TEMPLE, a parish, in the county of EdiNbuRGH,
10 miles (S. S. E.) from Edinburgh; containing, with
the villages of Gorebridge and Temple, and part of
Stobbsmills, 1159 inhabitants. The name of this place
was derived from an establishment of the Templars,
founded by King David I. The parish comprehends the
ancient parish of Clerkington, and the chapelries of
Morthwait and Balantrodach. The manor of Clerkington
was given to Walter Bisset by David II., who also
transferred the church, with its tithes and pertinents,
to the monks of Newbottle, granting them, in addition,
five merks yearly from the manor. In the reign
of Robert III., Archibald, Earl of Angus, sold the barony
to Adam Forrester, of Corstorphine, to whom it
was confirmed by a charter from Robert, who likewise
granted him a release of the Castle Wards, issuing from
this barony to the king. Mark Ker, the commendator
of Newbottle, at the time of the Reformation, enjoyed
the patronage of the church, with the rent of five merks
from the mill of Clerkington; and he transmitted the
whole unimpaired to his descendants. In 1695, however,
it appears that Sir John Nicolson possessed that
part of the parish called Clerkington, which then formed
the barony of Nicolson. In this year it was sold to
Archibald Primrose, of Dalmeny, in Linlithgowshire,
who obtained a charter under the great seal, by which
the property, with some adjacent lands, was erected
into the barony of Rosebcry, from which he assumed his
peerage title when created a viscount in 1/00. The
first Earl of Rosebcry, in 171'2, disposed of the estate to
the Marquess of Lothian, who changed its name to
New Ancruin; but being sold by the family in 1*49 to
Mr. Hepburne, he restored the old name of Clerkington.
In 1821, Archibald John, fourth Earl of Rosebery, purchased
it from one of Mr. Hepburne's descendants; he
gave the barony the name it had possessed when in his
family, and was created a peer of the United Kingdom
under the title of Baron Rosebery in 1828.
The lands of Morthwait, the hamlet of which stands
three miles from Clerkington, were granted by David I.
to the monks of Newbottle, who also obtained from
Alexander II. the forest of Gladewys. Upon this, they
established a chapel at Morthwait, the patronage of
which was vested in the abbot until the Reformation;
after which the commendator, coming in his place, enjoyed
his privileges, and the estates of the abbey were
converted into a temporal lordship, that descended to
the heirs of the commendator. Earls of Ancrum and
Marquesses of Lothian. The chapelry or manor of
Balantrodach was granted by David I. to the Templars,
who formed here their principal seat in Scotland, and
built a chapel. On the suppression of the order in 1312,
all their privileges passed to the Knights of St. John of
Jerusalem. After the Reformation, the parish of Clerkington
and the chapelries of Morthwait and Balantrodach
were united into one incumbency; the conventual
chapel was used as the church, and the patronage of the
new parish was distributed into three shares, corresponding
with the three ancient establishments. One of these
passed to Lord Torphichen; and the other two, at first
belonging to the Earls of Ancrum, were acquired in the
eighteenth century, with the manor of Clerkington, by the Hepburnes.
The extreme length of the parish is about nine miles;
its greatest breadth is five miles, and it contains about
20,000 acres, to which must be added 300 acres locally
situated in Borthwick parish, but belonging to the pa-
rish of Temple. It is bounded on the north and northwest
by Carrington parish, on the south and south-west
by the parishes of Eddleston and Innerleithen, on the
east and north-east by Borthwick and Newbattlc, on the
south-east by Heriot, and on the west by Penicuick.
The most elevated ground is the mountain range of
Moorfoot, a continuation of Lammermoor, stretching
nearly from north-east to south-west, and which is
from 1500 to 2100 feet above the level of the sea. The
South Esk, the principal river, rising in the Moorfoot
hills, runs in a north-east direction for about twelve
miles through the parish, when it is joined by the North
Water, which, issuing from West Loch, in Eddlestone
parish, constitutes the north-west boundary of this parish.
The united river afterwards joins the North Esk,
thus forming the Esk.
The SOIL on the arable land is mostly dry and sharp,
resting on a gravelly bottom; in the eastern quarter it
is chiefly clay, and on the higher lands a large proportion
of it is mossy, from three to four inches in depth.
About one hundred acres are occupied by wood, consisting
principally of oak, ash, elm, beech, and pine. The
most improved methods of husbandry have been introduced;
and the land, which is tolerably fertile, produces
good crops. In general, the farm-buildings and inclosures
are in fair condition; the latter are usually
formed of stones. Some waste land has recently been
reclaimed, but the low price of agricultural produce has
at times operated to repress efforts of this description.
The average rent of arable land is about £1 per acre,
and the leases usually run nineteen years: there are
four proprietors, the chief being R. Dundas, Esq., of
Arniston, and the Earl of Rosebery; and the annual
value of real property in the parish is returned at £6*92.
The rock of the Moorfoot hills is greywacke, and in most
parts of the parish there is an abundance of limestone
and freestone, both which are quarried: in the eastern
part, the district detached from Temple contains a large
supply of coal. The villages are Temple and Gorebridge,
with a part of Stobbsmills, the larger portion of which is
in the parish of Borthwick. The population of the
village of Temple amounts to about 200; the population
of Gorebridge to 240, and that of the Temple part of
Stobbsmills to about 100: the rest of the inhabitants
are scattered over the parish. Part of the population
are employed in the quarries and coal-pits, and in the
gunpowder manufacture, which is carried on at Stobbsmills
on a very considerable scale. It was commenced
in 1*94, and has been since largely extended, the company
exporting gunpowder to almost every part of the
globe; the works occupy nearly three-quarters of a mile,
and the houses for those departments exposed to the
greatest risk are detached, and placed either between
the natural barriers of the glen, or artificial mounds
planted with trees. The Hawick railway, and a line of
turnpike-road from Peebles to Dalkeith, afford faciMties
of communication.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs this place is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Dalkeith and synod of
Lothian and Tweeddale; patron, Dundas of Arniston.
The stipend of the minister is £158, of which £92 are
received from the exchequer; with a manse, an old
building repaired about half a century ago; and a glebe
of fourteen acres valued at £30 per annum. Temple
church was erected in 1832, and is neat, commodious,
and well situated, capable of accommodating 500 persons
with sittings. The members of the Free Church
have a place of worship, and at Gorebridge is a chapel
belonging to the United Presbyterian Church. There is
a parochial school, in which the classics, mathematics,
and all the usual branches of education are taught;
the master has the maximum salary, with a house, and
the school fees. A Free Church school is also held.
Two schools are held in Gorebridge, and there is a good
subscription library at the same place, consisting of about
800 volumes; also a friendly society at Stobbsmills, and
a savings' bank jointly for the parishes of Temple and
Borthwick. A few years ago, a medal of Oliver Cromwell
was found on the farm of Rosebery: it is in the
possession of the landowner.