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BANFFSHIRE

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 315 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BANFFSHIRE , a See also:

north-eastern See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. by the See also:Moray See also:Firth, E. and S. by See also:Aberdeenshire, and W. by See also:Elgin and See also:Inverness. It has an See also:area of 403,364 acres, or 6331 sq. m. The See also:surface is diversified. The See also:northern See also:half is mostly a See also:fine, open, undulating See also:country of See also:rich, highly-cultivated See also:soil. The See also:southern is mountainous, but extensive farms are found in its fertile glens. Some of the mountains are thick with forests, some See also:present a beautiful intermixture of See also:rock and copse, while others are covered with See also:brown See also:heath. The See also:principal mountains are all in the See also:south; among them are See also:Cairngorm, on the confines of the shires of See also:Banff and Inverness (4084 ft.), famous for its See also:amber-coloured See also:quartz crystals, the " cairngorms " of Scots See also:jewelry; See also:Ben Rinnes (2775 ft.); Corryhabbie (2563); See also:Cook's See also:Cairn (2478); Carn an t-Saidhe (2401); and the See also:Buck of Cabrach (2368). No See also:great See also:rivers belong wholly to Banffshire. For a considerable See also:part of their courses the See also:Spey forms the western and the Deveron the eastern boundary of the county. But Banffshire streams are comparatively See also:short, the See also:chief being the See also:Avon, Fiddich, See also:Isla, See also:Buckle, Deskford—with a See also:series of cascades —and Livet. Most of them are stocked with See also:trout and the Spey and Deveron are famous for their See also:salmon. The great glens are distinguished for their romantic scenery, the chief being Glen Avon, Glen See also:Barry, Glen Fiddich, Glen Isla, Glen Livet, and Glen Rinnes.

The largest lochs are in the extreme south: See also:

Loch Avon (2500 ft. above the See also:sea), Loch Builg (1586) and Loch Etchachan (3100). See also:Geology.—The geology of Banffshire is closely connected with that of the neighbouring counties of See also:Aberdeen and Elgin. from which it is divided by no natural boundaries. The greater portion is occupied by crystalline See also:schists of sedimentary origin belonging to the Eastern Highland sequence. The See also:groups which are typically See also:developed comprise (I) slates, See also:black schists and phyllites with thin black See also:limestone, sometimes containing See also:tremolite, (2) the See also:main limestone, (3) the See also:quartzite (Schiehallion). These See also:form subpara.11el belts trending north-See also:east and south-See also:west from the seacoast between See also:Cullen and Portsoy southwards by See also:Keith and See also:Dufftown to the See also:head See also:waters of the Avon beyond Tomintoul. Some excellent sections of the phyIlites are to be seen on the See also:shore between Sandend, near Portsoy, and See also:Findlater See also:Castle, near Cullen, and in the railway cutting near Mulben, west of Keith. The main limestone has been worked at Fordyce, near See also:Grange east of Keith, and at Keith and Dufftown. The quartzite, which is regarded as probably the highest member of the series, forms prominent ridges due to the more rapid erosion of the phyllites, See also:mica-schists and limestones occupying the intervening hollows. It appears on the See also:coast between Cullen and See also:Buckie, it forms the Durn See also:Hill near Portsoy, the Binn of Cuilen, the Knock Hill, Ben Aigan and various ridges trending southwards from Grange by Glen Fiddich towards Tomintoul. In the north-east part of the county there is a large development of See also:slate with interbedded greywackes and pebbly grits, which occupies the coast See also:section between See also:Macduff and Troup Head except a small part at Gamrie. The slate, has been quarried for roofing purposes, 1Vo fossils have been found in these strata and their See also:age is uncertain. The metamorphic sediments have been pierced by See also:acid and basic igneous intrusions, partly before and partly after the folding and See also:metamorphism of the strata.

The older acid and basic materials appear as sheets injected along the lines of bedding of the sediments and are traceable for consider-able distances. They are foliated in places, the planes of schistosity being more or less parallel with the planes of bedding in the schists. The older acid rocks are represented by the sills of See also:

granite and augengneiss occurring west of Portsoy, south of Fordyce and near Keith, while the older basic rocks are illustrated by the See also:belt of See also:gabbro, See also:epidiorite and See also:hornblende-schist which stretches southwards from the coast at Portsoy, by Rothiemay to See also:Huntly in Aberdeenshire. See also:Veins and bosses of See also:serpentine are associated with these basic intrusions at Portsoy and near Grange, one of the veins being traceable at intervals from the shore southwards in the direction of Knock Hill. The later intrusions are represented by the Ben Rinnes See also:mass of granite and its basic modification, the Netherly See also:diorite, east of See also:Rothes. Various See also:mineral localities occur throughout the county, of which some of the most important occur on the shore at Portsoy, as for example the gabbro masses in Portsoy See also:Bay with See also:enstatite, See also:hypersthene and See also:labradorite, the graphic granite with See also:microcline, See also:muscovite and See also:tourmaline at East Head, the chiastolite-schist west of the See also:marble See also:quarry, the mottled serpentine with strings of chrysotile. Resting unconformably on these metamorphic rocks, Old Red See also:sandstone strata are met with in a few places. Thus, they See also:cross the Spey and appear in the Tynet See also:Burn east of See also:Fochabers, and extend eastwards to Buckie. Outliers of these beds appear on the Shore near Cullen and south of Fordyce, while the largest area extends from Gamrie east by Pennan on the north coast of Aberdeen-See also:shire to Aberdeen. The strata consist mainly of conglomerates and red sandstones, which, at Gamrie and at Tynet, are associated with a See also:band of limestone nodules embedded in a clayey See also:matrix, containing See also:fish remains. The more abundant See also:species occurring at Gamrie, as determined by Dr R. H.

See also:

Traquair, are Diplacanthus striatus, Rhadinacanthus, Cheiracanthus See also:Murchison, Pterichthys Milleri, Coccosteus decipiens. In view of the fossil See also:evidence these beds have been referred to the See also:middle or Orcadian See also:division of this formation. In the interior near Tomintoul, another large See also:deposit, composed of See also:conglomerate and sandstone, occurs, which may be of the same age, though no fossils have as yet been obtained from these beds. There is a widespread covering of See also:boulder See also:clay especially in the northern part bordering the shore, where it contains fragments of shells and Includes numerous boulders which have been carried eastwardsfrom the high grounds west of the Moray Firth. In the brickelays at Blackpots to the north-west of Banff, fragments of shells also occur together with See also:Jurassic fossils. Shelly sands have been re-corded near the Ord south of Tillynaught near See also:Port soy, and shells have been found in stratified deposits on the shore near Gamrie. See also:Agriculture.—The soil is in See also:general rich and productive, yielding See also:fair crops of See also:wheat, and excellent crops of See also:barley, oats, &c.; and the grass and See also:green crops are equally abundant. Oats is the pre-dominant See also:crop, but the demands of distillers keep up the acreage of barley. The See also:cattle and stock hold a high See also:character and form the See also:staple agricultural See also:industry. There is also a considerable amount of See also:dairy farming. Among landlords who did much to encourage agricultural enterprise and to plant and reclaim lands, were the earls of See also:Fife and the earls of Findlater, afterwards earls of See also:Seafield. It was a Seafield who, in 1846, received the honorary See also:gold See also:medal of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, for his immense and thriving plantations of useful See also:timber-trees, in the counties of Banff, Moray and See also:Nairn.

From the See also:

year 1811 to 1845, he had planted 18,938,224 Scots firs, 11,904,798 larches, 843,45o hard-See also:woods; making the enormous aggregate of 31,686,472 See also:forest trees, planted in 8223 acres of enclosed ground. The Banffshire Agri-cultural Association holds shows periodically for all sorts of stock and produce and agricultural implements. Manufactures and See also:Trade.—Woollen factories are found in See also:Duff-See also:town, Rothiemay and Gollachy, and See also:engineering See also:works in Banff, Portsoy and Keith. Distilleries are numerous and their product has a high repute. A fishing and See also:miscellaneous trade is done at the harbours of Banff, Macduff, Buckie, Gardenstown, Portsoy, Cullen and Port See also:Gordon; but fishing is also carried on at numerous creeks or harbours along the coast. The See also:herring See also:season lasts from See also:June to See also:September, See also:white fishing all the year See also:round. The See also:fishery districts centre in Banff and Buckie. Banffshire contains large limestone deposits, and granite is also quarried. The systems of the Great North of Scotland and the Highland See also:railways serve the chief towns of the county and provide communication in one direction with Aberdeen, and in another with Elgin, Nairn and Inverness. The See also:population of Banffshire in 1891 was 61,684, and in 1901 61,488, or 97 to the square mile. In 1901 there were 499 persons speaking Gaelic and See also:English. The chief towns are Banff (pop. in 1901, 7161), Buckie (6549), and Keith (4753), with Cullen (1936), Portsoy (1878) and Dufftown (1823).

The county returns one member to See also:

parliament; the royal burghs, Banff and Cullen, belonging to the Elgin See also:group of See also:parliamentary burghs. Banffshire, with Aberdeen and Kincardine shires, forms a sheriffdom, and there is a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute at Banff, who sits also at Keith, Buckie and Dufftown. Most of the See also:schools are under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction. Several of them See also:earn grants for higher See also:education, and the county See also:council, out of the " See also:residue See also:grant," subsidizes classes in agriculture, See also:navigation, veterinary See also:science and See also:cookery and See also:laundry See also:work. The teachers of the county, with those of the shires of Aberdeen and Elgin. benefit by the See also:bequest of See also:James See also:Dick (1743-1828), a West See also:India See also:merchant, who See also:left over i Io,000 to promote the higher learning of the schoolmasters of these shires. The See also:annual income of f; 4000 is distributed among the dominies who have qualified by examination to become beneficiaries. See also:History.—Of the northern Picts who originally possessed the See also:land few remains now exist beyond the See also:cairns that are found in the districts of Rothiemay, Ballindalloch, Boharm, Glen Livet and elsewhere. " Cairn "also occurs in many See also:place names. The advance of the See also:Romans was practically prevented by the mountains in the south, but what is believed to have been a See also:Roman See also:camp may still be made out in Glen Barry. Danish invaders were more persevering and more successful. Many bloody conflicts took place between them and the Scots. Near Cullen a fierce encounter occurred in 96o, and a sculptured See also:stone at Mortlach is said to commemorate a See also:signal victory gained by See also:Malcolm II. over the Norsemen in role).

The shire was the See also:

scene of much strife after the See also:Reformation. In Glen Livet the Roman Catholics, under the See also:marquess of Huntly, worsted the Protestants under the See also:earl of See also:Argyll. From 1624 to 1645 Was a See also:period of almost incessant struggle, and the Covenanting troubles, combined with the frequent conflicts of the clans, were productive of serious evils. But the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 left the county comparatively untouched, and thereafter it became settled. See W. Cramond, See also:Annals of Banff (New See also:Spalding See also:Club) (Aberdeen, 1891) ; Dr Gordon, See also:Chronicles of Keith, Grange, &c. (See also:Glasgow, 188o) ; Banffshire Year-See also:Book (Banff); See also:Professor Dickie, Botanist's See also:Guide to Aberdeen, Banff, &c. (Aberdeen, 186o) ; See also:Inventory of Charters of Cullen (Banff, 1887); and Inventory of Charters of Banff (Banff); See also:Robertson's Collections for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff (Spalding Club) ; W. See also:Watt, Aberdeenshire and Banff (See also:Edinburgh, 19o0).

End of Article: BANFFSHIRE

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