STATISTICAL ACCOUNT

OF

SCOTLAND.

PART XII.

NUMBER I.

PARISH OF PEEBLES.

(COUNTY OF PEEBLES, SYNOD OF LOTHIAN AND TWEEDDALE, PRESBYTERY OF PEEBLES.)

By the Rev. WILLIAM DALGLIESH, D. D.

Name and Situation of the Town and Parish.

PEEBLE

EEBLES, the name of the burgh and parish, in the oldest writings Peblis, feems plainly to have been taken from the pebbles with which the foil abounds, particularly where the town was first built. Being the county town, and the feat of a prefbytery, Peebles gives name to both. The town ftands on the N. fide of the river Tweed, where Peebles' Water falls into it; the old town on the W., and the new on the E. fide of that water, joined by two bridges carried over it, VOL. XII.

A

and

and communicating with the country on the S., by an an cient and well built bridge of 5 arches over the Tweed. The landward part of the parish is from E. to W. 5 miles, and from N. to S. 10 miles, and contains 18,210 acres. The river Tweed, running through it from W. to E., divides it into nearly equal parts. Peebles, called alfo Eddleftone water, fubdivides the N. part of it. The royal burgh of Peebles ftands in the centre, and in a fituation remarkably pleasant. It is built in a beautiful and healthy opening in a hilly country. It has the Caftle of Horfburgh, fituated on a gentle eminence on the E.; the Caftle of Need path, embofomed in an amphitheatre of wood, on the W.; the rich ftrath of Eddlestone water, adorned with gentlemen's feats, on the N.; and a variety of thriving plantations on the S. Like as in the Tempe of Theffaly, the river, in clear ftreams, and beautiful · windings, flows through the middle of the vale, which, on both fides of the river, is adorned with rich meadows, and fields of corn. Verdant hills, covered with flocks and herds, rife gently all around; and higher mountains, emitting springs more falubrious than Offa or Olympus, rear their lofty fummits behind, and terminate the profpect. The situation of Peebles is as healthy as it is pleasant. The foil is dry, and the air well ventilated and pure. The Tweed runs through a track of 80 miles, taking the straight, and 100 miles, following the ferpentine line of its course, and falls 1500 feet: But though it has finished one-third only of its course, it has fallen two-thirds of its defcent at Peebles, which is only 500 feet above the level of the fea. Situated in a centrical part of the country, Peebles has the rains from all quarters, in a very moderate degree: fo that the average quantity yearly is only 25 inches. And guarded on the N. E. by the highest part of that long range of mountains which runs from Lammermuir to the head of Eddleftone water, Peebles commonly is not vifited by the eastern fog one day in the year.

Soil, Culture, and Rent of Lands.-The foil on the level of the Tweed, and Eddlestone water, is clay mixed with fand, and fit for corn or grafs. The lands rifing a little higher are generally loam on a gravelly bottom, and produce excellent barley, oats, and all green crops. The foil on the skirts and fides of the hills, is an easy and rich earth, and these grounds, where not inclosed, are kept alternately in natural grass and in corn. Improvements in agriculture have of late years made a rapid progress in the parish of Peebles; 1500 acres are already enclosed. There are 700 acres more of infield ground, a great part of which will be enclosed in a fhort time. Of outfield ground, which is fometimes in tillage, but more commonly in natural grafs, for pafturing cows and horfes, there are 800 acres. The other lands, being hilly, afford excellent pafture for sheep, and are employed for this purpose. The lands nigh the town are let at from 40 s. to 50 s. the acre. Within these 20 years, the rental of the parish is become dou ble; and in 110 years, feptuple; for the valuation in 1681 was 50361. Scots. The prefent rental is now above 3000 1. Sterling, paid to 16 heritors, of which two only, and the burgeffes, who are many of them proprietors of lands, refide in the parish. The Peebles grey pea has long been in high estimation all over the country for feed; as alfo are the oats, which, raised from a warm foil, make excellent feed for lands that are higher and colder. With regard to potatoes, firft imported into Britain by Sir Walter Raleigh, and the most ufeful root that ever was imported into this, or any other country, they are nowhere cultivated with more care, and raised in greater excellence and increase than at Peebles. Ground is parceled out for planting from 1 to 6 pecks, at 15.6 d. the peck; 110 or 120 fquare yards are ufually allowed to the peck. The proprietor or poffeffor of the ground ploughs it till it is clean, drives out the dung, and plants the

potatoes with the plough; and befides having his ground cleaned and manured, has a reasonable rent for his lands, and price for his labour. The little tenants furnish the dung and feed, affift in cleaning the ground, and planting the potatoes, hoe and dig them after their hours of working, which contri butes to their health, and have their potatoes for half of the price at which they could otherwife purchase them, and which, to many families, furnish a third part of their fubfiftence at a very cheap rate.

Animals.-The Tweed abounds not only with trout, but falmon, which vifit the higher parts of it for fpawning, to wards the end of the year. Accordingly the Peebles Arms are 3 falmon. In the parish there are 200 horses, and soo cows, both much better than in former times. The number of sheep is about 8000. The ancient kind is ftill generally retained; but by their being kept fewer in number, and being better fed, they are much improved in quality. As the grounds in this part of the country are generally dry and healthy, the sheep are not fo liable to disease as in many other places. Of these, what is called the fickness, is generally the inoft common and the most fatal. It is an inflammation in the bowels, brought on by the full habit of the animal, by fudden heats and colds, by eating wet and frosted grafs, or by lying on wet grounds; and might, in most cafes, be prevented by bleeding, by gentle treatment, and by change of pasture. It is a pity that the most harmless, and the most useful of all animals fhould, in this refpect, have fo long been the most neglected. By a better knowledge of the diseases of the sheep, their natural caufes, and the means of preventing or curing them, many thousands of them might be annually faved to their proprietor, and to the country.

Population,

Population, &c.—According to Dr. Webster's report, the number of fouls then was 1896. The inhabitants in this pa rih, of all denominations, in 1791, are 1920, diftinguished as follows:

Inoculation has been practifed for many years in this county by able furgeons, with great fuccefs, and becomes more and more general. Above a thousand have been inoculated, without one dying. Nay, fome parents have even inoculated their children themselves, and have perfectly fucceeded. The inhabitants of the parish, in town and country, are generally healthy, and live many of them to very advanced

on

From the number of communicants in each parish, entered laft century or the records of the prefbytery, as the rule by which the money then given to their burfar was levied from the several parishes, it is evident that the population of this parish, and of this county in general, has, fince that time, decreased more than one-fourth part. This is owing to the annexation of farms, and throwing down of cottages, by which the great tenants are enriched, but the small Ges, and the cottagers, are almoft wholly extinguished; and manufactures not having been established in towns and villages, the people must go elsewhere, as adity impels, or inclination leads them.