Carrington

   CARRINGTON, or Primrose, a parish, in the county of Edinburgh; containing, with the villages of Thornton and Whitefaugh, 616 inhabitants, of whom 161 are in the village of Carrington, 6 miles (S. by W.) from Dalkeith. This place, at an early period, was the property of William, Lord Ramsay, who was created Earl of Dalhousie and Lord Carrington in 1633, and from whom it was purchased by Sir Archibald Primrose, ancestor of the earls of Rosebery. James, the successor of Sir Archibald, was created Viscount Primrose in 1703, and gave his family name to the estate, by which, in most documents, the parish is noticed, though the ancient name is still retained among the inhabitants of the surrounding districts. The Parish, which is bounded on the south by the Moorfoot hills, on the north by the Pentland hills, and on the south-east by the river South Esk, is about three miles and a half in length, and almost two miles in breadth, comprising an area of nearly 3500 acres, of which the greater part is arable; numerous rivulets flow through the lands into the South Esk, but none of them are of sufficient importance to require particular description. On the north lies the parish of Cockpen, on the north-west that of Lasswade, on the south Temple and a small part of Penicuick, and on the east the parish of Borthwick. The soil, on the bank of the river, and around the village, is generally fertile, but, towards the western extremities of the parish, and especially to the north, somewhat cold, wet, and moorish. The chief crops are, wheat, barley, oats, peas, potatoes, and turnips, and the rotation system of husbandry is generally practised; considerable progress has been made in draining and inclosing the lands, which are mostly in a good state of cultivation. The rateable annual value of the parish is £4617. Coal is found throughout the whole of the district, and some of the seams are of very superior quality. There are but two proprietors of land in the parish, the Earl of Rosebery and another gentleman, of whom the latter resides at the splendid modern mansion of Whitehall. The village, which is on the road to Dalkeith, is neatly built, and inhabited chiefly by persons employed in the various handicraft trades requisite for the wants of the neighbourhood; and facility of communication is maintained by good roads, kept in repair by statute labour, and by bridges over the Esk and other streams. The ecclesiastical affairs of the parish are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Dalkeith and synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. The minister's stipend is £158. 7. 5., of which one-third is payable from the exchequer, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £15 per annum; patron, the Earl of Rosebery. The church, a neat structure, was erected in 1711. The parochial school is well conducted; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4., with a house and garden, and the fees average £10 per annum.