Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland .. - National Library of Scotland

;;;——LUCEvery beautiful, with tlieir dark brown roofs near a streamwhich hurried down the mountain, and after its turbulentcourse travelled a short way over a level green, and waslost in the lake. ' At Loch Lubnaig the tourist again isamong the scenery of the Lady of the Lake. It was upthe Pass of Leny that the cross of fire was carried byyoung Angus of Dun-Craggan, who had just been obligedto leave liis father's funeral in order to speed the signalon its way.'Ben Ledi saw the cross of fireIt glanced like lig-htning up StratliyreO'er dale and hill the summons flew,Nor rest, nor peace, young Angus knew;The tear that gathered in his eye,He left the mountain breeze to dryUntil where Teith's young waters roll.Betwixt him and a wooded knoll,Tliat graced the sable strath with green,The chapel of Saint Bride was seen.'Here the messenger delivers up the signal to Iforman ofArmandave, who was about to pledge his troth at thealtar to Mary of Tombea ; and the bridegroom, leavinghis unwedded bride, starts off with the cross along theshores of Loch Lubnaig, and away towards the distantdistrict of Balquhidder. The chapel of Saint Bride stoodon a small and romantic knoll between the opening ofthe Pass of Leny and Loch Lubnaig. Armandave is onthe W side of the loch ; and Tombea, the residence ofNorman's bride, is also in the neighbourhood. Orel.Siir., sh. 38, 1871.Luce. See Hoddam.Luce, a river partly of Ayrshire but chiefly of Wigtownshire.Rising at an altitude of 1300 feet above sea-levelon the southern slope of Beneraid (1435 feet), it firstruns 3J miles south-south-eastward through Ballantraeparish to the boundary between Ayrshire and Wigtownshire,and then winds 15J miles south-south-eastwardtill it falls into the head of Luce Baj'. During the first12 miles it bears the name of the Main Water of Luce,which at New Luce village, where it receives the CrossWater, it exchanges for that of the Water of Luce. Froma point a little way above New Luce village it is followedpretty closely by the Girvan and Portpatrick railway.Its waters yield capital salmon and sea-trout fishingthe best in AVigtownshire, though not so good asformerly.Luce Bay {Alravannus Sinus of Ptolemy), a largebay indenting the southernmost land in Scotland, andconverting the southern half of Wigtownshire into twopeninsulas— a long and narrow one between this bayand the North Channel, and a broad one between it andWigtown Bay. Its entrance is between the Mull ofGalloway on the W, and Borough Head on the E.Measured in a straight line, direct from point to point,this entrance is ISj miles wide ; and the length of thebay, measured^in a line at right angles with that chordto the commencement of the little estuary of the Waterof Luce, is 16 miles. Its area is about 160 square miles.Over a distance of 3| miles from the commencement ofthe estuary at its head, it expands, chiefly on the Wside, to a width of 6| miles ; and thence to the entrance,its coast-line, on the W, runs, in general, due S, or alittle E of S ; whilst that on the opposite side trendsalmost regidarly due SE. At its head the seaboard islow, and at the efHux of the tide displays a sandy beachof J mile in mean breadth ; but elsewhere it is all, withsmall exceptions, bold and rocky, occasionally tornwith fissures and perforated with caverns. The baycontains various little recesses and tiny embayments,some of which are capable of being converted into convenientharbours. It also offers to a seaman, acquaintedwith it, anchoring-gi'ounds, in' which he may safely lethis vessel ride in almost any wind. In hazy weathervessels sometimes mistake the bay for the Irish Channel,and when steering a north-westerly course suddenlytake the ground on the W coast. The mistake, whenit happens, is almost certain destruction ; for the tideno sooner leaves a struck ship than she settles downupon quicksands, so that subsequent tides serve only todash her to pieces. But since the erection (1830) of the562LUCE, OLDlighthouse on the Mull of Galloway, errors have becomecomparatively infrequent, and navigation proportionallysafe. Two rocks, called the Big and the Little Scare,lie 1^ mile and 2i miles within the strait between theMull of Galloway and Borough Head, the former 5| NEby E of the Mull, and the latter f mile further. —Orel.Svr., shs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1856-57.Luce, New, a village and a parish of N Wigtownshire.The village, standing 195 feet above sea-level, on theleft bank of the Water of Luce, at the influx of CrossWater, has a station on the Girvan and Portpatrickrailway (1876), 5 miles NNW of Glenluce, under whichthere is a post office.The parish consists of the northern part of the ancientparish of Glenluce, which was divided into the parishesof New and Old Luce in 1647. It is bounded NW andN by Ballantrae and Colmonell in Ayrshire, E by Kirkcowan,S by Old Luce, and Wby Inch. Itsutmostlength,its breadth, from E to W, variesfrom N to S, is 9§ miles ;between 3g and 6| miles ; and its area is 45^ squaremiles or 28,929J acres, of which 53| are water. TheMain Water of Luce, entering from Ballantrae, runs 83miles south-south-eastward along the Ayrshire and Inchborder till at New Luce village it is joined by theCross Water of Luce, also rising in Ballantrae, andwinding llf miles southward—for the first 1^ milealong the Colmonell border, and then through theinterior of New Luce parish. As the Water of Luce,their united stream flows 2J miles south-by-eastward,mainly along the boundaries with Inch and Old Luce,till, at Gabsnout, it passes off into the latter parish. Anumber of rivulets flow to one or other of these streams,or else to Taef Water, which runs 9J miles southsouth-eastwardalong all the eastern boundary, andwhich, at the SE corner of the parish, is joined byDrumpail Burn, running 4 miles southward throughthe interior, then 2J miles north-eastward along theeastern part of the southern boundary. At Gabsnoutthe surface declines to 100 feet above sea-level ; andthence it rises northward to 531 feet at Gleniron Fell,607 at Bught Fell, 807 at Balmurrie Fell, 888 nearArtfleld, 834 at Quarter Fell, 725 at the Stab Hill, 900'at Murdonochee, and 970 at Miltonish. The sceneryaround the village, indeed of th^ parish generally, isnot remarkable for beauty. There are plantings onboth the Main Water and Cross Water, which givetheir banks a sylvan aspect ; but generally the landscapesare bare and monotonous. Still, a ramble in theMoors in summer weather is never without pleasure, anda visit to the " auld grey cairns " is always interesting.'The predominant rocks are Silurian ; and lead wasmined on Knockibae farm in the latter half of lastcentury. The soil, for the most part naturally poor,has been somewhat improved by draining. Chief attentionis paid to the rearing of sheep and black cattle.The 'prophet,' Alexander Pedeu (1626-86), was ministerfor three years prior to his ejection in 1662, when, atthe end of his farewell sermon, he closed the pulpitdoor, and, knocking thrice upon it with his Bible,thrice repeated ': I arrest thee in my Master's name,that none ever enter thee but such as come in by thedoor as I have done'—a prediction indeed fulfilled, asno man preached there till after the Revolution. NewLuce is in the presbytery of Stranraer and the synod ofGalloway ; the living is worth £208. The parishchurch, built about 1821, contains 400 sittings. Aneat Free Church station is of recent creation ; and twopublic schools, Glenwhilly and New Luce, with respectiveaccommodation for 32 and 101 children, had (1882)an average attendance of 12 and 74, and grants of £23,lis. and £61. Valuation (1860) £3900, (1884) £5608.Pop. (1801) 368, (1831) 628, (1861) 731, (1871) 661,(1881) 706.—Ord. Sur., shs. 3, 4, 7, 8, 1856-63.Luce, Old, a coast parish of Wigtownshire, containingthe post-office village of Glenluce, with a station onthe Portpatrick branch of the Caledonian, 8f miles E byS of Stranraer and 14| WSW of Newton-Stewart.is bounded N by New Luce, NE and E by Kirkcowan,SE by Mochrum, S by Luce Bay, SW by Stoneykirk, andIt