28 Antiquities of Buittle. 



He afterwards ascertained that the island forms part of the 

 parish of Rerrick. Paluackie, the one village of the parish, had 

 suffered decay in consequence of the introduction of railways, 

 which had diverted traffic from its port. There were old people 

 still to tell you of strings of carts extending from the little quay 

 away up the street, waiting their turn at the vessels' side. At 

 this period the village was the seat of a flourishing ship carpentry 

 industry, many ships being repaired, and at least one built 

 there. But he must not speak of the village as if it was dead. 

 There was still considerable shipping, especially at some seasons 

 of the year. The average number of vessels arriving was from 

 60 to 64 in the year. He had seen as many as seven schooners 

 lying in the river at once ; and a steamer sometimes found its way 

 up. He found reference to a harbour church. That must have 

 been what was known when he went to the parish as " the wooden 

 kirk," but the wooden walls of which were then only used to 

 shelter a wedding party engaged in their festivities. " To such 

 base uses." As if anticipating a revival of the old prosperity, there 

 was now in the village a substantial mission church of granite, 

 built by his predecessor, the Rev. Mr Grant. Noticing the pro- 

 minent heights in the parish, he observed that great part of 

 Craignair was now to be found on the Thames Embankment and 

 at the Liverpool docks, and its rough rock had made smooth the 

 pavement of many a city since the granite-crushing process had 

 been developed. Iron had been often sought without success. 

 An old tenant on the farm of Barchain, he mentioned, went to 

 Munches one day declaring excitedly that at last the metal had 

 been found in quantity ; but it turned out to be refuse iron from an 

 old smithy. Among the antiquities of the parish first place was 

 assigned to Buittle Castle, of which there are now no visible 

 remains, which was built by John Baliol in the thirteenth century, 

 and from which his widow, the Lady Devorgilla, dated the charter 

 of Baliol College, Oxford. It had been said to him that Old 

 Buittle farm steading, which is an old building with thick walls, 

 formed part of the court of the castle. Reference was made to 

 the former existence of a church at Kirkennan and the tradition 

 that there was one on East Logan farm, where there is a field 

 called the Kirkhill ; but Mr Tarbet was puzzled to know what 

 church was referred to as St. Colmonell, Buittle, in a grant to 

 Sweetheart Abbey. The only name resembling Colmonell in the 



