Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/386

RUTHRIESTON. 374 RUTHWELL. Grey of Ruthin, which subsequently became the head of a barony, and was stormed in 1400 by Owain Glyndwr, who burnt the town. Ruthin was incorporated by charter of 23 Henry VII., and was given by Henry VIII. to his natural son Henry Fitzroy, and by Queen Eliza- beth to the Dudleys. The castle was finally taken by General Mytton in 1646, and diamantled by order of parliament. The principal public buildings, besides the castle now in ruins, are the county court-house, a house of correction, built from designs by Turner ; the town- hall, erected in 1GG3 near the JIaen Huail stone, where tradition relates that King Arthur beheaded Huail; a commercial bank, savings-bank, Union poorhouse, and the old Whitefriars Mill. The population of the pariah of Ruthin in 18G1 waa 1,299, but of the borough 3,372, the latter including parts of the adjoining parishes of Llanfwrog, Llanrhydd, and Llanynys. Under the new Municipal Act, it ia governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 town councillors, the legal style being " the aldermen and burgeasea of the borough of Ruthin." The revenue of the borough, arising chiefly from renta, tolls, and dues, amounta to about .150. It is contri- butory to Denbigh in returning one member to parlia- ment, and ia also a polling-place for the county elections. The prosperity of the town now depends chiefly on agriculture and the general trade, flax weaving and spinning having long since been superseded by the trade in Irish linens ; a few hands are also engaged in a barytes factory. The assizes for the county are held here, also quarter-sessions alternately with Denbigh. The Ruthin lordship court, established in 1284, is held by adjourn- ment on every alternate Saturday, but suits are now rarely instituted in this court. The Ruthin Poor-law Union comprehends 21 parishes or places. It is also the seat of new County Court and superintendent registry districts. This place gave title of Baroness Grey de " Ruthyn" to Barbara Yclverton, of Efford. The prin- cipal seats in the vicinity are Ruthin Castle, of the Honourable F. West, in the grounds of which are the old walls and corner towers of the ancient fortress; Pool Park, of Lord Bagot ; and Bathafcrn, formerly of the Thelwalls. There is a racecourse on the northern side of the town. The living is a rect.* with that of Llanrhydd annexed, val. 450, in the patron, of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. The church, dedi- cated to St. Peter, once belonged to the White Friary, and was made collegiate by John de Grey, in 1310. It is a venerable structure with an oaken roof, and con- tains an ancient brass of E. Goodman bearing date 1583. Adjoining it is a ruined cloister, now converted into the warden's house- The Independents, Wesleyan and Calvinistic Methodists, Baptists, and Society of Friends have each a place of worship. There is a free grammar Echool, founded in 1595 by Dean Gabriel Woodman, which has an income from endowment of about 300, besides six exhibitions to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Many eminent men, including Archbishop Williams, Bishop Wynne, Deana Tucker and Cotton, Lord Kenyon and Daviea, the Welsh lexicographer, were educated at this school. The parochial charities produce about 1,130, including the endowment of the above school, and the income of Christ's Hospital, another foundation of Dean Goodman's, for a warden and 1 2 poor persons. There are besides National, in- fant, denominational, and 5 daily schools. Market day is on Monday. Fairs are held on the Monday fol- lowing 12th January, Friday before Whit-Sunday, and on the 19th March, 8th August, 30th September, and 10th November. RUTHRIESTON, a station on the Aboyne section of the Deeside railway, 2 miles from Aberdeen. RUTHVEN or RIVEN, a par. in the district and co. of Forfar, Scotland, 3 miles E. of Alyth, and 10 W. of Forfar. The par. contains the vils. of Bridgend, Bal- birnie, Barberswells, and Whines. It extends in length about 2 miles by about the same in breadth, and is bounded by Perthshire and the parish of Airlie. It is situated on the N. side of the vale of Strathmore, near the foot of the Grampian mountains. The surface is moderately even, and on the N. side of Strathmore takea a gentle southerly slope. It is watered by the river Isla, which flows partly through the in- terior, and partly on the northern boundary. The soil, which is a light brown mould on a gravelly sub- soil, ia fertile and well cultivated, especially in wet seasons. In various parts of tho parish, stone, shell, marl, and peat, abound ; and there are mineral springs. The parish is traversed by the road from Kerrumuir to Blairgowrie. Agriculture has recently been much im- proved. The village is situated on the western bank of the river Isla, and within easy access of the Scottish Midland railway. On the banks of the Isla are flour and other mills. In the vicinity are some Druidical stones and kistavens ; also the ruins of Castledyke fort, and a cairn on the moor. Isla-Bank, or, as it is often called, Ruthven House, is situated near the site of the Crawfords' and Ogilvies' old castle, which, being ruin- ous, was pulled down at the commencement of the pre- sent century. This par. is in the presb. of Meigle and synod of Angus and Mearns, and in the patron, of the crown. The stipend of the minister is about 160. The parish church is situated near Inverquoioh. The minister is titular of the tithes by a gift in the year 1634, from the Marquis of Hamilton, then proprietor of the abbey lands. RUTHVEN, an ancient par. in the co. of Aberdeen, Scotland, now joined to Cairnie. RUTHVEN, a stream of the co. of Perth, Scotland, rises under the Ochil hills, and joins the Earn near Auchterarder. RUTHVEN, or RUTHVENFIELD, a vil. in the par. of Tibbermore, co. Perth, Scotland, 2i miles W. of Perth. It is a station on tho Perth, Almond Valley, and Methvon railway. Its principal attraction is Huntingtower Castle, situated on the southern bank of the Almond, and which formerly belonged to the Ruthvens, or Gowries, who detained James VI. as prisoner here in 1582. This en- terprise is usually styled by historians the "Raid of Ruthven," and brought on those concerned the penal- ties of high treason. After the forfeiture by the last Earl of Gowrie, this castle and the adjoining manor were bestowed by James VI. upon the family of Tullibardine, now united, by marriage, to the illustrious family of Athol, in whose possession they still remain. This castle, in which the proud and powerful baron once confined his sovereign as a prisoner, was, at the com- mencement of the present century, occupied by a colony of calico-printers. RUTHWELL, or RUTIIWALD, anciently RYVAL, a par. and burgh of barony in the district of Annandale, co. Dumfries, Scotland. It contains a vil. of its own name, and that of Clarencefleld ; also the hmlt. of Brow. It extends in length about 5J miles from N.W. to S.E., with an extreme breadth of 3 miles, stretching along the northern shore of the Solway Frith. It is bounded by the Solway Frith and by the pars, of Caerlaverock, Mouswald, Dalton, and Cummertrecs. The surface is flat, and the soil shallow, but fertile. Peat abounds at Locharmdss, a considerable tract lying westward, and separated from Caerlaveroch by the dreary estuary of Lochar-water. Tho prevailing rocks are limestone, of which there are extensive quarries near Cornlongan. The principal seat ia Comlongan Castle, belonging to the Earl of Mansfield, and formerly inhabited by the Murrays, of Cockpool, a family of power and eminence in Annandale, and who were created earls of Annandale by James VI. of Scotland. At the mouth of the river Lochar there is a small port where little coasting vessels deliver coals and grain. The parish is traversed by the road from Dumfries to Annan, and by the great military road from Carlisle to Port-Patrick ; also by the line of the Glasgow and South-Wcstern railway, on which it has a station 8J miles from Dumfries. The village of Ruthwell is about 6 miles W. of Annan, and 10 S.E. of Dumfries. It is situated on the Solway Frith, and was rebuilt at the expense of Viscount Stormont about the beginning of the present century. It has a s^ailicin exposure, and is mufti resorted to as a bathing-place.