WANDELL-AND-LAMMINGTOUNE, a parish, in
the Upper ward of the county of Lanark; containing
358 inhabitants, of whom 122 are in the village of Lammingtoune,
6^ miles (S. VV.) from Biggar. These two
ancient parishes, whieli were united in l60.S, comprise
the baronies of Wandell and Lamniingtoune. The former
barouy, anciently Quendall or Gmendall, signifying
"the white meadow", and called also Hartside, belonged
in the reign of Alexander II. to William dc Hertisheved,
sheriff of Lanark in 12'25, and in that of David II. to
William de Jardin, in whose family it remained till the
time of Charles I., when it was conferred upon William,
Marquess of Douglas. From him it descended to his
son, Archibald, Earl of Angus, who in 1651 was made
Earl of Ormond, and whose descendant was by a new
patent created Earl of Forfar and Lord Wandale and
Hartside. On the death of the second Earl of Forfar,
who fell in the battle of SherifFmuir in 1715, it reverted
to the Duke of Douglas; and James, Lord Douglas, is
the present proprietor. The barony of Lammingtoune,
by marriage with the heiress about the year 1'296, became
the property of the Scottish hero Sir William
Wallace, whose only daughter conveyed it by marriage
to William Baliol or Baillie, ancestor of Alexander D. R.
Cochrane Wishart Baillie, Esq., the present laird. In
1715, a number of the Highlanders who had taken arms
in favour of the Pretender, under the command of the
Earl of Wintoun, refusing to accompany their general
into England, dispersed in two companies of about 200
each, one of which, retreating to the hills of Lammingtoune,
was assailed by the peasantry of this place under
the conduct of their lairds, made prisoners, and, after
being confined in the parish church for the night, marched
off to Lanark.
The PARISH extends along the banks of the river Clyde,
which bounds it on the west and south-west, for about
nine miles. It is from three to four miles in breadth;
comprising an area of 1 1,300 acres, of which 6100 are in
the barony of Wandell, and 5200 in that of Lammingtoune.
The surface is boldly diversified with hills of
mountainous elevation, but easy of ascent, and of verdant
aspect, affording excellent pasturage for sheep. These
hills vary in their shape, some of them being finely undulated,
and others more abrupt and conical, with portions
of barren grey rock protruding above the turf.
Hillhouse hill near the church, and Lammingtoune hill
to the east of the village, rise 500 or 600 feet above the
level of the surrounding plains: but the highest hills in
the parish are Birnock hill in Wandell, and Duncan's
Gillhead in Lammingtoune; near the former of which
lead was formerly wrought. There are several tracts of
flat land, watered by streams descending from the hills.
Of these streams, the Wandell, Hartside, Hackwood,
and Lammingtoune burns are the most copious: they
all form tributaries to the Clyde, which abounds with
trout of superior quality and large size, similar to those
in Lochinvar and Loch Leven. The hills furnish game
of various kinds, and partridges and grouse are especially
found in great plenty. Deer were formerly numerous
in the barony of Wandell, which was therefore
called Hartside; but the ancient forest that was their
accustomed haunt has long since disappeared, and there
is scarcely any wood now to be seen in the Wandell district.
In Lammingtoune are some hundreds of fine old
trees, chiefly about the village and manse, and on the
banks of the Lammingtoune burn.
Of the lands, about 2300 acres are arable, and about
900 meadow and pasture; the soil is mostly dry and
fertile, and the rotation plan of husbandry in general
use. Crops are raised of oats, bear, barley, potatoes,
and turnips; the dairies are under good management,
and their produce is sent weekly to the Edinburgh
market. The sheep, of which more than 6000 are fed oa
the pastures, are of the black-faced and Cheviot breeds,
principally the former; the cows are the Ayrshire, with
an occasional mixture of the Teeswater. The farm
houses and offices are comparatively of an inferior order,
and covered with thatch, except in the district of Lammingtoune,
where the principal buildings are covered with
slate. Considerable progress has been made in draining
and inclosing the lands; the fences are chiefly stone
dykes, with some few hedges of thorn. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £3668. The
village of Lammingtoune is pleasantly situated on the
north and east side of the Lammingtoune burn, and on
the road from Biggar to Dumfries. It had formerly a
market and two annual fairs, for which a charter was
granted to Sir William Baillie in the reign of Charles I.;
but they have been long discontinued. The houses are
generally ancient, and of very indifferent appearance;
but the surrounding scenery, enriched by the foliage on
the banks of the burn, is pleasingly picturesque. On a
steep brow of the burn is a handsome cottage for the
gamekeeper of the lord of the manor; and in the village
is a house which was originally intended for an inn to
accommodate visiters, the trout-streams of this place
affording excellent sport to anglers. The house is now
occupied by a factor, and occasionally by the proprietor
himself. The Caledonian railway runs for more than
three miles through the Wandell district. Facility of
communication is also maintained by good roads that
pass through the village and parish; by bridges over
the several burns; and a bridge of two arches over the
Clyde, on the road to Abington and Crawford. A subpost-
ofl[ice has been established in the village.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs, this parish is within
the limits of the presbytery of Biggar, synod of Lothian
and Tweeddale: the minister's stipend is £150, with a
manse, and a glebe valued at £15. 10. per annum; alternate
patrons. Lord Douglas and A. D. R. C. W. Baillie,
Esq. The church, situated on the boundary between
the two districts, is a very ancient structure, with a fine
Norman doorway; it was repaired and enlarged in 1828,
at an expense of £300, and contains about 350 sittings.
There were formerly two parochial schools, one in each
district; but that of Wandell has been discontinued,
and the parochial school of Lammingtoune has been
removed from the village to a building erected for its
use, within the boundary of Wandell, for the accommodation
of both districts. The master has a salary of
£35, with a house and garden, and the fees average
£12. 10. per annum. Connected with the school is a
bursary at the High School and University of Glasgow,
founded by the last Countess of Forfar in 1737- The
poor have the proceeds of bequests of £105 charged
on the Lammingtoune estates, and £75 by the late
Dr. Blinshall, of Dundee. There are some small remains
of the ancient castle of Lammingtoune, the seat
for some time of the renowned Sir W^illiam Wallace,
consisting of a portion of the walls, and the western
gable, with the arched window of the dining-room: the
rest was destroyed, unknown to the proprietor, by the
factor on the estate, for the sake of the materials. On
an eminence rising from the river Clyde are some remains
of the Bower of Wandell, the resort of James V.,
when pursuing the sport of deer-hunting in the once
thickly-wooded hills of Hartside. There are also camps
in various parts of the parish; and three of them, on
Whitehill, at the northern extremity of Lammingtoune,
are supposed to be of Roman origin: the largest of
these, which nearly adjoin each other, is seventy yards
long and forty yards in width, and is defended by a
ditch five yards in breadth. On Starthope hill, in Wandell,
are the remains of a British camp, inclosed by a
circular rampart of earth and stones. There are some
Druidical relics. Scotch pebbles of great beauty are
found in the bed of the Clyde.