Muckart

   MUCKART, a parish, in the county of Perth, 2½ miles (N. E. by E.) from Dollar; containing, with the village of Pool, 706 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived its name, signifying in the Gaelic language "the head of a boar," either from the form of one of its principal hills resembling that animal, or from its having been anciently much infested with wild boars. Early in the fourteenth century it belonged to Lamberton, archbishop of St. Andrew's, who in 1320 erected here the ancient palace of Castleton, which, together with the lands appertaining to it, was sold by one of his successors to the Earl of Argyll, in whose possession it remained till the middle of the sixteenth century, when the estate was divided, and passed into the hands of several proprietors. In 1644, the church, and nearly every house in the parish, were burned by the Marquess of Montrose in his warfare with Argyll, when he destroyed Castle Campbell, and other property belonging to the earl; the memorial of which devastation is still preserved in the name of the pass in Glendovan by which he entered the parish. The parish is about four and a half miles in length, and of irregular form, varying from less than a mile to more than two miles in breadth; and is bounded on the north and west by two small rivulets, which separate it respectively from the parishes of Glendovan and Dollar, and on the south and east by the river Devon. It comprises about 4300 acres, of which 2700 are arable, 1000 meadow and pasture, 300 woodland and plantations, and the remainder undivided common. The surface is intersected by a branch of the Ochil hills, of which the highest point, called Sea Mab, has an elevation of nearly 1400 feet above the level of the sea; the hills are covered with excellent grass, affording good pasturage, and the scenery has been greatly improved by plantations of recent formation, which are in a thriving condition. The Devon rises to the west of the Ochil range, and, after pursuing a very devious line, falls into the Forth near the town of Alloa. In part of its course, the stream runs in a channel formed by nature in the solid rock; and in its progress it makes numerous picturesque falls, descending abruptly from a height of thirty feet into a circular cavity, from which, by the violence of its fall, the water rebounds, and then flows into a succession of similar cauldrons, from the last of which it is precipitated more than forty feet into the plain beneath. There are four bridges over the Devon within the limits of the parish. The most remarkable, called the "Rumbling bridge," consists of two arches, the one immediately above the other: the lower arch, which formed the ancient bridge, has an elevation of more than eighty feet above the level of the stream, is very narrow, and being undefended by any parapet, must have been a very dangerous passage previously to the erection of the upper arch, which is a commodious approach to the parish from the south. Another of these bridges is distinguished by the appellation of the "Vicar's bridge," from the circumstance of the vicar of the adjoining parish of Dollar having been killed here in revenge of his having abjured the Roman Catholic religion.

   The soil varies greatly in quality in different places; near the river it is light and sandy, in other parts more rich and fertile, and in the higher grounds gravelly, with portions of moss. The lands have been much benefited by draining, and the system of husbandry is materially improved; considerable progress has been made in inclosing the lands; the fences are chiefly of stone, with some inclosures of hedges, and both are generally well kept up. Attention is also paid to the improvement of the breed of cattle, which are principally of the short-horned kind; and the South-Down and Leicestershire breeds of sheep have been introduced with success. The substrata are mostly whinstone, of which the hills are composed, ironstone, limestone, freestone, and sandstone, with some coal in the western portion of the parish. The ironstone is of rich quality, but is not wrought, though obtained in abundance on the opposite banks of the river; the limestone is worked by the proprietors of the lands for their own use, and lime is also procured in the immediate neighbourhood, and at a moderate cost. One seam of the coal is worked, which affords an abundant supply of fuel, and considerable quantities are sent to Strathearn. Boulders of whinstone, and occasionally of sandstone, occur. The ironstone and limestone abound with fossils and shells; some fine specimens of rock-crystal are also found in the whinstone. The rateable annual value of Muckart is £4000. The nearest market-town is Alloa, which is also the post-town; but a post has been likewise established to Dollar. Facility of communication is afforded by excellent roads, six miles of which are turnpikeroads, and particularly by the construction of the new lines from Stirling to Milnathort, and from Dunfermline to Crieff, which have contributed greatly to the improvement of the parish. Muckart is in the presbytery of Auchterarder and synod of Perth and Stirling, and patronage of the Crown: the minister's stipend is £158. 6. 8., with a manse, and a glebe valued at £20 per annum. The church, repaired in 1789, being in a very dilapidated state, and far from adequate to the wants of the parishioners, a new one was built in 1838. There are places of worship for the United Secession and Free Church. The parochial school affords a useful education to the children of the parish; the master has a salary of £25. 6. 8., about £17 fees, and a house and garden, with £9 per annum, the interest of a bequest. A library for the united use of this parish and those of Glendovan and Fossoway has been established in the village. There are some slight remains of Castleton, the old episcopal residence built by Archbishop Lamberton, which appears to have been a spacious edifice communicating by a subterraneous passage with the river: part of one of the turrets only is remaining. Stone coffins have been found in various parts of the parish.