Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

———NEISH ISLANDOld Statistical Account in 1792, selected Neilston as oneof three parishes to show to the French Chamber ofCommerce the status which manufactures had reachedin the best rural districts of Scotland. The manufacturingprosperity so soon attained in Neilston has beencontinued till the present day, receiving stimulus fromthe formation of the Glasgow, Barrhead, and Kilmarnockrailway, and keeping up a rivalry, proportionably to itspopulation, with the prosperity of Paisley and Glasgow.The lands of Neilston, Crookston, Darnley, and othersin Eenfrewshire belonged in the 12th century to thefamily of Croc, from whom they passed in the succeedingcentury to a branch of the illustrious house of Stewartby marriage with the heiress, Marion Croc. This branchbecame Earls and Dukes of Lennox ; and one of itsmembers was Henry Lord Darnley, husband of QueenMary, and father of James VI. of Scotland. In processof time the estate of Neilston passed from them, and wasdivided amongst a number of proprietors. In the NewStatistical Account, Orawfurd is represented as saying, inhis History of Eenfrewshire, that, passing from the'house of Stewart, the lordship of Neilston came bymarriage into that of Cunningham of Craigends ; ' whereasCrawfurd makes that statement with regard merely toa portion called Arthurleb, which had belonged to abranch of the Darnley family, and which now belongsto various proprietors. The transmission of the estatessince Crawfurd's time is given by his continuator,Eobertsou. None of the castles of the ancient proprietorsremain ; but mansions belonging to some of thepresent landowners, as well as villas belonging to othergentlemen, are numerous and elegant. Seventeen proprietorshold each an annual value of £500 and upwards,33 of between £100 and £500, 66 of from £60 to £100,and 115 of from £20 to £50. Giving off the quoad sacraparish of Barrhead, Neilston is in the presbytery ofPaisley and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr ; the livingis worth £470. The Kev. Alexander Fleming, D.D.(1770-1845), a leading sjiirit of the Church ExtensionScheme, was minister from 1804 ; and his Life (1883)contains much of interest relating to Neilston. Eightschools, with total accommodation for 2073 children,had (1883) an average attendance of 1597, and grantsamounting to £1318, 3s. Id. Valuation (1860) £33,893,(1884) £63,672, lis. Pop. (1801) 3796, (1831) 8046,(1861) 11,013, (1871) 11,136, (1881) 11,359, of whom4631 were in the ecclesiastical parisli. Ord. Sur., shs.22, 30, 1865-66.Neish Island, a wooded artificial islet of Comrie parish,Perthshire, in the middle of the lower part of Loch Earn,opposite St Fillans village. In the early part of the17th century the small remnant of the clan Neish, thathad survived the battle of Gleneoltachan, subsistedon this isle by plundering, till, one winter night, theywere surprised and slain—all save one man and a boyby their ancient foes, the Macnabs.— Ord. Sur. , sh. 47,1869.Neldricken, Loch, an isleted lake (5J x 2i furl. ; 1175feet) in the NE of Minnigaff parish, Kirkcudbrightshire,16J miles NNE of Newton-Stewart. It lies among wilduplands ; is almost cut in two by a peninsula ; containsboth pike and 2 lb. trout ; and sends off a stream IJfurlong south-south-westward to Loch Valley (8 x 1^furl. ; 1070 feet), out of which Gairland Burn goes 1 jmile south-westward to Loch Tp.ool.— Ord. Sur., sh. 8,1863.Nell, Loch, a fresh-water lake in Kilmore and Kilbrideparish. Lorn, Argyllshire, 2| miles SE of Oban. Lying48 feet above sea-level, it extends Ig mile south-westward; has a varying width of 1^ and 3 furlongs ; cont.iinsgood trout ; at its head receives the LoNANrivulet ; and from its foot sends off the Nell, 2 milessouth-south-westward to the head of salt-water LochFeachan. See Kilmore and Kilbride.— Ord. Sur.,sh. 45, 1876.Nemphlar, a vUlage in Lanark parish, Lanarkshire,on the high grounds (605 feet) above the right bank ofthe Clyde, 2 miles WNW of Lanark town. It liesamong beautiful braes, straggling along them for a con-100NESSsiderable distance ; covers the site of an ancient chapel,of the Knights Templars; and has a public school.Ord. Sur., sh. 23, 1865.Nenthom, a parish of SW Berwickshire, whose churchstands 4 miles NW of the post-town, Kelso. "With anirregular outline, rudely resembling an hour-glass, it isbounded W by Earlston, N by Hume, and on allothersides by Roxburghshire, viz., NE by Stitchel, SE byKelso, and S by Kelso and Smailholm. Its utmostlength, from WNW to ESE, is 4J miles ; its breadthvaries between 2^ furlongs and 2| miles ; and its area is3478J acres, of which 24J are water. Eden Waterwinds 2§ miles south-south-westward along all th&Earlston boundary, then 5J miles east-by-southwardfor 3 furlongs, near Burnbrae, across the neck of thehour-glass, and elsewhere along or near to the SmaUholmand Stitchel boundaries. It thus has a totalcourse here of SJ miles, though the point where it firsttouches and that where it quits the parish are but 4§miles distant as the crow flies. At Mellerstain itbroadens to a lake ; and near Newton-Don forms a finewaterfall, 40 feet high, Stitchel Linn. In the extremeE the surface declines to 165 feet above sea-level ; andthence it rises with gentle undulations, till it reaches amaximum height of 665 feet at Blinkbonny. Traprocks, incumbent on coarse red sandstone, include somebasaltic columns, like Samson's Ribs at Edinburgh ;and marl, both shell and clay, has been found in considerablequantity. The soil at the W end is improvedvegetable mould on cold till ; and everywhere else is arich and fertile clayey loam. Upwards of 300 acres ar&under wood ; and all the rest of the area is enclosed andcultivated. The parish appears to have been establishedduring the 13th century, and was formed of the manorsof Naithansthirn and Newton, lying respectively W andE of the line where the Eden passes from the southernto the northern boundary. The chapel of Naithansthirnbecame the parish church, whilst that of Newton continueda chapel. Both, previous to the parochial erection,were subordinate to the church of Ednam ; andboth were given in 1316-17 by the Bishop of StAndrews to the Abbot of Kelso, in exchange for thechurch of Cranston in Midlothian. The manors belongedin the 12th century to the Morvilles, the hereditaryconstables of Scotland, and followed the fortunes oftheir other possessions till the downfall and forfeituroof John Baliol. Nenthorn House, near the left bankof the Eden, 4^ miles NW of Kelso, is the seat ofFrederick Lewis Roy, Esq. (b. 1836 ; sue. 1868), whoholds 1826 acres in Berwick and Roxburgh shires, valuedat £3035 per annum. Newton-Don, near the Eden'sright bank, 3 miles NNW of Kelso, is a fine mansion of1816, with grounds of singular loveliness, and a wide andbeautiful view. It was originally the property of theDons, who held a baronetcy from 1667 till 1862, and arenow represented by Sir John Don-Wauchope, Bart, ofEdmonstone ; but in 1847 it was purchased for £80,000by the late Charles Balfour, Esq. of Balgonie, whoseson, Charles Barrington Balfour, Esq. (b. 1862 ; sue.1872), owns 907 acres in Berwickshire, 318 in Roxburghshire,and 2500 in Fife, valued at £5500 per annum.Lesser proprietors are the Duke of Roxburghe and theEarl of Haddington. Nenthorn is in the presbyteryof Kelso and the synod of Merse and Teviotdale ; theliving is worth £246. The parish church, built in1802, contains 200 sittings. A Free church, datingfrom Disruption times, contains 300 sittings ;and apublic school, with accommodation for 106 children,had (1883) an average attendance of 53, and a grantof £49, 15s. 6d. Valuation (1865) £6641, 3s. lOd.,(1884) £6620, 5s. Pop. (1801) 395, (1831) 380, (1861)461, (1871) 434, (1881) 454.—Ord Sur., sh. 25, 1865.Neptune's Staircase. See Caledonian Canal.Nerston, a village in East Kilbride parish, Lanarkshire,IJ mile N'by E of East Kilbride town. Itsname is a contraction of North-East-Town.Nesbet. See Nisbet.Ness, an estate in the parishes of Dores and Inverness,with a mansion called Ness Castle, near the right bank.