PARISH OF BALFRON.

PRESBYTERY OF DUMBARTON, SYNOD OF GLASGOW AND AYR.

V.-PAROCHIAL ECONOMY.

In our village there is every convenience which bankers, bakers, butchers, grocers, and haberdashers can supply, with a proportional number of tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, and carpenters; most or the shops are lighted with gas, an abundant supply of which there is from the cotton-works. Our chief intercourse is with Glasgow; and daily is the communication by carriers, and by a light and comfortable four-horse coach. The post arrives and departs also every day. The length of the turnpike roads within the parish does not exceed four miles.

Ecclesiastical State.-In 1832, it was found necessary to rebuild the parish church. In 1833, it was opened for public worship, and is seated for 700. None of the seats are let. It is commodious enough, and is in all respects built according to the intention of the resolution, " that no ornamental work be permitted, and that every possible expense, consistent with the security of the sitters, should be avoided." The expense of building and finishing this fabric, including plans and specifications, was, in all, L 930. The Earl of Kinnoul is patron of the living, as proprietor of an old abbey in Perthshire. Connected with the establishment, there is a female Society for the advancement of religious purposes, which was founded in the year 1834. In order to enable the children to attend the Sabbath school under the superintendence of this society, and the house of God, many of the children, indeed the greater part of them, receive clothing from this Society, who at the same time very liberally meet in this respect the wants of the aged and destitute. In connection with the Society, there is a library of above 150 volumes, which have been in extensive circulation, and which, under the divine blessing, we trust, have proved beneficial to many in the parish. For the encouragement of all who may be engaged- in Sabbath school teaching, or who may take an interest in their working, it will be gratifying to be told, that the effects of Sabbath school teaching in Balfron have been delightfully apparent; and that these teachers, both male and female, are either weavers or cotton-spinners. They are of the same rank with those children amongst whom they labour so cheerfully and so effectively; and have been bred up to teaching by their attendance upon a week-day class for religious instruction, taught by the present minister of the parish, and which has been in operation from 1826, and from which many delightful young people have, from time to time, gone forth.

The parish church is situated very nearly at one extremity of the parish, convenient enough for the great bulk of the population residing in, the village, but too far removed from the eastern part to allow the population of that quarter the full benefit of public ordinances. In some degree to make up for this, the minister of the parish preaches once every six weeks in summer at the schoolhouse of Lernock, about five miles to the east of the present parish church. In winter, he does this once a quarter. He goes to this place in summer, after having had regular service in the church. In winter, he is reluctantly obliged to leave his church vacant. Public worship is well attended in the summer half. year. In the cold months of winter, neither weavers nor cotton-spinners are able to stand the cold of the church; and. hence, during these months, the attendance is not so numerous.

The number of communicants in connection with the Establishment, is upwards of 400, and they are gradually increasing. The manse was built about forty years ago, at a cost of something under L.300; originally a poorly built and ill-finished house. The heritors have in consequence been frequently called upon to repair it at considerable expense. There are 17 acres of glebe, and the living is one of the small ones, a considerable portion of the stipend being made up from the Exchequer.

There are in the parish three dissenting places of worship, namely, Relief, United Secession, and Burgher. The latter have had no fixed minister for many years. The congregations of the former pay their ministers' stipends, which are said to be about L.80 per annum.

Education.-We have in the parish in all four schools; first, the parish school, the master of which has the minimum salary, and, we fear, the fees or wages are ill paid even by the few who are attending; second, a school, the master of which receives L. 10 per annum, as a subscription from the heritors. It is for the convenience of the eastern part of the parish. There is a school-room and master's house, both built by subscription. The third is a school in the village of Balfron, the master of which is entirely dependent upon the school wages, paying a rent for the schoolroom; and the fourth is a school belonging to, and in connection with, the cotton-works. The master of this receives a salary and accommodation from the mill company. Ostensibly, at least, in all these schools, the usual branches are taught. The people, in general, are perfectly alive to the benefits of education, and all are anxious that their children be taught; but, with every anxiety, the parents, in too many cases, cannot indulge it, from being unable, in the first place, to pay the usual school wages, which are from 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per quarter, and provide clothes, in which their children might appear decently and comfortably; in the second place, as before observed, from being obliged to send their children to be draw-boys or mill-boys, or even weavers, at an age when they should be more properly employed at school. Often have we thought that, if anywhere infant tuition were of advantage, it might be introduced with the greatest possible benefit to this population. We have done our utmost to call the attention of those who might be supposed to be interested in the young of this place, to this highly important subject,-but hitherto, we lament to say, without effect.

Literature.-There is a library in the parish, belonging to the subscribers; the collection, of nearly 400 volumes, is chiefly made up of novels, biography, and a few travels.

Poor and Parochial Funds.-Previous to the year 1832, the poor and parochial funds were managed by the kirk-session. The heritors met twice a-year with the session to docquet accounts, and to receive their report of the state of the poor; but the whole of the active management devolved upon the session. Nor did they discharge their duties in a perfunctory manner. Besides exercising a minute and daily care over all the paupers on the roll, on the first Monday of every month, the minister and kirk-session met, when all the paupers who could attend were expected to make their appearance, and personally to receive their monthly allowance. Those who could not appear from ill health, were waited upon by some member of the session, and their condition reported. Thus was the case of every individual brought monthly under the view of the whole session. Sometimes, there was in consequence an increase; sometimes, there was a diminution of their allowance, according to circumstances. The effects of this system of watchfulness were abundantly apparent. None were admitted on the roll, who were not proper objects of charity. None were continued upon it, who did not require relief. No case was overlooked. The poor were well attended to and contented, and the funds by which they were supported, exclusive of the church collections, amounted to a mere trifle. In looking over the books, and taking the four years immediately previous to 1832, we find that there were expended L. 227, 5s. 6d. for the maintenance of the poor during that time, and at this period there were upon the roll two fatuous persons, and two fatherless children. In the course of these four years, as appears by the books, the collections amounted to L. 119, 0s. 8d. The remainder of the L. 227, 5s. 6d., namely, L. 108, 4s. l0d. was made up by what is termed voluntary assessment. In other words, it was a subscription among the whole landward heritors of the parish, and was paid according to their respective valuations. This sum of L. 108, 4s. l0d., be it remembered, was for the maintenance of the poor for four years. The annual average was L.27, 1s. 2d., or about 3d. and a fraction on L.2099 Scots, the nominal valuation of the parish, or about l¼d. Sterling and a fraction upon L.4925, the real rental of the parish, being very little more than one-half per cent thereon. This sum of one-half per cent., then, with the collections at the church, kept the poor of the parish. No assistance was given to this fund by any of the Dissenting congregations, though frequently applied to, and though the poor connected with the Dissenters are admitted to equal privileges with those of the Establishment. The kirk-session of the parish made no distinction.

Strange to say, however, there were those who looked upon the small sum which they were called upon to pay in aid of the collections, as a grievance. Murmurings were first heard, and they were unheeded. Complaints of the expense of the poor were patiently listened to by the session. At last, however, one heritor actually refused to give his quota, till compelled by law, and thus was intimated to the session only when they had, as usual, met to pay the monthly allowances. The paupers were assembled; the session had no funds to meet their demands, and they had no alternative but to resign their charge into the hands of the heritors. They intimated to them accordingly, in the most respectful way possible, their resolution to do so, expressing, at the same time, their great reluctance and regret at being compelled, from circumstances, to take the step.

The heritors accepted the resignation of the kirk-session, and the result is what any one might have anticipated. From 1832, when the kirk-session resigned their charge, up to the present time, the expenses relative to the poor have been gradually going on increasing. There are forty on the roll, and L.200 per annum does not now defray all charges. This sum is at present raised by an assessment on the whole inhabitants,-one-half being upon the heritors according to their real rental, and the other half upon householders and other inhabitants, according to their supposed means and substance. Every individual within the parish, whose earnings are supposed to amount to l0s. per week, is now taxed for the support of the poor. The springs of charity are dried up, in consequence-the collections at the church door, are, we may say, almost nothing, say 1s. per day,-there is a general displeasure among the inhabitants; and there is a feeling among the poor and destitute, that they are neglected, and, perhaps, with too much justice. In short, all the evil effects of a compulsory assessment are experienced, and in this parish we have another proof, if that was needful, of the truth of a remark, which cannot be too frequently repeated, "that, of all the public funds in Europe, none is managed with so little expense to the fund itself, none so frugally, none so impartially, and none is laid out more to the purpose for which they were raised, than the poor's funds under the care of the kirk-sessions of Scotland. And never, perhaps, will Scotland find a more proper jury to determine the objects of publi charity, nor the quantum necessary for the supply."

PARISH OF BALFRON
The parish of Balfron lies below that of Fintry on the north side of the Endrick, by which it is separated from Killearn. It is about eight miles long from east to west and about two miles broad from north to south. There is a good deal of rough muirland in the higher parts. There are no hills of any great height, the highest points being Ballindalloch Muir, 627 feet, and Balgair Muir, 577 feet above sea level. The geological formation is old red sand-stone, and there is limestone in the parish. the road leads north from Newton of Fintry through Balfron parish to Kippen, crossing the Endrick by a bridge built in 1804. It passes over the Balgair Muir, where an annual cattle market was held. At Lernock, where there was formerly a toll, a road branches off to the northeast to Stirling, and to the west to Balfron, passing the Old Place of Balgair, uninhabited in the early 19th. cent. and in all probability is no longer in existence. The house was built in 1721 and was never finished, and indeed the proprietors of Balgair never lived much in it. The old structure was used by squatters, tinkers, and other wanderers. A stone with the date 1721 cut into it was removed and built into the front wall of the house of Mr. John Buchanan who at one time was resident of Easter Hill of Balgair. A little further on is the Hill of Balgair, which used to be a larger place than Balfron, with a number of cottars and weavers employed, and provided with a public-house and various shops. None of these now exist. Near a steep path on the hill face, immediately above the farm of Craigend on the borders of Fintry and Balfron parishes, is a cairn called the Highlander‘s Grave. In one of the raids of the McGregors, the farm of Burnfoot, at the back of the Gargunnock Hills above Fintry, was attacked by about thirty of the clan, and the cattle 'lifted'. The old farmer, in order to prevent his raising the alarm was tied below the belly of an old mare with his head towards the tail, and nearly choking was carried off with the spoil. When the eldest son of the farmer, who had been away with his brothers helping friends who had been attacked by another portion of the McGregor clan returned, he learned what had happened, and taking his father‘s claymore resolved to have revenge and made after the McGregors at full speed. He came upon them at a place called Skian Dhu, where they were obliged to travel in single file, and striking the hindmost man who had charge of the old mare he rescued his father. The unfortunate McGregor was buried and a few stones were thrown over the grave, as was the custom, and every time they or others passed, another stone was added to the cairn. A bridge crosses the Endrick at Honeyholm , and a short distance to the north of the road is Edinbellie. In the year 1750 Rob Roy‘s son carried off Jean Kay, then a widow and heiress of Edinbellie, and Rob Oig, the youngest, who had married her, was hanged in Edinburgh three years aferwards on account of her abduction.

The Statistical Account of Scotland, 1832

The Statistical Account of Scotland, 1841