Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

;;—;MONTEITH, PORT OFfrom E to W of IJ mile, an utmost breadth from Nto S of 1 mile, and a depth in places of 80 feetand it sends off Goodie Water 8| miles east-southeastwardto the Forth. Its shores display none of therude magnificence and grandeur that is characteristicof Highland scenery ; but, on the other hand, theypresent an aspect of soft pastoral beauty which soothesthe soul, and fills the contemplative mind with thoughtscalm and quiet as its own transparent waters. Thenorthern shore is beautifully adorned with oak, Spanishchestnut, and plane trees of ancient growth—survivorsof those which adorned the park of the Earls of Monteith.On the same side, the manse and church ofPort of Monteith, mth the elegant mausoleum of theGartmore family, seated close on the margin of the lake,increase the interest of the scene. The lake containsthree islands, two of which, from the noble wood thatadorns them, add greatly to the beauty of its expanse ;whilst a long, narrow, wooded promontory running farinto the water diversifies the southern shore. Thelargest island, called Inchmahome, has been noticedseparately ; that immediately to the W bears the nameof Inch talla or Earl's Isle. Here, from 1427, the Earlsof Monteith had their feudal stronghold, the ruins ofwhich still exist, comprising an ancient tower and somedomiciliary buildings. The smallest island is called theDog Isle, where the earls had their dog-kennel while•the stables were situated on the western shore of thelake. Twice in Sept. 1869 Queen Victoria drovehere from Invertrossachs. The trout-fishing is ruinedby the pike.— Or(^. Sur., sh. 38, 1S71. See P. Dun'sSummer at tlie Lake of Monteith (Glasg. 1866); chap,xxv. of Thos. Hunter's Woods and Estates of Perthshire(Edinb. 1883) ; and other works cited underInchmahome.Monteith, Port of, a hamlet and a parish of SWPerthshire. The hamlet lies on the NE shore of theLake of Monteith, 6 miles SSW of Callander, 4* E byN of Aberfoyle, and 4 NNW of Port of Monteith station,in Kippen parish, on the Forth and Clyde junctionsection of the North British railway, this being 13miles W by N of Stirling, and 17i NE of Balloch.Erected into a burgh of barony by James III. in 1467,it long was called simply Port, as being the landing-placefrom Inch Talla and Inchmahome ;* andhas a little pier, a good hotel, and a post oflSce underStirling.The parish, containing also the village and station ofGartmore, since 1615 has comprehended the ancientparish of Port and a portion of that of Lany. It isbounded N by Callander, NE by Callander and Kilmadock,E by Kincardine (detached), S by Kippen andDrymen in Stirlingshire, SW by Drymen, and W byAberfoyle. Its utmost length, from E to W, is 7Jmiles ; its utmost breadth, from N to S, is 5 miles ; andits area is 36J miles or 23,599J acres, of which 1S61Jare water. The Forth has here a winding course of 13Jmiles—viz., 7 furlongs southward along the westernborder, 2| miles south-eastward across the south-westerninterior, and lOJ miles eastward along all the southernborder—though the point which it first touches andthat where it quits the parj.sh are but 7§ miles distantas the crow flies. Kelty Water flows 2J miles east-bynorthwardalong part of Ihe Drymen boundary to theForth, another of whose affluents. Goodie Water, goes4 miles eastward from the Lake of Monteith (IJ x 1 mile55 feet) till it passes off into Kincardine. Loch Deunkie(9 X 7J furl. ; 450 feet) lies on the boundary with Aberfoyle,and Loch Venxaohae (3| miles x 5 furl. ;270feet) on that -nith Callander ;whUst in the NE interiorare Loch Ruskie (2 x 2f furl. ; 400 feet) and LochanBalloch (2J x 1 furl. ; 1180 feet). The surface of thesouthern district is low and flat, sinking to 45, andrarely much exceeding 100, feet above sea-level ; but Nof the Lake of Monteith rise the Monteith Hills (1289feet), Ben Dearg (1401), Ben GuUipen (1344), and Meall* Tlie present minister, however, inclines to refer Port to theLatin poHu, 'a gate, pass, or de&le,' this parish being indeed agate of the Higlilands.50MONTEVIOTnan Gohhar (812). This upland dLstrict, comprisingone-third of the whole area of the parish, consists of acongeries of rocky and mountainous elevations, chieflycovered with heath, and admitting cultivation only insome confined hollows and along some narrow skirts.The SE corner comprises part of Flanders Moss, in allrespects similar in character to the famous one of Kincardine.The rest of the parish, including the districtalong the Forth, consists of rich carse land towards theriver, of ' dryfield ' towards the hills, and presents anappearance of much fertility and high culture. Thetrausition from the uplands to the lowlands of the parishis sudden and perfect. In the mountains is limestone ofthe quality of marble, having a blue ground streakedwith white, which, when calcined, affords a quicklimeof the purest white. A bluish grey sandstone occurs inthe champaign district, close in texture, and very suitablefor pavements and staircases. The soU of the carselands is rich argillaceous alluvium ;on most other landsof the champaign district is either a very fertile shallowloam, a stiff, intractable, tilly clay, a ferruginous andcomparatively barren gravel, or a more or less fertilereclaimed swamp or meadow ; on Flanders Moss and ontwo other smaller tracts is moss ; and on the cultivablepart of the uplands is chiefly reclaimed moor. Anisland in Loch Ruskie is the traditional siteof a castlebelonging to Sir John Menteith, Wallace's gaoler atDumbarton. Other antiquities are traces of a Romanroad, deflecting from the great Roman road to Brechin ;vestiges of a Roman castellum at the north-westernextremity of Flanders Moss ; traces of an ancientmilitary post on Keirhead, 1 mile NE of the castellum ;and the ecclesiastical and baronial ruins on the islandsin the Lake of Monteith. Tuliimoss, to the NW ofthe Lake of Monteith, was the scene of a skirmish in1489 between James IV. and the Earl of Lennox ; anda spot called Suir, near Gartmore House, was the placewhere Rob Roy is said to have taken from the factor ofthe Duke of Montrose his collection of rents. From 1to 10 Sept. 1869, the Queen, with the Princesses Louiseand Beatrice, stayed at Invertrossachs, ' the recollectionof the ten days at which — quiet and cozy—and of thebeautiful country and scenery I saw in the neighbourhood,wUl ever be a very plea.sant one ' (pp. 116-147 ofMore Leaves from the Journal of a Life in the Highlands,1884). Mansions are Blairhoyle, Caedeoss,Gaetmoee, Inveeteossachs, Lochend (1715), andRednock ; and 6 proprietors hold each an annualvalue of £500 and upwards, 8 of between £100 and£500, 1 of from £50 to £100, and 5 of from £20 to £50.Giving off portions to the quoad sacra parishes of Gartmore,Norriston, and Trossachs, this parish is in the presbyteryof Dunblane and the synod of Perth and Stirlingthe stipend and communion elements have a value of £330.The parish church, at Port of Monteith hamlet, was builtin 1878 in the Gothic style of the 13th century, and hasa stained E window. Three public schools—Dykehead,I'ort of Monteith, and Ruskie—with respective accommodationfor 66, 47, and 66 children, had (1883) anaverage attendance of 20, 26, and 33, and grants of£25, 17s., £32, 4s., and £38, 2s. 6d. Valuation (1860)£10,906, (1884) £12,649, 3s. 6d. Pop. (1801) 1569,(1831) 1664, (1861) 1375, (1871) 1243, (1881) 1175, ofwhom 60 were Gaelic-speaking, and 654 were in theecclesiastical parish. Ord. Sur., shs. 38, 39, 1871-69.Monteviot, a seat of the Marquis of Lothian, in Crailingparish, Roxburghshire, 2 miles E by N of Ancrumand 3 N by W of Jedburgh. It stands near the leftbank of the winding Tweed, at the southern base ofPeniel Heugh (774 feet), in a park of singular beauty,and is itself an imposing Gothic edifice, rebuilt in thecourse of the present century. At Monteviot died MissJean Elliot (1727-1805), author of the Flowers of theForest, it then being occupied by her brother. AdmiralElliot. At Harestanes, within the park but in Ancrumparish, were remains of a stone circle till towards theclose of last century ; and a neighbouring serpentmound,'being explored by Mr J. S. Phene, F.S.A., ' in