THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, With a View of PENCROSS CASTLE, and ISLAND of ARRAN; THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE OR LITERARY MISCELLANY PORT DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEW. ORTENCROSS, or, as it is more commonly termed, Pencrofs Caftle, is fituated upon the coaft of the Firth of Clyde, in the parish of West Kilbride and county of Air, at the diftance of about two miles from the village of Fairlie. The Castle is built upon a rock jutting into the fea, which almost continually lafhes its walls, especially in a fouth-weft wind, which brings a heavy fwell from the Atlantic. That it is of great antiquity admits of little doubt, though there is no record or tradition which mentions the time of its erection. Mr Hunter of Hunterston has, however, in his poffeffion, a charter of feifin granted by Robert the II. in the year 1347, being the 4th of his reign, vesting that family in certain lands, which appears to be subscribed at this caftle by that monarch, and feveral of the nobles compofing his court, fo that, from this fact, we are certain of its being erected before this laft-mention ed period. It is alfo from this circumftance conjectured to have been a royal hunting feat, to which the Scottish monarch and his retinue, fometimes reforted to enjoy the fports of the field, or the amufement of fifhing. Neither is it thought improbable that was the very fituation from which, in ancient times, the religious Scots took fhipping to the island of Iona, this *Porteus Crucis. the feat of the Culdees.-Indeed, if if we pay attention to its fituation, to the most likely derivation of the name *, and to the veftiges of an ancient road leading thither from the capital to this very spot, it is not altogether improbable that this might have been the case †. But what renders Pencrofs Castle more particularly remarkable, is the lofs of one of the veffels which compofed the Spanish Armada in the year 1588.-This veffel having escaped, alongft with fome others, after the victory gained by the English fleet, proceeded homewards north about; but being overtaken by a storm, fhe drifted up the firth of Clyde, and from fome caufe, which cannot now be affigned, funk in about ten fathom water, at no great distance from the caftle. An attempt was made, about 50 years ago, by means of a diving machine, to examine her fituation, and whether it was poffible to weigh her up, or to recover what was most valuable belonging to her. The diver reported, that from the fize of her guns, the appeared to be a capital fhip, and a very large cheft was perceived fixed upon deck. The operation fucceeded fo far, that fome fine brafs guns were brought up, and an iron one, which laft ftill lies upon the beach, of the exact form, and in the fituation reprefented in the plate.-This piece of ordnance has under The rout to Iona from Pencrofs would lye across the frith, the Iflond of Ar an and Ifthmus of Cantire. undergone many infpections, and various opinions have been formed about the weight of its fhot; to judge from its calibre, it seems to have been a 14 or 16 pounder. A fecond attempt was to have been made, with a new and more complete apparatus, when, it is probable, much more of the wreck would have been recovered, but the death of one of the undertakers unfortunately put an end to the fcheme. In the immediate neighbourhood of Pencrofs, are fome most beautiful and lofty rocks, particularly thofe called the Three Sifters, between 2 SIR, Ν and 300 feet in height, which feem defigned as a barrier to the fury of the ocean; they are skirted with copfewood, ivy, and many other plants, and ferve as a land-mark to mariners failing up the Firth.--The view from the fummit is extenfive and beautiful, great part of Ayrshire, the Firth of Clyde, rock of Ailfa, iflands of Arran, Cumbrays, and Bute, as well as the diftant hills of Renfrewshire and Argyllshire, appear extended before the eye.-Some part of these three laft-mentfoned iflands appear in the plate annexed. To the Editor of the Edinburgh Magazine. 7. D. AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF SIR WILLIAM PURVES OF WOODHOUSELEE. IN the first article of your Magazine "that he was in any shape connected for January, I observe a paper "with Sir William Purves, or was" which contains a variety of affertions in the flightest degree acquainted "in and remarks refpecting my progeni-"with any of his family. On the tor, Sir William Purves of Wood- "contrary, however loyal or refpechoufelee, Baronet, which I cannot al- " table this Gentleman may have low to pafs without fome obferva- "been in public or private life; as "there was nothing peculiar in his tion. The writer quotes a paffage from the Critical Remarks prefixed to the laft edition of the Works of Allan Ramfay, bearing that the Sir William Worthy, defcribed by the poet, was "Sir William Purves of Woodhoufelee, whofe eftate was forfeited by "the Protector for his adherence to "the royal caufe, and who regained "it at the restoration, and was ap. "pointed King's Solicitor;" and, the writer immediately adds, "In "answer to these unqualified affer "tions, it might have been fufficient "to have noticed, that they are alto 66 gether unfupported, even by a fha"dow of evidence, direct or circum"ftantiate, that Ramfay ever was at "this ancient tower; which, it is be"lieved did not exist in his day * : 66 history or character, to render him "confpicuous to. pofterity, or pre"ferve him in the memory of any "but his friends, the prefumption "is fupported by every appearance " of probability, that he was alto"gether unknown to the poet." Now, Sir, I would afk the writer of this paper, in the first place, what he means by terming the facts of Sir William Purves's, eftate being forfeited for his adherence to the royal caufe, his regaining it at the reftoration, and being appointed King's Solicitor, "unqualified assertions?" they are, in my opinion, plain matters of fact, which do not admit of qualification, any more than the affertions that there exifted fuch a man as Sir William Purves, or fuch a poet as * The central part of the house of Woodhoufelee, is a fquare tower vaulted beneath, one room above another, and is apparently between 2 and 300 years old. as Allan Ramfay. Does the writer mean to convey a fufpicion of the truth of thefe facts? He does not pretend that, for he mentions himfelf the Scots Acts of Parliament, as teftifying both the forfeiture and the reftitution of Sir William's estate; and if he is truly defirous to fee upon what grounds, and for what good reasons it was restored to him, I have in my poffeffion, evidence which will fatisfy him, that it was on the fcore of his long and faithful fervices to the royal caufe, and great fufferings upbn that account. A memorial which was laid before the King and Parliament, and of which I have an authentic copy, with various other documents, contain a narrative of these fervices and fufferings. It thence appears, that, from his active loyalty in adhering to his royal mafter, fighting under his ftandard, at the battle of Elliot, he had fuffered the greatest oppreffion from the ufurper Cromwell, that he had been difpoffeffed of his eftate, his houfes plundered and deftroyed, his cattle and crops carried off, and himself forced to wander long in difguife, or lie hid in fequeftered parts of the country, till after the restoration. In confequence of thefe notorious facts, he was taken into high favour by King Charles II. had his cftate reftored; and being a man of great abilities, was judged worthy of the appointment of King's Solicitor, which he held for many years, and discharged with great repu tation. Such, Sir, was the Sir William Purves of Woodhoufelee, whom your correfpondent treats as a perfon "who had nothing peculiar in his history or character, to render him confpicuous to pofterity, or preserve him in the memory of any but his friends;" and who, of confequence, " he prefumes, must have been altoge. ther unknown to the poet ;" and therefore could not be alluded to in the character of Sir William Worthy. Of this probability, your readers will judge. I will only add, that the belief of this allufion is as old as the days of Allan Ramsay himself; who therefore, if utterly unfounded, would probably have contradicted it. On this fubject, I was favoured with the following letter from the very learned and Reverend Dr Walker, now of Collington, and professor of Natural History in the Univerfity of Edinburgh : "Being fettled, when very young, "minifter of Glencrofs, I then found "the memory of Sir William Purves "fresh in the minds of fome of the "oldeft people in the parish, as be"ing proprietor of the estate and old "tower of Woodhouselee, about the "time of the restoration. This always perfuaded me, that he was "Allan Ramfay's Sir William Wor❝thy. The papers you was fo good as to fend me render it ftill more evident, and these I shall return "carefully to Mr- It is faid " that he was the King's Solicitor, foon after the reftoration. Of this " you may probably have documents " in your poffeffion, but I fhall get "notice of it from the register office, "and perhaps fome information con cerning the battle of Elliot. "I knew not of his relation to you " till now; but you have good rea"fon to be fond of his memory, as "an anceflor. He was evidently a "man of the firft abilities, of great "prudence and goodnefs, and be"hoved therefore, to leave a cha"racter behind him, fit to be adopt"ed by Ramfay in his poem. I re"main with the greatest respect, Sir, your moft obedient, and most hum"ble fervant." (Signed) JOHN WALKER. Collington, 30th Dec. 1795. Dr Walker was fettled minister of Glencrofs, or Woodhoufelee parish, in 1758, the fame year in which Allan Ramfay died. Having thus done that juftice to my |