ROSENEATH, or Rosneath, a parish and village,
in the county of Dumbarton, 3 miles (W. by N.) from
Helensburgh; containing about 720 inhabitants, of
whom about 50 are in the village. By some writers the
name of this place is said to be a modification of Ross-
Neoth, descriptive of its form and original appearance as
a bare and unwooded promontory; while others derive
the name from Ross-de-Neryd, signifying " the extremity
of the country ofNevyd", which at a very early period
formed part of the lordship of Lennox. Other writers,
again, deduce the name from Ross-na-Choich, or " the
promontory of the Virgin", on account of the foundation
of a church here by the Earls of Lennox in honour of
the Virgin Mary. The earls appear to have retained the
lordship till near the close of the fifteenth century, when
the lands of Roseneath were granted to Colin, first Earl
of Argyll, by James IV. James IIL had appointed him
lord high chancellor of Scotland, and subsequently sent
him as his plenipotentiary to the conference held at
Northampton: the carl was a zealous adherent to his
sovereign during the rebellion of the nobles; and on
the accession of James IV., he also stood high in that
monarch's confidence. The lands have ever since remained
in the possession of his descendants, and are
now the property of the present duke. There arc three
other heritors in the parish.
Tile I'AuiKU, which anciently included part of that of
Row, is bounded on the east by the Garcloch, on the
south by the Firth of Clyde, and on the west by Loch
Long. It is about eight miles in length, and varies
from a mile and a half to two miles in breadth; comprising
6140 acres, of which about 2000 arc arable with
a moderate i)roportion of meadow and pasture, 1240
woodland and plantations, and the remainder moor and
waste. In its general form the parish is a long narrow
peninsula, being surrounded by water except at the
northern extremity, where it is connected with the mainland
of the parish of Row by an isthmus little more than
a mile in breadth. The surface ascends gradually from
a level tract along the shore of the Firth towards the
centre, and thence rises by successive undulations to
the hill of Tamnahara, which has an elevation of more
than 800 feet above the sea. These undulations attain
a mean height of about 400 feet, and form a wide tract
of table-land chiefly covered with heath and moss, from
the sides of which the lands slope gently to the coast,
and are divided into arable farms and pastures. From
the higher parts are obtained extensive and richly-diversified
prospects over a country abounding with features
of impressive grandeur; the prevailing scenery throughout
the parish is picturesque, and in many places romantic.
There are no rivers; but the grounds are intersected
with numerous rivulets and brooks descending
from the higher lands, and which, after continued rains,
swell into torrents, and in their courses form various
pleasing cascades. Near the base of Tamnahara is a
small lake, not more than a mile in circumference, and
of inconsiderable depth, abounding with perch, and from
which issues a rivulet that flows into Loch Long at the
north-western extremity of the parish. There are also a
few perennial springs, one of which preserves the same
degree of temperature in all seasons, and is much resorted
to in dry summers; another, called the Minister's
Well, is slightly chalybeate.
The COAST is in some parts low and sandy, and in
others rocky, but not precipitous; and is indented with
several small bays, of which the chief are Calwattie
and Campsaile, the latter situated in the Gareloch,
between the Row ferry and the Castle point. This bay
affords excellent anchorage and secure shelter for vessels
of any burthen, and was used by the kings of Scotland
as a station for their ships of war; it has within the
last few years been chosen by the Royal Yacht Club
for laying up their vessels for the winter. The Gareloch
is sheltered from all those winds to which Loch Long
is so much exposed; the holding-ground is firm, and
the loch forms a spacious harbour in which the whole
British navy might ride in complete security at any time
of the year. Both the Gareloch and Loch Long abound
with herrings during the season, and fisheries are carried
on there to a very considerable e.xtent; salmon are also
taken in moderate quantities, and there are ferries, from
the former loch to Greenock, and from the latter to
Row. Sea-trout, haddock, cod, ling, whiting, skate,
mackerel, flounders, halibut, mullet, sperling, the Johndory,
and gurnard are sometimes obtained. Mussels
are plentiful; there are two beds of oysters, and lobsters
and crabs are found occasionally on the shore of Loch
Long. In the moors are grouse in considerable numbers,
as well as other species of game; partridges have greatly
increased in number since the cultivation of the adjacent
lands, and snipes and woodcocks are also plentiful.
Many attempts have been made to introduce the pheasant,
but they have been rather unsuccessful.
The sou, is extremely various in different localities;
the arable lauds on the slopes, and especially the lowest
grounds, are fertile and productive. Tiie crops are oats,
barley, potatoes, and turnips, with the usual grasses j
and the farms are generally in a state of profitable cultivation.
Husbandry has been gradually improving of
late years; considerable tracts of waste land have been
reclaimed by draining, and inclosures of stone dykes
and hedges of thorn have been made on most of the
farms. The farm-houses, also, have been improved, and
the offices are substantial; the cottages are kept in good
repair, and all the more recent improvements in the
construction of implements have come into use. Few
sheep are reared; the cattle are mostly of the Ayrshire
breed. There are about 7'20 acres of old and natural
copse. Some fine specimens of ash, elm, beech, plane,
lime, oak, yew, horse-chesnut, holm-oak, cedar, and
various kinds of fir, are to be seen in the grounds of the
castle, the environs of the church, and near the site of
the ancient house of Campsaile. The more recent
plantations, chiefly in the southern portions of the parish,
comprise all the varieties of the pine, with oak,
ash, and birch, which seem to be indigenous to the soil;
they are regularly thinned, and harmonise well with the
more ancient trees in the castle-grounds, and the natural
wood along the shore. Near the site of the mansion
of Campsaile are two silver-firs of luxuriant and venerable
growth, supposed to have been the first planted in
this part of the country. At a height of five feet from
the ground the trunks of these trees are nineteen feet
in girth; and from them rise numerous lofty stems,
branching out into a profusion of spreading boughs
combining a graceful symmetry of form with an impression
of majestic grandeur. In this parish the principal
substrata are clay-slate, limestone, and sandstone, with
occasional boulders of granite. The slate is of various
colours and of good quality: two quarries were opened
on the lands of Roseneath Castle and Baremman respectively,
and, after being in operation for some time
without yielding an adequate remuneration, were both
abandoned; but the latter has been re-opened with a
probability of greater advantage. The limestone has
not been wrought to any considerable extent: the facility
of obtaining abundance of lime from the north of Ireland,
at all times, and at a very moderate expense, has rendered
the extensive working of it unnecessary. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £4006.
The old Castle of Roseneath, the ancient baronial
seat of the Lennox family, was partly restored and
fitted up by the Marquess of Argyll, as a temporary
residence, about the year 1630, and continued to be
occasionally occupied by the family till a late Duke of
Argyll enlarged a small castellated building on the
south point of the bay of Campsaile, and added to it a
commodious suite of apartments. This mansion, which
obtained the appellation of Roseneath Castle, was
destroyed by fire about the commencement of the present
century; and the duke in 1803 commenced the
erection of the present splendid seat, on a site at a
greater distance from the shore, and more towards the
centre of the bay. The new mansion is a spacious
structure in the modern Italian style of architecture,
erected after a design by J. Bononi, of London. The
principal front, towards the north, is embellished with a
stately portico of the Ionic order, boldly projecting from
the main building, and affording ample room for a carriage-
drive underneath; and the south front, though
less striking in its character, is also a composition of
elegant design. From the centre of the building rises a
lofty circular tower of two stages, crowned with battlements,
and commanding from the platform a richlyvaried
prospect over the demesne, which is tastefully
laid out, and an extensive view of the adjacent country,
which abounds with features of highly romantic character.
Clachan House, formerly the seat of tlie Campbells
of Maraorc, from whom the present ducal family
are descended, is remarkable for the beauty of its situation,
and its avenue of venerable yew-trees and stately
limes. Peattoun and Baremman are good residences;
and there are numerous pleasing villas and picturesque
cottages on the banks of the Gareloch. The village, or
Kirkton, consists of some small houses in the vicinity
of the church; and in various parts of the parish are
other clusters of cottages, which during the summer
months are partly occupied by strangers, who resort
hither for the purpose of sea-bathing. A subscription
library, containing several hundred volumes, has been
some years established; and there is also a juvenile
library, consisting chiefly of religious publications. No
manufactures of any kind are carried on in the parish;
but several of the inhabitants are employed in the handicraft
trades requisite for the wants of the district. The
beauty of the scenery, and the numerous objects of interest
in the immediate vicinity, attract great numbers
of visiters. A branch office under the post-office at
Helensburgh has been estabhshed, which has a daily delivery.
Internal communication is maintained by roads
intersecting the parish in various directions, and connecting
Loch Long with the Gareloch, all of which are
kept in excellent repair; and steamers which ply on the
lochs, and the ferry-boats, afford every facility of intercourse
with places at a distance.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs this place is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dumbarton and synod of
Glasgow and Ayr. The minister's stipend is about £200,
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £10 per annum;
patron, the Duke of Argyll. Roseneath church, situated
about two miles from the southern boundary of the
parish, and on the shore of the Gareloch, originally a
cruciform structure dedicated to the Virgin Mary, having
fallen into decay, was taken down in 17B0, with the
exception of the belfry, which has been preserved. The
present church is a plain substantial structure, containing
sufficient accommodation for the parishioners,
but remarkable only for the beauty of the old belfry.
The members of the Free Church have a place of worship.
Roseneath parochial school, situated in the village,
is a commodious building, lately erected by the
heritors; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a
house and garden, and the fees. There is also a school
at Knockderry, on the shore of Loch Long, the master
of which has a salary of £35 from the Duke of Argyll,
by whom the school-house was built; in addition to the
fees. At Knockderry are some remains of an ancient
fort, supposed to have been occupied by the Danes or
the Norwegians during their incursions into this part of
the country. To the north of the castle of Roseneath is
a precipitous rock called Wallace's Leap, from which
Sir William VVallace is said to have thrown himself into
the Gareloch, when closely pursued by his enemies. Of
various ancient chapels which existed here, and to
which bodies of the dead were often brought from the
Hebrides, and even from Ireland, for interment, there
are scarcely any vestiges now remaining. In the fields
near Port-Kill, upon the shore of the Firth of Clyde,
several stone coffins rudely formed, and containing
ashes, were discovered about the commencement of the
present century; and on the farm of Mamore, the last
remains of what appeared to have been a religious house
were removed to furnish materials for inclosing the
lands. Among the distinguished persons connected with
the parish were, Dr. John Anderson, professor of natural
philosophy in the university of Glasgow, and founder of
the Andersonian Institution in that city, who was born
here while his father was minister; and the Rev. Matthew
Stewart, father of the celebrated Dugald Stewart,
who was for some years minister.