any regular affeffment, by the intereft of 100 1. a fund allotted for that purpose, together with the weekly collections.

Antiquities.-An artificial eminence, on the eaft fide of this parish, feems to have been a pot of the Romans, near their great road to the church at Ardoch. KIER, already so often mentioned, is one of a chain of rude forts, (which are all called Kiers), that run along the north face of the Strath, or Valley of Monte ath. Thefe forts are at prefent in ruins, and are difcernible to ftrangers only by knolls of a green furface, covering a great heap of loofe ftones; but well known to the inhabitants of the country, who carry away the ftones for building inclofures and houfes. One of thefe forts was fituated at the place of Kier. There are alfo Kiers at Achinfalt †, at Borland, at Balinackader §, at Tar I, and in many other places in that direction, all fimilar to one another, in respect of fituation, conftruction, profpect, and materials; which is a ftrong prefumption at leaft, if not a clear proof, that their ufe was the fame **. There is, in the neighbourhood of the church

• They seem to have been conftructed moftly with dry flones, dug from the quarries near them, because no other cement, except clay or mud, was known in this part of the world, at the time they were built. They were uniformly fituated near a ipring of water, or a running brook, and commanded an extenfive proípect towards all points except the north, from which quarter, it is probable, no danger was apprehended.

The field of the good profpect; commanding the country from the moor of Dumbarton to Queensferry.

The land of hills. Bor and tor fignify a hill; hence all the torreys are hilly.

The fuller's town.

The groin.

All the tars are at the bottom of hills.

**It appears highly probable, that this chain of forts was

church of Lecropt, a hill, where the baron used to hold his court, during the prevalence of the feudal fyftem. The Gallow Hill is near the Court Hill

Advantages and Difadvantages-The advantages are, our vicinity to the market of Stirling, where the parishioners can purchase any commodities they ftand in need of, and get a good price and ready money, for whatever they can spare for fale. They are near plenty of coal, which contributes to their domeftic comfort; and abundance of cheap lime enables them to improve their ground.-Bad roads are a great difadvantage. Another inconvenience, no lefs feverely felt, is the want of good water in the Carfe. There is but one fmall rivulet in the parish, which is employed in carrying away the mofs. There are fome fprings immediately below the Bank,

at

built by the Caledonians, to watch the motions of the troops ftationed on the Roman wall, betwixt Borrowftounness and Old Kilpatrick, begun by AGRICOLA after his irruption into the north in the year 79, and completed by ANTONINUS PIUS. The Caledonian line was about 3 or 4 hours march, in molt places, from the Roman wall; and this chain of forts, whether it was conftructed by GALGACUS, who was no lets fagacious than brave, or by his fucceffor, was planned with confummate judg ment, not only for the reafon, already mentioned; but because this is the narroweft tract of Scotland that the Romans ever vifited, and therefore the most eafily defended, and alfo, becaule there are few fords in the river, which runs in the frath lying on the fouth; and, if Mofs Flanders then exifted, it must have been an impaffable morafs, and a good barrier, as far as it extended, on the Caledonian frontier.

According to the fummary proceedings of thofe times, fentence of death, execution, and interment, followed one another in fuch rapid fucceffion, that graves, gallows hills, and mèt, or court hills, are found contiguous, not only here, but every where elie. The court hills are called mòts, or mòt hills, from the Gaelic word mot, or mid, which, to this day, is the only word for a court of judicature in that language.

at the head of the clay land; but in this, and all other large tracts of horizontal land, whatever be the nature of the foil, there can be no fprings, for a very obvious reason.

Character, Dress, &c.-The people are remarkable for their decency and fobriety. None have been banifhed, or have fuffered the higher pains of law, in any other respect, for misconduct, in the memory of man. Remote from the temptations and lurking places of great towns, where the profligate expect to elude the eye of the world, and to escape the lafh of the law, in a crowded population, every man confiders himself as known to his neighbours, and that he has both his own reputation, and the credit of his ancestors, to support by his conduct. Habits of industry have become familiar to the people, whatever object they have in view. In literature they have not been deficient, when their genius led them to the pursuit of ftudy, and the improvement of the mind. One minifter, one preacher, and three ftudents, now alive, drew their first breath in this parish.-A remarkable change has lately taken place in the article of drefs. The love of fhow is natural; and imaginary wants are fometimes no less clamorous than those which are real. But, if the increase of their earnings do not furnish the labouring part of mankind with this increase of luxury, their favings, upon which they are to begin the world, muft be lefs at present than when their wages were more moderate, and their clothing lefs expenfive.

NUM

T

NUMBER VI.

PARISH OF PRESTON-PANS.

(COUNTY OF EAST LOTHIAN.-PRESBYTERY OF HADDINGTON. SYNOD OF LOTHIAN AND TWEEDDALE.)

By the Rev. Mr JOHN TROTTER, Minifter,

A

Name, Situation, and Extent.

BOUT a quarter of a mile to the fouth of Prefton-pans ftands the village of PRESTON, which, though at prefent but fmall, was formerly of confiderable extent. When falt pans were erected in its neighbourhood, they would naturally be diftinguithed by its name. The building of the town of Preston-pans is fuppofed to have taken place after that of the falt pans. In the laft century, and at the beginning of the prefent, the town was commonly named SaltPrefton. Of the origin of the name of Prefton; nothing fa tisfactory can be traced-This parish is near 3 miles in length. Its greatest breadth is about one. Ravenfhaugh Bourn, which is the boundary of the parifh on the weft, divides the county of Eaft Lothian from that of Mid Lothian.

Erection, Soil, Climate, and Difeafes.-There are two baro nies, the Eatt Barony and the Wett. The charter erecting the Ea Barony, was granted in favour of Sir JOHN HAMILTON of Preston, A. D. 1617. By it Prefton and Prefton

pans

pans are erected into a burgh of barony, with the usual liberties and privileges. The Weft Barony is that of PrestonGrange. The writer of this account has not been able to learn in whofe favour, or at what period, the charter erecting it was granted.-The foil is loam; part heavy, on a clay bottom; part light, on a fandy or gravelly bottom. The climate is mild. There are no local diftempers. The moft prevalent are fevers, chiefly those of the putrid and nervous kind. The gravel is faid to have been very common about 40 or 50 years ago.

Agriculture.-The rotation of crops, moft approved of at prefent, is a white and green crop alternately. Fallowing is little practifed. The land is cleared of weeds, by fowing in drills, and horse-hoeing the interfices; and women are often employed to pick them out with the hand. The land defigned for wheat is ploughed as foon as it is cleared of the preceding crop. If the land is heavy, the wheat is fown about the middle of October; if light, about the beginning of Nov. The land defigned for oats, peafe, and beans, is plowed in February. Oats are fown about the end of March and beginning of April. If the land is dry, peafe and beans are fown in drills as early as poffible in February; when broadcaft, they are sown early in March. When peafe and beans are to be fown in drills, fometimes the land gets two plowings, the first after harveft, the fecond at the time of fowing, the feed being thrown into every third furrow. The land defigned for barley is three times plowed. The firft plowing takes place immediately after harveft; the fecond in the fpring, as foon as the land is dry, commonly at the end of March or beginning of April. If the land be fufficiently dry, March is reckoned preferable. After this second plowing it is harrowed. The third plowing takes place