Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
meaning "the Stewartry"), is a
historic county,
registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purpose ...
and
lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas are the separate areas of the United Kingdom appointed a lord-lieutenant – a representative of the British monarch. In many cases they have similar demarcation and naming to, but are not necessarily coterminate with, the coun ...
on the coast of northeast
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It is bounded by
Aberdeenshire on the north and west, and by
Angus on the south.
The name "Kincardine" is also used in
Kincardine and Mearns
Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population of 38,506 (2001 Census). There are significant natural features in this district including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs ...
, a
committee area
Many large local government councils in the United Kingdom have a system of area committees or area boards, which involve local people and organisations in decisions affecting council spending within their area. They cover a geographical area suc ...
of the
Aberdeenshire Council
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...
, although this covers a smaller area than the county.
History
![The Mearns (district)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/The_Mearns_%28district%29.PNG)
Anciently, the area was the Province of ''Mearns'', bordered on the north by
Marr
Marr (Scottish Gaelic: ''Màrr'') is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 34,038 (2001 Census). Someone from Marr is called a ''Màrnach'' in Scottish Gaelic.
Etymology
The genesis of the name ''Mar ...
, and on the west by
Angus. The name of the province simply refers to its status; the more important provinces were governed by a ''great steward'' (''
Mormaer
In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continental c ...
''), while the less important ones were governed by a mere ''steward'' (''Maer'').
It included the
burghs of
Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census.
After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...
,
Banchory
Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.
Prehistory and archaeology
In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist bu ...
,
Inverbervie
Inverbervie (from gd, Inbhir Biorbhaidh or ''Biorbhaigh'', "mouth of the River Bervie") is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven.
Etymology
The name ''Inverbervie'' involves the Gaelic ''Inbhir Biorbhaigh'', ...
and
Laurencekirk
Laurencekirk (, sco, Lowrenkirk, gd, Eaglais Labhrainn), colloquially known as "The Lang Toun" or amongst locals as simply "The Kirk", is a small town in the historic county of Kincardineshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen ...
, and other settlements included
Drumoak
Drumoak (, gd, Druim M'Aodhaig, ) is a village situated between Peterculter and Banchory in North Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Drumoak is proximate to the River Dee, with Park Bridge, named for the local Park Estate, being a local cross ...
,
Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is ...
,
Newtonhill
Newtonhill is a commuter town in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is popular due to its location, just six miles south of Aberdeen with easy reach of Stonehaven and with views over the North Sea.
History
The town was originally called Skateraw. Sk ...
and
Portlethen
Portlethen (; gd, Port Leathain) is a town located approximately 7 miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland along the A92. The population according to the 2011 census was 7,130 making it the seventh most populous settlement within Aberdeenshire.
To ...
. ''Mearns'' extended to Hill of Fare north of the
River Dee, but in 1891 the
Royal Burgh
A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
of
Torry
Torry is an area within the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Torry’s origins
People have been living in Torry since at least the 12th century. The place name first appears in written records in 1484 and was erected a Burgh of barony by Royal Cha ...
(on the south bank of the Dee) was incorporated into
Aberdeenshire.
The introduction of sheriffs in the 11th century created a parallel authority over the area, based at the town of
Kincardine. The town of Kincardine was not, as many believe, the village of
Kincardine O'Neil
Kincardine O'Neil ( gd, Cinn Chàrdainn, sco, Kinker) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee.
...
(which was actually in
Marr
Marr (Scottish Gaelic: ''Màrr'') is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 34,038 (2001 Census). Someone from Marr is called a ''Màrnach'' in Scottish Gaelic.
Etymology
The genesis of the name ''Mar ...
), nor was it the
Kincardine in
Fife. The Kincardine in question is in fact a place that ceased to exist during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, its only visible remnant being the ruin of
Kincardine Castle, 2 miles northeast of
Fettercairn
Fettercairn (, gd, Fothair Chàrdain) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
The name ...
, near the hamlet of
Phesdo
Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and ...
.
In 1296, King
John Balliol
John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...
wrote a letter of surrender from the castle to
Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...
after a short war that marked the beginning of the
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...
. In 1600, the
Estates of Parliament ordered the shrieval governance of Kincardineshire to be conducted at the
Stonehaven Tolbooth
The Stonehaven Tolbooth is a late 16th-century stone building originally used as a courthouse and a prison in the town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Constructed of local Old Red Sandstone, the prison probably attained its greatest no ...
.
In the mid-19th century, local government reforms replaced the ancient provinces by
new Counties (''shires''), aligned to sheriffdom boundaries; hence, Mearns became Kincardineshire. The
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 50) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland. In this it foll ...
established a uniform system of
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...
s in Scotland and realigned the boundaries of many of Scotland's counties. Subsequently, Kincardineshire County Council was created in 1890. Kincardine County Council was based at offices at 33 Evan Street in Stonehaven from around 1920.
The county lost its administrative status in 1975. The area of
Nigg in the north of the county became part of the City of Aberdeen, and the remainder of the county became part of the
Kincardine and Deeside
Kincardine and Deeside was formerly (1975–96) a local government district in the Grampian Region of Scotland. In 1996 it was included in the Aberdeenshire unitary area.
History
This region is rich in prehistory with numerous megalithic si ...
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of the
Grampian
Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region t ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
. When the Grampian region was divided into
unitary council areas in 1996, the district was absorbed into the
Aberdeenshire council area.
Geography
![Valley of Bervie Water - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Valley_of_Bervie_Water_-_geograph.org.uk_-_498820.jpg)
Roughly triangular in shape, Kincardineshire consists of the largely flat
Strathmore area running parallel with the coast, with hillier, forested country in the interior, the latter forming part of the
Grampian Mountains
The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian rang ...
. The highest point is
Mount Battock at 778 m (2,552 ft), lying on the border with Angus.
Rivers
Among the rivers are
Cowie Water
The Cowie Water ( gd, Uisge Chollaidh) is a river of Scotland.
Geography
The river rises in the Grampian Mountains in Kincardineshire, and discharges to the North Sea in the northern part of Stonehaven,United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map Landra ...
,
Carron Water,
Luther Water,
Burn of Muchalls
The Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks. Flowing principally over agricultural lands, the Burn of Mu ...
,
Burn of Pheppie,
Burn of Elsick
The Burn of Elsick is a coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. This watercourse drains primarily agricultural lands and enters the North Sea at Newtonhill.
History
The Burn of Elsick flows under the Causey M ...
,
Burn of Monboys,
Bervie Water
Bervie Water ( gd, Uisge Bhiorbhaigh) is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which rises in the Drumtochty Forest and flows across The Mearns to reach the North Sea at Inverbervie. Approximately two kilometres upstream of the North Sea, the B ...
and the lower reaches of the
River Dee.
Structures and sites
*
Allardice Castle
*
Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site lies at the northern end of Stonehaven on the North Sea coast. To the immediate south is the Cowie Bridge crossing of the Cowie Water. Evidence of prehistoric man exi ...
(ruins)
*
Catterline
*
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle ( gd, Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the ...
*
Fetteresso Castle
Fetteresso Castle is a 14th-century tower house, rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish Gothic style Palladian manor, with clear evidence of prehistoric use of the site. It is situated immediately west of the town of Stonehaven in Kincardineshire, slightl ...
*
Fowlsheugh
Fowlsheugh is a coastal nature reserve in Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland, known for its cliff formations and habitat supporting prolific seabird nesting colonies. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Scottish Natura ...
Nature Reserve
*
Lewis Grassic Gibbon Centre,
Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott ( gd, Obar Bhuadhnait, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a village and parish in the Howe of the Mearns, a low-lying agricultural district of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of Fordoun (on the A90) and north-west ...
*
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers of ...
*
Portlethen Moss
The Portlethen Moss is an acidic bog nature reserve located to the west of the town of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Like other mosses, this wetland area supports a variety of plant and animal species, even though it has been subject ...
*
Stonehaven Tolbooth
The Stonehaven Tolbooth is a late 16th-century stone building originally used as a courthouse and a prison in the town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Constructed of local Old Red Sandstone, the prison probably attained its greatest no ...
*
Ury House
Coat of arms
The county's coat of arms displayed and reflected the history of the
Honours of Scotland, which were kept at
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle ( gd, Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the ...
and later at
Kinneff
Kinneff is a roadside hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just north of Inverbervie.[Kinneff.]
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...
. It was: ''Gules, the Sceptre and Sword of Scotland crosswise in saltire, with the
Crown of Scotland
The Crown of Scotland ( gd, Crùn na h-Alba) is the crown that was used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. It is the oldest surviving crown in the British Isles and dates from at least 1503, although it has been claimed that the c ...
in chief and a ruined castle on a mound in base, all or.'' The motto was , Latin for "Praise God". It was originally the motto of the
Viscounts of Arbuthnott, whose seat is in the county, and the
14th Viscount was Lord Lieutenant of Kincardine at the time of the arms' matriculation by the
Lord Lyon in 1927.
Constituency
There was a
Kincardineshire constituency of the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
of the
Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
from 1801 to 1918, representing the county of Kincardineshire, minus the
parliamentary burgh of
Inverbervie
Inverbervie (from gd, Inbhir Biorbhaidh or ''Biorbhaigh'', "mouth of the River Bervie") is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven.
Etymology
The name ''Inverbervie'' involves the Gaelic ''Inbhir Biorbhaigh'', ...
. Inverbervie was a component of the
Aberdeen District of Burghs from 1708 to 1832 and of the
Montrose District of Burghs from 1832 to 1950.
In 1918 the Kincardineshire constituency was merged with part of the
Western Aberdeenshire constituency to form the
Kincardine and Western Aberdeenshire constituency.
In 1950 Kincardine and Western Aberdeenshire was divided between the
West Aberdeenshire constituency and the
North Angus and Mearns constituency. North Angus and Mearns then covered the whole of the county of Kincardineshire, including the former parliamentary burgh of Inverbervie, and part of the county of
Angus, the latter being previously within the
Forfarshire constituency.
In 1983, eight years after the abolition of the local government county of Kincardineshire, North Angus and Mearns was replaced by new constituencies.
The county currently makes up part of the
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency of the House of Commons.
Transport
Rail
![Stonehaven railway station - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Stonehaven_railway_station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_365302.jpg)
The
Edinburgh-Aberdeen railway line runs parallel to the coast and through the towns of Laurencekirk, Stonehaven and Portlethen.
Historic transport routes
The ancient
Causey Mounth
The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continu ...
road was built on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route from coastal points south to
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
. This ancient passage specifically connected the
Bridge of Dee
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o Dee ( gd, Drochaid Dhè) is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527,Richards, J.M., ''The National Trust Book of Bridges ...
to
Muchalls Castle
Muchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well-preserved Romanesque, double-groined 13th-century tower house structure, built by the Frasers of ...
,
Cowie Castle
Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site lies at the northern end of Stonehaven on the North Sea coast. To the immediate south is the Cowie Bridge crossing of the Cowie Water. Evidence of prehistoric man exi ...
(and effectively
Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle ( gd, Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the ...
). The route was that taken by the
Earl Marischal
The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland.
History
The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held b ...
and
Marquess of Montrose
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
when they led a
Covenanter army of 9,000 men in the first battle of the
Bishops' Wars in 1639.
Elsick Mounth
The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass ...
is a prehistoric
trackway
Historic roads (historic trails in USA and Canada) are paths or routes that have historical importance due to their use over a period of time. Examples exist from prehistoric times until the early 20th century. They include ancient trackways ...
used by the
Caledonian tribes as well as the Roman army in their northern invasion of the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
.
Settlements
*
Altens
Altens is a district in the city of Aberdeen, on the north-east coast of Scotland.
Altens is home to a large industrial estate, alongside a similar estate in neighbouring Tullos. The industrial estates have offices, including a large facility ...
*
Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott ( gd, Obar Bhuadhnait, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a village and parish in the Howe of the Mearns, a low-lying agricultural district of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of Fordoun (on the A90) and north-west ...
*
Auchenblae
*
Balnagask
Balnagask is an area of Torry, a burgh of Aberdeen in Scotland. Balnagask is said to mean "the village in the hollow" in Gaelic.
The Balnagask Estate stretched from the golf course to the fields that overlooked both the Bay of Nigg and the ...
*
Banchory
Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee.
Prehistory and archaeology
In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist bu ...
*
Bridge of Muchalls
*
Cammachmore
Cammachmore (Gaelic ''An Camach Mòr'') is a hamlet in the coastal region near the North Sea in Aberdeenshire. It lies slightly west of the A92 road and the ancient Causey Mounth passes through the community. Historic Elsick House is situated ...
*
Catterline
*
Chapelton of Elsick
*
Cookney
Cookney is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in proximity to Netherley in the Mounth of the Grampian Highlands. The community is situated on a hilltop approximately northwest of Stonehaven, about northwest of the Bridge of Muchalls, and abo ...
*
Cove Bay
Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern ed ...
*
Crawton
*
Downies
*
Drumlithie
*
Edzell Woods
Edzell Woods is a village in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is from Edzell by road, but only directly east, over the River North Esk, which forms the boundary between Aberdeenshire and Angus. In 2010 the populati ...
*
Fettercairn
Fettercairn (, gd, Fothair Chàrdain) is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, northwest of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire on the B966 from Edzell. Fettercairn is also reached via the Cairn O' Mount road (B974) from Deeside.
The name ...
*
Findon
*
Fordoun
Fordoun ( gd, Fordun) (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, to ...
*
Glenbervie
Glenbervie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Gleann Biorbhaidh'', Scots: ''Bervie'') is located in the north east of Scotland in the Howe o' the Mearns, one mile from the village of Drumlithie and eight miles south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The river ...
*
Gourdon
*
Inverbervie
Inverbervie (from gd, Inbhir Biorbhaidh or ''Biorbhaigh'', "mouth of the River Bervie") is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven.
Etymology
The name ''Inverbervie'' involves the Gaelic ''Inbhir Biorbhaigh'', ...
*
Johnshaven
Johnshaven is a coastal village along the North Sea located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. About southwest of Johnshaven lies Milton Ness, which includes a red sandstone cliff landform.
The flax industry, sailmaking and fishing have historically b ...
*
Kincorth
Kincorth is a suburb located to the south of Aberdeen, Scotland. The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic "Ceann Coirthe", which probably refers to an old pillar or standing stone (''coirthe''). Kincorth is known as the garden estate of ...
*
Kinneff
Kinneff is a roadside hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, just north of Inverbervie.[Kinneff.]
Kirkton of Durris
Kirkton of Durris is a hamlet in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historic structures in the vicinity include Maryculter House, Durris House and Muchalls Castle.
A short history of the parish of Durris was written in 2 ...
*
Laurencekirk
Laurencekirk (, sco, Lowrenkirk, gd, Eaglais Labhrainn), colloquially known as "The Lang Toun" or amongst locals as simply "The Kirk", is a small town in the historic county of Kincardineshire, Scotland, just off the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen ...
*
Luthermuir
*
Maryculter
Maryculter () or Kirkton of Maryculter is a village in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The River Dee separates it from the town of Peterculter, and the B979 road runs through Maryculter. Maryculter House Hotel lies slightly ...
*
Marykirk
Marykirk ( gd, Obar Luathnait) is a village in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, next to the border with Angus at the River North Esk.
The village is approximately 6 miles ENE of Montrose at the southern end of the ...
*
Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is ...
*
Netherley
*
Newtonhill
Newtonhill is a commuter town in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is popular due to its location, just six miles south of Aberdeen with easy reach of Stonehaven and with views over the North Sea.
History
The town was originally called Skateraw. Sk ...
*
Nigg
*
Old Portlethen
*
Portlethen
Portlethen (; gd, Port Leathain) is a town located approximately 7 miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland along the A92. The population according to the 2011 census was 7,130 making it the seventh most populous settlement within Aberdeenshire.
To ...
*
St Cyrus
*
Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census.
After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...
*
Tewel
Tewel is a hamlet located approximately two miles west of Stonehaven, Kincardineshire on the Auchenblae Road in Northeast Scotland.
It consists of:
* Tewel Farm
* Tewel School and Schoolhouse
* Four semi detached houses
* One cottage (derelict)
...
*
Torry
Torry is an area within the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Torry’s origins
People have been living in Torry since at least the 12th century. The place name first appears in written records in 1484 and was erected a Burgh of barony by Royal Cha ...
*
Tullos
Tullos is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland. The area takes its name from the Vale of Tullos, which lies between Tullos Hill and Torry Hill. Tullos derived its name from a corruption of the Gaelic ‘Tulach’ meaning a hill.
In this extract from ...
File:Housing at Balnagask - geograph.org.uk - 10369.jpg, Balnagask
File:Bridge of Muchalls.jpg, Bridge of Muchalls
File:Catterline Harbour.jpg, Catterline
File:Stonehaven-Square.jpg, Stonehaven
Notable people
The author
Lewis Grassic Gibbon, born James Leslie Mitchell, was a Scottish writer. His ''
Sunset Song'' is one of the best-known Scottish novels of the 20th century. It was voted Scotland's favourite book in a poll announced at the 2005 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Set in a fictional village in the Mearns, the book draws heavily from Mitchell's upbringing in
Arbuthnott
Arbuthnott ( gd, Obar Bhuadhnait, "mouth of the Buadhnat") is a village and parish in the Howe of the Mearns, a low-lying agricultural district of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the B967, east of Fordoun (on the A90) and north-west ...
. One of the key features of the book, and some of his other writing, is the balanced and immersive use of the local
Doric Scots dialect mixed with standard English, in a manner easily and enjoyably accessible to someone unfamiliar with the North East of Scotland.
* See also
:People from Kincardine and Mearns
Notable residents
*
Richard Henry Brunton
Richard Henry Brunton FRGS MICE (26 December 1841 – 24 April 1901) was the so-called " Father of Japanese lighthouses". Brunton was born in Muchalls, Kincardineshire, Scotland. He was employed by the government of Meiji period Japan as ...
, born in Kincardine
*
Cosmo Innes
Cosmo Nelson Innes FRSE (9 September 1798 – 31 July 1874) was a Scottish advocate, judge, historian and antiquary. He served as Advocate-Depute, Sheriff of Elginshire, and Principal Clerk of Session.
He was a skilled decipherer of ancien ...
born in Durris Castle
*
Hercules Linton
Hercules Linton (1 January 1837 – 15 May 1900) was a Scottish surveyor, designer, shipbuilder, antiquarian and local councillor, best known as the designer of the ''Cutty Sark'' and partner in the yard of Scott and Linton, which built her.
...
(1837–1900), born in Inverbervie, designer of the
Cutty Sark
''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period ...
*
James Murdoch
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is a British-American businessman, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.
He was the chairman and CEO fo ...
, born in Stonehaven
*
James Taylor (tea planter) born on the Monboddo estate, Laurencekirk
*
Robert William Thomson
Robert William Thomson PRSSA FRSE (29 June 1822–8 March 1873), from Stonehaven, Scotland, was the inventor of the fountain pen and original inventor of the pneumatic tyre.
Life
He was born on 29 June 1822 in Stonehaven in the northeas ...
born in Stonehaven
See also
*
List of counties of Scotland 1890–1975
*
Kincardine (disambiguation) Kincardine may refer to:
Places Scotland
*Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland
** Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth
*Kincardineshire, a historic county
**Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned
**Kincard ...
References
External links
*
Historic map showing the Mearns by H. Moll (d. 1732)Interactive map of modern Kincardineshire
{{Coord, 56, 55, N, 2, 30, W, region:GB_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title
Former counties of Scotland
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland
Counties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)