Libberton

   LIBBERTON, a parish, in the Upper ward of the county of Lanark; including the village of Quothquan, and containing 796 inhabitants, of whom 117 are in the village of Libberton, 2½ miles (S. by E.) from Carnwath. This place, of which the name is of uncertain derivation, is situated on the banks of the river Clyde, and comprehends the ancient parishes of Libberton and Quothquan, the latter having been annexed to the former in 1669. The present parish is about seven miles in length, from north to south, and four miles and a half in average breadth, forming a peninsula bounded on the south and west by the Clyde, and on the north by the river Medwin; it comprises 8703 acres, of which about half are arable, 500 woodland and plantations, and the remainder hill pasture and waste. The surface is generally elevated, and along the banks of the rivers level, but in other parts varied with hills, of which Quothquan Law, the highest, is 600 feet above the sea, and covered with verdure to its very summit. The Clyde frequently overflows its banks, adding great fertility to the meadows on both sides; it is of very various depth, being fordable in many places during the summer, though in other parts of the parish its banks have a height of fifty or sixty feet. The Medwin, which rises in the parish of West Linton, has a course of several miles, receives the waters of the North Medwin, and then flows into the Clyde: a branch of it, taking an easterly direction, at Dolphington, forms a boundary between the counties of Peebles and Lanark, and afterwards falls into the Tweed. The scenery is pleasing, and in some parts embellished with thriving plantations.

   The soil is various; near the Clyde, extremely fertile; in other parts, comparatively poor. The crops are, oats, barley, bear, potatoes, and turnips: the system of husbandry is advanced; and draining has been practised to a considerable extent, embankments constructed, and much unprofitable land reclaimed and brought into cultivation. The farm-buildings have been also improved, though still inferior to many in other districts of the county; the lands have been inclosed, partly with stone dykes and partly with hedges of thorn, which are kept in good order; and the plantations have been extended. Attention is paid to the management of dairy-farms, and large quantities of butter and cheese are produced for the supply of the neighbouring markets; the cows are all of the Ayrshire breed. The sheep fed in the pastures are a cross between the Cheviot and the Leicestershire. The plantations, made chiefly on the lands of Cormiston, Shieldhill, Huntfield, and Whitecastle, are larch, and spruce and Scotch firs, intermixed with various kinds of forest-trees, and are in a very thriving state. The landed proprietors' residences and tastefully-embellished demesnes add greatly to the beauty of the scenery. The village, which is pleasantly situated, has facility of intercourse with Carnwath, the nearest market-town, by tolerably good roads; and the turnpike-road from Peebles to Glasgow passes for nearly a mile through the parish. Quothquan is also pleasantly situated. The rateable annual value of the parish is £4730. It is in the presbytery of Biggar and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, and in the patronage of Sir Macdonald Lockhart, Bart.; the minister's stipend is £226, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £16 per annum. The church, erected in 1812, is a neat edifice adapted for a congregation of 350 persons. The parochial school, situated in the village of Libberton, is well attended; the master has a salary of £30, with £20 fees, and a house and garden. There is also a school at Quothquan, the master of which has £2. 10. annually, being the interest of a bequest, and £6 from house-rents, in addition to the school fees. A friendly society, established in 1811, has contributed to reduce the number of applications to the parish for relief. Near the village are the remains of a circular camp, situated on the extreme edge of a barren moor, about half a mile from the Clyde; it comprises an area of about an acre and a half, and is surrounded by a double intrenchment with a deep fosse.