Parish of Kilmorie
1846
KILMORIE, a parish, in the Isle of Arran,
county of Bute, 24 miles (S. W. by W.) from
Saltcoats;
containing 3455 inhabitants. This place, which occupies the western portion of
Arran, and derives its name from the dedication of its ancient church to St.
Mary, is, in all its historical details, identified with the
parish of Kilbride, which
occupies the eastern portion of the island. Kilmorie is bounded on the south by
the Frith of Clyde, and on the west by
the sound of Kilbrandon, which separates it from
Cantyre, and
is here about eight miles wide. It extends from
Largybeg Point, in the
southeast, to
Loch Ranza in the north-west, and is thirty miles in length and
six miles in breadth, comprising an area of nearly 93,000 acres, of which 8300
are arable, and the remainder hill pasture and waste. The surface is generally
mountainous, and diversified with hills interspersed with deep and narrow glens;
and the lands are watered by numerous rivulets descending from the heights, and
of which some are of great rapidity, forming in their course beautiful cascades,
the falls of Essmore and Esscumhan being the most prominent. The highest of the
mountains is
Beinn-Bharfhionn, or "the white-topped mountain," so called from
its summit being usually covered with snow, and which has an elevation of more
than 3000 feet above the level of the sea. There are several lakes in the
parish, of which the principal are,
Loch Tanna, about two miles, and
Loch Iorsa,
about one mile, in length, they are both very narrow, the former abounding with
trout, and the latter with salmon. Trout are also found in the rivulets, all of
which afford good sport to the angler.
The sea-coast, more than thirty miles in extent, is generally bold and rocky.
The chief headlands are,
Dippen Point, Benan Head, Brown Head, and Drumidoon;
and the bays are,
Pladda Sound, Drumidoon, Machray, and Loch Ranza, the last at
the north-western extremity of the parish, and the only one affording safe
anchorage for vessels. Opposite to
Kildonan, in the sound, is
the island of
Pladda, on which a lighthouse was erected in 1800, and another, of greater
elevation, in 1826, both exhibiting fixed lights, visible at a distance of five
leagues. Fish of various kinds are taken off the coast; the chief are, haddock,
whiting, mackerel, and cod. Ling and turbot are found towards the south;
lobsters and crabs are caught in abundance near
Kildonan, for
the Glasgow
market; and off the northern coast, the herring-fishery is carried on with
considerable profit by the inhabitants. The rocks are indented with numerous
caverns, of which one, at
Drumidoon, called
the King's Cave, was for some time
the retreat of Robert Bruce, during his reverse of fortune, when contending for
the throne. This cavern is 114 feet long, forty-four feet broad, and forty-seven
and a half in height; and at the upper end is a hunting-scene rudely sketched in
the rock, said to have been done by that monarch while in concealment.
The soil varies in different parts of the parish; near the shore, it is sandy
and gravelly; towards the interior, clayey; and in the vicinity of the hills,
mostly moss: the valleys, along the banks of the rivers, are generally a loam.
The arable lands in
the vale of Shisken and near the seacoast are usually
fertile, and in good cultivation; the crops are, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes,
and the various grasses. The system of husbandry has, within the last few years,
been greatly bettered; the lands have been drained, and inclosed with hedges of
thorn; and the farm buildings and offices are now substantial and well arranged.
The cattle, formerly a mixture of the Galloway, Ayrshire, and Argyllshire
breeds, are gradually improving under a more careful management; and the native
breed of sheep, supposed to have been originally Norwegian, has been exchanged
for the black-faced and Cheviots. The moors abound with black game, and grouse
are found in profusion; but, since the destruction of the ancient forests, the
roe, wild-boar, and other animals of the chase, have disappeared. There are
still some small remains of old wood; and plantations have been formed upon a
moderate scale, which are in a thriving state. The rocks are chiefly granite,
mica and clay slate, conglomerate and trap; the principal substrata are, red and
white sandstone, and limestone, of which last there are mines at Clachan and
Glenloig, in operation to a moderate extent. The rateable annual value of the
parish is £6806. There is a shooting-lodge at Dugharidh, about a mile below
Loch Iorsa, and pleasantly situated on the river of that name. The only village is
Shisken, and this is but inconsiderable; at
Shedog is a grain-mill; and there is
likewise a mill for lint and wool at
Burican. About ninety boats are engaged in
the herring-fishery, which are of the burthen of four tons and a half on an
average, each having a crew of three men. Fairs are held at
Shedog in November
and December, and a fair, chiefly for horses, at Lag about the third week in
November. The nearest post-offices are at
Brodick and at
Lamlash, in the parish
of Kilbride. Facility of communication is maintained by the turnpike-roads to
Brodick and
Lamlash, and by packet-boats from
Southend to
Ayr, and from
Blackwater to
Campbelltown.
The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of
Cantyre and synod of
Argyll. The minister's stipend is £237, with a manse, and a
glebe valued at £15 per annum; patron, the Duke of Hamilton. The parish church,
rebuilt on the original site in 1785, and enlarged in 1824, is a neat structure,
containing 832 sittings. A church at
Shisken was rebuilt in 1805, at a cost of
£700, raised by subscription, and contains 640 sittings: divine service is
performed every third Sunday by the minister of the parish. The church at
Loch Ranza, noticed in the account of Kilbride, is open to the inhabitants of both
parishes. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship. There are
three parochial schools, situated respectively at
Kilmorie, Shisken, and Imachar;
the masters of the two first have salaries of £17. 10. and £15 respectively,
with a house and garden and some land, and the master of
Imachar has a salary of
£5. 16.: the fees in the aggregate average £10. There is also a school at
Loch Ranza, common to both parishes. The principal relics of antiquity are, the ruins
of Danish forts, Druidical monuments, obelisks of unhewn stone, cairns, and
tumuli, which last are scattered in profusion over the whole island. On the
lands of
Drumidoon are the remains of a large fortress called
the Doon, in front
of which the cliffs rise perpendicularly from the sea to a height of 300 feet.
Around the summit of the hill, which has a steep declivity towards the land, is
a wall of dry stones, inclosing a level area of several acres, in which are the
ruins of various rude buildings; the walls have been partly removed for the sake
of the materials, but the gateway is still plainly to be seen. The largest of
the cairns in the parish is
Blackwater-Foot, originally 200 feet in diameter at
the base, but of which a great part has been used for building. To the north of
it is a tumulus where Fingal is said to have held his courts of justice. There
are also vestiges of numerous ancient chapels; and in the burying-ground at
Shisken is the grave of
St. Molios, who removed from the isle of Lamlash, and
ended his days here. The Rev. William Shaw, author of the first Gaelic grammar
and dictionary ever published, was a native of the parish; he was favoured in
his difficult undertaking by the patronage and advice of Dr. Johnson and the
then Earl of Eglinton.
From: A
Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (1846)
and .co.uk