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FORFARSHIRE, or ANGUS

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 662 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FORFARSHIRE, or See also:ANGUS , an eastern See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded N. by the shires of Kincardine and See also:Aberdeen, W.. by See also:Perthshire, S. by the See also:Firth of See also:Tay and E. by the See also:North See also:Sea. It has an See also:area of 559,171 acres, or 873.7 sq. m. The Wand of Rossie and the See also:Bell See also:Rock belong to the See also:shire. Forfarshire is characterized by See also:great variety of See also:surface and may be divided physically into four well-marked sections,,; In the most northerly of these many of the rugged masses of the See also:Grampians are found; this See also:belt is succeeded by Strathmore, or the See also:Howe of Angus, a fertile valley, from 6 to 8 m. broad, which is a continuation of the Howe of the Mearns, and runs See also:south-westwards till it enters Strathearn, to the south See also:west of See also:Perth; then come the Sidlaw Hills and a number of isolated heights, which in turn give way to the See also:plain of the See also:coast and the Firth. The mountains are all in the See also:northern See also:division and belong to the Binchinnin See also:group (sometimes rather inexactly called the Braes of Angus) of the Grampian ranges. Among the highest masses, most of which See also:lie on or near the confines of the bordering counties, are See also:Glas See also:Mao]. (3502 ft.) on the See also:summit of which the shires of Aberdeen, See also:Forfar and Perth meet, See also:Cairn-na-Glasha (3484), Fafernie (3274), Broad Cairn (3268), Creag, Leacach (3238), Tolmount (3143), Tom Buidhe (3140), Driesh(3105), See also:Mount Keen (3077) and Mayar (3043), while peaks of upwards of 2000 ft. are numerous. The Sidlaw Hills—the greater See also:part of which, however, belongs to Perthshire are much less lofty and of less striking See also:appearance. They have a breadth of from 3 to 6 m., the highest points within the county beingCraigowl See also:Hill (1493 ft.),Auchterhouse Hill (1399) and Callow Hill (1242), None of the See also:rivers is navigable, and only three are,of any importance. The See also:Isla., rising in Cairn-na-Glasha, flows southwards, then turns S.E.. and finally S.W. till it enters the Tay after a course of 45 M. Its See also:chief tributaries on the right are the Alyth See also:Ericht and Liman, and on the See also:left the See also:Newton, Melgam and See also:Dean. Near See also:Bridge of See also:Craig is the fall of Reekie Linn (70 ft.), so named from the fact that when the stream is in See also:flood the spray rises in a dense See also:cloud like See also:smoke (reek).

Near old Airlie See also:

Castle are the cascades called the Slugs of Auchrannie. The North Esk, formed by the confluence of the See also:Lee and See also:Mark at Invermark, after a south-easterly course of 28 m. enters the North Sea 3 M. N. of See also:Montrose. On the right See also:bank it receives the West See also:Water and Cruick and on the left the Tarf and See also:Luther. It gives the See also:title of See also:earl of Northesk to a See also:branch of the See also:Carnegie See also:family. The South Esk rises in the Grampians near Mount Fafernie and not far from its source forms the Falls of Bachnagairn; after flowing towards the south-See also:east, it bends eastwards near Tannadice and reaches the North Sea at Montrose, the length of its course being 48 m. Its See also:principal affluents are the Prosen on the right and the Noran on the left. It supplies the title of earl of S.outhesk to another branch of the Carnegies. The lakes are small, tlsu two largest being the See also:Loch of Forfar and the See also:mountain-girt Loch Lee (1 m. See also:long by ; m. wide). Lintrathen (circular in shape and about m. across), to the north of Airlie Castle, supplies See also:Dundee with drinking water. The glens of the Forfarshire Grampians are remarkable for their beauty, and several of them for the See also:wealth of their botanical specimens. The largest and finest of them are Glen Isla, in which are the ruins of Forter Castle, destroyed by See also:Argyll in 1640, and the earl of Airlie's See also:shooting-See also:lodge of the Tulchan; Glen Clova, near the entrance to which stands Cortachy Castle, the seat of the earl of Airlie; Glen Esk and Glen Prosen.

See also:

Geology.—A great See also:earth fracture traverses this county from near Edzell on the N.E. to Lintrathen Loch on the S.W. Between Cortachy and the south-western boundary" this See also:fault runs in Old Red See also:Sandstone, but north-east of. that See also:place it forms the junction See also:line of See also:Silurian and Old Red; and in a See also:general way we may say that on the N.W. See also:side of the fault the metamorphosed Silurian rocks are found, while the See also:remainder of the county is occupied by the Old Red Sandstone. On the margin of the disturbance the Silurian rocks are little-altered See also:grey and See also:green See also:clay slates with bands of pebbly grit; farther towards the N.W. we find the same rocks metamorphosed into See also:mica See also:schists and gneisses with pebbly quartzites. Rising up through the schists between See also:Caen See also:Bannock and Mount Battock is a great See also:mass of See also:granite. The Old Red Sandstone extends from this county into Perthshire and See also:Kincardineshire; here some 20,000 ft. of these deposits are seen; an important part being formed of volcanic tuffs and lavas which are regularly interbedded in the sandstones and conglomerates. North of Dundee some of the See also:lower beds are traversed by intrusive dolerites, and Dundee See also:Law is probably the remains of an old vent through which some of the contemporaneous layas, &c., were discharged. The Old Red Rocks have been subjected to a See also:good See also:deal of folding, as may be seen along the coast. The principal direction of strike is from N.E. to S.W. A synclinal See also:fold occupies Strathmore, and between Longforgan and Montrose the northern See also:extension of the Sidlaw Hills is an anticlinal fold. Two See also:fish-bearing beds occur in the county; from the lower one many large Eurypterids have been obtained. The well-known paving flags of See also:Arbroath belong to the lower part of the formation. The Upper Old Red Sandstone is found only in one spot about a mile north of Arbroath.

During the Glacial See also:

period the See also:ice travelled south-eastward across Strathmore and over the Sidlaw Hills; abundant See also:evidence of this transporting See also:agent is to be seen in the See also:form of morainic deposits, the most striking of which is the great transverse barrier of Glenairn in the valley of the S. Esk, See also:half a mile in length and about 200 ft. high. See also:Relics of the same period are found See also:round the coast in the form of raised beaches at too, 5o and 25 ft. above the See also:present sea-level. See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—On the whole the climate is healthy and favourable to agricultural pursuits. The mean temperature for the See also:year is 47.3° F., for See also:January 38° and for See also:July 59°. The See also:average See also:annual rainfall is 34 in., the coast being considerably drier than the uplands. In the See also:low-lying districts of the south the See also:harvest is nearly as See also:early as it is in the See also:rest of Scotland, but in the north it is often See also:late. The principal See also:wheat districts are Strathmore and the neighbourhood of Dundee and Arbroath; and the yield is well up to the best Scottish average. See also:Barley, an important See also:crop, has increased steadily. Oats, however, though still the leading crop, have somewhat declined. Potatoes are mostly grown near the seaboard in the higher ground; turnips also are largely raised. The northern belt, where it is not See also:waste See also:land, has been turned into See also:sheep walks and See also:deer forests.

The See also:

black-faced sheep are the most See also:common in the mountainous See also:country; See also:cross-bred sheep in the lowlands. Though it is their native county (where they date from 18o8), polled Angus are not reared so generally as in the neighbouring shire of Aberdeen, but shorthorns are a favourite stock and Irish See also:cattle are imported for See also:winter-feeding. Excepting in the vicinity of the towns there are no See also:dairy farms. Horses are raised success-fully, Clydesdales being the commonest breed, but the small native garrons are now little used. Pigs also are reared. See also:Save perhaps in the See also:case of the crofts, or very small holdings of less than to acres, See also:farm management is fully abreast of the times. Other See also:Industries.—The See also:staple industries are the jute and See also:flax manufactures. Their headquarters are in Dundee, but they flourish also at other places. See also:Shipbuilding is carried on at Dundee, Arbroath and Montrose. The manufactures of jams', See also:confectionery, See also:leather, machinery, See also:soap and chemicals, are all of great and growing value. Sandstone quarries employ many hands and the deep-sea See also:fisheries, of which Montrose is the centre, are of considerable importance. The netting of See also:salmon at the mouth of the North Esk is also a profitable pursuit.See also:touch with Montrose.

See also:

Population and See also:Government.—The population was 277,735 in 1891, and 284,083 in tgoi; when 1303 spoke Gaelic and See also:English, and 13 Gaelic only. The chief towns are Arbroath (pop. in toot, 22,398), See also:Brechin (8941), Broughty See also:Ferry (10,484), See also:Carnoustie (5204), Dundee (161,173), Forfar (11,307), See also:Kirriemuir (4096), Monifieth (21J4) and Montrose (12,427). Forfarshire returns one member See also:toy' See also:Parliament. It is a sheriffdom and there is a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute at Dundee and another at Forfar, the county See also:town, and' courts are held also at Arbroath. In addition to numerous See also:board See also:schools there are secondary schools at Dundee, Montrose, Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Kirriemuir, and technical schools at Dundee and Arbroath; Many of the elementary schools See also:earn grants for higher See also:education. The county See also:council and the Dundee and Arbroath town See also:councils expend the "See also:residue " See also:grant in subsidizing See also:science and See also:art and technical schools and classes, including University See also:College, the textile school, the technical See also:institute, the See also:navigation school, and the workshop schools at Dundee, the technical school at Arbroath, besides See also:cookery, dairy, See also:dress-cutting, See also:laundry, See also:plumbing and veterinary Science classes at different places. See also:History.—In the See also:time of the See also:Romans the country now known as Forfarshire was inhabited by Picts, of whose occupation there are evidences in remains of Weems, or underground houses. Traces of See also:Roman camps and See also:stone forts are common, and there are vitrified forts at Finhaven, Dumsturdy See also:Muir, the hill of See also:Laws neat Monifieth and at other points. Spearheads, See also:battle-axes, sepulchral deposits, Scandinavian See also:bronze pins, and other antiquarian relics testify to periods of See also:storm and stress before the land settled down into See also:order, towards which the See also:Church was a powerful contributor. In the earliest days strife was frequent. The battle in which See also:Agricola defeated See also:Galgacus is supposed to have occurred in the Forfarshire Grampians (A.D. 84); the Northumbrian See also:King Egfrith and the Pictish king Burde fought near Dunnichen in 685, the former being slain; conflicts with the Danes took place at Aberlemno and other spots; Elpin king of the Scots was defeated by Aengus in the See also:parish of Liff in 730; at Restennet, about 835, the Picts and Scots had a See also:bitter encounter.

In later times the principal See also:

historical events, whether of See also:peace or See also:war, were more immediately connected with burghs than with the county as a whole. There is• some doubt whether the county was named Angus, its title for several centuries, after a legendary Scottish See also:prince or from the hill of Angus to the east of the church of Aberlemno. It was early governed by hereditary earls and was made a hereditary sheriffdom by See also:David II. The first earl of Angus (by See also:charter of 1389) was See also:George See also:Douglas, an illegitimate son of the 1st earl of Douglas by See also:Margaret See also:Stuart, who was countess of Angus in her own right. On the See also:death of the 1st and only See also:duke of Douglas, who was also 13th earl of Angus, in 1761, the earldom merged in the dukedom of See also:Hamilton. Precisely when the shire became known by the name of the county town has not been ascertained, but probably the usage See also:dates from the 16th See also:century. Among old castles are the roofless square See also:tower of Red Castle at the mouth of the Lunen; the tower of the castle of Auchinleck; the stronghold of Inverquharity near Kirriemuir; the castle of Finhaven; the two towers of old Edzell Castle; the ruins of Melgund Castle, which are fairly See also:complete; the small castle of Newtyle, and the old square tower and gateway of the castle of Craig. See A. Jervise, Memorials of Angus and Mearns (See also:Edinburgh, 1895) ; Land of the Lindsays (Edinburgh, 1882) ; Epitaphs and See also:Inscriptions (Edinburgh, '1879) ; Earl of See also:Crawford, Lives of the Two railway companies serve the county. The North See also:British, entering from the south by the Tay Bridge, follows the coast north-eastwards, sending off at Montrose a branch to See also:Bervie, The Caledonian runs up Strathmore to Forfar, whence it diverges due east to See also:Guthrie, where it again resumes its north-easterly course to Dubton and Marykirk; it reaches Dundee from Perth by the See also:shore of the See also:estuary of the Tay, and sends branches from Dundee to Kirriemuir via Monikie and Forfar and to Alyth Junction via Newtyle, while a See also:short line from Dubton gives it Lindsays (See also:London, 1835) ; See also:Sir W. See also:Fraser, History of the Carnegies (Edinburgh, 1867); A. H.

See also:

Millar, Historical Castles and Mansions (See also:Paisley, 189o) ; G. See also:Hay, History of Arbroath (Arbroath, 1876) ; D. D. Black, History of Brechin (Edinburgh, 1867).

End of Article: FORFARSHIRE, or ANGUS

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