MANOR, a parish, in the county of Peebles, 2^
miles (S. W.) from Peebles; containing about 240 inhabitants.
This parish, the name of which is of very uncertain
derivation, is nine miles in length from northeast
to south-west, and about three miles in average
breadth. It is bounded for nearly two miles by the
river Tweed, and comprises 17,030 acres, of which 14,800
are hilly moorland affording tolerable pasture for sheep,
1630 arable and in cultivation, 400 woodland and plantations,
and the remainder waste. The surface is varied,
consisting chiefly of one continued valley, inclosed on
either side by a lofty range of hills, and broken by two
detached hills of considerable elevation, one of which is
wholly, and the other only partly, within the limits of
the parish. The hills on both sides of the vale are of
steep ascent, and in some places prdject boldly towards
the margin of the stream called the Manor Water, which
flows through the whole extent of the parish. Dollar
Law, the highest point in these ranges, is 2840 feet
above the level of the sea, and commands an extensive
prospect over the Lothians, the county of Berwick, and
the English border; the other hills vary from 1500 to
2000 feet in height. The Water has its source in the
mountains towards the south boundary of the parish,
and, after a winding course, flows into the Tweed about
two miles above Peebles. Salmon ascend the stream
about October to deposit their spawn, and considerable
numbers are destroyed by poachers during the winter.
Formerly it abounded with yellow and dark-coloured
trout of excellent quality, and was much frequented by
anglers; a few salmon and sea-trout are still taken in
the autumn, and par are found in great abundance.
The SOI L in the plains, and lower portions of the hills,
is a rich loam and clay, but of no great depth, and in
other parts light and thin, intermixed with sand and
clay, with some alternations of loanl resting on gravel.
In the higher lands is a considerable portion of moss,
with which, also, most of the pastures are slightly interspersed.
The crops are oats, barley, wheat, peas, potatoes,
and turnips. The system of agriculture is in an
advanced state: the lower lands have been drained, and
considerable portions of waste made fertile; the farmbuildings
are substantial and conveniently arranged, and
the lands are well inclosed. In this parish the average
number of sheep pastured is 7400; they are of the blackfaced
breed, with a cross of the Cheviot: the cattle, of
which about 300 are pastured, are chiefly of the shorthorned
breed. The plantations have been very much
improved and extended of late; they are well managed,
and in a thriving condition. The substrata are principally
greywacke and clay-slate; the former has been
quarried to a small extent, and a few minerals have
been found embedded in the seams. Rich specimens of
galena have been met with, in boulders, in the channel
of the Manor Water; and in one part of the parish a
vein has been discovered: an attempt to work the galena
was made some years since, but was abandoned.
Barns is a handsome modern mansion, finely situated on
the banks of the Tweed; and Hallyards is an ancient
mansion, pleasantly seated in the valley. The nearest
market-town is Peebles, with which, and with other
towns in the neighbourhood, facility of intercourse is
afforded by good roads.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Peebles, synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, and in the
patronage of the Earl of Wemyss: the minister's stipend
averages about £155, with a manse, and a glebe
valued at above £30 per annum. Manor church, an
ancient edifice, and inconveniently situated, is in good
repair, and is adapted for a congregation of at least 200
persons. The parochial school affords a good course of
instruction, and is well attended; the master has a
salary of £34 per annum, with £14 fees, and a house.
Near the farm of Cademuir are the remains of an ancient
circular camp, supposed to be of British or Danish
origin. It appears to have been surrounded with four
intrenchments, between which are regular intervals of
about twelve paces. The ramparts are fifteen feet in
breadth at the base, and about the same height, and are
intersected by a road fifteen feet wide, leading to the interior
circle; one half only of the lines is remaining, and
there are no traces of the corresponding semicircles. In
a commanding situation upon a hill called Chester Hill
are the remains of a camp with a double intrenchment
of loose stones, the outer one of oval form; the area of
the inner inclosure is circular, and has a regular descent
towards the centre. Several intrenchments on a smaller
scale are to be seen in the parish. There are likewise
remains existing of strongholds belonging to various
chieftains, which appear to have formed a continued
chain of fortifications extending from one extremity of
the barony to the other; the first of the series was at
Mauorhead, and the last at Barns, which communicated
with Needpath Castle, on the Tweed. Dr. Adam Ferguson,
author of the History of the Roman Republic, lived
for many years at Hallyards. In 1845, Messrs. Chambers,
of Edinburgh, who are natives of the neighbouring
parish of Peebles, erected a gravestone in the churchyard
here over the remains of David Ritchie, the original of
the " Black Dwarf" of Sir Walter Scott; the misanthrope
spent the greater part of his life in Manor parish,
and his hut is still in good preservation, and an object
of curiosity to tourists. Sir Walter used to pay frequent
visits at Hallyards, and thus became acquainted
with Davie.