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KINCARDINESHIRE, or THE MEARNS

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 802 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KINCARDINESHIRE, or THE MEARNS , an eastern See also:county of See also:Scotland, bounded E. by the See also:North See also:Sea, S. and S.W. by See also:Forfarshire, and N.W. and N. by See also:Aberdeenshire. See also:Area, 243,974 acres, or 381 sq. m. In the See also:west and north-west the See also:Grampians are the predominant feature. The highest of their peaks is See also:Mount Battock (2555 ft.), where the counties of See also:Aberdeen, See also:Forfar and Kincardine meet, but there are a See also:score of hills exceeding 1500 ft. in height. In the extreme north, on the confines of Aberdeenshire, the See also:Hill of Fare, famous for its See also:sheep walks, attains an See also:altitude of 1545 ft. In the north the county slopes from the Grampians to the picturesque and finely-wooded valley of the See also:Dee, and in the See also:south it falls to the See also:Howe (Hollow) of the Mearns, which is a continuation north-eastwards of Strathmore. The See also:principal See also:rivers are See also:Bervie See also:Water (20 M. See also:long), flowing south-eastwards to the North Sea; the Water of Feugh (20 m.) taking a north-easterly direction and falling into the Dee at Banchory, and forming near its mouth a beautiful cascade; the Dye (15 m.) rising in Mount Battock and ending its course in the Feugh; See also:Luther Water (14 m.) springing not far from the See also:castle of Drumtochty and meandering pleasantly to its junction with the North Esk; the Cowie (13 M.) and the Carron (82 m.) entering the sea at See also:Stonehaven. The Dee and North Esk serve as boundary streams during See also:part of their course, the one of Aberdeenshire, the other of Forfarshire. See also:Loch Loirston, in the See also:parish of Nigg, and Loch Lumgair, in Dunnottar parish, both small, are the only lakes in the See also:shire. Of the glens Glen Dye in the north centre of the county is remarkable for its beauty, and the small Den Fenella, to the south-See also:east of Laurencekirk, contains a picturesque See also:waterfall. Its name perpetuates the memory of Fenella, daughter of a thane of See also:Angus, who was slain here after betraying See also:Kenneth II. to his enemies, who (according to See also:local tradition) made away with him in Kincardine Castle. Excepting in the vicinity of St See also:Cyrus, the See also:coast from below Johnshaven to See also:Girdle Ness presents a bold front of rugged cliffs, with an See also:average height of from 100 to 250 ft., interrupted only by occasional creeks and bays, as at Johnshaven, Gourdon, Bervie, Stonehaven, Portlethen, Findon, See also:Cove and Nigg.

See also:

Geology.—The See also:great See also:fault which traverses Scotland from See also:shore to shore passes through this county from Craigeven See also:Bay, about a mile north of Stonehaven, by Fenella Hill to Edzell. On the See also:northern See also:side of this See also:line are the old crystalline See also:schists of the See also:Dalradian See also:group; on the See also:southern side Old Red See also:Sandstone occupies all the remaining space. See also:Good exposures of the schists are seen, repeatedly folded, in the cliffs between Aberdeen and Stonehaven. They consist of a See also:lower See also:series of greenish slates and a higher, more micaceous and schistose series with grits; bands of See also:limestone occur in these rocks near Bunchory. Besides the numerous See also:minor flexures the schists are See also:bent into a broad synclinal See also:fold which crosses the county, its See also:axis lying in a south-See also:westerly-north-easterly direction. Rising through the schists are several See also:granite masses, the largest being that forming the high ground around Mt Battock; south of the Dee are several smaller masses, some of which have been extensively quarried. The lower part of the Old Red Sandstone consists of flags, red See also:sand-stones and See also:purple See also:clays in great thickness; these are followed by coarse conglomerates, well seen in the cliff at Dunnottar Castle, with ashy grits and some thin sheets of See also:diabase. The diabase forms the Bruxie and See also:Leys Hills and some minor elevations. Above the volcanic series more red sandstones, conglomerates and marls appear. The Old Red Sandstone is folded synclinally in a direction continuing the vale of Strathmore; south of this is an anticline, as may be seen on the coast between St Cyrus and Kinneff. Glacial striae on the higher ground and debris on the lower ground show that the direction taken by the See also:ice flow was south-eastward on the hills but xv. 26as the shore was approached it gradually took on an easterly and finally a northerly direction.

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Climate and See also:Agriculture.—The climate is healthy, but often See also:cold, owing to the exposure to east winds. The average temperature for the See also:year is 45° F., for See also:July 58°, and for See also:January 37°. The average See also:annual rainfall is 34 in. Much of the Grampian territory is occupied by See also:grouse See also:moors, but the See also:land by the Dee, in the Howe and along the coast, is scientifically farmed and yields well. The See also:soil of the Howe is richer and stronger than that in the Dee valley, but the most fertile region is along the coast, where the soil is generally deep See also:loam resting on See also:clay, although in some places it is poor and thin, or stiff and cold. Oats are the principal See also:crop, See also:wheat is not largely grown, but the demands of the distillers maintain a very considerable See also:acre-See also:age under See also:barley. Rather more than one-tenth of the See also:total area is under See also:wood. Turnips See also:form the See also:main See also:green crop, but potatoes are extensively raised. A little more than See also:half the holdings consist of 5o acres and under. Great See also:attention is paid to livestock. See also:Short-horns are the most See also:common breed, but the principal See also:home-bred stock is a See also:cross between shorthorned and polled, though there are many valuable herds of pure polled. See also:Cattle-feeding is carried on according to the most advanced methods.

Blackfaced sheep are chiefly kept on the hill runs, Cheviots or a cross with Leicesters being usually found on the See also:

lowland farms. Most of the horses are employed in connexion with the cultivation of the soil, but several good strains, including Clydesdales, are retained for stock purposes. Pigs are also reared in considerable See also:numbers. Other See also:Industries.—Apart from agriculture, the principal See also:industry is the fishing, of which Stonehaven is the centre. The coast being dangerous and the harbours difficult in rough See also:weather, the fishermen often run great risks. The See also:village of Findon (pron. Finnan) has given its name to the well-known smoked haddocks, which were first cured in this way at that See also:hamlet. The See also:salmon See also:fisheries of the sea and the rivers yield a substantial annual return. Manufactures are of little more than local importance. Woollens are made at Stonehaven, and at Bervie, Laurencekirk and a few other places See also:flax-See also:spinning and See also:weaving are carried on. There are also some distilleries, breweries and tanneries. Stonehaven, Gourdon and Johnshaven are the See also:chief ports for seaborne See also:trade.

The Deeside railway runs through the portion of the' county on the northern See also:

bank of the Dee. The Caledonian and North See also:British See also:railways run to Aberdeen via Laurencekirk to Stonehaven, using the same metals, and there is a See also:branch line of the .N.B.R. from See also:Montrose to Bervie. There are also coaches between Blairs and Aberdeen, Bervie and Stonehaven, See also:Fettercairn and Edzell, Banchory and Birse, and other points. See also:Population and See also:Government.—The population was 35,492 in 1891, and 40,923 in 1901, when 103 persons spoke Gaelic and See also:English. The chief See also:town is Stonehaven (pop. in 19o1, 4577) with Laurencekirk (1512) and Banchory (1475), but part of the See also:city of Aberdeen, with a population of 9386, is within the county. The county returns one member to See also:parliament, and Bervie, the only royal See also:burgh, belongs to the Montrose group of See also:parliamentary burghs. Kincardine is See also:united in one sheriffdom with the shires of Aberdeen and See also:Banff, and one of the Aberdeen sheriffs-substitute sits at Stonehaven. The county is under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction. The See also:academy at Stonehaven and a few of the public See also:schools See also:earn grants for higher See also:education. The county See also:council hands over the " See also:residue " See also:grant to the county secondary education See also:committee, which expends it in technical education grants. At Blairs, in the north-east of the shire near the Dee, is a See also:Roman See also:Catholic See also:college for the training of See also:young men for the priesthood. See also:History.—The See also:annals of Kincardineshire as a whole are almost See also:blank.

The county belonged of old to the See also:

district of Pictavia and apparently was overrun for a brief See also:period by the See also:Romans. In the parish of Fetteresso are the remains of the See also:camp of Raedykes, in which, according to tradition, the Caledonians under See also:Galgacus were lodged before their See also:battle with See also:Agricola. It is also alleged that in the same district See also:Malcolm I. was killed (954) whilst endeavouring to reduce the unruly tribes of this region. Mearns, the alternative name for the county, is believed to have been derived from Mernia, a Scottish See also:king, to whom the land was granted, and whose See also:brother, Angus, had obtained the adjoining shire of Forfar. The antiquities consist mostly of See also:stone circles, See also:cairns, tumuli, See also:standing stones and a structure in the parish of Dunnottar vaguely known as a " Picts' See also:kiln." By an extraordinary reversion of See also:fortune the town which gave the shire its name has practically vanished. It stood about 2 M. N.E. of Fettercairn, and by the end of the 16th See also:century had declined to a See also:mere hamlet, being represented now only by II the ruins of the royal castle and an See also:ancient See also:burial-ground. The Bruces, earls of See also:Elgin, also See also:bear the See also:title of See also:earl of Kincardine. See A. Jervise, History and Traditions of the Lands of the Lindsays (1853), History and Antiquities of the Mearns (1858), Memorials of Angus and the Mearns (1861); J. See also:Anderson, The See also:Black See also:Book of Kincardineshire (Stonehaven, 1879) ; C. A.

Mollyson, The Parish of Fordoun (Aberdeen, 1893) ; A. C. See also:

Cameron, The History of Fettercairn (See also:Paisley, 1899).

End of Article: KINCARDINESHIRE, or THE MEARNS

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