. The farm-buildings have also been much
improved, and are in general substantial and commodious.
The cattle are principally of the Highland breed,
for which the pastures are better adapted than for feeding
sheep: a few sheep, however, are kept, chiefly on the
braes of Doune, and on the moors of Lanrick and Cambusmore.
There is little wood of native growth; but
plantations have been formed on the lands of the Earl of
Moray, to whom one-third of the parish belongs, and on
the pleasure-grounds of Cambusmore and Newton, which
are celebrated in his Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter
Scott, who visited here in his youth. The mansions are
Doune Lodge, Gartincaber, Lanrick Castle, Cambusmore,
Newton, and Argaty. Doune is a post-town, and the
cotton manufacture is carried on extensively at Deanston,
besides which there are several villages in the parish,
noticed under their respective heads. Facihty of communication
is afforded by statute-labour roads; and a
suspension-bridge has been thrown over the river Teith,
at Lanrick, under the superintendence of Mr. Smith of
Deanston. The annual value of real property in the
parish is £18,200.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dunblane, synod of Perth
and Stirling. The minister's stipend is about £260, with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £7 per annum; patroness.
Lady Willoughby de Eresby. The ancient church of
Kilmadock, with the exception of the eastern gable, was
taken down in 17-14, and a church was erected at Doune,
which is now the parish church; it is a handsome structure
in the later English style, and is seated for 1121
persons, but capable of holding a congregation of 1400.
A service of communion-plate, consisting of silver cups,
&c., was presented by William Mitchell, Esq., of Jamaica,
a native of the town of Doune. In the town are two
places of worship for members of the Free Church, a
meeting-house for Wesleyans, and a congregation of Independents;
and at Bridge of Teith a place of worship
in connexion with the United Presbyterian Synod. The
parochial schoolmaster has the maximum salary and the
legal accommodation, and the school, though not sufficiently
commodious, with the other schools in the parish,
two of which are partially endowed, may afford instruction
to about 600 children.