RATHO, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh;
containing, with the village of Bonnington, 1815 inhabitants,
of whom 689 are in the village of Ratho, 7 miles
(W. by S.) from Edinburgh. The name of this parish
is supposed to be derived from an ancient British word
signifying " a bare or plain place ", originally used in
reference to a conspicuous spot in the parish, on which
a mansion stands. The historical information respecting
Ratho extends back to the year 1315, when the
barony, with other estates, was granted by Robert I. to
Walter, the eighth hereditary high steward of Scotland,
upon his marriage with Margery, Robert's daughter,
through whom the sovereignty eventually came into the
Stuart family. On the accession of Robert II., in 1371,
the barony with its pertinents was settled on the king's
eldest son, as the prince and steward of Scotland; and
the whole estates of the Stuarts, in 1404, were formed
into a principality, with regal jurisdiction. In 1563 the
Ratho estate was purchased tsy Alexander Fowlis, who
obtained a charter of confirmation from the king as
superior. In 1778 Mr. Archibald Christie succeeded as
heir to the Fowlis family: in 1786 the lands were purchased
by Thomas Mc Knight Crawford, of Belville, in
North Carolina; and again, in 1818, they came into
the possession of A. Bonar, Esq., in whose family they
still remain. At present, the principal estates in the
parish, besides Ratho, are those of Hatton, Dalmahoy,
Norton, Bonnington, and Ashley. That of Hatton,
which once comprehended nearly half the parish, was
formerly a possession of the Earl of Lauderdale, and
was sold, together with the patronage of the church, in
1792, to the Duchess of Portland. The estate of Dalmahoy
was held in the time of Alexander III. by Henry
de Dalmahoy, in whose family it continued till the
middle of the seventeenth century, when it came into the
hands of the Dalrymples, and afterwards to the Earls of
Morton, with whom it yet remains. Ratho church was
dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The teinds and patronage
were early made over by the archbishops of St. Andrew's
to Sir John Forrester, who, thus obtaining funds,
in 1444 caused the collegiate kirk of Corstorphine to be
founded, for the endowment of four prcbendal stalls.
The ecclesiastical resources of the place appear to have
been applied in this way until the Revolution, when, the
Presbyterian form of worship being established, Ratho
became in every respect a distinct parish; its tithes were
no longer appropriated to the church of Corstorphine,
and the patronage was annexed to the estate of Hatton.
The PARISH is in mean length about four miles, and
in breadth about two miles and a half, containing 5818
acres. It is bounded on the north by the parishes of
Kirkliston and Corstorphine, on the west by those of
Kirkliston and Kirknewton, on the east by Corstorphine
and Currie, and on the south by Currie only. The
general aspect of the surface is picturesque and engaging.
In many parts are beautiful and well laid out
gardens, verdant fields, and luxuriant plantations, all
combining to enrich the scenery; and the effect is
greatly heightened by the undulating character of the
ground, which consists of hill and dale in quick succession
throughout. The prospects, also, are extensive and
commanding, parts of not less than twelve or fourteen
counties rising to view from the South Piatt Hill. To
the north-east and north appear the Lothian plains, the
Firth of Forth, the coasts of Berwick and Fife, the
counties of Kinross and Clackmannan, Stirling, and the
immense range of the Grampians. On the west, the
nearer view of the surrounding parishes is extremely
pleasing; and in the opposite direction, the city of Edinburgh,
with its far-stretched-out suburbs, supplies a fine
landscape, composed of some bold general features and
a profusion of minute and interesting detail. The lands
of the parish are not much enlivened by water; the only
stream is the Gogar burn, separating Ratho from the
parishes on the east. Springs are also unusually scarce,
so that the inhabitants are obliged to sink wells.
The SOIL varies considerably, being in some parts a
clayey loam upon a retentive subsoil, and in others a
rich soft loam resting in the lower grounds upon gravel
or sand, and in the higher parts upon whin or clay stone.
On the very lowest grounds are a few small tracts of
black moss. About 4978 acres are cultivated or occasionally
in tillage; 444 are always in pasture, and 396
occupied by wood. Grain of all kinds, especially wheat,
is raised in fine crops; and part of the soil is weU suited
to turnips and potatoes: the total annual value of the
produce averages £27,500. The rotation on the soft
loamy ground is a four- years' change; but on the stiffer
soils it is judiciously varied according to circumstances.
The few cattle that are bred are of a cross between the
short-horned and the Ayrshire, which is preferred both
for stock and for dairy use. In general the farm-buildings
and inclosures in the parish are good; most of the
steadings are of whinstone, and edged with freestone.
Much waste land has been reclaimed, among which
Ratho and Gogar moors may be especially noticed.
Draining has been carried on to a considerable extent
and through the abundant supply of manure obtained
from Edinburgh by means of the Union canal, much
larger green crops than formerly are now raised. Whinstone
rock predominates in the parish; in Dalmahoy
hill is a bed of sandstone, and much claystone is to be
found on the estate of Ratho. Coal, also, is supposed
to e.xist: but the several attempts to obtain it have
proved unsuccessful. The annual value of real property
in the parish is £9471. In this district the mansions
are, Hatton House, an ancient and venerable building,
encompassed with beautiful gardens and grounds to
a wide extent; Dalmahoy House, built about HO years
ago, and since enlarged, the family seat of the Earls of
Morton, situated in the midst of a large park inclosed
by one of the best walls in Scotland; Ratho House;
Milhurn Tower; Bonningtoii i/oMse, built in 162'2; and
Norton House; with several others belonging to different
proprietors, which are also elegant and tasteful mansions,
surrounded with agreeable scenery. The villages
are Ratho and Bonnington. Of these the former stands
upon a slope, and consists of a single street of houses
one story high, chiefly built of whinstone from a neighbouring
quarry: it has been considerably improved
within these few years by the addition of many good
cottages, and the formation of drains. The population
of the parish are for the most part employed in husbandry;
the usual handicrafts are followed, and about
ten men are at work in the quarries, four of which are
of whinstone and one of sandstone. There is a postoffice
in the village of Ratho, and great facility of intercourse
is afforded by the Uphall and Calder roads, the
Union canal, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Bathgate,
and the Caledonian lines of railway.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes this place is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Edinburgh, synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale; and the patronage is vested in the
trustees of Dr. Davidson. The stipend of the minister
is about £300; with a glebe consisting of two separate
portions of land, one of which is about four acres and a
half in extent, and of superior quality, and the other a
piece of grass land, of little value on account of the wetness
of the soil: together they arc valued at £18 per
annum. The manse, situated near the church, was built
in 1803. Ratho church, supposed to have been built
about 1683, stands northward of the village, and is encompassed
with thick foliage, through which it is partially
seen by the traveller. It was originally a long and
narrow ordinary building, with the pulpit in the centre;
but an addition was raised a few years since, on the
south side, at an expense of between £.')00 and £600, by
which it has been made to accommodate altogether 800
persons, and has received an improved appearance. The
two communion cups, of massive silver, were presented
by Lord Richard Maitland, one of the heritors, in 1684;
and the baptismal plate and ewer, inscribed with the
Lauderdale arms, were presented by the same nobleman
in 168.5. There is a parocliial school, in which the
classics, French, and mathematics are taught, with all the
usual branches of education; the master has the maximum
salary, a house and garden, and fees amounting to
about £45 ])er annum. Another school in tlic village of
Ratho is conducted by a female, and is supported by
subscriptions and fees. There is a library under the
management of the Kirk Session, consisting of nearly
400 volumes; and three friendly societies are kept up
in the parish, for the support of members in sickness,
and for insuring an allowance to defray funeral expenses.
The most conspicuous relic of antiquity is an encampment
on the Kaimes' hill, the lines of which are clearly
discernible, and which is surrounded by a double fosse
and rampart; it is thought by some to have been a
stronghold of the Norwegians, but others trace it to a
Roman origin. It may be mentioned that at Dalmahoy
House, in the possession of the Earl of Morton, is preserved
the Bible of his ancestor the Regent Morton, supposed
to be the only complete copy remaining of the
original Scotch Parliamentary Bible. The volume is a
beautifully-printed folio, ornamented with numerous emblematical
devices; and, according to the notice in the
title-page, was published at Edinburgh by order of James
VI. in 1579. Here are also preserved the keys found
some years ago, in the process of draining Loch Leven, as
mentioned in the article on Kinross. From strong circumstantial
evidence, they are supposed to be the identical
keys thrown into the loch by George Douglas, at
the time of his assisting the escape of Queen Mary;
they are five in number, and held together by an iron
chain. Lord Morton, also, has in the library at Dalmahoy
the original warrant upon which Mary was confined
in Lochleven Castle; and a letter from John Knox,
the Reformer, to the lord of Lochleven, dated 31st
March, 1570. The incumbency of Ratho was at one
time held by William Wilkie, denominated by some biographers
the " Scottish Homer".