PRESBYTERY OF TURRIFF, SYNOD OF ABERDEEN.
THE REV. HUGH GORDON, MINISTER.
I.—Topography and Natural History.
Name. —The name Monquhitter signifies the
place for ensnaring the deer, and was derived from the farm on which
the church was originally built.
Extent, &c.—From east to west, the parish extends
about 8 miles, and from south to north, about 10˝
miles. It is bounded on the east, by the parish of New Deer; on the
north, by King-Edward ; on the west, by Turriff and Fyvie; and on the
south, by Fyvie and Methlick. The surface is generally of an undulating
and monotonous character. The hills present a bleak and barren
appearance. Nevertheless, they are of much value in their present state,
from the great abundance of excellent peat fuel which they supply to the
neighbourhood, and more especially, as the nearest sea-port, Macduff,
from which coals can be procured, is, from some parts of the parish,
upwards of twenty miles, and, upon an average, fifteen miles distant.
It is much to be regretted that so little has been
done in this district, of the country in the way of planting. There are
numberless spots which would appear to be particularly adapted for the
growth of wood, and which are of little value for cultivation, where not
a tree has been planted.
As there is a great extent of mossy and swampy ground
in this parish and neighbourhood, it might have been expected that the
atmosphere would have been much impregnated with damp, and consequently
insalubrious; but, on the contrary, the air of Monquhitter is pure and
healthful, and unquestionably the climate has been greatly ameliorated
by the agricultural improvements which have taken place within the last
forty or fifty years.
A species of scarlet fever, accompanied with violent
sore throat, has much inflicted this and some of the neighbouring
parishes, and has been known, at times, to carry off two, three, and
even four in a family in the course of a few days.
Hydrography.— Monquhitter is watered by two small
rivers, which receive the tribute of numberless and copious springs. The
one of these, called the water of Assleed, runs in a southerly
direction, separates Monquhitter from the parishes of New Deer and
Methlick, and discharges itself into the river Ythan. The other, called
the Water of Idoch, gives its name to the vale of Idoch. It passes
within a short distance of the parish church and the village of
Cuminestown, and runs in a westerly direction to the parish of Turriff,
where it assumes the name of Dara, and falls into the river Doveron, at
the village of Turriff. These streams still abound with delicious small
trout of the common kind, and, although by no means so plentiful as in
former times, in consequence of the extensive use of lime in
agricultural operations, they still afford excellent sport to the
angler,—the banks being in all places open and accessible.
Geology and Mineralogy.—Below a stratum of pebbly
clay, extensive quarries of red sandstone lie in the direction of a
plane, much inclined from east to west. This stone, though much
impregnated with iron ore, may be raised in large masses, and is used in
building. As the greater part of it is of a soft and spongy description,
liable to decay, and moulders down from exposure to the weather, it is
not calculated either for comfort or durability in the erection of
dwelling-houses.
Soil—The two soils which chiefly prevail in the
cultivated parts of Monquhitter are, the one, a reddish loam, the other,
a deep black mould. They both rest on a stratum of pebbly clay, and, in
the lower grounds, produce very luxuriant crops of oats. In former
times, the crops throughout the parish seldom arrived at
maturity, from the wetness of the soil, and the consequent damp and
chill of the climate; but, by a system of judicious draining, for which
the inclination of the surface affords great facilities, both the soil
and climate have been greatly improved; and the consequence is, that our
harvests are now but little behind those of our southern neighbours, and
the grain little inferior in quality to theirs. There are also large
tracts of moss in the parish, which are valuable for the supply of fuel
which they yield. The peats generally are of a very superior quality,
being of a deep black colour, and close in the texture, and, when
properly dried, are little inferior to the finest description of Scotch
coals. The greater part of the parish seems, at one time, to have been
covered with heath, and, even yet, the cultivated land has a great
tendency to return to heath, which is only kept down by a regular
rotation of cropping. Under these circumstances, the land can never be
allowed to remain sufficiently long in grass to afford very rich
pasturage, which, in every situation, requires a series of years, as
well as kindly soil for its production. Lands that have been long in
cultivation are shy in retaining artificial grasses, while those which
have recently been brought under the plough, after a proper application
of lime, produce rich crops of rye-grass and clover, and retain the sown
clover for two or three years, whereas, in land of a much richer
quality, but which has been long in tillage, red clover seldom keeps the
soil more than one year.
Forests and Plantations.—There are no trees of
any great age to be found, and the only plantations worthy of particular
notice, are those in the immediate neighbourhood of the mansion-house of
Auchry. These were put down by the late Joseph Cumine, of Auchry, about
the middle of last century, and consist of ash, oak, larch, elm, plane,
lime, Scotch and spruce firs, all of which thrive remarkably well, when
planted in anything like good soil. All the hardier kinds of forest
trees seem to thrive well, but particularly the fir species ; Scotch and
spruce firs and larches chiefly prevail, grow to a large size, and are
excellent timber. In low and damp situations, the spruce fir grows with
great rapidity, but the timber of this species is difficult to work, and
by no means so valuable. Mr Lumsden, the present proprietor of Auchry,
is at great pains in keeping his woods, both by thinning and pruning
those that are advanced, and trenching and digging in the young
plantations, which tends greatly to promote their growth.
II-
—-Civil History.
The parish of Monquhitter was disjoined from that of
Turriff in 1649, and Mr William Johnstone, the first Presbyterian
minister after the Revolution settlement, was ordained to Monquhitter on
the 15th November 1727. Till about that period, this district was one of
the strongholds of Episcopacy in Scotland. It is true, that, some time
previous to this, Presbyterianism had again become the established form
of worship in Scotland, but wherever Episcopal ministers, holding cures,
were peaceably disposed, they were allowed to retain their emoluments
during their lifetime, which was the case in this parish. Mr Adam Hay,
the last Episcopal minister of Monquhitter, has left a substantial
memorial of the kindly spirit which existed between him and the people
of his time, in a pair of silver communion cups, and a mortification of
200 merks, (L.11, 2s. 2d. Sterling,) on his lands of Assleed, the
proceeds of which to be applied to any poor persons residing on these
lands.
Parochial Registers. — The parochial registers
commence in 1670 for baptisms, and in 1693 for marriages, and, with the
exception of one or two chasms, have been kept regularly down to the
present time.
III.—Population.
In 1755, the return to Dr Webster, from this parish,
gave 997 inhabitants. In 1757, the number of souls fell short of 800,
but since that time population has greatly increased, partly by the
practice of dividing large farms to accommodate small tenants, and
partly by the reclaiming of waste land, but principally by the
establishment of Cuminestown village, in 1763, and afterwards of the
village of Garmond. The population of these villages ill 1836 amounted
to 715, and the country population to 1380, making a total of 2095. By
the census of 1841, the population amounts to 2074.
Character of the People.—The great proportion of
the people are industrious in their habits; and although the labouring
population enjoy but very limited means of subsistence, yet they are
distinguished by a spirit of independence, and are generally desirous of
supporting themselves and their families by their own industry; and even
the poorest are anxious to secure for their children the advantages of
education.
IV.
—Industry.
Agriculture.—Within the last thirty or forty
years, a vast addition has been made to the extent of cultivation,
although a considerable portion of the land still remains in a waste and
uncultivated state. On some properties, by judicious draining, liming,
&c. the number of acres under cultivation might be greatly added to,
both with improvement to the climate, and profit to the proprietor. The
average rent of arable land per acre is from 10s. to L.l; but some in
the neighbourhood of the villages is let as high as L.2, 2s. per acre.
In good pasture, the average rate for the grazing of an ox or cow is
from L.1, 10s. to L.2 for the summer season.
Live-stock.—The breeds of sheep most prevalent
are Leicester, south-down, and black-faced, but little attention,
however, is now paid to breeding and rearing of sheep in this parish,
except by Mr Lumsden of Auchry, who is one of the most spirited and
intelligent agricultural improvers in this part of the country.
Attempts have been made to introduce various foreign
breeds of cattle, such as the Teeswater and Galloway; but it has
generally been found that, from the climate, the want of shelter, and
the inferiority of pasture, they have degenerated; and many of the
intelligent farmers prefer the native Buchan breed to all others.
The style of husbandry pursued is fully equal to that
in any part of Scotland. Not only the larger farmers, but even the
smallest crofters, adhere to a regular rotation of cropping, and bestow
great-pains in tilling and cleaning their ground. Nothing has afforded
such facilities for, and given such an impulse to, the reclaiming of
waste land, as the introduction of bone manure, which is very
extensively used by every farmer. But another stimulus has been given to
agricultural improvement by the system lately introduced, of
transporting fat cattle by sea to London; from which the farmer
has the profit both of breeding and of feeding, besides the
advantage of securing a much greater quantity of manure for his farm.
The beef of our cattle is very highly esteemed, and generally brings a
superior price in the London market.
The horses in this parish and district, though not of
a large size, are well built, and of a very hardy description ; and as
the farmers are generally careful, both as to their feeding, and the
timing of their work, they can bear great fatigue. They
seem to par-take somewhat of the old
Galloway, which, perhaps, for all useful purposes, was the finest breed
of horses ever known in Britain.
The leases of farms generally extend to, and seldom
exceed the term of, nineteen years. As the farms are generally small,
with few exceptions exceeding two or four horse labour, the
farm-buildings, which are mostly thatched with straw or heather, are not
large, but commodious, and well adapted to the extent of the farms.
Till within the last few years, and for several
generations past, the Cumines of Auchry were the principal proprietors
in the parish of Monquhitter, and were much and deservedly esteemed for
their public spirit and private benevolence, About the middle of the
last century, the late Joseph Cumine of Auchry was distinguished, not
only in this district, but throughout the whole of the north of
Scotland, for the stimulus which he gave to agricultural improvements.
When he assumed the management of his estate in 1739, it was principally
covered with heath, and yielded only L. 150 Sterling of rent. He laid
out extensive plantations around his own house, subdivided his farm into
ornamental enclosures, introduced a superior breed of cattle, founded
the village of Cuminestown, in the immediate vicinity of the church,
and, in connexion with some neighbouring gentlemen, established in this
village a linen manufacture, which has been kept up ever since. By the
judicious management of his property, he left it to his heirs, yielding
an annual revenue of more than L.600 per annum. The rental of it was
upwards of L. 2500 per annum in 1830, when it was divided into lots, and
disposed of by his son, the late Archibald Cumine, Esq. James Lumsden,
Esq. who was the purchaser of the principal part of the property, and
who is the only resident heritor of any extent in the parish, has been
doing much, and setting a laudable example in the way of improvement, He
is draining and trenching to a great extent, and by planting, hedging,
and fencing, is not only beautifying his
estate, but affording employment to a great number of labourers. He has
introduced several agricultural implements of a new and improved
description; he has also secured a daily post, and, by his persevering
exertions and his great liberality, in conjunction with several other
proprietors, a turnpike road through the village of Cuminestown is about
to be commenced, which, when completed, will afford great facilities to
farther agricultural improvements, and will form the nearest route
between Banff and Aberdeen. [From some
misunderstanding the projected turnpike road has not been proceed-ed
with, whilst the roads in the parish are in the most wretched condition.]
But still the want of other resident heritors of influence and public
spirit is severely felt, and stands much in the way of improvement on
other properties.
In the letting of farms, it is usual for the tenant,
at the commencement of his lease, to pay to the proprietor or to the
out-going tenant, the amount of the valuation put upon the
farm-buildings, receiving in the same way value for the houses at the
end of the lease. This system, although it affords an additional
security to the landlord, (it being generally covenanted, that if the
tenant fail to implement his lease, he shall receive nothing in the way
of meliorations), yet, is in many cases, a great obstacle to
improvement. For many a judicious and industrious tenant possessing,
perhaps, but a limited capital, and being obliged to sink the half of it
upon farm houses during the currency of his lease, is thus disabled from
making improvements, which would not only yield a good return to
himself, but ultimately also prove beneficial to the proprietor.
Till within the last few years, much employment was
afforded to females in the spinning of flax and knitting of stockings,
by which they were enabled to earn a comfortable livelihood. But the
former source of industry is now almost completely dried up, the
manufacturers finding that they can import spun flax at a much cheaper
rate from Germany and Holland than they can get the work done at home.
Upwards of 100 individuals till lately were employed in the weaving of
cotton and linen cloth ; these were paid by the piece, and, if
industrious, gained from 8s. to I2s. per week. About L.30 was paid out
weekly for this branch of industry.
V.—Parochial Economy.
Market-Towns, &c.—There is no market-towu in the
parish. Periodical cattle-markets are held at the village of Turriff,
distant six miles from the church of Monquhitter. Macduff and Banff are
the nearest sea-ports for the exportation of grain, whence all the lime
and coal used here are driven. They are distant about fourteen or
fifteen miles from the church. There are few parishes in this district
of the country which have been worse provided than this with roads.
Ecclesiastical State—The parish church is
conveniently placed for the greater part of the population, being close
to the village of Cuminestown, and not more than a mile from the village
of Gar-mond. It is situated upwards of seven miles from the most distant
part of the parish; but since the erection of the chapel of ease of
Millbrex, in the parish of Fyvie, which was built in 1833 for the
accommodation of remote districts of Monquhitter and Fyvie, there are
few houses more than three miles distant from one or other of these
places of worship. The minister of the chapel of ease is ordained, and
is paid partly by an annual grant from the royal bounty, and partly from
the seat rents of the chapel. He has also an extensive glebe, which is
given rent free by the Earl of Aberdeen, on whose property the chapel is
situated, and who not only affords this liberal accommodation, but also
subscribed L.100 toward the erection of the chapel. In 1835, a
comfortable manse and offices were also erected; and the whole of the
funds needed for the building of these and the chapel were raised by
voluntary contribution within the parishes of Fyvie and Monquhitter,
with the exception of L.70 obtained from the Church Extension Fund, and
about L.30 of a presbyterial collection.
The parish church was built in 1764, but in a very
insufficient manner, and is now in considerable disrepair. An addition
was made to it in the year 1792, and it accommodates about 1000 sitters.
There are no free sittings in the church, but the proprietor of Auchry
charges no rent for the seats occupied by the villagers of Cuminestown
and Garmond. The manse was built in 1778, and was thoroughly repaired in
1830, and then considerably added to. The glebe contains about nine
acres, and may be valued at about L.15 per annum. The stipend consists
of 15 chalders, one-half oatmeal, and one-half barley, payable according
to the fiars of the county, besides L. 10 for communion elements. There
is one Episcopal chapel, which is the only dissenting place of worship
in the parish. There are 1808 individuals attached to the Established
Church, and of other denominations, 236, bees about 50 who cannot be
said to belong to any denomination. The Lord's Supper is dispensed twice
in the year, and the number communicants, by the last survey, taken a
few months ago, amounts to 946. There are no
Societies specially established for religious purposes, but collections
are made annually for the various objects embraced by a Presbyterial
association, and last year the contributions and extraordinary church
collections for religious and charitable purposes, amounted to L.22,
besides L.48 of ordinary collections for the poor.
Education.—There is in the parish one parochial
school and one unendowed, [There is a
Sabbath school library, and also a subscription library, in the parish.]
the teacher of which latter depends entirely on school fees for his
payment. The parochial schoolmaster has the maximum of salary, with the
legal allowance for a house and garden, besides an annual payment from a
munificent bequest left by the late Mr Dick.
The fees in the parochial school, upon an average,
amount to about L.30 per annum, and those in the unendowed school to
about L.15.
There are two localities which are at a most
inconvenient dis-tance from any school, the district of Greens,
containing a population of upwards of 300, the greater number of whom
are distant about three miles from any school, and the lands of
Balquholly, containing a population of upwards of 100, who are distant
from four to five miles, and if schools were set down on both of these
districts, they would accommodate equal numbers from the ad- i
joining parishes, both of New Deer and Fyvie.
Besides the schools for ordinary education, there are
four Sabbath evening schools, which are attended by upwards of 220 young
persons and children ; and since the extensive introduction of this
important department of religious instruction, a change for the better
is visible in the conduct and morals of the young.
Charitable and other Institutions.—Till within
the last few years, there was a Friendly Society in the parish, which
had accumulated a considerable amount of funds, but, as in many other
institutions of the kind throughout the country, the calculations had
not been made upon correct and sound principles, and, finding the funds
to be fast diminishing, the society was lately dissolved, and the pro-perty
divided amongst the members. This has been succeeded by the
establishment of a parish Savings' bank, which is likely to prove very
beneficial in its effects. Although instituted only five years ago, the
sum deposited in it amounts to about L.2000, and the depositors are all
of the labouring classes.
Poor and Parochial Funds.—The average number of
persons receiving parochial aid amounts to nearly 50, and the average
sum allotted to each per year is L.2, 3s. 6d. The average sum of church
collections for the relief of the poor for the last six years amounts to
L. 50. This is contributed entirely by the farmers and labouring
classes, the heritors being principally nonresident. In consequence of
this, an accumulation which had been made, when the principal heritor,
the late Mr Cumine, was resident in the parish, and steadily and largely
contributing to the poor's funds, is now fast diminishing. There is a
disposition amongst the poor to refrain from seeking parochial relief as
long as they can do without it; and many individuals have actually
refused to accept of it when offered, although some cases of rapacity do
occasionally occur. In the year 1806, the sum of L.200 Sterling was left
by the late Mr Grieve, merchant in Cuminestown, under the control and
management of the kirk-session, the interest of which, according to the
terms of his will, is annually applied to the relief of poor
householders, not paupers, in sums not under 5s., and not exceeding 10s.
to each.
Fairs, &c.— There is an annual horse and cattle
fair held in the village of Cuminestown, on the last Thursday of April,
old style. The proprietor of Auchry has lately established several other
markets.
Inns and Alehouses.—There are five inns and
alehouses in the parish, one-half of which might suffice.
Fuel.— Hitherto peats and turf have been almost
the only fuel used here. The mosses belonging to the property of Auchry,
whence the villagers have been supplied, are almost entirely exhausted.
June 1842.
