LUCE-OLD, or Glenluce, a village and parish, in
the county of Wigtown; containing '2448 inhabitants,
of whom 890 are in the village, 10 miles (E. by S.) from
Stranraer. This parish anciently included New Luce,
the two places together forming the parish of Leuce or
Glenluce, which was divided in 1646 into two parts, one
called New, and the other Old. The abbey of Glenluce,
situated in the deep valley of the river Luce, was founded
in 1190 by Roland Macdoiiald, Lord of Galloway, and
Constable of Scotland, and was the abode of Cistercian
monks who came from Melrose. It was converted in
1602, by James VI., into a temporal barony, in favour of
Lawrence Gordon, abbot of the place; and on the death
of Lawrence, it was bestowed by royal charter on his
elder brother John, Dean of Salisbury, who, dying in
1619, was succeeded in the barony by his son-in-law Sir
Robert Gordon, the historian. Subsequently it was annexed
to the see of Galloway; and at the close of the
seventeenth century, being again made a barony, it conferred
the title of Lord Glenluce upon Sir James Dalrymple
of Carrick, whose son became Lord Glenluce and
Earl of Stair. Thomas Hay had been appointed commendator
of the abbey, in 1560, by a bull from the Pope;
and from him Sir James Dalrymple Hay of Park, the
present proprietor of the abbey, is descended.
The PARISH is ten miles long and eight miles broad,
and contains 40,350 acres. It is bounded on the north
by New Luce; on the south by the bay of Luce; on
the east by Mochrum and Kirkowan; and on the west
by Inch and Stonykirk. Except in the immediate neighbourhood
of the bay, the surface is irregular and hilly.
Besides a considerable number of perennial springs, the
water of which, issuing from rock, is unusually clear and
cold, there are several small lakes, and the two rivers
Luce and Pooltanton, the former of which is here about
thirty feet wide. It runs for twenty-one miles from its
source in Ayrshire, and empties itself into the bay almost
at the same place as the stream of Pooltanton. In each
of these rivers salmon and sea-trout are taken. The soil
varies to a considerable extent, but that which most prevails
is of a gravelly or .sandy nature, and is light and
dry; the best land is found in the southern parts, and
in the vicinity of the river Luce. In some places the
soil contains large mixtures of moss, clay, or loam, and
runs to the depth of two or three feet. The annual
crops are as follows: 400 acres of wheat, 1350 of oats,
454 rye-grass, 259 meadow-hay, 60 of peas and beans,
467 of potatoes, and 160 of turnips. About 10,000
acres are uncultivated, and between 300 and 400 are
occupied by wood. Within the last thirty or torty
years the agricultural appearance of the parish has undergone
a total change. Large quantities of waste land
have been brought into cultivation; and the increase of
dairies, supplying plenty of manure, together with the
prevalence of the green-cropping system, has produced
the most beneficial effect. In those parts which are suited
for pasture, especially among the moors, cattle of the
Galloway breed are preferred; the sheep most esteemed
are of the black-faced breed, with horns, and producing
long coarse wool. In the south are some superior
dairy-farms, where more than 6000 stone of cheese are
made every year. The farm-buildings are in general
commodious, and in good condition. The subsoil of the
parish is gravelly or sandy, except in the heavier soils,
and extends to a very considerable depth. The rocks
are the ordinary greywacke, intermixed with quartz, and
granite is found in almost every direction. A greywacke
quarry in the vicinity of the village has been wrought
for some years, to the great advantage of the parish.
The annual value of real property in Old Luce is
In the parish are three castles, viz., the castle of Park,
the former residence of the Hays; Castle Synniness; and
Carsecreuch, once the residence of the Earls of Stair:
but of these seats one only is entire. Genoch and
Balkail are modern mansions. The village is situated
upon the road leading from Newton-Stewart to Stranraer.
There are two corn-mills, two carding- mills, a
dye-mill, and a flax-mill. Cattle-markets are held near
the village, from April to December, on the first Friday
in each month; and a fair in the month of May: there
is a regular post in the village, and the mail from Dumfries
to Portpatrick runs through the place every day.
Within two miles of it is a harbour in the bay, suited to
receive small craft bringing coal and lime; but no larger
vessels can approach this part of the shore. Ecclesiastically
the parish is within the bounds of the presbytery
of Stranraer, synod of Galloway, and the patronage is
vested in the Crown: the stipend of the minister is
£15S, of which nearly half is received from the exchequer;
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £30 per
annum. Old Luce church, erected in 1814, is a commodious
edifice, and situated close to the village. The
members of the United Presbyterian Church have a place
of worship. The master of the parochial school has a
salary of £'i'). 13., with a house and garden; and his
fees average between £30 and £40. There are several
other scho(jls, of which two are connected with dissenters,
and one is supported by the Hay family. The chief
remains of antiquity are the abbey ruins; the chapterhouse
is still in good condition, and its arches are distinguished
by antique figures of white freestone. The
celebrated characters connected with the parish have
been, John (lordon, Dean of Salisbury, eminent for
numerous literary works; Sir Robert (iordcm, the historian;
and the Rev. Robert Mc Ward, a theological and
controversial writer in the reigns of Charles I. and
Charles II.