ARRAN, an island on the west coast of Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Firth of Clyde. Its name is derived from ar high, and in an island ; or, according to others, from ./Ir-flun, the slaughter of Fingal, an ety mology founded on a battle said to have been fought in this island between Fingal and a Norwegian prince, in which the troops of the latter were all slain.
The history of this island is involved in considerable obscurity. When Alexander III. of Scotland claimed Arran as an appendage of his crown, Hacon IV. assem bled his forces in Arran, in 1256, and, having made a descent on the coast of Ayr, spread desolation over the adjacent country. The Scottish king made a resistance to the invader, who was compelled to return with the remnant of his army to Kirkwall in Orkney. Magnus IV., his successor to the Norwegian crown, ceded Arran, along with the other islands, to Alexander, in 1266, on the condition of receiving an annual sum of 100 merks, which was called the annual of Norway. Robert Bruce, and a few of his followers, having found an asylum. in the island of Rachrin during winter, pass ed over into Arran early in spring, and supported them selves by hunting and fishing, till, by secret communica tion with the Scottish coast, they prepared for those glorious triumphs which established the independence of their country. In 1456, Arran was plundered by Don ald, earl of Ross, and lord of the isles ; and, in 1467, it was erected into an earldom, and conferred upon sir Thomas Boyd, as the dowry of his wife, who was the sister of James III. This lady was divorced from her husband, and, having afterwards married lord Hamilton, in 1474, the earldom of Arran was transferred to that family.
The agriculture of Arran is still in a very rude state. The valued rent of the island is L.5048, 17s. 8d. Scots, and the gross rent L.5 500. The quantity of cultivated land is about 10,367 acres, and the rent of each acre about 10s. Each farm is occupied by about fifteen or twenty families, among whom it is divided by marks of stone or sticks ; and they are jointly and severally liable for the rent. Between the divided arable land and the rise of the hills, there is an extent of waste land, on which the milk cows of all the families on the farm are pastured, under the charge of a common herd. This
tract of land is separated from the mountains by a fence, called the head-dike. The whole ground without these head-dikes is used as a pasture common to every indi vidual ; and, Upon the removal of the crop, the whole island is common to all the live stock which it contains.
The original breed of horses in this island was very t•nall, but, of late, they have been crossed with horses of a larger size from Argyleshire. The average size of these animals is from ten to limmeen hands high : They are extremely docile, and are remarkable for their sure ness of foot, and for their patience of fatigue and hun ger. The number of horses, according to Pennant, is 1058. The milk cows amount to 3183, the cattle to 2000, the sheep to 1500, and the goats to 500. A few red deer and wild goats still exist in the island. Hares and rabbits are every where abundant. Black cock and grouse are extremely numerous. A few quails are to be seen, and the ptarmigan is found among the granite mountains. Among the wild birds of Arran, are plovers, starlings, and partridges ; and the birds of prey arc, eagles, kites, hawks, and carrion-crows. Serpents arc numerous, and are sometimes found above four feet in length.
The climate of Arran is rather severe and damp, though the air is salubrious in summer. The extremes of heat and cold are not so distant as in places similarly situated on the main land.
Kelp is manufactured in considerable quantities along the coast of Arran, but the manufacture seems to be of no great value to the proprietors. Most of the woollen cloth used on the island is manufactured by the women, and is dressed by a dyer and fuller at Lamlash. Arran possesses peculiar advantages as a fishing station. The herring fishery is extremely beneficial. It is carried on by young men, who sell the fish to hawkers, who carry them to market, in a fresh state ; or to busses, who bring casks and salt for the purpose of curing them. In the year 1803, the herring fishery produced from L. 1500 to L. 2000.