Parish Representative: Michael Williams
Introduction
Bolton remains a rural parish covering some 1254 ha (3099 acres). It consists of a hamlet with a church and nine farm steadings: Under Bolton; Upper Bolton; Ewingston; Marvingston; Eaglescairnie Mains and Home Farm; Cauldshiel; Kirkland and Pilmuir (no steading); and Howden. The parish is undulating and well-wooded with the Birns Water providing the southern march and the Newhall Burn and Colstoun Water on the northeast march. These rather arbitrary boundaries and the fact that Bolton hamlet is in the far north of the area do not provide cohesion to the parish. Seven of the farms are family-owned, 300-650 acre holdings; Kirkland and Pilmuir are owned by Pilmuir, but rented to and worked by the farmer at Under Bolton.