MUIRAVONSIDE, a parish, in the county of Stirling, 3 miles (W.) from Linlithgow; containing, with the villages of Burnbridge, Maddiston, Rumford, and part of Linlithgow-Bridge, 2249 inhabitants. The compound term Muir-avon-side is derived from the original moorish appearance of part of the parish, and from its situation on the bank of the river Avon, which runs along its boundary on the south-east and north-east for nine miles, separating it in one part from the county of Linlithgow. In ancient times the parish formed part of that of Falkirk, and it was chiefly the property of the Livingstone family, who in 1540 obtained by marriage the old castle of Haining, a manorial residence. Sir James Livingstone, second son of the first Earl of Linlithgow, was created Lord of Almond, the appellation, probably, of the district adjacent to the castle, and which is supposed to have been that portion of Falkirk now forming this parish: the silver communion cups of Muiravonside are called cups of the church of Almond. The priory of Manuel or Emmanuel, situated on the west bank of the Avon, was founded for Cistercian nuns about the year 1 156 by King Malcolm IV., by whom and several of his sucessors it was richly endowed: the prioress Christiana in 129'2, as well as her successor Alice in 1296, swore fealty to Edward I. at Linlithgow. The ruins, together with other estates, came into the possession of the crown by the forfeiture of the Earl of Callendar and Linlithgow in 171.5. The PARISH is about seven miles long, and in average breadth measures two miles, comprising 7000 or 8000 acres, the whole of which are arable, with the exception of a very small proportion of moss, waste, and plantations. There are some naked and dreary tracts, with a marshy soil, in the west; but in general the surface is of varied character, and the rising grounds, which are of moderate elevation, command extensive prospects of the Forth, the towers of Clackmannan, Stirling, and Linlithgow, the glens that ornament the course of the Devon, the Grampian hills, and numerous plantations. The principal inconvenience felt in the interior is the deficiency of streams, arising from the peculiar distribution of its land, which consists of an irregular and broken ridge lying between the Avon and the alluvial plains of the Forth. Springs are seldom to be found throughout the range of clayey soil which covers two-thirds of the parish; the only streams are the Holloch, the Manuel, and the Sandyford; and though there are some powerful springs in the mosses, the infusion of iron is so strong as to form a crust of red ochre around their outlets. Besides the extensive clayey portion, the soil comprehends sand, peat, and marl, in which last an interesting specimen was discovered of the ancient elk, now forming part of the collection in the college museum, Glasgow. There is also a considerable extent of gravelly earth. In some parts the surface is singularly marked with picturesque mounds and hillocks, which, with the breaks, fissures, and perpetual variations of the sandstone rock along the course of the Avon, and its beautiful scenery of overhanging wood, constitute some of the most prominent and striking features in the locality. All the ordinary kinds of grain and green crops are raised. The ground is manured w ith dung procured from Edinburgh, and lime is obtained in large quantities from Linlithgow. In the eastern part of the parish the farms are large, the houses and offices good, and the lands well cultivated; furrow-draining has been extensively carried on, and secure fences raised. Most of these improvements are still wanting in the western part, where the farms are comparatively small. The live stock are excellent in the former district; but in the western they arc inferior, the want of proper fences, and other causes, contributing to injure the breed. The appearance of the jjarish, especially of the eastern district, has undergone a great change within the last fifty or sixty years: the thicket which at the close of the eighteenth century almost overspread it, has been cleared; and ground formerly covered with broom and heath now displays in perfection the results of agricultural skill. The rock and coal formations iu this neighbourhood are remarkably intersected with trap dykes. Along the course of the Avon is sandstone, and several quarries of fine blue whinstone are wrought; there are also two quarries of superior freestone, one producing a material differing in some respects from that of the other, but both wrought largely. Coal has been raised in many different places; but the only pits now in operation are those of Stanrig, Craige.id, and Blackbraes. Iron, also, is procured by the Carron Company near the village; and large quantities are supposed to exist in other parts. The annual value of real property in the parish is £6735. Maudiston is the principal village: it is situated on a declivity, in the midst of picturesque scenery. Part of the village of Linlithgow-Bridge, built by Alexander, Earl of Linlithgow, about the year 1650, is likewise in this parish: its customs were given in I677, by Charles II., to Earl George; and some of the landholders in Muiravonside inherit estates granted in perpetual feus by the last earl in order to raise money to carry on the rebelUon of 1715. The Edinburgh and Stirling turnpike-road passes through the district, as do also the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway, the Slamannan railway, and the Union canal: the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway crosses the vale of the Avon by a fine viaduct of twenty substantial arches, commanding a most delightful view; and the canal has an aqueduct across the same valley, of twelve arches, in the midst of a profusion of beautifully sylvan and verdant scenery. The produce is usually disposed of at Falkirk. Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of Linlithgow, synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, and in the patronage of the Crown: the minister's stipend is £225, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £9 per annum. The church is a plain structure, built about the year 1812, and accommodates 500 persons. There is a place of worship for the United Presbyterian Church. The parochial school affords instruction in Latin, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and geography; the master has a salary of £34. 4., with a dwelling, three acres and a half of land, and £24 fees: the land, which is valued at £6 per annum, is an ancient bequest of the Callendar family. There is a parochial library containing 120 volumes. The chief antiquities are the ruins of Manuel Priory and Almond Castle, the latter of which was deserted as a place of residence about the year 1750. A line of fortified eminences extends from Hazlelaw to Sight hill, but nothing is known about the works; and stone coffins have been frequently discovered in various places.