Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/534

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526

LANARK. 526 LANCASHIRE. and Lanark ; and under the Sheriff Small Debt Act cir- cuit courts are held at Biggar on the second Thursday of March, June, September, and December, and on the first Friday of April, August, and December at Douglas. LANAEK, a par. in the upper ward of the co. of Lanark, Scotland. It includes the royal burgh of Lanark, and the vils. of New Lanark, and Cartland. Its length N.W. is about 6 miles, and its greatest breadth is 5 miles. The area of the parish is about 9,000 acres, 7,000 of which are in tillage. The surface is hilly, and rises 600 feet above sea-level at New Lanark. The soil differs in various parts of the parish, being gravelly in some localities, and clayey in others, while on the moors it is a hard till. Here coal is worked. Old Red sand- stone is the predominant rock. The river Clyde runs along the north-western and south-western boundaries of the parish, and the Mouse water intersects the parish. These rivers have several falls, and are remarkably picturesque here. Over the Clyde there are two bridges, and over the Mouse five. The Caledonian railway runs through the parish, and haa a station at the town of Lanark. The par. is the seat of a presb. in the synod of Glasgow and Ayr, in the patron, of the crown. The minister's stipend is 333. The pariah church, built in 1777, waa repaired in 1834. There is a chapel-of-eaae dedicated to St. Leonard, in the patron, of the heads of families ; also a Free church, two United Presbyterian churches, besides Independent, Episcopalian, and Eoman Catholic places of worship. There are a burgh grammar school, Mrs. Wilson's charity schools for 50 children, St. Leonard's school, a ragged, and other schools. The chief seats are Lee Castle, the residence of the Lockhart family, Bonniton Houao, Cleghorn House, Sunnyaido Lodge, and Smyllum House. The old Eoman road "Watling Street intersects the parish, and there is a Eoman camp, 600 yarda by 420, at Cleghorn, and another near Carstairs. Near the town, at an altitude of 200 feet, are the ruins of a castle known as Quaw Castle or Castledykes. Sir William Wallace resided here, and at Bonuiton House are preserved a portrait of the hero, and a very curious chair on which he is said to have sat. Sir William Lockhart, the statesman and general of the Commonwealth period, waa educated at Lanark school, as were also William Smellie, author of the treatise on midwifery, and General Roy. Judge Lee and William Lithgow were natives. The curious stone called the "Lee Penny" (which ia said to have suggested to Sir Walter Scott his celebrated novel of the "Talisman") is still preserved at Lee House. LANARK, a royal burgh, market, and post town, tho capital of the county and parish to which it gives name, situated on the main road from Stirling to Carlisle, and a railway station on tho Caledonian line, is 32 miles S.W. of Edinburgh, 25 S.E. of Glasgow, and 15 S.E. of Hamilton. It occupies an elevated position in a healthy spot, about half a mile from the river Clyde, and is a favourite place of resort for strangers during tho summer months. It was tho Eoman Colania, on Watling Street, and the spot where Kenneth II. held a council in 978. It was burnt in 1244, and was the seat of Sir William Wallace when he killed William De Heselrig, the English sheriff of Lanarkshire, in 1297. Bruce finally recovered Lanark from the English in 1310. Here, on the 12th January, 1682, tho Covenanters affixed their declaration on the market-cross against Charles H. The town is principally composed of one line of streets, running from E. to W., and bearing the respective names of Bloom Gate, High-street, and West Port. Besides these there are several smaller streets diverging, besides lanea and closes. It possesses some handsome buildings and good shops, and is well supplied both with gas and water. The county buildings, comprising the county offices and gaol, are fine structures. The Clydesdale Hotel is an ornament to the town, and behind it are the assembly rooms, erected in 1827 on the site of an ancient Franciscan monastery. The town possesses besides the parish church one quoad sacra parish church, a Free church, two United Presbyterian churches, an Episco- palian and a Roman Catholic chapel. In a niche over the eaatern door of the parish church is placed a colossal statue of Sir William Wallace, executed and presented to the town by Forrest, a self-taught genius. The remains of the old pariah church are situated a quarter of a mile eastward of the town. It has been deserted almost 90 years, but is much reverenced as the place where Wallace first saw his subsequently murdered wife. The general occupation of the inhabitants is handloom weaving for the Glasgow manufacturers, but lace embroidering, shoemaking, and handicrafts are also carried on. The town possesses good hotel accommodation, branch offices of the City of Glas- gow bank, Commercial bank, and Royal bank, also a savings-bank, inaurance agencies, mechanics' institute, and several benevolent and religious institutions. The Lanarkshire Advertiser, a monthly paper, is published here. The town is a royal and parliamentary burgh, and unites with Airdrie, Hamilton, Falkirk, and Linlithgow in returning one member to parliament. Its first charter, .granted by Robert I., was dated in 1310, but its present charter (now lost) was granted by Charles I. on the j 20th February, 1632. It is governed by a provost, two ! bailies, dean of guild, town clerk, a treasurer, and twelve councillors. The annual value of real property in 1860-1 amounted to 8,429, and the corporation revenue in 1859-60 was 1,366. The town gives the title of earl to tho Hamiltons, and for more than two centuries it had the keeping of the weights and measures for Scotland. A burgh court is held by the magistrates for the town, and sheriff courts, commissary courts, and justice of peace ciMirls, are held by the county authorities for the upper I ward of the county. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday. Faira are held on the laat Wednesday of May (old style) for black cattle, last Wednesday of July, for horses and lambs, the Friday after Falkirk tryst in October, for horses and black cattle. Races take place I about 2 miles from the town on the day after Whit- 1 Sunday fair. LANARK LOWER or UNDER WAED contains thel pars, of Glasgow, Cadder, Carmunnock, and Eutherglen, I with parts of Cathcart and Govan. LANAEK MIDDLE WARD contains Avondale, Blantyre, Bothwell, Cambuslang, Cambuanethan, Dai- serf, Dalziel, Glasford, Hamilton, East Kilbride, Max town, New and Old Monkland, Shotts, and Stone.houie.li LANARK UPPER WARD contains Biggar, Car Carmichael, Carnwath, Carstairs, Covington, CrawfordJ Crawfordjohn, Culter, Dolphinton, Douglas, DunsyreJ Lanark, Lesmahagow, Libberton, Pettinain, Symim Walston, Wundell, Wiston, and a portion of Moffat. LANARK, NEW, a large manufacturing vil. i par. and co. of Lanark, Scotland. It is situated 1 mil S. of Lanark, on the right bank of the Clyde. la was founded by David Dale, in 1784, who erected th. first of the present long range of cotton spinning i and constructed .1 Kubtcrnmean aqueduct ,'IUO fret through solid rock, for the purpose of diverting tha waters of the Clyde, and converting them into a : for the moving of machinery. Mr. Dale was succeeded by his son-in-law, the visionary philanthropist 1. Owen, to whom the town is indebted for its educat establishments. In 1827 he ceased to have any con tion with the village, and the factories passed into < hands. The " Institution," as it ia called, is a i school in connection with the factories, which in variou ways employ the whole of tho inhabitants. LANCANT, a chplry. in the par. of Tidenham, cc Gloucester, 2 miles N.E. of Chepstow, its post t> It is situated on a bend of the river Wye, oj grounds of Piercefield. There is no village, only a detached houses. From various points a view is obi:! of the windings of the river between Tintern A' and Chepstow. The living is a cur. annexed to the rect. of Wollastone, in the dioc. of Gloucester and Br; The chapel-of-ease ia dedicated to St. James. The tithe were commuted in 1810. LANCASHIRE, a maritime ahire and county i tine, in the north-weatern part of England, extendin between the rivers Mersey and Duddon. It ia bou-