Wandell and Lammingtoune

   WANDELL and LAMMINGTOUNE, a parish, in the Upper ward of the county of Lanark; containing, with the village of Lammingtoune, 358 inhabitants, of whom 122 are in the village of Lammingtoune, 6½ miles (S. W.) from Biggar. These two ancient parishes, which were united in 1608, comprise the baronies of Wandell and Lammingtoune. The former barony, anciently Quendall or Gwendall, signifying "the White Meadow," and called also Hartside, belonged in the reign of Alexander II. to William de Hertisheved, sheriff of Lanark in 1225, and in that of David II. to William de Jardin, in whose family it remained till the time of Charles I. of England, when it was conferred upon William, Marquess of Douglas. From him it descended to his son, Archibald, Earl of Angus, who in 1651 was made Earl of Ormond, and whose descendant was by a new patent created Earl of Forfar and Lord Wandale and Hartside; and on the death of the second Earl of Forfar, who fell in the battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715, it reverted to the Duke of Douglas, whose grand-nephew, Lord Douglas, is the present proprietor. The barony of Lammingtoune became, by marriage with the heiress about the year 1296, the property of the Scottish hero Sir William Wallace, whose only daughter conveyed it by marriage to William Baliol or Baillie, ancestor of Alexander D. R. Cochrane Wishart Baillie, Esq., the present laird. In 1715, a number of the Highlanders who had taken arms in favour of the Pretender, under the command of the Earl of Wintoun, refusing to accompany their general into England, dispersed in two companies of about 200 each, one of which, retreating to the hills of Lammingtoune, was assailed by the peasantry of this place under the conduct of their lairds, made prisoners, and, after being confined in the parish church for the night, marched off to Lanark.

   The parish extends along the banks of the river Clyde, on the west and south-west, for about nine miles; and is from three to four miles in breadth; comprising an area of 11,300 acres, of which 6100 are in the barony of Wandell, and 5200 in that of Lammingtoune. The surface is boldly diversified with hills of mountainous elevation, but easy of ascent, and of verdant aspect, affording excellent pasturage for sheep. These hills vary in their shape, some of them being finely undulated, and others more abrupt and conical, with portions of barren grey rock protruding above the turf; among them are Hillhouse hill and Lammingtoune hill, the former, near the church, having an elevation of 500 feet, and the latter, to the east of the village, rising to the height of 600 feet, above the level of the surrounding plains. There are several tracts of flat land, watered by streams descending from the hills. Of these, the Wandell, Hartside, Hackwood, and Lammingtoune burns are the most copious; they all form tributaries to the Clyde, which abounds with trout of superior quality and large size, similar to those in Loch Invar and Loch Leven. The hills furnish game of various kinds, and partridges and grouse are especially found in great plenty. Deer were formerly very numerous in the barony of Wandell, from which circumstance that district was called Hartside; but the ancient forest which was their accustomed haunt has long since disappeared, and there is scarcely any wood now to be found in the Wandell district. In Lammingtoune, however, are some hundreds of fine old trees, chiefly about the village, and on the banks of Lammingtoune burn.

   Of the lands, about 2300 acres are arable, and about 900 meadow and pasture; the soil is mostly dry and fertile, and the rotation plan of husbandry in general use. The chief crops are, oats, bear, barley, potatoes, and turnips; the dairy-farms are under good management, and the produce is sent weekly to the Edinburgh market. The sheep, of which more than 6000 are fed on the pastures, are of the black-faced and Cheviot breeds, principally the former; the cows are the Ayrshire, with an occasional mixture of the Teeswater; and the horses, of which more are kept than are used for agricultural purposes, are of the Clydesdale breed. The farm houses and offices are comparatively of an inferior order, and covered with thatch, except in the district of Lammingtoune, where the principal buildings are covered with slate. Considerable progress has been made in draining and inclosing the lands; the fences are chiefly stone dykes, with some few hedges of thorn. The rateable annual value of the parish is £3668. The village of Lammingtoune is pleasantly situated on the north and east side of the Lammingtoune burn, and on the road from Biggar to Dumfries. It had formerly a market and two annual fairs, for which a charter was granted to Sir William Baillie in the reign of Charles I.; but they have been long discontinued. The houses are generally ancient, and of very indifferent appearance; but the surrounding scenery, enriched by the bending trees on the banks of the burn, is pleasingly picturesque. Near the burn is a handsome cottage for the gamekeeper of the lord of the manor; and in the village is a spacious house which was originally intended for an inn to accommodate the visiters who might frequent the troutstreams of this place, which afford excellent sport to the angler. Facility of communication is maintained by good roads that pass through the village and parish; by bridges over the several burns; and a bridge of two arches over the Clyde, on the road to Abington and Crawford. A post-office has been established in the village, under that of Biggar, from which letters are forwarded by a runner three times in the week.

   The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Biggar and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale: the minister's stipend is £150, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15. 10. per annum; alternate patrons, Lord Douglas and A. D. R. C. W. Baillie, Esq. The church, situated on the boundary between the two districts, is a very ancient structure, with a fine Norman doorway; the building was repaired and enlarged in 1828, at an expense of £300, and contains about 350 sittings. There were formerly two parochial schools, one in each district; but that of Wandell has been discontinued, and the parochial school at Lammingtoune has been removed from the village to a building erected for its use, within the boundary of Wandell, for the accommodation of both districts. The master has a salary of £35, with a house and garden, and the fees average £12. 10. per annum: connected with the school is a bursary at the High School and University of Glasgow, founded by the last countess of Forfar in 1737. The poor have the proceeds of bequests of £105 charged on the Lammingtoune estates, and £75 by the late Dr. Blinshall, of Dundee. There are some small remains of the ancient castle of Lammingtoune, the seat for some time of the renowned Sir William Wallace, consisting of a portion of the walls, and the western gable, with the arched window of the dining-room: the rest was destroyed, without the knowledge of the proprietor, by the factor on the estate, for the sake of the materials. On an eminence rising from the river Clyde are some remains of the Bower of Wandell, the resort of James V., when pursuing the sport of deer-hunting in the once thickly-wooded hills of Hartside. There are also numerous camps in various parts of the parish, of which three on Whitehill, at the northern extremity of Lammingtoune, are supposed to be of Roman origin: the largest of these, which nearly adjoin each other, is seventy yards long and forty yards in width, and is defended by a ditch five yards in breadth. On Starthope Hill, in Wandell, are the remains of a British camp, inclosed by a circular rampart of earth and stones; and there are numerous others, and also some Druidical relies. Scotch pebbles of great beauty are found in the bed of the Clyde.