Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

—;——;LOCHGOILHEADLOCH INDALCrinan Canal, which passes witliin J mile of the town,and to Ardrishaig where the canal joins Loch Fyne,Lochgilphead shares in the growing trade of the AVestHighlands, to which it owes its rise from a small fishingvillage to a prosperous well built town, lighted withgas and plentifully supplied with water. In the summerit may be easily reached by the ' swift ' steamers,and in winter there is regular communication, dailywith Glasgow and twice a week with Inverness, Skye,Oban, etc. The main road from CampbeltoAvn to Obanpasses through it, and it is also on the route of theLoch Awe and Eilmartin coaches. Lochgilphead has apost office, with money order, savings' bank, insurance,and telegraph departments, branches of the Clydesdaleand Union Banks, offices or agencies of 13 insurancecompanies, and five good inns. The weaving ofwoollen cloth is carried on in two factories, and dyeingis also engaged in. There is a considerable fishingpopulation. Horse markets are held on the thirdThursday of March, and on the second Thursday afterthe fourth Thursday in November. A cattle marketis held on the Wednesday fourteen days after theKOmichael fair on the last "Wednesday in May. Lochgilpheadcontains the Argyll and Bute District Asylumfor the Insane, and the Combination poorhouse for theparishes of Glassary, Eilmartin, Kilcalmonell, and Northand South Knapdale. The former was erected in 1862-64.In 1SS3, the Lunacy Board for the counties of Argylland Bute decided to obtain more accommodation byerecting a building apart from the Asylum, to be occupiedmainly by industrial patients. The new buildingis 202 feet long and three stories high. It has accommodationfor 120, and its cost was £11,000. Thefittings are of the most complete description, and thearrangement of rooms, dormitories, bath-rooms, etc.,excellent. The poorhouse has accommodation for 72paupers. Places of worship are Lochgilphead parishchurch (1827-28), a Free church (1843), a Baptist church(1815), and Episcopal Christ Church, the last a MiddlePointed edifice, containing some fine stained glass.The government of Lochgilphead is carried on by asenior and 2 junior magistrates, and 9 commissioners ofpolice. It is a police burgh. A sheriff court is heldfour times in the year, and justice of the peace courtseach Wednesday after the first Sunday of every month.There is a good-sized court-house. Connected with thetown may be mentioned the public reading-room,mutual improvement association, a division of theArgyll and Bute Volunteers, Artillery. The quoadsacra parish of Lochgilphead included at one timeArdrishaig, which is now a separate quiad sacra parish.It is in the presbytery of Inveraray and synod of Argyll.The following schools are in Lochgilpheid : Aird public,Ardrishaig public, Lochgilphead public, and ArdrishaigEpiscopal, which, with respective accommodation for 50,170, 325, and 114 scholars, had (1883) an average attendanceof 24, 126, 203, and 66, and grants of £38, 5s.,£111, 3s., £185, 17s., and £56, 10s. Pop. of town (1861)1674, (1871) 1642, (1881) 1489, of whom 711 were malesof quoad parish (1881) 2381, of whom 2271 were in Kilmichael-Glassaryparish, and 110 in South Knapdale.Ord. Siir., sh. 29, 1873.LochgoUhead, a village and a parish in Cowal district,Argyllshire. The village, at the head of salt-waterLochGoiL (6 miles x 2 to 6-Jfurl.), is 12 J miles SWof Arrochar, by Glencroe ; Hi SE of Inveraray, byHell's Glen and St Catherine's Ferry ; and 19J NNW ofGreenock, by water. A peaceful little place, with itslovely surroundings of wood and water, mountain andglen, it communicates daily by coach with Inveraray,by steamer with Greenock, and has a post office imderGreenock, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraphdepartments, an hotel, a steamboat pier, and agood many villas and pretty cottages.The parish, containing also Cairxdow hamlet, comprisesthe ancient parishes of LochgoUhead and Kilmorich,the former in the S, the latter in the N, anddown to 1649 comprehended Strachur besides. It isbounded N by Glenorchy, H"E by Killin in Perthshire,E by Arrochar, SE by the upper lOJ miles of salt-waterLoch Long (j mile broad), SW by Kilmun, W byStrachur, and NW by salt-water Loch Fyne andInveraray. Its utmost length, from N to S, is 19-miles ; its breadth varies between 1 mile and 11 miles ;and its area is llO^V square miles or 70,460J- acres, ofwhich 39,192J belong to the Loehgoilhead section, 191are water, 6 tidal water, and 5677- foreshore. Thenorthern division, extending from the vicinity of Benloyto the mountains which screen the northern side ofGlencroe, includes Ben Biri (3106 feet), Ben Ime (3318),Ben Aethur (2891), and Glenfyne. The southerndivision, extending 10 J miles down Loch Long and 5down Looh Fyne, is intersected by Loch Goil, and includesGlencroe, Glenkinglas, Hell's Glen, Ben-an-LocHAiN (2955 feet), Ben Bheula (2557), Ben Donich(2774), Ben Loohain (2306), and Argyll'.s Bowling-Green. In all twenty-seven summits have a height ofmore than 2000 feet above sea-level, and the surfaceeverj'where is wildly mountainous and very rugged,abounding in vast bare rocky masses, and in stupendouscliffs and precipices. Caves, grottos, and natural vaultsare very numerous ; streams, rapid and romantic, but allof short length of course, run to the several sea lochs ;and four small lakes, well stored with trout, lie high upamong the hills. Considerable pendicles of land on thecoasts and in the glens are well cultivated and highlyembellished ; and a large aggregate of natural woodclothes much of the upland tracts, especially on andnear the coasts, and charmingly hides or relieves thesavageness of the mountain wastes. Eruptive andmetamorpliic rocks predominate ; limestone has beenworked in several quarries ; at the head of Loch Fyne isa vein of lead ore, said to be very rich in silver ; andjasper, several kinds of spar, and some other interestingminerals are found. The soil in the bottoms of some ofthe glens is rich and fertile ; on patches of the coastlands is light, sharp, and sandy ; in the high glens isgenerally wet and spongy, partly a deep moss ; and onthe pastoral uplands is mostly thin, dry, and firm to thetread of cattle. The chief antiquities, ARDKlNOL.iss,Carrick, andDuNDAEAVE Castles, are noticed separately,as also are the mansions of Ardgartan, Ardkinglass,and Drimstnie. Four proprietors hold each an annualvalue of £500 and upwards. Loehgoilhead is in thepresbytery of Argyll and the sjmod of Dunoon ; theliving is worth £280. The parish church, at LoehgoilheadvUlage, is an old building, with 305 sittingsa mission church, at Cairndow, has 258. There is alsoa Free Church preaching station of Loehgoilhead ; andtwo public schools, Kilmorich and Loehgoilhead, withrespective accommodation for 44 and 72 children, had(1883) an average attendance of 34 and 73, and grantsof £45, 19s. and £70, 7s. Valuation (1860) £6305,(1884) £10,963, 19s. 7d. Pop. (1801) 1145, (1831)1196, (1861) 702, (1871) 766, (1881) 870, of whom 419were Gaelic-speaking. Ord. Sur., shs. 37, 38, 45, 46,1871-76.Lochinch Castle, the seat of the Earl of Stair, in Inchparish, Wigtownshire, on the W side of Castle-KennedyLoch, 1§ mile N of Castle-Kennedy station, this being2| miles E by S of Stranraer. Completed in 1867, it isa stately Scottish Baronial edifice, with pepper-boxturrets, corbie-stepped gables, terraced gardens of singularbeauty, a splendid pinetum, etc. The present and tenthEarl, since 1703, is John Hamilton Dalrymple (b. 1819;sue. 1864) ; and the Stair famQy possesses 82,666 acresin Wigtownshire and 13,827 in Edinburghshire, valuedat £43,510 and £10,782 per annum. Ord. Sur., sh. 3,1856. See also Castle- Kennedy, Oxenfoord, andBargany.Lochindaal, a bay in Sleat parish, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire.It opens from the Sound of Sleat, oppositethe mouth of Loch Hourn ; washes most of the NE endof the Sleat peninsula ; and is separated by an isthmusof only i mile in breadth from the head of Loch Eishart.Loch Indal, a sea loch in Islay island, Argyllshire.Opening on the S between the Mull of Islay and thePoint of Rhynns, and penetrating 12 miles north-north-535