Carlisle for Stirling, and from Biggar for Lanark, traverses the parish on the east, and on the north runs the toll-road from Douglas, of old that from Edinburgh by Muirkirk for the west, and another turnpike skirts the parish on the west, near MountStewart, for the Wiston district.

The aspect of the parish is more hilly than mountainous, and the hills on their southern aclivities are generally fertile, the land towards the Clyde being of a thin sandy soil, in some parts of a deep loam, but the larger proportion of the arable land is a clayey, wet soil, resting on till, and mixed with water-rolled stones; but where the clayey soil has clay-slate below, it is productive, as the water percolates through it. Tinto belongs to the geological formation of the Pentland-hills, but the greater part of the parish is on the old red sandstone rock. Lead has been dug for at Howgate, but to no profit, although the workmen believed the heavy spar found to be like that so abundant at Leadhills. In the north-west of the parish, near Douglas-water, coal is abundant, and besides the coal seams, limestone and sandstone are wrought. In 1791 the Earls of Hyndford were resident heritors in the parish, and the reverend statist of that day delights to expatiate on the improvements they had made in his parish, in planting of wood in particular, "the present Earl having planted this last season about 10,000 trees," and his predecessor, between 1738 and 1762, having enclosed and subdivided 1200 acres, erected upwards of 35 miles of stone and earthen fences, and expended the whole rent, and sometimes more, on improving the Carmichael estate.

The statist of 1838 gives an estimate of the produce of the parish as follows: oats, 904 bolls sown, yielding 5424 at 15s, or £4068; 53 barley, giving 424 at 18s=£381; pease, £57; potatoes, £970; turnips, £600; rye-grass hay, £840; meadow hay, £350; sheep, 2270 at 6s each £681; cows, 514 at £4 each, for grazing, £2056; 400 queys at 20s each=£400; 112 horses at 40s each £224; 37 colts at 30s=£55 10s; thinning of trees, £230-in whole, £10,912 10s. A. M.

NAME.

Karemigel, Kermikel, Kermichel, Kirkmychel, Carmichell, Carmichael. The fact of the church of this parish having been dedicated to St Michael gave origin to this name, the word being formed by prefixing the Saxon cyrc, a church, to the name of the archangel.

HISTORY.

Ecclesiastical Affairs.—Among the churches found to belong to the see of Glasgow by the inquest appointed by David, Prince of Cumbria, about 1116, there is enumerated that of Planmichel, which Chalmers considers to be a mistake of the transcriber for Llanmichel (Reg. Glas., 3, 1). It has been conjectured with great probability that it was the church of this parish. In a bull granted by Pope Alexander III. to Bishop Ingram, confirming the title of the chapter of Glasgow to certain churches, mention is made of that of Chermicdh, which seems to be identical with Carmichael (Reg. Glas., 22, 24). A subsequent bull of confirmation, granted by the same pontiff to Bishop Joceline in 1179, includes the church of Kermichel; and it is enumerated among the possessions of the see of St Kentigern in two similar bulls granted by Lucius III. in 1181 and Urban III. in 1186 (Reg. Glas., 42, 51; 49, 57; 54, 62). Robert the Bruce, soon after his accession, granted to Sir James Douglas the advowson of the church of Carmichael (Reg. Mag. Sig., 15, 77). It remained in the possession of the Douglas family till the forfeiture of the Earl of Angus in 1528, when the King granted it to William Carmichael of that ilk. This gift was confirmed by another charter in 1532 (Reg. Mag. Sig., XXII., 278; XXIV., 254). The reversal of the forfeiture of the Earl of Angus by the Parliament in March, 1542-3, restored to him the patronage of Carmichael, which was held by his family till the commencement of the eighteenth century, when it was again acquired by the Carmichaels of that ilk, who had been created Earls of Hyndford. The precise date of this transaction has not been ascertained, but it must have been subsequent to 1693, for we find, from the records of the Presbytery of Lanark, that the Marquis

of Douglas, as patron of the parish, did in that year appropriate the vacant stipend of Carmichael to the following pious uses:— "repairing the church and manse, building a school-house, repairing a bridge, and maintaining two students of philosophy at the college of Edinburgh for three years."

The vicaria de Carmichael is valued in Baiamond's Roll at £40, but this is evidently a mistake for the rectory, which is entered in the Taxatio Eccles. Scot. at £34 (Reg. Glas., LXVIII., LXXVI.) After the Reformation, the incumbent, George Douglas, reported that in times past the parsonage and vicarage dues had been let together for 100 marks yearly, but at that time the corn tithes of the parsonage produced 9 chalders 1 boll of victual yearly; while the vicarage revenues were let for only six marks a year, the old offerings and other oblations having been stopped (Book of Assumptions).

Robert de Jedworth, parson of the church of Kermighel, swore fealty to Edward I. in 1296, in consequence of which an order was issued that his property should be restored (Ragman Rolls, 159; Rot. Scot, I., 25). In 1362, Richard Dowrog was rector of Carmichael (Chart. Lennox, II., 154, quoted by Chalmers, III., 727). We have already seen that George Douglas held the living at the time of the Reformation. Ninian Swan, exhorter at Carmichael, was admitted to minister baptism and solemnize marriages at Beltyn, 1569, with a salary of 40 merks (Book of Ministers, 33). In 1576, the kirk-land of this parish was held by John Leverance, elder minister of Douglas, under the obligation of paying the reader at Carmichael (Ibid, App., 82). Mr Robert Landels was admitted minister in 1589, Mr John Symington in 1597, and Mr James Heigh in 1607 (New Stat. Account). On the occasion of the general collection for Dunfermline in 1624, this parish contributed £12 (Lanark Pres. Rec.)

On the 7th of March, 1638, the Presbytery of Lanark found that Carmichael was one of the three parishes within their bounds in which the Covenant had not yet been read (Ibid). This appears to have been occasioned by the adherence of the incumbent to the prelatic party, as, on the 7th of March, 1639, it is minuted that "Gideon Weer, compeering in the name of

the parochine of Carmichael, presented befoir the presbyterie a dimission of the cure and benefice of that kirk, subscryved by Mr Rob Narne, late minister, befoir witnesses: Theirfoir, the brether by this present act declares the said kirk of Carmichael to be vacant and void, as if the said Rot had been naturallie dead." It would appear that the Presbytery immediately proceeded to induct Mr Alexander Levingstoune, as successor to Mr Narne, without any regard to the rights of the lay patron, as he appears as minister of the parish in the important sederunt of the 18th July, but without the support of any elder. On the 19th of September, however, the Presbytery was formally informed that the Marquis of Douglas had presented Mr Wm. Hamilton to the kirk of Carmichael, whereupon they replied "that they can give no answer before they see the man, but, in the meantime, undertake that nothing shall be done in prejudice of my Lord's right till next day." Mr Levingstone, nevertheless, continued in possession of the living, and, on the 25th of June in the following year, he was chosen by his brethren to go out with Colonel Fleming to preach to his regiment for twenty days or a month. On the 16th of January, 1645, the Presbytery appointed three commissioners to treat with the patron of Carmichael anent a sufficient maintenance to the minister thereof. On the 20th of March, 1646, John Dick, in the parish of Lanark, appeared before the Presbytery, "and being found to have stolen the communione at Carmichall when a testimoniall was refused be his awine minister, as likewayes, being found to have miscarried in the tyme the enemy was in the countrey, is referred to the Session for further tryell and censure." On the 10th of the following December, Mr Levingstone was translated to Biggar. Mr James Hamilton was inducted as minister of Carmichael on the 16th of May, 1650. On the 2d of the following January, the Presbytery met at Milmure, in this parish, "because the brethren might not meet at Lanark because of the enemies." On this occasion the brethren, "considering that corresponding with the Sectarian forces now oppressing the kingdom, buying anything from them of goods plundered or pressed from the country, doth encourage

soldiers to plunder and oppress, and so hastens the desolation of the kingdom," resolved to "charge all persons within their bounds to abstain from corresponding, as said is, as they would remove the grievous oppression of their suffering brethren, and that under pain of ecclesiastical censure, to be peremptorily executed," and directed "intimation thereof to be made in every paroch church, that none may pretend ignorance." Mr John (James?) Hamilton, minister of Carmichael, was, in 1663, expelled from that charge (Wodrow, I., 326). In the records of the Presbytery of Lanark, of the date March, 1665, it is minuted that Mr Alexander Faules was presented and admitted to the kirk of Carmichael. He was succeeded on the 8th of November, 1666, by Mr John M'Queen; on the 1st of September, 1669, by Mr Peter Peirson; by Mr Lauchlan Ross in March, 1687; and by Mr James Garthshoar on the 25th of January, 1694. On the 4th of August, 1697, the Session books were examined by the Presbytery and approven, and the minister at the same time reported that there was a salary of 100 merks Scots for the schoolmaster. From the terms in which the church is mentioned in the charter of Robert the Bruce to Sir James Douglas, there is every reason to suppose that it stood considerably to the south-east of the present edifice, and the names of St Michael's well and St Michael's bog (the latter having, however, been obliterated by the progress of modern improvement and cultivation) indicate the site of the original structure. It would also appear that the parish contained at least one minor chapel. A place on the margin of a burn, to the north-west of the church, is called Chapel Hill, while another closely adjoining is known as "St Bride's Close"-names which undoubtedly indicate the existence of some religious foundation in the vicinity.

Civil Affairs. Barony.-Richard, the seneschal of Karemigel, was one of the inquest which, under the warrant of Alexander III., made inquiry as to the title of Adam of the Livery to the lands of Pettinain; and the Baron of Kermikel was one of the honest men of Levenax who made inquisition as to the lawful owner of the lands of Polnegulan, at Dumbarton,