Arrochar Parish Church
History
Number LXIII
Parish of Arroquhar
(Country of Dumbarton.)
By the Rev. Mr. JOHN GILLESPIE, Minister of that Parish.
Name, Situation, and Extent.
Arroquhar is a Celtic word, which signifies a high or hilly country. It is generally pronounced, in the Gaelic language, Arrar, which is a contraction of Ardthir, ard signifying high, and thir a country. The name is very descriptive of the place, which is high and mountainous, having very little flat or arable ground in it. The extent of the parish is near 14 miles long, exclusive of 4 farms, which lie on the east side of Lochlomond, near the north end of it. The mean breadth may be computed at 3 miles. It is situated in the county and presbytery of Dumbarton, and in the synod of Glasgow and Ayr.
Soil, Climate, and Diseases. - The surface of some of the farms is smooth, and clothed with a beautiful verdure, intermixed with heath and bent; of others rocky, but the intermediate spaces afford excellent pasture for sheep. When the pasturing of black cattle prevailed here, the surface was mostly covered with heath, and had a dismal appearance; but since the introduction of sheep, the country has assumed a different aspect. The climate is very temperate in this place, it being screened by the mountains from the northerly and easterly winds, the cold in winter is not so intense as in the low country; but there are frequent and heavy falls of rain from the south and south-west, accompanied with high winds. There are no local distempers prevalent here, except fevers, to which the poorer people are subject in the latter end of winter and beginning of spring. With respect to the small pox, the people begin now to see the advantages of inoculation, and to be more reconciled to it, though it is not yet much practised among the lower class.
Sheep, Horses, etc. - The number of sheep in the parish amounts to about 10,600; horses, 60; black cattle, 460. The sheep, in general, are black faced, and of the Linton kind. The while wool has sold here, these two years past, at about 7s. per stone of 24lb. English weight, and the laid at 5s. On an average, 8 or 9 fleeces of the white, and 5 or 6 of the laid wool go to the stone. If a premium were given annually for the best tups, there would be a competition, and consequently a considerable improvement made both on the sheep and wool. It is expected, that the Hon. Board of Trustees in Edinburgh, will give the same encouragement to this district of the county of Dumbarton, for the improvement of the breed of sheep, that they give to some other counties in the Highlands of Scotland.
Trees. - There is a considerable deal of oak growing in this parish, on the banks of Lochlomond. But as the woods are generally cut about 20 or 24 years of age, there is no great timber in them, except some standards left at last cutting.
Population. - In the month of March 1791, there were living in the parish of Arroquhar 379 person, of whom there were,
Under 10 years of age, 105
Above 10 years of age, 274
Total 379
Abstract of Births and Marriages for the last six Years, as entered in the Parish Register.
Births. Marriages.
1785 11 8
1786 10 6
1787 11 5
1788 19 4
1789 9 4
1790 18 3
78 30
From the above it appears, that there are, upon an average, 13 baptisms, and 5 marriages annually. From the year 1769 to 1775, the average of baptisms is nearly 12; but the marriages do not amount to 1 yearly. Hence it appears, that the population of this parish, since 1769, has increased, which is owing, probably, to the high price of labour, and the encouragement given to tradesmen and day labourers to reside in it. There has been, however, a decrease of 87 upon the whole, within these 40 years, as the return to Dr. Webster, in 1755, was 466. There is no register of burials kept in the parish.
Heritors, Rent, etc. - There are only two heritors, one of whom is proprietor of nearly the whole parish, but does not reside in it. The rent, after Whitsunday next, will be near £1200 Sterling. The farms, which were let in lease about 7 years ago, and, since that time, pay, on an average, double the former rent, and are still increasing in value. After the introduction of sheep into this country, the proprietors found it their interest, to let as much ground to one man as he could stock, so that the principal farms in this parish and neighbourhood are in the hands of a few. One man possesses now what was formerly thought sufficient for 5 or 6 tenants, and yet the condition of the lower class is not rendered worse. About 40 years ago, some of the tenants could afford to pay very little more than the public burdens for these farms, which now pay a high rent to the proprietor. Formerly, every tacksman was bound to perform work with men and horses, a certain number of days yearly, or to pay so much in lieu thereof, in the option of the master; but in most of the leases, which have been granted of late, these personal services, and the other casualties payable by the tenants, are converted into cash, and included in the rent.
Occupations.- The small tenants and cottagers find employment, either in repairing the high roads along with the military, building dykes, manufacturing timber and barks in woods, or at the herring fishing, which they generally attend, from the beginning of harvest till New Year's day.
Prices of Labour. - On an average, the wages of a man servant are 1s. a day, from the beginning of February till the beginning of November, without victuals. The day's wages of a wright are 1s.; of a taylor 8d.' of a carpenter 1s.6d.; of a shoemaker 8d.; and of a mower of hay 1s. besides their maintenance. The wages of women servants, in general, are 3d. a day; but in harvest 6d. exclusive of their victuals. When they eat in their master's house, they receive, on an average £3 a year, and the men servants, about £6. In this parish they all eat in the house, except shepherds, who live at a distant corner of the farm. These have a benefit from the master, that is to say, a house, 52 stones of meal, 2 cows grass, ground for potatoes, and grass for 60 sheep in the hill, which may amount in all to £14 or £15 Sterling per annum.
Church.- The parish of Arroquhar was originally an appendage of the parish of Luss, and was disjoined from it in the year 1658. The stipend, including the glebe, is below the minimum. The manse, which is in bad repair, was built in the year 1754. Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, Bart. is patron.
Poor. - The number of poor, upon the roll at present, is 9. The weekly collections amount to about £7 Sterling a year, which are distributed, together with the interest of £50 Sterling, left to the poor of the parish, by the late Robert Carmichael of Broomly, and the interest of another small sum appropriated for their benefit.
Fish. - The fish, which frequent Lochlong, are cod, haddocks, seath, lythe, whitings, flounders, mackarel, trouts, and herrings. Nobody in this place, a few individuals excepted, give themselves the trouble of fishing any of these species, but the latter, which are sometimes got in abundance. For these two seasons past, each man employed in the herring fishing, has cleared £8 on an average, between the middle of harvest and the 1st. of January.
Fuel. - The common fuel is peats, which are got in abundance in the hills. But it sometimes happens, that after all the expence and trouble of carting and fitting them up, the season may be so wet as to put it out of the power of the tenants to get them home. The better sort of farmers, who live near Lochlong, make use of coals, which cost about 5s. 6d. the Glasgow cart, including freight, &c. It is believed, upon the whole, everything being considered, that they are cheaper than peats.
Prices of provisions. - The average price of oat meal may be estimated at 1s. per peck. Sometimes Irish meal is imported into Lochlong, and sold under that price; but meal manufactured in the country is often above it. The average price of butter is 9d. per lib.; of common cheese, 5s. the stone tron weight; of a hen 1s.; and of eggs, 3d. the dozen. The price of beef is regulated by the Glasgow and Dumbarton markets.
Roads and Bridges. - The principal roads and bridges in this parish are kept in repair at the expence of government. The line of road, which leads to Inverary, being the most public, is kept in good order; but the line from Tarbert, leading to Tyndrum, is much neglected. In several places, particularly at the point of Farkin, and at Craig-an-aren, the road has been ill planned. Instead of bringing it up a steep hill, it should have been brought, at both places, round the point along the side of the loch, which would not have been much longer, and might have been executed at nearly as little expense as the present line. It is much wished, that the roads in these places may be soon altered, and the pulls taken off, which are so inconvenient for travellers, and so oppressive to horses. The other roads are kept in repair at the expence of the tenants and cottagers. last year the former were assessed at the rate of 11s. for every £30 of real rent. This assessment varies according to circumstances. The ultimatum is 12s. for every ploughgate, or £30 Sterling of rent, which the commissioners of supply cannot exceed. The latter pay from 1s.6d. to 2s.6d. according to their abilities. The bye-roads in Arroquhar might be kept in good repair with the one half of the money levied in it, or perhaps with less; notwithstanding, the assessment is as high as it is in these parishes within the district, where the roads are bad, (the trustees having it i their power, to appropriate the surplus money to any other part of the district, where they think it necessary), which is considered as a grievance.
Posts. - Every night, about 8 o'clock, (Wednesday excepted), a post arrives from Inverary, and another, at the same time, from Dumbarton. These are succeeded by other two, who wait their arrival, and set out soon after with the mails. They meet near the head of Lochlong, where they are all stationed, (which is half way between the post towns, or 22 miles distant from each), and succeed one another alternately. There being no allowance made for horses, they are obliged to travel on foot, which is a laborious task in winter. It rarely happens, however, that the snow is so deep on the road as to stop travellers. In March 1782, the communication between Dumbarton and Inverary was interrupted for a few days; but such a fall of snow, so uncommon at that season, may no happen again in a century.
Language. - Both the Gaelic and English languages are spoken here. The former is most prevalent, and is best understood, particularly by the old people. The names of places are Gaelic, and descriptive of their local situation.
General Character. - The greater part of the people in the parish are Macfarlanes, who have always had, till of late, a strong attachment to the laird, as their chief; and while this subsisted, misanthropy and ferocity of manners were prominent features in their character. Several circumstances, however, have occurred, to destroy the influence of the feudal system in this place. The military roads, which were made after the year 1745, opened a free communication with other parts of the kingdom, and an intercourse with strangers. The consequence of this was, that the mind expanded by degrees, to embrace, within its grasp, people of other denominations, and to weaken that prejudice which it conceived in favour of an individual, and a particular clan. The settlement of some graziers here, from the low country, contributed likewise to produce those happy effects. They were at first considered by the natives as aliens, and invaders of property, to which they had no natural right, being neither lineal descendents, nor collateral branches of the Macfarlane race. Such was their antipathy to their new neighbours, that they made several abortive attempts to extirpate them. This, however, gradually subsided. The sale of the estate of Arroquhar, which happened some years ago, contributed also not a little to extinguish the remains of that system of barbarity, which so long retarded the progress of civilization in Europe. In proportion as it lost its influence, the manners of the people changed to the better. They are now civil, well bred, honest, industrious, and not addicted to an immoderate use of spirituous liquors.