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PRESBYTERY OF GARIOCH, SYNOD
OF ABERDEEN.
THE REV. ROBERT SIMPSON, MINISTER.
I.—Topography and Natural
History.
Name.—Kintore in Gaelic
signifies the head of the forest. Both the history of the district, and
its present appearance, supply many proofs that it was formerly almost
covered with wood. [A distinguished Gaelic scholar has given a different
derivation of the word. The origin of Kintore, he thinks, is Ceann Torr,
the head or end of the heap. If this be the source of the name, the best
explanation of it may perhaps be found in the circumstance, that by the
old road from Aberdeen, the town of Kintore lay at the termination of a
very steep and rugged track of many miles, and at the commencement of the
comparatively level district of Garioch.]
Extent, &c.—The parish,
including that portion of the old parish of Kinkell, which was annexed to
Kintore in 1760, extends from north to south about 6 miles, and its
greatest width is a little more than 3. It is bounded on the north and
east, by the river Don, which separates it from the parishes of Inverury,
Keithhall, and Fintray; on the south, by Kinellar and Skene; and on the
west, by Kemnay.
The surface is broken by
frequent inequalities; but there is no eminence of great elevation. The
beautifully wooded hill of Thainston is the highest ground in the parish,
its summit being upwards of 140 feet above the ordinary level of the Don
at Kintore, and about 280 feet above the medium level of the sea at
Aberdeen. The lands immediately on the banks of the river are flat, and
very liable to be inundated, which renders the crops on them extremely
precarious.
The immediate neighbourhood
of the burgh of Kintore is well sheltered, and for the most part enjoys a
very mild temperature. The most prevalent distemper here is low typhus
fever, which often attacks whole families in succession, but seldom proves
fatal. The exposed situations in the parish are cold and bleak.
Hydrography.—The river Don, when it passes Kintore, is a
considerable stream, its size being much increased by the waters of the
Ury, about two miles above the town. In this part of its course, it
flows so gently as almost to resemble a lake. It is scarcely visible
from the low grounds, except at some points very close on its banks; but
when viewed from more elevated situations at a greater distance, its
numerous windings form a pleasing object in the landscape. Were the
course of the Don straighted, which is said to be a thing quite
practicable, much new ground would be acquired, and that at present
under cultivation would be enhanced in value. But many obstacles stand
in the way of this improvement, and, among others, the law of entail.
The fisheries on the Don at Kintore were of considerable value forty or
even thirty years ago, but, owing to various causes, they are now of
little consequence. The pearls also which Arthur Johnston says enriched
our river in days of yore, have wholly disappeared in modern times.
Geology and Mineralogy.—No minerals of any particular interest or
value are found within the parish. Granite abounds here, as in all the
surrounding district, both loose on the surface, and in the condition of
rocks from which it is quarried, but not to any great extent at present.
The soils in the parish of Kintore are of various
kinds, but they may all be comprehended, without much inaccuracy, under
the following descriptions: 1. A thin light sandy mould, which prevails
in the higher situations, and has so little depth in many places, that
the solid rock occasionally protrudes above the surface; 2. a
considerable extent of peat moss, partly now brought into cultivation,
and partly still used to supply fuel; 3. a species of soil generally
situated between the two former kinds, and apparently partaking of the
qualities of both; it is deeper, however, than the first, and of a
firmer consistence than the second, and before being improved is full of
large rude blocks of granite, which are removed with great labour; 4.
the lands on the banks of the Don, which are manifestly of an alluvial
character, and chiefly composed of a deep rich loam. The grounds
immediately around the burgh are of this last description, they rest on
nearly horizontal beds of sand or gravel, and are particularly fertile.
From the town of Kintore, which stands in the vale of
the Don, near that point of the river where its course takes an easterly
direction towards Fintray, the lands of the parish rise considerably to
the north-west and south-west, but less to the south, so that their
aspect in general is southward or eastward. Besides the flat haughs,
however, there are several extensive hollows where the moss grounds
occur, around which the exposure is different.
Botany.—There are but a few plants, that can be
said to be rare, found in the parish. Of these the following may be
considered worthy of notice : the alternate leaved golden saxifrage,
Chrysoplenium alternifolium; the great water plantain, Alisma;
and restharrow, Ononis arvensis. Other rare plants growing
wild occur here, which are sometimes called native, though they seem to
be in reality outcasts from gardens.
The woods in the parish are very extensive; some of
which are full grown, and others but recently planted. On Lord Kintore's
property, a great deal of the uncultivated ground is now covered with
thriving plantations.
II. —Civil
History.
It is evident, from many circumstances, that Kintore
was formerly a place of some consequence. The original charter of the
burgh, tradition says, was given by Kenneth
II.
That, however, has long been lost; but one which bears
to be a confirmation of it by James V.
is said to be still extant. Kintore enjoys all the
privileges of a royal burgh. It has always had a regular magistracy; and
under the late Burgh Reform Act, its municipal constitution remains
unchanged.
Several of the small heritors hold their lands of the
Crown on very old deeds. One possession has continued in the same family
of the name of Hill ever since the days of Robert Bruce, from whom they
received their charter. Another family of the name of Smith still
possess a piece of ground which was given to one of their forefathers by
James V.
Eminent Men.—Many persons born in the parish of
Kintore have attained to the highest respectability in different spheres
of life, and have been eminently successful in commercial or
professional pursuits ; but the writer is not aware that any of them are
sufficiently distinguished, on public grounds, to merit particular
notice here. The celebrated Arthur Johnston, though not a native of the
parish, when very young, attended the school of Kintore. This
circumstance is beautifully adverted to in one of the lighter pieces of
that most elegant Latin poet. The same fact is also mentioned in the
Lives of Eminent Scotsmen. And surely his classical and general
acquirements were such as to reflect credit on the seminary in which
their foundation was laid.
"Jugera Kintorii si spectes, uber Eleusis,
Fertilis et dici Trinacris ora nequit.
Dona, Caledonios inter pulcherrimus amnes,
Hoc rigat, et pingui ditior unda solo est.
* * * * *
Hic ego sum, memini, Musarum factus alumnus
Et tiro didici verba Latina loqui
Carmine Masonio veteres tollantur Athensae
Urbs haec versiculis est eelebranda meis."
Poemata Varia—Kintorium.
Sir Andrew Mitchell, who acted with so much spirit
and ability as British Ambassador to the Court of Prussia, in the reign
of Frederick the Great, was proprietor of the lands of Thainston, and,
though not born in this parish, often resided on his estate within it.
Land-owners.—The two great proprietors of land in
the parish are the Earl of Kintore, and Duncan Forbes Mitchell, Esq. of
Thainston. But there are, besides, a few small heritors owning from two
to six acres each, in the vicinity of the town.
Parochial Registers.—The existing parochial
registers are not voluminous. They extend only to 1713, the date of
their earliest entry. For the last ninety years they have been kept with
the greatest apparent exactness and regularity.
Antiquities.—The Castle of Hall-Forest is the
only ancient building within the parish. It stands about a mile to the
west of the Aberdeen road, from which it may be seen at various points,
a little to the southward of Kintore. The date of its erection is
unknown. It is now in ruins, and presents a most impressive picture of
loneliness and decay. All that remains is a rectangular structure,
nearly square, and of considerable height, containing two very lofty
arched apartments, one above the other. The second arch is surmounted by
an area of some extent, full of rubbish, in which several shrubs are
shooting up amid long grass and weeds. Traces of much larger dimensions
are still discernible, though the plough has evidently made
encroachments on every side. At an early period, this castle was a
hunting-seat of the Scottish kings, who often resorted to it, in order
to enjoy the exercise and pleasures of the chase in the adjacent royal
forest. In later times, it became a residence of the Noble family of
Keith, having been granted, together with the surrounding domain, to
their illustrious ancestor, Robert de Keith, Great Marischal of
Scotland, after the battle of Inverury according to some, but according
to others, after that of Bannockburn, in which also he rendered
essential service to the cause of Bruce.("Hall
Forest, (a royal castle,) according to tradition, was built by King
Robert Bruce, for a hunting hall. It consisted of four stories, having
battlements, besides what is called a Capehouse, with a moveable ladder,
by which those who occasionally lodged in it entered to the first floor.
The Earl Marischal, having acquired a right to it from the crown,
presented it to his son the first Earl of Kintore."—Kennedy, Vol. ii. p.
323. )
The Rev. George Adams, in his Statistical Account of
this parish, mentions the remains of three stone circles between Kintore
and Inverury, and a fourth in another place. He notices, too," a
tradition that prevailed in his day of a
battle having been fought at Camiestane, near Thainston, where a general
or chief of the name of Camus or Cambus is said to have been slain and
buried. He also states that there was, in the same neighbourhood, a long
and apparently artificial hollow or trench, about eight feet deep,
called Bruce's How, in which it is probable that Robert Bruce, during
his stay in this district, had concealed a part of his army for some
particular object.
On the moor between Kintore and Kinellar, numerous
tumuli, of various sizes, occur—a circumstance which gives ground for
supposing that it had at some time been the scene of great carnage
either in battle or in flight; though no record or tradition now exists
on the subject. One of the larger of these barrows was opened many years
ago by Mr John Lumsden, then farmer in Bogheads. In removing the stones
for the purpose of building fences, there were found several pieces of a
black substance, very light, marked with dots of a different colour, and
perforated, as if with the view of their being strung together. And from
about the centre of the cairn, a stone-coffin was dug up, in or near
which were discovered an urn containing human hair, and a large ring
capable of admitting two or three fingers, and composed of a substance
resembling finely-veined marble. These relics, which seemed to all who
examined them to be of very high antiquity, were sent to the late Earl
of Buchan. Another cairn was more recently opened, and found to contain,
among some other things, a rude urn, which was put into the hands of Mr
Wilson, at that time proprietor of Glasgowego. On the east side of the
town of Kintore, near the Don, stands a mound of earth, to appearance
artificial, called the Castle Hill, which probably at first served the
purpose of a Law ; but, it is supposed, was afterwards used as a
watch-tower, where beacon-fires were lighted upon any sudden invasion of
the country, or other public alarm. And this last conjecture is the more
likely, because Kintore, in former times, was a place of very general
resort, being the point at which the great northern road by Aberdeen,
and the roads leading from some of the principal passes of the
Grampians, met.
The mansion-house of Thainston is the only private
modern building of any consideration in the parish. It is a handsome and
commodious family residence, in style and extent suitable to the
property. The situation is particularly interesting, and the view from
it very extensive.
III.—Population.
By the return made to Dr Webster, the number of
inhabitants in the parish of Kintore was 830. Immediately before the
annexation of a part of Kinkellin 1760, it was between 700 and 800, and
about 200 were added by that event. By the former Statistical Account,
it was 802.
Population in 1811, -
863
1821, - 1057
1831, - 1184
1841, - 1299
The number of inhabitants in the burgh is 462; in the
landward parish, 725; in the village of Port Elphinstone, 112. But in
the late Government census, this last section of the population of
Kintore is by mistake included in the parish of Inverury, owing to the
circumstance that Port Elphinstone falls within the extended
Parliamentary boundaries of that burgh.
There are no fewer than three fatuous or imbecile
persons in the parish, all paupers; and two others, a boy and girl, who
to appearance are simpletons, though not entirely incapable of
instruction ; these also are supported from the parochial funds. At
present, there is but one insane person connected with Kintore, and he
is kept in the Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum at the charge of his friends.
In the customs and recreations of the people of this
place there is nothing peculiar. These are the same as in the
surrounding district. It appears, however, that, in ancient times,
Kintore was the scene of a higher order of amusements, and boasted of a
racecourse. On this subject Arthur Johnston has the following lines:
Hic locus hippodromi est, populo spectante quotannis,
Hic alacres pubis Scotica versat equos,
Hic fugit, hic sequitur; victori praemia cedunt,
Quae palmas superant, Elidis ora! tuas.
IV. —Industry.
Agricultural Condition of the Parish of Kintore.—
Cultivated lands, (imperial measure), 3408 acres.
Waste or in pasture permanently, 2477½
Susceptible of cultivation, at present waste,
652½
Underwood, 1892
Total number of acres, (imperial measure),
8430
Scotch firs, larches, and spruce firs are the only
trees found in any quantity within the parish, except on the estate of
Thainston, where (if put together) there may be a few acres of
hard-wood. The firs are regularly thinned out, and their lower or dead
branches pruned off. The hard-wood is pruned on the foreshortening
system. For some years back, Lord Kintore has inclosed and
planted upwards of 250 acres annually in this parish. The planting is
done by contract with a nurseryman from Aberdeen, at the rate of about
10s. 10d. per acre. The planter is taken bound to fill up the ground
regularly for three years. And great care is at the same time taken to
cut down any broom or whins that might endanger the growth of the
plants.
The average rent of arable land in the parish is L.
1, 1s. 11¾d. per acre.
A few grass fields are let annually by public roup;
and on an average each full-grown ox or cow put on them may cost for the
season L.2, 2s. No sheep are summer-pastured in the parish. In winter,
in former years, there have sometimes been upwards of 2000 sheep brought
to the Kintore moors; but this practice is nearly at an end, in
consequence of the extensive planting now going on.
There are very few sheep kept by the farmers in the
parish. The larger cattle are mostly of the Aberdeenshire breed. Much
attention is paid to have them of a good figure, and free from horns.
The system of husbandry is nearly the same with that which is in general
practice throughout the country. The leases generally bind the tenants
to a seventh course shift; but the rotation of five shifts is followed
on the better soils.
During the last thirty years, 300 acres at least have
been thoroughly improved, by trenching, draining, and enclosing,
entirely by the tenants. Of late, Lord Kintore has trenched a good deal
of moorland ground, and let it in small crofts at a very low rate. In
such cases the tenant builds the houses, and the landlord affords the
wood. His Lordship also trenches ground to his tenants who already hold
land, on condition of their paying the interest of the outlay; or the
amount is sometimes divided into equal portions, according to the
remaining years of the lease, and added by such instalments to the old
rent. There are several embankments on the river Don. The principal one
is that which was erected by Mr Forbes Mitchell of Thainston, after the
great flood in 1829.
The whole parish, except the small possessions within
the burgh, being held under entail, the leases are seldom for more than
nineteen years; and they are drawn up with reference to the rules and
regulations of the different estates. The tenant is allowed meliorations
for houses and dikes to the extent of from one to two years rent. The
rent is all payable in money at Whitsunday and Martinmas. But Lord
Kintore has now altered the terms to Candlemas and Lammas, which his
tenants justly consider as a very great favour. The occupiers of his
Lordship's lands seldom or never remove; for when the leases are within
about two years of the expiry, a competent valuator surveys the farms,
with instructions to value them on the liberal principle,—"Live and let
live;" and at this valuation the tenant may continue to hold his farm.
The farm-buildings have been much improved of late.
The dwelling-houses, in many cases, are slated, and a few of the
steadings also. They must all be built of stone and lime, and on an
approved plan, before meliorations can be obtained. Happily the bothy
system is almost unknown here. The farm servants, though their sleeping
accommodation is often separate, generally have their victuals provided
in the farm-house. An intimate and kindly intercourse is thus promoted
between master and servant, which has for the most part a very salutary
effect.
The extensive planting which has, for some time, been
going on is deservedly considered to be a great improvement. Much of the
waste land, indeed, is better adapted for that purpose than for
cultivation, on account of the immense quantities of large stones on or
near the surface of the soil. Considerable progress has also recently
been made in bringing new land into cultivation. One of Lord Kintore's
tenants, Mr Abel of Auquherton, has improved, within the last thirty
years, upwards of 120 acres, for part of which he had the honour to
receive the Highland Society's medal. On the farm of Crichie, several
fields have lately been dried by furrow draining. The materials used
were granite broken to a proper size, and filled in to a considerable
depth. The result of this expensive but effectual mode of improvement
has been very satisfactory.
The straighting of the Don, followed up with proper
excambions, it is thought, would add considerably to the value of both
the great properties in the parish. It has been calculated that a new
cut of 528 yards would shorten its course 2280 yards, and reclaim 21¼
acres of land, which might soon be made of fine quality.
Produce.—The average amount of raw produce raised
in the parish, as nearly as can be ascertained, is as follows:
(The above statement was kindly furnished by
Mr Tait, farmer at Crichie, in this parish.)
V. —Parochial Economy.
There are several very good shops in the burgh of
Kintore, which supply the neighbourhood with all commodities for common
use ; but Aberdeen being distant only twelve miles, and the means of
conveyance numerous, almost every article of merchandise of a superior
description is purchased there.
The post-office here is that of longest standing in
the district of Garioch. The great northern road runs along the whole
length of the parish, namely six miles, and a branch of it extends to
the west, a distance of three miles towards Kemnay, and ultimately joins
the Alford turnpike. Three stage-coaches, besides the Royal Mail, pass
twice through Kintore daily.
The Aberdeenshire canal terminates at Port
Elphinstone in the parish of Kintore. This is a work of great
importance. It has proved extremely beneficial to a large and populous
tract of country. When originally constructed it was only 17 feet wide
and 3 feet deep; but these dimensions have since been enlarged, and it
is now from 21 to 23 feet in width, and about 3f feet in depth. Its
length from the harbour of Aberdeen to Port Elphinstone is 18¼
miles, of which about a third part lies within this parish. It was
opened in 1807. The expense of its construction and subsequent
enlargement amounted to nearly L. 50,000. And though it has
unquestionably accelerated improvement very much in this quarter, the
shareholders receive but a low rate of interest as yet on the money
expended. The trade on the canal, however, is steadily increasing. The
tide-lock, an important addition, was completed in 1834. There is a
small wharf at the town of Kin-tore, as well as at the canal head.
At Port Elphinstone there are mills, on a very
extensive scale, for grinding all sorts of grain ; and the enterprising
proprietor of these works, Mr Tait of Crichie, sends the meal there
manufactured to all parts of the kingdom. There are also in that village
two saw-mills, one driven by steam and the other by water power. Since
the last census of the parish of Kin-tore, there has been a great
increase of the population at Port Elphinstone; and as the trade on the
canal is daily extending, of which it forms the principal depot, it is
likely to become more and more a place of general resort. Besides the
mills already alluded to, it contains several large granaries, some
wood-yards, and numerous storehouses for lime, coals, bone manure, and
various other commodities, conveyed to or from Aberdeen by the barges.
(Note of Articles
transported upon the Canal, season 1841. —Hay, ¾
tons; whisky, 3§; calves, sheep, and pigs, 37¼.;
lime, 4153 ; coals, 5279; oats and bear, 5717¼;
sand, 8; meal, 1087¾ ; flour, 66; potatoes and
turnips, 53; salt, 60; goods, 22¼; slates, 8½;
stones, 1042; bricks and tiles, 95¼; metal, 69¼;
wood, &28| ; bark, 63½; dung, 616¼;
bones, 1429½.)
Ecclesiastical State.—The parish church stands in
the town of Kin tore. It occupies a centrical situation in reference to
the population, but not in reference to the extent of the parish, being
very near the boundary towards Keithhall and Fintray. The most distant
parts, however, are not more than four miles from it. The church was
built in 1819, and is at present in excellent repair. It affords
sufficient accommodation for 700 people. It is quite large enough for
the parish as yet, and, on the whole, convenient; though the plan may be
exceptionable in some respects, and particularly in the arrangement for
dispensing the communion. All the sittings are appropriated. The country
parishioners are amply provided for, but the inhabitants of the town
have too limited a number assigned them.
The manse was built in 1784, and repaired in 1835-6;
new offices were erected the previous year. The glebe consists of two
separate pieces of ground. That portion adjacent to the manse measures 6
acres, and the soil being good, it might be let for L.3 per acre. The
other part, containing nearly 2 acres, lies at a considerable distance,
and is of an inferior quality. The stipend is 112 bolls of meal, 33
bolls of barley, and L. 87, 9s. 10d. in money, which includes the
allowance for communion elements. The teinds are exhausted.
There are seven families of Protestant Dissenters in
the parish, and one family of Roman Catholics, comprising in all about
thirty-six persons. The rest of the population adhere to the Church of
Scotland. The average number of communicants may be stated at 560. On
the last sacramental occasion the number was 600. There is a parochial
Association for religious purposes. The funds, amounting to L.12 or L.14
yearly, are chiefly devoted to the support of the General Assembly's
Schemes; but some portion of the annual contributions is always given in
aid of other missionary objects.
The two Sabbath schools in the parish are numerously
attended. One of them is taught in the church by the minister and four
assistants, the other in the Port Elphinstone school, by the teacher of
that seminary, and a well qualified young man, who assists him, and
occasionally supplies his place. About 150 children are usually in
attendance at these two schools. The Sabbath school library contains 200
volumes.
Education.—In the parish school all the ordinary
branches are taught. There are also classes for English grammar,
geography, and Latin. The Scriptures are daily read. The present
schoolmaster has been in office since 1836. His salary is L. 30. He has
a dwelling house, but no garden is provided by the heritors. There is a
good female school in the town of Kintore. About two years ago,
Government aid was obtained for the erection of a school at Port
Elphinstone. This is now a very thriving school, but has no endowment as
yet. The number of children attending all these seminaries is upwards of
200.
A legacy of L. 260 has just been left by the late Mr
John Bu-chan of Aberdeen, a native of Kintore, for educational purposes.
The benevolent donor appoints that L.200 of this sum shall be laid out
at interest, and that the annual produce thereof shall form an endowment
to a school to be founded in the west end of this parish where it is
much wanted.
In the town of Kintore there is a subscription
circulating library. Among the young here, a taste for reading is very
generally diffused.
Poor and Parochial Funds.— The number of ordinary
poor in this parish has considerably increased of late years. But the
parochial resources, supplemented as these have always been by the
liberal yearly donations of the Earl of Kintore, would still have been
amply sufficient, notwithstanding the increase of paupers, to afford the
means of relief to all common cases of poverty from old age or adverse
dispensations of providence. The cause which has chiefly operated to
augment the disbursements of the kirk-session, has been the heavy
charges of regular board, unavoidably incurred by recent circumstances.
The cases here referred to are those of orphans, deserted children, and
imbeciles. Most of these cases, of which there are six, have arisen
within a few years. The number of ordinary pensioners on the roll is 40.
Paupers of this class, embracing the aged and infirm, receive a very
inadequate provision. Occasional supplies are given besides to families
and individuals under temporary pressure from sickness or accidents. The
yearly expenditure at present may be thus stated:
To meet these charges the kirk-session derives
revenue from the following sources:
Such being the unfavourable state of the poor's funds
of this parish, the kirk-session felt it to be their duty to draw up a
report of the same on the 16th of March last, which report or statement
was given in to the agents of the heritors.
Lord Kintore's annual donation of L.25 is distributed
separately among about seventy objects of charity, including all persons
on the ordinary roll, and a great number of indigent families and
individuals besides.
Davidson's mortification, amounting to L. 9 a year,
under the management of the magistrates and minister, is restricted to
the poor of the burgh.
Savings Bank.—In 1837, a National Security
Savings Bank was established in Kintore. This institution has proved
remarkably successful. It appears from the last annual statement, dated
20th November 1841, that the number of depositors was upwards of 300,
and the amount of deposits above L. 4000.
Revised 12th May 1842. |
