Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/61

Rh FORSA ISLAND. 53 FORTHAMPTON. in Scotland for the truly picturesque, particularly on the banks of the Findhorn. A little beyond the eastern limits of the town is the famous Forres Pillar, called Swcno's Stone, one of the most remarkable objects of antiquity in the country. It is about 20 feet high, and is covered with curious carvings of the figures of war- riors and other objects. Its history is unknown, but it is supposed to commemorate a convention concluded, A.D. 1014, between Malcolm II. and Sweno the Dane, by which the latter engaged to evacuate the country, and to abstain from future invasion. The "Witches' Stane" stands on the roadside on the eastern outskirts; under it is interred one of the witches who was burned for witching King Duffus. Tuesday is the weekly market day. Cattle markets are held monthly on Tues- days, viz. January, on Tuesday before third Wednesday ; February, Tuesday before third Wednesday ; March, Tuesday before third Wednesday ; April, Tuesday before third Wednesday ; May, Tuesday before second Wed- nesday ; June, second Tuesday ; July, first Tuesday ; August, first Tuesday ; September, fourth Tuesday ; October, fourth Tuesday ; November, Tuesday before third Wednesday ; December, second Tuesday. FORSA ISLAND, in the par. of Kilbrandon, co. Argyle, Scotland. It is situated near Laing Island and Loch Slelford. FORSBROOK, a tnshp. in the par. of Dilhorne, N. div. of the hund. of Totsmonslow, co. Stafford, 3 miles 8. W. of Cheadle. It includes the hmlts. of Blyth Bridge and Blyth Marsh. The living is a perpet. cur. in the dioc. of Liehfield, val. 120, in the patron, of the bishop. The church is dedicated to St. Peter. The Wesleyans have a chapel, and there is a free school at Blyth Marsh. FORSCOTE, a par. in the hund. of Wellow, co. Somerset, 6 miles N.W. of Frome, and S S.W. of Bath, its post town. The Bath canal passes in the vicinity. There are several mills on the rivulet which runs through the parish. The living is a rect.* in the dioc. of Bath and Wells, val. 150. The church is a stone edifice of recent date, dedicated to St. James. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge. FORSE, a vil. in the co. of Caithness, Scotland, 5 miles W. of Lybster. It is situated on a creek formed by Forse Water, on the banks of which stands Forse Castle. FORSTON, a hmlt. in the par. of Charminster, co. Dorset, 3 miles N.W. of Dorchester. Forston House is the principal residence. FORT, a lough in the bar. of Raphoe, co. Donegal, prov. of Ulster, Ireland, 1 mile E. of Newtown-Conyng- ham. Its length is about a mile by a quarter of a mile vide. Beneath its surface lie the remains of a castle, supposed at some early period to have occupied a small island, but to have become submerged by the rising of the lake's level. FORT AUGUSTUS. See AUGUSTUS, FOKT, co. Inver- ness, and the like for other places. FORT-DEL-ORE, in the par. of Donorlin, bar. of Corkaguiney, co. Kerry, prov. of Munster, Ireland, a ruined fortress built by the Spaniards in 1680. It stands on the W. side of Smerwick harbour, near Sibyl-head. It was reduced soon after its erection, by Raleigh and the Earl of Ormond. FORTEVIOT, a vil. and par. in Perthshire, Scotland. The village disputes with Abernethy the honour of having been the first capital of the Pictish kingdom. There was once a royal residence in its immediate neigh- bourhood, which is believed to have been occupied by the Scottish kings from Kenneth II. to Malcolm Can- more ; but the very site of the palace has been washed away by a flood ; and almost the only relic of it is a sculptured arch, possessed by Lord Ruthven of Freeland. Miller's Acre, where Edward Baliol encamped on the night before the battle of Dupplin in 1332, is half a mile tf. of the village. The parish of Forteviot, with which that of Muckersie has been long united, consists of three detached sections. The largest section, in which the church and village are situated, stretches from the Ochil hills across the Vale of Strathearn, and is fertile VOL. II. and richly wooded. It is traversed by the Scottish Central railway, which has a station near the village, and by roads from Auchterarder and Dunning to Perth. It is drained by the Earn and its tributary stream the May. The latter gives its name to Invermay, the scenery of which, for 2 miles before the stream reaches the Strath, is of surpassing beauty. There is a Runic cross at Bankhead, and the pedestal of another at Dronachy. The second section is in the heart of the Ochils, and is chiefly pastoral. The third and smallest section is in Strathearn, on the W. side of Moncrieff Hill. It is very fertile, and is traversed by the Scottish Central and North British railways. The par. is in the presb. of Perth and synod of Perth and Stirling, in the patron, of the United College, St. Andrew's, and Sir John Stuart Forbes of Invermay. The minister has a stipend of 270. FORTH, a vil. in the par. of Carnwath, co. Lanark, Scotland. FORTH, one of the principal rivers of Scotland. It rises in two head-streams in cos. Stirling and Perth, the one issuing from Ben Lomond, where it is named Duchray Water, the other from Loch Chon, near Loch Katrine. After the junction of these streams, the river takes the name of Avendew, or Black river, which it changes for that of Forth at Gartmore. The river takes a serpentine course along the border of co. Perth, having received, among numerous smaller tributaries, the rivers Goodie, Teith, Avon, Carron, and Allan water. At Stirling bridge the river ceases to be navigable for vessels of any size, and falls into an endless variety of graceful forms at the " links." Passing on to Alloa through the Carse of Stir- ling, it widens to a quarter of a mile ; at Grangemouth it receives the Carron, and communicates with the Forth and Clyde canal. At Queen's Ferry the river suddenly widens to about 3 miles, where it assumes the name of the Firth of Forth, wnich has on the S. shore Edinburgh, Grangemouth, Granton-pier, Leith-roads, Fisherrow, and Dunbar, with the rocks of Craig, Gunnet, Pallas, and the Bass, with Fidra island, May island, and Inch Keith (upon which is a lighthouse), also Craig-Leith and North Berwick. On the N. side lie the small rocky tide-harbours of Pettycur, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy Bay, Dysart, &c. [See EDINBURGH and FIFE.] The length of the Forth, including its numerous bends, is estimated at 170 miles ; the depth of the Firth from 7 to 30 fathoms, and its greatest width 18 miles. FORTH, a bar. in the co. of Wexford, prov. of Lein- ster, Ireland. It is bounded on the N. by Wexford harbour and Shelmaliere, on the E. and S. by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the W. by Bargy. Its area is 38,849 acres. The Forth mountains nse on the N. border. The surface is well cultivated and fertile. The southern extremity forms Carnsore Point, the landmark which divides the Atlantic from St. George's Channel. It contains the pars, of Ballybrennan, Ballymore, Cam, Drinagh, Ishartmon, Kerloge, Kildavin, Killiane, Kil- linick, Kilmacree, Kilrane, Kilscoran, Ladys-island, Maudlintown, May glass, Rathaspick, Rathmachnec, Ross- lare, St. Helen's, St. Iberius, St. Margaret's, St. Michael's, St. Peter's, Tacumshin, and parts of Wexford, including St. Bridget's, St. Doologe, St. Iberius, St. John's, St. Mary's, St. Michael's of Feagh, St. Patrick's, and St. Selskar's. This barony, with Bargy, was an early Anglo-Saxon settlement ; it was strongly fortified, and numerous ruins of castles, forts, churches, &o., are pre- served to this day. FORTH, a bar. in the co. of Carlow, prov. of Lein- ster, Ireland. The bar. of Carlow bounds it on the N., the cos. of Wicklow and Wexford on the E., and the bar. of East Idrone on the S. and W. Its area is 39,510 acres. The river Slaney flows on the eastern and tho Burren on the western border. A portion of Mount Leinster rises in the S. The soil is generally fertile. It contains the pars, of Aghade, Ballon, Gilbertstown, Templepeter, and parts of Ardoyne, Barragh, Ballyellin, Kellistown, Fennagh, Myshall, Nurney, and Tullow- ma^imma. FORTHAMPTON, a par. in the lower div. of tho