THE Parish of Banchory-Devenick is divided into two parts by the river Dee, one part lying in Aberdeenshire, and the other in Kincardineshire. The portion lying to the north of the river is the smaller, containing about 2374 acres. It is bounded on the north by the. parish of Newhills, and partly by Old Machar; on the east by Old Machar and the Burgh of Aberdeen ; on the south by the river Dee ; and on the west by the parish of Peterculter. It forms a strip about one mile in breadth, and four in length, and stretches both farther east and farther west than the part of the parish upon the opposite, or Kincardineshire, side. This portion of the parish contains the properties of Pitfodels, Cults, part of Murtle, and part of Countesswells.

The south or Kincardineshire portion is almost three times the size of the other, containing nearly 7000 acres. It is bounded on the north and on the south-east by water,—on the north by the river Dee, and on the south-east by the German ocean, where it has a coast line of about three miles. On the north-east it is bounded by the parish of Nigg, on the south by Fetteresso parish, and on the west by Fetteresso and Maryculter. The estates of this part are Banchory, Ardoe, with Findon and Portlethen on the coast, and Auchorthies in the south-west corner.

The word Banchory, according to the View of the Diocese of Aberdeen, signifies the white choir, or beautiful church. Some believe it was derived from the Gaelic, and means the hollow between two hills. Devenick was the name of the tutelar saint of the parish, sent north by Columba to Christianise the country.

As the larger portion of the parish, the Kincardineshire part is historically of the most importance, and as the estate named after the parish, the lands of Banchory occupy the first place.