MINTO, a parish, in the district of Jedburgh,
county of Roxburgh; containing, with part of the
suppressed parish of Hassendean, 45.5 inhabitants, of
whom 90 are in the village of Minto, 5| miles (N. E. by
E.) from Hawick, and the remainder in the rural districts
of the parish. This place, the name of which is
of very questionable origin, is of considerable antiquity.
It anciently formed part of the possessions of the powerful
families of the Stewarts and the Turnbulls: the
estate afterwards belonged to the Riddells, and was purchased
before the Union by Sir Gilbert Elliot, a lord of
session; ancestor of the Earl of Minto, lord privy seal, the
present proprietor of the estate, and one of the four heritors
in the parish. Minto comprises a considerable portion
of the parishof Hassendean, of which the church, with
the larger part of the lands, was granted by David I. to
the Bishop of Glasgow. The parish is nearly four miles
in length, and about two miles and a half in breadth,
and is bounded on the nortli by the parish of Lillieslcaf,
on the east by the parish of Ancrum, on the south partly
by the parish of Cavers and the river Teviot, and on the
west by the parish of Wilton. Its surface is broken by
frequent undulations more or less bold, leaving but a
very small proportion of level grovnid. The highest of
the hills is about 900 feet above the level of the sea.
They are richly covered with verdure; and a congeries
of rocks forms an elevated ridge called the Minto Craigs,
overhanging the vale of Teviot, to which, with their
wooded summits, they give a character of peculiar beauty.
The Craigs rise to a mean elevation of "OO feet, aiul the
country adjoining is indented with several small glens
watered by rivulets descending from tlie higher grounds,
and which in the winter months assume the velocity of
torrents. One of the glens, near the western extremity
of the parish, is strikingly beautiful, and has been tastefully
laid out in walks, leading to the diiferent points from
which its richest scenery may be observed. Another,
of narrower dimensions, is planted with evergreens of
every variety; and the stream tiiut flows through it,
being intercepted in its progress by an artificial barrier,
spreads into a beautiful sheet of water, forming beneath
a pleasing cascade. A pathway from this glen leads to
the Minto Craigs, the base of which is concealed by
large masses of rock that have fallen from the heights
at various times, and accumulated on the spot; and
large projections from the craggy precipice threaten
every moment to add to their number. Among these
rugged heights are some intervals of level rock, said to
have been the retreats of border chieftains; and on one
of them are the ruins of an ancient tower, from which a
romantic and boldly varied prospect is obtained.
The SOIL is very various, in some parts tolerably fertile,
and the hills afford good pasturage for sheep and
young cattle. The whole number of acres in the parish
is estimated at 4500, of which nearly 2000 are arable,
1400 in permanent pasture, and about 800 in wood.
The crops are, grain of all kinds, potatoes, and turnips;
the system of agriculture is in an improved state, and
the rotation plan of husbandry in use. Bone-dust has
been introduced as manure; the lands have been well
drained and inclosed, and the farm-buildings are generally
substantial and w-ell arranged. The sheep are of
the Cheviot and Leicestershire breeds, and the cattle of
the short-horned breed. The woods principally consist
of oak, elm, ash, and Scotch, spruce, larch, and silver
firs; some of the larch-trees have attained to a remarkably
line growth, and of all the older timber there are
numerous stately specimens. The annual value of real
property in the parish is £4211. Minto House, the
property of the Earl of Minto, is a spacious and elegant
mansion, finely situated in an extensive demesne richly
wooded, and abounding with picturesque and strikingly
romantic scenery. Teviot-bank House, recently erected,
is a handsome mansion in the early English style of
architecture, commanding many highly interesting views.
The village is neatly built, and inhabited by persons
chiefly employed in agricultural pursuits; it has a facility
of communication with the neighbouring towns by good
roads, and on the west of it runs the Edinburgh and
Hawick railway.
For ecclesiastical purposes the parish is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Jedburgh and synod of
Merse and Teviotdale. The stipend of the incumbent
is £206: the manse, lately erected, is a very handsome
and comfortable residence pleasantly situated, and the
glebe has been valued at £40 per annum. Minto church
is an elegant and substantial edifice built in 1832, in the
later English style of architecture, and is adapted for
a congregation of 350 persons. The parochial schoolmaster
has a salary of £34, with a house and garden,
and the fees average £25 per annum, to which may be
added the interest of £100 bequeatheil for the education
of the poor. There are no remains of the church of
Hassendean, the very site of which has been covered by
encroachments of the river Teviot: of the ancient tower
or stronghold of Hassendean only a slight vestige is
left; and of the fortress of Miiito nothing is left but the
site, on which the ])resent house has been erected. On
the summit of the Craigs are the remains of an ancient
peel called Fatlips Castle, supposed to have been a stronghold
of the Tiiriibull family. When taking down the old
church of Minto in 1H3I, under the (omidation of one
of the walls wire discovered 400 silver coins of the reigns
of ICdward I., H., and III., of England, and some of the
reigns of Alexander and Robert, Kings of Scotland.