Evan Water

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Evan Water, a stream of Lanark and Dumfries shires, rising in Crawford parish, close to the summit level (1012 feet) of the Caledonian railway, and so near Little Clydes Burn, the reputed head-stream of the Clyde, as now to receive a rill that formerly flowed to that river. Thence it runs 12¼ miles south-south-eastward through Crawford, Moffat, and Kirkpatrick-Juxta parishes, till it falls into Annan Water, opposite the influx of Moffat Water, and 2 miles SSE of Moffat town, at an altitude of 290 feet. With a rocky bed, and a rapid or impetuous current, it traverses a glen remarkable for affording transit both to the Glasgow and Carlisle road and to the Caledonian railway through an alpine precipitous range of the Southern Highlands. High up it is conveyed by an aqueduct across the line, and, soon reappearing far below, it afterwards is frequently crossed by the railway; whilst from head nearly to foot it is flanked by green mountains, rising to altitudes of 800 to 1800 feet above sea-level, yet rounded and comparatively soft in contour. Its glen possesses considerable amenity; contains, above Beattock, the ruined castle of Achincass; and opens there into the fine broad strath of. Annandale.—Ord. Sur., sh. 16, 1864.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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