Parish of Carnwath

including the village of Carnwath and the villages of Auchengray, Braehead, Climpy, Forth, Haywood, Kaimend, Kersewell, Newbigging, Tarbrax, Woolfoods, West End, Wilsontown, and part of Carstairs Junction.

MAP & INDEX of all parishes.

CARNWATH, village and parish in upper ward of Lanarkshire. The village stands ¾ mile east of a railway station of its own name, 26 miles south-south-west of Edinburgh; is partly old and partly recent adjoins an artificial mound, formerly fortified, and supposed to have been a defensive work in the cause of Robert Bruce; has a post office, with money order and telegraph departments, designated of Lanarkshire, a banking office, a modern parochial church contiguous to fine remains of an ancient collegiate one, a Free church, a United Presbyterian church, and 2 public schools with about 217 scholars ; and gives to the family of Dalzell the title of earl, created in 1639, attainted in 1715, and restored in 1823. Pop. 845. —The parish contains also the villages of Wilsontown, Braehead, Forth, Haywood, and Newbigging, and part of Carstairs Junction. Its length is 8½ miles ; its greatest breadth 7½ miles ; its area 30,446 acres. Real property in 1880-81, £42,726. Pop. 5831. Low, flat lands lie adjacent to the Clyde and the Medwin, yet have an elevation of about 600 feet above sea-level ; and other lands are mostly plateau and low hill, nowhere higher than about 600 feet above the level of the low lands. Much is bare moor, and about one-half is bleak, wild, and uncultivated. Coal, ironstone, and limestone are plentiful around Wilsontown. Carnwath House is a seat of Sir Simon M. Lockhart, Bart. ; and Cowthally Castle, now a ruin, was a seat of the noble family of Somerville. Established churches are at Forth and Haywood, a Free church is between Forth and Wilsontown, and a United Presbyterian church is at Braehead. 8 schools for 1481 scholars are in the parish, and 4 of them and enlargements for 967 are new. The Gazetteer of Scotland, by Rev John Wilson, 1882