WALSTON, a parish, in the Upper ward of the
county of Lanark; containing, with the village of Ellsrickle,
493 inhabitants, of whom 101 are in the village
of Walston, 4 miles (N. by E.) from Biggar. The ancient
name is supposed by some to have been Welston, and
derived from the numerous springs here, one of which
became celebrated for its efficacy in the cure of cutaneous
diseases. Other writers think the name of the place was
H'aldefs-town, from its proprietor, Waldef, brother of the
Earl Cospatrick. The lands of Walston, with those of
Elgerith, now EUsrickle, once constituted a barony coextensive
with the present parish, and forming part of
the lordship of Bothwell, which, from repeated forfeitures,
belonged at different times to various proprietors.
On the forfeiture of James Hepburn, Earl of
Bothwell, in 1567, the barony was granted by James VI.
to John, Earl of Mar, by whom it was sold to the Baillie
family; and from them, together with the patronage of
the church, the manor of Walston was purchased by
George Lockhart, Esq., of Carnwath, whose descendant,
Sir Norman Macdonald Lockhart, Bart., is the present
proprietor. The lands of EUsrickle are divided among
several proprietors, the principal of whom is John Allan Woddrop, Esq.
The PARISH is bounded on the north by the small
river Medwin, and is about three miles in length and
from two to three in breadth, comprising an area of
nearly 4500 acres, of which 2900 are arable, liOO
meadow and hill pasture, and about 40 woodland and
plantations. In some parts the surface is gently undulated,
and in other parts diversified with hills, rising
rapidly. Towards the east is Black-Mount, 1600 feet
above the level of the sea: from this the surface declines
gradually to little more than half that height, forming
on one side the valley of the Medwin, and on the other
the gradually-expanding vale of EUsrickle. On the
northern side of Black-Mount are the springs from which
the parish is supposed to have derived its name, and of
which the principal are the Buckwell, the Silver wells,
and Walston well. They afford a copious supply of excellent
water, and form numerous burns that flow into
the Medwin, which, after passing the parish in a direct
channel sunk for that purpose, pursues a winding course
westward, and falls into the river Clyde.
In the valleys the soil is a brown mossy loam, alternated
with sand; on the slopes of the hills, of a more
tenacious quality; and in some parts, a deep and rich
loam. Crops are raised of grain of all kinds, turnips,
potatoes, and hay; the system of agriculture is in a
highly advanced state, and the rotation plan generally
adopted. The lands have been greatly improved by
furrow-draining; and the lower grounds, which in many
parts were subject to inundation from the winding course
of the Medwin, have been protected by diverting its
waters into the straight channel already alluded to, constructed
in 1829. Dairy-farming is well understood;
and the butter and cheese, of which latter the Duulop
kind is becoming more general, find a ready market in
Edinburgh. The cows are of the Ayrshire breed, with
an occasional cross with the short-horned; about 400
are pastured on the farms, and on the hills and other
lands are about 700 sheep. There are plantations
chiefly of larch and Scotch fir; but from tiie small
number of acres that have been planted, great want of
shelter is still experienced by the farmer, who suffers
from the manifest injury of the crops. The hills are
mostly of the trap-rock formation, with superincumbent
strata of sandstone; and limestone, found in some parts
of the parish, was formerly quarried and burnt for use
as manure; but the difliculty of obtaining coal makes
it more profitable to bring lime from a distance. No
minerals are now met with; but on the Borland farm,
near Walston well, are some caverns which indicate an
attempt at mining, supposed to have been made by a
company of Germans in the reign of James V. The annual
value of real property in the parisli, according to
returns made for the purposes of the Income tax, is £2137.
The village of Walston, situated on the west of Black-
Mount, has been some years declining, and is now very
small. EUsrickle, however, on the south side, has been
gradually increasing, and, under the auspices of the proprietor,
Mr. Woddrop, who has laid out allotments for
building, may soon be of considerable extent. The situation
of both villages is pleasing, but the latter has the
advantage of some thriving plantations in its vicinity.
A few of the inhabitants of both are employed in handloom
weaving for the cotton manufacturers of Glasgow.
Facility of communication is afforded by the turnpikeroads
from Dumfries to Edinburgh, and from Carnwath
to Peebles, which pass through the parish. Ecclesiastically
this place is in the presbytery of Biggar, synod of
Lothian and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend averages
£158. 14., of which more than half is paid from
the exchequer; with a manse, and a glebe valued at
£12 per annum: patrons, the Lockhart family, Barts.,
of Lee and Carnwath. Walston parish church is a neat
plain structure, chiefly erected about the close of the
last century, but having an aisle of more ancient date in
the later English style, with a window of elegant design;
it is in good repair, and contains 190 sittings. The
parochial school is situated at Walston: the master has a
salary of £30, with a house, and an allowance of £2. 2., in
lieu of garden; the fees average £12 per annum. There
is Lkewise a school at EUsrickle. A parochial library was
commenced in 1814, and forms a collection of about 500
volumes, principally on religious subjects. There is also
a friendly society, established in 1808. A tripod of
brass was discovered by the plough, on the farm of Borland;
it is supposed to be a relic of Roman antiquity,
Celts have also been found in different parts. Stone
coffins have frequently been dug up; and near the villoge
of EUsrickle was lately found one containing an urn
which, on exposure to the air, crumbled into dust. On
the farm of Cocklaw are the remains of a circular camp,
consisting of two concentric circles of mounds and
ditches; the inner circle is twenty-seven yards in diameter,
and between it and the outer circle is an interval of
five yards.