THE WEST OF SCOTLAND MAGAZINE AND REVIEW. FEBRUARY, 1858. OLD SCOTTISH BURGHS.-No. III., PAISLEY. A PLEASANT natural situation is that of Paisley, especially in its more ancient and "time-honoured" sections. Occupying the summits and lateral declivities of two swelling ridges, or natural terraces, it commands on the one side a spacious sweep of the vast basin of the Clyde, with all its villages and mansions, and farms; the brown swelling heights of the Lennox rising proudly in the distance. On the other the prospect, if less extensive, is even more picturesque, including as it does a succession of gently swelling knolls and fertile slopes, rising in beautiful gradations to the elevated ranges of Gleniffer and Fereneze. Paisley is indeed environed on every side with beauty. Nor is it in the material loveliness of landscape alone that her denizens are privileged to rejoice. The Cart, as it murmurs past the walls of Paisley, reminds us of a music sweeter than its own-reminds us of Tannahill, the tenderest of Scotia's Minstrels-reminds us of him who left his native land to glean the feathered beauties of the distant west-of Wilson, the humble weaver of Paisley-the great American naturalist—and it reminds us of that other and still greater Wilson, who, under his celebrated nom de plume of Christopher North, has contributed so largely to the literature of his native land; so largely to the enjoyment of all who can appreciate the genius of eloquence and poetry. Few towns can boast such associations as Paisley. The spirit of song has ever dwelt among her children, and every nook almost-and almost every dell and burn and brae, by which she is begirt, has been sanctified by the muse. We have spent happy days in and around old Paisleywe have met with kindliest loves and friendships there-most genuine and genial hospitalities-and therefore, betide what may, she must ever hold a pleasant seat within the benmost sanctum of our memory. But the Paisley with which we have now more especially to deal, is a very different one from that which, with its multitudinous industries, now cumbers and defiles, while it enriches, the banks of the Cart. Drawing aside the curtain of the past-so far as time and space will permit we intend to afford our readers a few glimpses of the Paisley of other years of Paisley as it may be supposed successively to appear under the sway of the Roman, the ecclesiastic and the ancient burgher. It is very generally admitted that the heights upon which the more ancient parts of Paisley are built, formed between the years 80 and 446, the site of an extensive Roman station. The name which the locality then bore was Vanduara; a word which those very ingenious people, the etymologists, suppose to have been derived from the British terms wen dur, which signifies "white water." The Cart is still distinguished by a similar adjective, a fact which perhaps lends some degree of probability to the etymological surmise. Considerable portions of the Roman works are said to have been in existence until a very recent period. Several antiquaries of the last century, indeed, gave very minute descriptions of the traces then to be observed. The most satisfactory of these is from the pen of Principal Dunlop, a gentleman who resided in the immediate neighbourhood, and who had therefore ample opportunities of examining the locality. The Principal says:-"At Paisley there is a large Roman camp to be seen. The Prætorium, or innermost part of the camp, is on the west end of a rising ground or little hill called Capshawhead, on the south-east descent of which is the town of Paisley. The Prætorium is not very large, but had been strongly fortified with three fousees and dykes of earth, which must have been large when their vestiges to this day are so large that men on horseback will not see over them. The camp itself hath been large and great, it comprehending the whole hill. There are vestiges on the north side of the fousees and dyke, whereby it appears that the camp reached to the river of Cart. On the north side the dyke goeth alongst the foot of the hill, and if we allow it to have gone as far on the other side, it hath enclosed all the space of ground on which the town of Paisley stands, and it may be guessed to be about a mile in compass." "Its situation," he continues, "was strong and pleasant," overlooking the whole country. "I have not heard that any have been so curious as to dig into this Prætorium, but when they tread upon it, it gives a sound as if it were hollow, where belike there are some of their vaults." From the description of Principal Dunlop, our modern Oldbucks have come to the conclusion that the portion of the camp occupied by the commander must have been on the site of the old Bowling green at Oakshawhead, now occupied by a stately edifice devoted to educational purposes. The spot is indeed eminently fitted to insure extensive observation. Other traces of the Roman invaders have been discovered from time to time in and around Paisley, but, in the progress of improvement, these have been nearly all obliterated, and now there is scarcely an indication even that the proud masters of the world, as they delighted to call themselves, ever marched in triumph to the fertile shores of the Cart. The place that knew them then shall know them no more for ever. The very name which they conferred upon the locality is only known through the researches of the antiquary. The fifth century saw the final withdrawal of the Roman legions: and thereafter the curtain of oblivion fell upon the history of the locality, and remained unraised for the lengthened period of six hundred years. The etymology of the term Paisley has been a fruitful bone of contention to the sages who delight in extracting the hidden meanings of words. First came Baxter, asserting that the name, instead of Paisley, should be called Praisely, as it was the field of the Roman Præsidium, and would therefore, in all probability, be so called by the native tribes. This theory of explanation, however, does not seem to have met with acceptance among the learned. The next who attempted to solve the difficulty was Dr. Boog. "On the authority of a good Gælic scholar," the Doctor said, "that the brow or fall of a rock is in Gælic Paislicht, and that a church in front of such a rock would be in Paislicht." Such a rock, it is well known, stretches athwart the Cart at Paisley, and forms a fine cascade, and the Doctor states that there was a church there previously to the erection of the monastery. On this combination of crag and kirk Dr. Boog then based his derivation of the name, and for a time his theory was very generally accepted. It turned out afterwards, however, that there were no such words in the Galic language as those which the Doctor had adduced, and, as a natural consequence, the etymological fabric which he had based upon them fell to the ground-a catastrophe, it must be admitted, rather laughable than otherwise. Dr. Jamieson, George Chalmers, Dr. Burns, and we know not how many others, have since, in succession, essayed to crack the nut, but so far as we can perceive, without, in any case, making the slightest approximation to a satisfactory solution. Fortunately the question is not one of particular moment. Paisley will get on quite as well, we have no doubt, although she may never know to what tribe of semi-barbarous Celts or Saxons she may have been indebted for a name. The town of Paisley, like the neighbouring city of Glasgow, is of ecclesiastical origin. The foundation of a monastery on the banks of the Cart was the nucleus of her existence. This establishment was formed about the year 1163, by Walter the Steward, progenitor of the Stewards who afterwards ascended the Scottish throne. This family, at that period, held large possessions in Renfrewshire. The monastery was formed for a detachment of Clunniac monks from the Priory of Wenlock, in Shropshire, and was solemnly dedicated to God and the Virgin Mary in a general sense, and in particular to St. James the Apostle, St. Mirinus, and St. Milburga; the latter being the patron of the parent establishment at Wenlock. St. Mirinus, whose name seems ultimately to have become more immediately associated with the sacred structure, was a confessor who lived in early times, in the vicinity of Paisley, and who died there "in the odour of sanctity." Of the life and character of this worthy very little is known. Several of his miracles, however, are duly recorded, and one of them is perhaps worthy of being repeated. On one occasion, while on a mission in the sister Isle, he demanded the hospitality of the Irish King. At the time of his arrival, the house of his Majesty was in the usual state of confusion, which is attendant, on the immediate expectation of an addition to the family. The Saint was consequently informed that he could not be accommodated. Indignant at such treatment, the Saint offered up a prayer to the effect that the pains which the royal mother was then enduring should be transferred to the inhospitable partner of her bed. An immediate answer was of course vouchsafed, and the Irish monarch was forthwith afflicted with the severest pangs of maternity, in which unhappy condition he continued for three days, when St. Mirinus, on receiving a profession of extreme contrition, was graciously pleased to absolve the royal offender, and relieve him from his dire distress. From this and numerous other instances which might be adduced, it will be abundantly obvious that it was no light matter in those days to incur the displeasure of a Sanct. Walter, the founder of the Monastery, (which was constituted an Abbey in 1219 by a Papal Bull), endowed it in the most liberal manner, conferring upon it jurisdiction over thirteen other churches, besides extensive possessions and immunities. Among these we may enumerate the church and lands of Prestwick, in Ayrshire, a saltwork at Callander in Stirlingshire, the lands of Drip and Paisley, and various other possessions in the County of Renfrew, with half a merk in silver yearly from his rents in that Burgh; the mill of Renfrew; the island in the Clyde near Renfrew; and the fishing between that island and Partick; one net's fishing for salmon, and six nets' fishing for herring in the Clyde; four merks yearly from the mill of Paisley, and the right of grinding corn at the said mill, free of all multure; the tenth of the produce of said mill, and all other mills; the tithes of all his wastes, and of all the lands which were settled in his forests, the right of pasturage and all other easements, in his forest of Paisley; the tenth of his venison, the skins of said venison, and the tenth penny of the rents of all his lands in Kyle." A right noble donor, truly, and one who was certainly entitled to the best offices of the brotherhood! But handsome as were these donations and privileges, they were immensely increased by the successors of Walter the founder, who, one and all, seemed to delight in heaping benefits upon the Abbot, and the reverend fraternity of Paisley; until at length it became the most opulent and influential of all the Abbacies in the South of Scotland, that of Kelso alone excepted. In the midst of such profuse means of enjoyment, however, the Abbots were occasionally subjected to trouble. Civil war from time to time disturbed the land, and on such occasions the property even of the Church was not always permitted to escape without scaith. Thus we are informed by Fordun, that during the invasion of Edward Longshanks, the Monastery of Paisley was burned to the ground, while the lands were ravaged. This occurred in 1307. With the restoration of peace, however, a new and more splendid structure was erected. This edifice, the magnificent building which existed at the Reformation, and a part of which still remains to delight every visitor, seems to have been commenced and almost completed by the Abbot Thomas Tarvas, in the reigns of James I. and his successor. This Abbot seems to have been a man of vigour and ability, and one who took a pride in sustaining the dignity of his office. In " ane schort memoriale of The Scottis Croniklis," it is written of him: "On the 29th of June, 1459, Decessit at Paslay Thomas Tarvas, Abbot of Paslay, the whilk was ane richt gud man, and helplyke to the place of ony that ever was; for he did monie notable thingis, and held ane noble hous and was aye wele purvait. He fand the place all out of gud rewle, and the kirk unbiggit. He biggit the body of the kirk frae the bucht stair up and put on the ruf, and thekit it with sclait, and riggit with stane, and biggit ane great portion of the steple, and ane stately yetthouse, and brocht hame monie guid jowellis, and claiths of gold, silver, and silk, and monie guid bukis, and maid statlie stallis and glasynit mekle of all the kirk, and brocht hame the staliest tabernakle that was in all Scotland, and the maist costly. And schortlie he brocht all the place to freedom, and frae nocht till ane michty place, and left it out of all kynd of det, and at all freedome to dispose as thaim likit, and left ane of the beste mysteries that was in Scotland; and chandellaris of silver, and a lettren of brass, with monie other guid jowellis." Such was the Abbot who was the founder of the Abbey of Paisley. He seems to have been a splendid type of his elass. The architect is generally supposed to have been a certain John Morrow, or Murdo, a native of Paris, who seems to have been instrumental in the erection and preservation of many of the fine ecclesiastical structures which then abounded in Scotland. Such is the inference at least which has been drawn, from a defaced inscription on the walls of Melrose Abbey, which has been thus restored: "John Murdo sometime callyt was I, Of Nyddysdall and of Galway. I pray to God and Mary baith And sweet St. John, kep this holy kirk fra skaith.” After Thomas Tarvas, the most ambitious of the abbots, seems to have been George Shaw, who completed what his predecessor had so spiritedly begun. He also built a hewn stone wall round the Abbey and its lands, about a mile in circumference, and including the entire site of the Newtown of Paisley. An inscription, which was placed by the Abbot upon the wall after its completion, is still in existence at a place called the Wallneuk, with the exception of the last line but one, which as savouring of popery has been obliterated. "Thei callit ye Abbot George of Schawe That made this nobil foundacioun." Before its delapidation, the Abbey of Paisley-a beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture-seems to have consisted of a nave and choir with aisles, a tower and steeple rising from the intersection of the cross, and a northern transept. The chapel of St. Mirren partly occupies the position which would have been taken up by a southern transept had the |