CA M BR I D GE CO U NTY GE O 'GR APH IE S SCO TLAND

W M M A . ra E d i tor : . U R I SO N . Gene l ,

KI NCA R D I NE SH I R E CAMB R I D GE U NI V E R SI T Y PR E SS

C F CL AY M A NA GE R . . ,

L OND O N F E T T ANE E E R L , . C.4

NE W Y O R K T H E M CM I N c o A LL A , BO M B A Y

C CU T T M CMI NA ND co . L T D AL A A LLA , . MA D R A S I O R O NT O T H E M CM I N c o T A LL A . O F C A NA D A , L T O

T O KY O M A R U Z E N- K A B U SH I KI - KA I SH A

A L L R I GH T S R E SE R V E D Ca m br idge Cou n ty Geog r aph er

KI NCA R D I NE SH I R E

by the lat e

GE R GE H KI E AR E E S . O . L N N ,

H ea d m a s e r G e n be r v i e Pu b i c Sc oo t , l l h l

A u or of Glen ber ‘v i e t/ze F a t/I n la n d u r / u th , q

t Ma s D ia ram s and s t o s Wi h p , g , Illu tra i n

. ‘J

CAMBR I D GE

AT T H E U NI V E R SI T Y PR E SS

1 9 2 1

PR E F ATO R Y NO TE

’ MR KI NNE AR S death when he had written the text of this volume , but had not finally revised it , left the work di to be completed by the general e tor . Fortunately , the changes which Mr Kinnear intended to make were clearly marked and these have been closely followed . As it has been impossible to find an accurate list of

Mr K those who , by advice or otherwise , assisted innear , will all who did so kindly accept this general acknow ledgment of their much - appreciated help

al The gener editor is deeply indebted to his friend ,

r M r M . . J B Philip , himself a son of the ea ns , who has given unstintedly of his full knowledge of the county and has rendered invaluable service in the reading of

Mr the proofs . In addition , Philip generously pre sented a number of his own photographs for use in illustration . MU R I SON W .

Novem ber I 9 2 0

CO NTE NTS

PAGE

Co a n d S f unty hire . The Origin o Kincard ine

General Characteristics

z S B o d s Si e . hape . un arie

Soil

Rivers a n d Lakes

t s o 7 . Na ural Hi t ry

8 Co s . The a t

— o o 1 0 . o Pe ple Race , Language , P pulati n

1 s a n d d r s 2 . Manufacture Other In ust ie viii CO NTE NT S

D om estic

1 9 .

2 o Ad o a n d D o . ministrati n ivisi ns

1 f o o 2 . Roll o H n ur

2 Ch f ow a n d of K d 2 . The ie T ns incar ine I L L U STR ATI O N S

PAGE Coas t Scenery at Muchalls View of the F eu gh Valley from Scolt y

T e F o d D ru m tocht h r , y Glen B rid ge of F eugh

Ci ff of B o d C B a l ul er lay , Nigg y Striated Stone from Nigg B a y

’ C S o Gulls rag, t nehaven Gi rd le n e s s Lighthouse

The Old Man of Muchalls

F owlsheu gh

C F owls he u h The Great ave , g

the B kwood B o In ir , anch ry

S t d Sto F ord ou n culp ure ne , x IL L U STRAT IONS

Con cealing the Regalia i n Ki n n e fiChurch Imprisoned Clergyman baptis ing Chi ld ren Stone haven

B ron ze Ves s els from B anchory Loch f S Au chqu horthi es . View rom the outh hi Au chqu hort es . Recumbent Stone

S o Au u holli e Ogham t ne , q

S f c of C o o of B o ur a e rann g , L ch anch ry Cowie Church Arbuthn ott Church Illumination from Arbuthnott B ook of Hours

’ St Co B s Mary s llege , lair

B lairs Po rtrai t of Mary Queen of Scots

Cra t he s Cas tle

of d oof B a lb e n o C s t Part Vaulte R , g a le D unnottar from the South E ntrance t o D unnottar Cas tle F ett eres s o Cas tle Old House of U rie

’ Cairn 0 Mount Roa d

’ B urying - place of B u m s s Ances tors

o . K F f E a s Ge rge eith , i th rl Mari chal

F ield - Mars hal James Keith

B o d Mon b od d o James urnett , L r D r Thom as Reid D r J ohn Arbuthnot Captain Robert B arclay

Nord ra ch- on - D ee S o B o anat rium , anch ry

d s Go d o Men ing Net , ur n IL L U STR ATIO NS x i

Stonehaven Harbour

MAPS

Kinca rd ineshi re ( Physical) Rainfall Map of Scotland Kincard ineshi re ( Ge ologica l)

T he i u s ra ion s on . 2 6 1 8 6 1 1 are re rod ced ll t t pp 3, , 34 , 3 5 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 5 p u ' M r B P i ose on 1 from ho o ra s b . . . o o from p t g ph y J hil p : th pp 9, 5 , 54 ph t

W H o m es Co. os e on . 1 1 from o o ra s b r s b . g aph y l ; th pp , 97 ph t g ph y

M r Arch a d T a y or ose on . 1 6 66 86 from o o ib l l ; th pp 7 , 3 3 , 4 , , ph t

ra s b V a e n n e 8: Son s L td . t ose on . 1 8 62 68 8 g ph y l ti , h pp 3 , 3 7 , 3 , , , 7 5, 9 . M r A R 0 2 1 0 1 06 1 1 2 1 1 from o o ra hs b . os s ose on 9 , 9 , 93 , 4 , , , 7 ph t g p y ; th w n b M r R id h f f m d ra s . e a on . 6 roma . 2 ro o o pp 39, 7 i g y J ; t t p 7 ph t

ra b e s s rs O i ve r 8: Bo d os e on . 0 1 8 a re re rod u ce d g ph y M l y th pp 7 , 7 , 7 3 , 7 p i i of the Socie of An ar ies S b e rm s s on co an d a on . b y p ty tiqu , tl ; th t p 77 y e rm is s on of the Com m i e e of a na e m en F ree Pu c L ra r a n d p i tt M g t, bli ib y

us eu m Pa i s e a on . b erm is sion of T he A ber d een D a i l M , l y ; th t p 79 y p y f M ou r n a l a on . 8 1 is rom a o o ra b r F C I n s ha n j ; th t p ph t g ph y . . gli ; t t o

. 1 0 i s re rod ced b e rm is s on of the U n i ve rs i y Cour of the p 5 p u , y p i t t A e rd ee n from r U n i e rs of a o o a b e s s r T R . A s . rm a n v ity b , ph t g ph y M

Son s ose on . 1 0 1 1 1 b a rra n e m e n w the sa m e fir m a o n ; th pp 9 , . y g t ith ; th t fr m a ho o ra ed b M r K . 1 08 o s s n nea r an d t a on . 1 1 p p t g ph uppli y i , h t p 4 M W . n s from a o o a b r . o on ph t gr ph y J J h t .

h 1 . Cou n ty a n d S h i re . T e Ori g i n of Ki n ca rd i n e a n d M e a rn s

The word shi re is of Old English origin and meant fii o ce . , charge , administration The Norman Conquest — introduced the word cou n ty through French from the

' com tatu s d esi Latin i , which in mediaeval documents g

Cou n l di u nates the shire . y is the strict r led by a count ,

’ com es the king s , the equivalent of the older English

earl term . This system of local administration entered

Scotland as part of the Anglo - Norman influence that

1 1 0 strongly affected our country after the year 0 .

The number of counties has not always been the same , nor have the boundaries always been as they are now . Geographically Kincardineshire and Forfarshire are one and in a very old account of the district it is stated that Angus and Mearns were united and both called by the ” f K ’ same name . The o ficial who represented the ing s

S i - S authority was the h re reeve or heriff, but sheriffdoms were modified in nu mber and area from time to time as was found convenient . Early in the fourteenth century

- fiv e S there were at least twenty counties in cotland , at

r - the present time there are thi ty three . The county was manifestly named from Kincardine l F ord ou n a . in parish , once a town with a roy residence The name Ki n ca rd i n e is taken to mean the end of the 2 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

t ol e . . Ki n high land , where the Grampians termina e card i n e occurs frequently as a place name along the east

S - of cotland from Ross shire to Fife ; and , with the

K - ou - exception of incardine Forth , it regularly designates

a place at the end or the side of hills .

o of The county is often sp ken as The Mearns ,

although this is not strictly accurate . The Mearns constitutes the district of the county south of the

r Grampians . The Howe of the Mea ns is really a con

i n u i t at on of the great valley of Strathmore . Like The ! M ” Merse and The Lothians , we say The earns ,

M earn s not Mearns alone . The etymology of is I K I . disputed . A tradition is that enneth , in the ninth

century , divided this region into two , bestowing them

on [E his brothers neas and Mernas , whence they were

called respectively Angus and Mearns .

2 . Ge n e ra l Cha ra ct e ri s t i cs

K F incardine , like its southern neighbour orfarshire ,

of which it is indeed but a continuation , exhibits a good

t wo o epitome of typical Scottish s cenery . The c unties

present pretty much the same physical appearance .

o Each , in a restricted th ugh real sense , may be termed

La n d of r own e a a n d s a w ood b h th h ggy , ” La n d of the m o n a n a n d the flo u t i od .

They both show a fertile tract of level or gently

undulating land along the coast , dotted here and there i w th green plantation , stately mansion , or comfortable looking homestead . In both counties , also , the interior

4 KINCAR D INE SH IR E

is well sheltered from the biting east winds that sweep in from the sea by a range of hills running parallel to

— Sid law o the coast the Hills in F rfarshire , and the S Garvock Heights in the Mearns . imilarly, on the

o of m n rth side each , the Grampians rising in aj estic grandeur form a wall of protection from the cold

northern blasts . In both , we thus have favourable conditions for the production of fertile soil through the l disintegration of the rocks and stones on the hi lsides , and through the age - long washing down by rain and ” flood of new soil from the everlasting hills into the

F or o valleys below . the sp rtsman the hills and moors K o i of incardineshire pr v de grouse and other game . The parish of Strachan contains the one deer forest in — o S the county the most easterly deer f rest in cotland . The highly picturesque scenery al ong the coast of

Kincardineshire is a never - ending delight to the artist and to other lovers of nature ; while in its diversified

flora , its rock structures , its antiquities , the county offers ample material to botanist , geologist , and arch aeologist . Kincardineshire has long been connected with the

fishing industry, but the introduction of steam trawlers and drifters has , to a large extent , displaced the line fishing which was successfully pursued from t he many M villages and creeks along the coast . anufactures can o o hardly be said t exist in the c unty . With the decay

dl o of han om weaving , the manufacture of linens and woollens was transferred to the larger centres in the — an d south and north Dundee Aberdeen . On the

6 KINCAR D INE SH IR E

3 . S i ze . S h a p e . B ou n d a ri e s

on e The county is not a large , but its area is com

- first pact and well defined . It ranks as twenty of the

S - o u la cottish counties in extent , twenty fourth in p p

al . tion , and twentieth in point of rent From south

- 2 2 west to north east it is 3 miles in length , and 4 miles ,

to I t where widest , from south north . lies between ° ’ ° ’ latitude 56 46 and 57 9 N . and between longitude ° ’ ° ’ 2 of 4 and 2 44 W. The area the county is i I t or 88 . acres , approximately 3 square m les is only

- of of one eleventh the area Inverness , the largest county

S o in cotland , but it is alm st eight times larger than C lackmannan , the smallest .

Wedged in between two bigger neighbours , Aberdeen F K shire and orfarshire , incardineshire in shape resembles

- a right angled triangle , the right angle being at Mount

B att ock o in the west , while the two sides c ntaining it

h o l al the o are lines whic run , r ugh y speaking , ong c urse

the D ee an d of river to Aberdeen , along the west side

of o E the county towards the m uth of the North sk .

o - The ther side , formed by the coast line from near

of Montrose to Aberdeen , has a distance about 35 miles .

o o 1 0 The wh le utline measures ab out 0 miles .

D e e on The watershed o f the the north , and the

of o E sk watershed the N rth on the west , practically

ou t w mark the county limits . The area lying bet een these two rivers and the sea comprehends a district the

of — s general slope which is to the south east . A picture que background t o the district is formed by the Grampian — — SIZE SH APE B OU ND AR IE S 7

00 2 00 heights , varying in elevation from 5 to 5 feet . F m ll c rom the su mits of this natural barrier of hi s , overed ' w ul ith heath and moss , there is a reg ar succession of green hills and cultivated slopes down to the Howe

M w ul of the earns ith its flat or und ating fields . The — — eastern boundary the North Sea shore r uns at first

I O - to Bervie , a distance of miles , in a north easterly I O i S direction ; for the next m les , to tonehaven , it

r ai 1 cu ves to the north ; and for the rem ning 5 miles ,

a r - d to the Dee , it gain takes a no th easterly irection . Along the north side from Aberdeen the D ee forms the

di Crathes i 1 divi ng line as far as , a d stance of 4 miles ; after which the county boundary sweeps round the

r no th side of Banchory over the Hill of Fare , touching here the southern Aberdeenshire parishes of Echt ,

’ K - N il O e . Midmar , incardine , and Birse The western boundary from Mount B att ock to near Montrose is

b E sk o formed ythe North , and the F rfarshire parishes

L ochlee z l S r of , Ed el , tracathro , Logie Pe t , and Montrose .

1 8 1 - r Before 9 the parishes of Banchory Te nan , Drum

’ an —D w K oak , and B chory evenick ere partly in incardine

I n shire , partly in Aberdeenshire . that year Banchory

all K di D ru m oak Ternan was included in incar neshire , and

- in Aberdeenshire . The designation Banchory Devenick

K i r was now restricted to the incard neshire po tion , while the rest was added to the Aberdeenshire parish

z of Peterculter . At the same time the parish of Ed ell ,

r which had been pa tly in Forfarshire , partly in K K i w incardineshire , lost its incard neshire portion , hich

r i rn was transferred to the parish of Fett e ca . 8 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

4 . S u rfa ce . Ge n e ra l F e a t u re s . S oi l

’ A bird s - eye V iew wou ld show the county to be di vided

z into two parts of nearly equal si e , but of totally

di . fferent aspects As a whole it is very diversified , embracing di stricts that are entirely of a Highland typ e

of scenery, while in the south and east the lowland

and the maritime type predominate . In appearance it resembles Forfarshire , which , however , excels in extent

and boldness of mountain summits . The two main divisions of the county may be further regarded as being naturally sub - divided into four

al : longitudin and parallel districts the Maritime , the D Howe , the Grampian , and the eeside . The Grampian district stretches through the whole breadth of the county from west to east , and is on an average from 1 6 to 1 8 miles in length and from 6 to 8 miles across

I t all from south to north . is natur y rugged , sterile , and

al 1 2 0 dreary . Its tot area may be reckoned at square

F M B attock miles , mostly moor and heather . rom ount

- 2 . ( 555 ft ) in the north west , the highest peak in the dis tri ct a l , the Grampians gradu l y descend and are popularly regarded as terminating in the low heights (about 00 i t 2 . ) near the Bay of Nigg . Of the other Grampian peaks the most prominent are Clochn aben (1 944 wi th

1 00 - dm its granite knob ft . high , a well known lan ark from the sea ; Kerloch ( 1 747 and Cairn m on earn (1 2 45 The Hill of F are on the north side of the Dee reaches a 1 2 ft height of 4 9 . , while on the opposite side of the

Scolt 82 al river, y Hill (9 with its monument to Gener

1 0 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

m Burnett , is a notable land ark , from which , as from the l i top of most of the hil s , splendid v ews are obtainable of the scenery of Aberdeenshire on the north , and of the

Howe on the south . The D eeside district extends westward from the mouth of the Dee along the southern banks of that river 2 i for 3 m les , and has an area of about 54 square miles . There is also a portion of this district on the n orth bank

or 2 6 of the Dee above Banch y , extending to about square l D miles . A though , as regards agriculture , eeside is a comparatively poor region , yet there is in it a greater proportion of surface under timber than in any other

r part of the county . This gives it a ve y pleasing aspect l S embe lished as it is by the waters of the ilvery Dee , flowing along through the level haughs and meadows that lie between the encircling slopes on both sides of the valley .

1 6 The Howe of the Mearns district , about miles long ,

0 5 miles broad , and having an area of about 5 square

of of S miles , forms the eastern boundary the Vale trath more but , in comparison with it , the Howe is very flat

al and bare , especi ly towards the eastern extremities . The soil here has a characteristically red appearance , due to K ” the underlying clay , popularly known as Mearns eel . On the lower slopes of the Grampians and overlooking the splendid panorama of scenery in the H owe are

- o F o t o several well kn wn peaks . r m west east these are

C 1 88 1 66 H ou n d hillock the airn ( 4 ft . ) Whitelaws ( 4 ft . )

1 8 B ln l rr l 1 0 kett e 1 00 Ga o . 6 . a a 0 ( 9 ft ) Hill ( ft . ) ( 35 ft )

Arn b a rrow 1 06 r ll 1 8 f T i ert 0 St thfin e a t . ( ft . ) a ( 35 ) pp y SUR FA CE AND GENERAL FEA TURES 1 1

H rs 2 K ll 1 e cha . ( 1 042 ft . ) (7 5 ft ) and nock Hi (7 7 On the north side of St rathfin ella lies one of the most S romantic and picturesque spots in cotland , the famous

D ru m tocht Clatt eri n Glen of y, leading by the Brigs to Fettercairn an d the Burn . Between the Howe and the coast a lower range of

F o d D ru m tocht G The r , y len

l al hil s , known as the Garvock Heights , cultivated most

- to their summits , runs in a south easterly direction through the parishes of Arbuthnott , Garvock , and

0 . St Cyrus . Their elevation ranges from 50 to 900 ft Johnston Tower (91 5 immediately above Laurence

o o o the kirk , is a c nspicu us obj ect from all p ints of

. o compass . The view from this p int is magnificent ,

al an d comprising hill and d e , stream sea, fertile fields and cosy homesteads . The descent from the Garvock 1 2 KINCARDINESHIRE

Heights to both the Howe and the sea is gradual , the slopes on each side being here and there dotted with patches of wood or grassy moorland which give fresh ness and colour to a somewhat bare and monotonous

o district . East of the Bervie valley a l wer range ,

of Carm on t really a spur the Garvock Heights , starts at 1 0 Hill (7 on the south side of the Carron Water , and

B ru xi e 00 is continued , with a slight descent , over Hill (7

ft . ) to Bervie Brow (45 1 overlooking Bervie Bay . When the character of the soils of the county is con s id ered r t o , egard must be had the nature and structure

al of the underlying geologic formation , since the soils are indebted to disintegrated rocks for their mineral constituents . The quality of a soil , moreover , depends largely on the upper formation of the neighbouring

are heights , the decomposed portions of which washed down by rain and flood to the l ower grounds and there incorporated in the soil . The best farming di strict in the county is undoubtedly

St C v . along the coast , especially between yrus and Ber ie M The soil here is a deep black loam . ost of it is free ,

f . parts of it tenacious , but none of a sti f , clayish nature The farms in the St Cyrus district are undoubtedly the i most fert le in the county . The liberal application of lime from the lime - kilns at St Cyrus in the beginning of the last century was a valuable factor in improving the soil

u - - and this , combined with intelligent and p to date r methods of cultivation , is reflected in the gene al excellence of the crops in this district . In striking contrast are the thin an d cold soils of the Garvock

1 4 KINCARD INESH IRE

of I n inland , is the same nature . the neighbourhood

of ou t for of Aberdeen , part the land is laid the o of o o m cultivati n p tat es and vegetables , a ready arket

ot for which is g there .

r k s 5 . R i v e s a n d L a e

of D ee o E sk With the exception the and the N rth ,

o K which belong nly in part to incardineshire , the rivers

of the county are comparatively small . But from its

o diversified and unequal surface , and fr m the fact that

o s o s t rea m s o a re the land sl pe in many directi ns , the

o s of o e - numer u , and every part the c unty is w ll watered .

By reclamation , drainage , and improved cultivation ,

and the consequent disappe arance of water - logged

t o haughs adj acent rivers , the streams are smaller than

formerly , but admirably adapted for the natural and

of of the artificial drainage their districts . The course the streams flowing from the Grampians t o the North Sea shows the general slope of the county to be towards

- the south east . The northern district is drained by

D ee numerous tributaries discharging into the , and the

o E sk western by the N rth and its feeders .

D ee 6 o o t o The , 9 miles fr m s urce sea , issues out of

B ra eri ach C o , one of the airng rm summits , at the Wells ” D ee o K of , and fl wing eastward , enters incardineshire

- near Potarch . Through the three spanned bridge of

o n o Potarch , between Ab yne and Ba ch ry , it sweeps deep

o and strong over its gravelly bed . The r ad over

’ C 0 o - old airn M unt , the much frequented road from Tay RIV ERS AND LAKES 1 5

r to Dee , formerly crossed here by a ford below the b idge . For 1 2 miles the river continues its course through the county , and then forms the northern boundary for the

’ 1 F K - O Neil remaining 4 miles . rom incardine it receives the Canny (9 miles) directly below Inchmarlo House

I n v ercan n and close to y reservoirs , connected with the

B rid ge of Peugh

Aberdeen water supply ; and also the sm all burn s of

Corri hi e Cluny and c from the Hill of Fare . On the 2 0 F o south side the Peugh ( miles), from the rest of

8 i . Birse , flows for m les to Whitestone There it is 1 0 j oined by the Aan ( miles), which comes along the

M B att ock K o county boundary from ount , and at irkt n

S D e D e of trachan by the y from Glen y . The Bridge of

0 F eu h Peugh , 3 5 yards from the point where the g and

Dee j oin , is one of the most noted and beautiful spots 1 6 KINCARD INESH IRE

on Deeside . The bridge itself , a plain structure , derives its picturesqueness from the rocky channel of

o o the river b th ab ve and below it . Here the stream , embowered in a wealth of wood and greenery , courses

' swiftly over and around ledges of proj ecting rock , the foaming water , especially when the river is in flood ,

ou forming a magnificent spectacle . Th gh neither the

S D ee longest nor the largest river in cotland , the lays

of 000 . claim to being one the most rapid . Rising 4 ft n above sea level and fed by umerous mountain streams ,

of al it has a flow water remarkably pure , though it is

I t s subj ect to high and sudden floods . banks , through i l— i out its ent re course , are extremely wel wooded , wh le as a salmon stream it has few equals .

o E sk The N rth , sometimes called the East Water , has a course of 40 miles to the sea from its source in Loch of E sk Lee in Forfarshire . Towards the foot Glen it K i for 1 touches incard neshire , and the next 4 miles forms

- the south west boundary of the county . For romantic beauty its course of 5 miles through the beautiful woods

ri of the Burn could hardly be surpassed . Here the ver has ploughed out for itself a deep gorge between rugged

al rocks , ong which are pleasant winding paths , shaded ’ ” o F by overhanging f liage . rom the Loup s Brig , as o 0 t well as from Gannochy Bridge , a l fty arch , 3 fee 2 F z high and 5 feet wide , on the ettercairn to Ed ell road , the foaming cataracts and dark pools confined between the rocks and cliffs form a scene of surpassing beauty

E sk 2 2 and grandeur . The drains an area of 4 square

80 to K . miles , of which belong incardineshire The Rrvnns AND L AKES river has shifted its mouth several times ! in recent

e u Of the n ular c nt ries , as is shown by an examination tria g al a patch of luvi l soil and sand , north of its present t mouth . Up to the end of the eighteen h century it 2 1 8 1 r entered the sea miles , and up to 79 mile , furthe

rs 1 2 m north than it ente now . The Luther ( iles) is the

Gannochy Brid ge

largest feeder of the North Esk from within the county .

! St ra thfin ella ll t - the Encircling Hi , it flows first hrough

ul D ru m tocht beautif glen of y, then sweeping southward

E sk: and westward through the Howe , it j oins the North 2 i M about miles from the v llage of arykirk .

v I Q- es Of the other streams in the east , the Ber ie ( rifl ) F is the largest and most interesting . rom the uplands

' - eas terl cou rs e of Glenbervie , it takes a south y , rounds K ‘ nock Hill , and winds through the fertile haughs of B 1 8 KINCAR DINESH IR E

B i F ord ou n t n . and Arbu h ott , reaching the sea at erv e Its banks are picturesquely wooded near the old mansion

vi am house of Arbuthnott . The Ber e is a f ous trouting

- al fisher . stream , and has a s mon y at its mouth The burn of Catterline in the east of Kinneff ; the burn of Benholm in Benholm parish ; and the burn of Finella St e in Cyrus , nter the sea through gorges worn by the water in the rocks that crown their banks . The Den al of Finella with its waterfall 70 ft . high riv s in grandeur the scenery of the North Esk at the Burn , though not i w on so extensive a scale . Trad tion relates that, hen Queen Finella was pursued after the murder of King

K . enneth III , she fled here ,

An d e a f om the rocks t o a w d w d o n oo l pt r il , il b ili g p l , ” W e re he r od was orn a n d os se d h b y t t .

The lochs in the county are few and small . The 2 Loch of Leys in Banchory was over miles in circuit , but is now drained L oirs ton Loch in Nigg is 2 7 acres ' in extent . There are two extremely pretty artificial

of F as u e lakes in the county . That within the policies q

2 0 c Glen sau h House is a res in extent ; and g Loch , in D ru m t ocht l the upper part of y Glen , has certain y now little appearance of being artificial . Both have wooded i islets , and are the haunts of w ld duck and other water fowl .

6 . Ge o logy

F V rom the point of iew of origin , all rocks belong to

i n eou s one or other of two groups . There are the g GEOLOGY 1 9

o i rocks , which have been at one time in a m lten cond

tion , and which have become consolidated by a process

alli i d eri vati ve of cryst sation ; wh le the rocks , directly

e - i or indirectly , result from the d cay of pre ex sting rocks . Familiar examples of igneous rocks are the

s . S lavas from modern volcanoe ometimes , however , the molten matter fails to reach the surface , and is w consolidated , as granite for example , in or bet een

i n tru s i e D other rocks . It is then called u . erivative

s ed i m en ta r rocks are often spoken of as y, because for the most part they have been deposited as sedi ments

of o in the flow lake or sea . They may be rec gnised in b the field y their bedded or stratified character . Igneous

on t rocks , the o her hand , are unbedded . Many rock l masses have been so profound y altered by heat , by

al pressure , and by other causes , that their origin char S acters are more or less obscured . uch rocks are h termed m eta m orp i c. Examples of these are the wide spread mica schists and gneisses . The deposits now formi ng in the sea floor tend to l a a rox im a tel hori zon tal be arr nged in pp y layers . Very

a - t al often , however , as resul of coast movements the

r o e sedimenta y r cks have b en tilted (sometimes , as at S l tonehaven , the bedding planes are quite vertica ) ; or ag ain they have yielded to pressure by folding or i fractur ng . The folding may be simple , as in the rocks

o which underlie the Howe of the Mearns or c mplicated ,

of as in the schists the Grampians . A splendid illustra ti on of a fracture or fault on a big scale is seen in

! l u the High and Fa lt , which forms the geographi cal 20 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E boundary between the Highlands and the Midland Valley

K o of Scotland . It enters incardineshire at the W ods

Sea a t o of the Burn , and reaches the North Garron P int , near Stonehaven . T o many the chief interest of geology lies in the study

i of of foss ls , the remains plants and animals preserved F in the sedimentary rocks . ossils enable us to ascertain the relative age of rocks and to classify them in groups

’ and systems . The oldest rocks of the earth s crust , the

- C . Pre ambrian , contain few fossils Overlying these are four great groups , which , taken in order of age , have been named as follows ( 1 ) Pri m a ry or Palae ozoi c ; ( 2 ) S econ d ary or M es ozoi c ; (3 ) T erti a ry or Ca i n ozoi c ;

Post- T erti ar Ki n (4) y. The rocks of known age in card i n eshi re belong either to the Primary group or to

- - the Post Tertiary . The Post Tertiary deposits include

flu v i o- e the boulder clays and glacial grav ls and sands , the raised beaches which fringe the coast, the alluvial

of terraces or haughs the river valleys , and the peat mosses .

ri Conside ng first the solid rocks of the county, we find they are of markedly different character on opposite F n sides of the Highland ault . To the orth of that great fracture they belong mainly to the D alradi an S series , to the south to the Old Red andstone . Between

D al F o the radian rocks and the Highland ault , h wever ,

Glen s au h at the Woods of the Burn , at g , at the Bervie E lfhill Water , and at , areas occur to which has been

o co s applied the term Highland Border r cks . On the r t C i between ow e and Garron Point , but on the south side

22 KINCARDINESH IRE

in the cliffs between Garron Point and the Bay of Nigg , but numerous good sections are exposed in the streams

the the D ee which traverse hills between the valley of ,

o of s and the b rder the Highlands . Intru ive rocks of various types are found associated with the D alradian

I o of o . n o r cks the neighbourh d Banchory , for example ,

! these have been fl ooded with a very old granite ; F and later dykes are everywhere abundant . urther the dominating features in the scenery of the northern half of the county are produced by intrusive rocks

! ” the newer granites on either side of the valley of

D ee the . The Highland B order rocks consist of two groups an older series (probably Cambrian) made u p of green

r pillowy lavas , associated with red j aspers , g een cherts , and black sh ales and a younger series of conglomerate

o grits , limest ne , and shales . Both groups show a splendid development at the Rocks of Solitude ” in Glen esk and the fossiliferous sh al es of the older series

f Crai ev en S may be hammered in the cli fs at g Bay , tone

o haven . The most abundant f ssils are early typ es of

or Brachiopods lamp shells . The limestone of the younger series was at one time extensively worked . D uring early Silurian times the region to the north of the Highland F ault began to undergo compression D and elevation . The alradian rocks and the rocks of the Highland Border series were thrown . into great folds ; the coastal movements m oreover heralded a violent outburst of volcanic activity . We may picture the Grampians of that period a s a lofty mountain GEOL O GY 23

- range with numerous active volcanoes , snow covered doubtless , and resembling perhaps the Andes of the present day . The magnificent cliffs from Stonehaven southwards a fford splendi d opportunities for the study of the Lower

S r i Old Red andstone . Coarse conglomerates p ed om n a l i ate , but occasion l y g ve place to micaceous sandstones , whi le at intervals the succession of bedded rocks is i S broken by massive p les of lavas . ome of the bedded rocks , too , on close examination , prove to be volcanic t u fts , the consolidated ashes of the contemporaneous al volcanoes . Tuffs occur so at Cowie , where their presence shows that volcanic activity had already begun a in Si lurian times . It continued until lmost the close S of the Lower Old Red andstone period . The hard resistant lavas form most of the high ground in the

al . ill for southern h f of the county The Garvock H s , example , are built up for the most part of a great suc

u ai cession of lava flows , and show beautif lly from cert n points of V i ew the characteristic step - like arrangement whi ch suggested the old name of trap rocks . At the close of Lower Old Red Sandstone times coastal movements again made themselves felt in no uncert ai n fashi on . The rocks of this period were compressed into simple saddle - shaped and trough - shaped — folds the Howe of the Mearns marks the position of — t l one of the latter and hen , too , in all probabi ity , was initiated di fferential movement along the line of l the Highland Fau t . The forces of denudation became a m he L Ol ctive , and fro the disintegration of t ower d 24 KINCARD INE SH IRE

Red Sandstone and older rocks were built up the bedded

of S rocks the Upper Old Red andstone . The latter formation occurs in the coastal track between St Cyrus

o E sk and the mouth of the N rth , and is everywhere separated from the Lower Old Red Sandstone by lines

of of faulting . A vast epoch time intervened between

o the deposition of the two formations . No f ssils have be en obtained so far from the Upper series in Ki n card i n eshi re , and the age of the rocks is inferred from their structural relations and from their lithological resemblances to fossiliferous rocks of like age in other

S o parts of c tland . One of the most characteristic rocks is a variety of nodular limestone known as

This , like the limestones of the Highland Border , was at one time burned for lime .

Now follows , as regards our county , a great gap in

o of the geological record . Of the st ry the remainder

a z of the Pal eo oic epoch , and of the whole of the Meso z oic and Cainozoic times the rocks of Kincardineshire tell us but little , and that little very indirectly . In the Upper Old R ed S an d st on e period the highest forms of life were primitive fishes . Amphibians , reptiles , birds

o . and mammals had , in succession , been ev lved

- K The , Post Tertiary deposits in incardineshire con m sist ostly of accumulations of sand and gravel , and of boulder clay or till with its characteristic striated T boulders . hey tell us of a time not so very long ago , e o i l S g ol g ca ly speaking , when the whole of cotland , with of of the exception a few the highest mountain peaks ,

as u e of he ce A e w b ri d deep in the ice sheet t Great I g .

26 KINCARD INESH IRE

The striated stones are the tools with which the ice

H ow f sheet accomplished its work . e fectively that work was done is evidenced by the rounded , flowing contours of our hills , by the presence of boulder clay and erratic blocks , by the glacial grooving on a big scale

Stria ted Stone from Nigg B ay

o wherever belts of s ft rock lay in the path of the ice , and by the preservation of the ancient bottom moraine , the great thickness of till which conceals the solid

of rocks over much the county . That the minor surface features are largely glacial in origin cannot for a moment fii s u ce . be doubted . One instance must No one travel ling along the Howe of the Mearns can fail to note the l contrast offered by the bordering hi ls . On the one NAT URAL H IST ORY 27

the - - s side , even boulder clay covered slope of the Garvock l Hi ls rise gently from the plain ; on the other , every valley opening from the Grampians is fronted by one

- or more steep faced terraces . The terraces consist of sand and gravel deposited in lakes formed at a time when , while the local hills were free from ice , a great lobe of S the Highland ice sheet still occupied the Howe . imilar i phenomena are seen in the w de valley of the Dee .

7 . Na t u ra l H i s t ory

— a al —n o In recent times recent , th t is , geologic ly sea separated Britain from the Continent . The present bed

ea of the North S was a low plain intersected by streams .

a n of At that period , then , the pl nts and the a imals our

of country were identical with those Western Europe .

e o But the Ice Age came and crushed out lif in this regi n .

In time , as the ice melted , the flora and fauna gradually

- t returned , for the land bridge s ill existed . Had it

ul continued to exist , our plants and animals wo d have been the same as in Northern France and the Nether

r n lands . But the sea d ow ed the land and cut off Britain from the Continent before all the species found t a home here . Consequently , on the eas of the North

Sea all our al mamm s and reptiles , for example , are found along with many which are not indi genous to S Britain . In cotland , however , we are proud to possess in the red grouse a bird not belonging to the fauna of the Continent . has i i The flora of Great Britain been d v ded, as regards 28 KINCARD INESH IRE

2 Su b climatic types , into four classes Alpine ; ( )

o . K Alpine ; (3 ) L wland ; (4) Maritime incardineshire , with its diversified soil and situation and with an eleva

o 2 000 ft . of tion reaching ver , has representatives all

the four classes . The county as a whole is remarkably

rich in the number and the variety of its wild plants ,

. while several spots within it have acquired more than

a local reputation as a hunting ground for the botanist .

o — o St C Thus , we have on the c ast the well kn wn yrus

o t o o o o braes , where , wing fav urable c nditi ns , a large number of plants occur that are not found in other

o d ecom parts of the county . Here the v lcanic rocks

o pose into a light brown s il , extremely suitable for the l fl growth of wi d owers , unless when exposed to con ti n u ou s ou r drought , which in climate does not often

' o of o o occur . The exp sure the r cks , f rming cliffs almost

to r 2 00 . ft high , facing south and east , adds the wa mth

f o . a forded by the s il Here , during the summer , may be seen in abundance the pretty little maiden pink , the

’ ' prolific rest harrow , bladder campion , viper s bugloss ,

’ bloody crane s bill , hemp agrimony , common cudweed

herba i m i o of (the p old writers), butterbur , marj oram , ’ o r o g at s bea d , red p ppy , field pepperwort , soft knotted i clover , rough podded yellow vetch , field garlic , w ld

o - fl o sweet pea , N ttingham catch y, and thers . On the loose sands along the banks of the North E sk and in the salt marshes at its mouth grow the lesser meadow rue , the sea rocket , the thrift or sea pink , the

o o Co t o prickly saltw rt and ther similar plants . l se the river, on ground liable to be flooded at high tides , may

3 0 KINCARD I NE SH I R E

r fe n , the graceful oak fern , five varieties of the Aspidia

(including the rough Alpine shield and the close - leaved

or prickly shield), the bladder fern . Five six spleen worts (includi ng the wall rue spleenwort and the sea spleenwort) grow along the cliffs in the south of the l county and as far north as Mucha ls and Portlethen , where also the black spleenwort has been gathered . The fauna of Kincardineshire includes the ordinary

of anim als the country . The fox is not so numerous as he was in the early years of the nineteenth century ,

n ow when fox hunting , entirely given up in the shire , was indulged in by some of the county gentlemen .

o o The br wn hare has , h wever , increased very much in ’ a numbers , not always to the advantage of the f rmer s

u crops . The blue or mountain hare is plentif l on the Grampian slopes . Wild rabbits , known only as

’ 1 808 children s pets in the county before , abound

w o every here . The otter is ccasionally seen by the side of the larger streams , but the badger and wild cat S are now extinct . quirrels , unknown in the county a

n ow century ago , are fairly numerous . Roe deer are found in the lower Grampian slopes , and red deer

of D o sometimes in the Glen ye and elsewhere . Gr use ri and part dge are numerous , while the heron builds in

E sk v the high trees by the North and the Ber ie , and may

z be seen feeding in the river pools . The capercail ie has

D F eu h t o D ec come by ye and g . To the sea birds the cliffs afford a secure retreat

fi . i erron e and a tting nursery The guillemot , cred ted ou sl y with being a stupid bird , asserts his superiority NAT UR AL HIST OR Y 3 1

i n i - n ori es number over the kittiwakes , tomm e , or

Greenland parrots , gulls and coots , inhabit

' the precipitous ledges of their summer home .

’ s C S o Gull rag , t nehaven With the increase of woods and other shelter the smaller birds have increased in number . The yellow

cha ffin ch o hammer , hedge sparrow, , st nechat , and other similar birds are everywhere in evi dence by the road 3 2 KI NCAR D I NE SH I R E

sides and fields , while the blackbird , the starling , and the mavis are n ot averse t o sampling the products of

or the fruit garden in summer early autumn . The gold fin ch and the siskin are now extremely

rare , while the magpie is decreasing in numbers . The

old en o ea le al ptarmigan is extinct . The g g is practic ly

or extinct , though one two have been sighted in the

l D ru m t ocht . hil s above y Rare visitants are the quail ,

- snow bunting , great spotted woodpecker , Bohemian M waxwing , little auk , anx shearwater , hen harrier ,

r al zz pereg ine f con , and common bu ard ; but these can

o l n y be regarded as accidental visitors , driven thither

by stress of weather or other circumstances .

8 . T he Coa s t K The seaboard , 35 miles in length , which incardine

shire possesses , is perhaps as interesting as any other S part of the cottish coast , on account not merely of its picturesque rock scenery but also of its historical asso

ci ati on s . All the way paths run close to the sea , from many points in which splendid V iews can be got of

maritime and inland scenery , though undoubtedly we obtain the best idea of its beauty when sailing along S the coast . Like most of the eastern seaboard of cot K r land , the inca dineshire portion is much exposed to the strong gales sweeping in from the North Sea ; and

. i of this , combined w th the rocky nature the greater

part of the shore , accounts for many of the shipping t disasters tha occur .

3 4 KINCA RDINE SH IRE

Starting our peregrination from Aberdeen we note

of on first the Bay Nigg , flanked the north by the

o Gi rd len ess lighth use of , and on the south by Greg

Ness , the circular outline of the bay being fringed by a beautiful pebbly shore . Here , formerly , was the

L ow Tid e - ht Nigg B a y (S howi n g s ton es fr om cliff of bou ld er clay)

of D ee o mouth the , which fl wed in the hollow from

Cr i i n ches fish- a g . On the bay stands a hatchery with ’ F it ti k s u o St c . laborat ry . A little inland is ruined ch rch Prominent on the south of the bay is a cliff of boulder clay , the rapid erosion of which has littered the beach with thousands of stones .

i ct u r Passing on , we find the coast bold , rocky , and p esque and we reach i ii succession the small fishing

3 6 KINCARD INE SH IRE

V illages of Cove and Portlethen . Between them , but

~ o back from the cliffs , is Findon , world fam us as the F ” original home of the innan haddock . The

H i stor o Aberd een haddocks cured there , says Thom ( y f ),

‘

are superior in flavour and taste to any other , which is attributed to the nature of the turf used in smoking ” them . The industry is now entirely given up in S Findon . kateraw, a little further south , is , like the other creeks , reached by a narrow , circuitous path down the sea slopes , up which in former days the hardy fishermen carr ied in their creels the shining harvest ' ” of the sea to be transported by road or rail to the l larger centres of popu ation . Part of the fish supplies

- landed here were split and sun dried on the stony beach , ! ” and went by the name of speldings . Like the

oo Finnan haddie , these , when properly c ked , were

of E ls i ck held in high esteem . The small burn , spanned by a substantial railway viaduct , here enters the sea .

The next part of the coast , adj acent to the neat l little village of Mucha ls , has received much attention

o fr m the painter of maritime subj ects , and deservedly

of so , because of the artistic beauty the rugged , weather beaten cliffs . Here by the ceaseless action of the elements the softer portions of the cliffs have been

oo sc ped out into long , deep gullies through which in stormy mood the sea rolls with resoundi ng and maj estic ! F ’ S ” ! ” grandeur . The isher s hore , the Grim Brigs

’ of with its wonderful arches Nature s own devising , the ” ’ ” Man S C Old , and the cart s rag , around and above

o which for ever breaks the crested wave , are n table

3 8 KINCARD INESH IRE

of Rounding the Black Hill , from the top which

n of unrolls one of the fi est views town , coast and inland , D we reach the historic castle of unnottar , where , as

’ Carlyle s eulogy of the famous Marshal Keith reminds

o us , The h arse sea winds and caverns sing vague

F owls heu gh

o requiems to his hon urable line and him . Here the — panorama formed by cliffs and bay is m agn ificen t the

- o o 1 0 . al f rmer alm st 7 ft high with cathedr like arches , the latter with gloomy creeks and caverns . The very ! ” ! ” C Kai names , as Brun heek , Maiden m , Long ” ! C ” ’ Gallery , Wine ove , testify to Nature s handiwork

S T relu n and skill . outh of g Ness we reach the highest T H E COA ST 3 9 of o F owlsheu h the r cks , the cliffs of g , the noted nursery for i sea birds , extending over a m le . The birds make

their nests in the crevices of the conglomerate rock , ou t of which by constant weathering pebbles have been

G Ca F owls heu h The reat ve , g (L ooki ng ou t to s ea )

- al . forced , affording a natur nesting place The spectacle of the myriads of birds in early summer , on

‘ t he d re a d ful s um m it of the cliff ’ T a e e es o e r hi s as e n o the s e a h t b tl b i t ,

o is m st interesting and instructive , and will well repay

- a visit from others than bird lovers . Between F owlsheu gh Point and Bervie Bay the cliffs ' e a are still bold and pr cipitous , with generally no be ch

T od head between their base and the deep . water . light 40 K INCARD INESH IRE

house stands on a prominent headland at the southern

B ra id on old extremity of Bay , a little beyond the

of C i C D fashioned fishing village atterl ne . raig avid ,

o oo B a a few miles further south , verl king Bervie y, marks the terminus of the high cliffs which form the natural wall of protection to most of the Kincardineshire

coast . F rom this p oint onwards the configuration of the

- f coast line is entirely di ferent . The beach is now low,

- low o pebble strewn , and gravelly , with , shelving r cks ' o o — o i e j utting out to the sea . G urd n d m nat d by

o o — Gourd n Hill , a n ted landmark for seamen and

o Johnshaven have b th small harbours , their appearance

o o fr m ab ve being quaint and picturesque . A little

further south is the hamlet of Milton of Mathers . Rounding a bend in the coast we pass the Kaim of St C b Mathers , and reach yrus raes , varying in height

o f o from 5 0 t 3 00 t. On the summit stands c nspicuous the parish church with its lofty spire . Passing over a flat beach of fine sand bound together by sea grasses o and other marine plants , we end our perambulati n of

of E sk the coast at the mouth the North .

The coast - line of the county bears wi tness to the

o i Cl an d gigantic power of marine er s on . iffs bays ,

— o of caves and half tide stacks , show that the acti n the sea in sculptur ing coastal scenery is everywhere gui ded

o - o by r ck composition and structure . In this c nnection we may quote the words of Si r Charles Lyell with regard t o a case of hist oric interest On the coast K i of incardineshire an, llustration was afforded , at

42 KINCARD INESHIRE

of the close of last century [the eighteenth] , the effect of promontories in protecting a line of low

V M of shore . The illage of athers , two miles south

o J hnshaven , was built on an ancient shingle beach ,

o t protected by a pr j ecting ledge of limes one rock . This was quarried for lime to such an extent that the sea

1 broke through , and in 795 carried away the whole

on e 1 0 village in night , and penetrated 5 yards inland , where it has maintained its ground ever since , the new village having been built further inland on the new ” shore .

I n late glacial and post - glaci al times there took place alterations in the relative level of land and sea . The raised beaches of the coast and the alluvial tracts of the river valleys were formed when the land stood rela ti v el y l ower than at present . Two sets of beaches are clearly marked in Kincardineshire Both are well seen . S of at tonehaven , the newer part which is built on the

- - f f 2 t . . o I oo ft . flat the beach , the older on the 5 beach The lower beach shows its best development southwards

o - o fr m Bervie , the old sea cliff f rming a strong feature

to of E sk all the way the mouth the North , and the flat rocky foreshore of the present sea margin offering a striking contrast to the frowning cliffs whi ch bound the shore from Bervie t o Stonehaven harbour . That the

the o land at one period stood. higher (or sea l wer) than at present is sh own by the occurrence of a buried forest

2 - f beneath the 5 t . beach . CL IMA TE A ND RA INFA L L 43

9 . Cli m a t e a n d R a i n fa ll

m The climate of a district , which ay generally be defined as its average weather , depends upon the

of amount heat and moisture , and these in turn depend

al lo o upon latitude , titude , s pe , and , in some degree als , on f o the state o cultivati n . Britain is in the same

- latitude as ice bound Labrador , yet it possesses a

t o temperate climate , due the fact that the prevailing winds being from the west or south - west bring with them a certain amount of moisture and heat acquired in their passage over the Atlantic , which is three degrees

o warmer than the air . This explains why the west c ast of t F or Bri ain is warmer than the east . the same reason the east is drier than the west , for the winds in passing over the mountains part with their m oisture before reaching the east coast . The physical configuration of Kincardineshire has

al much to d o with both its temperature and its rainf l . — Situated on the extreme south eastern slope of the central highlands , it has behind it the immense ex

of Ar les hi re tent the Aberdeenshire , Perthshire , and gy off mountains , shutting it from the Atlantic seaboard . Thus the winds of winter from that quarter get gradu

oo of ally c led and , reaching the east , speak not the

o warm Atlantic , but of the sn w clad Grampians . One degree of diminution of temperature for every 3 00 ft . ° of elevation brings the west coast temperature of 3 9 ° ° t o 2 or o z for January down 9 3 bel w free ing point ,

of o at the ridge of the Grampians , an elevation alm st K INCARDINESH IRE

- - 000 . o . , 3 ft ab ve sea level There is , even at sea level ° ° a difference of from 2 to 3 between the mean annual

temperature of the west and the east coast . ° The mean annual temperature of the county is 46

° of summer 58 and of winter F or comparison C i S o we give the temperature at ow e Mains , t nehaven , for four years

Ave ra ge H ighe s t Ave ra ge L owes t Y e a' r M a x im um M a x im um M in i m um M i n i m um

1 1 909 1 1 91 0 1 91 1 41 1 91 2

Average

D uring the winter the greatest amount of snow is

t - from nor h east and east , the most intense colds are

o - from n rth and north west , and the greatest amount of

o - Ki n heat fr m south and south west . The fact that card i n eshi re lies open an d shelterless to the North Sea

o accounts for the biting winds of early spring , ften n accompa ied by heavy rains . From the same source very often in April and May chill haars and hazes set

o are al in t wards evening . Hoar frosts —prev ent in the neighbourhood of the mosses and low lying marshy spots v in the county , although by impro ed drainage and cultivation the area subj ect to this has been materially reduced .

b i £7 6 06 Ca m r d g e U a w. Rainfall Map of Scotland t JVI B A n d rew W a t A . ( y , ) M 4 CL I A TE AND RA INFA L L 7 .

D i as a holiday resort . ur ng the same period the average for any month of the year has not been more than

3 inches of rainfall , the average for the first four months

of the year being inches . An increase in elevation

r usually b ings with it an increased rainfall . Thus the

R ainfall D iagram

1 l Burn , 4 miles in and , with an elevation of about 3 00 ft has a fall of over 3 5 inches ; Banchory (almost F 2 00 . 0 2 0 . 2 ft ) 3 inches ; ettercairn ( 3 ft ) 3 inches .

i o - The d agram , ab ve , of the rainfall for twenty one 1 8 2 1 1 2 M years , from 9 to 9 inclusive , at Cowie ains , S P 0 . tonehaven , and at asque House (33 ft above

- al sea level), illustrates this , besides showing the annu vari ations in rainfall at each of these places ; and may be regarded as fairly typical of the maritime and the o inland districts of the c unty . 4 8 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

— a n 1 0 . Pe op le R ce , L a g u a g e , Pop u lat i on The Alexandrine geographer Ptolemy gives the

D ee V en i con es dwellers between and Tay the name of .

of These were part the race of Picts , who occupied

S to F Eastern cotland from the Pentland Firth the orth . Through the district n ow called Kincardineshire ran the dividing line between the Northern and the Southern

— o o o Picts the Grampians . Gaels als fr m the west f und their way into this region . Traces of the Pictish and the Gaelic occupation

! are discernible in place names . There is no

D r D on Archae olo i cal Notes on E a rl district , says ( g y S cotlan d ); in which Scottish land names may be better studied than in the ancient and still linked provinces of Angus and Mearns they hold almost every type ” of C S o eltic and axon place name f und in the country .

Pi t or et ather Pi tn am oon Pi t ort/i i e p and f are Pictish , as , f ,

Pi ts kell Pit a rvi e Pi tbeadl F ord ou n F etterca i rn y, g , y, , . Of

o E s k B ervi e Aa n Gaelic rigin are names of rivers , as , , ,

Cowi e L u ther of o Clochn aben K erloc/i , m untains , as , ,

Ca i rn m on ea rn Kn ock Ca rm on t B ru xi e , , , ; as well ‘ as Ki n card i n e M ea rn s , , and the names of many of the parishes . Towards the end of the fifth century the English

o Sea invasion began . Over the N rth strangers came sailing from F risia and the adj oining districts to settle

o F o along the coast and riginate the fishing villages . r m

who these settlers , in time pushed inland and inter

w of o married ith Picts and Gaels , the bulk the pe ple A P P T 9 R CE , LAN GUA GE , O ULA ION 4

have sprung . This blending has produced the robust type of character that distinguishes the inhabitants

- to day . Place names indicating English settlements are

ton ham hom r e ki k. those ending in , or , I t is doubtful if any Norsemen made their homes

n ess l here . But we find , from a Norse word for head and ,

Gi rdlen ess N s Gre e s . in , g The Celtic tongue formerly spoken in Kincardi neshire

retreated long ago before a variety of Northern English .

Gaelic speaking is now extinct , though at the census

1 1 1 8 of 9 , 7 persons were recorded as able to speak Gaelic d an English . The vernacular of the county belongs to the Northern

' Division of the Scots dialects (extending alon g the east . ai M from the Tay to C thness), but it has a few idland

i . character stics In pronunciation , for example , while

r m oon school in the regions towards the Dee wo ds like , ,

ood m een s kweel g are sounded in the northern way as , ,

weed n i g , in the south they have the vowel sound , some

m n r en . thing akin to the sound in French , p The change of wh to f (characteristic of the old Pictish region) is in

' K i ill i n a a t an incard neshire st heard , but mostly f , f , f

ha when who w t . , , , and such like The vowel sound in

on e bon e s ton e the pronunciation of , , is as in the Aber S al o n shi r een been s teen . d ee e , , tonehaven is loc ly kn wn

D ee ro as Steenhi v e . Unheard north of the is the p

n u n ci ation kn ock kn ee as tn ock tn ee. of , , , This links M i al wi . . the d ect th Forfarshire , and reminds one of J ’ d al B arrie s T n owhead for Kn ow/t oa . It may be so noted that the forms thi s and that are plural as well as singular .

D 5 0 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

h bon s T hi s s teen s tha t been s thes e s ton es t ose e . , are , ' D o to ialect differences , h wever , are a certain extent

oo disappearing under the influence of sch ls , newspapers ,

o and easy communicati ns . As regards populati on Kincardineshire with inhabitants stands twenty - fourth in the list of Scottish

S 1 801 t he o . c unties ince , when first census was taken , there has been an increase over the whole county of

or F o 55 per cent . r m that date each decennial census has shown an increase with the exception of

o of 1 861 1 881 th se and , when the decreases were very

1 1 small . The relatively great increase in the 90 returns

per cent . ) is explained by the fact that were included in the Kincardineshire returns as the popu la tion of Torry , which really forms part of Aberdeen city .

u o With this excluded , the pop lati n of the rest of the

o d 1 county is f und to have decrease by 957 , or per cent .

1 1 . Ag ri cu lt u re

The high position of agriculture in Kincardineshire cannot be thoroughly understood without a reference t o the enthusiasm for improvement displayed by many of the landed proprietors in the latter half of the eighteenth century . Of these the most remarkable

o was the famous agriculturist , Barclay of Urie , wh se

’ A ri cu ltu ral S u rve work , as pointed out in Robertson s g y, o reads like a r mance . In the h al f century that followed of 1 0 the Union 7 7 , he had acquired , from residence in

England , very advanced ideas in agricultural theory A GRICULT URE 5 1 and practice and not only did he translate these into

o al i practical ref rms , but he so infected others w th his own keen desire for agricultural advancement . When n he e tered into possession of Urie , it was a complete

of waste , consisting bogs , baulks and rigs , everywhere ” intersected with cairns of stones and moorland . And h this description mig t , with even greater truth , have been repeated of most of the large estates in the co unty

o S at that peri d . uch was his energy that in the short

l 2 000 space of thirty years he materia ly improved acres ,

800 o reclaimed from moorland acres , and planted fr m

1 2 00 1 00 to 5 acres with trees , an evidence of the latter

o w rk being still seen in the magnificent woods of Urie . The methods he employed were both intelligen t ‘and

i n cred skilful . Throwing up , by trench ploughing , the

s i ible quantity of stones which lay in the oil , he ut lised thousands and thousands of tons of these in making drains and dykes . The land thus improved was treated

al to a liber supply of lime , to render it more productive

an d and kindly , and better suited for growing turnips

al artifici grasses , which he introduced into crop rotation ,

u i a system p to that t me sparingly practised .

The neighbouring proprietors followed his example , and the closing years of the eighteenth century thus became remarkable for agricultural progress in Ki n

r n eshi re S ca di . ince then vast changes have taken place

al C in agricultur theory and practice . ommunication between farm and market has been made much easier by the introducti on of rai lways an d the improvement — of roads a circumstance whi ch has indirectly led 5 2 KINCA RD INESHIRE

Of - to the abolition fairs and markets . Labour saving machinery has been introduced scientific methods are

l r r i now adopted in the cu ture , manu ing , and d a ning of

a di fields ; in the re ring , fee ng , and general treatment

s - of his tock , the farmer has at his command to day the

very best results of scientific experiment and research .

K di al In incar neshire mixed farming is gener . On

z the hill gra ings of the Grampian slopes , more attention is naturally paid to sheep - rearing than to tillage but even on these farms all the available land is reserved

' al for cere s or grasses .

The area of the county is acres , of which

acres are waste or heather , not under the 8 plough , which leaves about 4 per cent . of cultivated land, as against for the whole country .

Twenty - first in area and twenty - fourth in popu lation S K among cottish counties , incardineshire stands in : th acreage under cultivation as follows for barley 7 ,

th for 1 1 th 1 2th for turnips 9 , potatoes , for wheat , for th oats 1 6 . The high position in regard to turnips is because the county is a feeding as well as a breedi ng

and al — area for cattle sheep . Practic ly one sixteenth of S the whole barley acreage for cotland is in the Mearns , the soil of which is remarkably well adapted for the 08 growth of barley . Of the 7 acres of wheat grown in the county in 1 91 3 more than half was grown in the

St C u strong lands of the yr s district , the remainder in the Howe , chiefly around Laurencekirk ; while on

Deeside with its light gravelly soil it was entirely absent .

o The cultivation of oats , potat es , and turnips is well

MANUFA CT URE S OTH ER IND USTRIE S 5 5

i of d strict is , however , well suited for the growth timber , the other principal forest regions being along the southern

I n o spurs of the Grampians . many cases the l wer hills are wooded to the summits . The usual trees grown are

S o o cots fir , larch , spruce , and the c mm ner hardwood — lm e . trees ash , plane , , beech , birch , and oak

a r s a n r 1 2 . M a n uf ct u e d Ot h e I n d u s t ri e s

According to the last census returns , five out of every twelve of the adult population of Kincardineshire were di rectly engaged in agriculture but if we consider those indirectly engaged in it and in its allied occupations ,

al t i n the proportion would be most doubled . O her

I n d u st ri es . , then , take a secondary place the absence

of o large towns to attract the rural p pulation , there is n ot much concentration of labour n or any great develop

o ment of the factory system , as in F rfarshire .

The first linen - yarn mill in Scotland wa s set up at

1 0 i m Bervie in 79 ; and flax spinning , formerly an l portant home industry , is sti l carried on at Bervie , as

o dl weav well as at G ourdon and J hnshaven . Han oom ing was a widespread occupation in most of the towns and villages till steam power was introduced about

1 8 0 o m on 5 , when many weavers f und employ ent the l infant rai lways . Handloom linens are sti l made in

Laurencekirk , but elsewhere the industry is extinct .

S o w an d o t nehaven has a mill for oollen fabrics h siery ,

i n — and a flourishing factory for fish g nets .

Glen u r F There are distilleries at y, ettercairn , and 5 6 KINCARD INE SH IRE

Auchinblae ; and a brewery at Laurencekirk . The

- development of the bicycle and motor car industry has , in recent years , given employment to an increasing

i n number of skilled workmen the county . Laurence di kirk and Stonehaven are centres for carriage buil ng .

- D ee The well wooded valley of the has several sawmills , supplying pit - props for mining districts and timber for ~ box or case making in Aberdeen and elsewhere .

A manufacture , long extinct , was the making of a

- special kind of snuff box in Laurencekirk . The peculi arit al y of the box was a conce ed hinge and pin , invented

Sti v en 1 by Charles about 780. K i incard neshire has neither coal nor iron ore . In the end of the eighteenth century large quantities of an irregular mineral substance called ! native iron D were , however , found in Fettercairn , etached pieces of z various si es were turned up by the plough , which . were converted into use by heating and hammering in

al ori m the loc smithies . The g of this metallic substance , which was soon exhausted , was never properly accounted

al wi for , although many theories , fantastic and other se , were propounded .

C i l F or Granite is quarried at ove and H l of Fare . merly this industry seems to have been of more i m portance in certain parts of the country than it is now .

At the beginning of last century , for example , about 600 F hands were employed in the Nigg quarries . rom

o these , granite bl cks , squared and dressed , were shipped t o S o at Aberdeen pave the London streets . andst ne is

o of freely distributed ver the county , and much it is F ISHERIES 5 7

al ar utilised for road met . The qu ries of Lauriston ,

St T hreewells Cyru—s , and , Bervie , supply excellent i . build ng stone , which is easily wrought

Another industry, now entirely given up , was lime

n t stone bur ing . The lime from the kilns of Ma hers ,

i n - S St C . yrus , was great demand among farmers imilar

F ord ou n F o kilns existed in , ettercairn , and Banch ry . Parts of old kilns still remain at Clatteri n Brigs and

r m o t Mains of D u t ch y.

i s ri s 1 3 . F h e e Britain being an island surrounded by shallow seas

nl in which fish are plentiful , it is o y natural that the fishing industry should be one of the most important F sources of wealth as well as of food . ishing is carried 011 vigorously on both the west and the east coast of

S o c tland , but the east coast fishing is of far greater magnitude and importance than the west coast . The

Se a North is not only an excellent fishing ground , but it also has splendid ports where the catches can be dis

o f i o p sed o to advantage . The follow ng returns f the val ue of the fish caught on both c oasts for 1 91 2 bring out their relative importance — East Coast Total value of all fish landed Orkney and Shetland West Coast

Grand Total

- fish on o o The value of shell caught the west c ast , h wever , exceeds considerably that on the east coast . 5 8 KINCARDINESH IRE

The whole country is di vided into districts by the F ishery Board for Scotland each district being in

of f charge an o ficer , whose duty it is to get and to give l o information on al matters c n nected with the industry . K ! The incardineshire small ports or creeks , as they

- o s Go d o Herring b at , ur n are called are connected with the three districts of

S o o D o o Aberdeen , t nehaven , and M ntrose . wnies , P rt

Co n on lethen , and ve are aturally linked to Aberdeen

o o o o . S Milton , J hnshaven , and G urdon to M ntrose t ne

C S to o haven includes owie and kateraw the n rth , and

C Shi eld hill t o o atterline and the s uth . The chief kind of fish landed on the Kincardineshire

o 1 1 2 o of c ast in 9 , arranged in rder market value , were F ISHERIES 5 9

l herrings , cod ings , haddocks , whitings , crabs , lobsters , which with less important varieties reached a total value of almost one - eighth of this being the

al - fish v ue of the shell caught . The weight of all the

fish landed (excludi ng shell - fish) was a little over 2 000 tons . Between five and six hundred fishermen are 2 t engaged in the industry , while 35 boa s or vessels of

z K various si es belong to incardineshire .

S 1 02 d ince 9 , when motor power was first introduce fi e into the shing industry , the progress and increas of

r motor boats , slow at first , has been ve y marked . In

o this inn vation , the pioneers in the county were the

fishermen of Gourdon and Johnshaven . More than a century ago salmon fishing gave em

1 fishi n s ployment to 3 5 hands , and the rental of the g 2 amounted to £ 700 a year . At present the assessable

r —B erv i e E sk rental of the three dist icts T , North , and

Dee —is about one - sixth of the rentals of the forty Scottish districts having boards to regulate and protect salmon fishing . The number of salmon caught — annu ally either in the sea by a fixed engine the — stake and bag nets or by rod in the waters of the rivers of the county , cannot be determined ; but the weight of s alm on carried by the railways in 1 91 2 was 1 0 o al o al 99 t ns , m st h f of this quantity being caught in the area from Berwick t o Cai rn b u lg Point in the north

of o o east Aberdeenshire . Of this a considerable pr porti n must have been contributed by the Kincardineshire

l fishi n s sa mon g . 60 KINCARDINESH IRE

1 H i r h n 4 . s to y of t e Cou ty

r The histo y of the county , though interesting , has n ot been much concerned with the great events of n o ati nal history . And yet the existence in early days of a royal residence at Kincardine indicates a certain K importance . incardine was probably chosen as a residence by the Pictish kings , because it commanded

the Mou n th t o the pass of and the road the eastward . I ts castle may have dated from the reign of William

I n i the Lyon . med aeval times it was one of the chain of strongholds guarding the route from Forfarshire over

Mou n th — K o the to the north Brechin , incardine , L ch

Ki n n ord K S , ildrummy , trathbogie , Rothes , Elgin ,

D f Bl rv ie D u n skaith e . al u fus , , Inverness , As a roy

o residence , it grew less imp rtant when the midland centres increased in power and influence , and it ceased to be the capital of the shire in 1 600 when Stonehaven i became the chief seat of local adm nistration .

o S A D 2 08 That the Roman leg i ns under everus ( . . )

e o o pass d thr ugh the county is undoubted , th ugh the events connected with this invasion are obscure and

o of disputed . G aded into revenge by the insurrections

C ou t the wild aledonians , he set himself with a strong

o t or force , and at once began the f rma ion the continua

o o — o tion of the road thr ugh the n rth eastern l wlands . The route of the Roman armies through Strathmore and the Mearns is clearly mapped ou t in the sites of the t o D ee camps which run in a line from Tay . These

’ of o 1 2 or were at intervals ab ut miles , a day s march

62 KINCARDINESH IRE

’ B ellen d en s S theiket cots version of Boece , was with

m ould r copper , and hewn with mani subtle y of sundry

’

flowers and imageries , the work so curious that it ex ceed ed all the stuff thereof There stood a statue of

Sc d S o F ord ou n ulpture t ne , ’ u os ed to I I I s m u rd (S pp com m em ora te K en n eth . er)

- of . the king , in his hand a gem studded apple gold

The apple (so Kenneth was told) was a gift for himself . Would he deign to accept it from the hand of the image

He touched the apple , and at once a shower of arrows

I n 1 0 al ai M pierced his body . 94, when riv s cl med alcol m H ISTORY OF T H E CO UNTY 63

’ Ca n m ore s M of Mal ed er throne , the ormaer the Mearns , p

M L n D al D I I ac oe . , backed on d Bane against uncan

Mon d n es F ord ou n In a battle at y in parish , Duncan

’ o all D died . A great stone on a kn ll in a field , c ed uncan s

S o . hade , is believed to commem rate the spot

I n o o of o c mm n with the other parts the east c ast , Kincardineshire suffered from the inroads of the D anes during the tenth and the early part of the eleventh e century . At the battl of Barry , their leader , it is said ,

l o f K was ki led by the f under o the eith family , and was buried at Com m i es t on in St Cyrus . D uring the period of the Wars of Independence

I M 011 al Edward . passed through the earns his triumph march northwards F rom Montrose he directed ” hi s o K o c urse to incardine in Mearns Man r , then to C Glenbervie astle , where he stayed a night , next over

’ the Cai rn 0 Mount t o D u rris manor among the

n o t o W o mountai s . Acc rding Blind Harry , allace ver ran the Mearns in the following year , and penned

000 i D 4 Englishmen with n unnottar .

W a ace i n f r e r s e t a ll ha i s t el ll y g t y, B r n t w t he k rk a n d a ll a w a s a r n y p y , th t th i , A o t he oc the la i fira n wi e t d n t ur r h th gr y . S u m a n on cra i s r cht d u lfu ll t o d e h g gg y y , Su m la s u m fe s u m flot er t i n the s e p , ll , y . Na Sothe rou n on lyff w a s lewyt i n tha t ha uld An d a m w i n a b r n t i n ow d i r ca th i ith th i y p uld .

I n 1 562 the battle of Corri chi e was fought on the

o - F s uth east slope of the Hill of are . Queen Mary was making a progress through the northern shires when

of i o . al the Earl Huntly turned rebell us The roy forces , 6 4 KINCARDINE SH I R E

M Corri chi e under the Earl of oray , defeated the rebels at . F ’ C i rom a spot still named the Queen s ha r , tradition

says Mary viewed the fight . In 1 63 9 the Marquis of Montrose and his men passed through the county on their way to Aberdeen to compel

Old Brid ge of D ee

the people of Aberdeen to sign the Covenant . The Earl Marischal and other Men of the Mearns j oined D him . uring the operations round Aberdeen occurred ” i n eh A the Raid of St a yv e . Viscount l oyn e crossed

D ee 2 00 the with 5 men , plundered Muchalls and had

Me ra S reached g y Hill , close to tonehaven , when their

opponents met them , well supplied with cannon from

’ s o Dunnottar . Highlanders feared the mu ket s m ther , HISTOR Y OF T H E COUNT Y 65

’ as they designated the cannon and those in Ab oyn e s army fled when the cannonade began . Aboyne retired on Aberdeen , blocking the only approach to the city

D ee—! i the narrow Bridge of w th turf and stones . The defences were forced and Montrose captured Aberdeen .

I n 1 6 44, after he had turned Royalist , he was again in

M T i erm i r u . the earns , marching from his victory at pp

v D D ee at . Crossing the Mills of rum , he took Aberdeen

' A year later he returned and burned the H ou s e of At S l Durris . tonehaven he did fearfu havoc both by

fire and sword , devastating houses , farms , and woods

ski rlt so that the hart , the hind , the deer , and the roe ” m a at the sicht of the fire , whatever y have been F the feelings of the sorely stricken inhabitants . inding that the Earl and others had secured themselves in

D C . unnottar astle , he pillaged and burned the village of Cowie , with the boats and stores , and all the lands of D h . unnottar , Fetteresso , Glenbervie , and Arbut nott M arching along , he routed a party of the Covenanters

H a ulkerton at near Laurencekirk , and made the Howe ” black with fire and red with blood . His last progress M 1 6 0 through the earns was in 5 , when as a prisoner ,

o t o bound hand and f ot , he was led his execution in d E inburgh .

’ C I I s S 1 After harles . coronation at cone , January ,

! ” 1 6 1 of S — w 5 , the honours cotland the cro n , the — sword , the sceptre had been deposited in Dunnottar .

’ D unnottar was the last stronghold to yield to Crom well s

I t 1 6 1 . troops . was invested in the late autumn of 5 The English general knew that the Regalia had been

E 66 KI NCARDINE SH I R E

i taken into the castle , wh le George Ogilvie of Barras , the governor , doubted if he could hold out with his meagre garrison , especially as food was scanty and mutiny was appearing among the men . At this crisis

Mrs K Granger, wife of the minister of inneff, obtained

Re ga lia Now i n Crown R oom E d i n bu r h Ca s tle ( , g )

Mrs permission to visit Ogilvy . A scheme was devised to save the Regalia . When Mrs Granger left , she had the crown concealed in her lap ; and her serving - woman l carried the sceptre and the sword in bund es of flax . A - touch of irony is added to the incident in the tradi tion that the English general himself gallantly as sisted

Mrs a Granger to her horse . In a short time the Reg lia K lay , carefully wrapped up , under the floor of inneff church . There they remained till after the Restoration . H IST ORY OF THE COUNT Y 67

’ I n 1 68 5 , during the scare of Argyll s invasion , over a hundred Covenanters from the south - west of Scotland

Concealing the Regalia i n Kinneff Ch urch

D were imprisoned in unnottar . Men and women were

or shut up in a vault too small for them either to lie sit .

I t - had but one window , and the floor was ankle deep in 6 8 KINCARD INESHIRE

d e S o e m a s g C , t n haven Impris oned Cle rgy n bapti in hil r n — l fiv e From the window of the large vau t twenty tried ; to escape down the steep cliff . Two were killed a were few eluded capture those who were unsuccessful

70 KINCARDINESH IRE

Of the Old Stone Age no examples have as yet been unearthed in Scotland ; but of t he Neolithic or New S o t ne Age examples are everywhere abundant . Axes ,

- of arrow heads , celts , knives flint , whorls , beads , and butt ons of j et are am ong the ancient treasu res found

B ronz e Ves s els from B an ch ory Loch

o in the county , alm st every parish having contributed its quota .

S of z whi ch b e an pecimens the Bron e Age , , g probably 1 2 C about 00 or 1 400 years R . and lasted for eight or

an d ten centuries , have also been found , include spears , hatchets , and other implements . A fine example of a bronze dagger was unearthed in 1 840 near the site of

C F ord ou n the Roman amp at , while similar ones have

o come fr m Arbuthnott and Kinneff . K di o incar neshire , especially in the n rth , has numerous

o stone circles . Generally the circles c nsist of huge ANTIQUIT IES 7 1

z blocks of stone , irregular and of unequal si e , some l standing erect , others fa len down , arranged in a circle , which encloses one or even more concentric circles . S ometimes there is in the circle itself , or in the cir

u ch u horthi es ew o the So A q . Vi fr m uth cu m feren ce , a large stone , known from the way it lies l the as the recumbent stone . It is usua ly on south

al side of the circle , and is supposed to have been an tar e stone . The circumferenc of the circles varies a good

r - deal . The diameter of those in Bancho y Devenick is

Au h u horthi es R ec be S o c q . um nt t ne

- 0 1 00 ft . l w from 3 to , the largest being the wel kno n

Au ch u horthi es c ircle at q . This one presents some features of interest . The recumbent stone , 9 ft . 9 ins .

. 1 w long , 5 ft high , and about foot ide across

‘

1 0 . the top , weighs about % tons It lies a considerable di stance from the standing stones . The stones in the 7 2 KINCAR DI NE SH I R E

o northern a re are small in comparison with the thers . The circles are all composed of the blue granite common o t the district , and nearly all have their recumbent stone on the south or south

al west , while in more than h f

the circles relics have been found . What these circles were used for

is still a matter of doubt . But since urns and calcined bones have usually been discovered in

them , it is likely that they were burial places of the Bronze

Age . Other places of sepulture are the mounds or cairns under which have been found stone cists or coffins containing skeleton re

mains , along with urns , cups ,

- beads , rings , arrow heads , and

I n S other relics . Banchory, tra M K f chan , arykirk , inne f, and

elsewhere , these have been dis S o e Ogham t n , o c vered , bearing mute but ex Au qu holli e pressive testimony to the ideas which prehistoric man had of religion and of a future state . At Green cai rn Castle near F ett ercai rn are still to be seen traces of what is supposed to have been a vitrified

- I t o . f rt was oval in form , and , like other strongholds of o two the same character, was surr unded by ramparts , A NT IQU I T I E S 7 3

of o o w o built stone , with ut any lime or m rtar , and ith ut

fou n d a the least mark of any tool , although under the

of tion wood ashes were got . Evidence vitrification of

Si r S 1 6 the walls was obtained by Walter cott in 79 . Of sculptured stones in the county the most inter esting and most ancient is the Ogham stone at Anqu

S a ce of C a o oc of B c o urf r nn g , L h an h ry

' l Ston ehav en on e hol ie , near , of the fourteen to be found t in Scotland . The writing is in some par s much worn

ha s a and doubtful , but it been deciphered and transl ted as follows

F [a ] d h D on a n u i te 11 ] H e e es ts the b o d of D on a n o f the a ce of [ r ] r [ y] , r

S There are three cottish saints of that name , one being i connected w th Aberdeenshire . 7 4 KINCARD INE SH IRE

a o o of ho When , about sixty years g , the L ch Banc ry ,

- or Leys , in Banchory Ternan , was drained , an island —~ was found t o be artifici al a specimen of the old Celtic I lake dwelling or crannog . t rested on trunks of oak and birch trees laid alternately , the spaces being filled

o up with earth and st nes , and the island was surrounded w ith oak piles to prevent it from being washed away . There are three interesting examples of old crosses

F old in the county . That at ettercairn , the market

K o cross of incardine , surm unts an octagonal flight of

al steps , and has an iron rivet to which crimin s in olden days used to be chained by the j ougs . The base and shaft of the old cross of Stonehaven stands beside the steeple (itself a picturesque D utch - like erection dating

I n of from the square Bervie is a cross , about

1 . 4 ft high , surrounded by a flight of steps , and sup

o posed to be of considerable antiquity . The c unty has

o . numerous h ly wells , none of them of great import—ance Two interesting cup - marked stones are preserved o n e

w D M . at Co ie House , and the other at unnottar anse

r i t re —a E cle s i a s t i ca l 1 6 . A ch t e c u ( ) c Though Scotland cannot claim to have originated a new and distinctive style of architecture , yet it can show

al a continuous series of ecclesiastic buildings , beginning

with the simplest and . rudest of monkish cells , extending

art through all the periods of mediaeval . Of church

o architecture , h wever , as we now understand it , there I t r was none during the first seven centuries . eally

7 6 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

o began ab ut the tenth century , when the round towers

first appeared . Of ecclesiastical buildings now in ruins Kincardine

shire has some very interesting examples . Cowie C C St hurch , or more correctly the hapel of Mary , picturesquely situated a little north of Stonehaven

Arbuthnott Church

an example of a simple oblong structure in the — first pointed style . There are three fine lancet pointed i w ndows of the thirteenth century in the east gable , with a square window in the west . The chapel was

1 2 6 consecrated in 7 , and was unroofed by ecclesiastical authority shortly before the Reformation on accou nt of scandals . At the Ki l‘ ktown of Fetteresso the roofless ruins of the old church of F etteresso stand upon a knoll

7 8 KINCARD INESH IRE which is one of the oldest ecclesiastical sites in the

Mearns . The ancient church was dedicated to a

Celtic saint of the sixth century named Caran . The pointed doorway on the north side and parts of the adj acent walls belonged to the church which was con s ecrat ed D B ern ham St by avid de , Bishop of Andrews ,

' 1 2 6 I ts in 4 . belfry is a good example of the belfries

- to be seen in the n orth east of Scotland .

St F i tti ck The ruined church of , about a mile south

of on east Aberdeen , stands the site of an early church which was granted by William the Lyon t o his favourite

of Abbey Arbroath , and remained attached to it till the o Ref rmation .

o The parish church of Arbuthn tt , dedicated to St Ternan , is undoubtedly the most interesting piece of ecclesiastical architecture in Kincardineshire . One — of the few existing pre Reformati on churches in the

of S o it 1 2 2 D i north c tland , was consecrated in 4 by av d

B ern ham o I t St . de , Bish p of Andrews is long and

ow of l ] narr , consisting an aisle ess nave and chance , and

o o what is kn wn as the Arbuthn tt aisle , which proj ects

o o fr m the s uth side of the chancel . The Arbuthnott — — aisle the m ost striking feature of the exterior was 1 0 built in 5 5 , the west gable of the nave with the circular

- bell turret being added at the same time . The aisle

two o o w is in st ries , the l wer a vaulted chapel ith an t apsidal termination to the sou h . Within the apse lies

o f o of a m numental e figy , pr bably that James Arbuthnott , who 1 2 1 of he re died in 5 . On the side t base a four

t he of S shields , bearing names tuart , Arbuthnott , and

80 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

D ouglas . The chancel is sharply pointed . Three fine stained - glass wi ndows adorn the east gable of the l l 8 . 1 0 chancel The church was ski ful y restored in 9 , after 1 being accidently burned the previous year . About 475 ri S the vicar of the pa sh , James ibbald , produced three

- o service bo ks , to which the name of Arbuthnott is

—a a al attached Miss l , a Book of Hours , and a Ps ter .

Another interesting church , which originally dates K f from the thirteenth century , is that of inne f . The

f rest ora present church , which has su fered from various

has l i tions , in the east gable a sma l Norman w ndow , and

al l five Gothic windows in the south w l . The historica interest of the church is even greater than its archit ec tural interest . For it contains several mural monu

. C ments , one to Rev James Granger and his wife hristian F o S : letcher , who preserved the h nours of cotland

F ord ou n o The parish church of , a prominent bj ect w in the landscape , with its handsome square Gothic to er , 1 8 1 00 . 0 nearly ft high , was erected in 3 , and is the

old successor of a very church , which was demolished

1 8 al St al in 7 7 . Beside it is the sm l chapel of P ladins , a modern restoration ; but the traditions regarding this saint and his connection with the place as exempli

fied in chapel , well , and annual fair which bear his name , go back t o the fifth century . Within the chapel is a

o t o o o S rt sculptured st ne which , according Pr fess r tua , I is intended to commemorate the death of Kenneth I I . M o C At Blairs , in aryculter parish , the R man atholic College of St Mar y stands conspicuous on a slope over

D ec looking the valley of the . The estate of Blairs was Bla irs Portrait of Ma ry Queen of Scots 8 2 KINCARDINESHIRE

once the property of the Knights Templars . The college possesses a famous portrai t of Mary Queen of — I t a Scots a n excellent likeness . may have been p inted from a miniature given by Mary on the morning of her

z C execution , to Eli abeth urle , one of her attendants , who bequeathed miniature and portrait to the Scots

C D I n F ollege at ouai . the days of the rench Revolution the portrait lay hid in a chimney to save it from the fury

I n of the mob . the background of the picture , left ,

of o z there is a sketch the executi n and , right , Eli abeth

Curle appears .

Arc hi t e t r — b a t lla t e 1 7 . c u e ( ) C s e d

The architecture of a country is a genuine record of i I n its development and progress in civ lisation . the rude Scotland of early times comfort and convenience were sacrificed for strength and protection from enemies

l o hence the wal s of enormous thickness , the str ng gates , the moat , and the ramparts of earth and stone char a cteri si n v g the earliest buildings that survive . Pre ious t o o C the N rman onquest , the building of castles with

o fort i fica st ne and lime was not practised , the earliest tions being constructed with earth mounds and wooden

o o of palisades on a turf wall . The p siti n many of the old castles shows that up to the thirteenth century , if not later , the builders of the castles trusted more to to water than hill for their defence . The steep cliff,

al t facing and perhaps proj ecting into the sea , mos

an d n n surrounded by the breaking waves , con ected o ly A RC H ITE CT UR E—CA STEL L A TED 8 3

ai a by a narrow pathway to the m nland , was a typic l and well - chosen spot on which to erect a safe resort in K M St C time of danger . The aim of athers near yrus , now a roofless relic of the stronghold of the Barclays ,

0 consisted of a tower 4 ft . square and four stories high , perched on the top of a precipitous rock j utting ou t I t M into the sea . was built , after the murder of elville

S f a M the heri f by the l ird of athers , who preferred to stay at home , and

B u ld a lord li e Ka m y i , All on the s t on i e r ock , ’ W hich m ote d e fie the s ove reign s a rm s ’ ” O r k e s s s ock e e the te m p t h .

The general appearance of the thirteenth - century castles was that of a huge fortified enclosure . The plan l is usua ly quadrilateral , but more or less irregular to ‘ Co K C suit the site . smo Innes says that incardine astle ,

F r t near ettercairn , was built in the thi eenth century , though it doubtless occupied the site of several previous

al al roy p aces of wood and wattle , where Pictish and

ll 1 0 Scottish kings held state . The castle was fu y 3 ft .

a l square , and had w l s of enormous thickness , which were surrounded by marshes across which n o enemy cou ld safely venture . D r uring the fou teenth century , after the Wars of

- l i Independence , there was very little castle bui d ng in

Scotland . Even had the resources of the country been

a greater than they were , the nobles were not encour g ed K t o by ing Robert Bruce build strong mansions , as to those were liable be captured by the English , and 8 4 KINCARDINESHIRE

the King ’ s policy was rather to starve the enemy out

of the country than to fight him . The model of the castle still remained the square tower or Norman keep

al with very thick w ls , defended from a parapeted path of round the top the tower . Gradually the simple keep was extended by adding on a small wing at one

corner, making the ground plan of the whole building take the form of the letter L . The entrance was then

re - o placed as a rule at the entering angle . The gr und

for - floor was vaulted and used a store room . Access from one story to another was by a narrow corkscrew stair at one corner in the thick wall . With the outside entrance raised above the ground level and reached only

ov o by a rem able ladder , such towers c uld resist siege and fire , and even when taken , could not be easily damaged . ’ n ow B eri holm C The tower of Benholm , a part of astle ,

fifteen th- is a fine example of the century keep . It is w cro ned with a parapet and angle bartisans , and has

o or on its top a square cape h use watch turret . This is a primitive indication of the various additions which were sometimes m ade on the parapets by raising them i and covering them in w th roofs , a feature that may

of be seen in several of the later mansions the Mearns .

F id d es C - of o astle , formerly a dower house the Arbuthn tt

e - family , is a very fine example of the sixt enth century

castle . The general arrangement is that of the L plan , but the staircase is proj ected in a large circular tower beyond the corner of the main building . Another circular t ower occupies the corresponding angle on the

86 KINCA R DINE SH I R E

o Gargoyles at imp ssible places , applied as mere orna

o I n ments , also occur in profusi n . the east wall over ”

the doorway , which still presents its original iron yett , are two shields containing the Burnett arms with the

Crathe s Cas tle

of o dates the erecti n and completion of the castle ,

1 1 6 B alb e n o C 553 and 59 . g astle is another interesting a o example of a c stle on the L plan , into which vari us

o Crathes modifications have been intr duced . As at , the

re - whole of the entering angle is filled up , instead of a turret being inserted in the angle . This is to give

o I t provision for a wide staircase to the first fl or . is one of the few castles in Scotland which have a ribbed a of d R oo Balbe n o C s e P rt Vaulte f , g a tl 8 8 KINCAR DINE SH I R E

r and groined vault over the hall . The compa tments of the vaulting are painted with the armorial bearings

o S of s me of the principal families in cotland .

Muchalls Castle is a well - preserved specimen of the fl Scottish mansion of the beginning of the seventeenth

of century . It is designed on a plan buildings sur

i a round ng courtyard , the north , the east , and part of the west side of the square being occupied with the house , and the remaining side enclosed with a wall . The details of the internal decorations are in the S Renaissance style , which began to assert itself in cot

i n l land early the seventeenth century . The cei ing of

~ a the dining room is the gre t feature of the house . It is ornamented with ribbed plaster work , the panels fill being ed in with the heads of Roman emperors , S al . classic heroes , and cripture characters

Apart from its romantic and historical associations ,

C al Dunnottar astle is of great architectur interest , for it exhibits the various changes which took place in the disposition of buildings and defences , as well as in the domestic arrangements , from the fifteenth to the seven

D u n n otta r r t een th century . signifies a strong p om on tory , and the situation j ustifies the name . The castle stands on the platform of an isolated rock washed on

c three sides by the sea . The perpendicular liffs rise to 0 i a height of 1 6 ft . except at the narrow str p of land

' on of the level the seashore , by which it is j oined to the mainland . The area of the site is about 3 % acres . A very short steep path leads to the gateway , on the right ’ B en holm s fiv e - of which is Lodgings , a storied

90 KINCAR DINE SH I R E

s ecrated 1 2 6 in 4 , stood on this site . To it the lower

o part of the south wall bel ngs , but the rest of the

E ntra nce to Dun nottar Cas tle ’ ( B en holm s L odgi n gs on right) building was reconstructed early in the sixteenth

o century . Part of the church must , theref re , be the

- o . al ldest built work in the castle The w ls, were at one

' t o K time ornamen ed with monuments t the eiths , but A R CH ITECT URE—DOME ST IC 9 1 the ll i y have a disappeared . The latest addit on to the castle is the proj ecting wing a t the north - east corner of ‘ the u ad ran le I t s q g . ground floor contains a vaulted

r 8 d 1 . a n . apa tment 5 ft . long 5 ft wide Originally intended

a - i as store room , it ga ned an unenviable notoriety as the

’

C . prison of the ovenanters , or Whigs Vault There are

i a cur ous niches in the w lls , apparently intended for the

’ inserti on of prisoners hands when torture was applied ‘ ’ l for misdemeanours . Below the Whigs Vau t is a

a - sm ller one , where , it is said , no fewer than forty two of C F the ovenanters were confined for a time . rom the

’

Whigs Vault , by the great staircase , we reach the

- dining room , the windows of which give a wide prospect il f of sea and w d cli fs .

l r i t t r —c D m e s t i c 8 . A ch e c u e ( ) o

n o The ma si ns of the Mearns are not only numerous , but in many respects remarkably elegant structures .

S re everal are of ancient foundation , and have been modelled or enlarged as the demands for convenience and domestic comfort grew with the improving spirit

M - of the times . any of the sites are well chosen either

b or for eauty , as in the case of older castles , for defence or observation . Of the castles on or near the coast the

F e most interesting historically is etteresso Castl , for

of M r merly the home the Earls arischal . It was bu ned

o o 1 6 1 6 1 by the Marquis of M ntr se in 45 , and rebuilt in 7 l old but a large part of it is on y about one hundred years .

n 1 1 C a i After la ding at Peterhead , in 7 5 , the hev l er went

94 KINCARD INESH IRE

C e additions . Brotherton astle , a littl to the north of

o . J hnshaven , is a fine building in the baronial style C Lauriston astle , occupying a picturesque situation in

D en St rai ton s the of the same name , was built by the S in the thirteenth century . Alexander traiton , the kn i cht of was one of the 5 00 knights slain

E ccles rei C H arlaw 1 1 1 . at in 4 g g astle , on a rising

o St C V . ground to the n rth of yrus illage , is modern

I ts - - steep pitched roof and crow stepped gables , sur it mounted by conical turrets , give a graceful and

o are imp osing appearance . The surr unding policies tastefully laid out .

1 1 o The Burn House , built in 79 by Lord Adam G rdon , is romantically situated on the east bank of the North

E sk . The house , itself a massive but somewhat plain

! structure , is surrounded by woods , walks , and scenes ” of beauty , as picturesque as any in the county , forming a striking contrast to the dreary desert ” the spot

d to o was sai be t wards the end of the eighteenth century .

P 1 80 l asque House , a splendid pile built in 9 in the Eng ish o o baronial style , is a very commodi us mansi n , and from its elevated situati on commands an extensive and mag n ificen t of o I t Si r view the H we . is the residence of

o o of H on J hn Gladst ne , the nephew the late Right .

E re . ho o . w W Gladstone , as a y ung man , frequently

D r m toch . u t C sided here y astle , a fine Gothic building , occupies an ideal site on the richly wooded bank of the

o St rathfin lla Mon b od d o o Luther , pposite e Hill . H use is more interesting historically than architecturally , as

Mon b od d o the birthplace and residence of Lord . MM S— S 95 CO UNICAT ION ROAD , ETC .

D r Johnson thus refers to the visit which he paid to Mon b od d o in 1 773 Early in the afternoon Mr Boswell observed that we were no great d istance from the house

M n od d o of Lord o b . The magnetism of his conversation easily drew us out of our way , and the entertain ment which we received wou ld have been a sufficient ” recompense for a greater deviation . Glenbervie

w as House , on the north side of the Bervie Water , an

D ou las es ancient seat of the g , and the oldest part dates o back to the twelfth century at least . Other mansi ns

i I n lis m ald i e in the Howe d strict are g House in Marykirk , one of the seats of the Earl of Kintore ; F ettercairn

1 666 o House , dating from , but at various times c nsider

al ably improved and enlarged ; Thornton Castle , so a very old building , about two miles west of Laurencekirk

Arbuthnott House , on the left bank of the Bervie Water ,

of the seat of the old family Arbuthnott .

on D Ki n cau si e Of the larger mansions eeside , House ,

D r . o and ur is House are the oldest The f rmer , beauti fully situated on the right bank of the D ee about seven

i r m les from Aberdeen , is su rounded by fine old timber .

D a urris House , an elegant and very substanti lly built

r mode n mansion , was erected close to the site of the D I I t I . old cas le of ores , a residence of Alexander — 1 m m n i a i n s a s a ! 9 . Co u c t o Ro d n d Ra i l

Kinca rdineshire being on the direct route between n o S the orth and the s uth of cotland , the earliest of the 96 KINCARD INESH IRE

o main r ads in the county were avenues , running gener

o ally north and s uth , and leading to the Highlands and

- Lowlands . Where much of the land was ill drained and o f boggy, the making of suitable r ads was often a di ficult

t . o and tedious ma ter The high r ads , being the dry l o roads , had perforce at first to be fo l wed , while the straight line as the shortest distance between any two given points was , where practicable , preferred . Until 1 0 K i well after the Union of 7 7, the roads in incard ne

S o shire were , as elsewhere in the north of c tland , in a very neglected state . Where wheeled vehicles were

- - o non existent or few , wide , well made r ads were of little consequence . Bridle paths sufficed for the needs of the pack - horse that plodded along by ways none too safe by day or night . The Roman road from Tay to D ee is undoubtedly the

al oldest , and its course can be gener ly traced in the line

’ of the Roman camps , usually a day s march apart . S tarting probably at Ardoch in Perthshire , and con

o of F tinned thr ugh the northern district orfarshire , it entered the county at Kingsford (a modern name) in a north - easterly direction between the parishes of Marykirk and F ettercairn whence the route was direct t o of F ord ou n F o the camp at the Mains . r m this it was

t o R aed kes S continued the camp at y near tonehaven ,

Norm an d kes and thence to y , Peterculter , _ where it D e M e . o a crossed the At arykirk a short branch , pr b bly not , however , a Roman road , struck to the left , leading K F to the royal palace of incardine . rom that point it ’ of Cai Mo was continued to the pass rn O unt , which in

9 8 KINCARDINE SH I R E

t o later days echoed , not the tramp of the Roman

o t o t he - legi ns , but tread of the red coated regiments K of the second ing George , under that renowned road W maker General Wade , the last of hose military roads

. F this was . rom the Roman road , or its successors . numerous cross - roads struck off on each side leading t o n d bill hill a sea . The roads were utilised by the Highland drovers on their way to the great annual o trysts and fairs south of the Grampians , while the r ads that led from the numerous small shipping ports were convenient for transporting either coal or lim e jnt o the interior .

For the first thr ee - quarters of the last century the — roads were divided into two classes the turnpike or toll , and the statute labour roads . The former were originally made by subscription , and partly upheld by

o t lls , while the latter were made and upheld from highway and bridge moneys paid by heritors and others . When the Roads and Bridges Act of 1 879 came i nto

o o o force , a r ad rate was imp sed on all househ lders ; and since then a gradual improvement has been effected on s o n ow the roads that they are , as a rule , very suitable for the needs of modern travelling . The main road through the county leads from Brechin M to by North Water Bridge , west of arykirk , Laurence

F ord ou n S . kirk , , tonehaven , and Aberdeen This is f o the main route for tra fic from Edinburgh , thr ugh M Strathmore and the H owe of the earns . A parallel

road to this , but running along the base of the hills , passes through Fettercairn and the beautiful Glen of M T S—w R OAD S E T C 9 9 COM UNICA ION , .

D ru m tocht F ord ou n y, thence through , Glenbervie , and S Fetteresso parishes to tonehaven , where it j oins the

F S Great North Road . rom Montrose a plendid turnpike

St v road runs close to the coast through Cyrus , Ber ie ,

S . and tonehaven , where it also meets the main road These three parallel roads are connected by numerous

- all cross roads , which give free access to parts of the county . One of the best roads in the county is that along

D ee l the south side of the from Aberdeen to Marycu ter ,

D S . urris , Banchory , and trachan From the coast various — cross - roads connect with this road the well - known Slug road from Stonehaven going through R icka rton

r o C and Du ris to Banchory an ther through ookney ,

Netherle D ee l y, and Maryculter to the va ley ; and a l third from Portlethen through Fetteresso , Marycu ter , S Durris , and trachan . l The county has no cana s , though towards the end of the eighteenth century there was much talk of construct ing one through the Howe of the Mearns and Strath

o l i more t the Tay . The genera opin on on this is pithily summed up by Robertson (Agri cu ltu ra l Su rvey) There

ai seems , in fact , to be very little to urge ag nst the i practicability of the thing , and noth ng perhaps against di its expe ency , but that it would be of no use . Nobody would think of conveying goods 40 or 50 miles by water who had it in his power to b ring them directly to market by an easy land carriage , of less than the fourth part of ” the d istance and time . The rai lways in the county run practically parallel an d the m a n contiguous to i roads . They belong to 1 00 KINCARDINESHIRE

— Cal o three railway companies the edonian , the N rth

S . British , and the Great North of cotland The

o Cal al n rthern section of the edonian , first c led, the

S - Aberdeen , and afterwards the cottish North Eastern , 1 8 I t was opened throughout in 5 0. enters the county by a viaduct of thirteen spans over the North E sk near M S arykirk tation , and running northward past Laurence

F ord ou n D kirk , , and rumlithie , where the highest point on o the section is , reaches thr ugh heavy cuttings the

S o sea at tonehaven , after which it follows the c ast to Aberdeen . A section of the North British Railway , 1 M about 4 miles long , runs from ontrose along the sea

t h o to Bervie , at present the erminus , alt ough prop sals have been made t o connect it with Stonehaven by a

F Ki n n a er . b two light railway rom Junction , miles north of M o C o ontr se , where the North British and aled nian

o s main lines connect , the former company p sse ses certain running p owers over the Caledonian system t o D Aberdeen . The eeside railway, owned by the Great

S C al North of cotland ompany , runs from Aberdeen ong

o D ee I t the n rth side of the . enters the county near

Crathes S 1 tation , 4 miles from Aberdeen , and leaves it close to Glassel Station .

A m i n i s t ra t i n a n D i i s i s 2 0 . d o d v o n

S f heri fs were appointed in the twelfth century, but i t was n ot till the fourteenth that the office became

I n K hereditary in Scotland . incardineshire the Keiths were the hereditary sheriffs for some two hundred years

1 02 KINCA RDINESH IRE

1 al vi ( ) Laurencekirk district , with four elector di sions 2 St C S ( ) yrus district , with three ; (3) tonehaven dis D wi triet , with five ; (4) Lower eeside , th four ; and D a (5) Upper eeside , with three . E ch of the five districts has a committee consisting of the County Councillors for the electoral divisions of the district and of representa ti v es ri selected from the va ous parish councils . Roads

al and bridges , public health diseases of anim s , pro t ecti on of wild birds , valuation , finance , and the general administrative oversight of the county are under the C C control of the ounty ouncil .

o 1 8 2 S o By the Educati n Act of 7 , cho l Boards in every parish had the charge of education but the Education Act of 1 91 8 has n ow established an Education Authority for the whole county to control both primary and secondary schools . i The civ l parishes , each with its council to carry out

of the provisions the Poor Law and other duties , number

: - D nineteen Arbuthnott , Banchory evenick , Banchory D D Ternan , Benholm , Bervie , unnottar , urris , Fetter

F F ord ou n K cairn , etteresso , , Garvock , Glenbervie , inneff , M M St C Laurencekirk , aryculter , arykirk , Nigg , yrus ,

S - two trachan . The ecclesiastical parishes are twenty all the civil parishes and the qu oad sucra parishes of F C R i ckart on . ookney , Portlethen , and ifteen of these

rd ou n form the Presbytery of F o , while five are in the Presbytery of Aberdeen and two in the Presbytery of K ’ i incardine O Ne l . The county now unites with the Western Division of

Aberdeenshire in returning on e member to Parliament . ROLL OF HONOUR 1 03

Bervie , a very ancient burgh , sent representatives to

S 1 61 2 to the cottish Parliament from , at least , down 1 0 7 7 . Under the Act of Union it was classed with

M —a Aberdeen , Arbroath , Brechin , and ontrose group

the returning one member to British Parliament . Bervie

on e of o o Aberd e ' two is still the M ntr se Burghs , n has members of its own .

ll f H n r 2 1 . Ro o o ou

al z K Though sm l in si e , incardineshire has a remark able muster - rol] of notables whose reputation is by no means local .

To begin , it claims to be the cradle of the family to which Robert Burns belonged . For many genera tions Glenbervie had been the home of the family of

Burness , as the name was invariably spelled ; and it

’ o Clochn ahill S was fr m , near tonehaven , that the poet s I t father set out to better his fortunes in the south . was from his father that Robert Burns inherited his

- brain power , his hypochondria , and his general superi ’ orit o o 1 1 y. R bert s c usin , John Burness ( 77 was

of T /zru mm Ca author y p, which Burns thought the best ghost story in the language .

’ Si r S o o i o Walter c tt s connecti n w th the county , th ugh d not so close or irect , is nevertheless interesting . Readers of the Waverley Novels will remember that it was in the churchyard of Dunnottar that Scott in 1 796

' ri i of Old M orlalzl first saw Robert Paterson , the o g nal y,

! engaged in his dai ly task of cleaning and repairi ng 1 04 KINCARDINESHIRE

the ornaments and epitaphs upon the tomb of the C S ovenanters . cott , however , became the begetter of one

- M w of the best known men of the earns , the reno ned

C D D al ett mercenary soldier aptain ugald g y, whose ! ! natural hereditament of D ru m thwa cket was the

o o cal of l ng waste mo r so led , that lies five miles south

’ Burying - place of B u rn s s Ances tors

of Aberdeen , and who was naturally an alumnus C Marischal ollege . r or Whether as soldiers , administrators , cou tiers , K patriots , various members of the eith family wielded great influence , not only in the county but also through

o 1 1 8 out the country , fr m the eleventh century to 7 ,

’ when the last Earl Marischal s estates were forfeited to ’ K C . o the rown This Earl s younger br ther , James eith , after military service with the Spaniards and the

1 06 KINCARDINESH IRE

1 6 —1 660 ali n was deprived of his seat , 49 , for m g ancy, which drew from Drummond of Hawthornden a sonnet

F ield - Mars ha l James Keith F rom a a i n ti n i n the B u r h Cou n ci l Cha m ber Ston eha ven ( p g g , )

his in praise of character and a lament for his misfortunes . One would like to head the list of historians with the

of of F ord u n name John , author of the important

' ' S colzchrom con ; but that he was born in the parish of ROL L OF HONOUR 1 07

ord ou n F is merely an inference from his name . He

r C flou ished in the fourteenth century . osmo Innes 1 8 D ( 79 a native of urris , was trained as a lawyer . In 1 846 he was appointed Professor of Constituti onal

Law and History in Edinburgh University . He is — best known for his two historical works S cotlan d i n the M i ddle A es Sketches o E arl Scotch H i stor g , and f y y. C Dr ramond , a voluminous writer of histories dealing

i - S chiefly w th the north east of cotland , belonged to

Fettercairn .

1 1 Mon b od d o James Burnett ( 7 4 Lord , was famous not merely as a lawyer but also as a litterateur . He first came into prominence as counsel for the

D ou las es 1 6 g in the Douglas case , and in 7 7 he was S he made a Lord of ession , a position held for thirty

Ori i n an d Pro res s o L an u a e years . His g g f g g , in which D wi n he anticipated the ar nian theory , is very lear ed and acute , but very eccentric . Lord Neaves , a versatile C S successor in the ourt of ession , sings of him

H i s e ws w e n fo a t firs e ca m e vi , h rth t th y , Appe a re d a little od d O ’ B u t n ow w e e n o i on s m c the s a m e v t u h , ’ c l n o o W e re ba k t o o d Mo b d d .

T o D a wi n n ow oc a m s the la w h ugh r pr l i , An d s pre a d s i t far a broa d 0 ! T he m a n a firs the se c e s aw th t t r t , ” W as s ol Mon b hon e t d od d o .

Gard en s ton e S Lord , another Lord of ession , was like

Mon b od d o , somewhat eccentric , but did much for the l t vi lage of Laurencekirk , which he go erected into a 1 08 KINCARD INESH IRE

S Si r Burgh of Barony . till another j udge was John

1 6 F or d ou n . Wishart , who died in 57 , a native of He

m s B o d Mon bodd o Ja e urnett, L r was a comrade of Erskine of' D u n in the days of the

Corri chi e Reformation , and fought at . Of ecclesiastical dignitaries the county can show a

1 1 0 KINCARD INESH IRE

Sal . of isbury and friend of William III , was a descendant

f Crathes o the Burnetts of . Alexander Arbuthnott

1 8 Pi tcarles ( 53 son of Andrew Arbuthnott of , ’ al K C 1 6 became Princip of ing s ollege , Aberdeen , in 5 9 ,

D r and soon after received the living of Arbuthnott .

S al who 1 6 0 M . James ibb d , died about 5 , was a earns man St He was minister of Nicholas , Aberdeen , and a stout

o of Co o o opp nent the venant . Equally st ut on the ther

C 1 0 side was Rev . Andrew ant ( 59 a native of S D r Strachan . Another native of trachan was Thomas Reid ( 1 71 0 parish minister of New Machar in ’ Aberdeenshire and Professor of Philosophy at King s

Co o llege , Aberdeen . He wrote a renowned b ok I n qu i ry i n to the H u m a n I ll i n d on the Pri n ciples of — Com m on S en s e and created the Scottish school of D philosophy opposed to avid Hume . He succeeded S Adam mith in Glasgow . I n literature the greatest name is D r John Arbuthnot ( 1 667 son of an Episcopalian clergyman at

Arbuthnott . One of the Queen Anne wits and the

S o H i s tor o ohn friend of wift and P pe , he wrote the y f j B u ll and was the chief author of the M em oi rs of M arti n u s ” bleru s D i S S cri . a i The octor , s d w ft , has more wit ” all than we have , and his humanity is equal to his wit . 1 Dr James Beattie ( 735 a native of Laurencekirk ,

of F ord ou n and schoolmaster , was appointed to the

C Mo ari al Co l hair of ral Philosophy in M sch l ege , Aber

E ss a on T ru th deen . His y had a great reputation , while T l his Spenserian poem he M i n strel sti l finds readers .

1 86 of ohn o Arn ha George Beattie ( 7 author j f , ROLL OF HONOUR 1 1 1

R u d di m a n 1 6 was a native of St Cyrus . Thomas ( 74

for five years schoolmaster of Laurencekirk , was

am R u d i m en ts a f ed Latinist , whose had great vogue

D r J ohn Arbuthnot

1 for many years . David Herd ( 73 2 who belonged to Marykirk an d edi ted the first classical collection of Scottish Songs ; Dean Ramsay (1 793 author of R em i n i scen ces of Scotti s h L ife an d Cha ra cter ; Dr John L ongm ui r (1 803 hi storian of Dun nottar Castle ;

1 8 F ord ou n and Dr John Brebner ( 33 a native of , 1 1 2 KINCAR D INESHIR E

- fiv e organiser , and for twenty years head , of the

F S a educational system in the Orange ree tate , c nnot be

left unnamed .

Captain Robert B arclay (On hi s wa lk of a thou s a n d m i les )

of Various members that family of strong men , the

of . Barclays Urie , achieved fame in different ways D di The first was Colonel avid Barclay , an old sol er of

1 1 4 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

The pict u re s que F alls of Peugh are less than a mile from

- - m d i n the town . The Nord rach on D ee Sanatoriu stan s i w d s i t f F to oo o wes . o p ne a l ttle the t The Hill are , the w s f f rri hi o a o o Co c e . . n rth , the scene the battle (pp 5 , 7 , I o w)

B e vi e fo m a n d s i l of e r r erly t l ficially Inverb rvie , a i c 1 2 ha s s o s fla x s n ls o 6 o . r yal burgh s n e 3 , pr per u pinni g mil

o d a c - on - Dee San a o m Ban cho N r r h t riu , ry

S m o - fishi n i s s c s s n D rr . al n g u c e fu lly ca ied o avid II .

F . d d in 1 1 f hi s x i n c . lan e here 34 , a ter e ile ran e (pp 5 7 ,

Ca t e n e i s s n h i n K n ff i s mi d w t rli a fi hi g amlet i ne par h , ay S n T od hea d i o i s between tonehaven a d B ervie . l ghth use 0 near . (pp . 4 ,

Cov e 3. s hin i l a bo m s so h of Ab e d , fi g v lage ut 4 ile ut r een ,

fi - 6 8 ha s sh . 6 so m o ks . al anure w r (pp 3 , 5 , 5 ,

C wi s n 1 o e m m o t of Sto . , a fi hi g ha let ile n r h nehaven

‘ 2 0 2 8 6 6 I O I ' (pp ! 3 ! 3 7 , 5 , 5 : 7 , ) CHIE F T OW NS A ND V IL L A GES 1 1 5

D rum lithie an irregu larly built village i n Glenberv ie

. d i n 1 i s c ow parish The steeple , erecte 777 , a ircular t er d f D b B of surmounte by a bel ry . rumlithie ecame a urgh B i n 1 2 o . . 6 ar ny 3 9 (pp 9 ,

F e ca i n of ood c d s ett r irn , the centre a g agri ultural i trict , i s B of B o s o of k k . a urgh ar ny , 5 mile n rth Laurence ir It has - a arch erected t o commemorate the visit of

Me d s Go d o n ing Net , ur n

Queen Victoria a n d Prince Albert i n 1 86 1 ; a n d also a d fo n ow o t o Si r o n turrete untai t er , a mem rial J hn Hepbur F B 1 80 old k o s S w o . te art rbes , art ( 4 The mar et cr s 8 6 d a d i n . . 1 of Kincar ine st n s the village (pp 3 , 47 , 4 , 5 5 , 5 , 6 1 2 8 , 7 , 74 , 3 ,

F d o l w Co an d o o in n , a vi lage bet een ve P rtlethen , the riginal ”

- c . home of the well known F innan had d o k . (p

F ord ou n w s o on C d o a w , a village ith tati n the ale ni n Rail ay ha s o s so o w St line . The parish hist rical a ciati ns ith Palla

H * 1 1 6 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E d n s o d Mon b od d o a n d m B i o a n d i , L r , Ja es eatt e the p et ; l o s s of o d o ow K d . c ntain the ite the c unty t n , incar ine The f i s A chi 0 80 . . 1 1 6 1 6 chie village u nblae (pp , 3 , 5 7 , , 3 , 7 , ,

Go d o s 1 o of B ha s ur n , a fi hing village mile s uth ervie , a fla x 0 8 mill . (pp . 5 , 4 , 5 5 , 5 ,

o s a e a n d co s d s o i n J hn h v n , a fishing village a tguar tati n B ha s so 0 s of o . . the pari h enh lm , al a spinning mill (pp 5 , 4 ,

a e cek k B of B o ha s L ur n ir a urgh ar ny , a large o o d flo w k w l cal c untry tra e , a urishing ee ly mart , a bre ery , w d o wo k a n d o d oo w . o c ach r s , s me han l m eaving The ren ne o R u d d i m an w a s for fe w oo Latinist , Th mas , a years sch l 1 1 1 2 6 6 8 1 00 1 0 1 1 0 master here . (pp . , 3 , 5 , 5 5 , 5 , 5 , 9 , , 7 , ,

L u therm u i r s i n k k d f o , a mall village Mary ir , ating r m 1 1 ha d fo d oo w 77 , rmerly han l m eaving

k k e f s d on ft k Mary ir , a village b auti ully ituate the le ban E s k s o f o C o w s o of o . the N rth , a h rt mile r m raig rail ay tati n : 1 1 2 6 1 00 (PP 3 » 7 , 7 , 9 5 , 9 , ,

a s a n d co s d s o Mu ch ll , a neat little village a tguar tati n s o of S o i s f d for i ts o k 4 mile n rth t nehaven , ame r c scenery d m s 1 n i s m f o . . 2 a d uch requente by sum er vi it rs (pp 3 , 9 ,

e s m s 6 o of Portleth n , a all fi hing village , miles s uth 6 8 d . . 0 Aber een (pp 3 , 3 , 5 3 , 5 ,

w m o - fishi n o i n St Cyrus , a village ith a sal n g stati n the f o t w a s fo E l s co o d cc e rei . SE . rner the c un y , rmerly calle g g B oth St Cyru s a n d E cclesgreig contain the name of a king S o s ow d o of of the c t t ar s the cl se the ninth century , Grig or Gi ri who w on of o of S o s g , the title Liberat r the c tti h ! 2 1 2 2 8 0 2 6 8 I I I C u . . 1 2 , . . , . h rch (pp , , 4 , 4 5 5 7, 3 3 , 9 4 . 9 9 , )

1 1 8 KINCARDINESH IRE

Sk e aw s m s o to w o at r , a all fi hing village , cl se Ne t nhill

w s o . 6 rail ay tati n . (pp 3 ,

ta d on s o 1 s S S W S on eha e . . t v n s n s the bay me 4 mile . of A d o of C o a n d Cow ber een , at the m uths the arr n the ie . I n the beginning of the seventeenth century i t s upersed ed

K c d the . cou n t ow a n d i n 1 88 wa s d in ar ine as y t n , 9 ma e a B s f l n n o o o a n o d a d e w ow . P lice urgh . It c n ists a t n The old ow s o of C o i n D o s i s t n , uth the arr n , unn ttar pari h ,

a n d d os s m . irregularly built , inhabite m tly by fi her en The i s s n e w own n F o s l w two m . t , ettere pari h , ies bet een the strea s i s d ou t a n d w o i n It regularly lai ell built . Pr minent the c i s k o w i ts of s entral square the mar et h use ith l ty teeple , S a n d i n Allard yce treet the Italianate town hall . Other notable build ing—s are the two paris h churches a n d the o c s U d F r E s co a n d om ther hurche nite ee , pi palian , R an k A d e wa s o S co Catholic . The Mac ie ca my pened as a e nd ary S o i n 1 8 s n d i s o cho l 9 3 . The fi hi g in ustry imp rtant ; but s for general trad e the harbour ad mits only mall vessels .

‘ O f rece n t years Stonehaven ha s been mu ch resorted t o by s m o d for a n d s i ts u mer visit rs , attracte , health plea ure , by

fin e l ffs a n d w ood - a n d bracing climate , c i s , sea bathing i s n 1 o o f o a d o o d . b at ng, g l c ur e recreati n gr un (pp . 5 , 7 , 9 , 2 1 2 2 8 60 6 1 6 6 6 , , 3 7, 44 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 5 , , , 4 , 5 , 9 , 73 , 6 8 1 00 1 0 2 74 » 9 3 ; 9 , 9 , 9 9 , , ;

S a c or K k o of S c f o tr han , ir t n tra han , a village 4 miles r m

- T rn an . i s i n s a n d h s s B o e . At anch ry , the large t illie t pari h w s o d of s i s o B a ttock the e tern b un ary the pari —h M unt , the con v e r i n o of s K d F o f , g g p int three shire incar ine , r ar , s A d F m o w . w C a n d Aberd een . a us native ere Rev n re ant

D r om d . . 2 Th as Rei (pp 4 , 7 , 9 9 ,

Torry which le s s than fifty years a go wa s a s m all s i s n ow a n m o w d of A d fi hing village , i p rtant ar ber een . s w c for m m a n d It unite ith the ity parlia entary , unicipal , os co s u f ed ucational purp es . The n tr ction o the Victoria B d t o k of f a n d od o ri ge , ta e the place the erry , the intr ucti n

- fis hi n le d t o d ow of o w . of tra l g the rapi gr th T rry (p . DIA GRAMS 1 1 9

i 1 . A e of K n ca d n es h e 82 s F g . r a i r i ir (3 qua re com pared with that of Scotlan d 1 20 KINCAR D I NE SH I R E

K in ca rd i n eshire 1 08 Scotla n d 1 57 La n a rkshire 1 63 3

Sutherla n d 1 0

F i . Co a d g 3 . mp rativ e e ns ity of Population to the s quare mile at the las t Ce ns us . (E a ch d ot repres en ts ten pers on s )

F i . G o g 4 . r wth of Population i n Kincard in es hire

1 22 KINCARD INESH IRE

F i . o o o s o a d i n g 7 . Pr p rti nate area f L n Kincard ines hire

F i 8 g . .