TORPHICHEN, a parish, in the county of Linlithgow;
containing 141/ inhabitants, of whom 397 are
in the village of Torphichen, 2f miles (N. by \V.) from
Bathgate. This place, which is supposed to have derived
its name from its hills, was anciently the seat of a commandery
of the Knights of Malta and St. John of Jerusalem,
founded in the year 1153 by King Malcolm IV.,
and more largely endowed by his successors, Alexander
IL and III. The establishment received additional grants
of land, and various immunities, from succeeding sovereigns
till the time of King James IV., by whom the
privileges were confirmed; and the possessions of the
commandery were ultiniatoly erected into a lordship,
designated the Lordship of St. John and Commandery
of Torphichen. In 1298, Sir William Wallace made the
place his head-quarters for some time previously to the
battle of Falkirk, in which Alexander dc Wells, then
commander of Torphichen, was killed. Many of the
commanders or preceptors were distinguished for the
important offices they filled in the state, and as members
of the council and of parliament: the last, Sir James
Sandilands, took an active part in promoting the Reformation.
When the establishment was dissolved, Sir
James was invested with a new lordship of Torphichen;
and at his death he was succeeded by his nephew Sandilands
of Calder, who made Calder House, which had
long been the patrimonial residence of the family, the
seat of the lordship. The commandery was now abandoned,
and soon fell into decay. Its only remains are the
choir, which, however, is almost perfect, and is about
sixty-si.j feet in length and twenty feet in breadth within
the walls, which are of great thickness. The interior
contains many interesting architectural details in the
richer Norman style; and at each end is a beautiful
window enriched with tracery. Beneath one of these
windows is an arched and canopied recess, where the
remains of the commanders were placed, during the
performance of the funeral rites previously to interment.
In the cemetery is a low square pillar of stone, with a
Maltese cross rudely sculptured: from this were measured
the limits of the sanctuary of Torphichen, marked
by stones similarly sculptured, and within which all
persons charged with offences not capital were safe.
The p.\RisH is about ten miles in extreme length
from east to west, and varies from a mile and a half to
about two miles and a half in breadth, comprising an
area of 10,430 acres, of which the greater portion is
arable, and the rest composed of extensive tracts of
hilly moorland, pasture, and plantations. Its surface is
diversified with ranges of hills, the highest, called Cairn-
Naple, having an elevation of 1498 feet. Towards the
north are Cockleroi (Cockle-de-roy) and Bowden hills,
from the summits of which are interesting views extending
from North-Berwick Law to Ben-Lomond, and embracing
the city and castle of Edinburgh with Salisbury
Craigs and Arthur's Seat, the Firth of Forth, the Fifeshire
coast, the Ochils, the ancient town of Stirling, and the
Grampians. The ridge of hills immediately above the
village forms a continuation of bold circular eminences,
and on the western side gradually diminishes into gentle
undulations, among which are seen, with beautifully picturesque
effect, the village, the church, and the venerable
remains of the commandery. A small river called the
Avon flows along the northern boundary of the parish,
dividing it from that of Muiravonside; and the Loggie
burn, a still smaller stream, for several miles separates
the parish from that of Bathgate, and flows into the
Avon near Craw Hill. About a mile north-eastward of
the village is Loch Cote, a sheet of water about twentytwo
acres in extent, surrounded by the hills of Bowden,
Cockleroi, and Kipps, and which, after having been
drained, has been restored by the present proprietor.
Around the village the soil is extremely fertile; and
in other parts, though wet, the soil is well adapted to the
growth of timber of every kind. The lands have been
mostly inclosed, and improved by draining, and produce
favourable crops of grain; the farms are generally
small, but the farm-buildings are nevertheless substantial
and commodious. Those parts not in cultivation
afford good pasturage for the sheep and cattle, which
are usually of the common breeds: of the latter, several
of the Ayrshire kind have been introduced within the
last few years. There are quarries of limestone in the
Hilderston and Bowden hills, the latter of which is
worked by an adit from the side of the hill; and on
Hilderston, and in the hollow between the Kipps hills
and the Torphichen range, arc coal-mines. At the former
of these the coal .crops out at the surface, which has an
elevation of 800 feet above the level of the sea. There
is also a mine on the lands of Hridgccastle; but the
seam is thin, and not now in o|)eration. In the parish
are two ([uarries of granite, and one of sandstone; and
on the banks of the Avon is a mine of ironstone: this,
however, has not been wrought for many years. In the
limestone-quarry on Ililderston hill, silver-ore was
formerly found, but not of any purity, or in quantity
adequate to the expense of extracting it. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £6644. The seats
are WaWwuse, Cathlaw, and Lochcote; the last is a
modern mansion, and, when completed, will be an
elegant structure. Bridi^ecastle, formerly the seat of the
Earls of Linlithgow, still retains vestiges of its ancient
character, and some of the venerable trees by which it
was surrounded are preserved. Behind the old mansion-
house of Craw Hill, on the banks of the Avon, is a
chasm called Wallace's Cave; and in some clefts in the
rock are fine specimens of mosses, of several rare
varieties. About two miles to the south-west of Bridgecastle
are the foundations of the castle of Ogilface, the
ancient seat of the family of De Boscos, barons of Ogilface.
There are some vestiges of the castle of Bedlormie,
comprising a square tower with a vaulted roof; also remains
of the castle of Kipps, of similar character, but smaller size.
The village of Torphichen, consisting of scattered
clusters of houses, is pleasantly situated. Its inhabitants
are chiefly employed in agricultural pursuits and
in the quarries; there are two corn-mills, two flax-mills,
and two mills for the spinning of wool, part of which is
manufactured into shawls. Blackridge is in the western
part of the parish, near the river Avon; it is noticed
under its own head. Facility of communication with
Linlithgow and other towns in the neighbourhood is
maintained by good roads; the Linlithgow and Glasgow,
and the Edinburgh and Glasgow, turnpike-roads passing
through the parish. Ecclesiastically the parish is within
the bounds of the presbytery of Linlithgow, synod of
Lothian and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend is
£163. 13. 7., of which £'2.5. 7. are paid from the exchequer;
with a manse, and a glebe valued at £1'2 per
annum: patron, Lord Torphichen. The church, which
is adjacent to the ancient commandery, near the eastern
extremity of the parish, is a neat building erected in
1*56, and containing about 560 sittings. A church in
connexion with the establishment has been erected in
the village of Blackridge, and the members of the Free
Church have a small place of worship in the parish.
There are parochial schools at Torphichen and Blackridge;
the master of the former has a salary of £34. 4. 4.,
with a house and garden, and his fees. There are also
parochial libraries in both villages. Several stone coffins
of rude construction have been found on the high grounds
above the Logic burn.